by admin | Jul 30, 2015 | Books, Dectective, England, WWII
MY REVIEW:
I was uncertain what to expect when I agreed to review “Direct Hit” but what I got was a very readable and enjoyable detective mystery. Set during the London Blitz in the early 1940’s, the style is very reminiscent of detective novels I read years ago.
The plot is fairly slow-paced but for this book, that is a good thing. I liked the way I felt a part of Jago’s entire process of solving the crime and the methodical way he processed every bit of information. The author’s descriptions of life in London while the population was under constant threat of bombing by the Germans added extra depth to the story. His character development was awesome and I felt like I knew them well by the conclusion of the story. I especially liked the way the detectives carried on with their responsibilities even in the midst of the bombings. Insight into the thoughts of various characters gave me a better idea of the different viewpoints of each one and how their choices were influenced by them. I think I gained a new understanding about how the history of that era evolved.
The story concept is imaginative. I loved the idea of a murder victim whose body was destroyed by a direct bomb hit shortly after discovery by detectives, nevertheless those same detectives were determined to solve the crime. Several twists kept things interesting and a surprise or two were the icing on the cake.
I thoroughly enjoyed “Direct Hit” and hope other mystery fans will check it out. Looking forward to the next installment of Hollow’s The Blitz Detective series.
This book was provided for review by Kregel Publications.
ABOUT THE BOOK:
First in a crime series set in London during the Blitz in 1940-41
The jagged blast of high explosives rips through the evening air. In the sky over East London the searchlights criss-cross in search of the enemy.
On the first night of the Blitz, a corpse is discovered in a van in the back streets of West Ham. Detective Inspector John Jago recognizes the dead man as local Justice of the Peace Charles Villers. But then a German bomb obliterates all evidence.
Villers, not a popular man, was both powerful and feared. As the sirens wail, the detective must start matching motive to opportunity–and it doesn?t help when his boss foists an intrusive American journalist on him.
Jago soon discovers the dead man held many secrets, some reaching back to World War I. A lot of people wished Villers dead–and an air raid is a good time to conceal a murder.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR:
Mike Hollow was born in West Ham, on the eastern edge of London, and grew up in Romford, Essex. He studied Russian and French at the University of Cambridge and then worked for the BBC and later Tearfund. In 2002 he went freelance as a copywriter, journalist and editor. He’s a published poet, and nowadays when not writing about the Blitz Detective he makes his living as a translator.
by admin | Jul 28, 2015 | Books, Contemporary Fiction, Sci-fi, Suspense
MY REVIEW:
Whether you want to call it sci-fi or a suspense/thriller, “Trial Run” is a tale that might leave the reader wondering just how close we might be to experiencing some of what takes place within its pages. It took me a bit to really get into the story – probably because of the vast array of characters and trying to wrap my mind around who was who and exactly what their role might be. It actually took me until at least halfway through to decide who were the good guys and who were the bad guys. At times I still was uncertain but it quickly became evident.
Locke deals with some concepts in “Trial Run” such as quantum physics, computer science, and other modern marvels that may be over many readers’ heads. It was over mine but I managed to enjoy the story without attempting to understand everything. The idea of out-of-body time travel and its potential are intriguing but the possibilities raised in this book make me hope it is not possible.
Although “Trial Run” is marketed as a mainstream novel, it is a clean read with no gratuitous sex or violence. There is plenty of action, espionage, suspense, and even a touch or two of romance. It is not the book for everyone but those who enjoy this genre should find it to their taste. It’s not my favorite type novel but I did find it interesting enough to want to learn the outcome. And I might just want to read the next installment of the series.
This book was provided for review by Blogging Bistro, LLC.
ABOUT THE BOOK:
Where does perception end and reality begin?
Can your mind actually cause something to happen in the “real” world?
What happens when we throw out our conception of the limits of space and time?
When science, government, and big business clash, who will ultimately have control of our information, our privacy, and even our very thoughts?
One thing remains clear:
What you don’t know can kill you.
Free sample of Trial Run by Thomas Locke
ABOUT THE AUTHOR:
Thomas Locke is an award-winning novelist with total worldwide sales of seven million copies.
His work has been published in twenty languages, and critical acclaim includes four Christy Awards for excellence in fiction and his 2014 induction into the Christy Hall of Fame.
Thomas divides his time between Florida and England, where he serves as Writer In Residence at Regent’s Park College at The University of Oxford. Visit Thomas at http://tlocke.com.
Q&A With Thomas Locke, author of Trial Run
Q: What reader did you have in mind when you were writing Trial Run?
Thomas Locke: I suspect there are a lot of readers out there like me, who love mainstream fiction in principle, but are dismayed by how dark it is becoming.
