Review: Altered Destinies:: Earth Reborn by Yvonne Hertzberger

Genre: Science Fiction/Fantasy

Description:

“Civilization re-emerges after near annihilation.

Bain, bastard son of Lord Makin and a healer mother, is plucked from obscurity and named heir to his father's fief. He has no ambition to rule, but is determined not to shame his father or let their people down; nor is he prepared to forsake his mother and the simple values he learned from his humble upbringing.

Phaera, headstrong only child of Lord Danza, has no interest in court life, preferring her vocation as a healer. Her father has promised he will never demand she wed.

When ambitious and cruel young lord Mathune invades a neighboring fief, his actions cause war between the fiefdoms - and turn the lives of both Bain and Phaera upside down. Mathune swears he will have Phaera, whatever the cost.

Bain swears he will not.”

Author:

A native of the Netherlands who immigrated to Canada as a child, Yvonne Hertzberger has previously written a fantasy trilogy as well as contributing to a couple anthologies. She is a regular contributor to the indie author superblog, Indies Unlimited.

Appraisal:

I’ve rated this book as low as I have due to one reason and only one reason. It is because the number of issues I spotted that should have been cleaned up during the proofreading of the book and weren’t exceeded my threshold of what I see as acceptable by more than double. Most of the errors are minor. If you don’t mind being thrown out of the story every few pages as you trip over a missing or almost-but-not-quite-right word, or maybe you just don’t notice those issues, then the story here is well worth your time.

Polish up those irritants though, and the result would be a book very much unlike my normal read, but one I would absolutely love. The story world is comparable in some ways to what you’d find in a dystopian novel, in that it is in the future and the world that I assumed was earth, had come close to annihilation. However, it really doesn’t have much in the way of what would be called science fiction (and dystopian is a branch of sci-fi) with the exception of being in the future. The civilization that survived and reorganized itself has evolved into something that feels like a combination of the middle ages, the world of a fantasy novel, but with a touch of modern knowledge surviving as well.

Without getting too deep into details, the story itself is thought provoking as well as exciting. It kept me enthralled from start to finish, pulling for things to work out for the main characters, fearful that they wouldn’t, and wondering how or if I was going to get my wish.

Buy now from:            Amazon US        Amazon UK

Format/Typo Issues:

Way too many proofing errors although most are minor, the number of them was way beyond my threshold for what is acceptable.

Rating: *** Three Stars

Reviewed by: BigAl

Approximate word count: 100-105,000 words

Reprise Review: Schrodinger’s Telephone by Marion Stein

Genre: Speculative Fiction

Description:

“Lizzie Greene seems to have it all -- a great husband, a job she loves, a baby on the way, even a rent-stabilized two bedroom apartment on New York's Upper West Side. Then a random decision leads to a senseless act of violence, and it all disappears.

But what if things had been different? What if things are different? Could someone be both dead and not dead at the same time? Is it insanity to believe in mysteries that go beyond human understanding, in the evidence of things not seen?

Lizzie's sister, her best friend, and many others think she's lost her senses, but maybe she's gotten a glimpse of something most of us never get to see.

Schrodinger's Telephone is more for fans of The Twilight Zone than of Twilight.”

Author:

A native New Yorker, Marion Stein has two Masters Degrees, one in creative writing and the other in social work. She moved around the US and Mexico before returning to New York in September 2001. In addition to this novella, she has a novel, Loisaida, and another novella, The Death Trip, available.

For more, visit Stein’s blog.

Appraisal:

Speculative fiction is an umbrella that encompasses many subgenres: Science Fiction, Fantasy, dystopian, Horror, and Supernatural Fiction are just some. However, some speculative fiction doesn’t neatly fit into any of the subgenres, and Schrodinger’s Telephone is one of those. A case could be made that it is Supernatural Fiction, but that presupposes one specific interpretation of what happens to the protagonist, Lizzie, when there is at least one other possibility, that Lizzie is insane.

Regardless of what we call it or how we categorize it, Schrodinger’s Telephone is a quick and engrossing read that will exercise your mind. How would you react if someone you knew insisted that something impossible had happened?

What if that someone was you?

