 Cozy mystery with unique and charming characters.
Blurb: “When an extra ticket becomes available to attend the dress rehearsal of Braxton's King Lear production, Kellan tags along with Nana D and her buddies, sisters-in-law Eustacia and Gwendolyn Paddington, to show support for the rest of the Paddington family. When one of them appears to have a heart attack in the middle of the second act, Nana D raises her suspicions and asks Kellan to investigate who killed her friend. Amidst family members suddenly in debt and a secret rendezvous between an unlikely pair, Kellan learns the Paddingtons might not be as clean-cut as everyone thinks. But did one of them commit murder for an inheritance? Kellan's back in his second adventure since returning home to Pennsylvania. With his personal life in upheaval and his new boss, Myriam, making life difficult, will he be able to find a killer or will he get caught up in his own version of stage fright?” “Broken Heart Attack” is the second book in the “Braxton Campus Mysteries” series, which at this moment contain four books, but can be all read as standalone. The course of events got me interested from the very beginning. Kellan, the main character, is easily lifelike. He seems to be a really cool guy, friendly, polite, thoughtful, smart and funny. I loved the type of relationship Kellan has with his grandmother. Nana D is quite the character, definitely not like the majority of people her age. She is in her seventies and planning to run for mayor. When her friend Gwendolyn dies during the King Lear play, and the suspicious cause of death is born, Nana D. is the one insisting Kellan to help find the murderer. “The things I did for my family were getting way too weird.”- says Kellan. With intertwining stories and events, the mystery is evolving. The road is not easy. Kellan has to deal with the Paddington clan. Sheriff April doesn't seem to be on his side but this will not stop him on his mission. Luckily, he is good at being nosy and sometimes a good eavesdropper. Sometimes it seems he can’t catch a break. He has to deal with drama around the family of his no longer present wife. I would love to say more but I am afraid it may be a spoiler. However, Kellan’s daughter is sweet and smart. Luckily, Kellan has his parents, grandmother and sister around that help him baby sit while he’s busy with lots of stuff. He is not only working on the case finding out who the murderer is, but he is dealing with his private drama, helping for Nana’s mayoral campaign, he is being a great supporter for his sister, and he is trying to have some social life between his daily job and all the other interests and obligations. This mystery had me on my toes, kept me swaying between the suspects almost till the very end. Through details, settings, and the most lovable characters the reader will fall instantly in love with reading this mystery. I will be looking for the other books in the series to see what is Kellan up to again. My rating: 5/5. Find it on Goodreads Follow the author on Amazon Author’s website
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 “Are you a devil? Are you a witch? Judge the soul of my enemies, Mrs Jittery Twitch.”
Blurb: “ How twisted do you like your fairy tales? A half-woman, half-cockroach fused in a bizarre gardening accident? That would be Mrs Jittery Twitch, dwelling in the shadows of our misdeeds. If in danger, you can call upon her help… all she asks is your soul as payment. But she’s just a legend, so no need to worry. Barry Harris is a 28-year-old man, still living with his dear old mum in a little flat above a hairdresser. His obsession with Star Trek and the martial arts won’t help him when he’s forced out on a date. And nobody knows about the weird string of events that’s about to put everyone’s lives in danger. A trio of samurai warriors and the strangest offer of help lead Barry on a perilous mission to save the day.” Wow! What a strange ride. The book starts with a conversation between Barry and Brian. Then Jittery Twitch is mentioned. “Are you a devil? Are you a witch? Judge the soul of my enemies, Mrs. Jittery Twitch.” - this should be the line when someone would need her help. I read the following chapters trying to figure out when will Jittery presence be needed. I didn’t like Barry, the main character, but I thought Molly, his mom, was hilarious. She loves metal music and watches Xena. Her cooking style is even stranger. Then we are introduced to Jo. Soon after she was kidnapped by some samurai. Without her medication, Jo has only three days to live. Barry, Molly, Merrill (Jo’s aunt), and the doctor are part of the rescue team. Will manage in time? Can Barry save her from the samurais with his ninja knowledge? Why are the ninjas attacking in the first place? And then we have the neighbor's dog. The author constantly keeps readers on their toes with some weird situations or comments, strange attacks, unexpected twists, and some graphic violence. When I started reading I didn’t have any idea if I would enjoy it or not and I rarely feel like that about a book. The footnotes seemed at first unpractical and