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Saturday, December 22, 2012

The Valley of Silent People


The Valley of Silent People by Greg M. Sarwa

Joe is a grieving husband.  The sudden loss of his wife Sally was a tremendous blow to him.  No good explanation could ease his pain.  Not only that, but his daughter Rosie is in a hospital in a coma, with no hope of recovery.

Sally’s father, Pete, tries so hard to help Joe, but Joe cannot let it go.  Pete gives Joe a letter Sally wrote, which only confuses him even more.  Joe loved Sally so, and would do anything for her.  Pete tries to get Joe to remember his trust for Sally, and her final request for her husband.

Without giving away the ending, it is a must read.  Great suspense, depth of emotion for feeling for Joe, adventure and so much more.  You’ll want to keep reading until you get to the end.

My complaint lies with the conversion to Kindle.  There is nothing more aggravating than to have the page number, book title and author from the written text in between the Kindle version.  In addition, there are space and missing letters in words.  Finally, the first letter of each chapter was a few lines below mixed in with the text.

After Midnight, A Denver After Dark Suspense


After Midnight, A Denver After Dark Suspense by Kathy Clark

We all know the life of a street cop is dangerous, and when one of your own go down, it is devastating.  But what if you watch him go down in front of you, and you are also wounded?

Officer Sam Morgan was out on his usual patrol with a ride along when they stopped to try to get a hooker off the street corner.  When his backup arrived, a friend in the force, the pimp emerged out of the darkness and things went out of control.

The hooker, who really was an actress, Kate was in shock at what she witnessed, especially when the ride along took a gun and fired at the pimp, killing him.  When Kate heard the sirens, she blended into the background in an effort to get away unnoticed.  Concerned for the wounded officer, she went to the hospital the next day to check on him.  What little they saw of each other sparked a romance that neither would own up to for fear of being hurt.

But who was this pimp, and why did he shoot to kill?  Sam was determined to find out.  Along the way, his desire for Kate increased, but she seemed to be a magnet for trouble.  Someone tried to run her off the road, break into her apartment and other circumstances that should not continue to happen for no reason.  The more Sam digs, the more he finds out, and the more their relationship blossoms.

As the story unfolds, you will begin to put together who is the cause of all this, or at least have your suspicions who it is.  While the detailed intimacy between Sam and Kate could have been scaled back a bit, it does show their desire for each other.  Minimal amount of characters make it easy to follow, but also easy to play detective yourself.  Great detail for making you feel like you are there, seeing all they see, doing all they do, feeling all they feel.  Good who-done-it for those who like a good mystery.

Becoming a Superhero


Becoming a Superhero by Oliver Galang

Oliver was one of 4 children born to parents from the Philippines.  He was lucky to be born in the United States, or was it more unlucky?  He was also a military brat, as his father was proud to be in the US Navy, even if he was only a cook.

All Oliver’s life he was never the most popular, in fact, he was usually considered the nerd.  But all his life he wanted to be a superhero and help people.  Knowing he was not born with any superpowers, he likened himself to Batman, having to work hard to become a superhero.

His parents loved him and wanted only the best for him, as well as his sisters.  Moving from one base to another, he never really made friends, but the relationships with his sisters was like any sibling relationships, some closer than others, but always together no matter where they traveled.

As Oliver grew older, he was determined to work out to build his body strength on his way to becoming a superhero.  Unfortunately, he always seemed to make the wrong choices, or choices that would irk his parents, although he did attend college and did get a Bachelor’s Degree in Business Management.  But he never put his business sense to good work.  Instead he did not succeed well in his jobs, but found gambling was very profitable, and watching strippers was something he loved to spend his money on.

His life continues in the same pattern, gambling and strippers, and bad relationships.  Seems like some people never grow up.  Sad to think it’s based on a true story.

Very nice detail of the family and their relationships, along with nice detail of where they were stationed.  Interesting mix of characters along his life, from bullies to strippers to shrinks.  The story flows along nicely from his early years on through his life.

My one complaint is the conversion from print form to Kindle.  It is very annoying to continually have page numbers from the printed version intertwined with the Kindle text.

