Review: Time After Time

Time After Time by Jenna St. James
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

I love this author’s writing. I have read a few of her books and she consistently injects good times into each book. Her books always entertain me. This book stayed true to that. Time After Time is the third book in the, “A Witch In Time,” series. No, so far, you do not need to read them in any special order. Each book has been complete on its own. I love how each book is from a different author yet flows nicely with the other books. The series is about young witches who travel through time, tasked with solving an unresolved crime. In Time After Time we go back to the 1980’s. The author remembers well how things were then. We are treated with a delightfully fun tale that takes place in a nursing home, (more like an assisted care facility). Two murders were committed by an unknown person. Will Lexie find out all she needs to know to crack this case? Pop in a cassette mix tape and dive in.
As always, reviews are opinions. This is my opinion. I prefer to say little about story lines. If I tell you the story in my review, you will miss the fun of reading the book. If you aren’t certain you will enjoy the book, please check for it on Overdrive or request it from your library.

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Review: The Prince of Dragons

The Prince of Dragons by Tameri Etherton
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Wow. I confess. Fantasy and SciFi are not my strong genres. For both, I need to be in the right mood to read them. I usually enjoy them but only on my terms. The Prince Of Dragons, though, enchanted me. I started it in the proper mood. Then had a crisis in real life that stopped my reading for a couple days. When I got back to reading, my mood had changed. But I was already under the author’s spell. This is one of the rare fantasy books that I enjoyed even though I wasn’t in fantasy mode! Truly, if you know me, you know how significant that is.
I love Rhoane. I loved watching his growth. The author ripped my heart out early on with Rhoane. I’m not telling you how. My other favorite character was Faelara. I am hoping to see more of her in future books. I want to know all of her story. There are other characters that I liked and a few, not so much, (pretty sure that was planned).
The author did a decent job with world building. I felt like I could close my eyes and see the story unfold in my mind. I do wish I had noticed the maps, at the end of the story, earlier. Be sure to check those out.
The author, thoughtfully, also has a cast of characters, (with pronunciation of names), and a glossary of unfamiliar words and places. Both can be found at the end of the book. I did well with the pronunciation using my experience with Celtic names and words. I knew the rules to those, (thank you deceased family members who passed that to me). If you aren’t familiar with them, you might want to keep in mind that you can easily look them up or you can choose to read through them before reading the story.
I recommend this series to young adults and up, (for some mature themes). My recommendation is to read the book. If you aren’t certain about buying it, I encourage you to ask your library for it and/or check your favorite library app.

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Review: Riley Mack and the Other Known Troublemakers

Riley Mack and the Other Known Troublemakers by Chris Grabenstein
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

The version I am actually reviewing is the Audible Originals one. It is not listed in the editions available. I chose the version I hope matches.

I chose this title as part of the Audible Original program. I debated getting it as I’m not a child. Okay, some who know me might argue that so, I’m way above the age of being considered a child. I was kept entertained the entire time. I can’t wait to share this with my grandchildren. I know they are going to love it! The actors did a great job bringing this book to life. This would be a wonderful title for a road trip.

The grandchildren mentioned are in range from 6 to 12. I think the two older ones are more suited for the book but, being the audiobook version, I believe even the youngest will be kept entertained. The Audible Originals version runs just over 4 hours and has a big cast. I think even the adults in the car will be entertained. It will also provide an opening for talking about bullying. Oh and there are dogs. What child hasn’t asked for a dog at least once?

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Review: The Forgiving Jar

The Forgiving Jar by Wanda E. Brunstetter
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I won this book in a Goodreads Giveaway. It is the second book in the series. I did not read the first book and was able to follow along. I do, however, wish that I had read them in order. It is what I recommend for best enjoyment. Each book, so far, tells, as the main story, one young girls story. The first book is Michelle’s story with, I’m thinking, Sara’s story coming in. This book is Sara’s story. The next book is Lenore’s. This is very interesting to me as Michelle and Sara were raised English while Lenore was raised Amish. Each young woman is hurting when they find The Prayer Jar, (this story made me want to make a similar type jar). I enjoyed the book very much but felt that the author did not stay true to Sara at the end. Michelle does something that affects Sara’s relationship. When Sara found out, there was no real feel reaction. I took a star away for it because I felt cheated. I don’t want to go completely into things and ruin it for anyone. I’ll let you draw your own opinion. Other than that, I really enjoyed this book and am planning to read both book one and three. There are some other things in the background that have been introduced. I’m hoping the next book picks up the threads. I recommend the book for relaxing, clean romance, reading.
Thank to everyone involved in the giveaway. The opinions expressed are my feelings from reading the book. The review was voluntary and written because I like to review books and other purchases I make.

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Review: Bone Music

Bone Music by Christopher Rice
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

I thought this book was amazing! There were so many interesting plots/subplots that I needed to read it slower than usual but wanted to just keep going! Definitely a book I recommend you try.
I read this on Kindle and, at times, listened to it on Audible. I liked the narrator on this. It was easy going back and forth between the two formats. Go with what works for you.

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Review: The Demon Next Door

The Demon Next Door by Bryan Burrough
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I had no idea who this serial killer was when I chose this audiobook. I actually, even with the description, didn’t realize it was true until the narrator read the part of looking him up. I did and was surprised that it wasn’t a fictional horror book. I thought it was interesting that the author went to high school with the killer, and then went back to get the story. It gave a personal touch to the town. I can’t imagine what it must have been like for Brenda with the way the town appeared to embrace and cocoon her attacker. The book gives much to think about in that regard. If you read true crime, this is probably a book that will interest you.
The narrator was okay. His enthusiasm kind of creeped me out at times. Other than that, he did well.

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Review: Dangerous Dreams: A Story of the Lost Colony of Roanoke

Dangerous Dreams: A Story of the Lost Colony of Roanoke by Mike Rhynard
My rating: 0 of 5 stars

Dangerous Dreams started slow for me but was worth it! This book contains a lot of history along with a lot of imagination. I loved the story of Emily and Ishna. I wasn’t so engrossed in Allie. The author did a lot of research to make the book as close to what happened to the Lost Colony of Roanoke as possible. I could imagine much of what he wrote as really happening. His descriptions and inclusion of the Lakota language helped bring the book to life. I appreciate him including the Sioux rites, cultures from multiple Native American tribes, the medicine wheel as well as the Viking and Spanish explorations. There is so much that went into this book! While it started slowly for me, once it picked up, it was impossible to put down.
This book does have mature themes and graphic violence. Please keep your feelings about that in mind when you are deciding to read this book. If you are uncertain about it, I suggest you request a sample or borrow it from the library. I believe the book would make a good book club read. The author has book club questions on his website. Reviews are opinions that may differ from yours. I recommend that if you are reading these reviews, which suggests you have an interest, you should read the book. I won this book from Goodreads. I appreciate the generosity of Goodreads and the author. All opinions expressed are from my feelings while reading the book.

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