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Let’s talk about books. What type of book do you like to read? Do you stick to the same authors or are you willing to take a chance on something radically different from your norm? I have a cluster of authors that I gobble up the new books they put out like a binge eater…all in one sitting. And in between waiting for said authors to put out the next book, I have a group of “fill in” authors. And then there are the ones I read because I am so very curious about everything. It has been pointed out to me that my reading list is probably linked to Homeland Security but how can you have an opinion on anything if you haven’t fully researched it?

On my bookshelf you will find every James Patterson novel, every Laurell K. Hamilton, every Stuart Woods, Harlan Coben, Catherine Coulter, Iris Johansen, Anne Rice, Laura Childs, Tom Clancy, George R.R.Martin, Kim Harrison, Kathy Reichs, Patricia Cornwell, Lisa Scottoline, Lisa Unger, Karin Slaughter, Don Winslow, Sara Blaedel along with all the classics. I don’t do romance books, no heaving bosoms or glistening abs for me.

Reading is a magical thing that can take you places you would never have access to in the living world. I love everything about books. The cover, the feel, and smell of the paper, it all has to come together for me.  Books are like a good friend who stays around.

So here we are going to be talking about books. What we’ve read, what we are reading and what we hope to read. I find it so interesting that two people can read the same book and have totally different takes on it. But that is the fun of books and imagination. Everyone is different and I am intrigued by those different opinions.

Stick around for some really good, new authors I have found and feel free to make suggestions and comments!  Join us on Facebook for free books, authors looking for reviewers and new releases and giveaways! On Twitter, @GaPirate  Email me at piratepatty@hotmail.com. Have your Marketing people or Publisher contact me for reviews.

The Garden of Promises and Lies by Paula Brackston

The Garden of Promises and Lies (Found Things Book 3)

For all of you readers who loved Secrets of the Chocolate House, we are back in the Found Things Series, with Xanthe.

Things are coming together in the Little Shop of Found Things as Spring slides in. While she is still keeping her time travel secret, except for Harley, things get tricky right away.

Fairfax is back. In her own time! Watching her. She knows what he wants. The Book. Spinners. He isn’t content to be a Spinner, he wants all control. So now Xanthe must use her spinning skills to go back and stop him from harming the people she loves.

Before she goes however, she attends an auction at an old estate and that is where she finds her next thing. An antique wedding gown is singing loudly to her. The visions she is getting tell her that the gown is tied to Benedict Fairfax somehow and she now needs to find out who needs her help.

There is no question that she is going back, but there is going to have to be an explanation and that could be tough on Flora and Liam.

When Xanthe accidently takes a dog back with her and returns with both intact, she has an idea how to tell her mother. She takes her along. Not for long, just a peek at what she does. Her mother is on board but agrees with Harley that taking Liam would be a smart idea. Fairfax is strong and could harm a lot of people.

So into the blind house they go and just like that they are in Bradford-on-Avon around 1815. Liam is gobsmacked to say the least and her old friend and mentor at the Chocolate House is not impressed with what she has done. She is also acting very odd.

As the two concoct their story and meet up with the owner of the wedding dress, Fairfax ups the odds. Things are happening at a lightening fast pace and someone may not be coming back.

This is the series that my sister and I wait for. And then dissect every paragraph together. It really is that good.

And Oh! What a cliffhanger!

NetGalley/ December 15th, 2020 St. Martin’s Press

TAKE IT BACK by KIA ABDULLAH

Take It Back

A Courtroom Thriller!

Jodi Wolf is sixteen. Going through high school is awful enough, but when you have a facial deformity, it is even crueler.

Jodi has accused four Muslim boys from good families of rape. No one believes her. Not even her own mother. Best not to ruin these boys promising futures.

The only person in her corner is Zara Kaleel, a former lawyer and a brilliant one at that. She is also Muslim. Will she really go against her own people for this girl?

This was an emotionally charged story. And in the end justice may not be what anyone thought.

Emotional and timely read that I put down and picked up. I cried, I was furious and at the end, just spent.

Well Done!

NetGalley/December 8th. 2020 by St. Martin’s Press

COURTING CAN BE KILLER by AMANDA FLOWER

Courting Can Be Killer (An Amish Matchmaker Mystery #2)

An Amish Matchmaker Mystery #2

In the second Amish Matchmaker Mystery by USA Today bestselling author Amanda Flower, Millie Fisher has plenty to keep her busy through her golden years, whether it’s minding a pair of rambunctious goats, meetings with her quilting circle, and matchmaking. But the witty widow always makes time to solve the odd murder…

When Millie came home from caring for her sister in Michigan her young neighbor boy follows her to Ohio. Ben Baughman left home when his father remarried and wanted to start a new family.

Ben has his own place now and has at least four jobs, all in the hope that Tess Lieb will marry him. But Tess’s father has no intention of marrying his daughter off. Instead she can go to Wyoming and live with his sister. But Tess is wily. Does she love Ben or is she using him to get away from her father?

