GRANT LEISHMAN
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  • ABOUT
  • MY BOOKS
    • THE SECOND COMING
    • RISE OF THE ANTICHRIST
    • HOLY WAR
    • JUST A DROP IN THE OCEAN
    • PARANORMAL ALLEY
    • TORTURED MINDS
    • THE PHOTOGRAPH
  • ARE YOU AN AUTHOR?
  • MY BLOG
  • Be A Part of the LIMITLESS Anthology
  • BOOK REVIEWS
    • BOOK REVIEWS
  • CONTACT & LINKS
  • AFFILIATE - Rachel McGrath
  • THAT'S LIFE
    • FOOD - PINOY STYLE
    • THE GREAT BEETROOT HUNT
    • GETTING AROUND THE METRO
  • PHILIPPINES
    • PLACES TO VISIT >
      • BORACAY
      • OCCIDENTAL MINDORO
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    • NEW ZEALAND SPORT
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GRANT LEISHMAN

token huntress by kia carrington-russell

24/7/2017

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Reviewed For Readers' Favorite by Grant Leishman 

It is now the year 2341 and humanity has all but destroyed the beautiful planet known as earth. No longer are humans the dominant life-force on this planet. In Token Huntress by Kia Carrington-Russell, they are usually mere impotent bystanders to the battle that rages between the vampires and the hunters. Hunters have evolved from humans and are programmed to protect that species from the predations of the vampires, which requires them to ruthlessly kill all vampires they encounter. A young huntress, Esmore, the most skilled in her Hunter’s Guild is promoted to the role of leader, the Token Huntress, even above those older and more experienced than herself. She leads by example, determined to destroy all vampires, but an encounter with a handsome and strangely compelling vampire, Chase, will change her world forever, as she begins a voyage of self-discovery into what is her true self.

It can be quite difficult for an author to come up with a new spin on the classic good versus evil concept around vampires, but in Token Huntress, Carrington-Russell does this wonderfully well. What I particularly liked about this story was the author’s ability to show how easily the lines between two different group can become hardened and entrenched, simply be what we are told from birth. Esmore finds out, despite her misgivings and life’s mission to destroy vampires, that all in not necessarily what she had been led to believe in Vampire society. I loved the developing relationship between Esmore and Chase especially the way Chase toyed with her emotions, knowing that deep down Esmore knew she was supposed to hate him with a passion, yet somehow she knew she couldn’t. I really enjoyed this fresh, innovative story and was pleased when it became obvious we would hear more of Chase, Esmore and their clan. An excellent read for lovers of the genre and for all readers.            

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You can check out Kia Carrington Russell's full body of work here on Amazon. 

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darkest kiss by jonathan finch

21/7/2017

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There is absolutely no doubt, having now read a couple of Jonathan Finch's novels, that at heart, the author is a poet, rather than a novelist. His love and fascination with the written word comes through loud and clear in this story, Darkest Kiss. As I read the story, I couldn't help but think that it was a thinly veiled semi-autobiographical recounting of Finch's own life in the 1970's London. Even the principal character is named John and one feels the authors pain and angst at his lost love, screaming out from every page. If it is not semi-autobiographical then I'm suspecting Finch must be given credit for his ability to express such heartfelt angst in prose. 
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This really is a tale of two stories. The first half of the book, in which we meet John, is a quintessentially British story, that gently mocks the entrenched and stereotypical elements of British society and the class system. John is working as a cleaner at a block of flats in central London, where the average age of the other cleaners (porters) is late sixties and early seventies. The characters are very much caricatures of the time. There is the Dragon-Lady manager, who rules the roost and the Head Porter, Ben, who resents the young upstart, but who John has a real love/hate relationship with. I very much enjoyed this half of the book, with its verbal sparring and clever, at times almost overuse of literary devices designed to humour the reader. In some ways, when reading this part of the book, my mind kept harking to an old favourite television show of mine from Britain, called Black Books, starring Dylan Moran and Bill Bailey. The humour used in Darkest Kiss was very reminiscent, for me, of that series, quirky, dark and at times extremely clever. 

The second half of the book, was very different as John related the weird, torrid and yet strangely compelling relationship between him and the love of his life Katharine. It is clear both John and Katharine had major personality issues that required addressing, but like moths to a flame, they were bound and drawn to each other, despite both knowing it was not good for either of them. At times, especially during this section, Finch's writing wandered off into some fairly esoteric and deep areas, but despite this, the study of two human beings and their inability to comnmunicate their needs to each other, became almost addictive, as a reader. 

Darkest Kiss isn't for everyone. It is deep, thoughtful and designed to make you question the values you may hold, however as an expose of a particularly significant socialogical period in Great Britain, I did find it interesting and at times compelling. If its purpose was to make the reader think and examine his/her own relationships and attitudes to life and life's big questions, I can say it did succeed with this reader. 

A solid four and a half stars from this reviewer and since I'm feeling generous to the author's intent in this story, I'll round that up to five.

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You can check out all of Jonathan's Finch's many and varied works here on Amazon: 

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absolute vengeance: the alex shepherd story by c. w. lemoine

17/7/2017

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​Reviewed for Readers' Favorite by Grant Leishman 

What happens when an ordinary, small-town cop witnesses his beloved wife and daughter ruthlessly murdered, along with a school bus full of little kids? In C M Lemoine’s Absolute Vengeance it sends Swat Team Leader Alex Shepherd on a mission of Absolute Vengeance to Iraq and Syria to wipe out the murdering terrorists who organised and orchestrated the heinous attack on his family and the small town’s children. Alex Shepherd has a death wish! He believes he failed miserably in his one role in life to protect and cherish his wife, his daughter and the small town he is sworn to serve. He should have died along with the rest of them, but he didn’t and now all that consumes him is a quest for vengeance. 

