My Daughter,
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Zombie Angela.
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Visit the movie trailer of good paranormal Friends!
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Stirring the Cauldron with Marla Brooks
Radio show event: If you missed the show, tune in for the podcast on Marla's site! Just scroll down the list of paranormal guests until you see me!
Listen to Marla every Thursday night at 9 pm EST!
Some of My Favorite People
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Angel Readings — Pat Cassel
Pat has been asked by Archangel Michael to begin to do phone readings. If you are interested please contact her at: Angelhealer555@comcast.net or call 717 561-8045. Her workshops are phenomenal, too. Author Doug Boren
Doug has a variety of wonderful books that will keep your heart pumping! Historic adventure and intrigue! You won't be able to put his books down!
To subscribe to his newsletter, The Alexander Chronicles, go to www.dougboren.com. 
A favorite book of mine is by the fabulous author Marla Brooks of the Ghosts of Hollywood fame, and the host of Para-X's Stirring the Cauldron.
A Bad Case of the Collywobbles We all go through life secure in the knowledge of who we are. But every so often, we find out that things may not be what they seem. You see, the world around us is very complex. It's made up of many layers, and when you start to peel the layers back—either by choice, or by accident—you just might uncover the truth. You see, the magickal world and mortal world are intermingled, with no physical boundary. It's all a matter of perception. In Shelly Gordon's case, it's also a matter of destiny…and what she uncovers is enough to give anyone a bad case of the collywobbles. |
My Reader's Favorites Reviews
Enjoy the following books
(in no particular order)
Corrosive by J. Kariuki
Corrosive by J. Kariuki is … horrifying. If you are looking for a horror story for entertainment, expect to get much more than that here. In fact, what you get—if you’re lucky—will far surpass any entertainment value and will touch the stained part of your soul. (Don’t worry; everyone has a stain of some kind or other. Get over it.) Stan is a weird guy; we take Kariuki’s description to heart. But ya know what? He’s not so much a weirdo. There’s a glimmer of the self as you move further into Stan’s nightmare of corroding flesh. Why was this happening to this mild-mannered man? How is his mind, his body, his spirit standing such turmoil and pain? It will take your breath away as you consider the reality of such a ghastly thing. And yes, there are those who would take advantage of such agony experienced by another, and that, of course, happens here in spades. (Looking around in today’s world, I’d say that though this horrific malady is gruesome and fictional—we hope—even superhero like, there’s a piece of it in each of us.) Stan’s skin is peeling off—not like a sunburn peel, but all of his skin coming off in grisly bloody pieces. You’re right; that can’t be good. There seems to be a light at the end of his painful tunnel though involving his chosen love of photography. What could go wrong? Don’t ask. You won’t like the answer.
J. Kariuki, (I think meaning to, though I’m not sure he realizes just how others will take it very personally) has a way of identifying the negative, streamlining it into a character, and then asking the question: How will you get out of this, Stan? Can you get out? Why should you get out? The reader’s probable answer will be yes, yes, get the hell out of there, Stan. But can he? Can we? Will we? For it could be you or me channeling the negativity of life through a vanquishing body. I read Corrosive in one sitting. I had to. I couldn’t stop. And I knew that I shouldn’t stop. And at the end? Well, you’ll just have to see how you feel at the end of Corrosive. I learned a lesson; lucky me. Make sure you read his bio once you’re finished. I “hope” you do.
In the Darkness by Leah Hamrick
In the Darkness by Leah Hamrick is a fun little paranormal story that is just waiting to become a book. I loved it. Anna is a smart young woman just trying to get through her teenage world of school, boyfriends, parents, and something really scary that she sees in her backyard. It doesn’t help, of course, that she has some abilities of her own that are giving her warnings about this "thing”—despite the fact that her mom cannot even give her the benefit of doubt when it comes to her powers of intuition. Still, family can help, arriving in the form of her very special grandmother. And so it begins. Just what the heck is out there? She wasn’t one of those stupid girls from horror movies that makes the mistake of … well…
Leah Hamrick has created some wonderfully rich characters in this short feature, and I for one hope it’s the beginning of a full-fledged book that goes into their adventures and characters even deeper! Yes, they’re that interesting and have that much pizazz and connection to the reader. There’s even a little romance adding to the mystery. Anna, in the first person, is what I’ve experienced as a “real” high school girl thrown into a strange and dangerous situation. Her boyfriend is real, too—he’s not a stereotype of a young man in high school who is in love with a pretty young woman. He’s deeper than one might think—his fire just burns a bit slower and more cautiously than Anna’s. I loved how Hamrick tied up the story at the end: very satisfying. Yet, I flipped the last page over hoping for the next story to begin. In the Darkness by Leah Hamrick is a delightful, relaxing paranormal piece with a touch of romance that young adults and adults alike will enjoy. There’s a little bit of language, but it’s not overwhelming and actually depicts true life circumstances. Wait…did I hear a baby cry?
