Twenty-five years ago Governor Lilburn Boggs was shot at in his home, but the gunman was never found. Now Detective Calvin Pogue has been hired by the Boggs family to open the cold case. From one end of the country to the other Detective Pogue follows clues that lead him relentlessly to the legendary Mormon gunman Porter Rockwell – who still isn’t making things easy for anyone!

Rod Miller’s site.

Review #1 — by Julianne

Ever since taking a church history class in college, I’ve been curious about Governor Boggs and Porter Rockwell, two of the more imfamous characters from that time period.  How could Governor Boggs be so cold-hearted with his extermination order for the Mormons?  Why did he really hate them so much?  And what turned Porter Rockwell into the legendary outlaw he was reputed to be?  There had to be some good in him, if he supported and protected the prophets, right?

This book fit the bill in answering some of those questions, and to have it crafted in a fictional novel rather than a stuffy historical text made it that much more fun.  Historical novels make for tricky reading, however, because it can be difficult to decipher what’s based on factual events and what isn’t.   So although  I’m not sure I could turn around and a give a lecture on either Boggs’ or Rockwell’s life for fear I’d be embellishing reality a but, I can say I enjoyed the read and my means to learning more about them.

The story centers around a decective who’s been hired to investigate the assassination of Governor Boggs years after the actual event.  Pogue proves to be an intelligent, likable guide in his efforts to track down some solid evidence that Porter Rockwell  did indeed shoot Governor Boggs, as most people suspected.  The book alternates between Pogue’s third-person decective work and Rockwell’s first-hand personal history, something the author wisely doles out only a bit at a time.  The contrast of these two perspectives definitely builds suspense and sympathy throughout the book, although I found myself more interested in and engaged by Pogue than Rockwell by the time the two stories caught up to each other about half-way through the book.   Becoming so familiar and sympathetic toward Porter’s side of the story definitely had me expecting some kind of redemption for the exiled outlaw, an unrequited hope that left me a bit disappointed.  I also expected something a little more concrete to turn up in proving who the real assassin was, after all of Pogue’s travels, interviews, and tireless investigation.  Again, a little disappointing. 

Although the ending did not quite live up to my hopes–and the last four pages gave a startling shock I’m still trying to make sense of–everything before satisfied and fulfilled.  Miller writes with such a familiar, disarming style that I found myself quickly engaged in the story and the characters, compelled to find out what the next interview would reveal to Pogue about Boggs’ true killer.  As a member of the LDS church, I found the blending of church history and national/local history both interesting and informative, even if some of the early prophets and church leaders weren’t painted in the most flattering of lights.  I felt like I had a true sense of what that time was like, how those early saints probably had to fight back and use some extreme measures to deal with the injustice and cruelty they faced on a daily basis. 

Is it possible to con your way out of hell? Fifty-two year old Daniel Cabrero thinks so and why wouldn’t he? After all, that’s how he spent his entire life. But Jonah his spirit guide has reasons of his own for making sure that Daniel pays for all the suffering and misery he’s caused others in the past. Still sometimes people can change, even in hell. And maybe Daniel can keep his son from following the same path that brought him here.

Deanne Blackhurst’s site.

The author is offering our readers the Ebook for $1.99.   The offer is good until August 31st.  Use this link:  Sleight of Hand and enter the code:  MX73D.

This is completely, with a capital C, different than what I usually read.  That doesn’t even sum up how different this book is from the norm.  I almost didn’t agree to read this I was so skeptical that I would even slightly enjoy it.  But the moment I opened the book and started reading I knew I would love it and it would give me some perspective that I’ve been wanting in my life.

One of the things that concerned me about a Christian book is how does a “goodie two shoes” Christian writer know anything about the life of a con man.  I was pleasantly surprised at the little details, pin-up calendars, drinking binges, etc, that really made me buy into Daniel as a sleazy, slimy, good for nothing, out only for himself, creep.

I don’t want to give anything away but his journey played out perfectly with some of my own ideas of the afterlife.  And it really got me thinking, what do I want waiting for me when my life is over?  How do I want my afterlife to play out?  Which I assume, is the whole point of the book.

I have a question that is near and dear to my heart that I want to ask Ms Blackhurst and it has to do with Catherine Bentley’s continued journey.  How does her story go?

I would recommend this book to anyone interested in an interesting and thought provoking read about our possible journey after this life.  And  it’s just plain and simply a fun read.   You’ll fall in love with the characters.  And remember, I never read books that make me think.

