Review: Dearest

Title:  Dearest

Series: N/A

Author: Carole Marshall

Publisher: Haitsma  Literary Agency

Published: October 24, 2011

Genre:

Format: Kindle

Pages:  167

Source: Received from author in exchange

for honest review

Read: March 24-31 2013

My Rating: 1 Star

Goodreads Synopsis: 

Meet Dr. Amelia Payne: a veterinarian and educational writer. She is a single woman living in Washington State. She no longer defines herself as the daughter of a clown and a deceased mime. At the age of fifty, Amelia has built a life for herself where the past would never find her . . . or so she hoped. The tragic tale of Amelia's life is brought to the forefront, when Claude Croft, Amelia's childhood friend, calls her in hopes of locating a bracelet he had promised his father to find. Gripped by a similar promise, Amelia joins Claude in a venture to find the jewelled bracelet, only to learn that she finds more than she bargained for. Spiralled back into her old life, Amelia is right back in the thick of the eccentric characters that once coloured her youth.A story about holding on and letting go, Dearest uncovers the past Amelia thought she knew, reveals secrets she never could have known, and the truth she finally comes to know.

Melissa's Musings:

The synopsis of this book is what pulled me in, since it seemed a little mysterious, and I figured the eccentric characters would help fill out the story and maybe add a little lightness to it, since it seemed heavy. The eccentric characters were more entertaining and easier to relate to than Amelia, the main character, on all fronts. Even so, the secondary characters felt almost as flat and underdeveloped as Amelia. All in all, this story was extremely difficult to get into.

There are a lot of deaths in the story. The fact of the many deaths isn't necessarily bad, but what I didn't like is the lack of transition between the death /people leaving Amelia to the next parts of the story. There is no speculation on her part for the reasoning behind these events. She simply moves along to the next event. It's very disconcerting, and eventually, after the third or fourth occurence, it just started to feel like overkill.

Just how many deaths can a story take, especially one as short as this? I won't name them all off, but at my count there are at least 8, including two animal deaths, though I may have missed some. And there is close to no internal commentary about these from Amelia, which makes her even harder to identify with.

Amelia, as a character is very...stoic, I suppose I would say. She's very cut and dry. There's little interaction between her and other characters and when there is, it's somewhat unfeeling. She does have a relationship with Claude that is somewhat serious, but even that felt fake, almost like insta-love. Claude and Amelia have a few intimate scenes which are written in the same stiff, formal style, that just made them feel awkward. It would have been better if those scenes had been left out entirely. 

Since Amelia was so difficult for me to connect with, I felt that the ending was lacking. The story comes to a resolution, and Amelia does show some growth. But, the process of getting to this growth and the repetition of her grandfather's message to her (which is an extended paragraph that I would guess was repeatedly written out, in full, at least 20 times) made the realization of her growth fall short. Instead of feeling happy for her that she finally learned what her grandfather had intended, I had the thought of "Finally! Now that message can stop." The ending leaves a lot to be desired, to say the least.

I do think that the main plot points of Amelia's father being a mime, her mother a clown, and her being stuck in the middle, as well as the secrets that are harbored by her parents do have potential. I applaud the author for trying to weave an intricate story around these elements, but the execution just didn't come together.

Unfortunately, I can't positively  recomend this book based on my own reading of it. But, if you like characters like clowns and mimes, you might give this a try.

I am curious though, how many deaths of people close to them do you think a character can go through before it just seems like too much and starts to seem ridiculous?

Review: Strike: Dawn Of The Daybreaker

Title: Strike: Dawn of the Daybreaker

Series: The STRIKE Trilogy Book 2

Author: Charlie Wood

Publisher: Createspace

Published: October 9, 2012

Genre: Young Adult

Format: Paperback

Pages: 211

Source: Received from author

Read: March 13-23 2013

My Rating: 3 Stars

Goodreads: Add To Your TBR Shelf

Goodreads Synopsis:

It has been seven months since Tobin Lloyd became the superhero known as “Strike,” and the city of Boston, Massachusetts has never been safer. Yes, it turns out Tobin is pretty good at this superhero-stuff…even if he has to balance it with hanging out with friends, doing homework, and trying to graduate from high school.

However, a threat is looming that Tobin is unaware of: the red giant named Rigel—the last follower of the super-villain Vincent Harris—is still alive, and he is plotting to continue Vincent’s invasion and enslavement of the planet Earth. To do so, he is searching for a bizarre creature known as “The Daybreaker,” a super-villain so powerful that no one on Earth (or Capricious) will be able to stop it.

Will Tobin and his friends—Orion, Keplar, and Scatterbolt—discover Rigel’s plan before it is too late? Exactly who is this Daybreaker, and where did he come from? And even if the heroes succeed, will anything ever be the same again?

Featuring new characters, new locations, and new revelations, STRIKE: DAWN OF THE DAYBREAKER is the thrilling sequel to the young adult fantasy novel STRIKE: THE HERO FROM THE SKY.

Tobin Lloyd’s adventures are about to continue…whether he is ready for them or not

Melissa's Musings:

Tobin's adventures pick up 7 months from where he left off. He's still trying to find a balance between normal life and that of a superhero, and it's definitely a challenge for him.

This book is full of action and cool stunts, and quip filled dialogue. While the action is full, as are the twists and turns to keep things interesting, I have to say that for me, this book suffered a bit of the sophomore slump. 

Yes, there's action, yes there are twists and turns, but it feels like the author was struggling a bit in this middle book of the trilogy, leaving the really juicy dialogue and descriptions for the last book in the series. Some of the descriptions are repetitive in spots, and some of the sequences just seem a little too formal, they don't mesh with the flow you might expect.

In other spots, some of the action sequences in particular, I could really imagine the scenes as they were happening. At a few points I found myself thinking that this set of books with some polishing would make a really neat superhero franchise.

There are a few elements that I really liked. For instance, the introduction of Adrianna as a love interest for Tobin. She's supposed to be on the opposing team, but then she ends up helping Tobin out a few times as well. The love interest element is simple, and not overdone, which is great.

