Sandra C. Lopez's Blog, page 329

Review: FUDGE, FILMS, AND FELONIES by Cindy Bell

Another chocolate mystery treat starring Ally Sweet, the chocolate maker.
An old celebrity is visiting to show her latest movie, then the projector is found dead in the middle of screening. That puts Ally on the case.
Could this have involved some drug deal? Did the victim see something he wasn’t supposed to see? Or could he have been involved with the mafia? Suspects are everywhere and you don’t know who to trust.
With the use of delicious treats, Ally, along with her detective boyfriend and sweet Mew Maw, will solve this quirky and complex mystery.
A gripping and delicious mystery!

My rating: 4 stars

Review: DON’T CALL ME KIT KAT by K.J. Farnham

Now that she’s started jr. high, 13-year old Katie just wants to be in the in-crowd, and she’s willing to do just about anything for it—even shoplift!  But what else can she do when’s she’s been cursed with an A-cup and a roll of tummy fat? It seems to me that Kat was in for a reality check and desperately needed to get a life.

 
Story was kind of average and a little dry. All you hear about is Katie talking about school and the star rep she so frantically wants to be. I kind of wished that she would just relax and enjoy being herself.  No, but all she cares about is the weight gain and her boob size, because, evidently, “everything you do and say, matters.” She was way too hard on herself.
Katie was blowing everything way out of proportion. And for all this anxiety to turn into an eating disorder, that was a little too extreme. I mean, sure, this is a serious issue that kids face today, but it just seems that Katie could’ve been a stronger person for it. I think I would’ve liked this story better if she had been.

 
My rating: 2 stars

Review: THE MAISY FILES by Elizabeth Woodrum (Books 1-3)

THE MAISY FILES: MAISY AND THE MISSING MICE (Book 1)
 If you ever want to see your lollipops again, forget about the missing mice.
Meet Maisy. A savvy, precocious, 4th grade detective with a knack for solving misdemeanors.

Every case she’s been on has brought her back to the old-time, black-and-white movies, where she was a little Humphrey Bogart. Maisy never asked for money; just lollipops. And one thing that you’d need to know about her: Nobody messes with her lollipops.

Now her school is without its mascot: mice. And Maisy is on the case.
 
Maisy is a smart kid with an overactive imagination. A cute, fun mystery that kids will enjoy!

 
My rating: 4 stars
 
 
THE MAISY FILES: MAISY AND THE MONEY MARAUDER (Book 2)  

Little Maisy is back! Who took the missing lunch money?  
This is another fun, little mystery, even though I found it hard to believe that elementary kids would be that anal as to realize that they’d be missing fifteen cents. Who keeps count of that, really? Well, there was definitely a lot of math involved, which kids would be able to relate.

 
This one, however, started off a little slower as it kept rehashing the case of the missing mice from the last book. We didn’t really get to the money until about 20 pages in.

But it’s still a fun and quick mystery nonetheless. Maisy is such an observant and inquisitive kid.

 

My rating: 3 stars
 
 
THE MAISY FILES: MAISY AND THE MYSTERY MANOR (Book 3)
 Maisy is spending a weekend in a mystery manor. Talk about a dream come true for this savvy, little detective. The whole weekend would be a play with the adults as actors. What a fun game!  
But, of course, this wasn’t a real case like the missing mice or the stolen money. But kids would enjoy the mystery.


 

My rating: 3 stars

Review: SINGLE IN SOUTHEAST TEXAS by Gretchen Johnson

Recently divorced after learning of her husband’s infidelity, a woman lives out her new single life in Beaumont, TX. At first lonely while trying to adjust to her new surroundings, Paige begins to meet men and soon learns the odds and ends of dating in Southeast Texas.

“As usual, my optimistic approach to life was failing me. I could have been relaxing at home with a movie and a large plate of pasta, but instead I was fielding a series of uncomfortable encounters with strangers and drinking a flat Coke.” (32) Ah, Adventures in Dating.
Full of clever wit and sensitivity, story is a well-written and insightful account of one woman’s dating journey. I just enjoyed her wry, sarcastic dialogue as well as the disaster dates with these so-called men. I have to say that a lot of these guys were just crazy! The best thing was that each guy provided a lesson for her, like stay from short-tempered guys that go off the handle on you over a 16-month calendar, for instance.
Gretchen Johnson has penned a wonderful story about a woman that keeps on walking, going past the barriers and making her own path—something we should all learn to live by.
Story was smart, humorous, and enjoyable.  A fun, light-hearted read! A must for any girl who’s ever lived the single life. 
 
My rating: 5 stars

Review: THE DATING DIET by Daralyse Lyons

Going at it with the father of one of your students is not exactly a nuclear disaster. Well, except that it’s against the rules to fraternize with the parents, especially after learning that the guy’s still married and they almost got caught in bed, prompting her to make a hasty escape out the window. But, the Coo de Gras was being caught by the 5-year old student…in all her naked glory. Oh brother.

For godsakes, are these so-called men worth going through all this? Is it worth heart ache?  Shayla has decided that enough is enough and goes on a dating diet—to be off men for the entire summer and just learn to spend time alone and love herself. In other words, to just be single. Love it!
As she goes through this “diet,” Shayla relives memories of the some of the disaster dates she’s had with boys, which goes all the way back to 8th grade. During this span, she also manages to acquire the misinterpreted labels of a klutz, a lesbian, and a fast-food whore.
The Dating Diet takes the reader on a floundering single’s journey. At times, the story became a little jaded. I wasn’t too keen on going through her blasts from the pasts.  And it was so odd that she would go on a non-date during her dating diet. C’mon, who was she kidding? Shayla struck me as a little too desperate. Why couldn’t she just relax and enjoy the single life? Did she have to overthink everything? Yes, I enjoyed her sarcastic wit and clever cultural references to Seinfeld, but I couldn’t really hop on her cheer wagon. She really doesn’t do a good job at staying on the diet. At times, I just wanted to tell her to get a life. But I applaud the author’s efforts and enjoyed her humor in it.
 
