Feb 19 The Cowboy's Least Likely Bride Book 1 of Family Matters of Cowboy Point by Megan Crane

  

The Cowboy's Least Likely Bride Book 1 of Family Matters of Cowboy Point by Megan Crane

This story is a bit sideways for me, LOL  Starts out with one woman calling another woman. One is the wife of Patrick the other has a family with the other but not married.

They talk to one another and see the comparisons. They agree it's time, now that Patrick is dead, to have the whole family meet one another.

Some of the children look like a twin of the other woman's. 

Like how they kids just decide to get along. They are actually able to talk and discuss their private thoughts with one another.  I can truly see this happening but I know of no one it has happened to personally.

Just seems a bit out there but it's a close knit community.

Love how they are able to hold it all together through thick and thin and then some...

Received this review copy from Tule Publishing via BookSprout and this is my honest opinion.

 

Feb 10 The Lost Sheenan Book 6 of Taming of the Sheenans by Jane Porter

  

 

The Lost Sheenan Book 6 of Taming of the Sheenans by Jane Porter

This is the last of this series but another is in the works using some of the same characters.

Starts out with Jet who's staying at her sisters B&B in Montana while she works at the one room schoohouse taking care of a handful of children from different grades, temporarily.

Once the last teacher gives birth and comes back the district may decide the children need to go to school via the bus to another town so she may be out of work.

Story also follow Shane who's paying to stay at the Sheenan family home while he writes.  His past makes him believe he is one of the Sheenans' but proof is hard to come by, although the DNA proves he is one of them.

They go out as she's fascinated that he's the author of the books she's read and loved them.

He's just there trying to make friends with them but they are not very welcome.  He believes his mother's ghost still resides at the ranch as he investigates more clues about his past life.

The Sheenan members now know Shane is there to write a story of a family murder and they don't want him to investigate.

They post eviction papers on the house so he's only got 30 days left now and not enough time to write the story he's been paid for. 

Jet really likes and feels comfortable and natural with Shane, but many others see them and tell her to stay away from him...

Like this book because you are made welcome with the characters even if you've not read the previous books there's enough information about everybody to understand what's going on.

Like also the detailed descriptions as the author writes to make you feel like you can see what's before you-the scenery, nature, sounds, smells, etc.

Some details of the past murders unfolds. Like the explanations of all the tattoos, so interesting, a story in themselves.  Loved sight seeing tours of Butte, sounds like a treasure to see all the preservation.

Jet knew she might have some important information as she's talked to a woman who lived there at the time of the murders. She knows she should just walk away from it all...

Excerpt from the next book-in the new series but a continuoation of this series as well is included.

Received this review copy from Tule Publishing via BookSprout and this is my honest opinion. 

Book Review: A Heart in Bloom by Deanna Lilly

  

 

A Heart in Bloom by Deanna Lilly

In this story we find Grace a florist and she's being kicke out of her apartment and the business, the floral shop that she runs. She has it on good authority to check the town net to them as the same family runs it, just not so strict. Love that she finds the town lovely and how she is welcomed into the community. Everybody does help one another.

She's introduced to Allen, an ex military guy who is now the lead on renovations in the town. Zach the owner wants to keep the town in the same historical decade.

They all help her, even help her get her old things from the previous store and move it there for her.

Danger shows up as an ex fiancée and demands she show up for a wedding picture with him so he can get his inheritance. She refuses while Allen is ther and she is relieved.

Love the events the town puts on and just how festive they really are.

Great story and can't wait to read the rest in the series. 

Children's books read Feb 15

  

 

US Presidents for kids by Scott Davids

Love this book because I learn so much. Each president has their own chapter stating the dates they were president.  They also include wars they fought in, who they married, their pets and other things fascinating about them. Questions and answers at the end.

 

Baby animals by DH Butler 

This book talks about a lot of different common animals and what their babies are called.

So many interesting facts about them also and a picture for each one.

Love last one in this book. Cute love the pictures and facts.

 

Neil and the Best Christmas Ever by Avi Lahiri

Love this story about NEil and how they live in a poor town and his job works about 20 hours a day to provide everything he and his wife will need.

Neil has a friend and her father won the lottery and they will moving out of town to a better location.

She explains how the family won the money with a ticket. and offers him to buy her  old tows for half price off the price they paid.

His father is always telling him to praying to God for his wish to come true. 

He has an idea of how to use the money he's saved up over his lifetime and how to earn a bit more so he can give his father the lottery ticket for Christmas.

Love how this one ends. Can't wait to read more from this author.

