The Harmony Scroll (Stella Hunter Mystery Series: Peacetaker: Book 2) by Edita A. Petrick

The Harmony Scroll (Peacetaker Series Book 2) by [Petrick, Edita A.]

Publisher:

Date of publication: May 27th, 2017

Genre: Thriller, Suspense, Mystery

Series: The Stella Hunter Mystery Series: Peacetaker

Ribbons of Death—Book 1 (review here)

The Harmony Scroll—Book 2

The Byzantine Connection—Book 3 (review here)

Arachne’s Challenge—Book 4

Doomsday Hand—Book 5

Seals of Eternity—Book 6

Purchase Links: Amazon | B&N | AbeBooks | Indigo | Kobo | BetterWorldBooks

Goodreads Synopsis:

Book 2 – Stella Hunter Mysteries
Stella Hunter’s adopted son was born with a curse. The curse lies dormant within him and the amulets that awaken it have been destroyed, but the curse is still a death sentence shadowing Gabriel’s life. Stella discovers Gabriel can be free of the curse forever. But the golden scroll holding the incantation that can free him was lost twelve hundred years ago. Now, knowing she can get her hands on the scroll, Stella will go to hell and back to save her son… and heaven help anyone who gets in her way!


This book starts about a year after Ribbons of Death ended. Carter undergoes plastic surgery to fix his face. While Carter is in rehab, he notices something off with a psychologist he is mandated to see. Then he hears that Gabriel and Stella were killed when their house exploded due to faulty wiring. He discovers more to these “deaths” than meets the eye. Stella and Gabe aren’t dead but are held hostage by sinister forces. After Carter frees them, they start on a multi-country jaunt to find the Harmony Scroll. A scroll that can get rid of Gabe’s Peacekeeper curse.

I did like this book. I loved that I got to see a softer side of Carter. I saw some of the romance hinted at in Ribbons of Death.

Stella and Gabe’s dynamic was great too. It evolved into a true mother/son dynamic. He even went from calling her Zee to Mom during the book.

I liked that instead of going all over the US, the characters were taken on a jaunt all over Europe this time. The violence seemed muted, almost. People still got killed, but it was through the police telling Stella and Carter.

The ending was anticlimactic. I thought I had missed something and had to reread the last chapters a few times before the “aha” moment.

I would recommend The Harmony Scrolls to anyone over 16. There is violence and language.


If you enjoyed reading The Harmony Scrolls, then you will enjoy reading these books:

Ribbons of Death (Stella Hunter Mystery Series: Peacetaker: Book 1) by Edita A. Petrick

Ribbons of Death (Peacetaker Series Book 1) by [Petrick, Edita A.]

Publisher: Edita A. Petrick

Date of Publication: May 23rd, 2017

Genre: Mystery, Thriller, Mystery Thriller, Action, Suspense, Fiction

Series: Stella Hunter Mystery Series: Peacetaker

Ribbons of Death—Book 1

The Harmony Scroll—Book 2 (review here)

The Byzantine Connection—Book 3 (review here)

Arachne’s Challenge—Book 4

Doomsday Hand—Book 5

Seals of Eternity—Book 6

Purchase Links: Amazon | B&N | AbeBooks | Indigo | Kobo

Goodreads Synopsis:

A career soldier who survived a deadly riot in Cairo, and a reclusive mythology expert from Montana, race against time to find the product of legends that’s cutting a bloody path across the continent.
***
One snowy evening, a stranger with a horribly scarred face stomps on the porch of Stella Hunter’s house, holding her latest book of myths and legends. He points to the bloody fingerprints of the book’s now deceased owner, marking a passage of the Peacetaker myth. When she asks how he came by the book, he tells her he took the controversial book from the lifeless hand of a traffic fatality in Cairo. And suddenly, Stella could swear that somewhere a clock started ticking down to doomsday. After all, the fate of humanity depends on whether she was right or wrong when she wrote her infamous book.


This book had a slow start. For the first few chapters, I didn’t know where the author would go with it. After the carnage of the demonstration and meeting Agent Carter, it more than delivered.

Carter was a mysterious person, and I learned about his background throughout the book.

