Bonds Books

The Savage
by Parris Afton Bonds

Reviewed by Pamela Ackerson

One hundred willing maids for marriage
Out of the frying pan and into the fire. This adventurous story brings you to Colonial Virginia where Modesty finds herself choosing between being married to a wild man, named Mad Dog, or being burned as a witch. A clash of two willful, stubborn and feisty personalities keeps you turning the pages to find out what they will get themselves into next. A tale worth reading.

[This book is THE SAVAGE by Parris Afton Bonds - whoops! what happened?]

Quote - "The Virginia Company of London seeks one hundred willing maids for marriage to bachelor planters of James Cittie Colony. Maids must be young, handsome, and honestly educated."

Well at 26, Modesty wasn't young and if an hourglass figure and fair features were considered handsome she didn't qualify. But education maybe a valid point.

Modesty's talent very soon got her into trouble and she was soon fleeing London on the boat to the New World.

Jack Holloway, her scurvy boss, soon met up with Modesty just before she was declared a witch by Richard Ratcliff, who objected to her acting as a marriage broker for some of the women.

There was humor in reading her insights into some of the bachelors who came to purchase the bride contracts and how she skillfully manuevered certain couples together.

Modesty figured she would be able to buy her own contract so that she would not have to wed. She soon found herself offering marriage to Mad Dog Jones, who had saved her friend Jack Holloway from certain death. Jack now being an indentured servant.

Mad Dog's consummation of the marriage seemed a bit ruthless but then he had no trust of Modesty or of her shenanigens. He kept a constant eye on her and Jack.

He soon came to understand her need to hide her insecurities and soon developed a passion for her in his bed and in his life.

Modesty learned much of Mad Dogs' gentleness and reclusiveness and came to appreciated what he did for others. But all she wanted was someone who would love her.

Great story of how they live through the Indian visits and raids and how Modesty does finally save Mad Dog's life with her fairy magic.

Great story of Colonial times and HIGHLY RECOMMENDED - Wonderful characters and how they blend into each others lives. Surpriseing match-ups and great ending.

Linda Goodnight writes wonderful, well-rounded characters in this first book in the Love Inspired series, The Brothers' Bond.

The prologue drew me in and gave me compassion for the hero, Officer Collin Grace, as it reveals his history as a child in the foster care system. This helped me immediately understand his aversion to getting involved when social worker Mia Carano seeks him out to mentor Mitchell, a young runaway. After being separated from his two brothers at an early age, Collin doesn't have much faith in anything, especially social workers.

Mia's background is completely different from Collin's. She comes from a large, loving family and has a strong faith in God. This faith gives her the assurance that she can make a difference, even with all the pain she has seen during seven years as a social worker. Mia's persistent personality eventually starts to break down the barriers Collin has erected, and he soon finds himself drawn to her, in spite of his misgivings.

I read this book in one sitting, and can't wait for the next title to be released in March of 2007!

THIS BOOK IS THE MOST WONDERFUL HTHING I'VE EVER READ.I WAS SURPRISED AT HOW GREAT IT WAS.IM ONLY 12 AND NOT EXACTLY A ROMANCE BOOK KIND OF PERSON.I WILL TRY TO READ EVERY BOOK LOVE INSPIRED HAS BECAUSE OF THIS BOOK. I HIGHLY RECOMMEND IT. I COULDNT PUT IT DOWN! ANOTHER GREAT ONE IS "At Home in Dry Creek".SO READ IT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I am only reviewing IMPULSE, the nora roberts entry. I got this book out of the library, where it was a standalone large print.

Thought this is early roberts, it is extremely charming and holds almost everything I love about her books. The heroine is strong, but doesn't know it. The hero is romantic, but diesn't know it.

There is a wonderful backdrop in Greece. There's a bit of the 80's "masterful male" about it, but not too much.

My only problem with the story was that it was short. Well, and they had casual sex. Can't do that these days. But for its length, it was a great read!!

