Book Spotlight with Excerpt: Last Stop by John Pearce

"An exhilarating journey that will satisfy the most avid thriller reader" - Kirkus Reviews

SYNOPSIS

A full-throttle adventure through modern Europe and the Mediterranean ... that’s part thriller, part mystery, and all rollicking ride.

Pearce again accomplishes every thriller writer’s aim: creating characters that the readers can root for and a believable, fast-paced storyline. The climax and denouement bring the storylines together neatly, but fans will see that there may yet be room for another book in the series.

When readers last saw Eddie Grant in Treasure of Saint-Lazare (2012), he was hot on the trail of Nazi war loot in the company of his on-again, off-again lover, Jen. As readers return to Eddie’s shadowy world of undercover deals and thugs in the employ of crime bosses, they find a quieter, more mature Eddie, now married to Aurélie, a scholar of some note, and living in pleasant domestic bliss. Onto this romantic scene come several of Eddie’s friends, who alert him to suspicious activity within his social circle, involving a man with criminal intentions and an interest in gold. Shortly afterward, a mysterious murder implicates another character from Eddie’s past. As he looks into the matter, Aurélie soon finds herself in danger; at the same time, Jen reappears in Eddie’s life, and he’s simultaneously drawn to her and eager to avoid falling into bed with her again. Soon, he and his comrades must track down another ring of criminals and protect themselves from fatal retribution.

 EXCERPT

Aurélie took his arm again as they stepped off the curb. The crowd had thinned, leaving them momentarily alone in the street except for a young man in a red hoodie, dancing ahead to the beat of his own private music, a figure of grace and lightness who seemed to float a few inches above the pavement.

Halfway across, Eddie paused and turned to Aurélie for a kiss. He pulled her even closer and she turned eagerly to meet him — and glimpsed a dark sedan, headlights out, as it pulled quickly from behind a parked taxi and careened around the corner toward them. At the same moment, the taxi started to pull away and its front bumper caught the left rear door of the sedan, whose driver ignored the scream of tearing metal and tried to speed up, his front tires bucking and bouncing on the pavement. Aurélie instinctively tightened her grip on Eddie’s arm to pull him out of the street.

“Go!” she cried urgently as the car bore down. Together they took one long step before it was on them. At the last instant, Eddie pushed her forward and she landed in a heap on the curb. He almost escaped untouched, but the car’s left mirror scraped heavily across his hip. He staggered and fell next to Aurélie as she shook her head, beginning to sit up.

The sedan roared away from them at high speed and ran a red light as it turned onto Quai de la Tournelle along the Seine.

The cab driver jumped out and ran to them. “Are you OK?” he asked. “Should I call an ambulance?”

Eddie rolled slowly onto his back and moaned. Aurélie moved closer and asked, “Édouard?”

“I think I’m OK, but my butt's going to hurt,” he said. He looked down and added, “These trousers have had it, but I don’t think anything is broken. Did anybody get that bastard’s license number?"

PURCHASE

Amazon

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Website / Goodreads 

John Pearce is a part-time Parisian but lives quite happily most of the the year in Sarasota, FL. He worked as a journalist in Washington and Europe, where he covered economics for the International Herald Tribune and edited a business magazine. After a business career in Sarasota, he spends his days working on his future books - The new one, Last Stop: Paris, is a 2015 project. It is a sequel to Treasure of Saint-Lazare.

For several months each year, he and his wife Jan live in Paris, walk its streets, and chase down interesting settings for future books and his blog, PartTimeParisian.com. They lived earlier in Frankfurt, Germany, which gave him valuable insights for several of the scenes in Last Stop: Paris.

  

FOLLOW THE ENTIRE LAST STOP: PARIS TOUR HERE

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Book Spotlight: Mimi’s Adventures in Baking Gingerbread Men

Mimi’s Adventures in Baking Gingerbread Men

SYNOPSIS

Embark on a baking adventure with Mimi where she will measure, mix, and bake her way to the perfect batch of gingerbread men. If Mimi can do it, so can you!

