Review Tales
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The Welcome Home Dinner by Peggy Lampman (Book Review #326)
The Welcome Home Dinner is a contemporary woman’s fiction novel written about Addie and Samantha. These two women start a business in the culinary field. They buy and renovate a building in a very unsuitable town. Angus comes along like a rock and stands in front of this concept and idea. He has concerns over this business idea and has no fret expressing them. Many other factors increase pressure on these two friends. Addie and Samantha’s relationship begin to tumble. Their friendship, their business, and love interests all become things they have to resolve.
In the beginning, I thought the story wasn’t going to grab my interest. However, as I read along, things got much more interesting. I think it was the pace that may have contributed to the initial feelings.
The story was very well written, and the friendship between the two women was beautifully described. As I read more, I felt that the story had a much deeper meaning to it and think, that’s what made this book stand out.
The format of storytelling swapped narratives between the two friends and cousins. The time frame of the whole thing runs in a year. I enjoyed the fact that that plot revolved around. Being accepted by a society that is not receptive. How many times have we tried to start fresh and found it hard to be accepted?
The book also discusses sensitive matters such as race, human trafficking, and other issues.
I recommend this book to people that enjoy reading fiction and contemporary romance.
Written by Jeyran Main
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Lockheed Elite by Tyler Wandschneider (Book Review #323)
Anders and his crew are an interesting bunch. Each casting crew has been developed with precision. Their personalities are strong and are written in such a way that it is very easy to get attached to them.
The literature is written with care, and any person who enjoys sci-fi novels will thoroughly find this novel to be appealing. The plot is a combination of action, humor, adventure, and a mixture of secrets, gadgets, theft and interconnected twists.
The pace and world setting begins slow and then gradually picks up making it a thrilling ride to the end. Although I predicted the ending, it was still as satisfying and pleasing to read.
Written by Jeyran Main
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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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