Fresh FIction Box Not To Miss
Movie Review: Elton John’s ROCKETMAN Is Out Here Having a Blast and We’re Invited for the Ride
Film , Review / June 3, 2019

Rated R, 121 minutes. Director: Dexter Fletcher Cast: Taron Egerton, Jamie Bell, Richard Madden, Bryce Dallas Howard, Gemma Jones, Steven Mackintosh, Tom Bennett, Matthew Illesley, Kit Connor and Tate Donovan Last year’s BOHEMIAN RHAPSODY launched new interest in music biopics when its success pushed back into the spotlight the generationally beloved and iconic rock star Freddie Mercury, played by “Academy Award” winner Rami Malek. Sitting at number three from this weekend’s box office is another flashy film about the rise and struggles of a rock figure. But unlike BOHEMIAN RHAPSODY, ROCKETMAN, a musical interpretation of piano man and singer Elton John’s early success, shows no fear while portraying Elton’s eventual spiral into alcohol, drug, sex, food, and shopping addiction with just a splash of uncontrolled anger issues on the side. Despite the grittiness, ROCKETMAN at least wants to have fun with the film’s subject, even when the story digs into his darkest moments. Taron Egerton’s entrance as Elton John is majestic and sassy; a red-horned devil with wings splayed across his back hammering through doors on his way to a group therapy session. Soul crushed with tears streaming down his face, Elton launches into a rendition of “The Bitch is Back” as…

SHELTER IN PLACE: An emotionally poignant, heart touching read.
Readers , Review / June 7, 2018

by Annetta Sweetko Nora Roberts’ SHELTER IN PLACE will pull out every emotion inside you and leave you speechless. That is precisely what happened to me. Very rarely does a book hold me in its spell like this one did and even fewer keep me reading until 3 a.m. SHELTER IN PLACE is divided into three parts with the first taking place 14 years prior with “Innocence Lost.” In this part we begin with three girlfriends at the mall going to the movies, though Simone Knox’s heart isn’t into it as her boyfriend of seven months had just dumped her. Simone had no idea what true devastation really meant until that night. Reed Quartermaine worked at the mall, but at the time was currently trying to get Angie to go on a date with him. He receives a maybe for the late movie, so he is happy and then it happens. Gunfire, people screaming, running. Simone in the bathroom hides and calls 911, Reed going back to work is in the midst of the chaos and finds himself inside of a kiosk with a lost little boy and calling 911 with Angie’s blood on his shoes. Life changes for so…

Lost and Found
Cozy Corner , Review / February 19, 2018

A Review by Kym and Gidget Today’s blog was a special treat for me. I read the book along with a young reader, and then we sat down and wrote our reviews. This was her very first review, and I have to say, I think Gidget has a knack for the craft. Much more so than I do. A well-written review has insight into the reader’s mind—its audience. The review should capture the attention while bringing out positive and negative details the reader might find helpful in making a decision about the book. The review does not stay in the character’s mind where I tend to dwell. Yet as an author, I have to wonder if that isn’t where my insight should begin. Like most authors, I have stories busting at the seams to get out. This week’s blog as taught me that maybe, just maybe, I should learn something from young Gidget about engaging the reader’s imagination first, to get my stories heard. I hope you enjoy our reviews of FRAGMENTS OF THE LOST by Megan Miranda. FRAGMENTS OF THE LOST by Megan Miranda Jessa Whitworth knew she didn’t belong in her ex-boyfriend Caleb’s room. But she couldn’t deny…

