The Christmas Spirit Reading Challenge

I hope everyone had a wonderful Christmas! It's hard to believe that the new year is right around the corner. I do apologize for my lack of posts these last couple of months. With November's NaNoWriMo and December's business of both Christmas preparations and lots of We've Seen Santa events I hardly had a moment to breathe. I hadn't gotten much reading done either. The day after Christmas was spent cleaning up from the celebrations. With my house mostly back in order, I finally had a chance to just sit down and refuse to do anything besides reading yesterday. So, here is what I have accomplished thus far for The Christmas Spirit Reading Challenge.

I started the reading challenge way back in November with Debbie Macomber's Christmas in Cedar Cove.








This book is actually a compilation of two Cedar Cove stories. The first is 5-B Poppy Lane. It is a wonderful story that will take your breath away. At times, it nearly brought me to tears. The second is A Cedar Cove Christmas. This one actually did move me to tears. Such a beautiful story of friendship and love. The familiar characters of Cedar Cove prove themselves to yet again be a wonderful collection of varying personalities. They show us how we should behave towards each other, not just at Christmas, but throughout the year.

The next story I read was a novella I read on my new Kindle Fire (thanks Dad). It was Merry Christmas, Baby by Monica Jackson.






This is a story of unexpected love. After catching her fiance in bed with her maid of honor, Sharyn is gun shy to start another relationship. When a sexy physical therapist shows up at her door to help care for her mother, she blocks his every advance. But, they say "love will find a way," and this saying holds true in this novella about finding love and learning to trust again. Merry Christmas, Baby is a great story for the on the go Christmas season. Although, I found myself wishing it had been a full length novel with much more story to tell.

I followed that novella with what can only be referred to as a short story. Although novellas and novels are the only things that count during the course of The Christmas Spirit Reading Challenge, I felt that this short story deserved recognition. The Twelve Days of Christmas Mystery by Daphne Coleridge was a cute little story. I'm not quite sure where I picked up this short, but I am glad that I did. I will be looking into reading some of her mysteries in the near future.

After reading Coleridge's short story, I read another novella by Monica Jackson. This one was What Goes Around. In this novella, there is a family curse. I do love family curses. The main character, Evelyn, is the only one who can break this curse. The way to break the curse is to choose love. It was a cute story, and I enjoyed meeting the characters. However, I felt that it would have benefited from another edit. I do not usually mention editing snafoos, as I know that  they do happen. Even such greats as Stephen King have typos and misedits in their books at times. However, this one was bad enough that I feel it is only fair to mention it before sending you off to read it.

I have read a few Children's books this season. Of course there were many readings of We've Seen Santa throughout the season.





Though, I am not entirely sure that this counts as a read book since I knew the story before it ever became a book. LOL.

I did however read Jingle All the Way to my daughter and Jingle, the Husky Pup.





This is an adorable story. However, I am disappointed with the interaction of Jingle. My daughter is five years old, and a fairly skilled reader. When she reads the book to Jingle, he does not respond to her voice when she reads the magic words. I believe that the interactive plush toys should respond well to a child's voice as reading to their own toy and getting a response would encourage reading in young children. We also watched the movie on the Hallmark channel.

We watched many Christmas movies thus far this season, and I still have many more to watch that I recorded on the DVR. My favorite movie I watched this year was It's a Wonderful Life. I watched it on my birthday this year, which made it somehow all the more special.

That is about all I have read/watched this year so far. I am currently working my way through Plum Pudding Murder by Joanne Fluke.




She is one of my favorite authors, and it is a definite bonus that she includes such wonderful recipes in her books. This was a present from my daughter for Christmas. I am excited to be able to read it so immediately because I am currently reading only Christmas books for The Christmas Spirit Reading Challenge. On that note, I am going to go curl up wiht Plum Pudding Murder and enjoy a mostly relaxed day, broken only by the fact that I am washing all the bedding in the house so we can ring in the new year on clean bedding.

Hope everyone has a Wonderful New Year!

December is busy busy

December has arrived. It kind of snuck up on me. I really wasn't prepared to turn around and discover we had reached the holidays. I spent the month of November working on my new novel. You can find out more information here about how NaNoWriMo went for me.

Meanwhile, we also have events for We've Seen Santa planned throughout the first weeks of December. We kicked off with a Santa Parade this past Friday.

Followed by a visit with Santa.

This upcoming Tuesday, we will be reading We've Seen Santa to little ones at our local library. There is a reading for the under 3 age group and then another reading for the preschoolers.

We then have two events scheduled for Friday. We will be visiting an elementary school to share our experience of writing, illustrating and publishing with them. We will be encouraging them to follow their dreams. This event will be repeated on a small scale the following Monday at our local library. Friday night, we will be having Cookies with Santa.

We are excited about all of these events. To tell the truth, I am also rather nervous. But, I know that we will have a great time at all of these events. Unfortunately, I am not finding very much time to read even my first book for The Christmas Spirit Reading Challenge. I am glad that it runs into January, or there is no way I would be able to participate at all. I only wish I could find more time to curl up and read a good book.