Millie thinks it’s the latter and counsels Ben to slow down but we all know young love won’t wait.

When Ben dies in a fire at his night job, Millie is definitely grabbing Lois and finding out who did what! And lucky for her gossip is thick around town on the whys. Not so much on the who.

I love Amanda’s series. I enjoy the crossovers as well. Why shouldn’t they crossover? They all live in the same small area and know each other and while I wait for another Bailey’s Sweets book, I can find out how she is while reading Millie’s adventures. Brilliant!

I can’t wait for the next one!

NetGalley/ December 1st, 2020 Kensington Publishing

Candy Cane Lane from Celestial Seasonings Teas

Well, this picture says it all. I love this tea. It’s peppermint with vanilla notes that leave a feeling of creaminess. Very special tea and I adore it.

A few weeks back I had shared the tip that the holiday teas were now out. I ordered everything except for this one. I checked my list, saw a few packages in the holiday rotation, and moved on. At least one thing had gone well.

We were back to the hospital Friday. With OU Boy running fever, getting these odd red circles all over his body, and having mood swings, his doctor said to get there now. We did. It looked like a ghost town.

On the left side are about 10 police cars, 4 ambulances and a couple of choppers. We pulled up to the Valet and I ran in the first entrance and asked for Valet. The security guard said, ” We only do valet for patients who arrive alone.” I said, “Dude, I can’t drive right now. Call Dean Magee Eye Institute.”

His reply, as they were wheeling OU Boy back was, “Can’t you just close that eye and drive?”. Before I could throat punch him, a police officer came over and informed the guard it was illegal for me to do that and he would park it for me.” I sent OU Boy a text telling him I’m not allowed to even come in the waiting room. I have to stand outside. It was appropriate that I was dressed in my RBG sweater that said ” I Dissent”. Yep.

Long story short, he took another test and checked out AMA. We will happily die at home, thank you very much. Still haven’t received any results but found out if we had stayed, they would have flown him out of state because they are full. Then it was my turn to run fever and cough and just want to be drugged. And the ONLY thing that was going to make this bearable was Candy Cane Lane Tea. I heated the kettle and opened the box. EMPTY. Okay, okay, just open the others. EMPTY. All gone. Someone stole all of my tea. The Tea Fairy I suppose. Panic ensued and OU Boy made a quick dash to Sprouts and bought them out. He ordered on-line and picked up at the curb, so no germs. That is why I love him. He never even questioned the notion that I was delirious and could have had peppermint. Nope, he loves the hell out of me.

So we have lain about for days whining and generally just watching Netflix getting ready for The Crown. And finishing up this beauty that came out today! We have loved it and so needed it at this point in time.

So, yeah, that about sums up another crazy week. My Momma sent me a picture of her thumb and an empty paper plate. Curacao is back on the table for very soon.

The little people in trumpian land are quiet as the movie Quiet. Crickets people. Zip, Zero, Nada. And my gosh the adrenaline and tension release had us in emotional but happy tears.

What’s new in your area?

xx P

NET FORCE ATTACK PROTOCOL by JEROME PREISLER ( Created by Tom Clancy and Steve Pieczenik)

Net Force: Attack Protocol

The Net Force Thriller Series is created by Tom Clancy and Steve Pieczenik and written by Jerome Preisler.

As the world experiences more and more terrorist attacks, the place to be is in cyber-security! With the President giving us an entire agency just for those terrorist acts that you can’t see and Net Force is more than up for the challenge.

This time we are at the edge of the Carpathian Mountains. Where an evil genius has built a seemingly impenetrable fortress from which to oversee his evil plans. Only this time he will be using cyber-space to destroy a lot of lives. Because he is also a next level hacker. With no morals at all.

Just as the team is getting close to the compound, back at base camp, the master of hacking has either hacked our weapons and turned them against us, or we have a traitor in our midst. Because all of a sudden our buildings are being blown up by our own equipment!

And as we all expected, Russia is involved. Hoping to cripple the United States by taking control of the entire internet and do more than steal our credit card numbers. They want to use the internet to pretty much nuke us. And make it look as if we did it ourselves.

If you haven’t read any of the series of books, you should. There is no gentle introduction to the story. No. It is a non-stop, heart -pounding, edge of your seat ride until the last page. I so did not want this to be over. I kept trying to turn another page, but no.

Excellent Read!

NetGalley/ Harlequin/ Hanover Square December 01, 2020





GIRLS OF BRACKENHILL by KATE MORETTI

Girls of Brackenhill

Haunted by her sister’s disappearance, a troubled woman becomes consumed by past secrets in this gripping thriller from the New York Times bestselling author of The Vanishing Year.

