Blog Archives - GRANT LEISHMAN

the vagabond king: a coming of age story by james campion conway

29/10/2018

Reviewed For Readers' Favorite by Grant Leishman

The Vagabond King: A Coming of Age Story by James Campion Conway is far removed from your typical coming-of-age novel. Sixteen-year-old Chris is faced with a crisis of confidence – confidence in who he is and what he wants from life. When his beloved mother dies of cancer, Chris is faced with a pushy father, who he now understands is not even his “real” father at all. Faced with a senior year at High School and College in his future, Chris cannot face the path that is mapped out for him. He cruises through his classes, dreaming of something better. Finally, after another tumultuous argument with his father, Chris decides it is time to leave and seek something different – it is time to find himself. The only place he can think to go, that cold winter’s evening, was his waitress friend, Magda, a woman old enough to be his mother, but with all the beauty and latent allure that only a mature woman can have over an impressionable, young, testosterone driven teenage boy. What he finds, at Magda’s is hope and a new way of thinking.

This book definitely ranks near the top of coming-of-age novels I have read. Author James Campion Conway has a wonderful command of the language and draws us into Chris’ tortured and questioning mind. Easy to read and incredibly easy to identify with, the reader is drawn along on Chris’ voyage of self-discovery, both cheering and jeering the young man at times for his ignorance and his preconceptions. The character of Magda’s Hungarian father was beautifully drawn and his home-spun philosophy and pragmatic approach to life a refreshing change in this era of entitlement. The Vagabond King: A Coming of Age Story asks the questions that all of us asked at one time or another; what is the meaning of life? Who or what controls our fates and destinies? What is the right direction for me to take? A smooth and seamless read that just flowed by, I especially appreciated the poetry of the character, Atman O’Dey, another young man tortured by uncertainty over identity and fitting in. This is a powerful story, beautifully told and well worth the highest rating I can give it.

You can find The Vagabond King, here on James Campion Conway's Amazon page:

NEVER A $7 WHORE: My Journey from a Lady of The Night to the Lady of the Boardroom (The $7 Series Book 1) by toni crowe

29/10/2018

Reviewed For Readers' Favorite by Grant Leishman

Never A $7 Wh*re by Toni Crowe is a short but frank and honest expose of how the author got trapped into a prostitution ring, as a young, teenage, mum, with a toddler. Toni, who, in later life did go on to much greater and better things than being a call-girl, explains how, as a young woman, she wanted desperately to model, to live the “glamorous” lifestyle she believed models indulged in. When a chance encounter with high-rolling pimp, Prince, on a railway platform as she returned home from her day job, seems to offer Toni the excitement and entry into the world of modelling, she ignores all the “red flags” and jumps in feet-first. By the time Toni realises the truth about her lover and the future that confronts her as a member of Prince’s stable, she goes into survival mode, firstly figuring out how to keep her morality intact, while living in a house of whores and secondly how to escape and break the bonds, Prince and his number one bitch, Baby, have over her.

As I said earlier, Never a $7 Wh*re, by Toni Crowe is short – too short in my opinion, but that being said, it in no way lessens the power of Crowe’s narrative and the salutary lessons that can be gained from her story of survival. Two things came shining through from this story. Firstly, Crowe’s absolute belief in herself and her own abilities to manage the difficult situation she found herself in. She never blames anyone else for her problems and understands that with the right mind-set and attitude, the seemingly impossible is always possible to achieve. As a reader, one can but marvel at her courage in the face of violence, drugs and the sleazy world of prostitution. Secondly, her book is a salutary warning to all young people to carefully examine the “opportunities” you are being offered. As the author so eloquently puts it, (paraphrased) “in the adult world, there is never offered, something for nothing. There is always a price to pay and someone to pay it to.” I did feel the book was too short but if it was intended as a primer to make me want to find out more about this amazing woman’s life, it did serve the purpose. I’m keen now to know how she turned her life around, after this experience, to become a senior executive in a number of Fortune 500 companies and others. This is a well-written and fascinating tale.

