Dying Memories

No one could have ever expected their daily lives would be changed in such a dramatic turn of events as they headed to work.

Gail Hawes looked like your average woman, dressed in a black and white checked coat, apparently waiting for someone looking a bit lost. She waited until she saw him and completely emptied her gun, seven times, into Kent Foster killing him in Post Office Square. When police arrived and took her into custody, all she could say was that she was glad he was dead. He finally got what he deserved. He apparently had raped and murdered her eleven-year old daughter Jenny. The odd thing was that Gail didn't have a daughter or any children for that matter.

Bill Conway had just received the tip of the century that would put his story on the front page of the Boston Tribune. He was the lead reporter working the Post Office Square shooting. Even his best friend, Jeremy Brent, who used to work at the Tribune, two years ago, was envious. However what he will uncover will be that there is no link between Gail and Kent Foster other than, she knew who he was and where he worked.

When mysterious, untraceable emails begin to show up addressed to Bill, they provide a clue to another unsolved killing between Trey Megeet and Tim Zhang, a MIT professor who supposedly murdered Trey's wife in a hit and run accident. Trey swore to police that he himself witnessed Tim Zhang behind the driver's wheel, however when questioned by police, Tim Zhang was attending a medical conference in California that day. He could not have committed the murder.

The only link that will tie the two together is ViGen Corporation. A company that is conducting research on the immunology. When Bill gets too close, he himself is about to find out that this is one story that someone does not want published.

In the latest sci-fi thriller, Dying Memories by Dave Zeltserman, the reader will not believe just how complex some people will go to test their experiments and what risks they are willing to take. This one held me captive from the first page and I couldn't put it down until I finished the final page. Highly recommended, explosive and action packed from beginning to end, I easily rate this one a 5 out of 5 stars. If you are looking for something a bit different in your suspense thrillers, then this is the book for you. This book is available as an eBook reader.

You can find out more information about this book, the talented author and even where to purchase your copy by clicking on the link below:

Dying Memories by Dave Zeltserman

I received this eBook version compliments of Pump Up Your Book Tours for my honest review!

Uncle Eben's Christmas

A different take of the traditional Christmas Carol, we find Eben Johnson just days before the Christmas season, hard at work trying to make it another successful year in his Home Improvement Store.

It's a Monday morning just promptly at nine when he arrives for his staff meeting with his department heads. After all the normal business agenda items, Myron Hoffman announces that one of the employees isn't following his stores holiday policy. When he asks for the employee's name, Myron tells him he will talk to him about it privately later.

Eben Johnson once more reiterates his stores policy against refraining from using the words Merry Christmas in his store, from referring to items as holiday decorations or lights to the use of Happy Holidays in his stores advertising, but most importantly, no one is to wish anyone a Merry Christmas.

What Eben Johnson will come to understand this year is just how his store policy may in fact cost him customers and ultimately affect his bottom line in the end.

In the book, Uncle Eben's Christmas, by Stephen Alan Slater, we find out just what Eben believes and why he is so dead-set on making sure Christmas and Christ stay out of his life. He personally feels that all his good deeds he does everyday will ultimately win out over his "sins" anyway. He has nothing to fear. Yet when his bad mood gets the best of him when dealing with his niece about Christmas, he is about to get the surprise of his life.

I received Uncle Eben's Christmas compliments of Bring It On Communications and Deep River Books for my honest review and think this would make for a great Christmas book to add to your collection. It brings about so many questions regarding evolution versus creation in addition to offending other religions with the Christmas greeting. I think this book hits it right on the head and provides more insight into why someone people act the way they do during the Christmas season. This one rates a perfect 5 out of 5 stars!

For more information about this book, the author and where you can purchase a copy of this book, please click on the link below:

Uncle Eben's Christmas by Stephan Alan Slater

The Reluctant Dectective

As vicar Alistair Ingram was giving the blessing over communion and taking a drink from the communion cup, he clutches his chest and falls to the ground in front of the congregation. Knowing that he has had issues with his heart, the members of the church believe he has had a heart attack.

When Faith Morgan attempts to revive the vicar, she notices some redness and swelling on his lips and a strange order coming from the wine stain on his chest. She will later find out from the Detective Inspector in charge, Ben Shorter, that he was poisoned.

Faith was about to decide whether to join Little Worthy, the name of the church, since receiving her ordination as a vicar before the death of Alistair Ingram. She had left the police force where she worked with Ben Shorter not only as a colleague but as a former boyfriend as well. Their relationship ended on a sore note, when Faith decided to pursue a high calling in her life.

