The Corner Window By Darrel Rachel

A coming of age story filled with mystery and intrigue!

Frank Baldwin, a bitter and disillusioned young man, accepts a temporary job on a remote section of the California coast where he hopes to get his life in order.  There he meets Sylvia, a beautiful young woman with a mysterious family.  Before his stay on the beach is over, Frank will experience for the first time, true love, a love that will bring him face-to-face with the shocking past of Sylvia's family.

~My thoughts~
This book was a quick read for me.  The ending has me hoping for a sequel.

http://youtu.be/ZeGiwiFT0wo

Acadian Waltz By Alexandrea Weis

At thirty, Nora Kehoe is feeling pressured to settle down.  On a blind date, Nora unexpectedly ends up in the emergency room where she meets Dr. John Blessing.  She hopes the pragmatic Dr. Blessing can make her life complete.  Then, a passionate encounter with a childhood friend changes everything.

The charismatic Jean Marc Gaspard manages the family business, Gaspard Fisheries.  But rumors abound that Jean Marc is running more than seafood through the waters around Manchac Louisiana.  When a family crisis sends Nora to Manchac, she is thrown headlong into the dangerous world of smugglers and swindlers. And as Jean Marc tries to protect Nora from his past, he realized he may lose her because of it.

The dark bayou waters run deep with secrets in Louisiana, and every Cajun knows how to dance the fine line between the right and wrong side of the law.  But for strangers, learning the steps to staying alive in the swamps can be tricky.  Life, and love, will be dependent on how well one can master the...Acadian Waltz.

~My thoughts~
Another well written book from Ms. Weis!!!!  We're introduced to a young woman who is struggling to make everyone in her life happy, especially her Mother.  She is pushed into dating men she has no interest in, and then meets an attractive doctor who seems to be the perfect answer to all of her prayers.  However, looks can be deceiving, and she has her doubts that they should be together even though her Mother pushes the couple towards the altar.  When Nora happens to meet up with an old childhood flame, the spark is still there and she starts to question what it is she really wants to do with her life. 

Sleep Fat Wake Up Thin By Kenn Kihiu

"Sleep Fat Wake Up Thin" is the first nutrition course that clues in consumers on some of the misleading profit generating practices and ideas pushed by the diet and food industry that end up making consumers fatter and unhealthier.  "Awareness is power and we have to be aware that unfortunately money is what makes the world of food and nutrition go round.  The diet and food industry spend more on marketing than on research and development because they are more interested in their bottom line than consumer's waistline" says Kenn Kihiu.  His goal is to arm the consumer with the right tools and knowledge on how to make better decisions when it comes to their nutrition habits.

Those who follow the "Sleep Fat Wake Up Thin" way will regain power and control over their life by discovering how easy it is to drop unwanted pounds, burn fat, significantly reduce their cravings, gain energy, and feel healthy while feeling the best they have felt in years.  Kenn Kihiu says that even though "Sleep Fat Wake Up Thin" goes against the current food and diet industry recommendations, he has created a course that is backed by science but even more importantly by a little common sense.

"Many of the diseases we face today - obesity, type 2 diabetes, and high cholesterol - are not true diseases but symptoms of underlying conditions brought on by the things we eat that are marketed to us by the food industry.  These conditions are easily fixable with a few changes and a little education about the simple choices we make everyday" insists Kenn Kihiu.

In the author's words, to summarize the book, "The book is a nutrition and weight-loss course that teaches the natural and easy to follow principles on how to lose weight without the struggle of suffering through a small number of acceptable recipes, complex point counting charts, or dieting rules."

~My thoughts~
I received a personally printed copy of this book from the author so that I could review it.  I was impressed by how easy it was to read and understand all of the principles he brought up in the book.  I have struggled with my weight all of my life, and I found quite a number of things in this book that I am going to try.  I know it will be a journey, and not a short one, but I am excited to begin.

