Cynthia Roberts Books on Sale!

Summer Book Sale from June 21 - June 30

all Cynthia Roberts books are discounted to $1.99

Variety of Romance genres.

Cynthia Roberts Books on Amazon

Dizzy in Durango (REVIEW)

Dizzy in Durango

Andy Veracruz Mystery #3 

Author: D.R. Ransdell
Category: Murder Mystery Suspense Thriller

Suitable for: 17+*

My Rating: 5 Stars

Format Read for Review: Paperback copy from the Author

Pages: 214

Description: Set in both Mexico and Arizona this story takes a while ride that begins with good ol' Andy watching a woman's bag for her. When she disappears and he is left holding her mysterious bag he is unwittingly thrown into another adventure looking for two missing women. The mystery takes deadly turns and Andy and his friends find themselves trying to not only find the missing women but also reunite stolen children with their family all while avoiding a very dangerous and powerful person.

In Short: This is a great series for mystery novel lovers. I found "Dizzy in Durango" to be more of a suspenseful thriller than the previous book. If you are looking for a very well written series with realistic characters look no further. Enjoy a good mystery while watching the slow natural development of Andy and Rachel's relationship and Andy's professional journey as a musician.

Another stunning tale by D.R. Ransdell.

Pros: Even though these books are part of a series they can be read alone! I read book 2, "IslandCasualty" before this one and absolutely loved it! It was also our Book of theMonth in July! That book gave me the background on Rachel and Andy and their relationship but pertinent details from past books are explained in this story, so you wont miss out. Although these books are all stand-alones if the series appeals to you, read it in order, you wont regret it! The story in this book was very different from "Island Casualty", showing that Andy's life is absolutely full of crazy twists and turns. The poor guy can't seem to go anywhere without murder following him. But it isn't all madness and peril for him! In this installment he auditions for a symphony and makes plans to start a life closer to his friend, lover and could-be-something-more, Rachel.

These books are incredibly detailed. Every setting is so well described that you feel like you are actually there. The cultures of the people in these places are also well highlighted. In this story you see a spotlight shone onto Machismo culture.    

Cons: I have no notable issues with this book. 

*Parent's Guide: Murder, gun violence, some language, alcohol, and brief sexual content.

Links:
D.R. Ransdell Official Site
Twitter
Dizzy in Durango on Amazon
Island Casualty on Amazon
D.R. Ransdell Guest Post


I was given a free copy of this book in return for my honest review. This post contains affiliate links to Amazon.

Ronaldo: The Reindeer Flying Academy (REVIEW)

 

Ronaldo: The Reindeer Flying Academy

 

Author: Maxine Sylvester
Category: Children's Chapter Book, Christmas Stories, Flying Reindeer

Suitable for: All ages ideal for children 5 - 10

My Rating: 5 Stars

Format Read for Review: Kindle

Pages: 77

Description: Ronaldo is a young flying reindeer cadet who someday dreams of becoming one of Santa's reindeer, just like his hero, Vixen. With the love and support of his friends and family and the great advice of his grandpa he can face his greatest challenge yet, the Endurance Challenge. Ronaldo doesn't have a "traditional" reindeer name (like Dasher) so he faces some bullying from his peers. In the end this little underdog gets to be a big time hero. And despite all his slap-stick humor style clumsiness he gets to enjoy his success with pride. 

In Short: I think this book would make a perfect holiday tradition for every family with children. I look forward to reading this book to my kids every year at Christmas. The story is incredibly entertaining and laugh out loud funny, even for parents!

Pros: My favorite part of this book is the amazing and exciting story. It is highly entertaining and full of positive characters and messages. I found the tale to be a wild ride and it had a wonderful, satisfying conclusion. There is even a great deal of comedy in it! This book is well written and there are occasional images that help the reader feel immersed in the scenes. Some of the images are of the funniest scenes which will really make you laugh!

Cons: Some very minor editing issues.

There is also a book 2!

I received a free copy of this book in return for my honest review. This post contains affiliate links to Amazon.

Interview with author Andrew Joyce

Hello everyone! I recently had the honor of interviewing Andrew Joyce about his novel "Yellow Hair." A historical fiction based on historical facts!

Please tell me about your novel, "Yellow Hair"?

