Traveling Light

traveling-light Author: Lynne Branard

Publisher: Berkley

Release Date: January 10, 2017

Reviewer: Jennifer S. Roman

North Carolinian Alissa Wells is responsible, punctual, and dependable. She even lives in the same house she grew up in, so she has lived in her same home for over 30 years. In all that time, it hasn’t bothered her that her life has gone on at an even keel, but when she goes through items she bought at a storage locker auction, she starts to question everything. While going through her “winnings,” Al, as she is known to her friends and family, finds the ashes of a man she learns was named Roger Hart of New Mexico. Feeling some compulsion to return Roger to his home, she takes time a month off work from her editor job at her father’s small-town newspaper and sets out in her ancient VW with her three-legged dog, Casserole.

Almost immediately, Al finds another passenger in a teenaged waitress named Blossom. She meets Blossom at one of the restaurants she visits one of the first days on the road, and Blossom asks Al if she can join her. After learning that Blossom is going to see her father following a personal hardship, Al agrees, and the next thing she knows, Al has a chatty companion and a facebook account. Somehow Blossom has set up an account without Al knowing it and has “friended” Al’s high school crush, Phillip. Before she knows it, her travels are being documented on facebook, and she is receiving texts from Phillip, who divorced a few years ago. Eventually, Blossom and Al are joined by Blossom’s ex boyfriend Dillon, and they make their way westward.

What starts out as a journey for someone else becomes a personal one as Al learns a lot from her trip and realizes that her life is just existing; she decides to start living her life instead. Through her new friendship with Blossom and all that it entails, as well as her changed relationship with her father, Al is able to let go of a lot of baggage and do what makes herself happy. She learns more about herself and that not everything has a happy ending; rather, it’s up to the individual to make the most of what is out there. Most importantly, she learns that it is vital to look to the future instead of worrying about the past.

I enjoyed this book immensely and enjoyed how the story unfolded. It read as a memoir of someone who has taken a similar journey, but it is strictly a work of fiction. The book reads easily and is very easy to understand; the characters are likeable even with their flaws (well, most of them). Rather than make everything sunshine and rainbows, Branard creates characters that are human, and therefore not always good people. She shows that not everyone changes or realizes how they treat others, and that those other people act accordingly. I enjoyed getting to know all of the characters, even though I may not have liked them all.

There is some profanity that may be offensive to some readers, but other than that and one couple conceiving a baby out of wedlock, there is no mention of violence, assault, or other objectionable behaviors. I found the book to be heartwearming, fun, and “light.” It definitely does not take on the dark side of something like Thelma and Louise, but instead proves to be a fun and inspirational read. Older teens and adults alike should enjoy this book.

Batgirl at Super Hero High

batgirl Author: Lisa Yee

Narrator: Mae Whitman

Series: DC Super Hero Girls #3

Publisher: Random House Books for Young Readers

Release Date: January 3, 2017

Rating: 5 Stars

Reviewer: Jessica Higgins

Batgirl takes the stage as Super Hero High’s newest super, but can she stand up to her first face off with a super villain?

Barbara Gordon has been working in the tech department at Super Hero High and loves being around all of the super heroes, especially her best friend Supergirl. But she has an alter ego called Batgirl. She has managed to stay in the shadows until Supergirl calls her out for helping save Super Hero High. This gesture offers her enrollment to the high school from Principal Waller, but there is still one person not happy that she has been fighting crime, her father. Gotham City police commissioner Gordon has spent his life trying to keep his daughter safe and wants nothing more for her to be normal. But eventually even he sees that she deserves a chance at Super Hero High.

As Batgirl attends Super Hero High, she finds that she has less in common with the supers than she had originally thought. Even so, she is still a tech wiz and gets the chance to be on a game show with some of the highest tech minds in the world. She wins the show, but at a cost of having one of the contestants carry a personal vendetta against her. When one of her inventions starts wreaking havoc on the internet throughout the world, Batgirl knows that she must dig deep within herself to fix what has happened. If she can’t, civilization as we know it may be doomed.

