Thomas Nelson; 326 pages; $15.99; Buy Link; Blog Tour

Now available to purchase in bookstores is the third installment in the "A Divine Private Detective Agency Mystery" series, titled "Sister Eve and the Blue Nun" by New York Times Best-Selling author Lynne Hinton.

Sister Eve and the Blue Nun centers on Sister Evangeline, a motorcycling-riding nun who has a habit of solving mysteries. As of lately, she has been questioning her faith after learning the archbishop made the decision that priests and nuns cannot live in the same building; leading her to consider leaving what she has called home and joining her family's detective agency.

Of course it seems some of sort of supernatural force is always throwing a mystery her way and that is exactly what happens when Brother Anthony suddenly vanishes during the night; his disappearance may or may not have something to do with Dr. Kelly Middlesworth, a professor who arrived at Sister Maria de Jesus de Agreda to give a presentation.

Coincidence?

Abingdon Press; 320 pages; $14.99; Blog Tour; Buy Link

Book 3 of The Golden Gate Chronicles by Karen Barnett is now available to purchase in bookstores, titled Through the Shadow. You might recall me reviewing book 1, Out of the Ruins on here a year or two ago; though I don't believe I have read the second entry. Nevertheless, I went ahead and read the third installment earlier this month.

Set in 1908 (two years after the big earthquake hit San Francisco), Through the Shadows centers on a young woman named Elizabeth King who is spending her days helping young women escape the brothels in Chinatown, an area of San Francisco where corruption and illegal activities occur.

Elizabeth thought she was the only one that wanted to cleanup the city, well, that is until she meets Charles McKinley, a young attorney who shares the same passion as her. This is a love story, so you can pretty much guess that there are sparks between the two. Sadly, Elizabeth has a few skeletons in her closet that slowly seeps out and jeopardizes her future.

Pocket Books; 560 pages; $7.99; Amazon

I'm going to try to play catch up today starting with my review for The Drafter by the #1 New York Bestselling author, Kim Harrison. The hardcover was released last fall, and the paperback arrived in bookstores last month.

The Drafter is book one in The Peri Reed Chronicles. Set in Detroit in 2030, the novel centers on Peri Reed, a woman with an unique ability to travel back in time briefly. She works for the government as a "Drafter" to alter time/ history; though she typically forgets what she has changed in the past.

Peri's life seems to be going just fine, well, until she learns that her name is on a list of corrupt operatives and that she has been set up by her own agency. The last three years of her life has been erased from her memory. Now she must go on the run, and use her "Drafter" abilities to set things right.

The paperback features a 65-page prequel called "Sideswiped."

Bethany House; 400 pages; Buy Link; Blog Tour

Now available to buy in bookstores from Bethany House Publishing is the latest novel by Becky Wade, titled Her One and Only.

The novel centers on center on the NFL superstar Gray Fowler, who has been receiving death threats from a obsessed stalker, which results in him hiring a protection agency to protect him. Unfortunately, this means he must deal with bodyguards 24/7, and he has to practically put his entire life on hold until the stalker is caught.

This brings in the beautiful, former Marine Dru Porter as one of Gray's bodyguards. She has a black belt and is an expert with a gun, but her faith is lacking ever since her last mission turned into a disaster. Now she is trying to pick up the pieces and somehow save her career.

The last thing that neither Gray or Dru were looking for was a romance, but as they spend more time with each the other, the more the sparks fly. Yes, this causes a bit of a problem as Dru isn't allowed to develop a relationship with her clients.

Broadway Books; 352 pages; Amazon

Wow, this year is really going flying by. It seems like it was yesterday when I signed up to review Brooklyn On Fire: A Mary Handley Mystery by Lawrence H. Levy,  but actually it was back in January. I was originally going to read the book right away, but sadly that wasn't how thing worked out, as here I am writing the review for it in May.

Set in 1890, Brooklyn On Fire centers on the private detective Mary Handley, who is just settling into her office when she is presented with a new mystery to solve. Out of nowhere, Emily Worsham comes into her life looking someone to help find her uncle's murderer. And of course, Mary is on the case, but there is one catch - Emily's uncle died over twenty years ago.

