#NewBooks – Page 9 – Rosepoint Publishing

Snapshot by Don Keith and George Wallace – #BookReview – #SeaStories

Rosepoint Publishing: Five Stars

(The Hunter Killer Series Book 8)

Book Blurb:

When an international crisis erupts in eastern Russia, the US Navy must race to avoid a nuclear apocalypse.

The Sea of Okhotsk north of the Japanese Home Islands is a cold and unforgiving place. Its icy, dark waters can change from a glass-smooth calm into a raging maelstrom in a heartbeat. The shores surrounding the sea, home to Siberian tigers and prowling wolf packs, are equally forbidding. Far from Mother Russia, beyond Siberia, it is a mostly forgotten land—even though it is the home of the Russian Navy’s Pacific Fleet.

It is here that the Children of the Gulags, descendants of Stalin’s infamous prison camps and long-time inhabitants of this harsh land, have slowly maneuvered into position. Their leaders are convinced they can now carve out and lay claim to a homeland of their own. But they must fan the flames of international tension among the Chinese, North Koreans, the Russians, NATO, and the Americans. Pitting them all against each other as the Children attempt to wrest away their new nation from Russia.

Thrust into a simmering conflict that threatens to spill over into nuclear Armageddon, head of US Naval Intelligence Admiral Jon Ward is faced with the impossible task of keeping the peace between nations. Forced into a game of intrigue and sinister political maneuvering, he must utilize the stealthy US submarines, SEALs, and other US assets to extinguish a conflict at the edge of the world—all while trying to give hope to an historically oppressed people in their own dreams of freedom.

Admiral Ward is about to face the toughest mission of his career..and one wrong move could ignite a nuclear war.

His Review:

The “Silent Service” utilizes vessels which ply the sea in secret. Clandestine voyages are essential for the security and safety of every country. Russia has a very sophisticated submarine service. Their equipment and ships are comparable to the United States in many respects. This novel touches upon these services.

The Sea of Okhotsk is considered by Russia to be within their sovereign territory. The United States maintains the 12 mile limit and considers any water beyond the 12 mile limit of any country to be international waters. Russia considers their limit to be 150 miles from their shores. The above-mentioned sea is totally surrounded by Russian lands and is therefore considered part of Mother Russia. Our submarines go into these waters often to monitor our potential enemy.

Henrietta Foster is the Commander of the submarine Gato which routinely enters this sea to protect U.S. interests and to monitor Russian shipping. Russia is not happy about this event. Gato wants to identify some of the more modern anti-submarine warfare systems aboard the Russian submarines. Acoustical equipment can identify most ships around the world by the sounds of the machinery and equipment on the craft.

The Seventh Fleet sends in a task force to test the responses of the Russians. The potential for catastrophic responses by both sides is always a factor. These writers illuminate the problem very well and the novel presents the ever-present danger. I found this book intriguing and exciting as the situation unfolded. I recommend it to anyone interested in world affairs and naval tactics. 5 stars – CE Williams

Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for providing me with the opportunity to read and review this book.

Book Details:

Genre: Sea Stories, War & Military Action Fiction, War Fiction
Publisher: Severn River Publishing
ASIN: B0B1F79QP1
Print Length: 345 pages
Publication Date: May 16, 2023
Source: Publisher and NetGalley

Title Link(s):

Amazon | Barnes & Noble

The Authors: [Don Keith] For a complete bio and a list of Don’s books, visit http://www.donkeith.com. Join Don’s mailing list for bonus content and HUNTER KILLER SERIES book updates: https://bit.ly/3otCajd Click FOLLOW for instant notification of new releases. Or visit http://www.wallace-keith.com

Award-winning and best-selling author Don Keith has lived in the South all his life and is a graduate of the University of Alabama with a degree in Broadcast and Film. As a broadcast journalist, he won awards from the Associated Press and United Press International for news writing and reporting and was also the first winner of Troy University’s Hector Award for innovation in broadcast journalism. As an on-the-air broadcaster, Don was twice named Billboard Magazine “Radio Personality of the Year.” His first novel, THE FOREVER SEASON, received the Alabama Library Association’s “Fiction of the Year” award. He has since published more than thirty-five books, fiction and non-fiction, including several nationally best-selling thrillers. One of them, FIRING POINT, was the basis for the hit motion picture HUNTER KILLER, starring Gerard Butler and Gary Oldman.

