Rules of Murder
A Drew Farthering Mystery
By Julianna Deering
Publisher: Bethany House
Pub. Date: August 1, 2013
ISBN: 978-0764210952
Pages: 336


In the style of Agatha Christie's classic mysteries, comes Rules of Murder, book one in A Drew Farthering Mystery series by Julianna Deering.

Drew Farthering has always loved reading a good mystery, especially the books by his favorite detective author, Ronald Knox. Little did he realize that he would be thrown into a real murder mystery when returns to his family home n Hampshire, England, where his mother and stepfather are throwing a party on the grounds of their country estate. The estate is filled with interesting guests, including the lovely and intelligent American, Madeline Parker, who happens to be his stepfather's niece.

Suddenly, one of the guests ends up dead. Don't forget this is the early 1900s, so there are no cell phones to call for the authorities. Like the game Clue, Drew Farthering plans on finding the murderer himself, but it isn't going to be easy, as no one wants to confess to the crime.

Luckily, Madeline was with him when the murder occurred, so he can rule her out as a prime suspect. Using the murder guidelines he learned from reading Knox's books, Drew along with his best-friend, Nick, (the family's butler's son) plan on unraveling the mystery before someone else ends up dead.

The Tutor's Daughter
By Julie Klassen
Publisher: Bethany House
Pub. Date: January 1, 2013
ISBN: 978-0764210693
Pages: 416

Review:

November may be the start of the holiday season for people, but this month is book review catch up for me, as I have a pile of books sitting on my desk that have been read, but are in dire need of reviews. I read The Tutor's Daughter back in December, but I got sidetracked; therefore I had to reread the book this month to refresh my memory.

In the style of Jane Eyre, The Tutor's Daughter find Emma Smallwood helping her father run a boarding school for boys called The Smallwood Academy ever since her mother passed away two years earlier, but the academy is collapsing because of the lack of students. To make matters worse, her father suffers from melancholic.

A few years prior to the Academy's fallout, two of the Weston's sons attended the school. Emma writes to the Weston family asking them if they are in need of a tutor for their children. The Weston reply back and before long Emma and her father head to the cliff-top manor in Cornwall to tutor the two youngest Weston children.

It seems like there have been many WWII themed books being released, in which I have read several romance novels with a WWII background this year. Snow on the Tulips had an interesting cover, so I decided to sign up to review it. At first glance, I thought this would be another cliché Christian romance novel, but I was completely wrong, instead I got an intense war drama, though there is some romance in it.

Gunpowder Tea
The Brides Of Last Chance Ranch Series
By Margaret Brownley
Publisher: Thomas Nelson
Pub. Date: October 8, 2013
ISBN: 978-1595549723
Pages: 328
Buy Link: http://ow.ly/pS1iy
Blog Tour: http://litfusegroup.com/author/mbrownley

Review:


In the third installment in The Brides of Last Chance Ranch series, Gunpowder Tea finds the Pinkerton agent Miranda Hunt taking on one of the biggest cases of her career - tracking and capturing the notorious outlaw called the Phantom, who has been spotted near the Last Chance Ranch.

Luckily, she finds a way to sneak onto the ranch when she discovers a classified ad for an heiress at the Last Chance Ranch! This is the prefect cover she has been waiting for. She takes the identity of Annie Beckman and begins her investigation, which isn't as easy as she first thought. She doesn't know exactly what the Phantom looks like, so every man she comes across is a suspect.

Unknowing to Miranda, a Wells Fargo detective, Jeremy Taggart, is also undercover, using the name Branch and he is also searching for the Phantom. He is unaware of whom Miranda is and that he is on her suspect list.

Last Light
A Restoration Novel, Book One
By Terri Blackstock
Publisher: Zondervan
Pub. Date: September 3, 2013 (Reprint)
ISBN: 978-0310337782
Pages: 400

Review:

First published in 2005, the first book in the Restoration series, Last Light, was re-released last month. In a cross between the Left Behind book series and the television series Revolution, author Terri Blackstock brings her own take on the "end of the world" plot when Birmingham, Alabama loses all power, jamming the streets with vehicles because the engines won't start. Airplanes shut down and fall from the sky. All technology no longer works, as cell phones, computers, televisions and radios go completely silent.

