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fear justice (the fear chronicles book 1) by C.C. Bolick

29/4/2019

Reviewed For Readers' Favorite by Grant Leishman

Fear Justice (The Fear Chronicles Book 1) brings us a fast-paced, young adult, spy thriller from the pen of C. C. Bolick. Seventeen-year-old Rena Mason has one thing on her mind; graduating her senior year at high-school, getting a full scholarship so she can study aeronautical engineering and most of all, getting out of the hick Florida town she has lived in since she was six-years-old. Rena used to love their life there but all that changed three years ago when they were involved in a car accident that saw Rena’s beloved mother killed. With her father taking to the bottle, Rena was forced to grow up way too soon and assume full responsibility for looking after her little brother. Little did Rena realise the appearance of a new boy at school would change her life forever. When her father is kidnapped by terrorists, Rena needs to confront the idea that her father had a secret existence and life before they moved to their tiny trailer-home in their small town. When it seems the terrorists are actually after her, Rena starts to understand that she may be much more than she originally thought, also and that her mother might not have been just the loving housewife and mother she had always known and missed every single day since her death.

C. C. Bolick has produced an extremely readable and exciting action thriller that is tailor-made for the young adult audience it is undoubtedly aimed at. Fear Justice (The Fear Chronicles Book 1) is doubtless the start of what promises to be an exciting series featuring these young “secret agents”. I would probably describe best this story, as a cross between Men in Black and X-Men. The idea of a super-secret government agency tasked with dealing with aliens and those humans with enhanced powers, either genetically received or by accident is certainly one that has been done before but I found Bolick’s slant on the story to be refreshing and novel. I particularly liked the developing relationship between Rena and Travis. The idea that they are falling for each other and yet are not able to actually touch each other; skin to skin, is intriguing and opens up all sorts of possible story arcs in the next book in the series. I also found the “super power” attributed to Rena to be odd and unusual enough to lift the story above the run-of-the-mill young adult thrillers. Rena is a superb character with strength and vulnerability that shines through in every page. If you like action-packed, aliens, paranormal, and a whole helping of romance, this is definitely the book and series for you. I thoroughly enjoyed it and I am about as far from a young adult as it’s possible to get.

You can find Fear Justice here on C. C. Bolick's Amazon page, along with the rest of her extensive portfolio:

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changing angels by julie elizabeth powell

24/4/2019

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Changing Angels from Julie Elizabeth Powell was a warm, romantic, change of pace for me. I found the story of two star-crossed lovers who somehow just missed each other quite touching.
Jake came from an abusive home where he was treated like garbage by both his parents and even his older siblings. He left home to escape from the pain as soon as he was able and although he flirted around the edges of the law, he always had a strong moral compass that kept him roughly on the straight and narrow and at least out of serious trouble. A chance encounter with a young girl on a bus would leave Jake and the girl, Faith, with the belief there was something destined for them both, together.
Faith's life was thrown into disarray when her beloved father died and her mother remarried a wealthy businessman, which gave them the security they needed but it also gave faith a step-brother she could well do without. Faith knew Lawrence was evil and had designs on much more than brotherly love, so was relieved when her mother sent her away to boarding school.
Jake and Faith briefly reconnect while she is at boarding school but when Faith mysteriously disappears one day, they are again torn apart. Despite the years that pass, Jake always believes he will find Faith again but will it all be too late for the lovers?
This was an enjoyable and satisfying read. I've been a fan of Julie Elizabeth Powell for some time and this was the first non-fantasy book of hers I'd read. In some ways it reminded me of the emotions and angst in one of my own books and I certainly identified with that.
If you like a good, solid, story-line with real, strong characters both male and female, I'm sure you'll love this and if you're a hopeless romantic, like me, I know you will. An excellent read and one I can highly recommend.

