The Colonel and the Bee – Rosepoint Publishing

Welcome to My Top Ten Favorite Reads of 2018

My Favorite Reads of 2018

So many wonderful books this year it was near to impossible to narrow down this list to my Top Ten Favorite Reads. Obviously, a heroic effort, as I can list many more than ten at 4.5 stars or better and judging from your likes and comments, were books you recognized and appreciated too! They appear in no particular order below. I am combining the two Dean Koontz’s books as they are part of the same series and came in within several months of each other. (I’m a sucker for the Jane Hawk series.)

Frosty's toy The books wend their way over a broad range of genre’s and once again, I’ve found some amazing books in a genre that stretched the reading chops. Among my favorites are psychological thrillers, literary fiction, humorous novels, cozy mysteries, and (what you say??) doggie stories! (Well, I guess no surprise there.) These are books that feed your soul, provide food for thought or chuckles that are share-worthy. I found so many delightful little passages, I began to share them in my Quick Quotes.

Once again, I leaned heavily on NetGalley for new reads as well as accepted a number of author requests and beta reads. I signed up for the NetGalley Challenge on a platinum level (75 books) and according to my count (and my Reading Challenge page) nailed that one. I fell short on the Alphabet Challenge, however, failing to find an “X”. Found some great new authors that I’ll want to follow as well as continue with a few of my favs which I’d rabidly follow any time they present a new offering.

Follow the link in the title to explore my full review as well as additional links from the books and the link on the cover to the purchase link at Amazon. You’ve probably read your share of these same books and I’d love to hear which ones you also loved that are included in your favorite reads list of the year.

5 stars

A Dog’s Way Home – Literature & Fiction, Family Life It’s a dog story–I’ll love it. And written by acclaimed and sympathetic author of canine narratives, W Bruce Cameron, you know it will be excellent.

The Crooked Staircase – Literature & Fiction, Action & Adventure, Mystery, Thriller & Suspense The Dean Koontz Jane Hawk series has it all and is very popular. I’m dialed in and looking forward to the next (and final?) installment.

The Forbidden Door – See comments above for the Jane Hawk series. If you haven’t checked it out, may want to begin with book 1, but in any case, these can work as standalone gripping thrillers.

Ray vs The Meaning of Life – Literature and fiction This is one of those annoyingly great narratives, full of laughs and outrageous situations, but one that packs quite the moral punch. A new author for me but one I’ll continue to follow!

A Pirate’s Road to Key West – Action/adventure, historical fiction The Hole in the Coral Wall Gang always does the right thing. Fast-paced non-stop action. One of my favorite authors and apparently yours too!

4.5 of five stars 4.5 stars

The Last Homecoming – Literature & Fiction, Contemporary Fiction Christmas-time story of a poignant look at a house that stayed in the hearts of the last four generations of its occupants.

Lethal in Old Lace – Cozy mystery Written by one of my new favorite authors, quirky characters and Old Southern charm and locale.

Dirty Who? – Mystery, thriller and suspense Step back into the crime noir genre and enjoy this Dirty Harry kind of guy as he goes about solving the crime.

The Colonel and the Bee – Literature & Fiction, Literary Fiction, Action & Adventure with more than a little fantasy. What a wild and wonderful ride this was! Fun, fast-paced, amazing characters. (Think Around the World in 80 Days.)

Burning Ridge – Mystery, Thriller & Suspense Written by Margaret Mizushima spotlights our K-9 partners and this one is a solid, riveting tale in this successful canine series.

The Long Paw of the Law – Thriller & Suspense, Cozy, Animals, Police Procedural How can you go wrong with a canine crime-solving companion in a topical well-plotted narrative.

Which of the above did you read? Did I miss something fantastic this year that you’d love to tell me about? Do you have a suggestion (book or author) for my 2019 reads?

Happy New Year!

Have a safe and Happy New Year’s Eve and a healthy, successful 2019!

