Tomorrow's Guardian by Richard Denning

Article first published as Book Review:Tomorrow's Guardian by Richard Denning on Blogcritics.

The nightmares continued night after night, Tom Oakley was always someone else in the dream. The faces were not any that he recognized and the time was somewhere in the past. Each occurrence dealt with the death of the person whose body he inhabited during the dream sequence. If that was not bad enough he was having issues when he was awake as well. He would seem to lose time, or find himself in a different place with no memory of how it happened.

He begins to think he is crazy, he is only eleven years old and his friends as well as the other kids are starting to look at him strangely. Even his parents are concerned. It is during this time he meets Septimus Mason and his life changes forever. Septimus hooks him up with Professor Neoptolemas, of the Hourglass Institute. It appears that he would like Tom to join the Tomorrow's Guardians.

When Tom declines, the Professor offers to take away his powers so that he can live a normal life, but first they need his help. He needs to help them rescue the three that he dreamed. Each of them is also walkers, out of time. In each instance, while they died in history no body was ever found. To the Professor this was proof that they must be saved.
Tom finally agrees, he wants to live a normal life, even though the time walking is cool, and he is very good at it. Making the plans to get the deeds done, Septimus agrees to help. There are other factions at work. Redfield is one of those who want Tom to fail. Tom is a threat to the course of history and there are those who feel he should have never been born. When he finally moves on to his next task he finds that Redfield will do anything to make trouble for him.

As Tom returns to his home, he finds he no longer has a home; his parents were killed in a fire before he was born and so he should not even be there. Yet he is. Because he was already in the future, he is still alive but has no parents or past. Can he go back to the past and save them? What will it take to rescue his parents and keep them safe in the future?

In Tomorrow’s Guardian, Richard Denning has put together a story of events out of British History. The time walking is done with an eye to reality, and the characters are engaging and sometimes wicked. Drawn from real life, the events are real, and Denning makes each rescue an adventure. There is danger and cunning inherent in each incident, keeping the action sharp and engrossing.

Denning’s characters are unique and fun, each with their own story. Tom is a great heroic figure for being a child and yet time after time he uses his ingenuity to outsmart the bad guys. He does not always understand the undercurrents of the episodes as they occur, but he invokes trust in those around him. He is mortified that he is the cause of his parent’s death, and will do anything to undo the terrible wrong that occurred.

Each of the other characters is a foil to Tom’s courage and ability. They are capable of acting on their own and yet when teamed with Tom they become major players.

I would recommend this to parents and young adult readers. It is an interesting and speculative look at time travel in a bit of a different light. It is adventurous as well as fun. The characters are interesting and the story will resonate with the young at heart. This would be a great addition to your child’s library.

Rating 4/5
Tomorrow's Guardian


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

Castle Ladyslipper by Marilee Brothers

This review was posted first on The Romance Reviews

I always enjoy a strong hero and Marilee Brothers does not disappoint. In fact, she has created the perfect foil of characters and set them up in Northern London in the era of 1100. Garrick of Hawkwood is the King's man and sent to Castle Fairfield to marry D'Arcy's widow. This story is complete with danger, heroes, magic and mystery, lust and love. Twist that with secrecy and deceit, and you come up with a compelling story.

When Garrick shows up at the Castle, he finds very little in the way of soldiers, mostly farmers, one young boy and women. However, not just women––there are women of every age--cousins, aunts, children, sisters, women everywhere. With one exception, the woman he is to wed is not available, and a temperamental shrew is running the castle. She is the daughter of D'Arcy's first wife.

She is beautiful and willful and as stubborn a woman as he has ever encountered. Emma is the opposite of everything he has ever wanted in a woman and yet he is drawn to her.

He intimidates Emma, his presence unnerves her, and in order to control her fears, she is more hoydenish than usual. She is unkind and close to treasonous. She knows where her stepmother is located, but she lies to him. This is her place, and she does not intend to let anyone take it from her young stepbrother. Certainly not this rough but handsome stranger.

Emma is the oldest daughter and must carry the curse of the family, a locket that belongs to another. Until it is returned to its rightful owner, her family will never be free of the curse. All children born in her bloodline would be girls, and as the years have passed and the locket passed from one generation to the next, only girls are born. She currently has a younger brother but only because his mother was not of her family, and he is her half- brother.

Garrick is a hunk, handsome and bold, but he has grown up unhappy. Unloved by his father and sent to live with others away from his mother and brother, he finds that he has no trust in women. His mother did not stand up for him, and while he was away fighting for the King, his fiancé married his brother. Yet he must do as is commanded by the king.