I really enjoyed the fast-paced nature of this book. Although it is not for the squeamish it examines our motivations for life. Alex is a character who is consumed by hatred and the desire to die and be with his family. He discovers when he reaches Syria, that his unique desire for retribution is not as unique as he first thought. His encounters with the local Kurdish militia show him the pain and suffering that a people torn apart by violence and war go through. I felt the author brought these feelings of pain, suffering, and guilt alive for the reader, exceptionally well. Absolute Vengeance is a well-written, well-researched war thriller dealing in the area of Special Forces and ex Special Forces. For readers of this genre, this book will be an absolute winner. It is a fine effort from C M Lemoine and I suspect we will hear much more in the future of Alex Shepherd aka Wolf. Great job by the author.   

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You can check out all of C. W. Lemoine's fantastic portfolio, including Absolute Vengeance, here on Amazon 

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the adoption by greg meritt

14/7/2017

4 Comments

 
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Reviewed For Readers' Favorite By Grant Leishman 

Corruption, Greed, Black Operations, Shadowy Organisations and the lust for unadulterated power is the setting for Gregory Meritt’s, The Adoption. Claire and Logan just wanted a child to complete the lives, but unable to have one of their own they turned to the adoption route and were rewarded with a beautiful, five-year-old girl by the name of Samantha. Samantha, however, was much more than she appeared to be on the surface. Part of a secret, dangerous experiment conducted by a secret organisation hidden beneath the desert, Samantha is just one of two children “created” by this shadowy organisation and imbued with special powers that the backer hopes will eventually allow him to rule the world. Caught up in an unstoppable chain of events, Claire, Logan and Samantha find themselves running for their very lives, unsure who or what was after them and who to trust. 

This story is incredibly fast-moving and for me, was an absolute page-turner. I really had to find where the tale was ultimately going to lead to. For a debut novel by Author Gregory Meritt, The Adoption has certainly struck all the right chords with me, the reader. As what may well be the first in a series of stories about the crime-fighting organisation Omega, this book certainly piqued my interest. The author took us on a journey full of twists and turns, engaged in the ultimate of all battles Good vs Evil. The characters were strong and believable. I especially liked the way Samantha and her seven-year-old compatriot in the experiment, Scott were the perfect antitheses of each other in all ways. This story is well written and for conspiracy theorists would be an absolute must read, but anyway that loves a good, rollicking, spy-style story, will certainly enjoy this book. A great first up effort from Meritt. ​

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You can check out Greg Meritt's The Adoption here on Amazon: 

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supernormal (subnormal #2) by stuart kenyon

11/7/2017

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​Supernormal, by Stuart Kenyon, is the second book in the Subnormal Series focused on a dystopian Great Britain. I'm reading the series in chronological order and I would definitely recommend that readers do that, as Book Two flows on very nicely from where Book One finished off. 
We rejoin our unlikely heroes, after the fall of the evil Lambeth Government. Unfortunately, the demise of the Unity Government was the presage to a nuclear war with Russia, which devastated several Great Britain cities and killed untold people. Following a civil war between the rebels and the Government, order has been restored and Britain is slowly, inexorably clawing its way back to normality. 
It's 2020 and our Asperger's Syndrome sufferer Paul Kelly is living the quiet life now, with his late brother's wife Jenni and her autistic son Ally, when evil starts to rear its ugly head again. A new terrorist group called the Revelationaries, who espouse similar philosophies to the toppled Unity Government is hell-bent on destruction and it seems only the tattered remnants of the "SubNormals" can stop them. 
This is a thrilling, fast-paced story that brings us naturally to the third book in the series, which I am so looking forward to reading. I loved SubNormal, but Supernormal was another step up in my opinion. The writing was crisper, tighter and the action furious, without losing that wonderful character development that Kenyon did so well in SubNormal. As with the first book, the star of this book is definitely Paul Kelly, whose foibles and structured lifestyle give us, the reader, a fascinating glimpse into the world of someone who thinks differently to you and me. 
I can highly recommend this excellent book and this series. It is a frightening peek into what the future might hold for us, if "good men do nothing". A great job Mr. Kenyon.

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You can check out Supernormal here on Amazon: 

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WAr eternal: book I: angels' whispers by j.f. cain

6/7/2017

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Reviewed for Readers' Favorite by Grant Leishman 

Outside of what us mere mortals perceive, there is a never-ending struggle between the forces of Good and Evil, led by the Superior of all Angels, Aranes and the arch-enemy, the fallen angel Lucifer. This is the premise of Angels’ Whispers, by J.F. Cain, a fascinating look into the world of the metaphysical and that most elusive of human’s theoretical constructions – life after death. Unwittingly, wealthy Energy mogul and free-thinking skeptic, Alex Meyers walks Into this eternal battle. All Alex’s life he has been told he is “special” and blessed with amazing luck and good fortune. When Aranes interferes and saves Alex’s life after a skiing accident, it is clear to all the realms, that indeed Alex must be something special, but can a human and an Angel fall in love and is there any future in such a relationship?

What I loved most about this book, was the broad coverage, the author used the story to illustrate, an insight into metaphysical beliefs, philosophical theories, and analysis of religious dogma and religiosity. This whole story was an incredible romance wrapped in an examination of the big questions: What is my purpose of being? and Is there life after death? This is always a dangerous subject and line for an author to tread, but J.F. Cain in Angels’ Whispers handles it extremely well. For lovers of romance, there is plenty of angst and unrequited love to draw you in and turn the pages, whilst for those looking for a slightly philosophical discussion, there is a ton of good stuff to get your teeth into. What next, for this odd-couple? Book two in the series will surely tell us. An excellent read and one I recommend. ​

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You can find Angels' Whispers here on Amazon: 

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