Jennifer Freitag - Plenilune

Plenilune



By Jennifer Freitag


Available on Amazon

Product Description (from Amazon)

The fate of Plenilune hangs on the election of the Overlord, for which Rupert de la Mare and his brother are the only contenders, but when Rupert’s unwilling bride-to-be uncovers his plot to murder his brother, the conflict explodes into civil war.

To assure the minds of the lord-electors of Plenilune that he has some capacity for humanity, Rupert de la Mare has been asked to woo and win a lady before he can become the Overlord, and he will do it—even if he has to kidnap her.

En route to Naples to catch a suitor, Margaret Coventry was not expecting a suitor to catch her.

About the Author (from Amazon)

JENNIFER FREITAG (1990 - ) is the author of Christian historical fiction (THE SHADOW THINGS), and planetary fantasy (PLENILUNE). She was born and raised in the piedmont of South Carolina, and lives there with her husband and daughter. Her literature opens up brave new worlds to her readers, and she continues to dedicate her time to the pursuit of writing.

O.Scarlett! REVIEW by Kendra

Having read Jenny's historical fiction The Shadow Things, and since her blog is one of my favorites to read, I knew I was going to love her newest book. I bought pre-order and plunged in as soon as it appeared on my Kindle.

It's a big book, and thus it took me a good few months to read properly. Jenny's writing isn't to be read in great gulps, and I had to ration myself properly. This isn't a story for the faint of heart.

I had known from The Shadow Things that Jenny doesn't shy away from the stark ugliness of human depravity, and this book was no exception. It's not a story for young readers, and there are a number of shocking incidents, some of which I'd have rather she'd left out.

The plot, at face value, seems to be that a Beauty and the Beast formula. Margaret is kidnapped and held captive by a less-than-kind fellow, who expects her to marry her. But then the fox shows up.

I can't say much about the fox, but he's one of my favorite characters. I might have been biased, because he shares many similarities with a fox character that I have in my own writing, but I agree with many of the other readers - this book is worth a read just for the fox.

The book takes place on the moon - though apparently not the moon that the Apollo astronauts visited, for, scenery-wise, the place is little different than earth. There are plants, forests, animals - indeed, it seemed to be the same plants, forests, and animals that we have on our own sphere - and there are houses and people and wars. Really, the only difference between the world of Plenilune and our own is that Plenilune has magic.

So I was a bit disappointed in the world building, though you really won't notice with the thickness of the writing.

I recommend this to older readers who are willing to slough through thick writing and have a stomach for some pretty nasty situations. 

Genre/Theme: Planetary Fantasy, Romance, Christian

Reading Level:  Mature TEEN - high school to college to
ADULT - self-explanatory 
Profanity: MODERATE - It get worse as the book goes through
Sexuality: Obvious - Rupert kisses Margaret several times, once biting her in the process. There is a strong reference to the actual act, and towards the end a man is condemned for a pretty nasty sex crime (basically, the girl was dead). 
Other: 
It ... gets gory, especially the further the story goes. There are wars all through the final third, at which point I began skimming, so I'm not entirely sure exactly HOW bad it was - though I distinctly remember a guy getting his face sliced off - but I do know it didn't shy away from the ugliness of war. 

Jaye L. Knight - Samara's Peril

Samara's Peril
The Ilyon Chronicles 


By Jaye L. Knight


Available on Amazon

Product Description (from Amazon)

When news arrives that Emperor Daican has been in contact with his chief war strategist, it signals potential doom for the country of Samara. Determined to intervene, the resistance in Landale, headed by Lady Anne, embark on a covert mission in hopes of unearthing further information. However, a shocking discovery leads to complications no one could have foreseen.

Armed with their newfound knowledge, they set out for Samara to warn the king. War is inevitable, and they must face two desperate battles—one on the walls of Samara’s great stronghold, and the other on the battlefield of Jace’s heart, where victory might only be achievable through great sacrifice.

About the Author (from Amazon)

Jaye L. Knight is an award-winning author, homeschool graduate, and shameless tea addict with a passion for Christian fantasy. Armed with an active imagination and love for adventure, Jaye weaves stories of truth, faith, and courage with the message that even in the deepest darkness, God’s love shines as a light to offer hope. She has been penning stories since the age of eight and resides in the Northwoods of Wisconsin.

