Book Review: Paper Angels by Jimmy Wayne and Travis Thrasher

Paper Angels by Jimmy Wayne and Travis Thrasher

Publisher: Howard Books

Publish Date: November 1, 2011

Hardcover, 304 pages 
Fiction, Christmas
 ISBN:  978-1451606195

My Review:

Paper Angels is a powerful story and if it can't get you in the mood for the true spirit of Christmas then I don't know what will.

Paper Angels is two stories, the first is of a mom and her two children who escape an abusive father one Christmas to start over and make a new life for themselves in a new town a state away.  It's by far not an easy life.  They are dirt poor and faced with struggles of faith, struggles of bullying and even simple struggles of selfishness, but somehow one family member finds a way through faith to rise above it all and make a difference even in a time when that person could have been disgusted and fully given up.

The second story follows a family in their thirties.  Kevin is struggling with the business he started a few years ago and really wants to make work especially now that his wife is expecting twins and they already have a 4-year-old.  Kevin is also struggling with worry as their may be a problem with one of the babies and he is constantly worrying about the business and about their finances and about his wife.  He knows he needs to give up the worry and just let God take care of it, but he can't seem to do it.  Then one day his wife talks him into taking an angel from the Salvation Army Angel Tree and Kevin can't help but notice the little things that begin to happen.  Things that make Kevin really think and take stock of his life and realize what is truly important in life.

Two completely different stories and from the beginning I had no idea where either one would go and they went in directions that I did not expect.  I love how they intersected and I love how they told the story that one person can make a difference because I think so often we think that as one person we can't make a difference, but we can.  Every bit will help in this world, especially this downturn in the economy.  So reach out, help somewhere this holiday season.

Take an angel, you may just make a child's Christmas.  Serve in a soup kitchen.  Hold a food drive to help put food on the table of the needy.  Ring bells.  And all this doesn't just apply to the Christmas season either, there is plenty to be done the rest of the year - people still need clothes, still need food, still need love.  Children need loving foster homes and advocates.  Pray to see where you can help.  I know I will be.  This book has truly touched me in a way that I want to be of more use in the community. I'm not rich but I am sure there is something I can do just like they did in the book.  Jimmy Wayne and Travis Thrasher have written a beautiful and heart-felt book about second chances in life and turning toward God to help us with our problems and to thank him to for our blessings.  So let's make sure we do that today.

Pick up this book and pick up a copy for a friend or loved one as we - it's beautifully written, it reads fast and you will enjoy the back and forth between stories.  Plus while getting to know these two families, I'm pretty sure you will see some of your self in at least one of the characters if not more.  I see a lot of myself in both Kevin and Lynn, two completely different characters (though I am not an abused wife, or male for that matter).  But the characters are easy to relate to and that is what I think is important.  And while the lessons are numerous and have the Christian bend to them, they are not preachy, they teach the loving side of God, through letting God take over your worry, to forgiveness.  It is all very well put together in a beautiful story for the Christmas season.

My Rating: 5.0/5.0


About the Book:
Kevin Morrell is a forty-three year old husband and father who runs a successful design and marketing firm. Attempting to navigate the busyness of the mall at Christmas, Kevin is humbled when he stumbles across the Salvation Army's Angel Tree Project. He picks up a paper ornament and is both moved and intrigued by the list. Why would a fourteen-year-old boy want shoes a size bigger than his foot? And why specifically a Banana Republic card? Why of all the stores would a fourteen year old pick that store? 


Thomas Reed is the fourteen-year-old boy on the card. He is still reeling from the implosion of his family—from years of verbal abuse from an alcoholic father to a mother who finally left him behind, only to find herself and Thomas penniless and struggling. The only thing has allowed Sandra to survive is her faith. Thomas shares that faith, but he also wonders why God has seemingly abandoned them.

This is the story about a man and a boy one December. A man whose life is changed by a simple expression of kindness the day after Thanksgiving. And a boy who takes that expression of kindness and shows the true meaning of Christmas.


About the Author: 
Jimmy Wayne is an American country music singer and songwriter. He released his self-titled debut album in 2003 on the DreamWorks Records label. Four singles were released from it, including "Stay Gone" and "I Love You This Much", which both reached Top Ten on the Billboard country charts. A second album, Do You Believe Me Now, was released in August 2008 via Big Machine Records subsidiary Valory Music Group, and its title track became his first Number One hit in late 2008.

