Thursday, May 15, 2014

Books Received in May 2014

May 22, 2014

Under the Silent Moon by Elizabeth Haynes

Two women share one fate.

A suspected murder at an English Farm. A reported suicide at a local quarry.

Can DCI Louisa Smith and her team gather the evidence and discover a link between them, a link which sealed their fate one cold night, Under a Silent Moon?

A tense, compelling and unsettling novel mystery brimming with source material and evidence set over just six days, Under a Silent Moon will keep you gripped until the very last page and asks:

Can you connect the clues and name the Killer?

P. D. James meets E. L. James in this exciting new British crime series-a blend of literary suspense and page-turning thriller that introduces formidable Detective Chief Inspector Louisa Smith-from suspense talent Elizabeth Haynes, author of the bestselling Into the Darkest Corner

"Elizabeth Haynes is the most exciting thing to happen to crime fiction in a long time."-Sophie Hannah

In the crisp, early hours of an autumn morning, the police are called to investigate two deaths. The first is a suspected murder at a farm on the outskirts of a small village. A beautiful young woman has been found dead, her cottage drenched with blood. The second is a reported suicide at a nearby quarry. A car with a woman's body inside was found at the bottom of the pit.

As DCI Louisa Smith and her team gather evidence, they discover a shocking link between the two cases and the two deaths-a bond that sealed their terrible fates one cold night, under a silent moon.

In this first entry in a compelling new detective series, Elizabeth Haynes interweaves fictional primary source materials-police reports, phone messages, interviews-and multiple character viewpoints to create a sexy, edgy, and compulsively readable tale of murder, mystery, and unsettling suspense

May 19, 2014

The Qualities of Wood by Mary Vensel White

A haunting and beautifully written debut novel by an exciting new talent. When Betty Gardiner dies, leaving behind an unkempt country home, her grandson and his young wife take a break from city life to prepare the house for sale. Nowell Gardiner leaves first to begin work on his second mystery novel. By the time his wife Vivian joins him, a real mystery has begun: a local girl has been found dead in the woods behind the house. Even after the death is ruled an accident, Vivian can't forget the girl, can't ignore the strange behaviour of her neighbours, or her husband. As Vivian attempts to put the house in order, all around her things begin to fall apart. 

May 16, 2014

A Photographic Death by Judi Culbertson

Nineteen years ago, Delhi Laine's two-year-old daughter, Caitlin, disappeared from a park in Stratford-upon-Avon. After a frantic but inconclusive search, authorities determined that she must have fallen into the river in the picturesque area, her body washed away.

        Although the wound has never healed, the family has moved on. Then a mysterious letter containing the ominous words, YOUR DAUGHTER DID NOT DROWN, arrives their lives are once again thrown into turmoil. For Delhi the choice is easy. No matter how tenuous the thread, she cannot leave it unexplored.


        Even if it takes her back to England and a path that includes murder. Even though Caitlin's twin, Hannah, and Delhi's husband, Colin, are deeply against her search. Even though it may split the family and lead to danger and shocking truths. Despite these conflicts,  Delhi plows ahead. What she finds is something none of could them could ever have imagined.  


Lethal Spice by Swati Kaushal


A hundred-year-old stage steeped in tradition. Six contestants with a world to gain and everything to lose. Three judges who stand between them and their dreams. 

It is October in Shimla. The air is crisp, the mist is rising and the stakes are sky-high as the finalists of India's No. 1 reality cooking show, Hot Chef, are pitted against each other in a live shoot at the historic Gaiety Theatre. The spices are ground, the fires are lit, the knives have been sharpened? 

Then things start to go horribly wrong. As she picks her way through a maze of testimonies and motives, Shimla's Superintendent of Police, Niki Marwah, is more determined than ever to get to the bottom of a perplexing mystery - a mystery that this time around is dangerously close to her heart.

May 15, 2014 
 
When California Governor Michael J. DiGrasso pushes through a tough immigration law, the Supreme Court declares it unconstitutional, but the decorated Vietnam veteran refuses to accept the ruling. This ignites a clash between federal, state, and judicial power that threatens to jar the country’s political and justice systems. And it leaves the governor’s long-time friend, President of the United States, Martin W. Ballard, with the decision of whether to federalize the California National Guard to enforce the Court’s order.


Tension increases when Elizabeth Stern, a savvy member of the opposition party tries to ram through a new immigration law that will pass judicial review. An expert in back-room legislative machinations, she’ll go to any length to force the governor to obey the Court decision, and her devious maneuvers throw DiGrasso’s personal and professional life into turmoil.

