The Ark of Adams By Jack Kane

Article first published as Book Review:The Ark of Adams by Jack Kane on Blogcritics.

As Weather and Global warming continue to wreak havoc on the earth, snow and ice blanket the world, creating a new ice age. In an effort to moderate the conditions on humanity, discovery of an answer comes through the technological ingenuity of Dr. Adams. To reduce the difficulties produced by cold, starvation and the other stresses that arose from a new ice age, it would require a different environment, a virtual reality, a new Genesis that could be manipulated to a more agreeable and comfortable existence, a place to renew while the physical body was in stasis.

As with all answers and exciting discoveries, different factions look for control, Dr. Adams is one of the first of the inhabitants reset, and then replaced by other more capable operators. Reset is a program enacted for criminal or other inhabitants that become a problem in the mode. Reset is engineered to help rehabilitation, but as in the case of most correctional systems, the inhabitants often get worse.

Even in this virtual reality, there are issues; hackers consistently try to break into government computers. Nicki Allen innocently becomes a criminal because of her curiosity. Through an online companion, she obtains a thumb drive copy of Genesis and as she pulls it up to see what the excitement is all about, she herself is detained and reset. Her online companion, Kung Fu, is there and has a plan.

Even as rescue comes, death and destruction become a way of life in this new reality. Duplicity creates an opportunity; one that sweeps her in. As she fights for her life, she gains control, and becomes the

Split by J.J. Westendarp

Erika has been abandoned by her family, left on her own to survive or founder. Either way, they could not care less. She has an odd ability, something that makes her different, and they are not prepared to deal with it. Being on her own has only made her more determined and ferocious than ever. She is a hunter of vampires, and yet she does not understand her own power. She is found by Mitch, also a hunter, and he determines that she needs his training. She is willing to learn but has a difficult time taking direction, or even trusting. When Mitch decides he needs help with her training and brings in Adonis, her life takes on a direction that none of them can conceive of .

Erika is a lonely young woman, abandoned by the very people that should love her. She finds it difficult to trust, and yet she knows that she needs help. Mitch is a strong and thoughtful person, he has seen her wounds and understands the damage that has been inflicted. He cares about her as a person, but he also wants to help her gain strength to protect herself in her profession.

Adonis is an unknown. She is not sure what she thinks of him, and yet he is willing to help. She struggles with his willingness, no one else has been so available to her. When Mitch disappears, Adonis is there to help her succeed. She needs his help to find Mitch, and discover the answers to her strange power.
Will he be the one who can help her? Can she find her calling, and overcome the nightmares in her life?

J.J. Westendarp has the knack of building a strong heroine, and surrounding them with interesting side kicks. He builds a strong story, full of danger and surprises. This Novella is just another vehicle for his wonderful imagination.

A Novella of enjoyable proportions. Fast paced and delightful.

Rating 4/5

This download was received free from the author. All opinions are my own based off my reading and understanding of the information.

Written in Blood by Elaina Lee

Written first on The Romance Reviews

In WRITTEN IN BLOOD, Elaina Lee has built a tale of death and destruction, full of ugliness and pain, but she has found a way to weave in a spark of life and light. She has drawn hope from the self-destructive natures of two different and diverse personalities, twisted and guided them, and then found that piece that welds them together. While this is a story of finding the murderer of young women, it is also the story of finding one's self. Very imaginative and well done.

Lyndi Crisdean is struggling in her life as a defense attorney. She works in the same office of her most recent ex-husband. He has dumped her because she makes him feel too old and he has moved on to a younger woman, one of the women working at the firm. While she is beyond him, it still is a wound that bleeds. He is quite a bit older then she is, so the reasoning stings. She has also just recently been assigned several cases, one dealing with a serial killer, who is a strange and foreboding man, and definitely gives her the creeps. When he makes some threats, instead of admitting defeat and having him assigned to another, she refuses to acknowledge that she may not be able to handle it.

Alek Trevian is an investigator for the District Attorney's office, and is well known for his skills. He is attracted to Lyndi from the beginning and yet any dealing with her outside of the scope of their jobs could cost both of them their jobs. But Alek finds that Lyndi may be in the middle of the investigation that he is currently looking at. They are on opposite sides of the fence, yet when Lyndi becomes the focus of the madman, Alek finds she may hold the answers and this binds them in a way that may not be altogether healthy.

Lyndi has been married and divorced four times, she does not always make her choices in the right frame of mind, and she has been without sex for some time now. When she meets Alek for the first time, she has no idea who he is or how he will become a part of her life. She is electrified by the heat and

Crown of Crystal Flame by C.L.Wilson

This review posted first at The Romance Reviews.

In this fifth and final book of C. L. Wilson's Tairen Soul series, an "epic tale of magic, passion and destiny", she has not held anything back. It is exciting and passionate, full of danger and amazing magic, with passion that is both tender and yet scalding. It is heartfelt and bold and extremely beautiful, keeping you on a razor's edge, with baited breath awaiting the answer: Will light win over darkness? You will find that final answer in this exciting ending.

