Book Reviews

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.

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

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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The Incredible Aunty Awesome sauce, by J.S. Frankel, Kindle Edition

J.S. Frankel’s description:

Sam Aushumness, sixteen, orphan and high school outcast, meets his long-lost aunt at his parents’ funeral—or the woman he thinks is his aunt. It turns out that she isn’t his aunt, isn’t from around here, and isn’t even from this galaxy.

It seems the person masquerading as his aunt is a refugee from a faraway world, and she’s being pursued by a small band of mercenaries who have been hired to bring her back dead or alive—preferably dead.

Secrets have to be kept, and only Sam and his girlfriend, Kym Kim, know who Aunty Aushumness—nickname Aunty Awesomesauce—really is.

However, the secret soon gets out, and soon the mercenaries, the police, and every branch of the government are on the hunt to find Aunty Awesomesauce, what she knows, and what secrets she carries.

Aunty A, though, isn’t one to back down from a fight, and when push comes to shove, the mercenaries find out how bad she can be.

Pick up your copy! The Incredible Aunty Awesome sauce, by J.S. Frankel, Kindle Edition

Check out J.S. Frankel’s author page. Yes, there’s more. LOTS MORE!
And, follow this amazingly talented word-wrangler on Twitter!

Travis Borne’s review:

Okay, every once in a while a story comes along—and it blows the top of my head off in spasmodic successions! Jesse is a virtuoso, a locuting lassoer of language, to just my favorite flavor. He’s the ace of vocabulary delight for vocabulary lover’s just like myself. In this cool, fast-paced, just-what’s-needed-and-nothing-more adventure, his mot, mot, mot juste articulation rang the winning bell. The Incredible Aunty Awesomesauce is a fabulously fantastic and fun tale besprinkled with just the perfect mix of raining lexemes—and NOT pretentious jibber-jabber like the aforementioned jargon hodgepodge bombast I just barfed.
It’s perfect. Unlike my overblown flowery disaster. Ahem.
To put it simple…
This story is just right. Ah…the rhythmic flow, a one-after-another crescendo of tension, then relax, more tension, more relaxation—then BOOM!
I LOVED THIS STORY!
Jesse’s words cascaded and soared in fluid excellence and I felt as though I was sitting on a cloud while ingesting his fiction—one where the bottom could drop out at any moment (that dang low pressure—or was it the Crocs?).
Every base, every sense, everything accounted for. Because, you know how some tales fight your brain to get inside, and make you have to really try, and you plod forward chapter after laborious chapter—well not with Aunty A, and Sam and Kym—and those ‘stinky’ others. Here, you’ll embark on one of the coolest, most hilarious, smooooooth and sweeeeeeping adventures. The author excelled at taking me there.
But how? Why? What happens? Well, as usual I won’t spoil it, but here’s a brief rundown…
Aunty “Aushumness” arrives after a terrible tragedy and takes it upon herself to help a young sixteen-year-old boy, a sixteen-year-old boy who undoubtedly needs the help, and a guardian. And she is undoubtedly something else. Look up. Yep, way up. She’s not from around…here. And she has arrived just in time. To train, to enlighten, to save in the most indirect ways possible—if she can help it—and to love. Now cue the humor. And things begin to occur, then snowball. The Incredible Aunty Awesomesauce is a roller coaster of ups and downs from start to finish, and “Morpheus is fightin’ Neo!” But this ain’t The Matrix, no way, it’s ten degrees deeper, a dive into heart and soul. Sam is fighting’…!
Who?
I ain’t gonna tell ya!
Sorry, I don’t want to spoil it further. But if you just looooaaaathe bullies and love a good dose of schadenfreude from time to time, when those greasy a-hole bullies get their just desserts, well, you’ve found the right story. This one’s for you.
And if you like aliens, special powers, daring escapes, millisecond close-calls, other worlds and other, weird and stinky creatures, who can’t just leave a good skinny dude and his plump girlfriend alone, then here’s your next read. Don’t pass on this title!
The author is a master at painting vivid, colorful pictures—and ONE star for that. The author, J.S. Frankel, is clever at assaulting the sense of smell, to rattle, jolt, and elicit a few ‘holy yucks!’ And a SECOND star for exactly that. And a THIRD for his fascinating vocabulary, and the fluid, adroit, unequaled deployment of it. And that’s three…. THREE MEGA-BRIGHT ONES!
I really loved this story! Did I already say that?
A FOURTH star for humor and buckets of laughs, without overdoing it. And a FIFTH and final supernova, blowing up right now and still, because I just finished this story only one hour ago—and it’s still blowing the top of my head off—a FIFTH star for the cool factor, the bully gets his, deserved kicks to the you-know-whats, and ultimately a lesson that tops the story off like a warm, glossy, and very special cherry that’s just too special too eat: secrets explode like spring flowers, and sacrifice, love, selflessness. How I love ____ endings!

Read Travis Borne’s review of The Incredible Aunty Awesome sauce, by J.S. Frankel, on Amazon!

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The Dead Undone, by Ellie Douglas, Kindle edition

Ellie’s description:

A buried secret has woken and it is hungrier than ever…
Something whispers in the shadows…
Something screams in the dead of night…

Nurse Willa Galton doesn’t believe in ghosts or the paranormal. She never has. But when things start to happen to her, and the others within Tui Asylum, her disbelief in the supernatural is challenged in ways she’s never experienced before.

Willa watches as her world unceremoniously perishes before her very eyes. Determined that she will not let her world die, she leads a team into a dark and dangerous battle.

Faced with a nightmare so raw and so real, they wonder if they have what it will take to defeat the evil on their doorstep.

Willa and her team chop, smash, hammer, stab, shoot and even burned the monsters beyond recognition…but some just don’t stay dead. Why?!

Follow Willa and her team on a perilous journey that takes them on a path of righting a world turned inside out.
If you thought sleeping was safe…think again.

Author Ellie’s website, Twitter, Facebook, and, check out Ellie’s many other novels!

Get The Dead Undone from Amazon!
And buckle up. It’s a frisson of frightful terror!

Travis Borne’s review:

Face-paced fun horror that’ll keep you stoked, grossed, and guessing!

Really, I just had a blast reading this. From the get go it just takes off, then rips your heart out, face off, and bites deep. A fast-paced, gruesome horror tale that’s a BLAST to read. Walkers, zombies, poltergeists, insane asylums, and more! I especially like the creative outside-the-box metaphors, and it is true, “your gag reflexes will be jumping around like a kangaroo on crack!” …one thing that’s sure to keep me coming back for more from this author. 5 stars for an entertaining, definitely interesting, macabre of a ride.

Read Travis Borne’s book review of The Dead Undone on Amazon!

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