Blog Tour Book Review: Hold Still by Lisa Regan

Hello! Thanks to Innovative Online Book Tours, I am participating in the blog tour for an interesting Indie mystery novel. Please feel free to say hi and let me know what you think. :)

Hold Still
by Lisa Regan

Genre: Suspense / Mystery / Romance / Indie

Ages: 18 and up

I received an e-copy of this book in exchange for a fair and honest review as part of a blog tour.

Description:

Three men are viciously assaulting Philadelphia's prostitutes, and it's up to veteran detective Jocelyn Rush to stop them.  She catches two, but they won't betray their partner, the most dangerous of all, and the attacks continue, striking closer to home. Jocelyn's only real clue comes when a monster from her past resurfaces--now she must race to connect the demons of her past with the villain of her present--before the sadistic attacker sets his sights on her.

My Thoughts:

I enjoy a well-written, well-thought-out mystery, and Hold Still certainly qualifies. A series of hints, clues and red herrings was laid out in a subtle (but not too subtle) manner, leading the reader to a perfect 'Aha!' moment when the culprit is revealed. Not every mystery has one of these moments, sometimes because the author is trying too hard to surprise you or not trying hard enough, which makes it all the more impressive when an author manages it as well as Lisa Regan did.

Jocelyn Rush, the hard-edged heroine, caught me immediately with her reaction to her daughter being inadvertently kidnapped when someone carjacks her. It was a very telling scene that neatly displayed multiple facets of her personality while also snagging my emotions, all in the first chapter.

The minor characters were also cleverly written. Some of them were immediately likable, where others were more the if-I-met-you-in-real-life-I'd-strangle-you-on-the-spot type. My favorite was probably Kevin, Jocelyn's partner, who had a fun sense of humor. The love interest, Caleb Vaughn, was likable enough, but he didn't show up until the middle of the story and, honestly, the romance was not the best part of the book. It wasn't bad, just a bit perfunctory.  

Overall, I really enjoyed this book. I wouldn't call it 'fun' (it's too dark for that), but it was an interesting story, skillfully told. I can definitely see myself reading more by this author in the future.

Rating System: Profanity, Sexuality and Violence
1 (mild) through 10 (extreme). Ratings may contain spoilers.

Profanity: 

I rate it a 8.10 for quite a bit of swearing, including quite a few f-bombs.

Sexuality:

I give it 7.10 because, although there is only one mildly descriptive sex scene, there are many references, innuendos, and sexual insults throughout, as well as several instances of rape, none of which are graphically described.

Violence:

I rate it 7.10 for murder, attempted murder, rape and assault. Most of the violence is not graphically described.

About the Author:

Lisa Regan is a crime fiction author.  Her first novel, Finding Claire Fletcher won Best Heroine in the eFestival of Words Best of the Independent eBook Awards 2013.  It was runner-up for Best Novel.  It was also a Digital Book Today Best of 2013 ebook selection.  In December 2013, Finding Claire Fletcher and her second novel, Aberration were #1 Amazon bestsellers in the Kidnapping and Serial Killers categories, respectively.

Lisa is a member of Sisters In Crime.  She has a Bachelor’s Degree in English and Master of Education Degree from Bloomsburg University.  She lives in Philadelphia with her husband and daughter. 

ONLINE LINKS:

·         Website    Blog    Facebook   Twitter - @lisalregan    Goodreads

Buy Now

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Thank you for stopping by!

                   Lieder Madchen

Book Review: Fire and Ice by Lacey Weatherford

Fire and Ice
by Lacey Weatherford

Genre: Young Adult / Indie / Paranormal / Urban Fantasy / Romance

Ages: 14 and up

This is the first book in a new series that shows the events of the Of Witches and Warlocks series from Vance's point of view. Fire and Ice takes place at the same time as The Trouble With Spells.

Description:

Time passes . . . sometimes too quickly, other times not fast enough, but that’s not what’s important. The essential thing is what we learn about ourselves during that passage of time and how we apply it. Will we continue to follow the destructive paths we find ourselves on? Will we give in to circumstances that seem completely unchangeable? Or will we desperately fight to hold on to those we love and to what’s good inside us—no matter how terrible the cost? I only know I would do whatever was required of me to keep Portia, but in a world of witches, warlocks, and demons, anything can happen. My name is Vance Mangum, and this is my story.

My Thoughts:

Oh, I get so excited whenever Lacey has a new book coming out, but a new one about Vance and Portia? As soon as it finished downloading on my kindle, nothing could tear me away. I'm not sure which one I like better, Fire and Ice or its counterpart, The Trouble With Spells, but I don't really care because both exist and are absolutely wonderful. This makes me very happy. :)

Seeing everything from Vance's view was...enlightening. I really got a feel for his loneliness before meeting Portia, something that was spoken of before, but never really felt. At least, not with the intensity of Fire and Ice. Plus, I've wanted to know Vance's inner reactions to certain scenes for a long time now, and now I do! (Mostly the more painful moments, 'cause I'm mean like that.)

A handful of scenes and conversations are almost word-for-word with those in TTWS, only focused on Vance's feelings and reactions, but most are entirely new. My favorites were the ones where Vance and Portia just get to play and be carefree teenagers in love. Given the newly intensified loneliness of Vance's back story, these moments were all the sweeter.