I hope everyone else is finding themselves enjoying the holiday season.

The Christmas Spirit Reading Challenge

I must confess that I haven't gotten ANY reading done as of yet. I have been watching a whole bunch of Christmas movies. We started off with Curious George: A Very Monkey Christmas. My daughter absolutely loved it so much that she has added it to her Christmas Wish List. We then watched Jingle All the Way on the Hallmark channel. My daughter has now added Jingle and his book to her Christmas wish list. Then, I moved on to "Mommy movies." Hallmark supplied a great line up last night. First it was Debbie Macomber's Mrs. Miracle, followed by Debbie Macomber's Call Me Mrs. Miracle. I absolutely love both of these movies. Mrs. Miracle is my favorite of the two. I would love to read both of the books. So, after these came this years new Macomber movie, Debbie Macomber's Trading Christmas. I recall reading this book, but the movie did not line up with what I recalled. It was still an excellent movie, don't get me wrong. I am currently sitting here watching Hallmark channel. The current movie is called The Most Wonderful Time of the Year. It seems familiar, so I may have watched this last year. 

So, as for the reading. The trend in movies yesterday sort of fits with what I am thinking for my book. The first book I will begin reading is Christmas in Cedar Cove. I love Debbie Macomber, so it is a great place to start. 

Now that I have finished my NaNoWriMo novel, I have time to actually read again. Don't get me wrong, there is still much editing and rewriting to do.on the novel. If you are curious, there is a couple of [unedited] chapters available to read for free over on my other blog. I'd love to hear some feedback, but please remember these chapters are first draft.

I am not entirely sure how much reading I will get done before Christmas, but fortunately for me the reading challenge goes until January 6th. The first couple of weeks of December are going to be busy. We've Seen Santa has been booked for many events. We have a parade on the 2nd, two readings on the 6th, an elementary school visit on the 9th, Cookies with Santa on the night of the 9th, and then we have a "seminar about writing and publishing" for 1st through 5th graders on the 12th. We are nervous, but excited for all of these events. I even made sweatshirts for the entire family to wear for these events and just to wear. I've also designed posters to put on the truck for the parade.

Sweatshirt

Poster

Somewhere in there, we have to manage Christmas shopping. Oh, and I have a dentist appointment on my birthday. My kids also have various appointments coming up during the course of the reading challenge. But, I will get some reading done. I need to curl up with a good book and take a break from my own novel anyways. 

I bit off way more than I can chew

I love Stephen King. He is one of my all time favorite authors. That being said, I was so excited to participate in the Bag of Bones read-a-long. However, it just is not to be. Here is what I posted over on the Castle Macabre website.

Sadly, I am going to have to drop out of this read-a-long. :( Tomorrow marks the end of the first week, and I have not even managed to finish the first page. When I signed up, I had forgotten about NaNoWriMo. Then, I insanely thought that I could still do both. This is apparently not the case. Thank you Michelle for thinking of me and extending the invitation. Happy reading to everyone still going. :)

Not only am I working on writing my first ever full length novel, but I also have to make time to promote We've Seen Santa as it is the holidays now. We are also scheduled for a few events during the first weeks of December, and are preparing for these as well. I am not ashamed to admit that with the read-a-long, I overbooked myself.

I know I am not posting nearly as often as I should be. I don't make it here to my blog or onto my Facebook Page or Twitter as often as I should. I apologize for that. Please bear with me while I sort out all these things. I think my alter ego and I need to clone ourselves so that we can both work at the same time. On the plus side, I have almost made it to the end of my novel, and my goal of 50,000 words. This means that I will start to have my time back to keep in better touch with all of you.

Thank you for being so patient with me while I attempt to learn how to function as yet another person while still being everyone else. Current personality count-SIX.

1. Mother
2. Wife
3. Daughter
4. Friend
5. Children's Author
6. Novelist

Let's just hope none of them rise up and revolt against me or the other personalities, and we will all get along just fine.

Bag of Bones Read-a-Long & The Christmas Spirit Reading Challenge

Technically, the read-a-long started two days ago. I am so behind already. I have gotten as far as finding Bag of Boneson my bookshelf and bringing it down stairs. By Saturday I am supposed to read Chapters 1-9. I will be able to read some of it today while I wait for my son to get out of school. I still am working on the NaNoWriMo 50,000 [or more] word novel. You can still follow my progress for NaNoWriMo here. I also have a TBR stack that is miles high. I think my husband may ban me from putting books on my Christmas list, LOL.

Speaking of Christmas, I am also participating in The Christmas Spirit Reading Challenge. We would love for you to join us.

Here is what I will for sure be reading during the challenge. I will start with:




Then, I hope to have time to read:




And it is possible I will even find the time to read more. I have a few other Christmas books saved on Kindle, and a few more on my shelves. And, who knows what Christmas books Santa will get for my kids this year. He brings them a new one every year.

So that about sums up what's going on with my reading. I haven't read anything in a couple of weeks now. Looking forward to settling back in with a good book. Now if only I could find the time. Happy reading everyone!

