Balance of 2015

During 2015 I read, watched and reviewed the following:

January

Books:
- "The Adventure of Wisteria Lodge" by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle. Read my review.
- "Rise of the Dragons" by Morgan Rice. Read my review.
- "The Adventure of the Bruce-Partington Plans" by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle. Read my review.
- "The Adventure of the Devil's Foot" by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle. Read my review.
- "The Forgotten Knight" by Christopher Vale. Read my review.
- "The Adventure of the Red Circle" by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle. Read my review.
- "The Disappearance of Lady Frances Carfax" by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle. Read my review.
- "Resist" by Anne-Rae Vasquez. Read my review.
- "His Last Bow" by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle. Read my review.
- "Tea Time with Mrs. Grammar Person" by Barbara Venkataraman, Read my review.
- "The Adventure of The Dying Detective" by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle. Read my review.

February

Books:
- "365 Days of Wonder" by R.J.Palacio. Read my review.
- "The Adventure of the Illustrious Client" by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle. Read my review.

March

Books:
- "Dracengard - Book 2" by Christopher Vale. Read my review.
- "The Adventure of the Blanched Soldier" by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle. Read my review.

April

Books:
- "The Adventure of the Mazarin Stone" by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle. Read my review.
- "The Ghosts of Petroglyph Canyon" by Christopher Cloud. Read my review.
- "The Adventure of the Three Gables" by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle. Read my review.

May

Books:
- "Mission Barcelona - A Scavenger Hunt Adventure" by Catherine Aragon. Read my review.
- "The Adventure of the Sussex Vampire" by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle. Read my review.
- "Anomie" by Jeffrey Lockwood. Read my review.
- "The Adventure of the Three Garridebs:  by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle. Read my review.

June

Books:
- "The Problem of the Thor Bridge" by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle. Read my review.
- "The Adventure of the Creeping Man" by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle. Read my review.
- "The Glassford Girl - Parts 1 & 2" by Jay J. Falconer. Read my review.
- "The Adventure of the Lion's Mane" by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle. Read my review.
- "The Adventure of the Veiled Lodger" by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle. Read my review.
- "Haw" by Sean Jackson. Read my review.
- "The Adventure of Shoscombe Old Place" by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle. Read my review.
- "Faggot: An Appalachian Tale - Surviving Bullying"  by Frank E.Billingsley. Read my review.
- "The Adventure of the Retired Colourman" by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle. Read my review.

July

Books:
- "Glassford Girl - Book 3" by Jay J.Falconer. Read my review.
- "Ghost in the Flames" by Jonathan Moeller. Read my review.
- "The One" by Kiera Cass. Read my review.
- "False Pretenses" by Scott R.Kramer. Read my review.
Guest Author:
- Scott R. Kramer - "False Pretenses"

August

Books:
- "How to Train Your Knight" by Stella Marie Alden. Read my review.
- "Metzengerstein" by Edgar Allan Poe. Read my review.
- "A Rite of Swords" by Morgan Rice. Read my review.
- "The Duc de L'Omelette" by Edgar Allan Poe. Read my review.
- "Arena One" by Morgan Rice. Read my review.
- "Drowned" by Gary A.Ballard. Read my review.
- "The High King's Embalmer" by S.Cooperstone. Read my review.
- "Gravity" by James M.Corkill. Read my review.
- "Dracengard - Book 3" by Christopher Vale. Read my review.
- "A Grant of Arms" by Morgan Rice. Read my review.
Interview:
- James M. Corkill, author of Alex Cave's series. Read the interview.

September

Books:
- "The Victor's Heritage" by Anthony Caplan. Read my review.
- "A Sky of Spells" by Morgan Rice. Read my review.
- "Oliver and Jumpy" by Werner Stejskal. Read my review.
- "Turned" by Morgan Rice. Read my review.
- "A Sea of Shields" by Morgan Rice. Read my review.
- "A Series of Timeless Quotes" by Jack H. Read my review.
- "A Reign of Steel" by Morgan Rice. Read my review.
- "From Afar" by Frank Scozzari. Read my review.
- "A Land of Fire" by Morgan Rice. Read my review.

October

Books:
- "A Rule of Queens" by Morgan Rice. Read my review.
- "Engaged in Danger" by Barbara Venkataraman. Read my review.

November

Books:
- "Oath of Brothers" by Morgan Rice. Read my review.
- "Azurite" by Megan Dent Nagle. Read my review.
- "A Dream of Mortals" by Morgan Rice. Read my review.
- "Otherworld" by Evan Ronan. Read my review.
- "A Joust of Knights" by Morgan rice. Read my review.

December

Books:
- "A Dragon's Omen" by Alberto Bieri. Read my review.
- "Oliver and Jumpy - Stories 31 -33" by Werner Stejskal. Read my review.
- "Spirit Legacy" by E.E.Holmes. Read my review.
- "East to West" by Lolita London. Read my review.

