Dead Aim (Book 2 in The O'Malley's of Texas Saga) by Dusty Richards

Synopsis:
From Western Writers of America Spur Award-winning author Dusty Richards comes a thrilling new chapter in the O'Malley family saga, a blazing American epic of blood, bullets, and brotherhood set deep in the heart of Texas . . . 

Long John O'Malley is only nineteen years old, but he's no greenhorn. The oldest and boldest of the O'Malley brothers, Long John cut his teeth tangling with Comanche at the tender age of sixteen. He risked his life to rescue a group of captive women settlers--and forged his own destiny as a hero in the making.

Now he's taking on his biggest challenge yet: riding shotgun on a wagon train across the hostile Nebraska Territory. It's a treacherous trail, and it's not long before the young Texan is earning his paycheck by fighting off a tribe of bloodthirsty Sioux. But the real test lies in the journey ahead--a genuine ride to hell and back, from the Rocky Mountains to Sante Fe and all the way home--that will either make Long John O'Malley a living legend . . . or a dead one.


Review: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
I love this series! I hope he continues it. This is written along the same tones that Louis L'Amour used, and I grew up listening to his stories.

Long O'Malley is the primary character in this one.  After Long returns from his trip to the Rockies (woman in tow) he gets married. The brothers are trying to buy up the properties that their ranch surrounds.  There is another cattle drive, Indian fighting, and raiders killing and terrorizing his men. Long and Harp receive an offer to buy the Three Star Ranch at a low price. Long and Harper decide that Long and his new bride will live and work this ranch. Long had no idea how bad the ranch was or the huge surprise he found when he started cleaning it up.


This is another book where the author does amazing at using historical events and political troubles that actually happened to bring his book to life. There is also a surprise! Wild Bill Hickok is a Sheriff and makes an appearance. I was really excited for that. At the end, Long's life takes an interesting turn. The author left enough of a cliff hanger that I can't wait to read the next one, but I felt satisfied after finishing it.

Judah's Wife (The Silent Years #2) by Angela Hunt

Synopsis:
Seeking peace and safety after a hard childhood, Leah marries Judah, a strong and gentle man, and for the first time in her life Leah believes she can rest easily. But the land is ruled by Antiochus IV, descended from one of Alexander the Great's generals, and when he issues a decree that all Jews are to conform to Syrian laws upon pain of death, devout Jews risk everything to follow the law of Moses.

Judah's father resists the decree, igniting a war that will cost him his life. But before dying, he commands his son to pick up his sword and continue the fight--or bear responsibility for the obliteration of the land of Judah. Leah, who wants nothing but peace, struggles with her husband's decision--what kind of God would destroy the peace she has sought for so long? 

The miraculous story of the courageous Maccabees is told through the eyes of Judah's wife, who learns that love requires courage . . . and sacrifice.

Review: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

Follow Judah and Leah on their journey during the "silent years" of the Biblical period. This is an amazing, well written story that I instantly fell in love with. Leah is unsure of her husband because her father was abusive. Judah got married at his parents' insistence. As their story unfolds, the Jewish people are being persecuted. Lead originally by Judah's father, a resistance forms. With the help of prayer, the resistance army called "The Maccabees" were victorious in battles. Leah learns what it is to be a supportive wife and stand by her husband's side. The tone of the story seems like a Christian version of Robin Hood. After each battle, Judah allows his army to collect the spoils thus enabling his soldiers and economy to flourish.


This is told in alternating points of view between Judah and Leah. The depth of history of the time period and biblical history is amazing. It is written in a way that you connect with the characters, and it paints a clear picture of landscapes and emotions.

This is book 2 in the series. I just e-mailed the publisher to see if I could get the first one in exchange for a review. So keep an eye out for that!

Slave Old Man by Patrick Chamoiseau translated by Linda Coverdale

Synopsis: 

Patrick Chamoiseau's The Old Slave is a gripping, profoundly unsettling story of an elderly slave's daring escape into the wild from a plantation in Martinique, with his master and a fearsome hound on his heels.

We follow them into a lush rainforest where nature is beyond all human control: sinister, yet entrancing and even exhilarating, because the old man's flight to freedom will transform them all in truly astonishing—even otherworldly—ways, as the overwhelming physical presence of the forest reshapes reality and time itself. Chamoiseau's exquisitely rendered new novel is an adventure for all time, one that fearlessly portrays the demonic cruelties of the slave trade and its human costs in vivid, sometimes hallucinatory prose. Offering a loving and mischievous tribute to the Creole culture of Martinique and brilliantly translated by Linda Coverdale, this novel takes us on a unique and moving journey into the heart of Caribbean history.

Review - ⭐⭐⭐
All in all, I liked the story. It gave you the perspective of the runaway slave that most stories involving slavery don't. For example, the cultural "boogymen" that the slave fears after he ran away.

This book left me with a lot of questions. For example: at one point in the story, the "Master" mentions that the slave had been with him since he was born, and the slave taught him things and spent time with him. It seemed to portray a companion type relationship. So why all of a sudden, did the slave decide to run away? (not condoning slavery just it would have been nice info to have to set the tone of the story).


