I Recommend An Untamed Land by Lauraine Snelling #BookReview

An Untamed Land by Lauraine Snelling

My rating: 5 of 5 stars


Lauraine Snelling's An Untamed Land and the Bjorklund family drew me in and I found myself turning out the light just before dawn...I couldn't put the account of their journey to and life in a new land down.

Brothers Roald and Carl land in New York in 1880 with their families and a dream to forge a farmstead out of the wilderness. The proud Norwegian immigrants are determined to find a new life in the Dakota Territory but will they be able to win against the forces of the vast prairie?

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I just finished a trip backward in time to the Korean War. #BookReview

I just finished a trip backward in time to the Korean War. What a harrowing experience!

The bravery and compassion that was detailed in Hope in Hungnam certainly was never hinted at in my history classes...in fact the Korean War was just glossed over!

I was just a small child when my Uncle was sent to the Korean War and it wasn't until I met my husband, who was part of the peace time troops in Korea during the mid 1960s, that I really became aware that there were many stories to be read and heard coming out of that time.

Mr. Watts has created strong well-developed characters to relate his story of people trying to remain human in an inhumane situation. He even chronicled their individual struggles with heart. and was able to actually make me feel the frigid temperatures and wonder at the power of hope and the see strength we all have inside of us.

The Closing: A Whippoorwill Hollow novel (The Whippoorwill Hollow novels Book 1)

When two men meet in the Virginia state
penitentiary in a maximum security
visitation room on May 5, 1968,
they have only one thing in common:
they both want their lives back. 

"Don't take aim at the king unless you're certain you'll kill him."

Grateful for the advice--at least someone is talking to him--Nate Abbit accepts the appointment as defense counsel in a convicted murderer's appeal anyway. 

After all, he has to start making some changes somehow. His past is filled with personal and professional failures and humiliations.

At first Nate is sure that the death row murderer is guilty but then as he discovers the flagrant corruption that was his trial he has to wonder why Kenneth Deatherage was framed.

Ken Odor's superb blending of multiple plot twists and turns gives us a well-defined glimpse into the life of a once good man trying to become a good man again along with a story that never slows down.

About the Author

Ken Oder was born in Virginia in the coastal tidewater area near the York and James Rivers, where military installations during World Wars I and II fueled the growth of urban centers like Norfolk, Hampton, and Newport News. His father worked for the Navy Mine Depot in Yorktown and later as a Hudson dealer until he heard his calling to preach. When he became the minister at Mount Moriah Methodist Church in 1960, the family moved to White Hall, Virginia, a farm town of about fifty people at the foot of the Blue Ridge Mountains. The mountains and the rural culture were a jarring contrast to the busy coastal plains, but once the shock wore off, Ken came to love it there. The mountains and hollows are spectacularly beautiful. The people are thoughtful, friendly, and quietly courageous. White Hall became his home, and his affection and respect for the area and its people have never left him.

Ken and his wife moved to Los Angeles in 1975, where he practiced law and served as an executive until he retired. They still live near their children and grandchildren in California, but a piece of his heart never left White Hall, and that place and time come out in his stories.

Visit www.kenoder.com for updates on Ken's latest projects.

Death of a Flapper by Marva Dale #BookTrailer

 Death of a Flapper takes place in the Roaring '20s in New York City involving a private detective, flapper girls and the spoiled rich. The story features J.C. Brogan, a novice detective from NYC's Tin Pan Alley who is asked to find Arabella Germaine ("Angel"), a young woman with an affinity for the flapper lifestyle. When Brogan investigates Angel's association with New York City's elite, he finds more than just martinis and jazz but lies and cover-ups. Brogan follows the clues and finally discovers who really wanted Angel dead.
http://marvadale.webnode.com

About the Author

Marva Dale is the pen name for author Debra McReynolds. Retired from the public relations field, Debra now spends her free time indulging in her passion for writing. "I used to fill my school notebooks with stories," Debra relates, "and then add artwork to go along with them. My second grade teacher, Mrs. Daley, predicted that I would be a writer one day."

Can we talk? Rather, can I talk...er, share a bit?

Sometimes I go MIA. This can happen for various reasons but one thing you can trust to happen is a lot of reading and this past couple of weeks were no different...I was reading (among other things) and I wanted to share a brief run down with you.

[Be Warned: I go through good books the same way flames go through dry grass.]  

   

First up was a never-before-published Agatha Christie tale, Hercule Poirot and the Greenshore Folly. A previously unread murder account by the Queen of Crime and an incredibly satisfying delight. Enough said. Here's a link to the complete review by yours truly.

Only 75 pages and available on Kindle and Nook.

I switched gears a bit and really burned up the pages when it came to James Patterson's Private LA. I downloaded the 1st 14 chapter preview which only made me want more. I got it in the form of the hardcover version - I really really enjoy turning pages - and this was a real page-turner (note the pun). 

