The All-Girl Filling Station's Last Reunion By Fannie Flagg

The one and only Fannie Flagg, beloved author of Fried Green Tomatoes at the Whistle Stop Cafe, Can't Wait to Get to Heaven, and I Still Dream About You, is at her hilarious and superb best in this new comic mystery novel about two women who are forced to reimagine who they are.

Mrs. Sookie Poole of Point Clear, Alabama, has just married off the last of her daughters and is looking forward to relaxing and perhaps traveling with her husband, Earle.  The only thing left to contend with is her mother, the formidable Lenore Simmons Krackenberry. Lenore many be a lot of fun for other people, but is, for the most part, an overbearing presence for her daughter.  Then one day, quite by accident, Sookie discovers a secret about her mother's past that knocks her for a loops and suddenly calls into question everything she ever thought she knew about herself, her family, and her future.

Sookie begins a search for answers that takes her to California, the Midwest, and back in time, to the 1940's, when an irrepressible woman named Fritzi takes on the job of running her family's filling station.  Soon truck drivers are changing their routes to fill up at the All-Girl Filling Station.  Then Fritzi sees an opportunity for an even more groundbreaking adventure.  As Sookie learns about the adventures of the girls at the All-Girl Filling Station, she finds herself with new inspiration for her own life.

Fabulous, fun-filled, spanning decades and generations, and centered on a little-known aspect of America's twentieth-century story,  The All-Girl Filling Station's Last Reunion is another irresistible novel by the remarkable Fannie Flagg.



This book was a really quick read for me.  I enjoy reading just about any kind of genre, but lately I have gotten more interested in books that are set in Alabama and Florida.  I was born and raised in Florida, then moved to Alabama when I was a Junior in High School.

What I liked most about this book is that it gave me a little bit of a history lesson along with the story.  I had no idea that at one time the Army Air Corps had female pilots called WASPs who helped the war effort by flying newly built planes to areas where they were needed so that the male pilots could stay involved in the war itself.

I strongly recommend this book.

Devil In Disguise By Heather Huffman

Author Heather Huffman reunites some of her fans' favorite characters with this unforgettable journey of romance, friendship, humor and suspense.

Tenacious reporter Rachel Cooper devotes her life to exposing corruption by shining a light on the darker corners of the world - a career that doesn't leave much room for relationships.  Even so, she finds it impossible to stop thinking about her unexpected run-in with Conrad Langston, an old flame that never quite burnt out.

When her mother calls in the middle of the night because her sister is missing and the police are offering little help, Rachel immediately turns to the only person she knows she can always count on - Conrad.

Determined to protect her family, Rachel finds herself embroiled in the frightening and tragic underworld of human trafficking.  As her pursuit of justice pulls her deep into the darkness, she recognizes an opportunity to re-evaluate her choices in life and take a new path - even if it means walking through the fires of hell to protect the ones she loves.

Passionate, engaging and poignant, Devil in Disguise entertains while raising awareness of modern day social issues.

~My thoughts~
This book was a quick read and kept me interested throughout.  I was not familiar with this author before I found this book to review, but I will be looking for her other books to learn more about some of the characters in this book that were not the main characters.

I was shocked to find out the statistics of human trafficking, and to realize how prevalent it actually is in the United States and with young girls and boys.  I would highly recommend this book.  I look forward to reading more from this author.

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.

Sheltered By Debra Chapoton

Five troubled teens living together unsupervised confront demonic forces and are compelled to deal with their problems in distinctly different ways.  Paranormal meets Psycho meets Goth in this story of a supernatural haunting and budding love.

High school junior, Ben, hacks into his step-father's real estate holdings and provides rooms in an old two-story house to various outcasts:  the schizophrenic kid, the angry Goth girl, and the homeless girl who worships him.  When Megan needs a place to live she comes to the rooming house with a different set of problems and the ability to confuse and attract Ben.

One by one, strange and mysterious occurrences stretch the teens' beliefs in the supernatural.  How they deal with demons, real and imagined, has tragic as well as redeeming consequences.

