Author Archives: Ruby Lee
The Visitor by Amanda Stevens
Title: The Visitor
Author: Amanda Stevens
Series: Graveyard Queen, Book 4
Publish Date: March 29, 2016
Genre: Paranormal Mystery
Source: NetGalley
Publisher’s Description:
Restoring lost and abandoned cemeteries is my profession, but I’m starting to believe that my true calling is deciphering the riddles of the dead. Legend has it that Kroll Cemetery is a puzzle no one has ever been able to solve. For over half a century, the answer has remained hidden within the strange headstone inscriptions and intricate engravings. Because uncovering the mystery of that tiny, remote graveyard may come at a terrible price.
Years after their mass death, Ezra Kroll’s disciples lie unquiet, their tormented souls trapped within the walls of Kroll Cemetery, waiting to be released by someone strong and clever enough to solve the puzzle. For whatever reason, I’m being summoned to that graveyard by both the living and the dead. Every lead I follow, every clue I unravel brings me closer to an unlikely killer and to a destiny that will threaten my sanity and a future with my love, John Devlin.
Possible spoilers beyond this point.
Ruby L
ee says…
It is almost four years ago today that I started the Graveyard Queen series. I whipped through the first three books very quickly. I had always heard the rumors of a fourth book, but the third book ended well so I wrote it off as finished series. Imagine my surprise when I stumbled across this book on NetGalley. I was so excited that I got to play with Amelia again. I love paranormal stories, especially ones about those who can see ghosts, but the Graveyard Queen series took that concept in a direction I had never seen before.
The Series begins with the three rules that Amelia must follow to keep the ghost at bay and the third book ends with her beginning to truly understand the spirit world and what power she truly possesses. The fourth book picks up where the third left off and quickly spirals you down into Amelia’s world, which is getting more complicated by the day.
Amanda Stevens’s writing really makes Amelia come alive, and the reader feels each
terror, question, and hurt that Amelia suffers. I sometimes felt confused about how the spirit world really works and what creatures it contains, but I soon realized that I was seeing everything through Amelia’s eyes so I was never going to know more than what she understood.There is a romantic element to the story but it is by far not a romance. In fact, the one she loves may actually be the one that destroys her and there is no ‘happy ever after’ ending in that.
Overall, The Visitor is a captivating, beautiful told story about a woman who is more and can do more than she ever expected. Her relationships are complicated, the story of her birth is amazing, and I can’t wait until the next book to see what path this story takes. I recommend this book for all that love the paranormal but I also recommend that you start at the beginning of the series with The Restorer. I think you would really miss out on a huge part of the story if you don’t experience the build up of conflict and power from one story to the next.
Lucyfer’s Corner
4 paws – This book is dark, and I loved every minute of it. Ghosts and creatures from the
other side really make my day, and I love to feel the power of fear that permeates this book. However, my favorite part is when Amelia’s dog becomes too scared of her to be with her any longer. Dogs are such babies. If she had a cat, the cat would figure out how to siphon off some of her power and rule the world. Too bad Ruby’s only super power is that her snoring could wake the dead. I’ve used it before in ceremonies but unfortunately, once the dead hear the snoring, they crawl right back in their coffins. The things I put up with.
Other reviews…
If you like this book…
- Graveminder by Melissa Marr
- Tradd Street Series by Karen White
Nobody But You by Jill Shalvis
Jill Shalvis does it again. Nobody But You is being released tomorrow, which is just in time because Spring is here and love is in the air.
Title: Nobody But You
Author: Jill Shalvis
Series: Cedar Ridge, Book 3
Publish Date: March 29, 2016
Genre: Romance
Source: NetGalley
Publisher’s Description:
SOMETIMES YOU CAN GO HOME AGAIN…
After an overseas mission goes wrong, Army Special Forces officer Jacob Kincaid knows where he must go to make things right: back home to the tiny town of Cedar Ridge, Colorado. All he needs to scrub away his painful past is fresh mountain air, a lakeside cabin, and quiet solitude. But what he discovers is a gorgeous woman living on a boat at his dock.