(*)>

IMPULSE by Nora Roberts
Practical Rebecca Malone was having the time of her life. She'd quit her accounting firm and gone to Greece for adventure - so when a handsome stranger approached her, she followed her impulse. Stephen Nickodemus found Rebecca irresistible. She was a woman of contradictions, and he wanted her, in a way no man could safely want a woman: for all time.

RAVISHED! by Paris Afton Bonds
Nelli Walzchak was a take-charge nurse on the job, but her personal life was virtually non-existent. A Mexican vacation changed all that when she found herself kidnapped by a dashing buccaneer who wanted her professional help, then asked her to stay on forever when he learned that what he really needed was her love.

THE ROAD TO MANDALAY by Kathleen Korbel
Workaholic Kate Manion had finally taken a break from her high-pressure job and now sailed the high seas on a windjammer. Devil-may-care captain Jack Whelan melted her icy exterior to find a woman passionate with desire. Could their love be the real thing, or was this just a shipboard romance?

The down-to-earth approach of this book ensures that it is more dense than other guides for beginners. Gets you from knowing absolutely nothing to a level at which you can start reading about technical analysis, read financial papers, annual and quarterly reports. Good 'further reading' tips. Good coverage of bonds. Options and futures are discarded as being equivalent to gambling. Parts about the risks of investing, how to spread the investment, and the role of brokers is a little boring, but this really is a good starter.

The Small Investor is an excellent book to read if you are looking for a complete and basic introduction to the subject of investing. I found the chapters on Professional Help and Selecting Mutual Funds to be particularly helpful. A feature that Jim Gard included that I really appreciate is the "Recommended Further Reading" that is at the end of each chapter. It gives you a place to go to examine the subject in more detail than would be appropriate in a "Primer." This book is ideal for anyone just entering the world of investments. Financial Planners and Money Managers should consider giving a copy of this book to each of their new clients. Jim Hagen

This book is a definite page-turner! C. Bond Dutoit's initial
offering in "The Truth Series" trilogy will definitely leave you
wanting to know the release date of the next installment.

His love of family is evident as we get a peak behind the
scenes into the lives and loves of his fictitious President,
an evangelical preacher, an up and coming reporter and
the astronauts chosen for a mission to Mars.

Yes, the mission to Mars scenario has been played out on
the screen and in literature, but Dutoit takes it a step further.
He forces us to reassess our belief system and how it would
be affected should the answer to questions of scientific
and religious importance be found in a totally unexpected
place...on the red planet.

Although Dutiot's first effort has a few drawbacks, he'll no
doubt have gained his writer's chops as he moves ahead.
And with action taking place simultaneously in various cities
on Earth and on the red planet, you'll want to jump on board
for the fast-paced action of The Truth so you can decide how
your life would be changed should these mysteries be solved
once and for all.

Dutoit has woven romantic trysts, clandestine meetings, personal greed, political deception, cover up, and conspiracy in this science fiction novel. NASA's exploration of planet Mars seeks answers to the age old question of whether life exists on other planets.

Politicians influenced by leading conservative church leaders take steps to insure that reports from the team of astronauts and scientists participating in the exploration will not upset the status quo. The possible outcome of "Project Hope" has far reaching implications for all mankind that will directly impact several powerful political and religious leaders.

Dutoit has skillfully created a whole cast of strong, believable characters that enrich the fast paced plot and subplots of this complex story. NASA team members, a young reporter, an aspiring secretary, a world renowned evangelist, and the president of the United States all play intricate roles in revealing or in suppressing truth. I found myself empathizing with hero and villain alike.

I especially appreciated the underlying theme of the book. The author kept alive the importance of truth in all phases of life. He dramatically provides conflict and drama as his characters face struggles with faith, temptation, and fear in their search for truth.

Chris Dutoit has a colorful imagination and is a gifted storyteller. This is the first in "The Truth Series" trilogy. I am eagerly awaiting the next book in the series.

What a great series to help kids explore their specific passion. Not just for individual homes, but this entire series would be a great set for any school or library. On career day or days where Daddy or Mommy come talk to the class about their profession, these books could be used to expand children's exploration. How about assigning each child an area of interest? Fourth and Fifth graders could do class presentations on a specific career field and dress up in the style of the particular profession.

