Reckless by Kathy L. Wheeler @kathylwheeler #Historical #Flappers #Suspense

The Plot:

The Martini Club 4 Series came about as a result of four author friends who meet each week at a favorite hangout, The Martini Lounge in Edmond Oklahoma. They decided to write stories centered around a similar establishment, and these four novellas were the result. Their next installment of the series will be set in the 1940s. Follow the authors to keep up with all their releases, including the Martini Club 4 series.

Now, grab a martini and step back in time to the days of flappers, prohibition, gangsters, and speakeasies in New York City.

Reckless

Lady Margaret turned Lady Bootlegger… Singer Margaret (Meggie) Montley needs money—fast. Her friend is in a dire situation with nowhere to turn. While Meggie is on the brink of stardom, it’s not soon enough to save her friend. Harry Dempsey is out to avenge the deaths of his father and brother at the hands of a ruthless gangster. But trouble spirals out of control when Meggie Montley shows up the night he meets his nemesis to settle the score. Saving the impetuous woman from a crime lord might be easier than saving her from her own reckless behavior.

About the Author:

I love sports. The NFL, the NBA. I hold season tickets to the Oklahoma City Thunder. I love Broadway musicals too. I have a BA in Management Information Systems and a vocal minor. I love travel, reading, writing, and just to round things out and scratch the singing itch, karaoke.

Review:

As you can see from her photo and biography, Kathy L. Wheeler is also Kae Elle Wheeler, who wrote the last book I reviewed, The Wronged Princess. Reckless, I fear, has the same issues.

The reason Ms. Wheeler uses a slight variation on her name is that these two books are in different genres. While one is a fantasy/fairy tale, the other is historical romantic suspense. Lady Margaret (Meggie) Montley has no interest in “marrying well.” Especially when that means marrying an older man whose money will refill the coffers of her titled, but impoverished, family. Meggie wants to sing that new music—jazz.

She and two of her friends decide to run away from home to New York. One friend wants to design clothes, one becomes a waitress at a speakeasy hoping to snag a wealthy yank, and they meet a third girl enroute, rescue her from an abusive situation, and take her aboard ship as their maid. Meggie gets a job at the speakeasy singing, and catches the eye of Harry Dempsey, the manager. When her third roommate gets a job as a maid to a wealthy man who turns out to be a sex trafficker, Meggie tries to raise money to buy the girl’s contract, and gets involved with the bootleggers who killed Harry’s father. He can’t exactly blow up their ship with Meggy as a witness, and she’s not a “loose end” he’s willing to “tie up.”

Again, Ms. Wheeler writes a page-burning story, with great characters, but she really needs a better editor. I found her bad grammar—misused words, mixed tenses, etc., very distracting. If you’re not a grammar stickler, you’ll probably enjoy it.

Author Website:  http://kathylwheeler.com

Warnings:  None

Length:

Digital:  127 Pages

Paperback:  142 Pages

Prices:

Print:  $7.99

Digital:  $0.99

Buy Link:  https://smile.amazon.com/B00RICW0G0

Thanks for visiting.

The Owl Goddess by Jenny Twist

Blurb:

The boy watched the star fall. It fell very slowly, and it was not one light but a multitude of lights spinning lazily through the night sky. Then great silver fish flew through the sky and other mysterious lights began to appear on the mountain. At last a great thunderbolt struck the ocean. The sound was flat and hollow and unbelievably loud, as if a giant had stamped on the earth. And the sign of the Goddess appeared in the sky—the sign of the Sacred Mushroom. These are the events that mark the arrival of the Atlantis, the doomed starship, bringing new gods who would change the lives of the boy and his people forever.

About the Author:

Jenny Twist left school at fifteen and went to work in an asbestos factory. After working in various jobs, including bacon-packer and escapologist's assistant (she was The Lovely Tanya), she returned to full-time education and did a BA in history at Manchester and post-graduate studies at Oxford.

In 2001 she retired and moved to Spain where she lives with her husband, Vic, and their rather eccentric dog and cat. Besides writing, she enjoys reading, knitting and attempting to do fiendishly difficult logic puzzles.

Review:

Back in the seventies I read a book called Chariots of the Gods that posited the gods primitive peoples worshipped were actually explorers from other planets who landed on Earth. It suggested these people built such structures as the Great Pyramids, the Parthenon, and created the Nazga Lines, the patterns of which can only be seen from the air. In her acknowledgments at the end of The Owl Goddess, Ms. Twist admits to having read the same book and been greatly affected by it. Although, she puts her own spin on the story—one you’ll have to read the book to discover.

Prometheus is a member of a tribe called the Titans. Around sixteen years old, he’s already a man, and he’s been cast out of the group by Atlas, who wants to be King, and knows he can’t beat Prometheus in the footrace that would determine who will marry Pandora, the Queen who represents the Mother Goddess, and ascend the throne with her. He witnesses the landing of the Atlantis and its eventual scuttling by its captain, Zeus.

