Discovery of the Five Senses by K N Smith – book review

Disclosure.  This post is a review of an e-book I was sent for free.  All opinions are my own.

I have received a free e-copy of the book Discovery of the Five Senses by K N Smith to review. You may find out more about the author on her website.

Here is the book blurb.

Welcome or unwelcome. Fate has arrived.

A suspenseful incident in a forbidden preserve heightens the senses of five friends. Sight, sound, touch, taste, and smell become super-gifts that forever change the world. But furious battles confront the boys as they try to understand their sensory super powers in a race to save mankind. With light beings and mysterious strangers complicating their plight, will the boys defeat the evil Druth before it’s too late? Get prepared for the twisting and grinding of this award-winning, action-adventure story — an edge-of-your-seat narrative for young and mature readers alike.

The prologue is set late at night in the mysterious forest where a despicable act takes place. But the readers are not the only witnesses!

Moving forward 20 years to the main story, we are introduced to five teenage friends and their families who live in the town Danville Heights. The boys are Kinsu, Chase, Jordan, Rhee and Alex.

A few miles away in neighbouring town Sandry Lake, hooligans now roam the streets led by evil Druth.

Humans are not the only characters in the tale, we also have peaceful Naculeans, tiny light beings who look like fireflies and rely on nectar.

But when the boys set foot in the forbidden preserve, they are unaware of either their encounter with the Naculeans or of the mysterious stranger who observes them.

They awake, back in Rhee’s home, not really aware of what happened, each with a heightened sense and a bonding connection.

I did find some of this tale rather confusing, but effectively it was a chain of events set in motion. The boys need to work together as a team, harnessing each of their individual super-powers for this book to progress to a positive conclusion. Plenty of twists and turns en-route in this fantasy action-packed adventure. I loved the characterisation of the boys, plus how their family members, friends and neighbours were all developed too. Although it does mean a lot of people and relationships for the reader to remember.

Discovery of the Five Senses is available on Amazon in paperback and Kindle format, targeted at young adult readers. An interesting fantastical adventure. Suitable from age 13 upwards in my opinion.

However this is billed as book 1 in The Urban Boys series. But there doesn’t appear to be a book 2 yet, although this title was published in 2015.

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When Fire Splits the Sky by Tyler James Russell – book review

Disclosure.  This post is a review of an ebook I was sent for free.  All opinions are my own.

I have received a free e-copy of the book When Fire Splits the Sky by Tyler James Russell to review. You may find out more about the author on his website.

Here is the book blurb.

Following Ben’s weekend hunting trip outside Juneau, his wife Maranda—a trauma survivor with multiple personalities—makes a discovery that looks like it will finally put their limping, less-than-a-year marriage out of its misery. But in the morning, when a cataclysmic blast throws the world into chaos, Ben and Maranda find themselves stuck in a car, heading north to Anchorage, on a seemingly hopeless quest to reunite with a missing family member before it’s too late.

I struggled to get into this book, being turned off on page 2 by the casual use of strong swear words. There is a lot going on in the story, as Maranda has 6+ multiple personalities, both male and female, both child and adult, an extra complexity for the reader. Maranda and Ben’s marriage is in a mess, when their own situation is dwarved by a huge blast in Yukon.

As sirens wail, a memory resurfaces for Maranda and they head on a long car trip to Anchorage, Why does Ben come too? Who do all Maranda’s alter egos represent? Who is Maranda trying to find? What is Maranda’s history? And who are trailing them? Why are they heading the opposite way to everyone else fleeing? What dangers await?

The author has packed a lot in encompassing mental illness and post traumatic stress.

When Fire Splits the Sky is available on Amazon in paperback and kindle formats. Plenty going on in this dark storyline, but it didn’t hit the spot for me.

Note does include human trafficking and suicide.

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The Mystery of the Blue Train by Agatha Christie

This is a review that son1 did for a book which he read at school. I was so impressed with what he had written compared to the one-liners he gives me for the books he reviews for my blog, that I asked him if I could share it here.

This book, written by Agatha Christie, was first published by Collins in 1928. It was once televised as a film in 2006 with some minor changes. The author, Agatha Christie, was born on the 15th September 1890 in Torquay, Devon and died on the 12 January 1976 in Winterbrook, Oxfordshire, aged 85. She had her first book, the Mysterious Affair at Styles, (featuring Hercule Poirot) published in 1920. The most famous detectives in her novels are Hercule Poirot, Jane Marple and Tommy & Tuppence.

