Review: Sugar on the Bones by Joe R. Lansdale – with Giveaway

23 June 2024 by Melissa

About the book, Sugar on the Bones (a Hap and Leonard Novel)

Genre: Private Investigator Mystery / Noir Crime / Hard-Boiled Mystery / Lawyers and Criminals Humor
Publisher: Mulholland Books
Pages: 317
Publication Date: July 16, 2024
Scroll down for Giveaway

In this holy mess of a case for the “perpetual bad boy” (New York Times) sleuths in the beloved Hap and Leonard series, PI Duo Hap and Leonard investigate the untimely death of a woman whose family stood much to gain from her passing.

Minnie Polson is dead. Burned to a crisp in a fire so big and bad it had to be deliberate. The only thing worse is that Hap and Leonard could have prevented it. Maybe. Minnie had a feeling she was being targeted, shaken down by some shadowy force. However, when she’d solicited Hap & Leonard, all it took was one off color joke to turn her sour and she’d called them off the investigation. Wracked with a guilty conscience, the two PIs—along with Hap’s fleet-footed wife, Brett—tuck in to the case. As they look closer, they dredge up troublesome facts: for one, Minnie’s daughter, Alice, has recently vanished. She’d been hard up after her pet grooming business went under and was in line to collect a whopping insurance sum should anything happen to her mother. The same was due to Minnie’s estranged husband, Al, whose kryptonite (beautiful, money-grubbing women) had left him with only a run-down mobile home. But did Minnie’s foolish, cash-strapped family really have it in them to commit a crime this grisly? Or is there a larger, far more sinister scheme at work?

Pre-order this book:

Bookshop.org | Hatchette Book Group | Amazon | B&N | Goodreads

About the Author, Joe R. Lansdale

Joe R. Lansdale is the author of nearly four dozen novels, including Rusty Puppy, the Edgar-award winning The Bottoms, Sunset and Sawdust, and Leather Maiden. He has received nine Bram Stoker Awards, the American Mystery Award, the British Fantasy Award, and the Grinzane Cavour Prize for Literature. He lives with his family in Nacogdoches, Texas

Connect with Joe:

My Thoughts

Before I dove into Sugar on the Bones, my only experience with Joe R. Lansdale’s work was his collection of short stories, Things Get Ugly, which I loved. So, even though this novel is the thirteenth in the Hap and Leonard series, I knew I was going to get a well-crafted story.

Lansdale did not disappoint. His private-eye duo of Hap and Leonard leapt off the page and into my imagination, with their down-home language, affectionate banter, and distinctly different personalities, not to mention that one is Black and the other white, one is gay and the other straight. The friendship and history between the two came through in every scene, and while I’m sure I’d have appreciated more backstory, it wasn’t strictly necessary, and this book worked just fine as a standalone.

One thing I really appreciated was Landsdale’s ability to write in first person, and to do so well. I never saw an out-of-synch verb tense or felt that the narrator (Hap in this case) knew more than he should.

I also felt the plot was paced well. It’s a mystery, of course, and if there isn’t a sub-genre called “Texas-noir,” there should be, and this novel should be the flagship title, because it was gritty where it needed to be, but also had the right amount of comic relief to keep tensions from boiling over.

Overall, this novel is a fast – almost reckless at times – read, with characters who will take up residence in your brain and squat there forever. I can’t wait to go back and read earlier works in this series.

Goes well with: a patty melt and sweet tea.

Giveaway

Two Winners!
U.S. only.
Giveaway ends 6/28/24

Enter to Win!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Visit the Other Great Blogs on This Tour

Click to visit the Lone Star Literary Life tour page for direct links to each blog participating in this tour.

blog tour services provided by

Review: Prairie Man: My Little House Life & Beyond by Dean Butler

27 April 2024 by Melissa

I recently had the chance to read the digital ARC of Dean Butler’s forthcoming book, Prairie Man: My Little House Life & Beyond. As someone who grew up watching the series (it was appointment viewing for our family) and eventually married a real Prairie Man of my own, I was excited to read this book. Thanks to Kensington Publishing Corp. and NetGalley for the opportunity.

