Craving Caine / Erica Lucke Dean with Elise Delacroix

Reviewed by: ?wazithinkin

Genre: Erotic Romance/ Suspense

Approximate word count: 40-45,000 words

Availability    

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

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Author:

Erica Lucke Dean:

“After walking away from her career as a business banker to pursue writing full-time, Erica moved from the hustle and bustle of the big city to a small tourist town in the North Georgia Mountains where she lives in a 90-year-old haunted farmhouse with her workaholic husband, her 180lb lap dog, and at least one ghost.”

To learn more about her, visit her website, blog, or Facebook page.

“Elise Delacroix married her high school sweetheart and moved to a remote hideaway far enough from civilization that she was forced to create her own entertainment. When playing charades got old, she came up with a plan to write erotic romance in order to keep life exciting. She may spend most of her days lounging in a pair of red flannel pajamas, but her characters wouldn’t be caught dead in anything less than satin and lace.

While Elise also writes in other genres using a pen name, it’s her collaborations with Erica Lucke Dean where she lets her naughty side come out to play. And oh, what a naughty side she has.”

Description:

“Emily Chambray wants a divorce. Unfortunately, her husband believes in’til death do us part with an emphasis on death. She won’t get another chance, so her get-away plan must be foolproof. When a ruggedly handsome stranger comes to her aid, she definitely doesn’t expect to fall for him in her hour of deepest need.

Xavier Caine has ulterior motives when he offers Emily refuge in his rustic cabin. Against his better judgment, he is drawn to her innocent allure and natural beauty. Together, they explore a sensual relationship that rocks their world. But once Caine sets the stage for his own agenda, Emily could end up directly in the eye of the very storm she’s been trying to escape.”

Appraisal:

Emily was too young and naive to understand who she was marrying when she became Nicky Chambray’s wife. An arrogant, sadistic, and manipulative crime boss she cannot escape from. Emily’s character is well developed and although she is in desperate need to be rescued, she is likeable. Caine’s character is introduced slowly, he is handsome and capable, but is he a good guy or not? I found the story compelling and didn’t want to put it down. Ms. Dean has a way of making her characters believable and relatable in a way that enhances her stories. It seems as if she has found a good writing partner with Ms. Delacroix, as I can’t tell when one is writing or the other.

The relationship that grows between Emily and Caine after a few false starts was realistic as they learn to trust each other and their relationship takes a sexual turn. The plot twists were well thought-out and believable scenarios. The suspense is intense as the story unfolds and secondary characters true colors are revealed. There was a lot of story packed in this short novel and I found it highly enjoyable.

FYI:

Adult language, situations, and explicit sex scenes.

Format/Typo Issues:

I found no significant issues.

Rating: ***** Five stars

Raise Your Hand: Adventures of an American Springsteen Fan in Europe / Caryn Rose

Reviewed by: BigAl

Genre: Travel Memoir

Approximate word count: 25-30,000 words

Availability    

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

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Author:

“Caryn Rose is a Brooklyn-based writer and novelist who documents rock and roll, baseball and urban life. She has been writing about Bruce Springsteen for over 30 years, and has been a regular contributor to Backstreets Magazine since 2003”

Rose also has two novels available, B-sides and Broken Hearts and A Whole New Ballgame. For more, visit her website.

Description:

“18 days, five countries, and seven concerts: this was how long-time Springsteen chronicler and veteran Backstreets contributor Caryn Rose spent her summer vacation, running from Paris to Prague to Vienna to London to Dublin, following Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band on tour. Were European Springsteen fans that different from their Stateside counterparts? Were the shows overseas truly better than the ones in the States? Part travelogue and part rock and roll love letter, Rose takes you with her every step of the way: queuing in the rain, sleeping on the sidewalk, and watching Paul McCartney from the front row in London.”

Appraisal:

Part of me wonders whether a non-Springsteen fan would enjoy Raise Your Hand. When the author mentions a specific song from The Boss’ oeuvre, being familiar with a fair share of his songs from the breadth of his career rather than just the hits is going to influence how well you “get” what is going on. When Rose says, “I never sing Born In The USA back home because I don’t want anyone to think I am one of those people who doesn’t understand what it’s really about, but it feels different doing it in Europe,” if Born In The USA is all you know and you’re “one of those people,” you won’t understand.