I’ll leave you with a quote from the book, “Freedom of choice isn’t the same thing as freedom from responsibility.”

Alisa

**************

From the moment I started reading, I was captivated. I was initially startled by the immediate death of the main character. But death is sudden, death is real, death is unavoidable, and all too often, it happens when we least expect it. And the real question for so many of us, and what the basis of this book is about, is “What happens after death?”.

Being someone who believes in an afterlife, I too, like Alisa, found myself agreeing with a lot of the perspective of this specific afterlife. And yet it was still completely thought-provoking. In reading a novel, I’ve never found myself more engaged in contemplating my life, my afterlife, and wanting to actually be a better person as I did with this one.

This was a very quick and easy read and I think is applicable to almost anyone! There were some juvenile moments near the end that, for lack of a better term, felt a little “cheesy.” But, otherwise, I would highly recommend reading it! If nothing else, it gives a great perspective of hope. Hope for a better future, hope for justice, hope in Eternal life.

Elaine

**************

The Mortal War is over, and sixteen-year-old Clary Fray is back home in New York, excited about all the possibilities before her. She’s training to become a Shadowhunter and to use her unique power. Her mother is getting married to the love of her life. Downworlders and Shadowhunters are at peace at last. And—most importantly of all—she can finally call Jace her boyfriend.

But nothing comes without a price.

Someone is murdering Shadowhunters, provoking tensions between Downworlders and Shadowhunters that could lead to a second, bloody war. Clary’s best friend, Simon, can’t help her. His mother just found out that he’s a vampire and now he’s homeless. Everywhere he turns, someone wants him on their side—along with the power of the curse that’s wrecking his life. And they’re willing to do anything to get what they want. Not to mention that he’s dating two beautiful, dangerous girls—neither of whom knows about the other one.

When Jace begins to pull away from her without explaining why, Clary is forced to delve into the heart of a mystery whose solution reveals her worst nightmare: she herself has set in motion a terrible chain of events that could lead to her losing everything she loves. Even Jace.

I have a love/hate relationship with this series.  My problem is I will read anything paranormal and probably love it just because it has super human aspects to it.  I remember reading the first book City of Bones and calling my friend Laura (another contributor here on BtDA) because she reviewed the book and hated it.  I was really enjoying the story but the incest was majorly creeping me out.  But like I said it had a paranormal aspect to it so I stuck it out and I don’t regret it.  Once the first book wrapped up I was hooked.

These books are major page turners to me.  Like Laura said each book is incomplete without the next one.  Which brings me to why I was left completely unsatisfied and wanting more at the end of Fallen Angels.  You see, I thought it was the last book in the series.  I thought this was it.  I couldn’t tell you where I heard that but boy was I wrong. (Two more books to come.)  More loose ends and a huge cliffhanger.   I still loved the book but I was expecting a tidy wrap up at the end and it wasn’t even close.

I love this series because of the variety of paranormal beings that are not necessarily main characters but very strong secondary characters.  You’ve got a werewolf pack, a vampire clan, a rogue werewolf, a rogue vampire that can walk in the daylight and the main characters the Shadowhunters (demon hunters).  And I love the demons.  There’s a variety of them and they are just plain fun spawns of Hell.

You see Laura and I have very different opinions about this series.  I will agree that it’s not literature by any means but for me it’s heart pounding fun.

I’m curious if any of you have read the series and who you agree with?

I will tell you right now that this touched my heart.  My husband was out for the night and all I wanted to do was wrap my arms around him and tell him I would never let him go.  Before the couple falls asleep the words the husband utters are life changing.

I haven’t read any of Young’s other works (she’s a new author to me) but she is definitely on my to read list now.  You can download the short story One Final Night from Smashwords for free.  It comes in all different types of formats (you can read it on your PC, Kindle, Nook, etc…)

I’m going to check out her book Come the Shadows which I will download on Amazon but you can also find it at B&N and Smashwords. Young is also doing a giveaway to win a free ebook.  It’s described as a mystery with humor and romance.  This isn’t my usual genre but after reading One Final Night I will absolutely, with my whole heart check it out.

One Final Night takes such a short time to read I say go read it now and then come back and tell me if it made you cry like it did me.  Even the day after my heart is swelling inside  me just thinking about it.

Is it possible to con your way out of hell? Fifty-two year old Daniel Cabrero thinks so and why wouldn’t he? After all, that’s how he spent his entire life. But Jonah his spirit guide has reasons of his own for making sure that Daniel pays for all the suffering and misery he’s caused others in the past. Still sometimes people can change, even in hell. And maybe Daniel can keep his son from following the same path that brought him here.

