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Multi-volume author, M. K. Graff, introduces us to the second volume of her cozy murder series, Trudy Genova Manhattan Mysteries, Book 2, Death at the Dakota: Nurse Trudy Genova is making plans to take her relationship with NYPD detective Ned O'Malley to the next level when she lands a gig as medical consultant on a film shoot at the famed Dakota apartment building in Manhattan, which John Lennon once called home. Then star Monica Kiley goes missing, a cast member turns up dead, and it appears Trudy might be next. Meanwhile Ned tackles a mysterious murder case in which the victim is burned beyond recognition. When his investigations lead him back to the Dakota, Trudy finds herself wondering: how can she fall in love if she can't even survive?  Cozy murder mysteries are climbing up my list of favorite genres, definitely in the top ten, maybe one of the top five. This book is one of the reasons for that change. “Death at the Dakota” is such a fun book to read, using first person point of view for the protagonist, Trudy Genova, nurse and third person POV for her detective boyfriend, the story is revealed clue by clue. The author has a nice touch with word choice, her descriptions are just right, not too long and not too short. Scene setting is very good also, she has a good eye for architectural details and the makeup of a room. Action is delightful also, benefiting from an economy of words, the story moves along at a good pace. All of that contributes so much to excellent reading. But the thing that really makes this story shine for me is the dialogue. I laughed and giggled so much, the conversations were appropriate and contributed a great deal to my overall enjoyment of the story. I award a score of 4.8 stars to “Death at the Dakota”! The score would have been higher except for the handful of spelling errors I found. Here is a nice touch. If you buy the book from Bridle Path Press you can request an autographed copy of the book. The link is below. The author has told me the spelling errors are corrected.  You can buy this book:
http://www.bridlepathpress.com/Store/Books/Death-at-the-Dakota https://smile.amazon.com/Death-Dakota-Manhattan-Mystery-Mysteries-ebook https://www.goodreads.com/-death-at-the-dakota You can follow the author: https://twitter.com/GraffMarni http://www.auntiemwrites.com http://facebook.com/bluevirginmysteries Tags: amateur sleuth, police procedural, women sleuths, cat, action, mystery, murder Copyright © 2020 Mark L. Schultz except for the author’s introduction
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Multi-genre, multi-volume author, Garry J. Peterson introduces us to the first two books in the Stargate Earth series, Shattered Truth and Alien Disruption: The existence of alien life on planet Earth has been discussed and argued for centuries. The ancient alien theory phenomenon is now well established as one of the fiercest debates, and the complex issues of “are there or aren’t there…were there or weren’t there” cannot be answered in a simple yes or no. In book one, SHATTERED TRUTH, ancient-alien hunter Pete Stevenson was the family generational pioneer in the search for the truth that was out there. In what could only be called a “bittersweet” journey, Pete found such evidence, including encounters with friendly temporal aliens, and paid the ultimate price with his life. Pete’s granddaughter Sara Steele had an intense need to either prove or disprove Grandad Pete’s alien theories; and as her vision became clear, she established and directed the Extraterrestrial Research Team, or ETRT, and her similarly-wired associates became our world’s best shot at understanding alien presence and even determining planet Earth’s survival. In SHATTERED TRUTH, Sara’s team was introduced to the same friendly temporal aliens that her grandad had met, but this time the alien encounters prevailed in real life-and-death circumstances. Sara had been given the ultimate gift of alien resources and the penultimate truth that she was Earth’s Chosen One.  