I’m Not Too Bad, Thanks. By Chris Hughes Review!

 

I’m not too bad, thanks. (2019) by Chris Hughes is the poet’s debut collection of 25 poems.

The poems are gorgeous in this collection. They have a lot of emotion and feeling and are very realistic of life. Very beautiful, very free verse and very authentic. Poetry is often thought of as a very high-brow genre but the poetry in this collection is very down-to-earth and accessible which makes the poems leap off the page and take a place in your heart.

The name of collection is the classic line most of us say in response to how we are feeling even if we aren’t feeling at our best and the poetry in this collection delves beyond that surface response to the inner emotions at play. Delving into themes such as bullying, mental health and survival, this collection is a really wonderful read.

It is quite short and can be read in one sitting. It is a wonderful introduction to this poet’s work.

Very well-crafted and a great read.

 

To get your copy of I’m not too bad, thanks. by Chris Hughes go to:

 

And for more about Chris Hughes and his work go to:

https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/354318.Chris_Hughes

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The Presence of a Yes (Revised Edition): The Magical Word that Truly Gives Consent (Stories of Divinclus Book 1) By Wathanya Souvanna Review!

 

The Presence of a Yes (Revised Edition): The Magical Word that Truly Gives Consent (Stories of Divinclus Book 1) (2019) by Wathanya Souvanna is a gorgeously crafted book.

The story follows protagonist Robyn, Robyn-with-a-Y. Kyle goes missing and Robyn is brought on the case by their ex Taylor who is one of Kyle’s partners. At the start of the story, Robyn meets Ash who is an actress but handily enough also an investigator. Romance is blossoming between the pair but in the meantime together the three of them begin to hunt down whoever kidnapped Kyle.

This book is very gripping and flows with ease. You find yourself reading it in 1-3 sittings as you get engrossed in the story and in wanting everything to end up ok for characters you grow to get to know and grow to love throughout the book. The book is also very modern and has characters in it who are non-binary as well as binary, who are trans and cis, who are many different sexualities, who are poly and mono and have different romantic and sexual feelings and desires. In short, it feels very true to life. Mental health is also a theme in this book and is written in a very sensitive and very honest way. Prejudice is also a part of the book and is written very realistically but I also love the way the central characters and some of the minor ones too have mutual respect for each other and who each other is which is what I wish every person was like and sadly sometimes isn’t. I love how this is written where nobody is shamed for being who they are or is made to feel like they should be apologetic for who they are. I wish there was more books written like this.

The cast of central characters are wonderful. The story is great but the characters make it because they make you care and mysteries need characters who make you do that. My favourite was Taylor but I loved them all.

Kudos also must go to Anne Dachowski for editing as that is never an easy job!

This is a cozy mystery with great suspense, great characters, romance, modernity, honesty and great writing which is totally my favourite kind of book.

In short, I loved it.

 

To get your copy of The Presence of a Yes (Revised Edition): The Magical Word that Truly Gives Consent (Stories of Divinclus Book 1) by Wathanya Souvanna go to:

 

 

And for more about Wathanya Souvanna and their work go to:

https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/19407730.Wathanya_Souvanna

 

Two Knots of Love – II: Short Love Stories by SA Krishnan Review!

 

Two Knots of Love – II: Short Love Stories (2019) by SA Krishnan is a wonderful read featuring two romantic short stories.

The first story is Wedding Blues. In this story we meet Vikram Saral who is at a wedding when he suddenly sees a fellow guest – his ex girlfriend Ankita Rajwat. They haven’t spoken in quite a while and the story while being a romance has a suspense element to it as bit by bit the pieces unravel about their past together. It is very gripping and well-written. You get very engrossed in the story and whether or not they will get back together or not.

The second story is Lost Lives where we meet Atreya who is in love with Anjali. Atreya is a TTI operative so he lives a very dangerous lifestyle which leaves room for much edge-of-your-seat moments. But there is the tender side of Atreya’s life too when it comes to his love for Anjali who he met in college. I love Atreya’s Dad. He was my favourite character in the collection.

I found some of the female characters violent. Some of the male ones were too but they were villains. The female ones who were it came across that they were supposed to be likeable so that didn’t fit. They never showed remorse or seemed in a situation where they needed to defend themselves by hitting people. I love strong characters but verbally strong characters unless violence is needed.

This collection is full of romance and great dialogue. It’s really well-written and brings you on a real journey into these characters’ lives. There is also a first part to this series of short stories which I would love to read at some stage.

A superb read.

 

To get your copy of Two Knots of Love – II: Short Love Stories by SA Krishnan go to:

 

And for more about S A Krishnan and her work go to:

hindumythologyforgennext.blogspot.in

The Wedding Deception (The Gathering Storm Series) By Marlow Kelly Review!