Through no fault of his own, a young man is thrust into a new culture just at the time that culture is undergoing massive changes. It is losing its identity, its lands, and its dignity. He not only adapts, he perseveres and, over time, becomes a leader—and on occasion, the hand of vengeance against those who would destroy his adopted people.

Yellow Hair speaks to the injustices done to the Sioux Nation from their first treaty with the United States in 1805 through Wounded Knee in 1890. Every death, murder, battle, and outrage written about actually took place. The historical figures that play a role in this fact-based tale of fiction were real people and I use their real names. Yellow Hair is an epic tale of adventure, family, love, and hate that spans most of the 19th century.


What would you most like the reader to take away from this book?

That it was an enjoyable read and perhaps a little informative.


What inspired you to write "Yellow Hair"?

The inspiration for the book came to me when I was reading a short article and it made reference to the Great Sioux Uprising of 1862. It also mentioned that the outcome involved the largest mass execution in the history of the United States. That piqued my interest.

When I started my research into the incident, one thing led to another and before I knew it, I was documenting the entire history of the Sioux, who are also known as the Dakota, vis-à-vis the relationship between them and the United States.


How did you go about researching for it?

I want to say that I learned the hard way how important proper research is. But it wasn’t really that hard of a lesson. In my first book, which takes place in the last half of the 19th century, I made two mistakes. I had the date of an event off by one year and I had my hero loading the wrong caliber cartridge into his Winchester rifle. I would have gone blissfully throughout life not knowing how I had erred if not for my astute fans. Both mistakes were quickly pointed out to me in reviews of the book. One guy said he would have given me five stars if not for the wrong caliber bullet mistake. I had to settle for only four stars. Lesson learned!

Before I get into telling you about the year-long research I did for Yellow Hair, I’d like to tell you how I researched my second and third books and describe what that research entailed.
My second book was a western and the protagonist was a woman. The research took about three months. I had to know everything from women’s undergarments of the late 19th century to prison conditions for women in those days. (I sent my heroine to jail.) That kind of research was easy. Thank God for the internet. But then I had to do some real research. Molly (my protagonist) built up her cattle ranch to one of the largest in Montana, but she and her neighbors had nowhere to sell their beef. So Molly decided to drive her and her neighbors’ cattle to Abilene where she could get a good price. She put together the second largest herd on record (12,000 head) and took off for Abilene.

That’s when I had to really go to work. I wanted my readers to taste the dust on the trail. I wanted them to feel the cold water at river crossing. I wanted them to know about the dangers of the trail, from rustlers to Indians to cattle stampedes.

This is how I learned about all those things and more. First of all, I found old movies that were authentic in nature. I watched them to get a feel for the trail. Then I read books by great authors who had written about cattle drives to soak up even more of the atmosphere of a cattle drive. That was all well and good, but it still did not put me in the long days of breathing dust and being always fearful of a stampede.

That’s when I went looking for diaries written by real cowboys while they were on the trail. After that, I found obscure self-published books written by those cowboys. Then it was onto newspaper articles written at the time about large cattle drives. That’s how I had Molly herd the second largest cattle drive. I discovered that the largest was 15,000 head, driven from Texas to California in 1882.

My next book took place in the Yukon during the Klondike Gold Rush of 1897. Here new elements were added such as wolves and the extreme weather as adversaries. Dogsledding was also involved. I have seen snow only three times in my life and I have never dogsledded. I knew even less about wolves. I had to learn about those things. I had no idea what it was like to travel across a wilderness on a dogsled at seventy degrees below zero. I also had to acquire knowledge about the dogs themselves, especially the lead dog. I learned about all that by doing the same things I did for my second book. The old diaries were the most helpful. As to the gold rush, there was plenty of material in the form of self-published books by some of the participants. Some were never even published, but I found copies of them in the archives of universities and historical societies. Again, newspaper stories printed at the time were very useful. Concerning wolves . . . I read everything I could get my hands on about wolves—their habits, the pack hierarchy, the alpha male, and the different jobs or tasks the males and females have while hunting.

