Barbary Point – Review by Martha A. Cheves, Author of Stir, Laugh, Repeat

‘Mitch stood with the pole in hand. “Maybe we’ll get lucky.” He checked something on the reel then cast out the line. I followed the flash of silver through the air, arcing like a tiny meteor, until it landed with a small splash some ways behind the stern. Never in my wildest musings, would I have ever thought of fishing as a sexy sport. But watching Mitch cast that day – how his posture reflected both power and control, his arm moving back in a wide reverse swing, then whipping the rod tip back overhead, hearing the soft whine of the spinning spool – would forever change this perception. I found myself drawn in by some inexplicable force. I was part of something that kept growing, and would keep growing, until I was totally consumed. This was pure emotion, spreading throughout my body, filling each cell to satiation, then moving on to the next cell. I was being devoured alive. And I’d never felt better in my life.’

Kelly English, the chief editor for West Coast Today magazine, has just received news that her father has died leaving his estate to her and her mother. Kelly is 28 years old and hasn’t seen nor heard from her father since she was 3 years old. It appears that he had no time for her and she had no time to disburse of his so called estate. But, due to a medical situation with her step-father, she has agreed to make the trip from her home in California to Oshkosh, WI. After all it shouldn’t take long. From what her mother has told her over the years, her father never had much so the “estate” would be nothing more than a shack in the woods and could be taken care of in a weekend trip. So, after promising her fiancé that she would be back by Sunday evening for their dinner with his mother, Kelly takes off to get the task over with.

After meeting with the attorney and arriving at Barbary Point, Kelly finds herself in quite a dilemma. The shack turns out to be a nice rustic cottage with waterfront, a dock, a dog and her father’s best friend Mitch. As time goes on, she finds herself wanting to learn more and more about her father and the life he lived.
Barbary Point is one of the most beautifully written love stories I’ve read. It will make you laugh and cry. It’s so well written that you will feel the pain that Kelly, and I’m sure her father too, felt throughout their lives. But you will also feel the joy and love that Kelly feels as she spends more and more time on Barbary Point. I loved this heartwarming story of love.

2010
XoXo Publishing
ISBN# 978-1-897521-43-4


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The Turn of the Karmic Wheel – Review by Martha A. Cheves, Author of Stir, Laugh, Repeat

‘Harry had owned his shop for many years, seen some come in and go out in a sea of police gunfire, but, hell, he couldn’t worry about every customer who purchased a weapon. Fact was, he had given up trying to figure out man‘s nature years ago. Course, Euclid wasn’t one to carry arms of any sort. He didn’t remember him ever going hunting or even showing interest in the sport. Perhaps now that he was alone in life, with much time on his hands, he had decided to take it up and save some money by providing his own meat for the table. In any event, Harry knew Euclid to be a solid citizens of Raleigh, a man with a pure heart. Yes, he was a good man and a great friend.

Harry went to the window and watched his friend walk down the street. He wondered if he should be concerned. For some reason, he felt a bit of uneasiness; just couldn’t put his finger on the why or wherefore. Aw, hell, he reasoned, it ain’t none of my business. Yet there was something eating at his mind, a voice telling him to go no further with this transaction. It was a gut feeling he couldn’t shake, a feeling that his friend and neighbor of over 30 years was not ‘quite right’. There was definitely something ‘off the scale’ about Euclid today. A vivid image entered his mind. A vision so unfathomable he had to let it go. Harry shivered as he moved to slowly close the store’s door, continuing to watch the retreating figure kicking stones along the road, unable to shake his feeling of dread.’

Euclid is one of the most easy going people around but he just hasn’t been himself since his wife died and he was laid off from the car plant. Even so, it just isn’t like him to buy a hunting rifle. Especially one as powerful as a 243 Winchester Super Shot Magnum. And his request that Harry speed up the paperwork is even more out of character. Problem was, Euclid had started hearing voices and music in his head.

Karman Shelton is a nurse at the Out Patient Psychiatric Clinic. Karman has spent her life helping others both through her work at the clinic as well as volunteering for just about any cause that needed her help. She too has started hearing music and voices.

Angela Frank will soon find out that she has something in common with both Euclid and Karman. The only difference is that she has been hearing the music and voices for years and their meaning is finally coming together to make sense. The voices have told Angela that she will soon be on a mission and Euclid and Karman are the missing pieces that are needed to complete this mission.

In The Turn of the Karmic Wheel, Author Monica Brinkman takes you through the minds of those that are good as well as those that are bad as they are given a choice to change their ways and join the forces that can and will make life better for themselves and others around them. Some will chose to take life into the right direction and some will not. It’s interesting to see which characters live by greed and which don’t. The Turn of the Karmic Wheel was an enjoyable read from beginning to end.