My rating: 3 stars

Review: UNDER A SCOTTISH SKY by Pamela Q. Fernandes

Scotland! What a great place. Sure, it may be nothing but farmland, but, for Michelle, “the traveler at heart,” it was an adventure.  Ah, Scotland: so beautiful that you might fall in love. Then she meets her host, Adrian Mackintosh, a “fine specimen” and a “real hot-blooded Scottish one.” Oh, boy.

It’s just too bad that he ended up having a bad attitude and a hot temper. Well, lucky for Michelle that she has her tenacity and optimism to help her through it. Besides, she wasn’t there for him, she was there to care for his mother.  
Story was well-written and carried an endearing quality. Michelle with the ever angelic soul soon develops a soft spot for the frail, kind, old woman; she even starts to feel for her selfish brute of a son. But she has no problem telling him what a bastard he is and that he should be nicer to his mother. You kinda admire that gumption. Still, the old woman regales her how Adrian is like a hurricane—rattle and fierce on the outside, but calm in the center. Of course, Michelle had a point: if he was a hurricane, you’d want to run, duck, and cover. But, as her presence continues, she begins to wonder if there might be more to him.
Clever and charming, story is a quick read infused with lovely words of the Scottish highlands. There was a slight lag at times, but the good writing prevails.  
A good story!
 
My rating: 3.5 stars

Review: ARE YOU LONESOME TONIGHT by Bobby Hutchinson

Maxine A.K.A. “India McBride” is a single mom with a newborn and a phone sex operator. I loved how she was a mess and changing diapers while she was on the phone with one of her clients. Loved Maxine’s ability to multitask. Phone sex may not be the most glamorous job in the world, but, hey, if you’re good at it and it helps pay the rent/bills, why not?
Harry is a single father of a 3-year old daughter and a freelance writer doing an expose on the phone sex industry. What were these women like? What were their lives like? How did they spend their day? Little did he know that he’d end falling for one of these women, and that woman happens to be India.
He stars calling her more and more, and the two get to know each other, which was nice.
Enjoyable and well-written! Characters are real and endearing. A great blossoming friendship/romance of 2 single, struggling parents, who relate to each other in so many ways.
An A+ story!

My rating: 5 stars

Review: OPERATION: DATE ESCAPE by Lindsey Brookes

Kelsie is the mastermind of date escapes, thanks to her overbearing mother and nagging best friend that keep setting her on bad blind dates. That’s what gave her the idea to write her book, Operation: Date Escape. My favorite was breaking a leg.  
After being burned by a relationship, she avoids men, especially those “too perfect” men. Then she meets hunky firefighter Cole. It’s bad enough that she can’t help wanting this hottie, but does her mother have to keep insisting she get a boob job to nab a guy?
Cole is Mr. Perfect and he makes Kelsie drool, which is exactly why she can’t date him. She only dates guys with flaws because she knows that there will never be a future, which has kept her heart safe from pain.
Hilarious romantic comedy! I loved her date escapes from these douche bags, with the best one being her getting stuck in a tree, trying to escape out of a window of a strip club. I only wished we could’ve had more of these date escapes rather than immediately dive into this infatuation with Cole. And did we really need to hear about the hook-up between Nanci and Joe? I mean, this story was about Kelsie and Cole.
Nonetheless, this is still an enjoyable story!

My rating: 4 stars

Review: BEING GIL’S SISTER by Lisa Stewart

Right away, we meet Sunny, a straggling, nonsensical broad with no prospects and no clue. Apparently, she’s not really good at much as people often ask her what she’s actually good at. I guess she’s a good chatterbox. She has a big brother named Gil, who is referred to as a “walking cliché” (although I don’t really get why.)  

I was put-off by her insane and incorrigible rambling. I guess this was supposed to be a diary of some sorts, but it certainly doesn’t really read like that. She just goes on and on and on. She makes a few observations and quips that are fairly humorous, but it wasn’t enough to sustain the plot that we never really get to reach at any point. The whole thing was just dull.

My rating: 2 stars

Review: FLAME: KEEPING THE LIGHT OF LOVE ALIVE AGAISNT ALL ODDS by Tara Heavey

It all begins with a woman moving into a new home with her son, who is an “elective mute.” Not too sure what that means.

Story was pretty slow from the start and carried considerable lag throughout. It mostly centers on the mother and son settling in a new town, but you also get a brief POV from the other characters, like the diner owner and the woodsman. How does a woodsman come into play? The change in POV’s was a little disconcerting.
There were also some awkward phrases like, “He looked up at her with noisy eyes.” What did that mean? I’m sure this was probably the author’s effort to sound poetic, but that just didn’t make sense. Eyes don’t make a sound.
Judging by the plot summary, the mother and son are running away from something or someone (this is all very vague, btw), and then a “ghostly presence” and “mystical forest” are added to the mix. Oh, and there’s also an orphaned fox cub. It was kind of scattered and pointless. I actually expected more of a thriller/suspense story.
It just wasn’t what I expected.
 
My rating: 2 stars