A River of Crows by Shanessa Gluhm Blog Tour/Book Review

I received a gifted copy and am providing a review.

This book pulled me in immediately. As soon as I started to read it, I knew I would hardly be able to put it down. The story of the Hadfields is one of a family back in the late 1980s, growing up poor but not knowing it and making the most of what they had. Sloan didn’t know she was poor, all she knew was she had a mom, a dad, and her brother Ridge. Like any teenager with hopes and dreams, Sloan took off and never looked back.

The fascination with crows throughout this book is what intrigued me. The author drops many interesting facts about crows. Sloan’s perseverance to find out the truth about what happened also intrigued me. Sloan is the kind of person who doesn’t give up and I appreciate that about her character. I also like the character Noah, who was Sloan’s best friend back when they were growing up, even though their friendship crossed a barrier back then. I appreciate the fact that Sloan’s parents did the best they could for their kids, like any parents do. I even appreciated Felicity who is a very colorful character.

To me, the characters in this book are very relatable, anywhere from what they went through as kids to the music they liked, even the TV shows they watched back in that time period. I definitely would not hesitate to read more of this author’s work.

 

Purchase Links:

Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/River-Crows-Shanessa-Gluhm-ebook/dp/B0BXB72MMR/ref=sr_1_1?crid=WL50Y8RPJ552&keywords=a+river+of+crows+by+shanessa+gluhm&qid=1679325270&sprefix=a+river+of+crows%2Caps%2C592&sr=8-1

Barnes and Noble: https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/a-river-of-crows-shanessa-gluhm/1143175839?ean=9781956851588

 

Find Ms. Gluhm:

Website: https://shanessagluhm.com/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/authorshanessagluhm#crows

Readers’ Roost Facebook Street Team: https://www.facebook.com/groups/1152847591847326/

BookBub: https://www.bookbub.com/authors/shanessa-gluhm#crows

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/20042646.Shanessa_Gluhm#crows

Twitter: https://twitter.com/GluhmShanessa#crows

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/shanessagluhmauthor/

 

Interested in your own book tour?

Partners in Crime: https://www.partnersincrimetours.net/

Need a proofreader? I’ve got you covered - https://www.melissaproofs.com/

 

The Vanishing at Castle Moreau by Jaime Jo Wright Blog Tour/Book Review

I received a gifted copy and am providing a review.

Once I got to chapter 3, I really did not want to put this book down. It pulled me in. This story starts out with The Girl in 1801, moves on to Daisy in 1870, then goes right to Cleo (and Murphy, her cat) in the present day. Each of these individuals have a tie to Castle Moreau whether they know it or not, the castle draws them for whatever reason. Castle Moreau was built by Tobias Moreau for his wife; they had a daughter Ora Moreau, who became a well-known authoress, though her subject matter was frowned upon by the more proper ladies of her time. Daisy was hired to “watch” Madame, as she was known, and report back to her son, Lincoln; there’s a backstory there as well.

Fast forward to the present day when Cleo is hired by Deacon Tremblay, a descendant of the Moreaus, to organize his Grand-mere’s mess, his Grand-mere being Virgie. Cleo has her own story and her own reasons for running, which will keep you turning pages to find out what secrets she has. I was highly entertained with Deacon hiring Cleo on the sly, and how Cleo handled the secrets she started to uncover.

There are quite a few intertwining twists intermixed between the pages of The Vanishing at Castle Moreau and they all weave together for this fascinating tale. This tale is a ghost story, with a haunted castle; people go missing, seemingly having just disappeared into thin air. Again, for whatever reason, The Girl, Daisy, and Cleo are all drawn to Castle Moreau. The ending … the real reason … that was quite a shocker! I look forward to more of Ms. Wright’s tales.

This sums up Castle Moreau: “For there was nothing here but absurdity, angles and twists that no one could explain, and yet the castle called with an addictive element. Beckoning. It reached into the deep places in one’s soul and began to expose them for what they were. Broken pieces.”

Purchase Links:

Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/Vanishing-at-Castle-Moreau/dp/0764238345/ref=tmm_pap_swatch_0?_encoding=UTF8&qid=1674574798&sr=8-1

Barnes and Noble: https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/the-vanishing-at-castle-moreau-jaime-jo-wright/1141540036?ean=9780764238345

 

Find Ms. Wright:

Website: https://www.jaimewrightbooks.com/

Podcast: https://www.jaimewrightbooks.com/podcast-1

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/JaimeJoWright

BookBub: https://www.bookbub.com/authors/jaime-jo-wright

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/13916081.Jaime_Jo_Wright

Twitter: https://twitter.com/jaimejowright

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/jaimejowright/

 

Interested in your own book tour?

