Book Review: TEN TERRIFIC MONSTERS A Hidden Item Book By Chris Mason

Join Willie the wolf and the nine other monsters he met in the unemployment line and see all the things they did after they left the line in this hidden item book. Ten Terrific Monsters features over one hundred items to look for in ten different scenes. Children and adults alike will enjoy all the hidden items found within these pages.

                Available at Barnes and Nobles, and Smashwords

                                                      




REVIEW

Ten Terrific Monsters is a fun hidden item book. Some of the items you have to look for are funny and kind of challenging, but that could be due to I kind of suck at hidden item books, and my eyesight is going. The illustrations are well crafted, drawn in fine detail. Think Where’s Waldo style. 

While Ten Terrific Monsters is aimed at children it is overall theme seemed more for adults than kids or at least not YOUNGER kids. I could share this book with my 12 years old more so than I could my twin 4 year old's. Overall Ten Terrific Monster was enjoyable. It was a fun nonchalant read. Adults and older kids will definitely enjoy the movie and cult culture references throughout the book. For example when helping Willie the wolf find his items one of the items you are looking for is a t-shirt with the words "Team Jacob" on it.  The humor was noted. It was classic.

　
 RATING ****(4 stars)









ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Chris Mason was a house husband for 20 years raising three children with special needs before becoming an author in 2013. Now he is author of over 15 books in various genres including: The in the Box series of books as well as P is for Phoenix: An ABC Book of Mythical and Legendary Creatures, Ten Little Monsters Standing in a Line available in both print and audio, a line of coloring books and his newest book Ten Terrific Monsters: A Hidden Item Book which continues the adventures of Willie the wolf and the other monsters he became friends with in Ten Little Monsters Standing in a Line. Look for all of Chris’s books at Barnes and Noble, iTunes, Kobo, Smashwords and other major e-book retailers.  

BOOK REVIEW: Audrey of Farmerton (Andoran’s Realm Book 1) By M Gregg Roe

Growing up in a poor village in Andoran’s Realm, Audrey’s only goal was to move somewhere else. Anywhere else. An incident involving a group of young adventurers provides her with the means to get herself to the fabled Witch’s City, but nothing goes quite as planned. The city is daunting, filled with magic, intrigue, and an assortment of odd characters, not all of them human. Audrey finds herself in a living situation that is both unexpected and awkward. She struggles to adjust to her new life as she seeks to acquire an education, make friends, and find romance. And along the way she discovers her life’s calling, something that she had never expected.



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REVIEW

Growing up we 'd all agree we’d love to live in a magical fantasy land. Hey though! fantasy life has its same mundane growing up struggles as we do. We learn this clearly in AUDREY OF FARMERTON. Aimed at young adult readers AUDREY OF FARMERTON is a sort of coming of age story. A combination of My So-Called Life meets D&D(Dungeons and Dragons). AUDREY OF FARMERTON tells the tale of seventeen-year-old peasant farm girl Audrey who wishes for life in the big city(Called Witch‘s City to be exact.). She gets there, but not by moralistic means as Audrey learns the ups and downs of life in the big city with a promising hope that just cause you made mistakes doesn't mean you have failed.

While this book is an enjoyable read I mean who does not love magic, romance, wizards, beautiful witches, and elves it is really geared towards the youthful market. Older readers though will  still be enchanted though due to Roe's writing. His words flows smooth and effortlessly holding a simplistic charm. It's a bit off putting at first, but he is writing from Audrey’s POV in that of a young uneducated peasant girl. The end results? Beautiful.

RATING ****(4 stars)




 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
ABOUT THE AUTHOR

M. Gregg Roe was born and raised in Columbus, Ohio. He has a Ph.D. in Physics from Ohio State. He worked at a government lab and in aerospace before finding employment at a small company in the recycling industry. These days he lives in Tennessee and is primarily a writer and personal servant of two cats.

He has always been a voracious reader of fantasy and science fiction, as well as an avid Dungeons & Dragons DM and player. So it seemed natural to make his first novel a fantasy based on the D&D campaign that he has been running since 1979.  

BOOK REVIEW: ALBINA: (The Windflower Saga Book 19) By Aleksandra Layland

In a time not now and in a world not of our own... We meet Albina in Far Haven: A Quest For Certitude. A Fight for Justice. (Part III of the Windflower Saga trilogy). She is the only daughter of Tribune Loris Kennet and Lady Keridwen, the former Duchess of Ansgar. However, we know little about her beyond the details of her birth and that she attends university to study science. This short novella fills in the gap, following her from childhood until she leaves home at sixteen to begin her higher education; and then her adventures, struggles, triumphs, and romances that finally lead to her embarking on her professional goals as well as her young married life.

                                       
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REVIEW

Layland works her storytelling magic again as we enter back into her historic fantasy world with the sweet and charming branch off the story of ALBINA. You see The Windflower Saga consist of the 3 main trilogies. Then there is branch off books from these main trilogies that make up the epic The Windflower Saga, and that is where ALBINA fits in.

ALBINA focuses on Loris and Keridwen daughter from the third book in the trilogy Far Haven: A Quest for Certitude. A Quest for Justice. While different from the rest of the series as it is written in first person, not third person once you get into the story ALBINA it could not be written any other way. Layland gives Albina such a sweet intelligent voice you fall in love with her instantly and are so grateful she did not marry that arrogant Hemmings! Layland's love of genealogy really shines in this book too though if you find genealogy and family lines a tad confusing as I do that part of the book may make your head spin trying to remember who is who and whom to what in this large ducal family in line Layland created.

