Review: Mageborn: A Seven Stars Novel

Mageborn: A Seven Stars Novel by Dayne Edmondson
My rating: 4 of 5 stars
Available at Amazon
The author provided me an ARC copy. I am providing an honest review.

Mageborn is a bit away from the normal fare that I read, but one does have to broaden their horizons. It opens with an event from the past that would appear to have an influence on the story as we read it. Other than to introduce younger versions of some of the characters we later meet, it kind of confused me. When we get to the story proper everything started to mesh and the story progressed nicely.

We have a young lady and her brother, Emma and Ethan, who at a later age than normal (16) develop magic, and in the process, scare the town to death. Their parents think that it would be a good idea to send them off for training, even though most children have had training since 10. Off they go for the training, but they are delayed along the way as people who are against them attack and in great numbers.

An interesting feature is that some of the people in the story talk of things the others do not understand. It leads me to believe that somehow they were dropped into this world and are making the best of it.

Characters that are prominent to the story seem to be well developed. This is especially true for Emma as we tend to see the story from her eyes.

It is a YA book but I think anyone who would like fantasy books would enjoy this story. There are large amounts of death in the story, mostly of an impersonal nature, and how it affects the people in the story is a minor point of the story. If deaths are not your cup of tea, then you might not enjoy it. They are not gory, just needed to advance the story. Age range would be teenager to adult as my suggestion. I did enjoy it.

View all my reviews

Review: Dark Origins: Herr Graden: Book 1: A Short Story

Dark Origins: Herr Graden: Book 1: A Short Story by Bill Hargenrader
My rating: 5 of 5 stars
Available at Amazon
I was given an advance copy of "Master of My Fate" by Bill Hargenrader, which is part of this collection.

Excellent story of a young boy who could have gone on to be someone great and helped mankind, but because of an unfortunate set of circumstances, goes on to be great, but with evil in his heart. Having read the Mars Journey series I knew where the little boy would wind up. Mr. Hargenrader still makes an excellent story of how that boy turns into the man he is now.

Any age should be able to read. Children would not really be interested in it in my opinion.

View all my reviews

Review: The Dean Died Over Winter Break

The Dean Died Over Winter Break by Christopher Lansdown
My rating: 5 of 5 stars
Available at Amazon
I was quite surprised at just how entertaining this book was. The premise of the series is that of consulting detective who happen to be Franciscan Friar (not a monk). They are called upon in this book to look into a murder at a university campus. On the night of a snowstorm, in his office, and with a window left open to cover the time of death. The dean has quite a few enemies all of which have opportunity.

There guide around the Camus and town is a college secretary with a doctorate. She is the source of a lot of discussion that has to deal with philosophy. That is what makes the book interesting to me. I have never really read a book that seems to combine the two elements so we'll.

The book is safe for all ages as far as I am concerned. There is a murder of course, but the body is gone before we get there. While I enjoyed the Brothers, it seems a shame for such great character development with the secretary only to never see her again. I do hope the author has plans for her again.

Good clean mystery. Recommend it.

I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.

View all my reviews

Review: Lost Children of the Prophet

Lost Children of the Prophet by Angelique Conger
My rating: 5 of 5 stars
Available at Amazon

I was provided a copy of the book. What follows is an honest review.

Lost Children of the Prophet is a tightly written book with good characterizations. The story is told from the point of view of several of the participants, mainly a young man and woman who do not seem to have any relationship to each other.

While the opening of the book does not provide a time or location of the story, it does become clear after a while. It takes place in the times of the early events of the Bible. This should not scare away any reader. Christians can read it knowing the expressions used. Others can read it for what it is.

Ziva, our lead female character is a strong willed teenager. She knows what she wants and more importantly what she does not want. She wants to be mated with a man she loves, not one that has to.
Nat is a slave in the employment of one of the most cruel men in the city. His master is wanting to be the head priest of a religion of a god who requires much in the way of sacrifice, mostly bloody sacrifices. Nat moves up from a pot scrubber to the assistant of the priest.

How these two people relate is the basis of the story. Each are on a path, one set out for them from time they began their lives.

The book has a satisfying ending while also leaving a hook for the next book in the series. I recommend this book for all ages. There is no sex or serious violence in it so it can be read by all without a problem.

View all my reviews

Review: Not So Dead: A Sam Sunborn Novel

Not So Dead: A Sam Sunborn Novel by Charles Levin
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Available at Amazon

I have both the audio version and the eBook version. The review is based on the eBook.

If the author is reading this I am sure he will get the pun I am about to make as he references it a few time in the book.

This book takes place 20 seconds into the future. Unlike the other dystopian books I have read, this is more of a normal future. We have our alphabet soup of government agencies. We have people who love each other, people who protect them, and people who are just people. But I get ahead of myself.

The idea of the book is that in the near future we will have one group of people who will be able to create digital copies of themselves so that after they are dead, they can interact with their love ones. This is close to a concept that many countries as well as a few terrorist organizations are working on. Sam Sunborn and partner Frank Einstein are attacked by terrorist leader the Leopard. Frank is killed in the process. He just happened to be wearing the device to digitize himself at the time so all of his information up to the point of death is available to him.

From this point they travel across the US trying to capture the Leopard with a local police detective and Rich Little from Homeland Security (no not the famous one). As they travel you get pulled into the story and start to like each one of the characters. You want to keep turning the page, or in my case, listen just a few minutes more. I listen to audiobooks while driving to and from work. When I would get to my destination many times I would sit there and at least finish the chapter I was in.

Age wise I would say older teen through adult. Killing is a big part of the story. If you are interested in suspense stories with a little science fiction, this would be a good choice for you. I would recommend it.

View all my reviews

Review: The Book of Mistakes: 9 Secrets to Creating a Successful Future

The Book of Mistakes: 9 Secrets to Creating a Successful Future by Skip Prichard
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Available at Amazon

The Book of Mistakes was provided for me to review. What follows is an honest review.

Mr. Prichard has written a marvelous story around a list of mistakes that we commonly do that keep us from becoming a success. Why the story? Because it is easier to learn when you learn from a story. Even Jesus used parables to help teach a lesson. If it had been written as a bunch of dos and don'ts I am not sure I would have been able to keep still long enough to read it. By providing a story, we become engaged with the main character and want to see him succeed and by nature we know we can as well.

The mistakes, all 9 of them, are ones that everyone makes from time to time. To learn from them and advance is the important thing. Along with these Mistakes are rules to live by.

The main story (there is a smaller sub-story as to how the rules got to us) is of a young man who wants so much more our of life. He feels trapped in his job, cannot seem to please the boss, well you get the idea. He meets a young girl in the park by chance and accidently gets one of her papers. He wants to meet her again so he goes to the location on the flyer hoping to meet her again. He instead meets the Old Man, the first of the nine more that will come into his life at the appropriate time. The doctor, the conductor, the artist, the bookstore owner and more show up right at the time he needs to learn a new lesson in another mistake.

