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Kimberly reviews The Pharaoh Key by Douglas Preston & Lincoln Child

pharoah keyTITLE: The Pharaoh Key
SERIES #: Gideon Crew #5
CHARACTERS: Gideon Crew
AUTHOR: Douglas Preston & Lincoln Child
PUBLICATION DATE: 06/12/18
ORDER LINKS: Amazon | B&N

BOOK SYNOPSIS:
Don’t miss the this exciting, New York Times bestselling adventure from Preston & Child, in which the secrets of a mysterious ancient tablet may point the way to untold treasure–or unspeakable danger.
“I just want to be crystal clear about this: if it has value, we’re gonna steal it. Are you with me?”
Effective Engineering Solutions has been inexplicably shut down and the head of the company, Eli Glinn, has all but vanished. Fresh off a diagnosis that gives him only months to live, Gideon Crew is contacted by one of his coworkers at EES, Manuel Garza, who tells him the two have mere hours to collect their belongings before the office closes forever. After years of dedicated service and several high-risk missions, theirs seems like the most ignoble of terminations-until Gideon and Garza happen upon an incredible discovery. After centuries of silence, a code-breaking machine at EES has cracked the long-awaited translation of a centuries-old stone tablet, the Phaistos Disc, that dates back to an otherwise completely unknown, ancient civilization. The mysteries of the message itself hint at incredible treasures, and perhaps even a world-altering secret. No one remains at EES to take on this most remarkable mission but Gideon and Garza. The two agree to solve the mystery of the disc’s message and split the spoils: the perfect parting gift their employer doesn’t know he has given. What lies at the end of the trail may save Gideon’s life-or bring it to a sudden, shocking close. As Gideon and Garza soon discover, some missions are more dangerous than others. But as Gideon has proved again and again, there’s no such thing as too great a risk when you’re living on borrowed time.

REVIEW:
Oh how I enjoy these authors. Any Preston/Child book is worth picking up. These books always keep me enraptured.

If you are a fan of movies like National Treasure or books by Brad Meltzer you will enjoy this series.

Gideon is a great character. Garza is really cool too.

You will be on the edge of your seat figuring out this secret.

Disclaimer:
I received a complimentary copy of the book in exchange for an honest review.

4 Hearts
4 Hearts

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Kimberly reviews Legends: Murder, Lies and Cover-Ups by David Gardner

legendsTITLE: Legends: Murder, Lies and Cover-Ups
CHARACTERS: Marilyn Monroe, Elvis Presley, Michael Jackson, Princess Diana & JFK
AUTHOR: David Gardner
PUBLICATION DATE: 05/15/18
ORDER LINKS: Amazon | B&N

BOOK SYNOPSIS:
If people famously remember where they were when JFK was assassinated, many also recall where they were and what they were doing when Elvis, Princess Diana, and Michael Jackson died. As for Marilyn Monroe, only now can the truth be told about how—and why—she died. After combing through thousands of recently declassified FBI files, interviewing key witnesses, crime analysts, and forensic experts, investigative writer David Gardner has unearthed new information. His book reveals that Elvis Presley may have signed his death warrant going undercover for the FBI; that Marilyn Monroe’s secret affairs with JFK and his brother, Robert, left her in the crosshairs of a lethal conspiracy; why Princess Diana’s death was no accident; who ordered President John F. Kennedy’s assassination; and how on three occasions Michael Jackson “died” of painkiller drug overdoses in the months before his death.

REVIEW:
So here is the thing we have all heard about these deaths… and all the conspiracies that go along with it. So that part of each celebrity death was not surprising but the thing I enjoyed the most was the little extra information that I had never heard before.

I would share a few but then you wouldn’t be as interested because you already knew it. Catch 22.

But I enjoyed the writing of this author. No section was overly long winded. Easy to sit and read a section about a celebrity and then put the book down for a bit.

If you enjoy this genre then this book is for you.

Disclaimer:
I received a complimentary copy of the book in exchange for an honest review.

4 Hearts
4 Hearts

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Kelly reviews Love And Other Wild Things By Molly Harper

love and other wild thingsTITLE: Love and Other Wild Things
SERIES #: Mystic Bayou #2
CHARACTERS: Zed & Dani
AUTHOR: Molly Harper
NARRATORS: Amanda Ronconi & Jonathan Davis
RUN TIME: 6 hours & 41 Minutes
PUBLICATION DATE: September 4, 2018
ORDER LINKS: Audible

BOOK SYNOPSIS:
Welcome to Mystic Bayou, a tiny town hidden in the swamp where shape-shifters, vampires, witches, and dragons live alongside humans. The town formed around the mysterious energy rift in the bayou, which helps keep the town’s magic in balance. But lately the rift has been widening and destabilizing – threatening to send the town’s magical population into chaos.
Energy witch Danica Teel has been sent by the League to figure out what’s going on, with the help of bear-shifter Mayor Zed. While working on the case, Zed falls head over paws for Dani, but she’s reluctant to engage in anything beyond a roll in his cave. Dani’s family is counting on her to get the job done, and she has no time for distractions. But when an ominous presence begins stalking Dani through the bayou, they’ll need to band together to make it out alive.