But my contrarian side argues that Raise Your Hand has the same qualities as all good travel memoirs. The author’s impressions of experiences in a place the reader might have never been. That the foreign experience is not only a different place, but also the world of music and that of a diehard Springsteen fan could as easily add to the reader’s experience.

And then you’ve got all the other qualities that make or break a travel memoir for me. Things like what the author learned about the world and themselves through the experience.  Sharing vicariously in the experience, both magical moments and logistical difficulties. For me, Raise Your Hand is also an inspiration to keep working toward actually doing a few music-themed travel adventures I’ve considered for myself.

Format/Typo Issues:

No significant issues.

Rating: **** Four Stars

Pieces (stories) / Michael Crane

Reviewed by: Fredlet

Genre: Short Story Collection/Literary Fiction

Approximate word count: 25-30,000 words

Availability    

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

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Author:

Mr. Crane is an indie author of slice-of-life short stories, a series of drabble collections, and a horror novella and novelette. He has also contributed to several short story anthologies with other indie authors. Mr. Crane lives in Illinois with his wife, two cats, and a chinchilla.

You can connect with him on his Facebook page or blog.

Description:

“When a little girl's body is found in the woods, a once quiet town is shaken to its core as it deals with the aftermath in this short story collection. In these twelve stories connected by a terrible tragedy, grown-ups and children alike try put the pieces back together again without any easy answers.”

Appraisal:

I have to say up front that I am a huge fan of Mr. Crane’s writing. I have read all of his works, even the ones he doesn’t like to talk about. I was excited to see him get back to writing another collection of slice-of-life stories. Pieces (stories) did not disappoint!

It is awesome the way each of these stories touch on the many different facets, fears, complications, and choices faced as both a child and in adulthood. Although the stories are complete read individually, every entry is made richer by the characters’ reactions to the tragic event that connects them together. Each one gets more personal as you learn details about who the missing girl is and what happened to her. It is perfect how it moves from the effects felt from hearing about the event, seeing it on TV, having it be located in your neighborhood, and ending up with the feelings of the missing girl’s best friend.

Here is how a few of the stories hit home for me. Dandyclean reminded me of the Beltway sniper attacks when everyone was suspicious of white box trucks in the area; also my dislike of door-to-door salespeople. In A Dangerous Place, I could hear my husband teasing me about being too connected with TV, the Internet, and my cell phone hyping all the tragic news and weather events. The ending was a big surprise for me! A Concerned Parent captures the difficult feelings parents must have about protecting and keeping their children safe while fostering independence. With all the abductions, murders, and shooting being reported, it’s not easy to keep thinking it won’t happen in my neighborhood. Vigilantes was a tough read… the emotions of what you would like to do, what you know is right, and how a personal experience can change your thinking. I felt that the author explored both the right and wrong with this situation and left it up in the air as to what might have happened.

Format/Typo Issues:

No issues found.

Rating: ***** Five Stars

Misisipi / Michael Reilly

Reviewed by: BigAl

Genre: Literary Fiction/Psychological Thriller

Approximate word count: 145-150,000 words

Availability    

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

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Author:

“Michael Reilly was born in Dublin, Ireland. He lives in County Cavan, Ireland. Misisipi is his first novel.”

For more, try Reilly’s Misisipi Facebook page.

Description:

“A tragic childhood act has been rippling out across 25 years and now, in New Orleans on the eve of Hurricane Katrina, it's a tidal wave which will engulf everyone it touches.

Julianna Jameson is leaving home. She packs a bag. She books a flight. She leaves a note on the kitchen counter. She departs her Boston home and disappears, without a warning, without a goodbye.

For husband Scott, the initial shock carries a strange relief: their slide--from storybook soul mates to virtual strangers--could only end one way and it's been a long time coming. And anyway, Julianna has always been... unconventional.

All that remains is to decipher the meaning behind her cryptic note. But that's before Scott finds evidence of her secret other actions on the day she left. A torrent of discovery shows just how little of Julianna's past he truly knew. They also cast a whole different light on the couple's present difficulties and offer Scott a sliver of hope for rescuing their future.”

