The Volunteer by Barbara Taylor Sissel
Published by Author
ASIN: B005WKCZGA
At the request of author, Barbara Taylor Sissel, a Kindle Edition was gifted, at no cost to be, for my honest opinion.

Synopsis (from Amazon): In the fall of 1999, psychologist Sophia Beckman is compelled by the court to give testimony on behalf of a death row inmate that results in his sentence being overturned. Haunted by secrets from her past, she avoids the media spotlight as much as possible, but soon, other prisoners’ families come seeking her assistance. One family in particular, the wife, children, and brother of Jarrett Capshaw, is especially insistent. Forty-one days ago Jarrett’s request to die was granted by the State of Texas, and he became a dead man walking, a man they call a volunteer.

Jarrett’s crimes were unusual, involving the theft of precious Mayan antiquities. Murder was never part of the plan, but murder is what happened. He pulled the trigger, and as little as he feels prepared for it, as much as he struggles with matters of the soul, he’s ready to die. It is the only way his family and the families of his victims will be free to move on. While Jarrett labors to find the words to say good-bye to those he has loved, Sophia finds herself drawn into a relationship with his wife and oldest son. It is Jarrett’s family she can’t resist and there will be a price to pay. But not even Sophia could have foreseen the outcome when the brutal truth is exposed, the unalloyed facts that, incredibly, will deliver Jarrett’s fate straight into her hands.

The Volunteer is a story about families, how they are made, and how in one single, horrifying instant, they can be broken. It is a story about mothers and the lies they tell to protect their children, to keep them from being hurt. But what happens when the truth comes out anyway and nothing and no one is spared? Sometimes the truth has the power to break your heart, and in Sophia’s case it will also endanger her freedom and threaten everything she has ever believed about her life.

My Thoughts and Opinion: This is the second book I read by this author, the first being The Ninth Step. I am always a bit skeptical reading follow up novels by an author, especially when I enjoyed the first one as much as I did with The Ninth Step. Will it be as good? Will it have the same quality writing? Will I once again be able to connect with the characters? Are my expectations too high for the second book? Or could the first book have been a “one hit wonder”?

Barbara Taylor Sissel is an amazing author and I can’t say enough about her work. It is phenomenal. She writes about complex emotional and moral issues and weaves in flawed and life like characters into a suspenseful story that leaves the reader with thought provoking thoughts. The Volunteer is a book that will stay with the reader long after the last word is read. The author’s writing style is so detailed and fluid that the reader feels that they are present in the plot and characters’ lives. Full of emotions that are palpable. A story that the reader becomes invested in that it is hard to put down. A novel full of family relationship dynamics and how the past and lies can affect the future with dire consequences. Heart wrenching!! The suspense has twists and turns but I found myself more involved with the characters and that the suspense was a subplot. Would I recommend this book? Absolutely!! But, more so, I would recommend this author!! Her work is brilliant!!

(2012 Challenges: Romantic/Suspense, EBook, Mystery/Suspense, Off The Shelf, Just For Fun, FreeReads, Where Are You, A-Z, I Want More, 52 in 52, Outdo Yourself, 100+)

All He Saw Was The Girl by Peter Leonard
Published by The Story Plant
ISBN-10: 1611880424
ISBN-13: 978-1611880427
At the request of The Story Plant, an ARC digital version was provided, at no cost to me, for my honest opinion.

Synopsis (from publisher):
Rome:
McCabe and Chip, two American exchange students, are about to become embroiled with a violent street gang, a beautiful Italian girl, and a flawed kidnapping plan.

Detroit:
Sharon Vanelli’s affair with Joey Palermo, a Mafia enforcer, is about to be discovered by her husband, Ray, a secret service agent.

Brilliantly plotted and shot through with wry humor, ALL HE SAW WAS THE GIRL sees these two narratives collide in the backstreets of Italy’s oldest city.

My Thoughts and opinion: I was first introduced to this author when I read, Voices of the Dead, which I thoroughly enjoyed due to his writing style, his character development and descriptive settings, however, I am always a bit skeptical when I start to read a follow up novel.   Will it be as good?   Have I set my expectations too high and compare it to the first book?

