Required Reading

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Books I have authored.

Many times I receive books for FREE to give them an honest review. I do not get paid to give a good or bad review. Spotlights are promotional and should be regarded as advertising for the book spotlighted. Regardless of where or how I got a book, my review will be as honest as I can make it.

Saturday, July 29, 2017

Cut to the Bone by Alex Caan


This was a mystery populated by a lot of broken people.  It deals with the fantasy world of YouTube stars and the lengths people go for their 15 minutes of fame. 

Ruby, shy and somewhat retiring in the real world, shared her feelings and frustrations with her followers.  Her disappearance rocked the Internet addicts.

Kate, broken herself, is charged with finding her kidnapper.

Zain, a former intelligence agent, broken by terrorists is searching for personal redemption.

Dan, an arrogant misogynist vlooger is also broken.  He is a mean spirited, nasty individual.  

Hope, is a hardscrabble youth who clawed his way out of public housing and is walking a balance beam between doing good and compromising his principles to survive.

Some characters will go un-described because it will reveal too much of the plot. 

The Internet, vloggers, bloggers, greedy conglomerates, unsavory politicians, confused constabulary, this book is a wealth of interesting characters. 

I enjoyed it.

Web: https://www.alexcaanauthor.com/


This book may have been received free of charge from a publisher or a publicist. That will NEVER have a bearing on my recommendations.

Tuesday, July 25, 2017

The Point of a Gun by Steven W. Kohlhagen


Author Kohlhagen may have an ax to grind.  I don’t know that but this book is hypercritical of the current anti-terrorism programs.  If he is grinding an ax I will be happy to grind with him.  The bureaucratic morass of the federal government is only surpassed by the inability to cooperate for the benefit of its citizens is a theme in the book and I have to agree.

The book details a group of vigilantes who are terminating terrorist before they can successfully execute their mission.  The vigilantes may or may not be highly placed government officials.

The book hits home on so many levels.  Just picking up a paper and blindly chose any page and there will be a story about some bickering by our elected officials.  The tweet-meister has brought a new low to lack of cooperation.  One has to wonder who is running the government when all our elected officials appear to be lining up to stab each other in the back.  

I liked the book even as I found it very depressingly accurate.

Web: https://www.stevenwkohlhagen.com/

This book may have been received free of charge from a publisher or a publicist. That will NEVER have a bearing on my recommendations.

Friday, July 21, 2017

Spotlight on Royally Romanov, Volume 2 in The Royals Series by Teri Wilson

About 


ROYALLY ROMANOV
Teri Wilson
The Royals Series, Volume 2
Pocket Star EBook
July 17, 2017
$4.99
ISBN 9781501160509

In this charming modern day retelling of the 1956 classic Anastasia, a museum curator falls for a mysterious man who may or may not be a long lost heir to Russia’s imperial Romanov dynasty.

Volume 2 in The Royals Series ROYALLY ROMANOV by Teri Wilson introduces Finley Abbot, who is organizing the most prestigious art exhibit of her career at the Louvre museum—a retrospective of art from the House of Romanov. But the sudden appearance of Maxim Romanov threatens to turn her into the biggest laughingstock of the art world. When she finds herself falling in love, she realizes there’s even more at stake than her career. How can she trust a man with her whole world when he can’t remember a thing about his past?

After suffering a violent blow to the head, Maxim’s only clue to his identity is a notebook containing carefully researched documentation in his own handwriting indicating that he is the sole surviving descendant of the Grand Duchess Anastasia, previously thought dead in the murder of her family during Russia’s Bolshevik revolution. His struggle to put the mysterious pieces of his past back together leads him to Finley. At first, she’s convinced Maxim is nothing but a con artist. But there’s something undeniably captivating about the beautiful, brooding man who claims to be searching for his identity—something Finley can’t quite bring herself to resist. When he reveals a secret about one of the imperial FabergĂ© eggs in the collection, she accepts he may actually be telling the truth. But as soon as Finley and Maxim act on their feelings for one another, Maxim is confronted with evidence that calls into question everything he’s begun to believe about himself.

Praise for Royally Romanov, Volume 2 in The Royals Series:
“This contemporary retelling of the Anastasia myth, chock-full of elegance in the most romantic city in the world, is a delight. Wilson (Royally Roma) crafts love scenes that are sexy and passionate and align perfectly with the backdrop and absorbing plot; this will have wide appeal.”
—Library Journal STARRED REVIEW

“Wilson’s second Royals contemporary (after Royally Roma) takes the reader on a journey to Paris, where an American museum curator falls for a man who may be Russian royalty… The romance between Finley and Maxim is magical, beginning as instant attraction and building to an intense love, and Wilson skillfully balances the mystery of Maxim’s identity with the ethereal beauty of Paris.”
Publishers Weekly

“Whether you’re a big history buff or simply a lover of the basic legend as viewed in the animated film Anastasia, you won’t feel in over your head with this story… It’s a little history lesson…it keeps you guessing, and keeps the flirtatious, unstable nature of Maxim and Finley’s relationship spark worthy. Once the danger levels rise to unfathomable heights, let’s just say that progress is no longer a problem…In the end, it was a great addition to the growing series of which I hope there will be many more to come. The author puts us right there in the danger zone as events unfold, but never forgets to bring the sparks. I can easily see Contemporary or Historical Romance fans getting behind this one, but also the New Adult crowd…and yes, I mean for the adult fans only because there is definitely a blush worthy scene or two.”
Satisfaction for Insatiable Readers

