Theodosia and the Serpents of Chaos

Reading Level 5.2

Genre: Fiction, Mystery, Adventure, Fantasy

Pages: 344

This book was recommended and loaned to my by my 10 year old niece. It took me a while to finally begin reading it, but once I did, I was sucked into it. I barely cleaned or cooked for my family today. I read it in two days but could have done it in one if I didn't have other responsibilities.

This book is about a young girl who's parents run a museum so she is around ancient artifacts all the time. However, there is one very odd thing about her -- she can see curses. Being around a lot of ancient Egyptian artifacts means she runs across a lot of cursed items. This strange ability that allows her to sense evil and good in items throws her into an adventure she wasn't searching for of secret societies -- one searching for good and the other creating chaos. Both want her and her special gifts. What will she do? What does she decide?

This was a FANTASTIC book. As I said, once I started reading it, I couldn't stop. There were 2-3 minor curse words in it, though. Beyond that, it was a very clean book.

I rate it with 5 stars!!! *****

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The Crossing by Serita Jakes

Genre: Fiction - Christian - mystery

Review: Claudia and Casio were on the bus on the way home from a football game with their teacher, BJ Remington and all the other football players and cheerleaders. Their lives are changed forever when a shooter steps onto the bus and starts killing their friends. Claudia and Casio witness the death of their favorite teacher and their lives are forever changed. Ten years later Claudia's husband, the ADA, has opened the case again to try to find BJ's murderer in hopes to cheer his wife up who is suffering from depression. Casio, who has become a police officer, offers to assist and together they work to solve this murder as Casio's life falls apart and Claudia's family gets ripped apart. Will they save their lives and their families as they try to discover the truth behind the shooting?
I really did enjoy this book. There were definitely some unexpected twists at the end. Overall though, I really enjoyed this book. It was clean and it kept me turning the page to find out what would happen. There was quite a bit of drama in this book. There are several scenarios that could hurt those sensitive to miscarriages, abuse, adultery, PTSD, and then, of course, murder. This was an "on the edge of your seat" mystery that I thoroughly enjoyed. :)

Author: Serita Jakes has been married to Bishop T.D. Jakes for nearly 30 years. She is a public speaker and relies heavily on her education in theater and mass communication.She is also the Executive Director of The Potter’s House Women’s Ministries. In 2009 she even appeared in the movie Not Easily Broken. Together, Mrs and Bishop Jakes have five children and two grandchildren.

Rating: **** Four Stars

This was a complimentary copy from Goodreads Advanced Reading Program for my honest review.

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The Girl in the Green Raincoat by Laura Lippman

Genre: Fiction/Mystery

Review: Tess Monaghan is bored in her apartment after getting put on bedrest from her P.I. business during her third trimester in her pregnancy. She entertains herself by watching people out her window. A woman in a green raincoat catches her attention as she walks everyday with her dog. One day, the dog runs by but without the woman. Tess becomes suspicious and gets to work as a P.I. from... the bed. Things get complicated and twisted as she works to discovery what happened to this young woman.

This really was a fun story to read. I hadn't read any of the others in the series so it stands alone just fine. You won't be lost. I loved the way Tess's mind worked and her ability to jump to conclusions. The supporting characters were just as fascinating and developed as the main characters. The eccentric Mrs. Blossom and the undecided Whitney were two of my favorite characters. The language wasn't too heavy. I remember two uses of the "B" word but that's all I can recall.

I would like to put out a warning that may also be a bit of a SPOILER: anyone who has ever experienced the NICU and gets emotional with it... use caution with this book b/c there are some tough scenes for you. The author keeps it realistic. My own son even experienced some of the medical issues mentioned in this book.

Author: Lippman was born in Atlanta, GA in '59 and grew up in Baltimore and later went to Northwestern University’s Medill School of Journalism. She became a journalist and published seven of the Tess Monaghan books while still working full time with the newspaper. In 2001 she became a full time writer.

Rating: **** Four Stars

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No Time For Love by Nancy Campbell Allen

Genre: LDS Fiction/ Chick-Lit/ Mystery

Author: She has 10 published novels, 3 children, is a freelance editor, and has a degree in elementary education.

Synopsis: Connor O'Brian wants to end his relationship with his fiance but before he is able to she is killed in a car accident. After several break-ins to his home something is discovered that was left by his fiance but no one knows what it is. Liz Saxton, a P.I. and one of Connor's dear friends offers to help Connor solve this mystery. The two of them find themselves traveling all over the world in search of the evidence they need and hope they get it to the proper authorities before a bullet finds them.

Review: Really, I am not a fan of chick-lit, especially LDS Chick-lit. It's normally the same plot line. However, this one was different -- it still had it's fair amount of "cheese" but what chick-lit doesn't? I loved Liz's character. She wasn't wimpy and needy like most female protagonists tend to be. She was resourceful, independent, and knew what she was doing. I loved that! Connor was fun too. He was real and the author allowed the reader to see weaknesses in both of the main characters so they weren't these unrealistic people. It was great and completely clean! :) If anyone is in the mood for a quick, clean chick-lit with a bit of suspense then this is the one. Now, it is LDS but the only thing in it that is LDS is that the main characters are LDS. There are only a few references to it so if you're not LDS the book will still be enjoyable.  

Rating: *** Four Stars

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