Sandra C. Lopez's Blog, page 356

Review: THE 5 by Richard Freeland

It all begins with a little girl running through the dark, dank woods, being chased by a ruthless hunter. Scary part was that she knew him.
When 12-year old Ben first arrived at his grandparent’s house along Route 5, he thought it would just be for the summer. For Ben, nothing was creepier than this house, which was full of antiquated knick-knacks from world wars and archeological sites. Not to mention the creepiest part of all was that his grandpa checked his mouth every chance he got (he was a dentist, after all.) Of course, all this fueled Ben’s fervent and rampant imagination, propelling him to write his stories.
Book started off well with a riveting prologue, but then it slowed considerably, hindering the plot. I guess I expected the same energetic suspense I felt in the prologue. It just felt like I was waiting for something to happen—something creepy or shocking or whatever.
A few areas lagged here and there, but, ultimately, this was a well-written piece of work. My biggest downfall was the overall tedium of it all. Like I said, I felt like I was mostly waiting.

My rating: 3 stars

Review: TAKE THE BODY AND RUN by Jada Ryker

My name is Macey Malloy. My world is chaotic. In the midst of mysterious deaths and scary happenings, you’ll be meeting a very diverse group of people. You’ll also be right here with me as I start my new job as the Employee Relations director at a university. You would think with that job title, I’d be better with people. But no.
On her first day at work, Macey gets accosted by an enraged widow, who claims the university caused her husband’s suicide. Could it be because Macey was a dead ringer for the last Employee Relations director?
Story was a little slow on the up-keep. First of all, I thought it had way too many characters to keep track of. You would think that I’d remember them all considering they were introduced at the beginning of the book like some playwright script; but I didn’t. Second, how interesting could the life of an Employee Relations director be? It’s really not. I felt like I was muddling through most of it, and I was waiting (hoping, really) for somebody to die already.
There were some traces of biting wit, but it wasn’t enough to sustain the story. There were a few things that could’ve been simplified more, like the list of characters, for instance. Also, I wish we would’ve gotten to the nitty-gritty faster rather than whittle through banalities.  

My rating: 2.5 stars

Amelia Morgan Box Set Read

The Witches of Enchanted Bay (Book 1) This is the beginning of the series. Meg Walton is a donut-making witch with real magical powers. She actually makes magic donuts. Cool! The opening launch for a fitness guru brings all kinds of chaos and drama, then the guru turns up dead. Now this donut-making witch turns sleuth, especially when one of her best friends is accused of the murder. Good thing she has her magic to help her out.

Axe to the Grind (Book 2) Is it really necessary to rehash parts from book 1? I guess, if you’ve never read it. In this book, a theater production has been shut down, bringing about a slew of enemies. Now there’s a dead body, and, again, one of Meg’s friends is accused of the murder.

Killer Twist (Book 3) Murder + Mystery + Witches = Interesting tale
Like Bewitched, Meg’s powers allow her to complete the most menial tasks, like feeding the cat and opening a gate. Now, her friend, a famous author, was dead. Could it have anything to do with the upcoming book she was about to publish, one that would shed an unflattering light on a rich and powerful family?

A Bewitching Murder (Book 4) A friend has committed suicide, but Meg doesn’t seem to think so. Funny how the boyfriend is not as grief-stricken as one would think. Murder? A conspiracy on diet pills? This one was actually a better mystery than the first three books.

A Riddle of a Murder (Book 5) Her mom’s friend is found dead and Meg is the only one capable of solving the case. This one had a séance, conjuring up the dead friend. A lot of use that use since the ghost couldn’t really remember much. At least, Meg used some of her magic against the killer.

The Nuts and Bolts of Murder (Book 6) Meg’s neighbor is found dead and, again, she’s on the case. This one actually leads to another dead body, so we have 2 dead bodies. She better figure this one out before another one is killed off.

Overall:  This collection was a good read for a cold, cloudy day. They are quick and cozy. Meg was a very smart cookie in these cases, plus she’s a witch! Who doesn’t think witches are cool? I loved how she used her magic spells. The thing was that all of them were pretty much the same with little to no variation. They repeated the same tactics, plots, phrases, and conclusions. For example, the time of death was always between eleven and midnight; the suspects had no alibis; Meg always said, “I know who killed (name)”; there was always an emotional confession in the end; and Meg and Connor always toasted each solved case with a donut.  Additionally, the murders were so neat and tidy, making it way too easy for Meg and not making as stimulating for the reader. I mean, I appreciated the simplicity of the investigation, but the endings were very anticlimactic.

