SEAL TEAM SIX: HUNT THE JACKAL

SEAL TEAM SIX: HUNT THE JACKAL         DON MANN
Posted:  June 20, 2014

Hunt the Jackal (SEAL Team Six, #4) Real-life SEAL Don Mann brings all of his insight and experience to the next installment of the SEAL Team Six series.

When a senator's wife and teenage daughter are kidnapped, Thomas Crocker and SEAL Team Six are sent to Mexico's lawless countryside, where federal agents protect instead of hunting down violent narcotics kingpins. The two women have been kidnapped by the Jackal, a drug lord drunk on power and influence. He also happens to be a self-styled modern Che Guevara, who has undergone plastic surgery to disguise his looks and justifies his brutal methods and Machiavellian drug empire with the politics of social revolution. The Jackal is as ruthless as he is colorful, and he must be stopped. 
Crocker and the SEALs have only a matter of hours to track down and rescue the two innocent civilians held at the mercy of this madman. With dirty cops, dangerous cartels, lavish tropical estates, double-crosses and plenty of bullets, Hunt the Jackal places the team in perilous new territory and demonstrates how elite warriors can adapt to and fight in any situation. 
With insight into sensitive intelligence so top-secret it can only be hinted at in fiction, Mann and Pezzullo's extensive knowledge has for several books offered a look behind the curtain at the life-or-death, black-ops missions executed by only a handful of the bravest soldiers. Now, withHunt the Jackal, the authors focus their lens even closer to home upon the dangers that lurk just across the U.S. border in a pulse-pounding thriller that ups the ante even as it sheds light on the real-life heroes and villains of the fight against narco-terrorism.

HUBBY'S REVIEW:
This is the first time I have read any of Mr. Mann's, books. I enjoyed the fast pace of the story and the depth you got to know about each character, from the seal team members to the wife of a senator who was kidnapped, you got to look inside their mind. This story takes you around the globe and though there is killing it does not feel random.  It went with the story and you could see some of that actually happening. He also went through what must be going on with any of the SEAL members and that is the feeling guilty of missing birthdays and such. Like I said a very good read and good story. I got this book from net galley.

AN UNWILLING HUSBAND

AN UNWILLING HUSBAND                            TERA SHANLEY
Posted:  June 20, 2014

An Unwilling HusbandFor adventurous Margaret Flemming, arrived from Boston to be with her father, the Old West town of her childhood is a far cry from the drawing rooms and balls of the high society life she’s used to. Her fancy gowns and proper manners have no place in the dusty, cruel land inhabited by Indians and rough cowboys. And her fiercely independent streak constantly gets her in trouble. When tragedy strikes, there’s only one person she can turn to--her childhood friend, Garret Shaw--but he’s disgusted with her Society ways.
With his ranch under attack from the land-grabbing Jennings, the last thing Garret needs is to be saddled with a high-falutin’ lady. Even if she is his friend’s daughter and her kind ways tug at his hardened heart. Duty to her father forces them to wed, but he knows sure as anything, when the chance comes along, she’ll go back to Boston. No matter how much he wants her, loving her is not a risk he can take.
Will Maggie choose a life of luxury and ease over struggle and hardship with an ill-mannered cowboy? Only her heart can answer.
CONTENT WARNING: A potty-mouthed proper lady, a reluctant bridegroom and all kinds of trouble.

HUBBY'S REVIEW:
This western starts off with you meeting Margaret Fleming, who has left Boston to come back west to the father she has ever known but that her mother left when she was 13. Now her mother has passed on and she is tired of her aunt. Happy to see her father they have a good one day visit when he is hurt and before he dies he asked or really makes his neighbor Garrett Shaw, to marry Margaret and take care of her. When he finally promises her father dies. They have his funeral and then their marriage all in the same day, Garrett and his men from his ranch are heading off on a cattle drive. From there the story takes time for them to get equated they knew each other when they were younger but he has a lot of anger built up because of her and her mother leaving soon after his own mother dying. He also has a thing with women especially who come from back East and with money thinking that they are going to run out when there is a problem. These all make for a good story plus there are more issues going on with some of the people from town. Then you have Margaret, who can be proper but also has a foul mouth as well. This is a good story about relationships and getting to know one another after years have gone bye and then working together to try to build something with a ranch and the team work it takes to do it together. There are many different story lines going in this one story and I found this book to be very entertaining. A very good book. I got this book from net galley.

GUIDEBOOK TO MURDER

GUIDEBOOK TO MURDER                            LYNN CAHOON
Posted:  June 20, 2014

Guidebook to MurderIn the gentle coastal town of South Cove, California, all Jill Gardner wants is to keep her store--Coffee, Books, and More--open and running. So why is she caught up in the business of murder?When Jill's elderly friend, Miss Emily, calls in a fit of pique, she already knows the city council is trying to force Emily to sell her dilapidated old house. But Emily's gumption goes for naught when she dies unexpectedly and leaves the house to Jill--along with all of her problems. . .and her enemies. Convinced her friend was murdered, Jill is finding the list of suspects longer than the list of repairs needed on the house. But Jill is determined to uncover the culprit--especially if it gets her closer to South Cove's finest, DetectiveGreg King. Problem is, the killer knows she's on the case--and is determined to close the book on Jill permanently. . ."