Sorry for my neglect

I would like to take this time to apologize for the fact that I have not had much to post lately. Since completing The Daisy Chain by Erica M Goros, I have not read anything new. I'm still working on my NaNoWriMo novel. Before getting started on my novel, I did enter a few giveaways. This past week I've hauled in a few new books. So, here are the books I have recently added to my TBR stack.

From Michelle at Castle Macabre, I won:



From over at Popcorn Reads, I won:




And from Author Lia Fairchild herself during a blog hop, I won:




I would like to thank everyone for hosting these wonderful giveaways. I apologize that it will be quite a bit of time before I have time to read and review these or any of the other books in my TBR stacks. But, I promise that as soon as I wrap up NaNoWriMo, I will return to reading and reviewing for all my fellow authors. Meanwhile, happy reading/writing/or whatever venture you are caught up in.

The Daisy Chain by Erica M Goros

Please accept my sincerest of apologies that this review has taken me so long to post. Sometimes, life conspires against us and we don't get to focus on the things we want to do, but rather must focus on the things that we have to do. This in no way reflects the quality of the story or the ability of the author.

I loved reading The Daisy Chain by Erica M. Goros. In a note from the author, Goros wrote

We all take parts of our past, whether tragic or just tragically part of life, we bury them. Twisting them into a space that fits snuggly into our minds, distorting reality into what could only be called, ourreality.

I'm sure that everyone will agree with this statement. We are all guilty of changing our memories to suit what exactly we want to remember. For some, you will only remember the good, and no matter what bad they have done, you forgive them anything and forget that it ever transpired. For others, you only remember the bad. Regardless of what they have done for you, your memory is forever tainted by the way that they hurt you. This is how you remember them.

Such is the case of the main character, Dannah. Throughout the story, you follow her through her mind. The story simultaneously travels both the past and the present. Perhaps, we only see what Dannah wants us to see, but more likely is we only see what Dannah herself is willing to see. The storyline itself is tragic and beautiful. It is well written, and will leave the reader turning pages as fast as they can. Putting this book down is a chore. You must force yourself to admit that the clock has defeated you and head to bed or you will pull an all-nighter to complete the story.

Nearing the end of the book, I was shocked when Dannah's eyes were opened wide before us. When the truth came to light, as it has a tendency to do. I will not reveal anything that I found in those pages, as you must read the book yourself to discover. I do not produce spoilers, but I will say this. I NEVER saw it coming. Even upon going back and reading it again, there was never any clue. There was a few things that, upon rereading, I could take a different way now that I knew how the story would end, but it never gave so much as a clue that that's what they referred to.

Goros did an excellent job with this story. Her hope is that you will be able to relate to each of her characters. Perhaps you have a little bit of Cole in you. Perhaps you are more like Elizabeth. The characters are well drawn and easily real.

I look forward to many more by Goros, and I strongly recommend this book to everyone who has ever dreamed.



Or you can purchase it in e-format:

NaNoWriMo posts have moved

In order to keep things organized and separated, I have created a second blog. This blog is strictly devoted to the goings on of NaNoWriMo and my in progress novel. If you would like to keep up to date on what is going on with those things, please visit me over there.

In the meantime, I will continue to post here about all things We've Seen Santa, and my own thoughts on everything I read.

First up for review, I have finished The Daisy Chain, and I promise to post my review soon. Please bear with me as November has suddenly become the busiest month of my year. I also have strep, so I am not feeling 100%. But life continues to happen around me, and therefore there are children to care for, a husband to tend to, and chores to be done. I thank you for your patience with me while I settle into my new role as novelist.

NaNoWriMo day 1

NaNoWriMo started today. I set myself a goal of 3000 words per day. I should easily reach the 50000 words goal by November 30th, even with expecting to take days off for my son's birthday and for Thanksgiving, both later this month.

So, knowing that I had to write at least 3000 words today, I began shortly after the kids left for school. I was unsure where I was going when I began this morning. I had a rough sketch idea of the kind of story I wanted to write. A brief idea of the plot line I intended to follow.

I feel extremely accomplished today. I set my goal at 3000 words. I managed to write 4619 words. There are 5 completed chapters. I have even given it a title and a brief description now.

"Huntress"

Plagued by memories of an abnormal childhood, Tabitha devotes her life to chasing the thing that destroyed life as she knew it.

I also managed to get a little more reading done. Erica M. Goros has managed to catch me completely off guard with the plot twist she just threw into The Daisy Chain. I cannot wait to finish reading it and share my thoughts with all of you.

As for NaNoWriMo, just imagine, if I could write 5 chapters of more than 4500 words today while washing dishes, shopping, and having to pick my kids up from school, then what do you think I can do the next day or the day after that. Perhaps this story has been inside of me all along and just beating at the cage bars in my head, trying to escape. I hope it continues to flow from my fingertips as smoothly as it did today.

Happy Halloween!