Shattered Truth is the first of five volumes and a hefty part of the beginning of the book is setting the stage for the action and events to follow. It seems like a slow start in the beginning, because of that. However, there is a fair amount of dialogue and action, and the scenes are pretty well described. If you are intensely interested in the idea of aliens or just want an overview of the ideas and theories, then this is a great book to read. There were a number of ‘wow’ moments and some funny parts also. I enjoyed the story quite a bit, despite the slow start. There were quite a few spelling errors, they have been corrected in the e-book, so your reading will be smoother. I award a score of 4 stars to “Shattered Truth”. You can buy this book: https://rdrpublishers.com/shattered-truth-a-sara-steele-novel https://smile.amazon.com/SHATTERED-TRUTH-Stargate-Earth-Book-ebook https://www.goodreads.com/shattered-truth In book two, ALIEN DISRUPTION, Sara Steele becomes the absolute leader of a multi-talented and intensely focused group of determined disruptors—fighting crime, tyranny, secret societies, suppressed technology, climate change, and even evil aliens. Having been physically rebuilt and now possessing superhuman strength, Sara’s capabilities are taken to the limit. ALIEN DISRUPTION is a visionary novel giving the reader an alarming apocalyptic glimpse of the future. Then, the reader gets to play, despite the evil aliens, a constructive part in a creative process promoting a unified advance of our human species through a holistic transformation of Spaceship Earth and the people on board for this incredible journey. The most dynamic relationship storyline in ALIEN DISRUPTION becomes the intense, mutually beneficial, and effective relationship between Sara and the female alien leader, Echo, as well as Sara’s strong physical, mental, and emotional bond with alien warrior Pulse. Humor, storytelling, and the several flawed but well-intentioned characters give the reader a sense that this story is as much about people, family, and what we all struggle with day after day, as it is about science fiction. Leadership and a strong moral and spiritual fabric are the pillars that define bad behavior and drive good behavior. The ending of ALIEN DISRUPTION will provide a multi-faceted cliffhanger that will tie books three, four, and five remarkably into the STARGATE EARTH SERIES, and leave the reader anxious and excited to read book three, WARRIORS OF THE GALAXY.  I enjoyed this story quite a bit. Garry covers a lot of ground, many different topics that affect the lives of people on Earth. Aliens, ancient aliens, artificial intelligence, climate change and terrorism, to name a few. The ETRT group is front and center of the action and strategy to deal with multiple issues, their expansion of the research of Sara’s grandfather has earthshaking consequences. No spoilers from me. There are fascinating plot twists in the story, the action is detailed and appropriate for a five-volume set. I found the dialogue to be a lot of fun at times, there is a wonderful collection of characters and they come across as quite alive. The stakes are climbing for the research group, and the inhabitants of Earth. I award a score of 4.3 stars to “Alien Disruption”, the score would have been higher except for a large number of spelling errors. Those errors have been corrected; your reading experience will be the better.  You can buy this book:
https://rdrpublishers.com/products/alien-disruption https://smile.amazon.com/ALIEN-DISRUPTION-Steele-Novel-Stargate-ebook https://www.goodreads.com/-alien-disruption You can follow the author: https://www.garryjpeterson.com https://www.linkedin.com/in/garry-peterson https://www.facebook.com/garry.peterson https://twitter.com/GarryPeterson Tags: science fiction, sci-fi, pyramids, stone henge, Easter Island, time travel, action, adventure, thriller, space, spacecraft, stargate I have also reviewed Garry's book about business practices: www.wordrefiner.com/book-reviews/who-put-me-in-charge Copyright © 2020 Mark L. Schultz except for the author’s introductions. Multi-volume authors, Sandra Denbo and Tamarine Vilar introduce us to the first volume of The Unwanted Series, “Unwanted Discovery”: Sharon Cooper and her daughter, Callie, nearly bit off more than they could chew when they started to inventory Sharon’s mother’s estate. A series of unwanted discoveries begins when they find old letters in the attic. Hidden and locked away throughout the mansion are more secrets about Sharon’s family than she ever imagined. How could Sharon have grown up here and not be aware of the mystery, intrigue and scandal within these walls?  This complex mystery is a lot of fun. I really enjoyed it. Since it’s the start of a series, the authors have provided a longer-than-normal opportunity to get to know the full cast of characters. The surprises and plot twists keep showing up and that was one thing I really liked. The shocking events more than made up for the slightly slower pace. This pace allowed for fuller development of the characters which is quite nice. They come across as quite real for me. The scene setting is very thorough and lends a lot to the enjoyment. The dialogue is quite funny at times and so delightful. The action keeps the story flowing as well as the dialogue. Overall, this book is a lot of fun to read and I highly recommend it! I award a score of 4.9 stars! The score would have been higher except for a few spelling errors. The authors have assured me the errors are corrected; your reading experience will be better.  You can buy this book:
https://smile.amazon.com/Unwanted-Discovery-Book-Sandra-Denbo-ebook https://www.goodreads.com/-unwanted-discovery---book-one https://www.barnesandnoble.com/unwanted-discovery-sandra-denbo You can follow the authors: https://twitter.com/SeriesUnwanted http://theunwantedseries.net https://www.facebook.com/TheUnwantedSeries Copyright © 2020 Mark L. Schultz except for the authors’ introduction Multi-volume author, Mark K. Schultz introduces us to the second volume in his Kassius Kanex series: The lives of five fishermen are forever altered when they embark on a fishing trip together. The trip brings forth an evil that beckons them to the fulfillment of their destinies. When an evil cult attempts to use the fishermen to their own means, a powerful time traveler comes to the rescue, but only after they are first led through a trial of great suffering and despair.  The first book, Kassius Kanex, was a pretty wild ride with a secret organization that was set up to protect the world and bring justice to evil doers when the regular channels failed. This book delves deeply into the origins of The Organization and the ability of the leader to travel through time and teleport things also. It’s hard to not give any spoilers, but I am trying. This is an interesting book on many levels, it feels like it came out of the golden age of science fiction, it is focused on men and masculinity. Women are not ignored by any stretch of the imagination. Women are treated with respect and honor. The story has a lot of action and some of the dialogue is very funny. Scene setting is done well without going overboard. The characters are well developed and easy to follow. Some of the plot twists are surprising and a lot of fun. I am looking forward to the next book in the series. I really enjoyed this story and its uniqueness. I award “The Fishing Trip: Kassius Kanex, Book 2” five stars!  You can buy this book:
https://smile.amazon.com/Fishing-Trip-Kassius-Kanex-Book-ebook https://www.barnesandnoble.com/the-fishing-trip-mk-schultz https://www.goodreads.com/-the-fishing-trip You can follow the author: https://twitter.com/Makemali https://www.mkschultz.com I reviewed the first book here: https://www.wordrefiner.com/book-reviews/kassius-kanex-by-mk-schultz Tags: science fiction, action, adventure, time travel, suspense Copyright © 2020 Mark L. Schultz except for the author’s introduction Multi-volume author, Trevor D’Silva, introduces us to his latest novel, a wonderful, murder mystery set in England in the early 20th century, “A Bloody Hot Summer”: It’s 1927 and Great Britain is sweltering in an unprecedented heatwave. On the morning after her eightieth birthday party, Lady Fitzhugh is discovered bound and butchered in her bed, with her family and staff the prime suspects... Whilst holidaying at nearby Meadowford Village, Detective Dermot Carlyle is asked to help investigate the brutal murder. The clues all point to a robbery gone wrong, but Dermot suspects that there is more to the horrific crime. The Fitzhughs’ secrets take Dermot along a path linking some of the biggest events of the British Colonial Empire – from India to Africa, to the dark days of the Great War itself. As more murders take place, Dermot is racing against time to discover the killer’s identity. What are the family hiding, why did Lady Fitzhugh have to die, and what horror was committed in the colonies that led to this trail of death and deceit?  This story is such a delight! An English murder-mystery in the tradition of one of the finest authors in the genre. I can’t imagine any person who enjoys this type of reading being disappointed in some way. The author has proven he is a journeyman writer in all accounts. His handling of important aspects such as plotting, action and dialogue are masterful. His scene-setting and narration is elegant. I find nothing to complain about. Not even a single spelling error popped up to irritate me as I read. I award 5 stars to “A Bloody Hot Summer”! Well done, Mr. D'Silva, well done!  You can buy this book:
https://smile.amazon.com/Bloody-Hot-Summer-Trevor-DSilva-ebook https://www.goodreads.com/-a-bloody-hot-summer https://www.barnesandnoble.com/a-bloody-hot-summer-trevor-dsilva You can follow the author: http://trevordsilva.com https://twitter.com/TrevorDAuthor https://www.instagram.com/trevordauthor https://www.pinterest.com/trevor_dsilva mailto:trevordsilvaauthor@gmail.com https://www.facebook.com/Trevordsilvaauthor/ https://www.linkedin.com/in/trevor-d-silva I reviewed Trevor’s other book: https://www.wordrefiner.com/book-reviews/fateful-decisions-by-trevor-dsilva Tags: British fiction, murder, mystery, international, the Great War, Boer War, South Africa, crime, action, detective, Scotland Copyright © 2020 Mark L. Schultz except for the author’s introduction Multi-volume author, K. D. Carter introduces us to her historical fiction book, set in the American colonies, “The Death Doll”: In the summer of 1692, the infamous Salem witch trials were underway in Massachusetts Colony, North America. Meanwhile, a new Governor was appointed over New Hampshire colony, but his only interest was the land he felt entitled to. Citizens of Durham, New Hampshire, were losing property they’d farmed for years. It was a dangerous time to come to the Colonies, but Kate Tremont had no choice. Having lost her father and her home in Kingston, Jamaica, she sailed to Durham, New Hampshire to stay with her only living relative – William Stoddard, a farmer and devout Puritan. William demands obedience and conformity if Kate wants to stay, but that’s not the worst of it. Kate finds that enemies are easier to make than friends when she gives a doll to a child. When her act of kindness is twisted and used against her, Kate learns that evil happens when good people get angry!  Katie Tremont makes a logical choice, but she winds up jumping from the frying pan into the fire. What a long and difficult jump that turns out to be. Author Carter has written a wonderful book. I love historical fiction and this genre is my third favorite to read. I really enjoy learning what life was like in other times and places. I think that partially stems from my trip to Europe in my college years. I know that people are basically the same no matter when or where you go. Carter excels at painting a realistic picture of daily living, the scenes and dialogue ring with authenticity. The characters are easily distinguishable and very much alive. This is an excellent read and quite enjoyable. I give “The Death Doll” a score of 4.9 stars, the score would have been higher except for the small handful of spelling errors I found.  You can buy this book:
https://smile.amazon.com/Death-Doll-K-D-Carter-ebook https://www.goodreads.com/-the-death-doll You can follow the author: https://kdcarterbooks.wordpress.com https://twitter.com/CarterbooksD Tags: hist-fic, fiction, suspense, mystery, thriller Copyright © 2020 Mark L. Schultz except for the author’s introduction Debut author, Wanda Fischer, introduces us to her novel about baseball in the 70s: They were all stars in their hometowns. Then they were drafted to play minor league ball, thinking it would be an easy ride to playing in the big time. Little did they know that they'd be vying for a spot with every other talented kid who aspired to play professional baseball. Young, inexperienced, immature, and without the support of their families and friends, they're often faced with split-second decisions. Not always on the baseball diamond.  I played Little League when I was in middle school. My position was right field, where I could do the least amount of damage. Truthfully, I had no real skills in baseball, but I loved the game, nonetheless. I collected baseball cards, now I wish I had not used them to make noise when I rode my bike. I did love that sound at the time. I enjoyed this book more than I expected. Just to have an inside look at what happens between being the top player in school (only in my dreams) and going into the minor leagues was a thrill for me. This book is so well written, it moves along at a nice pace with lots of dialogue and detail to keep it interesting and every page worth reading. Wanda captures the thought processes of young men quite well, whether they have dreams they aspire to or a desire for another beer. The 1970s were a tumultuous time in America also and the small-town point of view is not ignored in this book. The characters really come alive in this story, with excellent scene setting the action keeps the story moving along so well. I award “Empty Seats” a score of 4.9 stars! The score would have been higher except for the handful of spelling errors I found.  You can buy this book:
https://smile.amazon.com/Empty-Seats-Wanda-Adams-Fischer https://www.goodreads.com/-empty-seats https://www.barnesandnoble.com/empty-seats-wanda-adams-fischer You can follow the author: https://twitter.com/EmptySeatsNovel http://wandafischer.com https://www.facebook.com/EmptySeatsNovel Tags: sports, fiction, family, Copyright © 2020 Mark L. Schultz except for the author’s introduction Debut author, J. D. Simmons introduces us to her memoir, “Lately Lesbian”: Good Southern girls follow the rules and walk down predictable paths. Jenna predictably married Paul and believed in happily ever after. Although Jenna played by all the rules, she had no idea the tragic turns that her life would take--the tragic death of her first baby, and the unexpected loss of a second baby. There would be more heartbreak. Would Jenna ever be blessed with a child that she wanted with all her heart? Would Paul step up and become the husband and partner she only dared to dream of? Jenna needed the support of her husband, his sympathetic shoulder to cry on, and strong arms to hold her, but he cast an absentee ballot most of the time. Then out of the blue, Jenna crossed paths with a young woman and her life changed in ways that she never could have imagined. For too many years, Jenna drifted through life searching for answers to understand her undeniable attraction to this woman and uncover her true authentic self. Denial reigned supreme until one phone call changed everything.  This memoir is quite a story. It is well written and populated with real people. Penned in first person point of view, as befitting a memoir, it chronicles the struggle the author endured to find a person who would love and cherish her for who she is. This is one of the deepest needs of the human spirit, it is something we all want and we suffer damage when we don’t get it. The author does a marvelous job of setting the scene for the events in the story. The dialogue rings with authenticity. She includes enough action to keep the story moving forward. It never really bogged down for me, like memoirs can at times. The inner narration wasn’t harsh, but it was gritty at times and very honest. I award 4.8 stars to “Lately Lesbian”, the score would have been higher except for the small handful of spelling errors.  You can buy this book:
https://www.amazon.com/Lately-Lesbian-J-D-Simmons-ebook https://www.goodreads.com/-lately-lesbian https://bookbaby.com/Lately-Lesbian https://www.kobo.com/us/en/ebook/lately-lesbian You can follow the author: https://twitter.com/JDSimmons8 https://www.facebook.com/jdsimmonsofficial https://instagram.com/jdsimmons61 Tags: LGBTQ, gay, biography Copyright © 2020 Mark L. Schultz except for the author’s introduction Multi-volume, children’s author, Cameron Kincaid, introduces us to book 1 of the Animalobs series, "Windowpottamus": A series of charming and illustrated tales following the adventures of a variety of characters.  I love this book! With its colorful illustrations and simple, rhyming text, it’s a real pleasure to read to a child. I read this to my two, younger granddaughters, 4 ½ and 6 ½ and they both loved the story and the illustrations. I give this book 5 stars! It is delightful. The author has several other books in the series and they appear to be just as wonderful.  You can buy this book:
https://smile.amazon.com/Windowpottamus-Animalobs-Book-1-ebook https://www.goodreads.com/-the-windowpottamus You can follow the author: https://twitter.com/Animalobs https://www.cameronkincaid.co.uk https://www.facebook.com/Animalobs https://www.instagram.com/the_animalobs Tags: children’s book and literature Copyright © 2020 Mark L. Schultz, except for the author’s introduction Multi-volume author, April E. Faulkner introduces us to her first novel in the Nature’s Fury series, “Darkness Falls”: As Nature tires of human destruction, two sisters must face a changing environment that stands between them and survival. When Quinn and Riley set out on a family vacation with their parents, the trip ends before it begins. Mother Nature interferes with their plans, setting off a sequence of events that thrusts the teens into a hostile landscape. Stranded, with limited supplies, struggling to figure out who they can trust along the way, they must determine how to survive Nature’s evolving fury.  This is a really good story. The author really knows how to spin a tale. Writing in First Person point of view is something I really like. As long as the author avoids head-hopping, I hate head-hopping, everything gets so confused. This author does a very good job of maintaining the POV, nice and clean. Faulkner also balances the story so well with action and dialogue. The dialogue is so funny at times, I found myself laughing quite a bit. The characters are very believable, all of the major players are developed very well, they are real individuals, not cardboard cutouts. The scene-setting and action help the story to move along at a good pace, the flow is smooth and varies from scene to scene. Just like it should. “Darkness Falls” is quite well written and gets a score of 4.9 stars. The score would have been higher if not for a few spelling errors. These errors are fixed, so your reading pleasure will be the smoother.  You can buy this book:
https://smile.amazon.com/Darkness-Falls-Natures-Fury-Book-ebook https://www.goodreads.com/-darkness-falls https://www.barnesandnoble.com/darkness-falls-a-e-faulkner You can follow the author: https://twitter.com/AuthAEFaulkner http://authoraefaulkner.com https://www.facebook.com/authaefaulkner https://www.instagram.com/authoraefaulkner Tags: Dystopian, fiction, coming of age, science fiction, YA, climate, catastrophe, family, relationship Copyright © 2020 Mark L. Schultz except for the author’s introduction Multi-genre, multi-volume author Veronica R. Tabares introduces us to her latest time traveling adventure in “True Story of the Perfect 36”: When the Rossi household wakes to a world radically changed, Vanessa is the only member of her family who realizes something is wrong. The timeline has shifted—and it quickly becomes obvious that it’s up to her young daughters, Maddie and Becca, to fix it. Philip is from the future, but he’s also to blame for setting the timeline askew. Which makes Maddie and Becca view him with distrust and loathing. They will never forgive him for causing the death of their beloved father. Never! But they will work with him. It’s the only way things can be set right again. Together, the time travelers hop a freight train to 1920s Nashville to ensure the Nineteenth Amendment is passed, giving women the right to vote—and correcting history. But their hilarious journey hits some bumps along the way, and by the end of this adventure, it’s more than Philip’s ego that’s bruised.  There is far more at stake than the life of their father, but I can’t tell you because that would be a spoiler. Sorry. I can tell you that this story is a lot of fun! I love stories about time travel. My favorite subset of science fiction. The plotting is exceptional! The events and the things that happen because of choices are very well done. The author is quite good at dialogue also, the characters really stand out. The humor flows well, I laughed out loud quite a few times. Laughter is good medicine. The author’s skill at scene-setting leaves nothing to be desired in this action-packed adventure. The action is easy to follow. I award a score of 4.9 stars to “True Story of the Perfect 36”. The score would have been higher except for a couple of spelling errors. Those errors have been fixed so your reading pleasure will be all the better.  You can buy this book:
https://smile.amazon.com/True-Story-Perfect-36-Veronica-Tabares https://www.goodreads.com/-true-story-of-the-perfect-36 https://www.barnesandnoble.com/true-story-of-the-perfect-36-veronica-rubine-tabares You can follow the author: https://twitter.com/veronicatabares http://veronicatabares.com https://www.facebook.com/VeronicaRTabares https://www.pinterest.com/tabares0420 https://plus.google.com/+VeronicaRTabares/posts Here is a link to the author’s previous book: https://www.wordrefiner.com/book-reviews/time-without-by-veronica-r-tabares Tags: time travel, science fiction, adventure, humor Copyright © 2020 Mark L Schultz except for the author's introduction Multi-volume author, Elizabeth Jade introduces us to her two books, “Akea: The Power of Destiny” and “Akea: His Mother’s son”: This husky, wolf story is a new addition to the great animal fiction tradition of Jack London and Erin Hunter, where the story is told through the eyes of the animals. Elizabeth Jade has created a captivating coming of age story which also teaches children about friendship and loyalty, and that being different doesn’t mean you can’t belong. It is a captivating chapter book for 8-12-year-olds. Akea is born into a family of sled dogs and a life that follows a predictable path, but from the day she first sees the lone wolf, Kazakh, Akea knows her future lies beyond the safety of her home. Kazakh is well aware of Akea's destiny and the pack laws he will break to help her reach it. Regardless of the challenges ahead, he must make sure this young husky will be ready, even if it means his life. The heart-wrenching sequel to Akea - The Power of Destiny. Akea is no ordinary husky and taking her place as Wolf Queen was just the first step in the journey set out for her by the Great Wolf. Akea's world turns upside down when humans raid their home, scattering the pack and capturing her hybrid son. Salvador struggles to adjust to a life in captivity quickly realising not everyone approves of his mother's rise to Wolf Queen. When the Great Wolf sends him warning dreams, Salvador discovers his true purpose for being there.
