The Deposit Slip

Just when things can't possibly get any worse for her, Erin Larson discovers a deposit slip in her father's safe deposit box dated for February 10, 2008, three years earlier before her dad died. It's drawn on Ashley State Bank for the amount of $10.3 million dollars and Erin has no idea where the money is or how her father obtained it.

As she begins to inquire to the whereabouts of the funds through the bank, she is only told that no such deposit was ever made, and there is no account with that number at the bank. Yet what Erin can't figure out is why her father would have kept this deposit slip if it was worthless. As she tries to hire lawyers to represent her and begin to dig into the location of the money, she finds herself on the end of threats, harassing phone calls and even vandalizing of her car. Now she learns that the Paisley Law Firm is handling the case from bank's interest and she doesn't have the funds or even an attorney that seems interested in dealing with a high power law firm.

Until Jared Neaton is called by a former high power attorney by the name of Clay Strong. He advises Jared of the potential this case could do for his own struggling firm and has offered to front him $30,000 of expense money if he'll consider taking the case. Strapped and barely making ends me because of a failed trial that almost left him bankrupt, Jared is trying to keep his head above water since leaving the Paisley law firm where he met and was mentored by Clay.

Without any other proof other than a deposit slip, Jared wonders if this will be a repeat of the previous case he lost or will he be able to find the evidence he needs to go up against some of the best attorneys and possibly win. Things aren't looking too good, but what God uses best in circumstances like this, is when the odds are against us and it looks like we are at a dead end. That's when things begin to look up!

I received the debut novel, The Deposit Slip by Todd M. Johnson compliments of Christian Fiction Blog Alliance for my honest review and literally read this one in a few hours. It's compelling, page turning, edge of your seat, all the way through the book and one you simply will not be able to put down. If you love novels where the high power attorneys are looking to take out the little guy, this is the perfect novel for you. I rate this one a 5 out of 5 stars for it's exceptional writing and it's ability to keep the reader engaged at a constant pace from beginning to end.

For more information on The Deposit Slip, Todd M. Johnson, read an excerpt, and where to pick up a copy of this book today, please click on the links below:

The Deposit Slip by Todd M. Johnson

You can also follow this book tour and read even more reviews by clicking here.

1001 First Lines

If you are a book lover, like I am, you are bound to have some favorite first lines from your favorite books. What if you could find a book dedicated to capturing all those old familiar sayings in one book, would you be interested?

Well then look no further, 1001 First Lines, was collected and edited by Scarlett Archer just for you book lovers who sometimes will quote your lines but forget where they came from. These are all archived in a wonderful book categorized by genre type. You will find such classic authors as J.R.R. Tolkien, Stephen King, Roald Dahl, Edgar Allen Poe, Arthur Miller, Charles Dickens, J.K. Rowling and many, many others captured inside the covers of this book. Here are just a small sample of what you will find:

"This is my favorite book in all the word, though I have never read it." ~ The Princess Bride by William Goldman

"Where's Papa going with that ax?" said Fern to her mother as they were setting the table for breakfast." ~ Charlotte's Web by E.B. White

"If you are interested in stories with happy endings, you would be better off reading some other book." ~ The Bad Beginning by Lemony Snicket

"It is a truth universally acknowledged, that a single man in possession of a good fortune, must be in want of a wife." ~ Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen

"It was the best of times, it was the worst of times, it was the age of wisdom, it was the age of foolishness, it was the epoch of belief, it was the epoch of incredulity, it was the season of Light, it was the season of Darkness, it was the spring of hope, it was the winter of despair." ~ A Tale of Two Cities by Charles Dickens

"A good first line cracks like a bull whip. A bad first line brings the book to its conclusion long before the last printed page. Sitting around the campfire is where it started, sharing stories with family and friends beneath the stars. In jungles, in deserts, in fields and caverns, in the dark nights and the brightest sun of the dawn. First lines hush a crowd and trigger huddles. They are a striking force that tears through a writer and leaves a wake so wide it sucks them down and won't free them until the last line is written - and even then they only get a single grasp before submerging again." (pg 4).

