Toast with Jelly by E. F. Sheehan ISBN 978-0-9820562-1-9 Published: April 2009 Reviewed by C. T. Dunst Toast with Jelly is a tragic drama of a woman who is not only confused about her own sexuality, but abou life in general. Her main charactor, Pam, seems very sad, but also very real; as do the other charactors in the book. Having been raped and abused by her stepfather as a child, Pam sought solice in the arms of another woman, shunning all men as evil. But did she really feel that way? She was put to the test when she met up and befriended Darryl. For those of you who enjoy a fast moving, heart wrenching, raw, real life drama, that will make you think and possibly debate its contents, Toast with Jelly is the read for you. Love Unexpected by Ailene Frances Available in: Kindle & E-book Review by: I. M. Ali Olivia Newton is a rather sheltered and unspoiled aristocrat growing up in late eighteenth century London. Orphans, she and her brother have been raised by her uncle; an egoic earl who favors her brother in looks and treatment. What she lacks in the spoiled department, she makes up for in naivety; fantasizing about romance and marrying for love. A victim of the times, her fate was decided upon between her uncle without her knowledge and she was pledged to marry an heir to a dukedom, Lord Adam Morton. Rebelling for the first time in her life, Olivia foolishly confides her plans of running away to her governess who, in turn, reports them to her uncle. Furious, her uncle locks her away and rushes the marriage without the completion of the reading of the banns. Since a marriage in that day and age required that the banns be read three consecutive times prior to the marriage in order for the marriage to be legal, the earl had to promise Adam that he would make it right and assure the marriage to be legal. Trapped, Olivia had no choice but to marry Adam. Olivia, unfamiliar with the ways of men and woman and what was expected of a wedding night, was anything but a willing bride. Adam, who fell in love with Olivia from the minute he set eyes on her, but for some reason found his tongue tied whenever he was in her presence, handled Olivia's naivety very poorly. The wedding night was a disaster. Determined to follow through with her plans of escape from a man she did not know or love, Olivia solicited the help of an old family friend who was eager to explore the recently emancipated American Colonies. Putting her fate in his hands she boarded the disreputable Lady M and set sail while Adam was away on family business. Unwittingly placing herself within the grasp of a captain who was a slave trading rogue, she fell prey to his evilness. The captain took advantage of her dark exotic features and forged papers to claim her to be a mullatto. Olivia was then sold on the auction block with the other slaves he had transported below deck, unbeknownst to the guests above. It is from there that the story unfolds. Love Unexpected is a great start for new author Ailene Frances. It is a historical romance that pulls the reader along into it making you feel as if you are right there with the characters. It is fast paced and filled with emotion, drama and story. If you are a romantic lover who enjoys stories that take place in the ruggedness of American history, grab a copy of Love Unexpected as soon as it is released! The Lost Continent of Mu by Col. James Churchwood Published: August 2007 Reviewed by C. T. Dunst For anyone who holds a curiosity about how long man has been on the earth, how he lived and how he perished, this book hold a wealth of information. Written in the early twentieth century and reprinted of recent, it has some scientific information that is a bit antiquated, but the overall information is clear and complete. Col. Churward spent approximately fifty years studying and decoding records that were buried deep in the archives of monastaries in the middle east, far east and South America. These records tell about the land of Mu, a land now sunken, and its people. How they lived, how they worshiped, how they met their demise. It is the first of a 5 book series. Shadows in Time by R. A. LURA Published: December 4, 2008 Review by Jade Macintosh Look out lovers of fantasy thrillers, there's a new author in town! Shadows in Time is a contemporary fantasy thriller with all the fixings and trappings. Caitlin McNevin is a young adult who is partners with her brother in an established business in Manhattan. With duties that allow her to work from home, she purchases an old run down estate house with a small amount of land for the mare that she treats more like a human than a horse a few hours ride from the city and begins the arduous task of remodeling. When her brother and their other partner visit, they set out to explore the grounds surrounding the house, with her mare in diligent pursuit. Caitlin falls into an abandoned well and is injured. This is the first time she experiences telepathic communication with her mare. While in bed recovering, her resident ghosts makes his first appearance to her. After weeks of recovery, she sets out for a pleasure ride into town and meets up with her elderly, eccentric, neighbor, Linnie. Linnie is a master in the occult and takes Caitlin on as her student. She gifts Caitlin with an ancient Book of Secrets, instructing her not to read from it without her being present. Caitlin ignores Linnie's warning and reads from it anyway; unwittingly unleashing the dark side. Her spirit guide, Jula, appears to push the dark creature back into oblivion and tells her that she need only call his name three times and he will be there to help her whenever needed. Caitlin seeks out Linnie to confess to her what she had done. While riding her horse to Linnie's house, she meets up with Edwin Holtz, a free lance photographer on assignment for a sports magazine. She is attracted to him, yet feels an uncomfortable sensation that she can't place. They exchange pleasantries and she continues on to find Linnie. Linnie, who moves in with her to be certain that nothing else happens. She and Caitlin go out to dinner and run into Edwin, who slips Caitlin a note asking her to meet him in the grove where they had first met the following afternoon. Caitlin debates about meeting him, but finally goes only to find his horse standing next to his unconscious body and blood oozing from his head. While she was debating what to do, Doug appeared. He claimed to be a tourist traveling through and offers to take Edwin to the hospital. Linnie, who had followed Caitlin, reveals herself and offers to take Caitlin's mare and Edwin's gelding back to Caitlin's house while Doug loads Edwin into his Mercedes and he and Caitlin drive off to the hospital. Once released from