Buy now from:            Amazon US        Amazon UK

FYI: Added for Reprise Review: Schrodinger’s Telephone was a nominee in the Speculative Fiction (excluding fantasy) category for B&P 2014 Readers' Choice Awards. Original review ran March 3, 2013

Format/Typo Issues:

No significant issues

Rating: ***** Five Stars

Reviewed by: BigAl

Approximate word count: 25-30,000 words

Review: No End of Bad Guys by Jeff Buick

Genre: Suspense

Description:

“Something’s off about Molly’s mom. Something sinister behind Alyssa Vaughn’s thin smile and cold eyes.

Orlando homicide cop Bobby Greco has a sixth sense for bad guys, and Vaughn is raising all kinds of red flags. Which is not good because Bobby’s daughter is on the same soccer team as Molly. This one is hitting too close to home.

He already has a tough case on his desk – trying to figure out who abducted and likely murdered a teenage barista on her way home from work. Bobby has a suspect, but without a body and with no hard evidence to build a solid case, he’s hit a dead end. Bobby sets the barista’s disappearance on the edge of his desk and digs into Vaughn. What he uncovers is a dangerous psychopath who has already committed one horrific crime, and Bobby is sure another one is just around the corner.

Now he’s working two cases, where one girl is lost, another is found, and both are in danger.”

Author:

A resident of Calgary, Alberta, Jeff Buick writes what he describes as “fast moving fiction” in different (but not a lot different) genres like thriller, crime fiction, mystery, and suspense.

For more about Jeff, check out his website.

Appraisal:

This novella is being presented as a “prequel” to the Bobby Greco Series. As I’m writing this book 1 of the series (One is Evil) is also out. My conclusion after finishing this novella is that the author might be thinking that a small investment, sure a bit less in money, but mainly in time, to read this will give him a chance to convince potential readers to keep reading the series. If that’s his thinking, he hooked me. (If it’s not his thinking, maybe it ought to be.)

I found the two cases that our protagonist, Bobby Greco, is working on in this novella compelling. I wanted to know what he found and cared that he solved the cases. That one of them was a situation where Greco didn’t know there was a crime, but was seeing cause for concern and decided to start digging, was a twist that you don’t see often and felt like a risk, which kept the level of intensity even higher than it might have been. I’m definitely recommending this one if you’re into intense, fast moving suspense. Just be forewarned, he’s trying to suck you into the rest of the series. But if this prequel is any indication, I don’t think you’ll mind.

Buy now from:            Amazon US        Amazon UK

FYI:

Some adult language.

Format/Typo Issues:

No significant issues.

Rating: ***** Five Stars

Reviewed by: BigAl

Approximate word count: 20-25,000 words

Review: By A Thread: Book 1 of The Trueborn Heirs Series by Nyna Queen

Genre: Urban Fantasy/Paranormal

Description:

“’I’m a spider, sugar. My shaper kind doesn’t bear that name for nothing.’

That's not something Alexis Harper dares to say very often. If she did, it might just get her killed. Not that she is an easy mark, but even fools get lucky once in a while.

In a world where the magically gifted trueborn rule and the magicless halfborn slog away in the slums, half-blood mongrels like Alex are outcasts—feared and shunned. For most of her life, she has lurked in the shadows, trying to keep her true nature a secret. But the secrecy ends abruptly when she saves two trueborn aristo children from a group of hired killers.

Accused of a crime she didn't commit, Alex suddenly finds herself running from powerful enemies, with no one around to trust. Or what about the mysterious stranger who has been following her? He is one of Death’s Servants, born and bred to kill at the country’s command. Not the most preferable ally, but then, her choices are limited. Soon she has to decide whether she can trust him or not—it’s a gamble she might not survive either way. And before Alex knows what is happening, her life is hanging by a silken thread…”

Author:

“Nyna started reading fantasy books at the sweet age of six (in fact, as soon as she could read) and never got out of it. After she finished her law degree, she finally decided to commit herself to a career as an author. When she isn't reading a book or dreaming up another story, she works as a lawyer, indulges in way too much coffee and enjoys long walks in the sun. If you are looking for Nyna, you'll likely find her behind her laptop, hitting the keys, writing down her latest novel ideas - careful, if you speak to her now, she might not remember later!