Of course, these books can also be used for teens and young adults. Kids who like writing will learn there are job opportunities beyond an author or a poet. Careers such as advertising copywriter, freelance writer, talk show producer, paralegal, and more are discussed in detail.

This book and others in the series will help children identify exactly what their interests are and the many types of professions that one can choose to be successful in life. After all, the first step to being successful is choosing to do something you love.

My mom was helping me find books to help me decide a career and we found this book. It helped me a lot! I learned about being an editor, writer, journalist, and many more. It has a great test to help you decide what you really like to do. I definitely recommend this book to any other kids, and also adults, that like to write.

Upon opening SilverFin and skimming a bit through the first pages, it looked like this might be nothing more than a Harry Potter clone novel. But I am a Bond fanatic at times and like to try all aspects of the series, many of which I enjoy.

The prologue of the book brings up an interesting point I think: this isn't the average children's novel. It doesn't seem to be as magical or clean as say, a Harry Potter story is (although it has been quite some time since I last read one of those). I think it finds a niche somewhere between an adult-based murder/action novel and a more toned down Harry Potter fantasy story. I would have liked to see it even more in the direction of the grittier, Ian Fleming styled novels, but this is Young Bond. The eels are a great idea and used effectively throughout the entire story.

The first section of the story, ETON, tells of young "James", (a bit odd not to see it written as "Bond" all the time now) finding his way through school. Higson writes to make him seem like a loner or different than all the other boys at times, but it seems to generally work. I expected a childhood rivalry and/or confrontation(s) to occur, so they didn't really surprise me when they did.

So far at least, Higson has clearly made this his own James Bond, perhaps he has the benefit of not having to follow after Fleming like Gardner and Benson did with the older James Bond we're used to.

SCOTLAND is the next section of the book, and the poorest in my opinion. While Red Kelly makes for a fair ally (he really doesn't seem to be needed all that much), the weakest character by far in the entire story is "Bond girl" Wilder Lawless. Why, oh why, oh why did that horse have to be named Martini? She has little character development and that so called risque passage where she pins down James on the ground is more embarrassing and out of place than...hmm...risque. Stuffing leaves in his mouth?

THE CASTLE, the third and final section of the story is the best I would say. I look at the villains of movies and books as often being just as important as the hero. You need a strong villain to show off a strong hero. At least in SilverFin, we have a fairly good villain in Lord Randolph Hellebore. I'm not going to go deep at all into descriptions about him or his plan due to spoiler issues, but I think he is developed well from beginning to end.

At least in this final section we get to the action, the adventure, and the danger of a James Bond story. His escape from the castle, and the ordeals with the eels are well thoughtout.

The ending may not seem as too big a surprise to readers, it didn't to me personally, but it was still relatively enjoyable. I was pleased to see a change in Bond's actions and character towards the very end of the novel compared with what we see in the first sections of the story.

In the end, it's not a Harry Potter novel. It's darker and more distinct in it's own ways and being a change from the normal continuation novels may help it to become more enjoyable for some fans. We have a relatively good start to this series in SilverFin. Now I'm looking for an even better Young Bond #2 next year.

www.commanderbond.net - James Bond 007 website

In the 1930s in the Scottish Highlands, fourteen year old Alphie Kelly sneaks under a fence that contain dead animals and other keep out trespassing notices to go fishing at Loch Silverfin. However, strange behaving eel attack the lad.

At the same time that Alphie vanishes, James Bond enters Eton after spending the last couple of years living with his Aunt Charmian following the deaths of his parents in a mountain climbing incident. He runs into trouble from the start with an older student, American George Hellebore and the teen's father weapons tycoon Randolph.

James heads to Keithly, Scotland to spend the Easter holidays with his beloved aunt and his ailing Uncle Max. On the train, he befriends Red Kelly who is heading to the same area to search for his missing cousin. In Keithly, James and Red breech the perimeter fence, trespassing on Randolph's property where he is conducting experiments on a super soldier that will eliminate the frailty of those he observed during the last Great War.

