All Categories - GRANT LEISHMAN

Symbiote (The Legends of Peradon Book 2)by Dax Munro (Daccari Buchelli)

18/11/2018

Having read the first of The Legend of Peradon series, I was very interested to see where author Dax Munro would take this epic-fantasy. I was not disappointed with the story that evolved. The author also did an excellent job of setting the scene of Peradon and the elemental beings that inhabit it, for anyone coming to this series at Book 2.
It is five years on since The Flame Queen murdered her evil husband Ryore and consigned him to eternity. Their daughter, Princess Elinor has no knowledge of the past happenings but is already beginning to feel her inherent magic arising within her. When Elinor is kidnapped and held hostage and Peradon thrust into a storm the likes of which nobody has seen before, the Queen is beside herself and frantic with worry for her daughter and her kingdom.
Queen Violetta, her one true but unrequited love, Xyhoni and the enigma that is Lord Jork must embark on a dangerous mission to find Elinor, one in which they and their magic will be tested to the absolute limits.
This is a good, solid read and one that instills in the reader a sense of empathy for the characters. I think Munro has done a very good job with this sequel and I await the third installment with anticipation. If epic-fantasy is your genre, then Symbiote is probably for you.

You can find Symbiote here on Daccari Buchelli's Amazon page:

jarius's girl by l. r. hay

18/11/2018

Reviewed For Readers' Favorite by Grant Leishman

Jairus’s Girl by L R Hay is a biblically-based book aimed at probably middle-schooler’s and high school aged children that tells the story of Jesus, his teachings, his crucifixion and his resurrection through the eyes of a simple, young girl in the town of Capernaum in 33AD. Tammie is your typical pre-teen, full of energy and excitement as she enters her teenage years. Her father is the Rabbi of Capernaum, commanding much respect and honour for the family. When an itinerant preacher comes to town and turns everyone’s lives upside down, Tammie is as excited about this Jesus as everyone else in the small town. When Jesus begins preaching and performing miracles amongst her family and friends, both Tammie and her father are convinced that Jesus is indeed the real thing and may even be the Messiah that the Jewish people have been awaiting so long for, as prophesised. Not everyone is convinced, however, and to some Jewish people he is seen as nothing short of a blasphemer and a heretic.

Author L R Hay mentions that her target audience is young people, but that some adults have also read and enjoyed the adventures of Tammie and her family. I can count myself as one of those adults enamoured and moved by this simple tale, Jarius’s Girl. Hay has crafted a sweet, funny and strangely moving tale that I have no doubt many young people will identify with. To put is simply, this book is a delight to read. The author uses the tool of “reader asides” to engage her readers and I found this a clever technique that subtly reminded us that although these things may have happened two thousand years ago, they are just as relevant today and the morals and lessons inherent in the story are equally applicable in modern times. I say to any doubters, forget it is about Christianity and just read and enjoy the adventures of a young girl in early Palestine. I’m certainly not overtly religious and I loved the story and the message it brought. It is a story well worth reading and definitely well worth the five stars I have given it.

You can find Jairus's Girl here on L.R. Hay's Amazon Page:

sometimes trouble comes in two's! by raymond cook

13/11/2018

Reviewed For Readers' Favorite by Grant Leishman

When Rosenda and Angelique Martinez waved their parents and brothers goodbye, as their family headed off to sell their 200 horses, to the Army in Fort Collins in 1898, little did the girls realise they would not return to them. Set upon and murdered by the very men, their father had hired to help them, the two sisters were suddenly left alone in the world. Rather than wallow in self-pity the girls, full of righteous anger vow to hunt down the five men responsible for their family’s murder. In Sometimes Trouble Comes in Two’s by Raymond Cook, the main problem faced by the girls, to their plan, is that neither of them has any experience in guns or gun-fighting. After hiring a passing gunslinger, they witnessed in a gun-fight in their town, to teach them the rudiments of drawing and firing a pistol, the girls are finally ready to begin their journey of vengeance and justice. Two females, with Colts strapped to their waists was a rare sight in Colorado in 1898 and Rosenda and Angelique soon draw plenty of attention from both those upholding the law and those breaking the law as they travel around the small towns, of early Colorado, searching for the five killers.

