Virtually Scared To Death by Gillian Larkin

Virtually Scared To Death by Gillian Larkin is the last read I read during 2017!! It's a cozy mystery short story and is approximately 43 pages in length.

I was able to download Virtually Scared To Death by Gillian Larkin to my Kindle for FREE from Amazon.

Below is my honest, unbiased review for Virtually Scared To Death by Gillian Larkin.

I didn't care for Virtually Scared To Death by Gillian Larkin very much. I didn't like the storyline, plot, or characters. Additionally, the formatting for this eRead was not well done either. I'll skip reading the rest of the books in this cozy mystery series.

The following is a plot summary for Virtually Scared To Death by Gillian Larkin from Amazon:

Julia Blake runs her own cleaning business. 

The first time she sees a dead body is when she discovers one of her clients, Mark Castle, lying dead on the floor of his luxury apartment. 

She remembers things that Mark mentioned to her a few days before his death, things he was worried about. 

A bottle of pills is lying open at Mark’s side, but they’re not his usual ones. 

And why is his computer playing a continuous game? 

Julia soon suspects that Mark was murdered. He was a good friend and she is determined to find out who killed him.

I am giving Virtually Scared To Death by Gillian Larkin a rating of 2 stars out of 5 stars.

Until my next post, happy reading!!

Reading Goals For 2018!!

I have so many unread books, it's not even funny... I have unread hardbacks, paperbacks, ebooks, and audiobooks!! Let's just say that I've lost track of how many unread books I currently have in my personal collection. 

I've tried setting book buying goals in previous years, where I try to convince myself not to purchase any more new books in a given calendar until I drastically reduce the amount of books I already have... Or skip on downloading anymore freebies from Amazon. But neither of those scenarios has worked out so well as I have a difficult time passing up books whether they're free or not! 

So, I'll simply try to set some basic reading goals for 2018. I won't select specify book titles to read during 2018 as I am very prone to change my mind based on whatever I'm interested in reading at that given moment in time. Instead, I will focus on selecting books that fall into the following four categories:

1. Read 24 physical books (not ebooks) that I purchased prior to May 2014.
2. Read 12 books that I've received for FREE through Goodreads or from another source (InKitt, author, publisher, etc.).
3. Read 12 physical books that fall into the cozy mystery genre.
4. Read 12 books that were obtained after May 2014 that do not fall into the cozy mystery genre category.

Total = 60 Books For My Above Goals. If I read any additional books after I reach my 2018 reading goals... That would simply be icing on the cake!

So, what are your 2018 reading goals? Happy reading whatever your goals may be!

The Scotsman by Laura Hart

Short Story Romance

The Scotsman by Laura Hart is a 66 page romance short story, which I was able to download for FREE from Amazon to my Kindle.

Below is my honest, unbiased review of The Scotsman by Laura Hart.

The Scotsman by Laura Hart is definitely not my favorite romance read. I didn't like how some of the romances (or potential romances) between the characters were portrayed... It was kind of difficult to believe that women and men could be as cold as the way some of them were portrayed. 

I also didn't like how things between Ria and Andrew ended at the end of this read... When they got together things went so smoothly and then suddenly, Andrew sees things about Ria he doesn't like and now wants to change her!! 

The Scotsman by Laura Hart is a prequel and I have no interest in reading anything else in this series.

The following is a plot summary for The Scotsman by Laura Hart from Amazon:

Ria: a Southern girl from Raleigh who studied design in Philadelphia and stayed in New Jersey to work. Now she's thinking maybe it's time to move back home.

Andrew: a Scottish architect who came to America for a few years with his parents when he was young and then stayed when tragedy struck. Maybe the time has come to return to his roots.

Ria, a free spirit, and Andrew, a disciplined Scotsman. What happens when they meet and realize they've unexpectedly found that elusive 'other' they've each been wishing for?

Publisher’s Note: Enjoy this sweet romantic short story which is just the beginning of a journey into a blissful life of domestic discipline for this feisty Southern girl and the dominant Scottish man of her dreams.

I am giving The Scotsman by Laura Hart a rating of 2 stars out of 5 stars.

Until my next post, happy reading!!

