The Way of Sorrows - Jon Steele - A Book Review

The Way of Sorrows

By

Jon Steele

SYNOPSIS

The earthly—and cosmic—adventures of Katherine Taylor and Jay Harper come to an electrifying, action-packed conclusion in The Way of Sorrows, the final installment of Jon Steele’s critically acclaimed Angelus Trilogy.

The earthly—and cosmic—adventures of Katherine Taylor and Jay Harper come to an electrifying, action-packed conclusion in The Way of Sorrows, the final installment of Jon Steele’s critically acclaimed Angelus Trilogy.

After the heart-stopping cliff-hanger that concluded Angel City, Katherine Taylor and Jay Harper return in this ultimate portrayal of good versus evil—Apocalypse-style. Will the remnants of the Nephilim—fallen angels from time immemorial—capture and destroy baby Max, Katherine’s half-mortal/half-heavenly child? Or will otherworldly Special Agent Harper be able to thwart these hideous plans and prevent the end of mankind? Spanning the globe—and the heavens—Jon Steele’s brilliant, rich, and imaginative book is a masterpiece of science, religion, and fantasy.

REVIEW

The Way of Sorrows was a unique read that required the full attention of this reader.  Maybe I wouldn't have been so distracted if I wasn't a student of prehistory of ancient Biblical history, but my brain kept working in overtime as I processed the complex story up against my own internal database of "ancients" knowledge.  I absolutely loved the added twist of the time dimensions and the way he inferred their beginnings.  What I am now dying to do is to go back and read books one and two.

I feel that Jon Steele has come the closest to verbalizing some of my personal concepts of pre-history and the war between good and evil than anyone else I have read and to do it in this fantastic sci-fi setting is totally awesome.  The Way of Sorrows is a classic example of a mash up of genre.  Even though it is definitely listed as Sci-fi, I would also not hesitate to place the book in historical fiction, or is it possible to create a new genre, Historical Sci-Fi Fiction?  I have actually read several books in the last few years that I could place in this category.  For students well versed in a certain historical period, i.e. ancient pre-history, they would identify the mash up quickly and easily.  They would see the parallels and draw history out of the Sci-fi setting.   Knowing this history, broadens the enjoyment and fills in and answers potential questions that might otherwise left me puzzled.

To say Jon’s characters were complex and deeply developed would be an understatement.  Each of the characters lived in multiple times and in multiple dimensions, with their earth and “other worldly” names.  Not having read books one and two yet (my bad, and soon to be remedied) this was at first confusing, but I caught up and was soon deeply immersed into the story.

His over-lay of the God family and the kidnapping was fantastic.  His understanding and being able to lay-out so clearly the concepts of inter-dimensional time and the layers and layers of time, as well as the creative way he had for moving between them was fabulous.  The conclusion was fabulous and gave you a sense of hope for tomorrow.    

Jon would be wonderful to sit down and visit with sometime.  His book is well worth the read for any true futuristic sci-fi addict, as well as anyone willing to take on a mental rollercoaster challenge.  I give this a full FIVE STAR for thrills and great reading.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

JON STEELE is an award-winning journalist and author of The Watchers and Angel City. Born in Spokane, Washington, he traveled the world, working as a cameraman for Independent Television News. After a twenty-year career, Steele wrote the critically acclaimed War Junkie. In 2008, he co-wrote, codirected, and shot Baker Boys: Inside the Surge, a documentary about an American combat unit in Iraq. He lives in Switzerland.

·        File Size: 4376 KB

·        Print Length: 512 pages

·        Publisher: Blue Rider Press (August 4, 2015)

·        Publication Date: August 4, 2015

·        Sold by: Penguin Group (USA) LLC

Altered to Kill - Ginna Moran - Book Reveal!!!!

Title: Altered to Kill (Finding Nate Book One)

Publisher: Sunny Palms Press

Page Count: 375

Release Date: Fall 2015

Synopsis

Seventeen-year-old Nate Burnham never thought killing would be easy, but when his girlfriend, Mira Everson, is attacked by an incubus disguised as a classmate, Nate discovers love is worth killing for. With the possibility of a grim future, Nate finds himself in the back of an unmarked van with a decision to make—spend life behind bars or enroll in the Special Abilities Task Force run by the Human Preservation Agency. In order to protect Mira, Nate joins the secret organization and is plunged into a world of monsters, murder, and secrecy.