Happy Halloween everyone! Hope you all have a frightfully good time today. Personally, I can't believe October has reached its end already. We will, of course, be trick-or-treating (aka freezing our tushes off so the kids can have more candy than they could possibly need). Our daughter (5) is going to be a witch. Our son (13) is once again debating on if he is too old to trick-or-treat. Last year, he went along for about 5 minutes before deciding it wasn't much fun anymore and coming back home. Once here, he helped me hand out candy by frightening the children as they went by.

Tomorrow starts my busy month. November is jam packed with things to do. First, there is NaNoWriMo. For NaNoWriMo, I am attempting to write an entire novel (unedited and unpolished) by November 30th. At the very least, in order to receive my badge, I must produce a minimum of 50,000 words. Typing "uh, uh, uh" 50,000 times does not count, LOL. This will be my first full length novel. Wish me luck!

Come mid-November, on top of writing daily to reach my goal of completing a novel, I will be participating in my first ever read-a-long. Michelle over at Castle Macabre will be hosting. We will be reading Stephen King's Bag of Bones in celebration of the upcoming television event on A&E. It will be a four hour mini-series of King's bestselling novel, Bag of Bones. (Check your local listings for details). If you would like to join this read-a-long, you can do so by going here.

If you're wanting to join, but don't yet own the book, you can order it here:




I will also be completing my reading of The Daisy Chainduring the course of the next few days. I wish I had been able to finish it sooner, but alas, life has conspired against me. At this point in the book (around 3/4 of the way through) I am absolutely loving it. I can't wait to see where it will lead. I will, of course, be posting a review upon completion. If you would like to check it this new novel by a new Indie author you can order it here.




or it is also available for your kindle here.




I will also be doing preparations for my upcoming speaking engagements for We've Seen Santathat are scheduled throughout December. I am not a public speaker, nor do I have any idea what exactly I should plan to say or do for these events. So, I figure I should probably get to figuring. I do have one easy event scheduled for early December. It is a lapsit at the local library. I will simply need to read We've Seen Santa to a small group of little ones. I can do that with my eyes closed. Then, I will make myself available to the parents for questions and opportunity to purchase We've Seen Santa. If you would like to purchase a copy for your own family, you can do so by visiting here.




And let us not forget that my son has his 14th birthday in November, and there is always Thanksgiving. Plus, it is time to at least begin planning for Christmas. So, as you can see, November is going to be a little bit crazy for me. Please forgive me if I don't post (or read) as much as I would like to. Life is going to be pretty hectic for me until after New Years. But, I promise to keep you updated on my writing (NaNoWriMo) and my read-a-long.

PS-along the right side column, you will see an opportunity to get involved in NaNoWriMo and donate to The Office of Letters and Light. Just like any marathon, you have the opportunity to sponsor a marathoner. Your donations will help to inspire 300,000 kids and adults in 500 communities and 2,500 classrooms around the world. For more information about this nonprofit organization visit here. To donate and sponsor me as a writer, visit here.

Thanks to everyone for bearing with me this next [crazy] month! And thanks to those who join in and sponsor my marathon of writing.

Coffee VS Computer

Yesterday was a little crazy. My 13-year-old son was going to give me a hug (gasp), which is an extremely rare occurrence as he has gotten way to old to need Mommy's hugs and love. He bumped my coffee cup, which tipped over and spilled onto my keyboard (double gasp). My son, my husband and I acted quickly to begin cleaning up the mess, turning off the computer, and getting it tilted to keep it from running into the components within. We left if off for 24 hours, standing on its side, and crossed our fingers.

Meanwhile, I received not one but (gasp again) TWO emails from popcornreads.com. I won not one but (dare I gasp again lol) TWO books from two separate giveaways that they were hosting. So, here is my weekend haul (which I really needed after everything started going a little crazy around here).

First up, I received an email that I had won The Wandering Falcon

Traditions that have lasted for centuries, both brutal and beautiful, create a rigid structure for life in the wild, astonishing place where Iran, Pakistan, and Afghanistan meet-the Federally Administered Tribal Areas (FATA). It is a formidable world, and the people who live there are constantly subjected to extremes-of place and of culture.

The Wandering Falcon begins with a young couple, refugees from their tribe, who have traveled to the middle of nowhere to escape the cruel punishments meted out upon those who transgress the boundaries of marriage and family. Their son, Tor Baz, descended from both chiefs and outlaws, becomes "The Wandering Falcon," a character who travels among the tribes, over the mountains and the plains, into the towns and the tents that constitute the homes of the tribal people. The media today speak about this unimaginably remote region, a geopolitical hotbed of conspiracies, drone attacks, and conflict, but in the rich, dramatic tones of a master storyteller, this stunning, honor-bound culture is revealed from the inside.

Jamil Ahmad has written an unforgettable portrait of a world of custom and compassion, of love and cruelty, of hardship and survival, a place fragile, unknown, and unforgiving.

