Book Review: Ivy Vines Visions by Judy Serrano

Ivy Vines, Visions

Blurb:

Moving to Sedona was the only way Ivy could think of to start over. She would meet her high school sweetheart and work on making things right between them. Her psychic abilities were gradually becoming a curse and she needed a new start. Little does she know that when she applies for a waitressing job at a local, upscale French bistro, she will come in contact with the dark and mysterious Eli Dubois. What she doesn’t realize is she has just walked into the middle of the Vortex Murders, which involve a great deal of paranormal  activity. Elijah’s army of seers are being murdered, one by one, which seems to be magnifying Ivy’s special abilities.

Eli's best friend, Jake, arrives on the scene and reveals the secret that changes everything. With nowhere to turn, Ivy leans on the two men who offer her solace. And who is the old woman in the shroud? Is she a vision, a dream, or is  she real? Only time will tell.

REVIEW:

Deus ex machina (pronounced [ˈdeus eks ˈmaː.kʰi.na], /ˈdeɪ.əs ɛks ˈmɑːkiːnə/ or /ˈdiːəs ɛks ˈmækɨnə/;^[1] from Latin, meaning "god from the machine"; plural: dei ex machina) is a plot device whereby a seemingly unsolvable problem is suddenly and abruptly resolved by the contrived and unexpected intervention of some new event, character, ability or object. Depending on how it is done, it can be intended to move the story forward when the writer has "painted himself into a corner" and sees no other way out, to surprise the audience, to bring the tale to a happy ending, or as a comedic device.  (from Wikipedia)
Usually when deus ex machina is mentioned about a story it is not in a positive way.
HOWEVER, When you have Immortals, Seers, Psychics, Witches, and all kinds of Supernaturals,  deus ex machina seems almost natural.
Ivy Vines, (yes her parents had a sense of humor) has psychic visions. A gorgeous hunk of manhood who also is the Guardian of the Seers and an Immortal has his sights set on her. His best friend, a tender, caring man is assigned to her as her comforter. Ivy is thrust head over heels into a world that is  far removed from her mundane reality. Not only is she courted by the aforementioned gorgeous hunk of manhood but the Devil Himself wants her as a brood mare. Could things get any crazier?
The answer is yes, definitely. Things could definitely get worse.
Ivy Vines Visions by Judy Serrano is a thrilling paranormal, supernatural story. I recommend it to anyone who likes to read of  good looking men, intrigue, and to take a walk on the dark side.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR:
Judy Serrano graduated from Texas A&M University, Commerce with a BA in English. She is a substitute teacher at her children’s school district and teaches developmental writing at a local college. She is also a freelance writer for certain on-line periodicals and does editing for indie authors. She is the author of The Easter’s Lilly Series, The Linked Series, and The Ivy Vines, Visions Series. Although she is originally from New York, she currently resides in Texas with her husband, four children, (all boys) and five dogs. She is also a singer/songwriter in her spare time.
 
Author of The Easter's Lilly Series and Linked
published by Black Rose Writing
Believe.com
www.JudySerrano.com
Amazon.com
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Book Review: See You in Hell by Demelza Carlton

Book Review: See You in Hell by Demelza Carlton

 

 

            Mel is a temp worker. She works for the “Helpful Angel’s Agency”. Her latest assignment is with HELL Corporation, (Health, Environment, Life and Lands Corporation). She is hired as an assistant to Lili, who is assistant to the CEO Luce.

            The work place is a gloomy, depressing place where the employees are dominated by Luce who rules with an iron fist and indulges in over-the-top sexual harassment. Mel just doesn’t fit in. She is sweet, helpful, industrious and immune to whatever Luce offers. Ever so slowly she begins changing the office atmosphere. Not intentionally. She simply is nice. She offers help even when not asked. She volunteers. She shares. Because of her the office has a business grade coffee maker and no longer have to endure nasty instant coffee. Valentine’s Day becomes a day of shared chocolate and sweet scented flowers instead of a day of grumbling. Even Luce, the tyrant seems to be softening.

