Review: Until September by Harker Jones

Genre: LGBTQ/Coming of Age/Literary Fiction

Description:

“In the lull between the conservative ’50s and the turbulent ’60s, Kyle Ryan Quinn, an introspective, sentimental boy, leads a golden life. He’s rich, beautiful and smart, and he vacations each year on the same island with the same circle of friends: entitled Adonis Trent; acerbic Claudia; practical Dana; and frivolous Carly. Haunted by the ghosts of a tragedy that took place in his youth, Kyle is more sensitive than his privileged friends. He understands loss, and secrets.

When he meets Jack Averill, a quiet, bookish boy, his fateful 18th summer on the island, Kyle falls hopelessly, heedlessly in love. As he befriends and attempts to woo Jack — and tries to integrate him into his tight-knit yet troubled circle — he’s pursued himself by another summer boy, Trey, who will stop at nothing to win Kyle’s love, all while Trent toys with the affections of an island girl. Amid mounting familial, sexual and peer pressures, all four young men make heartbreaking decisions that will steal their innocence, destroy lives and consume them forever.”

Author:

Harker Jones grew up in Michigan where he writes movie scripts and is the book reviews editor for a literary journal. For more check out his Facebook page.

Appraisal:

I find that reading books that allow me to vicariously experience what it would be like to live in someone else’s shoes, specifically someone that is not like me, helps me to understand others better which should help make me a better person. I’ve never gone through the main struggle that Kyle, the protagonist of this book did. I imagine someone who has experienced that struggle would benefit from reading this, both understanding that others have the same struggle and also contrasting how much worse I imagine it would have been during the time this book takes place.

Curiously I did struggle to believe or accept one part of Kyle’s story. As the book’s description makes clear, Kyle comes from an extremely well-to-do family. That they have a “summer home” on a relatively remote island where they summer every year and that Kyle is able to afford some of the things he does in the last part of the book really drove that home and was one aspect that I sometimes struggled to suspend my disbelief. Looking back, I realize that it just shows that money helps, but doesn’t cure every issue. On balance this was an enjoyable and enlightening read.

Buy now from:            Amazon US        Amazon UK

FYI:

Some adult language and some adult situations.

Format/Typo Issues:

No significant issues

Rating: **** Four Stars

Reviewed by: BigAl

Approximate word count: 95-100,000 words

Review: The Secrets She Learns by Jacqueline Diamond

 Genre: Mystery/Romance.

Description:

“Shocking secrets, unexpected love, a cold-case mystery—and a nosy beagle!

At the age of 50, nurse Anni discovers she has two half sisters, both of whom were hurt by a con man who has disappeared. Determined to bring her new family together and unravel the past, she hires a handsome P.I., and gets more than she bargained for. That includes his newly adopted dog, who isn’t shy about fostering a romance or digging up evidence.

Former police detective Jon, now in business for himself, is frustrated by the one who got away, a swindler who tricked folks including Jon’s own mother out of their savings. His new neighbor, appealingly warm-spirited Anni, is more than the perfect client. She’s also a woman who sends the barriers around his heart crashing to the ground.”

Author:

Jacqueline Diamond has written numerous books in multiple genres, primarily romances and mysteries, over her more than forty years as a published author.

For more, visit her website and like her Facebook page.

Appraisal:

Jacqueline Diamond writes books in many genres with romance and mystery being the two most common. If this and the other book I read by her are any indication she likes to combine multiple genres in her books. This one has both mystery and romance mixed together. The romance story thread is enough of the book that I don’t think it is out of line to put the book in the romance genre, but there are also multiple mysteries here. The primary mystery is trying to figure out what happened to the husband of one of the friends who are the focus of the story. He disappeared a few years ago and is wanted by the police who have been unable to find them. The group of friends who are the focus of the story also find out several things about themselves and their pasts that they had previously misunderstood. In spite of lots of things going on in the story it is well told and I didn’t have any issue keeping track of the several story threads. Each added to the overall story and kept things entertaining. A fun, intriguing read.

Buy now from:            Amazon US        Amazon UK

FYI:

Although this is the fourth book in a series it appears that the books can stand alone. While characters from the other books in the series were in this one, I didn’t feel as though I was missing things or unable to follow the story in spite of having not read the prior books.

Format/Typo Issues:

No significant issues.

