Reprise Review: Suddenly Sorceress / Erica Lucke Dean

Reviewed by: ?wazithinkin

Genre: Contemporary Fantasy/Romance/Magic

Approximate word count: 70-75,000 words

Availability    

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

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

Author:

“After walking away from her career as a business banker to pursue writing full-time, Erica Lucke Dean 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.

Description:

"PMS can be a real witch.

Ivie McKie isn’t your run-of-the-mill kindergarten teacher. After an encounter with a horny goat, followed by a confrontation with her lying, cheating fiancé, Ivie is shocked when the big jerk suddenly transforms into a skunk—the black and white furry variety.

Enlisting the help of her shopaholic friend Chloe and sexy club magician Jackson Blake, Ivie is forced to play a literal game of cat and mouse as she races against the clock to change her ex back before she's arrested for his murder... Ivie soon discovers what every witch worth her spell book knows: There’s nothing worse than a bad case of Post Magical Syndrome."

Appraisal:

This story was absolutely the most fun I've had reading in a while. From the moment I met Ivie, I liked her. She was smart, cute, humble, and just a bit accident prone. Perhaps accident prone isn't the right choice of words here, but things tend to happen to her. When she loses her temper with her cheating fiancé and he changes into a skunk, she scrambles to figure out how to turn him back into his regular self. Nothing like this has ever happened to her before.

The plot twists and turns as Ivie searches all the wrong places for answers to her dilemma. One of those wrong places is a magic show in a seedy part of town where she meets gorgeous part-time stage magician Jackson Blake, who leads her to believe he might be able to help. Ivie is totally out of her element and desperately grasping at straws as she tries to elude the police by hesitantly involving her best friend, Chloe. Everyone needs a best friend like Chloe. She was as eccentric as she was loyal. She kept me laughing and I loved her style.

As certain elements in the story change, the stakes raise higher and Ivie's mother gets pulled into the fray. Certain facts about the past are brought to light and Ivie's world is turned upside down yet again. I can't say the ending was a complete surprise, but I can say it ended the way I was hoping it would. I had my fingers crossed anyway.

The plot moves at a good pace and twists back on itself more than once. The foible-filled characters were all well developed and the dialogue was thoroughly entertaining. It was fun giving into the magical elements of this story and Ms. Dean's Post Magical Syndrome was a fascinating twist. If you are looking for a fast, fun, sexy story that will leave a smile on your face I highly recommend this one.

FYI:

Adult sexual situations and adult language that may be offensive to some.

Format/Typo Issues:

Although I read an Advanced Readers Copy, I found no significant errors.

Rating: ***** Five stars

Reprise Review: Integration / Imogen Rose

Reviewed by: BigAl

Genre: YA/Paranormal

Approximate word count: 85-90,000 words

Availability    

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

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

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. plans at least one more, and started two other series. For more, visit Rose’s website.

Description:

The second book in Rose’s Bonfire Academy series, Integration continues the story of Faustine, Quinn, Cordelia, and many of the other characters from Initiation as Faustine completes her next year at the Bonfire Academy, a boarding school in the Swiss Alps that trains teen paranormals to use and control their special powers. It’s just like high school, only worse.

Appraisal:

If you’d told me two years ago that I’d be reading books that were not only young adult, but full of paranormal characters, I’d have called you crazy. But I got sucked in by reading the first of Imogen Rose’s Portal series, which convinced me that young adult didn’t mean a grandparent was too old to enjoy it. It snuck in a small dose of the paranormal, so I was open to giving it a try when she started a series that was definitely paranormal. Now I’m hooked. Integration has only set the hook deeper.

The Bonfire Academy series is a prequel to The Bonfire Chronicles, which currently has only one book, Faustine. Integration bridges the time from the end of Initiation to the start of Faustine. The focus is largely on Cordelia, although many of the students are returning, including one in particular who generates much of the book’s conflict. Some new characters also make their first appearances and shake things up.

I’m always impressed by Rose’s ability to introduce and integrate new characters in an ongoing series and to craft an engrossing story, which is aptly demonstrated here. But what struck me as I was reflecting on Integration was that she’s done a first class job of world building without me realizing it. When I think of a typical book in the fantasy or science fiction genres, I expect a large part of that will be describing a world that is much different than anything in real life, while having enough aspects of the real world for us to be able to relate. While Rose’s world exists on the same planet we live on and sometimes her characters visit that world, I realized that what she has done with the Bonfire Academy series is created a world that is just as foreign to the world I live in as a story taking place on Planet X. None of the characters are 100% human. Their emotions, reactions, and powers are, at most, sometimes human-like, but more often not. Maybe the reason it took me this long to realize this is that their goals aren’t that much different from those of a human teenager: survive school, have fun, and find someone to hook up with.

