GRANT LEISHMAN
  • 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
  • SPORT
    • NEW ZEALAND SPORT
    • PHILIPPINE SPORT
  • TRANSFORMATIVE POWER
    • THE SECRET
  • GALLERY
  • 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
  • SPORT
    • NEW ZEALAND SPORT
    • PHILIPPINE SPORT
  • TRANSFORMATIVE POWER
    • THE SECRET
  • GALLERY
GRANT LEISHMAN

Where Darkness Dwells by Lynnette Brisia 

29/9/2015

0 Comments

 
Picture
At just 93 pages on Kindle, Where Darkness Dwells is not going to be the longest book your read this year, but one thing I can guarantee is it will be one of the more emotional and heart-rending stories you will read. This is an horrific story of kidnap, sexual abuse and murder and yet it is easy to read and does not fill the reader with horror, more with empathy and sympathy for the poor victims. 

Caleb and Evie are just two normal seventeen year old high school students about to experience the usual teenage angst of attraction and shyness toward each other, when fate intervenes. Kidnapped one evening in the school car-park these two innocent young people are subjected to the most vile of abuse at the hands of professional people traffickers. Nothing can prepare them for the horrors and suffering they are about to experience. I won't ruin the reader's experience by giving away too much of the plot, but you will be mildly surprised and even shocked by the way this tale plays out. 

I think this is Brisia's first novel and it is a good one. It shows me that this author has real talent. The shortness of the story left me feeling a tad short-changed. I wanted more from this talented author and I look forward to her future works gracing the literary stage. Reading this book I am reminded exactly why I love reading "indie" authors. Their work is fresh, exciting and so very often incredibly rich.

For this first effort into commercial fiction I say well done Lynnette Brisia and your novelette fully deserves the five stars I am happy to award it.

0 Comments

Forevermore The Novel by Jennie Hendrickson 

29/9/2015

0 Comments

 
Picture
My initial reaction to Evermore The Novel is one of excitement. I decided to read this book because some of the topics and themes within it bear some passing similarity to my own work; The Second Coming. I was interested to see how another author handled the fictionalizing of Christian dogma. 

Let me say right up front that I love it when authors have the courage to take events, beliefs and often entrenched faiths and give them a twist in a fictional setting. This is exactly what Hendrickson has done in Forevermore and she should be congratulated on that alone. 

The novel is split into two sections, both compelling stories that hook you in and insist that you keep reading. Without spoiling the story for anyone, the first section of the book focuses on the life and crucifixion of Jesus Christ as witnessed and told through the eyes of Mary Magdalene. We follow Mary's fictional journey from Jerusalem to Rome and ultimately to Gaul in modern day France, where she eventually dies. In this book the accepted dogma of Jesus' purpose on earth and his sacrifice on the cross are turned upside down and the modern day Church is blamed for twisting the true purpose of Jesus'. I loved this construct and admired the writer's ability to explain the WHAT IF? 

The second part of the book tells the story of a modern day Mary (Jennie) and her modern day Jesus. This part of the book is rife with conspiracy theories and I found it both fascinating and an enjoyable read. It's hard to put down - you always want to know what's coming next and that is the mark of a good storyteller. 

Hendrickson's writing is not perfect, a tidy up of punctuation would help, but she does a fantastic job of posing the What If? question and then weaving a believable tale, around it. If you like to think when you read, this is a great book for doing just that. I would recommend it to any readers who enjoy thinking about possibilities. I gave it 5 stars simply because it does what I love authors doing - challenging established thought and belief with exciting, readable prose. Good job!

0 Comments

Sword of Shadows (Shadow Series, #2) by C.N. Lesley

28/9/2015

0 Comments

 
Picture
​To be perfectly honest, I struggled initially to get into the story of Sword of Shadows, by C N Lesley. The earth that she has created in this series is so fantastic and populated by all manner of weird and wonderful creatures, both human and not so human, that I found myself unable to assimilate everything through the first few chapters. I have no doubt I should have read the first book in the series first and I would probably have had an easier introduction to this amazing fantasy that Lesley has so lovingly and carefully constructed. 

The story, however, was compelling enough to make me want to continue reading on, despite at times feeling frustrated and I was glad I did. Sword of Shadows is a powerful, soaring tale of love, brotherhood, freedom and dignity. I absolutely loved the story and also found plenty of food for thought in some of the conundrums the two half-brothers Arthur and Kai were faced with at various points in the tale. Without giving too much away of the story, one underlying theme that came through to me was that humanity tinkers with God's design at its own peril. I felt Lesley was brilliant at subtly weaving some of man's biggest moral issues into this story and doing so at no expense to the tale, merely enhancing it. This is the sign of a superb writer to me. 