Now we come to Yellow Hair. As I mentioned above, the book is about the Sioux Nation from 1805 to 1890. I had to know both points of view, the white man’s and the Sioux’s. Getting to know the whites’ take on things was easy. There are many, many books (non-fiction) that were written at the time. I even found a book written by Custer detailing his strategy for wiping out the Sioux entirely. That was hard reading. And, again, there were universities and historical societies whose archives were a great help.

As to the Sioux’s point of view, there are a few books that were dictated to newspapermen years later by the Indians that took part in the various battles that I weave into my story. I found a lot of material from Native American participants of the Little Big Horn, written twenty to thirty years after the fact.

But I wanted to immerse myself in the Sioux culture and I wanted to give them dignity by using their language wherever possible. I also wanted to introduce them by their Sioux names. So, I had to learn the Lakota language. And that wasn’t easy. There is a consortium that will teach you, but they wanted only serious students. You have to know a smattering of the language before they will even deign to let you in. I had to take a test to prove that I knew some Lakota. I failed the first time and had to go back to my Lakota dictionary and do some more studying. I got in on my second try.


Wow, that is amazing, and what dedication! 
What has been the best experience for you in your time as a writer?

When I get a review stating that my humble offering was enjoyed by the reader.


What was your biggest challenge while writing "Yellow Hair"?

The research.


What advice would you give to someone who wants to write a novel like this one?

My advice to anyone who wants to get into writing a novel, not just historical fiction, but any genre, is to read, read . . . and then read some more. Read everything you can get your hands on! Reading to a writer is as medical school is to a doctor, as physical training is to an athlete, as breathing is to life. When one reads stuff like the passage below, one cannot help but become a better writer.
"The afternoon came down as imperceptibly as age comes to a happy man. A little gold entered into the sunlight. The bay became bluer and dimpled with shore-wind ripples. Those lonely fishermen who believe that the fish bite at high tide left their rocks and their places were taken by others, who were convinced that the fish bite at low tide.”—John Steinbeck, Tortilla Flat
AND: Never, ever, ever, ever respond to a negative review!!!

Great advice! Thank you so much for chatting with me and sharing such helpful details about your research! 

I hope everyone enjoys this post and will check out the amazing novels by Andrew Joyce! Find handy links below. 

About the Author:

Andrew Joyce left high school at seventeen to hitchhike throughout the US, Canada, and Mexico. He wouldn’t return from his journey until decades later when he decided to become a writer. Joyce has written five books, including a two-volume collection of one hundred and fifty short stories comprised of his hitching adventures called BEDTIME STORIES FOR GROWN-UPS (as yet unpublished), and his latest novel, YELLOW HAIR. He now lives aboard a boat in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, with his dog, Danny, where he is busy working on his next book, tentatively entitled, MICK REILLY.

Andrew Joyce is the recipient of the 2013 Editor’s Choice Award for Best Western for his novel, Redemption: The Further Adventures of Huck Finn and Tom Sawyer.

Author Links:

Andrew Joyce Official Site

Andrew Joyce on Amazon

Goodreads

Facebook

Links to find the novel, Yellow Hair:

Amazon
Smashwords
iTunes
Kobo
Barnes & Noble


Love Westerns? Check out more books by Andrew Joyce: 

This post contains affiliate links to Amazon. Clicking on the images of book covers will direct you to Amazon to check their current price and format options!

Released Today - Blood Moon

New Release today, Dec. 4th, 2016:

Blood Moon

by John David Bethel

355 page Thriller

(Adult themes: violence, torture, kidnapping, murder)

Description:

On a hot, steamy afternoon in Miami, Cuban-American businessman Recidio Suarez is brutally beaten and abducted. Handcuffed, shackled and blindfolded, he has no idea why he has been targeted. What he discovers is heart-stopping. What he endures during almost a month of captivity compares only to the most horrendous stories of prisoners of war. He is tortured, and under the threat of death, and worse – the rape of his wife and torture of his children – Suarez is forced to hand over his multi-million dollar holdings to his captors.

Suarez survives and then spends the next few months staying one step ahead of the murderous pack. During this time, he and his lawyer, Nolan Stevens – a former Special Agent in Charge of the Miami Office of the FBI – are having difficulties convincing the Miami-Dade Police Department that a crime has been committed. Their efforts are complicated by Steven’s difficult history with the head of the MDPD Special Investigations Division, who is not interested in pursuing the case.


