Review: Renegades (Recruits #2) by Thomas Locke

RENEGADES, the second book in Thomas Locke's "Recruits" series for young adults, picks up and continues the adventures of Earth-born twins Sean and Dillon Kirrell as they navigate Diplomatic Institute and Academy, respectively, as part of the Human Assembly on the planet Serena.

Having their talents discovered much later than others their age who attend classes and train on Serena, Sean and Dillon's advanced abilities, including using their strengths and weaknesses in tandem, are the object of scorn and disbelief. They, however, continue to gain allies within the Human Assembly as their skills are proved yet again in the field.

Locke has successfully created a serial science fiction adventure in the style of Buck Rogers, Star Trek, and Star Wars-- one that leaves the reader craving the next adventure as soon as the current one ends.

I received a copy of the book from the author and Revell Books in exchange for my honest review.

Review: Distorted by Christy Barritt (Cape Thomas #3)

I suppose I could make this review short and sweet: "Awesome book! 5 Stars! Buy it NOW!!!" After all, Christy Barritt is an author who never fails to please me as a reader.

Barritt once again delivers strong, well-developed characters who find themselves working together under seemingly impossible circumstances, keeping -- and strengthening -- their faith, and coming through the trial stronger than before.

Synopsis: Mallory Baldwin is a survivor. A former victim of human trafficking, she’s been given a second chance, yet not a night goes by that she doesn’t remember being a slave to weapons dealer Dante Torres. Despite being afraid of the dark and wary of strangers, Mallory is trying to rebuild her life by turning her tragedy into redemption.

To former Navy SEAL Tennyson Walker, Mallory seems nothing like the shattered woman he rescued two years ago, and he can’t help but be inspired by her strength and resilience. So when a stalker suddenly makes Mallory vulnerable once again, Tennyson steps up as her bodyguard to keep her safe.

Mallory and Tennyson’s mutual attraction can’t be ignored, but neither can Mallory’s suspicion that Tennyson is keeping a terrible secret about her past. As the nightmare closes in, it’s not only Mallory and Tennyson’s love that comes under fire but their very lives as well. Will their faith sustain them? Or will the darkness win once and for all?

Barritt opens Distorted with the rescue of Mallory Baldwin and then reintroduces her to the reader after a two-year period during which time Mallory has been healing and reclaiming her life. Throughout Distorted, Barritt writes a convincing story of a woman who refuses to live in fear but who also deals with continuing effects of the trauma of having once been the victim of human trafficking. "Through the grace of God, I'm a victor not a victim!" is Mallory's watchword.

As with any story that features a mystery, I played armchair detective and tried to figure out who the bad guy really is. There are a couple of red herrings thrown in that will surely have the reader guessing that a person is involved in stalking Mallory, at the very least, only to find that they guessed wrong. Highly recommended!

Rating: 5 Stars

I received a copy of the book from the author and Waterfall Press through NetGalley in exchange for my honest review.

Review: Swan Song (The Rose Garden Arena Incident, Book 7) by Michael Hiebert

This is it, the time I find out how well I did in following the clues and determining who the shooter is at the Dakota Shane concert being held in Portland's Rose Garden Arena, who was shot -- and who, of those shot, would live, who would die, and whose lives would never be the same* -- and, most important, why the shooter is doing the shooting.

In an email I sent to the author after I read Cranked, I threw some theories out there, trying to see which ones would stick. They were all pretty off the wall, including, if I'm remembering correctly, that the person I thought would turn out to be Billy Ray's (Dakota's son) father would also be his killer. To my surprise, I was told I was about 30% correct with my guesses. After reading Swan Song I've come to the conclusion that Michael Hiebert isn't just a great storyteller, but he's a very generous person too. If I had even 0.3% (that's three-tenths of one percent) right, I'd be amazed at this point.

If I were a conspiracy theorist, I'd say that Hiebert read my email, thought to himself, "How did Kevin get it right? He figured it all out, and now I'll have to change the ending so that he's wrong!" and then wrote a new ending. However, as I was reading Swan Song, as each piece was revealed it was obvious that some things I discarded as being improbable were not only probable but happened, and that, even with course corrections made necessary by the characters charting their own destiny as the book was written, each piece of the puzzle fits perfectly.

In trying to keep this review spoiler free, I'm avoiding saying too much about the book itself, but I will say this: The shooter's identity is so obvious, once revealed, but I kept finding reasons why it couldn't be this particular person. That, in itself, speaks to Michael Hiebert's ability to reveal only certain facets of a character's character.

Now that I've finished reading The Rose Garden Arena Incident in its original serial form, I plan to wait three or four months and read the entire saga as a novel -- in one or two sittings.