2010
All Things That Matter Press
206 Pages
ISBN# 978-0-984-6154-6-9


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Fast Track - Review by Martha A. Cheves, Author of Stir, Laugh, Repeat

'I prefer to see the world not in blacks, whites and grays, but in rainbow colors. The contrasts can be stark, and there can still be room for individual expression, but there are boundaries, too. Choosing the right colors for the painting of your life can be an adventure.'.... But what if the painting gets messed up?... Color over it. Try something new. Don't just let the problem sit there. And for God's sake, don't destroy the canvas. Rework what's on it.'
(This is a quote from Fast Track that I feel we can all learn from.)

Lark Chadwick grew up knowing that her parents had been killed in an auto accident but no one would talk to her about the accident. So, when her aunt Annie, who had raised her, died of what the police decide to be a suicide, Lark goes on a quest to find the truth about not only her aunt's death but also the story behind the death of her parents. To her astonishment, she learns that they were killed when hit by a train and that she had been in the car too. Her escaping the accident left her with the nickname "The Miracle Baby." But how did she escape and why were her parents sitting on a railroad crossing with a train coming full speed ahead, lights and horn blowing? These are the questions that lead her to the truth and whys of the accident.

As I read Fast Track I didn't have the feeling that I was reading a book, but Lark's personal story was being told to me by Lark herself. It was as if she was sitting with me, telling me everything that happened to her as she searched for her past. I could feel her emotions and sense her fears. She became a person that I felt I actually knew.

The format of Fast Track in paperback is different due to its magazine size. I wasn't sure that I would like this concept at first but as time went along, I found it to be very practical and convenient. It stores nicely and is easy to slip into my bag without being bulky. I've grown to actually like the style and really loved the story within. But for the more traditional-minded readers, Fast Track also comes in hardback.

John DeDakis is a Senior Copy Editor at CNN in Washington where he edits and writes on "The Situation Room with Wolf Blitzer." It has been a pleasure to read and review his book Fast Track and I've just learned, through an email from Mr. DeDakis that his next book "Bluff" which is a sequel to Fast Track, is due to be published soon. Follow the progress of this next release through [Link removed - login to see] website. I, for one, am glad to hear that he will continue with more stories featuring Lark.

ISBN #978-159507-102-6
ArcheBooks Publishing
97 pages

Return to Whittakerville - Review by Martha A. Cheves, Author of Stir, Laugh, Repeat

"I lie here thinking of what could have happened to her with that lunatic. I wonder if Jebediah will ever leave us in peace? The man has been dead for twenty years but still he haunts me."... "I keep thinking about those years long ago when Martha's father sent you and I to find her in the wild Wyoming territory. Now it is as if history is repeating itself, but it is not my brother Jebediah that married Martha and disappeared, but his illegitimate son and Anna. If he is half the bastard that Jebediah was, Anna could be in great danger. I just feel so helpless."

In Dreams and Nightmares: The Martha Whittaker Story, Shirley A. Roe introduces us to the Whittaker family as they leave England, traveling across the ocean to end up in what will later be named Whittakerville, Wyoming. In Dreams and Nightmares, Martha and her three stepsons find a life that is filled with dreams of escaping Jeb Whittaker and nightmares that only a person as evil as he can bestow on his family.

In The Whittaker Family Reunion, Roe takes us to St. Louis where Martha and the boys have escaped to with the help of Jeb's brother Jeremy. The boys have grown into three loving men that have taken charge of their lives. As the family gathers for Martha's 40th birthday, disaster strikes again in the form of a stranger who stalks the family.

And in the final episode Return to Whittakerville, the disaster continues involving Martha and Jeremy's daughter Anna. Anna has left the family to travel to Whittakerville with the stalker. Anna is a very spoiled 15 year old that has always had her way and will let nothing stop her from acquiring whatever she wants. Some members of the family believe she left with the stranger to save the family, while others believe she left for selfish reasons. Will life with this man provide her with the sources to make her happy or will her life be another nightmare in Whittakerville?

I have thoroughly enjoyed all 3 books that make up the Martha Whittaker Story. I hated to see the family stories end but understand Roe will continue to write using the individual characters as the story source. Well Ms. Roe, I'm impatiently waiting.

Knowing the Struggle is Over! - Review by Martha A. Cheves, Author of Stir, Laugh, Repeat

K. M. Johnson is a remarkable woman. She has been in the U. S. Army for 12 years. She served her first four years on active duty, the other eight in the Reserves. She recently completed her 12 month tour in Iraq. Whether you are man or woman, that's impressive to me. The hardships she has gone through in life and her way of handling life's battles has become an inspiration to me. Whenever I've had a hard day or life has thrown more problems at me than I feel I can handle, I simply ask myself "What would K. M. do?" I then pick up Knowing the Struggle is Over, read a couple of pages and feel much better. Through following the three simple steps suggested by K. M., I have developed the courage to face problems and start the process of dissolving them. Knowing the Struggle is Over has become a book that I keep on my bedside table. I highly recommend this book to everyone.

