Norah by Cynthia G Neale

Fireship Press Virtual Tours

My Thoughts

I have to start by saying that this book and the author has great potential. For the most part the writing is sound and the flow of description is both easy and real.

The Pros: A great Heroine, someone both timid and fearless... and a little bit fickle, but always a woman! Norah is not afraid to venture beyond the norm,  e.g. she’s opens a dress shop by taking advantage of the various charitable ladies who try to help the painted ladies. Her scheme is diabolical, and could hardly be considered noble, but it is her first step in getting ahead

The Cons: The story takes a while to really get going. A lot happens, it’s not like it’s boring, but there is so much going on that I really felt it could have been streamlined, to get the pacing moving, at a much more page turning speed. 

My Rating

❀❀❀

Disclaimer

I obtained an ARC with a view to providing an honest review. The thoughts expressed above, are entirely my own. I don’t really like the concept of rating novels as they are subjective and subject to change. A five star book today, may be re-evaluated when compared to future novels.

Norah: The Making of an Irish-American Woman in 19^th-Century New York by Cynthia Neale

Once she was a child of hunger, but now Norah McCabe is a woman with courage, passion, and reckless dreams. Her story is one of survival, intrigue, and love. This Irish immigrant woman cannot be narrowly defined! She dons Paris fashion and opens a used-clothing store, is attacked by a vicious police commissioner, joins a movement to free Ireland, and attends a National Women's Rights Convention. And love comes to her slowly one night on a dark street, ensnared by the great Mr. Murray, essayist and gang leader extraordinaire. Norah is the story of a woman who confronts prejudice, violence, and greed in a city that mystifies and helps to mold her into becoming an Irish-American woman.

Author Bio of Cynthia Neale:

Cynthia Neale is an American with Irish ancestry and a native of the Finger Lakes region in New York. She now resides in Hampstead, New Hampshire. She has long possessed a deep interest in the tragedies and triumphs of the Irish during the Potato Famine or “The Great Hunger.” She is a graduate of Vermont College in Montpelier, VT, with a B.A. degree in Literature and Creative Writing. Norah is her first historical novel for adult readers. She is also the author of two young adult novels, The Irish Dresser, A Story of Hope during The Great Hunger (An Gorta Mor, 1845-1850) and Hope in New York City, The Continuing Story of The Irish Dresser. Her forthcoming book, Pavlova in a Hat Box, is a collection of essays and dessert recipes. She is currently researching and writing a sequel to Norah, as well as a novel about Queen Catharine, a Native American of New York whose village was destroyed by General John Sullivan in 1779.

Goodbye Nothing by Beck Sherman

My Thoughts 

This was one of those books that prove blog posts work. I honestly can’t remember what I was actually looking at the day I discovered Goodbye Nothing but I was researching a different book entirely when I came across a reviewer that had featured this novel as well as the one I was investigating.

The cover is simple, nothing exceptional, though it’s use of solid green blocking is rare. The image was dominated by a large font and the title is split into syllables not words. I guess when you’re describing Nothing then going minimalistic is probably the best course. Anyway, despite being nondescript, the cover grabbed my attention and I moved on to read the summary... and then the blogger’s review (I wish I tagged the page as it would be nice to give the blogger kudos).

The summary reminded me of Dean Koontz and his style of stories, the review confirmed this aspect and I was sold. I bought the ebook...  I wanted this book right away and I was going to read it. Once I started I couldn’t stop; which is awesome when you’ve got all the time in the world, but not so great when you have to work.

Goodbye Nothing is almost like a supernatural disease, it details two people who are ensconced in their own feelings of emptiness (though they were not always this way) and they instigate violence as a way of obtaining a high. They become desiccated shells of the humans they were, they denounce their former lives and choose a path of menace, mayhem and destruction... and occasionally “it” spreads - whatever “it” is. (This is not an accurate description but it’s the best I can give you - read the book)

I’m undecided as to whether the violence spawning internal void spreads as a result of contact with the perpetrator or due to the premature departure of a soul that freaks out and seeks a more viable host. But these questions do not detract from the story, they are more a philosophical debate after the fact. 

