A Note from an Old Aquaintance A Novel by Bill Walker (Rating 5)
Published by iUniverse
ISBN-13: 978-1-4401-3335-0 (HC)
ISBN-13: 978-1-4401-3333-6 (PB)
ISBN-13: 978-1-4401-3334-3 EB)
At the request of Pump Up Yor Book, a PB copy was sent, at no cost to me, for my honest opinion.
  Synopsis:  Its 1991 in Boston, MA and Brian Weller and his business partner are invited to an associate’s party, a party that he attends out of obligation.  Once there he meets a young, beautiful artist, Joanna Richman.  He knows that he wants and needs to see her again. Brian and Joanna’s friendship grow and then there is no denying that they are falling in love.  But how can that be when she is engaged to an older, influential, rich and controlling man, Erick Ruby.  Ruby finds out about their relationship and he is not going to lose her to Brian, a nobody, with a struggling PR production business and a want to be author.  Ruby demands that Brian never see or talk to Joanna again or he will ruin him and his parents.  With a broken heart, Brian walks away, never telling Joanna why, and moves cross country.  Then 15 years later, he receives an email from Joanna.  His past becomes his present. Do people change?  Does true love endure?
  My Thoughts:  I had trouble putting this book down.  I don’t usually read romance novels but was pulled in to the plot from the beginning.  The way the author wrote about the thoughts and emotions of all the characters gave this reader the ability to feel those exact same emotions.  Not only between Brian and Joanna but the love of parents and the ugly traits of someone ruthless.
  My Opinion and Rating: This is a tender and emotion packed love story.  At times this reader was laughing and the next grabbing for the tissue.  A contemporary love story that even in certain scenes, the author chose to communicate the true definition of love between two people and allowing the reader to use their own imagination and visuals. Well written !! Fantastic !!  Awesome !! This reader will be looking forward to Mr. Walker’s next novel. Highly recommend (Rating 5)

Starting Over by Andy Serwer (Rating 2)
Published by Time Books
ISBN: 978-1-60320-160-5
At the request of The Book Trib, a HC copy was sent, at no cost to me, for my honest opinion.
  Synopsis: (from the book jacket) Bookended by 9/11 at the beginning and an epic financial meltdown at the end, the first decade of this century will surely go down as one of the most difficult in American history. We were plagued by a series of catastrophes and major missteps, from the convoluted presidential election in 2000 to the invasion of Iraq to the devastation of Hurricane Katrina, as well as all manner of financial upheavals such as the collapse of Enron, the tragedy of General Motors and the Bernie Madoff scandal. …..Andy Serwer explains how we fell into this national hole and, more important, how we can and will pull ourselves out of it……..
  My Thoughts: My forte is not finance but after reading the book’s jacket, I thought it would be a somewhat interesting read in learning about the nation’s economic status that has touched many Americans in some way. I was also interested in learning when financial experts thought the housing crisis would rebound and the nation’s unemployment numbers would turn around. And if there were some factual information that I might not have understood, my son is a financial analyst and knew that he would explain it to me in a way that I would understand. However, there were no questions that I needed to ask and it took me approximately one hour to finish the book. The first ten chapters consisted of one page of a picture from that year and one page, consisting of approximately 80 words, highlighting the main stories of that year. The writer appeared to put a lot of thought into what the last decade should be called as compared to “the nineties”. There was a line on page 71 stating one of the reasons for the downfall, which I found to be ironic. It stated “We will never eliminate greed, of course, and a certain amount of if may even be necessary…
  My Opinion and Rating: And this is only my opinion, which could be very different from other readers of this book. I found that the extensive damage of the financial institutions in this country, that took ten (10) years to destroy and crumble, could be conveyed in a book consisting of 85 pages, 13 of those are pictures. And again, this is only my opinion, but I find it ironic that with a book about our economic crisis and a book of this size would be affordable to the average American who has been affected. (Rating 2)

Starting Over by Andy Serwer (Rating 2)
Published by Time Books
ISBN: 978-1-60320-160-5
At the request of The Book Trib, a HC copy was sent, at no cost to me, for my honest opinion.
  Synopsis: (from the book jacket) Bookended by 9/11 at the beginning and an epic financial meltdown at the end, the first decade of this century will surely go down as one of the most difficult in American history. We were plagued by a series of catastrophes and major missteps, from the convoluted presidential election in 2000 to the invasion of Iraq to the devastation of Hurricane Katrina, as well as all manner of financial upheavals such as the collapse of Enron, the tragedy of General Motors and the Bernie Madoff scandal. …..Andy Serwer explains how we fell into this national hole and, more important, how we can and will pull ourselves out of it……..
  My Thoughts: My forte is not finance but after reading the book’s jacket, I thought it would be a somewhat interesting read in learning about the nation’s economic status that has touched many Americans in some way. I was also interested in learning when financial experts thought the housing crisis would rebound and the nation’s unemployment numbers would turn around. And if there were some factual information that I might not have understood, my son is a financial analyst and knew that he would explain it to me in a way that I would understand. However, there were no questions that I needed to ask and it took me approximately one hour to finish the book. The first ten chapters consisted of one page of a picture from that year and one page, consisting of approximately 80 words, highlighting the main stories of that year. The writer appeared to put a lot of thought into what the last decade should be called as compared to “the nineties”. There was a line on page 71 stating one of the reasons for the downfall, which I found to be ironic. It stated “We will never eliminate greed, of course, and a certain amount of if may even be necessary…
  My Opinion and Rating: And this is only my opinion, which could be very different from other readers of this book. I found that the extensive damage of the financial institutions in this country, that took ten (10) years to destroy and crumble, could be conveyed in a book consisting of 85 pages, 13 of those are pictures. And again, this is only my opinion, but I find it ironic that with a book about our economic crisis and a book of this size would be affordable to the average American who has been affected. (Rating 2)

