Sandra C. Lopez's Blog, page 347

Review: 21 DARES by JC Gatlin

It’s all fun and games…until someone dies.
16 years ago, Abbie Reed’s home was invaded by a stranger with a ghoulish tattoo. That man killed her sister. Ever since then, she’s been traumatized…and watched.
A loner all her life, Abbie never really felt what it was like to be lonely. After all, how can you miss not having friends when you never had any to begin with? Abbie wanted “true friends” like Buffy, Willow, and Xander.
Now, Abbie is turning 21. A group decides to throw her a party, which starts off slow and boring, until someone suggests playing 21 Dares. The dares start off innocent enough, ones typically done for a drunken laugh. But then it becomes serious when someone dies. Overwhelmed with fear and panic, Abbie decides to quit and go home. Then she’s asked, “What would Buffy do?”
Book captured me from the start, and I especially loved the Buffy the Vampire Slayer references. Haven’t thought of that show in a long time.  My only criticism was the typographical errors, which I can normally overlook if the story is well-done, but this one had way too many. That’s why I rated this just shy of 5 stars.
A thrilling suspenseful mystery!

My rating: 4.5 stars

Review: LOSING LAUREN by Alretha Thomas

A star is gone, and Detective Rachel Storme is back on a whole new case.
The movie industry has a field day when a beloved actress turns up missing with traces of blood left in the wake. Her cousin and publicist, Alex, can’t seem to figure out what happened. She sure was acting strange the night of the awards. Perhaps it had to do with her belligerent fiancé showing up out of the blue? Or perhaps a manager or agent about to get fired? Or maybe a competing actress?
Detective Storme and her team do a thorough and in-depth investigation to the “who, what, where, and why?” At times, the case became a little daunting and I kept forgetting some of the characters/suspects, but I was still interested in knowing what happened.
The entire book was a theatrical and analytical inquest of a missing person’s case.
A well-written mystery!

My rating: 3.5 stars

Review: FAMILY TIES by Christina Morgan

Like Father, Like Daughter was a great way to introduce Libby Carter, an intuitive and sensible paralegal, in the Flesh & Blood trilogy. In the first book, she discovers her husband’s dead body and is accused of his murder with the whole plot revolving around clearing herself of the charges.
Now, in Book 2, the saga continues with Libby pursuing a career as a private investigator, which, judging by how she was able to prove her innocence in the first book, she had a natural knack for. Family Tiesbegins with her father professing his innocence to the I-75 serial killings and asking Libby to exonerate him. For years, she believed him to be this cold-blooded killer, but the look in his eyes showed her that he may be telling the truth. Ultimately, what it boiled down to for Libby was: family. Blood is thicker than water, after all. Family ties. So, her very first case would be her father’s case.
Of course, the most obvious question was: Why would her father confess to the killings if he was innocent?
Thus, begins a case of preliminary tactics and extensive research as Libby seeks to find the truth. With the help of a computer-savvy assistant and a smokin’ hot police detective, Libby will learn that there’s much more to this case than she realized. Once more, the killings are starting up again, except it couldn’t be her father this time. The real killer?
The reader will be hooked from page one. Again, the author has penned another well-written work. What may have complicated the plot was the in-depth look at the history, which was challenging to trail, considering the case was like over 20 years old, but this’ll compel the reader nonetheless, especially when secrets are revealed. The book was well-paced and thoroughly crafted, making it an enjoyable and engaging thriller. A gripping read!

My rating: 5 stars

Review: MIKEY AND THE SWAMP MONSTER by Jeanne Moran

When the stinky Swamp Monster returns, an imaginative boy uses his monster-stopper kit to protect his home and family. A humorous picture book which celebrates the blurry lines between inventiveness and reality.


My thoughts:  This is the story of Mikey and the swamp monster. Readers will get a kick when they find out who the swamp monster really was. Oh, how kids’ imaginations run wild.

