tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-57672790021819668452024-03-18T14:41:53.719+00:00JeanzBookReadNReviewJeanz xxhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09849957950909706469noreply@blogger.comBlogger5159125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5767279002181966845.post-81396566593463190402024-03-18T03:00:00.001+00:002024-03-18T03:00:00.131+00:00REVIEW - TOXXIC - MOTHS BY JANE HENNIGAN<p style="text-align: center;"> <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjnbG1An6vD4weSHzs6zhXPBZNu-J9ECPDsNnLQpW3xV-blFEGDCirIyt2rdUbDvkLQPZ890fCLNlwEXrUQCNB5b_Fg_KwaOJJh5yT6MUH8v6cp0e_lkHAjheCK1PefuvJOaVJJuxyHBvJbgh4_J2JCqBvvz9dbG8wN9pD6waRe_2EMJdV-dktXKqzhasC4/s500/TOXXIC%20BY%20JANE%20HENNIGAN%20COVER.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="500" data-original-width="312" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjnbG1An6vD4weSHzs6zhXPBZNu-J9ECPDsNnLQpW3xV-blFEGDCirIyt2rdUbDvkLQPZ890fCLNlwEXrUQCNB5b_Fg_KwaOJJh5yT6MUH8v6cp0e_lkHAjheCK1PefuvJOaVJJuxyHBvJbgh4_J2JCqBvvz9dbG8wN9pD6waRe_2EMJdV-dktXKqzhasC4/w400-h640/TOXXIC%20BY%20JANE%20HENNIGAN%20COVER.jpg" width="400" /> </a></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><b><span style="color: #c27ba0;">Title: </span><span style="color: #93c47d;">TOXXIC</span><span style="color: #c27ba0;"><br />Series: </span><span style="color: #93c47d;">MOTHS</span><span style="color: #c27ba0;"><br />Author: </span><span style="color: #93c47d;">Jane Hennigan</span><span style="color: #c27ba0;"><br />Publisher:</span><span style="color: #93c47d;"> Angry Robot</span><span style="color: #c27ba0;"><br />Genre: </span><span style="color: #93c47d;">Dystopian, Speculative Fiction, Futuristic</span><span style="color: #c27ba0;"><br />Release Date: </span><span style="color: #93c47d;">12th March 2024</span></b></span></span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: georgia;"><b><span style="color: #c27ba0;">BLURB</span></b><br /><span style="color: #93c47d;">Forty years ago, the world changed. Men became crazed killers and threatened all humanity. Now the world might be about to change again, but will it be for the better?<br /></span></span></span> <span style="color: #93c47d; font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: georgia;"><br />Forty-four years ago, as any schoolgirl can tell you, the moth’s eggs hatched and an army of caterpillars spread their tiny toxic threads on every breath of wind. Since then, men have been cloistered, protected from birth against the deadly poison.<br /><br />But now there’s a vaccine - a way that men can leave the facility without dying or suffering from psychosis. Emerging, into their new world, eyes wide with wonder at every new experience, the truth soon becomes clear.</span></span></p><p><span style="color: #93c47d; font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: georgia;"><b><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/177177724-toxxic" target="_blank">Goodreads Link </a></b></span></span></p><p><span style="color: #c27ba0; font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: georgia;"><b>REVIEW</b><br />Toxxic has a sharp stark cover featuring the bright neon green on a dark background. Theres also the clever use of a hypodermic needle as the “I” in Toxxic. I really like the cover, it fits well with the first book in the series, and would make me pick it up from a book store shelf to learn more about it. <br /><br />The danger of the Moths and their threads is still apparent so men are still in facilities……for now! There are differing opinions on what should be done with them. There’s those that want the men to live out their days confined to the facilities, yet at the same time complain about the resources needed to keep the men there. Then there’s the other people who want to reintegrate the men into society. A vaccine has been found and it’s decided a small test group will be formed. A man from a facility and a boy from a prep school will be given the vaccine and placed in a home, into a family to see how they cope and how the dynamic works. <br /><br />Of course, the families housing the males are to be given incentives such as extra land, a scholarship for a member of their family either at agricultural or engineering or a non- resident teacher course. The hosting families are also given training in how to deal with the men/boys along with extra clothing, and more food & travel vouchers. The males are placed within the families in kind of a buddy system, a boy from a prep school and a man from one of the facilities. <br /><br />Tony and Artemis are two men chosen and they are paired with two young boys Layton and Daniel. The males, both boys and men are to experience life outside and a freedom to move around that they have never had before. They are expected to work and do chores in exchange for a roof over their heads, food and clothing. They are supposed to integrate into the community of Eastor but it soon becomes apparent that not everyone is happy about the vaccine, the males or the families accepting the men in the trial either. Life becomes much harder and dangerous for the males on the trial and the families they are placed with. That’s probably why Evie and Molly become closer as they hare both in the same situation. <br /><br />Whilst there are those that support the system there are many that oppose it and will go to any lengths to sabotage the experiment. The main underground opposition are the Womens Conservative Society, with its Head Quarters also known as XXHQ on the outskirts of Citadel. All the women that are part of the society are referred to by numbers such as XX104 who joins the movement to prevent males being let out of the different facilities. <br /><br />We read about the day to day things the women take for granted that the males are now becoming part of. Tony isn’t used to the hard physical work but makes up for any short comings with enthusiasm. Artemis starts off sullen and thinking about running away to becoming attached to both the young boy put with him as part of the buddy system and Evie. The men get to be outside, not looking at the outside from behind glass, they can breathe real fresh air that hasn’t been through a filtration system. They experience friendships and being around females that aren’t staff members for the first time too. There are some really poignant scenes within the book. Of course, the males “mess up” but they do their best to do whatever is asked of them. They also feel responsible when a beloved animal is killed purely because of their presence in Eastor. <br /><br />There is so much going on in this book, theres the daily interactions between the males and their foster families, the way the foster families are shunned by neighbours for even having males in their homes. Theres also the member of the Womens Conservative Society XX62 who went into a meeting at Chesterford, another area chosen for the male integration trial and blows herself up, injuring many and killing four little boys. <br /><br />Two of my favourite characters were Mary and Tony. The way Tony wrote to Mary about everything that was happening, he didn’t forget her kindness towards him at the facility. Tony really has a lot to deal with throughout the series, people he thought dead and long gone suddenly reappearing, then the loss of Mary, the hate from the women who think the men should remain in the facilities. I also enjoyed the way the tough, grumpy Artemis softened when placed within a family and tried to nurture the young boy placed with him. <br /><br />I would have loved a happier ending for Tony, Daniel and Layton, and a way that Evie could keep her child whether it is born male or female. I’d also have liked to know more about Sophia and how/why she has Logan and Nathan. So I’m kind of hoping that there may be a third book? <br /><br />As soon as I finished reading Moths, I couldn’t wait to start reading Toxxic, I really wanted to know what was going to happen next. There were a couple of occasions when I was slightly confused as the book does jump from the past to present etc quickly. But once you really get into the book its addictive reading, and I did not want to put this book down. I haven’t read two books in the same series back to back like I did with Moths & Toxxic for a long time and I really enjoyed immersing myself into this futuristic, but scarily realistic world and didn’t want it to end! <br /><br />My immediate thoughts upon finishing reading Toxxic were that the book covered a lot of controversial subjects in a very clever way. The way the males are put away in facilities and women run everything, the way “male born women” were also rounded up with the men and “female born men are told they must live as women. The families just consist of women. The way women were compensated for bearing male babies and handing them over. The way that women go to visitation to have sex just for fun rather than reproduce with males. The book kind of turns “normal society” on its head. I certainly was not disappointed and honestly would love there to be more books set in this world!</span></span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #c27ba0; font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: georgia;"></span></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="color: #c27ba0; font-size: medium;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgpmWHxltStqP5u9lpkznE-xC64yeHNypRXiezGeMhDZ8_CsfRxqPe7M1Den-gu5cazgYXoljL_VIJEND8eF0D36WqyJvsEMeHGF1QLGU5xVmrD4iH0Ah8EgQVAfnrdssKfbIRtDXN8-tmfLdSPXnfCldo22grVxcCmblTlWpPT1yMMcdhWBvYTW1-qTJ8G/s200/JEANZ%20OWL%20BLOG%20LOGO.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="200" data-original-width="125" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgpmWHxltStqP5u9lpkznE-xC64yeHNypRXiezGeMhDZ8_CsfRxqPe7M1Den-gu5cazgYXoljL_VIJEND8eF0D36WqyJvsEMeHGF1QLGU5xVmrD4iH0Ah8EgQVAfnrdssKfbIRtDXN8-tmfLdSPXnfCldo22grVxcCmblTlWpPT1yMMcdhWBvYTW1-qTJ8G/s1600/JEANZ%20OWL%20BLOG%20LOGO.png" width="125" /></a></span></div><span style="color: #c27ba0; font-size: medium;"><br /> </span><p></p><p><span style="color: #c27ba0; font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;"><b> </b></span></p>Jeanz xxhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09849957950909706469noreply@blogger.com0United Kingdom55.378051 -3.43597327.067817163821154 -38.592223 83.688284836178838 31.720277tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5767279002181966845.post-6080688332023424292024-03-15T03:00:00.001+00:002024-03-15T03:00:00.144+00:00REVIEW - MOTHS - MOTHS BY JANE HENNIGAN<p style="text-align: center;"> <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjn8bpj_ZEg7KgJOMV0FHBE25lM8F6qkA6XxGhPEFiGsMkYeubItgsTUZtY9yObXBriKVTeU4irITKbhlf-F0GtIcBYinzSVSdVasgABsZVaTLSZV5UH9Php71UfQVwQlB65zJXyLVA7d0n8t3WtRNQRLXrPaZkluJY44Mw6hb9VJvIyKRNO0SAxIS8OILL/s2551/MOTHS%20BY%20JANE%20HENNIGAN%20COVER.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2551" data-original-width="1594" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjn8bpj_ZEg7KgJOMV0FHBE25lM8F6qkA6XxGhPEFiGsMkYeubItgsTUZtY9yObXBriKVTeU4irITKbhlf-F0GtIcBYinzSVSdVasgABsZVaTLSZV5UH9Php71UfQVwQlB65zJXyLVA7d0n8t3WtRNQRLXrPaZkluJY44Mw6hb9VJvIyKRNO0SAxIS8OILL/w400-h640/MOTHS%20BY%20JANE%20HENNIGAN%20COVER.jpg" width="400" /> </a></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia;"><b><span style="color: #c27ba0; font-size: medium;">Title: </span><span style="color: #f1c232; font-size: medium;">MOTHS</span><span style="color: #c27ba0; font-size: medium;"><br />Series:</span><span style="color: #f1c232; font-size: medium;"> MOTHS</span><span style="color: #c27ba0; font-size: medium;"><br />Author: </span><span style="color: #f1c232; font-size: medium;">Jane Hennigan</span><span style="color: #c27ba0; font-size: medium;"><br />Publisher: </span><span style="color: #f1c232; font-size: medium;">Angry Robot</span><span style="color: #c27ba0; font-size: medium;"><br />Genre: </span><span style="color: #f1c232; font-size: medium;">Dystopian, Futuristic, Speculative Fiction</span><span style="color: #c27ba0; font-size: medium;"><br />Release Date: </span><span style="color: #f1c232; font-size: medium;">14th March 2023</span></b></span></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia;"><span style="color: #c27ba0; font-size: medium;"><b>BLURB</b></span><span style="color: #f1c232; font-size: medium;"><br /></span><span style="color: #f1c232; font-size: medium;">Moths: A chilling dystopian thriller and a must-read debut for 2023<br /><br />A divergent future with a thought-provoking feminist slant, perfect for those who loved The Power, The Handmaid's Tale and Vox.<br /><br />Mary considers tying her teenage son to the radiator.<br /><br />Olivia flees the bloody scalpel of a surgeon, as he hunts her through the corridors of A&E.<br /><br />All around the world men are turning into crazed killers or dying in their sleep, as toxic threads find passage on every breath of wind.<br /><br />Humankind will survive. But only just.</span></span></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia;"><span style="color: #f1c232; font-size: medium;"><b><span style="color: #c27ba0;">Goodreads Link </span></b></span></span></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia;"><span style="color: #f1c232; font-size: medium;"><b><span style="color: #c27ba0;"> </span></b></span><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /><span style="color: #c27ba0;"><b>REVIEW</b><br />The cover of the book is quite stark, the dark background and the bright yellow of the moth leaving its trail of dust behind it in the air. It would certainly make me want to pick it up from a book store shelf to learn more. <br /><br />So, I guess I should confess I actually started reading Toxxic first, not realising there was a prior book. After reading just a few pages I knew I wanted to read the series and quickly sought out the first book, Moths. <br /><br />In the book the when the older women are together, they ask each other where were you when it started? Where were you when it ended? They usually do this when the younger women aren't around to roll their eyes at them. However, as the older women are becoming less every year this means that there aren’t so many people who know what it was really like when the Moths arrived, when the Moths attacked the male population.<br /> It is thought that the Moths came from somewhere deep in Amazon, no one knows if it was the warmer global climate or loggers or forest fires that drove them out into the world. The Moths then spread their tiny toxic threads onto every breath of wind. These threads attached themselves to the males and that’s when one of two things happen. Either the male turns into a “blue” which means they die or the male turns into a “manic” where they become increasingly, aggressive violent and highly dangerous to women. The women seem to be immune, though are not completely unaffected by the Moth threads. <br /><br />Special facilities exist for the male population to live in. The facilities have special filtrations systems to keep the Moth threads out. Young males are housed in prep houses and then transferred to the facilities when they reach the age of eighteen. The men all have shaved heads, and wear a plain grey, ankle length shift type uniform with canvas sandals. Clothing where any stray threads will be easy to spot. Trousers are not allowed as there are too many seams and creases that a tiny poisoned thread could hide in. That’s the same reason the men are not allowed books, too many places a poisonous thread could lurk. The mens routine is fairly simple, they wash their bedding and day wear, pass time doing chores they are given and get to gossip, do crafts and rest in the recreation room. There is no TV or Internet to pass they time anymore theres no infrastructure for it. Other things take priority, as the men cannot leave the facilities to go to work, all the jobs then men did have had to be done by women. <br /><br />The things the men look forward to are putting on plays and “Visitation” where women can choose to come and have sex with the men. Sex is no longer a way to reproduce. If a woman becomes pregnant and has a boy, the baby has to be handed over immediately. The way to have children is by artificial insemination, most people want girls. Though there are perks to having boys and handing them over, which is called the Contribution scheme. If you hand over a male child you are compensated, such as given more land, a better house, etc. Some women even choose to have twins, one male, one female. The female to keep and raise whilst the male is handed over. All females are taught and encouraged to live by the “Three Pillars Of Society” which are “Sorority, Maternity & Thrift.<br /></span></span></span> <span style="font-family: georgia;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="color: #c27ba0;"><br />It is in one of these facilities that we meet the two main characters of the book, Mary and Tony. Tony is a male resident, whom Mary seems to have a soft spot for. In fact Mary does genuinely care for all the men at the facilities. Tony and Luca, are rivals for the part of Romeo in a play the men are doing. Tony becomes upset when Luca gets the part he so desperately wanted and Mary comforts him. Mary is an older woman or a “Dolly” a rather derogatory term the younger females use for an older woman who can remember before and how everything started, she lived during the outbreak. Mary had to cope with her husband and son succumbing to the threads that infected them. Mary was also pregnant at the time of the outbreak. Mary is a survivor, she saw first-hand the effects of the threads, she had to tie her husband and son up when they became infected. Mary could retire from the facility if she wanted to but to be honest, I think she enjoys the company that she gets there. Mary actually cares about the men whereas some of the staff seem to view the men as a nuisance. Ward Sister Daisy isn’t someone Mary would class as a friend so it’s a surprise to her when she is called into the office and Daisy starts off in a friendly manner. It soon becomes apparent its because she wants something from Mary. She wants Mary to keep an eye on the newest member of staff Olivia. Mary knows she has to at least appear to be complying as Daisy could make life very difficult for her. Mary and Olivia talk about “before” what they went through, where they were when the infection occurred and how they came to be where they are now, which is frowned upon by those in authority. The two women confide in each other and are more progressive in their thoughts about what should happen to the men in the future. Mary begins to realise that being around Olivia could be dangerous and could put her special visits to Elmwood a more restrictive facility that houses someone precious to Mary. <br /><br />The book has great, relatable characters and it really made you think what would you do in the situations the characters found themselves in. Both Mary and Olvia were faced with tough decisions and horrendous situations to deal with. Would you choose to flee your loved ones in case they turned manic or would you believe that the males in your life would not hurt you no matter what? Could you hand them over to the army and be willing to lose them forever for the greater good and safety of society. <br /><br />I really enjoyed the book, so much so I couldn’t wait to read the next in the series! After experiencing the Covid pandemic it made this book feel like futuristic possibility. <br /><br />Summing up Moths has an intriguing, well devised plot, with great world building. It grabs you at the beginning and doesn’t let you go, making this a highly addictive, unputdownable read!</span><br /></span></span></p><p style="text-align: center;"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhAELdELFhyqh_p5LgjYTJIFIOTg7uLQqF75vfV0Nld2GSl0qEUm5_svpQHGoSFMTNUiaFXIO0k6uX5kJDMFCZLSXLC0tGv7Br_YX7orG2lNvvN39BQXMTbm6mXlIvjSaJTucWwz7PZ3Cm-JalmXp_K5SVwoV27ndF_KH9hWlEn36luLBNsXQjW13lNdchS/s200/JEANZ%20OWL%20BLOG%20LOGO.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="200" data-original-width="125" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhAELdELFhyqh_p5LgjYTJIFIOTg7uLQqF75vfV0Nld2GSl0qEUm5_svpQHGoSFMTNUiaFXIO0k6uX5kJDMFCZLSXLC0tGv7Br_YX7orG2lNvvN39BQXMTbm6mXlIvjSaJTucWwz7PZ3Cm-JalmXp_K5SVwoV27ndF_KH9hWlEn36luLBNsXQjW13lNdchS/s1600/JEANZ%20OWL%20BLOG%20LOGO.png" width="125" /></a></div><br /><span style="font-family: georgia;"><br /></span> <p></p>Jeanz xxhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09849957950909706469noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5767279002181966845.post-55534194790086170322024-03-12T03:00:00.060+00:002024-03-12T03:00:00.232+00:00REVIEW - LITTLE AVALANCHES BY BECKY ELLIS<p style="text-align: center;"> <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgR43plKVL4WvxyOzZeyE24Qw7CQnHUduDP5Ic14aSLIQmQS2vBa4xkUpGECmKmMResrR-hEMcVzseevG7aMLHQlZksfy-LnuWjLTmyhyphenhyphenUNRJ97ceU9GpNZmc_poa3u5P2lzJT4X1K6Vj0rY4CLdMfkDUu0XeJKY9jKEewhjZ_uF1YiIsE4C7y6mDTJDUsf/s500/LITTLE%20AVALANCES%20BY%20BECKY%20ELLIS%20COVER.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="500" data-original-width="331" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgR43plKVL4WvxyOzZeyE24Qw7CQnHUduDP5Ic14aSLIQmQS2vBa4xkUpGECmKmMResrR-hEMcVzseevG7aMLHQlZksfy-LnuWjLTmyhyphenhyphenUNRJ97ceU9GpNZmc_poa3u5P2lzJT4X1K6Vj0rY4CLdMfkDUu0XeJKY9jKEewhjZ_uF1YiIsE4C7y6mDTJDUsf/w424-h640/LITTLE%20AVALANCES%20BY%20BECKY%20ELLIS%20COVER.jpg" width="424" /> </a></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><b><span style="color: #c27ba0;">Title: </span><span style="color: #e69138;">Little Avalanches</span><span style="color: #c27ba0;"><br />Author: </span><span style="color: #e69138;">Becky Ellis</span><span style="color: #c27ba0;"><br />Publisher: </span><span style="color: #e69138;">Regalo Press</span><span style="color: #c27ba0;"><br />Genre: </span><span style="color: #e69138;">Biographies, Memoir, Parenting, Families</span><span style="color: #c27ba0;"><br />Release Date: </span><span style="color: #e69138;">12th March 2024</span></b></span></span></p><p><span style="color: #c27ba0; font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: georgia;"><b>BLURB</b></span></span><span style="color: #e69138; font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: georgia;"><br />A daughter’s quest for truth. A soldier’s fight for survival. Their shared search for understanding.<br /><br />Little Avalanches is a gorgeously written memoir of breathtaking scope that propels readers from the beaches of California in the early ‘70s to the battlefields of World War II.<br /></span></span> <span style="color: #e69138; font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: georgia;"><br /> As a young girl, Becky is forced to hide from phantom Nazis, subjected to dental procedures without pain medication, and torn from her mother again and again. Growing up in the shadow of her father’s PTSD, she wants to know what is wrong but knows not to ask.<br /></span></span> <span style="color: #e69138; font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: georgia;"><br /> Her father won’t talk about being a Timberwolf, a unit of specially trained night fighters that went into combat first and experienced a 300 percent casualty rate. He returns home with thirteen medals, including a Silver Star, and becomes a doctor and well-respected member of the community, but is haunted by his past.<br /></span></span> <span style="color: #e69138; font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: georgia;"><br /> Seeing only his explosive and often dangerous personality, Becky distances herself from the man she wants to love. Yet on the eve of his ninetieth birthday, when Becky looks at the vulnerable man he’s become, something shifts, and she asks about the war. He breaks seventy years of silence, offering an unfiltered account of war without glory and revealing the extent of the trauma he’s endured. She spends the next several years interviewing, researching, and ultimately understanding the demons she inherited.<br /></span></span> <span style="color: #e69138; font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: georgia;"><br /> Because his story is incomplete without hers, and hers is inconceivable without his, Ellis offers both, as well as their year-long aching conversation marked by moments of redeeming grace. With compassionate, unflinching writing, Little Avalanches reminds us that we are profoundly shaped by the secrets we keep and forever changed by the stories we share. </span></span></p><p><span style="color: #e69138; font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: georgia;"><b><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/199633273-little-avalanches" target="_blank">Goodreads Link </a></b></span></span></p><p><span style="color: #c27ba0; font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: georgia;"><b>REVIEW</b><br />I really love the cover of this book, and it is the first thing that attracted me to the book. The figures we see the lower halves of represent Becky, the author of the book and her father. Becky is standing on her father’s boots, on her own tip toes in her beloved “mary jane” shoes trying to reach her father probably to give him a kiss. The cover really fits the concept of the book so well, Becky always trying desperately to reach her father. I love the cover even more after having read the book and making this comparison. <br /><br />The book is told in three parts. Part One is the story of Becky’s younger years. Becky’s parents are no longer together. Her mother Anne is a hardworking nurse and basically single parent to Becky and her older brother Martin. At the start of the book Martin is 6years old and Beky is just 5 years old. The book begins with their father turning up at the house again, the former family home Becky and her mum & brother finally moved back into when their father agreed to move out. Becky’s father turns up whenever he wants to the former family home, banging on the door depending to be let into the home. Anne ushers the children into the bathroom, telling them to get into the tub to hide. However, Becky’s father gets into the house, finds them and actually smiles at them as if it’s perfectly normal to be sat, hiding in the bath tub with your clothes on. When the police arrive, their mum declines the offer to press charges knowing it would go on her ex-husbands record and he is a well-respected Doctor/Surgeon. There’s also an upcoming court date as their father has filed for full custody saying their mother is an unfit parent! The children are going to speak to the judge regarding the way their father treats them when he has them at his home. The way they have to sleep on the floor, and he doesn’t feed them until after 10pm in the evening, that theirs no routine, he doesn’t even remind them to brush their teeth or haor and he drinks like a fish too! On the day of the court hearing their mum reminds them to tell the judge about their dad’s girlfriend, Judy who is half his age, and brings drugs to the house, and continually, openly smokes pot! <br /><br />Becky knows its an important special day when she receives a brand new pair of black shiny mary jane shoes that she has been wishing for, for such a long time, her old shoes are so worn out and shabby looking now. Martin has to wear his smart corduroy trousers, there his only pair without holes. Anne tries her best for her kids but there’s never much money around for new clothes etc. The fact her ex-husband Louis is constantly taking her to court, accusing her of being a bad mother doesn’t help either. Becky is absolutely besotted with her new shoes but sadly the shine is literally taken off them when she accidentally scrapes one of them when going over to hug her dad in the courtroom. It’s sad that Martin and Becky are in the middle and are trying so hard wanting to please both parents whilst favouring neither in front of the other. Becky and Martin also like their dad’s girlfriend Judy too, she calls them by nicknames, Beck-a-boo & Motor Scooter. Judy makes visiting fun. It’s not long until Judy is pregnant and baby Shena arrives. When Judy and their father split up they actually miss her and the funs they had with her. <br /><br />When the new girlfriend comes along and they visit and have to sleep on the floor, they try to comfort Shena who is upset. They make her a bed on the sofa, unfortunately she messes herself in the night and Lucy is livid about her posh sofa and blames Matin and Becky for not making Shena sleep on the floor with them. Martin & Becky try to watch out for Shena when Lucy lets situations get out of control by allowing her to drink alcohol. Louis, their father comes across as a strange man, on one hand he has no routine for the children, no set meal times or bedtimes. Then on the other when its their birthday he has a tradition that they have to ski behind his boat! Something Becky really doesn’t want to do, but her father is determined she will do, even if it takes him an expensive full tank of fuel for her to do. It’s a kind of weird, tough love. When they return home to their mother Anne with their stories and on one occasion Martin being so seriously sunburnt, he can hardly bend his legs there isn’t much she can do except deal with the sunburn! <br /><br />Part Two is the story of Louis, the Timberwolf, the night fighter leading men on literal suicide missions against the Nazis. The way he went days without food. Then being told he had done enough and could go home, only for it to be changed at the last minute and being sent further into enemy territory to fight again. <br />This section is set out kind of like a diary or journal of each day, each military operation he undertook. The men he lost in battle. How they couldn’t even trust civilians, as if they turned their backs a civilian may shoot them too! The constant poor, wet, muddy, cold conditions they had to live in. <br /><br />Part Three is sort of the breakthrough between Becky and her dad. Becky is older, now married herself with kids. Her dad Louis visits her twice a year, for a week in March and then again for a week in October. Louis refers to her Mercedes car as a Nazis mobile, even all these years after the war he is verbal about his dislike for the Nazis or krauts as he also refers to them as. He doesn’t like them or anything they make, including her Mercedes. <br />It's in this section of the book that we learn about a younger Louis and his parents, Louis finally begins to open up to Becky. Louis has been married four times, has eight children and has never explained anything about himself or his time as a Timberwolf to any of them. It’s during a visit when Louis is 89years old that he sits down and asks Becky if there are any issues between them that she wants to talk about. Becky takes the opportunity and says she wants to talk about the war. They then start talking, Louis reveals how he had signed up for the air force, he loved flying. He had co-piloted for his mother on numerous occasions. His mother flew her plane all over going to different suffrage movement meetings. She spoke to women about having minds of their own and urged them to have their own careers. Unfortunately for Louis, during his medical a problem was found that had been caused by multiple ear infections. His dream of being a pilot in the Air Force were over. However, because he had signed papers he “belonged to the army” and they placed him in the ground forces. His mother tried to get her influential friends to help out to get him out, but they couldn’t help. Even after all Louis went through in the army, he didn’t expect such a poor reception when he returned home. His parents were disappointed, it was almost as if his mother preferred the social standing she would get if he had died in service than him surviving and coming home. His younger brother Bob had been terribly injured and his parents somehow blamed him for not protecting him!! Louis’s father called both his sons “bums” as they should have gone to college, he actually said Only bums join the ground forces of the army!! <br /><br />It's so sad to think about all Louis had seen in the army, all his colleagues that were lost, all the suffering, to then come home and be almost snubbed by your own family and seeing them disappointed in him. He was no doubt suffering flashbacks and PTSD. It does explain some of his actions with his own children. The way he insisted they both know how to handle a gun from a very young age. When Becky went to the dentist he refused drugs, saying she was tough and didn’t need them. <br /><br />I honestly really loved this book, it is certainly not a light hearted read but a thought provoking, moving, heart wrenching, heart breaking yet engrossing, unputdownable tale of a relationship between father and daughter. It is the story of a man that survived battle upon battle, carried out hopeless missions and succeeded, he survived the war and was recognised for his bravery and work as a Timberwolf, but he never really ever came home, he never really recovered from what he had seen, done and had to live through. <br /><br />Summing up this book tells us the reader how all that Timberwolf, Louis saw, did and went through affected him and went on to then affect his wives, partners and children. I adore how Becky persisted with her father and he finally opened up to her. Finally she had an explanation for some of her father’s actions and traits. It is an amazing read that I highly recommend reading. </span></span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #c27ba0; font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: georgia;"><br /></span></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="color: #c27ba0; font-size: medium;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhNFy0WHgRspB3T-0VUuNrUdkDSe68A1zCPFpGAhWLuIynfDSa5l0Otwp7DSM2J69n2kElp8XJ7gksr9rvE8n-xI3AgzNbR7LNgeJrFwSZSyoueShRbX3-jbgFGFQlL0Vwl2FT9MOPPaYZLMnEvulEX5axAchlUvH1rDU3kKppaw_F3F84h0bb7yeiwrqFl/s200/JEANZ%20OWL%20BLOG%20LOGO.