His writing has also appeared in such publications as The Washington Post, CQ Magazine, The American Legion Magazine, The K9YA Telegraph, and The Irish Times. He has also appeared on scores of TV shows from Fox Nation to Blaze TV to CSPAN’s “Book TV.” He is also a partner in a film production company, Fig Tree Media Group, and was writer and producer of the documentary COLORS OF CHARACTER, based on his biography, DREAM ON. He also has written several scripts and has other projects in various stages of pre-production for movies and television.

Don frequently conducts seminars and writing workshops around the country and is an in-demand public speaker.

Among other topics, Don has written extensively about World War II history. He sponsors the UNTOLD MILLIONS Project, an effort to encourage the capture and publication of eyewitness accounts of major historical events such as the Great Depression, World War II and other wars, the space program, the Civil Rights struggle, and more. The project web site is http://www.untoldmillions.net.

Don lives in Indian Springs Village, Alabama, with his wife, Charlene. Contact him at don@donkeith.com. Don’s web site is www.donkeith.com.

George Wallace [Goodreads] Born and raised in Eastern Ohio, Commander Wallace received his commission in the US Navy and a degree in engineering from The Ohio State University. After the obligatory and memorable interview with Admiral Rickover, he was accepted into the nuclear power and submarine communities. He served on two of Admiral Rickover’s famous “Forty One for Freedom”, the USS John Adams SSBN 620 and the USS Woodrow Wilson SSBN 624, during which time he made nine one-hundred-day deterrent patrols through the height of the Cold War.

Commander Wallace served as Executive Officer on the Sturgeon class nuclear attack submarine Spadefish. Spadefish and all her sisters were decommissioned during the downsizing that occurred in the 1990′s. The passing of that great ship served as the inspiration for “Final Bearing.”

Commander Wallace then commanded the Los Angeles class nuclear attack submarine USS Houston SSN 713 from February 1990 to August 1992. During this tour of duty he worked extensively with the SEAL community developing SEAL/submarine tactics. Under his command, the Houston was awarded the CIA Meritorious Unit Citation.

Commander George Wallace retired to the civilian business world in 1995, after twenty-two years of service on nuclear submarines.

Commander Wallace lives with his wife, Penny, in Alexandria, Virginia.

Happy Mother's Day

The One Who Fell (A Whitecliff Bay Mystery Bk 1) by Kerry Wilkinson – #TuesdayBookBlog

Book Blurb:

In the seaside town of Whitecliff, everyone looks out for each other. Everyone knows your name. And everyone knows your secrets…

Moonlight falls on the figure of the girl standing on the red-tiled roof. Her white dress and blonde hair flutter in the freezing night wind. And suddenly – she is gone.

Volunteering at the local nursing home is Millie Westlake’s one escape from the rumours that swirl around Whitecliff about her past. But speaking with elderly resident, Ingrid, as they play board games, Millie gets chills at her strange story about a young girl being pushed from a roof, somewhere across the valley…

Everybody thinks Ingrid is confused: but Millie knows how it feels to not be believed. Her parents died a year ago, and the residents of Whitecliff – such a quiet place, other than crashing waves and cawing seagulls – are convinced Millie killed them.

Desperately searching for evidence to find the girl Ingrid saw, a broken roof tile could prove Ingrid was telling the truth. But when strange footprints appear in Millie’s garden, she’s certain someone out there is watching.

Have Ingrid and Millie stumbled across something terribly dangerous? And with the town against her, will Millie have to face up to her own secrets to solve the mystery before it becomes deadly?

My Review:

I love it when I get to start a series with Book 1 as my norm seems to be to get in on Book 14 of one that is already successful (and fully developed). Sometimes that’s a great introduction to the series, other times it’s assumed the backstory has been rehashed and the MC so well developed the reader already knows every freckle or mole on his/her face.

Of course, that can work the other way as well. Starting a new series means getting the protagonist established, developed, the support characters introduced and the setting created in the mind of the reader. The process can be a slow one.

For me, it meant that this is one sluggish read. The main character Millie is hiding in plain sight, volunteering at the local nursing home where she can get lost with the old folks, providing a visit, a game, a story for those who get precious little one-on-one.

In the course of visiting with Ingrid, Ingrid relates witnessing from her upper story window a young girl being pushed from the roof a house or two away. Ingrid, of course, is known to get confused sometimes but Millie finds her story plausible and having somewhat of a gap in her own credibility, believes her. She is sympathetic to Ingrid and feels she must check into the story. But who does she trust?

It’s a small town with all the small town foibles, but a seaside village beautifully described. There is a support character who becomes somewhat a source of help while adding additional layers to the narrative and throwing off red herrings. A distraction.

