Sparrow by Grace Jelsnik #BookReview

Genre: Romantic Suspense

Description:

“Five years ago, Nell’s parents fled in the middle of the night, leaving her and her younger siblings with their grandfather. Now, with her grandfather crippled, Nell is responsible for caring for her family and running the Penniwick Hunting Lodge. Caregiver, housekeeper, mother, hunting guide, hunter—the last thing Nell needs is another burden, but when she finds a dying man lying on the riverbank, she can’t walk away. 

She soon learns it’s no coincidence that FBI agent Connor Woodridge chose to die on her turf, and once she gets him home, his presence serves as a catalyst to revelations regarding the hijacking of an Army munitions convoy two decades before. Everyone seeks the munitions hidden somewhere in the forest, and deadly secrets are exposed when Nell finds herself sucked into a vortex of deception, corruption, and treason. The past becomes enmeshed in the present, and when her loved ones are threatened, Nell’s act of humanity may well culminate in her loss of humanity. 

Her boast that no one can shoot a bow or a rifle as well as she is put to the test in a confrontation with a band of pseudo-patriot militiamen and their malevolent leader, and Nell finally learns the reason her parents walked away, all those years ago.”

Author:

“Grace Jelsnik earned her M.A. in English with an emphasis on creative writing at the University of South Dakota. She lives in North Dakota with her husband of fifteen years, their three children, two dogs, and three cats. Her novels emphasize plot, characterization, and setting, but each possesses an element of romance that takes a down-to-earth approach to the natural give-and-take emotional interaction between two characters, addressing the sparks that lead to heat, not the heat itself. Her targeted audience is late teen and older, readers who enjoy suspense and mystery.”

Learn more about Ms. Jelsnik on her Amazon Author page or follow her on Facebook.

Appraisal:

First, I need to thank the author for producing a well-written novel that kept my interest throughout (I’ve just gone through a tough patch of reading 30+ Amazon samples from Al’s list without finding a book that ‘worked’ for me).

Nell, the main character, nicknamed Sparrow, was one tough cookie. I enjoyed being inside her head and watching her make smart but dangerous decisions by relying on her knowledge of the forest. The considerable intrigue surrounding her family was gradually peeled back one layer at a time, which added to the story tension.

The FBI agent was also well drawn, and their obvious attraction to each other was believable and welcome.

The author pulled together all the threads nicely at the end and then tied them in a pretty bow. I think this story would appeal to those readers who enjoy a suspenseful romance without any gore or gratuitous sex—a great holiday read IMO.

Buy now from:   Kindle US    Kindle UK     Paperback

Format/Typo Issues:

Very few.

Rating: ***** Five Stars

Reviewed by: Pete Barber

Approximate word count: 75-80,000 words

 

Reprise Review: Stone and Silt by Harvey Chute

Genre: YA/Historical Mystery

Description:

“A ruthless murder and a stolen shipment of gold.

At school, sixteen-year-old Nikaia Wales endures the taunts of bullies who call her a “half-breed.” At home, she worries about how her family will react if she reveals her growing feelings for the quiet boy next door.

Those are soon the least of her troubles. Nikaia discovers a hidden cache of gold, and when police find a corpse nearby, her father becomes a suspect. Worse, Elias Doyle is circling, hungry to avenge his brother’s death.

Nikaia desperately searches for clues to save her father. In her quest to find the killer, she learns about the power of family, friendship, and young love.”

Author:

“Harvey published his first novel, Stone and Silt, in August 2013. His previous published works include five technical guides in Wiley's For Dummies series.

The Stone and Silt historical mystery is based in British Columbia, where Harvey grew up and spent his teenage summers guiding whitewater raft trips on the Thompson and Fraser rivers. Harvey received a Bachelor of Science degree from Simon Fraser University in Vancouver, where his elective studies included the history of B.C. and of western Canada.

Harvey works as a program manager for an IT consulting firm. He is also the founder of KBoards.com - the web's largest independent Kindle user forum.

Harvey lives in Bellingham, Washington, with his wife, three daughters, a lovable golden retriever, and a stern cat. He enjoys walking mountain trails, learning blues guitar, and being surrounded by great books.”

Harvey Chute passed away after a lengthy battle with cancer late last year. He will be missed.

For more, visit Mr. Chute’s Amazon Author page. You can also visit his author's blog or the Stone & Silt Facebook page.