Although I hadn't read the initial book in the series, Cloud Over Avalon, I had read one previous book by this Author and I am now a fan. Fantasy has never been my genre of choice, but reading Lesley's works has swayed me in that respect. I oscillated between four and five stars for this because of my difficulty in getting into it, but ultimately the towering, exciting story won through and I gave it the full five stars - happily. I honestly cannot wait for the third book, which was clearly set up at the end of Sword of Shadows and I am motivated to go back now and read Book One, just for sheer enjoyment, now that the characters are so ingrained in my memory. A fantastic effort. Well done! 

0 Comments

Necromancer Awakening (The Mukhtaar Chronicles #1 by Nat Russo

23/9/2015

0 Comments

 
Picture
Although this book is hardly within the genre I'm comfortable with, I was very keen to read it because I'd heard so much about this new author Russo. His first book has been an immense success and more power to him for that. 

Russo has created an entire new world in this, the first offering in a series of Necromancer books. In general, I was impressed with much of the world he has created here in Erindor. His scene setting was exceptional and although I don't usually buy fantasy books, I found myself drawn into this book and enjoying it. 

Much of the action and explanations of the magic involved was very well done. I did take a lot longer to read this book than I do generally and I would put that down to one particular arc, which took up a large part of the middle of the book. I won't spoil anything by detailing it here, but I found the whole concept difficult to digest and consequently hard to get excited about and slow to read. That having been said, the book itself was fast-paced, exciting and I felt exceptionally well detailed, especially for a first novel. 

Plucked out of his home in Austin Texas, our main character Nicholas is transported to the world of Erindor, where he discovers he is the long lost son of the ArchMage, a father he must ultimately battle (Shades of Star Wars here?). 

This is a great story and I would definitely consider reading more in the series when it is released. If you are a fan of this particular genre of magic and fantasy, I am certain will thoroughly enjoy the world created within Russo's fertile mind. A great effort and my four stars is more a reflection of the one arc I didn't like and the fact this was outside my comfort zone.

0 Comments

Music From Standing Waves by Johanna Craven 

21/9/2015

0 Comments

 
Picture
Being someone who is musically challenged, I was a little concerned when I first picked up Craven's book, Music From Standing Waves. Would I understand it or would it be too muso. for me? I needn't have worried on either score. What it was was a wonderful story about a young girl from "the back of beyond" in Australia, who dreamed of one day playing the great concert halls of the world, as a concert violinist. 

The story was beautifully written and the characters well developed and complex. We followed Abby from tiny, little Acacia Bay to the bright lights of the Melbourne Music Conservatorium and lived through the pain and angst that goes with such a competitive, driven place. The author kept us guessing right until the very end, as to how this journey would end up and that really was part of the immense pleasure of reading this book. 

This really is a fantastic read and I had no hesitation in awarding it the five stars I did. Craven has done a wonderful job of educating even the musically illiterate about something she clearly knows a lot about herself. I noted the author had indeed attended the Conservatorium (Con.) and was able to impart her considerable knowledge of the place and its routines. 

An excellent work and one I would recommend to anyone. Well done!

0 Comments

Magnolia Secrets (Magnolia #1) by Beth Hale

20/9/2015

0 Comments

 
Picture
There is nothing uniquely brilliant about Magnolia Secrets, but that doesn't necessarily make it not an excellent read. For a quiet Sunday afternoon, it was a book I enjoyed reading. There is nothing overly complicated in the plot, but the characters are very well defined and easy to identify with. I enjoyed Hale's writing style and although the story went pretty much as I expected to, it was fun. 

There are some fairly graphic scenes in the book, which were well written and I felt sensitively written as well. The story follows the journey of a battered wife as she seeks to escape the clutches of her possessive husband, who just happens to be the Police Chief of the small town they live in. Complicating matters are the shady deals the Police Chief and one of his detective are involved in. It seems the only person who can help her escape is the newly arrived in town, detective Walker, from the big city. 

This is a straightforward story, but well written and I would recommend it to anyone who likes romance and cop stories. It's a very enjoyable read and would have easily garnered five stars had there been a twist or two thrown in that wasn't obvious. 

That said, I enjoyed reading it and would be tempted to read more of Hale's work. 

