Zenith of Tea (Apron Strings Tea Tale) by R.F. Wong

 

Zenith of Tea by R.F. Whong
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

This is a stand alone novella that captures so many emotions and different situations, it brings about a whirlwind of thoughts and emotions as the story unfolds. For a short book, this sure captures the heart and soul of the struggles that were faced in the 1920s during the time of the Chinese Exclusion Act.

Mijen has faced a lifetime of adversity. She was abandoned at a young age, has a fairly large birthmark on her face, and lives in the caves while robbing tombs to financially support herself. Chaos, choice words directed at her, and having to grow up so quickly have left Mijen stubborn and closed off towards others.

Enter Joseph, who is in trouble when Mijen finds him and rescues him. Together they travel to Canada to try to escape the turmoil they've been facing in the US. They open up a teashop and help rescue girls who are being trafficked. They rely heavily on their faith (which Joseph had but started helping Mijen to find for herself) to continue to persevere in this life.

As previously mentioned, there is so much packed into this short story. I absolutely loved the characters of Mijen and Joseph. I could see myself being best friends with Mijen! My heart broke for her and all she's endured through life. It's a reminder that the heart is what is most important when it comes to beauty and not the outward appearances. I do want to point out the beauty of the cover of this book though too (even though I said it's not always what we see!). The cover is beautiful and I feel accurately represents Mijen and Joseph!

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Allison Turns the Page by Leslie A Rasmussen

 

Allison Turns The Page by Leslie A. Rasmussen
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

This is a new-to-me author and I picked this one up because the cover of this book was so pretty.

Allison is a romance author who is tired of writing the sappy, mushy, stories that she's known for. Instead, after receiving pressure from her publisher to put out another novel, she goes rogue and decides to write about the flip side of romance. The dark, edgy side. She mistakenly puts some notes into a little library about this story and in turn, starts finding notes back. Will she finally be writing and living out her own love story?

This was a fun read that went by pretty quickly. I am going to have to go back and read the other books in this series that are previous to this one.

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The Keeper's Secret: A Gripping Pacific Northwest Female Sleuth Crime Thriller (Logan McKenna #12) by Valerie Davisson

 

The Keeper's Secret: A Gripping Pacific Northwest Female Sleuth Crime Thriller by Valerie Davisson
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

This is book 12 in the Logan McKenna series. A lot of times a series of this length tends to lose it's steam but that's not the case with this one. Each book seems to get better and better!!

This one opens up with Logan locating an abandoned, corroded wheelchair and a bone. Logan is determined to get to the bottom of this mystery and learn who these two items belong to.

This is a very enjoyable book with twists and turns. It's a fairly short book and it moves quickly, making it a bit difficult to tell you much about it without giving too many things away. Just trust me when I say that this one is worth the read!! Be sure to check out the other books in this series too. Each is a standalone but does have cross-over characters and situations.

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Mouse's Twelve Days of National Park Christmas Visits (Mouse Traveler Series) by Tricia Gardella

 

Mouse's Twelve Days of National Park Christmas Visits by Tricia Gardella
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

This is a fun take on the Twelve Days of Christmas with Mouse!! We get to travel to different national parks in the spirit of the twelve days of Christmas and learn more about different national parks. At the end of the book, there is an informational page with more historical information on some of the greatest places to visit on earth. Mouse takes us on an adventure that is also educational!

Not only is this a fun story, but it's also full of some vivid imagery to go along with it!

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Where the Night Takes Us (Fear-Death Experiences Series) by Robert Chazz Chute

 

Where the Night Takes Us by Robert Chazz Chute
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Where the Night Takes Us is a fantastic psychological thriller that will keep you on the edge of your seat! Dr. Simon Fethullah is a forensic psychologist who has helped to put away the Rainy Day Cannibal. What a name! That alone enticed me into this thriller where Dr. Simon, his wife, and the family dog Stefano, are encouraged to go to mountains to heal. I mean, who wouldn't want to go to the mountains and have some R&R time to decompress and move away from the recent situations he's been facing? Like all great thrillers, our madman just isn't going to relent and the good doctor get any rest. It's his life ambition to make sure that not only the doctor doesn't rest, but no one else in his circle does either.

What a great introduction to a new series!! It's hard to write a review on a book as good as this one without giving too much away. Just trust me when I say you should read it!

Can we also give some love to the illustrator of the book cover too!? I am totally loving it!!

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Fall by Tricia Gardella

 

Fall by Tricia Gardella
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

This book is all about the things of Fall. The leaves changing, the squirrels collecting nuts for hibernation through the winter, football, and so much more!! It's a great way to talk to young readers about the changes that the seasons go through, how that's normal, and things to look forward to.

The illustrations of this story are very well done also. They help to show the beautiful color changes as well as to illustrate in vivid imagery the events of the season.

My only disappointment is that hockey wasn't mentioned in this book!! LOL

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Middle C Learns a Music Lesson by Tricia Gardella

 

Middle C Learns a Music Lesson by Tricia Gardella
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Middle C has had it. No one ever plays him right and he's tired of it. Percival does his best to hit middle C but this time, middle C escapes and goes on an adventure. Music just isn't the same now and in most places, music is now non-existent. Middle C realizes that he might have overreacted a bit (you think?!) and decides to go back to Percival. Sweet music relies on middle C and he just needed to be more patient and understanding about his complexity.

The illustrations in this book are phenomenal and go well with the story. I love how this book focuses on music and gives the younger generation a taste of how beautiful music can be when all the players (notes) work together.

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