Appraisal:

For those who have not read my Meet the Pals entry, I did not enjoy reading during school or choose reading as a leisure activity. That is, until my 5th grade teacher selected the book Caddie Woodlawn for read-aloud time. I was hooked on the spunky, tomboy character and the many risks she took exploring the Wisconsin frontier and interacting with people during her pioneer childhood. It was the first book I willingly read from cover to cover. Mr. Chute’s novel evoked the same feelings in me. I am hoping many others will be as compelled to read this story as I was. The book trailer is well done and a good way to preview this book.

The murder mystery plot was exciting, dangerous, and stressful to read. There were many twists and turns on the way to the resolution. Nikaia, Klima, and Yee Sim were very resourceful and clever. But, my favorite parts were the everyday background details and the interactions between Nikaia’s family and friends. I loved the way the consequences of Nikaia’s choices led to her father giving her the nickname Mischief. Her relationships with her family, friends, and community were authentic. Mr. Chute’s vivid descriptions of Fort Yale, British Columbia, and the Fraser River brought them to life and made them seem like a “real” character. The telling of Nikaia’s mountain quest, the Anybody Boat, Charlie Ray’s trap line experience, Annie Adams’ basket weaving, and other stories brought realism to the book by teaching meaningful lessons to characters, and providing insight into the culture of the First Nations people and pioneer life during the gold rush. I also enjoyed the tentative, developing feelings between Nakaia and Yee Sim. I was glad to read in an interview that there are plans for a follow-up novel with many of the same characters.

Mr. Chute states in his author’s note, “This story is my homage, my love letter, to the people of the Fraser Canyon, past and present.” That’s how reading Stone and Silt felt to me.

Buy now from:   Kindle US    Kindle UK     Paperback

FYI: Added for Reprise Review: Stone and Silt was a nominee in the Young Adult category for B&P 2014 Readers' Choice Awards. Original review ran September 4, 2013.

Format/Typo Issues:

I read an ARC of this book, and found no errors.

Rating: ***** Five stars

Reviewed by: Fredlet

Approximate word count: 60-65,000 words

Catering Girl by @LaurieBoris #BookReview

Genre: Women’s Fiction/Humor/Contemporary Fiction

Description:

“Frankie Goldberg, struggling actress and stand-up comic in Los Angeles, can't keep her day jobs thanks to her smart mouth and a lot of other bad habits. Now a thirty-something catering assistant on a movie set, she reluctantly agrees to bring a cappuccino to the resident diva. The young star Anastasia Cole is in tears, distraught about disturbing changes in the script. Frankie serves a side of common sense with the coffee, and excited to have an ally, Anastasia offers her the role of a lifetime. It's not what Frankie had in mind -- but being needed might be exactly what she needs.”

Author:

“Laurie Boris is a freelance writer, editor, proofreader, and former graphic designer. She has been writing fiction for over twenty-five years and is the award-winning author of six novels: The Joke's on Me, Drawing Breath, Don't Tell Anyone, Sliding Past Vertical, Playing Charlie Cool, and A Sudden Gust of Gravity. When not hanging out with the universe of imaginary people in her head, she enjoys baseball, cooking, reading, and helping aspiring novelists as a contributing writer and editor for Indies Unlimited. She lives in New York's lovely Hudson Valley.”

Ms. Boris’ novel Sliding Past Vertical was the winner in the Contemporary Fiction category of BigAl’s Books and Pals 2014 Readers’ Choice Awards.

You can follow Ms. Boris on her blog or stalk her on Facebook.

Appraisal:

I haven’t read The Joke's on Me, so this is my first introduction to Frankie Goldberg. She has a strong devil-may-care personality, which tends to lead her into trouble when expressing her opinion. She moved from New York to Los Angeles to pursue an acting career, but bless her heart, she just can’t catch a break and this plays havoc with her self-esteem issues. What she does have going for her is intelligence and courage to try new things. Ms. Boris has a talent for writing realistic characters in believable situations and managing to invest her readers’ attention in whatever journey may be at hand.

Poor Frankie is having trouble finding where she belongs, since her dream of becoming an actress has fallen flat. She has learned along the way that she has a knack for cooking food in large quantities, organizing events, and managing other people. She just has trouble applying these talents to her own life. I laughed when Frankie caught herself sounding like her own Jewish mother while dealing with Anastasia Cole. Ana is a young bombshell actress who seeks career guidance from Frankie, despite the Oscar she possesses for supporting actress. This relationship works well for both of them for a while. Then a few unexpected twists set the whole story spinning out of control.

