Author Archives: karenjvjohnson

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Midnight Crossroad

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I had heard about this series but was not sure whether I wanted to read it or not because I had enjoyed the Sookie Stackhouse novels so much. But what happened was that I ended up watching the television series and liked it so decided that I would give the books a try. They took a lot of liberty with the T.V. series as far as the characters, changing physical parameters and race as well as the storylines being different. This is still really good even if I had been prepared for it to be similar. the fact that you get a better feel for the characters as well as the town here is what makes reading the best way to enjoy a story.

Midnight, Texas is a town that has seen better days with a lot of boarded-up businesses and only a handful of full-time residents located at the crossing of Witch Light Road and Davy Highway. This is a pretty much dried-up western town. The town has attracted an eclectic group of people who have found a place where their secrets can remain that way. Into this tight-knit group moves Manfred Bernardo, a psychic who is more real than many suspects.

This first book mainly introduces the characters and who they are to each other as well as who they are to the community as a whole. The stage is basically set for everything that happens in the town and outside of it with these people who are anything but normal. The characters are fun and the town is quirky and you can’t help but love them and it.

My rating: 🌟🌟🌟🌟

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Christmas Bizarre

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I had an extremely hard time getting into this book from the very beginning. The characters were not very interesting and did not evoke much of a response from me. It just didn’t work for me on any level and left me not really caring about any of them very much. Maybe I will try another book at some time but this was not the one.

Mina Kitchen is a forty-something single who seems to find trouble. She has weird luck and her cat is even weirder.

I did not have a lot to say about this because well, because.

My rating: ⍟⍟

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My Christmas Fiancé

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This totally caught me by surprise and roped me in from the very beginning with a story that I found to be fun and sexy with just a hint of malice. The story is told from the point of view of each of the main characters by each getting a chapter one after the other that keeps the narrative flowing. The characters are all very nicely realized as far as their individuality with personalities that define each of them. That goes for both the main and peripheral characters so that you can see what their motivations are for the most part.

Meg
Maggie Brown had to reinvent herself after her relationship became violent. She and her 13-year-old son move to Auckland where she can become a new and improved version of herself without all the mistakes of her past to hold her back. When she lands her dream job as PA to three rich gaming executives she feels reborn with the change. Then when I think I am sending an email to a friend telling her about the wickedly sexy things I want to do to one of my bosses I accidentally send it to All Staff. I am so embarrassed I want to run and hide, but Stratton catches me before I can get away and makes a proposal I want to accept.

Stratton
He has wanted Meg from the first day she walked into the office, but she is wearing a wedding ring so he stays clear. But since I recently broke up with my ex, Natalie I have been preoccupied. Natalie wants him back and won’t take no for an answer, so I had to come up with a plan, hire a fake fiancé for Christmas to prove it’s over. After reading the hot email Meg sent out, she finally confesses the truth about her past. She can pretend to be my fiancé and I can protect her from the guy she’s running from.

I loved the buildup with this couple because it was just the right pace for who they were. There was a lot of talk that gave visuals that could make you melt, with no touching involved which made it that much hotter. They also drank some really good whisky. Recommended highly!

My rating: ✯✯✯✯✯

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All the Stars Look Down

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I really liked this duo and found myself lost in both of the stories, one with characters new to me and another with friends that I have missed. Because there are two stories I averaged the stars out to 4.25 for the book. I have never read Grace Draven before but definitely liked the tale that she has included in this book with characters who felt enough like people I found myself liking and would like to see more of in the future. Then there is Elizabeth Hunter who I have been reading and enjoying for a while with my favorite couple making a surprise appearance that made my holiday season.

‘Sunday’s Child’, 4 stars.
The story is based on Norse mythology and has an elf named Andor Hjalmarson who has been exiled for 1000 years for seducing one of the King’s favorite concubines. He is sent away to serve his exile as a helper to Saint Nicholas and in so doing finds someone that makes him feel far more than he ever expected.
Claire Summerland is special even though she may not know it. When she was a child she got to see something that all children wish for on Christmas Eve plus someone she never expected to see but which fades as she gets older. When Claire grows up she no longer sees the magic but does find a bit of magic that was lost to her.
This is a sweet story of love, sacrifice, and redemption. Enjoyable for all!