Now & Then by Jacqueline Sheehan (Rating 5)
Harper-Collins Publishers
ISBN: 78-0-06-154778-2
At the request of the author’s friend, a PB copy was sent, at no cost to me, for my honest opinion.
  Synopsis (from book’s back cover): Anna O’Shea has failed at marriage, shed her job at a law firm and she’s trying to re-created herself when she and her recalcitrant nephew are summoned to the past in a manner that nearly destroys them. Her twenty-first-century skills pale as she struggles to find her nephew in nineteenth-century Ireland. For one of them, the past is brutally difficult, filled with hunger and struggle. For the other, the past is filled with privilege.
  My Thoughts: This was definitely not the type of book that I would have picked up for my reading pleasure. I also have to say up front that I misunderstood the synopsis of the plot in regard to time travel, given to me by Mr. Frank Daniels, the author’s friend, until I received the book. With all that said and the fact that there was a genuine warmth from Mr. Daniels’ initial email for his friend, I was going to try and give this book a fair and undivided attention that I would give books that are from my usual genre of books.
  The main character, Anna O’Shea was likeable and could be identified with, which pulled me into the book from the start. The author initially conveyed the fast paced corporate world of today where personal relationships are ships passing in the night until it’s too late to turn back or is it? What about other relationships where bitterness lies instead of forgiveness? Where childhood experiences mold us as adults or should we learn from them? Can love be found in the simple life, do we make our own happiness or do we depend on others? In a split second Anna and her troubled nephew, Joseph, are about to find out! The reader is taken back to Ireland in 1844 when the British ruled and owned Ireland. Do our ancestors mold our futures? Does the saying “history repeats itself” true?
  My Opinion and Rating:(Rating 5) This book was hard to put down. Amazing!! Interesting!! A little bit romance, mystery and history all in one book. The author’s writing style, nothing less than phenomenal, in the way she interweaves a gripping fictional plot with non fictional facts of history without boredom. The characters are bigger than life. I had a very hard time putting this book down. I thank Ms. Sheehan and Mr. Daniels for giving me the opportunity to read this exceptional story and I strongly recommend that everyone read this book.

Now & Then by Jacqueline Sheehan (Rating 5)
Harper-Collins Publishers
ISBN: 78-0-06-154778-2
At the request of the author’s friend, a PB copy was sent, at no cost to me, for my honest opinion.
  Synopsis (from book’s back cover): Anna O’Shea has failed at marriage, shed her job at a law firm and she’s trying to re-created herself when she and her recalcitrant nephew are summoned to the past in a manner that nearly destroys them. Her twenty-first-century skills pale as she struggles to find her nephew in nineteenth-century Ireland. For one of them, the past is brutally difficult, filled with hunger and struggle. For the other, the past is filled with privilege.
  My Thoughts: This was definitely not the type of book that I would have picked up for my reading pleasure. I also have to say up front that I misunderstood the synopsis of the plot in regard to time travel, given to me by Mr. Frank Daniels, the author’s friend, until I received the book. With all that said and the fact that there was a genuine warmth from Mr. Daniels’ initial email for his friend, I was going to try and give this book a fair and undivided attention that I would give books that are from my usual genre of books.
  The main character, Anna O’Shea was likeable and could be identified with, which pulled me into the book from the start. The author initially conveyed the fast paced corporate world of today where personal relationships are ships passing in the night until it’s too late to turn back or is it? What about other relationships where bitterness lies instead of forgiveness? Where childhood experiences mold us as adults or should we learn from them? Can love be found in the simple life, do we make our own happiness or do we depend on others? In a split second Anna and her troubled nephew, Joseph, are about to find out! The reader is taken back to Ireland in 1844 when the British ruled and owned Ireland. Do our ancestors mold our futures? Does the saying “history repeats itself” true?
  My Opinion and Rating:(Rating 5) This book was hard to put down. Amazing!! Interesting!! A little bit romance, mystery and history all in one book. The author’s writing style, nothing less than phenomenal, in the way she interweaves a gripping fictional plot with non fictional facts of history without boredom. The characters are bigger than life. I had a very hard time putting this book down. I thank Ms. Sheehan and Mr. Daniels for giving me the opportunity to read this exceptional story and I strongly recommend that everyone read this book.