Mimi's Adventures in Baking Gingerbread Men is the third book in the Mimis Adventures in Baking series.

   

PURCHASE

Amazon

Barnes & Noble

THE AUTHOR

Alyssa’s Website / Twitter / Facebook

Chef Alyssa has been baking since she was a little girl in her grandmother's kitchen. Since graduating from the Culinary Institute of America she has worked for famous chefs and elite companies such as the Ritz Carlton, Tom Colicchio, Norman Van Aken and Gray Kunz. She currently is the Executive Chef at Riverwalk Bar and Grill on the Historic nook of New York City, Roosevelt Island. She also has a boutique custom cake company called AllyCakesNYC where she creates cakes to appease the imagination. Through her journey of baking she developed Mimi, her very own miniature version of herself.
   
As a child she loved baking and everything that came with it. As an adult and food lover she realized there was something missing when she frequented bookstores. A interactive children's cookbook. And we are not talking about a boring old cookbook for kids with lots and lots of recipes, and some pictures. Children these days have just as much interest in the kitchen as there parents do, but the ordinary cookbook is just not going to cut it. She created Mimi's Adventures in Baking  to give children and adults a way to get into the kitchen and allow the child to become the chef and the adult the assistant. With each book has one recipe and an interactive storyline the child can read, and at the end go into the kitchen and do what Mimi did!  And for the "non-baking" parent, these elite pastry chef recipes are tested and ready for even the most inexperienced baker! Impress other moms with Mimi's creations!
    
Mimi's Adventures in Baking will also teach children how to measure, mix and bake their way through the kitchen while also giving safety tips along the way. No more boring cookbooks! Now there is a fun, exciting and educational way to learn how to bake!

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Pirates in Romance; Swash Buckling at Its Best

Pirates are sexy. Women are fascinated by them, and men want to be them. They are dangerous, daring and have their own code of honor. They are the sea faring bad boys that captivate many romance readers. They offer readers adventure, mystery and romance. We want to save them and hope that they can somehow save us. If you want to get on board come along and check out these high seas adventures with pirates and the people that cannot help but love them.

Lady Pirate by Lynsay Sands is a twist on the typical pirate story. In this story, as you might have guessed by the title, it is the heroine that plays the role as pirate. Valoree pretends to be her murdered brother to sail the seven seas and is known at Captain Red. She is about to inherit a castle, by only if she marries a nobleman and becomes pregnant. While she would be more than happy to return to the sea and ignore the inheritance her crew votes and takes action. The pirate crew helps her search for her perfect mate, chaos and laughter ensues. The crew is rooting for one Lord Thurborne, but Valoree is looking for someone less willful so she can walk all over him. This is a funny historical romance.

The Care and Feeding of Pirates by Jennifer Ashley is a tale about Honoria Ardmore. She is currently a proper lady, but that was not always the case. Four years ago she wed the pirate Christopher Raine in secret before he was scheduled to be hanged. Now Honoria's life is back on track. She is engaged to another man, but Christopher walks back into her life and wants his wife. They strike a deal and she agrees to accompany him on a journey. If she is not crawling back by the end of the voyage Christopher will agree to a divorce. However, he is bound and determined to get what he wants, and he wants Honoria. Sparks fly in this adventure, which is the third entry in Ashley's Pirate series. Each book does stand well on its own, though you may want to read the rest after this taste.

Blow Me Down by Katie MacAlister blends a few subgenres. It is both contemporary and pirate romance. Amy is a single mother that works too much. Her daughter convinces her to try a virtual reality game called Buckling Swashes, and Amy soon finds herself obsessed with the game and the character of Black Corbin. She discovers that Black Corbin is the game creator, playing the game like her, and both are trapped in the virtual world because of a plot by a disgruntled employee. They must work together to save themselves and find a way out of the game. This is a fun read that will be appreciated by many different kinds of readers.

