Tracy Krauss's Blog (76)

Excellent story – Strong language warning

Pharmakeia by Dan Calabrese is the second book in a series about demonic forces that rock the small city of Royal Oak. In book number one, Powers and Principalities, Clay Bender is ‘gifted’ with the ability to see demons and despite the fact that he is less than enthusiastic about his new ability, he must prevent a catastrophic disaster. In Pharmakeia, we are reunited with Clay and his friends Murphy and Kyla. It is nine months since we last…

This YA novel reminded me a bit of the Marvel ‘X-Men’ series in that it’s about a group of ‘gifted’ teens who are sent to a special school to help them learn to hone their powers. The main character, Laura, suffers from terrible migraine headaches and during one of these episodes she sees a horrific vision which then comes to pass. Apparently she can predict the future and so she is sent to the school so that she can learn to control her visions and potentially avert disasters from…

Chris McCowan, a computer science professor, witnesses the brutal murder of his finance by what appears to be a terrorist group. As he tries to come to grips with his loss, he turns his back on his faith, becoming obsessed with a need to exact revenge on the perpetrators, and thus the ‘Vengeance Squad’ is born. With the help of one of his students - a wheelchair bound ex-con, and a matronly librarian who also happens to have cash and clout with various government agencies, Chris and Co. set…

Triumph Through Trial – a Story of Renewal by Theresa Franklin follows the day to day life of a seemingly happy couple on the cusp of their twenty-fifth wedding anniversary. On the surface, they appear to have the ideal marriage and family, but this is far from reality. Even though they are Christians they are not necessarily happy or even satisfied with life. So what should they do? Much of the book reads like a diary of day to day living and a lot of the conflict centers around their…

Nike Chillemi has done it again in PERILOUS SHADOWS, the third book in her Sanctuary Point Series. This page turning ‘who-dunnit’ is another home-run for the self proclaimed ‘crime-fictionista’, with plenty of action, suspense, surprises, and quirky characters. The book follows the ‘leads’ of investigative reporter and broadcaster Argus Nye, whom we’ve met as an interesting, though minor, character in the first two installments of the series. This time, his talent for sniffing out a story is…

When Love Collides by Michelle Sutton is another in a long line up of romance novels from this prolific author. Raquel and Scott were best buddies during college, but went their separate ways when Raquel up and married someone else. Ten years later, Scott is a physician’s assistant and when Raquel shows up at the clinic due to some alarming and unexplainable symptoms, their paths cross again. Unknown to Raquel, Scott has been in love with her for all these years, and now that she is single…

The Witch Tree by Karin Kaufman is a Christian novel about a woman who unwittingly gets involved with a group of modern day witches and must protect her reputation and ultimately, her life. Anna Denning  makes her living as a genealogist, researching other people’s family trees. When she shows up at a client’s house with her findings, she discovers the woman dead. Thus begins a tale that takes us into the minds and hearts of modern day witches, wiccans, druids and covens.…

Amnesia Alibi by Anita K. May chronicles the lives a Tim and Leesa, a young couple whose relationship has been marred by broken trust and alcohol abuse. Ultimately, it points the way to a savior who can bring restoration and healing in even the most disastrous circumstances. Tim has a drinking problem which is threatening his marriage and his family. Things come to a head when he has an accident and one of his friends is killed. There are many poignant moments in the book and…

Pearls by Lisa Mills is everything a good book should be. Romance, intrigue, mystery, buried treasure – this is one book I’d like to see made into a movie. It has all the right trappings for it. Isabel Palmer has moved to Venezuela to discover herself. Her mother, a native Venezuelan, moved to the US for love. Now Isabel wants to discover her roots and is living as an exchange student. Her maternal Grandmother gives her a precious gift – a five hundred year old diary that has…