You can find, Never a $7 Whore, here on Toni Crowe's Amazon page:

touching the wire by rebecca bryn

22/10/2018

Touching The Wire by Rebecca Bryn is an amalgam of two stories, vastly different and yet inextricably linked. We travel back to the horrors and evil of the holocaust concentration camps and perhaps the worst of them all, in Auscwhitz. The author shows us firsthand and in graphic detail the pain, the suffering and the abomination that was the death camps. Juxtaposed on top of this heart-rending story is the lives of two twins, Charlotte and Lucy, who have always believed their Grandfather held a secret that dated back to World War II. Grandfather would never talk about the war, but they knew of his nightmares and the frequent looks of deep sorrow that would cross his face from time to time.
When the twins' Grandfather dies, they discover a carving he had made, which leads them on a mystery hunt, similar to those he had organised for them as children, however, this time the prize will not be a bar of chocolate but perhaps the truth about what really happened in that murderous death camp and who was ultimately responsible.
At times, the horror of life in the camps is almost impossible to read, but that serves only too highlight the incredible and utter inhumanity of that period and is necessary to remind us that; "he who keeps silent, consents". The author has captured the brutality of the camps, but also she has beautifully captured the indomitable spirit of so many of those who lost their lives, to Nazi madness and the humanity of characters, such as Miriam, shines through the narrative to blunt the evil.
As I said, this is really two stories in one; we have the life and love of Charlotte, as she seeks to find her way in the world, after an abusive and failing marriage, plus we have the mystery of why Grandfather made these sculptures, what they tell, and where they all are, now.
I thoroughly enjoyed this read and yes, although the conditions described in the camps are hard to bear, there is enough good in this story to counterbalance the evil. If you are a WWII story devotee and you like a good mystery, then Touching The Wire is an absolute "must read", for you. Author Rebecca Bryn has performed a superb balancing act with this tale.

You can find, Touching The Wire, along with the author's full portfolio, here on Rebecca Bryn's Amazon page:

page 6 and beyond: let's stir the pot by hureen saghar gandhi

21/10/2018

Reviewed For Readers' Favorite by Grant Leishman

Page 6 and Beyond: Let’s Stir the Pot is a glimpse at the power of social media to bring a disparate group of people together who happened to share an experience some twenty years earlier. Author Hureen Saghar Gandhi, was born and raised in India, but as are many of her classmates from those schooldays, she has moved halfway across the world and now resides in Northern Virginia, USA. After an impromptu school reunion with some of her classmates from back in India, they decide to set up a “Whatsap” group to try to bring everyone back together and reminisce over their long forgotten schooldays and the adventures and aspirations they all had then. Gandhi is excited to see where all her old friends have ended up and what they are doing now. Set against, the social upheaval and acrimony of the 2016 Presidential elections, the author, a staunch Hillary supporter is dismayed to find one of her old friends is a staunch Trump supporter. The tensions and humour of reconnecting, after all these years, is the thread that ties this story together.

What Page 6 and Beyond: Let’s Stir the Pot does well, is remind us of the power of Social Media, today, to reunite friends from the past. Despite all the qualms about privacy and bullying, there is a good to be had from this ability to reconnect. Having seen this myself, with my own wife reconnecting after forty years, with her High School classmates, this story definitely resonated with me. Hureen Saghar Gandhi has done a good job in controlling what, at times, had the potential to be both explosive and privacy invading. Perhaps the biggest disappointment, for me, as a reader, is that the emoji’s, which play such a critical part in the humour of these stories, did not reproduce well in the Kindle version of the story. Consequently, some of the humour passed me by, as a reader. That having been said, there were plenty of anecdotes from the author’s schooldays which had me chuckling away to myself and reminiscing over my own schooldays. This is a fun, little read, that is full of the warmth and humour of true life experience.

