The Pout-Pout Fish Board book – by Deborah Diesen

 

A NEW YORK TIMES BEST SELLER

Deep in the water,

Mr. Fish swims about

With his fish face stuck

In a permanent pout.

Can his pals cheer him up?

Will his pout ever end?

Is there something he can learn

From an unexpected friend?

Swim along with the pout-pout fish as he discovers that being glum and spreading "dreary wearies" isn't really his destiny. Bright ocean colors and playful rhyme come together in this fun fish story that's sure to turn even the poutiest of frowns upside down.The Pout-Pout Fish is a 2009 Bank Street - Best Children's Book of the Year. 

Undoubtably the cutest book, I've read to my grandchildren.  I can't believe that anyone found it offensive. It's not for school aged kids but little kids that will love the bright pics and rhyming sing songy story. I doubt the 1 year olds that are being read to are going to remember this and just pop up and kiss a stranger or think that everyone should smile and never have a down day. Get a grip people and give your little kids a chance to laugh when you go "blub, blub, blup " and give a more age appropriate book to your kids that might be inclined to kiss a stranger! Geeze!

Review- MORAL COMPASS by Danielle Steel * *

 

Title: MORAL COMPASS

Author: Danielle Steel

Genre: Contemporary Fiction

Rating: * *

Publishers: Delacorte Press 

 (Jan 7, 2020)

Hardback: 288 pages

ISBN: 978-0399179532

FTC Disclosure: Copy provided by the public library.

Copy provided for the purpose of providing an honest review.

 This does not affect my opinion of this book.

Saint Ambrose Prep has been the school of choice for the sons of the great and the good for over a hundred years. Now, for the first time, Saint Ambrose has just enrolled its first female students. While many of the kids on the campus have all the privilege in the world, some are struggling dealing with family, insecurity and loneliness. In such a heightened environment, even the smallest spark can become a raging fire.
The day after a Halloween party, a student lies in the hospital, seriously injured and with a dangerous level of alcohol in her blood. Only the handful of students who were there when she was attacked know what happened, and they have closed ranks. As parents, students, staff and the media attempt to establish the truth, no-one at Saint Ambrose will escape the fallout.
As the drama unfolds, those involved will reach a crossroads where they must choose between truth and lies, between what is easy and what is right, coming to rely on their own moral compass.

First let me say, I've read Danielle Steel books since the mid 70's and loved them. Very few left me disappointed. However, that was not the case with MORAL COMPASS. This book had so much potential. It was timely and could have been great but it fell boringly short. The characters were flat and the story was dull. There was no build up, no suspense, no feelings at all. 

The facts were pretty much done as an info dump in the first three chapters and it only got worse as it went on. I never empathised with any of the characters at any point in the story. They were dull as cardboard cutouts. If this book had been written by anyone other than Steel, I'd have quit by page 50 but I did read the whole thing as I kept expecting it to take off and actually entertain me. Possibly, if this had been a mystery type of book, it would have been better but it read basically as going from point A to B to C  and not only did you not care about point A, B or C , you didn't care about the journey. I don't think I've ever been so relieved to get to the end of a story. I'm not sure that this story actually deserved two stars instead of one, but out of sentimentality for DS, I gave it two. 

Danielle Steel has sold 650 million copies of her books internationally, and every one of her books is a bestseller. She is published in 69 countries and 43 languages.Steel has written more than 163 books, 139 of which are novels; 18 children’s books, including Pretty Minnie in Hollywood and Pretty Minnie in Paris about her white long-hair teacup Chihuahua.

She also founded and runs two foundations, one named in honor of her late son, The Nick Traina Foundation, which finances organizations involved in mental illness, child abuse, and suicide prevention. The second foundation was established to assist the homeless.  She lives in Paris and San Francisco and is the mother of nine children.

Review- DEEP IN THE ALASKAN WOODS by Karen Harper-* * *

Title: Deep in the Alaskan Woods
Series: Alaska Wild Novel #1

Author: Karen Harper

Genre: Romantic Suspense

Rating: * * * 

Publisher: MIRA 

(April 28, 2020)

Paperback: 352 pages

ISBN: 978-0778309628

FTC Disclosure: ARC provided by the publisher via NetGalley

Copy provided for the purpose of providing an honest review.

 This does not affect my opinion of this book.
Alexandra Collister came to her estranged cousins’ B&B in Falls Lake, Alaska, looking for a fresh start. The surrounding forest can be harsh and unforgiving—luckily, rugged wilderness tracker Quinn Mantell offers to be her guide. Still recovering from a toxic previous relationship, Alex is wary of getting too close, but when savagely deep claw marks appear outside her bedroom window, keeping her distance from Quinn is no longer an option.

Then a body turns up exhibiting the same ruthless slash marks, and Alex knows it isn’t a coincidence. Something sinister is lurking in the woods around Falls Lake, turning Alex’s fresh start into a brutal game of survival. The murky veil of forest offers more threats than answers. Can Alex and Quinn find the killer before darkness falls for good?

I've read oodles of Karen Harpers books and loved them. DEEP IN THE ALASKAN WOODS not so much. The story had great potential and I loved the setting but I never connected with the characters. The romance felt flat as did the suspense. Normally, when reading this type of book, I'm obvious of everything going on around me. At no time in this book did I feel like I anything other than I had a book in my hand. I'm not a fan of instant attraction. I like a relationship to grow and develop so that may have been part of my problem with Alex and Quinn. The only thing that kept me reading was I don't like not know who did the deed. 

