Acts of Love Update

Acts of Love, my second published book, has been available as an e-book for several months. It will soon be released in paperback.

A brief description:

Acts of Love is a cozy mystery/ romance, featuring Amanda Reed, an aromatherapist with two cats and a secret past. Her love interest is homicide detective Santiago Yazzi (Yazz), a man with Apache, Chinese, Italian, and Navajo ancestors. The story is set in fictional Dos Rios, at the southwestern tip of Arizona, a land that Yazz's forebears tamed. Drugs, murder, and kidnapping rip open the shameful pasts kept carefully concealed by Amanda and Yazz, forcing them to forgive old and new betrayals before they discover the secret love hidden deep in their hearts. Amanda and Yazz are supported by a mixed cast of characters, including Naomi, a saucy retired nurse; Quincy, an organic farmer; and Lily, a feisty octogenarian.

Excerpts are on my web page:

http://cassandrabarnes.com

Click on "excerpts" in the navigation box. Since Acts of Love is my second published book, you will need to scroll down the page past A Perfect Body to get to the excerpts.

Another Great Review for Perfect Body!

Cherokee, award-winning reviewer for Coffee Time Reviews has posted a great review of A Perfect Body, and rated it 4 cups.

http://www.coffeetimeromance.com/BookReviews/aperfectbody.html

She ends with this statement: "All the players are crafted in such a life-like form that this reader felt as if she was right in the middle of a real event going on in this delightful read. "

That definitely gives me the warm fuzzies!

Terrific Review of A Perfect Body

Fennel, of Long and Short Romance Reviews, has posted a terrific review of my third novel, A Perfect Body, and rated it as a "best book."

It's at http://longandshortreviews.blogspot.com/2009/08/perfect-body-by-cassandra-barnes.html

I worked long and hard writing A Perfect Body and it's very gratifying to receive reviews such as Fennel's.

A Perfect Body is currently available in e-book form, including Kindle, but it's tentatively scheduled for release as a paperback in 2010.

Sanchona's Review of Acts of Love

Acts of Love was my second published novel.

Australian author Sanchona (A Family of Strangers) wrote the following review:

"Ms Cassandra Barnes has published a new novel, Acts of Love which tells the story of Amanda Reed, who has made a new life for herself in a small town where she has cultivated a large group of close friends. Then two murders shake up the community. Amanda and her friends rally around to help the family of the victims. It is in this chaotic time that Michael, the son Amanda had regretfully abandoned for his own good years ago, shows up at her door. There is no great reunion. Michael resents his mother, but has only looked her up for the sake of his son, who has recently been diagnosed with cancer. Michael is hoping that Amanda, as the grandmother, might be that compatible bone marrow donor to save his child's life. Acts of Love deals with the question of hard decisions some people make based on love that call for personal sacrifice, then years later, they wonder if they had made the right decision. Cassandra Barnes is to be congratulated for skillfully weaving into this theme a budding romance in a murder mystery that is then complicated by a family conflict. This appealing novel makes easy reading. I look forward to her next novel."

A Perfect Body Accepted for Publication

I'm pleased to announce that my third novel, A Perfect Body, has been accepted for publication by Write Words, Inc. It's scheduled for release on June 1, 2009 as an e-book.

A Perfect Body is a contemporary sweet romance.

Description: A bundle of contradictions, Madeleine Andrews doesn't play well with others, yet is a devoted volunteer. Luke McFarland is a successful people-pleaser, burying his own desires beneath an ever-present smile. Theirs could be the love affair of the century, but first they have to learn to like each other. She thinks he's insincere and a phony. He thinks she's arrogant and difficult. And that's just the start of their problems.