Book Review of Crave the Moon by Lori Handeland

 
Review of Crave the Moon by Lori Handeland

From goodreads.com:

Gina O'Neill will do anything to hold on to her beloved ranch that has been in her family for generations. Enter Mateo Mecate, an archeologist whose greatest wish is to dig there. Prepared to despise Matt--and to thwart his agenda--Gina cannot deny the shocking desire she feels for him.

Matt believes that the Nahua Springs Ranch holds an important key to Aztec history--one that will restore his standing in the archeological community. But he never expects to go head-to-head with the maddeningly sensuous owner, Gina. The ranch seems to have cast a spell on them both…

When Gina and Matt delve into the secrets of this ancient place, they awaken something unspeakably evil--a shapeshifter who is centuries old. A werewolf with vengeance on its mind. A sorcerer of incredible power. Can Gina and Matt defeat this enemy--even as their conflicts deepen…and their attraction grows more dangerous?
Paperback, 336 pages
Published June 28th 2011 by St. Martin's Paperbacks
original title Crave the Moon ISBN0312389361 (ISBN13: 9780312389369)


Leona's Review:
I have read a couple of Lori Handeland's books and do like them. This one has werewolves as do some of her books.

Crave the Moon is about archaeology and the Aztec, which is an interest for me and based in the Southwest.

Dr. Mateo Mecate wants to dig on a site at the ranch but has been turned down by Gina. His interests to find the site come from his mother, Nora, who was an archaeologist.  His education was at archaeology sites.

The Nahua Springs Ranch is now a dude ranch that Gina O'Neill runs with the help of Jase McCord, a childhood friend and partner.

Matt joins the new group as a tourist under the name Teo Jones. Each member of the group has their own personality.

This is a quick moving book and will keep the reader interested. There is some bad language such as using  the "f" word and also sexual content.

I will give it a 4 star rating. This was a book I had on my book shelf and is a re-read for me.

Lori Handeland may be found at www.lorihandeland.com

and

www.goodreads.com/author/show/17060.Lori_Handeland

Leona Olson

http://www.mnleona.blogspot.com

Moon Cursed by Lori Handeland

Moon Cursed by Lori Handeland

Lori Handeland had me at the beginning with the words: "The first recorded sighting of the Loch Ness Monster was by Saint Columba in AD 565. The most recent occurred just last year."

Kristin Daniels was the host of a television program called Hoax Hunters, which has just been canceled.

She thought if she debunked the mystery for the Loch Ness Monster in Scotland, that would prove the world would want the film.

Kris has been alone since her mother died and her brother and father left, she did not know where they were but knew she would be fine all alone in Scotland.

Right away she meets Liam Grant by the Urquhart Castle. He kisses her and this is just the beginning of her adventures. Dead bodies, legends of the monster, strange tattoos, love, feelings, unusual happenings and so much more. Some other characters are Jamaica who has a coffee shop, Alan Mac the constable, Dougal Scott a native of the area but from America and her landlady, Effy and Effy's brother.

This is a good read and for those who have read Lori Handeland, this is another wonderful book. She has done a good job on the accents, the mystery and the description of the location brings me right back to the Loch. I have been there and it is very beautiful. I did not see Nessie that day but I did bring back a souvenir of a ceramic Nessie.

I give this a four star.
Leona Olson
http://mnleona.blogspot.com/2012/08/moon-cursed-by-lori-handeland.html

Shakespeare Undead by Lori Handeland

Shakespeare Undead by Lori Handeland
William Shakespeare and Kate made a fun read. Vampires and zombies are not something I expected in s book about Shakespeare but it worked in this book. Each chapter had a quote from a play by William Shakespeare, that took some research and gave the reader unfamiliar with the plays, a look into the works of Shakespeare.
Kate is a chaseur, a hunter of zombies; her husband is in Virginia half of the year and does not know what she is doing. Kate and Will are in London.
Will and Kate join forces to fight the zombies. Will is a vampire.
One chapter is Kate in first person and the next chapter is in third person for Will so one may become confused at the beginning.
I will give this a 3.5 star.
I checked this book out from my library.
Leona
mnleona.blogspot.com
goodreads.com/mnleona
http://mnleona.blogspot.com/2012/08/shakespeare-undead-by-lori-handeland.html

When You Wish by Lori Handeland

When You Wish
by Lori Handeland

A story of Doctor Daniel Chadwick and Grace Lightfoot competing for a grant on the projects they both feel are important. The grant will come Mrs. Cabilla who will make the final decision.

The challenge comes when the two main characters are supposed to work together for two weeks before it is decided who will get the grant.

Grace has a different outlook on life than Dan; she is free spirited and he is reserved. Her project is Project Hope and his is a medical research project.

Dan's family has disinherited him because he went into the wrong field of medicine and Grace was still angry at her father for letting stress kill him (my feelings). He was Ojibwe and his wife Irish. The Ojibwe believed in taking care of family and so he took care of his three sisters who loved in the same house as Grace. They are wonderful characters and I really see them as characters. There is also Olaf, a Norwegian, who protects Grace from "bad men".

