String the Cranberries by Caroline Clemens (Book Review #66)

String the cranberries is a short story written about Brandon and Leia. It is a love story and written as a Christmas Novella. Brandon is a 25-year-old bachelor that happens to hear of an advertisement asking for help at a farm from his friend Sam. Brandon asks Sam’s advice as he trusts him and takes a step towards applying for the position. Brandon travels to Wyoming. As he arrives, he meets Tracey, a hardworking man that keeps to himself.

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Into the vines by Kim Troike (Book Review #67)

This story is a beautiful contemporary take on what love is and means. It also touches on self-discovery and soul-searching. Brie is this courageous, strong woman facing everything that is thrown at her. Daniela is a nurse finding her purpose and looks up to Brie. Olivier is a rescue pilot saving stranded people.

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Bernie and the Wizards (The Universe Builders) by Steve Lebel (Book Review #324)

Bernie and the Wizards is an epic fantasy novel. This story is written about Bernie. He is a God who fixes universes. He cares about humanity, and Photox is in trouble. While the life of Photox is at stake, Bernie has to stop a monster wizard from causing all the suffering.

The Universe Builders – is a selection of fantasy books that also work well as a series. I believe the stories are also available to be read as a stand-alone book, but I have not read them all. This book, specifically, stood out for me as I enjoyed the core emotions Bernie would express. Being a God, it was refreshing to see that he was almost humanized.

The other thing that worked really well was the world setting. I think nothing beats a fantasy story that emphasizes on this development. The characters were very appealing, and the plot was described with a picturesque descriptiveness that stood out throughout the work.

The one thing that I was not very into was the cover for this book. I have seen the cover used for other books written by the same author, and believe they were chosen better.

I recommend this book to fantasy readers.

Written by Jeyran Main

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The Temptation of Dragons by Chrys Cymri (Book Review #69)

 

True to its name, The Temptation of Dragons is a fantasy novel about a priest girl wandering in a world where dragons, vampires, werewolves, and unicorns live.

The whole story I believe pans out as a love interest following Raven, the dragon, falling in love with Penny.

The world of Lloegyr speaks Welsh, and this is also where all the animals live. Have you ever read about Christian vampire bishops? There are also references to mixed species marrying each other or being together. I was not sure how the physicality of the whole thing was going to work out.

The story has funny passages and unlike what you would think, is not twisted or shady. The plot is definitely original, and the religious aspect of the story does add a refreshing touch to the fictional tale. I was not a big fan of the connection Penny and the story had with Doctor Who and Buffy. I thought it was unnecessary and would have been just as nice emphasizing on her religious background and the wonderful world she had traveled to.

The Author does a fabulous job on visually drawing this world in our mind. Very few authors have this skill or can take advantage of this ability to literally assist the reader with fully understanding the backstory and world-building of their tale.

Penny’s nature is sweet. She has an innocent and pure mentality. Penny has been suffering a loss and has her own problems. It was nice that she always meant well for the animals. She assists our dying dragon and befriends these really weird biologically combined animals like a snail shark or a gryphon, which is an animal that is half cat/bird.

The literature is easy to understand considering its complexity of the world it yields you into. The ending was beautiful, and I look forward to reading more from this author.

I recommend this book to anyone that wishes to read something different in the fantasy genre.

Written by Jeyran Main

This review was kindly requested by the Author, Chrys Cymri.

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The Diary of an Immortal by David Castello (Book Review #70)

This review is written for Online book club

“I rate this book 3 out of 4 stars.”

Steven is a combat medic. He provides first-aid to the wounded in the battlefield until he can get them to a real doctor. This twenty-one-year-old man is facing World War Two with many drama and death related issues. He happens to come across an immortality formula that if consumed once a day, keeps him alive for many years to come. The more he consumes, the more he will live. Alongside the unique feature this pill gives him, he also begins to see visions and gains the ability to have regenerating cells. I mean the ones you see in Wolverine (X-MEN) series.

