#417 ~ A Charmed Place

A Charmed Place by Antoinette Stockenberg

My rating: 3 of 5 stars

I normally enjoy this author, but this one seemed a little cumbersome. Although probably it is been more to do with the disjointed nature of the reading time I have had, rather than than the fabric of the book.





View all my reviews

#414 ~ Worst Laid Plans

Worst Laid Plans by Claire Robyns

Not exactly writing to set the world on fire. The characterisation was a bit weak in places, but it did have enough about the plot and timing to keep me turning the pages - and that is quite hard to do.

I was engaged enough in the world built by this author to read more of the series.

From an editorial point of view, the productions values were good with no errors to mention. The only bug bear I had was an ending that felt a bit like an emergency stop on a driving test. The ending could have been handled slightly differently to avoid this.

Other than that a solid three stars (the thick end of 3 nearing 4).

I purchased as part of my Kindle Unlimited package, but anyone not on that scheme can purchase a copy at just £2.99 at the time of writing this post HERE.



View all my reviews

#476 ~ To The Grave

To the Grave by Steve Robinson

My rating: 5 of 5 stars





Book #2



I don't want to give any spoilers for this one; it was really well written and the audio version was first class. I am definitely a Steve Robinson fan, and love JT. Recommended read.

Luckily, I am an Amazon Unlimited Kindle reader, so I paid not a thing for this book. Although, I am happy to admit that I would have been happy to pay the full asking price.

Kay

#473 ~ In the Blood

In the Blood by Steve Robinson

My rating: 5 of 5 stars

#1 in the Jefferson  Tayte Genealogical Mystery Series




I've gone for 5 stars on book from Kindle Unlimited.

Overall whilst it was well written and kept my interest it was slightly on the predictable side as far as plot goes. However, the writing and grammar were accomplished (a refreshing change from some of the rot out there) and therefore I rounded up the 4.75 I'd allotted in my head to a 5 stars.

I have downloaded the others in the series, and will be interested to see how JT gets on finding his own family connections.


Hugs

Kay






View all my reviews

#430 ~ Love Me Always

Love Me Always by Marie Higgins

My rating: 2 of 5 stars





Book #1 of the Field Brothers Series




The cover is absolutely beautiful, and this is what tempted me to feature it as a DSOA pick in April 2013.

Unfortunately, I was deceived by the beauty of the outside, and found something less than beautiful inside the covers.

It was reasonably well conceived with regards to the plot, but was badly let down by the research, or apparent lack of it by the author. There were more holes in it than a Swiss cheese.

The author seriously needs to go back to the drawing board, undertake some research, and fix the errors.

The grammar and punctuation was also poor. In fact, there was so much wrong with it that I struggled to finish, and completely gave up on my list of errors/bug bears. I would say that 30% was affected.

I awarded 1 star for the actual content, and 1 star for the cover - thank goodness they picked that cover!

I won't be reading any more of the series, and I won't be adding it to my Review by Series list either.


Product Details

I featured this as a DSOA pick on the Blog in April 2013.  It's available HERE for £2.56.  If a decent edit was undertaken, then this would be a fair price.


Errors/Bug Bears

There were so many that I gave up counting them.  


Happy reading.

Hugs

Kay

#426 ~ Dying to Get Published

Dying to Get Published by Judy Fitzwater

My rating: 4 of 5 stars







I really rather enjoyed this, although I have to admit that I don't generally read crime fiction.

Nice written, good characters, plot and pace. It was amusing and interesting, in places just plain laugh out loud funny.

I will definitely read by Judy Fitzwater in the future.

Even better for me, it didn't cost me a bean as it was one of my DSOA picks from the Blog in April 2013. Full Blog Post #426 in March 2014.


Product Details:

As I mention above, this was a DSOA pick (freebie Kindle download at the time).  It's available HERE, and hold on to your ha'penny, it's still available for free ... RUN and grab a copy before somebody notices.


Errors/Bug Bears:

Loc 1087:  Teri grinned up at her, bringing her back leg around front and the pulling her forehead down to her knees - to the front.

Loc 1961:  ...the bathroom before I got sick - was sick.


Just to annoying things, that's amazingly good.  We all know how nit-picking I can be!