About the book, Prairie Man: My Little House Life & Beyond

Publisher ‏ : ‎ Citadel (June 25, 2024)
Language ‏ : ‎ English
Hardcover ‏ : ‎ 288 pages

An illuminating, insider’s journey through the world of Little House on the Prairie and beyond, from Dean Butler, who starred as Almanzo Wilder, the man Laura “Half Pint” Ingalls married—on the iconic show still beloved by millions of fans as it reaches its 50th anniversary.

With a foreword from Melissa Gilbert (Laura) and Alison Arngrim (Nellie)!

Cast just before his twenty-third birthday, Dean Butler joined Little House on the Prairie halfway through its run, gaining instant celebrity and fans’ enduring affection. Ironically, when the late, great Michael Landon remarked that Little House would outlive everyone involved in making it, Butler deemed it unlikely. Yet for four decades and counting, Butler has been defined in the public eye as Almanzo Wilder—a role he views as the great gift of his life.

Butler had been cast as a romantic lead before, notably in the made-for-TV movie of Judy Blume’s Forever, opposite Stephanie Zimbalist. But Little House was, and remains, one of the most treasured shows in television history. As the eventual husband of Laura “Half-pint” Ingalls—and the man who would share actress Melissa Gilbert’s first real-life romantic kiss—Butler landed as a central figure for the show’s devoted fans.

Now, with wit and candor, Butler recounts his passage through the Prairie, sharing stories and anecdotes of the remarkable cast who were his on-screen family. But that was merely the beginning of a diverse career that includes Broadway runs and roles on two other classic shows—Moondoggie in The New Gidget and Buffy’s ne’er-do-well father, Hank, in Buffy the Vampire Slayer. Coming of age during a golden era of entertainment, Butler has evolved along with it, and today enjoys success and fulfillment as a director and producer—notably of NBC Golf’s Feherty—while remaining deeply loyal to Little House.

The warmth, heart, and decency that fans of Laura and Almanzo fell in love with on Little House echo through this uplifting memoir, a story, in Butler’s words, about “good luck, good television, and the very good—if gloriously imperfect—people who made it so.”

Buy, read, and discuss this book:

Pre-Order from Amazon | Pre-Order from Barnes & Noble | GoodReads

About the author, Dean Butler

Dean Butler is an actor, writer, director, and producer best known to television audiences all over the world for his portrayal of Almanzo Wilder on the long‑running series Little House on the Prairie, based on the iconic Little House books written by Laura Ingalls Wilder. On the other side of the camera Dean produced 80 episodes over 10 seasons of NBC Golf Channel’s Emmy nominated series, Feherty. Dean currently lives with his family in California.

Connect with Dean:

Website | Cameo | Facebook | Instagram | TikTok

My Thoughts

As a lifelong fan of all things Laura Ingalls Wilder (though my first loyalty is to the books), the television show Little House on the Prairie was an important part of my childhood, partly because I share a first name with two of the leads, and partly because I have fond memories of watching it with my mother. (I was born in 1970 -years before the show – so, no, I was NOT named after either of those two famous Melissas). I remember being giddy with joy when the character of Almanzo Wilder was finally added to the show, and, as I’ve shared with more than one person, I remember getting permission from my mother to do my homework in front of the TV (during commercials) so I wouldn’t miss a minute of the two-part episode where Laura and her “Manly” get married.

Needless to say, I’ve read all of the memoirs from various cast members, all women – until now – and I was excited to learn about this memoir.

I was not disappointed. Author Dean Butler is honest in the way he shares his story, and the tone is down to earth. Early in the text he mentions that a common attitude in his family is that of “modest pride,” and that really fits Butler – at least as he portrays himself here – perfectly.

If you’re expecting a salacious tell-all, this is not the book for you. Butler says himself that not all stories need to be told. So when discussing the relationship that ended in his first marriage, he withholds the woman’s name. I respect him for that. He’s not a saint. He’s made human mistakes and has human flaws. And yet, he’s one of the good guys.

