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BOOK REVIEW: FORGOTTEN VISIONS:THE DIVINITIES BOOK 1 BY LIA DAVIS

PLOT SUMMARY

Kalissa Bradenton isn’t your average coffee shop owner. Born to an elite witch bloodline with a rare genetic mutation, she’s a Divinity on a mission. Her investigation into the deaths of her parents sends her straight into the middle of an ancient war between witches and demons. After a near-fatal accident, a childhood friend, Ayden Daniels, comes to her aid and triggers visions of a past she doesn’t remember, sparking an old flame and new desires. With their history slowly becoming clearer, Kalissa eagerly sets her sights on mending Ayden’s heart and gaining his trust—until a ghost from her past returns to claim her as his demonic mate. While investigating a series of Divinity murders, Ayden, the new sheriff of Maxville and grandson of the oldest living Divinity, comes face-to-face with the one woman he hopes to have little to no contact with. Old pain rises instantly and is quickly followed by anger and resentment. Through his rare power of adaptability, however, he learns that things from his past may not be what they seem. Hope fills his broken heart, and determination pushes him to do whatever it takes to win Kalissa once more before he loses her forever. Together, they must find the strength to mend their tattered souls and learn to love again, while fighting an evil out to destroy the world.

Available from : Amazon | Google

Release Date : Dec 30 2016

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MY REVIEW

Convinced her parent's deaths’ wasn’t an accident, coffee shop owner, Kalissa, with a gift to see visions, sets out to find their murderer. A clue leads her to Charlotte, Carolina, into the arms of former lover and destined mate, Ayden Daniels. The problem is, she doesn’t seem to remember him. Fifteen years earlier, Kalissa had broken Ayden’s heart and dumped him for someone else. Someone had taken her memory of him. Someone desperate enough to see them apart. Together(Ayden and Kalissa ), embark on a dangerous journey to find their parents’ and other special people like them’s (Divinities- born to rare and ancient bloodlines bearing a unique birthmark of a vivid red rose)murderer. As it turns out, Demetrius, a demon under the direction of Khan, has been hunting down Divinities to get hold of the Sinew necklace, in order to harvest their powers. Each man has a different motive. Khan is a Dark Divine, a half witch and half demon, cast away from the coven for his darker side. Demetrius wants to avenge his father’s death, at the hands of the witch, Hecate. United again, the Divinities, defenders of the magickin, have to find and protect the Sinew. Now they have taken charge of it. But the demons will stop at nothing to get it back. And working with them is none other than Liam, Kalissa’s ex-boyfriend, believed to be dead and the culprit responsible for her memory loss. Liam is a half-demon, raised by a demon father, who wanted to blend in with humans by suppressing his son’s nature, branding him psychotic. His obsession with Kalissa leads to his demise and a happy ending for her and Ayden. The book ends with a cliff-hanger for next time. I give this book four hearts for one reason only. It’s just one of those good kinda boring books. The plot will trick you into following the story, but the writing technique could use a little oomph. Would I read the next book in the series? Most definitely!

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Book Review: Her Rogue Russian : Karev Brothers Book 2 by Leslie North

PLOT SUMMARY

Former Russian mobster Maxim Karev is a man with something to prove. His father’s been murdered and even his own brother thinks he’s guilty. To clear his name, Maxim has to return to the organization he left behind. He likes to work alone, but this time an FBI agent leaves him little choice—either she goes in undercover with him, or Maxim can rot in jail. One thing’s for sure—he’s not going down for a crime he didn’t commit. If playing with the beautiful agent is what it takes to prove his innocence, Maxim is prepared to go the distance. 
FBI agent Savannah Casillero never backs down. She already lost her partner on this case, and now she’s more determined than ever to find Sergey Karev’s killer. With the Mafia’s former head of security under her thumb, she finally has a way inside—as Maxim’s girlfriend. Controlling the lone wolf may be a bit of challenge, but Savannah’s confident she can handle it. The six-and-a-half-foot Mafia man is certainly not her type, but she’ll do more than play along to make it believable. 
They’re willing to work together to track down a killer, but when the ruse becomes a little too real, will Maxim and Savannah give in to temptation or hold fast to their original obligations?

Available from : Amazon 

Release Date : January 11th 2017

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MY REVIEW

In book 2 of the Karev brothers, the search for Sergey’ s murder continues. Read my review for : Her Ruthless Russian: Karev Brothers 1 The Blood Diamond Task Force believes that the people responsible for Sergey’s murder are linked to the smuggling operation they have been tracking. They need an agent who can blend in with them and can operate on their level. Enter Maxim, former mafia member and one of three of Sergey’s sons. A perfect candidate to be the super spy. Maxim is to go back into his old life with FBI agent Savannah Casillero as his girlfriend. They go through some ‘tests’ to validate their cover. An adult painting class, dinner, the tattoo parlor and the night club.  All hot, hot, hot and hot, by the way. Some good moments there. And I don’t know how I feel about Travis employing Maxim when he was aware of the sexual relationship he had with his wife Rebecca before. I would not approve. That I could dismiss with the notion that we are all wired differently. The first book was enjoyable, I read it in one seating, but it left me hanging that’s why I gave it 4 stars. The plot for Her Russian Rogue was headed in the right direction, but the setting, characters and world building could use extensive development. It somehow felt like a stifled sequel attempt. I have no doubt that some people may enjoy it. And I did too, to a certain extent.

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Book Review: Redemption : Sea Assassins Book 2 by Danielle Hardgrave

Read my review for Sea Assassin 1, Betrayal Favorite quote from Redemption

“Sharks don’t have hobbies, they have objectives.”

It is nice to see a softer side of Nate because he is the Villain in the first novel Betrayal. His affection for Darcy stopped him from killing Gabriel, Darcy’s boyfriend, but he still feels like a failure somehow with not going through with it. He knows that Sophia is whom Darcy cares about the most next to Gabriel, so he plans to take his revenge by killing her. He is just a product of his upbringing as much as Lexa is. The clan leader, his father, Marcus is on his deathbed, and he is to be the next clan leader so his revenge is motivated by his failure to do the right thing according to the rules that the Shark Shifter Assassins live by. I noticed a hint of jealousy from Nate of Gabriel. Gabriel has abandoned the clan and is living a happy life with a woman he loves near the beach and Nate doesn’t get thanks for it. If, I had been Sophia I would have been suspicious of his sudden appearance in my apartment. Sophia is still young, a University student, Nate is her first crush, her head is clouded by his feelings for him even if she knows what he is. She is so adorable, but it feels awkward and wrong somehow because there is obviously a big gap in their maturity level.Seeing their lives and personalities, it just makes sense why they would fall for each other. Nate is so smooth and hard, which would be attractive to an unexperienced young woman, and the reasons he gives for his sudden appearance can melt a girl’s heart. If I didn’t know that Nate didn’t know that Sophie had a crush on him, I would have thought he was playing on her feelings for him to get close enough to kill her. I love the relationship development between Sophia and Nate. It starts out as a revenge thing, then it becomes a love thing. Sophia is every thing that Lexa is not .An assassin also, Lexa is from the Head Clan from Greece, and the natural progression is for Nate to marry her when his father dies because she is from a powerful family too. She is too cold, practical and ambitious enough to blackmail Nate to get what she wants, power, even she knows that Nate has no feelings for her, and that makes it easier for Nate to fall for Sophie as they spend more time together. She is a sweet girl and takes him away from his disorderly life. I had a problem with Nate’s part of the dialogue in the novel. Considering how he was raised and the people he grew up with, I expected more grumpiness from him. Nate is obviously confused, the reasons he gives himself for not going through with his original plan to kill her are weak. I just like Nate’s character development, his growing feelings for Sophie make him realize that Gabriel's friendship had kept him sane amid his father’s abuse and Sophie makes him human.It is nice to see he has some moral qualities even if he is an assassin. Him standing up to his father is epic and his reaction after Nate confesses he is love with a ‘permie’ human, priceless. Sophie’s explosion at Darcy is unfair. Totally ungrateful. Darcy made so many sacrifices for her, giving up her dreams so Sophie could have a roof over her head, food in her stomach and a good education. This could have been avoided if she had communicated her feelings to Darcy. I loved the story. Can be read as a standalone. Hint: Please Danielle, I am looking forward to Lexa’s story. Buy Links : Amazon