One subplot involves DiGrasso’s close personal friend, Congressman Manuel Mendoza, who is indicted for taking bribes. Another concerns two Mexican families in the country illegally and the tragedies that befall them because of the new immigration law.

The unfolding of these interwoven events creates a tense, fast-paced thriller that parallels the current tumult over illegal immigration and the on-going debate on Constitutional interpretation that will leave readers craving for the eventual outcome.

May 07, 2014

Hardheaded Weather: New and Selected Poems by Cornelius Eady:

Cornelius Eady’s new poems show him in full control of his considerable talents and displaying a rich maturity as he enters midlife. His poems are sly, unsentimental, and witty, full of truths that are intimate and profound.

Hardheaded Weather ranges widely, reflecting the new found responsibilities Eady has assumed as he transitions from urban renter to nonplussed rural homeowner, as well as the sobering influence of war and the intimation of his own mortality. Yet even at his angriest, the poet has always had a depth of compassion rare in our polarized age, with a sense of humor that is both sophisticated and demotic. These poems will resonate deeply.

As exciting as the new poems are, his selected earlier poems dazzle, too, as they demonstrate the arc of Cornelius Eady’s maturation and the originality of his voice. Taken together, Hardheaded Weatherforms a moving—and sometimes searing —testament to the power of poetry.


Book of Hooks Vol 1 by Cornelius Eady
Book of Hooks Vol 2 by Cornelius Eady

Acclaimed poet Cornelius Eady offers not only a new selection of poems, but a knockout duet of poetry and music, performed with such literary and musical luminaries as Charlie Rauh, Joy Harjo, Kim Addonizio, Robin Messing, Emma Alabaster and longtime collaborator and producer Bernie Heveron.

Like his poetry, Eady’s songs offer a collective snapshot of the culture of our times, at once exhilarating and heartbreaking, seen through a lens that spares no dark corners. Eady’s focus turns as readily from an aging movie star to poet Adrienne Rich, a bed bug epidemic in NYC, and the shooting of Trayvon Martin. As fearless as his subject matter, Eady’s sonic range and stylistic resilience weave together strains of mainline jazz, Afro-Brazilian-Caribbean beats, rock and folk traditions, in a rich love song to life.

Wednesday, May 7, 2014

Books read in May 2014




93. The Qualities of Wood by Mary Vensel White (Suspense)
92. Out Of Exile by Luke Preston (Thriller)
91. Their Virgin Captive by Shayla Black (Erotica)
90. Taken By the Duke by Jess Michaels (Historical Romance)
89. Song for Sophia by Moriah Densley (Historical Romance)**
88. Unforgivable by Joanna Chambers (Historical Romance)
87. Tennessee Bride by Rosanne Bittner (Historical Romance)

86. To Sleep...Perchance to Die by Donald R. Grippo (Thriller)
85. The Passionate Greek by Catherine Dane (Contemporary Romance)
84. Extra Care by Alina Cosma (Poetry)
83. Night Fish by Kristine Ong Muslim (Poetry)

82. Sufficient Ransom by Sylvia Sarno (Thriller)
81. Unseen by John Michael Hileman (Thriller)

80. Silver Threads by Jade Kennedy (Poetry)
79. Jubilee's Journey by Bette Lee Crosby (Literary Fiction)**
78. The Truth Will Out by Jane Isaac (Crime Fiction)**
77. Once a Duchess by Elizabeth Boyce (Historical Romance)
76. Her Husband's Harlot by Grace Callaway (Historical Romance)
75. His Majesty, The Prince of Toads by Delle Jacobs (Historical Romance)

74. The Outcast by Jolina Petersheim (Literary Fiction)

Wednesday, April 30, 2014

Currently Reading....