Partners in Crime: https://www.partnersincrimetours.net/

 

Need a proofreader? I’ve got you covered - https://www.melissaproofs.com/

 

The Way We Weren't by Phoebe Fox Book Review

 

Marcie Malone - Marcie Jones when she was in high school. She met Will in high school and they had that once-in-a-lifetime chemistry, the knowing they were destined to be together. Enter pregnancy. Enter all the hopes and dreams vaporizing in the blink of an eye, their lives taking a big turn in another direction. Enter the very sensitive topic of losing their baby and all the emotional turmoil that goes with it, and some pretty in-tune, realistic feelings of grief, loss, and sense of relief (that’s not a bad thing, it’s very realistic).

Will Malone - Wanting to do the right thing. There is no other way to describe Will other than the strong, steady, wanting-to-take-care of Marcie kinda guy.

Fast forward twenty-five years.

Heading off to work one day, Marcie keeps driving.

Enter Flint - how to describe Flint. He’s an old codger who has suffered some pretty traumatic losses himself, which gives him a very rough, very blunt disposition. Gotta love him though, he calls it like he sees it. Flint and Marcie have so much in common, having experienced the same kinds of losses, only on different levels. Marcie never judged Flint, and in turn, Flint never judged Marcie.

Enter Isobel - who has also suffered great loss in her lifetime.

Enter Jeff - the local beach artist Marcie met while she was on her excursion. Jeff opened up in Marcie something that she had been ignoring, not pursuing for the past twenty-five years.

And the most colorful characters in this tale - Darla (the owner of the Tequila Mockingbird, the local bar), and her three constant customers - Art, Petey, and Bink. These four just add so much to this tale of heartache, hope, recapturing what was lost.

The thing that binds Marcie, Flint, and Isobel together, sadly, is their own personal tragedies, but somehow friendships are formed, relationships rekindled, hope still survives in the deepest parts of themselves.

This is not my typical read, but I decided to give it a go. I was not disappointed. If you are looking for a lighter read, but one with some pretty “big” topics, I’d recommend giving this one a read. I almost finished it in a day … that is how drawn into this story I was. Another thing I really appreciate about this story is how “real” the thoughts and feelings of the characters are, as well as how the community was drawn together in the face of a storm.

The Other Cheek by Jafe Danbury Book Review

 

I received this book as a gift.

We do not hear the “other side” of domestic abuse … you know, the one from the man’s side of things. Abuse in any form is not easy to talk about nor is it easy to walk away from.

So, here we have Rich … a young guy, married for the first time, then SLAP! What? How could that possibly have just happened? It did. I found myself relating to Rich, so much. That’s a rare thing for me, to feel like someone “got it,” a character in a book. Yeah, to be honest, like one quote in this book - been there, done that, got the tee-shirt (in my case, minus the SLAP!). Rich, though, is a stand-up guy. Never once did he blame Tami, never once did he judge her for her own issues. That says something about Rich’s character. I did, however, enjoy his birthday present to her.

Tami … let’s just say Tami has her own set of issues which are nothing to laugh about. On one hand, I did find myself feeling a bit sorry for Tami, on the other hand - not so much. She comes across as a spoiled brat who just wants her own way and when she doesn’t get it - BOOM! She flies off the handle, which I think had more to do with her mental illness than anything else. She just could not cope in certain situations.

Then there are their families - Tami’s family did not seem overly supportive, at least not to me, or maybe they just did not understand the depth of her issues. Rich’s family - extremely supportive, nonjudgmental; the kind of family you want on your side. Much to Rich’s surprise, I’m sure, his friends/coworkers rallied around him.

Yes, this is a story of domestic abuse but there is also a deeper meaning. It is also a story of hope, a story of making it through to the other side, a story of “The Other Cheek.”

I stayed up past my bedtime reading this one … that doesn’t happen often. This book definitely comes from the author’s heart, and I totally respect him for putting his story “out there.” I am going to put a trigger warning on this one for domestic abuse, in all forms.

Montana Seal Protector by Debra Parmley Book Review

 

I received this book as a gift.

This is book seven in this seven-book series about the Brotherhood Protectors. This one is the story of Ellen and her journey through the Triple C Ranch and then her life outside of the ranch.

I have to say that, so far, this has been my favorite book of the series. I like the fact that Ellen went through the program and then has an “after story,” if you will, learning that she can have a “normal” life after what she went through.

I also liked learning about Travis and his backstory, how he got his nickname “Ballistic.” And his little boy, how he was coping with his loss and his new life. There is a fight scene, of course, which I enjoyed.

Mortimer has his own story.

This particular book moves along at a good pace and brings into play characters from previous books in the series. While it can be read as a stand-alone, I think reading the other books in the series will help give readers a better sense of the other characters who are named and more of their backstories. The thing about this particular series is that these are short stories, what one might term a novella, so they are perfect for a road trip, a bus trip, or while waiting for an appointment. They pack just enough “heat” to keep turning pages.