0 Comments

have you seen THIS GIRL? (Flocksdale Files Book #1) by Carissa Ann Lynch 

19/9/2015

0 Comments

 
Picture
Having just finished two light, fluffy and fun young adult books, it was quite a shock to the system to pick up and read Carissa Lynch's superb, but intense and dark young adult book Have You Seen This Girl? 

My initial reaction to this book is one of awe. It was a nasty, vicious, and scary tale of a thirteen year old girl Wendi, kidnapped, drugged, held as a child sex slave and discarded when she was no longer of any use to the traffickers. Told directly through the voice of the main character Wendi, it was personal and very easy to identify with and feel empathy for her. The telling of the story was so realistic that at times I thought I was reading the author's personal memoir. I can think of no greater compliment to Lynch, than to say that. 

The twists towards the end of the book were clever and well done - I certainly didn't pick all of them and was surprised and stunned by one of them in particular. Yes, this book deals with some very serious and at times horrific issues, but they are well handled and the writing was brutally honest and didn't try to sugar coat the reality of the situation. 

I absolutely loved this book and although it is a young adult novel, I would recommend it for the more mature of the young adults and parents everywhere. Without a doubt this is one of the best novels I've read this year. An excellent effort by Lynch. She is to be congratulated for this book and it fully deserves the five stars that I gave it. Well done!

0 Comments

Catori's Worlds by Murielle Cyr 

18/9/2015

0 Comments

 
Picture
This us a simple, straightforward story of teenage values and the perils of feeling different, but it truly is an absorbing and enjoyable read, even for someone whose teenage years are now a faded and distant memory. 

Cyr has put together a book that enchants the readers and takes the opportunity to impart some serious issues to its presumably young adult readers. Using the concept of alternative universes and quantum physics the author takes the bullied, slightly different teen Catori from her world to one in which she isx respected and admired for the very difference she is bullied for in her home world. 

Th author uses the story to consistently press the idea of caring for our environment and the importance of plants and the natural world to our existence here on earth. Catori learns much in her visit to this alternate universe, but most importantly she learns about true friendship and about herself - how strong and how unique she really is. This isn't a preachy novel - it's simply a good story wound around some sound environmental precepts. 

I would think all young adults would find something to identify with in the author's words, but even us oldies can take some useful lessons and thoughts out of it. At the end of the day, that's exactly what we want from a novel - a good story and a lesson that makes us thinks about our own lives. 

I enjoyed Catori's world and am very happy to award it the five stars I have. I look forward to reading the next episode of Catori's adventures. Excellent work - well done Murielle Cyr    

0 Comments

Cypher by Cathy Perkins 

16/9/2015

0 Comments

 
Picture
What a sheer pleasure it is to read a full length novel again, one that takes the time to set the scene, develop the characters and provide a fast, well-structured plot. At 323 pages on Kindle, Cypher is a satisfying read that you can't just do in a single sitting. So many of today's novels seem more like stretched short stories, but not Cypher. This is a good, solid novel that I enjoyed very much. 

On initial glance Cypher might seem like your typical formulaic crime/cop story, but it is much more than that. Caroline Wainwright's life is falling apart around her, as her friends, her brother and finally her father seem caught up in some massive criminal conspiracy where all roads appear to lead to the Father's beloved company Cypher, a high-tech R&D company that handles defence contracts, but do they? Of course there is always the handsome, young cop David to simplify matters and maybe to fall in love with. 

There are so many twists and turns in this fast-paced story that so much of the reader's time is spent speculating just who it might be that's behind this terrible business. I know I was forced to revise my theories on more than one occasion. This is definitely the skill of Author Perkins who handles everything so extremely well. Even the ending surprised me, which is a great testament to the author.

If your favourite genre is cop mysteries, with some nice romance thrown in for good measure, then Cypher really is a must read. I can recommend this book to anyone who just likes a good, well constructed story. It fully deserves the five stars I've given it. I'l be looking out for more of Perkins' books. Top read!

0 Comments

Destiny Revealed (Destiny Trilogy #1) by Cris Pasqueralle 

14/9/2015

0 Comments

 
Picture
Destiny Revealed is the first in what promises to be an enthralling, young-adult fantasy series. I have to admit it's been an awful long time since I have read anything in the young-adult market, so I was quite looking forward to this book. My first comment would be that it is very much in line with the Author's stated intentions of giving middle-school and young adults, exciting, compelling fantasy stories to read and encouraging them to read in general. 

