Review: Heart of Ice by Lis Wiehl

Heart of Ice by Lis Wiehl

My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Summary:
Cassidy, Allison, and Nic are three best friends whose lives revolve around solving crime. Cassidy is a crime reporter, Allison a Federal Prosecutor, and Nic an FBI Agent. Together they share the trials of solving crimes and share the same goal: to bring criminals to justice.

When a string of crimes start popping up in the area, from arson to murder, nothing seems to be connecting one to the other. However, when a co-worker becomes the victim of one of the murders, the three women dig deep to find who's really behind it all. They never expected it to be someone they all knew.

My thoughts:
This is the fourth book in Lis Whiehl's "Triple Threat Series", however the series can be read in any order. This book was intense at times, but endearing at others times, which makes for a great overall story. Although the reader is in on who the criminal really is the whole time, that does not take away from the mystery or excitement. The reader gets to see all sides of the story, through the criminals' eyes, as well as all three women. Interesting story line, fast-paced drama, and I liked how the reader gets insight into each woman's life, their strengths and weaknesses, their hopes and fears.

The only criticism I have is that in the beginning there's a lot of talk about one particular case that the women are involved in, and then it kind of suddenly drops off when the new crimes start. I was a little confused as to why so much attention was given to the first case if it doesn't have anything to do with the rest of the story. I kind of wanted both cases to tie together at the end somehow.

However, I did enjoy the book overall. I have read and reviewed Lis Whiehl's Waking Hours, which is the first in her new "East Salem Trilogy", which I loved and I have to say, I liked it even more than this one. These books have religious themes, but it is not overwhelming. I will continue to pick up her books because I know I will get a little bit of psychological thriller with all the emotional drama of the characters' lives.

Read my review of Waking Hours by Lis Wiehl.

**Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book free from the publisher through BookSneeze. I was not required to write a positive review and the opinions I have expressed are my own.

It's 2012!! : My Goals for a New Year..

I can't believe it's 2012!!  This year flew by fast.  I wanted to take a moment to reflect on 2011 and to share my hopes for 2012.  I know a lot of people are into making new year's resolutions; I think the new year is a perfect time to reflect on the previous year and make new goals.  Sadly, I didn't reach all my goals for 2011, but that's ok.  We are, all of us, always growing, always changing and learning.  It's a new year, and with it comes new opportunities and experiences that will hopefully change us for the better.

I have set several personal goals for this year.  Here's a few of them:

• Keep up with my blog: I'd like to post more often. I went through a reading slump this year and the blog kind of took a back seat (sorry, ya'll!)
  
• Read more: That's an obvious one.
  
• Stay organized!
  
• Save more $$
  
• Accept things as they come: I'm a worry-wart! Sometimes, I just need to relax.
  
• Lastly, always remember to TAKE IT ONE DAY AT A TIME. Enjoy the here and now, spend quality time with loved ones, laugh more, don't worry about tomorrow because, whatever the future brings, God is always with us.

Whether you make new year's resolutions or not, it never hurts to set goals for yourself at any point in time. Wishing each and every one of you a wonderful new year filled with health, happiness, and personal growth, whatever that may mean for you. ♥

Joining Another Reading Challenge...

The aim of The Eclectic Reader 2012 Challenge is to push you a little outside your comfort zone by reading up to 12 books during the year from 12 different genres.

• Literary Fiction
• Crime/Mystery Fiction
• Romantic Fiction
• Historical Fiction
• Young Adult
• Fantasy
• Science Fiction
• Non Fiction
• Horror
• Thriller /Suspense
• Classic
• Any Genre of your Choice

I'll be keeping track of my progress on this post, and as with all my other challenges, you can go to their pages through the links on the right sidebar.  You can visit the challenge host's page by clicking the badge at the top of this post.

End of the Year Wrap-Up: My Favorites of 2011

Well, 2011 is coming to an end, and, although I didn't read as many books as I'd hoped, I still have my favorites and least favorites.  Here's my top 5 favorite books I've read this year, along with a couple that were my least favorite (these are books I've read in 2011, not necessarily published in 2011).

Top 5 Favorites:

1. The Help by Kathryn Stockett: Powerful, thought-provoking novel. I thought the movie was an excellent adaptation.

2. The Girl in the Gatehouse by Julie Klassen: I love Julie Klassen's writing and the story was beautiful and enchanting.

3. Matched by Ally Condie: A dystopian novel about a controlling government and a forbidden romance.

4. City of Bones by Cassandra Clare: A thrilling urban fantasy, fast-paced and exciting!

5. Waking Hours by Lis Wiehl: A page-turner for sure! A psychological thriller that kept me on the edge of my seat.

A couple books that made my "Most Disappointing Books Read in 2011" were: Austenland by Shannon Hale, Elixir by Hilary Duff, and Run For Your Life by James Patterson.  