Friday, December 7, 2012

Deadly Chaos


Deadly Chaos by Annette Brownlee

What father gives his daughter, Annie, the nickname “Chaos”?  A girl who has had trouble, pain, hurt and death follow her all her life.  Her mother died while she was young, and anyone she ever got close to ended up hurt in some way, even though it was unintentional.

Even an act of fighting off an attacker who tried to rape her, ended up dead.  And Bill was not happy with her.  Dead Bill decided to haunt her.  She ran hoping to run away from him, only to find he followed her everywhere she went.  Running to a different state, she met a group of people with special abilities to speak with ghosts, spirits, etc.  Even though a hunk of a man, Dakota, was someone she felt she wanted to get close to, she knew based on past experience not to let anyone get close to her.  Her new friends tried to convince her otherwise, that it was not her, it was her necklace that was cursed.

Chaos went along to see how her friends used their special abilities, even though she didn’t really believe in ghosts.  But Dead Bill kept tormenting her, forcing her to trust in her friends.

While most of us have a hard time believing in something we cannot see, the author makes it easy for you to believe.  A minimal amount of characters, but each plays an important part in the story.  Easy to follow, the chapters flow right into each other.

If you like friendship, relationship, romance with a mix of ghosts, spirits and the paranormal, this is a book for you.  Looking forward to reading the next in the series.

Aisha: The Search for Yaser Abdel Said


Aisha:  The Search for Yaser Abdel Said by Denis W. Schulz

Bernard Piffy is a private detective hired by a couple of guys from a Joe’s Bar & Grille and Gun Club to locate Yaser Abdel Said, a taxi driver who killed his two daughters then fled the country.  What Bernard thought was going to be easy, ended up anything but easy.  Along the way he met Asma bent Marwan a 7th century poet, with strange abilities.  Abilities like being able to travel through a portal to another time/place, or the ability to turn Bernard into an eighty year old man or a ten year old boy, who met Aisha.

Aisha is also ten years old, but her father beat her.  Aisha called her father Ahmad al-Mohammed, however, when Bernard saw him, he was Yaser Abadel Said, the man he was hired to find.  Holding to the ongoing theme, if it can go wrong for Bernard, it did.  He was thrown in jail numerous times, attacked and beaten and even broke into the Archbishop’s residence.  After meeting Aisha, he was determined to save and rescue her, in addition to finding Yaser, who kept eluding him.  Along the way, Bernard also meets so many unusual characters, and a few thugs determined to harm him.

Good mix of characters, although Aisha is a very minimal character.  While the story flows nicely and is easy to follow, it becomes tiresome as Bernard continually refers to himself as the ex-champion bronco buster and calf roper, in addition, constantly comparing himself to Mike Hammer and others.  We get he isn’t perfect and is determined, but is repeated too much, move on with the plot, not the comparisons.

Saturday, December 1, 2012

Malevolent


Malevolent by David Searls

What evil lurks in the deepest, darkest shadows of your mind?  What kind of evil can bring out your biggest fears?  An evil that you cannot see.  Would you think you were going crazy if you were accused of raping a woman but can’t remember a thing?  Even though you see a video of yourself doing the crime?  But when the police view the video, there is nothing about a rape on it.  Griffin Solloway thinks he is losing his mind.

Luckily, a caring person, Tim Brentwood, with some prodding from the police detective Melinda Dillon, befriends Griffin.  Poor Germaine Marberry, the victim of the rape, and her family are starving themselves to clear the area of those who sin, according to the minister, Vincent.

Laney, the ghost spirit, constantly prods her not dead husband he must kill again.  But who is her husband?

The more Tim and Griffin talk and hang out, the more strange things become.  Everyone’s biggest fears seem to be coming to light, but only in their eyes.  No one else sees what they see.  The more Griffin tries to prove his innocence, or others try to prove his guilt, the more evil and strange things become.  Luckily Tim and detective Melinda work together to get to the bottom of the crime, and eventually the cause of all the evil.

Great mix of characters and great writing to keep you turning pages to see what happens next.  You feel for each of the characters as they struggle with their fears.  While I enjoyed the book, and would recommend it to others who like suspense and mystery, the transfer to a Kindle version was poor.  It is very bothersome to have page numbers, author name, book title and website randomly appear during your text.  It made for a slower read.