In this final saga, Ellysetta Baristani finally understands the darkness that she carries, deep inside and hard to find, but there all the same. Having already won the love of Rain, the Fey King and having saved the tairen, she has been marked by the evil mage; he is close to owning her soul. As the final battle of Eld begins, will evil win or will Ellysetta overcome the darkness and embrace the light? Will evil finally be defeated and Ellysetta be set free, to live and love, free of the demons of darkness, that pursue her?

I began this story at a disadvantage as I had not read any of the other books leading up to this final chapter. What I truly enjoyed about this was that while it took me a short time to decipher the characters and the background, once I got through the first chapter, I was enthralled. C. L. Wilson took this final story and weaved it around and about all the previous stories, making it one to stand on its own. While I will seek out the other books because the story is ingenious, it is not necessary in order to read and enjoy the final outcome, including the romance and interplay in CROWN OF CRYSTAL FLAME.

Jessica's Tune by Jim Wygant

Article first published as Book Review:Jessica's Tune by Jim Wygant on Blogcritics.

We first met Nick Dement a retired KGB agent as he unmasked a mole in the CIA. He is put in the witness protection program for his own safety, and as the years turn into his first decade in the program, he realizes he has been all but forgotten. He still receives his stipend but it did not grow with inflation, and he finds himself working part time for extra money. His recent gig was as an employment counselor with JBI transition consulting, and it is in this capacity that he first meets another Russian,Lenny Doburoff.

Nick is not interested or even comfortable dealing with Lenny, yet he does not feel comfortable turning him down for dinner because his job is to help him transition. Lenny’s wife, Jessica is extremely attractive and he finds himself quite taken with her. She is smart and attractive, not at all what he expected from Lenny. As he relaxes and learns more about Lenny, he finds out that Lenny has a grown son Peter. Lenny believes that Peter may be in trouble, and asks Nick for his help. Since Nick only works his job part time, he decides to drop in on Peter and find out if Lenny has anything to worry about.

Peter is intelligent, very good with computers and when Nick stops and introduces himself, Peter is very suspicious of his motives. Nick notices that Peter is a music aficionado and complements him on a piece that he hears in the apartment. The song is called Jessica’s Tune, after his Stepmother. Getting under Peter’s guard, while not easy, puts Nick in a position to see what he is working on with is computer.

As Nick begins to follow up, he feels the familiar thrill, a part of his earlier life he did not realize he was missing. As he digs deeper he finds that Peter has attracted the wrong kind of attention, that of the Mexican Cartel. As Nick works to extract Peter from his problems, they are drawn deeper into the shady and deadly pull of the Cartel. Can he rely on his rusty instincts to save Peter, or will they both perish?

In this second installment and sequel to Jim Wygant’s novel, The Spy’s Demise, we continue the saga of Nick Dement. In Jessica’s Tune, Wygant creates another scenario, where the hero from his first work has another opportunity to shine. Nick has grown and developed; he is still a bit of a loner and continues to have trust issues. Married for a short time, he moves on when it does not work out, and finds a comfortable life.

Threads West: An American Saga by Reid Lance Rosenthal

Article first published as Book Review:Threads West: An American Saga by Reid Lance Rosenthal on Blogcritics.

In the mid 1800’s the United States is just beginning to explore their wilderness. For a variety of reasons people leave the comfort of everything they have ever known to move on to a wild and dangerous country, full of hope and dreams with adventure and possibilities. Gold is discovered in pockets of new areas, which increases the draw, as well as the lawlessness of those so bold. St. Lewis becomes the gateway to the new frontier with the unforgiving land beckoning to those men and women either brave enough or desperate enough to take on the challenge. This freedom is also known worldwide, and people are drawn to the new frontier, with the promise of freedom, land and riches, drawing them from their homes all over the world. It is a time of change and challenge, a time of discovery, both of the land and those hardy souls that challenge the danger and the elements to make their way to a new life.

In Threads West, by Reid Lance Rosenthal, we meet and follow a group of individuals on their journey. Each of them is from different and diverse backgrounds, with a variety of reasons drawing them to the wilderness. Johannes Svenson is a ladies man, run out of the very country he called home, caught dallying with the wife of The Frist Minister of Denmark. His journey to the new world is decided for him.

The S.S. Edinburgh is the ship, headed to a new and distant land, and it is here that Johannes meets Reuben Frank, on his way to America to claim land and begin a cattle ranch for his family. Here too we meet three unique and diverse women, all traveling on their own, an experience unwarranted and unusual in this time in the annuls of history. Sarah Bonney has lost her family and is headed to the new world to work with her aunt as a seamstress. Inga has been in the U.S for a time, and is making a living the very best way she knows how. She is a waitress, but occasionally has to sell herself to make ends meet. She has learned a hard lesson in the ways of the world, and has decided that a girl has to do what a girl has to do, to get by. Rebecca Marx is heading to the new world at the behest of her fathers will. He has found some land and she is there to claim it. She is very refined and unlike most of those traveling to find their place.

