Edited Please Note: It seems that I was given an incorrect version of the book for my review by accident. The author has since sent me a corrected version that has had the formatting issues fixed. This version was much cleaner and much more enjoyable to read than the initial version I received.
This was more of a short story than a full book, and as such I don’t want to go into much detail on my review as doing so would give away too much of the plot. It was an interesting story with quite a number of twists and turns throughout that kept me guessing as to what was really going on. One thing I can say is that the ending came as complete surprise to me. If you like stories with a lot of twists that keep you guessing throughout, you will enjoy this story.
Sunday, January 28, 2018
"Journey of the Fourth Queen" by Mark Miller
This book is what I would consider a variation of a twisted fairytale. The fairytale queens of the four kingdoms are all gathering for the first time in a very great while. An evil is threatening their realms; one that is strong enough that it will need all four of them to defeat it. Isis (Queen of the Southern Valley), Snow White (Queen of the Northern Wood), and Cinderella (Queen of the Western Sun) have all made it to the castle at Empyrean. Unfortunately, the Queen of the Eastern Sky was killed before she could arrive. Without the magical power of all four of the Queens, they cannot defeat the returning evil.
With the death of one of the four queens, a new queen has already been magically called to come to the castle at Empyrean to take on the duties and responsibilities of lost Eastern Queen. No one, however, knows exactly who this fourth queen will be, and all they can do is to defend the castle and await her arrival. The three remaining queens have sent out messengers to their kingdoms to gather people to come and fight to defend the four kingdoms. One other was sent out to the Eastern Kingdom to seek out and help the new Queen to reach Empyrean safely. The evil beings attacking the kingdoms will also be seeking to find her and prevent her arrival, for without all four queens working together evil will once again take over control of the four kingdoms.
Two sisters, Zandria and Olena manage to survive and escape an attack on their small village. They have long been given attention by the Eastern Queen and other visitors to their village, and it is assumed that one of them will likely be chosen to become the new Queen of the Eastern Sky one day, if the need should arise during their lifetime. The two girls are aided in their escape by a creature known as a quzzak who helps them flee towards Castle Empyrean. It is a long and dangerous journey that they must survive if there is to be any hope for the four kingdoms. They are also being stalked by evil beings who will do anything to prevent them from reaching Empyrean.
I have always enjoyed reading twisted fairytales, and this was a very unique story, that included a number of both well-known and lesser-known fairytales with very different endings than the usual versions. This book was very well-written and I really enjoyed reading it. The ending of the book sets us up for a second book in the series, and I am definitely looking forward to picking up a copy of that one to read as well. If you like unique twists on familiar fairytales, I would very much recommend giving this one a chance. I don’t think you’ll regret it.
With the death of one of the four queens, a new queen has already been magically called to come to the castle at Empyrean to take on the duties and responsibilities of lost Eastern Queen. No one, however, knows exactly who this fourth queen will be, and all they can do is to defend the castle and await her arrival. The three remaining queens have sent out messengers to their kingdoms to gather people to come and fight to defend the four kingdoms. One other was sent out to the Eastern Kingdom to seek out and help the new Queen to reach Empyrean safely. The evil beings attacking the kingdoms will also be seeking to find her and prevent her arrival, for without all four queens working together evil will once again take over control of the four kingdoms.
Two sisters, Zandria and Olena manage to survive and escape an attack on their small village. They have long been given attention by the Eastern Queen and other visitors to their village, and it is assumed that one of them will likely be chosen to become the new Queen of the Eastern Sky one day, if the need should arise during their lifetime. The two girls are aided in their escape by a creature known as a quzzak who helps them flee towards Castle Empyrean. It is a long and dangerous journey that they must survive if there is to be any hope for the four kingdoms. They are also being stalked by evil beings who will do anything to prevent them from reaching Empyrean.
I have always enjoyed reading twisted fairytales, and this was a very unique story, that included a number of both well-known and lesser-known fairytales with very different endings than the usual versions. This book was very well-written and I really enjoyed reading it. The ending of the book sets us up for a second book in the series, and I am definitely looking forward to picking up a copy of that one to read as well. If you like unique twists on familiar fairytales, I would very much recommend giving this one a chance. I don’t think you’ll regret it.
