Posts Tagged ‘book reviews’

STAR GAZER a tantalizing series for lovers of science fiction and fantasy

Posted: December 16, 2022 in Books in general
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Imagine our modern contemporary world. A world where giants, elves, dwarfs, ogres and trolls share an Earth we think only we inhabit. That’s the premise behind prolific English author John Morris’s intriguing STAR GAZER series of sci-fi novels.

The series includes two trilogies. The first one, titled Star Gazer First Trilogy, is mainly science fantasy and comprises The Gatekeeper and The Guardian, The Twelve Tribes and The Wrath of Gaia.

Introducing the first trilogy

Book 1:

https://www.amazon.com/Gatekeeper-Guardian-Star-Gazer-Book-ebook/dp/B08R6ZC9LW/

Book 2:

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B016PRPPR4

Book 3:

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B016PVX4AK

The first trilogy will especially appeal to those who share a desire for underground knowledge as it contains references to ancient technologies far more advanced than any currently in existence – technologies which may or may not have existed. That’s for the reader to decide.

The work is deeply researched and offers plausible answers based upon both known fact and folklore.

About the author

John Morris (68) is a self-published author whose life, he reveals, “crashed” about 20 years ago.

“I lost everything,” he says. “It took me a few months to come around, signing up for a BSc in computers to keep my mind active and find a new direction in life.”

Morris says he was fortunate to secure a position in Foshan, Canton, an hour or so from Hong Kong. He liked the place and the Cantonese people so much he decided to stay a while.

“Twenty years later and I’m still here! What a roller coaster. I became an entrepreneur involved with exporting containers of furniture to England and Australia. That ended with the crash of 2008 when everything imploded. Just my luck!

“I began writing a very badly-punctuated blog about my experiences, and got a lot better at writing with interest and humour. Fortunately, I secured the services of a very good content editor who taught me a great deal. So now I have seven books self-published, with five more in various stages of completion.”

Those five books include novels in the Star Gazer Second Trilogy.

Morris now manages his fiction book Imprint: Charlotte Greene, and although officially retired says he is now busier than ever.

In his Star Gazer series, he questions the origin of humankind, advising readers we have no direct palaeontological link with the great apes, and asking where we came from.

“Were we created by an alien race way back in prehistory? And what of myth and legend, of elves and dwarfs? Are they imaginary creatures, or vague remembrances of other lines of homo sapiens?”

For more about John Morris and his STAR GAZER novels go to the following links:

www.star-gazer.co.uk

http://www.john-morris-author.co.uk

https://www.amazon.com/John-Morris/e/B00RVWSKES/

https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/16801970.John_Morris

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‘A Peculiar Enchantment’ the latest offering from award-winning historical romance author Kathleen Buckley

Posted: December 7, 2022 in Books in general
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Critically-acclaimed American author Kathleen Buckley’s fans will be delighted to know her eighth historical romance novel, A Peculiar Enchantment, has been released this week – in time for Christmas book sales.

Published by The Wild Rose Press, Inc., the novel is available now via Amazon as a paperback and Kindle ebook and is sure to appeal to lovers of Georgian romances.

Ms. Buckley’s eighth Georgian romance out now!

Blurb for A Peculiar Enchantment:

What can you look forward to when your only relatives call you ugly, unbalanced, and a scandal? What would you do if your only friend was threatened? Dependent on her half-brother, the Earl of Lamburne, Adelaide knows. She wants to escape.

Gervase Ducane, invited to Lamburne’s home to court his daughter, is torn. He needs to marry well and soon but not this spiteful chit. Should he buy a commission instead? Seek a wealthy merchant’s daughter? As a marquess’s brother, he has at least a noble connection to offer an heiress apart from his good manners. And why is he only now meeting the earl’s delightful half-sister?

Ordered to stay away from the house party, Adelaide rebels. She will make her unwelcome, embarrassing presence known to avenge herself and her pet.

Sometimes when you least expect it, magic happens.

Readers resonate with A Peculiar Enchantment

The first reviews are in for Ms. Buckley’s latest novel – and, no surprises, they’re excellent!

