eighty-eight keys by catherine lavender

Title: Eighty-Eight Keys
Author: Catherine Lavender
Genre: Romance, Suspense
Publisher: Whimsical Publishing
Pages: 174
Rating: 3/5
Cover Rating: 3.5/5

Summary:
Leah is a young woman who is trying to break free from a strict religious background and pursue her dream as a pianist in the world of show business. While trying to find her independence her heart is held captive by Jason Rowe a local basketball star who established an organization to help troubled youth. When Jason is found murdered in his home, Leah is determined to get answers from a closed investigation. During her state of emotional turmoil, Leah finds comfort not only in the melody of her music, but in the arms of a married man named Calvin. With her dreams at her fingertips, Leah is tangled in a web of lies and deceit. Despite the fear of learning the truth, Leah has to realize that only the truth can set her free.

My Say:
I have a mixed feeling about the book. Apart of being a book of mystery or suspense that I would read, the book actually leave me wonders about every details of the characters. I wouldn't say there's so much things I don't like when the story is quite good. A short story with such a condense plot may be one of the reason why. Sometimes I felt the story have some hangings despite of the tense of the situations. Leah's character for me is quite shaky, or maybe that's what her character is. She's quite insecure with herself when is a very a talented pianist  but somehow when she tried to find out the murder, she seems brave and knows what to do.

Whilst the book might have a tiny flaw, I still find the book is a good book to kill some time. It's a fast read and the book has quite good twist in the end.

About the Author

Catherine Lavender is from Baltimore, Maryland but now resides in Tampa, Florida with her miniature schnauzer name Ripken. She is an animal activist, as well as a supporter of the organization First Book which helps supply literature for underprivileged children. In her spare time, Catherine enjoys reading classic literature and playing the acoustic guitar.

Find her here: Website | Goodreads

Disclaimer: I received a copy of this book for an honest review as part of a blog tour.

the eighth scroll by laurence b. brown

Title: The Eighth Scroll
Author: Laurence B. Brown
Pages: 332
Rating: 4/5
Cover Rating: 4/5
Published: August 2012
Summary (GoodReads):
Stirring the flames of age-old controversies, The Eighth Scroll by Laurence B. Brown draws on the three Abrahamic faiths of Judaism, Christianity, and Islam to create an unbelievably dynamic and powerful story. Set in a world that teeters between orthodoxy and heresy, this thriller is packed with intrigue and adventure. When a Roman Catholic scholar involved in the Dead Sea Scrolls Project hides one of the scrolls because of the heretical message it contains, no one is the wiser until decades later, when a prominent archeologist discovers reference to the scroll in an archeological dig. This discovery spurs the world religions into a dangerous game of cat and mouse, in which all who seek the hidden scroll are mysteriously silenced, leaving the salvation of humankind to a father and son, who must either find the hidden scroll . . . or die trying.

My Say:
Yeah, I think he has things that is similar to the non other Mr. Dan Browm. However, this author also has his own style of writing. It's so complicated and sometimes I need to turn to previous pages so that I cant recall or see a better picture of it. Not because I'm having short-memory but it's tricky when it comes to history, myths and religions. But the book is not as hard time as I had with Dan Brown's books, and you don't want to know I confused I am with his books because he is freaking genius! The author also has his good quality of being a good storyteller. I feel like the plot line was well-researched and the mysteries are so intriguing. I dont have a problem of any other religions even I am a Muslim/Islam. It did made me some thinking and kind of made me understand better and sometimes I felt how easy a writer can twist everything to make things spicy and interesting. Oh, maybe that's why we call it fictions! And the book is also packed with actions and adventures, and so many places mentioned! I say, anyone who loves a good mystery/thriller/suspense, to give the book a try. I did, and I like it.

Note: I received a copy of the book for an exchange of an honest review.

the exemeus by folami and abeni morris

Title: The Exemeus
Authors: Folami and Abeni Morris
Publisher: Royal Colours Inc.
Rating: 4/5
Cover Rating: 3.5/5
Summary:
Hyalee Smith is dead, she just doesn’t know it yet. Her short life was devoted to love and to hate. Love of the man who stole her heart, hate for the man who stole the world. Murdered by the government she swore to destroy, fate has given her another chance to make it right. But to save the planet, she needs the help of the most powerful mystic the world has ever seen—unfortunately he hasn’t been born yet. In a world where fear is the only currency, Dephon has committed the ultimate crime: inspiring hope. His only goal is to make it safely through ninth grade, but on a post-apocalyptic Earth run by the Treptonian government, it isn’t that simple. Heir to a legendary power, Dephon Johnson is the only threat to the government’s rule. And on Trepton, all threats must be eliminated. When hundreds of assassins are dispatched to neutralize him, Dephon is forced to fight back. His only chance of survival is to enlist the aid of the greatest warrior the world has ever known. The only problem is, she's been dead for 13 years.

My Say:
When I first read the synopsis, I was like amazed, when it is a story about someone that is already dead. As I read the story, the plot is quite intense and very thrilling despite of having more than 500 pages. While I feel the book is quite fun, sometimes I feel quite dragged with the plot. And there's also part when I think the story should be telling more of Hyalee's past. But that is what I think personally. Even though I felt that way, honestly, the book have some interesting perks as there are twist and turns that spice up the adventure. One more thing for sure, I could not resist myself of comparing it with The Hunger Games, only that this book has male protagonist character, and it's better that way. It's not that I want to label which is the best, but in few ways, similarities doesn't really brings  I just hope the second book will be more intense and full of chilling thrillers.

About the Authors 
Folami and Abeni Morris are a sister-sister writing team. Together they wrote (and rewrote) The Exemeus series, somehow managing to accomplish it without murdering one another. Despite their tendency to finish each others thoughts and stick up for each other constantly, no, they’re not twins and thus deserve their own individual bio.

Folami Morris 
Folami grew up in the tiny city of San Mateo Ca, where nothing ever happens and no one ever leaves. She went to Xavier University for undergraduate, getting her B.A in physics and her B.S in Biology. After graduation she returned to California, to live in an even smaller city, where even less happens, Antioch Ca. During this time she escaped the monotony by hanging out with her imaginary friends Hyalee and Dephon, and by writing the Exemeus. She finally escaped to Queens NY and now realizes that quiet and tiny aren’t so bad.

Abeni Morris 
As luck (and logic) would have it, Abeni grew up in the same tiny little town as her sister, then she too escaped to the tinier town of Antioch. She has yet to leave. She received her bachelor’s degree in early childhood development from Cal State East Bay. She is the mom of two amazing kids, who swear that they deserve a percentage of the book proceeds and a ton of the credit. At least she raised dreamers.

Find them here: Website | Goodreads

Disclaimer: I received a copy of this book for an honest review as part of a blog tour.