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Book Review: Black and White and Red all over : A Summer McCloud paranormal mystery by Nikki Broadwell

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Warning: This is a cozy mystery. This genre is an acquired taste. In order to appreciate cozy mysteries click here for an in-depth definition Read my review for Murder in Plain Sight(book 1) and Saffron and Seaweed (book 2) At 12 Harry Dreiser witnesses his mother’s suicide. He is traumatized and damaged as any normal person would be. He is haunted by his emotions and experience such that he cannot escape his past. This evolves to something sinister and all he wants is revenge. Decades later he embarks on a massacre at Riverview Elementary School in Ames that leaves five kids and two teachers dead and one survivor. A woman in her sixties, Sarah Cumberland is arrested and the only evidence against her is the murder weapon in her possession, an antique gun that has been in her family for generations. Summer McCloud is called in to help in the investigation for her psychic skills. In a customary fashion, the ghost of Sadie Cumberland, Sarah’s grandmother, who worked at Riverview when it was a Recruitment Centre before, who had lost a son and husband to World War Two, reaches out to Summer urging her to ask the police to take a second look at the antique gun. Another set of prints is found. They belong to Grant Cumberland, Sarah’s grandfather. Sarah , under suicide watch in jail ,tells her that nobody outside her family knew about the gun except a man she dated called John Smith, the same man who had visited her last known relative Lucille Cumberland, her father Timothy’s sister. The quest for justice leaves the small town of Ames in the verge of hysteria. It is a triangle of crime that would uncover an incestuous relationship between a brother and sister. And what happened to the shooter, totally unexpected. And we finally find out what happened to Jerry. It’s a basic cop formula where Jerry takes an assignment to work undercover to take down drug dealers. The conviction of how the author represents the story and intertwines the revelation of Jerry’s disappearing/no contact  act from the second book with his relationship to the police chief, Sandra Marshall, in relation to the crime he and Summer are solving is wonderfully crafted. I am giving this installment three stars because  I kind of felt that the relationship between Summer and Jerry could be made into a spin-off of the series, I wasn’t confused about what was happening but I just couldn’t fully connect to it. I have no doubt that some people would enjoy it more than I did. Buy Links : Amazon: Abebooks: Barnes and Noble

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Book Review: Saffron and Seaweed : A Summer McCloud paranormal mystery by Nikki Broadwell

RATING:

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Warning: This is a cozy mystery. This genre is an acquired taste. In order to appreciate cozy mysteries click here for an in-depth definition Read my review for Murder in Plain Sight(book 1) In one sentence this novel explores the corrupt relationship between American oil magnates and Algerian /Arab regimes. Anyone with an open mind will find Saffron and Seaweed chilling for the underlying implications of the plot. In some instances, during Summer’s and Jerry’s investigation into the murder, a series of dialogues with witnesses are loaded with symbolism on our society, interracial relationships and racial and class separation. The victim is an activist against the violation of human rights of the Algerian people, Yvonne Abaddi, her father is an Algerian diplomat and her mother is a former French Singer. In a bid to uncover the murderer, Jerry and Summer unearth a conspiracy that bleeds completely, it’s a conspiracy that goes from the lowest man to the highest man. Yvonne’s body has disappeared, the coroner who examined the body is missing, the police chief is denying the existence of the body, there is an attempted murder on Jerry and Summer and there are forces at play that are trying to put a gag on everyone, the photographer and the caterer at the wedding and guests present on the boat on the day of the wedding when Yvonne was murdered. Nikki Broadwell leaves us with enough knowledge to understand slices of the whole scope of the picture. When you think about the role of oil in the world and how it affects everything, it is disconcerting that human trafficking flourishes and yet few are jailed. I feel like Senator Hughes was only brought to justice because he made the mistake of raping Yvonne. The greater truth of how many people are involved remains but it is quite obvious that Senator Hughes did not orchestrate all this by himself.  And so many people small or big know about these atrocities and yet do nothing. For example Berkant Abbadi, an Algerian diplomat, Yvonne’s father choses to look the other way because his job is to maintain relations between the Algerian, French and American governments until the problem hits close to home. The Libyan government is implicated in helping Senator Hughes cover his crimes. And Celia’s words to Summer I think mirrors what most people think well if it doesn’t affect me personally, I don’t care and I don’t have to do anything about it. And this young woman, Yvonne once she became aware of these forces in society motivated by greed at work, that act against the best interest of the average Algerian/citizen, she changed her life. And it is obvious she was way a bit over her head, not in an unreasonable way and she was also in a position to push her agenda in as much as possible. The novel touches on interracial marriages. For a long time Berkant could not marry Adrienne, Yvonne’s’ mother because of her profession as a singer because his culture/religion would not allow it.  And having a child out-of-wedlock is not a Muslim thing so in the end Adrienne decided to marry him seeing how strongly her husband felt about it but the marriage does not last because through Summer we learn that the differences in responses to events that occurred perhaps before and in or after the investigation from both Berkant and Adrienne due to their cultural differences and the verbal abuse from her husband caused her to file for a divorce. Muslims abusing their wives whether be it verbally, emotionally or physically might be what mainstream media wants us to believe but it not right to categorize a particular group of people. I think  some of Berkant's frustration with Adrienne might have been a result of Adrienne not conforming to or understanding of Berkant’s culture. A statement from one of Yvonne’s friends made me pose and think. Towards the end of the book, we learn that Ahmed, Yvonne’s guard, a former Algerian spy with links to Al-Qaeda had been in a relationship with and had proposed to her before her murder. Celia, Yvonne’s friend who had grown up with her and they had gone to school together said Berkant must be disappointed because Ahmed was a ‘raghead’ which in itself is a derogatory word. Summer goes on to remind her that Yvonne’s father is Muslim.  It just feels like they went out of their way to accept Yvonne and not appear racist because her father and mother were rich. Most of the time bi-racial children are identified by the most dominant gene from both parents, whether Yvonne looked more like her father or her mother is not disclosed but I would imagine that growing up with people who discriminated against her father’s race but yet benefited financially from exploiting them might have made her feel strongly about defending their human rights in spite of the dangers involved. Snippets of Jerry’s past are revealed. At nineteen he is arrested for marijuana possession and ends up going out with the 30-year-old lawyer that represented him, Maria Barbieri. It just seems wrong. I don’t want to play morality police but even if Jerry had made advances towards Maria, she was old enough to know better. First their relationship was an ethical problem for the Legal profession and second she completely victimized him because Jerry was emerging into adulthood and at a vulnerable place in his life not to mention that could have been mentally damaging if anything had gone wrong. I am not against older women dating younger men but I think it depends on how old is young. Summer’s jealousy of Maria is perfectly normal in my opinion; if someone tells me they have never been jealous I would say "what?”. And Jerry’s disappearing or no contact act at the end left me with a question mark. The identity of the killer is surprising but considering his criminal past and his association with the other culprits suspected of human trafficking, it just makes perfect sense. Loved this second installment, it’s better than the first. Highly recommended.