Again, the author brings the flavor of her home state of Wisconsin. I live in Minnesota but was not raised here so I had to learn these things of Minnesota and Wisconsin. The lab for Daniel is on a old Boy Scout Camp in Wisconsin; my sons went to Tomahawk Scout Camp in Wisconsin. There is Lake Illusion in the book and Wisconsin is full of lakes. Lutefisk is mentioned in the book and it is a cured fish eaten traditionally by Scandinavians. Mosquitos are thick when there is a lot of rain and so true. I learned in one of her book why Wisconsin is called the Badger State. I like this type of information in books; it makes the book more personal.

I think that Lori Handeland does a good job of her descriptions; the reader is almost there.

The story is about an oil and water mixture from the two main characters they get along and then don't get along. The reader wants to know what really is going to happen at the end. Some steamy kissing scenes but not bad.

A good read for the airplane or sitting outside. The authors's site is www.lorihandeland.com.

This will also be posted on my blog:www.mnleona.blogspot.com and www.librarything.com

I received a complimentary copy of When You Wish to read and review. The opinions are my own.

Leona Olson

When Midnight Comes by Lori Handeland

When Midnight Comes by Lori Handeland

A short story that moves quickly and emotionally. The story is based in New York City in 1869. Jack has been murdered and wants a second chance at life. His love, Lucia, comes to him and walks him through what he did wrong to achieve his accomplishments in life. It reminded me of Mr. Scrooge and his past, present and future. Being alone and unloved is the biggest punishment when one is alive is a part of the book that seemed so true to me. This is a story of emotions, love, punishment, selfishness and a second change which most of us would like. There is a religious tone in the story and I think a Catholic one such as Purgatory.

A good read. There is one sexual portion of the story so I recommend this one for adults. I personally think some of it could be left out of the story and have it a great read for young people because of the theme of the story.

A reader can purchase this e-book on Amazon.com and Smashwords.com for .99.

Find the author at www.lorihandeland.com and also on Facebook.

I want to thank Smashwords.com and Lori Handeland for the complimentary copy of this e-book and the opportunity to read and review this story. The opinions are my own.

Leona Olson

www.mnleona.blogspot.com

Doctor, Doctor by Lori Handeland

Doctor, Doctor by Lori Handeland is a nice romance about the boy and girl who live next door to each other in the small Wisconsin town of Pine River. As adults, they are rekindling their relationship they had as childhood friends.


This is a love story not only about a man and woman but also about love of a parent and a child, love of animals and a lost love. A fast reading book than has some love scenes which, I think, are well done.

Gwen Bartelt has moved to the city of Milwaukee and is an ER doctor. Her father is the doctor in Pine River, breaks a leg and needs her help. She takes over his practice for a month and only for a month she said as she is needed by her fiancee who is also a doctor at the same hospital in Milwaukee.

The boy, or man now, next door is Eli Drycinski who is a veterinarian in Pine River and loves the small town atmosphere. He has always been in love with Gwen and wants her to stay.

I liked the references to Eli's dogs, Elwood and Jake. These dogs, as my daughter's Golden, loves their tennis balls. At one point in the book, Eli is leaving and the dogs are hanging out their tongues and almost saying "Car Ride, Car Ride" and they get into the car.

Lots of memories of the childhood of Gwen and Eli, Gwen's mother who dies when Gwen was 2 years old and the school teacher whose age was unknown.

The story revolves around a number of characters who are all involved in some manner.

The author brings in the personal attributes of Wisconsin: the Polka, beer, families and food. Lori Handeland lives in Wisconsin. I live in Minnesota.

Not a real deep novel but one who most readers can relate. This is different than the author's series of the Moon books. I will give it four star.

You can order the e-book from Smashwords.com for $2.99.

I received a complimentary copy of Doctor,Doctor from Smashwords. The opinions are my own.

Marked by the Moon by Lori Handeland

This is the first boook I have read by Lori Handeland and found it different and page moving. The main characters are Alexandra Trevalyn and Julian Barlow and the electricity between them is very emotional. Alex is trying to klill werewolves and find the killer of her father. She, as her father, belongs to the Jager-Sucher, whose main purpose is to kill the werewolves. Juilan Barlow is the alpha or leader of werewolves who live in Alaska. He makes werewolves, who accept the change, and they are part of his group that live in Barlowsville. Be prepared for some sulty scenes and also some language the author uses. I want to remark that she does a good job using the word, Inuit instead of the common word Eskimo. The book mentions some of the words we no longer use and Eskimo is one of them. (I personally feel it is a matter of becoming educated on words and when people use them, they are used to using the old terms.) Read her book to get a different type of book and "feel" the feelings of the charcters. Lori Habndeland does a good job of bringing the reader into the book. I look froward to reading her other books. Look for her on Facebook.