A through-line of Butler’s story is that his role as an actor -and in life – is to be the guy who supports a young actress, and it’s a role he’s particularly good at. From Forever (yes, there was a movie based on Judy Blume’s infamous young adult novel), to Little House, to The New Gidget, and even to Buffy the Vampire Slayer Dean made his name as the good guy the heroine could count on. (We don’t count the nightmare version of Hank Summers – that was fiction within fiction.)

When his career turned from being in front of the cameras to being a documentarian, writing, narrating, producing, and editing, it seems as if Butler found his true niche. He’s been a champion of the real Almanzo Wilder’s story, carried the torch for the Laura Ingalls Wilder legacy, and become half the heart of contemporary Little House fandom (Alison Arngrim is the other half). He spent years producing a talk show for the Golf Channel. He comes across as a thoughtful, self-aware man who has access to an incredible platform, and uses it for good.

They say that you should never meet your heroes. Butler himself recounts more than one encounter with someone he admired that did not go well. I haven’t met him, but if this book is anything to judge by, Dean Butler is exactly the person he seems to be. If you want to read a memoir that will shock you with secrets and harsh truths, go read anything Carrie Fisher wrote – she was candid and hilarious in her writing. If you want a fairly accurate portrait of one of Hollywood’s genuine “nice guys,” especially if you’re a fan of Little House on the Prairie, you’ll find Prairie Man a satisfying read.

Goes well with: cinnamon chicken (but personally I prefer shawarma).

Cover Reveal: A Scottish Highland Hideaway by Julie Shackman

28 March 2024 by Melissa

I’m so excited to be part of the cover reveal for Julie Shackman’s next book, coming in August. I’ve read other books in this series, and they never fail to disappoint.

About the Book: A Scottish Highland Hideaway

Publisher: ‎ One More Chapter (August 23, 2024)
Publication date: ‎ August 23, 2024 (ebook), August 29, 2004 (paperback)
Pages: 384

A brand new autumnal story of love, believing in yourself and starting over set in the Scottish Highlands

For Bailey McArthur, her family and job mean everything. She runs her own floristry shop and loves spending time in nature in the pretty town of Heather Moore, whilst desperately trying to forget about being jilted on her wedding day.

When journalist Zach Stern arrives in town asking questions about a famous actor, Bailey decides to throw him off the trail of the superstar hiding out in the Scottish Highlands.

But despite Bailey’s efforts to thwart Zach’s investigation, she finds herself falling for him. It’s just a shame she can’t be honest with him. But then, Bailey might not be the only one with a secret to hide…

Pre-order this book:

Amazon (US) | Amazon (UK)

About the Author, Julie Shackman

Julie Shackman is a former journalist from Scotland, who has always wanted to write feel-good romance.

As well as being an author, Julie also writes verses and captions for greetings card companies. Julie admits to having an obsession with stationery and handbags.

She is married, has two sons and adopted a Romanian rescue puppy, Cooper.

A Scottish Highland Hideaway is Julie’s eleventh novel.

Connect with Julie:

Website | Facebook | Instagram | X (Twitter)

And now, the cover!

Cover Reveal and Pre-Order Opportunity: To Rescue a Witch by Lisa A. Traugott

2 February 2024 by Melissa

I’m so excited to be introducing the cover to Lisa A. Traugott’s forthcoming book, To Rescue a Witch,
which will be released on March 1 2024. It sounds like an excellent read, so don’t miss your chance to PREORDER THIS BOOK.

About the book, To Rescue a Witch

Genre: Historical Fiction / Action & Adventure / Fantasy
Published: Coming March 1, 2024
Scroll down for the cover reveal

It’s 1739. An abused girl accused of witchcraft must be defended by a man married to an actual witch.

William MacLeod, a fierce Scottish lawyer with a kind heart, takes on a daunting task—rescue young Annaliese from the clutches of her tormentors in the untamed wilds of Virginia colony and deliver her safely to her aristocratic father in London. But lurking in the shadows are enemies eager to expose MacLeod’s own wife, Fiona, as a witch with a dark secret.