A lot of the nastiness is described in an abstract way, so I think most people would be able to read this and cope with the heinous nature of the tale. There is however one event that will leave you gasping. I had to put the book down for awhile and walk away to breathe clean air and I guess to grieve a little bit. What is especially profound is the way Beck Sherman describes the transformation of Cain Emmerick. His commitment to the emptiness is sudden, complete, irreversible and oh so devastating.

***Small tangent. I remember hearing about the Port Arthur Massacre and being unable to comprehend how anyone can kill 35 people including children in cold blood. Not long afterwards I was in a discussion with a church minister regarding the concept of redemption. The minister stated that redemption was more than being sorry, it was taking responsibility, owning your actions and bearing the weight of them. The conversation came about when we were analysing how we would feel if God was to forgive to such a person (in this case the Port Arthur Gunman). I said I was fine with that, because if that person  truly wanted to atone for his crimes, he would have had to take on the burden of his actions. He would have to taste the fear they felt as they watched others die, he would have to smell the stick of their sheer terror, for himself. He would also have to should and embrace the grief of the families left beyond and the despair of an entire nation in mourning. Such ownership would surely not allow a person to forgive themselves.

 *** back to my review... Goodbye Nothing had the perfect ending. Forgiveness is  the hardest to obtain from one’s own self. There is no forgiveness here, only the realisation of what has been done and the true understanding that there are somethings you can’t take it back, no matter how much you might want to.

Loved it, and the after taste.

My Rating

❀❀❀❀+

Disclaimer

This review is totally unsolicited. I bought the story and chose to review it. The opinions expressed are my own. I don’t really like the concept of rating novels as they are subjective and subject to change. A five star book today, may be re-evaluated when compared to future novels.

The Summary

A New Adult Horror Novel

Since the night of the accident, Cain Emmerick has felt different. Empty. What was important to him—family, friends, his job—doesn't matter anymore. His new life revolves around that Nothing inside of him and the extraordinary highs he gets from committing random acts of violence. 

Seventeen-year-old Joey Morgan is blind, but that doesn't stop her from seeing. Something bad is about to happen. Something that could tear her world apart. For Joey, college life isn't quite turning out like she planned, because before good grades, fitting in, and love, comes survival

Connect with the Author

On Goodreads, Twitter, Website, Shelfari and Facebook

Cover Reveal "Hero, Cursed" by Diantha Jones

Before he knew the Oracle...

Before he knew the Quad...

Before the Great Unknown threatened his world...

He was a hero, cursed forever.

Cover Designed by: Colin F. Barnes

Publication Date: March 18, 2014

Genre: YA Mythology

Series: Mythos: Stories from Olympus #2/Oracle of Delphi #3.5

My Thoughts

The first thing that strikes me about this cover is the art work. I love it when a clever artist creates something interesting to look at. This cover is not your quick glance and move on type of cover. I am fascinated by the bird of prey and where it sits on the hero's torso, the curve of its head and neck taking the same line as the shoulder, the large part of its face perfectly ensconced in one beautifully defined pectoral muscle, its beak crossing the centre chest at just the right spot to add to its definition. Nothing about the bird detracts from the hero's form at all. Beautiful!

The font and the tones used are also suited to the cover and the images within. There is an element of heat alluded to in the golden glow of our hero and the rich browns of the bird. Earthy and Primal. The font though bendy and almost cursive has hard protruding edges that add to the rough and raw nature, whilst its crisp colour and outline give it prominence in the overall arrangement.

*WARNING* To be read after Prophecy of Solstice's End (Oracle of Delphi #3). 

Contains MAJOR spoilers!

Shunned by a family that doesn't understand him, demigod Lenka Tahile aka "Swindle" is a complete loner and he likes it that way. Then he meets the hero, Ace Remedy, the brother of an infamous demigod Prince, and his life goes from bad to worse. Ace is loud, rude, and disruptive to his peaceful existence in every way. He's also hilarious and daring, and Swindle ends up finding a friend just when he thought he'd never have another.

But little does he know, becoming friends with Ace was all part of the Fates' plan. Now his past is slowly coming back to haunt him and there's nothing he can do to stop it. Nothing but try not to bring to light the lost love, the failed hopes, and the cursed existence that he would kill to keep in the dark.

Add to Goodreads

Five Facts about Hero, Cursed

1. Lenka Tahile is a South African name. The MC was born in South Africa.

2. "Swindle" is Lenka's celestial name. He is a son of Hermes. Figure it out.

3. The hawk on the cover is not a tattoo. His name is Bill and he's Swindle's Fauna Morph, an animal that morphs into a weapon on command.

4. Though it isn't showcased on the cover, Swindle has extremely curly hair. Out of control, I tell you.

5. Just like Solar, Defeated, this novella switches back and forth between the present and the past, and reveals what life was like for Swindle before the Oracle of Delphi came along.

Mythos: Stories from Olympus #1

Amazon  |  Barnes&Noble  |  Goodreads

Diantha Jones was born the day thousands of turkeys sacrificed their lives to fill millions of American bellies on November 22 which also happened to be Thanksgiving Day (Her mother says she owes her a turkey). She is a Journalism graduate who wants to be a career novelist (of books, not Facebook posts). When not writing or working, she is reading on her Nook, being hypnotized by Netflix or on a mission to procure french fries.

The Oracle of Delphi fantasy series is her first series. She is also the author of Mythos: Stories from Olympus, a companion series, and there is another fantasy series in the works. She also writes (new) adult fantasy/paranormal romance under the name A. Star. Invasion (An Alien Romance) is her first title released under this pen name. Future releases under A. Star include, Mythos: Gods and Lovers series, the Love & Steampunk series, the Purr, Inc. stories, and more.

Website  |  Twitter  |  Facebook  |  Goodreads  |  Amazon  |  Pinterest  |  DJ's Book Corner

Book Blast! Tearing the Shroud by J.M. Bray

Genre: Romantic Fantasy, Fantasy, New Adult

Publisher: Escape Publishing (Harlequin AU)

The Summary

Fall in love, be possessed, hunt a sorcerer and save the world — and Vincent thought calculus was tough.

1984 — Vincent expected college to be about freedom and girls, but then the nightmares of sorcery, monsters and other worlds began. Not even the surprising attention from his dream girl, Julie, could shake them.

Before he's even nailed his second date with Julie, he's possessed by Coleman, a warrior from another realm. Coleman is hell bent on defeating the monstrous Kafla who threatens to tear into Vincent's reality, changing both his and Coleman's worlds forever. They have one chance to stop them: Vincent must allow Coleman to share his body and wage war against the sorcerer.

Now it's up to them, the women they love, and Vincent's rag-tag bunch of role- playing and gaming friends to save the world, or see 1984 descend into the apocalypse.

About the Author

J.M. Bray lives in Southern California with his college sweetheart and their two dogs. After a lifetime together, they are happier than the moment they met.

When not writing or working his "day job", he loves to cook, play the guitar, and travel with his wife. Every chance he gets, he races an old Porsche named "Tuffy" at tracks in the southwest.

Connect With J.M. Bray Through

Twitter, Website, Blog, Facebook Author Page & Facebook Connect Page

Get Your Copy From

Amazon, iTunes

Jumping Ship by Janice Ross

A pre-release novella to the Island Hopping Series

66 pages

My Thoughts

Jumping Ship was an easy read, delivery exactly what the blurb described whilst alluding to a further mystery. What happened to Pet and Mikey? How did Sakkara come to be abondoned? Something disastrous must have happened in the three months since Pet and Mikey’s escape. Three short months to disaster... Book 2 will hopefully be much more revealing and I am looking forward to it.

I think perhaps the summary gives too much of the story away, it could almost have been a synopsis. Nothing much happened beyond what was outlined. That’s not to say that Jumping Ship  is not worth reading, it is. It details the plight of Pet and Mikey in a sweet, simple and profound manner. 

I enjoyed Janice Ross’s writing style, she didn’t get bogged down in too much extraneous detail and delivered the story in a concise linear order. 

My Rating

❀❀❀+

Disclaimer

I obtained an ARC from the publisher (via Netgalley) with a view to providing an honest review. The thoughts expressed above, are entirely my own. I don’t really like the concept of rating novels as they are subjective and subject to change. A five star book today, may be re-evaluated when compared to future novels.

