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 October of 2024. Here are the 12 books I read and reviewed for October. 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 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 other books are so memorable they take our breaths away! While still others are sweet, sensitive, and enjoyable reads that we soon will forget. But all these books I have reviewed were lovely reads as you can see from my reviews. I hope you enjoy my reviews and that they will help you to decide what will be your next read.
I didn’t remember I had previously read this book in 2014. It had a different cover. Here is my review from 10/6/24.
On Mystic Lake was an emotional and heartfelt read with characters that were flawed and real. The main character, Annie Bourne Colwater, is living in a one-sided marriage. Her selfish and self-absorbed husband doesn’t know how to love her or their daughter. He thinks only of himself.
Annie realizes that she has wasted twenty years with Blake when he announces one day that he is in love with another and wants a divorce. Annie is forced to reevaluate her life and take a break away from him with a visit to her father and her hometown. She hears that her former best friend is in need and she rushes to help him with his young daughter. What she finds is not only a sweet child who is suffering from the loss of her mother but a man in dire need of help when he drowns his sorrow in drink.
I felt my heart breaking for Annie who wants only to be loved and for the little girl, Izzy, who needs her father to love her again. It was tough watching these characters and what they had to go through to find love and peace in their lives.
I didn’t want this story to end and wanted to know more about these memorable characters and what they would do next. I think this should have another book to continue the story. I highly recommend this book from this talented author.
Cut and Thirsty is a short story full of revengeful thoughts and planning in support of a writer who has suffered over the hurtful words and actions of other writers. There is jealousy, envy and hurt feelings.
Heaven, an Unexpected Journey, is an unforgettable and emotional read. The author details his eleven hours in Heaven after he died from an overdose of pain medication. He described the incredible beauty of Heaven and the feeling of love and hope that was all around him. He found it difficult to leave and return to his body and the pain that he suffered until he was healed by God’s hands.
Several descriptions of Heaven left me in tears especially when he described the different buildings that were there. One was for the aborted or lost babies who grow up to join the others in heaven. No one is older than Jesus was when he died. What a feeling it stirred in me when so much of that is going on now with the abortion issue. I always wondered where these poor innocents would go. Now I understand and feel relieved for the babies and for the families who have lost children whether they aborted them or not.
The details of the angels and Jesus were astounding and heart wrenching. The author gave the readers hope that Heaven is everything we prayed it would be and that God is always listening and will never forget us in the toughest times.
A beautiful book with notes from Dr. Thom Gardner and references to passages from the Bible. I highly recommend this book to all, believers or not. It will change your way of thinking and maybe your life. It affected me profoundly and will influence my writing as an author.
The 9th Man is non-stop action thriller that kept me riveted with the main protagonist, Luke Daniels. He was a side kick of Cotton Malone in another series. He does mention Cotton a couple of times in this story and what he learned from him in the past.
Luke is a former Ranger who is fearless and unstoppable when he has something he is determined to solve or put to rights. In this first book he works to put together evidence surrounding the assassination of President Kennedy. He is brought into this case when a woman, he knew from his past, requests his help to solve the murder of her grandfather.
Things become somewhat convoluted when deaths keep piling up around him. He is the middle of something much bigger than he ever imagined and there aren’t many who he can trust to help him escape before he loses his own life.
This was an enjoyable start to this series. I look forward to more adventures for Daniels to come.
Trio is an intriguing short story collection of three stories all with surprise endings.
The Art Class involves a man who models in the nude for an art class of old women. Mark, the model, finds his life implodes in a way that he never imagined.
The Birthday Party focuses on Billy who is given a surprise 90th birthday party but he turns the surprise back on his family when he makes a shocking announcement.
The Journey takes the reader on a journey through the spirit world much to the surprise of a man who couldn’t comprehend such a thing.
This is a quick and interesting read by this talented author. I have read many books by Stevie Turner and enjoyed them all.
A lovely story for Christmas that will put everyone in the spirit of the holiday. The illustrations are beautifully done and are perfect for the story.
