Review: To Shoot a Musky by Bill Stokes

Genre: Short Story

Description:

“Satchel was the undisputed king of the resident muskies. He had roamed the flowage for years, periodically terrorizing innocent fisherman by surfacing like a whale so close to a boat that the occupants could look deep into the fish's black eyes and see what seemed to be undiluted piscatorial evil.”

Author:

A native of Wisconsin, Bill Stokes has had a long career as a columnist and journalist for several newspapers in Wisconsin as well as a stint at the Chicago Tribune.

For more, visit Mr Stokes website.

Appraisal:

This is a fishing story, I suppose. But I'm not much of a fishing story kind of guy and I loved this short story because it is so much more. It's a Cheesehead Moby Dick. It's a wonderful tale about the love between a grandparent and a grandchild. It's a short glimpse into life in small-town Wisconsin. It's a darn good read.

Buy now from:            Amazon US        Amazon UK

Format/Typo Issues:

No significant issues.

Rating: ***** Five Stars

Reviewed by: BigAl

Approximate word count: 2-3,000 words

Review: Enchanting Death by Laura J Adams

Genre: Urban Fantasy/Mystery

Description:

“His first holiday for two years, the only thing Agent Philippe Girard had planned was a relaxing holiday, a wedding and a full moon hunt with old friends.

Sent to oversee local rookie Max Striga as she makes an arrest, his plans soon unravel when the discovery of a body drags him head first into a high stakes murder case.

With demons, enchantments and old enemies, plus an idealistic young partner who simultaneously infuriates him and brings out his protective instincts, Philippe finds himself in a race against time to solve the case before the murderer can strike again.”

Author:

Laura J Adams: “Interested in all things fantastical since an early age (I'm sure I spent time in my wardrobe as a child trying to find Narnia) it seemed natural to create my own stories. As I grew and discovered great urban fantasy writers my stories started demanding to be put down on paper.

So armed with chocolate, hastily scribbled notes and a New Year's resolution to finally finish a book I discovered my motley crew at the Agency for Supernatural Law Enforcement and Exposure Prevention.

I now spend my days juggling work, children and writing - all while dreaming of chocolate (New Year's resolution) - and hoping one day to turn what has always been a truly enjoyable past-time into a wonderful career.”

Enchanting Death looks to be Ms. Adams’ debut novel.

Appraisal:

Philippe Girard is a revered agent with the Agency for Supernatural Law Enforcement and Exposure Prevention. He is a werewolf and cranky to be pulled from his first vacation in two years to accompany a rookie agent, Max Striga, on her first assignment to arrest an enchantment making witch. There wasn’t supposed to be a death involved. Things get off to a rocky start when Max, also a witch, fails to detect a hidden dark spell which causes an explosion that blows up a file cabinet, the crime scene, and Agent Philippe. Philippe wasn't injured beyond his werewolf healing abilities, but that fact did not improve his mood. Max is a competent witch but Philippe feels she may not be cut out for field work. She is also insecure and has a snarky side when she gets backed into a corner. Philippe’s boss insists Max stay on the case to assist him in unraveling the reason for the mysterious death and who the miscreant is.

The plot is enthralling and complicated with several twists. Ms. Adams does a great job keeping track of all the threads and weaving them together for a cohesive story. The characters are well developed and the dialogue is engaging.

Here is a funny excerpt where we get to see some humorous dialogue. Philippe has entered the victim’s house to make sure it is clear before Max enters. Max is standing outside on the sidewalk when an elderly neighbor, who’s out for a walk, strikes up a conversation with her. Unaware Philippe is now standing behind her. The elderly neighbor asks:

“He your boss?”

“No she’s mine – a real slave driver.”

“No offence to the lass, but how’s this tiny girl your boss? You’re late twenties, and a strapping capable looking lad. Why you settling for being an underling? Even to a pretty girl.”

“I’ve always enjoyed being under a pretty girl.”

Max gaped, her hand flying to her mouth as the flames in her cheeks soared higher…

“Officer Head got demoted – performance issues. Isn’t that right Richard.” Max smiled at her reluctant partner, the smirk falling from Phillippe’s face.

