Sandra C. Lopez's Blog, page 285
November 13, 2019
Review: THE GIRL FROM HER MIRROR by Becki Willis
Makenna and her best friend, Kenzie, looked so much alike that they were practically sisters. But when an accident puts Kenzie in the hospital, Makenna is forced to take her place on a business trip. Pretend you’re me. For Makenna, this was the perfect opportunity to step out of her boring, little box and be spontaneous.
If you had the chance to be someone else, would you take it? I was intrigued by the concept of pretending to be someone else. It was your basic life swap, and Makenna was nervous about it the whole way. Of course, she would meet a handsome man, and the man thinks she’s somebody else.
Story was, overall, well-written with a rather slow pace. And there was this whole thing with the reflection in the mirror that wasn’t too clear for me. I think this would’ve been better off focusing more on Makenna’s self-discovery. This was an okay read.
My rating: 3 stars
November 12, 2019
Blog Tour: THE CHOCOLATE SHOP by J.J. Spring
Women's FictionDate Published: June 2019Publisher: Riverpoint Press
Laura Beckman’s comfortable suburban life would be perfect but for her daughter. Four years earlier, Brooke abandoned her husband and her own young daughter to run off with a musician. Now back home with her tail between her legs, Brooke’s self-loathing boils over in the face of her mother’s unrelenting condemnation.
Laura’s world is turned upside down after witnessing the long, painful death of her husband. In the search for a better version of herself, she creates the Chocolate Shop which grants terminally ill patients one last wish (e.g returning to the Rockette stage, having sex one last time, even skydiving). Laura then lovingly helps her clients slip away to a peaceful death. Laura must dodge the police who suspect she's committing second-degree murder, and an ex-wife of a client consumed with collecting on an insurance policy. Her relationship with her daughter flips as Brooke becomes the one doing the condemning: “I may have made many mistakes in my life but there’s one thing I can say. I never murdered anybody.”
As Laura comes to grips with the ethical, moral, and legal dimensions of what she's doing, she worries that her strained relationship with her daughter will never be repaired and wonders whether she can ever find love again. She meets Arlo Massey--brash, flamboyant, someone who couldn't care less about what other people think--the complete opposite of the always appropriate Laura Beckman. Arlo disrupts Laura's already tumultuous life. She finds him despicable.
And yet . . .
My review: Laura “wondered why God would spare the evil people of the world—serial killers and terrorists and child molesters—while the good man lying next to her faced certain death.” (10) The “Big C” had claimed the man she loved. It hurt to see him wither away as time dragged on, but what hurt even more was him begging her to end his life.
One flick of that “magic switch” and it would be all over.
From that moment on, Laura swore that she would go on her own terms.
The writing was thought-provoking, lovely, and lyrical. Story kept a steady lag, but it stayed enriched with wholesome words of wisdom. There may have been a few too many characters coming in and out of the story. I was intrigued by the story, but I wasn’t overly compelled.
Overall, this was a well-rounded tale of life and death that would make readers think.
My rating: 3.5 stars
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About the Author
J. J. Spring is a pseudonym for a successful author who writes in another genre. J. J. lives in Florida with a spouse and a rambunctious poodle named Handsome Jack.
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Blog Tour: DIVORCE IS MURDER by Elka Ray
Divorce is Murderby Elka Ray
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GENRE: Romantic Suspense, Mystery
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BLURB:As teens, they bullied her. Twenty years on, she's not scared of them. Except she should be...
After returning to her quiet hometown to care for her ailing mom, divorce lawyer Toby Wong is hired by Josh Barton, a guy who broke her heart as a teen at summer camp. Now a wealthy entrepreneur, Josh wants to divorce Tonya, the mean girl who tormented Toby all those years ago. When Tonya is found murdered, Josh is the prime suspect.
