Elise Cooper Reviews New Thriller with "Quick Wit" Set in California

Title: The Lady Has A Past 

Series: Burning Cove Book 5

Author: Amanda Quick (Jayne Krentz)

Publisher: Berkley Pub, May 4^th, 2021

Genre: Mystery/Thriller

ISBN: 9781984806888

 

 Reviewed by Elise Cooper

 

The Lady Has A Past by Amanda Quick (the pen name for Jayne Krentz) is another winner. This historical novel explores California in the 1930s with riveting characters and a suspenseful mystery.

 

“The whole fantasy side of California at that time was sold to the public by the movie studios.  I have in my head the quick lines that were in the movies and the brilliantly written plots.  I love that fast repertoire and the quick wit. This suits my style because I am a very dialogue driven writer.  Everybody has a sense of what the 1930s California setting looks like.  They are iconic. I enjoy going through books and newspapers about that time-period, and picking up odds and ends, bits and pieces. I stumbled across what happened in the spas and cosmetic industry that were quite the rage in the 1930s.  These made perfect settings for a murder.  I got an interesting question in my mind, looked for an answer, and then one thing led to another.”

 

The plot has private investigator Raina Kirk disappearing after spending a night with her boyfriend Luther Pell.  Her apprentice, Lyra Brazier, Luther, and his private investigator Simon Cage realize that Raina has traveled to the plush spa resort of Labyrinth Springs Hotel.  Simon and Lyra team up, posing as a honeymoon couple, and check in to the hotel to try to find Raina. They become suspicious of those working and staying at the hotel, discovering that the health spa is a façade for kidnappings and ransoms.  Both must watch each other’s back and race with time to find Raina before it is too late.

 

Lyra is a great character with an uncanny intuitive nature.  She is fearless, smart, and works well under pressure. She realizes that she and Simon make a good team considering he senses emotions from objects.  Although he gives off an aura of nerdiness, he is nothing of the kind and is very good at connecting the dots.

 

“She is the siter of Vivian, the heroine of Close Up. Lyra is optimistic, smart, curious, and genuinely interested in people who respond and speak with her.  She is also calm, sophisticated, and intuitive.  Although coming from wealth and society she is now looking to be a private investigator.  Basically, she is a half full person who is positive with good energy. When needed for the investigation she played a role of being dipsy, shallow, arrogant, and self-centered, but this is not really her.”

 

Readers will enjoy not one, but two relationships in the book.  Raina and Luther’s feelings about each other are explored, while Lyra and Simon realize they care for each other deeply.  Besides the double romance people will be treated to a gripping mystery, tidbits of 1930s California, and very captivating characters.

More About the Reviewer

Elise Cooper has written book reviews and interviewed best selling authors since 2009. Her reviews cover several different genres, including thrillers, mysteries, women's fiction, romance and cozy mysteries. An avid reader, she engages authors to discuss their works, and to focus on the descriptions of their characters and the plot. While not writing reviews, Elise loves to watch baseball and visit the ocean in Southern California, with her dog and husband. She is a frequent reviewer for #TheNewBookReview. Use this blog's search engine (in the right column of the home page) to find more of her reviews.  

More About #TheNewBookReview Blog 

 The New Book Review is blogged by Carolyn Howard-Johnson, author of the multi award-winning HowToDoItFrugally series of books for writers. Authors, readers, publishers, and reviewers may republish their favorite reviews of books they want to share with others. That includes authors who want to share their favorite reviews, reviewers who'd like to see their reviews get more exposure, and readers who want to shout out praise of books they've read and love. Please see submission guidelines in a tab at the top of this blog's home page or go directly to the submission guidelines at http://bit.ly/ThePlacetoRecycleBookReviews or to the guideline tab at the top of the home page of this blog. Authors and publishers who do not yet have reviews or want more may use Lois W. Stern's "Authors Helping Authors" service for requesting reviews. Find her guidelines in a tab at the top of the home page, too. Carolyn Wilhelm is our IT expert, an award-winning author, a veteran educator and also contributes reviews and posts on other topics related to books. Reviews, interviews, and articles on this blog are indexed by genre, reviewers' names, and review sites so #TheNewBookReview may be used as a resource for most anyone in the publishing industry. As an example, writers will find this blog's search engine handy for gleaning the names of small publishers. Find other writer-related blogs at Sharing with Writers and The Frugal, Smart and Tuned-In Editor. #TheFrugalbookPromoter, #CarolynHowardJohnson, #TheNewBookReview, #TheFrugalEditor, #SharingwithWriters, #reading #BookReviews #GreatBkReviews #BookMarketing

