Reprise Review: The Last Three Miles by Kathleen Rice Adams

 Genre: Western/Historical/Romance

Description:

“When an accident leaves Hamilton Hollister convinced he’ll never be more than half a man, he abandons construction of a railway spur his lumber mill needs to survive.

Believing no woman shackled by social convention can be complete, railroad heiress Katherine Brashear refuses to let the nearly-finished track die. The magic of Christmas in a small Texas town may help them bridge the distance…if they follow their hearts down The Last Three Miles.”

Author:

Kathleen Rice Adams: “Descended from a long line of Texas ranchers, preachers, and teachers on one side and Kentucky horse thieves and moonshiners on the other, award-winning author Kathleen Rice Adams had no choice but to become an outlaw. Maybe that's why in her stories, even the good guys wear black hats.

For the past thirty years, she's stayed two steps ahead of a lynch mob as an award-winning journalist. She also has ghost-written or edited several nonfiction books.

A Texan to the bone, when Kathleen's not being a nuisance she bows to the whims of the Hole in the Web Gang -- a herd of tiny but enthusiastic outlaws with four legs.”

For more information please visit Ms. Adams’ website.

Appraisal:

After a railway construction accident that leaves Hamilton Hollister in a wheelchair, possibly for the rest of his life, Ham is ready to give up his legacy. With only ten more miles of track to be laid, Dr. Oliver Madsen refuses to let Hamilton wallow in self-pity. Without the completion of the railway spur Hollister Lumber, as well as the small town of Hollister, Texas, will be doomed. It’s easy to understand why Hamilton deems the railway project too dangerous to complete; the accident has left him scarred physically and emotionally.

Enter K.M. Brashear, railroad heiress from New York, who along with Oliver refuses to let the nearly finished track die. Katherine is not your everyday delicate heiress, she is intelligent and capable enough to handle the job. Hamilton is quick to dismiss her and order her back to New York. However, she is on a mission to prove to her father she is as competent as any of her brothers. With Oliver’s help Katherine takes command of finishing the railway and overseeing the lumber mill. Katherine defies the social norms for women of her station and does her best to win the respect of the employees in her determination to finish the railroad by the deadline. But her methods could cost her everything she comes to care about.

I found the story-line realistic and well-paced. The characters are well drawn with distinct personalities. Their banter and dialogue is also believable and engaging. I had to chuckle when Hamilton had to admit he had been out-stubborned by Katherine’s progressive attitude. The twist near the end was shocking but conceivable and heart wrenching. I found myself captivated by this novelette as Hamilton realizes he has met his match in more ways than one.??

Buy now from:            Amazon US        Amazon UK

FYI:

This is a steamy read but not inappropriate.

Original review posted September 12, 2016

Format/Typo Issues:

No significant issues.

Rating: ***** Five Stars

Reviewed by: ?wazithinkin

Approximate word count: 11-12,000 words

Review: The Final Days of Abbot Montrose by Sven Elvestad

 

Title: The Final Days of Abbot Montrose, By Sven Elvestad

Genre: International mystery

Description:

“It is an evening in early May when the quiet of Montrose Abbey is shattered by the sounds of shouting and broken glass. When the police arrive, they find the abbey library ransacked and bloodstained. Broken furniture and a burning carpet bear witness to a violent struggle. And the abbot himself, the scholarly Abbot Montrose, is missing. Only a torn fragment of his cassock remains, caught in the wrought-iron fence surrounding the abbey.”

Author:

Sven Elvestad was a Norwegian journalist, who according to Wikipedia, was the first foreign reporter to interview Adolf Hitler. He wrote his early fiction under the pen name Stein Riverton. The Norwegian literary Riverton prize is named after him. Wikipedia also notes that the style of one of his novels, The Iron Chariot, compares with that of Norwegian Nobel laureate Knut Hamson. If Hamson’s breakout novel Hunger, about a young man incessantly whining about being misunderstood, is illustrative of his style, I would very humbly suggest that the compliment extends not from Hamson to Elvestad, but rather the reverse.

