Brotherhood in Death by J.D. Robb Tour

Genre: Adult, Suspense, Thriller

Source: I received a copy to facilitate my review. The opinions expressed here are my own.

From Goodreads:

Sometimes brotherhood can be another word for conspiracy...

Dennis Mira just had two unpleasant surprises. First he learned that his cousin Edward was secretly meeting with a real estate agent about their late grandfather’s magnificent West Village brownstone, despite the promise they both made to keep it in the family. Then, when he went to the house to confront Edward about it, he got a blunt object to the back of the head.

Luckily Dennis is married to Charlotte Mira, the NYPSD’s top profiler and a good friend of Lieutenant Eve Dallas. When the two arrive on the scene, he explains that the last thing he saw was Edward in a chair, bruised and bloody. When he came to, his cousin was gone. With the mess cleaned up and the security disks removed, there’s nothing left behind but a few traces for forensics to analyze. 

As a former lawyer, judge, and senator, Edward Mira mingled with the elite and crossed paths with criminals, making enemies on a regular basis. Like so many politicians, he also made some very close friends behind closed—and locked—doors. But a badge and a billionaire husband can get you into places others can’t go, and Eve intends to shine some light on the dirty deals and dark motives behind the disappearance of a powerful man, the family discord over a multimillion-dollar piece of real estate . . . and a new case that no one saw coming

My Thoughts:

This is the first book I’ve read in this series.  You don’t have to read the others in the series, there are over forty of them, to understand this one. They are stand-alone novels with some of the same characters.

The author has created a futuristic world, Year 2060.  I was not a fan of the sex scenes no matter how they were written. I knew going in that this was Nora Roberts writing under a different name. I guess I hoped that since this was a thriller it would be different. I guessed wrong. That is the only reason I took one star off.

Eve and her partner are called to investigate a scene that involves her friends the Mira’s.  Someone has tortured and murdered Edward. It didn’t just stop with him. Several of his acquaintances have been targets as well.  Because of a trauma when she was a child this murder and assault really hits home.  Throughout the book we also get glimpses into her private life with her husband Roarke. He always has her back.  When he tries to help her move out of her past he finds she is none too pleased.

Embracing Change

This is not a review. It is notice that I have decided to embrace change in my life. I wanted to start 2016 with a change I could stick to. I wanted to prioritize things in my life. I have to say that here we are at the end of the first month of the new year and I find myself frustrated with the way things have been going. So, after reading a post this morning by an author I admire and follow (see post here).

I have finally made a decision about my own life.

I started this blog nine years ago. Why? I followed  a very small site at the time called The Picnic Basket (find the link here). I would read a post and if I liked the book I would request it. That is how I started getting books for my school shelves. I taught ESOL  (English for Speakers of Other Languages) and itensive reading. My husband suggested I put up writing prompts and reviews in the hopes I would entice my reading kids and ESOL kids to read more. I have continued to review books. For a while I joined every reading challenge I could, and encouraged my students to join as well. Some time later I noticed I was no longer reading the books I purchased along with my students from Scholastic or my local book store because I was reading and reviewing the books I got from publishers and authors. I still wasn't worried. I cut down on the number of reading challenges I did. 

Then one day it happened. After giving a writing assignment, again, to my reading students. After modeling the process by writing a story along with them, one of them said something that changed my life. Jesse said, "Miss, we like your stories. Why don't you write books to put on your shelves. We'd read them." So I started down the writing road.

The reason for change is multi-faceted. I am a teacher with 147 students. This year I became the English Department chairperson. My English department personnel is almost all new. I mentor two new teachers as well. I have several students who participte in NaNoWriMo each year so that takes a chunk out of my after school time. Once again I found my writing suffering, as was my blog. I would read multiple books but not get around to the reviews. These are the reasons for the change.