Has an alien invasion occurred? Is terrorist responsible? 

The people who depended on high-technology are now facing the most dangerous crises the planet has ever had - darkness.

Morgan Kane: Without Mercy
By Louis Masterson
Publisher: WR Films Entertainment Group, Inc
Pub. Date: November 7, 2011
ASIN: B0064GMRSW
Pages: 126

Review:

From the dime novels of the late 1800s to the Louis L'Amour paperbacks of the 1950s - 1980s, the wild west novels (and movies) were extremely popular, but over the years the genre has been slowly disappearing, though you can occasionally find a new western release, but not as many as there use to be.

Recently I received a limited edition paperback (for reviewers only) of Morgan Kane: Without Mercy from the publisher. The book was first published in 1966 in Norway by Louis Masterson (real name is Kjell Hallbing), the first of a 41 book series. In 2011, WR Films Entertainment Group, Inc. bought the rights and began releasing the series as eBooks in America. There is also a feature film adaptation in the works based on the franchise with the working title Morgan Kane: The Legend Begins.

In Without Mercy, Morgan Kane was once known as the gunfighter "El Gringo" when he rode with the gang lead by “El Coyote," but he left the gang and became a Texas Ranger in 1881. Now, Morgan finds himself in St. Louis playing one of his favorite past times - poker. Despite having a natural talent for gambling, he loses several thousands of dollars and suspects the three other players might be cheating, but without any evidence there is nothing for him to do.

Besides gambling, Morgan's other weakness is women and he happens to meet a beautiful woman, Alison, while on a train headed to Springfield, where he is to report back to Fort Worth. He works his charms and the woman notices his handsomeness, but she isn't who she says she is, as lurking in the shadows of the train are the three poker players and they ambush Morgan.

Glittering Promises
The Grand Tour Series, Book 3
By Lisa T. Bergren
Publisher: David C. Cook
Pub. Date: October 1, 2013
ISBN: 978-1434764287
Pages: 464
Buy Link: http://ow.ly/pvxTP
Blog Tour: http://litfusegroup.com/author/lbegren 

Review:

In the third and final book in The Grand Tour Series, Cora Kensington's life changed forever when she learned the truth about her birth father, who happens to be a rich man, and her siblings, leading her to go on the Grand Tour to get better acquainted with them. While it has taken quite some time, she is finally connecting with her siblings, but she is still somewhat estranged from her birth father, though she hopes to one day have some sort of daughter/father relationship with him.

Now in Italy, Cora must finally come to terms with her true feelings for Will and deal with her attraction to the Pierre de Richelieu. Worst yet is that there is a slue of journalists chasing her father, siblings and herself as they all want to the "rags to riches" story to headline their newspapers and magazine, something the family would like to avoid at all costs.

The Bargain
Plain City Peace, Book One
By Stephanie Reed
Publisher:Kregel Publications
Pub. Date: September 19, 2013
ISBN: 978-0825442155
Pages: 288
Buy Link: http://ow.ly/ptivJ
Blog Tour: http://litfusegroup.com/author/sreed 

Review:

In 1971, Betsie Troyer had high hopes of marrying her sweetheart Charley Yoder, which is until a family secret crashes her dream! Her parents leave the Amish country while Betsie and her sister Sadie are left with their aunt, until their parents return, if they ever do, since they have left the Amish faith.

Her life takes an unexpected turn when she takes board with an English family, the Sullivan’s. The mother of the family practically abandons the family in a pursuit of becoming an actress. Betsie feels as if she was brought to this family for a reason and helps out around the house, even befriending the twelve-year-old daughter, Shelia, and the oldest, Michael, who has recently dropped out of college, something that has upset his father. Since this is the 70s, Michael is afraid of being drafted into the Army.

Betsie is trying to keep her parent's secret from coming out, but at the same time she has decided to stay true to the Amish faith, no matter what situations and challenges are thrown at her.