Appraisal:

The Final Days of Abbot Montrose is a masterful who-done-it written in the golden age of the genre, when the likes of Agatha Christe and the Ellery Queen duo were spinning best sellers. Sven Elvestad weaves dual threads into a complex plot abundant in twists, laced with humor, and populated with engaging characters. The requisite hints as to the conclusion to a murder mystery are subtle but laid out sufficiently so that the reader does not feel deceived by the writer when all is revealed. Nothing is hidden, merely camouflaged.

Buy now from:            Amazon US        Amazon UK

Format/Typo Issues:

None

Rating: ***** Five Stars

Reviewed by: Sam Waite

Approximate word count: 60-65,000 words

Review: The (Un)lawful Killing of Daniel Brown by Marta Pacini

 

Genre: YA/Political Fiction

Description:

“The (Un)lawful Killing of Daniel Brown is a gripping YA book set in contemporary East London.

Marcus, 15, wants to bring Police Sergeant Talbot Blair to justice for shooting his father dead in a racially motivated incident. But how can he do that when the police investigators have cleared Blair of blame? Will an inquest make any difference?”

Author:

A resident of Lancashire, England, Marta Pacini describes Disturbance Press, the publishing company she’s founded, as a “radical independent publisher.” Based in the UK, this company is aiming to bring stories with a focus on social and environmental justice to the “mainstream reading culture” and describe themselves as “unapologetically leftist.” This is Pacini’s first book with a second one slated for release in June of 2022.

For more visit Marta Pacini’s website and the website for Disturbance Press.

https://www.martapacinibooks.com/

https://disturbancepress.co.uk/

Appraisal:

Just before he arrives at the garage where his car mechanic dad’s business is located, Marcus Brown observes a policeman shoot his dad who appeared to be cooperating fully. The police say otherwise, claiming that his dad pulled a gun on them and they had no choice but to shoot. Marcus knows this isn’t true and when he hears the story about why the police were visiting his dad in the first place, it makes even less sense. The reaction from Marcus’ mom is hard to figure out. She seems willing to just let things lie, either not caring or, more likely recognizing the futility of trying to do anything about it. But Marcus, convinced that dad died only because he was black and the police were too quick to shoot in that situation, isn’t willing to ignore what happened.

Following along with Marcus as he figures out what to do and how to approach it kept me engaged. That he was obviously in the right had me pulling for him the whole way. I realized as I was reading that the legal system in the UK is enough different from the US that my uncertainty about where things would end up was adding to the mystery and suspense. A very good read.

Buy now from:            Amazon US        Amazon UK

FYI:

Uses UK spelling.

Format/Typo Issues:

Review is based on an advance copy, so I can’t gauge the final product in this area.

Rating: ***** Five Stars

Reviewed by: BigAl

Approximate word count: 35-40,000 words

Reprise Review: Touching Charlotte by Lyn Horner

 Genre: Contemporary/Romantic Suspense/World Mythology/Magical Realism

Description:

“Tristan is a former NYPD cop turned celebrity pastry chef and author. Bereft by the death of his fiancée two years earlier, he has no desire for a new romance, until a gorgeous redhead catches his eye at a stuffy Park Avenue Christmas party…Charlotte is a Guardian of Danu charged with protecting one of seven valuable scrolls handed down through time by her ancestors. She works as a nurse-companion for a disabled girl, living in a lonely mansion on Long Island’s Gold Coast…

Like all of the Guardians, Char possesses a unique psychic gift, in her case the empathic ability to absorb other people’s emotions, especially through touch…So begins a romance complicated by Char’s responsibility for her young charge and her sworn duty as a Guardian. Surprise guests and evil enemies threaten to destroy their one chance for happiness. Will Tristan overcome such obstacles to win his lady? Can she trust him with terrible secrets?”