Now you may have noticed this isn’t my typical read but I was intrigued by the idea of a con man trying to con his way out of hell.  I haven’t read it yet, but I’m definitely intrigued.  Some of the girls and I are going to be reviewing this book later this month and the author is offering our readers the Ebook for $1.99.   The offer is good until August 31st.  Use this link:  Sleight of Hand and enter the code:  MX73D.  Look for our review on August 17th.

Suddenly this kneeling, filthy man caused all of my attention to pivot upon him when he grabbed my hand. I was just opening my mouth to warn him that he would surely be killed…no one was allowed to touch me, Princess Nia, without permission. My protesting words were replaced with a swift intake of breath as the soldier produced a strange-looking dagger and drug it lightly over my finger. I stared in wonderment as he gently squeezed my fingertip to produce just one red ball of blood, my blood. Then the man kneeling before me swiped the blood from my finger with his own and plunged it into his mouth. “Your blood is now my blood. Your world is now my world. Your life is now my life,” were the words he chanted…I thoroughly enjoyed this book.  I love the idea of the heir to the throne not wanting anything to do with it.  Not wanting the power or the fame or the glory.  Just wanting to be Nia.  I felt Nia was totally relatable.  I wanted to read more about her decisions and I wanted to know what life had in store for her.

Purchase on Amazon

Mella’s Site

Mella’s Blog

I was captured by Nia’s love for her betrothed Andras.  There was something so sweet and so innocent about their love.  It was pure and untainted and refreshing as I read so many novels that are mostly lust driven with love as an afterthought.

And I will never understand the way Garreth is treated in his home country.  Stupid superstitions.  But I love this idea of gaining honor by giving his life to another.

I’m assuming there will be a sequel and I am really looking forward to reading it.  I can’t wait to see where the journey continues.

Alisa

*********

Can I tell you I was slightly afraid to read this one?  Our ARC’s lately have not been so fabulous.  I need not have worried.  Nia was a great read.  Reminded me a lot of Kristen Cashore’s “Graceling” series, without the magical elements, so if you’re a fan of her’s you’ll love Nia.  I’m going to tell you I almost (cringe) liked this better than the Graceling series- simply because Nia is a better heroine to me.  The perfect heroine- someone who makes mistakes, and sort of trips her way through life- but doesn’t forget who she is or what she wants. I just loved that about her.  Well done.  Like Alisa- I’ll be waiting for the next installment.

Laura

***********

I thought this was a fun, easy, nothing-spectacular, but enjoyable read. I loved Nia as a character; strong, real, imperfect, but understated. I also felt like the plot gave you the feeling that more was about to happen, so that kept me reading. Without giving too much away, I was a little disappointed with the ending, and the resulting relationship between Nia and Garreth. It left me hoping and expecting more. With that said, I do love when a book surprises me, which this one did. If there is a second one to come, I would gladly read it. I look forward to Mella Reese’s growth as a writer.

Elaine

***********

Chip Heath and Dan Heath on Switch: How to Change Things When Change Is Hard

 

“Change is hard.” “People hate change.” Those were two of the most common quotes we heard when we began to study change.

But it occurred to us that if people hate change, they have a funny way of showing it. Every iPhone sold serves as counter-evidence. So does every text message sent, every corporate merger finalized, every aluminum can recycled. And we haven’t even mentioned the biggest changes: Getting married. Having kids. (If people hate change, then having a kid is an awfully dumb decision.)

It puzzled us–why do some huge changes, like marriage, come joyously, while some trivial changes, like submitting an expense report on time, meet fierce resistance?

We found the answer in the research of some brilliant psychologists who’d discovered that people have two separate “systems” in their brains—a rational system and an emotional system. The rational system is a thoughtful, logical planner. The emotional system is, well, emotional—and impulsive and instinctual.

When these two systems are in alignment, change can come quickly and easily (as when a dreamy-eyed couple gets married). When they’re not, change can be grueling (as anyone who has struggled with a diet can attest).

In those situations where change is hard, is it possible to align the two systems? Is it possible to overcome our internal “schizophrenia” about change? We believe it is.

In our research, we studied people trying to make difficult changes: People fighting to lose weight and keep it off. Managers trying to overhaul an entrenched bureaucracy. Activists combatting seemingly intractable problems such as child malnutrition. They succeeded–and, to our surprise, we found striking similarities in the strategies they used. They seemed to share a similar game plan. We wanted, in Switch, to make that game plan available to everyone, in hopes that we could show people how to make the hard changes in life a little bit easier. –Chip and Dan Heath

Now I don’t normally read books that make me think.  Seriously, why would you anyways, but my husband read this book and was so moved by it he pretty much made me start reading it.  He did not however have to make me finish it, I did that willingly all on my own.