Inspired by a true story, this book features a Foreword by the only survivor of the crime and an Afterword by the Private Investigator who was instrumental in solving the case. 

No More Heroes (REVIEW)

No More Heroes

Author: Roo I MacLeod
Category: Urban, Dystopian, Crime Thriller, Suspense, Vigilante Justice, Mystery, Adult Fiction

Suitable for: Adults*

My Rating: 5 Stars

Format Read for Review: E-book from the author

Pages: 346

Description: Set in a Dystopian London a homeless man named Ben becomes an unlikely protagonist as he finds himself the target of just about everyone. He was unlucky enough to have a former friend/enemy turn up and drop a bag of trouble in his lap. And now everyone wants the bag from him. So, where is the bag? And what exactly is in it anyway?

In Short: This book is an action packed crime thriller that is set in a messed up version of London that feels almost like the past set in the near future. If you like dark action books with unique stories and eccentric characters you will enjoy this book.

Pros: No More Heroes is a beautifully written book with a great story. The plot was very unique and constantly entertaining. The nonstop action had me hooked and eager to see what would happen next. The 2 missing bags with contents unknown kept me curious to the end. The settings are wonderful and detailed, you can really visualize the story unfolding. The characters are great and well developed. This book features a really interesting cast of street people and criminals. Ben the protagonist is a wonderfully complex, believable, and likeable character. He's got a bit of drinking problem but hidden behind all his misfortune is a brilliant mind that he has to constantly use to solve problem after problem that is thrown at him. It seemed like everywhere he went the sh!t hit the fan so to speak, you couldn't help feeling sorry for him but also being excited by the wild story. Ben also has some serious fighting moves, like a proper hero, and there is a clear back-story as to where they came from, which was appreciated. The characters and the story were definitely very well thought out and the ending was great. It has a good solid conclusion but also leaves you wanting to read the next book.

Cons: I have no notable issues with this book.

*Parent's Guide: Violence, murder, gore, language, and alcohol. No sex. 

Links:

Roo I MacLeod Official Site - You can find a free book there ;)

Twitter
Facebook
Blog

I received a free copy of this book in return for my honest review. This post contains affiliate links to Amazon.

Coconut Oil (REVIEW)

Coconut Oil

 

The Ultimate 25 Ways on How to Use Coconut Oil for Increased Energy, Weight Loss,Beauty, Hair and Great Health

 

Author:  Tiffany Thorton
Category: Health and Beauty

Suitable for:  young teen thru adult

My Rating: 5

Format Read for Review: Kindle

Pages: 42

Description: This book is packed full of information on coconut oil. From the technical on how it works to the basics of how to use it. The author covers all the ways coconut oil can be used from health purposes to beauty and even cleaning.

In Short: This book is very thorough on all the uses of coconut oil and how it's produced. A must have for anyone interested in using coconut oil to its full potential.

Pros: This book is easy to follow and very informative. The author does a great job on describing coconut oil in technical terms for those who want to know how it works. And then she breaks it down on how, when  and how much to use and for what purpose

Cons:  I had no notable issues with this book. 

BOOK MAIL - Dizzy in Durango by D.R. Ransdell

It's taken me too long to post this particular book mail but as it gets closer to the top of the pile I'm getting really excited to read it! 

At long last... Tah dah! 

Dizzy in Durango 

by D.R. Ransdell

Dizzy in Durango is another Andy Veracruz Mystery, this series can be read out of order. :)

D.R. Ransdell is an amazing author, that is why I am so psyched to read this novel! If you love mysteries you should check out my review of another one of her novels: Island Casualty. Island Casualty is such an immersive, realistic and beautiful read that it won Book of the Month July, 2016. 

Here is the Description for Dizzy in Durango:

 Dizzy in Durango An Andy Veracruz Mystery Missing women, abandoned children, and a crazy mariachi fan add up to further trouble for Andy Veracruz. After a fellow traveler disappears, he can’t concentrate on vacationing. Worse, he’s saddled with two children who aren’t his, an angry would-be girlfriend, and a self-appointed younger brother who is more reckless than he is. No wonder he starts seeing double!

