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Sherlock Holmes and the Needle's' Eye by Len Bailey

Sherlock Holmes and the Needle's' Eye by Len Bailey

Publisher's Description:

"Embark on a journey through the Old and New Testament with Sherlock Holmes and Dr. John Watson as they explore exotic and spice-laden places in search of clues. The detective and the doctor travel back in time with the help of a Moriarty-designed time machine to investigate ten Bible destinations, unlocking clues to ten Bible mysteries. The most fascinating crime cases are those that are already solved, those that have been investigated by the police and brought to a swift, satisfying, and almost inevitable conclusion. So it is with Bible stories which the reader may consider familiar and unremarkable. But under close scrutiny these stories give up their hidden clues, their long kept secrets. Like a jewel newly polished, they sparkle and shine with a fresh, introspective light."

Since I like Sherlock Holmes and Dr. Watson, I looked forward to reading this book. Sherlock Holmes and the Needle's Eye is great for a Bible Study Group with the discussion questions in the book. The chapters do not need to be read in order and not at one time.

Because my favorite characters for Holmes and Watson, are Basil Rathbone and Nigel Bruce, I pictured them as the characters in the book.

There are ten different mysteries in the book using both the Old and New Testament.

The detectives try to solve the mysteries and I enjoyed the manner in which they deduced (as Watson says).

This is a good book for those interested in the Bible, mysteries, Victorian age, time travel and Sherlock Holmes.

I received a complimentary e-book copy to read and review from booksneeze.com. Published by Thomas Nelson.The opinions are my own.

I give this a 5 star.

Go to this link on Huffington Post to read an interview with Len Bailey:

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/len-bailey/sherlock-holmes-bible-mysteries_b_3246710.html

To read more about Len Bailey: http://business.thomasnelson.com/publicFiles/AuthorDetail.jsp?CreatorID=7611

Leona Olson

www.mnleona.blogspot.com

Review of Grayson Manor Haunting by Cheryl Bradshaw

From amazon.com

Book Publication Date:March 18, 2013

"When Addison Lockhart inherits Grayson Manor after her mother's untimely death, she unlocks a secret that’s been kept hidden for over fifty years. For Addison, it seems like she’s finally found the house of her dreams…until the spirit of Roxanne “Roxy” Rafferty comes to call. Who is Roxanne, why is she haunting Grayson Manor, and how will Addison’s connection reveal a key to her own past that she thought no longer existed? "

My review:

This was a good and fast read that kept the pages turning. Even if you do not care for books about ghosts or spirits, this should catch your attention because there is also some mystery.

Addison Lockhart has inherited Grayson Manor from her mother which was inherited from her mother. The first sentence of the book is : "Addison Lockhart watched the cab dart back down the dead-end country road, leaving nothing but a billowy dust cloud in its wake."

Then she is all alone.

As she is walking around the house, which is in bad shape, she says to herself, "Where is eveyerything?" because the place is almost bare of furniture.
A voice answers her and she turns around to meet Luke Flynn, the historical restoration architect.
Luke becomes the other main character in this story as he helps restore the house and to solve the mystery of the death of Roxy. He also is trying to make sure Addison is safe.

Much of the mystery is based on a dress Addison finds in the attic that looks like there are blood stains on the dress. She has bad feelings about the dress and does not want to touch it.
"When Addison was a child, she saw things all the other "normal" kids didn't." (page 46).

Addison's father is also part of the story as well as the next door neighbor who knew Addison's grandparents when they lived in the house and had large parties.

I downloaded this book from amazon.com. The words, manor and haunting, caught my eye.
I give it a 5 star. I really liked this book and it kept my attention. The author wrote a good book without having to use sex or bad language. I look forward to reading her other books and have downloaded The Sloane Monroe Series from amazon.com.

Dedicated: To good friends who have stuck with me, navigating the way between calm and turbulent seas. I dare say, I have the greatest friends of all.

