How to Catch Little Boys and Eat Them by Lois Wickstrom

 

How to Catch Little Boys and Eat Them by Lois Wickstrom
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

A very clever take on the story of Jack and the Beanstalk! Jack is a typical Earth boy and the ogre/giant is watching his every move. He's got a plan to get Jack to visit but Jack might be a little more cunning than the ogre.

This is a cute book that kids will love. They won't expect the ending, which will make it more fun!

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The Magic Carousel (The Brass Ring Series Book 1) by K.L. Small

 

The Magic Carousel by K.L. Small
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

I read this book in one sitting and I imagine many others will as well.

We meet Russell right away. He's in the 5th grade, and well, it's just not his year. So many changes have occurred over the past year that it's really affected his performance in school. Grandpa moved in, resulting in his room to change, his dad starting drinking more, and Tyler became a bully. That's a bit much for a young man to have to take on.

Grandpa loves going to the carousel everyday, much to Russell's chagrin. One day, that all changes for both Rusty and Grandpa though. Things will never be the same again...and that's not necessarily a bad thing.

This book is pretty deep and one that teenagers could likely relate to. There are some intense topics covered and there are ways to help those issues throughout the story. I'll also admit, I cried at the end!!! Have a box of tissues handy if you're soft hearted!!

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Ten Little Starfish by Kim Ann

 

Ten Little Starfish: A Counting Book by Kim Ann
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

This is a cute little book that will be great to teach a little one how to count. The illustrations are very vibrant and can help to teach colors as well. The story is narrated by a crab and tells about various aspects of starfish. At the end of the story, there is a brief activity to reinforce learning, as well as a song that can be downloaded to sing along.

This book would make a great gift, be an amazing find in a library (personal, public, school), or even in a daycare setting.

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The Secret Humankind (The Discoveries of Julia Xero Book 1) by Gloria Oliver - Review by Julie Johnson

 

The Secret Humankind: An Urban Fantasy Thriller by Gloria Oliver
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

4.5 stars

This is a book that is really hard to put down! It's a different kind of book for me in some ways, in others it's not. I got a bit of an X-Files vibe from this book and I really enjoyed it!

Julia Xero is an orphan who's faced more adversities in life than she should have. She has a roommate who is a model and whom I believe uses Julia. When an opportunity for a new job comes to light, Julia is ready for a change. She's interviewing for a cleaning job but not your typical cleaning job. It's a crime scene clean up gig. Not many people could endure such a job and her interview was pretty grueling to make sure she could make the cut.

Things start out as great as they could for someone cleaning up crime scenes, but then one night, a very strange call comes in. Life will never be the same after that! Not to mention, Julia learns that she's been implanted with a sensor that could cause her carotid artery to explode. No worries, right?!?!

There are many interesting characters and lots of action in this book. I feel like it's maybe geared more towards young adults but as a more mature adult, I enjoyed this too! I'm looking forward to the next book!

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Flowers of Evil (Hani's Daughter Mysteries Book 1) by N.L. Holmes

 

Flowers of Evil by N.L. Holmes
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

This is a fairly new author to me, I've read one other book that she's written, but she is becoming a favorite! N.L. Holmes writes stories with Egyptian backgrounds, not something I'm accustomed to reading about but thought I would give this a try. I'm glad I did!

Neferet and Bener-ib are two women healers. In their time and custom, this was virtually unheard of. However, they are pretty talented and have served their king prior to branching out on their own. Business is slow until a man is brought to their doorstep who was mortally wounded and there was nothing that they could do to save him. All they know is that his dying word was "rabbet". Neferet, not one to step down from a challenge is now also putting on an investigator hat along with her healer hat to find the person who took this man's life.

Along the way, the ladies learn that their competition is spreading bad omens about them and trying to steer people away from their healing practice. Neferet and Bener-ib come up with ways to spur business to their side of the aisle. This shows their perserverance and it will pay off. I'm looking forward to more books in this series.