I love to read. I am happiest with a good book in my hands. And most of my purchases are mainstream fiction. Too often, however, I find myself skipping over bits that are just plain not necessary for a good story.
I wrote Trial Run for readers like me. Passionate about story, yearning for the thrill of a great tale, hoping for something that uplifts as well as ignites.
Here’s a video trailer for Trial Run, hot off the press:
https://youtu.be/FS9Vr2Nfc4Q
Q: In Trial Run, you introduce several seemingly unrelated threads at the beginning of the story. By the end of the story, those threads have become woven together in an intricate tapestry. What’s your thought process behind this writing strategy?
Thomas Locke: This concept can best be summed up by the phrase you often hear a Hollywood producer say: “Where is the cut?”
By this, the producer means, what can you leave out of the script so that the audience must figure things out for themselves?
Instead of spoon-feeding the audience every item required to move to the climax, things are left unsaid. This sense of vacuum draws the audience into the action, and hurries them forward to the story’s close.
Q: Several settings in Trial Run (Santa Barbara, CA, the Italian/Swiss border site) depict real places. How do you select these real-life settings for your stories, and do you alter details of these places to suit your stories?
Thomas Locke: The core element of my placing a story is research. And the core element in my research is emotion. For many people, the ‘take’ that I finally use in the story does not jibe with what they like to see as valid for a particular setting, especially when that place is close to their heart and I have used a more negative perspective. But the facts have been carefully studied.
An example from Trial Run is Santa Barbara. For a lot of people who know and love California, this is their absolute favorite place in the SoCal region. And for good reason. It is a lovely town, one my wife and I really enjoy visiting.
For this story, I was granted an insider’s view into the University of California at Santa Barbara, or UCSB. And from the perspective of many students enrolled there, UCSB is filled with hyper-inflated SoCal egos.
The contrast I found between the students with money (and in SoCal, when I say they had money, I really mean they had money) and those who don’t is as sharp as anywhere I have ever been. The student who formed my core source and guide was on a scholarship. He was there to study. He was, to say the least, in a minority.
Everything I described about the school, the bicycle traffic and the events on the beach and the housing, are based on observation. But the perspective was based upon the humorous bafflement with which this student viewed many of his fellow classmates.
I personally love this aspect of building a story. The research at this emotional level grants me the opportunity to see the world through another person’s eyes and heart. Being trusted with this, time and again, is part of the miracle process that happens every time I start a new tale.
Q: I’ve heard there’s a free ebook prequel to Trial Run. How can I get a copy?
Thomas Locke: As I was writing the opening scenes of Trial Run, I found myself continually asking questions about what happened before that door opened and before the party started. I began sketching a sort of parallel story, laying out ideas that formed the story-before-the-story.
“Double Edge” is the result.
The publishers liked the short story prequel so much that they have asked me to write a complete novel based upon these concepts. This novel will form either book three or book four in the series.
You’ll find links on my website http://tlocke.com/fault-lines/ for downloading your free copy of “Double Edge” from your favorite online bookseller.
Q: Trial Run is book 1 in the three-volume Fault Lines series. Please give us a preview of what to expect in book 2.
Thomas Locke: This is a timely question, as I completed the first draft of book 2 on June 8. The working title is Flash Point.
In many respects, Flash Point is a true hybrid. By this I mean that the core themes are the same as in Trial Run. But everything is also very different. I had two key questions in mind when I started book two: How far can I take this? How much can I risk?
This whole concept of controlled out-of-body experiences opens up a completely new vista. I had to develop a new story framework for Trial Run, and everywhere I looked I found myself asking the same questions:
- Where does this take mankind?
- If this could actually happen, where do we go?
- Who are we as people?
- How would this remake us?
These questions are first asked in Flash Point. Where we go from here depends mostly upon you, the reader.
So let’s dance!
Get to know Thomas Locke at these online outlets:
Website: http://tlocke.com/
Subscribe to Thomas’s e-newsletter and blog: http://eepurl.com/5cnH5
Receive Thomas’s latest blog posts via your feed reader: http://tlocke.com/blog/feed/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/tlockebooks
Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/thomas_locke
Twitter: https://twitter.com/tlockebooks
Pinterest: http://www.pinterest.com/tlockebooks/
by admin | Jul 28, 2015 | Books, Historical, Novella, Series
MY REVIEW:
There’s quite a bit going on in “A Heart’s Promise”, the fifth installment of Coble’s Journey of the Heart series. Emmie returns Isaac’s interest but fears that the secrets of her past will make him hate her. She makes a promise to a friend that could change her life forever. Then as the old saying goes, a troublemaker turns up again “like a bad penny”. And then there are rumors that another troublemaker may still be alive.
