Rib Bone Jack: Smuggler's Pride by John Williamson

A little late, but a happy new year to all my readers. I hope your year will be a happy and healthy one full of adventure and discovery. If adventure is lacking in real life then you could do worse than picking up this book. However I would start with the first book in the series unfortunately the author does not number his books, but its called the poachers path. I reviewed Legacy of the Rhino by this author last year which was also a very good read.
I gave this 5 stars:

Set during the Napoleonic wars this book will take you back to a time when smugglers and invading forces made the British shores a very dangerous place. Our hero Jack is sent to Wales to look into some illegal activities taking place around Tenby.

Even though this book stands alone as a good adventure with a clear start and finish, I felt I had missed out on the relationships between some of the main characters. This is book 4 and it is clear that a lot of water has passed under the bridge. I wished I had been there at the start of Jack and Camilla’s romance and I might go back to the first book and start the series properly.

The historical details are well researched and used well as a backdrop to an exciting adventure. The book is full of some larger than life characters like the priest Mr Baker with a rather unusual approach to rescue sinners and the almost republican lord Cravith.

Recommended for lovers of historical adventures.

Camp Lenape: It’s supposed to be a fun summer... (A Kahale and Claude Mystery Series Book 1) by Timothy R. Baldwin

Just on the cusp of 2019 another review bringing the total of books reviewed to a measly 13. Lets see if I can do better in 2020. As always I blame work as I tend to be answering emails rather than reading in my breaks. Anyway a teen adventure that I gave 4 stars. I think I'm a bit old and jaded to be truly gripped by this book, but a younger reader probably will be.

I think this book will appeal to all teenagers (young adults) that like an adventure story. For both boys and girls there is a likeable hero in the form of Alissa and Marcus. Alissa is an independent, tomboy who isn’t afraid to fight off a bad guy and my favourite character. I think this will mostly appeal to the early teens and it is a good clean read.

PLOWED OVER: ON THE WING by ELLEN ANN CALLAHAN

I'm having a few days holiday so I'm trying to get a few books read. This was rather a breezy crime novel which I enjoyed reading. The plot wasn't overly complicated and our heroine Happy, likeable enough. A good holiday read which I gave 4 stars. Click on the picture to take you to Amazon.

Of all the names a woman can pick when she goes into witness protection, our heroine picks “Happy Holiday” Once we lower our raised eyebrows we can get to enjoy our murder mystery.

There is much to like about this book; a good pace, action and a plucky but stubborn heroine. She is a woman with a dark past, which threatens to catch up with her at any point. She struggles with her new secret identity but enjoys her new life as a snowplough driver, well until she ploughs up a body.

The romantic story line made perfect sense to me; Jimmy the state trooper is one of the few people she can be herself with as he knows her background. But if everything in life was straight forwards we wouldn’t have much of a story.

Even though this book deals with murder, gang violence and addiction, I wouldn’t say this is a heavy read. There are some good comedic moments, mainly in the shape of Christine; the ditsy waitress Happy befriends.

This is the second book in the series, but much is explained about “Happy’s” past and I didn’t feel lost at any time. It reads well as a stand-alone. Recommended for crime lovers who don’t want anything too gritty or violent.

The Unity Game by Leonora Meriel

I must say that I was a bit hesitant to pick this book up as philosophical works are not my preferred genre. But I ended up really liking it, mainly because the 3 story lines were so different. It wonders about the afterlife without being religious (far from it, at one point we have a class of alien lifeforms giggling about the concept of religion.) Dark and with at times explicit sex and violence, I gave it 5 stars.

I rather liked this book as it took a fresh look at the meaning of life and what steers humanity. It is told through 3 very different stories.

There is David the money hungry stockbroker who wants it all. I probably preferred this story as it was quite dark and macabre at times. The character development of David was well written; his gradual descent into paranoia and madness.

The alien Noe bouk (it’s spelled different in the book, but I can’t seem to find the right character on my keyboard!) who is coming to the end of its life, lived as a dutiful worker.  It discovers it wants to live on and forms a powerful connection with another being called the Admiral. The style of writing is wildly different and it suits the alien story line well.

Then there is the young Edinburgh girl who searches for meaning in her life after her grandfather Alistair passes away. Through Alistair we get the view of the author into her vision of the afterlife. The story of Elspeth and also David is unresolved, I might have wanted a little more threads tied up, but some readers would be happy to fill in the rest themselves.

The three stories and the different styles they were told in, all worked well. I enjoyed reading the book and would recommend it to anyone wondering about life and the universe.

John Bowman's Cave: Dystopian Urban Fantasy Action Adventure: Archery, Spirituality And Redemption by Erron Adams

I think by the very long subtitle this was a book that doesn't easily slot into a genre. I found the action adventure part the most enjoyable and that's why it got 4 stars. Click on the picture to take you to Amazon.

I found it quite hard to place this novel; Adventure, Metaphysical or something else? I think this one doesn’t fit a niche. The writer maybe wanted to explore what happens to you if you die when you still have many unresolved issues with a loved one. (Did John die looking for his wife while looking for her after a fight?) This book poses as many questions as it answers, which is a good thing if you like your books to have a deeper meaning.

I found the parts I enjoyed the most were when John joined the tribe of the Rory. He learns their ways while remaining an outlander (Outsider) This universe the writer has created is a fascinating one, with different Tribes and well developed characters, and we set off on a cracking adventure trying to find a captured tribeswoman. Maybe the metaphysical was a bit over my head, but if you a lover of adventure you will still enjoy this book. Take from it what you want as it is well written, at times very poetic, but also some fast paced action.