December 4, 2024

Review: The Forgotten Son by BJ Sloan

Product Description:
The kind-hearted delivery nurse had no way of knowing that her well-intentioned words would doom Bunny Boy Potts to a lifetime of ridicule. Well, that and the unfortunate way his ears stuck out like two ping-pong paddles.

Living with his unhinged single mother, his entire life is spent apologizing for existing while scraping by for enough to survive. Food and love—neither is freely available in the Potts’ home, but the sharp sting of the strap is always on standby.

When Bunny meets Raquel, he thinks she could take him from scarecrow misfit to normal teen. Growing in the sunshine of her approval, Bunny even gets a job from his rancher neighbor, TC. For the first time in his life, Bunny can buy clothes that fit. He can eat enough to stave off the hunger that used to sing him to sleep every night. Along with a paycheck, he earns a nickname and the grudging respect of those around him as he begins to rise above the hand he’s been dealt.

But Bunny Boy Potts wasn’t meant to have a life like everyone else.

My Thoughts:
The Forgotten Son was really a heartbreaking story. Bunny was raised by his mom, who seemingly blamed him for his very existence, in a household with no love and when he finally meets Raquel who is willing to be his friend, he doesn't fully know how to process it and pushes too far.

I really wanted to love Bunny and I started too but then when his relationship with Raquel doesn't go his way his character becomes less likeable. Either way I was fully engrossed in the story and was rooting for him all the way.

My Recommendation:
I recommend this for anyone who loves an engrossing fiction story. 

October 29, 2024

Review: The Patriots by John A. Heldt






Product Description:
When Noah Maclean, 22, races home from Europe, he finds a dying grandfather, a hidden letter, and a family secret that dates to the 1740s. He learns he is the keeper of a stone shed that can send people through time.

Within weeks, Noah and his brother, Jake, 15, test their inheritance. They travel to 1776 to see Philadelphia in the age of Benjamin Franklin, the Declaration of Independence, and the American Revolution.

Expecting to return within weeks, the orphaned brothers make the most of their field trip through history. Then they meet the lovely daughters of a furniture maker, and a pleasant adventure becomes a transformative journey.

Filled with humor, romance, and heartbreak, THE PATRIOTS follows two lost souls through a critical moment in time as they adjust to new surroundings and wrestle with knowledge of things to come.

My Thoughts:
Time travel books are always a favorite genre of mine and John A. Heldt is an expert at writing a story that pulls you in right from the beginning and keeps you hooked throughout the adventure. The Patriots is the start of a new series from Heldt that sends two brothers from 2024 to Philadelphia in 1776. Imagine meeting and having a conversation with Ben Franklin! 

The story is very well researched and since I'm not a history buff the book made me go back and seek out more details of the original events. So not only am I reading an enjoyable fiction story, I'm learning more about American history. 

My Recommendation:
I cannot wait for the next book in the series and recommend this for anyone who loves romance, time travel and historical fiction all rolled into one. 

September 10, 2024

Review: Feral Creatures of Suburbia by D. Liebhart






Product Description:

THREE ORDINARY MOTHERS. TWO TERRIBLE SECRETS. ONE HEART-STOPPING CRISIS THAT CHANGES EVERYTHING.

Mothers will do anything to protect their children . . . but the greatest threats come from within.

Julie White's once-sweet son has morphed into a teenage terror. She hoped it was normal growing pains but a glimpse into his private messages shatters that illusion. Now she wonders if her moody teen is actually a ticking time bomb.

Varvara Perlman's researcher job is hard, but caring for her emotionally-complex daughter is harder. After dismissing the latest call from the school counselor as another ploy for attention, she can only hope it's not too late when she finally understands. This latest crisis may not only be real, but deadly.

Crystal Carrasco is as warm and fuzzy as steel wool. Nothing gets to her, not even her own terminal illness diagnosis. When she realizes her newly-married son will cancel his upcoming honeymoon if he finds out, she decides to do the only thing that makes sense. Do whatever it takes to hide the truth.

Three ordinary women linked by one heart-stopping crisis. When faced with the unthinkable, how far will they have to go to protect their children?



My Thoughts:


Feral Creatures of Suburbia was really one of those "ripped from the headlines" kind of books. All three characters are dealing with situations that sadly we see happen so often nowadays. I was instantly pulled in by the characters and their difficult decisions. 


Each mother had a difficult decision regarding their children and as so often is the case they start second guessing everything over the course of the novel. I was moved by the real emotions coming through the pages and the author made the story come alive. I am eternally grateful I got through my son's teen years with no major troubles and watched friends and family deal with difficulties all the time. 


This one is very powerful and deals with topics we all hope we never have to face; violence, suicide and mental and physical health. I highly recommend this for anyone who loves women's fiction and current headlines.  




July 5, 2024

Review: Mexicanos Hustle by J Benjamin Sanders



Product Description:
Glenn Helka’s business has never been what you’d call lucrative. But chasing bond jumpers and following cheating spouses pays the bills. Most of the bills. Some of the time. Occasionally.

When a woman drops a fat stack of cash on his desk to bring her wayward son home from Mexico, Glenn thinks he has it made. One tiny detail—the son is dead, and the local authorities are refusing to release his body.

Was it the money or the haunting look on the face of the bereaved mother? Maybe it was Glenn’s barely functioning moral compass finally pointing true north. Or, in this case, south to Mexico where he takes on corrupt government officials, drug-dealing hitmen, and everything the desert can throw at him.

My Thoughts:
Mexicanos Hustle was a fun noir crime mystery. Not only did Glenn have to deal with the very crooked Mexican authorities but he also had to deal with two low life thugs chasing him across the border. 

This was a fast-paced read that kept me reading late into the night. Overall I enjoyed the story and how the ending played out. 

Recommended for anyone who loves crime fiction. 



May 30, 2024

Review: Come and Get Me by Marisa Rae Dondlinger



Product Description:

When Vanessa kidnaps her ex-lover’s newborn baby, some might call her evil. Those who know her story might call her justified.

Vanessa thought she found her soulmate in August. Mind-bending sex. Soul-baring conversations. Safety and acceptance and being seen. Perhaps too perfect? Yes. August is married to his college sweetheart, Cassidy. When Vanessa gets pregnant, August manipulates Vanessa into getting an abortion with promises of a future together, but dumps her soon after. Vanessa plots her revenge, kidnapping August’s baby, Daisy, from her nursery.

Each member of this haunting love triangle tells their story as a nationwide search for Daisy ensues. August’s secret affairs play a pivotal role in the police investigation, Cassidy learns her marriage is a sham, and Vanessa struggles to keep Daisy alive.

Come And Get Me is a forty-eight hour pulse-pounding domestic thriller that explores issues of truth and consequence and how one decision can have an unforeseeable rippling effect on countless lives.


My Thoughts: 
Come and Get Me was very much a page turner. The chapters frequently ended on a cliff hanger that left me reading well past my bedtime. The book really gets into the mind of the scorned woman well and as the story unravels she gets even more unhinged. I love these types of fast-paced, well written thrillers. It makes the read that much more enjoyable. 

My Recommendation:
This book is perfect for anyone who loves a good suspense thriller.