Spotlight Reviews This Month
This month I have read and reviewed three new books of which two were new authors (to me), and I would like to give you my musings about them. After all, this is Kim's Musings. All of these reviews have already been posted on Amazon.com and GoodReads. I am listing them below in the order that I read and reviewed them.
Through indie authors, I have found a lot of good books. One is the Mary O'Reilly Paranormal Mystery series by Terri Reid. The latest book I read was Veiled Passages, and the review is posted below.
About Terri Reid:
Terri Reid has been telling ghost stories since she was a toddler. Her mother tells of a time when two-year old Terri would sit in her highchair, look past her mother into the dark porch and say, "Look. Man." When her mother would turn in horror, Terri would laugh delightedly.
Terri lives in the same are of the United States as her Mary O'Reilly character, Northwest Illinois. She lives on five acres of rolling land in a 100 year-old farmhouse, with her husband, children, dogs, cats and several dozen chickens (well, the chickens live in the barn).
Her background is in marketing and public relations, but she has always enjoyed telling stories. For a while, she worked as a freelance journalist for the local paper and wrote the Halloween feature for many years, collecting as many local ghost stories as she could. She gave her collection of local ghost stories to the local historical society to use as a fundraiser, they are now in their third printing.
About the Book:
Veiled Passages (A Mary O'Reilly Paranormal Mystery Book 10) by Terri Reid
A famous mystery writer drowns in a hotel bathtub... an accident or foul play? His ghost thinks it was murder. His mystery writer colleagues want to help Mary solve the case. Gary Cooper is still on the loose and gunning for both Bradley and Mary. And, in between all the murder and mayhem, Mary and Bradley are desperate to finally walk up the aisle. Will they ever become husband and wife?
My Review:
Loved it. Loved everything about it. Ms. Reid has a way of pulling you into the story and keeping you there until the very end with many twists and turns along the way. It's seldom that I don't guess who the murderer is before the author lets it be known, but this is one of the times I didn't. I loved all the characters. They were believable and well-fleshed out. Thank you for another great read!
Get your copy at of Veiled Passages at Amazon.com.
I recently joined a group of authors and readers who are the most supportive group I've had the pleasure of being a part of in a long time. The next two books I read and reviewed are books by a couple of the authors I met through this group.
About the middle of May, I started reading Souls: A Novel by Jennifer Hinsman as a way of supporting my fellow authors at this new group who have shown me so much support. I wasn't disappointed as I've also found excellent novels in the process. Souls: A Novel is Jennifer's debut novel and she's gotten off to a great start with this book.
About Jennifer Hinsman:
Jenny graduated from the University of Colorado at Boulder with a degree in business. She currently resides in Michigan with her husband, two sons, a furry son (pet dog) and furry daughter (pet cat). Jenny is an avid reader and loves to escape with a great book. She is a huge animal lover and supports rescue organizations that help save all kinds of four-legged family members and more. All of her family pets have been rescues.
About The Book:
Souls: A Novel by J. Hinsman
Souls is the unforgettable story of Ann, and the painful death of her twin sister, Celeste. Ann sets out on a quest to find the killer of her womb-mate following the subsequent death of her parents and after depression nearly kills her.
Ann finds herself in California seeking out a Hollywood producer as the perpetrator and while there finds her soul coming back to life when she meets a young actor, Tyler Peters. She cringes at the idea of dating someone younger and becoming a ‘cougar’, but she may be able to use him for his Hollywood connections. An astonishing electricity between the two turns to a passionate and deep love that is tested by an unpredictable twist that comes when Ann figures out who is behind her sister’s death.
My Review:
Twists, Turns and Great Characters! What more could you want, right? This is a wonderful story line, very touching about sibling love and what happens if someone harms one of them. It was also about letting go of the hate and letting yourself live again after a loss. I loved all the characters, especially Ann and Tyler and their romance, but I think Ed was my favorite. All the characters were well-crafted and detailed.
I could relate with Ann as a person who has lost a sibling and both parents, and of marrying a man seven years younger. I know how it feels to be the only one left in your immediate family. So we had a lot in common. I also love a great mystery and this one didn't disappoint me. There were just enough twists and turns to keep me guessing. I did find a few missing words and typos but they didn't take away from the enjoyment of the story. I believe with a little more editing this book could be on the best seller list. I'm looking forward to reading more from this author.
