Desert Intrigue: Review and Giveaway

Desert Intrigue: The Adventures of John and Julia Evans, published in 2012,  is the fourth and newest book in this mystery series by author Linda Weaver Clarke, which includes Anasazi Intrigue, Mayan Intrigue, and Montezuma Intrigue.  In this book, the action and mystery center around Julia's brother's dude ranch in Mesa, Arizona.  Kelly, Julia's brother, has inherited this land from his father, which includes a ranch, farm, and fruit orchard. The cast of characters in this book also features John and Julia Evans and their daughters, April, who's preparing for her upcoming wedding, and the irrepressible twins, Sharlene and Faith, as well as several young, "eligible bachelors", some of whom work at the ranch. The  twins visit Uncle Kelly in Arizona to cheer him up and help him out at the ranch, which seems to be haunted.  They are having a wonderful time,  but one too many reported sightings of the (mythological?) Thunder God undermine their security and make them feel uneasy.

"The girls hesitated and then shook their heads. The whole thing was unnerving.  What bothered them the most was how fast the ghost seemed to disappear after being sighted!  Whenever someone saw it, Uncle Kelly quickly hopped on his horse to check it out.  Each time he found nothing.  How did he disappear so quickly if he was a real person?"
~Desert Intrigue, Linda Weaver Clarke

As in other books in this series, Julia continues to have strange dreams, and a sense of foreboding.   Her intuition tells her that something is not quite right, and she's worried about her brother, because his dude ranch, which was flourishing, has seen a dramatic drop in business.  She's not sure what's going on (and neither is the reader), but she suspects that someone wants to sabotage his business.  Julia decides to take matters into her own hands and investigate, and she and John join their twin daughters at Kelly's Arizona ranch in an effort to figure out what's happening.

Desert Intrigue is an entertaining and joyful book, my favorite in this mystery series by Linda Weaver Clarke, which I think would make an excellent TV mini series.  I love the sparks of romance in this adventure--they spice things up and add much interest to the story.  The book has a handful of surprises that I did not anticipate, and the mystery fuels much of the action.  The author includes some of the delicious-sounding recipes mentioned in the story at the end of this book, including chicken salad wraps (made with red grapes and pineapple!),  and Hal's prize winning chili.

Linda Weaver Clarke is generously offering a copy of Desert Intrigue as a giveaway (U.S., paperback, or ebook, everywhere else) to a lucky reader.  Although this book is part of a series, it can be easily enjoyed without having read the preceding books.

• To enter this giveaway, simply leave a comment. 
• For another chance at winning, become a follower of this blog, or let me know that you're already a follower, or that you subscribe in Google Reader.
• For an additional chance, post about this contest on your blog, Facebook, or Twitter.

Enter by 5PM PDT on Monday, May 7. One winner will be chosen randomly and announced on Tuesday, May 8.  Good luck!

Special thanks to Linda Weaver Clarke for sending me her new book, Desert Intrigue.

Montezuma Intrigue

Sometimes when you read a series of books the quality of them seems to diminish as you read further into the series. The first book mesmerizes you, but subsequent books are just not as good. The characters become, well, boring and predictable and even annoying after a while, you don't really care about their antics anymore, and may even decide to quit while you're ahead--and stop reading. It's a bit sad. But Linda Weaver Clarke has done it again. I am charmed by her new book, Montezuma Intrigue: The Adventures of John and Julia Evans, which will be officially released on June 1, 2011, and is part of a larger series which includes Anasazi Intrigue (2010), Mayan Intrigue (2010), and Desert Intrigue (coming soon).

"Machiavelli chuckled under his breath. They were adorable girls, but they weren't saying a word about where they were going. He needed to know their plans. He needed to get his hands on the map." ~Montezuma Intrigue, Linda Weaver Clarke

In the latest book by Linda Weaver Clarke, Montezuma Intrigue, the mysteries continue as this author entrances us with life-like characters and electrifying adventures. The search for Montezuma's treasure is both exciting and memorable. This time, the story took me on a rugged, outdoor adventure with the Evans family in search of Montezuma's treasure, through canyons and ravines and caves, aided by an antique parchment map found in an old wooden chest in the attic. There are also a few romances, and some surprises as well, which kept my reading pleasurable and lively.

This story focuses mostly on the daughters of John and Julia Evans, 19-year-old twins Sharlene and Faith, and 21-year-old April. I think Linda Weaver Clarke's experience raising her own six daughters (truly an amazing feat in this day and age!) has been very beneficial to her in creating strong and lovely female characters who are a pleasure to read about. Additionally, I enjoyed the adventure and suspense in her latest novel, which kept me reading well into the night. The author's writing flows smoothly, and is natural-sounding rather than hoighty-toighty. I also relished the story-telling which takes place inside of this story, which further emphasizes the importance of telling our stories (and hopefully also recording them), keeping them alive for future generations (isn't that why we write?).