‘Lost Letters and Christmas Lights’, 4.5 stars.
Giovanni and Beatrice travel to Rome when a new mystery comes along and interrupts their Christmas. Bea is on the hunt for a journal written by a priest in the California missions to another priest in the Vatican. The journals hold the secret to growing grapes. But there is something even more about the letters than what meets the eye.
Fina Rossi was in charge of the library when Lorenzo first established it and Giovanni decided to keep her on after Lorenzo was no more. Fina and her son live there alone but she has been corresponding with a friend of Gio’s and wonders what he is really like. Zeno Ferrara works at the Vatican deep in the archives and has never considered leaving. Then he meets Fina and Gio’s offer of employment seems a little more tempting.
There is a little sweetness and a little heat in this matchmaking story that just happens to involve vampires. A great addition to the Elemental Mysteries series.

I think this is a nice holiday-themed book that will bring a smile to the face.

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A Christmas Haunting at Point No Point

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This is another author that I have never read before and it seems to have become a theme during Christmas that I find new authors that I like. This is said to be a stand-alone novel but I think that even though it can be read without having read the previous books it still might be a good idea to read them to lend more context to the story. Reference is made to situations and people from previous books which can make it hard to understand what is happening sometimes. This was a really good ghost story with subtle but very interesting and well-thought-out imagery.

Steven’s brother and his family are coming for a visit during the holidays after years of staying away. To make things more comfortable for his brother he decides to rent a location for their vacation that will be neutral and hopefully help everyone enjoy themselves. Steven settles on Point No Point, the oldest lighthouse in the region, which offers the lighthouse keepers’ house as their vacation spot. The family finds their holiday turning into a nightmare as they start to notice changes in each other and try to figure out the haunted secrets of Point No Point things take a turn for the worse.

This was a very enjoyable story that had me from beginning to end as I tried to figure out what was going on along with them. The characters were fantastic and the scenery was what you would expect from the Pacific Northwest right down to the weather. It gave me great visuals. The slow build was perfect and added to the atmosphere that was being built within the house.

I would definitely recommend this book.

My rating: ✮✮✮✮

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Mayhem in Christmas River

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I like these books because they offer a light mystery in a unique setting. This is a fairly quick read with short but numerous chapters that fly by. I listened and followed along in the book which was a great way to go, the narrator is very good and creates each character in a realistic way. The dialogue can come off a little stiff on occasion but does seem to reflect the characters as a whole.

Christmas River is about to celebrate Christmas in July, their annual play and parade that brings the tourists in. While the town is making its preparations a fire destroys Cinnamon Peter’s best friend’s ornament shop and they are all in shock while they wait to find out how it started. When it becomes clear that a maniac is lost in the town with a flair for dramatic things heats up.

Cinnamon and her deputy boyfriend Daniel must find out who is behind the blaze before the whole town goes up in flames. They are also going to have to navigate their personal problems from rejection to jealousy as things burn around them.

The story is nice with a twist you may or may not see coming. There is a wholesomeness to the stories that make them very sweet. I think most would find them entertaining.

My rating: ✭✭✭

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Cougar Christmas

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I love this author and she never fails to entertain me with whatever genre she happens to be writing in. I liked the two main characters from the beginning and the story got my attention and did not let go until the very end, even if it had to be over a few days. Sometimes I wish I did not have to sleep or work so I could just read right through.

Genevieve Wells is a cold-as-ice boss about to lose her job if she cannot produce a mate for the Intensely Intimate Couples’ retreat that she won at the office Christmas party. She signed a contract stating she would go to the boss if there was any trouble in her marriage and she did not do it. Now she may have to face the consequences of not thinking before signing.

Drew Jamison is Genevieve’s long-suffering employee who has been angling for a promotion for quite a while. He dislikes Genevieve while at the same time being very attracted to her, even though she is ten years his senior. When he gets Genevieve to tell him what is bothering her he makes her a proposal that can help them both. He will go with her if she will give him his promotion.

While Genevieve fights to keep things professional because of her age and position, Drew wants to move things along in a more personal direction.

This is a hot and kind sweet story of an older woman who finds herself attracted to a younger man whom she feels she cannot have. I think anyone will enjoy this holiday treat.

My rating: ✬✬✬✬

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Carnage at the Christmas Party

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The thing that made me want to read this was the cover, which I liked because it had a fun feel to it. I wish I could say that what was between the covers was just as fun. This was a rather plodding story for me that I had to make myself continue and finish but it was still decent. I am going to go back and read the first book in the series since I started late in a way. The characters were not particularly likeable and many of them were only shells of what they could have been for most of the story. I will say that both Ensar and Charlotte at least started to seem more interesting near the end. And speaking of the end it was way too rushed and you did not even get a chance to enjoy the mystery since it was all handled literally in the last two short chapters.