Thursday, January 25, 2018
"Rose of Anzio, Book Two: Jalousie" by Alexa Kang
This was the second book in the Rose of Anzio series, and I found it just as entertaining as the first book. Anthony and Tessa have admitted their feelings for each other and he has received his Draft notice in the mail. They had roughly two weeks together before he needed to report to the Draft board for his physical and was sent to the Army training camp.
Tessa, still in training as a cadet nurse, decides to transfer to an intensive training program that will send her to be a military nurse attached to a military company overseas once she completes her training. She sees it as an opportunity to possibly be reunited with Anthony and to be there with him during the war. She keeps the fact that she has transferred to this program from both her family and Anthony as she doesn’t want anyone to try and talk her out of it.
It is a risky idea, as there is no guarantee she will wind up sent to the same Company that Anthony has been assigned to, yet she feels that even if she is sent elsewhere that she will still be closer to him than if she remains safely Stateside. She also believes that asking for forgiveness from their families after she arrives overseas will be easier and less worrisome than telling them her plans beforehand.
I enjoyed this book just as much as I did the first one in the series. The author has told a fantastic story that drew me in and held my attention as much as the last book did. The only shortcomings in this book were a few small typos here & there. I am definitely looking forward to when I have the chance to read the third book. I strongly recommend reading this one, especially if you enjoyed the first book in this historical fiction series as much as I did.
Tessa, still in training as a cadet nurse, decides to transfer to an intensive training program that will send her to be a military nurse attached to a military company overseas once she completes her training. She sees it as an opportunity to possibly be reunited with Anthony and to be there with him during the war. She keeps the fact that she has transferred to this program from both her family and Anthony as she doesn’t want anyone to try and talk her out of it.
It is a risky idea, as there is no guarantee she will wind up sent to the same Company that Anthony has been assigned to, yet she feels that even if she is sent elsewhere that she will still be closer to him than if she remains safely Stateside. She also believes that asking for forgiveness from their families after she arrives overseas will be easier and less worrisome than telling them her plans beforehand.
I enjoyed this book just as much as I did the first one in the series. The author has told a fantastic story that drew me in and held my attention as much as the last book did. The only shortcomings in this book were a few small typos here & there. I am definitely looking forward to when I have the chance to read the third book. I strongly recommend reading this one, especially if you enjoyed the first book in this historical fiction series as much as I did.
Monday, January 22, 2018
"From Within the Firebird's Nest" by Sheldon Charles
This book is a bit different than most of the others I have reviewed. It is a spy-thriller that starts off during the cold-war era in the Soviet Union. The Crimson Firebird Initiative is a plan to retaliate against the United States in the event that they were to attack first and destroy the Soviet nuclear arsenal before the Soviets had a chance to respond. It was long term plan that was designed to destroy the U.S. population and allow the Soviets to relocate and live there instead, as it was assumed that the Soviet Union would be uninhabitable due to nuclear radiation.
The concept of the plot was that children would be raised to be able to pass as United States citizens, speaking English, learning the customs, but being trained to be loyal Soviet Union undercover agents. When the time was right, they would set the ultimate plan in motion that would decimate the population in a way that no one would be prepared for and once activated would be unstoppable.
Parts of the book are set during the time when the plan was first conceived and set in motion, but others take place in the present day when there no longer is a cold war between the two nations. There are only two men who knew the entirety of the plan, and one of them had a son who had been raised as a sleeper agent. This man has realized that he needs to find a way to make sure that the Crimson Firebird Initiative will never succeed in it’s original intent or mission, for doing so will be far too costly in human casualties as well as including his son in with those who would be killed. The U.S. has no knowledge of this plot or the fact that there is someone out there who is determined to see it to completion. Can it be prevented or is the U.S. population doomed?
This was an interesting story that contained some very interesting twists. However I really wish the author had spent more time on the editing and proofreading. Quite often I ran across sentences missing words, others with words added in that didn’t belong, and some errors that at times just distracted me from the overall story. The concept was a good one, but more time spent on the editing could have made it a great one.
