In My Mailbox: Thursday 26 April 2012

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In My Mailbox!!

Listed here are the NetGalley books I downloaded in April. As there are quite a few, I’m not going to link them, but full links will be provided in the reviews. I have included a few comments on some of them.

I decided to list them by publication date – for no particular reason but that it made sense to me.

NETGALLEY Books RECEIVED IN APRIL:

1. The Eternity Code & The Opal Deception by Eoin Colfer

Publisher: Disney-Hyperion 06 May 2003

These are books Three and Four in the Artemis Fowl series. In honour of the latest AF release, all of the series are being released to NetGalley readers, two books each month. I have read one of the series before (when I bought it for my niece) and they are well written, rip-roaring adventures; but you knew that anyway!

2. Solitary by Travis Thrasher

Publisher: David C. Cook 01 August 2010

3. Becoming Fearless by Michelle Aguilar

Publisher: David C. Cook 01 October 2011

4. Beyond The Misty Shore by Vicki Hinze

Publisher: Bell Bridge Books 01 November 2011

5. Taking a Stand by Ken Casper

Publisher: Bell Bridge Books 01 November 2011

6. Beside a Dreamswept Sea by Vicki Hinze

Publisher: Bell Bridge Books 01 December 2011

7. Dark River Road by Virginia Brown

Publisher: Bell Bridge Books 01 December 2011

8. Stuck With You by Trish Jensen

Publisher: Bell Bridge Books 01 January 2012

9. The Mulligans of Mt. Jefferson by Don Reid

Publisher: David C. Cook 01 January 2012

10. Into the Free by Julie Cantrell

Publisher: David C. Cook 01 February 2012

11. Lowcountry Bribe by C. Hope Clark

Publisher: Bell Bridge Books 06 February 2012

12. Hound Dog Blues by Virginia Brown

Publisher: Bell Bridge Books 01 March 2012

13. The Top Ten Leadership Commandments by Hans Finzel

Publisher: David C. Cook 01 March 2012

14. Leaving Lancaster by Kate Lloyd

Publisher: David C. Cook 01 March 2012

15. Get Fluffy by Sparkle Abbey

Publisher: Bell Bridge Books 31 March 2012

Murder, mystery and mischief among the pampered folks of posh Laguna Beach, CA and their equally pampered pets. Book One and Book Two of the Pampered Pets Mysteries are now available to NetGalley reviewers exclusively in this two-book review copy. In Desperate Housedogs, pet therapist Caro finds her client (the human one) dead. What did his two German Shepherds witness and how can Caro track down the killer? In Get Fluffy, Caro’s cousin, Melinda, the owner of a fancy pet boutique and spa, feuds with one of the snarkiest divas in town: Mona, whose pampered pup lives the life of a canine princess. When Mona is found dead, Mel is a prime suspect. Can she clear her name or will her career go to the dogs?

Sparkle Abbey is the writing team of Anita Carter and Mary Lee Woods. Visit the authors at http://sparkleabbey.com

I read Desperate Housedogs last December, and it’s a brilliantly hilarious read. I’m really looking forward to spending more time with Caro and the other characters – two- and four-legged – in Get Fluffy!

16. The God Who Sees You by Tammy Maltby with Anne Christian Buchanan

Publisher: David C. Cook 01 April 2012

17. The Jesus Life by Stephen W. Smith

Publisher: David C. Cook 01 April 2012

18. Temptation by Travis Thrasher

Publisher: David C. Cook 01 April 2012

19. Dancing with the Boss by Clare Gutierrez

Publisher: Greenleaf Book Group 20 April 2012

I have already read this book and enjoyed it. There’s a brief review on my Goodreads shelf; I’m working on a more comprehensive one to post here and on NetGalley.

20. The River Witch by Kimberly Brock

Publisher: Bell Bridge Books 30 April 2012

21. Relentless Pursuit by Kathy Herman

Publisher: David C. Cook 01 May 2012

22. The Work of Christ by R. C. Sproul

Publisher: David C. Cook 01 June 2012

23. The Next Target by Nikki Arana

Publisher: David C. Cook 01 June 2012

24. Glamorous Illusions by Lisa T. Bergren

Publisher: David C. Cook 01 June 2012

25. Two Testaments by Elizabeth Musser

Publisher: David C. Cook 01 June 2012

26. Two Crosses by Elizabeth Musser

Publisher: David C. Cook 01 June 2012

27. Godspeed by Britt Merrick

Publisher: David C. Cook 01 June 2012

…

With the exception of the Artemis Fowl books and Dancing with the Boss, you will have noticed that these books come from only two publishers. I went looking for Bell Bridge Books books; I’ve read quite a few over the last four months and found them to be consistently well written, plotted and edited. David C. Cook is a Christian publisher I spotted on NetGalley; I thought these books looked entertaining (the fictional ones) and interesting (the non-fiction ones). Let’s hope all the books live up to expectations.

There we go: my NetGalley books for April. Watch out for the reviews over the next few weeks. Look out also for the next IMM post – I recently found the Goodreads free ebooks download page and have found some new genres to explore!

Desperate Housedogs: Review

Desperate Housedogs by Sparkle Abbey

When Caro Lamont, former psychologist turned pet therapist makes a house call to help Kevin Blackstone with his two misbehaving German Shepherd dogs, she expects frantic dogs, she expects a frantic dog owner, she even expects frantic neighbors. What she doesn’t expect is that two hours later the police will find Kevin dead, his dogs impounded; and that as the last person to see Kevin alive (well, except for the killer) she is suddenly a person of interest, at least according to Homicide Detective Judd Malone.

Sparkle Abbey is the pseudonym of two mystery authors (Mary Lee Woods and Anita Carter). They are friends and neighbors as well as co-writers of the Pampered Pets Mystery Series. The pen name was created by combining the names of their rescue pets – Sparkle (Mary Lee’s cat) and Abbey (Anita’s dog). They reside in central Iowa, but if they could write anywhere, you would find them on the beach with their laptops and depending on the time of day either an iced tea or a margarita.) Visit the authors at www.SparkleAbbey.com

                                                                                                                                                                 
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

This book surprised me – in a really good way. I downloaded it during my first “free kindle book” sweep on Amazon…I wasn’t convinced – it looked like chick lit – but I thought “Hey, it’s free.”

The book is well written, well paced and populated with a range of well drawn characters, including the eponymous dogs and several stereotypes. The plot is as unrealistic as any other “member of public gets drawn into solving mystery” story, but is written well enough to allow the necessary suspension of belief. There are madcap diversions, lots of doggie welfare notes and an exciting denouement.

The epilogue is a neat twist…and, in my eyes, redeems the book from the charge of chick lit 😉

I recommend this book – it’s a great light, amusing read and guaranteed to cheer you up.

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