I also like the attention to some of the smaller details such as the Chrono Key. I really like the fact that this super hero gadget allows the user to travel through time, but only into the past, because the future hasn't happpened yet and is constantly changing with every decision that's made. Often times, stories with elements of time travel can account for suspected futures, but it makes a person wonder what they're really based on and what shaped these futures. The past has already happened, so you have a solid base to go back to, and as a reader you (usually) know what has happened so it's easier to navigate through than imagined futures might be.

That's not to say that I don't like stories with future time travel, I just think that the author made a wise choice in making it so that the Chrono Key can only take someone into the past.

The copy that I have has a different cover than the one posted here, and  I have to say I like the cover on my copy better. The cover pictured above is just cold and a bit stiff. The one I've got is more vibrant and colorful which is why I enjoy it more.

The story is solid and sets up well with an enticing cliffhanger that makes you wonder just how it's all going to turn out in the end. I'd recommend this for anyone who likes stories about superheroes.

Review: Money and Teens: Savvy Money Skills

Title: Money and Teens: Savvy Money Skills

Series: N/A

Author: Darby Karchut and Wes Karchut

Publisher: Copper Square Studios

Published: August 2012

Genre: Non-Fiction

Format: Kindle

Pages: 190

Source: Received from Author

Read: March 3-4, 2013

My Rating: 5 Stars

Goodreads: Add This To Your TBR Shelf

Goodreads Synopsis:

Parents: Hand this book to your teen before handing them a credit card.

Teens: Learn real-life, money skills. Practical, no-nonsense ways that help you waste less and have more money. Read this book before you hand over your credit card, take out a student loan, sign a cell phone contract, apply for a car loan, start a job or buy one more thing online.

"Ensuring financial literacy for all young adults is one of our most pressing challenges…MONEY AND TEENS is a great and timely resource to help get us there." - Dr. Walt Cooper, Superintendent, Cheyenne Mountain School District, Colorado Springs, CO

Master the skills you need to get the things you want - computers, cars, a college education, even a home.

Melissa's Musings

This book breaks down everything from balancing a checkbook to loan payments and the basics of taxes. It's certainly no substitute for professional advice, but it's enough to get someone started at the very least. I learned a thing or two myself when reading it. This book is written in a basic, down to earth tone that I think teens can appreciate without having the feeling that they're being talked down to.

The only thing I didn't like were that some of the vignette examples at the end of chapters were a little corny. That's just a personal preference though, and likely the result of my not being a teenager anymore, and having a very different mindset when it comes to spending money.

This book has lots of helpful resources, charts, and examples for teens who are just learning to manage their money and those of us who need a push to start a budget, or manage our finances a little more carefully.

Review: A Part to Play

Title: A Part to Play

Series:  N/A

Author: Jennifer L. Fry

Publisher: Rogue Phoenix Press

Published: August 10, 2012 

Genre: Young Adult

Format: Kindle

Pages: 261

Source: Received from author

Read: February 27-March 3, 2013

In A Few Words: Intriguing at first, but then loses momentum
My Rating: 3 Stars

Goodreads: Add To Your TBR Shelf

Synopsis:

When fifteen-year-old actress Lucy Carter loses her older sister in a car accident, her mother shuts down and her father can’t hold the family together. Their only choice is to ship Lucy off to the Edmond School for Performing Arts. But boarding school is no cure for Lucy’s grief. With failing grades, wooden stage performances, and curfew violations, Lucy is threatened with expulsion. For the once talented Lucy, it feels as though she has nowhere to turn.

One night, Lucy hears mysterious music drifting through the school’s old heating system. The music leads her to a troubled but passionate songwriter whose brilliance gives her the strength to perform like never before. Yet their intense relationship puts Lucy in a precarious position: if she follows her muse, will she lose herself? And if she breaks it off, can she stand on her own again?

Melissa's Musings:

This story started out a bit stiff, though the opening paragraph, comparing a storm to Lucy's mood was enough to draw me in. 

I did feel that the backstory was somewhat lacking. There are only brief snippets of explanation of Kate's accident and then Lucy ends up shuttled off by her parents to a music/drama boaridng school. I felt that there could have been a little more buildup here, maybe in the form of more flashbacks to life before the accident and right after, that would have helped to build the setup for her parents sending her away, that would have helped facilitate the transition. Without it, it just seems harsh and stilted, and the end doesn't seem quite as well rounded in terms of Lucy's relationship with her parents as it could have been.

In the beginning, Lucy's character is almost completely unfeeling. That in itself is fine, given the situation, but I was surprised with the fact that there was no real challenge to her behavior from her teacher's or her friends, until she gets in major trouble for sneaking out. 

While Isa's lack of pressure was concerning to the overall story, her easygoing nature was one of the things I loved about her the most. That and her semi-rebellious nature and her fiesty attitude. Isa's character had an edge to her that's quite likeable.  

I actually felt more connected to the secondary characters in the story than I did to Lucy. The secondary characters felt more fleshed out, and seemed to have more of a consistency to them. After a while Lucy's character just seemed to be inconsistent. She felt like she was running hot and cold. One second she was pissed off about her situation and angry at her parents, and the next she was thrown in to her romance with Chris and everything else became secondary to her including her friends. That bothered me because for someone who feels like they've been abandoned you'd think that she would understand and not put so much of her time into a relationship with a guy. And she does try to balance her friends and Chris, I will give Lucy that.

Chris makes things very difficult for her with his personality. As I was reading I became more and more put off by him. I found myself saying things like "what an asshole". while reading, that's how negative his character is. He has mood swings that to me bordered on being bipolar and a very controlling nature.  He started out all nice and sweet and things get progressively darker from there. I won't give away what happens between them, but lets just say there's a nice bit of growth on the part of one of the characters.

As for the story itself, I have to admit it was a lot more interesting in the beginning when Chris's character was a mystery man, possibly a ghost seranading Lucy with his music at night. I really liked the story up until the point of his introduction, but once Chris's character comes in, the story loses some of its' momentum, and it seems to become more about the trials and tribulations of dating than about Lucy coming to terms with her own demons and making her peace, which is what I felt was really at the heart of the story. The ending feels rushed and too wrapped up, which I feel conflicted about.

