Wednesday, 29 June 2022

Book Review: A Thing with Feathers by J. John Nordstrom

 Book Review

 


Basic Details:

Book Title: A Thing With Feathers

Subtitle:

Author: J. John Nordstrom

Genre: Contemporary Romance

Part of a series?

Order in series:

Best read after earlier books in series?

Available: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/61209601-a-thing-with-feathers

Overall score:

I scored this book 5/5

Short Summary of the book:

As a disillusioned solicitor and struggling writer, Jonah starts work in a law library. He soon becomes the victim of harassment and targeting by a vindictive lesbian lawyer who hates everything male. She puts pressure on Jonah to make him leave and even tries to falsely accuse him of workplace sexual harassment of his co-worker to get rid of him. Will he survive and will love be kind?

What I liked about the book:

The love for everything literary and the willingness to stand up for what is right by the main character.

What I didn’t like about the book:

There was nothing to dislike about the book except for the baddies.

My favourite bits in the book:

I enjoyed the entire book.

My least favourite bits in the book:

There were none.

Any further books in the series? Any more planned by this author?

This is the first book I’ve read by this author.

What books could this be compared to and why?

The book is in the genre of contemporary romance.

Recommendation:

In summary, I would recommend this book to the following readers:

 

Children

No

Young Adult

Maybe

Adult

Yes

 

If you like contemporary romance, this book may be the book for you

Book Description by Author:

Drawing on his own legal background and personal experience, his debut novel A Thing with Feathers tells the tale of two troubled lawyers who find redemption in soulmate love, after they meet, quite unexpectedly, as co-workers in a county law library, run by Superintendent Queen Bee and Director Mimi Streeter. Underlying the events in the novel is the fictive, and quintessentially romantic, dream of a modern-day Edgar Allan Poe meeting a modern-day Emily Dickinson in the 21st century, thus correcting what Fate never saw fit to do in the 19th century before Poe dies tragically at the age of 40 on October 7, 1849. Based on a true story, this novel is fictional autobiography.

 

Jonah, a forty-year-old lawyer and wannabe writer, disgusted with the nonstop corruption in the legal profession in Washington, D.C., quits the practice of law, loses his girlfriend, and becomes suicidal. Haunted by dreams and visions of Edgar Allan Poe and Emily Dickinson dancing together, he comes to believe Fate has a plan for him, however. As finances get desperate, he takes a low-paid job as a reference librarian in a law library. But there is one catch: he must pretend to be gay, as the twin tyrants of County Bar, Superintendent Crawford and Law Librarian Mimi Streeter, hire only submissive gay men and women financially on the edge, to control them. Despite moral reservations, he agrees to attempt the ruse, but when the tyrants realize they have been deceived, they respond in kind to protect their criminal fiefdom.

 

Streeter and Crawford hire, on the sly, twenty-seven-year-old Julia, a much younger woman lawyer in library science school, as Jonah’s superior, with the expectation he'll will quit in FU resentment. The plan backfires when romance ensues as the lovers tentatively test the theory that the one is a soulmate for the other, that Poe and Dickinson might have found one another, albeit in the 21st century. But Crawford and Streeter are not done with them yet... So begins the dark chess game, in which Jonah and Julia must fight to protect that which is most beautiful and dear to them, or be destroyed in the process.

About the Author:

J. John Nordstrom (“Joe”) aka Joseph John Jablonski, Jr., J.D., PhD, was born in Worcester, Massachusetts, and raised in the small suburb town of Millbury, by mother Sandra and his late father Joe Sr. He is a poet, novelist, lawyer, sociologist, and political scientist. His poetry and fiction nom de plume, J. John Nordstrom, was taken in honor of great-grandmother Gerda E. Nordstrom and grandmother, Elna E. (Nordstrom) Anderson, as well as his mother Sandra Lenore (Anderson) Jablonski, who have all, in their own ways, majorly encouraged his literary endeavors. His great grandmother gave him a now-treasured copy of Aesop’s Fables for a seventh birthday. The fable of the tortoise and the hare was her favorite, as it is his.

