"Juror #3" by James Patterson

In Juror #3 by James Paterson, Ruby does not have too much experience in court.  Now she had to defend a person in a murder trial!  I thought this was pretty good.  Ruby was a great character and really carried the book.  There are actually two trials in this book--the second trial is the main story.  The book flowed well and had a good twist to it!
(Gerard's review, 4.5 stars)

Karen's review:
Juror #3 by James Patterson is about Ruby, an inexperienced lawyer who finds herself representing two men charged with murder in two separate trials in Mississippi.  In the second trial, Lee, a wealthy man who she almost married is her client.  She feels as though she is over her head, but is supported by Lee's sister, Suzanne.  In both trials, Juror #3 is a strange one!

I enjoyed this book but was disappointed the second trial was sort of skimmed by at the end.  Ruby was brave and put herself in danger to help her client.
(Karen's review, 4 stars) 

Teaser from pg. 30 of large print version:  My stomach did a flop.  I had a spasm of such intense nausea, I was afraid I might vomit on his carpet.

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"The Girl with the Broken Heart" by Lurlene McDaniel

In The Girl with the Broken Heart by Lurlene McDaniel, Kenzie's second year of college comes to a close.  Instead of going home, she heads off to work at a horse farm to take care of three horses!  She has her reasons.  Austin, who has secrets comes into the picture to help Kenzie with the horses.

I enjoyed this book!  Kenzie and Austin were really good characters.  The book had good pacing so I really could not figure out the whole story.  I had this book at 5 stars, but the ending par pushed it up to a 5++ stars, my highest rank!  I recommend this one to anyone who likes Hallmark movies--good read.
(Gerard's review, 5++ stars)

Karen's review:
The Girl with the Broken Heart is a teen romance between Kenzie, a college girl with a heart issue and Austin, the guy who was her helper in caring for rescue horses during one summer. Austin finds himself falling in love with her even though he tries not to. He has secrets he does not want to share.

This book is okay. Kenzie and Austin’s feelings are developed slowly which makes their relationship very believable. I liked that there are no sex scenes in this book. Although there are sad events, the writing did not touch my emotions. I thought this was pretty ho-hum but enjoyed the horse part of the story. (3 stars)


Teaser from page 18:  She closed her eyes, took deep breaths.  "I . . . I know.  I didn't mean to yell at you.  I guess I was expecting someone--"

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"The Last Pass" by Gary M. Pomerantz

The Last Pass by Gary M. Pomerantz is a true story describing the basketball career of Bob Cousy and his life off the court.  Bob Cousy was a fantastic point guard for the Boston Celtics.  The stuff he could do with a basketball is amazing!  He could dribble and pass like no one else!

The basketball part of this book was really good, but I enjoyed reading about his life off the court even more!  I laughed out loud while reading this one!  He is in his 90s now, what a remarkable story he has told!  This is my "book of the month" for December!
(Gerard's review, 5+ stars)

Teaser from page 28:  Seeing Cousy play against the Globetrotters that night, Kerner, owner of the NBA's Tri-Cities Blackhawks, was dazzled.  He decided that Cousy was the greatest college player he had ever seen.

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"When the Men Were Gone" by Marjorie Herrera Lewis

When the Men Were Gone by Marjorie Herrera Lewis is based on a true story that is inspiring.  In fact, it even inspired the author to give coaching football a try!  Brownwood, a small Texas town during WW II was on the verge of canceling their High School football season because they did not have a coach.  Tylene, a former English teacher and now assistant principal at the High School loved football and what it meant to the town.  She also hated to see the season canceled, knowing the then some of the seniors may drop out to enlist.  She began her search for a coach and found herself stepping into the role!  A lady football coach was unheard of in the 1940s, but Tylene ignored the insults and proved she knew the game and could play!