Here’s a sample of Amazon reviewers’ comments:

★★★★★  “I really enjoyed reading this book since Kathleen Buckley put many of my favorite elements in it!…  It is a story that I recommend happily and will probably read again.”  –Karen M Hernandez

★★★★★  “I enjoyed this novel set in 1741 London…I thought the characters were outstanding (and) found the book to be a wonderful romance.” –Kindle Customer DVH

★★★★★  “This is an engaging, clean, historical romance occurring during an unexpected situation. After learning about the primary characters, their families, and supporting cast, the skillfful plot takes off with fervor.” -JustJeri

About the author:

Kathleen Buckley

Kathleen Buckley has loved writing ever since she learned to read. After a career which included light bookkeeping, working as a paralegal, and a fascinating stint as a security officer, she began to write as a second career rather than as a hobby. Her first historical romance was penned – “Or word processed at least!” – after re-reading Georgette Heyer’s Georgian/Regency romances and realizing Ms. Heyer would never be able to write another, having died some forty years earlier.

Ms. Buckley is now the author of eight Georgian romances: An Unsuitable Duchess, Most Secret, Captain Easterday’s Bargain, A Masked Earl, A Duke’s Daughter, Portia and the Merchant of London, A Westminster Wedding and A Peculiar Enchantment.

Captain Easterday’s Bargain was an Oklahoma Romance Writers of America IDA 2019 finalist, Historical Fiction category, and Most Secret was an Oklahoma Romance Writers of America IDA 2018 finalist, Historical Fiction category, and a 2019 Next Generation Indie Book Awards finalist, Romance category.

While her ninth novel, entitled By Sword and Fan, is in production, this prolific author is already writing her tenth!

Ms. Buckley warns readers that no bodices are ripped in her romance novels.

“They might be described as “powder & patch & peril” rather than Jane Austen drawing room as they contain no explicit sex. However, they do contain the occasional den of vice and mild bad language, as the situations in which my characters find themselves sometimes call for an oath a little stronger than ‘Zounds!’”

When she began writing A Peculiar Enchantment, she says she knew it was going to be different from her first seven novels.

“The usual ingredients were there, but so was a little more humor, the magic of first love, the mystery of things that are not what they seem, and a cat. And love is the most peculiar enchantment. I think it’s on track to be my most popular book yet.”

As for her future plans, Kathleen Buckley says, “I’ll continue to turn tropes on their heads whenever possible, avoid ballrooms and include characters who are not aristocratic, rich, handsome or beautiful.”

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Amazon Link for A Peculiar Enchantment: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0BGCHM3ST

Kathleen Buckley’s Amazon author page: https://www.amazon.com/Kathleen-Buckley/e/B072J2GPZ3 

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‘Heads You Win’ – another thrilling novel from master storyteller Jeffrey Archer

Posted: December 18, 2020 in Book reviews
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Alexander Karpenko is no ordinary child, and from an early age, it is clear he is destined to lead his countrymen. But when his father is assassinated by the KGB for defying the state, he and his mother will have to escape from Russia if they hope to survive. At the docks, they are confronted with an irreversible choice: should they board a container ship bound for America, or Great Britain? Alexander leaves that choice to the toss of a coin…

Heads You Win by [Jeffrey Archer]
https://www.amazon.com/Heads-You-Win-Jeffrey-Archer-ebook/dp/B07BGY4YH1/

My review:

★★★★★  Archer’s Heads You Win is essentially two stories about the same people – one about a young Russian and his mom who, after a coin toss flee to make a new life for themselves in America, and the other about the same pair who flee to England to make a new life there. Spanning two continents and 30 years, the concept and the writing are brilliant with mind-bending plot twists guaranteed to keep you turning the pages. Warning, spoiler ahead: I note some reviewers are critical of the ending. I found it both startling and unsettling. Whilst it’s an ending that has apparently disappointed some, it doesn’t detract from can only be described as a brilliant read. –Lance Morcan

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Amazon Hall of Fame reviewer describes Mr. 100%’ as a fine story, rich in flavor

Posted: March 19, 2020 in Mr. 100%
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San Francisco Review of Books

Mr. 100% by [Morcan, Lance]

An effulgent new novella!

