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Multi-volume author, M. Ainihi, introduces us to the fantasy story Rise: When Amanda Garrett stumbles across a strange artifact in the woods, she has no idea of the dangerous secret it holds. The teen soon discovers that she has unwittingly released Erol, an imprisoned jinni, and whether she likes it or not, they are bound together until death. Amanda's life soon begins to spiral out of control and she finds herself orphaned, kidnapped, and thrust into a terrifying reality. Her captor is convinced that Erol knows the whereabouts of a powerful relic which has been hidden from him and he wants the pair to retrieve it. Still reeling from her loss, and hoping to be spared further pain, Amanda agrees. As the pair set off on their journey and Amanda learns more about the existence of the realms and the magical beings which reside within them, the clearer it becomes that nothing is quite as it seems. After Amanda discovers the power of the relic that her captor seeks, the only thing she knows for certain is that her true suffering has only just begun, because no matter how great the sacrifice, she can never allow the relic to fall into her captor's hands. Rise is a fast-paced introductory novel to an alternate world where mundane humans are oblivious to the existence of the realms that separate them from other magical races. When she feels the darkness closing in around her, Amanda is not sure if she can hold onto a single speck of light, and soon she comes to understand that some secrets are better left buried.  This is an exciting story, I really enjoyed reading it! I knew very little about jinni or genies before reading this book. Of course, I have seen Disney’s Aladdin and I recall hearing about 1001 Arabian nights, but that is about the extent of my knowledge. The plot kept me on my toes, it was hard to put down. The dialogue was quite good, most of the time. I liked the scene-setting. The action was above average. I give Rise a score of 4.5.  The author has chosen this as her avatar You can buy this book:
https://www.amazon.com/Rise-Blood-Inheritance-M-Ainihi https://www.goodreads.com/book/-rise https://www.amazon.co.uk/Rise-Blood-Inheritance-M-Ainihi You can follow the author: https://twitter.com/m_ainihi https://mainihi.wordpress.com I have reviewed other books by the author and interviewed her: www.wordrefiner.com/book-reviews/lost-a-blood-inheritance-novel-by-m-ainihi www.wordrefiner.com/book-reviews/endow-a-blood-inheritance-novel-the-blood-inheritance-quartet-book-3-by-m-ainihi www.wordrefiner.com/book-reviews/resist www.wordrefiner.com/book-reviews/the-warning-signs-by-m-ainihi Tags: Teen, Young Adult, Sword and Sorcery, Fantasy, dark, Horror Copyright © Mark Schultz 2019 except for the author’s introduction
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Multi-genre, multi-volume author and poet, Anna Casamento Arrigo introduces us to her memoir, Weeds Beneath the Open Meadows: “The only mode my thoughts run in, though, is rewind. Never fast-forward and certainly never stopped. Thus the truth is my thoughts and, the facts are my experience, subjective, and still mine.” Following the plight of a young Italian girl, Weeds Beneath the Open Meadows, is more than just a memoir; this book explores the relationship between the individual and truth, the effect of the past upon the present, and conflicting representations about love. When Anna and her family leave their homeland due to her father’s nebulous business in the United States, she leaves behind crowns weaved from flowers, handmade dresses, and the ubiquitous poverty of the Italian countryside. Once across the Atlantic, Anna realizes that life in America is about possessions; possessing things as well as memories. Blurring the line between an older past in the meadows and villages of Sicily, and a newer past in the concrete streets of New Jersey, Weeds Beneath the Open Meadows explores how a young girl learns the ways of America without letting go of Italy. Blending the imagery of poetry with masterful prose, Weeds Beneath the Open Meadows explores the difficulties of assimilation, the loss of loved ones, and the discovery of the self.  This is a pleasant, mesmerizing memoir. Anna’s poetic vein runs deep through her story. Then something violent or unspeakable happens to her or a loved one and you are shocked awake. Actually, you could miss some of those incidents if you are not reading carefully enough, Anna doesn’t glorify them in the least. Growing up bi-lingual because of the public-school education, she is forced to interpret for her mother at the most difficult times of life a person can expect to experience. I thoroughly enjoyed this book. It’s colorful and provides many glimpses of life in a small Italian town, through the eyes of a young girl, as well as learning to cope in America. I award this book 5 stars!  You can buy this book:
https://smile.amazon.com/Weeds-Beneath-Meadows-Casamento-Arrigo-ebook https://www.goodreads.com/book/-weeds-beneath-the-open-meadows https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/weeds-beneath-the-open-meadows-anna-casamento-arrigo You can follow the author: twitter.com/CasamentoArrigo https://www.annacasamentoarrigo.com https://www.facebook.com/anna.casamentoarrigo Tags: memoir, two-hour read, Italy, immigrant, immigration Copyright © 2019 Mark Schultz except for author’s introduction to the book Multi-volume, multi-genre author, Rhani D’Chae, introduces us to her short story I’ve Always Loved Women: "Danny's life is changed when he begins a relationship with Kat, a woman trapped in an unhealthy marriage. When she decides to give her marriage another try, Danny realizes that his mission in life is to save women like her from the men who abuse them."  Cover on Amazon  Cover on Goodreads This is a quick read when you have a short amount of time. It’s romantic, all about a guy who loves women. It’s horror, all the women he loves are abused in their current or previous relationships. Their pain and suffering causes him much sorrow and grief. His solution to protect them from the abuser is unorthodox and unacceptable in normal society. I love Rhani’s writing, she has mastered wordsmithing and scene building. Her stories really draw me in and this is no exception. I am not a fan of horror, some will take me to task for classifying it as such. Anytime human life is extinguished it is a horrific act in my mind. Yet, I loved this story, a testament to the author’s skill. I give “I’ve Always Loved Women” a score of 5 stars, so well written!  You can buy the book:
https://smile.amazon.com/Always-Loved-Women-Rhani-DChae-ebook https://www.amazon.co.uk/Always-Loved-Women-Rhani-DChae-ebook https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/40698180-i-ve-always-loved-women You can follow Rhani D’Chae: https://twitter.com/rhanidchae https://rhanidchae.wordpress.com/ Tags: romance, horror, 30-minute stories, short stories Other reviews of books by this author: https://www.wordrefiner.com/book-reviews/shadow-of-the-drill-by-rhani-dchae https://www.wordrefiner.com/book-reviews/one-dyke-cozy-by-rhani-dchae Copyright © 2019 by Mark Schultz, except for the author’s introduction Multi-volume author, Linda Lingle, introduces us to the second volume in her series, Sweet Heart: Heartbroken and resentful, Lee has a difficult time adjusting to his life without Deirdre and struggles to settle into his new surroundings. Knowing he made the only decision a father could make does little to lessen Lee’s profound sense of loss. Although he tries to be upbeat and optimistic for the sake of his daughters, in the dark and quiet of his lonely nights, Lee relives the fifteen heady months that he spent with Deirdre and gives free rein to the anguish and bitterness he feels because he was forced to leave her. Then, his youngest daughter enlists Lee to help her find an elusive Christmas gift for her favorite teacher and everything changes. As if guided by fate, Lee stumbles across a poignant reminder of his time with Deirdre and sets in motion the 38-year ritual that eased his heartbreak and sustained his hope for the future. In this companion book to Dear Heart, Lee describes the bittersweet lifetime he lives without Deirdre, introduces us to the people who populate his world, and reveals the shocking secret he promised never to reveal.  I enjoyed this story so much! When reading a sequel, I am always concerned that the book will not be as good as the first. In this case, it’s not a follow-up story, it is a parallel or companion story and it’s just as good as the first book! The writing in “Sweet Heart” is the equal of Linda’s first book, “Dear Heart”; dialogue, scene-setting and action are just as charming! This first-person POV is just as entertaining as the first and is told from the man’s perspective. While not providing any spoilers, I was particularly entranced by the ending of the story, it was so appropriate! I am giving “Sweet Heart” a score of 5.0 stars!  You can buy this book:
https://smile.amazon.com/Sweet-Heart-Linda-Lingle-ebook https://www.goodreads.com/book/-sweet-heart https://www.amazon.co.uk/Sweet-Heart-Linda-Lingle-ebook You can follow the author: https://twitter.com/lindalinglebks https://www.lindalinglebooks.com https://www.facebook.com/LindaLingleBooks https://www.amazon.com/Linda-Lingle Here is the link to the review of the first volume and interview: www.wordrefiner.com/book-reviews/dear-heart-by-linda-lingle Tags: romance, contemporary, historical Copyright © 2019 by Mark Schultz except for the author’s introduction Mr. Correa makes his Amazon debut with this book. I will let him introduce it to us, Rapier: Kathy Masters never expected to journey to the stars until she was selected by the prestigious Galactic Geographic Society to photograph and get videos of the flora and fauna of a newly discovered class M planet before colonization begins. Filled with hope and enthusiasm she boards the S.S. America for the trip to Beta 3 Epsilon to begin her new project. On the way she is abducted and brought aboard the privateer Rapier beginning her nine-year sojourn among the colonies of mankind. Going from captive to slave to induction into the infamous Brotherhood Kathy finds herself being called on to raise the adopted daughter of the crew of the Rapier. Given the responsibility to raise their princess, Cindy, with the help of Lien Lan Yi, daughter of the house of Yi and princess of the imperial court, they travel among the stars preying on merchant ships, dodging Chinese warships, fighting pirates, visiting strange worlds and encountering fantastic creatures all under the watchful eyes of Commodore James Ulysses Black. Trying to raise a young girl among gunfights, sword fights, ship to ship battles, slave trades, deals and some of the most feared raiders in human space is no small challenge. The only question is is Kathy up to the task?  I loved this story! Science fiction is my lifelong favorite genre. I have read thousands of books in this field. This story was such a fresh take on the themes of space pirates and family obligations, it was a breath of fresh air. Doc’s world building is impressive, but not overdone. I love the mashup of old-fashioned pirates and living among the stars. The action and dialogue drew me into the story so deeply, I didn’t want to put the book down. Scene setting left nothing to be desired. The life-altering events that changed Kathy, Cindy and the entire crew are well played out. This story was so much fun to read, I give it a score of 4.8 stars!  You can buy this book:
https://smile.amazon.com/Rapier-R-Doc-Correa-ebook https://www.goodreads.com/-rapier https://www.amazon.co.uk/Rapier-R-Doc-Correa-ebook You can follow Doc: twitter.com/RADocCorrea https://www.facebook.com/radoccorrea/ https://www.amazon.com/-ra-doc-correa Tags: space opera, sci-fi, family, adventure, action Copyright © 2019 by Mark Schultz except for the author’s introduction of the book |
Who am I?An avid reader, typobuster, and the Hyper-Speller. I am a husband, father, and grandfather. Archives
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