One Knight To Cherish Wild Rose Press

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Author: Catherine Kean
Publisher: Wild Rose Press

REVIEW:

Lady Roselyn finds herself in an unenviable position. Guardian of her late father’s lands, she must marry Sloane, a man of the king’s choosing, even though her heart belongs to the knight Lucian, whom she believes died a coward in the Crusades. While she comes to terms with her arranged marriage, she worries about the fate of her younger sister Eleanor, frail and blind, who has been kidnapped from their home.

Sloane offers his assistance as he urges Roselyn to name their wedding day, but when she receives a letter offering information on her sister’s whereabouts, Roselyn is prepared to put herself in danger to discover the identity of the kidnapper. During an ambush, Lucian – scarred but far from being dead – returns to claim his bride. But can Roselyn trust him and believe the tale he tells? And which of the two men kidnapped her sister?

This is a short story, so don’t expect a complicated plot. It’s simple and straightforward, but that doesn’t mean the story is dull or lacklustre. Far from it. Ms Kean manages to give Roselyn and Lucian a tidy amount of backstory that doesn’t overwhelm the brevity of the tale, and intersperses the romantic elements with a couple of action sequences.

The three characters were childhood friends, which adds a nice piquancy to the tale – the jealous overlooked playmate attempting to best his stronger, nobler and better-looking friend to win the hand of the lady.

My favourite sequence was during the ambush, when Roselyn decides she won’t stand around passively waiting to be rescued. Instead, she’ll use a trick Lucian taught her years ago:

Her breath rasping from her lips, she dug her nails into the wind-scoured wall to free the rock. Grit bit up under her nails. Just a moment more, and the rock would come free.

I love the idea that she’s prepared to bash some poor sap over the head with a rock!

Period language lends a nice, old-fashioned touch. The style could be a little jarring for some readers used to historicals presented in more modern terms, but I liked the archaic feel it conjured up and thought it worked to great advantage in a story of this length.

Time and place are evoked through lots of lovely scene-anchoring details – crumbling Roman walls, a worn pebble picked up on the waterside, the keepsakes that Roselyn gave to Lucian before he went on Crusade.

The negatives: Honestly, there’s not much to fault here. A couple of typos early on, and towards the end, Sloane comes off a little like a cardboard villain, but in a story of this length such things hardly matter.

Overall, A Knight To Cherish was a thoroughly enjoyable read. If you like your historical romance in bite-size nibbles, I’d recommend this.

Quits: Book 2: Devils (2nd review) Wild Child Publishing

REVIEWED BY:

SCORE:

Author: M.E Ellis
Publisher: Wild Child Publishing

REVIEW:

There is a lot going on in the mind of Wayne Thomas… and some of it might even be real. Quits: Book 2: Devils opens the window and lets us look inside the mind of a man who has been ‘out of sorts’ since the age of seventeen.

All the people that surround Wayne in one form or another do indeed exist. They inhabit the very universe Wayne inhabits himself, even if within that time and space substance is often questionable by us as readers, while we spend our time under the impression that we have our own lives propped up and permanently stable, our sanity moving steadily forward, our perception forever switched to cruise control.

Lets talk about that then, shall we?

We all live under some pretty big assumptions, don’t we? We assume our lives are blessed with normality and that we are, for the most part, good, law abiding people whose minds are immune to an occasional slip or fall. Yet we all witness the life before us and around us from a single perspective, that being our own.

As much as I want to agree with you on the green hue of the grass we both lay on outside, as the yellow sun shines down upon our youthful skin, there are no guarantees we both see that same color of green, or that the temperature you feel from that sun is the same as the heat I feel.

So where does that leave us?

I wonder what author M.E. Ellis would have to say about such possibilities. Would we agree on the color of my eyes or the scent of say…canned peas (which I will pass on at dinner by the way…it’s nothing personal, really. Though you may want to consider passing on those canned peas too; at least until you’re done reading Quits: Book 2).

We may agree on the texture of the tiny green balls and perhaps even the olive hue once out of the can, but the taste may simply be too misleading and even worse, disturbing. I suppose what we don’t know won’t hurt us, right? Even if poor Wayne does.

Quits: Book 2: Devils will keep the reader debating whether to protect Wayne from those demons that seem to span his perspective on the universe we all seemingly share, or put the poor bugger out of his terrible misery and save him from his meager existence.

With Quits: Book 1: Demons, the first book in the series, I silently scolded Wayne with displeasure. Quits 2 may have you cheering for him to finally get better and move on. It seems upon reintroduction to the man in question, he may very well prove us—the righteous—all so very wrong. And dare we judge? Wayne may very well be on his way to recuperation, which gives those of us who are so certain we walk the straight and narrow halls of sanity a chance for us to say ‘Good for him’ as we secretly pat ourselves on the back for not having to deal with such lack of control in the first place.