I used the mistakes recently with a group of men who have addiction problems. Most in the group were able to learn something from each one.

I would recommend this book for all. While I think young adults and teenagers would gain a lot from this book I am not sure that they would see the need to read it. Even at my advanced age of 64, I learned a lot from reading it. It is a book I recommend.

View all my reviews

Review: A Clerical Error

A Clerical Error by J. New
My rating: 5 of 5 stars
Available at Amazon
I received a copy of this book from the author. What follows is an honest review of the book.

I always find it interesting to jump into a book series in the middle. It gives me a feel for how they can write because you tell to much of the other stories you bore the person with facts they do not need. On the other hand, you can not tell them anything and you leave them confused. That middle ground seems to be so hard for most authors to do.

Ms. New has no problem with that. As this is the third book in the series I was expecting that I would be a little lost. Like many good writers, she provided the information needed as it was needed, not adding much length to the story.

What was a little frustrating to me was the settings of various parts of the story that appeared to have no bearing on the story at hand. It is said, if you plan to murder someone in the third act, you better have the gun shown in the first. That is what was provided here. While it seems unrelated, much of what was written (not all) was necessary for the end story and patience paid off in the long run.

I personally had figured out the weapon, but I think that was expected. The killer though was a little more difficult.

While I would not call it a 'Cozy' mystery, I would say that it had the same type of elements. No sex/excessive violence/ etc. You have to have a death but this one was not violent by any means.
I would say that all readers could enjoy this. If you like a mystery, this is a good book to pick up and I would recommend it.

View all my reviews

Review: Gabriel: Zero Point

Gabriel: Zero Point by Steve Umstead
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Zero Point was an interesting listen. It kept my interest. I listen to audiobooks on my way to and from work. Often I would arrive and want to finish at least that chapter before I went in.

The characters were all well developed and were clear who they were. The actor did each one in a distinctive voice.
There was a fair amount of violence, it backed up the story, so this could not be one that I would recommend for all. Young adult and up would be best audience. The ending is Ok, it is a prequel, but it does not leave you hanging.

Gabriel is chosen for an elite mission and he is turned into a weapon. It is his choice what to do with his life when all this happens.

View all my reviews

Review: Watchdog

Watchdog by Will McIntosh
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Available at Amazon

I received a review copy. What follows is an honest review.

A few years ago there was a show called Max Headroom. It took place 30 seconds into the future. Anytime I read futuristic stories like these, I think about that 30 seconds into the future.

This book takes place 30 seconds into our future. People have watchdogs, robotic dogs (though some are not dogs) that they can get to do things for them. Vick and Tara, twin brother and sister, are orphaned when their mom dies. They live on the streets. Tara, who is autistic, is a mechanical whiz and can build watchdogs of good designs. Trouble is, they have to scour the dumps to get the parts she needs to make dogs to sell so they can survive.

When Tara finds a chip one day that she puts into her watchdog Daisy, the dog becomes almost human. And they become a target of a syndicate out to get the chip back.

The story focuses on what a family is. While they start out only having each other they gather some others along the way and each provides something to the team as they take on the bad guys.

This is a middle school age book but I did enjoy it and would recommend it for all ages. It has some intense fight scenes between the watchdog armies. All in all, good book.

View all my reviews

Review: Masked Intentions

Masked Intentions by Tom Bierdz
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Available at Amazon

Tom Bierdz provided me a review copy, what follows is my honest review.

Masked Intentions is the third in a series of books a bout psychiatrist Grant Garrick. In the first we were introduced to the character and given his back story. In the second, Grant fights to prove he is innocent of a murder. In this one, a new friend is charged with murder and does not help his case when he runs to Mexico.

Grant finds Toby Rathbone dead drunk on a street while walking to work. He takes him in and later finds out he was married to a successful author of trashy romance novels. Toby eventually makes it to the point where he is starting to get back with her when she is murdered. Toby flees knowing the police will suspect him. Grant soon discovers her murder seems to be staged to be like one of her books. With the help of a local detective they try to find the real killer.

The story was good. It has quite a few twists and turns and keeps the reader on their toes. The characters are well developed in a continuation from the first two books. It is a stand alone book in that you can read it without having read the other two. Information needed from them is provided when and if it is needed.
I would recommend this book to young adult and older. There are some scenes that younger people might not understand and the nature of the romance novels comes into play here.

Pick it up if you are looking for a good mystery. Especially who did it.

View all my reviews

Review: Henrietta the Dragon Slayer

Henrietta the Dragon Slayer by Beth Barany
My rating: 5 of 5 stars
Available at Amazon.

Sometimes the dragons that you face are yourself and not the real ones.

Henrietta has become a larger that life hero while still young. Songs are sung about her skills. When asked to go slay a dragon for a king for a far off land, she does not want to go. But fates send her on a journey to rescue the father figure in her life, and though she would rather travel alone, she winds up teaming with three others. Each with their own unique skill set.

I enjoyed the book. It is a diversion from the mysteries that I have been reading lately. It is a young adult book but that does not mean it cannot be enjoyed by an old guy like me. It is basically a quest for healing, not only of Henrietta's master but for all of the parts of her troupe, but especially her. Can she kill again? A dragon slayer must slay dragons, right?

If you are challenged by a strong female lead, this book is not for you. But understand, there is a strong male in it as well. In fact, it might be interesting to spin him off into a series of his own but I suspect the author has other plans for him.

I recommend this to anyone looking for a quest. It has a small amount of violence, people do die, and for that reason, younger readers might be discouraged.

View all my reviews

Review: The Poison Belt

The Poison Belt by Arthur Conan Doyle
My rating: 3 of 5 stars
Available at Amazon
I was so keen on reading this book that I got through Bookshout. I loved Arthur Conan Doyle's Sherlock Holmes but this book was nothing like the fine crafted Holmes stories. Much of it did not seem to make sense at all.

Basic story is a scientist has discovered something in the air after a comet has flown by. It seems to be more prevalent in the southern hemisphere but is spreading northward. He finds this not by examining the air but in the way that people are getting more irrational as time goes by. It is not something that can be registered with equipment, but only by logic. He quickly gets friends to join them and urges each to bring him an oxygen tank. One of these friends is a reporter and it is from his eyes that we are reading this. They seal up a room and as the 'poison belt' of air gets close to them they go into the room and seal themselves in and use the oxygen to make it through.

I guess I expect more logic to stories from Doyle. While I can take in the dated references to the time and handle them, the logic of all of this seems wanting. I could not suspend my belief that it was happening. One part was, I was reading what the reporter had written after everyone had died off. So you kind of know they did not all die.

While an interesting read it is not one that I would highly recommend. If you like the time frame it might be something to look at.

View all my reviews

Review: Coldwater

Coldwater by Samuel Parker
My rating: 5 of 5 stars
Available at Amazon
I received a copy of this book from Interviews and Reviews Website as well as the author (Samuel Parker) and publisher (Revell). What follows is an honest review.