            If this novel was nothing more than an office romance, it would be worth the read. For anyone who ever worked in a cubicle, it rings horribly, laughably true. Everything from the tooth dissolving sludge called coffee to the paper shortages. And everyone who has ever worked in corporate America surrounded by three walls that are only chest high recognizes every character in the novel, including Mel – the office saint. However, this novel has another layer. Mel is not simply a  temporary worker who is a treasure. She is an Angel, literally. Her co-workers are demonic, literally. 

            Mel has been commissioned to find out if Luce is actually Lucifer. Heaven fears that Lucifer is looking to expand his territory. She has been sanctioned to stop him any way necessary.

            Demelza Carlton writes an engaging, entertaining story. I am not one to regularly laugh at the written word. Chuckle maybe. Nod my head in agreement while I am smiling. Laugh, not so much. However, See You in Hell had me laughing. If you have ever been a “working stiff”, you will probably get a kick out of the story. If you like romance that is definitely different – not your usual ‘boy meets girl, girl falls for guy no matter what the situation, yada, yada, yada’ then you will greatly enjoy See You in Hell. If you like paranormal with a twist, you should read See You in Hell.

            In other words, read  See You in Hell by Demelza Carlton. It will be worth the time spent.

Book Review: Linked by Judy Serrano

Review: Linked by Judy Serrano
     Daphne Foster is a substitute teacher. She is faced with a rebellious, flunking student. A parent-teacher conference becomes a test of wills between a flirtatious, mob-affiliated father and Daphne who tries and fails to keep the interaction professional. The father, Charles Cross, is used to getting what he wants, when he wants it. Charles Cross wants Daphne.
     Daphne doesn’t want to jeopardize he job with violating parent/teacher relations. Yet she is drawn to Charles Cross more than she ought. She crosses the line and steps into an unfamiliar world.
     Things get complicated when the Cross mob actions tumble violently into her world. Things get even more complicated when two things happen. First, Daphne meets one of Charles’ friends and the attraction is fiercely intense. Second, she discovers neither Charles Cross nor Heathcliff Vanderpool are what they claim to be. Daphne’s life just got desperately complicated and there seems no way out.
     Judy Serrano writes a page-turning story. It is an excellent tale that combines the story of a crime-boss who demands his desires be fulfilled and the struggle people have against that type of iron-fist with an innovative twist to the paranormal. Linked is a book that will not disappoint.

Book Review: Necessary Evil of Nathan Miller by Demelza Carlton

By charleneleatherman on March 15, 2014 in Books and Reviews

Book Review: Necessary Evil of Nathan Miller

By

Demelza Carlton

‘Returned from the dead.’ Caitlin Lockyer is a survivor of a horrendous kidnapping. She is guarded night and day. The people who kidnapped her want her back. The police and other agencies want her memories, to catch the kidnappers and to…  Newspapers, publishers and television want her story.
She wants her life back …. right after she kills the monsters that kidnapped, raped and tortured her.  Everyone wants a piece of her. The law enforcers want her memories as testimonies. Newspapers, books and television want her memories for the thrill of it. The kidnappers want her dead. The only one she can turn to is the man who found her. The man who everyone warns her away from.
Necessary Evil of Nathan Miller is the second of a trilogy. However, I found it reading very well on its own. The book is written in first person. Caitlin Lockyer tells her story. Sometimes things are clear. Sometimes they are as muddled as her brain on pain-killers. The way the book is written, in first person, makes the story more immediate, more frightening. I was captured by the book, by Caitlin Lockyer and what she survived, how she met the aftermath.
The first book of the trilogy is Nightmares of Caitlin Lockyer. From what I have read, it is from the perspective of one of the perpetrators. Having read the second book first, I may read the first simply to fill in some information. However, I REALLY want to read the third installment. Necessary Evil of Nathan Miller stands alone, in my opinion. It stands alone in a very dark, scary place. When you read it, you might want to keep the lights on.

