Gathering Mist by Margaret Mizushima


Gathering Mist by Margaret Mizushima
A Timber Creek K9 mystery
Publisher: Crooked Lane
Genre: Contemporary, Mystery/Suspense/Thriller
Rated: 4 stars
Reviewed by Snapdragon

Deputy Mattie Wray, formerly Mattie Cobb, is summoned to Washington’s Olympic peninsula for an urgent search and rescue mission to find a celebrity’s missing child. With only a week left before her wedding, Mattie is hesitant to leave Timber Creek, but her K-9 partner Robo’s tracking skills are needed.

Dense forest, chilling rain, and unfriendly locals hamper their efforts, and soon Mattie suspects something more sinister than a lost child is at play. When one of the SAR dogs becomes ill, her fiancé, Cole Walker, suspects poison. Fearing for Mattie’s and Robo’s safety, Cole joins the search and rescue team as veterinary support.

Secrets that have lain hidden within the rugged terrain come to light, and when it is uncovered that the missing child was kidnapped, the search becomes a full-blown crime scene investigation, forcing Mattie, Robo, and Cole into a desperate search to find the missing child before it’s too late.

While very much a classic mystery in the sense that it offers a hunt-for-clues, and analysis of potential perpetrators, Gathering Mist takes readers down a very different trail.

Deputy Mattie Wray and her partner, search dog Robo, are called in to search for a missing child. From the start, Robo the dog is an important part of all the action. He’s a bit of a character, but he’s also a working professional. Mizushima really brings the dog’s training and abilities into sharp (and important) focus. The deputy joins others in the search, with dogs trained in different specialties. The training, and work of the dogs is interesting and incredibly detailed.

While the deputy is trying to sort out the characters of the child’s family members, she’s also attentive to what the dog is ‘telling’ her. This sudden call to duty has an impact on her personal life, and she struggles with worry about her wedding plans. Her fiancé’, a veterinarian, might not be 100% behind her sudden departure, but we get a sense of how their relationship works when she needs to call on his expertise, as well.

Interestingly, the missing child is actress Chrystal Winter’s son. The movie set, and the ‘Hollywood lifestyle’ provide an additional bit of background to the story. However, it is the day-to-day of search-and-rescue that really takes center stage, in Gathering Mist .

The resolution of the mystery is less intriguing than the effort to get there: those interested in how search dogs work, and how they are trained, will find themselves completely engrossed. Mystery fans and dog-lovers especially will enjoy this K-9 mystery.

A Celtic Yuletide Carol by Jennifer Ivy Walker



A Celtic Yuletide Carol by Jennifer Ivy Walker
Publisher: The Wild Rose Press
Genre: Historical Romance
Rated: 5 stars
Review by Snapdragon

Voted BoM by LASR Readers 2013 copy

Once a royal Breton knight, Sir Cardin is now infamously known as Basati, the Basque Wolf. Savage and sullen, he drowns his guilt in raucous taverns, accruing enormous debt and acquiring vengeful enemies.

Ulla, widowed daughter of a Viking chieftain, is a skilled archer who lives as a recluse in a secluded woodland cottage. Rendered mute by trauma, she avoids humans, preferring the company of her wild wolf and falcon as she hunts in the Forest of Brocéliande.

When his mother’s dying wish calls Basati home, he finally meets the son he abandoned at birth and Ulla, the enigmatic priestess who is teaching the boy to hunt. As the holidays approach, Basati finds himself smitten with the beguiling beauty as he bonds with his once forsaken child.

But past enemies plot against him, and Basati is ensnared in darkness.

Can music lure the savage wolf into the light of love?

Incredibly, unexpectedly, it is the clever machinations of one woman who sets alight the plot of A Celtic Yuletide Carol.

The strength of family and sincere attachments brings readers close to the characters in this new historical romantic adventure. Cardin, one of Brittony’s royal knights, proves to be a deep and complex character. His nickname might mean ‘wolf,’ but he seems more like the brute the word also means.  However, we heart-wrenchingly come to see why he makes the choices he does.  And Ulla is not the just a lovely damsel. She, with her falcon, wolf, and horse create an image that is almost magical.