Appraisal:

The one word to summarize Misisipi would have to be different. I was never certain where the story was headed. The protagonist, Scott, was just as mystified as I was and we were both on edge as he peeled back layer after layer of his wife’s history, fitting pieces together, and time after time discovering he still wasn’t to the end of his quest. As with any good psychological thriller, the dangers Scott encountered and was forced to overcome were not only physical, but mentally draining.

If Misisipi has a downside (other than the title which I think must be a purposeful misspelling of the river as it is often pronounced) it is length, which felt on the long side for a thriller.

FYI:

Some adult language and content.

Format/Typo Issues:

A small number of typos and other proofing and copyediting misses.

Rating: **** Four Stars

Dream Land and Plastic Fantastic / Keith Nixon

Reviewed by: BigAl

Genre: Crime Fiction

Approximate word count: Dream Land: 8-9,000 words

                                      Plastic Fantastic: 9-10,000 words

Availability    

Dream Land

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

Plastic Fantastic

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

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Author:

During the day Keith Nixon is in a senior sales role, traipsing around Europe for a UK based high tech company. When he settles in for the night he reads and reviews as one of the most prolific of the pals at Books and Pals as well as writing his own fiction. His first novel, The Fix, was picked up by Caffeine Nights Publishing, a small UK based publisher who is now publishing this new series.

Description:

Dream Land

The first of the Konstantin Novellas series, we’re introduced to Konstantin Boryakov, a Russian with shady past and from what I can tell a shady present as well. Just arrived in the UK to lie low for a while, things don’t go according to plan.

Plastic Fantastic

Konstantin is finally set with a place to live and staying under the radar. But then a neighbor with an agenda stirs the pot, forcing Konstantin’s hand.

Appraisal:

Dream Land

The first of this new series of novellas introduces us to Konstantin. What a great character Keith Nixon has created here. Obviously a Russian, and it appears ex-KGB, Konstantin seems to have fallen afoul of the powers-that-be.  At a minimum, he needs to go to ground. While he doesn’t go looking for trouble, trouble seems to find him as he makes short work of a group of thugs almost immediately after arriving in England. From his talk and actions, Konstantin initially seems amoral with no qualms about doing anything to anyone if it will benefit him.

However, as the story progresses and I got to know him better, I realized I was wrong. Konstantin has a strong moral code. He doesn’t mess with those who don’t mess with him, but those who do, look out. He has someone he cares very much about, yet suppresses his wants, it appears in order to protect this other person. Even someone he’d just met receives his help when he feels a more powerful person is meting out abuse. Konstantin is an interesting and complex character. I’m looking forward to future installments of this series.

Plastic Fantastic

In the first installment of this series we met Konstantin, a shady character with an unsavory past who is trying to stay invisible to the authorities and avoid trouble. In this installment he’s drug into someone else’s fight, but in the process it solidified my opinion that while Konstantin isn’t bothered by legalities or the rules of civilized society, he does have his own ideas of what is right and wrong, and will land on the side of right. Although much different in execution, the appeal of this character and series pulls the same emotional strings as Don Pendleton’s “The Executioner” series or Charles Bronson’s Death Wish movies and its sequels. The rest of the series promises to be a heck of a ride.

FYI:

Adult language.

Uses UK spelling conventions.

Format/Typo Issues:

No significant issues

Rating: ***** Five Stars

Writing Unsympathetic Characters: A Guest Post from Kate Moretti, author of Binds that Tie

Characters are important; they’re the meat of any story. Without them, you have aimless plot points about people you don’t care about. You could have a man being chased through the streets of LA by a criminal with a gun but if you’re not invested in whether the man lives or dies, then what’s the point of watching? The more compelling story is what the man sees as he runs, how his heart thumps in his ears, that he stumbles and falls over a garbage can lid but pushes himself up, stumbling along the curb, anxiously checking over his shoulder. His sweat drips into his eyes and stings the raw, gaping, sliced open skin along his cheek. In order for a story to grab you and keep you till the very end, heart pounding, hands gripping a pillow, white-knuckled, you have to be immersed in the head of the character, feeling their struggles, empathizing with their pain, wanting what they want.