You may find Cheryl Bradshaw at:
Facebook: facebook.com/CherylBradshawBooks
Twitter: @cherylbradshaw
Web: www.cherylbradshaw.com

Leona Olson

www.mnleona.blogspot.com

Review of Take a Chance on Me by Susan May Warren

Take a Chance on Me by Susan May Warren Book Review
"Publication Date: March 22, 2013 | Series: Christiansen Family


Book Description from amazon.com

"Darek Christiansen is almost a dream bachelor—oldest son in the large Christiansen clan, heir to their historic Evergreen Lake Resort, and doting father. But he’s also wounded and angry since the tragic death of his wife, Felicity. No woman in Deep Haven dares come near. New assistant county attorney Ivy Madison simply doesn’t know any better when she bids on Darek at the charity auction. Nor does she know that when she crafted a plea bargain three years ago to keep Jensen Atwood out of jail and in Deep Haven fulfilling community service, she was releasing the man responsible for Felicity’s death. All Ivy knows is that the Christiansens feel like the family she’s always longed for. And once she gets past Darek’s tough exterior, she finds a man she could spend the rest of her life with. Which scares her almost as much as Darek learning of her involvement in his wife’s case. Caught between new love and old grudges, Darek must decide if he can set aside the past for a future with Ivy—a future more and more at risk as an approaching wildfire threatens to wipe out the Christiansen resort and Deep Haven itself."


My review:
This is the first book I have read by Susan May Warren and it did not disappoint. Based on the North Shore in Minnesota in the fictional town of Deep Haven. (There is a Deephaven, Minnesota close to the Twin Cities.)
Ivy Madison has moved to the small town of Deep Haven from Minneapolis to become the new assistant county attorney. She is excited to be living in a small, secluded town. Ivy gets involved right away in the local auction when she bids on a local bachelor as the town has a charity auction. She thinks it is Owen, who is a brother of Darek Christensen.
Ivy finds right away that Darek has a problem with grief, guilt and not being able to forgive his old friend, Jensen. Darek had been a hot shot firefighter and was gone a lot of the time during his marriage; now he regrets he was not at home more.
There is a fire in the Boundary Waters and the firefighters have come to Deep Haven to fight the fires. These are old friends of Darek when he was a forest firefighter. Concerns are for the lodge and cabins of the Christensen family resort.
There are four main characters in the book and the chapters go from one character to another. At one time Claire, Felicity, Darek and Jensen were close friends.
Ivy has been in foster homes since the age of 9 and finds a welcome reception with the Christensen family.
Claire loves and adores her grandfather and wants him to be able to live in his own home.
Jensen carries the guilt of the car accident that killed Felicity. He tries his best to be liked by the locals but this is a small town.

List of some characters:
Ivy Madison- the new assistant county attorney
Darek Christensen- a bitter man who has lost his wife in an accident he believes could have been prevented.
Tiger- 5 year old son of Darek and Felicity
John- father of Darek
Ingrid- mother of Darek
Grace-sister of Darek
Owen- brother of Darek
Casper- brother of Darek
Amelia- youngest sister of Darek
Claire- works at Pierre's Pizza; her parents are gone as missionary doctors.
Gibs- grandfather of Claire; she calls him Grandpop
Jensen Atwood- the man who hit and killed Felicity in a car accident.

The parents of Felicity want custody of their grandchild, Tiger, who they called him Theo. Tiger loves all his grandparents and family members. He is so much part of the story.
The book goes into a custody battle over Tiger as well as community service for Jensen; he pled guilty even thought he said he was not. Failing to finish his three thousand hours could put Jensen in jail for four years. Ivy was the attorney who made the plea bargain for Jensen but Darek is unaware of it.
This is a good read. Susan May Warren has done her research and I did learn about forest firefighters. There is a map in the front of the book and I think adds to the book. I like maps in books because of the visual effect and helps make a connection to the story.
The back of the book has discussion questions that could be used for a book club. I checked this book from my library.
I will give it a 5 star because I learned from the book and enjoyed the characters, especially Tiger. Published by Tyndale Fiction 2013.
Susan May Warren may be reached at: www.susanmaywarren.com
Leona Olson

mnleona.blogspot.com

Review of Summer at Mustang Ridge by Jesse Hayworth

Summer at Mustang Ridge

byJesse Hayworth (Goodreads Author)

From goodreads.com:

From goodreads.com:

"A single visit to Mustang Ridge can change a person’s life in the most unexpected ways....

Recovering from a difficult divorce and having problems with her daughter, Shelby accepts a summer job cooking at a family-run dude ranch. She hopes the animals will be just what her daughter, Lizzie, needs. Little does she know that ranch life will work some healing magic on her too.

When Shelby meets the head wrangler, Foster, she is put off by his brusque nature, but Lizzie takes an instant liking to the cowboy and his horses. While both Foster and Shelby have been scarred by love, it’s not long before Shelby is drawn to the rugged cowboy and his thoughtful ways.

But with summer nights in short supply and Foster wary of falling for a city girl, a simple summer romance soon grows complicated. As the days dwindle, Shelby will have to decide not only what is best for her daughter, but also where her future—and her happiness—will be found."