Mira Everson’s life is turned upside down when she discovers Nate has been abducted by scientists who have the ability to rewrite lives. She flees her home to escape a deadly agent sent to kill her, and she must come to terms with the idea that any future contact with Nate could result in her death.

Thrust into a war between humans and creatures, Nate and Mira are fated to fight on opposing sides. Can they unravel the truth or will they face deadly consequences?

Add to Goodreads | Pre-Order on Amazon

Excerpt

Nate

I’m going to need a lot more than this dish rag and paper towels to clean up the pool of blood seeping from Ryder’s stomach. The puddle smears when I rub it instead of being soaked up like it should be. “Stop bleeding already, man.” I drop the dish towel, splattering blood on my shoes. “Where the heck is the mop?” I don’t know why I even ask. No one will respond.

I wipe my hands on my jeans without thinking. “Oh, come on!” I’m starting to look like a murderer. Hate to break it to you, Nate, but your appearance is the least of your worries. I’m sweaty, have blood all over me, and I’m sure my eyes are wild.

Think, Nate. Think. Think. Think. I growl like a rabid dog. “Why can’t you just go away?” I kick Ryder’s leg. “You piece of crap lunatic!” I kick him again. “You should be the one going to jail. You attacked my girlfriend. You held a knife to her throat. I heard you tell her how she didn’t deserve to live. How you were going to make her feel the pain she made you feel. But guess what? You did that to yourself. You knew she was in love with me. Mira is my girlfriend. Not yours. And if anyone should deserve to live, it’s her.” I kick him so hard his body rolls over.

What the…? No way. Bodies don’t decompose this fast. Part of the skin on Ryder’s arm is blackening. It looks like it’s raw and melting away, yet Ryder has only been dead for just over an hour. I nudge his arm with the toe of my shoe and it deflates. I jerk back in surprise. It’s foul and intriguing. Does Hollywood keep this postmortem fact a secret? I never knew this about dead bodies. At least he doesn’t stink. Actually, he smells rather nice. Like cinnamon rolls. Man, I’m disgusting.

Morticians have a lot of work to make bodies look presentable. If they threw Ryder in a casket now, it’d have to be closed. He’s nasty looking. But dang, his warm pastry smell is overpowering and making me hungry.

I shake my head to regain focus, but I can’t. My stomach growls. Despite Ryder’s disgusting flesh, his scent is mouthwatering, and I almost want take a bite out of him. Almost. Now that’s one way to get rid of the body.

I yank my shirt over my nose. This body cleanup business is ludicrous. I need to put him in a trash bag and somehow manage to get him in the back of my Ford Ranger without anyone seeing me.

I kick the dishrag away. No point in trying to soak up the blood if Ryder isn’t going to stop bleeding and decomposing. The police would never believe this happened just over an hour ago. Maybe that would help my case. I can find an alibi for another day and time. I wonder if anyone would believe I just stumbled upon him. With the way he looks now, only a DNA test could determine who the body belongs to. He’s in your girlfriend’s kitchen. That still leaves her a suspect.

I stumble around the rotting corpse and yank a few black trash bags from under the sink. They’re impossible to unfold with my gooey fingers, and I shake them until they open. With one hand, I yank Ryder’s blood-matted hair until he’s is sitting up. I let go to adjust the bag when he slumps against my chest. The trash bag slips from my fingers, and my shirt yanks down with Ryder’s weight. The cinnamon roll smell smacks me in the face, and I breathe deeply.  “You’re making me so hungry.”

I lean closer and closer. I can’t help it. I can’t do anything to stop myself. I have to taste him. One little bite won’t hurt.

I grab his soft, slimy arm and bring it to my mouth. Don’t do it! This is disgusting. And crazy. And completely not something a normal person would do. Pull it together. Seriously, pull it together! My mind doesn’t want any part of this Ryder tasting, but my hands won’t drop his arm, and my mouth won’t stay shut. I’m really doing this. I’m going to take a bite out of a dead guy.

About The Author

Ginna Moran started writing poetry as a teenager in a spiral notebook that she still has tucked away on her desk today. Her love of writing grew after she graduated high school, and she completed her first unpublished manuscript at age eighteen.

