Thursday, March 26, 2015

Dead Wrong by Susan Sleeman

Kat Justice runs to her friends rescue only to find her dead when she arrives, and the killer is still in the house! Thankfully Kat had called for back up before going into the house. Mitch Elliot arrives just in time to save Kat from the same fate as her friend.

Kat used to be partners with Mitch before she started working for the Justice Agency, the business owned and operated by her family. Kat is still hurt by his rejection of her crush on him and is anything but happy that he assigns himself as her guardian when the killer once again makes an attempt on her life.

Mitch can't help his attraction to Kat, but he refuses to give into his feelings. He was unable to keep his former partner and fiance' from being killed and has found it is much easier to not allow himself to get close to anyone. Kat too has issues with allowing herself to become close to anyone. She refuses to allow herself to be ruled by a man. Having watched her abusive father murder her mother Kat will never allow a man to have that kind of control over her. Sparks fly between the two of them with Mitch doing everything in his power to keep her safe and Kat doing everything in her power to push him away. All the while the killer is lurking closer and closer ready to finish what he started.

I really liked this story. Two people struggling to let God have control in every situation of their lives. This lesson spoke to me at this point in my life. The struggle is real, being able to relinquish control of our lives and the lives of those we love to a Heavenly Father that cares for them and us way more than we could ever hope to. I loved the spiritual aspect of this book. The suspense was pretty good as well. This is the second book in the Justice Agency series and they just keep getting better! I read them out of order, which didn't seem to hinder me in following the family, but if I were to start again I would begin with book one.

Read my reviews of the other books in the series:

Double Exposure
Dead Wrong
No Way Out
Thread of Suspicion
Dark Tide


Wednesday, March 25, 2015

AUDIOBOOK: How A Star Falls by Amber Stokes



About the Book

Unabridged audiobook narrated by Patrick Wilson Mahaney | 1 hour and 55 minutes

How does a star fall?
Quickly. Completely. Unexpectedly.

Derrick Knolane escapes to Trinidad Head most evenings, avoiding his apartment and planning for the day he'll break free of Humboldt County. Working in a music store might be fine for a while, but it's far from the goal he had in mind when he got his college degree. Not to mention the fact that his roommate is a jerk and his family won't stop trying to run his life.

Then Brielle falls into his world.

She claims to be a star. Not from Hollywood, but from heaven. He thinks she's crazy. Certainly delusional. Yet, he can't just leave her alone on the cliffs. So he takes her home.

And his whole world falls apart.

A heartfelt and fanciful contemporary romance novella, How a Star Falls explores the uncertain season of new adulthood and shows that sometimes the worst inconveniences make for the best miracles of all.




Audiobook Purchase Links

Less than $7! (You can listen to a sample on the following sites, as well.)


Author Bio

Amber Stokes works as a content writer (marketing services) for a Christian publisher. On the side, she self-publishes inspirational fiction depicting the seasons of life and love. Her
passion for books compelled her to earn a bachelor's degree in English and to run her own freelance editing and publicity business for over a year. Happily, this new chapter of her career takes place in the Pacific Northwest—a part of the world she's always considered home. Learn more about Amber’s books at www.SeasonsofaStory.blogspot.com




Social Media Links





Goodreads: Amber Stokes

Google +:  +AmberStokes

Narrator Bio

Patrick Mahaney is a comedian, writer, and performer living in New York City. You can follow him on Twitter at @patrick_mahaney.


A Note from Julie: Check out my review of HOW A STAR FALLS



Rafflecopter Giveaway

Experience How a Star Falls as you’ve never heard it before! Enter to win one of three digital audiobook copies of the novella using the Rafflecopter form below. Open to anyone who can access Audible.com. (Prizes will be distributed using promo codes through that site.)

  


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Tuesday, March 24, 2015

The Mystery Writers of America Cookbook Edited by Kate White

From The Press Release:

Any mystery connoisseur worth their salt knows that whether it's being used as a villain's nefarious weapon or keeping their favorite detectives going, food plays a major role in the genre. From the comforting breakfast cuisines of Arthur Conan Doyle's Mrs. Hudson to the poison-laced meals of Agatha Christie's fictional victims, food not only provides major plot twists but also defines character.

My Thoughts:

I totally enjoyed looking through this cookbook and picking out recipes to try and reading little tid-bits from authors about their characters. Several authors I recognized have recipes in this cookbook: Ben H. Winters, Mary Higgins Clark, Sara Paretsky, Kathy Reichs, James Patterson and Sue Grafton just to name a few. Speaking of Sue Grafton; she writes the Kinsey Millhone books which I have been reading for years and years. Her recipe is the famous peanut butter and pickle sandwich that Kinsey is always making as her go-to comfort food. Not that I will ever be trying that recipe, but I thought it was fun to see it in the book! While there are several color photos of the finished products in the book, not every recipe has a photo to go with it which I found a bit disappointing.  The cookbook is hardback which is nice and has over 100 recipes that features recipes for breakfasts, appetizers, entree's, desserts and drinks. After each recipe there is a little blurb about the author. So, if you are a mystery fan and you like to eat then check out this book. It will definitely entertain you!

**Thanks to Quirk Books for my copy for review. All opinions are my own**




Thursday, March 19, 2015

Remnants: Season of Fire by Lisa T. Bergren

The Remnants are off to save Kapriel, but first his brother Keallach is determined to change Andriana's mind about the Remnants calling. Can Dri help Keallach turn back to the Way or is he too far under Sethos's power to join his fellow Ailith?

Remnants: Season of Fire is book 2 in the Remnants series. Filled with exciting battles between good and evil, romance and a spiritual purpose I found Season of Fire to be a hard book to put down. Andriana and her Knight Ronan know that romance between them is forbidden. But their hearts are melded together in spite of their calling. Unfortunately this opens the door to the enemy to use that love against them. Keallach uses his time with Andriana to try and persuade her that the two of them would make a good team to rule over the people. He tries to sway Dri with his gift of manipulating people's feelings. Thankfully Dri is strong in her faith in the mission she and her fellow Ailith have been called to. Being an empath Andriana senses in Keallach a desire to be with his fellow Remnants, but is he somehow able to mask his true feelings and desires in order to confuse Dri?

As I said, I had a hard time putting this book down. Yet at the same time I sometimes had to put it down because I would get so tense over a battle scene or see a foreshadowing of what was to come that I would need to take a little break to regroup! I really liked how the author brought out the spiritual struggle between good and evil. Through Keallach's character the reader can see how the enemy can deceive a person into thinking they are doing the right thing. Ronan and Andriana's relationship is very strong and even beyond their Knight and Remnant status they have the bond of love. But the Maker's purpose for them comes first and they must put that love aside until their mission is complete. I'll definitely be looking forward to the next book that comes out in 2016, Remnants: Season of Glory.

**I received one copy from BookLook bloggers for review purposes and I had pre-ordered an ebook version. All opinions are my own**

Check out my review of Remnants: Season of Wonder

Also check out my interview with author Lisa T. Bergren on the Spiritual Aspect of Remnants