I Escaped The Donner Party: Pioneers on the Oregon Trail, 1846 by Ellie Crowe and Scott Peters

Zeke is 17 and headed out West to California, the promised land that anyone can stake a claim and live a good life.  He's part of a wagon train and is supposed to be taking care of the cow herds.This is all new territory to the people in the wagons and they don't know the danger they are heading into.

Library Thing and the author shared this book with me for review (thank you).  It has been published and you can buy a copy now.

Zeke has visions of the future but he tries not to tell anyone about it.  They think he's crazy if he does.  But this trip gives him an opportunity to use those visions a lot.  

There are Indian guides, parents and children of all ages in the group.  When they come to a spot in the road where they can cut their trip down, they decide to take it.  It becomes the Donner party then. 

As they struggle to climb the Sierra Nevada's mountain range, they lose stock, find themselves running out of food, and then it starts to snow...

This story is sad because not many survive.  When the food is gone and the cattle are gone, one of the men turns into a cannibal.  That's when Zeke decides to leave.

This written for intermediate readers and is based on a true story.  You'll feel like it's you shivering in the snow...

It's educational and a good read with a section at the back giving you facts about the survivors. 

Never After: The Thirteenth Fairy by Melissa de la Cruz

Filo has some bullies at school but she can't turn them in or the hazing will get worse.  So she suffers through it.  Her parents are very protective so she's surprised when they let her go to the bookstore by herself.  The worst part is that the last book in the series isn't there.  It turns out it never got written because the author died.

Roaring Book Press and Net Galley let me read this book for review (thank you).  It will be published on December 1st.

On the way home she is being followed by someone.  When she decides to confront him, she's amazed to see he's Jack, a character in the book series.  He says he's real and she needs to go with him to his world to help them get rid of a queen who is wicked.

She goes with him and they use a portal to go to the world the book talks about.  It's a land of ogres and trolls.  The queen keeps attacking other kingdoms and taking them over.  And Filo and her new friends must stop them.

This is a fun fantasy read with a few surprises added in.  You aren't sure if the good or the bad guys are going to win.  And Filo, who was adopted, finally learns who her mother was.

It was a good read.

The Outcast Girls by Alys Clare

Lily owns her own private detective agency but things have been so slow she can barely keep her male employee busy.  So when a school teacher come with a case of missing school girls, she takes it on. 

Severn House Publishers and Net Galley let me read this book for review (thank you).  It will be published on December 1st.

Lily finds they need to hire a new nurse for the school.  She has been a nurse in the past, so she applies for the job and gets chosen.

This is a school that takes in any unwanted female child.  They may be a bit slow mentally, have a handicap, or be too far down the line for the parents to come up with a dowry for her.  This school takes them all.

They have an organization of men who pay for the school costs.  They are all rich.  They can't blacken their names without repercussions.  So she must snoop carefully and quietly.

 While she finds out what she can at the school, Felix is researching the board members and looking for the missing girls. He finds a dead girl and a dead teacher.  There are more girls missing.

It's dreadful when you find out why they died and who killed them.  Lily almost loses her life in the process.

It's an interesting plot with lots of twists and turns.  It will keep you reading.

Heather and Homicide : The Highland Bookshop Mystery Series: Book 4 by Molly MacRae

Heather Kilbride says she's true crime writer and she's in town to gather facts to write her book.  She's researching a recent murder but she asks questions about a lawyer in town and he has nothing to do with that murder...

Pegasus Books and Edelweiss let me read this book for review (thank you).  It will be published December 1st.

Janet has gone for a walk when she sees what looks like a body right where she found the other one.  She's shocked and scared but goes down to see if there's any life left.  That's when she finds it is a dummy.  Heather put it there.

This story has a lot of questions being asked by the bookstore owner and her friends.  There don't seem to be any answers.  Then Heather turns up really dead and the person taking over the case is not a friend of Janet's.  He thinks they are meddling old ladies.

