Reprise Review: I Coulda Caught That Pass! by John Pearson

Genre: Sports/Games/Humor

Description:

“An inside look at one fantasy football league. A fly-on-the-wall perspective of ten scrappy managers/everyday Joes – more obsessive than some, less obsessive than most. A touching story of one triumphant champion and nine complete losers.

Prepare to step into history.

And by ‘history,’ I mean ‘completely unspectacular events that have happened in the recent past.’”

Author:

An engineer turned elementary school teacher, John Pearson writes humor. His teaching experiences provided fodder for his first two books, Learn Me Good and Learn Me Gooder. For more, visit Pearson’s blog

Appraisal:

I joke that I’m not a sports guy and, although it hasn’t always been that way, it is mostly true. However, I am a game player. I wasn’t sure whether this book would do the trick for me or not. It is the story of a single season of play from the author’s fantasy football league. Would a non-football fan still like it?

As with Pearson’s prior books, the entertainment and pleasure in the reading is in the humor: for example, when he applauds two of the fantasy teams near the end of the season for “maintaining the fake integrity of this fake sport,” he finds humor everywhere and it comes through in his writing. Some jokes may fly over the head of non-football fans, but for someone who hasn’t paid much attention to the personalities and happenings in the game for several years, I was surprised at how much I still understood. Having never played fantasy football and with only a vague idea of how it worked, I was still able to understand the rules of the competition and the rationale behind most of the strategy, which appealed to the game player in me. But most of all, there was a conflict (no matter how fantasized it was) to be resolved, and a constant stream of laughs as Pearson and his friends made their way through the season. I’m convinced that John Pearson could take anything and make it funny.

Buy now from:    Amazon US        Amazon UK

FYI:

Added for Reprise Review: I Coulda Caught That Pass! by John Pearson was a nominee in the Humor and Satire category for B&P 2013 Readers' Choice Awards. Original review ran October 11, 2012

Format/Typo Issues:

No significant issues.

Rating: ***** Five Stars

Reviewed by: BigAl

Approximate word count: 25-30,000 words

Review: The Clown by E.M. McCarthy

Genre: Crime/Satire

Description:

“Only in Pittsburgh can a guy walk into a bank and come out a folk hero.

Jeb Jefferson loses his job, and the perfect solution to his economic reality is unconventional, illegal, and uncompromising. Jeb's clown is a smart, methodical bank robber. He gets away with it until his girlfriend begins to suspect him. She tries to leave him, and still, Ariel can't leave him completely. Her childhood friend, Scott, has his own set of problems made worse because he's in love with her.

Just as the trio grapples with where everything is headed, the city of Pittsburgh is terrorized by The Clown. The police can't stop him. Then the copycats make it even worse. The real problems begin when the politicians get involved in crime and punishment. Will Ariel stay with Jeb? Will Scott tell her how he feels? Will Jeb be caught? A Heist Thriller set in Pittsburgh.

The social impact of joblessness in modern Pittsburgh is the perfect incubator for the perfect crime spree.

Twenty-one points-of-view characters tell the story from every angle (even the Three Rivers have an opinion). Part crime thriller, part satire/comedy, and part romance, The Clown is a play-like novella.”

Author:

“E.M. McCarthy has an Education degree from Penn State. Her recent novella,The Clown, was a Staff Pick on Write On by Kindle in Humor. E.M. likes to garden, read, cook, and watch Pittsburgh sports.”

Appraisal:

The concept is an interesting one to consider, ridiculous, yet clever too. Commit armed robberies and other crimes dressed as a clown. You’ll stand out in a crowd, but what are the odds that anyone will be able to identify you later? Start a little crime spree and soon legitimate clowns will look suspicious, copy cats will come out as well. Maybe you’ll get away with it.