~My thoughts~
This book seems to be aimed at a teenage audience, but I still enjoyed it.  I would have liked for the author to let us know what happened to all of the teens by the end of the book.  A couple of the teens were left hanging as to where their life was going to go.

Chessman (and His Nine Lives on Death Row) By Terrence W. Cooney

On May 2, 1960, on its ninth attempt, the State of California finally executed Caryl Chessman.

Terrence W. Cooney's Chessman, told in the liberating form of a factually-informed novel, introduces the reader to all the players in a long odyssey that brought such infamy to the state and country.  From Governor Edmund "Pat" Brown to Chessman himself and to the landscape of a fast-changing California, Cooney anchors a chapter of the state's history that for too long has meandered a-sea.  Many of the facats of this hysteria-inducing ordeal were gleaned from archival histories, both oral and written.  And while much of the dialogue is imagined, the times, attendees, and days of the meetings that hosted such conversations are not.

In 1956, the author was appointed by the California Supreme Court to serve as counsel representing a defendant who had pleaded guilty to two murders.  It was, Cooney knew from the start, a death penalty case.  Cooney argued that the arbitrary imposition of the punishment violated the 1791 Eighth Amendment of the Constitution's Bill of Rights against "Cruel and Unusual Punishment."  His argument was rejected.  Subsequently, the U.S. Supreme Court adopted that position in 1972 when it so ruled that the arbitrary imposition of the death penalty constiuted cruel and unusual punishment.

Four years later, still unable to shake the case, Cooney had become engrossed by the Caryl Chessman affair that had started to become headline news throughout California and beyond.  In 1960, Cooney produced the documentary: Justice and Caryl Chessman.  The film was shown in more than 1,500 movie houses throughout the United States alone, and in countless theatres worldwide.  During the filming of the documentary, Cooney met Chessman who was, at the time, the most famous resident of San Quentin's death row.  In the process, Cooney also met and conversed with Chessman's attorneys, prosecutors, investigators and jailers.

Calls for clemency came from all over: Norman Mailer, Ray Bradbury, Robert Frost, former First Lady Eleanor Roosevelt, and the Governor Brown's own son and future two-time California Governor Jerry Brown.  So strong was the worldwide vitriol over Chessman's impending doom, that his eighth stay of execution was issued by Governor Brown mainly out of fear of retaliation against President Dwight Eisenhower who was scheduled to be traveling in South America at the time.  Governor Edmund Brown later conceded that the Chessman affair cost him any real chance at a successful bid for the presidency of the United States of America.

After Chessman's execution, Cooney was able to meet former Governor Edmund "Pat" Brown and members of his staff.  After fifty years, after decades of anger, hysteria and misinformation, Terrence W. Cooney has made the boldest move yet by placing all of these facts into the center of a novel that attempts to get to the heart of the matter.

~My thoughts~
I received a cover letter from the author along with a copy of this book to review.  I was already interested in reading the book, but after reading the cover letter from the author I was even more so.  He advised me that even though it is labeled as a fiction novel, there are actual facts, dates and persons involved.  The author personally met with most of the people involved including the Governor and Mr. Chessman.  I was also informed that even though Mr. Chessman was executed, he was never accused of a homicide.  Any one who is for or against the death penalty should read this book.  There have been over 250 convicted prisoners exonerated and released because of DNA testing results and most of them had been sentenced to execution.  How many innocent people have been executed?  Will we really ever know?

The End of Sunshine Street By Johanna Constance Hunt

You probably haven't met a woman like Judy before -- described by some as a female Ripley.  A working-class woman living in Palm Beach with her millionaire husband, she's outwardly normal but copes -- in her own unusual way -- with a hurricane, an overcrowded house, a workplace accident, and an unfaithful husband.  Readers will be intrigued as they try to figure out Judy's decision-making process.


~My thoughts~
I really felt sorry for Judy because of all of the things that happen to her in the book.  She's not sure whether or not she loves her husband, friends of hers get hurt in a freak accident going home from her house after a party, she and her best friend have lost touch because of time and distance, and then she finds out that her husband has slept with that now ex-friend!!!