 

 

The Wedding Deception (The Gathering Storm Series) (2018) by Marlow Kelly is a short story from The Gathering Storm Series and gives readers a taster of what the series will be like.

In this particular short read, we meet once again Finn Callaghan but also intern agent Kennedy Morris. In this short, the pair begin to work together and it is essentially the backstory on how they meet. A case involving a wedding reception unexpectedly becomes their first case together after the bride Vanessa disappears leaving the groom Blake wondering what has happened to her after she disappeared from the apartment they share.

What ensues is a great mystery of a woman who most people apparently knew very little about and who there is very little information about. This is hard to pull off in mystery writing and still make it all come together at the end but I think the author pulls it off here.

They are both great characters. Both very strong-minded characters in their own individual ways which I appreciated and they have a wonderful mutual respect for each other. I also love how the author brings class discrimination into the book which I think needs to be drawn attention to.

Very clearly and crisply written and another great introduction to the author’s The Gathering Storm series. Another really great read.

 

For more about Marlow Kelly and her work go to:

https://www.marlowkelly.com/

And to get your free copy of The Wedding Deception (The Gathering Storm Series) By Marlow Kelly as well as two other free books by the author sign up to her newsletter on her website.

 

 

The Wily Witness: A Gathering Storm Short Story (The Gathering Storm) By Marlow Kelly Review!

The Wily Witness: A Gathering Storm Short Story (The Gathering Storm) (2017) By Marlow Kelly is an intriguing short and a great introduction to Probationary FBI Agent Finn Callaghan.

In the story we meet Finn who has only just started on the job. He meets a teenage boy called Noah after he is brought in on suspicion of robbing expensive diamonds from a store. Despite everyone ready to throw away the key, Finn is not being so hasty. He believes that Noah didn’t do it and sets about figuring out who did.

Finn comes across as someone with his own mind, is very determined and is not a pushover. He genuinely cares about people, wants them to be alright and doesn’t want to see anyone go down for something they didn’t do. That is the kind of FBI Agent you need around in a crisis. Or at anytime for that matter. I liked him and I liked the story too. It had good suspense to it and showed another side to Kelly’s writing from the previous book I read I read of Kelly’s which is great to see.

More of Finn’s adventures can be seen in Kelly’s The Gathering Storm Series but this very well-written and enjoyable short gives readers a taste of what they can expect from the series.

A great read.

 

For more about Marlow Kelly and her work go to:

https://www.marlowkelly.com/

And to get your free copy of The Wily Witness: A Gathering Storm Short Story (The Gathering Storm) by Marlow Kelly as well as two other free books by the author sign up to her newsletter on her website.

Mila’s Shift (The Darkest Day #1) By Danielle Forrest Review!

 

Mila’s Shift (The Darkest Day #1) (2019) By Danielle Forrest is the first book in the series following on from Mila’s Flight, the prequel, which I recently read.

At the beginning of this book, Mila remeets her friend who is like a sister to her May but their meeting is short-lived when May is murdered. Mila takes over her identity and begins to live the life which was took away from her years ago. But it isn’t smooth-sailing from there.

She takes May’s place as a pilot but instantly she is the target of a secret murderer and suspicion about who she is and whether or not she is a shifter. But she finds some joy finding love with a Captain and friendship with others aboard the ship especially with Lucky.

Mila begins to investigate May’s death which adds a great suspense element to the story. We see both her vulnerability through her fears but her strength to keep going and not let her fears get in the way of her goals of survival and justice for May. I love a bit of romance and it was nice to see Mila find someone to support her through these times and seeing her with Tristan shows another side to Mila separate from the case and her career. He seems good for Mila and she seems good for him.

My favourite character was Lucky. She is not out of the closet as being trans yet so to the outside world she is currently known as Luke. The book can be quite heavy in parts and I find that Lucky brings some witty moments as she seems to have a naturally fun side to her personality. She is also super caring and loyal and always looks out for her new friend Mila. This book is told in third person so I didn’t think she needed to be called Luke and he in many parts. I could understand in the parts which Mila is talking to her because Lucky is not out yet but in other parts, I didn’t think it fit. Her story was shifting from Luke and he to Lucky and she a lot and I think she should have been just called Lucky and she unless it was from an outside perspective who didn’t know.

This book speaks about prejudice and the way people are treating Mila or talking about her when they don’t realise that a shifter is in their presence. It is very realistically written and in a fictional way, the author has conveyed how many groups of people are treated in real life and the adversity people face.

Again, a great read written very well and it was wonderful to catch up on Mila’s adventures and see how her life is now.

