February 13, 2021

Review: The Fair by John A. Heldt





Product Description:
Months after stealing two time machines from a madman who wants them back, the Lanes, a family of six, seek safety and contentment in 1893, the latest stop on a journey through time. While parents Mark and Mary find relief at Chicago's World's Columbian Exposition, an extravaganza of science and splendor, children Jeremy, Laura, and Ashley find romance, friendship, and thrills.

Older son Jordan, meanwhile, heads west in search of answers. Grieving the loss of a lover from 1865, he travels to Virginia City, Nevada, where he integrates himself into a storied mining community and the heart of a pretty library clerk.

Billionaire Robert Devereaux could not care less. Reeling from the theft of his million-dollar devices, he sends an assassin to the past to retrieve his property and rid the world of his former business partner and his troublesome clan.

Filled with humor, heartbreak, and suspense, THE FAIR follows a modern family on the adventure of a lifetime as they navigate their way through an unforgettable year in American history.

My Thoughts:
The Fair is the 2nd book in the Time Box trilogy featuring the Lane family. As a big fan of the many time travel books that Heldt has written I knew it would be a great story with lots of suspense and it didn't disappoint. The book is packed with historical references that bring the story to life. 

All about relationships, romance and friendships the book tells the story of several characters at once. I love the story being told this way because by the time the end comes around it feels like I've finished more than one book and am anxiously awaiting the next one. 

My recommendation: 
As usual, I recommend this to anyone who loves romance with a time travel twist. 

January 2, 2021

Books I've Read in 2021

Books
January
  1. CyberSpace by Matthew Mather
February
  1. Sea Spray by John A. Heldt
  2. Flight by Laura Griffin
March
  1. Witch Is Where Squirrels Go Nuts by Adele Abbott
April
  1. Project Hail Mary by Andy Weir
  2. The Journey to New Salem by Mark Rosendorf 
May
  1. Case of the Curious Crystals by Shanna Swendson
June
  1. Witch is Where Rainbows End by Adele Abbott
July
  1. The Therapist by B. A. Paris
August
  1. The Missing Sister by Ellie Marr
September
  1. Forgetting Tomorrow by Jerry Evanoff
October
  1. Witch is Where Unicorns Cry by Adele Abbott