Travis Thrasher is the author of more than a dozen works of fiction including two novellas, The Promise Remains and The Watermark. He has been called "the Nicholas Sparks of Christian fiction" by Christian Retailing magazine. Travis's drive and imagination have allowed him to see a variety of books published: from love stories (The Watermark; Three Roads Home) to suspense (Gun Lake; Admission; Blinded) to drama (The Second Thief; Sky Blue) to supernatural thrillers (Isolation; Ghostwriter). Travis lives with his wife and daughters in a suburb of Chicago.

Travis Thrasher's Website
Travis Thrasher on Twitter
Travis Thrasher on Facebook
Travis Thrasher's Blog

Clicking on the links below to purchase will help fund future giveaways here at My Reading Room :)  The Paper Angels Book cover will take you to B&N.com.  Sorry for the advertising, but at least it's for the books.

FTC Information: I received this book from the publisher for an honest review.  I do make money from the links in the post to The Book Depository and B&N, but the money is used to help defray the cost of shipping giveaway books and other giveaways I hold.

Book Review: Bonjour 40: A Paris travel log by Karen A. Chance

Bonjour 40: A Paris travel log (40 years, 40 days, 40 seconds)

Publish Date: October 9, 2011

Ebook, 135 pages 
Non-fiction, Memoir, Travel
 ASIN: B005U9BLGI

My Review:
Bonjour 40 made me want to plan a trip for my 40th birthday in a few years, it was just that compelling.  However I don't think I will be able to do that with my kids still in school and my job and my health so I will have to satisfy myself with enjoying Karen's memoir of her time in Paris when she turned 40.

I think one wonderful thing to take away from this novel as a woman especially is that we deserve to fulfill our dreams as long as we are responsible about it.  Karen makes it clear up front that she was responsible about it.  She was able to put her job on hold.  She had saved money and she did not have children to leave behind for 40 days (not that you couldn't if you did it in a way that was responsible of course).  She does have her partner Ted, but he was supportive of her and he came over to spend time with her as well toward the end of her stay.  But she did it, she fulfilled one of her dreams to actually live in Paris for a time.  To stay in an apartment and immerse herself in the life of Paris.  I loved this memoir because her discoveries were so heartfelt and true.  She's so fun and honest in the book and that 's what makes it memorable to me.  She writes what comes to mind each day, and it's so easy to read and feel like you are right there with her.

Another great thing about the book is her descriptions.  I've never been to Paris, but between her descriptions and the photos included in the book, I feel like I've been there.  I love her observations on everything from the dogs to how people dress to even the bathroom habits.  She made the mundane interesting and intriguing to me and the interesting even more interesting.

The book reads quick and easily, as she expounds on her blog entries from her trip with some additional facts and from time to time essays on various topics that I found captivating.  I read the book in two sittings and really enjoyed my time spent with Karen and in Paris.  I hope this is a great start for her in her writing career and hope to read more from her in the future.

My Rating: 4.5/5.0


About the Book:
If Karen A. Chase absolutely had to turn forty, she decided she could do it gracefully in Paris… for nearly forty days. What began as a blog to communicate with friends and family, became a travel journal filled with over a months’ worth of humorous and insightful glimpses into her Paris adventures, each of which could be read in about forty seconds. Journal entries are interspersed with Chase's own inspiring photography. Additional, longer stories richly fill in details allowing readers to reflect upon her experiences with food, travel, photography, Parisians, writing, and love in the City of Lights. Through her Parisian- and self-exploration, comes a book that brings to life the richness of Paris as seen through the eyes of a romantic travel junkie. Chase shows readers the joys of turning 40, and with her magical view of Paris, they'll be ready to board a plane before they've turned the last page.

About the Author (from her website): 
Born in Canada, Karen traveled by car, trailer and motor home with her family, touring over 40 states and nine provinces. Karen has lived in the United States since 1990, since she first began to study advertising art. After more than 15 years as a professional graphic designer and copywriter, she began her own branding and design studio. While building her company, she branched into a secondary career as a freelance writer for clients and as a contributing writer for national and local publications such as Bella Magazine, The Richmond Times Dispatch and HOW Design Magazine Online. Her personal writing includes non–fiction, historical fiction and poetry. Bonjour 40 is her first book. She lives in Virginia with her partner, Ted, and their two cats.

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FTC Information: I received this book through BookSparks PR for an honest review.