Rehabilitation…

Then again, let’s not be too hasty! While we pat ourselves on the back we may fail to really get Wayne’s side of the story. What would he say if given the chance? I’m guessing…

‘Take a walk down the corridors of my mind.’

The question is: Would you want to wander off the beaten track? Is it worth it to stray outside the righteous normality we embrace as we assume it embraces us back? Or are we truly, no matter how many people we call friends and family, alone in this world, this mind, this universe, because our perspective forces isolation upon us. Isn’t that what death is? Isolation from the living? We hide the dying away, we shoo the mentally insane off our righteous path. Have a relationship with God, but don’t let anybody catch you talking to him because there is always room at the Klinter Institute, and Wayne might very well be your unassuming roommate. Just thought you should know…

Quits: Book 2 has a psychedelic quality to it. It’s like Helen Keller meets Timothy Leary in rehab for a match of tug o’ war with Wayne’s mind. Like any contest, sooner or later somebody must win…the question, however, is not who the winner finally is, but if Wayne can avoid being a sore loser. The contest itself may very well be pointless unless you live and view life from behind Wayne’s eyes, something M.E. knows how to portray rather well. I wonder if she eats canned peas willingly, or like a spoiled child simply spits them back out.

I suppose just as we did as kids we can force the nasty taste of the food we don’t like right down our throats and avoid dealing with the horrible taste and displeasure. If only we could do that with the low points of our lives. If only…but then, what if there were simply too many and we could not swallow fast enough? We would choke of course, and then we would die.

We’ve all heard the stories of people in public places who die in restaurant washrooms because they excuse themselves from the table in order to avoid the humiliation. They wave a hand that they are fine and walk off to the toilet smiling while a piece of steak lodges itself in their windpipe. Nobody wants to admit in that moment that they are about to go insane…they are about to panic. So they put on a façade and they pay the consequences, not unlike Wayne in Quits: Book 2: Devils, really. He fools everybody into thinking he’s finally alright –then again, this is only one perspective, and who am I to say what you should really believe?

Quits: Book 2: Devils is a imposing read, and not surprisingly, a fast one too. After all, it’s like riding a runaway train while already aware that the track is somewhat warped somewhere down the line. After all, it was somewhat warped prior to you getting on that train and you knew that…but you climbed aboard anyway….

I give Quits: Book 2: Devils 5 flute glasses…all of which will help greatly the next time I open a can of green peas for dinner. If I must swallow them, I will close my eyes, take a sip, and wash them awful peas straight down…

Voodoo Sunrise

Bedevilled Book 1 and 2 Freya’s Bower

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Author: J. Emberglass
Publisher: Freya’s Bower

REVIEW:

Bedevilled: Book 1

Dean Wellern works on the docks. At shift change, Dean gets soaked by a massive downpour. Followed by a strange-looking vagrant, Dean ups his pace and waves his arms in an attempt to flag down a taxi. Someone bumps into him. Fearing that the weirdo vagrant has caught up with him, Dean turns to find a red-headed chap beside him. The redhead, Rowan, offers to pay for and share Dean’s taxi home. Though disconcerted, Dean agrees. Rowan is rather weird. Rowan makes Dean uneasy, and poor Dean can’t wait to get home. Rowan extends a dinner invitation to Dean and even seems to read Dean’s thoughts.

Arriving home (an apartment block that is run by a decidedly weird woman—excellent characterisation here), Dean’s day is about to get stranger. A window that he keeps closing won’t stay shut, and a cat makes a pest of itself. Already unsettled, Dean’s roommate, Sapphira, scares him witless when he’s in the bathroom. An amusing scene, one that had me laughing out loud.

Someone knocks on the front door. Dean is presented with a court order by a man seemingly 7ft tall. Dean is stumped by the order—and the tall man—and must really be confused by the turn of events the day has taken.

What the hell is going on? His nerves are shot to pieces.

Read Book 2 to find out…

Bedevilled: Book 2

Poor Dean is fighting his urges towards Sapphira. The woman is so comfortable in his presence that she thinks nothing of strutting round naked. Dean, however, finds himself reacting to her nakedness with the obvious—his poor pecker stands to attention, and his imagination runs riot.

Another knock at the door brings a giant bearing an envelope—an invitation to dinner at Rowan’s house. There’s nothing like someone insisting you eat with them, right?

Dean busies himself getting ready, Sapphira very much on his mind. After a strange sexual—or is it?—occurrence, Dean has to answer the apartment door yet again. The giant has arrived to escort him to Rowan’s house… Arriving at the dinner, more bizarre occurrences happen. Dean’s sexuality is tested, and the poor guy has had more teasing erections than a teenager.