Review: Austenland

Austenland by Shannon Hale

My rating: 2 of 5 stars



In Shannon Hale's "Austenland," we meet Jane, a thirty-something year old graphic designer who is hopelessly obsessed with Jane Austen and finding her Mr. Darcy. She gets the chance to live out her fantasy at Austenland, a regency-period estate complete with actors and actresses, whose job it is to make guests feel like they have had that Jane Austen experience they crave. Jane hopes that this vacation will cure her of her obsession, by immersing herself in Elizabeth Bennet's world.

This was a quick read. It was short and sweet, but lacked any substance. I did like the main character; she was easy to relate to and she had a few funny lines. The whole idea seemed confusing for me because I'm not sure how the whole Austenland experience would cure anyone of an Austen obsession. It seems like it would just encourage their obsession even more.

Jane has a lot of ups and downs while at Austenland. She flirts with several of the male actors and wonders about their feelings for her. Her thoughts and feelings were hard to follow, mostly because they were nothing substantial. They were mostly thoughts about going back and forth between this guy and that guy. Most of the time, Jane is trying to figure out who likes her for real and who is just being a good actor. Jane seems to have had a major revelation about her life, but I failed to see how it happened. It seemed like it was all neatly wrapped up, too perfectly, complete with the predictable happily-ever-after. I found it kind of boring and mainly just fluff.

I am not that obsessed with Jane Austen, so maybe you have to be a bigger fan than I am to really enjoy this book. The only people I would recommend this to would be those who are super fans of Jane Austen and who want an easy, chick lit type of read.



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Review: Sliding Beneath the Surface

Sliding Beneath the Surface by Doug Dillon

My rating: 4 of 5 stars



From the back cover:
"Just as Jeff Golden is about to start classes at St. Augustine High, he finds himself up to his eyeballs in paranormal experiences. Scared out of his wits, he relies on his friend, Carla Rodriguez, and Lobo, an old Native American shaman, for help. Despite this guidance, things get even worse, making Jeff realize he is in danger of losing his sanity and even his life. Finally, forces he doesn't fully understand push him to leap headlong into the unknown in order to save himself. In doing so though, Jeff has risked something even more valuable than his own existence."

My thoughts:
This is the first installment of the St. Augustine trilogy by Doug Dillon. Technically a young adult novel, I think it would be appealing to readers of all ages. And though the main character is a teen, the story that the author creates will keep adult readers thoroughly entertained.

Dillon's writing style is brilliant. It really sucks the reader in from the opening paragraph. It's written in the first-person, which i always love. I was thrilled when I decided to review this book, because I love the history of St. Augustine! Such a great idea and it really works well for the story. Suspense, paranormal, and history intertwine. I really liked the historical elements and I really appreciated how the author outlines them in the author's notes after the end of the story. He explains the actual history mentioned in the book as well as websites for further reading. You can really tell the author has an enthusiasm for history and, as I do too, I really appreciate that because what's better than reading an entertaining novel and getting excited about history at the same time?

I would recommend this book for young adults who like history and the paranormal, as well as adult readers who are interested as well. You'll be glued to the pages and it may even ignite your interest in St. Augustine and wishing you could hop a plane and visit the oldest city in the country.

Disclosure of Material Connection: I received a free review copy of this book from the author. I was not required to write a positive review and the opinions I have expressed are my own.

Click here to visit the author's website.


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Book Chat: Stand-Alone vs. Series

I had to respond to Misty at The Book Rat about stand-alone books vs. books in a series.  I totally agree that with some books you get the impression that it was not meant to be a series.  The only thing that really drives me nuts is when there's a cliffhanger randomly thrown in at the end of a book and it's obviously a ploy to get you to buy the next book when it comes out.  That's the only thing that bothers me about series, when it's an obvious addition to an already wrapped-up story.  Then there's series that are mainly the same story over and over again.  The Stephanie Plum series by Janet Evanovich comes to mind.  Essentially, with every book, readers are going to expect certain things to happen.  They're funny and entertaining and readers know what they're gonna get when they pick it up.  I've read a couple of these books, and I have to say, they are hilarious and entertaining, but really, I would never read the whole series.

I will say, I do have a preference as to which genres I feel do better in a series vs. a stand-alone book.  I find that, often a series works best when it's fantasy or dystopian or paranormal.  I guess maybe it's because there's so many things that can happen and the fantasy world is so intriguing that I'd gladly return to it again and again.  Contemporary fiction has to be really great to keep me wanting more after I've already read the first book.  

Having said that, I have found few series that disappoint.  Whether or not most series are written with that intent in mind or whether it's steered in that direction by the publisher, I have found that most series I have read (or are reading) are really great.  I can't say whether I prefer a stand-alone over a series or vice versa, because it all really depends on the book.  If it's well written and I'm really into the story, I would love reading a 2nd and 3rd book.  Some even turn out to be better than the first.  I mostly enjoy the experience of getting involved in a story and in the characters' lives and when I'm finished with a 1st book in a series, I have fun wondering what's going to happen next and that I have to wait (usually) to find out.  I like being able to start a 2nd or 3rd book knowing what's already happened, already being familiar with the setting and the characters.  And, I guess I'm weird in that I actually like the anticipation of the next book in a series to come out. :)