Little Free Library in Del Mar, California

Just returned this afternoon from spending over a week in Southern California visiting my parents and my in-laws with my husband. We has a lovely time visiting family and friends over Christmas.

On Christmas Eve, we discovered a new to us Little Free Library in Del Mar, California where I left two hardback books written by J. D. Robb. 

I didn't discover any books to take from this particular Little Free Library that peaked my reading interest, so left after snapping a photograph of this cute Little Free Library for my post!

Have you recently discovered any new to you Little Free Libraries?

Merry Christmas ~ 2017!

Wishing you and your family and friends a very Merry Christmas today!! May you be blessed with an abundance of holiday cheer, happiness, good health and surrounded by those you love!! ...And may you even receive a few great books under the tree from Santa Claus to read as well!!

Have a very Happy New Year as well... May your 2018 be filled with an abundance of prosperity and success!! Cheers, Lisa

Under The Pear Tree by Julia Kelly

Holiday Themed Short Story

Yes, I've read another Christmas themed short story this holiday season! 

I read Under The Pear Tree by Julia Kelly, which is approximately 37 pages in length (although it felt a lot shorter than 37 pages!!)

I was able to download Under The Pear Tree by Julia Kelly to my Kindle for FREE from Amazon!

Below is my honest, unbiased review of Under The Pear Tree by Julia Kelly.

Under The Pear Tree by Julia Kelly is a Victorian, Christmas themed short story with a sweet and charming romance. I liked the two main characters and the story, BUT as I've already mentioned this short was way TOO SHORT for my liking!

The following is a plot summary for Under The Pear Tree by Julia Kelly from Amazon:

Eleanor Morris has loved her brother's best friend, Lord Michael Hawley, for years and he has no idea. That's exactly why she doesn't want to spend Christmas at his country estate. But Michael has plans of his own to make this a Christmas she'll never forget.

I am giving Under The Pear Tree by Julia Kelly a rating of 3 stars out of 5 stars. 

Until my next post, happy reading!!

Top Ten Tuesday -- Top Ten Books I Hope Santa Brings

Top Ten Tuesday is an original feature/weekly meme created here at The Broke and the Bookish. This feature was created because we are particularly fond of lists here at The Broke and the Bookish. We'd love to share our lists with other bookish folks and would LOVE to see your top ten lists!

Each week we will post a new Top Ten list that one of our bloggers here at The Broke and the Bookish will answer. Everyone is welcome to join. All we ask is that you link back to The Broke and the Bookish on your own Top Ten Tuesday post AND add your name to the Linky widget so that everyone can check out other bloggers lists! If you don't have a blog, just post your answers as a comment. Have fun with it! It's a fun way to get to know your fellow bloggers.

1. Human Acts by Han Kang

2. Furry Logic: The Physics of Animal Life by Matin Durrani

3. Allie and Bea by Catherine Ryan Hyde Received for Christmas

4. His Bloody Project: Documents Relating to the Case of Roderick Macrae by Graeme MaCrae Burne

5. Eileen by Ottessa Moshfegh

6. The Nakano Thrift Shop by Hiromi Kawakami

7. The Readers of Broken Wheel Recommend by Katarina Bivald

8. Lives of the Monster Dogs by Kirsten Bakis
9. Enchanted Islands by Alison Amend

10. The Wisdom of Sundays by Oprah Winfrey Received for Christmas.

Which books would you enjoy receiving during the holiday season this year?

The Magician's Test by Daphne James Huff

Historical Fiction Short Story

I read The Magician's Test by Daphne James Huff, which is a historical fiction short story approximately 41 pages in length.

I was able to download The Magician's Test by Daphne James Huff to my Kindle for FREE from Amazon.

Below is my honest, unbiased review of The Magician's Test by Daphne James Huff.

I enjoyed Daphne James Huff's writing style and storytelling. The characters and storyline for The Magician's Test by Daphne James Huff make for fun reading.

The following is a plot summary for The Magician's Test by Daphne James Huff from Amazon:

A Dreamer in the 1920s has found success as a medium, hiding her abilities behind parlor tricks. Her young assistant suspects that she must be more than she claims to be, while the great Houdini is out to expose mediums as frauds. Will she keep her true talent a secret, or share it and risk losing everything she's worked for?