Windy Pines, Idaho is known for three things: beautiful mountain views, the world’s most incompetent police force, and lately murder. Charlotte Smyth’s new job at O’Leery Snowboarding Inc. is as a Spreader of Cheer, a kind of made-up and less-than-perfect fit of a position. She pretty much hates everything associated with it like sports, cold weather, and anything extreme. Her boss, Shane Letcher, assigns her to make the Christmas party the coolest ever and lets her know that it is a make-or-break opportunity.

The thing that made me less than happy was just the fact that this was supposed to be a mystery and the book was more about what a horrible job the man had. Because this is the first thing I have read by this author I figure I might as well read the first book in the series and see if it is similar. It may appeal to some more than others, so try it if you just want a holiday-themed book.

My rating: ✬✬

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Mark’s Merry Mayhem

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Because this is a short story collection I generally rate each story separately and then do an average. With that said, I give this 3.71 stars and have rounded it up to 4 for the sake of their system. I fell in love with the Zombie Fallout books after the first one that was given to me by my sister and have been enthralled ever since. This gives you plenty of the folks from the novels getting into general mayhem.

2 stars, ‘Fucking Pepperoni Pizza’. Michael decides to have a couple of slices of pepperoni pizza knowing that it does not agree with him. When it wakes him up in the night he starts to feel that something is not right. Then he sees something that he hopes is a pepperoni dream.

3.5 stars, ‘Mike in Trouble Again’. Tracy wants Mike to keep his promise to clean out the garage and he tries to get out of it. When he finally starts the work he manages to fall, hit his head, and end up in some alternate universe. Somehow he pulls BT with him and they are being stalked.

4 stars, ‘Michael’s Haunted Adventure’. Mike is asked to conduct a tour of a haunted location because of his own weird experiences with the paranormal. The Paranormal Examining Society has set up a tour of a haunted penitentiary and he is doing it for almost nothing. Turns out things are a lot more spooky than he planned for.

2.5 stars, ‘Through My Baby’s Eyes’. Mercury Jones was born to teenage parents who were forced into marriage. His father stayed around long enough to give him the bizarre name and then took off for parts unknown. His mother found solace in heroin and abandoned her son in that way. Raised by his grandparents he grew into a good young man but suffers from multiple ailments because of his fathers’ many vices. He has tried to live well for a long time and finally, it all catches up to him.

4 stars, ‘Mayan Prophesy’. Michael is trapped with Travis, Tracy, Henry, and Rylie (their bulldogs) in their home on Christmas Eve. The zombies come out of the woods and find their way into the basement where they start to make their way into the house proper. Mike does not have the time he did before and things look a lot more grim.

5 stars, ‘A Visit From That Bitch Eliza’. Okay, this is a poem set to a very familiar Christmas one. You will enjoy it.

5 stars, ‘Henry’s Story’. That bulldog who always seems to be in the right place at the right time gets his own little aside. He does what he does best, takes care of his human.

Most of the stories do not have a Christmas theme but there are two which do. I had been going for a Christmas novel but this still worked fine for me because I do love to deal with Michael Talbot and his penchant for trouble. You get Michael at his snarky best in pretty much each story not to mention BT who is always entertaining in his weird friendship with Mike. I think anyone who enjoys Zombie Fallout or any Mark Tufo novel will be happy with these tales.

My rating: 💫💫💫💫

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The Christmas Puppy

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I like these little cozy mysteries because they are light and fun with just the right amount of suspense. There are also some cute animals involved who always manage to be in the middle of a murder for better or worse. The characters, both main and peripheral, are continuing to evolve and become more and more three-dimensional as the series goes on. The killer is never completely easy to figure out which is the best part. It would be a bust if you knew within the first few pages who the killer was.

Polly once again finds herself in the middle of a murder investigation. This time things are just a little close to home however as a killer strikes during the annual Christmas Open house for Welcome Home, their shelter for homeless veterans and their pets. The murder could jeopardize everything they have worked so hard for.

Polly does not want to leave the investigation to the police, even after being told to do so in no uncertain terms. As a result, she once again places herself in danger but at least for something cares about.

Love these short and interesting stories that make me work to figure out the killer. It never seems to be the person I think it is. Recommend to everyone!

My rating: ✨✨✨