Archives for January 2019

Book review: The Crown for Castlewood Manor, by Veronica Cline Barton  Series: My American Almost-Royal Cousin Series

Veronica’s description:

The English ancestral manor of Cherrywood Hall is ready to compete for selection in an upcoming British TV period drama series: the grounds are manicured, the mansion is polished, and the servants are poised. American heiress Gemma Lancaster Phillips has crossed the pond to help her cousin defeat the three other stately homes vying for the prize.

What Gemma doesn’t realize is that this competition is life or death, and someone is taking that challenge literally. The occupants of one home are killed in an automobile accident, and murder becomes a frequent occurrence at the other locations. Who is behind the mayhem? Selection would be a major coup for both the estate and the community. At first the other contestants seem to be likely suspects, but no one is quite certain as the tragedies continue. Could it even be Emma’s beloved cousin Evan, the surviving heir to the Lancaster fortune, or Kyle, his best friend and estate manager? With the Royal family in attendance at each event, the puzzle becomes a crucial one for Scotland Yard, and they enlist Gemma’s help to solve the mystery.

When the competition’s winner is announced on New Year’s Eve, will Gemma’s future be forever tied to her ancestral past?

BUY The Crown for Castlewood Manor!

VISIT: https://myamericanalmostroyalcousinseries.com/

And Follow Veronica on her Amazon author page

Veronica  is a top supporter of authors, artists, and those who follow their dreams. Be sure to follow Veronica on Twitter. And follow Veronica on Instagram!

 

Travis Borne’s review:

“SLAP! I’m out of here. How could you! Oh, I can’t believe what he did to me after how long we’ve been together. And we had plans, plans to—”

But, it could be the best thing that ever happened to young Dr. Gemma Phillips. Will she find new love? Tall dark and handsome…

From the beaches of California, travel east to England, to Castlewood Manor for the by-chance, breathtaking chance of a lifetime! Gemma will experience what most people only dream of. The Crown for Castlewood Manor: My American Almost-Royal Cousin Series, by Veronica Cline Barton, was one of the most intensely colorful, and tasty, yes, tasty novels I’ve ever devoured. The author employs her words elegantly. She’ll pique your every sense with colors, smells, sounds, and especially taste, as well as some very handsome steaminess, for those who, as I mentioned above, love the tall dark and handsome. And she does so flawlessly. My mind was lighting up like fifty Christmas trees, then given surge after power surge after the unexpected happened again and again.

I lived a life of royalty for the five days I savored this book. From basic ol’ tea and scones (pronounced “scons,” as I learned from the author) to some of the most delectable dishes imaginable. I was put into a “food coma” (author’s words), many times while reading. Food for prestigious royalty but also, much, much more. Imagine the best dresses, boots, gems and semiprecious stones, and ghosts, yep, perhaps…ghosts! (And I won’t name ‘ghost’ names).

Tasty treats, sensual feels and “proper” kisses many times over. Indulge yourself in Veronica’s prose, which is some of the cleanest, most descriptive writing I’ve ever had the pleasure of reveling in.
And it goes like this… Gemma arrives. The glitz and glam of beach life, magnified 100 fold at Castlewood Manner. And then, skulduggery! The adventure of a lifetime begins, and so do some pretty bad, even fatal occurrences. Who did it? Why? No one plays to lose, and some, well…

It’s a grandiose competition dreams cannot even fabricate, but who knew it would be such a cut-throat contest. Gemma is invited to England to help plan the events, royal dinners and more. And with her American spunk and desire to win, will Castlewood Manner win the spotlight? Or will they all give up when the heat gets just too hot.
Gemma’s adventures include hunting on horseback, fancy dinners, jaunts in the English countryside, fabulous outings and planning, planning, and more planning, and getting run off the road, and even… And tall boots and fancy dresses, handsome men and gorgeous women. And scheming that gets way to close for comfort, even bloody. But who? And why?

Again, I’m not saying. And you’ll never guess. Even though, like me, you might think you know before the end. You won’t. The secrets of Castlewood Manner run deep. There’s trick buttons and hidden rooms, secret doors and vaults filled with riches, and good and bad to wonderful, then hatchet-in-the-air harrowing close calls and cliff falls. Slap to start, slap to end. It was perfect.

When I write a review and declare it gets 5 stars on both Amazon and my site, that means it was good. That means it really gets 5 stars. Veronica Cline Barton’s The Crown for Castlewood Manor gets 5 stars across the board. Do not pass on this title! And as for me, I am anxiously looking forward to the next in the series.

