Book Review: BUILDING BLOCKS OF MURDER by Vanessa Gray Bartal

Building Blocks of Murder (A Lacy Steele Mystery #2)

by Vanessa Gray Bartal (Goodreads Author), Rebecca Tocheff (Editor)

Kindle Edition, 158 pages

Published January 20th 2012 by Vanessa Gray Bartal

4 Stars!

Lacy Steele is back and in this book her cop friend (boyfriend, whatever) is accused of murdering a slimy attorney. And her other friend (boyfriend, whatever), Tosh, the pastor of her grandmother's church, is no where to be found after his brother, Keegan, swings into town.

In the last book, Lacy came into a whole bunch of money, a million dollars! And when the city council tries to sell off a historic town landmark to people who want to build a strip mall, Lacy takes drastic action and buys the building herself!

So, while Lacy is trying to figure out who killed the slimy attorney and free Jason from custody, she is ducking the threats of the person who is threatening her for buying up the downtown landmark.

This book was just as entertaining as the first book but I wish it had been longer. I felt like the killer actually just came out of no where, admitted to the killing and wrapped up the story. To me it felt a little bit truncated. I wanted more. 

I am not sure if Keegan will make future appearances in the book, but his character was quite a hoot.

These Lacy Steele books are my new guilty pleasure. :)

Book Review: Secret by Brigid Kemmerer

Secret (Elemental #4)

by Brigid Kemmerer (Goodreads Author)

Kindle Edition, 336 pages

Published January 28th 2014 by Kensington Books (first published January 1st 2014)

5 Stars!

Nick Merrick is a kid in high school. And high school is hard enough without have super elemental powers. He has the power of Air. And people called "Guides" are after him and his family because they have full access to certain elemental powers. It makes them dangerous and they want to eliminate them.

There was a lot going on in this book. So much so, that I have a hard time figuring out where to start. Firstly, the author did a great job of getting us up to speed on events that had happened before this book started. This book is labeled Elemental #4 but I believe there are more than 3 books prior to this one. That means, lots of back story to catch up on.

This big secret the title alludes to is two-fold. It speaks of Nick's secret of being gay and how he deals with it. And his friend, Quinn, and how she deals with her family life. They both are keeping secrets from everyone and these secrets impact many in the cast.

I really enjoyed this story. Gay storylines weren't really available when I was this age. I am glad there are books like this out there now so that people can see that everyone is just like everyone else at the heart level. They are real people dealing with real problems. Although, they had problems that dealt with their elemental powers, the biggest problems they uncovered in the book dealt with real issues in real life. I love that.

Quinn's story was all about alcoholism and drug abuse and how it affected her life. It colored her choices and ultimate made her think she was not as good as others around her. She thought she had to do something to earn friendship or love.

I love how the author gave us a glimpse into these teens lives. This book could be life changing for teens in similar situations. The author even has a shout out at the end of the story showing where teens can get more advice about the subjects discussed in the book.

I received this as an ARC (Advanced Reader Copy) from Net Galley in return for an honest review. 

Book Review: MORNING CUP OF MURDER by Vanessa Gray Bartal

Morning Cup of Murder (A Lacy Steele Mystery #1)

by Vanessa Gray Bartal (Goodreads Author), Rebecca Tocheff (Editor)

Kindle Edition, 169 pages

Published September 13th 2011 by Vanessa Gray Bartal

Lacy Steele returns to her hometown after a bad breakup with her ex who strangely enough gets together with her sister, Riley. Things don't get better in Mudville when Lacy's grandmother is arrested for murder! Lacy can't understand why the detective of the police force is trying so hard to implicate a little old lady for such a murder. Lacy decides that it is up to her to solve the mystery along with her classmate (He was the school jock and most popular guy in school.) and cop, Jason and new pastor to her grandmother's church, Tosh.