Most detectives would probably turn down such a case, but Mary is up for the challenge To unravel the mystery, she must unveil scandals and political corruption inside the New York's elite.

Many older books are being released to ebook formats, which happens to be the case for the One Pink Rose by Julie Garwood, book one in the The Clayborne Bride series. The novella was originally published back in 1997, but now it's being released as an ebook by Pocket Star EBooks on May 9, 2016. It will be available to purchase on S&S, BAM, IBOOKSTORE, KINDLE, NOOK and GOOGLE PLAY.

Set in Montana in 1880, One Pink Rose centers on Travis, the youngest of the Clayborne brothers, who gets talked into escorting a young woman, Emily Finnegan, to Golden Crest, Montana.

Emily is a mail-order bride, who plans on starting a new life in Montana; though she doesn't plan on falling in love with a stranger. Unfortunately, this is a love story, so you can pretty much guess what happens between her and Travis.

Final Thoughts: I have seen the author's titles in bookstores, but this is the first time I have read one of her works. While the main plot is a little cliched, One Pink Rose still is a decent read. All the characters are likeable and the blossoming romance feels believable. Overall, One Pink Rose is a cute, fast-paced read that should entertain all romance readers.

Make sure to keep an eye out for the other Clayborne Bride novellas from Pocket Star EBooks. One White Rose will be released on June 13th. One Red Rose will be released on July 11th!


*Disclaimer - I received a complimentary copy in exchange for my unbiased review. All opinions are my own.

Harvest House; 224 pages; Blog Tour; Buy Link

Now available to purchase in bookstores in paperback as well as on most ebook formats is the new mystery thriller "The Bachelor Girl's Guide to Murder" by Rachel McMillan.

In a cross between a Sherlock Holmes adventure and an Agatha Christie mystery, The Bachelor Girl's Guide to Murder is set in Toronto in the year 1910, where two women, Merinada Herringford and Jem Watts, decide to get into the detective business to help solve the deaths of several young Irish women.

Trying to find clues deep inside the city's underbelly is a bit difficult to do, they must enlist the help of a reporter, Rey DeLuca, and a police constable, Jasper Forth, if they are to unravel the mastermind plot behind the murders.

32 pages; $3.99; Amazon

There is no better time than the present to get your kids into reading with the I Can Read! books, a series that has five different reading levels:

My First - ideal for sharing with emergent readers.
1 - simple sentences for eager new readers.
2 - high-interest stories for developing readers.
3 - complex plots for confident readers.
4 - the perfect bridge to chapter books.

Now available in bookstores from ZonderKidz is the picture book The Princess Twins and the Tea Party by author Mona Hodgson with pictures by Julie Olson.

The Princess Twins and the Tea Party centers on Emma and Abby, twin princess with big imaginations. Princess Emma is excited that today is Spring Tea Day, in which their friends will be coming over to their home for tea.

Everything has to be just perfect for tea party. Princess Emma double-checks to make sure the cakes have enough sugar in them, the table is set correctly and that the perfect tea is going to be used.

ZonderKidz; $16.99; 32 pages; Amazon

I don't normally pay too attention to new books that are written for girls, but I have a much younger cousin, so I thought I would keep my eye out on any new titles which she might enjoy. When I saw that The Princess Twins and the Birthday Party was available to review through BookLook Bloggers, I eagerly signed up to review it.

Written by Mona Hodgson and published by ZonderKidz as an "I can Read!" series (1 - Beginning Reading), The Princess Twins and the Birthday Party centers on Emma and Abby, twin sisters who are princesses, and today is their birthday!

Emma and Abby hop out of bed, both excited about their big day. They pick out the prettiest dresses, put on their crowns, and head downstairs to eat breakfast with their parents. Then the twins help set things up for their birthday party, like name cards, etc..

Before long, their friends arrive carring presents for the twins. Everyone seems to be having a great time, well, all except for Emma's friend Beth, who has vanished from the party. Where did Emma go?