It is very hard to talk about this book without giving away major plot points. The story opens with a man in a pine box struggling to get out. It is the start of many struggles that this man will go through in his life for the next few days.

Branded a murderer as a child and sent to jail, he is released as an adult and tries to live by himself at his home, venturing out to a bar once a week for a drink. This does not sit well with the locals, and they want him dead, so that is why we find him in a box in the opening.

Characters are quite well developed in this book, even the minor ones. There was no one sided character in the book. We got to see what made them tick and why they were the way they were.

The plot was excellent. When I thought that the author could not pull out a new twist to the story anymore, he still did. It was an excellent thrill ride through why these people were like they were. Nothing was out of place. Each new reveal went with the others. It was just well written. The only reason that I put it down once I started was that was bedtime, or I had work to do. It just latched on and would not let go.

One surprise to me was that the website that allowed me to request a review copy of the book is a Christian website. The books at this site are generally Christian books and Revell is a Christian publishing organization. With that I was expecting some mention of Christianity but it was just not there in the story straight out. As I thought about it, the story could seem a little allegorical. I cannot talk about why I feel that way because it would give away major plot points. But there is a big need for empathy and forgiveness in this story. The story revolves around if the main character will get them, but also the need for them from some of the minor ones.

I highly recommend this book with the understanding that there is a lot of death in it. For that reason if it was a movie (and I could see this becoming one) it would at least get a PG-13 rating. Drinking is done but not glorified. Sex is non-existent. If death bothers you this might be a book to avoid.





View all my reviews

Review: Angels Cry

Angels Cry by Tina Glasneck
My rating: 4 of 5 stars
Available at Amazon
An interesting read. I received a copy to review and what follows is an independent review.

Angel's Cry deals with the undercover work of a cop and the seedier side of life. While undercover before, Lazarus falls in love with a woman, and then abandons her, leaving behind something he did not expect. Now three years later and back on the case, he comes across her working in a gentlemen's club. He wants to take her away but is not able to because he is deep in the case and would make them both targets if he did.

This is not book for teenagers or younger. There is a lot of murder and other material in it that would not be acceptable. I would recommend if you want a suspense story with a lot of twists and turns.



View all my reviews

Review: Still Christian

Still Christian by David P. Gushee
My rating: 0 of 5 stars

Available at Amazon

Westminster John Knox Press and NetGalley provided me a copy of this book. What follows is an honest review.

Mr Gushee and I share some common things in life. We were both raised Catholic and both came to know Jesus at about the same time, though we were 10 years apart in age. Major differences are that he went on to become a minister with the support of people around him, mine was a journey of people blocking me from full time ministry, but I still do what I can from the tools that I have.

We also share a common problem in our politics. Like him, I cannot be classified as a republican. Unlike him, that is where I tend to vote as I do not see the democrats are any better but the positions I do have lean more towards the right. I would guess his politics put him left of center and mine more right, but we are, what appears to be, more central on most issues.

The book is a journey from the time the author received his salvation in high school until the present day. It is a interesting journey because, even though I did not go through seminary of Bible school, I had a lot of the same interactions with the people around me that he did. While a strong evangelical, that does not mean that you through compassion out the window, something that many Christians seem to miss. As he tries to show this to people again and again, he gets frustrated at those not hearing him and at himself for not being always true to his ideals. His constant referrals to his journals show that this is not looking back at something and remembering the good times. In fact, in one section he shows all three sides of a situation. The liberal, conservative and the true version of the story. It shows that not all situations can be wrapped up in I am right and you are wrong.

I recommend this to anyone. Younger people may not get the significance, but anyone over their teens may get a good look at a man who wrestles with his Christianity each day and what it means to be a true Christian. I may not agree with all he says but I know that he is speaking his conscious.

View all my reviews

Review: Out of the Silent Planet

Out of the Silent Planet by C.S. Lewis
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Available at Amazon

C. S. Lewis is known more for his Narnia stories but this was an excellent trip into science fiction. The only problem is that one must look at it from the eyes of the people at the time it was written. What we consider fact today was conjecture at that time.

What if there is life on other planets? What if they are more in tune with their creator than we are? Ransom, a ligustis of sorts, is captured by two men who are after precious metals they discovered on their trip to another planet, Malacandria. We know it as Mars. It and all the other planets are in tune with the creator. However, there is a silent planet, that does not seem to be in tune with its maker, and when shown with a telescope, Ransom fines it is earth.

Ransom is found to be a decent 'human' unlike the men who came with him. And he is led to a place to communicate with the 'god' of Mars. His adventures are what makes up most of the story. I look forward to books 2 and three in the series.

Recommended to all ages although death in the story may scare young children. If you enjoyed Narnia, you may enjoy this.

Purchased copy from Bookshouts

View all my reviews

Review: Reawakened

Reawakened by Dean C. Moore
My rating: 4 of 5 stars
Available at Amazon
I had great hopes that this would be a great book. I had liked the first two and was looking forward to this one. The thing is, the things that I did not like in the first two books became the major way the story was told. Because of that, it went down one star. I was happy that the story was completed (with a little wiggle room for a sequel).

Problem 1) Large cast, bigger than book 2 it seems. It was hard to keep track of all of the characters.
Problem 2) Stream of consciousness story. In any story you have to suspend belief. You have to assume that Batman can take a licking and still keep ticking. I have no problem with that. When most of the story takes place in the mind(s) of other characters, then I begin to check out because anything is possible and talking unicorns become real. That is to much of a stretch for me. This is not saying the book is bad, it is saying that it was not for me. I will never give a bad review of a book because it is not my style unless it is truly is bad.

All that being said, the characters developed as they should and got to a natural ending point. The characters stayed true to their natures and what drove them in the first two books is what drove them now.

Recommended for older teens through adults. Several parts of the book were more adult in nature and there seemed to be more cuss words than in the other two books. Recommended if you are into
the stream of consciousness as noted above.

View all my reviews

Review: '50sville: The Town You Will Absolutely Love, or Else...

'50sville: The Town You Will Absolutely Love, or Else... by Paul A. Ibbetson
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Available at Amazon

I really wanted this to be a great book. And it was until it ended. I have a thing about ending books that are part of a series. If you are going to end it, leave a light cliffhanger, not a major plot point. For that one star gets taken away.

The story was OK, but it just seemed like the characters were playing out the roles the author had assigned them. They did not seem to have a life of their own.

If the book was a complete set of the series I might consider buying it. At this point I was disappointed in it by itself and would expect the cliffhanger problem to continue so it is not one I plan to pick up. Recommended only if you want to buy the whole set. Nothing objectionable so it is OK for all ages.

View all my reviews

Review: The 30-Day Praise Challenge

The 30-Day Praise Challenge by Becky Harling
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Available through Amazon

I do not suffer the cancer that the author does, but I have suffered from depression so I thought this might be a good read for me. I was not disappointed. While I still deal with depression, I now have a new tool in my arsenal to fight it.

The book as three parts to it. Part 1 is the challenge and why you should do it. Part three is moving on after the challenge is done, but the meat is in the middle section, the 30 days of praise. Each day starts with an invitation, scriptures adapted as if they were God speaking. Then the listen section where you are given 2 to 3 praise and worship songs to listen to. Next is a prayer written for you to pray based on what the invitation was about, also scriptural based. Lastly is the journal, writing your thoughts about this day's material by prompting you with questions.

Each days music is not hard to find. I was able to put a spotify list of all the songs. For me this part took the most time, but I am a rush type of guy and this forced me to take my time and listen.

Recommended for Christians who are having trouble with praise or want to take it to the next level. Also for people going through trauma or depression.

View all my reviews

Review: Undertow of Loyalty

Undertow of Loyalty by M.D. Davies
My rating: 5 of 5 stars
Available at Amazon
I received an advance copy of this book. What follows, as always, is an honest review.

While I had read the advertising blurb for this book, when I started reading it I forgot all about it. I am glad that I did. There were so many twist and turns in the first half of the book that I was a little bit shocked by each reveal.

Neil Henberlin comes to work after a weekend with his wife in another city to find his office empty and everyone looking at him strange. As a salesman for computer systems used in the oil field, it appears that the person he was working with on a big sale is dead, and he is also declared dead next to her, in an apartment he has kept on the side. Obviously he is not dead, and the mystery starts. Who was it next to her and what is his involvement?

Since the blurb for the book tells you that he is a spy, then it is not a spoiler, but again, that is revealed a few chapters later and it took me by surprise. This is one of the many twists and turns of the first half of the book. At this point, Neil is living three lives and trying to keep each one straight.

The second half of the book, after the killer is revealed, is more of a suspense story. Will the killer be caught and brought to justice? What was the frame of mind of the killer? I will confess, the reveal of the killer wound up being a surprise to me.

Good suspenseful story. Due to the graphic nature of the murders in the book, I would recommend for older teens through adults. It would be recommended to those who like a good mystery/thriller book.

View all my reviews

Review: Reviled

Reviled by Dean C. Moore
My rating: 5 of 5 stars
Available at Amazon
Received an ARC copy and am providing an honest review.

Reviled picks up where the 1st book in the series left off. Soren, a hero who has used nano tech to enhance himself in a city that has rebranded itself into districts with themes, is dead. His makeshift family, want to help him so the wizard/tech person puts into him some nanites that he thinks will help, and then into a reviving fluid, only to have these nanites take over all of Soren except the mind chip he has placed into his brain to help his memory. The beast that comes out wants to take control, making Soren both Frankenstein and Frankenstein at the same time.

Much of the things that we found in the first book is repeated here. Large expansive fight scenes, plot turns and twists, and yes, even a stream of conscious scene. While the stream of conscious scenes in the book do not work for me, I understand the need and the way they fit in the story. This one happens during a romantic period between Soren and his love interest/mother figure to the family they take in. For that reason I could not recommend this to younger teens as it gets a little to weird.

You may need to make a scorecard to keep track of all the people in this story. Along with the cast of the first story there are a host of others that are introduced. At times I got one character confused with another and had to go back and reread something to make sure I got the character correct. That may have been my problem as I sometimes squeeze reading in when I am a little tired.

I recommend this book to all with the caveats that I have mentioned before. Because of the violence and the weird romance scene it would not be suitable for children. If you like a little science and fantasy mixed together, this would be worth your time.

View all my reviews

Review: Claus (Rise of the Miser): A Science Fiction Adventure

Claus (Rise of the Miser): A Science Fiction Adventure by Tony Bertauski
My rating: 5 of 5 stars
Available at Amazon
I received an advanced copy of this book. What follows is an honest review.

This book is a stand alone book but it is part of a series. Many times series books like this have to bring you up to speed about the characters. Since I do not have the others in the series I was a little concerned about information not being there I needed. I need not have worried. If the up to speed stuff was there it was not noticeable. Everything was quite clear.

In this book we focus on a young girl and her father who have been called away to a special project. Away from their home in Alaska to a warm caribbean climate in the days before Christmas. In this special resort, they appear to be the only guest. The girl finds a young boy in a room that he cannot leave. Why he cannot and what it means is a mystery she needs to solve.

Meanwhile, while Santa is out on a dry run, he is kidnapped by a mysterious woman in a cloak that seems to glow with heat. Santa needs to get back to the North Pole in time for Christmas or Christmas will not happen.

The author does a good job of bringing all the elements together. The story has a good flow to it and things happen for a reason, not just to fill pages.

I recommend this book for all ages, though I am sure that younger children would not get much out of it. It is an entertaining story about how the elves, and Santa came about, why a woman would want to end Christmas (or does she) and what a family truly can be. Pick it up for some holiday science fiction.

View all my reviews

Review: Reborn

Reborn by Dean C. Moore
My rating: 5 of 5 stars
Available at Amazon
I have received an ARC copy of this book. What follows is an honest review.

In Reborn, we have a story of wizards and science combined, along with spiritualism. Our main character, Soren, is a man who has used technology to enhance himself so that he can fight the evils that are being released on the city of Syracuse, NY by Victor, the protagonist. Victor seems to see the math patterns in everything, and uses this to unleash beings from an alternate universe. When Victor gets in over his head, the statement the enemy of my enemy is my friend comes into play.

Along with these two 'wizards', we have various other superheros that take control of the things that Victor is letting loose. Four of these come under the wing of Soren as he tries to mentor them. All have their moment when the end of the world seems to be here.

The book starts off with action at the very start and there is very little 'quiet time' but we do have a continuous series of character development taking place. I felt there was a lot of 'new age' philosophy in the story. If this was on purpose or just the nature of how the story takes place, I do not know. I mention this because some people would react to this in reading and not like it. I do not mind it, it is part of the story and I can read around it even though I do not have new age beliefs.

There is one brief sexual encounter done in a tasteful way. There are a few amount of cuss words but they take place in the flow of the story and do not appear to be done in a way to shock a person.

This is a story that does have a distinct ending, but it is a set up for book 2 of the series with a small cliff hanger.

I can recommend this book to people from older teens and up. There was one chapter which appeared to be a stream of consciousness part of the story. Some of the images in that section could be a little to much for younger children. I did enjoy the book and look forward to reading book two.



View all my reviews

Review: The Sacred Symbol: A Historical Conspiracy Mystery Thriller

The Sacred Symbol: A Historical Conspiracy Mystery Thriller by Paula Wynne
My rating: 5 of 5 stars
Available at Amazon
I had the pleasure of reading this book for Ms Wayne as she sought out help for making sure the technical things are accurate. It was a pleasure to read it and I look forward to reading it again.

The author has blended the past and the current day in two stories that intermingle with each other. What has happened is directly reflected to what is happening now.

A grotto from the past holds secrets of healing properties. There are men who would kill to get to the secret of that grotto. One of them wants not only access to the grotto, but access to the private papers that he believe are hidden their, ones that Christopher Columbus wrote.
In the past, a young girl knows of a threat to Columbus and wants to try to warn him but how can she seek an audience with him.

The book kept me turning the pages to want to know what was coming next. I would recommend it for all ages though I am sure that most younger children would not have any interest in it. If you like stories that have a lot of suspense to them, then this would be for you.

View all my reviews

Review: Walk Like a Warrior: Inspirational True Stories of God's Encouragement on the Trail Less-Traveled

Walk Like a Warrior: Inspirational True Stories of God's Encouragement on the Trail Less-Traveled by Shara Bueler-Repka
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Available at Amazon

I received a free copy of this book from the website Interviews and Reviews and the author. What follows is an honest review.

Devotional books like this can be a mixed bag. Some can be so deep and spiritual that they are hard to understand. Others can be so light and fluffy you wonder what message they were trying to get across, though you find it entertaining. This author seems to give us the middle ground. Theology that seems to be balanced and understandable as well as real stories from her life and some of the people she knows.

Each chapter is a detail part of her life and the lessons that God has taught her, or reminded her of. They revolve around a part of her life or a series of events that are tied together. In each one, God provides for what she needs. The stories are not chronological, but I have noticed that they seem to get a little deeper in the inspiration it teaches.

All age groups could be able to read this and I would recommend for those who have a love of the outdoors and of horses.

View all my reviews

Review: Passport through Darkness: A True Story of Danger and Second Chances

Passport through Darkness: A True Story of Danger and Second Chances by Kimberly L. Smith
My rating: 5 of 5 stars
Available at Amazon
What an amazing story about an amazing woman. It opens with a suburban housewife and ends with a woman that is broken and ready to be used by God.

Kimberly Smith has written of her life and her attempt to rescue the children of a country torn by war. But she is not only trying to keep the children safe but minister to the people of the area. What she went through without the aid of her husband, who had diabetes and had to remain home as it got worse, becomes a secret that she cannot tell others, not even her husband. Secrets, however, lead you further into darkness.

I would recommend this book to older teens through adult. There is one sequence that is rather strong in describing an evil act. There is also much death in the book that I feel that children and young teens would not be able to process very well.

View all my reviews

Review: Mars Now: Mars Journey: Book 4: A SciFi Thriller Series

Mars Now: Mars Journey: Book 4: A SciFi Thriller Series by Bill Hargenrader
My rating: 5 of 5 stars
Available at Amazon
I received a review copy of this book. What follows is an honest review.

This is the most recent of the Mars Now series of book. While each book stands alone and tells its own story, as a set they tell a much bigger story. Each book has a progression of its own story. When you go on to the next book, we often start back at the beginning again. It has been my one frustration with the series but I understand why it is being done.

This volume focuses more on The Mars Now competition. This competition is how the Mars Now organization is funding it's way on to the flight to Mars, and the ability to set people down on Mars itself. Our hero Bill has one way of thinking of how it is to be done, the producer of the reality TV show has another. Think of Survivor crossed with Big Brother and you get the idea.

It is an enjoyable read and I would say that it is safe for all readers to read.
I would recommend to all who enjoy a bit of Sci-Fi,


View all my reviews

Review: Miracle Declutter: Tidying up to Improve and Organize Your Life

Miracle Declutter: Tidying up to Improve and Organize Your Life by Dave Bracco
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Available at Amazon
I was provided a copy of this book by the publisher for review purposes. What follows is a honest review.

Decluttering a home is more than just doing the physical tasks. If it was, then there would be no problem with doing it. Most of the reason that people clutter has to do with things that go back to childhood. This book attacks both parts of the cluttering puzzle. It works with the nuts and bolts of organization first. Later in the book it helps with understanding why you clutter and changing your mind set. The author also is not shy about saying that some cluttering may be cause by a medical disorder. For that professional help may be needed.

It is good that this book focuses on them both. Changing the area you live in without changing the mind is not going to help as old habits will return. Changing the other way will not work as you are not changing the world around you.

I would have no problem with suggesting this book to people who have a need to declutter they way that they live.

View all my reviews

Review: After/Life: Denial: A Paranormal Ghost Romance

After/Life: Denial: A Paranormal Ghost Romance by Scarlett Whispers
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Available at Amazon

This book is the part of a series. Based on the preview of the next book I have a feeling that each book name will be dealing with the different stages of grief. While the story is complete in itself it leaves enough threads hanging that you know another one was coming even before the preview was shown.
Molly and Sam are sweethearts, she is tough as nails and he is gentle and firm. Molly is a cop and Sam handles the evidence. No one understands why they are together but they are. Molly and partner are after the big drug lord in town and will stop at nothing to get him. Much more of the story would be giving spoilers, so that is not something I will do, though reading the description you know someone dies.

After death, what is there? I am not sure if the author is going after the karma theory of Buddha or the purgatory theory of the Catholic Church. It is not what I believe happens after death but it does make for an interesting read. All those little things you did that hurt someone, how do you make up for them in the afterlife.

Small amount of sexual activity (not in detail) would not make this book safe for children. If you are into serial stories than this book could be for you. I dropped a star because I am not one in favor of serial reads. As I said, this has an ending to it but to me not a satisfying one.


View all my reviews

Review: Flowers Vs. Zombies (Book 6) Native

Flowers Vs. Zombies (Book 6) Native by Perrin Briar
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Available at Amazon

I received an ARC copy. What follows is an honest review.

Like the other books in the Flowers vs. Zombies this book can stand alone but leaves hooks into the next book in the series. This makes reading it a little more enjoyable than books that just end in the middle of things.

There are basically four storylines going on at the same time. While that can seem to be a little crowded, each part of the story gets the amount of time needed.

Main story is that of the Flower's family and their struggles to help someone who has come to them and their fight against pirates. While there are some zombies in the story, they are not the protagonist here like they have been in previous books.

Storyline is understandable but you do have to pay attention. With the multiple story lines going on you may have to go back and read some parts again.

Recommended for all ages. There is a little violence in it. But that is what you will have when you are fighting zombies and/or pirates. If you are into zombies and have read the rest of the books in the series it will appeal to you

View all my reviews

Chocolate With a Side of Murder by Meredith Potts
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Available at Amazon

I received a copy from Authors XP web site and the author. It was a copy from Audible. What follows is an honest review of the Audio Book.

The audio books take a little longer for me to 'read' shall we say. I have a half hour ride to and from work. In the morning I will listen to my Bible reading plan for the day. In the evening I will listen to what ever book I have in the cue at the moment.