New Zealand novelist and screenwriter Lance Morcan is a former journalist and newspaper editor with over twenty published books to his credit. Often he writes in collaboration with his son James Morcan, but new novel is another solo for Lance. Following the ongoing output of a talented author such as Lance is rewarding in that with each new publication, a different aspect of his talent is evident. Having read almost all of his books, this reviewer believes MR. 100% to be his most polished and creative novel to date – and that is significant given his prodigious tally of works! More acutely than ever, Lance displays a fine gift for creating characters – both central and peripheral. The cast seems familiar, not that anyone has cultured them in the fine style that Lance delivers, but in the fact that they are credible to the point of being visual. 

Setting the tone for this story, the book opens with A Dilemma – ‘On the evening of November 2nd, 1987, in the den of his upmarket Manhattan apartment in New York City, a depressed and intoxicated Madison Harley studied his Glock 17 through the bottom of an empty whiskey glass. The pistol, which rested on the desktop alongside a near-empty bottle of Heaven Hill Bourbon, was loaded. Harley planned to use the Glock to end his life very soon, but not before he drained the bottle. It was, after all, a question of priorities….’ Being witness to a thought of suicide incites the curiosity of the reader to explore this character’s circumstances.

The synopsis of the plot outlines the dilemma without spoiling the tenor of the novel: Hotshot New York defense lawyer Madison Harley only takes on clients he believes innocent. He’s known as ‘Mr. 100%’ because he has never lost a case, and consequently he is Public Enemy No. 1 in the eyes of the police, prosecutors and the media. The bad press has taken a toll on his personal life. His wife has moved out, taking their two young sons with her and instigating divorce proceedings. When his latest client confides that he is guilty of the horrific rape-murder he’s accused of, a depressed and guilt-wracked Harley hires a contract killer to terminate him after the jury delivers a Not Guilty verdict. It’s 1987 and groundbreaking developments in the field of forensic science sees DNA profiling used for the first time in criminal investigations in America. The release of DNA test results causes Harley to rescind his order to carry out the hit on his client. Unfortunately for him, the killer doesn’t change direction once a ‘kill’ order has been placed. The nightmare scenario that follows sees Mr. 100% negotiating for his client’s life, his own life and the lives of his estranged family with a Mafia henchman, stalking a contract killer and acting as a minder for a client who it appears really is innocent and who is oblivious to the mayhem unfolding around him. Throughout it all, Harley is sustained by the affections of a new woman in his life – a prosecutor with the District Attorney’s Office no less.

Once again Lance Morcan proves he is a master weaver of stories. Not only is this a fine story, but it also adds a depth of knowledge about the impact of DNA profiling, a topic which along with omnipresence of surveillance cameras, facial recognition, and other contemporary invasive legal profundities, deserves exploring! Rich in flavor and fine characterizations, this novel is particularly fine. Highly recommended.

-Review by Amazon Hall of Fame Top 50 reviewer Grady Harp for San Francisco Review of Books http://www.sanfranciscoreviewofbooks.com/2020/03/book-review-mr-100-by-lance-morcan.html 

 

Mr. 100%  is exclusive to Amazon. https://www.amazon.com/Mr-100-Lance-Morcan-ebook/dp/B085Y89NYQ/ 

 

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Contentious VACCINE SCIENCE REVISITED maintains 4.5 star review rating on Amazon

Posted: October 14, 2019 in Vaccine Science Revisited
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Amazon Vine Voice review describes VACCINE SCIENCE REVISITED as “a work of extensive research into the antecedents and current status of childhood vaccinations.”

Excerpts from this 5-star review follow:

‘The efficacy and safety of vaccines is a passionate topic at this time in the real world. I say “in the real world” because among flesh-and-blood people looking out for their kids, enough doubt has leaked through to prompt concern about autism and other maladies being caused by childhood vaccinations.

‘In the unreal world of the mainstream media, vaccinations are safe miracles of science, and anyone who disagrees is an ignorant lout. Stepping into the breech is Vaccine Science Revisited: Are Childhood Immunizations As Safe As Claimed? by James and Lance Morcan.

‘This work of extensive research into the antecedents and current status of childhood vaccinations pulls from history and tons of peer-reviewed scientific papers to “revisit those origins, leaving the science to do the talking.”

‘…I am impressed with the non-biased nature of this book and its reliance on papers written by medical professionals.’

 

VACCINE SCIENCE REVISITED: Are Childhood Immunizations As Safe As Claimed? (The Underground Knowledge Series Book 8) by [Morcan, James, Morcan, Lance]

Book resonates with the critics.