Now I’m left looking forward to the next Imogen Rose book, and wondering what it will be. Another installment in the Portal series is most likely. But The Bonfire Chronicles has only one book thus far and it isn’t clear whether this will be the last of The Bonfire Academy series or not. Whatever comes next, I hope it won’t be long, or I may have to give in and read Twilight.

FYI:

Recommend reading Initiation, the first in the series, prior to reading Integration.

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

Guest Post from Nicholas Conley, author of Pale Highway

My novel Pale Highway was inspired by my experiences working with Alzheimer’s patients in a nursing home, a time which redefined everything I thought I knew about dementia, human relationships, aging, and death. I started working in healthcare over four years ago. At first, it was terrifying. Walking into a building full of people who constantly needed my help—the whole experience changed me. My heart opened itself. Since then, I’ve experienced more life changing moments than I can possibly count. I’ve fought for people’s rights. I’ve held the hands of people as they died. I’ve caught people before they could fall.

There are a lot of moments I go back to, but one in particular that sticks out right now.

Working second shift in a nursing home, the last half hour is when exhaustion finally sets in. After eight hours—or often in my case, sixteen hours—of working with all of the residents, racing from call bell to call bell, and getting everybody comfortably settled in bed, this is the point where the workers can finally sit down for a moment and finish documenting about the events of the day. It’s also the moment where the body’s aches and strains finally make themselves apparent. The lights are off, most of the residents are asleep, and everyone is getting ready for the overnight crew to come in with bags under their eyes, and tall cups of gas station coffee gripped in shaky hands.

Second shift was my shift, for a long time, and the end of the shift was always the time where I finally got a chance to breathe, do my paperwork, and process everything that had happened.

This one particular night was at an early point in my career, not too long after I first started. Alzheimer’s was still new to me. I was passionate about what I was doing, but every day brought new challenges, new surprises, new situations that I never could’ve prepared for until they happened. On this night, it was about 10:30pm, just thirty minutes until shift change. I’d finally sat down, gulped down a hot coffee, and cracked open my paperwork, when a call light started glowing in the hallway.

Obviously, I can’t tell you much about this resident—his personal details are his, not mine—but for the sake of this post, I’ll call him Mr. Z.

So, Mr. Z had a terrible condition that kept him awake at night. He often got in and out of bed. He was mostly deaf, and he spoke so loudly that his every statement sounded like a thunderous declaration. Though Mr. Z did have dementia, this hearing problem often made him appear more confused than he actually was. When people spoke to him, he would smile and nod; he was too friendly to ask them to repeat themselves.

As I went into the room, I was immediately greeted by the sound of him shouting at the door. “Hey!”

I crouched next to him, and he looked at me with a sad expression. I waved hello, and then moved to help him out of bed, the usual nightly routine. He stopped me. “No,” he said, more quietly than usual. “I just want some company.”

I looked at the clock. I hadn’t even started my paperwork yet. But seeing the deep creases in his face, the sadness and hope intermingling in those 90-year-old eyes, I knew that I had to be there for him. So I sat down next to his bed, smiled and shook his hand. “Okay, I’m here.”

He nodded, pretending to hear what I was saying. His cracked cheeks turned upward. “Thanks!” He grinned.

We stared at each other—openly, transparently. I wanted to talk to him, but I didn’t know how. There had to be some way to communicate with him. I hated the barrier. I hated that he was stuck in a world without language or understanding. Then, something occurred to me. I took out a pen and paper. I wrote a simple message, in big letters—CAN YOU READ THIS?—and I showed it to him. He nodded. I wrote again, just to test: READ THIS OUT LOUD.

“Read this out loud!” he shouted.

And so, for the next half-hour, we communicated this way. I wrote, he spoke, we went back and forth. We discussed his family. His grandkids. His time in the military. Eventually, he started to drift off to sleep, but before he did, I wrote one last message: IT’S TRULY AN HONOR TO KNOW YOU.