A hot read. I’m very eagerly awaiting the next instalment. Very well written, each book seems to hold so much more than the actual word count. Packed full of fantastic visuals, I look forward to reading more of J. Emberglass’ work in the future.

Heart of Stone Freya’s Bower

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Author: Aislinn Kerry
Publisher: Freya’s Bower

REVIEW:

All Hallows’ Eve sees Kestrel visiting a graveyard rather than join her friends at a Halloween party. A gargoyle statue gains her attention. She partakes in a ritual and slices her palm and allows her blood to soak into the earth beside the gargoyle. Kestrel climbs up on the gargoyle’s pedestal and nestles herself against it. The gargoyle seems to move beside her. Is she imagining this? A deep rumble of laughter sounds, and Kestrel finds herself embraced by the gargoyle, except it is no longer stone-like, but more a man.

Kestrel and the gargoyle form a bond. Not only sexual, they seem to connect on many levels. It’s a sadness that the gargoyle can only come alive once a year… When Kestrel has to fight against time to reach the graveyard on another All Hallows’ Eve, my heart thudded in my chest! I shouted at the screen, “Hurry up!” Yes, it’s a gripping tale!

A very touching story that brought tears to my eyes on two occasions. I thoroughly enjoyed Heart of Stone and recommend it not only for the spicy erotica, but the wonderful tale of love.

The Edge of Sanity: Book 1 Freya’s Bower

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Author: Jamie Hill
Publisher: Freya’s Bower

REVIEW:

A chap book, this review is based on Book 1. 

Jocelyn Wheeler has inherited her father’s house. Upon moving in, she’s not only got creeped out by the abundance of stuffed animal heads in the residence, but also the startling sounds that screech through the house in the middle of the night. Either someone is playing a trick, or the house is seriously haunted. Loud blasts of boat horns and the sound of trains leave Jocelyn a quivering wreck. Quite honestly, she’s scared witless.

She telephones the police. Detective Jake Gilford arrives to investigate the source of the sounds. As the noises only happen during the night, he stays at Jocelyn’s house so he is on hand to catch the person/s making the sounds. Searching the house hasn’t brought any clues and, as he rests on the sofa, the terrible noises begin.

Stumped as to their origin, Jake decides he will stay with Jocelyn even when off duty. Jocelyn has taken quite a shine to the detective and, despite him trying to remain professional, her charms are too good to resist.

I liked the way Jake struggled with his attempt to do his job while at the same time wanting to get closer to Jocelyn. I understood Jocelyn’s need for human contact with Jake—the fright she’d had would make her want closeness.

With Jake and Jocelyn’s relationship just beginning, I’m eager to find out just who or what is making those ghastly noises, and if their relationship lasts the distance.

Quits Book 2: Devils Wild Child Publishing

Quits Book 2: Devils was chosen by two reviewers. Second review due shortly.

REVIEWED BY:

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Author: M.E Ellis
Publisher: Wild Child Publishing

REVIEW:

Having reviewed All About Brenda, I went and purchased Pervalism and Quits, Book 1, Demons. As Quits 1 had already been reviewed, I was glad to see Quits 2 in the blurb bank and opted to review it.

Wayne’s back and, though not yet quite on his feet, he’s getting there. If, however, you thought him being confined to a wheelchair and lisping hopelessly would subdue him, you didn’t reckon on his feverish brain vomits. And, if at any time you think you know what’s going on during this novel, think again. (I encountered the same feelings while reading Quits 1.)

We’re first reintroduced to Wayne as he’s opening up to Jen, his new therapist at the Klinter Institute and someone he comes to idolise and rely on for his Ribena fix. He’s as contradictory as ever: sympathetic, tragic, prone to flights of fancy. In short—from what I have gleaned from her other books—a classic M.E Ellis character. He’s just as funny (maybe we shouldn’t laugh at his lisp, but it’s hilarious damn it! We can always say it’s the comic timing of the dialogue) and dizzying as in the first book. Dizzying because you’re never quite sure of things, never quite sure when his next tangential thought will smack you square in the gob. Yes, Wayne’s mind is a haunted place, his brain liable to fly off into the ether, his every thought tormented by his mother’s clichéd sayings so she hangs, like a spectre, around every mental corner.

Quits 2 follows the same format as the first book, showing Wayne’s present beside his horrible past with his mother, Mags, and his stepfather, Scott. Scott is a truly awful human being, glorying in every torment he can inflict on the young Wayne. Mags seems to me to be more complex. Though just as horrible as Scott, there is something deeply tragic in her, like there was once some potential for her to love Wayne which is now lost. Something, at some point, has eaten her soul. We never quite see it, but we feel it.