So – with one more installment left in the series, “A Heart’s Promise” left me with several questions I would like to have answered and anxious to read the last book. This has been an interesting that has give me and other Coleen Coble fans a look back at her very first novels. How far she has come yet the indications of greatness were there from the start.
This book was provided for review by LitFuse Publicity.
ABOUT THE BOOK:
Emmie makes a promise to her friend that, if fulfilled, could mean the end to her dreams of a future with Isaac.
Emmie Croftner let Isaac Liddle go to avoid telling him about her past. But Isaac remains determined to win Emmie’s heart and hand. Though Emmie resolves to keep her heart in check, it hurts when she sees that another woman has set her bonnet for Isaac.
Then Emmie’s dear friend extracts a costly promise: if anything happens to her in childbirth, Emmie will marry her widower and raise the baby herself. And it seems Emmie may have to fulfill that promise. But can she live happily without Isaac?
Learn more and purchase a copy.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR:
USA Today bestselling author Colleen Coble has written several romantic suspense novels including “Tidewater Inn,” “Rosemary Cottage,” and the Mercy Falls, Lonestar, and Rock Harbor series.
Find out more about Colleen at http://www.colleencoble.com/.
Take it to the Beach with Colleen Coble’s ‘A Heart’s Promise’ and Tote Giveaway
Take a day off and head to the beach with a new giveaway from Colleen: five books (books one–five in Colleen’s A Journey of the Heart series) and a beach bag to tote your new books in!
One grand prize winner will receive:
- A copy of A Heart’s Promise
- A Lands’ End beach tote
- A copy of A Heart’s Betrayal
- A copy of A Heart’s Disguise
- A copy of A Heart’s Obsession
- A copy of A Heart’s Danger
Enter today by clicking the icon below. But hurry, the giveaway ends on July 31st. Winner will be announced August 3rd on Colleen’s website.
by admin | Jul 22, 2015 | Books, Contemporary Fiction, Novella, PTSD, Romance, Suspense
MY REVIEW:
“Beast of Stratton” is a 172 page novella that takes the reader on a fast and furious suspense-filled ride. It is a story about betrayal, trust, forgiveness, and healing. Readers get an up-close and personal look at the sufferings of an injured military man who suffers from PTSD as he struggles to overcome the pain and flashbacks.
In my personal opinion, “Beast of Stratton” is a good story that would have been even better in a full-length novel. I would have liked more background on the primary players, especially Miles, Aimee, and Ian as well as additional details about what was actually happening during much of the tale. The romance between Miles and Aimee went from dislike and distrust to love much too quickly. I wanted to watch it develop over more than what seemed to be one day’s time. I understand the need to condense and hasten the plot in novellas to fit page requirements. That is one reason I prefer full-length books. The story here is good and the author’s talent is obvious – I just wanted more of it.
This book was provided for review by The Book Club Network.
ABOUT THE BOOK:
Architect Aimee Hart, determined to locate her father, infiltrates Miles Stratton’s engineering firm as a secretary. Her presence wrenches the shaggy, wounded man from his penthouse, and the quest begins. Betrayed by his best friend, Miles would rather hide than help, especially from the man’s daughter. But something’s not right. Someone’s trying to destroy Stratton Industrial. A decorated war veteran, he’s defended his own before and the Beast of Stratton can do it again. Even with the enemy at his side.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR:
Raised in Louisiana and Wyoming, Renee started writing poetry in junior high school and that, as they say, was that. After having her son, a desire to attend pharmacy school sent her small family to Laramie and she’s been counting pills ever since. While writing’s her first love, well, after the Lord and her husband, she also likes to fish and hunt as well as pick away on her classical guitar. Nestled against the Black Hills with her husband, crazy old dog and ornery cat, she serves the community of northeastern Wyoming as a pharmacist and pens her Christian stories, keeping them interesting with action and intrigue, of course. She loves to interact with readers and invites you check out her website, blog, and social media.
Website: http://www.reneeblare.com/
Blog: https://reneeblare.wordpress.com/
Group Blog: http://diamondsinfiction.blogspot.com/
by admin | Jul 21, 2015 | Adventure, Books, Romance, Speculative, Suspense, Teen, Young Adult
MY REVIEW:
When I agreed to review “The Stonekeepers”, I was unfamiliar with the author and took a chance because I thought the book might be interesting. I did not realize that teens and young adults seem to be its targeted audience. Nevertheless, I thoroughly enjoyed reading it.
