This was a fun and interesting collection of short stories, and a short novelette.  The entire book takes place in the northern Michigan city of Petoskey, and that made it more fun for me to read.  I’ve spent time during family vacations walking those streets and having lunch at that same hotel.  It was fun to go back to visit without leaving my couch.  The stories were written in first person, and I easily became involved in the emotion of each piece.
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Once particular piece that stood out was Kindle.  It is a curious paranormal piece that suggests that perhaps we are a little too connected to our devices; perhaps more than we should be.  I thought this story was tremendously imaginative and felt my heart quicken as I turned each page.  It was a fun bit of tension with a satisfyingly edgy ending.

My favorite of the collection was the novelette at the end of the book.  It was a wonderful way to wrap up an interesting trip Up North.  In the introduction to the piece, the author explains that this story was the product of a collaborative exercise.  Several members of a group gathered to layout the plot, and then each created a fictional character that was based on an actual person.  It’s clear that the group had terrific fun working together on this piece.  Their good-natured poking at people they obviously know well, and their speculative solution to one of the most publicized mysteries of Michigan, made this story one that expected nothing less than my full attention.  Their outrageous approach to this whodunit is fun and twisty.  It had me guessing right up until the end.
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If you’re from Michigan, you’ll enjoy this trip “home”. If you’re from someplace else, read this and enjoy a couch-vacation to a place you’ll not soon forget. 

Mr. Love has written a complex and entertaining piece of fiction that is easily one of the most remarkable books I’ve read in this genre.  His writing is snarky, evocative, and smart.  The mystery that drives this story is fascinating, yet equally shares time with a few strong subplots, which makes it even more fun to read.  Although each character is given plenty of page time to allow you to get to know them, the protagonist is by far the most intriguing of the group.

Jamie Richmond is an emotionally and intellectually complex female character.  She is one part writer (who doesn’t love that?), one part super-sleuth, one part business woman, one part daughter, one part mother, one part best friend, and one part strong romantic lead.  Her story is interesting, not just because she’s a successful detective of her circumstances, but because she is genuinely human about all of it.  She is passionate about her love life, and equally passionate about her devotion to her father and the legacy he left behind.

The pacing of this book is extraordinary.  I read it in just three days, enjoying the tease of each character’s story.  They all move together as in a well-choreographed Irish stepdance, one never getting ahead of the others nor the music of the plotline.  Each character spends time in the spotlight, but not so much that we are distracted away from the ensemble.  The entire company pushed their own arcs with dynamic growth, without interfering with the momentum of the mystery.  Best of all, there’s a dog among the cast… and that’s always a good thing.

This book is heavy with steamy seduction, but not to the point of losing the pacing or the intelligence of the narrative.  Mark does an excellent job of delicately balancing the elements of adult romance, new teen-age love, and a mystery that keeps you guessing.  This is the third book of the series, but I had no difficulty following the characters or the story, even though I hadn’t read the other two.  The narrative teases the previous mysteries, but never gives them away.  I didn’t feel lost without the details of the previous books, and I am now tremendously curious to investigate the earlier mysteries.  Nothing has been ruined for me by reading the book out of sequence.  However, I was left with a few questions taunting my imagination, but that’s what I want from a great mystery writer.  I am hopeful that there will be another Jamie Richmond Mystery, so perhaps I can get those riddles solved.
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If you seek out books that offer equal parts steamy romance and intelligent empathy, while keeping you mysteriously on your toes, this is a story you will thoroughly enjoy.

This is a story my fourteen-year-old self would have loved.  It has everything a teen-age girl craves… magic, romance, dogs, and a substantial lack of parental supervision.  The author does well at bringing the fantasies of young girls to the page.  Ms. Hebron has created wonderfully loving and supportive relationships between the main character, her brothers, and friends.  They are all equal parts kind, chivalrous, and adventurous. 

I enjoyed the natural dialogue throughout the book.  These are conversations teenagers have with each other; their mannerisms and turn of phrase were all spot-on.  The bravado of teenage boys is also presented well.  The headstrong antagonist is easy to dislike, and the rival family is equally distasteful… for all those teenage, not completely based in reality reasons.