Emma loves the castle and her people and will do anything to save them. Having been married previously to an abusive man, who later had their marriage annulled, she has made some powerful enemies. Garrick comes to her rescue, but when the king gets wind of the problem, he decides that Garrick must marry Emma instead.

The description of the times and the country are exceptional. The story is bold and tugs at your heart. The characters are fun and unique, quite interesting, fitting the story and the landscape well. The mystery surrounding the curse is fun and makes for an interesting situation. Marilee Brothers sets the stage for this fascinating story, and builds the tension and danger to keep you on the edge of your seat.

The heat between Garrick and Emma is passionate, full of temper and flair. The glances are tumultuous and lustful. The attraction is sensual and heartfelt, encouraged by those friends, family and even servants wanting nothing more than to see those they care about have what they can see and feel between them.

The story is fast paced, the temper and passions are bold, and the suspense is exciting. Ms. Brothers has written a story of historical proportions, and peopled it with characters you can care about. She has added a bit of magic and a curse making this more than just a love story. You will enjoy the passion and the humor.

Rating 5/5

This book was received as a free download through The Romance Reviews from the author. All opinions are my own based off my reading and understanding of the material.

A Witness Tree: The Story of Hattie Plain by Peter Tyner

Article first published as Book Review:The Witness Tree: The Story of Hattie Plain by Peter Tyner on Blogcritics.

Hattie Plain is an old woman, intent on finally reaching her goal in life. In her nineties, she has just found the perfect position, advice columnist at the Daily Record. As she leaves her home intent on an interview, she is startled from her reverie by her neighbor and best friend Ruth. Always the pessimist she believes that Hattie is just too old and will make a fool of herself. Hattie knows better, she wants a chance at an interview and has her resume with her in an old beat up Wal-Mart shopping bag. For want of a better form, this resume is her life story and her background, which makes her the perfect person to run the advice column.

Upon reaching the paper and stating her intent, she receives the brush off by the first person she encounters. She informs her that they are not hiring for the position and to head on home. Now Hattie is not having any of this, didn’t she just read that the previous columnist was fired? She found a chair and set herself down, vowing not to leave until she received her interview. As the day wears on, Hattie is first ignored then questioned, and finally threatened as she continues to remain firm. She has just heard the name of the man in charge and will no longer allow just anyone to interview her, only him, Mr. James Pierce. As frustration sets in with the staff, the owner of the paper finally shows up with security guards to escort her from the building.

It is at this point that things get a bit wild. As the guards grab her arms to lift her into a wheel chair, she stumbles pulling one of the guards on top of her. As he struggles to cuff her, she immediately starts to bruise. One of the staffers is on hand with his cell phone and taking pictures, which further panics the staff. When Hattie is finally lead to a holding room, rumors of her capture and possible abuse are leaked to the neighboring news groups.

As Mr. Pierce finally hears about the hubbub, he arrives in time to meet the indomitable Hattie Plain. Agreeing to an interview as long as she agrees to clear up the unfounded rumors, he is taken aback by the resume she has retrieved for her interview. Can he convince her that the position is not right for her, and get her to understand the papers stance on the subject?

Hattie Plain is a fascinating woman, and in A Witness Tree: The Story of Hattie Plain, Peter Tyner has put together a profound history of her life. The story is told through the notes and letters, as well as articles collected over her lifetime, revealing a life of amazing strength and courage, beginning at the age of thirteen years of age. The beginning of Hattie’s reminiscing is as a young girl at her first job writing essays for life at the newspaper in her hometown, working for Mr. Davis.

What Peter Tyner does so well is build a story from bits and parts of the writings and clipping of Hattie’s past building on the joys and pains, and the unforgiving past that revolved around those of color. The heartache and pain resonate with a fierceness that pulls you in. The tone of the novel deals with the history of the times, bringing to light the issues of the day. We follow the murders and mysteries of a time in history that dealt with Rosa Parks and Martin Luther King. We relive the memories of the musical stylists of a time when black music was coming to the fore. Tyner weaves Hattie’s life through all the highlights and lowlights of the era, and finds a way to incorporate her life in the middle, making this an amazing and interesting journey.

I found myself tearing up as I read some of the stories and was horrified by the homes and lives destroyed during the era. This was a fast paced, extremely interesting story of historical significance.

