Counterfeits by Kris Bock

Jenny returns to her grandparents’ art camp in a remote New Mexico town after her grandmother’s sudden death. That night, staying alone in the empty house, she wakes to the noise of intruders. What do the strangers want? As more bizarre events unfold, Jenny starts to realize the people she thought she knew are not what they seem—least of all Rob, an old friend and the camp cook, whose past may be coming back to haunt them all.

Review:

Counterfeits actually kept me guessing! Anyone who reads my reviews regularly knows how rarely that happens.  I had theories and was on the right track, but I wasn’t quite there, and I was surprised when certain facts were revealed.  I love when a writer manages to do that to me.  Grab Counterfeits and keep trying to guess.  Be surprised like I was.

Length:  230 Pages

Prices:

Print:  $13.95

Digital:  $2.99

Buy Link:  http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00GQOEE9M

Thanks for visiting. Rose & Rochelle

Wait Watchers by Elle Druskin

Blurb:

Straight-laced literary agent Portia Hart is hiding out in Liberty Heights from a crazed writer. She’s sprained her ankle, minus her eyeglasses and can’t see a thing. Newly widowed Truman Wilder is home after a mystery surrounding his wife’s death. The last thing he needs is Portia, but this is Liberty Heights, where lunacy and romance abound. Portia’s stuck at LouAnn Freedbush’s bed and breakfast. Sister BettyAnn is hysterical due to her eviction from Registered Witches of America. Uncle Rupert Freedbush is big game hunting in the backyard. Why? Because Uncle Rupert insists he’s Ernest Hemingway.

The Valentine clan snatched the property Truman needs for his optometry business. They want to open a florist shop. The Valentines are experts thanks to attending loads of funerals only nobody knows where the bodies are buried. This is New Jersey, after all.

Portia isn’t sure how it happened but Elmo, an Alaskan Malamute, has been left in her custody. Elmo’s diet consists of her shoes. What does Wayne, the psychic beagle say about this? How did everyone end up at 1920s Parisian Lost Generation party? Will Elmo eat the town out of footwear?

Men definitely make passes at gals who wear glasses or are nearly blind without them. Romance rules in Wait Watchers!

Review:

Once again, I am bereft. I read too fast, so my visit to Liberty Heights sped by all too quickly. Warning: Do NOT read Wait Watchers in the vicinity of sleeping babies—you WILL laugh out loud at the antics of the Freedbushes, Valentines, Elmo, et. al.

Poor Portia thinks she’s trapped in some sort of loony bin, but she’s just staying at the Valentine’s Day Massacre Bed and Breakfast. She can’t help it her timing coincides with BettyAnn discovering her witch school was not accredited, or the closing of Uncle Rupert’s nursing home. At least he thinks she’s Zelda Fitzgerald and doesn’t ask her to perform interpretive dances like he does Susie Wittiger, whom he believes is Isadora Duncan. Although she does have to fend off his pinches when “Scott’s” not around. And even though he eats her shoes, Elmo’s an affectionate puppy. She’s just keeping him until Truman Wilder and his daughter, Rosie, get their own place. How can she turn Rosie down when she and Elmo are Rosie’s only friends?

If you’ve followed this blog, you don’t need me to tell you how funny, warm, and wonderful these books are. If you’re a new reader, then by all means—check out Wait Watchers or any of the Liberty Heights series by Elle Druskin. You’ll figure out why we’ve kept New Jersey (aside from Edison, Sinatra, Springstein, and Bon Jovi).

Length:  229 Pages

Price:  $5.50

Buy Link:  https://museituppublishing.com/bookstore/index.php/coming-soon/pre-order-specials/wait-watchers-detail

You’ll notice we always include the publisher’s buy link.  That’s because authors usually receive 40% of the book price from the publisher.  Editors and cover artists usually receive about 5%.  When you buy a book from Amazon, Barnes & Noble or another third-party vendor, they take a hefty cut and the author, editors and cover artists receive their cuts from what is left.  So, if a book costs $5.99 at E-Book Publisher.com and you buy from there, the author will receive about $2.40.  If you buy the book at Amazon, the author will receive about $0.83.

Downloading the file from your computer to your Kindle is as easy as transferring any file from your computer to a USB flash drive. Plug the larger USB end of your chord into a USB port on your computer and simply move the file from your “Downloads” box to your Kindle/Documents/Books directory. You can download your books onto your computer using “Save As” to a “Books” file you create and sort them into sub-folders by genre, author, or however you wish before transferring them to your Kindle. That way, if there’s a glitch with your Kindle, the books are on your computer. Your author will be happy you did when he/she sees his/her royalty statement.

