Review: Confidential

Confidential by Ellie Monago
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

I have mixed feelings about this book, hence the 3 star rating.

What I liked:
*Anything psychology related, in treatment therapy being the holy grail of subject matter for me.
*The sucky therapist gets murdered.
*The murderer doesn't get punished for killing before mentioned sucky therapist.

What I hated:
*Pretty much every character, especially the women, but even the detective investigating the murder.
*Who the killer turned out to be because if you read the book, you're probably with me on how that should have gone down.
*Female characters written as stereotypical, weak willed fools . All of them. Every female in the book is written that way and it got old quickly.

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Review: The One

The One by John Marrs
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

I put this one off for some reason and now I think it was the universe making sure I had the time to devote because I absolutely DEVOURED this!

Each chapter is from the viewpoint of one character and something is revealed right before the chapter change that makes you want to strangle Marrs. But that's how you end up making a dent in your couch because you can't stop reading. Despite some rather unrealistic occurrences, The One was a unique plot, well written, well paced and full of characters both despicable and delightful.

I will recommend this book to all of my bookies.

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Review: Passage to Sunrise: A novel

Passage to Sunrise: A novel by Bruno Jambor
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

For readers who enjoy espionage, terrorist plots, clandestine government operations and the stereotypical macho action, Passage to Sunrise by Bruno Jambor looks to be a par for the course novel. However, this one melds into something unique as it finds itself listed on Religious and Christian reading lists. I did not see that coming and to be honest, if the faith based background had been prominently declared, I might have rolled my eyes because... well, the two genres aren't traditionally paired plot-wise, right?

Mr. Jambor is a talented writer who creates memorable characters and weaves a sense of reality through his entire story that feels organic. At the end the reader finds out there is a prequel available called Wildfire in the Desert. I am a reader that drools for a prequel to a story I love so I'm sure many fans will be rushing to devour that as well.

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Review: Leverage the Field for Success: Using Quantum Reality to Succeed in the Corporate World

Leverage the Field for Success: Using Quantum Reality to Succeed in the Corporate World by John Jay McKey
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Leverage the Field for Success: Using Quantum Reality to Succeed in the Corporate World is a business help manual written by John Jay McKey. The author is a data analytics expert who claims that the key to success in business can be achieved using quantum reality. Basically, quantum reality is a fancy business version of using positive affirmations to bring good things into your life. Obviously it is a little more complicated than that, the word quantum should have been the first clue, but in only 178 pages, Mr. McKey spells out things quite nicely. People in business from CEO to low level managers can find wisdom here that will help along the past to success.

Though I am not in business in the traditional sense, I found this book to be positive and clearly articulated. I see this as a book that can only help both the business and people involved in business be quite successful.

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Review: The Helpers: An international tale of Espionage and Corruption

The Helpers: An international tale of Espionage and Corruption by S.E. Nelson
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

At 451 pages, this is not a one afternoon beach read. The Helpers: An international tale of Espionage and Corruption by S.E. Nelson is a meaty novel featuring murder, intrigue, corruption, romance, and suspense. Set in Congo, a notorious place of nearly constant unrest and violence, The Helpers are a powerful underground group trying to maintain control of the natural resources of the country. An American journalist arrives to document the resistance and finds herself in immeasurable danger when she uncovers multiple levels of corruption including a brutal murder.

Nelson has a writing style that is direct, which is perfect for this kind of story. The suspense and underlying danger of the plot demands that but beyond the assertiveness of the work, there is a tenderness underlying everything. That softness is where the reader finds the room to care about these characters and what happens to them. Some may call this dark subject matter but I found a hopefulness about it.