Right at this moment, Nyna is probably working on the second book in her Trueborn Heirs Series: Web of Lies.”

Appraisal:

In Alexis Harper’s magical world she is known as a shaper, her other shape is a spider. This spider gives Alex superhuman strength, speed, and enhanced senses, but very little other magical abilities. Alex and her kind are the lowest caste, below humans. Shapers are feared, and considered savages.

Alex tends bar in the slums to eke out a merger living. When two kids magically appear in the middle of the bar along with the goons they are running from who made it into the portal before it closed, Alex jumps in to protect the kids and kills all the goons. Now, they are on the run. Alex’s plan is to find a way to get the kids back home. There are miles to cross without being seen and magical wards to get around. Word around the republic is that Alex has kidnapped the kids. Josy and Max are the daughter and son of a highly ranked politician, and an important election is coming up. Can you smell a conspiracy?

Ms. Queen spends a lot of time describing her unique world, and its political structure. Her characters are well developed and stay true to themselves. It takes time for the kids to learn to trust Alex, their lives literally depend on her. When their Uncle Darken, who is a forfeit—a state assassin, catches up with Alex he tries to kill her to protect his niece and nephew. The kids save her convincing Darken she has saved them. So, now there are two adults who don’t trust each other trying to work together. The banter between them is entertaining. Alex has no problem confronting and arguing with Darken. Nobody has ever treated him the way she does, and he slowly learns to give her a certain amount of respect. Then he throws her in the river with no warning.

By A Thread is an entertaining story and a decent plot. However, I have some issues with it as a whole. There are way too many proofing issues that include missing, extra, and wrong words. This story is worth the extra attention, and while an editor goes through the story perhaps they could remove all the extra words that don’t move the story forward. But the biggest headache I have with By A Thread is the huge cliffhanger ending!

Buy now from:            Amazon US        Amazon UK

FYI:

By A Thread is book 1 of Nyna Queen’s, The Trueborn Heirs Series. There are a few F-bombs and other adult language.

Format/Typo Issues:

Way too many proofing issues to let them slide. Numerous wrong words, missing words, or extra words.

Rating: *** Three Stars

Reviewed by: ?wazithinkin

Approximate word count: 160-165,000 words

Reprise Review: A Lighter Shade of Gray by Devon Pearse

Genre: Literary Fiction

Description:

“What does it feel like to stare into the face of madness? Or to anticipate your own? Would you drive away your only love? Could you pretend it didn't matter? How far would you go to protect a friend, or to avenge a death?”

Author:

“Devon Pearse was born and raised in beautiful St. Augustine, Florida. As a child, she was surrounded by classic literary works and grew to love and cherish them as dear old friends. It was only natural that she would dream of one day being an author and joining the ranks of the creators of these other worlds, unforgettable characters and thought provoking prose.”

Appraisal:

Characterized in the official descriptions as “semi-autobiographical,” I’ll leave it to you to decide which parts are true and which aren’t (your guess is as good as mine). I’ll often find that books I or someone else describes as “literary fiction,” like this one, show deftness with language (which this does), but have a story that isn’t that entertaining or that I care about. I’ll take a good mystery, thriller, or other genre fiction that uses plain language to tell a compelling story over much literary fiction. A Lighter Shade of Gray (which I believe beat those other gray books into publication and shouldn’t be confused with them) has beautiful language and a story I could care about.

Devon Pearse (yes, the protagonist and author’s names are the same) has a mother whose mental illnesses eventually lead her to a rural group home and leave Devon afraid for the future. Are the causes genetic? Devon is fearful that she’s seeing a glimpse of her future and is unwilling to commit to her boyfriend, or even allow him to commit to her. In fact, Devon goes through much of life making decisions influenced by what might happen. There is some mystery and potential romance to liven up the story as well. It was a story that drew me in slowly, but once it got a hold of me, it wouldn’t let go.

Buy now from:    Amazon US        Amazon UK

FYI:

Some adult language.