You can find all of Julie Elizabeth Powell's wonderful books, including Changing Angels, here on her Amazon page:

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karrin: warrior woman (Excalibur saga book 4) by sahara foley

24/4/2019

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Reviewed For Readers' Favorite by Grant Leishman

In this, the fourth book of Karrin: Warrior Woman, Excalibur Saga, by Sahara Foley, we find human Karrin, alone, abandoned on the planet Switch, with only her two-tailed, monkey-like friend Brownie for company. Karrin has been alone ever since her rescuer, hero, and true love Ispepyein leader, Lurga Pukani had seemingly abandoned her some three years earlier. When Brownie continually disappears from time to time and returns with “gifts” for Karrin, she is intrigued as to where they come from. Following Brownie on one of his sorties, Karrin discovers the massive wreck of a cargo ship. Discovering nobody aboard except the ship’s artificial intelligence along with a cargo of a powerful, radioactive silver substance, she discovers that the Calens are coming for her and intend to destroy her. Regaining her Ispepyein Warrior Child mantle and her confidence, Karrin is determined to fight to the end like a true Ispepyein Warrior. She may die but she will take as many of them with her as she can. So begins an adventure through the galaxies, the Universes and the dimensions that will see Karrin and her forebears locked in a battle for survival for not just themselves, or their species, but for the whole of their Universe.

I like my Science Fiction to be less technically driven and more emotionally driven. Karrin: Warrior Woman, Excalibur Saga Book 4, is just such a character driven story. Sahara Foley has written a tale of adventure, love and survival that transcends the setting of Science Fiction. The author introduces some weird and wonderful creatures into her world but always underlying everything is the deep love and affection between the characters, despite their many physical and emotional differences. I think I was particularly drawn to this story as it used the notion of panspermia (seeding of life) as one of the basic precepts of the story. I love the idea that perhaps all life in the Universe has originally come from some powerful, supreme race that has seeded the galaxies and created many diverse and fascinating life-forms – humanity included. I particularly loved the relationships developed and nurtured in this story, especially between former enemies and also between races seemingly so different yet still capable of feeling powerful and abiding love for each other. I haven’t read any of the earlier books in this series but that wasn’t necessary. The author was extremely adept at dropping gems of information into the narrative that explained what had gone before and why a character now reacted the way he/she did. This was a wonderful read and one I can highly recommend not only to all Science Fiction fans but also to a wider audience. Ultimately it is a beautiful love story that happens to be set among the glories of the Universe.

You can find the entire Excalibur series here, along with all of her work, on Sahara Foley's Amazon page:

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out of thin air (hidden Hearts #11) by Mary crawford

21/4/2019

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Opening a new Mary Crawford book, whether it be from the Hidden Beauty or Hidden Hearts series is, for me, like coming home to my family and friends. The many and varied characters that Crawford has brought into my reading life over the years are a part of me now. It is true that not all the characters pop up in every book, but enough of them do to provide that continuity and comfort that is so much a part of Crawford's work, for me, as a reader.
Out of Thin Air, her latest Hidden Hearts book is no exception. This story of Dylan and Lauren's love affair and story is a little darker than some of her earlier works but, as always, Crawford's ability to show the deep humanity and also the angst of her characters shines through. Dylan is a Florida police detective who is young and successful at his job. He is committed to his role in society of putting away the "bad guys", often to the detriment of his personal life. Dylan's success leads to his appointment as the leader of a task-force to investigate cold cases where children went missing and to try to discover what happened to them and if, perhaps, they are still alive somewhere.
Lauren was only six when her nine-year-old sister disappeared, some twenty-odd years ago. Lauren and April were just playing outside and one moment April was there, the next she was gone. For the next twenty years Lauren's mother played the role of the victim to perfection often blaming Lauren for her sister's disappearance and even suspecting the little six-year-old of somehow being involved. When Lauren's beloved father committed suicide just three years after April's disappearance, Lauren was left alone to suffer her mother's hateful and spiteful invective. Now twenty-nine, Lauren still lives with her mother and although she is a relatively successful businesswoman she is beset by doubts, insecurities and is subject to panic attacks.
When April's disappearance becomes Dylan's first cold-case to investigate, the emotions and the attraction between him and Lauren is obvious but how can Dylan separate his emotions from his job that may eventually lead to the knowledge that Lauren's beloved sister is actually dead.
Like all Crawford's works, I loved this story and appreciated the fact that the author was delving a little deeper into her character's psyches. This was a wonderful story that I was instantly caught up in and invested in. Crawford has a writing style that is simple, unpretentious and extremely readable.
I can thoroughly recommend this book to anyone who loves good, honest romance with characters that are both very human and flawed. Another absolute winner from my "go to" author when I need some reassurance that there is something special about humanity. Thank you Mary for reminding us that flawed as we may be, we are all capable of great warmth, great love and great compassion.