The reason I feel conflicted about the ending is because the author gives us a glimpse of Lucy's life after the end of her sophmore year. Most of the time, I love when an author gives us tiny glimpses like this. But in this case, it just doesn't feel right. It feels like it's wrapped up a little too neatly with the perfect happy ending. Especially the situation with Lucy's mom. They go from not talking at all, to one or two phone calls, to her being at Lucy's play, showering her with compliments. It felt like Lucy's mom got off too easily, the resolution wasn't quite as significant as it could have been.

Overall, this is a well thought out story, and the twist of having Lucy be sent away after the death of her sister is certainly a unique one in the subset of books that deal with family tragedy.

Review: A Walk On The Darkside

Title:  A Walk On The Darkside

Author: Corinna Underwood

Publisher: Lazyday Publishing

Published: October 30, 2012

Genre: Paranormal

Format: PDF

Pages: 107

Source: Received from the author

in exchange for an honest review

Read: January 25-27, 2013

In A Few Words: Realistic, Rational

My Rating: 3 stars

Goodreads: Add This To Your TBR Shelf

Goodreads Synopsis: 

Pearl Blackthorn is a novelist and investigative reporter for Darkside paranormal magazine. Armed with her digital recorder and accompanied by her friend and photographer Harry Raymond, Pearl is sent by her editor J.J Benson - affectionately known as Benny - to the four corners of Great Britain, (and sometimes further), to investigate stories of spirits and specters, demons and doppelgangers, prophecy and possession. The problem is, Pearl doesn’t believe in the supernatural; her creative imagination is tempered by a strong skepticism. She is immovable on her stand that there is always a simple, rational explanation behind every report of paranormal activity. But Pearl soon realizes that the intricacies of paranormal events are often far from simple and not always rational. 

Melissa's Musings:

This is a nice collection of stories, though I wish that they had been somewhat more spooky. They are all set up and executed well, but the suspense just isn't there.

I think some of my lack of enthusiasm has to do with Pearl's character being so realistic. I understand that the setup is meant for her to be this way, but it feels like her character sucks all the fun out of everything. And these experiences that could be really spooky if they were left as they were, without her explanations. To that end, Pearl's sidekick on her journey, her photographer friend, Harry, is much more of a believer. But, his enthusiasm doesn't quite make up for Pearl's lack of it. 

The variety of the stories is really nice. There's everything from ghosts, to telepathy, to mysterious puzzle boxes, to voodoo curses. The stories are all meant to be connected, since Pearl is researching them for Darkside magazine, but honestly, I feel that these would be a lot better as standalone stories. The underlying tie-in thread is very weak, and doesn't really serve to bind them all together.

There are a few details that I wish had been fleshed out a little more. In the first story, "The Secret in the Sanctuary" Pearl starts out driving through the Welsh countryside. Along the way there are lots of signs and town names that she runs across. I thought it might be more helpful to readers if there were translations of the meanings of the Welsh words in to English. It probably seems like such a picky detail, but I think it would help the reader to understand the story that much better.

One other structural aspect that pulled me out of the reading was the timeline. All of these instances of strange happenings were resolved within two days. Even though Pearl's tendency to explain these all away makes for shortened time lines, I feel that they could have been just a little bit longer.

Overall, this is a nice collection. There are some stories with deeply religious undertones, so I wanted to point that out for anyone who doesn't care for those types of stories. I'd recommend this for someone who's more of a skeptic when it comes to ghost stories.

Review: The Nursing Home Survival Guide

Title: The Nursing Home Survival Guide

Author: L.E. Green

Publisher:  Createspace

Published:  July 25, 2012

Format:  Paperback

Genre: Non-Fiction

Pages: 246

Source: Recieved  from the author in

exchange for an honest review

Read: January 12-17 2013

In A Few Words: Cautionary

My Rating: 3 Stars

Goodreads:Add To Your TBR Shelf

Amazon Synopsis:

The Nursing Home Survival Guide is the ultimate guide to everything you'll need to know about nursing homes, from whether your family member actually needs placement, the many different types of payment sources available, the admissions process, how to be discharged (even if the nursing home doesn't want to let you go), dying with dignity in a nursing home and everything in between. This book was written with the goal of empowering the patient and family so that they will have a positive experience. Whether the patient is being admitted for a short-term rehabilitation stay, or for long-term care, this book helps to explain the inner workings of the nursing home so that you can ensure your family member receives the best possible care. It covers: • Why it's best to have the patient admitted in the morning, and what to do when medications aren't available for up to 24 hours after the patient has been admitted. • What to bring and how to ensure the patient's items won't be lost. • How to cut down on some of the ancillary costs, including medications, supplies and equipment. • When to contact an Elder Law Attorney in order to become eligible for Medicaid to pay for a patient’s room & board. • How to search a nursing home's track record, and how to find out if either the Administrator or Director of Nursing has experienced any problems with their licenses. • How the annual inspections are conducted and how to file an official complaint against a nursing home. • When – and where – to complain regarding patient care issues, and how to have a patient transferred to another nursing home or assisted living.

Melissa's Musings:

This book is very straightforward and to the point. It explains a lot of the details of nursing homes and assisted living that you might not think are important. It covers everything from what to bring with you, to how to stand up for yourself when staff are making decisions for you or a family member that you aren't comortable with.

A fair note of warning: This book reads like a textbook and the material is very dense in that regard. It's not really meant to be read all the way through so much as scanned for specific information, or at least that's the feeling I got when I was reading it. A lot of the material is repetitive, but in this case that's necessary to allow it to be fully understood.

One thing that I noticed is that this book has a very cautionary, somewhat negative tone regarding nursing homes. The message that I got loud and clear is that nursing homes will do anything and everything they can to make as much money from their patients as possible, and people should be aware of this. There are examples of extremely ill patients being made to do therapy so that the nursing homes can bill insurance for these therapies. There are also instances of patient files being doctored to reflect these services even if the patients didn't actually receive them. Or instances of staff making decisions regarding things like medication changes without the patient's approval.

When you're reading it, it feels like it's hopeless to change any of these practices, but the author does well to point out that you should stand up for yourself with the nursing homes, and that they cannot evict a person from their care. 