Sophie Marren has nowhere else to go. She’s broke, intermittently seasick, and fighting a serious attraction to the brooding, dishy, I’m-too-sexy-for-myself guy who’s now claiming her dock. Something about Jacob’s dark intensity makes her want to tease—and tempt—him beyond measure. Neither one wants to give any ground . . . until they realize the only true home they have is with each other.
Possible spoilers beyond this point.
Ruby Lee says…
My respect for Jill Shalvis’s writing increases with every book I read. Nothing But You is the third and final book in the Cedar Ridge series, and I am a little sad about leaving such a beautiful place. Her vivid imagery and true to life problems that the characters face cause Cedar Ridge to become a very real place in the minds of her readers.
Many people feel that romance books are nothing more than formula writing but Jill Shalvis is about as far from formula as you can get. I love the snarky comments that Jill writes for the main character Sophie. Every one of them made me laugh and led me to like Sophie a little more. Jacob is a returning soldier with PTSD, and Jill takes that on with the compassion it deserves.
Jill Shalvis also makes it very clear about how she feels about 50 Shades of Grey with many direct references that don’t paint the book in a good light. They made me look at the story from a different angle, and I agree with many of her comments.
Overall, Nobody But You is a funny, well written, romantic story that I very much enjoyed over my Spring Break. If you have read Jill Shalvis before, I am sure you are excited for this book release tomorrow. If you have never read a Jill Shalvis book, you are missing out and Cedar Ridge is a good place to start.
Lucyfer’s Corner
1 paw – Romance… I can’t believe that I had to start reading romance again. Ruby felt that the “romantic situations” were a little too hot for Izzy’s young kitten eyes so I had to subject myself to the mush and grossness of human love. I have never been more happy that Ruby had me spayed. Who in their right mind would want to deal with all that? Yuck!
Other reviews…
If you like this book…
- FBI/US Attorney Series by Julie James
- When You Dare by Lori Foster
The Dune by Stephen King
“I made them especially for you. Feel free to examine them, but please be careful. The best of them have teeth” – Stephen King
Story Title: The Dune
Title of Book: The Bazaar of Bad Dreams
Author: Stephen King
Publish Date: November 3, 2015
Genre: Horror/Short Stories
Source: Purchased Audio Book
Publisher’s Description:
A master storyteller at his best—the O. Henry Prize winner Stephen King delivers a generous collection of stories, several of them brand-new, featuring revelatory autobiographical comments on when, why, and how he came to write (or rewrite) each story.
The Dune – Retired Florida Supreme Court Judge Harvey Beecher tells his lawyer about a mysterious sand dune on an unnamed island a short distance off the Gulf coastline of his family’s property. Harvey first visited the island at the age of ten in 1932, after his grandfather, a scoundrel and land speculator who’d created the family fortune, told him Blackbeard’s treasure might be buried there. Traveling to the island became a daily addiction for Harvey…and now his lawyer is about to discover the shocking reason why.
Possible spoilers beyond this point.
Ruby Lee says…
Like any young book addict in the 1980’s and 1990’s, my first real horror experiences came from Stephen King. Every library had some of his books so there was never a shortage of material. Pet Sematary and The Shining are two of my favorite books even today. I still have my beat up paperback copy of ‘Salam’s Lot and I am sure that will be among my final possessions. As a teenager, I loved Stephen King, but then something happened. I thought it was him changing his subject matter and his writing style. The books didn’t have the same affect on me, which was sad. Several years later, I happened to get one of his audio books (on cassette tape) and the magic seemed to return with From a Buick 8. That’s when I realized that he hadn’t changed, I had.
