#recommendedreading – Page 29 – Rosepoint Publishing

Book Tour and Giveaway: The Heaven Spot (a Novel) by Mary Frances Hill

Book Blurb

The Heaven Spot is a modern-day mystery set in Palm Beach, Florida, that depicts opioid addict Maggie Robert’s desperate attempt to come to terms with her estranged daughter, Lilly’s, murder.

When divorcée Maggie Roberts stumbles into her Virginia bookstore for the last time to close up shop, she expects the morning to be rough. The business failure is hers alone. She took all those opioids. She relapsed. She vows to stay clean and regroup. But as she packs up her books, two cops appear and inform her that her estranged daughter, Lilly, has died in West Palm Beach.

Heartbroken, Maggie heads to Florida to find out why Lilly passed and how she lived. But when she arrives in the Sunshine State, she barely recognizes the young woman in the morgue.

Maggie doubts she’ll ever forgive herself for her past mistakes with Lilly but believes that if she remains local, she can push the detective to focus on Lilly’s case and learn about her daughter. But as she connects the dots, Maggie wonders the unthinkable—could she have played a part in Lilly’s death while relapsing and blackout-high? Can she live with herself if she did?

Book Details

Book Title:  The Heaven Spot (A Novel) by Mary Frances Hill
Category:  Adult Fiction (18+), 296 pages
Genre: Thriller/Mystery
Publisher: Mary Frances Hill
Release Date:  February 2024
Content Rating: PG-13+M:

The story is about a recovering opioid addict (previously a soccer mom from Virginia) who travels to Florida to solve her estranged daughter’s (a runaway’s) murder and to learn about the life her daughter was leading.

There are curse words. The F-word is used once.
There are no sex scenes, but the mom discovers that her daughter was sexually fluid and in relationships with a woman and an older man. (separately/not a throuple)
There is no graphic violence.
The novel does deal with mature themes like addiction, suicide, and adultery as well as grief, guilt, the power of friendship, and forgiveness. However, given the protagonist’s addiction issues, it can be a bit raw at times.

My Thoughts

A thriller mystery that is heavily family drama, the storyline is unique with flawed characters and tragic loss.

Maggie Roberts is an opioid addict who saw the disappearance of her daughter Lilly three years ago. Now having been informed of her death in Palm Beach, Florida, she is obsessed with discovering why and who would have killed her.

Lilly was apparently an exceptionally talented artist. Her art was expressed in large graffiti murals placed in very unusual locations.

“The heaven spot? The most dangerous place to do her art. Risk…it’s how you gain cred from fellow writers.”

It’s a whole artistic world out there I’ve only marveled at from afar on occasion.

Lilly had created a reputation, traveled with both unique and dangerous characters, and was herself deeply flawed.

Seeking to find the truth and finding difficult answers both broke Maggie’s heart and gave her a new fierce admiration for her daughter. The realization that she’d never be able to right the wrongs now or say she was sorry redoubled her grief.

I had difficulty investing in Maggie or her daughter, a society alien to me, though the author does a terrific job of developing both her main and support characters. Tension gradually builds as Maggie gains each new nugget of information and there are twists and turns with Maggie questioning her own culpability at every turn.

It’s a rather sad story that includes triggers of murder and addiction. There were several edit misses though they did not change my investment in figuring out Lilly’s story. I was given a copy of this book for the book tour and these opinions are my own.

BUY THE BOOK:
Amazon
add to goodreads

About the Author

Mary Frances Hill - author Mary Frances Hill was born in Lawrenceville, New Jersey. The daughter of a music professor and an elementary school teacher, Mary obtained a master’s degree in counseling psychology and worked as a therapist before raising two children. Though Mary currently lives in Southern California with her Russian Blue and Scottish Straight cats, her Pyredoodle puppy, her golfer husband, and her adult son and daughter, she spent many happy vacations at her house on Palm Beach Island—the setting of her most recent novel, The Heaven Spot. Mary is an avid dog walker and home renovator and loves binge-watching true crime documentaries and mysteries. Mary’s debut novel, The Worm Man, was published in 2022.