HUBBY'S REVIEW:
This is a story about a women who owns a coffee house that also sells books. Her friend Miss Emily, who she visits often dies suddenly and when it is discovered that she was killed, Jill Gardner who is the owner of the coffee house decides she is going to solve the murder. But Detective Greg King is in charge of the investigation and at times she gets in the way. This is a good who done it? There are many suspects and the characters are well describe. I thought this to be a good story and I was actually surprised by the person who did it at the end. So a very good story in deed. I got this book from net galley.

A TRUST BETRAYED

A TRUST BETRAYED                                        MIKE MAGNER
Posted:  June 20, 2014

A Trust Betrayed: The Untold Story of Camp Lejeune and the Poisoning of Generations of Marines and Their FamiliesWhile the big bad corporation has often been the offender in many of the world’s greatest environmental disasters, in the case of the mass poisoning at Camp Lejeune the culprit is a revered institution: the US Marine Corps. For two decades now, revelations have steadily emerged about pervasive contamination, associated clusters of illness and death among the Marine families stationed there, and military stonewalling and failure to act. Mike Magner’s chilling investigation creates a suspenseful narrative from the individual stories, scientific evidence, and smoldering sense of betrayal among those whose motto is undying fidelity. He also raises far-reaching and ominous questions about widespread contamination on US military bases worldwide.

HUBBY'S REVIEW:
This book begins with a history of the name of Camp Lejeune, and the man it is named after. Then it goes into the beginning of when it was activated and how it is set up. There are maps showing the housing for families, barracks, motor pools, other repair areas, and where the water storage tanks are and where the run off from the different repair areas are. Then the story begins and the story from my point of view does not have a happy ending. It begins in the 1930s when two cleaning solvents known as TCE & PCE. PCE, was used mainly in laundry operations, like dry cleaning. TCE, was a commonly used as a degreaser, cleaning solvent & paint thinner. The military was the major purchaser of both but mainly TCE. TCE, was used from removing grit and grime from planes, tanks, jeeps, other vehicles and weapons. For the longest time the belief was that these chemicals caused no harm to the environment or to humans, of course this was the 30s & 40s, the government thought DDT was safe also. This is where the story becomes for me almost criminal but you can’t sue the government. By the early 1960s women who became pregnant at Camp Lejeune, and remained on base throughout their pregnancy the babies were still born, and if they transferred to another base pass their second trimester their child was usually either born with a birth defect or still born. One of the mothers said that she did not notice the grave makers until she went back to put flowers on her babies grave that all of the makers were 1962 and all were babies. She also knew some of the names but no one talked to anyone. That was in Hawaii, and when they started to investigate there were other cemeteries with the thing sadly rose of makers of children all passed away because of the water at Camp Lejeune. The Dep OR THE NAVY, who actually is in charge of the operation of the regulations and how they are carried out said there are no problems with the water. This was in the 60s, they said they had their own water regulations and there for everything is fine. All of these deaths are a shame but are not because of the water. By the 70s the Federal government came out with water act and this required that all bases have their water tested. What ended up happening was Lejeune hired a chemist but they were not testing all of the dumping areas, and when some of the test that were required they could not do them on base because they did not have the equipment. The request for testing and for equipment sat in another box in Washington in the Dep of the Navy. You see where this is going. Now there law suites starting to be filled be service personal due to birth defects caused by the water at the camp when they were stationed there. Their evidence was that their other children were born without any problems and they were stationed at other Marine Camps. Some these atrocities were happening while the husbands were in Vietnam fighting. By 1982 when the government came in to start checking on the water they found 72 sites on the camp that was being used as form of waste deposal. A civilian equipment operator took camp officials to an area where he had buried at least 55 drums of mustard gas or nerve gas in 1953. He said, “That the Marine Corps officials’ who hired him for the job told him to wear extensive protective gear including a gas mask.” There was also another site where drums of chemicals were buried and a basketball court covered it. New test were ordered in 1984 when they realized they had a problem. Once they realized there was a problem a new commandant was put in place and basically told to write a cya memo. When asked in 1999 for documents from 1984 and for a water test called (cce) that was requested by the federal government, the response was that a ware house fire destroyed all of the records. As former marine personal and the spouses sued for the cost of care for their disabled child, the government attorneys used the Feres Doctrine, says that a military personnel could not sue the government fir injuries sustained while on active duty. “Gross “alleged injury occurred in his home on military property during – off duty hours. This is from a case from the 1940s when a soldier was killed during a fire in the barracks and the courts said the parents could not sue for damages. These attorneys were or are still using this same defense here in the 2000s. This book made me sick because it goes against everything that is the Corps, Semper Fidelis; Always, Faithful. In this case there not and this book goes into much more detail than I can give in a review. Very well written and a lot of reverences to go with the information he has put out. A very sad story of a proud Corps and they have done a disservice to Gen. Lejeune. I got this book from net galley.

