Nowhere To Turn by Lynette Eason

 About the Book:

When Dani's abusive FBI husband dies Dani thinks that her and her son Simon are now free to live a normal life. When Dani and Simon's lives are once again threatened Dani turns to Adam Buchanan who works for Operation Refuge a protection agency. Adam is getting desperate in his protection of Dani and Simon, every time they move to a safe house the enemy seems to find them. How are they being found out and what will happen to Dani and Simon if they are captured?

My Thoughts:

I really enjoyed this second book in the Hidden Identity series. There were many twists and turns and lots of action and peril to keep the reader on the edge of their seat. I liked Dani's relationship with her son Simon. Simon is deaf and the center of his mom's life. When Adam comes into their lives it is nice to see him working to make a relationship with Simon as well as Dani and slowly winning their confidence and turning their fear of abuse into confidence and love. A lot of suspense and a little bit of romance makes this an entertaining read.

Thanks to the publisher Revell through NetGalley for my copy of Nowhere To Turn. All thoughts are opinions are my own.

 

Feral by Holly Schindler

 About the Book:

Claire Cain has just survived a brutal trauma. Her father decides to take a sabbatical from his job and move he and Claire to a new city for a while. Claire is only there a couple of days when she finds the dead body of one of the local girls that has been missing for over a week.  

The town of Peculiar seems to be overrun by stray cats. Serena, the dead girl, used to feed them. Especially a calico she named Sweet Pea. It isn’t long before Claire sees that Serena has taken over Sweet Pea’s body and is calling to Claire to find out what really happened to her. At least at first that is what Claire believes, but soon things change and it seems that Serena may have other more sinister ideas for Claire. 

My Thoughts:

This was such a creepy story! Sometimes I found myself thinking, whoa, this is way over the top for me! But I kept on reading because the more I read the more I wanted to find out what happened to Serena. I thought it was interesting how the reader is able to see through Serena’s eyes and read her thoughts after she is dead and being hidden away. The shroud of fog that would come over Claire whenever Sweet Pea/Serena came into the picture lent an air of creepiness to the story as well. Towards the ending of the book I got an idea of where the story was going, but was quite surprised by the “who done it.”  This is a young adult book so if you like that genre along with mysteries and ghosts, then I think you will enjoy this story.

**WARNING**

There is some offensive language and violence in this book that may offend some readers. 

Note: I received a free e-copy of the book for the purpose of this review. This is my honest review.

 

Fire & Ash by Jonathan Maberry

I loved every bit of this book! An excellent end to the Rot & Ruin series. Just when it seems that the world is going to end, up rises Benny Imura and his friends to save the day. In 537 pages there are so many ups and downs and sideways that happen to Benny and his friends that I found my emotions roller coastering all over the place as well.

Not only are Benny and company fighting the zombies to stay alive, but they now have a new enemy in The Reapers. Determined to send humankind and zombies alike into the darkness Saint John and his crew are wreaking havoc on anyone that gets in their way. When Benny finds coordinates to where Dr. McReady and a possible cure could be, hope springs new for their friend Chong who is slowly deteriorating with the zombie disease. But will The Reapers get to Chong and send him into the darkness before Benny can get back with the cure?

I love the bravery and heroics of Benny, Nix, Lilah, and Riot. And I can't forget Captain Ledger and his dog Grimm, an excellent duo that help Benny and friends. I really liked how much Benny has matured into his own person in this last book. He quits trying to be just like his brother Tom and becomes a hero/legend in his own right. I found myself forgetting though that Benny is still a young person. He is only 15 years old and having to deal with so many decisions and emotions that would crush even an adult. He has matured way beyond his years which is understandable in this new world that has come about because of the zombie disease.

If you are a fan of zombie stories, if you enjoy YA and teen hero's then I definitely recommend this series for you. Fast-paced and full of adventure and calamity, I'm definitely a fan!