This was interesting read.  Lots of misdirection and some lies appear to be the norm.  But the women are the ones that finally narrow it down to the killer.

It's a good cosy read.

A Shot of Murder by Brenda Gayle

Charley is a newspaper reporter and she enjoys it.  Then her boss invites her in and tells her he's giving her position to a male reporter back from the war.  He wants her to take over the women's page.  She doesn't want to and tells him so.  She says she'll think it over...

This is a Goddess Fish Blog Tour and they and the author shared the book with me (thank you).  It has been published and you can get a copy now.

Charley's brother was in the service and got held in a prison camp.  Now he is drinking too much.  He goes missing and she goes looking for him.  She finally gets a lead on him from one of the taverns and goes to the house of the lady he left with.  What she finds is murder, the woman is dead.  She knows Freddy didn't do it, so who did and where is Freddy?

She finds no trace of him.  But she meets a Toronto cop who starts looking with her.  It starts getting complicated here.  He's AWOL from the police force, her boyfriend gets mad at her, no one knows the dead woman's real name. and Freddy is still lost.

As they try to make sense out of what they see and hear, it's a long road to Freddy.

Brenda Gayle will be awarding a $30 Amazon/BN GC to a randomly drawn winner via rafflecopter during the tour.  You can enter HERE.

Encourage your readers to follow the tour and comment; the more they comment, the better their chances of winning. The tour dates can be found HERE.

Happy reading and good luck.

Shed No Tears by Caz Frear

There had been a serial killer in the area in the years past.  He strangled his women.  He was dead now.  But they found some bones in a ditch partially covered.  It turns out this one was shot in the head.  Is there another killer on the loose?

Harper and Edelweiss allowed me to read this book for review (thank you).  It will be published on December 1st.

This is a long drawn out investigation.  There are a lot of people to interview.  The victim had been a foster child.  She wasn't old when she died but she had a bad habit of blackmailing people to get money.  She also blackmailed some of thee bigwigs in the gangster world.  There is no end to the list of suspects.

Cat soon discovers that there could be police involved.  Not everyone is clean in the cop shop.  The more questions she asks, the muddier it gets.  She has no idea who killed the girl.  When she finally narrows it down, the killer is a real shock... 

It takes a while to read but it's a good mystery.

Iditarod Nights by Cindy Hiday

Dillon moved to Nome to get away from what he'd become at home.  He has a bar that serves food and his own team of dogs.  He plans to race in the Iditarod sled races.  He's looking for someone that can get him to the starting point.  He luckily runs into Claire who has found out the fellow she was going to take is in the hospital.  She invites him to ride with her.

Library Thing and the author shared this book with me for a review (thank you).  It has been published and you can get a copy now.

Her friend that she was staying with thinks Claire should be looking for a husband.  So her matchmaking skills jump into play.  It's a good thing they are leaving soon.

The Iditarod Trail is dangerous enough that the dogs and the humans must train diligently to manage to finish it.  This story points out the dangers and just how tough you have to be to make it.  Dillon runs into an encounter with a moose.  Carole finds herself hallucinating, seeing dangers that aren't there.

The two main characters have secrets from the past they don't want to share.  But before they finally conquer the trail, they do. 

This is a real body breaking trail but they manage to fall in love despite that.   Together they will face the things that bother them.

Reading about the conditions on the trail make me very glad I live where I do.  Alaska is too cold and severe for me.

Blind Vigil by Matt Coyle, Series: The Rick Cahill Series

Rick got shot in the face while doing his private eye job.  He's blind now.  You can't investigate if you can't see...

Oceanview Publishing and Edelweiss allowed me to read this book for review (thank you).  It will be published December 1st.

He's been staying in his house and thinking of what he could do in his condition when a female private eye approaches him and asks him to come with her and tell if her client is telling the truth or not.  He doesn't want to be used, but she's paying him and he knows her client.  He used to work with Turk.

