The Fun of Dying: Find Out What Really Happens Next! by Roberta Grimes

The Fun of Dying: Find Out What Really Happens Next by Roberta Grimes. 2010. Greater Reality Publications. Pb. 149 pp. ISBN #: 9780980211115.

The title of this book is bound to grab many readers. After all, who doesn’t wonder whether there is an afterlife; and if so, what is there, what is it like, etc., etc. Roberta Grimes has combed all the research out there to attempt to provide answers to every human being concerned with the life beyond the one in which we now live. Some of what she offers is common knowledge and other ideas are quite astounding!

The evidence covers science, religion, and other psychological phenomena that the author clearly indicates need not be opposed to each other but which actually consists of a continuum of experience that is impossible to contradict. It involves experience coupled with cutting edge knowledge, such as quantum physics, that is actually comforting, albeit challenging to those with rigid, dogmatic notions of the afterlife. Suspend disbelief while you read this book and take in the plethora of possibilities, such as the reality of energy that is not measurable as matter or time.

A considerable amount of space is given to the healing one needs after the death of the earthly body and how precise that is to each individual who passes over to the afterlife. Possible learning lessons, reincarnations, cravings satisfied, the necessity of forgiveness, the sense of awareness now being a part of our eventual passing, the role of religion in our passing and afterlife, and so much more fill these pages in a concise, clear and intriguing manner that keeps one’s interest through every single page. An appendix includes the author’s sources which the reader may seek to explore for greater detail about this common but unknown world – a process that is meant to be joyful and as normal as our current living.

The Fun of Dying… is a comprehensive, fearless guide to a world all will one day enter, as well as one which offers so much comfort, healing, and grace concerning our thoughts and feelings for those who have gone before us. Engaging and a complete account of what may become one’s own future!

Lost Island Smugglers by Max Elliot Anderson

Lost Island Smugglers. Max Elliot Anderson. SharksFinn: A Port Yonder Press Imprint. 2010. 263 pp. ISBN #: 9781935600022.

Sam Cooper is moving again because his Dad’s work as a research biologist takes the family to new exciting places, this time to the Florida Everglades. But the hard part is making friends and having to leave them, although Sam has no problem with that part of the move. If anything, his friends have a harder time because Sam’s a fun and reliable guy; he’s used to leaving but they’re not used to losing friends. On arrival to his new home, he quickly makes friends with a very funny “doughnuts” story.

Next thing that happens very quickly is that Sam is invited to learn scuba diving for free as his friend’s father owns a marina and rents boats and equipment. Sam, Tony, and Tyler quickly master this sport which they all love. Pretty soon they are ready to go beyond the training area, but they are about to explore where it’s dangerous to go!

Sam is having plenty of scary dreams about diving, especially now they are going out for their first solo dive, a fact that Sam has neglected to tell his parents. Off they go on a catamaran, which is a totally new experience for Sam, riding along with the motor to propel them instead of the wind and using sails to course through the water. An unexpected storm is about to turn their plans haywire, and they wind up on Lost Island, unable to leave and unprepared with no food or shelter. That’s nothing compared to what they soon see on the island, some mysteriously-dressed men who don’t look very friendly and who are taking extra care to hide a secret.

Lost Island Smugglers grips the reader’s interest and continues to hold it until the very last page. Max Elliot Anderson describes the boys’ adventures so realistically that the reader feels like he or she is right there participating. This novel, which is part of the “Sam Cooper Adventure” series is a terrific addition to the exciting books Anderson continues to write for young adults! Very nicely done, Mr. Anderson!

River Rising by T. P. Jones

River Rising. T. P. Jones. Synergy Books. September 2010. 392 pp. ISBN #: 9780984235889.

Off the record, Walter tells Chuck, “I think the Corps of Engineers has got it wrong. I think what we’re likely to have here is the worst flood in the history of the white man on the Upper Mississippi.” Jackson, Iowa is a place in physical and financial crisis!

It rains and storms frequently and severely here, and the levee and flood wall system aren’t up to par with the needs of another flooding system.