A mythical kingdom, a fairy princess, a lowly suitor and an arranged marriage – everything a good fairy tale needs is exactly what you’ll find in My Fair Princess by Nona King. If a sweet romance is what you’re looking for then look no further. The plot centers around Princess Nia of Alaeria and her arranged marriage to Shamus O’Neill, mayor of a neighboring region. She complies out of duty, but is surprised that the mayor may actually be to her liking after all. The book…

Decision to Love is easily my favorite installment in the Sacred Vows series by Michelle Sutton. It continues to follow the lives of Hope and Tony, eight years after their illicit love affair from book one Never Without Hope. This is book three in the series, following Their Separate Ways which showed us the aftermath of their affair and the struggles that each had in trying to put the pieces of their lives back together. In this book,…

This book had me pondering and thinking about it long after I read the last page and put it down. It’s the kind of book that makes you want to go back and reread parts. Now that is a great book in my estimation, and The Green Veil by Naomi Musch, is just that. It is the first in a series of historical romances set in mid-nineteenth century Wisconsin. I don’t claim to be a history buff, but I am definitely going to seek out the other two books in the ‘Empire in…

A Tumbled Stone by Marcia Laycock is the sequel to her first novel One Smooth Stone. I loved the first book and was anxious to read the second installment. I wasn’t disappointed. A Tumbled Stone introduces Andrea, a fostered teenager who has struggled all her life to fit in while living on a farm in rural Saskatchewan. When she finds that she is pregnant, she decides to run away to the city. The book also follows the life of Alex Perrin (Donnelly), whose adventures and oftentimes traumatic…

The novel Winter by Keven Newsome was a treat to read. It is a paranormal thriller with a Christian message – ‘Christian horror’ if such an oxymoron can exist. Winter is a young ‘Goth’ who is off to college for the first time. She has a past riddled with hurt and trouble, but she is now a Christian, despite her continuing espousal of Goth dress. This is one aspect of the book that I especially liked. The author has set out to completely destroy stereotypes in how his heroine should…

Split Sense by Barbara Ellen Brink is, at the risk of sounding cliché, a real page turner. It is very well written; full of action, twists and turns, intrigue and a well thought out though complex story line. The book begins in 1995 with a frightened schizophrenic woman being chased and killed, but not before her twin babies are taken alive. Thus begins a complex web of deceit and subterfuge that centers around a pharmaceutical company that has been experimenting on pregnant…

On the Soul of a Vampire by Krisi Keley was not at all what I expected. It is a deeply emotional and introspective look at one ‘man’s’ search for meaning in life. (Or in this case, one ‘vampire’.) Written primarily in first person from the point of view of Valery  Castellene, a vampire of some 800 years, we see and feel his inner pain as he struggles with his existence. Convinced that he is evil incarnate, yet still subconsciously wishing to be good, Valery’s emotional conflict is the…

Burning Hearts is the first book in the ‘Sanctuary Point Series’ by ‘crime fictionista’ Nike Chillemi.  The series takes place in a small American town called Sanctuary Point shortly after World War Two has ended. The action begins almost immediately as the heroine, a young seamstress named Erica Brogna,  is caught in a house fire. Her friend and employer is also caught in the burning building. Lorne Kincade, a war veteran who is new to town, happens along on his motorcycle and helps…

Meander Scar won last year’s ‘Grace Award’ for women’s fiction and now I know why. This book was nothing short of wonderful. Author Lisa Lickel has crafted an unorthodox romance fraught with complications and intrigue that draws the reader in almost immediately and keeps you guessing right until the very last page.

Ann Ballard is an older woman caught in emotional limbo. Her husband went missing years earlier without a trace. He left behind a thriving business…

Until Forever by Darlene Shortridge is a deeply emotional story about second chances and learning to forgive. From the outset, Jessi and Mark Jensen’s marriage is rocky at best. Jessi comes across as an over anxious control freak, while her husband Mark is selfish, immature and has a drinking problem. With that kind of foundation, is it any wonder that Jessi coddles their only child and treats Mark like an adolescent rather than an equal member of the relationship? Then…