COP TOWN

COP TOWN                                                      KARIN SLAUGHTER
Posted:  June 20, 2014

Cop Town Karin Slaughter, author of the New York Times bestselling Will Trent novels, is widely acclaimed as “one of the best crime novelists in America” (The Washington Post). Now she delivers her first stand-alone novel: an epic story of a city in the midst of seismic upheaval, a serial killer targeting cops, and a divided police force tasked with bringing a madman to justice.
Atlanta, 1974: As a brutal murder and a furious manhunt rock the city’s police department, Kate Murphy wonders if her first day on the job will also be her last. She’s determined to defy her privileged background by making her own way—wearing a badge and carrying a gun. But for a beautiful young woman, life will be anything but easy in the macho world of the Atlanta PD, where even the female cops have little mercy for rookies. It’s also the worst day possible to start given that a beloved cop has been gunned down, his brothers in blue are out for blood, and the city is on the edge of war.
Kate isn’t the only woman on the force who’s feeling the heat. Maggie Lawson followed her uncle and brother into the ranks to prove her worth in their cynical eyes. When she and Kate, her new partner, are pushed out of the citywide search for a cop killer, their fury, pain, and pride finally reach the boiling point. With a killer poised to strike again, they will pursue their own line of investigation, risking everything as they venture into the city’s darkest heart.
Relentlessly paced, acutely observed, wickedly funny, and often heartbreaking, Cop Town is Karin Slaughter’s most powerful novel yet—a tour de force of storytelling from our foremost master of character, atmosphere, and suspense.

HUBBY'S REVIEW:
Cop Town, is a story that is taking place in the 70s in Atlanta. The characters are fictional but after a while you forget and start to wonder if these really are people that you may have known at one time or another. The story focuses on Maggie Lawson and her family. They are a cop family and the city is in the mist of someone killing cops, so far five. This story is mostly from her point and a new female cop starting named Kate, as the book goes along you get each ones back story plus you get to fell what it must have felt like when females were starting in any police force and what they were up against at the job, streets, and home, oh I forgot each other also. Another thing I liked about this book is if toy were like me and can still remember the 70s, the author really brings you back to that area and all of the ling go and the description of clothing, music, cars, just so much this really made the story feel real. She also brings out the sights, sounds, and smells of not only the streets but also of the police station and the jail. If you have worked in any of these she really brings you back to that place at least for me. There really is a different smell. Working in law enforcement she really grab the friendships and working conditions of the officers, also the conflicts that they may have had as well. Over all I thought this was a very outstanding story and I don’t want to give away anything, so I hope you take the time to read this book. I got this book from net galley.

LAYING CLAIM

LAYING CLAIM                                                  PATY JAGER
Posted:  June 20, 2014

Laying Claim: Halsey HomecomingHalsey Homecoming Trilogy is the on-going saga of the Halsey Brothers Series. Jeremy Duncan commits to haul one last load of supplies across the great interior of the Yukon before heading home. But, he has to trade his pack animals for sled dogs and leave Skagway in the middle of a blizzard due to one strong-willed, business-minded beauty. Determined to find her older brother, Clara Bixbee doesn't care how she gets across the pass, as long as she does, and soon. Hiring handsome pack guide Jeremy Duncan seems to be her best choice. Especially after she saves a young girl being beaten by the local gang leader and needs to escape Skagway fast. This book has explicit love scenes.

HUBBY'S REVIEW:
This story takes place in the Yukon, and starts with Clara Bixbee, arriving in Skagway and being taking advantage of right away but she does not figure it out for a while and when she does she is upset. She is there to find her brother who is in the Yukon mining for gold and she needs to hire a guide and find her brother to get back home because their father died and the man who is now running their family store is worthless. A women at this time cannot run or own a business. She meets Jeremy Duncan who thinks she is a good looking women and likes her spirit but knows that her voicing her opinion is going to get her into trouble. By the end of the first night he is right. They are selling his team of dogs and leaving town because of her and with the snow coming he is wanting to make the pass before it is closed. This is going to be his last trip and then he is leaving home to his family. What continues to happen is her getting him into a series of events that the more he looks at her he is becoming, more attracted to her and she is becoming more attracted to him. A very well written book with a lot of action and a fast paced story. I really enjoyed this book. I got this book from net galley.

KILLING HONOR

KILLING HONOR                                              S.M. BUTLER
Posted:  June 20, 2014

Killing Honor (Lucky Thirteen, #1) Only she ignites the passion within him…
Navy SEAL Brody Battles’ last mission ended with him shot twice. He’s made enemies he’d like to forget ever existed all over the world. He’s more than ready to go home to the family he left behind, but when he returns, he faces sleepless nights, a possible security breach and the fear that his family has moved on without him.
Only he fills the void left in her heart…
Marrying her childhood sweetheart sounds like a fairy tale dream come true, but not for Devyn. Thanks to his job, her husband has been off on a secret mission for so long, he’s never even seen his daughters in person. But now he’s back, and the fairy tale life is in sight, but Devyn’s not sure the man that returned is the same man who left.
…and only death quenches their enemy’s thirst for revenge.
Stitching their broken family back together proves difficult when nightmares and secrets build a wall between them. And while they’re adjusting to being a family again, an enemy waits in the shadows, salivating for the sweet taste of revenge.