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Release Date: Oct. 18 2015

Published by Airmid Publishing

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Book Review:Murder in Plain Sight: A Summer McCloud paranormal mystery by Nikki Broadwell

RATING:

Warning: This is a cozy mystery. This genre is an acquired taste. In order to appreciate cozy mysteries click here for an in-depth definition. In terms of getting into cozy mysteries Murder in Plain Sight is a good place to start. It has all the ingredients of a good mystery novel. The characters are challenging and have important interesting backstories that are revealed in interesting ways. The novel is engaging in that there is a web of connectedness in all the characters that we are introduced to throughout the story.  Murder in Plain Sight is told from the perspective of Summer McCloud and she is a person of interest in the murder of Serena Weatherby, who was also a friend and in a bigamous relationship with Summer’s mother, Lila McCloud, and Douglas Weatherby.  Serena had been married to Douglas’ brother, Jonathan Weatherby. And Summer has a friend, Agnes, who we find out is the secret child of Serena and Douglas and her given name before the adoption had been Merrily Weatherby. And Lila has a sister, Vivienne who had had(behind Lila’s back) and still has a relationship with Frank Messer and Frank Messer is Summer’s biological father. We have Randal and Randal is Summer’s half-brother and Ephraim, who is Randal’s biological father. Jerry is Summer’s on and off boyfriend and his father is responsible for the wrongful conviction of Frank Messer. It seems like the characters know each other or know of each other and they are all connected to Summer. Summer brings a fascinating quality to the investigation, first of all, she is a psychic, and she brings a different perspective from Jerry, who is a homicide detective and deals in facts. Since everything we learn about the characters in the book is from Summer’s POV, we really don’t have more insight of their thoughts and feelings. With that said, you might get the impression that Jerry is an incompetent detective but I think he is in a tight spot. Summer is his girlfriend and her visions may be helpful in acquiring new leads in the investigation but his obligations do not permit him to disclose any classified information to Summer and at the same time, he is trying to maintain his relationship with her. That plays into this plot quite a bit. I like how Summer’s visions are handled throughout the book, certain parts are morbid and certain parts are informative enough to keep the wrench up about who the killer is. And we the readers are implicated on some level and we are made to participate in solving the mystery There is a real darkness in the novel that Nikki Broadwell explores occasionally in a hasty manner. If you pay attention the novel touches on Pedophilia, sex, promiscuity, police corruption, mental health on profound levels only in a way a cozy mystery can. It is done so masterfully that you can barely see it and anything that is suggested you just have to let your imagination fill in the blanks. It is quite terrifying and unsettling. I like that almost every suspect/victim has a practical motive for murder. There are two significant deaths/murders in the story that the plot hinges on, first is Lila McCloud, who disappeared five years earlier and then Serena, whose body is found in the same spot that Lila’s clothes were found. When Serena dies, in her Will she puts Lila as a second beneficiary. If her biological daughter is not found and since Lila’s body hasn’t been discovered and through Jerry we know she has filed a wrongful conviction suit against the police department, there is reason to believe that she might have faked her death. And if both Serena’s daughter and Lila die, Randal, is to inherit everything so he becomes a viable suspect in her death. The revelation that Serena Weatherby was a notorious deadly killer, a black widow, who claimed to have murdered her wealthy husbands because they were degenerates, is suspect, who is to say that she wasn’t motivated by money. And we know at some point Lila McCloud wanted to discontinue aiding Serena in her killing spree. It immediately raises the question that she might have been responsible for Lila’s death. As layers of the plot slowly and painstakingly peel away, between Summer being blackmailed,  Jerry getting shot, Ephraim, Randal’s father claiming to be a Weatherby, speculation on the validity that Ephraim might have killed Serena to avenge Jonathan Weatherby all translates to Randal’s signals of mental agility that are  related to his mental illness. He is a psychopath and even from childhood as Summer recalls, he exhibits violent tendencies. Nikki Broadwell takes the connection between mental illness and crime to the extreme but it’s plausible. And the idea that a parent would conceal or assist their child in perpetrating a crime is not so far-fetched. Summer’s family is a disjointed thing in the novel. Summer might have been too young to be affected but Lila’s lifestyle did not fit with motherhood, sleeping with random men and exposing her children to it helped to change Randal’s perspectives on women so he took out his revenge on innocent women who resembled his mother, that, coupled with his existing mental illness. The budding relationship between Jerry and Summer is threatened by secrets. It becomes more of a challenge for Jerry to continue this relationship knowing what he knows. Clearly, his mother does not approve and tries to keep Jerry in her back pocket to sabotage this relationship. I kind of understand where she is coming from because of surrounding circumstances so now Jerry is torn between his family, his professional obligations and his feelings for Summer. I would imagine that his choice to continue his relationship with her would not have been easy. With Randal and Ephraim dead, the question still remains, who killed Serena and Lila? And Summer is depressed after her near death experience from the father and son duo. With the disclosure of a fully equipped apartment on the second floor of her shop by the pest control guy and the discovery of Lila and Frank Messer had been living there all along, would they finally solve the mystery of who killed Serena? A brilliant read. I loved the novel.Highly recommended for Christie Agatha fans or if you love the TV show Murder she wrote.  

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Release Date: Aug. 12 2015 Published by Airmid Publishing Read an excerpt

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Book Review: Soul of a Warrior by Denna Holm(spoiler free)

Book Trailer

RATING:

I see that the book has received a lot of good reviews, but I will go on a limb and say that Denna Holm dropped the ball on this one. The direction and execution of the story are incredibly lackluster and somehow lacked originality. The book has an interesting background story, but it is replaced with something watered down. The story was all over; the author took bits and pieces from a lot of genres and tried to force them together like pieces from half a dozen different jigsaw puzzles. I have read so many books that cross genre lines, and I have enjoyed them very much but not this time. The alpha element in this story is tagged under Science Fiction and Fantasy, but the author missed it. I just felt she filed one genre over another to create cliff-hangers and as a result, the characters were not fully realized. Here are some of the fundamental story points that I do not think work and why. In the world of Laizahlia, there are two species, the Lycaeonian which are known as Lycans or werewolves on earth. And then we have the Laizahlian, and they are known as vampires on earth.  The idea that a vampire or a werewolf could be from another planet put me off right in the beginning; I expected something different I guess, maybe a vampire or werewolf mythology with a twist, perhaps?  And since both species are from Laizahlia, Wouldn’t it make sense to call them both Laizahlian and probably call the vampire something entirely different? The villain plot was flimsy at its best. The villain character approach was an excellent idea, and it starts getting explored, but it gets thrown away quickly. And then it starts to feel like the plot is built to stretch a plot device that was originally designed to keep the ball rolling. I would have liked the author to delve deeper into something complex than just a revenge story, and that would warrant the addition of all these extra characters. My problem was that the focus was taken away from the title character in favor of other characters that did not seem necessary at all. I don’t want to read a story about the villain announcing himself; I want to read about the villain doing something to warrant that title and having villainy thoughts. I could barely finish the book, the first time. I reread the book just to bring myself not to give it a low rating, but I failed. Would I recommend this book? If you are a critical reader, this is not the book for you..

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Release Date:July 30, 2016 Published by Crimson Cloak Publishing Read an excerpt

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Book Review: Betrayal by Danielle Hardgrave

RATING:

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My initial thoughts when I finished reading the book were that the characters and the writing were a bit flat for my liking sometimes, but that did not stop me from enjoying the book. I have no doubt that some people would find this book interesting. It has so much potential to be the kind of book that makes your heart skip and tears to roll down your eyes, but it just didn’t draw out enough of that deeper emotional experience. It has a pretty straightforward plot, predictable but the execution won me over. It’s obvious from the beginning who the villain is, which is not necessarily a bad thing, you get a bird’s eye view of the story, and you are just waiting for the events to unravel. To be honest, I have never read a shark shapeshifter novel I liked. It’s a phenomenon that has never been explained to my satisfaction without making any book boring, but I just love how Danielle kept it simple and concentrated on building the romantic aspect of the novel. I totally bought into the love story, for several reasons. Here is the question: Would you take a severely injured naked stranger (who does not want you to call the ambulance) home? Probably not, if the injuries were suspicious. Fuelled by money, that is exactly what Darcy does. We associate mothers with nurturing, love and protection and yet Darcy’s mom does not fulfill those expectations. She abandons her and her sister when they are kids, and their father is left to be their caretaker. When he dies and leaves Darcy the house, she inherits the mortgage payments, and it looks like he does not have a trust fund set aside. And now she has to scramble to cover the hole her father left emotionally, financially and logistically. This forces Darcy to reorganize her life, losing an opportunity to pursue her passion for painting which is a talent that I assume she got from her dad. With no extended family to help, she seeks jobs instead, one as a bartender and another as a graphic designer to stay afloat. That makes her decision to agree to take Gabe’s money and him home easy and understandable. By all standards his healing process is not normal; he refuses any of Darcy’s attempts to nurse him to health and states that he just needs to sleep. Darcy concedes, but she is adamant at the minimum to bandage him. At this point, if I were Darcy I would be freaked out. An assassin with integrity: That is how I would describe Gabe. He seeks more in life other than being a clan member. He is not satisfied with how his life is going. Being an assassin takes a lot of work, dedication, discipline and having no personal life. Gabe did not choose it; he was born into it. It makes it a perfect situation for these two to fall in love. Darcy is a loner and doesn’t share so much of herself even at work. Even if she doesn’t know much about him, Gabriel is easy to like and live with. She has gotten comfortable with it. Gabe is polite and a perfect gentleman but on the other hand I cannot approve of the actions he has taken in the past because he has killed people. Have you ever heard the expression that you should trust your dog’s instincts? It looks like Oscar recognizes that Gabe is not a bad guy either. It’s funny that Gabe thinks he might have gone soft as he watches Oscar ignore his predatory nature.As they spend more time together, the attraction Darcy feels for Gabe becomes a challenge. She knows it cannot go anywhere, but she gives into it on what is supposedly their last night together.On the other hand, Gabe’s preconceived opinions of Darcy fade when he learns of her background. It doesn’t help Gabe that Darcy is a beautiful woman in her own right. His fascination crystallizes into a kiss. You can tell the moment he discovers that he is in love with Darcy, it’s the little things like his attempt at cooking a meal for Darcy the night before he leaves and washing his hands after touching the chicken because he doesn’t want Darcy to be sick. It’s like Darcy gives him an incentive to make that decision to leave the clan permanently finally. He admires her sense of loyalty to the ones she loves and wishes he had someone like that. Taking a leap of faith to take a stranger who could be potentially a dangerous criminal even for money to make sure her sister can pursue her education, if that is not loyalty then I don’t know what is. Gabe’s revelation of his true nature makes Darcy come to the realization that she has lost sight of her dreams because she has been so absorbed in taking care of her sister. These two characters complement each other perfectly. The night in each other’s arms makes their parting heart-wrenching. The love scene is not raunchy but still hot. The villain does have redeeming qualities at the end. He regrets what he has done, and he agrees to tell the clan that Gabriel is dead so they would not hunt for him. No cliff-hanger. I loved the book. I want to get a copy for my mom; I am sure she would like it better than I.

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Published by Caldwell Publishing Release date: Jan. 20 2017 Read an excerpt

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Book Review : Princess Dracula by John Patrick Kennedy

RATING:

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This is a simple story about one girl’s strife to cope with her primal instincts. A familiar theme, but really effective. The beginning even if only briefly, touches on the harrowing cruelty carried out by The Roman Catholic Church at the time and which reputedly continued for centuries. The story begins with Ruxandra, the daughter of Vlad Dracula, in her room at the convent, a day before her father comes to fetch her and her eighteenth birthday. Her two friends Adele and Valencia sneak into her room. The three girls are caught in a lesbian sex act and punished by Sister Sophia. They are flogged with leather straps, naked outside in the winter cold night.  This punishment came across as torture to me; the Sister seemed to derive great pleasure in humiliating the girls. Isn’t every Christian taught that the convent or the church is a place of tolerance and compassion? How can religious people teach the love of God and mistreat the ones in their care? Whether what they were doing is wrong or not, our responsibility or privilege as Christians is never to hate but to love, and God is the only one who can judge us because He alone is pure. The story does not delve deeper into Vlad’s Dracula’s character; Most of what we know about him is what Ruxandra recounts. He is a true nationalist and is known for his breathtaking courage and cruelty: He does not have any redeeming qualities because he comes to collect Ruxandra, after ten years in the convent on her eighteenth birthday and barely says anything to her. When Mother Superior tries to tell him of Ruxandra’s accomplishments, which were basically an example of limits that were expected and encouraged of women, he doesn’t seem interested at all. And we find out why. He is a man who has no compunction about doing what he thinks needs to be done to save the Turks. Including sacrificing his daughter. For Power. Whether he desired power out of need or want, it breaks all moral dimensions of parenthood. It resonated with me that the fallen angel Vlad summoned says to him. “You believe that betraying your own flesh will give you power?" It is a powerful statement in its utterance. However positive, in a succeeding flow of dialogue, Ruxandra unknowingly sells her soul to this deceiver. “…Do you want to die?” Ruxandra hesitates to answer because of everything she has been taught about fallen angels in the Convent. In a haze of glamor, she gives an affirmative answer, and the fallen angel feeds her her blood. Her life changes forever and now she has this uncontrollable hunger. For blood. Confused and horrified, after killing her father and some of his men, Ruxandra makes her way to the first village she finds. News of her father’s death and her disappearance has already spread. Amid all this, Lady Demetra offers her  sanctuary. Still trying to reconcile with her metamorphosis, against her will, she drinks the blood of and kills Lusa who is supposedly a maid in Lady Demetra’s household. Branded a demon, Ruxandra flees and spends the next few months in the forest, learning to use her cursed power, avoiding humans and killing animals instead, to curb her hunger, in the process identifying her limitations as a vampire until she stumbles across Neculai Lupei.  He is woodcutter with a cabin in the woods not far from his village. She is automatically drawn to him. She knows nothing about sex with ‘men,' but he stirs more than her bloodlust. Between him offering her his cloak, giving her his dead sister's  dress, towel and lilac-scented soap to starting to fantasize about him and their late night conversations, trying not to sink her fangs into his neck is a struggle. Eventually, she loses her virginity to him. In the throes of passion, she bites him. Neculai turns into a rogue vampire. Ruxandra has fallen in love with Neculai in an understated way, and she has to wrestle with the necessity to kill him when she realizes he is a perverse version of what she has become. I found myself expecting Ruxandra to ultimately help him and for them to live happily ever after but we are presented with his tragic execution. Tut-Tut! I just got goosebumps when she revealed her name to the villagers after killing Neculai.  And when one of the males circled around and ready to kill her, declares she is not who she says she is because she is dead. Ruxandra does not dispel this rumor. “…I am dead, and I am still her.”. We get a glimpse of her power. I could picture it in my mind: the fear gripping the villagers and their mouths agape at her declaration. And in the same scene, I got the impression, some of the villagers or at least one would have given her a chance. One of the men dares to, though fearful, stand with her after he and countless others witnessed Ruxandra mutilating Neculai. That in itself suggested to me that even if he sees her as some kind of monster, she is on their side. I just wanted the author to do more with it, just a little. By a knife assault, she discovers a weapon that can end her existence. Ruxandra delivers the weapon to Mother Superior at the Convent and tells her to keep it in case she needed to be stopped. She lives her coming years as a recluse until Countess Elizabeth Bathory captures her, holds her prisoner and feeds her human blood: unleashing the beast that she has tried so hard to suppress. I am leery of most vampire anything whether be it a book or movie. We all know about vampire myths because so many stories have been retold so many times in so many different ways. And that could be boring. But I forgot I was reading fiction and got so emotionally invested in what Ruxandra was going through and felt bad for her. Patrick did a great job to make us visualize the impalpable; he gives us an insight into her thoughts and feelings as she undertakes her transformation, the intensity of her struggle to hang on to her humanity took me places  I have been before. Nearly three-quarters of the book is about her mental process and physical discovery about what the change signifies.  What does the Bible say “the spirit is willing, but the flesh is weak,” Her flesh shouted loudly when it wanted to feed, and the ruckus it made easily drowned out the desires of her spirit. Ruxandra didn’t want to be this monster. I really dig it. The final scene is serialized, it’s a set up for a sequel (which there is by the way and I will put it on my reading list), but if there had never been one, I don’t think I would have been disappointed. It can be read as a stand-alone.

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Published: Kindle Edition - Jan. 17, 2017 by Kindle Press, Paperback - Oct. 15, 2016 by Dark Trope Publishing Read an excerpt

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Upcoming Release+Excerpt: Women Within by Anne Leigh Parrish Available Sep 4, 2017

 Available Sep 4, 2017

✦ Pre-order: Amazon | Black Rose Writing ✦

About Women Within

With themes of reproductive rights and feminism, this multi-generational novel presents three women whose paths cross at the Lindell Retirement Home. Constance Maynard, fierce, independent and proud, reflects on her long life promoting women’s rights through her career as a professor of history. Eunice Fitch, the perfect caregiver, is often unlucky in love, yet even in middle age refuses to give up searching for the perfect man. Sam Clark is a young aide with a passion for poetry and, small beautiful things, but at war with her own large, ungainly physique. All together they weave a tapestry as rich and complex as the female experience itself.

