Book Review: Whitney, My Love by Judith McNaught

There is probably no more crowded genre than the romance genre, and yet it is a genre containing many fine stories. There's a general convention that men shouldn't read this genre, or that women who want a 'hot' romance won't find anything amongst these pages to suit them.

This isn't always the case, and I have always been open to read any kind of genre so long as the story is good. After all, a classic is a classic, regardless of how old it is.

Whitney, My Love by Judith McNaught is a classic of the genre, but having been lent the actual paperback copy by a friend and fellow blogger, I can honestly say the book was hugely enjoyable over the course of its 700 pages.

Whitney is the kind of heroine I like. She's feisty, headstrong and knows what she wants at a time when women's thoughts were often shunted by the men around them. With Whitney in love with Paul, she is determined to marry him one day. What father wouldn't want his daughter to be happy? And yet, Whitney's want for Paul is met with incredulity at first by her father, and soon after, extreme anger.

A story that started so light and enjoyable suddenly took a turn for the extremely dark, and now the question was why her father was so insistent Whitney marry someone else?

Money. Ah, the age old crippler of those who do not have it. Marrying Whitney into money seems to be the only way to resolve the financial situation her father is in.

Poor Whitney! The father who wants his daughter to marry into money isn't a new theme, but bear in mind I have read this book after reading many others in the genre - often newer tales. I'm not saying Judith McNaught was the originator of this style of storytelling, but the facts are that she is so highly regarded in the genre, she may have come up with special story arcs and plot devices in the way that JRR Tolkien did for everyone who wrote high fantasy after he released Lord of the Rings.

At this point in the story, I wasn't sure if I had warmed enough to Whitney to care. But this book is so well written, so well plotted, that I just kept going back for more. 

The drama of the story picks up apace a third of the way in, and never lets up. 

Clayton is introduced to Whitney by her father. Aside from Paul, the bad guys are all men in this story, and she has no care for Clayton. In fact, I found myself wishing he would meet with a horse riding accident, or even better, have the piano fall on him. No such luck.

Is he that bad? Well, no, but once Whitney's rather overbearing father introduces the two together, he goes misses from the story, and we are unsure what Whitney thinks of that. After all, her father is supposed to be a template to show her what kind of man she might wed one day. If Clayton was not in his exhalted position, would they be even having this conversation? It's likely Whitney would have been fine with marrying Paul, hopefully with her father's blessing.

There's a particular scene that I can't give away here, but it certainly puts this book on a different level - no longer a light romance with a heart, it was a brutal and shocking scene that I had to read twice and check the cover - really? Could something like this happen - yes. Should it be in a romance? Not sure.

But it is the author's right to create the story as she deems fit.

I've had some time to distance myself from the book, and make sense of certain scenes. I think that particular scene fits the story, but I may be in the minority I expect!

Of course the story can be read on its own but I suspect it is better read as part of the series (Westmoreland) of which it is an integral part. I don't think it is fair to criticise it having not read the whole series.

On GoodReads and Amazon, I'm leaning towards five stars, but a fairer rating would be about 4.5. I'm typically harder on established authors, and friends have been saying to me for ages that 'You need to read Judith McNaught'. Having done so, I can say that this particular work is a standout in the genre, but not in the way you might think.

Not everyone will like the ending. Not everyone will like Whitney's sometimes bratty behaviour. I'll admit that the Duke came across as one dimensional sometimes. He seemed to view Whitney and women in general as property, which may fit with the  period, but that doesn't mean it is right.

Overall, I loved this book and when I have caught up with other books in this genre and other genres, I'll be back into Judith's world. 

Special Author Promotion - Rhoda' D'Ettore - Check out her amazing books

No One Is Safe While...

ZODIAC LIVES

A Novel by Rhoda D'Ettore

After surviving a car accident that killed her father, three-year-old Jennifer begins having nightmares. It's soon obvious she suffers from something more dreadful than the accident when she provides clues to a murder committed 3,000 miles away—and two decades before she was born.

Jennifer's nightmares set off a chain reaction that prompts the infamous Zodiac Killer to emerge from dormancy and terrorize San Francisco for a second time.

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Goin’ Postal & The Creek

Rhoda D'Ettore began her writing career by publishing humorous tales about working at the United States Postal Service. Fifteen years of dealing with bombs, anthrax, and human body parts in the mail made for an interesting read. Her co-workers laughed so hard at the nostalgia, they encouraged her to publish the writings. Since then, D'Ettore has fascinated readers with plot twists mixed with sarcastic humor.

