Book Review: A Noble Pair of Brothers (The Underwood Mysteries #1)

I read for many reasons, but one of the strongest reasons is that I want to be transported into a world that I think I would really enjoy. There's something so appealing by a story set in the Regency period. A time where men were true gentlemen and ladies were refined and demure. That doesn't mean I view the period through rose tinted glasses, far from it.

But the period instantly appealed to me, and even the blurb doesn't give everything away. Is this a mystery, a historical romance, a crime thriller? in many ways, it is all of these things.

I actually enjoyed the measured pace and descriptive writing style of the author. Miss Downes leaves nothing to chance; you understand where you are and when you are - and her characters are extremely well drawn and entertaining (Chuffy needs his own book!).

For some, the pace may be too slow. I say don't expect each book to run at lightning speed. A Noble Pair of Brothers works on practically every level I could have wished for.

A professor takes leave to visit his brother, who is a vicar in a quaint English village. Of course, it is the kind of place where everyone knows everyone else, is the very definition of 'let sleeping dogs lie' and yet, the wily professor is fascinating by the unknown / unmarked grave of the person who died in mysterious circumstances. The beauty of living in England is that there are lots of villages like this, and I grin each time I visit such a place, knowing that the people there all know each other, but don't know me.

The brothers should be like peas in a pod but the author has given them great distinctiveness and even though there is an underlying sub-plot about marrying the women of the story off to well-to-do men, a given of the period, it is a necessary device and welcome diversion from the mystery that slowly unravels.

For some, the pace may be too slow. I say don't expect each book to run at lightning speed. A Noble Pair of Brothers works on practically every level I could have wished for. It took me a while to read it, some of you may devour it more quickly. But I promise you that you will enjoy this first in the series, and I am going to read the second book in due course.

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Book Review: Choices (New Beginnings, #1) by Michelle Lynn

It is no easy task to introduce a new story, a new series with one or two characters that you root for. What is interesting about Michelle Lynn's newest work is that she has created characters that add a lot to the story. Michaela is the star of the book but her star is risen somewhat with the addition of the enigmatic Jason, wildcard Ethan, but also other characters that you would think would dumb it down.

Michaela has overbearing family that are determined their young lady (a recurring reference used as back handed compliment, but is really a put-down) follow the path they have chosen for her. You would think this is happening in some totalitarian state, but it's not! Michaela is no introverted nymph...she knows what she wants, accepts heartache will be part of the gig, and just gets on with things. She won't be told what to do by anyone, but she doesn't go out of her way to hurt anyone either. So basically Michaela is a nice girl who people closest to her would be wise not to take advantage of.

I have to say that I approached this book wondering if I would really like it. Having read Miss Lynn's superlative (a deserving description if ever there was one) dystopian series Dawn of Rebellion, I quite honestly thought 'how does one go from dystopian to contemporary romance so easily'?

Michaela's mother, for example. She is not so typical as you'd expect. I particularly liked the exchanges between these two, the dialogue was believable and realistic.

In addition the character of Chris who hangs out with Jason is a cool combination. Their dialogue switches effortlessly between sharp observations of the pains in their lives, but also biting, humorous wit; the kind only two good friends can come out with between themselves.

I like Michaela a lot. She is also significantly different from Miss Lynn's siblings in DoR (Dawn of Rebellion) that she has her own 'voice'.

I have to say that I approached this book wondering if I would really like it. Having read Miss Lynn's superlative (a deserving description if ever there was one) dystopian series Dawn of Rebellion, I quite honestly thought 'how does one go from dystopian to contemporary romance so easily'?

The author shows her skill and growing stature as a writer with this new series. I kept hoping Dawn or Gabby (from dawn of Rebellion) would make an appearance here, but the author made a difficult choice of her own, breaking with such a well known series to branch out here.

I'm also not a huge fan of contemporary romance, though there are a handful of authors slowly changing my opinion on this.

Michelle Lynn can be counted amongst them. 

Buy on Amazon

Update from Author John Hennessy / Dark Winter III news / Kobo Books, and New Books from me

Hello everyone.

After a great start to 2016 in terms of my writing goals and hitting them day after day, I hit a bit of bad luck, hard times, call them what you will. In short, it affected my writing and yet as I am writer, I know it won't be a permanent thing.

It could be life's way of saying slow down and focus on some other things. Perhaps. But it's like anything one is into, one has to do it, otherwise, the Cranky Monster will appear. Everyone knows who the Cranky Monster is; it just happens to be different depending on who you are and what you like to do. For most authors, they will feel very cranky if they don't get some writing done.