I found Catering Girl a fun, captivating story. I would highly recommend this book if you are looking for something quick to read. Now I am interested to see how Frankie makes out in The Joke's on Me.

Buy now from:    Kindle US     Kindle UK

FYI:

Catering Girl is a prequel novella to the romantic comedy The Joke's on Me.

Format/Typo Issues:

None!

Rating: ***** Five Stars

Reviewed by: ?wazithinkin

Approximate word count: 14-15,000 words

Turtle's Weir by @LynneCantwell #BookReview

Genre: Urban Fantasy/World Mythology

Description:

“FOCUS. Webb Curtis has a number of urgent projects on his plate. He’s supposed to be studying mediation techniques so he can help his mother negotiate a new peace agreement among the gods. He’s also supposed to be tracking down the goddess responsible for his mother’s illness – and to do that, he needs to find a new way into the gods’ realm, as the Norse Trickster Loki has locked it down while He nudges His fellow gods and goddesses toward the ultimate destruction of the Earth.

But Webb isn’t doing any of that. And he can’t remember why.

What he needs is a whack upside the head…”

Author:

“Lynne Cantwell is a contributing author at Indies Unlimited where she shares her knowledge about Indie publishing and promotion. She has a master’s degree in fiction writing from Johns Hopkins University and is a former broadcast journalist who has written for CNN and Mutual/NBC Radio News, among other places. Ms. Cantwell currently lives near Washington, DC.”

“Ms. Cantwell writes mostly urban fantasy and paranormal romance, with a dash of magical realism when she’s feeling serious.”

Her Pipe Woman Chronicles Universe now includes a baker’s dozen: Five volumes in her first The Pipe Woman Chronicles, three volumes in The Land, Sea, Sky series, four volumes in her Pipe Woman’s Legacy series, with the thirteenth being A Billion Gods and Goddesses: The Mythology Behind the Pipe Woman Chronicles. She has written other fiction and non-fiction books as well.

You can connect with Ms. Cantwell at her website or stalk her on Facebook.

Appraisal:

This is purportedly the last book in the Pipe Woman’s Legacy series and takes up shortly after the end of Spider’sLifeline. Ms. Cantwell expertly weaves in several pertinent elements from the whole Pipe Woman Chronicles series into this final addition. Distraction as well as the shifting of powers seem to be a major theme.

This book was a roller-coaster ride of action and heartfelt emotions. The path Ms. Cantwell took us on was well envisioned, deliberate, and developed. Several principles of the original agreement between the Gods, reached thirty-eight years ago, have been brought forward for debate to ensure Ragnarok be diverted. There are signs that Ragnarok has already begun in the Gods realm. It has been placed on Webb's shoulders to intervene. Can he avert this catastrophe before events spill over to our earthly realm?

Enkou, Hilary’s little ninja turtle, takes on a larger role in this story, helping deflect the darkness he is able to see. I really enjoyed him; Enkou is wise and clever. He says very little so when he does speak you need to listen to every word he says. I think my favorite character in this book was Roman. Ms. Cantwell outdid herself developing him. He was full of surprises, but there was still a mysterious air about him. Of course, no one will ever outshine Webb as far as I am concerned. His growth in this story was legendary.

I hate to see this series end but found the ending fitting and closed off well, sort of... as Ms. Cantwell leaves us with a couple of surprises. One made me almost laugh-out-loud with glee! Well done, ma’am. The other left my mouth agape! Honestly, how can this series end with that sort of information? I was left with so many mixed emotions. Anger at the bomb dropped on us with the knowledge that this was the end of the series, but a smile on my face and in my heart at the same time because of that same bomb. I can highly recommend this book as well as the whole series.

Buy now from:    Kindle US     Kindle UK

FYI:

Turtle’s Weir is the fourth book in the Pipe Woman's Legacy series. While this book could possibly be read as a stand-alone, you really shouldn’t miss any of this fantastic series.

For those sensitive to the F-bomb, beware there are a few.

Format/Typo Issues:

No significant issues.