You can take a look at Out of Thin Air plus all of Mary Crawford's extensive portfolio, here on her Amazon page.

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deja vu (The Persistence of Memory Book #1) by karen janowsky

21/4/2019

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Reviewed For Readers' Favorite by Grant Leishman

As they say… “…and now for something completely different.” That is exactly what Déjà vu: The Persistence of Memory by Karen Janowsky, brought me. This book took me completely by surprise with both its premise and its development. Major Daniel Hecht was somewhat of an enigma. A sickly, weak, American Jew who was captured by the Nazis in 1938, Daniel was subjected to horrific experiments by the Nazi overlords who were working on a formula to make the “perfect” soldier. When Daniel was finally freed by a group of partisans, he was used and abused by the American armed services for his special abilities. Then, right in the middle of the war something odd happened and Daniel was thrust through time to 2012 where he was again recruited by an organisation who wanted to use his special talents along with some other “super heroes” to keep the forces of evil at bay. When Daniel, an awkward introvert meets Nina, a new recruit, both instantly know there is something special between them. Despite neither having memories of the event, they are sure they have always known each other, and that there is a special bond between them. Daniel, Nina and the rest of the rag-tag super heroes set about to try to stop the collection of ancient artefacts that together could create a super weapon for the forces of evil.

I absolutely loved this book. The premise was so outlandish and the story so personal and real you, as a reader, could not help being drawn into the jumbled world of Daniel and Nina. Déjà vu: The Persistence of Memory is an enigma in itself. Somehow author Karen Janowsky has managed to combine an action-packed narrative of super-heroes with a sweet, beautiful love story that plays out between Daniel and Nina. Both characters are so incredibly naïve as to the ways of the world that at times you really want to shout at them… “for God’s sake, just do it.” The writing style is relaxed and comfortable. I was able to read this book in a single setting. It is one of those stories you just simply cannot put down because you are always searching for the next step, the next move in the relationship. The erotic writing in the book is a very small part, but an extremely powerful part. I felt the author handled these scenes with such tenderness and care that it was an absolute pleasure to read. If you love good Science Fiction or Fantasy with plenty of twists and turns, or if you just love a ripping good adventure yarn with plenty of romance, you will love this book. I did and I can highly recommend it.

You can take a look at Deja vu (The Persistence of Memory Book #1), here on Karen Janowsky's Amazon page:

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Rational Religion (The Mystery of Freemasonry and the Quest to find the Jesus of History) by Tony Sunderland

18/4/2019

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Reviewed For Readers' Favorite by Grant Leishman

Rational Religion: The Mystery of Freemasonry and the Quest to Find the Jesus of History takes us on a journey through time, back even past the birth of Jesus to the time when man first began to gather together in communities and to question their place in the Universe. Author Tony Sunderland has approached the subject from the beginning precepts of Freemasonry and his knowledge and understanding of the craft. He takes us through the basic concept of pantheism that predicates Freemasonry and the idea that this is an organisation of secrecy and development designed for the individual to discover enlightenment personally through following levels of study and to awaken the spark of the divine that is believed, by the Freemasons, to be a part of us all. We then travel back to the dawn of civilisation to examine the ideas and philosophies that governed ancient groupings of humanity, including the two most influential of them all; the Egyptians and the Greeks. The author then examines the greatest religion of the past two millennium, that of Christianity. He looks to the bible and to other historical sources to try to understand who Jesus was and what his place was in contemporary Jewish society of the time. Unlike many works, the author focuses on the human, Jewish, Jesus as opposed to the divine, Messianic, Jesus.