Broken Dolls by Tyrolin Puxty
I loved Broken Dolls by Tyrolin Puxty! I was first drawn by the strange cover; it had a sci fi-ish look, yet an innocence hidden in the form of a partial ballerina—a broken doll. Hmmm, I thought. What could this be about? I was very excited to find that the doll was a real doll with a real human part to her. The action went from page to page quickly with a sweet pull, and I had difficulty putting it down. Ella is the heroine in this bizarre treatment of a seemingly nice but unusual “professor” taking care of dolls that were somehow really human. How does that happen? Why does it happen? This can’t be right. It's unfortunate that Ella, with significant memory loss, can’t figure out the mystery, and she’s not sure she wants to know the answers anyway. She only wants to dance and to be unbroken. More and more obstacles (in the way of other dolls and even a human child) come to her home in the unkempt attic deepening the secrecy that seems to be clouding the truth. Can she be saved? Can any of them escape? Do they even want to? Well, there’s more than meets the eye here—or doll in this case.
Tyrolin Puxty has a comfortable style of writing that makes you cozy right into the plot from page one and especially connect to the characters. Suddenly, it doesn’t matter that Ella and Lisa are dolls—they are so much more. There are layers and layers of mystery, and I didn’t see the creative outcome arriving. It’s a good one. Broken Dolls can also have a deeper psycho-logic meaning if you care to ponder it once you’re done reading. I didn’t expect that either. I was compelled to learn more about the author and visited her site and read the couple-page offering at the back of the book as sample for the next doll book. Yay! A next one! You may ask yourself once you’ve completed Puxty’s Broken Dolls what you would do if you found yourself in such a circumstance. Trust me, it won’t be an easy answer. Of course, not everyone can pull off wearing a tutu anyway! An excellent read and the layout of the book is fabulous!
It’s Time to Align: The Most Powerful Self-Help Book Ever Written
By Allen Lottinger
It’s Time to Align: The Most Powerful Self-Help Book Ever Written, by Allen Lottinger, is a quick and easy-to-understand guide to alignment. It focuses on ways to raise your vibration—something that mankind is rapidly beginning to recognize as necessary to survive and flourish in these uncertain times. You may have heard of raising your vibration to align with the self, but many times the concepts are outside understanding or they are just plain murky. Allen Lottinger breaks it down in a way that–if you truly want to raise your vibration and better your life—anyone can participate and succeed. Broken down into chapters about things that lower your vibration and things that raise your vibration, It’s Time to Align makes it immediately evident what your to-do list needs to include! (Or not include.) It’s time to Align by Allen Lottinger is just as powerful as the subtitle says and important in both a personal sense and in the growth of all of those living on our planet—that of course includes YOU and me. In addition to teaching the ways to raise your vibration, Lottinger also tells us specifically about those strange beings who wish us harm and would work to hamper our progress by lowering our vibration. That is enough to terrify anyone into the right way of thinking. It certainly gave me a new wake-up call.
One thing I found especially interesting in Lottinger's exploration of this relevant topic of alignment and vibration is that many times he directly reflects the feelings and issues facing men specifically—most books don’t even touch on these topics that so many others have found taboo when discussing alignment. But those same topics, if one sits quietly and thinks about it, apply to women as well. The obvious can be hidden for some, but Lottinger does not allow that! He is unafraid. He puts it all out there. It’s possible that a reader may not want to raise or lower their vibrations via some of these suggestions—trust me; you’ll come around. You’ll need to because these things are important to the growth of everyone. It’s Time to Align: The Most Powerful Self-Help Book Ever Written by Allen Lottinger is a must-read for a true introduction to what all of us must do to live another productive and happy day. The sooner you start, the sooner you will be aligned.
Kindred Souls:
The Psychic and the Priest Paranormal Romance Series, Book I
by Kaiden Klein
A fabulously well-written story that centers on the relationship developing between two unlikely paired individuals: Annie, who has a very unique power involving psychic phenomena, and the spirited and sexy Asha, who has a few tricks up his sleeves as well. Anne finds herself at wit’s end as she tries to understand what has happened to her best friend and why, and who this incredibly handsome young man is who keeps turning up erotically in her dreams. Is he real? Is he a dream? Well, yes. And then there’s what’s happening to her as she becomes closer to her own reality. Can she survive it?
Kaiden Klein, in this introductory book to the strange relationship between the psychic and the priest, lays the groundwork for the full series, pulling me into the characters’ intrigue, their battles, their desires, and their fears. It won’t be a surprise that Annie has some interesting dilemmas to solve as she moves closer to the handsome Asha. One mystery involves her own beginnings and her life now: Who is she? Who are her parents? Why does Father Francis (the priest who took her in as a child) have such an invested interest in her? And what does Asha know about any of it? Things are not as they seem—for any of the characters in Kindred Souls. Somebody’s got to save the world. Why not a psychic and a priest? It ended a bit too quickly and I wanted more right away. Lucky, there’s more to be had!