Rating: ***** Five Stars

Reviewed by: ?wazithinkin

Approximate word count: 50-55,000 words

Reprise Review: Witches and Bandits and Swords (Oh, My!) by @DominicOReilly

Genre: Fantasy

Description:

A sea voyage to trade spices with a distant land promised great fortunes for you and your friends. However, a vessel flying a pirate standard had other ideas. How well can you deal with the unexpected? Find out in this create-your-own adventure!

Author:

Dominic O’Reilly lives in Manchester, England and has many temporary jobs, all including the typing up of very mundane, and totally uninteresting, information. When he needs to escape from the mundane, he writes. The genre depends on his mood at the moment. Dominic has a blog you can visit and also a page at Deviant Art.

Appraisal:

Anyone remember Zork, one of the first interactive computer adventure games? I do. I played it while I was in college on one of those ancient Apple computers – back before they were Macs, back before they came in colors. Way back… And I loved it. It was my first experience with just how addictive a computer can be. Well, I think that this author probably grew up with Zork, and loved it, too.

I spent about 45 minutes gleefully building my own adventure and snickering to myself and thinking “Boy, this is just like Zork!” OK, I admit it… I wasn’t able to accomplish much except to wander around in a circle picking up herbs and offering a guard some very odd bribes. But neither was I ever able to do much of anything in Zork, and that didn’t stop me, nor did it dim my enjoyment.

This book has the same snarky, tongue-in-cheek humor – usually at your expense. The baddies aren’t really bad – just offer them a potion that you were able to have mixed up by one of the witches on the heath using herbs that you picked up while walking in circles, and they’ll be your friends. The pirates steal your cargo, but they don’t kill you – it’s much more fun to watch as you walk in circles picking up herbs and encountering odd characters. There are bandits with spiky clubs, but their aim isn’t any better than your prowess with a sword is. Everything’s all in good fun.

The book has 3 chapters, and if I understand it correctly, you can ‘save’ your adventure, when you inevitably end up getting killed, by jumping to the next chapter (as opposed to starting over). So, in effect, you get three ‘lives’. I’ve read a few ‘create your own’ adventure Kindle books, and this is more elaborate, with a greater number of options than the others I’ve read (not to mention having a much more wicked sense of humor).

Highly recommended, if you have a good sense of humor, and even more so if you can remember playing Zork.

Buy now from:    Kindle US     Kindle UK

FYI:

This is very family-friendly. The humor is snide, but not mean. The ‘baddies’ are bad in name only. Even getting killed is an opportunity for the author to poke fun at the reader.

Added for Reprise Review: Witches and Bandits and Swords was a nominee in the Fantasy category for B&P 2014 Readers' Choice Awards. Original review ran May 24, 2013.

Format/Typo Issues:

In all the jumping around I did during my game, I saw only one minor typo, so I’d say formatting is excellent. On the Kindle, the links to select the next scenario work perfectly, and some are worth a laugh in themselves.

Rating: ***** Five stars

Reviewed by: SingleEyePhotos

Approximate word count: (varies – this is a create-your-own adventure)

Outcast by Jennifer Reynolds #BookReview @JenniferLRAutho

Genre: Paranormal Romance/ Urban Fantasy

Description:

“Leigh Alexander has lived every day of her life feeling like an outcast amongst her family and the small-minded people of Pine Hollow, a secretive community to which her parents belong. When Danielle, Leigh’s younger sister, asks Leigh to come home for her wedding, Leigh’s torn between wanting to be there for her sister and saving herself from people who’ve despised her all of her life.

Knowing she’ll regret her decision, Leigh gives into her sister and goes home for what she hopes is the last time. Leigh was prepared for people to ignore her, for them to shun her, for them to point out all the ways she didn’t belong all because she wasn’t a size perfect, but what she hadn’t been prepared for was falling for Ryan Hart, a man who she will soon learn knows all of the secrets her family and the town of Pine Hollow refuse to tell her.

Revealing the truth about Pine Hollow and the rest of the supernatural world might be forbidden, but to save Leigh’s life, Ryan will tell her everything about who she is, or more importantly who she isn’t, even if it will forever change her life and the lives of every person in Pine Hollow.”

Author:

“Jennifer Lynn Powell Reynolds is a native of North Alabama. She is newly married. She and her husband tied the knot on Friday, September 13, 2013. Jennifer has a Master of Fine Arts degree from National University and a Bachelor of Arts degree from the University of North Alabama. Writing has always been a large part of her life. In high school, her local newspaper published a large number of her poems, and she won numerous poetry and short stories awards. Since high school, she has worked on a number of different projects, but her focus has mainly been on acquiring her degrees. She finished the first draft of her first novel, a post-apocalyptic piece titled Alone, around the time she graduated with her B.A. Since then, she has written numerous other novels, short stories, and poems. Aside from spending her days immersed in the fictional worlds she creates, she works part time at Stained Glass Artistry.”

For more, visit Ms. Reynolds website or follow her on Facebook.

Appraisal:

Even though Outcast is the second book in this series, it is a stand-alone novel set in the same fantasy world as book one, Shifter. Leigh Alexander has always felt like an outcast except with her younger sister Danielle, who has always accepted and loved her unconditionally. Leigh always thought it was her weight that had set her apart but despite that, she learned to be comfortable with her size. After attending college, she relocated to Washington State and made a life for herself far away from Pine Hollow, Tennessee. She supported herself editing books, working in a book store, and ghost writing a woman’s life story. Things were going well for Leigh until after her sister’s wedding where she became reacquainted with Ryan Hart, the groom’s best friend.

Ever since leaving Pine Hollow, Leigh seemed to have a lot of bad luck in all aspects of her life. When Ryan relocates to Washington to be close to Leigh, he also encounters a lot of what seems to be bad luck. Trying to solve the mystery of what is going on sends Ryan and Leigh back to Pine Hollow. There are a lot of twists in this story as secrets are revealed and plots are uncovered. Directions change course to involve the whole town of Pine Hollow, unveiling a corruption that must be stopped.

The family and social dynamics in Outcast were believable. But Ms. Reynolds has changed the rules in her unique fantasy world. I also enjoyed the differing points-of-view we were given, which helped define Ryan’s relationship with his parents, Leigh’s parents, as well his relationship with his best friend Dave. I found him more interesting and complicated than Leigh. (Okay, I just made myself laugh because I enjoyed the hunky male wolf more than the human female. Now, I have lost my train of thought… I blame Ryan!)

I think with a little more control over repetition and better proof-reading this could have been a five-star book. Outcast is an enjoyable original story with a few issues, but overall entertaining.

Buy now from:    Kindle US     Kindle UK     Paperback

FYI:

Outcast is book two in Jennifer Reynolds Supernaturals series. It is not necessary to read book 1, Shifter, to enjoy this story. This book also contains adult sexual situations, as well as a few F-bombs.

Format/Typo Issues:

I came across a small number of editing issues, which included extra, missing, or wrong words. There were also a couple of strangely worded sentences.

Rating: **** Four Stars

Reviewed by: ?wazithinkin

Approximate word count: 90-95,000 words

Reprise Review: Just Add Spice by @CarolEWyer #Kindle

Genre: Chick Lit

Description:

“Dawn Ellis needs to escape from her painfully dull existence. Her unemployed husband spends all day complaining about life, moping around, or fixing lawnmowers on her kitchen table. The local writing class proves to be an adequate distraction with its eccentric collection of wannabe authors and, of course, the enigmatic Jason, who soon shows a romantic interest in her.”

Author:

A regular contributor to The Huffington Post, UK author Carol E. Wyer is the author of three other books: Surfing in Stilettos, Mini Skirts and Laughter Lines, as well as the non-fiction humor (with a bit of relationship counseling and self-help thrown in) guide for older wives, How Not to Murder Your Grumpy.

Find out more from Carol’s blog. *Ms. Wyer has published several new books since the time of this review.

Appraisal:

Reading fiction can be a way to put yourself in the life of someone unlike you as way of understanding others better. If a fictional character has similarities to you and you’re prone to introspection, it might help you understand yourself better. Just Add Spice goes one layer deeper. A fictional character who creates another fictional character, and it helps working through her own issues. It’s not as convoluted as I make it sound.

Our protagonist Dawn is bored with life and, if we’re completely honest, a touch boring herself. But aspiring author Dawn’s work-in-progress has a kick ass heroine, Cinnamon. As Dawn’s novel progresses the line between the two layers of fiction slowly blurs. Not just a clever idea, but a fun and entertaining read.

Buy now from:   Kindle US    Kindle UK     Paperback

FYI:

Author is from the UK. Spelling conventions and vocabulary reflect this.

Added for Reprise Review: Just Add Spice was a nominee in the Chick Lit/Women's Fiction category for B&P 2014 Readers' Choice Awards. Original review ran August 2, 2013.

Format/Typo Issues:

Review is based on a pre-release copy of the book so I can’t comment on this area.

Rating: ***** Five stars

Reviewed by: BigAl

Approximate word count: 70-75,000 words

Snow Bunny by M.Y. Zeman

Genre: Middle Grade/Fantasy/Sci-Fi/Adventure

Description:

“My name is Snow and I am a wererabbit. I was born a bunny and thought my fate was to live and die in a lab until a vampire saved me. Now I am fourteen and I've just rescued a teenage werewolf named Josh from scientists who have been experimenting with a terrible serum which takes away the ability to shift.

We need to find the people who took him; discover who they are working for and what they are planning so we can stop them.

The road ahead is scary, full of twists and a new love. But no one ever said becoming a hero was easy...”

Author:

“M.Y. Zeman has a Master's Degree from Stonybrook University and a BA in Mathematics. She followed in her mother's footsteps and became a teacher of computers and math. She has worked as a professional web/graphic designer.

She has been writing since she was old enough to read and has written short stories, articles and poetry. Her first book, Running into the Black is a courtroom drama.

A lifelong fan of science fiction and fantasy… She currently lives in New York with her dog and three dwarf bunnies. She is working on the third book, Snow Island.”

To learn more check out Ms. Zeman’s website or you can follow her on Facebook.

Appraisal:

Snow Bunny starts up where Snowball left off; there is minimal time devoted to the background from the first book. This wasn’t a problem as the necessary background was covered; however, I would recommend reading Snowball first. Snow is now fourteen and is quite smitten with Josh, the young werewolf she rescued from a laboratory in book one. In this story, we learn more about Josh and werewolf society in this fantasy world. The reader is also treated to more insight into the relationships with John, Snow’s father, and Edwin, his partner. Family dynamics figure heavily in this series.

The mission in this story is to stop the people behind the laboratory testing and experiments from where Josh was rescued. In the midst of searching for clues, the family has to find a safer place to live. John is still consumed by his research and is having fun with his new inventions. Edwin decides to move in, putting his globe-trotting aside for a while to offer support and stability. There are several twists as new elements are introduced into the plot. At times I got a little lost because several time-warps are factored into the story to fill in new background information. I probably shouldn’t have though, as the chapters are clearly marked.

I think middle-grade students would find Snow Bunny engaging because of the imaginative creatures introduced, the cool gadgets John invents, and the uniqueness of the adventure. I wish the editing was a little more thorough, but middle school readers may not even notice most of the errors I caught. I think they would be too involved in the story, which is captivating.

Buy now from:   Kindle US     Kindle UK     Paperback

FYI:

Snow Bunny is Book two in the Chronicles of a Wererabbit series. I would recommend reading the first book in the series, Snowball. The family dynamics of having two dads is handled well.

Format/Typo Issues:

I found a small number of proofing errors, a few awkward sentences, and a bit of repetition.

Rating: *** Three Stars

Reviewed by: ?wazithinkin

Approximate word count: 50-55,000 words

Road Trip by Grace Jelsnik

This is the second "shot" of today's doubleshot review. If you missed the first review, be sure to check out what BigAl had to say about this same book this morning.

Genre: Contemporary Fiction/ Adventure/ Suspense

Description:

"A road trip that begins in Denver becomes a race to Evergreen when five [people] take a collision course to their respective destinies, and Noah, Victoria, Thomas, Mule, and Ricky find themselves the target of an outlaw motorcycle gang, an unscrupulous sheriff, Colombian drug smugglers, oil industry enforcers, and EPA specialists. The asphalt between Billings, Montana, and Evergreen, Colorado, is littered with bodies by the time they reach their final destination."

Author:

"Grace Jelsnik lives in North Dakota with her husband of fifteen years, their three children, two dogs, and three cats. Her novels emphasize plot, each with an element of romance that takes a down-to-earth approach to the natural give-and-take emotional interaction between two characters, addressing the sparks that lead to heat, not the heat itself. Her targeted audience is late teen and older, readers who enjoy suspense, mystery, and snappy dialogue."

Learn more about Ms. Jelsnik on her Amazon Author page or follow her on Facebook.