Blue Rose in Chelsea


Blue Rose in Chelsea by Adriana Devoy

Haley is an intelligent girl and was granted a full scholarship to an Ivy League college, something her family could never have afforded.  So when she decides to quit school so she can experience life instead of debating with other intellectuals, her protective brother, Dylan, is not happy, but because he loves his sister, he agrees to let her come and stay with him.

Haley meets all his friends, including Evan, the near perfect guy that just seems to take her breath away.  Everything Evan does seems to be perfect, so why is it that they just can’t seem to get together?  Haley also makes her own new friends, including Sinclair, who tells her like it is, and not to give up on Evan.  Travel along with the gang as they go about their lives, Dylan trying to become a musician, and Haley trying to become an author.  While Haley gets a job as a nanny, Evan is getting acting offers and needs to leave.  Haley is heartbroken that they will never be together again.  Evan surprises Haley for her birthday when he comes back to visit.  Haley’s job as a nanny causes her harm and Evan tells her she can stay at his place.  Thinking they are moving in together, she is happy, until Evan tells her he is leaving to go home to Texas.

With support from Sinclair, Haley continues her life.  Without giving away the ending, do fairy tales always come true?  You will have to read to find out.

While the characters are unique in themselves and you can imagine each one of them and their own personalities, the story itself seems to go at a slow pace for the most part, only a short amount of time goes by.  Then the last part of the book, so many things happen but in many years of time, almost as if the author was trying to hurry up and wrap everything up to finish the story before it became a book so long no one would want to read it.  Overall a good read if you like romance.

A Mediocre Man


A Mediocre Man by A.K. Hill

Francis Humbleton was a plain, ordinary man who was very precise and punctual.  He lived his life very simply but on a schedule that he did not veer from.  “Friends”, if you could call them that, were few, and enemies did not exist.  So why would someone murder him?

Detectives Smith and Johnson were going to find out.  Each chapter is written as a day, what the detectives did each day, trying to solve the case.  Chapter One, day one, they went to the back where a meticulous Mr. Humbleton worked and met his colleague Fiona, who told them what she knew about him.

The story continues on each day, learning more about him with each passing day and each new person they met.

For a murder mystery, you would not expect the bit of humor that is written in, but that is what makes it unique.  Quite the mix of characters that will tug at your heart for Mr. Humbleton and his ways.  A quick read but worth it. 

Tymurs


Tymurs by Scott Bartz

Tymurs is not your typical book with a cast of characters and a plot.  Yes, it does have a plot - the death of innocent people from taking a simple medication.

This is a story about the Tylenol murders back in 1982.  The FBI gave this case the code name “Tymurs”.

Had it not been that more than one person died from the same location, and the cause found to be the Tylenol capsules, we might never have known to research this farther.  Yes, they were all from the greater Chicago area, but it seemed by pure luck the cause of their deaths was found.

Yes, there are a cast of characters, including the 7 people who died because of the poisoning on Tylenol capsules.  There are people from Johnson & Johnson, the processing facility, the warehouse and shipping facility, the local police and  the FBI.  Then add in all the media.There are so many people involved it is hard to keep track, but rather easier to read with where they are from, not who they are.

I would also suggest reading with two bookmarks, as at the end of each chapter, there are pages of notes with sources and further reference.

Definitely a very interesting read and I would recommend it to everyone.

Saturday, November 10, 2012

Friends with Partial Benefits


Friends with Partial Benefits by Luke Young

Rob and Brian are college roommates and best friends.  With spring break approaching, Rob plans on spending time with his girlfriend, but Brian is hurting over a girl he just met.  Rob brings Brian to his home that he grew up in.  Rob’s mother, Jillian, is a romance author and has done well for herself, nice house, pool and tennis court, but she is divorced and hurting in that area.

While Rob goes to meet his girlfriend, Jillian plays hostess to Brian.  Jillian’s friend and neighbor, Victoria, comes over in her itsy, bitsy, nothing left to the imagination, extremely tiny white bikini.  Brian happens to see out the window and gets a rather excited.  When Brian is sleeping, Jillian goes to check in on him, and she gets rather excited.  