LB Sedlacek Turns Her Review of "Defense Mechanisms" into a Poem

Title: Defense Mechanisms
Author: by Jessica Goody
Publisher: Phosphene Publishing Co.
Phosphenepublishing.com
ISBN 978-0-9851477-7-8
Copyright 2016
114 pages

Reviewed by LB Sedlacek

The first poem “The Mermaid” that opens
Jessica Goody’s poetry book is a frank look
at turning a mermaid into a human. It’s a
captivating poem, chock full of startling
images of what would most likely happen
to a real mermaid on land. It’s a stark
welcome to a world of poems that touch
on many different emotions, circumstances
and experiences with varying approaches.

Other poems in Part One (Being Handicapped)
are exact looks at real life in poetical form:
From “Drawing Blood” – “I feel the pinch
and snap of the sterile / tourniquet clinching
my flaccid bicep,” and from “Extraction” –
“They don’t look like they belong in the
body, / but are foreign objects meant to be
removed. / My swollen cheeks are soft and
foreign to the touch.”

The poem “Awakening” compares puberty
to the tale of Rip Van Winkle. “Fog People”
melds a fog like existence to dealing with
the outside world and physical limitations.

In Part Two (Green Sentinels) of the book,
the poem “Suicide Methods” is a poignant
take on a razor/bathtub death presenting it
in such a way that it almost seems okay.
“Fallen Apples” turns harvesting apples
into a soft subtle memory and a real
experience almost like being there. Read
this poem and it will make you crave an
apple. From “Ode to a Sea Lion” –
“Your cough-like back warns / he is unwelcome
on your turf. / It is a gang war, bull versus
bull.” This is a poem that will make you
channel just that, a sea lion!

Part Three (Other Voices) seems to head
into a kind of gray area almost like
a meditative chart. From “The Color of
Rain” – “…The damp concrete glints,
bathed in the afterglow / of a passing
storm.”

Goody’s work is just like a storm –
it starts slowly, grows large and
powerful then subsides. You’ll be
glad you read it if you pick up this
work.

MORE ABOUT THE REVIEWER 

~LB Sedlacek is the author of the poetry collections “I’m No ROBOT,” “Words and Bones,” “Simultaneous Submissions,” “The Adventures of Stick People on Cars,” and “The Poet Next Door.”  Her first short story collection came out last year entitled “Four Thieves of Vinegar & Other Short Stories.”  Her mystery novel “The Glass River” was nominated for the Thomas Wolfe Memorial Literary Award.  She writes poetry reviews for “The Poetry Market Ezine” www.thepoetrymarket.com. YouA frequent The New Book Review reviewer you can read another of her reviews on poetry, "Septuagenarian," published by Modern History Press. 

Learn more about her at www.lbsedlacek.com

Facebook:  @lbsedlacekpoet

Twitter @lbsedlacek  

Instagram:  @lbsedlacek  

Tumblr:  @lbsedlacek  

More About #TheNewBookReview Blog

 The New Book Review is blogged by Carolyn Howard-Johnson, author of the multi award-winning HowToDoItFrugally series of books for writers. Authors, readers, publishers, and reviewers may republish their favorite reviews of books they want to share with others. That includes authors who want to share their favorite reviews, reviewers who'd like to see their reviews get more exposure, and readers who want to shout out praise of books they've read and love. Please see submission guidelines in a tab at the top of this blog's home page or go directly to the submission guidelines at http://bit.ly/ThePlacetoRecycleBookReviews or to the guideline tab at the top of the home page of this blog. 