One bad thing after another happens to this poor woman.  The accident at her workplace results in her being suspended (losing her job), so when she finds out her husband has cheated on her with her best friend, she packs up her cat and takes a road trip to her parents cabin in Maine.  She leaves the husband with an ultimatum, tells him to leave her alone for awhile, and the jerk ends up on her doorstep unannounced and very unwelcome.

I was a little surprised at the ending, but all in all, I enjoyed the book very much.

Shadows of the Past By E.A. Jensen

For five years, Kirsa Heinrich has tried to leave her past behind. Yet in a blink of an eye it all comes back to haunt her. A call from her old boss informs her that a series of heinous murders has occurred in her hometown. Each victim is protected under the Paranormal Laws, each one killed in a different manner. At each scene a cryptic message is left for Kirsa. Now Kirsa has to face her own past in order to solve the crimes.

Ayden O'Brian is a member of an elite group of Vampires that work for the Vampire Council. He has been handed a case that hints at a traitor in their midst, one who is giving secrets to their biggest enemy. When the information that is being leaked pertains to Kirsa and her family's connection to council, Ayden is sent to New Jersey to help Kirsa solve the case. Together they will unlock a long hidden secret about Kirsa's family and an old war between vampires. For within the past, they will discover the secret to the traitor and the person responsible for the killings.

~ My thoughts~

I just recently started reading books like this one, and I was hooked in the first chapter. I kept trying to guess who the traitor could be, and didn't really figure it out until the author lets us know in the book. I am a fan of murder mysteries as well as romance novels, and this book had both ingredients mixed in. I look forward to the sequel. There were some grammatical issues, misspelled words drive me crazy, but I still give this book four stars ****.

The Complexity of a Soldier By Michelle Bellon

No one knows the heart and mind of a soldier. Every day they must face scenarios and life choices that most of us will never even imagine. When Rory Nichols joins the Army, this hard lesson hits hard and fast. After 9-11, he is deployed to Iraq. He and his wife, Emily, face sacrifice and strife which they fear their young marriage may not survive. Pushed to his limits, Rory begins to ask questions. Then one day, he receives a fateful phone call relaying the most wicked of betrayals. He rushes home to face an enemy he had not predicted. In this penultimate moment he will right a wrong and stand for what he believes in at all costs; making a statement to his country, to his family, and to all victims of this seething crime.

It is a story of life, love, and rising above the acts of war and abuse.

My thoughts...I read this book in a little over one sitting. It spoke volumes to me and I did not want to put it down. The title of the book grabbed my attention because I am in a relationship with a man who is in the military. The characters in the book and the story they had to tell kept me captivated right from the beginning.

This book takes us into the life of one soldier and his family and friends. It is at times heartwarming and then heartwrenching, as only life can be. I give this book five stars *****

At Last By Barbara Bretton

From the moment they met as children, there was something special between Noah Chase and Gracie Taylor, something that grew and matured right along with them. Despite Gracie's troubled family - and Noah's cold, distant one - they managed to make each other laugh and keep each other's dreams alive...

But Noah's father already has plans for is golden boy's future - plans that did not include the likes of poor, ordinary Gracie Taylor. And when he succeeded in tearing them apart - on the night before their wedding - it seemed those childhood dreams and teenage passions had been crushed by more grownup things, like sorrows and secrets and lies...

Now Gracie has returned to Idle Point, Maine - and so has Noah. Over the years they've wondered if those dreams were just delusions, or it a love like theirs could ever happen again. Maybe they'll find out at last...

My thoughts....I really liked this book. The characters kept me interested in the story, and the author twisted things around just enough to surprise me at the end. I give this book four stars ****.

Bubba and the Dead Woman By C.L. Bevill

Bubba is a good old boy with lots of problems. His ex-fiancee is deader than a door nail and everyone thinks he dun did it. His house is haunted. His mother is running an illegal gambling ring. His dog likes to bite people too much. And he's got to find out who really did it before the sheriff throws him in jail....again.

