The Jester Prince by Voss Foster

November 24, 2014 By Leave a Comment

JESTER
The Jester Prince by Voss Foster
The King Jester Trilogy Book 2
Publisher: Torquere Press Publishers
Genre: Contemporary, Paranormal, Sci-Fi/Fantasy
Length: Full Length (172 pages)
Rating: 4 stars
Reviewed by Orchid

With the destruction of Zirkua Fantastic, King Jester, the spirit of discord, has been unleashed once more upon the Earth. Only Toby, a fresh, untrained immortal, and the other former members of Zirkua Fantastic dare to stand against his chaos. But their hold is tenuous, and they are only truly safe from his power within the bounds of their camp. King Jester grows more powerful and more dangerous with each passing day. But he’s made one mistake which might prove to be his undoing. He’s stolen Toby’s soul mate, Marley. When he discovers Marley’s location, Toby knows what he has to do. He will rescue Marley, even if it means he has to face King Jester alone.

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Toby must find his Other (soulmate) or be forever alone. This is bad as Toby is immortal, although his Other, Marley, is not.

Marley is the half breed son of King Jester and has been kidnapped by the King. To stop the Jester from taking over the immortals and everything else Toby and the other immortals at the circus must recover Marley.

I found this book slightly confusing at first. It’s the second in the series but seemed to start in the middle of the story with no real explanation of what had happened to Marley and it’s only after the first few chapters I began to understand the reasons behind Toby’s magic training and the relationship between humans and immortals.

I did enjoy the story as I got deeper into it, but parts of it were still confusing. The last few chapters are full of tension and adventure which increased my enjoyment. On the whole it is a good book, but one that I never actually got lost in. Getting lost in a story is my rule of thumb for an excellent.  I think if I’d read book one first, this might have been a different matter.

However, I have to say I’m glad I persevered as it was worth reading once I got into it.

Filed Under: Reviews, Science Fiction/Fantasy Tagged With: , , , , , , ,

The Innkeeper of Bethlehem – The Story of Santa Claus by Scott Roloff

November 24, 2014 By Leave a Comment

INN
The Innkeeper of Bethlehem – The Story of Santa Claus by Scott Roloff
Publisher: Self-Published
Genre:: Contemporary, Historical, Holiday, Inspirational, YA/Middle Grade
Length: Short Story (75 pages)
Age Recommendation: 8+
Rating: 4.5 stars
Reviewed by Orchid

The Innkeeper of Bethlehem will permit you and your family to enjoy Santa Claus and the other secular customs of Christmas within the Christian celebration of Jesus’s birth. For little children, Santa Claus becomes a real person delivering presents to them from Jesus. Each Christmas season, reading a chapter a night will become a holiday tradition for the entire family.

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Each night two children are told a chapter of a story which involves the nativity and Santa Claus. Strange combination? Not really when you consider Santa Claus comes to visit all children on Christ’s birthday.

When Mary and Joseph arrive at the stable in Bethlehem Shai and Adi are sleeping in the stable because they’ve let out all the room at their inn. Adi helps Mary give birth to Jesus and when an angel warns them of the plan to dispose of all new babies, they escape with the new family to Egypt. Shai and Adi stay with the family for the rest of the story and then their own tale begins.

The Innkeeper of Bethlehem tells the nativity and life of Jesus in a fictional way ending with the birth of Santa Claus. Each chapter has a daily date running from December 6th to December 24th. I wish I had a grandchild living nearer to me so that I could read a chapter each night. I’m sure it would encourage a young person to go to bed quickly so the next day and next chapter would arrive quickly.

Well thought out and well written. I thoroughly enjoyed this book as it presented facts and fiction in a way bound to interest children.