I think this book is mis-named. I mean, she does go to her favorite local coffee shop for coffee every morning because she doesn't know how to make it on her own. And I see why they named it that, but I don't want to give away anything. But I just kept thinking it should be called the Banana Cream Pie Murder. The murder weapon was the knife they had used to cut up the banana cream pie that Lacy's poor dastardly Grandmother had brought the deceased before she was... deceased. (Lacy's grandmother is not dastardly)

The big twist at the end took me totally by surprise. I wasn't expecting that sort of twist at all. Good on you, Vanessa! When I bought this book a few years ago, I think it was the cover that kept me from reading it. It just looks dang cheesy. But the text is not cheesy at all. This is a well-written and interesting story.  The murder story was complex and the characters are  all individual and well drawn out. No cardboard people in this book. I was captivated by Lacy and all her exploits. This is definitely one you want to check out. I mean, it's only 99 cents in the Kindle store and worth every penny. So, how can you lose? This book takes the axiom "don't judge a book by its cover" to a whole new level.

Mini June Book Reviews

Hide in Plain Sight (The Three Sisters Inn #1)

by Marta Perry (Goodreads Author)

Paperback, 250 pages

Published August 1st 2007 by Steeple Hill

4 Stars

I am not sure if it was the setting or the characters that enthralled me more. It was set in an Amish community in Pennsylvania and the characters friends were from an Amish area. I really enjoyed the mystery surrounding the background of Cal. He was Andrea Hampton's savior one night while rushing to the aid of her sister who was in the hospital.  While her sister, Rachel, was laid up in the hospital her grandmother convinces her, after much prodding, to help them open the Three Sister's Inn. Opening day is quickly approaching in only a few weeks and Andrea and Cal seem to be the only two really putting forth effort in order to bring this inn into reality. 

I was quite emotional while reading this because I could totally relate to how Andrea felt. She was being asked to basically give up her job in the city as a financial expert in order to do this "favor" for her sister and grandmother.  I don't think they really knew what they were asking of her. Many jobs these days wouldn't keep someone's spot open in the company if they had to stay for weeks and help their family out, sorry to say.

I enjoyed the blossoming romance between Cal and Andrea. I keep internally rooting for Andrea to give Cal a chance after she gave him rejection after rejection.

This book was a free one I had received during a Harlequin promotion as an ebook. Thanks to them for handing that out to everyone. I truly enjoyed it.

The Accidental Movie Star (Accidental Star #1)

by Emily Evans (Goodreads Author)

ebook

Published (first published May 31st 2012)

4 Stars

This book is about a gal named Ashley who is trying to bulk up her college resume with a cool summer job at a movie studio. She really wants to work with the set designers but gets stuck being a production assistant to the main actor of the show, Caspian. Her father is a studio executive and pretty much doesn't pay attention to her the entire summer. I found that weird and hard to fathom, but Hollywood is a bit on the odd side, I guess.

I truly enjoyed this look into love and movie making. It was a real guilty pleasure sort of read. I liked how the main character stuck to her values even in the midst of troubles, rumors and lies. And I liked how Cas gave a real gal a try and found out that you can really trust people to always have your back.

This is a quick read. So, if you're looking for a fun YA romance, this is for you.

Killer Twist (Ghostwriter Mystery #1)

by C.A. Larmer (Goodreads Author)

ebook, 234 pages

Published August 8th 2011 by Christina Larmer, via Smashwords

3 Stars

Roxy Parker is a ghostwriter who is constantly looking for the next story to write. So when the lady she is writing for suddenly dies and no one wants to investigate her death, she figures she is up for the job.

I liked the story and main mystery of this book but it was overwritten. I think a third of the book could have been cut and she would have had a great book with better flow.

This is the first book in C.A. Larmer's Ghostwriter mystery series. But I really enjoyed her book Agatha Christie Book Club a whole lot better than this one, IMHO.

Protecting Her Own (Guardians, Inc. #2)

by Margaret Daley (Goodreads Author)

Mass Market Paperback, Love Inspired Suspense #247, 224 pages

Published June 7th 2011 by Love Inspired (first published January 1st 2011)

4 Stars

The stroke of her father is the only reason professional bodyguard, Cara Madison, is back in Virginia at all. She knows she is stuck for the duration when a package arrives for her father's upcoming birthday, Cara signs for it and is suddenly caught in an explosion that was meant for her father. Someone had mailed a package with a pipe bomb inside. Unexpected help comes from agent and old flame, Connor Fitzgerald, who offers to have her stay at his grandfather's house which is not only more convenient to use but is easier to protect than a hotel. It takes some convincing to get Cara out to the estate of Connor's grandfather. Conner and Cara then are thrown into the mystery of bringing this bomber to justice.

