A Christmas Resolution (Christmas Stories, #18)

A Christmas Resolution by Anne Perry
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

John and Celia Hooper from the last book are back. Celia's friend Clementine is about to make an unhappy marriage, and Cilia and John are determined to find out the truth and expose the groom before the wedding day.

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All That Glitters by Danielle Steel

All That Glitters by Danielle Steel
My rating: 2 of 5 stars

It seems rather pointless two best friends since grade school realize they should be together instead of with the people they have been with.

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The Awakening (The Dragon Heart Legacy, #1)

The Awakening by Nora Roberts
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

It's awesome!!!

Breen Kelly grew up believing her Father abandoned her, weighed down by debt and a job as a teacher that she hates her only solace comes from hanging out with her best friend Marco (gay) and Sally (also gay and like a Mother to her) at Sally's Gay bar. Then she discovers the fact that her Mother (Jennifer) has been hiding a fortune from her that her Father sent.

Breen uses the money to go to Ireland (with Marco at first). After Marco leaves a cute pup Bollocks arrives at the cottage and she follows him through the tree to another world (Talamh) She meets her Grandmother Marg (a witch) and her lover Sedric (were-cat). She discovers that it was Sedric who was following her around Philadelphia and who helped her discover the money her Mom was keeping from her. She meets Keegan the leader of her people who was raised by her Father after his own Father died saving Breen. Breen learns that she was kidnapped by her Grandfather Odran (a god) when she was three and that many of the Talamh gave their life to rescue her. And that she is the key to saving both her worlds. Keegan begins training her for battle.

When she returns to Philadelphia Keegan is upset with her as he doesn't really believe she will come back. Keegan is also in love with her. Faced with the fact time is running out for Talamh Keegan opens a portal in Philadelphia and hopes to talk Breen into coming back with him. There he learns that Breen was already making plans to return, she was just telling everyone goodbye and getting her book deal (she has started writing books) in place. Keegan meets Marco and Sally and wins them over. But Marco realizes Breen is upset so he follows them back to the apartment and mistakes an emotional moment for a disagreement and barges in to confront Keegan. In order to diffuse the situation Breen tells Marco the truth and when Keegan opens a portal Marco follows them in..

I can't wait for the next book in the series.

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War Lord (The Last Kingdom, #13) by Bernard Cornwell (Goodreads Author)

War Lord by Bernard Cornwell
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

I am going to miss Uhtred, he has been threatening to die of old age for the last few books but the book leaves him alive and Lord of the North.

The book begins with King AEthelstan trying to take Bebbanburg away from Uhtred, Constantine (King of the Scots) wants Bebbanburg too and Anlaf claims to be King of Northumbria and Uhtred's overlord. Both Constantine and Anlaf try to get Uhtred to swear fealty to them and join them in the fight against King AEthelstan, but Uhtred stubbornly clings to his oath to protect King AEthelstan, even though at times it appears that AEthelstan has betrayed him and at one point it even looks as if AEthelstan is going to lay siege to Bebbanburg. In fact he uses this belief to attack Constantine.

In the end Constantine and Anlaf join forces and it's only with Uhtred's help that AEthelstan is able to hold on to his crown and he rewards Uhtred with a wife he doesn't want and all of Northumbria to rule.

Uhtred's oldest son Bishop Oswald is killed when assassins sneak into the Saxon camp and try to assassinate King AEthelstan before the Battle of Brunanburh. Oswald was in the King's tent alone.

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The Sentinel (Jack Reacher, #25)

The Sentinel by Lee Child
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

When Reacher stops a kidnapping he winds up with more than he bargained for. The target of the kidnapping (Rusty) was the towns IT Department, the servers were taken hostage by ransom ware and the entire town has turned against him, but Rusty's new program managed to save some of the data and the Russian's are worried that the identity of their spy will be revealed.

But if keeping Rusty out of their clutches isn't enough of a challenge for Reacher, an FBI agent has infiltrated the Russians and her life will depend on Reacher risking his to save her.

Fast paced and with lots of action your typical Reacher novel.

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A Time for Mercy (Jake Brigance, #3)

A Time for Mercy by John Grisham
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Poor Jake he is facing bankruptcy again and an unpopular case (this time he gets severely beaten by the victims family)

I enjoyed the book but it highlights several problems with Mississippi Laws.

First there is the automatic "death penalty" attached to the case just because the POS victim happened to work as a police officer. His death was in no way related to his job as a deputy, and his occupation shouldn't have been an issue and the death penalty shouldn't have even been an option. The POS Stuart Kofer was shot because he was a drunken bully who routinely got drunk and beat up his girlfriend and her children and threatened to kill them. The night he died he has beaten the Mother, Josie, so badly that she was unconscious and her children Drew (age 16) and Kiera (age 14) believed her to be dead. After knocking Josie out he preceded upstairs to Kiera's bedroom and tried to break the door down to get to her (we later learn that he had been raping her and threatened to kill her family and her if she told anyone). Stu eventually goes to bed and Drew scared of what Stu will do if he wakes up takes Stu's service revolver and shoots him when he seems to be stirring. THIS SHOULD HAVE BEEN VIEWED AS SELF DEFENSE BUT THE POLICE ACT LIKE STU WAS SOME HERO SHOT DOWN IN THE LINE OF DUTY.

None of the local lawyers want to take the case so Judge Noose forces it on Jake Brigance. Besides it being an unpopular case causing lots of hard feelings in the community there is a law on the books capping the attorney fee. Noose's scheme to make sure that Jake gets paid a fair amount backfires when the Board of Supervisors appeal Noose's ruling.

At the end of the book the jury is tied 6-6 and a mistrial is declared. But unfortunately there is no limit to how many times someone can be indicted for the same crime. So Drew is facing another trial for the same crime, this seems really unfair and his entire life can be hijacked by this. Kira gives birth to Stu's baby and the Brigance's adopt the boy who they name Lucian (although he'll be called Luke).

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