The Return of the Pumpkins by Lacey Lane

It has been a while since I reviewed Revenge of the Pumpins, so it was about time I reviewed the follow up. It is FREE on Amazon. I enjoyed this book too and the ending was great. I gave it 4 stars.

The Return of the Pumpkins is a nice little horror short. It follows on from the short story Revenge of the Pumpkins but it can be read on its own as Lacey Lane fills us in on the events that went before. A family brutally murdered and a boy, Peter left with horrendous injuries. We catch up with Peter many years later as he tries to put his live back together in a mental institution. This book mixes sweet young romance as Peter meets Sue, a fellow inmate, with horror as we edge towards the inevitable gory climax. This book was well written and held some surprises. Short and enjoyable.

Destiny of Kings: Epic Heroic Fantasy Series (Covenant of Grace Series Book 1) by Fiona Tarr

I was a little worried when I started reading this book as one of my least favourite genres is Christian fiction. Reading on I found myself swept up in a fantasy adventure that didn't feel too biblical. I enjoyed this and will probably get the next instalment of this series. A five star read that is currently free!

Fiona Tarr has taken the familiar story of David and Goliath, but retold it in a contemporary fashion. I’m not overly knowledgeable on the Bible, but I think some characters are added for dramatic effect and to flesh out others, to give them more of a back story. I enjoyed this book very much as I’m not a huge fan of Christian fiction and this book is more about the character of David, the boy and the man he is becoming. Religion is there but is thankfully not too in your face. The character Jezebel is both sexy and menacing and we become to understand why her name is still used to describe a woman of loose morals. The book is well written and moves at a good pace throughout. This mix of adventure, fantasy and well drafted characters will appeal to a broad range of readers and I recommend it. Christian fiction fans might have a problem with the dark magic and the sexual promiscuous character of Jezebel, but I found it fitted with the story and enjoyed every last page. Looking forwards to the next book; Seed of Hope.

 

Gift of Continence (Fiona MacDougall Book 2) by Tabitha Ormiston-Smith

Book one Dance of Chaos by Tabitha Ormiston-Smith made the top 5 of my favourite books of 2017, so you can imagine I was keen to read the follow up. This book is still very, very funny, but I enjoyed it less than book one. I will give this a 4.5 star.

Book one leaves us with Fiona losing her job and eyeing up a career in policing. It came as a bit of a surprise to find her  marrying long-term on-off boyfriend Tim. It is clear from the outset that Fiona is not marrying purely for love but also for the easy life Tim is willing to offer his stay at home new bride. Soon it becomes clear that living with her new husband is not a bed of roses and when she suspect her husband is cheating, Fiona drafts in the help of her foul mouth friend Gloria and little brother Patrick. This is a very funny book as Fiona and co. deliberate what to do with philandering hubby Tim. I did like the plot and there are a lot of laugh out loud moments, but I did enjoy it less than book one, mainly because I missed the cast of eccentric characters from the first book. Goebels, his sassy but foul mouth assistant and all Fiona’s other colleagues did add much comedy moments. I felt that Fiona was portrayed a bit too naive and silly, I mean she must have had some intelligence to do well on an aptitude test and land the job of programmer.  I would like to see what Fiona does next. What will do her good (like most of us!) is an honest day’s work and a fulfilling relationship, but knowing Fiona her delusional mind will lead her down the path of least resistance right into a big pile of trouble. Fun Aussi comedy, for people who don’t mind a bit of strong language and dark humour.

I got book one as a review copy of the author and enjoyed it immensely, so I promptly asked her for the follow up for an honest and fair review.

A Stitch in Time by Senan Gil Senan

So I finished 2017 having read and reviewed 52 books. Soon as it is the 8th of January I'd better get a review posted! This writer I liked a lot but it took me a while to get back to his work. I enjoy short stories as I mostly read in my lunch break. This bundle was great; 5 stars.

I’ve read a full length novel by this author before; Beyond the Pale; A dystopian fantasy with some very well written characters, thrown in with a good dose of humour. When I saw this bundle of shorts I was hoping to find more of the same but in bite size pieces. There is a strong common thread binding these stories together; time.

I loved how the writer used a number of genres (Sci-Fi, Horror, dystopian) to play with time in the narrative. I’m not normally a fan of Sci-Fi but I loved ‘Hold the bridge’ and it claustrophobic and tense atmosphere, as a space travelling officer wakes up from stasis before her crewmates do. Disoriented and with just one other crewmember awake she sets to work finding out why. The development and conclusion of this story was one of my favourites.

‘Hello Friend’ was also excellent, a satire of our reliance on technology but taking it a little step further into the future. The last story I was less keen on. Like the others it is narrated in the first person, but this one was told by a more advanced alien. I think this muddied the waters a little as we first had to get our head around this being, before we could get into the real story. I found myself drifting off a bit midway, but I did like the ending.

Altogether a bundle of stories that had a strong voice and a coherent theme. I enjoyed it and would recommend.

A Bed of Wild Roses: Flowers of the Aristocracy (Untamed Regency Book 1) by Jackie Williams

What I like about this author is her sense of  humour. It made this book such a easy fun read. If you like historical romance that has some naughty bits but doesn't stray into full erotica, this writer will be for you. This is the second book I've reviewed by Jackie Williams and the writing is such that I won't mind picking up another of her books soon. I gave this 5 stars. Click on the picture to take you to Amazon.

I love romances that are set in a more innocent time. A time where a lady’s shapely ankle could turn a man’s head and an innocent kiss could lead to being assaulted by the girl’s brother. There are many comedy moments as overprotective brother Brendon clobbers best friend Algernon because of some misunderstandings. Felicity is a feisty heroine with a heart of gold and we feel for her when Algernon struggles with his pride and fears for her safety. What should have been a straight forwards romance is anything but; due to a greedy uncle that will do anything to get his hands on Algernon’s estate.

When I say that this is set in a more innocent time; we do all know that behind closed doors things were less innocent! It is clear Algernon and Felicity share an attraction that leaves them both rather hot and flustered. Some off the scenes are sizzling hot and the writer correctly advises that this book is not for the younger reader. For any other fan of historical romance I recommend it. Fun, hot and a good read.

Top 5 of 2017

I was stunned when Goodreads told me I had read and reviewed 51 books in 2017. That is nearly one a week. I do love reviewing as it is the best way to help a (Indie) writer. I've became part the books go social reviewers group on Facebook. Its a great community of writers and reviewers. What I like about it most is that it is a large group and it has writers in all sorts of genres so I can pick and choose what appeals to me. I thought with 51 books read I should come up with a top 5. The 5 star reviews that shone extra bright. Number one and two were easy but then it got harder. So here is my Top 5.

1. The future of London series by Mark Gillespie.
A sharp and satirical alternative version of history. This book won because it had everything; Satire, action and some real human characters (Even a cat!) 

2. Moristoun by Kevin McAllion 
A very Scottish book that totally surprised me. 

3. Dance of Chaos by Tabitha Ormiston-Smith 
Laugh out loud, very Australian, comedy.

4. The Indigo Rebels by Ellie Midwood 
Historic fiction with strong female characters.

 5. The Troubleshooter by Bard Constantine
Original take on the film noir genre. (Bogart meets blade runner)