You can find Page 6 and Beyond: Let's Stir the Pot, by Hureen Saghar Gandhi, here on her Amazon author page:

when daisies and thunderstorms collide by isabel scheck

21/10/2018

Reviewed For Readers' Favorite by Grant Leishman

When Daisies and Thunderstorms Collide, is a short collection of free-poetry, from the pen of Isabel Scheck. It takes a look at unrequited love, through the eyes of the most underrated of flowers – the daisy. The poems, short and sharp, bring the poignancy and heartache of a young woman, longing for someone, who fails to even notice her. Using her metaphors of the thunderstorm and the daisy, you, as the reader, will run the full gamut of hope, love, rejection, hope again, pain, and finally rage, as the love that flows from the daisy, is not reciprocated by the thunderstorm. What the poet tries to evoke here is the idea that we can be both sides of the equation, both the delicate daisy and the roaring thunderstorm.

This is a quick read and will appeal to readers who like visual imagery and the linking of emotions to physical reactions. As with all collections, especially of poetry, a few favourites will always stand out and this was certainly the case, for me, with When Daisies and Thunderstorms Collide. Author Isobel Scheck managed to touch me with a number of verses. In “I Do Not Appreciate Your Frostiness”, I chuckled as the daisy berates the thunderstorm for ignoring her. I can almost feel the self-righteousness of the daisy. “How dare you ignore me?” Equally, “It’s Okay ‘Cause I’ll Learn To Love Myself”, the daisy comes to the realisation that the Thunderstorm not only was not going to notice her and fall for her, he never had and never would. Her only option was to love herself. I enjoyed the positive affirmation of this poem. Finally, “The Daisy Is Dead. Now I’m The Thunderstorm” is a wonderful exclamation of turning a negative into a positive. The thunderstorm’s ignoring of the daisy, will make the daisy turn into her very own thunderstorm. This is a good, gentle read for anyone who has experienced unrequited love or has been hurt by indifference and dismissal.

You can find, When Daisies and Thunderstorms Collide, by Isabel Scheck, here on Amazon:

star song by thomas maCY

15/10/2018

Reviewed For Readers' Favorite by Grant Leishman

In Star Song, author Thomas Macy takes us on a journey across the galaxies to a new home, forty-one light years from earth. A group of committed Christians have discovered and utilised the power of Dark Energy and use it to travel, at almost the speed of light, to Gillead, a moon, with qualities similar to earth. Determined to begin a new society, without the demons form earth, this clandestine group travel the massive distance in just over a month, whilst forty one years have passed, on earth. Simon’s girlfriend, Nora is part of the “chosen” group, but Simon believes she is entangled with a Christian cult and while trying to rescue her, unwittingly stows away on the spaceship, as it blasts off from earth. With little hope of ever returning, Simon, Nora, their friends and the ubiquitous Elders, who run this community, must not only face the challenges of living on a new planet, but also some of the same forces that caused so much strife for them on Earth. Transplantation, it seems, has not conquered the human frailties of ego, the thirst for power, and the desire to be an individual, in a collective society. The dangers of space travel and colonisation of a new world will bring the inherent risks of loss, home to this hardy band of explorers.

Thomas Macy has brought us a thrilling sci-fi adventure, in Star Song that does a wonderful job of explaining and analysing some of the base behaviours that make us inherently human but also make us inherently unique, as individuals. With a nod to “Lord of the Flies”, I thoroughly enjoyed the factions and differences of the many individuals that went on this trip. Although couched as a Christian book, it is important to note that, at its core this is a science fiction, action/adventure and can be read as such. The author has chosen to put a Christian slant to it and that is just fine. It, in no way, overpowers or diminishes the story of a group of space travellers/colonisers seeking a new beginning away from the prejudices and destructive natures of their previous societies. I particularly enjoyed the discussions centred around the type of society the colonisers were seeking to develop for themselves. The old adage of “power corrupts and absolute power corrupts absolutely”, kept coming to mind when addressing the Elder David and the differences between his visions for the community and other settler’s views. The love stories were beautifully handled and the tragedies, incurred by the settlers, were both sad and poignant. This is a wonderful sci-fi adventure and I wouldn’t hesitate to recommend it to all.