I was provided with an audio version of this book to review. Typically I shy away from audio books after a bad experience with a monotone narrator on an early morning drive. Big mistake. However, I decided to give this a try and I was very impressed. Mae Whitman did a terrific job narrating throughout the book. She kept me engaged and did a perfect job of inflection at just the right times. I really enjoyed the story and wished I had the previous two books to listen to as well to get me caught up on the story. Lisa Yee did a great job bringing together all of the DC comic super heroes and casting them as teenagers. Harley Quinn’s personality really took center stage, but I enjoyed the way she played out Katana, Cheetah, and several others. This is a really great series for young readers to either read or listen. Highly recommended.

I received a complimentary copy of this book from the publisher. The views and opinions expressed throughout are mine.

A Moonbow Night

a-moonbow-night Author: Laura Frantz

Publisher: Revell

Release Date: January 3, 2017

Rating: 4 Stars

Reviewer: Jessica Higgins

Step back into prerevolutionary Kentucke with a tale befitting Daniel Boone himself.

Temperance Tucker has always been smart living out in the Kentucke wilderness with her family. She’s a good shot and quiet as a mouse when out and about in the woods. In fact, people only hear her if she wants to be heard. But she has had her share of family tragedy with her father’s expulsion from Virginia and her own romance’s tragic end. She is content with being at the family home of the Moonbow Inn which has the occasional traveler, mostly surveyors and such. But when Sion Morgan appears in the wilderness one day, she starts to see more to the man than meets the eye. He too has had his share of tragedy in the wilderness, but is now content being a surveyor partner with a map maker for the King. But when the local natives start to close in around their establishments to get them out of the land, can any type of romance succeed? More importantly, will anybody live through it?

Throughout much of this book I found myself drifting back to Last of the Mohicans by James Fenimore Cooper. Partly because of when it is set, but also just the dynamic between the characters. This one was interesting because of the Kentucky frontier and how everything tied into Daniel Boone. I love it when a story makes me go do my own research to compare the facts to the fiction. Frantz did a great job with the back story of the murder of James Boone and how that tied into Tempe’s life. The scene where Five Killer has captured Sion’s survey team and is leading them back to hack to his camp really paralleled the final scene in Last of the Mohicans as well. I’d say that the author is a fan of this time period and probably of all of The Leatherstocking Tales as well.

If this era of time is of you interest, I highly recommend this book. If you are just a fan of historical fiction, give this one a try as well. Well done.

I received a complimentary copy of this book from the publisher. The views and opinions expressed within are my own.

An Unsettling Crime for Samuel Craddock

samuel-craddock Author: Terry Shames

Series: Samuel Craddock #6

Publisher: 7th Street Books

Release Date: January 3, 2017

Rating: 4 Stars

Reviewer: Jessica Higgins

A prequel to the series that shows how he got his start with a very disturbing case that will leave you guessing till the end.

In the small town of Jarrett Creek, a fire on the outskirts of town sends the fire department running. Once the blaze is out, it is discovered that the fire was set to cover up the murder of five young black people. Samuel Craddock has just been appointed chief of police after finishing his time in the Air Force and finds himself on the outside of an investigation headed by the Texas Highway Patrol and a racist trooper, John Sutherland. When an arrest is made in the murders, Craddock has a hard time believing the accused is guilty. Truly Bennett, a young black man that has been working with Samuel is the last person he would expect involved in such a crime. Sutherland dismisses all of Craddock’s claims that he has the wrong man saying he has evidence that points to Truly being guilty. When Samuel refuses to accept Sutherlands findings he takes on his own investigation knowing it could put him and his family in danger. He also knows if he doesn’t, he might not be able to look himself in the mirror knowing he let an innocent man go to prison.

This is set as a prequel to the Samuel Craddock series, of which I haven’t read any, but that didn’t seem to be a problem with my understanding of this story. The story itself was good. You do have to keep in mind that this is not set in present day, even though a lot of it could be relevant to the here and now. Samuel Craddock is trying to get himself established as police chief and before he can even get started he is almost run out of town with his first case. The characters for the most part fit the story, a few name choices could have been changed to help ease understanding (Tilly/Truly, etc). I liked that the chapters were short and concise, along with the entire story. There was some language and themes that keep this from being recommended to a younger audience but is a good read for its intended targeted readers. However, I can’t say that anything in particular stood out to me as being great or exceptional. If you are looking for a quick read that does the investigation for you this is a great book to go with.

