tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-55215850774172391612024-03-12T17:32:39.478-07:00Novel SecretsNovel Secrets is a blog about NOVEL,kindle book review , include book for firsttrade, binance margin, online stock broker and etc.hopiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07212064721899300391noreply@blogger.comBlogger1001500tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5521585077417239161.post-71088383613585242812021-11-18T11:00:00.002-08:002021-11-18T11:00:00.199-08:00How to Make Six Figures As a Mobile Notary and Loan Signing Agent<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEirBKzfB2u7PnpF3oBY4kmSYoPmdkStqg0hK1deN5QxOAhspnz7UHwSJ8bTWwqsxfn7eMftlr9SULWoW6M0HARUaj8dMvKi_5oF9NlBr4bO1ZG_rb3SKvJptlDiCF53cFkp88_z_ZmOFfj4/s500/Loan+Signing+Agent.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Loan Signing Agent" border="0" data-original-height="500" data-original-width="313" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEirBKzfB2u7PnpF3oBY4kmSYoPmdkStqg0hK1deN5QxOAhspnz7UHwSJ8bTWwqsxfn7eMftlr9SULWoW6M0HARUaj8dMvKi_5oF9NlBr4bO1ZG_rb3SKvJptlDiCF53cFkp88_z_ZmOFfj4/w200-h320/Loan+Signing+Agent.jpg" title="Loan Signing Agent" width="200" /></a></div><br /><p><br /></p><p>If you are a new Notary, need to update or continue your education in this industry, then you should get this book. it is completely chock full of valuable training and information to get you started in the Notary business. </p><p>Bill Soroka, founder of <a href="http://notarycoach.com" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">notarycoach.com</a> and Sign & Thrive, is my notary coach. Through his training course I have received some of the best triaining from the best instructors in the industry. Nina Penny and "Reverse Mortgage training"; Laura Biewer and Carol Ray give awesome training on general notary work. I took a course on performing wedding ceremonies from one of the most successful planners in the country. </p><p>You never know who Bill will bring into our lives with new ideas on how to be the best and get results in growing your business. I believe Bill poured his heart and soul into this book to give anyone out there the chance to be happy and successful at whatever you do. Many of the ideas and strategies in this book can be applied to whatever business you are in. This book can get you started in a new direction and onto the path of success. </p><p>A friend let me borrow this <a href="https://www.amazon.com/Sign-Thrive-Figures-Mobile-Signing-ebook/dp/B07ZWDV2HL" target="_blank">book</a>, and I could not put it down, I had to buy my own. This book is Amazing. Bill truly makes the notary/loan signing business practical and non intimidating! His personality, honesty, love of people and the profession are evident. </p><p>This book has already answered so many of my questions, just yesterday I incorporated many of the techniques discussed by Bill, the signing was smooth and successful! regardless of being a new or seasoned signing agent this is truly an indispensable resource!</p>hopiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07212064721899300391noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5521585077417239161.post-77597767574339765982021-11-18T04:30:00.001-08:002021-11-18T04:30:00.169-08:00Decentralized Finance (DeFi) Investment Guide for Options Trading, Flash Loans & Yield-Farming<p>Decentralized Finance (DeFi) Investment Guide; Platforms, Exchanges, Lending, Borrowing, Options Trading, Flash Loans & Yield-Farming: Bull & Bear of Bitcoin & Etheruem the Future Financial Economy.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjTFUEh-GMvyDhnR_rvoAIEUg0nnkhuE1Y4UH5uYqEAaZtADBzAFEaurevfsdsEIqZEr1575-xjbskGZAdRSGNURwd2pvo_Kowd7_AsuByYAmq4bvzw-ewpVTs_5HjrppcFdpXbyc47Dd_U/s346/Options+Trading%252C+Flash+Loans+%2526+Yield-Farming.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Options Trading, Flash Loans & Yield-Farming" border="0" data-original-height="346" data-original-width="221" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjTFUEh-GMvyDhnR_rvoAIEUg0nnkhuE1Y4UH5uYqEAaZtADBzAFEaurevfsdsEIqZEr1575-xjbskGZAdRSGNURwd2pvo_Kowd7_AsuByYAmq4bvzw-ewpVTs_5HjrppcFdpXbyc47Dd_U/w204-h320/Options+Trading%252C+Flash+Loans+%2526+Yield-Farming.jpg" title="Options Trading, Flash Loans & Yield-Farming" width="204" /></a></div><br /><p><span style="background-color: white; color: #0f1111; font-family: "Amazon Ember", Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;">DeFi is a new and exciting way to manage your money. It’s the future of finance, where you can borrow from lenders all over the world without having to go through a bank or other financial institution.</span></p><p style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; color: #0f1111; font-family: "Amazon Ember", Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; margin: -4px 0px 14px; padding: 0px;">You can also lend out your own funds for others to use, earning interest on them. And it doesn’t stop there – you can trade options contracts with other people who want to bet on the price movements of different cryptocurrencies, and even earn passive income by lending out your crypto assets for flash loans!</p><p style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; color: #0f1111; font-family: "Amazon Ember", Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; margin: -4px 0px 14px; padding: 0px;">The best part is that this isn’t just something that exists in theory – it’s already here today. There are multiple platforms available right now where anyone can start using these services immediately.</p><p style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; color: #0f1111; font-family: "Amazon Ember", Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; margin: -4px 0px 14px; padding: 0px;">All you have to do is sign up and get started!</p><p style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; color: #0f1111; font-family: "Amazon Ember", Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; margin: -4px 0px 14px; padding: 0px;">In this detailed handbook we explain how everything works so you don't need any technical knowledge at all - we'll show you exactly what steps to take next!</p><p style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; color: #0f1111; font-family: "Amazon Ember", Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; margin: -4px 0px 14px; padding: 0px;"></p><p style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; color: #0f1111; font-family: "Amazon Ember", Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; margin: -4px 0px 14px; padding: 0px;"><u style="box-sizing: border-box;"><span style="box-sizing: border-box; font-weight: 700;">In this book, you learn:</span></u></p><p style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; color: #0f1111; font-family: "Amazon Ember", Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; margin: -4px 0px 14px; padding: 0px;">· DeFi Lending and Borrowing platforms</p><p style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; color: #0f1111; font-family: "Amazon Ember", Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; margin: -4px 0px 14px; padding: 0px;">· Decentralized Exchanges</p><p style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; color: #0f1111; font-family: "Amazon Ember", Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; margin: -4px 0px 14px; padding: 0px;">· Yield Farming</p><p style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; color: #0f1111; font-family: "Amazon Ember", Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; margin: -4px 0px 14px; padding: 0px;">· DeFi Risk Management and platforms.</p><p style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; color: #0f1111; font-family: "Amazon Ember", Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; margin: -4px 0px 14px; padding: 0px;">· DeFi Flash Loan</p><p style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; color: #0f1111; font-family: "Amazon Ember", Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; margin: -4px 0px 14px; padding: 0px;">· DeFi Option Trading and protocols</p><p style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; color: #0f1111; font-family: "Amazon Ember", Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; margin: -4px 0px 14px; padding: 0px;"></p><p style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; color: #0f1111; font-family: "Amazon Ember", Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; margin: -4px 0px 14px; padding: 0px;">This guide will help make sure that everyone has access to decentralized finance no matter their background or experience level.</p><p style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; color: #0f1111; font-family: "Amazon Ember", Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; margin: -4px 0px 14px; padding: 0px;">We’re going to show you how decentralized finance platforms and exchanges can help you earn passive income with your cryptocurrency.</p><p><span style="background-color: white; color: #0f1111; font-family: "Amazon Ember", Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;">I just got into NFT, and still circling in the basics, and I have found this book to be a great companion. It explores all key areas including future financial economy, DeFi, flash loans, and options trading. It's amazing how the author is able to compress all those topics under one book and explain them in such a simplistic manner that makes it so easy to understand. I will be using the new knowledge learned from this book in perfecting my DeFi investments and making informed decisions on long-term decisions.</span></p><p><span style="background-color: white; color: #0f1111; font-family: "Amazon Ember", Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;">Decentralized Finance (DeFi) Investment Guide is the most informative and up to date book I have read on DEFI and its content is truly on a new level. The book provides the most important insights regarding Decentralized Finance and equips you with all the knowledge you need to get started. Whether you are a newbie like me or already experienced, this book has tips for everyone, and your hopes to earn passive income will slowly translate into a reality.</span></p>hopiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07212064721899300391noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5521585077417239161.post-13819314175998548892021-11-18T00:37:00.003-08:002021-11-18T00:37:15.004-08:00The Debt Trap: How Student Loans Became a National Catastrophe<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj7fMiZQE2zTJMD1xzQ9NX0gFlafuSq4C0hVhPae38WbD9Ec7j7vwu7su4vlmxTlEt8pBPyw-KM_YR5K9EvXwv0d1JRjNNXAdq8NsAnaRqIwudmvtA39C1S2kleEpZUZluzuni3LtOgDZTE/s500/31EBWdo7k%252BS.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="How Student Loans Became a National Catastrophe" border="0" data-original-height="500" data-original-width="331" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj7fMiZQE2zTJMD1xzQ9NX0gFlafuSq4C0hVhPae38WbD9Ec7j7vwu7su4vlmxTlEt8pBPyw-KM_YR5K9EvXwv0d1JRjNNXAdq8NsAnaRqIwudmvtA39C1S2kleEpZUZluzuni3LtOgDZTE/w212-h320/31EBWdo7k%252BS.jpg" title="How Student Loans Became a National Catastrophe" width="212" /></a></div><br /><span style="background-color: white; color: #0f1111; font-family: "Amazon Ember", Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;">Today, 43 million Americans owe $1.6 trillion in student debt, an amount that has tripled since 2006 and exceeds what they owe in credit card debt and<b> car loans</b>. Student loans have enabled schools to raise tuition faster than family incomes. Average tuition,, room and board at four-year private colleges has risen nearly 800% since 1980, more than 5X the rate of inflation. Today, a four-year degree at a private college costs nearly $200,000 on average, before discounts, $100,000 at a public college. At USC's dental school, tuition, room and board costs $152,000 for the first year.</span><br style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; color: #0f1111; font-family: "Amazon Ember", Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;" /><br style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; color: #0f1111; font-family: "Amazon Ember", Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #0f1111; font-family: "Amazon Ember", Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;">Families are given a blank check, allowing them to enroll their children anywhere, colleges have abused their pricing power. A million borrowers owe over $200,000, at least a hundred owe over $1 million. Eight million are in default, not far from the number losing their homes during the housing crunch. Black borrowers are more than 3X as likely to default as white students. </span><p></p><p><span style="background-color: white; color: #0f1111; font-family: "Amazon Ember", Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;">Half of all borrowers are over 35, and a fifth are over 50. Over the past decade, hundreds of thousands have had their Social Security checks reduced to help repay their <a href="https://www.amazon.com/gp/customer-reviews/R2AEOP0ZB3B2MF" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">student loan</a> debts. Of the $1.6 trillion in student debt, taxpayers are likely to pay back about a third. That's almost the amount of subprime mortgage debt private lenders wrote off after the housing crash and 7X what is spent on food stamps each year.</span><br style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; color: #0f1111; font-family: "Amazon Ember", Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;" /><br style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; color: #0f1111; font-family: "Amazon Ember", Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #0f1111; font-family: "Amazon Ember", Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;">Universities employ more lobbyists than any other industry except pharmaceuticals and technology; they have fended off attempts at regulation that would have prevented many borrowers from getting into financial trouble. Eighty-one university leaders, including 17 at public colleges, earned over $1 million in 2019.</span></p><p><span style="background-color: white;">I</span><span style="background-color: white; color: #0f1111; font-family: "Amazon Ember", Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;">f you’ve ever thought about our country’s student loan crisis and wonders how we possibly got here, this book leaves no question unanswered.</span></p><span style="background-color: white; color: #0f1111; font-family: "Amazon Ember", Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;">Every institution - from Congress, to Sallie Mae, to Wall Street, to the schools themselves - bares part of the blame, and they laid it on the backs of America’s youth, with the promise of a brighter future. It’s predatory and no better than most MLMs. Both political parties bare blame as well.</span><br style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; color: #0f1111; font-family: "Amazon Ember", Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;" /><br style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; color: #0f1111; font-family: "Amazon Ember", Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #0f1111; font-family: "Amazon Ember", Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;">The best part of this well researched history and current state of the industry book is it actually ends with solid, well thought out solutions. I hope Congress and the Department of Education read it.</span><div><span style="background-color: white; color: #0f1111; font-family: "Amazon Ember", Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="background-color: white; color: #0f1111; font-family: "Amazon Ember", Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;">How did student loans which is a grand experiment on social mobility get so messed up? Read this book. The author digs into the history of student loans and on the first CD of the audiobook gives a clearly understandable tutorial on how student loans started. The entire audiobook is like a great college class on student loans and they became riddled with difficulties.</span></div>hopiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07212064721899300391noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5521585077417239161.post-32779150503843822982021-11-11T04:00:00.004-08:002021-11-11T04:00:00.350-08:00Cryptocurrency Investing For Dummies - recommended for firsttrade<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhLzQy_BGd1danPwg1tDpQCc0xT2E_Z0aEDP2rEvVCmaOoW7KG4Jsp7dHwQVXT9WpgvgS-nMLquvvlBBOeqq3lJWI8ky6SgigBclZRkdzeXzn4m4DQKcmsdbjjvojnndnsg_MxLW9sm-T-7/s326/51mtbqmFDNL._SX260_.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="326" data-original-width="260" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhLzQy_BGd1danPwg1tDpQCc0xT2E_Z0aEDP2rEvVCmaOoW7KG4Jsp7dHwQVXT9WpgvgS-nMLquvvlBBOeqq3lJWI8ky6SgigBclZRkdzeXzn4m4DQKcmsdbjjvojnndnsg_MxLW9sm-T-7/s320/51mtbqmFDNL._SX260_.jpg" width="255" /></a></div><br /><b>Cryptocurrency Investing For Dummies</b> - This Book very recommended for <b>firsttrade. </b><span style="background-color: white; color: #0f1111; font-family: "Amazon Ember", Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;">The ultimate guide to the world of cryptocurrencies!</span><p></p><p style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; color: #0f1111; font-family: "Amazon Ember", Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; margin: -4px 0px 14px; padding: 0px;">While the cryptocurrency market is known for its volatility—and this volatility is often linked to the ever-changing regulatory environment of the industry—the entire cryptocurrency market is expected to reach a total value of $1 trillion this year. If you want to get in on the action, this book shows you how. </p><p style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; color: #0f1111; font-family: "Amazon Ember", Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; margin: -4px 0px 14px; padding: 0px;"><i style="box-sizing: border-box;">Cryptocurrency Investing For Dummies</i> offers trusted guidance on how to make money trading and investing in the top 200 digital currencies, no matter what the market sentiment. You'll find out how to navigate the new digital finance landscape and choose the right cryptocurrency for different situations with the help of real-world examples that show you how to maximize your cryptocurrency wallet.</p><ul style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; color: #0f1111; font-family: "Amazon Ember", Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; margin: 0px 0px 0px 18px; padding: 0px;"><li style="box-sizing: border-box; list-style: disc; margin: 0px; overflow-wrap: break-word;">Understand how the cryptocurrency market works</li><li style="box-sizing: border-box; list-style: disc; margin: 0px; overflow-wrap: break-word;">Find best practices for choosing the right cryptocurrency</li><li style="box-sizing: border-box; list-style: disc; margin: 0px; overflow-wrap: break-word;">Explore new financial opportunities</li><li style="box-sizing: border-box; list-style: disc; margin: 0px; overflow-wrap: break-word;">Choose the right platforms to make the best investments</li></ul><p style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; color: #0f1111; font-family: "Amazon Ember", Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; margin: -4px 0px 14px; padding: 0px;">This book explores the hot topics and market moving events affecting cryptocurrency prices and shows you how to develop the smartest investment strategies based on your unique risk tolerance. </p><p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: -4px 0px 14px; padding: 0px;">There's money to be made in the cryptocurrency market, but it's important to know what you're doing. This hands-on guide gives you just what you need to make wise decisions. It explains how cryptocurrencies work, covers the rewards and the risks, explores the top 100 digital currencies, and discusses diversification. You'll determine the right platform for investing, find out how to use a cryptocurrency wallet, and see how to develop smart short-term and long-term investment strategies. With this book, you can be a part of the future economy.</p><p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: -4px 0px 14px; padding: 0px;"><b style="box-sizing: border-box; font-weight: 700;">Inside...</b></p><ul style="box-sizing: border-box; color: #0f1111; margin: 0px 0px 0px 18px; padding: 0px;"><li style="box-sizing: border-box; list-style: disc; margin: 0px; overflow-wrap: break-word;">Bitcoin versus other cryptocurrencies</li><li style="box-sizing: border-box; list-style: disc; margin: 0px; overflow-wrap: break-word;">Risk management strategies</li><li style="box-sizing: border-box; list-style: disc; margin: 0px; overflow-wrap: break-word;">Types of cryptocurrency wallets</li><li style="box-sizing: border-box; list-style: disc; margin: 0px; overflow-wrap: break-word;">Crypto ICOs, mining, futures, and options</li><li style="box-sizing: border-box; list-style: disc; margin: 0px; overflow-wrap: break-word;">Technical analysis advice</li><li style="box-sizing: border-box; list-style: disc; margin: 0px; overflow-wrap: break-word;">Info on cryptocurrencies and taxes</li></ul><p style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; color: #0f1111; font-family: "Amazon Ember", Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; margin: -4px 0px 14px; padding: 0px;"><span style="box-sizing: border-box;"></span><span style="box-sizing: border-box;">--This text refers to the </span><a class="a-link-normal" href="https://www.amazon.com/dp/1119533031?ie=UTF8&n=133140011" style="box-sizing: border-box; color: #007185; text-decoration-line: none;">paperback</a><span style="box-sizing: border-box;"> edition.</span></p><p style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; color: #0f1111; font-family: "Amazon Ember", Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; margin: -4px 0px 14px; padding: 0px;"><span style="box-sizing: border-box;">Better organized, better edited, better info. Current and best of 4 books I've read on Crypto. Admittedly, I've only read about 1/2 of book so far, but this is the one I would recommend over others. I would also add it is the BEST Dummy's book on the subject! This is what the the first Dummy's book should have taken the time and researched to become. The earlier Dummy's book read like an anthology created by committee rushing to get their book to market for $$$, and not for being thoroughly researched, non-redundant, and a value to the reader. The previous Dummy's book on crypto was the worst Dummy's (I've read 8) book I have read. This was among the best.</span></p>hopiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07212064721899300391noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5521585077417239161.post-59819482970664580722021-11-10T23:30:00.001-08:002021-11-10T23:30:00.171-08:00Swing Trading For Dummies - trade station by Omar Bassal<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhCLbPEv1nu5glxza5nyjNkpvtctg1yEP-61kqY5uehtzRDpSZbUSGlg3LIgm_z355Y8_XUDHKHmiHD_hkbNyKxZUcieyRZLwTISwZIcAo6PYOzM1mroEGm_Lh2Q159ftlxPOY_1IfS1WOQ/s325/51U%252BCH4rboL._SX258_BO1%252C204%252C203%252C200_.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="325" data-original-width="260" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhCLbPEv1nu5glxza5nyjNkpvtctg1yEP-61kqY5uehtzRDpSZbUSGlg3LIgm_z355Y8_XUDHKHmiHD_hkbNyKxZUcieyRZLwTISwZIcAo6PYOzM1mroEGm_Lh2Q159ftlxPOY_1IfS1WOQ/s320/51U%252BCH4rboL._SX258_BO1%252C204%252C203%252C200_.jpg" width="256" /></a></div><p></p><p style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; color: #0f1111; font-family: "Amazon Ember", Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; margin: 0px 0px 14px; padding: 0px;"><span style="box-sizing: border-box; font-weight: 700;">Increase profit and limit risk with swing trading basics trade station</span></p><p style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; color: #0f1111; font-family: "Amazon Ember", Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; margin: -4px 0px 14px; padding: 0px;">Swing trading is all about riding the momentum of brief price changes in trending stocks. Although it can be risky, swing trading is popular for a reason, and <i style="box-sizing: border-box;">Swing Trading For Dummies, 2nd Edition,</i> will show you how to manage the risk and navigate the latest markets to succeed at this lucrative trading strategy.</p><p style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; color: #0f1111; font-family: "Amazon Ember", Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; margin: -4px 0px 14px; padding: 0px;">Omar Bassal is a person that gives all his knowledge to his students.<br style="box-sizing: border-box;" />After 35 years of trading I wanted to write a book myself about how to survive in this 'sharky' business .<br style="box-sizing: border-box;" />Damn I was to late. It is already done. Revealing and complete. Well done Mr Bassal.</p><p style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; color: #0f1111; font-family: "Amazon Ember", Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; margin: -4px 0px 14px; padding: 0px;">I bought this book after finding it on a list of top ten trading books, and its helped me to fairly quickly form a swing trading strategy.<br style="box-sizing: border-box;" /><br style="box-sizing: border-box;" />There were some bad reviews of the book rooted in grammar errors, which are completely overblown. The book is easy to read, organized, and comprehensive enough to get you trading. After reading it cover to cover, I’ve returned to various sections as needed.</p><p style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; color: #0f1111; font-family: "Amazon Ember", Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; margin: -4px 0px 14px; padding: 0px;">Do not get turned off by a couple of negative reviews or the dummies title as I almost did. From the novice swing trader up to the experienced, you will gain a lot of valuable insight and swing trading knowledge from this book. I just finished it today, took me a while as I read these type of books not for entertainment, but more of as if I'm studying for a test, thus I may read the same page multiple times over. Omar Bassal did a great job explaining the intricacies of swing trading and investing in companies in the stock market as a whole. I was very impressed and will continuously refer back to this book in the future.</p><p style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; color: #0f1111; font-family: "Amazon Ember", Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; margin: -4px 0px 14px; padding: 0px;">In this updated edition, you’ll find expert guidance on new accounting rules, the 2018 tax law, trading in international markets, algorithmic trading, and more. Plus, learn about the role social media now plays in moving asset prices, and how you can tap into online trends to ride price swings.</p><ul style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; color: #0f1111; font-family: "Amazon Ember", Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; margin: 0px 0px 0px 18px; padding: 0px;"><li style="box-sizing: border-box; list-style: disc; margin: 0px; overflow-wrap: break-word;">Understand money management, journal keeping, and strategy planning</li><li style="box-sizing: border-box; list-style: disc; margin: 0px; overflow-wrap: break-word;">Focus on fundamental analysis to increase your chance of success</li><li style="box-sizing: border-box; list-style: disc; margin: 0px; overflow-wrap: break-word;">Evaluate companies to screen for under- or overvalued stocks</li><li style="box-sizing: border-box; list-style: disc; margin: 0px; overflow-wrap: break-word;">Develop and implement your trading plan and calculate performance</li></ul><p style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; color: #0f1111; font-family: "Amazon Ember", Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; margin: -4px 0px 0px; padding: 0px;">Starting from the basic differences between swing trading and other trading styles and progressing through plain-English explanations of more advanced topics like charts and reporting standards, <i style="box-sizing: border-box;">Swing Trading For Dummies </i>will help you maintain and grow your assets with swing trading in any market!</p><p> </p>hopiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07212064721899300391noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5521585077417239161.post-74386667373081038072021-11-10T22:03:00.000-08:002021-11-10T22:03:35.614-08:00Swing Trading for Beginners by Alpha Bull Traders - binance margin<p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><a href="https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/41S9Y9ywFLL.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="500" data-original-width="333" height="500" src="https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/41S9Y9ywFLL.jpg" width="333" /></a> </div><br /><p></p>7 Golden Rules for Making a Full-Time Income Online with Routines, <b>binance margin</b>, Proven Strategies and Risk Management + Guides for Trading Cryptocurrency & Forex Kindle Edition .<div><h3 style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; color: #0f1111; font-family: "Amazon Ember", Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 18px; line-height: 24px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px 0px 4px; text-rendering: optimizelegibility;"><span style="box-sizing: border-box;">How to Get All the Benefits of Day Trading without the Downside Risk</span></h3><p style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; color: #0f1111; font-family: "Amazon Ember", Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; margin: 0px 0px 14px; padding: 0px;">Would you jump out of an airplane without a parachute? Then why would you start making trades online before you learned what you were doing?</p><p style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; color: #0f1111; font-family: "Amazon Ember", Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; margin: -4px 0px 14px; padding: 0px;">It’s crazy! But with deep discount brokers making it look so easy for individual investors, it’s no wonder consumers today are lulled into a false sense of security.</p><p style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; color: #0f1111; font-family: "Amazon Ember", Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; margin: -4px 0px 14px; padding: 0px;">This book gave some very good information on how to do this type of trading and strategies you can use to find and make good trades. It would be good for someone just starting out trading stocks because it covers all the basics.</p><p style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; color: #0f1111; font-family: "Amazon Ember", Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; margin: -4px 0px 14px; padding: 0px;">Swing Trading for Beginners very informative book. This book all of the instruction very effective for Swing Trading. I read this book I really benefited. This book gave some very good information on how to do this type of trading and strategies you can use to find and make good trades. It would be good for someone just starting out trading stocks because it covers all the basics. It is also is good for people with more experience in the market but wanting to learn more. I would recommended this book. Thanks</p></div>hopiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07212064721899300391noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5521585077417239161.post-61995496519870367712018-01-08T09:34:00.004-08:002021-02-23T18:14:27.109-08:00Borrowed Dreams by Susanne O'Leary<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: justify;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEioodeB5bKKVMP_p5tsc47xPm84HEZyAnQHB28wgFCnYtCe1gzQrn3oC4mE247FvIRdwwuzMz1G_BG0yH-8Sz5i8zD_vDn02NQ5VOUDW_Y3arjUfaWcZIoa3koVdIObs6s_AqhLg_Ccbz0/s1600/Borrowed+dreams+cover.jpg" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEioodeB5bKKVMP_p5tsc47xPm84HEZyAnQHB28wgFCnYtCe1gzQrn3oC4mE247FvIRdwwuzMz1G_BG0yH-8Sz5i8zD_vDn02NQ5VOUDW_Y3arjUfaWcZIoa3koVdIObs6s_AqhLg_Ccbz0/s200/Borrowed+dreams+cover.jpg" width="132" /></span></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif" style="font-size: small;"><b><a href="https://novel-secrets.blogspot.com/2018/01/borrowed-dreams-by-susanne-o.html" target="_blank">AMAZON UK</a><br /><a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B010KCO224/" target="_blank">AMAZON US</a></b></span></td></tr>
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<span face=""verdana" , sans-serif">Borrowed Dreams There’s nothing like a romance set in Saint-Tropez, one of the most famous resorts in Europe, where the well-heeled escape from it all to their shiny yachts in the glorious sunshine.</span></div>
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<span face=""verdana" , sans-serif">Daisy Hennessy isn’t exactly well-heeled, though. She’s rather desperate, in fact, to find a job after splitting up with her rather unscrupulous on-off boyfriend. House-sitting a luxury villa amongst the mega-rich and looking after a couple of pooches is the perfect distraction…she hopes. But when she borrows some designer clothes from the absent owner’s wardrobe to attend invite-only parties, she finds herself caught up in an ever-decreasing circle of lies. Famous Irish author Liam complicates her situation. Not only does she have to extricate herself out of her web of deceit…which seemed a harmless bit of fun to start with…if she’s going to get anywhere with the handsome writer, she suddenly finds herself rather close to home, when there's a series of robberies from the glitteratis' luxury villas.</span></div>
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<span face=""verdana" , sans-serif">Susanne has a wonderfully uncluttered and refreshing style and never fails to provide characters who are easy to like; she lures you into their lives and into the beautiful setting—you can feel the warm sun on your skin, see the sparkling azure-blue sea and almost taste the fine French cuisine in the topnotch restaurants.</span></div>
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<span face=""verdana" , sans-serif">This book follows Selling Dreams, but stands alone, which is one of the things I love about <b>Susanne’s books</b>. Each book is complete but she leaves the door slightly ajar so that anyone of her characters can squeeze through and tiptoe into another book; it’s rather fun trying to guess who will slip into another adventure.</span></div>
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<span face=""verdana" , sans-serif">As always, highly recommended.</span><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhRG-yKR7xaRiDjuNCkliyYf3cPi67P19vMtINydkVwBi5tZJMjbsGPLv6tOhGXkBpaJ11Ct5K8xbwgPqCwZYOl4WPsIqeXi7DmqfgaErwIZjM1uw-yaPvtitkPIWu78pX3T52bMOZjCgmm/s162/button-klik-disini.gif" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="46" data-original-width="162" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhRG-yKR7xaRiDjuNCkliyYf3cPi67P19vMtINydkVwBi5tZJMjbsGPLv6tOhGXkBpaJ11Ct5K8xbwgPqCwZYOl4WPsIqeXi7DmqfgaErwIZjM1uw-yaPvtitkPIWu78pX3T52bMOZjCgmm/s0/button-klik-disini.gif" /></a></div><br /><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><br /></span></div>
hopiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07212064721899300391noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5521585077417239161.post-21699536183974072222018-01-08T09:33:00.000-08:002018-01-08T09:33:22.543-08:00Queen's Gold by Melissa Bowersock<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: justify;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgb6gyokx01d7s78p2u53nTuVReW5uZ7m8ENqXfTDT_dV0J3Ulla-8TbhW-EU9a6fTj1YFN0oHpN2BtXbVInU_4CLJpbLk8QSE8WhYFw6wjzVwAxbPpvAB4eyF6ignhGNPwWXHT3b7-9Lw/s1600/Queen%2527s+Gold+cover.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgb6gyokx01d7s78p2u53nTuVReW5uZ7m8ENqXfTDT_dV0J3Ulla-8TbhW-EU9a6fTj1YFN0oHpN2BtXbVInU_4CLJpbLk8QSE8WhYFw6wjzVwAxbPpvAB4eyF6ignhGNPwWXHT3b7-9Lw/s200/Queen%2527s+Gold+cover.jpg" width="131" /></span></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: small;"><b><a href="https://novel-secrets.blogspot.com/" target="_blank">AMAZON UK</a><br /></b></span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Melissa Bowersock Queen'</span><span style="font-family: verdana, sans-serif;">s Gold </span><span style="font-family: verdana, sans-serif;">has featured frequently in my reading list…and managed to very deservedly find her way into my favourite-authors list.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Her stories flirt with fantasy/paranormal in a way that makes you think twice about things of which you might say, ‘Nah! No way!’ And in this particular story, one of the main characters says exactly that: it’s a tale in which both reader (well, this one!) and protagonist find themselves in agreement.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Widower Hal Thompson’s two children strike a bargain with him: fervent believers of hypnotic regression, they promise to stop trying to convince him that there really is something in it if he will just agree to one session. If it doesn’t ‘happen’ for him, then Brian and Wendy promise they’ll never raise the subject again. Backed into a corner, Hal agrees. The experience proves to be unsettling for Hal when he ‘remembers’ not only the whereabouts of some ancient Aztec gold, but also…disarmingly…a long-lost love. Reluctant to admit to his children his scepticism might have been misplaced, he is soon shocked into shedding his misgivings when things get gravely personal. His 'memories', it appears, are of crucial importance to some ruthless people.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">This story changes gear dramatically after the first few pages: it starts off at a very pleasant, leisurely pace, and suddenly, it’s ‘sit up and take notice’. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">I must confess, however, of all the books I've read by this author, I'm not so sure I'd put this one at the top of the list. I fell in love with the wholesomeness that was the Thompsons, but parts of the plot were just a teensy bit unsubstantial, hurried even. That said, the ending is climactic and gripping</span>.</div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Notwithstanding, this was an enjoyable read and a very welcome addition to my collection of this author’s books.</span><o:p></o:p><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">See also:</span><br />
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<i><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Burning Through</span></i></div>
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<i style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Fleischerhaus</i></div>
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<i style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Stone's Ghost</i><i style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"> </i></div>
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hopiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07212064721899300391noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5521585077417239161.post-46134794580618823282018-01-08T09:31:00.001-08:002018-01-08T09:31:30.832-08:00Silver Rain by Jan Ruth<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: justify;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiT-8KhyphenhyphentoHM86VejoBi5IAxpPMPyRxw15ZcxqjwbQZPQIaq2n8Z7Qaqog-tWgNkG3-ZFFgieVz-STnDBeOo_ZK4qR6a73MqhpFYPmluQf9alHbAlEkzxmXjnlHOJ7El0D8BiySigyaEFQ/s1600/Silver+Rain+cover.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiT-8KhyphenhyphentoHM86VejoBi5IAxpPMPyRxw15ZcxqjwbQZPQIaq2n8Z7Qaqog-tWgNkG3-ZFFgieVz-STnDBeOo_ZK4qR6a73MqhpFYPmluQf9alHbAlEkzxmXjnlHOJ7El0D8BiySigyaEFQ/s200/Silver+Rain+cover.jpg" width="132" /></span></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: small;"><b><a href="https://novel-secrets.blogspot.com/2018/01/silver-rain-by-jan-ruth.html" target="_blank">AMAZON UK</a><br /></b></span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Marshmallow or nougat? A marshmallow that’s soft and sweet, easy to swallow but immediately forgotten? Or nougat that’s something to get your teeth into and you want to enjoy for a bit longer? </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><b>Silver Rain is nougat. </b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">What a delightful story. It boasts a cast of solid, credible characters. Few of them win any medals for being perfect, but it’s precisely their lack of stereotype that makes them so believable and thoroughly likeable. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">What is also rather charming is the fact that this romance’s boy and girl are not that. Kate and Al are fifty-ish been-theres. So they’ve been through jobs, marriages, children—grand-children, even—divorces, deaths and learnt a thing or two along the way, perhaps with a little cynicism. Neither is looking for love, especially. Al’s in a sort of relationship, mainly physical, while Kate, after two husbands is rather sceptical and well, who’s going to want a middle-aged, twice-married woman, anyway?</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Not only charming, this story is a well-woven tapestry of unhappy pasts, secrets, untimely revelations, strength of character, lust, fun, humour and good old-fashioned romance.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">It’s is a story you feel you want to jump into to get to know Kate and Al. It’s real, it’s earthy, it’s sensible. You want to help Kate with her problems. You want to shake the lovable, but slightly frustrating Al. You want to knock some sense into his brother. You want to offer help to Al’s kind-hearted, animal-loving sister-in-law. You just want to make them all your family and sort them out. And as far as the reader is concerned, there’s no predictability about Kate and Al nor any guarantees. Their outcome isn't revealed until the very end...literally...but what an enjoyable ride to find it out.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">I absolutely loved it.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">See also:</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><a href="https://novel-secrets.blogspot.com/" target="_blank">Midnight Sky</a></span><br />
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hopiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07212064721899300391noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5521585077417239161.post-59536803206128463962018-01-08T09:29:00.002-08:002018-01-08T09:29:37.841-08:00Sonnets for Heidi by Melissa Bowersock<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: justify;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiBn1L4SwFXTJ5DnLAYzqe-x3Fxeah4tTxmS4Pu51PtdZS0Gj5i1OBrACTieQhF8sr_7oMAkvIxEfGHv58CP9KKSvZBlsDofumGVSI4X7Y1LHYPMZWKa8cjBS8Zq_E_LQBLNaCdW7NaWmw/s1600/Sonnets+cover.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiBn1L4SwFXTJ5DnLAYzqe-x3Fxeah4tTxmS4Pu51PtdZS0Gj5i1OBrACTieQhF8sr_7oMAkvIxEfGHv58CP9KKSvZBlsDofumGVSI4X7Y1LHYPMZWKa8cjBS8Zq_E_LQBLNaCdW7NaWmw/s200/Sonnets+cover.jpg" width="129" /></span></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: small;"><b><br /><a href="https://novel-secrets.blogspot.com/2018/01/sonnets-for-heidi-by-melissa-bowersock.html" target="_blank">AMAZON US</a></b></span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">I love the eclectic nature of Bowersock’s books. She's an author who produces quality whatever the genre. And on the subject of quality, the package is always complete with absolutely spot-on editing…the icing on an outstanding cake. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">This is an emotionally charged tale of forbidden love. Aunt Heidi has few living relatives, and the only one willing to take on the responsibility of her care, when Alzheimer’s disease dictates the need for residential care, is her niece, Trish Munroe. In the time leading up to Heidi’s sudden death, Trish shares some tender moments with an elderly lady who swings from clarity to confusion at the snap of the fingers. Her endeavours to keep Heidi's memory alive lead not only to the revelation of family secrets but to Trish’s own enlightenment: an unburdening of her own past and clarity for her future.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">This was a story based on more than one ‘difficult’, sometimes not-talked-about subject, but handled oh-so-professionally by Bowersock. I found the characters ready-developed: you walk into their lives instantly. You know them instantly. You empathise instantly. They’re real-life people right from the start.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">This is a novel with a warm glow. It’s professional, it’s classy. Sheer pleasure from start to finish</span>.<br />
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hopiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07212064721899300391noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5521585077417239161.post-43905228463757174582017-12-26T10:08:00.002-08:002017-12-26T10:08:30.997-08:00The Oh She Glows Cookbook: Over 100 Vegan Recipes to Glow from the Inside Out<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJoUE6CpW_hcyZTu4Sd8gXJuGJwnIpv4voqzPbkRrsKtRErASZaiddQPbM5a-XNxBPlz-3BZtQSn-hcPbnTnqqVWIXImiaJ17ZGyzjZOd75loIG_7v085iE0XqaFZZuDWTxaVww7mUswop/s1600/Over+100+Vegan+Recipes.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="500" data-original-width="400" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJoUE6CpW_hcyZTu4Sd8gXJuGJwnIpv4voqzPbkRrsKtRErASZaiddQPbM5a-XNxBPlz-3BZtQSn-hcPbnTnqqVWIXImiaJ17ZGyzjZOd75loIG_7v085iE0XqaFZZuDWTxaVww7mUswop/s320/Over+100+Vegan+Recipes.jpg" width="256" /></a></div>
A self-trained chef and food photographer, Angela Liddon has spent years perfecting the art of plant-based cooking, Over 100 Vegan Recipes to Glow from the Inside Out , creating inventive and delicious recipes that have brought her devoted fans from all over the world.<br />
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After struggling with an eating disorder for a decade, Angela vowed to change her diet — and her life — once and for all. She traded the low-calorie, processed food shed been living on for whole, nutrient-packed vegetables, fruits, nuts, whole grains, and more. The result? Her energy soared, she healed her relationship with food, and she got her glow back, both inside and out.<br />
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The Oh She Glows Cookbook: Over 100 Vegan Recipes to Glow from the Inside Out</h3>
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Eager to share her realization that the food we put into our bodies has a huge impact on how we look and feel each day, Angela started a blog, ohsheglows.com, which is now an Internet sensation and one of the most popular vegan recipe blogs on the web.<br />
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This is Angelas long-awaited debut cookbook, with a trasure trove of more than 100 moutherwatering, wholesome recipes — from revamped classics that even meat-eaters will love, to fresh and inventive dishes — all packed with flavor. The Oh She Glows Cookbook also includes many allergy-friendly recipes — with more than 90 gluten-free recipes — and many recipes free of soy, nuts, sugar, and grains, too!