All He Saw Was The Girl, just like Voices of the Dead, within the first few pages the book pulled me in with the introduction of a few of the characters that the author brought to life. Chip and McCabe, 2 students studying in Italy.   Then Sharon, a lonesome wife from Detroit, married to a secret service agent, is injected into the story line.   Characters, so different and on different ends of the spectrum, had this reader wondering what is their connection?   The suspense starts and builds, like a ticking time bomb with one kidnapping that has gone bad, and continues with the tumultuous “mob” related cat and mouse chase of another kidnapping through the streets of Italy.

What I like about Peter Leonard’s books is that he creates the cast of characters, with the reader not knowing the connection, and in a very fluid manner, interweaves them all into an intricate plot.   Another aspect of his writing that I enjoy is that he alternates chapters with different characters and leaves the reader with mini cliff hangers that it’s a “one more chapter” read to find out what happens and I found that I had read many more chapters than one.   The detailed descriptions of Italy were vivid, and for me, factual as I had seen and visited many of the locales that he used as his settings.   The action fast paced, with twists and turns of suspense and a bit of dry humor thrown in.

Did All He Saw Was The Girl meet my expectations, yes!   It was what I call “a transport read”, where I was so engrossed into the story that I was unaware of what was going on around me.   A page turner!!   Would I recommend it, absolutely!!!   Only one problem now, waiting for his next novel!!

(2012 Challenges:  Romantic/Suspense, EBooks, ARC, Mystery/Suspense, Off The Shelf, FreeReads, Where Are You, A-Z, Merely Mystery, I Want More, 52 in 52, Outdo Yourself, 100+)

I am beyond thrilled today…..I AM ECSTATIC!!!  Today’s guest is phenomenal.  I was hooked when I read 2 of her previous books The Lies We Told and The Midwife’s Confession.

Please indulge me to tell you what I did.  When the husband and I went on vacation last year, one of the books that I packed was The Midwife’s Confession.  LOVED IT!!  So when Steve surprised me with another trip back to Aruba around the same time we went last year, which we just returned from 3 days ago, I started my priority mental packing list.   What books to take with us.  There ARE priorities lol.  Around the same time I found out about this year’s trip, Ms. Chamberlain “friended” me on GR.  And I can’t believe what I did, but I did it.  I emailed her in February, told her about Aruba and asked if there was a new book coming out and would she be on tour with it in the form of ARCs because I would love to participate.  To my surprise and delight, she had her publisher send me a digital version. However, knowing it was tucked safely in my Kindle, I was too tempted and had to read it before our vacation.  OMG!!  LOVED IT!!!  The only problem now…I have to wait until her next book.

So without further ado, the very talented best selling author, Ms. Diane Chamberlain!!!

ABOUT DIANE CHAMBERLAIN

I was an insatiable reader as a child, and that fact, combined with a vivid imagination, inspired me to write. I penned a few truly terrible “novellas” at age twelve, then put fiction aside for many years as I pursued my education.

I grew up in Plainfield, New Jersey and spent my summers at the Jersey Shore, two settings that have found their way into my novels.

In high school, my favorite authors were the unlikely combination of Victoria Holt and Sinclair Lewis. I loved Holt’s flair for romantic suspense and Lewis’s character studies as well as his exploration of social values, and both those authors influenced the writer I am today.

I attended Glassboro State College in New Jersey as a special education major before moving to San Diego, where I received both my bachelor’s and master’s degrees in social work from San Diego State University. After graduating, I worked in a couple of youth counseling agencies and then focused on medical social work, which I adored. I worked at Sharp Hospital in San Diego and Children’s Hospital in Washington, D.C. before opening a private psychotherapy practice in Alexandria, Virginia, specializing in adolescents. I reluctantly closed my practice in 1992 when I realized that I could no longer split my time between two careers and be effective at both of them.