A Pirate of Her Own by Kinley MacGregor is about Captain Morgan Drake, a reformed pirate being followed by writer Serenity James. She is set on unearthing his past. But, Drake is determined to stop her so he kidnaps her and takes her aboard his ship, The Sea Wolf. They are both tenacious and strong willed, but become overwhelmed by mutual attraction. This is the second novel in the Sea Wolves series. MacGregor's writing style and voice might seem familiar, as she writes popular paranormal books under the name Sherrilyn Kenyon.

Looking for a Hero by Patti Berg is a time traveling romance about an eighteenth-century pirate in the twenty-first century battling for his heart. Mogan Farrell, better known as Blackheart, is tossed off his ship during a duel with his nemesis Thomas Low. Somehow during the fall he is transported to St. Augustine and meets the widow Kate Cameron. Kate is captivated with the pirate who charms her daughter Casey, and he is enthralled with the pair. Kate wants real love and more children, but Morgan is set on revenge. Morgan gets his chance when Thomas Low is transported to St. Augustine as well. The likeable characters make this a great read for pirate and time travel fans.

Pirates by Linda Lael Miller is another pirate novel with some time travel. Phoebe Turlow is recently divorced and needs a break from her dead end job. Somehow once in the Caribbean she takes the wrong elevator and ends up in 1780. To make matters worse she does not simply land on the beach, but in the home of the infamous pirate Duncan Rourke. When they meet Rourke believes that Phoebe must be a spy, but his servant sees things a little differently. The couple slips through time in both directions, but will they both end up where they belong?

Gentle Rogue by Johanna Lindsey follows former pirate Sir James Malory. He is from a well-known family in 1818. Georgie Anderson travels from Connecticut to London to find her missing fiance, whom she has not seen in six years and is heartbroken. After finding out that he is now married with children, she just wants to return home.

Georgie disguises herself as a cabin boy to travel on the Maiden Anne. That is where she recognizes James from a fight she had witnessed several years earlier. James recognizes Georgie as well but instead of calling her out on the disguise orders his "cabin boy" to help him in a variety of very private functions. Eventually they need to get past the games and deceptions and admit how they feel. This is a must read for fans of Lindsey and those looking for a good, spicy read.

Book Review: Daniel's True Desire by Grace Burrowes

Daniel's True Desire is the second book in the True Gentlemen series by Grace Burrowes. Each of these books can stand on their own, but reading them in order does give a better understanding of the cast of characters. 

Daniel Banks is a man of the cloth whose vocation is the last comfort he has left–and even his churchman’s collar is beginning to feel like a noose. In an attempt to start his life over, Daniel accepts the post of vicar in Haddondale, a position supported by the Earl of Haddonfield. There Daniel meets Lady Kirsten Haddonfield, to whom life has also dealt multiple unkind blows. Daniel’s interest is piqued by Kirsten’s unsentimental attitude toward her misfortunes, and by the kind-heartedness the lady keeps well hidden. Kirsten is much taken with Mr. Banks and his genuine compassion for others, despite his own troubles. When Providence intervenes, and Daniel and Kirsten can become engaged, their happiness seems complete, although every garden has at least one nasty, sly, determined serpent. 

Daniel's True Desire is a story that is very much about equally wounded hearts and good natured individuals finding each other and helping each other heal. Daniel has not had a perfect life, and despite being a man of the cloth has many secrets and a failed marriage and child he loves completely. Everything is very complicated, but Daniel is more worried about the well being of others than anything for himself. Kirsten has have zero luck in love, and is content to help her family and live her life as it stands. Neither is looking for love, and as usually that is when love strikes hardest. I liked both characters, but at times they were both almost too perfect to believe. Thankfully, they each had their moments that showed their flaws and humanity they kept them from staying too perfect. I did not love this book as much as I had hoped, but I still greatly enjoyed it and continue to look forward to Burrowes' next book.

Daniel's True Desire is  a solid follow up to Tremaines True Love.  I do not think it was quite as good as the first book in the series, but it was still an entertaining read. Fans of the author will definitely want to read the book, and anyone that enjoyed the first book in this series will enjoy this one as well.

