Smorgasbord Christmas Book Fair 2022 – #Supernatural #Adventure John W. Howell, #Western #Romance Sandra Cox, #YA #BlendedFamilies Yvette Calleiro

Welcome to the Smorgasbord Christmas Book Fair with a selection of books from personally recommended authors on my bookshelf I believe will make wonderful gifts for friends, family and for you.

The first book is for readers who enjoy a touch of the supernatural with their adventures along with a visit to some pivotal historical moments from  John W. Howell for Eternal Road: The Final Stop

About the book

James Wainwright picks up a hitchhiker and discovers two things 1. The woman he picks up is his childhood sweetheart, only Seventeen years older. 2. He is no longer of this world.

James began a road trip alone in his 1956 Oldsmobile. He stops for a hitchhiker only to discover she is his childhood sweetheart, Sam, who disappeared seventeen years before. James learns from Sam falling asleep miles back caused him to perish in a one-car accident. He also comes to understand that Sam was taken and murdered all those years ago, and now she has come back to help him find his eternal home.

The pair visit a number of times and places and are witness to a number of historical events. The rules dictate that they do no harm to the time continuum. Trying to be careful, they inadvertently come to the attention of Lucifer who would love to have their souls as his subjects. They also find a threat to human survival and desperately need to put in place the fix necessary to save mankind.

The question becomes, will James find his eternal home in grace or lose the battle with Satan for his immortal soul and the future of human life with it? If you like time-travel, adventure, mystery, justice, and the supernatural, this story is for you.

One of the reviews for the book

T. W. Dittmer 5.0 out of 5 stars A Unique Story of the Afterlife

The plot in “Eternal Road: The Final Stop” hooked me from the very beginning. A view of life after death that I’d never considered was shown to me. It was stunning.

The main character, James Wainwright, begins a road trip in his 1966 Oldsmobile. When he comes across an attractive lady hitchhiker, he picks her up with a smile on his face. But then things get crazy. He learns that she is Samantha (Sam), a girl from his childhood that he had a definite thing for. He also learns that both he and Sam are dead!

This is the beginning of James’ journey in the Afterlife, with Sam as his guide. It is a journey filled with leaps in time to past historical events and a dark future where the entire human race is obliterated. Sam helps James do what’s right through all these events, even when Satan presents attractive wrongs.

I was engrossed through the whole story, and it got the gears turning in my mind as I contemplated James’ struggle to do the right thing, even in the Afterlife. The characters are strong and believable, even though this could be considered a fantasy tale. There is a strong spiritual side to the story that appealed to my heart.

This book is elegantly written. I strongly recommend it. 

Head over read the reviews and buy the book: Amazon US – And : Amazon UK

Other books by John Howell

Head over to find out more about John Howell and buy the books: Amazon US – and on: Amazon UK – Goodreads:John Howell Goodreads – Blog: John W. Howell. com – Twitter – @HowellWave

The next book is a wonderful example of western romance which I much enjoyed as I do all the books I read by Sandra Cox – Gwen Slade: Bounty Hunter.

About the book

Bounty hunter Gwen Slade always gets her man. Until she meets charming outlaw Jordie Kidd.

After Jordie saves her family, she finds she can’t in good conscience turn him in, even if he is worth a thousand dollars dead or alive. Instead she sets her sights on the meanest, most-wanted gang in Kansas. Gwen always works alone until she goes after the gang then finds herself partnering with an unlikely source.

This time around, not only her life, but her heart is on the line.

One of the reviews for the book

D.L. Finn 5.0 out of 5 stars This is an exciting Western romance that I didn’t want to end!

Gwen is a young woman who’s raising her little brother with the help of a family friend, Chen. She took after her father, who was a Bounty Hunter. After a job, she comes home to a man who saved her family from a would-be robber. The hero, Jordie, leaves the minute the sheriff arrives. Gwen finds out that Jordie is wanted, but she doesn’t go after him after saving her family. Gwen wants to move to Montana and start a new life on a horse ranch, so she takes the job of catching three of the worst outlaw brothers.

