Waking Hours By Lis Wiehl with Pete Nelson

Book Description

Welcome to East Salem: A deceptively sleepy town where ancient supernatural forces are being awakened.

A high-school girl is found murdered in a park in Westchester County, New York. The shocking manner of her death confounds the town and intrigues forensic psychiatrist Dani Harris, who is determined to unravel the mystery. All the suspects are teenagers who were at a party with the girl—yet no one remembers what happened. Could one of them be a vicious killer? Or is something more sinister afoot—something tied to an ancient evil?

But it's not just Dani’s waking hours that challenge her. Each night, her eyes open at 2:13 due to troubling dreams—dreams filled with blood, water, and destruction. Is it a clue—or a sign?

Across town, former NFL linebacker Tommy Gunderson finds his security system has been breached by an elderly woman who attacks him with preternatural strength. Before he can process the attack, someone close to him is implicated in the high-school girl's murder. He agrees to help—and finds himself working with Dani, the only girl who could resist his charms when they were in high school.

It will take astute analysis and forensic skills to solve the crime. But Dani and Tommy suspect there's more to the mystery than murder, more to their growing friendship than chance . . . and more to the evil they're facing than a mere human killer.


My Review

This is book 1 of the East Salem Trilogy. It was fast pace at the beginning, but slightly slow down towards the middle. The suspense intrigued me right from the beginning. I kept on wondering actually who's the killer. I like the interaction between Dani and Tommy. Their relationship was slowly developed and naturally. The plot of the story is very good. The authors have done a very good job on weaving in the story of mystery and suspense with the supernatural element. And on top of it, adding the romance element into it. Just when I thought the mystery is solved, the ending made me feels a little confused, which means that I can't wait for the next book!

I enjoy reading it very much. I rate it 5 out of 5 stars.


Note: I received this book free from the publisher through the BookSneeze.com book review bloggers program. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255 : “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”

The Realms Thereunder By Ross Lawhead

Book Description

Uncover a land that has been hidden for over a thousand years.

Beneath the land of Britain, a great army is sleeping. On a visit to an old church, Daniel Tully and Freya Reynolds awaken two ancient knights from a centuries-old slumber. They are kidnapped and taken to an underground city that stands in peril, besieged in all directions by a vicious warhost. Nidergeard is the only thing protecting the upper world's blissful ignorance of mythical forces that have been held at bay since the creation of the world. In order to return home, Daniel and Freya must strike at the heart of the opposer's power.

Fast forward eight years. Daniel, now homeless, still wages what he believes to be a righteous war against those he judges to be evil. Freya has tried to put the past behind her and concentrate on getting an education, a job, and a life. When they reconnect in Oxford, unseen forces begin to ally against them. Daniel is pulled through a portal and into another world. Freya is abducted by someone—some thing—posing as her professor and drugged to keep her in a delusional state. After they finally break free, neither can deny the truth . . . they must return to Nidergeard and resume the battle.

With a thrilling narrative that draws heavily upon British mythology, The Realms Thereunder will quickly establish Ross Lawhead as a major new voice in fantasy.


My Review:

I found the story very fascinating, with lots of old British mythology. It captivates my interest from beginning till the end. The story moves between past and present, but I don't have much problem following the storyline. The plot is good. It is full of adventures, with some twists and turns, just made it hard for me to put down the book. I admire Daniel and Freya who have the courage to fight the evil. The ending is good, made me can't wait for the next book in the series.

I enjoy reading it very much. I rate this book 4 out of 5 stars.

Note: Note: I received this book free from the publisher through the BookSneeze.com book review bloggers program. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255 : “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”

Spring for Susannah by Catherine Richmond

Book Description:

When Susannah goes to Dakota territory as a mail-order bride she finds something she never dreamed she would—true love.

With no prospects for marriage and her parents recently deceased, Susannah Underhill agrees to go west to the Dakota territory to marry her minister's homesteading brother, Jesse. But Susannah is painfully shy, doesn't see herself as worthy of love from either a husband or from God, and lives in constant fear that Jesse is going to ship her back to Detroit.

In spite of her petite size and the fact that Susannah doesn't look like she could survive on the prairie, Jesse quickly discovers that his new wife is a greater blessing than he even hoped for. The years she spent as her father's veterinary assistant allow her to save Jesse's ox and twin calves and to help neighboring farmers with their animals.

But Susannah's feelings of unworthiness are deeply rooted, and she can't believe that Jesse's praise—or the tenderness and love he shows—could possibly last. The thawing of her heart seems almost as distant as Spring in the midst of the winter blanketing the Dakota prairie.


