REVIEW: Straight To Hell by Michelle Scott

Title: Straight to Hell (Lilith Straight #1)
Author: Michelle Scott
Publisher: HQ Digital
Publication Date: October 2013
Genre: Urban Fantasy
Buy The Book: Amazon | BN

Description: The Devil Never Forgets a Deal

I, Lilith Straight, was the woman you always wanted to be. I was married to someone better looking than your husband; we lived in that house you always wanted. Within a year, however, all of that changed. My marriage dissolved, my house burned down, and my job hardly paid the bills. So when I was hit by a car and died, I thought my life couldn’t get any worse. Boy was I wrong.

Hell was not the place I imagined. It was worse. During my brief stay, I learned some disturbing truths about my family. Most worryingly my ancestor’s deal with the devil promising him every female descendent as a succubus.

So these were my options: Life on earth as a soul-sucking seductress. Or death and pass the succubus baton to my sweet little daughter. There was no choice. Welcome to hell on earth, Lilith. Mother, teacher, wanton she-demon.

My Thoughts: I received this book from the publisher via Net Galley and man, oh man, how fortuitous it was that I noticed this book and submitted a request to review it. Never having read anything by this author, I was not familiar with her voice or writing style, but after reading the description of this book, I couldn’t resist. Lilith Straight isn’t the type of woman I would seek out a friendship with. She even puts it quite eloquently, herself. She’s the woman the rest of us want to be. From the better looking husband and amazing home and money out the wazoo, the rest of us peasants can only stand on the sidelines and dream of that kind of life. But then everything changes for Lilith. She loses it all. Husband, house and money all go bye-bye. Can it get any worse? Lilith finds out first hand just how worse it can and does get. Lilith gets hit by a car and dies; oh and then she wakes up in Hell. Still not that bad, you say? Lilith finds out her ancestor made a deal with the Devil and her soul, along with the souls of every female descendant are in service to Hell as a Succubus. The fine print puts Lilith between a rock and a hard place when she learns that if she refuses her assignment, then her young daughter is up next.

This book was a lot of fun. Though Lilith is dealt a very bad hand, she tries to make the best of it, trying to find some balance between her succubus duties and her Mom duties, all while keeping it a secret from her friends and family. Throw in a sexy incubus that Lilith spends a lot of time with and a demon or two, Lilith has her hands full. In case you are wondering how demons shop, this book will show you and trust me, they don’t hit the racks at Ross or Nordstrom!

My Final Verdict: This book was highly entertaining. The plot flowed smoothly and the characters were interesting and easy to relate to. I liked Lilith immediately and couldn’t wait to see what she would do next. She struggles with authority and it will be interesting to find out what is in store for Lilith next.

Disclaimer: I received a complimentary copy of Straight to Hell from the publisher in exchange for an honest review.

REVIEW: Ghost Shadow by Heather Graham

Title: Ghost Shadow (Bone Island, #1)
Author: Heather Graham
Publisher: Mira
Publication Date: June 2010
Genre: Mystery / Romantic Suspense
Buy The Book: Amazon | BN | Audible

Description: There are those who walk among us who are no longer alive, but not yet crossed over. They seek retribution…vengeance…to warn. Among the living, few intuit their presence.

Katie O'Hara is one who can.

As she’s drawn deeper and deeper into a gruesome years-old murder, whispered warnings from a spectral friend become more and more insistent. But Katie must uncover the truth: could David Beckett really be guilty of his fiancée’s murder?

Worse – the body count’s rising on the Island of Bones, and the dead seem to be reenacting some macabre tableaux from history. The danger is increasing by the moment – especially as Katie finds herself irresistibly drawn to David, who may be responsible for more than just one killing….

My Thoughts: Not a bad story, overall, though the mystery felt contrived. I liked Katie and David and I'm hoping the rest of the books in this series are better.

What kept me engaged in this book and what will bring me back to this series is Bartholomew, the ghost. I found him to be the most engaging character in the story and the poor man has been dead a few hundred years! He was witty and charming and sometimes hilarious while being pompous and arrogant. I really liked how he has Katie's back, even though from Katie's point of view, it's an annoyance. I'm not quite ready for him to go into the light, but I feel bad for what he endured while he was alive and am rooting for him to get his reward and eternal peace.