When she realized her love of writing was her life’s passion, she studied literature at Mira Costa College in Northern San Diego. Besides writing young adult novels, she was senior editor, content manager, and image coordinator for Crescent House Publishing Inc. for four years.

Aside from Ginna’s professional life, she enjoys binge watching television shows, playing pretend with her daughter, and cuddling with her dogs. Some of her favorite things include chocolate, anything that glitters, cheesy jokes, and organizing her bookshelf.

Ginna is currently hard at work on her next novel.

You can find Ginna Moran's Destined for Dreams at these retailers:

Amazon | Barns & Noble | Kobo | iTunes

You can find Ginna Moran on social media at: 

Website |  Amazon | Twitter | Facebook | Goodreads | YouTube | Pinterest | Instagram 

www.TheMoralOfOurStories.com

The Last Concerto - Helaine Mario A Review

The Lost Concerto

By

Helaine Mario

SYNOPSIS

A woman and her young son flee to a convent on a remote island off the Breton coast of France.  Generations of seafarers have named the place Ile de la Brume, or Fog Island. In a chapel high on a cliff, a tragic death occurs and a terrified child vanishes into the mist.

The child’s godmother, Maggie O’Shea, haunted by the violent deaths of her husband and best friend, has withdrawn from her life as a classical pianist. But then a recording of unforgettable music and a grainy photograph surface, connecting her missing godson to a long-lost first love. 

The photograph will draw Maggie inexorably into a collision course with criminal forces, decades-long secrets, stolen art and musical artifacts, and deadly terrorists. Her search will take her to the Festival de Musique, Aix-en-Provence, France, where she discovers answers to her husband’s death, an unexpected love―and a musical masterpiece lost for decades.

A compelling blend of suspense, mystery, political intrigue, and romance, The Lost Concerto explores universal themes of loss, vengeance, courage, and love.

REVIEW

As I sat down to review The Lost Concerto, I puzzled over which story to discuss, which tale to delve in to.  Most times when you are treated to a well written novel, you have a central theme (story) and one or two side stories that can be told to add breadth to the tale.  These could be stories that are running concurrently, back-stories that fills in the lives of the characters in the novel and adds depth and breadth to the central core and makes you love or hate the mainstay of the novel.  Sometimes, you might even get a side story that are small flash forwards of what is to come and whets your appetite for the coming pages and might give you a false sense of security or fright by leading you astray.

Helaine Mario swept this reader off her feet.  The mental score card came out as I began to track the numerous story paths through this complex and wondrous book that wrapped the reader in a web of intrigue.  There were several concurrent storylines that contained overlapping characters.  There were storylines with the same characters that flung the reader to the far and near past.  Each story, be it short or a longer one that continued to pop-up throughout the book, peeled back a little more of the total picture.  Each revelation changed the view of the panorama laid out before the reader, changing the viewpoint of what we thought and felt previously about a character or about where the story was headed. 

Who said, “nothing is as it seems, assume nothing”?  The only absolute to be assumed was that “all was not fair in love and war”.  Even as a reader, one felt ensnared in the tangled web of deceit that seemed to dominate both sides of this subtle war between the CIA and an ex-employee.  With a musician and a little boy caught in the web and at the center of the battle.  Who would win?  Would there be a winner?

Helaine did a great job of her character development.  Just like she did with her complex story lines, so she did with her characters.  Just as you thought you knew who someone was, you discovered that they were not the person you thought they were.  The friendships, the associations, the allies, the enemies; they seemed like fluid lines that moved and mixed.  You didn’t know who to trust, who to believe.  Much like the heroine, you had to stay focused on the reason – Max, the son of the heroine’s friend.  Nothing else could matter. 

This is one book that will go on the must be re-read shelf.  For with the coming of the last page, I knew I needed to read it again.  I wanted to gain all the nuances that I missed in the first read.  True, there were times I found myself rushing to turn the page, breathlessly waiting to see what the next page might reveal.  In my haste to absorb the incredulity and rush of the action of the story, what could I have missed?  Therefore, I find that I want to go back for a second read, knowing all, to wallow in the pure genius of the telling of the tale.

In my opinion, this is one book that should be up for multiple awards for fiction for 2015.  I cannot begin to enumerate the reasons for listing The Last Concerto a  FIVE STAR REVIEW!!!!

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

New York City born and raised, Helaine is a Boston University graduate.  She married in 1969 and moved to CT to raise her two children, volunteer at Save the Children, and write for the local newspaper.

