Blog Archives - GRANT LEISHMAN

fear of mystics (saga of mystics book 2) by chris walters

27/4/2017

Fear of Mystics is the second book from Chris Walters in the Saga of Mystics Trilogy. I enjoyed book one, but I would have to say book two was even better. The characters and situations that developed in Book One took on more substance and subtlety in the second book.
It is now over two years since the "event" which changed the world forever. People have been trying to survive during these two years in whatever way they could, banding together in groups based on their needs and natural inclinations.
In the area around Colorado Springs, there are three distinct groups of survivors. There are those who have sought sanctuary with Ted Craven who along with his family, friends and followers have set up The Council, on a defendable area known as The Bluffs. It is Ted's desire to recreate some level of civilisation again and to begin trading, helping and sharing the talents that everyone appears to have been imbued with following the event.
The second group of survivors has banded together under the banner of former martial arts instructor and army colleague of Ted Craven, Eric Fine, or Lord Marshall Fine as he now calls himself. Fine's group are cutthroat bandits only out for themselves and what they can pillage. The conflict between members of Fine's group and Craven's group is always very real and palpable.
Into the mix, we have thrown, The Faith, led by Sal Martino who believe the event and the strange powers are signs of the last days. The Faith considers the Mystics to be an abomination who must repent or be burned. With four young men, known only as Lord's Hammer, Martino is on a crusade to destroy the Mystics.
Add in a group of hybrids, half-animals, half-people and you have all the makings of a fantastic, epic fantasy, which is exactly what the Saga of Mystics Trilogy is. To top off the fun, we also have the appearance of a Dragon. What's a good fantasy without a dragon eh?
I have seen Walters style of writing grow and improve from book one to two. His characters are realistic and easy to identify with. The author does a very good job of tying the various arcs of the story together. I am excited now to see where this will lead, in Book Three - Plague of Mystics.
If you're a fan of epic fantasy, I have no doubt you will love this series. It has been a pleasure, for me, to read the first two books. On to book three now. A solid five stars from this reviewer.

Do pop on over to Amazon and check out the full Saga of Mystics Trilogy as well as the rest of Chris Walters' work.

rectify (a hidden hearts novel book 6) by mary crawford

26/4/2017

Again, I find myself writing a review for one of Mary Crawford's Hidden Heart Novels, this time Rectify.
Despite being far outside of Crawford's probably demographic for her books, I have found myself captivated and enchanted by her sweet, stories that focus on characters that are flawed and/or challenged in some way physically or mentally. She reminds us that we all have our pasts and we all have our crosses to carry, but that doesn't mean we can not find true love and true happiness. As I've said in the past, I seem to have somehow wound up as one of Crawford's beta reader team and that's absolutely fine from my perspective. Her books are easy to read and very enjoyable interludes in a literary world of violence, terror, and horror. Crawford's books are romances with "real" characters and that's what I most enjoy about her writing.
Fans of Crawford's work will be well aware that most of her stories revolve around a loose group of friends and families, who have in common the tattoo business Inked'N. Rectify is no exception, with the main character being Tayanita, former wife of Mark and mother of the autistic and incredibly talented (now a teenager) Ketki.
In a serious bout of Post Partum Depression, Tayanita chose to walk away from her marriage to Mark and baby Ketki, rather than face the possibility that she may harm either herself or Ketki. She has been extremely successful at rebuilding her professional life, as a Scrub Nurse Supervisor, but no so much her personal life. She hates herself for what she did to Mark and Ketki, all those years ago and envisages a life spent on her own.
Enter john, a former Coast Guard Rescue Chopper Pilot whose sight was taken from him in an unfortunate workplace accident. Can John help her rediscover the love Tayanita has been denying herself all these years?
This is a fantastic story, well-written, as always by Crawford and I wouldn't hesitate to recommend it to anyone who loves romance and especially romance with a hard edge and a message.
Five stars from this reviewer for yet another Hidden Heart triumph from Crawford. Keep 'em coming, Mary. They never fail to lift my day.

If you haven't had the chance to check out Mary's wonderful novels yet, by all means pop on over to Amazon and do so. You won't regret it.