I received a complimentary copy of this book from the publisher. The views and opinions expressed within are my own.

Purgatory Road

purgatory-road Author: Samuel Parker

Publisher: Revell

Release Date: January 3, 2017

Rating: 5 Stars

Reviewer: Jessica Higgins

A dark and twisted tale of survival in a remote part of the country where there is more to fear than you can imagine.

Jack and Laura are on a little vacation in Las Vegas to try and spark something back into their relationship. Jack wants a day out of the city so they set off on an adventure that turns into more than they can handle. On a road in the middle of nowhere, the car breaks down and leaves them stranded in the desert. As the hours pass and their supplies dwindle, they begin to wonder if anyone will come down the road to rescue them. Rescue does come, but not in the form they would expect. A desert hermit stumbles upon them and takes them back to his trailer further into the desert. They are grateful for the help, but soon realize he isn’t helping them get home. One night the hermit comes back with a kidnapped girl he found in a cave. It doesn’t take long for Jack and Laura to realize that their vacation has turned into a nightmare. Jack wants to go for help as it might be their only way to survive. What he doesn’t realize is by leaving Laura alone the kidnapper has an opening to get back what was taken from him and more.

Purgatory Road is a gripping tale of what can happen when we take what we have for granted and to be aware of those around us. Jack doesn’t think or seem to really care about his wife very much anymore. It takes going through a terrifying ordeal for him to realize how much he needs to be there for her and what he needs to do to be the husband she needs. Boots, the hermit, was a very interesting character. He was there to help but in his own special way. Seth was like the little devil on your shoulder pushing people down the wrong path. The way Parker wove these characters together made the story a riveting tale that was hard to put down. This is the kind of novel that could easily be read in a single sitting. I had a hard time liking Jack till the very end, but I think that is the way Parker intended it. He’s not very likeable until he realizes the changes he needs to make. I liked that Laura and Jack had these issues they needed to work through and the way the story made them do it. Life can be tough plain and simple. When you throw in the worst humanity has to offer, it can be too much for some without having a little faith to survive. I recommend this to those looking for answers to some difficult questions and want a gripping tale to help them along the way.

If this sounds interesting to you, click here to purchase from Amazon.

I received a complimentary copy of this book from the publisher. The views and opinions expressed within are my own.

Courage to Soar

courage-to-soar Author: Simone Biles

Publisher: Zondervan

Release Date: November 15, 2016

Rating: 4.5 Stars

Reviewer: Jessica Higgins

An Olympic Gold medalist shows how she came to be one of the top athletes in the world.

Many Olympic athletes know from a very early age that they want to go for the gold. Simone Biles start in the world of gymnastics came about in a rather unconventional way.

She was born in Ohio but had a rocky start. Her mom wasn’t able to take care of her and her siblings. She and her younger sister were eventually adopted by her grandparents, who she considers mom and dad. One day, her daycare took a field trip to a local gym. It was quickly obvious to all those at the gym that she had God-given talent and passion for the sport of gymnastics. Through years of hard work, her family was her rock keeping her focused and positive and also helping her to enjoy the thing she loved most. Along the way there were some highs and lows and through it all Simone continued to look to God for guidance and rely on her family as she learned some of the hardest lessons in life.

It is nice to read a story of someone so accomplished and see how they have stayed grounded as well as understand the difficulties they have faced. When you look at many of these Olympic athletes that are still so young, it can make any ordinary person feel that their accomplishments might not amount to much. We all have to remember that just because we don’t have gold medals, the things we do in life are important nonetheless. Simone Biles shows that she is normal in many ways. Throughout her years of training she had her bad mood moments and even went through a bratty phase. There were times she didn’t perform as well as she would have liked, but she never let it keep her down. During those moments, she found the courage to get up and try again. She attributes a lot of her success to her family and coaches that continued to push her to always reach her full potential.