Author:

“Lyn Horner is a baby boomer born in San Francisco, California, raised in Minnesota and now residing in Texas with her husband and an ever-changing band of cantankerous, beloved cats. Trained in the visual arts, Lyn first worked as a fashion illustrator in Minneapolis, Minnesota, and later as an art instructor for Art Instruction Schools… After quitting work to raise her children, she took up writing to save her sanity. This hobby quickly morphed into an obsession with historical research and plot building.”

Learn more about Ms. Horner by visiting her website or follow her on Facebook.

Appraisal:

Charlotte Dixon has an empathetic gift which has caused her to seclude herself from most of society after she completed her education. She is now working as a live-in caretaker for the mentally - and physically - challenged daughter of a politician who cares more about her career than for her own child. Not surprisingly, Charlotte has become a surrogate mother to thirteen-year-old Marilee, who has the mental capacity of a three-year-old.

Tristen Jameson, a former police officer and now pastry chef, is able to nurture Charlotte while offering her protection. If only she would lower her walls long enough for him to touch her. Trust is one of the most important themes woven into each of the guardians’ stories. Tristen’s sexual desire for Charlotte leads him to follow her, more or less by blind faith. Charlotte’s crumbling protective walls are heart-warming as her feelings for Tristen grow.

I am loving the way Danu, mother goddess of the Tuatha Dé Danann, is pairing her guardians up with mates who complement and support them. I am finding this added element for each character enthralling.

Touching Charlotte moves at a nice, steady pace, the characters are all well-developed, and the banter is also realistically engaging. The twists in the plot are unexpected as certain elements are exposed. Tension for the impending war is rising as the evil that seeks the scrolls for their own gain is becoming more evident. I am excited to meet the remaining guardians. I hope I don’t have to wait too long.??

Buy now from:            Amazon US        Amazon UK

FYI:

Touching Charlotte is book four in Lyn Horner’s Romancing the Guardians series. Each book builds on the previous stories, so I would recommend reading them in order. There are explicit adult sexual scenes, but no inappropriate language.

Original review posted on September 14, 2016.

Format/Typo Issues:

There were a small number of proofing issues.

Rating: ***** Five Stars

Reviewed by: ?wazithinkin

Approximate word count: 45-50,000 words

Review: The Fabric Over the Moon by Ferran Plana

 Genre: Short Story Collection

Description:

“Stories come alive at night.

They are whispered around dying campfires, by quiet bedsides, under deformed old trees.

They might get interrupted by the howling wind, inaudible gasps, or nervous comments, only to be continued fervently once the dust settles again.

Why did the girl visit the eerie village? What did the gypsy’s words mean? Can the discovery of a new flower change the world?

Stories are supposed to end but they never do.

They leave you wondering and longing for more. They live on in your mind, in corners with cobwebs and memories you’ve been suppressing, in recurring daydreams you have while waiting in long lines. They fester and thrive there. They spiral and soar. You wish they would die but they cannot anymore.

Once you blow breath into a story, it instantly becomes yours...”

Author:

“Ferran Plana was born in 1988, at present settled in Barcelona. He began his writing passion after a long period of improvising bedtime stories for his wife before sleeping. When he is not writing, you might find him building a sand castle on the beach, observing birds with his binoculars, playing cello or trombone, or in the hospital working as a doctor. The Fabric Over The Moon is his first published short story and flash fiction collection.”

For more about Mr Plana, visit his website.

www.ferranplanabooks.com

Appraisal:

A wide range of 28 short stories of various genres and lengths. I found most of them drew me in with the characters and situations that were mostly much different from those I typically see in my reading. Something else the stories all have in common is what some might describe as a cliff hanger. The stories tend to come to some kind of a reasonable resolution, however that resolution leaves the reader wondering, but doing so in such a way that you naturally start filling in the gaps or imagining what happens next on your own. Reading the author’s blurb for this collection with talk of stories that are supposed to end, but never do, and of making a story your own suddenly makes a lot more sense when you’ve read a few of the stories. I found this to be a clever approach that didn’t make me feel like I’d been left hanging at all, even though in a way I was.

