Smoke by Catherine McKenzie

Posted first to Blog Critics as Book Review: 'Smoke,' A Novel by Catherine McKenzie.

For firefighters, the job is an obsession both good and bad. In Smoke by Catherine McKenzie we are drawn into the drama of Elizabeth who has changed to a quieter life. She still works but not in the middle of big firestorms, but as an arson investigator. Yet life is not as tranquil as she had hoped. She and her husband have agreed to a divorce, and an old friend, Mindy, is feeling estranged from her own family.

When a fire starts in the nearby forest and begins to spread, Elizabeth finds herself back in the inferno, trying to help those who are struggling as well as a resident that has lost his home. The event consumes her; she is back with a purpose that calls to her.

When the gossip of her small town changes to an accusation it changes the direction of her own life, and both Elizabeth and her friend Mindy find their lives may be out of their own control. Can they find the lost pieces of their past before the fire consumes their true individuality, and can they hold on to hope as the fire rages ever closer?

McKenzie takes us into the world of firefighting and danger. She does a great job with her characters, for you can imagine them as you turn the pages. The smell of smoke and the heady excitement and dread of danger eke from the bindings and you are pulled into the lives of both Elizabeth and Mindy as they try to pick up the pieces of their life and move on.

The danger of the fires is both unnerving and dangerous, and McKenzie does a great job of helping us to realize just how dangerous the wrath of nature can be when fire consumes all and moves at such great speed. She introduces us to the other cast, the members fighting the fires and putting their lives on the line, as she takes us on a journey of growth.

If you enjoy mystery and danger, tied with romance and growth you will enjoy this work.  Watching how McKenzie uses the danger to change outcomes and personalities is interesting and hopeful, yet also breeds a feeling of hopelessness that must be overcome.

This would be a great book for a reading group or book club with plenty of certitude for discussion.

Rating 4/5

We Are The Destroyers by D. K. Lindler

Posted First to Blog Critics as Book Review:'We Are The Destroyers' a Science Fiction Romance by D. K. Lindler.

There are times throughout history where many of the same situations occur. We often hear how history repeats itself, as it seems that mankind does not always learn from their past mistakes.

In We are the Destroyers by D. K. Lindler, we are taken on a journey into the stars. Bel’lar is a military man in charge of an important fact finding mission. The abuse of his home planet over the centuries has begun to pile up and there is fear of where they are headed.  His companion Ry Sing began years ago to learn to focus within where she learned of things as they would happen.  She is troubled at the news she brings, but the information is important. A space ship like no other has come to the attention of his group, and the brotherhood of the Syn is ready to overtake them.

Food had become difficult to find and many have become addicted to the synthetic foods now being offered. The danger of eating synthetic foods has caused mutations and there is a marked difference between those who are unable to get real food and those who call themselves organs because of the organic foods they consume. Yet even those options are just about gone.  There is something about Bel’lar though that speaks to the ship and vice versa. As they find themselves about to be attacked by the Brotherhood, they make their escape to search for a new home for their people, to save them from their dying planet.

Bel’lar has no idea of what is in store for him and his group of travelers. The ship itself it a part of the problem, and the ghosts of those long departed have their own agenda.

Ry Sing is able to communicate at a level far above the norm, and the information she shares is quite unwelcome.  Between the ghosts and Ry Sings visions he is informed that in the past he destroyed a planet when he was known as the Great One. Even now it is written that a man with the same birthmark he carries will destroy another planet.  He is not a believer, and will do everything in his power to make sure this never happens.  Yet fate often has its own agenda. Their only chance to save his home is to find the mythical blue-white planet.  Does such a planet exist and is it truly inhabitable?  Only time will tell.

Lindler has given us an interesting story within the story, one that traces it roots to the past, which then also moves us to the future. His characters are both interesting and unique and the cultures he has developed could be very real in the future. There is a dream like aura that drifts around the entire story and you find yourself drawn in.