But do you have to like them? Would your heart rate be slower if you knew the running man had just robbed a liquor store, and the criminal wasn’t actually a criminal, but a gun-toting civilian hero? Maybe the hero is a widowed, single dad, inherited his father’s convenience store and its all he has to keep his family afloat. Maybe the running man just held him up. It all depends on your point of view. Every character has a struggle and not all struggles are honorable. But sometimes, the unethical struggle is just as interesting. Think of the crew of Ocean’s Eleven: these are not moral men. Yet, you hold your breath the whole movie. Everyone wants them to steal millions of dollars and get away with it.

When I sat down to write my second novel, Binds That Tie, I was drawn to the idea of writing extremely flawed characters. People who make bad decisions, even selfish ones, but aren’t necessarily bad people. I wanted to depict real people, with real struggles: infidelity, marriage, infertility, complicated family relationships. This comes at a cost in fiction, readers don’t expect real people. Readers may want complicated characters with quirks and idiosyncrasies and internal conflict. Real people, however, are often drastically less moral that what’s portrayed in fiction. Not to mention that there is a large disconnect about what readers expect from a man, and what they want in a woman. Men can be surly, selfish, irreverent and they are seen as damaged, in need of saving. Women must be strong-willed but not bitchy, vulnerable but not weak and never, ever whiney.

In Binds That Tie, Maggie and Chris are in a marriage on the rocks. Chris has a violent past, Maggie has a parasitic relationship with her sister.  They’ve both been unfaithful. Is this real? Yes. Is it likeable? Not even a little bit. Can readers invest in a character they don’t like? I say yes. In fact, history says yes. Norman Bates in Psycho, Humbert Humbert in Lolita, Patrick Batemen in American Psycho. But how do you write someone who is both unlikeable and compelling?

Last weekend, I watched the movie Saving Mr. Banks, a fabulous movie about the making of one of my childhood favorites, Mary Poppins. Mrs. Travers (P.L Travers), the author of Mary Poppins tries desperately to thwart Walt Disney’s attempts to turn Mary Poppins into a commercially viable musical. She is insolent, resilient, unyielding, and has an inexplicable hatred of pears. She’s a pill. She’s a pain in the ass. I wanted to strangle her every time the Sherman brothers created impromptu magic on the piano, and her response was a single, chilly, British huff over a cup of tea. She made me furious. And yet, there was something so broken about her. I wanted to know her story. When it’s finally revealed, about three-quarters of the way through the film, in a heartbreaking flashback, I found myself clutching a throw pillow and crying. About the pain of a woman I would have happily slapped in person.

So what draws that line? How do you avoid turning the reader off to the point where the toss the book aside? This was my challenge.

In Binds That Tie, I kept the balance by using alternating point of view, highlighting each character’s vulnerabilities in their own point of view, while showing their terrible nastiness in the other’s point of view.  Both Maggie and Chris do purposeful, wretched things to each other in the name of self-preservation. In their private moments, they relive memories of their marriage, sometimes in a very poignant light and my hope is that the reader oscillates back and forth between empathizing with them and hating them. I want the reader to see their disconnect, the way they just keep missing each other, their failed attempts to be sympathetic.

I’ve been trying to figure out if it worked. The other day I was out for coffee with an old friend. About Binds That Tie, she said, “I could not sleep until I finished it. I had to know if they got caught!” I pushed her. I leaned forward in my seat and asked, “Who did you want to pay? Maggie or Chris?” I need to know the answer to this: Are my readers Team Maggie or Team Chris? She thought for a moment, and then looked vaguely uncomfortable. I waited. Finally, she said, “I have absolutely no idea.”

My job here is done.

A New York Times and USA Today bestselling author, Kate Moretti's newest novel, Binds that Tie is available from Amazon US (ebook or paper), Amazon UK (ebook or paper), or Barnes & Noble.