Buy now from:            Amazon US        Amazon UK

FYI:

Some adult language.

Format/Typo Issues:

No significant issues.

Rating: **** Four Stars

Reviewed by: BigAl

Approximate word count: 45-40,000 words

Review: Come Take Me: A Celestial Satire by E.M. Skyler

 Genre: Satire, Dark Comedy

Description:

The time is now (almost), and some Americans have decided that Canada is not quite far enough from their roiling homeland. For them there is ComeTakeMe.com, a website where people advertise to get taken by aliens.

Author:

E.M. Skyler is a pseudonym. The author provides no personal information.

Appraisal:

Come Take Me is a delightfully wacky tale perhaps best enjoyed with an impish wine: Antihero notes of Confederacy of Dunces, plot hints of The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy and aromatic nuances of anything by Kurt Vonnegut. Overall delicious.

Besides the enjoyment of a nutty space odyssey, we learn what a giant telepathic centipede that is underemployed as a tour guide has in common with a semi sentient human from Earth. They are just alike in everything that really matters, as it turns out.

What is the worst possible punishment for weight-loss hucksters? Obvious, but still satisfying.

Can a human social misfit, in his intergalactic quest to prevent the destruction of 277 worlds, be aided by immortal zombie fish with a hankering for an orgy every hundred years? That’s a gray area. Perhaps it’s more important if the human saves them from ennui.

What happens when a human that had become a media star among the fully sentient races of the universe is returned to his prior dour existence? The answer might come along on the next bus.

Buy now from:            Amazon US        Amazon UK

FYI:

Fish orgies are not suitable reading for young humans

Format/Typo Issues:

None

Rating: ***** Five Stars

Reviewed by: Sam Waite

Approximate word count: 80-85,000 Words

Reprise Review: Way Out West by Frank Tuttle

 Genre: Fantasy/Detective/Mystery/Adventure/Magic

Description:

“Markhat and Darla journey into the unknown, where Trolls and worse await those who dare the wastelands, and old magics take on new life when fueled by vengeance and the undying power of greed.

Three thousand miles of haunted prairie lie between Rannit’s bustling streets and tiny frontier town of Railsend. Finder Markhat’s new case puts him aboard the steam locomotive Western Star, bound for Railsend…and the edge of the world. But before the Star sees its first sunrise, blood is spilled, and Markhat finds himself at the center of a murderous mystery.

When wartime magic of the killing sort enters the picture, Markhat realizes not all the passengers are who they seem. There’s a rogue sorcerer aboard the Western Star, a sorcerer bent on homicide — and not just one death will do.

Pressed into service by railroad law, Markhat must unravel the tangled web of lies before the next life taken is his own.”

Author:

Frank Tuttle lives and writes in the perpetually humid wilderness of North Mississippi. Frank tried to be a proper Southern author and write about pickups and hound dogs, but trolls and magic kept creeping into his stories, so Frank is a fantasy author. Although hounds do make occasional appearances in his fiction.”

To learn more about Mr. Tuttle’s series, The Markhat Files, and his other Young Adult series, Paths of Shadow, check out his website. I also recommend checking out his highly entertaining blog.

Appraisal:

Way Out West is sort of like Murder on the Orient Express Markhat style, but on a moving train surrounded with magic. Mama Hog is responsible for placing Markhat, Darla, Evis, and Gertriss on the Western Star headed west to secure her latest acquisition, a town she plans on renaming Hogstown.

It’s becoming quite clear there is an unsettling old magic in the air around Rannit so it seems like a perfect time to skip town for a while. Little does Markhat realize that this old magic is drawn to a certain crate in the baggage car of the Western Star as well. It’s a wild ride of murder, intrigue, and time warps. New characters who play important parts are written with depth and style. Darla is sharp and takes on an impressive role as Markhat realizes he married up in class.