He smiled at me, and shook my hand again. “You’re a good kid,” he said, in his usual booming voice. “Glad that you’re here!”

That night, I drove home like usual. But something had changed in me.

Learning to take care of others is a gradual process, a jigsaw puzzle that is built from many small pieces which, once put together, collectively transform a regular person into a caregiver. Some of these moments still come back to me every day, whereas others have dimmed; it’s all too easy to dwell on one’s failures, to look back on the times wherein one feels they could’ve done more. But that night, the night where I first really talked with Mr. Z, has never left me, because I was there for him, right when he needed me.

People with Alzheimer’s, traumatic brain injuries, and other disabilities aren’t just patients: they’re people. They have needs, wants and personal histories that define them. Throughout their lives, they’ve loved, laughed and cried. They’ve experienced joy and heartbreak.

We should never forget that.

Get your copy of Nicholas' book, Pale Highway, from Amazon US, Amazon UK, or Barnes & Noble.

Reprise Review: No One’s Child / Judith L. McNeil

Reviewed by: Pete Barber

Genre: Memoir

Approximate word count: 75-80,000 words

Availability    

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

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

Author:

There’s not much in the way of publicity for this author. She wrote her life story in two books: No One’s Child and The Girl With The Cardboard Port. Her bio on Amazon offers this: Judith L. McNeil lives in Queensland, Australia. She is now retired after decades spent working as a caregiver for the aged, but volunteering in the community is still very much a part of her life. Her interests other than writing are breeding Shitzus, landscape painting, and reading.

Description:

This memoir, set in Queensland, Australia, begins in January 1948 when the author was five years old and ends nine years later as fourteen-year-old Judith awaits a train to Brisbane with her family. To reveal the reasons for her being at that railway station, or to explain with whom she waited for the train would be an unforgivable spoiler. For the first time, but not the last in this review, I recommend you read No One’s Child and find out for yourself. You won’t regret it.

Appraisal:

Like all the “Pals”, I’m no learned literary expert, and normally that causes me no qualm. I select Indie stories from Big Al’s list as they catch my eye, read them, and give an honest opinion—my opinion. Maybe something of what I say about a work will appeal and make you think, “Yes, that sounds like an interesting read.” Or maybe my take will be sufficient to convince you that the piece isn’t for you, and you’ll move on to the next story—there are many from which to choose.

I confess to feeling inadequately equipped to give this story its due.

But here goes. As Forrest Gump said when he sat on that park bench waiting for the bus he didn’t need to catch, “Mama always said life was like a box of chocolates. You never know what you're gonna get.”

And, for me, reading No One’s Child, selected by chance from Al’s list of 1500+ waiting works, was an extraordinary experience. I cannot express how happy I am that I didn’t pass it by.

In 1996, Frank McCourt’s memoir, Angela’s Ashes, became a worldwide best-seller and went on to win the Pulitzer for Autobiography. That story has many correlations with Judith McNeil’s memoir. In fact I can cut this review short for you: if you enjoyed Angela’s Ashes, you’ll enjoy No One’s Child. Mr. McCourt was raised in Limerick, Ireland, but the poverty and hardships endured and, more to the point, accepted as ‘just how it is’ by Frank and Judith (Judy) have a commonality that transcends the geographical separation of Ireland and Australia.

The staggering recall that both authors demonstrate is what sets these works apart. Personally, I remember only major incidents in my early years. Judy remembers the smell of the dirt dunnys (waterless, outside toilets). She remembers the feel of the air when the “willy whirlies” (miniature, and in some cases full-blown tornadoes) disturbed her world, or in one case wrecked the shanty town she lived in. She remembers the feel of a wild nanny goat who rubbed in friendship at her leg and allowed Judy to drink from its milk sac, and the sting of a snake bite as she picked wood from a pile to hand-build tomato boxes.

Risk was something she shared her life with, risk from the natural world she lived so close to, risk from friends who misunderstood her intelligence, and risk from the one constant from which she could not escape—her family. That she carried this risk on her own shoulders from such a young age might make you think her family was careless of her, but no, it was more that this was the way life was lived. Judy wasn’t a slave, but she was forced into a servitude of necessity.