Jack Morgan investigates the disappearance of one of Hollywood's biggest superstar couples and we're rewarded with all of the twists, turns and surprising plot developments we can handle. Another super read you shouldn't miss.

In Anthony Bruno's Devil's Food, the first book in his Loretta Kovacs thriller series, I was taken on a fast and furious chase when Loretta starts on a desperate make-it-or-break-it job with the Jump Squad to bring in a parole violater. Talk about tension!

Then back to some historical fiction with one of Victoria Thompson's Gaslight Mysteries, Murder in Chelsea. Sarah Decker definitely knew what she wanted when she fled New York's world of the high society elite to marry. Now she's a widow, though and stumbling on murders in New York's working class neighborhoods. I must really enjoy women that know their minds and stand firmly before their fears because as a midwife, Mrs. Sarah Brandt has faced down all manner of individuals from thugs to captains of industry to get at the truth in places I'm not sure I'd go.

All of this after coming off the suspenseful joyride of Hallways In The Night. The legal thriller by R. C. O'Leary. You can read his Trials and Tribulations when writing his novel on this blog.

When a veteran cop tries to arrest baseball's home run king, one of them ends up on trial and the other ends up dead.

Aboriginal Historic Fiction for YA at it's Best: Red Wolf #BookTrailer

The overarching theme of the book is the Indian Residential School system and the impact it has had on the lives of Aboriginal people.
Set in Ontario, Canada in the late 1800s, Red Wolf is the intertwining story of a timber wolf and a First Nations (Anishnaabe) boy. It is a time when settlers regard both wolves and Aboriginal people as savages. Both occupy land that is needed for logging and farming; the wolf's family is shot leaving him orphaned at a young age; the boy is forced to attend residential school far from home and the life he knows. He, too, is alone. The pair reunite when the boy escapes from the school, but both are damaged. Neither have grown up in a caring family or pack, neither have learned the skills and ways of their ancestors.



RED WOLF is historical fiction for ages 9 through adult.

Did You Ever Find Yourself Spellbound by a Book? The Outlander Series Continues

That was me when I started reading The Outlander--spellbound.

Good thing I'm not a genre snob or I would not have ever picked up The Outlander. I'm not into fantasy or romance. My favorite genres are historical fiction and mystery/thrillers/suspense and all of the sub-genres including legal, young adult and children's but when you get right down to it I'll read just about anything.

The Outlander just reached out and grabbed me and wouldn't let go. It had everything; action, adventure, compassion, family, loyalty, devotion, courage, triumph and tragedy and of course love. I was so disappointed when I completed the series (In record time I might add.).

That was it? No More?

Well now I, and millions of others, can rejoice. Diana Gabaldon is releasing another in her brilliant series in June of this year. It can be pre-ordered at Amazon now.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ 

In her now classic novel Outlander, Diana Gabaldon told the story of Claire Randall, an English ex-combat nurse who walks through a stone circle in the Scottish Highlands in 1946, and disappears . . . into 1743. The story unfolded from there in seven bestselling novels, and CNN has called it “a grand adventure written on a canvas that probes the heart, weighs the soul and measures the human spirit across [centuries].” Now the story continues in Written in My Own Heart’s Blood.

About the Author 
Diana Gabaldon is the New York Times bestselling author of the wildly popular Outlander novels-Outlander, Dragonfly in Amber, Voyager, Drums of Autumn, The Fiery Cross, and A Breath of Snow and Ashes (for which she won a Quill Award and the Corine International Book Prize)-and one work of nonfiction, The Outlandish Companion, as well as the bestselling series featuring Lord John Grey, a character she introduced in Voyager. She lives in Scottsdale, Arizona.

Related Post: 

‘Outlander’ delivers compelling historical fiction, political intrigue - Edge - Kansas State Collegian - Kansas State University

Review: Butterfly Hollow by Maria Cisneros Toth #MG #Depression

Charlene is heart broken. They've taken her Daddy away for murdering Otis Beecher. He didn't do it the Gator-Man did. Momma is so sad she just sleeps and seems like she's bent on swilling all of Daddy's moonshine since she can't buy anymore headache medicine. If anyone is going to do something it's up to Charlene.

Charlene's first adventure: Find her Daddy's remaining moonshine jugs and sell it to his regular customers - she's hungry.

You'll love Charlene's courage and persistence and Mrs. Toth guides us through her adventures with her friends in tow. There's never an idea, thought or detail missed but you never have to worry about the action stopping or slowing down so they won't be missed.

