Drama Queens with Love Scenes; Kevin Klehr

By the Gods, I loved this book.  And when I say I loved this book it’s because I also HATED this book. 

So many emotions were brought up within me when I read it that I don’t even know where to start this review.  But that, as a reader, is a good thing.  Right?

The story was brilliant.  The imagery was perfect.  The characters were so real to my own life that I wanted to reach into the pages and strangle them.

Kevin Klehr managed to craft a story so realistic as to be both enlightening and frustrating at the same time.  I wish I could describe why, but to do so would give away too much about the ending.

Rarely, RARELY, do I give a book five stars.  But this time I do.

Would I recommend this book to everyone?  No way.  Would I recommend it to my LGBT friendly friends?  Absolutely.

I’ve heard rumors that there’s a second book coming.  This reader cannot wait to pick up a copy and get just as lost as she did in the first one.

Pick up the book at the following link:

http://www.amazon.com/Drama-Queens-Scenes-Kevin-Klehr/dp/1936185903/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1389436634&sr=8-1&keywords=drama+queen+with+love+scenes

The Best is Yet to Come; Tara R. Alemany

I am not one to read non-fiction, inspirational stories.  That having been said, I couldn’t be more grateful that Tara R. Alemany reached out to me to offer a copy of her book, “The Best is Yet to Come.”

Alemany ‘s story is about a relationship that she forged with a man when she had given up on dating all together, something that I can relate to, and how she manages to struggle through the pain and isolation she felt upon his death. 

I wondered, before beginning to read this book, if Alemany’s Christian based back ground would put me off. I can assure you that it did not.  Rather, even though I approach my beliefs from a different direction, I found comfort in Ms. Alemany’s ability to turn to her God and her faith to find peace in an otherwise bleak situation.  And I found comfort in the fact that simple prayer paved the pathway to clear obstacles that blocked her from making bold choices that lead her on a path to comfort for both herself and for others effected by the death of someone that she loved.  Two lessons I can take from the book and apply to my own, personal situation.

I would not, for the barest of moments, hesitate to recommend this book for anyone who has become complacent with their current lot in life.  You never know where love will find you.  Nor would I hesitate to recommend this book to anyone who has experienced the death of a loved one as Ms. Alemany’s journey expresses, very poignantly, how we accept loss and survive the pain of our grief. 

Without compunction, I give this book a very strong four and a half to five stars and I wish Ms. Alemany all the best on her journey.

You can pick the book up at:  http://www.amazon.com/The-Best-Come-Tara-Alemany/dp/1490810307/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1387245297&sr=8-1&keywords=the+best+is+yet+to+come+by+tara

Precipice: The Beginning; Kevin J. Howard

I've read this author before and loved his craft.  Can't wait to read this one!

Book One

The End is only the Beginning....

It wasn't the first time Lieutenant Travis Daniels had been far from his wife and son. Leading an elite team on countless missions, dodging death at every turn--it was what he was trained to do. And returning to his family was always his driving force... but this time might be different. Imprisoned for an unsanctioned intrusion into a hot zone, Travis and his elite team took a deal to assist in the colonization of Mars to evade the death penalty. While stationed there, Travis' only source of sanity were the brief video conversations he was allowed with his family. When the last transmission received showed choppy images of the city in darkness and blurs of humanoid creatures running through the streets, Travis and his team must decide to either stay on Mars or find a way back to his family--unknowing of the hell that Earth has become.

 

Available at:

 

http://www.amazon.com/Precipice-The-Beginning-Book-One-ebook/dp/B00AGYKI7K/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1386983622&sr=8-2&keywords=kevin+j+howard

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Drama Queens with Love Scenes; Kevin Klehr

Although Mr. Klehr didn't ask for a review, this one looks to be a delight.  Just ordered today and I can't wait for it to arrive to read and review!

Allan is in love with his best friend, Warwick, but Warwick has fallen for cock-sure playwright, Pedro. As Allan tries to win back his friend's heart, he also must come to terms with the fact that they are all dead.


Close friends Allan and Warwick are dead. They're not crazy about the idea so to help them deal with this dilemma are Samantha, a blond bombshell from the 1950s, and Guy, an insecure angel.

They are soon drawn into the world of theatre - Afterlife style, with all the bitchiness, back-stabbing and ego usually associated with the mortal world.