The concept of the plot was that children would be raised to be able to pass as United States citizens, speaking English, learning the customs, but being trained to be loyal Soviet Union undercover agents. When the time was right, they would set the ultimate plan in motion that would decimate the population in a way that no one would be prepared for and once activated would be unstoppable.
Parts of the book are set during the time when the plan was first conceived and set in motion, but others take place in the present day when there no longer is a cold war between the two nations. There are only two men who knew the entirety of the plan, and one of them had a son who had been raised as a sleeper agent. This man has realized that he needs to find a way to make sure that the Crimson Firebird Initiative will never succeed in it’s original intent or mission, for doing so will be far too costly in human casualties as well as including his son in with those who would be killed. The U.S. has no knowledge of this plot or the fact that there is someone out there who is determined to see it to completion. Can it be prevented or is the U.S. population doomed?
This was an interesting story that contained some very interesting twists. However I really wish the author had spent more time on the editing and proofreading. Quite often I ran across sentences missing words, others with words added in that didn’t belong, and some errors that at times just distracted me from the overall story. The concept was a good one, but more time spent on the editing could have made it a great one.
Thursday, January 18, 2018
"Her Rocky Trail: Seeing Ranch Series" by Florence Linnington
Today’s book was a mail-order bride novel, though it differed a bit from most of the ones I have read. In this one, Kitty is on her way by train to meet the man she will be marrying in the town of Shallow Springs. Traveling with her is her younger sister who will be living with them. However before the train reaches town, it is attacked by robbers and Kitty’s younger sister Helen is kidnapped by the thieves.
Cyrus, who will be replacing the town’s retiring sheriff, was on his way to town to meet the train and the woman who had agreed to marry him when he noticed that the train had stopped on the tracks a short distance from the town. Detouring to investigate, he winds up helping to drive off the robbers attacking the train, but was not in time to prevent them from kidnapping a young woman as they escaped.
A small posse is quickly gathered from the male passengers on the train to go after the bandits in the hopes of rescuing Helen. Kitty, unwilling to leave her sister’s fate in the hands of others, follows the men and joins the posse rather than return to the safety of the town. Needless to say, a small group of men and one woman with no supplies and no food, attempting to track down a band of robbers to rescue a kidnapped girl are not in for an easy time, assuming they can even find those they are searching for before they are too late to save Helen.
While this book differed slightly from most of the mail-order bride stories I have read, it works very well. I started reading it too late in the day to finish it in only one sitting, and only a need to sleep convinced me to put it down overnight. This author is an excellent storyteller as well as a fantastic writer. I saw almost no typos in this book, making it a very quick and very enjoyable read. If you enjoy mail-order bride stories like I do, you really won’t want to miss out on reading this one. I highly recommend it.
Cyrus, who will be replacing the town’s retiring sheriff, was on his way to town to meet the train and the woman who had agreed to marry him when he noticed that the train had stopped on the tracks a short distance from the town. Detouring to investigate, he winds up helping to drive off the robbers attacking the train, but was not in time to prevent them from kidnapping a young woman as they escaped.
A small posse is quickly gathered from the male passengers on the train to go after the bandits in the hopes of rescuing Helen. Kitty, unwilling to leave her sister’s fate in the hands of others, follows the men and joins the posse rather than return to the safety of the town. Needless to say, a small group of men and one woman with no supplies and no food, attempting to track down a band of robbers to rescue a kidnapped girl are not in for an easy time, assuming they can even find those they are searching for before they are too late to save Helen.
While this book differed slightly from most of the mail-order bride stories I have read, it works very well. I started reading it too late in the day to finish it in only one sitting, and only a need to sleep convinced me to put it down overnight. This author is an excellent storyteller as well as a fantastic writer. I saw almost no typos in this book, making it a very quick and very enjoyable read. If you enjoy mail-order bride stories like I do, you really won’t want to miss out on reading this one. I highly recommend it.
Wednesday, January 17, 2018
"The Madam's Highlander" by Madeline Martin
Freya is the Madam of an extremely popular brothel in Edinburgh known as Molly’s. Molly’s is not what you would usually expect in either a brothel or it’s Madam. The women employed to entertain the men are primarily war widows or other women who have lost their husbands and have chosen to work as prostitutes of their own free will rather than because they have no other options. Freya also provides education for the women who work for her, as well as offering jobs in the brothel that do not require them to work as a prostitute.