Rafflecopter a Rafflecopter giveaway

The Summary 

The year was nineteen seventy-five. Pregnant seamstress, Petrina Dugal, became a runaway at the age of twenty-six. She ran away from a brutish husband, Roger, and a well-loved South American home in Georgetown, Guyana; at the heart of her rebellion – an enigmatic lover named Michael Chen. Pet and Mikey allowed love to blossom in front of her police officer husband and an intrusive community. Were they not aware of the dangers? Or did the pursuit of love trump obligations?

Pet and Mikey’s journey to their new life took them through a multitude of the Caribbean’s treasure trove of islands – Antigua, Martinique, Barbados, Grenada, Trinidad & Tobago, and Saint Lucia. More than a month later their voyage landed them at JFK airport, in New York USA. And they disappeared, as though their existence was a myth. During this time, barren couple, Pearl and Edward Bailey stumbled upon a newborn baby girl. Her cries could only be heard by a true mother, which Pearl immediately became. Bundled up with their new child, they discovered a parcel of artifacts and a scribbled note that read: Sakkara.

Sakkara Riley grew up with two loving parents – adoptive parents to be exact. She never knew the circumstances surrounding her discovery, until the age of sixteen. The personal artifacts that were handed over had haunted her from that point on. After eight more years, including much research and probing, she was given the opportunity to begin her journey of self-discovery. 

“Jumping Ship” provides the introduction to Sakkara’s attempts to commune with her true heritage.

About The Author

Janice was born in Guyana, South America and migrated to the USA in 1980. Although her citizenship certificate now reads the United States of America, she considers herself a citizen of the world. Sure she has not physically been around the world and back, she’s travelled in her mind and dreams.

Janice is an author. She enjoys writing about social issues and personal experiences. Her latest release, Jumping Ship is a dedication to her country of birth and an introductory novella to the Island Hopping Series – due out in 2014. It’s poised to be a colorful and emotional experience of life, love and family.

Janice enjoys reading. And is drawn to stories with distinct characters that she can love or hate - characters she can form alliances with or characters that she can swear off and despise. She is also weak for a good cultural tale, preferably in the form of historical fiction - whether present day or in the past. Janice love to be taken off guard by clever language or settings.

Janice is also a devout supporter and promoter of other authors through social media. She hosts a weekly show, Cultural Cocktails, on the largest social radio network, Blog Talk Radio.

Links

Website

Facebook

Twitter @JGRWriter

Cultural Cocktails Blog Talk Radio

The Missings by Peg Brantley

The Missings by Peg Brantley. 

This novel has been difficult to define. I did enjoy the story and at times I even found myself intrigued by the investigation into “The Missings”. The plot line should have been engaging enough to hold my attention, but I found myself struggling to get through it all. It is only now that I sit at my computer that I feel I am able to explain my response.

There was no mystery. Every piece of information was made available to the reader, early on. We all know someone with repetitive story syndrome... Reading this book, was exactly like that, your listening to a story you’ve heard before, you know what’s going to happen and you try to stifle a yawn so as not to appear rude.

“The Missings” read like a rather long synopsis. A body has been found, chest cavity open, internal organs removed; The detectives decide there are two likely scenarios. Option one is quickly discounted, option two is the path they follow. The culprit is decided upon and found easily. All that remained for the author to outline was the gathering of the evidence. 100 pages of detail.

Ok, now that, made it sound worse than it was, and I don’t think it is quite fair. There was a lot involved, including some little diversions with individual characters along the way, that gave the story substance. In this instance not enough weight was given to the characters, their relationships and their motivations. I wanted to understand them, I needed to relate to them, their lives were so deep and complex. But I was just an onlooker listening to something akin to a news item. Distant, dry and impersonal.

My Rating

❀❀+

Disclaimer

I obtained an ARC from the publisher (via Netgalley) with a view to providing an honest review. The thoughts expressed above, are entirely my own. I don’t really like the concept of rating novels as they are subjective and subject to change. A five star book today, may be re-evaluated when compared to future novels.

The Summary

Aspen Falls, Colorado.

Secrets.

Secrets within a community.

Secrets within a family.