Filed Under: Reviews, YA/Middle Grade/Children's Tagged With: , , , , , , , , , ,

Gavril of Aquina by Aurrora St. James

November 13, 2014 By Leave a Comment

GAVIRL
Gavril of Aquina by Aurrora St. James
Publisher: Self-Published
Genre: Contemporary, Historical, Sci-Fi/Fantasy
Length: Full Length (294 pages)
Heat Level: Spicy
Rating: 4.5 stars
Reviewed by Orchid

A magical kingdom suffering under a vicious ruler desperately needs the king who vanished seven years ago.

For years, the people of Aquina have been crushed under the hand of King Lorcan. Gone are the times of peace and prosperity they appreciated under deposed king Varic Khalon, who vanished the night Lorcan took power. Most believe him dead. Only one man knows the truth.

Stripped of his magic and imprisoned, Varic never thought to see his kingdom again. But a twist of dark fate secures his freedom and he returns to the city he loves. Now calling himself Gavril, he finds himself with no home, no magic, no subjects, and no hope of reclaiming the throne, forced to survive any way he can. Until a chance encounter brings him face to face with the one person who may tip the scales in his favor.
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Shyla de Aven has a single magical gift. She can sense magic in others. Not a very useful talent in a city where everyone has magical abilities. So when a wounded stranger literally stumbles into her, he presents her with a mystery she feels compelled to solve. He has magic, yet not. Determined to find the answer, Shyla helps the man. Only to discover they are far more connected than she realizes. And if the people of Aquina want their king returned, she will have to discover the key to unlocking his true power, all without losing her heart in the process.

What happened to the King of Aquina? Why is Lorcan now sitting on the throne?

When Varic of Aquina dies, Lorcan takes the throne. Shyla de Aven is present at the death and Lorcan uses threats to buy her silence.

Seven years later Shyla has escaped the palace and started her own business. Her shop is invaded by a street tramp and she takes pity on him and hides him from Lorcan’s guards. Magic is abundant in Aquina but Shyla’s skill is to sense the magic in others. The tramp’s magic is suppressed.

Gavril dare not tell Shyla he is really King Varic and his magic has been bound by Lorcan plus he has only recently escaped an isolated seven years imprisonment.

The way Shyla acts and speaks proves her to be a gentle person with a strong will when provoked. Her natural instinct is to help others and Gavril is not immune to her soft and winning ways. The author gets inside the heads of both her main characters and some of the minor ones also become real people. The plot is amazing and the romance tender and poignant. At the point where everything is going right, everything goes wrong again. Bit like real life really, but with magic and romance added. Gavril is definitely an alpha male with instincts and morals not often found in medieval type stories. A definite winner, with only one thing against it. After the initial impact which made me want to read the book, the story slowed almost to a halt, but a few pages later began to pick up speed again.

I enjoyed this book and hope if it’s the first of a series.

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The Star Catcher by Molly Dean

October 14, 2014 By 12 Comments

STAR
The Star Catcher by Molly Dean
Publisher: Wild Child Publshing
Genre: Contemporary, Sci-Fi/Fantasy, Action/Adventure, Suspense/Mystery, YA
Length: Full Length (239 pages)
Age Recommendation: 10+
Rating: 5 stars
Reviewed by Orchid

When fifteen year-old Hawke feels fed up with not being able to walk, he escapes in his mind to a misty island filled with moorlands, ancient forests, and monolithic stones: a place where he can move and run and accomplish heroic quests.

His life is turned upside down, though, when he’s thrust into this dream world and finds it real! He becomes ‘Star Catcher.’ The job? Track and collect shooting stars or meteors sent from a more advanced civilization, which have powers that protect the island from approaching evil. He finds many helpers along the way: a serving girl who can communicate with animals and create light, an alluring mermaid, a savvy one-eyed crow, and an old farmer with a secret.
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Hawke must also discover what’s going on inside the imposing mansion called Moon House. Why do rooms change? Why do objects mysteriously shift? Who lives inside the old forest behind the place—and why is the Star Catcher forbidden to enter it? And most importantly, who are Hawke and his stars really battling against? An evil genius? A pirate-like group called the Shrikers who have taken over the island? An Ancient Magic? Or, maybe an aspect of himself?