The Journey of Josephine Cain
An American Tapestry
By Nancy Moser
Publisher: Summerside Press
Release Date: September 1, 2013
ISBN: 978-0824934279
Pages: 336
Buy Link: http://ow.ly/pq47s
Blog Tour: http://litfusegroup.com/author/nmoser

Review:

Fans of AMC's Hell on Wheels are waiting on pins and needles about the questionable fourth season, until then they can sink their teeth in the recently released The Journey of Josephine Cain by Nancy Moser. The plot involves an unmarried socialite, Josephine Cain leaving Washington D.C. to work side-by-side with her general father, who is supervising the day-to-day building of the Transcontinental Railroad.

Life on the great frontier isn't exactly what Josephine thought it would be like, as she is not use to the harsh weather, deadly gunfights and other dangers of the west. Things take an unexpected turn when she falls in love with an Irish railroad worker, Hudson Maguire.

Hudson works along side his brother Raleigh, who both is saving money to send home to their family. He didn't expect to fall in love with a well-educated proper woman, Josephine.

You'll know it is getting closer to the holiday season when you start to see books with Christmas is in the titles. Author Tricia Goyer released her newest novella A Christmas Gift for Rose last month, and, as you can probably guess, it is set around Christmastime.

Inspired by a true story, the main Amish character is named Rose Yoeder, who lives in Berlin, Ohio in 1945. She was engaged to Jonathan, but to respect her family’s wishes, she had to breakup with him because he had enlisted in the military to serve his country in WWII, working side-by-side with the Englisch, something that is frown upon in the Amish community.

In the debut novel Promise to Return by Elizabeth Byler Younts, Miriam Coblentz is looking forward to her upcoming marriage to Henry Mast, but then the unthinkable occurs - the United States enters WWII! On the very day they are to meet with the bishop about their vows, Henry receives his draft papers. Being in combat and killing other is against his Amish faith, therefore he assigned to a Civilian Public Service camp, where he is assigned various tasks, such as digging trenches.

Doctor Sleep
By Stephen King
Publisher: Scribner
Pub. Date: September 24, 2013
Retail: $30.00
ISBN: 978-1476727653
Pages: 544

Review:

In 1977, author Stephen King scared millions of readers with the horror novel The Shining, which was about a recovering alcoholic Jack Torrance becoming the caretaker of the Overlook Hotel during the isolated winter months. He lived in the hotel his wife Wendy and their five-year-old son Danny. Of course the hotel was haunted and chaos stirs about. The book was made into a feature film in 1980 directed by Stanley Kubrick and was made into a television mini-series in 1997.

Now, Stephen King has written the long awaited sequel called Doctor Sleep with the opening pages picking up where the 1977 original left off, showing the physical and emotional trauma left upon Wendy, Danny and Dick Hallorann (the chef of the Overlook Hotel). Starting their life over isn't easy as the ghosts of the Overlook Hotel won't leave poor Danny alone. After a frightening encounter with woman from Room 217, Dick teaches young Danny how to put those unwanted spirits into a "locked box" and store it away forever.

After the death of his mother, Danny (known to most as Dan) has become an alcoholic just like his father, but for him the alcohol is the only thing that can numb his shining (telepathic abilities, including seeing the dead). Things get worse for Dan after a one nightstand with a junkie and an odd encounter with her son. He moves every little bit, not wanting to stay in one place for very long, taking any job he can get.

Luckily, things do turn around for Dan, as he finally quits drinking and enters AA. His years of drifting is over and he take a steady job at a nursing home in Teenytown, New Hampshire, where he quickly earns the nickname "Doctor Sleep", as he helps the dying find comfort before their passing.

The Courier of Caswell Hall
An American Tapestry series
By Melanie Dobson
Publisher: Sumerside Press
Pub. Date: September 1, 2013
ISBN: 978-0824934262
Pages: 336
Buy Link: http://amzn.to/1aLxC9s
Blog Tour: http://litfusegroup.com/author/mdobson 

Review:

During 1781, the Continental and British armies are at war, a war that pits father against son, brother against brother, and neighbor against neighbor. In Virginia, Lydia Caswell only wants the two sides to have peace, unlike her Loyalists parents or even her friend Sarah Hammond, who might just grab a gun and join the fight.

By chance, Lydia finds a wounded man near a riverbank on a snowy night. This happens to be the same night the British made plans on sailing up the James River and raiding the capital. The man is named Nathan, who changes her life forever, introducing her to a world of coded messages, disguises, couriers and spies.