I love books that challenge established precepts and that investigate what often seems to be the impossible and Rational Religion: The Mystery of Freemasonry and the Quest to Find the Jesus of History does exactly that. Firstly Author Tony Sunderland’s exposition on the origins and purposes of Freemasonry was fascinating. As a former member of a Druidic Order, I had often wondered about the mysterious nature of Freemasonry and of course had always heard of the “conspiracy theories” regarding the Knights Templar, the Illuminati, and the Catholic Church, so I did find his simple explanations fascinating, even if he was still unwilling to divulge too many of the secrets of the Order. Secondly the honest attempt to discover the real, human, Jewish, Jesus was enlightening on its own. I was enthralled with his attempts to draw a possible relationship between the Jewish Jesus and the isolationist Jewish sect of Qumran, from where we received the Dead Sea Scrolls. This was, for me, riveting reading. His comparison between the mind-set of the Jewish people in 70CE, before the destruction of the second Temple and that of people today was simply chilling, frighteningly realistic and perhaps even prophetic. The only thing missing from this exposition, I felt, was some nod to the concepts of “New-Age thought”, as expressed by the likes of Prentice Mulford and Joseph Campbell. The idea of divinity being inside of every human is central to this movement. Nevertheless, this is a fascinating and very readable book that I highly recommend anyone who has ever asked the question, “why”, reads.

You can find Rational Religion, along with the rest of Tony Sunderland's portfolio, here on his Amazon page:

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don't expect me to cry: refusing to let childhood sexual abuse steal my life by janet bentley

11/4/2019

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Reviewed For Readers' Favorite by Grant Leishman

Nobody who has not experienced child sexual abuse could possibly understand the immense pain and self-loathing that such a person experiences in later life. This is perfectly illustrated to us in Janet Bentley’s heart-rending and powerful memoir, Don’t Expect Me To Cry: Refusing to let Childhood Sexual Abuse Steal My Life. Bentley takes us expertly through the trauma that first occurred when she was just four-years-old and the one man who was supposed to be her protector and guide in life became instead an evil monster when he forced her into sexual acts of which she had no understanding and would scar her for the rest of her life. Janet faced multiple abusers apart from her own father, over the years but always, despite the pain, the depression, the addictions to alcohol and prescription medicine, the teenage abortions and not to mention a physically bereft marriage, she somehow managed to rise above it all and take control of her life – a control she had so cruelly been denied as a child. Although her childhood sexual abuse was an integral part of everything she suffered through later in life she was equally determined that it would not be the defining feature of her existence. She always sought the professional help she needed and even when that wasn’t to her advantage, she never gave up.

Few books have touched me, as a father and a grandfather, as Don’t Expect me to Cry: Refusing to let Childhood Sexual Abuse Steal My Life, by Janet Bentley’s did. As a man it is sometimes easy to gloss over the horrific effects of child abuse on the young person. “It was ages ago – just let it go and move on,” is often our response to such things. What the author shows us, so powerfully and so heart-breakingly is that it is just not that simple. What happens to a child, at that tender age, when they are so ruthlessly exploited and used by adults who they implicitly trust and believe in is that it develops incredibly forceful defence mechanisms in their brains that set the tone for their lives. As Bentley so beautifully explained, it takes years of therapy and understanding just to bring these memories back to the surface and to address them. What particularly struck me about the author’s story was her willingness and acceptance that what happened to her as a child had shaped everything she was today and could never be totally dismissed or dealt with – it would always be there but her bravery in facing this trauma head-on and her overwhelming determination to not let it define every moment of her adult life, shone through the narrative. I was deeply moved by this story and can only encourage everyone to read it and to realise that not only is this type of abuse more prevalent than we would care to admit, it is not something that can just be swept under the rug and ignored. Dirty, filthy, disgusting behaviour can only be eradicated when the light of love and forgiveness is shone upon it and it is shown to be the depraved act that it really is. A superb book and an incredibly brave woman – I salute you, Janet Bentley.