 In 1985, Helaine’s life took an unpredictable turn when her husband’s career brought her family to Potomac, MD.  For all eight years of the Clinton Presidency, she was a White House volunteer for Tipper and Al Gore, and continues to be a passionate advocate for public service and women & children’s issues.

 Because Helaine believes strongly in “giving back,” she has worked on several non-profit boards and, in 1998, founded The SunDial Foundation, Inc., which benefits our most vulnerable women, children and families.  She also created Project PJs, offering new books, bears and pajamas to under-served children in the community.

 Helaine and her husband, Ron Mario, now spend their time in Arlington, VA – where she continues her advocacy work – Longboat Key, Florida, and Cape May, NJ.   She is grateful to be a twelve year cancer survivor and is most proud of her two children and four beautiful grandchildren.  Her son, Sean, is the pianist who inspired the classical music background inThe Lost Concerto.

    

Buy it at AMAZON

Danger Wears White - Lynne Connally - a Review

Danger Wears White

By

Lynne Connally

SYNOPSIS

Hoping to live down her family’s connections to the traitorous Jacobite cause, Imogen wants nothing more than a quiet life in the country. When she stumbles upon a wounded man, the white cockade in his coat tells her he’s a Jacobite, and a danger to the crown. Yet there’s something about him she can’t resist . . .

In search of a document on behalf of his powerful family, Tony is shot and left for dead. Secreted away to a hidden chamber, he finds himself both a guest and prisoner of a beautiful but mysterious woman. What she wants and who she serves, he cannot know. But what he does understand is the desire burning strongly between them. And that neither of them will be spared until their lust is sated.

When the action moves to London, suddenly it’s Tony who has to act to save Imogen. Forced to become a lady in waiting to Princess Amelia, she is in peril from the Jacobites, who are convinced she is their salvation. Only the strength of Tony and Imogen’s love can save them now.

REVIEW

Sometimes historical fiction should be just good fun to read.  The settings, the immersion into the life of living in the period and as a member of the “fallen” ton was wonderful.  I could almost feel a small sense of Cinderella in the fine print, as Imogen fights to just keep her home out of the clutches of the warring factions of the Royals and the Jacobites, who are determined to once again sit on the throne of England. 

Part of what is so much fun, is the intrigue, and the cloak and dagger of the fighting.  All this, while appearing gentile and extremely civilized, as society demands.  The only person who doesn’t seem to know what the fighting is really about is the center of it all, and the innocent of the day, Imogen. 

Lynne does a wonderful job of slowly rolling out the scroll, and laying the picture out for us all to see and take in, much like a large panorama map across a desk.  Accept, she is whisking us through the pages of her novel at break-neck speed as she paints the picture with broadening strokes.  Just as you think you have it all figured out, Lynne throws in a curve and adds more depth and texture to the scene and characters. 

What could have otherwise been a light summer read, was given more depth by the complex character development she gave to her central characters.  It kept you turning the page to see if you had it right, or if  the next discovery would turn Imogen’s world upside-down, again.

All this intrigue was wrapped and intertwined with a love story, much like a twisted Cinderella tale.  Personally, I read and saw the Cinderella story as the central thread through the entire novel.  It made it endearing and charming, in the middle of the cloak and dagger and everything else going on.  I love a good Cinderella, smile.

As to the historical, there seemed to be no ties to documented history, but the atmosphere, and character development were spot on for the time period and setting.  Fabulous job.

I would give this novel a good FOUR STAR rating.  A copy of this book was provided by Net Galley for my reading and reviewing of the novel, thank  you.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Lynne Connolly writes historical romance, paranormal romance and contemporary romance. She loves the conflicts and complications that come about if someone lives their life to the full.
She has her own blog, but she also blogs for The Good, The Bad and The Unread, the UK Regency/Georgian writers' blog and The Raven Happy Hour.
She lives in the UK with her family and her mews, a cat called Jack. She also enjoys making and decorating dolls' houses. She visits the US at least once a year, attends conferences and has a great time.
Her website is at http://lynneconnolly.com

The Martian - Andy Weir

SYNOPSIS

Six days ago, astronaut Mark Watney became one of the first people to walk on Mars.

Now, he's sure he'll be the first person to die there.

