TV Show: Psych Season 3

My rating on a 1-10 scale: 9

Genre: Mystery, crime

Series or set: Psych

Number in series: 3^rd

Primary actors: James Roday, Dule Hill, Timothy Omundson, Maggie Lawson

Length: 16 episodes (each 45 or so minutes)

Time period: Present

Rating: TV-14, I assume

Year it came out: 2008

My overall opinion: Delightful and hilarious as ever! Who could help but love Shawn and Gus? They are their normal selves in this season. I laughed the whole way through it, was thoroughly flummoxed as usual by the mysteries, and enjoyed it a great deal. This is easily one of my favorite shows and I highly recommend it!

The Lightkeeper’s Ball

Author: Colleen Coble

Genre: Romance, life, mystery

Series: A Mercy Falls novel

Number in series: 3^rd

My rating on a 1-10 scale: 9

Type: Fiction

Number of pages: 292

Time period: 1800s

Publisher and price: Thomas Nelson, $14.99

My overall opinion: First off, I absolutely LOVE the cover. Seriously. Whenever there’s a discussion about pretty covers, this one comes to my mind first. I did aCover Focus on it awhile back too! And it contains a great story. There were a few scenes that I can only describe as heart-melting – so sweet, and I loved them. Mystery and excitement abound in this book, making it a page-turner the whole way through! It’s a memorable read – I recommend it.

The Lightkeeper’s Bride

Author: Colleen Coble

Genre: Romance, mystery

Series: Mercy Falls series

Number in series: 2^nd

My rating on a 1-10 scale: 8.5

Type: Fiction

Number of pages: 292

Time period: 1800s

Publisher and price: Thomas Nelson, $14.99

My overall opinion: An enjoyable read! I’m so glad to finally get back to this series – I read the first one about two years ago, and really liked it, but never managed to finish the others. Until now. I’ll be reading the third one soon! The touch of mystery and suspense in this one made it delightful, along with a sweet romance. I was thankful that the romance wasn’t overkill, and was well balanced by other story elements. The book had a good pace and kept me tied to it. And the characters were great. I liked it!

TV Show: Psych Season 2

My rating on a 1-10 scale: 9

Genre: Crime, mystery, suspense

Series or set: Psych

Number in series: 2^nd

Primary actors: James Roday, Dule Hill, Timothy Omundson

Length: 16 episodes, each 45 minutes

Time period: Present

Quote(s): There was that awesome moment when Gus’s head was described as a chocolate covered honeydew… ;)

Rating: TV-PG

Year it came out: 2007

My overall opinion: Honestly, who doesn’t love Psych?! This season was no exception. We watched a dozen episodes in two days and it never got old, at least, not to me. Gus and Shawn have the best friendship ever, and they’re comical. Jules is delightful, and really – all the episodes just make me happy. :) Look out, there are occasionally a few swear words, crude jokes, or slightly inappropriate scenes thrown in – however, these are fairly rare and this show is well-worth your time.

TV Show: Psych Season 1

My rating on a 1-10 scale: 9

Genre: Crime, mystery, suspense

Series or set: Psych

Number in series: 1^st

Primary actors: James Roday, Dule Hill, Timothy Omundson

Length: 15 episodes, each 45 minutes

Time period: Present

Rating: TV-PG

Year it came out: 2006

My overall opinion: This show is one of my favorites. Up until this point, I had only seen most of Season 7, so it was really neat to go back to Season 1 and find out all the beginnings! There are occasionally scenes (or words) that could have been left out, but for the most part, Psych is clean and full of good fun. The mysteries are awesome, and I laughed so much throughout this season – I love it!

Movie: Sherlock Holmes: Game of Shadows

My rating on a 1-10 scale: 9

Genre: Mystery, adventure

Series or set: Sherlock Holmes

Number in series: 2^nd

Primary actors: Robert Downey Jr.

Length: Two hours

Based on: The original stories by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle

Time period: 1800s (and London, I believe! fascinating)

Year it came out: 2011

My overall opinion: This right here, y’all? A good movie that I really enjoyed. It had a lot of action and yes, a little violence – be warned. The camera seemed well done (wow, isn’t that an amateur way to put it!). The sets and costumes and all that – amazing. As was the acting. I haven’t seen the first Sherlock, but would recommend this one! It had all kinds of mystery and excitement and adventure and surprising events. Very good!