 

His poetry stresses intuition over reason and is heavenly influenced by the Romantic tradition in both America and Britain. It explores natural, emotional, personal and artistic themes, for example, lost love, the mystery of soulmate love, death, beauty, wisdom, the human being’s relationship to nature, the mystery of the Muse, and life’s existential mystery.

 

Nordstrom draws from academic, literary, professional, and personal experiences over his lifetime and weaves them all into a novel called A Thing With Feathers. Nordstrom has remained a bachelor and has several other novels in the works.

Book Review: Seedlings of Earth by Nigel Stubley

 Book Review

 


Basic Details:

Book Title: Seedlings of Earth

Subtitle:

Author: Nigel Stubley

Genre: Science Fiction/mystery

Part of a series? Yes

Order in series: 2

Best read after earlier books in series? Can be read as stand-alone.

Available: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/60846682-seedlings-of-earth

Overall score:

I scored this book 4/5

Short Summary of the book:

Ever imagined what would happen to life as we know it when climate change makes life on earth impossible? How would humankind cope and what would they put in place? Seedlings of Earth is a book that shows us one of the options with murder, mystery and hope for another future. With likeable characters that you want to root for.

What I liked about the book:

The hope that shines through with a bit of romance too.

What I didn’t like about the book:

There was nothing to dislike about the book except for the baddie.

My favourite bits in the book:

I enjoyed the entire book.

My least favourite bits in the book:

There were none.

Any further books in the series? Any more planned by this author?

This is the second book in the series, but it can be read as stand-alone.

What books could this be compared to and why?

This is a book in the science fiction genre.

Recommendation:

In summary, I would recommend this book to the following readers:

 

Children

No

Young Adult

Yes

Adult

Yes

 

If you like science fiction, this book may be the book for you

Book Description by Author:

After climate change became climate crisis and forced the abandonment of Earth, humans have been living in the wider Solar System for over 8000 years, interraforming asteroids and establishing bases on planets and larger moons. Kye Sheb is a LifeScaper. She designs the interior of asteroids and craters, adding the limited life that escaped on the Arks in self-sustaining combinations. Kye's parents, Monik and Dantam, fly the Ore-miner Marentin, searching out asteroids for precious metals and looking for large enough rocks that can be hollowed like an egg for interraforming.

About the Author:

 

Tuesday, 28 June 2022

Book Review: Lottie the Ladybird's Adventure by Genna Rowbotham

 Book Review

 


Basic Details:

Book Title: Lottie the Ladybird's Adventure

Subtitle:

Author: Genna Rowbotham

Genre: Childrens

Part of a series?

Order in series:

Best read after earlier books in series?

Available: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/61169319-lottie-the-ladybird-s-adventure

Overall score:

I scored this book 4/5

Short Summary of the book:

When Darcey runs away from home upset as her mum is asking her friend to move in, she comes across Lottie. Lottie is a ladybird who has lost her spots and Darcey sets about helping her find them. Will they be successful?

What I liked about the book:

It is a lovely children’s story with lovely illustrations.

What I didn’t like about the book:

There was nothing to dislike about the book.

My favourite bits in the book:

I enjoyed the entire book.

My least favourite bits in the book:

There were none.

Any further books in the series? Any more planned by this author?

This author has written several lovely children’s books.

What books could this be compared to and why?

This is a great book which also teaches about life changes, and friendship.

Recommendation:

In summary, I would recommend this book to the following readers:

 

Children

Yes

Young Adult

No

Adult

Yes, when reading to a child.

 

If you like children’s stories, this book may be the book for you

Book Description by Author:

Darcey, a young, adventurous girl runs away from home into the heart of Ladybird Wood where she makes friends with Lottie the Ladybird. Lottie confides in her that she’s lost her spots and they embark on an exciting adventure together looking for them. Along the way, they encounter a strange, peculiar frog, a mischievous cat and are joined by Darcey’s troublesome best friend, George.