Don’t pass on this title! Buy The Crown for Castlewood Manor, by Veronica Cline Barton, on Amazon!

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Book review: Second Chances, by Aaron D. Brinker, Kindle Edition

Aaron’s description:

Chaun Hutchins was like any normal 32-year-old. He had a wife, a degree, a full-time job, a comfortable home, and a baby on the way. An accident turned his world upside down, but not before he uttered words for which he can never make amends.

Haunted by his past, and events that neither he nor his family can explain, Chaun must find answers to his dark troubles, before his past destroys his future.

BUY SECOND CHANCES!

VISIT: https://aarondbrinker.com/

And Follow Aaron D. Brinker on his Amazon author page. As of typing this, I see 3 more books! YES!

Aaron is a top supporter of authors, artists, and those who follow their dreams. Be sure to follow Aaron  on Twitter. And follow Aaron on Facebook!

Travis Borne’s review:

The eyes turned black and… Do six-month-old babies sit up like that? I do not believe so! Second Chances, by Aaron D. Brinker, was a paranormal, spooky and freaky trip I thought I saw coming. But the ending, or should I say endings, said otherwise! Especially the epilogue; it literally had me laughing out loud—and had the judge dancing naked, and, and, and what!? People actually getting along with…

Don’t dive into Aaron’s novel expecting gore, but do expect the unexpected. There’s a freak tragedy, then some pain. Then weird stuff, things moving around or floating in midair, hairs getting pulled out here and there and a few almost lethal claw marks and then, the reeeeally weird stuff.

I found this to be a fast, fun read and chose it because the plot sounded cool. I mean, who doesn’t love to get “Second Chances.” Especially after THAT, and what Chaun (a name I couldn’t, in my mind, pronounce as Sean or Shawn, even after reading the entire story) had endured and then had to live with.

Yep, the beginning got right to it, starting out pretty terrible. And I’m not talking about the writing, but what happened! Who knew it’s better to crash into a parked car while going 35 mph instead of 30? You’ll get why when you read it. And who knew, whatever in the world was going to happen, and then did because of such a “chance” happening, a should-have, would-have, but ultimately a nothing that could-have been done! And from there goes layer upon layer of paranormal peculiarities. Think of the movie Paranormal Activity, but no sneaking around with the paranormal part. It comes straight at you, and not so much in tension building waves, but in dynamically crescendoing smacks and jolts. And when…(one of my favorite parts)…when Jake turned around to see it, then fainted (feinted) head first into the table, I knew this was gonna be good. And it was.

And I skipped some things I should have been doing: chores, cleaning, eating, sleeping, breathing, and finished reading Second Chances in less than two days. It’s not a long read anyhoot, but it is a good one. Enjoy!

Good job, Aaron D. Brinker!

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Book review: The Betrayed: A Pecos Quinn Western, by John Rose Putnam, Kindle Edition

John’s description:

A powerful new series by John Rose Putnam begins with Civil War veteran Pecos Quinn riding north hoping to find his old commander, Colonel Carter Brantley. As the war ended five years earlier, he’d arrived home with his unit chased by Yankee cavalry to find his ranch attacked by Comanche, his home burned, his wife scalped and raped. Then someone shot him in the head.

He was left for dead when the rest of the Thirty-ninth Texas fled, but remarkably he survived. After he healed, the broken memories of that day faded in and out of his mind, haunting him. He was alone, lost, confused. He went to work scouting Comanche for his old enemy, the Yankee horse soldiers, and drank way too much. But the savagery of the Indian wars sobered him. It was time to learn the truth. What really happened that fateful day along the Pecos

BUY THE BETRAYED!

Follow John Rose Putnam on his Amazon author page.

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Travis Borne’s review:

Something’s not right in the small town of Brantleyville, but there’s plenty right with John Rose Putnam’s novel, The Betrayed. I chose the title because I was trying to switch things up. So, I must admit this is my first country western novel as I mostly read horror, science-fiction, thrillers, etc…

I found this gem on Facebook and clicked like on it several times before finally deciding to buy. From first glance the plot indeed ensnared my attention. And the author was always very courteous and personally thanked me for my every social-media “like.” And those who know me know I love supporting those who are supportive of other artists, authors, and those following their dreams. John is a #1 supporter! So, accounting for John’s polite and respectable courtesy toward me and every other who came along, along with a plot that really and fully had me hooked at first gander, well, my choice was easy.

