Cat Moves to Outer Space

by: Debora Geary and Shae Geary

Available at Amazon and if you have Nook or other e-reader you can purchase the Kindle version and contact Debora via her website with a copy of your receipt and she'll honor it. There are numerous benefits to being Amazon exclusive, but it's great she's honoring the readers choice too.

Synopsis:
There were a lot of things Cat didn't know when she moved to outer space.

She didn't know the food was all made from squished beans. She didn't know there were mean kids named Weed. And she didn't know you had to keep your room clean all the time.

But her new friend Arkali is pretty cool, even if he's never eaten a real apple or met a unicorn.

Now they have a sick plant in the ship's biosphere, and even magic and rabbit-poop tea aren't helping.

Can Cat and Arkali find a solution?

Eleven full-page interior illustrations make this a fun read! Reading level is similar to Magic Tree House books.

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I have attempted to read chapter books to CW, including the Magic Tree House series, with no luck. I started this a couple days ago, because I knew I needed to read it so why not do my and their reading at the same time? CW loved it! Ivan is still too young but he did like the pictures. CW didn't want me to stop. The first night we read to chapter 10...after he negotiated 3 more chapters. lol We read it in 3 nights. It's not a big book, less than 80 pages I think.

The pictures are pretty amazing too. They were drawn by Ej Lowell, high school student. I was amazed when I learned this...just today in fact.

The other sweet tidbit, this book was also dreamed up by Debora's 7 yr old daughter. Ahhh, all the poop makes sense! Actually, how it was used in the book was great, it was all about fertilizer.

There is a bit of witchiness in there too. Yeah, I'm going to add this to my Witchy Reading Challenge! It was easy to read out loud, and the story was enjoyable to all of us. Can't wait for more to come out. Too bad the illustrator has homework! Great book for boys and girls of all ages.

Blood Orchids

by: Toby Neal

Available at Amazon and Barnes & Noble

Synopsis:
Hawaii is palm trees, black sand and blue water— but for policewoman Lei Texeira, there’s a dark side to paradise.

Lei has overcome a scarred past to make a life for herself as a cop in the sleepy Big Island town of Hilo. On a routine patrol she finds two murdered teenagers—one of whom she’d recently busted. The girl’s harsh life and tragic death touches a chord with Lei, and she becomes obsessed with the case. The killer is drawn to her intensity and stalks her, feeding on her vulnerabilities and toying with her sanity.

Steaming volcanoes, black sand beaches and shrouded fern forests are the backdrop to Lei’s quest for answers. She finds herself falling in love for the first time—but the stalker is closer than she can imagine, and threads of the past are tangled in her future. Lei is determined to find the killer—but he already knows where she lives.

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I had a hard time getting into this one. The starting scene is intense, but Lei can be up and down and all around at times. This carries through the story but as you get to know her, it starts to make sense. Once I got going, I was sucked in.

The characters are all well written, and you do come to care about Lei. With this being a mystery I want to be happy for her, but I keep my mind around who might be the bad guy. Lei is being stalked by the serial killer. Is it her neighbor, her partner (probably not) or one of the 2 detectives on the murder? Might not be any of those either - I'm not telling! LOL

There were a few times the writing was inconsistent. Like a guy with a Hawaiian first name and Smith as a last name. The biggest one for me was when the bartender says the missing girl was in the previous day, then out in the parking lot Lei says she wonders when the girl went missing. Ummmm, I'm guessing sometime after she ordered her food that she never came back for??? Like yesterday afternoon??? Come on Lei, you can do better than that! ;)

This only happens a little, but you know how that can detract from a story.

So while it was very suspenseful, engaging and easy to understand the culture it takes place in, I have to dock a star because of the inconsistencies within.

**This book was sent to me to review by BookSparksPR.**

Voodoo Deadly

by: Sibel Hodge

Available at Amazon and Barnes & Noble

Synopsis:
Feisty insurance investigator Amber Fox is back in her deadliest case ever…

When Chantal Langton, the daughter of a famous voodoo high priestess, goes missing, is it a simple case of a rich girl running off for some adventure, or is there something far more sinister going on?

Soon Amber’s slap bang in the middle of voodoo curses, a trail of missing women, and a labyrinth of deceit. And, if that wasn’t enough, to add more distraction to the case, her ex-fiancé-turned boss-turned fiancé again is pressing her to set the wedding date.

Can Amber find Chantal and hunt down a cold-blooded killer before her life comes crashing down around her?

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This is my 3rd Sibel Hodge book that I've read. I've found another favorite! Her writing style is care-free, and she adds so much silliness. But that's just what I've read. She has a serious title out there - Trafficked, Diary of a Sex Slave - which is considered a must read for some college courses...impressive, right?

This is the 3rd book in the Amber Fox mysteries, and it's the first one I read. You don't have to read the first two installments. I think I'd like to, though. But I wasn't lost and nothing was missing. If there was a backstory, she gave a quick synopsis to catch a new reader up.

Voodoo was a component of this story, and while Amber was full of misconceptions, other characters provided more facts. I think Sibel gave a well rounded look into voodoo. Usually a writer just uses the evil side to propel a story, I was impressed.

I never saw the cover until I started writing this review, so I can't say it drew me in. The title and author did that just fine! :) Look at that! Perfect for Valentines Day. And I did read it on that day too. LOL There is the mystery and a bit of a love story too.

I love the quirky mystery-solving ladies, and Amber Fox is my newest favorite. And unlike Stephanie Plum and Barbara Marr, Amber knows what she is doing, having worked as a police officer for 17 years.