Connect with the author: Website ~ Goodreads

Giveaway

Win a signed copy of THE HEAVEN SPOT (a novel) by Mary Frances Hill (one winner / USA and Canada only) (ends May 17)

V Williams

The Debt Collector by Steven Max Russo #BookReview #OrganizedCrimeThrillers

Rosepoint Publishing: Five Stars

Book Blurb:

Abigail Barnes is young, pretty and petite, but her looks and size can be deceiving. A tough as nails drifter who makes her living collecting outstanding debts for low-end bookies and loan sharks, Abigail arrives in Hackensack, NJ, from Baltimore, MD, and gets a job collecting for a small-time bookie, who winds up dead.

With a large Wall Street firm moving into town bringing jobs, prestige, and money, the press is soon up in arms about the killing. So the cops put the squeeze on Ronnie “Slacks” Falcone, a mobster who heads organized crime in the Jersey City area, to help find the killer.

Soon Abigail finds herself being sought by a gang of hoodlums, the mob, and the police. She knows she can’t run and she won’t turn herself in because she has a past that could send her to jail. She has little choice but to try and find out who killed the bookie – without getting killed in the process.

His Review:

Abigale Barnes is a lovely 5 ft. plus blond who turns many heads. Men wanted to protect her like a long-lost daughter. She disarms them with her smile and always presents as a very demure person. Abigale is a debt collector though; not for small bills but for large gambling debts. Most men laugh when she tells them why she is there. Her fees are not cheap, usually 35% of the amount owed plus expenses. Misjudging this person can be very painful.

Most collections are handled by big burly men who promise to break legs if they have to come back. Abigale has found that the best place to collect is at the source, the bookie’s office. Many bookies have made the mistake of underestimating her. Usually, weeks of recovery from broken bones is the reward.

I’ve found Mr. Russo’s writing style to be retro in its’ presentation and mesmerizing once engaged. I recommend his books for light hearted yet suspenseful entertainment. Enjoy! 5 stars – CE Williams

I read and reviewed The Dead Don’t Sleep back in April of 2020 and thoroughly enjoyed it. These are standalone novels that are fun, fast reads and recommended.

Many thanks to the author for providing me with the opportunity to read and review this book. Any opinions expressed here are my own.

Book Details:

Genre: Organized Crime Thrillers, Murder Thrillers, Literature & Fiction
ASIN: B0CZ3XVQLM
Print Length: 197 pages
Publication Date: April 1, 2024
Source: Author

Title Link(s): The Debt Collector [Amazon-US]
Amazon-UK

The Author: Steven Max Russo (no bio listed on Amazon or Goodreads)

Christmas typewriter

The Drifter (A Peter Ash Novel Book 1) by Nick Petrie #AudiobookReview #TBT

Editors’ pick Best Mystery, Thriller & Suspense

Thriller Award winner, Best First Novel, 2017

Book Blurb:

The first explosive thriller featuring Peter Ash, a veteran who finds that the demons of war aren’t easily left behind…

“Lots of characters get compared to my own Jack Reacher, but Petrie’s Peter Ash is the real deal.”—Lee Child

Peter Ash came home from the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan with only one souvenir: what he calls his “white static,” the buzzing claustrophobia due to post-traumatic stress that has driven him to spend a year roaming in nature, sleeping under the stars.

But when a friend from the Marines commits suicide, Ash returns to civilization to help the man’s widow with some home repairs. Under her dilapidated porch, he finds more than he bargained for: the largest, ugliest, meanest dog he’s ever encountered…and a Samsonite suitcase stuffed with cash and explosives.

As Ash begins to investigate this unexpected discovery, he finds himself at the center of a plot that is far larger than he could have imagined…and it may lead straight back to the world he thought he’d left for good.

My Review:

Peter Ash is an ex-Marine of both Iraq and Afghanistan left with PTSD. He’s been living free since returning home, off the grid, answers to no one, until he learned of a fellow ex-Marine and friend who committed suicide leaving behind a wife and child.

He feels compelled to travel to his friend’s home and see if he can help out his widow on a bogus ruse. His first project is to shore up the sagging front porch and in doing so discovers a huge, slobber-dripping set of bared teeth in the head of Charles Mingus. The man manages to get the dog out from under the porch without losing a body part and in the process discovers a suitcase.