A lack of writing does not infer a lack of writing focus. In my case, I was finalising tweaks to the concluding segment of the Dark Winter trilogy. There's always mini-errors and omissions that one will find. Over the course of a 110,000 word novel, you bet there are.

Will it be a happy or violently bloody end for Romilly Winter?

However, my process involves viewing it in Word, as a PDF, printing off the entire thing from my own printer, sending it to beta readers, before viewing a proof edition. Even then, I am not finished.

But I am close. The book is available on Kindle via pre-order, with its official release being 21st February 2016. Once I had decided to move the date from October 2015, I felt I could deliver the final edition that I wanted to do. The end will please some, annoy others, but as JK Rowling herself said about the closure of her Harry Potter series, as the author of the work, she was happy. I am too with my own series. And now it is over to the good readers out there to tell the world what they think.

I've already had one review on Good Reads (thank you J Kahele) and I hope more of you will read the book (and the series, because the final book is not a standalone) and up until 21st February, both Dark Winter (I): The Wicca Circle and Dark Winter (II): Crescent Moon can be bought on Amazon for 99c/p each. This changes after 21st February - they will never be 99c/p again.

Kobo. Oh yes, I love Amazon who do help authors a lot to get their name out there, but I am branching out to other platforms too, and on Kobo you can already get Murderous Little Darlings on there, Amazon, iBooks and Nook.

But I will be adding The Ghost of Normandy Road (Haunted Minds I) to the platform in the next day or so, so Kobo users can get it there. But if you can't wait, look it up on Amazon for now.

With Dark Winter III done and basically dusted, fans of my works can look forward to the fifth vampire tale - Reunion of the Blood - which I hope to release end of April. I realise it is nearly a full year since book four - Dream the Crow's Dream came out, but you know I have been busy writing all new works.

March will see the paperback edition of my non-fiction How to Write, Keep Writing and Keep Motivated: Tips for Aspiring Authors book coming out. Kindle version here

So the wait is nearly over for that one.

Currently Writing:-

i) A dystopian tale to thrill and chill you. Anyone who knows me knows how highly I rate George Orwell's Nineteen-Eighty-Four, so expect something that I admit was inspired by this work, but will have my own unique take on the genre.

ii) A tale about a writer who plans to quit his successful career to spend the remainder of his years with his wife. Things don't quite work out as planned.....

I am excited about both, but made more progress on the latter. So it is likely that will come out first.


See you next time.

THIS WEEKEND ONLY

Hello friends!

The witches, demons, devils and normal folk are back for the final chapter. So I have some freebies for you. But you have to enter to win!

WEEKEND SPECIAL! February 6th/7th/8th ONLY - 

HOW TO WIN: 1 (no purchase necessary)

Tweet, share on Facebook, Google+, Tumblr and so on, Sign up to my email list to be entered into a draw for an Amazon Gift Card

HOW TO WIN: 2: (purchase necessary)

Buy Dark Winter 1 and 2 and sign up to my email list to be entered into a draw for a SIGNED copy of Dark Winter III

HOW TO WIN: 3: (purchase necessary)

Pre-order the Kindle version of Dark Winter III: Last Rites on Kindle THIS WEEKEND ONLY or buy the paperback (available now) to be entered into a draw for a KINDLE FIRE

The website for sign-ups:-

http://kate895.wix.com/authorjohnhennessy

Amazon page for Dark Winter I & II:-

http://www.amazon.com/…/B0…/ref=la_B0068UGR44_1_7_twi_kin_2…

Amazon page for Dark Winter III (pre-order released 21.02.16)

http://www.amazon.com/…/B…/ref=la_B0068UGR44_1_14_twi_kin_1…

Or grab the paperback now:-

http://www.amazon.com/…/…/1523862424/ref=la_B0068UGR44_1_13…

AFTER FEBRUARY 21st Dark Winter will NOT be offered at this special low price ever again.

Winners will be contacted after 21st February, with the prizes on the way before end of February.

Book Review: Heart-Warming Tales by Brenda Mohammed

Synopsis: This book contains Five Heart Warming Tales.

1."The Psychiatrist and the Thief," is a comedy- mystery . 

2."Her Online Predator" is an exciting mystery - thriller /romance. It is a must read especially for young people who like to make friends on the Internet..That friend you make may not be who he/she claims to be. 

3."A Marriage on the Rocks," is about a young couple who had serious problems in their marriage. Did their marriage survive?

4."The Undertaker's wife" is about a suspicious wife who doubted her husband.

5."Letters of Love" A loving brother seeks to guide his sister on the right path with his spiritual wisdom. 

Review: This is the second collection of stories I have read in a row. This author is new to me so it is interesting to pick up this writer's particular 'voice' and over the course of this book, it comes across well. 