I enjoyed the way the book was written giving a real glimpse inside her life and the bad moments. She didn’t just gloss over the negative aspects of life and focus on the good. This book goes under the category of inspiration and it lives up to that. There is a lot of inspiration that can be taken away from the stories here. I love that she talks about only being four foot eight inches tall and that’s ok. I’m short and sometimes it can make you feel invisible, not something that can be said about Simone Biles. She is a good role model for young girls to look up to.

Overall this was a very enjoyable read and I would recommend to fans of Biles along with those that enjoy a good inspirational read. There were a few typos that I feel could have been taken care of with an extra read through but still a great book.

I received a complimentary copy of this book from the publisher. The views and opinions expressed within are my own.

The Chemist

the-chemist Author: Stephenie Meyer

Publisher: Little Brown & Co.

Release Date: November 8, 2016

Rating: 4 Stars

Reviewer: Jessica Higgins

A surprisingly good read that keeps you guessing and rooting for the characters survival.

After being on the run for three years trying to stay alive, Juliana must do one more job to clear her name. Juliana might be her real name but it’s not one she has gone by in the last three years. She has had to change her identity several times over the years to stay hidden. She used to work for the U.S. Government, not something many ever knew. She was the one they called on as a last resort to get information needed. She liked to refer to herself as The Chemist. In order to get secrets out of even the hardest to break, all she had to do was administer a few chemicals and wait for them to do their magic. When she saw something she wasn’t supposed to see, she became a liability. They want her dead. Then she gets a cryptic email from her former handler, one last job to clear her name and ensure her safety. She thinks it is too good to be true but has to find out more. When she has the subject in a safe place and begins the process of extracting information, she quickly finds out that she was not given all the details. It doesn’t take long for her to realize she has even fewer choices than she did before coming out of hiding and her life is now in more danger than ever. Without knowing who to trust, she ends up forming an alliance with an unlikely partner in order to ensure both their safety and survival.

I’ll admit, I was a little skeptical when starting this. I read the Twilight series almost ten years ago and really enjoyed. Now, as I look back at them after having read many, many more books, I feel they could have been written better. But Stephanie Meyer was a first time writer at that point and even if they were not written as well as others out there, they sold like crazy so it really doesn’t matter. A decade later, I am pleased to say Meyer’s writing has greatly improved. I found The Chemist an overall improvement. At times it did seem to drag a smidge and it could probably stand to cut close to a hundred pages and make the story flow better. If you were to take out some of the unnecessary fluff, it would be a top notch thriller. With that being said, I did enjoy this much more than anticipated. The tension at the end, where it mattered most was delivered beautifully. These characters had some real spunk to them. The main character did get a bit confusing at times with the name changes but wasn’t too difficult to follow. If this is an avenue that Meyer plans to continue writing down I see a bright future for her and an audience ready to read whatever she puts on the shelf.

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Looking at 2017

As we close out 2016, we can’t help but think of the books that we are most looking forward to next year. Tomorrow we will be posting new reviews, but until then, check out the ten books that we are most looking forward to for 2017.

Firstborn by Tosca Lee. Releases on May 2nd. No cover art yet, but the sequel to The Progeny promises to be just as spectacular. Find out more.
The Trapped Girl by Robert Dugoni.Releases January 24th. The next Tracy Crosswhite novel is rumored to be the best yet! Find out more.
Every Deadly Kiss by Steven James. Releases July 4th. Patrick Bowers is back another serial killer on the loose. Find out more.
If I’m Found by Terri Blackstock. Releases March 21st. The next in the series should prove as worthy as the first two. Find out more.
Crown of Souls by Ronie Kendig. Not sure of release date, but will be looking forward to the next book in the Tox series. Find our more.
The Divide by Jolina Petersheim. Releases June 6th. We have to find out what happens next in this exciting take on dystopia. Find out more.
Some Small Magic by Billy Coffey. Releases March 14th. Coffey’s never steered us wrong before and we believe he will deliver again. Find out more.
The Illusionist’s Apprentice by Kristy Cambron. Releases March 7th. After Cambron’s fantastic book about Mabel Ringling, we are super excited for a story about Jenny Lockhart. Find out more.
Before We Were Yours by Lisa Wingate. Releases June 6th. We were sad that Wingate didn’t have a novel released in 2016 so we’re super hyped about this one. Find out more.
Betrayal At Iga by Susan Spann. Releases July 11th. Can’t wait to continue the story of Hiro Hattori and Father Mateo. An unlikely pair with a winning combination. Find out more.