the hospital, Edwin visits Caitlin's estate to retrieve his gelding. While there, they are besieged by creatures with the head of a dog and the body of a pig... and the battle between good and evil began. The story consists of battles for Caitlin's affection, battles between good and evil, fairies, spirit guides, ghosts and magic spells. It will make you laugh, make you cry and make you think. Thumbs up on this fun fantasy.thriller. Vampires in Vegas by R. A. LURA Published: October 21, 2008 Reviewed by Particia Cottie I have read many vampire stories but none that combined modern day slavery with cannibalism and martial arts all under one cover and be able to pull it off. But, R. A. Lura did just that. Tapping into the reality of kidnapping and slavery, R. A . Lura blends in vampires who absorb human DNA by eating their flesh so that they can walk in the daylight. The leader of the vampire den is Von, the bastard son of Dracula. Born of a chinese peasant woman, Von always resented the fact that his father did not marry his mother, thus making him a bastard. Ever on the quest to earn his father's favor, Von slowly mutated himself and his offspring to be able to eat the flesh of humans so that they could maneuver in the daylight. He would capture humans, keep some for food, some for breeding and then sell the rest in the black market. When his men captured the fiance` of Li, a martial arts master, he opened himself up to a world of trouble. With the help of his star pupil and best friend, Dave Haidaul, he tracked them to their den in Las Vegas battled to save her. While there, Dave was forced into an exhibition match with Von's favorite son for the entertainment of the den. Narrowly escaping with their lives, they headed back to their homes in New York to lick their wounds and regroup. Seeking the help of Dave's cousin, Ben Haidaul, they returned to Las Vegas to do what they could to stop Von and his evilness. Vampires in Vegas is a vampire thriller that was written to entertain an adult audience. It contains many sub-plots amongst the main one that keeps the book moving quickly , pulls at your emotionals and makes your nerve endings come alive. It is book one of a trilogy and I'm thankful to be able to now sit down and read book 2, The Hunt. Intenese, gripping, entertaining. Good job, R. A. Lura. Natural Solutions for Stress of Body, Mind & Spirit by Rev. Lena Sheehan Published October 27, 2008 Reviewed by Jade Macintosh Packed with factual information on the basic body ailments and methods to deal with them in a natural way, this book make a handy reference to keep around the house. Whether you are curious about the causes of some of these ailments or seeking methods to relieve or avoid them naturally, there's a page in the book for you. Covering topics such as meditation (did you know there are certain colleges that require you learn to meditate? Neither did I until I read this book), herbs, foods, etc. I no longer select my meals for simply taste. Now, thought about the benefits each food and the combination thereof provides for my body comes into play. As stated in the title, the book doesn't stop with body maintenance, but it carries on to the maintenance of mind and spirit. There is a great section about affirmations and it provides a broader look at prayer, what it is and how to do it.. If you are a health conscious person or simply curious about the world of holistic care, pick up your copy of Natural Solutions for Stress of Body, Mind & Spirit by Rev. Lena Sheehan. You won't be disappointed. The Hunt, by R. A. Lura Published: September 15, 2009 Reviewed by Jacie Macintosh Picking up where Vampires in Vegas leaves off, The Hunt continues the perilous adventurs of Dave and Ben Haudal and their friends Li. While book one focused on a lot of martial arts action and fighting the vampires, book two blends into the story line the introduction of a voo doo queen and a Lycanthrope. The primary background shifts from Las Vegas to the desertous mountains of Phoenix, AZ. As with book 1 of R. A. Lura's vampire series, it leaves you anxious for the next book, but that happens to be something I like so I'm giving it 5 hearts! A Promise In A Kiss by Stephanie Laurens Published: November 5, 2002 Reviewed by C. T. Dunst Helena, a french aristocrat, is in search for a husband to take her away from the tyrannical clutches of her guardian. With the French at unrest, she heads to England to "husband hunt" only to fall in love with, Sebastian, a wealthy duke, but also a man whose power she fears nearly as much as her uncle's. The stark difference between the two was in their use of that power. The Promise in a Kiss is a sweet love story with just enough adventures in it to keep it interesting. All in all, a good read. To Rescue a Rogue by Jo Beverly Published: September 4, 2006 Reviewed by C.T. Dunst In this 'hold your attention' historical romance, Mara is rescued from her folly by an old friend of her brother's Dare. Having been wounded at war, Dare (Darian) fell into the clutches of a villianous woman who held him and two children captive for quite some time, subding Dare with Opium; thus causing his additction. Mara falls in love with Dare and vows to help him battle and win over this addiction, which is no easy task. Jo Beverly's writing was such that I found myself envisioning and experiencing the novel as if I was a part of it. Excellent use of the literary pen! Highly recommended. Lord of Ice by Gaelen Foley Published: January 29,2002 Reviewed by: Jacie MacIintosh Miranda awaited for her uncle and guardian to come and rescue her from the boarding school that was operated by a letch, who also happened to be a minister. Her only reprieve was her monthly escape in the night to act on state when the traveling show came to town. One night, after the show, she was approached by a soldier for her favors. Of course, good girl that she was, she denied him and started home; only to be attacked by men hired by her evil uncle to kill her so that he could have the fortune she had no idea she possessed. Fortunately, the soldier, Damian, had lingered long enough to see what was happening and rescued her, violently killing her would be assisins and frightening her half out of her wits. She fled, not realizing that the very next day he would be showing up on the doorstep of the school to announce the death of her uncle and the transfer of her guardianship to him! Of course, he had no idea that the "little girl" who had become his guardian was in fact the actress he had rescued the night before. (nice twist) Torn between his desire and honor, Damien does his best to resist Miranda, but to no avail. Although the story flowed nicely, I found it a little too predictable.