I enjoyed the back and forth between Cara and Conner and a lot of the times I was saying internally, come on Cara, bend! She was a bit of an emotional stoic person. She was just not willing to bend until she trusted in God again.

Book Review: DARKRIDGE HALL by Michael K. Rose

Darkridge Hall

by Michael K. Rose (Goodreads Author)

Kindle Edition, 1st Edition, 141 pages

Published August 5th 2013

Darkridge Hall is an Egyptian designed dorm for some of the students at Kransten Academy. Andy is one of those students. And Mark Harris, is the adult dorm supervisor and teacher at the Academy. Shadow people are killing residents of the small town of Bethlehem and when the number gets to 17 something horrific is supposed to happen. This book is labeled "horror" but I think I would call it a "thriller." It's target audience, to me, would be from middle grade to YA, probably leaning toward middle grade. I really liked the complex thought it took to make up the design of the building and how it played into the entire mystery of the piece. I kept thinking Aleister Crowley when reading this. He was all about magic sort of like Adrian Darkridge was.

This book was a bit male dominated. I think the only female in the piece was Sally, wife of one of the murdered people who turned into the "shadow people" who were tormenting Andy and Mr. Harris. I would have liked to have seen more of the student body of Kransten Academy. But since they only featured Andy and Dave, I think this author could make this into a series sort of like House of Anubis on Nickelodeon.

I enjoyed the mystery but thought the book could have been longer and more complex but since it is middle grade-YA, I will give the author a break on that point. Really enjoyable read. Thank you.

I received this book as an ARC (Advanced Reader Copy) from Net Galley in return for an honest review.

BOOK REVIEW: Mission to Murder by Lynn Cahoon

Mission to Murder (A Tourist Trap Mystery #2)

by Lynn Cahoon (Goodreads Author)

ebook, Series: A Tourist Trap Mystery #2

Expected publication: July 31st 2014 by Kensington Publishing Corporation 

4 Stars!

Jill Gardner is the owner of Coffee, Books, and More in the small berg of South Cove which is sort of a tourist location with other shops catering to the public. The big draw to the area is called "The Castle" run by a jerk named Craig Thomas. Jill has a couple of choice encounters with said jerk and then the jerk ends up dead. Go figure. This gal can't stay out of trouble. Good thing her boyfriend is a cop. 

The story centers around how Craig and another shop owner named Josh is keeping Jill from gaining landmark status on this wall she has in her back yard that was an old Mission back in the day. Craig gets killed, basically everyone hates him. All have motives. But Jill is Suspect Number One, as her boyfriend, Greg keeps telling her. Somehow he manages to keep her out of jail while they solve the mystery.

I think the characters made this story even better. Every one of them was drawn beautifully and you could see in your minds eye exactly who they all were and in turn keep them straight in your mind. That is key to a story with a big cast. I didn't feel weighed down in confusion as I do in some books with a large cast and a big mystery to solve.

If you are wanting to try your hand at a cozy mystery, this would be a great place to start. Highly recommended.

I received this as an ARC copy via Net Galley in return for an honest review. Honestly, this book is great. Definitely check it out.

BOOK REVIEW: Love, Lies and Lemon Cake by Sue Watson

Love, Lies and Lemon Cake

by Sue Watson (Goodreads Author)

Paperback, 304 pages

Expected publication: June 27th 2014 by Bookouture

4 Stars

This book centers around Faye Dobson a 42-ish gal who is in an unhappy marriage and working as a hairdresser. The most exciting thing in her life is when her boss, Sue, went to a cheaper hair color and they couldn't read the color names and began inventing them on their own. Faye begins to realize that her husband never pays attention to her and she spends her days fantasying about good-looking movie actors fulfilling her every need. Then one day Faye walks into a new deli in town and meets Dan. He's blonde, an Aussie and hunka-hunka good looking. He even rivals the men in her fantasies. This book is how Faye dares to dream about living a life that is fulfilling and checking off things on her life list (there is no bucket list for this gal.)