My thoughts....This is one of the first books I read on my new Kindle and I really liked it. It didn't hurt that the book was free. I just found out you can get in free on the Nook too!! If you like murder mysteries with a touch of comedy, you'll like this book. I give it Four Stars ****

Embracing You, Embracing Me By Michelle Bellon

In a decade when image matters, when the so-called Generation X is swelling with 'future perfect' hopes and pride, 16-year-old Roshell McRady dances her way through High School, never quite admitting that she's ashamed of her trailer park family home.

She listens to Madonna while conjuring creative Top Ramen recipes to feed her younger cousins; she empties enough hairspray until her bangs are feathered and vertical like a lethal weapon; and she agonises over how to convince Gabriel Harrison, the new Mystery Guy in town, to invite her to the prom - a night which threatens to turn into a disaster.

But then life takes a dramatic turn for Roshell, and her life changes forever.

My thoughts....I really liked this book, so much so that I had a hard time putting it down. It took me less than a day to read. I empathized with Roshell and the difficult time she had letting Gabriel know how she felt about him because she was afraid he didn't feel the same. The book didn't end the way I envisioned it, but it was a good ending nonetheless. I give it Five Stars *****

The Churning Cauldron Book 1....The Beginning By Ronald Dahle

http://youtu.be/zD2LUQ1NqdE


My thoughts.....I am a big fan of most books that have anything to do with U.S. Special Forces, but I just could not get interested in this book.  I have to give it One Star * and that really bothers me.

Love Undercover By Larry Johnson

Nicholas Watson craves a little mystery and excitement in his life. After all, he is an undercover agent working for a US counterterrorism unit -- which is not exactly the kind of lifestyle that one should have when searching for someone to settle down with. He yearns for love and intimacy but feels that he will never find it, especially since he has already experienced one failed marriage. His life goes into a tizzy when Kalyna, a beautiful and mysterious European, walks into his life. Nick discovers she also works for her respective government's counterterrorism unit. When Nick and Kalyna are thrown together in a work-related encounter, they fall deeply in love -- which is not part of their assignment. Because of their line of work, they can never make their relationship known. They continue to be placed together in professional situations, only to be separated again when the work is done.

Miraculous happenings against unexpected complications that bring conflict to their newfound love simply fuel the fire of their journey. Dangerous circumstances and life itself rises against the possibility of such a relationship between them. Yet the drive for fulfillment of this personal desire in their lives continues to keep the pages of hope turning for the faint possibility of them finally being together freely.

Can love truly conquer all? Can Nick and Kalyna overcome their secret lives in order to be together openly, or will they have to forever keep their Love Undercover?

~ My thoughts on this book~

It started out keeping me on the edge of my seat. I read the whole thing in one sitting, it only took three hours from start to finish. The author surprised me with the ending. I look forward to reading more from him.

http://youtu.be/WbYUsmTsD8I

Casatigate My Sins By Elicia Clegg

It has been said perception is reality, and yet, what if the reality in question was twisted and corrupted to a disheartening degree of depravity? Would the corruption have the power to shift the human consciousness and control the very nature of what is and what is not?

In Elicia Clegg's newest novel, five teenagers: Michael, Suzy, Christopher, Beth and Leigh, will have to answer that very question. Their souls will be thrown into a pit of malevolent despair where they will come face to face with their archetypal selves. Their characters will be tested, they will be deceived, given half-truths, and face punishment for crimes they did not commit. Will any surrender to the ever growing lies, or will they escape the void of light and breathe life once again?

~My thoughts on this book~

I had a difficult time keeping up with everything that was going on in this book. The five main characters are friends that spend alot of time together. When one of the girls faces a crisis, they all come together to help her out. While doing so, they all face a bigger crisis that leads the reader to find that some of the characters have a history that no one is aware of.

