One Sentence Review – Peace by Piece by Carol Fragale Brill @carol_brill

Posted on January 7, 2017 by fundinmental

One of my goals this year is to read through all the paperbacks I won that are stacked around the house. I won this signed paperback last year and it was a wonderful surprise when I finally got around to reading it.

I love this beautiful cover. Are you a beachy person?

Amazon / Goodreads

MY ONE SENTENCE REVIEW

Peace by Piece deals with some series issues…insecurities, eating disorders and settling for less, but Maggie is a wonderful character that makes the hard choices and the writing creates a rollercoaster ride of emotions that read as if this could be a true story.

4 Stars

GOODREADS BLURB: Peace by Piece deals with unshakable first love, family, relationships, the difficulties of being a stepparent—all shadowed by the curse of anorexia/bulimia.

Six years after fleeing college and Thomas’s betrayal, Maggie has nearly given up on love.
Enter Izzie, a motherless eight year old, and every maternal instinct kicks-in. With Donald, Izzie’s dad, Maggie waits for the thrill—for anything magic: a spark, a quickening, a quiver racing up her spine. The magic never comes, but it is precisely the ordinariness of his kisses and subsequent proposal that make her feel safe. She imagines that loving Izzie is enough to finally lock Thomas out of her heart.

You can see my Giveaways HERE.
You can see my Reviews HERE.
If you like what you see, why don’t you follow me?
Look on the right sidebar and let’ talk.
Leave your link in the comments and I will drop by to see what’s shakin’.
Problem commenting, look for the twitter, facebook…buttons.
Thanks for visiting fundinmental!

Save

Ghost Whisperer Meet Emma Lee – A Ghostly Reunion by Tonya Kappes @tonyakappes11 @dollycas

Posted on January 6, 2017 by fundinmental

ghostly-reunion-large-banner640

A GHOSTLY REUNION
by Tonya Kappes

This light, ghostly murder mystery is filled with humor and quirky characters with large personalities.
~fundinmental

Thank you so much, Tony and Great Escapes for the mention. I am looking forward to reading more of Emma and the Ghostly Southern Mystery series.

A Ghostly Reunion: A Ghostly Southern Mystery
Series: Ghostly Southern Mysteries (Book 5)
Mass Market Paperback: 352 pages
Publisher: Witness (December 27, 2016)
ISBN-13: 978-0062466952
E-Book ASIN: B01DSV6ULA
MY REVIEW

If you are looking for a humorous paranormal/supernatural story with some quirky characters, check out A Ghostly Reunion and the Ghostly Southern Mystery series by Tonya Kappes.

Emma sees murdered dead people, after being conked on the head by a plastic Santa. Her home and the family business are one and the same, Eternal Slumber Funeral Home. People of the town thinks she’s a loon, but really she is a Ghost Whisperer. I loved the TV show, so any book that reminds me of it, is high on my reading list.

Emma is planning her ten year high school reunion and her least favorite person deigns to grace them with her presence, Jade Lee Peel. She epitomizes why we shouldn’t judge a book by its cover.

This light, ghostly murder mystery is filled with humor and quirky characters with large personalities. Occurring in a small town, we still have plenty of suspects and it takes a while to figure it out.

Sooo…if you like some laughs with your murder, you will want to add A Ghostly Reunion and the Ghostly Southern Mysteries to your reading list.

A KILLER ending and I can hardly wait to read more.

Animated Animals. Pictures, Images and Photos 4 Stars

Synopsis

Emma Lee Raines sees dead people

Proprietor of the Eternal Slumber Funeral Home, Emma Lee can see, hear, and talk to ghosts of murdered folks. And when her high school nemesis is found dead, Jade Lee Peel is the same old mean girl—trying to come between Emma Lee and her hot boyfriend, Sheriff Jack Henry Ross, all over again.

There’s only one way for Emma Lee to be free of the trash-talking ghost—solve the murder so the former prom queen can cross over.

