Review: Marvel's Black Panther: Sins of the King

Marvel's Black Panther: Sins of the King by Ira Madison III
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Very odd little book. What I thought was going to be a comic or graphic novel was not, it was a flat out novel or mini-novel, if you will, of the Black Panther. And because it turned out to be so short it was so jam packed with action, it was as if they wanted to make sure they didn’t miss anything in those few pages. So I’m not sure if there will be more to this book at a later time and this is just a teaser as to what’s to come or if this is it. It was just weird, in my opinion.

I won this book in a Goodreads Giveaway.

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Review: They All Had A Reason: A rumor. A secret. A lie. A murder.

They All Had A Reason: A rumor. A secret. A lie. A murder. by Michele Leathers
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Twists and Turns

This wild ride certainly packs a punch and did not disappoint. From the very first page it draws you into a self centered teen world of friends, secrets, rumors, lies, boys, a party, deception, a murder, and then quite an extensive job to frame someone else. The story itself was great with a lot of twists and turns that will have you guessing until the very end. Some of it is a bit far fetched and frustrating as far as the main character doing investigating on her own while lying or withholding information from the cops. Also it was infuriating that while she is dealing with these allegations her mother leaves her alone to travel for work. Nope! If that were my daughter you better believe that I would be there every step of the way! And her friends all turn on her too. This book really takes you through a series of emotions as a friend, as a parent, as a human, and has an ending that you really don't see coming.

I won this book in a Goodreads Giveaway.

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Review: Secret Santa

Secret Santa by Andrew Shaffer
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

A Paranormal Holiday Read

Honestly, I didn't really know what to expect with this book so I didn't have any expectations except that it was around Christmas and it may be scary and/or spooky. The only thing Christmas about it was the party and the gift exchange at Lussi's new job at a publishing company where she wasn't expecting a gift since she had just started and, well, she wasn't exactly welcomed with opened arms. After receiving this gift different things begin to happen around the office. Are they all hazings due to Lussi being new or does it have to do with her gift?

This was a very interesting book and once I started it I couldn't put it down. I didn't find it scary in a horror sense but more creepy, which I tend to enjoy. The writing was easy to follow and the characters quite quirky and some a little out there. Quick read if you get the chance.

I won this book in a Goodreads Giveaway.

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Review: The Wednesday Sisters

The Wednesday Sisters by Meg Waite Clayton
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

I don't know where to begin with this book. I didn't love it but I didn't hate it either. I really enjoyed the friendship between this group of women. What started out as a meeting in the park between five women, and watching it grow into a fabulous friendship, and following that throughout the book was very heartwarming. The way they stuck by each other through the good times and the bad, the way they had disagreements and would put those aside to stand by one another was a true testament to what friendship is all about. Some of the women were writers and some of them not but they would encourage one another to write, critique one another's work, and lift each other up to bigger and better things.

Unfortunately, the writing style was very flat, there was no depth to the characters, and everything seemed very glossed over and very surface. There was so much history jammed in here too, I mean so much it made my head spin.

Overall, the storyline had potential and was good, the characters could have been developed a little bit more, but in the end it was a heartwarming, good friendship, easy kinda read.

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Review: The Children's Train

The Children's Train by Viola Ardone
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

As a lot of you know I am not a huge fan of historical fiction, especially when it comes to WWII. However, something about this book intrigued me enough to want to read it, and since it wasn’t directly a Germany WWII plot it made it all that much more desirable.

The Children’s Train is a work of fiction based on true events. It has been previously published in other countries but is now being released in the U.S. in English. The story is set in southern Italy in the aftermath of WWII, which is suffering with poverty, disease, and all the affects of war. A Communist women’s political party has put together a plan to save the children in southern Italy by putting them on a train and sending them to northern Italy to be placed with foster families to keep them safe, healthy, and fed for as little as a few months or as long as indefinitely.

The story follows young Amerigo, whose single mother seemed very detached from the beginning, which is infuriating, and the stories/lies he is told about his trip, the adventures along the way, and what happens when he arrives with his new family. When it is time for him to return to his mother, will things have changed or will it be better off for him to remain with his foster family?

Two things that I did not like about this book. 1) I didn’t like the fact that towards the end it flashed forward many years to him as an adult seemingly skipping over a large chunk of the story. So what happened? We know a little bit but not too terribly much. 2) There aren’t a whole lot of details about the factual part of the story here. I found myself having to Google quite a bit to find out for myself.

Aside from that, I found it a very enjoyable read, and the characters are easy to love and/or hate. I found it to be very emotional! I couldn’t imagine sending my child off like that and not knowing if they would ever come back or if they would be taken care of. Very moving, interesting book.

I received this book from BookishFirst as an ARC.

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Review: A Baby's Right to Choose

A Baby's Right to Choose by David L. Winters
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Deep subject

I'm not sure why I read this book. It wasn't bad, it was nicely written, but it's not a topic that I would say - hey, I want to read a book about abortion. The book clearly depicts both sides of the coin but heavily leans pro-life with a Christian spin to it. The story is unique in the fact that there is a string of murders and what ties them together is the decision to not go through with having an abortion. There are several characters that are followed throughout the book that eventually intertwine. I am left with mixed emotions on this book, maybe because it is a delicate subject or maybe because a man wrote the it, I don't know, but it is one that I will be thinking about for a bit.

I won this book in a Goodreads Giveaway.

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Review: Roman and Jewel

Roman and Jewel by Dana L. Davis
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

When Jerzie Jhames auditions for a role in a hot new show, Roman and Jewel, she had no idea what she was in for, who she was going to meet, and how much her world was about to change, especially when a video of practice goes viral. It is a fun and not so fun book on love and life lessons, what we do and how we act, and what goes around comes around. I really enjoyed this book and read it in a day. It was a smooth easy read that sucked me in on the first page, had me both loving and hating the characters, and had me wanting to be a part of the story!

I won this book in ARC form in a Goodreads Giveaway.

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Review: Coming Home to Maverick

Coming Home to Maverick by Sophia Summers
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Sweet & Forgiving Romance

Having moved to Texas nine years ago I really enjoyed the nuts and bolts of this book and a lot of it being based around a rodeo - the mutton bustin' (which my daughter did), bull riding, barrel racing, the concerts - everything that we love about the rodeos and being in Texas.

This book reminded me very much of the last book I read but in reverse. In this book though Bailey left Maverick on their wedding day in pursuit of her dream to sing with no word to anyone, her parents, friends, or the man she left at the alter. After five years of silence she returns with her tail between her legs. How will the town receive her? Her parents? The man she loved?

This story is very much about choices, consequences, but mostly about forgiveness and second chances. I don't know if I could have forgiven as easily as some of these folks did but this is a Christian fiction book and does have a few references to God and the bible in such a way that is not too preachy. The characters are believable and if I needed forgiveness I would surely want a Maverick there to forgive me!

I won this book in a Goodreads Giveaway.

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