There is a fairly extensive glossary of terms and a directory of people in the beginning of this book. I found that super helpful as I'm not well versed in Egyptian history and there are some historically named characters in here. Also words like "sunet" (healer) are defined. This gave me a much better appreciation for the book before I even began reading it.

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Murder in a Gated Community by Laura Koerber

 

Murder in a Gated Community by Laura Koerber
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Imagine a community that is for retired folks who are still completely independent that is surrounded by lush green grass, a garden, and lots of nosy neighbors! Sounds like Hometown, USA these days!!

This story focuses on people who live within the Oaken Acres community who are all fractured in some sort of way. You have a widow who plots to kill someone just because she doesn't like them, a lonely woman who hates the sound of the dog barking next door, the abused woman trying to escape the evil hands of her ex-husband...this book mostly features women.

I struggled a bit to get into this story because I thought it might be a bit more of a thriller. It's really more of a laid back, sometimes snarky, sometimes funny story about this lovely community. All the things that happen within a HOA are covered here. The murder happened long ago and you learn more about it but I was hoping for a bit more with this book.

Overall, a good book to read. Many will be able to substitute names of those they know to make this story more interesting.

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Planting Hope by Jennifer Raines

 

Planting Hope by Jennifer Raines
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Gardens are places for healing and Mona has dedicated a portion of her land to young people who've been through some extremely traumatic experiences to come for healing. It's a project she's wanted to do for years and with the help of local professionals, she's hoping that the program will become completely funded and acceptable.

When Mona gets sick and finds herself in the hospital, her business partner calls her grand daughter Holly to come be at her side. Kit isn't impressed with Holly and wishes Mona hadn't wanted her called. Afterall, she's a party going, money hungry leech and Mona doesn't need that right now.

What Kit doesn't know is that he's completely wrong about Holly. Will the program pass all the inspections with Mona unable to attend to the daily tasks? Can he figure out what Holly's about and look past his previous preconceived notions?

This was a fun afternoon read! There were a few times I had to stop and look up a word, as the author is an Aussie and uses some terminology I'm not familiar with. However, it was minor and I learned some new words and spent an afternoon in a great book!

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Tequila Midnight (Southwest Suspense Novels Book 1) by Kathryn Dodson

 

Tequila Midnight by Kathryn Dodson
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

This book is set in El Paso, Texas and Juarez, Mexico. Jessica has had a pretty horrible life. Her parents abandoned her when she was 16 and she was left with family friends to oversee her teenage years. A time when she needed her parents, especially her mother, she was left. Her dad was in a lot of trouble with a bad business deal and he wanted to escape those who were after him. He didn't consider the toll on his daughter.

Jessica is now grown up and is a real estate agent settling deals between the borders. When Tomas approaches her with a new job, she is ready to take it on, especially when she hears what the payout will be. She's not quite prepared for where it may take her though. Jessica deals with the angst in her life by drinking a lot of tequila and having one night stands in bar bathrooms. Then she goes home to her best friend Angus who's dying to save her from all this turmoil.

Overall, this was an enjoyable, fast paced read. There is a lot of action taking place throughout and many times I wanted to smack Jessica because of her poor decisions. Some may disagree with me but I felt that there was a tad bit of a cliffhanger there at the end. I'll be happy to read more books in this series.

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Sage Advice by Cori Cooper

 

Sage Advice by Cori Cooper
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

I'm a fan of Cori Cooper and I do believe this is my favorite read by her so far!

Pyper is a senior in high school. She's beautiful and all the boys clamor to be near her. She's taken, however, by Jason. When an opportunity comes up to present an idea to the student council that can save the senior class some money, Pyper jumps to share her wonderful idea to the bunch of jocks that servce on the council.

The jocks don't like her proposal. As a matter of fact, she's not even sure they heard her. No one voted in support of cancelling prom. Now, Pyper is trying to cover up for past mistakes and help others to not make the same mistakes she has.

Can she keep her personal feelings out of all of this though? Can she still manage to keep her friendships going through all of this?

I loved this book! It's nice to read a fun, clean romance novel that isn't overly sappy involving young adults. So refreshing! There are moments of humor but mostly, it's just a fun story to follow along!