I received 1001 First Lines by Scarlett Archer, compliments of Pump Up Your Book Tours, for my honest review. As a book lover and writer, I LOVE this book. Sometimes you search high and low looking for that great opening line and in this one, you find that sometimes it just something simple that draws the reader into to your book like a worm on a hook! This is the perfect gift for anyone who is a book lover, writer or even a Literature teacher! I rate this book a 4.5 out of 5 stars and keep this one close at hand whenever frustration rises up and I just need a reminder that it doesn't have to be rocket science to be a great first line!

For more information on 1001 First Lines, Scarlett Archer or where to pick up a copy of this book today, please click on the link below:

1001 First Lines by Scarlett Archer

As Always, Jack ~ Giveaway and Review

Emma Sweeney has spent her life wondering what her real father must have been like. From time to time, she could gather moments in time from her mother of what their courtship and marriage must have been like because he died before she was born. Her mother didn't like to talk about Jack much but when she did, Emma could tell she had fond memories of him. Yet somehow it still seemed like something was missing, a part of him she couldn't know until when her mother died from complications of heart disease, did she come across 45 precious letters detailing their love during the course of a year and a half while he was at war.

It is through those letters that Emma learns of the man her father was, how he viewed the time he spent with her mother, that he lovingly refers to in his letters to her as Blonde! It takes the reader into a different time and place, when letters home from those serving in the war, show just how valuable communication was from those they longed to hear from. She learns how Jack spent his time serving as a Navy Pilot from Texas as he moved from base to base and what he did to pass his time away.

Emma shares those letters in the memoir, As Always, Jack, a World War Two Love Story. Here we get to see how just one simple photograph is enough to anchor a man who doesn't know when or if he'll make it home and how weeks can go by without hearing from home. Yet it's through their faithful letter writing that they got to know one another and how it fanned the flames of love and gave Emma a rare insight into the man she never knew but got to know through his love letters to her mom.

I received As Always, Jack by Emma Sweeney compliments of TLC Book Tours and Axios Publishers for my honest review. Being a huge WWII history lover, this book resounded within me as well as a hopeful romantic who gets an inside look at what one man wrote to his girlfriend to keep him going through a very long war. It's beautiful, warm, and often times funny at how he talks to Beebe, with one of my favorite lines in a letter closing being, "Is you is, or is you ain't my Beebe?" Now I know just how important communication from home is for those serving in the war and my heart aches for those who may not have anyone to write home to, and why letter writing campaigns to our serving men and women is so vital today. I rate this memoir a 5 out of 5 stars and thank Emma Sweeney for sharing the love of her father and mother with all who read these words.

For more information on As Always, Jack, Emma Sweeney or where to pick up a copy of this book today, please click on the links below:

As Always, Jack by Emma Sweeney

You can also read more reviews from this book tour by clicking here.

Thank to the generosity of Axios Publishers and TLC Book Tours, they are providing a giveaway copy to one lucky follower of my blog, Reviews From The Heart. Here are your guidelines:

1. Be a resident of the US or have a US shipping address. Please No P.O. Boxes.

2. "Like" this book on Amazon by clicking here.

3. If you are a follower of my Facebook page, Reviews From The Heart, leave me a comment telling me why communication is important to our serving men and women for an extra opportunity to be entered.

4. Leave me a comment below telling me why written communication to our service men and women is so important and don't forget to include your email address. Without it, I can't notify you if you're the lucky winner. You can use the words (at) and (dot) instead of the symbols.

The winner will be notified by email and posted on my Facebook page, Reviews From The Heart once this giveaway ends on July 25th. Enter as many times as you want, just make sure to let me know how you communicated your entries!