Authors and publishers who do not yet have reviews or want more may use Lois W. Stern's "Authors Helping Authors" service for requesting reviews. Find her guidelines in a tab at the top of the home page, too. Carolyn Wilhelm is our IT expert, an award-winning author, a veteran educator and also contributes reviews and posts on other topics related to books. Reviews, interviews, and articles on this blog are indexed by genre, reviewers' names, and review sites so #TheNewBookReview may be used as a resource for most anyone in the publishing industry. As an example, writers will find this blog's search engine handy for gleaning the names of small publishers.

 Find other writer-related blogs at Sharing with Writers and The Frugal, Smart and Tuned-In Editor. #TheFrugalbookPromoter, #CarolynHowardJohnson, #TheNewBookReview, #TheFrugalEditor, #SharingwithWriters, #reading #BookReviews #GreatBkReviews #BookMarketing

The Cumberland Killers: A Kentucky Mystery (Kentucky Mysteries Book 2) Book Review

The Cumberland Killers: A Kentucky Mystery (Kentucky Mysteries Book 2) Book Review   

Title: The Cumberland Killers: A Kentucky Mystery (Kentucky Mysteries Book 2)
Author: James Aura
Publisher: Independent
Publisher Website Address: https://www.facebook.com/thecumberlandkillers/
ISBN-13: 978-1720173588
ASIN: B07H6Q2ZPM
Page Count: 258 pages

Reviewed by Carolyn Wilhelm

Kentucky must be a lovely place for a murder mystery! With the mountain tops not being widely accessible and long country roads, nefarious activity can be conducted. Lush Kentucky Blue-grass meadows and idyllic scenes do not appear to hide any secrets. However, a young newspaperman, Russell, begins quite an adventure sleuthing after his friend is murdered. We wonder why during most of the story. 

Winding country roads are less traveled, so those determined to conduct illegal business might be willing to use them. Fewer people, fewer watching eyes. Russell and his friend Tom bravely and knowingly find work with criminals felling trees. The work is difficult hard labor. They learn a few clues to help them try to solve the mystery. They also each have a love interest which keeps the story moving along. 

Honest and hard-working people live in the area, although many are now laid off. Russell shares his knowledge of what is going on high on the mountain tops with concerned neighbors, who happen to serve fine Sunday dinners. 

Roads that appear to go nowhere as mining changed from shafts beneath the earth to strip mining. Did you know fewer workers are required for strip mining? Such practices cause unemployment and harm the environment, adding to difficult economic times. At first, companies could just leave the land behind until laws were written for them to restore the areas. In this story, songbirds in some areas are not singing and water wells have become polluted. Hmmm, are we getting closer to finding the truth?

Mountain tops cannot always be seen from the ground, so could it be people were really blowing them up for an even easier mining method? The coal practically fell in the trucks with this method. and few people were aware. One thing leads to another. Clues begin to fall in place. A neighbor boy's drawing causes Russell to look for extra space in his rooming house, causing their capture and almost demise. 

The author kindly shared these images to provide visuals of the area. They may also be found on the book's Facebook page. The author may also be found on Twitter. 

About James Aura

James Aura writes historical, environmental and climate fiction.
He grew up in farming country north of Clifton Hill, Missouri; a town with a barbershop and a population of 212. Later, after college and the army, he covered public servants and Pharisees, civil rights marchers, and the Klan, floods, hurricanes, tornadoes, corporate bigwigs, Amish house-movers, snake handlers and strip-miners from the Midwest to the Atlantic Coast. In other words, he was in the local news business. He hopes you enjoy the ride. James Aura lives in the woods near Raleigh, NC with his wife and a very opinionated cat.