It was while I was working in San Diego that I started writing. I’d had a story in my mind since I was a young adolescent about a group of people living together at the Jersey Shore. While waiting for a doctor’s appointment one day, I pulled out a pen and pad began putting that story on paper. Once I started, I couldn’t stop. I took a class in fiction writing, but for the most part, I “learned by doing.” That story, PRIVATE RELATIONS, took me four years to complete. I sold it in 1986, but it wasn’t published until 1989 (three very long years!), when it earned me the RITA award for Best Single Title Contemporary Novel. Except for a brief stint writing for daytime TV (One Life to Live) and a few miscellaneous articles for newspapers and magazines, I’ve focused my efforts on book-length fiction and am currently working on my nineteenth novel.

My stories are often filled with mystery and suspense, and–I hope–they also tug at the emotions. Relationships – between men and women, parents and children, sisters and brothers – are always the primary focus of my books. I can’t think of anything more fascinating than the way people struggle with life’s trials and tribulations, both together and alone.

In the mid-nineties, I was diagnosed with rheumatoid arthritis, a challenging disease to live with. Although my RA is under good control with medication and I can usually type for many hours a day, I sometimes rely on voice recognition technology to get words on paper. I’m very grateful to the inventor of that software! I lived in Northern Virginia until the summer of 2005, when I moved to North Carolina, the state that inspired so many of my stories and where I live with my significant other, photographer John Pagliuca. I have three grown stepdaughters, two sons-in-law, four grandbabies, and two shelties named Keeper and Jet.

For me, the real joy of writing is having the opportunity to touch readers with my words. I hope that my stories move you in some way and give you hours of enjoyable reading.
You can visit Ms. Chamberlain at her website and Facebook page.

GUEST POST

Using personal stories in writing: do or don’t?

Every writer has to decide for herself how autobiographical to make a novel. First novels often tend to be the most autobiographical because those personal stories are itching to be told. But what will the author write about for book two? Or three? Or twenty? I discovered early on that writing from personal experience didn’t serve me well. First, as thrilling as my personal stories were to me, I doubted they’d be that exciting to my readers—unless I told the really juicy ones, and I wasn’t going there! Second, personal stories rarely involve only one person, and I would never be comfortable writing about other “real people” in one of my books.

Even worse than using my own experience is using someone else’s. When I was a new writer, I also had a private psychotherapy practice.  I decided not to tell any of my clients about my fledgling second career, not wanting them to worry I might use something they told me in confidence. However, after an article about me appeared in the local paper, I knew I had to come clean. I told every potential client that I was a fiction writer but would never use something I heard in my office in my writing. Then I allowed them to make the decision whether to work with me or not. Despite hearing some very intriguing/moving/amazing stories, I kept that promise.

What I do incorporate into my books, though, is what I’ve learned about people in general from my work as a social worker. For example, many of my books have a strong medical element in them influenced by my years as a hospital social worker, when I had the privilege of witnessing people at their most vulnerable, their most courageous, their most human. Although I never use specific people or situations in my novels, what I learned from working with people influences everything I write.

To follow Ms. Chamberlain’s tour and read more great posts, like above, click here !!!

ABOUT THE BOOK

Traces of Kara by Melissa Foster
Published by: World Literary Press
Publication Date: Feburary 21, 2013
ISBN-10: 0989050807
ISBN-13: 978-0989050807
Pages: 306
Review Copy from: Author
Edition: ARC Kindle
My Rating: 5

Synopsis (from book): Twenty-nine year old Kara Knight has her sights set on leaving the small town of Williamsport, Maryland, which holds bad memories of a recent separation and no chance for a future. Her hopes are shattered one evening when she’s mistaken for Roland Greer’s long-lost fraternal twin, and thrown into her obsessive captor’s delusional world. Kara struggles to make sense in the darkness that envelops her and plan her escape. The hours tick away as Roland Greer plays out his–to take them both into death at the exact moment of their birth, never to be separated again.
Kara’s mother, Mimi Stone, races against time to save the daughter she fears she will lose when her long-held secret, and sordid past, is revealed.
Traces of Kara is a psychological thriller that will make you question every memory.

