Book Review: Fast Paced Space Opera

Dissolution of Peace

By Richard Flores IV

 

Christina Serenity is the youngest Naval Officer to have made Captain of a capital warship, in this case the ESS Australia. Due to her youthful age, her aggressive interference in the drug trade and perhaps other things she is constantly under threat of assassination.

Corporal Mike Carlson is assigned to protect the Captain along with his new partner Officer Janice Kanter. He’s protecting her from many things and he carries many buried issues as he does his job, protecting someone he cares about more than professionally.

Conspiracies, treason, aliens of both friend and foe threaten to tear apart the peace that Mars and Earth have lived in for many years. This book moves fast and characters the author builds do get hurt or die.

I enjoyed this military space opera. There are some choices, like referring to a carrier in space as an aircraft carrier, that I didn’t care for but all in all the story kept my interest. I finished it in two sittings. Four out of five satisfying laser blasts are hereby awarded.

 

 

http://www.amazon.com/Dissolution-Peace-Richard-Flores-IV-ebook/dp/B009N3BFIG/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1398647330&sr=1-1&keywords=A+Dissolution+of+Peace

Book Review: Excellent short fantasy involving some religious concepts.

The Realm Between Heaven and Hell

By J.S.Turner

 

Dawn is the protagonist in this short but moving tale of fantasy. Abused and victimized by her husband Tucker she loses a baby. When she recovers a baby is left on her door which she takes responsibility for potentially healing from the depression of having lost the other. When Tucker gleans a hint that the child might be his from their phone conversation he sets off on a murderous rampage. Dawn and the baby Josiah transit into the realm between Heaven and Hell and the adventure begins with demons, angels, phoenix, a giant named Marlon, changelings and assorted others.

I don’t want to give away any more spoilers. The copy I read was a pdf that the author gifted me for a review. I’ve since bought the kindle, mobi, version and the formatting is much better. The editing was excellent and I enjoyed the story. Middle Haven and the Realm’s world building is reminiscent of C.S. Lewis work The Great Divorce. The varied personalities and the back stories of the other characters who dwell in the Realm bring depth. This one gets a five out of five from me.

 

 

http://www.amazon.com/Realm-Between-Heaven-Hell-ebook/dp/B006GEIDMG/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1398441109&sr=1-1&keywords=The+Realm+between+Heaven+and+Hell

Book Review: Another run at X-men like things, needs editing.

Talented

By Sophie Davis

 

The beginning of the Talented series drops you into the life of Natalia Lyons, a pledged Hunter or operator in Elite Headquarters. Among the nuclear waste stimulated mutant humans she is exceedingly gifted as a mental manipulator. This different approach to evolved humans is well crafted as a story though the coming of age romantic entanglements of Natalia and not the normal reading I would seek out.

Talented is I think the proper length for a series volume and the reader should feel they have made a good purchase for that. Where quality ran off the rails for me was the evidence of many rewrites without a final read through. The result is an high number of missing words and miss-arranged words. I managed to parse my way through because the story was good. As this book already has a surprisingly high number of five star reviews I have no problem with giving it a three based on editing.

 

 

http://www.amazon.com/Talented-Saga-1-Sophie-Davis-ebook/dp/B0076Y7ON4/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1398188354&sr=1-1&keywords=talented+sophie+davis

Book Review: Speed Dating in a Graveyard

A Grave Exchange

By Jane Pillatzke (or Tara Rose?)

 

Ivy has dreamed of her perfect guy for years. Not being very social with anybody since her brutal attack as a teenager she has contented herself with managing an animal shelter and taking short cuts home to her apartment through a cemetery. The name of Lucius on a tombstone, matches the name of the man of her dreams and coincidentally the name of the man who greets her one night on her trip through the cemetery. That is where Ivy says goodbye to normal for good.

Though I seldom envision a cemetery as a productive meet-up spot the author makes it work in this story. The souls of Lucius and Ivy call out to each other and vampirism turns into a side note to cause the characters heightened…enjoyment. The tale of Lucius covers centuries and is well delivered as a back drop.

I enjoyed this book. It is plagued with some of the same editing issues common in this day and age but the story made it through. I give it four out of five overall and a five for heat.

 

 

http://www.amazon.com/Grave-Exchange-Passion-ebook/dp/B009X2E6P6/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1397663018&sr=1-1&keywords=A+Grave+Exchange

Book Review: Lycanthrope Cat with Heat

In the Light of the Moon

(Book One of the Dark War Chronicles)

By A.L. Kessler

 

Kassity is a different kind of Lycanthrope. She and her clan shape shift from human to panther. There is not one single family on Earth that doesn’t have some level of dysfunction and hers is no exception. That situation has led her into the protection of a vampire, Lucius, who has control of her ability to change and uses that for his own ends.

