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Debut author, ileso DMC introduces us to his exciting, YA novel about the afterlife, “The Request for Lambency”: The entire world, set in the near future, has changed since the discovery of these ‘requests.’ New businesses and services are created to capture this significant moment after death. All religions are forced to translate what this peaceful, yet unusual occurrence means with the consensus being that their supreme being is allowing one sentimental object to be taken into their afterlife. Social media erupts with new apps to track these request videos as the global public has an addiction to them. Powa is a teenager who partially uploads a request video that creates a social media frenzy. She successfully leaves summer school to escape her pursuers who happen to be an aggressive corporation that is grossly invested in the well-being of the human body. To make matters worse, a government agency whose assignment is to authenticate all request videos, services, and businesses is demanding to view that video in its entirety. Unable to determine friend from foe, she confides in an unacquainted classmate who convinces her to take a journey from her hometown to San Diego’s Comic-Con as they pick up his slightly unusual friends along the way. Along the way, they learn of other cruel measures companies are willing to invest in having their device be the object of ‘the request.’ They soon discovered that to be more difficult than they had anticipated. Only one corporation was the exception to this rule. They believe the final piece to the puzzle lies with Powa even though she is convinced other celestial forces are at play.  I find I really enjoy stories that include some aspect of spirituality, regardless of the genre, and this story does not disappoint me. It blends an earthly perspective of spirituality and science fiction in a pleasing manner. I am committed to no spoilers, but I will say this, some of the action gets very exciting! The dialog of teens and young adults was a lot of fun, the characters were very believable, I laughed out loud many times. Most of the scene-setting was tight, almost too tight at times. A little more description would have improved the movie in my mind. The plot was woven skillfully with plenty left to carry into the next book. I enjoyed this story so much; I award a score of 4.2 stars to “The Request for Lambency”. The score would have been a lot higher, but I stumbled over quite a few spelling errors.  You can buy this book:
https://smile.amazon.com/Request-Lambency-ileso-DMC-ebook https://www.goodreads.com/-the-request-for-lambency https://www.amazon.co.uk/Request-Lambency-ileso-DMC-ebook You can follow the author: https://www.ilesodmc.com https://twitter.com/DmcIleso https://facebook.com/IlesoDMC https://www.instagram.com/ileso_dmc Tags: conspiracy, science fiction, teens, comic con, Copyright © 2019 Mark L. Schultz except for the author’s introduction
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Debut author Paul A. Sheppard introduces us to his gritty, fantasy adventure “The Wolf We Feed”: "Set in Amleth, a rugged land divided by decades of bitter strife with a landscape and belief system heavily influenced by my time in Scandinavia. The Wolf We Feed is an action-packed fantasy adventure." Tirith's life is turned upside-down when Drake, her twin brother, abandons her after they were raised and trained in isolation. Unable to live under the perceived tyranny of their grandfather, Drake sets off into the world looking forward to an adventure. Arriving in the dystopian city of Náströnd, Drake finds a new mentor and becomes involved in a bloody coup to eliminate the city's ruling class. Amid plots and counter-plots, conflict and betrayal a determined but uncertain young woman undertakes a treacherous journey to meet her father for the first time, overcomes racial bias in a foreign land, and learns the truth about her family's sinister past. What she discovers leaves her with no choice but to find her brother and attempt to save him from the violent life he has chosen. But does he want to be saved? THE WOLF WE FEED, a coming-of-age story about two siblings that face hard truths about where their loyalties lie...  I was ready for a good fantasy story, elves, dwarves, perhaps a dragon and a prince without a kingdom. That is not what I found after reading a few pages in this book. The story starts in the middle of a skills trial that would cause any modern-day, special forces member spend some time in planning, which is what the brother and sister team did to defeat their expert teacher. This story explores so many powerful themes and brings them all to life quite credibly, faithfulness and treachery, family and enemies, acceptance and prejudice among others. I found the writing to be exemplary; the characters really come to life and are filled with plots and schemes. The scene-setting is well done in every environment, the dialogue gave me many chuckles. This story was so much fun, I hope there is going to be more. I award 4.8 stars to “The Wolf We Feed”, the score would have been higher except for the handful of spelling errors I found.  You can buy this book:
https://smile.amazon.com/Wolf-We-Feed-P-Sheppard-ebook https://www.goodreads.com/-the-wolf-we-feed You can follow the author: https://twitter.com/writingnomad999 http://www.paulsheppardwrites.com/ https://www.instagram.com/thewritingnomad999 Tags: action, adventure, war, mountains, desert, swords, bow and arrow, weapons, spies, politics, Copyright © 2019 Mark L. Schultz except for the author’s introduction Multi-volume author, Lawrence Oliver, introduces us to his debut novel, “The Last Marines”: Having been replaced by robots and drones, veterans Ben Corbin and Sam Garrett go into business for themselves towing derelict vessels and space junk out of the shipping lanes around Mars. Business was good, but a couple of malfunctioning service robots forced them to return to Earth for replacements. Aliens attacked the freighter they’d booked passage on, slaughtering and feeding on the crew and passengers. Only Corbin and Garrett managed to hold their own until they could hide in stasis pods. 200 years later Earth and her colonies, governed by the Commonwealth of Nations, are at war with a race of aliens known as the Nineteenth. Not with the Gar Rei Jhi who had attacked Corbin and Garrett so many years past. That war had been fought and humans lost. The Nineteenth is a new alien threat whose origins and motives are unknown. What information humans have on this new enemy comes from the uneasy alliance with the Gar Rei Jhi who’ve been fighting an even longer war with the Nineteenth. Though long ago, Corbin and Garrett’s history with the Gar Rei Jhi hasn’t been forgotten. They are to be ambassadors serving at the pleasure of the same aliens that attacked them. Thrust into a new age of engineered soldiers, interplanetary politics, and self-aware robots, Corbin has to quickly decide who he’s going to trust as he journeys back to the Mars colony. But his search for truth may come at the cost of his life, and the fate of the Commonwealth may rest on his decision.  I didn’t know robots could be so sassy and sarcastic. Some of them are downright funny. Scary robots? No, it’s some of the aliens that are scary. Reading this book was a great pleasure! Sci-fi is my number one favorite genre. The author is not new to writing and his skill shows in this book. He catches the angst of a guy who is 200 years out of his era so effectively. The people around him are quite ably represented also. His characters really seem to be alive. I love the plotting; the pace is perfect and very exciting. The dialogue is very funny at times, and solemn when appropriate. I award a score of 4.8 stars to “The Last Marines”! The score would have been higher except for the handful of spelling errors I found. These errors have been corrected, your reading experience will be better. I really hope the author writes more in this series, prequel and sequel. This is easy to picture as a trilogy and maybe more.  You can buy this book:
https://www.amazon.com/LAST-MARINES-Lawrence-N-Oliver-ebook https://www.goodreads.com/book/-the-last-marines https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/the-wolf-we-feed-s-a-sheppard You can follow the author: https://twitter.com/Ollie3104 https://www.lawrencenoliver.com https://www.facebook.com/LawrenceNOliver Copyright © 2019 Mark L. Schultz except for the author’s introduction Multi-genre, multi-volume author Wayne Kerr introduces us to his third book in the Reggie Swan series: Trapped on a train with a ruthless killer… The Kettle Valley Railway was established over a hundred years ago. The line connected the communities around Lake Okanagan with each other and to the West Coast. In 1964 passenger service ended and 1989 saw the final freight train travel its rails. The majestic steam engines are running once again, providing scenic tours for locals and tourists. Reggie Swann and her friends board a special late night running of the Okanagan Express. They are treated to gorgeous valley lights, good food and wonderful company, until things go horribly wrong. A whiteout storm strands the small train on one of the highest trestle bridges in North America. Then, to make matters worse, one of the passengers is murdered. When all the evidence points at Alan Swift, Reggie’s boyfriend, the PI has a few hours to prove his innocence before the police take over the case. A cunning and callous foe seems to be one step ahead of the detective at every turn. When Alan is hauled off the train in handcuffs Reggie appears to be beaten, unless the Black Swann has another trick up her sleeve… Another Black Swann Investigation  I love these books, set mostly in the beautiful Pacific Northwest; the story about Reggie Swann’s survival in prison (the first book) and growth since reentering free society, after being unjustly framed, (the second book) are quite well written. I thoroughly enjoy Wayne’s mastery of the English language; he is economical with his words and yet paints a great picture of the fluid action and wonderful scene-setting. The dialogue is a lot of fun and very realistic. Many different factors come into play, even the weather as in real life. I also appreciate the homage to one of the greatest mystery writers ever, Agatha Christie and her renowned “Murder on the Orient Express”. Just like Poirot, Swann’s wits are pitted against a deranged, uncaring foe and the defender of law and order wins out over duplicity and treachery. I award 4.9 stars to “Murder on the Okanagan Express”, the score would have been higher except for a handful of spelling errors. The spelling errors have been corrected, so your reading will be smoother.  You can buy this book:
https://smile.amazon.com/murder-on-okanagan-express https://www.goodreads.com/-murder-on-the-okanagan-express https://www.amazon.co.uk/Murder-Okanagan-Express-Black-Investigation-ebook You can follow the author: https://twitter.com/waynekerrnovels 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 the second book in the series: https://www.wordrefiner.com/book-reviews/a-pinot-noir-to-die-for-a-black-swann-investigation-book-2-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. Debut author, Robert A. Tayler, introduces us to his first volume in the “A Tide of Times” series: IS THERE A PIRATE LURKING INSIDE EACH ONE OF US? Florida and the Caribbean Sea have a rich history of Pirate lore. The Golden Era of Piracy, from 1665 to 1730, is replete with romanticized tales of high-seas romances, epic sea battles, daring sword fights, and hoards of captured treasure. These tales belong to the distant past...don't they? On December 2, 2003, Roger Petrie and his brother Tom were lost at sea, their cargo ship Belvedere seemingly disappeared without a trace. The Coast Guard rescued them from a deserted Caribbean island two years later, wondering why they were dressed so outlandishly. Once back to modern civilization, Roger resolved to forget the past and build a normal life, marrying Rebekah in 2006. They had two children, Riley and Drake, and moved to Sarasota, FL to put down permanent roots. Tom, however, reveled in their alleged past exploits. He moved to Sarasota as well, to be near Roger's family. Riley loved pirate lore, and Tom eagerly stoked her love, constantly regaling she and Drake with fanciful tales of their past deeds. Roger dismissed Tom's stories as utter fabrications. But evidence - ancient weapons, valuable coins, names of ships and captains long since vanished - begins to surface, seemingly giving credence to Tom's stories. In addition, Roger is talking in his sleep, uttering the names of people and ships that Rebekah finds actually existed. As the evidence mounts, people are beginning to wonder - did something incredible, something unbelievable, happen to the Petrie brothers after their ship went down? If so, what were they doing in the Caribbean the two years they were lost?  I dreamed of being a pirate when I was a young boy, also a cowboy, fighter pilot and an astronaut. Reading this book was a little like returning to that dream, but not nearly as romantic and far more deadly. Stories about time travel are some of my favorite and this story exemplifies that category so well! I love the tension that Roger is slowly floundering in. The question of what will people think is a biggie. The author plays that song so well. I enjoyed reading this story so much. It’s quite well written, the dialogue shines, the scene-setting is delightful and the action is vigorous without being too detailed. The balance was perfect for me. I award 4.8 stars to “Plundering the Past”, the score would have been higher except for a few spelling errors.  You can buy this book:
https://smile.amazon.com/PLUNDERING-PAST-Tide-Times-Novel Paperback only at this time, ebook is coming soon. https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/42106679-plundering-the-past https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/plundering-the-past-robert-a-tayler You can follow the author: twitter.com/robertatayler17 https://robertataylerauthor.com facebook.com/robertataylerauthor https://www.instagram.com/robertatayler mailto:robertataylerbooks@gmail.com Tags: sea adventures, historical fiction, time travel, Caribbean Copyright © 2019 Mark L. Schultz except for the author’s introduction Multi-volume author, Brian Lee Meyer introduces us to the second volume in the series of “Sons of Zeruiah: The Betrayals of King David”: The ringing of swords can be heard in Israel once again. While war has brought Abishai and Joab wealth and prestige, new threats are emerging. As the trumpets of battle call, one brother will struggle to build the home and family for which he has always yearned; the other will grapple with his very sanity. At the worst possible time, they will face betrayal from the person they least expect. Can they escape infamy and rise to glory a second time? Will they even survive long enough to do so? Sons of Zeruiah: The Betrayals of King David is the climactic sequel to Brian Lee Meyer's breakout novel. The story maintains its historical and cultural authenticity which readers enjoyed in The Mighty Men of King David. Betrayals crescendos with action, heartache, and brotherhood right up to the satisfying finish.  This is an amazing story! If you are a fan of historical fiction or biblical fiction this is exactly what you have been looking for! This sequel is every bit as good as the first story. The story really comes alive on so many levels. I love that it’s told in first person POV. It brings such intimacy to the story. Brian puts muscle, sinew and flesh on the bare-bones of the days of King David, as told in the Bible. The characterizations are magnificent, the scene-setting is terrific and the action is jaw-dropping! This story would make a great movie. I award 5 stars to “Sons of Zeruiah: The Betrayals of King David”!  You can buy this book:
https://smile.amazon.com/Sons-Zeruiah-Betrayals-King-David https://www.goodreads.com/-sons-of-zeruiah-betrayals-of-king-david You can follow the author: https://twitter.com/blmeyerstories https://www.brianleemeyerstories.com/ https://www.facebook.com/Brian-Lee-Meyer-154704661915171/ Tags: biblical fiction, historical fiction, military action, war adventure Copyright © 2019 Mark L. Schultz except for the author’s introduction Multi-volume author, Joshua Rem, introduces us to the fourth volume in his YA fantasy series, “Vath’s Legacy”: Two hundred innocent Nyobian citizens perished by the hand of the renegade warlock and domestic terrorist, Krexin Vath. Following his defeat three years ago, an entire country's worth of potential victims heaved a collective sigh of relief, believing their terrible ordeal to finally be over. They were wrong. Other warlocks and necromancers are now banding together to continue the work of Vath. Kiralyn Frostwhisper and her unlikely undead ally, Rufino Endicott, have a unique opportunity to infiltrate the death cult and expose everyone involved, but there's a catch. Evil is contagious, and nobody is immune. What awaits the duo is a severe test of character in which the only thing they have going for them is each other.  I have read a few vampire books, including Abraham Stoker’s classic. Stoker’s antagonist was very chilling, others have been interesting. Rufino is the most interesting vampire I have had the pleasure of meeting. His personality shines so brightly in this wonderful story. What’s not to love about a halfling, shape-shifting vampire. His relationship with the elf druid priestess is something else. The author has a wonderful handle on dialogue that entertains and informs. The pace of the story was quite good. The scene-setting was just right for me, not too much and the action flowed smoothly. I enjoyed the story so much! I laughed a great deal. I award 5 stars to “Vath’s Legacy”!  You can buy this book:
https://smile.amazon.com/Vaths-Legacy-Rufino-Factor-Book-four https://www.goodreads.com/-vath-s-legacy You can follow the author: https://twitter.com/joshua_rem http://www.joshuarem.com Tags: fantasy, vampire, magical realism, romance, humor, elf Copyright © 2019 Mark L. Schultz except for the author’s introduction Award-winning, multi-volume author, Rachel Jones introduces us to her romance novel, “Polish to Perfection”: A renowned concert pianist, still grieving for her parents, desires a normal life. A widowed surgeon seeks a fresh start in a new city. Ella Craig is ready to exchange a life of touring for a less nomadic existence. On her way to San Diego, she detours home. Her appearance with the San Francisco Philharmonic Orchestra ends in disaster, resulting in an injury. Now she must temporarily remain in the city where her parents died two years ago. Jackson Hart relocates to San Francisco from Atlanta for a fresh start and in eighteen months, has not met anyone that ignites a romantic spark, until he meets Ella. Jackson wants Ella to stay in San Francisco and encourages her to use her recuperation time to deal with her grief. When a family emergency arises, Jackson rushes to Atlanta. Torn between his feelings for Ella and his duty to family, he resigns his position at Bayside Medical Center and makes plans to return to the Southeast to care for his aging grandparents. How will they balance their dreams and responsibilities with their growing love for one another? With happiness seeming just out of reach for both of them, will they overcome insurmountable odds to forge a future together?  For years, all I read was sci-fi and fantasy. I missed some really good writing in other genres. This contemporary romance is a perfect example of excellent writing. The plot, pacing, characters and everything else that goes into creating a story that captivates and won’t let you put it down easily. Rachel’s skill is far above average in action, scene-setting and dialogue. I felt like I knew the characters so well while reading the book. She doesn’t waste any words! I award “Polish to Perfection” 4.9 stars, the score would have been higher except for a few spelling errors. The author has informed me that the errors have been corrected, your reading will be all the smoother.  You can buy this book:
https://smile.amazon.com/Polish-Perfection-Rachel-W-Jones-ebook https://www.goodreads.com/-polish-to-perfection https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/polish-to-perfection-rachel-w-jones You can follow the author: http://rachelwjones.com https://twitter.com/rjonesauthor https://www.facebook.com/RachelJonesAuthor https://www.goodreads.com/author/Rachel_Jones https://www.instagram.com/wardripjones Tags: #SanFrancisco #Atlanta #orchestra #music #piano #surgeon #doctor #medicine Copyright © 2019 Mark L. Schultz except for the author’s introduction Debut author, Lali A. Love, introduces us to her metaphysical and mystical novel, “Heart of a Warrior Angel”: Lali A. Love provides a supernatural thriller of metaphysical and visionary fantasy with her own revolutionary philosophy and unique narrative skills to produce this emotionally invoking, heart-wrenching and gripping tale of a family's