Happy reading.

Hugs


Kay


PS:  I need to pick up the pace with my Reviews.  I am really, really lagging.  They may not be coming out in the order read, for a little, as I just need to do a new one, and follow it up with one from the Review Mountain.

#402 ~ Script Kiddie

Script Kiddie by Michael F. Stewart

My rating: 5 of 5 stars





Book #2 in Assured Destruction Series



I was very kindly sent a copy of the second book in Michael's Assured Destruction Series in return for an honest Review.

I was pleased to see that this second book kept up the same high quality of writing, in particular the characterisation and plot pace were done really well. Jan's character has more added depth and texture, which is pleasing - girl power is always a good read!

I am still worried about Peter, and fear that he will prove to be a down and dirty villain, but am clinging to some hope that all will be well, as Jan and her Mother clearly deserve a break within the story line ... see that's what I mean about characterisation, they seem real, which is always the sign of decent literary ability.

Very few errors found (I will as usual add a list of them in the full Blog Post), kudos to Michael for a good quality product.

From me 5 Stars, and I am eagerly looking forward to finding out how this all pans out.


Product Details:

As mentioned above, I was very kindly sent a copy by Michael, the Author, but you can pick a copy HERE.  At the time of writing this post the Kindle version was listed at £1.91 and the paperback at £5.72.


Errors/Bug Bears:

Loc 60: ... Haines peerss at each of us.....

Should be:  peers

Loc 293: Bank machines laugh at me when I near them.

Should be corrected to:  Bank machines laugh at me when I am near them.

Loc 1113: The drab brick and corrugate siding makes ....

Bug bear for me, I think it should be: corrugated


* * * * *

I am so behind with my Reviews' at the moment, but will try to at least get the outstanding "Read" books written up before the New Year.

Happy reading.

Hugs

Kay

#401 ~ Assured Destruction

Assured Destruction by Michael F. Stewart

My rating: 5 of 5 stars




#Book 1 in the Assured Destruction Series



This book was recommended by me on my Blog as a Daily Selection of a free Kindle file on Amazon. 

I wasn't totally sure when I started reading this novella that it would be of interest, but happily I'm pleased to report that quality of writing and an interesting story line do wonders to engage a reader - which is exactly what this book provides.

The main protagonist, teenage computer wizz kid, Jan Rose proved to be an all action, dive right on in and blow the consequences kind of girl with layers of depth and texture that create a fantastic character.

The plot moved along nicely and delight of delights no errors or bug bears were picked up. I'd like to commend the Author, Michael Stewart for providing such a good read of nice quality. One particular sentence, even though short, stood out as an example of what writers should be aiming for: 'Without lights, the dreariness shrouds me like a cold blanket'.

There was a certain sub-character that had my teeth on edge, and that was the boyfriend of Jan's mother ... even at the end of the book I still hadn't made up my mind about him.

I am happy to say that this was the first book in a series, and I am eagerly looking forward to reading the next book "Script Kiddie", but for the time being for this book it's a big 5 stars from me.


Product Details

You can obtain a copy of the Kindle download HERE, and at the time of writing I'm delighted to advise that it's still available free (the usual listed price is £6.01).

Genre:            Fiction, Contemporary, Crime, Suspense
Reading age:   Young Adult and above
Published by:   Non Sequitur Press
Pages:            188


Errors/Bug Bears

None, good quality product which I highly recommend.

Happy reading.

Hugs

Kay

#400 ~ Kalorama Shakedown

Kalorama Shakedown by Robert Bruce Stewart

My rating: 4 of 5 stars



Harry Reese Mysteries #3



I was very kindly sent a Kindle copy of this book by Robert Stewart in return for an honest Review.

The Novel was so redolent of an old black and white "gum shoe" movie, and it really bought back memories of Saturday afternoon snuggled up watching films based on plots like these when I was a kid. I really think that it would translate to a TV programme so well.

I loved the characterisations, in particular Emmie - her lines of dialogue were precious. The plot went along at a healthy clip too .... on the whole the work was funny, in places actually laugh out loud so ...... a big 4 Stars.