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Review: Fractured: Dereck Dillinger and the Shortcut to Oz

Fractured: Dereck Dillinger and the Shortcut to Oz by Eddie McPherson
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Fractured: Dereck Dillinger and the Shortcut to Oz is the second book by Eddie Mc Pherson I have read featuring Dereck Dillinger and his little sister, Jessie. I thought the Crystal Ball was superb and I hoped this would be as well done as that, avoiding the dreaded formula factory that series following the same characters sometimes can get swallowed up in. I needn't have worried. This time Jessie and Dereck are home alone when a storm moves in leaving them separated in the house. Dereck again finds himself in a warped world; Oz this time, though an Oz inhabited by the fairy tale characters Jessie loves. There is a lot of adventure, humor, magic, and heart along the way to get back to save his little sister.

Shortcut to Oz is an uplifting, bright story for younger readers up to teenagers. Lessons are taught through positives rather than the doom and gloom some authors use to create the same message and I think that is important. I hope Mr. Mc Pherson intends to write more Dereck Dillinger books.

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Review: Into the Unknown

Into the Unknown by Sofia Jarlo
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Into the Unknown is a 96 page, children's folk tale novella by Sofia Jarlo. The first in the Below the Earth series, Into the Unknown is the story of Ellie, a human girl who finds herself in a mystical land of tiny people, magic and kingdoms called the Underworld. Fearing the Evil One, the citizens of the Underworld are in danger and only Ellie can save them.

Young readers will love everything about this. It is full of the best things found in children's literature; magic, adventure, and lessons in friendship, kindness, bravery, and hope. Light-hearted and funny, there is no shortage of excitement and humor in this plot. The illustrations by Katarina Vintrafors are spellbinding and bring that extra bit of pizazz to Into the Unknown. I have a dozen youngsters in mind who will be introduced to Ellie, Mischa and the Underworld very soon.

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Review: Journey to the West Valley Wall

Journey to the West Valley Wall by Mark L. Lloyd
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Agoraphobia - an anxiety disorder in which you fear and avoid places or situations that might cause you to panic and make you feel trapped, helpless or embarrassed.

Canadian writer Jack Van Horne has written two best selling, science fiction novels starring Sage Sauer that have been made into wildly popular movies. Now Jack is under spectacular pressure to deliver a third. Everyone thinks the hold up is a simple case of writer's block but Jack knows it's so much more. His anxiety has turned to agoraphobia and the results are debilitating. The reader watches Jack deal with the pressures of his career on top of being called on to care for his precocious niece, Tessa.

In a parallel storyline, Jack's third novel comes together as space hero Sage Sauer materializes for us. By the end of Journey to the West Valley Wall, Mark L. Lloyd has the reader is equally immersed in both worlds, both stories and both main characters in dramatic fashion.

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Review: In the Vines

In the Vines by Shannon Kirk
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I found this novel by reading reviews for another book, it being mentioned as a better version of the one I was considering. I've yet to read the original book but In the Vines did not disappoint. The story, the mystery was complex until it was revealed to be so simple and yet that was not a let down in any way. Even though I had an inkling of the way things might shake out, the ending was not trite.

My only complaint comes via a compliment - the writing style. Shannon Kirk uses a beautiful but sometimes meandering prose to describe everything from the way a room looks to the cadence of a character's speech. It's brilliant and I admire the creativity it takes to write that way. However, there were times when I skimmed through some of the anecdotic paragraphs to get to the meat of what was happening. I was so excited to find out, to know the secrets, that the volume of that style felt like tree branches across a bridge I desperately wanted to get cross.

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Review: The Game of VORs

The Game of VORs by Andrew Orange
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Set in a dystopian version of the present, The Game of VORs by Andrew Orange is a familiar tale of a young man yearning to please his father and the repercussions of that path of action. Kier Vorsmith has failed his exams and derailed the plans he had for college and a quiet life beyond, angering his father, the ruthless Count Vorsmith. As a result and to his utter dismay, Keir is banished to the Arctic to be a weatherman.

Being a dystopian bordering on science fiction novel, there are many unfamiliar terms and the author was light on explanations, leaving the reader to figure it out on their own. That added to the frustration of trying to decipher where the real threats were in the plot in a way that was distracting. I think the intended audience for this book includes teens and young adults and I would caution the younger end of the range readers that there are very dark subjects handled here including rape and murder. I would definitely recommend this to any young person I felt was capable of handling those topics though.