Excerpt

The Lindell Retirement Home was lovely. Wide lawns could be reached through automatic glass doors at the end of every hall. Secluded patios with benches and flowering plants made for pleasant sitting in the warm months. The common areas were full of natural light and good quality art, often by a resident’s own hand. Some wings had an aquarium or well-populated birdcage, and one, Skilled Nursing, offered a very large stuffed dog that on occasion brought a smile to the faces of the dementia patients. The overall impression was one of calm, poise, and comfort. Within the rooms themselves, there was less comfort. Aging wasn’t easy. Memory was unsure, especially with the help of certain frequently prescribed drugs. Physical discomfort was quite prevalent, for which, ironically, fewer drugs were prescribed.

Constance Maynard, age ninety-two, knew this well and would have shared her complaints, had she cared to. At the moment, she just wished Eunice and Sam would ease up a little. They were attempting to wash her feet by putting them in a plastic tub full of warm, soapy water. Constance thought the task should be simple enough. She didn’t see why it required four hands to manage it. They always teamed up when any sort of bathing or dressing was needed. Weren’t they the oddest pair? Fifty-something Eunice and twenty-something Sam. One, slight and wiry, the other, a linebacker. Big and Small. Short and Tall. Who’s the fairest of them all?

That was her sleep aid talking. The young doctor who came around told her rest was essential. Who was he kidding? Any moment now she would enter the realm of eternal rest. She should have the luxury of lying awake all night if she wanted to. Night was the traveling time. The time of seeing women within.

Eunice, the little one, knelt and lifted one gnarled foot out of the water, ran a scratchy washcloth between the toes, and lowered the foot back into the tub. The same was done to the other foot. Constance observed her feet with dismay. They certainly weren’t anything to brag about.. . .

. . .

They had been once, small and shapely, so pretty in heels, worn out by years of walking back and forth before a blackboard, teaching morons the lessons history had to offer. Years of dull faces; years of dull minds. Engineering students needing to fulfill their liberal arts credits; fools who had no idea what to study and who got assigned to her lecture by that toad, Harriet, in Registration. “Miss Maynard’s class is too hard for me,” whispered more than one curly-haired girl. Just there to get a husband and start cranking out imbecile children. The so-called research papers they wrote were scandalous. No matter how many times she went over proper footnoting procedure, their sources (if they were actual sources) went uncited. Her remarks were harsh and often caused tears. The Dean scolded her. She could be hard on the men, that was fine; they were serious, hoping for a bright future. The women, well, what could you expect? Constance fumed. And then, she was blessed when Angela Lowry signed up for her class. Angela had a first-rate mind and was eager to learn. She’d read everything on the War of the Roses. Her final paper was good enough to be published. When Constance checked one of her beautifully cited reference materials, she discovered that Angela had plagiarized a man writing two decades earlier, Dr. Harold Moss, at Harvard. She invited her to come to her office. “I think you know why you’re here,” Constance said. She had brewed a cup of tea, hoping it would soothe. “You caught me.” Just like that. Angela didn’t even blink. What color was her hair? Like the inside of a yam, a pale orange. Her blouse was white with small red buttons, and embroidered roses on the collar. She had big hands that looked raw, as if she washed them a lot in harsh soap. Angela had wanted to test her professor, to see how good she really was. Hence the intentional plagiarism. Constance knew that was nonsense. The girl got stuck for time and panicked. Then she tried to talk her way out of it. Constance admired her moxie.

Was that a word anyone used anymore, moxie?. . .

. . .

They were still fussing with her feet. Sam trimmed her nails. Eunice was talking. “He says I’m kind,” she said. Her hair was bushy, copper-streaked with gray. “Aren’t you?” Sam asked. She had a pleasant voice for such a big girl. “Never thought of myself that way before. Gullible, yes.” And then to Constance, “You’re all done, dear.” “Can’t you see I’ve still got the other one to do?” Sam asked. “Right.” Snip, snip, snip. Constance jerked her foot back. “You need to hold still,” Sam said. Sam clipped the last nail, on the little toe of Constance’s right foot, then wheeled her from her bathroom back into her bedroom. Eunice spread a blanket across her lap. The blanket didn’t quite cover her feet, which were now slippered, yet distinctly cold. She could never be comfortable when her feet were cold.

. . .

“You are, I can tell.” “I am what?” “Getting cold feet.” Constance held her cocktail and looked down. A smell of lilac came in on the breeze lifting the gauze curtains in the study. Lilac was her favorite flower. They might have made a pretty wedding bouquet. She could feel William watching her. She smoothed one sleeve of her dress with her free hand. She brought the glass to her lips, then lowered it. “William—” What had she told him on that long-ago afternoon? What reason did she give? There were too many to count. They rolled through her mind, as her gin and tonic warmed in her hand. The breeze was a comfort, then it died, the curtains stilled, and she found her voice. “I can’t.” Nothing more was ever said between them. Not even when she returned the ring. She thought he might remark on that, at least. Choosing it was probably their most intimate moment. What he had first presented her with was a thin band that had belonged to his mother. The look on her face— shock that he would take such a step at all—was misinterpreted. He chided himself for not understanding how badly she would want her own ring, not one someone else had worn, however happily, for over forty years. At the jeweler’s he talked her into a larger diamond than she thought appropriate, or which looked good on her hand. “Isn’t it rather … ?” “Tasteful and grand?” he’d asked. “Vulgar,” she wanted to say, but didn’t. Of course, it was beautiful. Diamonds always are, and this was quite a good one. E color, very, very small inclusions, round cut. Two point three carats. “It suits you, darling,” he whispered, under the jeweler’s approving gaze. They met at Brown. Her field was history, his, philosophy. He was impressed by her academic ambitions, that she’d attended Smith College, that she was petite and self-possessed. He was no doubt used to women who swooned over his attention and the prospect of marrying his money. William was rich in that quiet, understated way people tend to find so attractive. He never called attention to his wealth. He dressed modestly. It was the family home that gave it all away. Abundant opulence. The silent, invisible servants. His aunt’s cool assessment of Constance, and then her grudging acceptance. Since his mother’s death, his Aunt Helen had run the show. William’s father made himself scarce. Like Constance, William was an only child. He didn’t seem entirely surprised by her refusal. Her letters to him the summer before, written from London, had been cool and objective, unlike his, which were warm and intimate. In one, he’d even begged her to return early so they could be together. She said she couldn’t just yet because she still hadn’t found a good topic for her doctoral thesis. In truth, she’d already settled on the fifteenth century English queen, Anne Neville. That era’s military campaigns and shifting factions were interesting enough, she supposed, but they were the stuff of men. She wanted to study the women. Marriages were political and strategic. Love, if it came, was after the fact. Anne Neville was a perfect example. She was married off at fourteen to a French prince who was killed trying to invade England. Then the widow of a dead traitor, she threw herself on the English king’s mercy. For her trouble, she was placed under the king’s guardianship, shut away, and urged to join a convent so the king could retain control of her fortune. Her only recourse was to marry the king’s brother. Such a rotten deal, Constance always thought. Trading one prison for another.

. . .

Eunice straightened the sheets on Constance’s bed while Sam removed dirty clothes from the basket in the closet. She put the clothes in a bag marked with Constance’s name and pulled the drawstring tight. “Plans for the weekend?” Eunice asked her. “Going through old stuff in the attic with my mother.” Sam’s tone said it was really the last thing she wanted to do. “Hm. You could tell her you’re sick or helping out a friend. Use me as an excuse, if you want to.” “I can’t do that. She depends on seeing me. She’s—you know, needy.” Constance nodded. Sam noticed. “But you’ve never met her, Constance. You must be thinking of someone else,” Sam said.

. . .

