Monthly Archives: August 2016

Review

A Rose In No Man’s Land

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rose_in_no_mans_landI am a middle-aged male who does not read romance. I just am not into it, and writing about a male character’s “navy-blue eyes” doesn’t float my boat. But after an online discussion on an Amazon forum about historical issues with the cover of this book (which I found out that the author was completely in agreement with my point and had the same issues when she first saw it), I was gifted a copy of the book and decided to give it a shot. I am not sure what I expected, but what I did not expect was to enjoy the book so much.

On a basic level, proofing and editing was superb, and formatting was excellent. Other than the cover, I saw nothing that jumped out and grabbed me as something to be fixed.

I do like historical fiction, and the author obviously did a tremendous amount of research to get the setting correct. I tried to catch her in an inaccuracy, but, to be frank, I couldn’t. I have seen many, many more issues with military books, and here is a romance which puts them all to shame.

The author did a tremendous job in giving a feel for the utter horror of a war such as WWI. She didn’t merely reflect the historical aspects of the war, but the emotional toll that this type of war extracted from the people who fought it. I am pretty familiar with the war itself and have walked the battlefields, yet I thought the author really brought it to life.

As someone who reads historical fiction, I found this book really hit the mark, and on those grounds, I would recommend it to anyone. However, this is not an historical milfic. This is a romance, and the target market for this book would be people who read romance. I don’t read romance, so maybe I am not best qualified to judge the book on those merits. I will say, though, for an old fuddy-duddy who doesn’t read the genre, I enjoyed that aspect of the book, much to my surprise. I thought the romance was well-developed and emotionally tugging. I personally am not a fan of jealousy, and one comment Amy’s English lover made almost floored me, but other than that, I found this raison d’etre just as enjoyable as the rest of the book. Maybe I have been missing out on a huge number of great books simply because I have not given romance a chance.

I would enthusiastically recommend this book to those who enjoy milfic, historical fiction, romance, and anyone who just enjoys a well-written, enjoyable novel.

About the reviewer:

larryscatJonathan Brazee is a retired Marine infantry colonel who after years of writing non-fiction, wrote his first novel while serving in Iraq. He independently published it, hoping to sell a few copies to friends and family, and was pleasantly surprised when the book gained traction among the general reading public. Twenty-three novels later, he is now winding down his post-military career overseas to become a full-time writer. A majority of his books have a military bent in science fiction, paranormal, historical fiction, and general fiction, but he has also written non-military scifi and paranormal. He writes three to four hours each day with the help (or despite) the attention of two rescue cats who insist on sitting on his lap or keyboard.
Jonathan is a member of the Science Fiction Writers of America, the US Naval Academy Alumni Association, the Disabled Veterans of America, and is an officer in the VFW’s Department of the Pacific.

Learn more about Jonathan and his work at http://www.jonathanbrazee.com

Review

Breakthrough

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BreakthroughCan you say near-future military action-adventure science fiction thriller three times real fast? Do you like Clive Cussler’s work? That’s the kind of novel Michael C. Grumley wrote in Breakthrough. I give it solid marks. Not a full on five stars, but it’s very much a standout for the genre, and I am a Clive Cussler fan. (I’m also a Lee Child fan, for those who want to know.)

Well-conceived, well-researched, and well-executed, Breakthrough stays very tightly to the tried and true–the hero, a slightly renegade SEAL and his sidekick, the scientists, and the politicos, the enigma, and the razor’s edge sequencing of scenes culminating at life-critical moments. Plus, there’s just a whiff of potential romance that never blossoms in this book. Maybe the next?

So, lots of action, lots of solid, believable science, a typical amount of political machinations and bureaucracy, along with the bypassing of said same by aforementioned heroes. There’s lots of intrique, lots to worry about, and lots of bullets and torpedoes flying as the dominoes begin to fall, never mind the nukes.

The science is believable, including the breakthrough in communicating with dolphins. The undersea mystery–both the enigma of it at the onset, and the revelations later on–are credible, as are the environmental consequences. (I’m trying very hard, here, not to give anything away.)

The main bad guy is just a bit too ‘Dick Cheney’, and goes a bit over-the-top near the end, in my opinion, but, all in all, he does demonstrate a prevalent attitude among Hawks, some legitimate, others just typical warmonger stuff.

The editing? No grammatical faults that I noticed, which is amazing for a self-published book, and excellent delivery, pacing, and transitions. My only complaint is the lack of spacing between scene changes (at least, in the eBook format). Criticism? There is a bit of head-hopping, but nothing that will throw you out. The lack of scene change spacing is the only thing that will give you pause, but you get used to it by the time you’re a third of the way in.

Story (with respect to the genre)? 5 stars.
Presentation? 4 stars.

Do I personally recommend it? For those like me who enjoy these kinds of action-adventure, near-future gallops? Definitely.