Reviewer Carolyn Wilhelm

Wise Owl Factory LLC

More About #TheNewBookReview Blog 

 The New Book Review is blogged by Carolyn Howard-Johnson, author of the multi award-winning HowToDoItFrugally series of books for writers. Authors, readers, publishers, and reviewers may republish their favorite reviews of books they want to share with others. That includes authors who want to share their favorite reviews, reviewers who'd like to see their reviews get more exposure, and readers who want to shout out praise of books they've read and love. Please see submission guidelines in a tab at the top of this blog's home page or go directly to the submission guidelines at http://bit.ly/ThePlacetoRecycleBookReviews or to the guideline tab at the top of the home page of this blog. Authors and publishers who do not yet have reviews or want more may use Lois W. Stern's "Authors Helping Authors" service for requesting reviews. Find her guidelines in a tab at the top of the home page, too. Carolyn Wilhelm is our IT expert, an award-winning author, a veteran educator and also contributes reviews and posts on other topics related to books. Reviews, interviews, and articles on this blog are indexed by genre, reviewers' names, and review sites so #TheNewBookReview may be used as a resource for most anyone in the publishing industry. As an example, writers will find this blog's search engine handy for gleaning the names of small publishers. Find other writer-related blogs at Sharing with Writers and The Frugal, Smart and Tuned-In Editor. #TheFrugalbookPromoter, #CarolynHowardJohnson, #TheNewBookReview, #TheFrugalEditor, #SharingwithWriters, #reading #BookReviews #GreatBkReviews #BookMarketing

Discussion Questions for U.P. Reader Volume #5 Free PDF Download

Title: U.P. Reader -- Volume #5: Bringing Upper Michigan Literature to the World

Authors: Mikel Classen and Deborah K Frontiera

Publisher: Modern History Press

Publisher Website Address: www.ModernHistoryPress.com

Publisher Email Address: info@ModernHistoryPress.com

ISBN-10: 1615995714

ISBN-13: 978-1615995714

ASIN: B09253976L

Price: $17.95 paperback, $28.95 hardcover, $5.95 Kindle

Page Count: 308 pages

Formats (P.B., H.C., Kindle)

Discussion Questions for U.P. Reader Volume #5 Free PDF Download

Click on this link for your free instant download with the discussion questions. 

This anthology is one of the very best collections I have ever read. It is a satisfying long read including poems, stories, interviews, and writing pieces by young authors. It helps to understand the Yooper culture (Upper Peninsula area of Michigan).  Some of the stories are laugh-out-loud funny. Some stories are so sad you might need a kleenex. It is all highly captivating reading. 

You'll want to grab a pasty and eat some smelt soon after reading. Pasties were the lunch women would make for the miner's on lunch hour as they require only one hand to eat, being like a turnover but with meat and vegetables. Have you ever been smelting? The picture in the book shows a fishing boat, but when the smelt are running a bucket is all that is needed. Run it through the water, easily catch a bunch at once, put the smelt in a container, and get some more. It happens once a year. For some people, it is one of the highlights of the year. 

Lake Superior features prominently in the book which is easily understood as the UP is surrounded by the lake. The UPers refer to the lower Penninsula people as "trolls" as they live under the Mackinac Bridge. This book was written by yoopers, not trolls. Maybe you are one of the fudgies who visit the area for fudge (tourist) -- hey, not a bad idea. 

Discussion Questions

*Note: Only ten stories were selected as I try to keep discussion limited to ten questions. However, book groups will probably have no problem finding much to discuss in all the stories. people will probably want to discuss the interview about a book being made as a movie.

1.        “Your Orbit” by Barbara Bartel – the author is working through writing an obituary and manages to make it humorous. Did you like this writing piece? Could you apprentice yourself to write a similar story? What would you say?

2.       “How to Hunt Fox Squirrels” by Don Bodey -- is another humorous story. What struck you as funny? How do mother squirrels put their children to sleep at night? How does the author suggest a person should go about getting a good squirrel recipe?