John’s novel has plenty that sends it soaring to the stars. It stands up to par with my ‘usual’ genre choices—and goes beyond. And after reading The Betrayed I will be sure to take another gander at John’s other novels, for I had a wonderful experience reading this book. I’ll be reading more westerns in general, too!

The author excels with plot hooks and kept me guessing until the very end, and I mean the very last sentence. This entire adventure—an awakening of an entire, albeit tiny town, with a newly arrived and designated leader who decides something must be done, and then goes through with a masterful plan—had me locked to this ol’ western, a hand on my Henry Rifle, another on my pistol, while ready to fire at the twitch of a gunslinger’s eye. And so, The Betrayed rides into the sunset like this…

With minimal spoilers, here’s a few teasers. A man rides into town. He’s very much alive, on the outside. But on the inside, within a mind that has perceived unfathomable death and war, Pecos’ memories are not in the best of shape. Left for dead. Yep. He can’t remember what actually happened, just that it was bad, really bad. And just wait for it at 42% in, when you find out. All of this and more leads to the slew of cleverly crafted plot hooks I’d mentioned above. Yep, something is wrong within the town he stumbled into, Brantleyville, and now there’s a man on a mission. He’s back! And a young boy who knows little, so very little he barely discerns right from wrong as far as the law is concerned. And an entire town under a spell, and a good woman being forced into something terrible—for an ultimate reason I can personally guarantee, that you will never guess. Not till that last sentence!

I enjoyed this novel on many levels: the scenery, the nightly stars and outhouse fiascoes, horseback rides with young Andy on various trails to The Ranch and back to Brantleyville, and sneaking around and all over. The characters were well developed and lovable, especially young Andy, and Esther, who won’t leave a man behind, even if it means saving herself and her heart. The bad guys are ruthless and the battles are a pent-up long-time oppression way overdue for the release of epic proportions. There’s pistols and Henrys and cannons, and some other very unconventional battle tactics. And some’ll make it, some won’t.

In the end you’ll probably shed a tear. But of joy, or sadness, or will it be a little of both? I won’t say. Just read it. Enjoy it. Don’t pass on this title!

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The Omega Chronicles, by Mark Carnelley, Kindle Edition

Marks description:

A giant cosmic dust cloud is first noticed in 1962, its discovery kept a secret so as not to cause worldwide panic, finally hits the Earth fifty-five years later with catastrophic devastation that wipes life from the face of the planet.

One man, Colton Lee Steele, miraculously survives whilst stationed in Antarctica and thus starts his struggle to at first comprehend the enormity of his predicament and then plans and travels to the Northwest Territories to finally find a place he can call home.

It is a harsh environment he finds himself in but through perseverance and true grit, he discovers an inner strength that will guide him through his final years, and along the way discover that life will always find a way.

Follow Mark Carnelley on his Amazon author page.

Check out Mark’s other novel (currently): The Time Detective

Mark is a top supporter of authors, artists, and those who follow their dreams. Be sure to follow Mark on Twitter.

Travis Borne’s review:

What a journey! Spiral up and around, from the very bottom of the world to the top. Ice land to inferno blast. The Omega Chronicles, by Mark Carnelley, is a fast-paced adventure like no other I’ve read. A pilot who loves to fly, the last man on Earth, trials and tribulations and bourbon-spiked spirals into madness—and rebirths. The author packs a lifespan into his opus, which I had an absolute BLAST reading. I absolutely WILL read this book again and I cannot say that for most books I read.
Many parts of this novel piqued my sense of enjoyment. I will name a few. There’s numerous thrills during many flights, dashes to get, where simply, the main character wants to be. And the expertise in detailing these flights, just what is needed to solidify impeccable credibility, well, I knew the author was a pilot. The author’s style is interesting, straightforward, with a very catchy perspective to boot. All of that and more kept me glued to this book. In fact, I found The Omega Chronicles very hard to put down and finished reading it in only a few short days.
It rolls like this. The main character, Colt, a pilot who is just a plain-old human—blunt, to-the-point and clever—finds himself *lucky,* or from another point of view, an entirely valid one, *unlucky.* He is, the last man alive on Earth. EVERYTHING ELSE IS DEAD. There remains, though, lots of heat, lots of gritty yellow stardust, and…
I fell in love the memories Colt often shared during his trek up and around the planet. Here’s a couple of my favorites…
One. As a child, Colt saves up for a $25 aerial joyride. The pilot, however, doesn’t like Colt’s know-it-all attitude, or seemingly any kids for that matter, and while up in the air the cheeky man, who is not such the ace he’d thought himself to be, has finally had enough. He lets go of the controls and sets the plane into an incipient spin, then says to Colt, “Well, what do you do now, smart-ass?” And what did Colt do? I’ll let you find out. It’s good.
Two. I enjoyed when the author described what Colt liked to do later in life. It was “better than drugs,” he’d said. Colt loved to take his small plane high into the sky and cut off the engines. Then he’d dive and let the air speeding though the propeller, restart the plane. And just before the plane crashed, at about a hundred feet above land… Again, yep, read it for yourself to find out. Very thrilling.
There were myriad other things I enjoyed, too. When Colt visited family various times during his trek, what was left of them. And the madness Colt sunk into for a time. And ultimately, his salvation. His new life and acceptance of what had become of planet Earth. Oh, and I absolutely loved the numerous quotes within this novel. Enlightening. I highlighted many.
But, and I must stamp my foot down, my favorite part about this book was the epilogue. And I still and again, won’t elaborate to spoil anything. Read it for yourself. It’s worth it. But don’t peek, don’t sneak ahead. Because you are in for a real Canadian-sized treat!
Before I wrap this up (I had told my wife I was going to write a shorter, more pithier review but here I go again… Just too many things I liked), I’d like to add one more small detail to this review. This book fit well with me. As many of you know, I love The Martian, by Andy Weir, movie and book. I love the very concept of being the last person alive, trapped in solitude on a distant planet or moon. In this case, Earth. It was a gratifying to journey alongside Colt as he attempted to escape, not only for survival, but to evade the pursuant insanity that came with sheer and utter loneliness.

The Omega Chronicles, by Mark Carnelley, gets FIVE STARS. I loved this novel on so many levels. It is officially on my TBRA (that’s to-be-read-AGAIN) list!

Book review: Beyond the Wicked Willow: Chronicles of a Teenage Witchslayer, Kindle Edition

M.J. Rocissono’s book description:

FRANKIE FRETINI has had a horrible year. And, just when he thinks things are looking up, well…all heck breaks loose. It happens in home-ec class just moments after the girl of his dreams, Jenny Moran, invites him to the annual town carnival. Still dazed from the unexpected invite, Frankie accidentally plasters the face of school bully, Brick McDuddy, with a giant scoop of chocolate mousse.

Embarrassed, and fuming mad, Brick plots to deliver his painful revenge at the carnival. When Frankie, and his pals, Sam, Beef, and Bookworm show up to meet Jenny, Brick and his nasty bootlickers, Harold “The Horrible” Dunson and Billy “Scat” Pile, chase them into the eerie tent of an old Gypsy fortuneteller named Mala. Trapped with nowhere to run, Frankie makes a pact with Mala not knowing that he and his pals would be swept through her crystal ball to Medieval Italy. Now, their only hope to return home rests in Frankie’s hands.

He must kill the evil Italian witch, Il Strega Diavolo, and rescue Mala’s twin sister, Tsura. But, can Frankie find the courage to face the Strega?

Don’t pass on this title! Get Beyond the Wicked Willow: Chronicles of a Teenage Witchslayer, Kindle Edition, from AMAZON!

M.J. Rocissono is a top supporter of authors and artists! Follow M.J. Rocissono on Twitter

Learn more about this talented author, check out M.J. Rocissono’s author page on Amazon.

Travis Borne’s review:

Every once in a while comes a storyteller who can take you to a really, and I mean REALLY, swallowed-me-whole—and I didn’t want it to end—special place. Beyond the Wicked Willow was my favorite book. Period. I’ll just bluntly leave it at that—and I read a lot of books.

This is a CLASH of epic TITANS, “Goonies” swallowed by the the rabbit hole. A nonstop ride of ups and downs, word-sculpting genius: one magnificent destination, one trial and tribulation, one adventure after another…until heroes are born, forged from their harrowing experiences, from difficult decisions decided and put forth into action, and true heart, hearts that are the essence of purity—the stuff legends are made of. Beyond the Wicked Willow is overqualified to trumpet words such as: EPIC! And saga, otherworldly, harrowing, spooky, hypnotizing, mesmerizing—and heartwarming. If you do not laugh, and cry when reading this, then perhaps, you’re not human. Words…? Heartwarming, yep, that’s the one that stands out most for me. This story elevates the very word “HEARTWARMING” into a new dimension all its own, high in the clouds, a cascade of raining bliss, a masterfully concatenated culmination of events that will force you to STOP READING, because emotions get that STOKED. My heart was ready to explode, tears just a raining. And my kids were like, there goes Dad again… But it was joyous rapture. Yep. And it had a nice besprinkling of schadenfreude (which I always LOVE), but not too much, just right. Gotta hate those bullies, and love it when…