Their perilous journey takes an unexpected turn when their ship wrecks, and Annaliese’s haunting nightmares and unexplained “Devil marks” trigger suspicion among the crew. Tension peaks when MacLeod must become Annaliese’s unwavering protector in a witch trial, where Fiona’s clairvoyance and a murder are unveiled.

To Rescue a Witch navigates themes of betrayal and redemption, in a spellbinding narrative that blends history, magic and the unyielding resilience of the human spirit.

Pre-Order this book:

CLICK TO PRE-ORDER

About the author, Lisa A. Traugott

Lisa A. Traugott is an award-winning author and World Championship public speaker semifinalist — who also spoke five lines on Buffy the Vampire Slayer. She lives in Austin with her husband, two kids and English bulldog, Bruno.

Connect with Lisa:

And Now, Here’s the Cover!

Visit the Other Great Blogs on This Tour

Click to visit the Lone Star Literary Life Tour Page
for direct links to each blog participating in this tour.

blog tour services provided by:

Cover Reveal: Odd Mom Out by Sandy Day

4 December 2023 by Melissa

I’m so excited to be part of the cover reveal for Sandy Day’s novel Odd Mom Out, available for pre-order now, and being released on January 1st! This looks like an engaging and entertaining read, and I can’t wait.

About the book, Odd Mom Out

Publisher ‏ : ‎ Beach House Books (January 1, 2024)
Publication date ‏ : ‎ January 1, 2024

Life just got life-y…

On the night that Trudy Asp discovers her ex is engaged to the same dental hygienist who’s been picking at her teeth for ten years, her daughter, Madison, suddenly announces that she too is getting married, in Europe.

Frumpy, floundering, and forced to live with her martini-swilling mother, Trudy is swamped by these revelations. And on top of it all, she’ll be wearing the second most scrutinized gown at the wedding.

Having packed on the pounds during the demise of her marriage, the idea of being eyeballed by her ex and his scrawny fiancée Zelda, is truly horrifying. To make matters worse, there’s the paralyzing fear of a transatlantic flight — something Trudy has avoided for decades.

When Zelda offers to stand in for her, Trudy is forced to confront the forces that stole her marriage and threaten to steal her daughter’s wedding too. With three months until the ceremony, Trudy must get to Europe, squeeze herself into a gown, and claim the role she wants more than anything: Mother-of-the-Bride.

Will this Odd Mom Out sink or swim? Or will she drown in a sea of humiliation?

Pre-order this book:

Amazon (US) | Amazon (UK)

About the author, Sandy Day

Sandy Day is a recovering chatterbox and writer of riveting slice-of-life poetry, memoir, and fiction. She has authored five books to date, with two in the works. A graduate of Glendon College, she studied creative writing under Michael Ondaatje and bp nichol. A lover of cheese, coffee shops, and illustrations, she lives on the shore of Lake Simcoe in Georgina, Ontario, Canada. You can find and follow her on Substack and sandyday.ca – it rhymes!

Connect with Sandy:

Amazon | Substack | Facebook | Goodreads | Instagram

And now, the cover of Odd Mom Out

Christmas at the Cabin, by Rebecca Boxall – Cover Reveal!

19 October 2023 by Melissa

About the book, Christmas at the Cabin

Publication date ‏ : ‎ November 24, 2023
Language ‏ : ‎ English

A festive, coming-of-age tale about an Oxbridge candidate and a young homeless man who find themselves in the bittersweet predicament of falling in love with exactly the right person at exactly the wrong time.

Well-to-do Jed never imagined he’d end up homeless, but family circumstances have made it his only option. Local vicar, Ben, tries to help him but there’s an element of self-punishment to the homelessness that makes Jed continue to put up with his situation – until disaster leads him to re-consider the vicar’s offer of a place to stay.

Hattie is on the cusp of adulthood, frantically trying to persuade her mum that she doesn’t want to attend an elite university, preferring the idea of pursuing her love of art and textiles. When she meets Jed, she badly wants to understand his circumstances and why, when she has everything at her fingertips, he doesn’t.

Hattie’s mum, Christine, has had a hard life and is desperate for more for her only child. When she meets Ben, the vicar who’s trying to help Jed, she finds an unlikely ally, and the two heartbroken souls find themselves drawn to each other. Until they find their relationship suddenly tested to the limit.