Deeper into the mystery it becomes apparent that the Circle is attempting to get control of Kassity for their own ends in the escalating war among the supernatural creatures. Cue the romantic entrance of Jaxon, a rogue Panther-shifter who really brings out the cat in Kassity. He has conflicting jobs and chooses her above the other things on his list.

This book was an amazingly quick read for me because it drew me in and had me through two sittings. The author crafted scenes between Kassity and Jaxon that get the pot boiling while at the same time laying the ground work for the deeper intrigue that structures the series. I give this a four out of five satisfaction units overall and five out of five for the heated scenes. Well played A.L. Kessler.

 

 

http://www.amazon.com/Light-Moon-Dark-War-Chronicles-ebook/dp/B00DAN29TY/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1397581083&sr=1-1&keywords=In+the+light+of+the+moon+A.+L.+Kessler

Book Review: Steampunk without steam.

White Fire War
By Dean McMillan

The Nation-World of Graytayne has a Lord Protector empowered by the Stefanites who defeated the Queens forces and exiled them to the Isle of Briars. The ex-Queens men are depicted much as the Musketeers were though they are not permitted to arm in any fashion. The Lord Protectors men are referred to as Grenadiers and are portrayed as power abusing turn-keys always out to climb the ladder. A subplot on the island actually gives a hat nod to Lovecraft.
Three obelisks and some ancient machinery aid in forming a link between Graytayne and another world that has a nation known as Damerya. The use of Aon science allows them to fly air ships amongst other things.
It is a very involved story that I feel has a lot of the features that draw people to Steampunk though this is genre cast as such. There are four protagonists and two antagonist who all loan their points of view in the telling of this story. While that might be dizzying in some books it actually works out here.
I liked this work for the quality of the story telling and the imagination unveiled. I’m giving it four out of five satisfaction units of your choice.

http://www.amazon.com/White-Fire-War-Dean-McMillin-ebook/dp/B00A6JI6M4/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1397405817&sr=1-1&keywords=White+Fire+War

Been a while…

I try to sprinkle in occasional shameless self promo amonst my review  posts and I notice it has been a while.  Therefore this post!!!  Next You is proud to present and reduction in price on eBooks.

Legacy of Daddy

   Now on sale for $1.99 as are

Next You Interstellar LLC             Having Nice Things             Utopian Estates          and    Destined for Something.

 

Two novel volumes are $2.99.

Next You Vol. 1               Next You Vol. 2              Minus A Conscience Vol. 1                  Minus A Conscience Vol. 2

 

Finally the Omnibus Edition of Minus A Conscience with all four novels and covers is $4.99.

These Smashwords prices are available right now, 12April2014.  The Kindle prices on Amazon should follow by 13April14 because…yeah, Amazon.  Those links are available through though the tab at the top of the blog that takes you to my website.

I felt it to be a good idea to notify my followers then the public.  In that order.  Enjoy

 

Book Review: A Vampire Novel set in Wales

Vampire Wake (Kiera Hudson Series)

By Tim O’Rouke

 

Apparently near the end of 2012 I fell into a vampire book sale or cluster of promotions. This is book two in the series and I haven’t read book one. I will let you in on a fact here, it appears I didn’t need to read book one. Vampire Wake continues the story of Kiera Hudson with enough flashbacks and clues to allow the reader to pretty much piece together what went on in book one.

Kiera is undergoing psychological therapy as a condition of her reinstatement onto the Police force. The trauma related to the vampire surge in Ragged Cove has awakened some ability in her to have visions causing her left eye to spontaneously bleed. Her apartment is plastered with newspaper clippings attempting to pattern out where vampires are or have been.

Trying not to spoil it for you she discovers lots of things about herself, is conflicted between two men for whom she has feelings and suffers an egregious act of betrayal. The entire story is told through her perspective.

I found that I enjoyed the story line, plot twists and that it involved Wales in the backdrop. The manuscript needs another pass for misused words. That being said I give it a four out of five.

 

http://www.amazon.com/Vampire-Wake-Book-Kiera-Hudson-ebook/dp/B005NSEF4Q/ref=sr_1_1?s=digital-text&ie=UTF8&qid=1396883729&sr=1-1&keywords=Vampire+Wake

Book Review: A different X-Men

Forbidden Mind

by Karpov Kinkade, aka Kimberly

I was going to go through with a full treatment on this work until I looked at Amazon and realized something.  This book already has 134 reviews.  It is a well done book and I liked it.  This and goodreads will be the only places I will go with this because it really will just be backgound noise.

I’ll be back soon with another review, hopefully something that hasn’t already been stampeded.

 

http://www.amazon.com/Forbidden-Mind-The-Trilogy-ebook/dp/B00I76RROQ/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1396549650&sr=8-1&keywords=forbidden+mind+by+karpov+kinrade