My gentle critique of this story is that there are a few too many passages that were redundant.  While it’s important to make sure outside characters know what’s going on in a first-person narrative, a full retelling isn’t necessarily the best writing technique.  I would have enjoyed the story more had these scenes been reduced to only what was necessary, and instead, explore more of the emotional and physical responses from the characters.  Also, I was hungry for more of the history behind the family feud and the magical learning process.  This is the first book in a series, so I am hopeful that those curiosities will be satiated in future books.

As a writer myself, I found some of the vocabulary in this book interesting and curious.  Ms. Hebron is a native of Great Britain, and I found it curious how some items (especially clothing) and places common to both the US and England have different names and descriptions.  It was fun to take a little time at the end of each reading session to Google what I didn’t know and expand my understanding.  Also, these characters drink a LOT of tea! 😊
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This was a quick read, and I’m interested in seeing how the characters and story develop through their arcs in future books in this series.

I was curious to read Jordan J. Scavone’s Young Adult Urban Fantasy, Night Warrior.  This author has also written several books for much younger readers, which I’ve also read, so I was curious to see how his imagination would evolve into a longer, speculative work for older audiences.  I was not disappointed.

I was immediately drawn in when I discovered that the main character was female.  Gender opposite writing is a technique I’m pleased to see more writers utilizing.  Imagination excels when authors step outside of their normal touchstones and investigate character emotions and thoughts in this way.  Mr. Scavone’s ability to become his main character as he told us this story was fluid and believable. 

The magical elements were also intriguing.  Artifacts of both good and evil drove suspension of disbelief, bringing new layers of power to the factions that wielded them.  The environments Jordan designed were also quite interesting.  Three very different worlds; one physical, one we only know by inference, and the last embedded deep in imagination. These worlds compare and contrast with such vitality that it’s easy to imagine traveling between them.  My favorite locale, not surprising to anyone who knows me, was the bookshop.  I always get sucked into a story the minute a bookshop or library is mentioned.  Extra points to Mr. Scavone for feeding my greatest love inside his story.

Most memorable, however, was the technique of bringing us a terrific puzzle through a complex narration sequence.  This book is written primarily in first person, from the main character, with multiple assists from other strong characters who often vie for the reader’s attention.  The fantasy comes to life as we are invited to live directly in the experience of being a fledgling author, with all its gifts, quirks, and curses.  The parallels to real-life writer’s block and the frustrations of knowing - and not knowing - what might come next in a book one is writing makes this a story perfect for anyone who writes, no matter their age or process.

This is high fantasy, presented in an urban setting, and meets all the criteria to fit the genre.  There are magical artifacts, special potions and spells, a hierarchy of power, sacred societies, and exotic beasts.  Also true to the genre, there are plenty of battles, and a few were fairly intense.  Mr. Scavone has done his research on stage combat, as each fight was step-by-step visually believable.

My only critique for this book is that I would have preferred more emphasis on the backstory and the emotional and intellectual “emergence” of the main character rather than the many moments of combat.  I’m far more interested in the psychological elements of a struggle than the physical… and I recognize that I am in the minority among Young Adult Fantasy readers.
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The ending left me wondering if this book may be the first in a series.  If it is, I will watch for the next book, and read it, too.  I would also be interested in reading a prequel… should such a thing ever come into being.  Thank you, Jordan, for a fun romp through a writer’s imagination.

To begin, I fully appreciate that poetry is HARD!  Not just difficult to write, but also challenging to read.  I honor all authors who take on this Herculean task. 

Writing poetry requires an author to step outside of their “normal” self and engage with a deeper set of emotions and observations usually overlooked in everyday life. Reading poetry requires that we disconnect from our philosophical defaults, and allow the writer to lead us somewhere new, without judgement.  For both the author and reader, it can be an amazing ride, a train wreck, or anything in between… and usually, whatever your interpretation, another reader will always see something different… as it should be with this genre. 