D’Ettore knew postal workers would buy her story, yet she also wanted to show them she could write interesting, serious work with shocking twists. In Goin’ Postal & The Creek, the reader gets two very different stories in one book. The first containing the hysterical tales of postal worker life. The second story is a historical fiction that spans 200 years with a slightly supernatural twist. Topics include war, love, romance, death, Prohibition, the Great Depression, and how families survive such events.

Newborn Nazi

Newborn Nazi tackles the issues of right and wrong as well as self sacrifice when fourteen-year-old Edmund is forced into the Hitler Youth in 1935. His older siblings vow to destroy Nazi Germany, and the family gets swept up in espionage and the Underground Movement. When Edmund becomes an adult and joins the feared SS, his sister's secret endeavors to save Jews in her home endangers lives---including her own. This suspense thriller is sure to keep you guessing.

Newborn Nazi is based on Rhoda D’Ettore true family history. There was an Edmund who was forced into the Hitler Youth, and his sister did help Jews escape. D’Ettore found the story so riveting, she took the plot of the story and added murder and espionage to create this intense thriller.

Tower of Tears: The McClusky Series 1

In Tower of Tears: The McClusky Series, we find Jane traveling to America from Ireland with her three-year-old son. Expecting to find a better way of life, Jane finds nothing but intimidation, betrayal, violence, and heartache. This family saga includes blackmail, murder, mystery, and a touch of romance.

While writing Tower of Tears, D’Ettore gave her mother one chapter at a time for feedback. D’Ettore was undecided who the murderer in the book would eventually be, so she wrote the story with five characters hating and threatening the murder victim. Halfway through the book, D’Ettore’s mother shouted, “I know who killed him…. it was ####”. D’Ettore then finished the book with a different character as the murderer. When her mother read the final draft of the book, she replied, “That’s not who the murder is. I told you who is was.” D’Ettore then said, “I wrote the book, so I know who the murderer should be. Thanks.”

10 Shades of Blush: The Softer Side of Kink

10 Shades of Blush: The Softer Side of Kink is a collection of naughty fantasies of ordinary women. Teachers, mothers, and professionals submitted their wants and desires for kinky fun. All the tales are told as if the women are speaking directly to their partners. The audiobook of this has been called "Two hours of phone sex for $7".

Rhoda D'Ettore works are available as ebook, paperback, and audiobooks

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Win a MacX Video Converter: Courtesy of Book Wormie Spot

If you ever wanted to win a MacX Video Converter, the blurb is here on my blogger friend Joss's Book Wormie Spot:-

http://www.bookwormiespot.com/2015/07/macx-video-converter-pro.html

Here's the giveaway link for the converter:-

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Get to it, and I hope you win!

Book Review: An Arranged Valentine by Kadee McDonald

An Arranged Valentine is a thoroughly entertaining regency romance. The principle characters are well drawn and engaging, with Penelope an intriguing heroine. Like most women of the age, she has to find her betrothed before she passes what would be the dreaded marrying age. Her father thus engineers an arrangement which may be (but possibly won't be) altogether to her liking.

 Fortunately, as the story develops, the reader can discern a real warmth developing between the H/h and it's the little details...the notes, the valentines, the references to Robert Burns that truly made this light romance punch well above its weight.

 Lines I liked, and this was typical of the well placed humour throughout the book:- "Penelope....you do understand we have just been found in a compromising situation?"

 Of course, the over riding situation is one where it suits both parties to be arranged. The key to this story, and how it grabs the reader, is in the sense of how it brings the two together. My concerns were 'does he really love her' and 'could she really see out a lifetime with him.' To find out, you should really give this excellent Jane Austen inspired story a chance!

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Book Review: The Legend of Zyrah (The Legend of Zyrah Series Book One) by Joseph Machney

There's a been a recent trend for fantasy epics to become as over-the-top with its depictions of violence, profanity and sex. But what's a good fantasy writer to do? Where can the genre go, only darker? If they didn't, we would be stuck with the old good versus evil story with various plot devices that don't raise the story above the mediocre. Having read a number of fantasies of late that were average to extremely good, I wondered what author Joseph Machney could do with his epic. After all, The Legend of Zyrah is the first in his epic series.

I had to read books of other genres so that I could look at this one with fair eyes. And I have to say - I enjoyed it.

The MacGuffin in the story centres around a wizard who has become dictator in all but name. He has control of two magical devices that help him keep a grip on power, often ruling with an iron fist while he does so.

Fortunately, not everyone accepts his take on things, and our hero soon pops up to secure the remaining artefacts, thus stopping the despot from becoming even more of a tyrant than he is already.

Around this central theme are an array of characters that develop beautifully as the story progresses. In fantasy, the genre has been done to death so to bring something new, you're going to have to do a 'Tolkien' or make your characters engaging. It's here where I think the author has done a stellar job.

