The holiday season is tapping us on the shoulder and nudging us under the mistletoe! Sleigh bells and silver bells will ring and we’ll be decking the halls. Yes, it’s the most wonderful time of the year! Let’s start the season in a relaxed, happy mood. As author Iris Chacon says (you will see one of her books, below) life is more than work and schedules. We all need time for fun and dessert. Pick up your fork, grab a book and lets have fun before the holiday whirl! I’ve selected  two new books that I just read, and one favorite I remember fondly. 

Finding Miranda

by Iris Chacon

From the Author

Sept. 2018: Finding Miranda received a Readers’ Favorite International Book Award, Audiobook-Fiction category.Nov. 2017: Finding Miranda was the Winner of the 2017 LJ INDIE EBOOK AWARDS, Mystery, sponsored by LibraryJournal. Feb. 2017:  Finding Miranda was a Finalist in The Wishing Shelf Awards 2016 competition (Fiction genre), which is judged by committees of industry professionals in London and Stockholm.

About the Author

From parking tickets to Income Tax instructions, there is plenty of “required reading” in our lives. My goal is to provide quick, easy, fun reads for those times when we need a vacation from current events. Laughter is good medicine — for body, mind, and spirit. All the nonfiction we have to read each day is our broccoli. An Iris Chacon novel is pure dessert. Reading is our cheapest, fastest, most effective and accessible tool for exploring the universe. I’ve been to Nebraska and I’ve been to the planet called Dune. I’ve seen the outsides and insides of real and fictional people. And I’ve become whoever I wanted to be in every story I entered. Fellow Trekkies, remember Mr. Spock telling Captain Kirk, “The more complex the mind, the greater the need for play”? Well, our 21st century world has become so complex that our minds can’t even keep up — and diversion is more important than ever to our mental health. That’s why I write novels designed to divert our busy minds from our grimy streets, dusty houses, dirty laundry, unwashed kids and unbathed dishes — or maybe the other way around — and Internal Revenue forms. Grab an Iris Chacon novel! Come play with me!

JENA’S REVIEW

Finding Miranda by Iris Chacon
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Quirky? Witty? A breath of fresh? I can think of many adjectives to describe why I loved Finding Miranda. Turns out that author Iris Chacon has the best description for her book- Finding Miranda is dessert after a week of broccoli and kale. Here is Ms.Chacon’s bio on Amazon. Reading it will give you a sense of the author and her books:

“From parking tickets to Income Tax instructions, there is plenty of “required reading” in our lives. My goal is to provide quick, easy, fun reads for those times when we need a vacation from current events. Laughter is good medicine — for body, mind, and spirit. All the nonfiction we have to read each day is our broccoli. An Iris Chacon novel is pure dessert. Reading is our cheapest, fastest, most effective and accessible tool for exploring the universe. I’ve been to Nebraska and I’ve been to the planet called Dune. I’ve seen the outsides and insides of real and fictional people. And I’ve become whoever I wanted to be in every story I entered. Fellow Trekkies, remember Mr. Spock telling Captain Kirk, “The more complex the mind, the greater the need for play”? Well, our 21st century world has become so complex that our minds can’t even keep up — and diversion is more important than ever to our mental health. That’s why I write novels designed to divert our busy minds from our grimy streets, dusty houses, dirty laundry, unwashed kids and unbathed dishes — or maybe the other way around — and Internal Revenue forms. Grab an Iris Chacon novel! Come play with me!”

Are you ready to play? Finding Miranda is part romance, part mystery and all entertainment. Miranda inherits her aunt’s home in in the tiny, rural Florida town of Minokee in Little Cypress National Forest. Minokee doesn’t have air conditioning, sidewalks or a downtown. But, it does have good neighbors who like to sit on their porches- old ladies and one gorgeous Adonis.

Miranda has lived the quiet life of a librarian. Except for one special person, nobody sees her, she just blends in. But she’s spunkier than you might think as she gets to know everyone, including Dave and Shep. One of them is a dog.

