Pirate Web Sites

There is a discussion on Facebook about a site that is offering people's books for download free. We're not talking about older books that have been around and probably run through the bulk of their sales. Authors are finding their books that have just been released on these sites. No one is posting the site, I don't blame them, and I won't either. YOU know if you've been downloading books for free though.

This reminds me of when they started offering downloaded music and people thought they were "clever" because they were getting music free. This isn't right, folks. I know some of us have limited funds and books, even some ebooks, can be expensive, but taking a person's work for free is just plain theft. It's the same thing as me finding out you're not home and forgot to lock your front door, so I go in and clean out your refrigerator because I can. It's the same as your neighbor finding a way to tap into your cable or whatever and getting internet, phone and TV services free while you pay the bill.

If you want to read books and your money is seriously limited, there are things you can do:

1. Ask your local library to order the books.

2. Many authors give away free books all of the time.

   Enter their drawings or whatever they're doing.

3. Borrow books from friends you know who buy them.

4. Many of the book publishers and different groups have

   ways of helping you get some books. Ask them.

5. Join one of the many online groups and see if there is

   someone there who will share with you or give you some

   books free. That doesn't get the author a sale, but

   someone paid for the book at one point.

Please don't take free books from any site "just because you can." Most of these authors don't make that much money to begin with. Don't drive them out of the business just so you can put something over on someone.

Besides, it's just not fair.

Angel's Touchd by Siri Caldwell

Publisher:       Bella Books

Angel’s Touch is a paranormal story that brings together familiar themes – financial interests versus preservation.  In this case, it’s the preservation of sacred land near a spa.

Kira Wagner specializes in developing property, selling it and moving on to the next place.  This time she has settled in Piper Beach where she wants to renovate a hotel and build a spa for women.  Megan McLaren is the best masseuse in town and Kira wants to hire her for the spa. 

Megan agrees to consult with Kira on the building of the spa, but her reason is to protect the ley lines, power lines where angels gather, that run through the property.  Megan believes in angels, past lives and soul mates.  She uses that knowledge to deliver a healing touch with her massages, but she also knows there is a downside.  She and Kira have known each other before, more than once, and the endings have never been happy.  As the women develop feelings for each other the problem becomes that Kira cannot understand Megan’s resistance and Megan doesn’t know how to explain what she experiences to Kira or why the land is so important.

Angel’s Touch is a well written romance with a slightly different plot line.  The reader isn’t required to suspend much belief to feel the story is realistic. The characters are interesting and the book is well produced.  The book was quick to read and provided a few hours of good entertainment.  Overall it was quite enjoyable.

West of Nowhere by KG MacGregor

Publisher:       Bella Books

Disclaimer:  There is a character that briefly appears in this story that is named for me.  The character was part of a prize in a charity auction in which KG MacGregor participated.  The only part I played in the production of this book was to ask KG, if she decided to kill off the character, not to make it too horrible.  I’m happy to say the character survives.

West of Nowhere is a romance plus a story about the ability of people to change.  Amber Haliday is an immature twenty-five year old woman who thinks she has found her place with her musician boyfriend, until he dumps her at a truck stop during a tour.  She is rescued by Joy Shepard, a Navy veteran who is on her way home after leaving her daughter Madison with her ex-partner, Madison’s mother.  This is the beginning of the lesbian edition of “The Odd Couple.”

Amber is self-centered, unfocused in her life and careless with herself and other people.  No matter how hard she tries, she can’t be on time or complete a task without making a mistake.  Joy is obsessive about tidiness and follows stringent rules that she imposes on every aspect of her life.  Her redeeming factor is that she’s as hard on herself as she is on other people, but that’s not very comforting to Amber.  Joy intended for Amber to be a momentary intrusion in her life, but, to everyone’s surprise, Amber gets along well with Joy’s father who is an invalid and needs help taking care of himself.  Reluctantly, Joy agrees to hire Amber as a caregiver and everyone’s lives begin to change.

This is a classic story of people who have a lot to teach each other. Joy needs to loosen up and Amber needs discipline.  Their opposite personalities working on each other eventually produce two better people.  Amber, because she is more willing to bend, will show the greatest change; however, she shows her own strength, especially when Joy finds herself involved in a difficult child custody case.

West of Nowhere is an entertaining story.  KG MacGregor knows how to spin her characters so that they aren’t annoying and her craftsmanship is impeccable.  A reader doesn’t have to worry about wasting money when it’s one of her books.

Everything Pales in Comparison by Rebecca Swartz

Publisher:                   Bella Books

Everything Pales in Comparison is Rebecca Swartz’s debut novel and a strong entry for a new author.  It’s a traditional romance with some mystery added in.

Constable Emma Kirby is working on the security detail at a concert by Daina Buchanan when an explosion rips apart the stage, trapping the popular singer beneath the debris.  After she rescues Daina, Emma becomes part of the investigation into who would want to kill the entertainer.  The case takes an unexpected twist when the person who is trying to kill Daina also threatens Emma.  The women go into witness protection while the police try to find the stalker and have to live in the same house.  Emma likes a quiet life, which makes living with the head-strong Daina difficult, especially when Daina won’t accept how much danger exists for them.  The attraction that begins to grow between them bothers Emma because she’s afraid the distraction may cost one or both of them their lives.

