Sandra C. Lopez's Blog, page 260

Review: BAD BOY FAST TOY by Silva Hart

Lincoln was a fast-track motorcycle star, and wheelchair bound Lyra was his number one fan. For Lyra, the only thing worse was being treated differently than everybody else. So when the celebrity takes it upon himself to wheel her through the crowds, to her, it was the Neanderthal equivalent of being tossed over his shoulder.


“Lincoln McKane was exactly what the press portrayed, a playboy looking for nothing but
an easy lay. And that certainly was not her.” (6)


But what happens when she kicks off her wheelchair and straps herself to the back of a motorcycle? Well, she could certainly expect the ride of her life.


A short and decent bad boy romance.


My rating: 3 stars

Review: A REVELATION OF DEATH by J.J. Cagney (Book 4)

Graphic Image designed by Sandra Lopez

The first victim rolls out of a rain barrel.Soon, Cici Gurule dreams of other women's attacks, thanks to visions from her dead twin. The victims' watery graves torment Cici, feeding her growing fear of water.The killer targets Cici's congregants and friends, taunting her and her lover, Detective Sam Chastain. Sam partners with the SFPD to investigate the widening web of assault, death, and pain... all while Cici struggles with the choices she made in Chaco Canyon.When the killer lures a teen girl from her family, Cici and Sam's desperation to identify him becomes critical. But the clues, from the disappearance of Sam's ex-lover, to a cat with a chilling message for Cici, are leading them further from the truth, rather than toward saving the kidnapped girl. Available on Amazon






My review: The guilt of being responsible for many deaths was too much to bear for Reverend Cici, even if they were international spies. Most considered her to be a hero—but she wasn’t. Recovering from the injuries she got from the last case, an old friend finally proclaims his love for her. So things were looking up at least. Then a dreadful case turns a dark corner. It all started with a death in a barrel…


The telepathic communications or “visions” from her dead twin might help Cici solve a mysterious death and save a kidnapped girl. Would they get to her in time?


The well-written story crafted an interestingly complex case with lots of twists and turns. I enjoyed the psychic aspect. The “messages from beyond” were the leading forces driving this tough case.  Cici and Sam made a great team—a dynamic duo with altruistic tendencies warped in a dark past. At times, story had a general lag, which debilitated an otherwise exciting case, and the dialogue often overflowed with too much information and procedural tactics that can be overwhelming. Otherwise, I can see readers seeping into this mystery, wondering how it’ll all turn out.


A pretty good mystery.

My rating: 3 stars

Review: A PILGRIMAGE TO DEATH by J.J. Cagney (Book 1)

Cecilia was a reverend. Her job was to deal with souls and bodies, but not dead ones.


On a hiking trail, she finds a dead man—stabbed exactly the same way her twin sister had been. Was it possible that whoever killed this man also killed her sister? Was there a chance that they could finally catch her killer after all these years?


At first, it didn’t seem that the cold case could be solved…until Ceci sees her dead sister’s ghost with an urgent plea: “You need to fix what I broke.” She didn’t know, but Ceci somehow knew that if she didn’t find the victim and her sister’s killer, more would follow.


Along with her old friend, Ceci follows the clues to the case and the hints dropped by her sister’s spirit. The ghostly communications were really dreams and feelings of a ghostly presence. But the dead don’t talk---do they? Soon, secrets unfold and a killer is unveiled.


A compelling and insightful mystery!


My rating: 4 stars

Review: GHOST HUNTERS by Susan McCauley

Alex was a typical middle-schooler until an accident binds him to a wheelchair. When he woke up in the hospital with a mangled leg, he discovers that he could see ghosts. And the first one he saw was his mom, who died in the car crash that broke him.


Though it started off with a human touch, I thought this story was sort of weird. Like Harry Potter going to wizardry school, Alex went to a psychic school, except he wasn’t a psychic  (I guess, now he was.) He had classed in Occult History and played a weird sport called GhostBall. What the heck is GhostBall? The author did not explain that at all. Yes, I get that this was something she just made up, but she should’ve at least enlightened us a bit here.


Alex was too whiny and obsessive about the accident and his mom’s death. I didn’t feel that there was much on seeing the ghosts and hunting them. When were we going to get there? It just dawdled way too much. I get that this was a magical story, which I’m certainly into, but this was just too dumb for my taste.


My rating: 2 stars

Review: HAUNTED by Jeanne Glidewell

An inn has been turned into a free haunted house for Halloween. A young college student volunteered to lie in a coffin, but, instead, is found dead in one. Lexie Starr wonders how a young man in his prime just dropped dead. Was this another murder?


The narrative was simple, but it tended to go off track sometimes talking about the town’s rich history and the housing market. Get to the murder already!


The reading was okay, but it tended to lag and practically repeated some of the same info.


