Taken By Trouble by Charley Colins

Available: Now Amazon/B&N

Type: Mystery/Suspense

Publisher: Turquoise Morning Press

My Copy: Sent

Reviewer: Nikki

It’s not every day a girl takes out the trash and is nearly run over for it, but that’s exactly what happens to Sara Livingston. Manager and waitress at a bar, Sara typically spends her days serving drinks and turning up the TV volume on the latest sport’s game, a job that is quite enough to make her mostly liked by all. When she’s dropped into a game of cat and mouse with a stalker, she has no idea who could be behind the wheel of the truck or why they want her flattened on the pavement.

With her private eye brother out of town, she’s relying on her brother’s coworker, Clark Russells, to keep her from eating asphalt.

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Taking out the trash has never been so dangerous for Sara, who is almost run over doing the simple work chore at her brother’s bar. Turning to her other brothers best friend Clark in his absence to help her find the responsible person, they set out on to investigate occurrences that are slowly getting more severe.

I found that by the end of Taken By Trouble I was torn. The book starts out with Sara almost getting plowed down in the back parking lot of her brothers bar. She eats some pavement in her narrow dive and then manages to hobble back into the relative safety of the bar. She is immediately in the capable care of her brothers best friend and fellow PI, Clark. Though she is resistant at first, as the stalker escalates she finds having Clark hanging around to be a good thing.

My main problem was with the stalker himself and his non-escalation/escalation. The first thing the stalker does is try to run Sara down. Great start and it told me this stalker meant business. However, then everything gets downplayed as teenagers looking to settle a score after not getting served alcohol to protect Saras “jumpiness”…according to what her brother tells Clark. The stalker then makes a couple of pretty friendly phone calls that left a scowl on my face. The calls should have been at least as threatening as Sara acts like they were. I found myself pretty complacent at the hi-jinx of this guy and not at all feeling the tension Sara was. Somewhere around 80% the stalker finally decides to up his game and some real threat is revealed. There is just so much time spent on the investigation, running down leads, ect that I didn’t think the threat was accurately portrayed.

Being used to a certain type of book from Keri Ford, I think I just wanted more. Charley Colins (her alter-ego) writes with more detail, more story, but in the translation I think a bit of the flare is lost. Sara and Clark have a steady heat up to what looks like the beginning of a relationship. There is definitely some heat simmering for them both and yet nothing is resolved by the end. Now I don’t expect there to be tons of sex in a mystery/suspense that isn’t romance oriented but by having the two main characters sleep together you expect there to be some sort of resolution to their story but at the end of Taken By Trouble everything is just left up in the air. They are together/not together and they have feelings for each other but neither voices them. As a reader I was frustrated. There are two more books in this series and I’m positive that by the end of the trilogy readers will get the closure they need.

The process of finding and solving the mystery surrounding Sara’s stalker was a satisfying journey that had me right in the room with the characters. Though tedious at times, I enjoyed the systematic PI process Clark goes through in order to ensure Sara’s safety. I also enjoyed Sara’s mouth and her insistence that she was FINE, even though it was obvious she was not.

Taken By Trouble is a good start to an engaging mystery series featuring a down to earth heroine and tough PI. Together these two make a team that’s easy to watch and like. Colins knows how to hook a reader and keep them coming back for more! Just a good, solid book!

I give Taken By Trouble by Charley Colins 3.50 stars!

In Her Sights by Charley Colins (A Lexie Olympia Novel #1)

 

Available: Now Amazon/B&N

Type: Mystery/Romance

Publisher: Self Pub

My Copy: Sent

Some call her a killer.
Others call her a hero.

Lexie Olympia calls herself neither. She’s getting the job done because she can. A beloved philanthropist by day who’s nicknamed Melville’s Sweetheart, Lexie has the city wrapped around her little finger. Having been a victim in the past, left behind with the killer still on the loose, Lexie knows what it’s like to live with that fear. Instead of biting her nails over it, she takes action. Drug lords, gang leaders, con artists, kidnappers, serial killers, anyone who leaves behind innocent victims are marked on Lexie’s list.

When a neighbor leaves a stolen ancient dagger on her doorstep and skips town, Lexie’s left picking up the pieces. The police, a local private investigator, and a gang are all after this artifact and Lexie uses her nighttime persona, Artemis, to get to the bottom of things. Everything is going smoothly until she gets caught.