Right away I’m thoroughly impressed by Ash and love Mingus!

Peter, for the most part, comes off as wholly authentic, with repeated (almost too many) descriptions of his reaction to being enclosed (claustrophobic)—in a building in particular. So he handles the overwhelming static by staying outside as much as possible. He is competent, intelligent, considerate, and genuinely engaging.

The suitcase, however, sharply veers the well-plotted narrative in a course that quickly becomes complex. There are a number of support characters, many of whom are well developed and provide the conflict that pushes the fast pace of the storyline.

I was totally taken with the novel, particularly considering a debut, and excited to have a protagonist capable and caring in view of his combat-hardened training and experience. The reader is introduced to believable military characters, natural dialogue, and the antics of Mingus that seals the deal for what appears to be the start of a successful series (eight so far?). I’ve already lined up another—audiobook—of course.

I downloaded a copy of this audiobook from my local well-stocked library. These are my honest thoughts.

Rosepoint Publishing: Four point Five Stars

Book Details:

Genre: Mystery, Thriller & Suspense Literary Fiction, Military Thrillers
Publisher: Penguin Audio
ASIN: B01995G6HM
Listening Length: 9 hrs 12 mins
Narrator: Stephen Mendel
Publication Date: January 12, 2016
Source: Local Library (Audiobook Selections)
Title Link: The Drifter [Amazon]

The Author: Nick Petrie is the bestselling author of the award-winning Peter Ash series. A husband and father, he has worked as a roofer, carpenter, remodeling contractor, and freelance building inspector. He lives in Milwaukee. For more on Nick Petrie, including essays about writing, see his website, http://www.nickpetrie.com

Closer than you think: A Mags Munroe Story by Jean Grainger

Book Blurb:

Mags Munroe is juggling a lot. A Gen Z new Garda recruit who lectures everyone on political correctness, teenage daughters who are determined to fill the house with unruly animals, a mother-in-law that is not improving with age, and a husband with a loud new hobby.

So, when an eccentric old couple move to Ballycarrick, claiming to be a witch and a warlock, she thinks why not? What harm could they do? But their presence is fascinating some and infuriating others, and both sides want her involved.

Her husband’s old girlfriend is back in town, and the rumour mill starts turning, and relationships Mags has relied on all her life seem suddenly precarious.

Just when she’s at boiling point, she finds herself faced with a professional situation so unlikely it’s almost laughable, but as things unfold, what seemed like a joke is no longer funny, as sinister influences take a keen interest in Ballycarrick, but why?

My Review:

There’s always a lot going on in the little village of Ballycarrick, Cork, Ireland. Mags Munroe, the Garda Chief and her husband Kieran must juggle not only the local station and a new recruit, but keep a guarded eye over her own daughters, the local townspeople, and his ex.

The author has that special blarney gift for spinning tales and this series is particularly endearing with the description of the countryside, its people (which includes a population of Travellers), an ex of Kieran’s, and on a more serious note possible espionage.

Also in this installment is the unusual introduction of a witch and warlock, rapidly disconcerting to the Travellers as fakes. Although some of the locals are smitten, Mags remains skeptical and consults her favorite Traveller guide for insight.

Easy to engage in a Mags Munroe, never a dull moment, and I love the kind and compassionate way she deals with people. Mags never shies away from following the leads where they take her—which has gotten her in a lot of trouble before and does so again.

These are generally fast, easy, and fun reads. Her family quickly become familiar friends and the plots are generally more complex than would seem on the surface. Usually satisfied in the conclusion, each can be read as a standalone, but as this is Book 4 of this series you may wish to start back at Book 1.

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

Rosepoint Rating: Four point Five Stars

Book Details:

Genre: Family Life Fiction, Saga Fiction, Family Saga Fiction
ASIN: B0CPH2HBGW
Print Length: 274 pages
Publication Date: April 24, 2024
Source: Author

Title Link(s):

Amazon-US | Amazon-UK | Barnes & Noble | Kobo

The Author: JEAN GRAINGER USA TODAY BESTSELLING AUTHOR

SELECTED BY BOOKBUB READERS IN TOP 19 OF HISTORICAL FICTION BOOKS

WINNER OF THE 2016 AUTHOR’S CIRCLE HISTORICAL NOVEL OF EXCELLENCE

‘Warm and wise, reading a Jean Grainger novel is like sitting in the kitchen of a friend. Her authentic writing welcomes you into the heart of Ireland.’ Kate Kerrigan, NYT Bestselling Author.