As Lindler moves us back to the home planet we find a changed world, and yet there is still hope. You are moved by the situation and the living conditions. The governing body hides a great deal from the people and encourage the continued consumption of synthetics.  You find yourself horrified by the differing agendas.

If you enjoy Science fiction, fantasy and romance you will want this book for your library. The individuals expand and grow as we move forward and there is a sense of renewal that is in the making. Fate seems to play a part and you will enjoy the interplay.

Rating 3/5

This work was received free through the Cadence Group and all opinions are my own based off my reading and understanding of the material.

Adopted Son by Dominic Peloso

Posted first on Blog critis as Book Review: 'Adopted Son' by Dominic Peloso

Rumors of aliens abound in most nations around the world. Is it possible for another race to exist among the stars, and if so have they really made themselves known to a select few.  With the advanced technology needed to keep them hidden and allow them space travel, have they really crashed on the surface, only to be hidden away from the civilian life?

In Adopted Son by Dominic Peloso, we are taken into a new future that is both concerning and disconcerting. When birth anomalies begin cropping up in the form of mutated babies, there is initially not too much concern outside the families.  The children are normal in most ways, yet their heads are larger, and their eyes are somewhat eerie, large and black located on the sides of their facial structure. Their body, too, is just a bit different, tall and thin, almost unable to hold the head that seems unnaturally large.

In the beginning the parents of these mutated babies are concerned, but as with all families, they accept the hand they have been dealt. They grow to love them, and hold the hope of a bright future. Yet as the mutations continue, and considerably more deformed babies are born, churches are finding themselves the recipient of many orphans.  As the problem grows, alienation is only a step away.

Can aliens from space be the cause of all this turmoil? These children and now adults are very similar to the pictures shared from Area 51 and Roswell sightings. The mutations are now more normal than not, and most families are no longer planning children. As war comes ever closer, a message from outer space comes over loud and clear.  The planet seems to be invaded from the inside.

Can this new group of Americans, which many feel a part of, prove they are part of this planet, or will the rogue aliens that demand war find a way to annihilate the human way of life?

If you enjoy science fiction you will find this very interesting. I am not sure how I felt; the story was certainly unique, yet all together very creepy. However, thorough it all, a thread of hope and peace levels the threat.  This is a new take on nurture vs. nature, with the alternative being the very destruction of the human gene.

This would be an interesting work for a reading group. The pros and cons of learning to trust a potential alien race would keep the conversation quite lively.

Rating 3/5

This book was received free from the authors publicist. All opinions are my own based on my reading and understanding of the material.

 

Heartache and Hope in Haiti: The Britney Gengel Story by Len and Cherlyann Gengel

Article first published as Book Review: Heartache and Hope in Haiti: The Britney Gengel Story by Len and Cherylann Gengel on Blogcritics.

Nature often wreaks havoc on the world. Many times we see the destruction through the view of a camera, while other times the action is on our doorstep. Never sure where disaster will strike, when the damage happens elsewhere, we watch in sadness. When nature’s fury hits close to home, despair overcomes those involved.

In Heartache and Hope in Haiti: The Britney Gengel Story by Len and CheryLann Gengel , the authors share with us the pain and disbelief of such a powerful force. In 2010 their daughter Britney, a sophomore at Lynn University, traveled with a group of student to work for an aide group. This was their chance to give back to the world, and Britney in particular was touched. After a short time in Haiti, she determined that her life’s work would be to help open an orphanage in this country where hope was alive in its children. Yet only a few short hours later, an earthquake leveled Port-au-Prince and the Hotel she had been staying in.

Unable to reach her, the family lives in fear, alternately dreading and then excited by the news. But as with confusion and reporting, the news was often not just misleading but entirely wrong. Their Britney was never coming home again.

Here begins the life of rebuilding and how Len and Cherylann chose to take a vision and make it real. Shaking off their own grief, they take Britney’s dream and move it towards reality.

This is a heartfelt and hurt filled story, but filled with love and hope. To see how others transcend past the pain of losing a child and find a way to offer hope is a testament to that love. They chose to take that anguish and use the power of that pain to move forward and build the dream that keeps their daughter alive in a very different way.