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The Misery House (The House on the Hill Book 1) by David Kummer

 

The Misery House by David Duane Kummer
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I love a good mystery/thriller/horror story and this one did not disappoint!

The Woods family lives in New Haven, a small family oriented town. The kind of town where everyone knows everyone and everything that happens there. Lots of farmland, historic homes, and nothing for teenagers to do except find trouble at the closest watering hole. I grew up in a place like this!

There's this house on a hill that is just plain weird. No one wants to go near it except for the kids taking stupid dares on a weekend night in the middle of a thunderstorm.

One day, a fire breaks out and two bodies are found. Then a girl goes missing. What else could go wrong? Oh, yes, there's a new family in town and anytime someone new moves in, they are automatically labeled as "suspicious".

This book ends in a cliffhanger, so if you don't like that kind of stuff, well....you're missing out. There are a lot of twists and turns in this book and a few mysterious characters that I must learn more about. The next book can't be dropped soon enough!

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Notebook Mysteries ~ Parisian Intrigue (Notebook Mysteries Book 6) by Kimberly Mullins

 

Parisian Intrigue by Kimberly Mullins
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

4.5 stars

This is my favorite of this series so far. Each of these can be read as a stand alone but it would be helpful to have some background information on the relationships between all the characters.

A mysterious invitation has appeared Emma, Jeremy, Tim, and Dora. They are expected to leave the next day for a 5 week vacation in Paris. Everything is paid for and arranged....not one bit weird, right?!?!? Of course, Emma's hackles are immediately up but she's not one to turn down a challenge.

The group arrives in Paris but not without some unexpected and uncomfortable situations. There are 3 people from the ship over that are becoming rather clingy to the group, but not all at once. Julian is more concerned about Emma and Jeremy, while Lenora and Michael buddy up to Tim and Dora.

Next thing, there is the girl in the lobby who looks scared. Then someone comes up missing, a few bodies are found, and the trip is in full swing work mode for this group. Will they ever get to enjoy the City of Lights and the Paris Expedition?

Lovers of crime set in historical settings will love this book!! It was an enjoyable afternoon read. There is plenty of action involved along with a smidge of romance (nothing overly done at all). I love reading about Emma and her clothing and how she uses it to her advantage and has taught Dora the same. I am excited to read the next edition of this series!!

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Smooth Hoperator (Love on Tap Book 2) by Sylvie Stewart

 

Smooth Hoperator: A Fake-Relationship Romance by Sylvie Stewart
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Sylvie Stewart has done it again! I loved meeting the Brooks family in the first installment of this series and now we get to know more about Carter in this story. I can't imagine growing up in this family and surviving the antics that take place amongst all these boys!

Carter is a bit grumpy. He's been through a lot though and maybe he's entitled to his grumpiness. Enter Sunny who is the exact opposite...bubbly, quirky, and just a fun soul to be around. It's true that opposites really do attract!

This is a second book in a series but can easily be read as a stand alone. There is a lot of humor interspered with the romance and makes for an enjoyable read.

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Ale's Fair in Love and War (Love on Tap Book 1) by Sylvie Stewart

 

Ale's Fair in Love and War by Sylvie Stewart
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I've not read anything by this author prior to this book but I love the humor she interweaves within the story that she writes.

Hollis (I love this name by the way) is the dog groomer next door to the bar that Cash owns with his brothers. These two DO NOT, I repeat, DO NOT, get along. Sarcasm is strong between the hedges and a few pranks are executed. However, when the bar is hit with an inspection citation, Hollis considers coming to the rescue.

This is a pretty steamy (much more than I anticipated) read but the storyline itself was enjoyable. I love how Cash's parents chose their names. The humor of the story had me laughing out loud. Overall, an enjoyable read.

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Goldilocks and the Six Simple Machines (Science Folktales) by Lois Wickstrom

 

Goldilocks and the Six Simple Machines by Lois Wickstrom
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

I need a Goldilocks like this one!