That aside ALBINA is a wonderful happy short novella fitting perfectly within the Windflower Saga revealing and expand more in the amazing world Layland created.
RATING *****(5 stars)







ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Aleksandra Layland is a retired civil engineer and a federal civil servant who worked primarily for the United States Air Force as a senior installation engineering manager responsible for buildings, airfields, infrastructure, fire protection, and emergency preparedness. She also served as a Peace Corps Volunteer in the Western Caroline Islands where she helped build school classrooms and cafeterias, low-income housing, and simple village water distribution systems. Her other interests include arts and crafts, family genealogy, religion, and spirituality, fostering peace in the world, and enjoying retirement with family and friends.

BOOK REVIEW: Far Haven: Quest for Certitude. A Fight for Justice (Windflower Saga Book 3) By Aleksandra Layland

SYNOPSIS:
Part III of The Windflower Saga trilogy. A victim of a conspiracy that reaches to the highest levels, Tribune Loris Kennet is unjustly stripped of rank and position in the elite Royal Winged Cavalry of Pomerania. He is publicly flogged, disgraced, shunned by comrades and friends, doubted even by his own beloved father, and facing a banishment so harsh it will surely kill him. With the hope it will keep his son alive to clear his name one day, his father urges him to accept an alternative. Enroute to the remote southern Wastelands of distant Kimbria, married by proxy and in name only to a widow he has never met, Loris wonders if the screams in the nightmares that disturb his sleep will ever be silenced.




        REVIEW



The Windflower Saga comes to a powerful conclusion with Far Haven: Quest for Certitude. A Fight for Justice. The ducal family of Ansgar sort takes a bit of a back seat as we meet Tribune Loris Kennet from Pomerania soon into it though Loris story and the Ansgar family line story intersect exploding into as the title says, “a quest for certitude. A fight for justice.”

Layland wraps up the main trilogy of The Windflower Saga wonderfully. I loved the sweet tragic character of Loris though I was leery of him as a character at first he soon warms up into an endearing character to the reader as well as Keridwen.

It is amazing how while this is a trilogy series each book really stands up alone as an individual book on its own, yet you will never grasp the deep emotions and message of this saga unless you read the whole series. The whole plot of this series is following the descendants of the prestige fictional ducal family, and the fantasy world they live. Some books though have deeper hidden messages. Once you finish the saga you truly get the trilogies true message. It is about loving each other, tolerance, and the power of the human spirit. The human soul.


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ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Aleksandra Layland is a retired civil engineer and a federal civil servant who worked primarily for the United States Air Force as a senior installation engineering manager responsible for buildings, airfields, infrastructure, fire protection, and emergency preparedness. She also served as a Peace Corps Volunteer in the Western Caroline Islands where she helped build school classrooms and cafeterias, low-income housing, and simple village water distribution systems. Her other interests include arts and crafts, family genealogy, religion, and spirituality, fostering peace in the world, and enjoying retirement with family and friends.

BOOK REVIEW: Promise Me: Till We Have Eternity In Our Hearts By Jack O. Daniel

It poses a question: What would you do if the life of the one you love hangs in the balance, and only you could save her?

Thomas 'Easy' Steel is an EOD with the New York State Police's Bomb Disposal Unit. An anonymous caller had demanded that he disarms a bomb strapped to a woman's chest. When he arrives at the scene, he discovers that the woman is his wife, Bianca.

It shouldn’t be a big deal. After all, his nickname ‘Easy’ had been bestowed upon him at bomb school because he's so easy-going, even when disabling live bombs. This time, however, it's different. He might not survive it.

And, what of the woman he loves with all his heart, to whom he promised eternity?



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REVIEW

Warning PROMISE ME will have you in its MUST READ clutches just after the first page. Angelin Sydney thrills and delights writing under the alter ego of Jack O. Daniel in this page gripping romantic action suspense thriller. Sydney totally transforms from her usual happy style to become smooth and calculating under her alter ego of Daniel's.

PROMISE ME reads like a Hollywood blockbuster with its mind-blowing opening page. Your heart is instantly joined by the characters as you are thrown into a heart-wrenching life and death scenario that hits so close to our crazy reality.

As a reader PROMISE ME: Till We Have Eternity In Our Hearts gripped, thrilled, and delighted me. That is pretty much what an author's goal is. That is pretty much what a reader's goal is. Mission accomplished.




ABOUT THE AUTHOR

 From the pen of Jack O. Daniel....

I'm an observer of people and a story-teller. I sit and watch, and I listen. Listening not just to what's being said, but more importantly, to what's not being said. But life shouldn't just pass us by as we watch idly, so in every respect, I'm also a participant. Interacting with the characters who grace the pages of my books, although they were simply an amalgam of the various people I've come across That could be me silently watching you from across a crowded café as you sit drinking your coffee. Observing how you sniffed the aroma of the Arabica beans grounded and blended just for you by the barista behind the counter. Then, you drank it, closed your eyes to fully appreciate the tinge of bitterness in it. You smiled, pleased that it was made just right.

People make up the tapestry of life. So, you are my source of inspiration.

In the end, it's not about me - it's all about you. So, I prefer to remain anonymous.










                                   

Book Review: Far Endeavor: A Windflower Saga Novella (Book 9 in the Windflower Saga) By Aleksandra Layland

SYNOPSIS:

Lord Branimir Rongo of Ansgar, later known as Brother Branimir, is one of few characters mentioned in all three parts of The Windflower Saga trilogy without being a major character in any of them. What brought the son of a King and a High Chief to a rugged island far from home, wearing only the robe of a lay brother and searching for any survivors of a cruel and unjust exile? This is the story of a young man born to the nobility who chose a life of simplicity, service, and struggle. This is a story of love in its broadest sense and truest meaning.