Guest Blog: Blog. E-book. Book? by Karen A. Chase (Bonjour 40: A Paris travel log)

Blog. E-book. Book?
By Karen A. Chase
Author of Bonjour 40: A Paris travel log
(40 years. 40 days. 40 seconds)

I began a blog because I went to Paris for a month. I was turning forty, and to celebrate, I planned my dream trip and away I went. For nearly forty days I kept a daily blog with posts that included one of my photos and something my friends and family could read in about forty seconds. For the first week or so it was fun, but then something happened.

Writing opened my eyes. Suddenly Paris seemed more magical. The food started to look like art. People began to appear like characters in a novel. Streets glistened. My daily posts became not just about how I was seeing Paris, but how all those back home might see it too. I saw it through my friends, my parents, and my partner, Ted, who joined me only for the last ten days. Through my words we described Paris. Through my lens we captured her, and in so doing, Paris deeply captured me.

I never thought I’d have a blog. But once it caught on, once I saw the impact sharing my words had for others and for me, I knew I needed to reach out to more than just friends and family, and maybe through more than just my blog.

Hello Bonjour 40! Compiling longer pieces, I filled in details of Paris and the impact my trip had on me. Paired with my blog entries, my writing resulted in a 25,000-word memoir complete with accompanying photos. It’s allowed so many more to visit the wondrous Paris I experienced, and it’s allowed me the chance to relive my dream trip with each interview and speaking engagement.

One day I hope Bonjour 40 will expand from e-book to print book, complete will full-page images. I wish it if for no other reason than to be able to curl up in a chair in my own reading room, with a book that reminds me, I happily turned forty in Paris. May my words reach readers in their own chairs, and may they seek and find such joy in realizing their own dreams.

About Bonjour 40: A Paris Travel log (40 years, 40 days, 40 seconds) by Karen A. Chase
If Karen A. Chase absolutely had to turn 40, she decided she could do it gracefully in Paris… for nearly 40 days. What began as a blog to communicate with friends and family became a travel journal filled with over a months’ worth of daily details of her Paris adventures, each of which could be read in about 40 seconds. Peppered with Karen’s own photographs, she also weaves in longer stories that reflect upon her experiences with Parisians, travel, food, photography, writing, and love in the City of Lights.



**Tomorrow I will post my review of Bonjour 40: A Paris travel log, which is absolutely delightful and has me ready to travel for my 40th birthday in a few years**

Author Interview: Jon Reiner (The Man Who Couldn't Eat)

Today I welcome Jon Reiner, author of The Man Who Couldn't Eat which I reviewed last week.  As I deal with a chronic illness as well I wanted the chance to read Jon's memoir, we don't have the same illness nor is mine to the extreme of Jon's but just the same we suffer on a day-to-day basis and I found his memoir fascinating and uplifting.  Enjoy his interview and be sure and check out his book whether you suffer from a chronic illness or not, because chances are, you know someone who does.

Describe the area you write in.

It’s about 30 square feet and soft. At one end is a vertical slab of wood cushioned by
pillows. It’s called a bed. Many writers work standing up (Churchill, Nabokov, Philip
Roth) but I recline (as did Truman Capote) – it’s perpetual Passover. If I’m working long
stretches, I need to keep my legs elevated, and the bed or our living room couch are the
only places to do that in our apartment. We don’t have a study or spare room. The bed is
also a great workspace for spreading out notes and books. My wife, Susan, has tried to
convince me that working in bed isn’t great psychologically – that the encroachment of
work into our place of rest contributes to my occasional insomnia – but there’s a healthy
precedent. Look how productive Brian Wilson was in bed. O.K., maybe that’s not the
best example. My other favorite place to write is the reading room of a library. I love
libraries, and if I’m traveling, I’ll find the local library and be quite at home, as I just
did in Seattle, Portland, San Francisco, and Los Angeles during my book tour. Much of
The Man Who Couldn’t Eat was written in the reading room of the 42nd Street Library in
Manhattan. Big room, big ideas, big words.

What's your favorite season?

Summer, with a caveat. I like to be warm and in the water, so I live for summer. I love
living in New York City from September until June, but in the summer I do everything
I can to leave. The city feels like what I imagine the weather in Manila to be, and I wilt.
I grew up as the child of academics and believed it was the natural right of all peopIe to
have the summer off, so much so, that when I began working jobs which required me
to be in an office in July and August I was filled with resentment, anger, and confusion.
Staying put in the summer has never become normal for me, so we escape to Maine,
where my family has a home, or other places on the water where we’ve ingratiated
ourselves as professional freeloaders. We’ve really gotten incredibly resourceful at it. I’m
thinking of writing a vacation guide for freeloaders.