ABOUT THE REVIEWER

DLKeur_1_400x600D. L. Keur is an avid reader, mostly of those genres she doesn’t herself write, and she authors, both, paranormally-tinged, mainstream novels as well as realistic modern-day Western/Western Romances written just as much for men as for women. She writes the former as E. J. Ruek and the latter as C. J. “Country” James. And you can look for her releasing some books in the future as “D.L.Keur writing as D.L.Keur”. You can sample, both, her attitudes and her novels online at www.DLKeur.com and buy the books in print or eBook on Amazon.

Review

Natalie’s Revenge

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natalies_revengeFirst, Susan Fleet gave us a story about a serial killer with her book Absolution, then a stalker with the second book in the series, Diva. In the third book of the Detective Renzi series, once again his dedicated cop persona entertains us.

In book three of the series, Natalie’s Revenge, the reader learns more about Renzi’s compassionate side as we delve deeper into his personal matters while he’s working to solve the crime.

Detective Renzi loses his objectivity while on the case, but only for a moment, as he deals with his own emotional struggle. He maneuvers the complex politics of being a detective in New Orleans, along with his equally complex personal life. It’s not hard to imagine, his character is authentic. Cops have cases they remember for various reasons, maybe even have nightmares over, and Frank Renzi will never forget the murders involving Natalie. Neither will the reader.

My favorite part of  this story is the villain herself. Natalie is a tough cookie, never giving up her dream to solve her own mystery and avenge her mother’s death. In many ways, Natalie is the victim.

Natalie’s Revenge is an inventive plot with two memorable characters, each with their own story thread, weaving throughout the story. It’s packed with action, great locations, and a story within a story. Susan Fleet brings us to the streets of New Orleans with a vivid picture of the mayhem, especially during a hurricane.

I strongly recommend reading this book, with its glimpse into the personal motivations of people—the human drive—and how our psyche can go astray if we’re not careful. Read all the Detective Frank Renzi cases, you won’t regret it if you enjoy hard-boiled crime thrillers.

About The Reviewer

elizabeth_zgutaElisabeth Zguta is an advocate for Independent authors and publishers and encourages all writers to learn the skills needed for today’s book markets and to keep in touch with the new technologies.

She is curious and always wants to know more about everything, and her attention goes to many places and topics. She considers herself a life learner, not only because of the courses she takes but also from the knowledge gained through life experiences. Nothing brings her more satisfaction than reading something new that sparks her imagination or connecting with other people regarding a topic. She is an Indie Author of supernatural, thriller suspense novels and writes blog posts.

Learn more about Elisabeth and her work at http://ezindiepublishing.com/

Review

Vokhtah

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VokhtahIn Vokhtah, the author gives us a rich and satisfying tapestry of a world: alien, strange, and gratifying. This is not a particularly easy read, one in which you skim while half-watching tv or munching on a sandwich. The book deserves the reader’s full attention so that all the nuances and details are caught and absorbed.

On the surface, this book tells the tale of two races, possibly a lot closer related than most of them would like to admit. The Vokh are the supposed rulers of the planet; strong, fierce, and driven, fighting with one another to gain status and holdings. The iVokh serve them, from running their holdings to managing their health to running the economy to serving as basic drudges. Yet the Guild of Healers serve as a sort of governor on the Vokh, surreptitiously killing any Vokh they label as abominations.

When one Blue, (one of the three factions of the Guild of Healers) disagrees with the specifics of a decision to kill a particular Vokh, he embarks on a dangerous journey in an attempt to maneuver the situation to uphold the decree, yet in a manner that the Vokh do not become aware of the guild’s machinations.

One problem I have with too many books dealing with other forms of intelligent life is that they tend to be overly anthropomorphized. They are merely humans in otherworld bodies. The Vokh and iVokh most certainly do not fall into this trap. They are decidedly “not-human,” yet the author is able to paint such a detailed picture that we are able to understand them, their motives, their ways of thinking. Within the framework of the author’s universe, there is logic and reasonability. It all makes sense.

The detail into which the author delves is simply a joy to behold. The author’s imagination is quite obviously prodigious, but then the ability to transfer that imagination into the written word is impressive. Equally impressive are the descriptive passages of action and even simple settings. I was able to see the author’s vision quite clearly in my mind.

All told, I really enjoyed this book. I enthusiastically recommend it.

About the reviewer:

larryscatJonathan Brazee is a retired Marine infantry colonel who after years of writing non-fiction, wrote his first novel while serving in Iraq. He independently published it, hoping to sell a few copies to friends and family, and was pleasantly surprised when the book gained traction among the general reading public. Twenty-three novels later, he is now winding down his post-military career overseas to become a full-time writer. A majority of his books have a military bent in science fiction, paranormal, historical fiction, and general fiction, but he has also written non-military scifi and paranormal. He writes three to four hours each day with the help (or despite) the attention of two rescue cats who insist on sitting on his lap or keyboard.
Jonathan is a member of the Science Fiction Writers of America, the US Naval Academy Alumni Association, the Disabled Veterans of America, and is an officer in the VFW’s Department of the Pacific.

Learn more about Jonathan and his work at http://www.jonathanbrazee.comVokhtah