Secret Brother
The Dollanganger Family Series
by V.C. Andrews
Publisher: Pocket Books
Pub. Date: May 26th, 2015
ISBN: 978-1476792408
Pages: 384
Buy Link: Amazon

Review:

In 1979, the Gothic novel Flowers in the Attic by V.C. Andrews was published, causing a slue of backlash from libraries, schools and parents. Despite the taboo incest theme, the story about a four siblings being locked in a bedroom & attic by their mother and grandmother became a worldwide sensation. Three sequels (Petals on the Wind, If There Be Thorns & Seeds of Yesterday) were later published. Sadly, V.C. Andrews passed away before she could finished the prequel novel Garden of Shadows, but the publishers and Andrews' family picked Andrew Neiderman to ghostwrite the novel, as well as every V.C. Andrews title since then.

Fans thought the series had ended with Garden of Shadows until the semi-sequel Christopher's Diary: Secrets of Foxworth was released last fall and quickly followed by Christopher's Diary: Echoes of Dollanganger, in which a long-distant cousin stumbles upon the diary of Christopher Dollanganger.

Arriving on in bookstores next week is the direct sequel to Flowers in the Attic (or a side-prequel to the Christopher's Diary duo). The novel begins in late October 1960 and centers on sixteen-year-old Clara Sue Sanders, whom, along with her little brother, Willie, has been living with their Grandpa Arnold every since their parents died in a tragic accident. One afternoon, Clara Sue is startled by the commotion outside - a drunk driver had hit her brother and his nanny, Myra. While the paramedics did everything they could, Willie was gone before the ambulance arrived at the hospital.

Grief-stricken, Clara Sue must stay in the waiting room by her grandfather's side while the doctors work on Myra. This is when they learn that young boy had been dropped off at the and left at the hosptial by a stranger. The boy is undernourished and had been poisoned with arsenic. (Sounds familiar, doesn't it?)

Before funeral plans for Willie are even made, Grandpa Arnold is determined to find out whom this little boy is. Due to the arsenic, the boy has neurological damage as well as the loss of motor skills; leaving him unable to communicate and walk. Grandpa Arnold hires a detective to find out who dropped the the boy off, but he finds nothing.

The Evil of Oz
by Ryan Fuller
Illustrator: Sanjana Baijnath
Publisher: CreateSpace Independent Publishing Platform
Pub. Date: April 7, 2015
ISBN: 978-1493517046
Pages: 108
Buy Link: Amazon

Review:

Since The Wonderful Wizard of Oz was first published in 1900, people of all ages have been fascinated with the Oz world. Though L. Frank Baum only published 14 Oz titles before his death, there have been several other authors that continued to write more installments over the years. Recently, the Oz has been published as comic books and graphic novels.

A few weeks ago, I was sent a copy of the graphic novel The Evil of Oz, which is written by Ryan Fuller with illustrations by Sanjana Baijnath. No, this isn't another sequel written for kids, but instead it's a dark and twisted sequel written for adults.

The Evil of Oz finds young Dorothy Gale coming home to find her uncle and aunt murdered. The police thinks they were killed by a random intruder, but Dorothy knows otherwise. If she hadn't worn the silver slippers when she went out, the murderer could have taken the shoes. She grabs the bloody ax that killed her family and she returns to Oz on a quest for revenge!

Oz isn't the wonderful place that she remembered. As soon as she arrives she encounters zombie munchkins, a heart ripper Tin Man and a bloody thirsty Beast King. Not even Oz himself can prepare Dorothy for the horrors that awaits her.

A Heart's Danger
Journey of the Heart, book 3
by Colleen Coble
Publisher: Thomas Nelson
Pub. Date: May 5, 2015
ISBN: 978-0718031664
Pages: 101
Buy Link: http://bit.ly/1G01e4s
Blog Tour: http://litfusegroup.com/author/ccoble

Review:

Every since I started blogging, I have been exposed to many new and great authors, including Christian author Colleen Coble. This year, Thomas Nelson has been releasing her six-part Journey of the Heart series. I loved reading the first books in the series, A Heart's Disguise and A Heart's Obsession, so I was eagerly excited to read the third installment A Heart's Danger this morning.

Let me give you a quick update from the previous books. Sarah Montgomery had been raising her younger brother Joel and taking care of their ill father. She was in a relationship with Rand Campbell, but he was presumed dead during the Civil War. Eventually, she promised to marry Ben Croftner, but it turns out that Ben had lied about Rand being dead, so of course she dumped him. Rand returns to marry Sarah and take her with him to Wyoming, but Sarah won't leave her father's side, so Rand leaves her.

