Bad Boys for Hire: Ryker by Rachelle Ayala
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Wowza! I woke up way early and couldn't get back to sleep so I decided to give this a listen. Almost four hours passed by without me noticing. I listened, enthralled. The ups and downs, twists and turns had me feeling like I was on a roller coaster. The spicy parts kept me warm on this chilly Alaska morning. This was the first audio book of Rachelle Ayala's that I have listened to. At the end of it I laid there thinking about it versus a print, (or kindle), version. I came to the conclusion that I really enjoyed listening to this one. Normally I pick print. The narrator did a good job. He didn't put me to sleep even though I was laying in my bed. I would definitely listen to him again.

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Review: A Father for Christmas

A Father for Christmas by Rachelle Ayala
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

This story deals with PTSD. The love interest is a homeless veteran, Tyler. The other part of the romance is Bree and her mother, Kelly. The book is the first book in a trilogy. I actually read the last book first, (that book was my discovery of this author, if I am remembering correctly). In my opinion you should read this in the order it was written. The author has other series where it doesn't matter, (some in which Bree makes an appearance), this trilogy is better read in order.
I have to confess that Kelly is not my favorite character. In real life she would be the friend I keep because I like her family. She is very judgmental but that is her personality and I am happy that the author lets that trait be. None of are perfect. Sometimes, in books, or movies, the character traits are sugar coated when they are negative. I appreciate the author holding true to Kelly even though it makes it difficult to like her. Bree is adorable! She is who falls in love first and she is who you are really rooting for in this story. Tyler, has some very real issues going on. My son was sent to Iraq during the beginning of the war. He now suffers from PTSD along with some physical issues. It is a rough road filled with sadness. We have not done enough for our returning heroes, though we are improving. I was pleased that the author portrayed this accurately. My son is not homeless but he has a lot of support in his life. Without his wife, daughters and the rest of us, he could easily be Tyler. In listening to this story I thought a lot about my son and his family and did make comparisons. I think we all do when we read a story that is close to our real lives. I don't like Kelly that much but she is a strong woman and it takes a strong personality to handle everything that goes with loving someone with PTSD. Please keep that in mind when you read this story. You will probably want to slap Kelly at time, Tyler too to be honest, and may become frustrated with her. I don't want you to get so frustrated you give up the story. The story is a touching one. Both adults have issues and a past. I don't want to give away the story so I'm not going into details. You will discover them as you read. It does make for conflicts and a need for understanding and forgiveness.
I thought the narrator was good. I have heard better ones but she did a good job. I didn't go to sleep on her. Lol. This was the first time I heard her read. I would listen to her again. She does vary her tone and did well with Bree.

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Review: Sun Kisses

Sun Kisses by Lynda Beaver
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

What a delightful book! I have a few freckles myself but I have cousins who have many more. As I was reading this book, my thoughts turned to them. I thought about how much this book could have contributed to their happiness as children. I wish it came out when we were children. I would have been gifting it madly! Like Emily, they had been teased about their freckles. They would have loved a book about how they came to receive so many freckles.

Emily comes home crying over what a school mate has told her. In ancient times, (haha), she would have been told, "sticks and stones." Recent times she might be told to ignore the mate. But now she has a wonderful fable to help her.

We are all unique. We are all beautiful. I would recommend this book. It is a lovely way to explain freckles.

I enjoyed the illustrations. I wish there were more of them included.

Thank you to BookTasters and the author for bringing this book to my attention for review consideration. It is a book I will be sharing.


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The Long Road Home by Carolyn Bowen
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I liked the story. It held my interest even though I had a couple of problems with it. I liked a lot of the characters. The ones I didn't I wasn't suppose to. The story moved along at a fast pace and was filled with intrigue. Which brings me to my problems with it. Point of view changed a few times during the story. I can handle that when the author keeps me in the know. With this story, they changed with no real warning or break. Several times I was jarred out of the story by the abrupt change in POV. In all honesty, when I find this in a book the storyline has to have gotten my attention. It is one of the things can can cause me to shelf a book as, "did not finish". The other problem I had was with the character Ken. I felt that there really wasn't any closure with him and I was left hanging. I don't want to go totally into who and why because it would be a spoiler. I would rather you read the book and judge yourself. I mention for the authors benefit. Despite those issues that I had with it, I really enjoyed the book. I kept turning pages to see how things would turn out.
Thank you to BookTasters and the author for bring the book to my attention for review consideration.