As Lydia starts to fall in love with Nathan, she starts to question her beliefs. She must choose between the loyalty to her family and having freedom. Meanwhile, her friend Sarah is put in a similar position when love and war collide.

The Howling Heart
By April Bostic
Publisher: Eternal Press
Pub Date: August 1, 2013
ISBN: 978-1629290201
ASIN: B00EDTXEXY
Pages: 244
Buy Links: Amazon
Goodreads Link: http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/18191033-the-howling-heart?ac=1 

Review:

Shortly after graduating college, Paige Donovan lands a dream job at a fashion magazine in New York City! After her father suddenly dies, she inherits his old cabin. She travels to the Colorado Rockies in search of why her father left her a cabin that she hasn't seen since she was a young child.

Upon arriving in Black Creek, Paige is haunted by past memories of the cabin which involved a white wolf. She quickly befriends Riley and his twin sister, Quinn, leading to events which will help Paige unravel a startling revelation about the community of Black Creek. The residents are descendents from the 13th century Scandinavia wolves that were blessed by the Norse gods, so they would have the ability to shift into human form. 

Paige planned on returning to her life in New York as soon as possible, but she wasn't expecting to fall in love with Riley Gray, who happens to the one of the werewolves.

Fired Up
Trouble in Texas, Book 2
By Mary Connealy
Publisher: Bethany House
Pub. Date: September 15, 2013
ISBN: 978-0764209154
Pages: 336
Buy Link: http://ow.ly/oOqGx
Blog Tour: http://litfusegroup.com/author/mconnealy
 
Review:

Author Mary Connealy is back in the second installment of the Trouble in Texas series. Fired Up focuses on the mail-ordered bride, Glynna Greer, when her abusive husband, Flint, was murdered by the Regulators. Now it is up to her to raise her two children in a town full of men. To do so, she plans on opening up a diner, but the problem is that she is not very good at cooking.

Her cooking sends a few of the men to the town doctor, Dare Riker, after they become sick. Dare was one of the Regulators that helped saved Glynna and her children from Flint. Dare cares deeply for her, but Glynna isn't looking for love.

Situations occur, and Dare believes someone from his past wants him dead. Could it have something to do with the Civil War traitors? Or could it have something to do with Flint Greer? No matter where he goes, there is danger around every corner.

Can Dare survive the shadowy figure with a knife? Can Dare when Glynna's heart?

Deadly Heat
By Richard Castle
Published By: Hyperion
Pub Date: Sept. 17, 2013
ISBN: 978-1401324803
ASIN: B00C0ZP49U
Pages:304

Review:

The fifth installment of the Nikki Heat series by Richard Castle (aka a fictional character on ABC's Castle) was released last week, somewhat tying in with tonight's sixth season premiere of Castle. All the characters in the books are inspired by characters from the series, like Jameson Rook is fictional character of Richard Castle and Detective Nikki Heat is loosely based on Detective Kate Beckett. The basic plot also resembles the series with journalist Jameson Rock shadowing Detective Nikki Heat on her murder cases, so he can get inspiration for his next Pulitzer Prize-winning article.

Deadly Heat opens up with a corpse in a pizza restaurant's oven (taken from the episode "Slice of Death"), in which Detective Heat, Rook, and her Twentieth Precinct team of investigators (Detective Ochoa - based on Castle's Detective Esposito, Detective Raley based on Castle's Detective Ryan, and medical examiner Lauren Parry based on Castle's Dr. Lanie Parish) are determined to track down a serial killer, but Heat has other things on her mind besides the case.

Another plot ripped from the television show is the mystery behind Nikki's mother's death, which turns out her mother was an ex-spy. Nikki is still hunting down the former CIA station chief who gave the order to murder her mother. With the help of Rook (who is now her lover), she goes on a quest to track down a rogue spy, who will hopefully give her answers, so she can  finally put her past to rest, but the spy may have bigger plans Nikki.

Eventide
The Days of Redemption, Book 3
By Shelley Shepard Gray
Publisher: Avon Inspire
Pub. Date: September 3, 2013
ISBN: 978-0062204448
Pages: 288
Buy Link: http://ow.ly/oBHhP
Blog Tour: http://litfusegroup.com/author/sgray
 
Review:

The final book in The Days of Redemption series focuses on Elsie Keim, the twin sister of Viola and younger sister to Roman, who have both found love in the two previous novels, Daybreak & Ray of Light. Elsie has had bad eyesight for the past ten years and she is starting to go blind caused by keratoconus, forcing her to live in her family home where she is treated like a child. 