From the very beginning the author sets the perfect tone with a mysterious old house that seems to reach out to Lexi Christensen. When she learns that the house is scheduled to be torn down by the city, she and her two best friends set out to stop it. Along the way, she discovers some secrets that actually do connect her to the old home. Little does she realize the adventure and danger she, her friends, and family will encounter before summer is over.
The story itself is so imaginative yet keeps its characters and their relationships very realistic. I liked that Lexi was a typical teen who had conflicts with her parents, a crush on the same guy her best friend claimed, yet she was always determined to practice her faith and to follow the gentle voice of the Holy Spirit.
I believe this is a book that would be enjoyed by most teens and even some adults. I enjoyed it and these days I am far from young.
This book was provided for review by The Bookclub Network.
ABOUT THE BOOK:
For the past eighteen years, Lexi Christensen has been sheltered from the truth, protected by a soft-cushioned life of normalcy, until the contents of an envelope link her to an ancient vow. All Lexi wants is to get out from between the vise grips of her suddenly protective parents, rescue an historic mansion before she leaves for college, and stop herself from falling in love with the man her best friend claims to love. But finding the envelope thrusts her into new choices . . . and new danger. Someone knows more about Lexi’s heritage than she does, wants what she’s found, and will risk her life to get it. As her future twists into an incredible mission that propels her from her sand-ringed island home to a foreign mountaintop, she’s in a race against both time and danger. Her faith may be strong, but is God asking too much?
ABOUT THE AUTHOR:
Sally Chambers lives in warmth and sunshine among palm fronds, revels in sea breezes, loves the feel of sand between her toes, and braces for hurricanes annually. She, her husband, and two married children call Florida home. Sally writes for young adults, new adults, and women of all ages who enjoy contemporary inspirational fiction that’s a blend of easy drama, suspense, and light romance.
by admin | Jul 20, 2015 | Books
MY REVIEW:
Beginning with the rescue of a kidnapped Montaukett princess Heather Flower, “To Capture Her Heart” follows the lives of Heather, her rescuer, and long-time friends and relatives in the area now known as Long Island, New York. Grieving over the murder of her new husband at their wedding, Heather soon finds herself the object of the affections of two men. Can we say “love triangle”?
To tell the truth, the primary subject of this novel is not as much the romance as the daily lives of the residents of Southold and the neighboring Indian fort. I found the descriptions of the hard work, challenges, and danger faced by all to be extremely interesting. I was mostly unaware of the enmity between the British and Dutch settlers in that area. If it was in my American history books, I certainly forgot.
Although the story is not a fast-moving one, it has a realistic blend of drama, danger, romance, and even grief. A strong emphasis is placed on faith including a scene where one major character is led to the Lord. There are several surprises in store for the reader. The outcome of the love triangle is not fully revealed until the very end.
“To Capture Her Heart” is an excellent follow-up to the first novel of The Southold Chronicles, “A Place in His Heart” but can easily stand on its own. Lovers of early American history will certainly want to read both.
This book was provided for review by Revell, a division of Baker Publishing Group.
ABOUT THE BOOK:
In an uncertain time, she faces a choice that will change her life forever
It is 1653 and Heather Flower, a princess of the Montaukett tribe, is celebrating her wedding feast when a rival tribe attacks, killing the groom and kidnapping her. Though her ransom is paid by an Englishman, she is bound by her captors and left to die–until she finds herself rescued by handsome Dutch Lieutenant Dirk Van Buren.
Still tender from her loss, Heather Flower begins to heal in the home of the Hortons, English friends of her people. Torn between her affection for Dirk and her longtime friendship with Ben Horton, Heather Flower must make a difficult choice–stay true to her friend or follow her heart.
Exploring a unique slice of history, Rebecca DeMarino transports you to the wild land that would eventually become Long Island, New York.
Read an excerpt from To Capture Her Heart Here.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR:
Photo Credit: © Something Blue Photography
Rebecca DeMarino is the author of A Place in His Heart and a member of American Christian Fiction Writers, Romance Writers of America, and The Southold Long Island Historical Society. She was a 2011 Genesis Award semi-finalist. Rebecca is retired from a major airline and lives in the Pacific Northwest with her husband, Tom. Learn more at www.rebeccademarino.com.
To celebrate the release of “To Capture Her Heart” the author is hosting a giveaway on her blog.
Prizes being offered in the giveaway:
Grand Prize: $75.00 Gift Card of choice (Amazon, Target, iTunes or Google play), Signed copy of To Capture Her Heart & A Place in His Heart.
Runner Up Prize: $25.00 Gift card to Barnes & Noble, Signed copies of To Capture Her Heart & A Place in His Heart
Second Runner Up Prize: Signed copies of To Capture Her Heart & A Place in His Heart
ENTER HERE
To Capture Her Heart Book Launch