red tears by n. k. parten

11/10/2018

Reviewed For Readers' Favorite by Grant Leishman

Red Tears by N.K. Parten is one of those rare historical fiction books that is so based in actual events that you wonder at times, as a reader, whether the author’s fictionalisation of the event did indeed actually happen, exactly the way described. The time is the turn of the seventeenth century in the southern United States, where colonial interests are coming into conflict with the burgeoning, new nation of the United States. In southern Alabama, the Mimms family have fashioned a good lifestyle on their plantation, just north of Pensacola, in what was then Spanish Florida. We see the events unfold principally through the eyes of the young, teenager, Prudence Mimms, who watches, in trepidation and then horror, as the family’s relaxed lifestyle is overtaken by events. When the local, native American population of Creek Red Sticks seek revenge for an attack on their tribal lands, the Mimms family residence quickly becomes Fort Mimms, overseen by a drunken officer of the Mississippi Volunteer Militia. When the attack on Fort Mimms finally came, it was both brutal and devastating to the Mimms family, some of whom would escape south to Mobile, as the inhabitants of Fort Mimms were massacred.

Red Tears is obviously very personal to author N.K. Parten. As a distant, yet direct, descendant of the participants in this action, the author has a vested interest in the story and that shows through in the writing. This vested interest showed through the strength and frailties of the two main female characters, Prudence and her Mother. Prudence, unusually for a young woman of that time was forthright and independent and wanted more from life than to be just married off to some Southern Gentleman or Military Officer, as had her sisters. She was prepared to question the role of women in this early 1800’s and more especially the right or wrongs of slavery. Although the Mimms family were known to be “good” slaveowners, the very moral question of the rights of one human being to own another, was something Prudence was prepared to debate and question. The writing style of this story is easy, flowing and apart from giving the reader a good basic knowledge of the time period and the events of the massacre, it is an excellent action adventure, in its own right. Although the many maps and photographs sprinkled throughout the book were not brilliantly reproduced in the Kindle version, I have no doubt they would greatly aid a reader in a paperback version of the book. I love historical fiction and I loved this story. Its closeness to reality and attention to historical detail, made it special, in my mind.

You can find Red Tears, by N. K. Parten, here, on Amazon:

straining forward: minh fuong towner's story by michelle layer rahal

9/10/2018

Reviewed For Readers' Favorite by Grant Leishman

Author Michelle Layer Rahal has brought us a stunningly honest and frank portrayal of the life of a Vietnamese boat person, in the 1970’s. In Straining Forward we read the biography of Minh Phuong Towner, as she is caught up in the tumultuous events of the Vietnam War, or the American War, as the Vietnamese called it. Told through the eyes of Minh herself as if an autobiography, it covers the full gamut of Minh’s life. Born into a relatively middle-class environment in Saigon, Minh had all the advantages of wealth and position and in many ways was immune to what was happening outside of Saigon, in the rest of Vietnam. This all changed though on New Year’s Eve 1968, when the Tet Offensive brought the war directly into her quiet, suburban neighbourhood. Having watched the deaths of her beloved Father and several of her siblings, at the hands of the North Vietnamese, Minh and her brother make a dash for freedom, that leads them on an horrific journey, including torture, detainment in prison, escape, a dangerous sea journey and finally from a refugee camp in Taiwan, to France, Australia and ultimately the United States. Minh, though, is deeply traumatised by her childhood and this trauma will be something she will carry for the rest of her life and will influence her decisions and behaviour forever.

