Absolute obedience, servitude, neutrality. This is what ruled Bartholomew in The Breedling & The City In The Garden.
About The Breedling & The City In the Garden
These were the laws that once governed Bartholomew, an immortal soulcatcher, until one ill-fated night when he was forced to make a choice: rebel against his masters or reveal an ancient, dangerous secret.
He chose defiance.
Imprisoned for centuries as punishment for his decision, Bartholomew wastes away—until he creates an opportunity to escape. By a stroke of chance, Bartholomew finds himself in the human world and soon learns that breaking his bonds does not come without a price. Cut off from the grace that once ruled him, he must discover a new magic in 1930s Chicago.
Armed with only a cryptic message to give him direction, Bartholomew desperately tries to resume the mission he had started so long ago. Relying on the unlikely guidance of the streetwise orphan Charlie Reese, Bartholomew must navigate the depressed streets of the City in the Garden. But in order to solve this riddle, he must first discover if choice and fate are one in the same.
My Thoughts
The Breedling & The City In The Garden starts out with a look at Bartholomew’s life and how he was imprisoned for a crime that we are not quite sure of what he did, we know he defied those he should never have defied but what exactly he did I was not sure. You can tell those in his life were worried about him and his survival but the only person who could save him was a human.
The book then jumps to Charlie and his very difficult life. He has lost his whole family and only has his cousin left. He has led a harsh life but has learned how to thrive in this world. He is quite an amazing young man! Even with all of his pain and suffering, it is so clear how good and kind he is. His life is changed forever when his path crosses with Bartholomew. That night changes him forever.
The novel continues to switch between Bartholomew and Charlie as the story unfolds. I found the beginning a bit harder to follow as I tried to catch up on what exactly Bartholomew had done and how it tied into Charlie. As you continue throughout the novel, this all becomes clearer and becomes a lot easier to follow and understand. The ending definitely leaves you hanging! I can’t wait to see what happens to Bartholomew and if his path crosses with Charlie again.
Kimberlee Ann Bastian has a unique love affair with American nostalgia, mythology, and endless possibilities. This melting pot of elements is what prompted the creation of her epic ELEMENT ODYSSEYS series, starting with the reboot of her debut novel now titled THE BREEDLING AND THE CITY IN THE GARDEN.
When she is not in her writer’s room, working her current “day job”, or consuming other literary worlds, she enjoys hiking and cycling around the bluffs of your Southeastern MN home and catching up on her favorite pop culture.
It’s the summer of love and murder in Killer In The Band.
About Killer In The Band
Joshua’s eldest son, Joshua “J.J.” Thornton Jr., has graduated at the top of his class from law school and returns home to spend the summer studying for the bar exam. However, to Joshua’s and Cameron’s shock and dismay, J.J. moves into the main house at Russell Ridge Farm, the largest dairy farm in the Ohio Valley, to rekindle a romance with Suellen Russell, a onetime leader of a rock group who’s twice his age. Quickly, they learn that she has been keeping a deep dark secret.
The move brings long-buried tensions between the father and son to the surface. But when a brutal killer strikes, the Lovers in Crime must set all differences aside to solve the crime before J.J. ends up in the cross hairs of a murderer.
My Thoughts
An amazing novel full of suspense and with an ending that you never see coming.
The novel starts off with the return and quick leaving from the family home by J.J., who moves in with his much older girlfriend (this was the source of quite a bit of stress between him and his Father). We are quickly thrown into a mystery from Suellen’s past – the disappearance of one of her band members and the finding of his dead body. The band members had always thought he had left to go make himself a star, never did they think they would find him alive! Suellen holds some secrets to that awful night but with her illness and time playing a factor, it is hard to keep those memories in focus. These are secrets that the band members would prefer not to be brought up since many of them would be considered suspects, especially after what he put them through!
Throw into the mysterious crime of the past that has so many loose ends, a new killer is wreaking havoc! J.J., his Father and his step-mother must set aside all of their feelings (and boy are there some unpleasant feelings between J.J. and his stepmother) in order to help solve all of these murders. And what an amazing adventure this was! There were so many curve balls thrown in but done so well that you were never left feeling confused instead it was just one more intricate layer laid down.