Rating: **** Four Stars

Reviewed by: BigAl

Approximate word count: 60-65,000 words

Review: Terminal Threat by D.V. Berkom

 Genre: Thriller

Description:

“A former assassin makes a new start in a small town on the coast of Italy, but puts herself squarely in the sights of an old enemy when she helps the townspeople fight back against the local crime boss.

No good deed goes unpunished.

Leine Basso is settling into her new life in a quiet village in Italy when a small-time crook threatens the town. Leine steps in to help, drawing the attention of an old adversary who she thought was long gone.

When her enemy learns that Leine is still alive, he orders her assassination. But Leine is not an easy target, and she eliminates the hired guns sent to kill her. Frustrated by his failed attempts, her adversary vows to take vengeance and kill her himself.

As tension builds and the threat escalates, Leine's past collides with her present, blurring the line between friend and foe. In a breathtaking showdown, Leine unleashes her deadly skills to protect not only herself but the tight-knit community she has grown to love. Will she succeed--or will her enemy destroy everything she holds dear?

With adrenaline-pumping action and a formidable female lead, D.V. Berkom takes readers on a thrilling ride as Leine fights to protect her new home and herself from the ultimate terminal threat.”

Author:

“DV Berkom is the USA Today bestselling author of action-packed, riveting adventure and crime thrillers. Known for creating resilient, kick-ass female characters and page-turning plots, her love of the genre stems from a lifelong addiction to reading spy novels, action/adventure stories, and thrillers.”

For more, visit her website.

Appraisal:

Lene Basso, one of DV Berkom’s kick-ass female characters, is the star of this book, her thirteenth in the series. Lene’s life has gone through a few phases. First, she was an assassin. Then she turned over a new leaf, using the skills she gained as an assassin to do good, going after those involved in human trafficking and other such evil things. Now she feels that the time has come to settle down. She’s convinced her partner in life, Santiago “Santa” Jensen to retire and join her in a small town in Italy. They’ll run a bookstore and take it easy. Sounds perfect.

However, the world has other plans. Someone familiar with her past who thought she was dead spots her and things blow up. In many ways the story reads like fans of Lene’s past adventures have come to expect. Lene’s superior skills, ability to anticipate contingencies and plan well all help. But unlike many instances in the past, Lene doesn’t have an organization with skilled people and equipment to back her up. How she deals with that and how it works out are a twist to the typical Lene Basso adventure. In the end, I’m left wondering if Lene’s retirement is going to work out. If not, I’m okay with that, as I’ve enjoyed every adventure of Lene’s thus far. If you’re a thriller fan, you should too.

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: 65-70,000 words

Reprise Review: For the Love of Katie by Erica Lucke Dean

 

Genre: Romantic Comedy/Chick-Lit

Description:

“Newlywed Katie Maxwell is ready to settle down and leave her amateur detective days behind. But when the veil of secrecy surrounding her husband’s latest project takes them to Europe, her penchant for sleuthing lands her in some serious hot foreign water.

Katie will need to think quickly to talk her way out of handcuffs and a Parisian jail cell. Too bad she doesn't speak French.”

Author:

“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.”

Appraisal:

In To Katie with Love (the first book in this series) between the penultimate and final chapter, the story jumps ahead a year. A lot of things have changed for our protagonist, Katie, and her love interest, Cooper, during that interval. This story looks back on that period and tells the story of how Katie and Cooper jumped from point A to point B.

While a lot changes in that year, the things that don’t change are just as critical. Katie is still clumsy. She worries just a little too much. And she’s … snoopy might be a nice way to put it. In other words, none of the things that made Katie so loveable and her first story such a fun read have changed which made For the Love of Katie a fun read as well. For what it’s worth, I think Cooper is a saint.

Buy now from:            Amazon US        Amazon UK

FYI:

Original review published May 9, 2017.

Mild adult situations.

While this is the second book in a series it can be read as a standalone.

Format/Typo Issues:

No significant issues.

Rating: ***** Five Stars

Reviewed by: BigAl

Approximate word count: 80-85,000 words

Review: The Copper King’s Daughter by Rebecca Jasmine

 Genre: Historical Fiction

Description:

“Butte, Montana, 1905. Parker Copper Mining Company.

For her entire seventeen years, Jules Parker has felt a deep connection to her father’s pitch dark, ear-splittingly loud, and dirty copper mines.