Turk wants to know if his girlfriend is lying to him about where she goes after work when she's not with him.  Does she have another lover? He knows she doesn't go home.

Rick and Moira decide to follow her.  They see where she goes but it doesn't look like love.  They plan to tell Turk the next day.  Moira goes over early to follow her to work and finds cops all over the place.  Turk admits he went over and had a fight with her but he denies killing her.  When they find a tie he wore once around her neck, they take him in.

While all this has been going on, Rick is having problems with the love of his life.  She lives in another town and has a big project lined up.  She won't see him often while doing that.  She invites him to move in with her but he likes the city he's in and says no.

Rick starts looking for the real killer.  He's sure he knows who it is by his cologne.  He's been close to Rick a few times.  Rick sets himself up as bait.  It works.  Who will win?  The blind man or the killer?

Three against the North by Dianna Dorisi Winget

Penny's father is going to work on the Grand Coulee dam and even though she begs, he won't take her with him.  She gets to go to Alaska to stay with her uncle.  The sea journey makes her sick and when she arrives in Juneau her uncle is no where to be seen.  She finds a friendly dog, though, even if she is deaf.

BooksGoSocial and Net Galley let me read this book for review (thank you).  It has been published and you can get a copy now.

She asks where she might look for her uncle and gets sent to the local restaurant.  He's not there either.  She finds out he has gone to Skagway and that's no place for a girl.  The lady with the restaurant also has rooms for boarders, so Penny goes back there.  The lady had just fired her dishwasher, so Penny volunteers to do that to pay for her room.  Bitty, the woman's daughter, becomes her friend.  Penny sends her father a telegram.

She works well and the woman is pleased with her.  She finds out Bitty is getting electrical treatments to help her quit dreaming.  The dreams went away but now she has awful headaches.  She even thinks about suicide.  But Penny and the dog save her from that.

Will everything settle down finally?  It has a good ending and it was a good read.

The Rembrandt Conspiracy by Deron R. Hicks - Series: The Lost Art Mysteries

There has been one robbery already where paintings were stolen that were worth millions.  Now Art thinks the museum his father works at is next on their list.

HMH Books for Young Readers and Edelweiss allowed me to read this book for review (thank you).  It will be published December 1st.

Art has seen the same lady come into the museum several times and she always does the same thing.  But his only proof that a grand heist is about to take place is iced mocha, forty-two steps, and a mysterious woman who appears like clockwork in the museum.  He can't take that to his father.  Camille agrees it's funny and they decide they will follow her when she leaves.  Unfortunately she calls for a ride and Art thinks they've lost their opportunity.  But not Camille.  She rents a scooter and off they go.

It wasn't the safest ride but they make it.  They go into the building and see what floor she gets off on.  Then Art convinces Camille they need to find stairs so she and her friends won't hear them coming.  All is going well until they run into a  security guard from the museum.  He's not the old man he appeared to be.

They get captured and tied up with duct tape.  But Art thinks and hopes that the trick he does will save them.

It's exciting, very busy and you're not sure how it's going to turn out until the very end.  It was a good read.

Adventures of the Sensokids: Oh Messy Me by Reema Naim

Children don't instinctively know their senses.  This book talks about them , introduces you to the characters and has a story to tell also.

Palmetto Publishing and Smith Publicity sent me a copy of this book to read for review (thank you).  It has been published and you can get a copy now.

The first girl we meet doesn't realize she left part of the peanut and jelly sandwich on her face.  When she goes to clean up, she finds she put her top on backwards.  She learns to touch things so she will know next time.

Each character has a sense they demonstrate so your child will understand. 

This is a well put together book that will be fun to read and learn from.  Why not buy one for your young one?

You're Pulling my Leg by Allen Wolf

Can you tell a lie and not give it away?  This book is a game.  This one is for the kids, there's another one out for adults.  There are instructions in the book for how to play.  There are 225 cards with multiple questions on them.

