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book reviews |
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Author SD Reeves introduces us to the first book in the Evercharm trilogy, Curses of Scale: Sixteen-year-old Niena wants nothing more than to attend an elite bardic college, but when the dragon that shattered the empire awakens again she finds herself on the run, through the fey realm of Fairhome, to the city where she was born. On her trail are her army veteran grandfather, thrown into a commander’s role he doesn’t want, the lord of the fairies, trying to steer her to his own ends, and the husband she won’t meet for fifteen years. If she kills the dragon, she’ll save everyone she holds dear. But if she kills the dragon, she’s cursed instead to become it.  This beautiful cover was done by Kiri o. Leonard @kirileonard I really enjoyed this story! Mr. Reeves created a world that is so easy to believe in, it almost feels like home. He has amazing powers of description. I was drawn very deeply into the world of fairies and dragons. Each major character is full and complete, with dreams, desires, and fears of different kinds. The minor characters bring much into the story and come across just as real. Between the 4 major characters and the picture-perfect portrayals of scene and settings, I experienced a little confusion in a few places in the story. Nonetheless, this is some magnificent reading for fans of fantasy and fairies. Curses of Scale gets a score of 4.3 stars!  You can buy this book:
https://www.amazon.co.uk/Curses-Scale-S-D-Reeves-ebook https://www.amazon.com/Curses-of-Scale-S-D-Reeves-ebook https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/37503266-curses-of-scale You can follow the author: https://twitter.com/SD_Reeves http://www.sdreeves.com/ https://www.facebook.com/SDReeves.Author/ I have reviewed the second book in the series here: The Melody of Three: (Evercharm Trilogy, Book 1) by S. D. Reeves I have reviewed the third book in the series here: www.wordrefiner.com/book-reviews/a-song-in-the-dark tags: fantasy, fairy, fairies, magic, dragon, shapeshifting, swords & sorcery Copyright © 2018 Mark L Schultz except for the author's introduction
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Multi-volume author, James McCrone introduces us to Dark Network: Dark Network finds Imogen Trager, the determined heroine of the “highly suspenseful” Faithless Elector, searching for the truth, and the nation without a president-elect as a contingent election looms. She’ll have to fight against time, a sinister network—even her own colleagues—to defeat the conspiracy to seize the presidency. Left on the edges of the investigation, she joins forces with Trey Kelly, an FBI network specialist, also a Bureau outsider. Together, they struggle to find the back door the conspirators may have left unlocked. They’ll have to hurry. There’s only a month until the inauguration of a new president. Although not based directly on events now gripping the world, Dark Network certainly resonates with them, offering a sharp critique of a US political system that didn’t anticipate the ruthlessness of a modern criminal-business complex. With fraught, evocative prose, James McCrone shows how easily power can be stolen from the people by a hidden network with a criminal agenda. The FBI is leaking, the Attorney General is being undermined, politicians are spinning, social media is in an uproar and a murderous dark network is gunning for anyone standing in its way.  Intense and detailed! I love this story! Wounded as she is, Imogen is an amazing character, she is so real! The entire book rings with an organic authenticity. Every character at any level is very believable. Author James McCrone shows a very deft hand at scene setting, action and detailed dialogue. He shows a deep understanding of many topics and technical aspects of his story. I felt like I was an insider during the entire investigation. The suspense kept me on the edge of my seat, it was hard to put the book down! Another book is on its way, “Consent of the Governed”, and I can hardly wait! For intricate plotting and excellent writing Dark Network gets 4.8 of 5 stars!  You can buy this book:
https://www.amazon.com/Dark-Network-Imogen-Trager-novel-ebook https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/36098111-dark-network http://www.powells.com/book/dark-network You can follow the author: https://twitter.com/jamesmccrone4 https://www.facebook.com/FaithlessElector/ http://jamesmccrone.com/ I have reviewed the next book: https://www.wordrefiner.com/book-reviews/emergency-powers-by-james-mccrone Tags: thriller, politics, political thriller, mystery, suspense, action, FBI, espionage, procedural, election Copyright © 2018 Mark L Schultz except for the author's introduction Multi-volume and multi-genre author, J. L. Higgs, introduces us to Escape from Darkness: The United Earth Charity has a challenge on its hands. Is Corey, one of their workers, having recurring nightmares of a past she doesn't remember? Ginny recognises the dangerous possibility and sets to work protecting her friend and bringing about some revenge on the Spider Web in the process. What she discovers sheds some light on her dark past and strengthens her resolve to fight for others caught up in the Web's dark chains. Can Ginny break free from the darkness that holds her captive within? Together, they find there is more than one form of Darkness they must escape. Betrayal is a darkness of the soul.  Woohoo! If I was allowed only one word, that is the one. This is some great writing. I love this story and the way it is written. Higgs makes excellent use of First Person POV. You are the person, and that kind of intimacy is not easily created. Her scenes and settings leave little to be desired. With a full slate of characters good and bad, this story will keep you on the edge of your seat. Action, dialogue and everything move the story forward relentlessly. The plot gets thicker, more twisted, and at the end there is some serious shock waiting for you! I enjoyed this book so much, I agonized with the characters, mourned the defeats and celebrated the victories! Escape from Darkness gets 5/5 stars! I am pleased to share that a third volume is in the works, with a working title of “Eyes in the Dark”.  You can buy this book:
https://www.amazon.com/Escape-Darkness-United-Earth-Charity-ebook https://www.amazon.co.uk/Escape-Darkness-United-Earth-Charity-ebook https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/36552589-escape-from-darkness You can follow the author: https://twitter.com/JLHiggs1 https://www.jlhiggs.org/ https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/15623071.J_L_Higgs https://www.facebook.com/FairytaleStepmothers mystery, thriller, suspense, ptsd, espionage, action, adventure, charity, dark web, drugs Here is the link to the first book in the series: www.wordrefiner.com/book-reviews/dark-charity-united-earth-charity-book-1-by-jl-higgs Copyright © 2018 Mark L Schultz except for the author's introduction Multi-volume author, Diamond Wilson, introduces us to Dangers in the Desert: Maylee and Rafi trek through the Sinai desert on camelback, headed for Cairo—but they aren’t the only ones looking for the Queen. Danger is waiting for them amongst the pyramids, and a secret society that teeters on the edge of good and evil might just take them down. Or, it might be their only hope. In the meantime, Smith is still in Montana—but with the click of a mouse, the world is a very small place. The shield between Smith and his data trackers is only as thick as his Internet security, and with the college students on vacation, his TOR blanket is pretty thin. On top of it all, Johann Barker left a trail of clues behind him when he died—clues that point to a secret far more personal than the missing Queen. Amjad and Jerome must find all the clues, decipher the code, and face a familial shock that tests their integrity. One thing’s for sure, they’re going to have to work together to find the Queen, but in this game of intrigue, it’s hard to know whom they can trust.  I enjoyed this book more than the first! Diamond shows some writing growth, she had more plot threads to weave together and introduced more suspense! I particularly like that she provided clear breaks for scene and plot changes, and I really love her chapter titles, they added a nice touch of humor. Her scene descriptions are crisp and very believable. I love the dialogues and the action is plentiful. She keeps the story moving at a good pace, something else I appreciate as a reader. Even though this book is ostensibly aimed at the YA market, I had several hours of reading pleasure as a senior adult. I enjoyed this story and the first volume The Caves of Qumran so much, I hope there will be a third volume. With enough encouragement from us, the readers, it could happen. Dangers in the Desert gets a score of 4.8/5 stars.  You can buy this book:
https://www.amazon.com/Dangers-Desert-Quest-Queen-2 https://www.amazon.co.uk/Dangers-Desert-Quest-Queen-Book-ebook https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/36672754-dangers-in-the-desert You can follow the author: https://twitter.com/DiamondEWilson https://www.diamondwilson.com/ https://www.facebook.com/diamondwilsonbooks/ https://www.instagram.com/diamondwilsonbooks/?hl=en https://www.linkedin.com/in/diamond-wilson-96515164/ Bonus: Diamond gave a TEDx talk in April of 2016, I think it is worth sharing: https://www.youtube.com/watch? Diamond Wilson Israel, Dead Sea, Egypt, Pyramids, desert, peacock, Jerusalem, YA, MG, scrolls, conspiracy, mystery, action, suspense, history, intrigue, romance Copyright © 2018 Mark L Schultz except for the author's introduction Multi-volume author, Diamond Wilson, introduces us to The Caves of Qumran: An ancient Essene relic is missing... Maylee Tayten doesn’t live in Israel. She didn’t know the Dead Sea or a place called Qumran even existed. Now, she’s risking her life and the lives of her loved ones to find a missing artifact and track down a murderer. Along with her brother, Smith, and the attractive Israeli teen Rafi, Maylee unravels a 2,000-year-old mystery and discovers a team of international thieves who want to keep it all a secret. Pressed for time and without many resources, their quest for the Queen leads them through the streets of Jerusalem to the waters of the Dead Sea. But to succeed, they will have to do more than solve the mystery. The trio must get the treasure back, pull off a nearly impossible disguise, and avoid getting killed along the way…  This book is a lot of fun to read! A couple of American kids visiting their uncle in Israel makes for a great start to this story. Using Jerusalem, Israel, and the Dead Sea as backdrops taps into a very rich well of material that will never run out. The scene-setting is done quite well, the action and dialogue provide a wonderful balance that keeps the story moving in an exciting way. Add in the mystery associated with documents that are thousands of years old, stir in a mix of characters who think they are in control and many discover otherwise in some unpleasant ways. Now you have a thrilling and modern historical fiction that will keep you on the edge of your seat! Such a fun read! The Caves of Qumran gets 4.6 of 5 stars!  You can buy this book:
https://www.amazon.com/Caves-of-Qumran https://www.amazon.co.uk/Caves-Qumran-ebook https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/37668215-the-caves-of-qumran You can follow the author: https://twitter.com/DiamondEWilson https://www.diamondwilson.com/ https://www.facebook.com/diamondwilsonbooks/ https://www.instagram.com/diamondwilsonbooks/?hl=en https://www.linkedin.com/in/diamond-wilson-96515164/ Israel, Dead Sea, Jerusalem, YA, MG, teens, scrolls, conspiracy, mystery, action, suspense, history, intrigue, romance Copyright © 2018 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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