Ms. Potts has started an interesting series here. A barista who likes to solve crimes who happens to have a detective boyfriend. Most of the cozy mysteries I have read follow the same pattern. Heroine, with boyfriend, murder to someone they know, they have to solve. It is a predictable pattern, but it works. If it did not we would not have so many cozy authors out there.

While the pattern is predictable, the story does not have to be. It also has to let you know the clues so you can solve it yourself. It is OK to throw in red herrings but to pull something out of the hat at the last minute is not good. This was a problem here. While the clue that helped solve it was there right from the start of the murder, there was some off camera work that really would have been done by the police already. For that reason I dropped 1/2 star.

The other 1/2 star was because of the various sub stories that were put in the book. They did nothing to advance the story. I feel that they may be used in future Daley Buzz stories in the series. For this story they did nothing to contribute that I could tell.

The reading was pretty good. I did feel once or twice the woman reading it lost track of the character voice she was reading it in, seemingly with the men characters. This really did not distract from the story line.

Being a cozy it is clean. No violence is depicted. So it would be OK for all to read. I would recommend it to anyone wanting a light mystery to read with a little bit of humor thrown in.

View all my reviews

Review: 12 Days at Bleakly Manor

12 Days at Bleakly Manor by Michelle Griep
My rating: 5 of 5 stars
Available at Amazon
This book is an interesting Christmas story. The story takes place in the time frame that Charles Dickens would have written and has a Dickens feel to it.

While we kind of know how the book will turn out based on the characters focused on, it is interesting to see how we get to that point. Our basic story is told through the eyes of a woman left at the altar and now is destitute due to the fact that her husband to be who has allegedly stolen money from the family business as well as from the man himself, who is in prison. Both of them are invited to a mansion and if they or one of the other guests can stay the 12 days of Christmas, then they will get what they want the most in life. Only one of the group can get it.

What would you do to get what you want the most in life. Would you kill or hurt someone? One by one the residents leave for various reasons. Who will be there in the end?

It is a clean book with just a little bit of a passionate kiss from a couple who were to be married. For that reason it could be recommended for any age. I would have no problems with recommending this to any one who wants a short interesting read. of a Christmas story.

View all my reviews

Review: Flowers Vs. Zombies (Book 5) Buried

Flowers Vs. Zombies (Book 5) Buried by Perrin Briar
My rating: 5 of 5 stars
Available at Amazon
I received an ARC version of this book to review and as always, I give an honest review.

Kind of interesting that this was the first book that I read in this series. I was dropped into the middle of a lot of action but it was easy to pick up as we went along.

The name of the book series is obviously a play on Plants vs. Zombies. The Flowers are a family who have had to take up residence on a deserted island because of a zombie outbreak on the ship they were on. While the Zombies are brainless and cannot easily fight, that changes one day when they seem to fight with a logic. What has happened. One Zombie has mutated and become (cue the dramatic music) The Overlord in Black.

The Overlord wants the Flowers dead, and that is the substance of the book. It is believable in the actions that are being taken.

Zombie books are not what I would recommend to children but I think teens and adults would be OK. There is a little bit of violence (you got to kill the zombies you know). If you like Zombie stories this is for you. It is not my normal tastes but that is OK.

View all my reviews

Review: Nancy Drew And The Hardy Boys: The Big Lie #1

Nancy Drew And The Hardy Boys: The Big Lie #1 by Anthony Del Col
My rating: 5 of 5 stars
Available at Amazon
I received a copy of this book from Netgalley and Diamond Book Distributors/Dynamite Entertainment and am providing an honest review.

When I was a child, back in the 60's I was introduced to the Hardy Boys books. Every month I would get the next one in the series. I fell in love with both mysteries and reading with those books. Never did read any Nancy Drew, those were for girls. After I had read a few my dad told me that he had read them growing up. That confused me because they talked about all sorts of modern things that would never be in existence when he was a child. I found out later that every generation had their version of the Hardy Boys written under the same pen name. And since Nancy Drew was from the same publisher, it was safe to assume that her books were the same.

I say all that because every generation did have their own version. I have read people say this was a bad mashup because it took something from the past and brought it current. I have no problems with that at all. This generation needs its own version and something that will appeal to it.

Trust me, this is not the Hardy Boys I grew up with. While they had a little grit in them, this is GRITTY. It is done in a noir style. While the three have cell phones and the like, it has a feel of a much different type. If you were to watch Rverdale on CW TV network, you would have the same feel.

Basic story line. The Boys are being framed for the murder of their dad, who everyone assumes was a crooked cop. The boys know they are not guilty and that their dad was not crooked or committed suicide. They team up with Nancy Drew, who is visiting with her dad, a district judge. Everyone, even our main characters, seem to have secrets that they do not want let out. Fun point, look for the side characters in this book. Clever winks and nods to our childhood stories.

Teens would be the lowest age that I would suggest this book for. I would recommend this to any one that enjoys graphic novels. I know some people would conciser 'comics' are not real writing, I would differ. Great read, will be looking for the others.


View all my reviews

Review: Dancing with Elephants: Mindfulness Training For Those Living With Dementia, Chronic Illness or an Aging Brain

Dancing with Elephants: Mindfulness Training For Those Living With Dementia, Chronic Illness or an Aging Brain by Jarem Sawatsky

Available at Amazon

 My rating: 5 of 5 stars

I received an ARC copy of this book. What follows is an honest review.

The author has Huntington's disease. As the disease progresses in a human body the person loses control over their movements. Some have likened the lack of control to that of an elephant dancing, hence we have the name of the book.

When faced with a disease like Huntington's of which there is no cure, one has to decide what they will do with their life and what remains. Many will try to fight it, some, like the author will embrace it. This does not mean they will not hold on to every bit of life they can, but that they will live a life where there will not be a lot of drama. Decisions will be made before they need to be, arrangements made that need to be done. That is the thrust of this book.

One needs to get support not just for the person, but to their love ones as well. In this book, the author suggests making circles of people from all walks of life, that can treat each part of you, not just the medical ones the doctors can.

It is a well written book. I would recommend it to any going through a terminal illness, of their own or a loved one. I also found many inspirational moments in the book as well. While I have cancer, it is a slow moving one so I do not have the same trauma that many do. Still I think many just going through life could gain from this as well.




View all my reviews

Review: Eggs over Arsenic: A 19th Century Historical Murder Mystery

Eggs over Arsenic: A 19th Century Historical Murder Mystery by Clay Boutwell
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Clay Boutwell has done another good job with the interesting mystery in this classic who done it.

An art critic is murder. Only one way to get to the poison to killed him. On top of that a house full of suspects, many who had the motive, others had the means. As Carl Brooke (a Sherlock Holmes type) and Captain Barnwell (policeman investigating) try to find out the person who did the murder, the ones most likely to may not be the one who did it.

Keeps you guessing until the end but go back and read it and the clues are there.

Other than the murder, it is safe to read for all age groups. Even the murder is just talked about not seen.