My review:

Summer at Mustang Ridge
By Jesse Hayworth
I won a signed copy of Summer at Mustang Ridge in a contest. I really liked this book because of the characters, the area and the child.

Shelby has taken a job as an assistant cook at Mustang Ridge dude ranch for the summer in Wyoming in hopes it will help her 9 year-old daughter, who has selective autism (SM), a condition where she does not speak. Lizzie is capable of speaking but does not.

 

A good love story that involves family, caring, horse therapy, sunsets and food. At the end of the book there is Gran's recipe for chili and sounds really good because there are no beans in the chili.

Jesse Hayworth lives on the East Coast but her descriptions in the book sounds like she is in Wyoming and on the ranch. The characters sound real and are like a next door neighbor in a small town.

 

There is one love making scene. No bad language. Some emotional moments.

Jesse Hayworth may be reached at:

www.jessehayworth.com

facebook.com/authorjessehayworth

twitter.com/jessehayworth

Main characters:

Shelby- from Boston

Lizzie- daughter of Shelby
Krista Skye- granddaughter
Gran Skye- grandmother (chief cook)
Foster- head wrangler at the ranch
Ty - cowboy at the ranch

Stacie- cowboy at the ranch
Herman- need to read to see who Herman is

I will give Summer at Mustang Ridge a 4 star because it held my attention and it was a good book..

Leona Olson

www.mnleona.blogspot.com

Summer Kindle Fire Giveaway Blogger Prizes

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The book is from Linda Weaver Clarke and I have read her Melinda and the Wild West.
mnleona.blogspot.com

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Posted from iamareader.com Giveaway

Book Blast $50 Giveaway!!  Heaven's Just a Prayer Away by Diony George @luvstowrite - Amazon or Paypal http://www.iamareader.com/2013/07/heavens-just-a-prayer-away-50-book-blast-giveaway.html



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Posted from iamareader.com Giveaway

Book Blast $50 Giveaway - Blood & Bone by @donhoesel Enter to win an Amazon Gift Card or Paypal Cash!! http://www.iamareader.com/2013/07/50-book-blast-giveaway-blood-bone-by-don-hoesel.html

I have enjoyed his books on archeaology and the Bible.
Leona
mnleona.blogspot.com

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Book Review of heart like mine by Amy Hatvany

From goodreads.com:

When a young mother dies under mysterious circumstances, those she leaves behind begin looking for answers in the past—and find a long-buried secret they could have never imagined.Thirty-six-year-old Grace McAllister never longed for children. But when she meets Victor Hansen, a handsome, charismatic divorced restaurateur who is father to Max and Ava, Grace decides that, for the right man, she could learn to be an excellent part-time stepmom. After all, the kids live with their mother, Kelli. How hard could it be?

At thirteen, Ava Hansen is mature beyond her years. Since her parents’ divorce, she has been the one taking care of her emotionally unstable mother and her little brother—she pays the bills, does the laundry, and never complains because she loves her mama more than anyone. And while her father’s new girlfriend is nice enough, Ava still holds out hope that her parents will get back together and that they’ll be a family again.

But only days after Victor and Grace get engaged, Kelli dies suddenly under mysterious circumstances—and soon, Grace and Ava discover there was much more to Kelli’s life than either ever knew.

Narrated by Grace and Ava in the present with flashbacks into Kelli’s troubled past, Heart Like Mine is a poignant and hopeful portrait about womanhood, love, and the challenges of family life.

Paperback, 370 pages

Published March 19th 2013 by Washington Square Press

more details...

ISBN

1451640560 (ISBN13: 9781451640564)

edition language

English

by Amy Hatvany (Goodreads Author)
 

When a young mother dies under mysterious circumstances, those she leaves behind begin looking for answers in the past—and find a long-buried secret they could have never imagined. Thirty-six-year-old Grace McAllister never longed for children. But when she meets Victor Hansen, a handsome, charismatic divorced restaurateur who is father to Max and Ava, Grace deci

My review:

I won this book from Romancing the Book. This is one of the hardest, emotional books I have read and one of the hardest to put down. It keeps you wanting to know the outcome.

Grace and Victor are recently engaged and plan to tell Victor's children of the engagement this coming weekend. Tragedy strikes when Kelli, the mother of the children, dies. Ava is thirteen and Max is seven years old. Ava and Max miss their mother and cannot understand what happened to her. Her death brings out her past.

