My Favorite Reads of 2010

             Late, but still great.    (no order to my adoration.)           

   

There are so many things to say, again, about Charlie Courtland's beautiful Elizabeth Bathory. The best thing to say it that it should be read by all of you.

Amazon Link

“Charlie Courtland has taken a time and event in history and put a story to it that would rival the actual events. She takes the reported facts as well as many of the rumors of the day and spins them into a story so believable that is could be the true events as they transpired.

This story is not for the weak of heart as there is much madness and despair. Be prepared to be sucked into the story and become a part of it. You will see the blood spatters and will feel the actual weight of the horror as it unfolds.”

Amazon reviewer, Sept. 18, 2010

Jason McIntyre unravels your imagination with his words, and presents a better version, which you cannot help but love.

Amazon Link

"This is a roller coaster ride: you're in the hot sun, chugging to the top, anticipating the drop the whole way and then--boom--the drop comes and you're gasping for air. The hot wind blasts you and your guts are in your throat. In the last half of the book, some scenes had me by the larynx. Highly recommended!"

Dvier, Sony Reader Store

  

This is a new cover for Danielle Bourdon's nightmare, and exactly the creature I saw in my own mind.

Amazon Link

"Dreoteth is one of the more unique books I've read in a long time."
Daniel L. Carter, October, 2010

  

Heather Paye illustrates the perplexities of childhood; feeling invisible, yet seemingly always in trouble.

Amazon Link

"...It was hard to put this book down without proceeding further. I found this reading material very close to the heart reading. It is a book I would recommend for all the general public. This young writer I feel will go very far in writing more books in the near future."
Joyce L. Paclik, April 19,2009  

Very shortly, one of my next interviews. Jen Hilborne writes a vicious mystery.

Amazon Link

"I read this book in one sitting--could not put it down! Loved the San Francisco setting and the shout out to the Gold Dust Lounge! Would like to see more of the characters created for this book. Hopefully Ms. Hilborne has more Mac Jackson stories... "
Amazon reviewer, June 30, 2010

The first of my Darcia Helle experiences. She made me laugh, then chilled me before the laughter died away.

Amazon Link

"I have read all of this author's books and have loved them all but this one has it
all humor with an edge. I could not put this book down the characters are still in
my head I hated to see the last page I wanted more."
Lorraine A. Benton, July 14, 2010

I want to flee the earth, in search of this woman; Captain Dace. Jaleta Clegg gave me a new childhood heroine.

Amazon Link

"This book was hard to put down once I got into it. There is something very special about Dace, something very relate-able. This is a wild ride that at points even brought me to tears with the heartfelt and sympathetic character interactions."
Bobbie Berendson, March 19, 2010

 

Maria Savva creates a near vacuum between her two characters, and they still harbor love which can withstand the damage.
Amazon Link

"What's beautiful about this novel is that as the plot opens up and takes its twists and turns, the relationship between husband and wife remains the strength of the prose. These two people are so confused, so in love, and have so much to contend with. They need to talk! And each time they do, they seem to say everything but what they need to say. I kept thinking the world seemed against them, but all they really needed was to confide in each other, to share. Notice how I'm speaking of these characters as though I know them? This is Savva's magic."
J.L. Knox, Dec. 28, 2010

 

Next week's Featured author; William T. Prince.  His character, Clint Buchanan is humble, as he is tall, but he cannot shake trouble, which rides in an outlaw gang of Texas bikers.
Amazon Link

"Action packed, a real triller to be sure. The characters are full, rounded and you come to know them as people you want as your friends. 'Sasquatch' himself is a little part in all of us, the good parts, of course. It was a pleasure to read this book, and I look forward to getting my hands on the sequel."
Jay Henderson, June 4, 2010

Remove the two most powerful men in America, within hours of one another, then stand back to observe if the Constitution will unravel before your eyes. Who, in all the world, might be to blame?
Amazon Link

"As Beaudet adds layer on layer to the story, it’s like a punch in the gut. I kept thinking, this could really happen.…'By a Thread' has the ring of authenticity—It’s obvious that Beaudet has done his homework when it comes to Mormon customs and culture, to the finer points of our Constitution, in the descriptions of exotic locales such as Vienna and Munich. Most importantly, he understands that love is transcendent." [This is an excerpt. To read the full review, click here.]

Neil Badders, Minneapolis, MN*7 November 2010