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Whether you are a vegan, "vegan-curious," or you simply want to eat delicious food that just happens to be healthy, too, this cookbook is a must-have for anyone who longs to eat well, feel great, and simply glow!
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From the Trade Paperback edition.hopiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07212064721899300391noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5521585077417239161.post-69394927845723001252017-12-26T09:56:00.001-08:002017-12-26T09:56:37.345-08:00Manos: Talons of Fate book<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhNJlgT_BrAoC6qJaZ-z32e340P_IzYZT3IbknHqpGLf0E55n0ONVRpBvL17ACdfkHFCc6mJztkYAXXlo4WxNH4VadRN2Rc44qgUCyeqMZyU8KRkvms5FWEyJbovbmI0rVdLH4aUSQxkr04/s1600/Manos-+Talons+of+Fate.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="500" data-original-width="324" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhNJlgT_BrAoC6qJaZ-z32e340P_IzYZT3IbknHqpGLf0E55n0ONVRpBvL17ACdfkHFCc6mJztkYAXXlo4WxNH4VadRN2Rc44qgUCyeqMZyU8KRkvms5FWEyJbovbmI0rVdLH4aUSQxkr04/s320/Manos-+Talons+of+Fate.jpg" width="207" /></a></div>
A shocking new chiller from the Winner of the 2016 Scribe Award!<br />
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What starts as a much-needed vacation for Mike, Margaret, daughter Debbie, and their dog, Pepe, escalates into a nightmare of fear and madness. Trapped by the wicked Master, his demonic brides, and the half-human Torgo, the family must endure the horrors of the night-dark desert to escape the vile coven. Once the terror starts, it never lets up in this new, deadly serious novel based on the classic cult film.<br />
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Manos: Talons of Fate book by s tephen d.sullivan</h3>
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“In this version of <b>Manos</b>, the characters are revealed to be complex, believable people with reasons (no matter how misguided) for their fateful choices. The dark and twisted methods of the Manos cult are described in gruesome detail. This is a novel that lovers of horror will truly enjoy.” —Jackey Neyman Jones (Debbie from Manos) from her Foreword.hopiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07212064721899300391noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5521585077417239161.post-8382294822542934612017-12-26T09:51:00.006-08:002017-12-26T09:51:56.166-08:00Enlightened Aging: Building Resilience for a Long, Active Life<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi1Du2K90dt4YLTFA2GVV3S4PpHfOb5X2Ux8uWJcWiIPmEnoKGKF6RCPASemimDczaDrqSpEP4ciOQ7rctBylZ3VJgJo3sdqFPeulhI4kmpkM2bcBR9lomqVHshw4w4non6F67_mUZra1JR/s1600/Enlightened+Aging-+Building+Resilience+for+a+Long%252C+Active+Life.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="500" data-original-width="339" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi1Du2K90dt4YLTFA2GVV3S4PpHfOb5X2Ux8uWJcWiIPmEnoKGKF6RCPASemimDczaDrqSpEP4ciOQ7rctBylZ3VJgJo3sdqFPeulhI4kmpkM2bcBR9lomqVHshw4w4non6F67_mUZra1JR/s320/Enlightened+Aging-+Building+Resilience+for+a+Long%252C+Active+Life.jpg" width="217" /></a></div>
A leading expert in the science of healthy aging, Dr. Eric B. Larson offers practical advice for growing old with resilience and foresight.<br />
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More than just canned advice, <a href="https://novel-secrets.blogspot.com/2017/12/enlightened-aging-building-resilience.html">Enlightened Aging proposes a path to resilience</a>—one that’s proven to help many stave off disability until very old age.<br />
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The steps on this path include pro-activity, acceptance, and building and maintaining good physical, mental, and social health
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Enlightened Aging: Building Resilience for a Long, Active Life</h3>
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Using inspiring stories from <b>Dr. Larson’s</b> experiences with study participants, patients, friends, and relatives, Enlightened Aging will help readers determine what their paths can look like given their own experiences and circumstances. It informs readers of the scientific evidence behind new perspectives on aging. It inspires readers with stories of people who are approaching aging with enlightened attitudes.<br />
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It offers advice and resources for readers to build their own reserves for old age. It recommends ways for readers to work with their doctors to stay as healthy as possible for their age. And it offers ideas for building better communities for our aging population. While especially relevant to the baby boom generation, this work is really for people of all ages looking for encouragement and wise counsel in order to live a long, active life.hopiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07212064721899300391noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5521585077417239161.post-31982205253798688492017-12-26T09:46:00.004-08:002017-12-26T09:46:35.179-08:00Have Gun, Will Play by Camille LaGuire<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: justify;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiGDuWvyWLK0tXCTIVi8s-9RMhUCboukMdHTHnDaMO2YoWUfyb0C0Q7J8A-qodtzstgd2vyQOJSqSm2e47NDNFF8BtJltnowidn_xDcGp2SQO6ZYJfdRpuWeHZufimxQsVTJB_P5WgQ_zI/s1600/Cover.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiGDuWvyWLK0tXCTIVi8s-9RMhUCboukMdHTHnDaMO2YoWUfyb0C0Q7J8A-qodtzstgd2vyQOJSqSm2e47NDNFF8BtJltnowidn_xDcGp2SQO6ZYJfdRpuWeHZufimxQsVTJB_P5WgQ_zI/s1600/Cover.jpg" width="133" /></span></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: small;"><b><a href="https://novel-secrets.blogspot.com/2017/12/have-gun-will-play-by-camille-laguire.html" target="_blank">novel-secrets</a><br />AMAZON US</b></span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Have Gun, Will Play by Camille LaGuire</span></h3>
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Well. That was three or four hours of my life utterly wasted. When you look back on the books you’ve read over the year, there is undoubtedly one, if not two, perhaps even three, that stand out because they’re outstanding and one (or more) because they are…not so outstanding. This one was the lemon for my year so far.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">It’s a western. Two young (very young) gunslingers, <b>Mick and Casey</b>, are hired to keep a rather precocious little girl, Laurie, and her aunt safe, as her Daddy is an unpopular bigwig in town. Needless to say, the job doesn’t go too well and there’s a lot of shooting, dead guys, deceit, betrayal and sore heads. Moreover, there’s something very unusual about a certain box of toys that belongs to Laurie, that seems to cause quite a lot of interest.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">The whole thing is confusing and a mess. The characters are like cardboard cut-outs: the story is so ‘told’ (not one bit of ‘show’), I got no emotion from any of them and couldn't, therefore, afford them any in return. The story was poorly written: it lacked maturity (or experience), there were a number of typos and missing words, and the author seems to have no grasp on how to use the correct tenses.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">This was unputdownable for all the wrong reasons: I couldn’t wait to finish it and get on to a good book. The only commendation I can give is that the author sat down and had a jolly good try.</span></div>
hopiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07212064721899300391noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5521585077417239161.post-7605954394628808502017-12-26T09:43:00.002-08:002017-12-26T09:43:54.980-08:00Love Hurts by Carol E. Wyer<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_JgTeL9y4pkwFQrTzf62Ru8Zf4Cc8jukINzzMvN5pfgLqkZdInTqaSJnVL4Z5fXZC8Mk2m4CVtgErJlfo-nLWBgPxIxBOi_XECjKiLhG9ZSjMWonkFHqBI2qpuS7ysqBsk3aRTCeB_f8/s1600/Cover.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_JgTeL9y4pkwFQrTzf62Ru8Zf4Cc8jukINzzMvN5pfgLqkZdInTqaSJnVL4Z5fXZC8Mk2m4CVtgErJlfo-nLWBgPxIxBOi_XECjKiLhG9ZSjMWonkFHqBI2qpuS7ysqBsk3aRTCeB_f8/s1600/Cover.jpg" width="133" /></span></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: small;"><b><a href="https://novel-secrets.blogspot.com/2017/12/love-hurts-by-carol-e-wyer.html">novel-secrets.blogspot.com</a><br />AMAZON US</b></span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: verdana, sans-serif;">Love Hurts by Carol E. Wyer</span></h3>
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">I love it when an author jumps out of a cake and surprises you. Well, not literally, of course. Metaphorically speaking. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Carol is a wonderful writer of light-hearted, funny, witty and entertaining novels and non-fiction books. Her books are like pick-me-ups, and you know you are going to end up smiling and uplifted at the final click.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">So, <b>Love Hurts</b> comes along—a selection of five short stories—and not only are you entertained, but you’re pleasantly—very, very pleasantly—amazed by a range of stories you just didn’t expect: a delicious mix of dark, sad, playful and cheering.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Love Hurts looks at how the very many facets of love make people react and the consequences of those reactions: sometimes joyful, sometimes…not. Each story is very different but equally delightful, and I defy anyone to not enjoy this quintet.</span></div>
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Love Hurts by Carol E. Wyer</h3>
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">See also:</span></div>
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<span style="color: #0000ee; font-family: verdana, sans-serif;"><u><a href="https://novel-secrets.blogspot.co.id/2017/06/stay-tuned-by-lauren-clark.html">Stay Tuned by Lauren Clark</a></u></span><br />
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hopiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07212064721899300391noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5521585077417239161.post-81705466584999275772017-12-26T09:40:00.002-08:002017-12-26T09:40:38.008-08:00So...I met an Alien by Paul McAvoy<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: justify;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_6-TwkZootHU9Lyelv1Nad7XLzhiIimSAKmKAwgyVMuOA33zVuZhjpHae3xGhJXlBHTO4Bx3SzTkogtIHoqsGxJlhaSqP_BmCkJEkpnYEw5hPuBQVC_XuiXGMLzMnO5h611CdWM3c_aM/s1600/Cover.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_6-TwkZootHU9Lyelv1Nad7XLzhiIimSAKmKAwgyVMuOA33zVuZhjpHae3xGhJXlBHTO4Bx3SzTkogtIHoqsGxJlhaSqP_BmCkJEkpnYEw5hPuBQVC_XuiXGMLzMnO5h611CdWM3c_aM/s200/Cover.jpg" width="125" /></span></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: small;"><b><a href="https://novel-secrets.blogspot.com/2017/12/soi-met-alien-by-paul-mcavoy.html" target="_blank">AMAZON UK</a><br />AMAZON US</b></span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">So...I met an Alien by Paul McAvoy</span></h2>
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">This is the second of Paul’s books I have read (So…I met a Ghost). </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">It’s a fun story about a young teenage schoolboy, Danny, who bunks off school to escape incessant bullying. Whilst playing truant, he bumps into an alien…as you do. Danny’s day of truancy turns out to be quite an extraordinary one. Spiro, the alien, turns out to be a decent sort of...well, alien, but he’s being pursued by some not-so-decent men in dark suits. Danny enlists the help of his best friend, Sean, and Sean's sister to ensure these men don’t catch up with Spiro and to make sure he gets back to his own people.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Paul McAvoy</span></h3>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Danny’s unrequited love for Sean’s sister and a tragic family loss make for a sometimes poignant story with some topical and important issues: school bullying and single-parent families. And Danny is a decent character with the ability to see the best in people. But there’s action, too, as Spiro’s pursuers are never far behind.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">The writing is a little raw and unrefined and the dialogue sometimes stilted, but it’s a heart-warming story, which has a well-earned place in the YA category</span>.</div>
hopiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07212064721899300391noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5521585077417239161.post-55422722146103088742017-12-25T16:05:00.002-08:002017-12-25T16:05:24.969-08:00Life Memories by J. R. Hopkins<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: small;"><b><a href="https://novel-secrets.blogspot.com/2015/05/life-memories-by-j-r-hopkins.html" target="_blank">AMAZON UK</a><br /><a href="https://novel-secrets.blogspot.com/2015/05/life-memories-by-j-r-hopkins.html" target="_blank">AMAZON US</a></b></span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Dementia and Alzheimer’s Disease are conditions we hope will never afflict our loved ones—more specifically, our more aged loved ones—or us. Either way, it causes a lot of stress and distress, in particular for the carers.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">This author was one of those carers. She looked after her mother for the last two years of her life, when she was suffering from dementia. This was a serious commitment at a time when Hopkins had a number of other major worries in her life. Determined not to be beaten by what life was throwing at her, she sought to take a glass-half-full approach and squeezed some happy memories out of an unhappy situation, but very particularly from the time she spent with her mother.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">She stresses that the experience can be tough, it can be frustrating, it can be exhausting, and it can be sad to watch someone you love change from being the person who looked after you to one who needs to be looked after BY you. BUT, it’s also about finding some humour, some happiness, some lightheartedness so that when you lose someone you love, you aren’t left with unwelcome memories.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">This may not be a book you would pick up to read unless you were in a similar position or wanted to help someone the same situation. However, even if you aren’t, you can draw inspiration from the author’s strength of character in the face of some pretty unpleasant circumstances.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">This account contains tender, poignant and sad moments, but don’t worry; there are many instances in which you find the corners of your mouth twitching into a smile.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">This book is not only about how to care for someone with dementia, it’s also about looking on the bright side of life</span>.<br />
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hopiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07212064721899300391noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5521585077417239161.post-74097426213483481272017-12-25T16:04:00.001-08:002017-12-25T16:04:21.962-08:00White is the Coldest Colour by John Nicholl<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiGnHxF_lqmEXtn3YeGZw93mrkiIopXu3hgsS8OgGH4PN4WD04yQcdeNzHpadiWuxRVN_9aYa25zwxyNFO1f2Kv3rN0oLA5xjJH_mBPKiQVh6g6kW3aePpCdcag3ZomR-30M2x9jQh4DJ8/s1600/White+cover.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiGnHxF_lqmEXtn3YeGZw93mrkiIopXu3hgsS8OgGH4PN4WD04yQcdeNzHpadiWuxRVN_9aYa25zwxyNFO1f2Kv3rN0oLA5xjJH_mBPKiQVh6g6kW3aePpCdcag3ZomR-30M2x9jQh4DJ8/s200/White+cover.jpg" width="132" /></span></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: small;"><b><a href="https://novel-secrets.blogspot.com/2017/12/white-is-coldest-colour-by-john-nicholl.html" target="_blank">novel-secrets.blogspot.com</a><br /> </b></span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">This is quite a book. It focusses on a very unpleasant and highly distressing subject…or rather, crime…and I confess I was a little apprehensive about how the story was going to unfold and if I really wanted to know, even. I don’t think I’ve ever read a book in which I’ve loathed one of the main characters right from the get-go—as in, the very first page. I should add that this is the author’s intention; he (the character, that is!) is quite simply a loathsome, evil person. Strangely, this makes the story very compelling.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">What we have here is a novel with paedophilia as its core. Please don’t rush off with a ‘Sorry, not a subject I want to read about’. This is a story in the very capable hands of an experienced police officer and child-protection social worker who has seen things he very probably wishes he hadn’t. In his own words, it’s ‘dedicated to survivors everywhere’.</span></div>
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White is the Coldest Colour by John Nicholl</h3>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Dr David Galbraith is a child psychiatrist, upheld as an expert and talented man in his field. But the exterior hides a sadistic, murderous predator, a vile and controlling human being. Seven-year-old Anthony isn’t handling his parents’ break-up too well, so he is referred to the best: Galbraith. A dangerous, potentially tragic move.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">I really couldn’t tear myself away from this book. You’re committed to finding out how disgusting and heinous this man wants to be. All the characters were brilliantly conceived: from the villains to the victims. Galbraith’s wife is one who makes quite an impression.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">The topic is harsh and hard-hitting, but the story was very well executed. It was powerful, and I can highly recommend it…but beware of the lack of editing. Apart from the ‘usual suspects’, there was a rather annoying overuse of the ellipsis (I did a search and discovered it was used 558 times. Good grief!). And then there was the characters’ irritating habit of calling each other by name in most of their dialogues. So if you simply can’t overlook under-editing, perhaps it might be worth waiting (and hoping) that a more polished version is eventually uploaded.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Read: </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><a href="https://novel-secrets.blogspot.co.id/2017/11/hot-pursuit-by-susanne-oleary.html" rel="nofollow">Hot Pursuit by Susanne O'Leary</a></span><br />
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hopiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07212064721899300391noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5521585077417239161.post-29470108390722352272017-12-25T16:01:00.001-08:002017-12-25T16:01:59.020-08:00The Green Room by Faith Mortimer<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: small;"><b><a href="https://novel-secrets.blogspot.com/2015/12/the-green-room-by-faith-mortimer.html" target="_blank">novelsecret</a></b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span style="text-align: justify;">The psychological thriller genre is probably my favourite. That, combined with one of my favourite authors and I’m in reading heaven. This was undoubtedly another winner in Faith’s ‘Dark Minds’ novels. </span></span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">In this third book of the series, a serial killer is sweeping Surrey, raping and strangling his victims. Ella, a competent nurse, has a policeman boyfriend, who, with inside knowledge of the case, instructs her to stay safe at all times. She believes she is perfectly safe; she lives in an apartment in a block owned and lived in by her parents and the tenant of one in particular is rather mysterious, but…very appealing...and as eager as her boyfriend to ensure her safety. The killer, however, cunningly manages to continue to evade the police, and with the information Ella’s boyfriend leaks to her confidentially, the finger seems to be pointing to one person. But she doesn’t find out until too late how far off the mark she is.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Had I been reading an actual book, I would have created a gale from the speed I was turning the pages. Every time, I thought I’d figured out who the killer was, I bumped into another red herring, resulting in another metaphoric breeze-making page-turning session. Not to mention when I finally—correctly, at last—realised who it was: it was a positive hurricane.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">What I also liked about this novel was Faith’s commitment to the murder plot. Ella’s romantic…let’s call it ‘predicament’…takes a back seat to ensure this very definitely isn’t a romantic suspense story. The ending I thought…without giving too much away…was rather sophisticated. Who knows, we could well be seeing Ella again.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Another golden string to this author’s bow</span>.<br />
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hopiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07212064721899300391noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5521585077417239161.post-42294670723530300342017-12-25T16:00:00.002-08:002017-12-25T16:00:47.439-08:00Beyond The Milky Way by Aithal<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: small;"><b><a href="https://novel-secrets.blogspot.com/2016/02/beyond-milky-way-by-aithal.html" target="_blank">AMAZON UK</a><br /><a href="https://novel-secrets.blogspot.com/2016/02/beyond-milky-way-by-aithal.html" target="_blank">AMAZON US</a></b></span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">I should point out straightaway that this is a ‘to be continued’ book. Now, I’m really not too fond of books that don’t ‘end’. I don’t mind the hint of sequel, but I just don’t want to have to read another book to get to the conclusion. A personal bug, but if you like books in a series to stand alone, perhaps you'll want to know that this one doesn't!</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">That aside, the book was a rather compelling read: a </span><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">sci-fi </span><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">adventure but a story with social commentary. One that has you feeling a little uncomfortable (because you know it's true) at the message being conveyed.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Three astronauts are on an important mission. It’s the last for one of them and the first for another. They are heading for a planet that may have water, and if there’s water, there may be other discoveries to be made. The journey is bumpy. Very, very, very bumpy. Loss of contact with control is beyond distressing, but they manage to land, albeit unconventionally. They've landed somewhere. Not back at base</span><span style="font-family: "comic sans ms"; font-size: 11.0pt;">—</span><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">it’s obvious from their surroundings</span><span style="font-family: "comic sans ms"; font-size: 11.0pt;">—</span><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">but terra firma at least. American terra firma. Or is it? All they have to do is find some people, some civilization, some means of communication to let base know the mission was incomplete but that they are safe. That’s all. Can’t be too hard, can it, despite the unfamiliar terrain?</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Despite the fact I couldn't engage with the characters</span><span style="font-family: "comic sans ms"; font-size: 11pt;">—</span><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">they were a little bland</span><span style="font-family: "comic sans ms"; font-size: 11pt;">—</span><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">it wasn't hard to be drawn into the story. The author has obviously thought very hard about something he needed to say and used his creativity and imagination to do so. It worked.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">And of course, it perpetuates that ever-present question…do we <i>really </i>know what's out there?</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">See also:</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">India Was One</span><br />
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hopiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07212064721899300391noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5521585077417239161.post-90032201970705809522017-11-27T23:50:00.000-08:002017-11-27T23:50:12.448-08:00The Last Deception by DV Berkom<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">I’ve read a number of good books since my last encounter with ex assassin Leine Basso, and with each (most of them by new-to-me authors), I had to hope they’d all be worth my time investment. I <i>never </i>have to 'hope' with a Basso adventure. You all know the sort of book: one that comes with an unwritten guarantee of excellence.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Berkom alternates books between two strong and bolshy female protagonists: Kate Jones and Leine Basso, whose turn it is in this, the sixth of her adventures. No less strong, no less bolshy, no less kick-arse, no less no-nonsense. Determined, sassy, independent and cunning. This time, she’s wading through the dark and murky waters of espionage and deception that casts a very heavy shadow over the relationship between two super-powers.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">What do I say that I haven’t said before? I could dive into Mr Roget’s best seller to try and find some alternative words for 'captivating, page-turner, thrilling', but I’ll keep it simple: it’s another bloody good book by a bloody good author.</span></div>
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hopiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07212064721899300391noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5521585077417239161.post-5622300132463666932017-11-27T23:49:00.002-08:002017-11-27T23:49:47.811-08:00The Last Book by Michael Collins<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: justify;"><tbody>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: small;"><b><a href="http://xmlgrab.com/accessbook" target="_blank">AMAZON UK</a><br /><a href="http://xmlgrab.com/accessbook" target="_blank">AMAZON US</a></b></span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Just as well this book was decent enough for me to overlook the under-editing; it's never good if one of the main characters has a momentary name-change...(to mention just one example).</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Two books of a trilogy by a best-selling author have unwittingly caused public unrest of the worst kind. Mark Payne, the ruthless, greedy, power-mad head of a giant corporation, sees a way to increase profits (and his own wealth) with the third book. Not a good time for Payne for the author to get writer’s block. But that book must be written at all costs. He enlists the help of one of his rising stars, Ethan Cross, to find a ghostwriter to ensure the book is completed. It then becomes a race between Payne and the team put together to stop him. Payne is clever, determined, wealthy…the team has to work hard to get a step ahead.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">The book is a bit busy at the start…every chapter features a new character with no obvious links to each other, punctuated with chapters for ‘The Boy’. It does all come together eventually…so perseverance is required…as well as the identity of The Boy (if you haven’t already guessed it), and everything falls into place quite neatly. However, there are a few loose ends at the end …they’re not game-changing loose ends, but I did fleetingly find myself wondering, 'oh, what happened to/what happened about...'</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">For all that, it’s a story that’s intriguing, keeps up a good pace and holds your interest to the end.</span><br />
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hopiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07212064721899300391noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5521585077417239161.post-30381831777495566702017-11-27T23:49:00.001-08:002017-11-27T23:49:30.408-08:00Dream Walk by Melissa Bowersock<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEifTCsRY0Nx9G0zscBAi_S-iCnxM1S_wiNIBuRC9UXecl3oT3W19vOm46EmDR_sBklmoMJZOlQEK9KUZCgF8LEhmT9aiA-oNu30MNyBew2l4aGuqMsTV1XaDApi0mOdaojfQ82lUuxKZmo/s1600/Dream+Walk+cover.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="475" data-original-width="294" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEifTCsRY0Nx9G0zscBAi_S-iCnxM1S_wiNIBuRC9UXecl3oT3W19vOm46EmDR_sBklmoMJZOlQEK9KUZCgF8LEhmT9aiA-oNu30MNyBew2l4aGuqMsTV1XaDApi0mOdaojfQ82lUuxKZmo/s200/Dream+Walk+cover.jpg" width="123" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">I had mixed feelings when I started this…pleased and eager to rejoin Sam and Lacey, PI partners with a difference, but a little sad too, because this is the final book in the quartet. Whilst I had no doubt that their last case would be enthralling, I was, of course, curious to find out how their relationship would progress. Or not. My lips are sealed on that one.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Our duo’s swansong is a bit of toughie…Sam’s ex-wife’s brother makes an appearance in one of Sam’s dreams…but not in a peaceful way. He was an addict, whose end was probably inevitable, so Sam and Lacey head to his last known address to uncover the reasons for his torment.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">This book is half the length of most of the books I read, but there’s no short-change here. Bowersock’s prose is neat, tidy, tight…all the right words in the right quantity for a well-rounded and extremely satisfying story.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">It may well be farewell to Sam and Lacey, but it’s very definitely au revoir to Bowersock, who will undoubtedly delight with her next work, whatever it may be.</span></div>
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hopiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07212064721899300391noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5521585077417239161.post-44353247886630139572017-11-27T23:49:00.000-08:002017-11-27T23:49:09.711-08:00The Woman in the Wood by Lesley Pearse<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhqqEjVC0ZfzuvfwVTbOqI6ACD96M3Ta1tXuG-6o4Uw5l2JV1JrrY028GkHE0LXG2Z910tvJtJh-op81y-ziSsUrn-PuGRiV3Pm5B8AGwxowPHlmPOQoOtRQJmI23PPzB5VAE7n3No5yPE/s1600/Woman+in+the+Woods+cover.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="475" data-original-width="308" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhqqEjVC0ZfzuvfwVTbOqI6ACD96M3Ta1tXuG-6o4Uw5l2JV1JrrY028GkHE0LXG2Z910tvJtJh-op81y-ziSsUrn-PuGRiV3Pm5B8AGwxowPHlmPOQoOtRQJmI23PPzB5VAE7n3No5yPE/s200/Woman+in+the+Woods+cover.jpg" width="129" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">I really can’t understand the 4/5 stars reviews for this book. For starters, this author must have bunked the lecture on show and tell, because there was no showing at all. This made for a one-dimensional plot and flat cardboard characters. There was a good deal of head-hopping and some glaring grammatical errors. The writing came over as a tad immature and had the subject matter not been quite so disturbing, it could easily have been written for a pre-adult audience.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">The story is set in the early 1960s, but you’d never have guessed. The attitudes and dialogue were more Victorian than mid-twentieth century.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Fifteen-year-old twins, Duncan and Maisy, are sent to their cold and unfeeling grandmother after their equally cold and unfeeling father commits their unwell mother to an asylum. With no help from Grandmother, they have to settle into their new surroundings and find new friends. One of these is Grace Deville, a woman who lives alone in the woods and about whom some unkind things are said.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">One day, Duncan goes missing…the prospect of his return is diminished when boys of his age are found dead in the area. With the police not being exactly proactive, it falls on Maisy to stay strong and believe her brother will be found. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">I was extremely irritated by Pearse’s constant reference to Duncan and Maisy as ‘the twins’. ‘The twins’ are not an entity, they are two people…they are Duncan and Maisy. Pearse wouldn’t have referred to two different aged siblings as ‘brother and sister’ all the time. Twins aren’t a unit (I have twins and twin grandchildren), they are two separate people and like to be known as such. Pearse obviously has no experience of twins or she wouldn’t have made this dreadfully annoying faux pas. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">The plot concept is sound enough, but Pearse doesn’t handle it very well and it all became a bit silly. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">My first read by this author and I’m afraid to say, my last.</span><br />
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hopiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07212064721899300391noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5521585077417239161.post-86286088481218382212017-11-27T23:48:00.000-08:002017-11-27T23:48:14.365-08:00Two Nights by Kathy Reichs<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEglgR131WsGJWHh6xyhecf9eEz1bbHfAc-BKLLzQ6F6cR7aDihuampX3tenY906a03IR7AXEl-jRDA72dBK5NLhxan1ME-02lZWjd9_wVfAMFyU-xJn1W_Umh_HLmJ5mHjTcma8fy0lHVQ/s1600/Two+Nights+cover.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="500" data-original-width="323" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEglgR131WsGJWHh6xyhecf9eEz1bbHfAc-BKLLzQ6F6cR7aDihuampX3tenY906a03IR7AXEl-jRDA72dBK5NLhxan1ME-02lZWjd9_wVfAMFyU-xJn1W_Umh_HLmJ5mHjTcma8fy0lHVQ/s200/Two+Nights+cover.jpg" width="128" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Sunday Night. No, not the day before Monday, the name of the main character in this book. Yes, really. Too cheesy for me, but I tried to overlook this. However, Sunday…or Sunnie (who is anything but) is totally unengaging. She’s a war veteran and ex-cop with some serious issues. A traumatic past has moulded her somewhat, but it never actually becomes clear exactly what that was…the flashbacks are woolly and unclear. Present-day Sunday is a rather dour, personality-less, fun-less, passionless loner and is now a PI, partnered with her twin brother, Gus. (Two Nights...hmm.) Although the ‘twin’ part of it seemed to raise a few eyebrows. Gus is quite a bit more likeable, thank goodness...I would have liked to see more of him.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">So, Sunday is enlisted to find out who was responsible for a bombing that resulted in the death of two members of a family and the disappearance of another…Stella, the sister of one of the deceased. It’s certainly a case that needles Sunnie, making her determined to find all the answers.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">The story moves at a reasonable pace, and if I’m honest, it held me enough to want to get to the end. However, I wanted to like Sunday, but she was just too colourless. The author adopts a clipped style…which I don’t like. I prefer verbs to have a subject…that style of writing just smacks of laziness. My copy was a pre-release copy, so I do hope the many, very irritating, editorial oversights were picked up. Hopefully, the editors spotted that the past tense of ‘must’ is very definitely not ‘must’.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">I’m reluctant to recommend this if this author is new to you. If you’ve read previous books by her, you may be familiar enough with her to enjoy this.</span></div>
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hopiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07212064721899300391noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5521585077417239161.post-70131188279706385312017-11-27T23:47:00.001-08:002017-11-27T23:47:50.771-08:00Star Walk by Melissa Bowersock<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhD71X0lYCUEhBU_6X7MDsQxKQV0ZfQjGbdm39bMLtmfBDUEJn8Fv7jLAnUiaesRrM2iNNk1gvX7UhSl_GakcpCVe7ZhSeFnu6hKZjI8uvt7W3yKmP7eHIMLOyZeegHiAUknYftfi70yGI/s1600/Star+Walk+cover.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="475" data-original-width="295" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhD71X0lYCUEhBU_6X7MDsQxKQV0ZfQjGbdm39bMLtmfBDUEJn8Fv7jLAnUiaesRrM2iNNk1gvX7UhSl_GakcpCVe7ZhSeFnu6hKZjI8uvt7W3yKmP7eHIMLOyZeegHiAUknYftfi70yGI/s200/Star+Walk+cover.jpg" width="123" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">I really don’t know what to say about this…that isn’t going to differ from what I've said before about this very engaging series!</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">This is Book 3 of the Lacey Fitzpatrick and Sam Firecloud mysteries, and by now, it’s like meeting up with old friends. The ever-growing ease of Lacey and Sam’s relationship extends towards the reader and not only do you feel comfortable in their company, they’re almost like neighbours you've known a long time. That’s how Bowersock writes: effortlessly convincingly. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">What I particularly liked in this story…apart, of course, from the couple's task of releasing the anguish from some ghosts who are making life a little difficult for the owner of a larger mansion…is that Lacey has some normal (as in not paranormal!) investigations to undertake. We finally get to meet her criminal ex boyfriend and we get to know a bit more about her life before partnering up with Sam.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Lacey and Sam’s relationship is largely professional…though her presence in his private life is increasingly relaxed. I’m starting to hope things progress…if you know what I mean.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">I’m going to have to wait till Book 4, I guess, to find out if they do.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">If you’ve read Books 1 and 2, you’ll be delighted with this third book and like me will be waiting eagerly for the fourth.</span></div>