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Normally I stay away from mysteries because I’m more of an action or romance girl but when I read the blurb for this one I decided that it held a promise that most mysteries lack. A mixing of sub-genres  that was sure to entice even the most fickle of readers.  What I found within the pages of In Her Sights was an excellent merging of intrigue, action and sexual tension that made me crave for more by the end. Plus it’s wrote by one of my favorite contemporary romance authors, Keri Ford, who always manages to take a story and bring it to life seemingly effortlessly.

Lexie  isn’t just the town sweetheart but she’s also their protector, not that they know it. Her alter-ego Artemis prowls the street bringing justice to those who deserve it and vengeance to those who commit heinous acts on unsuspecting citizens. Shrouded in her public image of the gorgeous, political fund raising heiress, she lives two lives. When someone dares to try to steal from her she finds her two lives merged unexpectedly.

Clayton Addison needs something that Lexie supposedly has and as a personal security officer he should have been able to get it and be out in minutes. Lexie is not what he was expecting and he soon finds himself in over his head with this spunky blonde bombshell who has numerous secrets she seems intent on keeping. Along with the article he needs…a dagger that came into her possession quite unexpectedly.

As Addison and Lexie work together and her secrets are slowly brought to light Addison has to wonder at her upbringing and how finding her murdered parents has played a part in making her the complex woman he finds himself fighting feelings for. I was rooting for Lexie to overcome her nightmares and not only get a decent nights sleep but to let Addison in to her life. She has been fighting alone for so long that change scares her and she fights it. She convinces herself that the tension she feels when Addison touches her isn’t real and instead blames it on her tired psyche. Though there are those she trust she ultimately works alone and I found that sad.

I found the mystery of the dagger, where it came from and who wanted it for what reason extremely well wrote. Most often I can see through the mystery and figure out the motives long before the ending. That never happened with In Her Sights and at the end I was as surprised as the characters were! I’m not yet sold on her hired killer persona. You can call it what you want but in the end killing is killing and while she only kills those who deserve it, I’m not sure I yet understand it. I’m hoping following  books will help me come to terms with her profession.

Lexie is an adept heroine who can handle her own and she rescues the hero a time or two as well. I loved the turning of the tables from the typical male/female roles. Addison held his own but as a team they worked well together. Addison needed a strong female because of his own sad past and so Lexie fit in well with what he needed. His guilt over the deaths of his own family still weigh heavily on him and affects how he perceives his job as protector and head of his security company.

One of my favorite things about Keri Ford has always been her ability to take a world in her head and make it real. Make me care and make me believe. Past books have all been novella length and her characters were so complete in those that I had high hopes for her debut novel length. Keri doesn’t let her readers down and her fans are sure to love this one as much as I did. One part Robin Hood and one part Tomb Raider make this a winner in the literary world!

In Her Sights is an excellent romantic mystery that kept me on the edge of my seat through the entire book! At the end I wonted more and I can’t wait to see where this story and these characters take me in the future! Completely addictive and wonderfully entertaining, In Her Sights will win over readers in droves!

I give In Her Sights by Charley Colins 4.50 stars!

 

The Perilous Penis – Guest Post by Bobbye Terry

The Perilous Penis
And other body parts that literally run away with the show

Have you ever been reading a book and suddenly the hero’s genitals seem to take control of the scene? With a super-human effort, he emerges not as hero, superman at his finest, but horny-man, his huge angry shaft standing at attention? Does he bludgeon the heroine instead of having sex with her?

What about his eyes? Are they flying towards her? Is his head spinning out of control? Does he suddenly have his head falling toward the floor? Are his feet flying out from under him? Is his heart beating out of his chest? This man needs an exorcist, not a lover.

You see, dear writers and readers, these are falling or dueling body parts, and if anything takes a person out of a story, it’s haunted appendages and organs.

The writer needs to get a grip. Even if there is a quick change in the hero’s or heroine’s reactions to something said or happening, there are better ways of showing it than sending body parts to take care of the problem.
For instance, the heart beats faster, palms sweat, the skin becomes flushed, a gaze immediately changes to a point in the room. Gaze or glance is so much better to eyes flying to a spot.