One thing that I think the book would have benefitted from is anecdotal quotes or stories from patients in nursing homes, to make the book have a more personal, real, touch. 

There is a glossary at the back of the book to help define all the medical and technical terms, which is very helpful as well as a list of resources and agencies that assist with the process of obtaining nursing home care.

This book is a helpful tool for anyone who is considering nursing home care for themselves or a relative.

Review: Whoever You Are

Title: Whoever You Are

Author: Donna Marie Lanheady

Publisher: Self Published

Published: September 2012

Format: Kindle

Genre: Fiction

Pages: 184

Source: Received from the author in

exchange for an honest review.

Read: January 7, 2013

In A Few Words:  Fast  Read

My Rating: 3 Stars

Goodreads:Add to Your TBR shelf

Goodreads Synopsis: 

Are you defined by your family, your career, your accomplishments? What happens when something you think defines you changes?

Emily McGinn, a recurring character from WHERE SECRETS LIE, believes she knows exactly who she is and where she belongs in the world, until she receives an inheritance from an unknown benefactor. Uncovering the source of the inheritance leads Emily to discover buried truths undermining what she thought was a straightforward life. As the truths alter Emily’s perception of the people closest to her, her perception of herself shifts as well.

Set in the unique foothills community of Boulder, Colorado and its environs, WHOEVER YOU ARE questions not only how we define ourselves, but also how we define family and whether we bear any responsibility for the actions of those who came before us

Melissa's Musings:

This is a very quick read. The action is direct and to the point and there's not a whole lot of world building. In this case though it's not really necessary. The story moves itself along quite well.

There are a lot of secrets in this novel. Emily and her brother Eric are keeping a secret from their father that his business isn't doing as well since he is ill. And Emily is in for quite a shock when she finds out that her mother and father have lied to her all her life about who she really is. I won't give away the whole plot line, but lets just say it's quite significant. 

Along with this shocking secret comes a great deal of money. Emily isn't sure if she wants to take it because of it's origins, and I have to say that I admired this strength in her character. Emily truly stood up for herself and her principles even though it made others unhappy. Particularly her brother Eric. He was rather selfish and mean about the whole ordeal, thinking that Emily owed it to him and their family to use her inheritance to save their family business. He also started to treat her differently, which was really insensitive. Lainey, Emily's parents and her girlfriend Katie were all supportive of her decision though, so I'd guess that as a  way to add some extra conflict to the story it was easy to make Eric the bad guy.

The story really makes you stop to think about what's really important in life and how you define yourself. And sometimes when that all changes, something good can come out of a tumultuous situation, it all depends on how you handle it. 

Have you read this story? Or have you ever found out a big secret that had a major impact on your life? Please share your thoughts!

Review: The Persecution of Mildred Dunlap

Title: The Persecution of Mildred Dunlap

Author: Paulette Mahurin

Publisher: Self Published

Published: January 1, 2012

Format: Paperback

Genre: Historical Fiction

Pages: 202 pages

Source: Received from the author

in exchange for an honest review

Read: January 4-5, 2013

In A Few Words: Enlightening, Entertaining

My Rating: 4 Stars 

Goodreads: Add This To Your TBR Shelf

Goodreads  Synopsis:

The year 1895 was filled with memorable historical events: the Dreyfus Affair divided France; Booker T. Washington gave his Atlanta address; Richard Olney, United States Secretary of State, expanded the effects of the Monroe Doctrine in settling a boundary dispute between the United Kingdom and Venezuela; and Oscar Wilde was tried and convicted for gross indecency under Britain’s recently passed law that made sex between males a criminal offense. When news of Wilde’s conviction went out over telegraphs worldwide, it threw a small Nevada town into chaos. This is the story of what happened when the lives of its citizens were impacted by the news of Oscar Wilde’s imprisonment. It is a chronicle of hatred and prejudice with all its unintended and devastating consequences, and how love and friendship bring strength and healing.

Melissa's Musings:

Let me start off by saying that historical fiction isn't a genre I normally read much of as I find that at times the stories can be dry and more focused on the history than the story. In this case, it was reversed and I was pleasantly surprised.

There are a lot of historical events incorporated into this novel, like Oscar Wilde's imprisonment, sovereignty issues, and racism. They are incorporated in such a natural way that you are immediately drawn into the story.

The story focuses on two women, Edra, and Mildred, who are cousins. They are also lovers. After hearing of the imprisonment of Oscar Wilde for gross indecency, they begin to fear that the true nature of their relationship will be, and they discovered and they will have to suffer the consequences of hateful prejudice. Mildred comes up with a plan to divert the towns attention from them, and begins courting a man named Charley, who has just lost his wife to illness.

Aside from the secret of  Edra and Mildred's relationship, there is a lot of animosity toward Mildred, as she is very wealthy and has a hold in many of the major aspects of the town. There are many women who are jealous of her money, and put her down by talking about her looks and mannerisms.

The characters in this novel are all very realistic and approachable. It's very easy to be drawn in to their world. As you read, you find that they all have their own secrets to hide. This paints a somewhat bleak (on the part of the general population of the town) picture of the closed mindedness of the time.

Mildred and Edna's relationship is very sweet, and very simply portrayed. You can see how much they care for one another in the way that they speak to each other and always have each other's best interests at heart. They find it difficult to let people into their lives but they manage to let a few select people in who are very trustworthy.

One thing that I really enjoyed were the Oscar Wilde quotes at the beginning of the chapters. They were all relevant and fitting to the chapters themselves. There are also numerous mentions of several classic books. You have to love when an author can incorporate other great books into their work. I learned a lot about Oscar Wilde from reading this novel. Many of his quotes resonated with me, just because they are such common sense, and yet still so true.

Some of the plot points are easy to guess at, but you won't really mind because the rest of the story is easy to get swept up in.

This is a simple, yet powerful story about family, love, friendship and what it means to truly trust and care for those around you. I would recommend this to anyone who's hesitant to read historical fiction because it will pull you right in.

Review: The Man With the Green Suitcase

Title: The Man With the Green Suitcase

Author: Dee Doanes

Publisher: Wld Enterprises

Published: July 30, 2012

Format: Kindle

Genre: Fantasy

Pages: 328 pages

Source: Received from the author

in exchange for an honest review

Read: December 31, 2012-January 2, 2013 

In  A Few Words: Unusual 

My Rating: 2 Stars

Goodreads: Add This To Your TBR Shelf

Goodreads Synopsis: What does... 