My rating: 3 stars

Review: BROTHER’S KEEPER by Christina Morgan (Book 3)

This is the final installment in the Flesh and Blood trilogy.
In the last book, Libby discovered that her incarcerated father was actually protecting his son, Libby’s half-brother, for the I-75 killings. But it turns out the killer may still be out there because of a timeline discrepancy. Now we pick up exactly where we left off—Libby hiding her brother from the police while investigating further to find the truth and the real killer.
Once again, Libby captivates readers with her keen sense, high intuition, and generous heart. The story takes a compelling turn when it seems Libby and the gang can finally catch the killer and end the injustice once and for all.
Another well-written mystery thriller and a fitting end to the trilogy.

My rating: 5 stars

Review: A CHARACTER IN REALITY by Nicholas Bridgman

Robert Gladstone is a detective trying to infiltrate a drug and Trojan horse conspiracy. Actually, he’s a fictional character from a crime thriller novel, and, lately, he hasn’t liked what’s been written for him. So, you see him, literally, battling with the author A.K.A. “the narrator” right from the start.  
“Robert was the only one who had found out—the only one astute enough to see that the narrator did not always make him speak and think as he really spoke and thought. He was observant, he really listened to his own words, he could tell something was controlling him, directing him, some supernatural force beyond his world.” (7)
“Was there really such a person as a creator, a writer, who made everything?” (11)
Having had enough of the fictional world, Robert soon finds himself in the real world, controlling his own dialogue and movements, feeling what it’s like to be real.
I liked the idea of a fictional character coming to life. Yes, we writers like to think that our characters take a life of their own, but that’s in the world of fiction. What happens when you take these characters out of their world and bring them here? How would they react? What would they feel? What would they say? What would they do?
“There is a whole new potential for me out there, in your world. Things us characters could never even have dreamed of: free will, consciousness, independence, opportunity— the opportunity to be anyone, to become anyone, that I could ever want to be.” (11)
Throughout the book, the narrator tries to teach the character how to acclimate in the real world through breathing, exercise, and standard living. Let’s face it, to exist out here, you need to learn how to survive. It was fun seeing Robert trying to adjust to our way of life. Still, he was a character in a book and had to go back to finish the story. So he was living two stories at once.
But, then the character realizes that life in reality isn’t all it’s cracked up to be. For one thing, working a real job can be boring and uneventful. True dat! At that point, he decides he would rather go back into the novel instead of living an insipid, soulless life in reality. Until he realizes that he can’t go back, so, instead he seeks acting as a way to fill the void of fiction. It’s a classic tale of “the grass ain’t always greener on the other side.”
Story is a well-written and enjoyable account of a character lost in reality! One that made him question which was more real—playing a fictional character in reality or playing a real character in fiction?
Things become grislier when the violence and crime sprees he experienced in novels transcend into the real world. Suddenly, it’s an issue of immigration and it results in acts of terrorism. Life turns to fiction and fiction turns to life. It’s a cross-over gone wrong. The only thing that didn’t captivate me as much was the political aspect, but, luckily, it doesn’t take much precedence.
A CHARACTER IN REALITY is such a simple and intriguing story.

My rating: 4 stars

Review: GHOST HAND by Ripley Patton

Seventeen-year-old Olivia Black has a rare birth defect known as Psyche Sans Soma, or PSS. Instead of a right hand made of flesh and blood, she was born with a hand made of ethereal energy.

How does Olivia handle being the girl with the ghost hand? Well, she's a little bit morbid and a whole lot snarky.
 Her mother thinks her obsession with death, black clothing, and the local cemetery is a bid for attention. But when Marcus, the new guy in Olivia's calculus class, stares at her like she's a freak, Olivia doesn't like it. And when her hand goes rogue, doing things she never imagined possible, Olivia finds herself running for her life with Marcus from a group of men bent on taking the power of her hand for their own nefarious purposes.





My thoughts: Olivia has PSS (Psyche Sans Soma) A.K.A. a “ghost hand.” Lately, it’s been acting weird. Was she some kind of Grim Reaper that with one touch of her rubber-band hand, she can either predict or cause death?
A military group wants her hand. For what?
The pace was slow and grueling, and the chase was subdued. It was cool how the ghost hand could unlock a gate and be a nightlight, but the story wasn’t strong enough to hold my interest. It was your typical government conspiracy militant co-op story.
My rating: 2 stars

Review: LOOSE ENDS by Terri Reid

Dying is what changed Mary O’Reilly’s life. Well, actually, coming back from the dead and having the ability to communicate with ghosts is really what did it.