Then within minutes, I received another email. It began like this, "What were the odds! You won a second giveaway!! I think this has only happened once before." It further went on to explain that I had won Being Someone Else

Some believe violence foreign to our nature. Dan 'Sticks' Hetrick, retired chief and now consultant to the Swatara Creek police department, knows better. We put a lid on our natural tendency to violence when we started living in groups, devising moral codes to hold it in check and allow us to live in harmony with others. But, deep down in the id-the site of instinct-there's always that tendency to violence. When an out-of-state reporter is found murdered at a disreputable bar the tendency to violence spirals in the rural Pennsylvania community, and the investigative trail keeps bringing Hetrick and his team back to the family of a wealthy doctor who has come home to retire. Hetrick and his protégé Officer Flora Vastine are joined by an old friend from his State Police days as they unravel old secrets and mysteries in a tale with as many shocking twists as a country road.

As for my computer, things turned out okay. My disk drive was stuck shut from the stickiness of the sugar I load my coffee with, but we seem to have gotten it all cleaned up. Although, I have not yet put a disk in to assess if there is any damage to the eye, but it did not appear to have gotten that far into the drive. The number keys that reside to the right side of the keyboard (as well as HOME, END, PGUP, AND PGDN) were all pretty sticky. We cleaned them out with a Q-tip and rubbing alcohol, and although still a little stiff, they appear to be working just fine. Hopefully, the last bits of sugar will turn to powder and disappear like dust. We did open the hard drive area, and it does not appear that any coffee got into there. The battery compartment was also clear. Overall, fast acting/thinking on the part of mainly my husband, with a little help from my son and I, seems to have saved my computer from the worst of what could have been when an almost full cup of coffee loaded with cream and sugar was practically poured out on my computer.

So my insane weekend was chocked full of good luck and good fortune. I am looking forward to reading/reviewing my new books when they arrive. :)

5 Stars isn't Nearly Enough for this Jewel

I recently won Witch Hunterin a giveaway during the Frightful Fall Read-a-thon hosted by Michelle over at Castle Macabre. The following is my review of Witch Hunter As it is a YA book, I will be handing it off to my son (13) and once he has finished and reviewed it, I will post his review as well.

Kathleen S. Allen did an excellent job creating an engaging story. I can't even tell you how many times I changed my mind on who must be the killer. Every clue, dropped by Allen, led me in a different direction. Every piece of the puzzle fit slightly askew from the last. I couldn't put it down. On one day, I actually arrived to pick up my daughter after the dismissal bell had already rung. In general, I am 5-10 minutes earlier than the bell.

I love that she incorporated the Salem Witch Trials and the history of Salem so well into the present day story. Chloe was my least favorite character. At times, I found myself wishing she'd be the killer just so I would be justified in disliking her. But, just as sometimes you don't really care for your children's friends, I guess I just have to live with my dislike of Chloe. She did, however play a key role, so the book itself could not do without her. You may find you like her, so please don't let my opinion of her cloud your judgement. Knowing my son, she will be his favorite character. That being said, my favorite characters were about even. I loved Molly. She was a perfect character, coming by her roots in Salem honestly. Her ability to adapt to her new surroundings all while learning to be herself is inspiring, and a great lesson in itself for the tween-teen age group. I also loved Aunt Sarah. She is quirky and odd but in a lovable way. Her Bed and Breakfast sounds delightful. If ever I find the occasion to be in Salem, I would love to stay in a Bed and Breakfast just like it.

If I could give more than five stars, I would definitely do just that. An excellent, well-written story that will please everyone. I look forward to more by Kathleen S. Allen in the future.

Newest #Review of "We've Seen Santa"

This review was written by one of the winners of our recent First Reads Giveaway on Goodreads.com. Thank you Sally for the great review!

Sally Salyards rated it

This book is sooo sweet! I was going to donate it to our library(Jackson County Library in Sylva NC), but I love it so much and I know my grandkids will too. I already have a night planned with cookies and reading this book. I think its a wonderful book, Simple and memory making. Good Job!

To view the original post visit HERE.

The Daisy Chain by Erica Goros

Recently, a friend of mine released her first book. It is called The Daisy Chainby Erica Goros and is available in paperback or kindle format.

Product Description
A great country for men and dogs, but hell on women and horses. – Old Texas Proverb.

The town of Média is inhabited by scoundrels and in the midst, Dannah Marshall, a woman of limitless strength stands alone. As she fights to hold tight to both her ranch and her pride, she is forced to endure her family crumbling around her.

Dannah’s headstrong demeanor makes her the perfect game for Henry Edwards, a dastardly businessman. As Edwards struggles to control his own family and his own town, he crashes fists first into the Marshalls.

The game comes to a halt as Dannah finds herself falling in love with Cole, her childhood playmate and Henry Edwards’ eldest son. The Daisy Chain, is a suspenseful story woven with rich characters — a modern classic and a must read!

Paperback


Or Kindle


This book is definitely on my reading list. I expect it to be a great read (and of course I will post my review as soon as I do read it). Meanwhile, I wanted to help her spread the word.

Congratulations and Good Luck Erica!

Perfectly Dysfunctional

Recently, I finished Bobbie O’Keefe’s Family Skeletons (Five Star Mystery Series). I really enjoyed the storyline. This family definitely puts a new light on dysfunctional. The “skeletons in the closet” are both real and metaphorical.