Lacey delivers a delightful number of laughs and a delicious quantity of lighthearted swooning. I spent almost the entire book smiling and was sad to see it end.

Rating System: Profanity, Sexuality and Violence
1 (mild) through 10 (extreme).

Profanity:
I rate it a 4.10 for some mild to mid-level swearing.

Sexuality:
I give it a 4.10 for some heavy petting and several sexual references, but nothing graphic or objectionable.

Violence:
I give it a 6.10 for murder and torture.

                        Lieder Madchen

Armored Hearts Blog Tour: Book Review & Tea with Jessamine

Good Morning! Today I have a lovely lady by the name of Jessamine over for tea. Jessamine is the heroine of Armored Hearts, a new indie steampunk adventurous romance by Melissa Turner Lee and Pauline Creeden. She has graciously consented to answer a few questions, which I will follow with my thoughts on the book.

Dear Jessamine, thank you so much for coming to visit Songs & Stories! Please make
yourself comfortable and try the scones. How do you take your tea?

 

Sweet and iced. I’m a southern girl.  

Could you tell us your side of the story of how you first met Gareth?

How I first met him was…I cannot say. I’ve never told a living soul about that. I knew it was the way he wanted and I am nothing if not loyal.

What was your first reaction upon seeing him again as an adult?

I know many before me found him difficult and only saw his wheelchair and what he could not do. I saw what he was capable of and chose to love the man he was meant to be until he came to be it. He too is loyal. I mean look at his commitment to Tabitha. He would do anything in the world for her. Not many easy-tempered men would be willing to sacrifice so much.

What was your childhood like in the wilds of America?

Well my father mostly raised me. My mom is quite the genius and is given to obsession when it comes to her work. I grew up in boy’s trousers playing with the local Cherokee boys learning to throw knives, wading through streams and climbing trees. I was fearless.


Would you please tell us a little bit about the bonnet making club of which you are a
member, it sounds most intriguing!

Well, in my time, women are not regarded as smart. The medical books even say extensive reading and study will hurt the female mind, resulting in sterility. Have you ever heard anything so ridiculous? They misuse Bible quotes too to make it seem we should be ashamed of being smart. What kind of God would give an idiot as an assistant? The president doesn’t want an idiot running mate. We have the bonnet club as a place where women with a mind for mechanical innovation can gather and be themselves. Their efforts will be applauded and not ridiculed.

Are you working on any new 'bonnets'?

Why yes, I am. Tabitha and I are trying to fit Gareth with braces to possibly make walking possible for him. So far every prototype falls apart as soon as he tries them. Thompton swears it’s the curse. You cannot get rid of a curse with technology, he says.

If you could collaborate with any inventor, who would it be?

The Wright Brothers have a special place in my heart, for obvious reasons. So probably them.

Thank you so much for coming! I hope to see you again one day.

*****

Armored Hearts

by Melissa Turner Lee & Pauline Creeden

Genre: Indie / Steampunk / Romance / Adventure / Fantasy

Ages: 15 and up

I received an e-copy of this book from The Experience Tours as part of a blog tour in exchange for a fair and honest review.

Description:

When a crippled young lord rescues a girl falling from a tree, it reveals a secret about himself and his mother's side of the family that could put him at the center of a war with beings he thought only existed in fairy tales.

Tristan Gareth Smyth lived his entire life stuck at home at Waverly Park and left behind while his Grandfather makes trips to London, all because of his blasted wheelchair.

Then an American heiress falls in his lap, literally, and he must find a way to keep her at a distance to protect not only his secret, but everyone around him from an assassin sent to kill him.

My Thoughts:

I love steampunk, and I love romance, so this book jumped out at me as one to try. The idea of a wheelchair-bound hero made it sound even more interesting. Despite the promising premise, it took me a little while to warm up to the book.

Tristan Gareth Smyth, called Gareth, is a very prickly character. Isolated and lonely, he's developed a thick barrier between his heart and the world. The only one he lets in is his several-years-younger aunt, Tabitha, who is like a little sister to him. It was much easier to warm up to Tabitha than to Gareth.

It wasn't until Jessamine arrived on the scene that something in the story clicked for me. Her mix of stubborn optimism and cheerful scheming was just fun. She knew exactly what she wanted and went for it, never taking no for an answer - and she wanted Gareth. I won't say anything more except that I laughed out loud at a couple of...interesting conversations.

Ah, and since it's steampunk, I must mention the gadgets! The gadgets are pretty good in this story, particularly the one about 3/4 through the book. An important part of the story is that Tabitha and Jessamine are members of a secret 'bonnet making club', which is a code for a ladies' inventing society. I laughed a few more times when I met them.

All in all, I didn't enjoy this book as much as I had hoped, but it did have several good points. I thought the romance was a little awkward and Gareth was really hard to like, but other than that the story was fun. I liked the second half of the story a lot more than the first and the sequel has great potential, so I'll definitely be back for book 2.

Rating System: Profanity, Sexuality and Violence

1 (mild) through 10 (extreme).

Profanity:

I give it a 2.10 for mild exclamations and some name-calling.

Sexuality:

I give it a 3.10 for some sensuality and innuendos.

Violence:

I rate it a 5.10 for suicide, attempted murder and other violence, including a large quantity of blood.

                                     Lieder Madchen