Her father, AJ Parker is the most prosperous and powerful man in the American West. He settled in Butte after first discovering gold, then silver. But because of the quick rise of telephones and the wiring of the modern world, the need for copper wire exploded and what he found deep in his mines turned out to be the most valuable of all—copper iron ore. He built an entire empire, becoming a Copper King with his mines in “the richest hill on earth.”

And while Jules admires all that her father has accomplished, she cannot wait to run the mines, certain that she can bring even more success. The hardest part though… is convincing him.

AJ later announces he may be stepping away from mining to seek a position as Montana state senator, and hires the attractive and refined Ted Jackson—who romances Jules, but who also takes control of Parker Copper.

With Ted in charge, Jules relinquishes her dream of running the mining company, and envisions living a dull and conventional life. Until she meets a handsome stranger, Rand Buckley…who might be sabotaging Parker Copper for his own gain.

Loosely based on real events, Jules gets caught up in a riot at the horse races, gets swept away by a flash flood in the red-light district, befriends a strong woman who would eventually be the first woman elected to the U.S. Congress, and endures a fiery explosion at Parker Copper’s largest mine that may put an end to the company forever.”

Author:

“Rebecca Jasmine is originally from Montana, with a B.A. in Communications from the University of Montana. She started in apparel/merchandise while living in San Francisco, then embarked upon a career in Los Angeles as a producer and executive producer for television commercial editors. After moving back to Montana to raise their twin sons, she took to writing novels based in her home state. Rebecca and her husband, Jeremy Sauter, currently reside in the Palm Springs, California area. She enjoys reading, playing tennis, mountain biking, and dogs.

Also, Rebecca was an official TSA Pre-check Enrollment Agent, and did a stint as a background extra on Yellowstone, season four/episode one. The Copper King's Daughter is her first novel.”

Appraisal:

This was an interesting read. The history of the old west, especially a copper mining town like Butte, Montana where this takes places, is interesting to consider. The protagonist, Jules, comes from a well-to-do family and the mining company her father owns is the primary employer in the area, which puts her in a strange position. That dynamic impacts expectations and the way she is viewed by her family and the townspeople. But Jules is ahead of her time in many ways, not wanting to conform to those expectations. Throw in a few men romancing her, some strange happenings at the mine and around town, and we’ve got a bit of romance and mystery along with a view of a different time and place to keep the reader engaged, entertained, and possibly learning a bit too.

Buy now from:            Amazon US        Amazon UK

Format/Typo Issues:

A few more proofreading errors than I like to see, all of them minor (extra or missing words in most cases), but not enough to negatively impact my star rating.

Rating: **** Four Stars

Reviewed by: BigAl

Approximate word count: 80-85,000 words

Review: Ragtown by Kelly Stone Gamble

 Genre: Historical Fiction

Description:

“Helen Carter lives in the back seat of her father’s Model T in the harsh Nevada desert, surrounded by thousands of desperate souls trying to endure the hardships of the Great Depression. When her father dies while working on the Hoover Dam diversion tunnels, she finds herself alone. In this unforgiving landscape where marriage, prostitution, and starvation seem to be her only viable choices, Helen is determined to defy society's expectations of a young woman and create her own American dream. She relies on her resourcefulness to survive but soon realizes she can't go it alone.

Ezra Deal, a young dam worker, brought his sister to Nevada in search of the father of her child, only to have the man reject her. Tragically, both his sister and the baby pass away during childbirth, leaving Ezra with a profound sense of guilt. Determined to distance himself from any further responsibilities, he focuses on his job and locating the man who callously denied his sister. But when he learns that his friend Helen is running from not only the law but also a Las Vegas gangster, he must decide between his independent lifestyle and helping her.

As Helen and Ezra grow closer and become more invested in the diversion of the Colorado River from its course, their lives parallel this monumental change. Ezra can picture building a life with Helen, but she has other ideas. With the help of a thirteen-year-old runaway, a few prostitutes, a dead desperado, and Ezra, Helen embarks on a journey to live life on her terms.

Incorporating actual dramatic events gleaned from the oral histories of the dam workers, Ragtown highlights a time in American history when ordinary men and women overcame the challenges of the Great Depression and thrived.”