‘In the same magical tradition as classic Irish storytellers, Maeve Binchy and Frank McCourt, Jean Grainger transports the reader into a world where the characters not only come alive, but become friends, who stay with you long after you’ve closed the last page. I have no doubt that Jean Grainger will be considered one of the finest historical novelists of our time.’ Roberta Kagan, Bestselling author of ‘All My Love, Detrick’ series.

Hello and thanks for taking time out to check out my page. If you’re wondering what you’re getting with my books, then think of the late great Maeve Binchy but sometimes with an historical twist. I was born in Cork, Ireland in 1971 and I come from a large family of storytellers, so much so that we had to have ‘The Talking Spoon’, only the person holding the spoon could talk!

I have worked as a history lecturer at University, a teacher of English, History and Drama in secondary school, a playwright, and a tour guide of my beloved Ireland. I am married to the lovely Diarmuid and we have four children. We live in a 200 year old stone cottage in Mid-Cork with my family and the world’s smallest dogs, called Scrappy and Scoobi..

My experiences leading groups, mainly from the United States, led me to write my first novel, ‘The Tour’. My observances of the often funny, sometimes sad but always interesting events on tours fascinated me. People really did confide the most extraordinary things, the safety of strangers I suppose. It’s a fictional story set on a tour bus but many of the characters are based on people I met over the years. Little was I to know that it would end up as a six-book series.

My first World War 2 novel, ‘So Much Owed’ is a family saga based in Ireland following the Buckley family of Dunderrig House. The story opens in the trenches of WW1 at the end of the war and moves to tranquil West Cork. As the next generation of the Buckley family find themselves embroiled once again in war, the action moves from Ireland to wartime Belfast, from occupied France to the inner sanctum of German society in neutral Dublin. The history of the period was my academic specialty so I’m delighted to be able to use it in a work of fiction.

Shadow of a Century is set in New York in 2015 as well as in Dublin during the events of Easter Week 1916, where Irish men and women fought valiantly to rid our island of British imperialism. While not my academic specialty, I loved researching this book. It’s essentially a love story, but with a bit of intrigue thrown in for good measure.

Under Heaven’s Shining Stars was published in 2016 and is set in my home city of Cork. This time it’s against the backdrop of 1950s and 60s Ireland and it really is a book about friendship, family and the Catholic church. I have a deep personal affinity with all of my characters but this book is especially close to my heart.

A book I wrote while travelling with my family for a year in Australia is called Sisters of the Southern Cross, and don’t forget to read the afterword on that one as to how that story came about – it’s a tale stranger than fiction in its own right!

I wrote a novel called Letters of Freedom after hearing a woman on the radio one day explaining how being raised in state care prepared a person so poorly for the realities of independent living. Her story was so moving I was inspired to write a short novella there and then.

Carmel’s story really seemed to touch people, and I got such a huge reaction from readers all over the world, many of them telling me the most extraordinary stories from their own lives, that I wrote a sequel. The Future’s Not Ours To See follows Carmel as she ventures forth into a world she knows so little of is. The third Carmel and Sharif book, What Will be, is also available and it finishes the story of this woman who spent her entire childhood believing something that wasn’t true. She returns to Ireland, very reluctantly and discovers that in order to go forward she has to first make peace with her past.

My next series, The Robinswood Story, opens with What Once Was True, and tells the story of a big old house in Co Waterford during WW2. Two families live there, the impoverished Keneficks who own it and the hard-working Murphys who work for them. The sequel to this, Return to Robinswood, continues the story, and the final instalment, Trials and Tribulations, takes it to its conclusion.