 

As the mystery unfolds, things aren’t quite what they seem.

 

What could possibly go wrong – and will they ever find Lottie’s spots?

 

Full of adventure, friendship, and a sweet-talking ladybird.

About the Author:

Genna Rowbotham was born in Sheffield in 1972 where she grew up with her parents, two older sisters, and their beloved family dog, Henry. Her career began in the secretarial field until becoming a full-time Mum. Inspired by her children in 2017, she began writing stories for pleasure and is now the author of five children’s books.

 

Genna has five children (two now grown-up) and lives in Derbyshire with her husband and their three young girls.

 

You can find out more at www.gennarowbotham.co.uk or follow her on Twitter @GennaRowbotham

Book Review: Where is Lamby? by Genna Rowbotham

 Book Review

 


Basic Details:

Book Title: Where is Lamby?

Subtitle:

Author: Genna Rowbotham

Genre: Childrens

Part of a series?

Order in series:

Best read after earlier books in series?

Available: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/61099970-where-is-lamby

Overall score:

I scored this book 4/5

Short Summary of the book:

Bea takes her friend Lamby everywhere. And, just as often Lamby goes missing and is found again. But when she loses Lamby at the seaside, will she ever find Lamby again?

What I liked about the book:

It is a lovely children’s story with lovely illustrations.

What I didn’t like about the book:

There was nothing to dislike about the book.

My favourite bits in the book:

I enjoyed the entire book.

My least favourite bits in the book:

There were none.

Any further books in the series? Any more planned by this author?

This author has written several lovely children’s books.

What books could this be compared to and why?

This is a great book which also teaches about loss, and friendship.

Recommendation:

In summary, I would recommend this book to the following readers:

 

Children

Yes

Young Adult

No

Adult

Yes, when reading to a child.

 

If you like childrens stories, this book may be the book for you

Book Description by Author:

Where is Lamby? is an interactive rhyming picture book with a classic lost-and-found theme that both parents and children alike can relate to. The story is about a young girl called Bea who loves her Lamby teddy bear so much that she takes her everywhere. This time, they are going on an exciting adventure to the seaside.

 

Join Bea and Lamby as they travel by train, visit a castle and go to the beach. The trouble is… things don’t always go to plan. Lamby goes missing and Bea is very sad. As the story unfolds, it seems Lamby might be lost forever.

 

Will she be reunited with her best friend in the world?

 

A wonderful adventure about loss and the importance of friendship!

About the Author:

Genna Rowbotham was born in Sheffield in 1972 where she grew up with her parents, two older sisters, and their beloved family dog, Henry. Her career began in the secretarial field until becoming a full-time Mum. Inspired by her children in 2017, she began writing stories for pleasure and is now the author of five children’s books.

 

Genna has five children (two now grown-up) and lives in Derbyshire with her husband and their three young girls.

 

You can find out more at www.gennarowbotham.co.uk or follow her on Twitter @GennaRowbotham

Book Review: Camp Lenape by Timothy R. Baldwin

 Book Review

 


Basic Details:

Book Title: Camp Lenape

Subtitle: (A Kahale and Claude Mystery, Book 1)

Author: Timothy R. Baldwin

Genre: Young Adult/Adventure/Mystery

Part of a series? Yes

Order in series: 1

Best read after earlier books in series?

Available: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/57970926-camp-lenape

Overall score:

I scored this book 5/5

Short Summary of the book:

Alissa and Marcus are junior counsellors at a summer camp. After years of going to camp themselves, they are now placed in a leadership role, but things aren’t as they seem. Will they find out what happened to Marcus’ sister Bri in time? Will they escape with their life?

What I liked about the book:

It was fast-paced and difficult to put down.

What I didn’t like about the book:

I loved the entire book.

My favourite bits in the book:

I enjoyed the entire book.