Kion is obviously set up to be the best character, but as I read others, I really warmed to Akin, Teagan and Jade. The whole quest, therefore, is to see exactly how balance can be restored to the realm of Zyrah, not essentially to remove the evil ruler from power. Is there a commentary on the current world's status being formed by the author? That's one of the things I pondered as I reached this first book's conclusion. Ultimately, you will have to read the book to understand why the quest / mission / task has to happen, but I promise you that you will enjoy the ride.

The Legend of Zyrah is a strong first book in the series. The second book is out now. So if you want to immerse yourself in a well drawn fantasy world but with especially well drawn characters, give this book a try!

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Book Review: Hawaiian Lei of Shrunken Heads by Katerina Sestakova Novotna

What a deliciously odd and strange collection of stories Hawaiian Lei of Shrunken Heads is. I looked at the book cover several times, searching for its meaning as I completed each short story in the book. Perhaps there is a meaning, perhaps not. But what is clear that this author knows how to pull you into a story. I mean - really pull you in. At times, with the author's sweeping narrative and multi-layered plot details(albeit more prevalent in some stories than others) I really felt like I was either one of the characters, or indeed that I was in some kind of dream state.

Every little detail Katerina Sestakova Novotna has added to her stories simply enhance, never take away. There is no information dump here.

But as to what the stories are about, this is less clear how to objectively review. You see, when I read a book, I am not sways by the reviews it already has. I like to make up my own mind before seeing what others have said about it. That said, I can't remember reading a book that is so hard to categorise. On one level, it is a collection of mysteries. On another, it is an incredible informative work about Hawaiiwan culture, and running parallel to this, how the author fitted into this culture herself.

This may seem a strange reference, but it works as a guide to the islands as well as the mini-cultures that are contained within.

All these elements are fun to note, but let's take it at face value. The author has created a series of creepy works that pull you in, and you actually feel like you are being one of the characters meeting a less than stellar end in the story. To say 'I never saw that coming' is an understatement, but the author is much more clever than that. It may be obvious that something is not quite right.

I found myself screaming at the book, saying 'can't you see? This is wrong? Why can't you see it the way I do?!' But that is all part of the dark and grisly fun.

Some reviews have called this work 'original', and with that I entirely concur.

It's original, clever and most pointedly, makes you pause, think and reflect on each tale. I think my favourite was 'The Girl Who was Afraid At night', but each tale is its own awesome gem.

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Weekend Writing Workshop #5 Novel or Novella? Which Should You Write?

"Just turn to the last page, alright? The water's getting cold."

It's a busy world, and all this technology has made it rather busier. We are more connected than ever before, yet perhaps more disconnected from things that we really want to do. As readers, we want stories that are engaging, characters that are interesting, plots that twist and turn, whilst serving to excite us at the same time.

Sometimes, we just don't have time to read a full length novel.

But what about writers? Don't we have to make that decision too? Do we really have time to write that full length novel. A story of some 300 pages will take a significant amount of your time, not to mention the energy required.

However, in my experience, there's no need to panic. There is no real rule (except in traditional publishing) that a novel should be a minimum of 70,000 words. And if you want my really important and special tip from me, I really do believe this:-

"The story you need to write is the one that is inside you. It will be completed only when it is completed."

What does this mean? Well, for some of you,you will need to adopt a routine for your writing. That means several thousand words a day. For others, you won't stop until a chapter or particular scene feels right.

For me, It is any and all of the above, plus this:-

"I don't actually have anything until the book is written and completed."

I am fully seized of understanding why people say 'Oh yeah, I am writing a book.'

It takes time and effort and of course, it should. But in the end, you want an end date, otherwise it is like Captain Ahab hunting his whale. He is intent on doing it, but the pursuit is destroying him. That's why the undertaking of writing a book should never be done lightly.

Maybe you start off with an idea, and writing goes well for a while, before you run out of steam at say, the 30,000 word mark. If that is so, maybe it needs a rethink, but perhaps, it is your writer-mind's way of saying 'this just isn't meant to be a full length story.'

Plenty of short stories hit the mark better than the long ones.

So make a start, and see where you go from there - and good luck!

I've just written a thousand words today - and am happy with it. At some point, you really can start to believe in your writing ability, without ego or misplaced support from others. You will know what you you have created, it's just a case of what the world will think of your creation!

Catch up on the previous writing tips here

Book Review: Historical Cats by Linda Bartash-Dawley

In short - a fascinating book of cat-toids (or fact-oids, if you like) about (nearly) everyone's favourite domesticated pet!

Of course, there were things I knew about cats even before reading this book. Things like how a black cat shouldn't cross your path. Conversely, I have heard tales of how it is lucky to let one do so.