But several items are definitely awry, as it seems some water in the town’s water plant which no one seems able to solve. The town project of building a dog track that could save the town’s economy is failing because of union and management conflicts and bad relationships between black and white construction workers. Politics prevail, as usual, and the ever looming media search, dig, and probe despite being treated like the town pariahs they are. They’ve picked up on the story that the flood wall just can’t handle another big one. Instead of seeking a solution, the blame game continues, lawyers shadow for coaching all company and city responses, and now the story of the prediction of a devastating flood is hitting the national media beyond local interests. That means a bevy of unanswerable questions and blame-gaming enough for everyone involved. There’s even an aside to the plot about a priest being transferred to another parish because he’s been too successful, while in reality his faith and the system under which he works are spiraling downwards faster than the anticipated flood.

By the time everyone stops arguing and agrees that emergency flood services are to be top priority, it seems it might just be too late! While at times the debating and nasty comments being flung to and fro loom large and last far too long, the shoe falls with a fuel explosion in the river and the dreaded storm arrives, everything turns to flood fight mode.

River Rising is an all too true tale, as we know from similar stories throughout the United States. It’s a cautionary piece of fiction, with realistic depictions that highlight the need to address beforehand the conflicts, lies, exaggerations, understatements, predictions, and underhanded business practices. The rebels are the true heroes herein! Read it before it happens to you!

A Hellion In Her Bed by Sabrina Jeffries

A Hellion in Her Bed. Sabrina Jeffries. Pocket Star Books. September 2010. 384 pp. ISBN #: 9781439167540.

Lord Jarret Sharpe carries a literally grievous burden, his parents’ untimely, horrific deaths. He craves security and wants only to run the family brewery business. But his grandmother has sent him away to be educated, to grow up and not be a baby. But this Lord has an uncanny gift in winning at the card tables of school and later elsewhere. For nineteen years, this penchant has served him well, earning him respect up to now.

For it seems Granny has set her mind on marrying him to the “right” girl, and his desperation is now beginning to show at the game tables. Everyone knows that desperate men are losing gamblers! He finally gets her to agree to let him run the family brewery business without interference and rescinds her demand to control who he marries. So it seems he has gotten what he wanted, right? Ah, what was that gleam in Granny’s eyes all about as she assented to his terms for full control of his own life.

Annabelle Lake is not at all what Jarret thinks a woman should be – or could be! Entranced by her presence and totally disarmed by her wit, he begins the role of getting the upper hand – and more – which completely undoes the two of them. Attempting to restore some reason into their relationship, Annabelle poses a bet, after realizing that her own family brewery is in very deep trouble. Mismanagement and a secret have led to her to this daring challenge, one albeit with hotly imagined success, that proves to be initially unpleasant for Jarret.

But Jarret is not only sharp at cards and business but also at knowing when a change of cards and strategy is absolutely necessary. The process might not be that easy and Jarret has some dark family secret of his own to learn and deal with, one that makes him stronger in his new found goal. The ability to remain reasonably objective begins to melt away, leaving the reader with a thrilling, seductive, sexy and successful ending for this second “The Hellions of Hallstead Hall” series!

Getting There: A Novel by Gerry Boylan

Getting There: A Novel. Gerry Boylan. Synergy Books. July 2010. 368 pp. ISBN #: 9780984387922.

For Luke Moore, hitchhiking starts out as a grand lark, another adventuresome chance that might land just about anywhere. A broken family and horrific tragedy in the very beginning of this adventure throws Luke into two states, one bordering on a frantic need to escape the pain of reality and the other a shadowed minuscule voice telling him to honor the promise he made to a fellow wayfarer now gone.

But that tale is preceded by the older, settled down Luke in his later years who is taking his daughter to college and picks up a hitchhiker. How can he tell his tale to this younger wanderer without glorifying the life and at the same time recommending a lifestyle that could threaten his treasured daughter’s life now she is no longer to be under the guidance and protection of her doting father and mother. So the tale begins.
In spite of being named after one of the four New Testament gospel authors, Luke develops a hunger for thrills, a “no-risk meter” way of moving through his world. Off he goes, thrilling to the beat of 1970s music, preached at by some well-intentioned nuns, a “one true love” experience, a drug event that made heaven and earth become one, and so much more. Luke manages to cross many states and meets a collection of characters one expects, with even wilder stories than his own to tell.