REVIEW: Skinny Me by Charlene Carr

Title: Skinny Me (A New Start, #1)
Author: Charlene Carr
Publisher: Charlene Carr
Publication Date: September 2014
Genre: Women’s Fiction
Buy The Book: Amazon | BN

Description: Whirling from a life that's crumbling around her, Jennifer Carpenter devotes herself to the one thing she can control: becoming the ideal version of herself—a thinner version—no matter the cost.

She isn't always nice. She isn't always likable, but she's honest.

Skinny Me is an in-depth look at the complicated layers of insecurity and depression that can stem from seeking self-worth and beauty in the numbers on a scale.

This novel is beautiful, harsh, and truthful in its characterization of a woman who is flawed, yet inspirational.

My Thoughts: I ended up liking this story overall, but I have to be honest here and say, it was a real struggle to like it, much less finish it. I never warmed to the main character, Jennifer Carpenter, because in a story that features a woman who is down on her luck in all areas of her life should harvest feelings of empathy and compassion from the reader, I felt contempt. Why, you may be asking? The reason is because this character is not a nice person. She’s hostile and rude to everyone around her, even the people that truly care about her. She’s a downer to be around. She is insecure about her weight and though that is a big problem for most of us, it doesn’t give her the right to be hateful. A lot of us struggle with weight and seeking our self-worth from the scale or mirror but being nasty and rude to people isn’t acceptable. So, no, I didn’t like her.

The main reason I stuck with this story is because I was curious to see if her journey to lose weight would also lead her on a journey of self-discovery to work on what’s wrong on the inside and not just the outside. I did begin to empathize with her feelings of self-loathing and disappointment when she wasn’t seeing the results she wanted to and I admired her determination to stick with it.

My Final Verdict: Unfortunately, I wish I could say I was cheering Jennifer on until the finish line and she completely redeemed herself by the end of the book. Instead, I will say, she is headed in the right direction but has a long way to go. The best thing I took away from this book is that becoming the best version of yourself is always a work in progress. The journey is mostly up-hill and you will stumble and fall a lot, but the key is to never give up.

Disclaimer: I received a complimentary copy of Skinny Me from the author in exchange for an honest review.

REVIEW: Echoes In Death by J.D. Robb

Title: Echoes In Death (In Death #44)
Author: J.D. Robb
Publisher: St. Martin’s Press
Publication Date: February 2017
Genre: Mystery / Urban Fantasy
Buy The Book: Amazon | BN | Audible

Description: After a party in New York, Lieutenant Eve Dallas rides home with her billionaire husband, Roarke, happy to be done with cocktails and small talk.

After another party, not far away, a woman retires to her bedroom with her husband—and walks into a brutal nightmare.

Their paths are about to collide…

When the young woman—dazed, naked, and bloody—wanders in front of their car, Roarke slams on the brakes just in time, and Eve, still in glittering gown and heels, springs into action. It’s been a long night for the tired homicide cop, and it’s far from over.

Daphne Strazza is rushed to the ER, but it’s too late for Dr. Anthony Strazza. A brilliant orthopedic surgeon, he now lies dead amid the wreckage of his obsessively organized town house, his three safes opened and emptied. Daphne would be a valuable witness, but in her terror and shock the only description of the perp she can offer is repeatedly calling him “the devil” . . .

While it emerges that Dr. Strazza was cold, controlling, and widely disliked—and that he treated Daphne like a trophy wife—this is one case where the evidence doesn’t point to the spouse as the first suspect. So Eve and her team must get started on the legwork, interviewing everyone from dinner-party guests to professional colleagues to caterers, in a desperate race to answer some crucial questions:

What does the devil look like? And where will he show up next?

My Thoughts: Once again J.D. Robb delivers another edge of the seat nail-biter story when Eve Dallas’s next case jumps in front of her, literally. This story has some disturbing content with the crimes committed, but once I got through that and just focused on Eve’s brilliant powers of deduction and the interaction between her and the Scooby gang, I found the story intriguing. I had a hard time figuring out the who and the why, but that’s OK. Eve and the crew do a much better job than I could.

Peabody can be annoying and a little over the top and sometimes she makes Eve’s eyes roll back into her head so hard, the reader feels it, but their relationship dynamic is wonderful to witness. They play off one another perfectly and sometimes Peabody will say something that renders even Dallas speechless. Peabody can be such a girl sometimes, but she has come so far in this series and after forty-four books of blood, mayhem and death, she’s owed a little leniency.

