Wednesday, October 28, 2015

CFBA Book Spotlight: Deadlock by DiAnn Mills

Q for the Author: What can you tell us about Deadlock?

Two murders have rocked the city of Houston. Are they the work of a serial killer, or is acopycat trying to get away with murder?

That is the question facing Special Agent Bethany Sanchez, who is eager for her new assignment in violent crimes but anxious about meeting her new partner. Special Agent Thatcher Graves once arrested her brother, and he has a reputation for being a maverick. Plus, their investigative styles couldn’t be more opposite: he operates on instinct, while she goes by the book.

When hot leads soon fizzle out, their differences threaten to leave them deadlocked. But an attempt on their lives turns up the heat and brings them closer together, and a third victim might yield the clue that will help them zero in on a killer. This could be the case of their careers . . . if they can survive long enough to solve it.

Monday, October 26, 2015

It by Stephen King--Audiobook


I originally wanted to do 31 Days of Thrills and Chills in October. Hahahaha. I'm so out of practice.

No but seriously, horror is one of my favorite genres and you can really indulge in October because it's expected. I'm hoping I can still crank out a few of the posts I wanted to, but I figure I better start!

Lately these days, I mostly listen to audiobooks because I can do that while I'm working. Audio is still a bit tricky for me, though, I am still looking for stuff that will keep my attention. And I really wanted scary books for October. Did you know this was my first Stephen King? Well technically my second--I listened to another short audio novella, but this was the first real experience I think. And I randomly chose It because I thought it was more of a horror story and really all I knew about it was that there was a scary clown and the idea of a scary clown being the premise just seemed absurd to me, so.

Oh my gosh I had no idea what I was getting into. Halfway through I decided to look up stuff and discovered this book is considered a sort of turning point for his work, it's one of his longest, etc etc.

It was mostly good, a few really awful things that might have had thematic significance but I wish weren't in there, and a ridiculous ending as I have come to expect from seeing movies, lol. And at times, I was bored.

It, in case you don't know, is about a small town in Maine that by all accounts has nothing really going for it and harbors a dark mysterious evil force that terrorizes and eats children basically. It shows up to them as the thing they fear most and it's really scary!

Basically, though, a long time ago, a group of friends (all boys and one girl!) thought they defeated this evil monster, but made a vow to come back if it ever resurfaced. They then forgot everything about their friendship and childhood and they all moved away until the force reawakens and the only one who stayed behind calls them all back.

So the story kind of takes you back to their childhood while also telling you what's going on in their present lives and it's loooong. Pretty much everything about the girl's storyline is terrible and cringeworthy. There is a hate crime that opens the book that is awful and lots of bullying throughout.

But still kind of interesting. An interesting examination of fear, I think. But if you want to know the best thing about this book, it's the narrator. Stephen Weber just does an absolutely phenomenal job, I probably never would have stuck with it if it was read by your average run of the mill audio book narrator. He really embodied the characters, each one of them, including IT, and handles the stuttering character like a pro, etc. I really cannot say enough good things. You know what he's doing currently? He's on iZombie :)

Anyway! There are quick brief, overdue thoughts about IT. Have you guys read it or seen the movie? Apparently a new movie is in the works. I hope they cut out all the stuff about Beverly. They probably will since if they include everything it will be two days long.



Amy

Wednesday, October 21, 2015

Book Spotlight: Promise to Keep by Elizabeth Younts

About the Book: World War II Marine Joe Garrison returns home from war longing to be a father to his deaf daughter, Daisy, only to find that she is attached to Esther Detweiler, the Amish woman who has raised her since his wife’s death in this touching historical romance.

Orphaned as a child, Esther Detweiler is used to caring for herself and her ailing grandmother. They made the best out of a hard life and poverty without asking for help. They even take in her shunned cousin’s deaf daughter, Daisy, when her mother dies and her father goes off to war. When Esther’s grandmother dies, Daisy is all she has.

When war veteran Joe Garrison returns, all he can think about is recovering from the horrors of war and building a relationship with his seven-year-old daughter. Daisy, however, is unwilling to leave Esther, whom she loves. Joe and Daisy get to know each other again, but Joe struggles with nightmares and fatherhood is proving to be more difficult than he imagined. Esther loves Daisy and despite her Amish ways, Joe finds himself drawn to her as a woman and not just a caregiver.

As their love blossoms, Joe decides to send Daisy away to a school for the deaf which propels their lives into turmoil and a battle for love and family.

Wednesday, October 14, 2015

CFBA Book Spotlight: Lightning by Bonnie Calhoun

About the Book: After she found her real father, life for Selah should have felt settled. But the horrors have just begun. In her broken world of toxic earth and tribal clashes, Selah must battle the forces of nature alongside those in the Mountain who are calling for her blood. Haunted by the pain of mounting losses, she forges on, seeking her lost family and uncovering new mysteries. But the ultimate betrayal of her own body may soon make her quest impossible as it becomes apparent that what has made her new could also drive her to a life of madness.

Wednesday, October 7, 2015

CFBA Book Spotlight: Firefly Summer by Kathleen Y'Barbo

About the Book: A new cowboy romance from award-winning author Kathleen Y'Barbo.

Trey’s biggest challenge isn’t performing surgery…it’s restoring Sessa’s heart!

Artist Sessa Chambers may never recover from losing her prodigal son. Even as she grieves the tragic decisions that led to his death, and left her with a toddler to raise, she’s asked to work on her dream project—restoring carousel horses for the Smithsonian. But she can’t do it on her own…

Dr. Trey Brown can’t pick up a scalpel again. Yes, he acted in self-defense, but the events of that awful night haunt him. He was trained to save lives, not take them. When he goes to the young man’s widowed mother to apologize, she’s not at all what he expected. For one thing, she’s not as alone as he thought—not with the fearsome ladies of the Pies, Books, and Jesus Book Club in her corner. For another, she’s beautiful, and being in her presence is more jolting than any eight-second bronco ride from his former rodeo days. Before he knows it, she’s captured his heart as easily as they capture the fireflies gracing Sessa’s Texas ranch.

How can they overcome their past to embrace a future together?