are slowing down the pace, but then they actually made me laugh eagerly checking the next one. The course of events in the second part of the book got my interest. The author is asking the reader to pay attention and guess who the narrator is. I have to admit. I didn’t guess it but I am not going to reveal it so you can play your own game. It was fun finding out though. Despite the dark humor and some sarcasm that I enjoyed, I felt that was something missing to the plot that would make me like it more. Or I may not be entirely the right target? Anyhow, I am glad I experienced something different, twisted and ...did I say different? :) The author’s excellent comedic writing amused me. My rating: 3/5. Find it on Goodreads Follow the author on Amazon  It's summer and over here is really hot. No matter of the weather I read regularly, this is something I love. I usually read romance during summertime, but it's time for a change. "How about some cozy mystery?" I've asked myself. Well, I think it is a great choice! I perused Amazon and Goodreads for a few hours and I picked "Broken Heart Attack" (Braxton Campus Mysteries #2) by James J. Cudney. The author is new to me, but the plot and the reviews made it easy for me to decide. On top of that, the book is on SALE for only 0.99 through 2/7, so my budget is happy too. :) Who wants to join me? Blurb: When an extra ticket becomes available to attend the dress rehearsal of Braxton’s King Lear production, Kellan tags along with Nana D and her buddies, sisters-in-law Eustacia and Gwendolyn Paddington, to show support for the rest of the Paddington family. When one of them appears to have a heart attack in the middle of the second act, Nana D raises her suspicions and asks Kellan to investigate who killed her friend. Amidst family members suddenly in debt and a secret rendezvous between an unlikely pair, Kellan learns the Paddingtons might not be as clean-cut as everyone thinks. But did one of them commit murder for an inheritance? Kellan is back in his second adventure since returning home to Pennsylvania. With his personal life in upheaval and his new boss, Myriam, making life difficult, will he be able to find a killer or will he get caught up in his own version of stage fright?  As the summer is long, when I'm done with "Broken heart attack", I have a feeling that I'll pick all the other books in the series, including the latest release: Mistaken Identity Crisis: Death in the Cable Car, launched yesterday, June 30th. Stay tune for my review and do let me know if you've read any of the books from this series. I would love to hear your opinion. ....and stay indoor....this is what I am trying to do, at least when the sun is at its best. :)
 This book was written and published in the Romanian language so, for the time being my review is for Romanian speaking readers only.
La 44 de ani, Tiberiu, un bărbat dezamăgit de viață, sărac și singur, decide să-și vândă apartamentul și să plece departe, undeva la capătul lumii. Cred ca Tiberiu nu este singura persoană care își dorește așa ceva, nu-i așa? Chiar dacă Tiberiu m-a făcut să râd de multe ori nu mi-a plăcut totul despre el. Este puțin misogin, homofob, vulgar și delăsător. Dar, desigur, are și calitățile bărbatului: este descurcăreț, haios, și dacă rămâi cu el pe o insulă pustie nu mori de foame. Prin toate acestea, autorul a făcut o descriere excelentă a personajului principal. În afară de povestea unui bărbat și a unei fete pe o insulă pustie, autorul ne oferă povestiri în povestiri făcute de către personajul principal. O carte despre supraviețuire, despre lecțiile pe care ți le dă viața și despre ceea ce ar trebui să înveți să apreciezi. Un roman plin de umor, sarcasm, ironie, erotică, dragoste, familii disfuncționale și relații neobișnuite. Povestea în sine, talentul și stilul unic de scris al autorului, sunt motive pentru care îl recomand cu căldură fiecărui iubitor de romane de dragoste picante și pline de suspans. În ciuda vocabularului fără perdea sau poate datorită acestuia și a unui sarcasm ingenios acest roman vă va aduce des zâmbetul pe buze. „Ies din bancă și-mi pipăi încă o dată buzunarul, deși știu exact care-i treaba: am o mie de dolari în buzunar și șaizeci de mii în cont. Sunt un negociator dat naibii! Am reușit performanța să cumpăr un apartament cu optzeci de mii de dolari și să-l vând cu șaizeci și una de mii. Sunt mândru!” “- Oare cum o fi prin Dubai acum? mă-ntreb cu voce tare. Adică, imaginează-ți, să fie cald mereu, să te tolănești toată ziua sub soare. Nu-i așa că iernile de aici îți taie orice pofta de viață? - Despre Dubai chiar nu știu mare lucru, răspunde liniștit barmanul, dar am fost acum un an în Thailanda și vă asigur că a fost o experiență foarte… călduroasă. Zâmbește cu toți dinții și-mi face cu ochiul. - Ești pe invers? îl întreb direct. - Nu, face el mirat. Nici pomeneală. - Mi-ai făcut din ochi. - Ah, spune râzând, asta era? Făceam din ochi pentru că am avut ocazia să cunosc o grămadă de fete drăguțe pe plaja din Phuket. De aia.” My rating: 4/5. Find it on Goodreads Follow the author on Amazon Author’s website  Educational and ingenious read.