Millie has an upward battle in finding an ear that will listen as her parents died suspiciously recently and she is suspected of providing their push into the hereafter. (Another small backstory I couldn’t quite buy or the reason people thought so.)

I couldn’t warm up to Millie and the story wove in and out of my interest. Too many questions not resolved in Book 1 because it is so obviously intended to lead into Book 2. My problem is lack of incentive.

I’ve read Kerry Wilkinson before, the most recent being The Blame, and can usually become engaged or entertained if not hanging on the edge of my seat to see where it’s going. No doubt there are Wilkinson fans who’ll enjoy picking through the breadcrumbs, but for me, this is a one off.

I received a complimentary review copy of this book from the author and publisher through @NetGalley that in no way influenced this review. These are my honest thoughts.

Rosepoint Rating: Three Stars

Book Details:

Genre: Murder, Murder Thrillers, Suspense
Publisher: Bookouture
ASIN: B0BWK5W5K2
Print Length: 357 pages
Publication Date: April 17, 2023
Source: Publisher and NetGalley

Title Link(s):

Amazon US | Amazon UK | Barnes & Noble

The Author: Kerry Wilkinson has sold two million books – and had No.1 crime bestsellers in the UK, Australia, Canada, South Africa and Singapore. He has also written two top-20 thrillers in the United States. His book, Ten Birthdays, won the RNA award for Young Adult Novel of the Year in 2018 and Close To You won the International Thriller Award for best ebook in 2020.

As well as his Jessica Daniel series, Kerry has written the Silver Blackthorn trilogy – a fantasy-adventure serial for young adults – a second crime series featuring private investigator Andrew Hunter, plus numerous standalone novels. He has been published around the world in more than a dozen languages.

Originally from the county of Somerset, Kerry spent way too long living in the north of England, picking up words like ‘barm’ and ‘ginnel’.

When he’s short of ideas, he rides his bike, hikes up something, or bakes cakes. When he’s not, he writes it all down.

#TuesdayBookBlog

Velma Gone Awry: A Brooklyn 8 Ballo Mystery by Matt Cost – #BookReview – #historicalmystery

Book Blurb:

Award-winning author Matt Cost brings us back to Brooklyn in the Roaring ’20s and introduces us to Hungarian private eye, 8 Ballo, who is hired to find the daughter of a wealthy businessman. The search will lead him to cross paths with Dorothy Parker, Zelda and F. Scott Fitzgerald, Coleman Hawkins, Bugsy Siegel, Babe Ruth, and many more as he tries to uncover why Velma went awry.

8 Ballo’s mother was certain he was going to be born a girl, but when he comes out a boy, she writes down simply the number 8, as he has seven older siblings. She meant to change it to a real name at some point but never got around to it.

Now, in his mid-thirties, 8 is a college-educated man, a veteran of the Great War, jilted in love, and has his own private investigator business. He enjoys his friends, a good book, jazz music, and a very simple life. When he is hired to find the young flapper daughter of a German businessman, life suddenly becomes much more complicated.

His Review:

A young girl was raised by a step-father after her mother’s death at age 13.

Velma seems to be far off the rails of society’s norms and heading for personal destruction. 8 Ballo is a private detective hired by her father to find her and bring her home. Her father, Mr. Hartmann, is paying well and wants to have his daughter home and under his thumb.

Finding Velma is not so easy. She has protectors in the underworld of the city and some of her father’s competitors would love to see him eliminated. There is an ongoing struggle in the city for the continued dominance of the drug and prostitution trade. Velma is caught in between.

Detective Bello runs into issues when he is finally is able to track her down. She is exceedingly beautiful and has many admirers who would fall on their swords for the young lady. Meanwhile, her father’s competitors would like to control her and ruin her father’s hold on the drug trade.

Falling for the charms of Velma was not in 8’s plan, but she has him under her thumb and he is torn between his contract to her father and his affection for Velma. The story takes many twists and keeps the reader engaged. Enjoy! 4.5 stars – CE Williams

This is Book 1 in a new series (we think). We’ve read his Clay Wolfe/Port Essex Mystery series as well as the Goff Langdon Mainely Mystery series. Each series has grown and the author’s writing style matured. We enjoyed each one. This one is off to a good start as well. Recommended!

Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for providing me with the opportunity to read and review this book.

