Welcome to spring….. and there might be a hint of colour in the garden, as daffodils push their way to the surface, but there is plenty of colour on the shelves of the bookstore that I thought I would share with you over the next week or so.
If you are looking for you next book to read then look no further than these talented authors and over 600 books currently on the shelves.
Instead of the usual Cafe and Bookstore updates on Friday and Monday.. I will be featuring a number of authors each day with their updated reviews.
I will give you their listing which also includes a link to buy the books but also discover others that they have written but are not listed. You will also find a link to their website or blog to find out more information, and as you can imagine… they write great posts too.
Here is the next ten featured authors from the Cafe and Bookstore with their recent reviews.
Micki Peluso, Buy: https://www.amazon.com/Micki-Peluso/e/B002BLZ7JK
Blog: http://mallie1025.blogspot.ie/
An extract from one of the recent reviews for The Whippoorwill Sang
“Memories” I looked forward to reading this book, because my sister and my brother-in-law had lost four friends in one night to the acts of a drunken driver. This accident left six orphans behind, and my sister and my brother-in-law would forever remember their anniversary, the 20th of September, as the day two sets of good parents lost their lives to a drunken driver.
This is a book which needs to be read by anyone who ever had the audacity to get in behind a wheel and drive under the influence of alcohol. There is just no excuse and hopefully more and more countries will enforce legislation to impose maximum sentence on those who think it’s okay to destroy others’ lives in such a callous manner.
I loved that the author had the courage to write her story. She has a wonderful engaging style of writing, clear crisp dialogues and writes with brutal honesty when describing her feelings throughout the book.
If you have not had a chance to read this memoir, I encourage you to do so. Especially the second half of this account will stay with you for a long time!
Judy Penz Sheluk, Buy: http://www.amazon.com/Judy-Penz-Sheluk/e/B00O74NX04
Blog: http://www.judypenzsheluk.com/
Please visit Amazon or Judy’s blog to view all her books
An extract from a recent review for A Hole in One..
Emily Garland has landed on her feet after her previous bouts with murder and mayhem, and in the process, she has gained a new friend and partnership in Lount’s Landing’s delightful antique shop. Arabella Carpenter, eager to move on from her life’s left turns, opened up The Glass Dolphin antique shop, and with her new friend and partner taking on the advertising and promotions, success might be more than just a pipe dream. The ladies are sponsoring the Hole in One prize at the charity golf tournament, but instead they get involved in another murder mystery. The victim is Arabella’s ex-husband’s estranged father, having been out of the picture for twenty-five years, and when motive, means, and opportunity seem established, he becomes a serious “person of interest.” From there I couldn’t put the book down…
Judy Penz Sheluk has penned an excellent follow up to her first Glass Dolphin Mystery, and although you can start here, I highly recommend you not forget book one, “The Hanged Man’s Noose.” As a beginning or as a prequel, it is excellent, too.
Annika Perry, Buy: https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B0789KZVF8/
Blog https://annikaperry.com
One of the recent reviews for the collection
I think this book is a good read. Annika Perry is a perceptive observer of the human condition, and has a gift of harnessing the humdrum minutiae of everyday existence and bringing it to life in short, concise, well told stories. She also includes the occasional entertaining poem and limerick to further demonstrate her talents and add to the variety. As a bonus, Ms Perry includes notes at the end of the anthology, explaining her motivation for writing the stories, many of which, directly or indirectly, are borne out of her own experiences.
Jemima Pett, Buy: https://www.amazon.com/Jemima-Pett/e/B006F68PVE
Blog http://jemimapett.com
Please visit Amazon to view all of Jemima’s books.
A recent review for The Princelings of the North on Goodreads
I’ve been looking forward to reading this book since I heard it was going to be coming out, and was not disappointed! This book is an excellent addition to this series. The plot is entertaining and exciting, while the characters are interesting and believable (yes, I know they’re guinea pigs, but there’s no reason a guinea pig can’t be a believable character).
Toni Pike, Buy: http://www.amazon.com/Toni-Pike/e/B009I70E8Y
Website www.tonipike.com
One of the recent reviews Holy Spear of Magus
The Holy Spear of Magus is the latest in the story of Fletcher and his battle with a hateful subgroup within the Catholic Church. By now, we know many details of the protagonist and the various villains so the story is more interesting when you start with volume 1 and work through them. This one takes them to several interesting spots around the world in the search for the holy spear. That is one of my favorite parts of mystery books: the details of foreign places. An very satisfying escape.