I would recommend this story for a discussion group. It has great range and histories, names that resonate with the times and a character that exemplifies the very worst and best in all of us. This is a wonderful book and a must have for your library. If you enjoy history, you will enjoy the effortless weaving of historical names and places as well as the actual events of the day, making this a true reading adventure.

Rating 5\5
A Witness Tree: The Story of Hattie Plain

This book was received as a free down load from the author. All opinions are my own based off my reading and understanding of the material.

Promise Kept by Brandy Hunt

Article first published as Book Review: Promise Kept by Brandy Hunt on Blogcritics.

In a history set in 2187, Lila Howell works as an archival historian. She works for the Security ministry, a part of the New Dawn Government also known as N. D. Her psychic abilities as well as her youth in a Crèche make her a commodity. She takes the autobiographies of those that lived through the passing. While the ministry continues to try to manipulate her, she has vowed she will never use her psychic abilities to hurt anyone. Her recent assignment leaves her concerned and confused. It is a bit unlike her previous orders, and signed by three different people, and unusual occurrence.

The woman she is to read is Susanne Newton, a woman in her nineties who worked and helped to found the New Dawn government. Someone is looking for information on the Southern Dragon. This is information suspected to be known by Susanne and is important to someone in the ministry. Lila finds herself intrigued with Susanne from the start. She is charismatic and has lived and amazing legendary life. Susanne is a farmsteader, whose best friend Larissa is with her in the home where she lives. In fact, Larissa has been involved with Susanne over the years, in both fortune and war. The stories from Susanne open her resolve and have her thinking about her own life and relation-ship with her family.

Second-guessing the quest, she finds that she herself has come under scrutiny by the very government she works for. She is being followed and her every move is being questioned. Who is the one known as the Southern Dragon and why would this very entity also aged into the nineties create such and effort at search. Lila finds herself at risk and yet as she continues her job, the more she learns the less she understands. Can she still get the information and protect Susanne, or will she have to disappear before her very life is no longer of value?

In Promise Kept by Brandy Hunt, the story is set in a world far in the future. A future that has changed and evolved over the millennium, and yet the farmer, or farmsteaders are those that maintain their freedom. Part of the change and yet able to withstand the winters and changing landscapes, even now they offer both hope and fear for the masses. Well developed, her characters are endowed with strengths as well as flaws, which draw you to them. They are likable and real, or the alternative, looking out for number one, not caring about others. This is much of what we see every day and it appears as though humanity remains much the same in this futuristic world.

Lila is a young woman with a gift that is valuable to the government. It lifts her from a life of drudgery, which is what many can only aspire too. The thing that the Ministry does not understand about her is that she has a strong sense of ethics. They can only push her so far. Susanne and her life brings out a spark in her that she did not know was missing.
Susanne herself is a wonderful and charismatic woman, a storyteller. But what interesting and amazing stories she tells. It is easy to forget her age as she brandishes her sword and battles the reevers and other dangers in the earlier times. Her friend Larissa is by her in every instance and story, both of them strong and courageous. Something we can all aspire too. The story is interesting and full of love and surprises, with an ending that will invoke envy.

I would have to recommend this book for reading and book clubs. It is both interesting and insightful, a book to grace anyone’s library, especially those that enjoy this genre.

Rating 4/5
Promise Kept

This book was recieved as a free download from the author. All opinions are my own based off my reading and understanding of the material.

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Redemption by Laurel Dewey

Article first published as Book Review: Redemption by Laurel Dewey on Blogcritics.

As Jane Perry’s undercover assignment is blown, she is as angry as hell. Having her bust taken over by the local authorities is like a kick in the pants. Having left a position with the police force and opening her own office as PI, she is very obsessive of her cases. Working with the FBI on this undercover sting was only going to build her business one more step. When she finds out, they have bypassed her and gone with the locals she sees red. Frustrated and worried she finds herself open for a new job. That is how she hooked up with Catherine (Kit) Clark. An older slightly eccentric bohemian type, looking for answers.

Kit is convinced the man who killed her granddaughter so many years ago, has just kidnapped another young girl. Recently released on bail, he is waiting for a new trial. Kit needs Jane’s help to track him down and find Charlotte Walker, the twelve year old who recently disappeared. Initially Jane is intrigued. The story Kit tells is tragic, blaming herself, the abduction and murder of her own granddaughter is heartrending. Yet it has destroyed her family and alienated them to the extent they consider her dead. She has come to terms with her life and her part in Ashlee’s death. Recently diagnosed with terminal cancer, she wants to put to rest and close the book on Lou Peters the alleged murderer. Now she is convinced he has taken another victim. Jane is hooked.

