Sandra C. Lopez's Blog, page 315

Review: SOUL CONNECTION: A DEADLY OBSESSION by Marla Brooks

Image Graphic designed by Sandra Lopez

When Rachel Warren went missing just two days before her wedding, her fiancé, Adam, was panic-stricken. They had met as shy teenagers and by the time Adam asked Rachel to marry him on the night of their graduation, neither could imagine spending even a single day apart. The shock of finding out that Rachel had been murdered was almost more than Adam could bear. The case was never solved and he mourned her loss until the day he died many years later. Adam and Rachel were very old souls who had spent several lifetimes together and between lives, they searched the heavens for each other, knowing they were destined to be together again. 150 years later they were finally reunited but their joy was short-lived because they weren’t the only ones from that last past life who managed to find their way back.

Available on Amazon 


My review:  Oct 15, 1862: Day of the Funeral

It was the day Adam was supposed to marry Rachel, not bury her. Since the day the two met, they couldn't imagine spending a single day apart. The day Rachel went missing sent Adam in a panicked rage. The next day, the sheriff found Rachel's body, dead, murdered. Adam never got over losing Rachel, but still he lived on and died an old, retired citizen, hoping to spend eternity with Rachel; but Rachel had returned as a reincarnated life to Earth. Adam and Rachel were old souls, living their lives on Earth, searching the heavens for each other, never at the same place at the same time. They knew they were destined to be together, but endured eternities never finding each other, forever searching.
Present Day: Kerrie was tired of being the fifth wheel to her married friends. Although she was tired of kissing frogs, she was sure her Prince Charming would come for her. Inexplicably, she felt a deep connection to a famous British actor, one deemed an "old soul" to her psychic friend. While under a trance, Kerrie relives her upcoming wedding to Adam, therefore, revealing that she was the reincarnated spirit of Rachel. It was then concluded that the actor (Andy) was Adam, and it was believed that the two spirits were destined for each other.
"Love is an emotion that bonds us through the ages," but danger is never far away.
Fate should never be tampered with, but has a funny way of coming together. For Kerrie and Andy, destiny could not be escaped, especially when a reincarnated stalker intervenes, repeating the same tactics from 150 years ago. Will history repeat itself?
Story was well-written and filled with soulful, intelligent words that enticed the reader. The regressions to the past lives were interesting, making one wonder if the past will be the future. I enjoyed the suspenseful aspect of the story concerning Kerrie's publicist, James, who exhibited neurotic behaviors of hostility, aggression, and jealousy. He did everything in his power to keep the destined lovers apart, vowing that if he couldn't have her, then no one will. It was just enough to keep you on the edge of your seat, pushing you to read on. Although the constant shift between characters and scenes within the same chapter were a vexing at times, the story was quite thorough yet simple.
A worthy read!

My rating: 4 stars

---Excerpt--- 

Later that night Andy had yet another dream about Rachel, but this one was even more disturbing than any of the others because in it, he actually witnessed the events that led up to her murder. 

The movie playing in his head showed Rachel walking along the road on her way to the dressmaker. Suddenly a young man who popped out of the bushes and stood menacingly in front of her.

Rachel seemed more annoyed than frightened as she confronted the intruder. “Martin Smith, get out of my way. I’m late for an appointment.”

“I’m sure you are,” he sneered, “and we wouldn’t want to keep your dear husband-to-be waiting, would we?”

“Not that it’s any of your business, but my appointment is with the dressmaker, so if you’ll excuse me,” she said, trying to push past him.

 “Oh, that’s right. The big day is almost here, isn’t it?” he teased, blocking her way. “You’ll have to forgive my lack of enthusiasm, but for some reason I never received an invitation to the wedding. I’m sure it was just an oversight.”

“Hardly,” she shot back. “Everyone in town knows how much you hate Adam, so there was no reason to invite you.”

Martin’s face flushed at the mention of Adam’s name. “Does everyone in town know that the reason I hate him so much is because he stole you away from me?”

Kerrie was shocked that he honestly believed that. “How can you say he stole me away when I never had any interest in you in the first place?”

“That’s only because you never gave me a chance.” he countered. “I fell in love with you the day you moved into town. In fact, I was just about to ask you to dance at the church social when Adam pushed me out of the way so that he could get to you first. Just because he is the mayor’s son, he thinks he’s better than the rest of us.”