And with all the good, their usually comes the bad and in this group of individuals that meet and interact on their journey to America, we also meet Jacob O’Shanahan, a bully and a taker, one of those who feel that the world is theirs if only they can find a way to connive and steal what is worth the taking. His life too is tangles and weaved into and around the lives of those other few, all headed in the same direction, out to find their place in this new frontier.

Zebarriah Taylor, or Zeb as he is known, has his own part in this compelling and historical drama. Well inured to the ways of the west, with an understanding of the country itself, his life is drawn into and becomes a part of this group of individuals, guiding as well as helping to protect them in an aggressive and dangerous land.

Rosenthal has written a wonderful western saga, and peopled it with characters that you can care about. Each of them has internal struggles, and yet they are strong and brave, and in some cases reckless. As we follow their journey into a new land, as well as the growth of their characters, we become immersed, wanting and hoping to see them through. And while evil may be too strong of a description for Jacob, he is certainly not a very good man. The story is smooth and endearing, as they make their way. Rosenthal has drawn a likeness of the America of our history books and set it with the people that help us to understand the savage and yet ruggedly beautiful America of that time.

I am excited for the next installment of the series to come out, I am left wondering what will they find, is there really gold, and how do they come to terms with the different issues they are facing. This is an interesting and incredibly well written story, full of diverse characters and places.

If you love a good story, full of history both real and rugged, on a journey full of surprises, this is the book for you. It would be a great book for a book club, as well as for reading groups everywhere.

Rating 4/5
Threads West

This book was received through the Cadence group from the publisher. All Opinions are my own based off my reading and understanding of the information.

The Talisman of Elam: Children of Hathor-Book I by Jim Mastro

Article first published as Book Review:The Talisman of Elam: Children of Hathor-Book I by Jim Mastro on Blogcritics.

Something is happening in young Jason Hunter’s life that he does not understand. He is seeing some very odd things and when he discusses them with his parents they just nod and smile. He is determined that he is being followed and is in danger, but he is not able to get them to believe him. He finally talks to his friend Kevin Hayashi with whom he now shares everything. They are the best of friends ever since Jason saved Kevin from being beat up at school. As Kevin is trying to get more information from Jason about an object he found in the woods, another student shows up, Amelia Reis. She too is a friend of Kevin’s and although has heard all about Jason, she has never met him.

Amelia does not fit in with the in crowd in school and is more like Jason and Kevin than anyone else. When Kevin invites her to listen in on the stories he is hearing from Jason, she is intrigued. Because she constantly has her camera with her and is a very curious person she is a good fit for adventure, and has the making of a great new friend.

Once she has left, Jason gets Kevin to come over so that he can help him follow his neighbors, whom he has dubbed the freaks. These are the very same people that seem to be following him, so he and Kevin decide to follow them into the woods. As night breaks, and the freaks leave their house for the woods, Kevin and Jason are right behind, they have every intention of finding out what is happening. When they run into Amelia in the woods, Jason is a bit upset, but she is adamant. She too is following these freaks, and will not leave.

Finding a hidden space ship is the very last thing that any of them expected. Even worse, they find that not only have these neighbors been following Jason, but that his real parents have been kidnapped and only he can save them. He must travel to space and find an ancient talisman, both to prevent destruction of the earth and to save his parents from death. As his friends finally agree to help him in this quest, little do they know that they will learn secrets about themselves unknown to all, and that not only the earth is in danger but the entire galaxy itself is in jeopardy. They find strengths within that make them the perfect foil for Jason, who discovers that he is the Heir of Elam. With the help of Shalan, one of the freaks as he calls them, he becomes someone he does not recognize, and yet it is what he needs in order to survive.

In The Talisman of Elam, Jim Mastro has put together a story of adventure and suspense, a tale that can only be dreamed of. The story is strong and bold, delivering an impression of realism, with characters that walk right off the pages. Jason has to grow up quickly, and he steps up and takes the challenge. Kevin is bright and very much into gaming, and with his background he is able to guide the space ship through dangerous situations, saving the group on several occasions. Amanda, with her background in languages, is very adaptable and picks up new languages easier, but is also the most human, wanting to be home, while the boys are enjoying the situations as they occur.

Shalan starts out as an unknown and while she is still very introspective throughout the first part of the book, when she finally breaks out of her shell she is courageous and very intelligent. She knows the information that will be needed, and when she is injured and almost killed, it takes everything that Jason, Kevin and Amanda have to keep her alive. She is their only link to both where they are going as well as their homes on earth and they need her.

The pace is quick and flowing, with strange and unique individuals, different and dangerous travel, and an exciting type of magic, which is imbued only to the owner of the Talisman.

This is a great young adult book, but with a strong story for anyone that is an enthusiast of science fiction. This is a first in the series of this young group of travelers, and I look forward to hearing more about them.

Rating 4/5
The Talisman of Elam

This book was received as a free copy from the Author. All opinions are my own based of my reading and understanding of the material.