Mandy's Review Round-Up

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Haunted by the girl he couldn't save in his youth, and the murder he committed to avenge her, Detective Track Presius has a unique gift: the vision and sense of smell of a predator. When a series of apparently unrelated murders reel him into the depths of genetic research, Track feels more than a call to duty. Children are dying, children who, like himself, could have been healthy, and yet something, at some point, went terribly wrong. For Track, saving the innocent becomes a quest for redemption. The only way he can come to terms with his dark past is to understand his true nature.

Mandy's Review:

This is a fast paced book, and a quick read. If you like mysteries with a little bit of science fiction mixed in then this is the book for you.  The story was well written and kept the reader entertained.  I loved the mix of police detective and science all wrapped in the story.  You can't help but love Track through out the book.  I definitely recommend this book.  I give it 4 stars.

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Thirty-something daydreamer Sophie has been single for three years after the man she’d planned on spending her life with abandoned her and their young son just months before their wedding. With her boy to raise, impossible manager to keep happy, household to run and an ex who lives down the road meeting a new man wasn’t even on her radar. 
When the invite arrives for her successful sister’s wedding it reminds her of her single status and makes feelings rise to the surface that Sophie had been successfully bottling for the previous three years. Addressed to her and her ‘Plus One’ it prompts her, with some encouragement from her friends, to embark on a year of dating and she finds that there really are plenty more fish in the sea- but not many that she wants to catch. 
A year later, after numerous dates and encounters with the opposite sex and with her self-esteem being at an all-time low she decides to give up her fruitless quest and get on with life as she was before. Maybe her dream of a fairy tale ending was too optimistic second time around. 

Mandy's Review:

Sophie has been single for three years and decided it was time to get back out there before her sister's wedding.  What follows is a tale of her adventures in the dating field.  This is a funny and entertaining read.  Elizabeth Bell is a wonderful writer who knows how to keep the story flowing.  This is a great summer read.  I give it 4 stars.

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Richard North has worked his way up the career CIA ladder; Washington insiders expect his nomination as the next Director. However, an unexpected influence in the White House derails his nomination igniting his narcissistic tendencies resulting in a web of deceit. North’s grandiose revenge strategies result in misdirection, murder and the threat of World War III. He will stop at nothing to get what he wants.

Jack Landis, a decorated Navy Seal, comes out of retirement to join a CIA special ops mission and finds himself in the middle of the web of deceit. He has to rely on his training, experience and instincts to save a good friend, his lover and thwart Armageddon. Jack partners with unlikely allies as he races against time to cut through the labyrinth of deception in an attempt to uncover the truth. 

The story begins with the demise of Osama bin Laden as never been told and details a conspiracy that goes all the way to the top. This sophisticated plot includes characters from the White House, Russia and the Jihad community. This page turner will have the reader asking them self, ‘could this really happen?’

Mandy's Review

Who doesn't love a good spy mystery.  This is one of the better books I have read in a long time.  It is full of good guys, a nasty villain, deceit, and good ole fashion espionage.  Mitchell Stevens wrote a marvelous book that hooked me from the very beginning.  I could not put the book down it was so good.  I am a huge fan and can not wait until the next book comes along. This is a must read book.  I give it 5 stars.

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There is no such thing as neutral.

According to the Ambassadors 4 Kids Club, one out of every four students is bullied--and 85% of these situations never receive intervention. Parents, students, and teachers alike have amped up the discussion of how to solve the bullying problem for a networked generation of kids.

Written by bestselling author, Nancy Rue, each book in the Mean Girl Makeover trilogy focuses on a different character's point of view: the bully, the victim, and the bystander. Each girl has a different personality so that every reader can find a character she relates to. The books, based on Scripture, show solid biblical solutions to the bullying problem set in a story for kids.

"So Not Okay "tells the story of Tori Taylor, a quiet sixth grader at Gold Country Middle School in Grass Valley, California. Tori knows to stay out of the way of Kylie, the queen bee of GCMS. When an awkward new student named Ginger becomes Kylie's new target, Tori whispers a prayer of thanks that it's not her. But as Kylie's bullying of Ginger continues to build, Tori feels guilty and tries to be kind to Ginger. Pretty soon, the bullying line of fire directed toward Ginger starts deflecting onto Tori, who must decide if she and her friends can befriend Ginger and withstand Kylie's taunts, or do nothing and resume their status quo. Tori's decision dramatically changes her trajectory for the rest of the school year.

Features & Benefits: Book #1 in a new middle grade fiction series for tween girlsBullying is "the" topic of awareness in schools and the mediaSeries will tell the story in three different perspectives: the bully, the victim, and the bystander"So Not Okay" tells the story of the bystander, a role in which many tweens find themselves.

Mandy's Review:

This is the first book in a trilogy that addresses bullying in the tween realm of life.  Each of the books is from a different point of view.  This book is from the bystanders point of view.  This is a good book for tweens and adults to read.  It brings to light the way we all see things differently and how a simple decision can change your life and those around you.  I really enjoyed this book and learned a lot from it.  I am planning on giving it to my own daughter to read.  I give it 4 stars.

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