One thing’s for certain: none of these characters is looking forward to Christmas. It’s the worst time of year for each of them, for different reasons. But perhaps this year, the festive season could defy all expectations.

Rebecca Boxall is the award-nominated author of five bestselling novels – Christmas at the Vicarage, Home for Winter, Christmas on the Coast, The Christmas Forest and Christmas by the Lighthouse. She is also the author of Christmas at the Farmhouse and her popular short story, A Winter’s Day.

Pre-Order this Book – Publication Date November 24th!

Amazon (US) | Amazon (UK)

About the author, Rebecca Boxall

Rebecca Boxall was born in East Sussex in 1977 and grew up in a bustling vicarage always filled with family, friends and parishioners. She now lives by the sea in Jersey with her family and Rodney the cat. She read English at the University of Warwick before she trained as a lawyer and more recently worked at a psychiatric unit.

She is the No. 1 bestselling author of Christmas at the Vicarage and Christmas on the Coast as well as the bestselling writer of Home for Winter, The Christmas Forest and Christmas by the Lighthouse, in respect of which she was nominated for the Romantic Novel Awards in 2020. She is also the author of Christmas at the Farmhouse and her popular short story, A Winter’s Day.

Connect with Rebecca:

Website | Facebook | Instagram

View the cover of Christmas at the Cabin

Book Spotlight: Cover Reveal and Pre-Order for Murder’s Legacy, by Anita Dickason

3 February 2023 by Melissa

About the book, Murder’s Legacy

Now available for pre-order
Series: Tori Winters Mysteries, book 2
Mystery / Women Sleuths
Publisher: Mystic Circle Books
Coming February 16, 2023
Scroll down for Giveaway!

Secrets that defy time!

An inconceivable disaster brings Tori Winters’ plans for the historic house she inherited to a traumatic standstill. A section of the escape tunnel built by her great-grandfather, a notorious Dallas gangster, has collapsed. Within the rubble, there is a gruesome discovery. A skeleton with a bullet hole in the skull.

The shocking cave-in triggers an ominous scheme to condemn her property as accusations arise that the tunnel is dangerous.

Embattled, Tori soon discovers that more than the destruction of the house is on the line. It seems she can’t escape the past. It keeps clawing its way into her life with deadly consequences.

Who hides in the shadows with a motive for murder?
And … is Tori the target?

Pre-order this book here:

Murder’s Legacy Pre-Order

Watch the Trailer for this book:

About the Author, Anita Dickason

Award-winning Author Anita Dickason is a twenty-two-year veteran of the Dallas Police Department. She served as a patrol officer, undercover narcotics detective, advanced accident investigator, tactical officer, and first female sniper on the Dallas SWAT team.

Anita writes about what she knows, cops and crime. Her police background provides an unending source of inspiration for her plots and characters. Many incidents and characters portrayed in her books are based on personal experience. For her, the characters are the fun part of writing as she never knows where they will take her. There is always something out of the ordinary in her stories.

In Anita’s debut novel, Sentinels of the Night, she created an elite FBI Unit, the Trackers. Since then, she has added three more Tracker crime thrillers, Going Gone!, A u 7 9, and Operation Navajo, which are not a series and can be read in any order, and Deadly Business, a crime thriller.

As a Texas author, many of Anita’s books are based in Texas, or there is a link to Texas. When she stepped outside of the Tracker novels and wrote Not Dead and the Tori Winters Mysteries series, she set them in the small Texas communities of Meridian and Granbury, respectively.

