Category: book review

The Berlin Package

iRead Book Tours

In this fast-paced sequel to Murder on Safari, The Berlin Package, finds Pero in Berlin on a brand new assignment.

The Berlin Package Book Review

About The Berlin Package

Film producer Pero Baltazar thought he was taking a Berlin filming assignment. He needed the work, needed to get back in the saddle after fighting off a life-threatening experience in East Africa—alShabaab had attacked his crew, intent on a much larger terrorist attack. Suddenly he finds himself under orders from his part-time employers at the State Department and the CIA when he is handed a mysterious package. It’s an assignment he doesn’t want. The problem is, it’s a job contracted by mysterious patrons who are prepared to kill him if he doesn’t deliver.

Pero—now in far too deep—turns to friends, old and new, to help him unravel the mystery of the package, uncover connections to Nazi concentration camp gold recently sold by the US Treasury, and thwart the ex–Stasi chief, now head of a powerful banking group.

In this fast-paced sequel to Murder on Safari, Pero calls on Mbuno, his friend and East African safari guide, to anticipate the moves of his enemies as if they were animals—dangerous vermin—who have kidnapped both the film star and director. Mbuno’s tracking skills may keep them from getting killed—provided Pero can rope in more help and keep the CIA at bay.

My Thoughts

Wow – this novel was just as stunning and fast paced as Murder on Safari, I fell in love with this novel and could not put it down. While it is a sequel to Murder on Safari, you don’t necessarily have to read the first novel to understand this one (but trust me you will want to because the first novel is just as great!).

The plot line is incredible and slowly unfolds piece by piece, only giving you what you need when you need to know (which I love!). Pero after his experience in Africa felt he was done with the CIA and their missions. He wants to get back to his film producing so he jumps on a story based in Germany. It is only when he is there, that he becomes trapped into a mysterious assignment that he never wanted.

As he tries to deliver the package, he finds out unbelievable truths about Nazi concentration camp gold, individuals in power and his mysterious package. He must use his skills to thwart an enemy that he is never too sure who they are, to discover the details of the package and to ensure it remains out of the hands of his enemy (not to mention save his friends!).

The Berlin Package is beyond exciting, full of surprises that you never quite see coming and an exciting plot line that will have you unable to put the novel down. Peter Riva writes exceptional novels that are fresh, thrilling and full of adventure. I can not wait to see if we have another novel featuring Pero!

You can purchase a copy of this book on Amazon, Barnes & Noble and Chapters.

Rating: 5/5

About the Author

Peter Riva has spent many months over 30 years travelling throughout Africa and Europe. Much of this time was spent with the legendary guides for East African hunters and adventurers. He created a TV series in 1995 called Wild Things for Paramount. Passing on the fables, true tales, and insider knowledge of these last reserves of true wildlife is his passion. Nonetheless, his job for over forty years has been working as a literary agent. In his spare time, Riva writes science fiction and African adventure books. He lives in Gila, New Mexico. You can connect with him on his website, Twitter and Facebook.

The Giveaway!

Enter now to win one of five copies of Murder on Safari and The Berlin Package. Enter via the Rafflecopter form below. Good luck!

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Disclosure: I received a digital copy of this book in order to facilitate this review. All opinions expressed are my own.

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Mars….With Venus Rising

Litfuse Book Tour

In Mars….With Venus Rising, a meddling horse, paper bag floors and a flying saucer on the town square. The little town of Mars has it all including a brand new resident who might spell heartache for one of its own.

Mars....With Venus Rising

About Mars….With Venus Rising

Twenty-something Penn Davenport yearns for an exciting life in the big city and wants to shed the label of orphan that she’s worn for years. To achieve that dream, she must pass the CPA exam then move away from the two aunts who reared her after her parents died in a plane crash.

When John Townsend, full of life and the joy of living, moves to town, he rattles Penn’s view of herself, her life, and her dreams. Which isn’t such a bad thing until she falls for him and discovers he’s a pilot.

My Thoughts

Sweet, funny and romantic all rolled into one in Mars…With Venus Rising. We have a young, orphaned woman who has been so greatly affected by her past that she lets it take over her future. She is torn between staying with her Aunts and the comforts she has known and breaking free from the orphan stigma that she feels she carries.