After her father's death, Sarah fears what life would be like for Joel in the hands of their older brother. She packs their bags and takes Joel to Fort Laramie, where Rand is stationed. To her surprise, Rand is already engaged to Jessica. To make things worse, Ben follows her to the fort.

A Heart's Danger finds Sarah's Indian friend, Morning Star, leaving the Fort and rejoining her people. Sarah tries to live a new life without Rand, but she cannot deny her feelings for him.

Tox-Sick: From Toxic to Not Sick
by Suzanne Summers
Publisher: Harmony
Pub. Date: April 14, 2015
ISBN: 978-0385347723
Pages: 384
Buy Link: Amazon

Review:

While many people know Suzanne Summers as Chrissy Snow from the 70s' television series Three's Company and as Carol Foster-Lambert from the 90s' television series Step-by-Step, a few might not be aware that she is also a bestselling author of many nonfiction books. Her newest novel Tox-Sick: From Toxic to Not Sick just hit bookstores last month and has been featured on many programs, including The O'Reilly Factor.

Sadly, many people don't pay attention to what ingredients that are in the food that they digest as this can be a big factor to many healthy problems, such as allergies, sinuses, weight gain, headaches, depression, fatigue, heartburn, etc.. Most of the aliments are caused by the harmful toxins that we put into our bodies.

Suzanne Summers interviews six doctors (Dr. Nicholas Gonzalez, Dr. Sherry Rogers, Dr. Richie Shoemaker, Dr. Walter Crinnion, Dr. Stephen Sinatra and Dr. Garry Gordon), asking them all tough questions of why we're all having health issues and how we can prevent them.

Beauty's Kingdom
by Anne Rice
writing as A.N. Roquelaure
Publisher: Viking
Pub. Date: April 21, 2015
ISBN: 978-0525427995
Pages: 368
Buy Link: Amazon

Review:

Anne Rice is known for blood thirsty Vampire Chronicles novels and the bewitching Mayfair Witches, but she also wrote the Sleeping Beauty trilogy under the pseudonym A. N. Roquelaure. Now the trilogy wasn't a Disney fairy tale, as the author put an erotic twist to the story. It's been 30 years since the third book, Beauty's Release, was published and now Anne Rice has returned to her erotic BDSM world with the long awaited sequel Beauty's Kingdom.

Beauty's Kingdom takes place 20 years after the trilogy. Queen Eleanor is presumed dead, leaving Beauty and her prince, Laurent, to take control of the kingdom. Beauty's plan is to continue the same sensual surrender that made Queen Eleanor's reign a legend, but with a slight twist - all erotic servitude must be voluntary only.

While the new kingdom's rules might be shocking to some, others (princes, princesses, lords, etc.) travel across the lands to witness and participate in the erotic paradise.

Not Cool
The Hipister Elite And Their War On You
by Greg Gultfield
Publisher: Crown Forum
Pub. Date: March 17, 2015
ISBN: 978-0804138550
Pages: 272
Buy Link: Amazon

About the Book:

Behind every awful, dangerous decision lurks one evil beast: the Cool.  

From politics to the personal, from fashion to food, from the campus to the locker room, the desire to be cool has infected  all aspects of our lives. At its most harmless, it is annoying. At its worst, it is deadly, on a massive scale.  The Cool are the termites of life, infiltrating every nook and cranny and destroying it from within. The Cool report the news, write the scripts, teach our children, run our government—and each day they pass judgment on those who don’t worship at the altar of their coolness.  The cool fawn over terrorists, mock the military, and denigrate employers. They are, in short, awful people.

From what we wear and what we eat, to what we smoke and who we poke, pop culture is crafted and manipulated by the cool and, to Greg Gutfeld, that's Not Cool.

How do the cool enslave you? By convincing you that:
- If you don't agree with them no one will like you.
- If you don't follow them you will miss out on life.
- If you don't listen to them you will die a lonely loser

How do you vanquish the cool and discover your own true self? Read this book.


Review:

I tend to ignore political-humor titles as they don't really intrigue me; however, I do occasionally catch a few minutes of The Five on the Fox News Channel, which the author, Greg Gutfield, here happens to be one of the hosts. That being said, I thought I would give his newest book, Not Cool, a try.