Added for Reprise Review:  A Lighter Shade of Gray by Devon Pearse was the WINNER in the Literary Fiction category for B&P 2013 Readers' Choice Awards. Original review ran August 22, 2012,

Format/Typo Issues:

The Kindle version I received for review had some issues with hyphens in words where they obviously didn’t belong. These appeared to be an artifact from formatting for a paper version.

No significant typos.

Rating: ***** Five Stars

Reviewed by: BigAl

Approximate word count: 145-150,000 words

Review: Real Women's Stories 2018 by Various

Genre: Memoir

Description:

“The twelve brief chapters in this book reflect the beauty and the burdens of life; the highs and lows of being a woman. With stories about mothers and daughters, surviving divorce, overcoming domestic violence and abuse, trading routine for adventure, honoring family, and more, these incredible stories are honest, powerful, and inspiring.”

Author:

A variety of authors with the main commonality being that all of them are women.

Appraisal:

I’ve always felt that most people have some part of their life that would make an interesting story. This book consists of 12 women telling a story that seems to prove my theory. The stories tend to be things that women experience and men either don’t or wouldn’t in the same way. The women seem to be largely from New York although their stories in some instances happen elsewhere. And the stories are all thought-provoking and entertaining or interesting in some other way. A good read.

Buy now from:            Amazon US        Amazon UK

Format/Typo Issues:

No significant issues

Rating: **** Four Stars

Reviewed by: BigAl

Approximate word count: 30-35,000 words

Review: Innocent Walk by Melissa Bowersock

Genre: Native American/Drama/Paranormal/Contemporary Fiction

Description:

“Lacey Fitzpatrick and Sam Firecloud know that Kenzie, Sam’s eleven-year-old daughter, has inherited his mediumistic abilities. The duo has tried to shelter Kenzie from the emotional and physical violence that often accompany their cases, but when a school bus crashes directly in front of Lacey and Kenzie, the girl is plunged into the heart of the tragedy. Some children survive, but many don’t. Kenzie wants to help both the living and the dead, but some selfish and self-centered adults threaten the process. Can Kenzie free the young, trapped souls, or are the children doomed to purgatory?”

Author:

“Melissa Bowersock is an eclectic, award-winning author who writes in a variety of fiction and non-fiction genres: biography, contemporary, western, action, romance, fantasy, paranormal and spiritual. She has been both traditionally and independently published and is a regular contributor to the superblog Indies Unlimited. She has a tattoo on the inside of her left wrist that says IMAGINE. In her next life, she plans to be an astronaut. She lives in a small community in northern Arizona with her husband and an Airedale terrier. She also writes under the pen name Amber Flame.”

Learn more about Ms. Bowersock and her other books on her website or on Facebook.

Appraisal:

On the way home Lacey and Kenzie witness a tragic bus wreck. Lacey and Kenzie do what little they can to help until EMT’s arrive to take over. There were several injuries and deaths. Lacey patched physical wounds and, Kenzie offered comfort and reassurance as she walked the souls of the dead children into the light. Unfortunately, there are two children who refused to go into the light. One boy, Shawn, who is tied on the earthly plane, and one girl, Cheyanne, who is terrified to go into the light.

Lacey and Sam have to speak to these devastated parents to try to discover why their child didn’t cross over. Both of their stories are different and realistic. Innocent Walk was a hard book for me to read. Anything that involves hurt children lies heavy on my soul, even though it is fiction. If the events happened in the past, I can effectively separate from the story through the passage of time, as in Ms. Bowersock’s first book in this series, Ghost Walk.

Both of these children’s stories are gut wrenching, but Shawn’s little brother Darius ripped my heart right out of my chest. Then there is Cheyanne Holt’s story. It’s not often you see Sam get so emotionally upset that he can’t keep his anger inside. However, I think what he had to say to Minister and Ms. Holt, Cheyanne’s parents, gave them pause and a few things to think about.

To top it all off there is the matter of the con-man who started a Go-Fund-Me type of account to help the affected families of the bus crash and then skips town with several thousand dollars. If you didn’t catch that Kenzie plays a large part in this book, she does an impressive job of holding her own. As a result her mother, Christine, isn’t far behind her. Supporting and watching out for her daughter while beaming with pride at the young woman she is turning out to be.

