Finished this sweet, lovely book with a smile on my face and an overpowering crave for dandelion tea. Also, I seriously want to plant a garden filled with herbs and flowering plants so I may experience the magic of hibiscus, lemon verbena, and jasmine. I'm not certain about the effects of such herbs and plants but I can tell you that I did find Memory House to be utterly enchanting. I have always dreamed of owning my own Bed and Breakfast, so Bette's story resonated strongly with me. I love the fact that this bed and breakfast brought an old and young woman together. The bond they shared was as sweet as the dandelion tea Ophelia served. This book, given to me by the author, is my very first completed Bette Lee Crosby story. So enjoyable. In one form or another, Crosby cleverly weaves a tiny bit of each one of her books into Memory House and now I must know more. How do the memories tie each story together? I'm not sure. What I do know is that I'll be reading Spare Change next. Like Annie, I look forward to discovering more about the objects and memories of Ophelia and her Memory House

If you enjoy books by Sarah Addison Allen, you will probably like Bette Lee Crosby's books, too. I know I do. If you can't get enough of sweet southern tales, Bette has three book series to entertain the happy reader.

Memory House Series (Books 1-5)

Wyattsville Series (Books 1-4)

Serendipity Series (Books 1-3)


Bette Lee is an award winning novelist with several stand alone novels. For more info, join Crosby at www.betteleecrocby.com




*I was provided with a DRC of this book by the author. Thank you!

Horrifying. Disturbing. Shameful. Criminal. Murderers. Five words I would use to describe a group of New Orleans police officers so out of control and above the law it's almost impossible to believe. Hurricane Katrina brought out the best in most and the worst in others. I don't care how unprepared, overwhelmed, and overworked the NOPD was for the devastation that Katrina left in her path, NO EXCUSE is ever going to convince me that the actions taken by these officers couldn't have been easily avoided. You had one job and it wasn't to kill innocent victims of natural disaster. I love New Orleans. It's a fabulous place with good, happy folk. This was painful to read. Heartbreaking.



*I was provided with a DRC from Edelweiss for review purposes. Opinions are my own. 

http://media.nola.com/crime_impact/photo/9713292-large.jpg

  The accused are found guilty.

The Danziger Bridge shootings were police shootings that took place on September 4, 2005, at the Danziger Bridge in New Orleans, Louisiana. Six days after Hurricane Katrina struck New Orleans, members of the New Orleans Police Department killed two civilians: 17-year-old James Brissette and 40-year-old Ronald Madison.

Danziger Bridge shootings - Wikipedia

I wish I could say that I loved this story and it entertained me. I can't. The premise was an interesting concept but, in the end, not much different from your average love story. Very little was explained about the time travel and its possibilities. Nothing very scientific to it at all. I'm not big on romance unless there's an interesting plot line. Lots of potential here but I couldn't take much more of the undying love confessions. I never understand stories where lovers fall madly in love in a week or shortly after their first encounter and profess undying love forever and ever. Even weirder here is a young girl madly, obsessively in love with a movie star she has fantasized over her entire life and upon meeting, both feel an otherworldly pull to each other. That meeting occurs when she's twenty three and movie star guy is EIGHTY FIVE. Nah. I don't buy it. Not one moment of it. I'm sorry. It was just kind of icky. The entirety of the book was spent trying to convince me otherwise. Nope. I'm over it. Mildly entertaining.

*I was provided with a DRC from indieBRAG. www.bragmedallion.com

Full review closer to release date. (November 2016)

For now, strange & quirky are words I'd best use to describe this book. I didn't always enjoy the strangeness either. Had its moments. Didn't care much for the characters. In all honesty, I'm probably, definitely NOT the target audience. 

*NetGalley provided me with a DRC in exchange for review.

A beautiful story that revolves around another daughter of the sixteenth century witch, La Lune. This young woman, Opaline Duplessi, is the actual child of Sandrine. For those of you familiar with The Witch of Painted Sorrows, you'll remember the lovely Sandrine, the young woman who became the vessel for the sixteenth century witch. Opaline's story and introduction to the dark arts is just as interesting as her mother's mystical journey. However, where Sandrine welcomed the powers she inherits, Opaline does her best to avoid the magick that flows through her blood.

Rose's latest offering takes place twenty four years after Sandrine's initial encounter with La Lune. Like her mother did years before, Opaline runs away to Paris in order to escape her mother's dark influence. Still, Opaline doesn't escape her magical abilities and finds herself making talisman for the mothers, wives, sisters, and lovers of fallen soldiers of WWI. She has the ability to translate a message from the deceased to a loved one through these talisman which are created with a strand of hair, gold, precious gems and stones.

The story here is wonderful and touching. I almost felt as if I was in Paris during WWI. Rose did an incredible job of setting the scene and making this time period come alive. My only complaint? While I'm certainly not a prude and I can withstand some erotica in my reads, the creepy ghost relationship was a bit much. Just sayin'. I've actually encountered an entity before. (YES! I'M SERIOUS!!)That he was in my house was one thing. The last thing I would have ever wanted was for him to physically touch me!!!! Then again, we didn't quite get along...not even a little bit. He wasn't exactly as friendly as Opaline's visitor was. Anyway, without spoiling anything, that's why this doesn't get the hole five stars. It would have though. I wasn't sold on all of that and it didn't add anything to the story, IMO. What I did love? The Romanov connection. Great intrigue! Overall, another winner from M.J. Rose and the daughters of La Lune. Hope there's another in the works. I even liked this one better than the first. Good stuff.