Rosepoint Publishing: Four point Five Stars

Book Details:

Genre: Historical Mystery, Thriller & Suspense Fiction, Private Investigator Mysteries
Publisher: Encircle Publications
ASIN: B0BDVBSLHN
Print Length: 306 pages
Publication Date: April 12, 2023
Source: Auther and NetGalley

Title Link(s):

Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Kobo

The Author: Matt Cost was a history major at Trinity College. He owned a mystery bookstore, a video store, and a gym, before serving a ten-year sentence as a junior high school teacher. In 2014 he was released and began writing. And that’s what he does. He writes histories and mysteries.

Cost has published four books in the Mainely Mystery series, with the fifth, “Mainely Wicked”, due out in August of 2023. He has also published four books in the Clay Wolfe Trap series, with the fifth, “Pirate Trap”, due out in December of 2023.

For historical novels, Cost has published “At Every Hazard” and its sequel, “Love in a Time of Hate”, as well as “I am Cuba”. In April of 2023, Cost will combine his love of histories and mysteries into a historical PI mystery set in 1923 Brooklyn, “Velma Gone Awry”.

Cost now lives in Brunswick, Maine, with his wife, Harper. There are four grown children: Brittany, Pearson, Miranda, and Ryan. A chocolate Lab and a basset hound round out the mix. He now spends his days at the computer, writing.

Enjoy Your Sunday!

Spare by Prince Harry The Duke of Sussex – #BookReview – #Memoirs – #audiobook

#1 this week

Book Blurb:

It was one of the most searing images of the twentieth century: two young boys, two princes, walking behind their mother’s coffin as the world watched in sorrow—and horror. As Princess Diana was laid to rest, billions wondered what Prince William and Prince Harry must be thinking and feeling—and how their lives would play out from that point on.

For Harry, this is that story at last.

Before losing his mother, twelve-year-old Prince Harry was known as the carefree one, the happy-go-lucky Spare to the more serious Heir. Grief changed everything. He struggled at school, struggled with anger, with loneliness—and, because he blamed the press for his mother’s death, he struggled to accept life in the spotlight.

At twenty-one, he joined the British Army. The discipline gave him structure, and two combat tours made him a hero at home. But he soon felt more lost than ever, suffering from post-traumatic stress and prone to crippling panic attacks. Above all, he couldn’t find true love.

Then he met Meghan. The world was swept away by the couple’s cinematic romance and rejoiced in their fairy-tale wedding. But from the beginning, Harry and Meghan were preyed upon by the press, subjected to waves of abuse, racism, and lies. Watching his wife suffer, their safety and mental health at risk, Harry saw no other way to prevent the tragedy of history repeating itself but to flee his mother country. Over the centuries, leaving the Royal Family was an act few had dared. The last to try, in fact, had been his mother. . . .

For the first time, Prince Harry tells his own story, chronicling his journey with raw, unflinching honesty. A landmark publication, Spare is full of insight, revelation, self-examination, and hard-won wisdom about the eternal power of love over grief.

My Review:

You can say what you like about Harry’s book, but one thing it is is entertaining. Where is Snopes when you need them? So many controversial snippets contained within these pages, it’s hard to know if you haven’t carefully followed the royals all your life what is accurate and what isn’t. What we do know is that it’s extremely personal at times getting into the over-sharing, TMI zone of stories (a frost-bitten penis? mercy!).

You don’t have to be reading the National Enquirer to know that some of the stories out of the major news sources are ca-ca. We’ve long held that you can only “believe none of what you hear and half of what you see.” So with that, I’ll venture to say that I found Harry’s book enlightening, while also confirming much of my impression of the monarchy. This is not, has never been, a loving, demonstrative family. It’s a major business and as such, now more than ever must rely on good press for validation.

Prince Harry was a casualty of birth—the second male—and told and understood from the beginning he was only a backup heir—the spare. He loved his mother and grandmother and the loss of his mother at twelve years of age was a tragedy he denied into adulthood. He tangled often with “the paps” (as he called the British paparazzi) who often made a healthy living off the photos they took by any means to sell.

In this raw memoir, he relates the struggles with his childhood, school, his brother, and those members of the royal family as well as the courtiers who dictated his life down to whether or not he could have a beard. He openly relates his experiences with drugs, alcohol, mental illness, and his failed relationships with women most of the latter of which were blamed on the paps. Of his school years, I wonder why he hadn’t been tested for ADHT and/or dyslexia, something, but then can’t explain his success in the military. It seems inconceivable that he could fly an Apache helicopter in combat if he had experienced neurodevelopmental symptoms.

1 – There were several stories in this narrative that I found most engaging and one was that of his military service (impressive!)—his struggle to find the proper niche—and his success with flying one of the world’s most advanced and proven attack helicopters into Afghanistan. If he could have chosen, it would have been his career choice—the military.

