Amityville House of Pancakes, Vol. 3 / Pete S. Allen (Ed)

Reviewed by: Arthur Graham

Genre: Humorous speculative fiction

Approximate word count: 85-90,000

Availability
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Author:

Gary K. Wolf is the Hugo-winning author of Who Censored Roger Rabbit?, an obscure novel adapted for the big screen in the similarly titled (if better known) 1988 film. Jehane Baptiste (a man “who has known many priests in the course of his career”) joins Wolf to co-author his first published work of science fiction.

K.M. Praschak’s work has appeared in Star*line, a science fiction poetry journal, and Jigsaw Nation, a short fiction anthology.

Paul Kane is a widely published writer and teacher. The Hellraiser Films and Their Legacy (McFarland, 2006) is one of his nonfiction efforts.

Description:

Amityville House of Pancakes (“AHOP” to the initiated) is an anthology of humorous speculative fiction first released in 2004 by Creative Guy Publishing. This 3rd volume from 2006 features three medium-length works from the above-mentioned authors.

Appraisal:

The UnHardy Boys in Outer Space relates the foibles of two unlikely heroes on board an international space station in the not-too-distant future. A perfect odd couple by any other measure, novelist Michael Henry and Father Jack Edwards are nevertheless drawn together by their shared love of science fiction, suggesting interesting parallels between the two authors (Wolf & Baptiste) and their chosen protagonists. Equal parts comedy, bromance, and action adventure, this first offering from AHOP 2006 bears a satirical resemblance to the popular teen novels referenced in its title.

Praschak submits Paragon, a space opera drawing heavily from the well-worn conventions (some might say clichés) of that particular genre. All of the expected elements are here (bony-browed aliens, sentient machines, doomsday scenarios, etc.), and fans will find the service fair enough. Unfortunately, however, the story suffers from mediocre presentation at points. While not poorly written by any means, it lapses into bland description and wooden dialogue often enough to pale in comparison with the two tales sandwiching it. Further displacing “Paragon” was its overall tone, which was serious enough to make me wonder why something so incongruously heavy was selected for a humor anthology in the first place.

Dalton Quayle and the Curse of King Tuti Fruiti (Kane) represents an episode from the continuing adventures of the title character and his colleague, Dr. Pemberton. In this campy caper, the duo is hot on the trail of a recently escaped mummy. Over the course its telling, the author lays down enough puns to build an entire pyramid (or at least a “pun”ctilious base), but they rarely grow corny enough to take much away from the otherwise snappy banter between our intrepid investigator and his bumbling sidekick. Droll, tongue in cheek humor abounds throughout, and frequent references to previous Dalton Quayle adventures add quite a bit to the story despite providing only a minimum of context.

As for the collection itself, I’d love to give it higher marks overall, but the uneven quality of the stories and the lack of any real cohesion between them (the running commentary feels tacked on and half baked) left me longing for a more fully realized experience. I’ve not read anything else from the AHOP series, but despite my complaints here, I must admit that I do find myself curious what the others have to offer.

FYI:

Some mildly suggestive humor, UK slang/usage.

Format/Typo Issues:

No significant issues.

Overall rating: *** Three stars

Initiation / Imogen Rose

Reviewed by: BigAl

Genre: YA/Paranormal

Approximate word count: 90-95,000 words

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Author:

Globetrotter Imogen Rose is Swedish by birth, went to college in London where she received a PhD in immunology, and is now a Jersey girl. After her eight-year-old daughter insisted she write down her stories, Rose wrote the first of her Portal Chronicles series and decided to let it out into the world. The response was so positive that she’s continued with three books in the series. at least one more planned, and started two other series. For more, visit Rose’s website.

Description:

The first book in Rose’s Bonfire Academy series. This new series ties into the Bonfire Chronicles series, of which Rose has one book thus far, Faustine.

Initiation could be considered a prequel to Faustine as that book takes place after Faustine’s graduation from the Bonfire Academy. This book introduces us to several students, including Faustine, at that exclusive private school for paranormals near St Moritz, in the foothills of the Alps, and takes us through their first year.

Initiation has been picked as a Red Adept Select book. These are books that “stand out from the crowd” among those edited by the team at Red Adept Publishing.