SILVERFIN is a fine young James Bond tale in which the lad shows glimpses of the cool spy, but just as often displays young teen bravado to hide a lack of confidence. Thus the middle school audience that this novel targets can believe that this is indeed James during his school years. The investigation is intriguing and Randolph is a solid Bond villain. The Eton chapters set the tone for James and his allies vs. the father and son Hellebores. Fans will enjoy their altercation that makes up Part Two of the fine novel.

Harriet Klausner

I'd write a longer review but there isn't much I could say that hasn't already been said.

I picked up this book after reading a few good reviews on here and thought I'd Give it a try. I usually try to steer away from books with Wizards and Dragons and things that have been used to death, but this looked a bit different and original. I was completely wrong.

The book is full of cliches and overused mythical creatures. In the first few chapters the main character meets hellhounds, a wisp, wizard, magical sword, a top secret book, all around macho man that fears nothing, and a pursuit.

For some weird reason the main character takes it all in stride. For being some farmboy for all his life he wasn't the least bit surprised to see a vine that has animated thorns that move deeper into his hand when he was pricked by one. Meets a wisp, and has no reaction besides asking simple questions. There are endless more examples of the characters not showing correct emotions to the events happening around them.

Im a horrible reviewer but hopefully you understand my point :O .

This book is the first in a very long series that recently concluded, though "prequels" are still appearing. You do not discover until the concluding novel that the basic premise of the book is anti-faith and anti-spiritual. I am not presenting plot spoilers here for those who do not care about religious connotations, but for those who believe in anything beyond the consummate power of an individual ego - please avoid this series and dig into something that resonates with your beliefs. Tolkien and CS Lewis for example. The author uses the word "spirit" and even presents an underworld, magic etc. But by "spirit" he means "lively" as in "a spirited horse".

The other reviewers on this site have given a good overview of the essence of the series, no need to elaborate further. It is pure boilerplate derivative filler for the most part, though there are some compelling characters. However, a key element that we tend to expect from fantasy, a kind of broadening of our horizons, a glimpse at truths and vistas beyond our ken - this is horribly distorted here into a revival of the old hackneyed "loss of innocence" theme. I expect this from mundane novels, F. Scott Fitzgerald and Norman Mailer, not from my beloved fantasy genre.

Please: if you believe in anything at all, skip this series.

Read this book, but then do yourself a favor and stop
and save yourself from a hard fall.
The ending, 'Confessor', most awful ending I ever read in my life!
And worse, bad writing!!!
And worse because many of his books in this series were so awesome.
I really loved most of his books.But...I just read finished the last book last night.I got it from the library. I'm thanking God I didn't buy it.When I got it from the library, I noticed the spine was all broken and torn. I was intending to fix it...but now I realize it must have been because the last reader threw it against the wall.
I was tempted to as well, but didn't.
It was as monotonous and amateurish. Where the heck was his editor??
I should have listened and not read the book and just made up my own ending.

The one thing I think I hated the most was the way he ended it the whole boring slog.... It was COMPLETELY obnoxious.

His theme in most of the books was to protesting religious zealotry. Those in the Order where following some misguided notion that they were killing in the name of the creator and lived under very communistic conditions.

As I read Confessor the preaching and reminding got so irritating I ended up simply skipping pages and pages of 'reminders'.

Through out the series there seemed to be an acknowledged basic natural(and good) desire to connect with the Creator and the spiritual connection in all of us. And that there was indeed an afterlife and he seemed to be pointing out that those killing in the name of the Creator are wrong.

Also, Goodkind spends many chapters explaining the 'theology' of his fantasy world....how magic works and is connected with the underworld etc etc..But then he completely trashes it AND connects his fantasy world to our real world!!! The whole effect was disconcerting and took away from the 'fairy tale ending'...because you know in this ending the Creator is dead, or consigned to some corner and told not to bother anyone ever again.