The author and PR by the Book sent me a copy of this book to read for review.  It has been published so you can buy a copy today.

This is a good game if you have a road trip or need to stay in a hotel on the way.  There are a variety of questions on the card so you can pick the one you like best.  He suggests if you're going to pull someone's leg you need to mix some truth with your lie.  It sounds more believable then.

The card says tell me about and you choose the question.  If you've done some crazy things in your life tell them about those.  Those are true.  That way they will never really be sure.

This could be a good game for quiet times.  It won't be quiet for long!

Prospects of a Woman by Wendy Voorsanger

Elisabeth is a young wife who travels with her husband to find her father who is panning for gold on the American River.   But she has a rude awakening.  Her father takes his young Indian lady friend and leaves.  Then she finds her husband is more interested in men than he is in her.  Her whole life to this point has been a failure...

She Writes Press sent me an ARC of this book to read for review (thank you).  It is being published today. 

After seeing her husband at a dance, dancing with another man, and then heading into the darkness with him, she no longer loves him.  As she talks to a few of the ladies in town, she finds out that, in this state, women can be their own person.  They have a right to property, can get divorced, and more.  Elisabeth decides to strike out on her own.

She's still very naive and falls in love with a Mexican.  That romance doesn't turn out well either.  Then a fire comes along and burns her home and business up.  She also loses her money she had saved.

But she doesn't give.  She decides she's through with men, gets another job and becomes even more independent.  She's blazing a trial for those women of the next generation...

Dogwinks: True Godwink Stories of Dogs and the Blessings They Bring by SQuire Rushnell; Louise DuArt

If you've had pets in your life, you'll want to read this book.    Theses stories are about dogs who help their owners.  Sure we help them too by feeding and petting them but animals help us in various ways.

Howard Books and Net Galley let me read this book for review (thank you).  It will be published be published May 4th, 2021.

These tales have a positive focus even if there was separation or doctor bills.  I was amazed to read about the lady who got misdiagnosed by her doctor but her dog told her something was seriously wrong.  She survived because of that.

These are not long stories but they will touch your heart.  I enjoyed reading the book.  It reminds me of when I had my bunion surgery and had to stay home to heal.  My dog had a fit until I let him in and then he checked out my feet, got on the loveseat with me and put his head in my lap.  Everywhere I went and everything I did was supervised by him.  It was nice because I had company while my husband was at work.

These tales reminded me of that...

The Dogs of Winter by Ann Lambert Series: A Russell and Leduc Mystery (#2)

There's an awful snowstorm in Montreal that basically shuts down the city.  The next day they find the dead body of a woman.  She'd apparently been hit by a car but she died from asphyxiation.   She has a picture of a cop in her pocket with his phone number on the back of it.  The investigating officer calls him and asks if he can identify her.

Second Story Press and Edelweiss allowed me to read this book for review (thank you).  It has beeen published and you can get a copy now.

Romeo doesn't know the woman and has no idea where she got the picture.

Then they find another body, this is a man's.  Someone seems to be killing the homeless people.  Romeo wants to help track the killer down but the other precinct doesn't want his help.  He'll have to go it alone.  

Romeo has a girlfriend that is ten years older than he is and she helps him.

Marie has a student who was raped and she tries to talk her into telling Romeo about it.  She says no but she might change her mind.

The motive is unusual and Romeo almost loses his life to the killer.  Good thing Marie didn't stay in the car.

There is enough going on you hate to set the book down.  It's a bit of a sad read but justice wins in the end.

The Gospel in Dickens by Gina Dalfonzo

I read Dickens in my younger years and never thought about him expressing any gospel in his stories.  There's a paragraph at the front of each excerpt that tells you what he was expressing.  They call it gospel, I call it life...

Plough Publishing share this book with me for review (thank you).  It has beeen published and you can get a copy now.