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REVIEW

FAR ENDEAVOR is another wonderful side branch in the Windflower Saga’s Ansgar family tree as FAR ENDEAVOR branches off to tell the story of Ansgar and Keholani eldest offspring Branimir Rongo of Ansgar.

FAR ENDEAVOR plays out as a romantic drama mystery set in an epic fantasy backdrop. At the start, Branimir is not even mentioned as we learn the mystery of what happened to Keholani’s parent’s and siblings when she was a child. Though this plays a vital role in Branimir‘s life later on it is really not until the later half of the novella that Branimir really takes center stage. In the end, though you realize the cleverness of Layland as a writer for doing that. In fact, it reveals much about his character.

FAR ENDEAVOR reads well on it own, yet once you begin you will be lured back into the other books to wander deeper into Layland's epic fantasy world as we journey through the lives of this noble family. It also is the most meaningful part of the saga as love is explored in its broadest and truest sense.



ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Aleksandra Layland is a retired civil engineer and a federal civil servant who worked primarily for the United States Air Force as a senior installation engineering manager responsible for buildings, airfields, infrastructure, fire protection, and emergency preparedness. She also served as a Peace Corps Volunteer in the Western Caroline Islands where she helped build school classrooms and cafeterias, low-income housing, and simple village water distribution systems. Her other interests include arts and crafts, family genealogy, religion, and spirituality, fostering peace in the world, and enjoying retirement with family and friends.

 

BOOK REVIEW: Legend of The Lagunas By Stephen Paolini

Just in time for Halloween! Here is our review of the supernatural short story LEGEND OF THE LAGUNAS!

　

SYNOPSIS:
A couple head to Mount Laguna for a quiet weekend away from the city, not knowing that they will soon be caught up in the horror of a supernatural local legend.











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REVIEW

From the creator of Blood and Fire: The Draconos Saga Volume 1, Stephen Paolini takes a break to bring us the trepidating LEGEND OF THE LAGUNAS. Paolini leads you page by page with foreboding sense in the air, yet you do not know from where. For a short story, you are instantly merged with the main characters seeing and feeling strongly through them as they discover that legends always hold some truths.

Overall LEGEND OF THE LAGUNAS is the most spectacular short story I have read in a long time. The ending will leave you in a gut-wrenching disbelieving state. No that can not be the end. There has to be more! Curse the author!!! I highly recommend reading this story on a chilly fall night in front of a bonfire.

***** (5 stars)






ABOUT THE AUTHOR


Stephen R. Paolini was born in San Diego, California to parents Beatricci Paolini and Marco Paolini. He spent his childhood playing with Star Wars toys, watching Twilight Zone, and reading a variety of novels and short stories in the genres of fantasy, science fiction, and (later) horror. Blood and Fire: The Draconos Saga Volume 1 marks Stephen's first self published e novel. He drew his inspiration for the Dragon Riders from the works of Anne Mc Caffrey. Her Dragon Riders of Pern series is one of his favorites from his Junior High through High School years.

Also a fan of everything vampire, Stephen loved watching films such as Bram Stoker's Dracula, the Blade trilogy and even Underworld. Van Helsing with Hugh Jackman also tops the list.

Stephen loved the idea of a war between vampire and another supernatural race of creatures, though he felt that the whole vampire versus werewolf thing had been played out. Remembering how much he enjoyed The Dragon Riders of Pern, Stephen started to create in his mind the world of planet Draconos.

This would become the setting for his exciting new dark fantasy series. Hopefully, readers will find the premise new and unique. 

BOOK REVIEW: The Feathered Crown: A Windflower Saga Novella (Book 5 in the Windflower Saga) By Aleksandra Layland

SYNOPSIS:

We meet Kahutane, High Chief of the Kimbrii, in "Ansgar: The Struggle of a People. The Triumph of the Heart." (Part I of the Windflower Saga) where he is Keholani and Kori's beloved uncle, Tiare's good-natured elder brother, and the wise and insightful leader of the Kimbrii people. But we know nothing of his early life. Was he ever married? Did he have children of his own? And how did he, who was not expected at birth to ever do so, come to wear the feathered crown?




         
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REVIEW

FEATHERED CROWN is a side story to the first book of the Windflower Saga Ansgar: Struggle of a People. The Triumph of the Heart as we focus more on one of the beloved characters of Ansgsar  Chief Kahutane of the Kimbrii people. Coming to the end of his existence he looks back on his life writing his memoirs to leave behind revealing the triumphs and tragedies that lead him to become the High Chief of the Kimbrii people.

After starting to read this series I have to say FEATHERED CROWN is the most heart tugging book of the series so far. I’m not completely done with the series, but this one brought tears to my eyes. Layland captured Chief Kahutane’s voice with such emotions as he laid bare the happiness, pain, grief of his life. Little did he know he also revealed his strength and amazing faith leaving no question as to why he was considered the most beloved High Chief of the Kimbrii people. You might need tissues with this one.


 


ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Aleksandra Layland is a retired civil engineer and a federal civil servant who worked primarily for the United States Air Force as a senior installation engineering manager responsible for buildings, airfields, infrastructure, fire protection, and emergency preparedness. She also served as a Peace Corps Volunteer in the Western Caroline Islands where she helped build school classrooms and cafeterias, low-income housing, and simple village water distribution systems. Her other interests include arts and crafts, family genealogy, religion, and spirituality, fostering peace in the world, and enjoying retirement with family and friends.