Reflections of a Mississippi Magnolia - Review by Martha A. Cheves, Author of Stir, Laugh, Repeat

I don't think I've ever picked up a book that brings back as many memories as Reflections of a Mississippi Magnolia. And the memories were all good memories. It made me remember growing up in the south and participating in the activities the poems represent. From the "Partyline" which talks about growing up with a telephone number shared by others, to the "Baptismal Sunday" which took place in a pond instead of a baptismal pool, and on to the "Making Cracklins" which I can still see my grandmother doing.

I have many favorites in this little book of memories but two that touched me the most were "Shelling Peas" and "Slopping Hogs." These two poems really took me back to my childhood while growing up in the south. So, if you are a Southerner and would like to awaken some memories of when life was more laid back, this book is a must read. If you're not from the south, reading Reflections of a Mississippi Magnolia will let you see what you missed. For me, this is a book I'll cherish forever.

Lost Witness - Review by Martha A. Cheves, Author of Stir, Laugh, Repeat

'Barky looked forward to celebrating his sixteenth birthday by getting high. He grinned at his reflection in the storefront window, admiring the Mohawk he had shaped with a discarded razor in the Shop-N-Stop restroom. With a furtive sweep of the street, he veered off onto a gravel drive behind a strip mall. Satisfied no one could see him, he two-fingered the blunt from his jeans pocket. Soo-weeeet!... A noise distracted him and he coughed out smoke. His eyes snapped open. He froze. Sounded like a rat. Barky hated rats, terrified they'd find him asleep in some doorway and use his skinny-ass body for an appetizer.'

Barky is a street kid and when he picks up a tire iron and goes in search of the rat that interrupted his birthday celebration he found instead the beaten body of a woman. But that's not all he found. Hidden behind the dumpster was the woman's child who clung to Barky like glue. Wednesday was "Street Church" night so when he spotted Niki in the crowd he decided she would be the perfect person to turn his little friend over to. Niki is an ex-police officer who works as a counselor at Open Palm, a shelter for street kids. Barky was one of her "kids" so he knew she would take good care of the little boy.

After talking to the police, Niki learns that the child's mother was a drug mule smuggling drugs from Mexico into Houston. As much as she would love to keep him, Niki knows that she must turn him over to social services who will place him in a foster home. But when he turns up missing, she will leave no rock unturned until she finds him.

Lost Witness is a spell binding story that involves murder, drugs and love. It gives you the insite of what really goes on in the minds of the kids that have been swept out into the streets by parents and society. It gives you hope that people like Niki really do exist and their devotion to these kids will making a difference. Plus, Lost Witness will make you realize that the drug dealers will stop at nothing to acquire their drugs and make their sales. This was a very intense book that I couldn't put down

CEOs Don't Cry - Review by Martha A. Cheves, Author of Stir, Laugh, Repeat

'"Could this day get any worse?" Leslie Knotts muttered to herself, eyeing the watermark-circled hole in the ceiling tiles above her head. Thudding and muffled expletive rumbled from the hole. She yanked her cashmere scarf from her neck and stomped the slush off of her Prada heels. She took one look around her new office in the Carterville branch of Hanston and Boyd Accounting and gasped. This place was a mere phone call away from being condemned.'

How can a city girl from Chicago be expected to take an office that is in such a rambling mess and be expected to turn it into a profitable branch? This is only one problem Leslie faces after being passed over for a junior partnership with Hanston and Boyd. Her dreams of becoming a CEO are pushed into almost non-existence after being transferred to a small town called Cartersville which exists out in the middle of nowhere. She had spent her whole life climbing the corporate ladder just to have one of her co-workers, Chuck, went behind her back and had her moved to this destitute town. Things couldn't get any worse.

Oh but they can and they do. Leslie meets Mark, the nephew of the lady who owns the bed and breakfast where she will be staying while she brings the branch into the 21st century. Mark is a handyman who wants to start his own construction business. Leslie decides to hire him to basically revamp the full interior of the office, and she needs it finished before tax season starts in full force. Again, in steps Chuck to destroy her plans and dreams.

On top of all of her other problems, Leslie learns that there is a group in town called the Library Ladies and Mark's Aunt Minnie is one of the ring leaders. Their purpose in life is to match unmarried men with unmarried women and their success rate is 100%. So, with Mark being single and Leslie being new to town as well as single, they make a perfect match. At least that's what they think but Mark and Leslie have their own plans for their futures and marriage isn't one of them. How do they fight the Library Ladies 100% success rate? You will have to read the book to find that answer.

