Books

Book Review: Unholy by Kathryn Amurra

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Unholy is the third and final book in the “Heart’s True Desire” series by Kathryn Amurra. The books in this series are all very unique, and the one thing that ties them together is a very unusual necklace.

Unholy is a Vampire Romance. However, the vampire is the most unique vampire character I have ever encountered, and the story is the most unique Vampire Romance story I have ever read. The main character is Beth D’Angelo, who is a college student. She is striving to get her thermodynamics experiment to work so that she can graduate. She is working with another college student, and she has a boyfriend. Beth has strong beliefs she lives by.

Between Beth’s frustrations with her experiment and the issues between her and her boyfriend, Beth is quite stressed. Then, one evening as she’s driving, she is certain that she has hit someone with her car, adding to her stress levels.

When she meets, Thomas, a very attractive man, who takes an interest in her, she finds herself drawn to him. Thomas, who is actually a centuries old vampire, finds Beth’s sweet nature a challenge to corrupt her. However, it isn’t long before Thomas finds that Beth has something that he craves more than blood.

What happens between Beth and Thomas, and Beth and her boyfriend, makes for a very interesting twist in Unholy. It’s been years since I have even considered reading a vampire story, but I found that once I started reading Unholy, I couldn’t put it down. The uniqueness of several characters and the story line held my attention.

Ms. Amurra created deep, interesting characters that she developed so well from the beginning of the book and throughout the story. Even the vampire was realistic. Ms. Amurra produced such a unique story line that I was intrigued and captivated until the very end.

I will say that there is some profanity in this book, but it is spread throughout and not overwhelming. There are two scenes that may be problematic for sensitive readers. However, there are no scenes that include a lot of graphic violence, blood, and gore.

I highly recommend this book to adult readers who crave unique stories, as well as those who enjoy vampire stories. I will also say that, after reading Unholy by Kathryn Amurra, I believe Thomas will forever be my favorite vampire.

Although I have read most of Kathryn Amurra’s books, after reading Unholy, I have truly become a dedicated fan and cannot wait to see what she comes up with next.

Unholy is truly worthy of 5 stars.

Book Review: A Break in the Weather by Roy Wood

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Back Cover Book Blurb:

Sixteen-year-old Alley Price just wants her autistic classmate, Ben Sanders, to shut up because he won’t stop babbling about a blizzard that’s being predicted. But when the Great Blizzard of 1978 slams into Ohio, and Alley finds herself stranded in a garage with her would-be rapist, she turns to Ben for help in the middle of the night. The events that unfold change her attitude toward people with disabilities and reheat her relationship with Jesus.

My Thoughts:

As a Book Reviewer, I received a copy of A Break in the Weather. However, I was not required to write a positive review or any review. These are my honest opinions of the book.

A Break in the Weather is Roy Wood’s debut novel. It is YA. The story starts with tension between Alley Price and her mom’s boyfriend, and that tension and the situation continue to build until a snow blizzard. During the blizzard, the situation between Alley and her mom’s boyfriend escalates until Alley runs out in the blizzard, afraid for her safety.

Alley becomes a hero of the story through all the events that take place during the blizzard, but as she is stuck in a garage and not sure how to survive the blizzard, she reaches out to a boy she knows from school, who has Autism. She knows he’s very smart when it comes to science related things, so she calls him on the phone in the middle of the night, despite the fact that she ordinarily finds him quite annoying, and he quickly becomes a hero in the story as well.

Also, as Alley faces all of the events during the blizzard, she begins to think about Jesus. She hasn’t given him much time or attention in years, despite the fact that her best friend is a Christian, and Alley’s grandmother talked to her about Jesus a lot, until her grandmother passed away.

I found this story suspenseful and exciting, but the suspense and excitement slows down in the middle as the author focuses on events at school. However, just because the suspense and excitement slows down, this story, in no way, gets boring. Mr. Wood did a great job of developing his characters and expressing their very different personalities and how they react and respond to one another. Mr. Wood also did a great job in portraying how the characters learned to make good decisions, accept one another, work together, help one another, and encourage one another.

In the last third of the story, the tension and suspense build again, but not quite to the level they did in the first third, but readers who crave tension and suspense won’t be disappointed.

I really enjoyed this story and its characters. I also liked how Mr. Wood ended with an epilogue that gives the reader a glimpse into the Alley’s future as an adult.

