Full Disclosure

Full Disclosure

Dee Henderson

Special Agent Paul Falcon is delighted to receive more information on a cold case he's been working for years. But he's even more delighted to meet the investigator, Ann Silver, who brought him the information. Falcon is deep into a disturbing cold case involving a hired shooter and approximately thirty victims. He certainly doesn't have time to be chasing an investigator with more secrets than his case files. But that doesn't seem to stop him. Can the case ever be solved and will he ever gain Ann's trust enough to learn her secrets?

Henderson has once again delivered an outstanding book. The attention to details and smooth flow of the story line are just a few reasons I enjoyed the book. The twists that pop up even at the end of the book are another. I enjoyed all of the investigative work and cringed at the horrible stories of the victims. But what surprised me was to see so many of the characters from her previous novels and learn how they came to be in the story. I stayed up until the early morning hours because I knew I'd never go to sleep without reading the end. This book was well worth the wait.

I received this book free of charge from Bethany House in exchange for my honest review.

Kiss and Make Up

Kiss and Make Up

Katie D. Anderson

            Emerson has a very serious problem. She wants a boyfriend, but every time she kisses a guy she can read his mind. It is freaking her out and she decides to stop kissing. She really needs to be focusing on her homework. Her aunt has threatened to pull her out of school if she doesn’t raise her grades. Quite by accident she learns that reading someone’s mind can have its benefits. So she begins kissing all of the nerdy, smart boys in her school so that she can excel at school. But something happens that convinces Emerson that perhaps kissing for knowledge isn’t the best way to get a boyfriend or good grades. This book is all about fun girl things like make up, boys and best friends. But it’s also about trust, friendships and peer pressure. Girls will love this book that portrays a fun, but completely normal teenager and parents will love the lessons of honesty, family, and adjustment.

This book is for ages 12 to 18.

I received this book free of charge from Children's Literature in exchange for my honest review.

No Ordinary Marriage

No Ordinary Marriage

Tim Savage

Marriages are failing miserably. Even marriages that don't end in divorce are often floundering in stagnant, meaningless relationships. Savage wrote a book that takes the spouses to a level of marriage that is both God based and self-less.

I just couldn't get into this book. Savage brought out some really great points. But it just seemed to be very repetitious and overdone for me. If you enjoy reading about relationships than this book might interest you enough to glean out the occasional gems. It's lots of reading without any practical advice and this is what I usually look for in a relationship book. It wasn't a bad book. It was just too much writing without enough how-to for me.

I received this book free of charge from Crossways in exchange for my honest review.

Short-Straw Bride

Short-Straw Bride

Karen Witemeyer

Meredith has always been secretly in love with the reclusive and mysterious Travis Archer. After hearing of a plot to destroy his barn she heads into the mountains to warn him. But when she is injured and forced to spend the night she finds out her uncle is forcing one of the four brothers to marry her.

She comes into the room to find the brothers drawing straws to figure out who "gets" here.

Can she have a marriage of love and respect when she's the short-straw wife?

This book was really fun to read. It was fast paced and entertaining. There were several tense or funny situations that kept the story engaging. I loved the interaction between the brothers. This is definitely an author that I will try again. 

I received this book free of charge from Bethany House in exchange for my honest review.

The Case of the Diamond Dog Collar

The Case of the Diamond Dog Collar

Martha Freeman

 

Hooligan is a wild and crazy dog who almost creates an international incident. Afterwards, he is given a dog collar with fake diamonds from a neighboring country’s president, as a token of his forgiveness. When Hooligan decides to chase a helicopter Tessa notices that one of the fake diamonds on his collar is missing. This is just the type of mystery that Tessa and Cammie like to solve. But what happens when the diamonds might be real, the suspect list includes Grandma’s boyfriend and Hooligan is acting strange? The girls solve the mystery and help their mom, the president, catch a criminal. It is a book that will captivate and enthrall young audiences with its details and entertaining story line. The characters are believable and the emotions within the family are realistic. Every child will be able to relate to missing a parent who works too much or being scolded for getting dirty. This second book in the “First Kid’s Mysteries Series” will be enjoyed by both boys and girls who love a good mystery.

This book is for ages 7 to10.

I received this book free of charge from Children's Literature in exchange for my honest review.

Do You Know Dewey?

Do You Know Dewey?: Exploring the Dewey Decimal System

Brian P. Cleary

            Most children probably think the Dewey decimal system is boring. This book takes children through their library and explains everything in colorful detail. It talks about how the system got started and then goes through each set of numbers and explains, in easy to understand language, what types of books you can find. The illustrations are fun and add well to each explanation.  As each section is talked about the illustrations fill the page with visuals. The rhyming verses help commit the topics to memory and make the book more entertaining to read. At the end of the book is a page that describes the system in more detail and gives instructions on how to find a particular book at the library. The author took something that could potentially be very boring to children and made it fun while still being educational. This is a must have for any school library and would be a good addition to any home with book lovers as well.

This book is for ages 7 to 10.

I received this book free of charge from Children's Literature in exchange for my honest review.

Basketball

Basketball

Danton Stone

               

Basketball is fun for all ages.  A “Rookie Read-About Sports” book starts with simple language to describe the game of basketball. All of the terms used in the game are described with both words and pictures. It ends with several pages of information that include tips for good sportsmanship, health tips, and fun facts about basketball, such as when the first orange basketballs were used. Most of the illustrations are pictures of children playing basketball. This works well to get children enthusiastic about playing the game. The words are basic enough for an early reader to be able to read. In fact, it’s so simple that some children might be easily bored. The book has 32 pages including the index and publishing information. If children are reading the book to themselves it is probably enough to keep them entertained. But the information could be too basic and short to keep a child entertained who has any previous knowledge of the game.

This book is for ages 4 to 8.

I received this book free of charge from Children's Literature in exchange for my honest review.