We follow Wayne as he explores his past, trying to rid himself of his devils, to let Scott die in his mind and crumble into dust so he can get on with his own life. But are the hurts too raw? Was Wayne’s childhood simply too appalling to come to terms with? How can he go on living with its burden? These questions and more will be swilling round your head at the end, evidence of the book’s social pertinence.

A redemptive thread weaves throughout Quits 2. Its subtitle is Devils, after all. These devils are metaphoric, haunting Wayne’s mind, and also literal, haunting his past, not to mention his present. There are angels too, every so often. But you’ll have to read it to find out about all that. It’s a shame I can’t reveal more because the end ties things up and in a way that makes the story’s most poignant and relevant point about Wayne’s situation. But doing that would do the book and its potential readers a disservice.

It’s difficult to know exactly what Quits 2 is. It’s not horror, although at times it’s horrible. It’s definitely psychological, but that doesn’t quite sum it up totally. It’s a fantasy at times, but at others all too real. Like many worthwhile things it simply can’t be categorised, and I can think of no greater praise.

Author Announcement

DIVAS OF LITERATURE

2007’

             Ebony Dawn Becomes Diva No. 5!

• 5 AUTHORS!

• 5 MALLS!

• 5 DIFFERENT LOCATIONS!

 

NEW YORK! ATLANTA! MARLYAND! HOUSTON! CALUMET!

 

Ebony Dawn joins the groundbreaking ‘Divas of Literature’ tour launching next month August 07. She joins tour visionary and author Renee Flagler, urban novelist Mahogany Star, non-fiction author Esther Armah, erotic writer Naija to create literary magic as the fifth diva to be welcomed in malls across America – bringing a touch of romance to the tour with her brand new book ‘MOMENTS’.

Ebony Dawn brings maturity, wisdom and a wealth of literary experience as an author of children’s books; The Phoebe series; Phoebe goes to School, Phoebe Comes Home, Phoebe Learns a new Game. She’s a playwright, penning ‘Most of All Remember Me and a poet publishing Activity Poems in Ebony Jr in 1977. She’s working on a new novel, and has just released a new book of romantic short stories: ‘MOMENTS’.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Ebony Dawn is a stylish grandmother who lives in New Jersey with her husband, two daughters and three grandchildren – and her family of animals - two cats, one parrot and ten parakeets! For more details about the author and her previous work see the following websites: www.alibris.com/ebonydawn www.amazon.com/Moments-EbonyDawn www.myspace.com/ebony_dawn1

ABOUT THE PUBLISHER

Moments is published by Bookstand Publishing. With their slogan ‘success is just a page away’ Bookstand offers a print on demand service to authors keen to turn their passion into a completed work ready for sale. See www.bookstandpublishing.com/m/ebonydawn8/

DIVAS OF LITERATURE 07!

Five authors spanning a broad range of literature hit malls all across America, meeting readers, selling books, talking about the themes of their work and creating mall magic This very first ‘Divas of Literature’ 2007 tour is the vision of Renee Flagler, author and director of Aspicomm Media Inc. Writing across urban fiction, non-fiction, romance, erotica, self-help, the five divas offer a genre for every kind of reader as Divas of Literature laces up its boots and hits malls across America.

It all begins August 4^th at Kings Plaza Shopping Center in Brooklyn. The timetable:-

 

AUGUST 4^TH – BROOKLYN, NEW YORK

King’s Plaza Shopping Center & Marina Inc, Flatbush Avenue, Brooklyn

 

AUGUST 11^TH – MARYLAND, WASHINGTON

Bowie Town Center, Emerald Way, Bowie, Maryland

 

AUGUST 18^TH – HOUSTON, TEXAS

Galleria Mall, 5135 West Alabama Street, Houston, Texas

 

SEPTEMBER 8^TH – CALUMET CITY

River Oaks Center, 96 River Oaks Center, Calumet City

 

SEPTEMBER 15^TH – ATLANTA, GEORGIA

Perimeter Mall, 4400 Ashford Dunwoody Road Suite 1360, Atlanta, Georgia

 

MEET EBONY DAWN – A DIVA OF LITERATURE AS SHE CREATES MAGIC IN THE MALLS OF AMERICA!

For more information about Divas of Literature, go to www.divasofliterature.com

 

For interviews re the Divas of Literature Tour 2007, contact RENEE FLAGLER at rflagler@aspicomm.com

Kidnapped Triskelion Publishing

REVIEWED BY:

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Author: Rita A Karnopp
Publisher: Triskelion Publishing

REVIEW:

Laura and Aaron Palmer have a troubled marriage. For years they have tried to have a child of their own, but Aaron wasn’t there for Laura when she most needed him, and she resents him for it, that’s when the cracks in their marriage started to grow. They have an adopted daughter Amie, they are only staying together as it is for the sake of the adoption contract.