Just like any whodunit, I spent the majority of the book trying to solve the case. I had myself a list of suspects. I can honestly say that I caught a few clues before the characters did. However, I did not see the end coming. I was caught completely off guard by the final chapters.

As Sunny clears out her father’s home after he has been declared dead, she discovers things she never imagined she would find. Someone is trying to stop her from learning the truth about a past that has affected her life without her ever knowing. Sunny is an imperfect character. She has flaws and mannerisms that leave you believing she could be real. Her best friend, Ryan, provides much of the comic relief. Did O’Keefe do this intentionally? Or, perhaps, it is just the way the character developed. Jonathon is one of those characters you do not want to like. He is uppity and stiff. At first, I expected him to be hard to tolerate. I am not ashamed to admit that he grew on me quickly.

Add in the small town these “big city” main characters have been dropped into, and it makes for an insane course of events. Remember, no one has a secret forever in a small town. I strongly recommend Family Skeletons (Five Star Mystery Series)for a good whodunit mystery. Add in the romance building and the secret keeping, and you have yourself a well-rounded story. I never wanted to put it down.



This is the second book by O’Keefe that I have read. I will be seeking out her other titles for my reading pleasure.

And the haul continues! #frightfall

The Frightful Fall Read-a-thon may have ended, but I am still reaping in the benefits of participating. I have another win to report! This one comes from Back of the Book Reviews. Thank you for hosting the mini-giveaway!

Here is what I won:

When due homage is paid to the heroes of Frewyn, what could possibly go wrong?

The Frewyn Players at the Royal Theatre in Diras are looking for new material to perform when a famous director from Marridon arrives to impart a Marridon theatrical pastime that is certain to make them famous. An opera will be their new performance, one that glorifies Frewyn's greatest heroes, but what begins as homage ends as mockery, and the play that would make them the greatest exhibition in Frewyn might instead make them the Den Asaan's most merited enemy.

Thank you to Michelle Franklin for donating Tales from Frewyn-the Opera for the giveaway! I will post my review as soon as I have read it. :)

Frightful Fall Read-a-thon Wrap-up #frightfall

Yesterday was the end of the Frightful Fall Read-a-thon. Between the reading (Ghost Moon), and the mini-challenges, and blogging the whole way, it was a lot of fun. I only managed to read one book during the course of the week. After visiting some of the other participants blogs, I admit to feeling like a slacker. Unfortunately, life got in the way of my reading time. While I wish I had found the time to read more, I at least did finish and review one book.



I also managed to walk away from the read-a-thon with a few new books to read. Had I known that it would be this easy to grow my collection of books (something I can never have enough of) I would have joined in on read-a-thons and giveaways a lot sooner. So, here are the books I won.

Fifteen year old Molly is visiting her eccentric Tarot card reading aunt who is also a witch. Aunt Sarah predicts fun but, even Aunt Sarah doesn't predict murder. When Molly discovers a link from the murdered victims to the Salem Witch Trials, she worries, is she the next one to die?

When Paranormal Partners magazine names Damian their most eligible bachelor, life as he knows it changes forever. Females come out of the woodwork in an effort to link their names to his--with seductions that make his skin crawl and his stomach heave.

If having crazy females attempt to seduce Damian is hard on him, it's excruciating for Jocelyn. Firmly planted in the friend zone, she watches as females try to capture the only piece of Damian Jocelyn wants all for herself--his heart.

What goes around really does come around—just to kick a male in the balls and bite him in the ass. Alexander, vampire playboy extraordinaire, finds himself smack dab in the middle of the cosmic crosshairs.

Karma is not a bitch, she is a vampire determined to achieve her heart's greatest desire. The first time she met Alex she was too young, too innocent, and too plain. But things change.

Realization slaps Alex upside the head when he comes face to face with the gorgeous female he can't believe he's met before. The one female he may not be able to live without. And the one who is strictly forbidden.

Not a bad haul for simply doing what I love (reading) and playing a few games. Thank you to Michelle (@TrueBookAddict via CastleMacabre.blogspot.com)for hosting the read-a-thon and giveaways and to Kathleen S. Allen and Morgan Kearns for donating their books to the read-a-thon so I could be the lucky winner.

I will post my reviews of the above books as soon as I have read them. Happy reading everyone!

Day 7, Frightful Fall Read-a-thon #frightfall

Tonight ends the Frightful Fall Read-a-thon hosted by Michelle at Castle Macabre. Thanks again Michelle for hosting and for the invite to participate. I really enjoyed myself and look forward to joining in on many more read-a-thons.

I did manage to actually finish my book, Ghost Moon (Bone Island Trilogy)
by Heather Graham. I strongly recommend this series in its entirety. I did only give 4 stars to the second in the series, Ghost Night (Bone Island Trilogy) due to the fact that I did not enjoy the actual storyline as much. However, it was still well written and provides key elements to the series. I was unfamiliar with Heather Graham when I first stumbled upon Ghost Shadow (The Bone Island Trilogy) in the supermarket. Boy am I ever glad that I decided to give her a try.