Connect with Anita:

WEBSITE | FACEBOOK | TWITTER | AMAZON | GOODREADS | BOOKBUB | PINTEREST | LINKEDIN

YouTube: AN AUTHOR’S WORLD | BOOK CINEMA

Giveaway

ONE WINNER

Tori Winters Series tote bag + personalized coffee mug
(US only; ends midnight, CST, 2/9/2023)

a Rafflecopter giveaway

CLICK TO VISIT THE LONE STAR LITERARY LIFE TOUR PAGE

FOR DIRECT LINKS TO EACH BLOG PARTICIPATING IN THIS BOOK BLITZ!

blog tour services provided by

Book Blitz and Giveaway with Review: Find the Moon by Beth Fehlbaum

27 December 2022 by Melissa

About the book, Find the Moon

Young Adult / Social Issues / Family Issues
Publisher: Progressive Rising Phoenix Press
Pages: 298 pages
Expected Publication Date: January 10, 2023
Scroll for Author’s Giveaway
Scroll for Review

For as long as she can remember, Kylie Briscoe’s been searching for the moon even though she has no idea why it soothes her. Placed in an impossible situation by her mother, Kylie cries for help. It brings rescuers and a new life, but it feels more like a death sentence when she is separated from her three-year-old sister Aliza, the only person Kylie’s ever really loved.

Now she’s in tiny Patience, Texas, with her eccentric potty-mouthed grandmother, ever-patient stargazing grandfather, an uncle who reminds her a lot of a cop who terrified her during a drug bust, a herd of Norwegian Dwarf goats, their “guard donkeys,” and three canine roommates occupying Kylie’s former nursery.

When the authorities make a mistake that could cost her everything, Kylie must decide whether to tell the truth-all of it-in order to save herself and her sister.

Pre-Order this book and Add It to Your Goodreads Shelf:

Amazon | Barnes and Noble | Goodreads

Enter the Author’s Giveaway

Pre-order a copy of Find the Moon and enter the author’s giveaway! Three lucky winners will win a $50 Amazon Gift Card, signed set of THE PATIENCE TRILOGY, and signed copy of BIG FAT DISASTER. Ends 12/30/2022. Visit Beth’s website for more information and to enter!

About the Author, Beth Fehlbaum

Beth Fehlbaum is the author of the young adult novels Find the Moon, Big Fat Disaster (on the Spirit of Texas-High School Reading List, 2014-2015), Courage in Patience, Hope in Patience (A YALSA Quick Pick for Reluctant Readers), and Truth in Patience. With Dr. Matt E. Jaremko, Beth co-wrote the creative nonfiction book, Trauma Recovery: Sessions with Dr. Matt. She is a high school English teacher.

Authenticity, calling out hypocrisy, and finding one’s voice are frequent themes in Beth’s work, and they are absolutely essential themes in her life, as well. Beth has a B.A. in English, minor in secondary education, and an M.Ed. in reading. Beth is in-demand as an author-panelist, having presented/appeared at the Texas Library Association Annual Conference, the American Library Association’s annual conference, YALSA, N.C.T.E./ALAN, and numerous YA book festivals. She’s a member of The Author’s Guild, SCBWI, Romance Writers of America, and the Texas Federation of Teachers. She loves doing school visits and meeting teens, teachers, and librarians!

Beth lives in the woods of East Texas in a house on a slice of family acreage. The home was built by her family over one very hot humid summer, a task she wishes never to repeat again. This sanctuary-of-sorts is lined by pine trees, and the woods are inhabited by raccoons, possums, and feral cats. All of these creatures appear to consider Beth their cat-food-providing goddess. There is no place she would rather be.

Connect with Beth:

Website | Facebook | Goodreads | Amazon Author Page

My Thoughts

When I was little I believed that my grandmother kept the moon in a glass on her bedside table, so an affinity for the moon is something that resonates with me, and it’s one of the reasons I chose to read Beth Fehlbaum’s latest novel, Find the Moon. I was not disappointed. Like many books that are labeled as Young Adult titles, this book is provocative, but it’s also at times both poignant and profound.

I knew from the description that this would be a hard read – protagonist Kylie’s situation, so aptly described in her opening line, “This year will monumentally suck,” is a grim one. Her mother is unreliable at best, and she’s the primary caregiver for her beloved little sister Aliza. A split-second decision made under great danger and duress changes the course of life for both girls, but the moon is their constant companion, and Kylie reminds her sister that no matter what happens to them, if they can find the moon, they’ll know their connection remains.