The Star and the Shamrock, the Emerald Horizon, The Hard Way Home and The World Starts Anew is a series of four books about two little German Jewish children who find themselves on the Kindertransport out of Berlin. They end up in Northern Ireland, and it was a real labour of love. The research was harrowing at times, but I hope I’ve done justice to the stories of so many children who escaped the Nazi terror, often never again to see their parents. This is a book of hope in dark times, of the enduring power of love and the incredible resilience of the human spirit.

Another series, The Queenstown Series, centres on twelve year old Harp Devereaux and her mother Rose, and the first book, Last Port of Call, opens on the day Titanic sails from Queenstown, Co Cork on her last fateful journey. It is a bestselling series and people really seem to connect to the precocious Harp and her hard-working mother as they battle to survive in a society where conforming and playing by the rules was paramount. It is a four-book series, The West’s Awake, The Harp and the Rose and Roaring Liberty completing the set.

Many of the people who have reviewed my books have said that you get to know the characters and really become attached to them. That’s wonderful for me to hear because that’s how I feel about them too. I grew up on Maeve Binchy and Deirdre Purcell and I aspired to being like them. If you buy one of my books, I’m very grateful and I really hope you enjoy it. If you do, or even if you don’t, please take the time to post a review. Writing is a source of constant contentment to me and I am so fortunate to have the time and the inclination to do it, but to read a review written by a reader really does make my day.

#TuesdayBookBlog

I Have Your Back by Tom Sileo – #BookReview – #AfghanWarHistory

How an American Soldier Became an International Hero

Book Blurb:

The story of U.S. Army Staff Sgt. Michael Ollis, who became an international hero for his courage and selflessness.

Ever since he was a young boy growing up on the streets of Staten Island, New York, Michael Ollis wanted to be a soldier. Inspired by his father, who fought in Vietnam, Mike’s deep desire to serve was cemented on the day his beloved city was attacked. From 9/11 onward, Mike’s one and only mission was to save lives.

After two tense combat deployments, Staff Sergeant Michael Ollis earned the US Army’s coveted Ranger tab and set his sights on the perilous mountains of eastern Afghanistan. On August 28, 2013, Mike was suddenly caught in the middle of a massive and unprecedented Taliban assault on a coalition military base. Rather than retreat to his bunker, Mike decided to fight. He then encountered a Polish army officer who needed his help.

Despite being surrounded by enemy fighters while running low on ammunition, Mike promised the foreign soldier that no matter what, he would have his back. For his final act of bravery, Staff Sergeant Michael Ollis would not only receive the Distinguished Service Cross from his own country, but the highest honor that Poland can bestow upon an allied soldier.

As an American warrior, Staff Sergeant Michael Ollis had all of our backs. This vivid and visceral account of Mike’s selfless 24-year journey will motivate us to “live like Mike” by always putting family, friends and country first.

His Review:

US Army Staff Sergeant Michael Ollis loved to play soldier as a boy. He loved his dad and wanted to emulate his successful career in the army. He rose through the ranks and became a very successful squad leader in Afghanistan. His primary focus was the mission and bringing all of his squad back safely.

The Afghanistan war was a direct result of the Taliban attacking our country on 9/11. The soldiers were assisting the Afghanistan army in learning how to protect their people and maintain their fledgling democracy. The Taliban hates us for this action and would dearly love to destroy our democracy and way of life.

Staff Sergeant Ollis was always drilling and reviewing tactics to keep his men prepared and safe. On the day he was critically wounded he got his men into a secure compound and left them to help secure the perimeter after a car bomb attack breached the perimeter. The action saved the life of a Polish soldier; Second Lieutenant Karol Cierpica.

The accomplishments of this Staten Island, New York native are stellar. Our country has been blessed with soldiers who gave their all that their fellow soldiers may live. Hopefully, Congress will review his file and upgrade his medal to the Congressional Medal of Honor. He deserves to be in the company of fellow heroes including Sergeant Audie Murphy. 4.5 stars – CE Williams

Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for providing me with the opportunity to read and review this book. Any opinions expressed here are my own.