This New Adult title includes adult situations and may not be suitable for readers under 18 years. 
Reading order of this series:
• Killing Honor, #1
• Wounded Courage, #2
• Dying Commitment, #3

HUBBY'S REVIEW:

In this story Brody battles, is a Navy Seal who is married to his childhood sweetheart Devyn. She gives birth to twin girls two weeks before he is deployed on a mission that ends up being almost two years. They have very little contact and before he comes home he is shot twice in the fire fight. He also becomes concerned about his identity, because his cover over his face was ripped off during the fight. This all leads to his problems of not feeling part of when he gets back home because he is worried but he cannot talk to his wife about what happened and what is going on now. Plus they are working out trying to be a family again with him being home and the girls getting used to him being there. A good story with a lot of marital issues of someone coming home and changing the dynamic of the house hold from what was going on before and the issues that each one feels or guilt about the situation and not talking about it. There is just enough action in this story to not to take away from the story of the couple. I got this book from net galley.

INN AT LAST CHANCE

INN AT LAST CHANCE                                     HOPE RAMSAY
Posted:  June 20, 2014

Inn at Last Chance (Last Chance, #7)Jenny Carpenter is the unrivaled pie-baking champion of Last Chance, South Carolina's annual Watermelon Festival and the town's unofficial spinster. With her dream of marriage and children on hold, she focuses on another dream, turning the local haunted house into a charming bed-and-breakfast. But her plans go off course when the home's former owner shows up on her doorstep on a dark and stormy night . . .
Mega-bestselling horror writer Gabriel Raintree is as mysterious and tortured as his heroes. His family's long-deserted mansion is just the inspiration he needs to finish his latest twisted tale, or so he thinks until he learns it's been sold. The new innkeeper proves to be as determined as she is kind, and soon Gabriel finds himself a paying guest in his own home. As Jenny and Gabe bring new passion to the old house, can she convince him to leave the ghosts of his past behind-and make Last Chance their first choice for a future together?

HUBBY'S REVIEW:
This story you are back in Last Chance, and some of the characters always make their presence. This story begins with Jenny Carpenter, buying the Raintree mansion and turning it into a bed and breakfast. She does have her award winning pies, muffins and other sweets. Everything is fine until Gabriel Raintree, shows up and wants to buy the place back but she won’t sell and he won’t leave. While all of this is going on he must deal with his own demons of the past his childhood. While this is going on something else is going on in the house or he thinks it is the house. Then he does not want to leave. This is one of the better stories of the Last Chance Books. So much is happening in this book I feel it would be wrong for me tell any more of the story. I am totally happy with this story and if you have read any of the other books you will not be disappointed. I got this book from net galley.

ALL I NEED IS YOU

ALL I NEED IS YOU                                          M. MALONE
Posted:  June 20, 2014

All I Need is You (The Alexanders, #4)ALL I NEED IS YOU is the fourth book in M. Malone's USA TODAYbestselling contemporary romance series: The Alexanders.
He'll do whatever it takes to protect her. What he won't do...
is fall in love...


Kaylee Wilhelm is tired of always being a good, respectful Southern belle. So when the man she loves leaves town after their steamy kiss, she's done. As a single mother with a demanding singing career, she has no time for pining after her former bodyguard.
Years ago Elliott Alexander disappeared for a year and then came back irrevocably changed. With the FBI still watching, he can't afford distractions. Especially not sweet kisses from the only woman who gets under his skin.
When she's targeted by a stalker who seems to know her every move, Eli is the only one who can protect her. He'll have to stop running from his past and face his demons.
And maybe, just maybe, find his way back home again.

WARNING: This book contains best friends with attitude, blind dates, the reckless use of explosives and a hero that gives new meaning to the term "in the closet". Did I mention this is a really sexy book? Just saying...
THE ALEXANDERS SERIES
Book 0.5 - Teasing Trent - the prequel
Book 1 - One More Day ~ Jackson & Ridley
Book 2 - The Things I Do for You ~ Nick & Raina
Book 3 - He's the Man ~ Matt & Penny
Book 3.5 - Christmas with The Alexanders
Book 4 - All I Need is You ~ Elliott & Kaylee
Book 5 - Say You Will ~ Trent & Mara (08/14)
Book 6 - Just One Thing ~ Bennett & Katie (11/14)

HUBBY'S REVIEW:
Let me first say that I enjoy Miss. Malone’s, books and this series about the Alexander’s. This book is about Elliot, who is a former FBI agent now owns his own security firm. He is protecting one of his clients Kaylee Williams, who is a single parent and is a recording artist for his brother. This book starts out good for me and the ending is also good, but there are parts in the middle that for me just did not work like in her other books. Maybe I was looking for a little more or something. The writing was good and the characters were well described but for me something was just missing. I am glad that we find out what happens with Elliot and for that reason you should read this book. Because he shows up in her other books. I got this book from net galley.

DEATH OF A POLICEMAN

DEATH OF A POLICEMAN                             M.C.BEATON
Posted:  June 20, 2014

Death of a Policeman (Hamish Macbeth, #30) Local police stations all over the Scottish Highlands are being threatened with closure. This presents the perfect opportunity for Detective Chief Inspector Blair, who would love nothing more than to get rid of Sergeant Hamish Macbeth. Blair suggests that Cyril Sessions, a keen young police officer, visit the town of Lochdubh to monitor exactly what Macbeth does every day. Macbeth hears about Blair's plan and is prepared to insure that Cyril returns back to headquarters with a full report. But Cyril is soon found dead and Hamish quickly becomes the prime suspect in his murder.