The Secret of My-Myst

In a world of technology, it seems like using your imagination has become a thing of the past. Long forgotten are the days where children roamed streets and neighborhoods, using whatever they dreamed up in their minds to fulfill their time and make lasting memories that are fondly looked back on. Now once more, things like a hippoboatamus, spark-lighters, sweet meeki-meeki pudding, fish keys, blue fire, and even Illuminors are becoming real things in the minds of kids and the characters in Mike DiCerto's novels for young adults.

In The Adventures of Rupert Starbright series, it takes active and vivid imaginations to empower the characters of Rupert Starbright and his guide and protector Dream Weaver as they continue their adventures in book 2, The Secret of My-Myst. The power lies in their ability to imagine anything is possible and the more detailed and vivid it is in their minds, the more real it becomes. Only the children of Far-Myst can fully harness that kind of imagining abilities, because it often fails in adults. There are also good and bad sides to possess the ability to imagine.

The story begins as Rupert and Dream Weaver arrive in the town of Story searching for Dream Weaver's friend, Summit Wonder during a rainstorm. When they arrive, they find his home strangely empty as well as most of the town's inhabitants. As they wonder just where everyone has gone, they don't realize that they are being spied on by Quix and Xerxs, who were hired by Murkus to befriend the two. However as Rupert is using the outhouse before going to sleep, he is kidnapped by Quix and Xerxs. As he manages to outwit them and run back toward the house, he finds that Dream Weaver has vanished. But Xerxs and Quix inform Rupert that Dream Weaver isn't really who he seems to be. In fact they inform him that Dream Weaver may in fact be a traitor, since they are on a special request from Queen Chroma as spies.

They learn that Rupert and Dream Weaver were headed to Flowseen in hopes of helping get Rupert back home so he can help heal his grandmother from her sickness. It was the very reason Rupert arrived in Far-Myst was searching for a cure for coffus. The medicine his mother was getting from the doctor wasn't helping, so he flew away with Pie O'Sky in search for a cure. But when he learns that there maybe a cure that Xerx and Quix know about that might help, he wonders just how much Dream Weaver, the gardener was really telling him. The two convince Rupert that Dream Weaver was lying to him and has abandoned him, leaving him behind in Story with no cure and no way home.

So who is really telling the truth? Should Rupert believe these two? Was Weaver really a liar and a traitor? Where was he? Why would he give him the Illuminor and leave? To find out that and so much more, you'll have to pick up a copy of The Secret of My-Myst by Mike DiCerto. I would suggest you also pick up Rupert Starbright :The Door to Far-Myst, the first book in the series first, to help you get an understanding of the magical and imaginative world that Mike has created.

I received a copy of The Secret to My-Myst compliments of Mike DiCerto himself for my honest review of this book. Having read the first one, I couldn't wait to see what happened to Rupert Starbright. Mike's imagination and ability to weave a story compares to the authors like Roald Dahl, (Charlie and the Chocolate Factory) and bit of Dr. Seuss combined. The characters are believable and the use of imagination makes me fondly remember what its like to be a kid again. I find myself lacking in the areas of imagination as an adult and know that children possess that unique talent to believe that anything is possible if you but only imagine it. If you have a young child, then this is the perfect bed time story series for them. I rate this one a perfect 5 out of 5 stars and can't wait to see where this one is headed next.

For more information on The Secret to My-Myst, Mike DiCerto and where to pick up a copy of this book today, please click on the links below:

The Secret to My-Myst by Mike DiCerto

You can also follow Mike on Facebook and stay up with the latest on this series of books!

Size 12 and Ready to Rock

Welcome to the world of Heather Wells, the new assistant residence hall director for New York College and former pop teen sensation who once more finds that hoping for a nice quiet summer off, isn't going to happen. When she is called by the campus police late one evening for a report of late night partying and an apparent unconscious student, her new life is about to go through the roof. When she learns that the vacant school's building is being used for a paintball party, she immediately tries to get things under control, thanks to her new fiancee' Cooper Cartwright.