Reader Magnets: Build Your Author Platform and Sell more Books on Kindle by nick stephenson

24/4/2017

Reader Magnets by Nick Stephenson is a short, how-to book on building an email list, something all us authors are encouraged to do if we want to reach new readers.
Stephenson addresses the best way to build our list, by using free books as funnels to gain subscribers. I don't think there's anything particularly novel about that idea, I've seen it bandied around by many authors, however, there are some aspects of his book that I found particularly useful, insightful and informative.
His contention that we are not competing with each other for readers is something I've long been championing myself and I can only applaud him for this. The idea of building trust, with our potential readers by offering them other author's books when they are on special is a real winner in my book and good on him for that.
What was missing, from the book, I felt, was advice for authors with few books, or those who have limited rights to some of their books i.e. hybrids. Some advice on writing, short, interesting books quickly, to provide for the two free books required to implement this program, would have helped. Having said that, that wasn't the purpose of the book and I understand that.
For what it set out to show, Stephenson was clear, concise and easy to follow. I have no doubt if you were to put this idea into practice, you would increase your sales.
A useful addition to the self-publishers tool-kit.

You can pop on over to Amazon and check out all the other books this highly successful author has written .

Dear Maude (The dear maude trilogy) (book 1) by denise liebig

24/4/2017

How do I write a review of Denise Liebig's Dear Maude, the first book in the Dear Maude Trilogy, that does the book the justice it deserves, without giving away too much of the plot? Ah therein lies the conundrum.
Conundrum is a very useful word in describing Dear Maude. It is full of conundrums and paradoxes, that make you think, make you pause and make you question what you know about physics, science and of course the paradox of time-travel.
The whole time-travel thing caught me on the hop. I hadn't read much about Dear Maude until I dived into it and my initial thought was this is classic chick-lit. Exceptionally well-written and enjoyable chick-lit, in my opinion, but chick-lit nonetheless. By the time I realised it was so, so, much more than that, I was totally hooked. Suffice it to say, this is the best book within its genre that I've read in many al long day and I would go even further to say this is one of the better books I've ever read. Definitely a contender for a coveted "Grunter" award at the end of this year. I often talk in my reviews about the joy of discovering fresh, exciting and new indie talent. Denise Liebig is definitely that. She puts many a big-5 author to shame, in my humble opinion.
Okay, so the story is pretty straightforward, to begin with. Emily (Em) needed a scholarship to go to University and the quid pro quo for the scholarship was that she had to agree to work for the Evergreen Foundation for four years after graduation. No big deal, right? What're four years, for a degree? WRONG! It doesn't take too long for Em to figure out she's sold her soul to the devil - and that's all I'm telling you about the plot. Read it yourself - you'll love it.
As a debut novel, Dear Maude was an outstanding success. That Liebig has been able to follow up Dear Maude with the remaining two books in the trilogy is a testament to her seriousness as an author and her consistency. I literally cannot wait to read Books 2 & 3 now.
If you like time-travel, with all its conundrums and paradoxes, or if you like a female protagonist with strength, character, and determination, you'll love Dear Maude. I sure did and give it the full 5-Star treatment. Kudos to the author and long may she continue to turn out fine books like this debut novel.

Definitely do check out this and the rest of the Dear Maude series, here on Amazon. You won't be sorry you did.

extropia: mind game by robin bootle

23/4/2017

Extropia by Robin Bootle caught me just a little by surprise, but not in a nasty way. I was expecting a science fiction story, but what I got was much more than that. Extropia is a compelling Young Adult story revolving around a virtual reality game. What would happen to you if you could enter a virtual reality game and all the characters were real, had feelings, and could suffer pain? To make matters worse, anything that happened to you, inside the game (injuries, death etc), also would occur to your body, in suspended animation, out in the real world.
This was the basic premise of Extropia and I found it both exciting and hard to put down. It was an action-packed story with characters that were believable and easy to identify with and empathise with, even the baddies (at times).
Edwards is a teenager, whose father and brother supposedly was killed whilst experimenting with this exciting new game they were working on inventing (Extropia). A year later Edward discovers that his father and brother may in fact still be alive, trapped inside the game, although his brother James is near death. Time is of the essence and Edward plus agents from the CyberCrime unit must try to rescue his parents and defeat a crazy millionaire who has his own plans for Extropia. Throw in a bit of a teenage love crush between Edward and the young Cybercrime agent and you have a compelling young adult story.
My only negative with the story and it is a minor one at that was I felt sometimes things just seemed to happen as little conveniently at times, but hell, it's a video game at the end of the day, so why not!
This is an excellent premise, a good story, well told and ensured that I'll be a starter to read the next installment of this saga, with book two. Good job to the author and I recommend this to not just young adults, but anyone who likes a bit of sci-fi or has an interest in gaming. Very enjoyable.

