Sidney Sheldons’s Mistress Of The Game by Tilly Bagshawe
Published by Harper Collins
ISBN 978-0-06-172839-6
At the request of Bestsellersworld, a PB was sent, at no cost to me, for my honest opinion.
Review format at the request of Bestsellersworld.

Matriarch, Kate Blackwell owner of Kruger-Brent, LTD an international multi billion dollar company, has died. Family members gather and attend the funeral but most of them are not in mourning, they are happy that she is no longer alive. And those members of this family have only one thought and that is who will be taking over as CEO of the company. In her will she named Alexandra, her granddaughter, to be her successor but Eve, Alexandra’s twin will fight to take over even though Kate was adamant that she have nothing to do with Kruger-Brent. Eve plans to change that.

Fortunately for Eve, her twin dies during childbirth, and thus starts the fight for control. She feels that “her” company was stolen from her, since Alexandra’s children are next in line according to the will. Eve, once a beautiful woman, lives as a recluse because her plastic surgeon husband, Keith Webster, has taken her beauty away, during a procedure knowing this is the only way he can be sure she won’t leave him. Eve, a very bitter and vengeful person, grooms her son for the takeover even if it means murder.

The Blackwell family are like royalty, one of the richest families that there is but along with those riches come unthinkable terror. Lexi Templeton, daughter of Alexandra who died during childbirth, is kidnapped at the age of eight (8). Lexi is rescued but the horror she endured molds her life.

This is a story of the Blackwell great grandchildren, the rich and famous, and fighting for control to become the next CEO. Along with the lavish lifestyle, this is a family of secrets, lies, betrayals, treachery, devious plotting and murder. Who will win? Who will take control? There is only one winner!!!

Damaged by Pamela Callow
Published by Mira Books
ISBN-13: 978-0-7783-2750-9
At the request of Meryl Moss Media, The Book Trib, a PB was sent, at no cost to me, for my honest opinion.
  Synopsis (back of book): How far are you wiling to go to forget your past? Haunted by the death of her sister and wounded by her ex-fiance’s accusations, Kate Lange throws herself into her new career at a high-powered law firm.
  When grandmother of a lonely private school student seeks her counsel, Kate thinks it’s just another custody case. But then the teen is brutally murdered. And it isn’t only Kate who wonders if her legal advice led to the girl’s death.
  How far are you willing to go to redeem yourself? Put on notice by Randall Barrett, the firm’s charismatic managing partner, Kate must fight for her career for her reputation-and for redemption.
  Unwilling to live with the damage she may have caused, Kate pursues the case on her own and unearths some chilling facts.
  Facts that lead straight to the heart of a legal conspiracy.
  Facts that lead Kate directly into the surgically skilled hands of the Body Butcher.
  My Thoughts and Opinion: Once again I am amazed. This is the 4th book that I read this year, as an author’s debut book, that blew me away. I was pulled in by the time I finished the first chapter to the very last page. This 453 page novel had all the elements and writing style of a seasoned author. Many twists and turns at a fast pace. It could be described as both a legal thriller and medical mystery page turning read. It is hard to explain some aspects of this book without giving away spoilers. However, what I will do, is highly recommend this book especially if you love legal/medical thrillers, because this book has it all.

DISCLAIMER
I received a copy of this book, at no charge to me,
in exchange for my honest review.
No items that I receive
are ever sold…they are kept by me,
or given to family and/or friends.

Damaged by Pamela Callow
Published by Mira Books
ISBN-13: 978-0-7783-2750-9
At the request of Meryl Moss Media, The Book Trib, a PB was sent, at no cost to me, for my honest opinion.
  Synopsis (back of book): How far are you wiling to go to forget your past? Haunted by the death of her sister and wounded by her ex-fiance’s accusations, Kate Lange throws herself into her new career at a high-powered law firm.
  When grandmother of a lonely private school student seeks her counsel, Kate thinks it’s just another custody case. But then the teen is brutally murdered. And it isn’t only Kate who wonders if her legal advice led to the girl’s death.
  How far are you willing to go to redeem yourself? Put on notice by Randall Barrett, the firm’s charismatic managing partner, Kate must fight for her career for her reputation-and for redemption.
  Unwilling to live with the damage she may have caused, Kate pursues the case on her own and unearths some chilling facts.
  Facts that lead straight to the heart of a legal conspiracy.
  Facts that lead Kate directly into the surgically skilled hands of the Body Butcher.
  My Thoughts and Opinion: Once again I am amazed. This is the 4th book that I read this year, as an author’s debut book, that blew me away. I was pulled in by the time I finished the first chapter to the very last page. This 453 page novel had all the elements and writing style of a seasoned author. Many twists and turns at a fast pace. It could be described as both a legal thriller and medical mystery page turning read. It is hard to explain some aspects of this book without giving away spoilers. However, what I will do, is highly recommend this book especially if you love legal/medical thrillers, because this book has it all.