BOOK REVIEW: Ansgar: The Struggle of a People. The Triumph of the Heart by Aleksandra Layland

SYNOPSIS:

Part I of The Windflower Saga trilogy, a multi-genre action/romance/fantasy novel. Ansgar, youngest son of King Bogumil of Kimbria, has never visited the southernmost lands of his dukedom. No one lives in the vast Wastelands except a few fishermen, nuns, monks, and the remnants of the Kimbrii people. These original inhabitants of Kimbria were once famous as horsemen and mounted archers but are now on the brink of extinction. Returning to his homeland after several years away, Ansgar journeys directly to the south to search for the Kimbrii but his ship and crew are lost in a storm at sea. Near death, he slowly heals at a remote monastery, presumed dead by his family, and still determined to search for the Kimbrii.


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REVIEW

A beautiful tale of a family set in historical fantasy is the best way to describe ANSGAR: THE STRUGGLE OF A PEOPLE. THE TRIUMPH OF THE HEART. Layland smuggles in a bit of real history along with her tapestry of romance, fantasy, and adventure as she sets up the foundation for the Windflower Saga in ANSGAR: THE STRUGGLE OF A PEOPLE.  THETRIUMPH OF THE HEART(Book 1 of the Windflower Saga). I loved it!

When Ansgar meets the Kimbrii people and you hear their tale pay close attention. What historic part in our history do they remind you of?

At the heart of ANSGAR though is the Ansgar ducal family as we follow them through generations of their happiness, hardships, marriages, births, and deaths. I think this is the capturing appeal of ANSGAR.

Overall I enjoyed ANSGAR: THE STRUGGLE OF A PEOPLE.THE TRIUMPH OF THE HEART. Layland is a warm inviting storyteller charming you chapter after chapter.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR


Aleksandra Layland is a retired civil engineer and a federal civil servant who worked primarily for the United States Air Force as a senior installation engineering manager responsible for buildings, airfields, infrastructure, fire protection, and emergency preparedness. She also served as a Peace Corps Volunteer in the Western Caroline Islands where she helped build school classrooms and cafeterias, low-income housing, and simple village water distribution systems. Her other interests include arts and crafts, family genealogy, religion, and spirituality, fostering peace in the world, and enjoying retirement with family and friends.
  

BOOK REVIEW: Carlot's Jungle Friends By Donald A Yates

SYNOPSIS:

Deep in the lush jungle of the Argentine lives eleven-year-old Carlota, her father Daniel, and a host of animals that are very friendly to the little girl. There are the parrots, the deer and, best of all, the strange little Patagonian hares. Although those little animals don’t really look like a rabbit or any other animal on earth, the peculiar little creatures become dear friends to the isolated Carlota.

The jungle is loved by the little girl as it is “a park, playground, and zoo all wrapped up in one.”

Join in the exciting adventure of Carlota and her father as they face one of the great dangers of the wild Misiones, Argentina jungle---the menacing tigre (jaguar). Although awesome to behold in its natural environment, tigre is the most fearsome big cat of South America. Read how Carlota’s father travels to town to purchase a birthday gift for his daughter and upon returning falls into extreme danger. The gorgeous colorful pages reveal how Carlota, with the help of her Patagonian hares, saves the girl’s father.

This is a story for precocious young readers, along with upper elementary students. It is sure to also be enjoyed by adults. It will become a favorite to be read over and over again with great delight.


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REVIEW

Carlota’s Jungle Friends is such a sweet adorable story. Yates uses his life’s experiences of years he spent in Argentina to create this beautiful children’s tale. In the book you will go on an exciting adventure in the wild jungles of Argentine where Carlota lives with her father and her friends, who are the jungle animals. It is here Yates weaves in educational experiences as we get to meet some of the many animals that actually do reside in the Misiones, Argentina jungles---animals such as the adorable Patagonian hares. Kids will fall in love with these little critters instantly. Parents, be ready to hear your children ask if they can have one of these unique pets like Carlota did. If you look deeper in the tale, you will find that Carlota’s Jungle Friends also shares a more valuable message---that lesson is that one should never underestimate anyone or anything because of appearances. Carlota’s father had a low opinion of the Patagonian hares, but in the end, the little creatures helped. Teacher’s and parents will love the book’s sweet story and message. And, children will love the bold illustrations along with the character of Carlota and her amazing jungle animal friends.

I thought the story was sweet. It educated and entertained me at the same time. I enjoy books that do that. Carlota’s Jungle Friends allows parents and teachers to explore beyond the pages with their children as the young readers become interested in learning more about the animals of the South American jungles. For example, my kids and I loved the little Patagonian hares. We got to spend more quality time together ‘Googling’ the Patagonian hares. We discovered they are just as cute as they are shown to be in the illustrations of the story. Carlota’s Jungle Friends is definitely a book that will want to be read over and over again.



ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Donald A. Yates is a professor of Romance Languages and translator of many Argentine writers. He was a frequent resident of Buenos Aires during the 1960's where he taught American Literature at several Argentine universities under the auspices of the Fulbright educational exchange program. He is now retired as a Professor Emeritus of Spanish American Literature from Michigan State University and lives in California's Napa Valley.

BOOK REVIEW: Lifesaver in a Bikini: Sassy, Sexy, Fearless By Angelin Sydney

SWEET AND THRILLING!



When beautiful, sassy Queen finds herself thrust into the middle of a murder mystery, the media hails her ‘the lifesaver in the bikini’. Her hunky husband, SWAT Officer Giorgio Gomez, told her to stay in the crime lab and let the detectives handle it. She didn’t listen. Now fearless Queenie is in a world of trouble and G is going to have to put his life on the line to save the woman he loves more than Lego. The mystery started with Belle, a forensic accountant who got in the way of a sociopath’s global criminal enterprise. Enter handsome Australian SAS Captain Bryce Mabo Cameron, who summed it up: “I know why you’re in hot water. You ask too many questions.” As the personal tragedies mount, it’s up to Queen and the gang to solve the mystery and catch the madman before the game gets too rough to play.