With media interest in the case, Jane tries to keep a low profile. However, how low can it be when she finds that her client-copartner in the case is just a bit kooky? She drinks jade water, walks backwards for relief of her back, and wears outlandish clothes. She eats herbs and is a naturalist. As Jane delves deeper into the disappearance of Charlotte Walker, she finds out that Catherine has not told her everything.

Immersing herself further in the case, she stumbles on a religious cult. Lou is deep in the group and they believe in his innocence. Lou has ingratiated himself and become close with the founder. Can Jane find Charlotte before it is too late? Will Lou’s madness escalate before she can find the clues?

In Redemption, Laurel Dewey further develops the character of Jane Perry who made her first appearance in Dewey’s first novel, Protector. Jane is a strong and opinionated character. She is a survivor of physical abuse as a child, and believes she has overcome her past. She is vulnerable because of that past, and it dictates many of her decisions in life. She finds she has difficulty trusting and pushes people away. When offered the chance to become Sergeant, she turned it down. Her old boss Weyler was one of the few people she trusted, but she needed a break, she had to get away. She really begins to like Catherine and get close only to find that Catherine also has a secret, which puts her at odds with the law.

Kit is a likable character, full of flair. She has lived an interesting life, growing up in the era of free love and flower power. She is gregarious and funny, with some extremely odd quirks. She believes her cancer was caused by her anger and hatred after the death of her granddaughter Ashlee. Not only did she feel at fault for her death, her daughter blamed her as well. The pain was so deep that forgiveness would never come. She has made peace with her life but worries at how the hatred in her daughter will make her ill as well. Her companionship is good for Jane, it steadies her in a way she has never had.

The spirituality of the book is subtle and flows throughout the background. It is intrinsic to the story and very interesting. Kit has some very interesting and thought provoking beliefs, without which this novel would not have been the same. Well written, the story is fast paced and thrilling. You will find yourself drawn to the characters and feel their pain as well. The mystery and plot are well researched and very believable.

I would recommend this book for those interested in suspense and murder. It also has a little twist of lightheartedness as well as sadness. I was not prepared to enjoy it as I did. I found it unique and interesting, and could not put it down. This would be a great book for a book club, it spans a time when changes were happening and cultures were new. It would create a great deal of conversation and opinions

Rating 5/5
Redemption

This book was received as a free copy through the publicist. All opinons are my own based off my reading and understanding of the material.

Whom God Would Destroy by Commander Pants

Article first published as Book Review: Whom God Would Destroy by Commander Pants on Blogcritics
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We often have to ask ourselves, what is reality? Just because my reality is different from someone else’s, does that make it wrong? What would happen if God chose to come into the 21st century to live among us? Would he be surprised or would he fit in and go with the flow. In Whom God Would Destroy, Commander Pants has written a satirical look at an entirely different existence than the one that consumes us. In this light-hearted and satirical story, he has created a twisted and alternate truth.

In this comedic look at what happens when conspiracy and psychiatry mingle with aliens, Commander Pants' characterizations in the different plots and subplots have you scratching your head and mumbling to yourself. While he creates dreamscapes and landscapes, the characters come alive with theories and plots of their own. As you follow the flow from each direction, it is like stepping off into a void. One moment you are sane and then you join the Mad Hatters tea party, where anything can happen. Then it does. This is “A Novel about taking reality with a pillar of salt.”

Whom God Would Destroy has a way of making you question the way you look at life and the things you think you know. As Commander Pants delves into religion and sanity with a deft hand, he launches aliens in the mix by introducing them to McDonalds' Big Mac, and the ultimate orgasm. Only an extraordinary mind can juggle such an extreme cast of characters and storylines and still come out with an interesting and slightly hysterical novel. Follow along with a zany cast, find yourself kidnapped by aliens, then buckle up and enjoy the ride.

Through it all, as God settles in to reach the masses, he develops a new term for the quality of life: Meism. A charismatic character that attracts all of the wrong kinds of people, he only adds to the level of satire, inherent in the theme of the entire novel.

If you like satire and enjoy a good laugh, Whom God Would Destroy is the book for you. It would be interesting reading for a book club or reading group. Following the characters and watching how they come together to make for a fully realized read, would lend tidbits to talk about for hours. This is an uncomfortable and often laugh out-loud book, sure to stir your thoughts

 
Rating 4/5
Whom God Would Destroy

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