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Multi-volume, multi-genre author Stewart Hoffman introduces us to his continuation of the Bug Boys saga: The fantastic superhero adventure that began with The Bug Boys continues! Alex Adams and Ian Harris take on Blake Blackhart, a disgraced Oxford professor. He discovers the boy’s source of power and plots to use the Secti’s alien technology to wreak havoc across the galaxy. With a proper real-life supervillain in the village, the boys must step up their superhero game if they are to put a stop to the professor’s nefarious schemes. Along the way, they make new friends, and they encounter new bugs and superpowers. With the fate of the galaxy in the balance, the boys dig deep within themselves to truly understand what it means to be a hero!  I enjoyed this story a great deal. More great writing and an expanded cast of characters. The little robots are really beginning to grow on me. I am pretty sure I don't want them growing in me, although it is an interesting thought. If you liked the first book, then you will love this one also. Stewart has nice terse writing, he wastes very few words. There is description enough for perfect scene-setting and the dialog is very funny at times and rather poignant at other moments. Some real-life issues are part of the story, without overwhelming it. I award The Bug Boys vs. Professor Blake Blackhart a score of 5 stars! I loved the story and hope there is more to come.  You can buy this book: https://smile.amazon.com/Bug-Boys-Professor-Blake-Blackhart-ebook https://www.goodreads.com/-the-bug-boys-vs-professor-blake-blackhart https://www.barnesandnoble.com/the-bug-boys-vs-professor-blake-blackhart-stewart-hoffman You can follow the author: https://twitter.com/stewartfhoffman http://www.talkiegazette.com/books https://www.facebook.com/StewartFHoffman https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/15583189.Stewart_Hoffman Tags: science fiction, sci-fi, MG, insects, entomology I have also reviewed the first book in this series, here is the link: https://www.wordrefiner.com/book-reviews/the-bug-boys-by-stewart-hoffman Copyright © Mark L Schultz 2019 except for the author’s introduction
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Multi-volume, multi-genre author Kyle Morrow, introduces us to her third volume in the Montana Romance series, Two Crow Omen: A Bryn Sheridan Montana Romance: Looking back— I blame Fate, that devious bitch; she never gives anyone a heads up, her ways mysterious. It was a Wednesday afternoon when I walked into Violet Two Bear Paw’s room, never dreaming I’d be stepping into the middle of a tribal war. Violet spat, ‘Goddamn dog-eaters.’ Her venom caught me off guard. I hesitated. Said, ‘What’d you say, Violet?’ ‘You deaf, Bryn?’ She glared. ‘That damn girl’s an Apache and so she’s a dog-eater.’ ‘You talking about Prita?’ ‘Who do ya think I’m talkin’ about, white woman?’ ‘Do you have something against Apaches?’ ‘The whole filthy tribe are dog-eaters from way back.’ I shook my head. ‘You’re kidding, right?’ ‘Makes ‘em no better than animals.’ ‘So you’re saying Prita eats dog?’ ‘No, Bryn. You stupid or what?’ Her eyes narrowed. ‘I’m saying those heathens bring trouble of the worst sort. Always have. Always will.’ I said, ‘And you’re blaming Prita for?’ Violet sighed. Looked exasperated. ‘You ignorant Twinkie. Prita’s Apache and so she’s bad luck.’ ‘If you say so.’ ‘You still don’t get it, do you?’ I shrugged. ‘Bryn, just look at the harm she’s done me. Can’t you see I’m uncomfortable as hell, having my leg up in traction like this?’ She did look uncomfortable with her leg pulled up in the air and was that why had she called me a Twinkie? didn’t sound like a term of endearment. Heck. What did I know. Violet had Blackfoot heritage and wouldn’t you think all Indian tribes stuck together? shoulda, woulda, coulda. And so Two Crow Omen begins, a Montana romance about people who live in Haywire, Montana with Native American myth and ritual.  I thoroughly enjoyed this story, once I became accustomed to the author’s unusual writing style. I actually found it refreshing and liked it quite a bit. I took my grammar-nerd hat off and shook my hair loose. On and off Indian reservations, this story is well written in first person POV, a type of writing that I love when it’s done right and the author didn’t let me down. Her scene-setting is excellent, the dialogue is so good I laughed out loud quite a number of times. The building of the characters was quite good, extending even to the horses. The story is so much fun, I give it a score of 4.8 stars. The score would have been higher except for a handful of spelling errors.  You can buy this book:
https://smile.amazon.com/Two-Crow-Omen-Sheridan-Montana-ebook https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/40736180-two-crow-omen You can follow the author: https://twitter.com/kylemontana23 https://kylemontana.com https://www.facebook.com/kyle.morrow.397 https://www.linkedin.com/in/kyle-morrow http://www.Amazon.com/author/kylemorrow https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/614150 Tags: action, adventure, horses, kidnapping, murder, Copyright © Mark L. Schultz 2019 except for the author’s introduction Multi-genre, multi-volume author, Matthew Fish introduces us to his dystopian sci-fi story, The Bittersweet Song of Canary: Around two-hundred years have passed since a great cataclysm struck the Earth. A young girl named Canary is part of a settlement attempting to rebuild and learn about the past. While dealing with a human life that seems to have devolved over the long passage of time, Canary desperately dreams of escaping to the stars high above to a mysterious place called Haven. However, her dreams may be her downfall.  I found this story about a post-apocalyptic, primitive civilization on earth to be very interesting. The struggle for survival was anything but guaranteed, the remnants of the previous high-tech civilization were useful. The author did a good job of setting this scene and allowing the people to scrap and scrape for their livelihood. The dialogue was enjoyable, the action was very dramatic at times. I love the First Person POV, when it is done right and Matthew is great. I give The Bittersweet Song of Canary a score of 4.8 stars. The score would have been higher except for the handful of spelling errors I found. However, your reading experience will be smoother because those errors have been corrected.  You can buy this book:
https://smile.amazon.com/Bittersweet-Song-Canary-Matthew-Fish-ebook https://www.goodreads.com/-the-bittersweet-song-of-canary https://www.amazon.co.uk/Bittersweet-Song-Canary-Matthew-Fish-ebook You can follow the author: https://twitter.com/Matthew_MFish https://www.facebook.com/people/Matthew-Fish Copyright © 2019 Mark L. Schultz except for the author’s introduction Multi-volume author, W. F. Ranew introduces us to his latest hard-boiled thriller, the first volume of the Red Farlow Mysteries series, RICH AND GONE: PI Red Farlow is on the hunt to find $300 million a Florida insurance executive has bilked out of family and friends. Woody Cunningham stashed the money in safe havens around the world before disappearing. Has he been done in by one of his enemies? Or did he skip town with his girlfriend to live off the ill-gotten wealth? If that’s the case, where is he? Farlow must quickly learn how and why people hide their money in offshore accounts if he's to find out what happened to Cunningham. When a tough guy from Farlow's past resurfaces, wanting to settle an old score, Farlow discovers he also has links to the missing man. Clues lead him across Georgia and Florida, and Europe, to find the answers. Is Woody Cunningham dead, or just rich and gone?  I am surprised by how much I enjoyed this story. I had to look up the genre to be sure I understood the style of a hard-boiled mystery. The protagonist is usually a cynic, having seen the worst of humanity in the course of a career in law enforcement or as a private investigator. The client usually doesn’t reveal the entire story, and the investigation reveals secrets that different parties wish were left in the dark. I found this story to be very entertaining and well written. It’s told in First Person POV by Red Farlow, the protagonist. The author crafts an exciting story. I laughed out loud a number of times at the dialog, there were some really good lines. The plotting was excellent and scene setting left little to be desired. I give “RICH AND GONE” a score of 4.8 stars. The score would have been higher except for few spelling errors. Those pesky spelling errors have been fixed. Your reading experience will be all the better.  You can buy this book: http://tirgearrpublishing.com/authors/Ranew_WF/rich-and-gone.htm https://www.amazon.com/rich-and-gone https://www.goodreads.com/book/-rich-and-gone You can follow the author: https://twitter.com/wfranew http://wfranew.com/ http://wfranew.wordpress.com/ http://tirpub.com/wfranew Tags: murder, thriller, financial fraud, money, PI Copyright © Mark L. Schultz 2019, except for the author’s introduction Multi-volume author, Trina Jordan, introduces us to her book of life advice: How to Live: Preteens: Trust Your Gut: Preteens learn to live before life becomes complicated. Today, there are many teenagers experiencing moments in their life at a very early age. They are experimenting with sex before their 15th birthday. They are experimenting with recreational drugs before their 13th birthday. My reason for this second book is to share with preteens the life experiences they are experiencing and will experience as they grow. I hope preteens will gain insight from each chapter and hold onto it. I hope preteens will refer back to this book as they reach the different stages in their life. My first book has very similar contents as this one. However, my first book includes adult content. I decided to share some of my life experiences as a married woman. Even though the adult content was written in a modest format, I felt it was not appropriate for preteens. I hope this book will help preteens understand their life. I wish I had someone to guide me when I was a preteen.  I like this book quite a bit. The author brings the difficult issues into the light and offers gentle encouragement, just like a favorite auntie. These issues are encountered by all kids of this age, at school, hanging out with friends and even at home sometimes. This kind of advice can save a young person so much grief, and that is the goal of Trina. She has made many of these mistakes and hopes to help preteens avoid making them also. I have made many of those mistakes also. I give “How to Live, Preteens: Trust Your Gut” a score of 4.9 stars. The score would have been higher except for a few spelling errors. These errors have been corrected; your reading experience will be smoother.  You can buy this book:
https://www.amazon.com/How-Live-Preteens-Trust-Your-ebook https://www.goodreads.com/book/-how-to-live https://www.amazon.co.uk/How-Live-Preteens-Trust-Your-ebook You can follow the author: https://twitter.com/tjmb052010 https://www.amazon.com/trinamjordan http://www.linkedin.com/in/trinajordan I have reviewed other books by Trina: https://www.wordrefiner.com/book-reviews/how-to-live-change-your-path-learn-from-my-mistakes-by-trina-jordan https://www.wordrefiner.com/book-reviews/how-to-live-to-live-is-hard-never-give-up-by-trina-jordan-mba You can join us in our previous interview https://www.wordrefiner.com/book-reviews/how-to-live-to-live-is-hard-never-give-up-by-trina-jordan-mba If you would like. Tags: parenting, pre-teens, teenagers, self-help, self-esteem, hope, faith, family, school, relationships, work Copyright © 2019 Mark Schultz except for the author’s introduction Multi-volume, multi-genre author, Leslie D. Soule introduces us to the third volume in The Fallenwood Chronicles, Betrayer: With five crystals to destroy, in order to rob the dark lord Malegaunt of his power, Ash Kensington's path is set. She begins a quest with the talking cat, Greymalkin, and her wyvern, Slick. But when she meets up with the handsome dragon slayer, Draeon, her senses overwhelm her, and she becomes distracted. Will she be able to destroy the crystals in time to challenge Malegaunt?  This is a fascinating book on two levels. There is more than one story here, if you read the preface, you will see the second story by reading between the lines of prose. I like the main character, Ashley, quite a bit. She comes across as a wounded person, like all of us are to one degree or another, trying to cope with the life she is in. Except, she has two lives, unlike most of us who live in one world rather than two. Written in First Person POV, which I love, this story has a widely varying pace, just like real life. The scene-setting is good, the dialogue is nicely done also. The characters are nicely fleshed out, their personalities come through quite well. I award 4.9 stars to “Betrayer”! The score would have been higher except for a few spelling errors I found.  You can buy this book:
https://smile.amazon.com/Betrayer-Fallenwood-Chronicles-Book-3-ebook https://www.goodreads.com/book/betrayer https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/betrayer-leslie-d-soule You can follow the author: https://twitter.com/Falcondraco http://www.lesliesoule.com https://www.instagram.com/falcondraco https://www.facebook.com/DarkSoules Tags: fantasy, sword and sorcery, quest, unicorn, magic, Copyright 2019 Mark L. Schultz except for the author’s introduction Multi-volume, multi-genre author, Rick Hall introduces us to his new book, Gnosis: A Psychic Urban Fantasy: Psychics, government conspiracies, and dangerous criminals swirl like a summer storm around 17yo parkour enthusiast Samantha Black. When a series of crushing headaches lands Sam in the hospital, she wakes to an imaginary voice in her head: Alexander, an adorable ten-year-old who claims to be a telepath. The doctors think Sam’s brain was damaged after a stroke, but they’re wrong. Alexander isn’t imaginary. He’s a sentient virus, and the government knows about him. After all, they created him.  This story is so well crafted! I love it! Samantha is so resourceful; I love the parkour action also. Alexander is quite adorable. Rick has wowed me with his writing! His plotting is magnificent, the scene-setting is excellent. I don’t think he wasted a single word. Everything moves the story forward, as the mysteries are peeled back one at a time. First person POV does it for me every time, no head-hopping here! I enjoyed how the characters developed also. Gnosis gets a score of 4.9 stars! The score would have been higher except for a handful of spelling errors. The good news is the errors are corrected so your reading pleasure will be improved.  You can buy this book:
https://www.amazon.com/Gnosis-Psychic-Fantasy-Rick-Hall-ebook https://www.goodreads.com/book/-gnosis https://www.bookbub.com/books/gnosis-a-psychic-urban-fantasy-by-rick-hall You can follow Rick: https://twitter.com/Stellerex64 http://www.rickhallauthor.com https://www.facebook.com/GnosisNovel https://www.goodreads.com/author/Rick_Hall https://www.bookbub.com/profile/rick-hall Tags: mystery, conspiracy, paranormal, teen, YA, father, action, adventure, coming of age, paranormal Rick's guest blog about non-lineaar writing: www.wordrefiner.com/guest-blogs/non-linear-writing Copyright © Mark Schultz 2019, except for the author’s introduction. You and Me Kid A Practical Guide for Meeting Your Teen with Faith, Hope, and Love By Nancy Washburn5/24/2019 Author, Nancy Washburn introduces us to her experience-based book about raising teens, “You and Me Kid”: “I remember the day I became a parent of a teenager. He was my child one day and the next he was telling me he wanted to meet a girl at the movie theater. All of a sudden he wanted a girlfriend; he was 13. A whole new territory of decisions and feelings opened up before us as a whole new set of emotions and decisions was presenting themselves to him! What to do? “You and Me Kid answers the practical side of this transition as well as a solid background of understanding of what is happening in the young person. The ‘3 Messages’ your child needs to receive from you to be emotionally healthy and to build a lasting, respectful bond between you and your child are clearly described in scenario and story. “The ‘Three Messages’ are more than a 'text message' but clear ways of talking and interacting with your child that will empower you to know how to meet the task of providing your child with what they really need, your most heartfelt desire!” IN THIS BOOK, YOU WILL FIND: Tips to save parents and teens a lot of pain! Engaging stories with simple lessons for parenting your teen Advice from an experienced Parent Educator and Child Development Professor Ways to learn to foster your teen’s success in life and build a lasting parent-child bond Ideas on how to help your teen grow up emotionally healthy Simple messages that every teen needs to hear New practical help for living your desire of being an effective parent for your teen. Information that the average educated person does not know about teenagers. Messages teens need, made easy for parents Knowledge of what all teens are experiencing developmentally When teens hear these messages they always say, “I wish my parents knew this.” How to shift from conflict with your teen into responsiveness and enduring connection Feel competent as a parent of a teenager. Discover key information about adolescent development that the average parent does not know Advice on how to navigate important and difficult conversations with your teen. ABOUT THE AUTHOR: Nancy Washburn, M.A., is a Professor and Vice-Chair of Child and Family Studies at LA City College. For the past twenty years, Nancy Washburn has taught Child Development classes to thousands of young adults across the greater Los Angeles area. Her goal as a professor has been to inspire new teachers and parents to go forward, and use their knowledge to help children and families to be the best together, and for society. Prior to teaching college Ms. Washburn was a Parent Educator for 16 years with families of children from birth through adolescence. Ms. Washburn has taught a variety of workshops on Parenting, Conflict Resolution, and Guidance. One of her favorite jobs has been raising three children of her own into productive human beings. Throughout her career she has been spurred on by her own confusion and lack of confidence as an adolescent and the desire to help young people and their parents have a smoother ride. In writing this book she enlightens parents and gives them the knowledge and messages they need to have a positive relationship with their children and help them to be secure within themselves and in the world.  I really enjoyed this book. I was reminded of my own floundering and stumbling around as a teenager, trying to fit in and measure up. What a crazy time! This is one thing that I really love about this book. Nancy really respects and understands the turbulence of the time in a young person’s life. For a lot of people that time stretches well past the teen years. Nancy’s clear and honest writing is very encouraging. Every teen needs to hear that they are exactly where they need to be, they are on schedule, in the process of maturing into an adult. A lot in this book can apply to any person struggling with issues from their childhood, no matter their age. I give “You and Me Kid” a score of 4.9 stars! The score would have been higher except for a few spelling errors. The errors have been corrected, so your reading will be all the smoother.  You can buy this book:
https://rdrpublishers.com/collections/parenting/products/you-and-me-kid-a-practical-guide-for-meeting-your-teen-with-faith-hope-and-love https://www.amazon.com/You-Me-Kid-Practical-Meeting-ebook https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/you-and-me-kid-nancy-washburn You can follow the author: https://www.facebook.com/nancy.washburn.56 Tags: parenting, teenagers, teens, family, education, counseling Copyright © 2019 Mark L Schultz except for the author’s introduction Multi-volume author, Wayne Kerr, introduces us to his latest mystery involving Reggie Swann, "A Pinot Noir to Die For": Wine… Rock ‘n Roll… Murder! The morning after a huge party at his opulent Okanagan winery, legendary Rock ‘n Roll icon Milo Getz is found face down in a large tank of Zipper Ripper Red, one of his extremely popular wines. The police rule his death as accidental, but the grieving widow doesn’t agree. She believes her husband was murdered and hires Reggie Swann to investigate. Who would want to harm the successful celebrity? Reggie quickly discovers that the controversial rock star has almost as many enemies as fans. From his offensive song lyrics to the raunchy wine labels that outraged the traditional winemakers in the region, the dead singer managed to stir up contention where ever he went. Lust, hate, greed and jealousy are just some of the motives Reggie uncovers as she delves deep into the latest: Black Swann Investigation  This story and Wayne’s writing is so good! I was sorry to read the last page. I wanted more! More of Reggie and her survival instincts, more of her growing crew that surround her with love and respect. I wanted more of the plotting that Wayne is so good at. The scene-setting is easy to visualize, the action is clear and the dialogue is quite humorous at times. Reggie and the supporting cast come across as quite real. This is such an enjoyable read, I award 4.9 stars to “A Pinot Noir to Die For”, the score would have been higher except for a handful of spelling errors I found. Those errors are corrected, your reading will be all the smoother.  You can buy this book:
https://www.amazon.com/Pinot-Noir-Black-Swann-Investigation https://www.goodreads.com/-a-pinot-noir-to-die-for https://www.amazon.co.uk/Pinot-Noir-Black-Swann-Investigation You can follow Wayne: http://waynekerrnovels.allauthor.com/ https://twitter.com/waynekerrnovels www.facebook.com/wayne.kerr.792740 http://www.waynekerrnovels.com/ You can write Wayne: waynekerrnovels@gmail.com I have already reviewed the first book in this series: https://www.wordrefiner.com/book-reviews/framed-black-swann-investigations-book-1-by-wayne-kerr I have reviewed another exciting book by Wayne Kerr https://www.wordrefiner.com/book-reviews/-ric-a-dam-doo-the-snow-devils-by-wayne-a-d-kerr Tags: private investigator, woman, sleuth, mystery, procedural, police Copyright © 2019 Mark L. Schultz except for the author’s introduction. Multi-volume author, George Newman, introduces us to his fabulous book, “How to Survive in an Upside Down Economy”: Every month, 1.7 million Americans lose their jobs. Although many of those jobs are replaced with new ones, most are lower-paying, often falling below the poverty line. If you’re over 40 and finding yourself out of a job, you might very well be among the vanishing middle class and likely worrying how you’re going to keep your house and your health insurance plus make payments on your SUV. The answer, says George Newman, author of How to Survive in an Upside Down Economy, is to hire yourself — start your own business and be your own boss. Being out of a job doesn’t mean being out of work. You don’t need a lot of money to do this, according to Newman. In fact, almost none at all. Newman, an award-winning journalist turned small-business owner, details how to build a successful business on a shoestring. Unemployed at the age of 50, he decided to take a chance on himself instead of searching for another job. Using no startup capital and operating with virtually no overhead, he began by providing services that are always in demand and found ways to offer them at low cost. As he went along, Newman found that as he reduced his expenses and steadily increased his income, he discovered the critical factors needed for survival. He worked long hours, he bought only necessities and never carried a balance except for his home mortgage. His money-saving tips are included in the book. The book also addresses the low self-esteem and sense of hopelessness and depression that often accompany being unemployed. Choosing self-employment calls for a self-starter with above-average commitment, says Newman. It requires a major downsizing in lifestyle. It means learning how to exist and live on the cheap. Stay focused and you can succeed, Newman says. And if you succeed, you will never again need to place your earning potential in the hands of anyone except yourself.  This book is so much more than what the title suggests! George lays out a system for anyone who wants to be an entrepreneur. While the book was written in the midst of economic upheaval, the lessons and advice apply in any economy. Websites may come and go; the advice is rock solid! If you want to be your own boss, follow this plan, it will be hard work, there is no magic wand that George waves. Dig in and have fun. I give “How to Survive in an Upside Down Economy” a score of 5 stars! You can buy this book:
https://www.amazon.com/How-Survive-Upside-Down-Economy-ebook https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/30812016-how-to-survive-in-an-upside-down-economy https://www.amazon.co.uk/How-Survive-Upside-Down-Economy-ebook Copyright © 2019 Mark L Schultz except for the author’s introduction. |
Who am I?An avid reader, typobuster, and the Hyper-Speller. I am a husband, father, and grandfather. Archives
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