While they round up the paint ball teams, Heather learns that the penthouse of the President is now being used for a filming of the husband-wife reality show, Jordan Loves Tania without her knowledge or permission. Seems her ex-boyfriend Jordan is working with Christopher Allington, the son of the college president to loan them the use of the penthouse to wrap up filming of their reality show episode. It seems that earlier in the evening, Tania Trace, best selling pop recording artist was the victim of a random shooting that has injured her bodyguard and left a pregnant Tania, worse for wear. She learns this is the emergency call that was placed for the unconscious person on campus.

As Heather tries to gain control over the chaos on campus, she will soon learn that it will be the new home of the summer camp for Tania Trace's Rock Camp that will host 50 teenage girls between the ages of 14-16 years old to empower them through music education and to provide them with opportunities to express themselves creatively through singing, song writing and performing since their previous location in the Catskills was cancelled.

Now as Heather tries to manage working through a bunch of arrogant music producers that are hosting this camp, she also has to deal with a newly appointed director of the residence hall, Lisa Wu who is more than perky but also way younger than Heather. Not to mention that someone is still out to murder Tania. This will truly be an unforgettable summer for Heather.

I received Size 12 and Ready to Rock by Meg Cabot compliments of William Morrow, a division of Harper Collins for my honest review. Having read previous books from Meg Cabot, I leaped into wanting to add this to my summer reading list. It is a bit risky for this as a young adult novel, even though it is the 4th book in the Heather Wells series. There are some strong subject matters dealing with sexual content and profanity that may cause some readers to be concerned and for that reason offer a rating of 4 out of 5 stars based on my book rating standards. Overall the story has a great plot line and for those looking for an unusual suspense fiction, this one may just fit the bill.

For more information on this novel, the author or where you can pick up a copy of this book today, please click on the links below:

Size 12 and Ready to Rock by Meg Cabot

You can also visit Meg Cabot's website for more information on her books!

Inescapable

I'm watching you. It's just a matter of time before I get you
and your little girl. You'll never get away from me.

Fear and panic rose inside of Elizabeth Lynn Engel once again as she held the blue envelope now torn open in her hands and read the note again. Just who is this person outside her home with a red cap lingering in the shadows watching her? What does he want?

She will do anything she can to protect her and her six-year-old daughter, Charity. Despite all the accusations of Lizzie stealing money from Harbor House, she can't prove she didn't do it. The evidence is so overwhelming against her, she fears the only answer now is running back to Kingdom, Kansas.

Back to the life she lived in her childhood. She ran away from there once when she learned she was pregnant and her father refused to let her live there any longer. Ashamed and lost, she feels her life has come full circle and the only place remaining she can turn to is back to her home and hopes that the last five years has healed the wounds in her parents hearts.

In the latest suspense novel from author Nancy Mehl, Inescapable takes us into the heart of a prodigal daughter returning home to escape a threat that seeks to bring harm not only to her but to her daughter as well. Lizzie's only hope is that enough time has passed and perhaps her parents are ready to make amends. But there is more awaiting her in Kingdom besides her family, her childhood friend Noah Housler is still there and has vowed since childhood to always protect her. Is it possible he still feels the same way as he did when he was a child towards her? Will Lizzie and her daughter, Charity find a safe haven or will every place they turn, be a place they can no longer hide from the terror that continues to pursue them and put everyone she loves in danger?

I received Inescapable, the first novel in the Road to Kingdom Series by Nancy Mehl, compliments of Christian Fiction Blog Alliance for my honest review. I was captivated from the first chapter and could not put this one down until I knew who was hunting down Lizzie and Charity Engel. If you love a bit of suspense in your novels along with some Romance, then I just know you will want to pick this one up. I will be following this series through to the end. Nancy creates such amazing characters and details in her story, you feel as though you've been there and know these people personally. You'll find yourself rooting for them the entire way through the novel. I for one, would love to visit a place like Kingdom. It seems times are a changing, and the changes are definitely going to make the town a perfect place to live and raise a family. This one rates a perfect 5 out of 5 stars in my opinion.