The book goes in depth into these two areas of the brain.  The thinking brain (The Rider) and the emotional brain (The Elephant).  Picture a man (The Rider) sitting on top of a massive elephant.  That’s how a lot of people function.  A small rider trying to boss around a huge elephant to make decisions.  I decided that I am more of a tiny fairy riding a wooly mammoth.  Very emotionally driven.  Whereas my husband is like a giant riding an ant.  Very logical.

The idea is to get the rider and the elephant working together and the book has some great ideas for facilitating this change.

Not only is this book educational but it is very entertaining.  They did a great job writing for both the rider and the elephant.  The information resonates on both levels.

Ebook Short Description

Their original goal was to reignite a movement. A back up plan for when World War ll failed. A colony called Founder. It never occurred to them that two girls might unravel it all.

Extended Description

My great aunt was a racist.
How’s that for family history?
Then a day before she was going to die, we discovered she was still alive.
I was thrilled. There’s nothing like a living dead person to bring a family together.
Especially when she’s a hoarder with no air conditioning, and decides to die in the middle of a Southern California summer.
Really and truly thrilled.
I was the one to discover the first letter, “Aryan Princess to Cannibals.”
The photograph of my half-starved relatives smiling proudly into the camera, building a colony in the Amazon. It would have been quite the sensation in the 1940’s.
The idea that it could have survived, even more sensational.
Founder is loosely based on a true story and contains mature content, but no crude language or gratuitous sex. Recommended for ages 14 and up.

Great premise, right?  And I’ll tell you what.  If you like strong heroines you’ve got one here.  Not only does Lara face emotional hardships but she struggles physically as well and still manages to come out on top.  And her mom’s pretty bad A too.

The story actually has two lead females and the journey that Marta goes through as the truths of the Founder colony come to light is fascinating.  There were times when I was angry with her for the choices she was making but the woman she turns into in the end is someone truly worth fighting for.

I love the way the book is laid out switching from Marta and Lara’s perspectives.  It’s so important in a story like this to have both points of view.  I mean you’d miss half of what’s going on if we didn’t hear Marta’s point of view and only saw things from the American perspective of Lara that we are all used to seeing.

This is one of those books that once you get into it you will not want to put down.  Awesome job Laura!!

Founder is available for download from Amazon for just $2.99.  Well worth the money.  Actually, I think it’s a steal! Seriously, you should check it out.

p.s.  I’ll let you know when it’s available for Nook, etc.  This is really worth looking into.

I think my favorite part of the series is that there are three types of vampires.  Full fledged, evil, soulless vampires (Strigoi).  Harmless but still drink blood from willing humans vampires (Moroi).  And then what was originally a mix of human/vampires (damphir), who do not suck blood at all but have super strength and rapid healing and other cool stuff.

The series follows Rose (damphir) and her best friend Lissa (Royal Moroi) through their last years at the Vampire academy where Rose along with the other damphirs is learning to be protectors of the Royal Moroi. If there’s one thing I love other than vampires it’s a girl kicking some serious bootie.  And Rose is the kick buttiest.

My second favorite part about the series is that all the Moroi wield some kind of magic.  I love vampires and I love magic so what really, could be better than vampires doing magic.  I’m here to tell you, not that much.

I was just looking over my goodreads account and it looks like I didn’t love the first one but I kept reading on and it was well worth it.  The last three have been AMAZING.  Make your heart race, can’t put the book down, amazing.  I just finished the sixth and final book in the VA series and while it was totally fulfilling and everything I could have hoped for I’m going to miss these characters.

So to recap:  Vampires, girl kicking some major tail and magic.  How could you not want to read this?

The first book in the series is Vampire Academy and the fabulous author is Richelle Mead.  Check it out!

Blonde and beautiful, fledging attorney Stephanie Saunders vows to protect the innocent even though as indigent defense attorney her clients rarely are.  Does that include Josh Durrant who seems to be following her? Stephanie is dismayed when her peers begin calling her “Prom Queen” as her boyfriend, Todd Saxton, often does. Desperately trying to prove her worth, she falls prey to those who steal her innocence.  Although she plans to forgive Todd for his ultimate betrayal, she is never given the chance. Her boss, Attorney Charles Connelly, offers solace, but is Stephanie’s welfare, or his own, top priority? The only thing that keeps Stephanie sane in her insane world are the horses she loves but does not own, especially the abused mare, Riskie Business, whose example helps Stephanie make the most difficult decision of her life. Relying on wit and courage, Stephanie must save herself and another during the final showdown where she proves a loyalty of which she never knew herself capable. 