Stella Hunter wasn’t mysterious. What you see is what you get with her. I love that she is ditzy, super smart, and not afraid to punch someone if needed.

The author also made no qualms about naming the bad guys in this book. She comes right out in the first two chapters and names them. The rest of the book is dedicated to finding The Peacemaker and his handler. And, of course, having Stella and Carter outwit the bad guy’s minions. Loved it!!

There was a slight romantic connection between Carter and Stella. No sex or anything but something deeper. I can’t wait to see if the author decides if they will be linked in the upcoming books!!

The ending was great, but it wasn’t what I expected. It did pave the way for the next book.

I would recommend Ribbons of Death to anyone over 16. There is language and violence, but no sex.


If you enjoyed reading Ribbons of Death, you will enjoy reading these books:

A Dream of Ashes (Chronicles of the Modern Mystic: Book 1) by Orlando Sanchez

A Dream of Ashes: An Ava James Mystery (Chronicles of the Modern Mystics Book 1) by [Sanchez, Orlando A.]

Publisher: OM Publishing

Date of Publication: April 27th, 2016

Genre: Fantasy, Urban Fantasy

Series: Chronicles of the Modern Mystics

The Dark Flame—Book 0.5

A Dream of Ashes—Book 1

Purchase Links: Amazon | BetterWorldBooks

Goodreads Synopsis:

Mystics.Magic.Murder.
A Rogue Mystic.A Ruthless Killer. A Dark Secret.
Ava James is a fire mystic with the Mystic Investigative Division. As a branch of the Enclave, a worldwide mystic organization, the MID is feared, respected and reviled.
When the half-charred body of a Mystic is found, the Enclave sends her to investigate the strange death. Ava finds that all the clues point to the killer being a fire mystic, one of her own. Accused by the Enclave of working with the killer she must solve the case before a secret buried in her past is revealed and destroys her world.
Can she save herself? Will she find the murderer?
If you like hardcore, fast-moving action, complex mystical powers and an unstoppable heroine, then you’ll love Orlando A. Sanchez’ thrilling new series: Chronicles of the Modern Mystics.
Buy A Dream of Ashes and join Ava on her adventure today!


This is the first book I have ever read by Orlando Sanchez, and I have got to say it was GOOD.

From the beginning, when I first met Ava kicking some bad guy’s ass, the action was nonstop. I told BK that this would not only make a great fantasy movie, BUT it would also make a great action film. Of course, he didn’t understand but still.

The story was good too. Ava is a fire mystic working for the MID (Mystic Investigative Division). She is sent to a crime scene where a fire mystic is burned up, and fingers start pointing toward her. When the head of the MID is injured in a blast at a bar, she is considered the main suspect, and the chase is on. What a chase it is. Ava is chased all over NYC until she finds temporary asylum with her Sensei. Then she learns some startling facts about her uncle and herself.

The book picks up when she heads to Japan to help her uncle Seb, a Void mystic. The action gets better.

The ending was a bit of a cliffhanger (thanks to Seb’s revelation). I’m not too fond of cliffhangers, but this worked for this book. I can’t wait to read book 2 and see if it is as action-packed as book 1.

I would recommend A Dream of Ashes to anyone over 21. There is no sex, but there are language and violence.


If you enjoyed reading A Dream of Ashes, you will enjoy reading these books:

Resthaven by Erik Therme

Resthaven by [Therme, Erik]

Publisher: Thecker Books

Date of publication: April 12th, 2016

Genre: Young Adult, Thriller, Horror, Suspense, Mystery, Fiction, Contemporary, Mystery Thriller

Purchase Links: Amazon | Audible | AbeBooks | Alibris | IndieBound | Indigo | BetterWorldBooks

Goodreads Synopsis:

The last thing fifteen-year-old Kaylee wants to do is participate in a childish scavenger hunt–especially inside the abandoned retirement home on the edge of town. When she finds a bruised, deaf boy hiding inside one of the rooms, she vows to lead him to safety . . . only to discover the front doors are now padlocked, and her friends are nowhere to be found. Kaylee is about to learn that not everything that goes “bump in the night” is imaginary, and sometimes there are worse things to fear than ghosts.


