"To End All Wars" by David Tallerman

In the middle of WWI, Forrester is leading a raid against the German army. It doesn't seem to be going well for him, and after calling for a retreat back to their side of the front, Forrester is hit by a bullet in the leg.

While struggling to make it back alive, there is an unusual light in the night sky. After that, everyone he stumbles across on both sides of the front appears to be sleeping. Gas masks didn't protect from the effect, and Forrester isn't able to wake any of the sleeping soldiers.

When found by his fellow soldiers, Forrester is quickly taken to a recovery center, where he quickly realizes that something is not right. He is constantly locked in his room & kept isolated from the other patients in the house. And then the instances where everyone around him falls into an unwakeable slumber start happening. Clearly there is more going on than he is being told about. But what is it?

This was a fascinating story. The farther I read, the more the story pulled me in. There is so much more going on here than just a tale of WWI, and while I would like to delve more into what is happening, I don't want to give away what is clearly a major plot point of the story.

There is a cost to war that goes beyond the toll it takes upon a person, but when something happens that could possibly end not just the one battle, but potentially stop all wars, is there any price that would be too high to be worth no more wars? And who gets to decide what is right or wrong? And also, who would be willing or able to stand up and do what is right, no matter the cost?

This story really made me think. After all, is there too high a cost for peace? And when is one being's suffering worth the cost or is it too high of a price to be paid? These are only some of the questions that this story made me think about. I found it to be a well written tale & one that I am glad that I had the opportunity to read. I believe that others will too. Recommended.

"Wonderland Woes" by Addie J King

First they received donuts with the phrase "EAT ME" written in frosting on them, then a bottle of wine with the phrase "drink me" showed up, then there's a white rabbit in the yard. What's next?

It seems that a trip to Wonderland is likely the next destination for Janie and her friends and family. But why? What is going on in Wonderland that is about to require their help. And exactly how similar or different are the rules of Wonderland from the realm of faerie that they are already familiar with?

As a long time fan of fairy tales I was highly entertained by this story and the very unique spin that the author placed on a story that many have likely read (or who watched the Disney Animated Movie) as children.

I enjoyed the author's take on the familiar characters and her descriptions of what has likely happened in Wonderland since Alice had first visited there oh so many years before. All the outrageous characters I expected to see appeared in this story in often unexpected ways.

As with her other books in this series that I have read so far, I enjoyed this one as well. It was great fun to see the familiar characters grow and watch how they dealt with new and unexpected challenges. If you enjoyed her previous books in this series, you should enjoy reading this one too.

"Big Beautiful Mail Order Bride and her Lost Man" by Florence Linnington

Rosalind's father has recently passed away, leaving her with his rather large gambling debt to pay off. Unfortunately, as he had gambled away any savings they may have once had, she has no way to do so, though one of the debt collectors seems to be interested in making a bargain for her virtue in exchange for the debt payments.

Unwilling to accept such an offer, she attempts to find another option as a mail order bride. To her pleasant surprise, a man named Cassidy is looking for a woman to marry, and almost immediately Rosalind flees from her home seeking the hope of a new life, even if she isn't exactly what Cassidy is likely expecting to show up.on his doorstep.

I've said it before, I enjoy Ms. Linnington's stories. She always provides us with interesting characters that seem like they may never connect, often due to one or both of them hiding something important about their past. In this case, Cassidy had not mentioned that he has a son or anything else about his past, and Rosalind's picture in the catalogue was extremely out of date from her current appearance. And of course, there was also the unpaid debt that she ran away from.

Watching the two of them getting to know and trust each other, as well as seeing how Rosalind learns to connect with Casey's son Dillon, a boy who at first resents the idea of another woman replacing the mother he never knew, was also entertaining.

Ms. Linnington is very good at delivering interesting and inspirational stories of couples coming together, often having to learn how to trust again, and eventually (despite all obstacles in the way) finding love. I have always enjoyed that I can count on her to provide me with a happy ending, no matter what may come first. And in this book, as with her others, she once again does not disappoint. It was a fun and inspirational tale that I most definitely enjoyed reading.

"Titanic: Ghosts of Southampton Book 1" by I.D. Johnson

Charlie and Meg have been betrothed for a while, but they have never met in person. Though she was born to a wealthy family, after her father's death Meg's life has never been easy. When the opportunity for her to run away from everything arrives, she escapes with her lady's maid/best friend & their family aboard the Titanic's maiden voyage.