Book Review: Rage by L.B. Milano

By charleneleatherman on February 23, 2014 in Books and Reviews

Rage by L. B. Milano

“What if?”
That is the ultimate tool used by every writer that has ever written a word. The question What if? resides in every novel. What if this happens? What if my character reacts like this or that? What if the world was very different?
Another question needs to be asked. What if those innocent questions, when answered, became reality?
There is a philosophy held by several religions, idea sets, gurus and people in general. That philosophy, in one form or another, states that if enough people believe something, or are involved in something at the same time, or if an individual believes it enough, the idea – thing – desire becomes reality.
Rage by L.B. Milano takes that idea one step further.
What if the life you believed was yours to live, to mess up, to succeed, to lose was not? Your life was something created by an author – a severely damaged, insane author. How far would you go to get your life back? Would you be able to?
Rage is a horror story on par with Twilight Zone. It is well written and a page turner. It is from Ellora’s Cave with a Blush rating which means there is no explicit sex. If you are looking for a good horror story, then Rage by L. B. Milano is for you.

NaNoWriMo is Over -- Life Goes On -- With A Smile

I now live in San Diego, California. (Did you know there is a San Diego, Texas? I didn't until I tried looking up just San Diego.

The other day, I went to the park with my Daughter-In-Law and my youngest GrandBaby. He played on the swings.
                        

 

 

"Play with me, Bubbi" he squealed. So I sat in a swing and swung. (No, there are no pictures of me swinging.)

          There was an amazing amount of joy in doing something so childlike as swing. I pumped my feet and pulled with my arms. I was lifted and enchanted. It was magical.

 

I also read a really fun book. GNOME ON THE RANGE

 

 

                 

I write romances - albeit romances that are in fantasy worlds with powerful fantastical heroines. However, because I write romances, I read a lot of romances. Romances are fun escapism.

 

Gnome on the Range was no exception. It was fun escapism. However, it had one thing going for it that I find rare in the romance genre.

 

You see, most romances have the hero and heroine in an unconventional, threatening or scary situation. The heroes are hunks (and I have no problem with that. I love a good hunk.) The heroines are sometimes fragile, sometimes heroic, sometimes etc. etc. etc.  If you read romances you are familiar with the traditional heroine. The hero and heroine make it through the situation and live happily ever after. The background, the real life is barely a whisper. If the heroine keeps a shop, it is hardly mentioned. Restaurants are breezed through. Cars always work, unless it is a murder mystery then it conks out at the right time. If children exist, they are patted on the head or do a run through to remind the reader there are some.

 



Gnome on the Range did something different. It made the book a treasure to read. It was pure delight. Jennifer Zane put her heroine in real life. She ran a store - not a comfortable quilting or antique store but an adult store. She had kids, kids that tumbled, made a mess in a restaurant, came in at inopportune times and fought with each other. Yes, the hero and heroine were in a threatening situation - no I will not tell you what it is - that would be cheating. However, the wonderful thing about this romance was that no matter how scary the situation became there was real life around the corner. I could see someone really being in this predicament. I didn't have to pretend that the outside world was perfect with poor beleaguered hero and heroine running around in it. The world was messy and their problem caused more messiness but they managed it, both the worldly, normal messiness and the scary messiness.

Okay, so this review is a bit off kilter. But I really enjoyed the book. If you like romance, I would suggest you definitely pick it up. It is available at Amazon.com at http://www.amazon.com/Gnome-The-Range-Jennifer-Zane-ebook/dp/B006QQRH3A/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1386632177&sr=8-1&keywords=gnome+on+the+range      

Everyone is celebrating a holiday this time of year. So I wish you a very pleasant holiday season. Stay warm. Enjoy family. Read a fun book.