REVIEW

Lifesaver in a Bikini is definitely a top 10 summer beach read, and not just because it has the word "Bikini" is in the title. Bikini is a great getaway book for the mind, as Sydney takes you on a roller coaster ride of a read. Not with loops and twist, but with a sudden drop. Bikini is a fun read with a heap of danger, mystery, intrigue and romance on top.

You will find Sydney’s writing refreshing as she writes like she is your jovial best friend telling you a gossipy story. Even when you reach the dark jaw-dropping climax of the book it seems Sydney still has a jovial essence in her writing voice. It’s kind of creepy, but you like it. It works wonderfully. Especially when the lead villain is a demented sociopath.
　
If you are looking to getaway with a “getaway book” Lifesaver in a Bikini: Sexy Sassy Fearless is a great book to escape the world from. After reading one of her books you always come out smiling.

RATING *****(5 stars)


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ABOUT THE AUTHOR

As a writer, Angelin Sydney interweaves romantic stories with thrilling plots that twist and turn in many ways.

Since moving to Australia twenty-five years ago, she has had numerous incarnations. She was a banker, an insurance seller, housing loan broker, and home-stay mother to literally hundreds of international students. Over the years, she has also become a small business owner, casual kitchen hand and currently, a live-in nanny. So, one can say, she has been around.

Her most consistent role, however, is being a mother to her four wonderful children, one of whom has gone ahead leaving her devastated and heartbroken. It was his untimely departure that motivated her to write stories to help others to heal, laugh, hope and dare to dream.

She is a believer in the kindness of people, so by extension, this has been the usual theme of her stories. She believes in redemption, love and purpose. So, every story she writes reflect these values.

For her, writing is as essential as breathing. The only reason she’d stop doing it is if she were incapacitated or dead. Working for a living gets in the way of her writing which she finds very sad. In the ideal world, all she’d be doing is entertaining her readers. This is her utmost wish.

One more thing: The only thing active about her is her imagination. It’s as fertile as the rice fields of the Philippines where she was born.
 






 

BOOK REVIEW: Bind Not The Heart: A Windflower Saga Novella (The Windflower Saga Book 7) by Aleksandra Layland

SYNOPSIS:

We met Sister Ermentrude in "Of Wisdom and Valor: The Art of War. The Path of Peace." (Part II of The Windflower Saga) and learned about her twin brother's death at the hands of pirates. But what forces and circumstances brought their family and the Ansgar family together? What led both Ermen and Ermentrude to follow a path of service? Who were these educators who raised Keridwen and Leofric from childhood with all the love of a mother and father? And where did Ermentrude's path take her in later years? In a heartwarming tale which weaves the early lives of several characters together, including Keridwen's parents Lady Anwen and Duke Bogumil, and introduces new characters who influenced the lives of these twin siblings, we learn more about this woman who was just as comfortable as a provincial governor in southern Kimbria as she was being the teacher in a small, rural school in a remote kingdom far from her homeland.


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REVIEW

Bind Not The Heart is a little side story in the epic Windflower Saga as we further delve into one of the integral characters from book 2 of the saga, Of Wisdom and Valor: The Art of War. The Path to Peace,(Read review on OWV HERE) Sister Ermentrude. We learn who begot who. Who married who and how it all connects, weaves together in the fantasy world that Layland built.

Layland’s knack and love for genealogy shows in this book as we learn Sister Ermentrude’s back story tracing Sister Ermentrude’s family line learning  why she chose the path of Sisterhood, and how she became the Ansgar family preserver, and so much more.

While Bind Not the Heart can stand on its own without reading any of the other books I personally do not think you will  get the emotional fulfillment out of the book unless you have read Of Wisdom and Valor: The Art of War. Path of Peace first.


RATING **** (5 stars)


ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Aleksandra Layland is a retired civil engineer and a federal civil servant who worked primarily for the United States Air Force as a senior installation engineering manager responsible for buildings, airfields, infrastructure, fire protection, and emergency preparedness. She also served as a Peace Corps Volunteer in the Western Caroline Islands where she helped build school classrooms and cafeterias, low-income housing, and simple village water distribution systems. Her other interests include arts and crafts, family genealogy, religion, and spirituality, fostering peace in the world, and enjoying retirement with family and friends.

Book Review: Zero Visibility Possible(Book III in the Rio Grande Parallax Series) By RJ Mirabal

SYNOPSIS

The adventure intensifies at a breakneck pace to the shocking conclusion of the Rio Grande Parallax series. Impossible odds face two groups of comrades who have traveled far seeking answers to mysteries. The first company heads for the Saddle of the Mountains of the Sky while the second, a hundred miles to the west on the barren Malpais, is led by Esther. Both groups face deadly enemies and startling enigmas.
Back in Rio Luna, Esther’s mysterious disappearance confounds her parents and her friend, Markey. In the Valle, though, questions surrounding Don are resolved. Meanwhile, the Soreyes heap new terrors on the clanspeople. Will the travelers return in time? Facing challenges far more insurmountable than bringing down the Tower of Il Serrohe, can the hapless clanspeople dare hope for freedom?


AVAILABLE NOW AT Amazon,  Barnes & Noble, Kobo, Inktera, 24symbols, Scribd, AppleiBooks, Black Rose Writing 


REVIEW

Amazing! Zero Visibility Possible grips you throwing you down the rabbit hole(Or should I say portal.) for this page gripping final in the Rio Grande Parallax Series(Check my reviews of the first two books HERE.)