I love Gwen’s strength and ability to take care of herself in a time when women were more dependent on men. Promising one last job to her little brother, she sets off, against the sheriff’s advice, to catch her outlaws and earn her big retirement payoff. She ends up with an unexpected partner. I love the relationship that develops between them on the trail.

There are great conversations and plenty of action. As the two learn about each other, a dog finds them. You can’t help but fall in love with these amazing characters or the dog. I didn’t expect a couple of twists, and the scenery was detailed, making me feel like I was along on the ride.

This is an exciting Western romance that I didn’t want to end, but it did and very satisfactorily. I hope we aren’t done hearing from Gwen Slade. She’s a wonderful heroine. I highly recommend “Gwen Slade, Bounty Hunter.”

Read the reviews and buy the book : Amazon US – And: Amazon UK

A small selection of other books by Sandra Cox

Discover more about Sandra Cox and buy the books : Amazon UK –And: Amazon US- follow Sandra Cox: Goodreads – Blog: Sandra Cox Blogspot – Twitter:@Sandra_Cox

The last book today is by Yvette M. Calleiro a Young Adult novel exploring the challenges facing children the dynamics of a family change and the dangers in wait for unsophisticated teenagers-  Hype.

About the book

Cici’s junior year in high school is going to be the best year ever. Popular co-captain of the varsity cheerleading team, she’s dating the starting quarterback. Even her jealous co-captain’s attempts to steal her boyfriend can’t curb her enthusiasm.

When her mom moves in with her fiancé, a handsome, wealthy man, only one small detail threatens Cici’s perfect life. The school’s social pariah is about to become her stepsister, and Cici wants nothing to do with her.

Everything changes when someone Cici cares about throws her life into a tailspin, and the one person Cici couldn’t stand becomes her only ally.

Warning: This story contains scenes of sexual assault.

One of the reviews for the book on Goodreads

Robbie Cheadle rated it Five Stars

Hype was a most interesting read for me. I grew up and attended school in South Africa and my experience was very different from the life of a school girl described in this book. I couldn’t help thinking that the strict rules I grew up with were helpful in preventing some of the prejudices towards other people, based on their appearance and behaviour, that were described in this book. We wore school uniforms, had to tie our hair back and wore no makeup. We most certainly did not demonstrate affection towards the opposite sex during school hours. It was an excellent insight into school life in America.

Cici is a popular cheerleader and her boyfriend, Ryan, is on the football team and is also popular. He is voted Homecoming King which demonstrates his place on the schoolboy social ladder. Cici is an interesting character as she is totally self absorbed and selfish in many ways, but she is devoted to her mother and wants the best for her. This love is exploited by a predator to keep her quiet when she is sexually assaulted later in the story. Despite her giddiness and obsession with maintaining her social position at school, Cici is naïve and innocent. This aspect of her character is demonstrated a few times in the book.

When Cici’s mother, a successful lawyer who works long hours, decides to marry a man she met six months previously, Cici discovers that one of the most uncool girls in the school, a Goth the students call Grub, will become her step-sister. Cici is most displeased abut this situation and doesn’t want Grub raining on her parade. Cici, however, comes to realise that bad things can happen in life and these events can shape a person and cause them to exhibit certain behaviours in self defense. Cici comes to appreciate Grub when her own life spins out of control.

This book tackles the difficult subject of schoolgirl rape and I felt those scenes were well handled and appropriate for a YA audience. The horror of the situation was conveyed without the author going into to much detail. Sub themes are not to judge someone by their appearance, and not to trust people you don’t know really well. The book also covers the type of counselling and student support that is available in the American school system which was interesting.

I enjoyed this book and it is well written and and has good flow 

Head over to buy the book: Amazon US – And: Amazon UK

 A selection of books by Yvette M. Calleiro

Find out more about Yvette Calleiro and buy the books: Amazon US – And: Amazon UK – Read more reviews: Goodreads – Author Blog: Yvette M. Calleiro Blogspot – Twitter: @YvetteMCalleiro – Facebook: Yvette M. Calleiro

 

Thank you for dropping in today and I hope you will be leaving with some books.. Sally.