Chicken Feathers and Garlic Skin / Chun Yu Wang

Reviewed by: Sooz

Genre: Memoir

Approximate word count: 70-75,000 words

Availability    

Kindle  US: YES  UK: YES  Nook: NO  Smashwords: NO  Paper: YES

Click on a YES above to go to appropriate page in Amazon, Barnes & Noble, or Smashwords store

Author:

Chun Yu Wang was born in China and moved to Saipan to work in a garment factory in 2000. You can learn more at her weibsite.

Description:

Wang details her story of moving from China to Saipan to work as a seamstress. She chronicles the poor conditions and what life was like for her in a new country, far away from home.

Appraisal:

We all live different lives.

From the girl living two blocks away to someone on the other side of the world, the lives we lead are so different from one another that it often makes 

for a compelling tale.

Chicken Feathers and Garlic Skin is the diary of a Chinese garment factory worker living in Saipan. Chun Yu Wang goes there to make money for her family, leaving behind a husband she doesn’t love and a 2-year-old child.

The book was translated from Mandarin to English, so I am sure there were a number of things that could have been lost in translation, but one of my favorite parts were all the Chinese idioms Wang revealed throughout the book.

Her story is intriguing as she explains living in a barracks filled with bugs and rats, sharing a room with eight other women, dealing with natural disasters such as a tsunami and a typhoon. If she got out of work late, she would have to wait on line to take a shower that could sometimes take hours to filter through.

The garment factory wasn’t what she expected with corruption and favoritism rampant no matter where she worked, and the bosses trying to do everything to prevent women from going to the hospital when they were ill. However, she dealt with it because she needed the money, but it seemed she also needed to feel as though she had control of her life. While living in China she married for the wrong reasons and felt she couldn’t leave. But in Saipan, she could be whomever she wanted.

Despite being called a diary, it seemed as though her feelings were still just on the surface, which is what prevented me from giving this book five stars. This didn’t read as a diary one would write for themselves with depth of feelings that you couldn’t tell others, but as though she knew someone would eventually read it, and she didn’t want to reveal the full scope of her emotions including her failures in and outside of the factory.

It is still well worth the read with a glimpse into another world, another life.

FYI:

The book was translated from Mandarin to English by an editor Walt F.J. Goodridge.

Format/Typo Issues:

No major issues.

Rating: **** Four Stars

Synthetic Illusions / Mary Fan

Reviewed by: BigAl

Genre: Science Fiction

Approximate word count: 100-105,000 words

Availability    

Kindle  US: YES  UK: YES  Nook: YES  Smashwords: NO  Paper: YES

Click on a YES above to go to appropriate page in Amazon, Barnes & Noble, or Smashwords store

Author:

“Mary Fan lives in New Jersey, where she is currently working in financial marketing. She has also resided in North Carolina, Hong Kong, and Beijing, China. She has been an avid reader for as long as she can remember and especially enjoys the infinite possibilities and out-of-this-world experiences of science fiction and fantasy.”

Description:

“Illusion is the only reality.

Jane’s new career as a composer is a dream come true, but her blossoming relationship with Adam is marred by his terrifying nightmares. When Jane receives a warning that a shadowy agency is targeting Adam’s seminary school, she rescues him in the nick of time, but the only way she can protect him from such a powerful enemy is to run.

In a shocking betrayal, her brother wasn’t the one who warned her about the attack on Adam. Instead, Devin was leading it. As Jane struggles to keep one step ahead of Devin, Adam’s exhaustion gives way to horror: his nightmares have begun to touch the real world.

Jane can’t abandon Adam to a fate worse than death, and far more than Adam’s life hangs in the balance. As Jane pushes further into the dark unknown, she must challenge everything she once believed in, and she faces the most wrenching decision of her life: choosing between the two people she loves most.”

Appraisal:

A sequel to the author’s prior book, Artificial Absolutes, this book follows the continuing story of Jane Colt. The Science Fiction genre with all the high tech doodads and strange new worlds (in galaxies far, far away for you Star Wars fans) may account for the surface appeal. But, for me, the part of the story that matters most are those timeless questions and themes that can be viewed in a different way through the prism of the fictional environments where they’re taking place.

Synthetic Illusions does that, considering such things as what it really means to be human - is it really a question of flesh and bones or something different? Themes of loyalty and family relationships also figure into the story. Plus, plenty of action, adventure, and battles in space, too.

FYI:

A small amount of adult language.

This is a sequel to the author’s book Artificial Absolutes. Although this could probably be read as a standalone, my advice would be to read the prior book first.

Format/Typo Issues:

No significant issues.

Rating: **** Four Stars

Cold Black / Alex Shaw

Reviewed by: Keith Nixon

Genre: Thriller

Approximate word count: 95-100,000 words

Availability    

Kindle  US: YES  UK: YES  Nook: YES  Smashwords: NO  Paper: YES

Click on a YES above to go to appropriate page in Amazon, Barnes & Noble, or Smashwords store

Author:

Alex Shaw was a drama teacher in an international school based in Kyiv until he left to set up his own consultancy business.

Hetman, the author’s first novel, took 12 years to write, subsequently followed up by Cold Black. Both were Kindle bestsellers.

You can learn more about the author at his website.

Description:

Ex-SAS paratrooper witnesses a car crash, but the passenger happens to be a kidnapped Saudi princess. Paddy saves the girl and is offered a job in Dubai by her father, a fortunate happenstance. It happens that an Al Qaeda splinter cell is causing havoc there and Fox finds himself a kidnap victim.

Aidan Snow now works for MI6 and is sent into the Middle East to rescue Paddy and avert disaster.

Appraisal:

This is a pacy, well written and exciting thriller with a strong international theme – and a post Cold War slant. The locations include the UK, Saudi Arabia, Russia, Ukraine and Belarus.

Broadly Aidan Snow, an MI6 operative, is attempting to stop Russia destabilising Saudi Arabia and it's oil flow in order to capitalise itself. The author in his bio states a knowledge of the Ukraine, and this Eastern bloc (knowledge) shines through. It adds a real slant of realism and authenticity.

A second strength is the characters, in particular action men Snow and Fox as well as the head of the SBU in the Ukraine, Dudka. I really like him. Dudka appears in a previously reviewed novella, Kyiv Rules. He's a wily old fox, hates the politics that's developed within his country and his family have moved away – so Dudka has nothing to lose.

This novel will appeal to readers who enjoy international thrillers with a strong armed forces theme. There are plenty of references and acronyms, but not too many to be off putting, a good balance is struck.

The story itself is an ambitious one, with several strands in different locations running in parallel until drawn together in the conclusion. There's plenty of opportunity for the novel to lose itself, but the author manages to pull it off admirably. It's not all action, there's a seam of army based humour running through it too.

All in all a well written, engaging read.

FYI:

Nothing of note.

Format/Typo Issues:

A few typos.

Rating: **** Four Stars

#Free for your #Kindle, 3/20/2014

The author of each of these books has indicated their intent to schedule these books for a free day for the Kindle versions today on Amazon. Sometimes plans change or mistakes happen, so be sure to verify the price before hitting that "buy me" button.

Lennon's Jinx by Chris Myers

Amazon US

Amazon UK

Keeping Life Simpl(y)e (Complicated): Tiny Morsels From Life's Truths by Rigoberto Nolasco

Amazon US

Amazon UK

Author's interested in having their free book featured either here on a Thursday or a sister site on a Monday, visit this page for details.

The Earthquake Doll / Candace Williams

This is the second half of a doubleshot. If you missed it, check out this morning's post for BigAl's thoughts on the same book.

Reviewed by: ?wazithinkin

Genre: Historical Fiction/ Coming of Age

Approximate word count: 50-55,000 words

Availability    

Kindle  US: YES  UK: YES  Nook: YES  Smashwords: NO  Paper: YES

Click on a YES above to go to appropriate page in Amazon, Barnes & Noble, or Smashwords store

Author:

“Candace Williams lives with her husband and beloved rescued Iggys (Italian Greyhounds)in Texas. Her first novel, The Earthquake Doll, was inspired by her early experiences in post-war Japan while her father was serving in the Korean Conflict.”

Description:

“The gap between the old Japan and the new is never so wide as when it tears open a young girl’s heart… It's 1952 Japan, seven years since the war was lost to the Americans, seven years since Miyoko lost her father and the home of her birth. Now she must earn a living caring for the children of an American family at the nearby air base.

When tragedy strikes, sixteen-year-old Miyoko is ordered to obey her family's wishes or disgrace the memory of her father and bring hardship upon her family. Tradition says she must obey, but her secret heart whispers that the new laws can free her.

As the earth trembles and splits beneath her, Miyoko must jump forward—or back.”

Appraisal:

This story is told through Miyoko's eyes as she struggles with profound cultural changes that no doubt swept through Japanese society after World War II. The philosophical and physiological affect on Japanese women struggling between traditional values and the modern freedoms brought in from the west was exemplified through Miyoko's story.

The characters were well defined and the situations were believable. It was educational to see Japanese culture through Japanese eyes. We have all heard about how respected honor is to the Japanese people, but I doubt many understand the depths of the word as far as this society is concerned. I know I had to sit back to take it all in.

This is a wonderful story and I feel enlightened having read it. The lessons Miyoko learned are as complex as her history and are summed up in these two quotes. “Obedience without choice is not honorable. It is merely survival, without grace or joy.”  and “...to survive one must be able to bend without breaking.” The story is how she came to realize these truths. The plot moves at a good pace as Miyoko struggles with her dilemma of how to keep harmony with her family, friends, and most of all her own secret heart.  Outstanding job for a debut novel, Ms. Williams. 

FYI:

Ms. Williams has included a glossary of Japanese terms and family relations at the beginning of the book. I was a bit overwhelmed seeing these worrying I wouldn't be able to follow, but the author made it easy, it was a needless concern. My insecurities always jump to the forefront of my brain. I need to work on that.

Format/Typo Issues:

Nothing at all jumped out at me with editing or formatting.

Rating: ***** Five stars      

The Earthquake Doll / Candace Williams

This is the first half of a doubleshot. Check back this afternoon for ?wazithinkin's thoughts on the same book

Reviewed by: BigAl

Genre: Historical Fiction / Coming of Age

Approximate word count: 50-55,000 words

Availability    

Kindle  US: YES  UK: YES  Nook: YES  Smashwords: NO  Paper: YES

Click on a YES above to go to appropriate page in Amazon, Barnes & Noble, or Smashwords store

Author:

“Candace Williams lives with her husband and beloved rescued Iggys (Italian Greyhounds) in Texas. Her first novel, The Earthquake Doll, was inspired by her early experiences in post-war Japan while her father was serving in the Korean Conflict. She is hard at work on her next book, a contemporary mystery.”

For more, visit her website.

Description:

“The gap between the old Japan and the new is never so wide as when it tears open a young girl’s heart…

It's 1952 Japan, seven years since the war was lost to the Americans, seven years since Miyoko lost her father and the home of her birth. Now she must earn a living caring for the children of an American family at the nearby air base.

When tragedy strikes, sixteen-year-old Miyoko is ordered to obey her family's wishes or disgrace the memory of her father and bring hardship upon her family. Tradition says she must obey, but her secret heart whispers that the new laws can free her.

As the earth trembles and splits beneath her, Miyoko must jump forward—or back.”

Appraisal:

“Those who don’t remember the past are doomed to repeat it.” George Santayana – Philosopher and Poet

You’ve probably heard or seen this quote or a variation of it at some point. For me at least, when I’m reading historical fiction, in the back of my mind I’m comparing the world as it was then to now. It’s a way to “remember,” either reminding me of a time I lived through or giving me a perspective of an era, like this one, that I didn’t experience. The Earthquake Doll triggered plenty of those thoughts, mainly related to the life of the American family Miyoko works for and the aftermath of war.

However, even more interesting was the Japanese culture which at the time was going through some major upheavals with young people rebelling against tradition that no longer made sense. Miyoko is torn as she struggles with the conflict between the old and new ways and is forced to make a life changing decision between two options, each one with its price. The result is a gripping coming of age story set against a unique backdrop of time and place.

Format/Typo Issues:

No significant issues.

Rating: ***** Five Stars

Agent with a History / Guy Stanton III

Reviewed by: Sooz

Genre: Action & Adventure

Approximate word count: 55-60,000 words

Availability    

Kindle  US: YES  UK: YES  Nook: YES  Smashwords: YES  Paper: YES

Click on a YES above to go to appropriate page in Amazon, Barnes & Noble, or Smashwords store

Author:

Guy Stanton III has a written a number of books within two series, The Agents of Good and The Warrior Kind. You can learn more about his books at his website.

Description:

Lisa, an NYPD detective, is having a tough time as of late as she is dealing with nightmares of events from her childhood. A case she is assigned to makes things worse when she becomes a target. Lisa’s job is to secure an ancient treasure that only she knows its whereabouts.

Appraisal:

When Agent with a History began, I thought it was going to be a police drama. Why? Because the central character Lisa is an NYPD detective and is called onto a strange case. The premise had me immediately intrigued. A local strip club was recreated at the scene of an empty lot with sinister looking folks creeping around the site.

But from that moment, the book took too many unnecessary twists and turns, and so much of it seemed implausible.

I will suspend disbelief when reading a book. I read paranormal, fantasy and science fiction, but some things are so far out there, they lose believability in the world created – and that was the problem with Agent with a History.

A bit of backstory on Lisa. She’s a tough-as-nails cop who won’t let anyone get in her way of solving a case. She was sexually abused in her teens and will not let people into her life easily. …

(SPOILER ALERTS AHEAD!)

Except the man, Flint, who breaks into her apartment and disarms her.

That gave me my first pause.

She then decided to turn her back on the police and go off with a man she doesn’t know, but immediately trusts and falls in love with roughly an hour into being in his presence. Lisa goes against what I felt were her morals and breaks the law as she and Flint embark on an Indiana Jones-esque journey as they chase a treasure of an ancient civilization.

It became a bit too much, especially how easily Lisa forgave Flint for his lies and manipulation. Remember, this woman was abused and escaped a horrible home life based on lies and manipulation, but for this guy that was OK.

The book also jumped between first- and third-person and added to the confusion.

FYI:

There is some religious talk in the book.

Format/Typo Issues:

No major issues.

Rating: ***Three Stars

Cinnabar Silk Launch

Our friends at Red Adept Publishing are launching a new imprint, Cinnabar Silk, which will specialize in erotic romance. ?wazithinkin is begging for a chance to review one of their upcoming books and I expect you'll see at least some of the others reviewed in here in the future. In the meantime, they have a giveaway going to win some fun prizes. Get your entries in below.


a Rafflecopter giveaway

Miami Mummies / Barbara Silkstone

Reviewed by: ?wazithinkin

Genre:  Humor /Mystery /Adventure

Approximate word count: 45-50,000 words

Availability    

Kindle  US: YES  UK: YES  Nook: NO  Smashwords: NO Paper: NO

Click on a YES above to go to appropriate page in Amazon, Barnes & Noble, or Smashwords store

Author:

“Barbara Silkstone is the best-selling author of the Wendy Darlin Tomb Raider series ~ Mystery Comedies featuring Wendy Darlin, Miami real estate broker and part-time Tomb Raider. Silkstone enjoys doing playful things with language as she writes criminally funny tales ripped from the headlines...shaken, not stirred, and served with a twist and a chuckle. She lives in south Florida where she survives on buttered popcorn and fried chicken... extra crispy.”

You can find out more about Ms. Silkstone at her website or connect with her on her blog or Facebook. Ms. Silkstone has also recently opened another website that has nothing to do with books. “The Second Act Café is a place for those lingering on either side of fifty. It’s about getting even by having fun. Life truly should be one long laugh.” Her books are also available on Audible.com.

Description:

“The legendary mastermind criminal and mummy thief, Kyzer Saucy, strikes again. Part-time tomb raider and full-time real estate broker, Wendy Darlin joins her lover, archaeologist Roger Jolley as they struggle to save a rare Miami mummy from the clutches of this evil genius. Can Saucy be stopped before he kills again? Meanwhile can Wendy keep her promise to Alfred Hiccup as he attempts to transmigrate from the afterlife? Or has Wendy finally made one promise too many?”

Appraisal:

As always Wendy hits the ground running. She just happens to be in the wrong place at the wrong time with hormones raging. Ms. Silkstone's plots are character driven and I am not sure she has any control over Wendy at all. She is a smart, take control type of heroine and doesn't let anything get in her way, besides holes in fabric, water in her face, or heights.

Miami Mummies is a homage to Alfred Hitchcock with character names such as Alfred Hiccup, Tippy Henman, Gary Grant, and Stewart James. Tippy's construction site, where the mummies were found, is the old Bates Hotel. In a secondary plot Alfred Hiccup, Wendy's mentor, recruits her to repossess, it's not stealing if it was originally stolen from him, a bronze  Remington statue that has been located in the lobby of the Cowboy Pension Fund on the top floor of the North by Northwest Financial Center in Miami. You can tell Ms. Silkstone had a lot of fun weaving this story and the Hitchcock elements together. I found myself chuckling through it all.

This is not just slapstick humor, there is a good mystery, unscrupulous political figures, evil lobbyists, a spoiled heiress, and a radical spinoff tribe of Seminole Native Americans trying to protect what may be an old Tequesta Indian burial site. Unfortunately, Roger Jolley is away on other mummy business involving the world’s most notorious mummy thief, Kyzer Saucy, who wishes to totally eliminate Roger by crafting an exotic demise. However, when he hears about the archaeological finds around Miami he joins Wendy in her quest to get to the truth about the Miami mummies.

I was glad to see more of Kit Kennedy in this book. He is a lot of fun to have around. I did fear for his safety a time or two through some of the plot twists. Ms. Silkstone does an excellent job bringing her story to life using recent headlines in Miami's news while making it a fun romp through Alfred Hitchcock's movie portfolio. There are a couple of new characters introduced who may make appearances in future books, it will be interesting to see. There is no cliffhanger at the end of this story but some things were not tied up in a neat little bow leaving openings for further adventures.

FYI:

Miami Mummies is the fourth book in the Wendy Darlin Tomb Raider series.
While it could be read as a stand-alone I would recommend reading Wendy and the Lost Boys, London Broil, and Cairo Caper for a complete appreciation of the characters.

Format/Typo Issues:

I found no significant issues.

Rating: ***** Five Stars

Heavy Mental / P.J. Morse

Reviewed by: Sooz

Genre: Mystery/Thriller

Approximate word count: 70-75,000 words

Availability    

Kindle  US: YES  UK: YES  Nook: NO  Smashwords: NO  Paper: NO

Click on a YES above to go to appropriate page in Amazon, Barnes & Noble, or Smashwords store

Author:

Morse is a California resident who writes mysteries. One of her novels was a quarterfinalist in the 2012 Amazon Breakthrough Novel Awards.

Description:

Clancy Parker is a private detective by day and is in a rock n’ roll band by night. Her mother – who is part of the rich crowd – refers her to a woman who has lost a precious, expensive necklace. Clancy has to figure out what happened to the necklace as she navigates the life of the upper class, including mixing it up with a sexy psychiatrist, who seems to be at the center of it all, in the process.

Appraisal:

Clancy Parker is a likeable character. She's a private detective who plays in a rock n’ roll band. One of her best friends is a spunky 70-year-old who is also her landlord. 

P.J. Morse's set up of Heavy Mental is great. The case is plausible with fringe characters getting enough face time to enjoy their presence – and even want to learn more about some of them.

However, midway through the book, it unravels. Clancy has taken a case for a rich socialite who has lost a $2 million necklace she intended on giving her psychiatrist to auction for charity. The woman also wants to know why some of her maids keep disappearing.

Clancy’s investigation doesn’t gain much traction until she goes on a stakeout. However, it doesn’t go as planned, but she still makes her greatest breakthrough in the case and we catapult toward the end. The book went from a semi-relaxed whodunit to an all-out crazy fight in the middle of a San Francisco Giants game.

When it comes to mysteries, I prefer a good mix of action rather than someone sitting around asking questions all day. You definitely get plenty of action in Heavy Mental. However, it just seemed to go from 0-60 in such a quick turn that it was a little startling.

Morse does a good job of keeping the book light-hearted and adding in humorous elements.

Morse describes her writing style as not your grandmother's cozy -- and it certainly is not. I actually liked – and wanted to like – this book. However, Clancy's turn into a gun-toting superwoman who brings her friends into the fray took me back. The other issue I had with Clancy was that she had taken on the case for the rich woman but then took on her husband as client who wanted Clancy to watch and report everything his wife was doing. I had issues with the clear conflict of interest.

This was the first book in a series of Clancy Parker mysteries with the second already published. While the story didn’t live up to what I hoped it would be, I do plan to continue the series – that’s how much I liked the characters.

FYI:

This is the first book in the Clancy Parker Mysteries.

Format/Typo Issues:

No issues.

Rating: *** Three Stars