Have you ever read a book that is so creepy and unsettling that it stays with you afterward? A book that invades your dreams and gives you nightmares?

Well, this is that book.

It starts innocently. A sleepover at a new friend’s house. It turns sinister when the new friend throws a scavenger hunt in the nursing home.

The doors to the nursing home are mysteriously padlocked. Locking Kaylee, Sid, Anna, and Wren inside with an elderly man who is insane. When Kaylee found a 5-year-old abused deaf boy in a closet, my pulse level went through the roof!!!

I could not put this book down and read it in one sitting. Like I said above, it gets under your skin, and you wonder what will happen to the girls and the boy at the end.

Speaking of the end, I enjoyed it. Kaylee did the right thing. I

I would recommend Resthaven to anyone over 16. There is mild violence, mild language, and no sexual situations.


If you enjoyed reading Resthaven, you will enjoy reading these books

Forte by J.D. Spero

Forte by [Spero, JD]

Publisher: Netherfield Publishing

Date of publication: July 25th, 2015

Genre: Fantasy, Young Adult

Where the book can be found: Amazon

Book synopsis:

Back in New York City, piano filled Sami McGovern’s life, but moving upstate has changed everything. Thanks to the coach at Skenesboro High, Sami’s volleyball skills blossom like magic. But success comes at a cost, and the same sports drink that makes her a superstar silences her music. Worse still, to stay in the “in” crowd, she must betray the few true friends she has made in the tiny town. Her one hope: fulfill a prophecy to end the magic before it destroys her . . . and everyone else in its thrall.

 
My review:
 
This book hooked me from the first paragraph. Sami’s mother decides to move them to her hometown after years of living in New York City. Which, then made me think to myself, “Why on earth would you do that?!?!?“. I have been to New York City. The hustle and bustle were amazing and to be living among it, I can only imagine. To say she was unhappy about moving was an understatement.
 
The underlying message of this story (be who you are, don’t let anyone change you) is great. Sami did change to fit in with her new group of friends. She realized that to beat the bad guys was to embrace herself, wholly, was fantastic. Because most teens do change who they are to fit in or to impress a boy or to have friends.
 
I do wish that there was more of a romance between Sami and Jason. There were sparks every time that they met (plus one kiss) but it never went that way. Which, in hindsight, is a good thing. If Sami was involved with someone, it would have changed the whole course of the book.
 
How many stars will I give forte? 3.5/4
 
Why? Very well written and very well researched. Definitely a book that I could come back to. I just wish that the author went a little more into what happened to Sami’s father.
 
Will I reread it? Yes
 
Will I recommend to family and friends? Yes
 
Age range: Teen on up
 
Why? Very clean. No sex, no violence.
 

**I voluntarily reviewed a complimentary copy of this book**

Need To Find You by Joseph Souza

Publisher: Kindle Press

Date of publication: March 15, 2016

Genre: Thriller, Suspense, Fiction, Mystery, Crime

Purchase Links: Amazon | Alibris | IndieBound | BetterWorldBooks

Goodreads Synopsis:

Yasmine ‘Yaz’ Weeks would prefer to forget her troubled past and the vile crimes committed against her, but when she discovers a hidden memoir in a kidnapped girl’s cell phone, Yaz finds herself on the run with an opportunity for retribution. She soon learns that the memoir has the potential to ruin both the reputation of its late great author, Robert Cornish, as well as the reputations of many influential people.
Whip Billings, an ex-cop, unwittingly becomes entangled in the mystery of the missing phone. Realizing that this newfound memoir could significantly hurt the sales of Cornish’s classic novel, Force of Will, he begins to search for Yaz. But why are the cops, and a mysterious drug kingpin known only as The Viking, also looking for her?

In his quest to find Yaz, Whip uncovers a vast network of political corruption, long hidden family secrets, and a series of reprehensible crimes. As the bodies in town begin to pile up, Whip knows that he must track down Yaz before she also turns up dead.