Get your copy of Souls: A Novel by J Hinsman today at Amazon.com. You won't be disappointed. Ms. Hinsman has a second novel also that I added to my TBR (To be read) list. I picked up a copy of Angel of Death by Jennifer Hinsman and you can too.
I finished up the month of May with a short novella, Before Another Sunset (Book 1, The Sunset Series), the prequel to the full novel, Another Sunset (Book 2, The Sunset Series) by Jason Zandri.
About Jason Zandri:
Jason has been working in the information technology field in one form or the other since 1996. He is currently employed full time at Bloomberg LP as a Systems Engineer in the R&D group. Jason lives in Wallingford Connecticut, with his wife Renata. He is the father to four children, three boys and 1 girl - 11 years (Andrew), 9 years (Angela), 7 years (Adam) and 6 years old (Alex).
You can keep up with Jason on Facebook via his author page at https://www.facebook.com/jzandri
You can FOLLOW Jason on Twitter via https://twitter.com/gunderstone
You can ADD Jason to your circles on Google+ via https://plus.google.com/+JasonZandri/
About the Book:
Before Another Sunset (Book 1, The Sunset Series)
Westville, Texas. A small town with friendly people; families that have stayed and endured life's ups and downs. Many have left as the town no longer can fully support its own. An old woman maintains one of the remaining small businesses at the center of town, helped by Maria, her second floor tenant. Maria's daughter Caroline starts to question her father's absence. She also dreams up an idea to help the local library. Friends uncover true feelings and a kind drifter's travels bring him closer to the town. - PREQUEL NOVELLA TO "ANOTHER SUNSET"
My Review:
Excellent Writing! I really enjoyed this story and my only complaint is I wish there had been more. There was the beginning of a romance and I was really pulling for Henry, hoping Caroline got a daddy, etc. The writing and characterization were excellent with a Texan/Southern flair. As a small town, southern girl, although not a Texan, I really appreciated the dialogue used that wasn't over the top like many stories you find about southerners. I felt like I was right there in the small town of Westville, Texas as I read. All in all, if you’d like a short and pleasant read about a small town, don’t pass up Before Another Sunset.
This book wet my appetite for the characters of Westville, Texas so I picked up book 2, Another Sunset and added it to my TBR list. You can too! But first read Before Another Sunset.
Through indie authors, I have found a lot of good books. One is the Mary O'Reilly Paranormal Mystery series by Terri Reid. The latest book I read was Veiled Passages, and the review is posted below.
Terri Reid has been telling ghost stories since she was a toddler. Her mother tells of a time when two-year old Terri would sit in her highchair, look past her mother into the dark porch and say, "Look. Man." When her mother would turn in horror, Terri would laugh delightedly.
Terri lives in the same are of the United States as her Mary O'Reilly character, Northwest Illinois. She lives on five acres of rolling land in a 100 year-old farmhouse, with her husband, children, dogs, cats and several dozen chickens (well, the chickens live in the barn).
Her background is in marketing and public relations, but she has always enjoyed telling stories. For a while, she worked as a freelance journalist for the local paper and wrote the Halloween feature for many years, collecting as many local ghost stories as she could. She gave her collection of local ghost stories to the local historical society to use as a fundraiser, they are now in their third printing.
Veiled Passages (A Mary O'Reilly Paranormal Mystery Book 10) by Terri Reid
A famous mystery writer drowns in a hotel bathtub... an accident or foul play? His ghost thinks it was murder. His mystery writer colleagues want to help Mary solve the case. Gary Cooper is still on the loose and gunning for both Bradley and Mary. And, in between all the murder and mayhem, Mary and Bradley are desperate to finally walk up the aisle. Will they ever become husband and wife?
My Review:
Loved it. Loved everything about it. Ms. Reid has a way of pulling you into the story and keeping you there until the very end with many twists and turns along the way. It's seldom that I don't guess who the murderer is before the author lets it be known, but this is one of the times I didn't. I loved all the characters. They were believable and well-fleshed out. Thank you for another great read!
Get your copy at of Veiled Passages at Amazon.com.
I recently joined a group of authors and readers who are the most supportive group I've had the pleasure of being a part of in a long time. The next two books I read and reviewed are books by a couple of the authors I met through this group.
About the middle of May, I started reading Souls: A Novel by Jennifer Hinsman as a way of supporting my fellow authors at this new group who have shown me so much support. I wasn't disappointed as I've also found excellent novels in the process. Souls: A Novel is Jennifer's debut novel and she's gotten off to a great start with this book.