But the last thing Jade Lee wants is to leave the town where she had her glory days. And the more Emma Lee investigates on her own, the more complicated Miss Popularity turns out to be. Now Emma Lee will have to work extra closely with her hunky lawman to get to the twisty truth.

author-photo

About the Author

For years, USA Today bestselling author Tonya Kappes has been self-publishing her numerous mystery and romance titles with unprecedented success. She is famous not only for her hilarious plotlines and quirky characters, but her tremendous marketing efforts that have earned her thousands of followers and a devoted street team of fans. Be sure to check out Tonya’s website for upcoming events and news and to sign up for her newsletter! Tonyakappes.com

Also by Tonya Kappes

Kenni Lowry Mystery Series

Fixin’ To Die

Olivia Davis Paranormal Mystery Series

SPLITSVILLE.COM

COLOR ME LOVE (novella)

COLOR ME A CRIME

Magical Cures Mystery Series

A CHARMING CRIME

A CHARMING CURE

A CHARMING POTION (novella)

A CHARMING CHRISTMAS (novella)

A CHARMING FATALITY

A CHARMING DEATH

A CHARMING GHOST

A CHARMING VOODOO

Grandberry Falls Series

THE LADYBUG JINX

HAPPY NEW LIFE

A SUPERSTITIOUS CHRISTMAS (novella)

NEVER TELL YOUR DREAMS

A Laurel London Mystery Series

CHECKERED CRIME

CHECKERED PAST

CHECKERED THIEF

A Divorced Diva Beading Mystery Series

A BREAD OF DOUBT SHORT STORY

STRUNG OUT TO DIE

CRIMPED TO DEATH

Bluegrass Romance Series

Women’s Fiction

Young Adult

A Ghostly Southern Mystery Series

A GHOSTLY UNDERTAKING

Enjoy a free ebook from Tonya when you sign up for her newsletter by clicking here.

Visit Tonya:

Facebook at Author Tonya Kappes

Kappes Krew Street Team

Webpage

E-mail

Recipe Submission Email

Goodreads

Twitter

~~~

GIVEAWAY

Enter the giveaway HERE.

~~~

TOUR PARTICIPANTS

January 6 – fundinmental – REVIEW

January 7 – Books,Dreams,Life – SPOTLIGHT

January 7 – Escape With Dollycas Into A Good Book – SPOTLIGHT

January 8 – Island Confidential – CHARACTER INTERVIEW

January 8 – Queen of All She Reads – SPOTLIGHT

January 9 – fuonlyknew – REVIEW

January 10 – Melissa’s Eclectic Bookshelf – SPOTLIGHT

January 11 – Celticlady’s Reviews – SPOTLIGHT

January 12 – Laura’s Interests – REVIEW

January 13 – A Holland Reads – SPOTLIGHT*

January 14 – Community Bookstop – INTERVIEW

January 15 – Satisfaction for Insatiable Readers – SPOTLIGHT

January 16 – Readeropolis – INTERVIEW

January 17 – Varietats 2010 – REVIEW

January 18 – Texas Book-aholic – REVIEW

January 19 – Brooke Blogs – SPOTLIGHT

ghostly-reunion-large-banner448

You can see my Giveaways HERE.
You can see my Reviews HERE.
If you like what you see, why don’t you follow me?
Look on the right sidebar and let’ talk.
Leave your link in the comments and I will drop by to see what’s shakin’.
Problem commenting, look for the twitter, facebook…buttons.
Thanks for visiting fundinmental!

Save

One Sentence Review – The Grownup by Gillian Flynn #GillianFlynn

Posted on December 31, 2016 by fundinmental

I borrowed The Grownup by Gillian Flynn, a short story, from my sister, Laura, and I am so glad I did.

I sat, stunned, saying over and over WTF!

Gillian Flynn is now a MUST READ author for me.

Amazon / Goodreads

MY REVIEW

The Grownup by Gillian Flynn is a fabulous short story that had me twisting, turning, wondering, WTF…hand jobs to fortunetelling to aura cleaning, Gillian had me laughing at the fun writing, wondering along with Susan where she would end up…and once again saying WTF!

5 Stars

GOODREADS BLURB: A canny young woman is struggling to survive by perpetrating various levels of mostly harmless fraud. On a rainy April morning, she is reading auras at Spiritual Palms when Susan Burke walks in. A keen observer of human behavior, our unnamed narrator immediately diagnoses beautiful, rich Susan as an unhappy woman eager to give her lovely life a drama injection. However, when the “psychic” visits the eerie Victorian home that has been the source of Susan’s terror and grief, she realizes she may not have to pretend to believe in ghosts anymore. Miles, Susan’s teenage stepson, doesn’t help matters with his disturbing manner and grisly imagination. The three are soon locked in a chilling battle to discover where the evil truly lurks and what, if anything, can be done to escape it.