Shadows by Angie Martin
Shadows by Angie Martin is a fresh and frightening trek into the world of psychological horror. Via six eerie stories, Martin reflects the turmoil that normal people can feel when things go really wrong—that’s right normal people. Not the super heroes or the person(s) you think might be stars in a story, but people like you and me. The story “Reflection” will make any photographer think twice about taking on independent projects. One just never knows when something not quite “there” becomes…clearly there. In “Sold” we follow a ghost investigation reality television crew as they investigate a horrific crime scene with all too many gulping experiences to test their resolve of belief and nonbelief…and the sinister. “Flawless” takes us into the exploration of the damaged mind of a survivor, a place no one wants to be. I felt the heroine’s fear in this one and recognize Angie Martin’s criminal justice background, knowing the ins and outs of delusion and fear. “Cycle of Life” gives us a punch in the stomach from an individual who gets on everyone’s last nerve—a pay-back story that is oh so deserving and oh so satisfying. “The First Step” (shared credit with Marisa Oldham) again takes us into the depths of self-destruction—just don’t open the door. Remember that and maybe you’ll be okay (…maybe). My favorite story in this collection is the one chosen as namesake for the book: Shadows. Martin writes horror and violence and fear and loathing with poetic shock, making me take in breath and banish chills. If I were in a movie theater watching this story (and that’s a really good idea for most of her stories!), I’d be yelling at the screen. The heroine in this story has enough trouble being left in a strange kind of—shall we say…nontraditional…—hospital, but what she has to endure while there is beyond haunting.
All in all, I’d say that Angie Martin’s Shadows hits a ghastly home run. I found my mind taking each story to the next thought, the next scene, the next awful problem: In Shadows, I didn’t just read a tale and move on; I couldn’t. Martin is a genius at placing readers inside the head of the frightened person and then keeping them there. Angie Martin, though she advises that Shadows is her first visit to the horror genre, writes it like she’s been doing it for a very long time. Keep an eye on this author. She’s going places.
The Shape of My Soul by Lynette Ferreira
The Shape of My Soul by Lynette Ferreira is a wonderfully sweet paranormal romance that does not allow the paranormal to overshadow the romantic intrigue in any way. Ferrira remembers the number one rule for romance novels, and that is that the romance comes first! (Not everyone remembers that.) In her story, Amber is a young woman, just seventeen, who has been sequestered in a castle in Scotland all her life, with only the staff at her home to act as family. Estranged from her parents under strange circumstances that have been kept from her, she does the best she can to enjoy her life. That couldn’t happen though if not for Bradley, the son of one of the staff who, as a child, visited regularly and then only on holidays as they grew up together. The best romantic partner, of course, is one you can call best friend. But things don’t go quite that smoothly—especially when everyone is not on the same page. Suddenly, and without anyone preparing her, Amber is sent away to school—for her own good (where have we heard that before?!). Still, coincidences (Do we believe in them? No we do not!) bring the two “friends” back together to solve a family mystery – one that “shifts” as quickly as the snap of fingers. The Shape of a Soul has a literal meaning, an honest to goodness connection within Amber and the decisions she will need to make on her eighteenth birthday.
The strength of characters is brought to the forefront gently by Ferreira, and I found myself really really caring about Amber and hoping that Bradley would turn into someone worth loving. The scenes are very well written and the setting is dazzling. The Shape of My Soul by Lynette Ferriera will give you a satisfying feeling both as you read and once you finish, as well as a desire to know more—much more—about Amber and her clan and how she will survive in the future. Trust me, it won’t be easy. “Oh. My. Effing. Snowball.” I think I have found a new expletive!
B. J. Hyman’s Day Zero: The Book of Patrick
OMG, what to say about B. J. Hyman’s Day Zero: The Book of Patrick without spoilers. Okay, let’s give it a shot. Day Zero is a break-neck speed of a story about Patrick Elderidge’s life…uh...non-life…uh well, it’s about Patrick Elderidge. He’s the hero and good guy. Then there are other characters, also good guys. Except Reuben and he’s not a nice guy. He’s a bad guy—evil actually. But he’s not really there…sorta kinda. Anyway, as you go through Patrick’s Day Zero—a complete mystery to him and me at first—you’ll find that it’s a horribly bad day gone worse…that easily moves into days…and then into…well, maybe forever. I can tell you that before you read this book, it would be good to check out the stability of any ceiling fans in your home, particularly in the bedroom, and especially if it’s over your bed. I know, I know; what? Just do it; you’ll be glad you did down the line. No sense taking chances—fiction built on life and so forth. There’s a love interest—Allison—and an office where Patrick works—when the janitor isn’t taking all his stuff away because he’s …well, not exactly there….and then there’s a girl who comes out of fire. (You might say she’s hot—like a phoenix rising…I like her.) And there’s lightening following a guy. ZAP! There’s even a good plausible explanation for ghosts. Patrick has to go through to get through and understand Day Zero—though once he understands what’s going on, things go speedily downhill until he thinks of super heroes. There. I don’t think I gave too much away. B. J. Hyman’s Day Zero: The Book of Patrick is a kinda sci fi, kinda horror, kinda what-the-hell-I-don’t-ever-want-to-be-this-guy sort of book. It’s like watching a train wreck, and you can’t look away, because if you do, you most assuredly will miss something that you need to know. Like maybe a taxi cab about to hit you.