Although Straining Forward is presented, by Michelle Layer Rahal, as a spiritual journey, a search for meaning in life and a relationship with God, it would be wrong to dismiss it as just another Christian testimony. There is much more to this book than just its spiritual nature. It is truly an eye-opener on the effect of war on children, on refugees and what childhood trauma can do to a person later in life. I particularly enjoyed the story of Minh’s life in Vietnam, after the North’s invasion. The trials that tested her, she faced with stoicism and bravery, but what they did was remove her self-belief and her self-esteem. She truly believed that she was unworthy of being loved and gravitated towards safety and security, rather than happiness, as her first objective always. That this become apparent much later in life, when she understood that in many ways she had turned into her cold, calculating mother, without her even realising it. This is an extremely powerful story and one that grasps both the frailties of the human person and celebrates the triumph of the human spirit over immense challenges. One cannot read Minh Phong Tower’s story and fail to be moved by the tragedy of her life, but also by her indomitability and her determination to succeed, even in the face of overwhelming odds. This is a story that lingers long in the mind after reading and it is something I can truly recommend anyone feeling down or depressed should read. “There, but for the grace of God, go I!”

You can find Straining Forward, here on Michelle Layer Rahal's Amazon page:

A Heritage of Death (Reverend Cici Gurule Mysteries #2) by Alexa Padgett

4/10/2018

Reviewed For Readers' Favorite by Grant Leishman

A Heritage of Death (A Reverend Cici Gurule Mystery Book 2) by Alexa Padgett is an adventure into child abuse and murder in the Pueblos of New Mexico. The Reverend Cici Gurule has one special talent that makes her invaluable in solving crimes. Her twin sister was murdered and since then Cici has been receiving visitations and dreams from her late sister that give her clues that assist her to unravel complicated and even unsolved crimes. With her best friend Detective Sam Chastain, they are able to get the jump on other law enforcement people. When an abducted baby mysteriously turns up on Cici’s doorstep one stormy evening, she and Sam begin to investigate the abduction of one of Cici’s own parishioners. Their search for the missing woman takes them from Santa Fe to the Pueblo of Taos and a slew of cold cases involving missing and murdered indigenous women. Underlying the story is the on-going romantic tension between Cici and Sam. Cici always believed Sam was in love with her late twin sister, but recent events have led her to question Sam’s motives and feelings for Cici. Her search for some clarity on his feelings and her visions will lead them both into dangerous and uncharted waters.

This is the second book in the Reverend Cici Gurule Mysteries, but having not read the first in no way impinges on the reader’s enjoyment of this story. It stands alone, as a murder mystery. Author Alexa Padgett does a good job of seeding little nuggets of information, on what went before, into the story to keep the reader informed and understand the scenario that is developing. At its core this is a classic “whodunit” story but with the added spice of the psychic bond between Cici and her dead twin, plus the simmering sexual tension between the Reverend and Sam, it lifts itself out of the ordinary. The writer’s style is relaxed and easy to read, with some excellent descriptive passages that bring the reader right into the action in the searing heat of a New Mexico environment. There is plenty of action for the fans of that genre, but for me, the real action was the simmering relationship between Cici and Sam. If anything was to make me look for the next book in this series, it would be to see what develops between the pair. Clearly well researched, this novel is a good read within its genre and one I can definitely recommend to fans of murder mysteries.

You can find A Heritage of Death, plus the rest of Alexa Padgett's work, here on her Amazon page:

pushing the river by barbara monier

4/10/2018

Reviewed For Readers' Favorite by Grant Leishman.

Pushing the River by Barbara Monier is a family drama that highlights many of the difficulties we all face in our busy lives as we try to hold our families together, especially as our children grow and leave the nest to spread their wings. Madeline is a typical suburban middle-aged mother. Now in her mid to late fifties, with her ex-husband departed several years ago and her children grown up and living away, she lives alone in the big, old house she grew up in. Despite its size, Madeline uses just a few rooms, with the remainder still containing the memories and collections of a family’s lifetime. Over a short period of time, Madeline’s solo and lonely existence begins to change. She meets a new man, who then suddenly decides he’s moving in with her and an empty house begins to fill, as first her daughter-in-law and then her daughter-in-law’s pregnant fifteen-year-old sister arrive, seeking help. Suddenly Madeline goes from being all alone to managing a new relationship as well as providing comfort for a teenager and her baby. Madeline faces the upheaval and the associated angst with a mixture of terror and determination as she seeks to “push the river” and meet all her family’s needs and demands, whilst still looking after her own self.