Jillian and Brian sit and talk about tennis for what seems like forever to them.  They find they can talk easily to each other, but each other wants more than to talk.  The story goes on about what they want to do with each other, and Victoria with her fearless enthusiasm prompts Jillian to go after what she wants, no matter the age difference.  You’ll have to read for yourself to see what they decide their “partial benefits” is.

Quick, easy read with just enough attention to detail without going overboard to keep the reader entertained.  Small cast of characters also make it easy to follow.  While you may feel bad for Brian and his broken heart, he seems to know how to rebound.  A bit of humor mixed in with the heat of passion.  This goes a bit farther than the student/teacher crush scenario.

Blind School


Blind School by John Matthews

Tracy seemed like your average teenager, loved to listen to loud music alone in her room, etc. until one day she took her father’s rifle and killed him, then proceeded to go to a local coffee shop and started shooting more people.  The odd thing was the someone was able to see an apparition surrounding her.

When Ellis Kendell from the FBI talked to some of the people in the coffee shop, only Ryan told him about the apparition.  Ryan’s friends all thought he was crazy, but Ellis knew better.

Ryan is not the only teenager who can see these special images, these fallen angels, and Ellis knows it.  Ellis takes Ryan and other teens to a special place, called “Blind School” where they are told they now need to wear special sunglasses all the time, and can never tell anyone about their special gift, not even their family.

These fallen angels are no longer good, and there are so many of them out there.  They shoot, they destroy, they kidnap, they kill.  Only these special teens can help to stop them.

Definitely a worthwhile read if you like mystery, suspense, thrills and the good vs. evil plot.  Although it is a Young Adult book, anyone can read it.

The Nose Knows


The Nose Knows by Holly L. Lewitas

The story of Dr. Hannah Richards, a psychotherapist, as seen through the eyes of her dog, Spunky.  Spunky and the cats of the house take care of Hannah, a widow whose husband died unexpectedly, or at least unexpectedly for a human, or as Spunky put it, passed over the “Rainbow Bridge”.  Spunky and the cats, however, have great senses, especially smell.  They knew her husband was dying.  Unfortunately, Hannah did not.

Hannah had a traumatic event while she was in a counseling session, and it caused her a great amount of fear.  Years of shutting out the world took quite a bit of work for Jacob and his dog, Quincy.  The friendship and support became a strength for Hannah, until another session caused trouble for not only her, but her patients as well.

Anyone who has dogs and/or cats can relate with how Spunky tells the story.  You can imagine the conversations between animals, their plotting, their love, their guardianship, their moves and their actions.  You’ll also learn how each of the animals came to a part of the household, Hannah’s kindness, love and concern for others.

Humor with a bit of sympathy for Hannah for her emotions of the death of her husband and her fear of going back to work in an office with her patients.  You’ll laugh with the animals and feel for Hannah and her patients.  You’ll turn the pages helping solve who is this mysterious man and why is he bothering Hannah and her patients.  Your inner voice will arise.

Saturday, November 3, 2012

Tyrker's Tale


Tyrker's Tale by Robin Ingle

Leif and Tosti are the sons of Eirik.  Tyrker is a slave of Eirik, and it is job to take care of the boys, in addition to his other slave duties.  He teaches them swordsmanship and tells them tales to keep them amused.  In addition, they usually visit Runa, the cooks assistant, who gives them small treats.  In a time and place of slaves, it is usually best not to anger your master.

Very short quick read, almost like an essay.  This could actually be an opening chapter for more to come, rather than it’s own story.  While the characters blend well, it needs to be expanded more, with a bit more of a plot.  Overall very good, but you leave wanting more.

Sunday, October 28, 2012

The Rx Factor


The Rx Factor by J. Thomas Shaw

Ryan Matthews was a brilliant man, trying to develop a cure for ovarian cancer, which his wife had.  Jordan Carver also wanted to help others with their diseases, but was tired of the red tape and bureaucracy of the FDA and others.

When you have a loved one, how much are you willing to spend to lengthen their life?  Would you be willing to spend millions of dollars, or go to clinics outside of the United States?  For those that have the money, yes, yes, they would spend whatever it and do whatever it takes.

If you are a major drug company, how far are you willing to go to see others fail?