I found it enjoyable to read the parts of the story presented.  Dickens gets a bit boring if you read a whole book of his.  

The introduction to each excerpt tells you what to look for and I was amazed at how much of his work did compare to gospel.  His characters are often not nice and don't change even when challenged,

This was an interesting take on how to read a book and see more than just the story.  There are lessons in books.

Fortune and Glory : A Novel Janet Evanovich Series: A Stephanie Plum Novel

Stephanie is back again!  She is helping her grandmother look for her dead husband's treasure.  Unfortunately, so are the bad guys.

Atria Books and Edelweiss share the book with me for review (thank you).  It will be published on November 3rd.

They try to find the clues that will tell them where the treasure is hidden.  While they are doing that, the men are trying to kidnap them.  They think her grandmother knows where it's hidden.  If she doesn't tell them right away, they'll torture her.

Stephanie stays with grandma to protect her but the men are bigger than she is.

She's "off" on her relationship with Joe, the cop, so she asks Ranger to help her.  Before long, Joe and Ranger are both trying to help.  There's even a woman from out of town involved, she is an insurance lawyer looking for the stolen goods.

It gets dangerous because they are looking for diamonds.  All Grandma wants is her fair share but the men don't want to share.

They finally find the safe.  When they are opening it, it explodes!  Will they ever find all the diamonds?  And what will it take to get rid of the bad men?

Isabella the Jade Warrior (Book 1) by M. Anthony Phillips

Isabella decides to wear the necklace that came from her grandmother.  She had no idea that it had magical powers...

BoooksGoSocial and Net Galley let me read this book for review (thank you).  It has been published and you can grab a copy now.

When a ice encased dragon comes to town, Isabella wants to see it.  She doesn't just see it, it talks to her telepathically.  The ice melts, the dragon comes back to life, and Isabella and her uncle's girlfriend go to save him from the money hungry guys who found him.  Grace is a witch and she shrinks him,  They go the barn in the country so he can go back to regular life and be safe.

From here on out it gets more and more dangerous for them.  The men who lost the dragon are on their trail.  Her uncle gets thrown in jail, but gets out after a few days.  The dragon wants to go find his mate who is in Mongolia.  They head out to find his mate and the other party is on their way to the same location.  If they can't get the male back, they'll look for the female.

Isabella has trained in martial arts to defend herself.  The necklace she wears helps her with chi.  She can stop them without touching them.

This is an exciting adventure with lots of action, fights with the two parties and even the dragon gets involved.  There is a family curse involved, too.  He does find his mate, but this is the first book in this series so there will be more danger and action coming....

Georgia Ann ~ English Rose (Charleston Brides #2) by Elva Cobb Martin

Georgia has two neighbor brothers that want to marry her.  She's grown into a beautiful woman.  She intends to marry Samuel but he goes away for two years to make enough money to live on.  The next news she gets is that his ship has sunk and he must have gone down with it...

Wild Heart Books let me read this book for review (thank you).  It will be published on November 17th.

Joshua tries to make her feel better and eventually asks her to marrry him.  She says yes guardedly.  She still loves Samuel but if he's dead she needs to move on.

Samuel is a slave on another ship, he's not dead.  Georgia is going to England to visit her aunt and uncle.  The boat she's on gets conquered by invading forces and suddenly she's a captive, too.  They are both on the same boat, so she finds out Samuel isn't dead.

You learn about how captives are treated, the warring nations of the time, and then Georgia gets kidnapped.  The stepbrother intends to marry her whether she wants or not.

Samuel comes after her and it gets a bit rough before the end.  She's going to end up  married but to which one?

Simmer Down by Sarah Smith

Nikki left her job on the mainland and moved to Maui to help her mother with a food truck.  Her mom and dad were going to do it, but he passed away and her mother couldn't do it alone.  It was going pretty well until she comes to her parking place and finds another food truck there in her spot...