You can see my Giveaways HERE.
You can see my Reviews HERE.
If you like what you see, why don’t you follow me?
Look on the right sidebar and let’ talk.
Leave your link in the comments and I will drop by to see what’s shakin’.
Problem commenting, look for the twitter, facebook…buttons.
Thanks for visiting fundinmental!

Mothman is lonely in A Cold Tomorrow by Mae Clair @MaeClair1

Posted on December 21, 2016 by fundinmental

I love creature features and A Cold Tomorrow by Mae Clair stars Mothman, plus…

This is the second book in the Point Pleasant series. You can see my review for Book I, A Thousand Yesteryears here.

Check out this gorgeous cover. What does it make you think of?

Doesn’t it have an eerie feel to it?

Amazon / Goodreads

A COLD TOMORROW
Book 2 in the Point Pleasant Series
Genre: Suspense/Mystery
Length: 82,00 Words
Publisher: Kensington Publishing/Lyrical Underground Imprint
Publication Date: December 20, 2016

MY REVIEW

I LOVED the first book, A Thousand Yesteryears, so I was very eager to continue my journey down the road in Point Pleasant to see what happens next in this fantastic creature feature.

The cover alone gives me an eerie feeling, sending shivers up and down my spine as I try to guess at what lies ‘between the covers.’

Katie misses her sister, her best friend, Wendy, who disappeared three days ago. No one knows what has become of her.

One of the things that caught me early was Katie’s aversion to smells in the salon. I too have a problem with them. These smells of reality make it easy for me to feel as if I am there with her.

I love how Mae Clair develops the relationship between Katie and Doreen Sue, her mom. Reads like real life as the work through a not so good past.

The town has not been kind to Katie’s family, treating them like white trash. Maybe they want to think twice before they cast the first stone.

Ryan Flynn is called to Chester Wilson’s farm to investigate star snot and outer space grass. The mystery begins. Then, the cow…

“It’s been a weird day.”

“Weird how?”

Uh…let’s see…cow mutilation, phantom deputy, missing resident. Does that fit the bill?”

Point Pleasant is a hotbed for Mothman and UFO sightings, in real life too. Adds another element of reality for me. Could it be true? Is Mothman real? For the moment, Mothman is silent.

As things become stranger, Katie’s past comes to the forefront, her memories causing her to fear for herself and her son, Sam.

All of a sudden, something sets Mothman off and he is terrorizing the people of Point Pleasant. How would you feel if you were the only one of your kind…people so afraid of you, they shoot first and take names later?

The Mothman, aliens, Men In black, lights in the sky, mutilated animals, people feeling the compulsion to draw…There are mysteries galore that kept me on pins and needles, fearing for the characters I have grown to love.

Oh Yeah! I believe we will have a Book III.

I voluntarily reviewed a free copy of A Cold Tomorrow by Mae Clair.

Animated Animals. Pictures, Images and Photos

5 Stars

GOODREADS BLURB

Where secrets make their home…

Stopping to help a motorist in trouble, Katie Lynch stumbles upon a mystery as elusive as the Mothman legend that haunts her hometown of Point Pleasant, West Virginia. Could the coded message she finds herald an extraterrestrial visitor? According to locals, it wouldn’t be the first time. And what sense should she make of her young son’s sudden spate of bizarre drawings—and his claim of a late-night visitation? Determined to uncover the truth, Katie only breaks the surface when a new threat erupts. Suddenly her long-gone ex-boyfriend is back and it’s as if he’s under someone else’s control. Not only is he half-crazed, he’s intent on murder….

As a sergeant in the sheriff’s office of the famously uncanny Point Pleasant, Officer Ryan Flynn has learned to tolerate reports of puzzling paranormal events. But single mom Katie Lynch appears to be in very real danger—and somehow Ryan’s own brother, Caden, is caught up in the madness, too. What the skeptical lawman discovers astounds him—and sends him into action. For stopping whatever evil forces are at play may just keep Katie and Caden alive…..

Buy at Amazon / Barnes & Noble / Google / Kesington Books

You can check out the Mothman Museum in Point Pleasant West Virginia HERE.

photo courtesy of angelwing314.deviantart.com

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

ae Clair opened a Pandora’s Box of characters when she was a child and never looked back. Her father, an artist who tinkered with writing, encouraged her to create make-believe worlds by spinning tales of far-off places on summer nights beneath the stars.