My rating: 3 stars

Review: THE GHOST OF JAMIE MCVAY by R.G. Ziemer

Brian is a young boy that who wonders if anyone would really miss him if he weren’t around. With a dead grandfather, an alcoholic father, and a new move to a new town, nothing seemed to brighten old Brian up. It all seemed out of control. Then he sees her—the ghost of Jamie McVay.


With the help of a pyromaniac, Brian looks deeper into the mystery surrounding Jamie McVay.


The writing was pretty good and the narrative can easily grip the reader. I liked the ghostly aspect and the inquisitiveness of the young characters.


A nice, little mystery for teens.


My rating: 4 stars

Review: THE PSYCHIC by Lovely Bettison

Cheryl works as a tarot reader and was good at it. She liked helping people gain insight. Realizing that no one would hire a philosophy major, she charged a small fee for her readings at the café and worked part-time for a psychic hotline.



She then meets a client, who claimed death was following him. Apparently, he was being haunted by ghosts. Strange things have been happening to Adam and he wanted Cheryl’s help to get rid of them. In trying to help Adam, she sees them—the ghosts. And it freaked her out (well, of course!)


I thought this was interesting and fairly easy to fall into; however, there was some major lag, which slowed down the progress. It started off well, which kept me vested, but then it petered out in the second part. Although not as good as I thought it would be, it’s still a fascinating concept and an okay ghost story.


My rating: 3 stars

Review: GUILTY PHOTOGRAPHS by S.I. Taylor

Graphic Image designed by Sandra Lopez

She was sore and in pain. When her eyes focused, she realized that the thick liquid on the wet floor was her blood. When Barbara saw the photographs; revenge was next on her list.

Barbara Wolf was not always a loner, paranoid, or greedy but she wasn't dealt a good hand in life or so she wanted to believe. When she woke up half naked, bloody, and bruised she knew that her situation had to improve. She sought out the only untrustworthy man she knew who could get her out of her misery only to be absorbed in a web of lies and death. But when her past actions caught up with her future, she must remember that not everything is what it seems and not everyone is who they say they are. The only way to really know is to identify the Guilty Photographs.

Because now, the photographs of the dead are calling for justice.

Guilty Photographs is a full-length gripping page turning thriller packed with suspense, pulse-pounding scenes, and unbelievable twists that will have you holding your breath. Fans of L.T. Vargus, Tim McBain, Mary Burton, and Mike Omer will enjoy this book.


Available on Amazon



My review: A woman wakes up battered, bruised, and bloodied with ripped clothes and no memory of what happened. Somehow, Barbara couldn’t figure if not remembering was a curse or a blessing, but, nonetheless, the pain was something she knew all too well.
“One last job, your ticket to freedom.” She had to get out of this…for good. To do this, she does some vile and despicable stuff. Clearly, she’d been dealt a hard deck in life…but she wouldn’t let that stop her. Barbara is a strong-willed woman, determined to improve her situation and face her past. Can photographs say more than you know? The mystery behind the photographs was the intriguing part for me. You just had to see where they would lead.
Story was compelling that kicked off strong from the start; but then, afterward, it wavered slightly, clouding the reader with doubt and ambiguity. It’s very big on descriptions and goes in heavy with complexity and differing POV’s. I was more intrigued with Barbara’s quest. At times, there was a lag, which deviated from the main story line of those guilty photographs. About half-way through, the death toll starts to rise, and, once it gets going, it turns into a fast-action and wild chase. The mystery and the hunt were the exciting parts.  
The writing was good and, overall, it was a pretty good read. 
My rating: 3 stars

Review: ABDUCTION by Tim Kizer

A father and daughter went out and that was the last Jane had heard from them. A family abducted? Did something terrible happen?


Thought this would be good, but the investigation was very monotonous and heavy on the procedure. No suspense, no build-up, no shift or contrast in the story. Just very dull!


My rating: 1 star

Review: I SAW WHAT YOU DID by Tim Kizer

Emma’s plan was to finally catch her husband cheating on her. Instead, she sees him shove a woman in his trunk, kidnapping her. This obviously gets off to a great start, but, of course, initially the woman and her friend are constantly asking the same questions. Was he raping her? He must not be done with her? Will he kill her? Will he let her go? This was too repetitive. Fortunately, it doesn’t stay this way for too long.


The police arrest the husband, who has no idea what’s going on. Could this all be a mistake? Was it someone that looked like her husband that Emma witnessed? But the dead woman’s body had his DNA all over her. How do you explain that? Very interesting!


Of course, the husband is confused and denies it all. It wasn’t him. He’s innocent. However, everyone, including Emma, believed he was a killer. Who was telling the truth?


Story was much better than the family abduction case. What’s really going on here? You just gotta know.


I thought this might be a worthy read, but then it starts to taper off by like chapter 25 (77 chapters in this whole thing – really LONG). It gets really SLOW, complicated, and confusing. It’s still better than the last book though.


My rating: 3 stars