A prostitute, 

A corrupt businessman,and 

A disfigured young woman 

Have in common with a mysterious, old homeless man who carries a green suitcase? 

The old man comes into people’s lives because it is important for them to experience the visions that he is somehow able to show them—visions that even he doesn’t understand. But whoever he connects with will go through a transformation that will change the course of their life, for better or worse. The old man has no memory of who he is or even what the suitcase holds. But one day he will find out all about his own secret and dark past… 

This story is magical realism, realistic with paranormal elements, a mystery that needs to be solved, and a man and woman who will finally realize that they were meant to come into each other’s lives and remain forever

Melissa's Musings:

The overall concept of this book is really interesting. There's a homeless man who wanders the streets, stopping by a local shelter to get food and a shower, once a week. While there he's connected with several different people, some good, some bad, and he shares visions with them. This man doesn't remember who he is or his past and is pretty much a loner, all he knows is that he must pass on the visions to the people they are intended for.

 The interesting thing about this is the way the visions come about. When he is with someone and needs to pass along one of these visions, the energy builds up inside him, and the wrinkles on his face start to change. The energy buildup shines through the man as light. 

Of course this special ability makes people want to be around him even more, but he tends to shut people out and do his own thing. There are lots of other characters, but I don't want to talk much about them because I'll give away major plot points if I do. The main focus is on the man with the green suitcase and it's his visions that tie all of the characters in the book together. All of his visions do come true, in one form or another.

As interesting as this part of the plot is, I feel that the writing could have been a lot more polished to help pull the reader into the story more. The writing is somewhat stilted in places. It also feels like the descriptions are somewhat cluttered. I find it odd to be saying that there are too many details given, but that's what this felt like. It just feels like the author is trying too hard to set up the scene for the reader, and that leads the cluttered descriptions and halts the flow. Instead of flowing naturally, these overly descriptive passages feel clunky.

There are a few other weak spots in the structure that pull you away from the reading as well. The book switches tenses often, even in the middle of paragraphs. There are also a lot of instances of repetitive phrasing throughout the story, sometimes one right after the other. There's a section where the story alternates between Valerie and Gerald and they mirror phrases almost exactly, one right after the other. Sometimes this can work, but it didn't quite work here. The alternations with headings, in the middle of chapters was also unsettling. I think that if the story had simply been told from their perspective for the whole chapter it would have been better than alternating between them in the same chapter. 

Also, in a lot of sections there are sequences that I think are meant to be told as flashbacks which are all italicized. A few of these interspersed throughout the story would have been okay, but there are several and they are quite distracting.

One element of the book that I really enjoyed was the aspect of volunteerism. The author did a good job of really making it so that you can understand how life as a homeless person can be. It was nice to see characters who really enjoyed volunteering and helping others. There is also a character with mental illness in the story and while there was some description of that, it would have been nice to see that issue touched on a bit more thoroughly, in order to be able to better relate to Valerie's character.

The ending itself made no sense to me. The book was so focused on the man with the green suitcase and his power, that the buildup to his back story and his whole reason for being the way he was felt rushed, and it wasn't revealed until the very end, so I didn't have as strong feelings for him as I might have had I learned more about him sooner. The ending fell flat for me, due to lack of character development. 

The story is described as magical realism, and I feel that it was too focused on the magical part to really connect to it.

The Sunday Post 29th Edition

The Sunday Post is a weekly Meme hosted by

Kimba the Caffeinated Book Reviewer. 

It's a chance to share news, 

a post to recap the past week on your blog,

 showcase books

and things we have received and

 share news about what is coming up 

on our blog for the week ahead

Last Week on Melissa's Midnight Musings:

(Click Links to be taken directly to the posts)

• I shared my 2012 book recap
• I shared my reading goals for 2013
• I reviewed Life Got in the Way by Deborah J. Davis
• I reviewed Breaking Through by Grace: The Bono Story by Kim Washburn
• For Behind the Blog I talked about New Beginnings
• I reviewed Dottie and Weasel: The Lemonade Fiasco by Charlotte Panning

Coming Up This Week:

• Review of the Man with the Green Suitcase by Dee Doanes
• An Awesome New Year's Book Promotion
• Excerpt from Goodnight, Brian by Steven Manchester
• Review of Confessions of a Teenage Hermaphrodite by Lianne Simon
• Blog Tour Stop for Escucha Means Listen
• Author Interview +Giveaway with Heather Beck
• Winner Announcement for Beautiful Wild Rose Girl and Keeping Score Giveaways
• Behind the Blog: That One Thing: With 2012 ending and the new year beginning, there has been a lot of talk about the things that have passed and the things that will soon be coming and so I would like us, instead, to talk about the constant things. The objects, people, music, etc, that are always with us no matter where we go and can often help to keep us grounded when we feel like we're floating up to the sky. Is there an item from your childhood, or early teens, that you've kept with you until the present day because it meant too much to you to throw out? Do you have a friend whose been there from the beginning? What about your family? Tell us about something that is a constant in your life. In relation to books and media; are there any heros or heroines that are constantly attached to something throughout the story, something that they draw strength from, or maybe even gives them a weakness? 

Giveaways:

Be sure to enter my One Year Blogoversary Giveaway for one book/item of your choice. It's open internationally and ends January 14th!

This Week's Book Haul:

Clicking on the links will Take you to Goodreads

All covers are credited to Goodreads

I can't find my camera, so it's just covers this week.

Free Amazon Downloads*

Be sure to double check that these are still free if you go to download them from Amazon

Witchy Witchy by Penelope King



Waking Up Married by Mira Lyn Kelly


From Author/Publisher For Review:

(No Cover Available on GR)
The Boon: Thoughts of A Schizophrenic in Remission



Confessions of a Teenage Hermaphrodite by Lianne Simon

The Secret Seekers Society and the Beast of Bladenboro by J.L. Hickey

(No Cover Image on GR)

Stairlift to Heaven 2: Further Up the Stairlift by Terry Ravenscroft

All the Lights That Have Shone by Paul McCormack

Received as part of a Book Tour:

Scammed by Art Maines

That's my haul for the week! What did you get this week? Be sure to leave links so that I can check out your hauls!