In the latest Faith Morgan Mystery, The Reluctant Detective by Martha Ockley, the reader will be taken along the mysterious investigation into the murder of Alistair Ingram. Working together as the newest member of the congregation, Faith and Ben will slowly uncover events that will leave the reader completely horrified.

I received The Reluctant Detective compliments of Christian Fiction Blog Alliance for my honest review and for those of you that love church murder mysteries, than this one is a must for you. You will be left wondering just who did it as you uncover clues that seem to point one way but lead to a dead end. This one rates a 4.5 out of 5 stars and is well on it's way to a great series with Faith Morgan. She is a likeable character who isn't afraid of her faith and in being able to listen to the voice of God and follow.

Here's even more great information about this book, the author and even where to get a first chapter glimpse!!

This week, the Christian Fiction Blog Alliance is introducing The Reluctant Detective Monarch Books (April 30, 2011) by Martha Ockley

ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

Martha Ockley is the pen-name of Rebecca Jenkins. She read history at Oxford University, and spent several years working alongside her father, the Rt. Revd. David Jenkins (Bishop of Durham 1984-94) during the turbulence of the 1980s. She lives in Teesdale in the North East of England where the landscape and history provide the inspiration for her Regency detective, F R Jarrett. Since September 2009 she has been Royal Literary Fund Fellow and Writer in Residence at York St John University. She is a full-time author, writing both fiction and non-fiction. (She should not be confused with a Canadian actor and singer, also called Rebecca Jenkins.)





ABOUT THE BOOK

The Reluctant Detective sees Faith Morgan arriving back in the region of her birth - Winchester in Hampshire. Recently ordained, she had been working as a curate in an Anglican inner-city church. Within an hour of her arrival at Little Worthy, she witnesses the sudden shocking death of a fellow priest during a communion service at St James's. He had been poisoned with a pesticide mixed with the communion wine. The senior police officer who arrives at the scene turns out to be Detective Inspector Ben Shorter, Faith's ex long-term boyfriend.



She is urged by the Bishop to stay on to look after the parish of Little Worthy. As she meets her parishioners she learns some surprising facts about her apparently well loved predecessor, and starts to suspect a motive for his death. And it is she who finally identifies the murderer.

The story gets off to a dramatic start with the previous vicar collapsing as soon as he drank the communion cup, and it holds the interest throughout. There is some romantic interest too. Inspector Ben Shorter starts by sneeringly telling his sergeant, "Ms Morgan is a vicar. One of the ordained," Ben emphasized the word. “She's a card-carrying professional at the touchy-feely stuff.” But he soon starts to feel differently about her again, although she is well aware that he "didn't understand the reality she experienced through her faith. He didn't even recognize its existence. That was the gulf between them." Her own beliefs and doubts are convincingly described, for even she can't help wondering, "What if there is no truth to it?" But for her, as for Pascal before her, it was a gamble worth taking.

If you would like to read the first chapter of The Reluctant Detective, go HERE

Emily's Verse

If you are a parent, you can look back and see each year of your child's life in a small nutshell, from first steps, first words, first day of school, first crush, first day of driving, first day of marriage, of your first job.

We could probably all look back at the day to day milestones in Emily's Verse and smile fondly as we remember like I did as I turned each page as a mom reflecting on the emotions, the memories and even those precious and fleeting moments.

Who would have thought to document them all so beautifully all the way until the life was thoroughly and completely lived. A life in review. A life captured in poems that will leave an impact in your life and a footprint on your heart.

Here is just a sample of what you'll find:

I am now twelve
becoming a teenager
talking on the phone
my bedroom walls
filled with pop stars
and my clothes
no more second hand clothes
from a second hand shop
and they have to be the latest
greatest fashion
no matter the cost
so I started babysitting
my first business.

I received Emily's Verse compliments of Matthew W. Pope for my honest review and LOVED it! Such a simple and elegant way to really draw a huge impact on the reader at the conclusion. You almost feel your very last breath slip away as you finish the book! This one has an ending you won't see coming. 5 out of 5 stars and a MUST Read for everyone! This is one book you won't want to miss out on.

For even more great information on the book, the author and where you can purchase a copy, click on the link below:

Emily's Verse by Matthew W. Pope

You can also follow Emily's Verse on Facebook by clicking here.

Island Girl - Giveaway and Review!

Lists. Lots of lists. Lists for appointments, grocery lists, to do lists. A necessary part of her life. At least it is for now for Ruby Donaldson. Ruby has been diagnosed with early onset Alzheimer's. She likes to refer to it as "Big Al" and has found out that hers is the rapid one. The one that will claim her normal life and will eventually claim who she is and once was. But not if Ruby can help it.