Berkley and Net Galley let me read this book for review (thank you).  It is being published today.

Nikki tells him he can't park there, it's her spot.  They are free spots and he's not about to move.  In no time at all begins a food truck war.  They make signs that aren't complimentary and hide them around the truck.  They steal supplies.  No one is giving up or giving in.  The biggest surprise is that business picks up.  The customers enjoy the fight.

As time goes on they become friends.  They keep up the act though.  Then they become part of a contest.  Whichever one gets the most votes gets the spot.  But they have to hide their relationship or the contest will be voided.  That's almost impossible because they are falling in love.

Who will win?  Will they ever get to stop hiding their love?  They break up.  Will they get together again?

This was a good romantic tale with all sorts of trouble that settles down at the end.  Will they get together or not?  Read it and see.

Rocky Mountain Revelation (Rocky Mountain Revival #2) by Lisa J. Flickinger

Will first sees Madeline running after his friend, Matt, with a frying pan.  He wonders what Matt did to make her so mad.  He liked practical jokes but no one else did...

Wild Heart Books let me read this book for review (thank you).  It will be published November 3rd.

Will intends to work with this logging crew to earn money to share with his family.  He's not enthused when he finds out he's assigned to kitchen duty.  But that's where Madeline works, so it's not all bad. 

There is one fellow in camp that bullies him.  That man intends to marry Madeline.  She needs a father for the baby she's going to have.  Her husband died in the woods.  She listens to the sweet talk and thinks about marrying him.  He says all the right things.  But Will knows they are all lies, but can he prove it?

How this all works out is entertaining and a fun read.

The Secret Life of Lady Evangeline by Jan Davis Warren

An enemy that wants her husband burns their house down trying to kill Lady Evangeline.  She escapes but her back is burnt pretty badly so she goes to the convent to heal.  Everybody thinks the fire got her and she lets them assume Lady Evangeline is dead.

Wild Hearts Books let me read this book for review (thank you).  It has been published and you can get a copy now.

She thinks her husband might have played a role in the murder scheme so she dons a disguise and becomes the Fox, a highway man.  She robs the rich and shares the money with the poor.  On day she hears Henry in the stagecoach as well as a baby's cry.  They told her that her baby had died but Henry has her.  It was a lie.  Bandits come after the stage so the Fox and her friends stay hidden.  When they leave with Henry and the baby, she goes to the stage and finds two men dead.  When she hears they are going to sell her baby, she is determined to save her.

There is lots of action, more than one betrayer, and a tentative meeting between Evangeline and Henry.  Can they trust each other?  Is the love still there?

This was a good read.  I enjoyed it.

Esme's Wish: Esme Trilogy Book 1 by Elizabeth Foster

Esme's father is getting married again.  Her mother is missing, assumed dead because she was on the sea, and he's found a new wife.  Esme speaks against the marriage but no one cares.  Then her dad and the new wife go on their honeymoon.  That's when Esme finds the sister of the new bride is coming to stay with her.  The first day she takes down all her mother's artwork and puts up other pictures...

BooksGoSocial and Net Galley let me read this book for review (thank you).  It has been published and you can get a copy now.

Esme doesn't have friends (her mother was her friend) but it doesn't take long to find some.  The boy takes her to the island where her mother was going all those months ago.  They search the whole island and find nothing.  But then she sees some caves and wants to search them.

This is where fantasy drops in on the story.  She finds a water passage and she falls in.  She expects to drown but she finds she breath in this water.  When she finds land again, it's the land in her mother's pictures.  She's mesmerized by the thought of retrieving the pretty pearl her mother painted.  The only problem is that there are monsters guarding it.  When she gets there, there's no pearl just her mother's necklace.  She grabs that and almost makes it out when one of the monsters scratches her leg.

She immediately starts reacting to the scratch so they have to get her to a doctor.  It's serious but the doctor saves her.  Then she continues to search for her mother.  She finds her but she's just barely alive.  Now Esme is going home to tell her father.  She doesn't know if he will come back with her or not...