In this classic retelling of the story of Goldilocks and the Three Bears, Lois Wickstrom has created a new classic with a science twist. Baby Bear has an issue that he needs help with so his family goes on a walk to think about a solution. In the meantime, Goldilocks shows up and does her thing with their home. In the end, Goldilocks teaches the family about the six simple machines that make our lives much easier.

I would recommend all of this author's books. She writes engaging stories that are also educational. These stories should be in every family library, daycare, school, etc. and would make a great gift for a new family!

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Hole in the Rock by Rebecca Bischoff

 

Hole in the Rock by Rebecca Bischoff
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

4.5 stars

I have a few mixed feelings about this book. First of all, it's geared towards 10-14 years of age. This age group is going to love Lizzie's story and totally get where she is coming from without any issues. I tried to see it from that perspective, however my 40+ year old mind sees it as an adult. Overall, I enjoyed the story very much but felt like Lizzie's parents could have done more to guide her along the way. It seems like they were more wrapped up in their own lives to really give Lizzie and her brother the attention they deserved. On another hand, they did have their hands full and maybe just didn't know how to handle everything coming at them at once. I get the impression that Lizzie's day was trying to guzzle water from a firehose and it just wasn't working.

That being said, again, this book was enjoyable and young readers will find humor in Lizzie's antics. Hopefully they will also be able to learn from her choices and not make the same or similar ones. Learning that all actions have consequences, whether good or bad, is so important in this age group.

I do recommend reading this book, no matter your age! It would make for great discussion and maybe even some cave adventures of your own!

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Daydreaming Davey's Dinosaur Math Adventure by Steven Tandberg

 

Daydreaming Davey's Dinosaur Math Adventure by Steven Tandberg
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Do you have a struggler when it comes to math? Do they love dinosaurs? Then this is the book for them!

Davey and his friend Sammy go on a math hunting adventure to help Davey with his math skills. Together the pair see a variety of different types of dinosaurs!

The illustrations in this book are extremely well done. They are very vibrant and will catch the eye of anyone reading this book. This is a great book for a dinosaur lover who isn't so fond of math. Hopefully it can inspire them to count dinosaurs!

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The Finding (Berrycreek Heights Series Book 1) by A. M. Porto

 

The Finding by A.M. Porto
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

4.5 stars

This book will invoke all kinds of emotions. I found myself all over the place and a couple of times I had to put it down for a brief moment to just breathe. This book is listed as a young adult book but does come with a warning that it's not intended for anyone under eighteen due to the sensitive nature of the topics that are covered. This book will stick with me for awhile.

Logan (Lo) has a great life with a mom who loves him dearly. At the tender age of seven, he begins to learn that not everyone has life so great.

Victoria (Vic) lives with her step-dad. Her mom died recently and she's stuck with Zach. He doesn't seem to care much about her at all. He spends most of his time in a drunken stupor. Vic lives next door to Lo and one day invites him over to play.

This story is told from both perspectives of Vic and Lo, starting in the past and building up to the present. This story is very dark and deals with extremely difficult topics. The things that Vic especially, endures are horrific and terrifying. I just want to hug them both and let them know everything will be ok.

I don't want to say much more because I don't want to spoil anything. However, it's only fair to warn readers that this book does contain very strong language and scenes/situations that are not appropriate for immature readers. I do look forward to learning more about Lizzie's story and what's going on with her.



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The Doodle Bugs by Jenny Harp

 

The Doodle Bugs by Jenny Harp
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

This is a super cute book about a ladybug that starts to doodle. As she does so, other friends join her and together, they create a doodle masterpiece!

This is a great book for a beginning reader. It is a very easy to read book with a lot of repeating words for reinforcement of reading. The illustrations are also very well done. They are vibrant and colorful and will capture the readers attention while learning new words.

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The Book of Hours (Coin/Hours Duology Book 2) by Maria Elena Alonso-Sierra

 

The Book of Hours by Maria Elena Alonso-Sierra
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Gabriela is a well-known artist and she is auctioning off some of her most prized pieces to benefit a local children's charity. A psychopathic curator named Wickham is obsessesed with Gabriela's work and is bound and determined to get his hands on a certain piece prior to the auction. Gabby isn't willing to allow this crazy lunatic to have his way and she'll do whatever she can to prevent this sale from happening, even if it means risking her life.