What I really liked about B. J. Hyman’s Day Zero: The Book of Patrick is that every single character is written from the first person, I. I don’t think I’ve read a book like that—in recent memory—but if I were Patrick’s friend, memory issues would be usual. I could get into the character’s heads one at a time, and that way, I could feel down to the core what that individual was going through and how they connected to the others. The cool thing about this style is that it moves superfast and this one is dialog driven. Let me tell you, B. J. Hyman is a master at dialog, and I love dialog that moves a story forward. Hyman is so good at it that I didn’t want to put the book down. There’s no good stopping place—you simply have to know what’s going to happen next. Just one more page. Or ten. It speeds towards the finish so fast that one can easily forget that there’s no new page after the last page. (No worries, though; more is coming from B. J. Hyman. YAY!) You’ll have fun reading Hyman’s Day Zero: The Book of Patrick. You just will—no spoiler there!
Eyes (The Irises Series Book 1) by Veronique Poirier
You’ve heard the saying that “the eyes are the windows to the soul”? That certainly is the case in Veronique Poirier’s Eyes (The Irises Series Book 1) for Natacha—only it goes much further than that. Finding that she is growing into special “powers” is not something she’s happy to realize at first, and sharing that with a totally hot young man (Alec, who is very much like her) wasn’t what she was planning for—though it did have its positive points. Bouncing back from a bad relationship and into something new and exciting couldn’t be all bad, could it? Oh…unless she had to worry about mind reading and tempers and nasty supernatural hunters. ‘Nuff said. The eyes have it.
Veronique Poirer delivers a fun and sexy read for teens in the supernatural, paranormal adventure Eyes. Fast-paced, Poirer wrote so that I never had to think about the point of view of any one character. It’s all clearly laid out so that you understand the motives of the main characters—Natacha and Alec. The chapters are romantic (moderately steamy in places!) and snappy with an adventurous style, and the voices (written in first person) allowed me to identify with each person and connect to them. I read it at one sitting. This is a great introduction to what I’m sure will be an exciting series filled with an endearing group of characters as they grow and learn to fight another day. I’m thinking that the goal to reflect upon as you read Eyes is to think purple!
Pale Moon Walking By Paula Altenburg
Paula Altenburg has a winner with Pale Moon Walking. Not only are the outlaws out of this world, but so is the rendering of genuine characters moving through this Wild West romantic tale. Meet feisty and nontraditional Libby Mayden, the sheriff of Coyote Bluff, who knows what she wants—and doesn’t want—in the world (and in a man). Witness her struggles to live down an outlaw past as she flourishes as the town’s lawman…uh law-woman. She isn’t, though, expecting Sam Kyote, a desirable and capable Marshall for the US Government, to arrive on the scene for a “special assignment” to get into the middle of her life. It’s not just that Sam has a strange power—that is not only believable for those of us loving the paranormal and fantasy themes, but protective and deadly to those in Coyote Bluff—it’s more that crossing these two probable lovers once they connect is a whirlwind of mystery and adventure that the otherworldly Sky people need to be wary of.
And what about them? The Sky people: mysterious, here most likely for nefarious reasons, and who need to know where an important treasure to their world is hidden. Libby has the knowledge and the clues, Sam has the powers of illusion, Pete has the Moon legend, and Mary Lou has the frying pan. What can possibly go wrong? Love is in the air.
Don’t be misled thinking this is just a wonderfully laid-out romance novel. It is that, of course; Altenburg is a genius at this. But it’s so much more. The romance is dreamy. The mystery draws you in. The characters hold you fast. The setting Paula Altenburg has drawn in Pale Moon Walking is perfect. I felt immediately like I was set down in the 1800s Wild West—and I did not want to leave it! I had so much fun reading this that, one day, when I’d had a stressful afternoon at work, I’d put my head in my hands and said to myself: “I just want to get back to Libby and Sam!”
Paula Altenburg is a master at weaving all the components of good storytelling together: very well written, true to the characters and settings, fun to read, and something that will keep people looking for more from her. The only downside is that I didn’t want it to end. Folks, there’s no better review that that. Pale Moon Walking by Paula Altenburg: read it before the next full moon.
SOMEWHERE by the Sea (from the Finding SOMEWHERE series, Book I)
by Verna Clay
A treasure trove of emotional triggers that take a young widowed woman to her deceased family’s dream place as a final challenge to hold onto, and let go of, her departed husband and son. Wallowing in the knowledge that she was responsible for their deaths, SOMEWHERE—a small shore town that they’d been planning to visit as a family—was her only salvation. This was her last chance to hold them in her living world and to keep from letting them go.
As I went deeper with Verna Clay into SOMEWHERE by the Sea, I found the setting of the town was so well presented that I could feel myself being drawn into its unique charm—just as heroine Faith Bennison was: she needed to be away from memories, yet she needed to have those same memories etched in her mind. Of course, as is usually the case, all is not quaint and lovely at the Hope Bed and Breakfast, or with the friendly shop keepers, ocean views, and handsome men (like Baxter, the B&B owner’s son, who has her heart beating much too quickly). But just as happiness can bring an unlikely couple together, so might loss provide a similar cause, as is the case for Faith and Baxter. In fact, the town has even more relationship issues than those of Faith and Baxter blowing through the gentle winds, and those need their own happy endings. But for now, would this place be the right home for Faith to put down roots? There could be problems: the people in town—as lovely as they are—don’t believe she is seeing what she is seeing. Some are thinking the worst. To be honest, she, too, doubts her own eyes. There are great risks to her and her new friends, and especially the attractive Baxter, when the paranormal pays a visit to SOMEWHERE by the Sea.
