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book reviews |
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Multi-volume, multi-genre author, Maura Beth Brennan introduces us to her latest domestic thriller, “The Edge of Fear”: When you have everything you always wanted, you have everything to lose. After years of struggling to overcome her tragic childhood, Hattie has the life of her dreams--her adored husband, Eli, her precious little daughter, Lilly, a beautiful home, and more money than she ever dreamed possible. But lately, a feeling nags at her, a sense of something not quite right. Is this just her imagination? Hattie's family and her best friend, Celine, keep telling her that it is. Meanwhile Hattie's ex-husband, Frank, has learned of Hattie's good fortune and it's eating away at him. He comes up with a plan to get some of Hattie's windfall for himself--a plan that will shatter Hattie's life and bring about her worst nightmare. That's when Hattie notices odd things happening. Small things at first--but the incidents escalate, until finally the unthinkable happens. Hattie does everything the police advise her to do. But as time passes and her life crumbles around her, it seems everyone fails her--law enforcement, a private detective, even her husband. Why has Eli suddenly gone off and left her to struggle with this alone? Desperate but determined, Hattie decides to take matters into her own hands. Aided by her best friend, Celine, she sets out on a mission. Will she be able to take back what is hers? Or will she lose it all?  I thoroughly enjoyed this story of a mother fighting to regain her daughter and life. The story is told in the first person and I love that for the intimacy it provides. The action builds up slowly as the ex-husband gets his plan rolling. The current husband is working his angle as well. I enjoyed the dialogue and the plotting quite a bit. The ending is so exciting! No spoilers from me! I was on the edge of my Kindle through much of the book. Get it! Read it! You will be glad you did! I award 5 stars to “Edge of Fear”!  You can buy this book:
https://www.amazon.com/Edge-Fear-Maura-Beth-Brennan https://www.goodreads.com/-the-edge-of-fear You can follow the author: https://twitter.com/maurabeth2014 Copyright © 2021 Mark L. Schultz except for the author’s introduction Tags: mystery, thriller, police, family, child, kidnapping, gang, ransom, bestie, girlfriend, rescue
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Multi-volume fantasy author, Jan Anderegg introduces us to her second volume in the series about children, dragon, and fairy tales: Jack thought he was an ordinary boy, until he found a dragon egg, and befriended the beautiful dragon, Julu, who introduced him to his true home, the magical world of Jirvania, birthplace of all imagination. As future Guardian of The Great Library, Jack must change the story to save Jirvania from the evil creatures intent on destroying imagination, but how? With his friends, he sets out to find the answer but each action he takes causes a ripple effect and time is running out. Soon the black hole of emptiness will swallow both our worlds. No pressure Jack, but you’re our only hope! Jirvania, Book 2 in the Julu series, is perfect for readers of all ages who love to pick up a book and escape to a different world.  An amazing story by an amazing writer. I love this series and this sequel is even better than the first book, Julu. I am quite taken by the author's skillful blending of historical events from different time periods including the very recent past into the story. The texture of the story is so rich, it draws on many different fables, fairy tales and various types of literature. One of the unusual things that endear this book to me is the strong fantasy themes with a large dose of time traveling thrown in. Stories with time traveling usually are found only in science fiction, with a few notable exceptions such as the Dragon Riders of Pern. I give this wonderful story a score of 4.9 stars!  You can buy this book:
https://smile.amazon.com/Jirvania-Book-Julu-Jan-Anderegg-ebook https://www.goodreads.com/jirvania https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/jirvania-jan-anderegg You can follow the author x.com/JanAnderegg https://www.julu.blog https://www.facebook.com/Janilou2018 https://www.facebook.com/JanLucy2017 Tags: sword and sorcery, magic, time travel, dragon, music, poetry, art, fairytales, fables I have reviewed the first book and interviewed the author here: https://www.wordrefiner.com/book-reviews/julu-by-jan-anderegg Copyright © 2021 Mark L. Schultz except for the author’s introduction Multi-genre, multi-volume author Stanley Straub introduces us to his first YA book: Bobby McDane and the Missing Unicorn: Fifteen-year-old, Bobby McDane goes on a mission to locate the last remaining unicorn. He learns to fly after reading comic books, against his dad's wishes. His dad says he will never amount to anything because all he does is read comic books. Bobby has a very smart dog friend who talks and helps him learn to fly. Bobby's mom cleans doctors' homes and Bobby accompanies her one day on one of her jobs at Doctor Vile's house. While there, he finds some notes in doctor Vile's diary saying that he had captured a unicorn named Flora and he was holding her on an island near Madagascar. After reading the notes, Bobby feels that the doctor is evil and needs to be stopped. He becomes determined to find Flora and set her free. It's up to Bobby to find Flora, set her free, and in turn save the world from the evil doctor.  Bobby has many adventures and some are quite perilous. This story is a lot of fun and will be enjoyed by many. There is plenty of action and funny dialogue! Bobby and his friends travel to unusual and interesting locations. Will Bobby find the missing unicorn? Will he save the world from the evil Dr. Vile? Since I don’t give spoilers, there is only one way to find out. I award 4.5 stars to “Bobby McDane and the Missing Unicorn”.  You can buy this book:
https://smile.amazon.com/McDane-Missing-Unicorn-Stanley-Straub-ebook https://www.goodreads.com/-bobby-mcdane-and-the-missing-unicorn https://www.amazon.co.uk/McDane-Missing-Unicorn-Stanley-Straub-ebook You can follow the author: https://twitter.com/Renownedwriter https://stanleystraubauthor.com https://writerstar.wordpress.com https://www.facebook.com/stanley.straub.92 https://www.facebook.com/Stan-Straub-Author https://www.goodreads.com/review/list/76655467 tags: fantasy, talking animals Copyright © 2021 Mark L. Schultz |
Who am I?An avid reader, typobuster, and the Hyper-Speller. I am a husband, father, and grandfather. Archives
May 2025
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