The plot moves quickly, although they seem to be spinning their wheels by just missing their quarry. While Max is trying to prove herself she takes some stupid risks without Philippe’s permission. She has a lot to learn and she deserves Philippe’s quick temper outbursts. However, he is learning to appreciate her spunk. I would love to see something romantic develop between them. The sexual tension is certainly there.

I have some real concerns with the editing or proofing of the copy I was given to read. Besides the typical missing or wrong words used there were problems with the spelling of Philippe’s name. I came across several Phillipe and even a Phillip. A good editor should have caught this problem and getting the main character’s name wrong is not something I tolerate. So, I have to deduct a star.

I would strongly recommend a whole re-editing of Enchanting Death because the story is good enough to put forth the effort. Urban Fantasy is one of my favorite genres and I did enjoy this unique book. The ending wraps up nicely, but another storyline brings into question that it may be related more directly to the main plot. Further investigation needs to be done on the case. It’s a nice hook for book two. I can’t wait to see Philippe and Max work together now that he knows exactly who Max is.

Buy now from:            Amazon US        Amazon UK

FYI:

Enchanting Death is the first book in the Agency Series. Ms. Adams’ also uses British spelling and vocabulary.

Format/Typo Issues:

Too many for reading comfort described in the body of my review.

Rating: *** Three Stars

Reviewed by: ?wazithinkin

Approximate word count: 75-80,000 words

Review: Being Travis by Melissa Bowersock

Genre: Science Fiction/Historical Fiction/Time Travel

Description:

“Two years ago, a weird trick of time sent Travis Merrill spiraling from 2016 to the year 1877. Committed now to his life in frontier Arizona, Travis is married with a child on the way and is homesteading a ranch. His knowledge of the future, however, keeps him at odds with his neighbors, his friends… and his wife. He finds it more and more difficult to protect his home without alienating his family, yet he can’t ignore what he knows is – and will be – true.”

Author:

“Melissa Bowersock is an eclectic, award-winning author who writes in a variety of genres: action/adventure, paranormal, biography, fantasy, romance, spiritual and satire. She has been both traditionally and independently published, and is a regular contributor to the superblog Indies Unlimited. For more information, visit her website.”

Appraisal:

In the first book of this series, Finding Travis, the main character (in case you haven't guessed, a man named Travis), is transported back in time. In the first book he was adapting to his new environment, trying not to raise too many red flags, and wondering how, when, or whether he could get back to modern times. But then he fell in love and you know how that can mess with plans.

Being Travis picks up a couple years later. Travis is married, moving a few miles away from the army camp where he landed in the first book to settle down with his pregnant wife.

I typically find books and stories with a time travel element to be interesting thought experiments. When the person has gone Back to the Future it introduces some interesting things to consider. How does the person deal with advancements in knowledge that they're privy to, but the rest of their cohorts aren't? What things can they do safely without changing the future in some way that they'll regret? This book has some of that, as well as plenty of tense moments, balanced out by some feel good moments, and even a run in with a historical figure. It was a fun and entertaining read as well as provoking a bit of thought. I'm looking forward to the next series installment.

Buy now from:            Amazon US        Amazon UK

FYI:

Although the second in a series and a situation where I think this story would be more enjoyable if a person has read the series opener, those who choose to read this as a standalone should be able to follow the story reasonably well.

Format/Typo Issues:

No significant issues.

Rating: ***** Five Stars

Reviewed by: BigAl

Approximate word count: 45-50,000 words

Review: The Golden Tup by Leslie W P Garland

Genre: Fantasy/Occult

Description:

“The Golden Tup - a dreadful tale of paradise being cruelly taken by latent evil.

Can evil be in a place? The tale opens with Verity, a farmer's wife, recalling how a young couple were arrested a few years previously for killing their newborn baby. How could such a nice young couple have done such a dreadful thing? Through a series of flashbacks we learn how they had created their rural idyll, how an enigmatic man had come into their lives and how their idyll and relationship had gradually fallen apart - how, with references to Milton's Paradise Lost, their paradise was lost. Gradually the young wife reveals a dreadful past, but Verity realises that she is holding something back, but what? What is the terrible truth that caused her and her husband to kill their baby?