REVIEW:
4.5 Hearts Love & Other Wild Things is the second installment in Ms. Harper’s Mystic Bayou series. In this story we get to follow the smexy Mayor Zed and the lovely Witch Danica.
Ms. Harper does a great job of bring her classic wit and humor to Zed & Dani’s story. I love Dani’s obsession with llamas. I mean come on who doesn’t love llama?
I really enjoyed this story a lot. My only issue is that there are two narrators. I have a hard time with two narrators. It is not that I don’t like both narrators because both are equally amazing. I am not wild about the dual narration. I think it is more the change in how each character sounds that bugs me. Other then that I really enjoyed this story.

FYI: This is an audible only book.

Disclaimer:
I purchased this audio book and this review is my own opinion and not a paid review.

4 Hearts
4 Hearts

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Winter Romance Wednesday! Kimberly reviews Season Of Love by Jill Sanders

season of loveTITLE: Season Of Love
SERIES #: Pride Oregon #3
CHARACTERS: Lilly & Corey
AUTHOR: Jill Sanders
PUBLICATION DATE: 10/23/18
ORDER LINKS: Amazon | B&N

BOOK SYNOPSIS:
Head back to Pride Oregon to find out what some of your favorite Jill Sanders’ characters are up to.

Lilly Stevens didn’t have time to flirt anymore, and that was a real shame since the man of her dreams was right next door. Opening a boutique, Classy and Sassy, with her cousin has taken all of her free time, and her spending money. Still, it’s hard to say no to the sandy-blonde haired man with sexy green eyes and a killer smile. Not to mention, the man could make her laugh, which was one of the most important items on her list of potential loves of her life.

Corey and his twin, Carter have finally achieved their lifelong dreams of being on their own. Finally, they can have a normal life, even if their shared dark history has forced them to be leery of letting anyone in. But the little town of Pride has a way of shedding light in the darkest corners. Now, the sexy girl-next-door has caught his eye, but she’s too perfect for someone with his history, even if her crystal slate eyes and lush pouty lips demanded his attention.

REVIEW:
I had a bit of a hard time with this book. Lilly seems needy and desperate. And Corey is not very alpha. MInd you I don’t need a hero who is pure alpha but he just never seemed to have much of a backbone…especially when it came to Lilly.

Story is fine and interesting. I enjoyed the background characters.,

Disclaimer:
I received a complimentary copy of the book in exchange for an honest review.

3hearts-68-77

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Kelly reviews Changeling by Molly Harper

changelingTITLE: Changeling
SERIES #: Sorcery and Society #1
CHARACTERS: Cassandra Reed
AUTHOR: Molly Harper
NARRATOR: Amanda Ronconi
PUBLICATION DATE: August 22, 2018
ORDER LINKS: Audible | Amazon | B&N

BOOK SYNOPSIS:
Magic and Manners Book 1
If 14-year-old Cassandra Reed makes it through her first day at Miss Castwell’s Institute for the Magical Instruction of Young Ladies without anyone discovering her secret, maybe, just maybe, she’ll let herself believe that she really does belong at Miss Castwell’s.
Except Cassandra Reed’s real name is Sarah Smith and up until now, she lived her whole life in the Warren, serving a magical family, the Winters, as all non-magical “Snipes” are bound by magical Guardian law to do. That is, until one day, Sarah accidentally levitates Mrs. Winter’s favorite vase in the parlor…
But Snipes aren’t supposed to have magical powers…and the existence of a magical Snipe threatens the world order dictated during the Guardians’ Restoration years ago. If she wants to keep her family safe and protect her own skin, Sarah must figure out how to fit into posh Guardian society, master her newfound magical powers and discover the truth about how an ordinary girl can become magical.

REVIEW:
FYI: This is a Young Adult book and therefore doesn’t have as much snark and sassiness as all of Molly’s past books. But this is a great book for your kids to read to introduce them to the amazing talents that are Molly Harper and Amanda Ronconi.