She believes that she will never make it that far. At least if she has any say so in it and she plans to have quite a bit to say. Her goal is to make sure that she lives out the end, the way she sees fit or she will end it, her way. She's been researching different options and is deciding on whether it will be poison or perhaps hiring someone to do it for her. She doesn't want to spend her life in a convalescent home alone not remembering who she is or why she is there.

Ruby has a bit of a legacy to leave behind and wants to make amends with her immediate family including her estranged daughter Liz. The only problem is that Liz wants nothing to do with her. The only link is her other daughter Grace, and Grace is often times put in the middle between them in an attempt to restore their relationship, but it hasn't worked so far.

When Liz finds out about her mother's illness, she still holds firm that she will not take pity on her mother and resolve their issues, and during a recent lunch with Grace, she accidentally informs her that Ruby is ill, thinking that she is already aware of it. Seeing the look on her face, confirms her horror that she just let the cat out of the bag and tries to cover it up with it being a cancer scare for a mole she had removed that was nothing. Now Grace is constantly making her mom use sunscreen obsessively without knowing what's really going on. But at some point, Ruby's lists are only going to go so far.

Will they be able to heal their family before Ruby no longer remembers who her daughters are, or will she slip into Big Al's arms for an eternity?

I received the latest novel Island Girl by Lynda Simmons compliments of TLC Book Tours for my honest review, and LOVED it. I could completely picture how difficult this would be for an estranged family trying to keep it together but having this big secret hidden that may unite them for all the wrong reasons. Ruby wants the love of her daughters without the self pity from Big Al's diagnosis and when her ex suddenly rents a house on the island, perhaps he too has ulterior motives as well. A must read summer smash that rates 5 out of 5 stars. I can only imagine how difficult it would be to try and maintain a normal life making lists all the time and hoping to read them in time. This one is guaranteed to pull on your heart strings!

For even more great information about the book, the author and where to purchase a copy of this book, click on the link below:

Island Girl by Lynda Simmons

You can also follow Lynda on Facebook by clicking here.

More great news: Thanks to the generosity of Lynda Simmons, she is offering two giveaway copies of her book to two lucky followers of my blog. Here are your guidelines:

1. You must be a follower of my blog, Reviews From The Heart.

2. You must be a resident of the US and please No P.O. Boxes.

3. I must have a way to contact you if you are one of the lucky winners, so please make sure to include your email address with your comment. You can use the words (at) or (dot) instead of the symbols.

4. Like Lynda's page on Facebook, by clicking here!

5. Leave me a comment and let me know why you'd like to win a copy of this book. The giveaway will end on June 5th and I will contact the winners via email at that time.

How Huge The Night - Giveaway and Review

Sometimes we fail to see just how dark some parts of our life can be. Some times hate for one person's race can be just as dark, or how people can judge you based purely on the company you keep, while others will be blinded that all men are truly evil.

In the novel How Huge The Night by Heather and Lydia Munn we are called as witnesses into the lives of three very unique children thrown together by the circumstances of World War II. This novel is based on actual events and you, the reader will be held spell bound to see how each of them fare in the end.

First we meet, Julian Losier, whose family has just relocated to his father's hometown from Paris, France, fleeing Hitler's advancing army. Praying that his family will be safe, he begins attempting to live a normal life by attending school. However once people there learn that he is from Paris, he becomes treated as an outcast at school. Left all alone on the school ground, he only ally, is his roommate Benjamin, whose parents have left him in the care of the Losier family. He is a Jewish-German and his parents hope for a normal life and education for him.

However, Julian finds that he can quickly work his way into the social group of boys since they have treated him and Benjamin as outcasts. When he informs them of Benjamin's race and religion, it will cost Julian more than just being one of the in-crowd. Julian will have to chose which side he will stand with.

Meanwhile, Nina and Gustav have just lost their father as sickness claimed him in the middle of the night. Leaving them with instructions to burn their resident cards declaring themselves Jewish, he makes them promise to flee Austria and find a way to Italy where he hopes they can find safety. He makes Nina promise to cut her hair and assume the identity of Niko, a boy and warns her that men are evil.

Fleeing for their lives, they are befriended by a man who only asks to be called Herr. He agrees to show them the gaps in the fence lines between Austria and will get them to the border of Italy for 50,000 francs. When Niko fears that there is more to his intentions than helping them cross the border, the children make a run for it in the middle of the night, not realizing that Herr has their pack with all their money and food inside. How will they make it alone in the midst of the war to safety?

I received this book compliments of Litfuse Publicity for my honest review and couldn't put it down. I can't imagine being a young teen in any of the circumstances and try to find a way to make it through the impending war that is looming on the horizon, not sure how or if you or your family would make it out alive and who would you trust to help you along the way. This is an amazing story of survival in the most difficult circumstances and truly worth reading. For anyone who has a love for historical Christian fiction, than this one is a 5 out 5 star book.