The next book will answer that question.

This was a good read with plenty of excitement.

Runaway Rescue: The Adventures of Misty & Moxie Wyoming: Girl & Her Horse Adventure Story Ages 6-8 & 9-12 by Niki Danforth

Moxie and her horse, Misty, have a special relationship.  They can talk to each other and they like cats.

BooksGoSocial and Net Galley let me read this book for review (thank you).   It has been published so you can get a copy now.

This is written for intermediate readers.  It has plenty of magic and lots of animals to entertain them.

If Moxie wears her pink cowboy books Misty can fly.  That's handy when they want to take a long trip.  Besides that, she has a whistle that summons a grizzly bear.  He's her friend, too.

When they go to big city to help save some feral cats, she and her human friend get in an argument with adults that intend to euthanize cats.  She blows on her whistle and the grizzly keeps them hiding in a doorway and out of Moxie's way.

It's fascinating how they get in to a nature reserve for the animals.  And she has book that can transform to a tablet.  

It's a good tale with lots of fantasy.

Murder, She Wrote: Murder in Season by Jessica Fletcher, Jon Land

Jessica is waiting for her home to be finished after the fire so she's not upset when she sees a call from her contractor.  But she is after she talks to him.

 Berkley and Edelweiss let me read this book for review (thank you).  It will be published November 24th.

He tells her he found a body when digging up her septic tank.  The sheriff and the doctor go with her and it turns out there are two bodies and a trunk in that hole.  Someone must have buried them recently because the tank had already been replaced once.  One body is really old.  The other is about a year old.  They gather the bones and tell Jessica she can check out the trunk.  She finds all kinds of journals.

As she reads them, she realizes the founding fathers didn't start their town with money they brought with them.  They were in the slave trade.

They had a TV host show up and he tries to interview them.  Then in a few days he's found dead in his hotel room.  What's going on?

As Jessica tries to sort out who may have done the murders, ahe finally concludes there is someone in the city who is a murderer.  She goes to brace him...

Bronze Dragon (Riders of Fire #0.5) by Eileen Mueller

Hans is out with his dad hunting boars for the feast they will be having soon.  He and his brother are taking turns at killing them.  But the last one they killed wasn't really a pig.  It had the face and the fur but it walked on two legs and wore clothes.  They decide to head for home.

The author sent me this book to read.  You can get now on Amazon.

On the trip home they find a dead woman and take her back to the house, too.  But the house is empty, as is the whole village.  Pa is shocked and upset.  The boys sneak out to go find the people.  Instead, they walk into a trap...

This is an exciting tale with monsters and dragons and determined humans.  It was a good read.

Silver Dragon: Riders of Fire – A Prequel Novelette by Eileen Mueller

Marlies is an apprentice healer.  The main healer is gone and they have a dragon rider and a dragon that have been injured.  She goes to help.  The dragon rider doesn't make it but she can help the dragon.

The author shared this book with me.  You can get a copy of the book HERE.

 She has this one bully in town after her.  His father is rich and protects him, so he's out of control.  A friend of hers starts teaching her how to fight and that's a good thing.

The dragon returns and tells Marlies she's his new dragon rider.  Almost immediately afterward a caravan is in danger and needs help.  Off they go to the rescue.  Part of the reason she's so willing to go is because she thinks it's her father's caravan! 

It is her father's caravan and they do need help!  It gets real exciting here.  

This was a good fantasy read and I enjoyed it!

A Perfect Storm by Mike Martin

Windflower is back again and this case is even more dangerous.

The author and Net Galley let me read this book for review (thank you).  It has been published so you can grab a copy now.

