Beneath the Surface by Mila Hart My rating: 5 of 5 stars Full disclosure: I got to read this one in an earlier draft, so watching it land in final form felt a little like watching a plant you helped stake finally bloom. And it blooms. Sloan Locke is a former Army sniper turned government contractor, which means her entire life has been built on one skill — watching without being watched. She retreats to…
The Light of the Fireflies by Paul Pen My rating: 5 of 5 stars A dark tale of family choices and bonds One of the joys of reading translated books is experiencing a different sort of storytelling than what has become standard for American reading. This novel turned out to be a much darker story than I expected, focusing first on a ten-year-old child’s perspective of the absent world he lives in. The author leads…
My War with Hemingway by J.C. Arlington My rating: 3 of 5 stars **Note: I received a copy of this text in exchange for an honest review.**My War with Hemingway follows Zach, a post-Iraqi and Afghanistan war veteran hounded by his experiences in the wars and the aftermath of such violence. True to the blurb, Zach contemplates suicide while on leave, still active duty and haunted by the losses he’s suffered, and is visited by…
Where is Heaven? by Phil Bowie My rating: 5 of 5 stars Note: This book was submitted by the author in exchange for an honest review. I’ve never read a book before that seemed to be tailor written for me. Or maybe I just never realized there were other skeptical believers out there that had the same questions I did and do. Apparently Phil Bowie did have that realization and he’s given us all a…
Heart Of Eternity by N. Jay My rating: 3 of 5 stars This review is in association with The Review Board. Heart of Eternity is a book unlike any I have read before. Well-written and crafted, the story of Jay and Naida is richly interwoven with unexpected, insightful doses of abstract spiritualism. Readers looking for a light read should be cautioned to pass this book by; the story’s intellectual examination of light versus dark, healing…
The Fall and Rise of Lukiya’s Lover by James E. Mutumba My rating: 4 of 5 stars I’ll start with the cover. It does absolutely nothing for the story, being quite unappealing in its simplicity. I like a cover that gives some sort of preview of the story about to unfold. A trio of coupled hearts over a blue and white scribbled background does nothing to entice the imagination. If I saw this sitting on…
Clonmac’s Bridge by Jeffrey Perren My rating: 3 of 5 stars Note: I received a copy of this text in exchange for an unbiased review. True to its blurb, Clonmac’s Bridge is an interesting fusion of genres. Revolving around the discovery of a twelve hundred year old bridge near Clonmacnoise Monastery, the story takes us along for the ride as Griffin Clonmac, an archeologist who has spent fifteen years searching for the elusive bridge, finally…
Mystical Circles by S.C. Skillman My rating: 4 of 5 stars Telling the story of Juliet, a freelance reporter hoping to sell a documentary about the Wheel of Love, an obscure sect of people living in the Cotswolds Hills of Great Britain, as well as potentially save her younger sister Zoe, the newest member from falling into the clutches of the man who leads this group, Mystical Circles at once both delivers and confounds. Mystical…
Angel of Death by Karen Dales My rating: 5 of 5 stars Karen Dales is a Mistress of storytelling and it is not hard to understand why this novel is award winning. Allow me to be honest: I received this series directly from the author in exchange for a review (and to help her celebrate her birthday). Even if I hadn’t received it for free, I would gladly pay her purchasing price for all three…
Sex Love Repeat by Alessandra Torre My rating: 5 of 5 stars Sex Love Repeat starts off with a no-holds barred proclamation: “I love two men. I screw two men. I am in a relationship with them both, and they are both aware there is another. That is all they need to know, that is all I let them know. They don’t need to know a name; they don’t need to know anything but that…
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