Steps to Courage was self published in 2011. I wanted it out there for the tenth anniversary of 9/11. That decision changed several things for me. I liked to stay in the background of things. This challenged me to step out of my comfort zone in the form of book signings.  I have four other books in the works. One is in revision, one I've just completed the research, and two others are partially written. I decided for the new year I was going to focus more on my own writing. I've been turning down reviewing books that don't grab my attention 100%. This was hard to do. I usually am wise about selecting books I would enjoy reading. However, if it is a book I could wait 3 months to read I want to pass and let someone else have the opportunity to read and review it. I decided this was the year I would finally take the next step in writing. I am a founding member of Jerry Jenkins' Writing Guild. He has multiple classes, webinars, one page critiques and more to offer me. There is help 24/7 from him and others. In other words, I am taking my writing more serious.

Beginning February first, I can guarantee a post only twice a week. I haven't set specific days. This will allow me several days to read and several days to write up the reviews and post them. If I can fit more in I will. It could be I'll have a lull and be able to schedule posts. I already have some that are set up for one day each week, up through June.  It is important that I do this in advance because sometime in May I will leave may job a few weeks early to have double knee surgery. The knee issues were another item thrown into the mess. All of this is why I will commit to only two guaranteed posts a week. Yippee if I can pull off more. I am no longer going to stress if I can't. I must focus more on my own dream of writing or I'll never get anywhere with it.Writing is hard and I'm constantly learning.

If two posts a week is not enough for you then know that I understand. You must do what is right for you, as must I by embracing change.

Knights of the Square Table 2: Dear World

Genre:  Middle Grade, Realistic Fiction

Source: I received a copy to facilitate my review. The opinions expressed here are my own.

From Goodreads:

Empowered by their experiences while stranded on an island, six teenagers set out to right the wrongs in the world.

When unconventional--and illegal--methods get them into trouble, they find themselves on the run.

A story of hope and adventure.

My Thoughts:

In the first book we are introduced to a group of kids who all belong to a chess club. They crash on an island. In this book, things have changed. They have decided to live on the island. In this book we have a theme of communication running throughout and how important it is to listen to each other. With the type of characters this author writes, meaning believable and deep, this would be a book everyone would enjoy, with a message everyone should hear. As always, Teri has provided both a story to entertain and learn from. If you haven’t read the first one you really need to. Then you need to check out her third book in the series.

Five Books by Nancy Guettier

Genre: Children's Picture Books

Source: I received copies to facilitate my reivews. The opinions expressed here are my own

These five books are a wonderful way to teach your children about several different things. The drawings are wonderful and will entice any child or parent to pick up these books.

Mermaids on Mars by Nancy Geuttier

This is a story about mermaids who live on Mars and have lots of fun swimming and playing in water. But, they waste the water and use it all up. They must come to the Earth. The book is full of tips for conserving water.

Circus in the Sky by Nancy Guettier

This is a wonderful way to entice the youngest child to look up at the sky and teach them about the constellations.

Jude’s Moon by Nancy Guettier

Jude loves everything about the moon. While looking for his moon he learns so much about the moon. This is a wonderful book for teaching the different phases of the moon.

Roy G. Biv is Mad at Me Because I Love Pink

I loved this book. It teaches the reader the colors of the rainbow. It tells them about the emotions associated with them. There is so much to learn and such wonderful pictures.

I Wish

When two girls find a magic wand one of them  makes wishes for what they would want to be. However, when all is said and done they decide the best wish of all is to be best friends forever.

The pictures in this book are absolutely bright and beautiful.

The Adventure of Midge and Moo by Kerry McQuaide

Here are five wonderful picture books by Kerry McQuaide. I have to say that as I read these books about a young girl named Midge and her carry around stuffed cow, I kept thinking about two of my grandchildren. Haylee had a pony she carried around that she brought home from the hospital and her brother Jacob had a puppy he brought home from the hospital. Both children and animals came to visit and spend the night. These books are charming and wonderful to read with your children or in my case grandchildren. What I have done here is give a brief summary of each of the five books. I purchased these books.

A Day With Moo

In this book we are introduced to Midge and her stuffed cow Moo. They do everything together. When Midge builds blocks, Moo knocks them down. However, she often blames Moo for things. We can see that no matter what, Midge loves Moo very much.

Lost in the Garden

Midge and Moo love to play in the garden. On one particular day Moo is lost and Midge tries to find him. These are called peek-a-boo books because as Midge checks out different areas you see something peeking out. It gives you the opportunity to ask kids to predict what it might be.