Laura’s world falls apart when she discovers Amie’s picture in a magazines STRANGER ABDUCTIONS section, she was taken from a shopping cart whilst her mother was shopping 6 months previously, exactly the time when Laura and Aaron got her.

Laura paid and extra $5,000 to the agency to be bumped to the head of the waiting list, and so did Aaron, only problem was they didn’t tell eachother!

Laura’s best friend Sharon asks her boyfriend Brett, who is a private detective, to find out more about the adoption agency, and Aaron asks his Lawyer brother to help him in the same way.

Both Laura and Aaron fear that it’s inevitable that they will have to return Amie to her real parents, but neither one of them, despite their differences, wants to burst the other’s bubble.

The two are suddenly reconciled when Laura follows Aaron to Chicago where he has to go on business, and they can’t get enough of each other, though they are both still keeping their secrets.

Whilst they are in Chicago events take a sinister turn, the couple are threatened, and told to stop the investigation, go back to Montana, and let it lie. Soon they realise that there is more to this than a baby snatched for illegal adoption, there is subterfuge, and corruption too. The danger spreads to all those they hold dear, and it’s a race against time to ensure those responsible are caught and stopped if a tragedy is to be avoided.

I thoroughly enjoyed this book, a page turner to the very end.

Four flutes

Aftermath Forbidden Publications

REVIEWED BY:

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Author: Angel Martinez
Publisher: Forbidden Publications

REVIEW:

I’ll start off by saying that I’m not easily impressed…and I love being proven wrong. This way, I can say with a clear conscience that I loved this book.

Aftermath is a tale of two men—and what men they are. Victor Szoldos is a gruff, take-charge guy with a high-stress corporate career. You know the type: plenty of money, zero time. Cody Fitzroy is a free-spirited artist with a dubious past, who has found stability and respect in Victor. On the surface, the lovers have everything they could want…but beneath it all, things are falling apart.

The story opens with a touching and hilarious scene that gets hot fast—in more ways than one. Martinez immediately establishes their relationship: Victor, coming home late from a long day, discovers Cody waiting for him in a rather compromising position from which he can’t escape (because his surprise has backfired on him). Things between them swing from hot to cold and back again, and the subject of Cody’s former clubbing comes up. Cody misses the partying; Victor doesn’t want him to get hurt again. A brutal attack and rape during Cody’s last outing had sent him into months of crippling depression.

Cody, feeling that Victor is stifling him, finally convinces his overprotective lover to let him go out, promising to be careful and come home early. When Cody doesn’t return at the time he promised, Victor fears the worst…and his fears are confirmed when a so-called “friend” brings Cody home viciously beaten and raped, again. The lovers are forced to embark on a healing journey for both of them, with their relationship and Cody’s life threatened by the men he can’t identify due to alcohol poisoning—and his club “friend” refuses to.

The writing in Aftermath is solid, vivid and descriptive. Martinez is tasteful and spare with the violence, giving just enough to evoke strong emotion for the characters without grossing out the reader. And there is no holding back when it comes to the physical interplay between Vic and Cody—the erotic scenes are wonderfully hot and skillfully rendered.

Victor is a true knight in shining armor, and playful, vibrant Cody completely stole my heart. I have only two complaints regarding this book. One: at 95 pages that flew by like it was only five, I hated to leave these two characters. And two: the love scenes are so sizzling and intense, I could practically feel the heat…

Angel Martinez, you owe me a new monitor, because Aftermath melted mine. Excellent job.

Liddy and her Other Half Freya’s Bower

REVIEWED BY:

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(Note from Wilga: Although this book will appear on the Buy It Now! page, Freya’s Bower have informed me that this is a free read novella available for download by joining their newsletter.)

Author: M.E Ellis
Publisher: Freya’s Bower

REVIEW:

I knew right from the first page that I was going to like Liddy immensely.

Liddy is 34, single and overweight, with not many friends. She decides that she has to do something about her appearance if she’s ever going to get a boyfriend, a proper one, not just a one nighter.

She decides on a super duper, hold it all in girdle contraption that promises to work miracles. The opening chapters are the hilarious account of her attempts to buy said girdle in the poshest department store in town. There follows one catastrophe after another. It made me laugh out loud. I could actually see everything as if I was an observer in the store it is so well written. The thing is, I think we all know someone like Liddy, and if you don’t, by the end of this book you’ll wish you did.

Liddy’s other half is her inner thoughts, which plague her throughout her daily life. At times she even responds to them “out loud” with sometimes hilarious consequences. Other times, it gets her into situations where she says things at inappropriate moments.

When Liddy encountered “Coifed hair woman” in the department store it made my ribs ache with laughing so much.

This is a very funny, heart-warming tale, of self depreciation, friendship, love and overcoming obstacles.