No time is wasted as Zero Visibility Possible explodes upon the first page making it the most intense final chapter in a series I have ever read. Just when you think you got the plot pegged it veers you off into a hairpin turn you did not expect to happen.

Mirabal’s writing is superb in this action filled final chapter delving deeper into his characters that you have come to like, love, and despise. His transition between Don and Ester’s adventures is flawless never losing your attention once throughout the book. They say in Trilogies the first and second of the trilogies are the best where the third one kind of fails. Mirabal destroys that stereotype closing out his Rio Grande Parallax Series with a bravado.

Rating *****(5 stars)

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

RJ Mirabal has lived in the Middle Rio Grande Valley for most of his life. Recognized with awards for his teaching, he is now retired, pursues writing and music while volunteering with various organizations. The Tower of Il Serrohe (Finalist in 2013 New Mexico/Arizona Book Awards) is his debut novel and Book I of The Rio Grande Parallax series. Extreme Dust Storms May Exist, Book II was released last summer, 2015.
 

To receive a signed copy of any of the books contact Mirabal directly at
rjmirabal@gmail.com

BOOK REVIEW:Of Wisdom and Valor: The Art of War The Path of Peace (The Windflower Saga) (Volume 2)

Synopsis:

Part II of The Windflower Saga, a multi-genre action/romance/fantasy trilogy. Lady Keridwen, a descendant of King Ansgar the Good, is orphaned as a child and raised in a remote convent in the southern Wastelands of Kimbria. She suddenly receives word the Royal Council, acting as regent, has elected her queen and directs her to marry the fearsome mercenary warlord sent to fetch her. Taken to a distant castle instead of to the Palace, she comes to learn the Council had no intention she would ever sit on the throne and that her husband is actually her warden. Will she seek the throne or relinquish it? Will he fight for her or do the Council's bidding? Their decisions will affect the Kingdom of Kimbria forever.





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REVIEW

Of Wisdom and Valor: The Art of War. The Path of Peace. (The Windflower Saga) (Volume 2) is a towering read of epic proportions. Being book 2 in the Windflower series you didn’t have to of read the first book to understand Of Wisdom and Valor(OWAV). That is because Layland writes this epic series in a generational line, not in a linear line. Sounds odd, but this works for this epic saga. I enjoy a book that can stand on its own in a series, yet makes your curious enough to go back and read the first as well as the rest of the series to get the whole picture. OWAV does just that as we are taken through generations with the Descendents of the Ansgar Kingdom. Think the CW's Reign only better!


Layland’s writing tone comes across a bit monotone with nice descriptive detail, along with a hint of innocent poetic flare.  Maybe a bit much, but this cocktail combination works! Layland keeps you entranced, and fixated as this breathtaking story unfolds on love, deception, and the art of war and peace.




ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Aleksandra Layland is a retired civil engineer and a federal civil servant who worked primarily for the United States Air Force as a senior installation engineering manager responsible for buildings, airfields, infrastructure, fire protection, and emergency preparedness. She also served as a Peace Corps Volunteer in the Western Caroline Islands where she helped build school classrooms and cafeterias, low-income housing, and simple village water distribution systems. Her other interests include arts and crafts, family genealogy, religion, and spirituality, fostering peace in the world, and enjoying retirement with family and friends.

BOOK REVIEW: MOSAIC By Angelin Sydney

Synopsis:

Betrayed, battling …

Ralph was a victim of a paedophile. Repeatedly molested and raped as a child. It ended only when the abuser, a trusted family friend, was shot dead by his father. Years later, he continued to struggle with the aftermath, courageously battling through the trauma.

Will he overcome them? Will his girlfriend’s unconditional love be enough to get him through?

Wronged, scared…

Her husband shattered Kate's faith and belief. With her children in tow and her pocket book empty she escaped as far north as possible to Chicago to start afresh. Here, Kate and her kids found refuge from a husband who was a betrayer of children. And, here, too, she would meet her greatest allies who were willing to shelter them from harm. Then, quite suddenly, tranquility was about to be shattered once more. They soon learned that her husband would be coming to Chicago.

Would her new-found allies be able to protect them from this monster?

Secrets, justice…

A child’s simple sketch revealed a deep, dark, painful past. It triggered an avalanche of horrific secrets to be exposed. Secrets that cried out for justice.

Would justice be forthcoming when the devil incarnate was a rich and powerful man?

Each of them and those they would come across and whose lives they would touch must find a way to trust and accept each other.

Will they find love, peace, and justice? To find out, get your copy of MOSAIC Right Now.


                      AVAILABLE NOW ON AMAZON!!!!



REVIEW

Mosaic is an amazing story on a poignant topic of sexual abuse and survival. Sydney shares the message that from the ashes of burnt innocence you can arise again. She does this through her two characters twenty-three-year-old Ralph a sexual abuse survivor and seven-year-old crystal who is a recent victim. The character of Ralph while a survivor is still very much a haunted by his horrible past. Getting pulled into Crystal’s case does not help to forget it any better. In the end, though his indolent helps to heal them both.

Sydney’s writing is upbeat giving the tone of the story an upbeat tone considering the seriousness of the topic. My cynical side grumbled a bit, but then I saw the brilliance in Sydney’s design. Abuse can shatter our lives. Sydney’s message is we do not have to let it. No one is alone. Someone out there cares. We can rise above this and pick up the broken pieces of our lives piecing them back together one by one creating…guess what? A beautiful Mosaic.
In that, Mosaic will leave you uplifted with a slight smile on your face.