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Review: Hunt For Harald's Gold

Hunt For Harald's Gold by Jack Dancer
My rating: 2 of 5 stars

I have to start with the cover image of the Kindle ebook I received: A mirror image of an attractive woman except the left side of the image features the woman sporting what appears to be a mustache... Based on the title, Hunt For Harald's Gold: A Scottish DNA Love Story, I couldn't begin to imagine what this cover could have to do with the plot of what is clearly a romance. It was initially jarring and not in a positive way. Once you read the summary, the mustache makes some sense but then you forget all about that because it is revealed that Billie is mistaken for Willie, Billie's supposedly dead twin brother who is transgender so looks just like Billie and is also having sex with Tucker, Billie's oblivious DNA match true love in her absence. Viking kings, fairies, bulletproof skin, rogue FBI agents, ancient Scottish legends, anthropomorphic drones, and centuries old witches are all mentioned in the summary as well so to be honest there's really no way to tell what this book is about. But have no fear, you have a whopping 456 pages to figure it out. Don't expect to have much clarity once you're finished though, I certainly didn't.

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Review: Amazon Lee and the Tomb of the Dragon King: An Amazon Lee Adventures

Amazon Lee and the Tomb of the Dragon King: An Amazon Lee Adventures by Kailin Gow
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Book #1 in Kailin Gow's Amazon Lee Adventure (Amazon Lee Adventures in China) series is titled Amazon Lee and the Tomb of the Dragon King. Billed as a children's travel and adventure story, this book features a thirteen year old protagonist so I think it should be added to middle grade fiction lists as well, in order to reach more of its intended readers. Also, at only 106 pages in length, this is more of a short story or novella than it is a traditional novel. Though I see that as a positive knowing the attention span of kids in the 8-14 age range.

Amazon Lee is the genius daughter of a brilliant scientist and a renowned historian. Accompanied by her highly accomplished inventor aunt (Auntabelle), Ama and her parents are visiting her grandfather in China when she finds herself on a wild adventure to recover a stolen elixir with ancient ties to immortality. This is a perfect story for this age range and boring is not a word I see being included in many future reviews of Amazon Lee and the Tomb of the Dragon.

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Review: The Amaryllis

The Amaryllis by Alyssa Adamson
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

The Amaryllis is a young adult, fantasy, paranormal romance novel written by author Alyssa Adamson. It tells the teenage love story of Eden and Phil and one thing this book is not is bubbly or cutesy. Malevolence abounds and let me just say the ending doesn't leave an opening for a sequel; at least not involving the relationship between these two characters. Also, you're probably going to ugly cry a little and if a happy ever after is a requirement for your romances, you might want to consider Twilight, as the two stories share similar aspects.

Adamson is clearly a talented writer. Her characters are fully fleshed, dialogue is well done and believable, and her plot flows effortlessly throughout - fast paced or meandering perfectly, depending on what the scene demands. The heart of the book being the romance between these teenagers was written just as well as has been done by much more experienced authors. It can be difficult to make romance age appropriate and realistic and many have failed. This author nailed it.

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Review: 3x Speed Reading

3x Speed Reading by Giacomo Bruno
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

3x Speed Reading by Giacomo Bruno is a short 110 pages, focused on the goal of reading much faster, three times faster to be exact, and improve comprehension and memorization of the information that is read.

This guide was practical in its instruction style as well as honest in acknowledging that there is no singular, sure fire way to achieve the desired results of speed reading. There were charts, diagrams, worksheets, and exercises sprinkled throughout to assist in the learning.

In regard to memorization and comprehension techniques, Mr. Bruno has introduced some rather creative avenues of improvement. My focus was drawn here being that I already read at a nearly unnatural speed and always have.

I disagree with the notion that readers don't use the creative part of their brain when reading. Perhaps that could be true when reading for purely informational purposes but how can you not use creativity when making images in your head out of words from the page? The author's position on that really frustrated me.

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