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="200" data-original-width="125" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhNFy0WHgRspB3T-0VUuNrUdkDSe68A1zCPFpGAhWLuIynfDSa5l0Otwp7DSM2J69n2kElp8XJ7gksr9rvE8n-xI3AgzNbR7LNgeJrFwSZSyoueShRbX3-jbgFGFQlL0Vwl2FT9MOPPaYZLMnEvulEX5axAchlUvH1rDU3kKppaw_F3F84h0bb7yeiwrqFl/s1600/JEANZ%20OWL%20BLOG%20LOGO.png" width="125" /></a></span></div><span style="color: #c27ba0; font-size: medium;"><br /></span><p></p><p> <span style="color: #c27ba0; font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: georgia;"><br /></span></span> <span style="color: #c27ba0; font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: georgia;"><br /></span></span> <span style="color: #c27ba0; font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: georgia;"><br /><br /></span></span> </p><p><span style="color: #c27ba0; font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;"><b> </b></span></p>Jeanz xxhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09849957950909706469noreply@blogger.com0United Kingdom55.378051 -3.43597327.067817163821154 -38.592223 83.688284836178838 31.720277tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5767279002181966845.post-8519885974305042742024-03-05T03:00:00.001+00:002024-03-05T03:00:00.131+00:00REVIEW - BABY X BY KIRA PEIKOFF<p style="text-align: center;"> <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg4M4T_6a9wETos0JNMVkoxSOhyphenhyphenx5LKdJjIfZvqntx91fE0HXYrRpi61MaWkYBRB8MFWdXAJfH72dwC4naQxBUx8F8TgzkOv6FFaw8EZZ8MP-oqbBj0HqXulgX_LPb9lHTPx2-1yXlR1TmLRmcMJ6t7hzzQDaviFaBRMXZjD8YXI74eEHQIgHS4Wv_TZcrD/s1280/BABY%20X%20BY%20KIRA%20PEIKOFF%20COVER.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1280" data-original-width="842" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg4M4T_6a9wETos0JNMVkoxSOhyphenhyphenx5LKdJjIfZvqntx91fE0HXYrRpi61MaWkYBRB8MFWdXAJfH72dwC4naQxBUx8F8TgzkOv6FFaw8EZZ8MP-oqbBj0HqXulgX_LPb9lHTPx2-1yXlR1TmLRmcMJ6t7hzzQDaviFaBRMXZjD8YXI74eEHQIgHS4Wv_TZcrD/w422-h640/BABY%20X%20BY%20KIRA%20PEIKOFF%20COVER.jpg" width="422" /> </a></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><b><span style="color: #c27ba0;">Title: </span><span style="color: #e69138;">BABY X</span><span style="color: #c27ba0;"><br />Author: </span><span style="color: #e69138;">Kira Peikoff</span><span style="color: #c27ba0;"><br />Publisher: </span><span style="color: #e69138;">Crooked Lane Books</span><span style="color: #c27ba0;"><br />Genre: </span><span style="color: #e69138;">General Fiction, Mystery, Thrillers, <br /> Speculative Fiction, Futuristic</span><span style="color: #c27ba0;"><br />Release Date: </span><span style="color: #e69138;">5th March 2024</span></b></span></span></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><b><span style="color: #c27ba0;">BLURB </span></b><br /><span style="color: #e69138;">When any biological matter can be used to create life, stolen celebrity DNA sells to the highest bidder–or the craziest stalker–in this propulsive thriller.<br /><br />With a vivid imagining of the future, Gattaca meets Black Mirror in Kira Peikoff’s Baby X.<br /><br />In the near-future United States, where advanced technology can create egg or sperm from any person’s cells, celebrities face the alarming potential of meeting biological children they never conceived. Famous singer Trace Thorne is tired of being targeted by the Vault, a black market site devoted to stealing DNA. Sick of paying ransom money for his own cell matter, he hires bio-security guard Ember Ryan to ensure his biological safety. <br /><br />Ember will do anything she can to protect her clients. She knows all the Vault’s tricks–discarded tissues, used straws, lipstick tubes–and has prevented countless DNA thefts. Working for Thorne, her focus becomes split when she begins to fall for him, but she knows she hasn’t let anything slip–love or not, his DNA is safe. But then she and Thorne are confronted by a pregnant woman, Quinn, who claims that Thorne is the father of her baby, and all bets are off. </span></span></span></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="color: #e69138;"><b><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/174136287-baby-x" target="_blank">Goodreads Link </a></b></span></span></span></p><p><span style="color: #c27ba0; font-family: georgia;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><b>REVIEW </b><br /></span></span><span style="color: #c27ba0; font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: georgia;">I think the cover of the book is quite striking with its bright blue X mixed with the orange background, it will certainly stand out on a book store shelf. <br /></span></span><span style="color: #c27ba0; font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: georgia;"><br />This book is set in a future world where there have been technological and biological advances we can only imagine. Cell phones, drivers’ licenses and printed magazines are all things of the past, smart lenses then have replaced tablets & newspapers, college courses are now “holo courses” (done by holograph), no need to attend in person. There are resveratrol injections & cellular reboots to make you look younger, people are living longer. <br /></span></span><span style="color: #c27ba0; font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: georgia;"><br />Even the way people have families has changed, people no longer jump into bed and have sex to get pregnant, it is considered a much more civilised process. For a woman, a cheek swab is taken at a fertility clinic, if you're straight your male partner (bf or husband) gives his sperm, and the process begins, however if he is infertile his cheek swab is taken instead and the process begins. A two women couple would each give cheek swabs<br /> For a two males couple usually one would give a cheek swab & the other a sperm sample. <br /><br />Once the samples are collected a lab tech then will chemically coax the cheek cells into either sperm or egg in a petri dish. This process is called IVG “In Vitro Gametogenesis” <br /><br />This new process of procreation basically means any two people on earth could create a baby together. The embryos are grown in test tubes, they then undergo a genetic analysis at day 5. Each embryo is assigned a spreadsheet of scores that show the probability of a wide range of grains and diseases. After that the two prospective parents go through “Selection” which is where they select the embryo that will be implanted. Sometimes this is an easy choice ie, there’s only one healthy embryo, other times there’s a larger amount of healthy embryos and then the different scores, characteristics and predispositions and the parent’s preference such as male or female. This new selection process is considered healthier and is considered a much better option than the “normal old way”. This new way is cheaper than having to pay for the higher, treatment costs of inherited diseases or disabilities. There are only a small number of people, a few rural & religious groups insist on the 'natural way'. In fact, the “natural way” and trusting mother nature is considered quite archaic and a bad thing. <br /><br />All of this sounds really good, and yes, I can see the positives but unfortunately there are some unscrupulous people about who steal DNA, be it hair, saliva or mucus then take this along with their own DNA sample to create a baby. This is referred to as Non-Consensual Reproduction. One such company is the Vault, who store samples, acquire celebrity samples and sell them to the highest bidder. This practice results in babies being born from stolen cells. The Vault didn’t start out this way but that’s how it has ended up being a dark sinister power that needs to be stopped. <br /></span></span><span style="color: #c27ba0; font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: georgia;"><br />The main characters in the book show us, the reader the different sides of the process and the different people who use the service and how it affects them. <br /></span></span><span style="color: #c27ba0; font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: georgia;"><br />There’s Ember trying to help celebrity Trace Thorne clean up every bit of his DNA whenever he is out and about or doing a concert. Thorne has already discovered the Vault have been trying to sell his DNA so bringing Ember on his tours is damage control/limitation. When the pair grow close and begin their own romance everything seems to point to a happily ever after for them. Then Quinn enters their lives, she’s a surrogate for a man called Robert Roy, but there’s something not right about him and she thinks he may have used stolen cells to create the baby she is carrying. Quinn thinks those cells belonged to Thorne, as Robert Roy seems to be morbidly obsessed by him. In fact, Quinn and Robert met at one of Thorne’s concerts. It turns out Ember is hiding a dark past, one with a partner that led to domestic violence. She was lucky to escape and just wants to forget it all and move on. Though the past has a habit of catching up to you when you least expect it! Then the darkness and Lily’s part in it have to be faced and dealt with once and for all. <br /></span></span><span style="color: #c27ba0; font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: georgia;"><br />The other central characters are Lily and her parents. Lily is almost ashamed as she was not created in the new scientific way, she was created accidentally the old-fashioned way. When Lily’s mum and dad decide to have another child using the new technique Lily is upset and to be honest jealous that any prospective child will be favoured over herself. When Lily was young her mother was in prison for ten long years, so she feels angry that she missed those years with her mother. Lily blurts out the fact her mother has a criminal record at a clinic appointment which then ruins her parent’s chances at that clinic. Lily then wants to use her mother’s story of being denied a baby because she has a criminal record for a journalistic piece, she is doing for a magazine she has a chance of working at, if she can impress them more than the other candidate Radia. For some reason not known to Lily her parents refuse to talk about the past and are more interested in the fact they have found a different clinic to help them have a new child. Lily resents this and continues digging into a past her parents want to forget, and just as she gives up the dark secret, she thinks her parents were keeping from her is revealed.<br /></span></span> <span style="color: #c27ba0; font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: georgia;"></span></span><span style="color: #c27ba0; font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: georgia;"><br />I loved the characters of Ember, and Thorne. Lily I had mixed feeling about and I thoroughly enjoyed hating Robert Roy/Mason! <br /></span></span><span style="color: #c27ba0; font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: georgia;"><br />The futuristic world building is well thought out and flows well, from the suitcase where you press a button and the zipper automatically zips up itself! The criminal act of DDD, Driving, Digitally, Distracted! I also really enjoyed reading about the intricacies of the choices people had to make on embryo selection day, it wasn’t just a choice of male or female, the prospective parents could choose for “A list traits” such as brilliance, athleticism, extroversion and beauty, and “B list traits” such as a sunny disposition, creativity, empathy and patience. <br /></span></span><span style="color: #c27ba0; font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: georgia;"><br />There were some amusing descriptions in the book too, such as “people were like onions, the more layers you peeled back, the more they stunk”!<br /></span></span> <span style="color: #c27ba0; font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: georgia;"></span></span><span style="color: #c27ba0; font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: georgia;"><br />My immediate thoughts upon finishing the book were, Wow! Amazing read! Loved it, really well thought out futuristic world with believable characters that you become really attached to. On one hand you may think the content of the book far-fetched or extreme science fiction but when you really look at today's world and the way things are developing, it is quite a believable prospect! <br /></span></span> <span style="color: #c27ba0; font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: georgia;"><br /> Summing up Kira Peikoff has delivered another amazing futuristic, yet believable world. I loved it! It is certainly a thought provoking read!</span></span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #c27ba0; font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: georgia;"></span></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="color: #c27ba0; font-size: medium;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiuXwsjd54LYz8NlUKnSrge8KAXbp1Zs3fgNv3ClOSDRRbpgwF6dEf3jOQq9eWJaArE1Y7A80FZAEdTHvUzeIThqpEGEbcM_q7-8uRRnxXVJZSGinagAS2LIFkrBSZOOZNO2plgggdwbTxantHzHmP53gSyDqpoaI8F3WQIMh2N94LpyhQnBHQ4MG3O-K2n/s200/JEANZ%20OWL%20BLOG%20LOGO.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="200" data-original-width="125" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiuXwsjd54LYz8NlUKnSrge8KAXbp1Zs3fgNv3ClOSDRRbpgwF6dEf3jOQq9eWJaArE1Y7A80FZAEdTHvUzeIThqpEGEbcM_q7-8uRRnxXVJZSGinagAS2LIFkrBSZOOZNO2plgggdwbTxantHzHmP53gSyDqpoaI8F3WQIMh2N94LpyhQnBHQ4MG3O-K2n/s1600/JEANZ%20OWL%20BLOG%20LOGO.png" width="125" /></a></span></div><span style="color: #c27ba0; font-size: medium;"><br /> </span><p></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="color: #c27ba0;"><b> </b></span></span></span></p>Jeanz xxhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09849957950909706469noreply@blogger.com0United Kingdom55.378051 -3.43597327.067817163821154 -38.592223 83.688284836178838 31.720277tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5767279002181966845.post-41345838222456862562024-02-20T02:30:00.014+00:002024-02-20T02:30:00.258+00:00REVIEW - SISTERS OF FORTUNE BY ANNA LEE HUBER<p style="text-align: center;"> </p><p style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEip9OCF-Pmiy4bkg7yob8aBk_DrGWNlKI-MOCNsUUdePNwoq3vumxWkirXgKOvRv0CpO7CpMNu7GJlUt64TnbbfFOwzJOdzGnKy4z1p_D9rmaRgDi1MAX4vaNXCX_zYUTBUTpkp_ifAEfkrzSQcw_KImCIcy2gaBvDP9WjaAgK5Ql7MSJOMU71ckGQTq3wE/s2063/SISTERS%20OF%20FORTINE%20BY%20ANNA%20LEE%20HUBER%20COVER.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2063" data-original-width="1375" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEip9OCF-Pmiy4bkg7yob8aBk_DrGWNlKI-MOCNsUUdePNwoq3vumxWkirXgKOvRv0CpO7CpMNu7GJlUt64TnbbfFOwzJOdzGnKy4z1p_D9rmaRgDi1MAX4vaNXCX_zYUTBUTpkp_ifAEfkrzSQcw_KImCIcy2gaBvDP9WjaAgK5Ql7MSJOMU71ckGQTq3wE/w426-h640/SISTERS%20OF%20FORTINE%20BY%20ANNA%20LEE%20HUBER%20COVER.jpg" width="426" /></a></p><span style="font-family: georgia;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><b><span style="color: #c27ba0;">Title: </span><span style="color: #ea9999;">Sisters Of Fortune</span><span style="color: #c27ba0;"><br />Author: </span><span style="color: #ea9999;">Anna Lee Huber</span><span style="color: #c27ba0;"><br />Publisher: </span><span style="color: #ea9999;">Kensington Books</span><span style="color: #c27ba0;"><br />Genre: </span><span style="color: #ea9999;">Historical Fiction, Womens Fiction </span><span style="color: #c27ba0;"><br />Release Date:</span><span style="color: #ea9999;"> 20th February 2024</span></b></span></span><p><span style="font-family: georgia;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><b><span style="color: #c27ba0;">BLURB</span></b><br /><span style="color: #ea9999;">Based on the true story of the Fortune sisters, three young women each at a crossroads when they boarded the RMS Titanic in the spring of 1912 – and how that fateful maiden voyage would change their lives in profound and unexpected ways.<br /><br />USA Today bestselling author Anna Lee Huber expertly weaves real historical figures and anecdotes into this vivid, emotionally powerful, surprising novel about the longing for independence and love—and the events that can irrevocably change even the best laid plans . . .<br /><br />April,1912: It’s the perfect finale to a Grand Tour of Europe—sailing home on the largest, most luxurious ocean liner ever built. For the Fortune sisters, the voyage offers a chance to reflect on the treasures of the past they’ve seen—magnificent castles and museums in Italy and France, the ruins of Greece and the Middle East—and contemplate the futures that await them.<br /><br />For Alice, there’s foreboding mixed with her excitement. A fortune teller in Egypt gave her a dire warning about traveling at sea. And the freedom she has enjoyed on her travels contrasts with her fiancé’s plans for her return—a cossetted existence she’s no longer sure she wants.<br /><br />Flora is also returning to a fiancé, a well-to-do banker of whom her parents heartily approve, as befits their most dutiful daughter. Yet the closer the wedding looms, the less sure Flora feels. Another man—charming, exasperating, completely unsuitable—occupies her thoughts, daring her to follow her own desires rather than settling for the wishes of others.<br /><br />Youngest sister Mabel knows her parents arranged this Grand Tour to separate her from a jazz musician. But the secret truth is that Helen has little interest in marrying at all, preferring to explore ideas of suffrage and reform—even if it forces a rift with her family.<br /><br />Each sister grapples with the choices before her as the grand vessel glides through the Atlantic waters. Until, on an infamous night, fate intervenes, forever altering their lives . . .</span></span></span></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="color: #ea9999;"><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/157995338-sisters-of-fortune" target="_blank">Goodreads Link </a></span></span></span></p><p><span style="color: #c27ba0; font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: georgia;">REVIEW<br />The cover has the Titanic right at the centre of it which is fitting as that is where the plot is based throughout the book. The cover also features a young woman dressed in the style of the era complete with hat, gloves and jewellery. The cover certainly fits the book well. <br /><br />The book is set on the Titanic, so obviously there are certain facts that cannot be changed but are mentioned within the book. The book also has to stick to a certain timeline as to how the events occurred. It was a bit odd reading the book but kind of knowing what was coming up in the timeline, but I did really enjoy the book. <br /><br />The interior of the great unsinkable Titanic is described really well and you definitely get a sense of the opulence and atmosphere those passengers were surrounded by. The author really represents the era well in her descriptions of surrounding, etiquette, expectations of women and even the slang and sayings of the era such as 'To the berries' = all so exciting. I had to look it up! <br /><br />The book concentrates of three of the Fortune Sisters who have been travelling with their parents. The family consist of 64 year old father Mark Fortune, a very proud self-made millionaire, his 60 year old wife Mary Fortune, they had six children, the eldest of which 34 year old Robert is married and lives in Vancouver. Their eldest daughter Clara is 30 years old and married to Herbert Hutton. Robert and Clara are with their own families so didn’t go on the trip. The Fortune children on the trip which ends up with them travelling home on the Titanic, are 28year old Flora who is the dutiful daughter, who has postponed her wedding to banker Crawford Campbell to go on the trip as a chaperone to her younger siblings. Alice is 24 years old but in a lot of ways is treat younger, as she was an ill child and is still considered delicate and needs to be protected, she is engaged to, and madly in love to an insurance broker called Holden Allen. The youngest sister is 23 year old Mabel, the feisty, sassy one, who wants to do her own thing, in fact she wants to continue her education, she doesn’t want to just be married like her sisters. She says inappropriate things and speaks before she thoroughly thinks things out. The youngest Fortune child is 19yr old Charlie who is super knowledgeable about the Titanic and it’s like a dream come true for him when Titanic ship builder Mr Thomas Andrews takes him on a personal tour of the ship. <br /><br />Whilst sightseeing and exploring Egypt Alice Fortune is sipping hibiscus tea with Mr Sloper a friend the family have made whilst travelling Europe when she spots a soothsayer. Mr Sloper asks if she has ever had a reading, and would she like one. He waves the soothsayer across to where they are sitting and the man reads her palm and tells her she is in danger every time she travels on the sea. He sees her adrift on the ocean in an open boat. She will lose everything but her own life. That she will be saved but others will not. It certainly upsets Alice and William Sloper quickly tries to laugh it off telling the soothsayer he would be paid more if he gave people good predictions. Mark Fortune hadn’t planned on taking his family on Titanic the Ship of Dreams, but when they decided to travel home a little earlier their reservations were switched to the Titanic. <br /><br />There is a kind of magic about the Titanic, I guess that’s another reason it was called the ship of dreams. The time on the ship gives each of the Fortune Sisters time to think about their individual futures and if that’s what they really want. Flora is the sister that her parents rely on, she is the sensible, dependable one. She is engaged to be married to a man her parents strongly approve of and think is a good match for her. As the trip goes on the dread she feels about her return, she has received only one letter from her future husband Alice is also engaged, to Holden, who is approved of and considered a good match, she is madly in love with him and they have missed each other whilst the Fortunes have been travelling. They have written many letters to each other, but Alice is also dreading the return home to being tied sown to one place and cossetted. Alice has had a taste of freedom and travel that she doesn’t want to let go of. The other sister on board the Titanic and kind of the reason for the trip is Mabel. Mabel is “involved” with a musician, someone her parents do not approve of, they feel he cannot provide financial stability for their daughter. Mr & Mrs Fortune planned the trip to separate Mabel and her musician, in the hopes she will forget about him, perhaps meet someone else, or change her mind. The irony is Mabel enjoys the fact her parents don’t approve and attempts to use him as leverage, to almost blackmail her father, into accepting her real dream, which is to continue her education. Mabel wants to be a more modern independent woman, not married off and expected to have children. At one point Mr & Mrs Fortune try to suggest a suitable suitor for Mabel who is also on the Titanic, the star tennis player Chess Kinsey. Unbeknownst to them Chess does have his eyes set on one of their daughters but it isn’t Mabel, it’s Flora! I really adored the Flora & Chess dislike to friendship to falling in love. Then the Shock! Horror! Mortification! Embarrassment! when Mrs Fortune catches them kissing! And in public too! Where anyone could see! Chess blames himself for ruining Flora’s reputation in her parent’s eyes and arranges a meeting wither father to put himself forward as a suitable suitor with his own suitable finances & future plans. <br /><br />So along with the Fortune family drama, there’s the scandal of one young man having his mistress on the Titanic whom he plans to marry but is yet to tell his mother! They finally meet in a lifeboat as the Titanic is sinking. There’s another young man travelling with his mother but setting up poker games, which Alice Fortune ends up being drawn into. <br /><br />I loved the Fortune family dynamic, they are all always there for each other and even though the three sisters, Flora, Alice and Mabel are sharing a room they each have their secrets they are hiding from the others. <br /><br />I enjoyed reading how the different characters reacted to the Titanic hitting the iceberg and needing to be prepared to get on a lifeboat. There were those that just blindly believed the Titanic was unsinkable and refused to believe the possibility of it sinking. Then there were those who wanted to retrieve jewellery, pets, luggage and take it in the lifeboats with them! <br /><br />The saddest stories were of the couples and families being separated because of the women & children only policy although this wasn’t as strictly adhered to by some of the crew. The chaos of losing sight or being separated from family members.</span></span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #c27ba0; font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: georgia;"></span></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="color: #c27ba0; font-size: medium;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg9iCEbiruCDXfILRJu-w_knl05ipH_1oZ-soz-y4vXr3BNG9oNRFOJq9_enmGwbp6-Ipn6ZKK9fKVFZQmkCYzidthMcKhOqkjaIRB07VBDQC4ZEvtJYzT0IpICZ9YxXSJpRbJglvjXAWhknPKC0eNBJ7EjI_lBsj9zRlQJFnUqzKT-JsDkslAheFiybpWy/s200/JEANZ%20OWL%20BLOG%20LOGO.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="200" data-original-width="125" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg9iCEbiruCDXfILRJu-w_knl05ipH_1oZ-soz-y4vXr3BNG9oNRFOJq9_enmGwbp6-Ipn6ZKK9fKVFZQmkCYzidthMcKhOqkjaIRB07VBDQC4ZEvtJYzT0IpICZ9YxXSJpRbJglvjXAWhknPKC0eNBJ7EjI_lBsj9zRlQJFnUqzKT-JsDkslAheFiybpWy/s1600/JEANZ%20OWL%20BLOG%20LOGO.png" width="125" /></a></span></div><span style="color: #c27ba0; font-size: medium;"><br /> </span><p></p><p><span style="color: #c27ba0; font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;"> </span></p>Jeanz xxhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09849957950909706469noreply@blogger.com0United Kingdom55.378051 -3.43597327.067817163821154 -38.592223 83.688284836178838 31.720277tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5767279002181966845.post-90891198219204599732024-02-18T02:00:00.002+00:002024-02-18T02:00:00.128+00:00REVIEW - MATED TO CURVES - THE COMPLETE SERIES BY DV FISCHER<p style="text-align: center;"> <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhElK95Ech_p4PdL7avORDst33sPY4_m-AYGDWrDvgowK9_SoyRIlQ3D03dBvEFbj1FnqPjr_BCA84N1H4UCiaKGRBevdZVQYP-I4MC_F0He8oPClGQqaWQ89oxJrg5Yr4JX78yavF05GXKuk8f3ZPljQmG-CO8HZH7oCY8BIxpPTeDX2cCi50rXY2u2h3p/s500/MATED%20TO%20CURVES%20COMPLETE%20SERIES%20BY%20DV%20FISCHER%20COVER.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="500" data-original-width="313" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhElK95Ech_p4PdL7avORDst33sPY4_m-AYGDWrDvgowK9_SoyRIlQ3D03dBvEFbj1FnqPjr_BCA84N1H4UCiaKGRBevdZVQYP-I4MC_F0He8oPClGQqaWQ89oxJrg5Yr4JX78yavF05GXKuk8f3ZPljQmG-CO8HZH7oCY8BIxpPTeDX2cCi50rXY2u2h3p/w400-h640/MATED%20TO%20CURVES%20COMPLETE%20SERIES%20BY%20DV%20FISCHER%20COVER.jpg" width="400" /> </a></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia;"><b><span style="color: #c27ba0;"><span style="font-size: medium;">Title: </span></span><span style="color: #6aa84f; font-size: medium;">Mated To Curves -The Complete Series</span><span style="color: #c27ba0;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br />Author: </span></span><span style="color: #6aa84f; font-size: medium;">DV Fischer</span><span style="color: #c27ba0;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br />Release Date: </span></span><span style="color: #6aa84f; font-size: medium;">15th January 2024</span></b></span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: georgia;"><b><span style="color: #c27ba0;">BLURB </span></b><br /><span style="color: #6aa84f;">It should be impossible to find their mates since packs don’t exist and they’re trying to hide in plain sight amongst the humans. But for this group of shifters, fate has a way of playing in their favor. Or does it? While they may be finding their mates, a nasty reporter is out to prove that they exist. He’s low enough to go above the law to get the proof the world needs. How will this packless group of shifters, of fated mates, find their way together if he looms over them as a serious threat? This is a curvy girl dark wolf shifter romance series.<b><span> </span></b></span></span></span></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="color: #c27ba0;"><b>REVIEW </b><br />In this shifter world there are no packs anymore, it’s safer that way. It's a difficult decision made to keep the existence and freedom of shifters. However, there are still humans/people lurking on the outskirts of the shifter world intent on proving they exist and wanting to reveal them to everyone in the world, wanting to put an end to the species altogether, one such man is reporter Gary Spelling, obviously detested by the shifter population.<br />All this keeping under the radar leaves shifters, particularly Alpha's a need to burn off energy. No longer able to shift and run in packs, or even live in packs they need an alternative.<br /><br />Cade former Alpha of the Glacier Mountain Pack provides a suitable option, an underground fighting club. Though Cade used to take part in the fights in the early days of the club now he just sits at the bar talking with sometimes bartender Cruz. Cade watches the room and is around to handle the general arguments that take place in a bar as well as any fighting that overspills from the ring.The rules of the ring are, well just one rule no shifting at all, not even partially! The shifters fight in human form until one is literally knocked out or taps out. There's a healer, Aaron on hand to help with injuries as even shifters need help sometimes after a fight in the ring!!<br /><br />Things begin to change around the club when first club owner Cade’s mate Avani walks in one evening looking for a fight. Having left her previous fighting haunt due to no one wanting to fight against the sure thing winner she had become. Avani and Cade lock eyes and they realise they ate mates. Avani still a little unsure on what happening then brings her friend Joyce to the club, not a place Joyce would normally go but it seems fate when she meets her mate Kye, the very man that Avani chooses to fight! <br /><br />It seems like the fight club is the place to meet your mate and as the book goes on, others do so too. However, true love and meeting your mate are not straight forward.<br /><br />I really enjoyed reading the individual couples love story plots, of how they met etc You also learn about the hardships the different shifters have had to endure as well as learning the lengths they go to in order to keep their other selves a secret. as well as the longer plot of the Gary Spelling issue.<br /><br />Really enjoyed the reading, loved the characters, and setting of the fight club. Would have loved even more from these characters and their world set around the fight club! <br /><br />Addictive reading, once you start you won’t want to put it down!</span></span></span><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: georgia;"><span style="color: #c27ba0;"><b><span> </span></b></span></span></span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: georgia;"><span style="color: #c27ba0;"><b><span></span></b></span></span></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><b><span><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhRa8hPl7x6Z2t1Niu0rr-SwAjls37iwK_AOa3G4HJji45S4H_5ZlyrbNbAai0gCx2ybSOOWrylK6asUUqO0dHM8MVeHoFnvKhVZgXd6qQ7QzIaYnFDtp-lZhyphenhyphenW3RGNGmFY5FyODS6OdAcuf8oS17llqM1edaazpBc5fEAxNw-z1iBBNZy_RKuaB1apbwHx/s200/JEANZ%20OWL%20BLOG%20LOGO.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="200" data-original-width="125" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhRa8hPl7x6Z2t1Niu0rr-SwAjls37iwK_AOa3G4HJji45S4H_5ZlyrbNbAai0gCx2ybSOOWrylK6asUUqO0dHM8MVeHoFnvKhVZgXd6qQ7QzIaYnFDtp-lZhyphenhyphenW3RGNGmFY5FyODS6OdAcuf8oS17llqM1edaazpBc5fEAxNw-z1iBBNZy_RKuaB1apbwHx/s1600/JEANZ%20OWL%20BLOG%20LOGO.png" width="125" /></a></span></b></span></div><span style="font-size: medium;"><b><span><br /> </span></b></span><p></p>Jeanz xxhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09849957950909706469noreply@blogger.com0United Kingdom55.378051 -3.43597327.067817163821154 -38.592223 83.688284836178838 31.720277tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5767279002181966845.post-43384521883207864432024-02-16T17:35:00.000+00:002024-02-16T17:35:36.037+00:00REVIEW - MATED TO CURVES BK5 BY DV FISCHER<p style="text-align: center;"> <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhgrzfvc-el9XI8mz-gEBcndaLqcLqMmXIigHYp43Qh2iQDFYO680kEiBvxkbeCvo2JQi_RimYUbDW53TtOdhJaF5WfG2rmnDEgjcHCPTjdVjRF-Mgm7lhvVE_xlM3HFczRMrigdjKr0BoLT12vdnnFVAVSmIQJ68grdF_R8grPjF0jzAJUYMOdcG1JAfcz/s500/MATED%20TO%20CURVES%20BK%205%20BY%20DV%20FISCHER%20COVER.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="500" data-original-width="333" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhgrzfvc-el9XI8mz-gEBcndaLqcLqMmXIigHYp43Qh2iQDFYO680kEiBvxkbeCvo2JQi_RimYUbDW53TtOdhJaF5WfG2rmnDEgjcHCPTjdVjRF-Mgm7lhvVE_xlM3HFczRMrigdjKr0BoLT12vdnnFVAVSmIQJ68grdF_R8grPjF0jzAJUYMOdcG1JAfcz/w426-h640/MATED%20TO%20CURVES%20BK%205%20BY%20DV%20FISCHER%20COVER.jpg" width="426" /> </a></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><b><span style="color: #c27ba0;">Title: </span><span style="color: #6aa84f;">Mated To Curves</span><span style="color: #c27ba0;"><br />Author: </span><span style="color: #6aa84f;">DV Fischer</span><span style="color: #c27ba0;"><br />Release Date: </span><span style="color: #6aa84f;">14th January 2024</span></b></span></span></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><b><span style="color: #c27ba0;">BLURB</span></b><br /><span style="color: #6aa84f;">Does she love him? Meredith finds herself in the grasp of a kidnapper hell-bent on proving that shifters exist, and he isn’t afraid to do the unthinkable to prove it. As a cop, she thought her mind was unbreakable. It turns out, it’s not. Josiah learns that Meredith is his mate rather quickly. It takes everything he has not to tear apart the world when he realizes his mate is being held captive and what possibly could be happening to her during that time. But there’s one Even if he does rescue her, he can’t have her. Because she has a boyfriend. The question is, does she love the boyfriend? Because he won’t stand in the way of his mate’s happiness. Not after all she’s been through.</span></span></span></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="color: #c27ba0;"><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/205459460-mated-to-curves" target="_blank"><b>Goodreads Link </b></a></span></span></span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: georgia;"><span style="color: #c27ba0;"><b>REVIEW</b><br />This book literally picks right up where bk4 left off, with Meredith and her sister Eva in the evil clutches of the local shifter hating journalist who is hell bent on revealing/exposing the fact shifters exist to the world. He is set on torturing the women until one reveals themself as a shifter so he can catch it all on camera. <br /><br />Eva's mate Cruz along with fight club owner Cade nd Meredith's mate Josiah are in a race to find out where the women are being held and rescue them. Despite not even being introduced to his mate Josiah is as enraged as Cruz is about Meredith & Eva being taken. <br /><br />I can't really say much more without giving away major details but its a race against time! <br />I love the way Cade & Avani still deny they and their friends at the fight club are a pack of any sort. It seems the pack has come about all on its own. <br /><br />I was disappointed we didn't get a bit more Cruz and Eva in this book but I guess the main duo were Meredith & Josiah. I didn't take to Josiah as much as I had the other male shifter characters, he came across overly dominant and not as gentle and caring towards his potential mate, especially as his mate had just left an abusive type relationship with her ex.<br /></span></span></span><br /><span style="font-family: georgia;"><span style="color: #c27ba0; font-size: medium;">Really enjoyed reading the book, didn't want to put it down, in fact I read it in just one go!<br /><br />Would have loved even more from these characters and their world set around the fight club! </span></span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia;"><span style="color: #c27ba0; font-size: medium;"></span></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="color: #c27ba0; font-size: medium;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjVGEjdT1VSEWfGCFDTyxEcR6ryYdOY7RMQqDgZlcvA069K1hSiSk0p-mNvi9QplYepmdBlBWrsfMLql3bIzvLAc2Yurkvm3Wf22amURhVo0Dm0JgjHI2ON9EIkGdaszN8pqe6a393XfvwW0vf1l66mpzDcwml0BEo-YRrRjm4gvl5rO2g_zaRRdTDZHcts/s200/JEANZ%20OWL%20BLOG%20LOGO.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="200" data-original-width="125" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjVGEjdT1VSEWfGCFDTyxEcR6ryYdOY7RMQqDgZlcvA069K1hSiSk0p-mNvi9QplYepmdBlBWrsfMLql3bIzvLAc2Yurkvm3Wf22amURhVo0Dm0JgjHI2ON9EIkGdaszN8pqe6a393XfvwW0vf1l66mpzDcwml0BEo-YRrRjm4gvl5rO2g_zaRRdTDZHcts/s1600/JEANZ%20OWL%20BLOG%20LOGO.png" width="125" /></a></span></div><span style="color: #c27ba0; font-size: medium;"><br /> </span><p></p>Jeanz xxhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09849957950909706469noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5767279002181966845.post-90549367157711665942024-02-01T03:00:00.006+00:002024-02-01T03:00:00.239+00:00REVIEW - ANNA O BY MATTHEW BLAKE<p style="text-align: center;"> <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi7j5MBu4HAAE0xVuElC5UVVwIZ0CvWzoBauOtBuRQdy4izlOrogsrS3ECJdP2HH7s0ZS-2i9J04T_uoPJo49N736C3xagtA0iYS5ehIZPIxekSCID-rTgzLP3H5gC2a5KJlAr_qYrA_MmF0CuaSGRtOhC5qLr4P9Cpusj_8phgEwpSDKNbNflbpbdxvnur/s466/ANNA%20O%20BY%20MATTHEW%20BLAKE%20COVER.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="466" data-original-width="309" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi7j5MBu4HAAE0xVuElC5UVVwIZ0CvWzoBauOtBuRQdy4izlOrogsrS3ECJdP2HH7s0ZS-2i9J04T_uoPJo49N736C3xagtA0iYS5ehIZPIxekSCID-rTgzLP3H5gC2a5KJlAr_qYrA_MmF0CuaSGRtOhC5qLr4P9Cpusj_8phgEwpSDKNbNflbpbdxvnur/w424-h640/ANNA%20O%20BY%20MATTHEW%20BLAKE%20COVER.jpg" width="424" /> </a></p><p><span style="color: #c27ba0;"><b><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: georgia;">Title: </span></span></b></span><span style="color: #ff00fe;"><b><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: georgia;">ANNA O</span></span></b></span><span style="color: #c27ba0;"><b><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: georgia;"><br />Author: </span></span></b></span><span style="color: #ff00fe;"><b><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: georgia;">Matthew Blake</span></span></b></span><span style="color: #c27ba0;"><b><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: georgia;"><br />Publisher: </span></span></b></span><span style="color: #ff00fe;"><b><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: georgia;">HarperCollins UK, Harper Fiction, HarperCollins</span></span></b></span><span style="color: #c27ba0;"><b><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: georgia;"><br />Release Date: </span></span></b></span><span style="color: #ff00fe;"><b><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: georgia;">1st February 2024</span></span></b></span><span style="color: #c27ba0;"><b><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: georgia;"><br /></span></span></b></span><br /><span style="font-family: georgia;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><b><span style="color: #c27ba0;">BLURB </span></b><br /><span style="color: #ff00fe;">THE WORLD WILL KNOW HER NAME <br /><br />What if your nightmares weren’t really nightmares at all? <br /><br />We spend an average of thirty-three years of our lives asleep. But what really happens, and what are we capable of, when we are sleeping? <br /><br />Anna Ogilvy was a budding twenty-five-year-old writer with a bright future. Then, one night, she stabbed two people to death with no apparent motive—and she hasn’t woken up since. Dubbed “Sleeping Beauty” by the tabloids, Anna suffers from a rare psychosomatic disorder known to neurologists as “resignation syndrome.” <br /><br />Dr. Benedict Prince is a forensic psychologist and an expert in the field of sleep-related homicides. His methods represent the last possible hope of solving the infamous “Anna O” case by waking Anna up so she can stand trial. But the doctor must be careful treating such a high-profile suspect—he’s got career secrets and a complicated personal life of his own. <br /><br />As Anna shows the first signs of stirring, Benedict knows he must determine what really happened and whether Anna should be held responsible for her crimes. <br /><br />Only Anna knows the truth about that night, but only Benedict knows how to discover it. And they’re both in danger from what they will discover. </span></span></span></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="color: #c27ba0;"><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/134221476-anna-o" target="_blank"><b>Goodreads Link </b><b><br /></b></a></span></span></span></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia;"><span style="color: #c27ba0; font-size: medium;"><b>REVIEW</b><br />The cover fits the book really well, it certainly draws your attention and makes you want to pick up the book to learn more about it. I think the byline of “The World Will Know Her Name” adds to your curiosity about the content of the book and it also fits the content really well. <br /><br />The main characters of the book are Anno Ogilvy and Dr Benedict Prince. To be honest life isn’t going great for either of them separately and becomes even more complicated after their paths cross. <br /><br />Dr Benedict Prince is divorced from his wife DI Clara Fennel, he found messages on his wife’s phone that suggested she was cheating on him. They have one daughter Kitty or Kit Kat as Benedict regularly calls her though Clara hates him doing so. Clara of course kept the house so there was less disruption for Kitty and Benedict ended up in a rather drab flat in Pimlico. Benedict if a forensic psychologist and also works at The Abbey. A place where the rich and famous come to have sleep issues dealt with. Its very exclusive and does everything possible to protect the identities of these famous patients, even having a separate VIP floor away from other patients. It’s a fairly normal day for Ben when he is called into the office by head of the clinic Professor Virginia Bloom, to discuss a patient being transferred to the Abbey from Rampton Prison. The Ministry of Justice, the government, all want Ben to wake up this patient so they can stand trial for the double murder they have been holding her for. <br /><br />That patient is Anna Ogilvy, comes from a relatively “well to do” family. At the time of the crime, her mother was Baroness Emily Ogilvy was a Shadow Home Secretary and her father was a Global Fund Manager, her brother Theo a “want to be” Tv Presenter. Anna herself was a journalist on a magazine she had co-founded with her friends Indira Sharma and Douglas Bute who were also her flatmates. <br /><br />The crime occurred on the 30th August 2019. Anna O was found by her parents in her cabin at 3.10am at The Farm an exclusive retreat, with a 20cm kitchen knife in her hand and fast asleep. The bodies of Indira and Douglas were found in their cabin, stabbed to death. First at the scene of the crime was DI Clara Fennel and she found only Anna’s prints on the knife and that the blood on her clothing matched that of the victims. <br /><br />Those that believe in Anna’s innocence refer to her as “Anna O” her Instagram handle and are known as “believers”. Those who think that Anna is guilty refer to her as “sleeping beauty”. There has been lots of coverage about what happened that night, but no one really knows the truth except Anna. One blog in particular seems to know a lot and keep the story alive by @Suspect8. This is where the byline fits really well everyone has heard about Anna and of course everyone has their opinion and thoughts about what happened at The Farm that night in August 2019. Ben’s job is to wake her up so that the justice system can put her on trial and determine whether she killed her friends and decide what to do with her. <br /><br />The plot is quite intricate, and fairly complex, in that the fact Ben’s now ex-wife was first on the scene does sort of complicate things. The book was quite slow paced for my taste, I felt like I was wanting it to speed up at times and get on with it and reveal what actually happened that night. Then when Professor Bloom is murdered and someone puts Ben in the frame things become even more complicated than before. <br /><br />I found the plot sections surrounding waking up Anna fascinating, and have read about some of the techniques that Ben used in the book elsewhere too. The sounds, her mums voice, the music she loved and then the smells, her favourite perfume, etc all small things that Ben builds on to coax Anna back to the world of the awake and living. I thoroughly enjoyed the Sally Turner story within the book, the way the reader is kept guessing right up to the end of the identity of Sally Turner’s child that was given a new identity. <br /><br />There are quite a few “real life” references within the book about other murderers such as Dr Harold Shipman, and then laws that were changed regarding anonymity of minors involved in crimes due to the James Bulger case, all of which made the book feel “real” as if it had actually happened. <br /><br />The book also covers how the crime at The Farm affected so many people in different ways, from Anna’s parents divorcing, her mother walking away from politics and turning to religion, to DI Clara Fennel and how it changed her career. When Ben is working with Anna at the Abbey, he has to consider his families safety as there are people who do not agree with him waking Anna to put her on the stand. <br /><br />This book has it all mystery, suspense, twists, turns, betrayal, and revenge. There were a few times I thought I had solved the mystery of Sally Turner’s child and knew their identity. I had several theories as to what had happened at The Farm too, these varied and changed as I read more of the book! Matthew Blake really takes you on a journey leading the reader down one track of presenting the identity of Sally Turners child and exactly what happened on that August night, just when you start to believe that track there’s a twist/turn and you have to start pondering the mystery child’s identity and their involvement in the murders at The Farm. <br /><br />Summing up this Author really keeps you waiting to the very end to confirm the identity of the child and the relevance of what happened at The Farm. I did enjoy the book though there were times it felt a little drawn out and slower paced than I would have preferred it to be for my personal taste. If you want a book that makes you think, makes you really, really, think then this book is a great fit for you. </span></span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia;"><span style="color: #c27ba0; font-size: medium;"></span></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="color: #c27ba0; font-size: medium;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjKUKjaC4EMuwRFYKBS98egd9indrSzNb5M7OV2uU3oW8tIV3iyxEGtzpzfVLTcwiOASWXH1hyphenhyphenrq_0Nc4mV05HwvHLoWd9pljPeHus7_MU2jJKK-H4OW8sEPu7pkGkMYzyozIbMAn6TA6_PMP-J0IwPQJ3k0V_AWiDhPzWC1Paq1-AwyTTT9PP5ufyfWZzc/s200/JEANZ%20OWL%20BLOG%20LOGO.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="200" data-original-width="125" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjKUKjaC4EMuwRFYKBS98egd9indrSzNb5M7OV2uU3oW8tIV3iyxEGtzpzfVLTcwiOASWXH1hyphenhyphenrq_0Nc4mV05HwvHLoWd9pljPeHus7_MU2jJKK-H4OW8sEPu7pkGkMYzyozIbMAn6TA6_PMP-J0IwPQJ3k0V_AWiDhPzWC1Paq1-AwyTTT9PP5ufyfWZzc/s1600/JEANZ%20OWL%20BLOG%20LOGO.png" width="125" /></a></span></div><br /><p></p>Jeanz xxhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09849957950909706469noreply@blogger.com0United Kingdom55.378051 -3.43597327.067817163821154 -38.592223 83.688284836178838 31.720277tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5767279002181966845.post-88646903903122372772024-01-30T03:00:00.001+00:002024-01-30T03:00:00.258+00:00REVIEW - TWENTY SEVEN MINUTES BY ASHLEY TATE<p style="text-align: center;"> <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiaVhyNq65y3yXSxcr058zgo9rEs841kankUpAqDa9pmjrpShXO6kVs_brS5Tc3QLXmqzlCzCGqJneievotCHUow_Zg8UfIz58IZ_ecJhdonA3cNwjwxN_Wl0JfOTjHEsdlbpKZTPv_T2Xb3DWOyYMOEH8QPnffBmQFT0mkwET2soU3lHy5ajzKXM3aQ23Z/s400/TWENTY%20SEVEN%20MINUTES%20BY%20AHSLEY%20TATE%20COVER.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="400" data-original-width="267" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiaVhyNq65y3yXSxcr058zgo9rEs841kankUpAqDa9pmjrpShXO6kVs_brS5Tc3QLXmqzlCzCGqJneievotCHUow_Zg8UfIz58IZ_ecJhdonA3cNwjwxN_Wl0JfOTjHEsdlbpKZTPv_T2Xb3DWOyYMOEH8QPnffBmQFT0mkwET2soU3lHy5ajzKXM3aQ23Z/w428-h640/TWENTY%20SEVEN%20MINUTES%20BY%20AHSLEY%20TATE%20COVER.jpg" width="428" /> </a></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><b><span style="color: #c27ba0;">Title: </span><span style="color: #134f5c;">Twenty Seven Minutes</span><span style="color: #c27ba0;"><br />Author: </span><span style="color: #134f5c;">Ashley Tate</span><span style="color: #c27ba0;"><br />Publisher: </span><span style="color: #134f5c;">Poisoned Pen Press</span><span style="color: #c27ba0;"><br />Genre: </span><span style="color: #134f5c;">General Fiction, Mystery, Thriller</span><span style="color: #c27ba0;"><br />Release Date:</span><span style="color: #134f5c;"> 30th January 2024</span></b></span></span></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><b><span style="color: #c27ba0;">BLURB from Goodreads</span></b><br /><span style="color: #134f5c;">In this stunning and propulsive debut, a town grieves the loss of a young girl—but some fight to keep the truth about her death a secret. <br /><br />The question<br /><br />For the last ten years, the small, claustrophobic town of West Wilmer has been struggling to understand one thing: Why did it take young Grant Dean twenty-seven minutes to call for help on the fateful night of the car accident that took the life of his beloved sister, Phoebe? If he'd called sooner, she might still be alive.<br /><br />The secret<br /><br />As the anniversary of Phoebe's death approaches, Grant is consumed by memories of that night on the bridge and everything he lost: his future, his reputation, his little sister. And the secret he's been keeping all these years is suffocating him. But he and Phoebe weren't the only ones in the car that night. Becca was there. She knows what happened—and she will do anything to help Grant keep his secret.<br /><br />The truth<br /><br />Everyone in West Wilmer remembers Phoebe, but only June remembers that another person was lost that night. Her brother Wyatt has been missing for ten years and now June is alone—no family, no friends. Until someone appears at her door. Someone who may know where Wyatt went all those years ago. Someone who knows what really happened on the bridge that night. Someone who is ready to tell the truth.<br /><br />Taking place over three days and culminating in a shocking twist that will leave you breathless, Twenty-Seven Minutes is a gripping story about what happens when grief becomes unbearable, dark secrets are unearthed, and the horrifying truth is revealed.</span></span></span></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="color: #134f5c;"><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/123416657-twenty-seven-minutes" target="_blank">Goodreads Link</a> <br /></span></span></span></p><p><span style="color: #c27ba0; font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: georgia;"><b>REVIEW</b><br />I think the book cover fits the book really well, the title “Twenty Seven Minutes” is the whole theme of the book, the character pondering and gossiping about what happened in that twenty seven minutes etc. The cover could be a scene from that night ten years ago with the headlights in the rain the only light in the darkness at the car accident incident. <br /><br />Basically, the book tells the story of a group of people and how one particular night changed their lives and those around them. It's set in a small town that thrives on squabbles and gossip.<br /></span></span> <span style="color: #c27ba0; font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: georgia;"><br /> The book flashes back and forth 10 yrs, between the accident 10 yrs ago & the present day.<br /></span></span> <span style="color: #c27ba0; font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: georgia;"><br /> Each of the different characters has their own issues to deal with surrounding that night ten years ago. They all have their own secrets they are keeping too.<br /></span></span> <span style="color: #c27ba0; font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: georgia;"><br /> The book concentrates on two families, the Dean's and the Delroy's. <br /></span></span> <span style="color: #c27ba0; font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: georgia;"><br /> Grant & Phoebe Dean are the central characters of the book. There was a car accident 10 years ago and still that night is shrouded in darkness and mystery.<br /> Why was Becca even in the car with Grant & Phoebe Dean that night. When the accident Grant waited a whole 27 minutes before calling for emergency services. The small town gossips say that Grant was drunk. Grant seems to be covering something up for Becca their weird on/off 'relationship' has to be kept secret even 10yrs later! I wondered at certain points in the book if the relationship was all in Becca's head the whole time.<br /> I was also intrigued by the character of Phoebe, I wanted to know who was the real Phoebe? The straight A student so sweet & kind, helping Grant with his school work, the concerned sister wanting him to do his best, so they could escape together. Or a nasty conniving sister who saw Grant as her ticket out of their small town. <br /></span></span> <span style="color: #c27ba0; font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: georgia;"><br /> The other main character family is the Delroy's. Wyatt Delroy had argued with his father Hank the same night as the accident and disappeared. June has asked numerous times over the years where he was seen that night and where but it appears no knows anything. June nursed her sick mother until her recent death and now she is navigating her 'new life' but is still plagued by her missing brother and finding out what happened.<br /></span></span> <span style="color: #c27ba0; font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: georgia;"><br /> At times I felt frustrated with the book as sometime it does feel a bit of a jumble, with lots of twists, turns and back and forth. It did sometimes feel repetitive and irritating but I was captivated enough that I had to continue reading. I honestly admit I was feeling really irritated that at 44% of the way into the book I still didn't know what actually happened that night. It is difficult to review and say much more without revealing spoilers. On the whole I did enjoy the book though it was a 'different' read in that everything is about that one night and how the car accident changed the route of so many lives. <br /><br />Summing up I thought the book had lots of twists, turns, angst, mystery and suspense with an emotional but fitting tribute in the end.</span></span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #c27ba0; font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: georgia;"><br /></span></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="color: #c27ba0; font-size: medium;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi72ANnrBLNV0b9oGNLSBTd37mB50NJpAYswSuywWlJVcq3LXOu1I2ncSnhJsLdE95TLsyDLSA0JLXz3yUu_8d1Z7McSriy9zTbrpIBDLuPU1UAf8hZI6-FJzJdTCV4OZnr1W7asa78n9WJsCuWToLkyrmvH8UfItZxz5E6jQuFMnPvLy5m8kBFw0SYl993/s200/JEANZ%20OWL%20BLOG%20LOGO.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="200" data-original-width="125" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi72ANnrBLNV0b9oGNLSBTd37mB50NJpAYswSuywWlJVcq3LXOu1I2ncSnhJsLdE95TLsyDLSA0JLXz3yUu_8d1Z7McSriy9zTbrpIBDLuPU1UAf8hZI6-FJzJdTCV4OZnr1W7asa78n9WJsCuWToLkyrmvH8UfItZxz5E6jQuFMnPvLy5m8kBFw0SYl993/s1600/JEANZ%20OWL%20BLOG%20LOGO.png" width="125" /></a></span></div><span style="color: #c27ba0; font-size: medium;"><br /></span><p></p><p><span style="color: #c27ba0; font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: georgia;"><br /><br /></span></span> <span style="color: #c27ba0; font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: georgia;"><br /></span></span> <span style="color: #c27ba0; font-family: georgia;"><br /></span><br /> </p>Jeanz xxhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09849957950909706469noreply@blogger.com0United Kingdom55.378051 -3.43597327.067817163821154 -38.592223 83.688284836178838 31.720277tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5767279002181966845.post-59334232255113044832024-01-26T03:00:00.001+00:002024-01-26T03:00:00.135+00:00REVIEW - BLOOD WEAVER - BLOOD WEAVER TRILOGY BY KARINA ESPINOSA<p style="text-align: center;"> <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7N9I-LsR7g_7pP9mqtla1g9I77eSkUAtL0qP1WmdMt2fr2Q-4D86_wwBH1Drjg6gP98s-Yz10UKHsUTVUbSfcpKx_nqZzu8LT5LXECIVgByLloKnNQQr2MU8lh7YSSxUiLhwwKIeatDtmonQADa64Q9HqGCvDP47G1yxchUOow0bsGP0BM50mFw5SP5nh/s466/BLOOD%20WEAVER%20BY%20KARINA%20ESPINOSA%20COVER.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="466" data-original-width="311" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7N9I-LsR7g_7pP9mqtla1g9I77eSkUAtL0qP1WmdMt2fr2Q-4D86_wwBH1Drjg6gP98s-Yz10UKHsUTVUbSfcpKx_nqZzu8LT5LXECIVgByLloKnNQQr2MU8lh7YSSxUiLhwwKIeatDtmonQADa64Q9HqGCvDP47G1yxchUOow0bsGP0BM50mFw5SP5nh/w428-h640/BLOOD%20WEAVER%20BY%20KARINA%20ESPINOSA%20COVER.jpg" width="428" /> </a></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><b><span style="color: #c27ba0;">Title: </span><span style="color: #990000;">Blood Weaver</span><span style="color: #c27ba0;"><br />Series: </span><span style="color: #990000;">Blood Weaver Trilogy</span><span style="color: #c27ba0;"><br />Author: </span><span style="color: #990000;">Karina Espinosa</span><span style="color: #c27ba0;"><br />Genre: </span><span style="color: #990000;">Fantasy, Romance, Mystery, Suspense</span><span style="color: #c27ba0;"><br />Release Date: </span><span style="color: #990000;">26th January 2024</span></b></span></span></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><b><span style="color: #c27ba0;">BLURB</span></b><br /><span style="color: #990000;">As the last female blood mage, many would kill to claim the power surging through her veins.<br /><br />For years Leila has hidden.<br />Who she is.<br />Where she came from.<br />What she can do.<br /><br />But the long-lost Princess refuses to run forever. Those she loves lied to her. Betrayed her for a greater good. Even in her absence, she's being used as a pawn in political power plays.<br /><br />Now, Leila is determined to discover why.<br /><br />As luck would have it, she has an unlikely ally on her side. Ronan, the audacious heir of a rival clan, feels the need to protect the beautiful, hidden royal any way he can. Despite the strife of their opposing lineages, theirs is a dance of passion and peril, where every stolen glance and forbidden touch sends ripples through their world.<br /><br />Yet even his loyalty is tested when Leila’s fated calling is exposed.<br /><br />Thrust into a world she no longer remembers, Leila must fight to discover who she can trust as malicious threats close in from all sides. In a world where the past casts long shadows, Leila will discover that the threads of fate can be rewoven … but not without a cost.</span></span></span></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="color: #c27ba0;"><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/197907150-blood-weaver" target="_blank"><b>Goodreads Link </b></a></span></span></span></p><p><span style="color: #c27ba0; font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: georgia;"><b>REVIEW</b><br />First of all, I love the dramatic, atmospheric cover, it introduces the themes of the book well and it piques your interest just enough to get you wanting to read the book description to learn more. <br /></span></span> <span style="color: #c27ba0; font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: georgia;"><br /> The main, strongly independent, kick butt character of the book is the last female blood mage who uses the name Leila, rather than her title Princess Lyanna of Valorian and has been in hiding for years. There are many people who would be prepared to kill to get their hands on her unique power. When a plot to kidnap her is discovered she was forced to flee her home in Valorian with her guardian Sir Eric. Over their years avoiding capture, Sir Eric taught Leila how to fight and how to use her gifts to the best of his ability. They were awaiting word that they could safely return to Valorian but Sir Eric died before that happened prior to him revealing everything about a prophecy regarding her future. Leila has been living alone as a healer with her own small successful clinic in Lomewood in the Central Plains. Apart from work she tends to keep to herself with the exception of close friend, Selene. Selene has mer-folk heritage which makes her a prized possession at the Rose Petal Lounge, a pleasure house (bar & brothel) owned and run by Madam Rose. Despite Leila offering to buy Selene's freedom, Madam Rose continues to decline as Selene is very popular and her singing voice draws the crowds in at the Rose Petal Lounge, which is great for business.<br /></span></span> <span style="color: #c27ba0; font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: georgia;"><br /> Suddenly theres a rumour that the Crimson Clan have captured Princess Lyanna and a Crimson Clan envoy are in the central plains to meet the Valorian envoy to discuss agreement terms. The Chief of the Crimson Clan has declared that if no agreement is made Princess Lyanna will be married to his son!! At first Leila is going to ignore the rumour as there have been nany over the years but when she discovers the Valorian envoy is led by her brother Prince Marcellus and her childhood best friend, half fae Prince Caelan of Eldwain she knows she somehow has to warn them.<br /></span></span> <span style="color: #c27ba0; font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: georgia;"><br /> It's not long before Leila finds herself getting into scrapes with both sides whilst trying to keep her true identity and special female blood mage powers hidden. Leila actual ends up befriending Ronan, the leader of the Crimson Clan envoy, after defeating three if his men who were intent on attacking Selene. Leila begins to see a different side to the legendary, big, tough, barbaric fighting clan. Then when the Valorian envoy arrives she see's that her brother Marcellus and once best friend Caelan have also changed during years apart. Unfortunately Leila doesn't like what she discovers and soon finds herself stuck between the warring sides not knowing who she should be siding with. One thing Leila dies know is she really doesn't want anyone she cares about to be hurt or worse killed. When Leila treats a young boy named Henry in her clinic he soon becomes the reliable source of inside information about what's going on with both sides. As neither of the envoy groups consider the boy Henry any threat they often talk freely when he is around, giving away vital information. Leila finds herself on the receiving end of poor treatment from both envoys and in one case even torture! Leila also puts herself in the midst of fights, in harm's way saving people on both sides of the looming war on more than one occasion. Just when it seems like Leila has decided where her heart lays, theres a twist, some information about the future prophecy of the last female blood weaver and Leila is faced by a heart breakingly tough decision.<br /></span></span> <span style="color: #c27ba0; font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: georgia;"><br /> The descriptions within the book set the imagery into your mind easily and really well. This means after a reading session when you are thinking over what has happened it kind of feels like you have been watching a movie too! I loved the description of Rose Petal Lounge as a 'pleasure house'. The society is well thought ought and even the currency of glints & gleams is detailed well.<br /> I adored the friendships Leila had with Selene and Henry. I enjoyed the verbal sparring Leila has going on with Ronan, Caelan, Mykal, Orion and Madam Rose. I also enjoyed discovering more about the prophecy though I think there is so much more to come.<br /></span></span> <span style="color: #c27ba0; font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: georgia;"><br /> Favourite characters are difficult to choose as there are so many great ones, but I loved Leila, Selene, Henry and Ronan. I liked but was still super wary of Marcellus, and Orion and I enjoyed disliking Caelan though by the end of the book I would probably add him to my 'wary of'list. On the other hand firmly on the 'enjoyed disliking' list is Governor Otto. I felt a whole range of liking, being wary and disliking of Madam Rose as I guess we don't know how she ended up at the Rose Petal <br /> Lounge and there were times she was kind and even helped Leila.<br /></span></span> <span style="color: #c27ba0; font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: georgia;"><br /> I think this series could be really popular with those that like the Grishaverse by Leigh Bardugo and Lockwood & Co by Jonathan Stroud Books/TV shows.<br /></span></span> <span style="color: #c27ba0; font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: georgia;"><br /> My immediate reaction after reading the book were, Wow! Just wow! This book has it all!! Kick butt, fiercely independent female Leila whose best friend Selene has been sold and is tied to service at the Rose Petal Lounge, though Leila is determined to free her. Then the cutest little friend ever Henry who knows everything about anything going on and sells his information, though has a soft spot for Leila. Then theres the 'book boyfriend' quota which is definitely erm over flowing! Ronan, Caelan, Marcellus, Orion, Mykal, Silas ....wow. I have to say my favourite is Ronan though!! Though I am firmly #TeamRonan we still don't really know whether he is a good or bad guy regarding his intentions towards Leila.<br /></span></span> <span style="color: #c27ba0; font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: georgia;"><br /> Summing up, I honestly think this is another fantastic start to what I reckon will be a brilliant Trilogy! I can't wait to read more!!</span></span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #c27ba0; font-size: medium;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="color: #c27ba0; font-size: medium;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjYKo7hvtukeZwOYCHc9uSG7yyPwHuJDSHG7-DNsN5E7kDhUZHpPebBcWhIJosrAF9DhWWmQDnoHT10bWvgrxsGl3_LBty-49QiTWg0rM4Ufy8nULOMac5R40iga5jUVxhcvkimK4pVxKxD1KhCO3P1FGJzuXOYWWwuqETKHDiq1yBbZ67yM-V5r3NP1KO8/s200/JEANZ%20OWL%20BLOG%20LOGO.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="200" data-original-width="125" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjYKo7hvtukeZwOYCHc9uSG7yyPwHuJDSHG7-DNsN5E7kDhUZHpPebBcWhIJosrAF9DhWWmQDnoHT10bWvgrxsGl3_LBty-49QiTWg0rM4Ufy8nULOMac5R40iga5jUVxhcvkimK4pVxKxD1KhCO3P1FGJzuXOYWWwuqETKHDiq1yBbZ67yM-V5r3NP1KO8/s1600/JEANZ%20OWL%20BLOG%20LOGO.png" width="125" /></a></span></div><span style="color: #c27ba0; font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: georgia;"><br /></span></span><p></p>Jeanz xxhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09849957950909706469noreply@blogger.com0United Kingdom55.378051 -3.43597327.067817163821154 -38.592223 83.688284836178838 31.720277tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5767279002181966845.post-65928572324601605102024-01-22T03:00:00.000+00:002024-01-22T03:00:00.153+00:00REVIEW - MATED TO CURVES BK4 BY DV FISCHER<p style="text-align: center;"> <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhGYH4D_cxLoVtZV5cwLVGfS9OIkD427bNwY9aB7GvDTgnu26p9oOPXk-aV5tlclsVxCws_we4uWjdTdDlfIEu6FteFjeieEbokU5N9sfQx0Auf9o1JMKccPcUeG2SG5kIx8YyoCzhXL3oNugvcnZeqaZxSFidZWE93Nk5BkK3d3XH6KgXrM03Py4e9aYUl/s500/MATED%20TO%20CURVES%20BK4%20BY%20DV%20FISCHER%20COVER.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="500" data-original-width="333" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhGYH4D_cxLoVtZV5cwLVGfS9OIkD427bNwY9aB7GvDTgnu26p9oOPXk-aV5tlclsVxCws_we4uWjdTdDlfIEu6FteFjeieEbokU5N9sfQx0Auf9o1JMKccPcUeG2SG5kIx8YyoCzhXL3oNugvcnZeqaZxSFidZWE93Nk5BkK3d3XH6KgXrM03Py4e9aYUl/w426-h640/MATED%20TO%20CURVES%20BK4%20BY%20DV%20FISCHER%20COVER.jpg" width="426" /> </a></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><b><span style="color: #c27ba0;">Title: </span><span style="color: #38761d;">Mated To Curves BK4</span><span style="color: #c27ba0;"><br />Author: </span><span style="color: #38761d;">DV Fischer</span><span style="color: #c27ba0;"><br />Release Date: </span><span style="color: #38761d;">25th December 2023</span></b></span></span></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><b><span style="color: #c27ba0;">BLURB from Goodreads</span></b><br /><span style="color: #38761d;">Eva is a journalist for Spokane’s newspaper and she was relieved when Spelling was suspended. She’s a shifter and hiding her shifter identity to someone on a witch hunt for their existence was dangerous. However, now he’s the least of her problems because shifter women are coming up murdered everywhere.Cruz hadn’t expected to find his mate when he went to the paper to find out more about Spelling. But there she was, frightened of him, curvy, and gorgeous as ever. However, it doesn’t take much to convince her to enter his world in the fight club, nor does it take much to convince her on a second date.But when the second date lands them being questioned by cops, the trouble begins.</span></span></span></p><p><b><span style="font-family: georgia;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="color: #38761d;"><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/204372951-mated-to-curves" target="_blank">Goodreads Link </a></span></span></span></b></p><p><span style="color: #c27ba0; font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: georgia;"><b>REVIEW</b><br />Shifter women are being murdered, 5 dead bodies have been found so far. All the women in the community are shaken/worried.<br /> Gary Spelling is still suspended from the newspaper for being obsessed about exposing the existence of shifters. Though the suspension hasn't dissuaded him from his quest, in fact he has been phoning his newspaper bodd Mr Binzer everyday promising he can find proof of shifters but quite abruptly the calls have stopped according to Mr Binzer leaving him wondering where Gary is. Mr Binzer is also checking to see what Eva is working on as she is picking up the slack whilst Gary Spelling is missing. Eva also gets little tidbits of news about what's going on with the current spate of murders, which Mr Binzer is eager to have in his newspaper. Luckily he doesn't know where she gets the tips/information from. Eva's sister Meredith is a Police Officer which is quite an unusual job for a female, never mind a female shifter. Meredith talks to Eva about what is going on in the investigation and they discuss the fact the murdered women are all shifters too. <br /> Mr Binzer isn't the only one who is wondering where Gary Spelling is, Cade sends Cruz to the newspaper to see if he can get an address for Gary as they want to keep tabs on him after he attacked Cali. <br /></span></span> <span style="color: #c27ba0; font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: georgia;"><br /> In this novella, more characters find mates, the fight club is quickly becoming more like a pack headquarters than just a gathering place to let off some steam and excess energy. Theres also news of a pregnancy which makes getting the Gary Spelling problem sorted out even more important.<br /> There is also the problem of someone on the loose torturing and murdering shifter women, though the fight club shifters would probably be more than able to sort out that situation too, they have to hold back as the Police are involved, so human laws apply, restricting the shifters for the time being. Though with Meredith also being a shifter maybe they will be called on to help at some point.<br /></span></span> <span style="color: #c27ba0; font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: georgia;"><br /> I really enjoyed this novella, the romance of the mates finding each other and becoming almost inseparable within days! Then there’s the mystery, thriller and suspense aspect of the murderer. I will admit I did have my own theories as to who the murderer is. I'm also looking forward to hopefully finding out what Gary Spelling has against shifters and why he is so desperate to expose them. I quickly became attached to the characters and love that though new ones are introduced in each novella, you still have the characters you have already learnt about involved in the plot. I love the short plots lines contained in one novella that happen alongside the continuing themes of other parts of the plot running through the series of novellas. I think it's funny how Alpha Cade has grudgingly accepted that his friends gathering around him are in fact forming a type of pack. I'd really like to see the characters in this series of novellas go on to have further adventures and issues to deal with.<br /></span></span> <span style="color: #c27ba0; font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: georgia;"><br /> The book end on a whopper cliff hanger so I can't wait to read more.</span></span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #c27ba0; font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: georgia;"></span></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="color: #c27ba0; font-size: medium;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgIPxdbzSplyto5WHrqy01_HDIxkrfWFltqA15ndVdjX2-J4nFmne7YZWGnvdZsE_A7QAvkpXRZ5hs2yqb91bRLvsoF5N4kCdsipReS3m6Ug5Gbz95vQwy8KczQ02whDxwppIpRivSUZc-Y-mWgO4x1oF9-c1vmsn6RFq2JjuKvytrFvPyRqsqMv4VFhEkq/s200/JEANZ%20OWL%20BLOG%20LOGO.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="200" data-original-width="125" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgIPxdbzSplyto5WHrqy01_HDIxkrfWFltqA15ndVdjX2-J4nFmne7YZWGnvdZsE_A7QAvkpXRZ5hs2yqb91bRLvsoF5N4kCdsipReS3m6Ug5Gbz95vQwy8KczQ02whDxwppIpRivSUZc-Y-mWgO4x1oF9-c1vmsn6RFq2JjuKvytrFvPyRqsqMv4VFhEkq/s1600/JEANZ%20OWL%20BLOG%20LOGO.png" width="125" /></a></span></div><span style="color: #c27ba0; font-size: medium;"><br /> </span><p></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="color: #38761d;"> </span></span></span></p><p style="text-align: left;"> <br /></p>Jeanz xxhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09849957950909706469noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5767279002181966845.post-90218471232001266802024-01-18T03:00:00.002+00:002024-01-18T03:00:00.349+00:00REVIEW - THE KNOWING BY EMMA HINDS<p style="text-align: center;"> <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh3QNHFQ3M0bn46yCtO_-6vrtpez1HVfAi2qCE7dkBTvKDmpkVvVoMThiYAQ82XYFpyb0WPHZ2q4pTPJI-P9m6Xg4egoyTJ1PmW9ZB8FrBD0Rj3ZRETaPrCGWbJP2Cx828FWDrWCrwNoWrHZrf2zjaqx0Pyccw3x1K_XPDWkOpve8Mo-jiLwc5zKrWc8qpp/s384/THE%20KNOWING%20BY%20EMMA%20HINDS%20COVER.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="384" data-original-width="255" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh3QNHFQ3M0bn46yCtO_-6vrtpez1HVfAi2qCE7dkBTvKDmpkVvVoMThiYAQ82XYFpyb0WPHZ2q4pTPJI-P9m6Xg4egoyTJ1PmW9ZB8FrBD0Rj3ZRETaPrCGWbJP2Cx828FWDrWCrwNoWrHZrf2zjaqx0Pyccw3x1K_XPDWkOpve8Mo-jiLwc5zKrWc8qpp/w426-h640/THE%20KNOWING%20BY%20EMMA%20HINDS%20COVER.png" width="426" /> </a></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><b><span style="color: #c27ba0;">Title: </span><span style="color: #990000;">The Knowing</span><span style="color: #c27ba0;"><br />Author: </span><span style="color: #990000;">Emma Hinds</span><span style="color: #c27ba0;"><br />Publisher: </span><span style="color: #990000;">Bedford Square Publishers</span><span style="color: #c27ba0;"><br />Genre: </span><span style="color: #990000;">General Fiction, Historical Fiction, LGBTQIAP+</span><span style="color: #c27ba0;"><br />Release Date:</span><span style="color: #990000;"> 18th January 2024</span></b></span></span></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><b><span style="color: #c27ba0;">BLURB from Goodreads</span></b><br /><span style="color: #990000;">In the slums of 19th-century New York.<br /><br />A tattooed mystic fights for her life.<br /><br />Her survival hangs on the turn of a tarot card.<br /><br />Powerful, intoxicating and full of suspense. The Knowing is a darkly spellbinding novel about a girl fighting for her survival in the decaying criminal underworlds. It is a hard-hitting story of love, obsession and betrayal.<br /><br />Whilst working as a living canvas for an abusive tattoo artist in the slums of 19th-century New York, Flora meets Minnie, an enigmatic circus performer who offers her love and refuge in an opulent townhouse that is home to the menacing and predatory Mr Chester Merton. Flora earns her keep reading tarot cards for his guests whilst struggling to harness her gift, the Knowing - an ability to summon the dead. Caught in a dark love triangle between Minnie and Chester, Flora begins to unravel the secrets inside their house. Then at her first public séance in the infamous cathouse Hotel du Woods, Flora hears the spirit of a murdered boy prostitute and exposes his killer, setting off a train of events that leaves her fighting for her life.<br /><br />The Knowing is a stunning debut inspired by real historical characters including Maud Wagner, one of the first known female tattoo artists, New York gang the Dead Rabbits, and characters from PT Barnum's circus in the 1800s.<br /><br />Something Powerful Is Coming.</span></span></span></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="color: #990000;"><b><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/196609939-the-knowing" target="_blank">Goodreads Link </a></b></span></span></span></p><p><span style="color: #c27ba0; font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: georgia;"><b>REVIEW</b><br />The central character of this book is Florence, who at the beginning of the book is a Tattooist and canvas for her rather domineering boyfriend Jordan. <br /></span></span> <span style="color: #c27ba0; font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: georgia;"><br /> Jordan is the head/main tattooist & also has control over Florence and the artwork/tatoos on her body but has no interest in her 'too flabby' stomach or feet. Jordan says feet, & bony crevices are womens work to tattoo so Jordan tends to pass off any tattoos he doesn't really want to do onto Florence. <br /></span></span> <span style="color: #c27ba0; font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: georgia;"><br /> Jordan tells everyone providence brought them together....however it was the man who took her from a ragtag of foundling gypsies when he saw her talent reading tarot cards, he promised to take her out of the slums, and give her a better life.<br /> Jordan is extremely possessive yet also excessively abusive of Florence. He orders her to dress in a certain way to attract more business by showing off her tattoos, but Jordan doesn't like it when other men ask if he 'leases her out' or leer at her too much. However he blames Florence for drawing the men's attention as if she somehow she really entices them to be like this with her, promising them favours etc. Jordan beats Florence & has sex with her, though Florence doesn't particularly give her consent to the sex or how rough and abusive it is. He is basically raping her as a punishment or a way to have dominance over her. Jordan also has a gun hidden under the floorboards & is a fighter so Florence is understandably scared of him. Though she may want to leave, where would she go, she has nothing, no friends and no where to go. Jordan also associates with the gangs such as the Dead Rabbits who he would task to find her and bring her back.<br /></span></span> <span style="color: #c27ba0; font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: georgia;"><br /> Florence has what is referred to as 'the knowing' she knows what tarot card is coming next, she can hear whispers but has learnt the hard way not to speak to other people about having 'the knowing' Florence can speak to the dead and she sees them when she leaves her body as it's being beaten & abused by Jordan. I think in a way they help her escape the abuse she is being subjected to.<br /></span></span> <span style="color: #c27ba0; font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: georgia;"><br /> When Florence literally bumps into Abernathy and then Minnie who offers her somewhere to escape to and a level of protection she quite blindly jumpd at the chance. However it seems Minnie expects Florence to use 'the knowing' and become a sort of act in her collection of artistes. Minnie refers to Florence as 'the painted mystic' and she is expected to perform to read cards and speak to the ghosts.<br /></span></span> <span style="color: #c27ba0; font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: georgia;"><br /> I loved the character of Florence who takes what she sees as her only chance of escape and goes to people she has only just met. I felt so sorry for her, not remembering much about her younger life except this one protective female figure. Then ending up with Jordan who treats her as a possession, almost like a slave. He decides where he wants to tattoo her. He wants her to dress proactively, yet when she receives attention, he blames her and beats her for it. It really is an abusive relationship. Physical, mental, emotional and sexual abuse are all experienced by Florence on a daily basis. I found her reaction and escapism techniques very believable and realistic. When the opportunity to escape arises she doesn't have long to make a decision and I couldn't help wondering if she was 'jumping out of the frying pan into the fire' Especially when at one point Minnie actually says 'I'm keeping you now'. Sadly, Florence seems to still being controlled and told what to do.<br /></span></span> <span style="color: #c27ba0; font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: georgia;"><br /> I really enjoyed reading this book, I found it intriguing, emotive and addictive reading. There were lots of twists and turns with subtle clues along the way to pick up on. It's a really interesting story, with some great characters set in a time when men basically took what or who they wanted and treat them however they wanted. There was no help for a woman in an abusive relationship. This book covers some serious subjects such as abuse, rape, and violence all of which are well written and part of the greater plot of the book.</span></span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #c27ba0; font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: georgia;"></span></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="color: #c27ba0; font-size: medium;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhIQBvudSykGXnPcLUi5UWn_6huaXOQISwBjPGOc8eV3xzeoEqTLY0RGvf-86H-BdNgUwAYvwTP2z9MTfJbUuPEyclCo07VGb3KSNJbVJF5FgyW3zsfBb0_WxaerTjwv6G6SG4Z4floqH9MsZUICP1TaB-Gk_f3CXwj1pdnYakXpLCwcSMUTeCT6oUmzuWN/s200/JEANZ%20OWL%20BLOG%20LOGO.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="200" data-original-width="125" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhIQBvudSykGXnPcLUi5UWn_6huaXOQISwBjPGOc8eV3xzeoEqTLY0RGvf-86H-BdNgUwAYvwTP2z9MTfJbUuPEyclCo07VGb3KSNJbVJF5FgyW3zsfBb0_WxaerTjwv6G6SG4Z4floqH9MsZUICP1TaB-Gk_f3CXwj1pdnYakXpLCwcSMUTeCT6oUmzuWN/s1600/JEANZ%20OWL%20BLOG%20LOGO.png" width="125" /></a></span></div><span style="color: #c27ba0; font-size: medium;"><br /> </span><p></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="color: #c27ba0;"><b> </b></span></span></span></p>Jeanz xxhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09849957950909706469noreply@blogger.com0United Kingdom55.378051 -3.43597327.067817163821154 -38.592223 83.688284836178838 31.720277tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5767279002181966845.post-19193952456245574422024-01-11T03:00:00.001+00:002024-01-11T03:00:00.246+00:00REVIEW - BIG SKY FALLEN - THE UNRAVELING BY KEVIN CRAVER<p style="text-align: center;"> <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi1rU153RhRm8hNqD1oAVH2M-cxnxD0YAEazhvBIKTLQm7z09XzshNee3gOSiwL1RKR-ud9NUQP_KiwK4SZsiNOIwn4N4pks5KLgyjE69mp8GFKijtRgQITPi_T_Kf4KxqLIsX_CRD9SSdEMm3TOL828tggERu8vxOu84HYCcNtVxVbh-LtH94b8Tp_7fmL/s500/BIG%20SKY%20FALLEN%20BY%20KEVIN%20CRATER%20COVER.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="500" data-original-width="333" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi1rU153RhRm8hNqD1oAVH2M-cxnxD0YAEazhvBIKTLQm7z09XzshNee3gOSiwL1RKR-ud9NUQP_KiwK4SZsiNOIwn4N4pks5KLgyjE69mp8GFKijtRgQITPi_T_Kf4KxqLIsX_CRD9SSdEMm3TOL828tggERu8vxOu84HYCcNtVxVbh-LtH94b8Tp_7fmL/w426-h640/BIG%20SKY%20FALLEN%20BY%20KEVIN%20CRATER%20COVER.jpg" width="426" /> </a></p><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: georgia;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><b><span style="color: #c27ba0;">Title: </span><span style="color: #b45f06;">Big Sky Fallen</span><span style="color: #c27ba0;"><br />Series: </span><span style="color: #b45f06;">The Unraveling </span><span style="color: #c27ba0;"><br />Author: </span><span style="color: #b45f06;">Kevin Craver</span><span style="color: #c27ba0;"><br />Genre: </span><span style="color: #b45f06;">Post Apocalyptic</span><span style="color: #c27ba0;"><br />Release Date: </span><span style="color: #b45f06;">22nd January 2024</span></b></span></span></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><b><span style="color: #c27ba0;">BLURB</span></b><br /><span style="color: #b45f06;">In
an instant, it was all gone.The survivors called it the Unraveling—a
merciless one-two punch of economic collapse and deadly plague that
brought the United States, and the world, to its knees.For history
teacher and Army veteran Eric Jaeger, the collapse of the nation he once
swore to defend is only the beginning.As civilization crumbles around
them, Eric and tough-as-nails paramedic Susan Walker flee the Milwaukee
suburbs for the safety of the Montana home of his Army buddy, Manny
Landeros. They join an eclectic group of friends forced to adapt to
survive in a violent and lawless post-apocalyptic world in which
kindness and decency end at Manny’s property line.Eric’s hopes of
staying hidden to weather the catastrophe are dashed when a wealthy
despot seizes power in the nearby state capital and hatches a horrific
plan with the remnants of a federal government desperate to regain
control at any cost. When the enigmatic leader of a growing resistance
movement asks Manny’s group to join the fight, they must decide whether
to risk everything to defeat a tyrant—and in Eric’s case, risk
sacrificing Susan on freedom’s altar.</span></span></span></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><b><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/202409235-big-sky-fallen" target="_blank">Goodreads Link </a></b></span></span></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><b><span style="color: #c27ba0;">PURCHASE LINKS<br /><a href="https://www.amazon.com/Big-Sky-Fallen-Post-Apocalyptic-Adventure-ebook/dp/B0CNNZLNJM/ref=sr_1_1?crid=2H2XZYBQFYYRG&keywords=Big+sky+fallen+by+kevin+craver&qid=1703168487&sprefix=big+sky+fallen+by+kevin+craver%2Caps%2C150&sr=8-1" target="_blank">Amazon US</a><br /><a href="https://www.amazon.co.uk/Big-Sky-Fallen-Post-Apocalyptic-Adventure-ebook/dp/B0CNNZLNJM/ref=sr_1_1?crid=188SICTMHDTR7&keywords=big+sky+fallen+by+kevin+craver&qid=1703168527&sprefix=big+sky+fallen+by+kevin+craver%2Caps%2C68&sr=8-1" target="_blank">Amazon UK</a></span></b></span></span></p><p><span style="color: #c27ba0; font-family: georgia;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /><b>REVIEW</b><br />The cover of the book really does its job well with the two lonely armed figures looking out into the desolation around them. You really want to learn who the two figures are, what has happened in the world and how they are going to cope with it. If I saw it on a book store shelf I would certainly be picking it up to learn more about the book. <br /><br />The book separated into three parts as well as a kind of aftermath/epilogue at the end although it is not referred to as one. The first part is the background and the planning that went into the homestead idea, and everyone arriving. The second part is kind of surviving, the gathering of forces and the build up to the third part which is the big battle. Then finally the aftermath/epilogue where all the loose ends are tied up.<br /><br />The first part introduces the characters and contains their background information and how they come to be part of the rather eclectic post-apocalyptic family living, fighting and surviving together on Manny & Carmen’s land, which I found really interesting and it explains all their quirks, traits, skills, triggers and behaviour as the book goes on. Each character brings a skill or is with someone who brings a necessary skill to survive and thrive. It sets out all the final preparations the group have to still put in place, and reiterate who is responsible for which jobs. Sadly some of their group don’t make it, succumbing to the pandemic, becoming too ill to travel, meaning their jobs have to be reassigned. <br /></span></span><span style="color: #c27ba0; font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: georgia;"><br />I would say the main characters are Eric Jaeger, who is ex-military, high school teacher who is very into prepping for the end of the world when it comes. Eric, along with his friends are in no doubt “the end”, an “event” is coming its just a matter of when “it” happens. Eric is a bachelor but its quite clear to both his friends and us, the reader that he is besotted with Susan, a fire department paramendic, who quickly becomes head medic when the nurse of the group never makes it to the homestead. Eric and Susan travel to Eric’s Ex-military best friend, Manny Landeros’ home/homestead where others in their group will also be heading to bunker down and survive whatever is happening and what is to come afterwards. Manny is married to Carmen and they have a 13year old daughter Luisa. Manny’s cousin Benny is promoted to keeping track and doing inventory on all supplies when the guy whose job it would have been doesn’t make it. <br /></span></span><span style="color: #c27ba0; font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: georgia;"><br />There’s lots of ex-military as that’s where the idea of this safe haven, homestead was formed. Others have been brought on board by the original members. One such couple are Pastor Kriss Reynolds and her husband Roger who as organic gardeners are deeply involved in the nurturing, planting, and tending of produce needed to sustain the diets of the group. Obviously being ex-military the have also bought in MRE food packs and tins and cans etc etc. To be honest the group seems to have all bases covered but Manny is determined that things will be done in a certain way under his roof such as no co-habitating between non married couples. So, the couples have their room/dorms and the bachelors have an area as do the bachelorettes. Everyone has shared chores and duties such as guard duty, manning the radio, as well as their specialities. They also continue keeping fit and doing army manoeuvres to cover all scenarios. These people know that eventually refugees, strangers will turn up at their door and they have to have systems in place to deal with every eventuality. <br /></span></span><span style="color: #c27ba0; font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: georgia;"><br />As the book goes on the group have to deal with what they at first think are local bandits but it soon becomes apparent that these men who just take from others are part of a larger, more well organised army. They soon become part of a greater machine fighting back against what is a militia. <br /></span></span><span style="color: #c27ba0; font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: georgia;"><br />There are a few times when a democracy rules the decision process for the homesteaders, such as the decision to deal with the bandits that have terrorised their neighbours and could be coming for them next. Then the couple needing food and supplies for their attempted journey to relatives. There’s discussion about asking them to stay, but instead they are given help to progress on their journey, but they leave with knowledge of the homestead and it’s a decision that could have disastrous consequences for the group. Finally, there’s a group of three military deserters nearby the homestead, who want nothing of the harsh ways of the militia type army that exists and the government that wants to rule now. The one female and two males have useful skills for the battle that is rapidly approaching. <br /></span></span><span style="color: #c27ba0; font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: georgia;"><br />I found I became attached to the characters at the homestead really quickly, even ones that were only briefly mentioned that never quite made it to the homestead. I enjoyed the different relationships within couples and with the other characters. I really adored the way the characters were romantically paired off. I found their secret trysts really amusing, from Julie & Allan's in the bachelorette pad when Suan finds them asleep in each others arms, both snoring! Then later in the book the newer couple of Kaytie & Tim rolling around in poison ivy, with Kaytie full of shame and embarrassment having to approach Susan for advice and treatment for the poison ivy. Finally, the tryst between the couple I was really willing everything to work out for (and both be alive at the end) Eric & Susan who snuck off behind the barn! Luckily and wisely, Susan checked for poison ivy before rolling around on the floor together! <br /></span></span><span style="color: #c27ba0; font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: georgia;"><br />I really grew to love some of the characters and when a couple of them do potentially dangerous, crazy acts of sacrifice I was internally shouting “Noooo” at them in my head whilst reading the drama and devastation unfold. <br /></span></span><span style="color: #c27ba0; font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: georgia;"><br />I'll be honest quite a bit of the military manoeuvres, weaponry, political and American geographic detail 'went over my head' but I still enjoyed reading it and I am sure others will appreciate it and fully understand it more than I did. I adored the little details in the book such as the nick names each character had, some for obvious reasons such as Doc, and Meat others perhaps not so obvious to outsiders of the homestead group. <br /></span></span><span style="color: #c27ba0; font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: georgia;"><br />I loved how all the loose ends were tied up, and how it was explained how life had progressed in the aftermath of the great battle. The tying up loose ends and the surviving characters coming together to reminisce about what they went through as well as remembering and toasting those old friends that didn’t make it. <br /></span></span><span style="color: #c27ba0; font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: georgia;"><br />The only critisms I had, were that the aftermath section jumped a few years more than once without it being clearly stated. Some of Eric’s “diary/book” entries were long, quite complicated and heavy on political and military jargon, though I did still enjoy reading them. <br /><br />Also, at one point I had to google what a “beaner” was” It’s a derogatory term for a person of Mexican, Hispanic or Latino heritage, which explained the reactions of the characters to someone they loved being referred to as a “beaner” <br /></span></span><span style="color: #c27ba0; font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: georgia;"><br />My immediate reaction upon finishing reading this book were Wow, I really enjoyed this one but I need to digest this one a little before reviewing, so I don’t give too much away. <br /></span></span><span style="color: #c27ba0; font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: georgia;"><br />Summing up, it has been a difficult review to do without giving away any major spoilers. This book has an amazing action packed well thought out plot, with believable, easy to love characters. What authors would I compare this one to. . . Kyla Stone, Stephen Konkoly and Grace Hamilton are the ones that spring to mind. I don’t know how the series will continue but I am really looking forward to reading more. </span></span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #c27ba0; font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: georgia;"></span></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="color: #c27ba0; font-size: medium;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJBMvK1R-i-dcIAi9tKHtwm7QLZv17qaDI3dFQy4mwIrrmA_PtiEHBTsGecPJcsP8JxVS6TGXTt-S615PcOE5POdYqf3DvcSSUitBLCdRt9sNEAiMUH4THAOwvETm1jD3CehTd6ANVBOKGFm2sZwRHAecQ6YpKZC1uMihW-o5T97vvrVSSrLHIKptFyJ0q/s200/JEANZ%20OWL%20BLOG%20LOGO.