A Little Magick / Marie Lavender

Reviewed by: ?wazithinkin

Genre: Children’s Fiction/Magic/Urban Fantasy

Approximate word count: 20-25,000 words

Availability

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

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Author:

“Marie Lavender lives in the Midwest with her family and three cats. She has been writing for over twenty years. She has more works in progress than she can count on two hands. Marie has published nineteen books. Her real love is writing romances. She has published historical romance, contemporary romance, romantic suspense, paranormal romance, mystery/thriller, literary fiction and poetry.”

For more information, please visit Ms. Lavender’s website or blog.

Description:

“Little Rosie goes to stay with her uncle. There she meets some new friends…and some enemies. She doesn’t know that her emotions will trigger something unusual. So far from home, suddenly Rosie has become a full witch like her mother. For a time, it is great fun to use her powers the way she wants, but can Rosie figure out how to use these newfound powers for good or will she be lost to the dark side forever?”

Appraisal:

A Little Magick is book two in Marie Lavender’s Magick Series. In book one Jessie and Ethan Hamilton meet in an awkward moment during Magick & Moonlight. It is about ten years later in this novella and Jessie and Ethan now have a nine year-old daughter, Rosanna. The story opens with Jessie driving Rosie to stay with Ethan’s brother Adam in Seattle, Washington for a few weeks. Jessie has other obligations right now and Ethan is training for a new job as Sheriff, which could involve late nights. Since Rosie has not come into her powers yet they don’t foresee any problems. Adam knows Jessie is Wiccan, but he doesn’t understand what all that means so he is a little uncomfortable around Jessie. However, he loves his niece and has made arrangements to work from home while Rosie comes to stay with him.

Uncle Adam has a huge house with a theater room and he has built a treehouse out in the yard for Rosie, complete with windows, a bean bag, and books. There is also a cook, Selena, who comes in and cooks breakfast and dinner. Rosie notices the way Selena watches her Uncle Adam when he isn’t looking and lets him know. Adam and Rosie are getting along great when through a serious twist of fate Rosie’s powers begin to manifest right under Uncle Adams nose.

This is a children’s book written for children, which I didn’t feel like Magick & Moonlight was. The story is told simply and I felt like Rosie’s nine year-old character was written a bit under aged, she seemed younger than nine to me. However, A Little Magick can be read as a stand-alone story. It’s an entertaining and thought-provoking novella kids will enjoy.

FYI:

This is book two in Marie Lavender’s, Magick Series. Book one is Magick & Moonlight.

Format/Typo Issues:

I noticed no significant proofing issues.

Rating: **** Four stars 

Reprise Review: Keeping Private Idaho / Rick Just

Reviewed by: ?wazithinkin

Genre: Contemporary Fiction/ Satire

Approximate word count: 70-75,000 words

Availability    

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

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Author:

“Rick Just is a native Idahoan who grew up on a ranch along the Blackfoot River. He is a former Marine, a whitewater kayaker, a sculptor, a sports car buff and the alpha male of his schnauzer pack... He was the editor of 100 Years, Idaho and its Parks, the centennial history of Idaho's state parks system. He is a member of the Idaho Writers Guild.”

Mr. Just also has a few young adult fantasies published, The Wizards Trilogy and Anjel. To learn more please visit his website and blog.

Description:

“Coyote never seems to learn. Yet, he never fails to teach, mostly through the error of his ways. He taught the Nez Perce that they came from the Heart of the Monster. Now, he is teaching modern day Idahoans, they have a monster in their heart. This is Private Idaho, a place that exists in the minds of accidental natives and territorial pranksters who take out their resentments on tourists and real estate speculators. They are anonymous and deadly. In this tale of the New West, where the cowboys are women and the Indians wear Rollerblades, be alert for exploding potatoes, the allure of mineshafts and the terrible finesse of chainsaws.”

Appraisal:

This book takes a wry look at xenophobia from many different angles, it also applies to many other states or even countries. Idaho just happens to be the home state for Mr. Just and he is knowledgeable about many aspects that were explored in this book. The fact that the B-52's had a song titled Private Idaho is just icing on the cake. Yes, I had to Google it and then got caught up in all sorts of other 80s music. Really, I don't want to talk about it... don't judge me!