In the end Richard destroys the entire afterlife for those banished to the non magic world, where he conveniently alludes to those formally of the Order are now the 'building churches'!!! What?)
Not mosques, not temples, not circles...but CHURCHES! (and not just any Churches, but CATHOLIC churches because they use medals and 'talismans'. What?)

Excuse me? Is Terry Goodkind really this ignorant, or is he just another patsy for the secular order that is encroaching with the culture of death? I think both.

Does anyone want a link to pictures of happy young jihadists brandishing the hands of Christians and other kaffirs they collected for allah???? Those of the Order where more like militant islam and the Saracens of history and militant communism and nazi's rolled up in one!! Knowing that as of this minute while I write this thousands of Christians are being executed for 'blasphemy' and oppressed with well documented sharia dhimmi laws in muslim countries or as in communist China's case, having children ripped from their wombs because they value life and would want to welcome a new child among them,...but it's against the godless of laws of china. Or what about the mass graves of Orthodox and catholic priests and nuns from Communist Russia and it's former satellites??

What an insult to those really truly have and are suffering on behalf of the values of life and liberty.

Ugh. I was completely irritated that I even read the series to begin with. I will not bother to watch the TV series.

My advice is save yourself aggravation and money and skip this series.
It's a garden path to nowhere even if slavish anti-catholicism and Nietzschism doesn't bother you, the ending is so horrifically disjointing and boring after so many really good books, you come out of it feeling like you were slapped...hard.

M~

I've been reading fantasy for quite a while, and I decided it would be fun to share my thoughts on debut novels, which is something I'm interested in. Wizard's First Rule is Goodkind's first and his best. I wouldn't say it breaks new ground, but there are several ideas I had not seen before. Richard is a sympathetic character in this story, and the idea of confessors is interesting. I don't think the rest of the books are quite as good, but they are mostly worth reading. (I still have the last three to go.) The good thing is, you can read Wizard's First Rule as a stand-alone and it won't leave you hanging.

I loved this book. When I started reading it I could not put it down. I am now on book 4 and love the series. I usually try to change authors between books in a series to change things up a little but with these books I can not. I can't wait to see what will happen next and have to immediately start the next book. It is a good thing I purchased all 11 books. This is a definate buy even for those who are not fantasy fans. I gave the book to a friend who is not crazy about fantasy books and he loved the book also.

Stephanie Plum is back at it again. Sitting in the office at her cousin Vinnie's Bail Enforcement Agency, she is faced with a mountain of skips that need to be tracked down. Finally admitting that they might need some help, they decide to post a job offer to see if they can get another bounty hunter. Vinnie is off at a convention and Ranger has left to take care of his own business, leaving Stephanie and Lula, the ex-prostitute, to take over the slack.


Stephanie's life gets even more complicated when a woman claiming to be Ranger's wife shows up, waving a 9mm at Stephanie. Not sure how she feels about this new woman, Stephanie is determined to get to the bottom of this.


It seems that Ranger needs her now more than ever. He is being accused of a crime he didn't commit and needs Stephanie to help him track down the real culprit. Ranger's daughter has been kidnapped, and a man impersonating him is out to worm his way into Ranger's life, including his relationship with Stephanie. Just when things start to heat up with Ranger, Joe Morelli, Stephanie's on-again, off-again boyfriend decides to move in to her apartment to keep a closer eye on her.


Stephanie is a great character; she knows that nothing solves a problem quite like a dozen doughnuts! All of my favourite characters make an appearance in this latest in the Stephanie Plum novels. Sally Sweet is back in all his drag queen glory, and Grandma Mazur is out to terrorize the new owners of Stiva's Funeral Parlor. Add in the crazy antics of Stephanie and Lula as they chase down a variety of skips, including a man accused of whacking off in the movie theatre and a 70 year-old woman who works at an adult toy store and this is another crazy Plum adventure. Joe and Ranger are so very different and yet so very appealing, it is no wonder Stephanie has trouble choosing between them. A word of warning: If you don't want some very strange looks as you belly laugh and clutch your sides at the funny parts, you might want to read Twelve Sharp inside!! Add in some very steamy dialogue and this is a fantastic new addition from Janet Evanovich.