Highly recommended!

Rating: 5 Stars

I received an advance copy from the author in exchange for my honest review.

*With sincere apologies to DC Comics for appropriating and paraphrasing their slogan for 1985's Crisis on Infinite Earths limited series: Worlds will live, worlds will die, and the DC Universe will never be the same.

Review: The Garden of Small Beginnings by Abbi Waxman

With 85 percent or more of the books I read being mysteries of some sort (including suspense/thrillers/romantic suspense) or comics related (comic books/comic strips/graphic novels), every now and then I take a chance on something different.

And Abbi Waxman's debut novel, The Garden of Small Beginnings, is different. Words like "funny," "original," "poignant," and "quirky" are being used in advance reviews of the book. And they're all accurate. The book is that good -- and "good" isn't enough of a superlative for a book where the characters feel so real that the reader can feel the pain Lilian Girvan lives with since the death of her husband or laugh out loud with complete abandon at some of the all-too-real conversations and situations between Lilian and the family and friends in her life. I'm kind of partial to describing The Garden of Small Beginnings as "magnificently fantastic."

Synopsis: Lilian Girvan has been a single mother for three years—ever since her husband died in a car accident. One mental breakdown and some random suicidal thoughts later, she’s just starting to get the hang of this widow thing. She can now get her two girls to school, show up to work, and watch TV like a pro. The only problem is she’s becoming overwhelmed with being underwhelmed.

At least her textbook illustrating job has some perks—like actually being called upon to draw whale genitalia. Oh, and there’s that vegetable-gardening class her boss signed her up for. Apparently, being the chosen illustrator for a series of boutique vegetable guides means getting your hands dirty, literally. Wallowing around in compost on a Saturday morning can’t be much worse than wallowing around in pajamas and self-pity.

After recruiting her kids and insanely supportive sister to join her, Lilian shows up at the Los Angeles botanical garden feeling out of her element. But what she’ll soon discover—with the help of a patient instructor and a quirky group of gardeners—is that into every life a little sun must shine, whether you want it to or not…

I found it extremely difficult to put The Garden of Small Beginnings aside once I started reading. It will be the perfect read at the beach or on a rainy weekend afternoon or anytime the reader can block out a few hours for some reading enjoyment. Highly recommended!

(While writing this review I read on-line that Publishers Weekly announced recently that Waxman's second novel, A Variety of Tremendous Things, will be published by Berkley in 2018. That seems like a very long time to wait . . ..)

Rating: 5 Stars

I received a copy from Berkley through NetGalley in exchange for my honest review.

Review: Cranked (The Rose Garden Arena Incident Book 6) by Michael Hiebert

Cranked covers the Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday leading up to Dakota Shane's Saturday evening concert at Portland's Rose Garden Arena.

I admit I've been loving this series. I've been taking the information provided and piecing it together, and have made my guesses as to several of the mysteries weaving their way through this series. (No spoilers ahead, just asking some questions.)

Who are the four women who die? One of them is already known, a second is pretty obvious after reading this installment, and the other two I'm just speculating.

Who is the shooter? This is the one that I'm taking the wildest guess on. It's not exactly an obvious person, yet I'm going to go out on a limb and say the person I'm thinking of also plays another role -- also unrevealed at this point -- and is central to all of the mysteries surrounding Dakota Shane.

Will Reggie survive and reunite with his friend Marshall and his aunt and uncle? This one is tough. Readers know that Reggie is between the proverbial rock and hard place. If there's one character in this book that I think deserves a miracle, its Reggie.

I read a lot of mysteries, and I enjoy playing armchair detective. Michael Hiebert is an author who keeps me guessing. I don't have everything figured out yet, and I'm 99.999% sure that I could be wrong about everything I think is right.

Highly recommended!

Release date: March 26, 2017

Rating: 5 Stars

I received an advance copy from the author in exchange for my honest review.

Review: The Domino Effect by Davis Bunn

“Stop feeding the beast!”

In his latest novel, The Domino Effect, Davis Bunn shines a spotlight on investment banking – and the trading of derivatives, in particular – and through his heroine issues a warning for those who are troubled by the continuing economic uncertainty in not only in the United States but across the globe. Bunn, who studied finance and economics and worked in the field of international business before becoming an author, is adept at keeping the financial information flowing in a way that the casual reader follows easily and still keeps the suspense building.

Esther Larsen is a financial risk analyst for Carolina First Mercantile (CFM), one of the top ten banks in the U.S. She heads a division for the bank that identifies potential avenues for growth and analyzes the risk involved. Increasingly troubled by what she perceives as risky trading, Esther is finally able to share her fears with a small group of friends. When those friends share Esther’s fears with their friends, Esther finds herself moving to help those she can to avoid the inevitable financial crisis she sees coming.

One of the ways Esther disseminates information is through a website called BookOfEsther.info, where she provides her conclusions and the information that went into making them. Bunn, through Esther, gives a six-point plan for people to follow. The first – get out of debt – would appear to be a no-brainer until a person realizes just how many advertisements there are for debt consolidation services or businesses that help people reduce debt, fix their credit rating, or provide cash advances. People are encouraged to spend money they don’t have. Her advice is found in the first paragraph, above: Stop feeding the beast.

It is perhaps too simplistic to call The Domino Effect a cautionary tale. The fact is that the book scared me at times with mentions of transactions of stock purchases and sales that happen so quickly that they can’t be stopped and manipulation of the stock market solely for the purpose of improving the bottom line of a bank’s ledgers. Was I the only one who typed in BookOfEsther.info hoping to see a page where readers were welcomed with a “Now that you’ve taken the first step . . .” message? (I did check; typing in that web address will take you to Davis Bunn’s new Kensington Books website, where readers can find out about Bunn’s current and upcoming book releases.)

Bunn takes a front-page, ripped-from-the-headlines story and crafts it into a thought-provoking yet thoroughly readable story that will have readers turning pages to find out what happens next. Highly recommended.

Rating: 5 Stars

I received a copy from the publisher in exchange for my honest review.

Review: Will Eisner's The Spirit Returns by Matt Wagner, Dan Schkade, and Brennan Wagner

Will Eisner is rightly held in high esteem for his pioneering work in the comics field from his early days as co-founder of the Eisner & Iger shop, the creation and first publication of The Spirit in 1940, and his work creating graphic novels in later years. In his afterword to the collected edition of Dynamite Entertainment's Will Eisner's The Spirit Returns, Paul Levitz says, "Stepping up to the drawing board of Will Eisner takes, well, chutzpah." Evidently, Matt Wagner agrees. He admits in his foreword that he turned down the invitation to write The Spirit -- twice!

I first encountered The Spirit through The Spirit Jam that was published in Kitchen Sink's The Spirit #30 during my senior year of high school. To this day The Spirit Jam is one of my favorite Spirit stories simply because it is a fun story created by some of the era's top writers and artists, including Will Eisner himself who contributed a framing sequence. Beginning in the late 1990s -- and with varying degrees of success (in my opinion) -- Will Eisner allowed other creators to play in his Spirit sandbox. The creative team of Matt Wagner, Dan Schkade, and Brennan Wagner aimed high and succeed in making The Spirit Returns a fitting tribute to celebrate the character's 75th anniversary in addition to it being a fun and exciting read.

The secret of the M. Wagner/Schkade/B. Wagner team's success is that they didn't set out to re-create The Spirit for the 2010s, nor did they painstakingly adhere to the 7- and 8-page story format Eisner used for The Spirit Sections in the 1940s. At the same time there are glimpses in both story and art that show a fondness for both Eisner and The Spirit.

The whole gang is back, including Commissioner Dolan, his daughter Ellen, Ebony White, Sammy Strunk, Lt. Klink. Several of The Spirit's more popular villains and femmes fatale have cameos, but writer Matt Wagner creates new nemeses for The Spirit in the form on Mikado Vaas and Sachet Spice.

Eisner crafted his Spirit stories in such a way that The Spirit could -- and often did -- play a supporting role, allowing others to take the lead. My favorite character in the original Spirit stories is Ebony White. While I understand the reasoning for Eisner removing Ebony from the strip in the 1940s (he did return), I always marveled at Ebony's brilliance in playing the innocent, the sage, the Greek chorus, or any other role in which Eisner placed him.

In The Spirit Returns, Wagner pairs Ebony with Sammy Strunk, who became The Spirit's assistant after Ebony was written out of the strip. At the beginning of the story, The Spirit has been missing for two years. Ebony and Sammy have joined forces as private investigators, and it is their digging into the mystery of The Spirit's disappearance that intersects with the hero's return to Central City.

Dan Schkade's art is reminiscent of Eisner's 1940s-era work without aping it line for line. His Ellen Dolan, specifically, has touches of the elegance that Eisner and others gave her in the 1940s and the looser style used in later years. Brennan Wagner's color choices, using a sepia tone-inspired palette that come off as bold and muted simultaneously, help in conveying the mood for the story. Though I am a purist when it comes to The Spirit, preferring to keep the coloring as originally used, I could be tempted to buy a "remastered" collection of Spirit stories if they were recolored by Brennan Wagner.