ABOUT THE AUTHOR

As a writer, Angelin Sydney interweaves romantic stories with thrilling plots that twist and turn in many ways. Since moving to Australia twenty-five years ago, she has had numerous incarnations. She was a banker, an insurance seller, housing loan broker, and home-stay mother to literally hundreds of international students. Over the years, she has also become a small business owner, casual kitchen hand and currently, a live-in nanny. So, one can say, she has been around. Her most consistent role, however, is being a mother to her four wonderful children, one of whom has gone ahead leaving her devastated and heartbroken. It was his untimely departure that motivated her to write stories to help others to heal, laugh, hope and dare to dream. She is a believer in the kindness of people, so by extension, this has been the usual theme of her stories. She believes in redemption, love, and purpose. So, every story she writes reflect these values. For her, writing is as essential as breathing. The only reason she’d stop doing it is if she were incapacitated or dead. Working for a living gets in the way of her writing which she finds very sad. In the ideal world, all she’d be doing is entertaining her readers. This is her utmost wish.

One more thing: The only thing active about her is her imagination. It’s as fertile as the rice fields of the Philippines where she was born.  

BOOK REVIEW: Chasing Their Losses By Lucia Sinn

 

 

 

Synopsis:

Does anyone truly get over their first love? Cara Mackenzie is back home after a divorce, starting a new life as nutrition director at Sycamore Hospital, and in a blossoming romance with Dr. John Drakos. But when wealthy Tony Cabella—her former lover---pleads for help with his daughter’s diabetes, Cara is drawn into a dangerous web of addiction and murder.

Cara’s lunch with the Cabella children turns into a nightmare when Tony’s stepson disappears, and his wife accuses Cara of negligence. The police consider Dr. Drakos a possible suspect, but as the mystery surrounding the boy’s kidnapping heightens, unanswered questions point to a conspiracy. Who shot Tony when he and Cara met in secret, and why won’t he call the police? How is Tony connected to the new physician from California who is so hostile and demanding? Cara’s suspicions send her on a perilous journey of discovery that nearly destroys her.

CHASING THEIR LOSSES is about the haunting power of young love, and the way we deal with our losses. At the core of this novel are four damaged people: Tony and his second wife, Gail, who gave up everything for sexual fulfillment, only to find disillusion and heartbreak; John and Cara, whose passionate relationship is clouded by painful memories and fear of commitment.

 

As tragic events spin out of control, the heart thumping suspense builds, with twists and turns that take you from the lush farmland and sparkling waterfalls of Indiana to the vast, lawless sand dunes, and nude beaches of South Padre Island Texas.


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REVIEW

Authors are like fishermen their goal is to hook their readers and take them on a ride. Lucia Sinn does just that in Chasing Their Losses. The opening chapter is a jaw-dropping bait and hook, hooking you in to read more. Sinn does not disappoint with the rest either as she entices, shocks and thrills you all the way through til the end in this mystery thriller romance. Her leading heroine Cara Mackenzie is one of the most well written female characters I have read in a long time making this book a refreshing read. The Character of Cara is written with such reality it is hard to think of her as a heroine even though she portrays all the traits of a heroine. Usually, the girl/boy next door type hero/heroine can often fall into the pitfalls of being boring and annoying. Sinn manages to avoid that giving us a girl next door type heroine with some spice.

Sinn’s writing style is smooth, straightforward and real with added shocks of flavors to it as she never once dulls you in her book.

Considering mystery thrillers are not my thing I enjoyed Chasing Their Losses. To be honest I will say the book blurb did not do this book justice. This book thrills and shocks. Sinn keeps you curious to read more drawing you in more and more making you feel. Making you care for these characters in dynamic situations. Soon you will discover it is 1am and you have finished the book.

My Rating **** (5 stars)


ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Lucia Sinn is the author of TAKE THE MONEY; ROMANTIC SUSPENSE IN COSTA RICA available on Amazon. This is the second in a series of romantic suspense novels set in the mythical town of Lewiston, Indiana. Lucia is a graduate of Purdue University and was the Nutrition Services Director at an acute care hospital for many years.. She and her husband live in a century old farmhouse in Indiana and spend winters in a condominium overlooking the Gulf of Mexico. They have six grown children.

Follow her on Twitter @grammieLucia

Book Review:Cornelius Goes West By Charlie Steel

Synopsis

 Cornelius Kogelschitz lives in the slums of New York City. All his young life he has lived and worked in the dirty, smoke-filled part of the city, slaving long hours for meager wages in one of the many factories. His parents die of typhus and Corny moves in with his uncle, aunt, and eleven cousins. One Sunday afternoon, while on the roof capturing birds for the stew pot, he overhears an argument. His aunt complains about the added expense of caring for the boy. Deciding not to take food from his cousins, Corny bundles up his few possessions and leaves the tenement apartment and the only world he knows. Near the train station, he jumps onto a moving freight train heading west. Now on his own, fourteen-year old-Cornelius rides the rails and crosses the Mississippi River into an unknown future.


                 ******AVAILABLE NOW ON AMAZON!******


　

REVIEW

Extraordinary tale weaver indeed! Charlie Steel’s Cornelius Goes West is an enjoyable young adult western coming of age tale of a young boy and his self-discovering journey west. Steel write flawlessly capturing the era of young Cornelius as well as capturing the essence of young Cornelius himself. Steel has an amazing storytelling flair that draws you in making you feel right at home in the tale he is weaving hypnotizing his young readers with every word he writes in is this fresh young adult western tale. From start to finish Steel has you on baited breath to find out what happens next.

Cornelius Goes West is aimed perfectly for 10 - 18 age bracket. I will tell you this, though, this middle age adult was even captured in Steel’s power of storytelling. His writing and storytelling is absolute magic. I gasped at the shocking climax of the story. Sadly though Steel leaves you wanting more. Well sad for the reader ie me I so wanted to read more! This is good for Steel though he lived up to his name once again as an Extraordinary Tale Weaver indeed.





ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Charlie Steel, Tale-Weaver Extraordinaire, is a novelist and internationally published author of short stories. Steel credits the catalyst for his numerous books and hundreds of short stories to be the result of being a voracious reader, along with having worked at many varied and assorted occupations. Some of his experiences include service in the Army, labor in the oil fields, in construction, in a foundry, and as a salvage diver. Early in his life he was recruited by the US Government and spent five years behind the Iron Curtain. Steel’s work has been recognized and reviewed by various publications and organizations including Publisher’s Weekly, Western Fictioneers, and Western Writers of America. Steel holds five degrees including a Ph.D. He continues to read, research, and collect western literature. Steel lives on an isolated ranch at the base of Greenhorn Mountain, in Southern Colorado. (www.charliesteel.net)
 

BOOK REVIEW: Pony Ride by Gail Heath

In our goal to help support indie authors check out the latest in children’s literature in Pony Ride by Gail Heath.

Synopsis - Pony Ride is a delightful rhyming book for children of all ages. Saddle up and come along on an adventurous ride across green meadows, past many animals, and on up the hillside to the roundup where calves are being branded. This is a great picture book to introduce the young cowboy or cowgirl to the thrill of the West.








 

REVIEW

Pony Ride is another book to add to the bedtime story book shelf. Pony Ride is an enchanting book told in flavorful rhymes. Heath’s background as a Language Arts teacher shows as Pony Ride teaches as well as entertains. While reading you will find so many different aspects of going off with to further engage conversations with your child on, such as what is a Trail Boss? What does a Trail Boss do? How many animals does the boy and his pony encounter? Or you can discuss what sounds each animal makes.

Pony Ride will have children entranced thanks to the books bright illustrations. Grab the book and go along as you and your child ride along through the countryside encountering different animals and scenes in Pony Ride learning about country western life.


              ******AVAILABLE NOW ON AMAZON!******





ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Gail Heath wears many hats. Author/Illustrator of children's books, INSIDE ME, SOMETIMES and NO TIME FOR FISHING, Heath, a Michigan public school teacher for many years, is at home in the classroom as well as presenting before community groups. She has had articles, poems, and stories published in national and regional magazines as well as newspapers. Heath was a recipient of the Santa Barbara Writer's Conference Award and a featured speaker at the 2004 Sundance Children's Festival. Gail Heath, currently a trainer for Equity & Diversity and a Language Arts teacher for Clark County Schools, Las Vegas, Nevada, is also a publisher of CONDOR PUBLISHING, INC., a Michigan company that publishes family appropriate westerns and children's books.

BOOK REVIEW: Our Daughter is Getting Married: By Gail Heath

Expanding on our reading horizon we take a look at this this special book is aimed for young readers to teach them about tolerance and love.

Synopsis:
Beautifully rendered with vividly colorful pictures, OUR DAUGHTER IS GETTING MARRIED, is a book written for children. It is about two young women in love and getting married. This much-needed picture book, written in the rhyming form, captures the essence of supportive families and explains the joining of two female partners who begin a voyage of love and togetherness. The rhyming words and colorful pictures unfold to reveal a story of love and harmony enjoyed by all family members. It begins when one of the mothers receives a phone call from her daughter telling of her intentions to get married. The reader is taken on an exciting journey of selecting wedding rings, choosing gowns, sending wedding invitations, deciding on flowers and the wedding cake, decorating the reception hall, and finally joining in the final vows to become partners for life. This is followed by the father-daughter dance and the reception itself. OUR DAUGHTER IS GETTING MARRIED is a much-needed book of support for the real life circumstances of many members of the LGBT community. It brings harmony and common sense and will do much to remove divisiveness. Told with incredible sensitivity, this book will change how some people will view marriage---especially an LGBT marriage. Once read, the book will NOT be forgotten.

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REVIEW

Gail Heath targets on a stunning topic in this children’s picture book Our Daughter Is Getting Married. Heath’s writing is simple and sweet, with cute little rhymes completing it all together as she takes the much controversial topic of LGBT rights and intertwines it sweetly into a kind-hearted story about a mother learning her daughter is getting married, and it happens to be to another young woman. Happiness is felt not a shock, not hate, not anger. The overall message of the book is to teach us now and to our next generation love and tolerance overall.

While Our Daughter Is Getting Married is aimed for young kids this book is as ever so much aimed at adults as well. Hate is not born in us it is learned, and if we can have more books like these for our children then maybe…still, it is up to us the adult if our children even see books like these. That is why I say children may be the target, but adults can learn from this book too. From there we can then teach our children to have love and respect for others. To learn that as human beings we are to love one another. Race, skin color, sexual orientation, religious beliefs do not matter. All we need to do is love. I give kudos to Gail Heath for sharing that.



ABOUT THE AUTHOR

　

Gail Heath wears many hats. Author/Illustrator of children's books, INSIDE ME, SOMETIMES and NO TIME FOR FISHING, Heath, a Michigan public school teacher for many years, is at home in the classroom as well as presenting before community groups. She has had articles, poems, and stories published in national and regional magazines as well as newspapers. Heath was a recipient of the Santa Barbara Writer's Conference Award and a featured speaker at the 2004 Sundance Children's Festival. Gail Heath, currently a trainer for Equity & Diversity and a Language Arts teacher for Clark County Schools, Las Vegas, Nevada, is also a publisher of CONDOR PUBLISHING, INC., a Michigan company that publishes family appropriate westerns and children's books.