Rosepoint Publishing: Four point Five Stars

Book Details:

Genre: Biographies of the Afghan War, Afghan War History, Afghan War Biographies
Publisher: St Martin’s Press
ASIN: B0CGRZJXLB
Publication Date: June 4, 2024
Source: Publisher and NetGalley

Title Link(s):

Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Kobo

The Author: Tom Sileo is author of the upcoming I HAVE YOUR BACK (St. Martin’s Press, 2024) and BE BOLD (Fidelis, 2022). He is co-author of THREE WISE MEN (St. Martin’s, 2021), 8 SECONDS OF COURAGE (Simon & Schuster, 2017), FIRE IN MY EYES (Hachette, 2016) and BROTHERS FOREVER (Hachette, 2014). Tom is represented by the WordServe Literary Agency. He is a contributing senior editor of The Stream and recipient of the Marine Corps Heritage Foundation’s General Oliver P. Smith Award for distinguished reporting. Follow Tom on Twitter @TSileo.

Blood Mountain by Alisa Lynn Valdés – #BookReview – #TuesdayBookBlog

Jodi Luna Book 2

Book Blurb:

New Mexico game warden Jodi Luna disrupts a murderous wilderness adventure in this thrilling second installment from Alisa Lynn Valdés, New York Times bestselling author of The Dirty Girls Social Club.

Former poetry professor Jodi Luna hasn’t quite adjusted to life as a game warden. Her boss thinks she’s better with animals than humans, and the man she’s seeing wants a real relationship. Still reeling from her husband’s death, Jodi has to admit that she keeps people at a distance.

After her new friend, wealthy actress Claudia Evans, gathers with family members in the New Mexico wilderness, Jodi gets some unsettling news—that Claudia’s brother-in-law is missing. Eager to help, Jodi ventures into the wild to investigate, only to be thwarted by a blizzard that leaves the entire group stranded at a fishing lodge.

Jodi is no stranger to extreme weather, but when these reluctant adventurers start turning up mauled around the snowed-in lodge, Jodi suspects the worst: This was no bear. This was murder.

And inside the snowy confines of this rustic hideaway, everyone is fair game…

…for a killer.

My Review:

Lest you assume this might be the ole people stuck in a blizzard and start disappearing you could be right.

With a couple caveats: Jodi Luna was raised in New Mexico and has returned to try and chill both she and her daughter following the death of her husband on the East Coast where she was a professor. Her fifteen year old daughter Mila, whether or not having witnessed the death of her dad, certainly sounds like a typical teenager to me and a pretty smart one at that. So it is her daughter who saves the day.

Hoping to turn their lives around, Jodi has gotten a job as the local game warden. She loves animals and knows how to handle most people and the situations involving them.

Her new supervisor assigns her a job requested by the governor as a favor and is clearly no request. She is to proceed to a ranch compound owned by a billionaire who is hosting his annual elk hunt on his palatial estate. Teddy Evans and his wife invited his brothers and a sister, and their spouses then splits leaving the guiding up to Jodi.

Of course, the siblings feel ridiculously entitled, are obnoxious, and the men less than thrilled over having a female guide. The wife just wants Jodi to help organize and keep them from killing each other.

Oops.

The property is massive, beautiful, and there’s a treacherous storm brewing that threatens to cancel the hunt (for animals anyway). They are high up in the mountains and isolated. Jodi brought her daughter along who transitions from Godzilla to brilliant loving daughter (I had a little disbelief there).

There is a little property that straddles the ingress/egress road to the ranch compound owned by a woman been there longer than dirt and has a pet bear. She can effectively stop traffic going through but there are far more reaching reasons why the billionaire wants her property.

Jodi seems pretty intelligent but makes a few decisions that I wondered whether might have been irrational. They discovered a body that appears to have been mauled and she is taking no chances and isolates everyone. Jodi is dealing with other issues as well and her job is in jeopardy.

So many conflicts, themes of family dysfunction, entitlement, greed, and trust are interwoven into a plausible plot. The storyline keeps a good pace, pushes some disbelief, throws in twists and adds complexity. It’s entertaining. The female protagonist reminded me a little of Nevada Barr’s Anna Pigeon series, although I think Pigeon is softer around the edges than Jodi who could become grating.

I enjoyed the book, it kept my interest. Thinking I’ll go back to Book #1 and catch up, although this could very well be read as a standalone.