You can connect with Jaye on her website, blog, Facebook, Google+, Twitter, and Etsy.

O.Scarlett! REVIEW by Kendra

Ilyon. Have I talked about my love of Ilyon before?

Jaye has just released the third volume of her exciting series, so of course I signed up to review. And let me say up front: If you're not reading this series, what are you doing with your life????

The book begins with a ceremony based on the Jewish holidays, the Day of Atonement and Passover ... and with a return of Jace's insecurity over his soul. It doesn't help that one of the newcomers to their settlement lost his wife in a ryrik attack, and sees Jace as the epitome of everything he hates.

If you haven't read the previous books - ryriks are an extremely cruel and violent race, rumored to have been the first to rebel against Elom, and to not have souls, hence Jace's uncertainty.

Of course, in a world of persecution and political warfare, one doesn't have much time to sit around wondering if they have a soul or not, because war is brewing, and if they could just get their hands on the letters that the emperor has been sending... which sends our party to the home of Dacian's chief strategist in hopes that Kyrin might be able to get a good look at them - if only for a moment. Kyrin has a perfect memory and even a moment would be enough to implant the contents in her mind forever.

Of course, things never go as expected when it's a book, and when a Highly Anticipated Big Reveal occurs, we end up spending half the book at the knight's home. 

The second half of the book is the trip to Samara, a meeting with New Character who is Very Important, and then a bunch of battle scenes.

I loved the first half of the book. As in, completely and utterly adored it. So much fangirlly squealling occurred, and I could NOT put it down. Unfortunately, I didn't enjoy the second part quite as much, as it frequently felt like I was just rereading Truth and Courage - the first two books of her Makilien Trilogy she wrote as Molly Evangeline.

I can't say much because most of what disappointed me were spoilers, but basically, there were a lot of action sequences ... and call me a strange reader, but I don't like action scenes. Setting up for the action - fun and glorious. Reading the action - tedious. Also, there was a huge element involving the New Character who is Very Important that I'd hoped would be handled differently. Not that it was handled badly, and it was powerful for what it was, but I was hoping to see something different.

Still, there was also a TON of character development, and relationship development, and tension packed conversations, and awesome new characters in the second half (King Balam!!!!!!!!!!!), so I still loved the book.

Jace grew so much in this book. Sure, at times I was utterly frustrated with the rut he'd allowed himself to fall into (especially when he'd been doing so well in the previous book!), and his refusal to admit to himself that he liked Kyrin (seriously, he would have spared himself so much trouble if he'd just admitted it to her). Yet though it all he remained so sweet, devoted, and protective of those he loved.

Kyrin didn't grow much in this book, but I loved seeing her interacting with her brothers. Seriously, you can tell that the author grew up as an only girl in a household of boys. It was awesome. Kaden did some growing up, though, when he was given command over Landale's fleet of dragon riders, and it was awesome. Marcus and Liam got some development too, and I think I may have swapped my fictional crush from Kaden to Marcus.

Also, Holden. I don't remember him much from the previous books, but he was awesome in this one. Seriously awesome.

As for new characters, there were many awesome ones. Like Samara's young king, who's a sort of a David/Aragorn character. I'm really looking forward to seeing what Jaye does with his character in future books. Lady Rachel had such a tragic backstory, but she emerged such a beautiful, graceful woman because of it. And there were many other characters that you're just going to love to meet ... and some characters you probably will regret meeting, such as our new villain. Let me just say, I'm willing to see almost every other Ilyon character repent and be redeemed, but this fellow has to die.

There were so many great lines and popping dialogue, some of which tore at my heart, other's had me fangirling so wildly.

Why are you still here reading this review? Go buy the book! Unless, of course, you haven't read the previous books yet, in which case, buy them first, read them, and then read this one. You won't regret it.

Note: As this series goes, it is getting more mature. Most older teens should be able to handle it, but it's not a children's story.