Early Book Review: The Good, the Bad, and the Vampire by Sara Humphreys

The Good, the Bad, and the Vampire is part of the Dead in the City series by Sara Humphreys. It is currently scheduled for release on January 5 2016. I have read other paranormal romance from Humphreys, but have not read this series in order or completely, and feel that the book can stand on its own.

Trixie LaRoux is a pink-haired, punk rock, vampire with serious bartending skills. Everyone in the coven think she's as tough as nails, but only her maker knows the truth; that underneath the sultry eye makeup and neon hair is a woman haunted by a past full of troubled relationships. Dakota Shelton is a vampire with deadly skills, but he is a good old Southern boy at heart. Thrown together by mutual friends in New York City, Trixie has no idea what to do with Dakota's old-fashioned chivalry. But after her tumultuous dating history, Trixie just may be ready for the one man she never expected.

The Good, the Bad, and the Vampire is more complicated than the blurb suggests. Trixie has a history of bad relationships, addiction, and rejection. She paints herself as tough and punk rock, but all of that is just to cover up her insecurities. Trixie has secrets and emotions to hide, and wants to keep them to herself. She is thankful no one but her maker knows the truth, but it is not long before Dakota sees through the act as well. Dakota has been on a secret mission hunting gargoyles since he was turned. As a recent transplant to the big city he feels off center and less than comfortable. However, Trixie intrigues him and make he feel even less centered, but somehow more focused. When their pasts make fighting their mutual attraction even harder by throwing them even closer together the real trouble begins. Deception, emotion, and family ties are at the heart of the story and keep the reader at the edge of their seat. I did expect some of the big reveals, but it was still a well told story.

The Good, the Bad, and the Vampire is an action packed and quick paced story that I enjoyed. Those that enjoy Humphrey's writing in general will enjoy this one as well. 

Book Review: Breaking News: Bear Alert by David Biedrzycki

Breaking News: Bear Alert by David Biedrzycki is a fun picturebook. Two bears awaken from hibernation and go to town, literally. During their visit, they eat at a diner, dress up at a department store, and stop a couple of bank robbers, all the while mistaking the townspeople’s terror for friendliness.

Breaking News: Bear Alert is a bright and high interesting picturebook. After two researchers literally poke a sleeping bear, two furry creatures hitch a ride and paint the town red. While they explore the town and enjoy the sights the townspeople are obviously concerned and the local news focuses on the unexpected tourists. However, they fail to notice that a pair of robbers are taking advantage of the confusion and distraction around town. Readers can spot the robbers and fun allusions through out the story.  All in all the book is great fun, but also shows something of the way children see the world more clearly than phone and news obsessed adults.

Breaking News: Bear Alert is a fun and somehow telling story to share. On the surface it is simply silly story about well meaning and innocent bears. However, the parents and older children might see some of the daily problems of the real world, like everyone being so focused on the new's version of the day or their phones to notice what is going on around them or what the children around them see clearly.

Picture Books Celebrating Hanukkah and Christmas: Holiday Books for Fostering Understanding

Every child likes to read about people that celebrate the same holidays that they do and stories surrounding those holidays. It is also important for children to learn about religions and cultures that differ from their own in order to foster understanding and acceptance for those that might otherwise be labels as different or teased. It is great for children in multi denominational families, or with close friends or family that celebrate differently, to see children like them in stories. The comparisons of celebration, meshing of cultures, and acceptance of all people are very important lessons for children and adults alike. These picture books are all about those that celebrate, take part in, or are curious about more than one kind of holiday celebration come December.

The Trees of the Dancing Goats by Patricia Polacco is the story of a childhood memory and true friendship. Trisha loves Hanukkah, because that is when her mother stays home from work, her Grampa carves wonderful animals out of wood as gifts, and her Babushka makes potato latkes. In the midst of her family's holiday Trisha visits her closest neighbors, thinking that she will find them find them decorating their home for Christmas. Instead they are all very ill, suffering from scarlet fever. Trisha's family is lucky; they have been spared from the epidemic. Trisha's family has a hard time celebrating when they know that their neighbors, their friends, are so ill. But Grampa has a wonderful idea. They will cut down, decorate, and secretly deliver Christmas trees to the neighbors. Trisha and her brother sacrifice the carved animals they were to receive as gifts in order to decorate the trees and do a good deed for their neighbors. 