3.       “A.S.S. for State Slug” by Larry Buege – is really about what topic? How does Officer Koski end the last protest?

4.       “Matter of Time” by Tricia Carr – seems to be about a senile old woman. Who is scheming against her? How does she get back at the schemers?

5.       “The Lunch Kit” by Deborah K. Frontiera – instead of being snowbirds with their friends in Arizona, a couple begins to care for a child they knew nothing about. How did this happen? How does counseling help? What do they decide to do about schooling?

6.       Pictures throughout the book – which pictures remind you of living in, visiting, or understanding the Upper Peninsula? Have you ever gone smelting? Eaten a pasty? Seen a mine? Watched deer in the woods? What other observations regarding the images would you like to share?

7.        “The Rescue of the L. C. Waldo” by Robert Grede – this story is almost an odyssey as there are so many problems faced by the seaman and those on shore. How did people help? Would telephones have been helpful? Why did some people try to help and not others?

8.       “A Night to Remember” by Charles Hand – have you ever had car trouble on a remote stretch of road? What did the students think was going to happen to them? Gitche Gumee and Big-Sea Waters refer to what? What did you think of the plowing? The resolution? The jailer’s office night policeman forgot to do what?

9.       “Right Judgment” by Tamara Lauder – what did the flowers represent?  

1       “Requiem for Ernie” by Hilton Moore – did you realize people thought polio was catchy? Do you remember anything about the time before polio vaccines? Even now people are being told they maybe had it when they were young. Compare and contrast polio and the coronavirus. 

Carolyn Wilhelm

Wise Owl Factory

More About #TheNewBookReview Blog The New Book Review is blogged by Carolyn Howard-Johnson, author of the multi award-winning HowToDoItFrugally series of books for writers. Authors, readers, publishers, and reviewers may republish their favorite reviews of books they want to share with others. That includes authors who want to share their favorite reviews, reviewers who'd like to see their reviews get more exposure, and readers who want to shout out praise of books they've read and love. Please see submission guidelines in a tab at the top of this blog's home page or go directly to the submission guidelines at http://bit.ly/ThePlacetoRecycleBookReviews or to the guideline tab at the top of the home page of this blog. Authors and publishers who do not yet have reviews or want more may use Lois W. Stern's "Authors Helping Authors" service for requesting reviews. Find her guidelines in a tab at the top of the home page, too. Carolyn Wilhelm is our IT expert, an award-winning author, a veteran educator and also contributes reviews and posts on other topics related to books. Reviews, interviews, and articles on this blog are indexed by genre, reviewers' names, and review sites so #TheNewBookReview may be used as a resource for most anyone in the publishing industry. As an example, writers will find this blog's search engine handy for gleaning the names of small publishers. Find other writer-related blogs at Sharing with Writers and The Frugal, Smart and Tuned-In Editor. #TheFrugalbookPromoter, #CarolynHowardJohnson, #TheNewBookReview, #TheFrugalEditor, #SharingwithWriters, #reading #BookReviews #GreatBkReviews #BookMarketing

Taking the Pain Out of Writing Book Reviews, While Adding a Touch of Glory

Taking the Pain Out of Writing Book Reviews, 

While Adding a Touch of Glory

by Lois W. Stern

 

Review Acquisition Coordinator for TheNewBookReview 

ADDING THAT TOUCH OF GLORY WHILE WRITING A REVIEW FOR A FELLOW AUTHOR

* Don't forget to include a byline or tag line as part of your review. For example, I end each Amazon review I post with the words: Lois W. Stern, Creator of Tales2Inspire®.

* In the body of your review, try to add something personal about yourself, something that helped you relate to this book. For example, a physical therapist might include a few words about how and why they related to the book's karate champion because of their understanding and appreciation of the relationship between strengthening the body and both physical and mental health. 

