The months are flying by too quickly. The year is nearly half over. I have read 13 books in May of 2019 which I am sharing with you here in this new segment of Jemsbooks.blog Monthly Reads. I hope you enjoy reading my reviews and check out these enjoyable reads. Pick out your next read and enjoy! Happy Reading!

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This is book 2 in a trilogy of this lovely story of two women, Laura and Sofia, from different times who are connected somehow across time and space. The author has created an ethereal romance that makes the reader believe in souls being reborn to live a life again to somehow make up for regrets of their former lives.

Laura is the soul from the past while Sofia lives in the present time. The women each love a man who is difficult and troubled making for an unsettled relationship. Both women are strong and resilient and do not easily give up their chances to hold onto the loves of their lives. The ghost from the past (Laura) appears to Sofia in her dreams and encourages her to follow her love and never give up.

From the beginning of this trilogy the two stories told simultaneously showed some similarities between the women’s lives but did not connect. In book 2 the connection begins to appear solidifying the two women as one soul. I am sure in the final book things will be explained and come together more firmly.

This is an enjoyable story that makes one feel the angst, disappointments, and heartache experienced by the protagonists. The author has created a heart-felt historical wartime romance mixed with a little paranormal and suspense to hook in the reader. I look forward to reading book 3.

I was gifted a copy of this book and chose to review it without compensation.

After reading book 2 in this trilogy I had to read book 3 to find out how the story ends. Here is my review:

Jjspina5.0 out of 5 starsA Heart-Wrenching Historical Romance that will have you shedding many tears!May 6, 2019Format: Kindle EditionThe Storm is book 3 in The Lady of the Pier trilogy. I read books 2 and 3 back to back and couldn’t put them down until I completed the series. The author has created a mesmerizing story of romance and reincarnation. The story is divided into two separate stories of two women, Laura from the past, and Sofia from the present time. They supposedly share the same spirit.

Laura had a tragic life separated from her love and kept in a loveless marriage by a demented and evil husband. Sofia begins to experience dreams of a woman who looks a lot like her. The woman is Laura, known as The Lady of the Pier. She vowed before her death that she would search until she found her love in another life. Through Sofia she does just that.

This story tore at my heart to see two lovers kept apart like this. Sofia realizes that she is the reincarnation of Laura and does all she can to fight to keep her love, Danny aka Christian, from the past not only for herself but to help Laura realize her dream to be with the one she loved. Laura puts many things in motion in order to assist Sofia in succeeding to be with Danny.

The author has created a heart-wrenching paranormal romantic historical story that will grip the reader and hold on tight until the ending. If you have a heart you will feel the angst of the characters in her elegant prose and shed tears along with Laura and Sofia.

I was gifted a copy of this book and reviewed it without compensation. I highly recommend this series and all books by this talented and creative author.

This incredible author has done it again in my eyes. This book gripped me and brought me to tears. As a mother I could feel the heartache as the main protagonist, Maggie, loses her beautiful five-year-old daughter in a tragic car accident. She continues to blame herself even though it was just that an accident. Her marriage dissolves and she feels as if her life is over.

She moves away from her past and all the pain and memories of her life. She learns to recreate herself in a new community without sharing her past with any of her new friends. But her past does not want to stay buried and will follow her wherever she lives. Her husband has had a difficult time too dealing with their loss. When he suddenly appears in her new hometown she pushes away from him.

Maggie must make tough decisions as her life takes a new turn with friends who need her help and a husband who won’t go away. Can she deal with starting over? Will she jeopardize her parole by helping her friends who are in trouble with the law? 

This was a tough read for a parent when it involves the loss of a child. I shed tears along with Maggie and her ex-husband, Edward. I can’t imagine how anyone could deal with such a tragedy. 

I love all Barbara Delinsky’s books and this was no exception. She knows how to touch on tough subjects and get to the heart of the matter. I highly recommend this enjoyable book.

I purchased this book as two separate books. THE PIT STOP review here:

A short and quick-moving paranormal mystery that kept this reader captivated. I would have liked to see this story as a full-length book because it was so intriguing.

Detective Canale feels compelled to learn more about the deaths of his grandparents after he experiences some ghostly dreams involving his grandfather.  The story picks up pace as the clues pile up and connect to another murder.

The author puts together short stories with quite a punch and keeps the reader engaged with her well-developed characters and story line. This was an enjoyable read.

THE DEPOT review here:

The Depot is a engrossing mystery. This restaurant is haunted by the female bartender’s great grandmother who was said to be murdered there. The few characters that are portrayed in this intriguing mystery are well developed for a novelette and could do well in a full length novel. 