The moon continues to be an image as the story unfolds. Presented in first person, from Kylie’s perspective, this is the story of a teenager who has been dealt one of life’s worst hands, but has managed to survive. As we follow her on her journey to the welcoming home of her grandparents stargazing Ollie and motherly, if somewhat foul-mouthed Honey, we see her learn to trust others, and to trust herself. The poignance comes in small moments – when she cries on Honey’s shirt for the first time, when a dog offers comfort, when the English teacher’s son Ethan reaches out to her.

There are moments of profundity as well, the most striking when Ollie rises from the kitchen table, encouraging Kylie to rise as well, and shares with her the secret of Just One Thing: Every day, you have to do just one thing that moves you forward. As someone who would likely have been diagnosed with ADHD if girls had been evaluated for it in the 1970s, this echoed my own rule; no matter how much I have to fight to focus on anything, I do at least one productive thing every day. The Just One Thing concept is a powerful one, because it takes the weight of the world off your shoulders. Anyone can manage one thing in a day.

What I loved about this story was that author Fehlbaum never dropped the moon metaphor. Our favorite near-earth object is a talisman, a friend, and a beacon of hope in this novel, and it never feels hokey or overused. I appreciate that she connected Kylie’s attachment to the moon with Grandpa Ollie’s love of astronomy. Stargazing isn’t just a hobby for him, it’s an intrinsic element of his personality.

I also loved the relationship Ollie and Honey had with each other. Their fond bickering reminded me of my own grandparents, and made them feel all the more real.

Realism is another strong facet of this book. The teenagers in this story – Kylie, Ethan, and their schoolmates – never feel too young or too old. Their dialogue is believable and natural without relying on slang that would make this book feel dated if someone read it a decade from now. That kind of writing is an example of great craft and great care, and I really appreciated the authors effort.

While this book does touch on some heavy subjects the darker elements never overwhelm the reader. Rather, this book sucks you in, and makes you FEEL. It seems so cliched to say, “I laughed, I cried,” but the truth is that there were parts of this novel that did make me laugh, parts that made me yell at the characters, and parts that moved me to tears.

Find the Moon is an emotional, truthful story suitable for “young adults” and all adults.

Goes well with: rabbit-shaped pancakes hopping over bacon fence-posts.

CLICK TO VISIT THE LONESTAR LITERARY LIFE TOUR PAGE FOR PARTICIPATING BLOGS

blog tour services provided by

Book Review: Moral Code, by Lois & Ross Melbourne

19 September 2022 by Melissa

About the book, Moral Code

Publisher ‏ : ‎ Nonlinear Publishing, LLC (September 15, 2022)
Language ‏ : ‎ English
Paperback ‏ : ‎ 380 pages

Dr. Keira Stetson has two passions: ethical artificial intelligence—AI with a conscience—and creating technology that improves children’s lives. Trapped in an earthquake-flattened building with a half-dozen panicked five-year-olds, she fears the worst. When billionaire Roy Brandt leverages his mysterious nanite technology to rescue them, she’s both grateful and intrigued.

Impressed by his prototype technology but alarmed at its potential for exploitation, Keira merges her company with Brandt’s. The merger gives Keira access to much-needed funds for the development of her own tech, and access to Brandt’s powerful minuscule robots. In turn, she and her AI assistant, Elly, embed Keira’s trademark Moral Operating System in Brandt’s nanite SmartDust to rein in its power.

But Brandt’s technology has been kept secret for a reason. Though he’s adamant about using the Dust to improve life, not destroy it, corporate raiders and the military have other ideas. They want to weaponize Brandt’s nanites. Suddenly, everything Keira has worked for is in jeopardy. Exposed to the worst humanity has to offer, she and Elly must fight to use this newfound tech for good and keep it out of the wrong hands…before it’s too late.

For fans of “Catfishing on CatNet” and the “Murderbot Diaries,” “Moral Code” eloquently and excitedly explores how artificial intelligence can not only set moral boundaries — but also how they can revolutionize the future.