Author Links:

Official Site
Twitter


Books by D.R. Ransdell Amazon links:

Mariachi Murder
Island Casualty
Dizzy in Durango


And remember, you could win a SIGNED copy of this book at 
A Bookish Halloween Giveaway Contest!



My review for Dizzy in Durango is just around the corner, stay tuned!

Puggle's Problem (REVIEW)

 

Puggle's Problem

 

Author: Aleesah Darlison

Illustrator: Sandra Temple
Category: Illustrated Children's Book

Suitable for: All ages, ideal for 3-7

My Rating: 5 Stars

Format Read for Review: E-book from the author/publisher

Pages: 34

Description: A cute, fun illustrated story about a baby echidna named Pipp Puggle who is getting frustrated that his spines haven't come in yet. All of his puggle friends have their spines and he wants his too. He goes to all of his friends, various other Australian animals, to help him figure out how to make his spines grow. In the end he has to learn patience and his spines do start to grow.

In Short: This is such an adorable story and it teaches patience, grit, accepting yourself and others. I would recommend this book for all small children and as a bed time story. It teaches children "waiting and not getting upset and believing good things will happen."

Pros: This book has everything I look for in a children's book. Beautiful art, an entertaining story, and some sort of lesson or moral. This book is cute and funny while also being loaded with great messages. Pipp works so hard to try to get his spines and he never gives up. In the meantime his mother is encouraging him to be patient and telling him he is fine the way he is. I love that this book introduces a lot of different animals, ones that are not common in my neck of the woods. There is a kookaburra who encourages Pipp to laugh, a kangaroo who teaches him to hop, a wombat, a koala and many more. Pipp the puggle is the cutest thing ever, he is so squishy, I'm sure kids will love him.

Cons: I have no issues with this book.

Disclaimer: I received a free e-copy of this book in return for my honest review. This post contains affiliate links to Amazon. This book is available in kindle and paperback formats on Amazon. 

Spying on the Boss by Janet Lee Nye (REVIEW)

Spying on the Boss

Author: Janet Lee Nye
Category: Harlequin Superromance

Suitable for: 17+

My Rating: 5 Stars

Format Read for Review: Kindle mobi from the author.

Pages: 384

Description: Sadie had a troubled childhood but as an adult she has built a successful cleaning business, with employees that have become her family. Her business model is attractive men cleaning houses! Wyatt, a private investigator is sent undercover to get a job at her cleaning company and investigate potential illegal activity. Two people meeting under the least convenient circumstances, with tons of baggage but an undeniable attraction are in for a struggle if romance can prevail.

In Short: This is a wonderful real-world contemporary romance novel. The story is great, paced perfectly and takes you on a realistic, emotional ride, that has you truly believing the characters and their love is real. If you are looking for a book with a sweet love story and a satisfying ending I highly recommend this.

Pros: Firstly, I love that Sadie is the boss. She also has such great ethics that her seemingly sketchy business model, of attractive guys cleaning houses, comes across as very professional and respectable. The men in the book are great guys. They are hard workers and masculine without being chauvinistic. This book proves that romance novels do not need overbearing chauvinistic men! Another great quality of this book is the organic love story. You can clearly see why the characters fall for each other, what they find so special about one another. But it isn't that easy, they each have their own baggage that makes it difficult for them to connect. Besides the love story there are many other feel-good themes that will bring a smile to your face including, family and The American Dream. This book is well written and edited. It is a third person point of view that let's you follow each character easily. There is a wonderful mix of sad, tender moments, and also humor. As I read the book I was constantly curious and excited to see what will happen next.

Cons: I have no issues with this book.

Parent's Guide: Brief sexual references.

 I received a free copy of this book in return for my honest review.  

Find this must read here on Amazon. 

Love Your Body (REVIEW) Children's Book

Love Your Body

The Fruitable Friends Book 1

Author:  Heidi Fralick

Illustrated by: Brittany Hazelquist
Category: Illustrated Children's Book

Suitable for: Ideal for ages 4+

My Rating: 3.5 Stars

Format Read for Review: PDF

Pages: 22

Description: This book teaches very young children to love their body by taking good care of it and not having insecurities about the way they look. To appreciate that we all look different and that is a good thing.