If you watch TV, what is your favorite TV show and why?

We have only one TV and one remote, which are mostly in the hands of my wife and
two sons, so I can’t claim any regular series watching of my own. When Curb Your
Enthusiasm is in season, we subscribe to HBO, then cancel it the minute the series ends.
Larry David is the most honest comic on television. He gets laughs from things a lot of
people are afraid to touch. If I’m up late and want a diversion, I watch Craig Ferguson.
Only a stiff wouldn’t laugh at an antic Scot.

If you could have any car what would it be and what color would it be?

You’re not from here, are you? As a Manhattanite, I rely on my feet and public
transportation most of the time, so I don’t really live with the standard car envy or
fantasies that most drivers do. A seat on the subway is heaven to me. Perhaps I’m taking
your question too literally. If I had one car to choose, it would be a Jaguar XKE Series 1
roadster, butter yellow. It’s the most beautiful car ever built. If you don’t believe me ask
Enzo Ferrari, ask Jay Leno. In all the talk about Steve Jobs’ design influences, the XKE
was never mentioned, and I think it didn’t occur to Walter Isaacson to ask the question.
I’m sure there’s a connection there. If cars as stylish as the XKE were still made today,
I’d give up the subway.



Crystal here:  Sorry - I'm in the rural south in an area with no public transportation. So we all have cars and therefore car envy.  I looked up the Jaguar XKE series and you are right it is a thing of beauty.

What is a typical day like in your life?

Chaotic and regimented. I'm a stay-at-home dad, so my schedule is dictated by the needs
of a 12-year-old boy, an 8-year-old boy, and an ageless wife. I wake up at 6:00 a.m.,
shower, dress, eat breakfast, make the boys’ breakfast, wake them up at 7:15, serve them
breakfast, get us dressed and out the door to school at 8:15. I write from 9:00 – 2:00.
Pick-up the kids from school, chaperone them on afterschool activities, get them home,
help to start homework and make dinner, make school lunches for the next day, eat
dinner, get the boys to bed, talk to my wife, catch-up on email, read, sleep. Astonishingly,
it's even more glamorous than it sounds.

If you could travel anywhere you wanted, where would you go?

Oh, no, another one of those “pick one” questions. Didn’t you read my tortured answer
about the car? I suffer from indecisiveness, and I get hung-up on “tell me your favorite
this or that,” as if someone is actually going to hold me to it. “Wait a second, you said
you liked French Vanilla ice cream once in an interview. I can’t serve you this strawberry
sundae.” Really, do I have to pick one place to travel in the whole wide world? I
wouldn’t want to leave anyplace out. How about Schenectady? They could use the plug,
and I bet I could get a decent hotel room for under $100.

Tell us a little bit about The Man Who Couldn’t Eat.

It’s brilliant. Just look at the cover; can’t you tell? The Man Who Couldn’t Eat is a first-person memoir about a year in my life and the lives of my family members (February 2009 – February 2010) beginning with a medical emergency that nearly killed me in an instant, and the existential crisis that followed, triggered by the months in which I was sentenced to “Nothing By Mouth” – no food, no drink – and concluding with a complicated return to eating. Is life worth living if something as essential and pleasurable as eating is taken away? Food lent itself literally and metaphorically as the creative
structure on which to hang the story, and it was an exceptionally rich vein to mine. The story started as a feature piece I wrote for Esquire that – in the ultimate irony – won the 2010 James Beard Foundation Award. I’m the anti-food food writer. It’s a niche, and I’m the only member. We always have a quorum.

What made you decide to write this memoir?

I asked for paper and pen two days after the emergency surgery and wrote a few pages of
notes, recording what I’d lived through. Then, I stopped. The news was so dismal that I
had no interest in spending more time with my misery. I sunk into a bleak physical and
mental condition for months when Mark Warren of Esquire asked me to write about the
experience of not being able to eat or drink. I was skeptical when he brought it up – why
would anyone want to read about this awful situation? Mark’s a brilliant editor, and he
helped me recognize the potency and appeal of the story I’d been handed. John Berryman
said it best: “The artist is extremely lucky who is presented with the worst possible ordeal
which will not actually kill him. At that point, he’s in business.” After the Esquire story
was published, Mark said, “This is great, but your really should think of this as a book.
About an hour later, my agent, Mitchell Waters, said the same thing. I didn’t need any
further convincing.

What is one message you want people to take away from your book, The Man Who
Couldn’t Eat?

