Tag: book blog

The Clockmaker’s Daughter by Kate Morton

Title: The Clockmaker’s Daughter
Author: Kate Morton
Pub. Date: 9-Oct-2018
Rating: 4 Stars

The Clockmaker’s Daughter by Kate Morton is a historical fiction story that centers on a murder that occurred in the summer of 1862 at Birchwood Manor. There are multiple narrators, each has a connection to Birchwood and they all play their part in the history of Birchwood, thus making the house, as much as the murder, the focus of the story.

In 1862 Birchwood Manor, sitting on the banks of the Thames, is owned by Edward Radcliff, an artist with exceptional talent. He is the founding member of the Magenta Brotherhood a group of London artists who are eccentric and whose works are considered ground breaking. He invites the members of the Brotherhood to come stay at Birchwood that summer to create and be inspired. Unfortunately, before the summer is over Edward’s fiancée is murdered and his muse Lily Millington has disappeared along with the Radcliff Blue a unique and highly valuable diamond. The police discover that Lily was a thief from early childhood and it is believed she and the diamond made a swift exit to America. However, the diamond has never turned up again in over 100 years.  Which leads one to ask, what really happened that summer?  Continue reading “The Clockmaker’s Daughter by Kate Morton”

The Paris Wedding by Charlotte Nash

Title: The Paris Wedding
Author: Charlotte Nash
Pub. Date: 12/Jun-2018
Rating: 4 Stars

After reading the blurb, I thought The Paris Wedding by Charlotte Nash would be about the main character, Rachael, putting her past behind her and finding love in Paris. In other words, a beach read that is heavy on the romance. Boy was I wrong. It is really about a young woman finding her place in the world.

Rachael West has been caring for her mother for the past ten years, ever since she was diagnosed with a rare form of MS. Rachael has sacrificed going to college, a career and her first love, all to care for and watch as her mother slowly succumbs to the disease. Just after her Mother has passed away, she receives a wedding invitation to Matthew’s, her high school sweetheart, wedding. He is marrying Bonnie Quinn, the daughter of a billionaire and the wedding is in Paris with all expenses paid.  Continue reading “The Paris Wedding by Charlotte Nash”

Song of Blood and Stone by L. Penelope

Title: Song of Blood and Stone
Author: L. Penelope
Pub. Date: 1-May-2018
Rating: 2 Stars

The first thing that drew me to Song of Blood and Bone, by L. Penelope, was the cover art and once I read the blurb I was super excited to read.  Now I feel let down and under whelmed. I never felt a connection to the characters and the plot did not draw me in.

Normally, at this point I do a synapsis. Right now I am finding myself at a loss for words. This is so unlike me and speaks volume.  I usually have to control myself and not go on and on about what I have read. I should not be surprised since it took me three tries to finally get to the end. Continue reading “Song of Blood and Stone by L. Penelope”

The Book of M by Peng Shepherd

Title: The Book of M
Author: Peng Shepherd
Pub. Date: 5-Jun-2018
Rating: 3.5 Stars

The Book of M, by Peng Shepherd, is a quirky, out-there, grab you by-the-pants debut novel. I think it will be one of those books that will leave readers thinking long after the last page has been turned. I predict some will be so-so about it and some will love it. Personally, I fall into the former and I will explain why later.

Sometime in the near future it will happen. People will start to lose their shadows and with it they slowly lose their memories. With the loss of memories comes the ability to perform a deadly and dangerous magic. It starts slowly with one man in India and as it spreads across the globe whole societies began to collapse. Continue reading “The Book of M by Peng Shepherd”

The Wounded Shadow by Patrick W. Carr

Title: The Wounded Shadow
Author: Patrick W. Carr
Pub. Date: 3-Apr-2018
Rating: 5 Stars

The Wounded Shadow by Patrick W. Carr is the third installment in the Darkwater Saga. It was a little slow going at first; but once I got into the story, I could not read fast enough. I predict this will be one of my favorites for the year.

There are so many things to say about this book I am not sure where to start. So, I am going to just jump right in with the world building, which has to be the most elaborate I think I have had the pleasure to read in a long time. In this way, it was reminiscent of the Lord of the Rings trilogy. The imagination, time and effort it took to construct this world is just mind boggling. The thought of how to keep it all straight while you are developing the plot is enough to give me a head ache.