But again, nothing is ever simple. Meg and her chosen family soon run into Charlie aboard the ship. But as he has never met Meg in person, he doesn't realize that the woman he met among the third class passengers and has begun to fall in love with was in reality his fiancee.

As with the prequel, this book grabbed my interest & held on tight. We got to learn much more about Meg's life as she grew up, and I feel that I need to warn anyone triggered by either child abuse or sexual abuse about this book. While it is not graphically described, it is made quite clear what has been happening to Meg for years. And as in the prequel, this is a very important part of the story and is not something that could be left out.

This story was well crafted. I particularly liked the portrayal of the historical characters that were known to be aboard the Titanic's maiden voyage as well as the fictional characters created for this story. The personalities of everyone came through very clearly. I particularly enjoyed seeing the character of history’s famous Molly Brown shine through so clearly. All in all, this book was well worth reading. I honestly couldn't put this book down! Recommended.

"The Andersen Ancestry" by Addie J. King

Janie and her best friend Mia are once again beset by strange things happening to them. This time, it seems that the Sea Witch has escaped from the fairylands and is determined to take her revenge on the descendants of Hans Christian Andersen. Her first target appears to be Mia, though why, neither of them is really certain as Hans Christian Andersen never had any children.

This was a fun story, especially for those who grew up loving old fairy tales as I did. Ms. King has written a fascinating story involving not only the characters from her previous book, but introducing us to others who look to become important in future stories within this series. She also managed to weave in a variety of tales and characters from many of Hans Christian Andersen's stories in unique and interesting ways.

I enjoyed reading this book & learning more little tidbits about Hans Christian Andersen than I had previously known. (If you’re like me, you probably grew up watching the AMC musical about Hans Christian Andersen. I know I still love watching it whenever it is on & find myself singing along with the characters on the TV. ) It was a fun story and kept me entertained throughout while watching Janie & Mia deal with the Sea Witch and her curses, as well as the other problems that always seem to come up as they are trying to solve the big problem in front of them.

I'm looking forward to continuing on with this series and discovering what the focus of the next book will be. If you enjoy twisted fairy tales, I would definitely recommend giving this series a try as Ms. King has done a fantastic job of incorporating in a number of Hans Christian Andersen’s fairy tales into this story.

“Accepting the Moon" by K.S. Haigwood

After Mena confronts her husband of 12 years about his cheating on her, and after a very loud argument during which he strikes her, Mena flees from him. She doesn't know where she's going, only that she needs to escape. In her attempt to get away from her husband, she encounters a man by the name of Jaxon, who isn't what he appears to be any more than Mena's husband was.

And now she needs to deal with not only the fact that her husband was cheating on her, but that his attack has left her to deal with a good deal more after-effects than one would normally expect. Her life is never going to be anything close to what it had once been ever again, and she must learn to navigate the new world she has suddenly found herself thrust into.

I enjoyed reading this short prequel story. It was well written and quite enjoyable to read. (I finished it in one sitting.) This paranormal fiction tale grabbed and held my interest all the way through. I can't wait to see what will happen with the supernatural tribes involved in this story and will definitely be continuing to read the rest of this series.

This was a great starter story for this series. I think anyone who is looking for something involving werewolves & other paranormal beings will enjoy it. I know I did.

"The Flower of Chivalry" by Scott Telek

The story of King Arthur and his knights of the round table has fascinated readers for ages. This book is no exception. This is the fourth book in this series and begins strong & I felt finished even stronger. I had a very hard time putting it down to sleep at night!

In this book we get to learn what Arthur's childhood was like. It begins with both Arthur & Kay as infants being raised by Sir Ector and his wife. We are shown how the boys grew & we are given great insight into both their character as young children and what likely caused them to grow into the men they are destined to become.

Reading this book left little doubt in my mind as to why, as they grew, that they came to make the choices they made, all while clearly letting us see the differences in their personalities and why those differences existed that explains so much about each of them and their differences, despite being raised as brothers.

We get to see what lessons they learned along the way to turn them into the legendary knights that almost everyone is at least somewhat familiar with. We also see many of the other characters who will become central to this story before most of them will have truly ventured far on their journeys in life.

Most of us can guess as to one of the major events at the end of this book, though I won't give you the specifics of what happens in this review as each version of this legend is spun a little differently by each author who takes the task of telling it upon themselves.

What I will say is that this is one that you really don't want to miss out on reading. The story told is well written and very enjoyable. It is well worth the time spent reading it and you won’t want to put it down. I am very definitely looking forward to the next book in this series. Highly Recommended.