What I loved about Verna Clay’s romantic tale is being totally immersed in the setting. I could picture the town so clearly with its houses and hills, the walking trails, the haunted stone house, the museum, the diner, and all the other nooks and crannies. I could walk down Main Street and Ocean Boulevard today and interact with Gabby and Leo and Vicki and Baxter. I could be Faith. I could love Baxter. The writing is superb as Clay's paranormal lazes through the town and along the beaches, barely noticed until… well, just know that there’s a reason for everything, and learning to make better choices can make a heart flutter when in the right person’s arms. SOMEWHERE by the Sea (Book I) by Verna Clay is a gentle romantic experience that will leave you wanting more of SOMEWHERE. This first in Clay’s series will beckon you forward to the next and the next. You may want to bring along your paints and easel.
Corrosive by J. Kariuki is … horrifying. If you are looking for a horror story for entertainment, expect to get much more than that here. In fact, what you get—if you’re lucky—will far surpass any entertainment value and will touch the stained part of your soul. (Don’t worry; everyone has a stain of some kind or other. Get over it.) Stan is a weird guy; we take Kariuki’s description to heart. But ya know what? He’s not so much a weirdo. There’s a glimmer of the self as you move further into Stan’s nightmare of corroding flesh. Why was this happening to this mild-mannered man? How is his mind, his body, his spirit standing such turmoil and pain? It will take your breath away as you consider the reality of such a ghastly thing. And yes, there are those who would take advantage of such agony experienced by another, and that, of course, happens here in spades. (Looking around in today’s world, I’d say that though this horrific malady is gruesome and fictional—we hope—even superhero like, there’s a piece of it in each of us.) Stan’s skin is peeling off—not like a sunburn peel, but all of his skin coming off in grisly bloody pieces. You’re right; that can’t be good. There seems to be a light at the end of his painful tunnel though involving his chosen love of photography. What could go wrong? Don’t ask. You won’t like the answer.
J. Kariuki, (I think meaning to, though I’m not sure he realizes just how others will take it very personally) has a way of identifying the negative, streamlining it into a character, and then asking the question: How will you get out of this, Stan? Can you get out? Why should you get out? The reader’s probable answer will be yes, yes, get the hell out of there, Stan. But can he? Can we? Will we? For it could be you or me channeling the negativity of life through a vanquishing body. I read Corrosive in one sitting. I had to. I couldn’t stop. And I knew that I shouldn’t stop. And at the end? Well, you’ll just have to see how you feel at the end of Corrosive. I learned a lesson; lucky me. Make sure you read his bio once you’re finished. I “hope” you do.
In the Darkness by Leah Hamrick
In the Darkness by Leah Hamrick is a fun little paranormal story that is just waiting to become a book. I loved it. Anna is a smart young woman just trying to get through her teenage world of school, boyfriends, parents, and something really scary that she sees in her backyard. It doesn’t help, of course, that she has some abilities of her own that are giving her warnings about this "thing”—despite the fact that her mom cannot even give her the benefit of doubt when it comes to her powers of intuition. Still, family can help, arriving in the form of her very special grandmother. And so it begins. Just what the heck is out there? She wasn’t one of those stupid girls from horror movies that makes the mistake of … well…
Leah Hamrick has created some wonderfully rich characters in this short feature, and I for one hope it’s the beginning of a full-fledged book that goes into their adventures and characters even deeper! Yes, they’re that interesting and have that much pizazz and connection to the reader. There’s even a little romance adding to the mystery. Anna, in the first person, is what I’ve experienced as a “real” high school girl thrown into a strange and dangerous situation. Her boyfriend is real, too—he’s not a stereotype of a young man in high school who is in love with a pretty young woman. He’s deeper than one might think—his fire just burns a bit slower and more cautiously than Anna’s. I loved how Hamrick tied up the story at the end: very satisfying. Yet, I flipped the last page over hoping for the next story to begin. In the Darkness by Leah Hamrick is a delightful, relaxing paranormal piece with a touch of romance that young adults and adults alike will enjoy. There’s a little bit of language, but it’s not overwhelming and actually depicts true life circumstances. Wait…did I hear a baby cry?
Broken Dolls by Tyrolin Puxty
I loved Broken Dolls by Tyrolin Puxty! I was first drawn by the strange cover; it had a sci fi-ish look, yet an innocence hidden in the form of a partial ballerina—a broken doll. Hmmm, I thought. What could this be about? I was very excited to find that the doll was a real doll with a real human part to her. The action went from page to page quickly with a sweet pull, and I had difficulty putting it down. Ella is the heroine in this bizarre treatment of a seemingly nice but unusual “professor” taking care of dolls that were somehow really human. How does that happen? Why does it happen? This can’t be right. It's unfortunate that Ella, with significant memory loss, can’t figure out the mystery, and she’s not sure she wants to know the answers anyway. She only wants to dance and to be unbroken. More and more obstacles (in the way of other dolls and even a human child) come to her home in the unkempt attic deepening the secrecy that seems to be clouding the truth. Can she be saved? Can any of them escape? Do they even want to? Well, there’s more than meets the eye here—or doll in this case.