These are lovely books; they each have an exciting story well suited to the preteen and young teen age group. The author has created a believable world around the idea of families or packs of wolves. We know that wolves are very intelligent and coordinate their hunting activities. I thoroughly enjoyed both of these stories. They read well and show great creativity. The personalities and pack structure are well developed, including having a mythos and something akin to a religion. I found all of it very interesting. The line drawings are quite nice and help younger readers stay involved in the story. These are wonderful chapter books for intermediate readers and above. The scene setting was quite good and the use of the environment was exceptional. I enjoyed the dialogue and the activities of daily living for the wolves. The action sequences were well planned and executed. The violence was not very explicit to preserve the sensibilities of younger readers. I award these two books, “Akea: The Power of Destiny” and “Akea: His Mother’s Son” a score of 4.9 stars each, the score would have been higher except for a few spelling errors in each book. The errors have been corrected, so your reading pleasure will be smoother.  You can buy these books:
https://smile.amazon.com/Akea-Power-of-Destiny-Elizabeth-Jade-ebook https://smile.amazon.com/Akea-His-Mothers Son-Elizabeth-Jade-ebook https://www.goodreads.com/-akea---the-power-of-destiny https://www.goodreads.com/-akea---his-mother-s-son https://www.amazon.co.uk/-akea-power-of-destiny https://www.amazon.co.uk/Akea-his-mothers-son-Elizabeth-Jade You can follow the author: https://twitter.com/AkeaWolfStories http://www.elizabethjade.org http://www.facebook.com/AkeaWolfStories http://www.instagram.com/akeawolfstories.author http://www.pinterest.com/AkeaWolfStories Tags: Children’s books, middle grade, MG, nature stories, nature fiction, wolf fiction, animal fiction, Copyright © 2020 Mark L. Schultz except for the author’s introductions Amazon debut author, Jan Anderegg, introduces us to her fantasy novel, “JULU”: There is a magical land just beyond our imaginations called Jirvania; where stories grow. Muse faeries gather ripened “story-pearls” and carry them to writers, musicians, and poets here in our world. In the heart of Jirvania stands The Great Library, where every story is collected by the library’s guardian, Karel. This library is a portal to other times and places where one can step into stories and experience them first hand. Homework has never been such fun. When eleven-year-old Jack Lemoine finds an opal dragon egg in Mystic, Connecticut, he discovers the real world is not what he thought. Dragons, unicorns, faeries, centaurs, and countless others do exist. Unfortunately, so do witches, ogres, goblins, and monsters, and they want Jack dead, yesterday. It has been prophesied he will one day save Jirvania, with the help of a magical opal dragon, Julu, but evil disrupts time itself, leading to the annihilation of Jirvania, seven years before Jack comes of age. Imagination ceases to exist. Libraries, art galleries, concert halls, and theme parks vanish. Our lives become meaningless and empty. Jirvania's lone survivor, Karel receives a visitor from the stars, urging him to change the story. Meanwhile, back in Mystic, Jack and his friend, Mia are thrown into a fantastical adventure when Julu hatches and takes them back in time to protect them. Through her stories, they learn that family, friendship, and love are the threads that bind us together, no matter who or what we are and hope is often found in the most unexpected places. Can Karel change the story and save our imaginations?  I love fantasy almost as much as science fiction and this delightful story incorporates both. The author has created a fully living world that sits in an adjacent dimension to ours, and we need it so bad. Jirvania is the source of all artistic inspiration in our world and it is under the direst of threats. I was so enthralled by Jan’s writing, I was reminded of one of my favorite stories, “The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe”. Jan’s writing is exceptional; her scene-setting is exquisite, every bit is so easy to imagine. The dialogue flows smoothly and the action leaves little to be desired. While this book is aimed at children, kids of all ages will love it, from nine to ninety. I award a score of 4.9 stars to “JULU”, the score would have been higher except for a handful of spelling errors. The errors have been fixed, so your reading will be the smoother.  You can buy this book:
https://smile.amazon.com/Julu-Jan-Anderegg https://www.goodreads.com/julu https://www.barnesandnoble.com/julu-jan-anderegg You can follow the author: https://twitter.com/Janilou 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 Copyright © 2020 Mark L. Schultz except for the author’s introduction By John W. NoyesDebut author, John Noyes, introduces us to his first-in-the-series, action thriller, “Those Deep Below”: Fast moving, page-turner sci-fi thriller! Twists and turns of the story will keep you wondering what will happen next! A terrifying adventure in a world based on the Inca Empire. Rezi was a relatively unimportant member of the King's household until her unique talent for singing was discovered and she was made a personal attendant to the King. As her friendship with the King grows, rumors begin to