Allan also has a secret. He has a romantic crush on his friend, Warwick, but shortly after confiding in his new angel pal, his love interest falls for the cock-sure playwright, Pedro.

Not only does Allan have to win the heart of his companion, he also has to grapple with the faded memory of how he actually died.

 

Drama Queens with Love Scenes can be picked up at http://www.amazon.com/Drama-Queens-Scenes-Kevin-Klehr-ebook/dp/B00AR05PLC/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1386983394&sr=8-1&keywords=drama+queens+with+love+scenes.

 

 

Review of Dead Men Make the Best Heroes

Any book that can deliver its first dead body within the first chapter brings on intrigue in my mind.  Dead Men Make the Best Heroes doesn’t disappoint in this regard.  I knew by the end of page two that this book was going to take me on one hell of a ride.  

By the middle of chapter three, I knew I was reading a book by an author who is a master at describing the settings of his story.  E. Van Johnson brilliantly pulls his readers into the world where the characters live.  Fortunately, it’s a talent that he carries extremely well throughout the entire book.

One of the things that I really liked about this book, and its story, was that, although most spy / war novels have you rooting for one side or the other, I really found myself sympathetic to both the Palestinians and the Israelites.  E. Van Johnson was able to convey why each side was taking the risks that they were taking and what their true intentions were.   I find it a rare thing for an author to be able to be sympathetic in these types of novels to both sides of the war and I found the manner in which the story, and the struggles, of both sides refreshing.

What troubles me about the book is that it does contain some strange paragraph formatting, but once the reader trains their eyes to ignore that and just enjoy the story this drops down to being simply mildly annoying.  The many editing errors were far more distracting, but at the same time, about half way through the book I decided that the story was well written and intriguing enough that I began forgiving these flaws as well. 

At the end of the day, I really, really wanted to give this book five stars for the story and the eloquent writing—which is something I very, very rarely ever do.  But I also know how critical readers are with regard to editing and formatting errors.  Therefore, I had to take my love of the story into consideration against the editing issues.  As a result, I give this book a strong three and ½ stars with encouragement to Mr. E. Van Johnson to keep on writing such exceptional material but to also, perhaps, take into consideration the small details that might prevent him from experiencing the success as an author that he so richly deserves.

To pick up a copy, visit http://www.amazon.com/Dead-Men-Make-Best-Heroes/dp/1781761310/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1386287291&sr=8-1&keywords=Dead+men+make+the+best+heros

The Best is Yet to Come; Tara R. Almany

After twelve years of living alone as a single parent, she hadn't expected to find love again. She'd pretty much given up on the idea-so when Frank unexpectedly came into her life, the result of an errant e-mail, he turned her world upside down. Four months later, his unexpected death brought it to a crashing halt. Join Tara on her journey as she shares the story of their time together and, more importantly, the lessons she learned as she rode waves of unanticipated love and grief to ultimately come to the strongest place she'd ever been in her life. This true story will speak to and inspire anyone who has ever suffered the loss of a dream by showing how you too can change your perception of that loss from an anchor that holds you back into a beautiful gift that dares you to believe that the best is yet to come.


Looks like an inspirational story!  Can't wait to read it.

http://www.amazon.com/The-Best-Come-Tara-Alemany/dp/1490810307/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1386287096&sr=8-1&keywords=the+best+is+yet+to+come+by+tara

Till Human Voices Wake Us; Annie Bellet

In this large collection, author Annie Bellet demonstrates her gift for the short form, offering readers twenty short stories, novelettes, and novellas that are compelling, beautifully imagined, and entertaining.

Till Human Voices Wake Us contains 20 stories ranging from hard science fiction to space opera, sword and sorcery to magical realism, some in print for the first time.

Just received this audio book for review.  Won it on a request with LibraryThing.com.  Can't wait to listen!

http://www.amazon.com/Till-Human-Voices-Wake-Us/dp/147911720X/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1386287205&sr=8-1&keywords=Till+Human+Voices+Wake+Us+by+Annie+Bellet

Dead Men Make the Best Heroes; E. Van Johnson

When Patrick Braun's name appears on an IRA suspect list he is brought to the attention of three Intelligence Agencies. MI6 in London.; Mossad in Tel Aviv and the PLO in Damascus. The action moves swiftly between England; Bahrain; Cyprus; Damascus and Tel Aviv With an explosive finish and a devious twist in the tail

In for review today!  I've only read a few pages but I'm already intrigued!

http://www.amazon.com/Dead-Men-Make-Best-Heroes/dp/1781761310/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1386287291&sr=8-1&keywords=Dead+men+make+the+best+heros

From Book Three, a Passage

Ishitar

 We are well into our third bottle of scotch when Charles Hamilton raises his face and gives me a strangely tepid smile.  I understand that the polite thing to do is to force myself to smile in response, but why bother?  He can’t see me and nor do I owe this mortal anything more than the courtesy of my time.  Even that is only being granted to him because he has information that I want and that, oddly enough, I am unable to extract from his mind.

