Book Review: Now’s The Time by Larry Strauss

Saturday 31 July, 2010 By 3 Comments

Title: Now’s the Time
Author: Larry Strauss
Publisher: Kearney Street Books; First edition
Publication Date: December 1, 2009
Paperback: 175 pages
ISBN: 978-0972370677
Genre: Literary Fiction

From the Publisher:

Part mystery, part journey, completely heart-felt, “Now’s the Time” follows jazz trumpeter Didi Heron as she searches for the lost tape of her father’s last gig before he tragically died. A celebration of family ties and musical legacies, “Now’s the Time” is a meditation on jazz and jazz players. Drawing inspiration from a potpourri of stories from the American jazz tradition, notably those of trumpeter Clifford Brown, Strauss has created a fictional work rooted in historical fact.

My Review:

Blending historical fact and fiction, Now’s the Time by Larry Strauss is a beautiful and lyrical novel about a young woman’s coming into her own in the jazz industry. In February 1956, Pianist Billy Heron and three other band members were in a fatal car accident. Twenty years later Didi Heron learns that a tape recording was made of the last performance given by the LB Quintet. A trumpet player herself and blues aficionado, Didi makes it her mission to discover what has happened to the last recording of her father’s music. Now’s the Time creates the tone of the dying out blues-jazz movement, mentioning the greatest names throughout the history of jazz and the evolution and progression of jazz music over time. Strauss writes with a deep emotion, evoking in the reader a passion for jazz music whether the reader has ever heard of the greats or not. Now’s the Time is a beautiful look at history with the added bonus of a mystery and a young woman coming into her own in the jazz world. Steeped in the history of jazz, I would recommend this novel to any music aficionado.

I received a complimentary copy of Now’s the Time by Larry Strauss from Meryl L. Moss Media Relations, Inc. to review. Receiving a copy in no way reflected my review of aforementioned novel.

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Book Review: Pieces of Happily Ever After by Irene Zutell

Saturday 31 July, 2010 By 5 Comments

Title: Pieces of Happily Ever After
Author: Irene Zutell
Publisher: St. Martin’s Griffin
Publication Date: September 1, 2009
Paperback: 304 pages
ISBN: 978-0312540098
Genre: Fiction

From the Publisher:

What happens after “happily ever after”? Alice Hirsh is about to find out…

Alice, a former New Yorker who thought she’d never feel at home in the bizarre world of the San Fernando Valley, was adapting, raising her 5-year-old daughter while trying to keep her job and make her new house a home. When her attorney husband lands a trophy client – box-office queen Rose Maris – things begin to look up. Then Alex starts working late – a lot. He crunches his paunch into a six-pack and trades his Gap ensembles for Armani everything.

Soon, Rose and Alex’s affair blazes in the tabloids and Alice is plunged into trash-gossip hell. Her life crumbles around her as she navigates her newly single self through suburban LA –a place rife with porn stars, psycho soccer moms and nutty neighbors.

Is there a chance to wrest Alex from the Sexiest Woman Alive? And if so… would Alice want him back? And what about George–her college sweatheart? Or Johnny, a walking charm-bomb paparazzo? As Alice inventories the rubble of her life, she desperately searches for her bearings and is forced to ask herself what she really wants from life, love and herself.

My Review:

Pieces of Happily Ever After by Irene Zutell takes a look at what happens when a seemingly fairytale life turns out to be horribly wrong. Alice Hirsch has it all: A new home in the San Fernando Valley, Alex, her husband of six years who is an entertainment lawyer, and Gabby, their beautiful 5-year-old daughter. Life appears to be going well until the fateful day Alice is recovering from an ectopic pregnancy and learns her husband is all over the tabloids for an affair he is having with well-known celebrity Rose Maris. Suddenly Alice finds the paparazzi camped out on her lawn while her husband is off trying to decide which woman he wants to be with. Pieces of Happily Ever After is well written with plenty of wit and charm. The characters are full of life and while I liked the voice of Alice, I was not too fond of her. My discord with Alice started with her pre-judging a mother who wore a Winnie-the-Pooh sweatshirt and it escalated when she was thrilled her 5-year-old daughter was making her way into television, the autographs sealed the deal. I think people will either really adore Alice or not quite care for her attitudes and beliefs. She is witty though, and I enjoyed her wit as well as her internal dialogues. Zutell’s novel raises many issues brought on by divorce as well as those looking to change their life, especially the issues of what to do when one’s life is suddenly altered, finding one’s true identity and what is important. Pieces of Happily Ever After makes for light and at times witty reading that would be fun for a light discussion group pick or for anyone looking for a fun afternoon of reading.