So what we have here is a serious character study laced with some humorous aspects and spotted with tragic consequences. Mr. Just does an outstanding job weaving this tale from many different points of view. However, I felt like Coyote was used as a scapegoat to avoid pointing fingers at any one person, group, or business. While I felt a little cheated about the personification of Coyote, I am pretty sure he was happy to fill that role so perfectly suited for his character.

This story reflects on several characters from different walks of life which were handled skillfully and realistically. Several concerns are addressed from multiple angles and I found it easy to be drawn into each person’s story. Here is where I wish there had been more personal interaction with Coyote, instead he mainly orchestrated the events that affected these characters lives. I was appalled at the lengths some people would go to in order to protect their own self interests, it's not easy for me to have my rose-colored glasses ripped off my face. I found this book interesting, entertaining, and a worthwhile read that has a valuable moral to be heeded.  

Format/Typo Issues:

No significant issues.

Rating: ***** Five stars

Resumes, Interviews & Careers / Andrew Tye

Reviewed by: BigAl

Genre: Non-Fiction

Approximate word count: 14-15,000 words

Availability

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

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Author:

“Andrew Tye is an entrepreneur and consultant with experience in a broad range of industries. He has worked at multiple Fortune 50 companies, large private companies, global consulting firms, and many small businesses.”

Description:

“Learn how to market yourself through a stand-out resume and cover letter, and then make a strong impression during the job interview.

I've worked with many students and professionals looking to advance their careers and all facing the same roadblocks. In this book I will share with you what I've learned from my own experience and what I've seen make others successful.

If you are a student struggling to get an interview, or failing to get a job offer, then you will find direction and encouragement in this book.

Maybe you already have a job, but feel stuck because you can’t find a different one, or worried because you don’t think your credentials apply anymore. You can also find some guidance here.

I don’t have it all figured out, but I have compiled best practices from people who have been very successful in getting interviews, jobs, and awesome careers."

Appraisal:

There's no lack of books out there to help with various aspects of a job search. There are a few things that set this one apart from others I've read in the past. One is length. It focuses on what's important without a lot of extraneous information or repeating things that could easily be found elsewhere. For example, you won't find page upon page of possible resume formats. But you will find discussion on what parts of the resume are critical, when it makes sense to depart from the norm, and an emphasis on what your goal should be when developing the resume or customizing it for a particular position. Although it has been a few years since I've been involved in either, from my experience, both looking for jobs and as a hiring manager, Tye's advice here is solid.

Format/Typo Issues:

No significant issues.

Rating: **** Four Stars

Firebird’s Snare / Lynne Cantwell

Reviewed by: ?wazithinkin

Genre: Urban Fantasy/World Mythology/Coming of Age

Approximate word count: 55-60,000 words

Availability

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

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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 is the author of The Pipe Woman Chronicles, which includes five books, The Land, Sea, Sky series, which includes three books, and other works of fiction and non-fiction alike.”

You can connect with her at her website or on her Facebook page

Description:

“Sage Curtis, engineering student and reluctant Savior of the Earth, is not having her best month ever. She is almost reconciled to the idea that she will have to use her Thunderbird powers to reverse the damage humans have done to Earth’s climate – but those powers haven’t helped her much so far. While recovering the world’s supply of fresh water from the Slavic underworld, she and her friends unwittingly triggered a ten-foot snowfall across the Northern Hemisphere. Now people and crops are dying, and the snowmelt threatens to cause the seas to rise, wreaking further havoc.

Sage and her friends have to get rid of the snow safely before they can roll back climate change. The clock is ticking, the learning curve is steep, and the gods will be no help. They have already said that if humans can’t fix the climate, They will destroy the planet and start over.

Sage must use everything she knows about both science and magic to save the Earth – and even that might not be enough.”

Appraisal:

This is a book of reckoning, actually both books in this series are. I didn’t see it or recognize it in Dragon’s Web as clearly as I did in this story. Sage has been weighted down unfairly by the prophecy which states, she alone will save the world. I think because she was born a firebird, a symbol of renewal, even the Gods jumped to this conclusion. She has fought this label her whole life by turning her back on her powers and focusing on science and education to save the world. Webb can’t deny his powers ― he lives and breathes them. He started knitting at the age of three and it’s a cosmic joke that one of his super power is knitting.