“Another?”  He asks, pushing the bottle lightly toward me with the tips of his fingers. “I couldn’t sleep if I wanted to.”  He shrugs.  “My mind is spinning.  Too much information and not enough of it to provide me with answers.”

“What answers are you seeking?”

 Although I cannot read his thoughts, I already know his response and he senses this.  I’ve lived long enough among mortals to understand that they are, above all else, very often predictable.

He continues to stare at me with his blind gaze from behind his dark glasses.  His lips twitch slightly as he raises his hand to run it through his short, salt and pepper hair. 

As with all men, be they mortals or Gods, he eventually lower’s his gaze, unable to bear my regard.

“I want to know where Ishitar went.”  He mutters.  “I want to know what happened to Iladrul’s baby.  And I want to know if Loki ousted Noliminan from his throne.”

I chuckle lightly at that last bit. 

“No one knew, for some time, what became of Ishitar.”  I reply, trying, now, not to smile.  “He was meant to go to a human family.”  His brow furrows slightly.  “He chose not to.”

The Hand That Feeds by Michael W. Garza

The book opens up with eight year old Alex digging himself out of a grave.  Pining over the loss of his parents, he realizes that he has no use of his legs and drags himself along the earth to find them.  His mother, hearing his cries, does what any mother would do.  She searches for and finds him.  His father, more alert to the situation, though still loving his son, and afraid of its effects on his wife, attempts to take what little control he can over this strange, but engaging situation.

If the chilling cover won’t haunt you, the imagery that the author manages to kick up will.  Michael W. Garza is a very descriptive writer.  This author was lost more than once, while reading this book.  In the haunting emotion and visual portrayal of the father, John, as he tried to find reason among madness. 

As I read the book, I found myself lost in thoughts of what I would do in this same situation.  John, not entirely onboard with his wife’s desire to feed their now zombie son, is forced to face his own humanity.  His struggle to protect his family, as well as his own life, is haunting. 

Another chilling piece to this tale is how John interacts with society as the world around him goes mad.   Garza manages to encompass both the empathetic and the self-preserving personalities of many of his characters as the reality of what is happening engulfs this small town. 

My only complaint about this book was that some of the situations that we were lead into resulted with predictable endings.  This was a minor flaw, however, because the story, as told, was definitely entertaining and worth the cost of the cover.

In short, this is definitely a book that keeps the pages turning and the reader looking to dark corners for unexpected movements.  If you are looking for a quick read that incorporates a classic scare, this book may be for you.  You can pick the book up at Amazon.com at the following link: 

http://www.amazon.com/Hand-That-Feeds-Michael-Garza/dp/1925047199/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1386042382&sr=8-1&keywords=the+hand+that+feeds

Author to Author asks you, how far will a mother go to protect her child, even when she knows that he has already been lost to her?  And, secondly, how far will a husband go to protect his wife?  The Hand That Feeds brilliantly answers both of these questions with a cliffhanger ending that will leave you chilled. 

The Hand That Feeds, authored by Michael W. Garza

How far will a parent go to keep their child alive? John and Angela Mason’s lives are brought to a tormenting halt when their ten year old son is reduced to a lifeless shell. John watches his wife slip into madness as his son rises from the dead. He realizes they must escape the terrifying infection in order to survive but how can he choose between the insanity consuming his wife and the undying hunger of his son. An appetite for death will come in one form or another and it will be left to John to decide on the hand that feeds.

Although not submitted by Mr. Garza, The Hand That Feeds is the first book up for review on this site.  It just arrived in the mail yesterday afternoon and I can't wait to dive in and read it!

http://www.amazon.com/Hand-That-Feeds-Michael-Garza/dp/1925047199/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1386287348&sr=8-1&keywords=the+hand+that+feeds