HUBBY'S REVIEW:
This story takes place in Scotland, and begins with officers hoping to get one of the easier assignments to the outskirts, in a village instead of a big town. One man is jealous of another officer and is wanting to take his job which he thinks is easy because it is covering an area of small towns. Of course this officer ends up dead and the other officer has to solve the crime to clear his name. Overall a good old fashion mystery. A well written book and you don’t find who done it until the end. I got this book from net galley.

ENDURING COURAGE

ENDURING COURAGE                                   EDDIE RICKENBACKER
Posted:  June 20, 2014

Enduring Courage:Ace Pilot Eddie Rickenbacker and the Dawn of the Age of Speed The sensational true story of Eddie Rickenbacker, America's greatest flying ace.
At the turn of the twentieth century two new technologies—the car and airplane—took the nation’s imagination by storm as they burst, like comets, into American life. The brave souls that leaped into these dangerous contraptions and pushed them to unexplored extremes became new American heroes: the race car driver and the flying ace.
No individual did more to create and intensify these raw new roles than the tall, gangly Eddie Rickenbacker, who defied death over and over with such courage and pluck that a generation of Americans came to know his face better than the president’s. The son of poor, German-speaking Swiss immigrants in Columbus, Ohio, Rickenbacker overcame the specter of his father’s violent death, a debilitating handicap, and, later, accusations of being a German spy, to become the American military ace of aces in World War I and a Medal of Honor recipient. He and his high-spirited, all-too-short-lived pilot comrades, created a new kind of aviation warfare, as they pushed their machines to the edge of destruction—and often over it—without parachutes, radios, or radar. 
Enduring Courage is the electrifying story of the beginning of America’s love affair with speed—and how one man above all the rest showed a nation the way forward. No simple daredevil, he was an innovator on the racetrack, a skilled aerial dualist and squadron commander, and founder of Eastern Air Lines. Decades after his heroics against the Red Baron’s Flying Circus, he again showed a war-weary nation what it took to survive against nearly insurmountable odds when he and seven others endured a harrowing three-week ordeal adrift without food or water in the Pacific during World War II. 
For the first time, Enduring Courage peels back the layers of hero to reveal the man himself. With impeccable research and a gripping narrative, John F. Ross tells the unforgettable story of a man who pushed the limits of speed, endurance and courage and emerged as an American legend.

HUBBY'S REVIEW:
I had first heard about Eddie Rickenbacher when I was a youngster going around with my grandfather to his VFW meetings or gatherings, he had fought in World War One so as a young boy I remember reading a small book about his time flying in the war and a plane crash. I also remember a movie about his life but all I remember is the plane crash. This book goes into much greater detail about his life. Starting with his home life which really was awful, but he didn’t know any better until he got a little older and by then he was doing his best in school and trying to stay away from his father who beat him when he came home drunk, which was quite often. Then when Eddie was about 13 his father was killed and he quit school and got a job, sweeping up in a factory. A few days later they were looking for someone to take over for a guy who failed to show for work and Eddie steeped right in. they were making spokes for bicycles and by the third day he had already made a template so he could make more or them per day but also caught down on the time of having to repeat each step. He not only got a raise but in a short time he was the Forman of the flour. The truant officers turned their heads the other way because they knew how much the family was struggling and Eddie’s older brother could not find work, so it was up to him to keep the family going. From there he finds a job that is at night sweeping a garage but in the garage are some automobiles that he has been looking at for a while and even drove one. This would be the job that would lead him into becoming a mechanic for a race car driver and then him himself as the driver of a race car. There is a large section of this book about his racing, the cars he drove, and the men he met and competed against. I was also surprised that he raced in Corona CA. since I lived there and that a fellow driver he knew was killed in a crash there. Most of the racing back then was road courses, until the Indy race which he competed in 4 times, never winning. Around this same time he became fascinated with flying and like with cars managed to talk his way into a flight, he was hooked from the moment he took off until landing. One thing I did not know was that the planes from that area and past WWI did not have brakes so they had to look for a long field shut off motor when getting close to landing and shut down the fuel to the engine. To me it seemed harder to land than to take off. The next part of the book deals with his time in the military. He was able to get an officers commission because he was the driver for General Pershing staff when they went to France for a fact finding tour of what was needed by the United States. His rank was Sargent, but then one afternoon there car broke down and they needed to get out of the area before dark and he fixed the car. From that moment on he was looked upon differently. When they got back to the States he was given the rank of LT. and assigned to the first air squadron. They really wanted him to work the planes which he did but he also wanted to fly. So in the morning he fixed the planes and in the evening he did his required flying and book learning. When they sent to France it turned out he was the only one that was ready to fly but they would not let him because they thought he was more valuable working on keeping the planes motors. Like everywhere else in his life he was again dealing with prejudice because he did not graduate from Harvard, Yale or any college for that matter. When they did finally let him fly they found out that not only could he fly but he could lead and took care of all of the pilots in his group. He would engage the Germans but he always had a plan and it seemed that he liked to form his group so they would be attacking out of the sun, so the sun would be at their back. He did lose some friends and he did miss some flying time because of illness. After the war he finally got married and started working with an airline, from there he would own the airline and after a short time the air line went out of business. The business filed for bankruptcy but he did not personally. He ended up paying off everyone that he owed, he said “I had do it because they put their faith in Me.” after this he ended up back in business and during WWII was when he was involved in a plane crash where they were at sea for three weeks only one man passed away. This book is filled with so much information that I hope people take the time to read about someone who is not talked about any more. This is a very well written book and I am glad I was able to read it. I got this book from net galley.