This story is chilling to see what lengths people will go to be rich and powerful, for whatever their reasons, or for “the greater good of mankind”.  So many characters in such different levels of society, all interacting in some way or another.  Murder, mystery, suspense, cover-ups and a great who-done-it (or actually who is in charge and making the decisions).  Page after page of non-stop reading that you just can’t put down.  Definitely a must read.  Even if it is a fictional writing, you can’t help but wonder how much could be true.

Grim



Grim by Joseph Spencer


Heath Grim was by all means a beast.  A war veteran with scars on his face, he was rarely seen by any without his mask.  His best friend, Craig, had been dead two years, but they continued to have conversations in Heath’s head.

Detective Adam White, the White Knight, was the savior come to town, arresting those criminals and making the city streets safer for all.  Unfortunately, Cyrus Black was not a fan of the detective, most of the city was on his payroll or under his rule in some form or another, including Mayor Terry Sandburg.

When murders began happening again, similar to those from years ago, the White Knight kept on fighting crime, especially when his wife was killed by what was called an ape mask.  Heath Grim also fought for justice, but in his own way.  And Cyrus Black repeated said “What Cyrus wants, Cyrus gets”, no matter how or who gets in the way.

Heath has his own past that the reader gets to know, a not at all pleasant past.  Vengeance has a price, but who is willing to pay that price, and what price for your soul?

Good mix of characters, each with their own secrets and past.  Keeps the reader turning the pages to see how it is all connected.  Although not too graphic or gory, it is a story of the deepest and darkest of souls.

Scutchamer Knob


Scutchamer Knob by Keith David Cooley

Set in England in the sixties when a different sort of music was happening, and so were the drugs.  Three friends who like to play music meet George and Cyn, and a new group if formed.  During their trials, practices and rehearsals, the story moves with how they get along, and don’t get along, but with a mysterious murder of a young girl at the Knob.  A strange individual comments along the way with obeying his “Master”, never quite knowing how he fits into the story, or who he is.

So many characters of all sorts, the rich George who likes everything his way, the individuals like Trevor, Terry and Roy who just wanted to play music together, the hippies, the drug dealers, etc.  The story works well with them learning with each other, seeing things evolving with the music changes that were happening in the 60’s.

Not until the end do you learn who the mysterious individual who serves his Master is revealed.  Very detailed about the feel of the music and the feel of the drugs, and how they sometimes play a role with each other.

Tuesday, October 23, 2012

Corktown



Corktown by Ty Hutchinson


If you are a fan of Ty Hutchinson, here’s another great read.  If you don’t know Ty Hutchinson yet, you should read this one.

FBI Agent Abby Kane is good at her job.  So much so that Detroit has asked her and her partner Agent Trey Wilkinson to come and help solve a series of murders that are happening in the city.  A series of murder that have the same M.O. as murders that were done years ago, except that they had convicted someone for those, and he was serving his time in prison, so how could he be doing these new murders?  Is it a copycat?

This is not a who-done-it, as the reader finds out who is responsible for the murders early on, just the detectives don’t know who did it.  This is a why, how and how far does it go?  Work along with Abby and Trey as they try to find out the killer.  Everyone turn they take seems to be shot down, previous files with no notes, no one willing to talk to them about the truth, if they are even still alive.  How far does this go?  As Abby was told, this is bigger than you can imagine.

Short chapters make it an easy read, but you’ll want to keep turning the pages to get to the end.  You’ll feel for Abby and every move she makes.

Saturday, October 20, 2012

Flame Moon


Flame Moon by K.J. Jackson

Skye was suddenly awakened by a hulk of a man.  Only problem was, she had no memory.  A bad case of amnesia left her not knowing who she was, where she way, why she was or how she came to be by a river.  After a time, bits and pieces of fragments of her memory came back, a stabbing, being underwater with her sister and nearly drowning.  With the help and support of Aiden, the hulk of a man who rescued her from the river, Charlotte and Triaten, they helped her deal day to day to try to remember her past and learn about the place she was now in, where things and people are not what they seem.

A good vs evil, Gods and Goddesses story.  Not too many characters, so it was easy to follow, but written for you to understand each of them.  Right amount of descriptions to picture you are right there with them.  Just enough suspense to see if Skye ever learns who she really was and why the warrior training Aiden was teaching her.  Very minor spelling/grammer/structure issues.  Without giving away the ending, overall a very good read.

Two Weeks in the South of France



Two Weeks in the South of France by David Christie


Murder, mystery, a wife in the United States and a girlfriend/mistress in France, who resembles the wife.  When Chris gets a call from his mother he needs to go to France to claim the body of his father, a father he barely knew, he finds he knew even less about him the more time he spent there.

A very wealthy man and business partner, Mark Voss was murdered in his hotel room, all because various groups were searching for a document he had been paid to find.  A document that could potentially ruin the lives of numerous people.  Luckily, Chris has the help of his father’s business partner, another very wealthy man with a lot of connections.

In the process of trying to find who killed his father was why, Chris is nearly killed himself.  Everyone is trying to keep his safe, telling him to go home as soon as the funeral arrangements are completed.  But Chris is more determined than that.  Spend the two weeks with Chris and find out the truth.

Very good who-done-it.  What was this important document, although you are never told how it came to be in his possession.  Certain parts seemed to be skimmed over, while others went into great detail.  Good mix of characters, even I was not sure who to trust, expecting twists and turns along the way.  Very minimal grammer/sentence/missing words structure that could have easily been corrected.  Although unrealistic that this could have been solved in such a short time frame, it was still an enjoyable read.

Tuesday, October 9, 2012

Guillermina and the Rose


Guillermina and the Rose by Don Cush

Robert Nielsen was to be on a business trip.  When the meeting needed to be postponed, he decided to spend the day in Tijuana where he had visited once before.  What he saw that day changed his life forever.  The orphanage run by nuns, called the Casa, was such a place of horror.  Children living in near squalor, very little clothes or food, and nothing but work, chores and schooling all day, or so Bob thought.  One special little girl, Guillermina, a very sickly girl, brought life back to Bob Nielsen.

Who would have thought an orphanage run by nuns would be a front for child pornography and prostitution.  Never in Bob’s wildest imagination could he have thought this.  After bringing a friend of his to visit the Casa, his friend warned him there was more going on than meets the eye.

After learning some of the truth, Bob decided he wanted to legally adopt Guillermina, and found a way to do so, no matter what he needed to do.

What a thoroughly heart-wrenching story.  Living in middle class American, we know there are those in the world who are in dire need of food, clothing, medicine, etc.  But what Bob chose to do to is more than what most of us would do.  The story has you pulled in from the very beginning.  The characters are so unique, both good and evil.  the writing puts you right there with them.  A must read for all.

Wednesday, September 26, 2012

The Door Beneath


The Door Beneath by R. P. Momsen

The Door Beneath

10 year old Alex and her 8 year old brother thought they were going to their Grandmother’s for a magical Christmas holiday.  Magical is exactly what they experienced.

After arriving at their Grandmother’s house and settling in for the night, they awoke to a mysterious sight.  Being inquisitive youngsters, they followed what they saw, only to be amazed.  Beautiful scenery, talking animals, castles that could not possibly be as large as what they seemed from the outside.

They meet a Baron and a Prince and are treated with the greatest of kindness in every way.  They have been taught to be kind themselves and find they are the key to solving a devastating problem.

Written through the eyes of the children, you can imagine their surprises at every turn along the way.  Very good young adult read.  My only problem was the transfer to an e-reader version was the page numbers appeared mixed in the text.  Otherwise, a nice fantasy read.

Saturday, September 22, 2012

Light & Dark: The Awakening of the Mageknight


Light & Dark: The Awakening of the Mageknight by D. M. Fife

13 year old Danny is a typical boy of his age.  Not the most popular kid in school, but has some good friends.  Starting his new school year for the 8th grade, a new girl in school, Sabrina Drake, catches his attention.  Danny and his friends like to play a card game called Knights, which had 3 factions, Light (good), Gray (neutral) and Dark (evil).

After fighting in school one day, Danny has detention and needs to stay after.  Once relieved from detention, he starts to leave school but is sidetracked with an earthquake type shaking and strange noises.  He could never have imagined what he saw in the schoolyard - a dragon fighting a shadow.  He soon discovers the dragon is the new girl in school and the card game is actually a battle that exists in life.  Danny has a special power that allows him to “see the light” and he must choose if he wants to ignore this gift/curse or help defend others.  He chooses to help defend others and goes through training to learn how to fight, along with some of his school friends.

In the spirit of good vs. evil, the Light vs. the Dark, Danny and his friends learn many things in this faraway land, along with the typical who do who believe and trust and who not to.  Danny and his friends learn quite a lot in their first year as squires.

Very well written, flows nicely and keeps you turning the pages to see what happens next, with a great mix of characters of all sorts, humans, elves, etc.  This is a good read for young adults, as well as adults, the way the Harry Potter series was good for all ages.  This is a story that may not have left you with any sort of a cliffhanger, but definitely has the potential for more adventures for Danny and his friends.

The Lost Pearl


The Lost Pearl by Lara Zuberi

Who could ever imagine that one event could have such an impact on so many things during the course of your life?

Nine year old Sana lived with her family in Pakistan.  They were a happy family living the perfect life.  One night, before Sana’s eyes, someone killed her father.  Her father, a loving man who would always pass along “pearls of wisdom,” was loved by everyone.

Within one year, Sana’s mother remarried to a man Sana could not accept as her father.  Sana, even though still a child, moved to California to live with her aunt and uncle, who treated her as their own.  She continued through school and went to college to major in journalism, where she met Ahmer, and fell in love with him.

Eventually, Sana discovered who had killed her father.

Are you the type of person who would hold the hatred felt towards the killer and seek revenge in some way to come to that person?  Or are you the kind who was taught to forgive, and would you be strong enough to actually forgive that person?  And forgive yourself for what you think you have caused to yourself and those around you?

Learning to cope with a tremendous loss can be one of the hardest things anyone ever has to do.  See how Sana grew up to become someone her father would have been very proud of.

Very well written, as your emotions will feel as if you are Sana.  Good mix of characters.  My own concern was that the Kindle version did not transfer well from the written text.  The page numbers and the author’s name kept interrupting the story, making it slightly difficult to read.  All in all, I thoroughly enjoyed the story and would recommend everyone to read it.

A Potion


A Potion by Sandeep Patel

Although a good story line, not very good translation for those reading in English.  Some sentences had either words missing or not the way someone from the United States would read.

Written in sections as if creating a recipe or experiment.  The first is to introduce the characters (the ingredients), the dragon Joule and the Master who live in a castle and the people of the other lands.  Next is how the people are working toward launching someone into space toward another land in order to find a way to help the people survive what is sure to be death, (the utensils).  This theme continues as you read the remainder of the story, how the character, Sainapat, is launched to the new world, how he worked towards contacting the people of his previous world and how he worked with the people of his new world to survive their impending doom.

Very descriptive of the lands of all the worlds, and great explanations of galaxies, planets and stars.  The characters are very believable and you can imagine yourself with any of them.  Very good read learning how to work with each other and how others deal with the difficult possibility their planet is nearing oblivion, not giving up hope, but fighting to survive.

Saturday, September 15, 2012

Tripoli's Target


Tripoli's Target by Ethan Jones

I am happy to say I am one of a privileged few to have an advanced copy to read and review.  I hope you all are as excited as I was to read this great book.

It’s time to travel with our Special Agent in the Canadian Intelligence Service, Justin Hall again.  First, we froze with him while he was saving the world in the arctic in “Arctic Wargame”.  Now, in a cruel twist of fate, or maybe his boss, Claire Johnson, just has a sad sense of humor, we now travel to the heat of the desert in Tripoli.

Justin Hall and his partner Carrie O’Connor have been sent to Tripoli.  As in any good spy thriller, you never know who you can trust or what to believe.  Ever since 9/11, the world has known suicide bombers and the devastation they cause.  What was the mission this time?  More land rights, control over oil, assassination of a world leader?  Why does Justin always seem to be in the middle of the action, or the cause of it?  Justin reminds me of a James Bond character, always trying to do the good thing, but always seems to take the worst in a fight.