The first thing that happens is that he goes into an abandoned business and the floor gives out and he's in a fairly deep hole.  There's no way he can get out by himself and it's a dead area for cellphones.  He has no idea how long it will be before someone finds him.  Luckily one of the other Mounties wants to talk to him, so he calls the receptionist who went home sick to find out where he was going.  He finds him and helps him out but he has to go the hospital.  He broke his arm in two places and twisted his ankle.  He doesn't stay in the hospital long but he has a long road to wellness.

The main focus of this story is drug running.  You wouldn't think a little town in Canada would have a problem with that, but that's why the drug runners went there.  It's peaceful there.  Then people start dying.  Anyone who talks gets killed.

The Mounties are bouncing around from one job to another, the White Aryan Brotherhood is involved, witnesses die and they are trying to get close enough to take some to jail.  It's very dangerous.

While all this is going on, Windflower's aunt dies and they have to fit a funeral in. 

The way it turns out is amazing.  And the changes aren't over yet.  It will be fun to read the next book in this series.  It's not at all boring.

A Murder Between the Pages by Amy Lillard

Arlo and her bookstore have a bookclub.  She was expecting a mix of people but all that showed up were old ladies.  The worst part is that want to solve crimes, especially murders...

Poisoned Pen Press and Edelweiss let me read this book for review (thank you).  It will be published on November 24th.

They've read a book about a missing lady and even if it was years ago, they still want to solve the crime.  Arlo sighs.  Once they get a thing in their mind, she can't change it.  

There are all kinds of odd characters in the tale.  One of the ladies has a new boyfriend.  He's got the tattoos of prison and Arlo doesn't trust him.  Then there is another murder and some of the ladies were there when it happened.  They want to solve that too.

Arlo has two boys she dated in school back in town and she's not sure which she likes best.

It turns out the man dating one of the ladies lied about his name.  The missing woman was pregnant.  They finally find her car in a man-made lake.  No body, though.

Will the ladies solve this mystery, too?  You'll have to read it to see...

A Tale of Mystery by Blake Severson

This story is one of those in the book Rise and Rescue Volume No. 1.  One of the guards has been killed and Derrick is going to find the killer.  He gets points for the things he does right so it's almost a game.  It's a deadly game though.

The first thing he runs across is a raccoon.  He feeds him and finally is rewarded with trust.  They adventure together.

He finds a hidden door and ventures into the dungeon.  The first person he meets and fights with is over soon and he continues on his way.  He finds more challenges along the way and then he finds the killer.  The killer has a surprise for him but he doesn't give up the battle.

They have magical powers and it really turns into a battle.  I was surprised by the ending but it was a good surprise.

This is just one short story in that book, which you can find on Amazon.  I enjoyed this tale!

The Fabled Stables Willa the Wisp by Jonathan Auxier

This new series is sure to entice boys into reading.  Auggie is taking care of the animals in the Fabled Stables and you've never seen any of these creatures before...

I received an ARC of this book in the mail from Amulet Books (thank you).  It's to be published in September 2020.

Auggie loves his menagerie of odd animals.  They aren't purebred and they come in so many varieties it makes your mouth drop open.  He feeds them their favorite foods, pets the ones he can and takes it all in stride.  But he didn't expect to find another stall that stretches out into another world.

He can hear an animal that needs help, so he ties himself on to a cobweb and goes to find it.  Find it he does but that's not all he finds...

There are lots of illustrations, plenty of challenges and more.  This is the first book in this series, so there's more to look forward to.   Just be careful around the animals...

Wingspan by Eileen Mueller

Shorty has short and small wings.  She didn't graduate last year because of them and she's determined to make it this year.

The author shared a copy of this book with me to read for review (thank you). You can get a free copy HERE.

Buzz and Aiden love to tease her and try to undermine her determination.  She's thrilled when she makes it over the big crevice (she can't use her wings, must just float across)  The next challenge the wind changes on her and she falls.  She crawls out ashamedly.

But there is another incident where she can redeem herself.  Having short wings can be useful.  Will she graduate this year?