John is like a breath of fresh air. He is fun, adventurous and everything that a person like Penn needs. He slowly brings her out of her shell with his personality but all of this comes to an abrupt stop when she discovers that he is a pilot. Then he becomes the man who brings back every pain she felt in her past.

Penn goes through many changes throughout this novel, sometimes it is one step forward, two steps back. But throughout the novel, you keep rooting for her. You can feel her pain and uncertainty but you still want her to experience the joys of life, instead of only partially living because of her pain. The end makes you smile, cry, laugh and proud all at the same time!

Mars…With Venus Rising is a sweet and perfect romance for the summer months. A treasure that you will enjoy reading over and over again.

You can find more reviews on the Litfuse blog tour page. You can purchase a copy of the book here.

Rating: 4/5

About the Author

Hope Toler Dougherty holds a Master’s degree in English and taught at East Carolina University as well as York Technical College. A member of ACFW, RWA and SinC, she writes for Almost an Author. Before writing novels, she published non-fiction articles on topics ranging from gardening with children to writing apprehension. She cheers for the Pittsburgh Steelers, ACC basketball, and Army West Point Football. Hope and her husband, Kevin, live in North Carolina and chat with their two daughters and twin sons through ooVoo.

Disclosure: I received a digital copy of this book in order to facilitate this review. All opinions expressed are my own.

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Kathryn Kelly: The Moll Behind “Machine Gun” Kelly

iRead Book Tours

Kathryn Kelly: The Moll Behind “Machine Gun” Kelly is a biography of the woman who made a career of crime.

Kathryn Kelly: The Moll Behind Machine Gun Kelly

About Kathryn Kelly: The Moll Behind “Machine Gun” Kelly

With a lust for danger, she masterminded the crimes that took her and her husband, and others who included her own mother and stepfather, on a spree across Minnesota, Tennessee, Oklahoma and Texas. Starting with smaller crimes the included bootlegging, smuggling liquor onto an Oklahoma Indian reservation and other petty crimes, she encouraged her husband, George Barnes aka Georgle Kelly, toward a life of more serious criminal activity that escalated into bank robberies, kidnapping and extortion.

Many believe that it was Kathryn, after giving him a machine gun, who developed George’s feared persona and the name of Machine Gun Kelly. FBI Director J. Edgar Hoover was even convinced that the two were somehow connected in the Lindbergh kidnapping. Kathryn and Machine Gun Kelly were eventually captured after kidnapping Charles Urschel, a wealthy Oklahoma City oilman, and collecting a $200,000 ransom the largest ransom ever paid at that time.

Eventually, the two were captured in Memphis, where Kelly had grown up as boy. During their trial in Oklahoma City, movie cameras were allowed into the courtroom for the first time as curious spectators across the nation watched. Kathryn, while claiming to be an innocent victim in a bad marriage, remained unrepentant, smiling and primping for the cameras, and writing threatening letters to the judge and attonrys assigned to the case as well as her victims.

Convicted in 1933, Kathryn served twenty-five years of her life sentence at FPC Alderson, West Virginia, when in 1958 she was finally released into obscurity. Although much has been written about Machine Gun Kelly, there is very little known about Kathryn.

Through narrative, FBI files, rare quotes from George Kelly’s son and other relatives and associates, extensive research, and several photographs, Kathryn Kelly ¬The Moll behind Machine Gun Kelly is the first book ever written about a woman who chose to follow a life of crime during the Prohibition era.

My Thoughts

This is one of my first biographies that I have read and reviewed. When I first saw the cover and read the book description, I knew I had to read this book. A woman who was confident, courageous, dangerous and a criminal? I had to find out her story, especially as I had never heard about her before.

The book starts off by giving us some insight into how and whom Kathryn and George grew up. It showed us the turning points for both of them and how they went from small crimes to the one crime that made them famous. We see this intimate side of Kathryn and how she may have helped masterminded the kidnapping. I wasn’t even aware that at the time in history, kidnapping was common for ransom money! We are given very detailed information about the kidnapping, their hideout afterwards and their subsequent apprehension and trial. I was amazed that during this whole time, Kathryn had no fear – she believed she would be out in no time that George would save her.