I liked this book. From the beginning,  when I met Yaz to the end, it was a rollercoaster ride of thrills. I didn’t know what I would get from one chapter to another. I liked that the author didn’t hide who the bad guys were. He did skirt the line on what characters were defined as bad or corrupt. He made me think about what I would do in certain situations and how I would have reacted. Would I have acted the same as these characters did? Would I make that choice that could send me down the wrong/right path? Very thought-provoking because of all the gray areas that were brought up in the book.

I liked Yaz’s character. She was badass (I mean, she’s a drummer in a band called The Kuntz”), but at the same time, she had a soft spot. She worked in a shelter for homeless teens. She was in the wrong place at the wrong time to get Mikiela’s cell phone. The flashbacks we get from her childhood are awful.

I liked Whip’s character, but I didn’t feel bad for him at all. I did at the beginning, I mean, he was attending a funeral for his mother, but after that, all sympathy went poof. He is an alcoholic. He had 1 year sober when he threw it all away to meet with an old contact to help locate his missing stepdaughter.

The other substories were blended beautifully into the book. Each ended towards the end of the book, and they were merged beautifully with the substory.

I loved the ending; finding out who The Viking was and what drove him to commit his crimes was great. I was very surprised to find out who he was, to be honest, but looking back, it made sense and fit perfectly into the story.

3 Things I liked about Need To Find You:

  1. Yaz
  2. Whip
  3. Storyline

3 Things I disliked about Need To Find You:

  1. Krell
  2. The Viking
  3. Haskins

I would recommend Need To Find You to anyone over 21. There is extreme violence, sexual situations, drug use, child abuse, and language.


If you enjoyed reading Need to Find You, you will enjoy reading these books:

New Dawn by Andrew J. Morgan

New Dawn by [Morgan, Andrew J.]

Publisher: Createspace Independent Publishing Platform

Date published: February 16, 2016

Genre: Science Fiction, Mystery

Purchase Links: Amazon | Audible | AbeBooks | Alibris | IndieBound | BetterWorldBooks

Goodreads Synopsis:

When you’re 200 trillion miles from home . . .
With mankind on the brink of economic collapse, a population growing at an unmanageable rate and a limited supply of natural resources, there is only one place we can look to for our future . . . the stars. A deep space mining tug is sent to a planet codenamed New Dawn to begin a mission to relocate humanity.

. . . the only person you can trust . . . is you
The mission falls into chaos when a crewmember dies unexpectedly. Geologist Jake Brooks must keep his wits about him to uncover what really happened—but are the confines of the ship clouding his judgment? Is there really a sinister motive behind the death—and the mission—or is he letting his mind get the better of him? What really awaits him on New Dawn? He must push on to reveal the truth, no matter who or what stands in his way . . .

Please note: New Dawn is not a hard sci-fi novel.


Before I start my review, I will let you guys know that I am switching up my review style again. The list of 3 things I liked/disliked will be here, but I will write the review instead of putting up the 3 things. My style of reviewing is always evolving.

Now saying that, here is the review:

I loved the storyline. You have a crew on a deep space mining ship that will survey a planet that could be habitable and be a new Earth. Then the unthinkable happens, and a crew member is murdered. Who do you trust, and better yet, who do you believe?

I got into this book. You couldn’t help but like and sympathize with Jake when all hell breaks out on the ship after the first death. You are on this tiny vessel with crewmates; someone could be a killer. And the tension comes through the book when the body count goes up to 3. I did feel bad for Jake because the team was torn apart, and mentally, it was tough on him.

I wasn’t too keen on the almost-love story. To be honest, that part could have been left out. I could have done without reading about Jake’s attraction to a certain Dr.

The relationships between the different characters were tangible. You couldn’t help but root for them all (even the bad guys, as weird as that sounds).

The ending was great and on spot for this book. There was a twist that I kinda saw coming. Enough hints were dropped, but it took me by surprise.

3 Things I liked about New Dawn:

  1. The storyline
  2. Jake
  3. The ending

3 Things that I disliked about New Dawn:

  1. The almost love story between Jake and the ship’s Dr
  2. Sadie’s death
  3. Jason

I would recommend New Dawn to anyone over 16. There is no sex, minimal violence, and language.


If you enjoyed reading The New Dawn, you will enjoy reading these books: