BOOK REVIEW # 2015-149 - THE RELUCTANT SACRIFICE

I received a KINDLE Edition of this book through a giveaway on the internet and the following is my honest opinion.

Decisions, decisions. What decision would you make if you learn you’re the salvation of your people who got banished to earth because of a sibling rivalry on your home planet Aramith? You didn’t choose to be born on the 12^th day of the 12^th month; it had been merely your fate. But this is the fate which has befallen Aubrey.

This book doesn’t start at the beginning of the sibling rivalry which had caused the banishment of the entire Shaw family and their relatives to Earth, it jumps right in where Aubrey is being pursued   because she’s now reached the age where she must now offer her soul in a public sacrifice. And who is pursuing her, to start with off it is Joshua, her former boyfriend, who she still loves. If this is not enough, what would you think if her own father is the one who’s leading the shape-shifting Hawk unit, which Joshua has joined, that is doing the pursuing?

While her father and Joshua might be shape-shifter Aubrey is not without any powers of her own; she’s a jumper who can possess any body and use these bodies to hide from detection. 

To add to the complexity of the storyline the author brings in a love interest, Coy, for Aubrey to get involved it. Coy is a Jekyll and Hyde sort of character, he’s nice and sweet one moment and evil and dark the next.  There’s an apparent connection between this guy’s parents and Aubrey mother which might explain his interest in keeping her safe and out of harm’s way.

This creates a love triangle Aubrey really doesn’t want to be involved. Does she go with the mysterious strange who comes with lies and a lot of secrets, or does gamble with the apparent love she still shares with Joshua? If she gambles with Joshua it could mean the end of her existence. To find out is she lives or dies, you’ll have to read the book.

In this book, Ms. Dempster has once again combined multiple genres into a solid single piece of fiction which is sure to please a wide audience of readers. The book has caught my interest, which is why I’ve giving it 5 STARS.

US:  http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0692511008

UK:  http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/0692511008

BOOK REVIEW # 2015-148 - BEWARE OF THE MOUSE

I received a mobi.file copy of this book through a giveaway on LibraryThing and this is my honest opinion.

When you hear the name Ian Fleming you immediately think of James Bond, but practically everyone doesn’t realized that he’s the author behind the movie Chitty-Chitty Bang-Bang which is based on the children’s book he wrote by the name.

Although Leonard Wibberley had written over 100 books he’s best remembered for the first book in the series which this book is the prequel for, The Mouse That Roared; which is probably due to the movie starring Peter Sellers.

In this book the tiny, backward thinking Duchy of Grand Fenwick is, according to a rascally Irish knight, about to be invaded by the French with a new weapon of mass destruction, the cannon.

As expected, a simple plan to have the Duchy drop their differences with the Irish in order to join forces to defeat the French enemy goes awry when Sir Roger's daughter, the Lady Matilda becomes unduly enamored in the Irish knight who brought the news concerning the French invasion. In the end, somehow, despite their shortcomings, they persevered and defeated the French who promised never to attack the Duchy again; which became the precedent of what would happen to them 500 years later when they decided to invade the US, a time at which they still insisted on using the longbow as their choice of combat weapons.

Once you get by the British dry wit and humor which prevalent in this book and its sequel The Mouse That Roared, you’re left with a wonderful satirical work of literature about the time period these stories takes place.

For the wonderful satirical story the author has written here, I’m giving it 5 STARS.

US:  http://www.amazon.com/dp/1518807763

UK:  http://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/1518807763

STATUS REPORT # 67

I know it’s been about three weeks since I last posted a status report but it’s been extreme hectic around here which started off by my becoming under for almost a week. It was during this time we started to have some problems with the weekend home attendant we had, which meant I had to keep a more watchful on what was happening.

With not having our apartment painted for almost 10 years we felt, despite my OH’s condition, to have it painted. Luckily we found someone who’d move the furniture; take down the pictures, paintings, etc. we had on the walls and then rehang them. While they did a wonderful job, which took 3 days to do, I’m just now finishing putting back everything in place.

Naturally, with all this going on, I had a sudden influx of books from the giveaways I’ve been entering. In addition to which were doctor visits for which I had to arrange transportation for my OH and a wheelchair, the home attendant and myself.

I now have about 6 e-books in my possession to be read/reviewed, 3 recent ones which I’ve yet to receive as well as a few for which I need to send reminders to authors to send me the copy of the book I’d won. During the time since I last posted my status report until now I’ve only read/reviewed 12 books, it should have been a few more.

Hopefully, the rest of this year will be better than it has been so far.

Since it’s THANKSGIVING, from my family to yours, have a happy one and many, many more.

 

BOOK REVIEW # 2015-147 - THE SECOND SEMINOLE WAR

This is the second book [mobi.file/KINDLE] I’ve been fortunate to have won through a recent LibraryThing giveaway from this author’s Native American series and the following is my honest opinion.

One of my best subjects in high school was history where I had about a 92/93 average, and American History was my favorite of all the history classes I had.

In this author’s second book for his Native American History series, Mr. Walker has taken his readers into the longest and most expensive Indian War this country has ever been involved with.

The author takes his readers right into the action in a matter which is similar to the “You Are There” television programs with Walter Cronkite [1953 – 1957] as you meet all the important players in this episode of American History.

As I wrote for the first book I’d reviewed in this series, Native American history has for too long been swept under the rug and forgotten about. Although the historical documentation exists it has, in my opinion, been tucked away in archives gathering dust. I know how hard it is to research a particular event in history, as I’ve helped someone doing research on such an item, and had gone with this individual to Washington, D.C. where I was given access to the stacks of the Library of the Library of Congress for a given range of the LC classification system for books.

It is for this reason I admired the tenacity Mr. Walker had in gathering the information contained in this book and for presenting it in readable form which is missing in most history books. Not only has this author merely given the information pertaining to this tragic event in American History, he has given the readers of this book some insight about the event. This is why I’m giving this book the 5 STARS it so richly deserves.

US:  http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0181M1V74

UK:  http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B0181M1V74

BOOK REVIEW 2015-146 - MURDER IN WISCONSIN

I’ve once again been fortunate to obtain an e-book copy of a true crime book written by this author, Jack Rosewood and the following is my honest opinion.

One would never expect that Wisconsin, “America’s Dairyland,” could also be the home of four of most vile serial killers known to this state? I find it ironic, according to Wikipedia, as to the origin for this state’s name, in that one leading theory holds that the name originated from the Miami word Meskonsing, meaning "it lies red," a reference to the setting of the Wisconsin River as it flows through the reddish sandstone of the Wisconsin Dells. But after writing this book, I have to wonder if it can also refer to the blood of the victims staining the landscape.

Instead of concentrating his efforts, and this time with the aid of fellow author Dwayne Walker writing the introduction, to give us one depraved serial killer, we’ve been given four. While the names of Ed Gein, David Spanbauer, and Walter Ellis might evoke horrific memories to those living in Wisconsin; Jeffrey Dahmer evokes these same memories across the United States.

Mr. Rosewood has given to the aficionados of the True Crime genre of books, a book which cuts to the chase regarding the story of four infamous serial killers from Wisconsin; their lives, crimes, and ultimate capture and trial, as well as what might have been the psychological reason for their depraved behavoir in a very readable and enjoyable manner.

I believe reading one of the books in this series, might get you wanting to read more; it’s happen to me; which is why I’ve given these two authors 5 STARS.

US:  http://www.amazon.com/dp/B01819N7SS

UK:  http://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B01819N7SS

BOOK REVIEW # 2015-145 - A PORTAL IN PARIS

I received a KINDLE copy of this book through a recent LibraryThing and the following is my honest opinion. 

To begin with the author has used British English in the writing of her book, which is understandable since she lives in the UK. While I’ve read/reviewed several books using it; I, for one, didn’t know that the word “BASQUE” is an article of clothing similar to a bodice or long corset, rather than a language/people of a certain portion of France.

There’s definitely a story wanting to be told here but unfortunately the author has made the common mistake of telling her readers practically every event in the story as well as telling them how a character is feeling and what they’re thinking.  In the past I had written items for a community newspaper for a few years so I know this is an acceptable method of telling and presenting the facts related to a particular story.

This journalistic attribute is shown in this book by the author’s dating each chapter and even giving us the time it is taking place. This book is supposedly a work of fiction; however a fictional novel is supposed to create the illusion for its readers being there in the story, seeing and hearing everything that’s happening without actually being told by the author.

Given the above, the best I can give this book is 3 STARS.

US:  http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B015VXE0QU

UK:  http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B015VXE0QU

BOOK REVIEW # 2015-144 - THE BLUE VELVET

I got a DOC.file copy of this book from the author through Marie Lavender’s Halloween Giveaway and the following is my honest opinion.

This is the second book from Kathleen Davis I’ve read/reviewed. I find the vehicle the author uses to have her main character, Emerson, quite interesting, if not unique.

In this story Emerson gets sent to clean the attic as punishment for fighting with her younger brother; cleaning is something she really hates doing. As she cleans she finds a velvet hat, puts it on; she then she immediately feels dizzy and passes out. The next she knows it’s around the year 1895, she’s in a manor house where is she’s ironically Emma, the maid there; Emma is now Genevieve is her roommate there, showing what to do in her new found capacity.

There’s a definite reason for Emerson being there and at this particular time.  After some time she had a gut feeling that something sinister was afoot, and through true grit and tenacity she proved she had been correct as she watched all the culprits involved being led away by the local constable.

She went to sleep that night in her gown, and woke up the next morning in her father’s wearing jeans and a tee-shirt with the velvet hat still in her hands.  Emerson then ran to the attic and saw nothing had apparently changed.

Had her adventure to the past been only a dream; but how could it have been, especially after she found a yellowed envelope in a copy of Pride and Prejudice on the floor and a certain locket at the bottom of the trunk. It was then she realized she’d actually changed her family’s history with this mysterious journey to the past.

I found the writing in this to be quite attention getting once you begin reading it, especially for girls between the ages of 8 -14 which is why I’ve given this book 5 STARS.

US:  http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0989438910

UK:  http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/0989438910

BOOK REVIEW # 2015-143 - FINDING MIA

I received a PDF.file copy of this book from the author through Marie Lavender’s Halloween Giveaway and the following is my honest opinion.

I usually have some difficulty in following adult novels which fluctuate between the various characters’ POV. However, Ms. Sprayberry had done a superb job in using this writing technique in this book.

Mia and Jax had been close friends for many years but never got around to acknowledge it as being a girlfriend/boyfriend kind of relationship.  Each year both of their parents would send them off to Camp WatcheeWatchee as soon ended for the summer. When their parents had missed the entrance to the camp they decided to get to the camp by walking through the woods.

When Jax saw Mia walking he decided to race off in order to beat her getting there, only slowing down after he hears what sounded like a shot in the woods. He arrived first but after she didn’t arrive, Jax reported the situation to the camp counselors. After two days the search got called off, but he felt something was terribly wrong and made a commitment to himself to find Mia regardless of how long it would take. Something did happen to Mia, she had been murdered.

As Mia tries to get to the camp before Jax,she hears a crackling of leaves and snapping of branches, followed a thump on the ground as her vision blackens.

The following summer Jax is back at camp vowing to find Mia, who had been deemed a runaway camper the previous year. However, Jonesy, the senior camp counselor, continuously prevented Jax from his mission to find her.

Meanwhile, Mia has come to the realization to her status as an earthbound ghost, and tries repeatedly to get Jax’s attention so he can come to her at the blowdown her body is located. Once she’s able to get through the invisible barrier which has prevented her from getting to the camp itself. After which Jax is able to lead others to the murder site, and helps to discover the shocking discovery of who the murderer was.

I hope I haven’t too much of the story away as this book is one which is hard to put this short read down once you’ve started to read it.

While I make this book out to suitable for the middle-grade audience of readers, I feel this book will have an enjoyable read for children of all ages, and is the reason why I’ve given the book and the author 5 STARS.

US:  http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B015ZYGQ2Q

UK:  http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B015ZYGQ2Q

BOOK REVIEW # 2015-142 - EMERSON'S ATTIC: SMOKE AND MIRRORS

I obtained a DOC.file copy of this book from the Halloween Giveaway Marie Lavender recently had on FaceBook. The following is my honest opinion for the book.

This is a charming time travel theme adventure about two young girls, Emerson and Sarah, traveling back in time to the year 1905, where they’ve stepped into the shoes of Lily and Faith. Emerson is now Lily who’s a talented horse rider, a talent Emerson doesn’t possess; which is part of the consequences these two out of place time travelers have to deal with.

To solve the mysteries they’ve been become mixed up in Emerson and Sarah must use their 21^st century intelligence to get through the “Smoke and Mirrors” which are confronting them so they can go back to their own time; which is why I feel the author couldn’t have selected a more appropriate title for this book.

While in this book, Ms. Davis has written a very inviting story which is bound to please its young readers by appealing to their interests.  I feel the appeal has been limited to an upper middle grade audience of girls between the ages of 10 and 13, leaving any boy to look elsewhere for an interesting book to read; which is why I’m giving this book 4 STARS.

US:  http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00KJ2VLW0

UK:  http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B00KJ2VLW0

BOOK REVIEW # 2015-141 - THE BALLAD OF THE PILGRIM CAT

I received a KINDLE version of this book from a LibraryThing giveaway in return for my honest opinion.

One of the best ways to teach a young child a lesson is to do it so it doesn’t look like one. This is what the author of this book, Leonard Wibberley has done.

As I read this book while listening to an audio file of the book I could help but sense a meter to the rhyme similar to the books by Dr. Seuss I read as a child. I believe a poem better grabs the child’s interest than it would have if it had been written in prose like any other book.

The book gives its young readers the essence of the history involving the Pilgrims, their landing at Plymouth Rock, Massachusetts, and the harshness they had to endure their first winter there.

For the enjoyable story Mr. Wibberley has told here, I’m giving this book 5 STARS.

US:   http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B016MX4KOU

UK:   http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B016MX4KOU

BOOK REVIEW # 2015-140 - DIVORCE BEFORE 30

I received a KINDLE version of this book from the author in the LibraryThing giveaway he recently had and the following review is my honest opinion for this book.

There are literally thousands of books written by woman authors that dwell on the topic of divorce. The vast majority of these are fictional romance novel, the rest are self-help books written by women, most of whom had personally experienced this traumatic event. Regardless of whether they’re fictional or not, these books are quite poignant in their elicitation of real emotions from those reading it.

In writing his book, Mr. Escoto didn’t pull any punches as he told this portion of the story of his life.  He simply tells his readers the roller coaster experience he’s gone through from being a child, to his teen years and first love, to finding her again to the ultimate commitment a man and woman can have for each other - marriage.

The author is brave enough, as a man, to bravely relate what had caused the downward spiral for their marriage, leading to the death nell known as divorces. At the end of the book, he admits he’d made a grievous error in the relationship he had with the woman who became his wife, the error being rushing into to marriage; and admonishes his readers not to make the same mistake.

While a purist might say the author needs to have his endeavor here totally edited by a profession, I believe the writing errors contained in this book add to the authenticity of the story being told; which is why I’ve given this book 5 STARS.

US:  http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B015CZWRFS

UK:  http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B015CZWRFS

BOOK REVIEW # 2015-139 - PRETTY POISON

I received a KINDLE Edition from the author through a LibraryThing giveaway and the following is my honest review for this book.

If you can imagine a 21^st Century woman getting transported to the late 1800’s, then you’ll know precisely the kind of woman Emily Calvert happens to be especially when you consider the way she acts. Emily doesn’t fit the picture of what demure and proper lady should be acting like at that time, she’s an heiress with an engagement which when sour and is now forced to travel to London to an arranged marriage to Nicholas Avery. When you add in her addiction to Laudanum [a tincture of opium containing approximately 10% powdered opium by weight]; it puts Nicholas is in a quandary as he needs her inheritance to keep the style of living he’s been accustomed to; but after seeing her a few times her decides to look elsewhere, and Emily’s sent away to the country.

Six months later fate steps in when Nicholas and his family travel to where Emily’s been living for a hunting party, he gets infatuated by a beautiful woman not knowing it’s her; she’s not totally different from the way he remembers her back in London. And even though the other heiresses there are literally throwing themselves at Nicholas, he now only has his eyes set on Emily. However Emily is frightened he’ll be like all the other men she’s met, only interested in the money she possesses.

Can the conflict which exists between these two lovers be resolved so there can be a happy ever after in both of their lives? I’m not the type of reviewer who gives away any real spoilers, so you’ll have to read this 5 STAR book yourself.

US:   http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B014RWFCUO

UK:   http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B014RWFCUO

BOOK REVIEW # 2015-138 - MARTIN BRYANT - THE PORT ARTHUR MASSACRE

I received a KINDLE copy of this book from the author through a giveaway he recently had on LibraryThing and the following is my honest opinion.

Being the person I am, especially before becoming a Book Reviewer, I would normally shy away from books of this genre. But, now, after reading a few of Mr. Jack Rosewood’s books in this series, I’m hooked and eagerly await the next installment and hope for another giveaway.

Unlike the rest of the books in this series the author has shifted his attention from the U.S. to the “Land Down Under”, Australia; and instead of writing about a serial mass murderer, he’s written about Martin Bryant.  One of the most gruesome aspect of this individual is his reign of terror wasn’t spread over a prolonged period of time; the period of time had only been nearly 24 hours during which he’d killed 35 individuals, most of whom were tourists, and had wounded 23 more.  And to this 28 year old psychopath it didn’t matter whether they were men, women or even children.  This incident has become of one of the worst cases of mass murders in the history of Australia.

Mr. Rosewood has once again taken his readers to the frontline where he writes in a “you are there” writing style which includes information about the murderer’s psyche which might have caused him to commit this heinous act. 

Once you read this book you might become interested in this genre of True Crimes the way I have and the other books written by this author, which is why I’ve given this book 5 STARS.

US:  http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B01771PK8G

UK:  http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B01771PK8G

STATUS REPORT # 66

After beginning to read the last book I had on my TBReviewed file on October 28, 2015 I decided to take of few days rest from the grind of reviewing books. It had been a relatively quick read, so I’d finished reading it in a few hours and decided to write my review later in the day. However, reveling in the fact that my review file had been decimated I forgot about the posting of my review.

When Sunday, November 1^st came I knew I had to post something about the massive giveaway The Romance Reviews was having during the month of November which I’m involved with, I noticed I’d neglected to post the missing review. I wrote the review in WORD and then posted it in the all of the internet websites I usually post in, plus my two blogs.

It had been shortly after this I began to get hit with a double whammy, a stomach virus and swollen gums, needless to say I was in no condition to be able to concentrate on any book review or really anything else on the internet, and deleted the emails which I knew had been unimportant. When I felt well enough to resume my usual daily routine I found I now have about 12 books on my TBR list, which meant entering these books onto the spreadsheets I use to keep track of the books I’m reading/reviewing. Now I’m left in sort of a quandary as to which to read first so I can get through this backlog in the shortest period of time.

Please join me at TRR “YES PARTY” I wrote about this past Sunday.

A GREAT GIVEAWAY EVENT !!!

I'm giving away 1 e-book copy of my MG/YA Paranormal romance novel, "I Kissed a Ghost" at this event. There are many great romance authors giving away copies of their books.

So Please Join Me There !!!

Here's the link: http://www.theromancereviews.com




Here's the link: http://www.theromancereviews.com 

BOOK REVIEW # 2015-137 - THE BISHOP, COMEDIANS, PROFESSOR, BROTHEL , , ,

I received a paperback edition of this book through a LibraryThing giveaway from the author and the following is my honest opinion.

The back cover of the book proclaims it’s the best since P. G. Wodehouse. Since there’s no mention of this British humorist’s name, I’ve got to assume he had been the biggest influence in Clifford J. Hearn’s wanting to write in this genre. However, I don’t think it had been the actual stories which had been the actual influence, but the televised stories on British television; that along with the British television Ripping Yarns [Michael Palin/Terry Jones from Monty Python’s Flying Circus], the author had watched as a child in London.

That said, this author’s short stories share an almost identical look at life itself, poking fun at society and those in it, with what P. G. Wodehouse had written.  Each of Hearn’s stories, like Wodehouse, are a snippet, although somewhat disjointed, of the lives of his characters.

If you’ve watched the British comedy series Wodehouse Playing or the Ripping Yarns series written by Michael Pallin and Terry Jones [Monty Python] on PBS television [which I have when I’d been considerably younger] or the BBC, then you’ll know what to expect in this book. My laughter ranged from a mere groan to a belly laugh.

If you’re not into the British sense of humor, reading the stories in this book might take a little getting used to; but once you do, you’ll find this book quite an enjoyable reading experience. Please be aware the author uses British terminology and spelling of words at times.

As a whole I totally enjoyed reading this book, which is the reason I’ve given this book 5 STARS.

US:  http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00ZSC9F9C

UK:  http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B00ZSC9F9C