Category Archives: Book Reviews

Book Review: My Not-So-Ordinary Life

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Christine Rice

Christine Rice

Happy October everyone! Hope you are enjoying the cooler weather. I know I am. Today I’m excited to introduce you to Christine Rice. She has several books published, and I’m featuring her memoir, My Not-So-Ordinary Life. Check out her website, and follow her on Facebook and Twitter.

My Not-So-Oridinary Life Ebook

My Not-So-Oridinary Life © 2012 Christine Rice

My Not-So-Ordinary Life chronicles the author’s life from her preschool years to present day. There are neither big reveals nor dark confessions, just a tale of a life lived. While she labels her life to be unordinary, there seems to be a pervasive familiarity to it as well. We all have known people who have traveled down similar paths.

So, what is this memoir really about? It’s about her life experiences. We all have our stories to tell, Christine chose to let us in to hers. We see her as she witnesses the dissolution of her parent’s marriage, growing up between two households, and reaching a point where she rebels against the authority represented by her parents.

Believing herself to be sufficiently grown up, she moves out of her father’s home, and into an apartment with her then boyfriend. Soon she ends up dropping out of school, beginning a series of (mis)adventures, and the meat of her story.

To what end?

This is what has been puzzling me. What is the motive behind the her book? Is this a tell-all book? No. Is it a learn-from-my-mistake narrative? Not quiet? There is no sense of remorse, no shame, no moment of “What have a done?!”

And maybe that’s the point. It’s a glimpse of “how I got here,” and not “I made a boo-boo.” She’s not whining, nor is she asking for sympathy. It’s a matter-of-fact take on her travel through her not quite thirty years of life. Any lessons to be gleamed from the manuscript is solely at the readers discretion and not the motive of the author.

What her memoir is about is the fact that we all have our own life to live, and we all have to learn our own lessons. Some lessons come easily, and others are more difficult to acquire.Here are a things I picked, in no particular order:

  1. Life is hard, and sometimes we make it harder, but we can also make it better.
  2. We are all ultimately responsible for our own successes and failures.
  3. A wrong choice is no reason to quit. It’s a learning exercise.

Again, this is my take. You may interpret it differently, and that’s okay.

I will admit that I had no idea how to critique this book, that is until I realized that I had been looking at this the wrong way. This is less of a novelization than an essay. While it may use storytelling techniques, it’s point is not to tell a story but to describe a journey of hardships and what I hope to be self-growth.

Is there more to the story? Probably, but I believe she chose these key events to highlight the impetuousness of youth and the consequences therein. At no point do you have a sense that she’s given up, even when she seems to be wandering aimlessly. A new goal quickly emerges.

A few times, I wished I could reached back through time and space and shake her furiously and ask her “What the hell are you thinking?” I had to temper my own judgmental tendencies and look into myself and my own life’s choices. Sometimes I fared better than she, but I made my own choices, and some were not all that great. You can check out the rest of my blog if you don’t believe me.

How would I rate this book? I have to say that it is well-written, upbeat, and has a positive overall tone. If you’re like me, you may want to ask her why she did what she did, but at the end I hope you will be mollified that she is heading in the right direction.

While she may not be a celebrity with a tell-all book, or a politician with a soul-cleansing mea culpa attempt, this is still worth reading. Maybe it’s not an attempt at a public confession, but she does open herself up to criticism. Whether it’s merited or not, who am I to say, but she’s not a quitter. For that, she has my admiration and my respect.

You can find her book at Amazon, Smashwords, and Barnes and Noble.

List of Book Reviews
November’s Review – Golf Made Easy
September’s Review – Fall of Venus

Book Review: Fall of Venus

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Happy September everyone! This month I will be reviewing Fall of Venus by Daelynn Quinn. I found Daelynn and her book on Goodreads, and I’m glad I did. You can find her on her website, Daelynnquinn.com, or on Facebook. Follow her and give her your support!

fallofvenusWhat would you do if you woke up, and everything you knew had changed? The people you loved, gone. Your memory altered. You wake up in a strange place, not knowing how you came to be there. You immediately find yourself fighting for your life, and your best chance for survival comes in the form of a stranger, one who is in the same predicament.

Fall of Venus by Daelynn Quinn, follows the events of Pollen McRae, a twenty-year old woman who finds herself facing the unknown. The story seems to be set in an undetermined future, as the world is facing the consequences of a global catastrophe, specifically global warming at an unprecedented rate.