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hopiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07212064721899300391noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5521585077417239161.post-41285879122642062062017-11-27T23:47:00.000-08:002017-11-27T23:47:14.816-08:00Stay Tuned by Lauren Clark<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiykHikJYZ-wL7LzX-tHRvuJVTosh8rUW4kRAw1qsyAgutT6qQhfQgARcGgEsU81B3M4mUK9wqUC4G6awu9hVVv20zXFv_nn08Ptlh-FFYOke06PYRPqo1_xdJxVfJljxvBEcrhJ-7MyHc/s1600/Stayed+Tuned+cover.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="475" data-original-width="296" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiykHikJYZ-wL7LzX-tHRvuJVTosh8rUW4kRAw1qsyAgutT6qQhfQgARcGgEsU81B3M4mUK9wqUC4G6awu9hVVv20zXFv_nn08Ptlh-FFYOke06PYRPqo1_xdJxVfJljxvBEcrhJ-7MyHc/s200/Stayed+Tuned+cover.jpg" width="124" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Melissa, producer of a news programme, is in a marriage which has lost its mojo…husband is never home and communication is on a yellow-Post-It basis. Added to which, her news anchors have a live fisticuffs on the evening show, resulting in both being dismissed and Melissa having to spruce herself up and fill in. Oh, and one more thing: her mother has dementia.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">This all sounds all rather tame for a plot, if I’m honest. BUT…I really, really enjoyed this. What could have been a somewhat schmaltzy, boring, clichéd story was actually a very well-written one that kept me interested from start to finish, and I found myself really looking forward to picking up the story every night for my pre-beauty-sleep read. No schmaltz, no boring, no clichés. Written articulately with style, it was actually quite wholesome with some down-to-earth, believable characters. Every relationship was handled with skill and insight…they were diverse, relatable and sometimes touching.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">And how refreshing to find a well-edited book for a change…quite the icing on the cake. A light and easy read, yes, indeed, but one that doesn’t skimp on balance or sincerity</span>.</div>
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hopiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07212064721899300391noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5521585077417239161.post-19368549116372566302017-11-27T23:46:00.001-08:002017-11-27T23:46:37.968-08:00The Book Thief by Markus Zusak<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgIIwWjBwfA0h2mPWB5ZjMixIil6T7gpvxj2A_ECiVM66ewALWvmA-hBFyrCYCcCrNWriV3BXCeG33kzhoySXo8KSoLwf-OjlRuR7r1xJfhrssoVr-Eo-ruVeV4k9kNwYJQ2jymXmw13Vg/s1600/Book+Thief+cover.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgIIwWjBwfA0h2mPWB5ZjMixIil6T7gpvxj2A_ECiVM66ewALWvmA-hBFyrCYCcCrNWriV3BXCeG33kzhoySXo8KSoLwf-OjlRuR7r1xJfhrssoVr-Eo-ruVeV4k9kNwYJQ2jymXmw13Vg/s200/Book+Thief+cover.jpg" width="127" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">The blurb describes this novel as being ‘a small story’. It is…but it’s a small story over a big number of pages! Five hundred and sixty-two of them, in fact. It did require a bit of a commitment from me, but it was worth every single moment.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">It’s told in quite a unique way and narrated by Death. As the book is set in Nazi Germany, Death was pretty busy. The story focuses on Liesel, a nine-year-old, fostered by a family living in Himmel Street. And she steals books.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">It’s a beautiful story evoking a multitude of emotions amidst the tragedy that was Nazi Germany that saw the deaths of six million Jews and many, many others. By contrast you have a touching relationship between Liesel and her foster parents…her foster ‘papa’ in particular. Then there's the awkward, but tender friendship between Liesel and her peer, Rudy. This is a story like no other, crafted in an original style.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Ultimately, I rather enjoyed the fact that it was a long book. How many times have you reluctantly reached the end of a book with that mixture of joy to have finished a good story but sad to have to leave the world of the characters you love therein? It was rather comforting to know that for many pages, I wouldn’t be leaving the very endearing Liesel and the wonderful voice of Death.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Read it. Just read it.</span></div>
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hopiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07212064721899300391noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5521585077417239161.post-72437351205843512002017-11-27T23:46:00.000-08:002017-11-27T23:46:10.986-08:00Splinter by Michael Bussa<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4GT9568VZwe4D5vb8LZci_VF83BRsQ1rH923IexX0xWkBDH2O1O29CLDVwqSYlaIGmGbu6RLCYMNKJJlO4g4jEbmzt31SYGPzseR1czL08nHLJ2OXL0xfd2Mf5uDVlDEBpwmJakQKEDc/s1600/Splinter+cover.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4GT9568VZwe4D5vb8LZci_VF83BRsQ1rH923IexX0xWkBDH2O1O29CLDVwqSYlaIGmGbu6RLCYMNKJJlO4g4jEbmzt31SYGPzseR1czL08nHLJ2OXL0xfd2Mf5uDVlDEBpwmJakQKEDc/s200/Splinter+cover.jpg" width="125" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">A pleasant hour’s reading. This is a short story…but packed with punch. In this mini psychological thriller, Adam has been wheelchair-bound for twenty-one years after a tragic incident and lives with Ada, his sister. His psychiatrist wants to help this young man who has remained troubled, seemingly traumatised by the event. Believing that finding out what actually happened will help this young man, he makes every effort to uncover the truth. But it’s not plain sailing.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Writing a short story requires technique. There isn’t much time to captivate the reader and every sentence has to count. There still has to be a start, a middle, an end, the plot has to have some meat on it, and the reader has to care about the characters. With the requirement of economy of words, they have to be carefully chosen.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Bussa has achieved all of the above in little under eight thousand words and managed even to throw in suspense. There are a couple of twists. I’ll be honest…I did actually guess them early on, but I must stress this wasn’t because they were obvious...more like an intelligent guess!</span></div>
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If you like short stories and psychological thrillers, you need look no further.<br />
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</span>hopiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07212064721899300391noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5521585077417239161.post-28627205204308975602017-11-14T21:18:00.001-08:002017-11-14T21:18:17.875-08:00The Roanoke Girls by Amy Engel<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjTF4P0hfQstWuUeaOZiO_jvOfYDU89oxN-aWmdMS_jAFoOcbbLggFbwZjvannJoCatf6_I9QQrUJTPBGJ40-Khpfn2Ku5_gZTUBdqj5Lo8-U8Km7Dv3Uv2tITZHvHAYmRO9-egsBVS6wo/s1600/Roanoke+Girls+cover.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="475" data-original-width="315" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjTF4P0hfQstWuUeaOZiO_jvOfYDU89oxN-aWmdMS_jAFoOcbbLggFbwZjvannJoCatf6_I9QQrUJTPBGJ40-Khpfn2Ku5_gZTUBdqj5Lo8-U8Km7Dv3Uv2tITZHvHAYmRO9-egsBVS6wo/s1600/Roanoke+Girls+cover.jpg" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Although all the plot threads were satisfactorily tied up by the end, for me, the book threw up a number of unanswered questions.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Lane returns to the wealthy Roanoke family home after her mother, Camilla, dies. It's where she spends a summer and where she discovers that beneath the have-it-all façade there lies a seriously dysfunctional family…one she has no desire to be part of. But when her closest ally, her cousin Allegra, goes missing eleven years later, Lane is forced to return.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">The book is disturbing and aims to shock…the topic (sexual abuse and incest) is extremely unpleasant…but I became more irritated than shocked by the fact that not one of abusees…and let’s face it, charismatic Grandad ‘has’ just about every female member of the family whatever their ages or generation…reports it or tells anyone else…because Grandad loves them all, they’re all so special. That just didn’t wash with me.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">However, despite the chilling and uneasy subject, it is without doubt compelling, riveting and extremely well written. I’ve never read any books by Engel, but her writing is powerful and emotional, and I really enjoyed her style.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Dark, unsettling, a little haunting, sad, twisted, but despite my few niggles, an intense page turner.</span></div>
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hopiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07212064721899300391noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5521585077417239161.post-65530374657332786682017-11-14T21:16:00.000-08:002017-11-14T21:16:37.447-08:00I Know Where She Is by S B Caves<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi0_Bb6X4KIuOCxkLpKWd_TPAB54zVn_jKCxlSxMr_hN68T9M802gXJfsBRsdMPvzs14B7AoRM4xkrarbGZG4Eh0YUNc0HhyphenhyphenIQ7SJ_ZitWegRfNcd4SnwaL982YdfehfKvvRFlRqyJtWTA/s1600/I+Know+Where+She+Is+cover.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="340" data-original-width="255" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi0_Bb6X4KIuOCxkLpKWd_TPAB54zVn_jKCxlSxMr_hN68T9M802gXJfsBRsdMPvzs14B7AoRM4xkrarbGZG4Eh0YUNc0HhyphenhyphenIQ7SJ_ZitWegRfNcd4SnwaL982YdfehfKvvRFlRqyJtWTA/s200/I+Know+Where+She+Is+cover.jpg" width="150" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">The fact that the book I read before this one was centred around the same crime<span style="font-family: "comic sans ms"; font-size: 11.0pt;">—</span>paedophilia/sexual abuse/torture<span style="font-family: "comic sans ms"; font-size: 11.0pt;">—</span>(not intentional, incidentally…I had no idea before I started either book!)<span style="font-family: "comic sans ms"; font-size: 11.0pt;">—</span>may suggest that it’s a slightly overdone story line...perhaps.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">However, that said, for a debut novel, this is quite an explosive burst onto the literary scene for this author. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Ten years after Francine’s daughter's (Autumn) abduction, she receives a note saying quite simply: I know where she is. The note’s author, Lena, makes herself known to Francine shortly after and tells her she does indeed know where Autumn is. Clinging on to that last vestige of hope that her daughter is still alive, Francine, armed with vague snippets of information from Lena, does things she’d probably only ever seen in movies to try and find her daughter. But a mother will do anything, <i>anything </i>for her child.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">It's all a bit ‘convenient’, there are no real intricacies in the plot, there are some plausibility issues, and the story lacks a bit of padding. It isn’t a long book, but I think its conciseness is at the expense of some finer details. The ending is a little hurried and abrupt. But, but, <i>but</i>...for all that, this was a very well-written, gripping</span><span style="font-family: "comic sans ms"; font-size: 11pt;">—</span><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">albeit dark</span><span style="font-family: "comic sans ms";"><span style="font-size: 14.6667px;">, </span></span><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">unsettling, disturbing</span><span style="font-family: "comic sans ms"; font-size: 11.0pt;">—</span><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">and compelling story and certainly had me glued to the pages from start to finish. </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">An excellent start for this author, and I’ll certainly be looking out for his future novels.</span></div>
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hopiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07212064721899300391noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5521585077417239161.post-28599497342086583602017-11-14T21:13:00.001-08:002017-11-14T21:13:40.044-08:00Skin Walk by Melissa Bowersock<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: justify;"><tbody>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">It was easy to glide into this book…I thoroughly enjoyed the introductory adventure of Lacey and Sam (<a href="https://www.download-geek.com/sign-up.html?aff.id=9349" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Ghost Walk</a>), the oddly matched couple who have joined forces as a PI team. Lacey is an ex LAPD cop and Sam a Navajo medium. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Their investigation for this second instalment is a little more personal, as Sam is asked to look into the death of his cousin…the circumstances aren't sitting well with Sam’s grandfather. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">But this isn’t a straightforward piecing-together of clues. Witches, curses and shapeshifters are added to the mix…and Lacey and Sam find themselves conducting a dangerous investigation.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">This sequel certainly lived up to its predecessor. I enjoyed the development of the couple as they grow more comfortable with each other as a team. They’re chalk and cheese, but are gradually settling into each other’s personalities. I think I’m looking forward to the progress of their relationship as much as the cases they’re commissioned to solve.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Roll on Case no. 3!</span><br />
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hopiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07212064721899300391noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5521585077417239161.post-51353414035890405122017-11-14T20:50:00.000-08:002017-11-14T20:50:05.621-08:00Read The Best of Our Spies by Alex Gerlis<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">This is a gripping, WW2, espionage thriller that really captivates. It’s one that starts at a pretty brisk pace and doesn’t once slow down. It gathers momentum and climaxes at breakneck speed. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">It’s an intricate tale of intrigue, bluff and double bluff. It’s a tale of love, deception, courage, tragedy, horror and loss. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Nathalie Mercier, a young nurse, is sent to France by British Intelligence to work with the French Resistance shortly before D-Day. She leaves behind a new husband, Owen, also working closely with the Royal Navy Intelligence, who wonders if they will ever see each other again. But the seemingly naïve, industrious and dedicated Owen has been underestimated by his superiors, and he discovers a web of deceit and lies from people he trusted and loved. He has to find his wife, at all costs. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Gerlis is master storyteller. The characters are well defined and totally credible, and you care deeply about those you are intended to. The facts of the Second World War period have been meticulously researched, and the horrors of that dreadful time woven into the story with skill, to produce an atmospheric and riveting novel.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Whilst I would dearly love to accredit a five-star rating to this book, Gerlis' editing is as unremarkable as his skill as a storyteller is irrefutable. There are countless errors (words missing, spelling, punctuation and some bad grammatical errors), <i>but </i>it’s a testament to the quality of the story and writing (for the most part) that I can still attribute a healthy four stars. The book appears to be well accepted, so I fear future professional editing may well be bypassed. I’ll just hope.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">This was an unexpected reading pleasure. Historical novels, though not excluded from my reading, are less favoured, but this certainly grabbed my attention, and I had no option but to neglect my daily chores and use matchsticks to prop my eyes open in the small hours of the morning. The end had to be reached as quickly as possible! Highly recommended.</span><br />
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hopiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07212064721899300391noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5521585077417239161.post-86727972882856934832017-11-14T20:43:00.000-08:002017-11-14T20:43:15.417-08:00Complicit by Gillian E. Hamer Epub<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">This was a compelling story that kept my nose firmly between the pages…I did actually guess ‘whodunnit’ before the revelation, but it didn’t mar my enjoyment at all, although I felt ten chapters dedicated to a war some two millennia earlier were rather boring and unnecessary. The relevance of the war to the plot could have been woven into the story in other ways.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Descendants of the Druids involved in that war hold secrets that one person wants to know…badly. So badly, in fact, that serial killings become the urgent focus of three detectives. A killer is at large who will stop at nothing to unearth these very closely guarded secrets.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">It was a surprise to me to discover that this book is actually the third in a series, so I was particularly impressed how well it stood alone. The characters and plot are well developed (perhaps just a tad muddled towards the end). I also had to suspend disbelief…Druids might have had ‘seers’ in their midst in 60 AD…but in the twenty-first century? I don’t think so.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">For all that, it was a gripping book and deserves a five-star rating, but sadly, the editing wasn’t up to scratch. Grammatical errors, some odd phrases verging on Malapropisms and a bunch of punctuation faux pas (too much reliance on software editing) means I have to knock a star off.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Notwithstanding, I like this author and will certainly hunt out more of her books</span>.</div>
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hopiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07212064721899300391noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5521585077417239161.post-40520011608167235182017-11-14T20:30:00.000-08:002017-11-14T20:30:39.080-08:00The Marriage Pact by Michelle Richmond<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh1Z4opPmLe16WRnjYPltHrJMn2ZwWKIFsri2avWBrLxit1uidEfN36WdwM1HeyF1D8oDk2LZZ0bHo9UB2pUR4lGKXUin8gebb7X_A7Zp5jN53o8L3HHZMRutE_uA_1p0Yk5FCSdKen5lE/s1600/Marriage+Pact+cover.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="475" data-original-width="313" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh1Z4opPmLe16WRnjYPltHrJMn2ZwWKIFsri2avWBrLxit1uidEfN36WdwM1HeyF1D8oDk2LZZ0bHo9UB2pUR4lGKXUin8gebb7X_A7Zp5jN53o8L3HHZMRutE_uA_1p0Yk5FCSdKen5lE/s200/Marriage+Pact+cover.jpg" width="131" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">A psychological suspense thriller this certainly is. The plot is ridiculously implausible, but okay, it’s fiction, slack must be cut, but I found myself wrestling with its increasing implausibility as it went on.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Jake and Alice are very much in love, and when they marry they're given the most unusual wedding present: membership to a club which ensures their marriage will be long and strong. Seems like a bit of fun, so why not? And they sign on the dotted line. Little do they know, however, that they're signing themselves into a living nightmare.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">The club….’The Pact’…is based on a manual of encyclopaedic proportions listing the dos and donts of marriage. That right there started my cynical clock ticking…some ridiculous rules and regulations. Failure to adhere result in barbaric…and disturbing…punishment. So why don’t Jake and Alice leave, you may ask? One doesn’t. One does not leave The Pact.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">It was very well written…in a style that ensured gripping suspense. There were definitely a few matchstick moments late at night as I eagerly turned the pages, and despite having to suspend disbelief, this isn't far off being a first-rate thriller, but the ending was a let-down. I was niggled by the present-tense narrative of the story; it just didn’t work, and that was endorsed by the inconclusive ending.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Can I recommend it? Despite my misgivings, yes, I think I can. It’s taut, it’s tense and I have to say it’s addictive. Try it and tell me what you think!</span></div>
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hopiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07212064721899300391noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5521585077417239161.post-11521997452622759942017-11-14T20:28:00.005-08:002017-11-14T20:29:07.402-08:00Class Action by Chris James<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: justify;"><tbody>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">This is my second rendezvous with this author, my first with <a href="https://www.download-geek.com/sign-up.html?aff.id=9349">The Second Internet Cafe - Part 1 The Dimension Researche</a>r. My opinion of him then was that he's an excellent and intelligent writer, one who can make you turn pages faster than you ever thought possible. Class Action was, in fact, his debut novel and my goodness, he certainly knew how to make an inaugural splash.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">The story is set in a Warsaw courtroom. A man is in prison for the murder of a young woman, but it falls upon a young Polish litigator, Alex Moreyl, to prove that he committed the murder after seeing a violent film: that a powerful message during the film was relayed to the culprit, telling him to commit the crime. The proof? Advanced technology that enables every thought that’s ever entered a person’s head to be extracted and read. With convincing evidence from an expert in the field, the case looks as if it will be done and dusted in no time. But a catastrophic event throws Alex into a dangerous, ruthless, political battlefield between powerful entities, one in which he almost loses his life and those of his wife and family are in grave danger.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">This is a futuristic thriller, brilliantly written. It’s original and clever; clever, because although the process of compulsory brain scanning is an almost unthinkable eventuality, the events of the political arena and dangers and threats of terrorism, however, are not so far removed from the present day. Technology, it seems, may advance in leaps and bounds, but nothing changes in politics or in the fight for supremacy between major states. This is a book that takes a glimpse into the future but touches base with present-day reality.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Action, intrigue, excitement, thrills, complexity, vision. This book has all those things.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Oh, and authorial genius.</span></div>
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hopiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07212064721899300391noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5521585077417239161.post-51487647558006316602017-11-14T20:16:00.000-08:002017-11-14T20:16:25.884-08:00The Fault in our Stars by John Green<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: justify;"><tbody>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">I had no idea this existed until I realised there was a movie with the same title. I have a golden rule of never watching a movie until I’ve read the book, so decided to get that out of the way. With a host of good reviews on Amazon, I really wanted to see for myself if it lived up to its popularity.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">I’m sure it’s fairly widely known that the story features two terminally ill teenagers (Hazel and Augustus), who meet at a cancer support group. It’s an instant attraction, both mental and physical, and the encounter impacts their (short) lives.</span></div>
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Despite the fact that it’s a little hard to believe the dialogue is coming out of the mouths of sixteen/seventeen-year-olds, the rather excessive use of Capitalized Phrases To Make a Point, and the plot stretching the imagination just a little too far, I really loved this book.</div>
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It’s easy to get into and easy to love the characters without feeling pity for them. It’s a love story, sprinkled with deep sadness and poignancy, but the writing is razor-sharp, witty, humorous, and engaging. I found it hard to put down, hard to accept that it had finished (note to self: read more John Green!) and can’t wait to see the movie.<br />
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</span>hopiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07212064721899300391noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5521585077417239161.post-51177758617129796312017-11-14T19:58:00.001-08:002017-11-14T19:58:52.414-08:00Fleischerhaus by Melissa Bowersock<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhp0bjUozkcLNySTmS0Y5JIbTJvWmCPdjnayoeBw853H4k4s1n6zcSpclJi1uE7aKIBe0tyoEFXBIQM1xUTp_AG4GGtB1GZg_UUsPEpDMbrW71naePPnfigwiYenD0XqHF4gO7l5OA1xTI/s1600/Fleischerhaus+cover.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhp0bjUozkcLNySTmS0Y5JIbTJvWmCPdjnayoeBw853H4k4s1n6zcSpclJi1uE7aKIBe0tyoEFXBIQM1xUTp_AG4GGtB1GZg_UUsPEpDMbrW71naePPnfigwiYenD0XqHF4gO7l5OA1xTI/s1600/Fleischerhaus+cover.jpg" width="129" /></span></a></td></tr>
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This was a superb little package. I really enjoyed it.<br />
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Julia Martin decides a long holiday in Europe, visiting her best friends in Germany, will be just the ticket to help her get over her divorce after her cheating husband’s infidelity. The Bavarian chocolate-box countryside is just what she needs. One afternoon, when out cycling with her friend, they come across a concentration camp. Insignificant in terms of notoriety, but just as significant in terms of the well-known atrocities that took place in such camps. A tour round the museum-converted camp turns out to be a shocking experience for Julia. Horrifyingly, she realises that, in a past life, she was murdered there as a young girl. With the help of her good friends and a very handsome doctor, she tries to unravel the mystery of who murdered her. As the facts slowly reveal themselves, the truth is quite shocking.<br />
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">I don’t believe in the concept that we all have a past-life. As far as I’m concerned, we’re the product of an egg and a sperm, end of. This didn’t make a scrap of difference to my enjoyment of this book, however. It’s a story well told with a balanced mix of elements: the developing relationship between Julia and Theo, the doctor, was tender and endearing and provided a mellow contrast to the horrors of the Holocaust. There are also some surprises: in Julia’s love life and in the outcome of the research into the events of her past life.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">There’s passion and emotion in Melissa’s writing. You can feel it both in the romantic part of the book and in the portrayal of events in a war which will never be forgotten. Talent, indeed.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Highly recommended</span>.<br />
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">See also:</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><a href="https://www.download-geek.com/sign-up.html?aff.id=9349">Stone's Ghost</a></span><br />
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hopiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07212064721899300391noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5521585077417239161.post-24500472938035584102017-11-14T19:51:00.000-08:002017-11-14T19:51:56.878-08:00Bad Spirits by DV Berkom<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: justify;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_evBmQ7E9Ofzz579TQ6IHyO6CEWI5OlGN67Vz7ar470HMVigfznLkdluAmjkzlr5LSHphazLsFAywLAZZdGHoptPg3N2W7eSkMuzgqmzFQ6nQhqDHRDItHgoRK_4EzWVsJHoQq20gMow/s1600/Bad+Spirits+cover.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_evBmQ7E9Ofzz579TQ6IHyO6CEWI5OlGN67Vz7ar470HMVigfznLkdluAmjkzlr5LSHphazLsFAywLAZZdGHoptPg3N2W7eSkMuzgqmzFQ6nQhqDHRDItHgoRK_4EzWVsJHoQq20gMow/s1600/Bad+Spirits+cover.jpg" width="125" /></span></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: small;"><b><a href="https://www.download-geek.com/sign-up.html?aff.id=9349" target="_blank">AMAZON UK</a><br /><a href="https://www.download-geek.com/sign-up.html?aff.id=9349">AMAZON US</a></b></span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">I don’t think Berkom’s books are good for me. They’re way too heart-pounding and action-packed: there’s no sitting back and relaxing while you read her books. It’s edge-of-your-seat, heart-in-your-mouth writing.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Spunky, no-nonsense, alpha-female protagonists are definitely Berkom’s speciality. And Kate Jones certainly fits the description to a T. She’s on the run from not one, but two, ruthless and unscrupulous drug barons. She’s got their money; they want her…preferably dead. Every corner she turns, hoping she’s one step further away from them and one step nearer safety, provides another nail-biting situation from which she has to extricate herself.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Captivating and attention-grabbing from the start, this short story is a mouth-watering appetiser to the following books in this thriller series, which I’ll most certainly be reading. Once I’ve caught my breath, of course.</span></div>
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hopiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07212064721899300391noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5521585077417239161.post-53550342615439489192017-11-14T19:50:00.001-08:002017-11-14T19:50:24.023-08:00Kiss of Night by K. S. Brooks<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: justify;"><tbody>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Kathrin Night is a special agent. Or rather…she was. She is reluctantly…and a little resentfully…forced to relinquish her special-agent duties by an injury. But a gutsy, no-nonsense, rather complex character isn’t the type of person to settle easily into a more relaxed lifestyle. With no choice in the matter, she is landed with a Russian bodyguard. A rather handsome, hunky, chunky, hockey-playing one, at that. How is he going to help her adapt to her new life?</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">I devoured this book rather quickly. It’s short, yes, but it’s so, so easy to get sucked into Kathrin’s life. It was my first encounter with her, and I like her a lot. The book is a sort of prequel and scene-setter for Night Undone, which follows. We learn how she acquired her injury, how she became a special agent, why she had to give it up and all neatly done in just over a hundred and twenty pages. Brooks writes very engagingly with wit and humour, and it was with no difficulty at all that I rushed eagerly over to Night Undone. I wasn’t going to let her go easily.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">An excellent and compelling read</span>.<br />
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hopiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07212064721899300391noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5521585077417239161.post-81328754424300228212017-11-14T19:39:00.000-08:002017-11-14T19:39:32.045-08:00Shadows of Morrow by A. C. Haury<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: justify;"><tbody>
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<h2>
Shadows of Morrow by A. C. Haury</h2>
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This is one of those books that kept making me say out loud, ‘What a shame’. It ticked so many boxes: good plot, check; compelling, check; fast-paced, check; gripping, check. But for every checked box, there was one to uncheck.<br />
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It’s an intriguing story: Catherine Morrow is found dead, in suspicious circumstances, hours after giving birth to her fifth child, Tristan. But this fact is kept from Tristan, who believes her mother left her family. When she discovers the truth, some fifteen years later, she argues with her father. Hours later, she too, goes missing. And so, family secrets are uncovered and revealed, and the family learns of the dangerous obsessions of one disturbed former school friend, one who has never let Catherine or her family out of his grasp.<br />
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">This is a plot with plenty of meat and bones on it. And it does work. I really found myself not being able to put the book down.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">But…sadly, it was seriously let down by lack of, or no, editing. I’m almost convinced this book started life in the present tense, but the author then changed her mind and decided to change to past tense. Unfortunately, the conversion wasn’t thorough enough and there’s a strange and incorrect mix mid-sentence. There’s no end of grammatical errors and spelling mistakes, one or two minor consistencies, and the formatting is erratic with font-size inconsistencies. Nor am I so sure that one small odd chapter in first person pov of a dead person works. This just clouds the virtues of this book, which really saddens me. It could so easily find itself in the five-star-review hall. Everything that’s wrong with this book could be effortlessly fixed, and what I’d like to see in the author’s acknowledgements, alongside her grateful thanks to her family and friends, is a nod of appreciation in the direction of a good editor.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">I can’t deny I enjoyed this book. I really did, and I so regret not being able to award it five stars. Would I recommend it? Yes, but wait until the author has fed it through a vigorous editing process.</span></div>
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hopiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07212064721899300391noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5521585077417239161.post-14160870675999507362017-11-14T19:28:00.002-08:002017-11-14T19:28:34.028-08:00Uncertainty Principles by Krista Tibbs<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
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<h2>
Uncertainty Principles by Krista Tibbs</h2>
This was an original and surprisingly compelling story. Surprisingly to me, that is—the scientific element in the story had me a little worried. The sciences were not my strongest, or even favourite, subject at school, so I thought most of it would go over my head. It didn’t, and as a result I was able to enjoy a very unusual novel.<br />
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Five students team up for a science project, one they need to make a success of, as they want to secure their graduation marks. And so, they find a way to measure atmospheric energy to enable them to estimate the probability of the occurrence of events that are almost certain to be catastrophic. A life-changing incident involving one of the group halts the project. Four members of the team re-assemble nine years later, their memories very fresh still from the abrupt end to their undergraduate project. Each of them is older not just in years, but in wisdom, outlook and responsibility, the inexperience of their youth nine years earlier somewhat dissipated. Their regrouping, it seems, though strained, proves to be vital...if not life-saving.<br />
<b><i>Uncertainty Principles by Krista Tibbs</i></b><br />
I have to say that it did take me a while to work out to whom the first person POV belonged, and I wasn’t always sure when I was in the undergraduate time or the nine-year-later time. However, eventually, everything does fall into place very methodically.<br />
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I enjoyed this <a href="https://novel-secrets.blogspot.com/">book</a>. The five students couldn’t be more unalike, but they’re cleverly juxtapositioned, a bit like an outfit with clashing colours that works well as a whole, and I loved that I really had no idea how this story would roll out. Add to that, intelligent and articulate writing AND—hoorah!!!—excellent editing, and you’ve got a different and top-quality read.
