Book Review: A Highlander’s Destiny by Melissa Mayhue

Wednesday 27 January, 2010 By Leave a Comment

Title: A Highlander’s Destiny
Author: Melissa Mayhue
Publisher: Pocket
Publication Date: December 2009
Paperback: 384 pages
ISBN: 9781439144213
Genre: Paranormal Romance

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About the Book:

JESSE CORYELL, a descendant of the Fae, is a man in search of his destiny. He’s tried to lose himself in his work, taking on the worst mankind has to offer, but what he really needs to find is his true love. When he sets out to help a mysterious woman find her sister, what he gets is much more than he bargained for: battling an undeniable attraction to his sexy new client while fighting an ancient evil to keep her safe.

DESTINY NOBLE, abandoned by everyone she’s ever loved, will stop at nothing in her desperate quest to find her sister. Authorities have declared Leah a runaway, but Destiny knows better. Her dream visions have shown her the frightening truth. They’ve also shown her Jesse. But finding her Soulmate could result in the most painful loss of all, when she’s forced to choose between loving Jesse and saving Leah.

Jesse and Destiny race against time to save an innocent girl from a powerful ancient evil. Is true love their best weapon…or will they be required to sacrifice their own destiny?

My Review:

A Highlander’s Destiny is the fifth novel in Melissa Mayhue’s Daughters of the Glen series, which finds Jesse, and Destiny’s lives are thrown together with the disappearance for Destiny’s sister Leah. It is through Destiny’s dreams that she discovers clues on how to find her sister, beginning with contacting Jesse Coryell at Coryell Enterprises, pleading for his help. What Jesse does not expect to find, as he heads out to meet with Destiny for the first time, is to see her being attacked by what appears to be a Nuadian Fae. Jesse realizes there is far more at stake than the missing Leah; Destiny’s life is in extreme danger, but why? The true seriousness of the problem become evident to both of them the evening the Prince appears and explains the current crisis to Jesse as well as the long and detailed history of the Fae to a confused and doubting Destiny. The more Destiny sees and hears, the clearer her past becomes even if she doubts the present. Will Destiny and Jesse be able to work beside one another and save Leah? How much is each willing to sacrifice and at what cost? Not having read the first four novels of Mayhue’s Daughter’s of the Glen series and not one for paranormal romance, I did not think I would either like or be able to follow this book, however Mayhue’s writing sorted those questions out straightaway. While I am certain I would have known more had I read the other novels, I was never confused and everything is explained thoroughly and sufficiently for this book to stand on its own. I found Mayhue’s execution of the story line to be clear while remaining suspenseful, riddled with enough plot twists to keep me interested and engaged. If one is looking for an intriguing story line, especially those readers who enjoy an excellent paranormal romance filled with action and suspense, this book will deliver.


About the Author:

Melissa Mayhue knows a great deal about men — after all, she’s wife to one and mother of three. She and her family live in Colorado, in the shadow of the beautiful Rocky Mountains, with three insanely spoiled dogs, one domineering cat, a turtle with an attitude, and way too many fish in their aquarium. For more information about Melissa Mayhue or her novels, please visit her website.

I received a free copy of A Highlander’s Destiny by Melissa Mayhue from Simon & Schuster as part of the tour. Receiving a free copy in no way reflected my review of aforementioned novel.

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Gringa In A Strange Land by Linda Dahl, A Book Review and Tour

Tuesday 26 January, 2010 By 6 Comments

Title: Gringa In A Strange Land
Author: Linda Dahl
Publisher: Robert Reed Publishers
Publication Date: January 1, 2010
Paperback: 256 pages
ISBN: 978-1934759394
Genre: Literary Fiction

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About the Book:

Gringa in a Strange Land brings back the exhilarating and confusing time of the “counterculture” in the early 1970’s.

Erica Mason, an American woman living in Mexico, is torn between working to become an artist and the lure of the drug culture.

Set mostly in the colonial city of Merida in the Yucatan peninsula, the story also moves among Mayan ruins, laid-back beaches and the cities of Belize and Oaxaca.

A host of bohemian expats and Mexicans, and the complex character of Mexico itself, infuse this portrait-of-the-artist-as-a-young-American, culminating in an unexpected resolution.