Moo Knows Numbers

This is a simple and fun counting book. The pictures are things that the youngest child can identify.

Moo is Missing

The cute little stuffed cow that Midge Came home from the hospital with, is missing. This is another peek-a-boo book. Kids can help Midge look for her lost little friend.

Letter to Santa

I would recommend these books to parents or grandparents of very young children.  I know they will enjoy them as much as you will.

Student Saturday

Extraordinary by Miriam Spitzer Franklin

Student reviewer:  Madison

Pansy is an average fifth grader. She and her friend Anna used to do everything together or at least brave, extraordinary Anna does. After one last big fight, Anna goes to summer camp. She contracts meningitis while there and comes back completely brain-frazzled. When Pansy learns that Anna will undertake brain-surgery she knows that this is her chance to make up with Anna, not that silent girl in a wheelchair. She is determined to be extraordinary, do all the things she promised to do, but never did. Many people feel like they will never be as good as others, like they are just too ordinary, Pansy especially. Navigating through fifth grade in her mismatched shoes, the hard work, the heartbreak can change you. This book is deep. It made me laugh, made me cry reading it was an unforgettable experience. I recommend this book to anyone who has ever wished they were better, ever felt out-shined by a friend.

The Flea by Virginia Haviland

Student Reviewer: Anonymous

The Flea’s main character is the shepherd, who as the story states is not very clever. The story begins in the king of Spain’s throne room. After that, the setting switches to the Castilian highlands, where the shepherd, his brother and mother live. AS the shepherd sets out for the castle, he travels on a path. He arrives at the king’s throne room, where the main part of the story ends.  A flea jumps onto the King of Spain, who names it and calls it a royal flea. When the flea grows very large, the king has it killed and its skin made into a tambourine for his daughter, the Infanta to dance with. The King makes a riddle for the Infanta’s suitors to solve, and if they solve it, they marry her. After no suitor can solve it, the King says the next suitor to miss will be killed. The shepherd wanted to try, so he traveled to the castle, making friends with an ant, a beetle and a mouse. Will the shepherd solve the riddle, or will he be killed?

Tales From a Not-So-Smart Miss Know-It-All by Rachel Renee Russell

Student Reviewer: Nirian

Nikki, Maxwell and her two best friends, Chloe and Zoey were just having a New Year's Eve Slumber Party when they had T.P.d the house of Mackenzie Hollister, aka the meanest girl ever known. The worst thing is they got caught and Mackenzie tried to black mail them to get rid of Nikki, to pluck away her bug extermination scholarship at Westchester Middle. When I look all around me I see Nikki's drama everywhere, whether it's love money, clothes, family, and friends. My opinion on this amazing series is to try it no matter how dorky and silly it looks. I believe this because that's the point! I would probably recommend the Dork Diaries Series to any Middle School to High School girl that is always looking for a good laugh or a nice long yell/Shriek!

Out of My Mind by Sharon Draper

Student Reviewer: Jennifer

Melody was born with cerebral palsy. She's learned to deal with it all her life, Even though she drools, she can do anything by herself, and her body gives her surprise party's by amking her throw a tantrum. But, she can't go on to any other grades because she's disabled. Just because she's disabled doesn't mean she doesn't have her own mind. But, the only reason I found this amazing book is because I was being rushed and just grabbed a random book off of the shelf. The only reason I read it was because I was so bored in class and just read a random page. Then I loved it so much. I recommend this book to anyone who likes to read books that have twists and turns, ups and downs and round abouts. But, if I were a girl with cerebral palsy I honestly wouldn't know what to do. I would probably just live life like Melody is. My opinion of this book is five stars because it is a great and inspiring story of a girl with a disability. So what could go wrong?