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<br />hopiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07212064721899300391noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5521585077417239161.post-10325799716722449102017-11-14T19:18:00.000-08:002017-11-14T19:18:16.541-08:00Round Robin by Joseph Flynn AudioBook<br />
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Delightful book. Thoroughly enjoyed it. This is a romance, but not your full-on, gushy, hearts-and-flowers-type romance. It’s meaty, solid and robust. And how refreshing not to have a perfect female protagonist with gorgeous long blond/brunette/red hair, perfect eyes, bust measurement and legs up to her armpits. Equally non-perfect is the male protagonist: again, not the sort of hunk you’ve come to expect. Hunky, though, in quite a different way…<br />
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Robin is a bitter, overweight, mouthy woman with bad man-history, who works in a deli delivering as good as she gets, free of charge, along with the sandwiches she serves. She lives alone in a two-storey apartment, the ground floor of which she’s transformed into an indoor ‘park’. Somewhere to sit and reflect and forget. But her ambition to buy the deli from its soon-to-retire owner is becoming financially prohibitive, as it leaves her little cash for money for repairs to her haven. She reluctantly agrees to a live-in handyman: he does the d-i-y in return for lodgings. Enter Manfred. A German ex-powerlifter who’s been in prison for spying.<br />
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Two people both with ‘baggage’, both with demons. But how differently they each deal with it.<br />
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This was very well written (albeit a little rough around the edges editorially). There’s some cracking dialogue, some superb characters, all in a neat well-structured plot. Not a lot of male romance authors around, as far as I know, and I don’t think I’ve read many. But this author certainly nailed it.<br />
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A wonderful read.<br />
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<br />hopiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07212064721899300391noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5521585077417239161.post-6094778314772506892017-11-14T19:14:00.002-08:002017-11-14T19:14:36.886-08:00Branded For Murder by Dick C. Waters<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: justify;"><tbody>
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<h2>
Branded For Murder by Dick C. Waters</h2>
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I so, so wanted to love this book. It promised to satisfy my favourite genre requirements as a crime/thriller/suspense/mystery-type book.<br />
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Set in the sixties, while Scott Tucker is studying at Harvard, his cousin, Jackie, falls victim to a serial killer known as The New England Strangler. Scott manages to get himself on the police team investigating the murders…his way of finding justice for his much-loved cousin. Between studies and crime-busting, he manages to fall in lust with Lisa Anderson, and both come to the conclusion that their future together is pretty much set in stone: they’re made for each other, it seems. A certain strangler, however, has other plans…
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">In essence, a great plot, intensified by red herrings and revenge. In essence, a good cast of characters—the roll-out is well balanced and most of the personae credible. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">But sadly, that’s where the pros end: at the ‘essence’. There were a number of very annoying features: the characters’ incessant habit of referring to each other by name in dialogue exchanges (sometimes three times in a paragraph) was infuriating and unnecessary; the tenses were in a complete mess (was this meant to be in the present or in the past?); apart from the mention of Kennedy’s assassination, there were very few references to the sixties’ era; the dialogue was wooden, stilted and unnatural; I found it hard to believe an undergraduate could so easily be admitted onto a high-profile investigative team, totally unvetted (and manage to make them look utterly stupid); and…editing? Was there any? At least five instances of incorrect its/it’s and inconsistent spellings suggest not.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">I really, really struggled to finish this book. Although the latter twenty-five percent suddenly picked up a pace, I almost gave up at ninety-five percent (unheard of for me). I realised I didn’t care one iota for the characters. That said, with Scott Tucker books two, three and four sitting on my Kindle, I might just have to find out what happens to Scott and Lisa, whether he graduates, and where his future in law enforcement lies.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Difficult to recommend this, unfortunately.</span><br />
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hopiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07212064721899300391noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5521585077417239161.post-62227923123138775372017-11-14T19:08:00.000-08:002017-11-14T19:08:23.670-08:00The One Plus One by Jojo Moyes<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
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<h2>
The One Plus One by Jojo Moyes</h2>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">I’m a good many books away from having read a traditionally published book, so I thought I would dip in, just to see if all those harsh critics of self-published books had any basis for their unfavourable comments. Well, on the basis of this book…they haven’t.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">The One Plus One features Jess, a single mum struggling to support two children after the departure of their father: a mum who wants to do the right thing whatever the circumstances and who wants instil the same ethic in her children. Tanzie is a mathematical child prodigy, and Nicky is taunted by neighbourhood bullies. They're both ‘different’ in their own way, and Jess wants to do her best for both, but a financially unsupportive ex-husband makes life very difficult.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Ed Nicholls is a computer software genius, financially secure with a glowing future—glowing until an error of judgement in some pillow talk rocks his world. Jess and her business partner, Nathalie, clean his house, and her relationship with him is strictly professional, but as it happens, a great deal is about to change</span><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">—</span><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">for him and for her.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">I really did enjoy this. It was a very appealing story with some engaging characters, great dialogue and a drooling dog you just had to adore. It was very easy to climb right inside the story and feel you were part of it all. Jojo is obviously very good at her craft. However, I think she’s spent too much time in the US…whilst the writing is distinctly British, a few very American phrases have crept in, and they stood out like a sore thumb; they just weren’t necessary. I also had to raise my eyebrows at the speed at which a character was attended to in A&E. You don’t just drop in and get treated without waiting for at least two to four hours, I’m afraid.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">What I was surprised…and irritated…by was the standard of editing. One of the main criticisms of the anti-indie community is just that: poor editing. The editor of this book had no idea of comma usage, there was a time and tense discrepancy and annoying font changes…I had to keep changing the font size of my Kindle. So I’m disappointed that a big publisher and this author simply don’t care about standards or their readers. As long as they’re skipping all the way to the bank with their £££s, that’s enough, it seems.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">I do recommend this book, but I have read better-edited self-published books.</span></div>
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hopiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07212064721899300391noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5521585077417239161.post-47383752528399683852017-11-13T10:29:00.000-08:002017-11-13T10:29:24.460-08:00Hot Pursuit by Susanne O'Leary<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">A third ‘Hottie’ by Susanne. (<a href="http://cnkbookreviews.blogspot.co.uk/2013/06/hot-property-by-susanne-oleary.html" target="_blank">Hot Property</a>, <a href="http://cnkbookreviews.blogspot.co.uk/2013/12/hot-gossip-by-susanne-oleary.html" target="_blank">Hot Gossip</a>). And it is a hottie! This time, we’re in the company of Rita, who made an appearance in Hot Gossip.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Lovelorn thirty-something Rita grabs an opportunity to start a new life in Dublin, working for a topnotch hairdressing salon. New life, new job, new friends: will this help her forget the object of her unrequited love? Will it help her forget the memory of a mistake she made as a naive sixteen-year-old? A mistake she feels compelled to right if she is enjoy her new future. She tries her best with the help of the dishy Ricardo, her hairdressing co-worker and Josh, the intrepid war correspondent. One is her lover, the other her best friend. But has she got them the right way round?</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Once again, Susanne hits the spot with this romance. Colourful, interesting and funny characters against the backdrop of the gorgeous Irish countryside are the perfect ingredients for this story. It’s well balanced, the characters natural, the dialogue fluid and fun, and it’s all presented in Susanne’s usual, mellow, warm style.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Easy to read, easy to enjoy and very easy to recommend! Will we be Hotting up again, I wonder?</span></div>
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hopiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07212064721899300391noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5521585077417239161.post-13493678642581936482017-11-13T10:27:00.001-08:002017-11-13T10:27:21.400-08:00Hot Gossip by Susanne O'Leary<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Hot Gossip is the sequel to Hot Property. Susanne has done an outstanding job of enabling it to stand alone, with well-thought-out references to its prequel.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Also set in the beautiful Irish countryside, Hot Gossip features Janine Marchand, a rather enigmatic (and charismatic) young and beautiful Frenchwoman, with an intriguing and colourful past. She seeks to escape the more unsavoury aspects of that past in a small, quaint village in Ireland, backdropped by austere and stunning landscape. Her endeavours to stay incognito are not helped by two men in the village, who are captivated by her, and the daughter of one of them, twelve-year-old Nelia, whose impressionability and somewhat hasty immature actions lead to near tragedy.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">The story weaves expertly back and forth from a heady time in Egypt, back to the sleepy Irish village, the times and events a sharp contrast to each other. As with Hot Property, it’s obvious the fondness O’Leary has for her adopted Ireland: she sells it better than any Lonely Planet guide!</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Janine, Nelia, Jake (the significant other from her time in Egypt), and Mick (Nelia’s father) are all strong, know-their-own-minds characters. Makes for some delightful ‘fireworks’, and it’s wonderful to see Polish Beata and her big-bear husband, Boris, (from Hot Property) making a reappearance.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Wonderfully written, as always by this author, this is a ‘fine romance’</span>.</div>
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hopiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07212064721899300391noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5521585077417239161.post-78410660954457228642017-11-13T10:23:00.000-08:002017-11-13T10:23:01.675-08:00Alchemy by Mike Wood<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: small;"><b><a href="https://www.download-geek.com/download/book/Alchemy.pdf.html?aff.id=9349" target="_blank">ALCHEMY BY MIKE WOOD</a><br /></b></span></td></tr>
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<h2 style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Alchemy by Mike Wood</span></h2>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">The author of this book states in his end 'Credits' that he 'doesn’t honestly like writing'. And yet, he persisted for 346 very long, tedious pages it seems. He also pays tribute to his editor's keen eye for detail. Really? Hmm...<br /><br />‘I had just went…’<br /><br />‘Why don’t you where your shoes?’<br /><br />‘Must of called in sick’<br /><br />‘By dinner time, I had made up my mind to just peddle over there…’<br /><br />‘I might get a peak at the upstairs’</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Aaargh!<br /><br />…to quote just a few from the appallingly long list. There were missing quotation marks, bad grammar, characters starting nearly every sentence with ‘well’, inconsistent spellings. And...plurals are not formed with an apostrophe and an ‘s’. As for punctuation…not quite a ‘Let’s eat Grandma’ example but ‘Be sure to come right in Cammie’ wasn’t far off.<br /><br />If a badly edited book really annoys you, don’t read any further. This book isn’t for you.<br /><br />Editing aside, this book wasn’t for me simply because it was mind-numbingly boring. Al Newman is a fifteen-year-old teen, whose father left the family home one day and never returned. Refusing to believe he simply walked away, Al sets out to explore theories of abduction. He is helped by Cammie, staying in the area with her father for the summer period. Cammie is a beautiful young girl for whom Al falls hook, line and sinker.<br /> <br /> This doesn’t actually get remotely interesting until Al finally learns the truth of his father's disappearance, which is over halfway through. The book could easily have been a hundred pages shorter. The first half overdoes the teenage angst thing while trying to hold your attention with the explanation of Newman Senior’s vanishing act (which I guessed early on).<br /><br />Despite the fact that this practically put me to sleep every night, I stuck it out to the end. I liked Al. I liked his mother. Although the writing isn’t prize-winning stuff, there’s a gentle humour and wit throughout. </span><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">I got the feeling that a lot of the author was in Al...and Wood seems like a nice chap. </span><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">So it does pain me to say that, regrettably, I can't recommend this. I would recommend, however, an editorial overhaul. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">TAG:</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">- Alchemy by Mike Wood</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">- Alchemy by Mike Wood</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">- Alchemy by Mike Wood</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">- Alchemy by Mike Wood</span><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
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hopiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07212064721899300391noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5521585077417239161.post-87843466695113484422017-11-13T10:20:00.000-08:002017-11-13T10:20:21.186-08:00Read Decisions by Jessica L Degarmo<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;"><b><a href="https://www.download-geek.com/download/book/Decisions.pdf.html?aff.id=9349" target="_blank">AMAZON UK</a><br /><a href="https://www.download-geek.com/download/book/Decisions.pdf.html?aff.id=9349" target="_blank">AMAZON US</a></b></span></td></tr>
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<h2>
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Decisions by Jessica L Degarmo</span></h2>
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">A good book if you don't want anything heavy and intricate. It’s very lightweight, predictable, rather one-dimensional…typical chick lit. Having read a book I absolutely did not enjoy and wanted to get out of my head, this was just the tonic.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">It was totally unbelievable: a tyrannical, unethical, violent, controlling dad insists on an arranged marriage for his daughter, Emma, to seal a somewhat dodgy lucrative deal. I had a bit of trouble with that: unless you’re from a culture that insists on arranged marriages, it just doesn’t fit in the twenty-first-century western world. The unfortunate daughter manages to run away with the help of her submissive mother and plots to find someone to marry, thereby throwing her father’s plans completely off track. But the unwitting prey turns out to be rather handsome and just…well…perfect. How on earth can she go through with her plan and upset a good man with an equally good family?</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Read Decisions by Jessica L Degarmo</span></h3>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">The plot had a few holes in it, the long-suffering mother was rather inconsistent (one minute she’s doing her utmost to help her daughter escape, the next she’s insisting that, well, how bad can it be marrying someone you don’t want to?). The father is ghastly beyond belief, and Emma herself is rather bland and, dare I say, a bit stupid. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">But, actually, I found myself looking forward to picking up my Kindle and to the mushy, marshmallowy, happy (not a spoiler, this is chick lit, after all!) ending.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">A perfect holiday read for a lazy, hazy, sunny afternoon on the beach.</span><br />
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hopiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07212064721899300391noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5521585077417239161.post-15581740148448726042017-11-13T10:17:00.000-08:002017-11-13T10:17:33.383-08:00Black Pomegranate by David W. Cowles<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: small;"><b><a href="https://www.download-geek.com/download/book/Black-Pomegranate.pdf.html?aff.id=9349" target="_blank">AMAZON UK</a><br /><a href="https://www.download-geek.com/download/book/Black-Pomegranate.pdf.html?aff.id=9349" target="_blank">AMAZON US</a></b></span></td></tr>
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<h2 style="text-align: left;">
Black Pomegranate by David W. Cowles</h2>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">The plot of this book lacks the same sophistication as its cover, which doesn't scream 'read me', alas. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">And that's a bit of a shame, because the actual writing isn't at all bad. It's rather good, in fact. It’s articulate, fluid, expressive…which I think is what helped me limp along to the end of the book.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Thankfully, though, the plot doesn’t take itself too seriously… the reader shouldn’t either, and you can just about do that until about halfway, at which point, it really gets a little bit silly.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Black Pomegranate by David W. Cowles</span></h3>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">A beautiful, Hispanic student persuades a geeky, nerdy, lanky, unkempt computer lecturer to help her with her studies so that she can save her little South American republic, Granada Negra (Black Pomegranate), from the rebels seeking political power. They make a rather unlikely couple…but well, Beauty and the Beast made a pretty good story, I suppose. But then the detail overstretches the imagination somewhat and what could have been a quirky, albeit totally unlikely, little tale just gets rather ridiculous.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">However, I can’t deny that I enjoyed the style of the writer and I was über, über impressed by the impeccable editing. And I don’t get to say that often about the books I read. I certainly won’t rule out another book by this author.</span><br />
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hopiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07212064721899300391noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5521585077417239161.post-30606098565150837322017-11-13T10:15:00.003-08:002017-11-13T10:15:39.711-08:00Read The Man in the Black Hat by Melissa Bowersock<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: small;"><b><a href="https://www.download-geek.com/download/book/Theman.pdf.html?aff.id=9349" target="_blank">AMAZON UK</a></b><br /><b><a href="https://www.download-geek.com/download/book/Theman.pdf.html?aff.id=9349" target="_blank">AMAZON US</a></b></span></td></tr>
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<h2 style="text-align: left;">
The Man in the Black Hat by Melissa Bowersock</h2>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Ah, the enjoyment-sure experience, courtesy of Ms <a href="https://novel-secrets.blogspot.com/2016/11/read-man-in-black-hat-by-melissa.html">Bowersock</a>, who always manages to put a glint in your eye for her leading man, somehow. It's Clay Bauer this time, an actor who doesn’t have a pretty enough face to get good-guy roles. But, he has bills to pay, so villains it is. After the final shoot at the end of yet another B-rated movie in Sedona, Arizona, he wanders off on his ‘stage’ horse to find the vortices he's heard so much about. He finds himself passing through a vortex to a Sedona a hundred years earlier. </span></div>
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<h3>
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">The Man in the Black Hat by Melissa Bowersock</span></h3>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Having not long read <b>Bowersock’s</b> Being Travis, another time-travel <a href="https://novel-secrets.blogspot.com/2016/11/read-man-in-black-hat-by-melissa.html">novel</a>, I was having a bit of déjà vu. But I should have known that the very talented Ms B would have something up her sleeve. And she did. But I’m not telling, I’m afraid.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Clay’s become a bit Hollywood-superficial, but his experiences in early-twentieth-century Sedona and a certain Ella reveal a warm, caring, decent man, who ultimately makes a decision that turns his life around dramatically. And by ‘around’, I mean…no, sorry, shan’t. Read this and find out. Wonderful.</span><br />
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TAG<br />
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hopiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07212064721899300391noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5521585077417239161.post-14260991789643697242017-11-06T00:03:00.000-08:002017-11-06T00:03:48.220-08:00Life First by R. J. Crayton Book Download<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: justify;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi5gjaWgWIM2Q4HzywygUkEX7fjvJNN4Yk_Ra2pjaM2k0L6GP7iCk0PS2XeBT2uaAfG8AarSYAJShHHIzwaMDBi12c126R5lTfhVDeJSOPRK7eU8r1RWXIVSRM7lfRoasH3RE0eJMburAY/s1600/Cover.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi5gjaWgWIM2Q4HzywygUkEX7fjvJNN4Yk_Ra2pjaM2k0L6GP7iCk0PS2XeBT2uaAfG8AarSYAJShHHIzwaMDBi12c126R5lTfhVDeJSOPRK7eU8r1RWXIVSRM7lfRoasH3RE0eJMburAY/s1600/Cover.jpg" width="125" /></span></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: small;"><b><a href="https://www.download-geek.com/download/book/LifeFirst.pdf.html?aff.id=9349" target="_blank">AMAZON UK</a><br /><a href="https://www.download-geek.com/download/book/LifeFirst.pdf.html?aff.id=9349" target="_blank">AMAZON US</a></b></span></td></tr>
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<h2>
Life First by R. J. Crayton Book Download</h2>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Wow. Just wow.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">There, that’s my review. Can I leave it at that?</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">!!!</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Well, this was my maiden voyage into the dystopian genre. I really struggled with this book…I struggled to find the opportunity to lock myself away for half a day to read it in one sitting!</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">As a dystopian first-timer, I really wasn’t sure what to expect, but I was hooked from the first page. The story is set in post-pandemic America, a hundred years in the future, in which the twenty percent of survivors are obliged to donate organs when ordered to do so. Kelsey Reed does not want to donate her kidney: she must flee before she’s under the surgeon’s scalpel, but escape isn’t easy, when first, she has to extricate the tracking chip in her arm. She is helped by a doctor, who treated her mother just before she died and who feels obliged to look after Kelsey, and her boyfriend, Luke. Her escape has to be successful: to fail will result in heinous consequences.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">I’ll admit to not being a great fan of present-tense novels, but this was so well written, the characters so well drawn, I barely noticed. It’s packed with tense moments, gripping moments, tender moments. The unexpected jumps out from behind a door, and there you are, unable to turn the pages fast enough.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Brilliant.</span></div>
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hopiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07212064721899300391noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5521585077417239161.post-39059061689767924312017-11-06T00:02:00.001-08:002017-11-06T00:02:20.113-08:00Circle in the Sand by Lia Fairchild Download<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: justify;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhWQtXyQGjbLrIHgVA3wm6MXINQ-1SRun9LTOhGZtVNuAiRGwpAgiQifNuxyclkuAZG-XciHfAURYa9Hott9sMuM2KZnhHIs4mNfmGTrAkNmfCkU9TLza-2nAXxZ63kBzYwr1FISUco_bM/s1600/Cover.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhWQtXyQGjbLrIHgVA3wm6MXINQ-1SRun9LTOhGZtVNuAiRGwpAgiQifNuxyclkuAZG-XciHfAURYa9Hott9sMuM2KZnhHIs4mNfmGTrAkNmfCkU9TLza-2nAXxZ63kBzYwr1FISUco_bM/s1600/Cover.jpg" width="133" /></span></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><b><a href="https://www.download-geek.com/download/book/CircleintheSand.pdf.html?aff.id=9349">AMAZON UK</a><br /><a href="https://www.download-geek.com/download/book/CircleintheSand.pdf.html?aff.id=9349">AMAZON US</a></b></span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">I’m no stranger to Lia’s writing. She’s a multi-faceted writer who can turn her hand to contemporary fiction, crime thrillers, chick lit and short stories.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Circle in the Sand by Lia Fairchild Download</span></h2>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">This was a story about four people, bound by a long-standing friendship, a friendship that's tight and unbreakable. Adulthood and circumstances has meant four very different paths have been followed, but the binds that tie can never be broken. The four are Jax, Sage and twins Emily and Ned. We catch up with them at a time when each has reached a turning point in his/her life: there are decisions to be made, lifestyles to examine, careers to change…and needs to be met.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">What I liked about this novel was that while the skeleton of the story is unremarkable, Lia’s perspicacity and insight present four friends who bring the whole thing to life. Four very diverse characters, each likeable for different reasons. Each has depth and different perspectives on life. There’s a feeling of warmth throughout and you are cocooned in a glow as you read this is; no matter what happens or what gets in the way of bringing the four together, the bond of their friendship is unbreakable.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">This is a feel-good and satisfying story, beautifully written.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">See also:</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><a href="https://novel-secrets.blogspot.com/">A Hint of Murder: The Bouncer</a></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><a href="https://novel-secrets.blogspot.com/">A Hint of Murder: The Doctor</a></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><a href="https://novel-secrets.blogspot.com/">A Hint of Murder: The Writer</a></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><a href="https://novel-secrets.blogspot.com/">In Search of Lucy</a></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Circle in the Sand by Lia Fairchild Download</span></h3>
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hopiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07212064721899300391noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5521585077417239161.post-32436911590291575392017-11-05T23:58:00.002-08:002017-11-05T23:58:25.777-08:00Ebook Torn by Gilli Allan<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: justify;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEju4bG4L73kzpyg6z1kWyQtTzO3uqnfFG4-sAi1Qhl4Phnu7TtOEOlHGaJiT5liU59CXKAoxrRqgfe3HOCfD5UED-cX71689DPM27K6WvKVEU8T_9gXzf0SOnYxD57fNyxaYon1ownfaEY/s1600/Cover.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEju4bG4L73kzpyg6z1kWyQtTzO3uqnfFG4-sAi1Qhl4Phnu7TtOEOlHGaJiT5liU59CXKAoxrRqgfe3HOCfD5UED-cX71689DPM27K6WvKVEU8T_9gXzf0SOnYxD57fNyxaYon1ownfaEY/s200/Cover.jpg" width="136" /></span></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: small;"><b><a href="https://www.download-geek.com/download/book/Torn.pdf.html?aff.id=9349" target="_blank">AMAZON UK</a><br /><a href="https://www.download-geek.com/download/book/Torn.pdf.html?aff.id=9349" target="_blank">AMAZON US</a></b></span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">I’m often teased for my dogged determination to finish every book I start, regardless of its quality. Had I been the sort of person to discard a book at the early stages because it wasn’t grabbing me, this might have been one such book. At the beginning, I couldn’t engage with the main character, Jess—a fast-living, good-time girl with a young son of indeterminate paternity. I'm so glad I have a ‘read-it-at-all costs’ policy! This turned out to be a romance with attitude and gumption, and I found myself page-turning frantically.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">With a three-year-old young son, father unknown—the product of alcohol- and drug-fuelled free living, Jess finds herself fleeing her abusive boyfriend, taking refuge in rural England. Her old habits die hard and she finds herself boomeranging between a young ‘eco-warrier’ and a ‘gentleman’ farmer. Two men, completely different, both with their own ‘baggage’ and crosses to bear. She loves both. She knows one is unsuitable and the other perfect husband material. She is torn.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Allan brings the three main characters to life vividly. Actually, she brings all her characters to life. They are superbly drawn, and I had a clear picture of all of them. Allan didn’t make me work hard to imagine them. Her research, too, was in-depth and meticulous. There are many references to and scenes involving farming practices. Far from blinding me with science, they were described in just enough detail to set the stage, but fascinating at the same time.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">I didn’t like Jess at first, but she grew on me, despite her questionable morals. She knows her own mind, is strong, focussed, and determined. Her choices aren’t obvious. And that’s what I liked about this romance: there was no predictability about it. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Unfortunately, I had an issue with the editing, or rather lack of it. It was obviously self-edited, and it was littered with innumerable errors, some wayward tenses and the dreaded homophone it’s/its. Too many errors for me to be able to give this five stars, regrettably. It’s such a shame when the standard of writing isn’t matched by the standard of editing.</span><br />
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hopiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07212064721899300391noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5521585077417239161.post-8049284376473958552017-11-05T23:56:00.000-08:002017-11-05T23:56:39.634-08:00Ebook Inside Job by John Morris<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: justify;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgtnBix6lW3Dkrf-RMjE-Qtzxh9k3aSG79uooJsKzFjzkiDxYx9aEMKMEk8ppcroegxo6qr3dfILdQLQ4L61c_77qWKbzD7RTtcCix-Zcl_h8R1rpN9CNFZkbT63MqBUkuzyDyU4N-Iuc8/s1600/Cover.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgtnBix6lW3Dkrf-RMjE-Qtzxh9k3aSG79uooJsKzFjzkiDxYx9aEMKMEk8ppcroegxo6qr3dfILdQLQ4L61c_77qWKbzD7RTtcCix-Zcl_h8R1rpN9CNFZkbT63MqBUkuzyDyU4N-Iuc8/s200/Cover.jpg" width="145" /></span></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: small;"><b><a href="https://www.download-geek.com/download/book/InsideJob.pdf.html?aff.id=9349" target="_blank">AMAZON UK</a><br /><a href="https://www.download-geek.com/download/book/InsideJob.pdf.html?aff.id=9349" target="_blank">AMAZON US</a></b></span></td></tr>
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<h2>
Inside Job by John Morris</h2>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">A promising story: Martin, a young, successful, city man, kicks off his weekend on a Friday night by inviting a young woman, Louise, back to his place after meeting her in a bar. It seems to have all gone horribly wrong when he is greeted by a bloody scene in his kitchen the next morning and a very dead Louise. Panic and fear drive him to pack a suitcase and leave for a destination as far away as possible—South Africa. The flight not only gives him distance from the tragedy, but another female interest in the form of Natasha. Things pan out for a short while for Martin until the law catches up with him. The law and someone else far more fearsome than any detective…</span></div>
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Inside Job by John Morris</h3>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Alas, the writing lets down the potential of the plot for a number of reasons: poor grammar, poor punctuation, all telling and no showing, inconsistencies, and flat, bland, undeveloped characters, who lacked any oomph or likeability. Such a shame, because this has thriller quality and plenty of good material for a captivating read. With some developmental editing, along with some good copy-editing and proofreading, this will be a good book. At the moment, it’s just a tad raw and needs a bit of TLC.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">I can’t say I didn’t enjoy it because I anticipated a climactic end, and I wasn’t disappointed. Despite what lets it down, it was compelling, and I did turn the last page with a modicum of satisfaction.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"></span>hopiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07212064721899300391noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5521585077417239161.post-17383504332299863422017-11-05T23:54:00.000-08:002017-11-05T23:54:16.445-08:00Ebook Don't Tell Anyone by Laurie Boris<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: justify;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhchUkex92qxA3LH_S4TY9_yJdCu0CzmZJis9oObyydk3UsqvMoXLvubXj3Wxm5NRffSQVtOXg_DQu4kPFrbTYNO4D2Rb3d1kZrCPNpA3GMOD3G9TMtePo4HIRTMeE6VUfv77005U83L60/s1600/Don't%2BTell%2BAnyone%2Bcover.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhchUkex92qxA3LH_S4TY9_yJdCu0CzmZJis9oObyydk3UsqvMoXLvubXj3Wxm5NRffSQVtOXg_DQu4kPFrbTYNO4D2Rb3d1kZrCPNpA3GMOD3G9TMtePo4HIRTMeE6VUfv77005U83L60/s1600/Don't%2BTell%2BAnyone%2Bcover.jpg" width="134" /></span></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: small;"><b><a href="https://www.download-geek.com/download/book/LaurieBoris.pdf.html?aff.id=9349" target="_blank">AMAZON UK</a><br /><a href="https://www.download-geek.com/download/book/LaurieBoris.pdf.html?aff.id=9349" target="_blank">AMAZON US</a></b></span></td></tr>
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<h2>
Ebook Don't Tell Anyone by Laurie Boris</h2>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Thank goodness for authors like <a href="https://novel-secrets.blogspot.com/2017/11/ebook-dont-tell-anyone-by-laurie-boris.html">Laurie Boris</a>. She reminds me that the indie-author world is, mercifully, populated by some topnotch authors (a recent read exasperated me somewhat!). Think of when you’ve had an absolutely rotten day at work, you’ve lost the heel off your shoe, a hideous journey home and it’s still only Monday, but you get home, put the fire on, put your feet up, pour a glass of wine and enjoy a TV dinner. That ghastly day you’ve had fades away, and all is good with the world once again.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">That’s how I feel when I pick up a book by Laurie. I get that 'aaaaaaah' feeling. Invariably, she ticks all the boxes:</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">I'm hooked on page one.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">The characters are immaculately drawn and defined.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">The story neatly structured.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Her writing is faultless.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">The editing exemplary.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">...all round excellence, in fact.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">This <b>book</b> doesn’t stray from the path of superiority, I've become accustomed to with this author. It’s a story about a woman with a terminal illness. A woman whose two sons and daughter-in-law find out accidentally. Apart from the unanswered questions why they were not told earlier about this distressing news, the issue opens a Pandora’s box of secrets, lies and unspoken emotions. Three people whose lives were ambling along in an okayish, bordering on mediocre, way, suddenly find they’re walking on a tightrope of relationships. The tensions build as the reader learns whether the truth and revelations see them falling off or reaching the other side.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Along with the impeccable character portrayal and beautifully conceived story…poignant, sad, shocking even…Laurie manages to mix in a little, but perfectly balanced, humour. The result? A five-star book.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Ebook Don't Tell Anyone by Laurie Boris</span></h3>
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hopiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07212064721899300391noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5521585077417239161.post-49476993171566028442017-11-05T07:10:00.002-08:002017-11-05T07:10:22.749-08:00Daedalian Muse by Jamie Crothall Download<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgjsQxBeRufDnGd0zPcG_jTb9cS6rL1sjNsb2nhyphenhyphenY8MgkWBLTbvVZF1l4VW3d7bj11Mur-EnzZHRzppGJ79Y8BsXuoBaE1JyuTl1tb0ntrHFP1m7fjbxjo1J66j-Gj-iNCKLY5h2KIOw68/s1600/Cover.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgjsQxBeRufDnGd0zPcG_jTb9cS6rL1sjNsb2nhyphenhyphenY8MgkWBLTbvVZF1l4VW3d7bj11Mur-EnzZHRzppGJ79Y8BsXuoBaE1JyuTl1tb0ntrHFP1m7fjbxjo1J66j-Gj-iNCKLY5h2KIOw68/s200/Cover.jpg" width="157" /></span></a></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Daedalian Muse by Jamie Crothall</span></h2>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">This was rather quirky and a lot of fun. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Tempus Fugit is, in his own words, “an independent agent in the investigation of scientific anomalies” and believes ghosts and goblins have no place in our “ever-so-tangible world, as all have valid and reasonable explanations.”</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Tempus is called in to investigate some rather perplexing occurrences in the ruins of a building in a rural English village. Preferring to use his scientific logic to explain events, Tempus does his best to dispel the conception that the ruins are haunted. He firmly believes the truth is often cast aside, because fantasy is so much more attractive. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">However, even an expert of his calibre, can find himself everso slightly out of his depth…</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Tempus is almost a victim of his name: time has passed him by, and he hasn’t quite caught up with modern day morals or technology. He really is a bit of an oddball, but he finds an unlikely ally in a teenager, wise beyond her years, who assists him with his strange assignment. There are some humorous moments provided by his encounter with a young lady with a voracious sexual appetite and his rather quaint interpretation of ‘homosexual’.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">This doesn’t take long to read. There’s a lovely mix of characters, a dollop of eccentricity, and the author has an intelligent style of writing that doesn’t pretend to be supercilious or condescending.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Great fun.</span><br />
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<h3 style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Daedalian Muse by Jamie Crothall</span></h3>