Constance’s family fell apart when she was nine. They lived in Los Angeles. Her mother had dreams of stardom that never came true. Her father worked as a bookkeeper for a number of small businesses—a plumbing company, which Constance remembered him praising for paying their bills on time, also a small theater troupe where Constance’s mother had had several auditions, then one modest part, then poor reviews and a gentle invitation to leave the cast. It sat badly with her. She stayed home, a cigarette in her hand, circles below her eyes, stains on her bathrobe. Constance was in awe of her mother because she had attempted something brave that other mothers didn’t, which made her failure more acute. When her mother made a new career out of disappointment and sloth, she lost interest in Constance. Constance escaped the pain of her rejection through books, into the world of knights and ladies fair. All those lovelorn women left to worry and wait while the men had their fun fighting. What did they do to pass the time? They reveled in the quiet and calm, no doubt, and kept busy with embroidery and weaving. The noble women would have held fine linens and lace; the servants sat at looms crafting tapestries to soften and warm stone walls. Constance learned the art of needlework from her downstairs neighbor, Mrs. Pauline Lester. Her hands were gnarled terrors, yet quick and precise when wielding a needle. She sewed the most beautiful things! Fields of ornate flowers and birds, a young girl with flowing blond hair that made Constance despise her own raven curls, a small white dog sleeping on the threshold of a charming cottage in the woods. Constance began with a simple patterned canvas, following the outlines faithfully, crying when she erred and had to pull the tender thread from where it didn’t belong. The world of her imagination, populated with dreams and the fabric in her own hands kept her going, far from the sour mood of her mother and the stony silence of her father. It was decided that Constance’s mother suffered from a nervous condition and needed to be in the company of people better able to help her. Constance waited with Pauline while her father put her mother and her one suitcase into the car and drove away. He was gone a long time. When he returned, he stood visibly straighter. His voice had a lighter tone. Soon, though, the task of caring for his young daughter weighed him down again. Constance’s father had been raised by his stepmother, then widowed and living in upstate New York. The stepmother was notified of the change in circumstance, and Constance was packed off on a train across country, alone, with her name and destination typed on a piece of paper and attached to the lapel of her coat with a safety pin. Her shock at the upheaval of her world was deep. What occupied a still deeper space within her was the splendor of the passing landscape. The desert seemed a glorious and terrifying place! She’d seen it before, of course, in little excursions with her parents before her mother cracked up. Pauline used those very words to a neighbor in her kitchen when she thought Constance was still embroidering in the living room, out of earshot. It was as apt a term as any, Constance thought. The woman who received Constance into her Dunston home on a still spring night was as solid as a rock. Lois Maynard would brook no nonsense, she informed Constance as she led the way up the dim stairway. But she would reward good behavior. Constance could be sure of that. In the years that followed, Constance was seldom punished and seldom praised. She was surprised to find how little she minded it. She adored school and excelled in all her subjects. “A natural scholar,” more than one teacher said. When she wasn’t at her books, she embroidered. The owner of the yarn shop in town, Mrs. Lapp, smiled when she came in. “It’s not the same shade of red,” Constance said. Mrs. Lapp stared at her sympathetically. To her, Constance was an unfortunate case. The grandmother—stepgrandmother—was well known. Her house, a mansion, really, was clearly visible on its high hill, particularly in winter when the trees bared. Not much of a life for a child, living in a cold place like that, Mrs. Lapp thought, though Constance was nearly thirteen at that point. She was small for her age, and had given up hoping she would be taller. Mrs. Lapp checked the skein Constance had taken from the peg on the wall, then consulted her inventory book and assured Constance that the lot number was the same. Constance gave her what remained of the skein she’d used to embroider a row of roses. Mrs. Lapp took both skeins to the glasstopped door where the sunlight poured through. “How right you are! The new is slightly more brown, isn’t it?” Mrs. Lapp asked. Even so, there was nothing to be done. Mrs. Lapp suggested that Constance use the new wool in a corner, somewhere the eye wasn’t instantly drawn. Constance had already thought of that.

. . .

“It’s nice to see you smile,” Eunice said. Constance was not aware that she was smiling. She wanted a skein of that red wool—the proper color. She needed to finish her embroidery. She loved it so. She pointed to the table by her bed. The lower shelf had her rolled-up canvas. Eunice brought it to her, set it in her lap, and then she and Sam went on their way.

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Book Review : Dear Heart by Judith Pinkerton Josephson, Illustrated by Kirsten Josephson

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RATING:

After the sudden death of her thirty-five-year-old husband, Thomas Wiggington, dressmaker Margaret Bailes Moon Wigginton moves back home to Newmarket, England from Chantilly, France with her five children leaving the two oldest behind, James and Thomas. Being the oldest at the time, Fred is forced to apprentice at a grocer at the tender age of thirteen to help his mother take care of the family.  They move to Maldon, England and Fred finds a job in Ipswich at Leatherbys Grocers. Under the suggestions of Mrs. Chapman, a good friend of the Livock family; he goes to the Livock Draper Shop to inquire if there is flat in Ipswich he can rent.  Before he enters the shop, we get a glimpse of Fred’s state of mind. He sees couples on the street strolling arm in arm, and his loneliness intensifies.  He is twenty-nine, unmarried, and the pressure of being a breadwinner weighs down on him. Being a person with a high degree of responsibility requires sacrifice to some extent. The thing is, when it comes to attachments, you either have to cut or sink into them, and Fred does not let the resulting resentment I sensed from him poison his life.The only difference now is that women can be where men have been for the past centuries.And there at the shop, Fred meets Gertie and her father owns the shop. Their first meeting leaves an impression on both of them from the accidental touch and Fred’s French farewell. Gertie is intrigued by Fred and would like to see him again. A week later, Fred comes back to the shop with his mother for dressmaking supplies. Gertie’s lovely, kind and attentive nature grabs his attention. Gertie’s infatuation with Fred grows. Her stalkerish behavior is endearing. Peeking at Fred through the windows of his place of employment, looking for excuses to buy things at Leatherbys. That’s okay because Fred likes her too. He stops by now and then to share a cup of tea and Gertie looks forward to those visits. Their affection for each other grows as they spend more time in each other’s company and learn that they have the same interests. Literature for example.Fred loses his job at Leatherbys and moves back to Maldon. Weeks pass by with no word from Fred, and when Gertie is invited to spend the weekend at Maldon, she finds out that the Wiggingtons are moving to St. Paul, Minnesota, America. Fred’s brothers’ Will and George remain behind, Fred’s mother, his sister Mag and brother John leave for America. On his way, Fred meets Mr. McArthur, a man who would change his professional life forever.In Fred’s absence, Gertie’s father dies, and she struggles to keep the business afloat and is eventually forced to close it down. A year passes and still no word from Fred. Gertie is heartbroken. One day, Fred realizes how much he loves Gertie and letters begin to flow back and forth between them. Will their love survive the barrier of distance? This brings it down to the question of how much of a distance is a deal breaker? When there is a specific aim, it makes everything worthwhile. Fred’s awareness that he might not be the only man after Gertie’s affections makes him propose. Torn between two man one five years younger and a continent away, the other eight years older, a widow and a short distance away, Gertie needs to make a decision. She makes an emotional one by choosing Fred over the Forbes character. He sends an engagement ring through the mail from Minnesota to Ipswich, that’s the way it went. A strong sense of family, which united these two, would not permit Gertie to leave her ailing mother behind as she embarks for America to be reunited with her Fred forever.

 In 2010, a century later, the letters, which were written by her grandparents, are found by the thirty-five-year-old Lisa, a teacher, and a mentor, in the cluttered attic of her dead parents’ home. She has just broken up with a cheating boyfriend and is putting herself out there. She goes to single’s dinner and ends up on a date with a persistent Tyler, but it never goes anywhere.Taking the place of a co-worker as a volunteer for the school at a painting event downtown, she meets Spanish, Mario Amador. When his job takes him back home, an ocean away Lisa decides to give her ex a second chance only to find out he never broke up with the woman he cheated her with. Lisa and Mario continue communicating through emails, and she gets a happy ending just like Gertie did.