Roarke is brilliant as the civilian consultant we have come to know and love. I especially love his devotion and dedication to his cop and how he will rearrange the universe to make Eve his top priority. His care and concern for Eve is not something she was used to ever receiving from anyone, but after a few year of marriage, she is slowly adjusting and letting Roarke take care of her, which is also wonderful to witness.

Eve shows the same concern and devotion to her victims. It doesn’t matter who they were in life, saint or demon. In death, they are hers and she will fight for them, bring them justice, no matter the cost. Eve will give up her blood, sweat and tears to make it happen and that is what brings me back to this series over and over.

My Final Verdict: Though I have loved books in this series more than others, as a whole, this is a series I cannot get enough of. I highly recommend this series to fans of mysteries, suspense, police-procedurals and yes, even romance. Readers who love stories that draw them in and keep them plugged in with characters that really resonate and stories that keep the reader guessing will never be disappointed with this series.

REVIEW: The Curvy Girls Baby Club by Michele Gorman

Title: The Curvy Girls Baby Club (The Curvy Girls Club #2)
Author: Michele Gorman
Publisher: Notting Hill Press
Publication Date: August 2015
Genre: Chick-Lit
Buy The Book: Amazon | BN

Description: As the co-founders of The Curvy Girls Club, where loving yourself is the only rule, can these friends practice what they preach?

Ellie is fresh back from her honeymoon and can’t wait to share her news with her best friends Katie and Jane. She's going to have a baby on Christmas day! To everyone’s surprise, mother-of-two, Jane, has news of her own… The women will be due a day apart, and Katie can’t wait to be an honorary aunt to the babies.

But as the months go on, everyone is finding it hard to keep their sense of humor, not to mention their self-esteem, in the face of swollen feet and pregnancy pants. Add a clingy mother-in-law, a career in cardiac arrest and a sex life that's making Mother Theresa look lusty, and soon the women's lives are as out of control as their bodies.

My Thoughts: One of my favorite go-to authors when I want a story with characters the reader can really relate to and a story the reader can completely immerse themselves in.

I really enjoyed the premise of these best friends who all fall pregnant at the same time. The ups and downs, the morning sickness, the swelling ankles, the expanding waistline, the food cravings, the emotional roller-coasters, meddling in-laws, unsympathetic bosses, the list goes on and on. Through it all Ellie, Katie and Jane have each other to support one another, celebrate the ups and sympathize with the downs.

This is a sequel to The Curvy Girls Club so I recommend reading that one first to get to know Ellie, Katie and Jane a little bit beforehand.

Disclaimer: I received a complimentary copy of The Curvy Girls Baby Club from the author in exchange for an honest review.

REVIEW: Troubled Spirits by Elizabeth Delisi

Title: Troubled Spirits
Author: Elizabeth Delisi
Publisher: Amber Quill Press, LLC
Publication Date: August 2015
Genre: Urban Fantasy

Description: When widow Laura St. Clair loses her eight-year-old son to a rare disease, she’s lost everything and has no desire to live without him. Desperate, she tries to reach the spirit of her son with a Ouija board she finds in his room amongst his favorite toys.

Laura is stunned when she actually makes contact with something. But what is it...a friendly spirit, or an evil one? Can the mysterious entity truly bring her news of her son? And if so, what will it expect from her in return?

My Thoughts: This book wasn’t what I was expecting. I was expecting a romance, but there really isn’t one. The main character is grieving the loss of her little boy when she discovers a Ouija board in her son’s room. For obvious reasons, I would have run from the room after smashing the thing to smithereens, but Laura doesn’t. Instead, she starts using it and very quickly makes contact with someone. The problem is Laura has no idea if the soul she is communicating with is benevolent or malevolent. If it were me, we would never find out because no good has come from messing around with items of supernatural power. Go watch The Exorcist, Jumanji, Hocus Pocus or The Mummy. Fortunately for Laura, what she discovers changes her life completely.

My Final Verdict: This was a short and very quick read and I found the story to be OK. The story held my interest and I liked the characters, though I had major concerns about Laura playing with a Ouija board.

Disclaimer: I received a complimentary copy of Troubled Spirits from the author in exchange for an honest review.