 Heads I Win, Tails You Lose by S.H. Villa 
 Damnatio Memoriae by Michael Meyerhofer (Poetry) (READING)
 ugly to start with by John Michael Cummings (short Stories) (READING)
 The Elephant Tree by RD Ronald (Crime Fiction) (READING)

 My Savior Forever by Vicki Green (READING)
 Pioneer Passion by Therese A. Kraemer (READING)

Saturday, April 5, 2014

Books Received in April 2014

April 23, 2014

The Dead Don't Dance by John Enright


Rumored to hold more spirits than people, the remote tropical paradise To’aga frightens many Samoan locals—but not Detective Apelu Soifua. Reeling from the loss of his young daughter, Apelu retreats to the haunted island for a self-imposed exile. He spends his days drinking, trying to ignore the ghosts in his head, and receives few visitors other than a shamanistic recluse and a pair of dedicated marine biologists conducting research.
But after a crew of surveyors arrives, Apelu makes a disturbing discovery: foreign investors plan to build a resort hotel on the coast, a project sure to destroy the To’aga coral reef and shatter the island’s peaceful way of life. When tensions rise and someone—or something—commits a gruesome murder, Apelu must force himself out of retirement to solve the case. Can the heartbroken detective navigate both modern and mystical forces to find the killer and appease the angry spirits of To’aga, in this third book of the Jungle Beat Mystery series?

April 22, 2014

Heads I Win Tails You Lose by S H Villa

This is the first volume of Varigo, the fast-paced and humorous Spanish crime fiction series set in the Alpujarras.
Jesús the healer turns investigator when his cousin Juan's severed head is found on the mayoress's desk and the Guardia Civil prove themselves as useless as they look.
Juan is a well known healer, anti-Church campaigner (earning him the name Juan the Unbaptist) and a lover of women. So, where to look for his murderer? Jesús and friends find and follow clues leading both to the Church and the Guardia Civil themselves. But who was the woman involved? There has to be one.
A rare combination of excitement and enlightenment.

April  16, 2014

Sita's Curse by Sreemoyee Piu Kundu


Sita's Curse is a explosive sexual saga, describing the life, longing and sexual awakening of Meera Patel, a lower-middle class housewife living in a congested housing society in the suburbs of Mumbai and follows her metamorphosis from a small-town girl married off at 17 to a man she has never met to a woman who achieves freedom by giving in to desire. The book reaches its earth shattering climax (pun intended) on July 26, 2005—the day of the Mumbai floods that changed the history of the city and the lives of many of her people, forever.


April 5, 2014

Jaspar's War by Cym Lowell


Greenwich, Connecticut socialite Jaspar Moran has it all-a magnificent estate, two beautiful children and a loving husband, Trevor, serving as the Secretary of the Treasury. Protected, admired and living in the lap of luxury, Jaspar is reeling from the news that his government jet has crashed just as her children vanish without a trace. An ominous message warns her to keep silent about her husband's role in the President's economic plan. Or else. Determined to save her children, she'll go to hell and back, form alliances with assassins, traitors and Mafioso, and commit unspeakable acts-if that's what it takes. With alarms sounding around the world, hunted from all sides, and unsure of who to trust, she finds herself depending on a mysterious figure without an identity. Jaspar journeys from the Australian outback to the palazzos of Rome, the Monte Carlo Grand Prix, and to the magnificence of the Vatican, in her quest. Can she rescue her children before the plot to crash the global economy is unleashed?

April 1, 2014

To Sleep... Perchance to Die by 

Tangled lives, tainted love, and a Shakespearean twist lead to deception, betrayal, and murder. In this sexy, psychological thriller, Eurasian beauty Mai Faca plots to marry Jake Warden, a successful oral surgeon forbidden to her because of family honor. In an unheard-of scheme, fellow surgeon, Bret Manley, falls victim to Mai’s seduction as she and Jake play a cruel trick to be together. Jake acts with surgical precision to clear the path to Mai’s happiness, threatening lives including his own. In a wake of turmoil and destruction, Bret’s uncle and well-known criminal attorney Hubie Santos attempts to find out if a surgeon would use his knowledge to kill.

Thursday, April 3, 2014

Novels/poetry books read in April 2014



73. The Virgin Hostage by Shayla Black (Erotica)
72. The Invisible Man by H G Wells (Science Fiction)
71. The Sheik's Arranged Marriage by Susan Mallory (Contemporary Romance)

70. Our Held Animal Breath by Kathryn Kirkpatrick (Poetry)
69. Dead Set by Will Carver (Crime Fiction)
68. The Virgin Concubine by Shayla Black (Erotica)
67. Silken Promises by Lisa Bingham (Historical Romance)
66. A Dangerous Affair by Caro Peacock (Victorian Mystery)
65. The Hellion and The Heartbreaker by Jennifer McNare (Historical Romance)
64. Never Too Late by Amara Royce (Historical Romance)

63. You, and Only You by Jennifer McNare (Historical Romance)
62. Dreaming of You by Jennifer McNare (Historical Romance)