The relevant fact of the matter is that Judith Pinkerton Josephson made this down to earth historical memoir of her maternal grandparents interwoven with a modern fictional story, art and that makes it matter to me as a reader and a reviewer. I like this book for purely elemental reasons. It is a clean, soft, sweet romance story that will warm your heart. It's heightened by the excellent pictures of the places and people she mentions in her book. And it made me realize how far we have come and created a visual representation of our evolution. The elaborate gowns and the hats. Stunning! The mode of transportation to cross oceans has changed from ships to planes. Courtship has moved, since that era from public acts to private spaces. It’s funny, you know, At some point in the story when Fred came to the shop with his mother, Gertie mentions that she wishes women rode astride instead of side-saddle. At that time it was considered unladylike and improper. I could imagine a woman straddling a horse and the other ladies screaming. How unbecoming of a lady! Was it of the dresses they wore? Probably Not. When it boils down to it, it had everything to do with protecting one’s virtue.And the letters between Gertie and Fred seem more meaningful than the emails and texts between Mario and Lisa. It just feels like they have/had more tangible memories to look back on. If you are not into raunchy romance novels and are a Betty Neels fan purchase yourself a copy.

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Published by eFrog Press Release Date Oct. 20 2016 Read an excerpt

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Book Review :Heart of an Amazon by Diana Blackstone

RATING:

After saving the Amazonian Queen’s daughter’s life, Deidra is asked to go undercover in the village of  Pyrnthia. She is to do everything she can to get abducted by the men of Metropolis if they raid the village of Pyrnthia again. Metropolis is building a defense wall that the Amazonian Queen believes can withstand any attack. Deidra’s job is to make sure that King Alexander, the Son of Ares, never accomplishes this. She meets Kern. Kern is a Son of Earth and possibly a by-product of the Amazonian procreation rituals. He himself wants to escape his life of drudgery and constant sexual assault by these Arcadian women, so he offers to take Diedra to Metropolis and protect her against the possible rape or unwanted sexual advances of men by pretending to be her husband.

 “I envy them. They may have to steal to survive, but in Metropolis they have one thing I can never have in Elysia-choice.”-Kern in the novel Heart of an Amazon.

The next thing we know is Deidra is teaching Kern how to fight. Queen Brianna’s and Hera’s covert operation against Metropolis exposes their brand of feminist misandry. Deidra interactions with Kern reveal this hypocrisy. In the prolog, Deianeira (Deidra) is participating in her first Great Hunt where the Amazonian women procreate with random men once a year. Kern reveals that men from neighboring tribes volunteer but if they do not meet the required numbers, the Children of Earth are drugged, wear masks and are forced to participate. This Great Hunt though not recounted as such is nothing but an institutionalized form of rape. It’s unacceptable; rape demeans its victims regardless of gender. The poignant conversation/dialogue between Deidra and Kern and the descriptive emotions felt by both parties, by the author of the Great Hunt were intense and put me in a weirdly sensitive mood because it involved innocent children. I am not a parent, but I felt what Kern felt. Being forced to father children that might end up trapped in the same cycle of life “as a reluctant sperm donor’ is undesirable.

Unwilling to father another lost child, Kern tells Deidra about the Bonfire of Demeter where the women engage in creative, artful promiscuity by having sexual relations with several drugged//drunk men. The paternity of the children conceived is irrelevant; the men are just a means to maintain the Amazonian population. According to Deidra, the male children were given back to Demeter to be used for labor and breeding. Five days after the bonfire, Alexandra attacks Pyrthia. Kern requests to join the Raiders with Deidra posing as his wife just like they planned. Of course, Alexander is suspicious because the Sons of Earth and the Daughters of Demeter are not allowed to marry, but he allows it.

 Once in Metropolis, Deidra defends herself against Tragor, one of the Warriors, from rape at the granary, unaware of Alexandra watching. Now he knows she is an Amazon and asks her to teach the women to fight and defend themselves against the not so best examples of humanity of Metropolis. You see, Metropolis is a city built by outcasts and the King himself is a reject of Athena. Deidra’s time in Metropolis, Alexander personality and Kern dismantle her justifiable prejudice. Would Deidra break her Amazonian oath? And if she does, would she be willing to face the consequences? Would she give up her life to protect the King she was sent to spy

My thoughts Feminists will hate me for this, I mean the phony feminists who like to perpetuate the traditional myth that women are always the victims. I am antipathetic to feminism that is why I absolutely loved how the author sabotaged this ideology to be inoperative. Amazonian Queen Brianna’s reign is nothing but a feminist movement full of hate. While I enjoy imaginative fiction with woman warriors, it is nothing but a feminist's dream. Women and men are not equal by any standards; they just compliment each other. Men and women have different skill sets and abilities. That is just reality. I am a woman and not insulted by this. I can influence society without resorting to acting like a man. Was the book really that good? Hell Yeah, A Surprisingly moving romantic story, one of the best books I have read thus far, this year.

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Published by Black Rose Writing Release Date  Aug 25, 2016 Read an excerpt

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Book Review :The Cult of Unicorns by Chrys Cymri

'A compelling and witty sequel to Temptation of Dragons! Penny is a fantastic heroine because she doesn't think of herself as such. ...Chrys Cymri perfectly captures this blend of humor, honesty, reality, and fantasy.' ★★★★★  Readers' Favorite 'Chrys Cymri has created a treasure with the world of Lloegyr and the Father Penny is an absolutely endearing character to follow as a tour guide. I can’t wait to read more!' ★★★★★ Goodreads Reviewer

  RATING:

A filly unicorn is discovered loose in Wootton Fields, a veil that separates the mystic world of Lloegyr from Earth, and a man is found dead with a Manchester United tattoo on his left bicep within immediate vicinity. A dam unicorn never leaves their filly unaccompanied or rarely in the company of another. Could this be a kidnapping gone wrong?

A second victim is found on the same stretch of the greens. A woman with a blue butterfly on her shoulder and Emily tattooed on her wrist. Are the cases related? Both victims have unicorn horn wounds through their chests and are stripped of their identifications. The unicorns are seen as Christological aristocratic figures. It doesn’t make sense that they could be responsible. Could it have been an equine wielder?

When Clyde is injured, the stakes begin to represent themselves. Clyde is healed by drinking powder from the unicorn horn mixed with whiskey. Russell, the coroner, made the mistake of touching a unicorn horn without gloves, his eye impediment was healed, and vasectomy reversed. Could these humans be hunting Unicorns for the healing properties of their horns? Penny has a blog and has published a book all about her Adventures in Lloegyr as The Vicar of Incursions. Could all this be linked?

So, I will jump to the end because I think every character build up and fragment in the book works to such a complete whole and it is summarized by the confrontation Penny has with the Archdruid. The unicorn uses the magic of illusion to create an insurmountable ocean of doubt by using the struggles of Penny’s vocation. In this episode, we see that Penny is passionate about her job but at the same time, she has a finite supply of time that she puts in her duties and the unicorn druid tries to convince her that she has neglected her family in the process.  That’s where Rosie, a retired priest comes into the story; she is to relieve Penny from some of her pastoral duties while she acts as a consultant for the production company that would like to use her local church as a filming location while she deals with the relations between the humans and Lloegyr. Necessity lessens her duties, but there is Holly, a disgruntled churchwarden who puts Father Penny’s tolerance to a severe test. Holly is nasty, even when she raises valid points about the state of the church building; her venom makes her requests absurd. Between juggling two relationships with Raven, the dragon and Peter the human, taking care of Clyde, and James, a brother, traumatized by the death of his love, Penny has her hands full.

I think the moral behind the confrontation is that every Christian has doubts at one point in their lives, but there is nothing greater than the power of faith, love, and support to help us overcome our deficiencies as human beings. And that can come from unlikely sources, Clyde, the adopted snail shark whose mother Penny killed, is there to save the day and remind Penny that she is still deserving of love and still far more than the decisions she's made. Just read the book, okay, there are so many things and characters that I still did not touch on.

Simultaneously, Morey’s relationship with Inspector Taryn is heating up.Cliffhanger. Next book, Penny White will return in “The Marriage of Gryphons.”