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hopiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07212064721899300391noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5521585077417239161.post-82956812846494075702017-11-05T07:08:00.001-08:002017-11-05T07:08:07.395-08:00The High Sky of Winter's Shadows by W. Jack Savage<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgL6Y1jiXP-_305C8afgVMaGWQcROk8bwFNbQVLGAUOLoVlYzOB-dFETPGSGiqkhYdYBAAuKW0z2sMrzbr1A2xKpvHH8kKmee5BeYDMPZGOJjzrZkDauljZxL3bM2HU6L3G5ZGxj7bRMVQ/s1600/Cover.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgL6Y1jiXP-_305C8afgVMaGWQcROk8bwFNbQVLGAUOLoVlYzOB-dFETPGSGiqkhYdYBAAuKW0z2sMrzbr1A2xKpvHH8kKmee5BeYDMPZGOJjzrZkDauljZxL3bM2HU6L3G5ZGxj7bRMVQ/s200/Cover.jpg" width="133" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: small;"><b><a href="https://www.download-geek.com/download/book/JackSavage.pdf.html?aff.id=9349" target="_blank">AMAZON UK</a><br /><a href="https://www.download-geek.com/download/book/JackSavage.pdf.html?aff.id=9349" target="_blank">AMAZON US</a></b></span></td></tr>
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<h2>
The High Sky of Winter's Shadows by W. Jack Savage</h2>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">This was an a nice little diversion off the fiction road: a collection of short anecdotal essays on…just about everything. Experiences, thoughts, ideas, emotions, lessons learnt, relationships, school years. Anything that’s helped (or not) to build the character of a sixty-something-year-old. </span></div>
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<h3>
The High Sky of Winter's Shadows by W. Jack Savage</h3>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Savage, by his own admission has had a bit of a helter-skelter life as a hippie, an artist, writer, broadcaster, a husband and dad, a Vietnam veteran.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">There are all sorts of musings: his memory is elephantine. If I could retain a nano-atom of what he can, I’d be happy. There are hints that he’s sometimes scraped through life by the skin of his teeth and hasn’t always liked himself. But he’s found a place and time in his life where he’s comfortable with who he is. Life has moulded him.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">I wouldn’t say these essays are how-tos, but because of the sincerity and honesty in which they’re written, they’re very definitely interesting and thought-provoking. By the end, I felt as if I’d spent a cosy afternoon in a café, chatting to an old friend about the rights and wrongs of the world, people, and life in general.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Very refreshing</span>.<br />
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<br />hopiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07212064721899300391noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5521585077417239161.post-17862522422481606132017-11-05T07:06:00.000-08:002017-11-05T07:06:09.291-08:00Sia by Josh Grayson <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgLWlUgB9E764OZYv5Ui_d-OS9_fCF6XPCaWF1CCCXxWxYQ4OQuWOvDEjhsnFOHY7ro7RWqY-4ZXxd8gb2Z1C5vLw4Y892rBNsbiTX3GvvnnFiDyw-O3cUPGH0co3QWvmmNjYf7BAWDrPU/s1600/Cover.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgLWlUgB9E764OZYv5Ui_d-OS9_fCF6XPCaWF1CCCXxWxYQ4OQuWOvDEjhsnFOHY7ro7RWqY-4ZXxd8gb2Z1C5vLw4Y892rBNsbiTX3GvvnnFiDyw-O3cUPGH0co3QWvmmNjYf7BAWDrPU/s200/Cover.jpg" width="133" /></a></div>
<h3>
Sia by Josh Grayson </h3>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">This YA novel was <b>Josh Grayson’s</b> debut, and it is with pleasure I can say it delivered on all fronts: it’s well written, compelling, well conceived and structured, and…joy of all joys, immaculately edited. Well done, Josh.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Seventeen-year-old Sia wakes up on a park bench with absolutely no idea how she got there, but worse still, with no idea who she is. After a week ‘on the streets’, she finds herself back in the bosom of her family, diagnosed with ‘fugue amnesia’. Whilst she waits for her memory to return, she discovers her family is extraordinarily wealthy and she was part of a group of girls who tormented those less well endowed with money or looks. She also had the best-looking boy in the school as a boyfriend. Her amnesia makes her a different person. A rather amiable, considerate, compassionate one: the complete antithesis of her ‘former’ self. She finds she likes this person, but fears once her memory returns she will be the arrogant, unfeeling, shallow Sia.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">This is a voyage of self-discovery and along the way Sia finds that wealth and looks aren’t everything. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">The plot was simple and uncomplicated, but the message was meaningful: sometimes you are forced to look at your life and priorities, and adjustments are often for the better. I cared for Sia from the start: her fate was by no means predictable. The person she used to be was not a likeable one, but she was almost a victim of circumstance, pathetic even. The post-amnesia person is who you root for, and Grayson keeps the story sharp and focussed till the end. An extremely promising debut <b>novel</b>.</span><br />
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hopiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07212064721899300391noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5521585077417239161.post-26985607053749784242017-11-05T07:04:00.001-08:002017-11-05T07:04:48.125-08:00Sliding Past Vertical by Laurie Boris<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: justify;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhY_vHUyInSAUkhFds0V9Cv1o2aRPsYvOlNSLa7JJ9GJwJiaIl4bxhbjn4At-ms2kLGVL5FkMXbwpjODYQDeY4mUDAjaRjHG1ISiRsv8NJBOR-PXekhHbm0caHqMIhTYORDGx6mz7LwBDk/s1600/Cover.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhY_vHUyInSAUkhFds0V9Cv1o2aRPsYvOlNSLa7JJ9GJwJiaIl4bxhbjn4At-ms2kLGVL5FkMXbwpjODYQDeY4mUDAjaRjHG1ISiRsv8NJBOR-PXekhHbm0caHqMIhTYORDGx6mz7LwBDk/s200/Cover.jpg" width="128" /></span></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: small;"><b><a href="https://www.download-geek.com/download/book/LaurieBoris.pdf.html?aff.id=9349" target="_blank">AMAZON UK</a><br /><a href="https://www.download-geek.com/download/book/LaurieBoris.pdf.html?aff.id=9349" target="_blank">AMAZON US</a></b></span></td></tr>
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<h3>
Sliding Past Vertical by Laurie Boris</h3>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">And another winner by <b>Laurie Boris</b>.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Who, out of Sarah, Emerson, and Rashid, will surface </span><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">unscathed </span><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">from their pools of unfortunate choices, wrong decisions, and tragedy?</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">If you’re thinking, goodness, am I going to enjoy a book which seems to be tinged with doom and gloom, let me assure you right now, yes, you will.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">When Sarah finally fleas the evils of her latest unsuitable partner, she heads for the only place she knows she will find solace. Her dear friend, Emerson, whom she met at college, years before. They fell in love. <i>She</i> fell out of love. Or did she? Emerson, however, never stopped loving her and could only stand by while she made endless disastrous choices of subsequent partners. Good old Emerson. Always there for her, always supporting her, always Emerson. His mundane job in an old people’s home is supplemented by his writing of ‘those’ sorts of stories for a men’s magazine, which in turn supplements his aspirations to become a serious writer. If only Sarah could always be around.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Rashid is his housemate. A brilliant researcher from India, constrained by the rigours of his culture. A constraint which ultimately threatens to break the tenable link between the three.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Once again, Laurie throws every last drop of emotion and credibility into her characters. What emerge are people, not characters. They’re real. You want to reach out to them and say ‘No! Please! Don’t do that!’ You feel you know them, you care about them, and want to help them.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">It’s an intense <b>novel</b> that sucks you in from the start and doesn’t let you go until the final word. Excellent.</span></div>
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hopiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07212064721899300391noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5521585077417239161.post-41676732093456079752017-11-05T07:03:00.000-08:002017-11-05T07:03:01.171-08:00Devil's Brae by Faith Mortimer<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_p6VZR4OoHznfit1mvQlVg4M19uZ-JD3w7uTeoQhGCsITG6wWSN7o_v8HD93tipv3UJYK_fhrQtY2WBimNre-n-G7GKgudc-y04e0OAcq4frkNsVGo9A-lx-CuRnu0_1Cch-fl2Pi3PI/s1600/Devil's+Brae+pic.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_p6VZR4OoHznfit1mvQlVg4M19uZ-JD3w7uTeoQhGCsITG6wWSN7o_v8HD93tipv3UJYK_fhrQtY2WBimNre-n-G7GKgudc-y04e0OAcq4frkNsVGo9A-lx-CuRnu0_1Cch-fl2Pi3PI/s200/Devil's+Brae+pic.jpg" width="135" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: small;"><b><a href="https://www.download-geek.com/download/book/Brae.pdf.html?aff.id=9349" target="_blank">AMAZON UK</a><br /><a href="https://www.download-geek.com/download/book/Brae.pdf.html?aff.id=9349" target="_blank">AMAZON US</a></b></span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Devil's Brae by Faith Mortimer</span></h3>
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Faith is a seasoned mystery writer and has penned the successful Diana Rivers’ mysteries. Psychological thrillers are most certainly going to become another string to her bow. </span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><b>Devil’s Brae</b> is set in the Highlands of Scotland. A cold, mountain-dominated area of wild beauty. Its remoteness provides the perfect solution for Cassandra Potter to recover from the sudden death of Sarah, the older sister she had just come to know. What could be better than throwing herself into renovating the cottage she had inherited from Sarah, perhaps getting a dog, and giving herself time to think with plenty of fresh air and exercise? But what seems to her like the perfect solution is thrown off kilter: the reception from her village neighbours isn’t as warm as she would have liked. An insularity which borders on contempt shatters her hopes for her own recovery. She suddenly finds herself in a maze of secrets: not just those of her mysterious neighbours, but of Sarah and her own family. Worse, why does she keep seeing a dark, brooding, sinister figure on the moors? Why do strange things keep happening to her new home? Does someone want her out of the house and out of the village?</span></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Taut with suspense, <b>this book</b>, written in Faith’s usual clean and crisp style, will have you page-turning addictively, right to the very end. The majesty of the unforgiving Scottish 'braes' is the ideal theatre for the tension, and I enjoyed the smidgen of romance</span></span><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "comic sans ms"; font-size: 11.0pt;">—</span><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">in the form of handsome Angus</span><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "comic sans ms"; font-size: 11.0pt;">—</span><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">that softens the jagged edges of menace in the story. </span><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"> </span><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">It’s with some delight I saw that the title included the words 'Dark Minds 1'.</span><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"> </span><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">That means No. 2 must be in the offing.</span><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"> </span><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">I can’t wait.</span><br />
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hopiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07212064721899300391noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5521585077417239161.post-47109308466829246992017-11-05T07:01:00.001-08:002017-11-05T07:01:10.769-08:00Broken Promises by Joe Perrone Jr.<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: justify;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiqQWtk72Io1f1eGgaI7pOaYOJYwU4NwUrW4Dy0VWu91OVgd6LCBchyphenhyphenXFe3I_pW0gFCv6AJmST-yKr_5dd1ADOJb_kOqzVPAe8EE_A6zFIFcAou_x3WUORJRECjFfXx4KFmbnR71Cn6zOI/s1600/Cover.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiqQWtk72Io1f1eGgaI7pOaYOJYwU4NwUrW4Dy0VWu91OVgd6LCBchyphenhyphenXFe3I_pW0gFCv6AJmST-yKr_5dd1ADOJb_kOqzVPAe8EE_A6zFIFcAou_x3WUORJRECjFfXx4KFmbnR71Cn6zOI/s200/Cover.jpg" width="137" /></span></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: small;"><b><a href="https://www.download-geek.com/download/book/BrokenPromisses.pdf.html?aff.id=9349" target="_blank">AMAZON UK</a><br /><a href="https://www.download-geek.com/download/book/BrokenPromisses.pdf.html?aff.id=9349" target="_blank">AMAZON US</a></b></span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">I do love crime thrillers…in any form, whether they’re books, movies, or TV shows. I especially like crime thrillers with a recurring main character, e.g. the crime-busting detective/private eye. S/he may be a bad-tempered maverick (à la House), or s/he may be shabbily lovable (à la Colombo): either way, if s/he captivates me, I’ll be sure to read/watch subsequent adventures.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Matt Davies is one such character: he’s dedicated, gets the job done, but he’s compassionate and…well, just an all-round jolly good chap. If ever I was to have to be arrested, I think I’d want it to be by him!</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">In this novel, Matt has to get to the bottom of the tragic murder of a much-loved and well-respected elderly lady. A slightly confused elderly lady, who finds herself in the wrong place at the very wrong time. It’s a murder that shocks the Roscoe community. It’s senselessness motivates Matt even more to find out who her killer is, but he desperately short of clues and evidence.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Perrone once again pulls off not only combining first and third povs, but present and past tenses. It works brilliantly. The chapters are clearly titled, so you are never in any doubt where you are or who you are ‘with’. Matt’s private life is subtly intertwined with the task at hand (finding out who would murder such a harmless old lady and why) and is what enriches his character: he’s a thoroughly nice bloke.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">There’s an interesting little diversion with Roscoe’s community matters: in this instance the opposition to wind farms. As with <a href="http://cnkbookreviews.blogspot.co.uk/2013/07/twice-bitten-by-joe-perrone-jr.html" target="_blank">Twice Bitten</a> by this author, all loose ends are neatly tied up. A thoroughly enjoyable book, and I'm a devoted Matt Davis fan</span>.<br />
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hopiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07212064721899300391noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5521585077417239161.post-28335060872070533892017-11-05T06:59:00.001-08:002017-11-05T06:59:29.675-08:00Such is Life by Jeri Walker-Bickett<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: justify;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgyLem_FLY3bSEpMKLWW4XWkvUwWA1jpKpCK1gnYt6hMfnBtgZIRDyxUDJYGi0VJTRDuoDY9_Vq3ZnLOUGK4qDNgSCZk8FfZdc7zYiH2LTE2yRhltUjix_APrifeWt-uJffZ754rLU55lY/s1600/Such+is+Life+cover.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgyLem_FLY3bSEpMKLWW4XWkvUwWA1jpKpCK1gnYt6hMfnBtgZIRDyxUDJYGi0VJTRDuoDY9_Vq3ZnLOUGK4qDNgSCZk8FfZdc7zYiH2LTE2yRhltUjix_APrifeWt-uJffZ754rLU55lY/s200/Such+is+Life+cover.jpg" width="133" /></span></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: small;"><b><a href="https://www.download-geek.com/download/book/jeriwalker.html?aff.id=9349" target="_blank">AMAZON UK</a><br /><a href="https://www.download-geek.com/download/book/jeriwalker.html?aff.id=9349" target="_blank">AMAZON US</a></b></span></td></tr>
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<h3>
Such is Life by Jeri Walker-Bickett</h3>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">This was an unusual collection of five short stories. Unusual, I thought, because though fictional, they reflect very real situations.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">I seem to find a collection of short stories invariably contains one I like the most and one which stays with me for one reason or another. The teacher story (Not Terribly Important) was my favourite (was it auto-biographical, I wonder?), and the most unsettling was the dog story (For The Love Of Dog). I almost wish I hadn’t read that one. As a hopelessly besotted animal lover, I did find it disturbing…be warned!</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">A creative-writing teacher is an author (when not teaching), who self-publishes a novel. But her students’ parents are unhappy with its contents. The teacher and principle clash over the issue, and the teacher finds herself with a decision to make: does she follow her heart and pursue her passion or relent to narrow-mindedness?</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">What do you do with a poorly trained pet dog which has been mistreated and as a consequence knows no better and behaves aggressively? His owners clash over his future: the bully of a husband is adamant the dog's life has to end…by whatever means. His wife has more heart, but fears her husband. She needs a solution quickly.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">The remaining three stories feature: </span></div>
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<li><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">An encounter in a launderette between a young man and woman, neither of whom have managed to fulfil their long-held ambitions and ended on a drifting path. <i>Her </i>intentions to continue along that path may just inspire <i>him </i>to do something about his own.</span></li>
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<li><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">A young mother and wife with mental problems is constantly in and out of hospital. Her problem is that she’s trapped in a revolving door of mindnumbness if she takes her pills, but without them her lucidity is crippled with pyschosis. On one particular day of torment she takes a stroll…</span></li>
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<li><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">A man who works in a carnival picks up a young student. The inevitable happens. But this rolling stone doesn’t reckon on a female take-it-or-leave version of himself.</span></li>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">This author has compiled a set of stories which are well written, well observed, and thought-provoking. The stories don’t necessarily end as you might expect because…well, that’s life. Most enjoyable.</span><br />
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hopiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07212064721899300391noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5521585077417239161.post-15839778699673176082017-11-05T06:47:00.000-08:002017-11-05T06:47:10.888-08:00Ask your characters<b style="background-color: white; font-family: Georgia, Utopia, "Palatino Linotype", Palatino, serif; font-size: 17.6px;">In the course of reading a popular novel recently, I stumbled on an exciting new method of fleshing out characters AND improving your plot. Character interviews.</b><br style="background-color: white; font-family: Georgia, Utopia, "Palatino Linotype", Palatino, serif; font-size: 17.6px;" /><span style="background-color: white; font-family: Georgia, Utopia, "Palatino Linotype", Palatino, serif; font-size: 17.6px;">Not the old "How old are you?" interviews we've used to </span><b style="background-color: white; font-family: Georgia, Utopia, "Palatino Linotype", Palatino, serif; font-size: 17.6px;">develop</b><span style="background-color: white; font-family: Georgia, Utopia, "Palatino Linotype", Palatino, serif; font-size: 17.6px;"> characters. These interviews with characters are </span><b style="background-color: white; font-family: Georgia, Utopia, "Palatino Linotype", Palatino, serif; font-size: 17.6px;">about</b><span style="background-color: white; font-family: Georgia, Utopia, "Palatino Linotype", Palatino, serif; font-size: 17.6px;"> the </span><b style="background-color: white; font-family: Georgia, Utopia, "Palatino Linotype", Palatino, serif; font-size: 17.6px;">story</b><span style="background-color: white; font-family: Georgia, Utopia, "Palatino Linotype", Palatino, serif; font-size: 17.6px;">.</span><br style="background-color: white; font-family: Georgia, Utopia, "Palatino Linotype", Palatino, serif; font-size: 17.6px;" /><span style="background-color: white; font-family: Georgia, Utopia, "Palatino Linotype", Palatino, serif; font-size: 17.6px;">Years ago, I remember reading </span><a class="zem_slink" href="http://web.archive.org/web/20160331152329/http://www.joycemaynard.com/" rel="homepage" style="background-color: white; color: red; font-family: Georgia, Utopia, "Palatino Linotype", Palatino, serif; font-size: 17.6px; text-decoration-line: none;" target="_blank" title="Joyce Maynard">Joyce Maynard</a><span style="background-color: white; font-family: Georgia, Utopia, "Palatino Linotype", Palatino, serif; font-size: 17.6px;">'s </span><a class="zem_slink" href="http://web.archive.org/web/20160331152329/http://www.amazon.com/Die-Joyce-Maynard/dp/0595269397%3FSubscriptionId%3D0G81C5DAZ03ZR9WH9X82%26tag%3Dzem-20%26linkCode%3Dxm2%26camp%3D2025%26creative%3D165953%26creativeASIN%3D0595269397" rel="amazon" style="background-color: white; color: red; font-family: Georgia, Utopia, "Palatino Linotype", Palatino, serif; font-size: 17.6px; text-decoration-line: none;" target="_blank" title="To Die For">TO DIE FOR</a><span style="background-color: white; font-family: Georgia, Utopia, "Palatino Linotype", Palatino, serif; font-size: 17.6px;"> (Signet PB $5.99) because the book is told in a series of first-person chapters from the viewpoint of about a dozen different characters.</span><br style="background-color: white; font-family: Georgia, Utopia, "Palatino Linotype", Palatino, serif; font-size: 17.6px;" /><br />
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<a href="http://web.archive.org/web/20160331152329/http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-mqLat-kiQz8/VWpPXSCAdEI/AAAAAAAATvo/YGWSsGDDQeQ/s1600/2000%2Becu%2Breissue%2Bw%2Bbleed.jpg" style="clear: left; color: red; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-decoration-line: none;"><br /></a><a href="http://web.archive.org/web/20160331152329/http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-mqLat-kiQz8/VWpPXSCAdEI/AAAAAAAATvo/YGWSsGDDQeQ/s1600/2000%2Becu%2Breissue%2Bw%2Bbleed.jpg" style="clear: left; color: red; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-decoration-line: none;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://web.archive.org/web/20160331152329im_/https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-mqLat-kiQz8/VWpPXSCAdEI/AAAAAAAATvo/YGWSsGDDQeQ/s320/2000%2Becu%2Breissue%2Bw%2Bbleed.jpg" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; border: 1px solid rgb(153, 0, 153); box-shadow: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.1) 1px 1px 5px; padding: 5px; position: relative;" width="246" /></a></div>
<span style="background-color: white; font-family: Georgia, Utopia, "Palatino Linotype", Palatino, serif; font-size: 17.6px;">Turns out the book is wonderful. I realized, as I heard each character tell his or her perspective on what happened, that</span><b style="background-color: white; font-family: Georgia, Utopia, "Palatino Linotype", Palatino, serif; font-size: 17.6px;"> this could be a terrific way to explore not only our characters but improve our plots as well.</b><br style="background-color: white; font-family: Georgia, Utopia, "Palatino Linotype", Palatino, serif; font-size: 17.6px;" /><b style="background-color: white; font-family: Georgia, Utopia, "Palatino Linotype", Palatino, serif; font-size: 17.6px;"><br /></b><span style="background-color: white; font-family: Georgia, Utopia, "Palatino Linotype", Palatino, serif; font-size: 17.6px;">Here's how it works, using my protagonist Veronica Slate as an example.</span><br style="background-color: white; font-family: Georgia, Utopia, "Palatino Linotype", Palatino, serif; font-size: 17.6px;" /><span style="background-color: white; font-family: Georgia, Utopia, "Palatino Linotype", Palatino, serif; font-size: 17.6px;">Pretend Veronica is being interviewed.</span><br style="background-color: white; font-family: Georgia, Utopia, "Palatino Linotype", Palatino, serif; font-size: 17.6px;" /><br />
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<i style="background-color: white; font-family: Georgia, Utopia, "Palatino Linotype", Palatino, serif; font-size: 17.6px;"><b><span style="color: purple;">"What happened? Well, I don't think anyone is entirely sure yet but here's what I recall. I was at a garden party at the Wingfield Park outdoor stage to make money for a charity. Normally, I wouldn't dream of showing up at a thing like that; all those damned millionaires. But, my friend Michelle Monroe, who's married to the casino owner, Matthew Monroe, talked me into coming. So, anyhow, I'm just walking around, meeting people, sipping on a drink, when a sniper on the roof of a building across the Truckee River from us shoots Monroe's public relations man. Most everyone is convinced it was an attempt on Monroe's life, but I'm not so sure."</span></b></i><br style="background-color: white; font-family: Georgia, Utopia, "Palatino Linotype", Palatino, serif; font-size: 17.6px;" /><br style="background-color: white; font-family: Georgia, Utopia, "Palatino Linotype", Palatino, serif; font-size: 17.6px;" /><span style="background-color: white; font-family: Georgia, Utopia, "Palatino Linotype", Palatino, serif; font-size: 17.6px;">Then, for another perspective, here's another major character (Randy Holloway) talking about the same thing:</span><br style="background-color: white; font-family: Georgia, Utopia, "Palatino Linotype", Palatino, serif; font-size: 17.6px;" /><i style="background-color: white; font-family: Georgia, Utopia, "Palatino Linotype", Palatino, serif; font-size: 17.6px;"><b><span style="color: purple;">"It was one of the scariest things that ever happened to me, man. I should have known when I got an invitation to come as a guest to this deal in RiverWalk, that it was a setup. But I was curious. That's my business. I used to be a newspaper reporter; now I write books. So, you wanna know the truth, I think the sniper was hired to kill me. I mean, look at the facts: the guy who did buy it looks enough like me to be my brother. If I hadn't gone back to the shrimp tray again, I would have been up there closer to Monroe and his wife because that's where my reserved seat was. Geez, now I'm really scared. Because now I know they want me dead."</span></b></i><br style="background-color: white; font-family: Georgia, Utopia, "Palatino Linotype", Palatino, serif; font-size: 17.6px;" /><br style="background-color: white; font-family: Georgia, Utopia, "Palatino Linotype", Palatino, serif; font-size: 17.6px;" /><span style="background-color: white; font-family: Georgia, Utopia, "Palatino Linotype", Palatino, serif; font-size: 17.6px;">Try it. Simply write from the perspective of several of your major characters talking about what HAPPENS somewhere in your book;</span><b style="background-color: white; font-family: Georgia, Utopia, "Palatino Linotype", Palatino, serif; font-size: 17.6px;"> the same events from the perspective of different characters.</b><span style="background-color: white; font-family: Georgia, Utopia, "Palatino Linotype", Palatino, serif; font-size: 17.6px;">Don't have the character talk about himself or herself unless it helps them relate what happened.</span><br style="background-color: white; font-family: Georgia, Utopia, "Palatino Linotype", Palatino, serif; font-size: 17.6px;" /><span style="background-color: white; font-family: Georgia, Utopia, "Palatino Linotype", Palatino, serif; font-size: 17.6px;">Have them talk about the </span><b style="background-color: white; font-family: Georgia, Utopia, "Palatino Linotype", Palatino, serif; font-size: 17.6px;">plot</b><span style="background-color: white; font-family: Georgia, Utopia, "Palatino Linotype", Palatino, serif; font-size: 17.6px;">. Talk about </span><b style="background-color: white; font-family: Georgia, Utopia, "Palatino Linotype", Palatino, serif; font-size: 17.6px;">what happened.</b><span style="background-color: white; font-family: Georgia, Utopia, "Palatino Linotype", Palatino, serif; font-size: 17.6px;"> Don't just use material taken from your book and don't use it </span><b style="background-color: white; font-family: Georgia, Utopia, "Palatino Linotype", Palatino, serif; font-size: 17.6px;">in</b><span style="background-color: white; font-family: Georgia, Utopia, "Palatino Linotype", Palatino, serif; font-size: 17.6px;"> your book.</span><br style="background-color: white; font-family: Georgia, Utopia, "Palatino Linotype", Palatino, serif; font-size: 17.6px;" /><br style="background-color: white; font-family: Georgia, Utopia, "Palatino Linotype", Palatino, serif; font-size: 17.6px;" /><a href="http://web.archive.org/web/20160331152329/http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-sM39pid7Lro/UcexeSxSHQI/AAAAAAAANqo/hIj3xEycIUg/s1600/fictional-characters.jpg" style="background-color: white; clear: right; color: red; float: right; font-family: Georgia, Utopia, "Palatino Linotype", Palatino, serif; font-size: 17.6px; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em; text-decoration-line: none;"><img border="0" height="173" src="https://web.archive.org/web/20160331152329im_/https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-sM39pid7Lro/UcexeSxSHQI/AAAAAAAANqo/hIj3xEycIUg/s320/fictional-characters.jpg" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; border: 1px solid rgb(153, 0, 153); box-shadow: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.1) 1px 1px 5px; padding: 5px; position: relative;" width="320" /></a><span style="background-color: white; font-family: Georgia, Utopia, "Palatino Linotype", Palatino, serif; font-size: 17.6px;">Write this off the top of your head, or - more to the point - off the top of </span><b style="background-color: white; font-family: Georgia, Utopia, "Palatino Linotype", Palatino, serif; font-size: 17.6px;">their</b><span style="background-color: white; font-family: Georgia, Utopia, "Palatino Linotype", Palatino, serif; font-size: 17.6px;">heads. Try to get into each character's brain and respond the way they would if someone stuck a mike in their face and asked, "What happened?"</span><br style="background-color: white; font-family: Georgia, Utopia, "Palatino Linotype", Palatino, serif; font-size: 17.6px;" /><br style="background-color: white; font-family: Georgia, Utopia, "Palatino Linotype", Palatino, serif; font-size: 17.6px;" /><b style="background-color: white; font-family: Georgia, Utopia, "Palatino Linotype", Palatino, serif; font-size: 17.6px;">If you try this with each of your major characters you might be really surprised what you discover about them and the plot</b><span style="background-color: white; font-family: Georgia, Utopia, "Palatino Linotype", Palatino, serif; font-size: 17.6px;">.</span><br />
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<br style="background-color: white; font-family: Georgia, Utopia, "Palatino Linotype", Palatino, serif; font-size: 17.6px;" /><b style="background-color: white; font-family: georgia, serif; font-size: 17.6px;">From NOVEL SECRETS (paperback or Kindle)</b>hopiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07212064721899300391noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5521585077417239161.post-42079524732909263792017-11-05T06:46:00.000-08:002017-11-05T06:46:08.602-08:00Three types of characters: major, supporting and invisible characters<b style="background-color: white; font-family: Georgia, Utopia, "Palatino Linotype", Palatino, serif; font-size: 15.4px;">Major characters show up often in the story.</b><span style="background-color: white; font-family: Georgia, Utopia, "Palatino Linotype", Palatino, serif; font-size: 15.4px;"> Readers will care about them. Readers expect to find out what happens to them by the end of the book. Obviously, among your major characters, </span><b style="background-color: white; font-family: Georgia, Utopia, "Palatino Linotype", Palatino, serif; font-size: 15.4px;">the first and most important one is your protagonist. </b><span style="background-color: white; font-family: Georgia, Utopia, "Palatino Linotype", Palatino, serif; font-size: 15.4px;">No matter how many major characters you have,</span><b style="background-color: white; font-family: Georgia, Utopia, "Palatino Linotype", Palatino, serif; font-size: 15.4px;"> there should be only one protagonist.</b><br style="background-color: white; font-family: Georgia, Utopia, "Palatino Linotype", Palatino, serif; font-size: 15.4px;" /><b style="background-color: white; font-family: Georgia, Utopia, "Palatino Linotype", Palatino, serif; font-size: 15.4px;"><br /></b><span style="background-color: white; font-family: Georgia, Utopia, "Palatino Linotype", Palatino, serif; font-size: 15.4px;"></span><b style="background-color: white; font-family: Georgia, Utopia, "Palatino Linotype", Palatino, serif; font-size: 15.4px;">Supporting characters.</b><br style="background-color: white; font-family: Georgia, Utopia, "Palatino Linotype", Palatino, serif; font-size: 15.4px;" /><span style="background-color: white; font-family: Georgia, Utopia, "Palatino Linotype", Palatino, serif; font-size: 15.4px;">Supporting characters may make a difference in the plot, but readers aren’t emotionally involved with them. They may cause a twist in the story, but they will not play a major role in shaping the story.</span><br style="background-color: white; font-family: Georgia, Utopia, "Palatino Linotype", Palatino, serif; font-size: 15.4px;" /><b style="background-color: white; font-family: Georgia, Utopia, "Palatino Linotype", Palatino, serif; font-size: 15.4px;">A supporting player does one or two things in the book and disappears.</b><span style="background-color: white; font-family: Georgia, Utopia, "Palatino Linotype", Palatino, serif; font-size: 15.4px;"> You may name supporting players and perhaps divulge a little bit of background, but they are not as important as major characters are.</span><br style="background-color: white; font-family: Georgia, Utopia, "Palatino Linotype", Palatino, serif; font-size: 15.4px;" /><span style="background-color: white; font-family: Georgia, Utopia, "Palatino Linotype", Palatino, serif; font-size: 15.4px;">Examples of a supporting character would be a man who discovers the body in a mystery, the crazy ex-girlfriend in a romance, or the guard of the Seat of Death in a science fiction book.</span>hopiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07212064721899300391noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5521585077417239161.post-44326187477099243992017-10-09T13:39:00.000-07:002017-11-05T23:56:58.069-08:00After The Fire by Henning Mankell<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">I’m not a fan of translated novels…more often than not the text is a little stilted, as the translator is usually a native of the language from which the novel is being translated, English, therefore being the second language. This, from Swedish, wasn’t too bad, although the translator got into a pickle with the past tenses. However, the most annoying thing about this book was that every pronoun ‘I’ was in lower case, every word at the start of the sentence and many proper names didn't start with capital. Is this a Swedish thing? And why wasn’t it picked up by an editor? Five per cent in and I was seriously irked by this, but, as they say on Mastermind, I started so I finished.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">I found this book rather dreary and lifeless…like most of the characters. Fredrik Welin is a disgraced retired doctor living alone on an island in the Swedish archipelago. His very mundane and routine life is dramatically overturned when his house is completely burnt down and he loses everything. When the police can find no cause, he is suspected of arson, not really considering that he’s lost his home (one that had been in his family for a number of generations) and just about all his possessions. With only the clothes he was standing in, he then has to deal with his terrible loss, the tragedy heightening his loneliness and purpose in life. Ultimately, of course, he wants to find out who set fire to his house and why. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Fredrik is neither likable nor unlikable. He is bland, a bit feeble and devoid of any personality, so I found it very hard to feel sympathy...or anything...for him. Many of his neighbourhood islanders were the same. As for his daughter (who he’d only recently come to know), she was really rather obnoxious.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Mankell…I realised halfway through the book…was the author of the Wallander novels. I guess if you’re a fan of those, you might like this, the author’s final work before his death in 2015.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">But this wasn’t for me…I found myself wanting to shake the characters to get some passion, a spark of life out of them.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Alas, this left me as cold as the icy sea Fredrik Welin swam in every morning.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><b><a href="https://www.amazon.co.uk/After-Fire-Henning-Mankell-ebook/dp/B01MY54W9Q" target="_blank">AMAZON UK</a></b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><b><a href="https://www.amazon.com/After-Fire-Henning-Mankell-ebook/dp/B01MY54W9Q" target="_blank">AMAZON US</a></b></span><br />
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hopiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07212064721899300391noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5521585077417239161.post-86232095466080913622017-03-28T15:32:00.000-07:002017-11-27T23:43:25.417-08:00Your Soul Was Meant For Mine by C L Hunter<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: justify;"><tbody>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: small;"><b><a href="http://xmlgrab.com/accessbook" target="_blank">AMAZON UK</a><br /><a href="http://xmlgrab.com/accessbook" target="_blank">AMAZON US</a></b></span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Not overly fond of this one, regrettably…it’s never easy to say you didn’t enjoy a book. It never really found its way. An erotic romance with a bit of paranormal thrown in, but it didn’t really sit comfortably in the story, the erotica lacked real steam…it was rather perfunctory...the romance was a bit forced, and the dialogue was rather clunky and unnatural.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">After a tragic accident, forces beyond the grave decree that lawyer Thomas’s wife, Emmalyn, should be get together with his work colleague, Nolan, a very rich and successful businessman. Along the way, some chunks from Nolan’s past rear their ugly heads. And that’s about it…along with many scenes of bodice-ripping and throbbing organs. Emmalyn and Nolan’s acquaintance begins with a transatlantic exchange of letters. These were rather odd…they were a cross between Jane Austen and Essex girl. For a successful businessman with an idea for some very out-there technology, he seemed a bit dim…he hadn't heard of online translating (Babelfish, Google Translate???) and flustered over postage times. Email, anyone?</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">I can’t speak for the text in Irish, but the French was slightly off kilter…relying perhaps too much on high-school French, and I was increasingly irritated by the couple calling each ‘wife’ and ‘husband’ all the time. The plot didn’t just stroll, it dawdled painfully along. Bits and pieces came out of the woodwork rather suddenly and incongruously, and it just didn’t hang together.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">The premise for this book was promising, and I think the author has writing ability, but this needs some substantial developmental editing to give the characters, well, character and the plot some body and cohesion.</span></div>