I enjoyed this book. It flowed very well. It was easy to read. But I believe this author is from the UK and she does use many forms of slang. I found that endearing and interesting to discover since I am from the USA. But this book really hit close to home. Too close sometimes. I could see myself living the life Faye has lived for so many years. This book is a sort of wake-up call for the 40-something generation. She asks us to live our dreams and believe in our dreams because we are worth it. In this book, Faye took risks and went to the edge of the cliff of love and jumped. I wonder if I would be so brave. This book brought up a bunch of emotions in me and really, that's what a good book is supposed to do, right? Read it and get to know Faye for yourself.

I received this book as an ARC from Net Galley for an honest review. This is definitely worth every penny. :)

BOOK REVIEW: Cherringham: Murder on Thames

Cherringham: Murder on Thames (Cozy Crime, #1)

by Matthew Costello (Goodreads Author), Neil Richards (Goodreads Author)

Digital Series. Episode 1: 

4.5 STARS!

Cherringham: Murder on Thames is set in a quiet and peaceful town called Cotswolds. Sarah Edward, a freelance web designer with two kids learns that her best friend from high school, Sammi Jackson, has been found dead in the river. It takes former NYPD homicide detective Jack Brennan to do his own investigation into Sammi's death with a little prodding from Sarah in order for the case to be solved.

This was a wonderful ride. It is set in Britian and Jack is the "Yank" as they refer to him often in the book. I really enjoyed Jack as his interest in the case sort of "woke him up" to life again. This is the first book in a series of "episodes." The Goodreads website says: "Cherringham - A Cozy Crime Series" is a series of twelve self-contained episodes. A new case for Jack and Sarah is released each month." This is just a starting off point for the series so I suspect that everything will get more exciting from here now that the characters and setting have been introduced to us. I'm excited for more.

I can truly see this series on television (co-author Neil Richard works for the BBC so it is no wonder) it reminds me of Midsomer Murders. It is a lazy cozy mystery that really entertains. I look forward to reading more in the series. I have already bought book 2: Mystery at the Manor.

I received this book gratis from the publisher via Net Galley in return for an honest review. 

BOOK REVIEW: Lost Legacy by Annette Dashofy

Lost Legacy

by Annette Dashofy (Goodreads Author)

Paperback

Expected publication: September 16th 2014 by Henery Press

5 STARS!

This story says it is a "Zoe Chambers Mystery" but this was really a Zoe Chambers / Pete Adams Mystery. This story was equal parts Zoe's life and equal parts Pete's life. I was discombobbled at the beginning (I hadn't read book one) and I didn't realize Pete was the Police Chief. So, when Pete's sister dropped his Alzheimer-ridden father on his doorstep, I was clueless as to why Pete didn't have time to care for him. I quickly referred to the synopsis and discovered that Pete just wasn't some police officer lackey like I had thought in the beginning but low and behold was the Chief of the entire force. Uh, yeah, sisterly, his job is a bit more important than yours. I thought it was great how the entire community came out to help Pete take care of his dad.

That story was awesome. It made me cry at the end. I just loved the story of Pete and Zoe and the mystery of who killed James Engle. The mystery was complex, thrilling and just perfectly conceived. I loved how even the birthday of a minor character figured into the mystery. All the clues were well placed. You let me try and figure out the mystery with Zoe and Pete and I really appreciate that in a novel. The text flowed well. And I was so happy to see the addition of Harry to the story. I will definitely be checking out book one in the series. This is a must read story!!

Thank you for allowing me to read it, Henery Press! Just wonderful! I received this free as an ARC from Net Galley in exchange for an honest review!