Although this story includes a very awkward uncomfortable relationship that leads to revealing a character as a child predator and there is some violence, this is a clean story — no explicit sexual scenes and no profanity. Also, the child predator story line is brought to a satisfactory conclusion without being extremely traumatic or difficult to read.

There were just two places in the book, where I found a couple of scenes to be a bit confusing, but, they didn’t keep me from disliking the story or finishing the book.

I recommend A Break in the Weather by Roy Wood to readers ages 16 and up, who enjoy well-written, exciting YA stories that include a positive message or two.

I give A Break in the Weather by Roy Wood 5 stars.

Book Review: You Can Hide by Melissa Roos

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You Can Hide is Melissa Roos debut novel. She has written several novels since this one, and though they are all stand alone stories, I like to at least read an author’s first book before reading later ones. Ms. Roos books are Mystery/Romance stories.

Back Cover Blurb:

Jayde Walker is left for dead. Somehow she survives, and is the only witness to the murder of her best friend, Carrie. Fighting amnesia, she tries to get on with her life with the killer still on the loose. Then one night she remembers. The truth terrifies her and breaks her heart. She has to run. She has to hide. Leave behind everything. And everyone.

She runs with no clear direction in mind. Halfway across the country, lost in the Midwest, she makes a wrong turn, down a dead end road. She ends up in a ditch, unable to remember how or why she got there. The only thing she knows is she needs to disappear. The tall, lush green cornstalks of the vast fields call to her. Without hesitation Jayde steps in and disappears.

She’s lost, but found. Who can save her? Her fiance she left behind? The detective she trusted, or the farmer that found her? Who can she trust with her life? And her heart?

NOTE: I have made some punctuation corrections in the Back Cover Blurb. However, I have left the writing as written, even though as an editor, I see things I would suggest be corrected.

My Thoughts on the Book:

I like the characters in You Can Hide. Miss Roos did a great job creating and developing her characters. The plot is filled with tension and suspense. It’s one of those stories that made me want to keep turning the pages, but not because I wanted to find out who the murderer was. I was more interesed in finding out how the romance in the story was going to turn out because I really liked the relationship between Jayde and the farmer who found her, and I was fairly certain I knew who the murderer was.

For me, I felt like the murderer was revealed near the beginning of the story. There was one point in the story that I thought it might be someone else, but as I looked back to the beginning of the book, there wasn’t any other character identified that it could have been. However, the way that the murderer sought after Jayde and all the tension that caused and built to the climax definitely kept me on the edge of my seat.

Unfortunately, I don’t think I’ll be reading any more books written by Melissa Roos because I wasn’t expecting a lot of profanity in this book, and when it first started appearing, it was mild and the words were few and far between. However, when I reached page 175 and found the Lord’s name taken in vain, I was shocked and taken aback. Then on page 176 the “f” word was used. There were only a few mild words up until that point, and even after those two pages, there weren’t too many profane words. However, in the last fourth of the books, the profanity became something that regularly came out of the characters’ mouths.

To me, that’s very sad. I don’t think those words are necessary to make a book realistic nor do I think they add anything to the story.

The other thing I found that distracted me from the story were the things that should have been taken care of in the editing process prior to publishing the book. I know that most professional editors charge a lot of money that most authors cannot afford, but there are some that will edit for a reasonable price. Even participating in a good critique group can help help with a lot of the errors I saw throughout this book.

I can only give this book 3 stars, and I’m not going to post it anywhere but here, (which will also post on my Facebook page), because I know book reviews are important to an author, but they don’t help it they can’t give lots of praise and at least 4 stars.

Book Review: The Beauty of Crows by Claire Sanders

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I just have to say, “I LOVE this cover!

I have been a Claire Sanders fan ever since I read her “The Masons of Brightfield” sweet romance series in 2021. So, I was thrilled to find out that she released a new book, The Beauty of Crows. I was thrilled to receive a copy and asked to write a review, so this is my honest review.

I was intrigued by the title, The Beauty of Crows, because I’ve never thought of crows as beautiful birds. The title was the thing that attracted my attention and made me want to read this book.

I have to say I was very surprised. The Beauty of Crows includes quite a bit more tension than The Masons of Brightfield series. This tension kept me turning pages until past my bedtime every night.