Yet, if not for a brilliant bit of trickery by a very secondary character, the two might never have met. It seems a step outside the usual, for this type of medieval romance.

A healer, Ulla is not merely beautiful, but is an active, important and thinking character. Her working companionship with her animals is thrilling to read. I really appreciated the strength and resourcefulness of the fairer sex in this tale. However, there is a lot more to it. At times, the descriptions become near poetic.

Truly, the author can describe a tavern so perfectly, you will believe you can smell it. ‘Odin’s blanket’ (snow), mistletoe, and druidic celebration all work to give this a Yuletide setting. The wonderful characters together with the believable setting have we can foresee further developments between the characters.

However, the motivation of every character is not always good, and alliances between various kingdoms across France, might, indeed, be fragile. The larger world intrudes quite abruptly, and all is not smooth sailing for Ulla, Cardin, and the extended family. Their story will keep you on the edge of your seat!

I always have to find something to complain about, and in this case it’s the cover. It is a great looking, dramatic cover that says, ‘historic Celtic Adventure,’ but it just isn’t different enough from others of its ilk. Yes, Cardin is every bit as masculine as one could imagine, but in my mind, Ulla ought to dominate this cover.

That said, it was my great pleasure to read this book. Many congratulations to the author… and to readers, I highly recommend you put this one on the top of your TBR list.

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The Queen’s Faithful Companion by Eliza Knight


The Queen’s Faithful Companion by Eliza Knight
Publisher: HarperCollins
Genre: Historical, Fiction
Rated: 5 stars
Review by Snapdragon

A reigning queen…

Elizabeth wasn’t born to be queen. But when her uncle abdicates and her father steps in as king, everything in her life changes. There is one thing that never wavers, however: her endearing love of her Corgis—especially the new puppy Susan, a gift for her eighteenth birthday. Susan is by her side during Elizabeth’s WWII service, falling in love with Philip and getting married, the death of her father King George VI, her accession to the throne, the birth of her first child, and the early struggles with running a country—an ever-present reminder to find the balance between self and crown.

A loyal servant…

Hanna Penwyck has grown up with her family in service to the crown. Awkward and shy, she has a connection with nature, animals—and the young princesses at Windsor. When she becomes the Keeper of the Queen’s Corgis, her job is to maintain the health and wellness of those most prized companions. With their shared love of the dogs, the Queen can open up to Hanna and feel free to be herself, so that is a service she happily provides as well.

A faithful companion…

From the moment Susan became a royal dog, her duty was clear: To remind Elizabeth that she is more than just a queen, she is a human, and what matters is not just duty and honor, but connection, family, and unconditional and enduring love. Susan is the keeper of memories, of secrets. Through Susan we gain a dog’s eye view of royal life, human relationships, and the heartwarming bond between a queen and her beloved companion.

Three voices and three characters ring through clear and understandable in “The Queen’s Faithful Companion.” We’re in 1939 Britain and there is the one who will one day be queen, the one who follows in her family’s footsteps to serve the royalty…and the dog. Honestly having the voice of the dog, a Welsh Corgi, gave me pause. Would the dog’s point of view ruin what otherwise promised to be an interesting behind-the-scenes tour of a hugely important, and interesting, period of time? To say nothing of how one might portray the famed queen. The third character, Hanna, is perhaps the most relatable, at the outset.

Happily, from the first, Ms. Knight’s skill draws the reader in–not only with believable characters, but with a storyline that takes off immediately. It is wartime, after all. The backdrop of the war and its effects are not only seen through the eyes of the royals, but also through a particular servant, Hanna. The direct experience of it, the sound and smells of war, for that we thank Susan, the Corgi.

This really is an intriguing look not only at the times, but at the personalities, and the personal challenges, of each. The author is not afraid to allow a touch of humor, so it is not all grim wartime reporting- far more important are the characters.

I found “The Queen’s Faithful Companion” to be a fun, compelling read, while at its center is something both thoughtful and heartfelt. Utterly charmed, I’m giving this one five solid stars. Do read!