The book description even tells you the culprit is a guy named Jeb. Well, the main culprit at least. And that’s fairly clear near the start of this novella. It’s a quick read, with short, easily digestible sections, each of them having an ever-changing character providing the point-of-view for that section. Jeb, his girlfriend Ariel, and Scott, a bar owner with a stutter who has had a thing for Ariel since they were kids, are the characters we see the most. But there are plenty of other minor characters that provide their point of view, some random people who become involved in the crime spree. Some of the characters aren’t even human, with the City of Pittsburgh where the story takes place and the Ohio River both providing a point of view. Yes, it’s different, but not as strange as it might sound. Along with wondering whether Jeb is going to get caught, if the clownish crime spree will continue, we’re also kept guessing as to whether Ariel and Jeb are going to last as a couple. If Scott gets his wish, the answer to that last question will be a definite NO. A fun read and interesting change of pace from the norm.

Buy now from:           Amazon US        Amazon UK

Format/Typo Issues:

A small number of proofing issues.

Rating: **** Four Stars

Reviewed by: BigAl

Approximate word count: 20-25,000 words

Review: One Night by Deanna Cabinian

Genre: Coming of Age/Contemporary Fiction/Young Adult

Description:

“Since Thompson got dumped on Valentine's Day he's been miserable. He wants Caroline back and shows up at the Tiki House on Elvis Presley night, hoping he'll run into her.

Instead of running into her he meets Johnny Lee Young, Hawaii's favorite Elvis impersonator. As luck would have it, Johnny needs a temporary assistant and Thompson eagerly accepts the offer, hoping it will distract him from his painful breakup. He soon finds out Johnny has a secret heartbreak of his own and embarks on a journey to help him find the one who got away.”

Author:

“Deanna Cabinian is the author of One Night and One Love. When she isn't working or writing she enjoys traveling and spending time with her husband and their Havanese dog, Cuba.”

One Night is Ms. Cabinian’s debut novel.

For more information on Ms. Cabinian check out her website or visit heron Facebook.

Appraisal:

Thompson Lake is a seventeen year-old high school junior who describes himself as a scrawny AP class nerd. He lives in Honolulu, Hawaii and despite living in paradise he is miserable. His first girlfriend, the love of his life, has dumped him and he can’t stop obsessing about her. She consumes his every thought, and now she’s gone. Even though she cheated on him, he would take her back.

One Friday evening after work Thompson goes to the Tiki House for Elvis Presley night, hoping he'll run into her. Instead he is struck by a song that Johnny Lee Young, Hawaii's favorite Elvis impersonator, sings about the heartbreak of losing the one you loved. Thompson feels like Johnny understands his pain and he starts a conversation with him. Now he’s showing up at all of his gigs just to talk with him. They slowly develop an honest and respectful relationship. Thompson sees Johnny as the big brother he never had.

In One Night, Thompson embarks on a mission to find Johnny’s lost love. The plot is character driven, engaging, honest, and well written. All the characters are well rounded, likeable, and their dialogue is genuine. I found it easy to get swept away in Thompson’s journey, and the quest he inspires in Johnny. One Night is an impressive debut novel from Deanna Cabinian, whether you love Elvis or not you will fall in love with Johnny Lee Young.

Buy now from:            Amazon US        Amazon UK

FYI:

One Night is book 1 in Ms. Cabinian’s THOMPSON LAKE Series. Elvis fans will find One Night highly entertaining.

Format/Typo Issues:

No significant issues.

Rating: ***** Five Stars

Reviewed by: ?wazithinkin

Approximate word count: 55-60,000 words

Review: MENy Calculations by J. Alfa Mais

Genre: Non-Fiction/Self-Help

Description:

“MENy Calculations: Win Divorce & Custody Before You Step Into Court (Vol. 1), savagely arms guys with valuable insight, help and tips for messy divorces and how to strategically win in court. This dynamic book delivers practical divorce help for men through a surprisingly simple and groundbreaking approach in only 80 pages. This book is for all men - not just fathers seeking child custody and works in every unique divorce.

Every day, millions of great men are losing it all, great fathers are losing custody and great dads are being alienated from their kids. A few years ago, divorce knocked me down. But I got up much stronger and wiser - having recorded the lessons I learned.”