rise from poverty, oppression and abuse. Lilac Noble must face the traumatic experiences of her childhood before she can conquer the dark entities that have wreaked havoc on her family. On this epic journey, Lilac undergoes the destructive process of spiritual enlightenment in order to lift the veil of darkness and shame that has obscured her youth. As Lilac unlocks painful memories of abuse, suppressed in her subconscious from years of fear-based conditioning, she uncovers menacing secrets feeding the evil within her generational bloodline. In an attempt to vanquish the sinister energies, Lilac finds the courage to discover her inner truth, vulnerability, and authenticity, as she awakens her divine light and overcomes her debilitating fears of the past. Lilac's unconditional love for her family guides her through her process of healing and transformation, fuelling her instinct for survival and her burning desire to illuminate the world. Spanning two continents and three generations, this inspirational novel portrays the best and worst of humanity and shows how the "tiniest spark of light can overcome the darkness of any magnitude," through forgiveness, compassion, and the most powerful force in the universe – Love.  This is quite the powerful story. I enjoyed it quite a bit. However, some of the descriptions of abuse may be difficult for some, they aren’t unnecessarily glorified, but they might be hard to read for those triggered by fairly graphic domestic violence. These descriptions are counterbalanced by extensive descriptions of the spiritual journey the protagonist took. Each step, highly detailed. For me, this exposition was excessive and greatly slowed the story down; others can easily disagree with me because they relish all the details. The descriptions of dialogue were very enjoyable at times, the scene setting was quite good. I award a score of 4 stars to “Heart of a Warrior Angel”, the score would have been higher except for the handful of spelling errors I found.  You can buy this book:
https://smile.amazon.com/Heart-Warrior-Angel-Darkness-Lighthttps://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/heart-of-a-warrior-angel-lali-a-lovehttps://www.goodreads.com/-heart-of-a-warrior-angel You can follow the author: https://twitter.com/laliaristo http://www.authorlalialove.com https://www.instagram.com/vibrationslovelight Tags: metaphysical, paranormal, suspense, fiction, mystical Copyright © 2019 Mark L. Schultz except for the author’s introduction Debut author, Regie Khemvisay, introduces us to her dystopian YA novel, “Death’s Kiss”: For fans of the Hunger Games, 1984, and the Lottery... Life is valuable. Death is a necessity. In Yliria, this is not a contradiction. New Year’s Eve 2054. A virus, later named the BlackJack, struck and killed 3/4 of the world’s population. Only those who were 21 and younger were not infected. Treaties broke off. Countries severed connection to the outside world. And the country of Yliria built its own invisible walls. Thirty-eight years later…Yliria is now at peace. But nothing is gained without sacrifices. Yuri’s life was perfect. Family. School. Career. Then there’s Ryoma. Her one true love. Nothing could go wrong when she has everything planned out. But on the night of their anniversary, it did not end with a kiss. Ripped from their normal lives, both Yuri and Ryoma woke up from a dream to face the real nightmares. As a punishment for their parents’ treason, they must serve the government—the System—as the new Aces of the Court Department, assigned to oversee and maintain the peace and balance within Yliria. One week. 13 lives. Armed, not with a weapon, but the same virus that destroyed the world. The Aces must escape their new fate. If not, the only path left in their future is the one covered in blood.  I was caught unawares by this book. I thought it was just another dystopian romance for the Young Adults (YA) category. It is that and so much more. The many and varied plot twists revealed to me that I was going to be kept on my toes for the entire ride. I really enjoyed this ride! The author has some great characters in this story and the changes can be quite startling. I promise no spoilers, but it is harder than normal not to talk about many of the exciting moments. The scene-setting is not overdone, by any stretch of the imagination, it’s quite adequate; the dialogue is very good and action fills the bill nicely. All in all, this is a fun and exciting story with a number of tense moments. I award a score of 4.5 stars to this wonderful tale of young lovers trapped in a world they didn’t make. The score would have been a lot higher, except I found quite a few spelling errors and misplaced words. The author has corrected those errors.  You can buy this book:
https://smile.amazon.com/Deaths-Kiss-Regie-Khemvisay-ebook https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/42757941-death-s-kiss https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/deaths-kiss-regie-khemvisay You can follow the author: https://twitter.com/RAKhemvisay https://www.regiekhemvisay.com https://www.instagram.com/rkhemvisay Tags: post-apocalyptic, fiction, science fiction, romance, 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
September 2019
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