The Witch of the Breton Woods by Jennifer Ivy Walker


The Witch of the Breton Woods by Jennifer Ivy Walker
Publisher: The Wild Rose Press
Genre: Historical, Romance
Rated: 5 stars
Review by Snapdragon

Traumatized by horrors witnessed during the Nazi invasion of France, a young woman retreats to the dense Breton woods where she becomes a member of the clandestine French Resistance. When she finds a critically injured American paratrooper whose plane was shot down, she shelters the wounded soldier in her secluded cottage, determined to heal him despite the enormous risk. Ostracized by villagers who have labeled her a witch, she is betrayed by an informant who reports to the Butcher-the monstrous leader of the local paramilitary organization that collaborates with the Germans. As the enemy closes in, she must elude the Gestapo while helping the Resistance reunite the American with his regiment and join the Allied Forces in the Battle of Brittany. Can true love triumph against all odds under the oppressive Third Reich?

Survival in occupied France is a struggle, but Yvette has no choice. Her home and her family are destroyed, and she lives with constant fear. The little village of Le Vivier-Sur-Mer houses not just French Resistant fighters, but also Nazi collaborators. She lives by bartering, fishing and taking enormous care. So, discovering a foreign solder is not welcome, and not safe. Even so, Yvette hurries to find him help. Finding this soldier adds to her (and her friends’) danger. Beau’s injuries, as well as his predicament, require ongoing help and Yvette steps up.

From the first moments of their meeting, Yvette is shown as caring and unselfish. The author uses everyday activities to show the dedication of her character. Yvette’s efforts to find food and plan special menus for Beau exhibit not only her generosity, but something more. The food (in such short supply!) becomes a link between them, showing both her caring and his appreciation. It cleverly parallels their relationship.

The reader is distantly aware of the happenings of the war, of atrocities committed, of concerns about what might be next: but in every moment, it is Beau and Yvette and their relationship that is important.

I did not care for the presentation of the bad-guy’s point of view; I did not care to read his thoughts or motivations. I have to admit I have a personal dislike of stepping away from the main characters in any work, so it is possibly not quite a fair complaint here. However, this is my only complaint.

Overall, this is a wonderful, captivating novel, and I highly recommend it.

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The Turnbull Murders by R.J. Koreto


The Turnbull Murders by R.J. Koreto
Publisher: Level Best Books
Genre: Mystery/Suspense/Thriller, Contemporary
Rated: 5 stars
Reviewed by Snapdragon

Voted BoM by LASR Readers 2013 copy

Movie star Nicky Tallon selects architect Wren Fontaine to renovate Turnbull House, where he’ll be filming his next movie. Even to Wren, used to old homes, this one is special: a 200-year-old federal-style home on a private island in New York harbor, designed by the most celebrated architect of the day. But Turnbull House hides many secrets, such as the disappearance of the sea captain who built it. That’s just a historical curiosity, until a studio executive no one likes is killed.

Wren just wants to keep her worksite safe, but then another murder occurs, and she starts noting eerie connections between the mysteries surrounding the Turnbull family and Nicky and his entourage. The handsome star seems to have two girlfriends, a childlike folk singer and a cynical fashion model. Meanwhile, renowned actress Veronica Selwyn renews a friendship with Wren’s father, which Wren finds more disturbing than she wants to admit. She concludes it’s time she and her girlfriend Hadley take the next step and find a place together, an exciting but stressful change.

As the attacks continue, Wren realizes she will have to solve the mysteries surrounding Captain Turnbull and Nicky Tallon. Turnbull House speaks of order and harmony, and Wren must dig deep to see how the house has affected its owners, old and new. Fortunately for her, the eminently practical Hadley is by her side, pepper spray at the ready—because a frighteningly clever killer is about to find that Wren is getting too close to the horrific truth.

The intriguing characters we meet at the opening of The Turnbull Murders grabbed this reader’s interest right away. R.J. Koreto described this new work as a ‘Historic Homes Mystery,’ and I for one, never imagined what a super backdrop architecture could be for a murder.

