Book Review: A Cowgirl's Christmas

Title: A Cowgirl's Christmas
(Carrigans of the Circle C)
Author: CJ Carmichael
eBook from Tule Publishing
Pub Date   Oct 28 2014

For years Callan Carrigan has been her father’s right hand man, so when her dad’s will names city slicker Court McAllister the new owner of The Circle C Ranch, Callan feels betrayed on every level.

Then she and her sisters find their mother’s diaries, hidden from them by their father since their mother’s accidental death 18 years ago, and the shocking revelations explain a lot. Reeling, Callan seeks refuge in the local saloon, where it seems no one can reach her, until Court offers her a challenge.
If she agrees to be foreman at the Circle C for one year, he’ll deed the ranch back to her and her sisters. The deal seems too sweet at first—until Callan realizes Court has his eyes on something she protects even more than her family’s land—her heart.

Right from the start, I had tears in my eyes when the patriarch of the Carrigan family dies. But it also shocked me when he uttered the swear word "bastard" in front of her daughter before he met his demise. This immediately peaked my interest and had me reading A Cowgirl's Christmas until the end.

Luckily, I was able to read two of CJ Carmichael's Carrigans of the Circle C series, so I already had an idea about the Carrigan sisters. But this latest book takes the cake, because it further explains Callan's and her sister's true identity. It shocked me, really, to learn about their mother and respective fathers. Yes, you read it right, there is something much deeper and intriguing about the lives of the Carrigan sisters, but somehow, Callan's true parentage was the biggest revelation in the story. Callan spent all her life with a father who barely acknowledged or showed affection and love to her. Hawksley dying was bad enough to her, learning that he didn't bequeath the ranch to any of his daughters just rubbed salt into Callan's wound. Meeting Court McAllister, her father's distant relative from St. Paul, inherited Circle C ranch instead, and now, he is offering half of the ranch to her, provided that she stay with him for at least a year. This is an offer that made Callan even more furious. How could she ever accept that deal and how could she ever live with him?

A Cowgirl's Christmas is an entertaining and emotional read. Callan was the most affected among the Carrigan brood, having had to witness her father's death. That itself was tear-jerker to me. Coming to terms with the truth also made me realize that life isn't really fair. That life is full of surprises and the truth actually hurts. But above all these, Callan learned that finding one's self and moving forward with love and acceptance helps. THis is truly a wonderful read :)

About this author 

Rita Award nominated author C.J. Carmichael has published more than 30 books with Harlequin. Right now she's loving cowboys and Montana--those are the themes of the books she's writing for Harlequin American.

CJ likes to write stories about romance and intrigue with a strong sense of community and family. If you enjoy her Harlequin books, you might want to check out her self-published titles. The Gift is a short novella Christmas story and A Buried Tale is a puzzler of a mystery that will keep you guessing and shock you with the surprise ending.

You'll find both on Amazon, kobo and her website.

http://www.cjcarmichael.com

Book Review: Wicked Road

Wicked Road: Midnight Scars Series Book 1
Author: H'deel Batnij

What does a dark but innocent girl do when Death follows her, and hurts all that she loves?
"It brought on a memory of my parents. I remembered the screaming, the pants, the gasps, the pain, the cries, and the burn. It also brought on the memory of Mathew dying. I closed my eyes and sighed deep as I counted from ten to one backwards a couple of times, something I learned from therapy a long time ago.After I reopened them and collected myself I looked into the distance. I couldn’t keep count of how many times I had felt paralyzed lately.I watched the fire till it all burned into ashes, till there was nothing left of it, till there was nothing left of the evidence just like the memory of my house burning down into nothingness.I was wrong.Revenge isn’t always beautiful."
Donnie not being able to take control of her own body during the day of the "recording" was terrifying and hard to believe. Thanks to Marylin, the Goth guitarist in her foster brother's band (or used to be), is not just any normal Goth. But a practiced Demon summoner looking towards a high seating in Lucifer's chair. And to do so, he needs an innocent lady who shall be his virgin bride. Donnie was perfect to his set of eyes.Donnie falling madly in love with her best friend, Ronnie Sykes, was not in her hands to stop it. And as the grieving months passed by she was losing herself into her own heart. Being alone definitely sucked for her when her friends were nowhere near her anymore, her best friend moving to another state, and her foster brother being dead...Yeah, Hell was on the loose.Will hope be there for her? Is there a light ahead for her at the end of the road?

Cheers to a new haunting series! Wicked Road is H’deel Batnij maiden offering and I am already impressed with her writing. Although I read on the editor’s note that this novel had to go through some rigid editorial task, as a grammar guru myself, I can say that this book is perfect – in storytelling, in capturing the attention of the readers, in mesmerizing and urging the reader to read until the end and clamor for more. That is exactly how I felt upon reading Wicked Road.