I loved the amount of detail and research that went into this book. The depth that Barbara goes into is amazing. You feel as if you really know Kathryn, her struggles, fears and what she loves. This novel was an incredible journey into a dangerous time in history full of crime, love and passion.

You can purchase a copy of the book on Amazon and Barnes & Noble.

Rating: 4/5

About the Author

Barbara Casey is a partner in Strategic Media Books, and president of the Barbara Casey Agency, representing authors throughout the United States, Great Britain, Canada, and Japan. She is also a manuscript consultant and the author of numerous articles, poems, and short stories.

Her award-winning novels have received national recognition, including the Independent Publishers Book Award. Her novel, The House of Kane, was considered for a Pulitzer nomination, and The Gospel According to Prissy, also a contemporary adult novel received several awards including the prestigious IPPY Award for Best Regional Fiction. Her most recent young adult novel, The Cadence of Gypsies, received the Independent Publishers Living Now Award and was reviewed by the Smithsonian for its list of Best Books.

Ms. Casey makes her home on the top of a mountain in northwest Georgia with her husband and three dogs who adopted her: Benton, a hound-mix, Fitz, a miniature dachshund, and Gert, a Jack Russel terrier of sorts. You can connect with her on her website.

The Giveaway!

You can now enter to win one of five copies of Kathryn Kelly! Enter via the Rafflecopter form below. Good luck!

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Disclosure: I received a digital copy of this book in order to facilitate this review. All opinions expressed are my own.

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Captain America: The Ultimate Guide to the First Avenger

DK Canada

How can you not love Captain America? He is one of my favourite Marvel super hero. He started off as a kind but small young man and with his bravery he turns into the ultimate hero for his country. In Captain America: The Ultimate Guide to the First Avenger we learn everything and anything there is to know about this special hero.Captain America: The Ultimate Guide to the First Avenger

About Captain America: The Ultimate Guide to the First Avenger

Follow Steve Rogers’ journey from the sickly and small Army volunteer to  leader of the Avengers as well as his biggest adventures, battles, allies, and foes. Marvel’s Captain America: The Ultimate Guide to the First Avenger focuses on some of the character’s most famous comic book arcs, starting from the 1941 debut of Captain America Comics  to modern day.

This book also features a foreword by renowned former president and chairman of Marvel Comics Stan Lee, Stan Lee, this book is the essential reading for any Captain America fan.

Our Thoughts

Well, our youngest so is the ultimate Captain fan, like seriously he wears his Captain costume everywhere. He was his brother’s school mascot, he plays at the park in his costume and if you are not careful you may just get a shield thrown at you as he practices his Captain throw. So I could not wait to see what he thought about the book.

Captain America: The Ultimate Guide to the First Avenger

So what did he think? He LOVED it! The book is in hardcover and is quite large, probably just smaller than a binder. The pictures were large, amazing and true to Marvel format. The inside facts were all new to us and we learned a lot about his character as he evolved over the years. You are able to watch as Captain starts from his humble but brave beginnings to become the saviour that America needed during this time period. We learn about his uniform, his shield, his loves, his support and we even learn how Captain changes from decade to decade as his character evolved.

The book is full of amazing facts and pictures that any Marvel fan and collector would love. Our son truly cherishes this book and will pop it out nightly so that we can read a few pages from it each night before he goes to bed. This is a definite must have for the Avenger and Captain America fan in your home!

You can purchase a copy of the book on Amazon.

Rating: 5/5

Disclosure: I received the above mentioned book in order to facilitate this review. All opinions expressed are my own.

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Celebrate Mother’s Day with a Book Giveaway from Raincoast Books!

Raincoast Books

Mother’s Day is just around the corner and why not celebrate this special day with a special collection of books from Raincoast Books that celebrate all things Motherhood.

Celebrate Mother's Day with Raincoast Books

Becoming a Mother was one of the best moments of my life. I was happy, scared and full of love. I could not believe how perfect these two little boys were that I brought into this world. It also helped me to appreciate my own Mother that much  more! Rocking and feeding them at midnight, being nervous for them on their first day of school and watching sporting events, made me truly appreciate my parents that much more.

Raincoast Books appreciates how important the Mother role is in our lives and celebrates with a perfect selection of books to show Mom how much we love her.