Our lead character, Wren, is as you have might have already guessed, an architect- but a special sort, with an interest not only in the history of certain styles of homes, but in the specific homes she is asked to restore. The home she tackles on Turnbull Island is that perfect icon of murder locations: it’s isolated. And, it has this sort of haunting back-story…none of which prepares either our lead, or the reader, for the first murder.

The investigation, while important, still takes a backseat to Wren’s interaction with her employer and his entourage. The world of the theater is another whole interesting part of the setting.

Wren’s girlfriend is incidentally involved at the start, as her job brings her to the same location. There’s a touch of family involvement, new friendships, and suddenly something that seems like another murder attempt. The threat looms and is cleverly tied to a long past mystery on Turnbull Island.

R.J. Koreto is brilliant at keeping the plot turning, all the while, keeping our attention on all these other, totally engaging, details. It’s hard to keep clues in mind while you are being entertained by gossip! To quote one of the characters: “Wow, just wow.”

This is a wonderful read, not only for mystery fans, but for anyone. It’s fast paced, with well-developed characters and an impossible to predict plot. Recommended!

Marvelous by Molly Greeley


Marvelous by Molly Greeley
Publisher: William Morrow
Genre: Historical, Romance
Rated: 5 stars
Review by Snapdragon

1547: Pedro Gonzales, a young boy living on the island of Tenerife, understands that he is different from the other children in his village. He is mercilessly ridiculed for the hair covering his body from head to toe. When he is kidnapped off the beach near his home, he finds himself delivered by a slave broker into the dangerous and glamorous world of France’s royal court. There “Monsieur Sauvage,” as he is known, learns French, literature, and sword fighting, becoming an attendant to the French King Henri II and a particular favorite of his queen, the formidable Catherine de’ Medici. Queen Catherine considers herself a collector of unusual people and is fascinated by Pedro…and determined to find him a bride.

Catherine Raffelin is a beautiful seventeen-year-old girl whose merchant father has fallen on hard times and offers up his daughter to Queen Catherine. The queen will pay his debts, and his daughter will marry Monsieur Sauvage.

Catherine meets Pedro for the first time on their wedding day. Barely recovered from the shock of her father’s betrayal, she soon finds herself christened “Madame Sauvage” by the royal courtiers, and must learn to navigate this strange new world, and the unusual man who is now her husband.

Gorgeously written, heartbreaking and hopeful, Marvelous is the portrait of a marriage, the story of a remarkable, resilient family, and an unforgettable reimagining of one of the world’s most beloved fairy tales.

The very unexpected beauty of Marvelous starts out as a promise that becomes, through Greeley’s elegant words, a complex, emotional and amazing story. She has a rather immediate style and seems to positively luxuriate in words, though we will notice that later, for at the start, and throughout really, the characters themselves have our attention.

We might dismiss the concept of arranged marriage as an old one. We romance readers might well believe we’ve seen it all in the ‘arranged marriage’ trope: the bride a mere pawn, but the marriage is suitable, or unsuitable, but love triumphs, or perhaps there is a last-minute rescue.

Yet here, in Marvelous, we are made to understand the bride’s dismay to deeply touching levels. This is only tempered by the sympathy the author has already developed in us, for the groom. Their situation is captivating. Their journey – in the courtly society of France in the 1500’s, has them struggle with church, community, and more, the court. We wonder, and then worry, for their future. Their humanity, and that of those around them, is subtly evaluated at every turn. On a day-to-day level, we feel the slightest highs, the depths of the lows. Every friendship is a treasure, their interests and pursuits often surprising. Even the most ordinary event, when they must meet it, will seem unique, because of who they are.

The events of the day are not overlooked, nor the political climate; the reality that was France at the time. Somehow, the ordinary human realm becomes a backdrop.

Greeley manages to convey a deep understanding of the two main characters. I don’t want to spoil a moment of reading, so suffice to say, that this long, involved tale is also incredibly moving and satisfying. It is a novel that one might open casually, but then discover it is somehow incredibly engaging.

One need not be a fan of historical fiction to find Greeley’s Marvelous to be a wonderful, engaging novel. Do read.