The thing I liked most about Sometimes Trouble Comes in Two’s is the two main characters Rosenda and Angelique Martinez who, as two strong female leads are not robbed of their femininity and their emotions by the role of “bounty hunters” that they have chosen to embrace. Author Raymond Cook does well to soften the harshness of the action and the violence with his two protagonists who display their caring, understanding and nurturing nature often in the story. The author’s style is very straightforward, simple and matter-of-fact, as the girls travel the roads and towns of frontier Colorado. In this sense it is a very readable story and could appeal as much to young adults as adults. The premise of two female gunslingers is rare and unusual enough in itself to capture a reader’s attention and Cook does a good job of telling their story. If the author’s intent was to show the counterpoint between the generally accepted version of the “west” as a wild and lawless frontier with the idea that the majority of settlers were good, simple folk just seeking a quiet and peaceful life, I feel he achieved his result. This was a satisfactory read, especially if western fiction is your genre.

Do pop on over to Amazon and take a look at Trouble Sometimes Comes in Two's on Raymond Cook's Amazon page, along with the rest of his extensive portfolio.

the starfarer (the araloka chronicles book 2) by petra landon

12/11/2018

Reviewed For The Author Resource Centre by Grant Leishman

I’ve said it in the past, but it bears repeating that; one of the most rewarding parts of being a professional reviewer is the opportunity to watch an author grow and develop within his/her genre. This is certainly the case, for me, with Petra Landon. The Starfarer (The Araloka Chronicles Book 2) is now the fourth Landon book I have read and I continue to watch her story-telling skills evolve and improve. Within her four books, we have two very distinct and different genres, the first being fantasy, with the Saga of the Chosen series and the second being Science Fiction in the Araloka Chronicles. While on the surface it might seem like they are two very different genres, the reality, on closer inspection, is that they are not. Landon writes about relationships, especially relationships between different and disparate people, including inter-species. This is what ultimately ties her four books together. The core of her writing is about love, commitment and the underlying ideals that underpin humanity. In two of her novels she has chosen to clothe these ideals in a background of fantasy and in two, in a science fiction background. For me, as a reader, this just makes her books more interesting and displays her innate story-telling ability.
In this latest iteration, of the Araloka Chronicles, we meet a new character along with many of the characters we met in the first of this series, The Mercenary. Star Captain Zh’hir Mu’raat is of the Ur’quay species. Once renowned and feared throughout the galaxies as one of the foremost space-travelling and honourable species, inexplicably several centuries ago, the Ur’quay chose to cut themselves off from the rest of the cosmos, in order to preserve and purify the Ur’quay line. This decision has been a disaster for the people of Ur’qia and now, short on food and facing extinction, as a species, Zh’hir has been sent out to find food sources and most importantly the fuel Ur’qia needs to survive – the ubiquitous skoal. When Zh’hir arrives in the Araloka sector of the universe, a sector his forebears were very familiar with, he discovers the sector at war with the evil Budh-Ketaari Empire, bent on galaxy domination. Linking up with the Kampuchan Alliance and the Hadari’Kor mercenary Zoran, Zh’hir is determined to use his people’s advanced technology and history of warfare to rid the galaxy of the Budh-Ketaari Empire.
When gathering samples of stoal on Terra-Agri-5, Zh’hir inadvertently collects more than he bargained for, in the form of a beautiful, young terran woman by the name of Sila Gatherer. The attraction between this young woman and the massive, Ur’quay warrior is instantaneous and it soon becomes obvious that Sila, as a person, is much more than they initially thought. Sila holds some secrets, within her, that will open Zh’hir’s eyes as to the wrongs perpetrated by his own forebears, centuries earlier.
I found The Starfarer (The Araloka Chronicles Book 2) to be a fantastic read, full of adventure, action and thrills, all tautly pulled together by author Petra Landon. A few things lifted this book up above the rest of the science fiction market, for me. The first of those is the underlying themes that run through the threads of the story. It is rare to meet characters such as Zh’hir and Zoran who are so beautifully drawn and also remarkably faithful to their morals and their beliefs in what is right or wrong. Warriors and fighters they may be, but they governed their lives and instincts by their respective “codes”. The camaraderie of the two vastly different, but ultimately similar forces, the Hadari’Kor and the Ur’quay was wonderfully crafted by the author.
Counterpointed against the violence and the battles was this dual love affair, between species, that occurred between Zoran (a Hadari’Kor) and his love, Saakshi (a Budheyan) along with Zh’hir and his passion, the young terran, Sila. I thought the romance and love scenes were incredibly sensitively written, sensual, without being smutty and just added to the entire story beautifully. The allegory from this story of the inter-species relationships, for me, was the idea that no matter what your culture, your skin colour, your religion, your creed, your physical characteristics; love is always love and love trumps all of it. I really appreciated that in the story.
The other underlying theme that resonated with me, especially in today’s increasingly separatist and isolationist world is learning the lessons the Ur’quay people had to learn the hard way – that separating yourself from the rest of the universe (read humanity here) is ultimately a self-defeating road. I almost expected Zh’hir to produce a cap from centuries ago that read – “Make Ur’Qia Great Again”. The author may or may not have intended that to shine through her work, but for me it definitely did.
Petra Landon has thrilled me again and I cannot wait to read more of her work in the future. I like my science fiction with lots of story and a minimum of confusing technology and technical expertise. Petra Landon’s Araloka Chronicles fills that requirement perfectly. I hope there are further sequels to both the Araloka Chronicles and the Saga of the Chosen, as I am still excited by both of these sagas however I am also anticipating where Landon’s muse might lead her in the future. I have no doubt it will be successful and highly readable. Make no mistake Petra Landon is one of the top indie authors, in my opinion, in the marketplace today, for sheer readability and excitement.