I suppose it may come down to this - are you kind to cats? If you are, there is no need to fear them. If not, well...having been to Egypt some years ago, we were told that the cat was almost revered like a God.

I can believe it.

At home, with our four cats, we simply adore them (though not at 2am when they want to get into the house). We are their servants!

However, the book's title is part of why I wanted to read this, but of surprising interest was the famous owners of cats, some of which I knew, but many others which I had no idea.

I found myself smiling as I read this book. Don't we read to be entertained and informed? I do! So this book will have same effect on all readers, I'm sure of it.

A great book compiled by an author who clearly understands her subject, and her audience. 

Get it today.

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Book Review: Zaryk (Twisted Epiphany, #1) by C A Jonelle

What a fantastic, adrenaline pumped ride this book is. From the opening pages, I felt I was going to enjoy this tale about a rock band called Twisted Epiphany (great name, and top of the cool pile for me) and it's clear we are in for a fast paced novel. Despite the length, it never lets up, and whilst Zaryk Gage Hunter is our MC, there are others like Lyndsay, plus Z's brothers Zayne and Zayden that light up the tale.

Most interesting is the chapter focus from each character's viewpoint. If you read the book too quickly, you would be forgiven for wondering which character is narrating. But as the reader becomes accustomed to the author's style, it's an easy, engaging read.

Although the story opens with a (grass) hockey related scene, featuring Zaryk's super cute sister Zoey (as an ex ice hockey player I was immediately invested in the story!) it immediately hits us with a something that was truly a surprise to me. I think the author was brave to write the scene so well, and I give her kudos for that.

Zaryk is a young guy, and I can recall at that age what hormones were doing to me. So although I found some of Zaryk's behaviour questionable, I couldn't help but agree that I did some of those things too. He's a player, knows his band is going places, and laps up the attention from the girls around him.

The story, whilst certainly a red on the hot scale, has a central plot line running through it that just compels you to read. It is this that I enjoyed more than the (very many) sex scenes in the book. They are well written and believable. The consequences of certain liaisons are well done too, and
I congratulate the author again on her descriptive narrative, It's excellent.

This is book one, and I wonder where it goes next. Will Zaryk ever calm down? he seems very highly strung and those around him - especially in the band, seem unable to control him, even though they say they are there for him, that's nice in theory, the practice turns out rather differently.

I also enjoyed some of the truly funny moments in the story, that, amongst the high drama of the tale, I wasn't expecting. I raise a glass to Amberlynn in this case.

Certainly read this book. The author has a clear handle on her story, and the cover - so often lacking true cohesion with the tale inside, is brilliant and gives you a believeable Zaryk.


I rate this story very highly, and believe you will too!

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~ Synopsis ~

**Not intended for those under 18. Contains mature content.** 

One fatal moment tears Zaryk’s life apart and he struggles to cope with his loss and grief. Years later, with his band ‘Twisted Epiphany’ on the cusp of success, Zaryk is finding the answers in partying and alcohol. Enter Lyndsay, a shy college girl who gives Zaryk hope that there can be happy endings in life. But one night of passion ruins his dreams of something more meaningful and spoils their friendship. Misunderstandings drive them apart and Zaryk is soon lost in a different world as ‘Twisted Epiphany’ become ever more famous. Will he get the chance to tell Lyndsay how he feels? Or will Zaryk’s stardom and Lyndsay’s insecurities keep them apart? 

A story of passion, love, loss and the pressures of fame, ‘Zaryk’ is the first in the ‘Twisted Epiphany’ series that follows Zaryk, Zayne, Zayden, Deklan and Kreed as they take their band from small town success to world-wide phenomenon. 

~ About This Author ~

C.A. Jonelle lives in a small town in Ohio with her husband, daughter, two dogs, one cat, and six fish. She's been reading for as long as she can remember.

 She wrote several hundred poems in high school and started writing stories while in her late twenties. She loves a good romance book with a tattooed and pierced rock star who is plagued by the reality of life. When she's not reading or writing, you can find her spending time with her family and friends, or just catching up on her favorite shows such as Hell's Kitchen or Devious Maids.

 She's currently working on the next book in the five part Twisted Epiphany series that is slated to come out in 2015. 

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Excerpts

Excerpt One:

(This one is intended for an audience of 18 or older. If you are unable to use it I understand. :))

She pushes her lips against mine. She bites my lower lip and my mind goes haywire. The wheels are disengaging and my brain threatens to completely shut down. That one little move drives me crazy.

I lace my fingers with hers and I lead her over to the desk, spinning her around so she’s facing away from me. My hands lightly skim down her arms, making their way to that glorious ass. I grab each cheek and squeeze. Her head falls back against my chest as she sighs.

I place a hand on her back and bend her forward. “Zaryk? What are …?”