Highly charged emotions intensify this story. Innocent Walk is thoughtfully written, and well-paced. Even though the subject matter is hard to read it is well worth your while to take a deep breath and dive in. You won’t be disappointed.

Buy now from:            Amazon US        Amazon UK

FYI:

Innocent Walk is book 23 in Ms. Bowersock’s, A LACEY FITZPATRICK and SAM FIRECLOUD MYSTERY SERIES. This series does not need to be read in order. However, you may miss some character development by reading out of order.

Format/Typo Issues:

Nothing to note.

Rating: ***** Five Stars

Reviewed by: ?wazithinkin

Approximate word count: 30-35,000 words

Review: I Am by T.H. Moore

Genre: Literary Fiction

Description:

“Sandy and Xavier are young, accomplished, and happily married living their American dream. Xavier is Sandy’s protector while Sandy’s ambition inspires her husband. Together they’ve forged the perfect life together. Or so they thought, until a tragedy in the couple’s affluent suburb causes a ripple effect that will forever change their world.

The effects of the incident permeate to D.C.’s halls of justice – threaten democracy as we know it and the relationship Sandy and Xavier once thought they had. Deception and repressed rage spawn a murdering spree that forces battle lines to be drawn and everyone must choose a side. The burden of swift and commensurate justice falls upon a D.C. jury charged with delivering the country from the threat of total anarchy.

Blood will be spilled. Bodies will drop. Yet, regardless the jury’s verdict, America will never be the same again.”

Author:

“T.H. Moore is a Southwest Philadelphia native who relocated to Camden, New Jersey at the age of ten. He's an active member of Omega Psi Phi Fraternity, Inc., and earned a Bachelor of Science degree from Morgan State University. His career as an Information Technology Consultant and Real-Estate investor has afforded him the opportunity to travel to many countries all over the world as well as the majority of the United States.”

For more, visit the author’s website.

Appraisal:

I feel like saying very much about this story will be a spoiler. The basics are that Sandy (a doctor) and her husband Xavier (a police officer) are a happily married couple. But when a police officer shoots a person of color under questionable circumstances and Sandy realizes how easily this could have been her, Xavier, or others in their community, things get shaken up.

This story looks at a long-time issue in the US of law enforcement appearing to be too quick to pull the trigger and then suffering no consequences. I Am is an intense, educational and thought-provoking tale.

Buy now from:            Amazon US        Amazon UK

FYI:

Some adult language.

Format/Typo Issues:

Review is based on an advanced reader copy. Can not judge the final product in this area.

Rating: **** Four Stars

Reviewed by: BigAl

Approximate word count: 70-75,000 words

Review: Woman of His Heart by Donna Fasano

Genre: Romance/Native American

Description:

“Dr. Dakota Makwa’s man-hunting female patients are on the prowl—and he is their prey! The handsome Native American has had enough. He comes up with an unusual proposition for his nurse, Lyssa Palmer, who is facing problems of her own—an unborn baby she wants to protect from her wealthy and powerful ex-husband.

‘Marry me.’

The marriage of convenience between the sexy Kolheek doctor and the pregnant nurse quickly turns into a heated affair. But both Dakota and Lyssa carry some heavy baggage that threatens their happiness. Will their fiery union prove strong enough to heal the wounds of the past and convince them to trust in their newfound love?”

Author:

 “Donna Fasano is a three-time winner of the HOLT Medallion, a CataRomance Reviewers Choice Award winner for Best Single Title, a Desert Rose Golden Quill Award finalist, a Golden Heart finalist, and a two-time winner of Best Romance of the Year given by BigAl's Books & Pals Review Blog. Her books have sold 4 million copies worldwide and have been published in two dozen languages. Her novels have made the Kindle Top 100 Paid List numerous times, climbing as high as #1.”

Ms. Fasano has two grown sons and lives with her husband on the eastern seaboard of the United States. To learn more please visit her website or follow her on Facebook.