Appraisal:

Think about the average high school, full of hormonal teens pushing all the limits set by those in authority (I had to dig deep into my repressed memory to remember. If I can do it, so can you.). Now give those teens paranormal powers that they are still learning to control (not unlike those hormones in humans). In fact, learning about their just emerging powers — how to control them, and how to put them to the proper use — is the reason the Bonfire Academy exists. With werewolves, vampires, shape shifters, and wanderers, along with various hybrids, life at Bonfire Academy is even more complicated than a regular high school.

Although Initiation focuses on Faustine, who Rose fans will know from the book of the same name, and Cordelia, an older student assigned as Faustine’s mentor, the book has enough other characters who play major roles that it could easily be viewed as an ensemble cast. It appears the Bonfire Academy series will be a prequel to the Bonfire Chronicles series. Those who haven’t read Faustine should have no problem understanding, while those who have will meet a younger, less mature version of Faustine along with an earlier glimpse of a few characters they’ll remember from Faustine.

With Initiation, Rose introduces a series that should be a hit for fans of YA Paranormal (a demographic that seems to include as many adults as teens). She has laid the groundwork for at least two more books in the Bonfire Academy series and the possibility of many more in the Bonfire Chronicles series.

FYI:

A small amount of adult language and a small amount of relatively mild sexual content (implied, rather than explicit). Nothing a typical high school student won’t hear in an average school day.

Format/Typo Issues:

As a beta reader I evaluated based on a pre-publication version and can’t evaluate the final version in this area.

Rating: ***** Five stars

Double Agent / Sean Sweeney

Reviewed by: BigAl

Genre: Thriller

Approximate word count: 125-130,000 words

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Author:

Sean Sweeney lives in Massachusetts, where he covers sports for the local newspaper. He has written several novels. This is the third in the Jaclyn Johnson, code name Snapshot thriller series.

Description:

After a bombing of the Las Vegas Monorail narrowly misses killing the President of the United States, CIA Director Alexandra Dupuis sends her top agent, Jaclyn Johnson, to find out who is responsible and stop them from committing additional terrorist attacks.

Appraisal:

The Jaclyn Johnson novels partially follow the same formula as Ian Fleming’s James Bond, novels with their overblown villains and sexy protagonist with a toolkit full of futuristic tricks-of-the-trade. By moving the setting to the future (albeit, just a few years) and making his protagonist a female, Sweeney has added his own twists to the formula. Rather than communists and megalomaniacal psychopaths with the goal of world domination, Sweeney gives us villains who are religious fundamentalist terrorists or megalomaniacal psychopaths with the goal of world domination. Sweeney’s heroine shows her humanity and the chinks in her armor much more readily than Fleming’s Bond. Where Bond’s only nod to human frailty is an apparent sexual addiction (offset by his superhuman ability to bed a series of unbelievably beautiful women), Johnson makes mistakes. While she tries to hide it, she has doubts. And as for her sexuality, her upbringing stunted her development in this area, which is just starting to catch up to her peers in this third installment of the series.

In a thriller, the plot matters more than the character, and Sweeney has put together a good, fast-paced plot full of the usual action, weapons (including the infamous WOMTD aka weapons of mass transit destruction), and technological tricks. But what separates one thriller from the next is the characters. While I’d rather be James Bond, I’d much rather know Jaclyn Johnson.

FYI:

Some adult language and sexual situations.

Format/Typo Issues:

As a beta reader I evaluated based on a pre-publication version and can’t evaluate the final version in this area.

Rating: ***** Five stars

How the West was Weird / Various

Reviewed by: BigAl

Genre: Western/Science Fiction/Paranormal/Short Story

Approximate word count: 50-55,000 words

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Author:

Multiple authors: Joshua Reynolds, Joel Jenkins, Ian Taylor, Thomas Deja, Mike McGee, Barry Reese, Ian Mileham, Derrick Ferguson, and Bill Kte’pi each contributed a story.

Description:

“Nine original tales of the weird, Wild West.”

Appraisal:

Although one of the stories is futuristic and set in space instead of the historical Wild West, the environment is still not unlike the old west (it does deal with rustlers). Most of these stories are set in the old west and are at least marginally in the western genre. However, each has something more, whether a paranormal twist (vampires and zombies make appearances) or a supernatural element of some kind. None of them is going to be mistaken for Zane Grey.