So, now for my review of Ghost Moon (Bone Island Trilogy) by Heather Graham. I give this one a definitive 5 stars!!

First of all, I have been posting how close to certain that I was that I had flushed out the killer early on. Boy was I ever wrong! I had not predicted that the truly guilty party actually had any part in it whatsoever. I was pleased to find that Graham had thoroughly steered me wrong with all her clues and insight. I guarantee I went exactly where she wanted her readers to go.

The book is a nail biter, keeping the reader on the edge of their seat, always waiting for the other shoe to drop. The ending will have you second guessing all your sleuthing skills. By this third book, many of the characters are beloved friends. When these friends end up on the suspect list, you find yourself muttering "say it ain't so" and looking for clues that will free them from the list.

Our beloved Bartholomew makes yet another appearance. He is the friendly neighborhood ghost we all wish we had on our side. If you haven't met him yet, you should seek him out. You'll have to finish the series to find out what happens to our Bartholomew at the end of Ghost Moon.

Overall, a well written ghost story, murder mystery, romance novel rolled into one. Not many can successfully cross genres the way Graham seamlessly does. I look forward to checking out some of her other series soon.

Day 6, Frightful Fall Read-a-thon #frightfall

I was able to find the time to read a lot more today. We did go miniature golfing for an event with the kids school earlier today, but then my son and husband were doing "man work" outside, and my daughter was playing on the computer, so I found the time to read.

I probably read for about 2 hours total. I read 140 pages of Ghost Moon by Heather Graham. I will definitely be able to finish tomorrow (assuming life doesn't come up LOL).

My thoughts so far are that things have become very fast-paced. Every page has you holding your breath waiting for the other shoe to drop. I believe that one of my suspects has been ruled out, and I am really leaning towards my other suspect. I can tell you that the murderer is absolutely insane. This comes from the fact that we still get glimpses into his mind. We can hear his thoughts and have to really wonder how no one ever realized how insane this person is. I look forward to finishing tomorrow and discovering who the actual killer is. And, of course, I always enjoy learning if I was right on or if I was so far off I wasn't in the same story line at all. That's always the fun part of reading whodunits.

Well, I am off to watch The New Daughter (starring Kevin Costner) with my husband and then probably head to bed. Happy reading everyone!

Castle Macabre's Frightful Fall Read-a-thon: mini challenge #3

All you have to do is go online to an image site (Google images, photobucket, etc.) and find an image that represents the setting of the book you're reading. If you're not reading a scary book at the moment, pick one you've already read during the read-a-thon. Try to make it as creepy as you can.

Ghost Moon by Heather Graham is centered around a mansion on the beaches of Key West, Florida. They describe how the owner, now deceased, has left it to become overgrown. The townsfolk all tell stories about the evil deeds done inside the walls of this house. The deceased owner died with a look of pure horror on his face. What dwells inside these walls? I must continue reading to find out.

Day 5, Frightful Fall Read-a-thon #frightfall

Well, once again, I did not get nearly as much reading time today as I would have liked. I read Ghost Moon by Heather Graham today. I managed about 20 pages in about 25 minutes.

I read while I waited for my kids to get out of school. Not much else to do in the parking lot, alone, waiting on the bell. Then, I took my daughter in to the doctor's office, and I did some reading there. We are fortunate to go to a doctor's office that does not leave you waiting in the waiting room for long. The doctor was in the room to see her before the nurse had even finished closing the door on her way out. (I love our doctor's office.)

Tomorrow, I expect to be able to get more reading done. The only thing on the agenda is a miniature golf outing with the kids school. This is scheduled for a couple of hours mid day. However, I expect to have plenty of time during the course of the day to get some reading done.

As for my thoughts on Ghost Moon, I am loving this story line. I still haven't figured out who I suspect as the guilty party. Although, by now I do have myself some ideas. It is a short list. However, there has been a clue that knocks my suspects off the list. But, I am still subscribing to the idea that Heather Graham put that little tidbit in there to throw the reader off. My suspect list actually contains only two people. I look forward to reading further and discovering if my suspicions were correct.

Day 4, Frightful Fall Read-a-thon #frightfall

I didn't get as much reading done today as I would have hoped, but I cannot complain. I traded in my 02 Dodge Stratus for an 04 Jeep Grand Cherokee today. With winter fast approaching, I needed a car that could handle a Michigan winter.

I just read to my daughter from her current "thriller," Howliday Inn by James Howe. It is part of the Bunnicula Series. We read for about 15 minutes. She was already late for bed after all the running around we had to do after school.

I loved Bunnicula as a child when our school librarian read it to us. When my son reached the age where I thought he would enjoy it, I found it on Amazon. It was then that I discovered there was an entire series. I purchased every book for him. He has now passed them along to his baby sister. She is 5 and absolutely loves hearing the Bunnicula stories before bed.

As for my reading, I read for just under 2 hours today. I managed about 100 pages. Things are really picking up in Ghost Moon by Heather Graham.

I know that there has been another murder, but only because I have been in the mind of the murderer. The main characters are still clueless about this other body, apparently so close nearby that the killer is shocked that they have not stumbled across it yet.