Mae loves creating character-driven fiction in settings that vary from contemporary to mythical. Wherever her pen takes her, she flavors her stories with conflict, romance and elements of mystery. Married to her high school sweetheart, she lives in Pennsylvania and is passionate about writing, old photographs, a good Maine lobster tail and cats.

Visit her Website / Twitter /

You can see my Giveaways HERE.
You can see my Reviews HERE.
If you like what you see, why don’t you follow me?
Look on the right sidebar and let’ talk.
Leave your link in the comments and I will drop by to see what’s shakin’.
Problem commenting, look for the twitter, facebook…buttons.
Thanks for visiting fundinmental!

Save

Teaser Tuesday #87 – Vampires and Zombies Christmas Reading by Anthony Renfro

Posted on December 20, 2016 by fundinmental

Welcome to Teaser Tuesday hosted by The Purple Booker, the weekly Meme that wants you to add books to your TBR, or just share what you are currently reading. It is very easy to play along:

• 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! Everyone loves Teaser Tuesday.

~~~~~~

Merry Christmas to you, but beware…

Amazon / Goodreads

MY REVIEW

Anthony Renfro’s short story, A Vampire at Christmas, features a hot and sexy vampire.

Talan had been coming home from seeing his fiance, when robbers attacked him and left him for dead. In turn, a vampire took out the robbers and left him with an alternative, immortality or death. He passed out before making the choice, so the vampire made it for him. His blood tasted sweet, while the robbers had tasted salty. MMMM

Ever meet a Parrothead vampire? How about a vampire who’s favorite time of year is Christmas? Do they decorate trees with lots of blinking, sparkling lights? He hung pictures of sunrises around the crypt to remind himself that he was once human. He wears work boots and a Jimmy Buffet concert shirt. He would have played music if he felt no one would hear. His favorite song is Margaritaville.

Discovering Christmas had changed his feeding pattern. Now he chose mostly those who deserved it. And had something special for those he felt worthy.

How would you like to see Talan coming down your chimney?

I love Talan and the humorous/horror writing of Anthony Renfro.

5 Stars

GOODREADS BLURB: Are you a Jimmy Buffett fan? Do you like Vampires? Do you like Christmas? This short story is about a Parrothead Vampire who uses his riches and Vampiric skills to bring joy to those in need during the holiday season.

Amazon / Goodreads

MY REVIEW

The zombie tried to take off with Rudolf and he wasn’t going to allow it. It’s the little things that keep us sane and we all have a point in our lives, where enough is enough. A Zombie Christmas is comical and horrible at the same time. Can you picture zombie carolers singing Silent Night and Frosty? In times of trouble, there are those who stand up and give of themselves, expecting nothing in return.

4 Stars

GOODREADS BLURB: In a Zombie Apocalypse, three men risk life and limb to bring happiness to surviving kids on Christmas morning.

You can see my Giveaways HERE.
You can see my Reviews HERE.
If you like what you see, why don’t you follow me?
Look on the right sidebar and let’ talk.
Leave your link in the comments and I will drop by to see what’s shakin’.
Problem commenting, look for the twitter, facebook…buttons.
Thanks for visiting fundinmental!

The Horse Whisperer – Review for Blaze of Glory by M Garzon @mgarzonauthor

Posted on December 19, 2016 by fundinmental

Blaze of Glory by M Garzon has all the elements for a wonderful romance.

This is not my usual genre, but something about this book spoke to me.

When I was finished reading it, I knew why.

Amazon / Goodreads

MY REVIEW

Blaze of Glory is a romance that will have you following this horse whisperer through the pages of her life, including all the angst and passion that a 17 year old girl carries with her. Her trials and tribulations kept me involved and wondering how everything was going to work out okay and become a happy ending.

I love horses and think they are magnificent creatures. I love to watch them in motion and imagine myself riding, with the wind blowing across my face and through my hair, my heart pounding with the hoofbeats, as we race across the ground. How exhilarating a feeling is that?

Tea is an independent, sassy, strong willed, hardworking girl that has a special affinity with horses. Her impulsiveness gets her in trouble over and over again.