“He certainly does not!” she argued. “Adam is a kind, compassionate person, and that’s why I fell in love with him.”

“Oh really?” he asked, reaching out to take her hand. As she tried to pull away, Martin yanked the engagement ring off her finger. “You mean to say that the fact that he’s rich enough to buy you this huge diamond didn’t have anything to do with it?”

“Give it back, Martin Smith! You’re the most hateful person I know,” she cried, trying to retrieve her most prized possession, but Martin skillfully kept the ring just out of reach.
“Compared to your saintly Adam, I suppose you think I am hateful, but what you don’t understand is that I love you a hundred times more than he ever could, and it sickens me to know that tomorrow night you will be giving yourself to him body and soul.”

Embarrassed by Martin’s reference her wedding night, Kerrie tried to change the subject by demanding her ring back.

“Give it back to me right now!” she said, once again making a grab for the ring.
“It means a great deal to you, doesn’t it?” he asked thoughtfully, rolling the ring between his thumb and forefinger. Then before she could answer, he raised his arm and pitched the ring into the bushes several feet away.  “You stupid man! What have you done?” she screamed, staring helplessly into the thicket.

“Oops. It just slipped out of my fingers.” he deadpanned. “Maybe we’d better go look for it.” he said, reaching for her arm.

Kerrie tried to pull away, be he was much too strong and was easily able to guide her deeper and deeper into the bushes. When he finally found a suitable spot several hundred yards from the road, he stopped walking but didn’t loosen his grip. Instead, he pulled her closer to him.

“Let go of me.” she screamed, trying to break free. The determined look on Martin’s face  reminded her of a cat stalking a mouse.

“Not until I get what I want,” he said, eyeing Rachel up and down. “You want your ring, but I want something as well,” he said, reaching down with his free hand to unbutton his trousers. “I’m afraid your dear Adam won’t be the first one to have you,” he said, forcing her down to the ground then lowering himself on top of her. “In fact, he’s never going to have you because I’m going to be the first...and the last.”

Andy woke up in a panic to the sound of someone screaming “Nooooo!” and that someone was him. Dream or no dream, it was a terrible thing to witness such a violent act, but even more horrifying by the sudden realization that the victim in his nightmare looked exactly like Kerrie and her cold-blooded killer was the spitting image of her publicist, James.

Andy immediately reached for his phone looked up the number of the only person who could possibly tell him what the dream was all about, Ted Stephens. He hadn’t been in touch with the American psychic for a number of years, but dreaming of Rachel’s murder jarred some memories of the past life regressions Ted had once performed on him.

“Andy! I wondered when I would be hearing from you.” said Ted in a jovial voice. “I saw Kerrie Sherman several months ago and did a past life reading on her.” he explained. “I’m sure you understand that I cannot go into any great detail, but I get the impression that she might have something to do with why you’re calling?”

“I’ve got to get in touch with her because I have reason to believe she is in great danger.” said Andy, who then recounted his
Ted listened without comment until Andy was through ranting. “Kerrie called me a couple of days ago to tell me that she did indeed meet you, and she also voiced her concerns about her publicist, but I don’t think she’s made the connection between him and Martin Smith. I think the reliving of her murder was so intense, she’s consciously blocked most of it out.”
Andy couldn’t believe how casual the psychic’s tone was, considering that Kerrie was hanging around with the lunatic who once took her life. “Didn’t you advise her to break off all ties with the guy as quickly as possible? He’s a menace.”

“I had no reason to warn her about him, Andy, because this is the first I’m hearing about the connection between her past life murderer and her current publicist, but that being said, only God can change a person’s destiny, you know that, and it would be folly to try and interfere.”
“Forget about bloody destiny!” yelled the actor. “Kerrie’s in danger and she must be warned.”

Sensing that Andy was very near the breaking point, Ted tried to calm him down. “We don’t know that for sure. Maybe because of your unpleasant encounter with James, you want to believe that he is actually the reincarnation of Martin Smith.”

“I know they’re one in the same!” shouted Andy, who was now furiously pacing back and forth. “He killed her once because of his hatred for me, and judging by his negative reaction to me when we met, I think he’s ready to do it again!”