Shannon
reviewed for Joyfully Reviewed

The return of Stephanie Plum, New Jersey's sassy and sexy bounty hunter in Twelve Sharp is a climax in the series. Stephanie is back to her fast filled FTA retrieval days when she gets a strange visitor, Carmen Manoso. Carmen is outfitted in head to toe black and carries a loaded gun, but her claim that she is married to Ranger is what really sets Stephanie off. Startled, Stephanie tries in vain to reach Ranger, but he is out of town. When Carmen is discovered executed and Ranger's daughter is kidnapped from Miami, Stephanie is at a complete loss. To make matters worse, Stephanie's archenemy Joyce Barnhardt has joined Vincent Plum Bail Bonds to help pick up some of the criminals at large. Stephanie is worried about Ranger, until he finally shows up at her door and they discover that someone is attempting to steal Rangers identity. Working together and living together with Ranger to try and catch a crazy man on the loose, helps provide some sexy moments. That is until the other man in Stephanie's life, Joe Morelli moves in as well. Trying to help rescue Ranger's daughter and control the tension in her life, Stephanie becomes bait for a killer. The suspense and action will have you panting until the very end, not to mention the sexy scenes. Janet Evanovich, as always also adds some laugh till you cry moments with some of our favorite characters. The storyline is one of the best, filled with the action and suspense yet perfectly paired with comic relief. Twelve Sharp is by far one of the best novels in the series. Valerie Jones [...]

Twelve Sharp is the best of the series. It's full of raw emotion, colorful characters and a plot that grabs you from the first page and won't let you stop until you read the last word. This truly is Janet Evanovich's masterpiece. If you love mystery, intrigue, comedy, all rolled up into one, then this is the book for you. Don't miss out on this one. I bought ten copies myself!!! What better way to hook a friend on your favorite series then giving them a book about Ranger!

Janet Evanovich is one of my favorite authors.
Tweleve Sharp is about Ranger and someone is pretending to be him. The 'second Ranger' has kidnapped Ranger's daughter, and Ranger is wanted. And 'of course' Ranger's goes to Stephanie house for help.

This is one of my favorites of the Plum series because it shows you more of Ranger. ***I'm a totally Ranger fan.***
Stephenie had some 'close' encounters with Ranger in this novel. Stephanie did 'almost' have sex with Ranger. again.

Mortelli moving in with Stephanie when Ranger was there was funny, and when Ranger threatened to kill Mortelli if Stephanie slept with him, while he was there. Priceless.

When Tank got kicked in the balls, and fell down. WaS so hilarious. This is when him and Lula kind of began as a couple.

I loved this novel.

Janet's tight writing, outstanding plot and creepy villain will keep you riveted to your seat as you ignore all outside disturbances because you simply can't put this book down. The sexual tension between Ranger and Steph and Joe is at an all-time high, and both the men are at their sexy best. A strange woman shows up in Trenton with a disturbing story about Ranger, but that's only the subplot to this engaging story that takes off like a shot and never slows down.

The great characters that JE is famous for return, along with a couple of new ones - one I especially liked was the multiplex-dwelling Melvin. Carolyn of Pleasure Treasures will make you laugh out loud, but the scene where Ranger checks out the flavor of the massage oil Steph bought will bring a different type of smile to your face.

Another great book about my two favorite guys. Joe and Ranger. Waiting on the next book Janet..

I have never had a problem with Amazon products before and since I do alot of long distance driving, decided to try audio books. WHAT A MESS!!!
Disc 1 is really 5, 3 duplicates on 6, and so on.
I will be returning this product.

Once again, Evanovich had me laughing out loud. I love her characters. I "know" those people.

Strongly recommend this and the next one!

I really enjoyed this book. I received this book in a very timely manner.

Janet Evanovich is back to the humor between the characters that was missing from the 12th book of this series. I have gotten tired of most writers switching to murder/mystery. After you have read so many, you can guess who did it before the end. That's why I like this authors books.

If you want to be entertained, you like characters that are funny, then you should enjoy reading Lean Mean Thirteen.