Book Review: The Day The Music Died

Katie March 19, 2014 0 Comments

The Day the Music Died is a Sam McCain Mystery. Sam is a lawyer, but in a town where there’s more than enough lawyers, he also works as a private eye to try and make some extra money. The title – The Day The Music Died – is of course the reference to the death of Buddy Holly, Ritchie Valens and The Big Boppers deaths. The book starts with Sam going to see Buddy Holly perform – what would end up being his last performance. Sam is a big fan of Buddy Holly but he has no time to grieve the death of his idol because immediately he is submerged into what appears to be a murder-suicide. But Sam thinks that there may be more to it and that the husband did not murder his wife.

Sam ends up diving in to the mystery and tries to figure out what it is that really ended up happening.  There are a lot of interesting characters in this book and it was certainly a good mystery read. I was a bit thrown with the title though – I thought at first that it would be investigating the deaths of Boddy Holly, Ritchie Valens and The Big Bopper – instead of their deaths having just a small part in the story.

This is the first in a series and the rest all seem to have more music titles, I’m sure I’ll check them out in the future if they cross my path. I did enjoy the writing and the story that the book ended up being.

I received a free e-copy in order to write this review.  I was not otherwise compensated.

About the Book
In 1950s Iowa, a murder-suicide forces a lawyer to put aside his rock-and-roll grief

Sam McCain loves Buddy Holly because he’s the only rock-and-roll star who still seems like a dweeb, and Sam knows how that feels. With the unrequited love of his life at his side, Sam drives more than three hours through the snow to watch his idol play the Surf Ballroom. That night, Buddy Holly dies in the most famous plane crash in music history, but Sam has no time to grieve. Because there are too many lawyers in this small town, Sam makes a living as a PI, doing odd jobs for an eccentric judge—whose nephew, it seems, has a problem only a detective could solve. His trophy wife has been murdered, and as soon as Sam arrives, the nephew kills himself, too.

The police see this as a clear-cut murder-suicide, but Sam wants to know more, diving into a mystery that will get dangerous faster than you can say “bye-bye, Miss American Pie.”

Book Review: Taming Romeo

Katie March 19, 2014 1 Comments

Disclosure: I got this product as part of an advertorial.

Taming Romeo is about Evie – a medical student that was off in Boston for school, but returned home to California after having her heart broken and needing to recover emotionally before getting back in the swing of things at school.  When she gets back home she bumps into Romeo – whom she has been in love with since she was a child, but she stood him up at prom and then left for school after that, cutting off contact.  Romeo wants to know why – and it turns out that they both still do have feelings for each other.

Things seem to be going well for the two when someone from Evie’s past shows up and shakes things up a bit.  Will Evie and Romeo be able to survive this? Are they truly in love and meant to be together now?

This was a nice, short book, very well written with a great story line.  Although at times the outcome seemed obvious, there was always some twist or turn with the story that popped up to give the main characters something that they had to see if they could overcome.

Book is recommended for readers 18+ due to mature content. A quick read – coming in at just under 200 pages. Great characters and a great story line!

About the Book

Evie Sanchez is recovering from heartbreak by working at her parents’ Filipino restaurant when in walks Romeo Garcia, the boy she left behind. Only now, he’s a hot movie star surrounded by gorgeous actresses and adoring fans.

Bad boy Romeo Garcia never understood why Evie stood him up at the prom. When he rescues her from a flying coconut in the dumpster, he is determined to dig into her heart for the reason. Their mutual attraction and unresolved feelings ignite in a scintillating night of daring ***, and Romeo shows Evie what she’ll miss the rest of her life if she walks away again.

Evie lands a part as Romeo’s co-star and falls into her role, totally in love. He plays his part, too, with his romantic gestures and skillful lovemaking. But is the fantasy real or revenge? Evie and Romeo are about to discover if their buried feelings will explode in pure delight or utter disaster.

Taming Romeo is a contemporary romance featuring family secrets, delicious food, and hot, steamy loves scenes. Due to mature content, recommended for readers aged 18+

“Second chance love is always the sweetest.” – Jessica Cassidy
“Sexy and funny, a unique take on love reignited.” – Racquel Reck
I received one or more of the products mentioned above for free using Tomoson.com. Regardless, I only recommend products or services I use personally and believe will be good for my readers.