Review: The Diplomatic Tutor

The Diplomatic Tutor

by Sandra Elzie

Quote: "Jennifer, you had a deciding role in her selection, so I wanted you to know how much progress she had made with Kelsey."~ Trenton pg.72

Started: Oct. 24, 2012

Finished: Oct. 28, 2012

232 pages, hardcover

From the cover:

When Natalie Holmes accepts a position to tutor Kelsey, the five-year-old daughter of a British diplomat, she never expected to be the one put to the test. She never expected to fall in love with the child or her handsome father. She fights the attraction since she knows he could never love a coal miner's daughter from West Virginia.

 Trenton Lancaster is a widower with strict mandates concerning the safety and education of his daughter. Natalie and Trenton immediately clash, but he can't resist her homespun simplicity and intelligence, and she falls in love with his strength of character and devotion to Kelsey.

 When Natalie thoughtlessly breaks a rule, she thinks she'll surely be fired. Only Trenton's growing attraction for Natalie and her obvious devotion to Kelsey convince him to retain her services.

 Each must change, but when the prize is living happily ever after, it's worth any risk and sacrifice.

My Review:

I'll be nice and just say this book wasn't for me. I was hoping for a change from what I've been reading and while it was exactly that, it was completely ....boring. No mystery. No suspense. No real plot. Romance? Well, I guess that depends on what you'd consider romance. For me, no. 

I will give it that it was an easy read with a cute little girl character. I just think giving away pretty much any chance of a mystery at around page 5 just ruins the whole book. Seriously, by the second chapter I knew they would end up together(no subtle hints), and who the bad guy/girl was. The character just screamed "Hey, it's me!!!" If I hadn't had 100 other things to do this weekend, I probably could have finished the entire book in less than 2hrs.

*2 stars*

Review: Mothers & Other Liars

Mothers & Other Liars

by Amy Bourret

Quote: " I had no one. I wanted to go back there, to California. I guess I thought maybe I could find my mother, some of her, there on the beach." ~ Ruby pg. 64

Started: Oct. 20, 2012

Finished: Oct. 24, 2012

356 pages/ hardcover, large print edition

From the Cover:

Ten years ago, Ruby Leander was a drifting nineteen-year-old who made a split-second decision at an Oklahoma rest stop. Fast forward to the present: Ruby and her daughter Lark live in New Mexico. Lark is a precocious, animal loving imp, and Ruby has built a family for them with her wonderful community of friends and her boyfriend of three years. Life is good- until the day Ruby reads a magazine article about parents searching for an infant kidnapped by carjackers. Then Ruby faces a choice no mother should have to make.

My Review:

What an amazing, heart wrenching, sad story! I know this book is fiction, but all through out I kept wanting to ask..."What happened next?" I honestly felt like someone was telling the story, their story. It was so well written. The characters were exactly what each of them should have been. Very well developed and believable. Even on the pages that made me want to cry, scream or slap them. 

This story is all about decisions. Human logic or lack of and how each decision has a spiraling effect it has on everyone around. Was there a right/wrong answer? 

While I did love this book dearly, there were a few things I would have changed. 

***SPOILERS***

1. I wanted more of Chaz ( IMO, easy-way-out was such a turn-off)

2. Someone needed to slap/punch/shake some sense into Darla!!! (man vs. child thing irritates me!!!)

3. Ruby just forgetting she wasn't biologically Lark's mother(it was mentioned to Chaz)So, not believable! Really?!?!!?

4. What was the deal with everyone's dogs???? Not an important element, too much focus on them.

Ok, I will stop there.

I would definitely recommend this book to any mother. Great show of a mother's love and determination to "save" a child!

* 5 stars*

Review:Passion Becomes Her

Passion Becomes Her

(Becomes Her #4)

by Shirlee Busbee

Quote: "As long as there was no danger to you, I saw no reason to mutter warnings like some old witch stirring a pot." ~ Mrs. Manley pg. 160

Started: Oct. 14, 2012

Finished: Oct. 19, 2012

376 pages/paperback

From the cover:

Thief of Hearts

Forced to resort to a life of crime in order to support his siblings, Asher Cordell is now ready to walk the straight and narrow path. but when an old rival, the Marquis of Ormsby, infuriates him with his insipid arrogance, Asher cannot resist stealing the pompous fool's famous diamond. However, he's shocked to discover he isn't the only intruder in Ormsby's library. The culprit is none other than his beautiful neighbor, Juliana Greeley. Asher has known Juliana since childhood and has always harbored a secret affection for her. When she asks Asher to steal letters Ormsby is using to blackmail her sister, he's happy to oblige. Embarking on a bold scheme that gives way to an equally fiery passion, the adventurous pair discover a love neither can live without...