The story begins with an abandoned child at the footsteps of Dr. Todd Ronalds’ home. He named the newborn child Mathew who was loved and well-taken care of. Fast forward five years later, a girl named Donnie Sparks witnessed the death of her parents due to fire, just one day before her birthday. Tragic, isn’t it? Luckily, Todd came at the right moment and adopted her and raised her as his own. Together, Mathew & Donnie bonded and shared what natural siblings have – a family – a real relationship between a brother and a sister.

It wasn’t long after Donnie grew up and turned into a beautiful but goth-like lady, with tattoos, weird hairstyles and piercings on her body, a far cry from what she had envisioned herself as a magical pink princess before her parents’ death. She had a bestfriend – Ronnie, who also played on her brother’s band, whom she was slowly falling in love with. Things got way too complicated when one day, the guitarist of the band, Marilyn, had somewhat controlled Donnie’s mind, causing her to strip her clothes in front of him. Oh my! That’s when I knew something menacing and disturbing lurked behind his eyes.

The book in its entirety is a fast-paced, easy to read and positively scary! Satanism was introduced in the story, which was really frightening and hair-raising. I cringe a lot whenever Donnie’s mind got controlled by Marilyn, which were really too creepy and sick. especially with him playing tricks with Donnie, plus a number of deaths surrounding them. ! H’deel Batnij ended the story with one hell of a cliffhanger, a gateway to a more complex sequel that I am sure, is going to be another nail-biting experience. This is a highly recommended read!

Meet H’deel Batnij

I am a twenty-one year old college student who is currently married to the man of my dreams. I live in Houston, Tx. When I’m not writing, you can find me getting lost in a book, smoking flavored tobacco (hookah) while drinking mango juice, listening to new music, and attending classes to keep me busy. I plan on taking a BA degree in Literature to teach High Schoolers.

I want to be that type of teacher that gives motivation to her troubled, and untroubled students…Or to anyone for that matter…

I also plan on taking film classes in order to film my own novels/short stories cause surely I don’t think anyone else is going to do it for me as the way I want it. Plus, I prefer to learn things on my own…

Life is too short to not get anywhere where you want to in life.

Random fact/s: I like collecting candles o.o and different various pens. And I’m a big shopper!

Find me on the internet!

websitehttps://www.facebook.com/AuthorHdeelBatnij

twitter usernameSkeletons93

Into The Woods Trailer - In Theaters December 25!

I'd definitely watch this!

Review: The Jennifer Series by Cristina Imre

The Halloween Attraction: Hidden Angels (Jennifer #1)

Author: Cristina Imre

A gift for all the fans of the words mystery, thriller, suspense, murder, occult, sprinkled with romance.

Starting with intriguing but mild scenes, the plot develops into a highly sophisticated mystery tale about power, influence and knowledge, with deep explorations inside religion, myth, the occult and bloodthirsty cults. All for one cause …

Everything about the Fallen Angels gives you shivers down your spine. They are a secret group with more power that you can imagine.

The book meets your “clever and catchy” expectations. It has a great plot with well-developed characters, a lot of excitement and suspense about what’s around the corner. You can empathize with one or more characters from the books, since the palette is wide. The skeletons from the closet encompass our own personal fears. Cristina connects the dots carefully, revealing her story in a uniquely tailored setting. At the end, she leaves some mysteries for the readers to solve, letting their imagination grow.

Until … next time, when the storyline and all its details will be unveiled in the coming books of the series, without compromising the integrity of each individual book. The mystery and thrills run all throughout.

Enjoy the thrill!

This was a terrifying read! My first occult book for this year and I couldn’t have timed (reading) it perfectly! Halloween Attraction is a great start of a thriller series, featuring a group of really evil people, a seriously sick occult rituals, chopped body parts, screaming blondes, blacks and brunettes, and a high-profiled lawyer gearing up for the biggest case of her life – and that of her father, too. Jennifer’s life was dramatically changed after she found herself in the dungeon, getting ready to be sacrificed. Will she came out alive or is she doomed to die?

Cristina Imre didn’t mince with words with this novel. She described the Halloween parties and rituals as gruesome yet as real as it could get. And the cliffhanger – fantastic! I’m actually reading the sequel as of this moment!