* As an author, you can probably think of a way to express your admiration for the book you are reviewing by saying something about how your personal experiences as an author make you keenly aware of (something about the craft of writing). For example a reviewer of  Tales2Inspire ~ The Garnet Collection (Stories in Feathers and Friends), wrote that because of his own writings ("scientific treatises of animal consciousness, my appreciation for the stories in this book runs deeply . . . and have been a pleasure to have read.") This reviewer appears to be from Peru, so his language wasn't perfect, but nonetheless his thoughts ran true.

* I have included a page titled, "Book Club Discussion Question to Spark Your Creativity"  at the end of each of my Tales2inspire® books. Even if it is too late to add such questions to the end of your book, you might try writing questions specific to your book to include as a helpful guide to future reviewers.

* For those of you who have bought into our "Authors Helping Authors" project and are ready to write a review for another of TheNewBookReview listed authors, you might find the following questions helpful stimulants to reviewing a book of most every genre.

Dr. Wesley Britton Review 4th in Dense Science Fiction Series by Fabrice Stephan

Title: A Child of the Federation 

Series: Human Star Pilots Book 4 

Author: Fabrice Stephan

ASIN B08TZJCST1

ISBN: 9798700286237 

Published February 2nd 2021

Available on Amazon

 

Reviewed by: Dr. Wesley Britton originally for BookPleasures.com

 

While I sometimes feel like I’m drowning in an overwhelming flood of new novels in science-fiction,   I am often surprised how impressive so many new efforts are.  That’s especially true when authors present universes and multi-verses painted on wide and deep canvases full of ideas that are tantalizing, if not always easily comprehensible. In other words, impressive doesn’t always mean engaging.

 

One problem reviewing such sagas is trying to squeeze a useful summary into one or two paragraphs. It’s possible to list some of the major plot points, spell out the major conflicts and main players, but does that tell readers much about the spirit and flavor of the books?   

 

In this case, that’s even more tricky as I’m jumping into the “Human Star Pilots” epic four books into the series. Before A Child of the Federation,   Stephan gave us Human Star Pilot: Human Star Pilots Book 1, Interstellar Star Pilot: Human Star Pilots Book 2,  and Space Station Acheron: Human Star Pilots Book 3.   And I’ve read none of them.

 

Over the four tomes so far, the universe Stephan created is so vast, ageless, and sprawling,  odds are few readers will quickly wrap their minds around what is involved, no matter in which book they first jump into the saga.  It’s a story with many plots and sub-plots. The main rudder for the fourth novel is the main character of the forty year old star pilot, Isara. As a “child of the Federation,” she knows next to nothing about who she is until a surprising journey of self-discovery takes her back to the planet of her origins, Filb, the planet which witnessed a horrible ecological catastrophe. She is more special than she knows, even moreso than being one of only six pilots capable of surviving the training of managing hyperspace jumps learned from a borrowed Alien technology. That means she has to live with nanobots in her body that keep her alive during warp jumps.

 

To describe a few things about the Federation, it’s worth noting this isn’t a Federation Gene Roddenberry would recognize: it’s mainly an economic confederacy of which earth is a relative newcomer. Also facing ecological disaster, earth needs the technology of ancient aliens who apparently no longer exist.    The interplay between members of the Federation and the levels of political maneuvering are, well, confusing.  While Stephan is masterful at world-building, the further away the story moves away from Isara’s personal evolution, the more lost in the trees I got. 

 

So my final reaction to the book is that it’s a challenge worth exploring if you really like complex universe building, multiple story-lines, very dense back-stories,    and occasional memorable scenes in between all the description of a universe easy to get lost in.  And, no doubt, more to come.

 

 

More About the Reviewer

Dr. Wesley Britton is an author and frequently contributes reviews to #TheNewBookReview, especially those in the science fiction genre. He also reviews for BookPleasures.com.  