My Review:

Dahl captures the tumultuous years of 1973-1974 in her novel, Gringa In A Strange Land through the life of Erica Mason. By the time the reader is introduced to Erica Mason, she has been living in Mexico for two years. The book begins with her living in Merida, Yucatan, sharing rent with Sharon a fellow American and artist. Erica Mason is indeed a lost soul, living for her next fix, drink, or one night stand. While she yearns to paint and become famous, Erica remains lost, with no sense of self, wandering from place to place looking for the comfort of a routine she cannot maintain for long, as she is continuously lured back by the need for drugs and companionship, often in the form of sex. Early on in the novel, her roommate Sharon, makes a very appropriate remark, “All you do is get wasted. Every time I see you. You need to get your head together.” Truer words were never spoken and Gringa In A Strange Land is about a young woman in search of herself. Dahl’s novel is beautifully and artistically written with attention being given to even the smallest of details, as Dahl describes the country and the people. The novel is interspersed with Spanish on each page, lending to a more authentic experience of being in Mexico, combined with the intricate details of the foods, customs, and behaviours, one feels as though they too are in Merida or Oaxaca. While I did not find Erica to be a likeable character, I did enjoy the book for the rich history and detailed descriptions of lands I have not visited.

About the Author:

I have always loved to write about characters, usually edgy, little-known folks with wonderful stories and talents. I love places too and music, above all jazz. As a girl, I dreamed of traveling around the world and as soon as I could, I took to the road. I was fortunate to live and work in a number of Latin American countries. After college (Latin American Studies, University of Wisconsin), I moved to the Yucatan in Mexico, and then made the pilgrimage to another foreign country called New York with a suitcase and several hundred dollars. This was in the mid-l970’s.

Finding the requisite cheap, shabby apartment (you could still do so in those days), I started writing in earnest. I had a number of ridiculous jobs to pay the rent, such as writing reviews of C- movies I never actually saw (no one else seemed to be watching them either), driving an ice-cream truck in Central park for just one day until I had a fender-bender, and writing a history of all the world’s cheese with a two-week deadline for a manic food editor. I managed also to produce novels, biographies and essays about women in jazz, and quirky travel articles about such topics as the Carmen Miranda Museum in Rio, a priestess of Candomble, a.k.a. voodoo (interview in rudimentary Portuguese), and a Mayan folk healer.

I am happy to say that most of my writing efforts have been published, well-reviewed and are still in print. My latest novel, a love-child, is “Gringa in a Strange Land,” available in January 2010.

You can visit Linda Dahl’s website.

Linda Dahl’s GRINGA IN A STRANGE LAND VIRTUAL BLOG TOUR ‘10 officially began on January 4th and will end on January 29th. You can visit Linda’s blog stops at www.virtualbooktours.wordpress.com during the month of January to find out more about this great book and talented author!

I received a copy of Gringa In A Strange Land by Linda Dahl from Pump Up Your Book Promotion as part of the tour. Receiving a copy in no way reflected my review of aforementioned novel.

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Teaser Tuesdays-A Highlander’s Destiny

Tuesday 26 January, 2010 By 33 Comments


Teaser Tuesdays is a weekly bookish meme, hosted by MizB of Should Be Reading. Anyone can play along! Just do the following:

  • Grab your current read
  • Open to a random page
  • Share two (2) “teaser” sentences from somewhere on that page
  • BE CAREFUL NOT TO INCLUDE SPOILERS! (make sure that what you share doesn’t give too much away! You don’t want to ruin the book for others!)
  • Share the title & author, too, so that other TT participants can add the book to their TBR Lists if they like your teasers!

Here is mine:

“Immediately he regretted his impulsiveness. He should have gotten up and walked away.”

~Page 141 , A Highlander’s Destiny by Melissa Mayhue

What are you reading?

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Book Review and Tour: The Choice by Suzanne Woods Fisher

Tuesday 26 January, 2010 By 4 Comments

Title: The Choice
Author: Suzanne Woods Fisher
Publisher: Revell
Publication Date: January 1, 2010
Paperback: 308 pages
ISBN: 978-0800733858
Genre: Fiction/Romance/Christian

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About the Book:

Lancaster County has always been her home–but where does her heart belong?