2 – His introduction to Africa and his love of the animals and experiences there where he also meets the people who would become those he escaped to in times of soul-crushing stress.

3 – His story of Diana and what she meant to him—how he finally—as an adult drove that last mile of her life into the tunnel and received the police report (and pictures) to which he was finally given access.

I cannot even begin to understand or walk in the shoes of Meghan Markle and this is a story that understandably was left near the end of the book. We certainly had enough press of Diana to see she had gained enormous popularity the world over. It was not the first time we were plunged back into the drama of the monarchy. And there again, the paps or press printed some of the most despicable stories and pictures imaginable—of both the Princess and Meghan.

There are times he comes off as a spoiled, entitled brat and I wonder how he could not, as he discusses the castles, the retreats, the summer home, the trips, the food, other accouterments of the wealthy. Then this is juxtaposed against the most simple of privilege being denied.

There are no free lunches.

Still, disinherited Harry has landed on his feet in one of the most expensive cities in California, beautiful historic Santa Barbara. Whether or not you’re a fan of him and his bride, you have to give him kudos for exposing a massive, unfiltered peek into the life and times of the business that is the royalty of Britain. Not exactly a touchy/feely hugging-type family but definitely one of fantasy or fairytales (the Grimm kind?).

His ghostwriter, J R Moehringer, did a smashing job. His narration—riveting. I found it open, honest, heartfelt, and emotional. I downloaded a copy of this audiobook from my local well-stocked library (after a significant wait time!). These are my honest thoughts.

Book Details:

Genre: Great Britain History, Memoirs, Biographies of Royalty
Publisher: Random House Audio
ASIN: B0BJ4JGQGS
Listening Length: 15 hrs 39 mins
Narrator: Prince Harry The Duke of Sussex
Publication Date: January 10, 2023
Source: Local Library (Audiobook Selections)
Title Link: Spare [Amazon-US]
Amazon UK
Barnes & Noble
Kobo

Rosepoint Publishing: Four point Five Stars

The Author: Prince Harry, The Duke of Sussex, is a husband, father, humanitarian, military veteran, mental wellness advocate, and environmentalist. He resides in Santa Barbara, California, with his family and three dogs. https://princeharrymemoir.com [Goodreads]

Authors = Books = Reviewers

The Remarkable Wisdoms and Bizarre Tales of Tennison Hawk by Michael Reisig – #BookReview – #satirefiction

Book Blurb:

A BIZARRE AMALGAM OF TRUTH AND HUMOR …
What you are about to read is not a novel, but more of a collection of insight – social, slightly political, humorous, and most of all, honest. It’s also inclined to make you open your eyes and nod your head with a sage grin, as genuine perception strikes you between the eyes. And by the way, it’s funny as hell in a number of places.
I mean choke on your own spit funny…
My good friend, the late Mr. Tennison Hawk, possessed a bizarre sense of humor and a powerful social and political insight, all of which were extraordinarily refreshing. Those who have never gambled, never sought the reckless truth, or never laughed until snot ran out of their noses, probably won’t get him. But if you lean toward honesty at any price, and you tend to appreciate an occasional ribald, gutsy story, you’re definitely going to like this.
Basically this book will make you laugh your ass off while digging out nuggets of truth that you either didn’t know or refused to admit. It’s not politically correct in very many places, but it’s honest. Now, I’ve been told that this short but relatively enjoyable collection goes well with a couple of cold beers or a glass or two of wine. So… go get that bottle of wine, or that six-pack, settle into your favorite chair, and set off on an adventure of knowledge and humor. If you open your mind while you open your eyes you might just stumble into some of the hiding places of real honesty, and insight.
And after you’ve absorbed these bits of wisdom, many people will think you’re smarter than you actually are…

[NOTE: From the equally remarkable author, Michael Reisig, comes this emotive tribute to his buddy–always a hero to those around him and then the young girl being harassed in Chicago one recent night. He was on his way back from a meeting with his editor (which ran late) when he confronted the two thugs harassing her and in the course of the struggle became their victim. A sharp departure from Reisig’s successful The Road to Key West adventure series, this is the most controversial book by Reisig to date. I loaned my copy to the CE who offers his thoughts below mine.]

My Review:

It is sometimes difficult to separate the tenets of Tennison from the pearlescent pearls of Reisig as they blend beautifully in this compendium of social, political, and philosophical nuggets.