My Thoughts and Opinion: I, first, want to thank author, Melissa Foster for her generous gift and honor of giving me the opportunity of reading the galley of her soon to be published novel. Melissa has been a frequent visitor on my blog and since her first visit we have kept in touch. She is a kind, sweet, caring, genuine person with a huge heart besides being a fantastic author. After reading her books, Megan’s Way and Come Back To Me, she was put on my “authors to read” list. In the latter part of 2011, when I was dealing with some difficult and emotional personal issues, Melissa would offer words of encouragement. I emailed her not to long ago, telling her that my husband and I were going on a much needed and well deserved vacation and asked if her next novel would be published prior to us leaving as I would love to read her next novel while we were away. She responded that her next book was still in the hands of her editor but sent me the galley version for me to enjoy. And enjoy, I did! Thank you Melissa!! And now, my thoughts and opinion of Traces of Kara.

Gripping!! Within the first few pages, I was pulled and transported into the story. I knew that this was going to be a white knuckle read!! The main plot takes place during a 24 hour time period, with glimpses and hints of the past. Ingenious!! The characters brought to life with her amazing writing style, so much so, that I actually felt the emotions that the characters experienced. The suspense heart pounding, whereas I found myself having to read faster as if I was watching a time bomb ticking away. Masterful!! The chapters alternated between characters and the tension increased with every turn of the page. The story line progresses with inklings and teasers of how and what the connections are between the characters until it all unfolds of the thrilling interwoven plot. Brilliant!! A definite can’t put down read!! Not only do I recommend this read, but her other works as well.

White Elephants by Chynna Laird
Published by Eagle Wings Press
ISBN-10: 0982624328
ISBN-13: 978-0982624326
At the request of WOW Tours, a PDF was sent, at no cost to me, for my honest opinion.

Synopsis (from Amazon): Elephant in the middle of the living room. That is one way of explaining how a family walks around the invisible presence of huge problems. Hindsight is what brings the elephant into focus. Somehow, Chynna T. Laird began to see at age five the bulky creature crowding her family. And from that time as the child, Tammy, she took on a sense of responsibility to her mother far beyond expectation for her age. Her mother was different than other mothers. Family life in their household was not pretty. No one seemed to notice. No one did anything about it, and Tammy wanted someone to do just that. As an adult, Tammy took on her first name, Chynna, and took up the challenge to find out what might have helped her mother fight her battle of self-destruction. She couldn’t help her mother, but she would consider it worth everything if her family’s story helped another.

My Thoughts and Opinion: An extraordinary read!!!   A memoir that was both emotionally disturbing yet inspirational.   Chynna Laird, author, penned and shared a very transparent look into her abusive childhood and how she took back her power to become a scarred but forgiving and content adult.   Her writing style is exceptional.   A book so engrossing that I read it in 2 days because it was the type of book one could not stop reading.   A story that HAD to be read, wishing it was fictional due to the trauma that this author had lived.   I kept thinking how painful it must have been for her to write this book because she had to revisit so many tormented memories. Her young life living with an alcoholic parent with mental illness that was not treated, cared for improperly by a parent that was not equipped to love, having to be the adult at the age of 8 for her younger siblings and being molested at 12, attempted suicide when she was 15, just to name a few.   Her coping mechanisms to get through it all from her own use of drugs and alcohol, cutting and eating disorder.

As I said, I could not put this book down. Reading the excruciating agony of a child, who felt “trapped and hopeless” was heart wrenching!!   Knowing and wanting to help her mother, a child with adult thoughts of “fixing” her mother but not knowing how, riveting!!   A story that consumed, captivated, and had me feeling an array of emotions, that at times were overwhelming.   As a parent myself, I found myself agonizing for this child.   And I also found myself to be so angry with the parent, at times even detesting, but then also realizing that she was a very troubled woman with untreated diseases.   As distressing as this story was, it was also inspirational.   It was about this battered child, who had lived through in surmountable times but prevailed to become a forgiving, sympathetic, loving adult.   A spell binding read!!   Poignant and profound!!!   Off the chart read!!   Touching!!   I definitely recommend this book, it will stay with you for many years to come!!!

