Miracle Pie

 

Edie Ramer

 

Katie Guthrie has pie magic. Intuition tells her what to bake. Whether it’s a
Goodbye Pie or a Welcome Home Pie, it will turn out perfect and be waiting for
the person who needs it most.

She cherishes her life in the small village of Miracle,
Wisconsin, and has no desire for change. But to help a friend, she agrees to
film a cooking pilot show. Only to realize the filmmaker is the dying boy
Katie used to call her angel when she lived in Chicago with her junkie mother.

Gabe Robbins is no angel, and he’s no boy anymore. Burned out after a three-year stint building a hospital
in Africa, Gabe ignores his demons by living day-to-day and filming wedding
videos. Nothing deep, nothing he has to become invested in. Nothing that will
get under his skin, until…

Watching Katie create her pies from behind his video
camera makes him realize what he’s missing. Thanks to Katie and her pies, Gabe
discovers his passion again. But will it lead him to his heart’s desire…or will
this miracle take him away from Katie forever? (from Netgalley)

My Thoughts

I typically steer clear of romance novels, but honestly, this was just plain cute. Heart-warming more than anything. I love the concept that Katie baked pies based some deep seated intuition of what is going to happen in hers or someone else’s life. Gabe is good hearted (and sexy).

This was a quick, light, cozy and fun read. I’m glad I stepped out of my comfort zone on this one. I would like to read more in the Miracle series.

Thanks to Blue Walrus Books, via Netgalley, for allowing me to read this in exchange for an unbiased review.

Publish date: December 27, 2012.

The 9th Girl

Tami Hoag

#1 New York Times bestselling author Tami Hoag brings back her fan-favorite Minneapolis investigators Sam Kovac and Nikki Liska in the haunting new thriller The 9th Girl.

"Kovac had seen more dead bodies than he could count: Men, women, children; victims of shootings, stabbings, strangulations, beatings; fresh corpses and bodies that had been left for days in the trunks of cars in the dead of summer. But he had never seen anything quite like this . . . "

On a frigid New Year's Eve in Minneapolis a young woman's brutalized body falls from the trunk of a car into the path of oncoming traffic. Questions as to whether she was alive or dead when she hit the icy pavement result in her macabre nickname, Zombie Doe. Unidentified and unidentifiable, she is the ninth nameless female victim of the year, and homicide detectives Sam Kovac and Nikki Liska are charged with the task of not only finding out who Zombie Doe is, but who in her life hated her enough to destroy her. Was it personal, or could it just have been a crime of opportunity? Their greatest fear is that not only is she their ninth Jane Doe of the year, but that she may be the ninth victim of a vicious transient serial killer they have come to call Doc Holiday.

Crisscrossing America's heartland, Doc Holiday chooses his victims at random, snatching them in one city and leaving them in another, always on a holiday. If Zombie Doe is one of his, he has brought his gruesome game to a new and more terrifying level. But as Kovac and Liska begin to uncover the truth, they will find that the monsters in their ninth girl's life may have lived closer to home. And even as another young woman disappears, they have to ask the question: which is the greater evil--the devil you know or the devil you don't? (from Netgalley)

My Thoughts

 

This book hit the ground running and didn’t stop until I got to the end. The were some good plot twists and turns along the way. I liked the witty banter between all of the detectives who have worked together for many years. There was a good level of suspense and an ending that I did not see coming.

This is book #4 in a series that involves Detectives Kovac and Liska. The author gives just enough background information so that the reader won’t feel lost if that haven’t read any of the earlier books in the series (which applies to me). I am definitely interested in continuing to read the series to see where Ms. Hoag decides to take her characters.

Many thanks to Penguin Group/ Dalton, via Netgalley, for allowing me to read this in exchange for an unbiased review.

Publish date: June 18, 2013.

A Conspiracy of Alchemists
 

Book One in The Chronicles of Light and Shadow

Liesel Schwarz

LEAVE IT TO CHANCE. Eleanor “Elle” Chance, that is—a high-flying dirigible pilot with a taste for adventure and the heroine of this edgy new series that transforms elements of urban fantasy, steampunk, and paranormal romance into pure storytelling gold.

It is 1903, and the world is divided between light and shadow. On the side of light is a wondrous science that has transformed everyday life by harnessing magical energies to ingenious new technologies. But each advance of science has come at the expense of shadow—the traditional realm of the supernatural.

Now two ancient powers are preparing to strike back. Blood-sucking immortal Nightwalkers and their spellcasting Alchemist allies have a plan to cover the whole world in shadow. All they require is the sacrifice of a certain young woman whose past conceals a dangerous secret.

But when they come after Elle, they get more than they bargained for. This enterprising young woman, the daughter of a scientific genius, has reserves of bravery and determination that even she scarcely suspects. Now she is about to meet her match in more ways than one: a handsome yet infuriating Warlock named Hugh Marsh,whose agenda is as suspect as his charms are annoyingly irresistible (from Netgalley)

 

My Thoughts

 

I have a very bad habit of sometimes starting a series without reading the first book. Sometimes that works, sometimes it doesn’t. I am so glad I got to start this series with book #1. I am now a part of the Elle and Marsh fan club! This book was so much fun. There was lots of suspense as to how this book was going to end - who would survive to move on to the next book?

Ms. Schwarz has written an amazing mix of fantasy and steampunk with just enough romance to keep the plot enticing. An outstanding debut and I am looking forward to continuing with this story.

Thanks to Random House Publishing and Netgalley for allowing me to read this in exchange for an unbiased review.

Publish date: March 5, 2013.

The Movement of Stars

Amy Brill

A love story set in 1845 Nantucket, between a female astronomer and the unusual man who understands her dreams.

It is 1845, and Hannah Gardner Price has lived all twenty-four years of her life according to the principles of the Nantucket Quaker community in which she was raised, where simplicity and restraint are valued above all, and a woman’s path is expected to lead to marriage and motherhood. But up on the rooftop each night, Hannah pursues a very different—and elusive—goal: discovering a comet and thereby winning a gold medal awarded by the King of Denmark, something unheard of for a woman.

And then she meets Isaac Martin, a young, dark-skinned whaler from the Azores who, like herself, has ambitions beyond his expected station in life. Drawn to his intellectual curiosity and honest manner, Hannah agrees to take Isaac on as a student. But when their shared interest in the stars develops into something deeper, Hannah’s standing in the community begins to unravel, challenging her most fundamental beliefs about work and love, and ultimately changing the course of her life forever.

Inspired by the work of Maria Mitchell, the first professional female astronomer in America, The Movement of Stars is a richly drawn portrait of desire and ambition in the face of adversity (from Netgalley)

My Thoughts

　

I started this book with some hesitation. I was certainly interested in the part about stars and astronomy, but wasn’t sure about the time period and the religious basis. For some reason, I thought the story would be stodgy, filled with “thees” and “thys” and stuffiness.

I could not have been more wrong. I felt an immediate connection to Hannah. She was bright and spunky in a time when bright and spunky females were not appreciated. Due to the time period and her religion, womens lives were dictated by men. Hannah refuses to give up on her dreams and forges her way to an amazing place in history.

I think that Ms. Brill did an outstanding job with this piece of historical fiction. It was never boring and I cheered for Hannah every step of the way. This is an inspiring story of a women who stood up against the odds. What a delight!

I would like to thank Riverpress Hardcover, via Netgalley, for giving me the opportunity to read this in exchange for an unbiased review.

Publish date: April 18, 2013.