Kaleidomorphia by Kerby Rosanes


Kaleidomorphia by Kerby Rosanes
Publisher: Plume
Genre: Non-Fiction
Rated: 5 stars
Reviewed by Snapdragon

The astonishing second compilation of striking images taken from the Morphia series, with colored-in examples Kaleidomorphia is a stunning second compilation of Kerby Rosanes’s most remarkable artwork from his beloved mega-bestselling Morphia series. This collection, just like the first, Colormorphia, features a full-color sixteen-page section that showcases some of the most accomplished completed artworks produced by Kerby’s fans. These pages demonstrate the range of approaches colorists can experiment with when coloring.

The artworks displayed in the color section are included in the black-and-white section of the book, too, giving the reader the opportunity to duplicate the approach should they wish. In addition, there are a variety of images to color featuring the very best from Kerby’s Morphia portfolio.

Kaleidomorphia, offered as a ‘coloring challenge’ is a large coloring book that combines some opening text with many different and diverse images.

The author’s innovative approach to coloring offers the reader/artists (called ‘Colorists’ in the text) samples and discusses how colors and techniques allow for different effects. The opening offers us hints and ideas; from the use of different mediums like acrylics, or the careful selection of a limited palette, to create a certain effect.

This informative opening leads into the most amazing line drawings. The subject matter ranges from animal and scenics to fantasy and the fantastic. The level of detail in each page is astonishing.

To sit and page through slowly, even without coloring, allows one to escape into a quiet dream world, where lines become designs then somehow transform back into the initial subject. Many of the pictures come from a realist’s perspective although some do also have a simpler, or more cartoon-like quality.

I found Kerby Rosanes’s Kaleidomorphia a wonderfully enjoyable diversion and recommend it to all fans of coloring books.

Good Luck Chestnut by Linda Gruenberg


Good Luck Chestnut: And Other Lucky Colors of the World by Linda Gruenberg
Publisher: Self-Published
Genre: Contemporary, Children’s
Rated: 5 stars
Reviewed by Snapdragon

Voted BoM by LASR Readers 2013 copy
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Good Luck Chestnut is a picture book full of colorful horses and colorful kids. In theory, the watercolor paintings illustrate horse colors, but in practice, they also capture the way children use horses as jungle gyms. The children sit backwards, hop on by leapfrogging, belly-flop off the horse into water, everything but sit forward in a saddle, riding-lesson proper. The names of horse colors are embedded in the text, while the various nationalities of the children visually round out the book’s concept. Any child should find themselves somewhere in the illustrations. This book is just yearning to be read aloud. The whole thing is a playground of rollicking slant rhymes hurtling itself toward the last simple message that every child deserves to hear.

Good Luck Chestnut: And Other Lucky Colors of the World is a delight to read, look at, and share. Delightfully dappled with cleverly combined words, the phrases all enhance the pictures. The book features horses, as one might guess, but also, features children! Smiling faces fill every page.

There is a bit of a clever ‘find it’ built into the pages, as certain items are mentioned within the sentences that can be located in the pictures. An unexpected item is often to be found decorating a corner or a t-shirt in the picture. However, the book is a collection of these delightful pages and does not build an actual story. Children won’t miss that if they take the time to enjoy each page and search out all of those subtle connections.

Good Luck Chestnut: And Other Lucky Colors of the World is a sheer delight and deserves every one of its 5 stars.

Surviving Savannah by Patti Callahan


Surviving Savannah by Patti Callahan
Publisher: Berkley
Genre: Contemporary, Historical
Rated 5 stars
Review by Snapdragon

When Savannah history professor Everly Winthrop is asked to guest-curate a new museum collection focusing on artifacts recovered from the steamship Pulaski, she’s shocked. The ship sank after a boiler explosion in 1838, and the wreckage was just discovered, 180 years later. Everly can’t resist the opportunity to try to solve some of the mysteries and myths surrounding the devastating night of its sinking.

Everly’s research leads her to the astounding history of a family of eleven who boarded the Pulaski together, and the extraordinary stories of two women from this family: a known survivor, Augusta Longstreet, and her niece, Lilly Forsyth, who was never found, along with her child. These aristocratic women were part of Savannah’s society, but when the ship exploded, each was faced with difficult and heartbreaking decisions. This is a moving and powerful exploration of what women will do to endure in the face of tragedy, the role fate plays, and the myriad ways we survive the surviving.

