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Do You Believe in Magic? by Jim Melvin

September 12, 2023 By Book Review Matchmaker Leave a Comment

Do You Believe in Magic? by Jim Melvin

“Transcends fiction and fantasy by exploring the struggles of those coming of age.” —Chris Worthy, Upstate Parent magazine

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From the author of “The Death Wizard Chronicles” comes a new adventure suitable for teens and adults.

“Do You Believe in Magic?” is book 1 of “Dark Circles,” a fantasy series for readers 13 and older. This is a great coming of age series for fans of J.K. Rowling, Neil Gaiman, and Brandon Sanderson.

After discovering a magical waterfall deep in the forest, a boy and his dog embark on an epic adventure in a fantastical world filled with monsters and magic.

In the real world, Charlie is a 13-year-old nerd picked on by bullies. But in the fantasy world, he becomes a wizard wielding formidable powers.

Standing in his way is a vile monster bent on destruction.

Only those with a hero’s heart will have the courage to stand at Charlie’s side when the war begins.

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“Be prepared for a full-blown launch into a fantasy realm loaded with magic, monsters, courageous acts, and a dash of sweet romance.” —Chris Harold Stevenson, award-winning author of fantasy and paranormal tales

“If the first book of this new series is any indication, you are in for a big treat and wild fantasy ride.” —Dave Scheiber, nationally renowned journalist and author

“Melvin shows his literary mastery as he weaves elements of potential and transformation.” —Ann Allen, The Charlotte Observer

Dare to Tell by Tara Fox Hall

August 11, 2023 By Book Review Matchmaker Leave a Comment

Dare to Tell by Tara Fox Hall

Urban single woman Jean Bane denies her dreams and ghostly visitations of impending death until a horrific active shooter event clarifies the messages as portents. In the aftermath, more ghosts visit Jean, saving her yet again in a car accident and asking for her to “come to Evergreen Hall”, to “bring it to justice”. Dreading their requests for aid, Jean ignores the ghosts and tries to go back to her former life. But after ghostly interference saves her life a third time, Jean leaves her boyfriend and friends for the small town of Blodgett Mills, to help restore the old estate called Evergreen Hall.
The new owner Carlton Fairhaven IV, real estate developer and recovering alcoholic, has grand plans for the family property, including transforming it into a bed and breakfast capitalizing on the Fairhaven family’s colorful history while downplaying the double series of murders of young girls decades before. But the crumbling mansion has ghosts of its own, many of which have witnessed or committed murder. When local young women began to go missing as they did ten years prior, Jean must decide if she dares to expose the hidden truth that has long festered within Evergreen Hall.

Mercury Rising by J.B. Aspen

April 28, 2023 By Book Review Matchmaker Leave a Comment

Mercury Rising by J.B. Aspen

Midlife—when the magic really begins…
Happy Birthday and hello Mid-life crisis. Hi, I’m Mercury Rodgers and at forty-five I thought life was over. Dead-end job, empty nest…it was just me and the cat starting over. Again.
But when I lost my house and moved in with my pickleball playing, ballroom dancing, super social senior citizen mom—that was the icing on my midlife birthday cake. Then, out of nowhere, my luck changed.
Or so I thought…
I won an all expenses paid trip to the Phoenix Inn. Now the bodies are piling up and I’m a suspect in a murder investigation. But the real surprise is: I’m not just a broke, divorced, empty-nester—I’m a witch.
And the magic is just beginning…
Join Mercury and her cat Mr. Yow, as she discovers her hidden past, murder, and the world of magic waiting for her at the Phoenix Inn.
The mystery begins at midlife…

My Demon, My Jesus by Blue Tapp

April 1, 2023 By Book Review Matchmaker Leave a Comment

My Demon, My Jesus by Blue Tapp

A near-death experience, a botched suicide that worked… then didn’t.

God had another plan.

“My Demon, My Jesus” is a Christian memoir about the author’s struggle with suicidal depression and how she destroyed her demons.

At 30 years old, Blue attempted suicide by swallowing a handful of sleeping pills. Her spirit left her body before she was brought back to life in the hospital. Blue is alive today because God miraculously saved her life. Four angels appeared and helped her call for help before she died.

However Blue’s battle with depression was far from over. She spent the next three years addicted to prescription medication under the care of a psychiatrist. But pills cannot cure depression.

Today Blue is completely free of depression and medication. She has learned the keys to living an amazing life of joy and victory. ”My Demon, My Jesus” describes her healing process through meditative prayer. Others who suffer from depression can follow these same steps to reach true lasting healing.

Blue’s healing was miraculous. But it was not instantaneous. It was a process of learning how to think in a healthy way, how to shift thought patterns and spirit life from defeat to victory. Blue’s journey will help others climb their way out of the trap of poisonous thought patterns and prescribed drug addictions. There are so many people fighting this battle…

Blue’s story took another extraordinary twist in 2019. She began experiencing astonishing visions where her soul was taken to heaven to pray for the world with millions of other saints. Today the visions continue weekly with messages from heaven. God wants us to know that He loves and cares deeply about each one of us. He wants us to know Him intimately. All believers are being called to join with the saints in praying for our world, for a great awakening that will draw multitudes of people to the heart of God.

One of God’s charges was to write everything down, every vision in detail. As she did this, a connection became apparent between the visions and her own life journey, from her early experiences of demonic oppression and suicidal depression to eventual miraculous healing. The visions about God’s love were a message of hope to everyone battling depression.

So she’s told it all… from a demonically oppressed disturbed child who also fell in love with Jesus and prayed to become a Christian at six years old…to a suicidally depressed young adult who overdosed on sleeping pills and was brought back from death in the hospital…to years addicted to prescription drugs…to miraculous healing, victorious life, and divine visions. Don’t miss this incredible true story!