CEOs Don't Cry has everything needed to make an enjoyable, lighthearted romance novel. The humor provided by the Library Ladies will keep you smiling and laughing throughout the book. Leslie's method of overcoming the obstacles bestowed on her are quite ingenious. Once I started reading CEOs Don't Cry, I didn't want to put it down. So what will Leslie do when the chance comes for her to have her life long dreams come true? You'll have to read CEOs Don't Cry to find the answer to that question.

One of my favorite recipes from this book

1 bath of brine (recipe in book)
One 3 lb. pork loin
vegetable oil
2 Tbl. Cheater Basic Dry Rub (recipe in book)

Brine the loin for 4 - 6 hours in the refrigerator.

Heat oven to 500 degrees

Drain loin, discarding the brine. Rinse and pat dry. Place the loin in a large roasting pan and brush with a light coating of vegetable oil. Sprinkle all sides of the loin with the dry rub. Place in the oven and immediately reduce the heat to 300 degrees. Cook for 1 hour or until a meat thermometer reaches 155 degrees. Let rest for 10-15 minutes before slicing.

Cheater BBQ - Review by Martha A. Cheves, Author of Stir, Laugh, Repeat

This has to be one of the best indoor BBQ cookbooks I've ever read and used. In the recipe above I used the Apple Cider Brine, which I choose from a total of 4 simple recipes. Out of the twelve rubs and sauces to choose from I decided to use the Cheater Basic Dry Rub. The combination of the brine and rub gave my pork loin a wonder taste and a tender, juicy texture. I've served this to 4 of my "food testers" so far and they have given this dish a 10+. So this is a real winner.

As I've read through the other recipes in Cheater BBQ and have marked at least 10 more dishes to make. I miss grilling during the winter months and with the use of the bottled smoke that is applied to each dish, I can now enjoy the same taste year round. This is a must have cookbook for winter grilling as well as those summer days when it's simply too hot to fire up the grill.

It's in the Eyes - Review by Martha A. Cheves, Author of Stir, Laugh, Repeat

'"Please get him." Lars looked down at her and flashbacked three years, as if he was seeing his own daughter at the morgue. Candance Hawthorne, the fourth rape and murdered coed, was almost an identical twin of Lars' daughter, Lisa. As he looked at Candance's face, he recognized some of those facial features. And the blue eyes seemed to be staring intently at him. A tear stung Lars' eyes. Even though the temperature outside the Lubber Run Nature Center was a warm 62 degrees Fahrenheit, he felt a chill.'

Lars Neilsen is a West Pointer who served three tours in Vietnam as a ranger/paratrooper, Special Operations. He was awarded the DSC, three Silver Stars, two Purple Hearts and many other awards while serving his country. He knows the streets, is clever and has good instincts. He also believes in justice for the victims and has no problem in carrying out whatever needs to be done to acquire that justice. But most important, Lars heads a team he created called the Alpha Team. The Alpha Team takes their position seriously and won't stop until their job is complete.

Nathan Green, called 'Tiger', originally from New Orleans, served with Lars in Vietnam. Tiger was a sergeant in the military and was very accomplished in the Special Ops by performing top secret missions. He, as well as Lars, has a brown belt in Tae Kwon Do and won't hesitate to use this art of defense when needed.

Doris Wagner was a former FBI profiler and recognized as their best. Her husband died in the World Trade Center on 9/11, draining her emotionally. She now does part-time work for the FBI. She's clairvoyant, into astrology and develops clinical psychological leads to uncover criminals.

Brenda Little is a journalist who helped break a big murder case in Richmond. She was hired by the Washington Post but burned out after six years and now does freelance work. She studied criminal justice at the University of Maryland, her father was a metro cop killed in the line of duty and she has a black belt in Tae Kwo Do.

Now you know the Alpha Teams. When Candance Hawthorne was raped and murdered the Alpha Team was hired by the family to find her killer. This case turns out to be the toughest case the team has encountered.

I've enjoyed following Lars and his team as they search for the 'Coed Killer', only to find out that there is not one killer but two, bringing even more excitement to the story. Charles Toftoy created 4 characters, dedicated them to justice, but still give the reader the feel that these 4 characters are normal everyday people. He does this through the jokes and humor of 'Tiger', the compassion of Brenda, the confused lifestyle and childhood memories of Doris and the pain felt by Lars due to the death of his wife and daughter. I couldn't help but enjoy It's in the Eyes and look forward to reading it's sequel Eyes of Cold Case Killers.