Here's even more great information about the book, the authors and even where to purchase a copy of this wonderful novel.

How Huge The Night by Heather and Lydia Munn

For one lucky follower of my blog, I am offering a giveaway of this amazing book. Here are your guidelines to enter the giveaway.

1. You must be a follower of my blog, Reviews From The Heart.

2. You must be a resident of the US or have a US shipping address. Please No P.O. Boxes.

3. I must have a way to contact you, so please include your email along with your comment. You can use the words (at) and (dot) instead of the symbols.

4. Leave me a comment and tell me why you would love to win this book. The giveaway will end on June 3rd. I will contact the winner by email at that time.

Over The Edge

Everything hinges on her husband's upcoming medical findings that will show that Lyme disease has no medical basis for long term antibiotic care and that for the most part, it's all in the patients head.

Only now, things are about to change completely and draw Dr. Brock McNeil into taking a second look into everything that Stanford University has been researching. It will also put his medical reputation at risk.

When a man sneaks into the McNeil home while Brock is out of town attending a medical conference on Lyme disease, he secretly places three Lyme infected ticks on to his wife's scalp along with a host of other coinfections. He bides his time in waiting for just the perfect opportunity to place a private call to Janessa McNeil just as she begins to succumb to the worst bout of flu she's ever had. What he tells her will rock her world to the core and will ultimately test her husband's devotion to her and his research.

In the latest thriller by Brandilyn Collins, Over The Edge, takes the reader on an unbelievable journey that shows just how far people can be driven to prove a point. Will Brock be able to save his wife in time? Or will this nightmare unlock more that just finding a cure for Lyme disease in the process? Will the McNeil family survive?

I received this book compliments of Christian Fiction Blog Alliance for my honest review and was riveted to this book from the very first page. I couldn't wait to see how this would be resolved and was literally turning pages as fast as I could! This one is spell-binding and captivating, a true medical mystery thriller! Once again Brandilyn Collins does an exceptional job at holding the readers attention while shaking their heads wondering how it will all play out in the end. This one rates a 5 out of 5 stars for keeping me reading until I finished it.

Here's even more great information about the book, the talented author and where to capture a first chapter sneak peek:

This week, the Christian Fiction Blog Alliance is introducing Over the Edge B&H Books (May 1, 2011) by Brandilyn Collins

ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

Brandilyn Collins is an award-winning and best-selling novelist known for her trademark Seatbelt Suspense®. These harrowing crime thrillers have earned her the tagline "Don't forget to b r e a t h e..."® Brandilyn's first book, A Question of Innocence, was a true crime published by Avon in 1995. Its promotion landed her on local and national TV and radio, including the Phil Donahue and Leeza talk shows. Brandilyn is also known for her distinctive book on fiction-writing techniques, Getting Into Character: Seven Secrets a Novelist Can Learn From Actors (John Wiley & Sons). She is now working on her 20th book.

In addition, Brandilyn’s other latest release is Final Touch, third in The Rayne Tour series—young adult suspense co-written with her daughter, Amberly. The Rayne Tour series features Shaley O’Connor, daughter of a rock star, who just may have it all—until murder crashes her world.



ABOUT THE BOOK

Torn from the front lines of medical debate and the author's own experience with Lyme Disease, Over the Edge is riveting fiction, full of twists and turns—and powerful truths about today's medical field.

Janessa McNeil’s husband, Dr. Brock McNeil, a researcher and professor at Stanford University's Department of Medicine, specializes in tick-borne diseases—especially Lyme. For years he has insisted that Chronic Lyme Disease doesn't exist. Even as patients across the country are getting sicker, the committee Brock chairs is about to announce its latest findings—which will further seal the door shut for Lyme treatment.

One embittered man sets out to prove Dr. McNeil wrong by giving him a close-up view of the very disease he denies. The man infects Janessa with Lyme, then states his demand: convince her husband to publicly reverse his stand on Lyme—or their young daughter will be next.

But Janessa's marriage is already rocky. She's so sick she can hardly move or think. And her husband denies she has Lyme at all.

Welcome to the Lyme wars, Janessa.

“A taut, heartbreaking thriller. Collins is a fine writer who knows how to both horrify readers and keep them turning pages.”

--Publishers Weekly
“Tense and dramatic. Holds its tension while following the protagonist in a withering battle.” –NY Journal of Books

“A frightening and all-too-real scenario. Very timely and meaningful book.” –RT Reviews

“If you know someone who suffers from Lyme, you need to read this compelling novel.” –Lydia Niederwerfer, founder of Lyme-Aware

If you would like to read the Prologue of Over the Edge, go HERE