Just be cognizant of this somewhat annoying habit and do what I say not as I do. I have caught myself doing the same thing and had to self-correct. The fact that we, as readers, catch it and chuckle, should tell us that it isn’t an effective method of describing action. Describe what’s actually happening and what the character is feeling instead of using “shorthand” that we have learned from many years of bad habits from writers who have come before us.
Linda S. Glaz, Hartline Literary Agency, made this statement in her blog February 25, 2011 post, http://tinyurl.com/6ao33rx:
“One of the funniest lines I ever read in a manuscript was a hero who allowed ‘his eyes to run around the room as he looked for a way out.’ I had this vision of an alien species whose eyeballs popped out, dropped to the floor, sprouted legs and took off running around the room like a spider on speed.”

Whenever you start to write similar words, remember the image of a spider crawling up to you like one of those mechanical things in Minority Report, and happy writing!

Bobbye Terry writes mystery/suspense, romance, fantasies and dystopian fiction. Coming to Climax, Book 1 in the Climax, Virginia Mysteries series, was just released. The sequel, Nick of Time, will be released in November.  For more about Bobbye, visit her at www.BobbyeTerry-MysteryHappens.com.

BUY: Amazon/ B&N

Margaret Palmer returns to Climax, Virginia, a deceptively quiet country town where Southern charm hides long-buried secrets and evil lurks just beneath the surface of the daily routine. Frustrated and frightened, Margaret knows she will have to face Blue Moon, the only true love she ever had, and his adopted daughter, Carolina. More alarmingly, she may be forced to reveal a long-hidden secret—she’s Carolina’s biological mother. But, will her disclosure no longer matter when a psychotic serial killer eliminating residents, spirals out of control, determined that Blue will be his last victim?

Vanished In The Night by Eileen Carr

Available: Amazon/B&N/Borders

Type: Suspense

Publisher: Simon & Schuster / Pocket Star

My Copy: Sent

She doesn’t trust cops . . .

Veronica Osborne has had enough problems with the police, thanks to her volatile father. So when tall, strapping Sergeant Zach McKnight shows up at her door, she’s prepared for anything—except the news that her beloved missing brother, Max, has been dead for nearly twenty years . . . ever since he ran away.

. . . until she meets one who’d risk everything to protect her.

Appalled when the police suspect her father of Max’s murder, Veronica begins her own investigation. But as her surprising role in her brother’s disappearance surfaces, so do more bodies. The ghosts of Max’s past are working hard to hide the truth, while another, more sinister force will do anything to expose it. How far will a killer go to get revenge? And can Zach stop him before he targets the woman Zach’s coming to love?

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I honestly am not sure what to say about this book. Did I like it? Yes. Was it romance? Eh, not really…no matter what it is classified as. I would say this was more of a suspense/mystery where two characters that have a slightly lukewarm relationship eventually hookup and do the nasty…once…in “fade to black” fashion. Romance aside, this book was really well wrote and completely engaging. When I realized about 100 pages in that I wouldn’t classify it as a romance I got a bit worried. It’s not often that something without strong romantic interludes keeps my attention. The level of writing kept me reading and the mystery kept me wondering and working out scenarios in my head.

Vanished In The Night takes us to a world where past sins are finally coming to light many years after a murder was committed. Veronica’s brother Max has come home. In the form of his bones dumped at a local construction site near her home and work. She may have only been a child at the time of his disappearance, but she always hoped… Living with an abusive father and an alcoholic mother was hard enough when her brother was around to take the brunt. Her guilt at having been the one to finally make her father snap towards his stepson has consumed her to the point of insanity. Now that the truth is being revealed, a greater threat may be surfacing. One that might make Veronica follow in her brothers sad footsteps.

Zach and his partner are slowly piecing the puzzle of Max’s death together. The evidence will solve this case that has become close to his heart. His past and Max’s aren’t so unsimilar. In fact he could have easily ended up like Max if he were sent to the same school. The story of horrors that is slowly unraveling around everyone is ghastly and unbelievable. One that may put his new found emotions regarding Veronica in great peril.

I enjoyed everything about this book except the lack of romance. I felt that could have been played up a bit more because I never really got Zach’s feelings for Veronica and didn’t feel like they evolved as a couple. The actual mystery was really good if not a bit graphic at times. Which didn’t bother me but some may find themselves shuddering at parts.