Cute story with nice illustrations!
Loved the irony in the end!
My rating: 5 stars

Review: THAT OLD BLACK MAGIC by Caroline Fardig

After surviving an attempted murder in the 1st book (haven’t read,) Lizzie Hart is back at work, limping on crutches. Judging from the title, I thought Lizzie was a latent witch. But it turns out someone ends up dead with a pentagram symbol carved on the forehead. I was a bit disappointed that Lizzie wasn’t a witch. But she does, however, infiltrate a local coven for answers.
Written in the POV of Lizzie, story is witty and smart.
Lizzie must delve deep into the haunting whereabouts of this coven to exonerate a good friend (a witch practitioner with 2nd sight) and free her of the murder chargers.

My rating: 4 stars

Review: CHARMS AND MURDER by Elizabeth Autumn

Melody is from Pumpkin Valley and she is addicted to magic. That’s why she joined a witch’s anonymous group to get over her addiction. But why? Magic made things easier.
A psychic’s prediction of someone’s impending death is what starts it all. Turns out one of the magic addicts ends up dead.
The mystery was okay, but my biggest beef was that there wasn’t much magic in it, which makes sense, I guess, since these guys are trying to quit it. But still, a witch story with no magic? C’mon!

My rating: 3 stars

Review: THE WITCH WITH A GLITCH by Adam Maxwell

A hidden room in the Lost Bookshop is where the children have all the adventures.In this book, the children find themselves in the forest, where they encounter a witch living in a house made of candy. But this is no ordinary witch—this is a witch with a glitch. A magic faux paus suddenly turn the children into a ghost, a vampire, and a werewolf. Now the kids have until midnight to fix the broken spell or stay like that forever.
A cute, simple kids tale.

My rating: 3 stars

Review: SOME LIKE IT CHARMING by Megan Bryce

Mackenzie's boss, Ethan, is so charming. Everybody thinks so. But Mackenzie is the only one not buying it. She's the only one that tells it like it is right to his face.


The brother-sister relationship between the two was refreshing. Things get a little inappropriate at a softball game with all the touching and all. Being voted as an "eligible bachelor," Ethan is constantly followed by papparazzi, and wouldn't you know it that somebody would take a picture of Ethan grabbing Mackenzie's butt? But when he goes public with a fake engagement--WHAT!?


Of course, Mackenzie, being the fire-pistol that she is, doesn't take the news with grace. I liked that she doesn't fall for his "charm," but pity is the thing that gets to her, which is why she decided to go along with it. And that's when she starts to feel something for this man, this beautiful, charming man.
A fun and engaging short novel! You'll love this modern-day Pretty Woman story!


My rating: 4 stars

Review: A PERFECT ANGEL by Morgan Mandel

Angelina Fortunata and Vince Cannizzaro are Italian BFF’s who work at her family’s restaurant. She was just jilted at the altar and he thinks she’s a perfect angel. She just wants to forget about her ex and about being perfect, so she decides to be fancy-free—to be unpredictable and imperfect. The thing is that she’s not like that, and it’s a good thing she has Vince to keep her in check.
The two promise to always be there for each other no matter what—to be friends forever. But what happens when the undeniable attraction can no longer be ignored?
A nice, little romance.

My rating: 4 stars

Review: ONE NIGHT STAND by J.S. and Helen Cooper

After a wild night after a wedding, Liv must face the consequences of her one-night stand, especially when the guy she slept with ended up being her sister’s fiancé. Oh, dear!


Xander is a cocky, annoying bastard, but SO GOOD in bed. And could the sister be pregnant with his child? Oh, that makes it even more complicated, even though the sister is an arrogant snob.


Xander is definitely the kind of guy you love to hate and hate to love. At times, I couldn’t help but wonder why Liv liked Xander so much. It can’t just be because he was so good in bed. Basically he was a jackass. Still, Liv spends the bulk of the story obsessing over Xander—hating him and wanting him at the same time. Readers would end up hating Xander up until ¾ into the book when you suddenly realize that he might not be such a bad guy after all.


A quick, lustful read. The ending was a bit too convenient, but overall this was an okay story.
My rating: 3.5 stars