Kid Stuff: "Mister Magic" by Kiersten White

 The Recommender just finished listening to Mister Magic, an absolutely riveting thriller/ mystery!
Once there was this kids' show that everyone who watched it remembered and the six kids who were on it, the Circle of Friends, were like your best friends! But when you try and look it up online there's hardly any mention of it. And what was it called? No one can quite recall. Something with Magic in the title. 
But the good news is... there's talk of a reunion! Even though it's been off the air maybe 30 years, you and everyone you know wants that Circle of Friends to get together again.

Val grew up on Gloria's ranch. She and her Dad have lived and worked there since she was a little girl. Now, she's almost 40. She runs the kid's camp and gives riding lessons and is great with the kids and with their rich parents who she knows how to wrap around her little finger. She has no memory of what she and her Dad did before the ranch. Her Mom is dead. She can't even remember her anyway. She wishes she could remember. 
Then, suddenly, her Dad died. She's helping Gloria with the arrangements when two men show up. Strangers. One is tall and lanky with a beard and glasses. The other olive skinned and elegant. They are Isaac and Javi.  Somehow, she knows them. But how? And a third man enters. He's Black and handsome and is equally thrilled to have found her. His name is Marcus.

If you want to find out who these guys are and how they are connected to Val and what that addictive kid's show was all about, than grab a copy of Mister Magic by Kiersten White, or get the amazing audiobook narrated by Rebecca Lowman and Kiersten White. This is one of my favorite books of the year. Don't miss it!

Deja Vu: "Wrong Place, Wrong Time" by Gillian McAllister

 

Jen is waiting for her teen son, Todd, to come home. It's late and it's almost Halloween and her ill attempted carved pumpkin sits in the window as she watches her son come down the street. She sees him get accosted by what seems to be an older man. There's an interchange between them and next thing she knows... her sweet, funny boy has stabbed the stranger. She calls out to her husband and they rush out to try and help, but, before she knows it, her son is in police custody, there's a man dead and he was the one who killed him! There's nothing she can do to change what happened!
After an exhausting time at the police station, they go home. Jen goes to sleep hoping to figure things out in the morning.
Then she wakes up... and it's like the horrible events of the night before hadn't happened... yet, anyway! What can this mean? Will they eventually go through this occurrence again, or is there something she can do to prevent it?

Gillian McAllister's Wrong Place, Wrong Time is a fast paced, gripping story that will keep you guessing! I listened to the audiobook (thanks to hoopla!) and narrator Lesley Sharp perfectly inhabits all the characters and keeps the tension level high which makes for a compulsive listen, or read! Highly recommended for anyone who likes a thriller with a very different twist!

Fast Ride! "Girls and Their Horses" by Eliza Jane Brazier

 If you've ever wanted a horse of your own then you can relate to the horse crazy goings on at Rancho Sante Fe Equestrian in Eliza Jane Brazier's Girls and Their Horses!
Plus...someone at the barn was possibly murdered! The story follows the investigation alternating with that of a noveau riche  family, the Parkers.
Horse loving Mom, Heather Parker, never got to do all the horse related shows and events she wanted when she was younger, so now that her husband has made a fortune in his business, the family moves from Texas to Rancho Sante Fe, a wealthy Southern California community.

Her older daughter, Piper, was an excellent rider with a future ahead of her but her Mom put so much pressure on her she quit. Now Heather has set her sights on her younger daughter Maple. Joining the upscale Rancho Santa Fe Equestrian center, she pushes Maple, a girl who had been bullied back in Texas, to make new "barn" friends and to learn to ride competitively, something beyond the shy girl's comfort level.

Two girls, Vida, the barn queen bee (or mean girl)  and her follower, Effie, are both encouraged to befriend the wealthy Maple. Meanwhile, Vida's Mom, Pamela, befriends Heather. The Parker's money can only help the Barn and its owner, Kieran.

How these "friendships" impact Maple, Piper and Heather plus the mystery death will keep you guessing until the very end!

I listened to the audio of this book and it was fantastic! Narrator Helen Laser grabs you from the start as she makes all the characters, intrigue and even the horses come to vivid life! Whether you read Girls and Their Horses or listen to it, like I did, I guarantee it's a book you'll be thinking about long after you finish the story!
Thanks to Penguin Random House for access to their audio!