Survival has meant the forced relocation of the population into underground bunkers every summer, to escape the scorching temperatures. There is a war with a southern country, one in which Pollen has lost an older brother. She has also lost an infant child in the recent past.

When she awakes at the start of the novel, Pollen does not know where she is, or why her clothes are in tatters. She is sore, scratched and bruised, and she discovers a tattoo on an insect on her face. Soon our heroine finds herself in mortal danger. As she tries to flee from her unknown assailants, she befriends a guy by the name of Marcus, who sports the very same tattoo. Like Pollen, he has no memory of how he came to be there. Their immediate thought is to survive.

The world appears devoid of life, including animal and even insects. The only life they encounter is the band of outlaws determined to kill them. As they try to piece together what had happened, they find that most of the world’s population is dead. Her only family is Evie, a niece who is in the prison camp Pollen escaped.

Pollen’s only goal is to save her niece, while dodging those who want to kill or capture her. Why were they prisoners? What happened to the populace? Could this be the first cataclysm which signals the end of the world? Is survival even possible?

Daelynn does an outstanding job of bringing the reader into her story. You see a horrific landscape, scarred beyond recognition, beyond man’s ability to heal. There is love, but also sorrow of an unimaginable scale. There is selflessness, but also an incomprehensible level of greed, love of power and money, and possibly the desire for control, one with a reckless disregard for the sanctity of life

There’s an immediacy in this book, as the problems that culminate in the story are horrifyingly familiar. Wars and the fears of a pandemic, environmental and climatological disasters are ever-present on our collective minds. We live with the pervasive greed of those in power. Could we be looking at our own future?

I started the book not knowing what to expect, but I finished the book excited, impatient for the next one to come out. I have never read the final paragraph of a story and been more sorry to have it end. With a few words at the close of the book, Daelynn brought the whole of her novel to an exciting resolution, one that is poised to launch what promises to be an epic saga. I could never have guessed at the ending, but I gasped with recognition, marveling at the tale she created.

Fall of Venus is the first book in a trilogy. The second book, Crimson Return is set to publish on the 8th of this month. On the 8th and 9th, Venus will be available for free download via Amazon. I cannot recommend this book enough!

List of Book Reviews
October’s Review – My Not-So-Ordinary Life
August’s Review – Minutes Before Sunset

Book Review: Minutes Before Sunset

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For this month’s installment of Book Review, I chose the novel Minutes Before Sunset. The novel was written by Shannon A. Thompson, an awesome young writer, and someone whose promising career I plan to follow. I discovered Shannon’s book via her blog and thought it would make an interesting read.

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© 2013 Shannon A. Thompson

Minutes Before Sunset tells the story of two high school students as they live their regular, seemingly uneventful lives. We’re first introduced to Eric, a surly teen and someone who harbors a secret. He is not truly human.

He is, in fact, a shade, a member of the Dark. Shoman, Eric’s shade name, is a warrior of the Dark, and the fulfillment of an ancient prophecy. The Dark is at war with the Light, and in a twist, the Dark protects humanity from evil while the Light is the true evil in the world.

The second student is Jessica, the new girl in town. Jessica has always known that she was adopted, but has no idea who her biological parents are, knowing only that they are dead. She knows that she was born in Hayworth, and since she is back in town, Jessica wants to use the opportunity to find out more about her origin, and her family, much to the chagrin of her adopted parents.

Eric, in his human form, is standoffish, to put it mildly, while Jessica is trying to acclimate to a new school. The pair is forced to work together when their science teacher assigns partners for a science project. Their partnership is tenuous at first as Eric is openly antagonistic towards his partner, but Jessica’s tenacity in confronting him wins him over. While it would be a stretch to call it friendship, a respectful understanding develops between the two.

In his shade form, Shoman meets a new shade. Of concern to him, the stranger is unfamiliar with what she is, and as such, poses a threat to the Dark community. He befriends her, despite the inherent danger, and promises to teach her about what she is. He also decides to keep her presence secret from the Elders, to protect her, fearing that the Elders would kill her to protect their community.

It is clear from the beginning that the mysterious shade is Jessica, but because she grew up outside of the Dark, she has not gone through the naming ceremony as is, therefore, unnamed. As shades, they quickly become friends, never suspecting who the other is in their human form. Unbeknownst to the pair, their relationship had been prophesied, and puts in jeopardy the hopes of winning the upcoming battle, one that could end the conflict once and for all.

What I like about the novel is how it is written from both Eric’s and Jessica’s point of view. Each POV is distinguished by a new chapter which is titled by the character’s name. It took me a few chapters to grasp what the author had intended, but once I did it made it easy to follow.