Beyond the Wicked Willow teaches lessons of gold, didactic level: zero. It’s splendid!
Come on, you’re overdoing it, Travis. What makes it so special, really?
Well, the story starts out with some things that happened long, long ago, bad things, spiders, witches, curses. And then some nerds in today’s day and age. I pictured ’em like myself and some friends I knew, 80’s nerds. Unique in their own way, but nevertheless, still nerds, goodhearted, albeit scared nerds running from bullies, like they’ve always been running—for their entire lives. They’re a good bunch of kids, though, if there ever was a good bunch of kids: each quirky, doubtful of themselves, unique, and expertly honed to perfection by such a masterful—and I’ll use the word again, “storyteller,” because I believe the very word “storyteller” puts a gypsy’s crystal ball, or a spooky campfire-spin into the mix. Storyteller, story told. Told well.

Beyond the Wicked Willow flows well and contains a million pieces of a fantastical puzzle, and they all fall right into places. It’s majestic, adroitly told without seemingly, the author having to try too hard to unleash the magic. Excellent flow. Yep, it’s magical. There’s crystal balls, time travel, special gifts from very special people, and myriad tie-ins.

You’re kidding me, Travis.
Nope, think, the red-white-suited dude, think baby…ahem, think even, three wise dudes, fables and folklore. Think a million cool little splotches just like that, peppered in to keep your interest piqued. (Intentionally made cryptic to limit spoilers).

Cool!
Totally! Anyway, the cool nerds run from the mean “bullies,” and run right…back in time!

What follows is probably the most epic, color-stuffed, wondrous and terrifying, magnificent journey I’ve ever been on. It reminds me of all those choose-your-own adventure novels. And…float away…I’m a kid again, reading them, all of them over and over to get to experience all the choices, you know. And then I suddenly grow up and look back on all that reading, all those choices, all those smells, good and, well, farts from the fat kid in our small group of friends. And dragons, fast-moving whitewater streams, close-call escapes, colorful plant life and mountains and ominous caverns. More burps…kids, kids just like I was—regular kids trying to get safely down a school’s locker-lined hallway, a hallway stuffed with nerds—and bullies. Fights after school (at the carnival…hint), and tribulations that really are, too much for any kid to have to go endure.

But—and I must finish this review I am totally enjoying because the book was that fun—just say, that if you take all of those books I had read when I was a kid, toss in The Clash of the Titans, with Medusa and many of those cool fables, even The Goonies, mind-state inflamed as though I’d just finished watching it at about 8 years of age…you know, take all THAT stuff, all THOSE adventures, and smash ’em together, it might add up to what I just finished reading, before dinner this evening.
Wow!
Wow, indeed. And dinner was great, BTW. During it, I struck up a conversation about the book I had finished less than 30 minutes earlier. Beyond the Wicked Willow: Chronicles of a Teenage Witchslayer. I told my wife—taco dinner by the way, with pasta and squash, yum—that, “Dang…I just finished reading this awesome novel. It’s about these kids… There’s ogres and wolves… And witches and wizards (in disguise), and cornicellos…” And I went on and on…
I continued, telling my wife, “Really, babe, you know, that was probably one of the best, if not ‘the best,’ books I’ve ever read.” And I truly meant it.
She said—and I am being dead honest about all of this—she said that I should take it easy, not go overboard.
And I told her, “But I always go overboard, that’s how I roll.”
And she replied, “No, I mean you have to be honest.”
And I said, “I am.”
“Come on—”
“No, really. This book, babe, it really was that good.” And I went on to tell her how it would be a cool movie, and about some of the adventures Frankie had went on with his pals: Bookworm, Sam, Beef, Ambroggio, Capricia, and all the others. I told her, “I must give this book 6 stars out of 5, honestly, because it’s that good.”
“Travis, the review is too long!”
“Okay, I’ll finish up. I dare anyone to read this masterfully woven tale and prove me otherwise. Overboard? No way! 6 stars solid. I loved it. I cried. I laughed. And I honestly had to put it down several times because of emotion overload. And I’m gonna read it again, too!”

Check my review of Beyond the Wicked Willow, on Amazon. It’s a splendid read!

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Travis proudly supports indie authors! Read his regularly published book reviews, tips and tricks, writing secrets, imaginings and more, by signing up!

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