My least favourite bits in the book:

I enjoyed the entire book.

Any further books in the series? Any more planned by this author?

This is the first book in the series. I’m aware there are another 2 in this series and am interested in reading those too.

What books could this be compared to and why?

This is a great young adult mystery and adventure story and is great for lovers of the famous five stories.

Recommendation:

In summary, I would recommend this book to the following readers:

 

Children

No

Young Adult

Yes

Adult

Yes

 

If you like adventure mysteries, this young adult series may be the series for you.

I’m looking forward to reading more by this author.

Book Description by Author:

When a girl goes missing, and none of the adults can give a straight answer, a childhood game suddenly turns into a real, secret mission.

 

Phone lines are down. Strange men roam the campgrounds. Financial documents indicate something’s amiss. And hidden security cameras point to a mysterious cottage in the woods.

 

With heightened suspicions, junior camp counselors Marcus and Alissa recruit their friends to help find the missing girl. In their search, the teens will learn to rely on each other, especially when they encounter a terrible and dangerous secret.

About the Author:

Tim grew up in Syracuse, New York. He currently resides in Maryland where he teaches English, Creative Writing, Film, and Theatre on the middle school level. At the insistence of his own students, he began writing seriously in 2014.

 

He credits his love for story to his mother, who spent countless hours reading to him and his siblings when they were growing up. Growing up, he devoured the literary works of C.S. Lewis, J.R.R. Tolkien, Piers Anthony, and many others. Mysteries, thrillers, and fantasies are among the genres he most frequently reads.

 

When he’s not writing, he’s reading, teaching, camping, or at a live music concert.

Monday, 27 June 2022

Finally! Time to relax and do as I please

 I'm feeling lucky this week. For the second time this calendar year, I have a full week off. Time to relax, recharge and do as I please (within reason obviously).

We could have gone away perhaps, but the week off was rather last-minute. So, instead, I'll be at home doing absolutely nothing but what I want.

Still, I would love to be here. How about a lovely cabin near the sea. Lovely and warm, a cool breeze, the sounds and smells of the sea while you look outside through your window. Laptop on the desk and writing the next book. Hmm, sounds nice, don't you think?



But being home is not to be sniffed at either. During the weekend, I have been reading and finishing two books on my TBR list. I'll soon start the next one on the TBR list.

The rest of the week, I'll spend on reading, writing and editing, just generally lazing about, and, if I can find the motivation, do some housework.

Although work should be far away, I still had two members of staff check in with me today. One to inform me she was off sick and wouldn't come in. The other informed me her lateral flow test was negative for the last 2 days and she will be in again tomorrow.

At least we are not that strapped for staff I have been recalled (yet). During the height of the pandemic, I was recalled. Let's hope that won't happen again now. 

So, what have I got planned for the rest of today?

First, I will check my emails, social media, etc.

And, shortly I'll return to editing Wake-Up Call. I really should spend more time on the editing process than I have been doing. After all, the last book I published was released in August 2020. High time the next one became available. But, there is only so much time in a day when you have an over full-time job.




Sunday, 12 June 2022

Book Review: Falling Strong by Stephen J. Alexander

 Book Review

 


Basic Details:

Book Title: Falling Strong

Subtitle: (The Sweet Nightmares Trilogy)

Author: Stephen J. Alexander

Genre: Science Fiction

Part of a series? Yes

Order in series: 2

Best read after earlier books in series? Can be read as stand-alone

Available: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/57428573-falling-strong

Overall score:

I scored this book 4/5

Short Summary of the book:

Set in the near future, a young bride is abducted shortly after her honeymoon. While reading in her Italian garden, masked men take her from her home. But why? And will she escape or be rescued?

What I liked about the book:

This was high-paced and well worth a read.

What I didn’t like about the book:

There was nothing I disliked about the book.

My favourite bits in the book:

I enjoyed all the suspense and action within the book.

My least favourite bits in the book:

I enjoyed the entire book.