I will definitely be seeking out more in this series, the Harry Reese Mysteries. EDITED TO ADD:  Interestingly, upon updating the Review by Series list, I discovered that there is an Emmie Reese Series, I need some of those!


Product Details

As mentioned above, I was very kindly sent a copy by Bob Stewart in return for an honest review.

You can purchase a copy HERE.  The Kindle file is currently listed at £1.92 and the paperback copy at £5.42, both of which represent fairly decent value for money. 

Published by:              Street Car Mysteries
Number of pages:        274 pages
Genre:                       Fiction, Historical, Crime and Suspense
Reading Age:              Adult (contains no real sexual content)


Errors/Bug Bears

I know that I harp on about it endlessly, but I really hate "gotten", it's lazy so that was my main bug bear on this book.

There were in fact only two other errors, one of which is more punctuation:

Loc 275:  I saw a woman wrapped in furs leave the room where we had stopped.

I think it should be punctuated:   I saw a woman, wrapped in furs, leave the room where we had stopped.

Loc 3692:  Then she place her own bottle on the table.

Correct to:  Then she placed her own bottle on the table.


Happy reading.

Hugs

Kay

#386 - The OneYou Love

The One You Love by Paul Pilkington

My rating: 5 of 5 stars




Book # 1 in the Emma Holden Mystery Trilogy




Originally, this book was featured as a DSOA on my Blog (if you are unsure of the acronym for DSOA, all will become clear if you read the blog!). Apart from the nice image of Tower Bridge as the cover image, the only thing that really grabbed my was the mention of "Emma Holden". Now, I have a friend called exactly that, so I decided I would download it whilst it was free, what did I have to loose?

Turns out I had a good deal to gain ....... and proves that you should never be hidebound in your choice of reading material by genre. Put simply, I LOVED IT. Just the right amount, of jeopardy, suspense and mystery. Perfectly paced plot and characterisation.

In other words, for me this was classified as a "not able to put downer".

A big fat 5 stars from me for this home-grown Author, just growing to prove that there are Indie Writers out there of the highest standard.

I love Mr Pilkington's style, and I was left wanting more, oh so much more from the story line .... I hesitate here to say too much, as I am keen not to add spoilers. Suffice to say, I can't wait to download the rest of the series (willingly paying for them) and also any other work he has produced.

Kudos should go to him for a quality product, I only found two things wrong, one of which was a bug bear. As usual, you can see my comments on these on my Blog Post #386 in October 2013 on the Toodles Book Club Blog.


Product Details:

Book 1 in the Emma Holden Myster Triology.  You will find details of his work in the Review by Series Page at the top of the blog.

As mentioned at the top of this post, it was a DSOA freebie at the time, at the time of writing though it's available ridiculously still as a freebie.  Run like merry hell and grab a copy HERE before he changes his mind.  Incidentally, currently it has near 2,000 Reviews and 4 stars, so clearly I am not the only one who loved it.

If you would like to find out more about Paul, the visit his Website HERE.

Please also visit his Facebook page HERE and give him some feedback and a bit of love in the way of a "like".



Errors/Bug Bears:

The first was just a bug bear really, at Page 11 the use of 'downtown London', made me think he was an American, and not home grown talent.  Obviously, I am a really old bird and maybe the phrase is commonly used in the UK by the younger peeps.

Page 125: 'That's not fair,' he said, suddenly filling up.  'It was your mother who promised me not to tell you both'.

I could be wrong, but I think the Author's intention was to convey that the mother had made the father promise not to tell them.  I could be wrong though, and would be interested in feedback from Paul on this one.

Apart from that it was a quality product.

Happy reading.

Hugs

Kay

My Daily Selection for Free Kindle Download on Amazon (DSOA)

Haunted From Within

(Maciek's Story (Book 1)

Ian CP Irvine

Kindle Store > Books > Fiction > Mystery > Crime > Thriller > Suspense

*Introducing a New Author to the Blog*

Life is way too busy at the moment, and so it's not so much Daily Picks as every few days ........ I thought I would go a bit off piste this time and choose a Suspense.