Turns out there are some bad guys in Florida’s government and Miranda and her new friends get swept up in the cross-fire. Warning: there are shotguns, fires, and explosions!

“Them fellers picked the wrong place ta do their mischief in. We takes care of our own in Minokee.”

I don’t want to give away any spoilers and the fun of reading this book is discovering all the odd and colorful characters and their trials and tribulations. The author has a wonderful way with words. This is a light-hearted read with a powerful message. You may get misty when Miranda finds herself in a “change-the-things-I can” situation. So, it’s like a dessert that’s good for you!

There is a second book in the series, and I hope more are coming. Thanks to to NetGalley and BooksGoSocial for a review cop. This is my honest review.

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Longing for Love

 A Funny, Sweet and Sexy Romance with a Medical Twist (Sunshine State Book 5

by Diely Pichardo-Johansson

About the Sunshine State Series: 

These are all standalone books with guaranteed happy endings and can be read out of order. The stories are sprinkled with laughter; tear-jerking moments; uplifting, inspirational messages; and an occasional medical fact. They don’t contain explicit sex scenes, but they do pack enough heat and irreverent humor that they might make the reader of Clean and Sweet Romance blush.

A Note from the Author:

My stories are about deep connection and enduring love, rather than infatuation. They reveal a love that challenges us to become the best version of ourselves. My characters are above-average yet believable adults with imperfections and virtues, trying to figure out this big puzzle of life. These are people who’ve learned from their mistakes and can enlighten the reader with their experience.

JENA’S REVIEW

Longing For Love by D. Pichardo-Johansson
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Readers, get ready to enjoy the 5th book in the Sunshine State series. I have enjoyed the first four books, with their humorous and fast-paced stories of modern and strong women looking for their best selves. Book 5, Longing for Love is subtitled “A Funny, Sweet and Sexy Romance, with a Medical Twist.” The author tells us in the About the Book section that her books “are sprinkled with laughter; tear-jerking moments; uplifting, inspirational moments and an occasional medical fact. The sex scenes pack heat and irreverent humor.” Longing for Love gives us all those great ingredients, plus some exciting thrills from an evil character.

I really bonded with the main character, Dr. Emery Love. She is smart and caring. After spending years in training and setting up her medical practice, she is ready for marriage to a successful man, and to have a child, especially since she had suffered through a canceled wedding. So why would she want Ethan Cadman- a cancer patient, unemployed, and infertile?

Well because he’s a heart-throb with a courageous spirit and feisty sense of humor. And he is madly in love with her. He tries harder than any book hero I know to win over Emery. I really liked that he first got to know her because he helped her renovate a Survivors’ Lounge in her office complex- a place for those recovering from serious illnesses to meet, socialize and support each other. But, it’s a long and twisting road for Ethan and Emery. They are helped by the “girlfriends” that we have gotten to know and love in the previous books, including my favorite, the vivacious Fe.

This inspirational romance delivers a passionate love story, with characters with heart, and plenty of interesting surprises and twists. Once again, D. Pichardo-Johansson has created a current and uplifting book that will delight you. The author is a doctor herself and she has dedicated her book to “all cancer survivors in the world, and to everyone who ever loved one of them.”

My heart-felt thanks to the author for a digital review copy. This is my honest review.

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Someone to Look Up To: A Dog’s Search for Love and Understanding

 Books tby Jean Gill

Reviews

Litpick Student Reviews TOP PICK Award ‘A very moving book… superbly written”Nobody writes dog stories better.’ Karen Charlton, author of The Detective Lavender Mysteries‘Enchanting, moving, well-constructed, informative without being heavy. There should be a book like this for every breed.’ Michel Hasbrouck, international dog trainer and author of Gentle Dog Training

‘I’ve never read anything like it. Very entertaining.’ Dr Florence Guérin, dog breeder and Crufts winner with her O Nut Glen Irish terriers 

‘Should be required reading for dog lovers everywhere!’ Mark Fine, The Zebra Affaire‘

Jean Gill has captured the innermost thoughts of this magnificent animal.’ Les Ingham, Pyr International ‘This book makes you feel, respect, cherish, accept and fight for the treasures of life. 