(2012 Challenges: Ebooks, Off The Shelf, Free Reads, Where Are You, A-Z, 52 in 52, Color Coded, Outdo Yourself, 100+)

Betty’s (Little Basement) Garden by Laurel Dewey
Published by The Story Plant
ISBN-10: 1611880386
ISBN-13: 978-1611880380
At the request of The Story Plant (Spread The Word Initiative, an ARC EBook edition was provided, at no cost to me, for my honest opinion.

  Synopsis (from publisher): Betty Craven is the epitome of elegance, class, and perfection. Her prize-winning garden is the envy of her neighbors; her impeccable manners and epicurean skills have made her the “hostess with the most-est.”

But all is not what it seems.

The truth is that this fifty-eight year old’s seemingly idyllic world is quickly disintegrating. Widowed and left with a modest income, Betty’s Colorado gourmet chocolate shop has gone belly up, leaving her floundering for purpose and meaning. Tied to a house in disrepair that she can’t sell, and mired in unrelenting grief for her dead son, this patriotic former Texas pageant queen comes to the shocking and debilitating conclusion that her entire life has been wasted. As that realization hits her hard between her well-manicured brow, the rebellious spirit that Betty has silently kept under lock and key, explodes to the surface.

When that happens, her staunch conservative world changes drastically, causing Betty to question every belief and opinion she’s ever had. The path she chooses is paved with secrecy, eccentric characters, toe-curling love, life-changing events, and a connection to her unconventional garden that she never could have imagined. No matter how hard she tries, Betty Craven will never be the same again.

My Thoughts and Opinion: Where do I start?   There were so many components within this book.   A fictional story, an extraordinary amount of compiled research, factual statistics, educational, instructions; personal development, values, moral, social, and some governmental issues, life lessons, friendships, relationships, principal passions, and even a very little bit of spiritual/paranormal.   This is definitely recommended and a must read if you are in a book club due to the multiple and vast discussions that this book will trigger.   I tend to write reviews that are concise but I just can’t with this book and I apologize in advance and will try to touch upon all the aspects that this book offers.

The author and the fictional side: I was first introduced to this author during a Partners In Crime Tours, reading her Jane Perry novelettes, Unrevealed and Promissory Payback, which I enjoyed.   This book is so different compared to those stories, premise wise, about a topic that has many pros, cons, truths and fallacies but the writing style the same.   Solid, fluid, descriptive, life like character development with palpable emotions, flaws and relatability.   The settings likewise. It was very easy to create my imagery due to the depictions and narrative picture the author conveyed with her written words.   The actual plot and story line will definitely have the reader turning the pages.

As a former nurse, I found the subject matter quite interesting, to the point that due to the accumulation of detailed facts and gathering of related material evidence, it was also an education.   A lesson, that created some very personal thought provoking questions, a different mind set and possibly a change of personal opinion.

The plot with reality slant: Engrossing!!   Are we being told the truth by our government, lobbyists, politicians, pharmaceutical companies?   With the information, that the author has done an enormous amount of research on and shares with the reader, makes one wonder?   This is one part of the book that I can’t stress enough. Ms. Dewey, definitely did her homework with the collection of facts. However, at times, it was so minutely described and technical that, and this is my opinion only, that it took on a bit of a non fictional story.

With that being said, the overall book was compelling, emotional, at times humorous, controversial, heart wrenching, inspirational, and definitely leaves the reader confronting one’s own personal viewpoint after the last word is read.   Highly recommend!!

(2012 Challenges: EBook, Off The Shelf, FreeReads, Where Are You, A-Z, 52 in 52, Outdo Yourself, 100+)

   The Lifeboat by Charlotte Rogan
Published by Reagan Arthur Books/Little, Brown and Company
The Hachette Book Group
ISBN-10: 0316185906
ISBN-13: 978-0316185905
   At the request of The Hachette Book Group, a HC was sent, at no cost to me, for my honest opinion.

   Synopsis (borrowed from Amazon): Grace Winter, 22, is both a newlywed and a widow. She is also on trial for her life.

