#BookReviews 5 #Stars for each one

You would be amazed at the variety of the books that I am sharing with you today. If the young adult adventurous story made me feel as young as Lily and Christy, Mateo’s blood brother kept me at the edge of my chair and A Long Walk Home reassured me that Angels of hope are always around us. I have read three more books but would like to share only those that earned 5 star reviews from me.

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The Bloody Shoe Affair by Joy York is a brilliant YA adventurous story of two teenagers who dare to venture into dangerous avenues of investigating a double murder, as Lily believes an innocent man has been imprisoned. A first person account, with exciting details and teen talk; teen tone never wanes throughout the book, and that adds an extra charm to the carefully crafted dialogues, interspersed with a dash of humor despite a serious theme. Lily’s crazy idea of stuffing marshmallows in Christy’s bra and Troy asking if any of them were wearing perfume that smells like marshmallows cracked me up! 

Joy’s characters are crafted with immense dexterity. It is the inquisitive nature of Lily that draws her reticent cousin, Christy into her daredevil plans of sneaking into the basement to locate the old jail cell and talk to the potential murderer. She believes in taking risks, possesses an amazing skill of cooking up stories at the spur of the moment, and has an incredible convincing power to impress people. An incorrigible liar, intrepid and obdurate, Lily exudes enviable confidence, which inspires Christy who nurses doubts at each step and is scared that if they are caught, she might have to spend the rest of her summer in reform school.

The strength of this book is connected with its characters. You would love them despite their irrational feats of lying and spying. It captures the true behavior of youngsters. An enjoyable read!

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Mateo’s Blood Brother: Sequel to Mateo’s Law is a dark tale of revenge, action-packed with fierce attacks by Delilah, who returns in this book with a vengeance. Undeterred by the responses of the Chief of Police, Jesse and Sheriff Mateo, the wicked shape shifter is too smart for the brothers. The chase keeps you guessing till the last page, concluding in an incredible manner. The budding romance of Mateo and Blair has matured in this book and there are some steamy love scenes in the middle of busy hours of the chase. 

Cox’s crisp style adds to the pace of the story, which moves forward quickly, the investigations sound genuine and the friendships amazing. All the characters have an unbelievable strength and refuse to give up despite serious injuries. She puts just the right emotion into the relationship of Mateo and Blair. A thread of suspense hangs till the end, with the appearance of another brown wolf. I like how Sandra lightens the sordid situations with a dash of humor. This is a well-written book, just like her western romances. Though a sequel, it can stand alone. Highly recommended.

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A Long Walk Home symbolizes trudging through your failures and frustrations into maturity, a lovely message of thinking about your own self and finding happiness despite all the negativity that tries to blind us. Written in an eloquent style that never falters, Finn takes you through the lives of two friends and delivers a profound message: “there is magic all year round but I am glad they take some time to think about it once a year.”

Kenzie’s pain would reach your heart; the season of joy and celebrations seems meaningless to her, as her emotions spiral out of control. The setting is perfect for the mood of the story. However, our Angels of hope are always around us to protect us before we plunge deeper into the dumps. This sweet story would win your heart. I finished it within an hour. 

Thank you. Happy reading!
Balroop Singh.

If you like poetry, here is my latest release  Hues Of Hope 

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