Teri Polen, Buy: https://www.amazon.com/Teri-Polen/e/B01MYOUA6V
Website: https://teripolen.com/
An extract from a recent review for Sarah
Teri Polen’s SARAH is the stuff that will keep you up at night. It’s the perfect blend of lighthearted teenage banter and blood-curdling horror elements. Shades of the television show Supernatural will keep fans of theWinchester brothers engrossed from the beginning through the last spine-tingling word of the epilogue.
Cain starts out as an affable teenage boy who too soon has become the man of the house because of the untimely death of his father. The addition of his best friend Finn creates a dynamic duo—the two clearly are as thick as biological brothers and their interactions are so enjoyable. Cain has typical teenage problems—love, academics, sports—until his life changes for the worse.
I love a good ghost story, and SARAH is one of the best ones I’ve read in a while. I blew through it—it was such an easy and exciting read that I finished it in one afternoon. But I’m left fervently wishing for a sequel, because I don’t want to say goodbye to these characters. If you like horror, you’ll love SARAH. It’s a must read.
Blog: http://www.alliepottswrites.com
One of the reviews for Watch and Wand
The Watch and the Wand is the second book in the Gene Assist Series, a dystopian tale dabbling in genetic engineering. The science is intriguing and complex and it’s possible to see nano technology invading our lives in the not too distant future.
This book starts after the breakdown of society and 15 years after the conclusion of book one: Fair and Foul. Stephen’s dull life comes to an end when he meets Bean, a girl on the run from the dangerous Watch. With Bean, he sets off into the unknown world where nothing is quite what it seems.
This story has quite a few twists and turns. Potts toys with the reader, setting up mysteries and slowly revealing the answers, and often leaving the characters’ motives and agendas hidden. In particular, Bean was hard to read, and for a long time, I wasn’t sure I trusted her. Stephen and Bean are the strongest characters, three dimensional and consistent throughout. Dialog is realistic, the pace zips along, and the action scenes are exciting.
I didn’t read the first book, Fair and Foul, and wished I had. I would recommend starting there as Potts doesn’t bog down the reader with much backstory in book 2 (primarily because Stephen is in the dark about what’s going on outside his experience and he’s the pov character). I would have liked to know more about how the challenges in the world developed. Great sci-fi story for YA readers and up.
In Deadman Floating, Debra Purdy Kong introduces us to her likeable protagonist, Evan Dunstan, who is butting heads with his superiors in his current role as campus security officer, while en route to his dream job in municipal policing. Interfering somewhat with Evan’s professionalism is his pursuit of a potential girlfriend, which is what causes him to fail to report his discovery of the body of a miserable and frequently inebriated campus maintenance worker. Obviously an unfortunate accident—or, maybe not!? In this fun, quick read, the first in the Evan Dunstan Mystery series, Purdy Kong tightly weaves a twisty plot that will hold the reader’s attention to the very end.
Website/Blog: https://vashtiqvega.wordpress.com/
An extract from the most recent review for The Fall of Lilith
I have seen this book described as “epic” and I agree, not only for its length (it is two books in one) but also for its topic. It does talk about all things in Heaven and Earth, near enough, from the creation of the angels and the battle of good and evil to the fall of the angels and their revenge plans once on Earth (that don’t bode well for humanity).
The author’s writing style in this book is reminiscent of the Bible, although the story is told from quite a different point of view, and it deviates from the narrative most Christians are familiar with (I am intrigued to know how the story will resonate with readers not familiar with the Christian tradition, although the world building is detailed enough for anybody to be able to follow the events). I am not a big Fantasy reader, mostly because I am not that fond of lengthy descriptions (I admire authors who do it well), although this story has the added interest of providing a major variation on a story many of us are familiar with. As typical of the genre, there is plenty of telling (in fact, all the characters are storytellers, and we get to hear the angels’ voices often, narrating their own adventures, or even fictional ones, like a fascinating story Lilith narrates in book 1), and beautiful descriptions of Floraison, the part of Heaven inhabited by the angels, of the angels, and also of the creation of Earth, and of Earth itself in book 2.
Amy M. Reade, Buy: http://www.amazon.com/Amy-M.-Reade/e/B00LX6ASF2
Blog: www.amreade.wordpress.com
One of the recent reviews for Murder in Thistlecross
