Super-Cyborg Gaget Glove

Super-Cyborg Gaget Glove

A Mystery With a Blinking Beeping, Voice-Recorded Gadget Glove You Can Build Yourself

Bob Pflugfelder and Steve Hockensmith

Nick and Tesla are amateur inventors. When everything starts running haywire at the museum they have to race against time to figure out how to save science. Their two friends and an uncle, a scientist help them. As they try to figure out who is trying to sabotage the exhibits they add more gadgets to their glove to help solve the mystery.

Science and electronics come together in this story to create a fascinating and entertaining story for the young readers. The book will encourage children to look at science in a fun new way. The plot moves quickly and smoothly. The illustrations and graphics bring the story to life. The instructions for making the gadget glove and the secret message ink are included in the book. The instructions are simple and easy to understand. Readers will love getting involved with the story. The story is fourth in a series, but can work well as a stand-alone book.

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

Safe Haven

Safe Haven

The Peacemakers Book 3

Anna Schmidt

Suzanne trusted the wrong person and it ruined her journalism career. So when her former boss offers her a chance to redeem herself she jumps at it. She must go to Oswego, New York to write about the refugees that have come from war torn Europe as guests of the president. Theo is on his way to Oswego to meet his ant and uncle and hopefully bring them home. But government regulations and prejudice keep almost 1000 people practically prisoner. Suzanne and Theo work together to get these people the true freedom they need.

I've read book 2 in this series and enjoyed the writing style. The third book seems to have less suspense, but is still full of drama, family, faith, romance, and history. The author is able to tell a story that inspires the reader to care for the characters. She has taken a time period that has the potential for some depressing moments and has given it an uplifting and redeeming quality. I really liked how the couple resolved their love story - first with accepting each others differences and then with a compromise that turned out to be exactly what they both wanted.

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

What There Is Before There Is Anything There

What There Is Before There Is Anything There

A Scary Story

Liniers

Every single night a little boy says good night to his parents and then sees the same little monsters. And every night they say the same thing and then the ceiling disappears and a very scary voice begins talking to him. So every single night this little boy runs to get in bed with his parents. And each night they let him sleep with them one more time. The illustrations are cartoon style and slightly dark. The story and illustrations complement each other. The flow of the words is lyrical and children will love the cadence. The point of the story appears to be helping children get over their fears and nightmares. My eight year son loved the story and it sparked his imagination. It scared my five year old daughter and gave her nightmares. The book could easily become a favorite with many families, but parents should consider previewing the book before reading it to their children.

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

Trails & Targets

Trails & Targets

Dangerous Darlyns Book 1

Kelly Eileen Hake

Bea is the oldest of four sisters. It's her job to help her father take care of them since their mother is gone. But her father's idea is to host an afternoon showcasing their talents. This only succeeds in angering the local banker. But when two men, Miles and Greyson, ride through town Bea enlists their help. The men find themselves staying longer than they'd anticipated. Greyson can't help admiring Bea, but he fights his feelings since he knows he's moving on once he's finished helping the family.

This was a super fun story. The plot moved along quickly and kept me entertained. The characters were unusual, but very likeable. I especially loved the father and youngest sister. Even though they were secondary characters, the author gave them depth and unique qualities. She also did a great job of setting up the series and leaving the reader wanting more. The romance was sweet, but not over the top. There was more to the story than just the romance, such as drama, small town life, and messages about forgiveness and working together. I look forward to reading the stories about the other three sisters.

I received this book free of charge from Book Club Network in exchange for my honest review.

Christmas at Rose Hill Farm

Christmas at Rose Hill Farm

An Amish Love Story

Suzanne Woods Fisher

Bess is about to marry her friend Amos. But she's nervous and a little bit afraid. For some reason she can't get her first love Billy out of her mind. But Billy left years ago and she knows he's never coming back. A few weeks before the wedding Bess finds a very old rose bush in the greenhouse. Since she raises roses with her father it's rare that she finds one she doesn't recognize. So her father calls a rose rustler, someone who researches and finds heirloom roses. This man turns out to be her old love Billy. But he makes it very clear he's only here for the rose. Then he's leaving.

This was a fun little novella with touches of romance, drama, rose history, and a touch of the super-natural. I felt the author did a great job with character development for a novella. The story flowed well and was entertaining. The super-natural element that I mentioned was nicely done and while I guessed right away, added an interesting component.

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

Running Lean

Running Lean

Diana L. Sharples

 Stacey is creative and passionate, in love with her boyfriend Calvin, and thinks she's fat. Calvin loves his motorcycle and his girlfriend Stacey, and is desperately missing his deceased brother. The two of them need each other, but neither one will realize the how far their love and friendship will be tested.

The author has taken the delicate subject of anorexia and written it for young adults. The story was full of emotion and drama. The characters seemed to be one dimensional and the story pivoted around the anorexia issue. There were some details that I felt could have been expanded on or where left out, but the author wasn't reaching out to my age group. So perhaps this is something that will not bother young adults. Parents should take the heavy issues of sex, drugs, eating disorders, etc. into consideration when getting this book for their child. They are real issues that teenagers deal with, but  might be a bit heavy for some children. All in all, it was a heavy subject with lots of drama, but could be very relatable to teenagers facing these issues.

I received this book free of charge from Book Club Network in exchange for my honest review.

An Amish Second Christmas

An Amish Second Christmas

Beth Wiseman, Ruth Reid, Katherine Fuller, and Tricia Goyer
 
Four stories by four different authors are all about Christmas. The stories don't seem to connect in any way except the Christmas theme. Each one is about second chances at Christmas time.

I enjoyed each story. They were sweet, romantic (except for the first one), and brought out the real reason for Christmas. My only complaint with the first story was that it felt like it might have been a middle book in a series. There were several details that I felt I had missed and the book ended like another book was following it. But it was still a nice and heartwarming story about forgiveness and family at Christmas. The second story was nice, but there were so many lies and miscommunication that I became frustrated with the two main characters. For a novella, I'd prefer something a bit less complicated. My favorite was the last two stories by Fuller and Goyer. They were great novellas without feeling rushed or incomplete when they ended. The characters were likeable and relatable, the romance was perfect and the stories ended well. All in all, it is the perfect Christmas book to read by a warm fire or to give as a gift.

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