Author:

J. Alfa Mais describes himself as a “Savagely Curious CUSStodial Father, Blogger and BestSelling Author.” Obviously, he likes uppercase letters. The blog he alludes to can be found here.

Appraisal:

To be fair I should point out upfront that I read this out of curiosity, not a need for the book’s advice. I received it to read for potential review and it was short enough that the time commitment wouldn’t be much. I’m lucky that the hassles of divorce, custody decisions, and the like are well behind me, but I have been there and I’ve observed and advised others a time or two as well. I’m not an expert and, to be fair, from the normal standpoint of what would make an expert in this area, neither is the author. But he doesn’t need to be. I’ll explain.

When I first started reading the advice contained in this guide it felt like the advice was pushing the man to be too aggressive and confrontational (and this is definitely aimed at men, not women, in the custody battle equation). But as it went on, it felt like the tone changed to what I’d call the right one, evaluating what is best for the kids involved and how to best approach helping your attorney make the case to the judge for that answer, which is ultimately what everyone concerned should be aiming for. Looking for a fight isn’t the answer. Being ready for a fight if one comes to you or if that’s what is required to get the best results for your kids, is the answer. Ultimately, that’s what this book is aiming to help you determine. If that’s something you need advice about, this book could be helpful.

Buy now from:            Amazon US        Amazon UK

Format/Typo Issues:

No significant issues.

Rating: **** Four Stars

Reviewed by: BigAl

Approximate word count: 10-15,000 words

Reprise Review: Machines of Eden by Shad Callister

Genre: Science Fiction

Description:

Set in a post-apocalyptic world of constant warfare where the Grays (the establishment) leverage technology and the Greens (the seething masses) make do with what they can steal and re-purpose. A brilliant scientist has created an island paradise aptly named, Eden, to act as a model new beginning for humanity. But the scientist’s assistant goes wacko, reprograms the AI computer and plans to use the technology on Eden to re-purpose the whole surface of the earth by using nanotechnology to turn everything man made into potting compost.

Author:

Shad Callister splits his time between the mountains of Utah and the rivers of northern Alabama. Machines of Eden is his debut novel.

Appraisal:

The book’s opening indicates that the war is finally over and our exhausted hero, John Fletcher, hitches a ride home on a transport flight. The flight is diverted, attacked, and John awakes, battered and bruised, on a tropical island beach.

From here, he penetrates the compound containing the AI computer controlling Eden and learns about the doomsday plans. Of course, there is a ticking clock, and our hero has to overcome enormous odds, both physical and intellectual, if he’s to save the world.

Nanotechnology, super computers, Artificial Intelligence, cyborgs, robots. Yep, this story has them all. Now don’t expect to get to know the characters in depth, or to get a visceral feeling for the settings. This book isn’t about those things. It’s about action. And when you’re riding a high-speed roller coaster, you don’t have time to take in the scenery.

I enjoyed the heck out of this read. The science is informed enough to make sense. The doomsday scenario is logical. Our hero can do more damage with a screwdriver and ring-spanner than anyone could possibly want. The crazy people add spice, and most enjoyable, the AI computer, Eve, is beautifully written and a lot of fun.

Buy now from:    Amazon US        Amazon UK

FYI:

Added for Reprise Review: Machines of Eden by Shad Callister was a nominee in the Speculative Fiction category for B&P 2013 Readers' Choice Awards. Original review ran February 5, 2013

Format/Typo Issues:

None noted.

Rating: ***** Five Stars

Reviewed by: Pete Barber

Approximate word count: 75,000-80,000 words

Reprise Review: The Secret Files of Hugo and Victoria by J.E. (Buck) Buchanan

Genre: Noir/Paranormal/Satire

Description:

“At last, a novel that seeks to answer the age-old question of whether a hardboiled private eye writer and a goody-two-shoes vampiress-in-denial can find redemption and true happiness.”