Tyrolin Puxty has a comfortable style of writing that makes you cozy right into the plot from page one and especially connect to the characters. Suddenly, it doesn’t matter that Ella and Lisa are dolls—they are so much more. There are layers and layers of mystery, and I didn’t see the creative outcome arriving. It’s a good one. Broken Dolls can also have a deeper psycho-logic meaning if you care to ponder it once you’re done reading. I didn’t expect that either. I was compelled to learn more about the author and visited her site and read the couple-page offering at the back of the book as sample for the next doll book. Yay! A next one! You may ask yourself once you’ve completed Puxty’s Broken Dolls what you would do if you found yourself in such a circumstance. Trust me, it won’t be an easy answer. Of course, not everyone can pull off wearing a tutu anyway! An excellent read and the layout of the book is fabulous!
It’s Time to Align: The Most Powerful Self-Help Book Ever Written
By Allen Lottinger
It’s Time to Align: The Most Powerful Self-Help Book Ever Written, by Allen Lottinger, is a quick and easy-to-understand guide to alignment. It focuses on ways to raise your vibration—something that mankind is rapidly beginning to recognize as necessary to survive and flourish in these uncertain times. You may have heard of raising your vibration to align with the self, but many times the concepts are outside understanding or they are just plain murky. Allen Lottinger breaks it down in a way that–if you truly want to raise your vibration and better your life—anyone can participate and succeed. Broken down into chapters about things that lower your vibration and things that raise your vibration, It’s Time to Align makes it immediately evident what your to-do list needs to include! (Or not include.) It’s time to Align by Allen Lottinger is just as powerful as the subtitle says and important in both a personal sense and in the growth of all of those living on our planet—that of course includes YOU and me. In addition to teaching the ways to raise your vibration, Lottinger also tells us specifically about those strange beings who wish us harm and would work to hamper our progress by lowering our vibration. That is enough to terrify anyone into the right way of thinking. It certainly gave me a new wake-up call.
One thing I found especially interesting in Lottinger's exploration of this relevant topic of alignment and vibration is that many times he directly reflects the feelings and issues facing men specifically—most books don’t even touch on these topics that so many others have found taboo when discussing alignment. But those same topics, if one sits quietly and thinks about it, apply to women as well. The obvious can be hidden for some, but Lottinger does not allow that! He is unafraid. He puts it all out there. It’s possible that a reader may not want to raise or lower their vibrations via some of these suggestions—trust me; you’ll come around. You’ll need to because these things are important to the growth of everyone. It’s Time to Align: The Most Powerful Self-Help Book Ever Written by Allen Lottinger is a must-read for a true introduction to what all of us must do to live another productive and happy day. The sooner you start, the sooner you will be aligned.
Kindred Souls:
The Psychic and the Priest Paranormal Romance Series, Book I
by Kaiden Klein
A fabulously well-written story that centers on the relationship developing between two unlikely paired individuals: Annie, who has a very unique power involving psychic phenomena, and the spirited and sexy Asha, who has a few tricks up his sleeves as well. Anne finds herself at wit’s end as she tries to understand what has happened to her best friend and why, and who this incredibly handsome young man is who keeps turning up erotically in her dreams. Is he real? Is he a dream? Well, yes. And then there’s what’s happening to her as she becomes closer to her own reality. Can she survive it?
Kaiden Klein, in this introductory book to the strange relationship between the psychic and the priest, lays the groundwork for the full series, pulling me into the characters’ intrigue, their battles, their desires, and their fears. It won’t be a surprise that Annie has some interesting dilemmas to solve as she moves closer to the handsome Asha. One mystery involves her own beginnings and her life now: Who is she? Who are her parents? Why does Father Francis (the priest who took her in as a child) have such an invested interest in her? And what does Asha know about any of it? Things are not as they seem—for any of the characters in Kindred Souls. Somebody’s got to save the world. Why not a psychic and a priest? It ended a bit too quickly and I wanted more right away. Lucky, there’s more to be had!
Shadows by Angie Martin
Shadows by Angie Martin is a fresh and frightening trek into the world of psychological horror. Via six eerie stories, Martin reflects the turmoil that normal people can feel when things go really wrong—that’s right normal people. Not the super heroes or the person(s) you think might be stars in a story, but people like you and me. The story “Reflection” will make any photographer think twice about taking on independent projects. One just never knows when something not quite “there” becomes…clearly there. In “Sold” we follow a ghost investigation reality television crew as they investigate a horrific crime scene with all too many gulping experiences to test their resolve of belief and nonbelief…and the sinister. “Flawless” takes us into the exploration of the damaged mind of a survivor, a place no one wants to be. I felt the heroine’s fear in this one and recognize Angie Martin’s criminal justice background, knowing the ins and outs of delusion and fear. “Cycle of Life” gives us a punch in the stomach from an individual who gets on everyone’s last nerve—a pay-back story that is oh so deserving and oh so satisfying. “The First Step” (shared credit with Marisa Oldham) again takes us into the depths of self-destruction—just don’t open the door. Remember that and maybe you’ll be okay (…maybe). My favorite story in this collection is the one chosen as namesake for the book: Shadows. Martin writes horror and violence and fear and loathing with poetic shock, making me take in breath and banish chills. If I were in a movie theater watching this story (and that’s a really good idea for most of her stories!), I’d be yelling at the screen. The heroine in this story has enough trouble being left in a strange kind of—shall we say…nontraditional…—hospital, but what she has to endure while there is beyond haunting.