After a dust storm nearly kills him and forces his crew to evacuate while thinking him dead, Mark finds himself stranded and completely alone with no way to even signal Earth that he’s alive—and even if he could get word out, his supplies would be gone long before a rescue could arrive.

Chances are, though, he won't have time to starve to death. The damaged machinery, unforgiving environment, or plain-old "human error" are much more likely to kill him first.

But Mark isn't ready to give up yet. Drawing on his ingenuity, his engineering skills—and a relentless, dogged refusal to quit—he steadfastly confronts one seemingly insurmountable obstacle after the next. Will his resourcefulness be enough to overcome the impossible odds against him?

REVIEW

Space, the final frontier.  I have been a die-hard fan of flying to the stars for as long as I can remember.  My dad took me down to the Capital in Santa Fe, when I was five, so I could see the space capsule and shake the hand of the astronaut who flew into space (around the world a couple of times).  He gave me a signed postcard and a little flag.  My dad still has them and I still have the vivid memories. 

I still have the vivid memories of my dad waking us up so we could witness Neil Armstrong landing on the moon and taking those first steps.  “One small step for man, one giant leap for mankind”.  It was an old black and white TV and the reception wasn’t the best, but we were watching history for mankind, and I felt the import of the event.

Sending men to Mars is not too much farther in my mind for us to do.  Come on, how far have we gone with Star Trek? Star Wars?  But really, even now, we have managed to get a space vehicle to go to Pluto with only a four hour delay in transmission.  WOW!!!!  That is so far beyond my thinking of the speed of what I thought we were capable of.

And then we land a man on Mars and he gets taken out by a sandstorm, not a meteor shower, or a capsule blowing up, but a sandstorm… man, we had sandstorms in Texas that could take out houses…

Can you imagine?  Stuck on Mars?  And no ride home?  At least not for three or four years.  Boy, time for creative thinking.  I have a year’s worth of food and no water…hm.  Well, of all the guys to get stranded, the lucky dog would be the farmer.  And to make matters even better, he was also the tinker man. 

I grew up with the expression being bounced around “nothing that bailing wire and duct tape won’t fix.”  Between a botanical degree, and the ability to disregard box-style thinking, Mark managed to create a biosphere from Martian soil, his waste, and figuring out how to suck water out of some Hydrogen fuel tanks.  He also created enough food to survive utilizing a few fresh food items he discovered on-board and growing them in the created biosphere. 
What kept the book, Mark, and me rolling, was the rollicking, tongue in cheek journal entries that were a caustic slap schtick.  He had the ability to laugh at his perilous situation and mock his tenuous hold on life out in the wilds of Mars --- alone.

In its interesting way, the book truly gave us a look at the kind of personality and tenacity that it demanded of an person who commits to a long term program of isolation and stress.  The demands needed to think on his feet, to be flexible, to be creative, to work through, around, over, and rework problems and solutions till answers are found. 

The other storylines of how NASA back on earth, and the astronauts returning home in the spaceship were handing the incident were also quite interesting.  While Mark was focused on survival, survival, survival, back at NASA politics and petty hierarchies seemed to take preferences, at times to the actual goal of getting Mark back home. 

The book was written in a journal format and in the first person.  The sections where there were flash-overs to NASA and to the other space craft (rocketing back towards earth), was written in a third person voice, as you observed what was happening, much like a fly on the wall.

Back story and depth was skillfully played out through Mark’s reflections in his log.  At one point, once he realized that NASA knew he was alive, he made the sarcastic remark that he was going to have to go back and clean-up and delete some entries on the journal, now that he knew it would be read.  I cracked-up.  Ooops….

I have always been one who says give me the book, maybe I’ll watch the movie, but this time around, Andy did such a wonderful job of building the world that Mark had to survive in, that I am now dying to see how it is visualized on the big screen this fall when the movie comes out. 

I loved this book.  It was a wonderful lite read that left me laughing.  The technical jargon was part and parcel and made the book work.  I give this book a full FOUR STAR RATING.  A great weekend read.  And a must read before you see the movie!!!!!

Net Galley provided a copy for me to read and review.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

ANDY WEIR was first hired as a programmer for a national laboratory at age fifteen and has been working as a software engineer ever since. He is also a lifelong space nerd and a devoted hobbyist of subjects like relativistic physics, orbital mechanics, and the history of manned spaceflight. The Martianis his first novel.