In this novel, Ruth Kettering is on the Blue Train to Nice. Katherine Grey is also on the train on a trip to see her distant cousin in France. When the train reaches Nice, the French police discover that Ruth Kettering has been murdered and her precious rubies had been stolen as well. The main suspects are her lover, the Comte de la Roche and her husband Derek Kettering. Hercule Poirot and police interrogate Katherine as a witness to see what she knows of the crime. The maid, Ada Mason is also interrogated. Ruth’s father, Rufus Van Aldin and his secretary, Major Knighton, are invited to the crime scene. Monsieur Papopolous, a jewellery dealer, mentions that a man known as the marquis could be linked to the crime, creating another loose end that Poirot must tie together. To bring everything together Poirot takes a trip to Nice on the Blue Train himself with Mr Van Aldin and Major Knighton.

I loved reading this book and would truly recommend it to anyone after a good murder mystery. It felt boring at the start but the further you go the more interesting it gets. Hercule Poirot is very memorable as not only did he have good detective skills, but he also had a good sense. He is also very inspirational, showing a growth mindset throughout the novel making sure he had got everything spot on before he closed the case and he was very intimidating to people he interrogated. I would love to read another Agatha Christie novel to see how it compares to this novel.

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The Leipfold Files by Dane Cobain – book review and giveaway

Disclosure.  This post is a review of an ebook I was sent for free.  All opinions are my own.

I have received a free e-copy of the book The Leipfold Files by Dane Cobain to review. You may find out more about the author on his website.

Here is the book blurb.

Join a young James Leipfold as he discovers his knack for uncovering the truth and takes the early steps towards forming his detective agency, Leipfold Investigations…

Leipfold’s journey will take him from the deserts of Kuwait to the inside of Reading Jail and have him investigating everything from missing gnomes to drunken Santas and crooked optometrists. Along the way, he befriends a rookie cop named Jack Cholmondeley, helps a widowed army wife find closure, and falls in love with a motorbike he calls Camilla.

This collection brings together 24 James Leipfold short stories, including three shorts that take place between Driven and The Tower Hill Terror. It’s a must for all fans of the Leipfold series and any serious reader of quirky detective novels and cozy mysteries.

This is the third book in the Leipfold Mysteries series but unlike the previous two titles, this time it is a collection of short stories. You don’t need to have read the earlier books, but for me, I found it particularly good how it helps put additional context round the main characters who I already know and love.

The tales are sequential and we start way back, long before James Leipfold became a private investigator, when he was aged 14 and this is when he first meets Jack Cholmondeley, a young police constable well before he advanced up the ranks to inspector. Cholmondeley is already trying in vain to encourage Leipfold to a career in the police, something that had been touched upon in the earlier books.

The second story is from his time in the army, when he served in Kuwait and again it helps give depth to his character. The short stories also cleverly inter-relate as the third one pulls on minor characters from both the first two tales and this is the start of a pattern as the same thing happens again on plenty of further occasions too.

Several of the stories are set during a spell he spent in prison. Another continuing theme of some tales help to flesh out the aspects of his back-story which lead to him giving up alcohol. And of course we get to the point of when he set up as a private investigator. Plus how he got his motor-bike Camilla.

The last three stories take place between the first and second titles in the series, Driven and The Tower Hill Terror.

The Leipfold Files is available on Amazon in paperback, hardback and kindle formats. A great book, particularly to develop the back story between Leipfold and Cholmondeley.

And I’m hosting a rafflecopter competition to giveaway a paperback copy of The Leipfold Files to one lucky winner.

a Rafflecopter giveaway – Please click on the link to enter.

I’d love to hear about your favourite read.

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Desperate Tides Desperate Measures by Brett Salter – book review

Disclosure.  This post is a review of an e-book I was sent for free.  All opinions are my own.

I have received a free e-copy of the book Desperate Tides Desperate Measures by Brett Salter to review. You may find out more about the author on his website.

Here is the book blurb.

Looks like our heroes can finally put an end to the nightmare that was Scarabadon, The Juggernaut. And it seems everyone’s favorite Synergist Knight and Master Dragon have fixed their Talisman issue too. Having thwarted every attack The Tyrant King has thrown at them to this point, The Alliance believes that they can endure any challenge as long as they remain together. Now, having the upper hand seems like the perfect opportunity to seek out more allies and even more of the realm’s mystical Talismans. Could this be a “happily ever after” for our ensemble of motley heroes? Or is this peace just a fool’s hope and just as temporary as the changing tides?

