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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
  • SPORT
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GRANT LEISHMAN

the riddle of prague (the quicksilver legacy series) (volume 1) by laura debruce 

19/11/2016

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The Elixir of Eternal Life? Always a good subject for a novel and DeBruce gives it an interesting twist with her exotic setting in Prague and linking the idea with perhaps the most maligned of all people throughout history; the Gypsies. 
One of my favorite aspects of the story was the opportunity to learn and understand more of the City of Prague and Romany legends relating to the gypsies. The basic premise of the story is an American girl, traveling to Prague in the mid-nineties after the "Velvet Revolution" to reclaim the family home, stolen by the Communist regime, on behalf of her sick mother. There are secrets buried beneath that home and many characters who want to get their hands on them. I won't say any more on the plot so as not to spoil it for readers, but suffice it to say, it is action-packed, very fast-moving and difficult to put down. 
I did find the characters to be a little caricaturish, tending toward the extremes of personality, but that aside this was a compelling read that had me second-guessing myself constantly, always the sign of a good author. The twists (and there have to be plenty of twists in a book titled The Riddle of Prague) were cleverly constructed and well concealed. 
I enjoyed this book and if you are a fan of mysteries with a dab of fantasy involved, I have no doubt you will enjoy it. This is the first book in a series based on the lead characters Hana, Alex, and David. I was certainly enthused enough by Book 1 to want to give Book 2 a look. I'm sure you will be too. 
A very solid 4-Stars for The Riddle of Prague by Laura DeBruce, from this reviewer. ​

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Do go and check out The Riddle of Prague, here on Amazon:  

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convergence: "the time weavers" (age of abundance book 3) by dean c moore  

16/11/2016

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One of the best things about reading Indie Authors and reading them fairly indiscriminately, across many different genres, is that you expose yourself to ideas and concepts that you may never have considered before. Such was the case when I picked up Dean C Moore's Convergence: "The Time Weavers".
My immediate thought when I started reading it was something along the lines of; "sheesh sunshine, what have you let yourself in for here?" It quite literally seemed way over my head in its concepts and ideas for the future. I know, when I read Science Fiction, I do expect to be intellectually challenged, but with this book, I had the feeling I would fail the intellectual test. Undeterred, I plowed on, determined to learn something and I was glad I did. 
Yes, this is a Science Fiction story, but it's more than that. It's a love story (of sorts) and it's also a philosophical treatise (of sorts). Despite my struggling with some of the technical aspects of Moore's future world and occasionally feeling like my head was going to explode, with new information, I really liked the laid-back, almost laconic style of writing and most importantly the relationships between the characters. Metaphorically, the idea of different "species" of human beings (upgraded, transhumans etc etc) and the problems they encounter has direct parallels with life in general.
Look, if you're a future freak or a hard-core science fiction reader, you will absolutely love this book, but if you're a simple reader like me, you will still enjoy it as well. I've had my mind somewhat expanded after reading Dean C Moore and I was entranced enough by this book to purchase the next one in the series. A review of that to follow, eventually. Hopefully, I will read the next book with a greater understanding of the amazing future world that Moore perceives.
This is a good read and well worth the solid four stars I'm giving it.  

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Do pop on over to Amazon and see what other futuristic goodies, Dean C Moore has to offer: 

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goldilocks (flirtatious fairytales book 5) by jess james 

16/11/2016

2 Comments

 
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​Who in their right mind would take a beautiful children's fairy tale, like Goldilocks and the Three Bears and turn it into a sexy, flirtatious, adult. fairy tale? Sacrilege, you say! Well, there's a British author by the name of Jess James who's done exactly that and what's more, she's done it to a number of our favorite fairy tales from when we were children. Guess what? IT WORKS!
My initial thoughts on picking up this book were a hark back top my childhood - Goldilocks and the three bears! Ooops, I thought, what might we have here? Readers can rest assured, though, the three bears do not make an appearance in James' version of the classic. 
Putting aside the clever construct of using our childhood memories as the basis for her books, this is a very readable, very enjoyable book. It follows the original story to some extent, but it also gives Goldilocks a real, damaged and fragile persona. It's not a long book, by any stretch of the imagination, but it would be a great read before bedtime, to get one or other of you into the mood. It is well written and the erotic scenes are just that, erotic, steamy and exciting, not pornographic. 
I really enjoyed this book and can recommend it to anyone who wants an adult trip down memory lane. I can assure you, I'll be brushing up on a few of my old memories before this series is done with. 
A great idea, sensitively and beautifully handled by a skilled author. It's well worth the five stars I've given it.

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Do go and check out all of Jess James' Flirtatious Fairy Tales here on Amazon,. They're well worth a visit. 

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whispers in the wind (the alluring love collection book 1) by angel sefer 

3/11/2016

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Whispers in the Wind is a relatively short, little romance set in the beautiful Greek Islands. The heroine Emily is blackmailed by her college roommate into impersonating her and going to Greece to meet with her dying but estranged grandmother.
Once there, Emily quickly realizes she has been played by her roommate Natasha and Natasha's grasping Mother. Complicating matters is Natasha's drop-dead gorgeous cousin Andreas, who Emily feels an instant attraction for.
The writing is simple, straightforward and moves along at a gentle pace. I found this book to be a pleasant afternoon distraction and break from the more serious and dark material I often read.

if you like your romance in exotic locales, without too much hot and steaminess, then Whispers in the Wind may well be just the book for you. It's worth checking out for a gentle, romantic read. I enjoyed it.

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You can check out other offerings by Angel Sefer here on Amazon:  

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the big chill: a saM SMITH MYSTERY BY HANNAH HOWE

1/11/2016

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I am a big fan of Hannah Howe's mystery series of books based on the private detective Sam Smith, so I was excited to read book three in the series: The Big Chill. I was not disappointed. 
I am working my way through this series and The Big Chill was a further chance to get to know Sam better. This time Samantha was investigating a crime committed against her. The more I read of Sam, as a character, the more I enjoy her. One thing I particularly liked about this story was the continuation of the burgeoning relationship between Sam and Alan. I won't give any of the plot away, but I was proud to pick the villain of the piece relatively early on. This didn't in any way detract from my enjoyment of the story. I was never sure until the end. 
These Sam Smith mysteries are light, easy to read and short enough to read in a couple of sessions. They are not books you like to put down. There's always the next question to answer. 
I'm ready for book number four now and the title, plus the teaser in book three makes me sure it will be just as.good and just as exciting as the first three. I see there are many more Sam Smith novels waiting just for me. Don't you just love it, as a reader, when you find a new series worth following and enjoying. Thank you Hannah Howe for the Sam Smith series. I love it. ​

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You can check out the entire Sam Smith Series to date, by Hannah Howe, here on Amazon and I highly recommend you do.  

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