The story itself isn’t unique and follows a regular pattern for romances.  The characters are well drawn though and the pacing is appropriate for the book.  The story also isn’t cluttered with unnecessary scenes, so it moves quickly.  Everything Pales in Comparison is excellent escapist reading and shows that Swartz has potential for the future.

Keepers of the Cave by Gerri Hill

Publisher:                   Bella Books

Sometimes an author steps out of the box and writes a book that is different from her others.  This can be stimulating to creativity, but fans of the author may not appreciate what she does.  They’ve come to expect a certain type of book and they find something else disconcerting.  Gerri Hill did not follow her usual formula for Keepers of the Cave and there have been readers who have panned the book for that reason.  Different isn’t always bad though.  Give it a chance before passing judgment.

When a senator’s daughter disappears near Hoganville, Texas, FBI agents CJ Johnston and Paige Riley are assigned to go undercover to see if there is any connection between that case and others going back over fifty years.  CJ and Paige go to work at a correctional school near the town on what appears at first to be a useless mission.  It takes on a new dimension when they realize that the people in the town are just plain creepy.  They appear to be dominated in a cultish manner by the matriarch of the town, Mother Hogan, who is determined to block whatever the agents are trying to do.  As they poke around and make friends with a townswoman who teaches at the school, two things develop.   A sense of foreboding develops about the case and the women have to deal with a growing attraction between them.  Eventually they find themselves in a death race against an element that is the key to everything.

This may be one of the best books Gerri Hill has written.  It tells a fully comprehendible, if bizarre, story while making the readers think at the same time. The characters are fully drawn and complex.  The secondary characters are the ones that provide the real meat of the book.  Mother Hogan, as despicable as she is, is also fascinating as a study in extremism and of someone who will do whatever is necessary to achieve her ends.  The complete obedience shown to her by the rest of the town sets the unique atmosphere of the book.  CJ and Paige provide the romance in the book and the introduction to Hoganville, but they are pretty standard characters.  They are obviously there to satisfy Hill’s romance readers.  It’s the rest of the book that is an unusual type of story for Hill, which is probably why some of her usual readers have reacted poorly to it.

The writing in Keepers of the Cave is tight and well-paced.  There is a supernatural aspect to the story that could be expanded or at least better explained, but this is a page turner.  The story stays interesting from beginning to end and a reader can’t ask for much better than that.  If you’re looking for a regular Gerri Hill romance, this isn’t it.  Hill may be trying her hand at something new.  If that’s true, she should be encouraged.  Any writer should be applauded for expanding her abilities, especially if she does a good job of it.  In this case, Hill did.

Give Keepers of the Cave a chance.  If you approach it knowing what to expect, you shouldn’t be disappointed.

Rhapsody by K.G. MacGregor

Publisher:                   Bella Books

If you read a lot of books by the same author, one thing that develops is a feeling for the style she uses. What always interests me is a writer who grows her style, finds ways to improve and doesn't write the same story or characters time after time. There is a challenge to that and to be able to do it indicates creativity. KG MacGregor has written romances for a while, but her plots have become more intricate and her characters more developed, which makes her stories more interesting to read.

Rhapsody is about Ashley Giraud and Julia Whitethorn. Ashley is a popular news anchor in Tampa Bay, naturally concerned that her public image and private life not spill into each other. It's already known that she's a lesbian because of a very public failed relationship, but she wants to keep that out of the viewers' minds as much as possible. Ashley prefers to retreat into her home and shut out the world when she's on her own time. When she needs a new hairstylist, she's directed towards Rhapsody, the shop owned by Julia. Rhapsody is a gathering place for a diverse group of lesbian friends and Ashley finds herself drawn into their world. Roller skating, dancing, charities and the events of her new friends' lives begin to draw her out, but there are things about her past that she's not sure she wants to share with these people yet. Julia is attracted to Ashley and realizes that she's dealing with some inner demons, so she tries to be patient, but how long do you wait for the butterfly to come out of its cocoon?

The word "rhapsody" has more than one meaning. An archaic one is that it's a portion of an epic poem that is recited. The more common one is that it's an irregular musical composition with a lot of improvisation. Rhapsody in many ways combines those definitions. There is the classic story of two women coming together to try and establish a relationship. At the same time there are twists and turns in the story involving unusual friendships and events that the characters have to relate to spontaneously and sometimes atypically. There is almost a dance that goes on between Ashley and Julia as Ashley tries to find new ways to respond to these women and Julia struggles to give her the space she needs while staying close enough to help.

To perform that dance requires characters with experience in life. They've practiced the dance before and failed. This tells them how intricate and difficult the situations are and what the possible pitfalls can be. This requires characters who are more mature and seasoned. So many books feature bright perky twenty-somethings who can offer beauty and energy, but no real talent at dealing with life or the maturity to see the consequences of their actions. MacGregor's characters are older. They have experiences they can call on to navigate the dance, yet they still make mistakes because they are so human. It gives the characters a richness and depth that is often missing in other books.

Rhapsody is a very satisfying romance for those who love the genre, but it offers a lot more for the person who is looking for something extra in her reading. MacGregor might not have been able to write this story ten years ago, but she has grown her style to where she masters the technique now. It showcases her ability and makes this an interesting story to read.