Killer In The Band is well written, the plot line is incredible and leaves you guessing to the very last minute and is intense the whole way through. It builds up quickly but never disappoints you at all. This is one excellent mystery suspense home library addition!
Lauren Carr is the international best-selling author of the Mac Faraday, Lovers in Crime, and Thorny Rose Mysteries—over twenty titles across three fast-paced mystery series filled with twists and turns!
Book reviewers and readers alike rave about how Lauren Carr’s seamlessly crosses genres to include mystery, suspense, romance, and humor.
Lauren is a popular speaker who has made appearances at schools, youth groups, and on author panels at conventions. She lives with her husband, son, and four dogs (including the real Gnarly) on a mountain in Harpers Ferry, WV.
How to Raise a Smart Ass is a funny, witty, rollicking ride through the joys of early parenthood.
About How to Raise a Smart Ass
How to Raise a Smart Ass is a funny, witty, rollicking ride through the joys of early parenthood. The so-titled “Best Butt Wiper in the World” delights audiences by recounting tales of ninja nurses, naughty knights, and super-duper poopers. Whether you’re a proud parent or you aspire to populate the world with tiny terrors of your own someday, this book will have you laughing out loud, or at a minimum buying lots of sanitizer. Kids are messy.
My Thoughts
When I first picked up this book, my first thoughts were that it would be a parenting book based on raising confident, funny and intelligent young children. I was so surprised and happy that it was not! Instead what I found was a hilarious and very real journey through parenthood. The ups, the downs and the hilarious moments in between. Children just truly have an amazing way of saying anything they want in the most innocent way, that leaves you sitting there looking at them and wondering “really, really?!”.
How to Raise A Smart Ass is an honest and loving look at parenthood. She writes with open honesty and you feel like you are having a conversation about being a Mom with your best friend over coffee. She covers every stage of her journey and many of them we can relate to. I literally as laughing out loud at so many times throughout the book. Her girls are amazing young children and will do great things. I hope they keep their confidence and humour through every stage of their life, as you can see they have a true love for life and others. We are aware that Lucia is pregnant with baby number three, a boy, and it would be amazing to see the second part of this journey. How is raising a boy different? How do the girls react to their baby brother? I wish her all the best of luck on her third adventure through parenthood (and boy are you brave – I was nervous with just two!!!).
A well written, honest and hilarious look at the joys of parenting kids who are confident, honest and full of live and love. I loved every moment of this book.
Lucia Walinchus is an award-winning journalist, author and ice hockey addict. She has written more than 500 articles for various publications throughout her career and was recently named to the 2016 Fulbright Berlin Capital Program. She has been featured as a guest speaker on CNN and is a contracted freelancer for the New York Times. Walinchus currently lives in Oklahoma because she enjoys wide, flat golf courses that make her think she isn’t actually that bad.
Upcoming event: Lucia Walinchus will be a the Enid, Oklahoma Public Library at 11AM on Saturday, November 12th.
It’s the summer of love and murder in Killer In the Band.
About Killer In the Band
Joshua’s eldest son, Joshua “J.J.” Thornton Jr., has graduated at the top of his class from law school and returns home to spend the summer studying for the bar exam. However, to Joshua’s and Cameron’s shock and dismay, J.J. moves into the main house at Russell Ridge Farm, the largest dairy farm in the Ohio Valley, to rekindle a romance with Suellen Russell, a onetime leader of a rock group who’s twice his age. Quickly, they learn that she has been keeping a deep dark secret.
The move brings long-buried tensions between the father and son to the surface. But when a brutal killer strikes, the Lovers in Crime must set all differences aside to solve the crime before J.J. ends up in the cross hairs of a murderer.
Lauren Carr is the international best-selling author of the Mac Faraday, Lovers in Crime, and Thorny Rose Mysteries—over twenty titles across three fast-paced mystery series filled with twists and turns!
Book reviewers and readers alike rave about how Lauren Carr’s seamlessly crosses genres to include mystery, suspense, romance, and humor.
Lauren is a popular speaker who has made appearances at schools, youth groups, and on author panels at conventions. She lives with her husband, son, and four dogs (including the real Gnarly) on a mountain in Harpers Ferry, WV.
Never tell Mac Faraday not to do something, especially when he owns the property that has been kept a secret to him.
