Balance of January, 2016

During the month of January, 2016, I reviewed the following:

Books:
- "Spirit Prophecy" by E.E. Holmes. Read my review.
- "The Gift of Battle" by Morgan Rice. Read my review.
- "The Rising Past" by J.G.Gatewood. Read my review.
- "Coda" by Rajani Kanth. Read my review.
- "Eleven Floors" by Robert Lampros. Read my review.
- "The Wind Guardian" by Frank Scozzari. Read my review.
- "Taken by the Sheriff" by Lolita London. Read my review.

Book "Taken by the Sheriff" by Lolita London

About the Book: Widowed Sheriff Terrence Evans has lost it all. No matter how much he throws himself into work, his loneliness is eating him up. Governess Amanda Carter didn't plan to fall for her boss, and certainly didn't plan to submit to him out of wedlock. She quickly finds that his commanding tongue and firm hand, however, ignites something within her that nothing can extinguish. Or so she thinks. The passionate whirlwind comes to a halt, however, when they find out that she's pregnant. Can they have it all together? Or is this a scandal that will tear apart more than just their hearts, but their small town as well?

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 another well written romance from this author. A young lady (Amanda) is the younger of three daughters from a family in Boston. She receives an offer to work as a governess and she travels from Boston to Wyoming to meet the family that is hiring her. Upon arriving at the designated place, she finds out that the kids she has to take care are completely out of control and she starts looking for a local alternate job, as returning to her home would be too humiliating. Just by chance she ended up working for the sheriff of the town, that lost her wife on childbirth and he has a fragile young daughter that requires attention. The daughter gets too attached to Amanda and things develop from there in a nice pace.

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. 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.

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

Book "The Wind Guardian" by Frank Scozzari

About the book: The ultimate threats facing United States come to life in Frank Scozzari's fast-paced thriller. With the help of an inside man, a group of determined terrorists siege a nuclear power plant, intending to spread radiation and wreak destruction into the world.

The only thing standing in their way are two misfit security guards, who return to their posts and realize what is happening in the power plant. The two soon find themselves in a battle against time and odds, as the terrorists facing them will stop at nothing to accomplish their goals.

Frank Scozzari's The Wind Guardian is an action-packed thriller that exposes the vulnerability of a terrorist attack on one of our nation's nuclear power plants from an insider’s perspective.

About the Author: Frank Scozzari is an American novelist and screenwriter. A four-time Pushcart Prize nominee, his short stories have been widely anthologized and featured in literary theater.

My review: Forget about James Patterson, David Baldacci or John Grisham. If you are looking for a very well written thriller that will keep you reading on the edge of your chair, look no farther. This book is what you are looking for. An incredible plot developed in full details, very credible. The author developed the characters in a way that make us cheering for our heroes on every turn of pages. This would make an incredible Hollywood movie. Plot is simple and yet involving. A terrorist attack is planned with inside help on a nuclear power plant, and the only people in the way of a major disaster are two security officers (Cameron and Grace) that, at the moment when the attack started, were out of their posts, for a good reason.

Excellent work, I recommend this book to the permanent library of any reader in search for a thriller that will keep them entertained for hours.
I received this book from the author for reviewing and I was not requested to post a positive review. Opinion expressed here is my own.

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

Book "Eleven Floors" by Robert Lampros

About the Book: Eleven Floors is a short novel about a young man's first year at college the year after his father passed away. He struggles to succeed academically and socially, while maintaining faith in Jesus Christ, and adjusting to life in a new world. With help from God, from his friends, and from Lynn, the woman he falls in love with, Charles hopes to fulfill his destiny.

About the Author: Robert Lampros is an author of Christian poetry, essays, and fiction who lives in St. Louis. He earned a Bachelor's degree in English Literature from Washington University in St. Louis. Fits of Tranquility, Illuminating Sidewalks, Om-Bork, Afternoon, and Eleven Floors, Part I, are the books that he has published. Robert's work has also appeared in Halcyon, Ray's Road Review, First Class Lit, Taj Mahal, and Corner Club Press literary journals. Besides writing he enjoys serving God through church and volunteer work, spending time with family and friends, hiking, praying, and attempting to play guitar. His latest book, Eleven Floors, is set to be released in early 2016.