Since Sage’s and Rafe’s college classes center around the sciences of environmental studies, Ms. Cantwell uses this to educate her readers on what needs to be done to remove excessive greenhouse gas surrounding earth. We also get another foray into Native American myths as Rafe is attacked again. Sage worries about Rafe’s loyalty to her when a female friend from his past suddenly reappears. Webb and Sage realize Rafe is under a spell from a mythical creature. This draws visits from Grandpa Drew, Rafe’s mother, and a Tlingit shaman named Lawson Shakes, who made a trip to Denver with Rafe’s mother from Alaska. This storyline keeps the tension high while Sage tries to sort out her feelings about the prophecy, the Gods, and her deep feelings for Rafe.

Ms. Cantwell does an excellent job weaving the different plot arcs together seamlessly. Webb seems to be maturing and coming into his own rather nicely. He has impressed his Grandpa Drew and Shaman Lawson Shakes, as well as Hilary and Sage. I have to say again, this is a story of reckoning on many levels and Sage handles herself well once she has the support of her own Goddess. Sage has a heart of gold and an abundant strength of will when she gets going. She is the Thunderbird and she proves it when she owns it and confronts The Gods. She will make her family and The Gods proud.

I hope this isn’t the end of Sage’s and Webb’s story. I would love to see more from them. Ms. Cantwell is going to need some of her own divine inspiration because Webb starts his school year at CU in the fall and Rafe and Sage don’t graduate for two more years.

FYI:

Firebird's Snare is Book 2 of the Pipe Woman's Legacy series. I believe it is best to read Book 1 Dragon’s Web first.

Format/Typo Issues:

No proofing errors to speak of.

Rating: ***** Five Stars

Four Seats / Aaron Cooley

Reviewed by: BigAl

Genre: Thriller

Approximate word count: 210-215,000 words

Availability

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

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Author:

Aaron Cooley is a screenwriter and movie producer who works with the well known director Joel Schumacher as well as a novelist with one other work, Shaken, Not Stirred, available. A native of Portland, Oregon, the Ivy League graduate now lives in Los Angeles.

Description:

“Each year on the first Monday of October, the Supreme Court reconvenes for another new term. But this year, the first Monday brings only terror and tragedy, as six bombs tear through their temple of law, killing 124 people.

Homeland Security immediately brands Supreme Court Police officer Jason Lancaster as their prime suspect. Jason must go on the run to find the persons responsible for the attack – and for the murder of his fiancée, Supreme Court Marshal Miranda Whitney.

Meanwhile, former First Lady Rosemarie Irving volunteers to assist the current President in nominating replacements for the four Justices lost in the tragedy. Their confirmation hearings will become contentious battles over some of the most polarizing legal issues of our day: from abortion to marijuana, from homosexuality to equality for women.

The quest for the truth will eventually lead Jason Lancaster back to the White House, and into a face-to-face confrontation with the person he believes must have planned the bombings: the newly-appointed Chief Justice of the Court. “

For those who are into such things, Cooley has taken advantage of his movie business connections to produce a trailer for Four Seats starring actorPatrick Wilson.

Appraisal:

I've never heard the genre of a book described as epic political thriller. I'm adding that term to my lexicon now, because it is surely an accurate description of Four Seats. Epic in the sense of being long, two or three times the length of a typical thriller, but also in the sense of covering a lot of ground. Cooley has released the book as six bite size novellas as well as the complete series as one volume.

I hate cliffhangers and had I been reading this as a serial having to wait for the next installment after being left hanging, I wouldn't have been happy. However, when read as one (long) book, this actually worked out well. With the book structured in six parts, it kept the pace fast and the tension mounting, not only in the short term, but also the long. I knew it was taking me a long time to read, but it never felt like it was bogging down.

The story itself is wide ranging, with several different story threads that are all intertwined, another factor in keeping things fresh. At different times it read and felt like a political thriller, a legal thriller, and even a bit of a dystopian thriller. All of those thriller subgenres appeal to me. If they do to you as well, this is a book you should like.

FYI:

Adult language and some adult situations.

Format/Typo Issues:

My review is based on an advance reader's copy, so I can't gauge the final product in this area.

Rating: **** Four Stars

Ashes of Life/Erica Lucke Dean and Laura M. Kolar

In case you missed it, this is the second part of a doubleshot review. BigAl weighed in with his thoughts this morning. That post also includes a giveaway you'll want to enter for some prizes from Red Adept Publishing.