 

My daddy might be a wizard by J.J. Hebert

Colorful,  children's book about a little boys special day. He gives magical hugs and he can make things happen.

Cute story.

 

Feb 14 Hearts and Horseshoes: A Sweet by Josie Riviera

  

Hearts and Horseshoes: A Sweet by Josie Riviera 

Love this story so much. love finding out how they both do their career jobs and the other jobs they tackle.

She has arrived back on the family ranch. Her spouse, Mark died and she just couldn't bring herself to go there again. The bank has notified her it will be foreclosing on the property so she just goes there to hopefully make things better. She's reminded of Mark as there are pictures all over the walls. The ranch manager is Cole, Marks best friend and also a vet and he took over the care of the ranch as he promised Mark.  

Grace lands a job remotely and  it will bring her the money she needs to start putting the ranch into order. They discuss the local events and want to participate in the  Valentine party to show others that they are NOT giving up. Many others have approached them to buy it out but she doesn't like what they want to do with it so she's holding off. They get a lot more bad news with the cows and know what they have to do. They are working so hard tending to the births where days and nights they work through together.

Love how the town is there for them through thick and thin and how it all turns out. Love that her sister can be with her.

SO very romantic and imaginative with the holiday.  Recipes included at the end.

Hope to read more from this community.

Received this review copy from the author and this is my honest opinion.

 

Book Review: The Arnolfini Art Mysteries by Rich DiSilvio

  

 

The Arnolfini Art Mysteries by Rich DiSilvio

This book has so many entertaining stories.  There are 12 mysteries surrounding the art and something happens to each of them. They are discovered not to be the original although in some instances they are but hiding behind something else.  It's so fun ot learn the technical side as to how it is all discovered and what they can do about it. The painstaking task of striping off a layer of the  painting.

So fun to learn all this and find out why it was done to begin with.

Very detailed descriptions and I can never guess who did it.

Love how the author writes his own style with these mysteries. Can't wait to read more.

 

Feb 12 Their Patchwork Family Book 11 of With Love, From Kurrajong Crossing by Fiona Marsden

 

 

Their Patchwork Family Book 11 of With Love, From Kurrajong Crossing by Fiona Marsden

This story follows Leo as he arrives back in Australia with his daughter Queenie. It's actually his cousins girl, but he adopted her.   An aunt wants to get custody because she doesn't think a man can raise a girl going through teen years. That make Leo seak out Tamara and they form a bond again. She listens to his idea of getting married with her adopted son and making a family for all of them. She's avoided sex scenes because of her past but she's not told him yet.

You wonder how long this will last...Leo is in a band and they have toured around the world.

Received this review copy from Tule Publishing via BookSprout and this is my honest opinion.

Feb 12 Love and Let Fly Book 3 of Texas Hawthorne Legacy by Kelly Cain

  

 

Love and Let Fly Book 3 of Texas Hawthorne Legacy by Kelly Cain

Like this book because each chapter is from a different viewpoint of the characters in the story.

We get to hear Miranda's side and her job at the family flight arena. We get to hear from her brother Dominick and also her best friend Jared. He's got plans to head to NASA after he gets his credentials. Miranda is burnt out and wants to take up the offer on west coast, they are all in TX, for a job at the new startup. There is one issue with one that sits on the board of directors. Just when you think things are going great for them to start their own lives together Jared's mother has a long term diagnosis and he doesn't want to leave the area....

So many options, so many decisions...   Adult situations.

Received this review copy from Tule Publishing via BookSprout and this is my honest opinion.

 

Book Review: The Ghost of Seagull Cottage by Anne Alle

  

 

The Ghost of Seagull Cottage by Anne Alle

In this story Annabelle has just arrived on the island where she and her daughter will be living. She had grown tired of her place nearby her mother in law especially after her spouse had passed away. She loves the cottage near the sea and her daughter is excited about going to school soon. She meets the neighbors and they all pitch in to help her meet others and network. She is a painter and her works with her and is excited to show them about. Everyone loves them. She also on the first day meets the ghost that lives there. She sees him and she is not scared.  They are able to carry on conversations and he wants her to write his story of his live. She is also painting his portrait. Love this island and the networking goin on. Hate to see her taken advantage of with a man she had just had met that comes to visit.

This story could've gone so many different ways.

The owner of the cottage, Ghost Daniels's nephew wants to come visit and wants the cottage for himself.  There are so many options and I love how this one ends.

She is so accomplished and they all know what has to be done....

Received this review copy from the publisher and this is my honest opinion.