Karen Harper is the New York Times and USA TODAY bestselling author of romantic suspense and historical novels. A native Ohioan, Karen is a former high school English teacher and English-and-writing instructor at the Ohio State University. (Go Bucks!) The Harpers are avid Ohio State football fans, but they have a serious side too. They were on the 10-year committee which revamped the main library on campus. The Ohio State Library houses her author collection in Rare Books and Manuscripts.

The Harpers love to travel, and Karen often uses her favorite places as settings for her novels. She's recently written books set in Edwardian England and South Florida, the latter where she lived for 30 winters. Her latest trilogy is THE SOUTH SHORES NOVELS, with forensic psychologist Claire Britten and criminal lawyer Nick Markwood. Her most recent historical is THE IT GIRLS.
These bring her published books to over 70 in a 35-year writing career.

Karen belongs to several writer's organizations, including International Thriller Writers, Mystery Writers of America, Romance Writers of America, Sisters in Crime and The Historical Novel Society. She appreciates hearing from readers on her website at www.KarenHarperAuthor.com and www.facebook.com/KarenHarperAuthor--and she answers!

Review of HIDDEN HEARTS by Marci Bolden 5*

Title: Hidden Hearts

Series: Hearts #1

Author: Marci Bolden

Genre: Romantic Suspense

Rating: *****

Publishers: Pink Sand Press (10-15-19)

Paperback: 308  pages

ISBN: 978-1950348237

FTC Disclosure: ARC provided by the publisher via NetGalley

Copy provided for the purpose of providing an honest review.

 This does not affect my opinion of this book.
Former Army Sergeant Holly Austin and her team at the HEARTS agency don’t normally find the police at their door. But it’s been weeks since a local woman vanished into thin air...and now there’s a second victim.

Police Detective Jack Tarek wasn’t officially working the Julia Frederickson case until a second victim made the matter personal. Holly is willing to cooperate with Jack “unofficially,” but she quickly becomes a distraction he can’t resist. The leads on their cases might be running cold, but the attraction between the investigators is sizzling hot.


With every lead a dead end, those close to the investigation grow increasingly impatient for answers. Just as hidden secrets come to light, one of the investigators vanishes without a trace. The HEARTS team has just hours to solve the case—or risk losing one of their own.

This is a great start to a new for me series. I just saw that books two and three for the series are out in Kindle so definitely checking out the rest of the crew from HEARTS stories. 
While I found Holly more than a bit prickly, she grew on me and I loved her with Jack. There was a perfect mixture of romance and suspense that had me staying up all night devouring this book. While I don't want to say anything that will ruin the story for you, the layers of the characters and crime will keep you reading long after you should have turned off the light.

Go HERE to read an excerpt!

As a teen, Marci Bolden skipped over young adult books and jumped right into reading romance novels. She never left.

Marci lives in the Midwest with her husband, two teenaged kiddos, and numerous rescue pets. If she had an ounce of will power, Marci would embrace healthy living but until cupcakes and wine are no longer available at the local grocery store, she'll put that ambition on hold and appease her guilt by reading self-help books and promising to join a gym "soon."

Review For UNDER CURRENTS By Nora Roberts 5*

Title: Under Currents
Author: Nora Roberts
Genre: Romantic Suspense

Rating: * * * * *

Publishers: St. Martin's Press (Jul 7, 2019)

Hardback: 436  pages

ISBN: 9781250207098 

FTC Disclosure: Book from local public library

Within the walls of a tasteful, perfectly kept house in North Carolina's Blue Ridge Mountains, young Zane Bigelow feels like a prisoner of war. Strangers - and even Zane's own aunt across the lake - see his parents as a successful surgeon and his stylish wife, making appearances at their children's ballet recitals and baseball games. Zane and his sister know the truth: There is something terribly wrong.
As his father's violent, controlling rages - and his mother's complicity - become more and more oppressive, Zane counts the years, months, days until he can escape. He looks out for little Britt, warning her Be smart. Be careful. In fear for his very life, he plays along with the insidious lie that everything is fine, while scribbling his real thoughts in a secret journal he must carefully hide away.

When one brutal, shattering night finally reveals cracks in the facade, Zane begins to understand that some people are willing to face the truth, even when it hurts. As he grows into manhood and builds a new kind of family, he will find that while the darkness of his past may always shadow him, it will also show him what is necessary for good to triumph - and give him strength to draw on when he once again must stand up and defend himself and the ones he loves...

This is one of those books that you absolutely cannot put down until the end. While it didn't have any mindblowning twists, (it's more a romance than a suspense story) you'll realize very quickly the who, it will make you flinch with horror that parents could be so cruel. It will often have you near tears, but the main characters had so many Roark/Eve mannerisms and words of wisdom, I knew it would be a satisfying read.
I loved the depth of the main characters and how much they grew and evolved throughout the book. It's not often that the author takes the time and allows us to understand their back stories as well as allowing their love to grow slowly. I loved the locale as it's one I'm very familiar with and was right on the money with the locals in a small town in the mountainous North Carolina hill country. I hope that Nora took the opportunity to spend some time in the Asheville communities and see for herself some of the beautiful scenery and possibly the Biltmore house.
With a gardening soul myself, there may have been a bit too many pages spent on details with Darby's landscaping job but I enjoyed it.