Suspense

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.

A Lady’s Guide to Marvels and Misadventure by Angela Bell

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A Lady’s Guide to Marvels and Misadventure is the debut novel of Angela Bell, and what a debut it is!

I couldn’t wait to get my hands on this book, and once I did, I couldn’t wait to read it. While reading it, I found it increasingly difficult to put down. Unfortunately, I only have 2-3 hours each evening to spend reading. However, this past Sunday, I spent about 5 hours reading this book because I enjoyed it so much!

I have to say that Angela Bell is an outstanding author. This book is incredibly well written and is very unique. The characters grab your heart from the start. The troubles they face and the adventures they have keep you turning pages. A couple of the characters are quite quirky, which adds some unexpected twists and extra fun to the story. There are even some animal characters that have very interesting personalities and behaviors that add to the uniqueness and adventure. This novel includes adventure, history, steampunk, characters who face struggles that we can relate to, danger, suspense, and a sweet romance. Who could ask for more?

It’s also quite apparent that Ms. Bell not only enjoys using metaphors, but is a master at using metaphors. Her metaphors paint pictures in the reader’s mind and add to the fun of reading this book.

A Lady’s Guide to Marvels and Misadventure is also a story about faith, and as I read, I found a need to grab a journal and write down my favorite wise and inspirational quotes from the book:

“What-ifs are not acquainted with what-is, and they spread horrid falsehoods about what-will-be, so why bother entertaining them? I’d sooner invite hope into my home — for even when her predictions miss the mark, she makes for pleasant company and eats far less food.”

“Oh Clara Marie. The Lord never promised that life would be safe. But He did promise to be with us always. Whatever the harrowing journey life may bring, rest assured, you shall never be left to face it alone.”

“Romance and adventure are the idealistic scribblings of Austen and Dumas. Like Elizabeth Bennet and Athos, they are not real. Nor do they exist off the page. To believe otherwise is to suffer disillusionment and heartbreak.”

Elizabeth Bennet’s happily-ever-after might be a work of fiction, but love is real enough. Sometimes it takes idealistic scribblings to remind us of that truth when the whole of our very real, very dark world makes it feel like a lie.”

“You are A maker. Not THE Maker.” Miss Stanton gave his hand a firm squeeze. “Just as Grand would never expect a clock to fix its own windings, God would never expect us to mend our own hearts.”

“Lift your face to the heavens, granddaughter mine! Recall the joyous wonder of dwelling and dreaming beneath a canopy of stars, embracing the peace found in total dependence on Him who spoke their radiance into being. That is my wish for you. That is my prayer.”

“Not all people are treated as palaces, admired by travelers and protected by armed guard. Some of us are treated as a cobbled road, trod upon and soon forgotten. That’s just the way of things.”

“Love is much like a flower, child. You can’t guarantee it’ll grow or endure a bitter winter to bloom again. All you can do is plant what you’re given, tend it faithfully, and rely on the God who cares for the lillies of the field as much as He cares for our hearts.”

A Lady’s Guide to Marvels and Misadventure has definitely won a spot on my Top Ten Favorite Books of All Time and I will never forget characters, Theodore, Clara, Mrs. S, Grand, and even Mr. Forrester, as well as Fred, Phileas, Honorine, and Todd.

I will be eagerly awaiting what Angela Bell has for her readers next.

Flash Fiction Friday: A Daring Rescue

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A Daring Rescue

by Kelly F. Barr

Bundled in her white winter coat, red and white checked scarf around her neck, red knit hat perched on her head, and red gloves warming her hands, Chelsea stood at the line that divided her parent’s meadow and the forest of trees. She could see three doe and one six-point buck white-tail deer beneath the forest canopy several yards away.

She plucked the glove from her right hand, shoved it in her pocket, and raised her hands in slow motion to grasp the 35 mm camera that hung from its strap around her neck. She lifted it to her eye and focused the lens upon the group of deer. Click! She snapped a photo and the deer tensed their muscles and turned their heads toward her.

Drat! Why did the best cameras make so much noise when the shutter release button was pressed? She wanted to take more shots but didn’t dare, lest she frighten the beautiful creatures away. She released the breath she’d been holding as they lowered their heads to the ground to nibble at the shoots of grass they had revealed beneath the snow with their hooves.

She held the camera and peered through the viewfinder, watching for another opportunity to take a shot. She didn’t have long to wait, as a moment later, the buck raised his head and seemed to look right at her. She pressed the shutter release button, trying not to cringe at the noise it made. She didn’t want to move the camera and cause the picture to blur.

