Review: Ascension of the Phoenix by Jessica Piro

 Genre: Suspense/Thriller

Description:

“Detective Leila Wells has apprehended every criminal to cross her path, except for one. And when Bryan Foster returns, he devastates her world. To cope, she finds release in street fighting.

Successes with her fighting partner grant them an invitation to participate in the Rulers of the Realms Fighting Tag Tournament. But as she fights, a power begins to rise within her—a dark and angry blaze urging her toward revenge.

To rise from ashes, one must be a phoenix.”

Author:

Jessica Piro has multiple health issues the keep her confined to a wheelchair, but that hasn’t prevented her from being the first in her immediate family to graduate from college, and she gets lots more action through her characters as an author who writes in multiple genres, mostly thriller and suspense. For more, visit Ms Piro’s website.

Appraisal:

The thing that strikes me most about this book is that it is different from what you might expect at first glance, and yet still a satisfying read. The protagonist, Leila Wells, is a police detective, which could reasonably lead you to believe that she would be searching for a criminal who committed a specific crime. And she does a bit of that, but it isn’t the focus. The genre labels used to describe the story are thriller and suspense, and it fits those. But there is also a big part of the story that could be described as paranormal or supernatural or some such term, or maybe it is all just in Detective Wells head, and those labels wouldn’t fit. I’m sure different readers will have different interpretations. Ultimately the result is a tale that delivers on the promised suspense and thrills in a story with some unique qualities for the genre.

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: 90-95,000 words

Review: My Second Life by Simon Yeats

Genre: Autobiography

Description:

“We all have two lives. We only get to experience living in the second after we realize we only have just one.

I have my first real scare in life when I get attacked by a kangaroo when I am seven. My first brush with the cliff-face edge of death comes when I am 12. My dad drives the family down the dangerous Skipper’s Canyon dirt road in New Zealand in a rented minivan.

Including the occasion I am almost involved in two different flight crashes, in the same night, there have been at least a half dozen more occasions when I have been within a moment’s inattention of being killed.

However, none of those frightening incidents compare to what I experienced after my son was abducted.

This memoir is the story of how I used the traumatic experiences of my life to give me strength to forge on during a 13-year fight to be a father to my son.

What did it take for me to get to my second life?

It took me to truly understand what fear is.”

Author:

Simon Yeats is a native of Australia who currently lives in the US. This is his first book which he says he wrote as “a way to manage his grief and pain.”

Appraisal:

My thoughts on this book are all over the place, with some positive things and others not so much.

The title and the overriding concept of the book is, at least in theory, that life changes when you realize how fragile life is. At least the way I see it this means living and appreciating life now, not spending too much time positioning or aiming for some hopeful future. Whether the story makes that point for you or not will probably vary a lot from person to person. Having already had an experience that drove this home for me a while ago, I was already there before reading this. So this potential lesson wasn’t going to matter to me.

The book has several stories of life changing experiences (many, if not most, being potentially life ending) in the author’s life. While I wondered how one person could have this many such things happen to them, since I was just along for the ride, they were entertaining adventures to hear about. The author’s sense of humor shined through, for example when he described the number of people to die on Mt Washington in Vermont since they started keeping track as being 161  or “167 under the Metric System.” Sometimes he’d exaggerate a bit (for example claiming that one place was so cold that when it warmed up to -17 the locals would start considering playing water polo). These stories and basic biographical background made up what was roughly the first half of the book.

The second half of the book was primarily the story of the author’s marriage, the birth of his son, and divorce as well as his difficulty in being allowed to spend time with his son over the years since his birth. In fiction there is a concept that a reader has to “suspend disbelief” sometimes and depending on the genre and fictional world the amount of disbelief that has to be suspended can vary a lot. But this is sometimes still required even for stories that are taking place in contemporary times with normal people. For nonfiction, it isn’t normally needed in my experience, but I had to do that here. I also had to pretend it was fiction because putting myself in the author’s place if it wasn’t would be too painful. If you want to decide for yourself, give it a read.

Buy now from:            Amazon US        Amazon UK

FYI:

Some adult language.

Format/Typo Issues:

A small number of proofing misses.

Rating: **** Four Stars

Reviewed by: BigAl

Approximate word count: 70-75,000 words

Review: Spooky Walk by Melissa Bowersock

 

Genre: Mystery/Paranormal

Description:

“Paranormal investigators Lacey Fitzpatrick and Sam Firecloud are not in the market for a pet—but one finds them anyway, and it turns out to be a very special pet indeed. At the same time, they are called to a small town in Tennessee to investigate a haunted cemetery. The historical society puts on a family friendly event called Dinner with the Dead, but lately there have been some uninvited “party crashers” that are threatening to halt the events and possibly even bankrupt the historical society. Sam and Lacey only have two days to sort this out. With little information to go on, will that be enough time? Or will the specters destroy everything the historical society has built?”

Author:

“Melissa Bowersock is an eclectic, award-winning author who writes in a variety of fiction and non-fiction genres: paranormal, biography, western, action, romance, fantasy, spiritual, and satire.”

For more visit Ms.Bowersock’s website and follow her on Facebook.

Appraisal:

The description and the cover of this book should preclude me from being accused of a spoiler if I say that Sam and Lacey find themselves with a new pet that fits well within their family. While a small part of the overall story and unrelated to the main story thread I suspect Spooky, their new cat, might play a bigger part in future books. Or maybe I’m wrong. (Can a review have foreshadowing about an as yet to be written book? I guess we’ll see.)

For those who have read one or more of the books in this series, what you’ve come to expect is what you’ll find again. For those who haven’t, this series is a mystery series with a strange twist. Sam Firecloud has the ability to see and communicate with ghosts, specifically people who have died, but their spirit has not yet moved on to whatever comes next, needing to resolve some unfinished business in this life before they’re able. This creates issues here in this world. (Most people don’t like ghosts hanging around doing ghostly things, right?) Sam, with his partner Lacey’s help, figure out what is preventing the ghost from moving on and help resolve that issue so that all concerned, the ghosts and those still in this realm, can be in a better place. In this story Sam is asked to help with a couple ghosts that have been trapped in limbo since the Civil War.

Buy now from:            Amazon US        Amazon UK

FYI:

This is book #39 in the Lacey Fitzpatrick and Sam Firecloud Mystery Book series, but each book stands alone, so there is no need to have read any of the prior books in the series to understand this one.

Format/Typo Issues:

No significant issues.

Rating: ***** Five Stars

Reviewed by: BigAl

Approximate word count: 25-30,000 words

Reprise Review: A Woman Misunderstood by Melinda Clayton

 Genre: Psychological Suspense

Description:

“On a sweltering July morning in rural Tennessee, fifty-year-old Rebecca Reynolds visits the family farm, where she literally stumbles across the mutilated bodies of her parents and younger sister, a sister who had spent life in a wheelchair after a birth fraught with complications.

Rebecca’s first thought is to call 911. Her second is to find her estranged sister, Lena, who was disowned by the family years before. Her third is to wonder how long it will be before Lena is arrested for the murder of their family.

As the police gather evidence pointing to Lena, the sisters turn to attorney Brian Stone. Convinced of Lena’s innocence, he agrees to take on the case. But in a family ripped apart by dysfunction, is anyone truly innocent?”

Author:

 “Melinda Clayton is the author of The Cedar Hollow Series, which includes novels Appalachian Justice, Return to Crutcher Mountain, Entangled Thorns, and Shadow Days.

Clayton also authored Blessed Are the Wholly Broken and Making Amends, two dark novels of tragedy and suspense.

In addition to writing, Clayton has an Ed.D. in Special Education Administration and is a licensed psychotherapist in the states of Florida and Colorado.”

For more, visit Clayton’s website.

Appraisal:

What a wild ride reading A Woman Misunderstood was. It starts with the book’s protagonist, Rebecca, walking into her childhood home and discovering the decomposing bodies of her mother, father, and one of her sisters. That first short chapter ends with these words:

After I finished screaming, my first thought was to call 911.

My second was to find Lena, my surviving sister.

My third was to wonder how much time we had before her arrest.

This is important, this third thought of mine. If you stick with my story, you’ll understand why.

I hesitate to say much about the story itself other than to say that by the time you, the reader, have a full understanding of the complete repercussions of these statements you’ll be dizzy from the unexpected twists and turns, be shaking your head and saying, “well, I never saw that coming.”

Buy now from:            Amazon US        Amazon UK

FYI:

 Some adult language.

Original review published May 1, 2017

Format/Typo Issues:

No significant issues.

Rating: ***** Five Stars

Reviewed by: BigAl

Approximate word count: 50-55,000 words

Review: Get a Room by Casey Dembowski

 

Genre: Romantic Comedy

Description:

“Brian Hawkins has had the worst year. He watched his girlfriend marry another man, lost his job and his apartment, and after a summer under his parents' roof, has taken refuge with his younger sister. A quiet few months in Philadelphia are just what he needs to clear his head and get back on his feet. But he's barely unpacked before the bane of his existence, his sister's best friend, shows up. His planned solitude is replaced by pop songs, rom-coms, and bright-pink hair. All that would be bearable, except there's only one extra bed, and there's no way he's sharing it with her.

Sarah Webb didn't think anything could be worse than a marriage-proposal-gone-wrong walk of shame to her best friend's apartment. But she was wrong. So wrong. Because she's not just staying with Jess. She's also sharing space with Jess's older brother. Brian is grumpy and stubborn and—not that Sarah would ever admit it out loud—totally hot. He's also off limits, which is why she should let him have the bedroom, stop staring at his abs, and keep her distance. But playing nice isn't in her nature.

As Sarah and Brian pull pranks and place wagers over who can lay claim to the bed, things between them start to shift. Sarah can admit that Brian has his moments, and Brian sees a side of Sarah she usually keeps hidden. When she needs a last-minute date for a charity gala where her doctor-ex is going to be in attendance, Brian seems like the perfect fake date. But as they spin around the dance floor, their fledgling friendship turns to something unexpected—and only one thing's certain: more than just the bed is up for grabs.”

Author:

“Casey Dembowski loves to write stories that focus on the intricacies of relationships—whether romantic, familial, or platonic. Her novels focus on the inner workings of women and how everything in their lives leads them to exactly where they are, whether they like it or not.

Casey lives in New Jersey with her family. She has an MFA in Fiction from Adelphi University and currently works in corporate marketing communications. In her (limited) spare time, she enjoys reading, baking, and watching her favorite television shows on repeat.”

For more, visit Ms Dembowski’s website.

Appraisal:

As I was thinking about this story it occurred to me that I wasn’t sure if the romantic comedy genre is the same as the romance genre in that you can assume the potential couple will end up together in the end. A quick Google and a visit to the Wikipedia page indicates that normally they do end up together although an occasional rare exception will happen. This isn’t one of those times and the description makes that clear.

However, despite knowing how things are going to end you’ll find yourself questioning that at times. Even if Sarah and Brian realize what the reader does, that they belong together, there are other things where they don’t seem to be a fit. Sarah has a great job that she enjoys where she lives in Philadelphia whereas Brian is eager to move back to New York for just one example. Plus, we have Brian’s sister, Jess, who is also Sarah’s best friend in the mix, complicating things exponentially. The ups and downs as Sarah and Brian navigate their eventually romantic relationship are an adventure and, yes, the word comedy also applies. The results are a fun read.

Buy now from:            Amazon US        Amazon UK

FYI:

Some adult language and mild adult situations.

Format/Typo Issues:

No significant issues.

Rating: ***** Five Stars

Reviewed by: BigAl

Approximate word count: 80-85,000 words

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