Destiny Revealed is indeed all that, exciting and compelling. I did have some difficulty with the two principal characters Jack and Maddie, two twins who were about to discover that they are much more than they ever realised or believed they were. Maybe it's just that I can't remember way back to when I was thirteen, but certainly Jack seemed way too mature in attitude and action to be only thirteen. That aside, this was a very pleasant read, full of exciting adventures with the ending setting the scene perfectly for the sequel.

I think if we are to encourage children to read, then this is exactly the sort of book that can get them involved. It is very much in the "magical realm" with wizards, mountain gnomes and forest gnomes, plus of course the obligatory dragon or two thrown in for good measure. One aspect the author did bring into the story, which may possibly go over his readership's heads was some questions on morality and who indeed makes the decisions about what is best and right for the world. I found this very interesting and hope the author chooses to expand on this in future books in the series. 

A good, solid fantasy Cris Pasqueralle and well enjoyed by me.

0 Comments

Never Say Goodbye by Colin Griffiths

12/9/2015

0 Comments

 
Picture
This is the second of Colin Griffith's books that I've read and I can assure you it will not be the last. 

This author has a rare talent of creating a complicated plot, with a ton of characters and somehow managing to tie it all together into a coherent story.

The story itself is a blend of the paranormal and a good old-fashioned kidnap scenario, but nothing is that simple in Griffiths' world. To be honest some of the going's-on in the Fenton family are to put it simply - weird! But a good sort of weird. It's funny when you're reading the book you sometimes find yourself exclaiming - "What!" that can't be happening, and yet you read on a bit more and it makes total sense. 

I thought I was quite clever actually and was congratulating myself on working out the twist when I was about 60% through the book. How wrong was I? Yes, I got the twist, but there were another three or four that I didn't even have an inkling of. This is truly high-calibre story telling. 

Now, I'm not going to pretend everything is perfect with Griffiths' writing. He is a new author, with still a lot to learn, but from what I've seen so far, he's a quick learner. I don't think I've ever been as impressed with an Author's ability to simply tell a story as I am with Griffiths. He has real talent and I would rather read one of his books than one of the more established legacy published authors. 

I spent most of this day finishing his book, even though I had other things to do. Why? Plain and simple I couldn't put it down for more than five minutes. I had to know what was going to happen next. If that's not a sign of a great book, then I don't know what is. 

I know there is a sequel to Never Say Goodbye. I think its called There Was No Body and I can assure you that is on my to read list right now.

Anyone who likes a complicated plot, with lots of exciting characters and a paranormal twist, then please give this book a try. You'll absolutely love it. I give it five stars with pleasure.

0 Comments

To Live Out Loud: A Novel by Paulette Mahurin 

10/9/2015

1 Comment

 
Picture
I don't think I've ever read an historical novel that seemed less like a novel than To Live Out Loud by Paulette Mahurin. 

What this talented author has done has taken the famous "J'Accuse" letter of Emile Zola's to the President of France, in the late nineteenth century and woven a fictional account of his life during this period. 

This book is impressively accurate in the details that surround the libel case faced by Zola when he had the temerity to accuse the powerful French Army of a cover-up. The author has gathered her facts well and wound them around the tale of a bystander, a friend of Zola's, who watches his friend commit political and professional suicide simply because he is not prepared to stand by and watch an innocent man be incarcerated for a treason he did not commit. 

The writing is stunning and although at only 170 odd pages on Kindle, I was left wanting so much more, this was a compelling read that had me riveted from the first line. 

I think more important than the tale of Zola's brave stand against anti-semitism in France and the entrenched powers that be that conspired to cover up the truth, are the big questions that are raised in the book; The rights of the individual to a fair trial, the importance of religious freedom and the separation of church and state. 

This is truly is a wonderful read and I continuously had to remind myself that this was essentially fiction, so accurate was the historical detail. A real credit to Mahurin and absolutely deserving every one of the five stars I gave it.

1 Comment

Cinderella (Not quite the fairy-tale Book 1) by May Sage

9/9/2015

0 Comments

 
Picture
Cinderella ha! Well, it's not the Cinderella of my childhood anyway. Nope, Sage's version of the old classic is grown-up, matured and aimed fairly and squarely at the the adult reading public.

I admit I was a bit skeptical how the author would sympathetically handle, such classic characters, but I needn't have worried. Cinderella was exactly as I would have expected her to be...a thoroughly modern madam with a fair bit of attitude. In fact, all the characters in this novel have much more character development than was ever possible in the original fairy tales. I was impressed by the author's style and her easy to read writing. 