In The Beauty of Crows, Ms. Sanders has created extremely interesting characters who have struggles that many readers have either experienced for themselves, or know someone close to them who has. Her character, Rachel, was raised by a strict father who is the pastor of a church like many churches years ago—churches where pastors preached “hellfire and brimstone”. Her father has kept Rachel on the straight and narrow and she thought her life was fine and she was content.

Alden Fairchild is a rebellious young man, who has grown tired of his father’s attempts to keep him on the straight and narrow because his father criticized him and always found him lacking. So, Alden quickly resorts to a life of seeking after his fleshly desires and pleasures, and there’s nothing he likes better than causing raised eyebrows among people who walk the straight and narrow. Alden’s actions eventually cause him to be blamed for a crime and he has to face the possibility of losing his life.

Rachel’s convictions lead her to committing perjury in an attempt to save the life of someone she really doesn’t like.

Alden’s actions and Rachel’s convictions cause them to cross paths and change both their lives forever.

The Beauty of Crows is a wonderful story with at least two great messages. It is a clean fiction novel with engaging characters and a tense, page-turning plot.

If you like your romance stories on the tense side causing you to wonder about the outcome until near the end of the book, I highly recommend The Beauty of Crows. If you’ve never read a Claire Sanders novel, I highly recommend you start with this one. You won’t be disappointed.

I give The Beauty of Crows 5 stars.

Book Review: The Complete Virtues and Valor Series by Hallee Bridgeman

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This book is quite thick. It includes eight novellas that are connected by a single story. It also includes historical information about each of the people the main character of each novella is based on. There is also a Translation Key in the back of the book for some of the French and German words, as well as photos and information of vehicles mentioned in the stories from that time period. There are also Discussion Questions at the end of each novella and at the end of the book. You will also find an “Inspired by Real Events” section that gives more real historical information. Therefore, this book would definitely appeal to History Buffs, especially World War II History Buffs.

My Thoughts on the Virtures and Valor Series:

As I’ve said, this story is written as eight novellas. Each novella is based on a different character, and each character is based on a real life person from the WWII time period. I really enjoyed reading about each character and learning about their part in what was happening during the war. Ms. Bridgeman chose to base seven of the eight novellas on real life women and the eighth book on a real life man.

I struggled with the actual “story” in which these characters took part. Since Ms. Bridgeman chose to write the story as novellas and each novella was based on a different character, I didn’t feel like the story flowed well. The characters were well developed, but the story was lacking the build-up, tension, and suspense it might have had as one story. Instead, several scenes were simply repeated from the perspective of different characters. Therefore, I didn’t really enjoy the story and found it getting a bit old by the end of the eighth novella.

However, I very much enjoyed everything about the individual characters, and as someone who loves History, I appreciate all of the hard work and research Ms. Bridgeman obviously put into this series to fill it with actual historical people and events.

With all of that being said, I would highly recommend this book to those who LOVE History and learning about true historical people and events. In my opinion books such as this are of great value because so much “true” history is being distorted or hidden from the general public, which, in my opinion, is gross negligence because I believe it is of the utmost importance to know true history, for that is the only way to prevent repeating the horrors of the past.

Follow-up on the Previously Mentioned Author Event

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I attended the Author’s event at the Intercourse Library on Saturday, July 19, 2025. It was scheduled for 11:00 a.m. — 3:00 p.m. We had a steady trickle of attendees from about 11:30 until 1:10. After that, it was dead. I was able to meet some new people, gain one more sign-up for my newsletter, and connect with a few authors. However, sales were very hard to come by. I have come to the conclusion that Summer is not a great time for an Author event, and location matters. Unfortunately, the Intercourse Library is a bit off the beaten path and has no signage to let people know it’s there.

The above photo shows my friend, Shelleen Weaver, sharing one of her wonderful children’s books from her Fruit Fables Series with three attendees. Each of her fables focuses on one of the Fruits of the Spirit and the illustrations are beautiful!

The above is a photo of Melissa Roos’s table with all of her books. Right after set up, I spoke with her briefly and purchased a copy of You Can Hide, her first book. She mentioned that Tennessee Wishes was available on Amazon Kindle for free that day, so I downloaded it as soon as I got home. I purchased her other books on Kindle today. I love Mystery/Romance and these all sound so good!

Later, when the traffic was slow, I returned to Melissa’s stand to talk to her more. I enjoyed asking her about her writing journey, and we discussed book covers because I really love her covers for The Further I Fall and Cherry Hollow. She encouraged me in regard to designing my own book covers.