 

VACCINE SCIENCE REVISITED is available via Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07MQTN3CG/

 

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Yvonne Crowe’s Requiem for Ari may be best in gripping series

Posted: November 6, 2017 in Book reviews
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The early reviews are in for author Yvonne Crowe’s mystery-thriller novel Requiem for Ari: A Race to the death against their enemies, Book 7 in the Nicolina Fabiani Series, and the consensus is this may be the best book in the series.

 

Requiem for Ari: A Race to the death against their enemies (Book 7 Nicolina Fabiani Series) by [Crowe, Yvonne]

Early reviews excellent.

 

Book critic John Carlin says, “I love this series! The writing is so good you feel like you are right there with David, Lina, and Ari as they go through what can only be described as hell more horrific than anything most people could ever conjure up in there minds. The torture scenes are absolutely chilling.

“As is usual with Crowe’s style, she manages to make a teaching event of it as well by putting her considerable research about the Middle East on display. I love this, especially when coupled with the powerful writing she has.

“If you want entertaining reads, this whole series will do it for you, and this book might possibly be the best of the series. It allowed Crowe to take the characters to higher levels, and that is no trivial undertaking. Get it! Read it! You will love it!”

 

Requiem for Ari — the storyline:

The Institute always brings home its own.

Being an Israeli Katsa is a dangerous occupation. The tight knit teams form a bond as strong as that of a marriage. When one of David Baron’s unit is captured by Hamas operating inside Syria, he is faced with an impossible choice.

Risk his own life to bring Ari home; or play it safe now his wife Lina is pregnant with their first child?

Duty on the one hand, love on the other.

From Tunisia to the Golan Heights and Damascus. Lebanon to Yazidi Iraq. Their lives crisscross as David wages war, and Lina the journalist, covers it.

What choice will he make?

 

The author:

Yvonne Crowe is a successful New Zealand writer who enjoys writing provocative mystery/thriller novels. She has also conquered breast cancer with a natural therapy.

Yvonne Crowe

Author Yvonne Crowe.

You can visit Yvonne’s Amazon author page at: https://www.amazon.com/Yvonne-Crowe/e/B00AH2JACK/ref=dp_byline_cont_pop_ebooks_1

 

Requiem for Ari: A Race to the death against their enemies is available via Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B073WVBS2Y

 

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Adventure-romance novel ‘A Walk in the Rain’ exquisite!

Posted: April 13, 2015 in Book reviews
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Book review:

A Walk in the Rain  –by Udai Yadla

★★★★★ Exquisite!

This reader discovered ‘A Walk in the Rain’ is an oft-used title, gracing the covers of a number of books. However, Udai Yadla’s version must surely stand alone. It’s truly unique and beautifully written. Exquisite!

Aptly subtitled ‘A journey of love and redemption,’ it is exactly that. A romantic, often intense, occasionally delicate and always gripping tale of a love found and lost, and an unforgettable journey of self-discovery.

The writing is tight but not rushed, the characterization is excellent and the storyline grabs you from the prologue right through to the last page. A must-read! –Sterling Gate Books

Synopsis:
Love is poison that kills you. Love is elixir that keeps you alive. An unreciprocated love keeps you alive, but kills every day.

Heartbroken Sunny lives a reclusive life, trapped in the past, living in his memories. He has no complaints about his life, but refuses to embrace the present.

Saloni is a prostitute who is desperate to earn money by any means. She does not care about exploiting others to fulfill her purpose.

Fate unites the loner and the prostitute to embark on a life changing journey of retribution and self discovery.

Lovelorn Sunny turns misogynistic after Sandy, the only girl he loved walks away from his life, unannounced. He suffers painful solitude for almost two decades with the relentless haunting of her thoughts. A distressed friend Imran, vows to change his life forever. A surprise planned for his birthday turns into a tragedy that claims the life of his dear friend, triggering a series of unbelievable events. As Imran gets killed by a stranger, Sunny’s calm life suddenly turns into a turbulent storm. With nothing left to live for, vengeance becomes his ultimate mission. His reluctant alliance with a prostitute to trace the killer sets him onto a nerve racking adventure of life and death.

Both are bound to a common goal with different motives, but destiny has its own motive.