The crew settles on a plateau toward the top of Mount Olympus, setting up camp and traveling about in shuttles and escape pods they’ve salvaged from their damaged vessel. They use an energy shield to protect their camp from indigenous animals or people, and wear similar suits when they leave camp, so they appear to be impervious to the Titan’s weapons. On the other hand, when Pandora falls and hits her head on a rock, Prometheus appeals to Athena, Zeus’ daughter for help. Using modern technology, they’re able to heal Pandora, and the two groups become friendly—except for Atlas and some of the younger warriors who resent being bested by the “Olympians” superior defenses.

Many of the Greek myths play out in The Owl Goddess, but in ways that fit the premise. Athena adopts a baby owl, and the Titans worship her as a wise goddess. Zeus banishes Atlas and his cronies across the Mediterranean to Africa as punishment for attacking a group of Olympians who were no longer wearing shields. Pandora talks Prometheus into stealing “fire” from the Olympians and does, indeed, open something that releases chaos and death. However, Ms. Twist left out the fact that at the bottom of Pandora’s box, there was hope.

Altogether, The Owl Goddess was a fascinating look at Greek mythology from a slightly different point of view. Athena doesn’t see herself as a goddess at all. In fact, having been born aboard the Atlantis, she’s the only teenager in the colony, and she kind of has a crush on Prometheus, who is in love with Pandora, so there’s a bit of a romantic triangle going on there. She’s a clone of Zeus, so Hera is her mother, but not in the traditional sense. There’s not too much love lost there, and Athena tends to keep her distance from her. Hera is homesick, bored, and wants her creature comforts back. She’s cranky and demanding, and even Zeus avoids her as much as possible.

The Owl Goddess grabbed me from the beginning and held my attention throughout with well-drawn characters and a really cool twist at the end. I highly recommend it.

Author Website:  https://sites.google.com/site/jennytwistauthor/home

Heat Rating:  PG

Length:  273 Pages

Prices:

Print:  $15.99

Digital:  $4.33

Buy Link:  https://www.amazon.com/Owl-Goddess-Jenny-Twist-ebook/dp/B01DL35084

Thanks for visiting.

Highand Revenge (Fated Hearts Book 1) by Ceci Giltenan

Blurb:

Does he hate her clan enough to visit his vengeance on her? Or will he listen to her secret and his own heart’s yearning?

Hatred lives and breathes between medieval clans who often don’t remember why feuds began in the shadowed past.

But Eoin MacKay remembers.

He will never forget how he was treated by Bhaltair MacNicol—the acting head of Clan MacNicol. He was lucky to escape alive, and vows to have revenge.

Years later, as laird of Clan MacKay, he gets his chance when he captures Lady Fiona MacNicol. His desire for revenge is strong but he is beguiled by his captive.

Can he forget his stubborn hatred long enough to listen to the secret she has kept for so long? And once he knows the truth, can he show her she is not alone and forsaken? In the end, is he strong enough to fight the combined hostilities and age-old grudges that demand he give her up?

Donna's Review:

What does a person do when a tree falls into the power line and the electricity in the south is out, and not even the laptop will power up? A person reads—an entire book in a matter of HOURS.

Ceci Giltenann's book was the only bright spot in that day. Fast paced, tight plotting, and characters that jumped from the page kept me turning and turning and turning. I couldn't get to the end fast enough.

I particularly enjoyed her portrayal of the main characters - Eoin MacKay and Lady Fiona MacNicol. Giltenan sets up the hatred MacKay feels for the MacNicol's, and then not only slowly peels back the layers of a heart desperate to forgive and love, but the secrets as to who Lady Fiona is as well.

Giltenan's prose is excellent as well, and I felt as if I was in the Highlands themselves.

I will caution my readers, though, that this is not a totally clean book. There is no pre-marital sex, but there is a scene that, while not erotic or long, does entail a bit more detail than what some readers might be willing to read.

If mild sex does not bother you, then this is definitely a read you can't pass up!

Five roses!

Length:  131 Pages

Prices:

Print:  $7.95

Digital:  $.99

Buy Link:  http://www.amazon.com/Highland-Revenge-Fated-Hearts-Book-ebook/dp/B00XAQETSU/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1440081503&sr=8-1&keywords=giltenan+highland+revenge

Thanks for visiting. Julie, Donna, & Rochelle

The Lumberjacks' Ball by Carrie Fancett Pagels

Blurb:

A decade after surviving a brutal attack, a mercantile owner’s daughter begins her life anew in Michigan’s Upper Peninsula. A gifted craftsman wishes to leave the lumber camp and seeks employment at her new store. When his presence dredges up memories she wishes to suppress, the proprietress must learn to face her past and open her heart. When complications arise, will they overcome adversity in time for The Lumberjack's Ball?

Donna's Review:

This is a sweet historical, so there is no sex and only mild steam. Despite that, the book starts off good and pulled me in. There was a bit of a mystery with the characters which unfolds nicely. However, near the center, the story becomes a bit muddled and drags, and at times I was bored. But, I have to be honest, I did have a lot going on at the same time I was reading, so I cannot totally blame all my boredom on the plot.