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="200" data-original-width="125" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJBMvK1R-i-dcIAi9tKHtwm7QLZv17qaDI3dFQy4mwIrrmA_PtiEHBTsGecPJcsP8JxVS6TGXTt-S615PcOE5POdYqf3DvcSSUitBLCdRt9sNEAiMUH4THAOwvETm1jD3CehTd6ANVBOKGFm2sZwRHAecQ6YpKZC1uMihW-o5T97vvrVSSrLHIKptFyJ0q/s1600/JEANZ%20OWL%20BLOG%20LOGO.png" width="125" /></a></span></div><span style="color: #c27ba0; font-size: medium;"><br /> </span><p></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><b><span style="color: #c27ba0;"> </span></b></span></span></p><p style="text-align: left;"> </p>Jeanz xxhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09849957950909706469noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5767279002181966845.post-54500803119169025982024-01-06T15:48:00.000+00:002024-01-06T15:48:35.256+00:00REVIEW - MATED TO CURVES BK3 - MATED TO CURVES SERIES BY DV FISCHER<p style="text-align: center;"> </p><p style="text-align: center;"><b style="color: #c27ba0;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgbiD8_WTqu1elm5HweaEW_EtlsXHpgKYRsgX7ftTZnqs8gnzpT65YcApl0RBSraS4MvoZpUGjJL6TazQHzdLIQbB8bckQ_yWtMwm0_3l4T4stZAn1QQVElWJ2QF8rCw0tvWL2h0_f9jLDbI_vgSOUleVoRtKdtyJxYDGs28pyjpFrAMEHoo014OiSfmeK_/s500/MATED%20TO%20CURVES%20BK%203%20BY%20DV%20FISCHER%20COVER.jpg" style="font-family: georgia; margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="500" data-original-width="333" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgbiD8_WTqu1elm5HweaEW_EtlsXHpgKYRsgX7ftTZnqs8gnzpT65YcApl0RBSraS4MvoZpUGjJL6TazQHzdLIQbB8bckQ_yWtMwm0_3l4T4stZAn1QQVElWJ2QF8rCw0tvWL2h0_f9jLDbI_vgSOUleVoRtKdtyJxYDGs28pyjpFrAMEHoo014OiSfmeK_/w426-h640/MATED%20TO%20CURVES%20BK%203%20BY%20DV%20FISCHER%20COVER.jpg" width="426" /></a></span></b></p><p><span style="color: #c27ba0;"><b><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: georgia;">Title: </span></span></b></span><span style="color: #6aa84f;"><b><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: georgia;">Mated To Curves BK3</span></span></b></span><span style="color: #c27ba0;"><b><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: georgia;"><br />Series: </span></span></b></span><span style="color: #6aa84f;"><b><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: georgia;">M</span></span></b><b><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: georgia;">ated To Curves</span></span></b></span><span style="color: #c27ba0;"><b><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: georgia;"><br />Author: </span></span></b></span><span style="color: #6aa84f;"><b><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: georgia;">D V Fischer</span></span></b></span><span style="color: #c27ba0;"><b><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: georgia;"><br />Release Date: </span></span></b></span><span style="color: #6aa84f;"><b><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: georgia;">6th November 2023</span></span></b></span></p><p><span style="color: #c27ba0; font-family: georgia;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><b>BLURB</b></span></span><span style="color: #c27ba0;"><br /></span><span style="color: #6aa84f; font-family: georgia;"><span style="font-size: medium;">Cali didn’t realize that starting at the club as a bartender would make her take witness to so much violence. It’s not what she expected when she envisioned herself making drinks for shifters. All she wanted was to be around her kind, but now she’s feeling a little vulnerable.The last thing she expected was to find her mate in a place like this.Aaron is the club’s healer and he’s good at what he does. Finding a mate is the last thing on his mind, but when he sees her, he’s smitten. It doesn’t take long for him to convince her that he can protect her from their world’s craziness.However, when he promised her safety, he didn’t expect Gary Spelling - the notorious reporter out for shifter blood - to be a threat to his mate.</span></span></p><p><span style="color: #c27ba0;"><span style="font-family: georgia;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/201783374-mated-to-curves" target="_blank"><b>Goodreads Link </b></a></span></span></span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="color: #c27ba0; font-family: georgia;"><b>REVIEW</b><br />In this detailed, well thought out world shifters exist but are not allowed to form packs. It’s best they don’t attract attention as then they would probably e restricted even more. Sadly, there are those that exist who wish to expose them, that view them as abominations, and not just a different race. <br /><br />Once again central to the plot is the fight club owned by Cade, and run by a group of his friends. There seems to be something strange going on as more and more of those that work at the club seem to be finding their one true mate. The new character being introduced in this novella is Cali, who is a quieter more submissive wolf who just wants to be around her own kind. Despite her parents being well off, Cali wants to make her own way in life and ends up applying for a job at the fight club. She gets off to a bad start being late and then arriving in the middle of an unusual out of control brawl. With two more shifters finding their mate in this novella, it looks like Cade may well end up with a pack whether he wants one or not! In fact, he has to use his Alpha command to prevent Aaron acting rashly. The Alpha command is the only thing that can prevent Aaron going off after the person who hurt his newly found mate. With tensions already rising in the shifter community, how long will it be before someone snaps. Even though Cade is trying to act with restraint, as he says they need to find out exactly how much Gary already knows about them, what evidence of their existence he has before they can work out what to do about him. <br /><br /> Gary Spelling is becoming increasingly bold in his actions and attempts at revealing shifters to the world. His latest exploits almost costing a life. How much farther will Gary Spelling push the shifters before they have no choice but to take some very drastic action and deal with him once and for all. Gary has been a nuisance for a long time but he has seriously over stepped the mark this time. <br /><br />These novellas are the perfect mix! They have short plots within each book which usually introduce new characters, as well as having a few different central thread main plots running through all the novellas too with the inclusion of the familiar characters we have met in the previous books. <br /><br />These novellas are just the right length, I read this one in just one sitting! You can’t help but become attached to the characters who you learn more and more about as the novella series progresses. You also learn about the hardships the different shifters have had to endure as well as learning the lengths they go to in order to keep their other selves a secret. <br /><br />Really can’t wait to read more!!</span></span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="color: #c27ba0; font-family: georgia;"></span></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgghZn1agbktEEVKAZ5k-WL1YV6mlhSX8MDY4YHLOG3BUTBT7q4WoAoVp-ZTkSWhuJDo-K5geSw7GQ8uhU71RYUZoyGwoVcjYqS7ZUy4ZkzxD6KmMtwoW0DSgTK9f1f7Ed3_9JPZdPhMt542FAZMBmtbHg05KPWJxMfjnKvXw4eS2CXLIYeOjRi4BlliSk-/s200/JEANZ%20OWL%20BLOG%20LOGO.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="200" data-original-width="125" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgghZn1agbktEEVKAZ5k-WL1YV6mlhSX8MDY4YHLOG3BUTBT7q4WoAoVp-ZTkSWhuJDo-K5geSw7GQ8uhU71RYUZoyGwoVcjYqS7ZUy4ZkzxD6KmMtwoW0DSgTK9f1f7Ed3_9JPZdPhMt542FAZMBmtbHg05KPWJxMfjnKvXw4eS2CXLIYeOjRi4BlliSk-/s1600/JEANZ%20OWL%20BLOG%20LOGO.png" width="125" /></a></span></div><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /> </span><p></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="color: #c27ba0; font-family: georgia;"><b> </b></span></span></p>Jeanz xxhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09849957950909706469noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5767279002181966845.post-48328877462212935212023-12-27T03:00:00.001+00:002023-12-27T03:00:00.131+00:00PROMOTIONAL SPOTLIGHT & AUTHOR INTERVIEW - BIG SKY FALLEN - THE UNRAVELING BY KEVIN CRAVER<p style="text-align: center;"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj5-AZe6QS5oQHY4MAgxkA_Mkkm767u0SJQvnbtxCk1DNwxoqlhlOuRWPH7n5EG81rnBQKclmEe7ouu_KTmIOEFwdcCFJYXvbRnK5iEOOqndqAv2EoSc1YjvN0gjFY7FS3tc6c0xFF4dha0XgctiyYoF9ur7zYqIdvHj1FSukwsMZ7mK-SJsCXNGLzf-kKW/s500/BIG%20SKY%20FALLEN%20BY%20KEVIN%20CRATER%20COVER.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="500" data-original-width="333" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj5-AZe6QS5oQHY4MAgxkA_Mkkm767u0SJQvnbtxCk1DNwxoqlhlOuRWPH7n5EG81rnBQKclmEe7ouu_KTmIOEFwdcCFJYXvbRnK5iEOOqndqAv2EoSc1YjvN0gjFY7FS3tc6c0xFF4dha0XgctiyYoF9ur7zYqIdvHj1FSukwsMZ7mK-SJsCXNGLzf-kKW/w426-h640/BIG%20SKY%20FALLEN%20BY%20KEVIN%20CRATER%20COVER.jpg" width="426" /></a></div><p></p><span style="font-family: georgia;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><b><span style="color: #c27ba0;">Title: </span><span style="color: #b45f06;">Big Sky Fallen</span><span style="color: #c27ba0;"><br />Series: </span><span style="color: #b45f06;">The Unraveling </span><span style="color: #c27ba0;"><br />Author: </span><span style="color: #b45f06;">Kevin Craver</span><span style="color: #c27ba0;"><br />Genre: </span><span style="color: #b45f06;">Post Apocalyptic</span><span style="color: #c27ba0;"><br />Release Date: </span><span style="color: #b45f06;">22nd January 2024</span></b></span></span><p><span style="font-family: georgia;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><b><span style="color: #c27ba0;">BLURB</span></b><br /><span style="color: #b45f06;">In an instant, it was all gone.The survivors called it the Unraveling—a merciless one-two punch of economic collapse and deadly plague that brought the United States, and the world, to its knees.For history teacher and Army veteran Eric Jaeger, the collapse of the nation he once swore to defend is only the beginning.As civilization crumbles around them, Eric and tough-as-nails paramedic Susan Walker flee the Milwaukee suburbs for the safety of the Montana home of his Army buddy, Manny Landeros. They join an eclectic group of friends forced to adapt to survive in a violent and lawless post-apocalyptic world in which kindness and decency end at Manny’s property line.Eric’s hopes of staying hidden to weather the catastrophe are dashed when a wealthy despot seizes power in the nearby state capital and hatches a horrific plan with the remnants of a federal government desperate to regain control at any cost. When the enigmatic leader of a growing resistance movement asks Manny’s group to join the fight, they must decide whether to risk everything to defeat a tyrant—and in Eric’s case, risk sacrificing Susan on freedom’s altar.</span></span></span></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><b><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/202409235-big-sky-fallen" target="_blank">Goodreads Link </a></b></span></span></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><b><span style="color: #c27ba0;">PURCHASE LINKS<br /><a href="https://www.amazon.com/Big-Sky-Fallen-Post-Apocalyptic-Adventure-ebook/dp/B0CNNZLNJM/ref=sr_1_1?crid=2H2XZYBQFYYRG&keywords=Big+sky+fallen+by+kevin+craver&qid=1703168487&sprefix=big+sky+fallen+by+kevin+craver%2Caps%2C150&sr=8-1" target="_blank">Amazon US</a><br /><a href="https://www.amazon.co.uk/Big-Sky-Fallen-Post-Apocalyptic-Adventure-ebook/dp/B0CNNZLNJM/ref=sr_1_1?crid=188SICTMHDTR7&keywords=big+sky+fallen+by+kevin+craver&qid=1703168527&sprefix=big+sky+fallen+by+kevin+craver%2Caps%2C68&sr=8-1" target="_blank">Amazon UK</a></span></b></span></span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: georgia;"><b><span style="color: #c27ba0;">AUTHOR INTERVIEW </span></b></span> </span><br /></p><p style="text-align: center;"> <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgV03AEhvQxWpImDZFO4ysUvGi3ZI9nsdJ3d4PpJb2znBqfeLh0EdDhj-yrIiQRJfXeSlMF23fAo8fDhM63nGZFxpgU_eXldY9isDktRTP_6NszrMZtHT2rhRZDDyuDwUrr6aaVrtKnVuvGnrVYq45iuJeq-_4bY1MKrIpP13owuozJLiz4SxLoW630847G/s856/KEVIN%20CRAVER%20AUTHOR%20PIC.jpg"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgV03AEhvQxWpImDZFO4ysUvGi3ZI9nsdJ3d4PpJb2znBqfeLh0EdDhj-yrIiQRJfXeSlMF23fAo8fDhM63nGZFxpgU_eXldY9isDktRTP_6NszrMZtHT2rhRZDDyuDwUrr6aaVrtKnVuvGnrVYq45iuJeq-_4bY1MKrIpP13owuozJLiz4SxLoW630847G/s320/KEVIN%20CRAVER%20AUTHOR%20PIC.jpg" /> </a></p><p style="text-align: left;"><!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
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</p><p><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="color: #c27ba0; font-family: georgia;"><b>If you had to describe Big Sky Fallen in less than 20 words to a prospective reader, what would you say? </b></span><span style="color: #b45f06; font-family: georgia;"><br />It's a post-apocalyptic adventure and a fight to restore liberty and civilization that's set in the scenic Montana Rockies. <br /><br /></span><span style="color: #c27ba0; font-family: georgia;"><b>How did you come up with the cover of Big Sky Fallen? Who designed the cover? </b></span><span style="color: #b45f06; font-family: georgia;"><br />Many fiction genres have well-known tropes when it comes to their covers - for example, if you think of a romance novel, a very stereotypical cover pops into your head of a woman with flowing hair in the arms of a muscular man. When it comes to post-apocalyptic fiction, the tried-and-true trope is a person, or people, staring off into the distance at either ruin or an uncertain future. It's very important as an author to know your cover trope and stay faithful to it—you need a prospective reader who likes your genre to know what your book is about at a glance. From there, I decided to have two of the main characters on the cover staring off into rocky mountains, given that my novel is set in Montana. <br /><br />The cover was designed by graphic artist Christian Bentulan, who has done covers for many post-apocalyptic authors. You can find his work at <a href="http://www.coversbychristian.com">www.coversbychristian.com</a>—he's a pleasure to work with, and I would highly recommend him to anyone who is writing an indie novel. <br /><br /></span><span style="color: #c27ba0; font-family: georgia;"><b>Did you do a lot of research for Big Sky Fallen? Or did you mostly use your own experience from the National Guard & Prepping? </b></span><span style="color: #b45f06; font-family: georgia;"><br />Both. I'm a stickler for accuracy—in my novels, if I say there's an Arco gas station at the corner of First and Main streets in some tiny little town, that's because, at the time of the writing, it was there. While a lot of the knowledge of prepping and military weaponry and tactics came from my own life experiences and training, I still fact-checked them. <br /><br />When it comes to what would happen in a societal collapse, I drew from everything I've read and watched from a lifetime of fascination with the subject. That includes stuff from your side of the Atlantic—I was probably the only American child who had read "Protect and Survive" and knew what the four-minute warning was. <br /><br /></span><span style="color: #c27ba0; font-family: georgia;"><b>Are any of the characters in Big Sky Fallen based on yourself or people you know?</b></span><span style="color: #b45f06; font-family: georgia;"> <br />No—I prefer to let my imagination run free and come up with my own characters and villains. I'd never base a fictional character off of myself—besides being extremely tacky, anyone who would pay their hard-earned money to read a story about me is in serious need of professional help. <br /><br /></span><span style="color: #c27ba0; font-family: georgia;"><b>If you had to choose to be a character from Big Sky Fallen, who would you be and why? </b></span><span style="color: #b45f06; font-family: georgia;"><br />Eric—he's a simple guy who works hard to get through life, leads by example, rises to the challenge, and gets the girl in the end. <br /></span><span style="color: #c27ba0; font-family: georgia;"><b><br />Who is your favourite character from Big Sky Fallen and why? </b></span><span style="color: #b45f06; font-family: georgia;"><br />I'd have to say Animal, the retired Special Forces officer. I probably made him a little too larger than life—he doesn't act like any of the special operators I've met in my travels—but hot damn, was he fun to write. <br /></span><span style="color: #c27ba0; font-family: georgia;"><b><br />Do you think you could have lived, survived in the way those in the book did? </b></span><span style="color: #b45f06; font-family: georgia;"><br />That's a tough one. If I had a support group like they did, yes. Alone, no chance in hell—you don't survive a long-term collapse as a lone wolf. <br /></span><span style="color: #c27ba0; font-family: georgia;"><b><br />Were you tempted to make Big Sky Fallen a series? </b></span><span style="color: #b45f06; font-family: georgia;"><br />If you mean stretch this particular story into multiple books, then no; I wanted my debut novel to be wrapped up in one book. But for people who really like Big Sky Fallen's characters, you will see them again. That's a promise. <br /><br /></span><span style="color: #c27ba0; font-family: georgia;"><b>Looking back now, is there anything you would change within Big Sky Fallen? </b></span><span style="color: #b45f06; font-family: georgia;"><br />Ask me again in a few years when I have two or three more novels under my belt and I can look back at my first work and laugh. <br /><br /></span><span style="color: #c27ba0; font-family: georgia;"><b>Is there a certain Author/Authors that influenced you in your writing? </b></span><span style="color: #b45f06; font-family: georgia;"><br />A partial list would include Tom Clancy and Michael Crichton, who made technical details an integral part of their stories, as well as James Wesley Rawles and his fiction and nonfiction prepping books. And while I wouldn't call Emily St. John Mandel a post-apocalyptic author, her books serve as a reminder to me to add compassion and soul to my characters. I also would be remiss if my list didn't include William Forstchen (the author of the One Second After series) and Robert Heinlein, both of whom are mentioned in my book. <br /><br /></span><span style="color: #c27ba0; font-family: georgia;"><b>What can we expect from you next and in the future? </b></span><span style="color: #b45f06; font-family: georgia;"><br />Big Sky Fallen is the first book in my Unraveling series, and a sequel will drop next summer. The second book is set in the Pacific Northwest with a new set of characters, save for two from Big Sky Fallen who cross over. While Montana was spared the worst of the pandemic because of its remote location, readers will see the H7N9 pandemic in the sequel hit the West Coast, and hit hard. <br /></span><span style="color: #c27ba0; font-family: georgia;"></span></span></p><p><!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
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</p><p><span style="font-family: georgia;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><b><span style="color: #c27ba0;">Where can your readers follow you? </span></b><br /><span style="color: #b45f06;">They can follow me on Facebook (<a href="https://www.facebook.com/AuthorKevinCraver/">@AuthorKevinCraver</a>), Instagram (<a href="https://www.instagram.com/kevinpcraver/">@kevinpcraver</a>) and Goodreads (<a href="https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/45964518.Kevin_Craver">@kevincraver</a>). They can also visit my website, <a href="https://kevincraver.com">www.kevincraver.com</a>, and sign up for my mailing list. <br />Kevin Craver <br />Post-apocalyptic author <br /><a href="http://www.kevincraver.com">www.kevincraver.com</a> <br />Facebook: <a href="https://www.facebook.com/AuthorKevinCraver">@AuthorKevinCraver</a> <br />Instagram: <a href="https://www.instagram.com/kevinpcraver/">@kevinpcraver</a> <br />Goodreads: <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/kevincraver">www.goodreads.com/kevincraver</a></span></span></span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="color: #b45f06;"></span></span></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhXldTb8FIVRULg4YokSONHYGjwlYirv05e4B45iZfsgg35FclffwEkZmvu3OOGxYRbynIKuvYavoUYoN8AZkDaqjzjyrZBUoHfzzjcg80pRFR_vmbx42Z0edZRUxQitB09OBFI3Odw9yBWLtf0V6WtCAQiuBwOu3_NqzXeJ-NraqoZQKwN6srqxD5FivWf/s200/JEANZ%20OWL%20BLOG%20LOGO.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="200" data-original-width="125" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhXldTb8FIVRULg4YokSONHYGjwlYirv05e4B45iZfsgg35FclffwEkZmvu3OOGxYRbynIKuvYavoUYoN8AZkDaqjzjyrZBUoHfzzjcg80pRFR_vmbx42Z0edZRUxQitB09OBFI3Odw9yBWLtf0V6WtCAQiuBwOu3_NqzXeJ-NraqoZQKwN6srqxD5FivWf/s1600/JEANZ%20OWL%20BLOG%20LOGO.png" width="125" /></a></span></div><span style="font-size: medium;"></span>Jeanz xxhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09849957950909706469noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5767279002181966845.post-12112575049506221932023-12-26T03:00:00.001+00:002023-12-26T03:00:00.126+00:00REVIEW - MISTRESS OF LIFE AND DEATH BY SUSAN J. EISCHEID<p style="text-align: center;"> <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEggIghlZ6Qyg3saCDhC76Q5HY8fJ1zIvkQJKB9ucGUzcsyy4qyCkWrUDX647Bte148w4oz_fV7E3VKSCdoCa17st7qeUafuWPm69qYrfso9BJOUkScylfdHkrzLeyz9mbmZkZcNhxGwanC025ZtFJl-F-5Pl6WEP50_xGhiTuNJDzTgqlDhJcI58Ji4BpAP/s396/MISTRESS%20OF%20LIFE%20AND%20DEATH%20MARIA%20MANDL%20BY%20SUSAN%20EISCHEID%20COVER.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="396" data-original-width="255" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEggIghlZ6Qyg3saCDhC76Q5HY8fJ1zIvkQJKB9ucGUzcsyy4qyCkWrUDX647Bte148w4oz_fV7E3VKSCdoCa17st7qeUafuWPm69qYrfso9BJOUkScylfdHkrzLeyz9mbmZkZcNhxGwanC025ZtFJl-F-5Pl6WEP50_xGhiTuNJDzTgqlDhJcI58Ji4BpAP/w412-h640/MISTRESS%20OF%20LIFE%20AND%20DEATH%20MARIA%20MANDL%20BY%20SUSAN%20EISCHEID%20COVER.png" width="412" /> </a></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><b><span style="color: #c27ba0;">Title: </span><span style="color: #cc0000;">Mistress Of Life and Death</span><span style="color: #c27ba0;"><br />Author: </span><span style="color: #cc0000;">Susan J. Eischeid</span><span style="color: #c27ba0;"><br />Publisher: </span><span style="color: #cc0000;">Kensington Books, Citadel</span><span style="color: #c27ba0;"><br />Genre: </span><span style="color: #cc0000;">Non Fiction, History, Biographies, Memoirs </span><span style="color: #c27ba0;"><br />Release Date: </span><span style="color: #cc0000;">26th December 2023</span></b></span></span></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><b><span style="color: #c27ba0;">BLURB </span></b><br /><span style="color: #cc0000;">The first-ever biography of SS Overseer Maria Mandl, the highest-ranked woman in the Nazi killing machine and one of the few female perpetrators of the Holocaust. <br /><br />With new details and previously unpublished photographs, this gripping, unflinching examination charts her transformation from engaging country girl to “The Beast” of Auschwitz.<br /><br />By the time of her execution at thirty-six, Maria Mandl had achieved the highest rank possible for a woman in the Third Reich. As Head Overseer of the women’s camp at Auschwitz-Birkenau, she was personally responsible for the murders of thousands, and for the torture and suffering of countless more.<br /><br />In this riveting biography, Susan J. Eischeid explores how Maria Mandl, regarded locally as “a nice girl from a good family,” came to embody the very worst of humanity. Born in 1912 in the scenic Austrian village of Münzkirchen, Maria enjoyed a happy childhood with loving parents—who later watched in anguish as their grown daughter rose through the Nazi system.<br /><br />Mandl’s life mirrors the period in which she lived: turbulent, violent, and suffused with paradoxes. At Auschwitz-Birkenau, she founded the notable women’s orchestra and “adopted” several children from the transports—only to lead them to the gas chambers when her interest waned. After the war, Maria was arrested for crimes against humanity. Following a public trial attended by the international press, she was hanged in 1948. <br /><br />For two decades, Eischeid has excavated the details of Mandl’s life story, drawing on archival testimonies, speaking to dozens of witnesses, and spending time with Mandl’s community of friends and neighbors who shared their memories as well as those handed down in their families. The result is a chilling and complex exploration of how easily an uordinary citizen chose the path of evil in a climate of hate and fear</span></span></span><span style="color: #cc0000;">.</span></p><p><span style="color: #cc0000; font-family: georgia;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/124725488-mistress-of-life-and-death" target="_blank">Goodreads Link </a></span></span></p><p><span style="color: #c27ba0; font-family: georgia;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><b>REVIEW </b></span></span><span style="color: #c27ba0; font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: georgia;"><br />The cover shows one of the photographs taken of Maria Mandl when she was taken into police custody. In it she looks to the side but you can she has her hair pulled back in a neat hairstyle which according to the information further inside the book was a fairly on trend, up to date style. Maria's expression is somewhat stern, almost harsh, possibly stoic, you could even say from her face & posture there us some arrogance there too. <br /></span></span> <span style="color: #c27ba0; font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: georgia;"><br /> I asked myself the following question on more than one occasion both before starting to read this book and during reading it, 'Why would I want to read a book about someone involved in such atrocities?' Well, the simplistic answer is that it's a period of history that I am really interested in learning about as I believe it should never be forgotten or repeated. I was also curious as to what led Maria Mandl to a path of atrocity & evil. It is the question the author says she continually asked herself as she wrote this book. Susan Eischeid says that Maria Mandls life journey encompasses the eternal question of right vs wrong, good vs evil, and the paradox of how cruelty & compassion can exist in the same person.<br /></span></span> <span style="color: #c27ba0; font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: georgia;"><br /> I'll totally admit I approached the book hating people like Maria Mandl, the Nazis and what they did during the Holocaust. I honestly cannot say I feel any great difference in emotions after finishing the book.<br /></span></span> <span style="color: #c27ba0; font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: georgia;"><br /> However I tried my best to approach reading this book and learning about Maria's life as fairly and open minded as I could. <br /></span></span> <span style="color: #c27ba0; font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: georgia;"><br /> At times during the book, I was internally screaming at Maria, her colleagues and the Nazis. One such time was very early on in the book when the book was describing what happened in September 1946 on the prison extradition train containing the female overseers from the prison camps. Outside people shout & scream, banging on the train wanting to get at the women. Maria makes her way to a toilet cubicle and takes some pills a Nazis Officer & Doctor has given her before guards can stop her. She collapses, convulses, and is forced to vomit up the poison. The guards kick her as she lays on the floor and she mutters, "God protect me" I honestly couldn't believe the irony! I mean really? Calling on God to protect her after what she has done? And if she really believes in God, any God, how could she take part & commit the atrocities she has?