Tempus; Holly Lauren

Tempus was everything that every YA author should strive for.  Chapel Ryan, the POV character, understands that something about her is different from other people.  Those close to her tried to slough it off as a symptom of PTSD.   On top of dealing with this, she is mending the broken heart of first love, the gradual loss of a somewhat close relationship with her mother and a creepy stepfather that seems to be more interested in the results of his election than what is happening in his own house.   But rather than wallowing in self-pity she puts on a brave face throughout most of the book and focuses her concerns on finding out what is wrong with her and how to normalize herself.

Over the course of the book, Chapel finds a new love interest, Isaiah.  Ms. Lauren did an incredible job in building this relationship.  The chemistry between the two is perfect from the beginning and Chapel’s reluctance to trust another boy so soon after having her heart broken is played in a manner that shows inner strength rather than weakness.   At the same time, the mystery surrounding Isaiah is more than Chapel can resist and, eventually, a small crack in her self-imposed armor spurs the events that lead her to allowing Isaiah in just enough to solve her own mystery. 

The book kept me guessing all the way through the reveal of why Chapel had these mysterious episodes and who (or what, given the paranormal undertones of the novel) Isaiah actually was.  Never mind that as she made her journey to self discovery I wasn’t sure who was on Chapel’s side and who I wanted her to stay as far away as possible from.  Even her three best friends came into question in my mind somewhere near the end of the book.

Other reviewers have made mention of the grammar and formatting issues so, although I must point them out, I won’t harp on that here.  Because Ms. Lauren has acknowledged the feedback of her readers, and has expressed her gratitude for it, I also won’t let it hinder my review score and will, instead, focus on the exceptional plot and the brilliant writing style prevalent throughout the entirety of the book.

Let it be known that I do NOT enjoy YA romances; especially those with a paranormal tendency (although I’m a rabid fan of adult novels in this genre).  Upon reading two extremely popular series where the POV female characters felt so damn sorry for themselves all the time, I’d sworn off of them for good.   Having said that, I hope that the fact that I give Tempus a five star rating will convince others who have been turned off by the recent fluff of YA fiction give this unexpected treasure the well deserved benefit of the doubt.   

Note:  I received a free copy of this book in exchange for the review.  This did not effect the rating.

Pick up a copy of Tempus in either print or kindle on Amazon.com at the following link:

http://www.amazon.com/Tempus-Holly-Lauren/dp/1493513303/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1390610275&sr=8-1&keywords=tempus+by+holly+lauren

This Changes Everything (The Spanners Series); Sally Embers

As I started reading this book I was extremely confused.  The initial writing style is uniquely jumbled and somewhat difficult to follow.  However, I believe that this is somewhat intentional based on the first concept initiated within the story—everything happens all at once.  Time is not linear, but expansive.  Once I understood that this was one of the major messages being shared within the book (note, I do not believe that sharing this will be giving a spoiler as it’s pretty clear within the first 25 pages) the strange manner in which the story, itself, as written, makes perfect sense.

Although I do not predict this story will become a mainstream success, it will definitely appear to a certain subset who have an interest in discussing the possibilities of linear time and alien interaction with what Sally Ember has labeled as “Earthers”. 

The concepts that the author discusses certainly align with some of my own beliefs and, perhaps, this is what kept me turning the page to see the direction in which the story would lead.  By page 36, I was glad that I did.  It was around this time that I started to enjoy the spin the author put on past events, giving them flavor that played well into her vision of the purposes of past alien encounters.

I will say that what I enjoyed the most about the book was the main character’s interaction with both “The Band” and her fellow humans.  The interactions gave ground to the underlying plot, taking it from something akin to a research paper and back to the world of storytelling.  I especially liked the fact that not all of her family is receptive to the sudden announcement of the other world visitors and her realization that, perhaps, she’d best prepare some of these people for the publication of her visits to the world at large.

Because I did have some problems following the timeline off and on throughout the book, I’m unable to give it a solid five star rating.  However, I will say that very rarely do I finish a 248 page novel in the course of two days and that, even more importantly, I’m curious to see where the author takes this series in the next installment.  This speaks volumes as to Ms. Ember’s writing skills and ability to keep her readers interested in her content.  As such, on an Amazon rating scale, I rage This Changes Everything as worthy of four stars.

This Changes Everything (The Spanners Series) can be picked up on Amazon.com at the following link:

 

http://www.amazon.com/This-Changes-Everything-Spanners-Series-ebook/dp/B00HFELTG8/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1390522368&sr=8-1&keywords=this+changes+everything+by+sally+ember

Precipice: The Beginning; Kevin J. Howard

Here is a book that starts out with a bang and takes you on a ride that only gets better and better.  The characters were rich and the horrors that befell upon them vivid.  By the time I reached the books cliffhanger ending I desperately wanted to pick up the next installment simply to learn if the people I’d come to care about would make it out of their current situation as planned.

I didn’t find myself any too attached to the main character, unfortunately.  I found his wife a much tougher breed of hero.  Still, given the situation that he was in prior to almost the end of the story, I wouldn’t have expected him to behave any differently than he did.  When the time came, we got a glimmer of who the man really is and how he might break out and show us his quality in the next installment.

It’s a difficult thing to write a book with changing POVs and to do so in a successful manner.  But it’s also the type of book that I really like because it gives me perspective not only on the motivation of the characters, themselves, but how others see them.  Especially when you throw in opportunists who justify their less than honorable actions in a crumbling society.  Kevin J. Howard certainly managed to bring out both the best and worst of the characters at the exact time you’d expect to see it.

I read another review by a reader who didn’t like the lack of sci-fi in this book.   I may have to lean toward agreement that, for now, the genre is mislabeled.  But that didn’t really disturb me too much as I found the pages turning quickly and a lunch hour or two passing by far too swiftly.  At the end of the day, Howard has delivered a solid story with great potential to become even better still in books two and three. 

If you’re the type of reader who likes to get lost in a story, this book is one to definitely consider.   Precipice:  The Beginning is available on Amazon.com in both print and kindle format.  Note that, as of the posting of this review, the kindle version is on sale for $0.99. 

http://www.amazon.com/Precipice-Beginning-Kevin-J-Howard/dp/1478716932/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1390353795&sr=8-1&keywords=precipice+the+beginning

 

Back to Work!

Hello my fellow authors and readers,

I took an unexpected break over the holidays to take care of some personal business but it's time to get back to the wonderful books that have come my way!  Thank you to everyone who has submitted your work!

Books will be read and reviews posted in the following order:

The Precipice:  The Beginning by Kevin J. Howard
Tempus by Holly Lauren
This Changes Everything by Sally Ember, Ed.D.
Transported for Life by E Van Jonson
Hunter by Campbell Jefferys
Revontuli by Andrew Eddy
A Flight of Marwings by Kristen S. Walker

If you've sent me your book and you don't see it listed here, drop me a line so that I can be sure to bump you into the schedule in the order the book was received.

Now it's time to dig in and get some serious reading done!

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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