In the past, I have tried the "name brand" diets and most of them did not help me in any way.  I feel that I can do better with this plan, but we will see.  This book will be available at Amazon, bookstores and libraries in the near future, and it will be carried on Kindle books.  I encourage you to at least read it and see what you think.

Rogue Alliance: Part One of the Shyla Ericson Series By Michelle Bellon

Trying to escape a horrific past, Shyla has immersed herself in life as a tough, sassy cop in the bustle of LA.  When the case of a lifetime takes her back to her hometown of Redding, she is thrown into a world of organised crime, deceit, and bitter reminders of her childhood.

As Shyla's path crosses that of Brennan, an unwitting and troubled sidekick to the ringleader she's intent on taking down, she is forced to re-evaluate everything she believes about herself, her job, and what she knows about right and wrong.

Can she face the demons of her upbringing and learn to trust again?  Her life will depend on it.

Available at Amazon, Smashwords, and Barnes & Noble

~My thoughts~
I am a big fan of Ms. Bellon.  Her books get me hooked right away, and I have a  hard time putting them down until I get to the end.  She always leaves me wanting more.

I found myself hoping that Shyla and Brennan would end up together and maybe they will, but since this is only the first in the series I will have to wait and find out for sure.

All of the characters are believable and likable except for Victor, and without giving anything away, it was good to read how things went down for him.

I am waiting with baited breath for the next book.  Hope it doesn't take too long....

Men Don't Pee Straight And Other Things You Should Know About Us By Mr. Rick Dean

Chock full of stuff about men that you've always known but never wished to fully grasp (and always hoped would change), Men Don't Pee Straight confirms your worst fear - those male stereotypes are real, they are accurate, and they are here to stay.

Blunt and comedic, these cartoon illustrated pages soften the sad reality for many mothers, girlfriends, and wives who have been hoping for change.  The best anyone can do is simply grimace, shrug, and then perhaps smile.

From diapers and driving thru fragile egos and toilet seats, this poignant yet tactless book will assist with that smile.

~My thoughts~
This was a cute little book and a very quick read.  It made me smile alot and laugh out loud quite often.  I plan to share it with all the females in my family and recommend it to all of my female friends.

Absence of Grace By Ann Warner

The memory of an act committed when she was nineteen has woven a dark thread through Clen McClendon's life.  It is a darkness Clen ignores until the discovery of her husband's infidelity propels her into a quest for redemption and forgiveness.

Leaving her old life, she begins a search for a place to call home and a new way to live.  Her journeying provides few answers and peace remains elusive, even during the time she spends in an abbey.  Clen then makes the decision that is both desperate and random to go to Wrangell, Alaska.

But choices are never truly random and they always have consequences.

~My thoughts~
I just finished reading this book and I loved it.  I got it free for my Kindle, but would gladly have bought it in a bookstore.  I empathized with Clen feeling the loss of her younger brother to cancer, as I lost a younger sister to the same disease.  I also empathized with her finding out her husband was cheating on her, been there done that, but I didn't find out until after the divorce.

Through this heart wrenching, heart warming story, the author shows us that no matter how bad things can get in our lives, there is always good waiting for us when we least expect it.

Crying Blood By Jennifer Cloud

Amelia is an assassin on the run.  She often wishes her life had somehow taken a different turn. She never wanted to be a killer. Eventually, she will die by the violence that ruled her life.  She just isn't sure if she'll die by the hands of the man she loves, by the family she pled her allegiance to, or by the many enemies she made over the years. All she knows for certain is that she is being hunted.

She is a creature of instinct.  For any of them to win, they'll have to beat her at her own game.

~My thoughts~
This book is labeled as a contemporary women's romance and it lives up to the name.  I was kept in suspense the whole time I was reading this one, never knowing what was going to happen next.  Just when I thought I had something figured out, the author would throw me another curve, and I loved it!!!

****UPDATE*****
I have changed the title and author of this book to reflect the actual work of the true author.  To get a free e-download of this book, you can go to Obooko.