This is even worse than the car and the travel questions – I just can’t do it. Why does
everything have to be reduced to “one?” “Greatest human being every – go!” Isn’t there
room for a crowd? The story is complex. Haven’t I already told you that the book is
brilliant? I think that would be a wonderful takeaway. “All readers say ‘The Man Who
Couldn’t Eat is Brilliant.’” I could live with that.

What are you working on now?

I've been writing a next book titled Chutes and Ladders. It's about my experience
of corporate layoffs and longterm unemployment and how that personal history is
representative of the employment crisis in this country and the impact on tens of millions
of people. I started writing it years before Occupy Wall Street materialized, but I'm happy
to see the issue finally receive attention. I’ve spent time at Occupy Wall Street and the
Occupy sites in all the cities I’ve visited this fall and have incorporated my experience in
the movement into the story.

Do you have any upcoming tours, blog tours or events you would like people to know
about?

Actually, I’ve just finished a fall book tour of author’s events in 11 cities. It was
wonderful. I love the public part of the experience – the reading, the questions, the
conversation. There’s nothing like the energy of engaging with a live audience, and it’s
also a chance to see old friends. Each stop is a reunion, and that becomes as exciting
and important, on a personal level, as the event itself. It has been a rewarding and
illuminating time. Publishers tend to be less enthusiastic about book readings than they
were a generation ago, and I understand the business concerns, but I find these events to
be irreplaceable for cultivating relationships between writers, readers, and booksellers. I
will have more events scheduled for the winter.

Anything else you would like to share?

The experience of writing The Man Who Couldn’t Eat did confirm something that I
do think is worth sharing with people, no matter if they’re writers or not: “Don’t give
up,” trite as that may sound. Look at me; it took me 25 years to get published, or as
my Esquire editor Mark Warren put it, “You almost had to die to get published.” We
all suffer for our art, but did mine have to be so literal? All that time I had written –
fiction, drama, screenplays, essays – and gotten close, receiving some exceptionally –
but also frustratingly – encouraging rejections. One comment on my previous manuscript
was, “This is a powerhouse of a novel, which is all the more reason that I’m sorry we are
declining to publish your book.” Eventually, when I was presented with a life-changing
opportunity to write my story, I was prepared and excited to say yes and believe in my
ability to produce a quality manuscript. Even though I had failed for years to break
through, and was often discouraged about my situation, psychologically I never quit on
myself. I never stopped believing that I would become a published author, or that I had
the talent to do so. The lesson of my experience can be applied to anyone’s personal,
professional, emotional, or spiritual dreams and desires. If you believe doing something
is essential to your happiness, don’t give up.

Wow - now that's a way to end an interview.  Thanks Jon - sorry about the pick one questions, but thank you for being a good sport.

Teaser Tuesday (11)

Teaser Tuesdays is a weekly bookish meme, hosted by MizB of Should Be Reading. Anyone can play along! Just do the following:

• Grab your current read
• Open to a random page
• Share two (2) “teaser” sentences from somewhere on that page
• BE CAREFUL NOT TO INCLUDE SPOILERS! (make sure that what you share doesn’t give too much away! You don’t want to ruin the book for others!)
• Share the title & author, too, so that other TT participants can add the book to their TBR Lists if they like your teasers! 

Don't rush it. Don't shovel it in. Instead, fall into the act of touching, smelling and truly seeing the food as it combines to create a delicious meal I can savor. This is why the French eat less--simply because they take more time to enjoy the aesthetics of the indivual elements that make up the whole meal.

From Bonjour 40: A Paris travel log by Karen A. Chance





About Bonjour 40: A Paris travel log

If Karen A. Chase absolutely had to turn forty, she decided she could do it gracefully in Paris… for nearly forty days. What began as a blog to communicate with friends and family, became a travel journal filled with over a months’ worth of humorous and insightful glimpses into her Paris adventures, each of which could be read in about forty seconds. Journal entries are interspersed with Chase's own inspiring photography. Additional, longer stories richly fill in details allowing readers to reflect upon her experiences with food, travel, photography, Parisians, writing, and love in the City of Lights. Through her Parisian- and self-exploration, comes a book that brings to life the richness of Paris as seen through the eyes of a romantic travel junkie. Chase shows readers the joys of turning 40, and with her magical view of Paris, they'll be ready to board a plane before they've turned the last page.