When there wasn’t a single “shopper” in the room, other than the owner of these two furry ladies, he mentioned that these girls were waiting outside. So the author he came to purchase a book from and I went out to see them. They are Greyhounds and were quite sweet and friendly, and I found their coats much softer than I expected.

I would say having one of my author friends go on a coffee run and bring back a chai latte for me, meeting the Greyhounds, seeing my friend, Shelleen, sharing a table with my friend, Megan, encouraging a struggling author at the table next to us, and talking with Melissa Roos were the best parts of the day for me. Though this Author event wasn’t what I had hoped, I look forward to the next Author I will be participating in. It will be held at Pebbles & Lace Boutique in East Lampeter on October 2nd. Check out my upcoming events tab for details.

Local Author Book Signing Event

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If you live in Lancaster County, Pennsylvania or will be in town next week, you can attend this event on Saturday, June 19th from 11:00 a.m. to 3 p.m. You will be able to meet local Christian authors and purchase autographed books from them! I will be one of them, so if you want to meet me or get a copy of my book, Love by Pony Express, come on out! I’d love to meet you! If I already know you, I’d love to see you! It will be lots of fun!

The Dorothea & Browen Trilogy Book Reviews

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I love stories with dragons, so when I was at a Bookfest last October, I couldn’t pass by this trilogy. It’s taken me a while to get to it, but it certainly didn’t take me long to read these books. I think I had them all read in ten to twelve days. Now I want to share with you what I liked, and what I didn’t. This Dorothea and Browen Trilogy was written by J. K. Weyant.

Dragon’s Pick — Book One

This story grabbed my attention from the start as Dorothea’s family prepared to go to town to see the Dragon eggs. The village of Villa Ovo would care for the eggs until they hatched and the dragon would choose its rider. This story is about dragons and their riders and their training. The story is exciting and fast paced.

There were only two things I didn’t like about this book: 1) there was some profanity in it. I felt it was unnecessary, and it didn’t do anything to add to the story. Some of it wasn’t even used in proper context. Fortunately, the profanity was kept to a minimum. 2) As an editor, I’m very aware of grammar and spelling, and unfortunately there were a lot of grammatical errors in this book, and there were also words that should have been in sentences that weren’t. Fortunately, I was invested enough in the characters and the story line that the errors didn’t distract me as much as they ordinarily would.

Dorothea is the first female dragon rider in a long time because most of the dragons hatched were female, and female dragons chose male riders. Only male dragons chose female riders, and it had been many years since a male dragon had hatched. But Dorothea, age almost eighteen, left her village with three boys, all in their teens, and their dragons.

The things that happen to these four characters during their training held my interest throughout the book. The competition between the riders and their relationships created tension and action that kept me turning pages at a fast pace.

Dragon’s Loss — Book Two

In this book, it’s time for the riders’ graduation ceremony, but there have been some things going on that have Thea and one of the boys suspicious of the head of Castle Draco. The graduation ceremony turns into a disaster.

This book is full of adventure, danger, and tension. War may be coming and Thea must win over the dragon-hating Mutes of Kings Guard and convince The Golden Edge to form an alliance with the Dragon Riders and Mutes, the rebel army who helped Thea and her group of riders escape from Castle Draco.

Unfortunately, this book had the same editorial issues as the first book, though it has less profanity. The thing I liked least in this book is the fact that it includes sex outside of marriage. The scene is not overly explicit, but it is definitely clear that the characters engage in sex.

This book is full of tension and action, danger and fighting. There was enough suspense to keep me turning pages, and this book ends with a cliff hanger that made me glad I already had the next book, even though I didn’t pick it up until the next day.

Dragon’s Fall — Book Three

This book, again, held my attention and kept me turning pages. Just like the first two books in the series, it included lots of action, tension, danger, and fighting. In the beginning, there is an unexpected reunion.

Things I disliked about this book: 1) just like the first two books, this one had the same editorial issues; 2) even after being betrothed, a couple still participates in sexual activity before their wedding; 3) I felt like Thea was very self-centered in the first part of this book; 4) though this book is deemed a “trilogy” and this is book three, something is hinted at very near the end that is not fully disclosed or revealed by the end of the book that leaves the reader dissatisfied. I wonder why the author chose to do this in a book meant to be the end of a series. This was a disappointment to this reader. It’s been three years since this trilogy has been published. Therefore, I have to reiterate, why would the author hint at something she doesn’t intend to fully expose or resolve?