LIFTED: THE CULTURAL HISTORY OF THE ELEVATOR

LIFTED                                                                ANDREAS BERNARD        
Posted:  June 20, 2014

Lifted: A Cultural History of the ElevatorBefore skyscrapers forever transformed the landscape of the modern metropolis, the conveyance that made them possible had to be created. Invented in New York in the 1850s, the elevator became an urban fact of life on both sides of the Atlantic by the early twentieth century. While it may at first glance seem a modest innovation, it had wide-ranging effects, from fundamentally restructuring building design to reinforcing social class hierarchies by moving luxury apartments to upper levels, previously the domain of the lower classes. The cramped elevator cabin itself served as a reflection of life in modern growing cities, as a space of simultaneous intimacy and anonymity, constantly in motion. 
In this elegant and fascinating book, Andreas Bernard explores how the appearance of this new element changed notions of verticality and urban space. Transforming such landmarks as the Waldorf-Astoria and Ritz Tower in New York, he traces how the elevator quickly took hold in large American cities while gaining much slower acceptance in European cities like Paris and Berlin. Combining technological and architectural history with the literary and cinematic, Bernard opens up new ways of looking at the elevator--as a secular confessional when stalled between floors or as a recurring space in which couples fall in love. Rising upwards through modernity, Lifted takes the reader on a compelling ride through the history of the elevator. 
Andreas Bernard is editor of Suddeutsche Zeitung, Germany's largest daily newspaper. He received his Ph.D. in Cultural Sciences from the Bauhaus University Weimar, and teaches cultural studies in Berlin and Lucerne, Switzerland.
“The elevator, which today seems so boring, was once a vehicle of change of compelling power. Whoever reads this book will view the world’s elevators with different eyes.”
-Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung.

HUBBY'S REVIEW:
Lifted is a book about the effect of elevators on our society. The first chapter goes into really the two main inventions that improved the elevator. These were the brake and the electric door connection both made for a drastic reduction in accidents. The only injuries after these were during installation and men not paying attention during repair. The next part of the book talks about how the elevator changes the life of people living in tenement settings and anyone above the fifth floor. People who were either elderly or sick and young mothers having to carry a carriage up and down many flights of stairs would not go outside as much and there for with the stall air and not getting enough sun light they would continue to stay sick or get sick. The elevator allowed people to go out more often and to get out of the stall air that was in these buildings. I found this to be very interesting. After the 1920s and more into the 30s the larger apartments were beginning to be built on the top floors. Before this the bottom two floors had the larger apartments, the more expansive. I have noticed that in some of my travels that some older buildings in San Francisco and New York, for example had stairs not an elevator and because of the age of the building and the size you would not be able to install one. These both being hotels just carrying our bags up three floors was a chore. I can only imagined want it was like at the turn of the century. Towards the end of the book he talks about some of the movies that have an elevator in that is stuck and the people not knowing if they are going to get out start making statements of what they are going to do if they get out. For example, “you got mail”. I thought all of these facts to be very interesting and when he speaks high rises that really took off from the 30s for us, Europe did not start building them steadily until the 50s. over all a very good book. I got this book from net galley.

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THE STRONG ONE

THE STRONG ONE                                           STELLA HUNTER
Posted:  June 20, 2014

The Strong One by Stella HunterDavid Nobel has lusted over his sister’s friend Megan Scott since high school. Back then, she rejected the advances of the scrawny boy that he was. Now, he is a popular personal trainer and self-defense coach, which he credits to all the time spent in the gym after that fateful rejection. When David finds a scared, scarred Megan hiding out from her brutal ex-husband at his sister’s house, he must find a way to convince her just how strong she truly is—before his sister, Bethany, and her family get caught in the crossfire.
As David teaches Megan self-defense, his long-forgotten feelings return in force. The long sessions of close contact teach them both how to trust again. As Megan slowly takes back her life, David is left wondering if she’ll find any room in it for him.
With Megan’s ex-husband stalking her every move, David must show her that love is not a weakness, it is what makes her strong.

MY REVIEW:
   At least ten years had passed since they’d seen each other by David Nobel’s insecurities all kicked back in.  Even though he had done everything he could not to be the scrawny guy in high school who had a mad crush on his sister’s best friend.  It wasn’t like he hadn’t tried he did ask her out, but she flatly turned him down.  Megan Scott was beautiful and he was scrawny. 
     Now he knew he wasn’t scrawny anymore, he had a growth spurt and he was attractive.  Most of all he was now a personal trainer and teaches self-defense classes.  He has no reason at all to feel nervous right when his sister, Bethany, told him who this woman sitting in her living room looking at her lap was.  He was though, this woman looked beat down, and her confidence as well as his was gone, why?
     Megan used to be outgoing and fun to be around.  Without any of her friends knowing she met and married her ex.  The one time David ran into them, in which she had to introduce them, he shook hands with him and remembered feeling and doing the wiping of his hand on his pant leg.  He got a sleazy vibe from him, he had a really dark side to him, and he could feel it.  To hear Bethany say out loud that she had been abused by him, made him see red on her behalf.
     How do we get over our first loves especially ones that had been our best friend too?   He had seen her date all the jerks and rich guys and then marry this creep with money.  Then to find out he abused her set a whole lot of first emotions spinning.
     I totally enjoyed this story.  It was nice to see that even though this poor guy never won the hand of his best friend/crush from high school he still wanted to help her.  To empower her to give her peace of mind, and strength to do what she needed to do to protect herself.  I do wish however there was a better conclusion.  I give it 4 stars.  Free from Amazon.
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FIXING FREDDIE