More About #TheNewBookReview Blog 

 The New Book Review is blogged by Carolyn Howard-Johnson, author of the multi award-winning HowToDoItFrugally series of books for writers. Authors, readers, publishers, and reviewers may republish their favorite reviews of books they want to share with others. That includes authors who want to share their favorite reviews, reviewers who'd like to see their reviews get more exposure, and readers who want to shout out praise of books they've read and love. Please see submission guidelines in a tab at the top of this blog's home page or go directly to the submission guidelines at http://bit.ly/ThePlacetoRecycleBookReviews or to the guideline tab at the top of the home page of this blog. Authors and publishers who do not yet have reviews or want more may use Lois W. Stern's "Authors Helping Authors" service for requesting reviews. Find her guidelines in a tab at the top of the home page, too. Carolyn Wilhelm is our IT expert, an award-winning author, a veteran educator and also contributes reviews and posts on other topics related to books. Reviews, interviews, and articles on this blog are indexed by genre, reviewers' names, and review sites so #TheNewBookReview may be used as a resource for most anyone in the publishing industry. As an example, writers will find this blog's search engine handy for gleaning the names of small publishers. Find other writer-related blogs at Sharing with Writers and The Frugal, Smart and Tuned-In Editor. #TheFrugalbookPromoter, #CarolynHowardJohnson, #TheNewBookReview, #TheFrugalEditor, #SharingwithWriters, #reading #BookReviews #GreatBkReviews #BookMarketing

Author Idelle Kursman Shares "The Paris Library" with #TheNewBookReview Readers

Title: The Paris Library

By Janet Skeslien Charles 

Genre: Historical Fiction

Publisher: Atria Books 2021 

ISBN: 978-1-9821-3419-8

Published on February 9, 2021

Available on Amazon

Reviewed by Idelle Kursman

Book lovers everywhere will savor reading The Paris Library.  During the years leading up to the Second World War, Odile Souchet is a young girl living in Paris who relishes her job as a librarian at the American Library in Paris. She is also developing strong friendships and finding love, but then the Nazis invade France and thrust hardships upon French citizens--food is scarce; curfews are imposed; and Jews, communists, so called “enemy aliens,” and anyone opposed to Nazi rule are imprisoned or worse.    

 Odile tries hard to carry on but she inadvertently betrays a friend at the closing of the war. Odile eventually leaves the country and settles in Montana, where years later she becomes a mentor to a young girl experiencing growing pains and family issues.  I found it moving to read about a caring, sincere person who has made terrible mistakes and yet uses those experiences to help another person make wiser decisions.  A winner!

About the Reviewer

Idelle Kursman is the author of True Mercy and The Book of Revelations. She also does editing and SEO copywriting. To contact her, please log onto her website at https://www.idellekursman.com.

More About #TheNewBookReview Blog

 The New Book Review is blogged by Carolyn Howard-Johnson, author of the multi award-winning HowToDoItFrugally series of books for writers. Authors, readers, publishers, and reviewers may republish their favorite reviews of books they want to share with others. That includes authors who want to share their favorite reviews, reviewers who'd like to see their reviews get more exposure, and readers who want to shout out praise of books they've read and love. Please see submission guidelines in a tab at the top of this blog's home page or go directly to the submission guidelines at http://bit.ly/ThePlacetoRecycleBookReviews or to the guideline tab at the top of the home page of this blog. Authors and publishers who do not yet have reviews or want more may use Lois W. Stern's "Authors Helping Authors" service for requesting reviews. Find her guidelines in a tab at the top of the home page, too. Carolyn Wilhelm is our IT expert, an award-winning author, a veteran educator and also contributes reviews and posts on other topics related to books. Reviews, interviews, and articles on this blog are indexed by genre, reviewers' names, and review sites so #TheNewBookReview may be used as a resource for most anyone in the publishing industry. As an example, writers will find this blog's search engine handy for gleaning the names of small publishers. Find other writer-related blogs at Sharing with Writers and The Frugal, Smart and Tuned-In Editor. #TheFrugalbookPromoter, #CarolynHowardJohnson, #TheNewBookReview, #TheFrugalEditor, #SharingwithWriters, #reading #BookReviews #GreatBkReviews #BookMarketing