Every turn Justin and Carrie take is met with difficulties, from every side possible, including their own organization.  Who to trust, what to do, in an effort to keep the world leaders safe in their meeting, even if it means disobeying direct orders and taking on the enemy by themselves.

Will Justin save the day again?  Travel along with Justin and Carrie and you’ll imagine yourself sweating along with them as the author does a great time of the descriptions of the areas they travel.  You’ll have to read for yourself and see if Justin survives the heat of the desert, and the heat of the enemy.

On Amazon.com


Sunday, September 9, 2012

The Stolen Chalice: A Novel


The Stolen Chalice by Kitty Pilgrim

In the world of art and artifacts, everyone knows how priceless theses items can be.  What kind of a person would want to steal not just one item, but numerous items, located in numerous place, at the same time!  A mastermind?  A criminal, obviously, but what would you do with them since you cannot resell them?

The Stolen Chalice takes you into the world of the rich, the middle class doing their jobs, and the hard working lower class.  But who is in on the theft?  This type of heist needs so many involved in so many levels.

Travel the globe with archaeologist, John Sinclair, and an assorted cast of characters.  Written in great detail, you can imagine yourself there with them.

While the story is easy to follow and the chapters switch from one character/location to another, somewhere along the line, the theft of the chalice becomes a minimal point, while the other items take the forefront.  Well written and a definite page turner, I would recommend it for everyone looking for travel, adventure and some thrills.

Wednesday, September 5, 2012

Inside the Glass


Inside the Glass by L.E. Teigland

Inside the Glass is the story of a child.  A timid boy named Peter Smythe, who never knew his father because he was a fireman and had died two months before Peter was born.

His teacher, Mrs. Flood, assigned the class to write an essay about their father.  How was Peter to write about someone he did not know?

Coming home from school, he sat on his bed when a clock fell and hit him on the head.  To his mother, he looked unconscious, but in Peter’s mind, he had fallen through the pages of a book.

In his dreams he went on journeys with his rabbit friend, Dave, and a man similar to the image of his father, Ponce de Leon.  They traveled through time and places, always meeting the same people in various forms, especially “Big Boy”, the bully of his real life school.

“Things are not always as they seem” was a phrase someone had said to him, and as he traveled through the mixed up pages, Peter did learn a lot.

Without giving away the ending, you will enjoy traveling along with Peter and his friends.  Written in very good detail, you can imagine the places he travels and the people he meets.  Great cast of characters and an easy to follow story line.  A quick read to be enjoyed by everyone.

Sunday, September 2, 2012

Unsinkable Mister Brown


Unsinkable Mister Brown by Brian David Bruns

A true love story!

How many men would take a vacation and travel thousands of miles to another country to visit a woman he only knew for three days?  How many men would give up their job to begin a new life on a cruise ship?  That’s what Brian Brown did.  Bianca lives in Romania but works on a cruise ship where life is hard work and long hours.  Brian fell in love with her and was willing to give up everything to be with her.  Unfortunately for him, things don’t always go as planned, and he could never have imagined how hard it would be to work on a cruise ship.  But true love conquers all, and through every obstacle thrown at him, Brian was determined to be with Bianca.  Cruise ship after cruise ship, he kept on going, waiting for the time when they could be together for more than just their vacation time.

Excellent descriptions of numerous places around the world, you can imagine being there with them.  Great cast of characters of all sorts, family, friends, co-workers and those determined to make life difficult.  You’ll be rooting for Brian all throughout the story.  But you’ll need to read it yourself to see if love conquers all and they finally end up together or not.

Tuesday, August 21, 2012

Carved in Memory


Carved in Memory by Ethan Jones

This is definitely a short story, you can read it during your lunch break.

But that doesn’t mean it isn’t worth it!  Justin Hall is an agent in the Canadian Intelligence Service.  He awakens to realize he is hanging upside down in a cell.

In an effort to try to escape, he considers all his options.  After being terrorized and tortured, he decides to use his knowledge of his captor’s son’s disability and tries to get his tormentor to aid him in an escape.

You will have to read it yourself to see if he succeeds.  But this will keep you wanting more.  The story ends way too soon.

Luckily, Arctic Wargame has a teaser included, so you will be able to get more.  But be warned, you’ll want to read Arctic Wargame too!