61. The Scent of Dying Breaths by M. J. Rose (Suspense)
60. Controlled Hallucinations by John Sibley Williams (Poetry)
59. The Almond Tree by Michelle Cohen Corasanti (Literary Fiction)
58. Scent of Butterflies by Dora Levy Mossanen (Literary Fiction)
57. Chilled to the Bone by Quentin Bates (Crime Fiction) 
56. Murder Strikes a Pose by Tracy Weber (Cozy Mystery)

Wednesday, April 2, 2014

Books read in 2014

June (14)

107. I married the Duke by Katharine Ashe (Historical Romance)
106. I Adored a Lord by Katherine Ashe (Historical Romance)
105, The Edge of Normal by Carla Norton (Crime Fiction)
104. The Dead Don't Dance by John Enright (Crime Fiction)
103. Undeniable by Jess Michaels (Historical Romance)
102. Nothing Denied by Jess Michaels (Historical Romance)
101. Secret Nights by Anita Mills (Historical Romance)
100. Mine, All Mine by Ella J. Quince (Historical Romance)
99. Lost in Temptation by Lauren Royal (Historical Romance)
98. Jaspar's War by Cym Lowell (Crime Fiction)
97. How to Lose a Bride in One Night by Sophie Jordan (Historical Romance)
96. Into the Abyss by James Snyder (Literary Fiction)
95. Shoveling Snow by Brett Sills (Literary Fiction)
94. Ill-Gotten Gains by Ilsa Evans (Suspense)


May (20)

93. The Qualities of Wood by Mary Vensel White (Suspense)
92. Out Of Exile by Luke Preston (Thriller)
91. Their Virgin Captive by Shayla Black (Erotica)
90. Taken By the Duke by Jess Michaels (Historical Romance)
89. Song for Sophia by Moriah Densley (Historical Romance)**
88. Unforgivable by Joanna Chambers (Historical Romance)
87. Tennessee Bride by Rosanne Bittner (Historical Romance)

86. To Sleep...Perchance to Die by Donald R. Grippo (Thriller)
85. The Passionate Greek by Catherine Dane (Contemporary Romance)
84. Extra Care by Alina Cosma (Poetry)
83. Night Fish by Kristine Ong Muslim (Poetry)

82. Sufficient Ransom by Sylvia Sarno (Thriller)
81. Unseen by John Michael Hileman (Thriller)

80. Silver Threads by Jade Kennedy (Poetry)
79. Jubilee's Journey by Bette Lee Crosby (Literary Fiction)**
78. The Truth Will Out by Jane Isaac (Crime Fiction)**
77. Once a Duchess by Elizabeth Boyce (Historical Romance)
76. Her Husband's Harlot by Grace Callaway (Historical Romance)
75. His Majesty, The Prince of Toads by Delle Jacobs (Historical Romance)

74. The Outcast by Jolina Petersheim (Literary Fiction)

April (18)

73. The Virgin Hostage by Shayla Black (Erotica)
72. The Invisible Man by H G Wells (Science Fiction)
71. The Sheik's Arranged Marriage by Susan Mallory (Contemporary Romance)

69. Dead Set by Will Carver (Crime Fiction)
68. The Virgin Concubine by Shayla Black (Erotica)
67. Silken Promises by Lisa Bingham (Historical Romance)
66. A Dangerous Affair by Caro Peacock (Victorian Mystery)
65. The Hellion and The Heartbreaker by Jennifer McNare (Historical Romance)
64. Never Too Late by Amara Royce (Historical Romance)

63. You, and Only You by Jennifer McNare (Historical Romance)
62. Dreaming of You by Jennifer McNare (Historical Romance)

61. The Scent of Dying Breaths by M. J. Rose (Suspense)
60. Controlled Hallucinations by John Sibley Williams (Poetry)
59. The Almond Tree by Michelle Cohen Corasanti (Literary Fiction)
58. Scent of Butterflies by Dora Levy Mossanen (Literary Fiction)
57. Chilled to the Bone by Quentin Bates (Crime Fiction)** 
56. Murder Strikes a Pose by Tracy Weber (Cozy Mystery)


~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Quarterly Update:

e-books=22

poetry books=3
Thriller=6
Literary Fiction=10
Crime Fiction=7
Suspense/Mystery=2
Romantic Suspense=1
Gothic Suspense=1
Dark Romance=1
Historical Romance=14
Contemporary Romance=7
Cozy Mystery=3