Although it has been several decades since I last read something in the Western genre and many would claim the genre is dead (despite John Locke’s Emmett Love Western series proving there is a market among Kindle readers), I was surprised how much I enjoyed this. As you can expect with an anthology, some of the stories resonated more than others, but the strange genre blending was weird in a way I liked. If you like westerns or paranormal, taking a walk on the weird side should feed your normal craving while adding a little of that spice that some call variety.

FYI:

Some adult language.

Format/Typo Issues:

No significant issues. 

Rating: **** Four stars

His Wife for a While / Donna Fasano

Reviewed by: BigAl

Genre: Romance

Approximate word count: 50-55,000 words

Availability
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Author:

A bestselling and award-winning author of romance and chick lit, both under her own name and as Donna Clayton, Fasano has written over thirty novels and sold more than 3.5 million books in her twenty-some-odd year career. Fasano lives on the Atlantic seaboard, and loves to go to the beach whenever she can, although actually getting in the water where creatures live is a different story. For more, visit her website.

Description:

A strange but ironclad condition in his grandfather’s will means Ben Danvers must get married or he’ll lose the family business. With the deadline rapidly approaching, Chelsea Carson approaches Ben with a win-win solution, a temporary marriage. If he’ll agree to her simple terms, she’ll get what she wants and Ben can save the business. A great professional arrangement for both, as long as love doesn’t enter the picture.

Harlequin previously published this book under Fasano’s Donna Clayton pen name. It has been updated, expanded, and re-edited for this Indie re-release.

Appraisal:

I’ve been pleasantly surprised to discover the diversity of character and plot possible in romance novels, despite the constraints of genre convention. Even though you know the hero and heroine will end up together, understanding the hurdles they must overcome and how they stumble their way to the happily-ever-after ending is entertaining. In the case of the better authors such as Fasano, they often provide insight or new perspectives into the human condition. His Wife for a While explores some of the things that get in the way of love blossoming and the importance of communication. If there is any truth to the cliché that “love makes the world go round,” I guess it makes sense that the quest for love in romance novels could help our understanding of the world.

FYI:

Some very mild sexual content.

Format/Typo Issues:

The review is based on a Beta copy. I can’t evaluate the final product in this area. 

Rating: **** Four stars

A Light to Starve By / Axel Taiari

Reviewed by: BigAl

Genre: Paranormal

Approximate word count: 8-9,000 words

Availability
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Author:

The creator and co-editor of Rotten Leaves magazine (an online literary magazine), Axel Taiari’s short fiction has appeared in many magazine and anthologies. For more, visit the author’s website.

Description:

This dark novelette imagines a time in the not too distant future when vampires and werewolves are “hunted like rabid dogs.” A vaccine, which most people have received, makes their blood poisonous. What’s a poor, starving vampire to do?

This novelette was previously published as part of Eternal Night: A Vampire Anthology.

Appraisal:

It seems vampire tales are everywhere these days. Sometimes they are almost like “one of us” (maybe even prime boyfriend or girlfriend material), while others they’re the enemy of humans. In A Light to Starve By they are the enemy, yet it is much different because the protagonist is a vampire, setting the reader up to sympathize and root for him – not because he is, or despite him being, a vampire, but due to his human qualities. Taiari does a great job in quickly acclimating the reader to his imaginary world, and ramping up the action to the story’s conclusion.

FYI:

Some adult language. Although the author grew up in Paris and I would assume English is his second language, nothing offered a clue that this was the case. His command of the language is on par with (and better than many) native English speakers.

Format/Typo Issues:

No significant errors

Rating: **** Four stars

#OWS (or how to get "The Book" for free)

I'm sure most of those who follow BigAl's Books and Pals, regardless of where you live are familiar with the "Occupy Wall Street" movement and the many localized movements patterned after it in cities and towns across the US. Even my little town of 60,000 has an Occupy encampment on the grounds of the local university. I'll refrain from taking a stand, for or against the movement here. 