Inside Social Suicide, some of the pieces are lovely and introspective. They show tremendous depth of sensitivity and awareness.  My favorites were Inner Child: A Monologue, A Gift To Remember, and For My Grandfather.  However, the bulk of the poems, although still drawing from a deep well of emotion, were either angry, extremely dark, or simply depressing.  I suppose I should have anticipated that by the title, but as I said, I feel reading poetry requires relinquishing all preconceived expectations.

I see poetry as a specialized art form.  As art, each piece will speak to us differently, depending on our mood, belief systems, and connectivity with the touchstones of life.  I also consider that poetry is meant as a study of the human condition and the nature of the world we live in.  This collection certainly offers an opportunity for all of that.  I found some interesting perspective within its pages, and some of it was deeply moving.  However, I felt the collection was microscopically tunnel-visioned with an emphasis on the emotional injustices of living, almost to the point of complaining.  The result was an intellectual distress and an energetic drain that made reading to the end arduous.

I was also dismayed to discover so many editorial errors… homophones, odd line breaks, uneven formatting and fonts, and punctuation that seemed poorly placed.  These problems distracted from what could have been a much more thought-provoking encounter.  As a poet, Ms. Crandall certainly has the potential to reach readers, but with this particular collection, I felt so mired in a mechanical quicksand by the editorial mistakes, that I feel this work misses the beauty of meter and alliteration that I could have discovered inside the lines. 

I truly believe Ms. Crandall to be a terrific author, her poetic interludes invite seeing the world in a way that, although uncomfortable, may give us an opening to be more appreciative of the gifts we enjoy every day.  I sincerely look forward to investigating her novels.  

The Science Fiction genre is overflowing with unusual stories… almost to the point of saturation.  So much attention is focused on space battles and the strange, weird aliens, that the possibilities of invention inside a more familiar territory are often overlooked.  But this one is different. 

​Not since Jules Verne, can I recall such a creative approach to speculative science.  The adventure takes us to another planet, sure… but the depths we explore are far more intriguing.  This underwater military expedition delivers impressive cleverness page after page.

The world building and innovative technology of this book are fascinating.  From the specific details of the alien races, and their formidable strengths and equally worrisome weaknesses, to the training exercises which are psychological as much as physical, the weapons detail, and transportation used to explore and fight in this environment is simply fun.  Made more believable by the real-life experience Ms. Ash holds in environmental science, everything, right down to the unusual food, is assumed real.  Why wouldn’t it be?  This author allows us to experience the story through strong sensorial and memory triggers.  Even the “new” pieces feel somehow familiar.
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Added to this unique storytelling style are two powerful women as main characters.  They don’t just dominate because they are “strong” women.  They shine with equal brightness to their male counterparts.  It was refreshing to read character development that wasn’t lopsided in psychological and physical traits. There are no weak characters in this story.  Each is given ample time to grow into their roles, while still being emotionally vulnerable, intellectually evolved, and physically believable.  The focus is on the morality of the situation, rather than which gender excels at that objective more effectively.  A few characters are more repugnant than others – as it should be – but none is trapped in gender expectation.  That alone, is a fantastic reason to read this book.

This is the first in a series of four books, and I am anticipating with delight where the next adventure will lead.

The most wonderful thing about books is that if you need to set one aside to deal with life's distractions and interruptions, it'll still be there, waiting patiently, for your return. 

Such was the case with this book for me.  To tell you that I was able to pick it up again after several months of neglect is a strong endorsement for the author.  The details were still vibrant in my imagination, and I was able to re-engage with the story without re-reading past pages.  The author planted vivid memory triggers that were easy to recall.

I enjoyed this mystery.  The characters were tenacious, and some of the twists and turns were quite unexpected.  Mr. Harms worked well to connect dots I didn't know existed, and still leave me on the edge of my seat in a few pivotal spots.  However, I found many of the chapters to be heavy on "info dumps".  I would have enjoyed the book more if there were fewer long passages of description and more direct action and dialogue to move the scenes forward. 