Richard lost the love of his life four years ago. There are secrets that have been revealed to him and he needs to find his way back to Gabriela. Lucky for him, someone is in need of his services so he finds himself at Gabby's side. How long will that last though? Will she even have room for him in her heart?

This was a slow starting book for me, mainly because I was missing some context from the previous book in this series. I will be going back and reading it soon though as I need to fill in some holes. However, I don't feel like I missed so much that I couldn't enjoy this book. There was plenty of action, a small amount (but just enough) romance, and some twists and turns that weren't really expected.

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The Sisterhood of Secrets (The Gods' Scion Book 4) by Winnifred Tataw

 

The Sisterhood of Secrets by Winnifred Tataw
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Finally, Princess Arcelia gets to be the focus of the adventure! I've been a bit of a fan of her from the beginning and I'm glad that her story is finally coming out.

I do recommend reading the previous 3 books and reading them in order to fully understand the context of this adventure series.

Continuing to learn that there are more secrets, lies, and betrayals, Princess Arcelia and Prince Rodderick continue on their adventures to better their countries and lives. This world that the author has created is very interesting as it's a mix between a modern and a futuristic world full of hybrid beings. Princess Arcelia is determined to find out more about her mother and her deeds and begins to find out that things are nothing like she thought. There are many twists and turns in this one, making it hard to put it down!



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The Lone Star Child (The Gods' Scion Book 3) by Winnifred Tataw

 

The Lone Star Child by Winnifred Tataw
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

This is the third book in the fantasy series featuring Prince Rodderick of Diar and his girlfriend, Princess Arcelia. It would be best to read these books in order as there is a lot of background information that is essential to understanding the progression of the story being told.

There continues to be a lot of family drama, more secrets, adventures and betrayal. This time, the Space Acolyte Caro is missing. She is beholden to the help from Time, Life, and Death, as well as assistance from Rodderick to escape her captors and restore order.

This is a fast paced read that will be hard to put down and I'm excited to read the next installment of this fantasy adventure series!

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Descendants of Time and Death (The Gods' Scion Book 2) by Winnifred Tataw

 

Descendants of Time and Death by Winnifred Tataw
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I highly recommend reading this series in order. If you are unable to for some reason, at least read the first three short stories in book 1 before proceeding to read this one or future books. Having a background in the different types of beings and how they present will be vital to your understanding of this story. The background from book 1 will also help tremendously.

Rodderick is teaming up with his brother Rayden to try to prevent massive destruction all for nothing. Rayden has a history of drug abuse and doesn't have the best relationship with his siblings but sees the need to try to mend fences for the sake of the country and his family. There are so many secrets that are being kept within and from the family and these secrets are causing decisions to be made that probably shouldn't be.

This book has a bit more adventure than the first one and will keep you turning the page to find out more! Also, check out the cover art on this one. It's brilliantly gorgeous and really drew me into reading this series!

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Child of Tempus (The Gods' Scion Book 1) by Winnifred Tataw

 

Child of Tempus by Winnifred Tataw
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Told from multiple points of view, this story is about Rodderick, who is the Prince of Diar. He is an Acolyte of Time as well as a dragon/human hybrid.

This story is full of adventure that is happening around Rodderick and his country of Diar. His dad, Demon King Ryder, has been thought to be dead all these years. However, Rodderick finds out that this is not so. This poses a bit of a problem because King Ryder would like nothing more than to have Rodderick dead.

Rodderick and Princess Arcelia are forced to go into hiding to prevent King Ryder from finding them. Rodderick has a lot more to learn about his country and isn't get much help from his drunk mother to learn important things he needs to know.

This was a super fun book to read about hybrid creatures, princes, princesses, kings, queens, war, and lots of family drama! It was an entertaining afternoon for sure!!

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