“I adored this book. I've always been fascinated with the possibilities of Anastasia's story and while this was definitely a new (wonderful) twist on that, it was even better because this book was an incredible love story to Paris, too. After reading the book, I felt like I'd made a quick trip to Paris...and fell in love with it all over again… The book is a romance, but even more than that, it's a huge mystery built in some of the more interesting parts of Paris. I had no idea how the story would work out and that suspense kept me reading long past when I should have put my kindle down. The story was addicting. It was also...gorgeous. The mental visuals of this book were fantastic. From the bookstore and the ideas of the tumbleweeds to the romantic idea that one of the Romanov line could have survived...I loved every minute of reading this story….The book was the perfect mix of romance, mystery, and intrigue...and I absolutely loved it. I highly recommend it!”
—Smitten with Reading

“Just like Royally Roma, the first in the series, Royally Romanov is addicting and hard to put down. The hint of mystery and suspense propelled the story and served to enhance the romance in a way that kept it from being overbearing. Having been to France, it was nice to see the description being so vivid and I especially loved that I learned an entire theory that I didn’t even know existed. With the hundred-year anniversary of the execution of the Romanovs coming up, this was extremely relevant and interesting. I love how many elements mixed together to make this book truly enjoyable, from the mystery and romance to the history and knowledge. Truly a wonderful read. Quill says: Royally Romanov is the perfect blend of mystery, romance and suspense. Just as great, if not better, than the very first in the series.”
—Feathered Quill

“This book is the retelling of the 1956 classic myth Anastasia. This is Teri Wilson’s second book in The Royals series and the third volume, Royally Wed, will debut in November. I enjoyed this story which has a mixture of romance, mystery and suspense.
—Suzy Approved Book Reviews

Praise for Royally Roma, Volume 1 in The Royals Series:
“An all-work, no-play PhD student is moonlighting as a tour guide in Rome. She's almost too busy keeping it profesh to notice her client is bona fide royalty in this zippy e-book.”
—Cosmopolitan, April 2017

“Verdict Wilson’s (The Art of Us) series opener [Royally Roma] is a delightful romp that incorporates the culture of the Eternal city—a ripe environment for love—into this temperate romance. Readers will be just as enthralled with Rome as Nico and Julia are with each other.”
—Library Journal Starred Review

“A charmingly modern twist on a classic love story—loads of fun and all the feels.”
—Julia London, New York Times bestselling author of Suddenly in Love
About the author:
Teri Wilson’s novel Unleashing Mr. Darcy is now a Hallmark Channel Original Movie, and she currently has two other films in development with Hallmark. She’s also at HelloGiggles.com, a lifestyle and entertainment website founded by Zooey Deschanel. Teri loves books, travel, animals and dancing every day. Visit her at TeriWilson.net
 
 or on Twitter @TeriWilsonAuthr
.


This book may have been received free of charge from a publisher or a publicist. That will NEVER have a bearing on my recommendations.

Tuesday, July 18, 2017

Spotlight on Colorblind a Novel by Leah Harper Bowron


promotional #ColorblindANovel 

















ABOUT THE BOOK:

The time was 1968. The place was Montgomery, Alabama. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. and Sen. Bobby Kennedy had been assassinated. War was raging in Vietnam. And war was raging on the playground of the all-white Wyatt Elementary School.

Schoolyard bullies teased sixth grader Lisa Parker because of the way her nose looked.  Lisa would often develop a stomachache and check out of school to escape the bullies.  Until sixth grade teacher Miss Annie Loomis came to Wyatt. Miss Loomis just happened to be the first African American at Wyatt, and Lisa loved her English class. Now, when the bullies teased Lisa, she would stay in school so that she could be in Miss Loomis’ class.  Yet something terrible happened that would change Lisa and Miss Loomis forever. 

Racism reared its ugly head at Wyatt, and now Lisa was not the only victim of the bullies’ teasing.  Would Miss Loomis endure the bullies’ racist taunts?

Social Media:
Facebook: Leah Harper Bowron



This book may have been received free of charge from a publisher or a publicist. That will NEVER have a bearing on my recommendations.

Friday, July 7, 2017

Mississippi Blood by Greg Iles

Greg Iles is a master of tension.   I think I start all his book reviews with that compliment.   This book matches Dead Sleep and Third Degree tense moment for tense moment but adds the disturbing note that much of the depicted violence actually took place.   Natchez Burning began this trilogy followed by the Bone Tree.  The story continues in this, the final book.   Be warned, it is hazardous to develop any attachment to a character as they may not survive.  

Although repetitious,  I'm old enough to recall civil rights violence.  This book deals with the KKK, a splinter group of the KKK, the Double Eagles; a crazed boot strap millionaire; a crusading journalist and a family with a troubled past.   If that is not enough to pique your interest then you apparently have little or no imagination.  Snake Knox, Wilma Deen and Alois, Snake’s illegitimate son along with a demented, drug dealing motorcycle gang flesh out the villains of this third book.   Of course a vengeance seeking DA and a crooked Sherriff play their parts as well.

All three of these books were hard to read.  History is sometimes very painful.  As troubled as our current climate is regarding race, it has been worse.   That was hard to read and to realize the depravity that was novelized was reality based.
Iles does a good job winding up the trilogy.  He also shows some parallels between father and son(s) in the Cage family.    As an aside, Iles certainly has great respect for the violence that can be perpetrated by elderly folks, male, female and good and bad.

Iles writes an extremely powerful story.
I strongly recommend.
web site: http://www.gregiles.com/


This book may have been received free of charge from a publisher or a publicist. That will NEVER have a bearing on my recommendations.