A Moment With Mystee

Book DescriptionMikael Blomkvist, a once-respected financial journalist, watches his professional life rapidly crumble around him. Prospects appear bleak until an unexpected (and unsettling) offer to resurrect his name is extended by an old-school titan of Swedish industry. The catch—and there's always a catch—is that Blomkvist must first spend a year researching a mysterious disappearance that has remained unsolved for nearly four decades. With few other options, he accepts and enlists the help of investigator Lisbeth Salander, a misunderstood genius with a cache of authority issues. Little is as it seems in Larsson's novel, but there is at least one constant: you really don't want to mess with the girl with the dragon tattoo.

Product Details Series: Vintage Crime/Black Lizard Mass Market Paperback: 672 pages Publisher: Vintage; Mti Rei edition (November 22, 2011) Language: English ISBN-10: 0307949486 ISBN-13: 978-0307949486

Rating: 1 of 5

Review: Here I find myself going against the grain (which I'm certain will happen more and more as I post reviews). I can't rant and rave and tell you how super this book was. Why? Well, because....to me it wasn't. I guess I just missed something. Or perhaps it's the "popularity" of "If it's made into a movie it has to be great."


I never was able to fall in love (or hate) with any of the characters. They all seemed to fall flat (and we know-I love vivid, crawl out of the book characters). They were dry. They told of feeling, happening -- rather than showing it. I want to feel like I'm in the middle of something. I want to immerse into being one of the characters (or at least, wishing I could be one of them). Or, at the very least, relating to whatever it is the author has them going through.


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Book Description The Awakening is a story of courage, redemption, and discovery. Meet Meg Richards, a rather ordinary working mother who wakes up to discover how truly undiscovered she really is. As she begins to unravel her relationships, she discovers that being "real" might just be the key to her own redemption. Surrounded by people who are more interested in creating an image for themselves as opposed to just being themselves, she realizes that in order for her life to change, she must first understand that being perfect is not the key to happiness. She must also face the reality of her relationship with her husband, Craig. Her perceptions, her memories, and all of her relationships will be challenged as Meg tries to put her life back together, piece-by-piece. An unseen force is at play and will not stop until she remembers. A journey to the past will unlock these secrets and she will never be the same again.

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Rating: 3 of 5

Review: This is a down to earth book that makes it feel as though you're possibly reading about your next door neighbor. Although, I'm sure many will love Meg's everyday type of character, I found reading of her in an abusive relationship, even staying for a day, disturbing. I know it happens a lot {unfortunately} and I know there are reasons why women stay...but for me, it's just an issue I have, I suppose.


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Book Description In the 27th century, a psychic aberration has manifested in humanity, gifting a select few with the ability to weave dreams for others. They ply their addictive trade, calling themselves Dream Merchants. Rarer still are those who can assassinate people while they dream... Newly arrived on Altair IV, Cassandra Dade works her profession as a Dream Assassin according to her own code of ethics. She's beautiful, rich and running from her past-a past which is about to catch up with her. The partner she trains might be all that stands between her and mental destruction, a fate worse than death. But does his own secret agenda set them on a collision course with disaster?

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Rating: 4 of 5

Review: I loved the unexpected in this book. First of all, the lead male is gay. So, it's unlikely that he and Cassandra are going to get hot and heavy in this book. Nathan wants to find out who murdered his lover and is ready to become a dream assassin for vengeance. Who can blame him. Right?


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Book Description
When Aubree Stewart RECEIVES a mysterious phone call on her way to work, she doesn t know what to think when the caller mentions a dead body. At first she assumes it s some kind of prank. But the call isn t a practical joke, and Aubree soon finds herself swept up in a world of danger, intrigue, and murder. With help from the FBI, Aubree races to protect herself and what s left of her family, but the one thing she forgets to protect is her own heart.

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Rating: 4 of 5

Review: Can I start by saying I love this cover? I know, never judge a book by it's cover, but this one I picked up just because of the cover.
This book is romance, suspense and thrills rolled into one. Make sure you have reading time; this is a book you won't want to put down until you've read the last page.


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Book Description

Kissed by a Dark Prince (Eternal Mates Romance SERIES BOOK 1)
Olivia thinks it’s her lucky night when a dangerously handsome unconscious fae ends up on her inspection table. He’s her chance to REDEEM herself with her employer, the demon-hunting organisation, Archangel. But when the tall, dark and deadly immortal warrior awakes, she gets much more than she bargained for…

Attacked by his enemy in the elf kingdom, the last thing Prince Loren expects when he comes around is a beautiful angel watching over him and medical technology of the mortal realm. Hazy from his injuries, all he can focus on is the pulse TICKING in her throat and the sweet allure of her blood.