Any further books in the series? Any more planned by this author?

This is the second book in this series.

What books could this be compared to and why?

The book is adventure science fiction.

Recommendation:

In summary, I would recommend this book to the following readers:

 

Children

No

Young Adult

Yes

Adult

Yes

 

If you like adventure, this book may be the book for you.

I look forward to reading more by this author.

Book Description by Author:

Falling Strong is the hard hitting sequel to Stephen J. Alexander's debut novel, Made in Milan. It's June 2032, and newly-wed bride Alice Scott has been kidnapped from her beautiful new home on Lake Como. Bound, broken and transported far away from all that she knows and loves, her first thought after Nathan, is to find out why she was taken. Understanding the strange language spoken by her captors, and working out what they mean as they repeatedly use the word, "Olot" may begin to provide Alice with the answers she so desperately seeks. But, while Alice thinks she's been snatched for ransom, it soon becomes clear there's much more to this dark romantic thriller than meets the eye...

About the Author:

Hi, I'm Stephen J. Alexander. Author.

 

My works are:

 

PETER AND THE DWARF PLANETS (AUG 28, 2018) OLYMPIA PUB., UK

 

MADE IN MILAN (JAN 21, 2021) KDP SELECT Book 1 in Sweet Nightmares Series

 

FALLING STRONG (MARCH 2021) KDP SELECT Book 2 in Sweet Nightmares Series

 

 

THE DREAMS (OCTOBER 2021) KDP SELECT Book 3 in Sweet Nightmares Series

 

 

The first book of my "Sweet Nightmares Trilogy" is Made in Milan (3rd Edition). It was released as an e-book and paperback in January 2021, and tells the romantic story of a chance meeting between a young Englishman and an Italian girl. The trilogy focuses on the lifelong relationship that the couple go on to forge. But it's certainly not passion and romance all the way...

 

This series of multi-genre novels will take the reader on a rollercoaster ride along with two lives far from ordinary.

 

MADE IN MILAN, a dual narrative set mainly in October 2031, is predominantly romantic and passionate, FALLING STRONG (out soon) is much darker featuring a high profile abduction in June 2032, political intrigue and a futuristic Catalan civil war for our heroic couple to escape from. THE DREAMS, set in Los Angeles, CA, New Zealand, Northern Ireland, England, France and Switzerland in 2046, is at its core, Science-Fiction. Our heroic couple, faced with a huge existential dilemma, go in search of and eventually meet their maker.

 

I hope you like my work...

Book Review: XPosed by Lynda Filler

 Book Review

 


Basic Details:

Book Title: Xposed

Subtitle: (Code Raven #1)

Author: Lynda Filler

Genre: Action & Adventure

Part of a series? Yes

Order in series: 1

Best read after earlier books in series?

Available: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/50082020-xposed

Overall score:

I scored this book 4/5

Short Summary of the book:

This is a highly entertaining book for lovers of spy novels and adventure stories. We meet Luci, as she finds herself and her daughter in danger. Fortunately, a former team member is interested in her plight and attempts to save them. Will he succeed? And what could happen if he does?

What I liked about the book:

This was high-paced and well worth a read.

What I didn’t like about the book:

There was nothing I disliked about the book.

My favourite bits in the book:

I enjoyed all the suspense and action within the book.

My least favourite bits in the book:

I enjoyed the entire book.

Any further books in the series? Any more planned by this author?

The author has written other books too.

What books could this be compared to and why?

The book could easily be placed in the genre of spy novels as this forms a large part of the book.

Recommendation:

In summary, I would recommend this book for the following readers:

 

Children

No

Young Adult

Yes

Adult

Yes

 

If you like spy novels, this book may be the book for you.

I look forward to reading more by this author.

Book Description by Author:

XPOSED is a wild action-adventure novella that uncovers a dark and dangerous world of high-level intrigue, passion, power, and greed.