In the summer of 1914, the elegant ocean liner carrying her and her husband Henry across the Atlantic suffers a mysterious explosion. Setting aside his own safety, Henry secures Grace a place in a lifeboat, which the survivors quickly realize is over capacity. For any to live, some must die.

As the castaways battle the elements, and each other, Grace recollects the unorthodox way she and Henry met, and the new life of privilege she thought she’d found. Will she pay any price to keep it?

The Lifeboat is a page-turning novel of hard choices and survival, narrated by a woman as unforgettable and complex as the events she describes.

  My Thoughts and Opinion: Even though this book was not about The Titanic, I thought it fitting to read during it’s 100th anniversary.   There is one mention of the above named ship within the book.   However, because of the premise, I was able to vividly create my images from when I did see the movie, Titanic.

The book grips you in the prologue when Grace, the main character, is standing on on U.S. land, with head raised, mouth opened trying to catch the rain and on her way into court where she stands on trial for murder.   Murder?   I’m hooked.

The reader is then taken to the ship when passengers are being loaded into lifeboats. Grace, a newlywed managed to secure a seat in one, with the help of her husband who was left behind as the ship is sinking.   The book continues with a daily recap of the passengers and survival in a lifeboat for 21 days from Grace’s perspective.   The characters were aptly described and could be visualized.   The setting and description the same.   The book was a quick read, kept my interest because I couldn’t imagine why a murder charge?   However, the overall 21 days at sea story was at first a page turner but, and this is my opinion only, then seemed to drag at times and details that were omitted until the end, felt unrealistic when the book was finished.   Again, this is my opinion, but felt that the plot lacked action at times due to circumstances of the story line.   As I said the imagery I created was due to the movie, which helped greatly.   Even though it kept my interest, I expected more, maybe due to all the Titanic hype this month.   Overall, it was a fast (274 pages) and entertaining read.

  My Rating: 3

(2012 Challenges: Mystery/Suspense, What’s In A Name, Off the Shelf, FreeReads, Where Are You, A-Z, Merely Mystery, 52 in 52, Outdo Yourself, 100+, Reagan Arthur)

KILLER BYTES: A Novella of Intrigue by Alan Williams
Self Published
ASIN: B00723U2QU
At the request of the author, an ARC electronic edition was sent, at no cost to me, for my honest opinion.

  Synopsis (from the author): A killer is stalking London; a banker is already dead, killed in an explosion, and there are more victims in the killer’s sights. Techno geek and Internet journalist, Wil Jackson becomes inadvertently embroiled in the investigation when he interviews one of the murder victims, and the killer starts communicating with Wil via the Internet.
Can Wil help the police stop the killer before the body count increases further?

  My Thoughts and Opinion: This is the second time this has happened to me and I feel that it is the greatest honor and most humbling experience to be bestowed with and that is to be entrusted with an author’s manuscript for review.
Through blogging and the PR company, Partners In Crime Tours, I met someone who is an outstanding blogger and reviewer.   After working with him on several projects, I had a feeling that he might also be a writer.   I asked and he said that he had been working on a novella and asked if I would read it and give him my honest opinion.   For me, that’s like being asked to be the Godmother of someone’s baby.   Such an honor yet also a huge responsibility.

He sent me only the first half, as the 2nd half was with his editor.   I started reading with great skepticism because now it was going to be the moment of truth.   And within a couple of weeks I had the entire book so that this review now reflects my impression on the entire read.

The novella starts off with a prologue and within the first couple of pages, the book grabbed me.   The suspense and action was fast paced.   The writing style flowed and it was easy to create my own imagery from the detailed prose.   The characters were well developed and became life like due to his descriptive writing.   There were only two (2) items that I felt that could be improved upon, which with time, mentoring and professional advice, would help make this blogger’s work into an author’s success. Those 2 items were, and only during a couple of places in the story, a bit of simplistic dialogue and the other being of tweaking to make the story in certain places tighter and more mature.   My rating is based upon his writing, story line, the development of characters, and the fact that this is his debut as a novella. I am not rating it as compared to seasoned authors.