My Review: This is a very well written book. This young author creates our main character Charles, that is a devoted christian, and describes his experience going into college, where he meets all variate of people, like his roommate Nate, his girlfriend Lynn, and others on his journey. When facing challenges, he recurs to praying. And he never gets week on his beliefs.

This author is a natural storyteller, and I am sure you will enjoy this story and you will be entertained for a couple of hours. Unfortunately this story is short, but hopefully it will continue soon, as it is advertise as being volume one (or part one) of a series. That is good, because the end of the story left some question marks on my mind, like "What is really going on here?".

Overall, I recommend this book to the permanent library of all readers that appreciate a well written book, that boosts our faith, showing the importance of praying as lifestyle.

The author sent me an electronic version of his book and did not request for a positive review. Opinion expressed here is my own.

Book "Coda" by Rajani Kanth

About the Book: Coda chronicles the life, and afterlife, of the Last Human left alive, in both flashback and future shock, after the Apocalypse of the Millennium, where timeless, masculinist aggression, and blindness, predictably destroy all life on Earth. It is a compelling philosophical, and quasi-religious, Post-Modernist narrative, that (re)solves eventually the Riddle of the Universe: from the unique vantage point of the Last Sentient Being left alive to ponder the Question of Existence. It may be likened to the quest of a Latter-day Siddhartha, albeit in the context of an apocalyptic world, sundered by global catastrophe.

About the Author: RAJANI KANTH, the Author, has, held affiliations with some of the most prestigious Universities in the world. He has also served as an advisor to the United Nations. He is the author/editor of several academic works in political economy and culture-critique, is a novelist and poet, and has also scribed several screenplays. He is, presently, a visiting scholar at Harvard University, and permanent Trustee of the World Peace Congress.

He takes a keen interest in Issues relating to Human Well Being, Women’s Issues, Peace, and Environmental Sustainability. His most current Academic work, in belles-lettres format, is The Post-Human Society, published by De Gruyter. He has also published, in the literary vein, a book of poetry, a novella, and a self-help work on nutrition and health. Hailing from India, he is a US citizen: and lives, for the most part, in solitary unconfinement in the scenic, if stark, foothills of the Wasatch Front in Utah.

My Review: This is a well written book, divided in four parts and a total of one hundred and fifty nine short chapters. 

Part One is called "The Journey" and shows our main character as the only survivor of a nuclear holocaust, in a journey searching for a mountain he can climb and find the sky and the sun, currently blocked by a dense cloud obscuring everything. But what he is really looking for are answers to some deep questions that troubled him. This first part is quite philosophical. 

The second part is called "The Return", and our hero re-entered his world, but at a time previous to having left it, although carrying with him the whole memory of what he experienced in the future. At this "present time", his son is only two years old. 

Third book is called "The Exile", when he decides to leave his home and stay wandering on the hills and started having visions and battles with his ego.

In fourth book, called "Nativity", he returns to his home and find that nothing changed. He starts taking care of his son while his wife starts traveling giving speeches and trying to save the world from finishing, while having an affair with a colleague. 

Very interesting end, this book makes you think a lot about what is worth in our lives. I recommend this book to all readers that like to think on what they read.

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

Book "The Rising Past" by J.G.Gatewood"

About the Book: Raythum Stormdragon has a problem. The orbs he swore an oath to protect are disappearing, weakening the prison of a nefarious demon, and his brother is to blame. It’s only a matter of time before he must choose between the nation he loves, Askabar, or his brother who is determined to destroy it.

Long ago, a wizard who valued power and control more than the life, walked the planet. Killing and conquering to suit his own needs, he plunged the entire world into chaos. With the assistance of the Elves of Ferrindale, the conclave of Havenbrook creates seven orbs to imprison the wizard and stop his rampage. After the battle, the orbs were scattered throughout the world. An elite order of soldiers exists to protect them, known as the Keepers of the Orbs, and Raythum is their leader.

If the seven orbs are combined, the prison will unlock and the wizard will walk free, plunging the world into ruin. Raythum knows this is his brother’s intention, and he follows him 130 years into the past. With two orbs already in his brother’s control, Raythum must unite all of the nations of Askabar to stand against him.