Just after the loud click of the shutter, the buck turned and ran deeper into the forest and the does followed. Chelsea caught a shot of their white tails lifted straight in the air as they bounded deeper into the trees. Should she try to follow? Would she be able to follow their tracks in the snow with the long leaps they took? She carefully lowered her camera to rest on her chest again, and keeping one hand on the camera, she proceeded into the woods.

Chelsea hadn’t gone more than several yards when the loud bang of a rifle shot made her heart leap in her chest. She ducked behind a tree, and leaned her back against its trunk. What had she been thinking entering the forest? It was hunting season and this was state game land. She looked over her clothes, realizing she didn’t have enough bright red on to make her visible to anyone carrying a gun, looking for a prize deer.

She needed to get back to the meadow, but before she could move, a short high-pitched sound came from her left. She turned her head and saw a doe limping forward, blood running down it’s shoulder toward it’s front leg. Chelsea gasped and the doe turned and looked at her.

“Will you let me help you?” Chelsea spoke in a soft voice. “I’m not a hunter. I don’t have a gun.”

The doe turned its ears toward her.

Chelsea reached her bare hand slowly toward the deer, then held it steady. She mentally sent a prayer to the Lord, Please let me be able to get her back to the the barn on our farm. Let me be able to nurse her back to health and release her after deer season.

The deer limped close enough to sniff Chelsea’s hand. It sniffed, then looked at Chelsea and made another short noise, but this time it was lower in pitch.

Chelsea dared to stand up to gain her footing, keeping her hand out toward the doe. The doe pressed its nose into Chelsea’s hand, and Chelsea said, “Come on. Come with me.” She took a step forward and the deer took a step as well.

Chelsea’s breaths stalled for a moment. Could she get this deer to go all the way back to the farm with her? She moved one step at a time, doing her best to keep both herself and the doe hidden behind trees as they worked their way toward the forest’s edge.

As they exited the woods and entered the meadow, Chelsea emitted a short spontaneous laugh. The doe flinched, but didn’t run. “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to scare you. I just can’t believe we made it back to our farm. Please, stay with me. I’ll get you to the warmth of the barn and then I’ll get something to clean and dress your wound.”

The deer looked at Chelsea and continued moving forward step by step after her. As they reached the halfway point across the meadow, the bark of a dog caused both Chelsea and the doe to freeze in their tracks.

Chelsea looked at the doe. “That’s Jasper. I’ll call mom and tell her we’re coming. She’ll put Jasper in the house. You don’t have to be afraid.” She pulled her cell phone from her pocket with her gloved hand and punched in the number with a bare finger.

“Mom, you have to put Jasper in the house. I was in the forest. I took some photos of a group of deer and I’m leading a wounded doe back to the barn. She’s been shot.” She hung up the phone, put it back in her pocket and took another step forward. The doe followed.

When Chelsea had the doe in an empty stall in the barn, she heard heavy footsteps crossing the wooden floor.

“Chelsea, I’m coming to remove the bullet. I’ll help you clean and dress the wound, then you can get her some corn.” Her father stepped into the stall just a moment after his last word. He smiled at her. “You never could resist rescuing any animal in trouble. Not since you were six years old and found your first stray kitten out in a thunderstorm.”

She wrapped her arms around her father and gave him a hug. “Thanks for understanding, Daddy.”

“I’m just glad you didn’t get shot making this rescue.”

“Me too, Daddy. Me too.”

Lonewild Winter by Rebecca Stevenson

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Lonewild Winter is the third book in the Wentworth Cove Series by Rebecca Stevens. Though it is part of a series, it can be read as a stand alone. I have not read any of the other books in the series but had no problem following the story line.

Reagan Loper and her daughter Meredith relocate from New York City to the little village town of Wentworth Cove, Maine. Reagan was able to rent a house owned by a senior lady, who has moved to an assisted living facility.

Reagan, a watercolor artist has been raising Meredith for seven years on her own and has devoted her life to giving Meredith a good upbringing and keeping her safe. Her decision to move to Wentworth Cove comes with the decision to also change their last name when Reagan finds out that her ex-husband will soon be released from prison.

Reagan and Meredith love their new home and new community, and for the first time in seven years, Reagan begins to wonder if she might fall in love again when she meets Brett, the son of the woman whose house Reagan is renting. Since his mother is now in an assisted living facility, he takes care of his mother’s estate, which includes the home Reagan is renting. Therefore, whenever Reagan needs something in regard to the house, she deals with Brett.