I enjoyed this book very much.  I really liked the football parts and how Tylene and Moose interacted with the players and how she convinced the men she could be the coach.  I give this 4 stars because I would have liked to have had more football games than just one.  This is a quick read and I was sad to see it end.
(Karen's review, 4 stars)


Gerard's review:
When the Men Were Gone by Marjorie Herrera Lewis is based on a true story.  In the early 1940s, in a small town in Texas, it's time for high school football.  It is the place to be on Friday nights!  But, with the men of fighting the war, somebody needs to step up to coach the team.  With no one coming forward, it looks like the season will be called off until a woman steps up!  How will that go over?

I enjoyed this book very much.  Tylene was a great character and rally carried the book.  The story line rang very true in this quick read.
(5 stars)

Teaser from page 3:  "When are you going to call the shots out there, Tylene?"  Mr. Periwinkle asked.
      "I'll go down there right now if they'll let me," I said.
      My father turned to the men.  "Don't kid yourselves.  She might just take over before the second half."

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"One of Us" by Craig DiLouie

One of Us by Craig DiLouie is about a bunch of children who were born with extreme genetic mutations.  They are kept in a home, but this is not a happy home to say the least!  They want that to change.  I thought this book was okay.  The story line was told pretty well; however, some parts did not hold my interest.
(Gerard's review, 4 stars)

Teaser from page 62:  "You creepers keep away from normal kids, you hear.  Next time, there won't be no warning.  I'll just take off my belt and get to whuppin'.  Understand?"

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"The Last Straw" by Ed Duncan is Full of Violence

The Last Straw by Ed Duncan is adult fiction with several story lines and several main characters.  First is the story line of why a Chicago crime boss is ordering a hit on a teenage girl who witnessed a car jacking in which the driver was killed.  The other is about the relationship between Paul (a well-respected lawyer and friend of the witness's family) and a hit man named Rico.  There is a lot of killing and action from the get-go in this dark adult fiction book.  It has racketeers, hit men, a prostitute, an inter-racial affair, murder and suicide.  

I got this book in exchange for a review and that's really the only reason I finished it.  There are a lot of characters in this, to which most I could not relate.  Rico was a hit man with a conscience which to me made him the most interesting character; however, this book is mostly about action and killing.  I felt the characters could have been developed more.  This book was just too dark for my taste with the only wholesome thing about it being the teenage eyewitness who was willing to testify.       
(Karen's review, 2 stars)

Teaser from page 13:  Jerry was the closest thing he had to a friend.  Yet when he found out about his death, he had felt nothing akin to grief.  Indeed, what he felt was almost nothing at all, except that he might be next.

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"The Lying Game" by Ruth Ware - Husband Loved It, Wife Didn't

My husband and I had completely different opinions about The Lying Game  by Ruth Ware.  He loved it, liked all the four girls and the pacing.  For me, I liked the dog best and Isa's husband, Owen.  I didn't care for any of the girls much nor the story line in general.  Throughout the book it was all about what really happened in the past with Kate's father, an art teacher at a girl's boarding school.  I did not like how the book went from present to past and and felt it was slow moving.  I was very glad when I finally finished it. 
(Karen's review, 2 stars)

In The Lying Game by Ruth Ware, Kate texts her three boarding school friends from the past saying "I need you."  It has been 17 years, but Fatima, Isa and Thea know they must come--first, because of their friendship and second, because of the incident that will forever bond them together!  I thought this book was fantastic!  I loved all the four girls in it.  The pacing of this book was perfect and the writing was very good!  Ruth Ware's books are always good!  Put this on your TBR list and you will be glad you did!
(Gerard's review, 5++ stars)

Teaser from page 81:  But that's a lie, and worse, it's a lie to Fatima.  That was the most important rule of the Lying Game.  Lie to everyone else--yes.  But to each other--never.

