The Botticelli Affair by Traci L. Slatton

Posted first to Blog Critics as Book Review:'The Botticelli Affair' by Traci L. Slatton.

I often think the vampire genre has run its course, ‘jumped the Shark,’ as I’ve heard it said. Most things have been done and the stories seem to run into one another. Yet I am often delighted and surprised when something comes to light that has a difference.  The genre hasn’t lost its flavor after all.

In The Botticelli Affair by Traci L. Slatton we follow the life and career downfall of Laila Cambridge. As a touted artist she is the daughter of another artist of great renown. The problem is that Laila is an expert at forgery, her fakes are almost impossible to spot. Yet when a client who has made the purchase of one of her masterpieces is killed trying to protect it during a robbery, Laila can take no more.  Her responsibility for the woman’s death weighs heavily and she leaves the business. Yet art is still her love and Botticelli is one of the artists she admires most. Life has become a nightmare for her.

Enter John Bolingbroke, a devastatingly handsome man with a secret. Since Laila’s beloved father disappeared, she has been afraid for his life. Upon meeting Bolingbroke, he brings her news of his friendship with her father, as well as his last known location. Yet there is more, her father is in dire danger, there are those who believe he may know where a missing Botticelli is, and are willing to kill in order to get the information.

Does she trust this man who seems to have strange powers and secrets, or should she try to find her father on her own. Unsuccessful so far, she makes a choice that will change her life forever. Yet she has a secret too, one that has made her successful as an artist, but only in the field of forgery. One of the best she is highly sought after. Yet those who were her friends in her prior life of forgery are the very same people she must rely on to help find her father.  Bolingbroke has her back, but what is the strange energy that he exudes, and why does she think she recognizes him?  Who and why is this cult of lunatics after her father, ready to kill to get a painting only vaguely rumored to have existed?

Slatton has done a great job of giving us characters with emotional flaws as well as those that show them as they are in their outward lives. The heat that shimmers between them has you hoping and wondering, what is going to happen. The chance and friendships that spring up are eternal, and the depravity is deadly. You are taken on a journey that gives you a vision of art through the ages, and the men and women responsible. The action is quick and the journey is delicious.

IF you enjoy reading vampire stories, love art, and enjoy mystery and suspense with an accelerated sense of romance you will enjoy this work. This would be a great find for that library of vampire aficionados, as well as romance and mystery.

Rating 4/5
This book was received free from the author. All opinions are my own based off my reading and understanding of the material.

The Enchanted by Rene Denfeld

Posted first on Blog Critics as Book Review:'The Enchanted' by Rene Denfeld.

The mind is a very clever tool. It has a way of cloaking the things we find most horrific. It can also take you into a different world to escape the most desperate of situations, leaving some of the terror behind. 

In The Enchanted by Rene Denfeld, a world behind the walls of the most notorious of settings comes to light in an unlikely way. Set in the murkiest of places, and narrated by one of the inmates we are given a visual of what may occur. Yet the narration is perceived through the veil of beauty, from the smallest drip of water to the darkest corner as seen through the surreal vision of one of those who have found such a release of fear.

We are introduced to a monster and the angel sent to save him from death, in that same gossamer style where reality is only as you perceive it. Yet the story is strong and the narration only adds a bit of sequence that paints a covering over the pall of actuality. Can the angel save them all, or will her last visit with cruelty stave her ability to look beyond the crime to see the person inside.

Denfeld has done a wondrous job of taking us into the gruesomeness of death row and giving us the visual tour through the eyes of one who has been able to find the beauty inside. In a somewhat macabre and eerie way we follow the action as mercy and clemency are argued against punishment.

Each of the characters has flaws and reality often intrudes within the dream world of the narrator. The 'Lady' as she is labeled, is known throughout the system, yet no one really knows her, only the agenda as it has been set forward. The prisoner set to die is ready to move forward but must plead his own case, convincing the ‘Lady’ of his need for punishment.

Will she make a case for life, or will she allow for the truth of his disquiet.

If you enjoy mystery and suspense as well as a bit of magic and horror you will find it all here. The story is enthralling and keeps you reading far into the night. This would be a great book for a discussion group and create a great deal of argument and buzz, rounding out the feeling and thoughts of all those involved.