“If you believe that to be true,” said Ted, “then I strongly suggest you stay out of Kerrie’s life. Don’t give James any reason to harm her and let fate run its course. By doing nothing you might actually save her life.”

“She knows I am Adam, doesn’t she?” he asked, knowing Ted would probably not confirm his suspicions.

Ted chose his words carefully before answering. “Even if she does, we must assume she hasn’t yet figured out James’ role in this  love triangle of long ago, and if she is meant to find out, that information must be realized on her own.”

Andy was getting more and more frustrated. “How can I just sit back and do nothing knowing she is in a perilous situation? Just seeing her the other night brought out feelings in me I never knew I was capable having, and I can’t bear the thought of losing her again.”
“How can you lose someone you haven’t really found?” asked the psychic.

“But that’s just it. I have found her, even though it was she who came looking for me.” he explained. “We met, we talked, and I was immediately drawn to her, even though I didn’t know why until a few moments ago.”

“Are you quite sure it wasn’t just the possibility of another conquest that drew you to her at the party instead of the attraction being Karmic in nature?” asked Ted. “You’ve attained quite a reputation as a ladies’ man over the past several years, and Kerrie is rather attractive. What is it they call you now? Dandy Andy?”

“Oh, for God’s sake, man!” he groaned. “I know the difference between a one-night stand and real feelings for someone, and when I met Kerrie that night, I’ll admit I was very attracted to her, but not in the carnal sense. And I certainly had no intention of asking her up to my flat to look at my bloody etchings.”

Despite the serious nature of their conversation, Ted couldn’t help but laugh at the comment, and then once again warned Andy to stay away from Kerrie.

After the phone call ended, Andy gave a great deal of thought to what Ted had to say. While he agreed somewhat with the psychic’s overall assessment that Kerrie might be just fine if he didn’t try and get in touch with her, he had a strong suspicion that James would end up harming Kerrie no matter what, because whether it was him or someone else she got involved with, the publicist would not be pleased.

Review: SIGNIFICANCE by Shelly Crane

"I waited for this day, for this one thing to complete me. To wrap up seventeen and three-quarter years of my life and set a pretty bow on it in the form of a graduation cap." (7)
Maggie Masters feels sad and lonely because it seems that everyone leaves her--her mom, her boyfriend, even her father has decided to ignore her. It's horrible when your father tells you you're not good enough for anyone.
Right away she becomes infatuated with a cute boy she saved, Caleb. An instant connection envelopes them when they touch for the first time. Strange, wonderful visions appear before her. "You're the one," says Caleb in awe. Oddly fascinating. But what is an imprint, a significant? Are they meant to be? What are they? Superhuman? Aliens? They belong to each other now?
I got a kick over the severe withdraws Maggie gets whenever she and Caleb are not together. Apparently, you have to "imprint" for the sake of family survival.
I found the whole "significance" idea to be very intense. How can you crave somebody? And you have to always be with each other or you'll get sick? Like always?
After a while, you get sick of hearing all about the "significants" and the abilities one acquires after "ascension." It's basically all about how Maggie and Caleb can't be apart from each other. The only interesting twist was that Maggie could have a different "significant" in Kyle and then there was that whole rival clan wanting to stop the "ascension." Still, even this wasn't all that riveting.
An okay story.
My rating: 3 stars

Review: WAKE FOR ME by Isobel Irons

Woman is in a coma, but can hear people around and can dream. Weird, but an interesting POV.
Her doctor, Sam, is the only one who believes that she'll wake up. He can't explain his need to be near this mystery girl.
Story is written in the POV of both Sam and Viola. Sometimes this is confusing because you don't know what's what or whose thoughts we're in. And Viola's dreams/memories only confuse the reader. They don't make sense, nor do the propel the story forward. What's the point?
The life of a doctor is so boring, but none more so than the life of a coma patient. I guess this is an ER love story that doesn't make a lick of sense. I mean, how can you fall in love when one is in a coma? Stupid.


My rating: 2 stars

Review: STRUCK by Amanda Carlson

Phoebe Meadows was struck by lightning, which suddenly and inexplicably fills her with profound energy. Of course, you can just chalk this up to a freak accident. But Phoebe then learns her true origins—that she’s the daughter of a god and some sort of Valkarie I guess. This then quickly turns into a mad escape from the Norns (???). Apparently, these are some kind of witches. So she gets help from a raven and a gladiator woman.