-Keeping Score: A Guide to Love and Relationships Review + Giveaway

Title: Keeping Score: A Guide to Love and Relationships 

Author: Marc Brackett

Genre: Non-Fiction

Publisher: Self-Published

Published: July 1, 2012

Format: Paperback

Pages: 128

Source: Received from the author in

exchange for an honest review

Read: December 7, 2012

In A Few Words: Has good analogies

My Rating: 4 Stars

Goodreads: Add to Your TBR Shelf

Goodreads Synopsis:

It's a relationship book even a man will read.

Keeping Score provides a relationship evaluation quiz followed by a common sense guide for relationship improvement, all with a humorous twist. You can determine if your relationship has the qualities it takes for a successful marriage and lasting love affair.

If you're single- read this book to see how well your potential life partner measures up. If you're married- read this book to reduce conflict and increase your happiness.

Take control and shape your union into a relationship that will stand the trials of life and go the distance

Melissa's Musings:

This book is very straightforward and to the point. The basic idea behind the book, at least my understanding of what the author is trying to present is that it's easy to score the compatibility of two people based on a number of different factors, which there are several questions to in each section. It then gives the reader some suggestions on how to work on certain areas where you and your partner may be less than ideally matched. 

I really appreciated that the author realized that some issues in a relationship, like trust, are subjective, and there is no "one size fits all" answer to issues in these types of areas of a relationship. The author gives general suggestions in this area and leaves the rest of working through these issues to the couple.

One thing that I found a little disappointing was that some of the questions were only yes/no, one option or the other, without a middle option, when the question could have benefited from that. One of the questions that was like this was a question on religious beliefs. The question is : 

Have you and your partner resolved in what faith any children you may have will be raised?" Then it's a straight yes or no answer, with no middle ground for people who may not participate in religion at all.

I understand why these are closed ended, yes/no questions. It makes them easier to score. The desire for middle ground answers is more a personal preference than a flaw in the book itself.

I also find it very interesting that this book is written by a male author. This is just a general observation, but most of these types of books, or at least all the ones I've read have been authored by women. It's refreshing to see these issues from a male perspective for a change.

I do agree with the claim that the synopsis makes, that this is a book that even a man will read. I know my boyfriend would walk through this is I asked him to.  The analogies are personable, easy to relate to, and make good sense. The issues that come up in relationships are addressed from both the male and female perspective.

One little change that I would have made to the book would be to have tried to change the scenarios/situations up at least slightly from the male and female sides. The questions and situations are copied word for word for each. I understand the reasoning behind it, it just got to be a bit boring reading it all the way through. I think it would be a little more engaging to see the material presented in a slightly different light for both sides, or at least the questions asked in a different way for each.

Overall, this is an excellent book that hits on many of the key elements that need to be addressed and worked on in a relationship and this gives the reader the system to help you figure out which areas might need work. The charts are easy to use and there are example individuals in the back of the book to help you figure out how to analyze your scores.

Giveaway Time!

When Marc contacted me about doing a review, he very generously offered and sent along two additional  paperback copies of Keeping Score: A Guide to Love and Relationships when he sent my review copy so that I could do a giveaway for my readers. Thanks Marc!

Giveaway Rules:

The giveaway will be limited to US ONLY as I'm sending the books myself 

You do NOT have to be a follower of this blog to enter. Anyone who chooses to follow is appreciated.

This giveaway will follow the guidelines outlined in my Review Policy located at the top of the blog.
Winners will be notified by email and will have 48 hours to respond before alternate winners are chosen.
This giveaway will run from December 19 2012 to January 3, 2013 at 12:00 am Pacific Time
There are NO Mandatory entries, do as many as you like

Enter Below:

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Cadence Beach

Title: Cadence Beach

Author: Linda Juliano

Publisher: Self Published 

Published: January 30, 2012

Format: E-book

Pages: 190

Source: Received from author in

exchange for an honest review

Read: December 12, 2012

In  A Few Words: Action-filled

My Rating: 3 Stars

Goodreads:  Add This To Your TBR Shelf

Goodreads Synopsis:

Most of the time it's exciting to discover we resemble someone else enough to be their twin, but sometimes it's deadly, as Josie Gianni learns after she moves to Cadence Beach, Oregon and is immediately thrust into a strange and chilling interplay with a demented stalker who believes the soul of the wife he murdered has returned through Josie. 

Fueled by jealousy and fear of betrayal, the stalker's intentions grow increasingly dangerous when Josie falls for Gordon Forrester, the aloof, attractive owner of the local bookstore. 

Will Josie's wit and Gordon's love save her, or will Josie fall victim to the madman's destructive behavior as he attempts to reclaim his wife's soul?

Melissa's Musings:

This story jumps right in and doesn't let up. It leads right off with the murder of Suzanne, who has been caught cheating on her husband.  Let me tell you, Suzanne's husband is one sick, sick man.  Because you are thrust right into the action with this story there definitely isn't a lot of background or world building but the action itself prompts you to keep going.  

It's definitely a page turner from the start. Despite the fast pace, I noticed that the dialogue seems stiff. It's very formal, and proper, not quite what I would have expected from a romantic suspense story. It made the characters seem a little less real, at least to me.

On that same note, the characters aren't quite as fleshed out as I would have liked. They're nice enough, but in some cases they're too nice. When Josie first moves to Cadence Beach I find her trying to hard to fit in. She's too nice, and pays a few too many compliments, like "Oh this house is so beautiful you're such a great designer and on and on to her landlord Bonnie. One or two compliments is fine, but this felt like too much, and it doesn't just happen with Bonnie.

I also wondered about Gordon's motivation and what he really sees in Josie. We get a little bit of his background but I felt like he was just a bit lost.  He's a very quiet and reserved character.

Despite this, it's very easy to fall in love with the environment and the people of Cadence Beach. They are very nice, and it feels like a classic, scenic, beachfront town. There key environments that the majority of the events take place in are well described and it's easy to picture them as you read.