There are sightings of this ghost, murder, and a little romance thrown into the mix to make for a enjoyable read.

This was a quick and interesting read that ended too soon. I wanted to read more. The author did a commendable job of creating a fascinating story line. I have read other books by this talented author and look forward to reading more.

This incredible author has done it again in my eyes. This book gripped me and brought me to tears. As a mother I could feel the heartache as the main protagonist, Maggie, loses her beautiful five-year-old daughter in a tragic car accident. She continues to blame herself even though it was just that an accident. Her marriage dissolves and she feels as if her life is over.

She moves away from her past and all the pain and memories of her life. She learns to recreate herself in a new community without sharing her past with any of her new friends. But her past does not want to stay buried and will follow her wherever she lives. Her husband has had a difficult time too dealing with their loss. When he suddenly appears in her new hometown she pushes away from him.

Maggie must make tough decisions as her life takes a new turn with friends who need her help and a husband who won’t go away. Can she deal with starting over? Will she jeopardize her parole by helping her friends who are in trouble with the law? 

This was a tough read for a parent when it involves the loss of a child. I shed tears along with Maggie and her ex-husband, Edward. I can’t imagine how anyone could deal with such a tragedy. 

I love all Barbara Delinsky’s books and this was no exception. She knows how to touch on tough subjects and get to the heart of the matter. I highly recommend this enjoyable book.

Jjspina5.0 out of 5 starsA Fascinating Story of Greek Mythology! May 13, 2019Format: Kindle EditionVerified Purchase Aphrodite’s Curse told through the voice of Phaedra, a minor character in Greek Mythology. The author has written in first person in a creative and fascinating way through Phaedra’s letter to her husband. Phaedra has poisoned herself with hemlock due to her embarrassment of loving her husband’s son – unrequited love. She feels she cannot live with this fact and pours her heart out in a letter.

The author displays her love and knowledge of Greek Mythology enabling the reader to feel the angst of the characters, the injustice of being a woman, and loving another without abandon as Phaedra rambles on through writing as the poison slowly works through her body to weaken her. I highly recommend this book to anyone who loves Greek or Roman Mythology.

Jjspina5.0 out of 5 starsA Fascinating Story of Time Travel!May 13, 2019Format: Kindle EditionVerified Purchase A creative story of time travel that was gripping with its ever-changing twists and turns in the story line. Joe McLean is a lonely soul whose only joy in life is cheering for his beloved baseball team. Strange things happen when Joe purchases a stadium seat as a memento as his baseball team’s stadium is set to be demolished. What Joe doesn’t know is that this seat is a passageway to travel in time.

This was a fascinating premise that kept me riveted to find out how Joe will change his life each time he traveled in time. Would he be able to put things in order in his life, regain Beth, his ex-wife’s love again, find a way to keep his parents alive longer, help his brother become financially secure, and get his business in order? Can we ever turn back time and correct our mistakes?

I highly recommend this book if you want answers to these questions and love time travel plots. This was an enjoyable read! The author did a commendable joy of keeping each log of time travel straight.

A Quick and Delightful Read!

This author is one of my favorites. This short story was an enjoyable and quick read that kept me in suspense. The characters were well-developed and the story line was perfectly executed. This could have been developed to be a full-length novel, it was that good!

What would you do if your husband disappears before going on a trip to celebrate your first anniversary? The main protagonist is forced to deal with this situation. Why did her husband leave so suddenly without notice? How could he do this to her? Did he still love her?

You will have to read this excellent book to find answers to this story.

This was an entertaining novella which can be a stand alone book. I did not read the Riverbend Series and still enjoyed this story. There are a myriad of emotions that are displayed in this tale about a man, Jake, who becomes an emissary to the angel, Azrael. He is enlisted to aid Azrael in helping humans who are troubled and in need.

Marcia Meara has created well-defined characters who draw the reader in as they feel pain, angst, happiness, or sorrow. This is a creative piece that makes the reader believe that maybe this is all possible.

I was disappointed when the story ended and will have to pick up the next book to learn more about these characters. When a writer can endear her readers to her characters and story line enough that they care about their outcome, then she has successfully created a delightful book. I look forward to more books by this author.

More Glimpses is a creative collection of short stories in different genres such as horror, mystery, suspense. Some of these stories were quite spine-tingling that I only read them in the light of day.

Hugh Roberts is a creative writer who knows how to draw his readers in and keep them hanging onto his every word until the dramatic and shocking ending of his stories. Many of his tales are reminiscent of the show, The Twilight Zone. where you expected the unimaginable to happen.

I highly recommend this new collection of short stories for those fans of horror and the unusual genres. You will be surprised and delighted by these entertaining stories and will wish there were more.