Genre/Theme: Christian, Fantasy, Persecution

Reading Level: Mature TEEN - high school to college 
Profanity: NONE - no offensive language 
Sexuality: SUBTLE - hinted, but not explicit - There are a few minimally-described kisses, and a few references to rape,  
Other: There's a nice bit of battle at the end, some torture scenes, and execution, and some other odd fights. Also, the opening scene involves the sacrifice of a lamb and its blood.   

Andrew D. Mellusco - The Mirror and The Meretrix

The Mirror & The Meretrix
Blackstone & Brenwen 


By Andrew D. Mellusco


Kindle Edition Available 





Product Description (from Amazon) 

Red Riding Hood is charged with murder and only her childhood sweetheart, the idealistic and roguish lawyer, Elliot Blackstone can rescue her. Joined by Blackstone & Associates' newest addition and fervently ambitious trainee, Centaur Epona Brenwen, he must uncover the plot behind Abigail Hood's incarceration before royal assassins, Rose Red and Snow White silence her for good.

Meanwhile Blackstone's lawyers, Sandman, Vincent Traum and, Fire-Nymph, Fury have their own problems as a seemingly innocuous insurance case involving a magic mirror turns deadly as a murderous and thieving band of seven Dwarf-Giants are released for lack of evidence.

Could these two cases be linked? And what is the real identity of Hansel, murder victim and robbery witness? All the lawyers do know is that somebody wants the magic mirror and will kill to get it. Elliot Blackstone just might be facing the last case of his talented but young life.

Blackstone & Brenwen - The Mirror & The Meretrix is an exhilarating legal thriller set in a fairy tale World-Tree, where peril lies behind every precedent and adventure within every adjudication. The term ‘magic circle law firm’ has never been so appropriate.

For those lovers of all things lawerish, fantastical, and all manner of craziness in-between.



About the Author (from Amazon)

Andrew was born in 1978. Raised in picturesque Lincoln he spent his infancy watching the jousting at the castle in summer, and his childhood playing kiss chase in the fields behind his house; he always wanted to be a knight... or a rogue... a knightish rogue perhaps? Having escaped an adjuster's life in London Insurance land, Andrew now teaches English as a foreign language. He has taught in Thailand, Taiwan, Argentina and is now teaching in Spain. Andrew is currently working on his second Blackstone & Brenwen novel.

http://blackstoneandbrenwen.weebly.com


O.Scarlett! REVIEW by Kendra

I love reading Fairy Tales written in new and unusual ways. When the author contacted us asking us to review this book, I was intrigued by the combination of Fairy Tales with lawyers! And, while I’m not a huge fan of the crime genre, I do like a good mystery, and, as I’ve said before, it was combined with Fairy Tales. His website decided it for me. It has to be one of the best Author sites I’ve ever seen!

So I offered to read and review it.

For the most part, I really enjoyed it. There were at least twenty Fairy Tales worked in. They weren’t completely true to the Fairy Tales, but they were usually clearly recognizable. I even found Charles Perrault, a fairy tale writer, in there. “Little Red Riding Hood,” “Snow White and the Seven Dwarves,” “Snow White and Rose Red,” and “Jack and the Beanstalk”  were the most important and prominent, but I really enjoyed the scene where Elliot visits the tailor shops and meets “The Brave Little Tailor” and the two imposters who are making “The Emperor’s New Clothes.” There were even a few of the more obscure Fairy Tales.

The main characters were Elliot, Vincent, Fury and Epona. Elliot is half angel and is a Criminal Defendant, Vincent is a Sandman and is in Finance, Fury is a Fire Nymph and is in Insurance, and Epona is a Centaur, and is Elliot’s new trainee. They were pretty well developed, although I found the Vincent/Fury romance a tad bit sudden on Fury’s part.

I didn’t find very many plot issues, but there were a few glaring ones. For instance, I had Vincent’s and Elliot’s parentages mixed up for a while, due to the fact that Vincent’s was explained in a flashback before Elliot’s is explained, and, at that point, Vincent had not been properly introduced. Also, it is stated that Elliot’s angelic parentage is secret from Vincent; however, Vincent seems fully aware that Asmodeus is Elliot’s uncle.

I did have some issues with the angelic/demon part. In this book the angels are, for the most part, bad, and the demons are good. The “fall” of the demons had been because they thought that the humans ought to be considered as part of society and ought to be protected, and the angles thought that they were parasites. Also, Elliot was too much of a womanizer for my tastes.