Audiobooks
January
  1. The Family Upstairs by Lisa Jewell
  2. Elsewhere by Dean Koontz
  3. Golden State by Ben H. Winters
  4. Spec Ops by Craig Alanson
  5. The Lost and Found Bookshop by Susan Wiggs
February
  1. In an Instant by Suzanne Redfearn
  2. A Sense of Danger by Jennifer Estep
  3. The Salvage Crew by Yudhanjaya Wijeratne
  4. Group by Christine Tape
  5. We Were Liars by E. Lockhart
March
  1. Paradise by Craig Alanson
  2. Daylight by David Baldacci
  3. The Wedding Date by Jasmine Guillory
  4. Heaven's River by Dennis E. Taylor
  5. Home Before Dark by Riley Sager
  6. My Lovely Wife by Samantha Downing
  7. City of Girls by Elizabeth Gilbert
  8. Hidden in Plain Sight by Jeffrey Archer
  9. Calling Me Home by Julie Kibler
April
  1. One True Loves by Taylor Jenkins Reid
  2. Mindless by Keith C. Blackmore
  3. The Roach by Rhett C. Bruno
  4. Playing Nice by J.P. Delany
  5. Fortune and Glory by Janet Evanovich
May
  1. Black Ops by Craig Alanson
  2. Shadows in Death by J.D. Robb
  3. The Plot by Jean Hanff Korelitz
  4. Lost Contact by Nathan Hystad
  5. Commune: Book One by Joshua Gayou
  6. Magical Midlife Madness by K.F. Breene
  7. The Other Emily by Dean Koontz
  8. The Coldest Casey by James Patterson , Aaron Tracy , Ryan Silbert
June
  1. Malibu Rising by Taylor Jenkins Reid
  2. Zero Hour by Craig Alanson
  3. Infinite by Jeremey Robinson
  4. The Echo Wife by Sarah Gailey
July
  1. Exo-Hunter by Jeremy Robinson
  2. The Dinner Guest by B.P. Walter
  3. Mother May I by Joshilyn Jackson
  4. One Perfect Lie by Lisa Scottoline
  5. Ready Player Two by Earnest Cline
  6. All the Ugly and Wonderful Things by Bryn Greenwood
August
  1. Mavericks by Craig Alanson
  2. The Midnight Library by Matt Haig
  3. Local Woman Missing by Mary Kubica
  4. The Guest List by Lucy Foley
  5. The Four Winds by Kristin Hannah
  6. People We Meet on Vacation by Emily Henry
September
  1. Renegades by Craig Alanson
  2. After I do by Taylor Jenkins Reid
  3. Hogzilla by Mike Baron
  4. Every Last Secret by A. R. Torre
  5. The View Was Exhausting by Mikaella Clements, Onjuli Datta
  6. Unthinkable by Brad Parks
  7. The Paper Palace by Miranda Cowley Heller
  8. A Merciful Secret by Kendra Elliot
October
  1. L.A. Weather by Maria Amparo Escandon
  2. The Song of Achilles by Madeline Miller
  3. Caraval by Stephanie Garber
  4. Verity by Colleen Hoover
  5. The Best of Friends by Lucinda Berry
  6. Lost Time by Nathan Hystad
  7. Maybe in Another Life by Tayor Jenkins Reid
  8. The Dark by Jeremy Robinson
November
  1. Velvet Was the Night by Silvia Moreno-Garcia
  2. The Whistler by John Grisham
  3. The Last Strand by Jennifer Estep
  4. Rock Paper Scissors by Alice Feeney
  5. It Ends with Us by Colleen Hoover
  6. Model Home by J. Courtney Sullivan
  7. An Elderly Lady is Up to No Good by Helene Tursten
December
  1. The Last Thing He Told Me by Laura Dave
  2. Anxious People by Fredrik Backman
  3. Cloud Cuckoo Land by Anthony Doerr
  4. Win by Harlan Coben
  5. Capture the Crown by Jennifer Estep
  6. The Family Tree by Steph Mullin
  7. A Gambling Man by David Baldacci
  8. Apples Never Fall by Liane Moriarty
  9. The Judge's List by John Grisham

Grand Total: 92


Here's what I've read in previous years:
2018
2017
2016
2015
2014
2013
2012
2011
2010
2009
2008

Books I Didn't Finish in 2021

Below will be any books I started and didn't finish and the reason why. 
  1. How to Kill Two Presidents by Max Brower
    1. The story just didn't catch my attention. I got about 1/3 in before I gave up. 


Top 5 Books I've Read in 2021

  1. Project Hail Mary by Andy Weir
  2. Malibu Rising by Taylor Jenkins Reid
  3. Win by Harlan Coben 
  4. Apples Never Fall by Liane Moriarty
  5. Verity by Colleen Hoover


July 25, 2020

Review: The Witches of Vegas by Mark Rosendorf




Product Description:
Where can Witches and their vampire mentor practice their powers without being discovered or persecuted?

By using their magic, the Witches of Vegas become the number one act performing on the Las Vegas Strip—a great achievement for them, but not so much for the magicians—who can't possibly keep pace.

Isis Rivera is the adopted fifteen-year old daughter of The Witches of Vegas. Zack Galloway is the teenage nephew and assistant to the last magician left in the city. Although they should be rivals, when Valeria, a four-hundred-year-old witch with a long-seeded grudge against humanity arrives in Sin-City, both teens act to bring their families together to stop the evil hag in her tracks.

But can the combined witches' powers and the ingenuity of the magicians be enough to stop Valeria from taking over the city and possibly the world?

My Thoughts:
Lately I haven't read a lot of YA because I always end up feeling a little bit frustrated with the scenarios the teens in the book go through. Often times they're acting way more adult than I feel a YA book should be. The Witches of Vegas was actually pretty true to how most teens behave even though it was pure fantasy.

I really enjoyed the story and it was a fun adventure following along with all the drama of being undercover witches with a rival trying to ruin things.  There was a good mix of highs and lows and the action always had a lot of suspense to keep me pulled in to the story and reading through the night. 

Isis and her adopted family were easy to love but my heart was with Zack. He was lovable and endearing as the love-struck hero. I cannot wait for the next installment of the series. 

My Recommendation:
I recommend this for anyone who loves a fun teen adventure.