An adult fantasy story for those who like to think about what they reading.”

Author:

“Leslie Garland was born in 1949, qualified as a Chartered Civil Engineer and worked for several years on projects in the UK, the Far East and Africa. During this period he won the Institution of Civil Engineers ‘Miller Prize’ for a paper on tunnelling. Changing times resulted in a change in direction and after qualifying as an Associate Member of both the British Institute of Professional Photography and the Royal Photographic Society he started his own stock photograph library and wrote for the trade press. An unexpected break in his Internet connection fortuitously presented the time to make a start on a long cherished project of a series of short stories, and the first two of ‘The Red Grouse Tales’ were drafted. Two more tales have followed and he is now working on a second batch of tales. He lives with his wife in Northumberland, England.”

More information is available on his website.

www.lesliegarland.co.uk

Appraisal:

The premise of this tale is pretty spooky. At least to me it is because anything that reminds me of Rosemary’s Baby gives me the shivers. But the execution didn’t serve up any stomach squirming moments because the writer told the story as a narration from the perspective of a local farmer’s wife, Verity, as though it was being related aurally. That delivery kept me one person removed from the actual occurrences. This prevented me from knowing the characters (and caring about their fate). Consequently, I was never able to feel the fear from the main characters.

The spookiest parts of the novel would have been experienced when the main characters were exposed to occult happenings, but the third-party delivery prevented that point of view. The same problem dogged the denouement, where the fearful consequence was hinted at rather than being shown.

Mr. Garland is a fine writer and the finished product is of a high technical quality. I think this would be a terrific horror tale if the main characters became the focal point.

Buy now from:            Amazon US     Amazon UK

FYI:

English settings and spelling.

Format/Typo Issues:

Rating:  *** Three Stars

Reviewed by: Pete Barber

Approximate word count: 20-25,000 words

Review: Shattered Spirit (Totem Book 4) by Christine Rains

Genre: Fantasy/Romance/Mystery/Adventure

Description:

“A haunted house isn’t going to stop Ametta Dorn from doing her job.

Frustrated that her family has left her out of the search for the missing totem tokens, Ametta Dorn loses herself in her work. She’s offered a dream job of a complete interior renovation of a famous Cremaschi house. Not even discovering the house belongs to Lucky Osberg can dampen her enthusiasm.

Lucky’s plan to spend more time with her as she works goes awry when the spirit who protects his home tries to murder her. Ametta won’t be scared off, despite being tempted to run and never come back. She was going to flee Alaska and pursue her designer dreams anyway, yet that means giving up on Lucky and the totem that is just within her grasp.”

Author:

“Christine Rains is a writer, blogger, and geek mom. She 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 S.C.I.F.I. and Untethered Realms. She has one novel and several novellas and short stories published.”

Check out her Amazon author page for all of her books or stalk her on Facebook.

Appraisal:

Ametta Dorn, the youngest of the Dorn sisters, frustrates the hell out of me. Is it a common trait for the youngest sibling to be so self-absorbed and single minded? At the age of twenty-five Ametta has secured herself as an up and coming interior designer to keep an eye on. Despite being a polar bear shifter, she is intent on opening her own business in the lower 48 or perhaps even Europe. When she decides her family doesn’t need or want her help in recovering the totem tokens that will save all shifters, she moves her timeclock up for her move out of Alaska. Her attraction to Lucky is distracting her from her goal.

Lucky Osberg, a handsome Kodiak shifter who has his eye on Ametta, has the patience of a saint and a plan. He hires her to do a renovation on his house, which happens to be a famous Cremaschi house. This is a dream come true for Ametta, and here she thought Lucky was only a volunteer firefighter. She hasn’t taken the time to get to know him through his pursuit because he has no desire to leave Alaska and that doesn’t fit her dream for her future. Her short-sightedness also bites her in the butt when she discovers that she isn’t even aware of the totems that make up the totem pole, which scattered its tokens all over Alaska to protect itself. See why she frustrated me? Ametta is my least favorite sister. However, I love Lucky.