Author:

Midwestern-born Kelly Stone Gamble was a longtime resident of Las Vegas, which got her interested in the history of the area which is reflected in this book. She currently lives in Oklahoma and is a member of the faculty at Southeastern Oklahoma State University.

For more, visit Ms Gamble’s website.

Appraisal:

It would be reasonable to view this book as two, maybe three, books in one. Although it surprises me a bit to realize, I liked them all.

The first book is the main story that you’d expect from the book’s description. It’s historical fiction with what could be viewed as two protagonists. The story takes place in the early part of the Great Depression. Jobs are hard to come by and those that are available often have some downsides. Our protagonists, Helen and Ezra, are both living with their families in an area people call Ragtown, near the place where the Hoover Dam is being built. Various factors including deaths in their families and struggles to make ends meet make for an engaging story as both Helen and Ezra’s stories progress. I found this story engaging as it helped drive home how tough things were during that time for a large percentage (dare I say majority) of people without many good ways to improve their lot in life. Once I was introduced to Helen and Ezra I had to find out how things turned out for them.

The main story makes for a decent sized novel by itself. However, at the end of each chapter is a section labeled “Author Note.” Someone could just skip these and they would get the historical fiction story they came for and should be happy with it. But if you want the other two books I mentioned, then read the author notes. These have contents that fall into one of two categories. The majority of them talk about the author’s research into the history of the time and place the story takes place. It expands a bit on some of the specific things mentioned in the story and gives them some historical context. The third book is the remainder of the author notes. These talk a bit about the writing process and give a bit of a glimpse into the writing process. At times in the past I’ve compared getting these kinds of glimpses into the writing process to being the reader’s equivalent of “watching the sausage being made,” but for some reason these notes didn’t strike me that way. I instead found them interesting.

I thought Ragtown was an excellent story. I found the historical part of it interesting, but if that doesn’t appeal to you, skip the author notes and you’ll still be left with an engaging story with characters you’ll like and be pulling for in a story world that’s a nice change of pace.

Buy now from:            Amazon US        Amazon UK

Format/Typo Issues:

Review is based on an ARC (advance reviewer copy) and thus I can’t gauge the final product in this area.

Rating: ***** Five Stars

Reviewed by: BigAl

Approximate word count: 145-150,000 words

Review: The Blackstone Twins Face Off vs Destiny by T. A. Gaylord

 Genre: Dystopian

Description:

“Zoe and Zachary Blackstone are twins, born into a world of madness and survival. Having lost their mother, they are dependent on their grandmother to guide them and a misfit group of wishful dreamers, as they journey hundreds of miles, in hope of finding a cure for the Night Madness. That mysterious affliction takes all men older than puberty. Motherhood is the only known surefire cure. Zachary is doomed to share this fate, but for a rumor, a possible cure. His twin sister Zoe is determined to help him discover this one hope of relief, so they can possibly return to a normal life, a thing of which they've only read about in books.”

Author:

“T.A. Gaylord writes for both young adults and the young at heart, transporting them into a dystopian future world without technology, where the world of today has blown away, like dust from the high desert. Growing up in northern California, T. A. Gaylord has hiked miles of that terrain, and knows it's possibilities and it's dangers. It's beauty and amazing variability has always been an inspiration. As both a nature photographer and later as a caregiver for the disabled, T. A. Gaylord is familiar with both nature's beauty and nature's injustice, including it's unexpected and miraculous possibilities.”

Appraisal:

One of the negatives of the male-dominated HTA (high technology age) that came several generations prior to this story was the disease (for lack of a better word to describe it) that the people in this story call “Night Madness.” This afflicts only males and females who have hit puberty and aren’t either pregnant or breast-feeding. The focus of this story is obviously on the Blackstone twins, Zoe and Zachary. They live in what they call a coven, a group of people who live in a large building in Oakland, California. At night the men and woman who suffer from the night madness are locked out of the building. The Coven was started by one of the female ancestors of the Blackstone twins. It’s an interesting story world and becomes even more so as the story progresses.

