Svetlana's Reads and Views

Book to be reviewed: The Hourglass by Sharon A. Struth Can forgiveness survive lies and unspoken truths? Until Brenda McAllister’s husband committed suicide, she appeared to have the ideal life: a thriving psychology practice, success as a self-help author, and a model family. But her guilt over her affair with Jack’s best friend prevents her from moving on. Did Jack learn of her infidelity? Was she the cause of his death? The release of Brenda’s second book forces her into an unexpected assignment with arrogant celebrity author CJ Morrison, whose irritating and edgy exterior hides the torment of his own mistakes. But as she grows closer to CJ, Brenda learns she wasn’t the only one with secrets—Jack had secrets of his own, unsavory ones that may have led to his death. While CJ helps Brenda uncover the truth about her husband, she finds the path to forgiveness isn’t always on the map. House of Earth by Woody Guthrie  Finished in 1947 and lost to readers until now,...

Name of Book:  Curve Appeal Author:  Mary E Merrell ISBN:  9781988297326 Publisher:  Morningglory Publishers Part of a Series:  The Real Estate Paranormal Mystery Series Type of book: Paranormal, real estate, ghosts, vampires, sexual situations, adult, mystery, secrets Year it was published: 2011 Summary: Rosemary Fernandes is a real estate agent with the ability to communicate with lost souls, the spirit of deceased people who can’t or won’t move on. With a deal in escrow and buyers to work with, her business is taking off. All she has to do is avoid the spirits, who call to her, but her ability is getting stronger, and their voices are getting louder. The dead are attracted to her and so are the undead. Marcus Lyons is a vampire who needs an assistant, and he wants Rosemary. He will do anything to have her, exclusively. Rosemary has no choice but to agree to his terms, but her life will never be the same. Soon she realizes the vampire is ...

Name of Book: Double Down Author: Saylor Storm ISBN: 9780578117669 Publisher: Saylor productions Type of book: Gambling, Las Vegas, accident, nursing, 2000s, erasing history Year it was published: 2012 Summary: Determined to erase the painful, lonely memories of childhood, unbreakable Lola Stocking vows to make a better life for herself. She plots a path that includes an ascent up the Las Vegas casino corporate ladder. Lola follows her design tenaciously until she falls for a man who was not part of her plan. Adoring Jackson Sterling steps into her life when she least expects it, forcing her to reassess her life course. Shattered by catastrophe on her wedding day, her life's dreams come to a screeching halt. Driven by sheer will and strength, her new direction brings everything she ever dreamed of only to learn that it had been there all along...she just didn't know it. Characters: The main characters include Lola who is best described as ambitious, stubb...

Name of Book: I am Venus Author:  Barbara Mujica ISBN: 978-1-4683-0657-6 Publisher: The Overlook Press Type of book: 1619-1660, Spain, Golden Age, Royalty, Art, wars, countryside, city, court Year it was published: 2013 Summary: (from tlc.com) I Am Venus chronicles the relationship between the great Baroque Spanish painter Diego Velázquez and the woman who became his Venus. Author Bárbara Mujica vividly reimagines the great artist’s rise to prominence, set against the backdrop of political turmoil and romantic scandal. Narrated by the mysterious model who posed for Velázquez’s only female nude, “The Rokeby of Venus,” I Am Venus is a seductive historical novel of the love between an artist and his muse. The year is 1619, and Diego Velazquez is a rising star at an art academy in Seville run by his father-in-law. But even as his young wife builds him a family, the painter finds himself yearning for a larger canvas, and soon his ambition lands him at the court o...

Name of Book: Dirtball: The Diaries of a Worthless Somebody Author: Eric Olsen ISBN/ASIN:   B00EOYLTYY Publisher: Amazon Digital Services Inc Type of book: Diaries, pessimism, Milwaukee, bad relationships Year it was published: 2013 Summary: Dirtball is an intriguing tale of one man’s pessimistic journey to see the glass half full. Discover EO, as he struggles to break through the negative walls in life and find the level of happiness that he so desperately desires. Explore his life of heartache, deception, and triumph. In this captivating autobiographical novel that only mature audiences can truly embrace. For my take on the book click here 0 out of 5 (0: Stay away unless a masochist 1: Good for insomnia 2: Horrible but readable; 3: Readable and quickly forgettable, 4: Good, enjoyable 5: Buy it, keep it and never let it go.)

Book to be reviewed: The Hourglass by Sharon A. Struth Can forgiveness survive lies and unspoken truths? Until Brenda McAllister’s husband committed suicide, she appeared to have the ideal life: a thriving psychology practice, success as a self-help author, and a model family. But her guilt over her affair with Jack’s best friend prevents her from moving on. Did Jack learn of her infidelity? Was she the cause of his death? The release of Brenda’s second book forces her into an unexpected assignment with arrogant celebrity author CJ Morrison, whose irritating and edgy exterior hides the torment of his own mistakes. But as she grows closer to CJ, Brenda learns she wasn’t the only one with secrets—Jack had secrets of his own, unsavory ones that may have led to his death. While CJ helps Brenda uncover the truth about her husband, she finds the path to forgiveness isn’t always on the map. Dirtball: The Diaries of a Worthless Somebody by Eric Olsen (e-book) Dirtball is an i...

Name of Book: A Time of Myths Author: Chris Blamires ISBN:  9780957598706) Publisher: Literary Orchard Type of book: Woodstock, 1969, England, Greece, 1980s, death of innocence, music, commercialism, mystery, love triangle Year it was published: 2013 Summary: Woodstock, 1969: the Festival that defined a decade of peace, love and freedom. The paths of five young English students cross – with devastating consequences. Consequences that eventually reach a climax in an isolated Cretan gorge. Seventeen years later, in the ‘golden age’ of capitalism, dramatic events conspire to reunite the surviving members, necessitating a perilous return to Greece and to a tiny Greek island, as dangerous secrets and self-deceptions are at last forced into the glaring light… Steeped in the folklore of the 20th century, A Time of Myths is not solely a historical mystery adventure: it seeks also to examine who we are, and how far we are in control of our actions – and even of our li...

Name of Book: Painted Hands Author: Jennifer Zobair ISBN: 978-1-250-02700-9 Publisher: Thomas Dunne Books Type of book: Islam, work, friendship, love, romance, conservative vs liberal, breaking traditions vs following them Year it was published: 2013 Summary: Muslim bad girl Zainab Mir has just landed a job working for a post-feminist, Republican Senate candidate. Her best friend Amra Abbas is about to make partner at a top Boston law firm. Together they’ve thwarted proposal-slinging aunties, cultural expectations, and the occasional bigot to succeed in their careers. What they didn’t count on? Unlikely men and geopolitical firestorms. When a handsome childhood friend reappears, Amra makes choices that Zainab considers so 1950s—choices that involve the perfect Banarasi silk dress and a four-bedroom house in the suburbs. After hiding her long work hours during their courtship, Amra struggles to balance her demanding job and her unexpectedly traditional new husband...