Regular followers of my blog may recognise this cover from when I did the cover reveal for this book earlier this year. I had only read the first title in the series at that point, but I’ve been gradually working my way through these great tales. So now here I am with my review of the fifth book in the Talisman series.

Once again it works perfectly as a stand-alone read but I am definitely more invested in it as an ongoing series. I certainly wouldn’t recommend reading them out of order as they are scattered with spoilers to earlier titles, the prologue being one such, as it is a recap mainly of the events in volume 4.

So trying to navigate through what I can tell you without dropping any spoilers, Rome, Julian and all the team are back fighting more Darkbrand monsters and Nocturns, meeting more allies and maybe locating another Talisman. However I love how the author manages to throw a new dimension into each book. This time it is Elementals. I just going to leave that there as a hook for you, as I can’t possibly say what or who Elementals might be. And this time Julian’s Dad, Mr Rider has more of a role in the story.

I also love how the Minotaur monsters have been categorised into types. So this time our heroes encounter Hydrotaurs and Glaciataurs. Yes think water and ice for these two. And we have previously also met Florotaurs, Pyrotaurs and Terrataurs.

Desperate Tides, Desperate Measures is available on Amazon in paperback and Kindle format, targeted at young adult readers. Another fabulous fantastical installment in this series and now that I’ve caught up, I’ll have to wait patiently along with everyone else for volume 6 to be released. Suitable from age 11 upwards in my opinion.

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The Tower Hill Terror by Dane Cobain – book review and giveaway

Disclosure.  This post is a review of an ebook I was sent for free.  All opinions are my own.

I have received a free e-copy of the book The Tower Hill Terror by Dane Cobain to review. You may find out more about the author on his website.

Here is the book blurb.

Unorthodox PI James Leipfold and his technophile assistant Maile O’Hara are back with a brand new case…
The Tower Hill Terror is on the loose, a serial killer with a grisly M.O., and Maile and Leipfold must work fast to take him down before another body is found. But while the duo are chasing clues on social networking sites and the police are waiting for forensics, the Terror sends a message to the journalists at the Tribune. A message written in blood.
Can Leipfold, Maile and Cholmondeley catch the killer before it’s too late? Or will the Tower Hill Terror claim one final, familiar victim?

This is the second book in the Leipfold Mysteries series and I was looking forward to reading it, having eventually got hooked into book one Driven. You may see my review of that title here.

The story begins with Private Investigator James Leipfold and assistant Maile O’Hara following up on a suspect Jayne Lipton from the previous book, but too late, she has been mutilated and killed.

James has already taken on some new cases, but he soon gets embroiled into investigating Jayne’s death following a request from his old friend Detective Inspector Jack Cholmondeley.

The police get sent an anonymous grisly package. And then Maile discovers another similar killing via social media, Abu Adewali, before the police are even aware. Is there a link between the two murders? Is it a serial killer? Another grisly parcel, this time to the press, with a message hinting at yet another victim. How many more? Suspects! Alibis! Missing Persons! Links in the Chain!

James’s old school methods along with Maile’s technical wizardry make for a great combination. Plus the comparison between their techniques and those of the police.

However I did feel it was a bit of a loose end to have a suspect from the previous book murdered by an unrelated killer. That just seemed to muddy the water in wondering if the two cases were linked.

The Tower Hill Terror is available on Amazon in paperback and kindle formats. A great twist on the murder mystery genre.

And I’m hosting a rafflecopter competition to giveaway a paperback copy of The Tower Hill Terror to one lucky winner. Open worldwide.

a Rafflecopter giveaway – Please click on the link to enter.

I’d love to hear about your favourite read.

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The Battle for Verdana by Brett Salter – book review

Disclosure.  This post is a review of an e-book I was sent for free.  All opinions are my own.

I have received a free e-copy of the book The Battle for Verdana by Brett Salter to review. You may find out more about the author on his website.

Here is the book blurb.

What’s REALLY hiding in the forests of the Pacific Northwest? Could it be The Tyrant King’s army of Darkbrands? Could it be more of Mr. Jones’s liaisons? Or could it be the solution to the problem vexing our favorite heroes? Whatever mystery it is, you can guarantee the boys from Georgia are sure to find themselves deep in the thick of it.