The intricate plot line ends up weaving several people’s lives together but the author makes it pretty clear who the “villain” or maybe I should say, “who the worst villain” was. I almost wish it would have been more of a secret but as wrote was okay with me too.

Vanished In The Night is suspenseful, a bit scary and a overall good read. Even for this romance girl.

 

I give Vanished In The Night by Eileen Carr 4 stars!

Daughter Of Darkness by V.C. Andrews

Today I am handing the reigns of to my super talented cousin Julie! I asked Julie to do a guest review for me because I’m working weird hours this week and didn’t have a ton of time to devote to the blog. And of course the one week where I’m trying to prove myself at this job…I’m getting sick. This is my life people..never fails.

Where I read mostly romance, Julie tends to gravitate towards mysteries. She said she had picked up V.C. Andrews newest book so I asked her to write up her thoughts for me. Everyone welcome Julie!! *Waving*

Daughter of Darkness by VC Andrews

New York Times Bestselling author V.C Andrews (aka Andrew Neiderman) ventures into the world of vampires in this all-new novel, Daughter of Darkness.

Seventeen-year-old Lorelei Patio is the adopted daughter of a two-hundred-year-old vampire, Sergio Patio. She never realized why her family has had to move often or why she is not permitted to get too friendly with other young people. In fact, except for one shocking moment, that seemed more like a dream, Lorelei never fully realized who and what her father was, nor what her sisters were brought up to do for him. But one day, that all changed.

 

 

 

Daughter of Darkness is a cool title, right? The cover is sexy and the author V.C. Andrews is famous, so…I was confused and disappointed. I feel compelled to preface my review by saying I’ve read about fifty other reviews of this book in preparation to write my own. I did this hoping for an epiphany, seeking some word of wisdom, some tiny morsel of proverbial light, so I could do a headslap, return to the book and see it for the brilliance I had surely missed.

I found no such nugget.

Daughter of Darkness is about 400 pages in length, and there is literally no action or story to be found for over 170 pages. Then, we’re thrown a bone, which is snatched away by page 173 and we’re trapped back inside the main character, Lorelei’s, head for another fifty or so pages. VC Andrews describes the dreary life of Lorelei from her perspective – at length. She had a bizarre upbringing as the daughter of a vampire would. Everything is and I quote “shrouded in secrets and wrapped in a mystery.” She says or thinks these words several times. She’s personality deficient and we’re stuck in her head. I started skimming pages around one hundred looking for a scene outside of her home or with some dialogue which is not easily found. Overall, the story is about Lorelei coming of age, realizing who she is, what her purpose is (to be sexy and bring derelicts home for daddy to eat once a month). Then, as if to interject a shot of humanity, Lorelei decides that isn’t cool and the story begins – around page 300.

Now, I’m a writer. So, writing a review that isn’t upbeat and promotional is tough. There’s usually something redeeming or positive, or maybe a “Hey, this isn’t my thing, but it was well written, poetic, something.” VC Andrews and the publisher surely know more than I do, but as a reader, I was left wanting my time back. Andrews is known for creepy twists, and this was a new perspective in a vampire saturated market. True. However, it took a long time to get it out. Also, the book is filled with incestuous tones and well…I won’t spoil the incest for you…wait. Oops.

All in all, I’m left bored and disappointed. I enjoy action and banter and innuendo. I can only hope there was a purpose to the tome of detail and backstory. Perhaps there’s a sequel afoot? True VC Andrews fans will likely appreciate this in a way I couldn’t. Vampire fans, romance fans, book fans, not so much.

 

 

Julie gives Daughter Of Darkness 1.5 stars

 

 

Julie’s BIO:

Julie Anne Lindsey is a writer, blogger and an all around caffeine addict. She’s an unpublished author and you can find her tweeting @JulieALindsey or on her blog at Musings from the Slush Pile she shares writing tips, author interviews, personal experience, and opening chapters from her works.

Thank you for stopping by Julie!

