Category: Five Star Reads

SPOTLIGHT SATURDAY: Great Books Available on Kindle Unlimited

BonnieReadsAndWrites5 Comments

Five children are abducted during a daycare outing. Three and a half years later, four of them are returned. Only Ivy, the granddaughter of homicide detective Kate Wakeland, is still missing and presumed dead. Not allowed to join the investigation, Kate is unofficially following the case while working on a separate murder investigation. 

This is the first in a series about 64 year old Detective Kate Wakeland, and I can’t wait to read the next book. There are twists and turns and a completely unexpected ending. I read this through in a day because I could not put it down. It grabs your interest, your imagination, and your heart. If you love murder mysteries, stories about family conflict, and stories with strong female characters, you will enjoy this book. Anni Taylor has done an amazing job with this book.

I received a free copy of this book from Netgalley. My review is voluntary. Now the book is available on Kindle Unlimited at no extra charge for KU members. It’s the first of the Tallman’s Valley Detective Series, and Book 2 is also on Kindle Unlimited. It’s an amazing value for KU members, and a chance to read two books from a talented writer for free. Book 3 is due out in September 2021.

Link to Book 1 on Amazon

Link to Book 2 on Amazon

Link to Preorder Book 3 on Amazon

SPOTLIGHT: Great Books on Kindle Unlimited

BonnieReadsAndWrites1 Comment

This is a Saturday series I’ve started where I recommend great books I’ve read on Kindle Unlimited. Kindle Unlimited members can read these books at no additional charge for a monthly fee, and there are gems out there, this book being one of them, that make it an even greater value.

FRAN, THE SECOND TIME AROUND

“Fran, the Second Time Around” by Amy L. Bernstein is the story of a young girl, just starting high school, who has switched to a new school. There are hints around the reason that Fran switched schools, and it is clear that something traumatic and horrible has happened to her. The first half of the book speaks of Fran’s new life and how she is adjusting to her new school, new friends, and “the second time around.” The second half of the book begins to peel away the layers of what happened to her and slowly reveals the devastating event.

This book was extremely well written by Amy L. Bernstein. I could see inside Fran’s world and literally feel the heartache she was experiencing. It was so real that her grief became my grief. The picture that is painted of a young girl desperately trying to stumble forward in a world that is moving along without her is so genuine and raw that I want to applaud the author for her efforts. I highly recommend this book to anyone, young adults or older, who has dealt with heartache, devastating loss, guilt, or grief, or anyone who just wants to discover a very talented author.

I picked this book up on Kindle Unlimited, where it is free for all KU members. I definitely recommend you check it out.

Link to the book on Amazon

Link to the Amy L. Bernstein’s website

Link to My Goodreads Review

Duffy the Christmassy Dragon

BonnieReadsAndWrites2 Comments

by Kate Noble

This book is adorable! This cute, captivating, illustrated children’s book tells the delightful story of how Duffy the Dragon helped Santa and his reindeer save Christmas. The illustrations are so colorful and well done, and the story is written as a fun kid’s poem. 

Here is one of the colorful and imaginative illustrations of Duffy the Dragon.

I loved this book and I can’t wait to read it to my five-year-old grandson. You can’t get any higher praise than that.  The book can be obtained on Amazon Canada or on the Author’s website. Both links are below. I live in the US, but still had the option of purchasing it on Amazon Canada. Instead, I ordered the book from the author’s website, where she offers personalized dedications. She is also working on more Duffy books.

I received a free digital copy via Netgalley. I loved it so much I purchased a hard copy. My review is voluntary.

Link to The Author’s Duffy the Dragon website

Link to the book on Amazon Canada

The Nothing Girl

BonnieReadsAndWrites3 Comments

Jenny, orphaned as a young girl, goes to live with her aunt and uncle. She has a pronounced stutter and is set aside as an afterthought by the family. While contemplating suicide at a young age, she is suddenly visited by a giant golden horse, and here Jenny’s life actually begins.

This is so well written. The characters just jump off the page, especially Jenny, Russell, and Thomas. Jenny, ignored all her life, begins helping Russell, who has been jilted by the love of his life, renovate his farmhouse. Nudged along by her faithful companion Thomas, the giant golden horse, Jenny begins to live again. There is a wonderful cast of characters, and of course there are pitfalls along the way, and the brilliant Jodi Taylor once again makes us laugh and cry as we cheer Jenny on.

I recommend this for anyone who enjoys a magical, heartwarming story.

Link to The Nothing Girl on Amazon

Link to Signed Copies of The Nothing Girl on Jodi Taylor’s Website

Link to my Goodreads Review: (Like and Follow if you are so inclined)

Joy to the World

BonnieReadsAndWritesLeave a comment

Oh how I love everything written by Jodi Taylor! This short story in the Frogmorton Farm series is no exception. You will laugh and cry.