Now, a private investigator in rural Freeport, Illinois, Mary’s trying to learn how to incorporate her experience as a Chicago cop and new-found talent into a real job. Her challenge is to solve the mysteries, get real evidence (a ghost’s word just doesn’t hold up in court), and be sure the folks in town, especially the handsome new police chief, doesn’t think she’s nuts.

Twenty-four years ago, a young woman drowned in the swimming pool of a newly elected State Senator. It was ruled an accident. But now, as the Senator prepares to move on to higher positions, the ghost of the woman is appearing to the Senator’s wife.



My thoughts: The story had a slow start for me. It seemed like too much time was spent describing the small-town life--the picture-perfect scenes and the common people you see everyday. Okay, I get that life in Illinois was like living in a Norman Rockwell painting (Rockwell being one of my favorite illustrators,) but I wanted to get to the true grit of this ghost mystery.

Mary O'Reilly is an inquisitive, yet daffy, character. I didn't quite peg her to be the psychic type. A private investigator is supposed to have good research skills. Well, Mary had the research down. In fact, she over-researched, and research about politics and history doesn't make for interesting reading.

I intrigued by the concept of a woman dying and coming back to life with this inexplicable ability to communicate with the dead--very alluring! But I wasn't pleased with the execution. Overall, this story was a lifeless drawl of monotony.


My rating: 2 stars

Review: MEMORIES OF MURDER by Lara Nance

On her first day at a new job, Maeve sees a man plunge to his death. Sure, she could've saved him with her "witchy" powers, if she still had them. But ever since her attack, she's been without the powers but not quite powerless. Intrigue.


Could the patient's death have been murder?


This a compelling mystery surrounding a lost asylum graveyard and an angry spirit. A scintillating brew of murder, mayhem, history, and wiccan folklore. Wickedly good!
My rating: 4 stars

Review: DYING TO FORGET by Trish Marie Dawson

One horrible car crash changed Piper’s life forever.

With the death of her best friend, Piper battles the guilt that strangles her, the hold weighing heavily on her, tightening its grip, and stealing her gasping breaths….gone.
Up until this point, the story had a somber, unyielding tone; but as soon as Piper gets to “the Station,” the tone becomes a little lighter. The fact that she needed to be processed with paper work and orientation meetings was ridiculous. And to be a volunteer, a voice in somebody else’s subconscious? And not just anybody, somebody that’s thinking of suicide because that is what landed Piper at the Station. So Piper becomes a Jiminy Cricket. Interesting.
Just like at the DMV, it takes a while for testing, processing, and all that fun stuff, before you can get behind the wheel; that’s how long it seems to take for Piper to get a case.
The plot was subtle and slow, quickening slightly once Piper gets into someone’s head. From there, she unleashes wry, humorous quips as she embraces her “conscious” role with criticism and bossiness (let’s face, there’s not much else she can do in there.) A nice twist was seeing and feeling everything as a boy (e.i. the attraction to a beautiful girl, etc.) Yeck! To be stuck in the head of a boy!
Of course, Piper’s got her work cut out of her because this boy’s got serious problems. She’ll have to shout to the top of her whiny, nagging girl voice to reach him.
I was curious to see if Piper would save the guy, but before we get to find out, she gets a new case, the new case being much tougher than the first, of course. And wash, rinse, repeat.
The bulk of the story is mainly Piper’s job as a Volunteer and her time at the Station. Some of the details were mundane, but you applaud her efforts and the bonds she forms with her cases.
An okay read.
My rating: 3 stars

Review: SLIDE by Jill Hathaway

Sylvia, A.K.A. “Vee,” has a strange ability—she can get inside people’s heads, seeing through their eyes, with a mere touch of an object. She calls it “sliding.” Cool!

With pink hair and a sleeping disorder, Vee is not your typical high school student. Things get interesting when she suddenly slides into what looks like a murder. But who did it and how will she find out before he strikes again?
I admit that the first time she slid, it was confusing, but, fortunately, you get the hang of it and don’t lose sight of the story.
Simple and mediocre, but yet compelling. You just have to know who the killer is.
My rating: 3.5 stars