You can check out Extropia by Robin Bootle here on Amazon. You'll be glad you did.

out of the dark (the revenge series book 1) by marshall hughes

19/4/2017

Out of the Dark is the debut novel from Marshall Hughes and for a first-up effort, he's produced a really good story, delving inside the mind of a serial killer.
Jayden Scott is just your average over-achiever, but he holds a chilling secret inside. He has killed and more importantly, he has killed multiple times. He is a serial killer.
The story is told principally through Jayden's eyes, in the first person, although on a few occasions we do see the perspective move to other characters, also in the first person. If I was to make just a small constructive criticism of Hughes' writing style, it would be in these transition points to new characters' perspectives. The transition wasn't as clear as it probably should be, but as with all new novelists, I am happy to acknowledge it is a learning curve and it will improve as time goes on. A minor grumble in a well-told story.
Jayden and his Mother were abused and beaten by his father. as a young man and quite naturally it seemed, his father would be his first victim.
I enjoyed the twists and turns of the investigations into the murder(s) and especially how close the Detective actually came to pinning them on Jayden.
Despite the nature of Jayden's clearly deranged mind, it was easy to feel some connection and empathy with the character and given this was a serial killer, that is a large kudos to the author.
The introduction of the love interest into Jayden's world spiced up the whole story. Hughes was able to use the character of Kristina to delve deeper into the makeup of the sociopathic and psychopathic mind that is a serial killer. Again, this was a clever tool used by the author.
All in all, this is a sound and solid entry into the writing world by Hughes and I definitely did enjoy the book enough to be looking for Book Two when it is available.
I'd give this book four and a half stars if I could, but given we are only allowed whole stars, I'll round that up to the full five.
An excellent start to what I'm sure will be a fine author career from Hughes.

Do check out, Out of the Dark on Amazon. It's well worth a read.

the prophecy (saga of the chosen book 1) by petra landon

18/4/2017

The first thing I want to say about The Prophecy by Petra Landon is what a sheer joy it is to read a full-length epic fantasy novel again. Far too many of the fantasy books on the market today are just short, teasers hooking the reader into a series. That can't be said about The Prophecy, which at 418 pages on Kindle is a truly satisfying, chunky and meaty read. Yes, it is part of a series, but at least the author has not shortchanged the reader with a novelette, as so many fantasy authors these days seem wont to do.
The second thing I want to say about The Prophecy is what a stunningly enjoyable and exciting read it is. I've often said the one thing I like best about reading indie authors is that every so often you come across one that writes stuff that truly enthralls you. Fantasy, as a reader, is not generally my preferred genre, but The Prophecy overrode all my doubts about that. I found the story and the characters so compelling, I just had to keep turning the pages to find out what happened next in this book.
The basic premise of The Prophecy is that there lives amongst us a group of beings, collectively called The Chosen. The Chosen are comprised of four types; Vampires, Shapeshifters (Werewolves if you will), Wizards and The Originals. The number one tenet of these groups is that humans must never find out about their existence. Despite a loose coalition of The Chosen, there is intense rivalry and hatred between the groups. So, when Tasia, a wizard of immense and as yet, untapped powers, rescues a shapeshifter, being held captive by rebel shape-shifters, a fascinating tale of mystery, intrigue, and romance begins to develop.
I don't want to give away too much of the plot of The Prophecy. but the most fascinating dimension of the books was the interactions between Tasia and the Alpha of the Northern California shape-shifters Raoul, or simply Alph. The dynamic interplay between these two characters was beautifully written and full of tension, suspense, plus a fair degree of sardonic humour. I cannot wait to see how this relationship plays out in the next book of the series.
It appears that this is Landon's first novel and as such is worthy of considerable praise as a debut novel. It is fast-paced, always exciting and draws the reader into a world that possibly exists all around us, without us knowing it. I think Landon is a bright new talent in the urban-fantasy world and I, for one, will be waiting with baited breath for the next offering from this uber-talented, debut author.
A great job and kudos to the author. A five-star winner from this reviewer.