About The Murders at Astaire Castle
Spencer’s police chief, David O’Callaghan, learns this lesson the hard way when he orders Mac Faraday to stay away from the south end of Spencer’s mountaintop – even though he owns the property. It doesn’t take long for Mac to find out what lies on the other side of the stone wall and locked gate, on which hangs a sign warning visitors to Keep Out!
Topping the list of the 10 top haunted places in America, Astaire Castle is associated with two suicides, three mysterious disappearances, and four murders since it was built almost a century ago – and Mac Faraday owns it!
In spite of David’s warning, Mac can’t resist unlocking the gate to see the castle that supposedly hasn’t seen a living soul since his late mother had ordered it closed up after the double homicide and disappearance of Damian Wagner, a world-famous master of horror novels.
What starts out as a quick tour of a dusty old castle turns into another Mac Faraday adventure when Astaire Castle becomes the scene of even more murders. Mac is going to need to put all of his investigative talents to work to sort out this case that involves the strangest characters he has run into yet – including a wolf man. No, we’re not talking about Gnarly.
My Thoughts
The Murders at Astaire Castle is a fantastic, adventure (and murder packed!) audio book that you don’t want to hit pause – you don’t want to miss what happens next to Mac Faraday and Gnarly!
This novel was intense, full of mystery and suspense. You need to give the audio book (and I am sure the novel as well) your full attention. There are lots of murders and information that you can easily miss if you are not paying full attention. I found myself going back at some points to ensure I had key figures right (editors, authors, etc..). The story evolved in such a way that I did not expect! What began as a superstition that you thought was easily solved, turned into a cycle of past murders that prompted a new set of murders! Just when you think the story can not possibly make another twist, it did! It was very well written and thought out. The ending was nothing what I expected but was incredible. It literally blew my mind!
Gnarly (you have to give such a cute character some love!), was his usually spunky and hard-working dog! He makes me laugh with his antics (garbage dump diving) but is such a hard-working, intelligent partner. He played a big part as usual in this novel.
The Murders at Astaire Castle was an intense, suspenseful murder mystery that you will truly love! It is a definite must read.
You can purchase a copy of this book on Amazon and Audible.
Rating: 5/5
About the Author
Lauren Carr is the international best-selling author of the Mac Faraday, Lovers in Crime, and Thorny Rose Mysteries. The twelfth installment in the Mac Faraday Mystery series, Candidate for Murder will be released June 2016.
Lauren is a popular speaker who has made appearances at schools, youth groups, and on author panels at conventions. She lives with her husband, son, and four dogs (including the real Gnarly) on a mountain in Harpers Ferry, WV. You can connect with her on her website, Twitter and Facebook.
Topping the list of the ten most haunted places in America, Astaire Castle is associated with two suicides, three mysterious disappearances, and four murders – and Mac Faraday owns it! In spite of David’s warning, Mac can’t resist unlocking the gate to see the castle that supposedly hasn’t seen a living soul since his late Mother had ordered it closed up after the double homicide and disappearance of Damian Wagner. What starts out as a quick tour of a dusty old castle turns into another Mac Faraday adventure when Astaire Castle becomes the scene of even more murders.
What gave you the idea/inspiration for this book?
For The Murders at Astaire Castle, I wanted to do a Halloween mystery. What better than a haunted house—or better yet a castle? Of course, you needed a murder mystery. Then, I asked, who would be the victim? Who else but a paranormal author.
Halloween has always been a fun time. It’s the time to break out and be someone else. As a child, I would pretend to be one of the Bobbsey Twins searching for clues to lead me to a secret treasure. If I was lucky, it was made up of chocolate. As a teenager, I was Nancy Drew. Always, when October rolled around, I craved mysteries with something extra added—something beyond the normal—something supernatural.
But I wasn’t looking to do a paranormal book. I am a murder mystery writer and I love murder mysteries. So, it had to be a murder mystery with a supernatural touch.
The Murders at Astaire Castle has a touch of everything. We have the dark and spooky castle with rumors of a curse. We have hidden passage ways. Things happening that defy a logical explanation. We even have a wolf man! And it’s not Gnarly.
What have readers most enjoyed in The Murders at Astaire Castle?