Author:

A former member of law enforcement in Florida, Buck Buchanan now works as a law enforcement consultant as well as having his finger in several writerly pursuits, including editing, conducting writers’ workshops, and writing crime fiction.

Appraisal:

Hugo Rongg is a “private eye writer” (think of your favorite “hardboiled detective”) who drives a “classic Yugo.” Victoria Station is a sexy dame with a “little genetics problem”; specifically she’s a vampire who falls hard for Hugo and, with his guidance, hopes to become a private eye writer, too. The Secret Files … satirizes two genres, both noir (the genre of the hardboiled detective) and the paranormal genre with vampires, werewolves, and such creatures, especially the hybrids. Can you guess the difference between a vampig and a hampire?

Relatively short, I read straight through The Secret Files … laughing constantly. For a few examples of things that tickled my funny bone, it makes fun of the language of the hardboiled detective, i.e., “The joint had been tossed, trashed, rifled… you know, searched” and the silly nicknames often hung on villains in those novels, “Nickel is Dime’s half-brother …” At times I got the feeling that despite my constant laughter that there were many jokes sneaking past me. For example, there was a subtle political statement that I almost missed and a little dig at those who are too dogmatic about religion. If you’re into satire, especially if you like the genres being satirized and don’t mind a little fun being poked at them, The Secret Files … should be a perfect fit. I’ll leave you with one more quote. This is for the paranormal fans:

“My head spun. I’d just learned I had vampire, witch, and werewolf blood in my veins and a parrot for a grandfather. Talk about a bad heir day.”

Buy now from:    Amazon US        Amazon UK

FYI:

Added for Reprise Review: The Secret Files of Hugo and Victoria by J.E. (Buck) Buchanan was a nominee in the Humor and Satire category for B&P 2013 Readers' Choice Awards. Original review ran June 1, 2012

Format/Typo Issues:

No significant issues.

Rating: ***** Five Stars

Reviewed by: BigAl

Approximate word count: 40-45,000 words

Review: Spiral: A Catalyst for Innovation and Expansion by Amy Simpkins

Genre: Self-Help

Description:

“Has the road to your dream been paved in disappointment? Do you feel like you’re always taking one step forward and two steps backward? MIT-trained astronautical engineer and renewable energy CEO Amy Simpkins has seen both the scientific and the aesthetic sides of life's cyclical nature. After teaching her concepts to business leaders throughout the world, she's honed a repeatable process for harnessing the world's inherent ebb and flow and designing your most fulfilling, high-impact work.

Spiral: A Catalyst for Innovation and Expansion teaches you how to build your business on your own terms while working with natural cycles instead of fighting against them. Through Simpkins' powerful insights, you'll learn how to embrace creativity and innovation to achieve your greatest potential. By marrying business and personal development, her book will finally let you stop zigging and zagging to dream big and implement your best ideas.

In Spiral, you’ll discover:

Analogies from engineering and physics that will help you fuse structure and creativity

Instructive, real-world stories from both the author’s career and her clients’ experiences

How to harness the natural rhythms of life so you can thrive in business no matter the cycle

How to use your natural flow states to ease you and your business into the next phase

The importance of embracing the spiral as you pursue your greatest ambitions, and much, much more!

Spiral is an inspiring whole-person approach to business growth. If you like mind-blowing self-help, simple yet powerful tools, and resources that guide you when life isn’t straight and narrow, then you’ll love Amy Simpkins ’ masterful book!”

Author:

“Amy Simpkins has an engineer's brain and a poet's heart. Her life's work has been centered around the integration of seemingly unrelated things and the subsequent solution of wickedly hard problems.

Ms. Simpkins is a speaker, author, and thought leader in innovation. She facilitates massive leaps forward by helping individuals and organizations with big ideas make connections they've been missing. She believes that innovation is for everyone and holds the key to both personal fulfillment and lasting global change. She has been helping innovators implement their ideas since 2013.”