All in all, I’d say that Angie Martin’s Shadows hits a ghastly home run. I found my mind taking each story to the next thought, the next scene, the next awful problem: In Shadows, I didn’t just read a tale and move on; I couldn’t. Martin is a genius at placing readers inside the head of the frightened person and then keeping them there. Angie Martin, though she advises that Shadows is her first visit to the horror genre, writes it like she’s been doing it for a very long time. Keep an eye on this author. She’s going places.
The Shape of My Soul by Lynette Ferreira
The Shape of My Soul by Lynette Ferreira is a wonderfully sweet paranormal romance that does not allow the paranormal to overshadow the romantic intrigue in any way. Ferrira remembers the number one rule for romance novels, and that is that the romance comes first! (Not everyone remembers that.) In her story, Amber is a young woman, just seventeen, who has been sequestered in a castle in Scotland all her life, with only the staff at her home to act as family. Estranged from her parents under strange circumstances that have been kept from her, she does the best she can to enjoy her life. That couldn’t happen though if not for Bradley, the son of one of the staff who, as a child, visited regularly and then only on holidays as they grew up together. The best romantic partner, of course, is one you can call best friend. But things don’t go quite that smoothly—especially when everyone is not on the same page. Suddenly, and without anyone preparing her, Amber is sent away to school—for her own good (where have we heard that before?!). Still, coincidences (Do we believe in them? No we do not!) bring the two “friends” back together to solve a family mystery – one that “shifts” as quickly as the snap of fingers. The Shape of a Soul has a literal meaning, an honest to goodness connection within Amber and the decisions she will need to make on her eighteenth birthday.
The strength of characters is brought to the forefront gently by Ferreira, and I found myself really really caring about Amber and hoping that Bradley would turn into someone worth loving. The scenes are very well written and the setting is dazzling. The Shape of My Soul by Lynette Ferriera will give you a satisfying feeling both as you read and once you finish, as well as a desire to know more—much more—about Amber and her clan and how she will survive in the future. Trust me, it won’t be easy. “Oh. My. Effing. Snowball.” I think I have found a new expletive!
B. J. Hyman’s Day Zero: The Book of Patrick
OMG, what to say about B. J. Hyman’s Day Zero: The Book of Patrick without spoilers. Okay, let’s give it a shot. Day Zero is a break-neck speed of a story about Patrick Elderidge’s life…uh...non-life…uh well, it’s about Patrick Elderidge. He’s the hero and good guy. Then there are other characters, also good guys. Except Reuben and he’s not a nice guy. He’s a bad guy—evil actually. But he’s not really there…sorta kinda. Anyway, as you go through Patrick’s Day Zero—a complete mystery to him and me at first—you’ll find that it’s a horribly bad day gone worse…that easily moves into days…and then into…well, maybe forever. I can tell you that before you read this book, it would be good to check out the stability of any ceiling fans in your home, particularly in the bedroom, and especially if it’s over your bed. I know, I know; what? Just do it; you’ll be glad you did down the line. No sense taking chances—fiction built on life and so forth. There’s a love interest—Allison—and an office where Patrick works—when the janitor isn’t taking all his stuff away because he’s …well, not exactly there….and then there’s a girl who comes out of fire. (You might say she’s hot—like a phoenix rising…I like her.) And there’s lightening following a guy. ZAP! There’s even a good plausible explanation for ghosts. Patrick has to go through to get through and understand Day Zero—though once he understands what’s going on, things go speedily downhill until he thinks of super heroes. There. I don’t think I gave too much away. B. J. Hyman’s Day Zero: The Book of Patrick is a kinda sci fi, kinda horror, kinda what-the-hell-I-don’t-ever-want-to-be-this-guy sort of book. It’s like watching a train wreck, and you can’t look away, because if you do, you most assuredly will miss something that you need to know. Like maybe a taxi cab about to hit you.
What I really liked about B. J. Hyman’s Day Zero: The Book of Patrick is that every single character is written from the first person, I. I don’t think I’ve read a book like that—in recent memory—but if I were Patrick’s friend, memory issues would be usual. I could get into the character’s heads one at a time, and that way, I could feel down to the core what that individual was going through and how they connected to the others. The cool thing about this style is that it moves superfast and this one is dialog driven. Let me tell you, B. J. Hyman is a master at dialog, and I love dialog that moves a story forward. Hyman is so good at it that I didn’t want to put the book down. There’s no good stopping place—you simply have to know what’s going to happen next. Just one more page. Or ten. It speeds towards the finish so fast that one can easily forget that there’s no new page after the last page. (No worries, though; more is coming from B. J. Hyman. YAY!) You’ll have fun reading Hyman’s Day Zero: The Book of Patrick. You just will—no spoiler there!