Definitely do head on over to Amazon and take a look at The Starfarer here, on Petra Landon's amazon page, where you'll find her full portfolio.

sea cliff: a love story by mary deal

10/11/2018

Reviewed For Readers' Favorite by Grant Leishman

Rachael Connor, outwardly successful and a budding author, to the outsider seemed to have it all. An inheritance from her father had assured her financial stability and she was able to choose when she worked for wages and when she indulged in her one true passion, writing. In Sea Cliff: A Love Story by Mary Deal, we find that Rachael has a dark secret that rules her life, even now, as an adult and long after her father has died. Rachael and her brother Brandon were brought up by a tyrant and abusive father who ruled their lives with both physical and mental abuse that Rachael still carries to this day. She is unable to form lasting relationships with men as she simply doesn’t know how and consequently has resigned herself to a life of solitude, with writing and meditation as her solaces. Enter, Matthew Knight, a successful, ridiculously handsome and well-adjusted young man, who sets his cap at winning Rachael’s heart. True love, though, rarely runs smoothly and both Matthew and Rachael have to overcome the many barriers that life and their pasts put in their way, before they can truly find each other.

Sea Cliff: A Love Story is a simple, carefully crafted romance, but what lifts it above others in the genre is its willingness to address societal issues that might otherwise be glossed over. Author Mary Deal has imbued her character of Rachael with all the angst and fear a sufferer of an abusive childhood would feel. As, a reader, we want to take Rachael and shake her, telling her to “get with the programme.” She has a man who clearly adores her and yet she looks for and finds myriad ways to push him away. Although both of the main characters are too perfectly beautiful/handsome for my liking, there was no stopping me from enjoying the twists and turns their convoluted relationship took. The concept of combining the feelings and actions of the characters in this story with the characters in the story Rachael was writing had the potential to be trite and clichéd and yet Deal made it work well. The writing style is simple and unpretentious, which I did enjoy and I found myself flying through the read. I can definitely recommend this read to lovers of romance.

You can take a look at Sea Cliff, plus the rest of Mary Deal's portfolio, here on her Amazon page:

Oblivion: Ad Magnificum Volumina by Jordan Farrell

7/11/2018

Reviewed For Readers' Favorite by Grant Leishman

Author Jordan G Farrell takes us, his readers, on a fantastic journey through both time and space, in his epic science-fiction adventure, Oblivion: Ad Magnificum Volumina. Husband and wife, Justin and Jessica Forsythe are important people in the settlement of Gabrellium, a human outpost on Europa, one of Jupiter’s moons. Earth had long been destroyed by man’s folly (the purge) and those few survivors set out millennia ago to find habitable lands to develop in and flourish. Justin is the head of security and responsible for protecting the ice-workers who are required to terra-form the massive ice coating that covers the surface of Europa. It is within these ice structures that humanity now survives. Jessica is a scientist responsible for many of the cutting-edge developments on Gabrellium. When the impossible happens and a baby is naturally born to a people that, for millennia now, have produced offspring by atomic printing them, Justin, Jessica and the settlement’s leadership are clearly concerned. This single event sends them on a search for the truth that will ultimately make them rethink everything they’ve ever believed in.