This is the fourth book in the Talisman series but works perfectly as a stand-alone read. However I definitely think they are more enjoyable read sequentially, particularly as you would get spoilers, if you were then to subsequently go back and read earlier titles. Also I note that the blurb really seems aimed at existing fans, with its references to “our favourite heroes” or the boys without naming Rome and Julian. I feel the synopsis could do with some attention to better invite new readers to the series.

My review is a bit more sketchy than for previous titles as I wish to circumvent around those potential spoiler scenes. So after a short prologue, Rome, Julian and the latest recruits are on their way to return to Beacon, who also featured previously. But in chapter 2, before they even rendezvous, they already encounter a hideous Garm. Then using Beacon technology they start to plan their next trip to a remote area in the Pacific Northwest, which appears to be a hotspot of Darkbrand activity. They are hoping to find another Talisman there. But whilst planning they are interrupted by another Garm and a Minotaur followed by a curse bearing Nocturn.

But things don’t quite go to plan when they reach the remote forest in the Pacific Northwest. What happens next? Who do they encounter here in the Den of Verdana? So near and yet so far? Can they make a deal? Where and what next? Do they find any Talismans?

I’m still not sold on the covers. They really don’t say grab this book to me, which is a shame as it is a great read.

The Battle for Verdana is available on Amazon in paperback and Kindle format, targeted at young adult readers. Once again a good fantasy tale. Suitable from age 11 upwards in my opinion.

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My Gypsy War Diary by Shawn D Brink – book review

Disclosure.  This post is a review of an ebook I was sent for free.  All opinions are my own.

I have received a free e-copy of the book My Gypsy War Diary by Shawn D Brink to review. You may find out more about the author on his website.

Here is the book blurb.

Where is Milo’s Bible, the intruders demanded. They came under cover of darkness, their guns pointed at my elderly neighbor and only friend. And with the break in, an old story came out–young love, betrayal, blackmail, a treasure stolen and stolen again, a tale of vengeance and a life lived in secret. I was just a kid in the 70s, unable to sit still in school, living in my imaginary world of TV and movies. And now this betrayal from half a century ago threatened my life, as I found myself caught between hidden treasure and a band of gypsies who would stop at nothing to get it.

This story set in Norfolk, Nebraska is written in the format of a diary of memories and begins with a very exciting adventure as our hero retrieves an old book from a remote attic but almost gets caught by two people who are after the same book. At the end of chapter 1, you realise this is a flash forward to an event later in the book.

In Chapter 2 we head back to 1978 when our hero aged 7 had just moved to Norfolk and makes best friends with the elderly lady next door, Mrs Scholes. I feel the author made a wise move giving the reader an exciting opening to the book, as the next few chapters are slow mainly describing how he likes to help Mrs Scholes and continually trying to persuade her to attend church, with occasional tantalising mentions of either gypsies or unexplained happenings. Mrs Scholes marks these down to a mysterious guardian angel.

About a third of the way through the book, the story starts to hot up. It is now 1986 and our hero wakes up in the middle of the night to hear two gypsies have broken in next door and are threatening Mrs Scholes with a gun. He thwarts their attempt and the next day hears a jaw-dropping tale from Mrs Scholes, which sets him on the path to what happened in chapter 1. From this point on, the story continues apace with plenty of twists and turns.

I liked how it portrayed a friendship across the generations. And it was inclusive from the point of view as describing ADHD symptoms for the young protagonist. Plus an old tale retold incorporated a history of the Great Depression.

However I did think it strange that the hero was never given a name. I also found the repetition of him trying to persuade Mrs Scholes to attend church rather tiresome, as it seems as if the author is attempting to convey the same message to the reader.

And although the story did incorporate a couple of good gypsies, I was uncomfortable with how on the whole, they were portrayed in aggregate as bad. It did feel as verging towards an ethnic racial sterotype bias.

My Gypsy War Diary is available on Amazon in paperback and kindle formats. A good mystery targetted at YA, but suitable from age 10 up in my opinion..

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Windy City Ruins by Brett Salter – book review

Disclosure.  This post is a review of an e-book I was sent for free.  All opinions are my own.

I have received a free e-copy of the book Windy City Ruins by Brett Salter to review. You may find out more about the author on his website.

Here is the book blurb.