If you’ve been following the blog for a while or are my goodreads friend you know I thrive on fantasy books.  Witches, vampires, werewolves, elves, you name it, I want to read about it.  So you might find this book a bit surprising.  It’s about horses and lawyers.  Not at all what I’m used to but I’m happy to say, I enjoyed it.

I had some bumps in the road along the way.  When the main characters are so stunningly beautiful people swoon over them it puts me off but as the story goes along, not everything goes perfectly smoothly so it worked out for me in the end.

I think you also have to trust the main character’s choices a lot.  And on faith that she knows what she’s doing.  There was one point where I thought, “Are you kidding me.  Is she an idiot?”  But I let it play out and I was able to forgive her bad judgement.

There are a lot of twists and turns and you don’t really know who to trust at all until the end.

I’m not saying I’m switching genres yet, but I’m glad I gave this book a shot.  It’s clean and it’s fun and it’s worth looking into.

Alisa

************

I’m not a big fan of horses, or lawyers for that matter, so this was a bit of a hard read for me.  It was really along the vein of Janet Evanovich’s  Stephanie Plum series, without so much of the smuttiness and language.  Unfortunately I had this comparison stuck in my head the entire novel because her main character is named Stephanie.  It may have affected my critical reading a bit.

This is a clean legal thriller.  If you like those sort of beach reads, than this is a good book for you.  It’s incredibly easy to read, and light and fluffy enough to never make you feel uncomfortable, but gritty enough to seem real (at least in parts).

I’m going to second Alisa on the beautiful main character remark.  It was so over the top done, that I wanted to drop the book five pages in.  Enough with the Prom Queen, barbie doll references.  We got it, she’s gorgeous, I’m done.  I also had a little trouble with how dated this novel seemed.  I think this is mainly because the author is older and writing from the perspective of a younger woman.  We don’t use phone books, the slang is all wrong, I have no idea who “Babe the blue cow is” (and I’m in my mid thirties!), and I’m sorry- but no woman is going to take any herbal concoctions from anyone.  I don’t care how naive you are or how much you trust the person handing it to you (and the main character is so naive I wanted to scream and throw the book at the wall).   That was probably my biggest problem overall, Stephanie was just hard for me to relate too- we’re set up in the beginning to believe she’s not as stupid as she looks, and then the stereotype is rehashed over and over again by the stupid mistakes she makes.  I know this seems harsh, but it honestly wasn’t a deal breaker for me to finish.  I prefer my heroines strong from the beginning, and this was one who finds her strength along the way.

Overall a different type of read for me, not in a bad way- I enjoyed the end, a lot of twists and turns I wasn’t expecting, which in all honesty saved it for me.  Good one to curl up with on an otherwise boring snowy day, and you won’t regret having read it.

Laura

I really enjoyed this book.  It was pretty predictable but I love vampires and werewolves and such so I still had fun reading it.  And I love that it totally leads into the next book.  This is a great series.

Has anyone checked out his series?

(Just so you’re aware I’ve been really into Ya fiction lately so most of these come from those shelves)

So do you love Shannon Hale as much as me?  My love affair began with Princess Academy, continued with “Book of a Thousand Days,” and hit an all time high with “Austenland”.  I’ve already read the cover off of “Austenland”- buy it, read it, love it.  It’s just as the name implies, for those of us that can’t get enough of Mr. Darcy and anything related to “Pride and Prejudice.”

I finally finished her Books of Bayern.  “Enna Burning” was probably my favorite of the series- Enna being by far my favorite character.  I love a strong female lead and this series has three of them.  This would be a great gift for the teenage girl in your life.  Have you read them?  Who was your favorite character?

I then dove right into “The Actor and the Housewife.”  I know this book has taken some serious critical hits from the mommy world.  I’ll just throw my opinion out there.  I really enjoyed this book- I laughed and I cried.  I didn’t feel like she was having an emotional affair on her husband.  The relationship in this book between the husband and wife, wife and friend, may not work for everyone- but it’s fictitious and it worked for the character Hale presented.  It made me think about my own relationships with the opposite sex- past and present, how they affect my own husband and how his “relationships” affect me.  It made for an enjoyable read, and a good discussion.

