Irish Meadows
Courage to Dream, book one
by Susan Anne Mason
Publisher: Bethany House
Pub. Date: July 7, 2015
ISBN: 978-0764217241
Pages: 384
Blog Tour: http://litfusegroup.com/author/smason
Buy Link: http://bit.ly/1Mi7dDS

Review:

I've been reading up a storm lately as I've been trying my best to get caught up on reading books that have been piled up on my desk for several months; though somehow I've sneaked in enough time to read the newer titles for a few blog tours, including Irish Meadows by Susan Anne Mason.

Set in the early 1900s in Long Island, New York, Irish Meadows centers on Brianna and Colleen O'Leary, two sisters whom are both being pressured by their immigrant father, James, to marry into a rich family, so there would be a prosperous future for their horse farm.

Both sisters have their opinions of what they should do with their lives. Brianna dreams of attending college one day and has no plans on marrying. Colleen doesn't mind getting married as long as she marries for the right reasons and not just for the fact that her father wants to a rich son-in-law.

However, James O'Leary plans for his daughters become in jeopardy when a former stable hand, Gilbert Whelan, returns from business school and takes an interest in Brianna. Then things get worse when Colleen falls for Ryan Montgomery, a young man who is starting his seminary training.

The Patmos Deception
by Davis Bunn
Publisher: Bethany House
Pub. Date: November 4, 2014
ISBN: 978-0764211393
Pages: 336
Buy Link: Amazon

Review:

I'm continuing my quest to cleanup my desk, which means reviewing the pile of books that have been collecting dust for several months.  One of these books is titled by The Patmos Deception by Davis Bunn. Typically, I don't read adventure-type books, but I had heard great things about the author and I wanted to try one of his books.

The Patmos Deception centers on a young woman, Carey Mathers, whom travels to Greece to start a new job as well as a new life. She had studied forensic archeology and she is now using her knowledge to work at the Athens Institute for Antiquities.

Out of nowhere an old friend, Nick Hennessy, a Texas journalist, asks for her help in his investigation behind the disappearance of an invaluable Grecian antiquities, which leads them both to team up with Dmitri Rubinos. After unraveling all the clues, they find that the truth behind the mystery lies near the island of Patmos.

Desperate Measures
by Sandra Orchard
Publisher: Revell
Release Date: June 2, 2015
ISBN: 978-0800722241
Pages: 368
Buy Link: Amazon

Review:

I'm going to try and catch up on book reviews over the next few weeks starting with this review of Desperate Measures by Sandra Orchard, which I should have written and posted last month. I have a bad habit of judging a book by its cover, which is what occurred when I signed up to review this book. I liked the cover and decided to give it a try without knowing it was book three in the Port Aster Secrets series.

Desperate Measures centers on a herbal research scientist Kate Adams, whom has finally found the so-called "miracle plant" amendoso from Columbia that has haunted her family for years. Her hope is that the unraveling of the mystery will help her learn the truth behind her father's disappearance.

Unable to trust anyone, including her co-workers, she turns once again to Detective Tom Parker for help, whom is already on the case of a missing teen that coincidentally is connected to the "miracle plant." Kate must risk her life and her relationship with Tom to find out the truth once and for all.

Two Roads Home
A Chicory Inn Novel, book two
by Deborah Raney
Publisher: Abingdon Press
Pub. Date: June 2, 2015
ISBN: 978-1426770418
Pages: 304
Blog Tour: http://litfusegroup.com/author/draney
Buy Link: http://bit.ly/1BdaEcG

Review:

The last few weeks have been a bit hectic for me as I had to remove the carpet from a bedroom that was ruined by rainwater and now I'm patching up any cracks/holes in the concrete floor before I put down a tile flooring. However, I've squeezed in enough time to read a few new books, including Two Roads Home by Deborah Raney.

Two Roads Home centers on Grant and Audrey Whitman, whom are dealing with several setbacks while trying to run their bed & breakfast. To make matters worse, there far more problems for their daughter, Corinne, and their son-in-law, Jesse.

While their marriage was wonderful at first, Jesse's obsessed with his job and the countless business trips, not to mention the harassment from a co-worker, has put damper on their marriage & their children. Neither one of them are happy in their marriage. With both of them lacking faith in marriage and in God, they'll have to find away to find happiness again.

Maximum Ride Forever
Maximum Ride, book 9
by James Patterson
Publisher: Little, Brown and Company
Pub. Date: 400
ISBN: 978-0316207508
Pages: 400
Buy Link: Amazon

Review:

The bestselling crime novel author, James Patterson, dazzled young reader with Maximum Ride: The Angel Experiment (the reboot of his previous adult books -  When the Wind Blows and The Lake House) in 2005. This was followed by a series of sequels, which the later installments received mixed to negative feedback from fans and critics, especially with how the final installment Nevermore: The Final Maximum Ride Adventure ended in 2012.

Mr. Patterson or Little, Brown & Company must have listened to the fans as new "final" sequel (the ninth book in the series) was released last month, titled Maximum Ride Forever!