Leaning over her I whisper, “Shhh, don’t think, just feel.”

~~~~~~~~~~~~

Excerpt Two:

I growl loudly, echoing in the night air. “I’m not going to chase after you Lyndsay!”

Stopping, she turns to face me with a startled expression on her gorgeous face.

“What is it? Is he the reason you can’t get over Kendall and me?” I move closer to her.

“Yes.” Her answer is barely a whisper.

My heart drops into the pit of my stomach. The thought of anyone hurting her touches a nerve … a big nerve. I inch closer until I’m directly in front of her. Reaching up, I glide my fingers against her neck, rubbing my thumb along her jawline. She lifts her gaze to mine.

“Tell me how he hurt you. I want to understand where this fear is coming from.”

She twists her face out of my hands and I drop them to my side. Tears are glistening in her eyes. I can’t stand to see her like this and I can’t stand how she’s making me feel right now. I can feel the fire building deep inside me. Deklan appears at the exit.

Lyndsay turns to go back inside. I’m fed up with this shit, but I don’t want to lose her. I make one last attempt and grab her arm and turn her toward me. “If you leave, you might as well take my heart with you. I won’t need it anymore, because it won’t bother to beat without you.”

Deklan freezes and watches us, his face full of concern.

I let go of her arm and she turns back toward the building. She disappears and I feel a big part of me die inside.

Book Review: Coming Around by Tom Benson

Any collection of short story erotica can only work if it is well written. Some stories that contain sexual elements can be poorly executed and it's not like I shy away from such content. Fortunately the author Tom Benson shows he is an authority at constructing each tale and knowing when to move the reader onto the next story.

Each story has something for everyone. It's also easy to be dismissive, and say to ourselves that we would never engage such things, and I am not saying that we should or will. I was reminded of the staggering success of the film 'Silence of the Lambs'. People aren't cannibals or killers in the main, yet people went in their droves. Why? If it repulses us, what is the motivation to put ourselves through the story?

It's fair to say that one would need an open mind perhaps the size of a bus to enjoy each story. Whilst there is a lot of fun to be had in each tale, I think most enjoyable thing for me was in the unpredictable outcome of each story.

The first two are probably the best in the entire collection, but again, there is something for everyone here, even if they won't admit it.

Sometimes it is fun to read a book that truly doesn't hold back on its subject matter. Would we act on any of the scenarios in the book? Almost certainly not, but that's the skill of the author. Tom Benson gives the reader a realistic setting for each story where it actually 'could' happen.


Whilst certainly not for under 18s, if you like a seriously spicy set of stories, you cannot go wrong with this!

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Book Review: Copper by Ceri Bladen

Copper is an interesting story set in 1950s Wales, centering its story around Ria (Victoria) and Morgan. Ria's family isn't exactly the wealthiesy family, but Morgan was born into the stuff, so it fits that from a financial point of view, marrying him would be a very good move, and certain to please Ria's father.

Whilst not exactly a love triangle, the author has weaved in another character - John, who may derail the future Morgan has mapped out for himself. Ria is all he wants, and he s not backwards in coming forwards when it comes to telling her so.

I have to admit that in the first half of the book, I found Ria to be annoying, often indecisive, and capable of turning on the spin of a coin. I felt Morgan's exasperation with her (at times, not always) and wondered why a man of his position would chase her the way he does.

As the story progresses, Ria's character grows, with the negative sides to her diminishing as she finds she really does care about Morgan. That said, she holds a candle for John too, but perhaps not in the way Morgan would appreciate. 

Then, a critical event happens that could split a happy future apart. This was actually the best written part of the book, along with the intriguing explanation of the story title (which could have many interpretations). 

Ultimately, Copper is a pleasing and very well written historical romance. The references to Wales are very well placed, and as the reader you can feel carried along with the story. It is a light, enjoyable read, solidly written and with a satisfying end.

This is the third book I have completed reading by this author, and I think if you give her a try, the author Ceri Bladen will soon be amongst your favourites!

Book Review: Resistance (The Institute, #2) by Kayla Howarth

Resistance is the long awaited follow-up to The Institute. Oh - hang on, didn't I read The Institute just a few weeks ago?

Luckily for us readers, this second installment was released recently, and the third installment is on its way.

Can I start with a small caveat first?

Having set everything up beautifully in The Institute, I expected Book Two to start with a bang. I have to admit to finding both books a little on the slow side at the start.

But often the best part of your food is in the middle, am I right? And it's not long before Resistance is hitting the heady heights of its predecessor.

I think our MC is much more engaging in this follow-up. She's ballsy without being an overtly annoying kick-ass heroine. If she was...she would be just another Katniss cut-out.

Fortunately, we are saved from any repetitive girl on fire by someone who is not actually on fire, but is at boiling point all the same.