With quite a few 4 and 5 star reviews, this seems to fit the bill:

When Peter Nicolson, a reporter with the Edinburgh Evening News, is almost killed by a gang leader out to make his mark, the only way to save his life is through a double kidney transplant. One of the first people in the world to be treated with the new genetic wonder drug 'SP-X4', Peter makes a remarkable

recovery. Yet as he recovers, his personality begins to change, and he discovers that he can see visions of unsolved killings committed by a murderer that no one has ever caught. Peter sets out to solve the murders, to track down the killer, and find out the truth behind the visions that he sees. 

As time progresses, and as Peter uncovers a trail of death that stretches across the United Kingdom and Europe, the makers of 'SP-X4' watch his actions from afar, anxious that he will uncover the incredible truth behind their new drug treatment, and conspiring to make sure he does not succeed in revealing it to the world. 

'Haunted From Within' is also the story of seven separate lives: readers will follow each character as the plot develops and their lives intersect,culminating in a surprise ending that few will predict.

Please beware: this book is based on fact: a medical phenomena that few understand and most are unaware of. At first, it may seem hard to believe. This is after all, just a story, a fast-paced thriller written to entertain you...but it will leave you wondering and talking about the definition of life' itself. Enjoy!

To get your copy whilst it's still free click HERE.

Happy reading.

Hugs

Kay

My Daily Selection for Free Kindle Download At Amazon

Holes in the Sky

Mark Reps

Kindle Store > Books > Fiction > Crime > Mystery > Thriller > Suspense

Indie Writer (Self-published)

*Introducing a New Author to the Blog*

I'm keeping it brief today people, it's too hot to do more than lounge around and read .... not sit with a laptop on your, well ......lap ....... and type:

Who owns what is traditionally considered sacred? Can the Catholic Church legally conspire with the federal government to steal the most sacrosanct of Native American holy places? Holes in the Sky, the second in the series Small Town Sheriff: Big Time Trouble explores these questions in a clash of cultures mixed with mysterious deaths.

In the middle of the night a priest sits in a rocking chair on a dip in the highway at the foot of Mount Graham. His fate is death when the driver of a semi-truck barreling down the road on an overnight haul sends him to his maker. Sheriff Zeb Hanks is certain that Father McNamara’s death is a suicide. Mounting evidence begins to tell him otherwise. Former sheriff, Jake Dablo, in his role as county commissioner, senses that potentially unscrupulous land deals are occurring on Mount Graham. Sheriff Hanks reluctantly agrees to help. Jake uncovers a dummy corporation that is purchasing very specific properties on Mount Graham. Eskadi Black Robes, tribal chairman of the San Carlos Reservation, discovers that these properties are among the holiest places in Apache religion. Eskadi is certain they are being foreclosed upon and confiscated by the federal government. 

On the San Carlos Reservation a tribal gathering is called by Medicine Man, Jimmy Song Bird. Song Bird has had a vision that great harm will come to the Apache people if they fail to pay heed to the Gods that inhabit Mount Graham. His vision is interpreted as a call for action. Meanwhile, Sheriff Hanks and his team must unravel the complex weave of sacred holy places, land rights and the ever increasing body count which means big time trouble for the small town sheriff.

The story is a fictionalized tale set in a real place (Mount Graham, Safford, Arizona) around a real event (a joint venture involving the Vatican, University of Arizona, the German Government, Max Planck Institute and the United States Government) in the building of a telescope on sacred Apache land using eminent domain.

It's free .... so why not download it and have an afternoon reading.  Click HERE.


On Amazon today my rating is (>) 3,727. I suppose that I'm still heading in the right direction, but very slowly now. I would love to get to the top 1,000 Reviewers' some day ....... so if you find the Daily Kindle Downloads info useful please go over to my Reviews on Amazon and leave me some positive feedback  on some of my reviews (which helps my rating, and will earn you my grateful thanks).