Triple Shot by Sandra Balzo

The new Maggy Thorsen coffeehouse mystery -- There's a chill in the Wisconsin air, and it's a shot in the arm - a triple espresso shot- to Uncommon Grounds, the Brookhills coffeehouse owned by Maggy Thorsen and real estate maven Sarah Kingston. Their new autumn drink is a huge success. But two brokers have died lately, and Sarah herself is under investigation for irregularities at her job. Then a stench begins to percolate through the coffeehouse, and soon it's clear that corpses - like other bad things - do indeed come in threes.....

~ My thoughts on this book~

I was not aware that this was one in a series of books written by the author, but I will be loooking to find the books in this series that came before this one because I really liked it. The book does stand alone well, but I want to find out how some of the main characters came to know each other. I love a good murder mystery, especially when it keeps me guessing, and this one surprised me at the end which was great.

The Safehouse By T. Thomas Ackerman

Every nine seconds, a woman becomes a victim of domestic violence in the United States. The laws don't do enough to protect these women and their children from the abuse, which will always escalate. Detective Jessica Warren understands all too well how vulnerable women are in abusive relationships. And she's not going to stand by and watch as innocent victims are injured, or worse.

The Safehouse is the story of Jessica Warren and the closely knit network of powerful women who aren't willing to allow abusive men to hide behind inadequate laws. It's the story of the victims she helps, some of whom learn to break out of the patterns holding them trapped. And it's the story of how Jessie navigates the police system with pragmatism, intelligence, and heart to extend a helping hand to women in need. But with all the time and emotional energy she spends helping others, will she be able to maintain her own life balance? And will she be able to outsmart the one member of the police force who doesn't approve of her unorthodox methods? True to life and riveting, The Safehouse will take you on a compelling journey to justice.

~My thoughts on this book~

I read this book in one sitting, was not able to put it down. To me, it was true to life, and I would like to see it made into a movie. I found a video clip that I am going to put on here for you also. Enjoy!!!!


http://www.metacafe.com/watch/7114556/the_safehouse

Dark Predator By Christine Feehan

As brutal as the undead he hunted, Zacarias De La Cruz was a master executioner. Over the long, dark centuries, he plunged into so many battles they blurred into an endless lifetime of evil that hardened the soul of this merciless, ruthless and implacable dark predator

Now his stark and savage journey is over. After a thousand years in a gray world, he has accomplished everything he set out to do. His brothers are safeguarded. Each has found a woman who completes him. And they are at peace. For his brothers, Zacarias has walked the edge of madness, but with centuries as a killing machine now left to the past, and without a hunt to define him, Zacarias wonders, for the first time in his life, who he really is.

The answer awaits him back home in Peru, in an unexpected betrayal, in the vengeance of an old enemy, in the inevitable consequences of a bloody family legacy, and in the deliverance of a lifemate he never could have imagined.

~My thoughts on this book~

I have just recently found this series, and I am enchanted by it! I did not want to put the book down. I am looking forward to finding and reading the rest of the books about the Carpathian Brotherhood.

Unforeseen Fears By H. William Gruchow

They played games with murders; harmless games, it seemed, piecing together details from news reports; imagining theories about how and why; and wagering each other on the outcomes.

Even gaming the Dunwright murders wasn't supposed to be serious. Two dead adults and a missing child; tragic, of course, but it's happened before. Except, this time something was different. There were voids, unanswered questions. Was it an execution or a kidnapping? And why did it seem investigators were misleading and deceptive? Was the investigation being subverted? By whom? And for what reason?

Their curiosities fired up, Armis and Jake broke the rules and did their own sleuthing; and when nine-year-old Brianne's dismembered remains turned up weeks later and miles away, their quest became an obsession that consumed Armis.

Yet, through encounters with corrupt lawmen, malevolent executives, and reticent family members, Armis was unable to find the answers he needed; until he met the mysterious Malwina. She insidiously drew him into her plan of personal vengeance, and closer to learning why Brianne had to die. But as they intruded into a world where the bad guys seldom lose, the game turned dangerous...and deadly.

~My thoughts on this book~

I love a good murder mystery, and this one was a real page turner. I look forward to more in what I hope is a long series from this writer.