However, I got an email from author M. Clifford a few days ago asking me to help spread the word about a chance to get his novel, "The Book" for free. He explains why he is doing this on his blog, where you can see his full explanation. The short story is it was inspired by the eviction of the Occupy Wall Street protesters from Zucotti Park in New York City last Tuesday morning. Here is a part of his explanation:


What is most disturbing to me as an author is knowing that the 5,500 books from The People's Library that had been donated to the protesters were tossed into the back of those trucks!Now, this isn't Hitler's Germany here. I don't mean to come across like some activist who thinks there is a conspiracy to rid the protests of thought provoking literature. BUT - - - truth - - - it still happened. Dump trucks filled with books were hauled away from a peaceful protest by a dominating government agency without warning and under the cover of darkness in the middle of a media blackout. It sounds bad - it probably isn't - but it's still something to stir your blood. Are there justifiable reasons? Apparently. Is it likely that these books will find a home somewhere? I suppose. But the point is that the books had a peaceful home and they were forcibly removed.

His book is about a future where all books are electronic (kind of like those on our Kindles and Nooks) and can only be read on a government issued reading device called "The Book." It explores topics that should be of interest to all readers, especially those of us who are consuming much or all of our books in an electronic form.

To claim your free copy of The Book visit Clifford's website where you'll see a very prominent link to start the download.

Phone Kitten / Marika Christian

Reviewed by: BigAl

Genre: Mystery/Thriller/Chick Lit

Approximate word count: 80-85,000 words

Availability
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Author:

Dog lover Marika Christian lives in New Orleans. This is her first novel. For more, visit Christian’s blog.

Description:

Wannabe newspaper reporter Emily is shy and slightly overweight. When she gets fired from her foot-in-the-door job at the paper, she takes a position that seems totally unsuited to her personality, as a phone sex worker, and discovers she has a hidden talent. All goes well until a client is murdered and Emily decides solving the crime is her ticket to a reporting job.

Appraisal:

In spite of a problem with typos and proofing errors, primarily missing “little” words (of, a, and such) enough to cause me to trip over sentences as I was reading, this is a fun story. The main character, Emily, is fun, humorous, and much more likeable (to both the reader and other characters) than she would think, given her self-esteem issues. Emily’s friends, especially the gay couple who run one of her favorite restaurants and her love interest, are all entertaining characters who add a lot to the story. The combination of mystery and chick lit should appeal to fans of Janet Evanovich’s Stephanie Plum.

FYI:

Limited adult language and situations. (Much less and more mild that you might expect based on Emily’s job.)

Format/Typo Issues:

A large number of typos and other proofing errors. 

Rating: *** Three stars

The Burning Sky / Joseph Robert Lewis

Reviewed by: BigAl

Genre: Fantasy/Thriller/Steampunk

Approximate word count: 130-135,000 words

Availability
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Author:

Lewis says he began his career writing “about deadly firefights in Afghanistan and Iraq, studying cutting-edge information technologies, and chronicling personal journeys of exploration around the world.” (That sounds like he was a writer in the military to me.) He now writes novels, with eight available in multiple genres plus an omnibus edition of the Halcyon Trilogy. For more, visit Lewis’ website.

Description:

Airship engineer Tazri Ohana survives an attack on the airfield and is drafted to help chase the criminals responsible. This is the first book in the Halcyon trilogy.

Appraisal:

I’d heard of the steampunk genre (usually when someone in a forum referenced it as a sub-genre that is underserved by traditional publishers), but don’t think I’ve read anything that fit the definition until now. For those as clueless as I was as to what fits this genre, here is what Wikipedia says:

Steampunk is a sub-genre of science fiction, fantasy, alternate history, and speculative fiction that came into prominence during the 1980s and early 1990s. Steampunk involves a setting where steam power is still widely used—usually Victorian era Britain—that incorporates elements of either science fiction or fantasy. Works of steampunk often feature anachronistic technology or futuristic innovations as Victorians may have envisioned them, based on a Victorian perspective on fashion, culture, architectural style, art, etc. This technology may include such fictional machines as those found in the works of H. G. Wells and Jules Verne, or more recently Philip Pullman and China Mieville.

Unlike many steampunk novels, The Burning Sky isn’t set in Victorian era Britain, but on an alternate version of the Earth, based on the premise that Europe didn’t emerge from the Ice Age and is mostly uninhabitable. Lewis gives a brief author’s note explaining this and setting expectations. Wikipedia calls steampunk novels with this type setting fantasy or fantasy-world steampunk.

My favorite things about The Burning Sky were the plot, which is a thriller, and understanding the alternative world Lewis has created. The premise of Lewis’ world means the history of the world would have changed; how everything, from science to culture, would have developed differently from the Ice Age to the time the story is set. This makes anticipating how people will react and the direction the story might go more unpredictable. The Burning Sky kept me guessing, right up to its dramatic conclusion.

FYI:

A small amount of adult language.

Format/Typo Issues:

No significant issues.

Rating: **** Four stars

Frog City Updike / Arthur Graham

Reviewed by: BigAl

Genre: Humor

Approximate word count: 30-35,000 words

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Author:

You won’t find out much about Arthur Graham from his official bio on Amazon, his website, or the normal places, without reading between the lines. He has a wife. He has a cat (or maybe his wife has a cat). He self-publishes his books (besides this one, he offers the novel Editorial, and a book called Non/Fictions, that may or may not be true). He currently lives in Salt Lake City, yet has been known to attend the Burning Man Festival, which clearly indicates he isn’t a normal Salt Laker. You might also recognize Graham as an occasional reviewer for BigAl’s Books and Pals. To see what other tidbits you're able to uncover about the author, visit his blog.

Description:

A collection of short stories and flash fiction, most set in the fictional town of Frog City Updike.

Appraisal:

Frog City Updike (the town, not the book) is an imaginary small town (population 7,996) and the setting for most of these stories. Named for the frogs, relatively small in number and found only near a small pond in Frog City Updike Park, Frog City Updike is populated by a variety of people, some normal and some eccentric.

Like the people of Frog City Updike, their stories are eccentric, offbeat, and sometimes a little absurd. At times the author becomes a character in the guise of “Frog City Updike Arthur Graham” (you’ll find many characters and places have the moniker Frog City Updike Something). One of my favorite stories is one called No One Drinks Tea Anymore, which is related to Frog City Updike only because it was written by Frog City Updike Arthur Graham when he was “a young idealistic college student and not the old curmudgeon his is today.” This is a sentimental love story between a teacup and a spoon. Yes, in Frog City Updike inanimate objects sometimes animate, and do have feelings.

Format/Typo Issues:

No significant issues. 


Rating: **** Four stars

The Turn of the Karmic Wheel / Monica Brinkman

Reviewed by: BigAl

Genre: Mystery/Supernatural

Approximate word count: 50-55,000 words

Availability
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Author:

Monica Brinkman is an entertainer who has acted, done radio commercials, and even delivered singing telegrams. She currently lives in the Midwest. This is her first book, with a sequel, The Wheel’s Final Turn, in the works. For more, visit Brinkman’s website.

Description:

Strange things are happening to people who live in the small town of Raleigh and they find that what goes around, comes around.

Appraisal:

If you’ve visited any of the internet forums where readers hang out you’ve probably seen one of the many discussions regarding the difference between traditionally published books and those that are Indie published (by a small press) or self-published. One of the arguments that invariably comes up goes something like this:

Indie Lover: “Indie books can break out of the formulas. Bend genres. Write a book a Big 6 publisher wouldn’t touch.”

Indie Hater: “Traditional publishers will take any book if they think it will sell. Most Indies are writing to the same formulas as everyone else and couldn’t get a publisher because they aren’t good enough. All Indie books suck.”

In my opinion, neither extreme has the whole story, but both are partially right. Some genres, romance for example, require writing within the constraints of the genre. A romance written by an Indie isn’t going to stray too far. However, a book that bends and mixes genres too much isn’t going to find a home at a traditional publisher because they wouldn’t know how to market it, which is another way of saying it won’t sell, because they don’t know how to sell it. If putting a book on any of the logical shelves in the bookstore is going to be a bad fit, it is a marketing problem.