In my review of the first book in the series Temptation of Dragons, I might have mentioned that Religion was a sensitive topic for me, but it doesn’t seem to matter anymore because the series is slowly growing on me. I loved The Cult of the Unicorns I would very much like to see what more challenges Penny will face as a Vicar in Lloegyr.

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Published: December 3, 2016 Read an excerpt

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Book Review : Her Ruthless Russian by Leslie North

  RATING:

Leslie North got the combination of romance, mystery, and suspense just right to make this a disgustingly great book. It’s rare the blurb gives you what you exactly expect.

The first two chapters of the book are a mark of a good scene which advances the plot and character of the whole novel. It’s not only the scene but the dialogue too; it’s drawn out perfectly with just about enough suspense to keep readers or at least kept me engaged.

In search of his father’s brutal murderer, Vlad 'pays a personal visit,' to O’ Connor Fine Art Gallery. Madison O’Connor is in dispute with the men delivering wood frames at the family owned gallery. When the supervisor shoves Madison, Vlad intervenes. From the minute Vlad intervened at the gallery, I knew Madison was in trouble. What woman would not feel more protected in the company of a macho man?

 Madison is an absolutely smart lady. Why would she think her seduction tactics to get closer to Vlad and extract information to blackmail him into releasing the hold the Russian Mafia had on her father would work? An observant experienced Vlad does not miss the opportunity to invite the red-head for; I quote Dmitry, Vlad’s brother, “dressed-up interrogation” dinner, and against her friend’s advice Madison meets up with him.  A tour of the gallery after dinner leads to groping which would have resulted in so much more had it not been for Peter Franklin's intrusion, Carson O’Connor’s former associate, and friend.

Madison’s move to Vlad’s apartment block reinforces the continuation from where they left off.

Could Vlad's father’s killer be the same person who ordered the hit on him? Is it possibly Peter or Maxim, Vlad’s alcoholic older brother?

And would Madison’s pregnancy convince Vlad to leave his Mafia ways behind?

Loved it! Recommended for only romance fans and fans of romance mixed with a bit of mystery suspense. Sex,action,twists,its all in there.

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Published: Dec 30, 2016 Read an excerpt

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Book Review : Ring of Fire by Stevie Rae Causey

  RATING:

 It is hard to review this novel without giving away too much, so I will be brief. Even if the plot was predictable, it somehow all worked together because I read the book in one night. It is a perfect read for pre-teens and tweens. It has just about enough romance not to alarm the young mind. I will refrain from giving it five stars because I find Miss Causey’s approach to her characters a wee bit too lifeless.

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Published :Oct. 3, 2016 Read an excerpt

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Book Review : The Devil's Prayer by Luke Gracias

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The Devil's Prayer - A Novel by Luke Gracias from The Devil's Pra yer on Vimeo.

  RATING:

One October evening, Currumbin Valley, Australia, Denise Russo utters a prayer, “God, please help me. Someone, anyone, please help!”, when the paramedics fail to revive three-year-old Siobhan. A man in a fedora hat saves the day. If you've been raised in a religious family, the scene will exhort a myriad of emotions and questions. Are we not told to be mindful of our words when we pray? Do we pray to God or just anyone? Is it possible that the devil answers prayers? You’d better believe it. The devil slips in and gives Denise what God refuses to. Nine months later, on her 28th birthday, blurred and blinded by greed, two friends, two acquaintances and her fiancé conspire to steal her lottery winning ticket. The plan goes wrong and to cover up their betrayal they leave her for dead. Denise survives, but she is paralyzed. The man in the fedora hat who we discover is the Devil materializes in her room and authenticates her suspicions. The constant re-appearance of the Devil can be interpreted in different ways. If you put your spiritual gears on, everything you learned about the Devil when you were young will resurface. I was tempted to dissect every encounter Denise had with the Devil into a sermon. Any deal you make with the Devil is suspect. Denise should have known better. (Even after Denise recovers, her reaction indicates she wasn’t sure if he would honor the deal). Paralyzed and unable to speak, the Devil is the only being that Denise can communicate with. He knowingly deceives her into believing that Simon, her ex, betrayed her too. A visit from her disloyal fiancé and best friend cement her “need” and I put that loosely because if she wanted to protect her daughter, her life was a small price to pay than making a deal with the Devil. Her mother, Edith is in debt with her medical bills. The people we love will do anything to keep us alive and would never regret it. I know I wouldn’t. I am not convinced that Denise wanted revenge; it was merely a suggestion from the Devil. For six souls or the life of her daughter, the Devil promises her life and health back. Down the line, we learn that the sixth person she killed was the Devil(we know he still lives), Simon died on the day of the betrayal. Something she would have known, if she could only speak, by asking her mother. Denise sleeps with the Devil, literally and produces a child named Jess. A succession of occurrences leads to Father Shem attempting to kill Jess. This is when Denise is told to stay away from her family because Siobhan’s life is in danger. Denise changes her name to Sister Benedictine. And later she commits suicide.This is where the author begins the story with Siobhan searching for answers. The scenes I highlighted above are narrated in a memoir that Denise left for Siobhan. Sigh! This is where it gets tedious. I wanted to give The Devil’s Prayer 5 stars but I just couldn’t. I truly enjoyed at least more than half of the book. After, I busted my brains out trying to follow what was happening. There was just too much information to process. I don’t know if the author could have done a better job of relaying that wealth of knowledge to us. We have manuscripts and stories about the church drawn out beautifully; I felt that the book was a sharp commentary and analysis from the author on mysticism tied to religion, but it is not clear enough who is who and why we should care about them in the whole context of the story.Sorry. I appreciate Luke Gracias for making me dig deeper into occultism for my self-knowledge.

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Published by Australian eBook Publisher Release Date Feb 18, 2016 Read an excerpt

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Book Review : Falling for Boston by Leslie Kate

  RATING:

The overall story alternates between the perspectives of Dylan and Tyler. Tyler has spent the last eight years of his life playing football in California. He accidentally crashes into Dylan on his way to a meeting with a sports anchor to discuss his acquisition with the New England Patriots in Boston.

Dylan grows up being the only girl in a family full of boys. And she works in an industry dominated by men doing what she loves and knows. Sports. I liked that aspect of the novel. Dylan is a hockey player and loves the Boston Bruins among other sports and teams. The rivalry between my favorite hockey team and the Bruins is considered "one of the greatest rivalries in sports."

Dylan’s twin brother, Carter’s career in hockey was cut short by an injury. And while trying to recover back in school worked as a trainer at the gym. And trains Dylan for free whenever he can. And guess what?On one of their training sessions, a month after the crash, Tyler walks into the gym. Their recurrent bumps at the gym opens a door for Dylan to ask Tyler to hang out with her, Carter, Rosie, her roommate and a few friends.

Before long Tyler becomes a regular addition to their hangouts. I like how the author creates tension; I read the book in one night, flipping through the pages anticipating the friendship to explode into a full-blown affair. I knew it was true love when Dylan noticed that Tyler called her Boston when he was joking around and Dylan when he was serious. Brushing their teeth together in the bathroom, totally cute! I couldn’t wait for their first kiss. And when Tyler finally loses the battle, he gives her a light kiss on the lips and her forehead.It was frustrating.And I am not the only one who was frustrated. Tyler puts a stop to their heated kiss on his kitchen counter, Dylan gets angry and describes it as being given a “whiplash.”

When they finally jump in bed together, they cannot get enough of each other. Would a job opportunity for Dylan in New York be the end of their relationship? The setting and topic had a powerful impact on the mood of the story and allowed the author to develop these elements of her novel to their richest potential. It did not feel forced because the manner in which Leslie narrates the story made me come to the conclusion that the story was written from the heart and upon reading her profile it was hard for me to separate the book from the author. I am particularly susceptible to fluffy romance but Falling for Boston was not one of them, and I was constantly in a temporary state of laughter. The witty dialogue. Even if the tone of the whole book was not entirely serious in a way, the emotion was there. I couldn’t help but think that some of Dylan’s sarcastic remarks were because she had a low esteem.

I loved the story. Impressive piece of writing.

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Release Date: October 13, 2016 Publisher: Leslie Kate Press Read an excerpt