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"Sadie" by Courtney Summers

Sadie by Courtney Summers is teen fiction.  A radio personality gets a call to help find a missing girl--Sadie Hunter.  At first, he blows it off, but when he finds out Sadie is on the hunt for the man that killed her sister, he decides to go look for her!  This book is told by Sadie and West McCray, the radio personality.  It is pretty good and held my interest because of the really good parts by Sadie.  I think the ending could have been told better than it was though.
(Gerard's review, 4 stars)

Teaser from page 19:  It makes me sick to think about her throwing her life in the garbage like that because that's what it amounts to.  Every little bit that made her, everything, was all in the trash and when I found it, I just started to cry because she'd . . . it wasn't worth anything to her anymore.    

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"On Desperate Ground" by Hampton Sides

On Desperate Ground by Hampton Sides tells the true story of the Korean war!  It concentrates on the battle of the Chosin Reservoir--a classic battle!  Marines had to deal with over 300,000 Chinese and bitter cold.  They were surrounded and still they fought on!  What a great book!  These men had so much courage!  The writing is so good I felt like I was right there with them!  If you enjoy these kinds of books, then do not miss this one!
(Gerard's review, 5++ stars) 

Teaser from page 242 (large print version):  The next star shell revealed a horrific panorama:  The snow was smeared with blood.  Twisted corpses and shorn body parts had been flung in all directions. 

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"Educated" by Tara Westover (Hubby and I disagree on this one!)

Educated by Tara Westover is her memoir of leaving her Mormon family in Idaho to pursue a formal education.  This is a long journey.  Tara is from a large family whose father owned a scrap yard and who kept her working for him as long as he could.  It is an amazing story of how she was accepted at BYU and went on to Cambridge and Harvard without having graduated high school!  In fact, even her "home schooling" was not at all regular.

I found this book very hard to read.  The father and brother made me very angry and it was difficult to fathom how dysfunctional this family was.  In some ways it reminded me of The Glass Castle and A Child Called It.  The domestic violence and abuse is heart wrenching.  I did enjoy Part 2 better when she got away from her family and into college.  I was never engrossed in this book and for the most part had to plow through.  I would have liked to know what kind of actual job the author wound up with after all that education.
(Karen's review, 3 stars)

Gerard's review:

Educated by Tara Westover is a true story and what a story it is!  Tara first stepped foot in a classroom at the age of 17, but now she received a BA degree from Bringham Young University and a scholarship to Cambridge in England where she was awarded a PHD in history!  WOW!  She tells her story so well.  She wanted more of a life than her family could give her, and overcame long odds to do it.  She went through a lot both in and out of the classroom!

I highly recommend this memoir, don't miss it!  Put it on your TBR list right now!
(Gerard's review, 5++ stars)

Teaser from page 39:  There was never any more talk of a hospital.  The moment for such a decision had passed, and to return to it would be to return to all the fury and fear of the accident itself. 

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"The Tattooist of Auschwitz" by Heather Morris

The Tattooist of Auschwitz by Heather Morris is based on a true story and what a story it is! Lale is forced to surrender to the Germans and is taken to a concentration camp. Vowing to someday be a free man again, he does as he is told. One day he is picked to number on their arms all the prisoners in the camp. This is some story! You really get the feeling of being in the camp. The writing is that good! Lale was a great character to be sure as well as the other people he made friends with. If you like historical non-fiction, this is the book for you! Do not miss this one!
(Gerard's review, 5++ stars)

Teaser from page 27:  Lale has witnessed an unimaginable act.  He staggers to his feet, standing on the threshold of hell, an inferno of feelings raging inside him.

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"Kingdom of Ash" by Sarah J. Maas (Last book of TOG series)

Kingdom of Ash by Sarah J. Maas is the final book of the Throne of Glass series.  Aelin has vowed to save her people, but is locked in an iron coffin.  She will need help, and plenty of it to stop Maeve from gaining more power and dooming her friends.  First, congrats to me for reading all 980 pages!  I enjoyed Aelin and Rowan again.  The byplay between the two of them was very good!  The others I enjoyed were Fenrys when he was in wolf form, Manon and Lysandra.  Dorian was very good also.