This prelude is a long buildup to say that The Turn of the Karmic Wheel is one of those genre-bending stories people are thinking about in the conversation above. They are rarer than some want to think, but they do exist. The book has some mystery (what is happening and finding the underlying cause of it is the main story conflict for some of the characters). There is a supernatural, some might say mystical or spiritual, component to much of the story. Some of the scenes would fit in a horror novel.

The structure of the story, with multiple characters, each with their own story line which eventually joins with the others, is different, but well suited for where the story goes. My only complaint is that there are times when the reader needs to pay close attention to the chronology of the different story lines in relation to each other because changing story lines often involves a move back in time. However, the characters are well developed and easily distinguishable, so telling them apart and remembering what has happened with them isn’t a problem.

I’ve read thousands of books. The Turn of the Karmic Wheel is one that stands out for being different. If this is any indication, John Lennon was right, “Karma’s gonna get you.”

Format/Typo Issues:

A small number of typos and proofreading issues.

Rating: **** Four stars

Indie Chicks / Various

Reviewed by: BigAl

Genre: Memoir

Approximate word count: 35-40,000 words (very rough count for story portion only. Doesn’t include biographies or book excerpts)

Availability
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Author:

Various, see description for list.

Description:

Twenty-five female Indie authors, with a story about becoming a writer. Includes an excerpt from a novel written by each of the twenty-five, with a foreword from Indie success Karen McQuestion and an afterward from breast cancer survivor Beth Elisa Harris.

All proceeds from this book will go to the Susan G. Komen Foundation, which fights breast cancer.

Here are the contents, not including the book excerpts:

Foreword by Karen McQuestion

Knight in Shining Armor by Shea MacLeod

Latchkey Kid by Heather Marie Adkins

Write or Die by Danielle Blanchard

The Phoenix and The Darkness by Lizzy Ford

Never Too Late by Linda Welch

Stepping Into the Light by Donna Fasano

One Fictionista’s Literary Bliss by Katherine Owen

I Burned My Bra For This? by Cheryl Shireman

Mrs. So Got It Wrong Agent by Prue Battten

Holes by Suzanne Tyrpak

Turning Medieval by Sarah Woodbury

A Kinky Adventure in Anglophilia by Anne R. Allen

Writing from a Flour Sack by Dani Amore

Just Me and James Dean by Cheryl Bradshaw

How a Big Yellow Truck Changed My Life by Christine DeMaio-Rice

From 200 Rejections to Amazon Top 200! by Sibel Hodge

Have You Ever Lost a Hat? by Barbara Silkstone

French Fancies! by Mel Comley

Life’s Little Gifts by Melissa Foster

Never Give Up On Your Dream by Christine Kersey

Self-Taught Late Bloomer by Carol Davis Luce

Moving to the Middle East by Julia Crane

Paper, Pen, and Chocolate by Talia Jager

The Magic Within and The Little Book That Could by Michelle Muto

Write Out of Grief by Melissa Smith

Afterword by Beth Elisa Harris

Appraisal:

The book is arranged as a series of sections for each of the twenty-five “Indie Chicks,” bookended by the foreword and the afterword. The section for each chick has a story from that person, a brief bio (which is sometimes repetitive after reading the story), and an excerpt from one of that author’s books. The afterword is two sections, but in place of a novel excerpt it has a journal from the author’s battle with breast cancer.

Because some people (me included) don’t like reading excerpts and those who are interested could sample the book on Amazon anyway, I’m ignoring that portion. If you don’t want to read each excerpt, there is a functional table of contents that can be used to skip them. (Note that in my version the table of contents had a couple links that did not function correctly; however, this method worked well to maneuver through the book most of the time and I expect these problems will be fixed, possibly before this review is published.)

Although the potential appeal of these stories seems to cater to a wannabe author or someone who is already a fan of one or more of the authors chosen, Indie Chicks has much more to offer. While some of the stories are better than others and they cover a broad range of tone, from humorous to heart wrenching and confessional, the overall tone is inspirational, and not just for future novelists. The value of setting goals, hard work, and perseverance comes through loud and clear. That it is possible to come back from bad decisions and bad things happening to a person is another common theme. No matter what your situation and dreams, these Indie Chicks can help show you the way to get there.

FYI:

A small amount of adult language.