I give this book the whole bottle of Champagne, FANTASTIC!!

Favourite lines:

#1 - I’m not worthy to go into Halliards. I don’t earn enough. I feel like a bag lady at Buckingham Palace.

#2 - She’s wearing a bleedin’ wig! Oh my days, Liddy Whittaker! Her hair looks so perfect because it isn’t even hair!

#3 - Liddy? WHAT? I think you were meant to step into the waist shaper, not put it on over your head.

#4 - Despite the cold nipping at my arse cheeks like a rabbit on a carrot…

It’s All About The Fireworks Freya’s Bower

REVIEWED BY:

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Author: Lyric James
Publisher: Freya’s Bower

REVIEW:

Britain Coleman needs a date for her cousin’s wedding. Time is pressing, and with no date in sight, panic starts to set in. A professional party organizer, Britain is one busy lady, so when she finds out the pyrotechinician she’d hired for the fireworks display at her bosses 4th of July party has been arrested, she wonders what to do. Her best friend and work colleague, Rebecca, comes to the rescue. She finds another pyrotechnician.

Richard Chase owns a firework display company. He’s the guy Rebecca hired. Britain is shocked when she discovers this, as she had a crush on him in her younger years. He’d turned her down before… He’s better looking than Britain remembers, and he still sends her stomach rolling over and makes her heart skip beats. Will he turn her down again? Has she even got the bottle to come on to him once more?

Britain enters a rollercoaster ride, one that Richard seems to be driving. Will Britain be able to sort out her confused emotions? Should she trust any man again? Read it and find out!

Favourite line:

Britain looked over at the men setting up now, cautiously wondering if there was a frog—um, prospective date in their crew.

The Marian Kind Freya’s Bower

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Author: Babe King
Publisher: Freya’s Bower

REVIEW:

What a nutso read! Marian, the daughter of a funeral director, makes the dead pretty. If anyone knows how to use make-up, she does! While having a conversation with her boyfriend, Rob, she gets the idea in her head that he wants to break up with her, that he is hiding something. It doesn’t help that Rob has been spending time with a woman named Jennifer Perrin. Marian’s thoughts run wild. However, she soon finds out that he has been hiding a little more than she bargained for…

Set yourself up for a fun ride! Marian aids Rob in unravelling a mystery, one that takes them to the office of the local Sheriff. Here, they meet an annoying dog and Granny, a.k.a Celia Tuck. Dog and Granny join Marian and Rob on their quest to solve a crime, with hilarious results. A fake boob implant brings hilarity to the tale, along with excellent one-liners that made me laugh out loud.

A breath of fresh air, The Marian Kind is a must read for all romantic comedy readers.

Favourite lines:

He took a scone and stared like it was Snow White’s apple. Personally, I never saw Snow White’s problem. I mean, the girl escaped a ton of housework for those messy dwarves, had a lovely long nap surrounded by flowers, then got woken by a handsome prince and lived happily ever after in a palace. Hello? I should be so lucky.

Either the fairies in her top paddock were contagious or the music was for real.—top paddock! Hilarious!

Summer Fling Freya’s Bower

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Author: Karen Erickson
Publisher: Freya’s Bower

REVIEW:

Melodie has survived a near-fatal car accident. While thanking her lucky stars that she is still alive, she made a promise to herself that she would live life to the fullest from here onwards. That included having a one night stand if she felt like it. And why not?

Melodie, a school teacher, goes to a bar. Alone. She notices a sexy man, and wonders to herself if she can really pull this off. You know, do the whole one night stand thing. She catches his attention, and he makes his way over and introduces himself as Sean.

They get along well. However, Melodie is still harbouring insecurities about her body. She has scars from her accident, ones that she would prefer to keep hidden, yet at the same time she longs to be reckless in spending the night with Sean. What to do? This isn’t something school teachers are meant to want…

Summer Fling is one woman’s journey in rediscovering herself. One part of her wishes to expand her horizons, but her true self still lingers, her conscience prodding her at every opportunity. Will Melodie venture into a new world? Her emotions are shown well throughout, the plot is easy to follow, and the ending made me smile. What more can you ask for?

Favourite Line:

The front door clicked when he pulled it shut and she’d never heard a lonelier sound.—this brought a bittersweet smile. You’ll know why when you read it!

Loved Him To Death Freya’s Bower

REVIEWED BY:

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Author: K.M. Frontain
Publisher: Freya’s Bower

REVIEW:

The scene is set with a sea voyage. I felt transported to the boat immediately and enjoyed the sights and sounds upon the boat. I met Haru and his crew members, many characters I grew attached to while reading. Haru is a prince of Sachoné House. A merchant, he sails the seas to buy and sell wares, meeting many people along the way. This journey, he is on the way to Verdant. Verdant is a small island, anchored by one gold chain that stretches deep down into the ocean. What an original idea—one of many as the read progresses.