This book was told in two parts.  I enjoyed part 2 the most.  It has plenty of action!  The ending was wild to say the least--congrats to Sarah for surprising me!  I do think that this could have been told just as well in fewer pages, but it does have plenty of good parts that got my attention.
(Gerard's review, 5 stars)

Karen's review:
Kingdom of Ash by Sarah J. Maas is such a heavy book that I was relieved when I finally finished it. This is mostly about the buildup to protecting Terrasen in a final battle against Morath, Erawan and Maeve and also the quest to get put the wrdkeys in the lock to get rid of the gods. I liked the story line about protecting Terrasen and building a better world, but did not understand the wrdkey storyline and found that very confusing. As I was reading, I kept thinking, “what’s going on here?” “This doesn’t make sense!” There is a lot of fighting in this one and many very sad parts. On the other hand, it has lots of good parts as well with romance blooming. The character development was very good and the relationships in this book were all interesting. I really liked how much the women contributed in the battles and how Aelin was always appreciative for everyone’s contributions and caring about others throughout the book. My favorite parts in this book was Manon and her desire to unite the witches and get them to fight with the 13 to help protect Terrasen, and Dorian learning to shape shift and becoming a mouse at Morath.

I give this 4 stars because there were several things that made no sense to me that I did not understand and much of the first half of the book I was pretty confused because it seemed to jump around between three groups. I’m sure part of my confusion was because it was so long ago that I finished the preceding book and forgot a lot of what was happening. I would suggest though to someone reading this that they may want to take some notes on who are in each group and their mission as they read. I was happy with the ending and with the couples who ended up together.
(4 stars)

Teaser from page 3:  She would not tell them what they wished to know.  
                                 No matter how often her screams drowned out the raging river.

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"Elevation" by Stephen King is Very Short!

In Elevation by Stephen King, Scott lives in a small town.  He has a medical issue he wants to keep quiet, but he does confide in one person.  He decides to befriend two working women who sure could use a friend.  This is a very short book--only 146 pages!  It is pretty good though and kept my interest.  I give it 4 stars because it is so short.
(Gerard's review)

Teaser from pg. 13:  "Absolutely not," Scott said.  "I guess I don't have to ask if you've ever seen a similar case, but have you ever read about one?"

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"Home After Dark" by David Small is a Graphic Novel

Home After Dark by David Small is my first graphic novel. After Russell’s mom runs off with another man, Russell and his dad decide to move to California for a fresh start! Things go well when Russell even makes some new friends. But things go south after a while and bad turns to worse! What can a young boy do? This book goes really fast since it is a whole lot of drawings to tell the story. The story line was good and kept me engaged throughout, but I missed reading words. (Gerard's review, 4 stars)

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"Prince Crossing" by JoHanna Reardon

Prince Crossing (The Blackberry County Chronicles Book 3) by JoHannah Reardon can easily be read as a stand-alone. This is an inspirational Christian fiction story about a young preacher and his wife answering a call to a small country church, their first. James, the young preacher, is very excited but his wife, Vicki, is reluctant. She is from a wealthy family and used to fine things and getting her own way in the city. As she opens herself up to God and seeks his help, she finds lots of people in the little town who she befriends and helps. Their ministry experiences some ups and downs as they try to establish themselves in the community.

This is told from the prospective of the preacher’s wife and is very believable and a pretty good story about a small-town country church. It moves a long quickly and does not have a lot of character development. I liked that it included the couple’s interactions with people in the community and not just those who attended the church.
(Karen’s review, 3 stars)

Teaser from page 34: When I finally left Edith’s home, I felt sad, then frustrated, and finally angry again. I suddenly knew to the depths of my being that I was out of my league and didn’t have a clue as to how to carve out a ministry in this place.