Format/Typo Issues:

A small number of typos and formatting issues. A functional table of contents is an absolute necessity for a project like this. However, a small number of the links in the TOC did not function correctly in my copy. I would expect this issue will be corrected, if it hasn’t already been.

Rating: **** Four star

Transported: Erotic Travel Tales / Sharazade

Reviewed by: BigAl

Genre: Erotica/Travel

Approximate word count: 30-35,00 words

Availability
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Author:

Under her real name (Sharazade is a pen name), the author is an educator and a writer who has published 15 books. She divides her time between Asia, Africa, the Middle East, and the US. For more, visit her website.

Description:

Nine sizzling stories with travel being the common denominator.

Appraisal:

For those inclined to think about such things, travel is a great fuel for fantasy (and if you’re not so inclined, erotica isn’t for you anyway). As I was reading each of these, I thought the stories hit just the right balance between being unlikely enough to fuel fantasy and (unlike much erotica) not so far out of reach as to be an impossible dream. In Sharazade’s author bio, she explains her aim in slightly different words that are saying the same thing.

The stories also strike a balance between being explicit enough without going too far. Certain details are left for the reader to fill in, which can help you make the story your own. For example, in the first story a couple meet at an airport. While it appears to others that they don’t know each other, we know they do, but exactly how they know each other and what their relationship is, is left fuzzy. The stories are told from the woman’s point of view sometimes, other times from the man’s, and in at least one case the POV switches mid-story. Each of these points of view are done equally well. If you’re a reader of erotica, especially if you’re also a traveler, you should enjoy Transported. I did.

FYI:

Adult content. Obviously.

Format/Typo Issues:

No significant issues.

Rating: **** Four stars

Disengaged / Beth Orsoff

Reviewed by: BigAl

Genre: Chick-Lit

Approximate word count: 75-80,000 words

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Author:

An entertainment lawyer and movie buff, Beth Orsoff lives in Los Angeles with her husband, a movie studio archivist and co-author of a book about the history of the MGM studios. Orsoff has three other books, Honeymoon for One, Romantically Challenged, and How I Learned to Love the Walrus. For more, visit the author’s website.

Description:

Allie Zenet is a thirty-something accountant who is thrilled when her boyfriend proposes, because getting married and starting a family is something she just assumed she would do some day. Then Allie starts second-guessing.

Appraisal:

The definition of the chick-lit genre is broad enough that you’re never sure exactly what you’re going to get and, unlike the romance genre, you're never sure how it is going to end. My preference is for stories that feel realistic and, even more important, characters who make me laugh. The basic story of Disengaged is so real as to be a cliché – doesn’t every person get cold feet at some point during their engagement? But how the story plays out is anything but clichéd.

The main character, Allie, is slightly uptight (what would you expect from an accountant?), yet very likeable. The other characters are idiosyncratic, from her co-workers, who provide a perfect foil for Allie, to her stuck-in-the-sixties Mom, whose example taught Allie what she didn’t want to become. Throw in an ambitious, Mama’s-boy fiancé with his control-freak mother, add a best friend, who happens to be a guy, and the story can’t help but be funny.

Orsoff takes the story in some directions I’d never guessed. Each time I thought I saw where it was going, she would throw a curveball I didn’t anticipate. I’ve read each of Orsoff’s books, and this is the best yet.

FYI:

Some adult language and mild sexual situations.

Format/Typo Issues:

I read a beta copy prior to release and can’t evaluate in this area.

Rating: ***** Five stars

This Time / Joan Szechtman

Reviewed by: BigAl

Genre: Historical/Science Fiction

Approximate word count: 100-105,000 words

Availability
Kindle US: YES UK: YES Nook: YES Smashwords: YES Paper: YES
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Author:

Joan Szechtman’s interest in the 15th century monarch Richard III, originally prompted by reading Sharon Kay Penman’s novel The Sunne in Splendour, led her to try her hand at writing this novel with Richard III as a major character. A sequel to This Time called Loyalty Binds Me is now available. For more, visit Szechman’s website.

Description:

Moments before he would have died in battle, Richard III (the 15th century English monarch) is transported to the present day. He finds a vastly different world and discovers that history has not been kind to him.