One moment Carrie Weaver was looking forward to running away with Lancaster Barnstormers pitcher Solomon Riehl–plans that included leaving the Amish community where they grew up. The next moment she was staring into a future as broken as her heart. Now, Carrie is faced with a choice. But will this opportunity be all she hoped? Or will this decision, this moment in time, change her life forever?

A tender story of love, forgiveness, and looking below the surface, The Choice uncovers the sweet simplicity of the Amish world–and shows that it’s never too late to find your way back to God.

My Review:

The Choice is a beautifully told story of an Amish community and the secrets that people can hold in their hearts, and the ultimate healing powers of not only being forgiven but forgiving. Suzanne Woods Fisher tells the story of a young Amish woman, Carrie Weaver, and the series of events that lead her to becoming the woman she was always meant to be. The novel begins with Carrie intent upon running away with Sol, a young Amish man, whose dream to play professional baseball is becoming a reality. Carrie’s love for him is so strong she is set to leave behind her life and family until the fateful day her beloved father passes away. Sol, unwilling to give up his dreams and Carrie unwilling to leave her family, especially her young brother Andy, in the care of her stepmother, go their separate ways. Daniel enters the scene and Carrie sees this as her and Andy’s chance to leave her stepmother’s home for good. Daniel and Carrie marry, both holding onto deeply buried secrets and sadness. Their marriage of convenience begins a series of events no one could foresee. The Choice is expertly written, with beautiful prose, believable and loveable characters, as well as a delightfully simple and at the same time twisting plot to keep the reader engaged and delighted. The Choice makes for a lovely afternoon read and is the first in Suzanne Woods Fisher’s Lancaster County Secrets series. I am eagerly awaiting the second novel, The Waiting, which will be in stores in October, until then I am left to ponder what lies ahead for Esther, Andy, Sol, Mattie, Carrie, Abel, Emma and Steelhead.

About the Author:

Suzanne is a wife and mom, raiser of puppies for Guide Dogs for the Blind, and an author of Christian books, both non-fiction and fiction.

Her relatives on my mother’s side are Old Order German Baptist Brethren, also known as Dunkards. That’s where her interest in Anabaptist traditions began. Suzanne’s grandfather was born into a family of 13 children, started his career as a teacher in a one-room school house in Franklin County, Pennsylvania, and ended it as one of the very first publishers of Christianity Today. “We called him “Deardad” even though he was a very stern fellow. Still, Deardad’s life inspired me to write.”

After college, Suzanne was a freelance writer for magazines and became a contributing editor to Christian Parenting Today. Her work has been featured in Today’s Christian Woman, Marriage Partnership, Worldwide Challenge, among others. She took the plunge into books a few years ago and now she’s hooked. To learn more about Suzanne, visit her website.

Book Bomb and Author Talk

Book Bomb and Author's Talk with Suzanne Woods Fisher
Grab this button

Contest:
Enter to win a signed copy of the book! Tweet this: Psst… pass it on! Join @suzannewfisher for a Book Bomb & Author Talk! Details here http://ow.ly/W84r #thechoice
BONUS: Every blogger on the tour who tweets this will be entered to win a $25 gift certificate to Amazon. There is no limit on the times you tweet it.

Please visit the other blog tours for this book.

I received a free copy of The Choice by Suzanne Woods Fisher from LitFuse Publicity Group. Receiving a free copy in no way reflected my review of aforementioned novel.

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Alice I Have Been: A Book Tour and Review

Monday 25 January, 2010 By 15 Comments

Title: Alice I Have Been
Author: Melanie Benjamin
Publisher: Delacorte Press
Publication Date: January 12, 2010
Hardcover: 368 pages
ISBN: 978-0385344135
Genre: Historical Fiction

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About the Book:

Few works of literature are as universally beloved as Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland. Now, in this spellbinding historical novel, we meet the young girl whose bright spirit sent her on an unforgettable trip down the rabbit hole–and the grown woman whose story is no less enthralling.

But oh my dear, I am tired of being Alice in Wonderland. Does it sound ungrateful?

Alice Liddell Hargreaves’s life has been a richly woven tapestry: As a young woman, wife, mother, and widow, she’s experienced intense passion, great privilege, and greater tragedy. But as she nears her eighty-first birthday, she knows that, to the world around her, she is and will always be only “Alice.” Her life was permanently dog-eared at one fateful moment in her tenth year–the golden summer day she urged a grown-up friend to write down one of his fanciful stories.