My review:

I like this story very much. To me, Susannah is strong and with courage. When they lost the crops, Jesse left home to try to get a job at other places. Susannah could not stop Jesse from leaving, but yet she did not give up her hope that Jesse would come home. And she did very well in taking care of herself, and their home during this period when Jesse was gone. Despite other people thought Jesse would have died since it's been months since he had left, Susannah believed he would come home and she trusted him would not leave her alone. I always believe things happen for a reason. Without Jesse around, Susannah learn to become independent, and gained back her faith to God.

I enjoy reading this book very much. I love the ending. Very touching story.

I rate it 4 out of 5 stars.


Note: I received this book free from the publisher through the BookSneeze.com book review bloggers program. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255 : “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”

Phantom Evil by Heather Graham

Title: Phantom Evil
Publisher: Harlequin
Imprint: MIRA Books
Pub Date: 03/29/2011
ISBN: 9780778329534
Author: Heather Graham


Back of the Book: -
A secret government unit is formed under the oversight of Adam Harrison, famed paranormal investigator. The six members he's gathered know a little of the otherworldly—each has honed a psychic talent of their own.

Jackson Crow, part English, part Cheyenne, heads the group. Haunted by his experience with an ancestral ghost who saved his life as a child, and the recent murders of two previous teammates, Jackson can't tell if Adam's demoted him or given him an extraordinary opportunity. Despite his link to the realm of spirits, he's well aware that the living commit the most heinous crimes, with spiritualist charlatans existing merely to fool and seduce the unwary.

To counterbalance Jackson's careful skepticism, Adam Harrison has paired him with Angela Hawkins, a young woman who learned the painful lesson of loss at an early age. A police officer utilizing her paranormal intuition in Virginia, she already has her hands full. But Adam's call to New Orleans is strong.

The case: In a historic mansion in New Orleans' French Quarter, a senator's wife falls to her death from a balcony. Most think she jumped, distraught over the loss of her young son. Some say she was pushed. And yet others believe she was beckoned by the ghostly spirits that inhabit the house—once the site of a serial killer's grisly work.

Whether supernatural or all too human, crimes of passion, greed and desire will cast the pair into danger of losing their lives…and their immortal souls.




The first 1/3 of the book is very slow, for the six members of the team to get together. It picks up after that, and made me can't stop flipping through the pages; anxiously want to know actually what had happened to Senator's wife. There are some part that made me feel creepy - not from the ghost, but from the evil spirit inside the mansion. The story is well plotted. The romance between Jackson and Angela is well blended into the story. The investigation actually revealed more than just about the death of senator's wife. It was not the ghost but the human were the evil one here. I like the ending.

I rate this book 3 out of 5 stars.

Note: I receive the ARC of this book from the publisher via Net Gallery. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own.

A Long, Long Sleep by Anna Sheehan

Title: A Long, Long Sleep

Publisher: Candlewick Press

Pub Date: 8th September 2011

ISBN: 9780763652609

Author: Anna Sheehan

Book Description: -

Rosalinda Fitzroy has been asleep for sixty-two years when she is woken by a kiss. Locked away in the chemically-induced slumber of a stasis tube in a forgotten sub-basement, sixteen-year-old Rose slept straight through the Dark Times that killed millions and utterly changed the world she knew. Now, her parents and her first love are long dead, and Rose—hailed upon her awakening as the long-lost heir to an interplanetary empire—is thrust alone into a future in which she is viewed as either a freak or a threat. Desperate to put the past behind her and adapt to her new world, Rose finds herself drawn to the boy who kissed her awake, hoping that he can help her to start fresh. But when a deadly danger jeopardizes her fragile new existence, Rose must face the ghosts of her past with open eyes—or be left without any future at all.

It took me quite a while to finish reading it, as the starting of the story was in quite a slow pace. It get excited and more interesting after Rose was being attacked and then later she learn that her first love actually still alive. Besides telling what was happening after she woke up, there were also many flash back memories of her past, especially those moments with Xavier, her first love, and also her only friend at that time. Rose was an obedient child to her parents. She loved them very much. However after she learn how her parents had tried to control her, and routinely used stasis as a punishment, she finally speak up and learn to control her own life. The whole story is beautifully written with good ending. 

I rate it 3 out of 5 stars. 

Note: I receive the ARC of this book from the publisher Candlewick Press via Net Gallery. I was not compensated in any ways for writing this review.