Check out The Prophecy by Petra Landon here on Amazon:

rebel lexis (rings of Polaris Book 1) by paul alan

18/4/2017

Rebel Lexis is a Dystopian novelette, that did capture my imagination. At just 118 pages on Kindle, however, I found it way too short for my liking. There simply is not enough opportunity to develop the characters and especially the dystopian world, the story is set in. That having been said, I enjoyed this read very much. The concept, of love between a human and a synthetic human (robot - call it what you will) was too fascinating to allow me to put the book down easily. This was the fascinating aspect of the book, for me.
It was a well-told story and although I'm aware it is part of a series and written to a trend of short, sharp, stories, for those with short attention spans, I still prefer my reads to have a lot more meat on their bones than was evident in Rebel Lexis. We join Jason Bjorn, a spaceship captain for the Polaris Corporation (Which these days rules the world) as he undertakes some very illegal black market smuggling to allow him the lifestyle and DNA upgrades he covets. Caught in the middle of a potential rebellion, Jason and his synthetic partner are soon fighting for their very existence.
This is a gripping, fast-paced story, which had me wanting more. Of course, there was no more to be had in this short book, however, it is fair to say I am intrigued enough by what I read in this book to continue reading about the ongoing adventures of Jason and his beloved SYN, Rebel Lexis. An intriguing read and for dystopian fans who like Science Fiction added to the mix, this may well be the book and the series you've been looking for.

You'll find Paul Akllan is a prolific author. To check out Rebel Lexis and his other offerings, visit his Amazon Author page, here:

tomoiya's story: escape to darkness by c. a. king

18/4/2017

Escape to Darkness is a novelette and therein lies one of the problems for me. A just on 100 pages on Kindle, I believe there's not enough opportunity to develop a full story and a full set of characters. I am aware this is the trend, catering for the short attention span of readers, but as an avid and long time reader, it is not one I particularly enjoy.
That having been said, Tomoiya's story does have som really good things going for it. Basically, it is an alternative offering on the source of Vampires. A cross between a Science Fiction and a Fantasy, Tomoiya's Story sets the race of Vampires as an alien race, from the dark side of the Universe. The idea of "Golden Vampires", who can cry tears of diamonds, was a great addition to the story and opened up lots of possibilities for the inherent greed of all creatures to shine through. Although the title is Tomoiya's Story, in some ways she is merely the narrator of Allaynie's Story. Allaynie's Story was told in Tomoiya's Book, but it ended at her wedding and this story tells what happened after.
In some places I felt the story just came together way too easily and coincidentally, requiring significant suspension of belief. I also found the start to be somewhat confusing and jumbled, requiring me to work out exactly what was happening and why?
Nevertheless, Tomoioya's story was a good, quick, read and if you like your fantasy mixed with a bit of science fiction and a good love story thrown in for good measure, Escape to Darkness, Tomoiya's Story No.1 could well be the book for a quick, easy read. I enjoyed the story concept enough to ensure I'll be checking out the next installment of Tomoiya's Story.

C. A. King is a prolific author, so do pop on over to Amazon and check out what else the author has to offer.

rannigan's redempton: part 1: resisting risk by pandora spocks

10/4/2017

Rannigan's Redemption by Pandora Spocks really was much more than I initially expected. I was aware of Spocks' writing being of the erotic variety and yes, there is enough hot and steamy sex scenes in Rannigan's Redemption to keep any aficionado happy, but it is so much more than just erotica. This is a damn good, well-written, love story that features a female lead character, in Maggie, who is strong, intelligent, savvy, and has just the right amount of feistiness.
When Maggie, is employed by Michael Rannigan's Law firm as a junior lawyer, neither of them can deny the mutual attraction they have for each other. Michael has a well-ordered life of luxury, with even his girlfriends falling into a well-organised category. Maggie, simply, isn't Michael's preferred taste, but there is absolutely no denying the chemistry between the pair. Compounding matters, for both of them, is the issue of the boss/employee relationship.
I found Spocks' characters, even the lesser players, to be well-drawn, very believable and incredibly easy to relate to. This is always the sgn of a superior writer, which Spocks clearly is.
As I often like to remind readers of my reviews, by focusing on the very best Indie Auhors out there, us lucky readers get to indulge in some wonderful, fresh perspectives and styles, in the genres we love.
I would highly recommend Pandra Spocks and especially this novel, Rannigan's Redemption for a great read. 5-Stars all the way and yes, I ow absolutely have to read Part 2 to find out where this burgeoning relaionship will head next. A fantastic read Ms Spocks - Thank you.