There are delightful surprises among the darkness of this tale and more twists in the plot than any roller-coaster ever invented. I was enthralled through the whole story. I love it when that happens, except it makes functioning the next day difficult from the lack of sleep. Way Out West is an exciting addition to The Markhat Files and I have to wonder how Hogstown will factor into future stories. Well done, Mr. Tuttle.

Buy now from:            Amazon US        Amazon UK

FYI:

Way Out West is book ten in The Markhat Files series. Mr. Tuttle does an excellent job filling in key elements so new readers will enjoy his stories without having read previous books in this series. However, I would highly recommend reading the whole series to fully appreciate character nuances.

Original review posted September 30, 2016.

Format/Typo Issues:

None.

Rating: ***** Five Stars

Reviewed by: ?wazithinkin

Approximate word count: 55-60,000 words

Review: Blood Red Sand by Damien Larkin

Genre: Alternative/future history

Description:

This novel is set in the same milieu as Larkin’s debut novel Big Red which came out in 2019. I have not read that book, but felt very little adrift not knowing its content. Blood Red Sand stands satisfactorily alone. Apparently Blood Red Sand is a prequel, so if you enjoy this you can move onwards (or backwards) to Big Red.

The premise is entirely military, and definitely ‘out there’. There are space ships and habitat domes. There are Panzers and Bren guns. It’s that sort of mashup. Bit of a Boy’s Own, then. Perhaps worth mentioning that the few women in the book are well drawn and hold their own with the men in the plot line, and the violence they are capable of.

Author:

Damien Larkin is an Irish science fiction author and co-founder of the British and Irish Writing Community. He lives in Dublin. His first novel Big Red was longlisted for the British Science Fiction Award for Best Novel.

Appraisal:

The last time I played video games was SSX on the PS2. Out of touch much? C’est moi. I am absolutely not this book’s target market, yet I enjoyed it a lot. It is well written. Characters are well drawn and shown to the reader through their actions – of which there is masses. The plot is one long battle, with well-explained skirmishes. The pages turn briskly, and a couple of interesting surprises are set up to provide a frisson when one is, perhaps, getting slightly tired of the blood-letting later on. There is just enough humour to leaven the blood and gore. The body count is enormous: it began to puzzle me from about half way where all the reinforcements could possibly be coming from. It does not do to question that sort of thing, nor the motives and morals of anybody in the book, too closely. But the baddies (Nazis) are definitely worse than the goodies (Allies).

This book is very much for gamers. Especially those who play first-person shooters. And who watch films about Nazism continuing after WWII, eg Iron Sky, in which the defeated Nazis repair to the Moon, with a view to building a space fleet to conquer the Earth. In this case (the clue is in the title) the Nazis have made their way to Mars in the early Fifties with a view to rebuilding the Reich and finally conquering the world (mwahahaha). Thither they have been pursued by the Mars Expeditionary Force (and others). The battle begins with space ships pounding away at each other but quickly the fighting becomes hand to hand.

Larkin is good at the strategy and tactics such a Force would employ, the kinds of weapons they might have available to them (plus a twist), and descriptions of the battle. He bangs on a bit about the weaponry (frequently name-checking it), and ditto about the bits of flesh that used to be people getting spattered about by shells, grenades etc. But hey, I guess that’s war. Don’t read this book when you’re eating is my advice.

Given the resurgence of fascism and anti-Semitism in our world it is no bad thing to be reminded how vile both political philosophies are. Although the Allies don’t come out of it smelling of roses either: their mantra is “kill them all”. Nor, I suspect, will all Jewish readers be entirely comfortable with the way they are portrayed.

It reminded me strongly of Starship Troopers without the bugs.  

Buy now from:            Amazon US        Amazon UK

FYI:

Format/Typo Issues:

No significant issues.

Rating: **** Four Stars

Reviewed by: Judi Moore

Approximate word count: 80-85,000 words