A the end of Nevermore, the world was destroyed, leaving only mutants to rule the world. Maximum Ride Forever centers on the aftermath of the apocalypse, which Max and her flock have survived, but sadly Dr. Martinez and Ella didn't make it. Believing it is safe to leave their island, the flock heads to the mainlands to search for survivors, but are attached by a new group of mutants - Cryenas, which leads to the death of one of their own.

Eventually the flock splits up - Max heads to Russia;  Iggy and Gasman go to Pennsylvania; and Fang heads to California. The flock must take on a new enemy  - the Remedy and his Horseman creation, whom wants to finish destroying what is left of the world.

Hearts Made Whole
by Jody Hedlund
Publisher: Bethany House
Pub. Date: June 2, 2015
ISBN: 978-0764212383
Pages: 384
Buy Link: http://bit.ly/1eN4pC8
Blog Tour: http://litfusegroup.com/author/jhedlund

Review:

While I've never read the first book (Love Unexpected) in the Beacons Of Hope series, I have read a few of the author's other works, which is one of the reasons why I wanted to review this book.

Set in 1865, Hearts Made Whole centers on Caroline Taylor, a young woman who took over running the Windmill Point Lighthouse after her father passed away. A woman running any sort of operation in Michigan during this time is a little odd, which is what the lighthouse inspector believes as he appoints a new keeper - Ryan Chambers.

Ryan is a Civil War Veteran whom took the light keeper job on the single fact that he would be isolated from others. Little did he know that the current keeper, Caroline, is extremely upset for losing her job and her home. He also didn't know it was so difficult to run a lighthouse, something that enrages Caroline.

Of course this is a love story, so you know what happens next - Caroline and Ryan start to have feelings for each other.

Angel
Maximum Ride, book seven
Publisher: Little, Brown and Company
Pub. Date: February 14, 2011
ISBN: 978-0316036207
Pages: 291
Buy Link: Amazon

Review:

Yeah, by now you're probably seeing that I'm catching up on my writings by posting all these reviews on the Maximum Ride series. 

Well, anyway, book seven (Angel) picks up a week after Fang decided to leave the flock, leaving our dear poor Max a total mess as he was in love with him. She has a difficult time picking up the pieces, especially when Dylan sorta has a crush on her as he did attempt to kiss her. Jeb and Dr. Gunther-Hagen tell Max that she is lead a new generation of mutants, the Gen 77.

Fang is doing just fine on his own. He has recruited his own team (flock) of mutants - Ratchet, Star, Kate, Starfish and Maya (Max II)

While Max & her flock head for Gen 77 headquarters, they quickly learn that the Gen 77 kids were created to kill off mankind as they are part of the Doomsday Group. Max and the other try to defend themselves, but the Gen 77 are just too strong for them.

Max has no other choice, but seek the help of Fang & his flock to stop the Doomsday Group before a disaster strikes.

Fang
Maximum Ride, Book 6
by James Patterson
Publisher: Little, Brown and Company
Pub. Date: March 10, 2010
ISBN: 978-0316036191
Pages: 336
Buy Link: Amazon

Review:

As you can see this is my second Maximum Ride review that I've posted today, which is in my attempt to catch up on a few posts on here. I've been disappointed with the last few novels as Mr. Patterson decided to force the global warming/environmental issue down the reader's throats. I mean I have nothing against the author's personal beliefs, but the plots of the last two novels suffered because of it.

Book 6, finds the Max and her flock still part of the Coalition to Stop the Madness, but this time their  on a missionary assignment in Chad, where the meet Dr. Hans and his bird/human creation, Dylan. Dr. Hans plans on using the flock as template to make the human race envolve. Of course Max won't have anything to do with his plans, forcing her to take the flock to their old hideout, the E house. There the flock try to have a normal life by home schooling and celebrating her upcoming birthday, but the Erasers are once again on their trail.

Max and Fangs's realtionship moves forward, but it puts a dampier on the flock, whom agree that Max should leave them. Angel takes over as the new leader of the flock, while Max and Fang leave for Las Vegas. The flock is all unware that the Dr. Hans is watching their every move and he plans on experimenting on them.

Max
Maximum Ride, book 5
by James Patterson
Publisher: Little, Brown and Company
Pub. Date: March 16, 2009
ISBN: 978-0316002899
Pages: 320
Buy Link: Amazon

Review:

After being extermely disappointed with the book 4 in the Maximum Ride series (The Final Warning), as did other fans and critics, I delayed reading the fifth installment, Max, until last week. 2009 was actually not the best year for me as my grandmother died that December and she was a huge James Patterson fan, which is another reason why it took me so long to read this.

Book 5 finds Max and her flock participating in air shows to help spread the message about Coalition to Stop the Madness, an environmental awareness group. While performing in Los Angeles, the flock is attacked by an assassin, whom self-destructs before they can learn of his identity. Later in Mexico City the flock is one again attacked, but this time it's against 60 bionic human ninjas (M-Geeks)!

After Max is injured, she agrees (more like forced) that her flock should attend the school for the gifted; hoping that they'll now be safe. Just as they get settled in, Max receives word that her mother, Dr. Martinez, has been kidnapped; all of which leads Max on a sub expedition off the coast of Hawaii in search for her.