 

A person named Dr. Otto Krueger originally designed this formula for Adolf Hitler. The pills are extracted from the liver of the tiger shark. Now that time does not have any value to Steven; he begins to do the things he always wanted, and that is to be a famous musician. As he pursues his dream, he meets a guy named Albert and his niece, Jessica. Albert knows about the immortal formula and where Steven can find the original recipe. They travel to China where the Buddhist monks are aware of the location of these pills. Steven discovers the truth about the tablets and where it originates from alongside the fact that he has to stop the Aryan Messiah from using the immortal tablets and for all the killings in Germany to happen again.

There are many things I would like to touch on. The first and probably the most thing that bothered me about the book was that Steven has a sick father that is dying. However, he does not insist on having his father take them. He instead offers it to his love interest. I believe, based on what he feared most, living an immortal life alone is probably the only reason why he does that.
The second thing that I believe is worth mentioning is that the story not only has in-depth references to the Buddhism, Dalai Lama, and monks, it also mentions Jesus. I believe that it was unnecessary and without it, the story would have been just as intriguing.

 

There is a really cool twist to the plot, and that is the third thing I would like to talk about. Steven meets someone earlier on in the story, and he not only meets this person at the end but also it comes with a big reveal and an even bigger announcement.

I liked the fast pace of the story and the fact that it was full of action. The concept of the tale was strong. Immortality, having no restrictions, having the world as your oyster being anything you want, doing anything you want is a fabulous notion. To live forever, never be sick or to heal as soon as you do would be something that anyone would love to have. On the other side, to outlive everyone and to watch them leave as you stay on is very hard. To be on a road where it never ends can be tiring.

I believe the story can take on a second series if the Author wishes to pursue the adventure as there were enough content for the reader to want to know more.

I recommend this book to anyone that likes historical fiction.

Written by Jeyran Main

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The Everett Exorcism by Lincoln Cole

 

Book Description:

Something strange is happening in the city of Everett, Washington and Father Niccolo Paladina is tasked with investigating possible demonic activity. Nothing is as it seems, however, and things quickly begin spiraling out of his control.

When his path crosses with that of an old rival, they discover that things are worse in Everett than either of them could ever have imagined. As his world collapses around him, Niccolo will be left with one terrible question: what is my faith worth?

 

Author Bio:
Lincoln Cole is a Columbus-based author who enjoys traveling and has visited many different parts of the world, including Australia and Cambodia, but always returns home to his pugamonster and wife. His love for writing was kindled at an early age through the works of Isaac Asimov and Stephen King and he enjoys telling stories to anyone who will listen.

He has won multiple literary awards for his novels. He has also been a bestseller in multiple different categories.

 

Character Interview (Arthur Vangeest, the Hunter):

  1. Which living person do you most despise?

 

I most despise Bishop Leopold Glasser, the man who betrayed my family and is responsible for the deaths of my wife and daughter.

 

  1. What is the quality you most like in a person?

 

The willingness to do what is right. There is a lot of evil out in the world, and it isn’t all just evil creatures or monsters. As Edmund Burke said: The only thing necessary for the triumph of evil is for good men to do nothing.

 

  1. What or who is the greatest love of your life?

 

At one time, I would have said my wife, but then when we had our daughter she became the most important thing in the world for me. She was completely unexpected and a gift from God. Sadly, she was taken from me. I would have died then, but I found Abigail and she became a reason for me to continue moving forward.

 

  1. When and where were you happiest?

 

I didn’t know it then, but I was happiest when I was with my family. I never understood just how much of a blessing they were for me until they were gone.

 

 

Character Interview (Father Niccolo Paladina):

  1. What is it that you most dislike?

 

I dislike people who are unwilling to help those less fortunate than themselves.

 

  1. What is your greatest regret?

 

Never searching for my parents. I was abandoned as a child, left with the Church, and I never took the time to find out who my parents were or why they left me. Not knowing haunts me.

 

  1. How would you like to die?

 

In service to my faith and to my Church.

 

 

Author Interview (Lincoln Cole):

 

When did you first realize you wanted to be a writer?

 

I’ve wanted to be a writer since I was little. Pretty much as soon as I started reading books by Stephen King.

 

How long does it take you to write a book?

