Good Reads: Sky High

Sky High by Susan O'Brien
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Sky High is the second book in the Nicki Valentine mystery series. It is a nicely written, full length novel.

Nicki has been a self employed private detective for a year with a home based business doing background checks. She has two small, school aged children and a budding romance with, Dean, one of her past instructors from the PI school. Nicki's character has been fleshed out in this novel, with more information on her past and her philandering late husband. She was a much more well rounded character and I enjoyed her interactions with her best friend.

The Dean character wasn't my favorite. Nicki seems to have well founded reservations about him, but she never openly communicates her concerns. As a result I didn't relate to their relationship.

The runaway groom/murder victim plot was fun and fast paced. The culprit wasn't evident until the end of the book. I like to be kept guessing.

One big problem I had was with a contradiction in the plot. We are told that the woman Nicki's late husband was having an affair with thought that he was separated and didn't know about the children. But toward the end of the book Nicki finds a letter that indicates that she did know about Nicki and the kids. It blows one of the big plot devices out of the water.

Overall, this is a decent read, a good mystery with a so so romance. It ends with a HFN.

ARC provided by Henery Press via Netgalley.

Up Your Grilled Cheese Game

Grilled cheese sandwiches make for a quick and easy meal on nights when I don't feel like cooking.  Sometime I decide to switch out the type of cheese I use, instead of cheddar.  Last weekend I grabbed a few random ingredients from my fridge and came up with a delicious version of grilled cheese.

INGREDIENTS

brie cheese, sliced thinly
bread
butter
Brimstone Originals jalapeño jelly

Make as you would any grilled cheese sandwich with the addition of spreading the inside of the bread with the jalapeño jelly.

The result is a rich, creamy, sweet and spicy sandwich.  Very tasty and unique.

Enjoy!

God bless,
Pam

Good Reads: The Scam

The Scam by Janet Evanovich
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

The Scam was truly a fun read in so many ways. It is the fourth book in the Fox and O'Hare series. It is very well written and professionally edited.

Fox is a male con artist that was pursued and finally caught by the female FBI agent O'Hare. They are now partnered together as a secret FBI team tasked with conning criminals that have never been caught by traditional (legal) means. In The Scam they set out to run a con on a casino owner laundering organized crime money through his casinos.

The plot was fast paced and creative. We see more of O'Hare's retired black ops father and the relationship between Fox and O'Hare continues to develop. The ending was a shocker and made me wish that this series put out more than one book a year..

Overall, this is a great read. Lee Goldberg is doing a good job with this series. The Scam ends with a cliffhanger instead of the usual HFN.

Good Reads: Chasing Daylight

Chasing Daylight by Carey Heywood
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Chasing Daylight is the third book in the Carolina Days contemporary romance series. It is a very well written novel, but the ARC I was sent had a few spelling errors. Since it was an ARC these errors are not reflected in my rating.

This is a love story between two people with traumatic pasts that are understandably reluctant to get involved in relationships. He is a man haunted by his military experiences and she is running away from a bad relationship. This is the story of how they overcome their past mistakes and forge a new life for themselves. Oh, I can't forget the Hero's dog; he is a pivotal and loving character.

I love reading a novel that has intelligent, mature characters. The main characters are well developed, easy to identify with and act like adults. Their relationship overcomes many hurdles due to their maturity and ability to communicate.

CD contains domestic violence, amputation/prosthetics, and PTSD. The author did thorough research before tackling these difficult subjects. Her writing is compassionate and sensitive.

Can you tell that I loved Chasing Daylight? It is a standalone novel, even though it is part of a series. It ends with a satisfying HEA.

ARC provided by the author.

Chasing Daylight will be released September 21st.

Good Reads: Wake-up Call

Wake-Up Call by Amy Avanzino
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Wake-up Call is a very well written and professionally edited, full length novel.

The heroine wakes up one morning to find herself living a life she doesn't recognize. Due to a head injury she doesn't remember the last five years of her life; she's no longer a fit, executive, but is an overweight, stay at home mother of three. She struggles with adjusting to this life she doesn't remember or want and learning to love her husband and children again.

The plot of this book is refreshingly original. I empathized with the heroine on many levels; including being shocked by her appearance. After raising children many of us don't recognize the reflection in the mirror. I also enjoyed the heroine's intelligence and loving nature as she dealt with readjusting to her new (to her) life.

I highly recommend Wake-up Call. It ends with a satisfying HEA.

ARC provided by the publisher via Netgalley.

Decorating with Junk

I am not a buyer of new furniture or knick knacks for my home.  Most of our things have been handed down from family or purchased second hand.  I've never wanted to own something so precious that it would be a tragedy for it to become damaged.  I don't want the pressure, nor do I want my family to feel they can't be comfortable.

This doesn't mean that I don't want my environment to be attractive,  but in my search for items for my home I have always overlooked those that are damaged or kitschy.  Recently, while researching American folk art, I've seen some wonderfully eclectic and comfortable homes decorated with what I would consider junk.  Really beautiful and attractive junk.  Junk that is chipped or worn, yet is visually appealing.

One of the best books I have found about using junk to decorate with is "American Junk" by Mary Randolph Carter.  She describes her junk finds, where she bought them, how much it cost, and how she uses them in her home.

I will say that I think some of her junk was overpriced, but I live in the southeast where prices are considerably lower.  Also, we have a large number of retirees that are downsizing their homes and must sell what won't fit in their smaller apartments.

So, now when I'm out scouring the thrift stores for finds, I won't turn my nose up at an attractive, but flawed, piece of junk.

God bless,
Pam

Random Acts of Kindness or Frugal Charity

First of all I have to say that I know that this post is going to make me sound ungrateful.  I get that, but my feelings are so strong on this subject I have to get them out or my head will explode.

Yesterday when I stopped at McDonalds to grab my family's weekly treat, the lady in the car in front of me had paid for my meal.  Apparently she wanted to do a random act of kindness and that was very nice of her.  My feelings about it were unexpected; I felt as though she had wasted her money.

I was by myself (no carful of kids), in a fairly new car that I paid for with cash (because I live frugally), and buying dinner for my daughter that attends a private school (also paid for with cash because my mother left a nice sum of money in her will for my daughter).  Frankly, I am blessed, lucky and I know it.

So, thank you nice lady, but there are people that really need your generosity.  I would rather see you save your extra money and donate it to a women's shelter, or a food bank or any charity with low administrative costs.

This post is about using your money wisely.  Doing the research and donating your money wisely.  Making sure that your money donation is used to help people, not to pay for a CEO's salary.  Helping people that truly need our generosity.

Here are some simple random acts of kindness that don't involve money:

Once again, thank you sweet lady for your generosity.  I really do appreciate your kindness.

God bless,
Pam