Reviewed by: ?wazithinkin

Genre: Contemporary Fiction/Young Adult/Relationships

Approximate word count: 85-90,000 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:

Erica Lucke Dean:

“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.”

To learn more about Ms. Dean, visit her website or stalk her on herFacebook page.

Laura M. Kolar:

“Laura M. Kolar lives with her husband and daughter in a one-stop-light town in northern-lower Michigan. Though she didn't discover her love of books until she turned thirty, as a self-declared hopeless romantic, she has spent the past few years reading and writing stories with mostly happy endings. If not at her day-job or with her family, you will find her sipping a cup of chai latte while sitting in her favorite rocking chair, hunched over her laptop writing or spending entirely too much time on Twitter.”

Ms. Kolar is the author of Canvas Bound (Book 1 of the Captive Art Series). Find out more about Ms. Kolar, by visiting her website or follow heron Facebook.

Description:

“Married for just three months, Alex Barrett is stunned when her husband, David, dies in a tragic accident. And the absolute last thing the pregnant young widow wants is to take on responsibility for his teenage daughter, Maddie. Reeling from loss, Alex struggles to deal with her grief and her troubled stepdaughter, but one question haunts her: why was David with his ex-wife when he died?

All Maddie Barrett wanted was for her parents to get back together, but an icy road took that dream away. Afterward, Maddie is riddled with guilt that she can’t share with anyone. Feeling angry and alone, she lays all the blame on Alex.

Alex and Maddie must find a way to move past their pain—shared, yet separate. Thrown together in an untenable arrangement, they fight through a frozen landscape of sorrow and redemption while redefining love, forgiveness, and family.”

Appraisal:

I have read all of Ms. Lucke Dean’s books and Ms. Kolar’s Canvas Bound. And enjoyed them all. But the emotional impact this book had is something else completely. Ms. Lucke Dean’s stories are generally light-hearted and full of humor. You won’t find that here. Although a bit of humor is brought in with Alex’s best friend, Natalie, owner of the local coffee and bakery shop in town. She is everything you need in a friend, supportive, honest, and a strong shoulder you can cry on when the need arises.

Alex is beside herself, buried in grief, and the question of why David had Sarah, his ex-wife, riding in the car with him is hounding at her insecurities. This story is told through alternating perspectives of Alex and Maddie so we are allowed to see all of their inner turmoil and insecurities up-close. It’s messy, ugly, and realistic. There were times when I wanted to shake Alex or bop her on the head and yell, “Snap out of it!” right in her face. Luckily, Natalie filled that role for me. I couldn’t help but love her. Ms. Lucke Dean’s secondary characters are always likable, outspoken, and have an inner strength that comes through.

Maddie isn’t your typical teenager, she is a troubled teen acting out, even before her parents wreck that fateful night. Maddie is in self-destruct mode. She describes herself as a cutter who doesn’t cut. She is trying to destroy herself from the inside-out from guilt. She’s taking drugs, drinking, and skipping classes. She also starts things with a “bad boy” because she knows he will hurt her in the long run. Maddie lashes out at Alex every opportunity she gets and Alex unwittingly gives her plenty of ammo. Maddie is a hard character to like, but when she is alone it’s easy to see how broken she is and you want to help her.

Then Grey gets Maddie’s attention, he is a quiet introspective nerd in one of her classes. Grey reaches out to her, he knows her pain. So, now Maddie has someone new to direct her anger at for a while. However, Grey is unrelenting in his pursuit to get through to the real Maddie. Slowly but surely he starts to chip away at the walls she has built around herself. Their relationship and the pace it grew was realistic and their dialogue was believable. Ms. Kolar excels at writing young adult themes and I think she captured Maddie and all of her classmates perfectly.

Alex’s walls are a completely different story, she was constantly filling in any cracks that started to let a little light in. She feels she is too broken to enjoy any happiness. It was heartbreaking to watch. Even after Natalie read her the riot act (This is where I cheered Natalie on) Alex too quickly repaired her walls again to shield herself from life. Misunderstandings can suck the life right out of person as they did in this story. The moral is open your heart and seek the truth. Life is messy. If you don’t take risks, there is no reward. I would recommend this story to everyone, even if you don’t normally read contemporary fiction or young adult.

Format/Typo Issues:

I found no significant issues in editing or formatting.