Brett has trust issues of his own, and he isn’t looking for love. He’s perfectly happy in his busy career as a political journalist.

Lonewild Winter is an enjoyable read. It is well written and it is easy for the reader to get caught up in the lives of the characters. The story has some light conflict, light suspense, and some excitement.

There is no clear religion referred to in this book.

I give Lonewild Winter by Rebecca Stevenson 5 stars.

From Fame to Ruin by Jina S. Bazzar

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As a Book Reviewer I received a free ebook copy of From Fame to Ruin by Jina S. Bazzar and this is my honest review. I was not required to write a positive review nor any review. From Fame to Ruin is not Jina S. Bazzar’s first novel, but it is her first New Adult and College Romance novel.

From Fame to Ruin is a novel about two people who meet and fall in love, but Carol wasn’t counting on falling in love. This was just supposed to be a weekend fling – something to take her mind off the problems she had to face and deal with when the weekend was over.

Four years later, Carol is facing another crisis and believes the only person she can turn to is the man she walked away from after a weekend she never forgot.

This novel is written in two different time frames and two different settings. It is written in the two main characters’ Points of View, but there is one chapter written in another character’s Point of View.

From Fame to Ruin is a book about love, betrayal, misunderstanding, and crime. It has romance, danger, and suspense.

The main characters, Carol and Ricardo, are easy to like and care about. Though I found the pacing of the plot a bit slow sometimes and thought the story could have been shorter, I cared enough about the characters to keep reading. When the crime was committed and the criminal became part of the story line, I was definitely hooked and turning pages as I tried to figure out who the criminal was.

Ms. Bazzar writes deep, interesting characters and a very thorough storyline.

I do want to caution my more sensitive readers. This novel contains some profanity and some sexual scenes between unmarried people, though the sexuality is not explicit or detailed.

If you like a complicated storyline that includes suspense, mystery, and romance, you will like From Fame to Ruin by Jina S. Bazzar. Ms. Bazzar is a talented writer and I give From Fame to Ruin 4 stars.

Love Costs by E. B. Roshan

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Love Costs (Shards of Sevia Book 3) by [E.B. Roshan]

As a Book Reviewer, I received a free ebook copy of Love Costs by E. B. Roshan. Love Costs is Book Three in Ms. Roshan’s The Shards of Sevia Series and this is my honest review. I was not required to write a positive review nor any review.

Love Costs takes place in Sevia. Radoslav, the brother of Anna from previous books in the series, is working as an interpreter, after some of the Tur people surrendered to the government and are placed in Camp Peace. These people were promised that they would be relocated somewhere in Europe.

Dunya and her brother, along with an orphaned baby Dunya has taken into her care, are staying in Camp Peace. One day, Radoslav sees Dunya through the fence. She has pink hair and a shiny smile that catches his attention. In a conversation with her, she expresses concern for her missing cat.

Radoslav, his heart torn by the situation that Dunya is in because of the ongoing fighting in their country, decides he wants to do something to make her smile again. So he goes back to her neighborhood, which is a dangerous place for Sevian people, and Radoslav is Sevian. He wants to find her cat for her.

Once again, E. B. Roshan constructs a story with interesting characters facing dangers and difficult decisions in a war-torn country.

Radoslav, because I remember him from a previous book in The Shards of Sevia Series, was definitely a character of interest to me. A character I cared about and wanted to see find some happiness.

Although this story was engaging, I felt as though it lacked the depth and suspense of the other books in The Shards of Sevia Series. The story was definitely worth reading, and I don’t know if it’s because I actually read this book out of order, but I didn’t find the danger as suspenseful in this book or the characters in the story to have the depth the characters in the other books in the series had.

However, it’s still a well written book and it’s important to the series and I still recommend that readers who like suspenseful stories, stories of different countries and cultures, and stories of life struggles read this book. And if you’ve read the first two books in The Shards of Sevia, don’t skip this one.

I give Love Costs (Book Three in The Shards of Sevia Series) by E. B. Roshan 4 stars.

Strangers and Pilgrims by Kristina Hall

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Strangers and Pilgrims (A Better Country Book 1) by [Kristina Hall]

As a Book reviewer, I received a free ebook copy of Strangers and Pilgrims by Kristina Hall. This is my honest review. I was not required to write a positive review nor any review.