Changeling was a great start to Molly Harper’s newest series. I don’t normally ready YA books anymore but I wanted to read this because I love Molly and Amanda! Changeling follows young Sarah Smith as she tries to comes to grips with her new found magic!
I had the joy of listening to Changeling narrated by the amazing Amanda Ronconi. I will tell you that I had to look at my audible a couple times as the story started. I was expecting the the soothing southern voice of books of past. The “English” version of Amanda was a bit of a shock! But I still loved it! I loved to hear something different from Amanda!!!

This book is perfect for your youngsters that are looking for a new series to start!!

Can’t wait to see what is next in this series.

Disclaimer:
I purchased this audiobook and this review is my own opinion and not a paid review. I also received a complimentary copy of this book from Netgalley & INscribe Digital in exchange for an honest review. This review is my own opinion and not a paid review.

4 Hearts
4 Hearts

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Kimberly reviews The Other Lady Vanishes by Amanda Quick

other lady vanishesTITLE: The Other Lady Vanishes
SERIES #: Burning Cove #2
CHARACTERS: Adelaide & Jake
AUTHOR: Amanda Quick
PUBLICATION DATE: 05/08/18
ORDER LINKS: Amazon | B&N

BOOK SYNOPSIS:
The New York Times bestselling author of The Girl Who Knew Too Much sweeps readers back to 1930s California–where the most dazzling of illusions can’t hide the darkest secrets…

After escaping from a private sanitarium, Adelaide Blake arrives in Burning Cove, California, desperate to start over. Working at an herbal tea shop puts her on the radar of those who frequent the seaside resort town: Hollywood movers and shakers always in need of hangover cures and tonics. One such customer is Jake Truett, a recently widowed businessman in town for a therapeutic rest. But unbeknownst to Adelaide, his exhaustion is just a cover.

In Burning Cove, no one is who they seem. Behind facades of glamour and power hide drug dealers, gangsters, and grifters. Into this make-believe world comes psychic to the stars Madame Zolanda. Adelaide and Jake know better than to fall for her kind of con. But when the medium becomes a victim of her own dire prediction and is killed, they’ll be drawn into a murky world of duplicity and misdirection.

Neither Adelaide or Jake can predict that in the shadowy underground they’ll find connections to the woman Adelaide used to be–and uncover the specter of a killer who’s been real all along…

REVIEW:
3.5 Hearts I just love the works of Amanda Quick/Jayne Ann Krentz. Staying old school she keeps her alias’ when she writes her historical romance. I prefer her writing in current time to be honest.

This is the second in the series and I suggest you read the first one first. The asylum was interesting. The romance was just ok. I had a hard time with the background characters in this book and I think that took away from the story a bit.

I have to say being a fan of Krentz/Quick I rate her books based on her own writings and this was just not as high as most.

Disclaimer:
I received a complimentary copy of the book in exchange for an honest review.

3hearts-68-77

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Kimberly reviews The Crooked Staircase by Dean Koontz

crooked staircaseTITLE: The Crooked Staircase
SERIES #: Jane Hawk #3
CHARACTERS: Jane Hawk
AUTHOR: Dean Koontz
PUBLICATION DATE: 05/08/18
ORDER LINKS: Amazon | B&N

BOOK SYNOPSIS:
“I could be dead tomorrow. Or something worse than dead.”

Jane Hawk knows she may be living on borrowed time. But as long as she’s breathing, she’ll never cease her one-woman war against the terrifying conspiracy that threatens the freedom–and free will–of millions. Battling the strange epidemic of murder-suicides that claimed Jane’s husband, and is escalating across the country, has made the rogue FBI agent a wanted fugitive, relentlessly hunted not only by the government but by the secret cabal behind the plot. Deploying every resource their malign nexus of power and technology commands, Jane’s enemies are determined to see her dead . . . or make her wish she was.

Jane’s ruthless pursuers can’t stop her from drawing a bead on her prey: a cunning man with connections in high places, a twisted soul of unspeakable depths with an army of professional killers on call. Propelled by her righteous fury and implacable insistence on justice, Jane will make her way from southern California to the snow-swept slopes of Lake Tahoe to confront head-on the lethal forces arrayed against her. But nothing can prepare her for the chilling truth that awaits when she descends the crooked staircase to the dark and dreadful place where her long nightmare was born.

REVIEW:
This is the third in the series and I would suggest reading the other two books before reading this one.

I really enjoyed this character. Jane is capable and not a princess in need of rescue type. She can do it all herself.

The other thing is this is set in Lake Tahoe which I visited a number of times so I was really able to “see” the scenes as they played out.

A very enjoyable read.

Disclaimer:
I received a complimentary copy of the book in exchange for an honest review.

4 Hearts
4 Hearts