Cold Moon by Alexandra Sokoloff

Genre: Adult, Thriller

Source: I purchased

This is the third book in this series. In this book Cara has been caught. However, the killings don’t stop. Someone is killing pimps and this time it can’t be Cara. Once again the tension has been ratcheted up. My feelings about Cara being caught.  I kept thinking that if she hadn’t risked her life to prevent Roarke’s death she would probably have not been caught. I looked at Cara and the events in her life that shaped her into the person she was. I knew that the killings she committed was wrong. However, and I keep finding myself saying that, I understood why she killed the people she did and a part of me really wanted to justify her killing. The strong theme of human trafficking is spot on to what is still happening in the world today. Alexandra Sokoloff has taken a subject that so many shy away from and put it out front. She has not solved the problem, but you can’t help but read this book and think about it and the effect it has on so many around the world. For a little while we get to look at it and think that these people have gotten what they deserved. Maybe that is wrong thinking. But, like I told my students recently when discussing a controversial issue, sometimes there is no black or white answer. The author has made the reader feel and think things they probably never would have thought before. I love books that make me have such mixed emotions. This is a series I would definitely read several more times. My husband says it is because I have a morbid side. I say it is because I know excellent writing and this is it in its finest form.  You must read the entire series. I highly recommend it. Then do what I’m going to do and check out her other books.

Blood Moon by Alexandra Sokoloff

Genre: Adult, Thriller

Source: I purchased

This is the second book in the Huntress Series. In this series we know that Agent Roarke is searching for two killers. One of them is the character we met in the first book, Cara. She is the only survivor of a killer who brutally killed every member of her family except her. They are also responsible for killing two other families. Both Agent Roarke and Cara are searching for this killer who has disappeared, or have they? As Roarke tries to catch Cara he makes a terrible discovery.  The person responsible for killing her family and setting her on her own personal path, also known as ‘the reaper’ has been at it again. Roarke has no clue how to find  this killer of whole families. But it seems like Cara does and she keeps trying to help without getting caught. The “Dexter”. It was one of my favorite shows. However, this book formed such mental images in my mind it was like watching a movie as I read. It topped “Dexter” hands down. I would actually love to see this made into a movie or even a series. I find it amazing that the more Roarke tries to locate Cara the more clues she leaves him, helping him out. But I kept wondering if he was getting too close to Cara to the point of not being able to be objective.  Definitely a must read, then move on to the third book.

Huntress Moon by Alexandra Sokoloff

Genre: Adult, Thriller

Source: I purchased a copy

Huntress Moon by  Alexandra Sokoloff

This story has two main characters. First we have FBI Agent Matthew Roarke.  He has always had a special sense about people. From the time he was a small child he knew he would grow up to work in a field where he would put bad people away. He now has his sights set on a blonde woman who seems to always be seen at the scene of murders. Is she responsible? Is it possible that SHE is a serial killer? This seems almost improbable because most serial killers are men.

Agent Roarke learns her identity and learns she (Cara) is after more than he originally thought. The question this author makes you ask yourself is how bad is bad? Are there instances that would make you overlook the evil in someone? Could they ever be justified in their actions? This is a book where you find yourself not justifying what Cara does, but looking for the why’s. You empathize with her. You want to help her change her ways because you know the path she is going down is not going to end well. You want at the same time for Roarke to be successful and put away a dangerous killer. There are no set answers for you as you read.  The author has done a superb job of creating characters you like no matter what their position in the story. The action scenes keep you glued to the edge of your seat.  Since this is a series, when I was asked to review one of them I looked them up and immediately purchased the first two. I got so into it my husband bought me the third. Make sure you have all three so you can read seamlessly from the first to the third book. Get plenty of sleep before you begin because you won’t want to sleep, or I should say you won’t be able to sleep until you complete the book, and for me the entire series.  This is a series I definitely recommend.  I am so pleased that every book I’ve started the new year reading has been so good.

Alexandra Sokoloff Guest Post

I am very pleased to present to you a guest post by Alexandra Sokoloff. Wednesday I will be

 reviewing her book Huntress Moon,Thursday I will be reviewing Blood Moon, and

 Friday I will be reviewing Cold Moon. You will definitely want to get your hands on this series.

Guest Post

I love the holiday season. There’s nothing better than having everyone around me caught up in a holiday frenzy so I can sneak away and get caught up on my reading.