Redemption and reconciliation come in many forms. Luke is fortunate enough to find a lady who is steady, loving, and thrilling, a woman just similar and different enough to guide him through the end of his “lost soul” phase. Their turn to use what's been learned with friends and a long-lost father ends this novel on a realistic and moving note sure to touch the hearts of all readers.

Very nicely done, Gerry Boylan!

Just one Taste: A Recipe for Love Novel by Louisa Edwards

Just One Taste: A Recipe for Love Novel by Louisa Edwards. St. Martin's Press. August 2010. 352 pp. ISBN #: 9780312356477.

Wes Murphy thinks he’s failing Food Chemistry 101, a course mandatory for him to pass before he can apply for the coveted externship at one of the famous New York City restaurants. When his professor suddenly takes a leave of absence, Wes can hardly believe the hot, brainy babe who takes over teaching his class. The chemistry of food becomes a brain new topic, one he broaches with Dr. Rosemary Wilkins, little realizing how she is struggling to be an academic success in a field which she adores, the chemistry that makes molecules of different ingredients interact when heated to become something with, yes, aphrodisiac possibilities. But her research is exactly about actual aphrodisiacs and so Wes and Rosemary connect.

However, nothing is easy indeed! Wes’s father is a con man who upon discovering Rosemary’s background engages his son to dupe the woman Wes is coming more and more to love and respect. So Wes chooses the easy way and dumps her to protect her; but he’s haunted by his deed just as she is saddened and even embittered after feeling used and abandoned.

The plot is far from over! A bevy of characters appear in the restaurant where Wes does earn the perfect externship, including two male lovers vying for affection, jealous about others, and scheming to expand their successful business to an even greater site of haute cuisine.

Louisa Edwards obviously loves food and romance, as this novel which is part of the “Recipe for Love” series is replete with the sensual and amazing descriptions of ingredients, recipes, the cooking process, and the proper presentation of culinary delights. Wes and Rosemary will meet again, and the reader will feel the tension as the plot turns moment to moment from tension to connection, back and forth, before a most luscious ending is served, promising years of more amusing and delicious debacles to come!!! Four stars!!!

Constant Craving: A Short Story by Kemberlee Shortland

Constant Craving: A Short Story by Kemberlee Shortland (Irish Pride Series). September 2010. Readers: Win one of 3 B&N Nook Readers - enter contest between August 2 and 29, 2010, at this website:
http://www.kemberlee.com/mybooks/constantcraving.htm

In a follow-up to the phenomenal novel, A Piece of My Heart, Mick and Kate are the proud parents of twins who are now six months old. They’ve become the proverbial harried parents. Kate is constantly exhausted from taking care of her two children plus a home, and Mick is constantly working on the “dream” home for his beloved wife, whom he adores. So why are they both so intensely cool with each other and yearning for a bed in which they only want to sleep?

“Constant Craving” reminds this reader a tad about “The Gift of the Magi” by O. Henry, a story also about miscommunication and placing one’s preoccupations in places and things that belie the purpose behind them. For Mick and Kate clearly are not communicating what they really feel and think. There is no lessening of love, but the old adage is forgotten that you are lovers and best friends first, and parenting, jobs, etc. need to be placed in their appropriate second place.

Fortunately, they begin, through the sage advice of wiser, older heads, to realize what has gone awry. Intending to fix things, Mick veers from his normal routine in a way that increases Kate’s suspicions and even starts her thinking that maybe, just maybe, there’s someone else. This is definitely a different and intriguing plot of true love challenged anew! The story has a hot, surprising and lovely end that promises a different future for this engaging couple whose love can endure through all those moments, as long as they remember what’s behind that flaming, delightful passion.

“Constant Craving” is a lovely addition to A Piece of My Heart, which in addition to being a huge success is definitely awaiting another novel or several stories, at the very least!!!