Recommended for people who want a good quick mystery to read.

View all my reviews

Review: Child of Mars

Child of Mars by D.M. Pruden
My rating: 5 of 5 stars
Available at Amazon
I was provided an ARC copy for review. What follows is an honest review.

Child of Mars is the third in the Mars Ascendant series. Unlike many 'series' books this is not one that you need to have read the others in the series. I can say that because I have not read them. This provides the reader with the information they need as they needed it and weaves it into the story with skill.

At the begining of the book, we seem to be looking at three different stories. However, as time goes on, we see where each part merges into the other. We have a little girl being rescued, why we do not know. We have a doctor running her routes on the planet Mars to help the people. While this is all going on we are allowed to look into the dictator of Mars.

All the characters are given their moment to shine though in the bad guys stories, shine might not be the proper word. But each tells the story from their point of view and the stories all weave together. Each character also stays true to themselves as the move through the story.

The plot of the rescue and trying to get the little girl away from her captors along with the doctor, who is actually the reason Mars can be inhabited, is one that held my interest. I am encouraged to go back and read the previous books now.

I recommend this book to any one that has an interest in science fiction. There is enough blood and violence that I would not encourage children to read it. Most adults would be able to handle what happens as the story progresses.

View all my reviews

Review: Biblical Perspectives on Baptism

Biblical Perspectives on Baptism by Kent Locke
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Available at Amazon 

I would like to thank the Website Interviews and Reviews and the author for allowing me to read an advanced copy. What follows is an honest review.

As I Christian I enjoy reading books about my faith. Even if the thoughts the author may have are different then mine I can always learn from them. That is why I had a desire to read this book. I was not disapointed.

This is a well written book. The author is knows the topic quite well from what appears to be a deep knowlege of the scriptures. He was also not one to shy away from the topics that seem to seperate our beliefs. Does it make a difference if we are sprinkled or imersed? What about baby baptism versus when you have decided to follow Jesus. The author has clear views on the subject and that is where you might nor aggree with him. Agree or not, he has used the scriptures to back up his points in a knowledgeable fashion.

I was surprised, since he was willing to take on topics of controversy, that he did not talk about the Baptism in the Holy Spirit. I would enjoy hearing his discussion on this topic. I can understand why it was shied away from, he was focusing on the baptism that are done with water, but it is a topic about baptism and I was hoping to see something on it.

I enjoyed it when I was reading it. It is a little bit of a dry nature so it was something I would put down for a while after reading about a dozen pages. Some of this was because I wanted to think about things, and honestly, some I just got distracted with other things.

There is nothing in this book that woud keep it from being read by anyone at any age. However, I am not sure that children would understand or even care to know about the subject. I would recomend to any of my Christian friends wanting more knowledge of the subject. I am not sure non-Christian friends would be interested in it.

View all my reviews

Z-Minus 1 by Perrin Briar

Z-MINUS I by Perrin Briar
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Available at Amazon

The end of the world comes slowly

The zombie apocalypse stuck Great Brittan​. A down on his luck drunk wakes in his crashed car. When he gets to his house, he finds his daughter and then his wife with knives in them but they suddenly come to life. In fighting to escape, his daughter sneezes on him. As he runs outside he finds the whole neighborhood has become the walking dead, except for his other daughter, the 8 year old one. Finding out he has 7 hours to live normal he tries to abandon her but decides to take her to a relative. What follows is his last 7 hours as a human and not a zombie as he tries to protect his daughter.

I am not a big zombie fan but I recently read one of the authors other books. I enjoyed this book. It shows the pain of alcoholism as well as how it starts under the story of the end of the world. It is part of a series but it clearly has a finish point in the book, we are not really left hanging.

Except for the violence, which could be strong for the children (at one point the father uses a motor car to take out zombies) this book could be read by anyone. If you enjoy zombie books this could be an interesting read.

View all my reviews

Review: Endure: The Power of Spiritual Assets for Resilience to Trauma & Stress

Endure: The Power of Spiritual Assets for Resilience to Trauma & Stress by Daniel D. Maurer
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Available at Amazon

I received a review copy of Endure from the AXP website. This is an honest review.

Endure is a series of six stories of people who have gone through extraordinary circumstances. In telling these stories, the author exposes us to what he calls Spiritual Assets. These assets are: gratitude, acceptance, hope, faith, forgiveness and love.

Each chapter opens with the explanation of the asset covered, then the story of the person. After this he does a question and answer with them and then explains why these are important. These are real life situations not some story made up to explain some point of a sermon.

The author tries and I feel succeeds, in not preaching the Christian Faith by showing how many religions have the same values. If I was writing this, I might not have done that, but I respect his faith and why he did it the way I did.

I would not recommend this book for children. There are some frightening scenes of the true violence that one man can inflict on another. Yet without those stories we would not have the examples of how these people are day by day, working out what they need to do to make it in this world.

It was a good book, in places I wanted him to get to the point a little quicker, that is why the loss of a star. That is more me than it would be the author.

Recommend (with the understanding about children) that this could be read by anyone looking to see how people recover and move on with life. There are elements of spirituality that may or not affect people not of faith, but I think they would enjoy as well.

View all my reviews

Review: Remembrance Book: He Will Remind You. from John 14:26

Remembrance Book: He Will Remind You. from John 14:26 by Anna K. Payne
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

This book was offered to me so that I could review it. What follows is an honest review.

This is an interesting book and different from what I have read of Ms. Payne's books before. In this book she has taken scriptures that had spoke to her and wrote them out in a paraphrased version as she understood them. She then added short notes on them as well as prayers. There are 30 in all so this book could be used as a daily devotional for a month, and then repeated as often as necessary. There is space, if the book is printed, to add you own comments and/or thoughts. If you keep it in electronic form I would encourage using a journal for this.

While there is no theology conflict, that does not make this book a light weight. It deals with stuff we will face in our day to day lives.

I recommend it to all who are believers and need something to reflect on each day.

View all my reviews

Review: Seveneves

Seveneves by Neal Stephenson
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Available at Amazon

This book was a free one at bookshout.com for me. Not sure how I got it free from them but I did.

It was a long read. It has taken me since July to read it using the Bookshout app and reading the equivalent of 2 books a month.

It held my interest at times, and then at others it was boring as all get out. It reminded me of a book that I read when I was growing up. That book was The Last Days of the Late Great State of California. In that story, an earthquake moves across the state line of California, causing it to sink into the sea. The book gives the history of the various parts of the state up till the time the earthquake happens. The opening of the book is much like that. A unknown thing has struck the moon causing it to shatter and it will destroy the earth in about three years. All the nations combine together to send people and supplies to create a space ark to keep the population from becoming extinct. So that is the first part, the technobabble to create the Space Ark.