Soon, she meets the new handsome neighbor, Landon Troyer, and sparks fly between the two. She doesn't want to scare him away, so she avoids telling him about her condition, but her brother, Roman, spills the beans about her blindness.

Landon is shocked by the revelation and questions his future with Elsie. Due to his current job, he sometimes spends days away from home, which would be a problem if he would to marry a blind woman.

Canvas Bound
Captive Art, Book 1
By Laura M. Kolar
Publisher: Red Adept Publishing
Pub. Date: July 3, 2013
ISBN: 978-1940215150
ASIN: B00EV1XPI8
Pages: 230
Buy Links: Amazon, B&N, Kobo
Author/Book Links: Goodreads, Canvas Bound on RAP, Laura's page on RAP

Review:

Here it is on my 32nd birthday today and I'm posting my review on a young adult paranormal novel. You would think I would be tired of the genre by now, but the new supernatural stories have matured passed the typical human/vampire star-crossed love plot, therefore keeping me interested in reading them.

Canvas Bound is the debut novel from Laura M. Kolar and the first book in the Captive Art series. There are no werewolves, elves, vampires, or fairies in this tale. Sixteen-year-old Libby Tanner is a gifted painter and is attending Aldridge Art Academy in England. While she isn't painting, she is dreaming about the love of her life, Dean James; the only problem is Dean already has a girlfriend.

Despite being in love with someone else, Libby begins dating Brent Henderson, a performing art student at the Academy.

Lily's projects are not your typical paintings, as she creates her own magical world on the canvas. Inside her paintings, the leaves on the trees move and she even sees a mysterious boy moving around.

Has her imagination gone wild? Or are her paintings becoming real?

Dark Shadows: Wolf Moon Rising
By Lara Parker
Published by: Tor Books
Pub. Date: August 20, 2013
ISBN: 978-0765332592
Pages: 400 pages

Review:

The gothic soap opera Dark Shadows frighten millions of viewers from 1966-1971. During that time, there were many tie-in books released by Marilyn Ross. In the late 1990's the original actress to play Angelique, Lara Parker, released Dark Shadows: Angelique's Decent, followed by 2006's Dark Shadows: The Salem Branch, and now her most recent novel, Dark Shadows: Wolf Moon Rising.

Continuing where the previous novel left off, Barnabas Collins has returned to his vampirism state and Dr. Julia Hoffman now suffers from his dreadful curse. He is still obsessed with the new owner of The Old House, Antoinette Harpignies, who happens to resemble the witch who cursed him, Angelique!

Antoinette is trying to restore The Old House to its former glory, while she is raising her teenage daughter Jacqueline, who happens to be the reincarnation of Angelique and Mirandu du Val, who lived during the Salem Witch Trials. She has been dating Quentin Collins, who has his own immortal past, but things start to turn for the worse when a portrait goes missing and reported animals attacks occur all over Collinsport, leading Dr. Nathanial Blair (the brother of Nicholas Blair, a warlock) to come knocking at the Collin's door. The Doctor is writing a book on vampires and wants the Collins to host a séance for him.

Memory's Door
A Well Spring Novel, Book 2
By James L. Rubart
Publisher: Thomas Nelson
Release Date: August 6, 2013
ISBN: 978-1401686079
Pages: 368

Review:

I had signed up to review Memory's Door through Booksneeze, which I received a free copy in exchange for my honest review, without knowing this is the second book in A Well Spring series. Some Christian novel series have different characters and plots in each installment, but not with this book as it is a continuing story, so I somewhat hesitated about reading the book, leaving it on the coffee table for several weeks before I actually picked it up and started reading.

Reece, Dana, Brandon and Marcus are the four members of the Warriors Rising, which they rage war against the supernatural demons who are determined to corrupt every human being's soul. They have once before battled Satan and now they will come face to face with The Wolf, as the second part of the prophecy has come true, but before they can fight the good fight, they must battle their own demons.