The addition of Lucky’s house being haunted was an interesting twist. Through the years the spirit has always been a protective entity and its change of character puzzles and disheartens Lucky. The spirit’s aggression is centered on Ametta, which forces her to take a hard look at herself. Lucky tries to protect her, but much of his effort is thwarted by the contentious spirit.

An additional bonus was Ametta’s two phone conversations with Saskia and then later with both Saskia and Sedge. So we gained another peek into their relationship, which I enjoyed immensely.

Shattered Spirit is Ametta’s journey to self-realization and she has redeemed herself, somewhat, in my view. This addition to the series is enthralling and I was able to read it in one evening, because I didn’t want to put it down.

Buy now from:            Amazon US        Amazon UK

FYI:

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

Format/Typo Issues:

I came across no proofing or editing issues.

Rating: ***** Five Stars

Reviewed by: ?wazithinkin

Approximate word count: 20-25,000 words

Review: Secret Workplace Romance by Roxanne Amour

Genre: Romance

Description:

“A secret office Romance leads to insomnia, lies, and layoffs!”

Author:

Roxanne Amour writes short, clean romance stories.

Appraisal:

Oh, my. I'll start by quoting the first two paragraphs of this story. Give it a read, then we'll talk.

After an impossible day at the office, the only thing on Jenifer's mind was a steaming, hot bubble bath a tall glass of Merlot and a well-earned night’s rest in her cozy, little bed.

Jennifer Grant put up with the boisterous goings-on coming from the apartment overhead as long as humanly possible finally after tossing and turning for hours she decided something must be done. Nevertheless, three o'clock in the morning was hardly the time to be pacing back and forth accompanied by loud music right over her head.

Did you notice the author doesn't know how to spell the protagonist's name? It can be Jenifer or Jennifer, not both. But both get used throughout the story. However, that's relatively minor and I'm sure will get fixed quickly. So we'll move on.

Is it just me or does the first sentence in the second paragraph run on forever? How many thoughts are there? Maybe it could be broken into a couple sentences. Maybe throw in a comma or two.

Jennifer Grant put up with the boisterous goings-on coming from the apartment overhead as long as humanly possible. Finally, after tossing and turning for hours, she decided something must be done.

Lines like these were popping up constantly in this book. It appears to me the only editing and proofreading help the author had to polish this story was her word processor's spell checker.

As for the underlying story, it's hard to tell how much I'd like it if it had been more readable. Possibly that influenced my attitude toward the characters. But by the end I found the heroine and the two men in her life, the three most important characters, all to be unlikable. On the positive side, this is a romance and it did get to the happily-ever-after ending required of the genre. So it has that going for it.

Buy now from:            Amazon US        Amazon UK

Format/Typo Issues:

Numerous proofreading and copyediting errors.

Rating: * One Star

Reviewed by: BigAl

Approximate word count:  7-8,000 words

Review: One Good Eclair: A Nutrition Mafia Mystery by Maria Schneider

Genre: Cozy Mystery/Contemporary Fiction

Description:

“Ivy is determined to make her living as a nutritionist, but her family has other plans. When that family is the mafia, and one of them has gone missing, all other jobs are summarily pushed aside. Or else.

Ivy can’t trust anyone outside of the family, but Slate is not only willing to help, he’s the last person to have seen her uncle alive. It only makes sense to keep her eye and gun on Slate while they hunt for clues. Watching him is easy because Slate is more than happy to keep her close, but is he leading her away from her uncle or truly helping?

Ivy can’t cook her way out of this mess, but she has a recipe or two for dealing with disaster—if she can just put the fires out before she gets burned!”

Author:

“Maria E. Schneider: A few years ago, I decided I wanted to be a writer. I gathered up my computer, memory cards (because you definitely want to back this stuff up!), and dictionary. It’s a slow journey, one with pitfalls, cliffs, boulders and every now and then a peaceful meadow with a clear brook. Surprisingly, the peaceful meadows aren’t publishing credits, they are just moments where I’m doing what I want to do, where the writing is clicking, where my characters are fascinating and I can’t wait to see what happens next.”

Feel free to check out her website, Bear Mountain Books, for her many other books. Or stalk her on Facebook.

