Here it is already the end of another month. Where does the time go? I have been busy as usual reading some wonderful books for the month of December of 2023. Here are the 6 books I read and reviewed for December. I might have read even more if I didn’t have a few WIP. But I always seemed to have a WIP! That fact never stops me! I hope you enjoy reading these reviews.

I love sharing my eclectic reads in this Jemsbooks Segment, Books Read in the Month. I hope you will get a chance to look over these books soon. Thank you for your kind support of my work and that of my fellow authors.

If you are an avid reader, as I am, please review the books you love on Amazon or wherever you purchased them in order for others to enjoy your reviews. Reviews are one way for readers to know about an exceptional book. We indie authors love to receive reviews and appreciate the efforts of readers to do them. Once again, I thank you for your kind support of me and my books and for supporting my fellow authors too.

When I wrote these reviews I rated them on Amazon, Goodreads and sometimes Barnes & Noble. I did not include the ratings here though. It is best to share my thoughts with you about how I felt about the book without the rating. Ratings can be deceiving at times.

We all feel differently about books. Sometimes we love them, sometimes we like them and still other times we may dislike a book. Some others are so memorable they take our breaths away! While others are sweet, sensitive and enjoyable reads that we soon will forget. But all of these books I have reviewed were lovely reads as you can see from my reviews. I hope you enjoy my reviews and that they help you decide what will be your next read.

The Haunting of Chatham Hollow is an intriguing story full of suspense, ghostly visits, twists and turns, greed, deception and mystery. Two creative, talented writers seamlessly worked their inimitable styles into this intricate storyline to create an enjoyable read.

I have read books by both of these authors and was never disappointed. I was looking forward to reading this story to see how they worked together. They did a remarkable job in this multi-paged tale and should write more stories since their styles worked well in these two storylines, one of the past and the other of the present.

There is plenty of mystery and suspense as the story grows with an undercurrent of paranormal activity to keep things interesting. The characters are well developed and intriguing, all with secrets and mysterious backgrounds that they try to keep hidden to protect themselves.

I highly recommend this story if you are a lover of mystery, suspense and spiritualism.

The Starfish Sisters is a story about the friendship between two women, their heartaches, disagreements, betrayals, secrets, and how they can forgive and move on. This is a testament to the strength, resilience and power of women to overcome even the toughest times.

The author has created a tale of these two women, Phoebe and Suze, who find the bond they have tested due to a horrendous attack on Suze, pulls them apart. Phoebe doesn’t realize how horrific Suze’s life really is with an abusive father who beats her and whines throughout about her minor issues such as the divorce of her parents. The backgrounds of both characters is told through two timelines, one in the past and the other in the present.

This was an enjoyable read that I would recommend to anyone who loves stories about strong women.

The Lost Girls of Devon is an emotional read between four generations of women who come together to care for the oldest who is suffering from dementia. Zoe is the granddaughter who returns home with her teenage daughter, Isabel, to care for her grandmother but finds her estranged mother is already there doing just that.

Zoe was abandoned by her mother when she was seven and left with her grandmother to care for her while her mother traveled the world in a carefree manner without a thought of her young daughter. This has left Zoe traumatized and unable to forgive her mother. Zoe must also try to make amends to her childhood boyfriend who she left behind.

There is plenty of drama involved in these relationships that come to a head while Zoe’s long-time friend disappears and another body is found. The four must come together to find the missing girl and at the same time try to mend the broken bonds.

There is an underlying mystery throughout all of this drama that is solved at the end but will the generations ever really forgive and forget what was done in the past?

An enjoyable read!

Just a Regular Boy is a moving tale of survival and coming to terms with fears this orphaned child must face. He was taken by his father into the wilderness to live at the tender age of five. He has not had the normal education for a child but his father has taught him how to survive in the wilderness since being a survivalist himself.

This is a story that grips the heartstrings of anyone who is a parent as Remy must try to survive but at the same time stay away from others as his father has taught him. When a woman crosses paths with him his life takes a turn and he must learn how to survive in society. His foster mother has her own demons to overcome along with her two adopted children who all learn something from each other as they work to help Remy adjust to a new life.

This was an emotional and touching read that I thoroughly enjoyed as I watched Remy grow and find life can be better if you learn to trust others.

I highly recommend this book by this talented, award-winning author.

The Art of Inheriting Secrets is not just a romance but a mystery with multi-layers, some uncovered while others wait to be. A story that is full of all kinds of Indian food, pungent garlic that you could almost taste and flowers that you could almost smell and feel their rose petally softness.

Barbara O’Neal creates stories that stir the senses and salivate the juices with each descriptive page. There are more than one mystery here to discover, why the main protagonist’s mother left England, why did she not tell her daughter, Olivia, about the estate, what did Olivia’s uncle do that was so heinous, and why was the estate left to ruins, and lastly who is Olivia’s father? There are still others too numerous to list here. All this kept me engrossed and wondering why.

Olivia uncovers some of the truth but the reader is left to wonder about the rest. A truly engrossing read that intrigued to want to see a sequel to find out how Olivia did with the estate and if there was a reason why two bodies were found on the property without any explanation of how they got there and why. We are led to suspect foul play but why?

An enjoyable but ambiguous read.

Goodnight Murder is a mystery that has many facets to uncover. The main protagonist, Professor Jenna Blake, has suffered from a tragic event, a school shooting and then the suicide of her husband. She has the support of her parents and a dog who has saved her on multiple occasions when she had a panic attack.

Jenna is pulled into finding one of her students that has gone missing but when strange things begin to happen that threaten her life she fights back with the help of a private investigator. But can she trust him? Even her long-time friend questions her about things that have been happening around her.

This was an enjoyable mystery full of angst on the part of the main protagonist who struggles throughout the story but through her tenacity she does not give up and strives to get her life together.

Thank you so much for stopping by to read this post and for your continued support. I hope you enjoyed my reviews and will check out these books soon for some enjoyable reading!

Blessings & Hugs! Stay Safe, Stay Well and God Bless!

READING GIVES YOU WINGS TO FLY! SOAR WITH JEMSBOOKS ALL YEAR THROUGH! HAPPY READING!

Janice Spina aka J.E. Spina

Award-Winning Author

Jemsbooks for All Ages!

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