The biggest problem is that I am not a fan of “sweet,” so this is more my issue than the plotting, which is well done. I also prefer longer books, and this one, while not a novella, is not long enough to really get deep into the characters nor to have a lot of plot elements going on. The story though, moves forward from one event to the next. The characters are well-done, if a little too sweet for my tastes, and Janie seems to find her faith without any real hardship on her part. It was also a little heavy on the Christian ejaculations, so do not read unless you are specifically looking for Christian content or if such does not bother you.

Having said all that, for those looking for a sweet historical, you will not be disappointed. You all know I try to rate according to story content, plotting, characterization, etc., and not on my own personal taste.

So I give this one four roses for a well-done sweet historical – even though it’s not my cup of tea, because all of the elements for a really, really good read are there.

Pages: 147 pages

Price:

Paperback: $6.47

Digital: $2.99

Buy Link: http://www.amazon.com/Lumberjacks-Ball-Christy-Lumber-Camp-ebook/dp/B00VPLUSBO/ref=sr_1_1?s=digital-text&ie=UTF8&qid=1437662461&sr=1-1&keywords=the+lumberjacks%27+ball

Trail of Kisses (Hot on the Trail Book 1) by Merry Farmer

Blurb:

Someone is trying to kill Lynne Tremaine. After her father sentences two members of The Briscoe Boys gang to death, Judge Tremaine feels he has no choice but to send Lynne to Denver City along the Oregon Trail to live with her Uncle George…against her will. For Lynne, the only thing worse than being sent away to the wild west is making the journey with the handsome, arrogant, wicked man her uncle has hired to escort her. Especially when the anger she feels toward him begins to turn to something hotter. 

Cade Lawson is determined to prove himself to his employer, George Tremaine, after letting him down months earlier. But what he thought would be his second chance may, in fact, be a harsh punishment for his past mistakes. Lynne is headstrong, fiery, and determined to show him she is fearless. She is also beautiful and tempting, and when Cade sees just how afraid she really is underneath her brave act, he may be in danger of losing his heart to her forever. When her would-be killer attacks, it’s all he can do to keep Lynne safe. 
He swore to protect her, but who will protect him from her?

Donna's Review:

Farmer's writing is above average. Nothing fancy here, just clear sentences and plotting that moves from one event to the next. Characters have clearly defined internal and external goals, and thus, they pop from the page. (Not necessarily in a good way. More on that in a minute.) Farmer leaves no stone unturned as far as milking the plotting, the character’s flaws and their external and internal goals and weaving them towards a conclusion. The historical details (minus one issue further down) enhance the story and add to its depth. Farmer is a good story teller, even if the plotting is predictable, and you’ll turn from one page to the next. A good light read.

However, there were times I was scratching my head, especially in regards to the hero and heroine. Lynne Tremaine is a stubborn, progressive woman, but twice she does things that I do not think, historically, would have been done no matter how stubborn she was. I really cannot treat those here because I will spoil the plot story, but she comes across as a bit of a spoiled brat that simply wants her way and she is not concerned about either her reputation (which was important to women in those days and of her social standing) or the others on the wagon train. She is contrite enough later, but at her age, early 20s, she should have known better to begin with. The events and her choices do cause the plot to move forward, but they appear a bit contrived in my opinion.

To make matters worse, the hero, Cade Lawson, lets her do these things, when he should definitely have known better. Not typical hero behavior, when the premise of the book is that he is supposed to be taking care of her. 

My biggest issue, however, had to do with the sexual relationship. After they sleep together (a scene in which the hero purposely entices her to sleep beside him on the pretext he is 1) taking care of her and 2) dares her), there is no thought given to a possible pregnancy on either of their part, which is a bit odd contextually. This, of course, is one of my pet peeves with historical fiction – the ability of authors to completely forget that before the birth control pill became widely available in 1972, women worried about getting pregnant and thus were concerned for their reputation, as were the men. Fallling into a compromising situation due to the circumstances, and letting ones guard down sexually, is a whole different matter than the hero contriving to sleep with her on a wagon train in close quarters when he knows doing so puts her reputation at risk. It matters not how he feels about her at that point. Farmer, of course, is not the only author to forget this important historical detail for the sake of the story, but the contrived nature makes this a bit of a turn off for me. I realize I am in the minority here, however.

In regards to the sex scenes – men’s body parts are named, so this is not sweet nor tame. Steer clear if you do not like borderline graphic sex.

The other two things that bothered me - I got tired of reading that Lynne was “her Papa’s brave girl,” and I figured out who the villain was from the beginning.

Farmer is a good writer, and this is the only book I have read. If it was not for the sex, I would gladly pick up another to try, so despite the flaws in this book, she is an author worth pursuing. I understand some of her book are very good.

3 roses for this one because of the plotting issues above, but still worth a read if you like western historicals.

Length: 226 pages

Price:

     Paperback: $9.74

     Digital: $0.00

Buy Link: http://www.amazon.com/Trail-Kisses-Hot-Book-ebook/dp/B00NK0ZMH8/ref=cm_cr_pr_product_top?ie=UTF8