Together with her fortune-teller mom and her pregnant best friend, Toby sets out to clear Josh, whom she still has a guilty crush on. As she delves deeper into Tonya's murder, Toby keeps running into catty ex-campers she'd rather forget. Are her old insecurities making her paranoid? Only too late does she realize she's in danger.
The first entry in an addictive new series, Divorce is Murder introduces fans of mystery and romance to an irresistibly smart and sarcastic new heroine - Chinese Canadian divorce lawyer Toby Wong.
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Excerpt:
That noise? Had I imagined the soft tremor of the door, the handle just starting to turn? I must have because the door stayed tight shut, no light around the edges, no eager whisper of my name. I tried to slow my breathing, to be even quieter than I was already, to force my ears to be even sharper.
The floor was cold and hard. My butt hurt, and my knees felt welded in place. It was painful to stretch out my legs. I held onto a table and stood, as stiff and rickety as my Grannie Mei Li, in the hospital, a few days before she’d died. I forced myself to straighten up, forced myself to face the cold hard truth: I’d been waiting a long time. Too long. It was very late. My eyes felt gritty.
He wasn’t coming.
A slow tentative shuffle to the door, my heart as heavy as my footsteps. Why did he write that note but not come? Had he been caught? Surely, if he could have, he’d have come to me.
A slick of silver lead my hand to the doorknob, which felt even colder than my creaky fingers. Cold and smooth. It started to turn but stopped. I tried again. And again. It was no use. The door was locked. It couldn’t be!
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My review: Toby Wong is a lawyer. One day, she gets a blast from the past—the same boy she had a crush on in summer camp stands in her office as a married man. She finds out that he actually married her arch nemesis and now he wants a divorce. Given that she had no clients, Toby was in no position to turn down representing Josh.
With a divorce case to work on, Toby soon learns from a newspaper that Josh’s wife, Tonya, went missing, and the police suspect foul play. Of course, Josh didn’t know where Tonya was and just wanted the divorce over and done with. But until Tonya can be found, the papers can’t be served. Crap!
Not wanting to face the bully that tormented her all those years, Toby hoped that Tonya would stay missing. But, of course, she shows up—in the waters of the marina, where Josh moors his boat. It was murder. Could Toby’s client be a suspect? What else was he hiding behind that handsome face?
Well-written and easy to read. It was thorough and investigative, skimming into court orders and procedurals.
My rating: 4 stars
AUTHOR Bio and Links:
ELKA RAYStories that don't let go
Elka Ray writes fast-paced romantic mysteries and scary thrillers - a dichotomy that reveals her belief in Yin and Yang, or the balance of opposites. A great lover of scientific facts, she may be found clutching crystals for good luck; reads highbrow journals and tabloid trash; and refuses to watch romcoms yet moved in with her now-husband on their first date.
Elka is the author of three novels – the romantic mysteries DIVORCE IS MURDER and HANOI JANE – and the noir thriller SAIGON DARK. She also has a collection of short crime and ghost stories set in Southeast Asia – WHAT YOU DON'T KNOW. Elka lives with her family near Hoi An, Vietnam. She is represented by Folio Literary Management. - link to http://foliolit.com/agency#f.About
www.instagram.com/elka.ray/
www.facebook.com/elkaraybooks/
twitter.com/elkaray?lang=en
www.goodreads.com/author/show/5027427.Elka_Ray
Buy Link:
Amazon:
https://www.amazon.com/Divorce-Murder-Toby-Mystery-Mysteries/dp/1633885429/ref=sr_1_1
Barnes & Noble:
https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/divorce-is-murder-elka-ray/1130721019?ean=9781633885424#/
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GIVEAWAY INFORMATION and RAFFLECOPTER CODE
Elka Ray will be awarding a $15 Amazon or B/N GC to a randomly drawn winner via rafflecopter during the tour.