Mixed feelings when a series ends
Readers , Review / February 15, 2018

Have you ever had mixed feelings about a series you have read and enjoyed coming to an end? You might be relieved that the heroine gets her happily-ever-after or be thinking “No – there is so much more they can do!” That is exactly where I stand on the ending of Keri Arthur‘s Outcast Novels. This series centers on Tiger, a dechet – a super-soldier the humans manufactured to fight the species war. At the end of the war, the dechet’s were eradicated, men, women and children, by the shifters as they deemed them abominations. Tiger survived and is surrounded by ghosts of those who died in the bunker including two little ones, Bear and Cat, her constant companions. She can’t help what she is, what she was made to be but she can use her skills to help others when she has to. Unfortunately, the bombs that ended the war also tore holes between worlds and allowed the entrance of other beings that were happy to find new hunting grounds, so demons, vampires and wraiths entered the destroyed world. So now, humans and shifters alike, live in artificially lit cities as the new beings love to hunt in the…

THE FINAL SCORE sizzles, see why we think so!
Giveaways , Review / September 13, 2017

Have you seen what our reviewers think about THE FINAL SCORE by Jaci Burton? If you’re a sports fan, check it out! Helen William says “THE FINAL SCORE is a wonderful story about living up to expectations. Nathan and Mia have always shared their thoughts with each other but when their relationship changes than the perceived outside pressure will get in the way. They will have to decide if they can have it all.” And Miranda Owen thinks “THE FINAL SCORE is a frankly fabulous romance with sizzle and substance. The enjoyable teasing between Nathan and Mia balance the sexual fireworks and intense character- driven story. This works as a great standalone story, but reading THE FINAL SCORE will make you want to go back and read about Nathan’s parents in THE PERFECT PLAY. I look forward to Jaci Burton’s next Play-by-Play novel.” THE FINAL SCORE by Jaci Burton Play-by-play #13 In the new Play-by-Play novel by the New York Times bestselling author of Rules of Contact, a star quarterback is torn between his love of the game—and the woman who may be the love of his life. Nathan Riley is ready to follow in the footsteps of his famous…

Review: NO CATS ALLOWED by Miranda James
Review / February 6, 2017

“A clever murder mystery with plenty of southern charm” Charlie Harris and his cat Diesel are about fed up with the new head of the library. Oscar Reilly acts like he’s on a mission to make enemies. That creates a long list of suspects when Oscar turns up dead. When Charlie moves into the office, to fill in temporarily, he finds something that could make him the killer’s next target. NO CATS ALLOWED is a fantastic small-town cozy mystery. Author Miranda James’s takes her time introducing all the characters and laying out the situation. Her precise writing makes it easy to visualize the quiet Athena College campus and Charlie’s old family home. When Oscar Reilly is murdered in the library, we already know why half a dozen people might want him dead. Coming from a long line of southerners myself, I especially appreciate the uniquely southern touches James weaves into the story, from the foods served for dinner to the way the native characters talk. Each book is a real taste of the region. I also appreciate that the tone and language is such I feel comfortable recommending NO CATS ALLOWED and James’s other Cat in the Stacks novels to…

Review: AS DEATH DRAWS NEAR by Anna Lee Huber
Review / July 11, 2016

If you love your mystery on the historical side, have you discovered the adventures of Lady Kiera Darby? No? Then what are you waiting for? Here’s a glimpse at the latest adventure. AS DEATH DRAWS NEAR by Anna Lee Huber Lady Darby Mystery The latest mystery from the national bestselling author of A Study in Death tangles Lady Kiera Darby and Sebastian Gage in a dangerous web of religious and political intrigue. July 1831. In the midst of their idyllic honeymoon in England’s Lake District, Kiera and Gage’s seclusion is soon interrupted by a missive from her new father-in-law. A deadly incident involving a distant relative of the Duke of Wellington has taken place at an abbey south of Dublin, Ireland, and he insists that Kiera and Gage look into the matter. Intent on discovering what kind of monster could murder a woman of the cloth, the couple travel to Rathfarnham Abbey school. Soon a second nun is slain in broad daylight near a classroom full of young girls. With the sinful killer growing bolder, the mother superior would like to send the students home, but the growing civil unrest in Ireland would make the journey treacherous. Before long, Kiera…