Shades of Revelation – Before Christmas
A Novella (Jennifer, #2)
by Cristina Imre

She thought she knew so much about this world, as any intellectual and open minded person with a great career should. But she is so wrong. Her life changes completely and there’s no way back since the Fallen Angels invaded her life. Nothing will ever be the same again. She finds herself in a middle of surreal nightmare where nothing is the way it seems anymore. Driven by the lost love who has come back into her life, she finds the power to go on and act normally. But the world is shaken and destructive intentions are spreading all over in full gear. Does she have a chance, together with the good guys, to change the odds? Christmas is coming and an evil plot knocks on the door. Will they stop it?

The second book of the Jennifer series (A Suspense Occult Thriller) will stimulate all your senses, revealing a world you never knew existed. By Halloween (the first book), Jennifer’s world turned upside down. By Christmas, she faces new challenges which will seal her future.



Allow me to say this: After reading Shades of Revelation – the sequel to The Halloween Attraction, I can safely say that Cristina Imre is the author worth calling The Next Stephen King.

The story Before Christmas picks up from the time when Jennifer’s life had drastically changed, after getting abducted and almost sacrificed to a cult and after being saved by her lost love, Nate. Things will never be the same in her life, including her father’s. What they thought have ended in Halloween was actually just the beginning of another holiday-themed creepy murder mystery. Now there’s more people involved, including an avenging family who lost their son from a recent gruesome ritual failure. Jennifer thought she had formed an alliance with Nate and she was about to discover what truly brings the Illuminati in this diabolical equation.

I really loved all the characters in Shades of Revelation. Everyone one of them has traits that was their own, that distinctively distinguishes them from one another. The plot, although it was supposed to be a jolly yuletide season, was marked with blood, power, deceit and vengeance. Truly a remarkable read from one of the finest thriller storyteller. I couldn't sleep anymore after reading this!

Cristina Imre

Cristina Imre

website: http://www.cristinaimre.com

twitter username: Cristina_Imre

genre: Thriller, Self Help, Mystery

Cristina dares to switch genre and prove herself in the world of Fiction with her new release, part of a breathtaking series, Jennifer. A series designed for all the fans of the words mystery, thriller, suspense, murder, occult, sprinkled with romance.

“I’ve always wanted to do this. Not many people know but I’ve started many novels in the past, just to explore my imagination. I am a big fan of the Mistery, Thriller/Suspence genre, and today I decided to immerse myself in this world,” explains Cristina.

Her hidden passion for mystery and forensics it’s finally revealed. Together with her medical background and criminalist blood – through her late grandfather – she developed an inner knowledge of the human mind as well as pathology and deviations from the normal. She seriously studied murder cases during her life, reading a wide number of Best Sellers in the area. Her favorite authors list include names as: Patricia Cornwell, Mary Jane Clark, Robert Crais, Anne Perry or Ann Rule.

Review: Breaking My Heart by Aleya Michelle

Title: Breaking My Heart
Series: My Heart #1
Author: Aleya Michelle
Kindle Edition, 300 pages
Published May 5th 2014

Roxy is a fighter, she is strong and independent. 

She knows exactly what she wants and is not afraid to go after it, especially when it comes to men. 

Roxy thinks she has men figured out, that is until she meets Kade. He storms into her life like a knight on a white horse to save her. He makes her question everything she ever thought she knew about life, men and herself. 

With a past that keeps holding her back will Kade be able to break down her walls?

Will he be able to prove to Roxy that everything she thinks she knows about men is wrong, or will he prove her right?

Oh. My Gosh… I actually felt my heart pulsing, my mind racing & my cheeks blushing while reading this!

Aleya Michelle found a gold mine in this provocative first novel of hers. Roxy clearly got issues with men, so it’s understandable how she is with guys around her, and those she meets in bars and parties. It’s understandable how she continuously puts up a wall around her heart when men like Kade profess feelings for her. But Kade is entirely different from all the men who came into her life. A surfer guy, thoughtful, one-woman man and oozing with great personality, what’s not to like? Of course, Roxy would feel insecure, would think that there are a lot of girls falling for Kade, so she’s guarding her heart against disappointment and jealousy. But clearly, what her mind tells her to do does not agree to what her heart feels for Kade. So she gives in to her emotions and makes a life with Kade… until he eventually breaks her heart.

Ouch! I couldn’t put words to what I felt when Kade seems to drift away from Roxy. I am aghast with chock and pain. I’m not surprised if Roxy feels the same.

Roxy & Kade are the next hottest book couple to watch out for! That much is true!

P.S. I got this book courtesy of the author in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.

About ALEYA MICHELLE

Born and raised in Sydney, Australia. Happily married and mother of 3 gorgeous and very active boys. A true lover of reading and escaping into a book, I love to write and find solace and escape through my characters and storylines.

Favourite past times include shopping, reading, going to the beach and seeing friends. Music is another great love.