What to do when you want the time to past fast? But wait! At the same time, you want it to pass slow. Fast for someone, and slow for someone else. Hmmm. Confused? I’m sure not if you remember you have once learned about the theory of relativity. Don’t you remember it? Well, perhaps it wasn't explained to you in a way that could be easily understood and remembered. In this little book beautifully illustrated, the author does to the reader just this. Starman Jones, the main character, explains this theory to his dog in a fun and simple way. At the end of the book, there is also a small glossary that could be really useful especially for younger readers. This is the first book in the series. I expect the author to deal in the same way other scientific theories we have learned in school but never saw the fun in it or even worse, never could have actually understood them. Type of reader: Middle graders and YA or for parents to read with their children. My rating: 5/5. Find it on Goodreads. Follow the author on Amazon. Author’s website.  The constant fight between good and evil.
I love stories about good and evil despite the fact that the ending can be easily predicted. What I can't predict are the details in between. The novel starts with a mean child Monty and his bullying over Juan and other kids at school, and then we are soon taken 25 years into the future. Monty is the bad guy, Juan the good one. There is something missing though, and that is because of the way he was raised, Juan doesn't believe in God. But Easter is just around the corner and Juan gets asked by his brother-in-law to be the Easter Bunny at their kids’ party. Here the fun part begins or better said the rich imagination of the author is translated into words. Juan may have to wear that Bunny costume more than a day and his life seems to be ruined. The good things will start happening though only when he finally accepts God into his life. Sort of ‘everything happens for a reason’. Well, the book is not entirely positive as we have on the other side the bad Monty, the worst man possible. Not only he disrespects his father, but he is planning to take his place as the CEO of the company through some dirty work, not being afraid to hurt him to death. Luckily, his schemes end one day. Overall, I was lacking emotions, especially around Juan's relationships, felt like the pace of the story was too fast, and some things, especially related to Monty, were a bit exaggerated. But I did enjoy the story, the twists, and the final message. I encourage you to see for yourself. Quotes from this book: “People sometimes need to think there is something greater than them. It makes no sense, but if it makes people feel good, then that's fine.” “Who are you, really?” Then Juan looked closely into the man’s eyes and said, “Are you…?” “I AM,” the man replied before Juan could say another word. Juan’s grin was now a full-fledged smile. “You show up at the most unexpected times.” “I’m always here, Juan, everywhere. Just look into their eyes.” My rating: 3/5. Find it on Goodreads Follow the author on Amazon  Ironic, humorous and ingenious read.
Two Finns meet by chance in an old barn, both intending to commit suicide, each in his own way. Their initial plan fails to materialize. This situation though makes them talk for the following days about their lives and their reasons to end it. They also realize little pleasures they had never noticed. Still, they decide to put an ad in a newspaper for all those who think alike. Surprisingly many people had answered their ad so they had to adjust their plans. They end up organizing a seminar after which some of them decide to commit group suicide, by crashing with a bus into a ravine. Despite what we may think from the title and from the first pages of this book, this is not only about suicidal plans but actually, a hymn to life - which resists despite everything, wants only to find its own way outside conformism. Life is hard but when we meet people that feel the same we may reconsider certain thoughts, decisions. This book is also an invitation to friendship, to sharing, but not the superficial one, the one that really manages to enrich, to give a new perspective, new hopes, desire to live. Type of reader: Fans of contemporary fiction with a touch of sarcasm. My rating: 5/5. Find it on Goodreads Follow the author on Amazon  An interesting read with a promising ending.