You order viagra online can get pregnancy naturally by recommending the herbal pills to reverse the aging effects and enjoy intimate moments with her. He registers into a india viagra for sale surfing contest only to make it big while having fun. As time wears on, these physical signs worsen, but you attribute it to stress or getting continue reading over here now pfizer viagra pharmacy older. Depression is defined as pamelaannschoolofdance.com viagra buy best a medical illness. Author Patti Callahan assures us that stories are ‘best understood in the landscapes where they happen,’ and proceeds to bring us to a wonderful, novel place, that we recognize as if we’d joined her there. Throughout the book, she brings us subtly to new landscapes: to a wreck a hundred feet below the sea, through intricate iron gates to the family plot, to cities described so vividly we see them as if they were an entirely new concept. Somehow, although the main character is powerful and the tone of Surviving Savannah is endlessly enthralling, the places we move to and through become endlessly important.

The moment-to-moment interactions of the characters are unpredictable, and this is certainly true for the overall story. Everly is a strong main character, with surprising interests and skills, but more importantly, a depth of feeling she shares ever so gently. We feel her mourning even as she is moving forward. Events of the past filter in with Everly’s discoveries; they are somehow no less heart-wrenching for being part of the long-ago.

This has the flavor of the American south, and a hint of endlessly reminiscing. Surviving Savannah is one of those novels you will read, and then re-read as if touching the life of an old friend.

Patti Callahan’s writing is no less than simply brilliant. “Sunlight cast him in gold” she describes at one point, and I would say, reading casts this novel in gold.

Do read Surviving Savannah. This is a venture away from the common time and place, yet familiar: warming and wonderful and worth every one of those five stars.

Crimson at Cape May by Randy Overbeck


Crimson at Cape May by Randy Overbeck
Publisher: The Wild Rose Press
Genre: Contemporary, Mystery/Suspense, Paranormal
Length: Full Length (309 pgs)
Rated: 4 stars
Reviewed by Snapdragon

No matter how far you run, you can never really escape a haunted past.

Darrell Henshaw—teacher, coach, and paranormal sensitive—learned this lesson the hard way. Now, with his job gone and few options, he heads for Cape May to coach a summer football camp. The resort town, with gorgeous beaches, rich history and famous Victorian mansions, might just be the getaway he needs. Only, no one told him Cape May is the most haunted seaport on the East Coast.
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When a resident ghost, the Haunted Bride, stalks Darrell, begging for his help, he can’t refuse, and joins forces with Cassie, another sensitive. As Darrell and the street-wise teen investigate the bride’s death, they uncover something far more sinister than a murder. Can Darrell and Cassie expose those behind the crimes before they end up becoming the next victims?

Darrell Henshaw, the paranormal-sensitive first introduced in Overbeck’s Blood on the Chesapeake returns in another intriguing mystery, Crimson At Cape May.

Henshaw, caught in a difficult and unfair personal situation, is confronted with an old wrong, possibly a crime. We see him struggle to cope with both intrigue and ghosts as he sets about solving a missing-person case that might reveal a crime.

Henshaw’s character is immediately interesting, and his surroundings are so well described that the story is for me, completely believable. I fear that fans of mysteries might shy from picking up a book with that one word attached: paranormal. Yet, this mystery-lover was completely engaged by the intrigue and I suspect that fans of the paranormal will be entirely satisfied with this tale, as well.

Weirdly enough, it is some of the secondary characters, (especially those who seem to hate Henshaw) who help create a very ‘real’ environment. Oh, sure… the friends, Sara, Al, and Cassie are all important and it seems nothing speaks truer than hate, blame, and rage. And, of course, Henshaw hears how ruthless townfolk believe he is. And what the love of his life thinks of him… no giveaways here, but know: Emotions stomp their way out of this one!

Of course, there is something of a romance in this one, but the main story here is everything. Crimson at Cape May delivers an unpredictable mystery along with a powerful look at people, too.