Very intriguing and well written

Hounds of Autumn by Heather Blackwood
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Ms Blackwood has created a book to keep you intrigued and reading from the beginning to the end.

The story is well developed with enough description to allow you to see the story, but not bog you down. Her description of the mechanical engineering and operations of the different machines are just enough to paint the picture without becoming overly technical. It made me want a mechanical cat like she has claws and all.

I would recommend this book to anyone who enjoys a good mystery, and a strong heroine. I would love to read many more books by Ms Blackwood.


Blurb on the book:

It is 1890, and the windswept moors hold dark secrets. Chloe Sullivan is an amateur inventor whose holiday takes a dark turn when her friend and colleague, one of the few female mechanical experts in the British Empire, is murdered.

A black mechanical hound roams the moors, but could it have killed a woman? And what secrets are concealed within the dark family manor?

Accompanied by her naturalist husband and her clockwork cat, Chloe is determined to see her friend’s killer found.

But some secrets have a terrible cost.

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I purchesed this book through Amazon for my Kindle. I am providing this review as a way to let others discover new books. I hope this helps all you readers out there.

The Lottery Winner: Alvirah and Willy Stories by Mary Higgins Clark
My rating: 4 of 5 stars


Mary Higgins Clark has done it again. I love reading about the feisty Alvirah and her devoted Willy. This book contains 4 short stories staring the adventurous Lottery winners with hearts of Gold. All 4 stories are quick reads as Alvirah and her star-burst mini recorder takes you along on her search for murders, thiefs and kidnappers. When Alvirah sets her steel trap mind to solving a mystery you can count on the criminal being caught and laughter along the way.
I would recommend this book to anyone who likes cozy mysteries or just a good fun read. 




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I purchased this book. It was not given to me and Ms. Clark has no idea who the heck I am. This is just my opinion on the book.

Review of Grave Echos by Erin Cole

Grave Echoes: A Kate Waters Mystery by Erin Cole
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I won this book through Goodreads first-reads contest. I couldn't wait to start it. The cover is very well done and peeked my interest immediately.
The story starts out with Kate Waters having a narcoleptic nightmare in which she sees a wreck and hears her sister call out to her.
Kate is use to the nightmares but this is the first time they repeat and feature someone she knows....her sister Jev. As troubling as that is, there is a more pressing problem to handle. Kate is a geologist at the USGS and Mt. Hood is showing all the signs of erupting.
While trying to handle a possible volcanic eruption in the outskirts of Portland Or., Kate finds out Jev has been evolved in a fatal accident. She is left with the key from her visions and the unsettling realization that her sister was a witch in a local coven.
She now needs to find out exactly what happened to her sister, before she is the next in line to have an "accident". But who can she trust, everyone around her seems to be hiding something.
The story catches you up fast. There were a few editorial mistakes in the beginning that sidetracked my attention, but not for long.
This is a fast paced story that keeps you reading to see what happens next. I am very seldom surprised by a mystery anymore. I usually have it figured out before the end. Not so this one. It took me by surprise, but at the same time I could see how the story lead up to that conclusion.



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I received this book through the Goodreads First-reads contest. This review was in no way influenced by the website or the Author. It is my own opinion of the book.

Apple Turnover Murder by Joanne Fluke

Apple Turnover Murder by Joanne Fluke
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

I came across this book at a book sale. Being an avid reader and cook, I couldn't pass it up.
The heroin of the story is Hannah, the owner of The Cookie Jar, a small town bakery. During an elaborate charity event that her bakery is helping cater, Hannah must deal with problems from her two current male friends, as well as pass lover, professor Bradford Ramsey, who wouldn't mind rekindling their old affair. Hannah very much regrets the affair and has no intention of being bullied or blackmailed into another one. She also doesn't like the attention Bradford is paying to her young sister Michelle. When she finds the womanizing professor dead at the talent show with one of her turnovers in his hand, Hannah knows she must find out who did it, before her past secrets become the main course of the town gossip.
The story is well written, though I did have it figured out before half-way through the book. It moved slowly at times but kept you reading. I enjoyed the characters and they way they related to one another.
The book also has recipes inter-spaced with story for the mentioned treats, and I found myself enjoying reading the recipes and looking forward to discovering the next Delicious treat. The recipes alone made the book worth getting, and I will be trying some of them out.



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This book was purchased by me for my own reading enjoyment. The author and all those affiliated with this book, have no idea who I am.