Only this week, when I picked up a couple of highly recommended books, I was horrified to find that they’re torture porn. Yes, two more books about women (beautiful women, of course) being captured, raped and tortured in gruesome, sexualized detail.

I don’t know about the rest of you, but am sick to death of reading crime novels and seeing movies and TV shows about women being raped, tortured, mutilated and murdered. I’m not too happy about it happening in real life, either.

So my Huntress Moon series turns the tables. The books follow a haunted FBI agent on the hunt for a female serial killer.

I worked as a Hollywood screenwriter for ten years before I snapped and wrote my first novel, and in that time I worked on several film projects featuring serial killers. One of my core themes as a writer is “What can good people do about the evil in the world?” – and as far as I’m concerned, serial killers are an embodiment of evil. So for several years I was doing research into the subject every way I could think of besides actually putting myself in a basement with one of these monsters. I tracked down the FBI’s behavioral science textbook before it was ever available to the public. I stalked psychological profilers at writing conventions and grilled them about various real life examples. I went to forensics classes and law enforcement training workshops.

And while I was doing all that research, one thing really jumped out at me about serial killers. They’re men. Women don’t do it. Women kill, and sometimes they kill in numbers (especially killing lovers or husbands for money – the “Black Widow” killer; or killing patients in hospitals or nursing homes: the “Angel of Death”). But the psychology of those killers is totally different from the men who commit serial sexual homicide. Sexual homicide is about abduction, rape, torture and murder for the killer’s own sexual gratification.  (And please don’t get me started on books and films that portray serial killers as having an artistic or poetic bent. Ridiculous….)

The fact is, one reason novels and film and TV so often depict women as victims is that it’s the stark reality. Since the beginning of time, women haven’t been the predators — we’re the prey. But after all those years (centuries, millennia) of women being victims of the most heinous crimes out there… wouldn’t you think that someone would finally say — “Enough”?  

And maybe even strike back?

I do.

With the Huntress series I finally have an umbrella to explore, dramatically, over multiple books, the roots and context of the worst crimes I know. And at least on paper, do something about it. So at those times like this week, when I come across yet another thriller that’s barely veiled torture porn, I throw it in the trash where it belongs and get back to my own writing.

I believe my job as an author is to give my readers a thrilling, sensory, gripping adventure that makes them feel — and also makes them think. It’s all about the fight against everyday evil, for me, and about the deep connections people make with unlikely other people when they commit to that fight.

Whoever she is, whatever she is, the Huntress is like no killer Agent Roarke – has ever seen before. And you may find yourself as conflicted about her as Roarke is.

As one of the profilers says in the book: “I’ve always wondered why we don’t see more women acting out this way. God knows enough of them have reason.”

Alexandra Sokoloff is the Thriller Award-winning and Bram Stoker, Anthony, and Black Quill Award-nominated author of the supernatural thrillers The Harrowing, The Price, The Unseen, Book of Shadows, The Shifters, and The Space Between; The Keepers paranormal series, and the Thriller Award-nominated, Amazon bestselling Huntress/FBI Thrillers series (Huntress Moon, Blood Moon, Cold Moon), which has been optioned for television. She has also written three non-fiction workbooks: Stealing Hollywood, Screenwriting Tricks for

Authors, and Writing Love, based on her internationally acclaimed workshops and blog (www.ScreenwritingTricks.com), and has served on the Board of Directors of the WGA, West (the screenwriters union) and the board of the Mystery Writers of America.

Alex is a California native and a graduate of U.C. Berkeley, where she majored in theater and minored in everything Berkeley has a reputation for. She lives in Los Angeles and in Scotland, with Scottish crime author Craig Robertson. www.Alexandrasokoloff.com

Blog URL:  http://www.screenwritingtricks.com

Facebook URL: http://www.facebook.com/alexandra.sokoloff

Twitter: http://twitter.com/AlexSokoloff

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Pinterest: http://www.pinterest.com/axsokoloff/

Amazon: The FBI Thriller Series: http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B011M9AOBM?keywords=huntress%20moon&qid=1451693113&ref_=sr_1_1_ha&s=digital-text&sr=1-1