One single bite reveals she is his eternal mate, triggering a bond between them that will leave him weakened until it is COMPLETED… or broken, and pulling Olivia into the crossfire of his ancient feud.

To protect his people and his mate from the machinations of a madman, Loren must risk everything by working with Olivia at Archangel to find a way to break the bond blossoming between them.

But will Loren be strong enough to place duty before desire and give up the one thing he has waited millennia for and craves above all others—his eternal mate? And will Olivia be able to resist the incredible heat that burns between them and the temptation of her dark prince’s kiss?

Paranormal Romance Books in the Eternal Mates Series
Kissed by a Dark Prince
Claimed by a Demon King - Available Feb 2014

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Title: The Return of Black Douglas
Author:  Elaine Coffman
Genre: Highlander Romance, Time Travel, M/F
Book Details: novel
Format Reviewed:EBOOK
Blurb:   While visiting the Scottish tombs of her forebears, American archeologist Isobella Douglas encounters the ghost of her famous ancestor, Sir James, the Black Douglas. The matchmaking ghost seizes on her romantic fantasies, and before she knows it, Isobella and her twin sister, Elisabeth, a doctor, find themselves whisked to 16th-century Scotland, inappropriately dressed. When the dastardly Macleans capture Elisabeth, Alysandir Mackinnon, entirely fascinated by half-naked, strong-willed Isobella, offers to help her get her sister back. Bestseller Coffman (The Bride of Black Douglas) spins a rewarding love story between her two intelligent, stubborn protagonists, keeping their relationship fresh and their conflicts credible. Toss in a boy in need of a father, intriguing details of 16th-century customs, and a substantial but not overwhelming dose of sex, and the result is a satisfying time travel romance. (Apr.)
(c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved.


Available On Amazon

My Review:  I have to admit to reading another Highlander time travel novel. This one kept me back and forth. One moment loving it, another almost hating it. At certain points the same issues kept going and going, making them seem to be on overkill.

Isobella's sister, Elisabeth was brought in as sort of a secondary storyline, but it wasn't done as well or as completely as it could have been. So, when you're reading the epilogue, it just feels as though you could have been told so much more on the story part rather than having all the additional repeat conflict between Alysandir and Isobella.

**SPOILER ALERT**
I normally try not to do these, but for me, it seems important to include due to my feelings on the book.

We never really find out why Black Douglas does what he does. I really don't like unclosed matters in a book. If there is a sequel, fine. However, things still need to be neatly wrapped at the end of one before going on to the next.

In the end, I really wanted to hear first hand about Alysandir's wedding and their children and their happily ever after. It was left with him stating he wanted her to be his wife. The prologue is about the girls' parents traveling to Scotland, visiting where they did a year later to try to determine how their daughters disappeared. They find their answers, but to me, the ending simply wasn't well done. I don't think the parent's closure needed the ending of a book that barely focused on them.

Rating: 3 of 5

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Title: ASH: Return of the Beast
Author: Gary Val Tenuta
Genre: Detective, Occult, Thriller, Black Magic, Demons, Mystery
Book Details: 340 pages
Format Reviewed:EBOOK
Blurb:   Ash: Return of the Beast is an occult crime thriller, a work of fiction based on a little known factoid about the death of Aleister Crowley (1875-1947), the notorious occultist the British press once called "The Wickedest Man In The World". Crowley’s body was cremated but the whereabouts of his funerary ashes has remained a mystery… until now.

This diabolical tale carries the reader through a series of the most curious (and sometimes unsettling) events spanning the years from 1947(and the death of Aleister Crowley) to the 1990s and the coming-of-age (and eventual stardom) of a "death-metal" rocker named Rodney Duckworth.

The time-line shifts to the present day where Brian Kane, a gruff and gritty, street-worn Seattle Police Detective, reluctantly teams up with the mysterious Rowena Ravenwood, an attractive FEMALE FBI agent. Their task is to figure out why good, healthy, God-fearing preachers in their fair city are suddenly dropping dead.

What is the meaning of the strange symbols branded onto the bodies of these hapless victims? Are they all part of some bizarre cult? No eyewitnesses. No fingerprints. Is it really murder? Where’s the evidence? And what is the disturbing secret that Detective Kane is holding so close to his chest?

The investigation catapults Kane and Ravenwood headlong into life-threatening situations as they wind their way through the strange, dark labyrinth of the world of the occult and find themselves battling the powerful forces of ritual magick.