Haru has arrived at Verdant on the day their faith’s magic refuses entry to those who do not believe. An infidel, Haru expects not to be allowed entrance into port, but his own god, Vaal, gives him a sense that he will gain the right to dock. A fellow merchant friend meets Haru and takes him across a bridge that sits on the water (another great idea!) and explains that Haru will be allowed to watch the ceremony that unveils the new Oradhé. An Oradhé is a man who believes in a god, and will give his life over to serve a dragon god and be its conscience. However, to become an Oradhé, you must sacrifice your sight. Eyes will be burned out of their sockets. Haru thinks about this—finds the act barbaric, and is uncomfortable watching the ceremony knowing what he will witness.

The images brought to mind during the ceremony are excellent. I sat in the seat next to Haru, stared wide-eyed at the scene being played out before me. What an excellent writer.

To Haru’s shock, he is chosen as the next Oradhé. How can this be? He isn’t of Verdant faith; he worships his own God, Vaal. All is explained and revealed in this gripping tale, one which I didn’t want to put down.

Intana, the dragon god, is one character that you’ll love to hate. He’s creepy, weird, and irritating. I grew so attached to Haru that I longed for Intana to leave him alone, stop loitering round him like a bad smell. However, during these irksome scenes (well done for inspiring such irritation, K.M. Frontain) there is much humour. Haru has certain ways of controlling Intana. Intana cannot refuse what Haru asks, so knowing Intana has been sent off to do various tasks gave me some measure of satisfaction that he was at least away from Haru. I had the urge to shout at the computer screen. “Leave the beautiful Haru alone, you bugging little pig!” This would not have been a good idea. My other half would have realised I had finally gone insane.

Vaal, the shark God, constantly swims the seas surrounding Haru’s boat. Haru senses what choices he must make and, along with battling his inner demons about an incident from his past that has buried itself deeply in his mind, he must learn to accept why things happen and move on.

There are far more events running through this novel that I could write about. The excellent way K.M. Frontain has of inspiring anger, upset, and then swinging it around to laughter. The new world/life Haru has to embrace. The brilliant images of the island of Verdant. The description of the characters, especially the children, Intana, and the woman from the brothel-like establishment, all shine from the page. The way I hated Intana and then grew to like him just a little bit; feel sorry for him.

‘Beyond sizzling’ with M/M action, K.M. Frontain doesn’t abuse the art of erotica with sordid sexual imagery. A story teller of the highest calibre, in my opinion, who spins a plot and ensures that your emotions will be wrung out by the end of the novel.
A beyond excellent read. Buy it and see the lush imagery for yourself. Meet the people who populate Verdant and Haru’s ship. Grow attached to them as I did—to the point that when the novel ends, I guarantee you’ll feel quite honestly lost.

Rebuffing The Bishop Amira Press

REVIEWED BY:

SCORE:

Author: Christina Greene-Macone
Publisher: Amira Press

REVIEW:

The story began with a drunken Rebecca being seduced by her ex boyfriend Greg, at his pregnant wife’s birthday party! The two were caught in the act by Greg’s father, a lecherous, perverted old git, with more than a few problems in the head department! I found the way he spoke teeth grindingly irritating - “Well, I’m glad to hear ya say that, my dear. Real glad. Ya have to look to the future, Rebecca. Ya need to find a mature man who is gonna take care of ya. Forget these young twenty-something’s. Ya wasting your time.” AAAAARGH!

Rebecca and Greg’s families went back a long way, Rebecca’s parents and Greg’s parents knew each other for years. Rebecca’s widowed mother, Teresa, at the tail end of cancer treatment, employed Greg’s father, Lester, to paint the family home to keep her mind off the arduous medical treatments, thus giving him access to every room in the house.

I have to admit to finding this uncomfortable reading, the thought of this man’s obsession with Rebecca. A young woman who isn’t remotely interested in him, and his dogged persuance of her despite her pleas for him to leave her alone sickened me. He is a thoroughly revolting individual who even resorts to blackmail. For an author to inspire such feelings is an indication of their writing ability, in my opinion.

The events in this story and how Rebecca feels are what I would imagine it is like to have a stalker, and sadly these things do go on, people have to endure the unwanted attentions of another person, sometimes for years.

As the story progressed, Lester’s fantasies became more and more deranged. Rebecca met up with an old flame and they rekindled their relationship, which sent Lecherous Lester into a jealous frenzy.

The more I read, the more I cringed at the behaviour of the revolting Lester, I’d happily have sorted out his tackle between two housebricks; that’d put a stop to his perverted ways!