Eyes (The Irises Series Book 1) by Veronique Poirier
You’ve heard the saying that “the eyes are the windows to the soul”? That certainly is the case in Veronique Poirier’s Eyes (The Irises Series Book 1) for Natacha—only it goes much further than that. Finding that she is growing into special “powers” is not something she’s happy to realize at first, and sharing that with a totally hot young man (Alec, who is very much like her) wasn’t what she was planning for—though it did have its positive points. Bouncing back from a bad relationship and into something new and exciting couldn’t be all bad, could it? Oh…unless she had to worry about mind reading and tempers and nasty supernatural hunters. ‘Nuff said. The eyes have it.
Veronique Poirer delivers a fun and sexy read for teens in the supernatural, paranormal adventure Eyes. Fast-paced, Poirer wrote so that I never had to think about the point of view of any one character. It’s all clearly laid out so that you understand the motives of the main characters—Natacha and Alec. The chapters are romantic (moderately steamy in places!) and snappy with an adventurous style, and the voices (written in first person) allowed me to identify with each person and connect to them. I read it at one sitting. This is a great introduction to what I’m sure will be an exciting series filled with an endearing group of characters as they grow and learn to fight another day. I’m thinking that the goal to reflect upon as you read Eyes is to think purple!
Pale Moon Walking By Paula Altenburg
Paula Altenburg has a winner with Pale Moon Walking. Not only are the outlaws out of this world, but so is the rendering of genuine characters moving through this Wild West romantic tale. Meet feisty and nontraditional Libby Mayden, the sheriff of Coyote Bluff, who knows what she wants—and doesn’t want—in the world (and in a man). Witness her struggles to live down an outlaw past as she flourishes as the town’s lawman…uh law-woman. She isn’t, though, expecting Sam Kyote, a desirable and capable Marshall for the US Government, to arrive on the scene for a “special assignment” to get into the middle of her life. It’s not just that Sam has a strange power—that is not only believable for those of us loving the paranormal and fantasy themes, but protective and deadly to those in Coyote Bluff—it’s more that crossing these two probable lovers once they connect is a whirlwind of mystery and adventure that the otherworldly Sky people need to be wary of.
And what about them? The Sky people: mysterious, here most likely for nefarious reasons, and who need to know where an important treasure to their world is hidden. Libby has the knowledge and the clues, Sam has the powers of illusion, Pete has the Moon legend, and Mary Lou has the frying pan. What can possibly go wrong? Love is in the air.
Don’t be misled thinking this is just a wonderfully laid-out romance novel. It is that, of course; Altenburg is a genius at this. But it’s so much more. The romance is dreamy. The mystery draws you in. The characters hold you fast. The setting Paula Altenburg has drawn in Pale Moon Walking is perfect. I felt immediately like I was set down in the 1800s Wild West—and I did not want to leave it! I had so much fun reading this that, one day, when I’d had a stressful afternoon at work, I’d put my head in my hands and said to myself: “I just want to get back to Libby and Sam!”
Paula Altenburg is a master at weaving all the components of good storytelling together: very well written, true to the characters and settings, fun to read, and something that will keep people looking for more from her. The only downside is that I didn’t want it to end. Folks, there’s no better review that that. Pale Moon Walking by Paula Altenburg: read it before the next full moon.
SOMEWHERE by the Sea (from the Finding SOMEWHERE series, Book I)
by Verna Clay
A treasure trove of emotional triggers that take a young widowed woman to her deceased family’s dream place as a final challenge to hold onto, and let go of, her departed husband and son. Wallowing in the knowledge that she was responsible for their deaths, SOMEWHERE—a small shore town that they’d been planning to visit as a family—was her only salvation. This was her last chance to hold them in her living world and to keep from letting them go.
As I went deeper with Verna Clay into SOMEWHERE by the Sea, I found the setting of the town was so well presented that I could feel myself being drawn into its unique charm—just as heroine Faith Bennison was: she needed to be away from memories, yet she needed to have those same memories etched in her mind. Of course, as is usually the case, all is not quaint and lovely at the Hope Bed and Breakfast, or with the friendly shop keepers, ocean views, and handsome men (like Baxter, the B&B owner’s son, who has her heart beating much too quickly). But just as happiness can bring an unlikely couple together, so might loss provide a similar cause, as is the case for Faith and Baxter. In fact, the town has even more relationship issues than those of Faith and Baxter blowing through the gentle winds, and those need their own happy endings. But for now, would this place be the right home for Faith to put down roots? There could be problems: the people in town—as lovely as they are—don’t believe she is seeing what she is seeing. Some are thinking the worst. To be honest, she, too, doubts her own eyes. There are great risks to her and her new friends, and especially the attractive Baxter, when the paranormal pays a visit to SOMEWHERE by the Sea.
What I loved about Verna Clay’s romantic tale is being totally immersed in the setting. I could picture the town so clearly with its houses and hills, the walking trails, the haunted stone house, the museum, the diner, and all the other nooks and crannies. I could walk down Main Street and Ocean Boulevard today and interact with Gabby and Leo and Vicki and Baxter. I could be Faith. I could love Baxter. The writing is superb as Clay's paranormal lazes through the town and along the beaches, barely noticed until… well, just know that there’s a reason for everything, and learning to make better choices can make a heart flutter when in the right person’s arms. SOMEWHERE by the Sea (Book I) by Verna Clay is a gentle romantic experience that will leave you wanting more of SOMEWHERE. This first in Clay’s series will beckon you forward to the next and the next. You may want to bring along your paints and easel.