Category: Reviews 2013

Review: Heartache Motel: Three Interconnected Mystery Novellas by Terri L. Austin, Larissa Reinhart, and LynDee Walker

Posted on By Dollycas 5 Comments on Review: Heartache Motel: Three Interconnected Mystery Novellas by Terri L. Austin, Larissa Reinhart, and LynDee Walker

HEARTACHE front
Heartache Motel: Three Interconnected Mystery Novellas (Henery Press Mystery Novellas)
Publisher: Henery Press (December 10, 2013)
E-Book File Size: 518 KB
ASIN: B00H7H2LTM
Paperback: 225 pages
ISBN-13: 978-1938383915
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THREE TIMES THE FUN AND MYSTERY…

Elvis has left the building, but he’s forever memorialized at the Heartache Motel. Filled with drag queens, Rock-a-Hula cocktails, and a vibrating velveteen bed, these three novellas tell the tales of three amateur sleuths who spend their holidays at the King’s beloved home.

DINERS KEEPERS, LOSERS WEEPERS by Terri L. Austin
A Rose Strickland Mystery Novella (follows DINER IMPOSSIBLE)

Ma, Rose and Roxy close up the diner and head to Graceland for the holiday. Axton and Stoner Joe come along for the ride. There is a mix up with their hotel reservation and they end up staying at the Heartache Motel, which wouldn’t even rate 1 star.  When one of the Elvis impersonator turns up dead Rose finds herself right in the middle of the investigation.

QUICK SKETCH by Larissa Reinhart
A Cherry Tucker Mystery Novella (prequel to PORTRAIT OF A DEAD GUY)

Cherry and her boyfriend Todd roll into town to help his cousin out of a jam and are staying at the Heartache Motel. Todd is quite the poker player and clearly his cousin is not, as he was hustled out of all his Christmas money and lost his job too. With a little help they set up a “sting” to try to win back the lost money. Cherry is hoping to use her drawing ability to sketch the players to be sure the right players get stung.

DATELINE MEMPHIS by LynDee Walker
A Nichelle Clarke Headline in Heels Mystery Novella (follows BURIED LEADS)

Nichelle is on her way home for Christmas with just a quick stopover in Memphis to get her mom the perfect gift.  But even at Graceland she makes headlines when the whole place is locked down when a treasured item goes missing. As she tries to get the scoop on the story she finds herself getting dangerously close to the thief.

Dollycas’s Thoughts
I thought it would be nice to finish out the year with a little Elvis. He was an icon a little before my time but my sister and mom always had his songs playing. I never got “All Shook Up” about him but his music sure has withstood the test of time.

I had only read LynDee Walker’s Headline in Heels Mysteries before this collection of novellas but I can say these authors have a chart topper with this group of stories.

Terri’s characters really drew me in and I can’t wait to read the whole Rose Strickland Mystery Series.

Larissa’s protagonist reminds me of Sharon Pape’s Rory McCain. Those sketch artists always seem to be able to solve the mystery.

After reviewing LynDee’s Front Page Fatality and Buried Leads, I was already a fan of Nichelle Clark and her wild shoe addiction.

This interconnected format is a great way to introduce every cozy lover to these characters and their stories. The only thing that would have made it better would have been if at least the main characters could have run into each other 🙂  Maybe sometime in the future.

This was a perfect escape for my last book of the year!!

a perfect escape5 STARFISH

Dollycas
Your Escape With A Good Book Travel Agent

This group of authors recently toured with Great Escapes. Click here to find out more about them.

*This book was from my personal collection, purchased from Amazon.

Reviews 2013

Review: The Journey (Kentucky Brothers) by Wanda Brunstetter

Posted on By Dollycas

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The Journey (Kentucky Brothers)
Series: Kentucky Brothers (Book 1)
Publisher: Barbour Books (April 5, 2011)
Paperback: 382 pages
ISBN-13: 978-1602606814
E-Book File Size: 1080 KB
ASIN: B004OEK7LK
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In this first installment of the Kentucky Brothers saga we meet Titus Fisher. He waited to court young Phoebe Stoltzfus until she was old enough. He knew he wanted to marry her since she was 13 and he was 17 but as they moved closer to marriage Phoebe wanted to move away from the Amish way of life and Titus to go with her. He couldn’t do that. So away she went from Pennsylvania to California leaving his heart shattered.

Then Titus received a job opportunity in a Amish Community in Kentucky. Against his mother’s wishes he decides to take the job and start fresh in a new place. The people in Kentucky are very welcoming and he meets many new people, including a couple of women they may help fill the hole Phoebe left in his heart.

Dollycas’s Thoughts
Last year I read The Half-Stitched Amish Quilting Club and loved it. I knew I wanted to read more by this author and once I started reading this story I couldn’t stop.

This author really takes us on a journey with Titus. He was truly having trouble growing up and becoming his own man in Pennsylvania in the shadow of his family and a mother that just loved him so much she really had a hard time letting go. It was a major decision  for Titus to move away on his own and when he arrived in Kentucky is was hardly smooth sailing. There was a young woman he saw every day that reminded him of the girl that broke his heart. His living situation was far from ideal. Plus he really missed the family he left behind.

