Immortal Rising by Magen McMinimy – I say farewell to an amazing book series

So it is with a heavy heart that I bid adieu to one of my favorite book series.
I fell in love with the Fae warriors and have been privileged to be a part of their journey.
I’m not a book blogger or professional reviewer, just an author
and in this case, reader, who is sharing the final installment in a wonderful journey.
The beauty of having a series you love is you can read it over and over again.
And I will, for as bittersweet as this is, this book is amazing!

It’s Live!
Title: Immortal Rising
Series: Immortal Heart
Author: Magen McMinimy

When the Fates meddle, everything changes… All the things the warriors had come to accept, what they thought they knew, will be tested.

Death and loss have formed the man that Cree has become. One wrong move—one misstep in battle—and the love that once heated his soul was taken from him. While trying to find solace in his remaining family, he is haunted by dreams of a future he can’t reconcile. Awoken from one of those dreams, Cree finds himself wandering the Light Fae castle, when a familiar form appears in the silent halls of his home—nothing will ever be the same.

Confused, with no memory of herself or her life before the time she spent in the Immortal Three’s domain, Rowan is back among her people and struggling to unlock the memories that are just beyond her reach.

Pain and joy battle within the walls of the warriors home as they try to jog Rowan’s memory, while keeping her return a secret from everyone outside their inner circle. Meanwhile, Esperanza, now queen of the Dark Fae, schemes to take down the Fae she once called family with a secret weapon of her own.

Come get lost in love, longing, betrayal and passion in the final installment of the Immortal Heart series.

My Review
Here it is… the final installment of the Immortal Heart Series – Immortal Rising. I have been a huge fan of the Immortal Heart series for quite some time, and although I hate to see it end, I’m thrilled with how it does. With most series that have incredible characters and amazing story arcs, I hoped that the final book would surpass all the others. I was not disappointed.

McMinimy has given us the best book in the IH series with Immortal Rising. There are true moments of heartache, true love, loss, forgiveness, and revenge… all wrapped up in a beautiful package. The series has had it all. A paranormal romance, with adventure and intrigue. Rising brings us back to the beginning before ending in the most bittersweet farewell. I cried, I laughed… there were moments that made my stomach drop and my heart leap.

I once compared Magen McMinimy to Kresley Cole, but I have to amend that… I think she’s better than Kresley Cole. Her Immortal Heart Series is a fresh and innovative world in paranormal romance. She has created characters that you wish you knew and could just be a part of. For those of us who love this series, we are shattered that it’s ending, but I applaud an author who knows when it should end. Sometimes they go on too long, but with Immortal Rising it is the perfect ending.

Do yourself a favor and read this book… and if you have not yet read the series, start today… you won’t regret it. It is Amazing.

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Hidden Truths by Brenda Youngerman

I wasn’t sure what to expect when I began reading Hidden Truthsbut I found a truly wonderful book about moving past the horrible things that happen in our lives and finding the best in others and ourselves.

     Brenda Youngerman has written an amazing book about the lives of four children who experience a loss and subsequently their lives change forever.  Two of the children grow up in loving families and the other two are subjected to lives with parents who are not there.  Their journeys, all tragic in some form, come full circle and giving the reader a satisfying ending.

The subject matter could have been horribly depressing, but the author shows us how each of these children grow and change, finding hope and rising above their past.  This book was truly inspirational and a great read.

Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/Hidden-Truths-Brenda-Youngerman-ebook/dp/B0042ANYH0/

Brother by James Fredericks

 I love a good suspense novel.  That means smart and inventive.  A book that doesn’t assume I don’t understand.  Brother by James Fredericks is just that; an intelligent, fast paced, emotionally compelling story that throws in just enough roller coaster to make me smile.

     Brother is about Chase and Jared Riordan.  Identical twins who couldn’t be more different, and distant; but as they each face a manipulative and dangerous foe, they learn more about each other and themselves than they had ever expected to.

I loved every moment of this book.  It was beautifully executed.  James Fredericks shows us a varied range of emotion as we experience the bonds of brotherhood and the bonds of friendship.  I love that the protagonists are completely different in so many ways and those differences are complex; the terms by which they live and the laws that rule them.  Each character was rich and vibrant, beautifully adding to the story’s journey.  If you love a great suspense/ thriller, please read Brother, you won’t regret it.

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Baby Steps by K. L. McLoughlin

I love a good romance and Baby Steps delivers.  K. L. McLoughlin has written a charming and intelligent story about finding love for second time.

     McLoughlin has written a tale not only about love and romance, but has managed to create subplots about controversial subjects, like abortion and teen sex, and does it beautifully.   I never felt as if I was being preached to, just allowed to listen in on the thoughts and feelings of other people.  McLoughlin also gives us a real woman dealing with real issues in the main character Lynda Blake.  Lynda deals with the balance of love and faith between her new romance and her son, as well as the danger they all experience due to her new boyfriend’s career.  Lynda is definitely a multi-dimensional character, and I enjoyed her thoroughly.

K. L. McLoughlin has crafted a beautiful book about life, love and the decisions we make and don’t make.  Baby Steps is a definite must have for anyone’s reading list.

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Subprime Factor by Jeffrey D. Schlaman

I always love a good bout of intrigue and mystery, but it’s even better when you get to learn something.  Subprime Factor by Jeffrey D. Schlaman is just that.  Schlaman takes us on a journey that is about what is happening right in front of our eyes, mortgage fraud and the economy.  When four college buddies meet for a camping weekend, little do they know that they are being watched and tracked by some of the most powerful and corrupt people in the United States.  They must test the bonds of friendship in order to survive.