That story, a wild tale of rabbits, queens, and a precocious young child, becomes a sensation the world over. Its author, a shy, stuttering Oxford professor, does more than immortalize Alice–he changes her life forever. But even he cannot stop time, as much as he might like to. And as Alice’s childhood slips away, a peacetime of glittering balls and royal romances gives way to the urgent tide of war.

For Alice, the stakes could not be higher, for she is the mother of three grown sons, soldiers all. Yet even as she stands to lose everything she treasures, one part of her will always be the determined, undaunted Alice of the story, who discovered that life beyond the rabbit hole was an astonishing journey.

A love story and a literary mystery, Alice I Have Been brilliantly blends fact and fiction to capture the passionate spirit of a woman who was truly worthy of her fictional alter ego, in a world as captivating as the Wonderland only she could inspire.

My Review:

An exquisitely written novel, Alice I Have Been could easily enough draw the reader in with the prose alone. However the story is one not to be missed. Narrated by 80-year old Alice who begins to reminisce starting with her childhood and early acquaintance with Mr. Dodgson, who, in a few years time would write her story, Alice in Wonderland, under the pen name Lewis Carroll.

Alice’s life was one of privilege, her father the Dean of Oxford, yet for all the wealth and opportunities, Alice only speaks of a few occasions throughout her life where she was truly happy. Unfortunately those were rare occurrences. Unlike the 7-year-old girl in Alice in Wonderland, Alice Liddell was a girl in desperate need of love and affection, often left wanting, especially when her dearest sister was taken from her. Constantly plagued by rumor and speculation, Alice was kept from marrying her true love and eventually married, settling in the country away from Oxford where she gave birth to three sons. Alice did not speak much of this painful time, a time of suffering and tremendous loss, yet without it she would never have sold her original copy of Alice In Wonderland. In so doing she may not have, at long last, remembered what had occurred to so alter her life from a carefree eleven-year-old to a sad and lonely eighty-year-old.

Alice I have Been is an extremely sad tale of Alice Liddell, a young girl who wanted to play and be loved, forever immortalized as a 7-year-old and sadly largely ignored and unloved by her mother, older sister, and governess. Their cruelty extended into society with word of a scandal which caused Alice so much heartache throughout her life. Longing to flee Oxford and Wonderland, Alice does not realise she has truly been loved low these many years, for just being herself, not some character or figment, until it is too late. Alice I Have Been is a bittersweet story, tenderly told, and one that I would recommend for those who have ever wondered what happened to the girl whole fell down the rabbit hole.

About the Author:
Melanie Benjamin lives in the Chicago area with her husband and two sons, where she is working on her next historical novel. Visit her website for more information.


Melanie Benjamin’s ALICE I HAVE BEEN VIRTUAL BOOK TOUR ‘10 officially began on January 4th and end on January 29th. You can visit Melanie’s blog stops at www.virtualbooktours.wordpress.com during the month of January to find out more about this great book and its talented author.

I received a copy of Alice I Have Been by Melanie Benjamin from Pump Up Your Book Promotion as part of the tour. Receiving a free review copy in no way reflected my review of aforementioned novel.

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What Are You Reading on Mondays? 25 January

Monday 25 January, 2010 By 24 Comments


I adore this meme, which was created by J. Kaye at J. Kaye’s Book Blog . It is the perfect way for me to begin the week by helping me to focus on what needs to be read and to see what I have or have not accomplished the previous week. I also enjoy discovering new books by visiting other participants blogs.

This past week deviated from my original plans, which worked out fine, even if my anal-retentive nature rebelled a wee bit.

I Read:

This Week I am hoping to read:

  • Gringa In A Strange Land by Linda Dahl
  • The Choice by Suzanne Woods Fisher
  • Lone Star Legend by Gwendolyn Zepeda
  • A Highlander’s Destiny by Melissa Mayhue
  • A Black Tie Affair by Sherill Bodine
  • Mass Casualties by Michael Anthony
  • Lessons In French by Laura Kinsale

Visit next Monday to see if I managed to accomplish my reading goals.

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The Sunday Salon, 24 January

Sunday 24 January, 2010 By 4 Comments

The Sunday Salon.com

I have a giveaway for The 8th Confession by James Patterson (3 winners)! Enter here.