I love science-fiction and usually I prefer more of the fiction, with only a background of the science. In this case, Jordan G. Farrell has brought something unique and splendid in Oblivion: Ad Magnificum Volumina. The story itself is fantastic enough on its own, but what I found, as a non-physicist (in fact a total science dummy) was that even the complicated science seemed to make some sort of sense to me, which is as big a tribute as I could pay to this or any author. What I would usually skim over, with most of it flying over my head, I found myself reading avidly and trying to assimilate the science behind it. But, this is much more than just a science-fiction adventure, at its core this book is a scathing examination of humanity, its excesses, its self-destructive bent and its sheer bloody-mindedness. Much of the story is action orientated and reads almost like a “boy’s own” adventure story, which is marvellous and yet lurking in the background are deep philosophical arguments that the reader cannot help but get drawn into. This is one of the best science-fiction books I have read in a very long time and I cannot recommend it highly enough to, not just fans of the genre, but to all action/adventure junkies and those that like a bit of deep-thinking “meat” in their reading. My biggest pleasure was to see that Farrell left the ending open for the possibility of a sequel. I look forward to it and hope he writes it.

You can find the superb Oblivion: Ad Magnificum Volumina by Jordan Farrell, here on Amazon:

Ready or not by ab plum

4/11/2018

Reviewed For Readers' Favorite by Grant Leishman

Thirty-Seven-year-old Karen Sullivan is a woman with a childhood secret. Raped by a teenage neighbour, when she was just twelve, Karen never speaks to anyone about her experiences. Self-employed, she skirts the law, working as a corporate hacker who can find out anything about anyone, just by their digital footprint. In Ready or Not, by AB Plum, Karen and her only true friend, RJ, are volunteers for the Kansas City Rape Crisis Hotline. In the middle of one of the biggest snowstorms to strike Kansas City in years, Karen is left alone in the Hotline building, when she receives calls from a “perv” called Seth, along with photographs from long ago, showing her, her teenage rapist and her parents happily smiling for the camera. When RJ is brutally raped and murdered, it seems the past has come back to haunt Karen, but how can that be? Karen’s father had told her, many years ago, that her rapist, Eddie died not long after her rape… but did he? What follows is a hunt for RJ’s attacker, in tandem with a grizzled and careworn Lieutenant from the Kansas City Police Department, who wants to catch this attacker, just as much as Karen does.

Ready or Not, is a fast-moving and taut suspense thriller that keeps the readers guessing and on the edge of their seats right from the get-go. Author AB Plum’s style is harsh and frantic, drawing the reader along at breakneck speed. The two principal characters Karen and Wiley are both drawn as extreme caricatures of the roles they perform and as such, they work together and mesh perfectly. The abrasiveness and walls of defence Karen has built around herself, over the years, are slowly whittled away by the Lieutenant’s persistence and equal amount of grizliness. In many ways, this story works because of the author’s ability to mesh these two characters whom in many ways are extremely similar. The twists and turns of the narrative are clever and artfully done, with the bad guys and their extreme narcissism, misogyny and evil, splendidly filling out the story. This was an excellent read and one I would highly recommend to fans of the genre. It’s probably not for the squeamish, but if you like suspenseful murder/mysteries, this one will be right up your alley.