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9000 Miles of Fatherhood / Kirk Millson

Reviewed by: BigAl

Genre: Travel Memoir/Parenting

Approximate word count: 70-75,000 words

Availability    

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

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Author:

Reading the short bio on Kirk Millson’s website, I started comparing it to my own. He moved nine times (that he can remember) before he was 13. (Only 6 for me.) He graduated from the University of Utah. (I “moved on” well before graduation. If I’d stuck it out a few more quarters, we’d have been classmates.) And my longest road trip falls well shy of Millson’s 9,000 miles. I hope to beat that some day. But this isn’t supposed to be about me.

After 23 years as a newspaperman, Millson took a sales job and started writing what he wanted rather than the stories he was assigned. This book is the initial result. He has a novel nearing completion and is making plans for what comes next.

For more, visit Millson’s website.

Description:

“Forced out of his high-ranking editorial position at the local newspaper, Kirk Millson couldn’t bear the thought of starting all over and crawling back to the copy desk. So when his new boss offers him a leave of absence, Kirk jumps at the chance to realize his dream of driving the more than 4,000 miles from Salt Lake City to Panama’s Darien Gap. His wife readily consents, with one minor catch: He has to take his son Peter along for the ride.

Follow Kirk and his emotionally estranged 13-year-old son on a four-month long journey in this true, no-frills travelogue. In spite of robbers, corrupt law enforcement, and their sub-par Spanish, Kirk and his son Peter undergo astonishing transformations. 9,000 Miles of Fatherhood is the hilarious yet hair-raising memoir that follows a timid boy’s rise from D-student to straight-A academic juggernaut and his father’s rediscovery of a purpose far greater than the job he left behind.”

Appraisal:

Only a geography or travel geek knows about the Darien Gap, a relatively small, roadless section of Panama that makes it impossible to drive a normal vehicle farther south. It is the definitive “end of the road.” 9,000 Miles of Fatherhood chronicles the author’s story of taking his ultimate road trip, from his home in Salt Lake City to the end of the road. (I confess, I’m a geek who had learned about this from Tim Cahill’s Road Fever, another travel memoir where the Darien Gap figured prominently.)

A good travel memoir isn’t about the places visited and the things that were done (that’s what guidebooks or, in today’s world, their webpage replacements are for). It’s about the experience, that we get vicariously, and the lessons learned, about people, life, the world, ourselves, or maybe even parenting, families and work life balance. Those last three were among the biggies for Kirk Millson with plenty of the others as well. 9,000 Miles of Fatherhood is a grand adventure and a feel-good story, too.

Format/Typo Issues:

A small number of typos and other proofreading and copy editing misses.

Rating: **** Four Stars

His Right Hand / Silence O’Shea

Reviewed by: ?wazithinkin

Genre: Erotic Romance

Approximate word count: 20-25,000 words

Availability    

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

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Author:

“Silence O'Shea lives in a tiny woodland town in the extreme Northern U.S., where the lusty locals generate enough heat to melt the polar ice caps. As in any good Catholic town, dirty deeds are afoot behind closed doors. Some people just have to share their exploits--and Silence is a superb and trusted listener. She’ll never spill secrets, but that doesn’t mean she can’t use the naughtiest bits and most colorful characters as inspiration for her work.”

For more, visit her website or Facebook page.

Description:

Mike Jasper is a great catch on paper, but according to his dissatisfied exes, he's sorely lacking in the bedroom. Desperate for help, he turns to his longtime right-hand woman, Ellen. To Jasper's surprise, she's hiding a hot vixen beneath those business suits, and his office quickly becomes a pleasure den. He's learning more than he ever dreamed possible...including lessons in love.

Appraisal:

The opening scene is hysterical, Suzy has had enough of Mike Jasper’s selfish Neanderthal behavior in the bedroom and makes it perfectly clear she is finished with him when she throws his overpriced clothes, shoes, and phone out the bedroom window. She then calls Kitty, her Irish wolfhound, to play tug-of-war with his pants. The dialogue is genuine as Suzy rants and Mike tries to reason with her. I also enjoyed the insertion of Mike’s thoughts as he watched the escapades around him and laughed when Mike’s chauffeur, Wade, recognizes a familiar situation when he picks him up from Suzy’s house. Wade has been his driver since he was twelve years-old and with twenty years of service he feels comfortable speaking quite frankly to Mike.

When Mike confides in Ellen and asks for her help, I was a little reluctant to believe that she would agree to help so easily. However, there is a brilliant twist in the plot that is revealed later. Ellen has been Mike’s assistant for ten years and he relies on her heavily when it comes to running his business. She is intelligent, competent, and shrewd. She knows exactly how to get through to him. It was satisfying watching Mike Jasper’s transformation and one of my favorite quotes is when he laments this truth. “When it comes to knowing someone’s heart, turns out sex isn’t personal enough.” This novella was well written, lots of fun, thoroughly titillating, and I loved the ending.

FYI:

Explicit sex and language that may not be acceptable for all readers.

Format/Typo Issues:

I found no issues at all.

Rating: ***** Five stars

Bay Street / Philip Slayton

Reviewed by: BigAl

Genre: Thriller/Legal Thriller

Approximate word count: 60-65,000 words

Availability    

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

Click on a YES above to go to appropriate page in Amazon, Barnes & Noble, or Smashwords store

Author:

“Philip Slayton studied law at Oxford University as a Rhodes Scholar, and then clerked at the Supreme Court of Canada. He became a law professor and dean of law.

Philip then went into legal practice with a major Canadian law firm in Toronto, working on many of the biggest corporate and commercial transactions of the time. He retired from practice in 2000.

Upon leaving Big Law, Philip Slayton wrote the best-selling book Lawyers Gone Bad: Money, Sex and Madness in Canada's Legal Profession. Philip and his book were the subjects of a Maclean's magazine cover story with the controversial headline ‘Lawyers are Rats.’”

Description:

“Piper Fantouche, beautiful junior partner in a large establishment law firm, is caught up in corporate and personal intrigue that leads to disaster and death.”

Appraisal:

Bay Street was one of those books that left me with a feeling best summarized with one word. Meh. Kind of apathetic or indifferent. I liked Piper, the main character. But she also left me shaking my head on occasion, having a hard time believing a reasonably strong, intelligent woman such as her would do or react the way she did at a few key points. The thriller genre typically demands more from the reader in suspending disbelief and I was never pushed to the point of saying “no way that happened,” but I was right up to the line fairly often. A few examples are her reaction to the continual sexual harassment from the managing partner of the law firm she works at or when she took an unplanned trip to Paris with her boyfriend, knowing it would look suspicious to the police.

However, Piper was the high point. The other characters, from minor to major, felt like caricatures, each filling their role in the plot, but with no depth or subtlety. The plot was okay overall, but even there I had a hard time buying into a few key plot twists, specifically one that I can’t say much about without it being a spoiler other than that a high powered lawyer gets his hands dirty in a way that stretched my ability to play along. Possibly approaching this as satirizing the thriller genre would help, although that didn’t work for me.

FYI:

Some adult language and sexual content.

Canadian spelling conventions.

Format/Typo Issues:

No significant issues.

Rating: *** Three Stars

Immortal L.A. / Eric Czuleger

Reviewed by: BigAl

Genre: Urban Fantasy

Approximate word count: 55-60,000 words

Availability    

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

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Author:

Eric Czuleger is a playwright with several plays to his credit that have been produced from coast to coast. A former Peace Corps volunteer and the son of a USA Today bestselling novelist, this is Czuleger’s first novel.

For more, visit his website.

Description:

“The San Andreas Fault is the gateway to hell. The Hollywood Hills are mass graves of angels. William Mulholland defies God himself. Satan gets plastic surgery on Sunset Boulevard. A dead boy is stuck in traffic next to a vampire who can’t sleep, and an angel who has an audition for the role of an angel. The stars are in the sky and on the pavement. The wolves are prowling. The weather is perfect. The screenplay is written. The soul is sold. This movie is going to be big- really big. Welcome to Immortal L.A. You’re going to love it here.”