False Convictions by Tim Green (Rating 4)
Grand Central Publishing
ISBN 978-0-446-40152-4
At the request of The Hachette Book Group, a HC copy was sent, at no cost to me, for my honest opinion.
  Synopsis: (from the book jacket) Tormented by death threats and assassination attempts, Casey investigates a prosecution apparently rife with lies. From the judge, the lawyers. the jury, to the police, she traces a web of corruption surrounding the destruction of one young man. But in all the chaos, Casey’s hardest challenge may be just staying alive.

  My Thoughts: Casey Jordan, Texas attorney, beautiful and famous since having had a movie made about her and a recent case that she won. Enter Robert Graham, handsome, philanthropist and founder of the Freedom Project. The offer is one million dollars for her firm and all she is to do is exonerate 2 felons, within a year, who have been convicted wrongly. Sounds easy enough! But as she obtains details for her first case, of a man who has been locked up for twenty years, unsavory facts are surfacing, and not about her client. How do politicians, judges, police officers and even the “mob” tie in to this old case? How is it that she is arrested for falsifying evidence? And is Robert Graham really who he says he is?

  My Opinion and Rating: This was the first book by this author that I read from a long list of previous novels. I personally enjoy when a book has chapters that are just a few pages. I find myself thinking “just one more chapter” and read the next 7 or 8, and this book was just that. The suspense was gripping, and at times, fast paced. The characters were intriguing and came to life with the author’s writing style. The ending left this reader quite disappointed though. The book was thrilling until the seemingly unrealistic finale. However, I gave this book a rating of 4 stars for the overall riveting plot.

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 or friends.

False Convictions by Tim Green (Rating 4)
Grand Central Publishing
ISBN 978-0-446-40152-4
At the request of The Hachette Book Group, a HC copy was sent, at no cost to me, for my honest opinion.
  Synopsis: (from the book jacket) Tormented by death threats and assassination attempts, Casey investigates a prosecution apparently rife with lies. From the judge, the lawyers. the jury, to the police, she traces a web of corruption surrounding the destruction of one young man. But in all the chaos, Casey’s hardest challenge may be just staying alive.

  My Thoughts: Casey Jordan, Texas attorney, beautiful and famous since having had a movie made about her and a recent case that she won. Enter Robert Graham, handsome, philanthropist and founder of the Freedom Project. The offer is one million dollars for her firm and all she is to do is exonerate 2 felons, within a year, who have been convicted wrongly. Sounds easy enough! But as she obtains details for her first case, of a man who has been locked up for twenty years, unsavory facts are surfacing, and not about her client. How do politicians, judges, police officers and even the “mob” tie in to this old case? How is it that she is arrested for falsifying evidence? And is Robert Graham really who he says he is?

  My Opinion and Rating: This was the first book by this author that I read from a long list of previous novels. I personally enjoy when a book has chapters that are just a few pages. I find myself thinking “just one more chapter” and read the next 7 or 8, and this book was just that. The suspense was gripping, and at times, fast paced. The characters were intriguing and came to life with the author’s writing style. The ending left this reader quite disappointed though. The book was thrilling until the seemingly unrealistic finale. However, I gave this book a rating of 4 stars for the overall riveting plot.

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 or friends.

Death of a Valentine by M. C. Beaton  (Rating-4)

Grand Central Publishing
ISBN 978-0-44-54738-3
At the request of The Hachette Book Group, a HC copy was sent, at no cost to me for my honest review.
  Synopsis: (from the book’s jacket)
Amazing news has spread across the Scottish countryside. The most famous of highland bachelors, police sergeant Hamish Macbeth will be married at last. Everyone is the village of Lochdubh adores Josie McSween, Macbeth’s newest constable and blushing bride-to-be. While locals think Josie is quite a catch, Hamish has a case of prenuptial jitters. After all, if it weren’t for the recent murder of a beautiful woman in a neighbouring village, there wouldn’t be a wedding at all.
  My Thoughts: This was the first book that I read, of many that have been written, by this author. After getting past the Scottish dialect, I was pulled in and rooting for Sergeant Macbeth. A small town police sergeant who uses his common sense and gut instincts in solving crimes. A modern day Mayberry mystery.
  My Opinion and Rating: I gave this book a rating of 4. An enjoyable and fast read. Macbeth was a character that one could not help but like. The two page prologue, which introduced the setting of Macbeth’s wedding and his feelings on this memorable day, grabbed this reader in and wanting more. The plot of the Valentine murder had me turning the pages to find out who-done-it from the multiple list of characters. A recommended mystery read !!!