circulate comparing her to legendary Nightingale for her ability to soothe the King's troubled heart through song. Not everyone is pleased by the comparison, especially the King's wife, Queen Qhush'qunca. The Queen is a ruthless and sadistic person who jealously guards her status as the first wife to the King. Threatened by Rezi's friendship to her husband, Qhush'qunca decides to take revenge on the girl. However, when the King unexpectedly dies, both Rezi and the Queen are buried alive with the rest of the household in the dead King's massive tomb. Trapped together underground, Qhush'qunca takes her revenge by repeatedly torturing Rezi and binding them together through an arcane ritual. Desperate to escape both the Queen's wrath and the Tomb, Rezi must turn to the other denizens trapped with her, including the misshapen priests of the Cults of the Condor and the Winged Serpent. But, can there be any trust between those below? Well-placed twists and turns to this adventure will have you practically jumping out of your seat cheering Rezi on! Spring/Summer 2019 this book will also be available as a large-print edition and also on Barnes and Noble website. If any business would like to be involved in branding this book as a movie, music or other means, please go to the Publisher's website at: https://www.storiesforpublication.com/. This is Book 1 in the series of three. Please check out https://www.storiesforpublication.com/ to see a variety of books that the Publisher recommends from fiction to nonfiction.  This is the first novel I have read about ancient Mesoamericans. The Inca’s are a fascinating people. This story rings with authenticity and the details are luscious. The burial cave for the king and his retinue is a wonderful setting and full of mystery. The author handles the lighting and lack of light quite well, he engages multiple senses. The characters all play their roles to the hilt, with a wonderful sense of desperation. I enjoyed a lot of the banter and sarcasm, the dialogue made me laugh many times. The action was quite brutal at times, the use of naturally occurring poisons was very interesting. All in all, this was a great story and a lot of fun to read. I award “Those Deep Below” a score of 4.5 stars. The score would have been a lot higher except for a large number of spelling errors. You can buy this book:
https://smile.amazon.com/Those-Deep-Below-thriller https://www.goodreads.com/those-deep-below-the-inti-series-book-1-thriller You can follow the author: https://twitter.com/JNoyes16 johnwnoyes.com Tags: Inca, fiction, adventure, murder, historical fiction, royalty, king, queen Copyright © 2020 Mark L. Schultz except for the author’s introduction Multi-volume, multi-genre author, Garry Peterson introduces us to his solution to managing a business and outstanding customer service, “Who Put Me in Charge?”: BENEFITS TO READING THIS BOOK • Understanding your business role and responsibilities • Managing expectations for yourself and your team • Setting short-term and long-term goals and reaching them • Creating a blueprint for taking any size company or entity to the NEXT LEVEL • Building accountability and discipline in any and all improvement processes • Engaging with a plethora of stories and exercises to build your self-esteem • Adding a wide scope of “lessons learned” to your skill set going forward • Developing a TOOL BOX to handle any leadership or management issue raised • Applying nuggets of wisdom and experience into your own demanding workplace • Expanding your experience base with actual knowledge from successful activities • Having the ultimate “go-to” reference guide for your constant use • Finding a way to have FUN solving serious problems or issues and LOVING your job  I really enjoyed Garry’s book. I see a tremendous amount of truth in his book. I had a twenty-year career in retail management and twenty years in construction. Now, I am running my own business and loving it. I learned one very important principle: no matter what kind of business you are in, there is always a customer with a problem that is hoping you will solve that problem for him or her. First and last. If you can solve the problem for each customer you will stay in business for a long time. Garry’s book is a marvelous road map for doing exactly that, no matter what size of business you have. He has a plethora of stories. They are laced with humor and the application is easy to understand. His writing style is straight forward and well thought out, backed up by years of experience. I award “Who Put Me in Charge?” a score of 4.7 stars, the score would have been higher except for a small handful of spelling errors. The publisher has corrected those errors in the ebook.  You can buy this book:
https://rdrpublishers.com/who-put-me-in-charge-getting-to-the-next-level-by-garry-j-peterson https://smile.amazon.com/Who-Put-Me-Charge-Getting-ebook https://www.goodreads.com/-who-put-me-in-charge? You can follow the author: http://petersonadvisorsgroup.com https://www.linkedin.com/in/garry-peterson https://www.facebook.com/garry.peterson https://twitter.com/GarryPeterson I have also reviewed the first two books of Garry's sci-fi series: www.wordrefiner.com/book-reviews/shattered-truth-and-alien-disruption-by-garry-j-peterson Copyright © 2020 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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