Her Online Predator is perhaps the best of a strong bunch of stories, with Marriage On the Rocks a close second (though the male character Roberto was a little to subservient to his wife for my liking). The Undertaker's Wife has a wonderful underlying plot - we can probably see what is coming before the end, and its cool to see the MC freaking out along the way, before the big reveal is made.

All the stories are well written and readable. The stories are different from each other and make for interesting reading. Recommended.

Book Review: The Clock Man and Other Stories by Eric Lathi

Synopsis: Enter worlds of magic and dragons, martial arts and mayhem 

A woman waits in a plain white room, wondering why she's there and what's about to happen. 

A man and his talking gun hunt the bogeyman. 

A family finds its house is haunted and sets out to trap the ghosts, but what if the ghosts aren't the real problem? 

Far underneath a city, the figure of a man rests. For decades he's remained perfectly motionless. Last night he moved. 

In a world of magic, martial arts, and dragons, one man controls the flow of magic. Now his daughter wants him dead. 

Zapp Blander always dreamed of being a hero. When a man named Jack shows up, Zapp might just get his chance. 

She was designed to choose which slain warriors got to go to Valhalla, but Kara has developed her own ideas. 

The bogeyman of New Mexico is beaten and fed what should be a simple task: Kill the boy.

Review: 

"Like every other senator, Bedfellow feels slightly dirty after intermingling with the people he claims to represent."

- Awaken.

The Clock Man is the key part of a delectable sandwich, a cocktail of explosive tales that are as addictive as they are compelling. Entering the world of this author, especially in this collection, requires perhaps more than one read.That's why my rating is around 4.5 stars. There's enough five star awesomeness in this book to round it up though.

The Clock Man is by far the longest story, almost reading like a mini-novel in itself. I'm glad the author decided to add other gems in here, the David Lynch / Oliver Stone-esue 'Zona Peligrosa' (you can just feel Leonard Cohen and Charlie Weathers eeking out the soundtrack).

I read the stories in order, and the opener 'Exceeds Expectations' certainly does that.

Awaken brings us back into the world of the Henchmen, the author's prior works, and it's a welcome addition. It's like the author is saying 'this story is for everyone who loved Henchmen'.

 "a cocktail of explosive tales that are as addictive as they are compelling"

Near to the close is 'Eve', a nod to one of the major characters in the Henchmen series. I thought this one would be stronger than it turned out to be. Perhaps if you haven't read Henchmen you will enjoy this segment all the more.

There's a poetic quality to this author's writing punctuated with snappy dialogue and a believable narrative. Add to that the author's talent for the descriptive - you have a sense of your surroundings even when you're lost. If I ever find myself in a desert without a compass, I'm bringing Eric Lahti along for the ride.

Buy on Amazon

Book Review: The Heir (The Selection, #4) by Keira Cass

Synopsis: Princess Eadlyn has grown up hearing endless stories about how her mother and father met. Twenty years ago, America Singer entered the Selection and won the heart of Prince Maxon—and they lived happily ever after. Eadlyn has always found their fairy-tale story romantic, but she has no interest in trying to repeat it. If it were up to her, she'd put off marriage for as long as possible.

But a princess's life is never entirely her own, and Eadlyn can't escape her very own Selection—no matter how fervently she protests.

Eadlyn doesn't expect her story to end in romance. But as the competition begins, one entry may just capture Eadlyn's heart, showing her all the possibilities that lie in front of her . . . and proving that finding her own happily ever after isn't as impossible as she's always thought.

Review:  The Heir is easily the best book in The Selection series, and I was surprised as anyone that after the events in The One, that the author would be penning further adventures in Illea. In full disclosure I must state that I found America 'Mer' Singer from the earlier books a so-so MC. Then along comes her daughter Eadlyn in book four and she is totally different. She's brattish, arrogant and spoilt. You might think this is a recipe for disaster especially when her father Maxon proposes a new Selection take place.

The Heir sees the Selection all grown up.

Here is where the author has got it right - in book one it was lacking a dystopian feel, and by the time of The One it seemed to have dropped the pretence that it was ever a dystopian series. The Heir works better in the understanding of the ruling monarchy and its subjects - Maxon only proposes a new round because it keeps the masses distracted.

Isn't that what all governments want for their people? Distraction, control, with the media (state or otherwise) filling the airwaves with bad news.

And it gets worse for Eadlyn, because some of the guys in the Selection do not want to be there at all. There's no fawning over each other with Eadlyn and Kile unlike the protracted Maxon-Mer-Aspen mess.

The Heir sees the Selection all grown up. It's an entertaining read that fans of the first trilogy may deem unnecessary, but I think Eadlyn is by far the most interesting character, and the story is all the more readable for the focus on her.