BOOK REVIEW Son of Neptune by Rick Riordan

The Son of Neptune (The Heroes of Olympus #2)

by Rick Riordan (Goodreads Author)

Hardcover, 540 pages

Published October 4th 2011 by Hyperion Book CH (first published October 4th 2010)

4 Stars

I love the first Percy Jackson series. I accidently read book 4 of that series before book 1 and so I always get confused by the chronology of some events. I have a great affinity for the Greek Gods. So, this book series which focuses on the Roman Gods is really going to get me more knowledgeable about them. I read the first book in this Heroes of Olympus series back when it first came out so, I was a bit baffled as to why Percy had no memory. But I quickly caught up to speed. At first I wondered why Grover and Annabeth weren't in this series physically but I soon realized that would just overwhelm the text too much.

This book, even though it is over 500 pages, it reads really quickly. Rick Riordan really has a gift of prose. I just love this stuff. It's like eating candy or potato chips. You just can't get enough sometimes. I'm already starting to read book 3, The Mark of Athena. Athena is my favorite goddess so I look forward to seeing how she figures into the mystery.

BOOK REVIEW Covert Cover Cracked by Missy Marciassa

Covert Cover Cracked (Covert #3)

by Missy Marciassa (Goodreads Author)

Paperback, First, 317 pages

Published April 28th 2014

4 Stars!!

I really enjoyed this story. It is like warm gooey comfort food, a guilty pleasure for sure. It was very easy to read. It flowed well. I was happy to see this was part of a series (This is book 3). Just more Elle joy for me to experience. And I'm hoping more Reese joy too. But I can take or leave Preston. But you probably need to keep him around just for the annoyance factor.

I love that this book could be a standalone. It follows the same characters and storyline as the first two books in the series but you don't need to read books 1 & 2 in order to understand the story and characters. I love spy stories. I love romantic suspense and this was a great mix of both. Can't wait for the next book.

May Beauty Favorites

Coastal Scents palettes: Mirage Palette, left & Individual Hot Pots in various colors, right.

May Beauty Favorites

This month I have been totally crushing on a number of things: 

Mascara

I have been working on using a number of mascaras this month. Maybelline has the best overall mascara in my opinion. I have been using the Pumped Up mascara, Colossal Mascara, Rocket Volume Mascara and Falsies Mascara. They are all daBOMB.com. I have been also loving my Rimmel Retro mascara and the Jordana Best Lash Mascara. These are all just wonderful.

Eyeshadow

This is always my favorite category. I have been loving my It's Judy Palette by BH Cosmetics, Hot Pots in various shades by Coastal Scents along with the Mirage palette also by Coastal Scents. L'Oreal has a wonderful line of pressed pigments called Infallible and they come in a number of yummy shades. I have been obsessed with these as of late. And I have also been really loving the new quads by CoverGirl in their nude line. But my biggest favorite this month are 24 Hour Maybelline Color Tattoos Cream Eyeshadows. I just love all the shades I have. I have most all of the new nudes collection, they are just wonderful. And Pink Me Up, Bad To The Bronze and Nude Compliment are my current favs.

Foundation

This has been quite a bugger for me. I have only one foundation that pretty much matches me perfectly and that is the Perfect Shade by Rimmel. But I keep trying other things. I wore a Revlon 24 hour foundation and it was way too dark for me. I feel like such a cake face when the shade is wrong. I had to buy two shades in the Almay CC cream in order to get my correct shade. I have been trying to just use my Fit Me concealer and try a no foundation look and that works for most of the day but it melts off before my 8 hours of work is over. But I have been loving that look as of late.

Blush

I have been obsessed with cream blush for most of May. The Master Glaze blush sticks by Maybelline and the Dream Bouncy Blushes are my favorites right now. I also have been loving Coralina by Millani.

Lipstick

I tried to go a bit on the pink side during the month of May but it just doesn't seem to work for me. I am happy with my Dr. Rescue Lip Balm in Pink Me Up. There is also a peach shade that is my total favorite but I can't remember the name of it. (Just Peachy) Other than that I have been rocking my Maybelline Buffs collection and my Wet N Wild Mega Slicks Balm Stain in Nudist Colony. I also have two Maybelline Color Elixir Liquid Lip Sticks that I have also been loving in the colors Nude Illusion & Petal Plush.