Rating: ***** Five stars

Ashes of Life / Erica Lucke Dean with Laura M. Kolar

This is the first half of a doubleshot review. This afternoon ?wazithinkin weighs in with her thoughts (and does a much better job in the process).

Reviewed by: BigAl

Genre: Contemporary Fiction

Approximate word count: 85-90,000 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:

Erica Lucke Dean:

“After walking away from her career as a business banker to pursue writing full-time, Erica Lucke Dean 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 180 lb lap dog, and at least one ghost. When she's not writing or tending to her collection of crazy chickens and diabolical ducks, she's either reading bad fan fiction or singing karaoke in the local pub. Much like the main character in her first book, To Katie With Love, Erica is a magnet for disaster and has been known to trip on air while walking across flat surfaces. How she's managed to survive this long is one of life's great mysteries.”

Laura M. Kolar:

“Laura M. Kolar lives with her husband and daughter in a one-stop-light town in northern-lower Michigan. Though she didn't discover her love of books until she turned thirty, as a self-declared hopeless romantic, she has spent the past few years reading and writing stories with mostly happy endings. If she's not at her day-job or with her family, you will find her sipping a cup of chai latte while sitting in her favorite rocking chair, hunched over her laptop writing or spending entirely too much time on Twitter.”

Description:

“Married for just three months, Alex Barrett is stunned when her husband, David, dies in a tragic accident. And the absolute last thing the pregnant young widow wants is to take on responsibility for his teenage daughter, Maddie. Reeling from loss, Alex struggles to deal with her grief and her troubled stepdaughter, but one question haunts her: why was David with his ex-wife when he died?

All Maddie Barrett wanted was for her parents to get back together, but an icy road took that dream away. Afterward, Maddie is riddled with guilt that she can’t share with anyone. Feeling angry and alone, she lays all the blame on Alex.

Alex and Maddie must find a way to move past their pain—shared, yet separate. Thrown together in an untenable arrangement, they fight through a frozen landscape of sorrow and redemption while redefining love, forgiveness, and family.”

Appraisal:

At first glance, Ashes of Life seems like a departure from the standard fare for either of the co-authors. Laura M. Kolar's previous output was a coming of age story with paranormal aspects aimed at the young adult audience. Erica Lucke Dean's books are erotic romances, co-authored with Elise Delacroix, and her solo efforts, which straddle the line where romance meets chick-lit. That first impression is both right and wrong.

While Ashes isn't like what either author has done before, it plays to their strengths. Ultimately all of Dean's books that I've read, and as well as I can tell those from either author that I haven't, revolve around relationships, romantic and otherwise. Dean's books always show a sense of humor and, in spite of Ashes attacking some serious issues, that sense of humor still shows. (The relationship between the protagonist, Maddie, and her favorite barista along with her interactions with a handsome doctor who comes to her rescue more than once are a couple examples.)

However, ultimately Ashes is more serious than the typical romance or chick-lit book. Like those, it has a budding romantic relationship that may or may not come to fruition. But also themes revolving around parenthood and duty with complex characters dealing with difficult situations. The authors may have been stretching their wings, but in doing so came up with an exceptional story which I highly recommend.

FYI:

Some adult language and mild adult situations.

Format/Typo Issues:

No significant issues

Rating: ***** Five Stars

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Speed Trap / Joey Ledford

Reviewed by: BigAl

Genre: Thriller

Approximate word count: 80-85,000 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:

“Joey Ledford began writing at age 15, signing on with his hometown weekly newspaper to cover high school sports. He graduated from the University of Tennessee, where he edited the daily student newspaper and was the top journalism graduate. From there, he did stints with United Press International and the Atlanta-Journal Constitution, covering stories as varied as the death of Elvis Presley, the retirement of Bear Bryant and the congressional creation of a new federal holiday to honor civil rights icon Martin Luther King. He is married and the father of two grown children.”

Description:

“Speed Trap is one good cop versus a whole town of bad cops.

Speed Trap is set in 1959 in a small south Georgia town, a place you can't avoid on your long road trip to Florida, and you'd better hope you only get a ticket when you get pulled over.

Speed Trap introduces Special Agent Cal Bocock, a handsome young investigator handpicked by the Governor of Georgia to bring down small town tyrant Earl 'Boss' Griffin and his corrupt cops and gang of henchmen.”