Dead People by Edie Ramer

From Goodreads:

When Cassie Taylor talks, ghosts listen. She wants to heal their souls so they can leave earth. Brooding songwriter Luke Rivers wants to give his recently found daughter a normal home, but he discovers his new house in small town Wisconsin is haunted by a ghost with an attitude. His ghost whisperer has an attitude too — even before someone tries to kill her. So why does he have the hots for her? And why does she lust after him? He wants conventional; she wants acceptance. No wonder she thinks men are hard and dead people are easy

This was my very first book by Edie Ramer. I found the book enjoyable overall but it felt really long. I would classify this more as a mystery then a romance, although there were a few steamy scenes for the main characters. The book centers around Cassie, a modern-day ghost whisperer. She is extremely insecure even though she puts on a hard front. She is constantly thinking the worst of herself and doesn’t understand why anyone would have any interest in her “slightly fluffy” exterior. When she is hired to get rid of a ghost in the famous Luke Rivers house she figures it will be just another job in the long line of experiences.

When she arrives to find the ghost Isabel won’t speak to her, Luke staring at her ample booty and an extremely fragile young girl she knows this job won’t be an easy one. She has no experience with live people and the dead one won’t come out to play. Cassie must unravel the mysteries of the house and all the occupants if she is ever going to have peace again.

Luke doesn’t want to like the cute ghost whisperer, but his daughter Erin is completely enamored with her. Since Erin hasn’t shown  much emotion with him other the hatred since she was thrust surprisingly upon him…he wants the ghost whisperer close by. Coming to terms with Cassie’s uniqueness and the new emotion that is tugging at his heart might just be Luke’s undoing.

I really enjoyed the fact that Erin was a “normal sized” woman…though it bugged me that the girl on the cover was as rail thin as normal cover art girls. The picture definitely contradicts the version of Cassie that is spun throughout the book. Not that Edie had much control over that. Just a pet peeve of mine. It was a breath of fresh air to have a heroine described as “soft, carrying 20 extra pounds, curvy”. Cassie’s attitude grated at times though because she is constantly beating herself up. I wanted to shake her and tell her to “OWN IT”. She has grown up being berated and unloved though so I could understand the immediate reaction to tell herself she wasn’t good enough or worthy of love.

That type of personality really helped open up Erin. Poor Erin is just like Cassie. Erin has been taking care of her drug addicted mother for years. When her mom nearly overdoses and Erin calls 911 it sets off a chain of events that lead straight to Luke. Luke didn’t even know he had a daughter and now he’s got a 10-year-old. Erin now has to live with a stranger and the guilt and allegiance to her mother keep her from warming up. Until Cassie walks in.

Erin’s character was so heartbreaking. She is mad, confused and feels incredibly guilty because her mother blames her for calling 911 and getting them in trouble. The conversations with the drug addicted mother Vanessa left me so angry and sad for the little girl. How a mother can inflict that much guilt onto a child is beyond me.

The mystery of who killed Isabel is answered quite quickly and I was slightly disappointed in that. I wanted to try to unravel that mystery myself but it’s made quite clear early on. There was also a TON of point of views in this book. It made it harder to connect to the main characters of Luke and Cassie for a while. We have to look through a ton of people’s eyes and it felt daunting to switch so many times. I wasn’t really interested in knowing what everyone was thinking all the time. I like the allure of trying to figure it all out looking through the main characters eyes. Because of the many points of view, the book felt longer then it should be.

We also meet Cassie’s long time ghost friend Joe. I was pretty confused with his character. In the beginning he seemed to be in love with Cassie but as the book progresses I was left wondering if he were more of an angel and less of a spirit. When all the pieces fall into place and the book reaches its breaking point, Joe becomes the savior. But the way in which he did it is left unanswered so I in turn was kind of confused. However his personality and charming wit make him a completely lovable character. The book would certainly be missing something without him.

Edie takes you on a roller coaster of emotions and there is a theme of accepting yourself, your faults and your strengths woven throughout the book. While there are a couple of steamy areas I think most readers that like contemporary romances will enjoy Dead People. While I don’t read a lot of mystery themed books, I did enjoy this one.

Dead People is a book that will make you forget whats going on around you. Pull you in to a web of lies and misconceptions. Make you think about how you treat people you perceive as “different” and what happens when a little girl gets broken and the only person left to pick up the pieces is a father she has never known. A father that is trying hard to juggle new responsibilities along with an all consuming attraction to someone who won’t make his life any easier.

I give Dead People by Edie Ramer 3.50 stars!

*this book is only available in e format*