Book Review: Waves of Deceit by Marlene Sanchez

Waves of Deceit by Marlene Sanchez

Publisher: Classy Scribe Publications

Publish Date: November 1, 2011 (ebook), December 1, 2011 paperback

ebook, 95,000 words
Fiction, Romantic Suspense

My Review:
Ah, Romantic suspense, I say it every time I come back to it, but I think it may be my first true love and Marlene Sanchez did an excellent job writing a book that thrilled me both with romance and with suspense.  First I love movies like The Godfather, Goodfellas, and anything gangster, doesn't matter the race, they don't have to be Italian, it can be Russian or Cuban like in Waves of Deceit, but for some reason I am fascinated by organized crime in books and movies so that is why I gravitated toward this book.  I was not disappointed.

The Pascual family is a great crime family.  Loyalty is one of the main creeds of the family and the one that Manny abides by the most.  It's the reason he readily accepts his best friend from childhood, Michael back in with open arms, after a background check of course, when he returns to Miami.  The funny thing about books like this, it's really hard to hate the bad guy, but then sometimes the bad guy is not always who it seems.  Ms. Sanchez has woven a wonderful labyrinth of a suspense plot that surprised me when I didn't think I could be surprised.  There is one moment when I was on the edge of my seat and expected to know what was behind the door and wow was I surprised.  I love a book that does that.  There are twists and turns that really make this book for me.  In summary the suspense of this book is top-notch.

For romance we have Michael and Bianca.  They have an instant attraction, with one problem, Manny is in love with Bianca and neither want to cross Manny.  Eventually attraction wins out.  The nice thing was I could feel them falling for each other and Ms. Sanchez made it feel like it was more than just the heat between them.  For those of you wondering what the heat level of the book is - I would call it sensual - most of the action takes place off the page, but some takes place on, but it is far from graphic.  I was very comfortable with it.  There is a lot of heat between Michael and Bianca without the sex and that is what I really enjoy, knowing the attraction is there without them having to be all over each other all the time.  And the romance.  Let me tell you, you will enjoy the romantic side of Michael - the book is worth it just for that.  Of course it wouldn't be a romance if there were not problems to work through and there are and I like how they are done and how they are worked through.  It sounded like a typical relationship to me.  So it is a great romance as well.

Waves of Deceit was another book I found hard to put down.  I enjoyed the crime family aspect.  The suspense was amazing and the action scenes had me biting my nails.  The romance had me melting in a puddle and wanting to go and cuddle up with my sweet husband (yes I mean just cuddle, Michael is very romantic and my husband is as well).  I love finding gems like this in the world of indie publishing.  And to me this was a true gem.  Ms. Sanchez has crafted a story that is an entertaining and enjoyable read.

My Rating: 4.75/5.0


About the Book:

The Pascual crime family is getting bigger and stronger and taking over more and more of Miami every day. The FBI has been trying to take them down for years, but they can’t seem to make anything stick. Enter former Marine sniper, Agent Michael Walker.

Until age 17 Michael was best friends with Manny Pascual, the heir and current head of the Pascual family. Now the FBI wants him to infiltrate the family he was once a part of in order to collect enough evidence to bring them down for good.

Although it has been more than ten years since Michael has been back to Miami, Manny is more than happy to have his best friend back where he belongs. Not everyone is as happy to see Michael, but one person is secretly thrilled to see him. Bianca Martinez, the family lawyer, can’t keep him out of her head  The FBI is closing in, but Michael is becoming more conflicted
between his job, his friendship with Manny and the life he missed in Miami. The hot relationship sparking with Bianca complicates things further when he learns Manny wants to claim her as his own.

Will the years of friendship between these three endure as they find themselves between the tightening vice of rivaling families and the hard fist of the law? Or will they all drown in their Waves of Deceit?

About the Author: 
Born in Manhattan, Raised in Miami, Living in Alabama.

Marlene Sanchez is a Daughter, a Sister, a Niece, a Cousin, a Friend, a Wife, a Mother, a Step-Mother, and an Aunt… She thrives off her Family and Friends, and tries to live her life to the fullest… Her children are her life, but her passion is writing.

Her novels reflect her Hometown of Miami, her Cuban upbringing and her love for gangster movies (legal and police dramas too).

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FTC Information: I received this book through Sizzling PR for an honest review. 

In My Mailbox (10)

In My Mailbox is hosted by The Story Siren. To see this weeks list of participants go here.

Another wonderful mailbox week, check out what came in this week. (Give it a minute to load, it's an Amazon widget).

Note:  I'm using an Amazon widget for ease, but just so everyone knows, I don't actually make any money if you buy from there, I'm in one of those controversial states and affiliates don't make money.