DISCLAIMER
I received a copy of this book, at no charge to me,
in exchange for my honest review.
No items that I receive
are ever sold…they are kept by me,
or given to family and/or friends.

Through Hazel Eyes by Heather Hummel
Published by PathBinder Publishing, LLC
ISBN: 0-9776232-8-9
At the request of the author, a PB copy was sent, at no cost to me, for my honest opinion.
  Synopsis: (from back of book): Through Hazel Eyes is a journey of life as seen through the eyes of Madison Ragnar, a high school English teacher who is struggling to recover from an emotionally abusive relationship. Madison’s speckled view of the world is seen through her troubled students, a fellow teacher, an intriguing man who enters her life, and a haunting past. Yet everything comes into focus when she learns to trust in herself for the first time in thirty years.
Madison discovers that the most commanding role played throughout out lives is fate. There are times when we embrace it, times when we curse it, and always times when we are blinded by it. As a result of blinding fate, Madison’s past catches up to her, and with the help of her students, she learns what a mockingbird is worthier than a diamond ring.
  My Thoughts and Opinion: One of my criteria as to if I think a book is good is when I can be transported into the story line and vividly imagine the characters, sense their emotions and can picture the setting through the descriptive words written by the author. And that happened when reading this book. I could sense Madison’s fear as she escaped from her boyfriend to start a job many states away. Her anxiety when she was always thinking he would find her. Her trepidation of starting a new relationship. Picturing her in her classroom teaching her students who she so much cared about. And the lessons she learned from her students as their young minds interpreted the classic, To Kill A Mockingbird. However, and this is my opinion only, I was a little disappointed that some parts of the storyline were not more extensive and detailed than it was. Some that I will not state, due to spoilers, but one example is her relationship with Michael, someone, who at one time, she thought was a stalker. Overall it was a likeable read.

DISCLAIMER
I received a copy of this book, at no charge to me,
in exchange for my honest review.
No items that I receive
are ever sold…they are kept by me,
or given to family and/or friends.

Through Hazel Eyes by Heather Hummel
Published by PathBinder Publishing, LLC
ISBN: 0-9776232-8-9
At the request of the author, a PB copy was sent, at no cost to me, for my honest opinion.
  Synopsis: (from back of book): Through Hazel Eyes is a journey of life as seen through the eyes of Madison Ragnar, a high school English teacher who is struggling to recover from an emotionally abusive relationship. Madison’s speckled view of the world is seen through her troubled students, a fellow teacher, an intriguing man who enters her life, and a haunting past. Yet everything comes into focus when she learns to trust in herself for the first time in thirty years.
Madison discovers that the most commanding role played throughout out lives is fate. There are times when we embrace it, times when we curse it, and always times when we are blinded by it. As a result of blinding fate, Madison’s past catches up to her, and with the help of her students, she learns what a mockingbird is worthier than a diamond ring.
  My Thoughts and Opinion: One of my criteria as to if I think a book is good is when I can be transported into the story line and vividly imagine the characters, sense their emotions and can picture the setting through the descriptive words written by the author. And that happened when reading this book. I could sense Madison’s fear as she escaped from her boyfriend to start a job many states away. Her anxiety when she was always thinking he would find her. Her trepidation of starting a new relationship. Picturing her in her classroom teaching her students who she so much cared about. And the lessons she learned from her students as their young minds interpreted the classic, To Kill A Mockingbird. However, and this is my opinion only, I was a little disappointed that some parts of the storyline were not more extensive and detailed than it was. Some that I will not state, due to spoilers, but one example is her relationship with Michael, someone, who at one time, she thought was a stalker. Overall it was a likeable read.

DISCLAIMER
I received a copy of this book, at no charge to me,
in exchange for my honest review.
No items that I receive
are ever sold…they are kept by me,
or given to family and/or friends.