My Review:

This is the fourth book in the Becomes Her series. I had read the first three a couple years back and I am so glad that the series continues and I picked it back up.

I really enjoy this type where each book carries over from the previous. The story always brings back the previous main characters somehow and ties them all together. For me, it is an extra bit into who they are. Helping you to get even closer and make them come alive.

This story is about Asher Cordell and Juliana Greeley. I'm not sure how to describe how I felt about Asher's past and how this book makes him the hero. While he does have a good heart and seems to have turned a new leaf for the better Busbee makes sure she slips in reminders of who he was. Leaving you with the questions, has he really changed? Can he overcome his past? Or will he live in constant fear of who may find out? The ending of this book only makes me crazy that I didn't get the fifth to continue reading. major cliffhanger and I am definitely on the hunt for the next book!

*5 stars*

Review: The Evil Inside(Krewe of Hunters #4)

The Evil Inside

by Heather Graham

Quote: "Most people do mock what they don't understand- especially when we're all taught to be brave, that ghosts don't exist and there's nothing hiding under the bed." ~ Jake pg. 146

Started: Oct 4, 2012

Finished: Oct. 13, 2012

479 pages/ hardcover, Large print edition

From the cover:

Lexington House, overlooking New England's jagged coastline, has been the witness to madness and murder throughout its history. But in recent years the malice has lain silent. Until now. Jenna Duffy is a member of the nation's foremost paranormal forensic team. Yet nothing could prepare her for the string of slayings once again plaguing Lexington House, or for the chief suspect- a boy barely old enough to drive, much less kill. With the young man's life on the line, Jenna teams up with attorney Samuel hall to pinpoint who- or what- is taking the lives of those who get too close to the past.

My Review:

Ok, first off I will tell you that I am going to rate this book high. Probably higher than I should. Only because I feel this book would be amazing as a stand alone. The reason I'm so bummed is that Graham is becoming SO predictable! I really do enjoy this series but every book by chapter 2 we know that 2 people are going to fall for each other and usually have figured out which 2. :(

With that out of the way...I did enjoy The Evil Inside. This story was a great book to choose just around Halloween. Set in Massachusetts during an event called Haunted Happenings, it focuses on a number of murders and trying to determine if they are looking for one killer or possibly two. Once again the Krewe of Hunters are called in to use their talents to try and gain insight to the string of mysteries and murders. Jenna is called in to help by her Uncle a to help with a boy he once had as a patient who is now being held as a suspect in a brutal crime, the murder of his entire family.  

*4 stars*

Review: Sacred Evil (Krewe of Hunters #3)

Sacred Evil 

by Heather Graham

Quote: "Are you still convinced that it all has to do with Jack the Ripper and someone obsessed with him?" ~Angela pg. 196

Started: Sept. 23, 2012

Finished: Oct. 4, 2012

479 pages/ hardcover, Large print edition

From the cover:

One look and Manhattan Detective Jude Crosby recognizes the tableau: a re-creation of Jack the Ripper's gruesome work. but he also sees something beyond the actions of a mere copycat. something more dangerous...and unexplainable. As the city seethes with suspicion, Jude calls on Whitney Tremont, a member of the country's preeminent paranormal investigating team, to put the speculation to rest. Yet when Whitney and Jude delve deeper, what they discover is more shocking than either could have predicted, and twice as sinister.

My Review:

This series continues to get better and better. While I won't say this book was one of my favorites out of the series, I did love the story line and the historical theme that went along with it. I think I like these so much because they use real events from the past and put a new spin on them. many of the historical events I had heard of but never learned any of the details. With these being "cop stories" they do seem to use a lot of facts and follow the crimes in a realistic way.

This book brings the story of Jack the Ripper to modern times with a paranormal twist. Once again, the Krewe of Hunters are called in to use their personal talents to shed light on an unsolved murder case. Sacred Evil seems to focus mainly on Jude and Whitney. I like how each story lets you get to know certain characters more intimately and gives a more detailed look into each of the members.

*5 stars*

continuing on to the next book...