You can take a look at Ready or Not, plus the rest of AB Plum's portfolio, here on her amazon page:

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:

his garden: conversations with a serial killer by anne k. howard

29/9/2018

Reviewed For Readers' Favorite by Grant Leishman

His Garden: Conversations With A Serial Killer by Anne K. Howard takes us inside the mind of a serial killer. In just a few short months in small-town Connecticut seven people went missing and just one man, William Devin Howell, better known as Bill, knew exactly what had happened to them. Author Howard, struck up a relationship with Howell, for the purposes of this book, whilst he was already serving time for the murder of one of the seven victims. Initially treated with suspicion by Howell, Howard was eventually able to win over the killer’s trust to the point where Howell thought of her as a friend. He had promised to Howard he would “tell all” once his trial was completed. When he decided to plead guilty to the remaining six murders he openly confessed everything to the author and attempted to describe and justify his reasons for killing the six women and one man, most of whom were drug-addicted prostitutes at the time of their murders. In a series of letters, telephone calls and face-to-face meetings (through prison plexi-glass), Howard has managed to capture the essence of this man’s/monster’s need and desire to kill and yet, like us readers, she remains perplexed how this all came about to Howell.

This is the first “True-Life” murder story I have read and in His Garden: Conversations With A Serial Killer, Author Anne K. Howard has painted a picture of a complex and strangely normal person who somehow managed to turn into a monster killer who would become Connecticut’s most prolific serial killer. Particularly fascinating for me, was that Howell didn’t really seem to fit the profile of a serial killer. He certainly wasn’t a loner and was both gregarious and well-liked outside of his predilection for picking up prostitutes for sex and then sometime raping and murdering them. In many ways Howell portrayed himself as a loveable rogue, which the author seemed to reinforce. Yes, he was a drifter and a drinker, but everyone who knew him appeared to have a few good words to say about him. This story was no doubt the author’s attempt to reconcile the William Howell, the happy-go-lucky drifter, with the William Howell the raping, murdering monster, he clearly was. At times the story is hard to read, especially the effects of Howell’s crimes on the families of the victims, something Howell still fails to realise, but it is riveting stuff to read and helps us to answer, in some small way, what makes a monster? This is an excellent read and one I highly recommend.

You can find His Garden: Conversations With A Serial Killer, here on Anne K. Howard's Amazon page:

toff chav by miles hadley

26/9/2018

Reviewed For Readers' Favorite by Grant Leishman

Toff Chav by Miles Hadley is a slightly farcical journey through the deep cultural and class divides that is modern day England and, in particular, London. Archie Hodgkin-Smith, with his double-barrelled name is your archetypal young toff, from a long and proud lineage of aristocracy and landowners, well known for their Cameronian desecration of dead pigs, as a rite of passage. From the other end of the economic and cultural scale, we meet Gary, a down and out CHAV. What’s a Chav, you may ask, if you’re not from England? According to Archie’s girlfriend, Polly, CHAV stands for – Council House and Violence. Gary, his fellow Chavs and Hoodies that frequent the council estates of London appear to be a lost generation railing helplessly and ineffectively against the disparity and unfair life they face, on the edge of poverty. Gary, though, still has dreams – albeit dreams he considers can never be achieved. Gary just wants a real life, like the commuters he watches daily as they rush to work on their trains. He wants to make his late Mum proud and save himself, his sister and her baby from a life of helplessness and poverty. When Archie’s money and privileged world comes into contact with Gary and his grimy, poverty-stricken life, sparks are sure to fly.

Toff Chav is a beautiful social commentary on the mess our society is in today, where the purpose of life, it seems is to make money and “to hell with everyone else”. Author Miles Hadley has drawn some extremely caricaturist characters, especially with Archie Hodgkin-Smith and his fellow decadent and uncaring toffs. This I am sure was done intentionally if only to highlight the extreme juxtaposition of Archie’s and Gary’s different lives. I particularly loved the “old money” attitudes, as represented by Archie and his friends and the contempt they showed for the “new (and possibly corrupt) money” of their “friend” Konstantine, the son of a Russian Oligarch and supposed money launderer. It was a contempt they buried, in most cases, because despite their gaucheness, Konstantine’s family was incredibly wealthy. Bollard, the weirdo that so beautifully captured Gary’s mind and heart was, in my opinion the star of the story and his simple belief in unity and humanity was a refreshing touch in an increasingly fractured world as described by the author. This book absolutely captures the essence of the populist leaders of today, their protection of their constituents and their tactics of fear and hatred to divide and conquer. It is a powerful exposition of our society today, told with a touch of humour, but also a belief that given goodwill and understanding anything is possible. This is a superb book that everyone should read.

I absolutely recommend that you take a look at Toff Chav by Miles Hadley, here on Amazon. It's a winner!

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