Rather than friends, these two might have been joined at the hip as they shoot satirical and powerful, often humorous, philosophical insights into the current state of just about everything including “Automated Assistance” (doncha just love it). There is brutal, naked honesty here. The crushing dread felt deep in your soul at the situation of our country is coupled with laid-back often obvious suggestions for easy solutions.

I loved the tribal wisdom of the Dakota Indians shared that says, “When you discover that you are riding a dead horse, the best strategy is to dismount.”

It’s a short and easy read punctuated with comic relief and spoonfuls of wisdom. As “Mark Twain said: Suppose you were an idiot, and suppose you were a member of congress; but I repeat myself.” 5 stars – V Williams

His Review:

This compendium of the short tales of Tennison Hawk illuminates the frustration and disenfranchising of America! A majority of Americans are now being characterized as the root of all things evil in this country.

Some areas appear to have contradictions within their own neighborhoods, often preying on each other! It has always seemed endemic in every society to blame others for the misfortunes of some. Whether the social and educational opportunities exist or not—many are not considered offered at all.

Whether lack of desire or incentive, it appears that many times illicit activities offer a much quicker and more lucrative reward than hard work and diligence.

I appreciate that the work of Tennison Hawk made available through the efforts of Michael Reisig, expounded on the disparity in biting and often humorous terms. Hopefully, this book will help to illuminate in folk and satirical easy-to-swallow doses many of the problems that have a strangle hold on our society. 4.5 stars – CE Williams

We bought a copy of this book shortly after release that in no way influenced this review. These are our honest thoughts. Recommended.

Book Details:

Genre: American Humorous Fiction, Satire Fiction, Short Stories Anthologies
Publisher: Clear Creek Press
ASIN: B0BY5P96T5
Print Length: 159 pages
Publication Date: March 10, 2023
Source: Purchase

Title Link:

The Remarkable Wisdoms and Bizarre Tales of Tennison Hawk [Amazon]

The Author: Michael Reisig has been writing professionally for 20 years. He is a former Caribbean adventurer turned newspaper editor, award-winning columnist, and best-selling novelist.

After high school and college in Florida, he relocated to the Florida Keys. He established a commercial diving business, got his pilot’s license, and traveled extensively throughout the southern hemisphere, diving, treasure hunting, and adventuring.

Reisig claims he has been thrown out of more countries in the Caribbean Basin that most people ever visit, and he admits that a great many of the situations and the characters in his novels are authentic – but nothing makes a great read like experience…

He now lives in the mountains of Arkansas, where he hunts and fishes, and writes, but he still escapes to the Caribbean for an occasional adventure.

The CE and I

Rosepoint Reviews – March Recap – Hello April—Are We There Yet?

Rosepoint Review Recap-March-Hello April!

March was a big one around here—with the birth of a new great-granddaughter on March 7 and my birthday—a big one. Age changes perceptions, but it’s both encouraging and getting scary.

March is also a month of weather extremes; snow one day and warm enough to ride a bike the next. I’ve learned the hard way that I can’t start my garden until late April, so that’s a ways off yet but beginning to think I might be able to clean and prepare the deck. Living in the Rust Belt is a whole new experience.

Of course, around here, we also celebrate St. Patrick’s Day and for the last several years have participated in #ReadingIrelandMonth, so jumped on board with that as well. We read or listened to thirteen books in March, six of which were dedicated to #begorrathon23, and as many NetGalley books as audiobooks with some oldie but goodies as well. (Links below are to my reviews that include purchase info.)

The Book Woman’s Daughter by Kim Michele Richardson (audiobook-bookclub selection)
The Strange Courtship of Kathleen O’Dwyer by Robert Temple (CE review for #begorrathon23)
Molasses Murder in a Nutshell by Frances McNamara
The Life We Bury by Allen Eskens (audiobook)
Retribution by Robert McCaw (CE review)
The Sea by John Banville (#begorrathon23)
Desert Star by Michael Connelly (audiobook-#begorrathon23)
Cold Light of Day by Elizabeth Goddard (CE review)
A Week in Summer (audiobook-#begorrathon23)
The Rose Code by Kate Quinn (audiobook-#begorrathon23)
Operation Storm King by Elliott Sumers (CE review)
The Donut Legion by Joe R Lansdale
The Book of Lost Things by John Connolly (audiobook-#begorrathon23)

Have you read any of the above? We narrowed the scope of genres last month but still included historical fiction, thrillers, fantasy, crime, and even a touch of horror (John Connolly).

Favorite Book of the Month

Hands down—no contest. I’m a consummate fan of Kate Quinn—my second book The Rose Code as spell-binding as The Huntress, interested me so much I continued to research Bletchley Park after reading her Epilogue. So that is the March choice for Book of the Month.