I have read both of Hugh’s short story collections and thoroughly enjoyed them. I look forward to the next collection with eager anticipation.

Jjspina5.0 out of 5 starsA Suspenseful Mystery!May 28, 2019Format: Kindle EditionVerified Purchase Book 1 of Swamp Ghosts is a intriguing mystery rote with monsters both on two legs and four or none at all. The story centers around the main protagonist, Maggie Devlin, owner of a tour boat who loves to be on the water and exploring. When she meets wildlife photographer, Gunnar Wolfe, a giant among men she is drawn to him in more ways than she wants to admit.

The story demonstrates the physical attraction between these two well-defined characters as the storyline begins to create suspense. A mystery evolves around a killer at large when the couple find some bones of more than one victim in the swamp.

The question is: were these victims killed by an alligator or a human? The author keeps the reader guessing. All the pieces fit together eventually and leads to a shocking conclusion.

I enjoyed the characters in this book – flawed but strong, resilient, and fearless under dire circumstances. This was an intriguing beginning to this series and I look forward to the next book.

I was thrilled to win this book in an online contest. The book I received was under a different title: Finding Maylee. It was changed afterward to Search for Maylee.

The author put her emotions into this story about the kidnapping of a teen a few months short of her high school graduation. There are plenty of twists and turns and surprises as Maylee’s Aunt Autumn goes on a hunt to find her after the police and Maylee’s mother give up.

Autumn moves to the state where Maylee was last seen and discovers in her search how seedy and dangerous the world around her really is. She is however not ready to give up and stumbles upon a network of human trafficking even the police could not find. She befriends two men, one a detective who was on Maylee’s case and the other, a neighbor and manager of her new apartment.

How will Autumn be able to go up against these dangerous men who may have her niece? Can she do it alone or will she turn to the detective who makes her tremble and her heart beat in overdrive?
Some of those who she trusts may not be who they claim to be.

An interesting and fast-paced thriller that kept me on edge until the end.

Jjspina5.0 out of 5 stars A Futuristic Sci-Fi Romp!Reviewed in the United States on May 30, 2019Verified PurchaseWith a title like this I did not know what to expect. Having read other books by this creative author I knew I would not be disappointed. I loved this book!

It was fascinating to read about the Greek Isles while I was actually cruising there! I felt propelled into the future with Mika and her hot android, Leo, with clones, murder and mayhem at every turn. This story proved to be a delightful read!

The author has an extraordinary view of the futuristic world. All Sci-Fi lovers will be thrilled with this book and won’t want it to end. Hopefully Nicholas Rossis is working on more stories with Mika and Leo. Who would have thought that this toaster could be so hot

Jjspina5.0 out of 5 stars An Engrossing Story about Family Relationships!Reviewed in the United States on May 30, 2019Verified PurchaseAnyone who is or has ever been a daugher-in-law will see something of themselves in this wonderful story. The relationship between a mother-in-law and her son’s wife is a tricky situation in many cases as demonstrated by this talented author. She delved into the lives and loves of family that touched home with me and I’m sure many other readers. Stevie Turner gave the views of both sides and brought up some sensitive issues.

Edna, the mother-in-law, can’t accept the idea that her son has chosen a woman to take her place in his heart. Can she ever embrace this woman? Arla, the daughter-in-law, has her own demons to face with her husband and his sisters. She always feels on the outside looking in. What can she do to be accepted into this dysfunctional family? She even goes to a marriage counselor to try to get her husband, Ric, to open up to her about his family.

I enjoyed following along with their journey as they discovered some surprising revelations about themselves and how they grew closer in spite of the chasm that had opened up at the beginning of their marriage. When Arla has to face similar circumstances as her own son marries she begins to connect more with her own mother-in-law. Can she accept the woman that her son has married? If not, then why not?

This was an eye-opening story that could be used as a self-help book for anyone who is dealing with these problems in their own marriage and with a stubborn mother-in-law. The author has a deep understanding of the feelings and angst of being a daughter-in-law who is living on the outside and looking in at her new family.

I found this to be an enjoyable read as I began to care about these characters and their outcome. This is a sign of a well-developed storyline and characters. I highly recommend this wonderful book!

Thank you for stopping by to read my monthly reviews. I hope you will check out all these wonderful authors and their fabulous books. Come back again for more interesting posts! I love having you visit!

Watch for more reviews coming up for the month of June!

REMEMBER: READING GIVES YOU WINGS TO FLY! SOAR ALL YEAR THROUGH WITH JEMSBOOKS.COM! HAPPY READING!

Blessings & Hugs!

Janice