Now part of the 'inside', Allira continues her resistance against the state but with echoes of not really knowing who to trust.

There are some fascinating scenes in the book - Brookfield's interrogation of her was genuinely chilling and it seems that as the book progressed, we were being led up to one big bang, then another, then another.

Resistance is brilliant once it gets going. Perhaps the slowish-start is my view only, and not anyone else's. This is fine, as the storytelling is pure quality and yes..the dialogue is far better too.

There was one real humdinger of a scene in the book, and it happens about two thirds in. It's so good, that even if you predicted it, just watch it unfold and excite you as Allira and everyone around her must deal with its consequences.

Put simply, this is shaping up to be the best dystopian trilogy I have read in a while...since, ooh, I don't know....The Hunger Games.

Praise indeed, but praise deserved.

Now stop what you are doing and get a hold of this series.

Buy on Amazon

Book Review: Jordan's Brains (A Zombie Evolution) by J Cornell Michel

Jordan's Brains has been on my read list for too long, far too long, but like most things we apply patience to, they turn out to be well worth the wait. I hadn't read a zombie tale in about a year, and the trend seemed to be all very samey. Fortunately, the author has stayed away from the old zombie cliches, whilst giving us some rip roaring funny moments, that quite honestly, I never expected.

J Cornell Michel has a real talent for surprise. There are many twists and turns in this story, and like I have said (without giving anything away which would spoil it) this is a fun zombie read with a heart - one which may be handed to you.

It's also rather scary in parts, with 'Resident Evil' type jumps thrown in aplenty. That doesn't mean we really get used to them - the author weaves quite a bit of suspense into the tale and again, if you can see it coming, you're better than me.

Whilst the story itself is good - and the sheer number of reviews on here have covered that already in depth, for me, the real star was the dialogue. It was funny on many occasions, always interesting, and always going somewhere.

"Do you remember anything about being a zombie?"

"Yeah, but I don't want to talk about it."

You could take that as funny, or poignant, but the book is choc-full of dialogue like this.

"If somebody wants cigarettes during the zombie apocalypse, then I should be the one to help."

With more zombie action than you can possibly take a spade to, I recommend you give this book a try. I loved it. In fact, I would go as far as to say it is the best zombie-themed book I have ever read. Pop culture references that seem so forced in some other books I have read are brilliantly placed in this one. I saw Night of the Living Dead on tv - that was enough to scare me. I can't imagine seeing it on a big screen cinema!

I'm off to find a blue t-shirt with 'This is What A Zombie Looks Like". Then I think I'll re-read this book. In short, if anyone recommends this book or indeed this author to you, get it and read it quick. I absolutely loved it.

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Book Review: Persona by Ceri Bladen

Synopsis: (from the Author): Actor, Daniel Spittle is confident, arrogant and a womaniser… Well, that is what the public see. Only family and Eric, his friend, are allowed to see past this public persona. 

Journalist, Ella Hender is confident and slightly aloof… A professional mask that she uses to hide her feelings of inadequacy. With her personal life in a mess, she struggles with her growing feelings for Daniel. 

When they are forced together through work, the attraction is instant, but fraught with complications. But, there is someone else who is hiding their real personality behind a persona. And this person has the ability to destroy….

Review:  Persona could be viewed as a light read for a Sunday afternoon, and in many ways, it's easy to see why. The story centres around Daniel, who is a model, an actor, a celebrity - and the object of many a woman's affections. Not all of these affections are well meaning, and as the story develops, some of these ladies mean to hurt Daniel and the one he really cares for, namely Ella.

The story bounces around gently for the first few chapters. If you don't stick with it, you'll miss a surprising and very welcome change about a third into the book, where things take a rather sinister and nasty turn. You kind of expect one person to upset the nice future Daniel and Ella appear to have for themselves, only for something completely unexpected to happen.

From there until the end, the story turns from light romance to a rather taut and smart thriller. The kind of I would have seen Ashley Judd in one of the roles.

Persona is made great because of a key thing - the STORY. The characters in the early stages didn't add quite enough to it for me, but as the story grew, my interest in one character - Eric - grew too - for me, he was the best in the entire story.

The amount of newspaper column inches, magazines, not to mention the internet coverage of certain 'celebs' is a bore for me. Daniel is a 'celeb' of sorts and the rather slippery yet exotic Scarlett does add a lot of weight to this tale. In the end, Persona is worth reading because the author has once again shown her talent for holding the reader's attention. It's arguably better than her other notable work - Isca. But having read both, I suggest you do too.

Highly enjoyable, and definitely recommended.

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Cover Reveal: The Ghost of Normandy Road (Haunted Minds Book One)

Synopsis:

Three Legends. One True Horror.

An old house stands on Normandy Road, uncared for and uninhabited for years, until one day, believing an urban legend that no-one dares to live there, a young boy decides to cross its threshold.

