AMAZON

Yes, I'm well aware that is Christmas is officially over. So why I am reviewing a Christmas themed romance novel?

Well, I actually read this book a few weeks ago and my originally attention was to have my review posted on either Christmas Eve or Christmas Day. Things didn't go as planned, but nevertheless, here I am writing my review for it.

His Promise (Avon Inspire; 352 pages; $7.99) is the sixth installment in the In Hart County series by Shelley Shepard Gray, who has written many novels set in the Amish world, which is one of my favorite genres to read.

The novel is centered around Grace King, a young woman who finds herself pet-sitting a dachshund named Snooze for two weeks near Christmastime. Coincidentally, John Michael Miller happens to live next door, a fireman who had courted and broke her older sister's heart five years ago. As guess you can say Grace is pretty upset with John for what he did to her sister. However, Grace doesn't know that John broke up with her sister because he had realized he was actually in love with her.

Several suspicious fires occur across the county and John is determined to keep Grace safe, even if she doesn't want his protection.

Final Thoughts

AMAZON

I no longer even attempt to keep up with all the new YA books that are being published, as there are just way too many new titles out there. The only reason why I even knew Girls of Paper and Fire by Natasha Ngan even existed is because I happened to see it listed on author James Patterson's website. And, no, he's not a co-author of this book, but the title is published under his Jimmy Patterson children's book company, which is a division of Little, Brown and Company.

Girls of Paper and Fire (336 pages; $18.99) is set in a fantasy world that's a mixture of Malaysian and Chinese culture. The main character is Lei, a Paper Caste (a human) from the oppressed class in Ikhara. She is kidnapped by a kingdom guard that presents her as a gift to the Bull King, a Moon Caste (a full demon), so she can become the King's mistress.

Despite the cruel world she has been placed in, Lei finds the courage to fight back against the kingdom.

Final Thoughts

Broadway Books; 313 pages; $15

I'm always a sucker for a good mystery, which is one of the reasons why I wanted to review the book Last Stop In Brooklyn: A Mary Handley Mystery by Lawrence H. Levy. It's a sequel to Second Street Station and Brooklyn On Fire.

Set in 1894, Last Stop In Brooklyn centers on Mary Handley, a private detective who finds herself traveling to Coney Island on an "adultery" case. Out of the blue, Mary is approached by a man requesting her to help her brother who was convicted of killing a prostitute in a New York hotel room.

Of course, Mary agrees to take on the case, which leads her to Thomas Byrnes, the New York City detective that swears he put the right killer behind bars. As she digs deeper in the case, the more she believes that Jack the Ripper could possible be the real killer.

Mary will have to team up with reporter Harper Lloyd and a few others, as she tries to unravel the murder mystery.

Broadway Books; 308 pages; Amazon

Typically, I don't read a book right away after receiving a review copy, but that wasn't the case with Long Black Veil by Jennifer Finney Boylan. The book arrived in the mail on Tuesday afternoon and I ended up reading several chapters that night. I had the story on my mind throughout that night, so I finished reading it yesterday morning.

Long Black Veil is a murder mystery thriller that spans over thirty-five-years. It all began in 1980 when six college friends (Jon Casey, Rachel Steinberg, Masie Lenfest, Tripper Pennypacker, Wailer Curtin, and Quentin Pheaney), a boy (Lenny Lenfest), and a college professor (Nathan Krystal) went inside the abandoned Eastern State Penitentiary in Pennsylvania in the middle of the night. They only wanted to take a look around the supposedly "haunted" prison, but they ended up staying the entire night, as someone traps them inside the place. Eight people went inside the prison, but only seven come out the next morning.

Thirty-five-years later, a body is found inside a prison cell's wall and the prime suspect is celebrity chef John Casey. As the media gets a hold of the story, the remaining survivors of the1980 incident come aware that one of their friends died that night. If Casey is innocent, then who is the murderer?

The answer to the truth might lie within Judith, a fifty-something journalist who knows a bit too much about what occurred that miserable summer night in 1980.

The paperback edition has a Reader's Guide and a few recipes in the back of the book.

Zondervan; 333 pages; Amazon

I have a bad habit of signing up to review books just because it's set around the Amish. Yes, I do like reading Amish fiction, but there are good ones and then there are the ones that aren't so great. I keep telling myself to try a different genre, but here I am reviewing the book A Place At Our Table by Amy Clipston, and as you have probably have guessed, it's an Amish romance tale.

Set in Lancaster County, Pennsylvania, the novel centers on two main characters - Kayla Dienner and Jamie Riehl. Kayla has had her handful trying to stop her younger brother, Nathan, from becoming a firefighter. Their older brother had died in a fire and she'll do anything to keep Nathan safe and sound. The last thing she has on her mind right now is love, but this is a romance story. Isn't it?

When Jamie Riehl isn't busy working on his family's farm, he's volunteering at the local fire department. Shortly after meeting Kayla, he starts to fall in love with her. However, her feelings aren't exactly the same, as she trying to protect herself from getting hurt.