Hugs

Kay

#369 - Cold Courage

Cold Courage

Pekka Hiltunen

Books > Fiction > Crime > Mystery

Description:

When Lia witnesses a disturbing scene on the way to work, she, like the rest of the city of London, is captivated and horrified. As details unfurl in the media the brutal truth transpires - a Latvian prostitute has been killed, her body run over by a bulldozer and then placed in the trunk of a car to be found. As the weeks pass and no leads are found, the story quickly disintegrates but Lia can't easily forget. So when she meets Mari in a late night bar one night she feels fate might have brought them together. Like her, Mari is a Finnish woman in London finding her way, somewhat of an outsider, very independent. But there is much more to Mari than meets the eye: she is a psychologist who possesses an unnatural way of being able to 'read' people, see into their inner most thoughts and pre-empt their actions. She uses her 'gift' to try to help people and has formed a close unit she calls the Studio, a kind of team of investigators, who are not beyond breaking the law to put the worlds to rights. Mari and Lia strike up a firm friendship and when Lia shares her plaguing thoughts about the murder, Mari thinks she and the members of the Studio can help where the police have failed. But Mari and Lia are about to step foot into extremely dangerous territory, especially as Mari has a will to control others, take vengeance on those she deems deserve it and use the Studio to unscrupulous ends.

Product Details:

* I was provided with a hardback copy of this book by the First Reads Scheme on Good Reads.

Hardback and Kindle HERE.

* * * * *

Summary/thoughts:

{This review may contain a few spoilers}

My first impression of the cover was that it might well prove to be a very dark and forbidding read, and I wasn't particularly looking forward to it. So, I opened it not with a little trepidation.

Having just finished, I am happy to report that it exceeded my expectations, and then some. It just shows, one should not really judge a book by its cover!

I cannot deny that it wasn't difficult subjects being dealt with: murder, fraud, brutality, prostitution, domestic abuse and manipulation of a political party for personal gain and exploitation. However, it was dealt with very sympathetically.

Quite simply the writing was an exceptional quality, with well formed characters. We are treated to a well thought through plot and a nice pace that keeps the pages turning.

Lia in particular was written well. There were glimpses into her past, but the reader is not left to feel not that there wasn't sufficient back story to judge her abilities and vulnerabilities.

As far as Mari was concerned I was left with the distinct impression that there was much more to her than met the eye. She had a darker side, and it left me feeling more distrustful of her motives as the plot moved along. I still am not completely sure in my own mind whether she was likeable. Certainly she came across as somewhat manipulative, but was that really for the good of mankind of by way of her own self-service? Was it due to her past or her complex personality? Without a doubt Pekka wrote a multi-layered and complex personality, and maybe that Mari was intentionally written to be a 'shifting sands' character, with the reader making up his or her own mind about her.

The quality of the writing made me hope he will go on to write something more that will reveal further Mari and her work (be it for good of bad).

Having felt invested in Lia too, I'm left with a strong need to know more of her future. 



Rating:

Five stars for me for this book, highly recommended. Kudos to Pekka for an exception piece of writing, and fingers crossed he goes on to write a sequel.

Errors / Bug Bears:

None - kudos to the Author and Publisher for a fabulous product.

Hugs

Kay

In My Mailbox

Cold Courage 

Pekka Hiltunen

*NEW AUTHOR

Amazon > Books > Fiction > Contemporary > Crime

I was a lucky girl the other day to receive a hardback copy of this new book by Pekka Hiltunen, via the Good Reads First Read/Giveaway Scheme:

When Lia witnesses a disturbing scene on the way to work, she, like the rest of the city of London, is captivated and horrified. As details unfurl in the media the brutal truth transpires - a Latvian prostitute has been killed, her body run over by a bulldozer and then placed in the trunk of a car to be found. As the weeks pass and no leads are found, the story quickly disintegrates but Lia can't easily forget. So when she meets Mari in a late night bar one night she feels fate might have brought them together. Like her, Mari is a Finnish woman in London finding her way, somewhat of an outsider, very independent. But there is much more to Mari than meets the eye: she is a psychologist who possesses an unnatural way of being able to 'read' people, see into their inner most thoughts and pre-empt their actions. She uses her 'gift' to try to help people and has formed a close unit she calls the Studio, a kind of team of investigators, who are not beyond breaking the law to put the worlds to rights. Mari and Lia strike up a firm friendship and when Lia shares her plaguing thoughts about the murder, Mari thinks she and the members of the Studio can help where the police have failed. But Mari and Lia are about to step foot into extremely dangerous territory, especially as Mari has a will to control others, take vengeance on those she deems deserve it and use the Studio to unscrupulous ends.