Yet the house is far from empty - within its walls, a terrible evil has been disturbed. 

It will take one brave soul three of the longest nights of his life to unlock its secrets, but will he live to tell the tale?

***

Although told as a work of fiction, this tale really is based on a true story.

Wait. True story, you say?

Yes. Well. Sort of. You see, there really is a Normandy Road, and there is a red-brick house that stands on its own there too. When I was a kid, it was a bit run down, so I could go into the house, even though I wasn't supposed to. The house certainly had something eerie about it. I only wish I could have shown you what it looked like back then. It has since been done up. It looks like this now.

On the upstairs landing, there was a room and I dared to enter it. There was a wardrobe in one of the rooms, and one of the double doors was ajar. I didn't look into it, the first time I went inside, but I was braver the second time.

What was inside? A bloody corpse. A skeleton. The carcasses of a family piled on top of each other.

No. Nothing so dramatic as that. But there was something odd. The wardrobe had lots of clothes in them - and the period...you'll have to forgive me, but it was a long time ago and I really have think hard to work out the details. The wardrobe had clothes in it. That's all - but they were maybe from the 1950s and 1960s, and when you think I first went into the place in the early to mid 1980s...that means the house was probably empty for all that time.

I never had the 'GET OUT' moment that happens in 'Amityville' but there definitely was a presence there. But there's no more to the story....except that I believe I saw the ghost of a girl in the window. My imagination has always been vivid...but not that good! 

So yes, I would say the place was definitely haunted. I wonder do the current inhabitants know?  

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Book Review: Oxford Marmalade by Lesley Hayes

Synopsis: From the author - Oxford: A place where liaisons are made and hearts are broken. There's Dinah and her second husband Piers, happily married for 15 years, or are they? Then there's Dinah's son Kit, involved with Poppy, whose husband only realizes he loves her when it's too late...

Review: After reading a number of longish stories, it was nice to get back to a short story style, and in the case of Oxford Marmalade, we have several short stories to sample on.

From the cover, it's virtually impossible to tell what is contained within its pages, but from page one, we can understand the author's extremely creative approach to writing. The beauty of this book is that it's possible to read one story, feel you have completed something and understood it, before going about your usual routine. 

However, in many cases the stories are linked through the characters and it is here that I think Oxford Marmalade elevates itself from a potential nice and okay set of stories, to something far greater.

There are eight tales in all, good value for a short collection of stories, and predictably opens up with the title story. Focussing on a rather strange marriage (not that there are many normal marriages!) where husband and wife have grown apart after fifteen years together, instead of strengthening the bond that living together, winning and losing battles together, looking out for each other, should duly involve.

Piers is a man with certain standards, likes things 'just so' and his wife Dinah needs to go along with it. Not that Piers is a control freak - he just appears like someone best not to mess with his order of the universe.

He seems the polar opposite of Dinah's first husband, an American she was with for seven glorious and wild years. Seven wild years that produced one son, called Kit.

The marriage with oh-so-British Piers seems to have become a bit too sedate for Dinah. He would begin by saying things like (paraphrased) 'pass the marmalade, old thing...'

Truly, I can see where Dinah's coming from. I may be older than some people, but certainly younger than others. Once Piers refers to his wife like this, he's saying 'Oh, you're comfortable for me...I can say things like this to you and they really are terms of endearment. You're not really an old thing. Now pass me my super special marmalade.'

How about drowning Saville Row suit-wearing Piers in the stuff?

His snobbish ways are the opposite of Kit's slow drawled father. Perhaps Dinah was missing him, and we are perhaps all guilty on occasion of thinking of our former loves, no matter how well our current relationship is going.

Dinah's problem with Piers, if it could be confined to just one, was that he was a throwback to another time, perhaps one that exists in his mind only.  He would be pleasant without being exciting, promoting a facade of decency rather than being true to himself.

That said, I could understand Piers' revulsion when Dinah would speak with ex-husband Hubbard. It seemed that time - or the predictable marriage in which she now found herself had tempered her feelings somewhat. During phone conversations, the Dinah that Piers expected her to be was rather different with her ex.

The battle that became a war of two losers, ultimately became resolved by time and other factors. Could I see Piers and Dinah - post THIS marriage, acting in this way? I'm not sure I could.

There's all sorts of fascinating angles at play here. Normally, marriage stories would be a no-no for me. Coronation Street, EastEnders and so on are a permanent non-fixture in my home, because there is only so many times you can recycle a story. You know where it's going before it has ended. There is no surprise, no wonder, one dimensional characters that you basically would not care to have living anywhere near you.

Kit is a reminder of what Dinah once had, and Piers naturally has a rocky relationship with him because of it. 