Blogger Post

I didn’t have a lot of time to do blog hopping in February, but I did catch several of my favorites, including those from Yesha at Books Teacups and Reviews. I particularly enjoy her personality which not only shines through on her blog posts but her stories on Instagram as well. If you haven’t already, check out her blog and follow her. She’ll lighten your day.

My Reading Challenges page… I have 38 books of a goal of 145 in Goodreads (three books ahead of schedule) and keep a 97% feedback ratio in NetGalley. Lagging behind on the others but hope to have it caught up shortly.

For us, March spells participation in Reading Ireland Month 2023 and just loved Cathy’s post on March 31 regarding the eventful month for Irish literature. If you haven’t had a chance to read that, I’d urge you to enjoy her list of Irish lit accomplishments along with her humorous comment regarding Wild Mountain Thyme—somewhat of a “cult classic”. (Yeah, Christopher Walken has been seriously miscast in more than one film!) I love participating in this challenge and also posted a poem from my grandfather—which would totally confirm his story of kissing the Blarney Stone (maybe more than once?). I also included a post regarding one of our more inglorious St. Patrick’s Day Celebrations–here—in case you missed it.

Once again, thank you sooo much for reading and commenting on my posts. I always appreciate the participation!

#RosepointPub

Rosepoint Reviews – February Recap – If It’s March—Is It Spring Yet?

Rosepoint Reviews-February Recap

February, as always, short and sweet with Valentine’s Day and one day warm enough we got our bikes out. So lovely, followed almost immediately, of course, by snow and freezing temps. This will continue for long enough to surprise the trees in bloom in March. It always does.

Besides the loss of a beloved pet and the weight on my heart, there is still the habit of feeding or walking the dog, engrained after seventeen years to overcome. It’s not an easy transition. Concentrating instead on juicing apples from the fruit market, making my own juice. There are abundant oranges as well, although this variety (Valencia) is neither the sweetest nor the juiciest. I’ve finally begun having successful air-fried offerings from the air fryer and whole meals from my pressure cooker—a real learning curve. Perhaps you can teach an old dog!

We managed to read or listen to a total of thirteen books in February, a mix of NetGalley reads, audiobooks, Indie authors, and requests from publishers. (Links below are to my reviews that include purchase info.)

February review book covers

The Last Camel Died At Noon by Elizabeth Peters (audiobook)
Sons of Liberty by Matthew Speiser
The Drift by C J Tudor (CE review)
Good Dog, Bad Cop by David Rosenfelt (my 5*)
Hearts and Dark Arts by Trixie Silvertale (audiobook)
All That Is Mine I Carry With Me by William Landay (CE review)
Welcome Aboard by Jessie Newton, Tammy L Grace (and six more)
Who Killed Jerusalem? by George Albert Brown (CE review)
The Bark of Zorro by Kathleen Y’Barbo
A Silent Understanding by Jean Grainger
Odd Thomas by Dean Koontz (audiobook)
Path of Peril by Marlie Parker Wasserman (CE 5*)
Bakeries and Buffoonery by Elizabeth Pantley

Have you read any of the above? There is a variety as usual of genres that include historical fiction, legal thriller, fantasy, crime, women’s fiction, cozy mysteries, and even a touch of horror (Koontz). (I don’t normally read horror but am a Koontz fan.)

Favorite Book of the Month

Feedback from the CE regarding the books I’ve given to him has resulted in one he DNF’d (I finished) and one he couldn’t stop talking about or reading parts to me. I had several good books, but felt none gave me quite the rah-rah that Path of Peril gave to him. So that is February’s choice for Book of the Month.

Blogger Post

I didn’t have a lot of time to do blog hopping in February, but I did catch several of my favorites, including those from Jill at Jill’s Book Café. I particularly enjoy her feature “Five on Friday” in which she posts an interview with an author you may or may not know or read. Love the answers particularly to the question “Which five pieces of music/songs would you include in the soundtrack to your life and why?” Some very surprising choices!

My Reading Challenges page…As I mentioned last month, I managed to lose my entire 2022 Challenges page. Definitely doing an abbreviated page this year and still trying to keep it current. I have 25 books of a goal of 145 in Goodreads (two books ahead of schedule) and keeping a 97% feedback ratio in NetGalley.

March begins Reading Ireland Month 2023. I love participating in this challenge and usually include a poem (from my grandfather) or recipe along with reviews about Ireland or written by an Irish author. If you haven’t signed up yet, now’s the time!

