"Rise Of The Elgen" Reads With Lightning Speed & Delivers Early Christmas Gifts "Tied Up In Tinsel" & Ready For "A Winter Dream"

I finished off Richard Paul Evans' electrifying young adult novel, "Michael Vey: Rise Of The Elgen" today. I don't know if Richard Paul Evans intends to write a third installment to the series, but I hope he does!!!!!!!!!! In "Rise Of The Elgen," more of the electric children are introduced, and the Peruvian compound powered by rats is destroyed. And, yes, Michael mother was rescued! Sadly, the Elgen punished Jack by burning his house down! His father did manage to get out safely and went to stay with Jack's sister. It is at her salon that the action begins to unfold, leading Michael, Taylor, Ostin, and the rest of the Electroclan deep into the Peruvian jungle. To say more would be to spoil the story, although I will say that the story ended in such a way as to imply that a third "Michael Vey" book may be in the works! While I spend the next year waiting for this possibility, I plan to solve a yuletide mystery that is "Tied Up In Tinsel." Yes, it is the same one I was supposed to read last year and misplaced! Holed up at Hilary Bill-Tasman's manor estate for Christmas, Troy Alleyn is to paint the man's portrait and, while she's there, view the Druid Christmas pageant. Along with a pack of eccentric guests, Troy enjoys the festivities-- until one of the pageant's players mysteriously disappears into the snowy night. Did the hired help-- each a paroled murderer from the nearby prison-- have a deadly hand in this Christmas conundrum? Inspector Roderick Alleyn arrives to join his wife in finding the lost man- and unraveling the glaring truth from the glittering tinsel. I'm not sure if it will be the last book I read this year, or if I will be able to close out the year with Richard Paul Evans' forthcoming novel, "A Winter Dream." The book is slated for release on October 30! Joseph Jacobson is the twelfth of thirteen siblings, all of whom are employed by their father’s successful Colorado advertising company. But underneath the success runs a poisonous undercurrent of jealousy; Joseph is his father’s favorite and the focus of his brothers’ envy and hatred. When the father seems ready to anoint Joseph as his heir, the brothers make their move, forcing Joseph from the company and his Denver home, severing his ties to his parents and ending his relationship with his soon-to-be fianceé. Alone and lonely, Joseph must start a new life. Joseph joins a Chicago advertising agency where his creativity helps him advance high up in the company. He also finds hope for a lasting love with April, a kind woman with a secret. However, all secrets hold consequences, and when Joseph learns the truth about April’s past, his world is again turned upside down. Finally, Joseph must confront his own difficult past in order to make his dreams for the future come true. "A Winter Dream" is an ingenious modern retelling of the Old Testament story of Joseph and the coat of many colors by the master of the holiday novel. I'd better stock up on some Kleenex! Just reading this summary leads me to suspect that I may need one before the last page is read!