About the Author

Maria was born and raised in Southern California where she still lives today with her husband of 35 years, Joey, and their two spoiled dogs, Jack and Sally. Her favorite holiday is Halloween, and she is a huge Tim Burton Nightmare Before Christmas fan. An advocate of children’s literacy, she has a background in journalism. Maria has always been drawn to books and movies with main characters who are writers, and she is a big softie for dogs woven into stories. Maria and her husband raised two wonderful sons, Joey and Karl. She adores her grandchildren, the Great Smoky Mountains of Tennessee, and mango-flavored iced tea. Other books by Maria include the Monster Moon Mystery series. She co-wrote the first two middle-grade books under the pseudonym BBH McChiller with her two ZomBuddies, Lynn Kelley and Kathryn Sant. Titles include Curse at Zala Manor and Secret of Haunted Bog. Both books are available as ebooks and hardback.

#BookReview: No Dawn For Men by James Le Pore and Carlos Davis @JimLePore

When I received this ARC in the mail I couldn't wait to get started reading. Historical fiction, literary greats, WWII adventure...add to that the fact that I had already become a James Le Pore fan when he shared his first writings with me and I was excited.

Ian Fleming really did work with the British Navy devising plots to foil the Nazis and JRR Tolkien's tales were popular in Nazi Germany, add a scholar of Norse mythology and what better plotline could there be?

Heroes abound in this account of heroic action; after all there was no short supply of heroes during WWII and if you're looking for action and daring deeds James Le Pore and Carlos Davis show they are no beginners when it comes sharing a tale of adventure.

If you are looking for expertly related plots and plans, adventure, emotion, suspense and thrills pre-order this gripping page turner today.

"Skillful strategizing, plot twists, strong emotion, continual action equals a novel by James LePore and shouldn’t be missed!" ~from James LePore Author Extraordinaire 

About James Le Pore

In 1999 I sold my law practice to write and take pictures full time. My photography can be seen atwww.nakedeyeimages.com. In 2008, I signed a four-book contract with The Story Plant, a small, agile publisher in Stamford, Connecticut. My first novel. 'A World I Never Made,' was released in April of 2009; the second, 'Blood of My Brother,' on December 25, 2010, and the third, 'Sons and Princes,' in April, 2011. Reviews are on my website, or just Google me. I have also written six short stories that stand alone as pieces of short fiction, but that are meant to accompany my first two novels. The first three of these was released in February, 2011, under the title, 'Anyone Can Die.'

Other reviews of James Le Pore novels  A World I Never Made by James LePore  

Gods and Fathers by James LePore

Book Trailer: Innocent Strangers

One of my favorite sub-genres is historical fiction. Will this new addition live up to expectations; does the plotted mystery keep you on the edge of your seat? Read it and let me know what you think!

A beautiful, wealthy heiress is murdered in the little mining town of Mt. Hope, Pennsylvania, at the height of the golden era of the coal and coke industry, and the town is left in shock. Hapless strangers, a father-and-daughter, are accused of murder and face hanging in this vengeful town. In preparing a defense, Jenny and Marcus uncover evil and corruption among the ruling coal-rich elite. Powerful, ruthless, and ambitious men are involved with this charming heiress, but which one is the murderer?

Valley Forge Prof Imagines Ulysses S. Grant in China

The Jenkins of Baltimore ~ A Victorian Romance

Emily Hill, who also authored 'Jenkins: Confederate Blockade Runner' has become one of my favorite historical fiction authors. 

A novel that sparkles with rich, Victorian, history. A sweeping saga that builds to an amazing climax as the fate of a dynasties - and its members - are revealed.
Based on a true story of a family whose accomplishments were closely followed by The Baltimore Sun at the turn of the last century.
Discover in these page the long-lost story of the French Canadian Wells sisters, who marry into the Jenkins empire, and die within one day of each other. Their deaths cast a pall on the prominent family for decades, leaving thirteen children motherless - according to obituaries whose typeface now fades with age.
Based on a true story that begins in Baltimore's Northend Belvedere District, and ends in one of the loneliest cemeteries in The South - the Greenwood Cemetery of St. Petersburg, Florida - where Spanish moss hangs from old oak trees and voodoo dolls decorate the landscape.
A narration rich in historical reference and family lore you will remember this epic whether you are a member of the Jenkins family, interested in Baltimore's history, or love Victorian Era romance. Book Trailer ~ Based on the True Story of One of Baltimore's Most Prominent Families

by publisher/novelist Emily Hill

My Lady Judge: A Mystery of Mideval Ireland

 I must thank Cora Harrison for her Burren series featuring Mara, Lady Judge. Published by St. Martin Griffin, August 19, 2008 we learn of the ancient Celtic laws governing the independent Burren kingdom.

500 years ago the May Day Festival is celebrated atop Mullaghmore Mountain with bonfires, singing and dancing lasting throughout the night. Hundreds ascend the mountain but one man doesn't return. Mara, a woman appointed by King Turlough Don O'Brien to be judge & lawgiver of his kingdom and who is also head of a law school for future brehons, must investigate.

Cora Harrison taught primary school for 25 years. She has published children's historical novels but this is her first novel for adults.