<br /> The author does a great job though of making you wonder if Maria felt any reluctance or remorse at what she was part of. She does this by first looking at Maria Mandl’s origins, her family. Maria was born in Austria and brought up religious, to be a good catholic girl. People who remember the young Maria who were interviewed by Susan Eischied say she was a pleasant girl/young woman. Maria's family were not part of, nor did they agree with the Nazis party. Maria’s father, Franz had his own business making shoes which kept the family comfortable financially. They had no connections to the Nazis party at all. In fact, at one point Maria is working for the Post Office and is sacked because she is not a member of the Nazis party. It is then her Uncle who was a Police Chief Constable suggested that Maria apply for a job as an overseer. Maria started out at Ravensbruck which ended up becoming a kind of training camp for overseers. <br /></span></span><span style="color: #c27ba0; font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: georgia;"><br />The conditions for the overseers was good, in fact for some it was better than they were used to at home. The women were then trained to become overseers, told what was expected of them and issued with a uniform as well as canes, pistols and whips to use to keep order. The women were given high heeled boots supposedly to enable them to stride through the awful muddy conditions at the various camps but these same high heeled boots were considered “useful” when kicking the prisoners! <br /></span></span><span style="color: #c27ba0; font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: georgia;"><br />Not everyone took to this tough regime, the Head SS Overseer Supervisor was Johanna Langefeld who also came from Lichtenburg like Maria. Johanna was not 100% on board with the ethical consequences of what they were doing, but she was in a minority. When Johanna could no longer meet the brutal expectations of the Nazis Regime Maria Mandl stepped right on into her job and became in charge of the women (as no female could give a male officer any sort of orders) at Auschwitz. It was whilst she was at this camp that Maria earnt the name Mistress Of Life and Death. <br /></span></span><span style="color: #c27ba0; font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: georgia;"><br />The Author has really done her research, from speaking to Nuns at a school, school friends, neighbours to survivors from the prison camps. You really get a sense of Maria’s fairly normal, though religious upbringing. On one hand you could perhaps say she sort of stumbled into her career in the concentration camps, but on the other hand there was always a home for her to go back to if she didn’t want to work in the camps. Maria seemed to enjoy the life she had, always having the latest hairstyle courtesy of the camp hair salon. Though the irony of her perfectly coiffed hair and the fact prisoners had all their hair shaved off upon arrival at the camp are a stark contract. It is said there were parties and though forbidden there were relationships and flings between the male and female officers, resulting in the male officers referring to the females as whores. At Christmas the overseer’s rooms would be decorated for the season, another irony, it was the prisoners that were put to work doing the decorations! Maria visited her home town all dressed up in her uniform, kind of showing off what she had become, proud of herself. Not all of her family were proud of what she became, her mother was said to be ashamed and prayed daily for her daughter when she realised the type of work she was doing and the fact she eventually became part of the Nazis party. <br /></span></span><span style="color: #c27ba0; font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: georgia;"><br />At her trial Maria Mandl tried many lines of defence from “she was only following orders” she was doing nothing wrong and even flat out denying some of the brutal acts she was known to have committed. Even when faced with survivors who recognised her and recounted the brutality they witnessed and was subjected to by her, she still denied it. Maybe she thought if she didn’t admit it, she somehow hadn’t done it or that she would get away with it. <br /></span></span><span style="color: #c27ba0; font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: georgia;"><br />I found this to be a very interesting, detailed book about a dark time in history. Though my opinion of Maria Mandl and her fellow overseers such as Irma Grese who is perhaps more well known has not really changed. You tend to think of women being more empathetic and caring to others but these women were as barbaric as their male counterparts. There are so many ironies within the book, such as the fact that Maria could be listening to music with her tears in her eyes one minute and then beating someone or sending them to the gas chambers the next minute. The fact Maria would have paperwork changed so prisoners appeared less Jewish as she wanted them orchestra and such a position was considered a high, privileged one. One that a Jew could never be allowed to obtain. A position in the Orchestra meant less hard work, better conditions, “treats” such as walks in the fresh air, being allowed to swim in a nearby lake one time, and extra food. All these “treats” could mean the difference between survival or death. The women of the orchestra were given a uniform, the women allowed to grow their hair as Maria wanted the women to look pretty. She wanted to and often did show off the orchestra to visitors at Auschwitz, taking credit for how good it was. When one of the major members of the orchestra died it is said that Maria Mandl herself was visibly upset. It is also said in the book that Maria Mandl liked children, as did some of the other female overseers and would take a child and almost keep it like a “pet” until they tired of the child and then it would be sent to the gas chambers. </span></span><span style="color: #c27ba0; font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: georgia;"><br /><br />I did “enjoy” learning more about how Maria came to become an overseer and the “training” she underwent. All the information is presented so well by the author. Susan never condemns, she reports the facts for you to form your own opinion and make your own decisions. The author makes you wonder what sort of life Maria and the other overseers would have had if not for Hitler and the Nazi regime. Would she have stayed in her village, married and maybe had a family. Did she have to become an overseer, there were other jobs, maybe she could have returned home to her family and found work locally. But all that is “if only” and there were so many other female overseers and SS Officers would just one less have made any difference, there would have been someone else in her position making the lives of the concentration camp prisoners lives a living hell. Maria Mandl even tried at her trial to say she “helped” the women, which on occasion I suppose in her warped mind she perhaps did. I keep coming back to my thoughts of the fact she had to know what she was doing was wrong surely? I know at one point, maybe more she did try to leave/change her overseer job but was told in no uncertain terms she was staying where she was and to get on with it. <br /></span></span><span style="color: #c27ba0; font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: georgia;"><br />In the end, Maria is sentenced to death which some would say was a relatively easy, painless way out for her and her colleagues when compared to what those in the concentration camps went through on a daily basis. No punishment could make right or undo the horrors that happened, and feeding/clothing Maria Mandl in a prison would still be an easy life in comparison to those in the concentration camps. I did learn new facts about Auschwitz within this book as well as discovering details about different camps. I was surprised at how many of the female overseer’s names were familiar to me, yet had I been asked to name any, the only one I would have probably come up with would have been Irma Grese. The fact all these females went through the same training at Ravensbruck only compounds the disgust and horror that there were, so many other like Maria Mandl, perhaps some not as harsh as her but also there would be ones that were even more cruel than her. We tend to hear a lot about the different men and SS Officers involved in the Holocaust but not so much about the women. Certain things reminded me of when I read The Dressmakers Of Auschwitz by Lucy Adlington, in fact the author Susan does reference this book. I still don’t understand how anyone, male or female could treat other human beings like this, but the fact remains they did and it should never be forgotten. Unfortunately, the sad, devastating reality is this type of eradication of races is still occurring in our supposedly more modern world. I don’t pretend to understand all the politics of it all but it has to somehow stop. <br /></span></span><span style="color: #c27ba0; font-family: georgia;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br />I feel like I could talk forever about the content of this book but summing up the book is about an historic person and is both interesting and enlightening about a time/era that should never be forgotten. The book is based on facts from interviews the Author herself conducted and covers highly emotional events in an unbiased way.<br /> I still feel the mixed emotions of horror, sadness and disgust that even at trial Maria Mandl and others used the defence of following orders when survivors clearly remembered seeing her commit atrocities, in fact some of them were her personal victims. I don’t know how she could look at them and just deny any wrong doing. I honestly find it extremely difficult to feel any compassion or understanding or forgiveness for this woman, or any of the other brutes who beat, maimed, experimented on and murdered in the name of Hitler & Nazism.</span></span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #c27ba0; font-family: georgia;"><span style="font-size: medium;"></span></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjwLTiuD9dzY2lPXe9fWFNYqsnFYOZIH0obv_gxDQzi6Uj7pfZ1euvD8AFN_nQRWpnuHWdvClB95nTFR9aa_yk2Z2nkOCfHfQkHaj4EFJaCwFsXENgBVQnFEoKW19cwzoL_kKnfE4eSyj-qEv-hScYt2vb93IrXiS26oB94c6qfj0eTVnc9WDEUT2w16bgd/s200/JEANZ%20OWL%20BLOG%20LOGO.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="200" data-original-width="125" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjwLTiuD9dzY2lPXe9fWFNYqsnFYOZIH0obv_gxDQzi6Uj7pfZ1euvD8AFN_nQRWpnuHWdvClB95nTFR9aa_yk2Z2nkOCfHfQkHaj4EFJaCwFsXENgBVQnFEoKW19cwzoL_kKnfE4eSyj-qEv-hScYt2vb93IrXiS26oB94c6qfj0eTVnc9WDEUT2w16bgd/s1600/JEANZ%20OWL%20BLOG%20LOGO.png" width="125" /></a></span></div><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /> </span><br /> <p></p>Jeanz xxhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09849957950909706469noreply@blogger.com0United Kingdom55.378051 -3.43597327.067817163821154 -38.592223 83.688284836178838 31.720277tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5767279002181966845.post-64382554894323467682023-12-23T03:00:00.000+00:002023-12-23T15:20:56.481+00:00REVIEW - THE WORLD WE BURN - THE LOST LIGHT SERIES BY KYLA STONE<p style="text-align: center;"> <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh21BDZ2w8EaVi_GXcEDToQw-ZnkAH5BMR0DWVv7rc09uePoqkdsSUzv-GAkGyMdpk27WVa6MRlo9JOwi2i5AFCwe_j4Crzsqm7xbYCm88VGXDQML4KyaZrLsLicPd5-Pfneco92rwM_RS-HkljzsB1ct5A7UObJ_h7iTv5umARW_Td2IsxsgbImtnlzt8q/s275/THE%20WORLD%20WE%20BURN%20THE%20LIGHT%20WE%20LOST%204%20BY%20KYLA%20STONE%20COVER.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="275" data-original-width="183" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh21BDZ2w8EaVi_GXcEDToQw-ZnkAH5BMR0DWVv7rc09uePoqkdsSUzv-GAkGyMdpk27WVa6MRlo9JOwi2i5AFCwe_j4Crzsqm7xbYCm88VGXDQML4KyaZrLsLicPd5-Pfneco92rwM_RS-HkljzsB1ct5A7UObJ_h7iTv5umARW_Td2IsxsgbImtnlzt8q/w426-h640/THE%20WORLD%20WE%20BURN%20THE%20LIGHT%20WE%20LOST%204%20BY%20KYLA%20STONE%20COVER.jpg" width="426" /> </a></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia;"><b><span style="color: #c27ba0; font-size: medium;">Title: </span><span style="color: #b45f06; font-size: medium;">The World We Burn</span><span style="color: #c27ba0; font-size: medium;"><br />Series: </span><span style="color: #b45f06; font-size: medium;">Lost Light</span><span style="color: #c27ba0; font-size: medium;"><br />Author: </span><span style="color: #b45f06; font-size: medium;">Kyla Stone</span><span style="color: #c27ba0; font-size: medium;"><br />Genre: </span><span style="color: #b45f06; font-size: medium;">Post Apocalyptic</span><span style="color: #c27ba0; font-size: medium;"><br />Release Date: </span><span style="color: #b45f06; font-size: medium;">25th December 2023</span></b></span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="color: #c27ba0; font-family: georgia;"><b>BLURB</b><br /></span><span style="color: #b45f06; font-family: georgia;">The last installment of the series of four books in the Lost Light Series!<b><span> </span></b></span></span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;"><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/142200734-the-world-we-burn" target="_blank"><span style="color: #c27ba0; font-family: georgia;"><b><span>Goodreads Link </span></b></span></a></span></p><p><span style="color: #c27ba0; font-family: georgia;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><b>REVIEW</b></span></span><span style="color: #c27ba0; font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: georgia;"><br />The World We Burn has it’s own great cover that fits well with the rest of the series. I bet these books look amazing alongside of each other on a bookstore shelf. <br /><br />This one picks up right where The Hope We Keep left off. Shiloh has harangued and beaten down Eli into allowing her to take part in sentry duty but only as an observer. However, when things go awry and her “Pope spidey sense” warns her something isn’t right about the one of the refugees in front of her, her training is put the test and her instincts kick in. Shiloh ends up having to break her promise of only observing and steps up and does what is necessary. <br /><br />The Cote Cartel, led by Louis Gault are slowly picking off the smaller unprotected settlements. The Cartel are coming for everyone at the Northwoods Inn. Eli, Jackson & friends took from the Cartel and they don’t forget or forgive. It turns out the wife of the leader of the Cartel is diabetic. So for Louis Gault, it’s personal, it’s life and death and he isn’t about to compromise or share anything, never mind the precious insulin supplies also needed by Lena Easton and Keegan Tilton. Jackson Cross and Eli Pope know they have a few great soldiers and try to set up a trap in an effort to keep their own losses to a minimum, but their best laid plans go awry. Eli & Jackson are desperate and though they have a solution, they have to present it to those living at the Northwoods Inn and put it to a vote. A meeting is called to deal with the impending doom along with other day to day issues of the settlement. <br /><br />Whilst the larger issues of the Cartel are being dealt with there’s plenty more going on in The World We Burn. Shiloh is growing up, in fact she has quite a surprising birthday as she becomes 14 years old which she has to deal with the aftermath from. Shiloh has her friend Ruby but still prefers weapons and fighting to gardening and cooking. You can see Shiloh is still uncertain and scared of losing someone else she loves. Shiloh does still have a lot of people giving her the parental care as well as Eli, and Lena she still has Jackson too who loves her as if she is his family. Jackson’s father makes an appearance in this book again, near the helm of the Cartel. It seems that Horatio Cross has someone on the inside feeding him information somehow as he knows about the deaths of his wife, and his daughter Astrid. In fact, he takes great delight in letting Jackson know he is aware of how Astrid died. <br /><br />The community living at Northwoods Inn know they need to work hard to put away supplies and food stuff for over winter. They start foraging more, and hunting and fishing to supplement their food stores. When they have to share their already meagre supplies of food with fighters brought in to help them against the Cartel, they have even harder decisions to take. Those fighting need nourishment for energy to be able to fight, but the community still needs to plan for the future, and keep resources for their own people and their future too. It’s a fine balancing act, not helped with the attitude of the extra fighters who just take what they want without consideration of anyone else. <br /><br />I loved the feeling of family between Eli, Lena, Shiloh & Jackson and then the wider family of the Northwoods Inn community. The banter between hardened fighters Antoine and Nyx is funny even in the most, grim, dire situations. Eli, and Jackson really get their original friendship/brotherhood back in this book. Though at one point in the series I thought Jackson had romantic feelings towards Lena he seems to have moved on and finally admits his love for someone else he has grown closer too during the apocalyptic conditions they are coping in. <br /><br />So many fantastic characters, good guys, former bad guys and bad guys stepped up to the plate to fight, some great characters died, but their fighting to their death was so believable for them to do. The World We Burn certainly had me on a rollercoaster of emotions whilst reading it. Talk about edge of your seat stuff!! I really, truly loved this book and the series! <br /><br />Whilst there is some fantastic fighting action, there are also some heroic, tear jerking moments where characters give their lives for others. I don’t want to give spoilers out but two characters really had me with a lump in my throat and tear prickling my eyes! You honestly do become attached to the characters and how their loss affects the others left behind. <br /><br />My immediate thought when I finished reading The World We Burn were wow, talk about action packed!! <br /><br />Summing up, all the loose ends are tied up in an amazing end to a fantastic series.</span></span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #c27ba0; font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: georgia;"></span></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="color: #c27ba0; font-size: medium;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEggS37WhGqDD8yGxs3fI81GQOHSMLKqzKvVZCF-4mVy2mTKf_2M6h-CrDM_RRG6OKDI13GE2nRxqSEtyBeJqBJfTbMQ9nHSm-FXSJTLRTCCQ41a4CtgBMR9hhfhyLkKtLw3rkNW8Lf-80E_hMGm6VEiEdqHfk5yPV_6N2MLwJrhy2Id12W9Vr6b6piARa7G/s200/JEANZ%20OWL%20BLOG%20LOGO.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="200" data-original-width="125" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEggS37WhGqDD8yGxs3fI81GQOHSMLKqzKvVZCF-4mVy2mTKf_2M6h-CrDM_RRG6OKDI13GE2nRxqSEtyBeJqBJfTbMQ9nHSm-FXSJTLRTCCQ41a4CtgBMR9hhfhyLkKtLw3rkNW8Lf-80E_hMGm6VEiEdqHfk5yPV_6N2MLwJrhy2Id12W9Vr6b6piARa7G/s1600/JEANZ%20OWL%20BLOG%20LOGO.png" width="125" /></a></span></div><span style="color: #c27ba0; font-size: medium;"><br /> </span><p></p><p><span style="color: #c27ba0; font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: georgia;"><b><span> </span></b></span><span style="font-family: georgia;"><b><span></span></b></span></span></p><p><span style="color: #c27ba0; font-family: georgia;"><b><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></b></span></p>Jeanz xxhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09849957950909706469noreply@blogger.com0United Kingdom55.378051 -3.43597327.067817163821154 -38.592223 83.688284836178838 31.720277tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5767279002181966845.post-89200322604697986422023-12-13T03:00:00.002+00:002023-12-13T03:00:00.134+00:00REVIEW - STORMY WORLD - SURVIVING THE END BY GRACE HAMILTON<p style="text-align: center;"> <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEivLNHyvBmcl3FuVLH-_TNnoDlN3t2uet68Tt_5qkTdurpz8cNT1B_DxPTngQbFLtdCukv2j8VQ1jOtBiW5FXFQZhwkxePWo1H-AH-Yj_gODqoNHSk9yASMmVFCgkRDwboxe9Lh92p9G5ds2P1v2lMV1IqYMaeJdJkCxVqG49SJwRt924DhtgobLdgBHcxJ/s500/STORMY%20WORLD%20SURVIVING%20THE%20END%20BY%20GRACE%20HAMILTON%20COVER.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="500" data-original-width="333" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEivLNHyvBmcl3FuVLH-_TNnoDlN3t2uet68Tt_5qkTdurpz8cNT1B_DxPTngQbFLtdCukv2j8VQ1jOtBiW5FXFQZhwkxePWo1H-AH-Yj_gODqoNHSk9yASMmVFCgkRDwboxe9Lh92p9G5ds2P1v2lMV1IqYMaeJdJkCxVqG49SJwRt924DhtgobLdgBHcxJ/w426-h640/STORMY%20WORLD%20SURVIVING%20THE%20END%20BY%20GRACE%20HAMILTON%20COVER.jpg" width="426" /> </a></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><b><span style="color: #c27ba0;">Title: </span><span style="color: #bf9000;">Stormy World</span><span style="color: #c27ba0;"><br />Series: </span><span style="color: #bf9000;">Surviving The End</span><span style="color: #c27ba0;"><br />Author: </span><span style="color: #bf9000;">Grace Hamilton</span><span style="color: #c27ba0;"><br />Publisher: </span><span style="color: #bf9000;">Relay Publishing</span><span style="color: #c27ba0;"><br />Release Date: </span><span style="color: #bf9000;">13th December 2023</span></b></span></span></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><b><span style="color: #c27ba0;">BLURB</span></b><br /><span style="color: #bf9000;">In a world gone mad, one family will do anything to keep each other safe… Jodi McDonald and her family have escaped from the Helios cult. But their freedom has come at a heavy price. Now, grief-stricken and fractured, they are once again on the road. As they search for a new sanctuary, Jodi is driven by one need above all to protect her family at all costs. Every person has their breaking point, and Owen McDonald has reached his. To cope with unbearable loss, he fixates on finding a new home—a fresh start. But his obsession with reaching the coast could have deadly consequences. And as his actions become ever more extreme, Jodi’s family must contend with his descent into madness. The McDonalds have learned to be wary of outsiders. But this time, danger comes from within. And the greatest threat to the family might be Owen himself.</span></span></span></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="color: #c27ba0;"><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/196913594-stormy-world" target="_blank"><b>Goodreads Link </b></a></span></span></span></p><p><span style="color: #c27ba0; font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: georgia;">REVIEW<br />The cover fits really well with the rest of the series. It could literally be one of many scenes from within the book. It tells you the book is post apocalyptic and does its job well as it makes you want to pick up the book and learn more about it! <br /><br />The book picks up right where the previous one, Ruined World left off. To say the family are devastated at their recent loss is an understatement and they haven’t even come to terms with their previous losses from them fleeing their home and safe have. Now they have escaped Helios and its strange group of people, but at an extremely high cost at one of their family being shot as they fled and sadly dying. As Owen naturally seems to be suffering the most and coping the least the others seem to be trying to soothe him and are going along with his wish to head to the coast despite Jodi having misgivings about doing so. Beth is struggling with her health, her heart is hampering her when she wants to keep battling on and continue walking at the gruelling pace Owen seems determined to keep to. Owen has his heart and mind set on going to the coast as that is where he and his wife had wanted to live and bring up their daughter Katie before everything collapsed. He is so set on going he informs his family he will go with or without them, which leaves them little choice but to follow him as he leads them towards the unknown at the coast. Jodi is trying to lighten the dark atmosphere and mood being created by Owen by playing games with the younger members of the family. So she is playing the Alphabet game with Kaylee to pass the time with the youngster. Owen is however not willing to play along, even for the younger ones, refusing to join in the game correctly just stating N is for Not joining in!! Jodi tries numerous times to reach her son, to help him spend time with his daughter Katie without snapping at her and scaring her, but Owen goes over and over what happened, choosing other scenarios that might have resulted in a different outcome. A route and outcome that wouldn’t have resulted in more loss. Even Beth tries to reach out to her Grandson explaining she has lost loved ones and had her heart broken too, and that they have to go on for the younger ones, that those that had died would want them to get on with life. <br /><br />Owen breaks the code the family have lived by so far and sets a series of unfortunate events in to motion. It seems like Owen has hardened and will do whatever he feels he has to to provide for his daughter Katie. They need to find a way to get to the coast quicker, so he not only finds a solution, he then takes something, without an attempt at trading or being friendly to the community he is stealing from. When circumstances get out of hand the rest of the family have no choice but to go along with Owen and let the drama unfold. <br /><br />The family finally arrive at the coast but things are not much better there. They come across another settlement who are very off standish and seem to not want anything to do with them. The family persist in helping where they are able to. To be honest they are wary of strangers themselves after the Helios settlement. The settlement soon accepts their help when it becomes apparent Jodi, Violet & Beth can help treat their sick. The people are becoming sick because of their water source but just as the McDonalds come up with a solution to the water issue decide to help sort out the water then be on their way as a family as the settlement just doesn’t feel quite right for them there is a bigger problem, a large ferocious storm that forces the McDonald family and the coastal settlers to try to run ahead of it in an attempt to get to higher ground and safety. The McDonald family eventually find an old church and an argument ensues between Owen and the rest of the family about its suitability to stay standing in the storm. The family end up caught up in the storm, they then get split up, with some making it to the old church which causes its own problems as Beth collapses and orders her family to safety, demanding they leave her where she is, whether that is to die alone or not! However Beth finds herself escaping the part of the church she is in when it is collapsing. Once again she finds herself outside in the horrendous storm. Owen is reunited with Beth as she wanders outside in the storm and despite her protests he carries both Beth and Katie to safety and they take refuge in a school, where they have a real heart to heart talk. Beth makes Owen promise to take Katie and reunite with the family that are still up at the church. Owen struggles leaving Beth behind in the school but decides to deliver on his promise and arrives at the church and reunites with the other McDonalds just when all looks lost Owen makes the ultimate sacrifice for his family. <br /><br />The members of the McDonald family that survive the storm end up finding a boat and finding some peace and having time together to grieve and heal somewhat as a family cut off from others, util they decide they need to leave their haven to get ahead of the coming stormy season. <br /><br />I really enjoyed reading this whole series, the world building was detailed and interesting. The way people acted badly when things went wrong in the world were sadly really believable. Though there were some kinder, generous characters the McDonald met along their way too. The female family characters I loved were Jodi, Beth, Violet and her guide dog Ruby who were all fiercely independent and determined to do as much work if not more than the men around them. The male family characters I liked were Shane, Mike and Owen who despite the women wanting to do the difficult jobs too tried their best to do that little bit more and were determined to protect their family at all cost. Even when Owen was “doing the wrong thing” he was in his own mind doing what he thought was right and what his family desperately needed. The character that wasn’t actually a McDonald but still did anything and everything he could for the family that I loved was Corbin. He was a good friend to Owen despite him trying to push him away in his grief, it was also clear he loved Violet and would protect her with his own life. <br /><br />Summing up this book has lots of “Wow” moments it also has tornadoes, death, destruction and devastation, all things the McDonald family clan find themselves going through, sadness, slivers of happiness, loss, heartbreak and grief, the emotions the McDonalds endure in this book. I definitely recommend reading this series, and in fact others by this author.</span></span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #c27ba0; font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: georgia;"></span></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="color: #c27ba0; font-size: medium;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjPZWMDEIL1KRAT1RhKrIkRpekcID9Zr01J8ZxEy84aYrIW4IuPSjWzebMWKJrhxgMaxCgrjtu_JLTvOlfQjBq8R3zUGaPqMCdyoaEkDk62lmaE12j0_yt-Y1OXMwjus7P6dO8DPuE7Cc9arQwte7Wf6rt6G6g35LiW3R004luDu5RbRgMUKD0GOE7uG3GO/s200/JEANZ%20OWL%20BLOG%20LOGO.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="200" data-original-width="125" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjPZWMDEIL1KRAT1RhKrIkRpekcID9Zr01J8ZxEy84aYrIW4IuPSjWzebMWKJrhxgMaxCgrjtu_JLTvOlfQjBq8R3zUGaPqMCdyoaEkDk62lmaE12j0_yt-Y1OXMwjus7P6dO8DPuE7Cc9arQwte7Wf6rt6G6g35LiW3R004luDu5RbRgMUKD0GOE7uG3GO/s1600/JEANZ%20OWL%20BLOG%20LOGO.png" width="125" /></a></span></div><span style="color: #c27ba0; font-size: medium;"><br /> </span><p></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="color: #c27ba0;"><b> </b></span></span></span></p>Jeanz xxhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09849957950909706469noreply@blogger.com0United Kingdom55.378051 -3.43597327.067817163821154 -38.592223 83.688284836178838 31.720277tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5767279002181966845.post-33356636612306728832023-11-25T03:00:00.002+00:002023-11-25T03:00:00.130+00:00REVIEW - WILD HOPE BY DONNA ASHWORTH <p style="text-align: center;"> <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjBJv-RVfvie8v78MMgSIa-WriEvNT4FPb6Ho2Jwsn9ZDJPQjM893dd-Z3THe3qEqYXs49ZKSmznXO7JgJ0ZYQJUnyihtzsnMqM7qf_dZdYwjgySZ5kvSXKUtmZQfxlWppv022H13569MV_q3QIvZasPsSmtry3EhSRJsJ0Y_4zeokXFP-9zD2kfbGsXkOl/s2410/WILD%20HOP%20BY%20DONNA%20ASHWORTH%20COVER.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2410" data-original-width="1559" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjBJv-RVfvie8v78MMgSIa-WriEvNT4FPb6Ho2Jwsn9ZDJPQjM893dd-Z3THe3qEqYXs49ZKSmznXO7JgJ0ZYQJUnyihtzsnMqM7qf_dZdYwjgySZ5kvSXKUtmZQfxlWppv022H13569MV_q3QIvZasPsSmtry3EhSRJsJ0Y_4zeokXFP-9zD2kfbGsXkOl/w414-h640/WILD%20HOP%20BY%20DONNA%20ASHWORTH%20COVER.jpg" width="414" /> </a></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><b><span style="color: #c27ba0;">Title: </span><span style="color: #cc0000;">Wild Hope</span><span style="color: #c27ba0;"><br />Author: </span><span style="color: #cc0000;">Donna Ashworth</span><span style="color: #c27ba0;"><br />Publisher: </span><span style="color: #cc0000;">Black & White Publishing</span><span style="color: #c27ba0;"><br />Genre: </span><span style="color: #cc0000;">Poetry, Self Help</span><span style="color: #c27ba0;"><br />Release Date: </span><span style="color: #cc0000;">28th September 2023</span></b></span></span></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><b><span style="color: #c27ba0;">BLURB from Goodreads</span></b><br /><span style="color: #cc0000;">Wild Hope is Donna Ashworth's powerful new collection of wisdom to help us find hope, peace, self-acceptance and inspiration on the days we feel worn down, helpless or sad. Written with love and understanding, Donna reminds us that amidst our daily struggles and constant outpourings of bad news we have so much to hope for, and that every one of us can play a part, big or small, in making the world a better place. </span></span></span></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="color: #c27ba0;"><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/189058303-wild-hope" target="_blank"><b>Goodreads Link </b></a></span></span></span></p><span style="color: #c27ba0; font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: georgia;"><b>REVIEW</b><br />This is definitely a brilliant book to have to hand or on your bookshelf! As the title suggests the poems within all have the theme of hope within them. The book cover features butterflies and the byline “Healing Words to Find Light on Dark Days”. The byline truly fits the book perfectly as there is a poem in it for every situation. The poems are comforting, like a warm hug or a kind word from a close friend. Some of the poems are very Aesop fable-esque, it’s difficult to explain but they are very descriptive and kind of teaching you something in their own unique way. I found some of the poems extremely poignant and emotional in relation to the deaths of my parents such as, <br /><br />Threads From Heaven, is one I could relate myself and really loved the concept as its true I think of most people who look upwards to the sky when they think of loved ones no longer with them. <br /><br />Also Their light Will Find You which is a about a loved one dying, and that those left behind can no longer see their light but in time, though you are “left behind” you can and will “feel” their light<br /> Another I loved and I thought fit anyone with Dementia was In Rest They Remember, it puts across a very comforting idea <br /><br />Another poem that had me smiling and reminiscing was After Party as I have the fondest memories of staying up after the New Years Eve party at my aunties and not even going to bed because of all the tidying, cleaning, sorting the vinyl records back into their correct slip cases when everyone had left in the early hours of the morning of New Years Day! <br /><br />The other poem that had me feeling emotional was Great Friends it is accurate and true, as this poem says great friends are like stars you maybe don’t always see them, or see them regularly but they are still there.<br /></span></span> <span style="color: #c27ba0; font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: georgia;"><br />Other poems were like lessons in how we can improve ourselves for example, Just Visiting the notion is that we are just visiting this planet, that we are being gifted access to it and that we, humans, should be better much guests & take care of this world we live in so it is in a decent state for our children. <br /><br />Another such poem was The Story Of You, it’s about a woman writing down all her thoughts, her life & her story in a blue book. The blue book is then forgotten but is later found by the woman’s grandaughter who shared it with the world. <br /><br />I also really loved the explanation of karma poem which is called The Karma Thief. It says we all have a jar of light (aka karma), you give this light away in good acts and then it returns to you and it’s even brighter and it’s when you most need it. However, if you are mean or unkind or nasty you give away a light that will never come back to you, or be a comfort to you. <br /><br />The major lasting message that I took from the book that was loud and clear was about being yourself regardless of what others think, doing things for yourself, saying no, reminding you to just stop, breathe and enjoy being. <br /><br />Summing up this book has a great selection of motivational poetry. I readily confess to not being a big poetry reader or poetry lover but I did enjoy the collection. It's the type of book you need to have on your book shelf so you can return to it on those days you need cheering up and spurring on. Definitely a book you will keep on returning to and dipping in and out of.