I read books like this to give me a break from the mysteries and thrillers that I usually read. I love the slower pace and the traditional dialogue. There is a little mystery mixed in too that I enjoy but it is definitely a minor subplot.  Brunstetter gives us “English” a peek at the Amish Plain life with a nice balance of coming of age, romance, and a perfect amount of humor.

After I started reading I realized this series was a spinoff from another series but I had no trouble following the story but I will probably go back and read that series after this one.

just you and a friend4 STARFISH

Dollycas
Your Escape With A Good Book Travel Agent

 

*This book was from my personal collection.

Find out more about this author and her books here.

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Alphabet Soup - A - Z Reading Challenge, Reviews 2013

Review: Christmas in Snowflake Canyon by RaeAnne Thayne

Posted on By Dollycas 4 Comments on Review: Christmas in Snowflake Canyon by RaeAnne Thayne

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Christmas in Snowflake Canyon (Hqn)
6th Book in Series
Publisher: Harlequin HQN (October 29, 2013)
Mass Market Paperback: 368 pages
ISBN-13: 978-0373778157
E-Book File Size: 516 KB
ASIN: B00DSX0OI4
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Holiday gifts don’t always come in expected packages…especially in the town of Hope’s Crossing.

Genevieve Beaumont is back home after being dealt an ultimatum by her father.

Dylan Caine, a sexy, wounded war vet, is learning to cope after being injured in Afghanistan by a bomb explosion in which some of his friends lost their lives.

A chance meeting in a local bar brings Gen and Dylan together and could change both their lives if they can just realize it.


Dollycas’s Thoughts
I broke my own rule about reading series book in order but I so needed to read a Christmas story and this one just called out to me. In fact once I started reading I couldn’t stop.

As a person with a disability Thane’s stories just hit me right in the heart. All of her characters have their flaws and like Taryn in Woodrose Mountain there are people in this story dealing with physical disabilities. This time it is wounded veterans including Dylan Caine who was wounded in Afghanistan and is struggling with so much.

This story was just what I needed to read. So many characters went through transformations. Not only Gen and Dylan but a wondrous gift was given to a supporting character that brought tears to me eyes. Love can conquer anything and in this story it does. This author is excellent at developing her characters. The emerge and grow at a perfect pace. The reader can feel their struggles and their internal battles to change what they can and accept what they can’t.

While this is a Christmas story, don’t think you need to wait until next year to read it. There is still plenty of blustery weather left for you to curl up with it  this winter or it can help you cool off when the weather is warmer too. It is a feel good story for any time of year.

I understand this may be the last book in this series but because I broke my own rule it will not be my last trip to Hope’s Crossing. I will happily be visiting again soon when I read the stories I skipped. 

a perfect escape5 STARFISH

Dollycas
Your Escape With A Good Book Travel Agent

To find more about RaeAnne Thayne and her books visit her webpage here.


Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book free from the publisher. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. Receiving a complimentary copy in no way reflected my review of this book. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255 : “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”

Reviews 2013

Review: The Innkeeper of Bethlehem by Scott Roloff

Posted on By Dollycas 1 Comment on Review: The Innkeeper of Bethlehem by Scott Roloff

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The Innkeeper of Bethlehem-The Story of Santa Claus
Family Christmas Story
Self Published
E-Book File Size: 1350 KB
Print Length: 115 pages
ASIN: B00FITS078
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From Author: A Christmas book for children, families, and anyone who has ever wondered how Santa Claus came to be. This book will permit you and your family to enjoy Santa Claus and the other secular customs of Christmas within the Christian celebration of Jesus’s birth. For little children, Santa Claus becomes a real person delivering presents to them from Jesus. Each Christmas season, reading a chapter a night will become a holiday tradition for the entire family.

The book is a story within a story, told by a visiting uncle to a little girl and her nephew. Each night before bedtime beginning on December 6th, St. Nicholas’s Day, and continuing through Christmas Eve, the uncle tells part of the story. Instead of numbers, the chapters are titled by day. The book can be read as a normal book or a chapter each day, and it can be read to oneself or out loud to children. When read out loud, the chapter lengths vary between 10 and 15 minutes.

Dollycas’s Thoughts

What a fun and imaginative way to tie the story of Jesus to the story of Santa Claus.  I enjoyed the story of Jesus told in a way that could be enjoyed and understood by children of all ages. Then the author takes us on a whole new adventure with his tale about Santa Claus.  Quite a twist to any other story of Santa I have ever heard.

The whole story is presented as an adult reading the story to children. From the synopsis above you can see this is what the author would like us to do with his book. I am only showing a small part of the synopsis because the full one tells too much. This is one of peeves with synopsis’. Even with classic stories I like to know just enough to draw me in to the story, if you tell me the whole story on the book jacket why would I want to buy the book and read just a lengthened version.

This would be a nice alternative or in addition to the stories we share with our kids at Christmas. I like the way is set up and the way characters  come to life on the pages. My grandchildren are a little young for this story yet but could see sharing it with them when they get a bit older.

just you and a friend4 STARFISH

Dollycas
Your Escape With A Good Book Travel Agent

Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book free from the publisher. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. Receiving a complimentary copy in no way reflected my review of this book. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255 : “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”

Reviews 2013
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