This was a story rich in character and filled with redemption and loyalty as well as betrayal.  While we get to enjoy the suspense and conspiracy, Schlaman also educates us on the reasons behind our current economical situation.  How the housing market got to where it is currently and who is responsible.  Even if not for the current state of the housing market and economy, there is an abundance of information regarding Wall Street, Hedge funds, how banks operate, etc.  It’s like having a non-fiction book about finance wrapped up in a fabulous fiction package.

     Subprime Factor is a wonderful ride and well worth the time to read, whether you love a good action novel or you want to learn more about the housing market.  Pick it up.

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Considering SomeplacElse by B.L. Lindstrom

Have any of you ever wanted to work some place else?  I know I have and author B. L Lindstrom has created the place where we would all love to be employed… SomeplacElse.

      Among the desert landscapes of Arizona sits SomeplacElse, an experimental community that has perfected the concept of Utopia.  However, this community is about to go toe-to-toe with a millionaire running for governor and the out come will determine the future of all.

We follow Norm Lawson on his search for employment, which leads us to… yes, SomeplacElse.  Once we are introduced to this amazing community and the people within, we are then introduced to Adam Wainwright, an extremely lucky, yet intellectually lacking, millionaire running for the governorship of Arizona.  What ensues is a tale of love, friendship, betrayal, murder and redemption that will compel you to the end.

This book was a wonderful surprise as it was just a wonderful read.  I wasn’t sure what I was getting in to, but once B.L. Lindstrom takes us to SomeplacElse you can’t stay away.   SomeplacElse is the place most us dream of, with engaging characters and a compelling story.  Mr. Lindstrom describes his tale as a modern myth, but it’s just a great story.  I encourage everyone to partake in Considering SomeplacElse.

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The Magdalen: A Novel by Bonnie Jones Reynolds

The novel The Magdalen by Bonnie Jones Reynolds is an amazing journey that most of us have been exposed to in other forms for most of our lives, but this time it is different.  The main players are all there, but not as we have been told about them previously.

This is the story of Joshuah, Merriam, Yeshua, Judah and the rest of those characters that we have come to know in other familiar names.  This is the re-telling of the New Testament that many people would rather not see, but in my humble opinion is essential, as it allows the mind, heart and soul to make a choice.  It contains all the things we love about a good book.  This is a voyage back in time that could quite possibly show people an amazing future.

I really loved this book.  It’s a long book, I’ll give you that, and I felt at times a little heavy handed in terms of what is being “taught”, but over all it was fantastic.  Bonnie Jones Reynolds has taken the “Greatest Story Ever Told” and made it greater.  Each of the characters we know from the Bible, is different and real.  They are strong and likeable, something that’s essential.  We are introduced to a whole new understanding of what God may be.   Not only do we see a truly Gnostic version of the Story of Jesus’ life, but we are also introduced to the history of the Jewish people, that I’m sure many are completely unaware, as I was.   I was drawn in and held to the end.

This is a novel that many will find radical and controversial, but it’s a story that has been longing to be told.   If you have an open mind and heart to hear about a message of Joy and Love, then please read this book.

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The Lotto By Joe McDonald

What would we do if we won the lottery?  We’ve all thought about it.  In Joe McDonald’s novel Lotto, we find out what happens to Michael Collins when he as that winning ticket.

            While sitting in his local bar and drinking to numb himself to his increasingly miserable life, Mike Collins discovers he has a winning lottery ticket, one worth $23 million.  The problem, he wants to keep it from his soon to be ex-wife.  In order to do this, he goes to an attorney named Norm Feinberg to get advice.  Feinberg, who has recently lost his retirement in a bad market deal and sees an opportunity to get that money back and start a new life.  This deceit will change Mike Collin’s life forever.

Lotto was a beautifully executed novel of intrigue.  I was carried along by the honesty of the characters.  Each was flawed but realistically so, from the patsy to the police.  Mr. McDonald has woven a rich story full of revenge, murder, intrigue and redemption.  I really enjoyed it and suggest you run out and get a copy… and although this story might make you think twice, I would still like to win the lottery.

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The Middle Fork – A Political Novel by Rick Glaze

I’ve never been rafting or kayaking, although even before reading The Middle Fork – A Political Novel, I have been interested in doing so.  Now, I’m even more interested.  Rick Glaze has crafted a brilliant story out of his love of white water and politics.

            As a group of kayakers head down the Salmon River in Idaho, they experience nature and several heated debates.  Mr. Glaze does a phenomenal job of creating a compelling story that brings to light the many sides of politics and the raw power of nature.  After a heavy rain, the Salmon River becomes a dangerous and unpredictable journey for our characters and only by working together can they come through it.

I was personally thrilled by the images that Mr. Glaze shows the reader while travelling down the river and I was equally excited to read a book that shows ever side of the political highway… and what’s wrong with each side.  In addition, he does so in a way that is bright and informed.

The Middle Fork was a great and fast read.  It was a story that had a little bit of everything and although it sounds cliché, it was a great ride!

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One Last Dance by Mardo Williams

As I get older, I have found that even though your body ages and wisdom hopefully seeps into the crevices of your brain, you still feel like you’re twenty.  I’m not quite as old as Bryce Morgan or Dixie Valentine, but if I do reach their age, I hope I’m as lucky as they are.

Mardo Williams. along with his daughters Kay and Jerri, have left the world an amazing story of love and passion that rivals classics like Pride and Prejudice and Wuthering Heights. 

      One Last Dance takes into the lives of Morgan and Dixie and we get to share their tumultuous meeting, their courtship and their love.  It was a wonderful journey that showed me not only the youth and ardor our elderly, but the all too real pitfalls of growing old.

Not only are the main characters complex and full of history, but also the secondary characters emerge as equally multifaceted and charming, each one growing and learning.  All I can tell you about this book is it should be read by anyone who has ever loved or hopes to love.  it is a journey that your heart and soul will never forget.

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