Hawke’s life sucks – his legs are paralyzed, he’s confined to his bed, his father has left, his mother is unhappy and trying to find solace. Hawke escapes the real world and dives into a world of dreams where he becomes the star catcher. He has to catch five stars as they fall from the sky – one every other day – and when he has caught the last star the magic will return to the strange land.

The world of Hawke’s dreams is very well thought out and each trip to find a star is like a different jewel in a necklace. Similar but each an individual in its own right. Hawke is typical of a young teenage boy but Emma, the girl servant at the Moon House, has several different facets to her character. Evil is easy to recognize as it comes in the guise of the Shrikers and Facsimiles but working out who the good guys are takes a little more time.

This story has a smattering of various animals, humans and mythical creatures. They confuse, assist or act against Hawke and as the reader I never knew which way each character would go.

I found this book to be very attention grabbing. At first it dragged a little but once Hawke started his travels in the other world I had to keep reading to see what happened next. While not the usual mystery and adventure, this fantasy certainly has a hint of magic, mystery and adventure. All make this a worthwhile read.

Filed Under: Mystery/Suspense, Reviews, Science Fiction/Fantasy, YA/Middle Grade/Children's Tagged With: , , , , , , , , ,

Silent Circle by Cassandra Larsen

October 13, 2014 By Leave a Comment

CIRCLE
Silent Circle by Cassandra Larsen
Publisher: Self-Published
Genre: Contemporary, Paranormal, Sci-Fi/Fantasy, YA
Length: Short Story (138 pages)
Age Recommendation: 14+
Rating: 4.5 stars
Reviewed by Orchid

“Most teens get a car for their seventeenth birthday. Me? I get inducted into a freaky coven of witches.”

When Emerson wakes up on her seventeenth birthday, she has no idea that her life will change forever.

After her mother’s inexplicable suicide three years ago, she’s gotten used to the scorn and sideways looks of her classmates. She knows everyone thinks her mother was crazy, and that it’s only a matter of time before Emerson cracks herself. So when Emerson starts seeing things and hearing voices, she begins to think that the rest of the town may be right. That is, until Caiden, an enigmatic guy from her class, tells her that she’s a witch, just like her mother.
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But when Emerson nearly kills a girl at a party, she discovers just how dangerous these powers can be. Now it’s up to Caiden to train her before she hurts anyone else.

Most teens get a car for their seventeenth birthday. Me? I get inducted into a freaky coven of witches.

The first sentence of the book describes the story perfectly. First in this series the scene is set, and the characters are truly believable for the setting. There was enough mystery to attract my interest and Emerson, the heroine and trainee witch, had the usual angst of a seventeen year old. What she really needs is to find out why her mother committed suicide. Or did she?

Sebastian, her boyfriend shows jealousy but something about him doesn’t seem quite right. Is he hiding his true self? I believe I solved this by the end of the book, but won’t give my solution here as it would be a spoiler.

Caiden, the witch trainer, is the cause of Sebastian’s jealousy and Emerson feels her boyfriend’s being unreasonable. Caiden could be a love interest, but Emerson has too much going on in her life to concentrate on anyone but Sebastian.

So why do I only give this a 4.5 rating? This is due to the missing words in the text and incorrect grammar throughout the book. If this could be sorted out with a good editing I wouldn’t hesitate to give it a five.

Well done Ms Larsen, I look forward to reading the second book which you gave a preview of at the end of this one.