Thematically, the story deals with issues of prophecy and destiny, responsibility and free-will, and friendship and love. It deals with how people compartmentalize their lives, keeping a public face while at the same time harboring a private identity. We see how Eric has a difficult time with his human side while Jessica manages with apparent ease.

Honestly, I have to say that it was an enjoyable read, so much so that I immediately read it again. The litany of names had me confused as some of the characters have both a shade name and a human name, and trying to figure out who was who became a small challenge, but not so much so that it distracted from the story.

Overall, my impression is that this is a well-written story. The main characters are interesting as separate people, but it is the tension between the duo as they come together that makes them compelling. You cannot help but root for them, and feel for them as the are swept into the prophecy.

I most definitely recommend that you buy her book. Minutes Before Sunset is the first in a trilogy, the second of which is scheduled to be released this fall. I confess that I’m intrigued, and I cannot wait to get my hands on the next book.

You can find her book on Amazon, and on Barnes and Noble. Please follow her Facebook and her on Shannonathompson.com

List of Book Reviews
September’s Review –  Fall of Venus
July’s Review – Winter Howl

Book Review: Winter Howl

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This is the third monthly installment of Book Reviews. This month I’ll be reviewing a novel by my friend, Aurelia T. Evans. Being that she is someone I know, I risked not being able to be completely impartial, so from here on out, I will not do a review for a book from an author I know. As for Aurelia, you can find her on WordPress or on Facebook.

© 2012 Posh Gosh

© 2012 Posh Gosh

For this month’s book review, I have selected an erotic novel, Winter Howl by Aurelia T. Evans. Let me be totally honest and say that erotic fiction is not a genre I’m all too familiar with, but be that as it may, I jumped right in, and quickly took a quick cold shower. Who knew erotica meant sex? Okay, I did, but still…wow!

The story follows Renee Chambers, proprietor of a no-kill dog sanctuary nestled on the borders of Chequamegon-Nicolet National Forest in northern Wisconsin. The sanctuary, founded by her parents, is a shelter where all dogs, except those of a violent disposition, are accepted, and cared for. They also created an adoption program to help find loving homes for their charges.

What they didn’t expect was to find themselves playing host to guests of a different nature. Renee stumbled onto another world when she found a puppy who shifted from a wolf-like dog into a young girl, around the same age as Renee. The family took her in, not knowing what to do about the fact that they had canine shape-shifters in their midst. Ultimately, they came to an agreement; that they could stay, as long as they helped out with the care of the sanctuary.

Many years, later, after the deaths of her parents, Renee is now in charge, helped out by an unlikely group of shape-shifters, all who live on the ground unanimously. Her best friend, Britt, who happens to be the young pup that introduced the family to the shape-shifting world, lives in the house, along with her boyfriend and a few others that provide help in return for a place to live.

However, it is Renee that is the focal point of the narrative. Renee is an agoraphobe, – from the Greek αγορά meaning gathering place or market; and φόβος/φοβία, -phobia or fear – and has trouble going out in public, relying on Britt, who assumes a role as a service dog.

Her social anxiety has manifested in such a way that she rarely interacts with people off her property, and it has led to a de facto celibate lifestyle. The shape-shifters, Britt included, live with a different set of moral and ethical behaviors, including sexually, and Britt helps Renee develop healthy bonds with people, including slowly introducing her into the joys of sex.

This is all disturbed by the appearance of Grant, who turns out to be a werewolf. Werewolves and shape-shifters are natural enemies, and the enmity is evident as soon as Grant arrives. Renee, as owner and executive of the sanctuary, has the ultimate say as to whether Grant stays or leaves. Opting to give him a chance, it is through him that Renee experiences her first, true taste of sexuality, raw, over-powering, uninhibited. Through him, she relinquishes control, much to the dismay of Britt and the rest of the shape-shifters in her care.

At first glace, I thought this book was primary a sex novel, tawdry, cheap, but still highly arousing. What I missed, but soon realized to my satisfaction, is that the story is actually a look into the group dynamics of an insular group. It also illuminates the struggles of a person suffering from an anxiety disorder. (Geek side note: Sometimes it’s diagnosed as a feature of a Panic Disorder with Agoraphobia (300.21 DSM-IV), but can also be diagnosed as Agoraphobia Without History of Panic Disorder (300.22 DSM-IV-TR). Note: There is a fifth edition of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders DSM-V 2013, but I’m unable at the moment to locate a copy.)