Continue reading “The Wounded Shadow by Patrick W. Carr”

Sky in the Deep by Adrienne Young

Title: Sky in the Deep
Author: Adrienne Young
Pub. Date: 24-Apr-2018
Rating: 5 Stars

The gorgeous cover is what drew me to Sky in the Deep by Adrienne Young. After reading the blurb, I was like; I have to read this one. The story is a Vikingish YA fantasy with a heroine you will fall for within the first few pages. It is a beautifully crafted tale and I dare you not to get hooked by the end of the first chapter.

Eelyn is a warrior for the Aska clan and has been training since a young girl to fight their sworn enemy the Riki. She fights alongside her friend Myra and together they are fierce on the battle field. Until one day Eelyn almost gets killed by a young Riki warrior. Her brother, Iri, saves her. Yet, this cannot be possible, Iri died five years ago in another battle against the Riki. Continue reading “Sky in the Deep by Adrienne Young”

School for Physics by K. C. Archer

Title: School for Physics
Author: K. C. Archer
Pub. Date: 3-Apr-2018
Rating: 5 Stars

School for Physics by K. C. Archer is an explosive new urban fantasy series with a good dash of crime thriller on the side. It reads like a Harry Potter story for adults. I was on the edge of my seat almost the entire time and second guessing myself right to the very end.

Theodora Cannon, aka Teddy, lives in Las Vegas above the garage of her adopted parents’ house. After a series of very bad decisions she currently owes over a quarter of a million to a Russian loan shark. You are probably wondering how someone ends up in such a situation at so young an age. Simple, you like to gamble. Teddy has even gone so far as to “borrow” money from her parents’ retirement account. Continue reading “School for Physics by K. C. Archer”

River Rising by John A. Heldt

Title: River Rising
Author: John A. Heldt
Pub. Date: 20-Sep-2017
Rating: 5 Stars

River Rising by John A. Heldt is a historical fiction/fantasy novel set in 1888/89 and today. It follows the adventures of a time traveling family, who end up in the wrong place at the right time, as they attempt to find lost love ones and return to the present day.

Adam Carson, along with his siblings: Greg, Natalie, Cody and Caitlin, are devastated when their parents fail to return from a hiking trip. As time goes by, they are presumed dead. Then they find out the most unbelievable thing, their parents are time travelers. Continue reading “River Rising by John A. Heldt”

Beneath a Scarlet Sky by Mark T. Sullivan

Title: Beneath a Scarlet Sky
Author: Mark T. Sullivan
Pub. Date: 1-May-2017
Rating: 5 Stars

A friend of mine, knowing I love books with a historical setting, highly recommended Beneath a Scarlet Sky by Mark T. Sullivan. Hands down, this is the best historical nonfiction book I have read in several years. Mr. Sullivan takes us through the incredible true story of Pino Lella, as a young man, living in Milan through the last two years of WWII.

At the age of seventeen, Pino Lella is sent by his parents to a Catholic camp for boys in the Italian Alps, near the Swiss border, in order to escape the allied bombing of Milan. Drawing upon his mountaineering skills, he assists the priest in guiding Jews across the Alps into Switzerland and to safety. Upon his eighteenth birthday he will be faced with the draft. Therefore, his parents recall him home to Milan and insist he enlist in the Germany Army. They feel this is the only way he will remain safe, since youths enlisting in the Italian Army are sent directly to the Russian front. Continue reading “Beneath a Scarlet Sky by Mark T. Sullivan”

10 Tips for Becoming a Better Writer by Kate Murdoch

I am very pleased to have author Kate Murdoch offer her insight into becoming a better writer on this guest post. Kate is the author of Stone Circle a historical fantasy novel.

 

Guest Post:

  1. Read widely and often

The more diverse your reading the better – research books, different genres, authors you’ve never tried before. Go outside your comfort zone and watch as it influences your own expression.

  1. Declutter your prose

It sounds basic, but this is, for me, the most crucial point. Are your sentences pared back enough? Have you cut adverbs, ‘that’, and ‘was’ as much as possible? Extraneous words are your enemy and must be annihilated. Clarify your sentences. Better to be plain and make sense than be clever and confusing.

  1. Beta readers

Join beta reading groups, either online or in real life. These readers will be professional, unbiased and possibly quite blunt. But this is what you need. To see your work exactly as it is, not what you wish it to be.

  1. Watch people and observe them

It sounds cold, but it’s important to watch others, truly observe them. How do they express themselves when they’re upset or jubilant? Eavesdrop on conversations, make up potential stories about people you see in the street. Observe your own emotions — how do they manifest physically? What kinds of thoughts go through your mind? You own reactions will be the resource you will use the most. Continue reading “10 Tips for Becoming a Better Writer by Kate Murdoch”