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hopiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07212064721899300391noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5521585077417239161.post-36017130297015593572017-02-23T14:27:00.000-08:002017-12-17T12:34:34.458-08:00Vigilante Dead by DV Berkom<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: justify;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiu8jPSgJWSAfqx3wk-bfke7D3zLJn9hq1riN50VnKG24XFGDXzv9wyTZp68rMC1FqEPi73vLNPQqmjFfYty_u9oezftLUBczkgW5jvV75NCyJ4Bkh9MPztIYYpC7IT96hmfo4N25YorPc/s1600/Vigilante+Dead+cover.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiu8jPSgJWSAfqx3wk-bfke7D3zLJn9hq1riN50VnKG24XFGDXzv9wyTZp68rMC1FqEPi73vLNPQqmjFfYty_u9oezftLUBczkgW5jvV75NCyJ4Bkh9MPztIYYpC7IT96hmfo4N25YorPc/s200/Vigilante+Dead+cover.jpg" width="133" /></span></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: small;"><b><a href="https://www.amazon.co.uk/Vigilante-Dead-Kate-Jones-Thriller-ebook/dp/B01NACRMSG/" target="_blank">AMAZON UK</a><br /><a href="https://www.amazon.com/Vigilante-Dead-Kate-Jones-Thriller-ebook/dp/B01NACRMSG/" target="_blank">AMAZON US</a></b></span></td></tr></tbody></table><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Oh, Kate, Kate, Kate….what an inferno of…stubbornness, determination, passion and independence you are.</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">The seven Kate Jones novels preceding this have all been heart-in-your-mouth thrillers. I was slightly bemused by the fact that Kate’s finally able to stop running; she’s settled down with ex-cop-now-PI, Sam, she’s talking to her family again, and life is nearly norm</span><span style="font-family: "comic sans ms"; font-size: 11pt;">—</span><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">wait, wait, WAIT…this is Kates Jones! I nearly fell for the Kate-leads-a-normal-life line! Impossible…especially since someone she loves dearly is affected by some dodgy painkillers (from an equally dodgy source), and as a result, Kate’s on the warpath. And the route leads her into a head-on collision with irony, something which causes her to make some very rash decisions, blurring that very fine line between right and wrong.</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">This was the usual Kate Jones hold-on-to-your hat, roller-coaster ride…as you would expect…but there was an extra intriguing ingredient: the reader gets a little more intimate with Kate’s family…who up until now have been very much in the background. This adds another dimension to an adventure which nonetheless leaves you breathless right to the end.</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Kate’s rounding up nearly all the bad spirits that have been derailing her life…what on earth is she going to do now, I wonder? Needless, to say, I was, as always, riveted by this book as will all Kate Jones/Berkom fans.</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><i>See also:</i></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="text-align: start;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><a href="http://cnkbookreviews.blogspot.co.uk/2016/05/a-killing-truth-by-dv-berkom.html" target="_blank">A Killing Truth</a></span></span><br /><span style="text-align: start;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><a href="http://cnkbookreviews.blogspot.fr/2017/01/a-one-way-ticket-to-dead-by-dv-berkom.html" target="_blank">A One Way Ticket to Dead</a></span></span><br /><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><a href="http://cnkbookreviews.blogspot.co.uk/2015/03/bad-spirits-by-dv-berkom.html" target="_blank">Bad Spirits</a></span><br /><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><a href="http://cnkbookreviews.blogspot.co.uk/2015/01/bad-traffick-by-dv-berkom.html" target="_blank">Bad Traffick</a></span><br /><span style="text-align: start;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><a href="http://cnkbookreviews.blogspot.co.uk/2015/08/cargo-by-dv-berkom.html" target="_blank">Cargo</a></span></span><br /><span style="text-align: start;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><a href="http://cnkbookreviews.blogspot.co.uk/2016/12/cruising-for-death-by-dv-berkom.html" target="_blank">Cruising for Death</a></span></span><br /><span style="text-align: start;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><a href="http://cnkbookreviews.blogspot.co.uk/2016/12/kate-jones-thriller-series-vol-1-by-dv.html" target="_blank">Kate Jones Thriller Series Vol 1</a></span></span><br /><span style="text-align: start;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><a href="http://cnkbookreviews.blogspot.co.uk/2014/11/serial-date-by-d-v-berkom.html" target="_blank">Serial Date</a></span></span><br /><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><a href="http://cnkbookreviews.blogspot.co.uk/2015/02/the-body-market-by-dv-berkom.html" target="_blank">The Body Market</a></span><br /><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; text-align: start;"><a href="http://cnkbookreviews.blogspot.co.uk/2016/12/yucatan-dead-dv-berkom.html" target="_blank">Yucatán Dead</a></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div>hopiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07212064721899300391noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5521585077417239161.post-14876140865437477072017-02-15T14:42:00.000-08:002017-12-17T12:34:34.156-08:00Ghost Walk by Melissa Bowersock<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: justify;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjmYadwTTuxkDV0dqQCZ5tLPbEh9kvJeManvpNmXGEv7qeqnokcHC32u9ju5GG8bMB_faGhwEm3p1m4YSRFCEPn7gu80uc0I9VyJAxK7hfjGKj34hWWBzNiAnUBkuYg8QOHkrkUGHKeJVw/s1600/Ghost+Walk+cover.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjmYadwTTuxkDV0dqQCZ5tLPbEh9kvJeManvpNmXGEv7qeqnokcHC32u9ju5GG8bMB_faGhwEm3p1m4YSRFCEPn7gu80uc0I9VyJAxK7hfjGKj34hWWBzNiAnUBkuYg8QOHkrkUGHKeJVw/s200/Ghost+Walk+cover.jpg" width="125" /></span></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: small;"><b><a href="https://www.amazon.co.uk/Ghost-Lacey-Fitzpatrick-Firecloud-Mystery-ebook/dp/B01MUCZR5T" target="_blank">AMAZON UK</a><br /><a href="https://www.amazon.com/Ghost-Lacey-Fitzpatrick-Firecloud-Mystery-ebook/dp/B01MUCZR5T" target="_blank">AMAZON US</a></b></span></td></tr></tbody></table><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Let me start with the end of this book and the closing words: <i>Coming soon: Skin Walk, Another Lacey Fitzpatrick and Sam Firecloud mystery.</i> Surely the best words to read when you’ve enjoyed a book so much, you want more, and thankfully, there's the promise of a sequel!</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">I’ve <i>thoroughly </i>enjoyed all Bowersock’s novels…she’s an author who can turn her hand to an eclectic array of genres…but I have to say this probably earns the title of 'my favourite'…or, at least, one of my favourites. It’s a whodunnit with a difference: an ex-detective, Lacey Fitzpatrick, who can’t get crime-solving out of her blood, joins forces with Sam Firecloud, who has a gift for communicating with ghosts. Lacey is more used to dealing with facts and physical evidence, so probably not her typical choice of partner, but when he manages to solve an old case, she’s confident that together they’ll be able to solve their latest tough case. Tough because there’s no evidence to suggest a murder has actually been committed.</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">As ever, Bowersock’s style is spot on: her words are carefully chosen. There’s no over- or under-use: the picture is efficiently painted, yet you feel that no expense has been spared. Lacey is a strong, well-rounded character…and Sam…well, Sam couldn’t be more different: mysterious, quiet, intense, deep. But they couldn’t be a more perfect match, and it’s going to be great fun accompanying them on their crime-(ghost)-busting journey. I can’t wait</span>!</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><i>See also:</i></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><i style="text-align: start;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><a href="http://cnkbookreviews.blogspot.co.uk/2016/07/being-travis-by-melissa-bowersock.html" target="_blank">Being Travis</a></span></i><br /><i style="text-align: start;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><a href="http://cnkbookreviews.blogspot.co.uk/2015/05/burning-through-by-melissa-bowersock.html" target="_blank">Burning Through</a></span></i><br /><i style="text-align: start;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><a href="http://cnkbookreviews.blogspot.co.uk/2016/06/finding-travis-by-melissa-bowersock.html" target="_blank">Finding Travis</a></span></i><br /><i style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><a href="http://cnkbookreviews.blogspot.co.uk/2014/12/fleischerhaus-by-melissa-bowersock.html" target="_blank">Fleischerhaus</a></i><br /><i style="font-family: verdana, sans-serif;"><a href="http://cnkbookreviews.blogspot.com.es/2015/09/queens-gold-by-melissa-bowersock.html" target="_blank">Queen's Gold</a></i><br /><i style="font-family: verdana, sans-serif;"><a href="http://cnkbookreviews.blogspot.co.uk/2016/04/sonnets-for-heidi-by-melissa-bowersock.html" target="_blank">Sonnets for Heidi</a></i><br /><i style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><a href="http://cnkbookreviews.blogspot.co.uk/2013/08/stones-ghost-by-melissa-bowersock.html" target="_blank">Stone's Ghost</a></i><br /><i style="text-align: start;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><a href="http://cnkbookreviews.blogspot.co.uk/2016/11/the-man-in-black-hat-by-melissa.html" target="_blank">The Man in the Black Hat</a></span></i></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div>hopiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07212064721899300391noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5521585077417239161.post-24629184789516552422017-01-31T12:50:00.000-08:002017-12-17T12:34:34.277-08:00A One Way Ticket to Dead by DV Berkom<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: justify;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjsH0B7YT14sucHLpX16to2MZtHFnAq4SArHPt_8KNjP03Pnq6Hd3KbAPOiw1JLad7Tw3I-YuBlaJHhmPaIryQEnXIdU9rowjZiBtMXp16bflT6Qndyv_EfNcF8W3QEqSjbJO5CMxwizrY/s1600/Ticket+to+Dead+review.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjsH0B7YT14sucHLpX16to2MZtHFnAq4SArHPt_8KNjP03Pnq6Hd3KbAPOiw1JLad7Tw3I-YuBlaJHhmPaIryQEnXIdU9rowjZiBtMXp16bflT6Qndyv_EfNcF8W3QEqSjbJO5CMxwizrY/s200/Ticket+to+Dead+review.jpg" width="133" /></span></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: small;"><b><a href="https://www.amazon.co.uk/One-Way-Ticket-Dead-Thrillers-ebook/dp/B00IUD2AZC" target="_blank">AMAZON UK</a><br /><a href="https://www.amazon.com/One-Way-Ticket-Dead-Thrillers-ebook/dp/B00IUD2AZC" target="_blank">AMAZON US</a></b></span></td></tr></tbody></table><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"></span><br /><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">The Kate Jones series is a literary espresso…a strong one! The novels give you a buzz, a fix, a wake-me-up as well as the real caffeinated stuff. </span></div><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"></span><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><br /></span></div><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><div style="text-align: justify;">This novel is the seventh Kate Jones novel. Unsurprisingly, her efforts to try and lead a normal life after years running from her evil drug-lord ex-boyfriend after one teensy little error of judgement (stealing rather a lot of money…) still hit rocky ground. Just when she thinks she can put the past behind her and allow a glimmer of hope to brighten her future by settling down, reality comes back and hits her with a jolt, in the form of an enemy from her past. And this time, not only is it close to home, the children of a former lover are involved. <i>This time</i>, the pressure is really on.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">I love Berkom’s thrillers: they’re packed…to the brim…with action, heart-in-your-mouth suspense, thrills and chills, and are sheer delight from start to finish. Kate is sassy, resourceful, level-headed, funny and good-looking. Too good to be true? It might be if it weren’t for one thing…looking over her shoulder constantly is not funny. Will she ever be able to settle down with the love of her life and two point four children?</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Selfishly, I hope not. The end of each Kate Jones book has me hoping avidly for another.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><i>See also:</i></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><i><br /></i></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><i style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; text-align: start;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><a href="http://cnkbookreviews.blogspot.co.uk/2016/05/a-killing-truth-by-dv-berkom.html" target="_blank">A Killing Truth</a></span></i><br /><i style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><a href="http://cnkbookreviews.blogspot.co.uk/2015/03/bad-spirits-by-dv-berkom.html" target="_blank">Bad Spirits</a></i><br /><i style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><a href="http://cnkbookreviews.blogspot.co.uk/2015/01/bad-traffick-by-dv-berkom.html" target="_blank">Bad Traffick</a></i><br /><i style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; text-align: start;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><a href="http://cnkbookreviews.blogspot.co.uk/2015/08/cargo-by-dv-berkom.html" target="_blank">Cargo</a></span></i><br /><i style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; text-align: start;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><a href="http://cnkbookreviews.blogspot.co.uk/2016/12/cruising-for-death-by-dv-berkom.html" target="_blank">Cruising for Death</a></span></i><br /><i style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; text-align: start;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><a href="http://cnkbookreviews.blogspot.co.uk/2016/12/kate-jones-thriller-series-vol-1-by-dv.html" target="_blank">Kate Jones Thriller Series Vol 1</a></span></i><br /><i style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; text-align: start;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><a href="http://cnkbookreviews.blogspot.co.uk/2014/11/serial-date-by-d-v-berkom.html" target="_blank">Serial Date</a></span></i><br /><i style="font-family: verdana, sans-serif;"><a href="http://cnkbookreviews.blogspot.co.uk/2015/02/the-body-market-by-dv-berkom.html" target="_blank">The Body Market</a></i><br /><i style="font-family: verdana, sans-serif; text-align: start;"><a href="http://cnkbookreviews.blogspot.co.uk/2016/12/yucatan-dead-dv-berkom.html" target="_blank">Yucatán Dead</a></i></div></span><br /><div style="text-align: justify;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; font-family: "Comic Sans MS"; font-size: 11pt; text-align: center;"></div>hopiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07212064721899300391noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5521585077417239161.post-532691098566821142017-01-21T13:11:00.000-08:002017-12-17T12:34:34.579-08:00Queenie's Teapot by Carolyn Steele<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: justify;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgVm7hcfhGydXJoh9URLP9En2TkCIdCYrNbamDqGuYcgUu-mRhfbEiYEdkEajCqCS8xGSIgW2fwx5I9pAE_yN9Q8rbJR4vwov-imp8S1edRx8y_hie8jE98joPSzq53t82GQ0d7KN-Zjuo/s1600/Queenie+cover.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgVm7hcfhGydXJoh9URLP9En2TkCIdCYrNbamDqGuYcgUu-mRhfbEiYEdkEajCqCS8xGSIgW2fwx5I9pAE_yN9Q8rbJR4vwov-imp8S1edRx8y_hie8jE98joPSzq53t82GQ0d7KN-Zjuo/s200/Queenie+cover.jpg" width="133" /></span></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: small;"><b><a href="https://www.amazon.co.uk/Queenies-Teapot-Political-Carolyn-Steele-ebook/dp/B01N6DK9M9" target="_blank">AMAZON UK</a><br /><a href="https://www.amazon.com/Queenies-Teapot-Political-Carolyn-Steele-ebook/dp/B01N6DK9M9" target="_blank">AMAZON US</a></b></span></td></tr></tbody></table><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"></span><br /><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">A little bit of a departure, this one, from my usual preferred genres. I like to be adventurous, so why not a political satire? Steele isn’t an unfamiliar author to me…her non-fiction <a href="http://cnkbookreviews.blogspot.co.uk/2013/02/a-year-on-planet-alzheimer-and-little.html" target="_blank">A Year on Planet Alzheimer</a> was very enjoyable.</span></div><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"></span><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><br /></span></div><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><div style="text-align: justify;">Brexit and Trump have probably caused the most discussions, arguments, fallouts of any political upheaval in recent history. But politics is always a divisive subject and a choice of leader is never a unanimous decision. Could the man in the street do a better job? How about choosing a group of people from any walk of life and letting them sit in parliament? All they have to do, guided by a team to steer them through it all, is serve for three years in the field for which they have been selected. The head of state is no less elite. An ex Tesco floor-staff employee is chosen for the job (much to husband Bert's disgust…). She’s well up for it, but her teapot and knitting must go with her everywhere.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">An intriguing concept, isn’t it? But some things never change: unrest over change, demonstrations, disillusion…are still rife. It’s up to the new parliament to muddle through. </div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">The big question is, did I enjoy this ‘something completely different’? On the whole, yes. Queenie’s unworldliness is very appealing: she’s a very uncomplicated, honest, hardworking old soul who loves knitting…and tea. Her ingenuity endears her to many, the reader no less. The characters’ backgrounds are varied, but down-to-earth. My only reservations are that, for me, the story didn’t really get out of first gear until very late and suddenly went from 0 to 60 in the shortest time possible at the end. It was just a teensy bit farfetched and disjointed. I did like the fact that the characters’ ‘stories’ were neatly tidied up…but with enough openings left for a sequel, perhaps.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">This was a fun romp into what-if.<br /><br /><i>See Also:</i><br /><i><br /></i><a href="http://cnkbookreviews.blogspot.co.uk/2013/02/a-year-on-planet-alzheimer-and-little.html" target="_blank">A Year On Planet Alzheimer</a><br /><br /><br /><br /></div></span>hopiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07212064721899300391noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5521585077417239161.post-2840447148995806462016-12-15T14:35:00.000-08:002017-12-17T12:34:34.398-08:00Yucatán Dead - DV Berkom<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjYNzX_wkyTLIBEVQm_iQlPfYVkBOuEP2pq8My5A9iYoK1J4ganuEvms7rG_rQVHKwfsnl9La_8skE-l6Vj00zDEAUVGs3fkEWVU7qcbYJ7mvksJSVmsloHZIHfe0tB0tWMLGhQqq3Rzeo/s1600/Yucatan+cover.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjYNzX_wkyTLIBEVQm_iQlPfYVkBOuEP2pq8My5A9iYoK1J4ganuEvms7rG_rQVHKwfsnl9La_8skE-l6Vj00zDEAUVGs3fkEWVU7qcbYJ7mvksJSVmsloHZIHfe0tB0tWMLGhQqq3Rzeo/s200/Yucatan+cover.jpg" width="133" /></span></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><b><a href="https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B00DME2GAI/" target="_blank">AMAZON UK</a><br /><a href="https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00DME2GAI/" target="_blank">AMAZON US</a></b></span></td></tr></tbody></table><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><div style="text-align: justify;">You know, Kate Jones has been running from her dangerous drug-lord ex boyfriend for five books now. You’ve got to admire her grit and the sheer bloodymindedness of her resolution to elude him. I suppose you’ve got to acknowledge his persistence, too. He’s very, very keen to make her suffer for leaving him and taking a good bit of his cash with her.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Just when she thought she was perhaps succeeding in outwitting him, and very nearly daring to think she might be able to settle down with her handsome police boyfriend, she’s rudely reminded she has a debt to pay. And this time, it seems she might have run out of luck. Oh, but wait…this is no-BS-ing Kate. The Kate who means business, whatever the price. She’s got this far, dammit…</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">The usual suspense, tension, explosiveness (in all senses of the word!) and gutsiness are packed tightly into this sixth Jones novel and all with the usual quality and excellency of this author. There’s barely a moment to catch your breath, and quite honestly, I’d have given up on Kate’s behalf way, way back. But thankfully, she’s not a quitter (or there’d be no more books). </div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Berkom has created a character whose sassiness and gumption you can’t help but admire, and respect for her is sandwiched by a certain amount of sympathy. Her pursuit by a dangerous man has meant tragic losses for Kate. In this book of the series, she has to decide whether she can continue eluding death…or face the evil that desires it. </div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Cracking stuff.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><i>See also:</i></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; text-align: start;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><a href="http://cnkbookreviews.blogspot.co.uk/2016/05/a-killing-truth-by-dv-berkom.html" target="_blank">A Killing Truth</a></span></span><br /><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><a href="http://cnkbookreviews.blogspot.co.uk/2015/03/bad-spirits-by-dv-berkom.html" target="_blank">Bad Spirits</a></span><br /><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><a href="http://cnkbookreviews.blogspot.co.uk/2015/01/bad-traffick-by-dv-berkom.html" target="_blank">Bad Traffick</a></span><br /><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; text-align: start;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><a href="http://cnkbookreviews.blogspot.co.uk/2015/08/cargo-by-dv-berkom.html" target="_blank">Cargo</a></span></span><br /><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; text-align: start;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><a href="http://cnkbookreviews.blogspot.co.uk/2016/12/cruising-for-death-by-dv-berkom.html" target="_blank">Cruising for Death</a></span></span><br /><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; text-align: start;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><a href="http://cnkbookreviews.blogspot.co.uk/2016/12/kate-jones-thriller-series-vol-1-by-dv.html" target="_blank">Kate Jones Thriller Series Vol 1</a></span></span><br /><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; text-align: start;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><a href="http://cnkbookreviews.blogspot.co.uk/2014/11/serial-date-by-d-v-berkom.html" target="_blank">Serial Date</a></span></span><br /><span style="font-family: verdana, sans-serif;"><a href="http://cnkbookreviews.blogspot.co.uk/2015/02/the-body-market-by-dv-berkom.html" target="_blank">The Body Market</a></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div></span>hopiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07212064721899300391noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5521585077417239161.post-62355465216007111002016-12-13T14:07:00.000-08:002017-12-17T12:34:34.639-08:00Paradise Prison by Faith Mortimer<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: justify;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj5n_TWtEngdq14g3XFtY67EVyEuOk3lTCAN2IkQmsbAzqmXpaa_7bnbOLgvHg-EwUcFMDRWYXeOl6gmRNhtS9OdFnzcxMlG_MNfaRA_jZyvIp4mwElHP9-TJeJBExNLP4HUDDS3hnX7rM/s1600/Paradise+cover.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj5n_TWtEngdq14g3XFtY67EVyEuOk3lTCAN2IkQmsbAzqmXpaa_7bnbOLgvHg-EwUcFMDRWYXeOl6gmRNhtS9OdFnzcxMlG_MNfaRA_jZyvIp4mwElHP9-TJeJBExNLP4HUDDS3hnX7rM/s200/Paradise+cover.jpg" width="128" /></span></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: small;"><b><a href="https://www.amazon.co.uk/Paradise-Prison-Psychological-Hiding-Place-Thrillers-ebook/dp/B01M8QFQKF" target="_blank">AMAZON UK</a><br /><a href="https://www.amazon.com/Paradise-Prison-Psychological-Hiding-Place-Thrillers-ebook/dp/B01M8QFQKF" target="_blank">AMAZON US</a></b></span></td></tr></tbody></table><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Hold on to your hats, Mortimer fans. You’ll be blown away by this one. </span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">This author never disappoints, but Paradise Prison is, in my view, jostling for position as one of her best.</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Gillian flees the UK after a serious altercation with her abusive boyfriend ends very badly. Stopping over in Portugal, she manages to secure herself a passage to the Caribbean on a yacht owned by Harry. A wealthy man who passes his time cruising round the Caribbean ocean in not-so-legal activities, but he reckons a cook and crew will jolly up his travels. It all starts smoothly enough, and he suggests Gill stay on his little ‘one-man’ island looking after his house…just until she feels confident enough to rejoin civilisation and face the consequences of an argument gone wrong. At least, that’s what he tells her. But when history starts to repeat itself, Gillian realises that she has to escape the island and from Harry as soon as she can.</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">You couldn’t have two more opposite characters. And that’s what makes this story so very powerful. Harry is an insidiously loathsome vile character. Any uncertainty about Gill being a slightly downtrodden, nervous victim soon changes as she becomes resourceful, confident, focussed and determined. Her transformation is amazing.</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">And prepare yourself for the ending. I’ll just leave you with that</span>.<br /><br /><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><i>See also:</i></span><br /><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><i style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><a href="http://cnkbookreviews.blogspot.co.uk/2014/03/a-deadly-learning-by-faith-mortimer.html" target="_blank">A Deadly Learning</a></i><br /><i><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><a href="http://cnkbookreviews.blogspot.co.uk/2016/07/a-very-distant-affair-by-faith-mortimer.html" target="_blank">A Very Distant Affair</a></span></i><br /><i style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><a href="http://cnkbookreviews.blogspot.co.uk/2014/07/a-very-english-affair-by-faith-mortimer.html" target="_blank">A Very English Affair</a> </i><br /><i style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><a href="http://cnkbookreviews.blogspot.co.uk/2013/02/a-very-french-affair-by-faith-mortimer.html" target="_blank">A Very French Affair</a></i></span><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><i><a href="http://cnkbookreviews.blogspot.co.uk/2014/12/behind-twisted-smile-by-faith-mortimer.html">Behind a Twisted Smile</a></i><o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><i><a href="http://cnkbookreviews.blogspot.co.uk/2012/12/cameraactionmurder-by-faith-mortimer.html">Camera...Action...Murder!</a></i><o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><i><a href="http://cnkbookreviews.blogspot.co.uk/2013/04/childhunt-by-faith-mortimer.html">Childhunt</a></i><o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><i><a href="http://cnkbookreviews.blogspot.com/2011/09/having-read-faiths-assassins-village.html">Children of the Plantation</a></i><o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><i><a href="http://cnkbookreviews.blogspot.co.uk/2013/09/devils-brae-by-faith-mortimer.html">Devil's Brae</a></i><o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><i><a href="http://cnkbookreviews.blogspot.co.uk/2012/07/harvest-book-2-of-crossing-by-faith.html">Harvest Book 2 of The Crossing</a></i><o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><i><a href="http://cnkbookreviews.blogspot.co.uk/2014/12/not-just-for-christmas-by-faith-mortimer.html">Not Just for Christmas A Very Seasonal Affair</a></i><o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><i><a href="http://cnkbookreviews.blogspot.co.uk/2013/11/on-christmas-hill-by-faith-mortimer.html">On Christmas Hill</a></i><o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><i><a href="http://cnkbookreviews.blogspot.co.uk/2014/05/sandstorm-in-my-heart-by-faith-mortimer.html">Sandstorm In My Heart</a></i><o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><i><a href="http://cnkbookreviews.blogspot.com/2011/08/assassins-village-by-faith-mortimer.html">The Assassins’ Village</a></i><o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><i><a href="http://cnkbookreviews.blogspot.co.uk/2015/12/the-green-room-by-faith-mortimer.html">The Green Room</a></i><o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><i><a href="http://cnkbookreviews.blogspot.co.uk/2012/06/seeds-of-time-book-1-of-crossing-by.html">The Seeds of TimeBook 1 of The Crossing</a></i><o:p></o:p></span></div><i><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><a href="http://cnkbookreviews.blogspot.com/2012/01/surgeons-blade-by-faith-mortimer.html">The Surgeon's Blade</a></span></i></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><i><br /></i></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><i><br /></i></div>hopiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07212064721899300391noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5521585077417239161.post-5233358169055095622016-12-13T12:25:00.000-08:002017-12-17T12:34:34.519-08:00Cruising for Death by DV Berkom<div style="text-align: left;"></div><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEga4YzLlCkqg0w2CXuiAqBM8In4BVZG8ur5E1tlAkLA6Y4-tYjnGrUpD0hqk9d7IdKnO5zrP1tqYAh0UkEizPIjNjz-KP5O_NZwpSiF1T5fY26k9M05GKyZyWteerRfPcNq3Xnaj8YR-pg/s1600/Cruising+cover.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEga4YzLlCkqg0w2CXuiAqBM8In4BVZG8ur5E1tlAkLA6Y4-tYjnGrUpD0hqk9d7IdKnO5zrP1tqYAh0UkEizPIjNjz-KP5O_NZwpSiF1T5fY26k9M05GKyZyWteerRfPcNq3Xnaj8YR-pg/s200/Cruising+cover.jpg" width="131" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;"><b><a href="https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/149282691X/" target="_blank">AMAZON UK</a><br /><a href="https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/149282691X/" target="_blank">AMAZON US</a></b></span></td></tr></tbody></table></span><br /><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Despite trying hard to keep up with hurricane Kate in the Kate Jones Series books 1-4, I was eager for more. Cue Cruising for Death. </span></div><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"></span><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><br /></span></div><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><div style="text-align: justify;">Constantly on the move to keep one step ahead of her dangerous drug-lord ex-boyfriend, Kate seems to have found some tranquillity in Arizona, living with hunky policeman Cole. Tranquillity and enough confidence to go on a short break with him: a romantic cruise in the Caribbean. All goes well until a passenger has a heart attack and the vessel is taken over by a group of men…one of them a bit too familiar for Kate’s liking. Of course, she’s off again, with her past catching up with her, escaping death, outwitting people from her past, trying to save herself and others.</div></span><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Needless to say, the adventure is just as nail-biting, action-packed and full of tension and will-she/won’t-she (survive) moments. As usual, you’re holding your breath, thinking, no way is she going to get out of this one, but it is Kate Jones we’re talking about. By this number of books, it’s more or less a given she’s going extricate herself from all manner of tricky (understatement) situations…but it’s the how that really keeps you glued and on the edge of your seat.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Totally incapable of disappointing, Berkom provides yet another excellent, enthralling read.<br /><br /><i>See also:</i><br /><i><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><a href="http://cnkbookreviews.blogspot.co.uk/2016/05/a-killing-truth-by-dv-berkom.html" target="_blank">A Killing Truth</a></span></i><br /><i style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><a href="http://cnkbookreviews.blogspot.co.uk/2015/03/bad-spirits-by-dv-berkom.html" target="_blank">Bad Spirits</a></i><br /><i style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><a href="http://cnkbookreviews.blogspot.co.uk/2015/01/bad-traffick-by-dv-berkom.html" target="_blank">Bad Traffick</a></i><br /><i><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><a href="http://cnkbookreviews.blogspot.co.uk/2015/08/cargo-by-dv-berkom.html" target="_blank">Cargo</a></span></i><br /><i><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><a href="http://cnkbookreviews.blogspot.co.uk/2016/12/kate-jones-thriller-series-vol-1-by-dv.html" target="_blank">Kate Jones Thriller Series Vol 1</a></span></i><br /><i><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><a href="http://cnkbookreviews.blogspot.co.uk/2014/11/serial-date-by-d-v-berkom.html" target="_blank">Serial Date</a></span></i><br /><i style="font-family: verdana, sans-serif;"><a href="http://cnkbookreviews.blogspot.co.uk/2015/02/the-body-market-by-dv-berkom.html" target="_blank">The Body Market</a></i><br /><br /><br /><br /></div></span>hopiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07212064721899300391noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5521585077417239161.post-73320785023845728892016-12-04T12:28:00.000-08:002017-12-17T12:34:34.699-08:00Kate Jones Thriller Series Vol. 1 by DV Berkom<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: justify;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi0xCq3E66z_gzxtyjG_EHxuyfYTrUxfKF6ubc1ntd4-RqAI01gJWm2w8Ed6slrphHKByhVL-VjXJREy4KZxh0byrLLlKbftUYPVWaiGLwCoeemVdqJmRYZxNWVeHjZDpF5qX9WbtuFEIA/s1600/Kate+Jones+vol.+1+cover.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi0xCq3E66z_gzxtyjG_EHxuyfYTrUxfKF6ubc1ntd4-RqAI01gJWm2w8Ed6slrphHKByhVL-VjXJREy4KZxh0byrLLlKbftUYPVWaiGLwCoeemVdqJmRYZxNWVeHjZDpF5qX9WbtuFEIA/s200/Kate+Jones+vol.+1+cover.jpg" width="131" /></span></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: small;"><b><a href="https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/0997970804/" target="_blank">AMAZON UK</a><br /><a href="https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0997970804/" target="_blank">AMAZON US</a></b></span></td></tr></tbody></table><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Having read the first of this little collection as a separate novella (see <i><a href="http://cnkbookreviews.blogspot.co.uk/2015/03/bad-spirits-by-dv-berkom.html" target="_blank">here</a></i>), I was able to dive in at no. 2. The first (Bad Spirits) sees Kate running away from a ruthless ex-boyfriend. He’s particularly keen to find her because she happens to have rather a lot of his money. </span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">In Dead of Winter, Kate sincerely </span><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">hopes</span><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"> </span><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">that the depths of a cold and unforgiving little town in Alaska will keep her well hidden, but when she witnesses a murder, she fears she’s been discovered. Hunky officer Sam is assigned to protect her…read exactly what you need into ‘hunky’! Unfortunately, to keep HIM safe, Kate has to flee Alaska to quite a different climate: Hawaii. </span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Death Rites sees her reunited with old friends, who she hopes will keep her safe. But Hawaiian spirits have other ideas, it seems. She shakes them off by surrounding herself with the Arizona desert in Touring for Death, where she manages to keep herself undetected for five years. But when you’ve had an entourage of drugs, money and guns, life eventually gets complicated and she’s fighting for survival yet again.</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Four novellas, by the end of which you’re gasping for breath! For heaven’s sake, Kate, go and work in a library, your life isn’t good for my constitution. I’m a huge, huge fan of Berkom’s writing and especially her hard-nosed, determined, no-nonsense heroines who still have a core of passion, sensitivity and judging by the men they chose, good taste!</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">A roller-coaster read and I can’t wait to helter-skelter into books 5 and 6</span>.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><i>See Also:</i></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><i style="text-align: start;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><a href="http://cnkbookreviews.blogspot.co.uk/2016/05/a-killing-truth-by-dv-berkom.html" target="_blank">A Killing Truth</a></span></i><br /><i style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><a href="http://cnkbookreviews.blogspot.co.uk/2015/03/bad-spirits-by-dv-berkom.html" target="_blank">Bad Spirits</a></i><br /><i style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><a href="http://cnkbookreviews.blogspot.co.uk/2015/01/bad-traffick-by-dv-berkom.html" target="_blank">Bad Traffick</a></i><br /><i style="text-align: start;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><a href="http://cnkbookreviews.blogspot.co.uk/2015/08/cargo-by-dv-berkom.html" target="_blank">Cargo</a></span></i><br /><i style="text-align: start;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><a href="http://cnkbookreviews.blogspot.co.uk/2014/11/serial-date-by-d-v-berkom.html" target="_blank">Serial Date</a></span></i><br /><i style="font-family: verdana, sans-serif;"><a href="http://cnkbookreviews.blogspot.co.uk/2015/02/the-body-market-by-dv-berkom.html" target="_blank">The Body Market</a></i></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div>hopiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07212064721899300391noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5521585077417239161.post-24799849693461250612016-12-02T13:19:00.000-08:002017-12-17T12:34:34.337-08:00Which Half David by Mark W. Sasse<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: justify;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEggXNaNekQGXq89gYYXNa5sjhlpbbwyn73BCcq8yJPJloW9Q54jlj66sgH_u6qOsnP7u2iudkw9e54h3gjVcMqFuk-xwXMAteDzVFPJJ-Jk0qGAU0fd9v-BzNZ5-DtLG3diA2n3T2oeVmY/s1600/Which+Half+cover.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEggXNaNekQGXq89gYYXNa5sjhlpbbwyn73BCcq8yJPJloW9Q54jlj66sgH_u6qOsnP7u2iudkw9e54h3gjVcMqFuk-xwXMAteDzVFPJJ-Jk0qGAU0fd9v-BzNZ5-DtLG3diA2n3T2oeVmY/s200/Which+Half+cover.jpg" width="130" /></span></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: small;"><b><a href="https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B01KG3ZHJE/" target="_blank">AMAZON UK</a><br /><a href="https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B01KG3ZHJE/" target="_blank">AMAZON US</a></b></span></td></tr></tbody></table><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"></span><br /><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">A compelling story of a man who falls off his good-missionary pedestal. Correction: an utterly compelling story. Tobin Matthews and his wife, Jane, live in Sulu, an island (fictitious) in southeast Asia. Revered for his actions when he plays an instrumental part in closing down a dreadful band of human traffickers and for defending the rights of a group of Sulu tribesmen, he is the man of the island, a man who can do no wrong. But when his ex-lover, Kendra, turns up, this saint, this saviour, falls under her evil seductress ways. Far from turning the other cheek, Tobin’s actions rock his marriage, his beliefs and strength of character.</span></div><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">The story is a modern-day version of the biblical King David. A bit lost on me…I’m not religious, or a Christian and haven’t read the Bible. This didn’t matter, as it was still a page-turner as you accompany Tobin in his struggles to fight temptation in his will-he/won’t-he battle. Tobin, despite wobbling off his pedestal, and Kendra (bitch is too nice a word for her) are both very strong characters in their own way, but beautifully balanced by the soft, gentle, patient, perhaps even a little flaky, Jane and Kendra’s almost puppy-dog-like, ineffective, bumbling, slightly wimpish husband. But, pay very special attention to both of these…</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">And excellent story, written with Sasse’s usual flair, that's intense, passionate and peppered with some I-never-expected-that little surprises.<br /><br /><br /><i>See also:</i><br /><i style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; text-align: start;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><a href="http://cnkbookreviews.blogspot.co.uk/2013/07/beauty-rising-by-mark-w-sasse.html" target="_blank">Beauty Rising</a></span></i><br /><i style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; text-align: start;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><a href="http://cnkbookreviews.blogspot.co.uk/2014/12/if-love-is-crime-christmas-story-by.html" target="_blank">If Love is a Crime: A Christmas Story</a></span></i><br /><i style="text-align: start;"><a href="http://cnkbookreviews.blogspot.co.uk/2016/06/love-story-for-nation-by-mark-w-sasse.html" target="_blank">Love Story for a Nation</a></i><br /><i style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; text-align: start;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><a href="http://cnkbookreviews.blogspot.co.uk/2015/02/the-reach-of-banyan-tree-by-mark-w-sasse.html" target="_blank">The Reach of the Banyan Tree</a></span></i><i style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; text-align: start;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"> </span></i><br /><i style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; text-align: start;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><a href="http://cnkbookreviews.blogspot.co.uk/2014/04/the-recluse-storyteller-by-mark-w-sasse.html" target="_blank">The Recluse Storyteller</a></span></i></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><i style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; text-align: start;"><br /></i></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><i style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; text-align: start;"><br /></i></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><i style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; text-align: start;"><br /></i></div></span>hopiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07212064721899300391noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5521585077417239161.post-87885744922458057272016-10-29T14:11:00.000-07:002017-12-17T12:34:34.759-08:00The Tree of Everlasting Nolfi by Christine Nolfi<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: justify;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEieotl9dNChZJ-P9gBg-UaHfFJYUGK28owui4hzrob8y5SqvPdVloXqotwauCpuQm2MzDoaOF2lmmGxAwicVF5J8RCHKU0ux4TXq9-jtthdvLjdiOhYe_xlLCtz2k0GV_Jzx1m5OIQRlZ4/s1600/Everlasting+cover.