In celebration of her new book, the author is graciously hosting a special book giveaway from May 23 - May 31, so be sure to stop by Linda Weaver Clarke's blog for details and to enter.

Special thanks to Linda Weaver Clarke for sending me her book to review. Your comments are appreciated.

Anasazi Intrigue, Mayan Intrigue, and a Giveaway

Having read A Family Saga in Bear Lake Valley, a series of five novels by Linda Weaver Clarke, I felt fortunate to receive two of her new books to review. They are a departure for the author, whose previous books are historical romances (although the new books also include a healthy dose of romance). Published in 2010, both Anasazi Intrigue and Mayan Intrigue are set in present times, complete with busy schedules and cell phones, and tell the story of John and Julia Evans (John is the grandson of one of the characters in the last book of the family saga series). Author Linda Weaver Clarke draws from her own experiences as well as from extensive research in her newest books, which are mystery novels with a central theme: archaeological theft. I don't want to spoil the plots or mysteries from either book, so my reviews below are brief introductions to Linda's latest novels.

"She was a reporter and was supposed to write about the tragedy, but this was personal. Her valley and her friends' homes were being ripped apart. The destruction below wrenched at Julia's heart."
~Anasazi Intrigue, Linda Weaver Clarke

Anasazi Intrigue is the first novel in this series, which begins with a devastating flood that leads Julia, a reporter, to try to solve the case of the poisoned fish and cats. Soon after she starts to investigate, Julia and her husband, John, find themselves in danger, because Julia is "too observant", and the mystery unfolds. The disaster portrayed in the opening of the book is based on the actual Santa Clara/Virgin River flood of 2005 in southern Utah. The author weaves in many fascinating tidbits about the Anasazi Indians and their dwellings, which make the book an interesting page-turner.

"Instinctively, she knew that her life was in danger. Why, she did not know."
~Mayan Intrigue, Linda Weaver Clarke

Eager for more adventures with the Evans, I started to read Mayan Intrigue as soon as I had finished the first novel. In this book, John and Julia venture to the Yucatan Peninsula to take a relaxing vacation and nurture their marriage, which has suffered as a result of John's neglect (due to his work as a knife maker). Julia is also on assignment for the newspaper while in Mexico, and the couple is joined by their bachelor friend, Paul, a dedicated archaeologist. What starts out as a romantic trip quickly turns into a dangerous adventure among the Mayan ruins and jungles, and the vacationers are on the run from thieves--and wild animals! Excitement prevails, and this book is full of mystery and suspense.

Linda's writing is lively and down-to-earth; she has the ability to make you feel as if you're in these stories, along with John and Julia, trying to decipher the truth and escape from harm. Before reading these novels, I didn't know much about archaeological thievery, although I was introduced to artifact theft when I interviewed Linda this past April (please read the interview for more details).

When the third book in this series is published, Montezuma Intrigue, I hope to read it as well, because there are many things I like about these books, including the vivid writing, humor, and suspense, which kept me entertained. But to me what has been most outstanding about this series so far are the characters, especially Julia. She is a feminist in the best sense of the word. Julia is unafraid to go after what she wants; she is an equal partner in her marriage and has an adoring husband and three daughters, and an exciting job as a reporter (sometimes it's a bit too exciting). She's admired by others who perceive her correctly (even by some of the thieves). I think this is important because all too often, men seem to be the only ones admired, in books and in life. Julia is admired not just for her beauty but for her intelligence and resourcefulness as well. Julia's daughters, the twins, Sharlene and Faith, and April, are portrayed as strong young women, and we expect that they will also follow their dreams. They have a strong role model, Julia, and a loving father who is supportive of his wife.


Wonderful news! Linda Weaver Clarke is generously offering a copy of the first book in this new series, Anasazi Intrigue, as a giveaway (U.S./Canada only).

• To enter this giveaway, simply leave a comment.
• For an extra chance at winning, read the first chapter of Anasazi Intrigue, then return here and leave a comment about your favorite part of the chapter, or about what first grabbed your interest while reading the excerpt. The chapter is short and should only take a few minutes to read.
• For an extra chance at winning, become a follower of this blog, or let me know that you're already a follower, or that you subscribe in Google Reader.
• For an additional chance, post about this contest on your blog, Facebook, or Twitter.

Enter by 5 PM PST on Wednesday, December 1. The winner will be chosen randomly and announced on Thursday, December 2. Good luck!

Special thanks to Linda Weaver Clarke for sending me her books to review and for offering this giveaway.