About the Author:

Irene Zutell began her career as a journalist. She has written for People, Us Weekly, The New York Times, the NY Daily News, Newsday, USA Today and others. She lives in Los Angeles with her husband and two children. You can visit her at www.irenezutell.com.

I received a complimentary copy of Pieces of Happily Ever After by Irene Zutell from BookSparks PR. Receiving a review copy in no way reflected my review of aforementioned novel.

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Book Review: Deadly Fear by Cynthia Eden

Saturday 31 July, 2010 By 7 Comments

Title: Deadly Fear
Author: Cynthia Eden
Publisher: Forever
Publication Date: July 27, 2010
Paperback: 416 pages
ISBN: 978-0446559249
Genre: Fiction, Romance, Suspense

From the Publisher:

TWO BRILLIANT AGENTS
FBI Special Agent Monica Davenport has made a career out of profiling serial killers. But getting inside the twisted minds of the cruel and the sadistic has taken its toll: She’s walled herself off from the world. Yet Monica can’t ignore fellow agent Luke Dante, the only man who ever broke through her defenses.
ONE DREAM TEAM
Luke has the unique ability to put victims at ease . . . professionally, he and Monica made a perfect team. Now they’re reunited to catch a murderer who uses his victims’ deepest, darkest fears for sport – but their investigative skills aren’t enough. Luke and Monica will have to face the secrets from their past, the ones that terrify them the most, if they are to have a future together.
But can they catch a killer whose weapon is . . .
DEADLY FEAR

My Review:

Deadly Fear by Cynthia Eden is a fast-paced thriller with the added elements of romance and mystery amongst the members of the Serial Services Division of the FBI.  Special Agent Monica “Ice” Davenport is a profiler with a hidden past who is about to be partnered up with an old fling, Agent Luke Dante, who is new to the Serial Services Division of the FBI and eager to show the team he is worth being there.  Luke and Monica are sent to coordinate efforts with Jasper County’s sheriff Hank Davies to help stop a serial killer who is intelligent, sadistically brutal, appears to know his victim’s biggest fears, and is not only escalating in his killings; he is also targeting Special Agent Davenport.  Agent Davenport may need to confront her past to survive this case.   Deadly Fear is a definite page-turner, which takes the reader through a maze of clues, setbacks and plot twists making Deadly Fear an exceptional book to read.  I have two minor complaints about the novel and the first is not legitimate and the second is minor.  I know this is a romance suspense novel but it would have been just as good without the romance sections and as I mentioned, that one truly is not a valid complaint as it is the genre of the book.  The second is more a pet peeve of mine and in this case it came in the form Luke’s apparent habit of calling Monica “baby”, pet names have always irritated me, minor as I said and did not detract from the novel.   With those being my only grievances, minor as they are, I can say without a doubt, this is a brilliant suspense novel.  The characters are flawed which makes them all the more vulnerable and realistic.  Deadly Fear is the first novel in Cynthia Eden’s newest series and fortunately her next book, Deadly Heat will be available in February.  I recommend Deadly Fear to anyone who likes a well thought out and planned suspense novel.

About the Author:

Cynthia Eden also writes tales of paranormal suspense and erotic romance for Kensington Brava, Avon Red, and Red Sage. In college, she majored in Communication and Sociology, graduating summa cum laude and spending many hours working on the campus paper. She soon decided writing fiction was much more fun than just sticking to the facts. Later, as she traveled the long and bumpy road to romance publication, Cynthia was employed as a teacher and a college counselor. She is a member of the Gulf Coast Chapter of the RWA and Mensa.

Further Information:

Visit the author’s website.
Follow the author on Twitter.
Five Fun Facts.
The author’s FaceBook page.
The author’s MySpace page.

I received a complimentary copy of Deadly Fear by Cynthia Eden from Hachette. Receiving a copy in no way reflected my review of aforementioned novel.

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