It’s just a simple trip to New York. What could possibly happen to our loveable heroes THIS time? Faster-than-sound reptiles? Exploding Minotaurs? Generational secrets coming back to haunt them? Expect the unexpected in this third installment of The Talisman Series, “Windy City Ruins”. The war for Earth is creeping steadily closer, and Rome’s team is in a mad dash to figure out the Talismans before it’s too late. Can they amass enough talent to help them defend the realm? Or will The Tyrant King’s heinous minions sweep them off course and leave Earth ready for the taking? Windy City Ruins is the third installment of the Talisman Series.

This is the third title in the Talisman series. It works fine as a stand-alone read but is better in my opinion to read all the books in order. Previously Julian and Rome have bonded as knight and fire dragon to defend Earth against the darkbrands, sealing portals from the void.

The story begins with a recap of who all the main characters are and the skills they possess from their Talismans, as the boys Julian and Rome fly from England to New York, accompanied by Mrs Case. The other three, Camela, Krysta and Mr Jones initially remain in Somerset, rejoining the team later in this book.

The plan is to make contact there with Beacon, a possible source of information on the darkbrands, whom Mr Jones has identified via email. But there is always the possibility that Beacon may not be an ally, so could they be heading into a trap?

And then Beacon’s email reply of where to meet is in code. Can they decipher it?

They are very suprised to discover that Beacon is not at all who they envisaged and faster than the speed of sound, they find themselves transported to a nerve centre in Chicago. But a Minotaur is hot on their heels!

More surprises abound, both good and bad. Who else might they encounter?

Mythology and knowledge of the elements play a part in this series and it is fascinating how this is wound into the story, in particular explaining how many Talismans there may be in total.

I’ve mentioned this before but the covers don’t do justice to the quality of the stories.

Windy City Ruins is available on Amazon in paperback and Kindle format, targeted at young adult readers. Another great fantasy instalment to this series. Suitable from age 11 upwards in my opinion.

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Driven by Dane Cobain – book review and giveaway

Disclosure.  This post is a review of an ebook I was sent for free.  All opinions are my own.

I have received a free e-copy of the book Driven by Dane Cobain to review. You may find out more about the author on his website.

Here is the book blurb.

Meet private detective James Leipfold, computer whizzkid Maile O’Hara and good-natured cop Jack Cholmondeley in the first book of the Leipfold series. A car strikes in the middle of the night and a young actress lies dead in the road. The police force thinks it’s an accident, but Maile and Leipfold aren’t so sure. Putting their differences aside, and brought together by a shared love of crosswords and busting bad guys, Maile and Leipfold investigate. But not all is as it seems, as they soon find out to their peril…

The story starts by introducing us to Donna Thompson but by the end of chapter 1, she is dead, killed in a hit and run. Then chapter 2 feels slow with random snapshots as we meet private investigator James Leipfold, play director Tom Townsend and computer whizz Maile O’Hara. Chapter 3 was equally slow, this time meeting Detective Inspector Jack Cholmondeley, Sergeant Gary Mogford, Constable Groves and informing Donna’s next of kin, her mother Eleanor, who hasn’t seen Donna in years.

Then with the highlight of chapter 4 initially seeming to be skint Leipfold advertising for an intern and reading the newspaper, which mentions the hit and run, I was about ready to give up on this book. It was just way too slow, however I persevered. Leipfold decides to visit the scene where he bumps into Cholmondely who he knows from way back. From his investigative methods, I started to get the feeling that Leipfold may be the one who can find the mystery driver rather than the police, as he quickly finds a house nearby with CCTV. And by the end of the chapter, we have linked in another of the main characters, Maile is waiting outside Leipfold’s office. She wants to be his intern.

As things start to hot up, I’m glad I kept going with this book, but I would suggest to the author that he needs to hook the reader in sooner. The CCTV appears to indicate that the car has no driver. How can this be? Is the driver hiding out of view? Is the vehicle being controlled remotely? Could it be pre-meditated murder rather than an accidental hit and run?

So in true whodunnit style, potential suspects start to stack up for the crime. And so do alibis.

I loved the way Leipfold shares little clues to the police, then relying on them to do the necessary graft.

Driven is available on Amazon in paperback, audiobook and kindle formats. A modern detective mystery to get you thinking whodunnit. It is the first book in a series, so I’m looking forward to reading more and hoping that now we have been introduced to the sleuths, that the next title will unfold faster.

And I’m hosting a rafflecopter competition to giveaway a paperback copy of Driven to one lucky winner.

a Rafflecopter giveaway – Please click on the link to enter.

I’d love to hear about your favourite read.

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