Balance of December 2015

During the month of December, 2015, I reviewed the following:

Books:
- "A Dragon's Omen" by Alberto Bieri. Read my review.
- "Oliver and Jumpy - Stories 31 -33" by Werner Stejskal. Read my review.
- "Spirit Legacy" by E.E.Holmes. Read my review.
- "East to West" by Lolita London. Read my review.

Book "East to West" by Lolita London

About the Book: A letter in the mail, a hurried kiss goodbye, and a long train ride to her new life marks the end of Mary's childhood. When Mary Gray is informed she's been selected to be a mail order bride, she's reluctant initially. She knew her parents had signed her up, but for some reason in the back of her mind she thought it would never happen. What she finds - or rather, what she doesn't find - when she gets off the train surprises her. Her husband is nowhere to be found, and she's informed that she'll be living by herself until her fiance is finished overseeing a harvest. To pass the time, she gets a job as a local schoolteacher... but a dangerous flirtation with her eldest student, Tom, threatens to end her marriage before it begins. What she doesn't know is Tom isn't the man he seems to be... and she'll find out just how little she knows about the man she's marrying when they finally meet face to face. This book contains sex scenes and is for mature readers only.

About the Author: Lolita London lives with her husband and two children in Austin, Texas. When she's not writing steamy erotic romance she enjoys horseback riding, traveling and trying new things.

To sign up to Lolita London's mailing list, visit this URL: http://mlgn.to/1okz

ALL of Lolita London's sizzling books are available via the Kindle Unlimited program.

My Review: This is a well written romance with a classical storyline. A young lady travels from Boston to west to meet her husband-to-be, from a bride's mail order service. Upon arriving at the designated place, she is informed by her future mother-in-law that she has to wait until the harvest is done in order to meet her future husband. While waiting she finds a job as a school teacher and the story evolves from there in a very interesting way.

The book is well written, the story is entertaining. I recommend this book to the library of all readers that appreciate a good romance story for a raining weekend. But be aware that on the contrary of many romances, this one contains a very colorful description of the intimate relation between the characters. 

I received this book from the author for reviewing. I was not requested to provide a positive review. Opinion expressed here is my own.

Book "Spirit Legacy" by E.E.Holmes

About the Book: “The Gateway is open..." These cryptic words wake college student Jess Ballard from a terrifying dream into an even more terrifying reality. Jess' life has never been what anyone would call easy; doing damage control in the wake of your nomadic, alcoholic mother doesn't exactly make for a storybook childhood. But now her world has fallen apart just when it should be coming together: her mother gone—dead under mysterious circumstances; her life uprooted to stay with estranged relatives she’s never met; and there’s something odd about some of the people she’s been meeting at school: They’re dead. Aided by Tia, her neurotic roommate, and Dr. David Pierce, a ghost-hunting professor, Jess must unravel the mystery behind her hauntings. But the closer she gets to the truth, the more danger shadows her every move. An ancient secret, long-buried, is about to claw its way to the surface, and nothing can prepare Jess for one terrifying truth...her encounters with the world of the dead are only just beginning. Spirit Legacy is the first of three thrilling novels in "The Gateway Trilogy" by E.E. Holmes.

About the Author: Be the first to find out about new releases by signing up here!

http://eepurl.com/XqMYL

E.E. Holmes is the internationally best-selling author of the paranormal series, "The Gateway Trilogy". Her novel "Spirit Legacy (The Gateway Trilogy Book 1)", was named a first place category winner in both the Paranormal Awards and the Dante Rossetti Awards for Young Adult Fiction by Chanticleer Book Reviews and Media, and received a National Category Silver Medal in the 2015 IPPY Awards.

For more information, please visit:

www.eeholmes.com

www.facebook.com/authoreeholmes

www.twitter.com/authoreeholmes

www.pinterest.com/authoreeholmes

My Review: This is a very intense book, very well written, with a rich plot and characters very well developed.  Jessica Ballard is not a normal teenager. After the death of her mother, he ended up living with her aunt for a few weeks during the process of moving into college. When in college, strange things start to happen and she asks for a professor (Dr. Pierce) that teaches paranormal classes to help her understanding what is going on. Her roommate Tia is wonderful. I simply love her. Always there to support Jess and to help however she can. Jess sees and interacts with dead people. But soon things get out of control and the only person who can explain what is going on is her aunt, twin sister of her mother. And then, many family secrets come to the surface and Jess needs to get ready to embrace her destiny.

I loved everything about this story. The writing style is wonderful, very well revised and edited, plot flows smoothly and there is plenty of action that makes you read the book in one weekend, at the edge of your chair. I really recommend this book to the permanent library of any reader that likes action with paranormal activity. I can hardly wait until I put my hands on the second book (Spirit Prophecy) of this trilogy (The Gateway Trilogy).