A Heart's Obsession
Journey of the Heart, Book Two
by Colleen Coble
Publisher: Thomas Nelson
Pub. Date: April 7, 2015
ISBN: 978-0718031657
Pages: 103
Blog Tour: http://litfusegroup.com/author/ccoble
Buy Link: http://bit.ly/1PsjoPR

Review:

One of my favorite Christian authors is Colleen Coble, whom just released the second installment in her new 6-part series, Journey of the Heart, titled A Heart's Obsession.

Book One, A Heart's Disguise, left Sarah Montgomery in dismay as her thought-to-be-dead love, Rand Campbell, returned home with caused several issues for her suitor Ben Croftner, especially since Ben told everyone that Rand died in the war. Despite everything, Rand wanted her to go with him to Wyoming, but she denied his request. Feeling hurt and rejected, Rand leaves for Fort Laramie and promises himself that he'll never love again.

After tragedy strikes, Sarah and her younger brother Joel are left in the hands of their older brother Wade, who has major anger issues. Fearful of what will happened to Joel if they stay, Sarah packs their bags and takes Joel to Fort Laramie in the hope that she can patch things up with Rand. Shockingly upon arriving, Sarah learns that Rand is already engaged to another woman, but she isn't ready to give up just yet. Until Rand is officially married, she'll find a way to win back his heart.

Don't Stay Up Late
A Fear Street Novel
by R.L. Stine
Publisher: St. Martin's Griffin
Pub. Date: April 7, 2015
ISBN: 9781250051622
Pages: 304
Buy Link: Amazon

Review:
 
It's almost hard to imagine that the Fear Street series by R.L. Stine first started in 1989! I was an eight-year-old back then and I didn't start reading the series until several years later. I believe the first book that I read in the series was Fear Street Cheerleaders: The First Evil.

The Fear Street series was extremely successful with teens throughout the 90s', but the fad disappeared quickly that is until R.L. Stine brought the series back last year with Party Games. The second novel in the new series is arriving in bookstores on April 7th and is titled Don't Stay Up Late! As you can see by the cover, the book has an 80s' horror vibe to it.

Don't Stay Up Late centers on Lisa Brooks, a teen that almost loses everything in one single car crash. After mending her wounds, she returns to Shadyside High and reunites with her boyfriend Nate and her friends Saralynn and Isaac. While the guys plan on helping Saralynn make a horror movie for her film project for school, Lisa searches for an after-school job to help her mother pay the bills.

Thanks to her shrink, Dr. Shein, Lisa gets a job babysitting Brenda Hart's eight-year-old son, Harry. There's only one rule to follow, Harry is not allowed to stay up late. Of course, Lisa thinks absolutely nothing about this rule, that is until she sees a strange green creature in the Hart's house. Of course everyone, including her shrink thinks she's crazy, but when a few murders occur, Lisa is convinced that there's a creature on the loose on Fear Street.

How to Catch a Prince
The Royal Wedding Series
by Rachel Hauck
Publisher: Zondervan
Pub. Date: February 24, 2015
ISBN: 978-0310315544
Pages: 368
Buy Link: http://bit.ly/1BD8DVo
Blog Tour: http://litfusegroup.com/author/rhauck

Review:

Before I started blogging, I would have probably ignored a Royal Wedding theme in it, but I have taken a chance on many intriguing authors and I'm glad that I did read the first two books in the series, Once Upon a Prince and Princess Ever After by Rachel Hauck.

Over the weekend, I had the privilege of reading the third installment, How to Catch a Prince, which centers on an American heiress Corina Del Rey, who spends her days as a journalist. She was briefly married to a prince, but it quickly ended in an annulment. To this very day, she has kept her marriage a secret to everyone in her life. Her brother had died overseas during the war, but there is something about his death that doesn't make any sense to her. Corina puts her journalist skills to use as she starts her own investigation.

Prince Stephen of Brighton might be one of the worlds most eligible bachelors and a star rugby player, but he can no longer hide a deep secret from his past - his brief marriage to Corina Del Rey. When his days in the Royal Air Command come back to haunt him, he unexpectedly runs into Corina and all those old feelings come running back.