I absolutely love the cover image, and can't wait to start reading it .... there are a huge amount of books ahead of it, but I like to try and bring books received for review ahead of Daily Kindle Selection, etc.  Maybe I will start it after my current read.

If you are interested you can purchase at Amazon HERE.

Hugs

Kay

My Daily Selection for Free Kindle Download at Amazon

Rainy Nights ~ J R Rain

*NEW AUTHOR

Kindle Store > Books > Fiction > Crime, Thrillers & Mystery > Mystery > Hard-Boiled

Indie Writer (Self-published)

Oh bite me! ..... what if I have selected another Vampiric novel today, well actually bite me three times as it's a 3 in 1.  Number 1 in the above category, and about number 39 in the free listing.

MOON DANCE

Mother, wife, private investigator...vampire. Six years ago federal agent Samantha Moon was the perfect wife and mother, your typical soccer mom with the minivan and suburban home. Then the unthinkable happens, an attack that changes her life forever. And forever is a very long time for a vampire. Now the world at large thinks Samantha has developed a rare skin disease, a disease which forces her to quit her day job and stay out of the light of the sun. Now working the night shift as a private investigator, Samantha is hired by Kingsley Fulcrum to investigate the murder attempt on his life, a horrific scene captured on TV and seen around the country. But as the case unfolds, Samantha discovers Kingsley isn't exactly what he appears to be; after all, there is a reason why he survived five shots to the head.

DARK HORSE

Dark Horse takes place in Huntington Beach, California. Surf City, USA. Written in the tradition of Robert B. Parker's Spenser and Raymond Chandler's Philip Marlowe, Dark Horse introduces a new hard-hitting, wise-cracking hero with a modern twist. When high school student Derrick Booker, the only black student at a posh Orange County high school, is accused of killing his white girlfriend, ex-college football hero and detective Jim Knighthorse is hired to dig a little deeper into the murder. It doesn't take long for Knighthorse to realize that not all is as it seems at tranquil Huntington High, from a band director who preys on the innocent to a vice-principal with a secret agenda of her own. Not to mention someone's hired a professional killer to keep Knighthorse permanently off the case.

THE VAMPIRE WITH THE DRAGON TATTOO

Three years ago, high school student Veronica Fortune witnessed the brutal murder of her parents. Now armed and dangerous, she sets out to hunt down the very thing that destroyed her life. That is, until she disappears. Spinoza is a private investigator who specializes in finding the missing. He's good at what he does. Damn good. But he's also a recovering alcoholic and a royal mess. Hired to find Veronica, Spinoza won't let his personal demons—or demons of any kind—get in the way of finding the truth about the missing girl. Now following a bizarre set of clues that leads him into stranger and stranger territory, Spinoza is about to come face-to-face with something legendary...and something hungry for blood.

There are only 8 reviews, but they've all given 5 stars.  I've just downloaded it  (as with all my freebie selections) and it's joined the growing list of titles on my Kindle until I get to it. You can find it available as a free download HERE .

On Amazon today my rating remained has gone back up a bit to 6,483 (>) - although I should not really complain as overall I am heading in the right direction.  I would love to get to the top 1,000 Reviewers' some day .... so if you find the Daily Kindle Download info useful please go over to my Reviews on Amazon and leave me some positive feedback - which helps my rating, and will earn you my grateful thanks.

Hugs

Kay

My Daily Selection for Free Kindle Download at Amazon

Beyond Midnight ~ Antionette Stockenberg

* NEW AUTHOR

Kindle Store > Books > Fiction > Crime, Thrillers & Mystery > Mystery > Women Sleuths

Indie Writer (Self-published)

Currently Number 54 on the Amazon Kindle Free Best Seller List (Number 3 in it's actual category above), so I thought I would recommend this today. I was attracted by the "Salem" link, which I always find fascinating.

You can find it available as a free download HERE.

Get me ..... my rating is down to 7,493 today (<).  I would love to get to the top 1,000 Reviewers' some day .... so if you find the Daily Kindle Download info useful please go over to my Reviews on Amazon and leave me some positive feedback - which helps my rating, and will earn you my grateful thanks.

Hugs

Kay