FIXING FREDDIE                                             MONA INGRAM
Posted:  June 20, 2014

Fixing Freddie by Mona IngramSamantha hasn’t seen Freddie since they were in school and that was...what?...ten years ago? Back then he was painfully shy and was never seen without a computer game in his hand. So when he shows up in her favorite coffee shop she doesn’t recognize him at first. He’s still into computer games, and to make matters worse, his hair is long and his sense of style sucks. He’s nothing like her suave, sexy boyfriend. They discover they’ve both been invited to the same wedding and when he bemoans his lack of style, she surprises herself by offering to help him with a make-over.
But Freddie isn’t the only one in need of help. While Samantha helps Freddie, he helps her discover an inner strength she didn’t know she had. Join Samantha and Freddie as they navigate the minefield of their growing attraction on the way to finding out who they really are.
This mini novel runs just under 20,000 words – a delightful afternoon read. Caution, some coarse language.

MY REVIEW:
     This story starts off with two longtime friends from high school, Samantha and Lauren, who meet for coffee every morning.  Samantha wants to tell her friend about her concerns about her relationship with her boyfriend Cody but she knows Lauren will loudly speak her mind.  She tells her anyway about her thinking he’s stepping out on her and basically Lauren says, “Again?”
     So, one element Ms. Mona brings to the table is how we as women (men too I am sure) will settle for less, so we are not alone.  In order to be loved, cared for, not abandoned, sexually fulfilled, and the list goes on I am sure.
     As they are sitting there Lauren notices Freddie Howard the geek from high school that was always drawing and playing hand held computer games.  Samantha told her to be nice because Freddie had stuck up for her when a mean girl had been bullying her back then.  She thought he was so nice for doing that.  Lauren wanted to say, “Hi!”  On her way out but with her foul harsh mouth Sam was worried.  So she said that she would say hi for both of them.  Lauren made her promise, she did and Lauren left.  As Sam got up to leave so did Freddie and he greeted her by name first and held the door open for her.  They walked and talked for a few blocks, exchanged the type of work they did, and said their good-byes.
     She couldn’t stop thinking about him all day.  He couldn’t stop thinking about her either.  As he walked into his executive office and his private receptionist brought him some coffee and his messages she knew he was off his mark.  He looked different kind of odd as she thought.  His thoughts were with Sam, could he get her to really see him?  Was there a chance?  Was she dating, engaged, or married?
     This was the perfect example of how in high school how things were looked at through rose colored glasses or warped ones.  How rumors were started and got out of control.  I enjoyed it.  It was the after effect of high school and how we chose to walk through its after effects.  Of how we saw what we never really saw, see what we really missed.
I give this 5 stars.  Free from Amazon.
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TALK THIS WAY

TALK THIS WAY                                               DAKOTA CASSIDAY
Posted:  June 20, 2014

Talk This Way by Dakota CassidyIn her sexy new series, bestselling author Dakota Cassidy introduces the Call Girls, a spirited group of friends ready to take on lust, love and everything in between…. Find out where it all began in this delicious novella!

If life is like a box of chocolates, Cat Butler has tasted them all—and decided on none. It's no wonder she can't keep a job, even though her mother's health depends on it. Just when she finds herself up a creek without a paddle—again—a benevolent friend throws her a lifeline. In the form of a job at, of all places, a phone sex hotline. Not exactly what she had in mind, but if it pays the bills for her mom's expensive nursing home, what's the harm?

Successful entrepreneur Flynn McGrady knows a thing or two about responsibility. So when his mother has a stroke, he knows the right thing to do is relocate to Atlanta to be near her while she recovers. He's got a plan for everything—except for feisty Cat, who finally gets his mama to talk again. Talk dirty, that is, and he's not pleased. Cat is gorgeous and sassy to boot…too bad she's not the type to settle down.