Could you travel inside your soul? What if you get trapped in there? Was this a real journey or was it all in Ben's head? After a painful divorce and a cruel desire to leave his ex-wife without any money, Ben went to sleep and due to a strange happening, he woke up in another place. He wasn't in his bedroom anymore but as strange as it may seem he woke up inside his soul. He is told that it's not easy to get out. At first, he doesn't believe a thing but he has no other choice than to continue experiencing what lays in front of him. He even enjoys some gambling at a casino that exists there as it was one of his greatest desire in the real life. The journey contains lots of labyrinths, long corridors, lots of boxes and other more or less interesting stuff, all having their role. The book’s narrative is from three points of views: Ben, Raines, and Leo. Ben is not a character you would love. Arrogant, full of himself, money-oriented kind of person and not at all a pleasant family member. Still, during this process, he has learned a lot and chances are that the change for the better will only continue. His wife, Raines, started a new life after the divorce, moving to another place with her son Leo. It wasn't easy and what I felt crucial in her part of the story was when she learned to forgive her father, hence made forgiveness a part of her mindset. Later on, she will manage to forgive Ben too. From Leo’s part of the story, we see the life of a teenager that faces typical issues including bullying, drugs and the easiness of being able to get a gun and even think of using it. Luckily for all, everything turns out to a happy ending. Each one of them learned its own lessons and their life would be much better in the future. It is an interesting concept with the inside-of-soul traveling with a nice character description. Type of reader: Readers of inspirational contemporary fiction with a touch of paranormal. My favorite quotes from this book: “I am in heaven. My soul is on fire. Nothing could be better than this very moment of time. Swirls of emotion start to rise up through my stomach and into my chest. It kinda feels like opening a million Christmas presents all at once.” “And I realize that life is a cycle of love and forgiveness. In small ways and big. Every day, the sun sets only to rise again. And every day, the ocean tides come in and then out, bringing the ocean waves closer and pushing it backwards, time and again. It’s reconciliation that mends a soul. It keeps us together.” “I have faced the truth. I have endured these last two weeks of my cruel fate with only one thought in mind, I don’t know how much longer I have left to live. And my biggest regret is not that I wish I hadn’t been a smoker, it’s that I should’ve walked into my soul a lot sooner than I did. If only I had known, what I know now.” My rating: 4/5. Find it on Goodreads Follow the author on Amazon  Full title: Who Are You? What Are You Doing Here? Where Are You Going: Discover Your Life Purpose, Fuel Your Inner Fire, and Light Up Your Life
A Must Read! I perceived this book as motivational, informative and useful. Motivation comes from the author’s life experience privately or professional. Informative regarding the numerology system that she uses. Useful as this book can help the reader to find out the answer to the main question that one asks in life. This is a book you wish to have and not only check if your life purpose is in harmony with the way you live it but also as a guide to see if what should be eventually changed. I did all the calculations and read carefully what the numbers were saying. I find it easy to understand, and I was amazed by the accuracy of the details that described me. I shall certainly pick up this book every once in a while to make sure I stay on the path. If you are at a crossroads or just curious finding out more about yourself this is a must-have book. I encourage you to pick up this book and let the author’s words guide you through the process of self-discovery, with powerful thoughts, messages, and advice. Type of reader: This book could interest anyone trying to find his life purpose and how to achieve it with the help of the author’s system based on Chaldean numerology. My rating: 5/5. Find it on Goodreads Follow the author on Amazon  A novel about life, friendship, family, love, and abusive relationships.
Jolie, the main characters, had had a hard past but things don't seem to change much in the present. At an early age, she was left without her mother without any information about the father, the closest family being her aunt May, her cousin Debbie and uncle Mike who was doing time. The traumatic events from her childhood left not only very visible scars on her face but deep emotional ones too. Jolie’s low self-esteem made her be back into a relationship with the abusive, controlling, short-tempered Dave. It was because of love that she accepted him back or at least she thought that. Her decision seemed to be based more on pity, concern, and worry for his life. The story ended a bit too fast so I was left out with some questions. Was she missing out on real love? Is Peter the right one? Will Debbie survive? Who is actually Bernie? To have an answer to all these questions I think the author has a sequel prepared for us. Type of reader: Fans of romance chick-lit genre with a touch of abusive relationships and past traumas and a touch of humor. My rating: 3/5 (Goodreads), 4/5 (Amazon) Find it on Goodreads Follow the author on Amazon |
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Message to you:In order to be a good writer, one has to read a lot. And I do and I love it....and I chose to share my readings with you. Feel free to share with me any of the books you have read or wrote, if I find them interesting I will add them to my list. I'll post my reviews on Goodreads, Amazon and all my social accounts. |
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