Friday 28 October 2016

Origins by S.E.Meyer

I really enjoyed this book, but I will have to contact the editor about some of the editing issues. If you are not put off by the odd typo and comma in the wrong place, dive straight in. Self-publishing is all well and good but sometimes we have just too many hats on. Writer, editor, designer, publisist; it is impossible to do them all well. My motto is to hire or bribe the best people you know for the job. The result can be a bad referrence because of poor editing or even worse, no one buys your book because the cover is shockingly bad. Anyway back to the book; I gave it five stars.
Origins by S.E.Meyer

Origins will appeal to the reader that is intrigued by some of the things created by the ancients; like the Nazca lines and the pyramids. The reader that doesn’t dismiss the idea that there might have been some alien influence. But even if you’re a sceptic like me you will still enjoy this book; it is a good action adventure. This is a good story due to two factors; Mr Meyer knows how to write and keep his reader on the edge of his/her seat. Secondly he knows his stuff; you can tell that he has done a lot of research into ancient cultures such as the Sumerians and this lets him blend fiction with fact in a believable way. (there is some very interesting further reading at the end of the book about the Sumerians)
The main character John, is a scientist who has an ordinary but happy life with the woman he loves. Events take over and we see John thrown into a world he had no knowledge off. As he grows into his new role we still recognise the man we had at the start. The love of his family drives him. He is a guy we like and feel comfortable with. This is quite an epic work, but one that keeps the reader engaged until the very end but to find out how things finish you’ll have to read the second part. In my case that won’t be a chore. Reading through some of the other reviews, I’m happy to report that the author has corrected the UK issues.

Monday 10 October 2016

Sucked In (The Series That Just Plain Sucks Book 1) by Charissa Dufour

I had a lot of fun reading this book. I think it will appeal to the fans of the Language in the Blood series and fans of John Hennessy's vampire books. Basically any one who doesn't take their vampires too seriously. I gave it 5 stars.
Sucked In (The Series That Just Plain Sucks Book 1) by Charissa Dufour on amazon.com


When Ashley Hawn is on date with Isaac; an attractive man she has been dating for a while. She innocently mentions that there were rumours of a wizard in her family’s past. He is suddenly a lot more interested in his date and she painfully finds out what he really is. The next few days see her struggling to hold on to her new vampire life. She is helped by her ‘vampire baby sitter’ Nik as the two struggle to find out who wants to capture and sacrifice her. Despite disliking Nik, Ashley recognises she needs him to stay alive. The banter between the reluctant protector and the hapless but stubborn new vampire is what makes this book so much fun to read. Ashley Hawn, the main character is a writer of vampire novels. The sort of novels I normally hate and in which all vampires are attractive, brooding and uber powerful. Thankfully Charissa Dufour isn’t that sort of writer. She takes the whole genre with a healthy dose of humour and a good pinch of salt. She has created in Ashley a heroine that is flawed but also highly entertaining.  I can’t wait to read more about this hapless new vampire.
 


Paradox - Bound By Blood (Paradox series Book 3) by Patti Roberts

I reviewed books 1 and 2 in the series quite a while ago, so I was glad the pace of the third book was a bit calmer. It allowed me to get back into this fairly complex story and get reacquainted with all the characters. Patti (who designed the Language in the Blood covers) continues strongly with this excellent series. And of course the cover of Bound by Blood is beautiful. 5 star read.
Paradox-Bound By Blood (Paradox series Book 3) by Patti Roberts on Amazon.com


Bound by Blood is the third book in the Paradox series and probably my favourite so far. We were introduced to a lot more characters in book two and I was pleased to learn more about their back stories in Bound by Blood. Especially Claire proves to have a few skeletons in her family’s closet. Now three books in I have a much clearer idea about Altair and what’s at stake. Patti has succeeded in knitting the events that took place in Altair together with the events taking place on earth and around Grace. The pace is a bit calmer initially as we switch between the present and historic events on Altair, but towards the end the tension rises, mainly due to the fact that both Abaddon and Pandora have arrived in the present. The book ends again on a heart stopping cliff-hanger so I’m off to Amazon for book 4 in the series.
 



Friday 23 September 2016

Wolf Eye Alibi (Wolf Eye Lighthouse Series) (Volume 2) by Terri Lyndie

I normally don't start a series at the second book, but I was assured this was a stand alone book. The writer just has set a few books in the (I assume) fictional and eccentric town of Wolf Eye. It is my first book by this author and I'm pleased to have discovered yet another talented independent author. This was a fun and 5 star read.
Wolf Eye Alibi (Wolf Eye Lighthouse Series) (Volume 2) by Terri Lyndie on Amazon

The books starts strongly with a wedding descending into chaos as the Groom and Bride are arrested for murder. I was hooked from the first chapter as I followed hapless bridesmaid Mia run from the law when the local cops wants to arrest her and the groom’s brother (Jonah) too, as accessories to murder. The character of Mia is great; a pampered Manhattan princess out of her depth in the Michigan wilderness. I chuckled as she was thrown from one ordeal to another; fighting off mosquitoes as well as Jonah’s advances. As this book is written from a first person perspective we experience these ordeals first hand and you can’t but help liking Mia. A few chapters in I was rooting for her and Jonah to get together and find out who framed the not-so-happy couple.  Even though this is the second book in the series, it stood perfectly on its own and I had at no point the feeling that I had missed something. Funny, racy and action packed till the end.

Tuesday 13 September 2016

Losing Nuka (Litmus Book 1) by Kayla Howarth

One of the lovely things about being part of a writers group (IASD) is to share our experiences. Being it our highs or lows, other writers sharing help us connect better with the world. A few years ago I would not have considered blogging and engaging on other social media. Kayla Howarth is one of the success stories coming out of our group. She must be very hard working as I see her name popping up everywhere and her books are now getting the attention they deserve. She has taken the brave step to concentrate fully on her writing and I think it is paying off. Book 2 in the Litmus series has just been released and I thought it was high time to see what Kayla has been doing with her time. I enjoyed the Institute series so I knew it was not going to be a chore. I'm glad I found this a five star read too.
Losing Nuka (Litmus book 1) by kayla Howarth on Amazon.com

Losing Nuka is the spin off from the Institute series, of which I devoured the first 3 books. First the good news; Allira married Jayce and had a baby together (yeah!). The couple live happily together in the suburbs with Nuka, William and their daughter Illyana. Now the bad news; time has moved on from the end of the last book and the little six year old Nuka is now a stroppy 18 year old teenager. She knows Allira isn’t her real mother but when she starts digging into her back ground she discovers that a lot of things were hidden from her; including who her birth mother is. From here on the book could be carrying the tag line: Be careful what you wish for, lest it come true. Nuka blunders into the world as only stroppy teenagers can and starts looking for her biological mum. Her privileged back ground does not prepare her for the underground world of illegal fights (Litmus) and all other sorts of shenanigans her biological mother is involved in.
The style of this book will be familiar to Kyla’s fans. We see the world from the perspective of the main character; Nuka. We experience her love, pain and doubts first hand. We might not have great sympathy at the start for this girl but as we experience her growth as a woman so directly, we certainly have a few chapters in. The dialogue is again sharp and packed with humour. Especially when Nuka and her love interest Brett are sparring it out. There are some good characters here and the action comes thick and fast. I found myself rubbing my rib cage as I joined Nuka on her journey into the belly of Litmus and she had her ass handed to her after a rough fight. Great stuff Ms Howarth. It would be better to read the institute series first as this is a continuation of the story, but I think you would have no problem reading this book as a stand-alone. Most of the returning characters are explained just not in great detail. Looking forwards to Saving William, the next in the Litmus series.