The World-Tree was an interesting concept. However, I was not able to completely form a good image of it in my head. I’m sure the author has it completely worked out, but I couldn’t quite merge the scenery with a tree. I really tried.

Also, the meretrixes, which were important enough to be in the title, were not explained until nearly the end. If they had been explained sooner, things would have made much better sense for me. From various clues, I had assumed that they were a sort of waiting maid to the queen. However, they were more of a companion for single male visitors of importance. They sit beside them at meals, dance with them at balls, or even simply take walks with them in the garden. They are supposed to be perfectly beautiful and to not have relationships.

Other than those issues, I really enjoyed the book. I can really see this author becoming quite popular. The plot was amazing! Elliot kept me guessing as to what string he would next pull to get them to bring Abigail to justice. The story was told in a rather all-knowing sort of way, so often the only mystery was what was going through Elliot’s head. However, there was a proper balance of stuff for me to foresee, and stuff for me to be surprised at, so it wasn’t bad. I love how the Fairy Tales were used – usually in completely unexpected ways. The plot was genius, pure genius.


Note: This was border line for me when it comes to sexual content. Nothing was described, but it was referred to a lot, and was even observed fleetingly in the second chapter. If it had been any worse, I would have handed it up to my mother, although I’m not sure she would have enjoyed the crime/lawyer plot as much as I did, as that is even less of her genre than it is mine.

Genre/Theme: Lawyers, Fantasy, Fairy Tales, crime/murder mystery
Reading Level: MATURE TEEN - college to
ADULT - self-explanatory 
Profanity:  LOW - few mildly offensive words. Mostly British and words unique to the World Tree
Sexuality:  OBVIOUS - blatant sexuality in text, but not explicit. No details, but two characters are obviously making love in the second chapter. Elliot is stated to have slept around (including, it’s hinted, with Fury), and his room is decorated with stuff like a nude Valkyrie pen holder and a fertility headdress. 
Other: The murderess bites a hole out of the victim’s windpipe, then drinks some of his blood.  The two assassins do quite a bit of killing, some of it quite bloody. The victim’s body is rather gruesome. There is quite a bit of death, actually. Drinking is encouraged by the Lawyer firm, one of the mottos being “a problem shared over a drink is a problem solved.” There is also some witchcraft.

Kirkus MacGowan - The Fall of Billy Hitchings

The Fall of Billy Hitchings
A John Reeves Novel #1


by Kirkus MacGowan

Kindle Edition Available





Product Description (from Amazon)
The John Reeves Creed: "Kill them with kindness. Unless you have a gun."

Book Description:
     John Reeves, an ex-Marine, drives to Myrtle Beach to confront his fiancée, hoping to repair their damaged relationship. Instead, he finds her unconscious in the hospital, the victim of an unexplained explosion at a local restaurant.
      During his investigation, Reeves meets Billy Hitchings, a teenager who knows more about the explosion than he should. Their questions lead to an ancient legacy best left alone.
     Pulled into yet another crossfire, John Reeves fights to protect his friends and keep a primeval power from falling into the wrong hands.

From the Author
The first novel in the John Reeves series is a stand-alone. Reading the series in order isn't necessary.


About the Author (from author's Amazon page)
     Amazon bestselling author Kirkus MacGowan wrote his first book at age eight about traveling to Mars to find the cure for cancer. He put his writing dreams on hold for twenty-five years and focused his energies on playing baseball. He moved on when he found playing softball with his friends more enjoyable than his pipe dream.
    Since then, he graduated with a B.S. in Psychology, married a woman too good to be true, and moved back to his hometown. He gave up an amazing career waiting tables and now stays at home with his two crazy children. He spends his time writing thrillers and fantasy, playing softball with friends, enjoying the occasional computer game, and wrestling with his kids.
This biography was provided by the author or their representative.



O.Scarlett REVIEW by Tenya
I downloaded this book because the cover caught my eye. I'm not even sure I read the description very closely, and for some reason I thought it was about baseball. I have no idea why I thought it was about baseball, and although I was looking forward to a sports-oriented story, I was not disappointed that baseball was not the theme because this ended up being a simply-written but uniquely styled thriller worthy of the paranormal genre.