Book "Oliver and Jumpy - Stories 31 -33" by Werner Stejskal

About the Book: Oliver is an elegant tuxedo cat, who is full of himself. As a matter of fact he says: “I love myself!”, quite often. Naughty, isn’t he? But his best friend Jumpy, a kangaroo lady, is aware that he has a soft heart and will always want to help others. The great thing is Jumpy’s pouch, which Oliver loves to ride in! He calls her his kangaroo taxi! These little bedtime stories with their lovely illustrations are great for small kids. A parent can read the text and tell the child in his own words. These animal stories have sufficient text to keep early readers happy and provide some educational value. Depending on your device, there is pop-up text available. Love you all! Meow!

Story 31: Crockery Party - Crockery and Cutlery cooks for Oliver the cat.

Story 32: Shark Frenzy - Oliver is almost getting eaten by a shark.

Story 33: Small World - How fascinating can be the tiny world.

About the Author: Born in Vienna, Austria, Werner is now living in the paradise of Perth, Australia with his wife, two married children and three grandchildren. He worked many years in the printing industry and later for the United Nations in Vienna. His wife had been a pen-friend, whom Werner visited in Hong Kong and finally got married to. After an eventful life, now retired, he began to write children's stories, had them illustrated through Odesk, narrated them himself for YouTube and finally published the ebooks on most platforms. Werner's dream is to see "Oliver and Jumpy" animated as a TV series.

There are lots of fairy tales and bedtime stories around and many of them quite violent. This made Werner decide to write something different. On a flight from Europe to Australia he watched the movie Magic on Belle Island with Morgan Freeman, where Freeman teaches a little girl to have imagination and write her first story. This inspired Werner as well and the first stories with his two characters Oliver, the elegant tomcat, and Jumpy, his kangaroo lady friend, made their appearance. Some very capable illustrators have helped to create this picture book series.

Author Peter Frederick sums it all up!

Here are books created by Werner Stejskal, an author who has a wonderful sense of adaptability into the world of a child. Movements, sentiments, expressions and ideas are being visualized, that enthrall and win over the little reader. Plus, his terminology is perfectly matched to the mood of each self-contained story. The author also displays amazing sensitivity and is able to transport even adults back into long-past childhood. All good virtues are being emphasized, like friendship, loyalty, determination and civility, giving the fascinated reader the right signals for spiritual development. The main characters, Oliver and Jumpy, are the masters of a variety of situations that draw the reader into the stories. But one of the main reasons for the success of these children's books is the artwork! The graphics, outstandingly created by the artist, have their hues and shapes completely adapted to the respective situation and so contribute to the emotional absorption of each picture. Text and message. Somber feelings and cheery situations are being created and masterly entertain the little readers. One can only recommend this series of children's books to all adults who wish to keep their little ones occupied in a positive, entertaining and learning environment!

My Review: This book is part of a series called Oliver and Jumpy. This particular volume has stories 31 - Crockery Party, 32 - Shark Frenzy and 33 - Small World. It is an excellent gift for parents with children under 8 as suggested by the author. The book is beautifully illustrated by Mario Tereso (stories 31 & 33) and Maycee Ann Reyes (story 32) and that is a very important plus, as its main audience will rely on the images to follow the stories, as many will not have reached the age to start reading by themselves. In Crockery Party, kitchen utensils come alive and throw a party to Oliver, Jumpy and Joey. In the Shark Frenzy, Joey has to hurry in order not to be eaten by a shark! The revenge comes in a bottle of chili! Finally in Small World, Oliver cross a magic door and with his size reduced, he ventures himself into the yard and its big creatures...
Stories are very sweet and characters are always showing good behavior. No violence, nothing too scary or too exciting, it will keep your toddler entertained (but not excited) during that critical bedtime period. They will love the stories and soon enough Oliver and Jumpy will be in their hearts forever.

In my kindle fire the story was presented in landscape orientation. No option to have it in portrait orientation, but this is far away from being a problem. I just thought it was worth mentioning.

If you read this review, feel free to leave a comment.

Book "A Dragon's Omen" by Alberto Bieri

About the Book: In this first episode of the 12 that will be in Season 1, the author is telling the story of the rising turmoil in Calibran as dragons begin to attack the kingdom.

About the Author: He is a fantasy enthusiast since childhood when he read Dragonlance novellas and Tolkien books multiple times. He also loves the creations of fantasy artists like Larry Elmore, Angus McBride and Boris Vallejo.

Together with his friends, he still enjoys long sessions of RPGs like Dungeons & Dragons, Middle Earth Role Playing and tabletop games.

My Review: This is the first episode of a series that promises to be very entertaining. It has all the good ingredients that transforms a good story in a bestseller. Dragons, Minotaur, goblins, barbarians, elves, dwarfs, orcs, all different races intertwined in a plot full of intrigues, prophecies, fights and a lot of action. All the characters are well constructed and the environment is richly described. I enjoyed very much the author's writing style. I can clearly feel the emotions of our Dragon King Hesleof or of Ruric, the Minotaur, as well as of most of our main characters.

My only complain is that the first episode ended too soon and I can hardly wait for the second part of what promises to be a brilliant series. Kudos to the author!

If you read my review, feel free to leave a comment!