Phoebe is an witty oddball of quirkiness and it seemed like I would enjoy her story. However, I thought the story could’ve been simpler. I mean, Elves and Ettins? What the heck?

My rating: 2 stars

Review: DEATH IS A MANY SPLENDORED THING by William Quincy Belle

A man jumps from the 48th floor.


A love that goes unrequited for a lonely, fat man.


A mad woman ranting over the outrage regarding the 9/11 attacks.


“Desperate  people  do  desperate  things, and sometimes they see no other way out.” (7)


Candid and well-versed, these short stories are a witty portrayal of life’s challenges and the untimely demise. Tales were so refreshingly frank and had that wonderful touch of irony.


“It’s an amazing moment…when you come face to  face  with  your  mortality…There’s  the  possibility  of  seeing  that  time  cut  short  by unforeseen circumstances.” (69)


With haunting beauty and keen perception, the author managed to make death a splendored thing. A good read!


My rating: 4 stars

Review: THE FIRST TIME I DIED by Jo MacGregor

“And if I had my way, I’d never come back.” (2)


How did this happen?  When she died…or when she came home?


Although written in a lovely prose, story percolated with confusion with its constant transition between past and present. I couldn’t tell what was really going on sometimes. There were also a few too many characters, which crowded the plot, cramming it with even more confusion. I thought the concept of dying and coming back was interesting, which is why I thought I’d give it a shot. But I just thought it was too long and confusing.


My rating: 2 stars

Review: CROSSROADS ROAD by Jeff Kay

What would you do if your mother-in-law offered you a new house with 2 million dollars? The catch? You’d have to live in a customized cul de sac community with the rest of the annoying, crazy relatives.

For Jovis, it was an initial no-brainer. No! But then he’s not really satisfied with his job or his earnings, and with the new house and the money, he can finally write that novel he’s been dreaming about. So why not? So what if that means the mother-in-law will control every aspect of their lives. That’s what happens when you sell your soul to the devil.
Filled with snarky sarcasm and candid humor, the story was somewhat average with a gradual build-up. The whole story is basically the family’s transition to Crossroads Road (yeah, I thought that was a stupid name for the community, too) with family drama, gossip, and generally idiotic remarks paving the way.
You do feel for Jovis and his wife. Everyone is crazy, especially the mother-in-law, who is both irrational and unpredictable. As fast as she made you rich, she can take it all away and make you poor again. You need a Mylanta margarita to get through this move. The man on the cover illustrates this story well.
Is this all worth it? You just have to see how this disastrous story plays out. 

My rating: 3.5 stars

Review: COFFEE, TEA, OR ME by Rich Amooi

Jack had the most successful coffee shop in Northern California...until Susie's tea shop moved next door. Tea and coffee were two different beasts, so they couldn't possibly compete...could they?
Susie's opening day turned Jack's place into a ghost town. That was just unacceptable to him. So what if she was attractive and had the best scones he'd ever tasted. He couldn't very well allow her to ruin his business as well as his opportunity to franchise. The first thing he does is report her electrical violation to the city. Report it by mail? Who mails anything nowadays? A promotion for coffee-flavored tea? Oh, she was playing hard-ball alright.
The whole thing turns into a giant, humorous war between the two; however, the chemistry between them is clearly noticed. The two were light-hearted, sensitive, and sincere―a match made in heaven.
Story was funny and witty. Another good one from the King of Romantic Comedy.
My rating: 4 stars

Excerpt: HYPNOSIS: A RETURN TO THE PAST by Maria Inês Rebelo

Image Graphic designed by Sandra Lopez

Marcus Belling is a world-famous hypnotist.
For the past 20 years, many exclusive clients have benefited from his skills and desire to help people.

However, everything changes when a mysterious woman named Anne Pauline Roux knocks on his door.
She holds a rare power when hypnotized, which will affect both their lives in ways they could never imagine. Her unique power is so strong that it doesn’t stay secret for long.

Marcus’ archrival and fellow hypnotist, Josef Salvaterra, has been looking for a way to shut down Marcus’ business for years. Pauline may just give him the opportunity he’s been waiting for. If he can work this to his advantage, he could be recognised as the greatest hypnotist the world has ever seen.