A walk in the rain is an intricate tale of intense emotions, driven by hair raising twists and turns.

Product Details
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Pour yourself a margarita & settle in for an engrossing read!

Posted: October 19, 2014 in Book reviews
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★★★★★ BOOK REVIEW:

DIABLO NIGHTS

by Carmen Amato

Diablo Nights is a novel that takes you inside Mexico’s drug wars and introduces you to Detective Emilia Cruz, a conniving, fast-thinking, fearless crime-fighter who isn’t afraid to kick some ass. In short – a woman you are unlikely to forget in a hurry.

This is an international mystery and crime thriller that’s truly worthy of that description. One of the best novels I’ve read in some time.

Set in and around Acapulco, it’s fast-moving, intriguing and always surprising. The writing flows, drawing the reader in.

There’s a bonus for readers, too, in that even if you’ve never been to Acapulco, you’ll know it better than most tourists by the time you finish this book. The writer takes you beneath city’s postcard exterior to the mean streets – the side that tourists seldom see – where the drug lords rule.

So, pour yourself a margarita and settle in for an engrossing read! -Lance Morcan

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‘Orange Town’ a fair dinkum 5-star read!

Posted: October 12, 2014 in Book reviews
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BOOK REVIEW:  Orange Town: FIFO 3-2-1 – by Paul Rhoden

★★★★★

In a message to the reader, author Paul Rhoden says, “Orange Town: FIFO 3-2-1 is a book I have always wanted to write.” Well, in a message to the author, this reviewer says this is a book I have always wanted to read!

From one Down Under bloke to another…It’s fair dinkum brilliant mate!

  

Firstly, the title intrigued me. Even though, in another time, I worked in the mining industry in Outback Australia, and mixed with many of the (types of) colourful characters who feature in this must-read novel, I wasn’t familiar with the term FIFO. Now I know: it’s the description given those hard-nosed, hard-working, hard-drinking, hard-living individuals who ‘Fly In Fly Out’ to earn a living in Aussie’s unforgiving earthmoving, construction and mining industries.

Rhoden focusses on hard case Brent Williams – better known as ‘Rooster’ – who morphs from a cattle ranch roustabout and bareknuckle fighter to a charismatic, smooth, lady’s man who scales the corporate ladder during Aussie’s mining boom of the early Nineties. In the process, he manages the biggest FIFO contract around.

Unfortunately for Rooster, he carries a dark secret around with him. Though this may be unfortunate for him, it’s very fortunate for the reader as it adds another beguiling dimension to this breathtaking novel.

Love the humour, too. It’s humour Colonials will relate to, but this is a novel deserving of a much wider audience.

Summary: This is one you have to read, mate! (The ladies will enjoy it, too). -Reviewer Lance Morcan

Paul Rhoden…author of Orange Town: FIFO 3-2-1.

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Readers “not psychologically prepared” advised not to read this book

Posted: June 25, 2014 in Book reviews, The Ninth Orphan
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After reading THE NINTH ORPHAN (The Orphan Trilogy, #1), Amazon reviewer Daniel Sinclair Pearson has a warning for readers: “Reading this novel is like opening Pandora’s Box and discovering the Matrix inside it.”

Pearson calls the conspiracy thriller novel “groundbreaking” and talks of “terrifying secrets and horrendous political facts” that are “much stranger than any fiction.”

Here’s an excerpt from his review:

Warning, reading this novel is like opening Pandora’s Box and discovering the Matrix inside it. There are some extremely dangerous global conspiracies and radical ideas put forth in this book, and there are no known antidotes for exposing the thinking mind to the potent light of truth.

This is a unique story, a fast paced thriller spy novel that is unlike any other spy novel that you have ever read before.

If you are not psychologically prepared to handle the disturbing type of information that is revealed in this groundbreaking new novel, then please don’t read the Ninth Orphan series. The entire cast of fully developed intelligent, extremely complex characters will simultaneously both thrill and horrify you.

This is a work of fiction, however, this superbly crafted spy novel is a fantastic read and at least 90% of the conspiracy theories cleverly woven into its brilliant plot are actually based on well documented facts.

 

To read the full review, and others, of The Ninth Orphan go to: http://www.amazon.com/dp/B0056I4FKC

 

Happy reading! –Lance & James

 

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