Her story begins with a short chapter in which her mother, for the first time, opens up to her. The date is undefined, but Judith is clearly a grown woman at the time of the conversation. The hardships her mother endured, to an extent, put Judith’s own struggle in perspective. I wondered, after finishing the story, whether that chapter was her way of erasing some blame from her mother, of taking it on herself, as she had always had. Perhaps? In the story she quotes her mother saying, “(Once) I cried because I had no shoes, until one day I saw a child who had no feet.” In any case, although Judith had yearned to know her mother’s story, I found it poignant that when her mother finally opened up, Judy couldn’t wait to break the spell, to stop her mother talking, to escape from the knowing. Perhaps her heart had hardened too much in survival to allow the space for that level of forgiveness.

If you read No One’s Child (did I mention that I recommend you do?), prepare yourself for Judy’s honesty. In particular she lays bare her feelings toward her father, which fester like an infected wound, seeping, dangerous, and ever-present.  But, without her honesty and her extraordinary memory, this story would lose its color, its depth, its layers. As with Angela’s Ashes, what makes this a compelling read is that, through all the hardships endure by the author, a love of people, of community, of animals . . . ,and of life, shines thorough.

I did not come away from reading No One’s Child feeling sorry for Judith McNeil, but rather, buoyed by her humanity, and humbled that she took the time to share her life with me.

To quote from the book’s short epilogue: “They say lilies rise from the mud. I know they do.”

I believe her.

In case I forgot to mention it, you should read No One’s Child.

Format/Typo Issues:

No typos to mention. Australian dialect, but not an issue for comprehension.

Rating: ***** Five stars

Theme Week: Readers' Choice Award Winners

This week, with the exception of a guest post on Tuesday, is going to be reprise reviews with something in common. All of them were winners in our annual Readers' Choice Awards. Not a bad book in the bunch.

Jim Rohn and Other Motivators Vs. John Piper and Other Calvinists / Andrew Bushard

Reviewed by: BigAl

Genre: Non-Fiction/Philosophy

Approximate word count: 8-9,000 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:

“Andrew Bushard is a musician, writer, runner, and motivational speaker. Additionally, he founded the organization Free Press Media, which is dedicated to advancing and celebrating freedom of expression. Andrew currently resides in Austin, TX.”

Description:

“Have you ever considered how Calvinists and other conservative Christians view motivational speaking? How about how motivational speakers view Calvinism and others forms of conservative Christianity? It's hard to find these topics discussed anywhere. This book explores the multitude of ways Calvinists (and other conservative Christians) differ from motivational speakers and to a lesser extent, how these groups are alike. If you would like to understand one of the biggest, yet almost always neglected philosophical and theological disputes of our day, read this book.”

Appraisal:

I'm still not sure why I decided to give this book a try. It obviously touches on religion, which I tend to shy away from because I have to be careful to keep my biases in check while evaluating this sort of book. The only reason I've been able to come up with is I wanted something short and this fit the bill.

The concept is simple enough. Bushard compares and contrasts the philosophies of Calvinists and those of motivational speakers. While the title name refers specifically to evangelical Baptist preacher John Piper and the late Jim Rohn, a motivational speaker, the examples used include statements and teachings from many Calvinists and motivational speakers.

I found this quick read interesting for two reasons. The first as an introduction to Calvinist belief. Other than knowing Calvinism is based on the theological teachings of John Calvin and that it’s perceived as more extremely religious than most Christian sects, I didn't know much about the philosophy. Second, by comparing the two and poking holes in the weaknesses of each (often polar opposites of each other), I was able to come to my own conclusions as to what made sense and seemed right to me. That this was often a different conclusion than the author is okay, right?

Format/Typo Issues:

No significant issues.

Rating: **** Four Stars

Reprise Review: Molly Harper / Emelle Gamble

Reviewed by: Pete Barber

Genre: Women’s Fiction

Approximate word count: 100-105,000 words

Availability    

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

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

Author:

Ms. Gamble was first published by Harlequin Intrigue's line of romantic suspense as 'M. L. Gamble' and wrote seven books for them.

She writes relationship stories about women and the men they love and the friends they hold dearest, with a touch of mystery here, a ghost there, something extraordinary that gives the folks in her imagined world a little extra to deal with.

You can find out more on her website.

Description:

When a teenage fling left fifteen year old Anne Sullivan pregnant, she gave up the baby for adoption. Thirty years later, she learned that her adopted child might be at risk for multiple sclerosis after the birth father and others in his family died at an early age from the disease. She tracks down her daughter ’s adoptive family planning to share the medical news with them.