Have you read the “Hunger Games” yet?  I hope so, because this next book is one part “Hunger Games”, two parts “Lord of the Flies-” with a little bit of originality thrown in for good measure.  “The Maze Runner” by James Dashner  is the first in a trilogy.  Don’t let that scare you off from reading it- the first book will give you plenty to think about, and is a complete enough story in itself, not to leave you absolutely salivating for the next one.  My dreams have been spinning the last few nights filled with this book.  If I could make one request from the author it would be to see the next book in the series switch perspectives- not that I didn’t love Tom.  The world was just so fascinating that I want another view of it.

Speaking of the “Hunger Games,” I finally finished up Suzanne Collins “The Underland Chronicles.”  I still need to go and check some Q&A’s to see if “The Code of the Claw” was really the last book.  There were just too many questions unanswered in the end to be “the end.”  These would be great reads for the 8-12 year old boy set, and great read-alouds for younger kids.  I enjoyed them too even though the entire time I read them I had a serious case of deja vu.  I couldn’t quite put my finger on it, but they feel like books you’ve read before.

I begin “The Forest of Hands and Teeth” by Carrie Ryan tonight because I’ve been in the mood to curl up with something a little scary after “The Maze Runner.”

Have you read anything good lately?

Mercy was raised by and is currently once again surrounded by werewolves.  She works for a Fae and she is “friends” with a vampire.  So she gets into all kinds of trouble within all these worlds.

The third book, Iron Kissed, got a little too real for me when something horrible happens to Mercy but I stuck with it and got to heal with Mercy as she pulled her life back together.  The other three books were just plain fun.  Except in book four, Bone Crossed,  when a ghost starts wreaking havoc.  Ghosts scare me.  But once again I stuck with it and I really enjoyed the book.

The series starts with Moon Called and there are currently four books in the series.  A really, really good series.  Patricia Briggs has other series out there.  I’m wondering if they are any good.  Anyone read them?

Miss Ginny Delacourt is a very outspoken loner who’s great aunt has the grand idea of setting her up with her too gentlemanly grandson Sir Anthony.  She sends them off into the country together to check on her renowned roses.  Trouble happens along the way and Ginny and Sir Anthony get stuck in a country home on quarantine.  Then all sorts of intrigue breaks lose.

This was a very light summer read for me.  Not at all my usual fare but cute none the less.    Have you guys checked this book out yet?

The Host follows Wanderer, a Soul (what the aliens call themselves) and her host body Melanie.  It’s been so long since I read the books that I don’t remember details but I remember Melanie fights to keep herself alive against Wanderers influence to take over her body.  I remember the humans are fighting against the alien invasion and it sure seems to be a losing battle.  I remember loving this book in the end and I still think about it sometimes with fondness.  Here’s my original review of the book but it really isn’t that helpful.  Sorry.

Check out /films article for more information on the director and a better synopsis of the book.  I cannot wait for this movie.  Are you guys excited too?

I finally got into the story but I think I would have died if I lived in this version of 1870 with how proper and hidden everyones feelings are.  I kept screaming in my head, “Just tell him you love him.  Reach out and touch him.  Anything.”

The other thing that caught me off guard was the amount of religion in the book.  The two main characters are constantly praying and they even go to church twice.  Admittedly I don’t read very many LDS books so I guess I just wasn’t prepared for religion being such a big part of the story. It didn’t appeal to me.

The story gets interesting but in a very predictable way towards the end when some outside conflict threatens to tear the family apart.  Roslynn deals with persecution because she is divorced and Lone Wolf deals with persecution because he is part Indian.  They try to figure out if they can trust each other and love despite all the negativity from the world and their past experiences.

I had my mom read this book because I thought she might like it and she said it was a cross between Louis L’Amour and a Hallmark movie. What a perfect description.  If that appeals to you I think you will enjoy this book.

Alisa

**********

I found the book a little boring for my taste, it’s just set up for everything to go too smoothly.  The only real conflict is at the very end, and I thought it was entirely predictable.  I felt like I was was skimming through most of the book waiting and waiting and waiting for something to happen.  When it finally does, it was more a feeling of relief then a high point of tension.  It wasn’t until the end that I realized the story is actually more about the emotional strife of the main character Rosalynn, and not supposed to be plot driven.  The best parts of the book were Rosalynns inner struggles to let go of her own demons.  I can’t relate to having an abusive husband, but I could relate to her feelings of mistrust, and the genuine angst she related.  With that in mind the book was very real to me, albeit a little cheesy and forseeable.