The only problem? He is half a continent away, and must use his relationship with the Elves and Dwarves—a relationship built in the future that doesn’t exist yet—to reach his brother before he captures any of the remaining orbs. With time running out, Raythum must decide.

About the Author: J.G. Gatewood is the author of the Keepers of the Orbs Fantasy Series. So far the prequel, The Unknown Man, has been completed and self-published on Amazon. Book 1, The Rising Past is currently being queried to agents.

When J.G. Gatewood is not writing, he is a full-time Subject Matter Expert and an avid reader.

He lives in Parker, Colorado with his wife of 13 years, and two sons. In what little free time he has remaining, he is usually busy brewing his own beer, crafting his own wine or enjoying a fine cigar.

My Review: After reading the prequel for this book, "The Unknown Man", I was really hooked into the style of this author. He is an excellent storyteller. And the plot he came up with is amazingly entertaining. Full of action, this book describes the story of Raythum Stormdragon, the heir of Havenbrook. All the characters he created are full of life. The environment is richly described. Our hero swore an oath to protect the orbs, created to keep a very powerful wizard imprisoned. But his older brother moved to the "dark side" and is trying to re-unit the orbs and set free that wizard. All the conflicts and battles involving dwarves, elves, and other races are very intensely described and it feels like we are in the middle of the action.
Kudos to the author! This book has all the ingredients to be an instant best seller. Romance, time travel, heroic battles, friendship, dragons, elves, dwarves, all the good stuff that will keep you entertained for hours!
I recommend this book to the permanent library of any reader that likes a very well written fantasy.

If you read this review, feel free to write a comment!

Book "The Gift of Battle" by Morgan Rice

About the Book: In THE GIFT OF BATTLE, Thor meets his greatest and final challenge, as he quests deeper into the Land of Blood to attempt to rescue Guwayne. Encountering foes more powerful than he ever imagined, Thor soon realizes he is up against an army of darkness, one for which his powers are no match. When he learns a sacred object may give him the powers he needs—an object which has been kept secret for ages—he must embark on a final quest to retrieve it before it is too late, with the fate of the Ring hanging in the balance.

Gwendolyn keeps her vow to the King of the Ridge, entering the tower and confronting the cult leader to learn what secret he is hiding. The revelation sends her to Argon, and ultimately to Argon’s master—where she learns the greatest secret of all, one which may alter the destiny of her people. When the Ridge is discovered by the Empire, the invasion begins and, under attack by the greatest army known to man, it falls on Gwendolyn to defend, and to lead her people on one final, mass exodus.

Thor’s Legion brothers, on their own, face unimaginable risks, as Angel is dying from her leprosy. Darius fights for his life beside his father in the Empire capital, until a surprise twist prods him, with nothing left to lose, to finally tap his own powers. Erec and Alistair reach Volusia, battling their way upriver, and they continue on their quest for Gwendolyn and the exiles, as they face unexpected battles. And Godfrey realizes that he must ultimately make a decision to be the man he wants to be.

Volusia, surrounded by all the power of the Knights of the Seven, must put herself to the test as goddess and discover if she alone has the power to crush men and rule the Empire. While Argon, faced with his end of days, realizes the time has come to sacrifice himself.

As good and evil hang in the balance, one final, epic battle—the greatest battle of all—will determine the outcome of the Ring for all time.

With its sophisticated world-building and characterization, THE GIFT OF BATTLE is an epic tale of friends and lovers, of rivals and suitors, of knights and dragons, of intrigues and political machinations, of coming of age, of broken hearts, of deception, ambition and betrayal. It is a tale of honor and courage, of fate and destiny, of sorcery. It is a fantasy that brings us into a world we will never forget, and which will appeal to all ages and genders. THE GIFT OF BATTLE is the longest of all the books in the series, at 93,000 words!

About the Author: Morgan Rice is the #1 bestselling and USA Today bestselling author of the epic fantasy series THE SORCERER'S RING, comprising 17 books; of the #1 bestselling series THE VAMPIRE JOURNALS, comprising 11 books (and counting); of the #1 bestselling series THE SURVIVAL TRILOGY, a post-apocalyptic thriller comprising two books (and counting); and of the new epic fantasy series KINGS AND SORCERERS, comprising 4 books (and counting). Morgan's books are available in audio and print editions, and translations are available in over 25 languages.