Many of the customers at Molly’s are members of the Black watch. They are Highland warriors who work with the English soldiers, and are often reviled by their countrymen and considered traitors. Ewen, or as many of the women working in Molly’s call him “Captain Nay” because he doesn’t drink anything stronger than tea or join any of the girls in their rooms, approaches Freya for help. His duty will not allow him to travel to the countryside to check on his elderly mother and he wishes for Freya to check on his mother’s well-being when she next travels to visit her family.
Freya isn’t at all interested in helping him, yet he manages to manipulate her into doing just that. What she finds isn’t what he was hoping she would learn, and leads to other problems for the both of them.
This was a very short but enjoyable book to read. The interactions between Freya, Ewen, and later on their family members was something I found fun to read. I really didn’t want to put this one down, and I finished reading it in only one day. Sometimes a quick, lighthearted read is exactly what one needs, and for me, this book more than filled that need.
Many of the customers at Molly’s are members of the Black watch. They are Highland warriors who work with the English soldiers, and are often reviled by their countrymen and considered traitors. Ewen, or as many of the women working in Molly’s call him “Captain Nay” because he doesn’t drink anything stronger than tea or join any of the girls in their rooms, approaches Freya for help. His duty will not allow him to travel to the countryside to check on his elderly mother and he wishes for Freya to check on his mother’s well-being when she next travels to visit her family.
Freya isn’t at all interested in helping him, yet he manages to manipulate her into doing just that. What she finds isn’t what he was hoping she would learn, and leads to other problems for the both of them.
This was a very short but enjoyable book to read. The interactions between Freya, Ewen, and later on their family members was something I found fun to read. I really didn’t want to put this one down, and I finished reading it in only one day. Sometimes a quick, lighthearted read is exactly what one needs, and for me, this book more than filled that need.
Monday, January 15, 2018
"Judging by the Cover" by Dawn Doyle
This book was the story of two troubled young adults. Demi is in witness protection and hiding from her remaining family. She was the sole witness to the murder of her parents and brother. If she were to be killed there will be no way to convict those responsible, and they are desperate to find and eliminate her before their case can be brought to trial. She has been in protective custody for over a year and relocated several times already to try to keep her safe.
Jordan is haunted by the memory of his best friend and neighbor Gord’s death. Jordan had gone to a job interview and blames himself for not being there to save his friend’s life the day Gord died. When Demi and her guardians move into what used to be Gord’s house, Jordan is not ready to accept someone else living there and takes out his anger and frustration on Demi, who in return takes hers out on him.
Both Demi and Jordan are each dealing with issues that would leave anyone quite traumatized, and each of them must find a way to cope with their problems as well as learn to accept the other into their lives. No matter their personal feelings about each other, they will be neighbors and running into each other very often whether they wish to or not.
This is not a book meant for younger readers. There is some violence and a great deal of very descriptive sex within these pages. It is entirely appropriate to the plot of the story, and while there was quite a bit more rather descriptive encounters in the second half of the book than I generally prefer, I don’t believe this story could have been written nearly as well or effectively without them. This book was very well written & definitely kept my attention and interest. I found myself enjoying it much more than I had expected that I would.
Jordan is haunted by the memory of his best friend and neighbor Gord’s death. Jordan had gone to a job interview and blames himself for not being there to save his friend’s life the day Gord died. When Demi and her guardians move into what used to be Gord’s house, Jordan is not ready to accept someone else living there and takes out his anger and frustration on Demi, who in return takes hers out on him.
Both Demi and Jordan are each dealing with issues that would leave anyone quite traumatized, and each of them must find a way to cope with their problems as well as learn to accept the other into their lives. No matter their personal feelings about each other, they will be neighbors and running into each other very often whether they wish to or not.
This is not a book meant for younger readers. There is some violence and a great deal of very descriptive sex within these pages. It is entirely appropriate to the plot of the story, and while there was quite a bit more rather descriptive encounters in the second half of the book than I generally prefer, I don’t believe this story could have been written nearly as well or effectively without them. This book was very well written & definitely kept my attention and interest. I found myself enjoying it much more than I had expected that I would.
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