Laura

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The premise of this book interested me enough, since I’m typically a fan of period novels that cross cultures and deal with issues like divorce, but I really struggled to get into this particular story.  The dialogue felt contrived and borderline-corny from the start, including Rosalynn’s inner dialogue, and the characters were not developed enough for me to invest in them.  The only flaw in Rosalynn was her past, which was her abusive husband’s fault anyway; otherwise she was perpetually perfect in her appearance, her mothering, her cleaning, her cooking, her everything.  Lone Wolf, too, was constantly beautiful, constantly hard-working and efficient, constantly loyal and considerate, constantly saying and doing the right thing.

Rosalynn and Lone Wolf were so obviously in love with each other, yet half the book was spent on their questioning the other’s affections.  And while this conflict felt way too drawn-out, the other conflicts of the book seemed too conveniently resolved to feel realistic.

Julianne

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It is my fault that we haven’t posted this sooner. I read it awhile back, and forgot about posting my not-so-glamorous review. I guess I felt bad that I read a book, didn’t really enjoy it, but finished it, knowing that I needed to write something about it. (If I didn’t have the obligation of writing about it, I might not have finished it.)

But if I’m going to find something nice to say, it would be that I did like the plot. I think it could be an enticing story. I always love a good love story. And, with the unlikely couple of a Lakota Native American and a while woman, I did like that Rosalynn was a forward-thinking, strong-willed, intelligent woman. However, the writing is cheesy and juvenile. Those are the only words I can think that really sum it up. (Possibly because this is Weikel’s first novel.) I think had I read this as a young teenager, I might have liked it. But having read some fantastic material in the last few years, I found myself quite bored.

Elaine

You can find Under a Lakota Moon by Deborah L. Weikel at: Amazon

Siri immediately falls in love with her caretaker Triston but is it possible for Triston to fall in love with her?  And what about all the other suitors vying for Siri’s hand?  One of the suitors in particular is so suave I actually fell in love with him myself.

Twists and turns and more twists and turns. Illuminations is a really exciting read.  Just when you think you’ve got things figured out you get pulled in another exciting direction.  All of it plausible and a whole lot of fun.

There’s something that cracks me up though about this book and it is that Siri is so beautiful, beyond description, that almost every man that comes in contact with her wants her so badly he tries to force himself on her.  Now obviously this was a different day and age where women didn’t have the freedom and respect that we have now but every time I read about someone trying to have his way with her it just cracked me up.  Except for one point at the end where I was horrified for her but all the other times when men “raked” their gaze across her I got a little giggly.  I mean how pretty could she really be?

Which brings me to a really trivial point but I hate it when the heroine or the hero are on the cover of the book because they never live up to my version of what they should look like.  Sorry if some of you know her but the girl on the cover is just an ordinarily pretty girl to me.  Not the spectacular beauty DiPastena writes about.  I know that’s silly and it certainly didn’t stop me from reading but just a little pet peeve I have with the covers of books.

I highly recommend Illuminations of the Heart by Joyce DiPastena.  A really fun read.

Alisa

I had no expectations of this book when I started reading. And I’m glad I didn’t. I was hooked by the second chapter. It’s a fun, simple, enjoyable read. It’s definitely a romance, full of sexual tension and forbidden love. But there’s also friendship, knighthood, thieves, and a little bit of mystery.

At one point, I felt like it might be a little predictable, but all of the interesting sub-plots kept me distracted from what I thought I might be able to guess. And it held my attention throughout the whole novel.

One of my only critiques is that the main character is described as being so stunningly beautiful that every man lusts after her. First, I have never in my life met someone who could possibly live up to that standard. I believe that everyone has a different idea of what “beautiful” is. And even though some people are clearly beautiful, I don’t think every man would react in the same way. It also bothered me that many of those men would have no problem taking advantage of a woman. I’m sure this wasn’t too uncommon for the time-period, 1100′s. But it bothered me, nonetheless.

Other than that, I couldn’t put the book down. I would definitely recommend it.

Elaine

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Remember if you leave a comment you’ll be entered into a drawing from the publisher.

You can purchase Illuminations of the Heart at  Amazon

Published by Walnut Springs Press

Visit Joyce DiPastena’s blog.

I am talking in depth about this book, so unless you have read it, don’t spoil your own experience by reading this review.  Go out, read the book, and then report back to me- because it was awesome!!!!