The second part comes in as we try to make sure the human race survives. But they all fight with each other, so in the end, the human race is reduced to just 7 people, all female. Oh, one just happens to be a geneticist, and we learn of the techno babble that allows them to recreate people from just the eggs, and each woman breeds into their offspring, what they think they will need to survive. Well, if you do not believe in God, then make everyone in your image and you are one. By the way, the woman screw it up but I am not sure the men would have done it better.

The last part they have arrived on earth thousands of years later and making what appears to be first contact, but with what or with whom. While the technobabble is here as well, it is not as much as this part of the book really comes as pure fiction.

As I stated, it did remind me of that book. Why? Because we got a history book of California, almost like they could have used in a history class. In this book, we get a science lesson. And I wonder if people might try to use it as a science textbook.

I would have loved to given this more stars but it just dragged in to many places and I almost gave up reading it.

Safe for all to read. Not sure who I would recommend it to, maybe some science geeks.

View all my reviews

The Secret of the Jewel Shop (A Blooms, Bones and Stones Cozy Mystery - Book Two)

4 Stars out of 5

I received an advance copy for review. What follows is an honest review.

Quick short read, less than an afternoon I would say (I read it mostly on work breaks over two days).

It was more of a romance book than a mystery book to me.  I would not put it in the mystery category as much as a suspense category. Mysteries tend to be who did it and why.

In this story the hero of the story is opening up her own jewelry shop with the help of her friends. While opening it there is a strong smell of lavender in the shop.  Since she is a believer in the power of crystals and that type of thing, she sets out to find out why the resident ghost is still there.  The story revolves around her and her friends trying to figure out why.  Along the way they meet a person or two that wants to stop them.

It is a clean story, our hero and one of her male friends start a romance but there is nothing that you would not want a child to read going on.

This type of story involves things I do not believe in, but I do not review based on that. My only real gripe with the story is being able to believe that she has that many friends who can just drop what they are doing to help her out so she can run around figuring out why the ghost will not go to the next life.  I am sorry,  if I had 1/10 of the friends that would do that, I would be happy.

Recommend to those who want a quick, quirky, story that is clean. 

This Body Won't Break by Lea McKee
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I enjoyed the story. The characters, especially the one that we see the story through, were quite believable. And the story line was good as well. I really dislike it when an author drops us off in the middle of the story, so that is why I gave it 4 stars. It was not a bad a drop as I have seen in other book, but it did leave me hanging.

It is a short read, took less than an afternoon at a slow day at work.

Our hero is an orphan in the care of the state. She knows that soon, when she turns 18, that she will have to make it in the world outside the home and that is a bit of a scare because of the virus that has destroyed the earth after the humans have killed each other. We follow her as she leaves her group home and goes to the 'training' facility that will determine what job she should take.

There was enough suspense to keep me interested. While the story could be read by most everyone, there could be a bit of a fear generated by younger children. Otherwise, it is recommended for people looking into a story of what happens after we as human beings destroy ourselves.

View all my reviews

Review: Spiral/Torn

Spiral/Torn by D.U. Okonkwo
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I received a review copy of this book and the other one in the series and from that I am giving an honest review.

I really wanted to give these book 5 stars, honestly. It had a great story, lots of tension, great character development, all the things I look for in a book. Why give it 4 stars then. When I get to the end of a book I want an ending. This book leaves us with no resolution at all. It obviously sets up for book number 2 of the series which I received a review copy of also. But Book 2 does the same thing. Another great story where I am left hanging. Please make a bigger book or smaller story. I love the background of the characters, but I would take less if you could put the story in one book.

There is so much to be said for both of these books. They show people like they really are, even though they are in a surreal experience of a plane crash. People who do not like each other forced to work together for the good of all.

The cast is
The crew of the pilot, co-pilot, and the stewardess
The owner of a hotel chain and his two estranged sons
Three members of the lawyer team for the owner who he has invited to network with others. One has brought his wife and their infant child.
Nina's sister and twin brothers (Nina is one of the lawyers who had to raise the siblings when parents died) as well as her boyfriend
Various others who move in and out of the story.

Book 1 tells of the preparations for the flight, the takeoff and the crash. They are miles from anywhere and have no one to rely on but the pilot and one of the passengers. As noted in the cast above, they are an interesting collection, not for what they are, but for the secrets that they are hiding amongst themselves.

Book 2 continues with these secrets and the prospect that one of them may die because of the actions of another. Here is where the secrets start to come out and could tear apart the group.

I would recommend this set to others as soon as I would see that the third book was available and that it finished the story. There is no violence (though there really could be some) and a touch of a romance seems to be happening.

It is safe for all readers.

View all my reviews

Review: Planted Flowers Bible Study Workbook

Planted Flowers Bible Study Workbook by Anna K. Payne
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

While I am not the intended target for this book, I have read many of the author's books and decided to review this as part of her review team. That means I got a free copy in order to review her book.

This workbook goes hand in hand with her Planted Flowers book series. Each month one of the books is used and we follow that woman's life from the book and study about what God has in store. Each week a different part of the month is studied. There is a lesson to learn and some questions and answers to work out. These exercises work best when done in advance.

It is designed for women to study in a group session and with a leader.

I see no problem with the theology here. It is written so that most any denomination could use it straight out of the box. The theology in it is basically that all who call themselves Christians should be able to agree on.

I would recommend this book to a woman who is looking for material to lead a Bible study.

View all my reviews

Review: The Universe Builders: Bernie and the Wizards

The Universe Builders: Bernie and the Wizards by Steve LeBel
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

I enjoyed this book. It was not afraid to tackle hard subjects (being abandoned by father, young love, killing when not needed, etc.) but did it in such a way that was not preachy. I do not know if the author is a man of faith, but what he shared shows we have much the same beliefs.

Basic story. Bernie is a god on a planet of gods. Not all gods can create worlds, but all can own them. 'The Company' makes worlds for the buyer on demand. The buyer has the people of the world he owns grow crops that he collects and then sells in the world of the gods.

One planet is not producing like it should. Bernie is hired to troubleshoot the problem since he has just won a prestigious award which, was last won, years ago by his now absent father. Bernie is now a celebrity that he did not want to be. Dad returns, people swarm Bernie and he has to focus on fixing a world. Meanwhile falling for a girl and being clueless to love.

How he goes about it is the big part of the story. Bernie's boss wants Bernie to blink the planet's population out of existence, but Bernie feels that each person there is important. Bernie wants to take time to fix it, but there is a mean person stopping the growing going on and the owner is losing money.

So how will it end. You will have to get the book, but in the end, it is a satisfying result.

This is one of the first young adult book that I have picked up that felt more like what I thought a YA book should be. The writing is fairly clear and there is no sexual innuendo much less sex in it (although there is a kiss or two). In other words, it is safe for all age groups to read.

I recommend it for any people who like the category it falls in. What category you ask? Good question, it has a little time travel, a little fantasy, a little coming of age, and I am sure some other areas as well. You might just like it.

I own a copy of this book that the author gave out as part of a promotion.


View all my reviews