That's all for my favorites this month. I hope you enjoyed them. Let me know what you are loving in the makeup department.

BOOK REVIEW: Derrick Storm Trilogy by Richard Castle and ABC Entertainment

4 Stars!

This series is based on characters that novelist Richard Castle, from the ABC TV show, Castle, has written. Richard Castle's first novel success was with the character Derrick Storm, and this is who this trilogy centers on.

A Brewing Storm (Derrick Storm Trilogy #1)

by Richard Castle

ebook, 83 pages

Published May 1st 2012 by Hyperion

This book stars off with an "I knew you weren't dead" moment when Derrick Storm is revealed to be quite alive and off fishing in Montana (or maybe it was Wyoming) just living a normal life. He had to fake his death due to a messy op in Tangiers. His old boss, Jedidiah Jones, calls in a huge favor to help solve a high-profile kidnapping. But you know there has to be more to the story if the CIA is pulling Storm out of retirement in order to be involved in the case.

This was a pretty good beginning. I had started it back when it came out in 2012 but only read to about 85% before abandoning it. At that time book three had not been released yet and I didn't realize that all three books made up one huge story.

A Raging Storm (Derrick Storm Trilogy #2)

by Richard Castle

ebook, 78 pages

Published July 3rd 2012 by Hyperion

Book 2 was the most boring part for me. It was basically just setting up the action that would happen later in book 2 and mostly in book three. But it was entertaining.

A Bloody Storm (Derrick Storm Trilogy #3)

by Richard Castle

ebook, 79 pages

Published August 7th 2012 by Hyperion

This section was the most entertaining of the three but I did think the action was wrapped up pretty easily. It is a complex plot for such a small book series. This 3 book combo makes me look forward to the other books in the Derrick Storm series that are already out (Storm Front and Wild Storm).

I enjoyed all three books. I have seen them available on Kindle at Amazon.com and through my iBooks App in the iTunes store.

This was a quick read and it is sure to make many Castle fans really happy to see Derrick Storm is definitely out of retirement. Thanks ABC and Richard Castle!

BOOK REVIEW: Nerves of Steel (Hart & Drake #1) by CJ Lyons

Nerves of Steel (Hart and Drake #1)

by C.J. Lyons (Goodreads Author)

ebook

Published November 10th 2009 by Smashwords Edition

Cassandra Hart has a lot of problems in this book. A street drug is causing users to have horrible symptoms, spasms and ugh. So, Cassie has a lot of people in her ER with this drug complication. She finds a bag of FX, the new street drug, on one of her patients. Now she needs to decide what to do with this pack-o-drugs. Does she follow hospital protocol? Of course not. 

She marches into the police station with FX bag in hand and runs smack dab into Mickey "DJ" Drake, part artist, part bum and all cop. They meet when he cons a cup of coffee out of a police coffee machine from her. (The police can't afford to provide coffee?) Needless to say, he doesn't give her the best first impression. She thinks he is a vagrant.

Another big complication in Cassie's life is her her ex-husband, Richard. He is an abuser, pig and high-faluting asswipe. Just think big schmuck, debutante and rapist all rolled up in a shiny white lab coat. He thinks he is God's gift and he is out to get Cassie back. Yes, he is delusional. That may be because he is still using drugs which is what got him thrown out of the hospital the last time but now with a whole lot of string pulling he is back to aggravate Cassie.

Drake's partner, Kwon, is quickly convinced that Richard and Cassie are in on this drug thing together providing this FX to the street people and she is going to prove it. In the meantime, Drake has found a fondness for Dr. Hart and he is sure and ready to protect her.

This was such a great ride. Cassie was getting herself into places where normal people would fear to tread. I wanted to strangle her myself a few times. And knuckle headed Drake could use a few lunks himself. They each were aggravating in their own way, full of flaws, which, I'm sure is what made this such a great read.

Highly recommended.

5 Stars!

May Wrap Up - Read 22 and a half books in May!