My Two Holidays: A Hanukkah and Christmas Story by Danielle Novack and Phyllis Harris offers some discussion and explanation about how some families celebrate different holidays, or even two holidays instead of one. At school, Sam's classmates discuss which holiday they celebrate in December. Sam gets very nervous, because in his family they celebrate Christmas and Hanukkah. No child likes feeling different, and this is a great book for starting a classroom discussion or helping a child in a similar situation feel more at ease.

Elijah's Angel: A Story for Chanukah and Christmas by Michael J. Rosen and Aminah Brenda Lynn Robinson (Illustrator) is based on the life of the real Elijah Pierce. He was a lay minister, barber, and woodcarver that lived in Ohio. Pierces woodcarvings are currently owned by the Columbus Museum of Art. The story is a heartwarming tale of one child's acceptance of others. A young Jewish child, nine-year-old Micheal, becomes friends with an elderly African American barber, Elijah, who makes elaborate woodcarvings in his free time. A number of the woodcarvings are biblical, since the barber is a devote Christian. Michael admires the woodcarvings, and in one day of overlapping holiday celebrations Elijah gifts Michael a carving of a guardian angel. Michael is worried that the wonderful carving might go against his own faith, and he comes to learn that friendship and gestures of love can come home with you and rise above the differences in belief. The artwork features thick sweeps of paint and wood-tones, which creates the feel of the characters being carved from wood themselves. 

Light The Lights! A Story About Celebrating Hanukkah and Christmas by Margaret Moorman focuses on a household's happy celebrations of Hanukkah and Christmas. The title gives a good idea of the motif used throughout the book to tie the two celebrations together. The menorah candles glow brightly in Emma's house during the Jewish holiday; then lights glow nicely on her family's Christmas tree. While the family's celebrations are depicted as purely secular, Emma's response to everything in both celebrations is innocent wonder and delight. The images in the book are bright and unpretentious. There is no mention of the backgrounds of either holiday, and the concentration on the secular might bother some, but might make it more acceptable in a public school setting.

The Christmas Menorahs: How a Town Fought Hate by Janice Cohn and Bill Farnsworth is based on a true story. In Billings, Montana, a rock is thrown through a boy's bedroom window which was decorated by a menorah. Isaac, the victim, is afraid to return the menorah to his window. His mother takes action and reports the crime to the police and talks on television and at a meeting to discuss the indecent and to encourage the community to take a stand against intolerance and bigotry. Stories about Danish people assisting Jewish neighbors during World War II inspire the community and people in the town, regardless of their own religion, display menorahs in their own windows. After a schoolmate shows support Isaac his support, Isaac is able to take his own stand and return his menorah to its rightful place. The images in the book are soft-focus, realistic oil paintings which dramatize the story and give the characters personality. This is a great book for discussing tolerance. It would also be useful in starting a discussion about acceptance, personal strength, the power that can be found in community, or the existence of hate crimes.

Other book suggestions include; Yesterday's Santa and the Chanukah Miracle by Sarah Hartt-Snowbell and Patty Gallinger, A Christmas Chanukah Wish by Irene Buggy, Valerie A Lepore-Ney and Ileana Nadal, and A Chanukah Noel by Sharon Jennings and Gillian Newland. 

Book Review: Dream on, Amber by Emma Shevah

Dream on, Amber by Emma Shevah is a children's book about Ambra Alessandra Leola Kimiko Miyamoto. As a half-Japanese, half-Italian girl with a ridiculous name, Amber's not feeling molto bene (very good) about making friends at her new school. But the hardest thing about being Amber is that a part of her is missing. Her dad. He left when she was little and he isn't coming back. Not for her first day of middle- school and not for her sister's birthday party. So Amber will have to dream up a way for the Miyamoto sisters to make it on their own.