You can find this incredible book: Don't Expect Me To Cry by Janet Bentley, here on Amazon:

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ellie everlasting by isabel scheck

8/4/2019

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Reviewed For Reader's Favorite by Grant Leishman

Have you ever wondered if fairy tales could possibly be true? Well, Author Isabel Scheck clearly has and in her novel, Ellie Everlasting, she brings to life the story of Peter Pan and Neverland. When the teenage Ellie Parker is brutally murdered by her girlfriend Olivia’s brother, Owen, everything changes for them. Ellie’s young brother sees the murder and is deeply traumatised by it. Apparently, though, Heaven is full and Ellie (a life-long fan of the Peter Pan story) finds herself waking up, not in Heaven, but in Neverland. All the usual suspects are there; Peter Pan, Tinkerbell, the Evil Henry Hook as well as all the lost girls and boys. For Ellie, her awakening in this magical place is more than just her personal fantasy come true, clearly something is amiss in both the real world and in Neverland and Ellie will be forced into a frantic race to save both, before calamity strikes. Able to view the happenings on earth through the Earthly Observatorium, Ellie watches her loved ones as they are increasingly beset by danger and trauma. Despite Ellie’s earthly commitment to her girlfriend Olivia, she finds herself deeply drawn to and attracted to Peter Pan. Can Ellie love a boy in the same way that she so deeply loved her beloved Olivia?

Ellie Everlasting is a young adult novel that takes a different tack to most. The idea of combining a fairy tale with real-life action and adventure is a good one and author Isobel Scheck does a great job of pulling it all together. Her ability to get inside a teenager’s mind and portray their angst so well along with her use of two young lesbian girls as the principal characters of the story was innovative and what lifted this story above its competitors. I particularly liked the dimensions the author built around the character of Henry Hook, a deeply flawed individual but also one who suffered from those perennial problems of loneliness and rejection that went in some way to understanding his glaring imperfections and rage at the world in general. The writing is simple and straightforward and the story easy to read. I particularly enjoyed the complications of Ellie’s relationship with Peter Pan and Olivia’s burgeoning relationship with Evangeline. Both gave the story more focus than your average young adult novel. This was an enjoyable and satisfying read and one I can recommend.

Ellie Everlasting is not yet available on Amazon, as an ebook, however you can find the hardcover version of it here:

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the black widow connection (blue star book 1) by tk rising

3/4/2019

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Reviewed For Readers' Favorite by Grant Leishman

As a book reviewer, it’s not often I’m lost for words (in a good way, I hasten to add), but The Black Widow Connection (Blue Star Book 1) by TK Rising has had that distinct effect on me. What I thought was a simple story of an abused and beaten down, by society, woman, suddenly morphed into something totally different that threw me for six and had me thinking deeply about philosophical insights into our purpose of being. Tracy Kirin had a tough life. She was abused as a child, by her father and neglected by a mother who knew about the abuse and did nothing. She drifted through her life, forming only partially meaningful relationships, drifting from job to job, never really putting her roots down anywhere, always tormented by unexpected tragedies and weird dreams. She is determined not to repeat the sins of her parents but is unable to ever feel “at home” or “comfortable” anywhere – and then she dies. I’m not even going to hint at what happens to Tracy after she dies as I’d hate to spoil the surprise for future readers but suffice it to say, it surprised, shocked and stunned me.

The Black Widow Connection (Blue Star Book 1) is right up there among the oddest and yet strangely most satisfying books I’ve ever read. Author TK Rising’s imagination and interesting theories (if that’s what they are) make for fascinating reading in the second half of the book. The whole premise of the book turns upside down in part two of the story and it is that premise that makes this story such compelling reading. Having written off the character, Tracy, as a hopeless and incapable woman, suddenly the reader is introduced to a new woman, one who has the ability to make a massive difference in the future of humanity and life on earth. This juxtaposition between live Tracy and dead Tracy is what lifts this story out of its sad and listless beginnings. A very readable story suddenly becomes a totally compelling tale after 50% of the book is read. I salute the author’s bravery and note that this is merely the first of a series of Blue Star Books. I can only say, I am compelled to read on and see what happens next.

You can find The Black Widow Connection along with the rest of TK Rising's portfolio, here on her Amazon page:

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