When Hannah receives a call that her aunt has died in a car accident, she knows she has to return to the family’s castle surrounded by acres and acres of woods, it’s a difficult since she hasn’t been back in seventeen years. Since her sister disappeared. Memories come flooding back. Some are good but a lot are not.

Now Hannah is engaged to a great guy and is ready to put things in order quickly and get back to her life.

But when her fiancee’ finds a human bone in the shrubbery, everything changes. Could it be her sister? Or one of the other girls who have disappeared, with the town blaming her aunt.

As a child she was enchanted by the castle and it’s mysteries. Her sister was the one who was afraid and wanted to leave. As an adult, she knows something is very wrong in this house and the disturbing memories and dreams have her doubting her own sanity.

Her sister calls to her to come to the green door. And when she does, she will wish she never started digging at all.

A wicked good thriller, with suspense, supernatural forces and bad judgement calls. Another very good work by this author.

November 1st 2020 by Thomas & Mercer

Little Threats by Emily Schultz

Little Threats

The year is 2008 and Kennedy Wynn is finally being released from prison. Maybe now she can find out if she is really guilty or not.

It’s the summer of 1993 and the Wynn twins, Kennedy and Carter are doing what every teen does and seeing just how much they can get away with. They don’t worry about money, they have plenty and are well known in their Richmond neighborhood.

But one night of partying leads to one friend dead and another accused but not remembering anything that happened.

This was a really slow burn for the longest time. When it finally all came together things heated up nicely and the ending was satisfying.

There are a lot of hard to read portions. But in the end I was glad I stuck with it!

NetGalley/ November 10th, 2020 by G.P. Putnam’s Sons



The Winter Teas Are Arriving! And I Voted!

Nothing makes my dark little heart beat quite so hard as when receiving new seasonal teas from Bigelow. Or from anyone to be honest.

This little group could not have come at a better time either. I was trying out a new Rum Cake recipe and invited friends over to taste test with a cup of Eggnog Tea. Seemed appropriate. And oh my goodness it was lovely!

This is all that remains of the small bundt cakes, I did some with nuts and some without. I was also reviewing the silicone bundt pan, so I killed two birds.

Winter has gone back to wherever it stays and once again it’s shorts and tank tops as we chop up tree limbs and haul them to the curb. We actually had to turn on the a/c we were sweating so hard!

But life goes on and crazy weather seems to be the norm now. Good news is we are going to be allowed into Curacao in December! Woo Hoo! Hopefully we can keep the cold at bay until then.

Hope you all have either voted or plan to. I have been so crazy busy and then sick this past month that I ordered a thermos to take to the polls to vote as the lines were down the street, only to be told I had already turned in my absentee vote weeks ago. Oh well, at least I am positive I voted. Thank you Kendra Horn for making sure I received a ballot! I voted for you. And Joe and Kamala and anyone who was against the feeble group we have now.

Happy Friday! (It is Friday, right?)

xx P

So We’re Going Straight to Winter Now?

by Audrey T

If you live close to me you also heard what sounded like gunshots going off all night and all day so far. No, it wasn’t a gang of out of control cowboys, it was limbs cracking off of the trees due to the ice storm we are currently enduring.

Every few minutes you hear the first rumblings and see ice fall and them Boom!, there goes another limb. Now, I am not talking about branches. They are covering the ground and homes alike. These are huge limbs. One of which is sitting on top of the nursing home right now. The park looks like a war zone and a quick tour of the neighborhood shows the same. Cars parked outside last night are now nestled in the boughs of sycamore trees.

At work, it’s worse. As you can see. This used to be a huge oak tree. Now it is just a trunk and this one remaining limb. The squirrels have been running for their lives and power is out everywhere. Best to stay in town this week!

Stay safe out there. My Gulf Coast people, be safe from the hurricane. The rest of us are just frozen. But Amazon is delivering so all is not lost!

xx P

AFTER ALL I’VE DONE by MINA HARDY

After All I've Done

Writing as Mina Hardy, New York Times bestselling author Megan Hart delivers a thrilling new psychological suspense for fans of The Woman in the Window and When the Lights Go Out.

Diana Sparrow was in a car accident five months ago that left her broken and missing quite a bit of her memory. She’s beginning to have nightmares that don’t make sense about that night. Nightmares that are so real they make her doubt everything she is told. 

The official story is she hit a deer and totaled her car. She is lucky to be alive. They say she has anesthesia amnesia. Maybe her memory will return and maybe it won’t. 

She has so many questions. Why is her best friend, Val, ignoring her? Everyone acts like they know something she doesn’t. And they do. Even her husband and his mother.

But Diana is not believing any of it. As fragments of her memory return, she also finds that everyone is lying to her. And she also finds out she isn’t a very nice person.
But then not one of them is. Harriet, the mother in law was terrifying to me. You could see crazy written all over her but I had no idea how this would end.  WHAT????

Well Done!

NetGalley/ November 10th, 2020 by Crooked Lane Books