The erotica - and yep, there's plenty of that in this updated version, was incredibly well handled, well written and achieved its supposed purpose of getting the reader as excited as the characters were. All in all I was very impressed with everything about this book. 

I would never have realised that there is a market for "adult" fairy-tales, but clearly there is and Sage seems to have found her niche. She said at the end of the book that this is the first of many she has planned, so I will look forward to the rest. 

Look, this book isn't rocket science - it won't change the world but at just over 150 pages it is an easy read in one sitting, which is how I read it. It's light, it's fun and it's enjoyable, which surely is one the main reasons we read. I'm more than happy to give it the five stars it deserves and thank the author for diverting me from life's tribulations for a couple of thoroughly enjoyable hours. 

0 Comments

The Priest Whisperer by Stefan Emunds

6/9/2015

0 Comments

 
Picture
Don't be surprised - this "book" is more short story than anything else. At only 17 pages, I'm not sure it even qualifies as that. Still, do not let that put you off buying or reading it. 

In those 17 pages Emunds asks and attempts to answer, through his character George, the biggest question of them all; Who am I? 

I realise the author is coming at this from a Christian perspective, but I think that's totally irrelevant as the answers he proffers are equally applicable to the Christian or non-Christian world. I found many of the ideas in this book reminiscent of "new-age" thought as typified by the "law of attraction" literature. 

I would have to say I did thoroughly enjoy the concepts and ideas in this book and I know Emunds has a lot more to say through George, in future books. 

You might feel a tad shortchanged by the length of The Priest Whisperer, but I doubt you'll regret reading. It's a new, fresh and interesting perspective on the reality of the individual. I liked it a lot. What it definitely does though is make you want more, and in that respect I'm sure the author has achieved his objective. 

0 Comments

Darkspire Reaches by C N Lesley 

1/9/2015

0 Comments

 
Picture
Fantasy is generally not my genre, but after reading Darkspire Reaches I am inspired to read more. This is a wonderful book that creates a new world full of interesting characters and exciting creatures. 

I was drawn into this book right from the opening gambit and like many others before me found I just could not put it down. I would find myself flicking back to read more every opportunity I got. The characterization is strong and the idea of inter-breeding between species and the possible permutations that might throw up I found compelling and fascinating.

Prior to reading this book I had noticed in the reviews some negative comments about a rape scene. I would assure readers that although there is violence and some sexual content in this book it is handled by the author very sympathetically and is absolutely CRITICAL to the integrity of the story. Even as a male I found the main character's handling of her emotions to be real, authentic and I certainly was able to empathise with her. This is definitely one of C N Lesley's fortes as an author. 

I was impressed by the style and presentation of this book and I would just add the cover art is absolutely superb. 

I would recommend this book to almost anybody of adult age. It is action packed, thoughtful and simply a damn good story, well told. Well worth every one of the five stars I was thrilled to be able to give it. 

I will be looking out for more of this author's offering. She is a class act!

0 Comments
    Picture
    Please Subscribe

    Author

    In this section I will review books I have read. All the opinions expressed here are my personal opinions only.

    Archives

    August 2020
    June 2020
    May 2020
    April 2020
    December 2019
    November 2019
    October 2019
    September 2019
    August 2019
    July 2019
    June 2019
    May 2019
    April 2019
    March 2019
    February 2019
    January 2019
    December 2018
    November 2018
    October 2018
    September 2018
    August 2018
    July 2018
    June 2018
    May 2018
    April 2018
    March 2018
    February 2018
    January 2018
    December 2017
    November 2017
    October 2017
    September 2017
    August 2017
    July 2017
    June 2017
    May 2017
    April 2017
    March 2017
    February 2017
    January 2017
    December 2016
    November 2016
    October 2016
    September 2016
    August 2016
    July 2016
    June 2016
    May 2016
    April 2016
    March 2016
    February 2016
    January 2016
    December 2015
    November 2015
    October 2015
    September 2015
    August 2015
    July 2015
    June 2015
    May 2015
    April 2015

    Categories

    All
    Anthologies
    Children's
    Contemporary Lit
    Dystopian
    Fantasy
    Fantasy/Romance/Erotica
    Historical Fiction
    Humour
    Mystery/Mayhem
    Non Fiction/Memoirs
    Non-Fiction/Memoirs
    Romance/Adventure
    Science Fiction
    Young Adult

    RSS Feed

Powered by Create your own unique website with customizable templates.