Strangers and Pilgrims is set in the late 1860s West. Harry Reiner left home to fight in the Civil War. The war has been over for three years when Harry returns to his hometown. But Harry doesn’t receive the warm welcome he was expecting. Everything’s changed, and one evil man controls the town. When Harry’s life is threatened, a young woman, and the girl she took in, drag him into their home to nurse him back to health. Another man the town tends to look down on is also a frequent visitor to this home. These four characters bond and do their best to survive ten miles outside of town, but soon find that even there, the threats plague them.

Strangers and Pilgrims is a well written book. The reader is immediately drawn into the story and the characters’ lives and has no problem choosing sides between the majority of the town and the four characters at a ranch not far outside town. The story is filled with conflict and suspense that keeps the reader on the edge of their seat. There is a lot of action, a touch of romance, and descriptions and dialogue that take the reader back to the 1860s west. There are a couple twists and surprises before the story comes to a resolution and end.

This is also a story of faith and includes some Scripture passages from the Bible and occasional one or two line prayers.

This is the first book in the A Better Country series by Kristina Hall.

If you enjoy suspenseful stories that keep you reading til late in the night or love old western stories, you’ll enjoy Strangers and Pilgrims, as I did.

I give Strangers and Pilgrims by Kristina Hall 5 stars, and look forward to reading the next book in the A Better Country series.

Midnight is My Time by Mike Dellosso

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If you’ve been following my blog for any length of time, you know that I am a Mike Dellosso fan. I’ve written a review of his book, Centralia, and some of his books have been listed in my old Top Ten Tuesday posts. I have also done an author interview with him here on my blog.

So I was excited to be able to read his latest release, Midnight is My Time. I read it in two evenings because it grabbed my attention right at the start and held my attention until the very end. Midnight is My Time is filled with action and suspense, and yes, some violence. There is a mystery that also runs through the book in regards to the two main characters, Andy and Missy — are they freaks or something special?

Ten years after an Apocalyptic event, Andy and Missy meet and decide to travel together. They travel from the southeastern United States to the northeastern United States. But why are they being pursued and threatened? What is their purpose? Will they reach their destination in one piece?

Mike Dellosso’s descriptions paint a vivid picture of people and places. The action scenes are intense and keep the pace of the story moving, just as you catch your breath, another crisis wrenches your breath away again.

This book was an easy read, and as I mentioned above, it was a real page-turner that kept me on the edge of my seat. Mike Dellosso has produced another great read and I highly recommend it.

Blow Out the Candles and Say Goodbye by Linda S. Glaz

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Blow Out the Candles and Say Goodbye by Linda Glaz is a fast-paced thriller that kept me turning pages as little girls invited to birthday party sleepovers would disappear. One young woman, Brandy, whose sister was one such girl ten years ago, refused to give up trying to find out what happened to her sister.

Brandy moves to a new location and starts a new job. Then a little girl’s birthday party sleepover sets Brandy’s heart pounding as memories flood her mind. Then Brandy is contacted by a woman who may have information about Brandy’s sister, but Brandy never gets to talk to that woman.

As tension mounts, many characters are introduced at a fairly quick pace making it a bit difficult to keep track of who’s who. However, the main characters are clear and following them to find Brandy’s sister is a must.

Linda Glaz knows how to spin a suspenseful yarn, and she even threw in a very unexpected twist that I never saw coming. I really enjoyed this story and highly recommend it to anyone who likes a good thriller and doesn’t mind losing some sleep to get to the end.

The Hungering Dark: Awakening by Stephen R. Clark

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I received a free copy of The Hungering Dark: Awakening from BookLook Bloggers in order to write my honest review.

The darkness feels alive one evening as Rat is helping his sister finish up the dinner dishes. It’s creepy. The next day his father goes to do some work for an elderly couple living nearby. What happens there leads to the mystery of a puzzle box and the power inside it.

This story began with suspense and had me wondering and guessing at what was going on. Stephen R. Clark created some very interesting characters whose lives I quickly became interested in. The suspense and action held my interest and the mystery of the puzzle box and the power it contained was quite intriguing. The characters who came to town to help figure out the mystery or to try to get their hands on the box were an interesting bunch and it was sometimes hard to figure out which were the good guys and which could be the bad guys.

Sadly, in the final third of the book, the mystery sadly diminished as the author began to tell the reader everything instead of continuing to lay clues to the end. There was no more suspense or any piquing of my curiosity in the final third of the story. Even the action seemed slower and the danger was much less intense. The author no longer wrote any buildup to the big finale.

I enjoyed the book but was disappointed in the ending. I like a story like this to keep me guessing right to the end and that didn’t happen in The Hungering Dark: Awakening.