Her parents had died and Tea and her brother are living with her stepfather. Jaden, her older “cousin” (by circumstance only, not a blood relation) gives her butterflies and sweaty palms, her heart throbs when she is near him. Her love for him could very well destroy her already dysfunctional relationship with her stepfather.

I am an action junkie, but I was not kept waiting for a murder, magic or adventure. I knew this was not that kind of story.

This is Tea’s story. M Garzon would lead me up to the moment of the kiss, then deny me. I felt it was going to happen, but when.

A clean romance that kept me hanging on, wishing and hoping that Tea would become the professional horse rider she wishes to be and capture the love of her heart’s desire.

I chose the book knowing it wasn’t an action-packed thriller. Tea’s story kept me involved and waiting for what would come next. The ending answers all the questions I had, yet leaves the book open to continue Tea’s story.

“Small as a kitten, brave as a tiger.”

4 Stars

GOODREADS BLURB: Soon to be a major new TELEVISION SERIES!

Book 1 of the Blaze of Glory series – recommended on the USA TODAY website.

Last year, I had it all. Two jumpers on the show circuit, a lot of wins, and a lot of attention – the good kind. But now I have nothing. My life is circling the drain. The only spark of light that exists for me is my new, forbidden passion. If my stepfather finds out, he will kill me. My twin brother, my only blood relative in the world, has already begged me not to. But I can’t help myself. If it can’t be horses, it has to be this.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

M. Garzon rode horses professionally for ten years, until an injury prompted a career change. She returned to school and completed a BSc; then, for good measure, an MBA. After several years of toiling as a business consultant, she turned to writing in a desperate bid to regain her sanity. A mom of two fabulous children, she lives in St-Lazare, QC and considers herself extremely fortunate to be a writer.

Author links: Website / Twitter / Goodreads / Facebook

You can see my Giveaways HERE.
You can see my Reviews HERE.
If you like what you see, why don’t you follow me?
Look on the right sidebar and let’ talk.
Leave your link in the comments and I will drop by to see what’s shakin’.
Problem commenting, look for the twitter, facebook…buttons.
Thanks for visiting fundinmental!

Click on the cover below to get your M Garzon novel today.

Save

One Sentence Review – Blythewood by Carol Goodman @C_Goodmania

Posted on December 17, 2016 by fundinmental

I won Blythewood by Carold Goodman and I am so happy I did. I have not read any of her work before, but after reading this, I will be on the lookout!

I have a thing for trees, so I really want to walk in this forest.

Amazon / Goodreads

MY REVIEW

The rich and complex characters in Blythewood, that made me think of a Harry Potter school for girls, took me on a grand adventure with surprising twists and turns in a phenomenal world full of rich detail, all while good battles evil.

5 Stars

GOODREADS BLURB: At seventeen, Avaline Hall has already buried her mother, survived a horrific factory fire, and escaped from an insane asylum. Now she’s on her way to Blythewood Academy, the elite boarding school in New York’s mist-shrouded Hudson Valley that her mother attended—and was expelled from. Though she’s afraid her high society classmates won’t accept a factory girl in their midst, Ava is desperate to unravel her family’s murky past, discover the identity of the father she’s never known, and perhaps finally understand her mother’s abrupt suicide. She’s also on the hunt for the identity of the mysterious boy who rescued her from the fire. And she suspects the answers she seeks lie at Blythewood.

But nothing could have prepared her for the dark secret of what Blythewood is, and what its students are being trained to do. Haunted by dreams of a winged boy and pursued by visions of a sinister man who breathes smoke, Ava isn’t sure if she’s losing her mind or getting closer to the truth. And the more rigorously Ava digs into the past, the more dangerous her present becomes.

Vivid and atmospheric, full of mystery and magic, this romantic page-turner by bestselling author Carol Goodman tells the story of a world on the brink of change and the girl who is the catalyst for it all.