 

To purchase Mila’s Shift (The Darkest Day #1) By Danielle Forrest go to:

 

And for more about Danielle Forrest and her work go to:

theeternalscribe.com

Friday Fictioneers: Weird Warehouse

 

 

 

 

Weird Warehouse

 

Where was I? I didn’t know. Could I get to the window and escape? Why was I so small?

With tremendous effort, I hoisted myself on top of two presses and broke the window with a hammer which was lying around this weird warehouse. I felt the air on my skin. Freedom.

That’s when my leg was pulled down, dragging me back into the darkness never to be heard from again.

 

My book Black Coat based on a previous Friday Fictioneers prompt is available at:

 

Free copies of After The Fishing Trip available. Contact me at lisarey1990@gmail.com

For Friday Fictioneers Writing Prompt. Check out the website at:

https://rochellewisoff.com/

Pop Goes The Weasel By James Patterson Review!

Pop Goes The Weasel (1999) by James Patterson is the fifth book in the Alex Cross series.

 

First of all this book is very addictive once you start reading. It’s very hard to put down. The chapters are, like many James Patterson books, quite short and they usually end at a point that encourages you to read on. This book follows the wonderful Detective Alex Cross as he investigates a number of murders which take place in Washington, D.C. Soon, Geoffrey Shafer, a British diplomat becomes the prime suspect and Cross must use all his powers to prove his guilt and find out all he can about the mysterious Four Horsemen. Although written so very differently, I was reminded of Agatha Christie’s The Big Four a bit by this. But like all thrillers there was a mask of mystery surrounding the murders which Cross must unravel so in short it isn’t quite as simple as that. It is very cleverly written and intriguing how it is all weaved together.

Cross is also in a very happy period in his personal life while all of this is going on. He is in love with Christie but she is hesitant to marry him because she’s scared something will happen to him due to his job. All the family moments with Cross were as always a lovely and sweet delight to read.

The ending is not a major surprise but the book is gripping. Patterson’s writing is as always on point and this is yet another page-turner for mystery fans.

A really great read. Very action-packed and riveting.

To purchase Pop Goes The Weasel By James Patterson go to:

 

And for more on James Patterson and his work go to:

http://www.jamespatterson.com/

 

 

 

Friday Fictioneers: Reading

PHOTO PROMPT © CEAyr

Reading

 

As Michael got older, his eyesight started to go. Each night he tried to read because that is what he had always done. The print was so small and his eyes strained but he picked up little bits here and there and got the general gist of the story.

Then one day, he met a woman, fell in love, her eyesight was still holding out after all these years and she read to him. A chapter a day in her melodious voice and each day, cosed up with a book, they fell more and more in love.

 

My book Black Coat based on a previous Friday Fictioneers prompt is available at:

 

Free copies of After The Fishing Trip available. Contact me at lisarey1990@gmail.com

 

For Friday Fictioneers Writing Prompt. Check out the website at:

https://rochellewisoff.com/

Going Down By Allison Temple Review!

 

Going Down (2018) by Allison Temple is a fantastic short read.

The story is set at a school reunion ten years after everyone has left. It follows the romance of Lucas Sanderson and Ben Hammersmith. Lucas has always fancied Ben and the story is told from his POV but Ben secretly feels the same. Lucas has to give a speech about his father at the reunion who he didn’t really get on with and is introduced by the headmaster who is a typical old-fashioned bigot who doesn’t even remember Lucas. In addition, the bullies of the school with head honcho Watt are still been idiots. So Lucas has a lot to put up with but he has the support of his friends married couple Felicity and Riya. After the reunion Lucas ends up getting stuck in the lift with Ben. Convenient but fabulous. And they begin to play Truth or Dare which brings out a whole host of secrets and helps them begin to understand each other more.

I loved the story and the author’s writing style. There is a great voice and lots of personality to this short. I really felt I got to know both characters especially Lucas who was my favourite character. His inner feelings about life are very on point and entertaining, very honest which I appreciated. In the course of the story there is many important issues dealt with such as bullying, prejudice towards LGBTQ+ people and people of colour and understanding of where you and another person are coming from to find peace and happiness which Lucas and Ben do when they are trapped together.

I will say that Watt seems to have a bit more to his story. I could be wrong but I felt that he might fancy Lucas and that was why he was being a moron. I could be very wrong on that but that was the feeling I got.

The story is a common plot but the way it is written is delightfully original and the character of Lucas drives the whole story along so, so well. I was very impressed with the writing here. Great humour present too.

A brilliant read.

 

To get your free copy of Going Down by Allison Temple go to:

https://allisontemplebooks.com/blog/2019/3/18/get-going-down-for-free

 

And for more about Allison Temple and her work go to:

https://allisontemplebooks.com/