Appraisal:

I have read several of Ms. Schneider’s fantasy novels and enjoyed them. I don’t believe I have read any of her cozy mysteries though. Fact is, I haven’t read many mysteries at all. However, I am enjoying the genre.

Ivy is trying to establish herself as a nutritionist. However, she moonlights for her Uncle Tom doing odd jobs when she isn’t working. She is probably the most stable person in her family, but trouble seems to follow her. When her uncle goes missing Ivy is left to figure out if there is a connection between her uncle, a bleeding man trying to pick the lock on her uncle’s patio door, gun shots shattering the same sliding patio door, and a murder down the street all in the same evening.

Ivy isn’t sure she can trust anyone but close family, but she keeps bleeding man at gun point as they escape uncle’s house after the gun shots are fired. She’s suspects bleeding man was the last one to see Uncle Tom before he disappeared and she wants answers. It’s a suspenseful captivating story that involves crooked cops, a loan shark, and a computer genius. Ms. Schneider doesn’t miss a beat weaving the tale as Ivy flounders while trying to connect the dots. There are twists which involve an unscrupulous cousin, a mixed breed terrier, a K-9 German Shepard, marijuana-laden chocolate cake batter, an adorable bloodhound puppy, a cat, and a surprising ally.  

One Good Eclair is the first book of Ms. Schneider’s Nutrition Mafia Mystery series. You’ll find intrigue, suspense, humor, and a little romance. I can’t wait to see more escapades involving Ivy and her family.

Buy now from:            Amazon US        Amazon UK

FYI:

One Good Eclair is the first book of Ms. Schneider’s Nutrition Mafia Mystery series. As a bonus there are a couple of Ivy’s recipes at the end of the book.

Format/Typo Issues:

No significant proofing or formatting issues.

Rating: ***** Five Stars

Reviewed by: ?wazithinkin

Approximate word count: 65-70,000 words

Review: Beauty of the Fall by Rich Marcello

Genre: Contemporary Fiction/Literary Fiction

Description:

“Dan Underlight, a divorced, workaholic technology executive, suffers lingering grief over the death of his ten-year-old son, Zack. When Dan's longtime friend and boss fires Dan from RadioRadio, the company that he helped create, he crashes and isolates himself.

Willow, a poet and domestic violence survivor, helps Dan regain his footing. With her support, Dan ventures on a pilgrimage of sorts, visiting Fortune 500 companies to flesh out a software start-up idea. He then recruits three former RadioRadio colleagues and starts Conversationworks, a company he believes will be at the vanguard of social change.

Guided by Dan's leadership, Conversationworks enjoys some early successes, but its existence is soon threatened on multiple fronts. Will Dan survive the ensuing corporate battles and realize the potential of his company? Or will he be defeated by his enemies and consumed by his grief?”

Author:

Rich is a poet, a songwriter and musician, a creative writing teacher at Seven Bridges’ Writer Collaborative, and the author of three novels, The Color of Home, The Big Wide Calm, and The Beauty of the Fall. Previously, he enjoyed a successful career as a technology executive, managing several multi-billion dollar businesses for Fortune 500 companies.

Appraisal:

I became engaged in this story very quickly. The insights into how personal and working relationships become strained in a start-up company after it goes public were fascinating--I suspect the author’s past work experience was put to good use.

The main character’s “pyramid pilgrimage” worked well as a vehicle to highlight the yin and yang of family responsibilities and business demands.

However, when Dan started his second company, the story bogged down in a series of scenes that seemed to exists more to preach a worldview than to progress the story. Dan’s treatment of Willow seemed out of character to me, as though force-fitted in order to inject tension into a story that had drifted a little too far into the realms of proselytizing.

Mr. Marcello’s writing flowed beautifully throughout. Dan, Dan’s team, Olivia, and Willow were all interesting characters, and the premise of Conversationworks provided an interesting view of the potential problem-solving capabilities of a hi-tech social media platform that wasn’t wholly focused on commercial gain.

Buy now from:            Amazon US     Amazon UK

Format/Typo Issues:

No significant issues.