For more information on Inescapable, Nancy Mehl or where you can pick up a copy of this book today, please click on the links below:

Inescapable by Nancy Mehl

You can also stay up with the latest from Nancy by becoming a follower of hers on Facebook.

You can also find more reviews on this book tour by clicking here.

Can You Hear The Music? ~ Review and Giveaway

"Listen, son, can you hear the music?"

"What music, Pa? I don't hear anything."

"Stand quiet and listen. Hear the wind singing through the trees, the birds whistling from the meadow and, if you listen really close, you can hear the brook laughing as it runs across the rocks and spills down the hill. That's the music I'm talking about...the music of life. No matter how big or important you may feel when you get older, I hope you will always take the time to stop and listen to that music."

"I don't understand. Those are just ever'day sounds you hear all the time."

"True, they are everyday sounds, but we don't always hear them because we take them for granted. It's the same with people. They are always there but we take them for granted and that is what saddens my heart, for I am as guilty as the rest." He sighed and shook his head. "Listen to the frog. His song is not as beautiful as the bird's and he is truly an ugly creature to you and me, but in his own way he contributes to that music of life. What I am really trying to say, son, is that no matter how insignificant and small a man may seem, he has that right to contribute and he is just as important."



In the novel, Can You Hear The Music by Sandra Farris, the reader is in for a delightful surprise when they begin this story in the life of Corey James, a young nine-year-old girl who finds herself left orphaned in 1919 when a tragic car accident claims the life of both her parents. Her Uncle, George and his wife Lizzie take Corey in, but soon is seems the Corey finds herself the target of abuse from Lizzie. Faced with emotional and physical abuse, Corey finds herself not wanted and it hurts her deeply. Knowing only that she doesn't like being hurt anymore, she takes her small dog Muffin and slips away into the night searching for love and acceptance in the form of anyone who can provide it.

Lucky for Corey that she has disguised herself as a young boy to avoid being found by her Aunt and Uncle, and finds the most unlikely friend in the form of a hobo named Andy Curruthers. Andy relates to Corey's situation being orphaned at the age of ten and vows to help him learn the ways of life traveling the rails and seeing the world.

I received this novel compliments of Sandra Farris for my honest review and was so enraptured by this story, I could not put it down once I started. She demonstrates the talents of a great story teller in creating the characters of Corey and Andy. You can't help but wish for them to remain together throughout the book and along the way, they both learn a thing or two about forgiveness and unconditional love. There are a host of lovable supporting characters, Gus Thatcher, Lord Mayor, Injun and even Muffin, her delightful dog who never leaves Corey side no matter how dark things get. I would love to see someone pick this one up and create a beautiful movie from it, and in my opinion this one deserves so much more than my usual 5 out of 5 stars. I would rate this one a 10!

For more information on Can You Hear The Music, Sandra Farris, or where to pick up a copy of this beautiful story today, please click on the links below:

Can You Hear The Music by Sandra Farris

You can also join Sandra on Facebook by clicking here.

Thanks to the generosity of Sandra Farris, she's got an extra special surprise for one lucky reader of my blog, Reviews From The Heart, she's going to giveaway a personalized copy of this book for you. Here are your details:

1. "Like" my Facebook page, Reviews From The Heart and leave me a comment.

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

3. Click on the "Like" button for Sandra's book on Amazon, by clicking here. It's next to the title.

4. Leave a comment below telling me why you'd love to win a copy of this book along with your email address. You can use the words (at) and (dot) instead of the symbols.

The winner will be notified by email and posted on my Reviews From The Heart Facebook page when the giveaway ends on July 23rd.