My Reviews of the Rot & Ruin Series:

Rot & Ruin
Dust & Decay
Flesh & Bone

The Blessings of Friendship by Mary Engelbreit

This is a beautiful hardback book filled with lovely verses and poems and other writings on friendship. The best thing about it though is the wonderful pictures! I love the way the children are illustrated and the old-time innocence that each picture has about it. While the illustrations are creative and beautiful and detailed I don't think that the average child would sit down and have the patience to have this book read to them. I sat down with two of my grandchildren and they had me flip through the book and look at the pictures but they weren't interested in being read to. I think that the writing touches the adult heart much more than it would a young child. A beautifully illustrated book that touches the adult heart with the words and reminders of friendship and has the illustrations capturing a child's eye. This is going in my home library!

Operation Zulu Redemption: Out of Nowhere by Ronie Kendig

 ABOUT:
 This installment of Operation Zulu has the Zulu team traveling to Paris and to Greece following leads that will hopefully bring them closer to whoever is hunting them. In the course of their search another foe is unleashed, an assassin has marked Teya as his kill. While the Zulu team is hunting for their would-be killers Sam is still hunting for Ashland/Annie and seems to want to stop at nothing to find her. Not a good thing for the team trying to maintain their anonymity.

MY THOUGHTS:

Once again the action had me on the edge of my seat anxiously biting my nails! I like the fact that the girls are kick-butt characters but yet not machines. They are trained in combat, but yet are still able to feel compassion for those around them. It is a little hard for me to read when one of the girls gets the stuffings knocked out of her, but I have a feeling she'll be getting her revenge soon. Francesca Solomon is kind of ticking me off. She reminds me of a terrier with her jaws clamped around a bone and refuses to let go! She's going to be trouble I think.

My Reviews of the First Two Installments:

Overkill: The Beginning
Collateral Damage: Part I
Out of Nowhere: Part II(this post)

Last Two Installments:
Hazardous Duty: Part III
Act of Treason: Part IV

Operation Zulu Redemption: Collateral Damage

Part I of this new serial has the women of Zulu team in hiding. But hiding doesn't set well with them, especially when those they love are in danger. The women are determined to find out exactly what happened in Misrata 5 years before. Who is their enemy and why are they being silenced one by one?

Yes, I am hooked! I went and bought the next episode in the Zulu Redemption series today so I can find out what happens next. If you like edge of your seat excitement and action then this is definitely a serial for you! I'm behind by a couple of weeks, but here is the release date schedule:

Overkill: Available Now
Collateral Damage: Available Now
Out of Nowhere: Available Now
Hazardous Duty: Available Now
Act of Treason: August 8, 2014

Each episode is $3.99 for Amazon Kindle. Overkill is available for FREE. It is a 70-something page teaser introducing the characters. By the time you have all 4 books and the teaser you will have the equivalent of 2 full-length novels. Not a bad deal!

I'm a definite fan of kick-butt female characters and am enjoying getting to know the women of Operation Zulu Redemption. Each woman brings different abilities and characteristics to the team and I am looking forward to seeing how everything turns out.

The Berenstain Bears God Shows the Way by Stan and Jan Berenstain

How could you not give a Berenstain Bears book a 5-heart rating? I have loved these books since both of our girls were little. I think I've collected the majority of them. This I Can Read! book has 3 stories in one nicely bound hardback book.

Faith Gets Us Through finds the Bear Scouts exploring a cave. Of course with Papa Bear along there are always a few mishaps.

Have No Fear, God is Near tells about Sister Bear being afraid of shadows

Piggy Bank Blessings has Brother and Sister learning the value of saving money for a special occasion.

All three books have faith lessons that the Bears learn along the way as well as being an easy read for those first-time readers. All three of my grandchildren are now enjoying The Berenstain Bear collection and were thrilled when I sat down to read them this new addition. If you've never read a Berenstain Bear book I highly recommend them as they are all filled with important life lessons.

Thanks to BookLook Bloggers for my copy for review. All opinions are my own.