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November 7, 2019
Review: READING WITH THE DEAD by Nancy McGovern
Nora was excited to hear the old bookstore was reopening, especially when nobody wanted to open one in the age of e-readers. An accident with a cat results in an angry customer, who threatens to ruin the nice lady’s new bookstore opening. Of course, this guy happened to be a reporter writing a review. Books have always been my friends, too, so here’s hoping the store makes it. Suddenly, a fire breaks out in the basement and a dead body is found in the shambles. The body was burned to a crisp so it couldn’t be identified. Still, that left the new bookstore owner as a prime suspect.
Can Nora identify the body and clear her favorite bookstore owner?
An easy read and a good, little mystery! Truly enjoyable!
My rating: 5 stars
Review: DEATH OF A PSYCHIC by Nancy McGovern
A chance to cater a gala, and a new psychic is in town, whom Nora believes is a scam artist. Then the psychic is found dead at the party. Could a sweet, old lady have done it?There were a few too many characters in this one, especially for a short novel. The wrap-up wasn’t too clear, either.
My rating: 2 stars
Review: DEATH AT THE ZOO by Nancy McGovern
A girl’s trip in Hawaii and a midnight party at a new zoo leads to finding a murdered parrot. This one’s almost kind of silly—how everyone, especially the rich tycoon, was shocked and baffled over the dead bird.
The reading was okay, but the mystery wasn’t that exciting.
My rating: 2 stars
Review: DEATH BY ICE CREAM by Nancy McGovern
An ice cream shop with elegant flavors made with farm-fresh products. In Paris, they’re all about refined palates and eccentric flavors. But would they really consider roast beef ice cream? Nora’s boyfriend, Harvey, for the woman’s death (her body was found at the ice cream factory.)
It’s up to Nora to prove his innocence.
Story still carries that same simple wit. A good mystery!
My rating: 4 stars
Review: KNITTING WITH THE DEAD by Nancy McGovern
Tension in a local knitting group. Was mutiny afoot? As Nora tried to play peacemaker, one of the members is found dead with a knitting needle through the heart. And for the first time, the sheriff is asking for her help. Could one of the Stitchin’ Witches be involved?
Very inquisitive and puzzling.
A good mystery—one you just fall into!
My rating: 4 stars
Review: KITTY CONFIDENTIAL by Molly Fitz
When acting didn’t pan out, she opted for the next best thing: paralegal assistant. It wasn’t her dream job, but, hey, she had bills to pay.
She didn’t know it then, but Angie Russo’s life was about to change.
One day at work, Angie was trying to make coffee for her egotistical and arrogant lawyer bosses. When she plugged in the coffee maker, she got the shock of her life (literally) and lost consciousness. After a while, she woke up the insulting comments of an annoying cat. But wait…cats don’t make comments. In fact, they don’t say anything!
From that moment on, Angie realized that she could communicate with pets, thus, transforming her into a pet whisperer.
The story goes that the cat, Octavius whatever, wanted Angie’s help to solve his owner’s murder. But, first, she needed to wrap her head around the fact that she was now talking to a cat. Personally, I would’ve stuck with Octo-Puss rather than Octo-Cat.
Funny and witty! How Angie argues with that bratty cat was enjoyable. Like two cats in a knap sack, they quibble and quarrel over every little thing as they try to solve this nutty case. Leaving all the money to a cat certainly could be a motive. Could her boss actually be a killer though?
A good mystery read!
My rating: 4 stars
Review: THE MARVELOUS MS. MEDIUM by Erin Huss
Zoe Lane, the gal that can talk to the dead was back! While kissing her long-time crush, Zoe sees the ex-girlfriend’s spirit. Talk about a mood killer! Now she had to spend the time to find out who killed her.
With the help of another medium (this one can talk to dead animals and see glimpses of the future) and a prima donna spirit, Zoe will have to figure out who was killed before and where the missing person could be.
The whole thing still had that zany wit. The case details get a little tangled and confusing in this one. It wasn’t as big on hijinx as in the previous books, but it was still a pretty good read if you can follow along.
My rating: 3 stars