Rosepoint #Reviews – July Recap

Dog Days of Summer

Navy buddies didn’t make it in July–now we are looking forward to their visit in August–ah, the dog days of summer. I must admit, so far NWI has been gorgeous and for July–couldn’t complain. I did spend some time out in the garden where my tomato plants went nuts. Must have been all that good fertilizer the C.E. insisted they needed! I’ve got enough zuccini to feed an army, but it appears the bunnies beat me to the carrots and beets.

July reads

These are all fun and several will be going on my favorites list! Clockwise beginning at one o’clock: The Colonel and the Bee by Patrick Canning Murder Made to Order by Lena Gregory Dirty Who? by Jerry Kennealy S’More Murders by Maya Corrigan A Soufflé of Suspicion by Daryl Wood Gerber Shelved Under Murder by Victoria Gilbert See You Soon, Afton by Brent Jones The Perfect Friend by Barbara Copperthwaite

In July, I reviewed the above eight novels, most of which were for book tours and the C.E. reviewed another four, which if you consider his review of The Invisible Mind entailed his reading #1 and 2 of the series prior to #3-The Invisible Mind, he actually contributed a great deal more (for which I’m extremely grateful!).

The Invisible Mind-Murder by Munchausen #3 by M.T. Bass

Lion on Fire – a #BookReview

The Other Vietnam War by Marc Cullison #BlogTour #BookReview

The Invisible Mind by M. T. Bass #BlogTour #BookReview

#ThrowbackThursday – The Dying Hour by Rick Mofina – a #BookReview

These books covered a wide variety of genres from cozy mysteries to sci-fi and police procedurals and wartime biographies. The books were gleaned from NetGalley and author requests, though having been overwhelmed with author requests have had to become increasingly selective.

So what’s up next? SOOO many, but in August have already reviewed Knot My Sister’s Keeper (a #MustRead)!! First half of August:

Upcoming book reviews for August

Due to publish in September, am looking forward to the new Margaret Mizushima book, Burning Ridge, A Timber Creek K-9 Mystery. (Can’t wait!) I read Hunting Hour last year and loved it. You might wish to check out that book about her K-9 service dog (Robo)–sooo good.

Hope this summer is going well for all of you: Blue Skies, Easy Breezes, Green Gardens, and nothing but GOOD books coming your way!

A big thank to all my new followers and as always so appreciate you who continue to read and comment! Thank you!

The Colonel and the Bee – a #BookReview

Title: The Colonel and the Bee by Patrick Canning

Genre: Currently #4792 on Amazon Best Sellers Rank in Kindle eBooks, Literature & Fiction, Literary Fiction, Action & Adventure

Publisher: Evolved Publishing LLC

Publication Date: June 1, 2018

Source: Direct author request

Title and Cover: The Colonel and the Bee-Love that cover

Hoo-boy is this one a douzy! This novel was so much fun I couldn’t keep it to myself and shared with the C.E., whose review will follow mine. The novel hit all my buttons: unique, intriguing, adventurous, historical, surprisingly sharp (and young) female protagonist coupled with the swash-buckling theatrics of a male co-protagonist and absolute non-stop action. First, wrap your head around a four-story house-sized balloon, and if that doesn’t set your imagination reeling, nothing will. (Think steampunk!)

Beatrix is a barely teenaged female acrobat in a 19th-century European traveling circus held captive owing her age by an abusive ringleader. The dashing and mysterious English Colonel James Bacchus attends the same private showing where she performs and she contrives to join him in a getaway following his ellicit treatise with the wife of their exclusive estate’s host. With the Oxford Starladder (the Ox) the colonel is in pursuit of a heinous criminal as he drifts across the continent in search of a precious jewel, the Blue Star Sphinx, which value in turn has attracted the warring factions of two families. (Think Hatfields and McCoys)

With every additional description of the Ox, I badly wanted to climb aboard and explore each and every crevice, descend the spiral stars, partake of the gourmet meals presented by the colonel, and peak into the horticultural room where the fresh vegetables were grown. What a delightful imaginative fantasy–but one that seemed within grasp it was made so real. The rich nineteenth-century dialogue, $50 words, and formal English prose was a delight but I was many times grateful for the built-in dictionary of my Kindle. Continue reading “The Colonel and the Bee – a #BookReview”