Friday 27 October 2017

Tales of the Fantastic: A Fantasy & Paranormal Sample Anthology

This sample anthology features a number of Indie writer and showcases some of their work. I picked it up because it was free and I already read and reviewed some of Grant Leishman's work.

Here is what the blurb says about the other writers:
Six daring authors from around the globe met in an online fantasy/paranormal author team. We present to you:

Daccari Buchelli, a British fantasy novelist, who developed a love for reading at a young age. He found himself drawn to Fantasy genre, with its magical worlds and mythical beings. When away from his trusty ball point pen, Daccari enjoys sketching, as well as horror films, and curling up with a good book and a rich coffee.

Alex E. Carey, a U.S. novelist, was born in Texas and moved to North Carolina for college. When not at work on her latest book, she enjoys reading, walking trails, gem mining and spending time with her family and their three dogs.

David Gilchrist, a UK novelist from Scotland, is a writer of words, a lover of music and a designer of electronics. He has loved fantasy since first reading Lord of the Rings and has been devouring the genre ever since. Wherever his reading takes him, he always finds his way back to dragons, magic and fantasy.

Grant Leishman, a former New Zealander living in the Philippines, started out in finance and journalism, but finally found his true calling in life as a full-time author. When he's not writing, he loves spending time with his family and interacting online with his readers and other authors.

Caitlin Lynagh, originally from Wales, now living in England, received degrees with honors in Biology and Geology. Though she loves science, she also loves writing, and so her first fantasy novel, Anomaly, was born. She also enjoys traveling, reviewing books, and interacting with her readers.

Kim Ross, a born Novocastrian, resides in Australia with her family and their golden retriever. When she isn't writing, she enjoys belly dancing and performs professionally with the Silk Caravan Belly Dance Troupe.

Here is my 4 star review:


I got this book when it was a free promotion. I was already familiar with the work of Grant Leishman and thought this was a good opportunity to try some of his author friends’ work. This book contains sample chapters of novels, short stories and flash fiction. It is mostly in the fantasy genre, hence the title. This book wants to showcase 6 independent writers and tempt the reader to buy the full book via the links at the end of their segment. There are certainly a few writers that caught my eye, I was sorry to arrive at the end of their sample. It is a real mixed bag of styles and topics and some bits are going to appeal more than others. But it is a showcase and in this the book has achieved its goal.

 


Monday 16 October 2017

Sleeping Giants (The Future of London Book 4) by Mark Gillespie

Regular readers of this blog will know that I'm quite a fan of this writer, especially the future of London books. So when I saw book 4 was out I hot-footed it to Amazon. If you click on the picture, you can too. Again a 5 star read.



Discovering this Future of London series has been one of the reading highlights of the year. This is the fourth book in the series. And I’m delighted to report that book 4 continues to be a riveting read.
We have been on quite a journey with our hero Walker. We first met him when he was a rebellious young Scottish teenager and he started to fall in with ‘the wrong crowd’. Then in Mr Apocalypse we meet him again as a shell-shocked young man, living by himself and keeping out of harm’s way. In the Ghosts of London, he is forced to venture deeper into savage London and we see a bolder, harder Walker emerge. Here in The Sleeping Giants he is actively seeking danger.
There is quite a telling scene when Walker sees himself in the mirror; he too sees the changes in him. His eyes show a hardness that can only come with seeing things no-one should see. Even his physical appearance has changed, and gone is the ginger lad from Scotland and a dark haired battle hardened man takes his place. (Are we writing the film script Mr Gillespie? I think Hollywood should consider it.)
The Sleeping Giants could stand on its own as we meet a whole host of new characters with the Sleeping Giants gang, but it would help if you’ve read the other books. There is again some good cutting humour as the Londoners are given phones to chase Pokemons, erm sorry Magic Birds and we get the social media feedback from outside of the M25. If I had one quibble it would be the length of the book, with 203 pages it was over way too soon. The book has a very open ending so I’m sure Mr Gillespie is penning the fifth instalment. Even though I’m super eager to read it, I hope it will be a sizable book.

Saturday 14 October 2017

Murder In The Bush: The Tale of William McDonald by Carmel McMurdo Audsley

I love historical fiction and non fiction. This was based on a true story but it reads like an adventure story and it should appeal to a broad readership. As it deals with murder and rape it is not for the younger reader. Five stars.
Click on the picture to take you to Amazon.



I read the undertaker by this writer, which I loved as it was set in Scotland and the historic background was meticulously researched. Apart from that, it was a great read so I was keen to read something by this writer again. I was not disappointed. It is clear the writer has a great love for Scotland and its history, as she has set the start of this story in the very north of Scotland. William’s journey from 1885 the north of Scotland all the way to Brisbane Australian is as harrowing (the conditions on board the ship) as it is fascinating.
William McDonald the hero of our story, we are told in the foreword was a real person that was murdered in the Australian outback. Both his story and the story of his murderer are chronicled.  Knowing the ending of a book is normally a big let-down when reading a book, but in this case the story was fascinating enough to not let it spoil my reading pleasure. It was a great window into 1880’s Australia and the dangers and hardships the early pioneers experienced. William McDonald died young, but is a perfect example of one of those pioneers that made Australia the place it is today; a modern prosperous country. Recommended.

Friday 6 October 2017

Children Of The Future Kindle by Jane Suen

This one is strictly for the younger reader. I think children over the age of 10 might lose interest as the language is very simple. I gave this 4 stars as I wanted the ending to have a bit more substance.
Click on the picture to take you to Amazon.



This is a nice little thriller for the younger reader. I can imagine a child being glued to the pages, following school bus driver Telly and pupil Billy as they try to find out what happened to the missing children from Billy’s school. The story is told in an easy flowing clear style. Even though this is quite a tense thriller it should not give your youngster nightmares as nothing more sinister is suggested apart from that the children are missing. One of the positive messages from this book is that a small community bands together to help find their missing children. However the book ends rather abruptly and I would have liked a bit more explanation about the people that did good, but went about it in a rather alarming way.

Tuesday 3 October 2017

Silence Of Scandal (Unrivalled Regency Book 1) by Jackie Williams

I'm not a huge fan of romance as it often lacks in story and plot and it can descent into erotica. This one did have a great story and an unconventional heroine at it's heart. I give it 5 stars. Well written and edited too.
Click on the picture to take you to amazon.



I really enjoyed this regency romance. It had an unexpected heroine in the form of Elisabeth Hardacre who not only provided an attractive love interest but an endearing and vulnerable character. Alexander despite all his troubles and the wrongs that have been done to his family is a man to be admired as he deals with that and a marriage he’s been forced into. There are many lighter moments too and I had great fun discovering what was wrong with Alexander’s bride.
There are some racy moments but it never descends too far into erotica. Even though this romance is set in the regency period some of the themes like disability and sexual orientation feel modern. They are not but until more recently they were neatly swept under the carpet and I like how the writer has worked these themes into a historical romance. With the writing also being great, this romance is a cut above some of the other romances I have read. Would love to discover more of this writer.