This could well be the story of any modern family, broken by dislocation and divorce. As a Mother, Madeline feels the need to hold her fractured family together and to keep and recreate the many traditions that defined them as a family. I particularly enjoyed author Barbara Monier’s description of Christmas together, as the new cast of characters sought to compete with and dispute the traditions of Madeline and her children, who had also returned home for the holidays. Looking at Pushing the River, as a social commentary on the family structure, I have no doubt many readers will identify with, particularly Madeline and the struggles she has to begin a whole new adventure at an age when she should be relaxing and enjoying the fruits of her labour. I particularly enjoyed the flashbacks to Madeline’s mother and Madeline’s life as a child, which shaped the woman she was today. This is a very readable book and one that reminds us that we are not alone in our own struggles with family and the desire to keep it together and alive. Madeline’s abiding love for others is what comes through most strongly in the narrative and I am sure we can all identify with that.

You can find Pushing The River, along with the rest of Barbara Monier's portfolio, here on Amazon:

the hunt for the mountain man: book #24 by raymond cook

2/10/2018

Reviewed For Readers' Favorite by Grant Leishman

The Hunt for the Mountain Man by Raymond Cook takes us back to the turn of the twentieth century, as the “wild west” was just beginning to take on an air of respectability and prosperity. The small town of Marble, Colorado, so named for the magnificent marble quarried nearby, was overrun and destroyed by 400 Shoshone, Sioux, and Paiute Indians, in search of food and trying to recover their lands, stolen from them by the settlers. For the U.S. Government, it was time to make a stand and a Company of U.S. Army troops were sent to Marble to construct a fort and to rebuild the town, thereby encouraging those that survived the 1900 massacre to return and to entice newcomers to settling on the farms nearby and building new businesses in the rebuilt town. The coming of the railroad to Marble would also be a great fillip for the new town and things were looking up for the settlers in Marble. The early 1900’s in Colorado, though, were still rough and ready and a good supply of quality lawmen, led by Sheriff Mark Stein would be needed to keep peace amongst the soldiers, the miners and the settlers. The Indians were not the only problem facing the town of Marble. The wild and violent Mountain Men were always a danger and when four of them came to Marble to try to assassinate Colorado’s Governor at the inauguration of the rail line, all hell would break lose and the hunt was on to rid the district of these Mountain Men.

The Hunt for the Mountain Man is a very readable story, especially if you are a fan of the genre. Author Raymond Cook does an excellent job of setting the scene for the novel and providing a social commentary of this period in history, where expansion and prosperity were rapid, as the west was totally opened up by the arrival of the railroad. Cook provides a superb juxtaposition of the differing characters that inhabited the west in this period. The differences between the soldiers, far from home and isolated in this small community, with the hopeful, conservative and respectable settlers who had come to Marble to settle, to raise families and to build a solid, God-fearing community. When you throw the miners and the notorious mountain men you have a volatile mix that was always going to be a handful for the lawmen. The characters of Mark Stein, the town Sheriff and William Gracey, the hulking U.S. Marshall, were both pivotal to the story; Stein providing the solidity, common sense and even nature to ensure trouble in Marble was kept to a minimum, whilst, Gracey, a trouble-shooter of a U.S. Marshall who would go wherever he was sent, to fix the most difficult of situations, worked well. All-in-all, if you love historical fiction and if you love stories that tell of the privations and trials of early American settlers, this book will resonate with you. A satisfying read and one to recommend.

You can find Hunt for the Mountain Man, here on Raymond Cook's Amazon page, along with his other offerings:

website statistics