Grace works for a center that helps abused women and Victor owns a restaurant.

The book chapters have the female characters telling the story. Kelli's is a flashback of what happened to her before her death. Ava and Grace also tell their story.

Emotional feelings as the reader gets to know each character and their what has happened in their lives. Heartbreaks for each character as each has their family problems and emotional ups and downs.

Because each "tells'" their story, you get the feelings of adult women as well as teenagers. The characters become well know to the reader and their emotions are with you.

Some sexual moments and some  bad language.

I am giving this a 4 star rating. A quick read but keep the tissues handy.

Leona Olson

www.mnleona.blogspot.com

Book Review of An Unexpected Guest by Anne Korkeakivi

An Unexpected Guest by Anne Korkeakivi

From: http://www.annekorkeakivi.com/an-unexpected-guest-by-anne-korkeakivi/

"On a lovely spring day in Paris–post-9/11 and several months after the London Underground bombings–Clare Moorhouse, the Irish-American wife of a high-ranking British diplomat, is arranging an official dinner crucial to her husband’s career. As she shops for fresh stalks of asparagus and works out the menu and seating arrangements, her day is complicated by the abrupt arrival of her son from boarding school in England and a disquieting encounter with a man on the street. More unnerving still is a recurring face in the crowd, one that belonged to another, darker era of her life, long buried.
Like Virginia Woolf did in Mrs. Dalloway, Anne Korkeakivi brilliantly weaves the complexities of an age into an act as deceptively simple as hosting a dinner party."

My review:
I had this book on the shelf and decided to read it; I have had it for awhile and never got around to reading An Unexpected Guest.
I am going to tell readers to stay with the book and read all of it. I really found it interesting about 2/3 of the way. The book held my interest to a degree because there is some historical history but it really caught me nearer the end.
Clare goes back into time when her mind is wanders and then comes back to what she has to do for the day which is prepare for a dinner party. She has a list of projects to be done; hairdresser, buy flowers, buy asparagus and so forth. I also have a list of things I need to do and I could relate to it.
The flashback of her past and what she did wrong stays with her because she thinks she keeps seeing someone from her past who is supposed to be dead. Her past is catching up with her; a past she has kept from her husband.
The book takes place in a day and follows Clare in her day and evening activities. Some quiet suspense in this book. As a reader, I kept thinking something will happen.
I did find I was uncertain about their son, Jamie. He needs to grow up and be more responsible even thought he is a teenager.
I will say I have been in Paris and have seen the traffic jams and wondered how Clare do as much as she did by going place to place.
There is some bad language and mild descriptions of any sex scenes.
I was back and forth on the rating to give An Unexpected Guest and decided to give it a 4 star.
You may find Anne Korkeakivi at www.AnneKorkeakivi.com
Leona Olson
www.mnleona.blogspot.com

Book review of Wings of Glass by Gina Holmes

 

 

Book review of Wings of Glass by Gina Holmes.

 

From Goodreads.com:

"From the best-selling author of Crossing Oceans comes a heartrending yet uplifting story of friendship and redemption. On the cusp of adulthood, eighteen-year-old Penny Carson is swept off her feet by a handsome farmhand with a confident swagger. Though Trent Taylor seems like Prince Charming and offers an escape from her one-stop-sign town, Penny’s happily-ever-after lasts no longer than their breakneck courtship. Before the ink even dries on their marriage certificate, he hits her for the first time. It isn't the last, yet the bruises that can't be seen are the most painful of all.
When Trent is injured in a welding accident and his paycheck stops, he has no choice but to finally allow Penny to take a job cleaning houses. Here she meets two women from very different worlds who will teach her to live and laugh again, and lend her their backbones just long enough for her to find her own.
Gina Holmes ’ stunning literary talent glistens like crystal in Wings of Glass. With subtle brilliance, she takes us into the very heart of what makes us hungry to love and be loved. Simply stellar!” Susan Meissner, Author of A Sound Among the Trees

Paperback, 1st, 384 pages

Published March 1st 2013 by Tyndale House"

 

My review:

I do not usually read a book like this because I like to read to escape or read about history. To be honest, I almost did not read it but I did turn to the back of the book to see the outcome.

This is a book of fiction for Penny but not a life of fiction for some many abused men and women; most of the ones getting abused are women though.

I remember my mother telling me if a man hits you, leave and I am over the age of 75. It held true then and it does now. I had lunch with two of my sons the day I read Wings of Glass and thanked them for treating women right.
It is a hard read and your heart goes out for the main character, Penny. Gina Holmes did a good job of writing a book about what happens in real life.