The very first paragraph captures the reader's attention. It's a thriller filled with action from the first line, although throughout the book, pages of calm give the reader a break. I was unsure of the constantly switching point-of-view writing style at first, but once I got used to it, I actually enjoyed the device. Each chapter is titled with one of the character's names, noting from which point-of-view the chapter is written. It was not at all confusing. In fact, I enjoyed the few chapters where the points-of-view overlapped the same time period. Perhaps even more of that type of overlapping might have given this book a new sense of cohesiveness. The chapters are short, a fact I found convenient since I tend to read in snippets between loads of laundry or school work. I did not have to back track two or three pages each time I picked it back up to reorient myself.

I really enjoyed the archaeological aspect of the plot, but wish there had been a bit more detail to underpin that part of the story. The story might find a deeper richness if the archaeological and Native American themes were played up. Although some reviewers have commented that they found the characters to be shallow and not fleshed-out enough, I did not find this necessarily true. I found I could see and understand the main characters well enough to really care about what happened to them, especially Billy and his friend. The author’s portrayal of these two young men on the cusp of manhood, their adventures and misadventures, read as an authentic microcosm of young adult life in America.

At the beginning, the reader is introduced to John, the rough and tough security-guard-for-hire. Immediately drawing the reader into his story, the author then switches to Billy’s story. This back-and-forth from one character to another tactic helps build the tension at the beginning of the book as the plot begins to unfold. All the primary players are introduced in some way within the first few chapters, but it takes a while before their connection to one another is fully revealed.

I suppose I could agree with the thought expressed by some reviewers that many of the actions of certain characters make no sense. John’s break-up with his fiancé is caused by his illicit actions with a near stranger in the front seat of his car. I wish it had been some other reason to qualify the breaking of their engagement, but it does establish John’s impulsive and sometimes uncontrolled nature. Therefore, accepting some of his seemingly irrational behavior later in the book is not so difficult. I’m not sure, at least in this reader’s mind, he ever quite redeems himself in spite of all his noble actions. I enjoyed the quirky descriptions of some of the peripheral characters, like the chain-smoking woman who rents out beach cottages and the grumpy girl who works at the burger joint with Billy.

Anytime an author can leave me with my mouth agape because I was expecting the climax of the action and didn’t get it, they’ve really done something. Kirkus MacGowan builds and builds this event, the last great battle so-to-speak, but pulls the rug right out from under the reader in a way that lurches the stomach. I literally felt sick. Then… there’s the slow burn to the finale and resolution of the story. Yes, the end is slightly ambiguous, but the author has given the reader the opportunity to use their own brain to figure out the pieces of the puzzle and complete the picture for themselves.

With flurries of action, danger and thrills, MacGowan has written a good story interspersed with discovery of the underlying mystery, creating a suspense compelling enough to keep the reader going back over and over to finish the read. A lot of fun, eclectic characters fill the pages, their lives woven together intricately in a plot that surprised me in places. Even with the touches of the legendary element and paranormal themes, The Fall of Billy Hitchings is a down-to-earth story about everyday people, the kind we all know.

This book will not be an exercise in stretching your vocabulary skills or something that will spin your brain like a tornado, but it was extremely entertaining, a very promising debut novel. There is more to come from this promising author who, like most of us, will improve with experience and time. I look forward to seeing what Kirkus MacGowan produces in the future.

Note:  I was sweetly satisfied that the reasoning for the title of the book is not revealed until near the end of the story, so do not get frustrated over the title's seeming misfit -- it DOES work!
     There's a good bit of violence in this book.  John gets shot a couple of times and bleeds a lot.  A dog is killed and a few things like that.  Generally, there are some rough characters in the book, but that's the nature of the story.


Genre/Theme:  Modern-day Paranormal Thriller
Reading Level: (by appropriateness) MATURE TEEN to ADULT
Profanity: (by amount in text) MODERATE - just general cursing, not much of the really "bad" words - and not too much throughout the text at all
Sexuality:  OBVIOUS - There's really only one scene (or group of scenes) near the beginning of the book, none of which is overly explicit.  These scenes center around one "bad girl" character who soon falls out of the story.  Other instances of attraction are described, but it is quite subtle.
OTHER:  As mentioned above, there are a good many scenes with violence, including guns and bows & arrows!  This book does have paranormal elements centered around the archaeological artifacts and Native American legend.