Thanks for visiting. Rose & Rochelle

Who Will Run the Frog Hospital? by Lorrie Moore

Blurb:

The summer Berie was fifteen, she and her best friend Sils had jobs at Storyland in upstate New York, where Berie sold tickets to see the beautiful Sils portray Cinderella in a strapless evening gown. They spent their breaks smoking, joking, and gossiping. After work they followed their own reckless rules, teasing the fun out of small town life, sleeping in the family station wagon, and drinking borrowed liquor from old mayonnaise jars. But no matter how wild, they always managed to escape any real danger until the adoring Berie sees that Sils really does need her help and then everything changes.

Review:

This novel, Who Will Run the Frog Hospital? by Lorrie Moore, is a multi-faceted account of a girl’s journey from adolescence to womanhood, physically and psychologically. It is written in first person, and primarily set in a small town in upstate New York. The main character is immersed in the current of challenges and insecurities that precede the onset of adulthood. She took me through a myriad of emotions that stirred my heart and touched my soul. Rarely have I read such an endearing book with a comfort quality and an ability to define its theme so clearly. It is a reality check on life in many ways; a look at what we cherish and how we protect it. This is a great read for women, who will closely identify with the throes of the girlie teen years; men will not likely appreciate it as much. However, I do believe it could contribute a lot of valuable insight to any father who has a daughter in the years of pre-adolescence to early twenties…those changing chic chapters!

Length: 147 Pages

Prices:

Print: $12.46

Digital: $9.99

Buy Link:

http://knopfdoubleday.com/book/116794/who-will-run-the-frog-hospital/9780307816900/

You’ll notice I always include the publisher’s buy link. That’s because authors usually receive 40% of the book price from the publisher. Editors and cover artists usually receive about 5%. When you buy a book from Amazon, Barnes & Noble or another third-party vendor, they take a hefty cut and the author, editors and cover artists receive their cuts from what is left. So, if a book costs $5.99 at E-Book Publisher.com and you buy from there, the author will receive about $2.40. If you buy the book at Amazon, the author will receive about $0.83.

Downloading the file from your computer to your Kindle is as easy as transferring any file from your computer to a USB flash drive. Plug the USB end of your chord into a USB port on your computer and simply move the file from your “Downloads” box to your Kindle/Documents/Books directory. I actually download my books using “Save As” to a “Books” file I created on my computer that’s sorted by my publisher, friends, and books “to review,” and then transfer them to my Kindle from there. That way, if there’s a glitch with my Kindle, the books are on my computer. Your author will be happy you did when he/she sees his/her royalty statement.

Thanks for visiting. Rose & Rochelle

Shadows of the Past by Carmen Stefanescu

Anne's relationship with her boyfriend Neil has disintegrated. After a two-year separation, they pack for a week vacation in hopes of reconciling. But fate has other plans for them.

The discovery of a bejeweled cross and ancient human bones opens a door to a new and frightening world

--one where the ghost of a medieval nun named Genevieve will not let Anne rest. This new world threatens not only to ruin Anne and Neil's vacation but to end all hopes of reconciliation as Anne feels compelled to help free Genevieve's soul from its torment.

Can Anne save her relationship and help Genevieve find her eternal rest?

The twists and turns in this paranormal tale keep the reader guessing up to the end and weave themselves together into a quest to rekindle love.

Review:

Shadows of the Past was a pleasant read.  It was a nice escape, but I’m afraid I found the plot fairly obvious.  I still wanted to read it to find out how Anne would discover what she needed to know in order to help Genevieve finally rest, but I pretty much had it figured out from the beginning.  Maybe that’s because I’m a writer and that’s how I would have written it.  Maybe it really will keep you guessing.  I did enjoy the book.

Length:  231 Pages

Price:  $5.99

Buy Link:  http://www.wildchildpublishing.com/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=84&products_id=410

You’ll notice we always include the publisher’s buy link.  That’s because authors usually receive 40% of the book price from the publisher.  Editors and cover artists usually receive about 5%.  When you buy a book from Amazon, Barnes & Noble or another third-party vendor, they take a hefty cut and the author, editors and cover artists receive their cuts from what is left.  So, if a book costs $5.99 at E-Book Publisher.com and you buy from there, the author will receive about $2.40.  If you buy the book at Amazon, the author will receive about $0.83.

Downloading the file from your computer to your Kindle is as easy as transferring any file from your computer to a USB flash drive. Plug the larger USB end of your chord into a USB port on your computer and simply move the file from your “Downloads” box to your Kindle/Documents/Books directory. You can download your books onto your computer using “Save As” to a “Books” file you create and sort them into sub-folders by genre, author, or however you wish before transferring them to your Kindle. That way, if there’s a glitch with your Kindle, the books are on your computer. Your author will be happy you did when he/she sees his/her royalty statement.

Thanks for visiting. Rose & Rochelle