While I had heard about the Earthquake, I was able to view it from afar where it didn’t touch me. Even hearing the stories and seeing the footage, the sadness and caring were there, but the destruction seemed remote and far away. With the Store of Britney and the Gengel’s efforts to make her wishes come true, you have no choice but to become a part of the devastation and pain. You feel the horror and the hope as they wait for news that will bring their daughter home. IF you have children this will tear at your soul. Reading the stories of the children and the people in Haiti, bring home the devastation in a way, that even pictures on the news were unable to capture.  

This is a remarkable story, built with courage and love. The inspiration lends us an example of how goodness flows in even the worst of times. This would be a marvelous book for a reading group. The story pulls you in and the chills and despair felt by the Gengel’s becomes your own. Even the profits of the book are slated to benefit the Orphanage now built in Britney’s name for the honor of the children of Haiti. You cannot move away from this story unmoved. You will marvel at the tenacity of the will to make a dream succeed.

Rating 4/5

This book was received from the authors publicist. All opinions are my own based off my reading and understanding of the material.

Flight Behavior by Barbara Kingsolver

Article first published as Book Review: Flight Behavior by Barbara Kingsolver on Blogcritics.

Can the beauty of nature distract us from the reality of what changes in her behavior can mean in our world? One of the most beautiful of nature’s creatures is the butterfly, majestic and noble, with a grace that captures the hearts and souls of many naturists. A Change in the migration patterns of these beauteous creatures would be an anomaly to the science world, but could bring about misunderstanding in the community that becomes their home.

In Flight Behavior by Barbara Kingsolver we are taken into a place in Appalachia where a rare and concerning change in behavior of the monarch butterflies has changed the behavior of a family and a town.  The lives of the Turnbow family become inextricably linked with the migration as the butterflies choose to settle on a part of their property that has been slated for clear-cut.

Dellarobia Turnbow feels like an outcast in her family.  Caught up in marriage at an early age she still finds herself craving that something more.  On her way to an assignation that will change her life, she feels a chill of premonition of how this will affect her life. The thought of her children and her marriage, create sadness, but the excitement pulls her.  Heading into the wilderness area of the property owned by the family for generations, one that has been slated for clear-cut; she is startled by the vision of the sky in flame. The orange color broils and twists, in a show of beauty and danger. To her, this is a clear sign that she cannot resist. Turning and making her way back to the life she now lived, she felt the vision was a sending from god.

Not sure how to move forward though, she finely tells her husband that he needs to walk the area, and make sure that his father is doing the right thing with selling the timber off.  After pushing in this direction, she is finally vindicated when he acquiesces and follows her up into the mountain. The discovery of the butterflies is interpreted as an act of god, and turns the town on their heads.  The influx of entomologists and the involvement of the news turn the countryside into a place of curiosity.

This is a beautiful piece of work describing the changes made with global warming, and how the effects of weather disturb the natural progression of the seasons.  As the changes evolve, so does the Turnbow family begin their own evolution.  A family entrenched in their beliefs, they move inexorable towards a truth that life must change.

To stay the same in beliefs and work in their own little place in the world does not change the tides of nature. Kingsolver gives us a story full of heart, and heart ache, delivering the tribulations of a family in denial and crisis. She uses the advent of beauty to bring out the depth of secrets lodged in a family mired in lies and pain. The truth of nature seems to guide her characters to their own truths, and a healing that is necessary. 

Will the migration actually create the ending for these beautiful creatures and as well as the end of a family held together by deception?

The Flight is an interesting take on global warming, but it also takes you into the personal lives of a family that has hidden much of their pain and existed in a vacuum of hope that tugs at your heart.

If you enjoy finding the beauty in nature, and the overcoming of personal turmoil, you will enjoy this work. The description of the event is amazing and beyond the scope of expectation.  This would be a great work for a reading group or discussion group.

Rating 4/4