Tomorrow I will hopefully have more time to read tomorrow. Sometimes, life conspires against us and we cannot do all the things we'd like to do. However, in this instance, it may have taken almost a week, but I am now the proud owner of my Jeep, so I will not complain that my week has been jam packed with running around, jumping through hoops to get my Jeep. A big thank you to my in-laws for helping us out with a loan so we could purchase said Jeep.

Day 3, Frightful Fall Read-a-thon #frightfall

I'm still reading Ghost Moon by Heather Graham. I only read 15 pages last night. I spent about 15 minutes total reading. I read while I waited for my husband to get ready for bed and the dryer to finish.

In those pages, I mainly had glimpses into the past. During these pages, I also got a glimpse into the the personality of the main character and her current life. She reminisced a lot about the years spent in Key West. I also learned that we still only have one dead body. What we expected to be the second was really just a guy knocking himself for a loop.

Sorry that there really isn't much more for me to report. I didn't expect to have such a crazy, busy week. Unfortunately, being self employed has some disadvantages. We are struggling to come up with a loan (for under $5,000) to purchase a new vehicle for me that will be safer to drive in the winter. This is taking up a lot of time right now. Hopefully it will get situated.

Well, I'm off to read some more. I'll post again later. Maybe today I will find the time to finish.

Happy Reading!

Castle Macabre's mini challenge number 1

All you have to do is go online to an image site (Google images, photobucket, etc.) and find the scariest image you can.

So, I went with Google images and simply typed the word scary into the search box. I figured I would end up finding some killer clown or something gory, but this is totally creepy. It is a doll. If you wish to see more of the same, here is the website.

Day 1, Frightful Fall Read-a-thon #frightfall

Started a little late on this first day of the Frightful Fall Read-a-thon. So, at 8:20pm armed with my trusty cup of coffee (you never know when the Zombie Apocalypse will happen) I began reading Ghost Moon by Heather Graham.

I didn't really get much done in the way of reading. I read for about 45 minutes. I read 43 pages. So far, it is already captivating my interest far more than the 2nd book in this series. I am not ready yet to compare it to book number one, which I loved so much I immediately set out to purchase the other 2 books in the series.

Already, there are 2 deaths. Well, one confirmed death, possibly natural causes, possibly the evil house did it. The second death is merely suspected. We have not discovered the body yet. I will pick up where I left off tomorrow.

Must Read Faster's Frightful Fall Read-a-thon Mini Challenge

**Look to the left...the first item that you see is your only weapon during the Zombie Apocalypse*** (Don't cheat and try to find something cool! If the first thing you see are socks then that's what you got!)

So, I looked left, and what is the first thing I see? This morning's coffee mug. On the plus side, at least there is still coffee in it, so I can get myself a nice caffeine fix before I whip my mug at the nearest Zombie's head!

What about you? What would you have to defend yourself with during the Zombie Apocalypse? Leave your replies in the comments section of this post.

A Fast Paced Medical Thriller

First, let me say that the amount of time it took me to read A Cure to Die For: A Medical Thriller is absolutely no reflection on the book itself. I was getting my children ready for school (a kindergartner and a freshman in high school) and then adjusting to the new schedule of having both of my children in school. I then, unfortunately, got sick. I did not want to be distracted while reading and rating a book that I promised to review.

That being said, here is my review of A Cure to Die For: A Medical Thriller

This book starts off fast paced and continues to flow along at an accelerated speed throughout. Just when you think they are finally going to get to settle in and work, along comes another obstacle they must surmount. It is scary for me that the truth is, everything in this book is plausible.

You get to know and love the characters and all their quirks. You find yourself choosing sides, getting angry at the bad guys, and cheering for every accomplishment this mismatched group of friends achieves.

Mitchell did an excellent job with this story line. Never a dull moment. I look forward to many more by him.

Frightful Fall Read-a-thon Starts Tomorrow

Tomorrow starts the Frightful Fall Read-a-thon. I have been debating on where to start. I have decided on a ghost story. So, my first book will be Ghost Moon (Bone Island Trilogy)

Reclusive collector Cutter Merlin is seldom seen in Key West—lately, not at all. Officer Liam Beckett visits Merlin's curious house and discovers the gentleman in his study. In his death grip: a volume of occult lore and a reliquary. His eyes are wide with fright, his mouth a horrified rictus where spiders now dwell.
Kelsey Donovan returns to the old house to catalog her estranged grandfather's collection of artifacts and antiquities, vowing to see his treasures divested properly. But she cannot ignore the sense that she's being watched, the reports of malevolent black figures, the pervasive smell of death.

Is the Merlin house haunted, even cursed? Liam knows well that some ghost stories are true and he swears to protect Kelsey. But there are forces at work for whom one more life is a pittance to pay for their deepest desire….

I have had this book in my TBR list for some time now. It is the third in a series. I have already finished the other two. I will be posting about my reading as I go, the read-a-thon way. Thanks to Michelle for hosting the read-a-thon and for explaining it to me. I am excited to begin. I am also excited to have a reason to make this book my next book.