Do pop n over to Pandora Spocks' Amazon page and check out what other exciting things she has on offer.

morium: book one of the young adult supernatural trilogy by s.j. hermann

7/4/2017

S J Hermann's Young Adult, Supernatural Thriller poses a fascinating construct. What would happen if you took two teenage friends, both the subject of severe and traumatic High-School bullying and suddenly endowed them with super powers? How would they react? Would they use their new-found powers for good, or would they use them to extract "payback" on the many who had made their lives a living hell, for as long as they could remember?
Enter Nathan and Alexandria, two typical teenagers from small-town America, who have both suffered greatly over the years by being mercilessly bullied and abused every single day of their High-School lives.
The only way, they have coped with this horrific abuse has been to hold on tight to their friendship and each other, along with their only other friend, Stacy, similarly an outcast, but prepared to fight back, when necessary.
Lexi, Nathan, and Stacy embark on a journey that will truly change their lives forever.
This story is told by Hermann, with power and a strong empathy for both main characters. Despite the divergent paths these two embark o, it is easy to understand and feel for the decisions and dilemmas both of them face. Not for the faint of heart, Hermann pulls no punches in his depiction of horror and hopelessness of the human condition.
As a parent, I found myself wondering, how much do we really know about what our kids are experiencing on a daily basis. This book gave me food for thought and nobody can ask more of a novel, than that.
Hermann's teaser of Book Two, at the end of this story, did its job well. I now know I have to read Book Two to find out what happens to the trio next.
Kudos to Hermann. The begInning of what I know will be a fascinating trilogy.

Pop on over to Amazon and check out this trilogy plus all of S J Hermann's work.

dying thoughts - third wish by joey paul

3/4/2017

Dying Thoughts: Third Wish by Joey Paul, is a Young Adult, crime solver thriller. Although, probably not my first genre of choice, I fund this book an interesting and satisfying read. Reading it, it became apparent that this story is just one of a series of tales, involving the two, young heroes, Tara and Kaolin.
Tara is a typical fifteen-year-old, who hates school, where she is mercilessly bullied for something she didn't even do. When the summer holidays rolls around, she looks forward to six weeks of sleeping in and having fun with her best friend. Dad has other ideas, though and determined to teach Tara some responsibility, he has secured her an unpaid, summer job with a "Make A Wish" style charity for terminally ill people.
Tara is none too pleased with this turn of events and makes sure her Dad is left in little doubt of her annoyance. With little choice, but to follow through, the fun starts.
You see, Tara has a gift, inherited from her murdered Mother. If Tara touches something owned by a dead person, she gets to see the last few moments of that person's life, horrific that that might be.
Tara secretly helps the local police inspector, solve crimes, with her special gift, but what does Tara discover when she begins working for the Charity?
This book is well written, with the characters, especially Tara, well developed. I found myself, as a parent, shaking my head, along with Tara's Dad at her rebellious nature and attitude at times. Always the sign of a good writer. The story was perhaps a little simplistic and predictable, at times, but nonetheless, for a Y/A audience, I'm sure it would be a damn, good, read.
I enjoyed the read and I can't say fairer than that. A good, well-told story and a solid four-star review, from me.

Why not pop on over to Amazon and check out what Joey Paul has to offer:

red ground: the forgotten conflict: massacres in sierra leone by ken fry

1/4/2017

Regular readers of my reviews will already know what an enormous fan I am, of Ken Fry. When I hear there's a new Fry thriller coming off the presses, I am the first in line to grab a copy. When Red Ground came out, a week or so ago, I thrilled to be able to read it.
Red Ground is a little bit of a departure for Fry, in that it is a military-based, suspense thriller as opposed to the spy-types in some of his other work. Reading Red Ground, I couldn't help but wonder if it had some personal basis for Fry. Either that or his research is meticulous and accurate. I shouldn't be surprised, though, it always is.
Red Ground is set in the vicious, killing fields that were and are the West African civil wars. Set on the border of Sierra Leone and Liberia, the book chronicles the attempt of an insane General, Icechi (Body Chop) Walker to seize a part of Southern Sierra Leone, rich in oil and diamonds, and declare a new state (Salonga), of which he will, of course, be potentate and King.
The story is told from both the first person perspective of a British mercenary recruited to guard the new King and the third person perspective. I found the alternating use of perspectives to be an interesting way of relating the tale. It allowed us to get very up close and personal with the British squaddie, Alex Dalloway and also take in the other characters actions and perspectives. An ingenious use of perspective, in my opinion. A good job Fry.
Red Ground was simply superb and everything I've come to expect from this immensely talented author. Absolutely worth every one of the five-stars and more, that I've awarded it. A fantastic read.
If I was to take one thing away from this horrific tale of genocide and mutilation it would be that famous quote from Edmund Burke; "All that is required, for evil to prevail, is for good men to do nothing." Sadly, all around the world, but especially in West Africa, that is far too often the case.
What a triumph Mr Fry!

Why not pop on over to Amazon and check out the amazing selection of incredible books available by this super-talented man, Ken Fry.

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