 

It depends on the book. Some of the books I’ve written (literary ones) took years to finish, but others take only a few months. I’ve gotten better at the process of forming an outline and writing a story, so each time I finish one it happens a little bit faster.

 

What is your work schedule like when you’re writing?

 

I usually do a little bit of writing and then work on something else. I also work full time as a software developer and relax with my family, so it’s hard to squeeze everything in together!

 

What would you say is your interesting writing quirk?

 

I honestly don’t know. I do things different each time and I don’t have any rituals, but I’m sure if you asked other people they would have a few ideas!

 

When did you write your first book and how old were you?

 

I was fourteen when I wrote my first book, and it was terrible. My parents printed copies of it to hand out, but luckily it never sold any copies because it was atrociously bad. I learned a lot, though, and the experience was worthwhile.

 

 

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The King of Kindness by Terrica Joseph (Book Review #71)

 

Timmy loves to play checkers and never loses. He is known to always win this game, and it means a lot to him that no one can beat him. Timmy even practices new moves at playing chess to surprise his opponent and to be unpredictable.

Timmy has a best friend named Wolly. They go to school together. Wolly also likes to play checkers as well. Timmy and Wolly decide to have a tournament. Wolly does not believe he can beat Timmy but wishes to do so very much.

Both of these boys want to win and have plans with what they are going to do with their trophies.

What makes this book special is that it teaches the act of kindness and that sometimes winning is not always going to bring you happiness. Sometimes, giving your opponent the chance to win can also make you happy and feel like a winner too.

Timmy realizes that Wolly has a much more meaningful plan for the trophy if he wins the match, and so he allows his best friend to beat him.

I strongly recommend this book to parents looking for meaningful books.

Written by Jeyran Main

This book was given to me by Concierge Marketing Inc. through NetGalley.

 

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Vanished by Danielle Steel (Book Review #68)

This story begins with such a beautiful love encounter. Marielle and Charles fall in love and elope to get married. Marielle’s parents do not approve of Charles’s way of living. Although rich, he does not act like a responsible man or a family oriented kind of guy. Tragedy strikes for this two picturesque couple and causes them to separate.

Marielle remarries and even though this time around it is more for comfort and support rather than love. It seems like they both have a good thing going until, Teddy, their son, vanishes.

I found the story to be incredibly addicting. I really did not wish to put the book down and was constantly trying to guess where Teddy was and how he had just vanished into thin air. Normally when this happens, the chances of the boy being alive are less, so that really did dampen my mood on the reading. It takes a long time for the author to provide information on what happened between Charles and Marielle. There are many teases and side references. However, you really do not know until half, or most of the book is read.

The Author manages to also do a splendid job on Malcolm. The sense of love and hate with this character is overwhelming. This really shows Steel’s skilled hand in literature. Marielle’s love as a mother for her son was also very well portrayed.

The ending is very twisted and is a shock. This also was fascinating to me. There are references to so many emotional ordeals poor Marielle has to face as a woman living in the 1900’s. The loss, danger, drama, suspense of what she has to deal with was admirable.

This is a truly well written and a superbly put together story. I highly recommend it to fiction readers and alike.

Written by Jeyran Main

 

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Fall to Earth by Ken Britz (Book Review #322)

Fall to earth is a Sci-fi fantasy novel written about Indiana Beckam. Her life ambition and dream is to be the best swordsman. She joins Arthur Macbabran, a scientist that has invented a device that can make or break the world. Indiana transforms so she can enter the energy course Arthur has created. However, just like every story, Cornwall Marks, the bad guy, wants to have power and is determined to do anything to keep it.

The first thing I noticed in the story was its strong background story. This book is part of a sequel and therefore, needed a strong foundation, and I believe, the author did the job justice.

The plot surrounding the work and the scenes were beautifully executed. What I preferred was a little more character development and express of emotion. However, I don’t believe that the lack of it, took away much from the experience. Instead, the casting crew was likable.

The pace of the story was semi-slow, but I believe that was necessary to provide a solid foundation for the next books to come.

The literature standard was suitable for its genre and kept its professional style one would expect. I believe this book would be suitable for people that enjoy outer space stories and Sci-fi fantasies.

Written by Jeyran Main

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