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Review: The Haunting of Ashburn House

The Haunting of Ashburn House by Darcy Coates
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

I selected this book during the final hours of a 24 hour readathon. I had the hope it would keep me reading during my hardest hours of the 24. The creepiness of the story certainly did just that. It actually became hard to put down once the readathon ended. However as I needed the sleep, I put it down. When I picked it back up to finish it, (or so I intended), a hilarious thing happened.
I woke in the early morning hours and could not get back to sleep. I decided I would read a bit in bed. The house was completely dark except for my Kindle. My dog was sleeping next to my bed. Now, you need to understand this book is very atmospheric. For me, the creep factor is high. The writing had totally drawn me in and I was transported to Ashburn House. At a part that involved a lone neglected grave and a dead looking body, (I don't want to tell you if they were or were not dead - sorry), I felt my bed suddenly start violently shaking! Being completely disorientated, I was wildly trying to figure out where I was and what was happening. The shaking stopped but my heart was racing. The shaking began again along with the doors loudly rattling and my dog freaking out at nothing I could see. Being fully awake now, I realized we were having an earthquake and the haunt of Ashburn House was not in my room. The earthquake was a 6.3 one so you can imagine how it felt. We are fine but I thought I would share that with you. I know I am not the only one who gets so drawn into a story.
I really enjoyed the story. In my opinion the build up was well timed. We were given a chance to experience Addy getting to know an old house she inherited. We became aware of something being wrong the same as she did. This is what allows us to fall so deeply into the story that we are lost in Ashburn with Addy. I do wish we had a bit more information on Marion. It would have been interesting to know her character better. The gore level was a surprise. In my experience you either get a ton of gore or none with an atmospheric book. I felt the author put the right amount of it in the story.
There is no sex in this book, the violence/gore level was appropriate for the story and there is some mild adult language for those who are interested. I would absolutely recommend this book for teens and up. I am looking forward to reading more work by Darcy Coates.

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Review: Playing for the Save

Playing for the Save by Rachelle Ayala
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

This book is the fourth book in the series. I have not read every book in the series yet. I had no problem with reading this out of order. My experience with the series is that though the books are connected each can be read as a stand alone.
This book touched me deeply. I have grandsons who are on the spectrum. I had custody of one. The author worked very hard to present an accurate picture of what autism can be like. Autism can be different for every person on the spectrum which makes it an extremely difficult subject to write about. I commend the author for her decision to tackle it. Autism is on the rise but whether that is because there are more cases or because there is more awareness is up for debate. My personal opinion is that it is a combination of the two. Ms Ayala, in choosing to write a story where autism is included, helps greatly with awareness. That she chose to make it central to the plot and took pains to make it as accurate as she could, helps greatly with understanding. I am deeply grateful she treated this subject with the attention and care that she did.
Ms Ayala wrote an important story that is heartbreaking yet heartwarming. Reading it will take you on an emotional roller coaster where you will laugh, cry, cheer and boo. You will feel happiness, despair, anger and, above all, hope because hope shines through every page. Those of us who have lived with autism, or are living with it, know it is love and hope that carries us through the bad moments. Understanding from family, friends and especially strangers can change a bad day into a bad moment and leave us feeling supported instead of alone. The story is the story of two people with very real problems who fight for love. It is also the story of a family fighting for love, understanding and acceptance. In my mind, it is one of the most important stories you may read.

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Review: A Ghostly Murder

A Ghostly Murder by Tonya Kappes
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Things are heating up in Sleepy Hollow, Kentucky. Is there a serial killer on the loose? Is someone out to get Granny? With the election over you wouldn't think so. But strange things are happening and it is looking like Granny is involved. And what is going on with Emma Lee and Jack Henry? Will their romance survive? Tonya Kappes has written another winner in the Ghostly Southern Mystery series. This series is so entertaining to read you don't notice the time flying by! You don't have to read them in order but it is more fun if you do. They are fast reads and, if you haven't read any of them, I recommend a weekend of binge reading.

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