About Jennifer Hinsman:
Jenny graduated from the University of Colorado at Boulder with a degree in business. She currently resides in Michigan with her husband, two sons, a furry son (pet dog) and furry daughter (pet cat). Jenny is an avid reader and loves to escape with a great book. She is a huge animal lover and supports rescue organizations that help save all kinds of four-legged family members and more. All of her family pets have been rescues.
Souls: A Novel by J. Hinsman
Souls is the unforgettable story of Ann, and the painful death of her twin sister, Celeste. Ann sets out on a quest to find the killer of her womb-mate following the subsequent death of her parents and after depression nearly kills her.
Ann finds herself in California seeking out a Hollywood producer as the perpetrator and while there finds her soul coming back to life when she meets a young actor, Tyler Peters. She cringes at the idea of dating someone younger and becoming a ‘cougar’, but she may be able to use him for his Hollywood connections. An astonishing electricity between the two turns to a passionate and deep love that is tested by an unpredictable twist that comes when Ann figures out who is behind her sister’s death.
My Review:
Twists, Turns and Great Characters! What more could you want, right? This is a wonderful story line, very touching about sibling love and what happens if someone harms one of them. It was also about letting go of the hate and letting yourself live again after a loss. I loved all the characters, especially Ann and Tyler and their romance, but I think Ed was my favorite. All the characters were well-crafted and detailed.
I could relate with Ann as a person who has lost a sibling and both parents, and of marrying a man seven years younger. I know how it feels to be the only one left in your immediate family. So we had a lot in common. I also love a great mystery and this one didn't disappoint me. There were just enough twists and turns to keep me guessing. I did find a few missing words and typos but they didn't take away from the enjoyment of the story. I believe with a little more editing this book could be on the best seller list. I'm looking forward to reading more from this author.
Get your copy of Souls: A Novel by J Hinsman today at Amazon.com. You won't be disappointed. Ms. Hinsman has a second novel also that I added to my TBR (To be read) list. I picked up a copy of Angel of Death by Jennifer Hinsman and you can too.
I finished up the month of May with a short novella, Before Another Sunset (Book 1, The Sunset Series), the prequel to the full novel, Another Sunset (Book 2, The Sunset Series) by Jason Zandri.
About Jason Zandri:
Jason has been working in the information technology field in one form or the other since 1996. He is currently employed full time at Bloomberg LP as a Systems Engineer in the R&D group. Jason lives in Wallingford Connecticut, with his wife Renata. He is the father to four children, three boys and 1 girl - 11 years (Andrew), 9 years (Angela), 7 years (Adam) and 6 years old (Alex).
You can keep up with Jason on Facebook via his author page at https://www.facebook.com/jzandri
You can FOLLOW Jason on Twitter via https://twitter.com/gunderstone
You can ADD Jason to your circles on Google+ via https://plus.google.com/+JasonZandri/
Before Another Sunset (Book 1, The Sunset Series)
Westville, Texas. A small town with friendly people; families that have stayed and endured life's ups and downs. Many have left as the town no longer can fully support its own. An old woman maintains one of the remaining small businesses at the center of town, helped by Maria, her second floor tenant. Maria's daughter Caroline starts to question her father's absence. She also dreams up an idea to help the local library. Friends uncover true feelings and a kind drifter's travels bring him closer to the town. - PREQUEL NOVELLA TO "ANOTHER SUNSET"
My Review:
Excellent Writing! I really enjoyed this story and my only complaint is I wish there had been more. There was the beginning of a romance and I was really pulling for Henry, hoping Caroline got a daddy, etc. The writing and characterization were excellent with a Texan/Southern flair. As a small town, southern girl, although not a Texan, I really appreciated the dialogue used that wasn't over the top like many stories you find about southerners. I felt like I was right there in the small town of Westville, Texas as I read. All in all, if you’d like a short and pleasant read about a small town, don’t pass up Before Another Sunset.
This book wet my appetite for the characters of Westville, Texas so I picked up book 2, Another Sunset and added it to my TBR list. You can too! But first read Before Another Sunset.
What I'm reading now:
Crazy! Hot! And Living on the Edge!! by Sheryl Harris-Slaughter and Think Murder by Cassidy Salem.
Crazy! Hot! And Living on the Edge!! by Sheryl Harris-Slaughter and Think Murder by Cassidy Salem.
Have you read any good books lately? Kim's Musings wants to know.
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