Heart Land Love and Loss in the Heart of America by by DB Allen

Description
"She is home to Great Plains and even greater rivers, shining towns and people of soul. Her winters are ice-chest bitter, her summers alive with thunder and twisters. Deserts and dust-devils, cottonwoods and corn fields all sing the harmonies of gospel, the melodies of country and the rhythm of the blues, in this church of love and loss. Hers is a bright light slowly fading. She is America's Heartland. These are her stories. Heart Land is a novel of inter-connected stories spanning generations, all set in the American Midwest."

This is an anthology of short stories, some incredibly short and over before they barely start. They are all set in the Midwest. As one leads to the next you will notice mention of characters from the stories that came before. Most notably in "The Swing" which was my favorite story  about Sue Ellen, the little girl from the first story "Last Storm First" now as a grown woman who finds and reads a journal written by her husband long after he is gone. It is a sad tale of loss and regret, as is "Dan 4 Danica" a story about Dan Rensburg, a boy in junior high labeled as "dummy Dan" ever since elementary school and obsessed with Danica Patrick the race car driver. Dan wishes he were smarter like his sister or brother (The brother who is in the next story "A Single Word") "Kaitlin's On The Corner" at first seemed to be entirely about a pubescent boy's masturbatory habits and fantasies up until the end which was a heck of a twist. This was an enjoyable read. I would rate it 4 out of 5 stars.

I received a complimentary copy for review.

Clemenceau's Daughters by Rocky Porch Moore

Description
"The Ballards live in the shadow of July Mountain. They are one step shy of overcoming the taint of poverty dogging the family since the Great Depression. During the excess of the modern 1980s, the Tennessee Valley still harbors a passing respect for the unexplainable and superstition. Roots cling to family trees like tendrils that tangle and tear to claim, not just birthrights, but bloodrights. Folks tend to die around Little Debbie Ballard. She struggles to make sense of a world where the unspoken past and prejudice collide, where truth is no longer as simple as Daddy's word, and cruel intentions transcend generations. Debbie must face the insidious legacy that haunts the women of her family, one by one. How does a family escape a past that refuses to die?"

This was a short read or maybe I just zipped through it in one long night because there was no putting it down. The story begins on a summer day when "Little Debbie" is 5 years old, and leaves us when she is only 13. I wish there had been more, I would love to know what kind of woman she turned out to be. Anyway Debbie at the start of the story is 5 years old and looking forward to starting the first grade when summer ends. She loves books, and imagines herself in the bible stories she reads. She hates being left with "Fat Sarah" the glutinous babysitter who spends more time stuffing her face than caring for Debbie and her baby brother while her parents are working. They live in a small rented house too close to a dangerous road where people tend to drive like maniacs and throw beer bottles out the windows. Debbie is wise beyond her years and later in flashbacks we learn of the heartbreaking story of her ancestors. I don't want to give away too much so I will stop here. This was a well written story full of heartache and hope.

I received an advance copy for review

The Dirt on Ninth Grave (Charley Davidson #9) by Darynda Jones

Description
expected publication January 12, 2016
"In a small village in New York lives Jane Doe, a girl with no memory of who she is or where she came from. So when she is working at a diner and slowly begins to realize she can see dead people, she's more than a little taken aback. Stranger still are the people entering her life. They seem to know things about her. Things they hide with lies and half-truths. Soon, she senses something far darker. A force that wants to cause her harm, she is sure of it. Her saving grace comes in the form of a new friend she feels she can confide in and the fry cook, a devastatingly handsome man whose smile is breathtaking and touch is scalding. He stays close, and she almost feels safe with him around.

But no one can outrun their past, and the more lies that swirl around her—even from her new and trusted friends—the more disoriented she becomes, until she is confronted by a man who claims to have been sent to kill her. Sent by the darkest force in the universe. A force that absolutely will not stop until she is dead. Thankfully, she has a Rottweiler. But that doesn't help in her quest to find her identity and recover what she's lost. That will take all her courage and a touch of the power she feels flowing like electricity through her veins. She almost feels sorry for him. The devil in blue jeans. The disarming fry cook who lies with every breath he takes. She will get to the bottom of what he knows if it kills her. Or him. Either way."

This book is a bit difficult for me to review. Not because I didn't enjoy it, but because I am coming into it totally blind. This book is 9th in a series and I have never read book 1 through 8.  Naturally it took me a little while to figure out that "Janey Doerr" was not a stranger to these other characters and the reason ''Cook" would call her Charley when she got upset.
Anyway, "Janey" has lost her memory, and has been taken under the wing of a variety of characters, some who are not among the living. Oh yes, Janey can see dead people! This was a really fun read for me. It is humorous, sexy, and spooky, and I loved the setting in "Sleepy Hollow" complete with headless horseman. I am sure fans of the series will enjoy this newest installment and I would recommend those who have not started at the beginning would grab book one, as I intend to do.

I received an advance copy for review

The Dream Beings by Aaron J. French

Description

"Born with a mysterious gift he never wanted... a gift that could mean his death."

When Jack Evens's name appears in blood at the scene of a grotesque ritualistic murder, the private investigator is drawn into a conflict that extends beyond reality, into the realm of dreams...and nightmares.

A serial killer is after him, but this is no ordinary psychopath. This killer is controlled by mysterious creatures from another realm. If he hopes to survive, Jack must finally come to terms with his psychic ability, a gift that has haunted him since he was a child.

At stake are the women the killer has targeted, Jack's own life, and something much more...something of cosmic proportions."


This was a quick read, and while the premise was good and the description was promising, I just really couldn't get into much. While I did think the idea of a psychic private eye was a good one, the "dream beings" themselves made the story a little hard for me to follow and the too frequent mention of the serial killer's pimples seemed an unnecessary distraction. I would give it 2 and a half out of 5 stars

I received an advance copy for review.