Zondervan Blog Tour: Back Before Dark

Author: Tim Shoemaker

Genre: Kids, adventure, mystery

Series: It’s the sequel to Code of Silence

My rating on a 1-10 scale: 8

Type: Fiction

Number of pages: 376

Time period: Present

Publisher and price: Zonderkidz, $14.99

My overall opinion: It was a good book, fairly fast-paced – something was always happening. It was chock full of daring adventures, daring but believable, and almost all carried out by kids. It was exciting, and easy to read. The characters were well-drawn and easy to understand. The whole book was pretty believable, actually. I ended up feeling like it was a little long – not unbelievable, not that the story was slow…just that it went on and on, and I guess I got a little bored with it. It didn’t end up being a favorite book for me, but I wouldn’t have any issues with recommending it to others. I would especially recommend it for tweens and teens.

Comes out March 19!

**Zondervan Publishers supplied me with this book in exchange for my honest review. I was not required to post a positive review, nor was I paid in any way other than the book.**

Lady in the Mist

Author: Laurie Alice Eakes

Genre: Life, adventure, mystery

Series: The Midwives

Number in series: 1^st

My rating on a 1-10 scale: 8

Type: Fiction

Number of pages: Kindle read

Time period: 1700s

My overall opinion: An enjoyable story! It concerns an unusual but fascinating topic (midwives). There was plentiful excitement and mystery laced throughout! A good read.  

Ring of Secrets

Author: Roseanna M. White

Genre: Mystery, adventure, suspense

Series: Culper Ring series

Number in series: 1^st

My rating on a 1-10 scale: 8.5 high

Type: Historical fiction

Number of pages: 337

Time period: 1700s (specifically, Revolutionary War)

My overall opinion: What a wonderful opening to a new series by Roseanna M. White! I haven’t read just a whole lot of books set in the Revolutionary War, so I was looking forward immensely to the this book and to the upcoming ones. While I did end up preferring Roseanna’s Biblical fiction (the only one I’ve read is Jewel of Persia [click on title to read my review], and I loved it!), this book was very enjoyable as well. It’s a spy story through and through, with suspense and mystery blended seamlessly. The heroine, a girl named Winter, was someone easy to identify and empathize with, and the story felt very real and accurate. It was clear the Roseanna must have done some serious research for this book, and no doubt, series! However, just because a book is historically accurate doesn’t mean it’s boring, right? Avid readers know this. The historical accuracy and realistic characters didn’t detract from the story in the least. There were even a few real historical characters too! Always a good thing. This is a delightful story that will make the Culper Ring (the spy ring the story centers on and is named after) ever memorable.

**I received this book from Harvest House Publishers in return for an honest review. I was not obligated to post a positive review, nor was I recompensed for this review in any way. All opinions and thoughts are my own.**

Litfuse Blog Tour: Unbreakable

Author: Nancy Mehl

Genre: Amish, life, mystery

Series: Road to Kingdom

Number in series: 2^nd

My rating on a 1-10 scale: 8

Type: Fiction

Number of pages: 330

Time period: Present

My overall opinion: Nancy Mehl masterfully present the struggles of an Amish community who are being harassed. This book contained some very exciting and thrilling passages, and a good ribbon on suspense was woven throughout. The first person method of writing didn’t really work for me, though…it felt a little forced at times, with more “telling” than “showing” (and everyone knows a fundamental rule of writing is show, don’t tell). So I didn’t love this book like I’d hoped to. It’s probably most enjoyable if you read the first book in the series, Inescapable, first – I haven’t had opportunity to yet, but would like to someday. I’m certainly not opposed to giving Mehl another try! All in all – this book wasn’t for me, but it had a good concept behind the story, and I don’t doubt that some people would love it.
**Litfuse Publicity Group supplied me with this book in exchange for my honest review. I was not required to post a positive review, nor was I paid in any way other than the book.**
  Celebrate the release of Unbreakable with Nancy Mehl by entering her Kindle Fire Giveaway and RSVPing to the March 5th Author Chat Party on Facebook!

One fortunate winner will receive:

• A Kindle Fire
• Books one & two in Nancy's Road to Kingdom series (Inescapable and Unbreakable)

Enter today by clicking one of the icons below. But hurry, the giveaway ends on March 4th. Winner will be announced at the "Unbreakable" Author Chat Party on March 5th. Connect with Nancy, get a sneak peek of her next book, try your hand at the trivia contest, and chat with readers just like you. There will also be gift certificates, books, and fun Mennonite-themed giveaways.

Grab your copy of Unbreakable and join Nancy on the evening of the March 5th for a chance to connect with Nancy and make some new friends. (If you haven't read the book, don't let that stop you from coming!)

Don't miss a moment of the fun, RSVP today. Tell your friends via FACEBOOK or TWITTER and increase your chances of winning. Hope to see you on the 5th!