Filed Under: Reviews, Science Fiction/Fantasy, YA/Middle Grade/Children's Tagged With: , , , , , , , ,

The Late Great Benjamin Bale by John Joseph Doody

October 2, 2014 By 1 Comment

GREAT
The Late Great Benjamin Bale by John Joseph Doody
Publisher: eTreasures Publishing
Genre: Sci-Fi/Fantasy, Suspense/Mystery
Length: Full Length (346 pages)
Heat Level: Sweet
Rating: 4.5 stars
Reviewed by Orchid

The destinies of two men depend on Maggie Thorn. One is dying and the other is dead…or is he? Supreme Fleet Commander, Admiral Geoff Grangore knows of only one man who could get Maggie to Timmerus and back while traitorous eyes are watching. That man is an old drunk who lives deep in the Thandimonean wilderness with his pet Eno, Snot. Benjamin Bale is suicidal and cantankerous, and Maggie can’t stand him—at first. Bale is a dead man. At least, that’s what everyone was told. But this dead man has a final mission to perform. The greatest star pilot in the galaxy has a chance to redeem himself and make right a great wrong. A wrong which he can never forgive or forget. A wrong that cost him everything.

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I met Captain Maggie in the first book of this series and thought her a hard hitting woman who didn’t allow her emotions to interfere with her job. This time round I found her slightly weak at the beginning, but growing in strength and determination as the story evolved.

When Benjamin Bale agrees to help the Captain it seems that failure is almost a certainty, but Benjamin has hidden depths as does his alien companion, Snot. Technology plays a big part in this universe, but only a small part in the actual story. Maggie prefers martial arts instead of hand weapons.

I liked the way the story switched from one planet to another, but each scene was as long as necessary to involve me. I have to admit I might have missed something here as I still have no idea what a Wonk is. They inhabit a different space to the Earth universe, but where they come from or what they do is still a mystery to me.

On the whole a good idea developed in an unusual way. It’s stronger than the first book and leaves questions to be answered by any future novels in the series.

Filed Under: Mystery/Suspense, Reviews, Romance, Science Fiction/Fantasy Tagged With: , , , , , ,

As Good As Gold by Heidi Wessman Kneale

September 29, 2014 By 1 Comment

GOLD
As Good As Gold by Heidi Wessman Kneale
Publisher: The Wild Rose Press, Inc
Genre: Historical, Sci-Fi/Fantasy
Length: Short Story (50 pages)
Heat Level: Sweet
Rating: 4.5 stars
Reviewed by Orchid

Daywen Athalia wants love–true and lasting. Fearing a future of bitter loneliness, she seeks help from a gypsy woman. The price: a hundred pieces of gold. Daywen’s never had two shillings to rub together in her life. Where’s she going to find a hundred gold pieces?

Bel MacEuros made a career of theft from fey creatures. When the cursed gold he rightfully stole from a gnome is taken from him by Daywen, the consequences could bless or break his life.
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It is not the gnome’s curse or a gypsy’s blessing but another magic, far deeper and more powerful, that will change their lives forever.

The choice:  Loneliness or rob a rich man? Daywen thinks there is no choice. Theft is the only way to go.

She robs the rich man who has entered town so she can pay the gypsy in the woods for the Enchanted Faerie. The gold is cursed but Daywen is unaware of this.

This is a lovely story, short but with everything included. Love, magic and internal questioning by Daywen and Bel MacEuros, the man the Enchanted Faerie chooses for her. Neither wishes to fall in love with the other, and their anger rises as Bel tries to retrieve his money and Daywen tries to stop him taking the Faerie.

I enjoyed the book, well written and with well rounded characters. Bel is the strong male hero, Daywen the seemingly docile young woman who is desperate enough to do anything. The gypsy is not your typical old crone, more a herbal woman who likes to help. Bel’s mother is really lovely and talks sense to her son.

I enjoyed spending an hour with this story. It caught my interest and held me right to the end. Good book.

Filed Under: Reviews, Romance, Science Fiction/Fantasy Tagged With: , , , , , ,

Prudence and the Professor by Sibelle Stone

August 19, 2014 By Leave a Comment

PROFESSOR
Prudence and the Professor by Sibelle Stone
Publisher: Moon Valley Publishing
Genre: Historical, Suspense/Mystery, Sci-Fi/Fantasy
Length: Short Story (128 pages)
Heat Level: Sensual
Rating: 4.5 stars
Reviewed by Orchid

Civil War widow Prudence Worthington has vowed to never again be at the mercy of a man. She’s determined to make her own way in the world after being one of the first women to graduate from a business school in upstate New York. In search of adventure and independence she takes a position as a personal secretary to an eccentric inventor and heads to Montana Territory.