There is a serious message in this short story about online predators, but there is also love, Joy, and a golden horse. Joy feels unappreciated and unloved by her father, Russell, and she feels her mother Jenny is weak and clueless. Her only friend is Tommy, a girl she met online. And that’s where the trouble starts…

I would suggest starting with the first book in this series, The Nothing Girl, so you will know the whole story of Jenny, Thomas, Russell, and more. In The Nothing Girl, Jenny is an orphaned girl who has a pronounced stutter. She lives a loveless life with her coldhearted aunt and uncle, until the arrival of a giant golden horse. This series is heartfelt and addictive. I love it so much that I want to go live at Frogmorton Farm.

I listened to the audiobook version of this story, read by Lucy Price-Lewis, who does a great job, especially with the voice of Thomas.

Since I am a huge fan of Jodi Taylor’s, I also recommend you read The Chronicles of St. Mary’s, about an organization of hilarious time-traveling historians, and The Time Police, a spinoff of that. Everything Jodi Taylor writes is amazing.

Link to the story on Amazon

Link to Jodi Taylor’s Website

Link to my review on Goodreads

Set The Stars Alight

BonnieReadsAndWrites3 Comments

Set the Stars Alight is a beautiful, intricately woven story of friendship. In London in 2000, Lucy and Dash meet as children and grow up together, listening to the spellbinding stories of Lucy’s father, a watchmaker. Some of the stories are make believe, and some are based in truth. Lucy has long researched one of the tales, about the lost ship Jubilee, and she is determined to find out if this fable is real. Many years later, Dash joins her in her search for the legendary vessel.

In 1805, Frederick Hanford and Elias Flint, bitter enemies, bond over shared circumstances. Frederick, the son of a cruel and calculating admiral, comes to see Elias, a shepherd, as his only true family. Mistakes, betrayal, and sacrifice put Frederick’s life and reputation in peril. Will he gain redemption?

This captivating and inspirational book is about the kind of friendship that time and distance, and even betrayal, can never destroy. The past and present are beautifully spun together in a story of love, secrets, and sacrifice. The magical writing of Amanda Dykes will keep you as spellbound as were Lucy and Dash, sitting at the watchmaker’s knee.

I received a free copy of this book from Bethany House via the Historical Novels Review Magazine. This is an Editor’s Choice review in the magazine. My opinions are my own.

Link to the book on Amazon

Link to Amanda Dykes’ Amazon page

Link to My Review on Goodreads (Like and Follow if you are so inclined)

Link to The Historical Novel Society

Link to my reviews on The Historical Novel Society website

The Skylark’s Secret

BonnieReadsAndWrites2 Comments

This is one of 12 reviews I did last quarter for Historical Novels Review Magazine/Historical Novel Society website. I will be doing a feature on all of them this week.

In the late 1970s, Lexie Gordon returns home with her daughter, Daisy, to Aultbea, a small fishing village on Loch Ewe in the Scottish Highlands. She has come to live in her family’s cottage after a vocal cord injury ended her singing career in London. Embarrassed at first that the town gossipers might judge her for her lost career or single parenthood, Lexie slowly begins to reconnect with her town. She also begins to discover, through the townspeople, secrets of her family’s past.

In 1939, Flora Gordon lives with her family in the Keeper’s Cottage in Aultbea. Her father is the gamekeeper for the Laird, a surly and imposing man. Aultbea is suddenly tapped as the location for the Royal Navy’s Arctic convoys and is turned into a military base virtually overnight. At the same time, Flora finds herself falling in love with the Laird’s son.

Valpy paints a gorgeous word picture of the beauty of Scotland, both before and after the war, as well as the scars left behind in Loch Ewe when the war is over. I also enjoyed the description of everyday life in a fishing village and how that is suddenly changed by a military presence. The characters are well developed. The love between Flora and her family, and the love Lexie has for her daughter, is palpable. I was often furious at the cruel tactics of the well-crafted and despicable Laird. The town comes alive through its people and their connection to each other. This is a well written novel involving WWII fiction, Scottish history, and family dynamics with a touch of romance. 

I received a free copy from Amazon Publishing UK and Historical Novels Review Magazine via Netgalley. This appeared on The Historical Novel Society Website/Historical Novels Review Magazine.

This amazing book is available free to Kindle Unlimited members on Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/Skylarks-Secret-Fiona-Valpy-ebook/dp/B07X3NMHXJ/ref=sr_1_1?crid=1XI4CM0CGKKUQ&dchild=1&keywords=the+skylark%27s+secret&qid=1604320819&sprefix=the+skylark%27s+%2Caps%2C187&sr=8-1

Link to the author’s Amazon Page: https://www.amazon.com/Fiona-Valpy/e/B005U0HXIC?ref_=dbs_p_ebk_r00_abau_000000

Link to my reviews on the Historical Novel Society website: https://historicalnovelsociety.org/?s=bonnie+demoss