I love the way Princess Sophie joins together with the animals of the forest and a wizard to solve the problems that her kingdom has after they lose the spirit of Christmas. Will she be able to bring back the joy of the holiday and keep it going all year long?
Children will enjoy this book with its simplistic message of what is important to the spirit of Christmas.
Tiger Chair is a frightening concept since our world is presently in multiple wars. The author created a story with a view of the conflict through a letter from a Chinese soldier who is in the middle of WWIII with America. This letter displays the angst and horror of war and how pointless and heartbreaking it can be to not only the soldiers but also to the families who have lost loved ones.
This wasn’t my choice of reading material but it was a free book so I opted to read.
Twelve Across is a sweet story about two individuals who are trying to find themselves. Their paths cross when a mutual friend finagles a way to get them together through a deception.
The two main protagonists have each suffered a trauma in the past and must try to put it behind them. When they meet, neither one is ready to share anything about their pasts. When they finally open up a little with one another, they find discover what they really need is not what they expected – a closeness that begins to open up their hearts.
A tender love story that comes full circle as the two characters discover what is important in life and how far you must go to achieve it. Another lovely story by this talented author.
The Gift: Harbor Pointe Series Book 2 is a touching story about a young woman who is ostracized by her parents after she gets pregnant by her teenage boyfriend. This story takes place in 1958 when things were more stringent about these situations.
This young woman, Shelly, is forced to leave home and travel across the country to stay with an aunt. After she takes a wrong turn she finds herself in the woods in the middle of a snowstorm when she goes into labor and delivers a son.
There is nowhere to go but forward as the new mother and baby trudge through the storm to find shelter. A light up ahead gives Shelly hope that maybe she and her son will be saved.
The story is an emotional one involving a little help from beyond that brings the mother and child under the fold of a loving middle-aged couple who have experienced the tragic loss of a child.
A lovely story that touches the heart and restoreths the soul.
Time Points is a quick read about a place called Arcadia that has watchers, fixers, healers and men and women who travel from their world to our world to try to stop unfortunate things happening to people.
Two of the people who live on Arcadia, Vander and Celia, begin to question what they do and if their actions are warranted or have consequences. When Vander’s actions during one of his travels causes unforeseen results, he begins to follow a young teen whose father dies because of his interference. He cannot accept that this girl will now be an orphan. He continues to follow her throughout her life until his superiors stop his progress.
At the same time, Celia, is questioning the similar things in her position as a fixer. The two team up together and discover that they have the same doubts and want to leave Arcadia and build a life elsewhere. Will they be allowed to do this or are they putting themselves in danger?
An Unsuitable Job for a Woman is a mystery with an odd collections of characters including the main protagonist, Cordelia Gray, who is a different kind of private investigator. She is young and inexperienced but capable of solving a mystery though in her own unique way.
She is thrust into a new cast after discovering that her partner in the agency committed suicide after that he is diagnosed with cancer. After getting over the shock of seeing his body sloped over his desk Cordelia tries to get the business back on track when she is asked to take a case from a rich and prominent man whose son has committed suicide. He requests that Cordelia find out why his son took his life.
This book was written in an old English writing style with words and descriptions that were out of the past which caused it to drag at times. I have another book in this two-part collection to read. I hope it will be better.
The Skull Beneath the Skin is the second book in this series with the private eye, Cordelia Gray. She is hired to watch over an actress whose life has been threatened in several letters from an unknown person or persons.
Cordelia finds herself embroiled in multiple mysteries involving several people who are on an island to attend the play featuring the subject of her present job. There are many suspects who all appear to have a grudge against this woman.
I found this a long, drawn out story that was tedious at times to complete. I don’t particularly enjoy James’ writing style or the use of many words that are no longer in use in today’s books.
Blessings & Hugs! Stay Safe, Stay Well and God Bless!
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Janice Spina aka J.E. Spina
Award-Winning Author
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