Appraisal:

While largely aimed at inspiring or leading you to find the inspiration to be innovative in building a new business of some kind, the concepts in Spiral could apply to your personal life, a hobby, or anywhere in your world where a little innovation, creativity, and fresh ideas might improve the situation. This review will have to be vague, since the alternative would be to repeat the whole book, but I’ll say the concept that provides the foundation of the book is interesting. It will have you thinking and, most importantly, re-thinking how you view certain seemingly opposite things.

The author makes some points that many of us would be prone to disagree with or resist, but she has a way of making her case with irrefutable logic, such that I found myself recognizing that my first instincts were wrong. Through this process you’ll recognize and discover skills you didn’t know you had and through applying these skills, hopefully find the way to go beyond anything you’ve been able to accomplish before. That’s the goal of the book and, if that sounds like something you’d like to do, read it and see if it helps you do so. I’m betting it does.

Buy now from:            Amazon US        Amazon UK

Format/Typo Issues:

No significant issues.

Rating: ***** Five Stars

Reviewed by: BigAl

Approximate word count: 55-60,000 words

Review: Bordello Walk by Melissa Bowersock

Genre: Cozy Mystery/Ghosts/Native American Spirituality

Description:

“Jerome, Arizona, is known as the most haunted town in the state. In its history as an old west mining town, it endured explosions, cave-ins, fires, and the usual consequences of rampant prostitution, gambling and gunfights. It experienced enough mayhem to generate countless ghosts, which is exactly why medium Sam Firecloud does not want to go there. When he and partner Lacey Fitzpatrick get a call to eradicate a ghost from an old bordello, there’s more at stake than simply freeing a tortured soul. Sam’s own soul could also be in danger.”

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:

I know I have said this before, but I believe this might be my newest favorite story in A LACEY FITZPATRICK and SAM FIRECLOUD MYSYTERY SERIES. Not only do we get to experience some of Jerome’s history and learn a bit about the bordellos, we also get to meet some of its residents, past and present. You can tell Ms. Bowersock had fun with some of the names. There are some humorous scenes in the first half of the story as Sam and Lacey gather information. However. Sam’s walks seem to take an extreme amount of stress on him.

What sets this story apart and above the previous additions to this series is the serious note that Sam and Lacey’s trip takes when they stop at the Navajo reservation on their way home. It’s this type of inclusion of Sam’s and Lacey’s personal life that makes this series so great. The ghost stories are interesting, sometimes horrific, and sometimes heartwarming. But it’s Sam Firecloud, his kids, and Lacey Fitzpatrick who carry the series. I would love to live next-door to them.

If you haven’t started reading this series you are missing out. I highly recommend it for cozy mystery readers who may enjoy a little otherworldliness in their stories as well.   

Buy now from:            Amazon US        Amazon UK

FYI:

Bordello Walk is book seventeen in Melissa Bowersock’s, A LACEY FITZPATRICK and SAM FIRECLOUD MYSTERY SERIES.

Format/Typo Issues:

Review is based on a pre-release beta copy and I cannot comment on the completed product.

Rating: ***** Five Stars

Reviewed by: ?wazithinkin

Approximate word count: 35-40,000 words

Review: V.Q.E. by Vivek Gumaste

Genre: Memoir

Description:

“In 1980, after completing medical school in India, a young Indian physician lands in Britain in pursuit of his dream to get to the United States.  He is young, a full 26-year-old, ambitious and opinionated. The two and half years that he spent in Britain prior to coming to the United States prove to be eventful years and this book captures that period

The narrative is set in Great Britain of the early 1980's and comprises a medley of experiences: of a young, nationalist Indian coming to the land of his colonial masters, a new medical graduate negotiating the travails of an international medical career and of an objective spectator looking down upon this once great power. Thrown into this unlikely cocktail is the political backdrop of Britain in the 80, s- the rise of Margaret Thatcher, the Royal Wedding of Princess Diana and Prince Charles, the Falkland War and racism.”