The back of the book has Discussion Questions that could be used for a woman's group or a church group.

It is a fast read and even though I knew the outcome, I did read the whole book. 

There is love, fear, friendship, caring, children, growing and God in this powerful book.

Gina Holmes has Acknowledgements on page xi. The first is: God, for giving me wings that will never shatter and the last one is: Last, but certainly not least-my parents and family.

This book is dedicated: For Mom and Chrissy.

I give this a 5 star.

I checked out this book from my library.

Leona Olson

www.mnleona.blogspot.com

I won on www.freshfiction.com

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You won the Fresh Fiction contest for Jesse Hayworth -- ONE
DAY ONLY BLOG CONTEST! Jesse Hayworth - Win a Summer at
Mustang Ranch Prize Pack (5506)

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Leona Olson
State: MN

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This is a wonderful prize. There are reviews and interviews with authors on this site.
Leona

Book Review of The Mist on Bronte Moor by Aviva Orr

From the site of Aviva Orr:

When fifteen-year-old Heather Jane Bell is diagnosed with alopecia and her hair starts falling out in clumps, she wants nothing more than to escape her home in London and disappear off the face of the earth.

Heather gets her wish when her concerned parents send her to stay with her great-aunt in West Yorkshire. But shortly after she arrives, she becomes lost on the moors and is swept through the mist back to the year 1833. There she encounters fifteen-year-old Emily Brontë and is given refuge in the Brontë Parsonage.

Unaware of her host family’s genius and future fame, Heather struggles to cope with alopecia amongst strangers in a world completely foreign to her. While Heather finds comfort and strength in her growing friendship with Emily and in the embrace of the close-knit Brontë family, her emotions are stretched to the limit when she falls for Emily’s brilliant but troubled brother, Branwell.

Will Heather return to the comforts and conveniences of the twenty-first century? Or will she choose love and remain in the harsh world of nineteenth-century Haworth?

My review:

The Mist on Bronte Moor by Aviva Orr
I enjoyed this book about a 15 year old student who has alopecia, loss of hair. Heather Jane Bell does not want to go back to school so her parents send her to live with her Great-Aunt Elspeth in West Yorkshire. Heather takes a train from London to live in her new home.
Heather is taken back in time when she enters a mist. She is "found" by Emily and taken to the Bronte home. It takes Heather awhile to find she has gone back to the 19th century to 1833. The clothing is different as well as the home which is where there is no electricity and no indoor plumbing. The Brontes take her in and give her dress and food. Mr. Bronte said he would find her family or send her to an orphanage. He has to go out of town and Heather stays in the house.
The family consists of Mr. Bronte, Branwell, Emily, Charlotte, Anne and Mr. Bronte's sister, Elizabeth. The housekeeper is Tabby, or Tabitha, as Elizabeth Bronte calls her. Emily tells Heather her sisters are buried in the churchyard and "my mother lies in the church under the stone floor". They live in the town of Haworth.
I really liked this book as it has a lot of history about the time period and the Brontes. I did not realize there was a brother called, Branwell who had a problem with lanthanum.
Read to enjoy and go back in to another time era. A good read for young people as the facts hold true such as children dying at a young age. I especially liked it when Tabby had Heather wash her own muddy clothes.
At the beginning of each chapter there is part of a poem written by E. J. Bronte.
Chapter 7:
" And first and hour of mournful musing,
And then a gush of bitter tears,
And then a dreary calm diffusing
Its deadly mist o'er joys and cares:"
Chapter 10:
"Will the day be bright or cloudy?
Sweetly has its dawn begun;
But the heaven may shake with thunder
Ere the setting of the sun"
On a personal note about loss of hair. As an adult who has lost most of her of hair on top of her head because of a thyroid condition and unhappy, I can imagine a 15 year old and how devastated she would be.
I downloaded this book from Amazon. I give it a 5 star because it held my interest. Not a very complicated book but a good read. No bad language.
You may find Aviva Orr at www.avivaorr.com
Leona Olson
www.mnleona.blogspot.com ( )

bookbub e-Books

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Pennington Smart Feed Sprayer System

This product is easy to use. Just attach to your water hose with a tablet in the container and spray your plants.
As an  agent for BzzAgent, I was sent this product to use and review. Purchase at Home Depot and Walmart and other garden stores.
Leona Olslon
mnleona.blogspot.com

Enter to Win a 32″ VIZIO LED HDTV!

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