I was given this book as an anniversary gift and will cherish it.
In my youth, I heartedly disliked short stories, finding them always leaving me wanting more. Yet ‘In the Key of 13,’ I found this anthology of music and murder by The Mesdames of Mayhem to be riveting from start to finish.
Sometimes I rooted for the murderer and sometimes I cringed at the deed, but all in all, this was a gloriously written book. One full of stories that will leave you thinking, wondering about human nature, or whether supposedly inanimate objects carry on plots and conversations of their own when no human is around to hear.
I adored each story, sometimes reading bits to my husband, which piqued his interest in knowing more. But I told him he’d have to read the story. The many plots and twists will leave you guessing in each story and wanting to read more from the authors.
I highly recommend this anthology, from the forward on to the very end. It was thrilling to read and a book I will pick up through the years and reread.

​The Christmas Owl by Viv Drewa is a heartwarming story of courage, love, and what the human mind will do when faced with insurmountable odds.
Before reading this story, I listened to many stories from my mother about World War II and already knew that some American soldiers fought with the British before the United States entered the war. This story starts moments after Pearl Harbor was hit and follows Lieutenant Tom Roberts as he is flown to Poland to help discover more about what the German’s were up to.
It includes a few miracles and was informative and delightful to read.

How does one put into words the depth that a book took them into? Ms. Rankin’s Viral Storm (book 2) left me with feeling an enormous desire for the rest of the story. I could not put it down, it felt as if I was walking beside each of the characters as the story unfolded around me.

After listening to Book 1, Viral Dawn, I could hardly wait for book 2 and pre-ordered it. Although my (to be read list is long,} Viral Dawn had me in its sway and I put Viral Storm first on my list as soon as it became available.

I was not disappointed, from the first page, it kept me enthralled, weeping for Haley’s predicament and praying for Casey, Kyle, Jordan, and Verna to escape and find a way to save the world from the man made virus that was let loose on the public by the evilness of the desire to control all things.

I could not put Viral Storm down until the last page of the book, even though it was the middle of the night and I knew it would make the next day more difficult for me. It is and was a thrilling read, my only regret is that I finished it and that I must wait till next year for its sequel.

Viral Dawn, and Viral Storm are labeled as YA books, but for me, the characters were ageless, the story terrific, the plot deep, and it is a series that I will reread through the years, even though I am not a zombie fan as such, I have put it on my list of best reads of the month.
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This series should be a movie or a TV series, it is that good.

​I have been a fan of Amanda Thrasher’s books since I read her first Mischief in the Mushroom Patch book over nine years ago. I’ve read nearly every book she’s written and loved them all on different levels. They are brilliantly told stories, that all teach you something as she takes you deeply into the soul of the story.
I just finished her latest Captain Fin, written from a screen play by Kevin James O’Neil. It is absolutely one of the best books that I have read in a very long time. I read most anything that is put before me, yes even YA books, for in them there is truth that even a grown woman like me can learn from, while enjoying the story.
In Captain Fin, Ms. Thrasher has outdone herself. Each character comes so vividly to life as to make you feel as if you are sitting in the room with them.
The pain of the broken family, loss of a father due to circumstances that I will not play the spoiler to tell you. Suffice to say that there are many that are dishonest, and the justice system does not always get things right.
I learned early that little lies, turn into big lies, but Captain Fin reminded me how it can affect so many even when it is done for the best of motives.
Kudos to Ms. Thrasher for a story so well told that it had this reader unable to put it down. Brilliant, Masterful, Delightful, Truthful, and vividly told.

​Laura Hamilton, wakes up one morning only to find out a dead body inside her apartment. It was, after all, her ex-coworker, “Velcro” Hodges, a debt collector who was known to leech on his prey until the debt is already paid in full. But why was he dropped insider Laura’s room?

Now someone wants Laura to be dead. As the plot thickens, Laura tries to find out on who could possibly want her next to be in cold blood. Lead Detective Inspector Jeff Gibbons helps her, tracking any leads he gets, but that doesn’t seem to help solve the puzzle.

​DEAD ON ARRIVAL – Book 1 of the Laura & Gerry Mystery Series by Karen Vaughan had me completely enthralled from start to finish. I couldn’t put it down. What does a girl do when she finds the dead body of her creepy ex-boss on her living room floor? In Laura’s case, she uses great sarcastic humor, coupled with the ability to put two and two together, and maintain a presence of self even in the moments she falls apart.
I couldn’t help myself from interrupting my husband to read him a quip here or there, and I couldn’t put the book down until the last page was read and still, I hated for it to end.
There is nothing like a Laura and Gerry Mystery to keep you laughing at Laura’s sarcastic quips, and still manage to keep you on your toes with the suspense of the story. And to top it off there is just enough romance for those of us that love a bit of that in a story.
Ms. Vaughan’s talent for telling a thrilling, murder mystery with a splash of romance and sarcastic humor is rare and wonderful. At no time in the story was I able to guess whodunit, even as the bodies piled up.
I both read this book and listened to the audio version as well. Skyler Rankin’s narration kept me engrossed from start to finish, even though at the time of listening to it who the culprits were. Ms. Rankin was a perfect fit for the telling of this story, and each and every character was portrayed exactly as I imagined that they would sound.

​A Dime is a Sign: Poems of Love and Loss (Feelings Into Words) by Sherrill S. Cannon walks us through emotions that we all feel.
It is a glorious collection of some of the most beautiful poems of our generation.
There wasn’t one that didn’t strike some cord in my heart and soul, to lie there and make me weep for loss or fill my heart with the glory of love.
Some of those that struck me the deepest were ‘Wall of Apprehension,’ a poem of fear to allow another in. Perhaps, the other will reject what you are, or you will feel by their response that you were a bother. ‘You, Friendship – I Love,’ helped me to realize that my shutting others out, for fear that my gestures would be mistaken for something else and I would find despair in the trying. And ‘Premature Goodbye,’ hit a chord deep in me for all those that I walked away from or that walked away from me, without the chance of explanation or renewal.
Ms. Cannon, outdid herself ‘A Dime is a Sign’ for she speaks directly to our hearts and souls. Whether it be a love poem or a poem of loss and sadness, this book holds something that will touch everyone.
It is a book to be cherished, reread, and savored time and again, for, in it, we will find our common humanity, our dreams of love, fear of loss and rejection, the joy of being, and we will grow more fully as humans.
 

There is yet to be a Dellani Oakes novel that I am not eagerly awaiting. Conduct Unbecoming was not a disappointment. Filled with action packed scenes, romance that will set your heart a thumping, but not from a quivering violet. Instead, Ms. Oakes is a master at strong male and female characters, capable of going toe to toe, yet causing the heat to rise and the spirit sale.

In this Teague McGurty sequel, we Teague and friends coming to the aid of his friend Nadeya who has been framed for the murder of her fiance’.

This is a story about true friendship, modern day romance, steamy love scenes, and full of action.

It is a masterpiece of fun literature you won’t want to put down from the moment you open it up until the last page is finished. It will leave you wanting more and yet filled with the story.
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