As a kid, I was always finishing my schoolwork quickly. When I was done before the other 
students, my teacher would send me over to the computer room to work on speed reading. It was the challenge to read as fast as I could while still answering all of the content questions correctly. Over time, I became good at this and then I perfected the skill of speed reading in graduate school where they assigned more reading than a human could actually read. Even today I fight my mind to slow down and savor each book I read and not just breeze through it.
If you are a Stephen King fan, you know that his talent for prose, descriptions, and use of words is the best of our generation. You can’t speed through that and expect to get the whole story. You miss the journey that takes you to the end of the story, and the journey is the best part. So now I only listen to Stephen King books. I can’t speed listen so I have a chance to get lost in his words. I even listened to The Stand. It took me almost a year but it was worth it.
Right now I am listening to The Bazaar of Bad Dreams, and I came to the short story “The Dune.” The story is magical Stephen King. It is only about 19 pages but the premise is perfect. He leaves the reader with just enough questions and then zings you with the ending.
I strongly recommend this story, and I am sure I will recommend the entire book once I am finished with it. Even if you are an avid Stephen King reader, I hope that everyone will try listening to one of his books. If you close your eyes, you will almost feel like you are sitting around an ancient fire listening to the history of your ancestors and the horrors of the outside world being passed down from generation to generation.
Other reviews…
If you like this book…
You are a person of great taste. You might also like:
- Just After Sunset by Stephen King
- 20th Century Ghosts by Joe Hill and Christopher Golden
Little Secrets by Megan Hart
When one door closes and another one opens, it’s time to pack up and move because your house is clearly haunted – someecards
Title: Little Secrets
Author: Megan Hart
Publish Date: February 2, 2016
Genre: Thriller/Suspense
Source: NetGalley
Publisher’s Description:
With a baby on the way and a brand new house, it seems Ginny and her husband, Sean, are on their way to a fresh start. But strange occurrences and financial strain seem determined to keep Ginny and Sean stuck in the past. Ginny begins to believe the house may be haunted…or that her husband might be trying to trick her into thinking so. As Ginny researches the house’s former owner and the tragedy that happened there, it becomes clearer than ever that something is in the house with them. The question is, who…or what…is it?
Possible spoilers beyond this point.
Ruby Lee says…
The month of January and I have never been on good terms. The long cold dark days and nights push my cheerfulness to the limit. I long for the end of the day when I can put on sweatpants and hide under my warmest blanket. One odd thing I have discovered about myself is that I have no interest in reading romances in January. Maybe it is because I am coming off my Christmas romance high. Maybe it is because I am grumpy enough that happy endings give me a headache. I actually feel like Lucyfer sometimes. So this month, I chose a scary thriller from my large pile of digital books, and I made an excellent choice.
My expectations opening this book were that I was going to get a scary cookie-cutter haunted house story. What I really got was a ride with a story that has unexpected corners, stomach churning twists and turns, and a drop at the end that you will never see coming.
It starts with a dark character study of a marriage struggling to survive. Ginny, the main character, gives the reader a wonderful look into the life of a pregnant woman adjusting to a new house, no job, and a husband who is aggravating one minute and sweet the next. As the reader, we struggle to learn the secrets of their past while dealing with the hidden darkness of the new house. Is the house haunted? Are they haunted? Or is Ginny being driven mad?
The story is beautifully written and the conclusion catches the reader off guard in a way you wouldn’t expect.
Lucyfer’s Corner
4 paws – I love January. I love to hide in the darkness and watch unsuspecting squirrels from my secret tower of evil. Ruby calls it a cat tree but ‘cat tree of evil’ doesn’t have the same scare factor. I also love January because Ruby doesn’t make me read her usual sunshine and rainbows stories. I hate rainbows. They have too many colors. I loved the feelings of dread throughout this book and how I never knew what scary thing may happen next. Actually I got a few ideas I could try on the squirrels from my secret tower of evil. I will report back on the success of my reign of terror.