Top Books for 2016

2016 was a great year for books and we had a hard time narrowing down all the genres to only 10 total. So we decided we didn’t have to. Instead we are doing our top 10% books for the year. Happy Reading!

Progeny

Top Pick

The Progeny by Tosca Lee

This was by far our favorite book of the year. Read it and you will find out why.

Read the full review.

Dark matter

Runner-Up

Dark Matter by Blake Crouch

Fast paced and mind bending, this will keep you thinking.

Read the full review.

Jake Palmer

The Long Journey to Jake Palmer by James L. Rubart

Another book that will keep you thinking.

Read the full review.

The Alliance

The Alliance by Jolina Petersheim

Amish fiction with a dystopian twist? Did she just create a new genre?

Read the full review.

There Will Be Stars

There will be Stars by Billy Coffey

We haven’t found a Billy Coffey book that we haven’t loved, but this one dives even deeper.

Read the full review.

A torch against the night

A Torch Against the Night by Sabaa Tahir

We love this book, series, and author. You’ll see why it was our top YA pick.

Read the full review.

Ninja's Daughter

The Ninja’s Daughter by Susan Spann

Who doesn’t love a great police procedural set in Samurai Japan? If you find you love this book, check out the entire series.

Read the full review.

Remnants3

Remnants: Season of Glory

The only thing that made us sad about this book was that it closes the trilogy. I once heard someone say the best trilogies have four books.

Read the full review.

Everything we keep

Everything we Keep by Kerry Lonsdale

Probably our favorite debut novel of the year. Great contemporary with a little supernatural mix.

Read the full review.

Ringmasters wife

The Ringmaster’s Wife by Kristy Cambron

Cambron has never let us down and throwing in the Ringling Brothers made it that much more exciting.

Read the full review.

Curse

Curse by Steven James

Need a good YA thriller? Steven James will make sure you are beyond satisfied.

Read the full review.

In the Clearing

In the Clearing by Robert Dugoni

The Tracy Crosswhite series is one of the best detective series out there. Dugoni is a master storyteller in this series.

Read the full review.

the-whiskey-sea

The Whiskey Sea by Ann Howard Creel

This book was a surprise to us, but it was a very good surprise.

Read the full review.

consiparcy-of-silence

Conspiracy of Silence by Ronie Kendig

In the market for a good military thriller? Look no further.

Read the full review.

child-of-the-river

Child of the River by Irma Joubert

Great historical fiction that makes it feel personal.

Read the full review.

Panacea

Panacea by F. Paul Wilson

Medical thriller? This is the cure!

Read the full review.

wild-montana-skies

Wild Montana Skies by Susan May Warren

Western romance craving? Here’s your fix.

Read the full review.

Top 5 Suspense/Thrillers

Our second thriller category is based on suspense. Love a good read that will keep you up all night? Check out any of these titles.

Progeny

1st Place

The Progeny by Tosca Lee

The first book in this new series will keep you on your toes. Lee’s use of twist and turns will keep surprising you until the last page.

Read the full review.

Panacea

2nd Place

Panacea by F. Paul Wilson

Twists, turns, and secret societies will keep you wanting more. A medical thriller searching for a cure and those trying to keep it contained make for a sure winner.

Read the full review.

Operation Zulu

3rd Place

Operation Zulu by Ronie Kendig

A fast paced, military thriller with so many twists and turns you might not see them all till the very end!

Read the full review.

consiparcy-of-silence

4th Place

Conspiracy of Silence by Ronie Kendig

An unleashed plague, kidnapping, and a disgraced federal agent called back into action to save the world. What more could you ask for?

Read the full review.

Code 13

5th Place

Code 13 by Don Brown

The second book in the JAG series keeps us reminiscing about the TV series. But the suspense is even greater!

Read the full review.