T.S. Ingalls - Cumbrian Rain

Cumbrian Rain
by Tenya Sharp Ingalls

Kindle Edition Available



Product Description (from Amazon)
This contemporary adventure romance weaves a web of international intrigue and danger.

Attempting to escape her grief, tragically widowed Annora Lang travels to Cumbria, England to bury herself in research for her doctoral thesis, but when she meets the mysterious Tad, she discovers her own sinister past has come back to haunt her. Caught between her fear of one man and her love for another, can Annora be the hero this time, instead of the victim?

Secrets, Tad must keep them, but the appearance of the fascinating Mrs. Lang threatens everything he has carefully hidden for twenty years. Although his work breaks the law, it’s for all the right reasons. Can he leave it all behind to get what he really wants?
About the Author (from Amazon)
Tenya Sharp Ingalls has been writing as long as she could hold a pencil. She began writing poetry and short stories as a child, continuing to ply her hand at story-telling in her teens by participating in young writer's conferences throughout high school. "No matter what else I planned to do at any point in my life, I always wanted to write," she says. After years as a homeschooling mom of three and owner/operator of a subcontracting business, a partnership with her husband, Bobby, Tenya has finally begun to self-publish her novels. She believes that so many protagonists and plots have built up in her head that she may never get them all on paper.

Tenya tends to pay homage to the mountains which nurtured her growing up years in the small logging community of St. Maries in northern Idaho. Gleaning from her interest in missions, the hosting of a foreign exchange student, various travel experiences, and snippets of information in her world, Tenya strives to create memorable and relatable characters. She honestly believes in love-at-first-sight, true romance and marital bliss. Tenya and her husband of 25 years reside in south Louisiana with their three children.

O.Scarlett GUEST Review by Kendra

I am not, as a rule, a fan of the Romance Genre. I prefer to have it more as the icing on the cake, rather than the cake itself. Therefore, if it weren’t for the fact that the author was my cousin, I probably wouldn’t have read this book. That said, I’m glad I did read it.

It took me a while to get into it, especially as I have had a bunch of other books on my reading list for school. I wasn’t “hooked” until about 25% through. Then, I couldn’t put it down.

The romance part of the plot starts quickly enough. Annora nearly runs over Tad with her car, gets her car stuck in the mud, and ends up stranded while he goes fishing. She manages to run into him again, right as it starts to rain, and he helps her by taking her to his sister’s house. It is pretty much love at first sight.

If they were normal people, that would be the end of it.

Unfortunately, they’re not. He’s distrustful of her, as he knows things that certain people would rather not be known, and he suspects that she’s on a mission to kill him. Unfortunately, that’s not far off the mark, although she has no idea she’s part of a plot. In fact, she’s almost as much a victim as he is.

The person who wants Tad dead, wants her.

It was a well written book, with believable characters, and a rather twisty plot, which is what I look for in a book. The descriptions were enough to give you a great mental image of the characters and settings, and weren’t so many that they became annoying. I enjoyed all of the fishing references, as my grandfather is a fisherman, and used to take me on fishing trips.

Note: If you have a queasy stomach, you might want to skip on this book. There are some descriptions of some of the things Annora’s former employer did that makes your stomach turn.

Genre/Theme:  Romance, Crime, Human Trafficking

Reading Level: Mature Teen to Adult

Profanity: LOW

Sexuality: Mild to Obvious There is nothing that happens outside of marriage in this book (beyond kissing, and a bit of exploring) but there is mention of rape, and Annora narrowly avoids it twice. Also, it is mentioned that before they became Christians, both Tad and Annora had much looser life styles

Other:

There are dealings with human trafficking, and one of the characters had his tongue cut out, as well as a few other things, as a child. It is stated that he was not the only child to have it happen to him at the time. Also, the person who wants Tad dead addicts him to a drug that causes some horrid withdrawals, and there is a fight scene that is quite bloody.