With such a prize at stake, is there anything he’s not prepared to do?

Reading this book is a hypnotic process that will lead you to question the meaning of destiny and truth, and restore faith in our ability to find the good, even when we are not looking for it.
Available on Amazon
---EXCERPT---
THE FIRST SESSION

The big day arrived! Anne Pauline would finally start hersessions with Marcus Belling and it was beyond her wildestdreams that these appointments would change both her lifeand that of Marcus Belling… forever.The sun was shining brightly on that day. The young,green-eyed woman was anxious for the return to her pastthrough regression as it could possibly open the door andenable her to understand her anxieties. But for the moment,it was no more than mere speculation. In fact, Anne was notreally sure if she had lived any past lives, despite her intuitiontelling her that she had so. She did not know if her anxietywas related to any traumas from the past, but her intuitionsaid yes to this as well. Anne was also not sure if MarcusBelling was the right person to help her, especially afterhaving discovered that he was the mysterious and obscureman of her dreams. Once more, however, her instinct wassure: the renowned hypnotist would be able to find her lostmemories, those mementoes that made her feel lost, guilty,anxious and incapable of defining her own identity. Maybeshe belonged to those different times that still accompaniedwhile asleep, especially when she dreamed. This was truly adifferent dimension of life that was not always so accessibleto others.Anne Pauline wondered how she could be healed bysomeone who had created so much harm. The man in herdreams with the same tone of voice as Marcus Belling hadput a set of questions to her every night that was makingher doubt if deserved to know her past. Was she worthy orrespectful enough? Her true self was considered to be so,but she did not know if it was necessary to look for the helpof the famous Marcus Belling at this stage in her life. Formany years, she lived with this dilemma, up until she finallydecided to take courage and ring the bell of number 27 SunAvenue.Anne Pauline Roux had a strange mixture of feelings.She lived for many years with her parents in the village whereshe learned to listen to the sounds of the world, and whereshe admired the horizon at the end of the day; it was onlythat sight which brought her peace of mind. But during thenight, everything changed. Her dreams were trying to grabher once more, and she didn’t know if she should open thedoor to the unknown. At times, she felt a lack of freedom,as if someone had imprisoned Anne at a certain point, andthere was no space left for critical thought to develop withinher! This was the worst possible thing one could do to her.To a certain degree, it seemed that her mind and capabilityof thought were chained, even if it was hard to define thisfeeling. She was also daunted by some kind of treason, eventhough Anne could not really define this feeling, whichseemed lost somewhere in the remote past. The combinationof all these circumstances created a mixture of sensationswithin her that was not easy to define and thus, made AnnePauline’s soul enormously unstable. After several years, thisdiscomfort made her look for help and try past life regressionwith Marcus Belling. On this day, just as Anne was headingdowntown, the famous hypnotist got ready to leave home.He kissed Patricia tenderly and made his way to the hypnosisclinic.Marcus Belling had decided to see his friend ThaddeusBorba before starting his sessions. The man was over 70 yearsof age and Sun Avenue’s shoemaker. He was a tireless workerwho kept doing his work with the same dedication as he didover 40 years ago, and so shared many affinities with Belling.They had a close and friendly relationship, somethingthe old man did not have with all his clients. On his wayto the clinic, the famous hypnotist tried to feel all thosearomas of a summer morning. He was a regular client at theshoemaker’s workshop and normally trusted him to repairhis shoes. Belling really liked to help all those who workedin Sun Avenue by using their services, such as buying a goodbook, an old chest of drawers or, as on this occasion, simplyhaving his shoes polished. This purpose led to the creationof the ‘Sun Avenue’s Free Club’, an open organisation thatwas formed years ago and brought together all those whoworked, lived or simply loved or admired the renownedavenue. It was far from being a closed, elitist group, as all ofits members openly promoted their membership, as well asthe culture and arts that had developed in that central artery,and its history. Marcus Belling obviously belonged to theClub (since he believed in the open and democratic spirit ofthe same) but was not its most regular member due to a lackof time.Georgine Gunderson had also decided to join in, but didso to develop her research into the history of the Avenue.Only a few knew it, but legend had it that large amounts ofgold existed under this street, which had become the heartof the city. It was a myth such as this which was behind theconstruction of the statue to the phoenix, a tribute to theforgotten history of Sun Avenue. Maybe it was a forgottenhistory by convenience, Georgine thought, for if the legendwas true, there could really be tons of gold to extract. Butshe would never know if this was true and there was noother alternative than to continue her search through localhistory, with a special focus on Sun Avenue. On the sameday, Georgine returned to the shutdown city library, whereshe would do more of her lonesome work.As usual, Belling used some of his spare time to visitThaddeus. The shoemaker was a special person, who wasdifferent from all the others. Just like many other clients,Marcus Belling considered him to be one of the bestshoemakers in the entire country, as he could make eachclient a special person. Everyone greatly admired him,even though some found it sad that he would not teach hisprecious knowledge to anyone who could then keep it alive.Belling had not forgotten Thaddeus on this particular daybut he did not bring any shoes to repair this time. He justwanted to greet him and see that remarkable smile Thaddeusshowed to every single client, as if each one was a uniqueperson.‘Good morning, Thaddeus, how do you do?’‘Good morning, Mr Belling! You are quite early today!What can I do for you? Do not tell me it is because of thoseshoes I fixed last time! Didn’t it work?’ the shoemaker asked.‘Do not worry, Thaddeus, I really appreciate what youdid! But today, I am not bringing you shoes, as I usually do.I just visited to see how you are doing,’ a smiling Bellinganswered.Thaddeus was not only recognised as ‘the shoemakerof Sun Avenue’, but also as one of the last of his generation.In fact, he never got married nor had he any children, andtherefore, no descendants would inherit his workmanship.To make it worse, he was the only shoemaker who played thelute. As he sang verses on the truth about people’s lives (orso they said), they gave him the nickname of ‘Troubadour ofTruth’. For some others, he was not a troubadour but ratheran oracle, as each of the verses contained a vision of what theperson’s future would be like. Thus, behind the appearanceof a trova, was a hidden prognosis about future times, whichoften materialised, and to everyone’s knowledge, an apparentlay hid the prospect of future events, which could verypossibly become true! Thaddeus Borba brought these up toentertain his clients while they waited for their shoes to befixed, instead of asking them to take a walk while he servicedtheir shoes. This innovative method made him even morefamous in the city, and brought him more and more clients!In fact, playing the lute and singing those verses were quitea common occurrence for him, and that’s exactly what hedid when he saw Marcus Belling on this day. Thaddeus hadknown the famous hypnotist for many years and could tellwhen he needed wise advice to guide him in the near future.His words came out to the sound of the music:

It is better to know at timesThan just to wait and seeThe one who will ariseWill forever change your mind.

Review: SOPHIE LAST SEEN by Marlene Adelstein

"She’d always told her daughter that if they ever got separated, she should go back to the last place they had been together." (9) That is why Jesse continues to go back to the place where Sophie was last seen 6 years ago. Just in case Sophie would be there. Whenever she saw a teenage girl with the slightest resemblance or just a hint of the habits Sophie had, Jesse would follow. Even after a policemen handed her a pamphlet on surviving the aftermath of a missing child, one verse stood out to her the most: Never stop looking.
Now divorced and childless, Jesse was forced to remain in their family home...alone and waiting. She couldn't even be around Star, Sophie's best friend, without being reminded of her.
Unfortunately, Star knew that there was no happy ending to Sophie's disappearance with wild scenarios like torture, rape, and...murder.    
Jesse and Star have never been able to forget That Day, and their sporadic memories take the reader through intervals of happiness and darkness. At times, the scenes―scenes that were often filled with drama and heart-wrenching loss― were a little drawn-out, which tended to create a dreary monotony. I thought there were a few too many references to birds, but it made sense to have them since Sophie loved birds so much. The bulk of it mainly centers on the scarring trauma of Jesse and Star, the only ones that have never been able to move on.   
Things certainly take a turn when Star starts seeing ghostly images of Sophie. How can she be talking to Sophie? Wasn't she supposed to be dead? And why did she keep coming to her? I thought the plot would quicken at this juncture, that we would finally get down to the mystery of what happened; however, it remained stagnant on the emotional dramatic aspect. Every element revolved around the time Sophie was last seen. The story didn't really move forward to me.
Overall, the story was well-written and insightful, however, it was fairly slow and often repetitive. It was good, but I expected more.
My rating: 3 stars