I am giving The Magician's Test by Daphne James Huff a rating of 3 stars out of 5 stars.

Until my next post, happy reading!

The Good Girl by Mary Kubica

I listened to the unabridged version of The Good Girl by Mary Kubica and narrated by Lindy Nettleton, Johnny Heller, Tom Taylorson, and Andi Arndt. 

Listening time for The Good Girl by Mary Kubica is 10 hours, 38 minutes.

I was able to download The Good Girl by Mary Kubica from Audible for FREE!! 

Below is my honest, unbiased review of The Good Girl by Mary Kubica.

Wow, great read! I listened to The Good Girl by Mary Kubica over the course of three days. I found The Good Girl by Mary Kubica to be very suspenseful, with a surprise ending!! In fact, the ending was the best part of an already wonderful novel!

I liked Mary Kubica's writing and storytelling as the The Good Girl is told mainly through the points of view of Detective Gabe Hoffman, Eve Denett, and Colin Thatcher in alternating chapters that weave the past and the present together to make for a very suspenseful novel that has one captivated from start to finish.

The narrators for The Good Girl by Mary Kubica were really good although I thought that the audio quality could have been better overall.

The following is a plot summary for The Good Girl by Mary Kubica from Audible:

"I've been following her for the past few days. I know where she buys her groceries, where she has her dry cleaning done, where she works. I don't know the color of her eyes or what they look like when she's scared. But I will."

Born to a prominent Chicago judge and his stifled socialite wife, Mia Dennett moves against the grain as a young inner-city art teacher. One night, Mia enters a bar to meet her on-again, off-again boyfriend. But when he doesn't show, she unwisely leaves with an enigmatic stranger. With his smooth moves and modest wit, Colin Thatcher seems at first like a safe one-night stand. But following Colin home will turn out to be the worst mistake of Mia's life.

Colin's job was to abduct Mia as part of a wild extortion plot and deliver her to his employers. But the plan takes an unexpected turn when Colin suddenly decides to hide Mia in a secluded cabin in rural Minnesota, evading the police and his deadly superiors. Mia's mother, Eve, and Detective Gabe Hoffman will stop at nothing to find them, but no one could have predicted the emotional entanglements that eventually cause this family's world to shatter.

An addictively suspenseful and tautly written thriller, The Good Girl is a compulsive debut that reveals how, even in the perfect family, nothing is as it seems.

I am giving The Good Girl by Mary Kubica a rating 4 of 5 stars.

Until my next post, happy reading!!

Mystery of the Blue Dolphins by Sandra Baublitz

I decided to read Mystery of the Blue Dolphins by Sandra Baublitz, which is an erotica, holiday themed short story approximately 27 pages in length.

I was able to download Mystery of the Blue Dolphins by Sandra Baublitz to my Kindle for FREE from Amazon.

Below is my honest, unbiased review of Mystery of the Blue Dolphins by Sandra Baublitz.

I liked this cozy mystery short story quite a bit. Not a perfect read by any means, but light and entertaining nonetheless. Writing and storytelling were decent. Not sure if I will read other stories in the series though.

The following is a plot summary for Mystery of the Blue Dolphins by Sandra Baublitz from Amazon:

When struggling freelance writer, Clarissa Hayes, and her trouble-making Saint Bernard, Paw, visit their relatives in Upstate New York, they are saddened to find the family in mourning. Clarissa's amateur sleuth uncle has died, evidently from a heart attack.

But was the death truly an accident? An anonymous note hints that her uncle was murdered, and now Clarissa and Paw are determined to sniff out the truth.

Soon the duo find themselves nose deep in their uncle's final baffling case: the theft of the fabulous Blue Dolphin diamonds. Clarissa's determination to find her uncle's killer leads her deep into a world of glittering gems and deadly secrets, where each new discovery threatens to bring her to the notice of a ruthless murderer who will stop at nothing to cover his tracks. Can Clarissa and her detective dog Paw crack the case, or will they become the killer's next victims?

I am giving Mystery of the Blue Dolphins by Sandra Baublitz a rating of 3 stars out of 5 stars.

Until my next post, happy reading!!