Teaser Tuesday (90)

Teaser Tuesdays is a weekly bookish meme, hosted by MizB of Should Be Reading. Anyone can play along! Just do the following:
• Grab your current read
• Open to a random page
• Share two (2) “teaser” sentences from somewhere on that page
• BE CAREFUL NOT TO INCLUDE SPOILERS! (make sure that what you share doesn’t give too much away! You don’t want to ruin the book for others!)
• Share the title & author, too, so that other TT participants can add the book to their TBR Lists if they like your teasers!




Vuto (Kindle Loc. 277-79)
   - A.J. Walkley

I stood up and headed inside, my conscience forcing me to think what I always do and what brought me to Malawi with the Peace Corps to begin with - if I didn't help, then who would?

Seventh Night

A romantic, comic, action, adventure fantasy in which a princess attempts to marry a prince while someone has set out to sabotage their wedding and the resulting alliance.

*May Contain Spoilers*

Iscah begins the real fairy tale with her novel, Seventh Night, which was introduced by The Girl With No Name. When Seventh Night, a young princess, rushes to the kingdom of her betrothed prince, Kaleb, she inserts herself into a horrible situation. Her prince is poisoned and lays sleeping, moments from death. She sets off to find the mythic Sorceress who is said to inhabit the desert with her newly acquired friend, Phillip, and the twin brother her fiance never mentioned, Neithan, in hopes that the Sorceress will be able to find a cure for her prince. 

All four, Neithan, Kaleb, Seventh Night, and Phillip share the story as main characters. Neithan is a quiet and reserved brawny prince who is nothing but fluid, adapting quickly to every situation. He is incredibly reliable and forthright with his morality. To readers, he comes off as a bit standoffish at first glance, but as the story evolves, Neithan becomes the prince fit to be a king. 

Kaleb is the complete opposite. He is flirtatious and charming, apt to strike up conversation and cheer wherever he goes. But he has a darker side, which he hides quite well, even if everything he does is for the good of the kingdom. 

Seventh Night is a princess that isn't afraid to get her hands dirty. Even if it means pretending to be a messenger or dressing like a soldier. She's open to true love and wants her life to be filled with just that. Readers will like her forward-thinking personality even if she does come across as a bit naive. 

Phillip is a melting pot of characteristics. He's brave when he needs to be, intelligent in a tricky situation, thoughtful at all times, and is quickly falling in love with Seventh Night. He not only saves her life (twice at least) but the life of her fiance, Kaleb. He is also the brains behind every idea that turns out good. Readers will enjoy his strength of character and connect with his adventurous nature. 

The plot of Seventh Night begins with Kaleb being poisoned, follows the characters on a trek through the desert to find the Sorceress, and ends with the adventure of saving Seventh Night from a treacherous, deceitful plan. With the style of a storybook, fairy tale creatures, and imaginative adventure, Seventh Night is a novel that awakens the believing child within its readers. 

Rating: 3.5/5 Cups

The Samaritan's Pistol

Even among his small town neighbors, Jim is a content man. Despite the emotional baggage from his time serving in Desert Storm, he successfully runs a ranch, owns several beautiful horses, and makes extra cash as a wilderness guide for wealthy tourists. He's a modern-day cowboy.

That is, until he runs into an ongoing mob-hit while riding in the mountains. Now, his most beloved horse is bleeding to death, three mobsters are dead from his smoking gun, and a wounded criminal is begging for his help. Jim has to make a decision. He can either high-tail it out of there, or accept a tempting offer made by the criminal—a promise of millions in stolen mafia cash for any help he gives.

Of course, only an idiot would turn down such an appealing offer when they’re marked for death anyway. Besides, Jim’s good nature cannot allow him to leave someone for dead, even a criminal.

Soon, Jim finds himself on a trip to retrieve a truckload of stolen money near the Las Vegas strip, right under the Mafia’s nose. But even if they escape with the cash, will Jim’s conservative neighbors provide sanctuary for their local Samaritan, and how far will the mafia go for revenge?

*May Contain Spoilers*

Eric Bishop introduces the Wyoming Rancher lifestyle to that of the Vegas Mafia in his novel, The Samaritan's Pistol. When finding himself in the wrong place at the right time, Jim must save a stranger's life, unknowingly condemning his own. 

Jim Cooper is the main character in this thriller and he has all the qualities to survive the mafia's revenge: bravery, courage, intelligence, and a military service career. He's a rancher in the north who can re-shoe a horse and plan a heist of $30 million; multi-talented would be an understatement. Readers will enjoy his 'to-the-point' attitude and love his good nature. It may be difficult for some readers to connect to his situation but that won't stop them from thoroughly enjoying this fast-paced trail ride. 

The plot revolves around Jim's misadventure into the crime syndicate. After he rescues a stranger marked for death, Jim is convinced to help finish a job the stranger began. With a promise of one-fourth profit. The writing style of Bishop is clean cut and direct. He makes the story easy to comprehend, even for readers who may not understand ranching or read many crime thrillers. Though the dialogue gets a little sloshed at some points, the main gist of the conversation is easily picked up. The end of the novel seems to leave a few loose ends open, but just enough to promise a sequel. 

Rating: 3.5/5 Cups

November Wrap-Up

Didn't get as many books read as I would have liked this month, but with the holidays I guess that's to be expected. My favorite this month was The Girl Who Played With Fire. Can't wait to finish off the Stieg Larsson series soon. Happy reading!