The week began quite well until Thursday evening when my head took a turn for the worse. I am finally feeling better and stronger, so hopefully this week will be a much more pleasant one.

This past week five reviews went up:

Today I am going hoping to read:

  • To read Gringa In A Strange Land by Linda Dahl
    Happy Reading and please feel free to leave comments or suggestions.

    All are welcome to join The Sunday Salon.

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The French Historicals Oh-La-La! Challenge

Saturday 23 January, 2010 By 3 Comments

I most likely mentioned earlier that I would not join another reading challenge, yet I could not ignore Enchanted By Josephine’s French Historicals Oh-La -La!!! Challenge.


The challenge runs from January 1, 2010 through December 15, 2010. The rules are rather simple, the novels must be French Historical Fiction or French Historical Non-Fiction.

There are three reading challenge levels to choose from:

La Princesse: Read 3 books
La Dauphine: Read 6 books
La Reine: Read 9 books
L’Impératrice: More than 9 books

Being an optimistic reader, I am striving to reach the level of L’Impératrice.

My choices will be listed as I proceed. Anyone wanted to join in my visit here.

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Aloha Friday 22 January

Friday 22 January, 2010 By 42 Comments


Seeing how it is Friday, today’s question is going to require as little brain power as possible.

The question for today: What is your favourite winter activity?

Mine used to be skiing, unfortunately it is no longer an option. Now I am content with walking and on the few occasions it does snow, spending s much time in the snow s possible.

Visit An Island Life for more fun Aloha Fridays.

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Book Review: Sleep No More by Susan Crandall

Friday 22 January, 2010 By 1 Comment

Title: Sleep No More
Author: Susan Crandall
Publisher: Forever
Publication Date: January 1, 2010
Paperback: 400 pages
ISBN: 978-0446556842
Genre: Suspense, Romance

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About the Book:

The night was always Abby Whitman’s enemy. As a young girl she walked in her sleep, and one night, she started a fire that scarred her sister for life and left Abby with unbearable guilt . . . and a loneliness that echoes within her. Now Abby has begun blacking out again-with apparently fatal results. A car accident has killed the son of a prominent family. Even though the evidence seems to exonerate her, Abby is plagued by doubts-and soon by mysterious threats. Psychiatrist Dr. Jason Coble is intrigued by Abby and offers to help her explore the dark recesses of her mind.

My Review:

Susan Crandall delivers an electrifyingly brilliant suspense novel that will keep the reader guessing up to the very end. At first glace, Preston appears to be a charming southern town, yet appearances can indeed be deceiving. Abby’s re-emergence of her sleepwalking is about to have life changing consequences for many of the inhabitants of Preston. One moment Abby is bidding Jason goodnight, the next memory she has is waking in her half-submerged automobile, disoriented and covered in broken glass. She has no idea how she got there nor does she know if she is the reason a young man’s life was tragically cut short that fateful evening. What she does know is that she can no longer trust herself to sleep. With an ongoing investigation, a father in the beginning stages of Alzheimer’s, and a fear of falling asleep, Abby begins to fall behind on work and Maggie, the ward of Father Kevin as well as Abby’s unofficial helper, has begun to notice the strain. Before Maggie can worry too much about Abby, she overhears Father Kevin (Uncle Father) engaging in a rather disturbing telephone conversation and notices he has been more withdrawn and moody as of late. Maggie turns to Abby as well as Jason for help when she discovers Father Kevin bleeding on the floor of the Rectory and while nearing her breaking point, Abby begins receiving threats, first in the form of a phone call, then a break-in. Not knowing where to turn she heads to Jason’s, hoping he can help her remember the evening of the accident. Jason must struggle to keep his personal opinions from interfering with his professional feelings while Maggie struggles with trust. Sleep No More is a cleverly scripted suspense thriller, rich with endearing characters with a subtle layer of romance. Nothing is what it seems and no one is above suspicion. Sleep No More is a faced-paced action packed novel that will keep the reader turning the pages long into the night.

About the Author:

Susan Crandall makes her home in Noblesville, Indiana. This is her eighth novel.


Visit SusanCrandall.net
Follow @SusanCrandall on Twitter.
Check out the Five Fun Facts about the author.

I received a free copy of Sleep No More by Susan Crandall from Hachette as part of the tour. Receiving a free copy in no way reflected my review of aforementioned novel.

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