As much of a page turner as this book was, I felt kind of cheated at the end. The ending felt hurried, and it just wrapped up a little too nicely. I can't honestly say what I was expecting at the end (not helpful, I know) just not what happened that's all.

There were some  moments where I was creeped out enough reading this that I was peering out the window to make sure no one was outside. Overall, despite the formality of the language and the other issues I noticed this is a nice read, so I would recommend it to those who like fast paced stories.

Christmas in Wine Country *Contains Mild Spoilers* *Edited To Add...*

Title: Christmas In Wine Country

Author: Addison Westlake

Publisher: Self Published

Published: November 18, 2012

Format: Kindle

Pages: 390

Source: Received from the author

in exchange for an honest review

Read: December 10-11, 2012

In  A Few Words: Sweet, Romantic,

My Rating: 4 Stars

Goodreads:  Add This To Your TBR Shelf

Goodreads Synopsis:

It's Lila's big debut as an event planner and the company holiday party is going to be her chance to shine. At a Tuscan-style vineyard near the Northern California coast in the perfect little black dress she's sure to impress commitment-phobe Phillip. What could go wrong?

Seventy-two hours later with no job and no boyfriend, Lila finds herself with all kinds of answers to that question. Like mistaking the glowering Jake Endicott of Endicott Vineyards for the groundskeeper. Or a new video on YouTube featuring Lila pawing her way through drunken karaoke of "Hungry Like the Wolf."

Solo on the romantic holiday getaway she'd booked for her and Phillip near the vineyard, Lila at least gets to visit with her old friend Annie who lives nearby in the coastal town of Redwood Cove. Drawn into the local bookstore with gleaming wooden floors and welcoming armchairs, Lila chats with the owner and impulsively accepts a job offer.

Sleepy, misty Redwood Cove is the perfect place for Lila to take a break from her horrible track record with guys. The only one she finds even remotely attractive knows her as the holiday party crazy lady. Ranked in Bay Area magazine's 10 hottest bachelors, Jake Endicott is just the type Old Lila would have wasted years pining after.

Join Lila on her year of comedy, adventure and self-discovery on the Northern California coast, with all kinds of ups, downs and misadventures and a full cast of small-town wine country characters. Thankfully, even the greatest misunderstandings can all be worked out with a little Frank Sinatra and mistletoe.

Melissa's Musings:

*EDITED: All profits for Addison Westlake's book sales this month will go to charity to help the victims of the CT school shooting**

Christmas in Wine Country is wonderfully funny, sweet, always brimming with one kind of adventure or another.

Lila is a 28 year old woman who is stuck in a job that she doesn't like, dating a man that barely even acknowledges her presence,  and barely living life outside of her job. Then in one drunken, karoke filled evening, she loses her job, her semi-relationship and is forced to finally make some real choices about what she wants to do with herself and her life.

She drags herself to a B&B that she had reserved for her and her boyfriend's holiday getaway. While there she wanders into a charming book shop named Cover to Cover. After talking with the owner, she is hired on the spot, and with that she leaves big city life for small town life.

I admired Lila's guts in making the move to Redwood Cove. I think everyone wishes they could make moves like this, completely transform themselves, start over somewhere new. It has to be fun to do, and Lila really seems to enjoy herself.

She embraces being single for a while, giving herself time to get over Phillip. He's a huge jerk, and easily the least likeable character in the story. He tells Lila that they were never really dating and that he and a woman named Axcell are ready to take things to a new level. I laughed every time I read the name because I kept thinking about the computer program.

The surrounding characters in this story are so much fun. There's Lila's loving, patient, wise Gram, who always knows just what to say. Then there's Annie, Lila's college roomate, who supports her, but also gives her healthy doses of reality when she needs it. There's also Zoe, whose a lot of fun. She's a yoga teacher in Red Cove, who's very into naturalistic thought and ways of life.  And there's also Godfrey, a somewhat dramatic, (but well meaning) co-worker from the bookstore.

I think Zoe is actually my favorite of the characters because she's got this double persona. You mainly read about her as hippie-ish, vegan, yoga teacher Zoe. But about halfway through you learn that she grew up in the privileged lifestyle and used to be a debutante. It just goes to to show that not everyone is what they seem and they don't always keep the same path that they start life out on.

The same is true for Lila's love interest in the story, Jake. She assumes that he grew up in the hills of wine country, when in reality he grew up with a single mother who died of breast cancer when he was a teenager and a father who sent him to boarding school.

The romance between he and Lila is perfect. Definitely not insta-love, (their first meeting definitely does not go smoothly) the tension throughout their relationship is the perfect balance of nice moments and awkward ones, as they start the complicated dance of trying to figure out just what they are to each other. They definitely have their work cut out for them with interfering presences like Vanessa (I'll just let you discover her for yourselves) and some serious misunderstandings.

In addition to the great characters, there's also great food. Lila learns to cook and goes through periods of making soups and desserts, most of which sound delicious. I'm always a sucker for books with food. A book about food and a bookstore? Even better.

The overall message of the book is about embracing life, and doing what makes you happy. It's also about following your dreams, sticking up for yourself, and letting yourself be comfortable with who you are and what you want out of life. It teaches the reader that you don't have to let other people's perception of you or what you do for a living make you feel any less worthy. As long as you love what you're doing (and isn't that what we all really want anyway) then the title really doesn't matter, and who cares if you don't fit in to the cookie cutter world of fancy job titles or marketing?

I'd rather be passionate about what I do than a person who's only in their job for the money any day and Lila becomes just that. Passionate, happy, and sure of herself.

This is the perfect holiday comfort read.

The Sunday Post: 27th Edition

The Sunday Post is a weekly Meme hosted by

Kimba the Caffeinated Book Reviewer. 