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEieotl9dNChZJ-P9gBg-UaHfFJYUGK28owui4hzrob8y5SqvPdVloXqotwauCpuQm2MzDoaOF2lmmGxAwicVF5J8RCHKU0ux4TXq9-jtthdvLjdiOhYe_xlLCtz2k0GV_Jzx1m5OIQRlZ4/s200/Everlasting+cover.jpg" width="131" /></span></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: small;"><b><a href="https://www.amazon.co.uk/Tree-Everlasting-Knowledge-Liberty-Book-ebook/dp/B007IO78QK/" target="_blank">AMAZON UK</a><br /><a href="https://www.amazon.com/Tree-Everlasting-Knowledge-Liberty-Book-ebook/dp/B007IO78QK/" target="_blank">AMAZON US</a></b></span></td></tr></tbody></table><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"></span><br /><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">I didn’t go past ‘Go’ when I selected this book. I just went straight to my TBR. I didn’t remind myself what it was about…I relied on my judgement that if it was on my list, there was a very good reason for it. And I’m pleased to say I can still rely on my judgement. This was an excellent book.</span></div><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"></span><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><br /></span></div><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><div style="text-align: justify;">However…I’m totally and utterly confused. In slightly reverse order, having read and enjoyed the book, I was a little curious to see what the ‘blurb’ said. And therein I find there’s a character I haven’t even heard of. I really thought, well, that’s it. I’ve finally qualified for men-in-white-coats-ville. Further confusion reigned when I realise the other characters and…more importantly the plot…are identical. In short, my main character—Ourania—morphed into ‘Rennie’. What on earth?</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Anyway…confusion aside (and at least the character didn’t change name during the story) this was a Very Good Book.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Secrets can change lives. They changed Ourania’s, a competent electrician…and fosterparent…they changed Troy’s, the eldest son of a rich and powerful family and the strain of keeping secrets change the lives of two young children. Secrets that are held by a magnificent old oak tree.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">This is a powerful drama with strong, solid characters in a robust plot. There are twists and turns, and although I guessed the major twist fairly early on, Nolfi writes with such passion and compassion, intelligently and articulately, and the story builds to such a dramatic climax, it really didn’t matter.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">I will certainly be checking out more books by this author, and I really wouldn’t mind catching up with Ourania (Rennie, whatever she’s supposed to be called) and Troy.<br /><br /><br /></div></span>hopiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07212064721899300391noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5521585077417239161.post-13107937793832092652016-10-04T12:45:00.000-07:002017-12-20T22:14:55.110-08:00A Man Called Ove by Fredrik Backman<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgHC9sQqJGWhioeGOffuE7py6BTVkKQA2EX_AFYqpqkfWwO1hxiezX1RHUc2_t5fHktt_vbsSK_NvH1B_yAPrXJWPr2-0B4o-vkRAqrlKNeBGgqBxA6gv1ntX7gGRPScdqq3KBMJq9WuHw/s1600/Over+cover+2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgHC9sQqJGWhioeGOffuE7py6BTVkKQA2EX_AFYqpqkfWwO1hxiezX1RHUc2_t5fHktt_vbsSK_NvH1B_yAPrXJWPr2-0B4o-vkRAqrlKNeBGgqBxA6gv1ntX7gGRPScdqq3KBMJq9WuHw/s200/Over+cover+2.jpg" width="130" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: small;"><b><a href="https://www.amazon.co.uk/Man-Called-Ove-Fredrik-Backman-ebook/dp/B00IORP664/" target="_blank">AMAZON UK</a><br /><a href="https://www.amazon.com/Man-Called-Ove-Fredrik-Backman-ebook/dp/B00IORP664/" target="_blank">AMAZON US</a></b></span></td></tr></tbody></table><div style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><br /></div><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"></span><br /><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">This is an absolutely delightful story about Ove, a man touching sixty, about to lose his job, who lives on his own with a cat and a Saab.</span></div><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"></span><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><br /></span></div><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><div style="text-align: justify;">He is many things: grumpy, exasperating, pathetic, irritating, wise, pedantic, curmudgeonly, loyal, endearing, gentle, committed, generous even. He is complex and multi-layered. Oh, I don't know, maybe he isn't; maybe he's just very straightforward and uncomplicated. But, of all the things he is, every reader will recognise at least one of his or her own traits in him. Or in someone very close by. Whatever Ove is to you, whether you like him or not, he is compelling and utterly memorable.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">This book will make you laugh, it will make you cry. Ove sucks you in from the very first page and doesn’t let you go until the very end. Although he needs absolutely no help to keep you turning the pages (with a tissue from time to time), there is a wonderful array of colourful, original characters in the supporting cast.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Superbly written, it's probably my favourite book of the year. It’s heartwarming, touching and uplifting, and stays with you like the bloom of your favourite scent.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">To anyone who hasn’t read it, I’d go as far as to say it’s obligatory.<br /><br /><br /><br /></div></span>hopiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07212064721899300391noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5521585077417239161.post-85601928162591912942016-09-29T12:35:00.000-07:002017-12-20T22:14:55.580-08:00The Lonely Mile by Allan Leverone<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: justify;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgBjNEFB0z2pZL96TOX1-gmI977JXRJ3AtihP9hztPceuORxs4mGxAMSO14QDeqthHTbQ0dJicYqD949BOmAMKlWQG-w9rgHluL3VvXWUUAHfmgoositM8nHWz0B2rGNI4qSLRHnDni5KI/s1600/Lonely+Mile+cover.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgBjNEFB0z2pZL96TOX1-gmI977JXRJ3AtihP9hztPceuORxs4mGxAMSO14QDeqthHTbQ0dJicYqD949BOmAMKlWQG-w9rgHluL3VvXWUUAHfmgoositM8nHWz0B2rGNI4qSLRHnDni5KI/s200/Lonely+Mile+cover.jpg" width="133" /></span></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><b><a href="https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/0615547117/" target="_blank">AMAZON UK</a><br /><a href="https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0615547117/" target="_blank">AMAZON US</a></b></span></td></tr></tbody></table><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><div style="text-align: justify;">‘Walk on by’ would have been a good mantra for Bill Ferguson. A short stopover at a travellers’ plaza earmarks the beginning of a terrifying ordeal for Bill when he fudges a kidnap attempt by a serial killer, one who’s been on the police radar for over three years. Not a man to be crossed…ever…the killer exacts his revenge on Bill, the man who so very inconsiderately scotched his well-laid plans, in the most dreaded way any parent could imagine: he kidnaps Bill’s own daughter, Carli. Bill forges ahead with his own dramatic search for his daughter before she suffers at the hands of the sociopathic killer; after all, there’s the slightest hint of reticence on the part of the detective on the case. Odd, that... But when he finally catches up with this evil man, he discovers that the killer is but a small cog in a much, much greater atrocity.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">This was an excellent thriller that grabs you from page one. The chilling depiction of a serial killer plus the desperation of a father searching for his only daughter equals drama of nail-biting proportions. Brilliantly executed, well written with strong, solid, well-developed characters. </div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">This one’s hard to put down, I warn you! Highly recommended.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div></span>hopiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07212064721899300391noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5521585077417239161.post-64762600964817681512016-09-17T14:36:00.000-07:002017-12-20T22:14:55.404-08:00The Blow-In by Susanne O'Leary<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: justify;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh0qWLjPH3ZX41H5Y1Pelsgs-aCAxV92xcbSCaHIjeYdnnN9K_X1TdiPwI7QnV7i1DxbMAUvetg-cZUDxcuqTE1tmD7gIGRqsTVXIkQoLtA6XPrmv3qN7l4LUNH2r4bwbZ01KCu7-8lTXA/s1600/Blow+in+cover.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh0qWLjPH3ZX41H5Y1Pelsgs-aCAxV92xcbSCaHIjeYdnnN9K_X1TdiPwI7QnV7i1DxbMAUvetg-cZUDxcuqTE1tmD7gIGRqsTVXIkQoLtA6XPrmv3qN7l4LUNH2r4bwbZ01KCu7-8lTXA/s200/Blow+in+cover.jpg" width="132" /></span></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: small;"><b><a href="https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B01HVQVUPY/" target="_blank">AMAZON UK</a><br /><a href="https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B01HVQVUPY/" target="_blank">AMAZON US</a></b></span></td></tr></tbody></table><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"></span><br /><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">I’ve read a number of this author’s books. Whilst there’s no question that I obviously love her books, I’d be hard put to say which is my favourite because they’re <i>all</i> good, and The Blow-In is no exception. It’s another five-star read.</span></div><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"></span><br /><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><br /></span></div><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"></span><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">In this, we have the sassy, no-nonsense (my favourite female character!) Finola stepping down from edgy journalism to revive a local newspaper in a little Irish town. Not a bad place to start a calmer, less stressful life, away from failed relationships and controversial reporting. But we all know what happens to well-laid plans…conspiracy, good-looking men and way-too-adorable puppies upset the rural-bliss applecart.</span></div><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">O’Leary’s romances are mature, wholesome and robust. The plot is never predictable; there are surprises and twists. The Blow-In ticks all those boxes, along with some snappy, witty dialogue, characters who are colourful, interesting, funny, annoying, arrogant, all contributing to a cracking read.<br /><br />See Also:<br /><i style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><i><a href="http://cnkbookreviews.blogspot.com/2011/08/womans-place.html">A Woman’s Place</a></i></i><br /><i style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><a href="http://cnkbookreviews.blogspot.co.uk/2015/08/borrowed-dreams-by-susanne-oleary.html" target="_blank">Borrowed Dreams</a></i><br /><i style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><a href="http://cnkbookreviews.blogspot.co.uk/2012/04/finding-margo-by-susanne-oleary.html" target="_blank">Finding Margo</a></i><br /><i><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><a href="http://cnkbookreviews.blogspot.co.uk/2013/12/hot-gossip-by-susanne-oleary.html" target="_blank">Hot Gossip</a></span></i><br /><i><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><a href="http://cnkbookreviews.blogspot.co.uk/2013/06/hot-property-by-susanne-oleary.html" target="_blank">Hot Property</a></span></i><br /><i><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><a href="http://cnkbookreviews.blogspot.co.uk/2014/05/hot-pursuit-by-susanne-oleary.html" target="_blank">Hot Pursuit</a></span></i><br /><i><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><a href="http://cnkbookreviews.blogspot.co.uk/2015/01/selling-dreams-by-susanne-oleary.html" target="_blank">Selling Dreams</a> </span></i><br /><i style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><a href="http://cnkbookreviews.blogspot.com/2011/11/sonjas-place-by-susanne-oleary.html">Sonja's Place</a></i><br /><br /><br /><br /></div></span>hopiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07212064721899300391noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5521585077417239161.post-11401189509421715702016-09-16T14:18:00.000-07:002017-12-20T22:14:54.994-08:00I Let You Go by Clare MacKintosh<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: justify;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhtI5RyBzJ4Qwqoa6kcCyMVz0ehKltmik4FpFkuxFB1JyTb5ieDho_j-oZ-EcHxUm7nyU9wSpyiv0Z3U33sZValMqXz19UxvAAoB6wEK7Atf8eoZVRbRa6drJwrp_gMkVkmdVcM2UTf1BY/s1600/I+let+you+go+cover.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhtI5RyBzJ4Qwqoa6kcCyMVz0ehKltmik4FpFkuxFB1JyTb5ieDho_j-oZ-EcHxUm7nyU9wSpyiv0Z3U33sZValMqXz19UxvAAoB6wEK7Atf8eoZVRbRa6drJwrp_gMkVkmdVcM2UTf1BY/s200/I+let+you+go+cover.jpg" width="126" /></span></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: small;"><b><a href="https://www.amazon.co.uk/Let-You-Go-Clare-Mackintosh-ebook/dp/B00LTUC5VC" target="_blank">AMAZON UK</a><br /><a href="https://www.amazon.com/Let-You-Go-Clare-Mackintosh-ebook/dp/B00LTUC5VC" target="_blank">AMAZON US</a></b></span></td></tr></tbody></table><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"></span><br /><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">This was quite a disturbing book, not particularly well written...or edited, for that matter...and littered with implausibility. And I found it a bit of a mess. Tackling three POVs is quite a feat, two in the first person, one in the third. But giving the two first-person POVs the present tense and the other the past tense was just messy and didn’t work. </span></div><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"></span><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><br /></span></div><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><div style="text-align: justify;">For all that, I was fairly committed to the story…for about 75% of the book…but then I just got irritated. I’m not too sure what the supposed ‘twists’ in the book were supposed to be…they’re fairly guessable early on.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">A little boy is tragically killed in a hit and run. Jenna Gray tortures herself: could she have prevented the accident? Will running away to a remote Welsh village help her escape her torment or will her past catch up with her and ruin any chance she has of finding some peace and happiness?</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">This debut novel tries to tackle too much. The characters were bland (and Jenna was particularly annoying) and underdeveloped. The detective in charge of the case was probably the most interesting, and I was quite glad to get to ‘his’ chapters. There were also a number of loose threads, and I found myself thinking at the end, ‘Oh, is that it?.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Not a very satisfying read, unfortunately. There’s no doubt the author has some promise, but with this novel, I felt she ran before she could walk.<br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /></div></span>hopiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07212064721899300391noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5521585077417239161.post-33622525868477598132016-08-29T13:42:00.000-07:002017-12-20T22:14:55.228-08:00Shades of Gray by Andy Holloman<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: justify;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhqLKE6qbjineAjW-Blsh_nXBRWNpVEfUF9sCQ9IloFI5inRXyhaz8tnVeF_BJAcsaFoEl93_G6TkAbhjPSwe2XoRmWN7ke8iOZANyGiVggYIWP8gzhEj9LMQnFmCsY0ROalTckAuz9j4I/s1600/Shades+cover.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhqLKE6qbjineAjW-Blsh_nXBRWNpVEfUF9sCQ9IloFI5inRXyhaz8tnVeF_BJAcsaFoEl93_G6TkAbhjPSwe2XoRmWN7ke8iOZANyGiVggYIWP8gzhEj9LMQnFmCsY0ROalTckAuz9j4I/s200/Shades+cover.jpg" width="175" /></span></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: small;"><b><a href="https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/0615532799/" target="_blank">AMAZON UK</a><br /><a href="https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0615532799/" target="_blank">AMAZON US</a></b></span></td></tr></tbody></table><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">This was a slow-burner…I mean that in a good way, however. It ambled along at a steady pace, all the while holding my attention until the wow-I-never-expected-that ending, despite it linking back to the teasing prologue.</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">John’s travel business takes a nosedive after 9/ll when no one wants to get on a plane. He needs to stay afloat, and when his daughter, Lucy, his beautiful daughter, the light of his life, his sole reason for living, becomes ill with a life-threatening condition, he needs money for her treatment. Time to start calling in money owed to him and his business, in particular a substantial amount by Wanda Johnson, whose income is ‘earned’…let’s say rather dodgily. She convinces John that if they partnered up, she’d be able to pay him back and he’d have enough to take care of his daughter. A decent law-abiding man has a difficult decision to make. But without a viable business and therefore no income, he has no hope of helping Lucy. Desperate times call for desperate measures…</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">I enjoyed this despite a) the rather stilted dialogue—it lacked ease and naturalness…it was almost as if the characters were reading from a script and b) untidy editing. But the diversity of the two main characters was intriguing: it was hard to imagine how two people from very different backgrounds, with very different histories, were going to work. But they did…albeit dangerously.</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">I gather this is the author’s debut novel…started in 2003 and then shelved in 2006, before resurrecting it in 2011. A book with a rather ragged writing history which might have interrupted the flow somewhat, but a worthwhile read nonetheless</span>.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal"><o:p></o:p></div>hopiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07212064721899300391noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5521585077417239161.post-34661331984896761212016-08-09T13:49:00.000-07:002017-12-20T22:14:55.286-08:00Stranded Love by Massimo Marino<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: justify;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjX0eH2WCbzv6hZsSVSoSAUVZPpZ2WTy6apBfm4C1SNu4_PuiwWCuY1niPrGrGy-xcUhwbDg7r2XzRycUnVy8pSjSC-NRm4K8Cacsh0xEZlxwR6_qjoy6GbqUqZY_rf0aCfbD0tq8g0ZDY/s1600/Stranded+Love+cover.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjX0eH2WCbzv6hZsSVSoSAUVZPpZ2WTy6apBfm4C1SNu4_PuiwWCuY1niPrGrGy-xcUhwbDg7r2XzRycUnVy8pSjSC-NRm4K8Cacsh0xEZlxwR6_qjoy6GbqUqZY_rf0aCfbD0tq8g0ZDY/s200/Stranded+Love+cover.jpg" width="171" /></span></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td></tr></tbody></table><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"></span><br /><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">No, sorry, Sig. Marino, I wasn’t very keen on this collection of five short (very, very short) stories. They were dark, violent, creepy and unsettling. They left a rather bad taste in my mouth.</span></div><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">The aim, I think, was to show that love isn’t always expressed conventionally; you know, with roses, champagne and diamonds. That expression can sometimes take a hideously twisted, murderous route. Psychopaths don’t usually have intentions with good outcomes.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">I thought the stories just a tad too short. No sooner had they got going, they ended. They were rather bumpy…didn’t flow at all well. I found myself checking I was still in the same story and hadn't moved on to the next.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">I think I need a very corny, clichéd chick lit now to restore my mind to its former pure and angelic state.<br /><br /><br /><br /></div></span>hopiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07212064721899300391noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5521585077417239161.post-79455293899983666142016-08-08T14:47:00.000-07:002017-12-20T22:14:55.463-08:00A Gluten Free Taste of Turkey by Sibel Hodge<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhHsMv-_FBbbhVhcERjNp7nGOTLcYz01apcN26bLBNzZroLiVCMpJbU6j4Q1XKp0ddZdhBo-K0WCVQyIEaNsLJpxlaWIdhXUJElxymyfmXVXc1bCsnqV7Tq2gVhWM9vYNThqvPPsPvYbiY/s1600/GF+Taste+of+Turkey+cover.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhHsMv-_FBbbhVhcERjNp7nGOTLcYz01apcN26bLBNzZroLiVCMpJbU6j4Q1XKp0ddZdhBo-K0WCVQyIEaNsLJpxlaWIdhXUJElxymyfmXVXc1bCsnqV7Tq2gVhWM9vYNThqvPPsPvYbiY/s200/GF+Taste+of+Turkey+cover.jpg" width="160" /></span></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: small;"><b><a href="https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B00A01CR7S/" target="_blank">AMAZON UK</a><br /><a href="https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00A01CR7S/" target="_blank">AMAZON US</a></b></span></td></tr></tbody></table><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"></span><br /><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">I found this a little uninspiring. There were no ‘vibrant and adventurous’ recipes promised by the author in her blurb. They’re pleasant enough, but there’s nothing there I haven’t seen before, with or without gluten. The author of the book is a writer of fiction (her books are extremely enjoyable), not a chef, so this is just a collection of recipes she’s compiled having had to cook for her coeliac husband. Living in the Turkish Republic of Cyprus (she has dual nationality) means, of course, she's very familiar with the cuisine. </span></div><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"></span><br /><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">I’ve bookmarked a dozen or so of the recipes, not because they’re particularly different (I’ve cooked moussaka a million times in one variation or another and have made just about every mutation of hummous), but because they’re in a place I know I can find them. I follow a gluten-free diet, but have always used ordinary recipes tweaking them where necessary, so I didn’t find this recipe book that useful. And I was very irritated that the measurements were in cups and not in grams or ounces like just about every other cookbook for the UK market. </span></div><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"></span><br /><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><br /></span></div><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"></span><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">The photos are a little amateurish, but the book is best viewed in colour rather than on a Paperwhite Kindle. </span></div><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">I’m afraid there are millions and millions of professionally produced cookbooks out there on just about every aspect of cooking and nutrition. This just doesn’t have a USP.<br /><br /><i>See Also:</i><br /><a href="http://cnkbookreviews.blogspot.co.uk/2011/08/be-careful-what-you-wish-for-by-sibel.html">Be Careful What You Wish For</a></div></span>hopiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07212064721899300391noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5521585077417239161.post-57135309077035728322016-08-08T13:45:00.000-07:002017-12-20T22:14:55.345-08:00One Hospital Nightmare by A. P. Kasch<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><br /><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: justify;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjRe3rMvr9WbwAU1KmsEIfBdhvlrveOI6A1MbjC-hlAd32nuWC8dkClBND6DQ3TQQSptTow58VHNUUfqEwqsIIYNKfQ8ObabSADMcWIt7XRrdoP7vbsx0wUWWpLhvxmjoa6gNNiRjLrwOE/s1600/Hospital+cover.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjRe3rMvr9WbwAU1KmsEIfBdhvlrveOI6A1MbjC-hlAd32nuWC8dkClBND6DQ3TQQSptTow58VHNUUfqEwqsIIYNKfQ8ObabSADMcWIt7XRrdoP7vbsx0wUWWpLhvxmjoa6gNNiRjLrwOE/s200/Hospital+cover.jpg" width="147" /></span></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: small;"><b><a href="https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B009QHGV2O/" target="_blank">AMAZON UK</a><br /><a href="https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B009QHGV2O/" target="_blank">AMAZON US</a></b></span></td></tr></tbody></table><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"></span><br /><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">This novella was a little bit bland, despite the hint that the ‘nightmare’ of the title indicates some suspense, perhaps, and/or horror. </span></div><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">After visiting his friend, Jared, in hospital, Nick finds himself in the same hospital after careless driving causes him to crash his car. His stay is from boring: the nurses put a new spin on ‘attentiveness’, time seems to move agonisingly slowly, if at all, and how on earth is he in the middle of a Comanche Indian battle that happened a hundred and seventy years earlier? The lines between reality and nightmare become rather blurred for Nick. He needs to find a logical explanation. Was it the medication having some sort of weird side effects?</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">The characters were rather one-dimensional, the dialogue a bit stilted and the historical fiction seemed a little too detached from the story—almost incongruous.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">It was neatly ended, but it just left me thinking, ‘oh, okay’ rather than, ‘wow, that was a good story’.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">If you like a marriage between modern-day hospital mystery and historical fiction, you may like this. It’s certainly an easy, short read, so you don’t have to invest too much time in it. For me, it just lacked a little 'oomph'. <br /><br /><br /><br /><br /></div></span>hopiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07212064721899300391noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5521585077417239161.post-27585308365503930692016-08-08T12:27:00.000-07:002017-12-20T22:14:55.169-08:00Model Agent by Sean Sweeney<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: justify;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhTA762T7r9aSHMfvWt0xXmY6XO_XfRjtlbz71aq5Aw1RXlT8tDabzgW1uC6RwwmSdKbRWDZIiR8suiXQam_ZZY-io4RWAZiQs6L4dIvGi-nEZAo7a5Hzzw-e1IferoWfjdiJ1xwZ3m3Ys/s1600/Model+Agent+cover.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhTA762T7r9aSHMfvWt0xXmY6XO_XfRjtlbz71aq5Aw1RXlT8tDabzgW1uC6RwwmSdKbRWDZIiR8suiXQam_ZZY-io4RWAZiQs6L4dIvGi-nEZAo7a5Hzzw-e1IferoWfjdiJ1xwZ3m3Ys/s200/Model+Agent+cover.jpg" width="140" /></span></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: small;"><b><a href="https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B004O0UA1Q/" target="_blank">AMAZON UK</a><br /><a href="https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B004O0UA1Q/" target="_blank">AMAZON US</a></b></span></td></tr></tbody></table><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"></span><br /><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">I realised my Kindle was accommodating four books by this author, so I thought it was high time I read one of them. I started with the first of the Jaclyn Johnson thrillers. Our model agent (modelling is just something she does when she’s not saving the world) has, as her first assignment, to stop a ruthless and unscrupulous man using outrageous methods to annihilate his competitors in the bottled-water industry. A man who’s almost tyrannical, despotic even, and has to be caught at all costs…some of which turn out to be very high and very tragic.</span></div><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">I’ve got to say you have to suspend disbelief with this book. It’s a little OTT…a female Bond, Jaclyn isn’t. But she’s a no-nonsense, sassy, don’t-mess-with-me chick…and I love female crimefighters like that. And with her tools of the trade: Do-It-All Porsche, glasses, skintight Lycra suit…it’s all a bit daft. The ending doesn’t just require suspending disbelief, it needs gagging and locking up somewhere it can’t whisper, ‘Seriously?’ somewhat repeatedly.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">And that…is why I thoroughly thoroughly enjoyed it! Okay, it’s not the best writing I’ve come across (apostrophes, Mr S, apostrophes), but it was all delightfully silly and massively entertaining from start to finish. I loved it. Rogue Agent is the second in the series, and it's ready and waiting on my Kindle.<br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /></div></span>hopiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07212064721899300391noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5521585077417239161.post-79501844293393645002016-07-25T12:40:00.000-07:002017-12-20T22:14:55.522-08:00Being Travis by Melissa Bowersock<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: justify;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEghstjtvHaGkwtJ13XKwR2Dq5-Q-DCmR51eucqqCtbZgjqQbaJ5OXC7qOrJI_l9shj_ZsN6Bej5rQ2G743eXgLCBg4Ux6ZpKFJyD7MbFKj0LDCwRCIjnhqYzJd_zBGW7jIfyVL60vaFHM4/s1600/Being+Travis+cover.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEghstjtvHaGkwtJ13XKwR2Dq5-Q-DCmR51eucqqCtbZgjqQbaJ5OXC7qOrJI_l9shj_ZsN6Bej5rQ2G743eXgLCBg4Ux6ZpKFJyD7MbFKj0LDCwRCIjnhqYzJd_zBGW7jIfyVL60vaFHM4/s200/Being+Travis+cover.jpg" width="123" /></span></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: small;"><b><a href="https://www.amazon.co.uk/Being-Travis-No-Time-Book-ebook/dp/B01HGY7YHO/" target="_blank">AMAZON UK</a><br /><a href="https://www.amazon.com/Being-Travis-No-Time-Book-ebook/dp/B01HGY7YHO/" target="_blank">AMAZON US</a></b></span></td></tr></tbody></table><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"></span><br /><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">It was such a delight to get between the covers with Travis again. And you can take that smirk off your face because I know you know I mean the book covers!</span></div><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"></span><br /><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">I thoroughly enjoyed Book 1 in the Travis series, and was thrilled to find I didn’t have long to catch up with him again in Book 2. </span></div><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"></span><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><br /></span></div><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><div style="text-align: justify;">Two years after finding himself 140 years in the past, in the nineteenth century, Travis is now married to Phaedra, with a baby on the way and building a home and life…a happy one. His striker, the enigmatic Riley, is still with him. But Travis is finding it increasingly difficult to hide what he knows of the future, afraid that if Phaedra finds out the truth, his happy new life will be shattered. </div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">It’s very hard not to be completely invested in Travis. He continues to be so…wholesome and, well, <i>nice</i>. Bowersock presents the reader with wonderfully developed characters, whom you can almost imagine being in front of you, in person. As for Riley…I don’t think he needs words. His expressions say it all. That’s how good Bowersock is…she can make a character come to life without actually having to say anything very much at all.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Despite the progress that 140 years have brought (some of it good, some of it…not so good), Bowersock portrays a simple, cosy, unencumbered and dare I say, almost desirable community life, despite some of the disadvantages of not having the as-yet-to-be-available medical and technological advances…the lack of some of which are a cause of exasperation to Travis. </div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">A trick of time transported our lovely Travis to 1877. The same trick could just as easily transport him back to his own time and he would lose more than he could bear. I do so hope there is a Book 3…I desperately need to know what happens!</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">If you haven't read Finding Travis, then do and then waste no time with this sequel. Delightful.<br /><i><br /></i><i>See Also:</i><br /><i style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; text-align: start;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><a href="http://cnkbookreviews.blogspot.co.uk/2015/05/burning-through-by-melissa-bowersock.html" target="_blank">Burning Through</a></span></i><br /><i style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; text-align: start;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><a href="http://cnkbookreviews.blogspot.co.uk/2016/06/finding-travis-by-melissa-bowersock.html" target="_blank">Finding Travis</a></span></i><br /><i style="text-align: start;"><a href="http://cnkbookreviews.blogspot.co.uk/2014/12/fleischerhaus-by-melissa-bowersock.html" target="_blank">Fleischerhaus</a></i><br /><i style="text-align: start;"><a href="http://cnkbookreviews.blogspot.com.es/2015/09/queens-gold-by-melissa-bowersock.html" target="_blank">Queen's Gold</a></i><br /><i style="text-align: start;"><a href="http://cnkbookreviews.blogspot.co.uk/2016/04/sonnets-for-heidi-by-melissa-bowersock.html" target="_blank">Sonnets for Heidi</a></i><br /><i style="text-align: start;"><a href="http://cnkbookreviews.blogspot.co.uk/2013/08/stones-ghost-by-melissa-bowersock.html" target="_blank">Stone's Ghost</a></i><i style="text-align: start;"> </i><br /><br /><br /><br /></div></span>hopiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07212064721899300391noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5521585077417239161.post-87558454104326971892016-07-05T13:17:00.000-07:002017-12-21T00:08:59.184-08:00A Very Distant Affair by Faith Mortimer<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: justify;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiO_hqDAd68YNGBxXR29BqQQc782Kb0FArMZ6yhlldjQGiKWDxGE_s6rm9yUfT2xzX5IYNmoxg9M-EAUcbWWViQDXIV9Ce8P6XJGkxxTx6RcVkg1Ey0s6_QKkR1eSWaSw_nAQYdWJ5rby0/s1600/Distant+affair+cover.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiO_hqDAd68YNGBxXR29BqQQc782Kb0FArMZ6yhlldjQGiKWDxGE_s6rm9yUfT2xzX5IYNmoxg9M-EAUcbWWViQDXIV9Ce8P6XJGkxxTx6RcVkg1Ey0s6_QKkR1eSWaSw_nAQYdWJ5rby0/s200/Distant+affair+cover.jpg" width="131" /></span></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: small;"><b><a href="https://www.amazon.co.uk/Very-Distant-Affair-Book-ebook/dp/B01GJSKK6A/" target="_blank">AMAZON UK</a><br /><a href="https://www.amazon.com/Very-Distant-Affair-Book-ebook/dp/B01GJSKK6A/" target="_blank">AMAZON US</a></b></span></td></tr></tbody></table><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Mortimer’s books are like a reassuring comfort blanket. You have reassurance that you’re going to have a cosy, satisfying and thoroughly delightful read. This is number four in the ‘A Very...Affair’ series and stands proudly amongst the rest.</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">It’s true what they say about money. It doesn’t always bring you happiness. It certainly didn’t bring Cheryl Taylor happiness. Success, yes, fame, yes, a luxury lifestyle, yes. But for talented artist, Cheryl, certainly not the contentment she imagined would accompany all those things. As a struggling artist in her early twenties, Dan Taylor saw a glittering future for her. So he married her and managed her and her success. And therein lay the problem. When did the management become control? When did Dan last look at Cheryl as a woman, a mother, a wife? These are questions that buffet around in Cheryl’s head when she meets Michel, an Australian-French hotelier from Australia. And when she visits him in Australia, these same questions gradually get answered. Just when her future is suddenly looking very clear, a bombshell from Dan rocks her world, and she has to decide whether to follow her head or her heart.</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">At the risk of repetition, as with all Mortimer’s books, she has hit bull’s eye again with an engaging, appealing and charming romance…with some surprises and little twists towards the end. A perfect holiday read</span>.<br /><br /><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><i>See Also:</i></span><br /><i style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><a href="http://cnkbookreviews.blogspot.co.uk/2014/03/a-deadly-learning-by-faith-mortimer.html" target="_blank">A Deadly Learning</a></i><br /><i style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><a href="http://cnkbookreviews.blogspot.co.uk/2014/07/a-very-english-affair-by-faith-mortimer.html" target="_blank">A Very English Affair</a> </i><br /><i style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><a href="http://cnkbookreviews.blogspot.co.uk/2013/02/a-very-french-affair-by-faith-mortimer.html" target="_blank">A Very French Affair</a></i><br /><i style="text-align: start;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><a href="http://cnkbookreviews.blogspot.co.uk/2014/12/behind-twisted-smile-by-faith-mortimer.html" target="_blank">Behind a Twisted Smile</a> </span></i><br /><i style="text-align: start;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><a href="http://cnkbookreviews.blogspot.co.uk/2012/12/cameraactionmurder-by-faith-mortimer.html" target="_blank">Camera...Action...Murder!</a></span></i><br /><i style="text-align: start;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><a href="http://cnkbookreviews.blogspot.co.uk/2013/04/childhunt-by-faith-mortimer.html" target="_blank">Childhunt</a></span></i><br /><i style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><a href="http://cnkbookreviews.blogspot.com/2011/09/having-read-faiths-assassins-village.html">Children of the Plantation</a></i><br /><i style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><a href="http://cnkbookreviews.blogspot.co.uk/2013/09/devils-brae-by-faith-mortimer.html" target="_blank">Devil's Brae</a></i><br /><i style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><a href="http://cnkbookreviews.blogspot.co.uk/2012/07/harvest-book-2-of-crossing-by-faith.html" target="_blank">Harvest - Book 2 of The Crossing</a></i><br /><i style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><a href="http://cnkbookreviews.blogspot.co.uk/2014/12/not-just-for-christmas-by-faith-mortimer.html" target="_blank">Not Just for Christmas - A Very Seasonal Affair</a> </i><br /><i style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><a href="http://cnkbookreviews.blogspot.co.uk/2013/11/on-christmas-hill-by-faith-mortimer.html" target="_blank">On Christmas Hill</a></i><br /><i style="text-align: start;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><a href="http://cnkbookreviews.blogspot.co.uk/2014/05/sandstorm-in-my-heart-by-faith-mortimer.html" target="_blank">Sandstorm In My Heart</a></span></i><br /><i style="text-align: start;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><a href="http://cnkbookreviews.blogspot.com/2011/08/assassins-village-by-faith-mortimer.html">The Assassins’ Village</a></span></i><br /><i style="text-align: start;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><a href="http://cnkbookreviews.blogspot.co.uk/2015/12/the-green-room-by-faith-mortimer.html" target="_blank">The Green Room</a></span></i><br /><i style="text-align: start;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><a href="http://cnkbookreviews.blogspot.co.uk/2012/06/seeds-of-time-book-1-of-crossing-by.html" target="_blank">The Seeds of Time-Book 1 of The Crossing</a></span></i><br /><i style="text-align: start;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><a href="http://cnkbookreviews.blogspot.com/2012/01/surgeons-blade-by-faith-mortimer.html">The Surgeon's Blade</a></span></i></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><i style="text-align: start;"><br /></i></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><i style="text-align: start;"><br /></i></div>hopiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07212064721899300391noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5521585077417239161.post-89104370001019067192016-06-23T14:59:00.000-07:002017-12-21T00:08:59.243-08:00Love Story for a Nation by Mark W. Sasse<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: justify;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiiLTRgDy8gCuk0hwgLRidfdb15z3Zcc1ni1-vqbDSnrZxVOj_kn80ko9hK-Cf-BFQtfYhlRKWs6wm5oWkNKabyMtE12_oSLerLtc5PXwyfAyJ0OfUtAphmkCD1ANw8K6x4-_ZSELcAAqw/s1600/Love+story+cover.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiiLTRgDy8gCuk0hwgLRidfdb15z3Zcc1ni1-vqbDSnrZxVOj_kn80ko9hK-Cf-BFQtfYhlRKWs6wm5oWkNKabyMtE12_oSLerLtc5PXwyfAyJ0OfUtAphmkCD1ANw8K6x4-_ZSELcAAqw/s200/Love+story+cover.jpg" width="131" /></span></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: small;"><b><a href="https://www.amazon.co.uk/Love-Story-Nation-Mark-Sasse-ebook/dp/B00Y6JH0QS" target="_blank">AMAZON UK</a><br /><a href="https://www.amazon.com/Love-Story-Nation-Mark-Sasse-ebook/dp/B00Y6JH0QS" target="_blank">AMAZON US</a></b></span></td></tr></tbody></table><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">I've read four of Sasse’s novels…four very different novels, four very enjoyable reads. Naturally, I dived eagerly into what is now my fifth Sasse read. This is not only different from his other books, it’s also hugely different from anything I’ve read before. It’s quite extraordinary. It’s a rich tapestry of many different threads: history, politics, courage, determination, love, passion, compassion, commitment, loss, heartbreak, tragedy, death, friendship, grief, surprise, sadness, joy, perseverance, hardship, danger, hope. Phew! But I’m not lying. They’re all in there.