Other reviews…
If you like this book…
You are a person of great taste. You might also like:
- Midnight Voices by John Saul
- House of Bones by Dale Bailey
Anything for You by Kristan Higgins
There is an old saying: “You can’t really understand another person’s experience until you’ve walked a mile in their shoes.
– The White Ribbon Campaign to Walk A Mile in Her Shoes®
Title: Anything for You
Author: Kristan Higgins
Series: Blue Heron, Book 5
Publish Date: December 29, 2015
Genre: Romance
Source: NetGalley
Publisher’s Description:
Before you get down on bended knee…
…you should be pretty darn sure the answer will be yes. For ten years, Connor O’Rourke has been waiting for Jessica Dunn to take their on-again, off-again relationship public, and he thinks the time has come. His restaurant is thriving, she’s got her dream job at Blue Heron Vineyard—it’s the perfect time to get married.
When he pops the question, however, her answer is a fond but firm no. If it ain’t broke, why fix it? Jess has her hands full with her younger brother, who’s now living with her full-time, and a great career after years of waitressing. What she and Connor have is perfect: friends with an excellent benefits package. Besides, with her difficult past (and reputation), she’s positive married life isn’t for her.
But this time, Connor says it’s all or nothing. If she doesn’t want to marry him, he’ll find someone who does. Easier said than done, given that he’s never loved anyone but her. And maybe Jessica isn’t quite as sure as she thinks…
Possible spoilers beyond this point.
Ruby Lee says…
When I sit down to read a Kristan Higgins book, there are two things that I need to consider: time and my heart. When I open one of her books, I am making a commitment. Once I begin the story, I will not stop reading until I run out of pages. I have made some poor life choices in the past by thinking I could read a few chapters and go to bed. Usually that ends with me being unproductive the next day due to a book hangover. I will also forget to eat if I am in the middle of one of her stories. It’s probably a good thing I don’t have children because I would probably forget to feed them too.
The second thing I need to consider is my heart. Do I have room to add 2 or 3 additional characters into my heart? Many people think that reading a romance story is only about the happy ending. If that were the case, I would only read the first and last chapters of every book. A Kristan Higgins book is about the journey of two partially damaged people and the hard but sometimes very humorous road they take to their happy ending. (When you think about it, aren’t we all a little partially damaged?)
The thing that blew me away in Anything For You was the character development. She painted images of the them so crisply that I felt like they had been beamed into my living room. Kristan unfolded Jessica’s story in a beautiful way by showing her flaws but then giving us the inner workings and the reasons behind the decisions that caused so many to judge her. Growing up, I am sure that we all knew a Jessica or were a Jessica. We judge females through “slut shaming” every day. This book was a powerful commentary on how we should never judge until we have walked a mile in that person’s shoes. It also showed how that condemnation by a community or by one’s peers can leave a mark on a person’s soul forever.
Okay… I may have gotten a little deep, but don’t worry. Kristan still included all the hilarious dialogue and crazy situations that causes her readers to wait breathlessly until her next release. I am not sure if this is our last visit to Manningsports. I hope not because I am planning to relocate there in the Spring, but I am having a hard time locating it on the map.
Lucyfer’s Corner
2 paws – I was tricked into reading this book. Tricked and manipulated by a small brown kitten. Here is my story. I found Izzy crying in a corner not long after she started reading Anything For You. Between the sobs, I figured out she was upset because a dog had died. Hot Dang! I knew this was the book for me so I told Ruby I would read it since Izzy was a basket case. Yes, a dog does die in the first few chapters but then they go on to rescue at least 3 more dogs and each of the seven hundred characters produce at least one cute baby apiece during the story. In addition, there is love and a happy ending. I think Izzy just wants me to have nightmares for the the rest of my life.
Other reviews…
If you like this book…
You are a person of great taste. You might also like:
- The Sullivan Series by Bella Andre
- When Lightning Strikes by Brenda Novak
One Book Two 