It's a chance to share news, 

a post to recap the past week on your blog,

 showcase books

and things we have received and

 share news about what is coming up 

on our blog for the week ahead

Last Week on Melissa's Midnight Musings:

(Click Links to be taken directly to the posts)

• I took part in a Cover Reveal
• I conducted an interview with Loren Deshon, author of Redemption on the River
• I reviewed Heaven or Hell by Roni Teson
• I interviewed Paulette Mahurin, author of The Persecution of Mildred Dunlap
• I reviewed Beautiful Wild Rose Girl by B. Magnolia. I'm also holding a giveaway for a hand bound copy of this great children's book. Be sure to stop by the post to enter.
• I talked about my lack of New Year's Eve plans in my Behind the Blog post.
• Melissa's Midnight Musings had it's one year blogoversary The giveaway attached to that post is INTERNATIONAL, so be sure to enter to win.
• I reviewed The How and What of Gift Giving by Antonio Hajden. This has good ideas for every kind of gift giving occasion you could think of.

Coming Up This Week:

• Review of Broken Christmas by David S. Henderson
• Review of Volunteers for Literacy by Gretchen Elhassani
• Review of Christmas in Wine Country by Addison Westlake
• Review of Cupid's Christmas by Bette Lee Crosby
• Review and Giveaway of Keeping Score: A Guide to Love And Relationships by Marc Brackett
• Mini Review of Silver Bells by Sadie Hart
• The theme for Behind the Blog this week is Holiday Traditions: 
• Christmas traditions are wonderful. They are unique from family to family and they can build some of the happiest memories of one’s life. What are some of your favorite Christmas/holiday traditions? Or, what are traditions that you hope to start in the future? In relation to books: Are there any books or movies that you absolutely must see or re-read during the holiday season? Are there any books or movies that you’ve seen/read that have some unique or unusual traditions?
• Review of Cadence Beach by Linda Juliano
• Review of A Christmas Miracle by Willow Cross
• Review of My Happy Birthday by Mary Ryan
• Review of We're All Different But We're All Kitty Cats: First Day of School by Peter J. Goodman

It's another jam packed week! I hope you'll all stop by and check some of them out.

This Week's Book Haul:

Clicking the links will take you to Goodreads' descriptions

*all book cover photos and links credited to Goodreads unless otherwise noted

I had a very light book haul this week (not a bad thing at all) and only one print copy so it's not really worth taking a picture of

For Review from Author/Publisher:

The Keeper and the Rune Stone by Paige Pendelton

Virtually Yours by Joanne Huspek

And that's it! What did you get this week? Be sure to leave links so I can see your hauls!

The Sunday Post 26th Edition

The Sunday Post is a weekly Meme hosted by

Kimba the Caffeinated Book Reviewer. 

It's a chance to share news, 

a post to recap the past week on your blog,

 showcase books

and things we have received and

 share news about what is coming up 

on our blog for the week ahead

Last Week on Melissa's Midnight Musings:

(Click Links to be taken directly to the posts)

• I reviewed Four in the Morning by Christi Goddard
• I reviewed Last Chance Christmas by Hope Ramsay
• I hosted a tour stop for the book Crazy for Cowboy by Roxy Boroughs
• Author Addison Westlake stopped by to share her thoughts on baking for the holidays
• Faye of A Daydreamers Thoughts stopped by to Talk YA, Be sure to check out her video for Round 2 of the Mira Ink competition for a paid blogging position!
• Author Marc Johnson stopped by for an interview. There is a giveaway going on for 2 E-copies of his book, Catalyst.
• For Behind the Blog I talked about True Crime

Giveaways and Other Important Notes:

As I mentioned above, be sure to enter the giveaway for Catalyst by Marc Johnson

There will also be 2 additional giveaways posted this week! Details to follow in the "Coming up this Week" section.

I just wanted to forewarn you guys that I have A LOT of posts coming up in the next few weeks. I've been picking up a lot of Christmas freebies in addition to my regular reading schedule, so there will probably be a lot of times throughout the rest of December when I'll have two posts in one day so that I can keep up with these holiday books as well as the other books I need to review. I'm going to try my best to limit it to no more than two posts per day so that you all don't get bombarded with posts from me.

Coming Up This Week:

• I'll be announcing the winners of the What I Did on My Midlife Crisis giveaway, and the giveaway for The Man Who Loved Jane Austen and Yours Affectionately, Jane Austen.
• Review of Heaven or Hell by Roni Teason
• Cover Reveal
• Interview with Loren DeShon author of Redemption on the River
• Author Interview with Paulette Mahurin, author of The Persecution of Mildred Dunlap
• Review of Beautiful Wild Rose Girl by B. Magnolia +Giveaway
• Behind the Blog: This week's theme is still being decided on, but once it's available I'll post it to the Melissa's Midnight Musings Facebook page and twitter. Faye, Kathe and I would love to have more bloggers join us for BTB so feel free to check out the tab at the top of this blog to learn more about it and join in if you'd like to.
• Melissa's Midnight Musings Turns ONE! My blogoversary is on Friday so I'll have a recap post and a giveaway. I've tried to do something a little different with the giveaway and some of the entry options, so hopefully you guys will enjoy that
• Review of The How and What of Gift Giving by Antonio Hajden

It really doesn't need to be said, but this week is so full of great posts. I hope you'll stop by and check them out!

This Week's Book Haul:

Clicking the links will take you to Goodreads' descriptions

*all book cover photos and links credited to Goodreads unless otherwise noted

Free* Amazon Kindle Download:

*I'm not sure if any of these are still  free, be sure to check the price before you download them

Silver Bells by Sadie Hart

A Christmas Miracle by Willow Cross

All I Want For Christmas is You by Lisa Mondello

Bah Humbug! A Romantic Comedy Novella by Heather Horrocks

How to Host A Holiday by Katleen Kitson

You Never Called Me Princess by Elaine Babich

Received for Blog Tour:

Deep Connections by Rebecca Graf

Received From Author/Publisher for Review:

Starting at top left:

Newspaper Diapers* by M.T. Johnson

*Link goes to Amazon

Background Noise by Peter DeMarco

Hoodie by S. Walden

Spare Change by Bette Lee Crosby

Caarina the Cooking Fairy by Julia Dweck

A Parent's Playbook for Learning by Jen Lilienstein

I want to say a huge thank you to all the authors/publishers who sent me books this week!

From the Library:

Shadows of Night by Deborah Harkness

I am beyond excited to read this!

Have any of you read any of these? Or are you planning to?

Be sure to leave links to your hauls so I can check them out!