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"Spinning Silver" by Naomi Novik

Spinning Silver by Naomi Novik is a fantasy novel.  Miryem is the daughter of a money lender.  But her dad is not getting the money owed so she decides to take over!  She does great, but when she boasts of something the king hears about and wants in on, that is when the book takes off!  I thought this book was really good.  All the characters were well drawn out with good action that kept me turning pages.  The ending was very good too!
(Gerard's review, 5 stars)

Teaser from page 12:  I should have felt sorry for him, I suppose.  My father would have, and my mother, but wrapped in my coldness, I only felt the danger of the moment.  

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Texas Ranger by James Patterson

Texas Ranger by James Patterson is about the murder of Rory’s ex-wife, Anne. Rory, a Texas Ranger, is on his way back to his hometown to respond to Anne’s call for his help. She was getting death threats. Rory arrived too late and found her all shot up in his old living room. Rory surmises that it was a crime of passion and immediately determines to go after her killer. This is one that caught me completely surprised at the ending when the killer was finally revealed.

I thought this was a good murder mystery but also had women chasing after Rory and a look back into Anne’s relationship with Cal, her truck driver lover. I would recommend this if you like murder mysteries.
(Karen’s review, 4 stars)

Teaser from page 37: Her breathing is fast and her voice is shaky. Immediately, I know that something is up. “I need help. I’m scared. Can you come home?”


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"Cheyenne Mail Order Bride Dreams of Rich Life" by Iris Kelly

Cheyenne Mail Order Bride Dreams of Rich Life by Iris Kelly is a wonderful historical romance story of finding true love. Lewis Carlyle promised his mail order bride a life of luxury, security, wealth and high social standing. Virginia was eager to leave Boston to marry someone wealthy with high social standing out west to enjoy a life of luxury, but she found out love was more important.

I really enjoyed this book with some great characters and loved that Virginia discovered adults could still have fun when she attended her first hoedown! I am anxious to read more books in this series.
(Karen’s review, 5 stars)

Teaser from page 128: Where on earth had Lewis learned to hoedown? How different this was from the waltzes and genteel styles she had spent the last ten years perfecting. Gentle gliding, elegant motions, aesthetic presentations.


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"A Borrowing of Bones" by Paula Munier

In A Borrowing of Bones by Paula Munier, Mercy got shot and her fiance got killed.  His last words to Mercy were to take care of his dog, Elvis, who also got sent home.  Mercy will do anything to make sure Elvis is safe.  But when events happen, Mercy and Elvis know they cannot stay on the sidelines.  They are befriended by a game warden, Troy and his dog, Susie Bear.

I thought this book was way better than I expected it would be.  Mercy and Troy are both good characters and Elvis and Susie Bear are major players in this mystery.  This is going to be a series--yay!
(Gerard's review, 5++ stars)

Teaser from page 23:  She crossed her arms, whether out of annoyance or aggression, he wasn't sure.  The Belgian shepherd growled softly, sensing her change in mood.

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"The Bartered Bride Romance Collection" by Various Authors

The Bartered Bride Romance Collection is a collection of nine historical stories of arranged marriages during the 1800s.  The short, clean romance stories are written by a variety of authors:  Cathy Marie Hake, Kelly Eileen Hake, JoAnn A. Grote, Amy Rognlie, Lynette Sowell, Janell Burnham Schneider and Pamela Kaye Tracy.  Many have a flavor of Christian fiction mixed in as well.  I enjoyed this book very much but did not read it all at once.  I read some stories and then read something else and came back to it a couple times just to give me some variety.  These were all light, fun reads though and I enjoyed the humor in most.  

My favorites were the stories about the four sisters, Maddy, Corrie, Bess, and Bertie, who were sent to Lindwick (fictional western town) by their brother-in-law in response to an ad for brides.  Below is the teaser from Halter to Altar, page 155:

"We're just what you asked for on the bridal order.  Sturdy, dependable, plain--"
It was too outrageous to believe.  Jim shook his head.  "Ladies, something has gone terribly wrong.  I ordered plain, ordinary bridles for my horses--not brides!" 

I recommend this book if you want an enjoyable, entertaining historical fiction read.
(Karen's review, 4 stars)

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