 

Book Review: The Polymorph by Max Nowaz

  

 

The Polymorph by Max Nowaz

Good book. High velocity sci fi with real stakes.

The core problem is simple. Jim Brown returns to Earth and learns the system is compromised. Aliens blend in. Earth deploys artificial humans and mandroids to boost population and armies. Jim becomes a target because he is part alien and hard to predict.

This works because incentives stay visible. The EPA assigns Marika to watch him. Leela ties him to the industrial machine building advanced androids off world. Former colonies in the Delta Quadrant resist re control. War with Levita starts to look inevitable unless someone breaks the loop.

The best part is momentum. The twists land and the tension stays high, even on a cruise ship. Jim keeps evolving instead of repeating the same arc.

What could be better is bandwidth. The cast is large and some sections move too fast. The book assumes you remember the first one. Reading The Arbitrator first helps.

Bottom line. Worth reading if you like space politics, conspiracies, and identity under pressure.  

 

Book Review:

  

 

The Full Circle for Mick by Michael Kramer 

This is a big, blunt, history-first novel with a personal thread that keeps it grounded.

The book opens its lens wide on the political chain of events that led to war in Indochina, then narrows into a generational story that stretches from a German engineer in 1904 China to an Australian infantryman in Vietnam. Mick’s connection to a Buddhist monk becomes the spine of the narrative, while the wider chapters tackle the conferences, alliances, and decisions that shaped the conflict.

What worked for me is the sheer ambition. Kramer doesn’t just summarize, he argues, and you can feel the author’s conviction on the page. The soldier’s-language voice gives the combat-era sections a rough immediacy, and the mix of personal experience with historical framing makes the stakes feel real.

What didn’t fully land is the density. Some stretches read more like a guided lecture than a novel, and the dialogue can be a little direct in how it explains motives. A tighter trim in the middle would improve the flow.

If you want sweeping war context with an unapologetic perspective and a lived-in edge, this is for you. If you’re looking for subtlety or a tight, character-driven plot, maybe not. I’d read Kramer again.

 

Feb 4 The Extraction Book 5 of The Infiltrix by kimberley troutte

  

 

The Extraction Book 5 of The Infiltrix by kimberley troutte

Before the team extract people they have other problems to deal with. Slade has to perform so the president's wife know she is sincere and honest....a good way to learn about the presidents movements and whereabouts.... A big explosion occurs and we find out the intricate details of Slade's brain functions. Like all the action and being able to keep up with the members of the team as I've read the other books in the series. It's not necessary as they do fill you in, just not all the past details. Fast paced, action, adventure and maneuvers and strategies and how they all work. 

Like hearing of the poisoning and how they figure out an antidote. 

Love how it all comes together for all the missions and where that leaves the team now.  Bit of upcoming story line can be learned from last chapter...

Received this review copy from Tule Publishing via BookSprout and this is my honest opinion. 

Book Review: A Kind of Hush by JoDee Neathery

  

 

A Kind of Hush by JoDee Neathery

In this story we find Willa is blamed for not watching her younger sibling and ended up dying. Willa is now a teen and she and her parents went over the cliff at the gorge. Her father survived but in ICU and her brother who had left to take a pee in the woods still remains. Their aunt comes to take care of them and we follow the investigation. THe mother was involved in forsenic police investigations of child molesters and th elike. There was one man and the cops are following him as he gets on a bus.... He known as the candy man as he gives candies to young girls. He got invited to live in upper rooms of a garage and takes it up, laying low. Cops have also been to his mothers house and find some of his implements as well.

The grandparents take on the children at their location and we follow the dreams and visions they have of the past. Love hearing from all generations of a family, their problems and their solutions. Also all the careers of others in this story. Love learning about the clay wheel, I learn something new daily still.

This is a real creepy book for me to read and it's not gory.

Received this review copy from the publisher and this is my honest opinion.

 

Book Review: Debbie Wants No Words by Coco Calvoz Cordon

  

 

Debbie Wants No Words by Coco Calvoz Cordon

Colorful, children's, educational book about reading.

This story is actually two stories in one. The main story is about Debbie and she doesn't want to read any books. Bonnie, the dog at the library has read all the books as she lives at the library. The school bus comes and rops the children off. Debbie just wants to play but the others read books. Bonnie decides to read a book out loud near Debbie and when the story is half over Bonnie needs a break. Debbie wants to hear the rest of the story and has to read it herself. 

The story that Debbie is readin is yet another story inside of this book. Cool idea.

Love the ending as Debbie loves to read now.

Received this review copy from the publisher and this is my honest opinion.