Book #4 in Morgan's new epic fantasy series, A FORGE OF VALOR (KINGS AND SORCERERS--BOOK 4) is now published! And book #5 in the series, A REALM OF SHADOWS, is now available for pre-order!

TURNED (Book #1 in the Vampire Journals), ARENA ONE (Book #1 of the Survival Trilogy), and A QUEST OF HEROES (Book #1 in the Sorcerer's Ring) are each available as a free download on Amazon.

Morgan loves to hear from you, so please feel free to visit www.morganricebooks.com to join the email list, receive a free book, receive free giveaways, download the free app, get the latest exclusive news, connect on Facebook and Twitter, and stay in touch! As always, if any of you are suffering from any hardship, email the author at morgan@morganricebooks.com and the author will be happy to send you a free book!

My Review: What an epic ending to an epic series! Morgan Rice pulled from the hat a very entertaining finale, wrapping up all the parallel stories that kept us on the edge of our seats for the previous 16 books in this incredible "The Gift of Battle". Thorgrin finally reaches his full power and is now the King of Druids. Gwendolyn guides people of the Ridge in their last exodus, while Eric and Alistair, Godfrey, Darius, Angel and all other characters that we learnt to love and respect during the initial 16 books are reunited for a final battle. The odds are high and the intensity of the battle can be felt at every turn of pages, until the apotheosis.
That was a very entertaining series, with a set of characters fully developed and the environment was always fully described, making us feel like we were living the action with our heroes. I enjoyed all books of this series and I am not sad about it reaching its end because there is a new series from this magnificent author called "Kings and Sorcerers" that promises to be as entertaining as "The Sorcerers Ring".

I strong recommend this series to all fantasy lovers, but be aware that you should read in order the books were released so you can savor every detail of this incredible saga.

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

Book "Spirit Prophecy" by E.E.Holmes

About the Book: Two sisters, haunted by more than their past... Just weeks after discovering each other’s existence, Jess and Hannah Ballard arrive at Fairhaven Hall, where they will learn the clandestine ways of the Durupinen, an ancient sect of women who control the Gateways between the worlds of the living and the dead. Though they are considered outcasts by most of their classmates, Jess and Hannah are determined to learn what they can to fulfill their responsibility to the many ghosts that haunt them. But danger, it seems, has followed them as closely as a shadow to their new home, and they have more questions than ever. Who is the desperate child spirit pursuing Jess, and what do her terrifying visions mean? What has happened to Dr. David Pierce, Jess’ friend and mentor, who has suddenly and mysteriously vanished? And just what is it about Hannah’s unique abilities that has the other Durupinen frightened of her? The Ballard sisters are about to find out, and the answers could destroy their newfound life before it has even begun. Spirit Prophecy is the second thrilling installment in E.E. Holmes’ award-winning Gateway Trilogy.

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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:

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My Review: This is the second book of this trilogy named "The Gateway". In the first book we were introduced to Jess (Jessica) and Hannah Ballard and we found out about their roles in the spiritual world. In this book they are headed to Fairhaven to learn how to control and use their abilities. Jess found out she is a Muse, while Hannah has a very particularly rare ability: she is a Caller. A faithful protector is introduced (Finn Carey) and alliances are settled. Other characters are also introduced, like Fiona, Savannah, Mackie, the Silent Child and many others. And in that particular world, intrigue, jealousy, friendship and an interesting prophecy are ingredients that make this story to be a magnificent sequel to the first book. 

This is a very intense book, very well written, with a rich plot developed from the point where the first book finished, and all characters are very well developed.  

I loved everything about this story. The writing style is wonderful, very well revised and edited, plot flows in high action/thriller style 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. But I strongly recommend that you read the first book of this trilogy before starting this second book, so you can savor all the details of this incredible masterpiece. I can hardly wait until I put my hands on the third book (Spirit Ascendancy) of this trilogy (The Gateway Trilogy).

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