It almost makes me wish dogs could read it too,‘ Anita Kovacevik, The Threshold 

‘Funny, touching, heartfelt and memorable, this is one of those books that should have a ‘must read’ tag on its cover. All in all, it is a good entertaining book with a great message.’ MWB Review ‘The way Jean Gill speaks for the dogs, in beautiful writing with illuminating narrative and dialogue, I felt like I understood everything the dogs were thinking/saying to each other. I recognized so much of these dogs’ behaviors in my own dog, which was touching. I truly recommend this beautiful and thoroughly entertaining book!’ Ulla Hakanson, The Price of Silence 

From the Author

I’ve always loved dogs and as well as observing my own Pyrenean Mountain dogs, I’ve read thousands of true stories from dog-owners, many of whom need help. I read the Pyrenean rescue forums and one particular dog’s story touched me so deeply that I couldn’t put him out of mind. This dog was the basis for the story of Sirius but I included true stories of other dogs, both funny and sad. Everything in this book is true but it didn’t all happen to one dog. My own male Betel provided some of the stories, and that’s his beautiful face on the book jacket. My female, Blanche, injected a lot of her character into Sirius’ sister, Snow. 

I really hope that the story will touch people, as I was touched, and that it will also make them think. I was lucky enough to work with top French dog-trainer, Michel Hasbrouck, after I translated his bestseller into English as ‘Gentle Dog Training’. From him, I learned so much about how we accidentally train dogs to behave ‘badly’ and I thought it would be interesting to show this from a dog’s viewpoint. By the end of four months writing this book, I was a dog, and if any of my readers feel the same way, then I think I’ve succeeded. Jean Gill’s publications

JENA’S REVIEW

Someone to Look Up To by Jean Gill
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

“Sometimes love isn’t enough.”- Sirius, the dog
Author Gill puts her storytelling prowess on full display with her mesmerizing and evocative story of Sirius, “Izzie”, the Pyrenean Mountain Dog. Because this book is written in the first person by this perceptive dog, I asked my own dog to help me with this review.

I told Oakley about Sirius and recapped the story of his search for a satisfying and meaningful life. As I began to tell her, she said, “Oh my, a Pyrenean is an enormous dog, twice as big as me.” She then stretched out on the couch so I could see how big she was. She rolled over on her back so I could rub her belly while I told her more about Sirius.

“Yes, Sirius was a large, fluffy white dog, bred as a sheep dog and able to handle the weather and conditions of French mountain life.” I was going to tell Oakley that Sirius had been born to champions, but Oakley is a champion mutt and I didn’t want to her hurt her feelings. I continued, “When he was eight weeks old, Sirius was Chosen, that’s the word he used, by a young couple. He lived with them for about a year, and did his best to train them. They divorced and he went to live with another family with young children. His size and young age, his sheepdog skills and his independent and proud nature made him a poor fit for young kids.”

Oakley turned, so that I could reach and scratch her ears. I again decided to edit the story, the part where Sirius spends time at an animal shelter. Our family had rescued Oakley from a shelter, so I didn’t want to remind her of her sad past. Thinking of Sirius and the other dogs on the concrete slab of the pound made me grab Oakley’s face and look into her beautiful brown eyes, as I hugged her.

The shelter contacted Sirius’ breeder and she took Sirius back to the snow covered mountains where he was born, but not to the life that he wanted. At this point, my dog snuggled even closer to me and fell asleep. So, I wrote the rest of this review myself.

My dog is joyous and fun-loving, that’s what got her into trouble with her first three owners. But as Sirius tells his life story, we learn that he is wise, contemplative, a philosopher. Author Gill conveys the dog’s thoughts in a compelling and compassionate way. One of the most beautiful parts of the book is when the dogs bark at night to share and affirm their stories.
If you love dogs, animals, or you like to consider life, then you will love this book and not be able to put it down. (Small spoiler alert- this is one dog book where the dog doesn’t die at the end!)

“Love is the starting point.”- Sirius, the dog

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