Rebecca’s cat, Bootsie, got my seal of approval, gotta love that cat for what she did whilst Lester was perving in Rebecca’s room! (BMWAHAHAHAHA!)

Rebecca’s friends concocted a plan to hopefully teach Lecherous Lester a lesson he wouldn’t forget.

There was also a twist at the end that I wasn’t expecting!

I give this four flutes.

Academy of the Dead Hard Shell Word Factory

REVIEWED BY:

SCORE:

Author: Christopher Wright
Publisher: Hard Shell Word Factory

REVIEW:

Habgood Securities is contracted to do a banal photo-surveillance of an adulterous wife and her boyfriend by her spouse, Edward Blake, the director of the Helios Music Academy in England. Of course, Matt Rider finds himself in charge of the job. His boss, Ken Habgood, would never take on such a “hands-on” affair.

However, the lieu is not exactly conveniently placed for taking pictures. Matt gazed down at the distant Helios Music Academy in the valley… He pulled the straps tightly around his shoulders. He’d been lucky to borrow this para-glider from of his more adventurous mates at short notice.

After his daring fly-over; Matt is taking his wife, Zoé, to dinner to celebrate an upcoming happy occasion. On leaving the restaurant, Zoé is accosted by a street-person who shakes her up quite a bit. This person lives at a shelter called the Homeless Anchor Trust, run by Father Alban. Father Alban played a role in the first Matt Rider detective novel “The Hands of the Traitor”. He has since moved to England to direct the shelter.

The next day, Habgood and Matt are confronted by Shelley Carpenter, the adulterous wife. She teaches at the Helios Academy. Ms. Carpenter makes some surprising revelations about Blake, Smith and herself as well as the Academy.

As Rider has been dealing with Blake, he decides to find out exactly what is going on. Blake starts to reveal the true motivation behind his actions and hires Rider to do a special investigation for him.

Cleverly counter-balanced is a story of the original Helios Music Academy in Prague, the Czech Republic; and in particular, one of the pupils who attended in 1942, Hana Eisler.
“I’m …” Blake paused and frowned. “Prague was occupied by the Nazis in 1941. I’m sure you’ve heard of looted gold and art treasures. The treasure I am trying to track down has nothing to do with gold. To me…, the treasure I am seeking is beyond price.”

Matt is extremely sceptical, especially seeing that Blake isn’t very sure that this treasure exists or what it is exactly. The only thing that Blake seems to know is that Hana Eisler was the last person known to be in possession of it in 1942 in Prague. Wright has done an excellent job of tying in the ancestors of Hana Eisler with the missing treasure and the original Helios Music Academy. His elaboration of Czech families, their immigration, and events is fascinating.

Matt finds out that Zoé knows “the boyfriend”; Martin Smith is a teacher at the Helios Academy, too, and also is the conductor of Zoé’s amateur music group. While Blake is trying to convince Rider to accept the investigation; Ken Habgood is in a pickle. He is face-to-face with a furious Smith, demanding an explanation and an apology for losing his job at the Academy.

Rider is hesitant to take on Blake’s offer, although he can use the extra money. He’s not sure how to proceed with so little concrete information, and on top of it, even if he found something, he doesn’t know the Czech language. Blake nodded sympathetically. “I am prepared to buy the airline tickets and advance the money for a basic hotel when you go to Prague.”
“I have to go to Prague?”

Matt Rider finds himself in Prague, where he recruits the help of an off-duty Czech tour guide. He can rely on him for translations with his investigation, although the man may not prove totally reliable with everything. His discoveries take him to the last known place Hana Eisler was seen. There he finds that Blake and he are not the only ones hunting for the treasure.

Meanwhile, back in London, Zoé has continued being bothered by the homeless person, who accosted her outside the restaurant. She is also being solicited to help Shelley Carpenter. Shelley has in her possession another treasure that someone is trying to steal from her. Zoé doesn’t really want to help Shelley but can’t bring herself to say no. Although, the excitement of the hunt gets Zoé’s blood tingling. During this time, both Matt and Ken Habgood try in vain to reach Zoé; leading them to imagine the worst.

After much confusion, and misunderstandings with the Czech police; Matt manages to get back to the airport in Prague and back home to London. He starts to hunt for Zoé. She is being led into dangerous circumstances by Shelley. But fate is looking out for Zoé and Matt. Helps comes from unexpected people when needed.

The denouement is creative and the reader doesn’t see it coming. Wright has cleverly thrown us a twist in the plot to throw us off guard just when we think we have figured out the mystery.

The Academy of the Dead rates ONE BOTTLE of CHAMPAGNE for its cleverness, its creative plot and two fine, intertwined stories. Christopher Wright has followed up his first two Matt Rider mysteries by an excellent third opus. I hope that we have not seen the end of Matt Rider.