Cat and Flynn may have bigger fish to fry, but the sparks between them are hotter than hell. And when they finally give in to temptation, the results are explosive. Can a girl who follows her heart and a guy who follows his head find their way to forever?
MY REVIEW:
  Cat Butler didn’t believe in fairy tales and happily-ever-after’s.  Especially when she already lost her father and her mother was ill with complications that required a specialized treatment center.  Very costly and exclusive.
     Cat secured a spot for her mother with a payment plan she could try and manage.  Hence the problem, Cat had lost more jobs than you could count on one hand.  The nursing staff, patients, and doctors all loved Cat.  Not to mention most family members, for she was a constant source of support, calm, and encouragement and strength to all.  Even when she herself could have used a hand.
     When Della McGrady a patient was responding after treatment she tried to help.  She just got to know about her from family and found out she liked romance novels.  So when she decided to speak, so what if it was lines from a “smutty” romance book, Right? 
     Well, her son thought so and made a stink calling attention to her and her bill of course showing that she was two weeks behind on her mom’s payment to the center and got her fired from the coffee house where she worked.  What if Flynn McGrady was sexier then sin, that she really liked his mom, and that deep down she knew her boss was looking for a way to fire her anyway.  When she storms out of the coffee house, Flynn, feels bad because he knows he over reacted and his mother is going to kill him. 
     If he had to admit it he was jealous that his mom liked her better by talking for Cat and not for him.  When here he had been commuting every weekend from NY to Atlanta to help and be near her.  Now him watching Cat defeated he sees how really pretty she is and how she was selfless and kind.  He knows he has to make it up to her.
     Landon Wells steps in before he can step in but will it truly be what she needs for the long term?  Is Landon too good to be true?  She was offered a job by Landon but she was ashamed to tell anyone what it was even though it is legit.  She needs the money too badly to turn down his offer and refuse to take advantage of their friendship by being one of his charity cases.
     Feeling guilty Flynn asks to talk with her and one thing leads to another and she is running scared.  Cat doesn’t do relationships and for once Flynn was living in the moment.  See where this all goes and what becomes of all these characters.  They truly became three dimensional to me.  I enjoyed all the bantering Cat seems to do with almost everyone.  Not to mention her passion and her running out of fear.
     I know you will just love this book not only is it funny, it is sensual, and a tear jerker too.  I give it 5 stars.  I got this free on Amazon.

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FINDING HER SOLDIER & PERFECT SOLDIER 1 BBW

FINDING HER SOLDIER & Perfect Soldier Part 1          HALEY NIX
Posted:  June 20, 2014

Finding Her Soldier (BBW, Military Erotic Romance) Curvy Angie is so fed up with the bar scene, that she's finally been convinced to try out OKCupid. So embarrassing, right? Besides, what are the chances she'll find "The One" on an online dating site?

But when a hot guy with the screen name Soldier1985 takes a look at her profile, the wheels of desire start turning. It's only a matter of time before Angie finds herself swept away to the bedroom in the arms of a hot military man!

MY REVIEW:
This was a short to the point sensual story of two people ready to settle down. They were so over the whole dating scene. Yet, they tried one last avenue a dating online service.
     Angie a curvy girl tried a few dates and hated them. She was beginning to talk herself into having to settle when an inquiry came in from Bronson a body builder type 6’2”. Not wanting to make the first move and reaching out she sat on it. She liked the idea that he was brave by serving his country, he loved animals because he has a dog, and knew what he wanted and he wasn’t afraid to say it.
    There was sparks the first night but only one kiss goodnight with a promise of another date…
I enjoyed this because of the idea of the couple wanting a close loving relationship in their lives. Just know this is a very erotic story line. So, don’t be surprised. Wish there was more to the story line.
-------------------------------------------------
     Now there is a teaser about “Cat” and “Colt” sounds like it would be a good story. I in fact like what I did read about them out of the bedroom. Which wasn’t a whole lot but enough to know they are caring, loyal, and dedicated. Yet, you also find out they are both very “starved for affection” let’s say. Colt because he is home on leave after being out of the country serving in the armed forces. Cat has been working 40-50 hours a week and going to college so she can then go to Vet school. No time for relationships or even one night stands if they were so inclined. Which Cat, is not.
    But, Colt’s silent but strong assertive manners calls to her and for Colt, Cat’s sexy voluptuous curves and boldness to show she was interested in him made him even hotter for her.
   So yes, I enjoyed this first chapter of this book but disliked the way this author and publisher breaks up one whole book into 5 parts. Not fair to the reader especially of the price is inflated. Sorry.  Free on Amazon I give this 3 stars.




PERFECT SOLDIER: AWAY AT WAR #4 (BBW ROMANCE)

PERFECT SOLDIER: AWAY AT WAR #4             HALEY NIX
Posted:  June 20, 2014

Away At War (Perfect Soldier, #4) When Colt leaves for active duty, curvy Cat is feeling more alone than ever, worried about her soldier's safe return. 
She finds solace in the letters they write each other, but trouble arises when Colt is shot in an attack by insurgents. 
Will their love be able to stand the ultimate test? 
Perfect Soldier: Away At War is Part 4 of the Perfect Soldier Series, but can be read as a standalone story.

MY REVIEW:

     Today Cat was driving Colt to the airport in Tulsa.  Then he would go to an Army base in southern Maryland.  Later he would be flown over seas to a remote place in Afghanistan in the heated battle with the Taliban insurgence.
     The drive there was torture for them.  The unspoken words on the drive over were screaming loudly in their heads.  When they reach the line for Colt to leave the emotion Ms. Haley evokes is strong and as they kiss and say good-bye, you feel like you’re there.
     Find out what they text to one another that makes Cat’s back and resolve go ram rod straight…Although I don’t like that in order to get the whole book you have to get it in sections of so many pages at a time, this 83 pages (kindle pages) I do like and worth the read.  How she gives you the point of view back and forth between the two main characters Cat and Colt I like.  They are worth the read if you buy the set just note a sexually charged couple who spend as much time in bed as out.  But the letters back and forth over seas seem so real and that is heartfelt.  I got this free on Amazon.
I give this 5 stars.

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