An interesting element of this book was the author's ability to mix a Christian message inside a police procedural thriller.  I don't think I've encountered this mix of genres before, and the end result was  an engaging "whodunit" with a morality often disregarded in this genre.  Mr. Harms did well to meld the two styles, while offering enough edge to keep my attention through to the end.  There were a few dangling details in the last few pages, which leaves me expecting a sequel.  If there is, I'll certainly pick it up.

I loved this story!  It was a wonderful return to my pre-teen years spent fantasizing my days away between the pages of books.  How nice to walk back in time for just a little while and remember those word-immersed worlds.

This is a beautiful, heartfelt story that pays homage to the challenges all young girls encounter along the road to becoming women.  Even better is the fact the main character, Emily, gets to do it with new friends who share her angst and support her belief in doing what’s right, without sacrificing adventure.

Ms. Klco clearly understands young people and their imaginations.  I found the conversations natural, the concerns real, the adventure exciting, and the voice genuine.  The language she uses doesn’t belittle young people, but rather, lifts them up to a place where they are validated for both their intelligence and their strong emotions, simultaneously.  It’s easy to step into this story and feel respected and treasured as another soul walking the path with Emily. 

The high point for me was that one of Emily’s new friends is a Dragon (no spoilers here, he’s on the cover).  As a longstanding, founding member of The SFPCD (Society For the Prevention of Cruelty to Dragons), the traits this honorable creature brings to the story reinforces all I have ever believed about them.  Will that be a continuing trend in the next books of this series?  I sure hope so!

For the record, my TBR pile has just grown by three, to accommodate the rest of this series.  Thank you, Ms. Klco.

Okay, holy moly.  This is a book that may make your head spin in ways you never imagined.  And that’s a good thing.  Remember the first time you saw the film, Terminator, and how you were trying so desperately to make sense of the time travel thing?  This is that, as they say, on steroids.

But here’s the thing, not only is this book imaginatively crafted with all the time-travel and science stuff… it’s also expertly written on an emotional level.  Every moment of hesitation, every ethical question, every heartbeat of insistence, or pang of regret is transferred directly to the reader.  To read this story is not just to imagine it, but to experience it, and believe that it is all possible.  We don’t need to know the exact formula for the serum or understand the delicate processes of technology and data collection.  This story is told in such a way that it is FELT to be real, we believe it all, easily. 

Society has often shown us that science fiction often inspires actual science.  This story is written in a way that lends a gentle air of concern for its potential in real life.  Ms. Taylor has taken a “what if” opportunity and infused it with layers of possibility to pique a reader’s curiosity to the point… almost… of no return.  The chapter breaks were in precisely the right places, and the narration was intelligently designed to give us a view of everything, from the inside out.  The effect is exquisite.

At the end of the book, there are a few pages which tease the beginning of the next book in the series.  I must admit, I did not read those pages.  Why?  Because I knew it would be impossible for me to simply read a small taste without having the entire dessert.  This story requires full immersion.  To delay gratification is simply a torture I will not force myself to endure.
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Thank you, D.M. Taylor, for one of the best science fiction thrillers I’ve read in a very long time!

Like many Indie Authors, I am constantly on the look out for craft books to actually improve my writing acumen, and marketing books to improve how I get my books to the market.  When I saw this title, written by an award-winning Indie Author, I decided to give it a try. 

Although most of what I read was a refresher for me, it was still good information.  An Indie Author who is new to this process would find the guidance offered here to be very beneficial.  The author explains things plainly, with examples along the way.  Each chapter has a nice summary of the most impactful points.

I don't agree with the author's suggestion that Indie Authors should ignore print sales, and all but abandon in-person events like readings and signings at bookshops and festivals... but if you go in reading the book with the understanding that she is not negating those activities entirely, they just don't work for her... the rest of the pages are easier to get through.  (Personally, I love in-person sales opportunities... but that's me.)
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I most appreciated the insights into advertising on Amazon.  This book is unapologetically in favor of selling E-Books over nearly every other medium or platform, and the tips she offers were helpful for me, as this is an area in which I have been lacking in my own marketing efforts.  Her suggestions for launch timelines and advertising strategies were interesting, and I thought, worth testing.

This was not the “magic key” Indie Authors are hoping for, but certainly, it is a worthwhile read.