 

After seizing millions of dollars from an illegal arms-for-drugs deal between a rogue CIA faction, and a South American cartel, Luci retires from clandestine operations and hides out in Central America with her four-year-old daughter. Spotted by her enemies, she is chased up the Pacific coast to Mexico where she is saved by teammates of ex-Navy SEAL Zach, a member of ‘Raven’s Group.’

 

Meanwhile, the US government is in the throes of cyber warfare with China. Luke Raven, a high-tech billionaire, is the only man that can save America from the deadly fallout. He enlists the help of Luci, an ex-Mossad assassin, who now feels an obligation to Luke Raven for rescuing her.

 

They take their high-stakes adventure across the USA and over the ocean to Paris. The action culminates in Shanghai, China where an ultra-wealthy and ruthless business tycoon possesses highly sensitive information that would have catastrophic results for the USA in the wrong hands. But will they get there soon enough to secure the data from their enemies?

About the Author:

2021 I'm currently in Istanbul, Turkey an amazing city for a writer who sees plots everywhere. I left Puerto Vallarta, Mexico, a town of hot humid days and sultry passionate nights, in early 2019 to travel the world. Istanbul was a two-day layover in a multi-country trip of several months. But I fell in love with Istanbul and a Turk. After I used up all my one-way tickets, I let my heart lead the way and came back to Istanbul. CAFE CONFIDENTIAL is that story! https://amzn.to/3dKBAWA

 

I write spy/mystery, romantic suspense, memoir, and poetry. I've been accused of writing based-on-real-events-and-character stories in my Code Raven Series. I will definitely admit that there are a few real-life characters and events in each one of my books! But a girl never kisses and tells, right?

Book Review: Luna Eclipse by Zana Wilder

 Book Review

 


Basic Details:

Book Title: Luna Eclipse

Subtitle:

Author: (Wolves of Fenrir Watch, #2)

Genre: Fantasy/Paranormal

Part of a series? Yes

Order in series: 2

Best read after earlier books in series? Yes

Available: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/60480463-luna-eclipse

Overall score:

I scored this book 5/5

Short Summary of the book:

This is a great sequel to the first in the series. Well-written, it captures the reader’s attention and encourages the reader to read on and find out what happens to Freya. After she left her fated mate, will she make it on her own, or will she find him again? And what is the relevance of a prophecy?

What I liked about the book:

It was fast-paced and difficult to put down.

What I didn’t like about the book:

I loved the entire book.

My favourite bits in the book:

How Freya succeeds to keep herself and her daughter safe while on the run and discovers her talents.

My least favourite bits in the book:

I enjoyed the entire book.

Any further books in the series? Any more planned by this author?

This is the second book in the series. I also read the prequel to this series and this should possibly be read before the first in the series. I hope the author will continue to write a third in the series as the story leaves room for this to happen.

What books could this be compared to and why?

This is a great paranormal/supernatural love and adventure story.

Recommendation:

In summary, I would recommend this book for the following readers:

 

Children

No

Young Adult

Maybe

Adult

Yes

 

If you like stories about shifters, witches and vampires with some steamy scenes, this series may be the series for you.

I’m certainly looking forward to reading more by this author.

Book Description by Author:

I'm an ex-Luna.

 

I rejected my mate.

 

There's only one problem – my mate's an alpha and he always gets what he wants. Right now, he wants me... I've no idea if he's trying to protect me, or kill me.

 

I have to run, and keep running.

 

It seems like there are bigger things at stake than just having control of my own life. There's a war between the Coven and the Shifters, the Vampires are scheming, and there's a breech in the Watch. I'm hiding my secret as best I can but everyone wants something from me.

 

Who the hell can I trust? Or is the real trick to trust nobody?

 

I'm not sure where my loyalties lie any-more, or how to reconcile myself with fate.

About the Author:

Zana Wilder is a part time author with a full time life and loves every moment of her writing. Specialising in romance with a paranormal twist Zana enjoys surprising her readers at every turn.