Appraisal:

This story sucked me in very quickly. The first meeting between Anne Sullivan and the woman who adopted her child was fraught with tension and complexity. Both characters were finely drawn and I found myself appreciating the predicament Anne’s sudden appearance on the scene created for them both.

Molly Harper, for whom the book is named, was the child that Anne gave up, and that first meeting led to increasing complexity as the two families dealt with a myriad of external difficulties and at the same time tried to cope with the realization that their lives had been based on a lie (neither mother shared the secret of the adoption).

It’d be difficult to share any more of the plot without spoiling your enjoyment of the story. I found it absorbing. If you enjoy women’s fiction, I think you will too. 

Format/Typo Issues:

Too few to mention.

Rating: ***** Five stars

Survival / Rhonda Hopkins

Reviewed by: BigAl

Genre: Horror/Short Story

Approximate word count: 13-14,000 words

Availability

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

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

Author:

“Rhonda Hopkins has learned firsthand that truth is stranger than fiction. Her two decades of experience as an investigator provide her characters with a depth and realism that gives truth a run for its money. Having come in contact with the best and the worst that society has to offer, Rhonda's imagination is filled with story”

Description:

“When Sarah escapes from her brutal abductors, she promises to return to rescue her twin sister, but with the walking dead invading Fort Worth, TX, she is forced to rely on a competitive coworker who made her work life hell for years. With her coworker weakened by cancer treatments, her sister still imprisoned, and zombies looking for an easy meal, Sarah’s only plan, if she can pull it off, is Survival.”

Appraisal:

I can understand if you think another story (short or not) about the Zombie Apocalypse is overkill. Like every other story idea, it's been done to death. What set this apart for me were the other elements. First, Sarah rescuing her twin, which is the main story conflict with the zombies just one more thing getting in the way of resolving that problem. Second, Sarah's relationship with her coworker Merideth and how that changes as they come to understand each other better. Not your typical zombie story at all.

Format/Typo Issues:

No significant issues.

Rating: **** Four Stars

Reprise Review: Long Live the Suicide King / Aaron Michael Ritchey

Reviewed by: BigAl

Genre: YA

Approximate word count: 55-60,000 words

Availability    

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

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

Author:

A former secondary school teacher and recovering TV addict, Aaron Michael Ritchey lives in Colorado where he runs triathlons and helps raise his two daughters. He is the author of one previous novel, The Never Prayer.

For more, visit Richey’s website.

Description:

“Seventeen-year-old Jim JD Dillinger knows exactly how his miserable suburban life is going to play out. At least drugs added a little chaos to his life, but after almost losing his soul, JD knows he has to quit. Now clean, he figures he has another sixty years of plain old boring life followed by a nasty death. JD decides to pre-empt God by killing himself. However, once he decides to die, his life gets better, more interesting, and then downright strange. New friends. Possible romance. And donuts. Lots of donuts. Once the end is in sight, every minute becomes precious.”

Appraisal:

Compared to the average teenager, Jim “JD” Dillinger has it good. If someone tweeted his complaints about life, I’d expect to see a #firstworldproblems or even #richsuburbankidissues hash tag accompanying it. However, teen angst, depression, and wondering about the point of life can happen to any teen. Suicide knows no boundaries and logic isn’t part of the equation.

My biggest concern with reading this book was that it might be too much. For anyone whose life has been touched by suicide (I’m guessing a whole lot of people) it’s a serious subject. A story that deals with the subject has to have dark moments. Long Live the Suicide King is dark at times, but this is offset by lighter, humorous moments and never felt too heavy to me.It’s subtle in making points about choosing life over death while never feeling preachy. An excellent read, not just for its young target audience, but for adults as well.

FYI:

One f-bomb and a couple mild scenes that touch on sex. Much less than the typical teenager will be exposed to in an average school day.

Format/Typo Issues:

No significant issues.

Rating: ***** Five Stars

#Free for your #Kindle, 11/12/2015

The author of each of these books has indicated their intent to schedule these books for a free day for the Kindle versions today on Amazon. Sometimes plans change or mistakes happen, so be sure to verify the price before hitting that "buy me" button.

The Ribs and Thigh Bones of Desire

Amazon US

Amazon UK

Two Birds by Vicki Tyley

Amazon US

Amazon UK

Author's interested in having their free book featured either here on a Thursday or a sister site on a Monday, visit this page for details.