Rating:  **** Four Stars

Reviewed by: Pete Barber

Approximate word count: 105-110,000 words

Reprise Review: The Broken Saint by Mike Markel

Genre: Mystery/Police Procedural

Description:

“Seagate and Miner investigate the murder of Maricel Salizar, a young Filipino exchange student at Central Montana State. The most obvious suspect is the boyfriend, who happens to have gang connections. And then there’s Amber, a fellow student who’s obviously incensed at Maricel for a sexual indiscretion involving Amber’s boyfriend. But the evidence keeps leading Seagate and Miner back to the professor, an LDS bishop who hosted her in his dysfunctional home. Seagate takes it in stride that the professor can’t seem to tell the truth about his relationship with the victim, but her devout partner, Ryan Miner, believes that a high-ranking fellow Mormon who violates a sacred trust deserves special punishment.”

Author:

Mike Markel teaches writing at Boise State University. In addition to the Seagate and Miner Mystery series (this is the fourth in that series) he has written eight non-fiction books on writing and numerous articles for various publications.

For more, visit the author’s website.

Appraisal:

I’d previously read Three-Way, another of the books in the Seagate and Miner mystery series. One of the things that appealed to me was the relationship between the two detectives, with Karen Seagate as the crude-talking, cynical, recovering alcoholic and Ryan Miner as the devout Mormon family man who describes himself as “a bit of a boy scout.” They’re just about polar opposites, despite this, they have mutual respect, yet the dynamic between the two and their different styles, as ripe as it is for a lot of tense moments, rarely works out that way. Instead they tend to complement each other, with their differences and contrasting points of view making the partnership stronger.

In this installment, Ryan’s religion comes into play, at points blinding him to possible scenarios and later, when he’s not able to ignore new information they’ve uncovered, causing him to focus too much on a single suspect, to his detriment.  There’s a lesson to be learned about how our preconceptions can influence our approach to problems in a bad way. Another excellent read from Markel that keeps you guessing whodunit the whole way.

Buy now from:            Amazon US        Amazon UK

FYI:

Some adult language.

Added for Reprise Review: The Broken Saint was a nominee in the Mystery category for B&P 2015 Readers' Choice Awards. Original review ran November 1, 2014

Format/Typo Issues:

No significant issues

Rating: ***** Five Stars

Reviewed by: BigAl

Approximate word count: 80-85,000 words

Review: Interface by Tony Batton

Genre: Science Fiction/Technothriller

Description:

“Tom Faraday - new employee at the famous CERUS Biotech - wakes up after a Friday night party to find it's Monday, and he's lost the entire weekend. And that’s only the start of his problems.

25 years ago CERUS crossed boundaries that should not have been crossed. With Tom's help, they're about to try again. And what they have in mind will change everything.”

Author:

Tony Batton worked in international law firms, media companies and Formula One motorsport, before turning his hand to writing novels. He is passionate about great stories, gadgets and coffee, and probably consumes too much of each.

Tony's novels explore the possibilities and dangers of new technology, and how that can change lives. When not writing, or talking about gadgets, Tony likes to play basketball, guitar, and computer games with his two young sons. He lives in London with his family.

Appraisal:

I write novels in the technothriller space. I’m not sure whether that makes me more likely to enjoy or to be critical of fiction written in a similar vein. I just thought I’d put that out there before saying that this was a very good example of the genre that kept me engaged and turning pages.

The McGuffin--nanotechnology that enhances a human brain, is current and close enough to warrant speculation. The technical details never bog down the story. The characters were believable. The CERUS HQ was futuristic and very cool. The main character, Tom, went through an interesting story arc that moved him from unsuspecting victim to… well that would be an unnecessary spoiler. Tom was often in danger, as were those who supported him, and yet he managed to extricate himself from most situations without some miraculous external intervention, so the tension remained taut throughout.

Although this is Book One of a series, the story is complete in its own right. We are left with a hook for the second book but, thank heavens, not a cliffhanger! If I didn’t have such a large backlog in my TBR list, I’d read the second installment.

Buy now from:            Amazon US     Amazon UK

Format/Typo Issues:

No significant issues.

Rating:  ***** Five Stars

Reviewed by: Pete Barber

Approximate word count: 85-90,000 words