Dynamite has yet to announce a second story arc starring The Spirit, though the indicia indicates this is Volume 1. I would certainly welcome more, especially if written, drawn, and colored by the M. Wagner/Schkade/B. Wagner team. Maybe a Strunk and White, Private Investigators series (with The Spirit keeping an out eye for them, of course)?

The collected edition features a foreword by Matt Wagner, an afterword by Paul Levitz, sketches, designs, and thumbnails by Dan Schkade, and all the covers created for the series. Highly recommended.

Rating: 5 Stars

I received a copy from the publisher through NetGalley in exchange for my honest review.

Review: The Rose Garden Arena Incident Book 1: Mosh Pit by Michael Hiebert

My original review as posted on NetGalley and Goodreads: Though the action starts at a concert, author Michael Hiebert quickly takes readers back eight days before "The Rose Garden Arena Incident" and begins building the backstory. I'm not crazy about the serial aspect of the story as much as I could be at this point. Mosh Pit ended with a cliffhanger designed to whet the appetite for the next book -- as it should -- but at the same time it was weird that the cliffhanger ended with a newly introduced character and not one of the characters readers follow through the book. Still, I'm ready for Book 2. Recommended.

Additional thoughts: Looking back at my original review, I believe I may have been more negative -- even though I gave the book four stars -- than I intended. Author Michael Hiebert begins an ambitious project, and readers will find themselves hooked and want to follow along with his characters as the story develops and unfolds in the days leading up to the Dakota Shane concert.

Rating: 4 Stars

I received a copy from the publisher through NetGalley in exchange for my honest review.

Review: GJS II by Shawn Stewart Ruff

It isn't often that I read a book and discover so quickly that it isn't going to be a book I'm entertained by. Based on the description, which follows, I thought it would be different than what was delivered. That isn't necessarily the fault of the author as much as it is in my expectations based on reading the book's synopsis.

The book is described as:

Self-made Griffin Jewells Saunders II is a man of means: covetable connections, immense wealth, a glamorous TV-celebrity and fashion icon wife and five telegenic children. The sterling qualities that have made this handsome black embodiment of the American dream a Cincinnati mayoral prospect prove his undoing. A lucrative business alliance with his Clinton cabinet-appointed half-brother ensnares the partnership in the Republican attack machine. As the Monica Lewinsky scandal engulfs the White House, the brothers turn on each other, convinced an FBI sting is afoot. Distrust balloons and bursts...and the fallout sweeps Griffin's family into the maelstrom in this thrilling page-turner of political intrigue, fashion misdemeanors and murder.

I wanted to like GJS II, but ultimately it came across as an Empire wannabe with political connections and a love for fashion at its center instead of the music industry. What makes it worse is that on Empire, at least, the Lyons family may be fighting with each other but at the end of the day they also take up for each other. I didn't get that feeling with GJS II at all. Of course, that may have been Ruff's intent all along. If so, that makes it all the sadder.

Rating: 2 Stars

I received a complimentary copy of this book from Quote Editions, Inc. (through NetGalley) in exchange for my honest review.

Review: The Fragment by Davis Bunn

It makes no difference whether The Fragment is the first Davis Bunn novel you’ve read or the latest, you, as a reader, are sure to enjoy the journey taking place between the first and last pages.

Smithsonian research fellow Muriel Ross traveled to Paris with her parents’ long-time friend, Virginia senator Thomas Bryan, to photograph antiquities he hopes to acquire. It becomes clear, however, that the senator waited until they were in Paris to tell Muriel their true mission – to photograph a portion of the True Cross, discovered by Empress Helena (in Bunn’s previous novel published by Franciscan Media, The Pilgrim), and then to head to Turkey to acquire another portion of that same Cross.

Set in 1923, The Fragment is like stepping out of a time machine and into history. The Great War may have ended nearly five years before, but it is still a world healing from the wounds suffered during that global conflict. Nowhere is that more obvious than in Paris, which suffered greatly during the war. Bunn’s description of the city and its peoples make the reader feel as if they are walking down those streets. Those descriptive abilities also come into play when Muriel, Senator Bryan, and Charles Fouchet – private secretary to France’s minister of the interior – find themselves in Constantinople to complete Bryan’s mission.

Filled with adventure and intrigue, I found the The Fragment difficult to put down and felt a keen disappointment that the story was ended. A world of possibilities opens for Muriel at the end of the novel, but I find myself hoping most that Muriel Ross find herself as the lead in a series of historical thrillers and/or mysteries set in the 1920s or ‘30s.

Rating: 5 Stars

I received a complimentary copy of this book from Franciscan Media in exchange for my honest review.