Detective Chase Waters finds himself working the most interesting case of his career—one that comes closer to home than he could ever imagine. 

Are the mutilated bodies of young men and women the result of cult… or commerce?

The Author

A Colorado native, Peg Brantley is a member of Rocky Mountain Fiction Writers and Sisters In Crime. She and her husband make their home southeast of Denver, and have shared it with the occasional pair of mallard ducks and their babies, snapping turtles, peacocks, assorted other birds, foxes, a deer named Cedric and a bichon named McKenzie.

Connect With The Author On

Website

Blog

Twitter

Goodreads

Crime Fiction Collective

The Lies You Wanted to Hear by James Whitfield Thomson

Available from Sourcebooks

My Thoughts

The Lies You Wanted to Hear spans decades in the lives of Matt and Lucy retelling the complexities of their relationship. The story details their introduction, growing affection, sacrifices, disappointments and betrayals... I came away from this book disturbed by the knowledge that people do crap things to those they are supposed to love. It was quite depressing really.

There was nothing wrong with the writing and there was really nothing wrong with the content. There was an allusion to danger, that the author portrayed quite vividly. I turned the pages dreading what was going to happen, the potential for serious escalation was there, but it just didn’t eventuate and I couldn’t decide whether to be relieved or disturbed by that.

The Lies You Wanted to Hear is actually a great discussion book. In fact there are topical questions to explore with your book club listed in the final pages, that are designed to encourage the reader to analyze their responses to what they have read - which is fantastic; if that’s what you’re after.

This book and I were just not a good match. I read for pleasure, to escape the everyday concerns and enjoy some light fantasy. If I want to wax poetic about moral versus ethical issues, I’ll attend a philosophy class. If I feel the need to debate the levels of sin, determine who’s lies/crimes are greater, I’ll visit my pastor. If I want something heavier, I’ll put myself in the head in a detective and maybe solve a crime. Want I don’t want; what I’ll never need; is to involve myself in the righteous misery that some people think they are justified to inflict on each other.

My Rating

❀❀+

Disclaimer

I obtained an ARC from the publisher (via Netgalley) with a view to providing an honest review. The thoughts expressed above, are entirely my own. I don’t really like the concept of rating novels as they are subjective and subject to change. A five star book today, may be re-evaluated when compared to future novels.

The Summary 

A deeply moving, beautifully-written picture of how the smallest crack in a relationship slowly, over decades, becomes a canyon too wide to bridge.

When Lucy meets Matt on a blind date, Matt is instantly hooked; he sees Lucy as the fun, sexy, and wickedly smart girl of his dreams. Although she’s still getting over an old lover, Lucy is won over by Matt’s sweet, thoughtful nature. But 20 years later, alone in an empty house trying to imagine the lives of her two young children, Lucy comes to realize that the little lies you tell can create more damage than the truth you’re hiding.

"A gripping debut....a morally complex and thoroughly grown-up novel. " - Margot Livesey, New York Times bestselling author of The Flight of Gemma Hardy

"Hard to believe Thomson is a first time author, given the achievement of this novel. ... I'm still not entirely convinced that these characters are fictional; that's how much they lived and breathed on the page." - Jodi Picoult, #1 New York Times bestselling author of Lone Wolf and The Storyteller

"No spouse or parent who picks up this book will be able to put it down. Nor will anyone else." - Andre Dubus III, NYT bestselling author of Townie and House of Sand and Fog

The Author

James Whitfield Thomson grew up on the North Side of Pittsburgh and attended Harvard College on scholarship. After graduation he served three years in the Navy as navigator of a supply ship off the coast of Vietnam. Jim earned a Ph.D. in American Studies at the University of Pennsylvania, writing his dissertation on the detective novelist Raymond Chandler. Following a brief stint teaching literature in academia, he joined a start-up venture as a salesman. The company’s rapid success allowed him to retire early and devote himself to writing. He has published stories in a number of literary magazines including Agni and The Ledge and has been a Massachusetts Council for the Arts grant recipient. Jim and his wife, Elizabeth, live in a Victorian farmhouse outside of Boston and have five globe-trotting children. Lies You Wanted to Hear is his first published novel. You can find him on Facebook or at www.jameswhitfieldthomson.com