Revamped by SHIRLEY GOLDBERG

March 25, 2023 By Book Review Matchmaker Leave a Comment

Revamped by SHIRLEY GOLDBERG

Vampire Dante Allegretti hates his sucky life. Born into a family of energy siphoners, he’s desperate to reinvent himself as a fun-loving normal guy rather than a crowdsourcing parasite. To stop the draining urges, Dante resorts to grinding alternative meds in an ancient Mortar & Pestle, not knowing it contains magical properties.
Enter wisecracking thirty-year-old Sophie Arley, who lives with her clingy parents. Working three jobs and craving independence, she’s come back strong after a breakdown crashed her cozy world. So when the weird, hot guy she just met-cute asks Sophie to the movies, she agrees.
Sophie won’t spoil their magical connection by mentioning her heartbreak. And Dante dreads telling Sophie about his dark side. Will the power from the Mortar & Pestle guide them to their happily ever after despite the secrets and lies?

First Strike: Keepers of the Universe Book 1 by Angela Haas

March 24, 2023 By Book Review Matchmaker Leave a Comment

First Strike: Keepers of the Universe Book 1 by Angela Haas

Stella Jayne Walsh, New York City’s top-rated trauma surgeon, holds an astounding record. She’s never lost a patient—until the day she does. In that moment, her world shatters, and she’s swept into an adventure that launches her from Manhattan into alien worlds in the far reaches of space.
John “Ryder” Alexander is a handsome rogue and one of the most decorated soldiers in the galaxy—until he turns unwilling mercenary, blackmailed into committing heinous crimes.
Stella is targeted by a woman hell-bent on creating a universe where other women don’t exist and all men bend to her will. Stella and her crew of misfits must stop this villain before she helps awaken a slumbering force of evil.
Can Stella let go of the life she knew and learn to trust her unlikely new team to save everyone—and everything—she loves?

Blood on Their Hands by Bob Brink

March 5, 2023 By Book Review Matchmaker Leave a Comment

Blood on Their Hands by Bob Brink

Little does racist attorney Hiram Garbuncle know the danger he’s getting into when he reluctantly defends a black man brutally beaten by two policemen during a traffic stop and charged with resisting arrest. Plot twists and turns take the reader on a suspense-filled roller coaster ride as the attorney’s negligence causes a mistrial. He then discovers incriminating evidence against the cops, and his new challenge becomes how to keep himself and his client alive pending a new trial. Garbuncle is an alcoholic, and his courtroom remarks and outlandish attire startle the judge, whom the attorney brings to his side in arguing a legal conundrum. His miserly ways cause a tug of war with his burly apartment tenant, who ends up helping with the probe of the cops. But when the woman Garbuncle falls in love with is caught up in the investigation, tragedy results.

Back to GOD, Away from Religion by Gopi Menon

January 25, 2023 By Book Review Matchmaker Leave a Comment

Back to GOD, Away from Religion by Gopi Menon

Have you ever Searched for the Truth about Life, about God, and Happiness? And did Religion ever help you find that truth? If not, you may finally get your answer in this book, “Back to GOD, Away from Religion”!

The book itself describes one man’s soul-searching, Inner Journey for the Truth about Life, God, Happiness and Religion.

After more than six decades of fervent seeking, the author finally realized this great truth:
“All religions are Man-Made, and not God-Ordained! And Since Man is not perfect, ALL religions are Flawed.”

Therefore, religion is NOT the best way to God or to Life. The best way to a happy, fulfilled life is found by looking within yourself and not inside ancient books!

(NOTE: Last year, this book won the Bronze Medal in the 2021 Global Book Awards in the Faith & Spirituality category. This year, it was an Awards Finalist in the 2022 Readers Favorite Awards Contest in the Religion/Philosophy Category.)

Vampires and Villains by Elizabeth Pantley

January 5, 2023 By Book Review Matchmaker Leave a Comment

Vampires and Villains by Elizabeth Pantley

Paige and her joyful Aunt Glo have learned that the home they inherited comes with a magical library. They put together a book club group of loveable kooks to explore the magic. They’ve recovered from their first book journey, and they all agree on their next book which takes place on a cruise ship bound for Hawaii. Problem is, they were so excited about the cruising idea that they didn’t read the entire blurb on the back of the book. (“It was entirely too long,” explains Zell.) Once on the ship, they meet a charming and likeable man who blends seamlessly into their motley group. Too bad they don’t know why he’s so scarce during the day but shows up to join them every evening for dinner, drinks, and a show. When a dead body shows up on board, their new friend is labeled a suspect. Can they help him out by finding the real murderer? Or is he the real murderer? The book club will need to solve the case to get off the ship, out of the book, and back to their home.

Education Aggravation by Leslie K. Brooks

December 23, 2022 By Book Review Matchmaker Leave a Comment

Education Aggravation by Leslie K. Brooks

A retired teacher’s take on our failing education system from the inside. Honest and controversial, Education Aggravation examines the roles of the various actors and elements: students, teachers, parents, administration, politicians, money, media and technology.

What is happening in our schools? Do schools prepare students for “real” life? How? Who calls the shots?

Students advance from grade to grade without learning how to read or decode. How is that possible? Parents have trouble with 3rd grade math. Why is that? Technology is doing the critical thinking for our students. Snap! The importance of lifelong learning needs to be stressed in the households, the schools and on social media.

Instead of throwing blind money at a never-ending fix and just passing students from grade to grade, we need to re-examine our goals for them from the ground up. The student is supposed to be the focus. Only by looking at the cultural dynamics molding our students and using the tools at our disposal (one being our brains) to develop their ability to think on their own can we help them navigate their individual success in an unknown future.