Appraisal:

This Time is a strange blend of history and science fiction. I don’t often read historical fiction and what little I do is typically from periods much more contemporary than the Middle Ages. Yet, I found Richard III’s story interesting. Using time travel (the science fiction portion) as a device to transport a historical figure into contemporary times gives the reader a different prism through which to view our current times. Richard’s struggle to understand and adapt to contemporary times is a great story idea and illustrates how much the world has changed. It also makes me glad I wasn’t born in the Middle Ages.

One of the story threads regards Richard’s place in history. Many believe the historical record is incorrect, with much of the historical record being inaccurate or not supported by the evidence.   Much of the blame for this is attributed to Shakespeare’s play. This Time integrates some of those items that are often questioned into the storyline with Richard attempting to set the record straight. This Time was not only entertaining as a story, but I felt as though I learned something in the process, not only about Richard and the times in which he lived, but also about the believability of history in general.

FYI:

Some mild sexual situations.

Format/Typo Issues:

No significant issues.

Rating: **** Four stars

Recollections / Jim Chambers

Reviewed by: BigAl

Genre: Non-Fiction/Memoir

Approximate word count: 45-50,000 words

Availability
Kindle US: YES UK: YES Nook: YES Smashwords: YES Paper: YES
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Author:

Born nine months and five days after his father returned from service in World War II, Jim Chambers is a prime example of why the “baby boom” happened. Chambers lives in Georgia, where he is a retired highway engineer and avid amateur photographer who has had his photos published in several magazines. This is his first book.

Description:

The 1950s was a unique decade, with significant changes in lifestyle as the US experienced a post-war boom and many technological, political, and cultural changes. Author Jim Chambers discusses what it was like growing up in the ‘50s.

Appraisal:

In the avalanche of book submissions we received in April, there were a few books I’d already read and, in some cases, may have written a review pre-blog. Recollections was one of these. My review at the time was short and succinct:

Nostalgic (or a reminder of how far we’ve come) for children of the ‘50s and early ‘60s. A premier on the “olden days” for the younger crowd. Chambers tells the good with the bad – in other words, more than a series of “sonny, when I was a kid” stories.

Subtitled A Baby Boomer’s Memories of the Fabulous Fifties, I found it interesting to contrast the differences between Chambers’ childhood and my own, which took place about ten years later. At the time I was concerned that many readers – anyone in their forties or younger – might not be able to relate, and nostalgia is the book’s main appeal for all except for those with a specific interest in history. However, for readers in the prime demographic, Recollections should be a fun read.

Format/Typo Issues:

Unknown. Since I read this well before starting this blog I wasn’t keeping track of errors while reading. However, a quick sampling didn’t reveal any significant issues.

Rating: *** Three stars

The Saint / Oliver Broudy

Reviewed by: BigAl

Genre: Non-Fiction/Memoir/Travel

Approximate word count: 25-30,000 words

Availability
Kindle US: YES UK: YES Nook: NO Smashwords: NO Paper: NO
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Author:

A finalist for the National Magazine Awards, this former editor for The Paris Review has written for several magazines. In addition to The Saint, he has one other work, The Codex, published as part of the Kindle Singles program. Broudy lives in New York. For more, visit his website.

Description:

A jaded New Yorker goes on a spiritual adventure with a millionaire revolutionary.

Appraisal:

The main character in The Saint, James Otis, is a wealthy collector of Gandhi memorabilia, with a drive to do good and an apparent disregard for his own health and safety. One of the things that struck me about this story was how well it integrated the story of Gandhi (both good and not), for those who might not be familiar with his life story. Gandhi’s story also gives insight into Otis and his motivations. What didn’t occur to me while reading the story was that it was actually true – a misconception corrected after the fact. The adventures of Otis and Broudy (who I now realize was the story’s narrator) read like fiction. That the story is true is even better and gives great insight into spirituality and religion along with current politics along the border of India and Tibet. One of my favorite passages was this succinct explanation of the difference between two of the world’s major religions: “Christianity is premised on man’s imperfection. Hinduism is premised on his perfectibility.”

The Saint also serves as a prime example of the Kindle Single program. Too long for a magazine article and too short for a paper book, this work was able to maintain its natural length as an e-book.

Format/Typo Issues:

No significant issues.

Rating: ***** Five stars