</span></span><p><span style="font-family: georgia;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="color: #c27ba0;"><b> </b></span></span></span></p>Jeanz xxhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09849957950909706469noreply@blogger.com0United Kingdom55.378051 -3.43597327.067817163821154 -38.592223 83.688284836178838 31.720277tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5767279002181966845.post-68234662277502593642023-11-08T03:30:00.002+00:002023-11-08T03:30:00.138+00:00REVIEW - RUINED WORLD - SURVIVING THE END BY GRACE HAMILTON<p style="text-align: center;"> <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi1p5P2l9n40VlDub17Hb0kHPj2aIMJOiGub8f4QCZFc7rYcJSjEadcyDvO96BhyqWnxE0M9Nrk0ZpRnize8NcdvT0s26MZU4ZgDWPOQkuGK_ZiKxIi8BJl6bTbSbd_sVDD9RYCzQPoA9mznkrLzanOInqEzxkI9UO6coHIF5i1AcbaLhff4bc4pQTdyOb7/s474/RUINED%20WORLD%20-%20SURVIVING%20THE%20END%20BY%20GRACE%20HAMILTON%20COVER.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="474" data-original-width="316" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi1p5P2l9n40VlDub17Hb0kHPj2aIMJOiGub8f4QCZFc7rYcJSjEadcyDvO96BhyqWnxE0M9Nrk0ZpRnize8NcdvT0s26MZU4ZgDWPOQkuGK_ZiKxIi8BJl6bTbSbd_sVDD9RYCzQPoA9mznkrLzanOInqEzxkI9UO6coHIF5i1AcbaLhff4bc4pQTdyOb7/w426-h640/RUINED%20WORLD%20-%20SURVIVING%20THE%20END%20BY%20GRACE%20HAMILTON%20COVER.jpg" width="426" /> </a></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><b><span style="color: #c27ba0;">Title: </span><span style="color: #bf9000;">Ruined World</span><span style="color: #c27ba0;"><br />Series: </span><span style="color: #bf9000;">Surviving The End</span><span style="color: #c27ba0;"><br />Author: </span><span style="color: #bf9000;">Grace Hamilton</span><span style="color: #c27ba0;"><br />Publisher: </span><span style="color: #bf9000;">Relay Publishing</span><span style="color: #c27ba0;"><br />Release Date:</span><span style="color: #bf9000;"> 8th November 2023</span></b></span></span></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><b><span style="color: #c27ba0;">BLURB from Goodreads</span></b><br /><span style="color: #bf9000;">Trust is the first casualty of war… Disaster has struck the McDonald family. Everything they’ve built since the fall of civilization has been destroyed by a devastating fire. They’ve lost their community, supplies, and even loved ones. The death of Mike and James hits hardest of all. The other survivors are scattered. There’s nothing left. All that remains is the indomitable will to survive. Jodi is lucky enough to have several family members survive the fire as they take to the road to find their new home. In this harsh new world, other survivors are often the greatest threat and trust must be earned. But the dangers of traveling America after the EMP force their hand. The missionaries of Helios seem to have good intentions and offer the weary group safe refuge in their enclave. But Jodi’s unease grows as they move farther from the burned village, and the missionaries reveal their zealous ideology. Soon, Jodi will discover just how far the missionaries will go to control their new guests. And by that time, it may be too late to escape ….</span></span></span></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="color: #c27ba0;"><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/196911392-ruined-world" target="_blank"><b>Goodreads Link </b></a></span></span></span></p><p><span style="color: #c27ba0; font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: georgia;"><b>REVIEW</b></span></span><span style="color: #c27ba0; font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: georgia;"><br />I have loved all the covers for this book series, they fit the individual books well, with each new cover having an image representing a scene from within the book very well. The covers also all tie well together and I bet they look amazing on a bookstore/library shelf! <br /><br />After the way Burned World ended, I couldn’t wait to read more about these characters I had grown to love would cope being separated from family members. Would this harsh world divide and conquer the remaining survivors or would they pick themselves up, literally dust themselves down and get on with this latest horrific set back. Its not just the material losses, it’s the betrayal surrounding James’ death, and how the fire started that are particularly hard to swallow. Great characters have met sad ends in this series with James murdered and hi killer still at large. Then there is Mike who helps to save his mother and niece before succumbing to the water himself and drowning. I guess you could say he was murdered just as much as James, was as if the fire hadn’t been started the chain of events that led to his drowning would not have occurred. It is hitting Beth particularly hard that she has not been able to give her family members what she calls a decent burial. James was a partner to Beth whom she loved dearly and Mike, her son who she had thought she was going to lose when he got his cancer diagnosis, then he fought hard and survived, only to drown helping her and Kaylee. <br /><br />The family starts of the book split into three parts, Beth, Amelia & Kaylee, Shane & guide dog Ruby and finally Jodi, Owen, Katie, Violet, Corbin and Greyson. It seems like the family are heading in all different directions that are leading them further apart instead of reuniting them. I think initially it is Shane that has it worst as he is totally on his own until one particularly bright moment amidst all the devastation is when Ruby, Violet’s guide dog finds Violet’s father Shane. Ruby is the reason to continue and fight his burns injury pains and the reminder of his family being out there somewhere that Shane needs. When Shane loses consciousness, it is Ruby who stays with him, guards him, awakens him and helps to battle on. Its not overly long until Shane & Ruby are found by family matriarch Beth, her granddaughter in law Amelia and her granddaughter Kaylee. Of course, they are all happy to be reunited, and it seems to have a really good effect of Kaylee being reunited with one of her parents. It soon becomes apparent that the adults in the group all have quite different ideas of what they should be doing, from staying put by the lake hoping the rest of the family will turn up soon, to actively searching for the other family members. However, Beth makes one thing known she needs to bury James, as well as retrieve Mike’s body and bury him too, she will not rest until this is done. <br /><br />Jodi, Owen, little Katie, Violet, and Corbin with their now prisoner Greyson are heading towards the area the religious sect have their settlement. They soon come across two citizens of Helios, the religious order they were making their way to for help. They need food, shelter and medical attention which they are more than willing to work for. Then it is their plan to return back into the now burnt landscape and wilderness to search for their missing family members. They are all clear on their plan but it doesn’t help Jodi feel more and more uneasy the further away from Hickory Falls they get and once they arrive in Helios that uneasiness only increases. <br /><br />Helios is a rather strange cult like community, they are ruled by a male leader called Amun Ra whose immediate helpers are named Luminance Flare, Dash etc. It is clear this is a male ruled faction of survivors. Everyone is expected to work, in return they receive food, shelter and any medical help they need. The newcomers soon fit into their new schedule grateful to be taken in and given help. At the start of every day Katie is whisked away to the nursery where she is locked in with those that work there until the end of work bell is sounded when she can be collected to go back to her own family. The thing that really irks Jodi is the work division, the whole “men’s work” and “women’s work”. When there’s an issue with access and Jodi suggests a bridge design, she has built before and knows will work she is ignored, yet when she sends Owen with the same suggestion he is treat like some sort of saviour/hero!! Jodi’s discomfort of this women obey kind of living soon puts a target on her back and has her labelled a trouble maker. Jodi and her family discuss ways of making an exit from Helios. <br /><br />On another occasion Jodi speaks up warning the elders of the Helio community that Greyson is not trustworthy, she is partially ignored. To make amends for his mother speaking out of turn, Owen volunteers to be with Greyson on the work detail. Once away from the others and in the small group of 4, Greyson once again shows his true evil and attacks first the two young men from Helios and kills them then attacks and leaves Owen for dead. Owen and the two Helio men are found and returned to Helios. Amun Ra says a trial will be held. In a strange turn of events despite Jodi warning that Greyson wasn’t to be trusted, Amun Ra blames the death of his two men on Owen and sentences him to “face the sun”. He will be locked in a cage on top of the temple for 4 days and nights. <br /><br />In a strange twist the fact that Violet is partially sighted makes the people of Helios think she is gifted as she can only see shades of light/dark meaning she sees the shades of light in people. She is soon and a type of sun Princess. Violet has been feeling useless so when offered all this extra attention she naturally begins to enjoy it, and tries to use it to help have her brother Owen releases from his cage in the sun. <br /><br />This book is really action packed with each set of survivors facing different dangers whilst trying to decide the best way forward to find their missing family members. The two groups end up finding each other again just at a pivotal time. It turns out Greyson has had a hand in bringing the family back together. It’s certainly touch and go at certain points in the book as to if the family in Helios will ever escape Helios, or will the rest of the family be lured in too. <br /><br />Theres a lot of guilt going round in this book too. The guilt of having to use fire to escape Helios, the guilt of bringing Greyson to an unsuspecting community, Owens guilt at missing the signs Greyson was going to double cross him and the work team killing the two Helios men. Theres also a theme of betrayal, Greyson leading both sets of the separate groups of family members to Helios whilst not giving them the full story of what they are walking into. The inklings of betrayal of Violet as she enjoys the attention and feeling of importance that the people of Helios give her when her family seem to disregard her. Then the feelings of betrayal the reunited family feel at how they had to use fire to escape Helios and its residents when some of them had been nice to them. However, there is also the betrayal of those in charge in Helios as they use tricks and words twisting to get the family to bend to their will. Corbin and Owen betrayed by a Helios resident that they thought could see their point of view and help them leave Helios peacefully. There was also loss in this book, James and Mike had to be buried, another integral family character dies and their loss is devastating, all the more so as its at a point in the book when you think things have started to look better for the family. Then there’s Greyson, the bad guy, the fire starter, the one that murdered James, who seemed drawn like a magnet to Corbin. Did Greyson just need the love and care of a good family coming from a poor life situation like Corbin? Or was he always going to be a lost cause? Though things don’t look good for him towards the end of this book, stranger things of happened and he has a habit of popping up right when the family are so desperate that they give him another chance to prove he can be good. <br /><br />My immediate thoughts were, Wow, what a journey these characters go on in this book, both individually and as a group. Sadly, we also say goodbye to one of the main characters, their loss will be felt strongly along with the losses from the previous book. This family has reunited but there have been many casualties they have certainly not escaped unscathed.<br /></span></span> <span style="color: #c27ba0; font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: georgia;"><br /> Summing up, Wow! What a book! I can't wait to read more about these surviving characters, and where their journey will take them. Will it be to safety or more terror? Will it be just their family alone or will they meet others to build a community with? The possibilities are endless!!</span></span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #bf9000; font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: georgia;"></span></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="color: #bf9000; font-size: medium;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgat_oqtfGckjK-fMqXy8xByPyF7HCh4rVzMFBe_odH1fvQ-uIx6Xq9e4kxBVsavcZbnV1XzD8qb88ROrmPvh3uUqc5N-IVj-eM3aNLVnTeH6w8I1eBGVLzFxq6FmuCQgptKbcIcNlBDONc-Eyx3JwALW-hisfA5E_Isp0OP3xii7vjs3I_EzU9zvfpsyoT/s200/JEANZ%20OWL%20BLOG%20LOGO.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="200" data-original-width="125" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgat_oqtfGckjK-fMqXy8xByPyF7HCh4rVzMFBe_odH1fvQ-uIx6Xq9e4kxBVsavcZbnV1XzD8qb88ROrmPvh3uUqc5N-IVj-eM3aNLVnTeH6w8I1eBGVLzFxq6FmuCQgptKbcIcNlBDONc-Eyx3JwALW-hisfA5E_Isp0OP3xii7vjs3I_EzU9zvfpsyoT/s1600/JEANZ%20OWL%20BLOG%20LOGO.png" width="125" /></a></span></div><p></p>Jeanz xxhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09849957950909706469noreply@blogger.com0United Kingdom55.378051 -3.43597327.067817163821154 -38.592223 83.688284836178838 31.720277tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5767279002181966845.post-91860907654275235572023-11-07T18:10:00.000+00:002023-11-07T18:10:54.320+00:00REVIEW - BURNED WORLD - SURVIVING THE END BY GRACE HAMILTON<p style="text-align: center;"> <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgCtDFoP1iamGFQR4F3nYfX-EugCniY_hyI6TFiC6gpii7XPweFbAOWdF53AOT5Bwhyphenhyphen5WGnjzPUC6V2aHNo-wA9ro12sBwmYlypwMA2VWkuw9O7FvcRo_2b1d3gQcLHAAXIRg5BJG2ZDEVzk5gsLTOmMEMv_LbU6Rxn0B6JZ62ziTphwBUAQgc4_Rh5hC_V/s500/BURNED%20WORLD%20-%20SURVIVING%20THE%20END%20BY%20GRACE%20HAMILTON%20COVER.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="500" data-original-width="333" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgCtDFoP1iamGFQR4F3nYfX-EugCniY_hyI6TFiC6gpii7XPweFbAOWdF53AOT5Bwhyphenhyphen5WGnjzPUC6V2aHNo-wA9ro12sBwmYlypwMA2VWkuw9O7FvcRo_2b1d3gQcLHAAXIRg5BJG2ZDEVzk5gsLTOmMEMv_LbU6Rxn0B6JZ62ziTphwBUAQgc4_Rh5hC_V/w426-h640/BURNED%20WORLD%20-%20SURVIVING%20THE%20END%20BY%20GRACE%20HAMILTON%20COVER.jpg" width="426" /> </a></p><p style="text-align: left;"><!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
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</p><p class="MsoNoSpacing"><span style="color: #c27ba0;"><b><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: georgia;">Title: </span></span></b></span><span style="color: #b45f06;"><b><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: georgia;">Burned World</span></span></b></span><span style="color: #c27ba0;"><b><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: georgia;"><br />
Series:</span></span></b></span><span style="color: #b45f06;"><b><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: georgia;"> Surviving The End</span></span></b></span><span style="color: #c27ba0;"><b><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: georgia;"><br />
Author: </span></span></b></span><span style="color: #b45f06;"><b><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: georgia;">Grace Hamilton</span></span></b></span><span style="color: #c27ba0;"><b><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: georgia;"><br />
Release Date: </span></span></b></span><span style="color: #b45f06;"><b><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: georgia;">11th October 2023</span></span></b></span><span style="color: #c27ba0;"><b><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: georgia;"><br /></span></span></b></span>
<span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: georgia;"><span style="color: #c27ba0;"><b><br />
BLURB from Goodreads </b></span><br />
<span style="color: #b45f06;">The apocalypse is over. But the struggle for survival has only just begun… A
hard-won peace has been earned by the McDonald family’s Georgia settlement,
Hickory Falls. The rural community offers shelter, food, and safety. At least
for now… But in the aftermath of the solar flare, and the fall of the old
world, danger takes many forms. It begins with a drought that threatens crops.
Then a flood of refugees arrives, driven from their homes by a raging wildfire.
They’ve lost everything, and the inferno is spreading. Taking in the
dispossessed means more mouths to feed—but it also means willing hands to do
vital work. And one refugee in particular has valuable skills. Greyson was a
firefighter, and he’s got a plan to make Hickory Falls safe from the
encroaching fire. But there’s something a little off about the man. Beth, the
McDonald matriarch, doesn’t trust him—though she can’t say why. But, like it or
not, he’s part of the community now. Will his preparations save Hickory Falls?
Or plunge the community into fiery doom… </span></span></span></p><a href="https://www.blogger.com/"><span style="font-family: georgia;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><b>Goodreads Link </b></span></span></a><br /> <p><span style="color: #c27ba0; font-family: georgia;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><b>REVIEW </b><br />Burned World is bk4 in the Surviving The End series by Grace Hamilton and has an eye catching cover that fits well with the rest of the series so far and it certainly depicts the dangerous, out of control fire featured in the book plot. <br /><br />As always when there has been a large gap between books, I worry about remembering all the relevant facts from the previous books and I aren’t one for really re-reading books before reading the new one in the series. It was roughly 3 years since I read New World bk3 in the Surviving The End series, so it was a long time. I did go back and read my reviews for the other books but have to admit that I initially struggled remembering all the nuances of the characters and what had happened previously when I started reading Burned World.<br /></span></span> <span style="color: #c27ba0; font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: georgia;"><br /> The actual initial apocalypse is over. But the hardships have only just started to really kick in and be really felt. Sheriff James Cooley and the McDonald family are still at the centre of things though everything is still put to a vote and of course the majority rule. With resources including water, becoming even more scarce there are difficult decisions to be made, especially when a newcomer called Greyson arrives warning of a wildfire burning out of control and the possibility of it coming to Hickory Falls. Naturally there’s immediate worrying as with water in short supply already what could they fight a fire with? It just so happens that the newcomer, Greyson has a valuable skill he is eager to share with them, he is/was a fire fighter. He is full of ideas, many controversial and involving a lot of work to pull off on how to protect Hickory Falls from the fire.<br /></span></span> <span style="color: #c27ba0; font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: georgia;"><br /> I thoroughly enjoyed disliking the rather creepy Greyson from the beginning, I was definitely with both Beth and Violet with their feelings of unease about him. The way he manipulates Sheriff James Cooley, Corbin and the McDonalds is very subtle at first but as the residents of Hickory Falls succumb to his 'spell' the cracks in their community begin to widen. I felt so sorry for Corbin, being used as part of Greyson’s greater plan. Even at the end of this book as a reader we don't know if the information Greyson is providing is the truth or part of some even greater sinister plot he has or is part of. <br /><br />There’s so much going on in this book that the Hickory Fall residents have to deal with as if they didn’t have enough issues already. Every decision means a meeting, an explanation of options and action and a vote to decide what to do as a community. There are the two huge influxes of newcomers that have fled their own homes due to the fire, that turn up at the gates of Hickory falls offering to work in exchange for food and shelter. Some of the newcomers bring new skills & tools to add to those already at the community. Both times the emergency bell that calls everyone to gather for a meeting is rung and though the vote is very close both times the newcomers are allowed in. However, when a third lot of refugees arrive the vote is for them to be turned away, the strange group do not go without protesting and even trying to climb the tall fence surrounding Hickory Falls. Eventually they shout threats and retreat to the woods, but they are lurking and a constant threat to be dealt with.<br /><br />I have to admit to chuckling at everyone being sick of the 'only ring in an emergency bell' continuously being used, but it is also a necessity if the community wish to have their opinions heard and to vote on anything and everything such as the fire precautions, as well as the more usual day to day situations that need to be voted on. At one point it seems like the emergency bell to call everyone to the meeting hall is constantly being wrong, dragging people away from work or their rest time. It gets to a point where families only send a couple of people to represent them or just don’t respond to the bell at all. I couldn’t help get the feeling that there would be a huge emergency or danger and the bell would be wrong and lives would be lost due to people ignoring it.<br /></span></span> <span style="color: #c27ba0; font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: georgia;"><br /> I also felt like reaching into the book and hugging Beth. The stubborn stalwart, the prepper, the one who readily helps anyone & everyone. Beth loses a lot in this book, materialistic, emotionally and physically but she battles on for those around her. I also worry for what's ahead for Jodi, especially when her pain medication totally runs out, how will she cope living in a world where it's literally become an 'every person for themselves' & 'survival of the fittest' scenario. <br /><br />Sadly, two central, great characters die in this book, one under highly suspicious circumstances and the other who has already been through so much in their life, dies whilst saving the life of another character. <br /><br />I also felt like reaching into the book and shaking Owen when he was moping about because he was looking after his daughter rather doing hard physical work, whilst his wife worked on certain projects. Having said that I could also kind of see his point of view that he was sort of being “wasted” on babysitting duties when perhaps there were others that could have cared for his daughter. I did love how Jodi handled the situation though as she is right of course that it is important for him to spend time with his child too and realise that caring for a child is also “work” and important.<br /></span></span> <span style="color: #c27ba0; font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: georgia;"><br /> It's difficult to say much more without giving away major plot lines. I will say that though this started slowly, it’s to set the scene and foundation for what is coming. Once the action begins things happen really quickly. <br /><br />Summing up, initially I admit to being really irritated at figuring who was who and thinking back to the different family and community dynamics. However, once I got back into the world and society within the book, I slowly began to be pulled back in and the ending of Burned World had me wanting to scream why is there no more!! So yes, I am certainly looking forward to reading more in this series, especially as I had thought that bk3 New World was the last book!! So great surprise that there are actually at least another 2 books to come and they’re being release this year!! </span></span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #c27ba0; font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: georgia;"><br /></span></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="color: #c27ba0; font-size: medium;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi83Ta4UkyQps9a8fhfJqQFe4_mmqtAczf6DTrN8igzXa0MMVtXnwYGKIH-VL5EER0_hpvJo1CXpzyokVJVmF0l0rpfI2rZwRaNN280_-MdGffES_5aGLO6eo-x9LisTtASAMV8GzTCkzaz4MRLJ6aCbDHePgiiSqei56GH50VCeDAmu5DoHABkligXVmTu/s200/JEANZ%20OWL%20BLOG%20LOGO.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="200" data-original-width="125" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi83Ta4UkyQps9a8fhfJqQFe4_mmqtAczf6DTrN8igzXa0MMVtXnwYGKIH-VL5EER0_hpvJo1CXpzyokVJVmF0l0rpfI2rZwRaNN280_-MdGffES_5aGLO6eo-x9LisTtASAMV8GzTCkzaz4MRLJ6aCbDHePgiiSqei56GH50VCeDAmu5DoHABkligXVmTu/s1600/JEANZ%20OWL%20BLOG%20LOGO.png" width="125" /></a></span></div><p></p>Jeanz xxhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09849957950909706469noreply@blogger.com0United Kingdom55.378051 -3.43597327.067817163821154 -38.592223 83.688284836178838 31.720277tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5767279002181966845.post-58714766310808497742023-10-19T19:05:00.005+01:002023-10-19T19:22:54.775+01:00REVIEW MATED TO CURVES BK2 - MATED TO CURVES SERIES BY DV FISCHER<p style="text-align: center;"> <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhdyZZVxBrAQOQ-CxE1JdhxIyEjYiYaRwVglZeZTYk6q0UggB6YOxlt0E6AsUWmc7E_NFm2Wc6VcjnImKWiMGZ3xQfTkL3-l-mtyngWJP5_7hJNPw_bpnUD_2IgTxksWoXZX5Nej3CqcPjj9Iw0s_oEzWMiXS6QZnYkCk5KisS6XoOXWdDAAda4Fkzdn39e/s500/MATED%20TO%20CURVES%20BK2%20BY%20DV%20FISCHER%20COVER.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="500" data-original-width="333" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhdyZZVxBrAQOQ-CxE1JdhxIyEjYiYaRwVglZeZTYk6q0UggB6YOxlt0E6AsUWmc7E_NFm2Wc6VcjnImKWiMGZ3xQfTkL3-l-mtyngWJP5_7hJNPw_bpnUD_2IgTxksWoXZX5Nej3CqcPjj9Iw0s_oEzWMiXS6QZnYkCk5KisS6XoOXWdDAAda4Fkzdn39e/w426-h640/MATED%20TO%20CURVES%20BK2%20BY%20DV%20FISCHER%20COVER.jpg" width="426" /> </a></p><!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
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<p class="MsoNoSpacing"><span style="color: #c27ba0;"><b><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: georgia;">Title: </span></span></b></span><span style="color: #38761d;"><b><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: georgia;">Mated To
Curves Bk2</span></span></b></span><span style="color: #c27ba0;"><b><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: georgia;"><br />
Series: </span></span></b></span><span style="color: #38761d;"><b><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: georgia;">Mated To Curves Series</span></span></b></span><span style="color: #c27ba0;"><b><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: georgia;"><br />
Author:</span></span></b></span><span style="color: #38761d;"><b><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: georgia;"> DV Fischer</span></span></b></span><span style="color: #c27ba0;"><b><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: georgia;"><br />
Release Date: </span></span></b></span><span style="color: #38761d;"><b><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: georgia;">24th September 2023</span></span></b></span></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: georgia;"><span style="color: #c27ba0;"><b>BLURB from
Goodreads</b></span><br />
<span style="color: #38761d;">Joyce is a therapist. She specializes in trauma and death, and she’s good at
her job. With that in mind, she can’t understand why shifters would go to an
underground fight club, least of all the mate who doesn’t want her, to beat the
crap out of each other. But Avani is her best friend and she drags her there
anyway. It’s torture, knowing that her mate doesn’t want her, but she’s
determined to get to the bottom of his pain whether he likes it or not. </span></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing"><span style="font-size: medium;"><a href="https://draft.blogger.com/" style="font-family: georgia;"><span style="color: #c27ba0; text-decoration: none;"><b>Goodreads Link</b></span><span color="windowtext" style="text-decoration: none; text-underline: none;"></span></a><span style="font-family: georgia;"></span></span></p><p class="MsoNoSpacing"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: georgia;"><br />
<span style="color: #c27ba0;"><b>REVIEW</b><br />
I really like the same shade of cover and the similarities to the cover of
Mated To Curves bk1. The subtle differences representing the two different
characters at the centre of this story. <br /></span>
<span style="color: #c27ba0;"><br />
Though I am pleased that Avani and Cade do still feature in this book too. <br /></span>
<span style="color: #c27ba0;"><br />
The central ‘couple to be’ in bk2 are Joyce and Kye who we met in bk1 at Cade’s
fighting club for shifters. When Joyce set eyes on Kye when her best friend
Avani was fighting him near the end of bk1 they both experience the instant
connection and pull of the mate bond though Kye’s initial instinct seemed to be
to immediately run away from it and ignore it. <br /></span>
<span style="color: #c27ba0;"><br />
It’s decided by the already bond mated Avani that all Kye needs is some
encouragement so she chooses what she considers a suitable outfit to catch
Kye’s attention. This leaves a rather self conscious Joyce seriously out of her
comfort zone in a short dress. She had thought that the outfit Avani chose
would be a low cut top and jeans shorts but nope she has gone full on glamour
in the outfit choice for her best friend and Joyce is finding the dress is
somewhat uncomfortably short!! When the outfit isn’t enough to grab Kye’s
attention and drag him to Joyce, Avani puts the next stage of he plan into
action. Avani encourages another unsuspecting shifter to show Joyce attention,
though to be fair Joyce had been attracting looks from a lot of shifters in her
current outfit! The fact another male is in his opinion leering over his mate
certainly drags Kye to her side. However, it soon becomes apparent though he
doesn’t want to accept and act on the bond he also doesn’t want anyone else
around Joyce either! In fact, its Joyce’s defiant remark about her dating
others that has Kye grabbing and kissing her. Kye is confused and still trying
to resist the temptation of the mate bond when Cade reaches out and offers him
a safe place for his wolf to run free. Aaron also reaches out offering Kye help
and a friendship but Kye prefers his own company. Kye has a had a difficult
life and lost people he loved so is reluctant to become attached to anyone. It
seems like he needs a therapist to talk to, a therapist like Joyce! <br /></span>
<span style="color: #c27ba0;"><br />
Avani continues to scheme and plan, constantly pushing Kye and Joyce together
in different ways, and on occasions it works with things becoming rather steamy
between the pair but Kye always pulls back. Avani isn’t giving up though and
continues her sneaky plans to get Kye and Joyce in the same places at the same
time. <br /></span>
<span style="color: #c27ba0;"><br />
Avani and Cade are turning into almost the “parents” of the other shifters or
should I say the Alphas they are is beginning to shine through, but will this
put them and the other shifters at the fight club in danger? <br /></span>
<span style="color: #c27ba0;"><br />
Joyce has been experiencing issues with a rather pushy patient/client calling
himself Gerald, though when Joyce sets eyes on him she realises the man is not
whom he says he is and possibly has some dark ulterior motive by coming to her
work. <br /></span>
<span style="color: #c27ba0;"><br />
It is when Kye has been coerced into dropping Joyce at her work as a therapist
that he spots an aggressive patient/client accosting Joyce and acts on pure
instinct, and insists he sit outside “guarding” his mate whilst she is at work,
he even refers to himself as her boyfriend. <br /></span>
<span style="color: #c27ba0;"><br />
So, is Kye accepting the bond? <br /></span>
<span style="color: #c27ba0;"><br />
I really enjoyed reading Joyce and Kye’s story. Kye however was so very, very
stubborn and determined to resist as much as he can, though who could blame him
with his sad past. <br /></span>
<span style="color: #c27ba0;"><br />
It was amusing to read the different ways Avani continued to push them
together. It's quite funny that he is such a big tough guy and is struggling
against his mind, his past, his body, his heart and perhaps the most difficult
thing to fight his inner wolf!! <br /></span>
<span style="color: #c27ba0;"><br />
Summing up once again, I literally read this in one sitting/reading session.