Appraisal:

Regular readers of my reviews will recognize that although I’ll sometimes read and review books with minor fantasy elements, the number of books I’ve reviewed that are clearly in the fantasy genre could be counted on one hand, probably with fingers left over. I’m almost certain this is my first time reviewing a book in the Urban Fantasy subgenre. While I think a good story is a good story, regardless of genre, this disclaimer is my roundabout way of saying that if there are any genre conventions in Urban Fantasy, I don’t know what they are. Immortal L.A. could stretch or break all the rules and I’d have no clue.

The premise of Immortal L.A. is that Los Angeles is a hotbed of the supernatural with an overabundance of beings who are part of Lucifer’s crew along with plenty of angels from the other side. The story intersperses chapters that are a “revised history” of Los Angeles, informing us of the true and complete history of the area with chapters from contemporary times. I liked how the revised history combined things I recognized as historical fact cast in a different light. For example, the alternative explanation for the La Brea Tar Pits or additional information about LA’s struggles to maintain an adequate water supply. I was surprised to discover the amount of Los Angeles history buried in the recesses of my brain so that I realized there was truth entwined with the fiction, but don’t think this was necessary to enjoy the story.

The modern day chapters told the tales of a mix of contemporary Los Angelenos that lived in this revised world. In this world, there is no doubt that actors and actresses sell their soul to the devil for success. All in all, a fun and, at least for me, much different  read.

FYI:

Some adult language.

Format/Typo Issues:

A small number of typos and other proofreading misses.

Rating: **** Four Stars

Reprise Review: NanoStrike / Pete Barber

This review is a reprise of the review first published 9/21/2012. Originally titled Allah's Revenge, Pete Barber talked last Saturday about revamping this book. If you missed that, read about it here.

Reviewed by: BigAl

Genre: Thriller/Speculative Fiction

Approximate word count: 80-85,000 words

Availability    

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

Click on a YES above to go to appropriate page in Amazon, Barnes & Noble, or Smashwords store

Author:

“I was born into a blue-collar family in Liverpool, England. Like my peers, I grew up working with my hands until an uncanny aptitude for building computer software allowed me to trade overalls and hard-hat for a suit and tie.

I immigrated to the US in the early 90s, became an American citizen, and lived the American dream.

After twenty successful years in the corporate world, I turned my back on eighty-hour weeks and quarterly results and bought a run-down, dog-friendly motel in Carolina Beach, North Carolina. A close friend still refers to this decision as a brain fart; but life is a one-time play, and no one can write, and run a public company.

When the worlds of finance and real estate went stir-crazy in 2005, I sold the business and moved to Lake Lure, North Carolina where, in addition to helping my wife manage a small herd of llamas, I am, at last, fulfilling my life's ambition to write speculative fiction.”

Pete is also Books and Pals most prolific pal; if you read his reviews you’ll get an idea of the kind of scrutiny he’s put his own book through. This is his first book, with another work in progress expected to be released in the spring of 2013 summer of 2014. For more, visit Pete’s website.

Description:

“Allah’s Revenge,” an Islamic terrorist group, terrorizes the world using a weapon developed with nanotechnology. Quinn, an English cop, is determined to find and stop them.

Appraisal:

I’m a big thriller reader. Speculative fiction (fantasy, science fiction, and similar), not so much. What I liked about the speculative fiction portion of NanoStrike is that it involved technology that, while not here today, could be. Nanotechnology is on the leading edge of science; the nanotech inventions and discoveries that figure in this story aren’t hard to imagine as possible in the near future.

There’s also a lot to like about the thriller portion of NanoStrike. Building on a premise (both political and scientific) that could happen someday, it has a likeable protagonist, necessary in my opinion to draw the reader in. If you don’t care about the protagonist, it’s hard to care about his success.

What I found interesting is that, while not wanting the bad guys to succeed, I still found some of them sympathetic at times, and even the most evil of the conspirators was involved in doing something that could have had a positive effect on the world. Since thrillers are plot driven, character development often doesn’t get as much attention, resulting in secondary characters that are cartoonish or caricatures. Barber avoided this mistake, while still leaving no doubt about who the good guys and bad guys were. Thriller fans should find NanoStrike, with its combination of timely concerns and speculation about what the future might hold, a very worthy read.

FYI:

Some adult language and situations

Format/Typo Issues:

No significant issues.

Rating: ***** Five stars