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book reviews |
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Author Michelle Path introduces Kandy Hamm: Kandy Hamm is not a normal girl. Indeed, she is a very strange and eccentric young lady with a big secret! After she wins a gazillion dollars in a raffle, she goes on a quest to put her winnings to good use. With her talent for craft and her love for shopping, she longs to fulfill her secret wish. Join her on her journey to discover what she gets up to as she transforms her dream into reality and the secret of her true identity is revealed.  Kandy Hamm is an interesting girl with an unusual dream. This is another wonderful book meant to be read to children. I really like that about Michelle’s stories, because it fosters the relationship between parent and child. There are many words that a child won’t know but the parent can explain or they can look it up together, thus extending the moment of closeness. Some of the illustrations are bunched together, instead of spread throughout the text; I can appreciate the dilemma of whether to interrupt the flow of words or not. The illustrations are quite pretty, but not always in synch with the story. A wonderful story to read to a child, Kandy Hamm gets 4.5 of 5 stars!  You can buy the book at:
https://www.amazon.com/Kandy-Hamm https://www.amazon.co.uk/Kandy-Hamm https://www.goodreads.com/kandy-hamm You can follow Michelle at: https://twitter.com/mimilovesu http://michellepath.com.au/ https://www.facebook.com/michelle.path Copyright © 2016 Mark L Schultz except for the author's introduction
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Author Michael Allan Scott introduces Grey Daze: GREY DAZE descends. A fresh murder spins out of control, twisting into new realms of paranormal mystery. Not for the faint of heart, the third in the Lance Underphal Mystery series, is an interplay of corrupt characters immersed in today's world. Paranormal twists and fast action in movie-like scenes set the story's mystery/thriller elements apart from the typical whodunit/serial-killer thriller. Guided by his dead wife, a reluctant psychic finds himself on a wild ride through a criminal underworld, slamming face first into corrupt police, gunrunning bikers, and a drug addicted killer-not to mention confrontations with the dead. Layers of plots within plots twist this new thriller into a startling climax.  I love this book! I love the writing in this book! Michael Allan Scott is an amazing author! So many books I have read are written in the third person, I have gotten used to feeling like a voyeur, peeking in through the window. Mr. Scott wrote his book mainly in third person, but for the character of Lance Underphal, he wrote in first person. That is not easy, and it raises the level of intimacy for the reader that is wonderful! There is so much I would like to point out for the future reader, but I love reading a book the way the author intended, so no spoilers from me. I will say some of the themes are very adult, some of the writing is graphic and can make you shiver at times. At the same time, Mr. Scott is very sensitive and isn’t trying to knock you out of your sensibilities. Just let me say, you will be impressed, moved and maybe even shaken. The descriptions are so authentic, you will think you are really there. The procedures are quite realistic, and the problems seem almost insurmountable. Grey Daze deserves and gets 5 of 5 STARS!  Grey Daze is available at:
https://www.amazon.com/Grey-Daze-Lance-Underphal-Mystery https://www.amazon.co.uk/Grey-Daze-Lance-Underphal-Mystery https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/25253328-grey-daze?ac=1&from_search=true You can follow Michael at: http://michaelallanscott.com/ https://twitter.com/MAllanScott https://ww.facebook.com/AuthorMichaelAllanScott http://www.pinterest.com/mas9375/ plus.google.com/+Michaelallanscott Copyright © 2016 Mark L Schultz except for the author's introduction Author Kristina O’Donnelly introduces her book: Rome is wracked with civil war, Marius and Sulla battle for supremacy, and in Anatolia, King Mithridates sees an opportunity to seize the confusion, create a Pan-Hellenic Empire, and replace Rome as the great world power. It isn't a good time for a young woman from the temple of Artemis to seek to uncover the mystery of her background, but Korinna is compelled to brave danger to learn the truth. Award-winning author Kristina O'Donnelly consistently delivers exciting historical fiction and Korinna may be her best yet. A big story that will definitely please historical fiction fans.  What an amazing story Kristina has crafted! This book (and the series, no doubt) is full of so much detail and yet we never lose sight of the bigger historical picture. Everything works so well together. I feel I have been time traveling while reading Korinna. Set in Asia Minor around 100 BC, she grows up in Ephesus, Sardis and Pergamum; now part of modern-day Turkey. All of the daily life of a young orphan woman is displayed for our enjoyment, what she ate, what she wore, her training in a temple and the occupation that she seemed suited for. We learn so much more also, her desires and fears are realized, she suffers from brutality and loss while she seeks to learn about her heritage and make her way as an independent woman. This story is such a winner, 4.9 stars of 5! The really good news is there are many more books in the series and Kristina has written other historical fiction books as well. Her research is wonderfully placed in her stories!  Korinna is available on:
https://www.amazon.com/Korinna https://www.amazon.co.uk/Korinna https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/21683612-korinna The cover is different here, the story the same. Follow Kristina: https://twitter.com/KodonnellyVita https://www.facebook.com/kristina.odonnelly https://www.facebook.com/Novelist.KristinaO.Donnelly/ http://www.ladyliterature.com/ Copyright © 2016 Mark L Schultz except for the author's introduction Author Art Johnson describes “Deadly Impressions”: FBI special Agent Chris Clarke and his partner Carlos “Chubbs” Gonzales are off to Los Angeles to investigate the kidnapping of a twenty-four year old heiress. Her grandfather, multi-billionaire Ezekiel Fick, who has the President of the United States on speed-dial, cracks the whip over the Mayor of Los Angeles, which puts L.A. Police Chief Fergus McCreary on the hot seat to find Stephanie Fick--and fast. After organizing the departmental investigation, Chief Mac goes behind closed doors to call in Arnold Blackburn, an ex-LAPD Lieutenant recently booted off the force who is now a Private Detective in L.A. County. Arney Blackburn has respect from both sides of the law which gives him access to information the LAPD isn’t privy to. But her abductors won’t follow the rule book. A week goes by and yet no ransom is demanded. Why was she kidnapped if not for money? Is her grandfather’s Swiss/German background and the fact that his uncle was a key architect under the wing of Adolph Hitler during World War II giving this crime a political slant? To what degree are some of Hollywood’s most famous involved; especially those who had relatives in Europe during the war whose art collections were confiscated by the Nazi regime? How do Victor Gastaldi, one of L.A.’s most prominent drug Czars, and Danny Ballantyne, a Chicago gangster, fit in? What do thirteen un-cataloged paintings by a French Impressionist have to do with the outcome? Deadly Impressions asks hard questions about the past and the answers will dictate who lives and who doesn’t. With Arney in tow, Chris and Chubbs make their way through the murky waters of Hollywood to find clues which don’t connect until the very end. The action travels to Cannes, France, Monaco and Tunisia with all roads leading back to L.A. as the conclusion smacks you in the face like a wet boxing glove in the dark. You won’t see this one coming, you can bet on that!  Art isn’t kidding! The end is a complete surprise. But no spoiler here. Deadly Impressions is like a roller coaster in the dark! The plot twists appear out of nowhere and it is impossible to tell who is pulling the strings. I love the characters Art has created, they live and breathe just like us and they seem so real. Did I mention how much I enjoyed this book? The descriptions of locations are wonderful and very realistic. I am a big fan of Arney’s hobby also. Whoops, I almost gave it away. I give Deadly Impressions 4.6 of 5 stars!  Deadly Impressions is available:
https://www.amazon.com/Deadly-Impressions https://www.amazon.co.uk/Deadly-Impressions https://www.goodreads.com/deadly-impressions You can follow Art: https://twitter.com/artjohnson18 Copyright © 2016 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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