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.

Floats the Dark Shadow by Yves Fey

Posted first to Blog Critics as Book Review:' Floats the Dark Shadow' by Yves Fey.

Paris is known for its beauty and romance, heralded throughout the world. Yet as with all cities there is a dark and steamy underground, where those who are just a bit more self-indulgent lurk.

In Floats the Dark Shadow by Yves Fey, we are introduced to both the beauty and the darkness that encompasses the soul of the city of love. Beginning slowly and yet just coming to the attention to the authorities, children are going missing. The darkness begins with those who have no one to look out for them, but soon escalates as the heinous darkness of possible cult activity begins to come to light. Where are the missing children and who is behind the disappearances of those most innocent, yet also the most at risk?

Fey has given us a dark mystery, set in a beautiful yet decadent setting. He pairs an unsuspecting artist, a woman who lives on the fringe of the beauty and darkness, and pairs her with a solid and no nonsense Detective Michel Devaux. Theodora Faraday has run across the investigation unknowingly, but is drawn in by circumstance. The clash of temperaments and thought processes of the two who must find a way to work together are dynamic and just a bit intriguing. The poetic mindset of Theo and the insistent solidity of Detective Devaux keep the action both interesting and magnetic.

The darkness and decadence of the perpetrator, has just enough depravity and evil to set the stage for a story of horrible magnitudes.  What is happening to the disappearing children, those most at risk in the dark streets of the city? Can Theo and her Detective find the answers before another tragedy occurs?

If you enjoy horror and mystery you will find this a work to look for. Fey gives us both the beauty of Paris but also the darkness and dissolution. The pairing of two totally differing personalities to find the perpetrator of the disappearances is very crafty and inventive.

This would be a great book for a reading or discussion group. There is a great deal of interesting discussion going on within the book that can be taken up by those reading it as well. Fey has taken us into a world of excess, and delivered the goods.

Rating 4\5

 

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

The Big Picture; 11 Rules That Will Change Your Life by Tony Horton

Posted first to Blog Critics as Book Review: 'The Big Picture; 11 Rules That Will Change Your Life' by Tony Horton.

Self-help and exercise books carry a certain niche in the market place. Where do you turn and who can help you with your dilemmas. With so many knowable gurus available where do you start?

The Big Picture by Tony Horton, is certainly one of those works that can help guide you. Horton is the creator for one of the bestselling workout programs known as P90X. Yet as with all exercise there is more to your remaking than just a body sculpting phenomenon. Horton shares his insights as well as his experience through 11 rules that have helped him change his life, and can in turn help you further enhance your ability to become who you want to be. A savvy and entertaining host, he offers the very changes that have helped him along on his own personal journey.

Often self-help books are dry and sometimes hard to hold you interest. While we all want to be the best we can be, we often feel like there is an overload of information, and beyond that, how do we–simple humans– begin the process. If we knew the answers we wouldn’t spend so much time looking for them.

Horton offers up 11 rules of life, his own experiences, and his take on how to move into the next phase. He uses his background, which includes a bit of comedy, to help you through the dryness, and while some of the jokes make you laugh some are just a bit painful. That in and of itself is a beautiful thing, because you begin to realize he is much like you, and not everything is as easy as it seems. He too, has tried and failed, and yet now he has moved beyond and is living the life he dreamed.

The fact that he is willing to share and wants to encourage you to also dream and move forward is a testament to his character.  Not everyone will be as success full as Horton, yet there are shades of success, differing colors and abilities which make us such a unique species. Everyone’s best is different and the reason why we evolve as we do. Yet for some the way has been lost and the rules that Horton uses to stay on track are certainly livable and highly personal to each individual using them.

If you are looking for a guide to get you back to basics and help you live a fuller and richer life, you will realize this is a gem in the rough. You will need to polish up those hidden abilities and feelings to find the true diamond within, and Horton gives you some great guidelines to follow. The humor and experiences he threads through the book keeps you interested, and his own success makes it all too real.

This is a great book to add to your library; it is not just about exercise, but about moving forward in life. Whether that is with your search for an exercise routine, healing a breech, improving your working and family lives or just plain guidance you will find words of encouragement and praise. The Big Picture is just that, and fuels the imagination.

Rating 5/5

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