March 2014 (20)

10 e-books

2 poetry books
2 thrillers
3 Literary Fiction
8 Historical Romances
2 Contemporary Romances
2 Crime Fiction Novels
1 Suspense/mystery

55. Renascence and Other Poems by Edna St. Vincent Millay (Poetry)
54. The Officer and the Bostoner by Rose Gordon  (Historical Romance)
53. Winter Heart by Jane Bonander  (Historical Romance)
52. The Cowboy's E-Mail Order Bride by Cora Seton  (Contemporary Romance)
51. Heiress Without a Cause by Sara Ramsey (Historical Romance)

50. Voltaire's Calligrapher by Pablo De Santis (Historical Thriller)
49. The Sekhmet Bed by L. M. Ironside (Historical)
48. The Civilized World by Susi Wyss (Literary Fiction)
47.  The Wedding by Lorhainne Eckhart (Contemporary Romance)
46. Scandal's Child by Sherrill Bodine (Historical Romance)
45. A Foreign Affair by Caro Peacock (Suspense/Mystery)

44. The Diplomat's Wife by Pam Jenoff (Literary Fiction)
43. The Kommandant's Girl by Pam Jenoff (Literary Fiction)
42. Blood Harvest by S. J. Bolton (Crime Fiction)**
41. Velocity by Alan Jacobson (Crime Fiction)**
40. Hurrah's Nest by Arisa White (Poetry)**
39. Irresistible by Karen Robards (Historical Romance)
38. Scandalous by Karen Robards (Historical Romance)

37. The Noah's Ark Quest by Boyd Morrison (Thriller)
36. Dark Torment by Karen Robards (Historical Romance)

Feb 2014 (16)

7 e-books
4 Thrillers
4 Historical Romances
2 Contemporary Romances
1 Romantic Suspense
3 Literary Fictions
2 Crime Fictions


35. The Columbus Affair by Steve Berry (Thriller)
34. Winter's Heart by  (Contemporary Romance) (e-book)
33. Forbidden Love by Karen Robards (Historical Romance) (e-book)
32. Rustled by Natasha Stories (Contemporary Romance) (e-book)
31. Amanda Rose by Karen Robards (Historical Romances) (e-book)
30. Cry Ohana: Adventure and Suspense in Hawaii by Larry and Rosemary Mild (Thriller)
29. The Land of Decoration by Grace McCleen (Literary Fiction) (Mysticism)
26. The Skull Mantra by Eliot Pattison (Thriller)**
25. A Deadly Waltz by Sophia Queen 
(Historical Romances) (e-book)
23. The Rejected Suitor by Teresa McCarthy (Historical Romance) (e-book)
22. Never Forget by Lisa Cutts (Crime Fiction)
21. A Dark Redemption by Stav Sherez (Crime Fiction)**
20. She Belongs To Me by Carmen DeSousa (Romantic Suspense) (e-book)

Jan 2014 (19)

5 e-books

1 poetry
3 Cozies
3 Contemporary Romances
2 Historical Romances
1 Dark Romance
1 Gothic Suspense
4 Literary Fictions
3 Crime Fictions
1 Suspense/Mystery


19. The Personal History of Rachel DuPREE by Ann Weisgarber (Historical literary fiction)
18. Mangled Hearts by Felicia Tatum (Contemporary Romance) (e-book)
17. It Takes a Murder by Anu Kumar (Dark romance)
16. The Hunger Angel by Herta Müller (Literary Fiction)
15. Tahoe Trap by Todd Borg (Crime Fiction)
14. Cera's Place by Elizabeth McKenna (Historical Romance)
13. Baby, It's Cold Outside by Genevieve Jourdin 
 (Contemporary Romance) (e-book)
12. Displaced Persons by Ghita Schwarz (Literary....Holocaust)
11. Dead Water by Ann Cleeves (Crime Fiction)
10. The Doctor's Secret Bride by Anna E. Ross (Contemporary Romance) (e-book)
9. The Lantern by Deborah Lawrenson (Gothic Suspense)**
8. Where's My Son? by John C. Dalglish  (Crime Fiction) (Novella) (e-book)
7. Clamor by Elyse Fenton (Poetry)**
6. Something About Her by Jeannie Ruesch (Historical Romance) (e-book)
5. Far To Go by Alison Pick (literary....Holocaust...Canada)
1. One Dead Cookie by Virginia Lowell  (cozy)