Appraisal:

This is the third novel from Grace Jelsnik I have read for review here at Books and Pals. I don’t normally read contemporary fiction, but Ms. Jelsnik’s voice and character development have me mesmerized. When BigAl asked if I would be interested in doing a doubleshot review with him for Road Trip, I jumped at the opportunity. Honestly, I didn’t expect to like this book. Political intrigue and corporate espionage are NOT among my favorite genres. I read to escape reality, which is why I lean towards fantasy, paranormal, and romance novels. That is not to say that Ms. Jelsnik doesn’t subtly weave a little romance into her stories, because she does. But she does it in such a realistic way that it feels natural and logical.

Road Trip revolves around a hot political topic of the environmental effects from hydraulic fracking. Noah Severson, a veterinary doctor in Montana, notices the health of the area livestock is deteriorating before his eyes. When Noah tries to alert the EPA of his findings he is met with bureaucratic roadblocks and local authorities who are making big money from the fracking operations. Armed with only his data, a camcorder, and a disposable phone, he sets out on foot, after watching his house go up in flames, to a rendezvous point given to him from a mysterious caller who claims he can help.

Victoria Winslow is disillusioned with her life and decides to take a road trip to ‘find herself.’ She drastically changes her appearance and leaves with no plan or destination in mind. She sets out on her own to experience life without any celebrity attachments. Her chance encounter and conversation with a woman named Wanda helps Victoria by providing focus and direction from insights Wanda shares about her own experiences and life philosophy. Victoria never suspects how much this meeting will change the course of her road trip, as well as her life.

Next, Victoria meets Thomas, a hungry thirteen-year-old runway, and soon thereafter Thomas's younger brother, Ricky, who change Victoria's plans yet again. Complicating matters even further is an English mastiff desperately in need of a new home.

Then Victoria meets Noah in the most unexpected manner, and the ensuing road trip turns into a journey of discovery and exposition for all of these participants as they evade the onslaught of several nefarious adversaries. This character-driven plot has numerous twists that keep Noah and Victoria constantly aware of the danger they are in and the action is often fast and furious.

I ended up enjoying this story a lot more than I anticipated. Ms. Jelsnik has a unique way of weaving realistic individuals into extraordinary situations and making them believable. Road Trip drew me in and kept me riveted. I would recommend this book to anyone who enjoys well-developed, intelligent characters wrapped in an exceptionally astute story-line.

Buy now from:   Kindle US    Kindle UK     Paperback

Format/Typo Issues:

I ran across no issues at all.

Rating: ***** Five Stars

Reviewed by: ?wazithinkin

Approximate word count: 80-85,000 words

Road Trip by Grace Jelsnik

This is the first "shot" of today's doubleshot review. Check back this afternoon for ?wazithinkin's thoughts on the same book.

Genre: Suspense/Romance

Description:

“The Road Trip to Hell and Back

Dr. Noah Severson, veterinarian and reluctant environmentalist, must expose the devastation unleashed on the environment by hydraulic fracturing, “fracking,” of the subsurface shale by a greedy oil company and its silent partner, the Environmental Protection Agency.

Victoria Winslow, heiress and socialite, lost in the shadow cast by her legendary mother, seeks her true identity on the open road, behind the wheel of her father’s new Jaguar.

Thomas, thirteen-year-old recently orphaned runaway, searches for the brother who was stripped from him by the man pretending to be his uncle.

Mule, English mastiff and unwitting smuggler, wants relief from the agony caused by the million dollars’ worth of drug-filled condoms clogging his digestive tract.

Ricky, four-year-old kidnapped orphan, waits for his brother to rescue him from the outlaw biker who kidnapped him.”

Author:

“Grace Jelsnik earned her M.A. in English with an emphasis on creative writing at the University of South Dakota. She lives in North Dakota with her husband of fifteen years, their three children, two dogs, and three cats.”

Learn more about Ms. Jelsnik on her Amazon Author page or follow her on Facebook.

Appraisal:

Road Trip throws multiple characters together, none of them having prior connections, each with goals or purposes of their own. Victoria is trying to find herself. Noah is trying to expose the environmental damage caused by fracking in the Dakotas, while brothers Thomas and Ricky are trying to keep what is left of their family together. The author manages to weave these unrelated stories together into a coherent whole with plenty of suspense, tension, and a touch of romance. Definitely a book I'd recommend.

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Format/Typo Issues:

No significant issues

Rating: ***** Five Stars

Reviewed by: BigAl

Approximate word count: 80-85,000 words