Once again, thank you as always for reading and commenting on my posts. I appreciate the participation!

k-luv-u-bye

Bakeries and Buffoonery: Magical Mystery Book Club by Elizabeth Pantley #BlogTour #BookReview #Giveaway #ParanormalCozyMystery

I am so delighted today to provide a review for you at my blog stop for Bakeries and Buffoonery by Elizabeth Pantley on the Great Escapes Virtual Book Tour.

Scroll down to enter your chance to win the Giveaway!

Book Details

Bakeries and Buffoonery: Magical Mystery Book Club
Paranormal Cozy Mystery
4th in Series
Setting – Small Midwestern Town
Independently Published (February 15, 2023)
Print length ‏ : ‎ 310 pages
Digital ASIN ‏ : ‎ B0BLLCTKCM

Book Blurb

It’s a magical book club! When this group chooses a book, magic happens. The mystery comes to life, and they find themselves part of the story. To exit the book and get back home, they need to solve the mystery and reach The End.

This time, the club chooses a book called The Great Cake Rivalry, because, well … cake! They read the back cover and it’s unanimous. So off they go into another grand adventure into a town aptly named Frosting.

Frosting is a rural town in an idyllic setting. The people live quiet lives most of the year. But in the spring, things change. The Annual Cake Competition becomes the focus of every man, woman, and child. They take this competition seriously. The cakes are spectacular. The festival is fabulous. For a week there are contests featuring all kinds of cakes. The people of the community become official tasters and vote for the winning cakes in each category.

The grand finale is a display of finely decorated cakes, made by the town’s bakeries. The winner of the best design receives a prize package that would make any baker dizzy.

Sadly, this event has been tainted. Once a year, each one different, but all somehow related to this event, a person is murdered. The main investigator is stumped, but that could be because he’s an inept buffoon.

Can the book club help the people of this community figure out who is causing this disturbing pattern of deaths, and stop another murder from happening? Can they figure out why some of the citizens dress so oddly, and why they always wear those unique backpacks? All while they fill themselves to the brim with cake, of course.

My Review

My first book in this series, Book 4, was quite the intro to the Magical Mystery Book Club! Not just a book club whose members must choose a new book to discuss, but one that would present a challenge in solving a mystery as each of the eight members will journey to the actual setting and become part of the characters of the book. They cannot return home until they solve the mystery.

This book lands them in a little town called Frosting where they are gearing up for their annual bake competition. While that sounds deliciously fun, it gets serious as they begin the investigation into the who or why someone connected to the competition is murdered.

The author reaches deep into folklore with this installment, borrowing ancient myths, then adds her own boundless imagination to create a fantasy so well described you could almost believe it’s real. (I’ve read of the phenomena in other books, but these depictions add chilling depth to the vision.)

The characters are brought to life in relatable scenes while descriptions of the baked masterpieces leave you drooling, imagining the confection’s beauty and taste. The characters vary wildly, including Frank, the Siamese who easily converses with people who don’t even blink at the prospect. Mollie, the ghost who is still discovering new and wonderful modern-day accruements.

Of course, it was easy for me to identify with the character of Vee who loves riding her motorcycle (didn’t that hit close to home!) and meets someone with the same love.

Yes, there are the twists and turns that have you considering multiple suspects. But even then, it’s hard to reach out and grab that one piece of evidence that would lead the reader to a viable perp. A baker who could kill the competition? Can this cake-baking competition be that serious?

Absolutely!

“…the main reasons for murder are love, lust, loathing, or loot,”…

I thought it amazing, the number of cake samples they could eat and still look forward to more cake. However, the aroma descriptions had me looking for something sweet too, so, yeah, I could see how that might happen.

It’s a well-paced and plotted narrative filled with wonderfully imaginative scenes, some paranormal as well as fantasy, but it all works so well it almost becomes normal. The banter and dialogue often include believable humorous back and forth.

Fast, unusual, engaging and entertaining. If you enjoy cozy mysteries, you’ll surely find this one unique with a paranormal element.

Giveaway

Sign up for your chance to win two books—the first book in each series, paperback or eBook in this Rafflecopter giveaway.

About the Author

Elizabeth Pantley is the internationally bestselling author of The No-Cry Sleep Solution and twelve other books for parents, published in over twenty languages.

She simultaneously writes the well-loved Destiny Falls Mystery & Magic book series and the new Magical Mystery Book Club series.

Elizabeth lives in the Pacific Northwest, the gorgeous inspiration for the setting in many of her books. Visit her and sign up for her newsletter at www.nocrysolution.com