At times, the author is so overly descriptive that it becomes distracting. Other times, there is enough description that you can get the feeling of being there. The story starts out in a third person POV then switches to the first person POV. It was easy to distinguish who was narrating until the end. I still have no idea which character closed out the story. Was it the author? was it the slave owner? was it some other person? I am not sure.

Murder in Christmas River by Meg Muldoon

Synopsis:
Cinnamon Peters is one tough cookie.

Every year at Christmas River’s annual Gingerbread Junction Competition, pie baker extraordinaire Cinnamon aims to win, taking down any competitor who gets in her way. But when she finds a dead body in the woods behind her pie shop just days before the big competition, Cinnamon realizes that there’s much more to worry about than cookies, frosting, and gumdrops.

Someone’s out to bring Cinnamon down. And they’re playing dirty.
Only Cinnamon and a mysterious stranger who walks into her life one snowy evening can figure out the mystery.
But can they solve it before Cinnamon’s chances of gingerbread competition glory crumble?

Review: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

Not much mystery to this first one but the story was amazing. I love books that leave you feeling warm and cozy on the inside when you finish reading them. I am glad that everything worked out exactly the way it was supposed to.

Ice and Embers by Melanie Karsak

Synopsis - 
It takes more than an inferno to thaw a frozen heart.

Actress Elyse McKenna only wants to perform in Shakespearean dramas—not live in one.

With the 1814 London Frost Fair in full swing, Elyse and her troupe at the Ice House Theatre find themselves at the heart of the excitement on the frozen Thames. While the Ice House Theatre’s production of A Midwinter Night’s Dream thrills the London crowd, Elyse’s backstage life begins to take on a distinctly Shakespearean turn. 

When she fell in love with Lord John Waldegrave, she was prepared to keep their liaison secret. But she wasn’t ready for her newfound love to rock her relationship with her dearest friend, Doctor Kai Murray. Everything Elyse thought she knew about her feelings for her old friend gets flipped upside down when an exotic ship captain, whose ship is frozen in the Thames, turns her attention to Kai.

If Elyse hopes to escape the Thames with her heart intact, she must find a way to discover the truth about the captain, Kai, John, and her own feelings—before it’s too late.

Review: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

Again I am impressed with Melanie Karsak's retellings. For this one, I was a little disappointed by how little of the steampunk theme was involved. The only time it was mentioned was when Master Hawkings and his daughter Isobell were brought in. I liked the little references back to Curiouser and Curiouser.

Curiouser and Curiouser by Melanie Karsak

Synopsis: 

To save the Hatter, Alice must work with the one man she despises so much that she might still love him.

* * * 

Alice thought she’d turned over a new leaf. No more working for Jabberwocky. No more making deals with the ruthless Queen of Hearts. No more hanging around The Mushroom with tinkers, tarts, scoundrels, and thieves in London's criminal underbelly. But she’d been bonkers to dream.

Hatter’s reckless behavior leads Alice back to the one person she never wanted to see again, Caterpillar. Pulled into Caterpillar's mad schemes, Alice must steal a very big diamond from a very royal lady. The heist is no problem for this Bandersnatch. But protecting her heart from the man she once loved? Impossible

Review: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

This book was amazing! It had all of my favorite elements of steampunk: the clothing, the machines, the airships, and the gears and clockwork animals and gadgets. I want the hat that the Hatter created with the clockwork butterfly! The other part that I thought was done really well was the Crystal Palace. The depth of descriptions the author used, you could believe that such a place existed. Then the Red Queen was the perfect villain. Overall this was one of the best retellings of Alice in Wonderland that I have ever read. I love how the author took all of the characters and made them part of this underground crime ring.

Murder in Belgravia By Lynn Brittney

Synopsis:

PERFECT FOR FANS OF COSY CRIME, DOWNTON ABBEY, FOYLE’S WAR AND THE BLETCHLEY CIRCLE. 

The first in an exciting new Mayfair 100 series of nostalgic crime sagas. 

Set against the backdrop of WW1, Mayfair 100 is the telephone number for a small specially-formed crimebusting team based in a house in Mayfair. London, 1915. Just 10 months into the First World War, the City is flooded with women taking over the work vacated by men in the Armed Services. Chief Inspector Peter Beech, a young man invalided out of the war in one of the first battles, is faced with investigating the murder of an aristocrat and the man’s wife, a key witness and suspect, will only speak to a woman about the unpleasant details of the case. After persuading the Chief Commissioner to allow him to set up a clandestine team to deal with such situations, Beech puts together a small motley crew of well-educated women and professional policemen. As Beech, Victoria, Caroline, Rigsby and Tollman investigate the murder, they delve into the seedier parts of WWI London, taking them from criminal gangs to brothels and underground drug rings supplying heroin to the upper classes. Will the Mayfair 100 team solve the murder? And if they do, will they be allowed to continue working as a team? 

Review: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

I loved the characters in this book. Some of the scenes seemed to be added just for the historical factor and didn't feel necessary. However, I loved the plot, the development of the case, and the attention to the details of the time period. Hopefully, there will be a series.