Appraisal:

Doctor Dakota Makwa has returned home to Misty Glen to build a new medical practice on the reservation after a soul crushing failed marriage. As a new handsome doctor in town, he is being besieged with inappropriate advances from his female patients. Dakota also harbors a deep distrust of women, not only from his failed marriage, but an anger from his childhood.

Dakota is the younger brother of Mat Makwa who was featured in book one of this series. Both were raised by their grandfather, Grayson Makwa, the tribe’s shaman. They were taught to respect their native heritage and above all else, live an honorable life. What they didn’t have, as I saw it, was a strong female influence in their lives.

Dakota hires Lyssa Palmer as his nurse, and he’s hoping she can help curtail some of his feisty female patients. Lyssa is also a complicated character., She had a difficult childhood and fought to go to nursing school to better herself. Now she is trying to escape a loveless marriage from her rich and powerful ex-husband. Lyssa is trying to rebuild her life with a new set of values.

Lyssa is a smart, strong character who is trying to maintain her dignity in a difficult situation. Dakota is a stubborn, arrogant, man who spends too much time in his head. He thinks he knows what he wants, but doesn’t have a clue. The dance these two are in is emotional, sexy, and frustrating. I can’t tell you how many times I wanted to whack Dakota upside his head and yell WTH in his face.

I am enjoying getting to know the characters in The Black Bear Brothers Series. And I am looking forward to learning more about the mysterious Chay Makwa. All we know is that he is deeply troubled.

Buy now from:            Amazon US        Amazon UK

FYI:

Woman of His Heart is book 2 in Ms. Fasano’s, The Black Bear Brothers Series. While book 1, An Honorable Man was a sweet romance, Woman of His Heart, steps out from behind that closed door. In other words, Ms. Fasano added some passionate sex scenes. However, they are not overly graphic, and are tastefully handled.

The books in this series are stand-alone novels, but reading the books in order will offer the most enjoyable experience.

Format/Typo Issues:

No significant issues.

Rating: ***** Five Stars

Reviewed by: ?wazithinkin

Approximate word count: 40-45,000 words

Reprise Review: A Titan for Christmas by Aria Kane

Genre: Romance/Sci-Fi/Christmas

Description:

“When Jenna’s job as an engineer causes her to miss the last scheduled passenger flight home from the mining colony on Titan, she has to become creative to get home to Earth before Christmas. She learns that sometimes private cargo pilots will take on passengers, for the right price.

There is one small cargo ship, piloted by Grayson, that is getting ready to make the three day trip, but he doesn’t want any passengers. Jenna convinces Grayson to allow her aboard his ship so she can be home with her sisters on Christmas. When she learns what he is transporting is extremely dangerous and illegal she must decide whether to help him or turn him in to the authorities.”

Author:

Aria Kane is a recovering mechanical engineer and romance writer. She lives in sunny Florida with her fifty pound mutt who thinks he is a Chihuahua. This is her first book. Check out her website for a little bit of insight into this new Indie author, this made me laugh. “I’m a romance author, but this blog is about my life as a sex-positive, slightly-geeky, gender-role-despising, equal-rights-defending, independent city girl.”

Appraisal:

This novelette is a quick, light, enjoyable read. Jenna is a problem solver and I liked her character as well as Grayson’s. Her biggest problem at first is being on such a small cargo ship with a gorgeous pilot. Heat rises quickly and is sated nicely. Grayson is a nice guy who is stuck between a rock and a hard spot. As we learn his story, it is easy to sympathize with his moral dilemma. The story is told with plenty of dialogue; the plot is tight and flows well. Most of the story takes place on the cargo ship between the two main characters and neither is afraid to get their hands dirty in one way or another. I enjoyed the escape into their lives and I found the ending extremely satisfying.

Buy now from:    Amazon US        Amazon UK

FYI:

This book contains adult situations that may not be suitable of young adults.

Added for Reprise Review: A Titan for Christmas by Aria Kane was a nominee in the Romance category for B&P 2013 Readers' Choice Awards. Original review ran November 23, 2012.

Format/Typo Issues:

No significant errors.

Rating: ***** Five Stars

Reviewed by: ?wazithinkin

Approximate word count: 10-15,000 words