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: Four Stars

Book Details:

Genre: Political Thrillers, Psychological Thrillers, Police Procedurals
Publisher: Thomas & Mercer
ISBN: 1662507151
ASIN: B0BTJC7JFR
Print Length: 331 pages
Publication Date: April 16, 2024
Source: Publisher and NetGalley

Title Link(s):

Amazon | Barnes & Noble

The Author: Alisa Valdes-Rodriguez is the New York Times and USA Today bestselling author of many novels. Published in 11 languages and with more than 1 million books in print, Alisa was named one of the 25 Most Influential Hispanics in the United States by Time magazine; Latina magazine named her a Woman of the Year; Entertainment Weekly hailed her as a Breakout Literary Star; and Hispanic Business magazine has twice named her among the 100 Most Influential people in the nation. Alisa is a former staff writer for the Boston Globe and the Los Angeles Times, and holds a master’s in journalism from Columbia University. Alisa is also a screenwriter and TV and film producer, and a playwright and composer with a bachelor’s from Berklee College of Music.

#TuesdayBookBlog

Ahab and Jezebel by Joseph Bringman – #BookReview – #BliblicalFiction

A Match Made in Hell

Book Blurb:

Ahab sits on the throne but lacks the heart and stomach of a king. Jezebel exhibits kingly qualities galore but has no throne.

Most Israelites follow Ahab in submitting to his wife’s gods. But a tenacious remnant led by the prophet Elijah seeks to restore the supremacy of the Hebrew God. And that means toppling Jezebel along with her gods.

Although dynastic diplomacy forced Jezebel to marry Ahab, she has made do all these years… tirelessly working to remake Israel in her image. No one will oust her without a fight!

But then Ahab becomes infatuated with his latest concubine. She not only worships the Hebrew God but also witnesses her family being slaughtered by Jezebel’s goons. Is she really a devoted companion and sweeter than any man deserves? Or is she a Hebrew Anne Boleyn scheming to get Ahab to swap out his religion and his wife?

Suddenly Jezebel is seized with fears of having her life’s work undone, her faith outlawed… even being driven out of her own home by the other woman—just like what happened to her mother.

So what is Jezebel going to do? Win! No matter what it takes!

His Review:

Poor Ahab was born under the wrong star. He thought his fortunes were looking up when he married Jezebel. She looked great in her wedding ensemble and all went well until after the honeymoon. Her father had been a great leader as was his father but Ahab never measured up and she let him know it every day.

Jezebel enjoys her role as wife and chief adviser to the leader of the country. Every minute of every day she berated him for even the smallest thing including his great appetite. Marching out to war, she hoped he would not come home. However, he was very successful and his campaigns increased the territory of Israel!

On his final campaign, his armor was too tight and did not fit his fattened body. He was brought home on the floorboard of his chariot. His body was ravaged and disfigured by his enemies. Jezebel did not mourn nor acknowledge any of his triumphs. She was beyond a miserable wife. A very enlightening read. 4.5 stars – CE Williams

Many thanks to the author for providing me with the opportunity to read and review this book. Any opinions expressed here are my own.

Rosepoint Publishing: Four point Five Stars

Book Details:

Genre: Biblical Fiction, Ancient History Fiction, Christian Historical Fiction
Publisher: Bringman Publishing
ISBN-10:1963006003
ISBN-13: ‎978-1963006001
ASIN: B0CW9XMPTD
Print Length: 314 pages
Publication Date: March 2, 2024
Source: Author request

Title Link(s):

Amazon-US | Amazon-UK | Barnes & Noble

The Author: Joseph Bringman was born and raised in Seattle, Washington.

He loves studying the history and cultures of the ancient Mediterranean, reading works of classical literature, and learning ancient languages. He is currently finishing his PhD in Classics at the University of Washington.

Language is Joseph’s passion and he enjoys teaching Latin and Ancient Greek to his students, guiding them through the great literature of the past and expounding on the artistry of antiquity’s greatest writers. Now he is putting his own boisterous imagination to work and has begun publishing his own contributions to literature.

Ahab and Jezebel: A Match Made in Hell is his debut novel.