Appraisal:

I enjoyed Speed Trap, in spite of what I realized were a bunch of clichés at the heart of the story. It has the corrupt villain who pulls all the strings in a small southern town and, of course, everyone calls him “Boss.” (Think “Boss” Hogg from the Dukes of Hazard TV show for one example.) We've got the hooker with the heart of gold. (She's named Fancy. Isn't that from a Reba McEntire song? In fact Ledford's Fancy has a lot in common with McEntire's Fancy.) Even the concept of a small burb on a busy highway that fills the revenue side of the town's budget largely through the issuance of speeding tickets is a cliché, albeit much more rooted in truth than the others.

That's the thing about clichés in stories. They become that because they've worked in the past to the point of becoming overused. Some of the best, like the happily-ever-after ending in romance novels, become solidified as rules. Needless to say, when the governor sends our protagonist hero, Cal Bocock, in to collect the evidence to shut down the wrongdoers, I knew he'd get the job done. Yet I still wanted to go along for the ride.

FYI:

Some adult language.

Format/Typo Issues:

A small number of proofing and copy-editing misses.

Rating: **** Four Stars

Reprise Review: Girl Jacked / Christopher Greyson

Reviewed by: Pete Barber

Genre: Mystery

Approximate word count: 85-90,000 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:

Christopher has written the best-selling Jack Stratton mystery series with over 100,000 eBooks and paperbacks in distribution. The collection includes "Girl Jacked", "Jack Knifed", and "Jacks Are Wild". His latest novel "Jack the Giant Slayer" is due out summer of 2014. His background is an eclectic mix of degrees in Theatre, Communications and Computer Science. For more check out his website.

Description:

Jack Stratton, an Iraqi war veteran working as a police officer, is called on to track down his missing foster sister. The task proves far more complicated than it first seems.

Appraisal:

I didn’t realize this was such a popular title when I picked it (I usually try to give reviews to books that need them more). However, once I started reading I didn’t want to put the book down. The plot speeds along at a cracking pace, and Mr. Greyson manages to add layer upon layer of backstory to his two main characters—Jack Stratton, and Alice--the eighteen-year-old sister of his foster brother, best friend, and Iraqi comrade in arms. The author pulls off a clever sleight of hand here, because these two characters start off pretty two-dimensional, and end up multi-faceted.

The plot twists and turns, covering a lot of ground and comes to a satisfactory ending which sets up the future books in the series. There is no doubt that these two characters have a lot of books in them.

Format/Typo Issues:

Too few to mention.

Rating: ***** Five stars

Odd and Odder / K.S. Brooks and Newton Love

Reviewed by: BigAl

Genre: Satire/Flash Fiction/Poetry/Short Story Anthology

Approximate word count: 40-45,000 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:

K.S. Brooks is an award winning photographer and the author of children's books, thrillers, romantic suspense, and satire. Brooks is also the co-administrator of the go-to site for indie authors, IndiesUnlimited.

An artist, author, scientist, composer, and non-relative of Newt Gingrich, Newt Love is “the most famous person you've never heard of.” Love's story can't be boiled down to just a paragraph. For more than you could possibly want to know (including his dad's life story), check out the more-than-complete biography on his website. (Those who think they know something about practical jokes need to read the story of Otto Mation, buried in the middle of that bio, and bow down in respect.)

Description:

“Odd & Odder: A Collection of Sensuality, Suspense & Satire" brings together the creative, off-beat minds of published authors K. S. Brooks and Newton Love. From short stories befitting The Twilight Zone, to lustful verses of poetry, to thought-provoking flash prose: Odd & Odder is consistently fresh, sometimes outlandish, and truly entertaining.”

Appraisal:

In a collection where an ode to the author's stalker doesn't seem strange or out of place, Odd and Odder seems like a reasonable title. The challenge is deciding which parts of the collection are just odd and limiting those in the odder pile. (After all, they can't all be odder, can they?)

That the authors got me to read poetry (something I normally steer clear of, unless you call it a song lyric, in which case I'm all over it), was an achievement not many have done. However, my favorite pieces were the longer satirical short stories, Dark Alley and Park Placed (one from each of the authors). Although I have to admit, that ode to the stalker has an appeal I can't quite figure out. How odd.

FYI:

Some adult language and situations.

Format/Typo Issues:

No significant issues.

Rating: ***** Five Stars