Through later stories, we understand Kit's seething hatred for Piers, but 'good old chap' Piers doesn't bite the bait, even in one of my favourite scenes in the entire book. 

So why should you read this book? Well, Oxford Marmalade is a collection of stories that are cleverly written, often with a prose that made me feel a lot more educated as a result. Sometimes I read books and feel like I have lost brain cells in the battle to care about the characters the author created to light up the page.

Oxford Marmalade has an impressive cast of characters that all have their own motivations. The reveals are something you will see coming, or you won't. That's the author's power - Miss Hayes gives you a set of believable circumstances  (especially in the collection's second tale, Under the Circumstances), that makes you believe everything is Piers-like...in other words, just so.

It's hard for me to categorise this book. Suffice to say, this is a different, engaging, brilliantly written tale (or tales, but you will see the link between them all) of people at different stages of their lives. Different stages, wants, desires, ambitions, and needs.

Some of the lines, depending on where you are in your life, really do hit home with amazing clarity. It's so great when an author can do this, but as I said, her ability is obvious from page one.

"You don't like Americans on principle....you've never forgiven them because one got to screw my mother before you, and turned her into a package deal that included me."

"The beast with two backs." (I've kept that very short...if you know what it means, great...if not, you really do need to read this collection!).

"He turned from prince to frog and croaked his slimy way back through the forest into the bloodied heart of the dying sunset."

Poetic, written with authority, and always engaging, Oxford Marmalade should not just be on your to-read list, it should be on your to-read-TODAY- list.

Enjoy.

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Book Review: Darkly Wood by Max Power

"The Wicked Witch of the West was the bad one." Heather Donahue

"Then we should go West." Michael Williams.

- The Blair Witch Project, 1999

Having been on my read list since February, through creating works of my own I have read a number of books in that time. Darkly Wood, by author Max Power, has affected me more than most, and even though I have finished it today, I think I will be thinking about this book for a long, long time.

Darkly Wood has a run time of almost 400 pages, and each page contains magic, mystery, and a dark compelling tale that, like the film I quoted at the top of this review, has no gratuitous scenes and just a few violent segments that are purely in context.

When I was a young kid, I read stories by Ruth Manning-Sanders. She collected many stories, often from the Baltic European states, placing them in book collections like Ghost and Goblins, Witches and Wizards, and so on. Each story was compelling, different, and utterly unforgettable. I still have those books, and many more by Ruth Manning-Sanders, more than 30 years on.

Having completed the book, I scanned through some of the other reviews, and mentions are made to Edgar Allan Poe, and I can understand the comparison.

When the heroine of the story, the plucky and able Daisy May first happens across a book by J S Toner, The Tales of Darkly Wood, and she begins to read the stories contained within, every segment focusses on a single character, and over the next few pages, we are introduced to the character's story, motivations, and back story. Then, as they typically do, their life literally unravels before our eyes. Then the chapter has ended, and we are back with Daisy, who, against her better judgement, seems unable to stay from visiting the Darkly Wood of the title.

I recently read 'Forsaken', a clever story within a story about a writer, and a witch that he would have appeared to have created, now inexplicably able to attack his family in the real world. I never thought, on reading Darkly Wood, that this clever story within a story ultimately brings us, along with Daisy May, to the awful terror that resides within Darkly Wood.

We've all heard those tales. And it was never so expertly summed up than by one uncredited man in The Blair Witch Project when he said "Damn fool kids'll never listen."

Only Daisy May doesn't seek confrontation with the beast. But in line with the boy she cares about, there seems to be only one way to unravel its dark secrets - and enter the cursed place.

The author is from Ireland and the Emerald Isle is famous for its scary places. Indeed, the best horror writers are from Ireland in my view - Bram Stoker, and Sheridan le Fanu to name but two.

In Darkly Wood, each chapter creates a dream like state that really makes you think. I really don't know how the author has created this work - it is a hugely ambitious tale that is woven absolutely superbly.

I was utterly engrossed in the tale, but had to leave it after a few chapters to try and absorb them. On their own, each could have been expanded into a story on their own.

The characters, once introduced, are not ones you will forget. The names are clever - unusual - but very clever, and I could not disagree more with one review that said this story used flowery language. I have read many books that were heading for a strong three or four star rating (or better) only to spoil it with pretentious fluffy words that just killed what could have been a great story.

This story has NONE of that. It's perhaps too clever for anyone who wants blood and guts, endless sex scenes, and a story without a soul. What a soul this book has!

This story is without peer for me. I loved it, absolutely loved it. 

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