</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">How on earth can a story encompass all that? you may ask. Well, it does, uniquely…this tapestry is very cleverly woven and blended. You are drawn compellingly into Gerald Sanpatri’s simple, meagre life</span><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">—</span><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">that he lives </span><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">without rancour or resentment</span><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">—</span><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">under the tyrannical rule of an evil dictator. It’s virtually impossible not to be smitten with this gentle, humble, compassionate and tolerant man, who fell in love with the perfect woman </span><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">when he least expected it.</span><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"> And when tragedy strikes in a cruel way—in many ways, in fact—his quiet and gentle determination never wavers as he strives to fulfil his hopes and dreams...for himself and his country. </span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">There are many surprises in this book tucked into the each of its many layers. It started out as a ten-minute sketch, the author tells us, but he was encouraged to develop it, and so was born a novel of some sixty thousand words. </span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">A unique novel that is as heart-rending as it is heart-warming</span>.<br /><br /><i><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">See Also:</span></i><br /><i style="text-align: start;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><a href="http://cnkbookreviews.blogspot.co.uk/2013/07/beauty-rising-by-mark-w-sasse.html" target="_blank">Beauty Rising</a></span></i><br /><i style="text-align: start;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><a href="http://cnkbookreviews.blogspot.co.uk/2014/12/if-love-is-crime-christmas-story-by.html" target="_blank">If Love is a Crime: A Christmas Story</a></span></i><br /><i style="text-align: start;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><a href="http://cnkbookreviews.blogspot.co.uk/2015/02/the-reach-of-banyan-tree-by-mark-w-sasse.html" target="_blank">The Reach of the Banyan Tree</a></span></i><i style="text-align: start;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"> </span></i><br /><i style="text-align: start;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><a href="http://cnkbookreviews.blogspot.co.uk/2014/04/the-recluse-storyteller-by-mark-w-sasse.html" target="_blank">The Recluse Storyteller</a></span></i></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><i style="text-align: start;"><br /></i></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><i style="text-align: start;"><br /></i></div>hopiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07212064721899300391noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5521585077417239161.post-57759504660173903322016-06-18T12:59:00.000-07:002017-12-21T00:08:58.948-08:00Satchfield Hall by Pauline Barclay<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: justify;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj5OaPQKhDn87JQBqcIo6JjXdNaVB63Hh9x-mawYDekhGLmUrryp7DTai5COHuwg44uzwLR_0lUkXQP_4TdVUquuUzoeWiGSrcTMhLlFnDGY0vEf7X_i1koLKFAvb6VYOXcq74mCk1SyU8/s1600/Satchfield+cover.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj5OaPQKhDn87JQBqcIo6JjXdNaVB63Hh9x-mawYDekhGLmUrryp7DTai5COHuwg44uzwLR_0lUkXQP_4TdVUquuUzoeWiGSrcTMhLlFnDGY0vEf7X_i1koLKFAvb6VYOXcq74mCk1SyU8/s200/Satchfield+cover.jpg" width="125" /></span></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: small;"><b><a href="https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B0043GX8OW/" target="_blank">AMAZON UK</a><br /><a href="https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0043GX8OW/" target="_blank">AMAZON US</a></b></span></td></tr></tbody></table><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">I really enjoyed this...my second outing with the author, Pauline Barclay. It’s quite a story, spanning forty-four years, starting just before the end of the second world war. </span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">If ever there was a nasty, power-hungry, vicious, egotistic character, then Henry Bryant-Smythe was one. What a vile man. You can imagine, then, that when his young only daughter finds herself ‘in the family way’, the lengths he goes to are extreme, to the point of inhuman, to make sure she understands the consequences of such disgrace for a family of such standing. There isn’t a soul who doesn’t fear this hideous man…his own wife included. But he never entertains the possibility that he could be underestimating her. His domineering, vulgarity and bullying are as unbearable as are endearing her quiet sagacity, forbearance and gentleness. But pay he must for ruining the lives of those nearest to him.</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Barclay overdoses us, wrings us out with oceans of wide-ranging emotions in this book. She does it skilfully, subtly, poignantly. The story is utterly compelling. </span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">This is a book which has been loitering around my Kindle for a while now and after reading it, I understand why. Every time I saw the title, it just didn’t scream ‘read me’. It’s not about Satchfield Hall at all: that’s just an address and really doesn’t play a part of any importance. The title of the book written by one of the characters is what screams at me as the perfect title. I was also a little at sea with the dates. The story is divided into two parts, but with untitled chapters it was hard to know exactly where we were.</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">For those reasons, I can’t elevate it into the five-star category, not least because of the bad editing (no editing?). So many spelling/grammatical errors was annoying.</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">However, I did manage to overlook those faults and ultimately, am glad I finally answered the book’s call to ‘read me, already!</span>’<br /><br /><i><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">See Also:</span></i><br /><i style="font-family: verdana, sans-serif; text-align: left;"><a href="http://cnkbookreviews.blogspot.co.uk/2012/08/magnolia-house-by-pauline-barclay.html" target="_blank">Magnolia House</a></i><br /><br /><br /></div>hopiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07212064721899300391noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5521585077417239161.post-44005009822914798182016-06-18T10:01:00.000-07:002017-12-21T00:08:58.888-08:00Finding Travis by Melissa Bowersock<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: justify;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhgyF64nc0TjiQ-z_lM-Brq3untb1L7iwPkffr4VbO631YGFtMijQl6BMYBwM80Jtq7K_Kygq63vYihK3h_LrZEdPZAWVCztoaPUJk7NKFh_bVdOpl9GTpbbQ2QN4xGrcN92xZC4SBeax0/s1600/Travis+cover.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhgyF64nc0TjiQ-z_lM-Brq3untb1L7iwPkffr4VbO631YGFtMijQl6BMYBwM80Jtq7K_Kygq63vYihK3h_LrZEdPZAWVCztoaPUJk7NKFh_bVdOpl9GTpbbQ2QN4xGrcN92xZC4SBeax0/s200/Travis+cover.jpg" width="123" /></span></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: small;"><b><a href="https://www.amazon.co.uk/Finding-Travis-No-Time-Book-ebook/dp/B01FG9CSS6" target="_blank">AMAZON UK</a><br /><a href="https://www.amazon.com/Finding-Travis-No-Time-Book-ebook/dp/B01FG9CSS6" target="_blank">AMAZON US</a></b></span></td></tr></tbody></table><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Another wonderful and compelling story from the prolific and talented Melissa Bowersock. Axl Rose of Guns 'n' Roses has, I gather, one of the widest vocal ranges. If Melissa was a singer, she would be Axl Rose, such is her talent and flair for penning a wide range of genres.</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">What I love about Bowersock’s books is that you always seem to like nearly all the characters. She has a knack of making them so very likeable. The Travis of the title is especially so. Poor chap…he can’t settle into a job and his marriage is a bit kaput. Whilst he’s trying to sort himself out, he volunteers at the historic Fort Verde, donning a cavalry surgeon’s uniform (I like him already) for the visitors. Not the most stimulating of jobs, he settles into a chair for a bit whilst on his shift. And wakes up in 1877. His authentic uniform gets him mistaken for an actual surgeon. Not only does he have to bluff his way through medical procedures of which he has no knowledge, but he has to play the part of a nineteenth-century cavalry man for real; no room here for iPhones and LOLs. One thing doesn’t change though: love. Despite desperately hoping he can get back to the twenty-first century the same way he found himself in the nineteenth, a certain Miss Welles stops him in his tracks. Well, what's so wonderful about the twenty-first century, anyway?</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Oh, I did like Travis. I think I might have fallen in love with him. He’s what can truly be called, a jolly good egg...a handsome one. Corporal Riley, his right-hand man, was a superb character: virtually inscrutable. He never gave away what must have he thought when he saw a set of keys (car) and a mobile... The very lovely Phaedra Welles reminded me of one of Jane Austen’s heroine’s: determined, independent with a smattering of assertiveness.</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">I won’t need any convincing whatsoever to read the next part of Travis’s story (Being Travis) which I really, really hope will be available soon</span>.</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal"><i><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">See Also:</span></i><br /><i><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><a href="http://cnkbookreviews.blogspot.co.uk/2015/05/burning-through-by-melissa-bowersock.html" target="_blank">Burning Through</a></span></i><br /><i><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><a href="http://cnkbookreviews.blogspot.co.uk/2016/06/finding-travis-by-melissa-bowersock.html" target="_blank">Finding Travis</a></span></i><br /><i style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><a href="http://cnkbookreviews.blogspot.co.uk/2014/12/fleischerhaus-by-melissa-bowersock.html" target="_blank">Fleischerhaus</a></i><br /><i style="font-family: verdana, sans-serif;"><a href="http://cnkbookreviews.blogspot.com.es/2015/09/queens-gold-by-melissa-bowersock.html" target="_blank">Queen's Gold</a></i><br /><i style="font-family: verdana, sans-serif;"><a href="http://cnkbookreviews.blogspot.co.uk/2016/04/sonnets-for-heidi-by-melissa-bowersock.html" target="_blank">Sonnets for Heidi</a></i><br /><i style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><a href="http://cnkbookreviews.blogspot.co.uk/2013/08/stones-ghost-by-melissa-bowersock.html" target="_blank">Stone's Ghost</a></i></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><br /><br /><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div>hopiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07212064721899300391noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5521585077417239161.post-91351329169249393882016-06-17T15:04:00.000-07:002017-12-21T00:08:59.302-08:00The Girl in the Ice by Robert Bryndza<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: justify;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgzHpzFeV84nPA11LLaGMqj3IgPUBqF89mGXTZtpvRrVLZNiebC1mZg8q-t_kHxX8sLHj4KUgs86Ojl42sBtUGK7vSMfyEFYjf-fuT-dXjaHAjubsBRd-35U1SOmczpjkXiTrq0_raewBo/s1600/Girl+in+the+Ice+cover.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgzHpzFeV84nPA11LLaGMqj3IgPUBqF89mGXTZtpvRrVLZNiebC1mZg8q-t_kHxX8sLHj4KUgs86Ojl42sBtUGK7vSMfyEFYjf-fuT-dXjaHAjubsBRd-35U1SOmczpjkXiTrq0_raewBo/s200/Girl+in+the+Ice+cover.jpg" width="129" /></span></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: small;"><b><a href="https://www.amazon.co.uk/Girl-Ice-gripping-thriller-Detective-ebook/dp/B019G6DSDE" target="_blank">AMAZON UK</a><br /><a href="https://www.amazon.com/Girl-Ice-gripping-thriller-Detective-ebook/dp/B019G6DSDE" target="_blank">AMAZON US</a></b></span></td></tr></tbody></table><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">I rather like maverick female detectives in books. They usually have a bit of baggage, get away with an awful lot they wouldn’t be able to in real life, are resolute, dedicated and hard-nosed but always seem to have a soft-centre. Do they defy credibility? Of course they do, but this is fiction. And in a crime-thriller packed with drama and suspense some poetic license is allowed, necessary even. </span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">All of the above can be found in this book. With bells on.</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Detective Erika Foster returns to work after an enforced break and is met with the gruesome discovery by a young man of the body of a woman frozen beneath a thick layer of winter ice in a park. The girl is the daughter of an influential and very rich man who is used to a world in which money talks very loudly. Despite clues leading to one man in particular, Erika’s instincts tell her otherwise. Trying the patience of her superiors, the dead girl’s family and putting her career on the line, she finds her own life in grave danger when she doggedly pursues what her gut is telling her.</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Page turner. Fast paced. Gripping. Suspenseful. Exciting. Intense. </span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Yes, all of the above. I was sucked in right from the start and really did find this book hard to put down. It’s always good to find out who did it, but I did feel a bit flat after The End! So I was rather pleased to find that Detective Foster features in a sequel. It’s the first time I’ve pre-ordered a book. I think that just about says it all</span>!<br /><br /><br /><br /></div>hopiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07212064721899300391noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5521585077417239161.post-72560080250131622992016-06-16T15:15:00.000-07:002017-12-21T00:08:59.125-08:00Tales From the Deed Box of John H. Watson MD by Hugh Ashton<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: justify;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhtUvy52aekhDZTpLv6FcYFCoMuQ4k3xX2-TElVJFqmXn6nKz6gJY25EJjokeBoM8Y4jkT3utiU6v2B-0WMSCUq1469z4uo_FBkxTpiK2UxqEwcMsoXew4Rshsz4dT_WqCSu5KqT8EWcI0/s1600/Tales+cover.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhtUvy52aekhDZTpLv6FcYFCoMuQ4k3xX2-TElVJFqmXn6nKz6gJY25EJjokeBoM8Y4jkT3utiU6v2B-0WMSCUq1469z4uo_FBkxTpiK2UxqEwcMsoXew4Rshsz4dT_WqCSu5KqT8EWcI0/s200/Tales+cover.jpg" width="124" /></span></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: small;"><b><a href="https://www.amazon.co.uk/Tales-Deed-Box-John-Watson-ebook/dp/B006ZRGS9Y" target="_blank">AMAZON UK</a><br /><a href="https://www.amazon.com/Tales-Deed-Box-John-Watson-ebook/dp/B006ZRGS9Y" target="_blank">AMAZON US</a></b></span></td></tr></tbody></table><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">A collection of notes made by John Watson on some undocumented cases of Sherlock Holmes are the basis for these three novellas by Hugh Ashton, who 'explains' </span><span style="font-family: verdana, sans-serif;">at the beginning of the book </span><span style="font-family: verdana, sans-serif;">how they came to be in his possession...<i>fairly </i>convincingly... Armed with those notes, he takes on the mantle of the original famous narrator of Holmes and Watson’s crime-solving adventures.</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">I should, I think, come clean. Be prepared to stand back in amazement. I’ve never actually read any of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle’s books about the great 'consulting detective'. There, I’ve said it.</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">So, the only perceptions I have of the well-known P. I. are those born of performances by great actors on film or TV (Sir Basil Rathbone being the first...in black and white). Of course, not being in a position to compare them to Doyle’s legendary masterpieces, I have no idea whether the representations are good or not. What I do know is those portrayals have given me a fairly consistent picture of Holmes. And yes, I really ought to hurry up and read at least one of the famous duo’s tales before I pop my clogs.</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Whether or not Ashton succeeded, I can’t say, </span><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">obviously</span><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">. I can’t confirm whether his emulation of the Doyle style was accomplished or not. But what I can say is that these three short stories made delightful reading. Brilliantly, eloquently, articulately written, and utterly enjoyable. If the cinematic representations are true to character, then I’d say Ashton has done well. There may well be Doyle purists who might disagree, who knows, but I read these completely unbiased, carte blanche if you like, and was thoroughly entertained.</span><br /><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div>hopiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07212064721899300391noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5521585077417239161.post-3502930012790498662016-05-14T14:11:00.000-07:002017-12-21T00:08:58.744-08:00Not to Us by Katherine Owen<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhO8hlUYuueDB7KlBQwuF42VE90wcuMc8iNkMtHBk122iWcae_gehmUVjPxKp7a8dYNlo1RyrjBsESxC202j1DaGT7oBF6Jc5epvdvNYbwsHpJsDLyGjH7Lg6Oxnzae6-pJW26q-lGXTyk/s1600/Not+to+us+cover.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhO8hlUYuueDB7KlBQwuF42VE90wcuMc8iNkMtHBk122iWcae_gehmUVjPxKp7a8dYNlo1RyrjBsESxC202j1DaGT7oBF6Jc5epvdvNYbwsHpJsDLyGjH7Lg6Oxnzae6-pJW26q-lGXTyk/s200/Not+to+us+cover.jpg" width="133" /></span></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: small;"><b><a href="https://www.amazon.co.uk/Not-Love-Story-Katherine-Owen-ebook/dp/B004YWMO4A" target="_blank">AMAZON UK</a><br /><a href="https://www.amazon.com/Not-Love-Story-Katherine-Owen-ebook/dp/B004YWMO4A" target="_blank">AMAZON US</a></b></span></td></tr></tbody></table><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"></span><br /><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">I admire every single person who writes a book. I may not like the book, it may have faults, but I can’t ever take away from an author that he or she has poured out thousands of words to fulfil a dream to pen a novel. Truly admirable.</span></div><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"></span><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><br /></span></div><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><div style="text-align: justify;">So, here’s the thing: the key word there is the ‘a’ in 'a great idea'. I can’t help thinking that this author scribbled down a number of ideas and thought, I know, I’ll put them all into one book. Result? Idea overload. (Which stretched to covers as well: I've seen four for this book.) Can you have too much drama in one book? Quite possibly. </div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Ellie’s husband has an affair with her best friend. The big C rears its ugly head. Ellie marries best friend’s husband. That’s probably enough to make a pretty good story, but no, let’s throw in two tragic deaths, a pregnancy, infidelity (yes, more) and you find yourself pretty stuffed after this smorgasbord of cheesiness.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">And now, just to confuse you…despite what I’ve said, I…er…actually quite enjoyed it. (quite…let’s not get too carried away). </div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">I found it a little hard to understand how Ellie seemed to be able to have men…three of them…falling at her feet. She was full of cancer and babies and not much personality, and yet they were all declaring undying love for her. It was all a bit mushy, despite dealing with some pretty full-on issues, and none of the characters were developed enough. It was hard to like, or even dislike, any of them.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Four things irritated me: the repetitive ‘bodacious tah tahs’. First time was amusing. The second, a little less. The third raised a titter. But after the seventeenth time, I’d had enough. I was also a little irked by the habit-of-stringing-a-whole-sentence-together-with-hyphens-to-make-it-an-adjective. Thirdly, this was written in the first person, present tense. It didn’t work. The (huge) issues in this book were ones dealt with by different people in different ways: I didn't perceive the gamut of emotions of the other characters, because of the first person POV and present tense. Lastly, the main character, Ellie, is an editor. A pity she didn’t edit her own book. There are a number of grammatical and punctuation howlers.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">I really can’t quite fathom why I found it such a compelling read! Apart from the afore-mentioned annoyances, this author does write rather well. There was something about this work that drew me in, and ultimately, it was an effortless read.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div></span><br /><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div>hopiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07212064721899300391noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5521585077417239161.post-60199685169625646912016-05-14T12:54:00.000-07:002017-12-21T00:08:59.008-08:00A Killing Truth by DV Berkom<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: justify;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEin0qjPJuFPU6Kr0CUi49pag8THjSV1Hx3oRlhQ1GBAd2w0EvrMHRJb2KC1FfZGNwPxk_MFVlv2cnhnwP95tTubVFnpA6-X9_S8MolaFzpwchOrlXjZHSuV6z64A6O2YNEW4YmElX7vjXc/s1600/Killing+Truth+cover.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEin0qjPJuFPU6Kr0CUi49pag8THjSV1Hx3oRlhQ1GBAd2w0EvrMHRJb2KC1FfZGNwPxk_MFVlv2cnhnwP95tTubVFnpA6-X9_S8MolaFzpwchOrlXjZHSuV6z64A6O2YNEW4YmElX7vjXc/s200/Killing+Truth+cover.jpg" width="125" /></span></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: small;"><b><a href="https://www.amazon.co.uk/Killing-Truth-Leine-Thriller-Prequel-ebook/dp/B01CO5UNUU/" target="_blank">AMAZON UK</a><br /><a href="https://www.amazon.com/Killing-Truth-Leine-Thriller-Prequel-ebook/dp/B01CO5UNUU/" target="_blank">AMAZON US</a></b></span></td></tr></tbody></table><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"></span><br /><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">I’ve read four Leine Basso thrillers. Yes, I love them. Actually, I love HER…she’s a sassy, kick-arse, no-nonsense, I’ll-eat-your-balls-for-breakfast type of woman. And at the same time, she’s a mum and a lover, with all the usual ups and downs those things entail. She simply rocks. </span></div><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"></span><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><br /></span></div><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><div style="text-align: justify;">Now, I have to admit, I’m not that fussed with prequels. Why bother with what’s gone before, if you know what happens afterwards, I’ve always thought. But Berkom is not only a talented writer, she’s a canny one. Throughout each Basso thriller, there are crumbs…tantalising crumbs…of her history as an assassin and her former dead lover. Enough to pique your interest and want to find out what brought her to her present life. </div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">A dangerous one. A very dangerous one did. Leine was excellent at her job, so when assignments started not going quite to plan, she began to wonder if her lover (and fellow assassin), Carlos, was right to suspect that their boss might be selling them out. And her own doubts turned to concern…and dread…when Carlos appeared to be completely uncontactable.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Berkom’s books are ones when you almost forget to breathe. They’re fast-paced, taut with tension and sheer joy from start to finish. I’m never sadder than when I read those two little words—The End. I can’t get enough of Basso, or of Berkom’s writing, and I'm always left with an enormous problem of what to read next: she’s a hard act to follow.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">See also:</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><div style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; text-align: start;"><i style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><a href="http://cnkbookreviews.blogspot.co.uk/2015/03/bad-spirits-by-dv-berkom.html" target="_blank">Bad Spirits</a></i></div><div style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; text-align: start;"><i style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><a href="http://cnkbookreviews.blogspot.co.uk/2015/01/bad-traffick-by-dv-berkom.html" target="_blank">Bad Traffick</a></i></div><div style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; text-align: start;"><i><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><a href="http://cnkbookreviews.blogspot.co.uk/2015/08/cargo-by-dv-berkom.html" target="_blank">Cargo</a></span></i></div><div style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; text-align: start;"><i><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><a href="http://cnkbookreviews.blogspot.co.uk/2014/11/serial-date-by-d-v-berkom.html" target="_blank">Serial Date</a></span></i></div><div style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; text-align: start;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><i><a href="http://cnkbookreviews.blogspot.co.uk/2015/02/the-body-market-by-dv-berkom.html" target="_blank">The Body Market</a></i></span></div><div style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; text-align: start;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><br /></span></div><div style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; text-align: start;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><br /></span></div></div></span>hopiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07212064721899300391noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5521585077417239161.post-71885208887777584792016-05-14T09:34:00.000-07:002017-12-21T00:08:59.067-08:00When Churchyards Yawn by Cathy Vasas-Brown<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: justify;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgjo_9WckC3j28oECOnwIiRB-0QWrfRtHL8lg1QiHsuSnZUCzFo_BGGmbGkztAKexfAcDH4ZXlhWL9tGcWhMfeguCdd6UdE-Urn6tSz16LHj5dJxy1RD1wVUU-LKsC3D3T5hANzj5zKy80/s1600/When+Churchyards+Yawn+cover.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgjo_9WckC3j28oECOnwIiRB-0QWrfRtHL8lg1QiHsuSnZUCzFo_BGGmbGkztAKexfAcDH4ZXlhWL9tGcWhMfeguCdd6UdE-Urn6tSz16LHj5dJxy1RD1wVUU-LKsC3D3T5hANzj5zKy80/s200/When+Churchyards+Yawn+cover.jpg" width="133" /></span></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: small;"><b><a href="https://www.amazon.co.uk/When-Churchyards-Yawn-Carolyn-Latham-ebook/dp/B017HW8QR2" target="_blank">AMAZON UK</a><br /><a href="https://www.amazon.com/When-Churchyards-Yawn-Carolyn-Latham-ebook/dp/B017HW8QR2" target="_blank">AMAZON US</a></b></span></td></tr></tbody></table><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Every single one of Vasas-Brown’s books is compelling, gripping and just, well, brilliant. I can’t recommend them enough.</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Whilst this book features a former character…and a former criminal…fear not, Vasas-Brown has makes these books stand alone very skilfully. And for those readers who have met the characters before, there’s no point at which you say ‘yawn, yes, I know all this’. </span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Dear old Hamlet said, ‘Tis now the very witching time of night, When churchyards yawn and hell itself breathes out.’ And in this story, it does…it so does.</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">The one piece of scum who’s managed to slip through Latham’s fingers before, re-enters her life. Despite having to get to the bottom of a series of fires, obviously the work of an arsonist, in her home town, her obsession and dogged determination to catch her nemesis is too powerful to resist when he sends her some rather creepy emails and reports of some awful events in India. An evil man, with a hideous proclivity, has got to be stopped and she is the only person to do this.</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Vasas-Brown does everything to perfection: she develops her characters, structures a faultless plot, creates the right emotions for any scene, whether it’s criminal, romantic, sad, humorous or descriptive. It’s a book you wish you had the luxury of reading in one sitting. Annoyingly, I didn’t have that luxury, but the best thing, for a few days, about going to bed, was the thought of diving into Carolyn Latham’s quest.</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Probably the worst thing about this book is finishing it. It’s impossible to get to the end of this author’s books without craving more</span>.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">See Also:</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><i style="background-color: #e3deef; font-family: Verdana, Geneva, sans-serif; font-size: 14.85px; line-height: 20.79px; text-align: start;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><a href="http://cnkbookreviews.blogspot.co.uk/2013/11/safe-as-churches-by-cathy-vasas-brown.html" style="color: #2e0a40; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank">Safe As Churches</a></span></i><br /><i style="background-color: #e3deef; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 14.85px; line-height: 20.79px; text-align: start;"><a href="http://cnkbookreviews.blogspot.co.uk/2015/09/sympathy-for-devil-by-cathy-vasas-brown.html" style="color: #2e0a40; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank">Sympathy for the Devil</a></i></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><i style="background-color: #e3deef; font-family: Verdana, Geneva, sans-serif; font-size: 14.85px; line-height: 20.79px; text-align: start;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><a href="http://cnkbookreviews.blogspot.co.uk/2014/03/the-monitor-by-cathy-vasas-brown.html" style="color: #2e0a40; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank">The Monitor</a></span></i><br /><i style="background-color: #e3deef; font-family: Verdana, Geneva, sans-serif; font-size: 14.85px; line-height: 20.79px; text-align: start;"><br /></i><i style="background-color: #e3deef; font-family: Verdana, Geneva, sans-serif; font-size: 14.85px; line-height: 20.79px; text-align: start;"><br /></i></div>hopiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07212064721899300391noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5521585077417239161.post-92008104729294157942016-04-21T13:29:00.000-07:002017-12-21T00:08:59.361-08:00A Sudden Gust of Gravity by Laurie Boris<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJZPnBNYhvi59kSSNGQjiMaoAYh8JCRHH7tA-wTa-Te3VvTE4_52yCiBtbviHzp0AWHuDCnbGG89vuokPTREiS6rwgW_B7ZgPF6yffEO0JfPc2WZJ1rZ8T81cwAeuazN7yIsJmYfeMzqw/s1600/Gravity+cover.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJZPnBNYhvi59kSSNGQjiMaoAYh8JCRHH7tA-wTa-Te3VvTE4_52yCiBtbviHzp0AWHuDCnbGG89vuokPTREiS6rwgW_B7ZgPF6yffEO0JfPc2WZJ1rZ8T81cwAeuazN7yIsJmYfeMzqw/s200/Gravity+cover.jpg" width="132" /></span></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: small;"><b><a href="http://www.amazon.co.uk/Sudden-Gust-Gravity-Laurie-Boris-ebook/dp/B017QEIES2" target="_blank">AMAZON UK</a><br /><a href="http://www.amazon.com/Sudden-Gust-Gravity-Laurie-Boris-ebook/dp/B017QEIES2" target="_blank">AMAZON US</a></b></span></td></tr></tbody></table><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"></span><br /><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">I don’t hesitate for one single nano-second when it comes to a new novel by Laurie Boris. And I start it with lip-licking relish and always finish it with a satisfied ‘Wow, that was good’. And this certainly did deserve a ‘Wow, that was excellent’. </span></div><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"></span><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><br /></span></div><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><div style="text-align: justify;">I’ve never read a book set in the world of abracadabra, so I found this rather unique.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Christina Davenport’s obsession with magic….and becoming a respected magician…is hardly surprising when her magician father nurtured her interest. But it’s a man’s world. So, when the opportunity to become a street magician’s assistant arises, she jumps at the chance, despite Reynaldo the Magnificent being a smug and arrogant (albeit rather irresistible) so and so. However, she works hard to please, but more importantly to learn and gain confidence…which doesn’t come without a few bumps and bruises when you’re perfecting your juggling and disappearing techniques. Bruises which do not escape one particular member of the street audience, Dr Devon Park, who becomes mesmerised not just by those rather worrying bruises but also by their owner: a petite, attractive assistant.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">An unlikely tug-of-war for the affections of a pretty girl ensues. Who’s going to be the victor? The confident, brash, good-looking, cocky and resolute Reynaldo, who wants to win, whatever it takes, or the gentle, caring, kind, slightly baggage-laden doctor with some demons he needs to lay to rest.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Boris can turn her hand as adeptly to a tale of romantic suspense as she can to one of humour (<a href="http://cnkbookreviews.blogspot.co.uk/2012/04/jokes-on-me-by-laurie-boris.html" target="_blank">The Joke’s on Me</a>) or heart-wrenching poignancy (<a href="http://cnkbookreviews.blogspot.co.uk/2012/11/drawing-breath-by-laurie-boris.html" target="_blank">Drawing Breath</a>). Meticulously researched, set in the fascinating world of magic, with engaging characters and brilliantly written.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Yes. Boris certainly has pulled a rabbit out of the hat with this one.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">See also:</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><div><a href="http://cnkbookreviews.blogspot.co.uk/2014/10/dont-tell-anyone-by-laurie-boris.html" target="_blank"><i>Don't Tell Anyone</i></a></div><div><a href="http://cnkbookreviews.blogspot.co.uk/2013/09/sliding-past-vertical-by-laurie-boris.html" target="_blank"><i>Sliding Past Vertical</i></a></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div></div></span>hopiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07212064721899300391noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5521585077417239161.post-85048646731300049022015-02-14T14:09:00.000-08:002017-12-25T16:08:15.817-08:00Buried by Debt by Cathryn Grant<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: small;"><b><a href="https://novel-secrets.blogspot.com/2015/02/buried-by-debt-by-cathryn-grant.html" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">novel-secrets.blogspot.com</a></b><br /><b>AMAZON US</b></span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Well, this one caught me by surprise! Pleasantly, I should add. The beginning ambles along satisfyingly enough and then... pow!</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Devon and Jenna are a young married couple, living and working in Silicon Valley. They are utterly ‘into’ each other, he perhaps more than her. His sole reason for living is Jenna, and everything he does is for her. But this is at a hefty financial cost, and when the promotion he's banking on, which will clear their overstretched bank balance, is delayed, their spirally debts have a catastrophic effect on their lives.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">It’s not only easy to like this gentle couple…they’re completely besotted with each other…but also easy to identify the crisis in which they find themselves. An upwardly mobile young couple enjoying their success, but suddenly drowning when they find themselves financially running before they can walk and struggling to maintain appearances to their peers. So you really find yourself sitting up straight when the story takes a very dark and gripping turn.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">I think I would have liked a little more attention paid to editing…there were a number of errors…and the ending was just a tad convenient. I did find myself saying, ‘But what about…?’ and ‘But surely…?’ However, the unanswered questions may well leave the way open for a sequel, who knows.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Overall, however, I did enjoy this and was impressed by the author's writing. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Buried by Debt by Cathryn Grant</span></h3>
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hopiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07212064721899300391noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5521585077417239161.post-63539521667557817732013-11-04T14:59:00.000-08:002017-11-27T23:51:14.030-08:00Safe As Churches by Cathy Vasas-Brown<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhIUw1jf4l_s_ojj29F6t4e_ueFL7GwRAE4bH2O1KgY2yUndqfuGlTbm5Dq8If1T-p-rmNKTOVhuixPxGRgYXfgkcrOh8pJZvVTJAJ-15CHt06FF33H_fMqIAJGPj9xtn60Dt2BA95bnd0/s1600/Cover.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhIUw1jf4l_s_ojj29F6t4e_ueFL7GwRAE4bH2O1KgY2yUndqfuGlTbm5Dq8If1T-p-rmNKTOVhuixPxGRgYXfgkcrOh8pJZvVTJAJ-15CHt06FF33H_fMqIAJGPj9xtn60Dt2BA95bnd0/s200/Cover.jpg" width="132" /></span></a></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Oh. My. Goodness. I was well and truly thrilled by this thriller. I think my jaw dropped at page one and didn’t close until five minutes after I turned the last page. I think I need to seek out a thesaurus and look for every possible word for ‘outstanding’.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Opal: the girl at the end of a phone (a phone-sex line). The True Gentleman: he always speaks to Opal. She understands him. He adores her, he wants to be with her forever. But Opal leaves the phone-sex business and takes her true identity with her. The True Gentleman has to find her at all costs: she is ‘the one’. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Paige Rowan knows about the phone-sex business. And she knows who and where Opal is. Her discovery of a human foot by her car is a little too convenient. And the toe-ring…where has she seen it before? Is she in danger? Her terror is further intensified by the discovery of human remains on her property. Her now almost-perfect life is on the verge of being dismantled. By whom? The True Gentleman? The ex-boyfriend from whom she fled from Europe? The dissenters of the religious cult formed by her fanatical parents? Oh, what a web has been weaved!</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Cathy Vasas-Brown’s writing is powerful and captivating. Every word, every scene is bang on point. There are twists and turns and just when you can think you’ve got it sussed, smack! you find yourself down another cul-de-sac.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Gripping, compelling, real edge-of-your-seat class. Absolutely wonderful.</span><br />
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hopiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07212064721899300391noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5521585077417239161.post-664318783535022232013-10-31T15:52:00.000-07:002017-11-14T19:23:49.063-08:00Johnny Roberts and the Guardians of the Sun by Andrew Noble<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Johnny Roberts and the Guardians of the Sun by Andrew Noble</h2>
This is quite a speedy read, not just because it’s not that long a book, but because it’s a rather compelling page-turner leaving you no option but to read swiftly to the end!<br />
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Johnny Roberts is a thirteen-year-old who lives in Johannesburg with an alcoholic and abusive father. A father-and-son outing ends dramatically with a revelation that stuns Johnny. It’s a revelation that impels him to flee from any further abuse from a violent parent. With the help of some unusual transport, Johnny flees good and proper…to South America, no less, where he finds a lost tribe, who treats him like a god…literally. While the CIA are enlisted to trace the vanished young teenager, Johnny finds himself as the only person able to help his newfound tribal friends, suddenly under threat of attack from a power-crazed drug lord. The only thing that can help him is his rather extraordinary transport…<br />
<h3>
Johnny Roberts and the Guardians of the Sun by Andrew Noble</h3>
I’m not an avid sci-fi reader: I’m not very good a suspending my disbelief. But this story moved along at a decent pace, the villains were well and truly villainous, Johnny was exceptionally likeable, and there was a nice little substory going on with the two members of the CIA, who are doing their utmost to find the missing teenager. Although the story ends with a climax, there’s just a hint that there could be more to come.<br />
<br />
An enjoyable teen sci-fi.<br />
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