Finding Marco by Kenneth C. Cancellara
Published by Synergy Books
ISBN-13: 978-0-9842358-6-5
ISBN-10: 0-9842358-6-8
At the request of Phenix & Phenix Publishing, a HC was sent, at no cost to me, for my honest opinion.
  Synopsis (from book jacket): As a young boy running through the mountain valleys of Italy, Mark Gentile dreams of success-the kind of success that happens in a boardroom, far away from the country life. So after graduating from a prestigious Canadian law school, Mark quickly climbs the corporate and legal ladder eventually becoming CEO of a leading North American auto manufacturer.
  But after butting heads with company leaders, Mark fears he has compromised his ethics and decides to resign to determine the next phrase in his life. With his wife’s blessing, Mark returns to Acerenza, his birthplace in southern Italy. In the small village, he seeks out his childhood friends, spends time among the grapevines at his family’s vineyard, and recalls his mischievous adventures as a young boy named “Marco”. While enjoying the leisurely pace of the new life he’s found in his old home, however, Mark must make a decision” Should he abandon his roots for a second time and satisfy his innate hunger for the struggles and rewards of corporate life? Or should he embrace his native land and create a more balanced life for himself and his family?
  My Thoughts and Opinion: I accepted this book for review thinking that being of Italian heritage and having vacationed in Italy years ago that I would thoroughly enjoy this plot. From when I started accepting books for reviews, I set my threshold at a minimum of 100 pages to read to determine if a book pulled me in. Unfortunately, that was not the case and I quickly saw that this book was not a good match for me. This is my opinion, and only my opinion, but I found that the first 100 pages of the story line seemed to drag and had a very dry writing style. Therefore, I had to put this novel aside.

Finding Marco by Kenneth C. Cancellara
Published by Synergy Books
ISBN-13: 978-0-9842358-6-5
ISBN-10: 0-9842358-6-8
At the request of Phenix & Phenix Publishing, a HC was sent, at no cost to me, for my honest opinion.
  Synopsis (from book jacket): As a young boy running through the mountain valleys of Italy, Mark Gentile dreams of success-the kind of success that happens in a boardroom, far away from the country life. So after graduating from a prestigious Canadian law school, Mark quickly climbs the corporate and legal ladder eventually becoming CEO of a leading North American auto manufacturer.
  But after butting heads with company leaders, Mark fears he has compromised his ethics and decides to resign to determine the next phrase in his life. With his wife’s blessing, Mark returns to Acerenza, his birthplace in southern Italy. In the small village, he seeks out his childhood friends, spends time among the grapevines at his family’s vineyard, and recalls his mischievous adventures as a young boy named “Marco”. While enjoying the leisurely pace of the new life he’s found in his old home, however, Mark must make a decision” Should he abandon his roots for a second time and satisfy his innate hunger for the struggles and rewards of corporate life? Or should he embrace his native land and create a more balanced life for himself and his family?
  My Thoughts and Opinion: I accepted this book for review thinking that being of Italian heritage and having vacationed in Italy years ago that I would thoroughly enjoy this plot. From when I started accepting books for reviews, I set my threshold at a minimum of 100 pages to read to determine if a book pulled me in. Unfortunately, that was not the case and I quickly saw that this book was not a good match for me. This is my opinion, and only my opinion, but I found that the first 100 pages of the story line seemed to drag and had a very dry writing style. Therefore, I had to put this novel aside.

Living In The Hope Of My Imagination by William D. Simpson
Published by Thorncrown (Division of Yorkshire Publishing)
ISBN: 978-0-88144-488-9
At the request of Yorkshire Publishing, a PB copy was sent, at no cost to me, for my honest opinion.
  Synopsis (from back of book):  Exposing the Untruths of Moral Relativism in the Light Of Absolute Truth. Give to a person what they want and in time it will become an expectation. Left unchallenged that anticipation turns into habit and once trained, independence gives way to dependence. When People are reliant they become comfortable and at that moment, they are led astray. this defines American culture today.
  Wake Up People! You are happily being let do the slaughter and you don’t even know it. Self-indulgent political agendas and a systematic dismantling of moral ethics have created a way of life that has ruptured the foundation of who we are. Money, power and self gratification are now the heartbeat of a nation that once held human life in high esteem. We have become a people despised by our very own. For the people involved in everything from politics to education, science to medicine, entertainment, media and the arts, to false world religions and those who just don’t know, your time of accountability has come. It is time for change, but not the change they want us to believe.
  My Thoughts and Opinion: The author, William D. Simpson tells the story of his life, which includes physical and emotional abuse, years spent in prison, drug and alcohol abuse and how after many years,his faith helped him through. He states that he has had little education, he has never studied theology, nor is an ordained pastor. However, he does claim to be a Christian with years of studying the Bible. In this book he talks about The Revelations in the Bible and how it compares to our society today. I have read other books on this subject, so was familiar with the Scriptures taken from the Bible and the premise. It was, at times, a profound and difficult read, a very conservative take on the morality, political, medical, homosexuality and instant gratification of today’s world. There were some issues that he wrote about that I agree with but then there were others that I didn’t. I felt that even though I didn’t agree with everything he said, it was a thought provoking read.