Dream on, Amber is a wonderful book for independent readers, middle grade readers, young adults, and adults. Anyone that feels caught in between, like something is missing, or that they6 do not quite fit in anywhere. Amber is a germ-a-phob, an artist afraid to share her work, a sister that wants to help and protect her little sister, and a daughter that wants to protect her mother from pain even when she has questions she really wants to ask. Starting middle school is hard for anyone, but doing so when you feel so out of place and lost is even harder. I think everyone feels awkward (at least to a certain extent) but Amber has additional challenges and a great mind and imagination. I think readers that feel outcast or lost in some way will easily connect with Amber. Readers dealing with an absent parent, are biracial, or an appearance different than those around them will relate to Amber's troubles. I enjoyed the story on several levels, and think other readers will as well.

Dream on, Amber is a wonderful children's novel that speaks to many kinds of readers. It is realistic fiction dealing with racial insensitivity, coming of age, family trouble, starting middle school, and so much more. There is something here for just about everyone, and readers that do not see something of themselves in the story will hopefully walk away with a better understanding of others that do. 

Book Review: A Tower of Giraffes: Animals in Groups by Anna Wright

A Tower of Giraffes: Animals in Groups by Anna Wright is a non fiction picturebook. It introduces young readers to the words people use to refer to animals in a group and some information about each kind of group. The images are a combination of ink, watercolor, and fabric collage art. The result is brightly colored and unique. 

A Tower of Giraffes is a great easy non fiction book that will delight young readers that love animals and learning new words. I like that the book offers the collective nouns for so many animals, but that information like when the groupings happen, the numbers of animals often found in the group, and more interesting facts are included. Some of the words are particularly well matched to the animals they describe, such as a prickle of hedgehogs or a flamboyance of flamingos, that the information all on its own. To top of the information and introduction of new vocabulary is the colorful and unique artwork that can be found on each page. The art really adds something special and interesting to further engage readers of all ages. 

A Tower of Giraffes is a book that I highly recommend for school and public library collections. My daughter is an animal lover, and even though she is reading well above the level of this book, i can see it being a huge hit in our house. I cannot wait to share it with her.

Book Review: Cast in Honor by Michelle Sagara

Cast in Honor is the 11th book in the Chronicles of Elentra series by Michelle Sagara. This is a series that definitely needs to be read in order. If you jump in at this point you might enjoy the characters and chaos, but you will not understand who or what most of the characters are and how they relate to each other.

Elantra stands strong, but countless numbers of Hawks, the city's staunchest protectors, were lost in the brutal attack in the previous book Cast in Flame. Humans, Barrani, Aerians, Leontines—none of the races emerged unscathed from the defense of the city. Homes were lost, families were scattered, and the outcast Barrani Lord Nightshade is missing from his castle in the fiefs. Yet as the chaos surrounding the battle begins to wane, Private Kaylin Neya's duties must resume, despite her grief. Called in to investigate a triple murder in a quiet part of town, Kaylin and her companions are soon embroiled in a case that is anything but routine. Evidence of the deadly Shadows that still threaten the city leads to hints of ancient, forgotten magics. Everything can be traced directly to Ravellon, the heart of the Shadows and the darkness they contain. It is there that Lord Nightshade will be found.

Cast in Honor is a solid and fairly dense continuation of the Elentra series, and I liked the majority of the book. Each book in this series is very much about the main players coming to understand more about themselves and the world around them. There are also large sections that are theoretical and about the complications of magic and the unique aspects of their world. It seems like in this installment there was more of Kaylin trying to figure out the abstracts and less of her personal development, which disappointed me a little. However, there are plenty of  emotional struggles and strained interactions to meet my expectations, just not as much as I was hoping for. I do not want to talk too much about particulars, because I read the book cold- with no description reading, simply because I love the series. So readers that are as invested in Elentra and Kaylin will need to read the book, and enjoy it for the most part. Readers that have not started this series need to begin at the beginning, and I highly recommend doing so.

Cast in Honor is a must read to fans of the series. It is not as good as some of the others in the series, but I have high expectations for Sagara. It is still a solid read, but I want to see more character growth rather than explanation in the next installment.