Author:

“The author is an academic and political commentator based in the United States. Passionate about India, he is an avid writer and has written several op-eds and columns for mainstream Indian newspapers like the New Indian Express, the Hindustan Times, the Sunday Guardian and the Pioneer. In addition he is a regular columnist for the popular news portal, Rediff and blogs on Huffington Post (India).”

Appraisal:

Memoirs are an interesting genre in that they can take so many forms and appeal to their target reader for so many reasons. Some readers prefer memoirs by someone famous and not at all like them, whereas others like to read about a normal person who happened to have some interesting experiences. Some would prefer to read about someone a lot like themselves while other readers see the memoir as a way to better understand someone from a different country, culture, or otherwise different from the reader. For me V.Q.E. solidly fit in that last category.

The author, a relatively new doctor and native of India, wants to move to the US. He determines his best chance of accomplishing that is moving first to the UK where he’ll get more work and pass some professional testing. This approach will both provide more experience, making him more appealing to potential employers in the US, and also improve his odds of being approved by US immigration authorities. The struggle to prepare for and hopefully pass the tests is obviously one of the primary conflicts throughout the story.

Vivek’s employment, which consists of a series of short-term assignments in different parts of the UK, keeps the stress level and intensity of the story high in several different ways. His work environment, living arrangements, and job duties are constantly changing. He’s continually applying for the next temporary position, in danger of being out of work which also would mean nowhere to live since living arrangements (typically a dorm like room hid away somewhere on a hospital campus) are provided by the employer. Then we have the historical backdrop of the UK in the 80s which might provoke nostalgia for those old enough to remember things like the Falklands War and wedding bells ringing for Prince Charles and Princess Diana. Overall, I found V.G.E. to be both entertaining and enlightening in the glimpse it gave me into a different culture and way of life.

Buy now from:            Amazon US        Amazon UK

Format/Typo Issues:

No significant issues.

Rating: **** Four Stars

Reviewed by: BigAl

Approximate word count: 50-55,000 words

Review: Snow by Mikayla Elliot

Genre: Paranormal/Time Travel

Description:

“Taken from all she has ever known and loved, Neva finds herself swept into a world of vampires where she learns she will determine their future. Yet she quickly discovers she is the target of a vampire, Zachariah, seeking to stop her from altering the vampire lineage. She must decide which path she will take while trying to protect the family she left behind, and discovering a past she cannot escape.”

Author:

“Mikayla Elliot is an avid reader and writer of fantasy novels. She is a single parent to two beautiful children and their rambunctious corgi, Sheila, living in Atascocita, Texas. When Mikayla isn't creating new worlds and adventures she spends her time working as a Planner in the energy industry, which has unveiled various landscapes in multiple states for site visits. Mikayla holds a Bachelor's in Business Management from the University of Phoenix, and feels the debt deep in her soul and pockets.”

To learn more about Ms. Eliot please visit her website or visit herFacebook page.

Appraisal:

With a dramatic and gruesome start Neva begins describing, in purple prose, how she was turned into a vampire by Thedryk as he tried to save her. The purple prose continues as Ms. Eliot sets up her world. Mostly told through Neva’s eyes. Her white aura reveals she is a chosen one and Thedryk has been following her for centuries.

Ms. Eliot has developed a new unique vampire story. It takes a while to get into, but it is intriguing. So if you can get past the purple prose you will enjoy this story. There are many supporting characters who are introduced who add tension and drive the story forward. Emotion runs high as Neva comes face to face with a reality she never dreamed could happen.

As this is a trilogy there is a larger story arc that continues past the end of this book. However, this story comes to a satisfying closure. If you are looking for a new vampire story that breaks free from typical vampire trope this might be the book for you. As long as you can tolerate the purple prose that adds far too many descriptive words, which is why I gave this book the rating I did.

Buy now from:            Amazon US        Amazon UK

FYI:

Snow is book 1 in Mikayla Elliot’s Black Ice Trilogy.

Format/Typo Issues:

No significant issues.

Rating: *** Three Stars

Reviewed by: ?wazithinkin

Approximate word count: 50-55,000 words