You can’t help wanting to continue reading until the end! Very addictive
reading! Looking forward to reading Mated To Curves bk3!!</span></span></span></p><p class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: georgia;"><span style="color: #c27ba0;"></span></span></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: georgia;"><span style="color: #c27ba0;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjupVacrb_LPjTpvEcuQx3jnXDg757nVvvsa4_MKuLJbDRpBzlvqdMdoQzHhcQdv8V6vvrkNL0XzDvTaay1bfqFrqaZiFE3WF8DgibI_Jmgx09fyOKy1vLtIKhc_PUrtKuQZv2Wv4Gv_2lrc6Vr5aBsK7l3nAQpGKLKRtESBcGfh-qPtR2YDa6Qlau3Ppzz/s200/JEANZ%20OWL%20BLOG%20LOGO.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="200" data-original-width="125" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjupVacrb_LPjTpvEcuQx3jnXDg757nVvvsa4_MKuLJbDRpBzlvqdMdoQzHhcQdv8V6vvrkNL0XzDvTaay1bfqFrqaZiFE3WF8DgibI_Jmgx09fyOKy1vLtIKhc_PUrtKuQZv2Wv4Gv_2lrc6Vr5aBsK7l3nAQpGKLKRtESBcGfh-qPtR2YDa6Qlau3Ppzz/s1600/JEANZ%20OWL%20BLOG%20LOGO.png" width="125" /></a></span></span></span></div><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: georgia;"><span style="color: #c27ba0;"><br /> </span></span></span><p></p><p class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: georgia;"><span style="color: #c27ba0;"> </span></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing"><span style="color: #c27ba0; font-family: "Georgia", serif;"> </span></p>Jeanz xxhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09849957950909706469noreply@blogger.com0United Kingdom55.378051 -3.43597327.067817163821154 -38.592223 83.688284836178838 31.720277tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5767279002181966845.post-22581881892557173562023-09-28T03:00:00.001+01:002023-09-28T03:00:00.146+01:00REVIEW - SISTERS UNDER THE RISING SUN BY HEATHER MORRIS<p style="text-align: center;"> <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg0qPR7HVg5iRbYzia7a35IgBMg-vQqlXLKLAgU-DRidaDh5BI0J0GkdGrqq20Lu9kimZj9mZZOPkClbximeexVstrvAsdksZ3wPUl1rCdILmhNwWVo6BZUw9MVMD8an7KaTt2GQvxkH4d5WxazE8M_ugirW6Fq0q5p4Jv9RkCTmtIykqVfwYft5cniFeeR/s390/Sister%20Under%20The%20Rising%20Sun%20by%20Heather%20Morris%20cover.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="390" data-original-width="255" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg0qPR7HVg5iRbYzia7a35IgBMg-vQqlXLKLAgU-DRidaDh5BI0J0GkdGrqq20Lu9kimZj9mZZOPkClbximeexVstrvAsdksZ3wPUl1rCdILmhNwWVo6BZUw9MVMD8an7KaTt2GQvxkH4d5WxazE8M_ugirW6Fq0q5p4Jv9RkCTmtIykqVfwYft5cniFeeR/w418-h640/Sister%20Under%20The%20Rising%20Sun%20by%20Heather%20Morris%20cover.png" width="418" /> </a></p><p><b><span style="color: #c27ba0; font-family: georgia;">Title: </span><span style="color: #cc0000; font-family: georgia;">Sisters Under The Rising Sun</span><span style="color: #c27ba0; font-family: georgia;"><br />Author: </span><span style="color: #cc0000; font-family: georgia;">Heather Morris</span><span style="color: #c27ba0; font-family: georgia;"><br />Publisher: </span><span style="color: #cc0000; font-family: georgia;">Bonnier Books UK, Zaffre</span><span style="color: #c27ba0; font-family: georgia;"><br />Genre: </span><span style="color: #cc0000; font-family: georgia;">General Fiction, Historical Fiction, Womens Fiction</span><span style="color: #c27ba0; font-family: georgia;"><br />Release Date: </span><span style="color: #cc0000; font-family: georgia;">28th September 2023</span></b></p><p><span style="color: #c27ba0; font-family: georgia;"><b>BLURB </b></span><span style="color: #cc0000; font-family: georgia;"><br />In the midst of WWII, an English musician, Norah Chambers, places her eight-year-old daughter Sally on a ship leaving Singapore, desperate to keep her safe as the island falls to the Japanese Army.<br /><br /> Australian nurse Nesta James has enlisted to tend to Allied troops. But as Japanese troops overrun the island she joins the terrified cargo of people, including the heartbroken Norah, crammed aboard the Vyner Brooke merchant ship. Only two days later, they are bombarded from the air off the coast of Indonesia, and in a matter of hours, the Vyner Brooke has sunk.<br /><br />After surviving 24 hours in the sea, Nesta and Norah reach the beaches of a remote island, only to be captured and held in one of the notorious Japanese POW camps. The camps are places of starvation and brutality, where disease runs rampant.<br /><br />But even here joy can be found, in music, where Norah's 'voice orchestra' has the power to transport the internees out of the squalor and into the light. Sisters in arms, Norah and Nesta devote themselves to the women's survival while discovering their own extraordinary reserves of courage, love and strength.</span></p><p><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/83667937-sisters-under-the-rising-sun" target="_blank"><span style="color: #c27ba0; font-family: georgia;"><b>Goodreads Link </b></span></a></p><p><span style="color: #c27ba0; font-family: georgia;"><b>REVIEW</b><br />I have seen the different countries covers for this book and I love them all though my favourite has to be the UK one. I think it will do its job of drawing your eye yo it on a bookstore shelf perfectly. The only negative and it's my own personal pet peeve is the circular sticker/label/logo stating the book is by the same author who wrote The Tattooist of Auschwitz. <br /></span> <span style="color: #c27ba0; font-family: georgia;"><br /> I need to mention the title of the book Sisters Under The Rising Sun, at first I thought 'Sisters' referred to the nuns, then thought it applicable to the nurses, by the end of the book I cam to realise it referred to all the women in the prison camp. They may have started out in their own groups, the nuns, he Dutch women, the native women, the nurses, the well off civilians, and the everyday civilians but they all ended up 'sisters' surviving together. Their very lives depending on the support from each other.<br /></span> <span style="color: #c27ba0; font-family: georgia;"><br /> The book is set in the midst of WWII, Norah is an English woman who finds her only option to possibly secure the safety of her eight-year-old daughter Sally before Singapore falls under the Japanese army control is to place her in the arms of her older sister Barabara and send on a ship leaving Singapore. Norah promises little Sally that once her father John is able to leave hospital they will get on a boat and come straight for her.<br /> Days later Norah, her husband John, who is still weak from suffering from typhus find themselves boarding a ship, the Vyner Brooke to flee Singapoore with her reluctant sister Ena who is leaving her husband Ken to care for their elderly parents. Also reluctantly leaving and boarding the Vyner Brooke are Australian nurses, amongst them Nesta James. After one last appeal to stay to care for the injured Allied soldiers in the hospital Nesta and her nurse colleagues are ordered to board the ship. The ship is crammed full and conditions are poor but the Australian nurses tend to anyone they feel they can help be they injured or just scared.<br /> Just two days later, they are bombarded from the air off the coast of Indonesia. The order to abandon ship is given and once again it's the Australian nurses that jump into action helping people leave the ship. Once everyone has abandoned ship it's not long until the Vyner Brooke has sunk.<br /> Different groups of survivors make their way to land by whatever means they can, holding onto each other or debris from the ship. There are the many different tales of how the Vyner Brooke survivors managed to get to shore, for example<br /> Norah, Ena, John & little a 5 yr old June who has lost her mummy but has rapidly become attached to Ena. They end up briefly rescued by the RAF in a speedboat but are swiftly dropped at shore and handed over to and now at the mercy of the Japanese.<br /></span> <span style="color: #c27ba0; font-family: georgia;"><br /> Once on land the different groups soon find themselves either handed over or captured by the Japanese. Initially men and women are together in there family/friend groups. Others have lost family either temporarily or permanently and are making new connections with those around them. They are all marched to the first of many camps where they meet other survivors who are now also prisoners at the mercy of the Japanese. Upon arrival at the camp the huts are allocated, with the Australian Nurses kept together but in different huts to the other survivors. At the camp though the men and women are separated they freely mix with each other during the day. Some of nurses explore the compound & return with the information that theres a dormitory that's suitable to be used as a hospital and has some Doctors already there. The nurses have of course immediately volunteered for duty there. One of the Doctors volunteers to speak to the Japanese soldiers about food, water & medical supplies.<br /> Two women, Margaret Dryburgh and Mrs Hinch who were already at the first camp were already in the positions of 'command' and had the dubious and dangerous task of being I intermediaries between the women and the Male Ah Fat Japanese male who was to be the one who acted as interpreter between the women and the various camp commandants. It is Margaret Dryburgh who sorts those that were shipwrecked with suitable clothing.<br /> Soon enough the men and women are sent to different camps, the heart break of being separated from loved ones only adding to the harsh reality of being prisoners of war and no longer in charge of their own lives. The women soon find theres little else they can do but to find ways yo get on with it. If that means carrying buckets of water from a nearby stream or growing vegestables when allowed go do so by the commander, then the women do it. Of course all the camps were places of starvation, brutality as well as death from disease. Complaints are met with violence, one day you are allowed to grow food and eat it, another day you can grow the food but it is for the soldiers and another day you aren't allowed to grow anything. Punishments were harsh, such as being forced to stand all day in the blazing sun, food taken from the whole camp, in fact a beating was a lesser punishment on some occasions.These women were living life by the whim of whichever commander was in charge of the camp they were in. It's no surprise morale was seriously low and that when Norah, a trained musician came up with the idea to create a voice orchestra. Not only did it give the women who wished to be part of it something to do, something to enjoy and look forward to, it also lifted the morale of all the other women too.<br /></span> <span style="color: #c27ba0; font-family: georgia;"><br /> Though I confess to knowing very little the little bit I knew about Japanese Prisoner of War Camps it was based on the views of people older than myself, a partial episode of Tenko I watched many years ago, and perhaps a brief reference in books I have read. This is one aspect of World War 2 that is not taught, spoken or in my experience even referred to at school. I went through a whole range of emotions and feelings reading the book. There was the horror and disgust at how the women had to survive, from a heart wrenching revelation of few of the Australian nurses sacrificing their bodies for the 'use' of the Japanese soldiers for greater good of the many, as if no one stepped forward the whole camp would be starved to death. Then the dirt, squalor and uncertainty the women existed in. I think the voice orchestra provided not only something to pass time but something to nurture hope, an outlet for some defiance singing anthems including Land of Hope and Glory as well as evidence there was still some beauty left in the world.<br /> Throughout the book different characters notice that close up most of the Japanese soldiers look like frightened boys, however though this suggests a human perhaps softer side they are quick to jump to attention and carry out orders, as well as regularly beating the prisoners. The way the soldiers and even the commander enjoys the women’s music and concerts also suggests a softer, homesick, civilian side to the Japanese soldiers. I think the women humanised the Japanese guards by giving them nicknames, such as grumpy to one who became incensed if he ever saw any of the women wearing lipstick! Or seedling, for the guard who brought the seeds, and seedlings for the women to plant in the vegetable patch that they were sometimes allowed to use produce from. <br /> Another scene in the book is when Ah Fat becomes upset at the death of one of the women which gives you mixed feelings as on one hand you think oh he has got a heart but then on the other hand you are thinking perhaps he could have prevented her death or at least eased the women’s living conditions. <br /><br />My immediate thoughts upon finishing the book were, that the book was amazing, so moving, and strangely interesting how the book says the women seemed to fair better than the men. A fantastic story telling of a group of women who bonded and banded together in unimaginable situations and conditions. How they lifted each other, gave each other hope and love. Not forgetting how brave they were to face every uncertain day.<br /><br /> Summing up, another must read book from Heather Morris based on true events that happened during WW2 an awful time in history. This time it is the story of those who find themselves in a Japanese Prisoner of War Camp. Sisters Under The Rising Sun is an a story of the amazing bravery, friendship and resilience people seem to find and hold onto in the very deepest darkest of circumstances. Though this book is a fantastic read it should never be forgotten these were real people, some survived and came home to continue their lives, others never made it home from the camps.</span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #c27ba0; font-family: georgia;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjYOxfyk4mAOxRW8c7DftzDCkSMrcBVcScjeGr5VDQekwXrUwMjkhXDVrJjsg8s0hulVc2R5m6lfJj1E549bTRh2FJQkfy9-p9RSmy0kVAXYbSPwBpxq-j9QxwzeM4VpMhGoWlUDGnLv4PIkLq6DJ2WxScL06D6wlMjQd_SO4klIm1-9T7bdJiucdNm-bd_/s200/Jeanz%20Owl%20logo.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="200" data-original-width="125" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjYOxfyk4mAOxRW8c7DftzDCkSMrcBVcScjeGr5VDQekwXrUwMjkhXDVrJjsg8s0hulVc2R5m6lfJj1E549bTRh2FJQkfy9-p9RSmy0kVAXYbSPwBpxq-j9QxwzeM4VpMhGoWlUDGnLv4PIkLq6DJ2WxScL06D6wlMjQd_SO4klIm1-9T7bdJiucdNm-bd_/s1600/Jeanz%20Owl%20logo.png" width="125" /></a></div><br /> <p></p><p><span style="color: #c27ba0; font-family: georgia;"><b> </b></span><span style="color: #c27ba0; font-family: georgia;"><b></b></span></p><p><b><span style="color: #c27ba0; font-family: georgia;"> </span><span style="color: #cc0000; font-family: georgia;"> </span><span style="color: #cc0000; font-family: georgia;"></span></b></p>Jeanz xxhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09849957950909706469noreply@blogger.com0United Kingdom55.378051 -3.43597327.067817163821154 -38.592223 83.688284836178838 31.720277tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5767279002181966845.post-36676931740388961882023-09-26T03:00:00.002+01:002023-09-26T03:00:00.146+01:00REVIEW -THE NOVELIST OF BERLIN BY V.S. ALEXANDER<p style="text-align: center;"> </p><p style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEilqb40atfSJ5NRp9NmT31lYvvTdoCPyaCtNc6rHdKTNHhwc3UUzs9ihw31Qm89IBpQ14a5l1Z8WmRUxQskQ3NZmNWUAbuBmybNHKNJKovEdFDIswTzcKb1l0_xG1FN3fdqVdTdEOmSUEgjD4-NPilorRozOITFPaEDiV1ua6Xhiy-E6Qe5TArIUDRynZpp/s500/The%20NOvelist%20Of%20Berlin%20by%20V.S.%20Alexander%20cover.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="500" data-original-width="333" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEilqb40atfSJ5NRp9NmT31lYvvTdoCPyaCtNc6rHdKTNHhwc3UUzs9ihw31Qm89IBpQ14a5l1Z8WmRUxQskQ3NZmNWUAbuBmybNHKNJKovEdFDIswTzcKb1l0_xG1FN3fdqVdTdEOmSUEgjD4-NPilorRozOITFPaEDiV1ua6Xhiy-E6Qe5TArIUDRynZpp/w426-h640/The%20NOvelist%20Of%20Berlin%20by%20V.S.%20Alexander%20cover.jpg" width="426" /></a></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia;"><b><span style="color: #c27ba0;">Title: </span><span style="color: #990000;">The Novelist From Berlin</span><span style="color: #c27ba0;"><br />Author: </span><span style="color: #990000;">V.S. Alexander</span><span style="color: #c27ba0;"><br />Publisher: </span><span style="color: #990000;">Kensington Books</span><span style="color: #c27ba0;"><br />Genre: </span><span style="color: #990000;">Historical Fiction</span><span style="color: #c27ba0;"><br />Release Date: </span><span style="color: #990000;">26th September 2023<br /></span></b></span></p><p><b><span style="color: #c27ba0; font-family: georgia;">BLURB</span></b><br /><span style="color: #990000; font-family: georgia;">An engrossing novel inspired by the mysterious true story of Irmgard Keun, a female novelist who defied all the rules during Berlin’s volcanic post-WWI years, as a young German writer exiled for her ideas flees her country and her Nazi-supporting husband, fighting for her art, her life, and her child.<br /><br />1920s Germany: Though the world has changed in the wake of the Great War, it is still ruled by men. Even a woman as resourceful and intelligent as Niki Rittenhaus needs alliances in order to survive. Her marriage to Rickard Länger, a movie producer for Berlin’s Passport Pictures, seems convenient for them both. When Rickard succumbs to increasing pressure from the Nazis to make propaganda movies, a horrified Niki turns away from her own film aspirations and instead, begins to write.<br /><br />Niki’s first novel, The Berlin Woman, is published under a pseudonym to great success. But Niki knows she cannot stay anonymous for long. The Nazis are cementing their power over Germany—and over her husband. Though she succeeds in escaping Rickard, he directs Hitler’s Brownshirts to do the unthinkable: kidnap their daughter. With her books blacklisted, her life in danger, and Europe descending into war, Niki travels to Amsterdam, joins the Dutch Resistance, and then returns to war-torn Berlin determined to claim freedom for herself and her child, and to write her own story at last. </span></p><p><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/75559667-the-novelist-from-berlin" target="_blank"><span style="color: #c27ba0; font-family: georgia;"><b>Goodreads Link </b></span></a></p><span style="font-family: georgia;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="color: #c27ba0;"><b>REVIEW</b><br /> I think the cover fits the book well & along with the title would have me picking the book up from a store shelf to learn more!<br /><br />The main character is Marie or Niki as her best friend Lottie names her, saying it is more fitting for the modern woman Marie wishes to be. Marie/Niki regularly frequents a local bar with best friend Lottie soon becoming firm friends with bartender Rudi. Marie/Niki considers herself a new modern German woman who doesn't need marriage and children to fulfill her, she wants more, a single, free life. Marie/Niki enjoys the single life, flirting and if she chooses sleeping with whom she pleases. Her mother Frieda is not so impressed with the life her daughter is leading, waiting for what she sees as the inevitable day she will return home single, shamed and pregnant! Though Frieda & Marie/Niki don't have what you would say a close relationship they are there for each other and offer each other support when most needed. Lottie is the other constant friend in Marie/Niki's world.<br /><br />It's whilst at the bar a man, Rikard Langer, a movie producer catches Marie/Niki's eye and attention and she asks the bartender Rudi to call her the next time Rikard is in the bar. One thing leads to another and Marie/Niki end up in first an arrangement of convenience, living together, then a relationship, and finally becoming husband & wife.<br />Now relatively comfortably off Marie/Niki begins to write, something she has always wanted to do. At first Rikard unconditionally supports her, but then urges her to be cautious as the Nazis will not like her books as the women in them do not conform to that of a 'Good Nazis German Wife & Mother'<br />At the same time their happy life and potential future is interrupted by Adolf Hitler, the mad man who wants power and hates Jews.<br />When Marie/Niki's books are banned & burned by the Nazis she knows she is in danger and with Rickard being coerced into making films for the Third Reich and becoming more and more drawn into 'party politics' it's too much uncertainty and danger for Marie/Niki. Despite Marie begging him to leave, Rikard believes he knows better that everything will soon be over and that Hitler will not gain the power he seeks. Marie/Niki leaves with their daughter. However Rickard has already lost a son to a previous broken marriage and is determined not to lose his daughter, so with his friends in high places in the ever gaining strengthened Nazis he takes his daughter back and Marie/Niki is warned to stay away.<br /><br />Marie/Niki briefly finds happiness with a Jewish man Emil, even escaping Berlin, living with him and his Uncle, joining a small resistance group when once again the Nazis come for the Jewish population. When Emil and his Uncle disappear, probably to a work camp, then extermination camp and the Nazis becoming stronger danger is round every corner. Marie/Niki finds herself back in Berlin searching for a glimpse of her daughter, back in contact with her mother Frieda and best friend Lottie.<br /><br />Even when the Nazis are defeated the war is not over for Marie/Niki, having to live with different factions ruling different parts of Berlin and Germany. Marie/Niki once again does what she has to in order to survive, trading information with those who some would consider the enemy. Finally Marie/Niki finds her daughter pregnant and trapped in an abusive marriage, being trapped along with Lottie and her family on the 'wrong side' of the Berlin Wall.<br /><br />This is a mixed difficult review. I honestly disliked the main character at first, Marie seemed somewhat cold and self centred at times. I just didn't take to Marie/Niki at all but as time went on and you got to know her more and what she went through was revealed I couldn't help but warm to her. In the end I didn't want her story to end I wanted a better outcome for her, different to the one she ended up with. I really wanted her to find a happy ever after, which I know in her own way she says she does. Marie/Niki definitely lived many different lives during her lifetime, from single modern German woman, to lover & actress, the wife & mother. Marie/Niki also played her part in smaller acts of Defiance against first the Nazis then the Stasi. You could say Marie learns to use men to get what she wants and where she wants to be but it's not without costs to herself and some major losses along the way. I found myself asking how much more can this woman take many times during the book especially when she was separated from her young child by the Nazis and her then husband who went along with the Nazis for a quiet life but found himself drawn in deeper and deeper making propaganda films for them.<br />Throughout the book Marie/Niki always has her friend Lottie and her mother Frieda as constant support whenever she needs them. There's some seriously sad scenes, one in particular between Rickard and Marie, making you wonder if the Nazis had never got control if their life would have been different, a happier ending. Then the devastating endings for some of the characters.<br /><br />Favourite characters were Lottie always there to help her friend Marie/Niki, and Emil who knew his precious time with Marie/Niki was limited because of the Nazis threat.<br /><br />I enjoyed reading about the acts of Defiance the Jewish and some German people were brave enough to carry out, from printing & distributing leaflets, to courting & killing Nazis, to digging a tunnel under the Berlin wall to escape to the other side. They all added up to making this book a realistic, intriguing and at times edge of your seat read! In the end I didn't want Marie/Niki's story to end I wanted a better outcome for her, different to the one she ended up with.<br /><br />Summing up, though initially a bit of a slow burner I really enjoyed reading this book. Then to find out it was loosely based on a real German woman made it all the more poignant and interesting! </span></span></span><p style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjsn1L4Re8mZwm2PlSseBBQGUJhcRJ1zawU4u6zG382QYJFGTNNKTdtMeokohibVMmxxy87FKdS_3diYj6A_N2fHRiGl-sA3hkXqX54WA0uyoiFEQa9yzLt8zC8yLGGFBZQr9wvUScpCEdFWd9fzhwYH5SzQAh0r5ApoGl8YIOtmjW106FEki9_yz62iLWr/s200/Jeanz%20Owl%20logo.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="200" data-original-width="125" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjsn1L4Re8mZwm2PlSseBBQGUJhcRJ1zawU4u6zG382QYJFGTNNKTdtMeokohibVMmxxy87FKdS_3diYj6A_N2fHRiGl-sA3hkXqX54WA0uyoiFEQa9yzLt8zC8yLGGFBZQr9wvUScpCEdFWd9fzhwYH5SzQAh0r5ApoGl8YIOtmjW106FEki9_yz62iLWr/s1600/Jeanz%20Owl%20logo.png" width="125" /></a></p><br /> <p></p>Jeanz xxhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09849957950909706469noreply@blogger.com0United Kingdom55.378051 -3.43597327.067817163821154 -38.592223 83.688284836178838 31.720277tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5767279002181966845.post-81713573034242634252023-09-21T03:00:00.001+01:002023-09-21T03:00:00.158+01:00REVIEW - THE TREATMENT BY SARAH MOORHEAD<p style="text-align: center;"> <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYDBDkcv1cQrb-dz5Zjtz9c1hd1cX2NP5i9EOroSCri3gxr83giAGECFxH7uANxsZsA2WlYzyZX-Z5Mc36W2zgtgKQ0uSwSfN-e69ShcKcevuc6hKxSx2eUVMCJ21m2TYF43lEHrtr8On6c803Y-z9wtuvCqrgfaQxA2wmmVJXxHS-OP9KOBTMtkJORO6p/s500/THE%20TREATMENT%20BY%20SARAH%20MOORHEAD%20COVER.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="500" data-original-width="326" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYDBDkcv1cQrb-dz5Zjtz9c1hd1cX2NP5i9EOroSCri3gxr83giAGECFxH7uANxsZsA2WlYzyZX-Z5Mc36W2zgtgKQ0uSwSfN-e69ShcKcevuc6hKxSx2eUVMCJ21m2TYF43lEHrtr8On6c803Y-z9wtuvCqrgfaQxA2wmmVJXxHS-OP9KOBTMtkJORO6p/w418-h640/THE%20TREATMENT%20BY%20SARAH%20MOORHEAD%20COVER.jpg" width="418" /> </a></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia;"><b><span style="color: #c27ba0;">Title: </span><span style="color: #cc0000;">The Treatment</span><span style="color: #c27ba0;"><br />Author: </span><span style="color: #cc0000;">Sarah Moorhead</span><span style="color: #c27ba0;"><br />Publisher: </span><span style="color: #cc0000;">Canelo</span><span style="color: #c27ba0;"><br />Genre: </span><span style="color: #cc0000;">General Fiction, Mystery & Thrillers, Speculative Fiction</span><span style="color: #c27ba0;"><br />Release Date: </span><span style="color: #cc0000;">31st August 2023</span></b></span></p><p><span style="color: #c27ba0; font-family: georgia;"><b>BLURB</b></span><span style="color: #cc0000; font-family: georgia;"><br />The future of law enforcement has arrived, courtesy of private health contractor Janus Justice. Their ground-breaking ‘Offender Treatment Programme’ has been hailed as the most effective way of tackling crime yet.<br /><br />As offenders move through the four-tiered system, their needs are dealt with, each tier more drastic in its methods: <br /><br />Tier One: Low-risk crimes. Physical therapy encouraged <br /><br />Tier Two: Trauma and addiction. Emotional and psychological reasons for offending are examined <br /><br />Tier Three: Aversion therapy & moral punishment <br /><br />Tier Four: Siberia, where all hope is lost <br /><br />But Grace Gunnarsson, one of Janus’ most highly regarded rehabilitation psychiatrists, has uncovered a terrible flaw in the system, one that is allowing people to get away with murder...</span></p><p><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/131132290-the-treatment" target="_blank"><span style="color: #c27ba0; font-family: georgia;"><b>Goodreads Link </b></span></a></p><p><span style="color: #c27ba0; font-family: georgia;"><b>REVIEW</b></span><span style="color: #c27ba0; font-family: georgia;"><br />The first thing that drew my attention to this book was the bright striking cover, with its waves and of course the eye. We later learn in the book that the waves are in fact brain waves. The byline of an 'an eye for an eye makes the whole world blind' fits with the book really well.<br /></span> <span style="color: #c27ba0; font-family: georgia;"><br /> Dr Grace Gunnarsson has come a long, long way, so far successfully burying her past life where she was in prison with her mother, then when she lived with mothers best friend & prostitute Lottie & her son Remy. Remy is both brother and protector to Grace, they have a deep bond, and there is nothing they won't do for each other. Then when Lottie died Remy and Grace ended up choosing different paths in life, despite Grace's efforts to take Remy into her new life at university.<br /></span> <span style="color: #c27ba0; font-family: georgia;"><br /> Some would say Grace has 'gone up in the world' and we all know the saying 'the higher they go the further they have to fall.' Grace is equally protective & secretive about this time in her life.<br /> In the present day, Grace Gunnarsson is a highly respected and successful psychiatrist who works for Janus Justice and is married to Dan Gunnarsson yet he nows nothing of her early life. Dan is a reporter for the well known, News Flex. Dan is desperate for his big break story, and is like a dog with a bone where Janus Justice is concerned, he is determined to get the inside story.<br /></span> <span style="color: #c27ba0; font-family: georgia;"><br /> Grace works for the somewhat controversial Janus Justice Rehabilitation centre who operate the new highly debated Tier System of punishment. The Tier system becomes harsher depending on the tier. Tier 3 is Aversion Therapy and is quite literally a dose of whatever they did wrong done to them!! The guilty person is drugged and made to witness their crime from the point of view of the victim, in the hope they never commit such a crime again. Grace isn't fully comfortable with Tier 3 and usually manages to easily avoid it, she works on Tiers 1 & 2 but when the usual psychiatrist Myriam is off sick her boss Conrad coerces Grace into 'just helping out' with the argument of 'all hands on deck' etc. Grace soon finds out that the Tier System has another level Tier 4 that is the chillingly torturous and drastic 'answer' for when nothing else works to stop the criminal reoffending.<br /></span> <span style="color: #c27ba0; font-family: georgia;"><br /> Grace is needed to oversee the treatment of repeat offender Noah Begbroke. Noah has already been through Tier's 1 & 2 which are based on the criminals circumstances & biology Tier 3 is a more proactive treatment based on the criminals morality. Grace had assessed Noah Begbroke on Tier 1 & 2 but found there was no chemical imbalance, childhood trauma, or mental health issue - absolutely nothing that could explain his actions.<br /> Grace watches as Noah is sedated, given drugs and the atmospheric & emotisonics, until when asked Noah says his name is that of his victim/ex girlfriend Corrinna Saunders. The crime is played out on a screen in front if Noah. Grace is not wholly comfortable with this type of therapy but she will endure this just once then take the matter of her having to be involved up with her boss Conrad again. Grace looks at the fresh Tier 3 tattoo on Noah - an image of Janus the two headed Roman God one face looking at the past the other at the future & then the number 3 in the middle. The ink that does eventually fade with time, though the worse the crime committed, the deeper the tattoo is and the longer it will last and be there for all to see.<br /> Grace notes that Noah Begbroke is now experiencing the crime/his violence towards Corrinna as if he is her. At first he sees himself as Corrinna as her beautiful self before his attack on her then Abigail the 'effects operative' turns up the heat, the crackling of fire, even the smell of burning flesh so Noah can really experience the attack himself as Corrinna, his victim. Grace physically gags & Abigail grabs her arm digging her nails in deep in an attempt to support her but Grace can't take anymore and flees from the treatment room, but on the way past the window she sees the burnt, scarred misshapen hands and burnt face of the once beautiful Corrinna Saunders who has been watching Noah Begbroke receive his 'taste of his own medicine' Aversion Therapy.<br /> When Grace comes out of the bathroom from being sick she finds an apologetic Conrad waiting for her. He takes her to his opulent, physical bound books - rare as paper is so expensive, thr wood panelling even though wood is extremely expensive, an effort to be more environmentally conscious. Grace stares at the brass statue of a horse racing (which is now banned) horse, Conrad brags his family had a stud farm, that's where he got the money to start Janus Justice in the US. Then the UK became interested in the Janus Justice concept. Conrad jokes that the US liked the UK NHS and the UK liked the US Janus Justice system/prisoner rehab. So Conrad built the hospitals & clinics and rents them back to the UK. Conrad finds it amusing that he is earning really big money this way.<br /> Conrad then discusses Grace's work record. commending her on her great Tier 1 and her promotion to Tier 2 in just 18 months. Conrad commends her on her work developing new drugs then brings up the subject of her psychometric test, everyone undergoes them on a monthly basis.<br /> This testing is part of the whole 'living transparently,' no one has real privacy anymore.<br /> Grace uses these same tests to help find out what has caused her 'clients' to act in the way they have.<br /> However, Grace knows exactly how to tailor her responses to the test questions, she even cleverly throws in a 'rogue' answer here and there so her almost perfect answers do not raise suspicions.<br /> It's clear Conrad wants even more from Grace which she is initially dead set against until it turns out the records access and extra freedom within the company is something she desperately needs if she is to help someone from her past that she still dearly loves, the man she feels owes so much, Remy. Remy is destined for Tier 4 if Grace can't come up with an alternative treatment to help him fast!<br /></span> <span style="color: #c27ba0; font-family: georgia;"><br /> Grace isnt just under intense pressure at work as her husband, Dan is speaking to victims who have witnessed/observed their attackers have Aversion Therapy to see if it has helped them or traumatised them further when seeing a mock up/recreation of what happened to them & the eye for eye justice doled out by Janus. Dan continually pesters Grace for information numerous time each with increasing pressure, 8n fact he is becoming quite demanding, but Grace takes her work confidentiality very serious and refuses to give him the insider information he desperately wants. Grace tries to reason with Dan that if she gives him any information let alone the details he is asking for she would be sacked and possibly prosecuted too! Dan's response is for her to give him enough information for one big story then he would hit the big time and earn enough to keep them both. Dan wants Grace to give up her job, stay home and have babies, make family her priority as opposed to her career. Unfortunately Grace has something she hasn't told Dan about herself & babies, another secret!<br /></span> <span style="color: #c27ba0; font-family: georgia;"><br /> All whilst this is going there are groups of vigilantes enacting what they see as just punishment on offenders. It's one such group, the 'Diros' that Remy used to work with but when they started to go 'too far' in his opinion he left. The only problem is no one gets to just leave this group. The ex army leader takes anyone leaving personal and has the that attitude they are 'with him, or against him' so anyone leaving the group usually find themselves meeting a gruesome end or being set up for a crime they did not commit. When Remy finds out he is being set up he reaches out to Grace, or as he called he all those years ago Gracie. With his old gang and the authorities after him he asks Grace for her help. Grace needs to speak to someone about her past and she confides in Shannon one of the Tier 2 agragarian compound managers. It's with Shannon, and her boyfriend Shuggie who is a compound inmate, that Grace comes up with a final desperate plan, but will it work and with weapons involved will everyone get out alive?<br /></span> <span style="color: #c27ba0; font-family: georgia;"><br /> Characters I immediately adored were Grace, Remy, Lottie, Shannon, Shuggie and George. Characters I instantly took a disliking to were Conrad, Abigail and weirdly Dan!<br /></span> <span style="color: #c27ba0; font-family: georgia;"><br /> There's so much going on in this book, from the justice system to the baby screening for the violent gene, then there's the details of the torturous Tier 4. I feel theres so much I have missed out in my review. I thoroughly enjoyed and quickly became drawn into to the brilliantly meticulously detailed, and so well thought out world building of this book. The stark themes of an eye for an eye, deaths too good for them, a taste of their own medicine, cruel to be kind, so familiar in the real world and how many times have we said them, perhaps without even thinking what it would mean to live by them. Then there was the other side of the argument that an eye for an eye leaves everyone blind element, which I personally really want to say totally believe and agree with but in the real, flawed world I find I can't fully get on board with, theres always that niggle of they should have it done to them and see how they feel thoughts.<br /></span> <span style="color: #c27ba0; font-family: georgia;"><br /> It would have been interesting to hear the point of view of the victims watching their attackers undergo the aversion therapy, for example Corrinna Sanders, did she feel anything watching Noah Begbroke think he was being burnt as he had done to her.<br /></span> <span style="color: #c27ba0; font-family: georgia;"><br /> The ending is a bit sad really. Nearing the ending of the book amid the 'last stand' against Diros theres the loss of a couple of characters, particularly one I had really become attached to. I really wanted that happy ever after together for Grace & Remy and Shannon & Shuggie.The only thing that still has me pondering a little is I didn't really get the significance of Grace putting the Funland keyring containing the photo of herself & Remy as youngsters in, into Abigails hand??<br /></span> <span style="color: #c27ba0; font-family: georgia;"><br /> Summing up this book has amazing world building, a brilliant meticulously detailed penal system, with characters you quickly became attached to and really cared about. The book and its intriguing world and plot really had me on the edge of my seat and at one point shouting in my head 'How could you Grace!' So yes you really get pulled into the characters dynamics and their relationships. DI would definitely add this one to my favourite speculative fiction reads such as, The Sentence by Christina Dalcher, The Marriage Act by John Marrs and Overdrawn by NJ Crosskey. Speculative fiction is certainly one on my favourite genres to read and this book was wow! Definitely recommend reading!</span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #c27ba0; font-family: georgia;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjy77sKPVnWXxQhoa817yYq03nfRV6nPo1rqgKXSuFa5Zw27bGzLKI7OOk1GNy83gUVfYP0tLUIpL_ftktIglKlgDHOZFgXsqG-4RuIWRgxXRgrfr1qyI7f6XYiA6YTrH2zoRfe5-PZOqRszNlT8Amm-NEkHIUGX0jpda7xrdXKk0HBLu5WlZNURXkTNtR4/s200/Jeanz%20Owl%20logo.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="200" data-original-width="125" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjy77sKPVnWXxQhoa817yYq03nfRV6nPo1rqgKXSuFa5Zw27bGzLKI7OOk1GNy83gUVfYP0tLUIpL_ftktIglKlgDHOZFgXsqG-4RuIWRgxXRgrfr1qyI7f6XYiA6YTrH2zoRfe5-PZOqRszNlT8Amm-NEkHIUGX0jpda7xrdXKk0HBLu5WlZNURXkTNtR4/s1600/Jeanz%20Owl%20logo.png" width="125" /></a></div><br /> <p></p><p><span style="color: #c27ba0; font-family: georgia;"><b> </b></span></p><span style="color: #c27ba0; font-family: georgia;"></span><span style="color: #c27ba0; font-family: georgia;"></span><span style="color: #c27ba0; font-family: georgia;"></span><p></p>Jeanz xxhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09849957950909706469noreply@blogger.com0United Kingdom55.378051 -3.43597327.067817163821154 -38.592223 83.688284836178838 31.720277