It’s fascinating because you can gauge the internal struggle our heroine faces as she tries to live her daily life, and as she takes the first tentative steps into sexually intimate relationship, first with Britt, and then with Grant. There’s also the dynamic between the core group of and the outsider.

It begs the question, why would a woman like Renee, who is quiet and reserved and is not one to take undue risk, go for a man like Grant? Why would she abandon control, giving it over to someone who is obviously dangerous, and quite possibly homicidal? Then there’s the helplessness and betrayal that is felt by the core pack on the sanctuary, especially Britt, who looks to Renee as both a friend and a lover.

It’s easy to dismiss the book as solely a sex novel, but it’s so much more. The book is about the dynamics of a woman and the company she keeps. It’s about how a person suffering from anxiety tries to cope, wanting to gain more from life as she yearns to break free from the prison of her safe little world within, and discover the world without, in spite of the costs and the risks.

Looking at it from that perspective, the use of sex is not gratuitous but a deliberate vehicle to push the bounds of our character. The loss of innocence/virginity is seen as a rite of passage in our society, and in exploring that side of her womanhood, she discovers a little more about herself, and those around her. 

Aurelia does such an amazing job weaving her story that it’s easy to overlook what really is at stake. What are we willing to sacrifice in order to live our lives? What are we willing to lose in the pursuit of interpersonal contact, including and especially that of an intimate nature? Why does it seem that we are willing to risk our safety to be with someone who is an obvious threat when there is someone closer to home, one who is infinitely more wholesome and a better fit?

My verdict? I recommend this book, as long as you are not puritanical in nature. It is well written, well thought out, and leaves you anxious as to what will happen next. And the straight and lesbian sex is nice as well. It’s definitely a good read. Check it out on Amazon!

List of Book Reviews
August’s Review – Minutes Before Sunset
June’s Review – The Last Death of Tev Chrisini
Winter Howl © 2012 Aurelia T. Evans
© 2013 Joe Hinojosa

Book Review: The Last Death of Tev Chrisini

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This is the second book review in what I hope to be a monthly series. This month I am reviewing the debut novel, The Last Death of Tev Chrisini by Jennifer Bresnick. Jennifer is a fellow blogger here on WordPress, one that I follow and find illuminating as well as entertaining. If you have a chance, please check out her blog, after you finish reading my review, of course.

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The Last Death of Tev Chrisini © 2012 Jennifer Bresnick

The Last Death of Tev Chrisini by Jennifer Bresnick tells the story of a soldier caught in the middle of a war that has been waged for almost seven hundred years. Centuries have passed since the last face to face negotiations between the warring factions when word comes of a two-week ceasefire to allow delegations to meet for the first time.

News comes before a humiliating defeat is suffered by Tev’s forces. He survives, and after the ceasefire takes affect, his commander, Lord Ausring is invited by the opposing leader, Duke Polormi, to a banquet. Ausring, who is not in a position to decline, attends, bringing Tev and a few other men of importance.

It is through this contact that Tev finds himself marching with the enemy, escorting them through his territory, to attend the negotiations. This ultimately brings our hero to discover the truth of who he is, and why, after over 500 years, and countless deaths on the battlefield, he is still alive. The ceasefire is the motivation for him to fulfill a destiny long since hidden from him, and forgotten in the ravages of a seemingly perpetual war.

While The Last Death of Tev Chrisini deals with war and the complicated politics between sides, and even among family members, at its heart it is very much a story about one man’s journey of self-discovery. The events that were triggered before the first battle of the novel set in motion a course of events that propel Tev, and by extension us the reader, forward.

As is the case in most heroic journeys, Tev has the choice to refuse or back out. He could have chosen to deny is heritage and his destiny, but like a true hero he is compelled to do what is required of him, in spite of the cost.

Overall, I found the novel to be compelling and well written, and as a winner of Shelf Unbound Magazine’s Best Indie Book Award it should be. My only issue, and not that it’s a bad one, is that it’s easy to lose track of the number of characters, locations, and races in the story. Happily, she remedied that particular (non)problem with the inclusion of Glossary of Names to help us the reader keep track. Overall, I recommend that you give Last Death a chance.

You can find her book on Amazon and Smashwords.

Currently, Jennifer is working on a prequel, which if this novel is any indication, will be just as enjoyable to read. I can only hope that Last Death will only be the first of a series of novels set in this universe, and a launching point for a long writing career.

List of Book Reviews
July’s review – Winter Howl
May’s Review- The Bridge

The Last Death of Tev Chrisini © 2012 Jennifer Bresnick
© 2013 Joe Hinojosa