The bulk of the story is because there is a rumor that someone in the past found a cure for the night madness and that this research can be obtained at a place they call White Mountain. Zoe doesn’t want her brother to be afflicted with the night madness and convinces the powers that be to allow a group of those in the coven to travel to White Mountain in search of this cure. Of course this trip of a few hundred miles each way isn’t as simple as it would have been in the HTA. They have no cars, so they need to walk, carrying those supplies they need for food. They need to plan for whatever problems they might encounter along the way including other people who might not be as friendly as them. It makes for quite an adventure. I found myself checking out a map when they would mention specific towns between Oakland and the Sierra Mountains to the east, trying to remember if I’d been to that area and, if so, what it looked like. It was an adventure for the twins and one I enjoyed taking with them.

Buy now from:            Amazon US        Amazon UK

Format/Typo Issues:

A small number of proofing misses.

Rating: **** Four Stars

Reviewed by: BigAl

Approximate word count: 65-70,000 words

Reprise Review: Deep Current (Totem Book 6) by Christine Rains

 Genre: Fantasy/Romance/Mystery/Adventure/Mythology

Description:

“Lost to the clutches of her grief of losing her mentor, Saskia Dorn welcomes the opportunity to take down a warehouse of drug dealers. When their leader makes a break for it, Saskia and her ex-boyfriend, Sedge, chase the criminal shifter into the sea off the coast of northwestern Alaska. Not only do they lose their quarry, but a vicious sea hag snatches Sedge.

Saskia can’t take another loss and attempts to bargain for Sedge’s life and the salmon totem the witch has trapped in her cave. The sea hag wants only one thing: her long lost love. Who is dead. And living under the freaking ocean with the Salmon People. Find the Salmon People and return with the witch’s love before Sedge’s life is forfeit. Simple, right? Yet she can’t leave the Salmon People’s land without finding herself first.”

Author:

“Christine Rains is a writer, blogger, and geek mom. She's married to her best friend and fellow geek living in south-central Indiana. They have one son who is too smart for his parents' own good and loves to pretend he's Batman. Christine has four degrees which help nothing with motherhood, but make her a great Jeopardy player. When she's not reading or writing, she's going on adventures with her son or watching cheesy movies on Syfy Channel.

She's a member of Untethered Realms and S.C.I.F.I. (South Central Indiana Fiction Interface). She has several short stories and novellas published. She's had two firsts in 2015. Early in the year, she put out her first urban fantasy novel, Of Blood and Sorrow. She also had a hilarious and steamy series, Dice & Debauchery, published by Ellora's Cave. It's erotic romance for geeks written by a geek.”

For more, check out her Facebook page.

Appraisal:

This novella starts with a raid on a drug lord’s warehouse on the northwestern coast of Alaska. Saskia is a fierce warrior and relishes the fight, taking out her anger on the humans working in the warehouse. When the shifter kingpin shows up Sedge and Saskia give chase across the ocean. Meanwhile, a vicious sea hag with men issues hears Saskia’s thoughts of aggravation with Sedge and snatches him away. Now Saskia is in a race against time to free Sedge from her clutches.

I enjoyed the way Ms. Rains wove the Inuit mythology of the Salmon People into this tale. True to the myths of other Native American stories the themes are circular and the seeker has to find the way according to their own situation. Deep Current is Saskia’s story of facing her own truths. She has to take a long hard look at herself and her own fears about what’s holding her back from Sedge. He’s made it clear he’s not going anywhere, and Saskia has to trust him enough to be honest with him and herself. But first she has to save Sedge from the sea hag who has stolen his bear aspect and he can’t survive without his bear magic in the harsh elements under the icy sea in his human form.

Deep Current is full of action, heart, and soul. It is nice to finally understand what Saskia has dealt with in her past that closed her off. It’s going to be interesting to see if she loses any of her fiery personality. Though I don’t expect this new perspective to affect Saskia’s hardcore fighting spirit to protect the shifter world. However, I do hope to see glimpses of her softer, more accepting side more often now.

If you haven’t started reading the Totem series of novellas, I highly recommend them. Each novella comes to a satisfactory ending, however, the mission to reunite the totem tokens is still incomplete. And as far as I know Totem #7, #8, and #9 release dates are yet to be determined.

Buy now from:            Amazon US        Amazon UK

FYI:

Contains adult language with several F-bombs. Deep Current is the sixth book in the Totem series. This series of novellas build on each other and should be read in order.

Original review published April 28, 2017

Format/Typo Issues:

No proofing or formatting issues.

Rating: ***** Five Stars

Reviewed by: ?wazithinkin

Approximate word count: 25-30,000 words