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?


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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.





                                      AVAILABLE NOW on AMAZON



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.


                AVAILABLE NOW ON AMAZON


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.

                      ******AVAILABLE  NOW on AMAZON******
　

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.