I read 22 and a half books in May. I didn't get quite finished with Scan but I am done with that one now as well. All in all it was a fabulous reading month. I thought the 12 books I read in April was a lot but I nearly met my yearly goal in just one month with these literary offerings.

I believe I have done a review of most of these books already but if I missed one and you definitely want to know more about it, let me know.

How was your reading in May? Did you over-achieve or just not pick up a book at all?

I want to know.

Thanks for reading and following along with me on my reading journey.

Toodles!

Until next review...

BOOK REVIEW: Scan by Walter Jury and Sarah Fine

Scan (Scan #1)

by Sarah Fine (Goodreads Author), Walter Jury

Hardcover, 336 pages

Published May 1st 2014 by Putnam Children's

First off, this story was awesomely amazing. I mean, really really amazing. I can totally see this book on the big screen. I was even envisioning cast members as I read along.

Tate Archer starts out as your average teen and then you learn of his father's need to make Tate the best. Tate has learned 11 languages to his father's 23 and that is still not good enough in the eyes of Fred Archer. Tate's father is a bit of a science geek. He has the classic lab in his home which is protected by a complex security system. But Tate is a young MacGyver. He was building DNA labeling contraptions from Legos and firecrackers from Red Bull and Chop Sticks when he was eight years old. 

Tate's father had been monitoring his food intake, his exercise and his learning for years spouting Buddah-like saying here and there in order to round out his son's eduction. But there was one thing Tate didn't know, that that knowledge will keep him in the dark when he steals a secret scanner thingie from his father's lab. It is then he learns that this scanner can tell human from alien and that most of the population of earth has been, over the last hundreds of year, been tainted with alien DNA. Most on earth don't know this. But there is a secret group called the CORE that have insinuated themselves into key government agencies. Now everyone is after the scanner, which is a key piece of technology that CORE wants.

This book was really exciting. I was already to 33% before I realized it. It felt like I had read only a chapter. This is definitely a page turner. I was aggravated at the adults in his life because they seemed to be either making decisions only for the good of themselves or just making bad decisions all together. The ending was aggravating also but by 92% into the book I realized that the story couldn't be wrapped up that quickly and there would probably be a book two. I really hope it comes out soon! I wanna know what happens next.

I received an ARC unproofed copy of this book via Net Galley.

BOOK REVIEW: Deadly Assets (Alison Campbell Mystery #2)

Deadly Assets (Allison Campbell Mystery #2)

by Wendy Tyson (Goodreads Author)

Paperback, 296 pages

Expected publication: July 22nd 2014 by Henery Press

When I first started this book I was wondering if I would really like it. It started off in a remote mansion house of a lady named Francesca who was pretty much a hermit her entire life. Now she had to assume responsibility of a wine making empire that her ailing husband had been running. So, she hired Alison Campbell, an image consultant, to help her get up to speed on the ins and outs of being in charge after being a classic introvert for her entire life. Alison was supposed to show her how to dress, act and whatever else she needed. She probably also needed counseling to make her the best CEO she could be. I was close to closing the book on this story because it seemed no action was happening. The introduction of a young gal, a wanna be pop star, was curious. And then suddenly, out of no where, there were two kidnappings at the same time implicating her pal, Vaughn. It was then I was certain this was going to be a true joy ride. I breathed a sigh of relief and said a silent "yay" when the kidnappings happened.

I felt a little let down because the author didn't go too much into the character of Dom. They did pretty much set Alex, smarmy son of Francesca's brother, out there as a suspect from the beginning. I felt so bad for Vaughn, he had pretty much dropped off the pop star gal at her house and then went to get Francesca who almost immediately went missing at a truck stop where they stopped for a potty break. That made Vaughn suspect number one in the eyes of the police.

The beginning intro part went on for a little longer than I would like. I nearly nodded off and abandoned the book. But I am glad I stuck with it. Because when the action started, it never ended. I am definitely going to check out the first book in this series. Because as is true for me, I read book two before book one. I never got to see Alison do what she claims to do, image consulting. She spends the entire story being an armchair detective. And I hope book one really gets into the world Alison has built around her. I was missing that in this book.

I received an ARC unproofed copy of this book via Net Galley.