The buildup of plaque in the penile arteries may also buy cialis reduce the coronary arteries and cause a heart attack. Booster capsule can take over the problem of erectile viagra prescription http://appalachianmagazine.com/2016/05/24/why-tennessee-is-called-the-volunteer-state/ dysfunction in their life. The major goal for the treatment cialis viagra levitra of this disease is hysterectomy. ED can be caused purchase cialis without prescription by diabetes or vascular disorders make it unable to get penile erection. Professor Gerritt Rhinehart must develop his newest invention to meet a critical deadline. Someone is willing to do almost anything to stop him, and the distraction of a raven haired beauty he hired as his secretary makes it impossible to concentrate. But he must stay focused, especially when his invention could change the course of the War-Between-the-States.

This steampunk romance is set in Montana in the days of the war between the states. Prudence, a war widow with an independent streak, travels to Jubilee to take up the post of secretary to the inventor Gerritt Rhinehart. She assumes this gentleman to be a crusty old professor, boy was she in for a surprise.

Likewise Gerritt assumes she is old maidish which is good as women who come to Jubilee tend to become wives in a very short time due to the lack of women.  Love blossoms, but they try unsuccessfully to fight their feelings for each other.

This is a great story of an almost elastic relationship as the main characters are drawn together then pull apart. In the background the war casts a shadow on Jubilee and a traitor in the town is attempting to steal Gerritt’s plans for a war machine and this also puts Prudence in danger.

Ms Stone introduces the heat of passion and the frustrations which come from this passion in a very intriguing manner. Add to this the danger of being in the middle of nowhere with the enemy coming closer and the tension builds to breaking point. Most steampunk books are set in Victorian England so one set in historic America makes a pleasant, fresh change.

Nicely done Ms Stone, the controversy between hero and heroine kept me reading with interest.

Filed Under: Reviews, Romance Tagged With: , , , , , , ,

Magic Within by Sara Fitzgerald

August 18, 2014 By Leave a Comment

MAGIC
Magic Within by Sara Fitzgerald
Publisher: Champagne Books
Genre: Contemporary, Paranormal, YA
Length: Short Story (120 pages)
Age Recommendation: 14+
Rating: 4 stars
Reviewed by Orchid

Nancy, a purple-haired witch, has never fit in with the kids in town. She has always felt something was deeply wrong with her. When Josh, her best friend, is attacked by a werewolf, Nancy seeks a potion to save him from the werewolf curse within him. But Josh’s fate–werewolf or human–is his to decide, when the potion is injected during his transition at the full of the moon.
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Nancy, too, must make a choice. Her mother, her best friend, and a
steadfast young man all see the magic within her. Can she finally accept who she is and give love a chance?

Male and female witches, vampires and werewolves… this is definitely a paranormal novel. Josh and his friend Nancy search for the fur from a werewolf to save Josh’s sister who has let her vampire boyfriend bite her. The dangerous mission ends in disaster and Nancy returns home alone, carrying the precious fur to make the potion cure. Josh has been bitten by the werewolf and the pack must decide whether to let him live or die.

This tale of darkness also has the angst of teenage romance. Josh and Nancy, Sandy and Eric, Rebecca and Jake. These teenagers tumble through the throes of fascination, lust and sometimes love while battling the temptations of being a werewolf or witch and in some cases revelling in the change to wolf.

Josh starts out as a brave young man but he seems to wilt as the story progresses. Nancy becomes stronger with each page but the other characters don’t change at all which tends to make the main plot slightly unbalanced.

The book is well written but in places where excitement builds, it tends to lack vitality when the peak is reached. The story is good, just needs a little more oomph.  Still, it’s a good introduction to paranormal romance for younger young adults.

Filed Under: Reviews, YA/Middle Grade/Children's Tagged With: , , , , , , ,
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