You can see my Giveaways HERE.
You can see my Reviews HERE.
If you like what you see, why don’t you follow me?
Look on the right sidebar and let’ talk.
Leave your link in the comments and I will drop by to see what’s shakin’.
Problem commenting, look for the twitter, facebook…buttons.
Thanks for visiting fundinmental!

The Extraordinary Journey of Vivenne Marshall by Shannon Kirk @ShannonCKirk

Posted on December 14, 2016 by fundinmental

Shannon Kirk’s award winning debut novel, Method 15/33, blew me away…so when I saw The Extraordinary Journey of Vivienne Marshall was available on Netgalley, I snagged it. Thank you Shannon Kirk and Reputation Books.

Such a gorgeous cover and I do hope I am walking on clouds when it’s over.

Book Design: Lisa Abellera

Ebook Design: Mary C Moore

Amazon / Goodreads

MY REVIEW

Be careful…when you are texting. Your inattention could be the death of you.

Vivienne lay hovering on the brink of death, one foot in the land of the living and one foot with the dead.

Noah, her dead, dream husband explains it to her. The scene made me think of a Supernatural episode, where Castielle says our Heaven is of our own making.

Is there a Heaven? Does our life pass before our eyes?

What would it look like? Who would you want there with you?

What secrets would be brought to light after your death?

And if there is a Heaven…what about Hell?

The lovely pics sprinkled throughout are a nice touch and I love it.

I am sitting in one of my favorite reading places, my patio and watering the lawn, even as the black clouds roll in, the thunder rumbling, and I am lost in Vivienne’s world, unable to quit reading.

Shannon’s descriptive words draw me into this novel from the opening pages, her poetic words bring to life fantasy worlds full of vibrant colors, beauty and love, but the flowery prose becomes onerous for me, having me starting, stopping and rereading, but that is me. I think there are many readers who will LOVE it and get lost in the story too.

This Heavenly love story is tragic, yet hopeful and very thought provoking.

I voluntarily reviewed a free ARC copy of The Extraordinary Journey of Vivienne Marshall from Shannon Kirk.

4 Stars

GOODREADS BLURB: What if you could choose your heaven now? Go on a celestial shopping trip of sorts? Thirty-five-year-old Vivienne does just that, as she lies dying in the ICU; a fatal walk into the path of a truck. In her final week of life, Vivienne treks through the Heavens of a priest, a best friend, a homeless child, and a lover who never was. Vivienne’s guardian angel, Noah, who may just be her soul mate, escorts her through selections of Heavens and through the confusion Vivienne experiences as she flounders between a doubt of life and the certainty of death. Although her visits to varied afterlives provide peace and beauty, choosing proves not so easy: Vivienne’s love for her young son and her earthly father pull her from her colorful journey—and from her divine love of Noah.

The nature of love, the variety and magic of life, unending hope, and the importance of saying goodbye are central to this uplifting tale.

ABOUT SHANNON KIRK

Shannon has been honored three times by the Faulkner Society in the William Faulkner-William Wisdom Creative Writing Competition for her works The Extraordinary Journey of Vivienne Marshall (2012 finalist), Method 15/33 (2013 finalist), and Impossibility of Interplanetary Love (2014 short-list finalist). When not practicing law, Shannon writes in her free time. She lives in Massachusetts with her husband and son.

Shannon writes in several genres: literary fiction, suspense/thriller, and young adult.

Shannon is a member of International Thriller Writers and Mystery Writers of America.

Website / Twitter

You can see my Giveaways HERE.
You can see my Reviews HERE.
If you like what you see, why don’t you follow me?
Look on the right sidebar and let’ talk.
Leave your link in the comments and I will drop by to see what’s shakin’.
Problem commenting, look for the twitter, facebook…buttons.
Thanks for visiting fundinmental!

My review for Method 15/33

Save

Teaser Tuesday #86 – Christmas Magic by Kathryn Meyer Griffith @KathrynG64

Posted on December 13, 2016 by fundinmental

Welcome to Teaser Tuesday hosted by The Purple Booker, the weekly Meme that wants you to add books to your TBR, or just share what you are currently reading. It is very easy to play along:

~~~~~~

I come from a family of six children, so I can relate to Kathryn Meyer Griffith’s tale…to a degree…

I love her writing, so by sharing this with you at this time of year…I think it will show the power of love.

Such a sweet cover…

Amazon / Goodreads

MY REVIEW

Christmas Eve

You know Kathryn Meyer Griffith’s memories and feelings run deep, because her first novel, Evil Stalks The Night, is the story’s setting inspired by her family home.

Christmas Magic brought to mind many memories of my own. As child, I too was fascinated when I would awake in the morning and the world is blanketed in snow. I too loved visiting my Grandmother’s house, which was just down the road. It was like a mini vacation. I remember making paper and popcorn chains for the Christmas tree.

It is no surprise to me that Kathryn Meyer Griffith became a prolific writer, with her smarts, photographic memory and love of reading.

She may not have had much money, but she had lots of love.

What a vision…all nine of the family piling into the car and to Grandma’s house we go. They actually drove over the river and through the woods.

A heartwarming short story, with the highest highs and the lowest lows, love, happiness, sadness, giving and sharing…the human cycle.

4 Stars

GOODREADS BLURB: Have you ever wondered what a writer’s early years were like and how it affected their future writing and the stories they would tell later in their lives? Have you ever wondered what their childhood Christmases, their early holidays, were like? Well, wonder no longer. This story is about one of my most cherished childhood Christmases…in 1959 when I was nine years old. After my beloved musician/singer/songwriter brother Jim passed away in 2015 from cancer I felt an intense need to write this short story about that special Christmas Eve I shared with him, my other siblings, mother, father and grandparents, and put it out there for everyone to read as a tribute to him and my family. This is my story, part of my childhood, and some of my fondest memories. Note: in the late 1970’s I did a series of illustrated (by me, because I’m an artist, too) short stories for my local newspaper and I’ve used one of my old drawings from 1978 for the first page of this short story.

You can see my Giveaways HERE.
You can see my Reviews HERE.
If you like what you see, why don’t you follow me?
Look on the right sidebar and let’ talk.
Leave your link in the comments and I will drop by to see what’s shakin’.
Problem commenting, look for the twitter, facebook…buttons.
Thanks for visiting fundinmental!

Save

A Holiday Murder Review – Bubba and the 12 Deadly Days of Christmas by C L Bevill #CLBevill

Posted on December 12, 2016 by fundinmental

Bubba and the 12 Deadly Days of Christmas by C L Bevill, is Book II of the Bubba Snoddy mystery series.

The fun looking covers make me smile every time I look at them. Be sure to scroll to the bottom and you will know what I mean.

Amazon / Goodreads

MY REVIEW

Bubba and the 12 Deadly Days of Christmas by C L Bevill is Book II in this 7 book Bubba Mystery Series. If I knew that before I grabbed the book and started reading, I doubt I would have picked it up, especially because I haven’t read Book I, Bubba and the Dead Woman. But I do have it, so…

Even though I read this before Book I, it did not affect my rating.

The characters in this series are so much fun with weird and laughable names, and big personalities that get them in all kinds of trouble. Bubba is a good ol’ boy and the sanest of the lot, but does his best not to let others get too close.

It seems like there is always danger afoot at the mansion and Bubba is in the middle of it. With his trusty sidekick, Precious, a basset hound that sticks to him like glue and will do her best to take down anyone who messes with her human, they will unravel the mystery and keep him out of jail…hopefully. Precious has become my favorite character and when you meet her, you will see why.

What do you call people what are afraid of Santa Claus.

Claustrophobic.

Why doesn’t Santa have any children?

Because he only comes once a yeeeaar and it’s down a chimney.

This hilarious romp through the twelve days of Christmas had me laughing and pondering the mystery throughout.

I love these characters, the fun writing and dialogue, their antics and quirkiness, and the mystery that keeps me guessing. I was tempted to mark it down because of the cliffhanger, but I enjoyed it too much and couldn’t do it.

OH MAN, there is a bleep, bleep, bleep cliffhanger!!!!

4 Stars

GOODREADS BLURB: Bubba Snoddy’s got some problems. His family has descended for the Christmas holidays and not in a good way. His cousin wants to own the Snoddy Mansion, decrepit, falling down columns, termites, wood rot and all and isn’t above using manipulative behavior to achieve his ends. Miz Demetrice is up to nefarious and illegal activities while trying to entertain relatives. His cousin’s ten year old son is the personification of a demon and has hobbies of looking at medical photographs, making stun guns from scratch, and causing havoc wherever he roams. The woman of Bubba’s dreams, Deputy Willodean Gray, is still evading his romantic pursuits. Patients from the local mental institute are wandering over the town, ostensibly assisting with the Christmas Festival thanks to a program established by the mayor to cut costs. And Bubba has just found the dead body of a man dressed as Santa in the Christmas scene at City Hall. Oh, Pegramville, Texas is just the best place to be at Christmas if a fella has a bullet proof vest and a linebacker’s helmet. All the folks think Bubba might have done did it…again, even though it was proven that he didn’t done did it the first time, and Bubba has to move quickly in order to catch a murderer.

Book 2 of the Bubba series. This book has recently been revised.