Pros: This book has a really great, and important message. It is a good book to read with your child to emphasize healthy habits and self esteem. It teaches children not to judge the looks of themselves or others. I think its a good book to have your child read anytime they are beginning to have unhealthy habits (like wanting too many sweets or not being active enough), or if they are starting to show signs of insecurities about they way they look. This book does have great messages about loving yourself and accepting others. As kids get to that age where they start thinking that they wished they looked different it would be good to read this to them again and again to reinforce a more positive attitude about themselves.   

Cons: The characters are introduced in the beginning of the book (there is a grammar error on Penny Pear's page) but then those unique characters personalities don't really come into play during the book and it never uses their names again. So I felt like the introductions didn't really have a purpose. After the introductions there are about 10 pages of substance. There could have been more detail on how to live healthy. It only mentions once: healthy food, adequate sleep, and exercise. I would have liked a page on each topic encouraging kids to play more active physical games for example instead of watching TV or playing video games. Also, a page teaching them what foods are healthy and which ones to eat in moderation. Adults will definitely have to fill in the gaps when reading this to the child.

I was given a free copy of this book in return for my honest review. 

Guest Post By Nicole Collet

Welcome to the blog debut author Nicole Collet!

RED: A Love Story

RED: A Love Story is about the forbidden love between a teacher and his student, and how they fall in love only to be torn apart and embark on a journey of self-discovery. When the two meet again, they need to deal with a far more complex situation than the obstacles they had faced in the beginning of their relationship.

Human nature fascinates me, especially the challenges posed in romantic relationships. What makes two people fall in love? What makes them stay in love or fall out of love?

Biologically, love follows a cycle. It starts with passion and a chain of chemical reactions that goes as far as evaluating our partner’s immune system through the sense of smell in order to decide if he or she is a good match for reproduction.

Everything happens in a flash, without us even realizing what’s going on in our busy primitive brain. When an offspring is born, our body produces special hormones to ensure that we stay with our partner to raise the child. Once a partner is no longer needed for that, the biological tendency of love is to end.

That’s it, then?

We’re talking about our body. What happens to our mind?

During the infatuation period, it obsesses with the object of our desire. We lose our appetite, we can’t concentrate, we barely sleep. There’s a good reason why passion doesn’t last too long: we couldn’t physically survive it. What ensues is a period of tranquil bliss, and with it comes routine.

The problem is our mind is geared to seek novelty. We need constant stimulation. Once the blissful blindness of passion is over, we may gradually get bored with our partner, and that’s the death sentence to love. Avoiding it requires effort and constant care.

Now let’s move up one more level: what happens to the spirit?

There resides the great enigma of love. It is the encounter of two souls teaching each other lessons that need to be learned by each individual. In a spiritual level, souls seek one another for mutual growth. If there are no longer lessons to be learned from a given partner, our soul will look for another one. The same happens, by the way, with every person that comes into our life.

That’s love in a nutshell. But there is so much more to it. According to French philosopher André Comte-Sponville, love is the greatest virtue of all because it is the deepest. Love is a mystery, and I like to explore it in my writing. That’s why I write romance.

RED: A Love Story is an unusual romance novel with references to philosophy, psychology, literature and music. It became a personal scrapbook with the little treasures that made a difference in my life, and I want to share them with readers.

I’ll end this post with a quote from RED: “Serendipity bears a grain of magic cleverness. Sometimes it comes disguised as a dwarf carrying a pebble, whereas in fact it is a giant silently moving a mountain to change the landscape.”

Go with the flow and let serendipity surprise you in love and life.  :)

_______________________________

About the author: Nicole Collet is a Brazilian-born writer and translator with degrees in journalism and cultural management.  She has edited and translated works from authors as diverse as Ken Follet, Nora Roberts and Machiavelli.  Nicole’s writing explores why people fall in love and what it takes for them to stay in love.  Her plots invite readers to think outside the box, merging story with psychology, neuroscience, philosophy, music, and literature.

Links:

- Homepage with book trailer, quotes and sample chapters from RED: http://nicolecollet.com

- Free story: http://nicolecollet.com/2016/03/30/you-will-meet-a-tall-dark-stranger-2

- Twitter: https://twitter.com/NicoleCollet

- Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/8192176.Nicole_Collet

- Amazon: http://amzn.to/1Svy2qI