The Tutor’s Daughter

Author: Julie Klassen

Genre: Life, adventure, mystery, romance

Series: Nope, not part of a series (though I wish it was), but fits beautifully with Julie’s other books

My rating on a 1-10 scale: 9 high

Type: Fiction

Number of pages: 412

Time period: 1800s

Passage from book: Sorry, no, but I’m including the book trailer below!

My overall opinion: This was such a fun book! I loved the setting and the characters. It’s quite reminiscent in both of those respects of Jane Austen, with a touch of Jane Eyre added in. It’s not quite dark (or what I would call gothic), but has some rather melodramatic scenes in it. It would make a great movie! Trust me, you won’t solve all the mysteries on your own. The romance was sweet but not overdone, the adventure was (as stated) a little melodramatic, perhaps a little much at times…but hey, just go with it and you’ll be fine. :) And the mystery was indeed mysterious! Actually, there are several mysteries at play here. If you can get a hold on a copy, don’t let it go! Oh, also…Emma was the perfect name for the heroine. She was quite similar to Jane Austen’s Emma in some ways, not the least of which, her last name – Smallwood versus Woodhouse. I don’t love this trailer, but it should serve to let you know what the book is about.

Blog Tour: The Runner

Author: A. Wayne Gill

Genre: Mystery, life

Series: Michael Knight series

Number in series: 1^st

My rating on a 1-10 scale: 8

Type: Fiction

Number of pages: 280

Time period: Present

My overall opinion: This book contained an interesting story that was a fairly quick read, and featured multiple main characters. I guess my personal primary problem with it was the editing job – the punctuation was especially bad, with erratic commas, and more often, entirely missing commas, or misplaced quote marks. That makes it harder to read, and definitely harder to enjoy. I did like the clear precise layout of the gospel message. I would read the next book given the opportunity. While this book didn’t make the favorites list for me, it was fairly good for a first book.

**Glass Road Public Relations is doing the blog tour for this book, and sent me a complimentary copy in return for my honest review. I was in no way recompensed for this review, and opinions are my own. I didn't have to post a positive review.** 

Freefall

Author: Kristen Heitzmann

Genre: Adventure, mystery

My rating on a 1-10 scale: 8.5

Type: Fiction

Number of pages: 460

Time period: Present

Passage from book (first two paragraphs): The blow came like the torrent below, hard and swift and unexpected. Framed by jungle foliage, a face, the thrust of an arm. Her spine arched. She screamed, jerked, and pinwheeled, then splashed in and went under. Swept up in fluid momentum, her head broke the surface. A shout bounced off the canyon wall. She couldn’t turn to place it, couldn’t catch the words. Another shout, drowned by an ominous roar. Realizing the danger, she kicked against the rabid current, but it surged, tipped, and flung her down, down to the pounding base. It drove her into the pool, tumbling and crushing, exploding it percussive blasts like war around her. She hit something hard. Pain seared her head. Her limbs slackened. Darkness.

My overall opinion: Great cover (gets half a point just for that), great opening (honestly, who could put that down?), and a fascinating story! My only problem? It mentioned Jane Austen…except it said Jane Austin. With an i. BAD. It is for older readers, again, some slightly thematic (though definitely not explicit) material, and yeah, just for older as opposed to younger.

Yellow Packard

Author: Ace Collins

Genre: Life, adventure, family, mystery

My rating on a 1-10 scale: 8.5

Type: Fiction

Number of pages: 318

Time period: 1930s, 1940s

My overall opinion: Wow, what an interesting adventure/mystery! The book opens with a death, closes with a solution, and incorporates numerous stories and adventures inbetween. It was packed with surprises. I was always interested by it, but at the same time, I was able to put it down. The last quarter was extra riveting and will definitely keep you (as the reader) reading! My only problems were a few things that struck me personally as strange…the word “teen” used in 1937 (although it wasn’t invented until 1941 – pet peeve [see page 25]) and a two-day baby smiling (rather improbable [page 54]). However, the whole book was seamlessly written despite all the stories in it, and I think it will be enjoyed by male and female readers alike. 

**I reviewed this book for the author and publisher. However, I was not obligated to post a positive review, nor was I recompensed in any other way.**

Walls Within Walls

Author: Maureen Sherry

Genre: Childhood, mystery

Series: I think there’s supposed to be a sequel, but I don’t know what

My rating on a 1-10 scale: 8 (I give it an 8 for the story, not the writing…I was unimpressed by the writing probably at least in part because of reading Tolkien at the same time)

Type: Fiction

Number of pages: 349

Time period: Present

My overall opinion: A fun kids’ story. I didn’t love it, but it was clean and an enjoyable read. A good mystery and interesting plot!