Buy, read, and discuss this book:

Amazon | Barnes and Noble | Goodreads

About the authors, Lois & Ross Melbourne

Moral Code” is not the first collaboration for Lois and Ross Melbourne. Side-by-side, they grew their software business to a global award-winning organization, as CEO and Chief Technology Officer, respectively. Now Lois’ storytelling brings to life Ross’ deep understanding of the possibilities within artificial intelligence and robotics. Parenting and marriage have been the easy part of this equation.

Lois is now writing books, having published two children’s books about exploring careers. “Moral Code” is her first but not her last novel. You can learn more about Lois at www.loismelbourne.com. Ross’ current work includes artificial intelligence and robotics. You can learn more about him at www.rossmelbourne.com. And for more about them and the book, you can visit, www.MoralCodeTheBook.com.

Connect with Lois and Ross

Twitter (Lois) | Twitter (Ross) | Instagram (Lois)

My Thoughts

I confess: I have a thing for Artificial Intelligence. Whether it’s Lt. Commander Data in the Star Trek franchise, William, the emotional holographic representation of the ship’s interface in Another Life, Isaac in The Orville, or the robots in Asimov’s work, I’m there for their development, equally happy whether they grow closer to humanity or remain distinct from it. When I was given the chance to review Moral Code, then, you better believe I jumped that the chance. And wow, I’m glad I did!

Moral Code is a novel that celebrates both women in STEM fields and the possibilities that come as artificial intelligence continues to be developed. We first meet Elly, a character in her own right, who is Keira’s virtual assistant. From the beginning, Elly shows signs of being more than the sum of her programming, and it’s fascinating to watch the story unold and see her creep ever closer to consciousness, while still being beholden to the “moral code” of the title – which is sort of an ethical subroutine, but one that can grow and one that is situational.

Then come the nanites. Created by Roy Brandt, these are deployed in a rescue mission after Keira is trapped by an earthquake, and while they are also a form of AI, unlike Elly, they don’t really have a personality or a name. Elly is an assistant; the nanites are tools, at least for now.

The relationship between Keira and Roy is also interesting to watch. Keira is a strong, self-possessed woman who is both creative and extremely knowledgeable. Roy has the arrogance that comes with money and success, but while he’s an antagonist to Keira at times, he’s never a villain. If anything, the villain in this story is human greed and corruption.

Lois and Ross Melbourne have crafted a well-paced story that balances humanity and AI, and feels plausible, if not right now, than in our near-future. From the smallest child in the class Keira visits to the various engineers at Brandt’s company, the characters all feel dimensional and real. My husband works in tech, and I have encountered many of the personalities depicted in this story. What I truly appreciated, though, was that there was never too much technobabble, and when things did get extremely technical, they were accompanied with explanations that less tech-savvy readers will understand, and – even better – nothing ever felt like there was too much exposition.

Bottom line: if you love real science in your science fiction, if you’re fond of artificial intelligence, and if you really want to see more strong female characters in STEM fields, this book is for you.

Goes well with: Dr. Pepper and nacho cheese Doritos, the unofficial snack of geeks everywhere.

Blog Tour services provided by

Book Spotlight and Giveaway: Deadly Keepsakes, by Anita Dickason

17 June 2022 by Melissa

About the book, Deadly Keepsakes

A Tori Winters Mystery
Now available for Pre-order – Coming July 10th
Publisher: Mystic Circle Books
Number of Pages: 360 pages
Scroll down for giveaway

The past becomes the future. Secrets that can kill!

After someone tries to kill her, Tori Winters is on the run. Looking for a place to hide, a mysterious phone call about a vague inheritance seems to be the answer. After all, who would think of looking for her in Granbury, a small quaint Texas town. Instead, her life is about to spin into an existence where nothing is as it seems. The historic house she inherits has secrets. Ones she’s been warned can kill. A stranger in a strange town, who can she trust? There is the kindly lawyer and his son, or the disinherited step-grandson. What secrets do they hide? Tori’s newfound fortune may not be a blessing. It could become her death warrant.

Pre-order from Amazon | Add to Goodreads

About the author, Anita Dickason

As a Texas author, many of Anita’s books are based in Texas, or there is a link to Texas. When she stepped outside of the Tracker novels and wrote, Not Dead, she selected Meridian, a small community in central Texas for the location.