Gnarly! Gnarly is part of Mac Faraday’s inheritance. A German Shepherd, Gnarly has the distinction of being the only K-9 dishonorably discharged from the United States Army. The army refuses to talk about it and gets nasty when asked.
In The Murders at Astaire Castle, Gnarly gets into a fight with a wolf man and actually gets bitten. This raises a question, which does get explored. Everyone knows what happens when a man is bitten by a wolf man. He turns into a wolf. But what happens when a dog gets bitten by a wolf man? Does he turn into a man?
Readers have loved the tone of The Murders at Astaire. It is a mystery and keeps the tone of the series. Yes, there is a paranormal element injected into it—some of which has a logical explanation, while other paranormal events are not explained at all. Those parts are left entirely up to the readers’ imagination.
Tell our readers about Mac Faraday, the main character in the Mac Faraday mysteries?
Mac Faraday could be your next-door neighbor, who happens to be an exceptional detective. Raised in a middle-class family, Mac Faraday was a hard-working, and sometimes unappreciated, homicide detective. He had devoted his life to his job and family only to have it all taken away through no fault of his own.
A twist of fate gives him the last laugh. On the same day that his divorce becomes final, after his wife had left him and took everything except their bills, he inherits $270 million dollars from his birth mother—Robin Spencer, the American version of Agatha Christie.
Talk about poetic justice! Suddenly, he’s thrust into high society and unbelievable wealth.
However, Mac is strong enough to hold onto his values and not be swayed by all the extravagance surrounding him. If anything, he is confused and amused by the decadence of his neighbor’s lives.
What themes do you address in your many mysteries?
The Mac Faraday Mysteries are purely for entertainment, and the puzzle of solving the murders. However, when the reader comes away, if they choose to think about it, there’s usually a lesson that Mac and his friends take away from the case. Often, it has to do with life, love, family, and most certainly family.
For example, in the very first Mac Faraday mystery, It’s Murder, My Son, we discover that Mac specifically came to Spencer to meet his half-brother David O’Callaghan, who Robin tells him about in her journal. It wasn’t the money and prestige of being Robin Spencer’s heir—though that is nice to have—it was his quest for family. Without question or jealousy on either man’s part, they form a quick and close brotherly friendship which continues throughout the series.
The Murders at Astaire Castle takes a look at the supernatural. Mac does not believe in ghosts, curses, or hauntings. While his brother, David is a logical type of person, he claims that he had seen things at the castle that scare him, something Mac pokes fun at. This leads to a discussion about having your mind open to the possibility that there are things “out there.”
Joshua’s eldest son, Joshua “J.J.” Thornton Jr., has graduated at the top of his class from law school and returns home to spend the summer studying for the bar exam. However, to Joshua’s and Cameron’s shock and dismay, J.J. moves into the main house at Russell Ridge Farm, the largest dairy farm in the Ohio Valley, to rekindle a romance with Suellen Russell, a onetime leader of a rock group who’s twice his age. Quickly, they learn that she has been keeping a deep dark secret.
The move brings long-buried tensions between the father and son to the surface. But when a brutal killer strikes, the Lovers in Crime must set all differences aside to solve the crime before J.J. ends up in the cross hairs of a murderer.
But wait! There’s more!
On January 1, 2017, the latest Thorny Rose Mystery will be released! In A Fine Year for Murder, Jessica Faraday and her husband, Murphy Thornton, dive into the cold case murder at a family owned winery.
After ten months of marital bliss, Jessica Faraday and Murphy Thornton are still discovering and adjusting to their life together. Settled in their new home, everything appears to be perfect … except in the middle of the night when, in darkest shadows of her subconscious, a deep secret from Jessica’s past creeps to the surface to make her strike out at Murphy.
When investigative journalist Dallas Walker tells the couple about her latest case, known as the Pine Bridge Massacre, they realize Jessica may have witnessed the murder of a family living near a winery owned by distant relatives she was visiting and suppressed the memory.
Determined to uncover the truth and find justice for the murder victims, Jessica and Murphy return to the scene of the crime with Dallas Walker, a spunky bull-headed Texan. Can this family reunion bring closure for a community touched by tragedy or will this prickly get-together bring an end to the Thorny Rose couple?
Disclosure: I received an audible copy of this book in order to facilitate this review. All opinions expressed are my own.
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