I do not know how Collins manages to keep me so on my toes- the twists and turns left me reeling after almost every chapter.  She packs a really powerful punch into such a small book.  I think this is why The Hunger Games makes it onto my top five favorite books.  There is no let up of the action, there’s no boring spots; it’s almost like a perfect roller coaster ride- and she’s done it again with Catching Fire.  Going into the book I knew there would have to be another Hunger Games, and I knew Katniss would have to somehow be emotionally attached to them.   In all honesty I thought there was going to be some sort of plot twist that involved Prim going in.  Especially after she mentioned how often siblings are put in- I was completely shocked when she was called in again.  Then the games themselves!  Holy cow, does Collins have a good imagination when it comes to creative torture devices.  I know I’m beginning with the end of the book, but didn’t you know that Plutarch Heavensbee was somehow involved in the revolution after revealing that watch to Katniss?  I kept second guessing myself until we found out the games were a giant clock.  Then the rest of the time I spent wondering how on earth he was going to save any of them.   I just can’t believe we’re going to be waiting at least another year to find out what kind of torture they put Peeta and Johanna through, and what has happened in district thirteen for all of these years!

Anyway, I know I’m a hormonal pregnant mess, but there were exactly two times when I had to stop reading because I was crying so much (not to say there weren’t other parts of this book where I cried, just that it got progressively worse in two spots)- the first was during the Victory tour when the crowd started whistling Rue’s song.  I hope we see more of Rue’s family and district eleven- I didn’t realize how emotionally attached I had become to all of them.  I have to believe they can’t destroy district 11 because the capitol can’t survive without food resources.  Then I lost it again when they dragged Cinna off beaten and bloody right before the games began.  I just hope we don’t see Cinna as an Avox in the next book- I’m hoping that the condition can be reversed somehow, if that’s the case.

So what did you guys think?  Where you disappointed with anything?  I was just so thrilled at how much I guessed turning out to be correct, and yet how incredibly flabbergasted I was at the rest of it.  It’s just such a great balance of horror, action, humor, love- I’ll be rereading it over and over again until the next one.

Catching Fire was released Sept. 1st and is written by Suzanne Collins

Zipping along life’s highway . . .
Fifty makes you think. Thirty makes you morose, and forty makes you
panic, but fifty makes you think. Half a century, and what is my life?
Does it resemble anything I dreamed at sixteen, or expected at twenty,
or hoped at twenty-five? What am I doing here? . . . I thought of
climbing to the top of a high mountain in Tibet to consult a wise man,
but I like vacations where there ís indoor plumbing and vegetation.
Since I already attended church, I thought perhaps I could pay closer
attention. Maybe I’d been missing a great fundamental truth. Well,
come to find out, I had been missing something. . . . (excerpt from The
Route)

Carol, a middle-aged wife and mother, is pondering the meaning
of life. On a trip to the grocery store to find some energizing dark
chocolate, she sees a sign asking for volunteers to deliver meals to
the elderly. When Carol decides to take a chance and help out, she’s
in for a life-changing—and route-altering—experience.

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I finished reading this book and immediately went on Amazon to order two more as gifts.  This is exactly that kind of book.  I would compare it to a perfect dinner party.  Carol is our host, sweet and funny- she reminds me of that favorite aunt everyone has.  Her guests are each so quirky and lovable that it’s no wonder she wants all of us to get to know them.  I fell in love with them just as much as Sears wanted me too, and then some.  There are so many wisdom nuggets in this book that I’ll warn you, I had to tear myself away to go and find a pen.  It’s a very quick read, that will warm your heart.

Laura

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I’ve always been a little freaked out by old people–their illnesses, their fragility, their needs–so I was a little hesitant when I realized this book centers around a cast of different senior citizens.  The narrator seemed to share some of my fears, but I overcame them just as quickly as she did.  The characters’ endearing personalities and fascinating experiences eclipsed their problems, and I found myself wanting to know more about each one of them (there are quite a few on her route).

Not only are the old folks lovable and realistic, however.  The narrator, Carol, makes the journey utterly enjoyable thanks to her own honesty, compassion and ability to laugh at herself.  I loved how strong and real her voice was.  This book definitely had the potential to be preachy in that it had so many life lesson and spiritually teaching moments, and yet not once did those lessons feel condescending or judgmental.  Carol observes and absorbs with an open, grounded perspective that I found really refreshing.

Julianne

You can find The Route by Gale Sears at:

www.amazon.com

For more information on The Route, visit:

http://walnutspringspress.blogspot.com and/or
http://www.galesears.blogspot.com/

Pride and Prejudice and Zombies is written by Seth Grahame-Smith