All in all, this book had me engaged from start to finish, just like the first two books. I also was happy with the growth and change in the characters. I would recommend these books to people eighteen and older who like stories with dragons and lots of action and suspense.

I would not recommend these books to those younger than eighteen because there is a lot of adult content. Things dealt with in these books are: violence and killing, torture, the effects of torture — both physical and psychological, though the psychological healing really isn’t exhibited, and as already mentioned, sex outside of marriage, and pregnancy outside of marriage.

BIG Sale!

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Today is the first full day of summer here in the U.S.! Are you planning a trip or some relaxation time? Are you choosing your summer reads? Do you like to have some good books to dive into while you bask by the pool or on the beach, or just relax on a mountainside or in an air conditioned cafe? If so, I’d love for you to make my book, Love by Pony Express part of your summer reading list. It is on sale now in celebration of the beginning of summer!

It’s a Historical Romance with lots of action and adventure as it follows the life of a Pony Express Rider who faces many dangers on the trail. It also includes two ladies who are interested in finding the right man for them. Could that man be Johnny, the handsome Pony Express Rider? Johnny’s faced many challenges in his life and isn’t comfortable around beautiful women. Will one of these woman make him comfortable and win his heart?

If you like stories with danger, action, troublesome family members, clean romance, a positive message, and more, you’ll like Love by Pony Express! So, don’t wait! This sale ends Monday morning, and it’s my biggest sale — only $2.99 for the ebook (that’s a $2 savings!) and $10.49 for the paperback (that’s a $5.46 savings!) ONLY ON AMAZON! And it’s available on Kindle Unlimited too! If you read it, I’d appreciate if you’d also write a brief review on Amazon because reviews are very important to me as in indie author. You can also stop by here and share some thoughts with me. I’m always happy to connect with my readers!

What Happened to My 25 Classics in 2025 Book Challenge?

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In January 2025, I joined a “25 Classics in 2025” reading challenge with every intention of successfully completing the challenge.

Sadly, I finished reading Silas Marner by George Eliot on Friday night and decided I was done with this challenge. Here’s why:

  1. I only found two of these books enjoyable: Rebecca of Sunnybrook Farm and The Blue Castle because these two books had interesting characters that I liked and cared enough about to want to read through to the end of the book. Their plots were also clear and understandable, without a lot of extra unnecessary things cluttering the story.
  2. Two of these books were, what I would call “mediocre”: A Tale of Two Cities and Silas Marner. I liked and cared about several characters, in A Tale of Two Cities, enough to keep reading because I wanted to see what would happen to them. The problems I had with Silas Marner were that Silas Marner doesn’t really become a main character in the story until about two thirds of the way through the book. The first two-thirds of the book are mostly about two brothers, and not brothers of Silas Marner. In the last third of the story, Silas Marner finally becomes a main character and, eventually, the author shows how the decisions and actions of the characters, in the first two thirds of the book, had an effect on Silas Marner’s life and how his life changed, but the reader has to get through two thirds of the book before they engage enough with Silas Marner to actually care about him.
  3. The other four books were very difficult to push through, either because their main characters were unlikable or because there just wasn’t enough to hold my interest.

Does this mean I will never read another Classic or that I don’t believe that there are any Classics that have value? Absolutely not. I believe Classics are very valuable and have lessons we can learn. In the past I have read classics I absolutely love and reread: A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens, The Chronicles of Narnia by C. S. Lewis, To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee, and Les Miserables by Victor Hugo.

I believe the problem lies in how the books are written. Every good book grabs the reader’s attention at the beginning and holds their attention until the end. A good book has characters the reader cares about and is willing to take their journey with them. I believe it’s more difficult to find Classics that do this, but they do exist, and not only are the good ones worth finding and reading, but they all have important lessons we can learn. At least all the ones I love and reread do.

So, though I have decided to drop out of the “25 Classics in 2025” reading challenge, I intend to continue reading Classics. My plan, from here on out, is to read 3 or 4 Classics each year, in between reading books that are on my neverending TBR pile. I have also decided to not feel guilty, if I decide not to finish a Classic that I’m not really enjoying.

I completed all the books above because I was trying to reach a goal. I have decided that I don’t have enough time to read, and, therefore, I will dedicate my reading time to books I truly enjoy.

How about you? Do you read Classics? Which ones have you really enjoyed?