Enjoy Your Sunday!

Down Range by Taylor Moore – #AudiobookReview – #ThrowbackThursday

Garrett Kohl #1

Book Blurb:

In this action-packed debut thriller for fans of C. J. Box and Jack Carr, DEA agent Garrett Kohl fights to protect his home on the Texas High Plains when a vicious criminal enterprise comes after his family.

As a decorated undercover DEA special agent, Garrett Kohl has traveled the world – and fought in most of it – but it’s the High Plains of northwest Texas he calls home and dreams of returning to one day. Kohl is in the middle of an assignment in Afghanistan when his commander orders him back to Texas on a short mission expected to take a week at most. But Kohl is unsettled to discover that he’s moving from one kind of war to another.

The once-peaceful ranching community he loves is under attack by a band of criminals who have infiltrated law enforcement and corrupted local businesses, and are now terrorizing Kohl’s own family. Hoping to prevent bloodshed, Kohl tries to resolve matters peacefully. But when the group strikes first, he has no choice but to go on the attack.

Unfortunately for the crew of criminals, Garrett Kohl, besides being an elite undercover officer for the DEA, is a battle-hardened Green Beret who spent the better part of his career hunting terrorists. Although outnumbered and outgunned, Kohl knows the wild and forsaken Llano Estacado region of Texas better than anyone. And like so many trespassers before them, these murderers will find out the hard way that the only thing tougher than this land is the people who call it home.

My Review:

Alright! This book is supposed to appeal to fans of C J Box and I’ve read-listened to CJ and enjoyed his books. But no, I’m not sure you can compare it to C J Box. This author has a writing style all his own and engaging characters with a somewhat more charismatic appeal.

Down Range is the first in a new series but for a debut, it makes quite a wallop. Action thriller from the beginning with a scene in which former Green Beret undercover DEA Special Agent Garret Kohl discovers he is witnessing a massacre in Afghanistan. Totally unexpected is a ten-year-old boy, Asadi, running for his life out of the village with no chance to escape. Kohl steps in and manages to save the boy but runs the risk of getting himself in serious trouble for blowing his cover and the investigation.

It’s determined both will be sent home and Agent Kohl is now charged with keeping the boy alive as the only possible witness.

I loved the road trip to his dad’s ranch in the Panhandle of Texas. Descriptions of the area border on poetic prose and there are fascinating histories gracefully interwoven with tender moments of bonding between the boy and Kohl.

Kohl’s irascible dad seems to take a paternal interest in Asadi and it isn’t long before Asadi is relaxing into the dream of America, the land, the wide open spaces, food, and the animals. Asadi particularly loves the horses and quickly determines a favorite.

Unfortunately, Texas takes a dark turn in the second half of the book when they bump up against the local narcotics trade. Of course, they don’t realize they are up against a former Green Beret who has seen his share of action and knows how to handle them. Sometimes though you feel sorry for poor Asadi caught in the middle who it seems to have jumped from the opium trade in Afghanistan to the local Texas drug trade.

I enjoyed the characters, loved Asadi and Kohl’s dad, his brother (an attorney) and a maybe romantic interest. It’s a well-plotted, fast-paced book that got the characters developed while keeping the action ball in the air which was non-stop.

I downloaded a copy of this audiobook from my local well-stocked library. These are my honest thoughts. This will be a fun series and this one quite the immersive narrative whether or not you think you don’t like contemporary Western fiction.

Rosepoint Publishing: Four point Five Stars

Book Details:

Genre: Western Fiction, Action Thriller & Suspense Fiction, Crime Thrillers
Publisher: Harper Audio
ASIN: B08S5N2JQD
Listening Length:
Narrator: Jeremy Arthur
Publication Date: August 03, 2021
Source: Local Library (Audiobook Selections)
Title Link: Down Range [Amazon]

The Author: Taylor Moore is a former CIA Intelligence Officer who worked in both analysis and operations and later consulted for the Department of Defense in Theater Security Cooperation, Force Protection, and Counternarcotics. He now lives in the Texas Panhandle with his wife and two children, where is a full-time author and screenwriter. You can learn more about Taylor and his series featuring Garrett Kohl at his website.