Letters to My Mom

Letters to My Mom is a twelve fold-and-mail-style envelopes (ten prompted, two blank) invite sons and daughters to capture memories and express gratitude for Mom, seal up the envelopes with the included stickers, and postdate the letters. When Mom breaks the seals in the future, she’ll receive an invaluable gift: a tangible reflection of her child’s love.

This small book made me smile and my heart melt when I opened it. Each page has its own writing cues for your child and an open date. This is a beautiful memento to capture each of the small moments, the writing of your child and even their artistic skills. The best part is it is truly a personal gift from your child to yourself.

Celebrate Mother's Day with Raincoast Books Giveaway

In Mothers of the Village, C. J. Schneider found herself in the middle of a perfect storm after giving birth to her third child and moving to a new neighborhood. Conditions for misery and postpartum depression were ideal: she was isolated, lonely, and exhausted with three young children at home. As she started talking with other mothers, she realized that she was not alone in her experience of feeling alone. In her unique voice, Schneider intelligently and compassionately offers practical advice on how to create the essential community that mothers need. Given the many examples of communal mothering from the past and around the world, as well as modern examples of communities in which mothers are thriving, the research is clear: since the beginning of womankind, mothering has been a communal effort. Mothers of the Village affirms that as mothers connect with each other and learn to work with each other, despite the challenges, they may find a piece of themselves that they have felt missing all along.

I loved every moment of this book – it is something simple but something that we always forget. We truly need the other Mothers in our lives. They make us stronger, give us confidence and provide the compassion that we need in our lives. When we don’t have this community, we can suffer from this loneliness. She gives us real world advice, examples and shares with us how motherhood truly is an effort of the community.

Celebrate Mother's Day with Raincoast Books Giveaway

In Mamasaurus, this colorful and reassuring picture book follows Babysaurus on an adventure as he enlists his prehistoric friends to seek his Mamasaurus. Is his Mamasaurus the fastest in the jungle? No. Is she the loudest? No. Is she the best flyer? No! Of course, Mamasaurus has been right there all along. And when Babysaurus needs a little help, she is ready with a big hug and a sweet, leafy snack. For Babysaurus, his Mamasaurus is the best mamasaurus in the world! Stephan Lomp has illustrated several books in his native Germany, and in this debut as both author and artist, he has created a fresh twist on a perennial theme that will win the hearts of little ones and their mamas as they snuggle up to read a new favorite.

Celebrate Mother's Day with Raincoast Books

In Daily Motherhood, every mom needs a pick­-me-­up now and then—so why not every day? With 365 gorgeously designed quotes about motherhood,one for every day of the year, Daily Motherhood is the perfect gift for every mother. This beautiful quote book will inspire, uplift, and energize moms, reminding them why they do what they do and recommitting them to the world’s greatest job: motherhood.

Celebrate Mother's Day with Raincoast Books

The Original Pattern Journals are a new concept in luxury stationery. Each journal contains patterned pages for coloring-in and doodling interleaved with blank pages for taking notes and drawing. Each has a visual theme associated with a particular period or place, whether Renaissance Florence, 1920s Manhattan, or Mid-Century Scandinavia.

Composed of cream and gray stocks and featuring colored endpapers, richly patterned covers, and a bellyband, the journals are a perfect blending of the traditional blank journal and the current craze for coloring-in books. This is a series that can be used as beautiful, functional stationery but each volume will also become a unique personal notebook with your own designs and coloring.

Celebrate Mother's Day with Raincoast Books

In Do Your Laundry or You’ll Die Alone, no matter how hard they try, parents never have time to teach their children everything they need to know before they leave home. Luckily, Becky Blades has compiled the best tidbits of advice into one thought-provoking, conversation-starting book. Covering everything from posture to finances, with a hint of motherly sass, Do Your Laundry or You’ll Die Alone is the perfect gift for leaving-the-nest kids, or anyone in your life who could use a little bit of coming-of-age common sense.

Celebrate Mother's Day with Raincoast Books

Now my Canadian readers can enter to win a book giveaway from Raincoast Books with all six of these titles up for grabs! Enter now via the Rafflecopter form below.

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Disclosure: I received Letters to My Mom and Mothers of the Village in order to facilitate this review. All opinions expressed are my own.

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