Problem is, the clues to help solve the case are in terribly short supply. Worse yet, so is the amount of time left to stop the mysterious killer's reign of terror before all Hell breaks loose. And – according to Special Agent Ravenwood – that’s not just a figure of speech.
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Warning: This book is intended for adult readers due to strong language and some implied sexual content of a violent nature. Note: the sexual content is implied as opposed to graphic. It is not included as a gratuitous element. Rather, it is specific to the background of one of the primary characters and his personal development as well as to an aspect of certain elements of what is known as "ritual magick", one of the key elements woven into the storyline.
•••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••


Available On Amazon


My Review: What a wonderful scary read. You can tell extensive research was done for this book. All I can really stress are two points. 1. I am going to be searching and reading any other books he may have. 2. I hope he writes fast because this is one author I won't tire of.

One of the things I really loved about this book is that I really couldn't predict the exact ending. So often with thrillers and mysteries I have everything long figured out and the book is still going and going. Not this time. There's a thrill and a chill with each turn of the page. And, you go through bouts of "no, I don't want to know. I won't turn the page." .... to "Oh my gosh, I have to turn the page."

I spent the day reading this book and only took the breaks I had to in between. A must have for every reader's collection.
Rating: 5 of 5

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Title: The Bastard
Author: Brenda Novak
Genre: Historical Romance
Book Details: 204 Pages
Format Reviewed: EBOOK
Blurb:  To some men honor is just a word....

Jeannette Boucher, a young French beauty from a family left penniless by the revolution, must marry against her will to save them all from ruin. But almost immediately after the vows are spoken, she learns that her old English husband is impotent-and in his desire for an heir, he plans to compromise her in the worst way.

Determined to escape such a fate, she stows away on one of His Majesty's frigates. But a woman alone is in constant danger.

To Lieutenant Treynor, honor means everything....

Born a bastard to a wayward marquise, Lieutenant Crawford Treynor was given to a poor farmer to raise and was maltreated until he ran away to join the Royal NAVY. Treynor is determined to prove he's as good as any other man and rise to captain his own frigate. But once he finds Jeannette aboard The Tempest he must decide whether to return her to the man he knows would abuse her-or risk everything, even his life, to keep her safe.


Available On Amazon

My Review: For those writers and publishers that don't think a cover matters, let me tell you this: I was drawn into an awful clichd book by a wonderful cover. I mean, that cover is just wow. The book however, was not.

On the other side of it, I also have to admit the blurb is very well written. It sounds like something that's going to be a great read and even a re-read.

The title was very fitting.

With honor meaning everything to Lieutenant Treynor, you'd think he wouldn't be quite the asshole all the time. Don't misunderstand. I do love a male character that can be an ass, that stands his ground, that is the man and not bending over to have a woman control him. However, there is a line and Crawford crosses it. He's not the hot dreamy hero.

The book wasn't written badly. I mean, the pacing and such were right on. I just feel the direction of the storyline failed for me. The ending was decent though.

Rating: 2 of 5

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Title: Highland Stone
Author:  Sloan McBride
Genre: Time Travel, Historical Romance, Highlander Romance
Book Details: novel
Format Reviewed:EBOOK
Blurb:   After her grandmother's death, Kara Malone inherits a key and a box with a secret. On a plane bound for Hawaii where she is to start a new JOB, she opens the box to find her grandmother's journal and a beautiful stone. Magical forces propel Kara back in time to the Scottish Highlands where she is nearly run down by Alaxandar MacLeod, the dark stranger from her dreams. Her problems are just beginning.

Alaxandar has been charged with finding the truth behind the recent violent raids against his clan. When his horse almost tramples a beautiful stranger, he wonders if she may hold the key to the raids. Is she a spy or a witch come to lure him with her wiles and distract him from his mission? Whatever she proves to be, Kara is everything he's wanted in a woman and he'll do anything to keep her with him.

**NOTE: This book was released in 2007 under same title.**


Available On Amazon


My Review: I really had high hopes for this one. I love time travel and there is definitely a special place in my heart for the ones that take current day women and toss them back in time with the highlanders. Sadly, this one fell short.

I loved Alaxander. He was all bossy Highland male. Kara got on my nerves for her stupidity and need to be a pain on more than a few occasions. The start was SLOW, the middle was OK. The end was not anything that I would have wanted to happen and was hurried.

Rating: 3 of 5

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**Sharing an oldie but goodie


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Product Details

File Size: 1344 KB

Print Length: 324 pages

Page Numbers Source ISBN: 1601832206

Publisher: eKensington (January 2, 2014)

Sold by: Amazon Digital Services, Inc.

Language: English

ASIN: B00EF51J0Q

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