Book Review. Dark Lover by J. R. Ward.

The back cover reads:
The only purbred vampire left on the planet, Wrath has a score to settle with the slayers who murdered his parents centuries ago.  but when on e of his most trusted fighters is killed.—orphaning a half-breed daughter unaware of her heritage or her fate—Wrath must usher the beautiful female into the world of the undead…

Racked by a restlessness in her body that wasn’t there before, Beth Randall is helpless against the dangerously sexy man who comes to her at night with shadows in his eyes.  His tales of brotherhood and blood frighten her. But his touch ignites a dawning hunger that threatens to consume them both…

 This is my first time reading anything by J.R. Ward.  I really like this series.  It borders on my love for Sherrilyn Kenyon’s Dark Hunter Series.  J. R. Ward is a terrific writer.  I love her very real characters and the way she writes about them.  They are bigger than life but real in their emotions and feelings.  Beautifully written scenes with erotic undertones.  Incredibly hypnotic.  I can’t seem to put the books down.

More from J. R. Ward,

Lover Eternal
Lover Awakened
Lover Revealed.
Lover Unbound
Lover Enshrined.

To find out more about J.R. Ward click here for her website.  www.jrward.com

Book Review: The Kensei, A Lawson Vampire Novel. By Jon F. Merz

The back cover reads:
Meet Lawson, a cynical, quick-witted vampire chosen to be one of the elite:  A fixer, charged with protecting the Balance, the sacred secret existence of a race of vampires living and coexisting alongside humanity for millennia.  Part cop, part spy, and part commando—James Bond with fangs—he mixes shrewd cunning with unmatched lethality to get his job done and protect his people.  Lawson tries his best to dismantle conspiracies, dispatch bad guys, and live long enough to get home.

In The Kensei, a battle-weary Lawson heads to Japan for some much-needed rest and relaxation and some advanced ninja training.  But he no sooner steps of the plane and lands in the mist of a Yajuza turf war orchestrated by a shadowy figure know only as the Kensei.  With the help of former KGB assassin Talya, Lawson must put a stop to the Kensei’s organ-trafficking network, prevent the creation of an army of vampire human hybrids, and save his own skin in the process.

The Kensei iss a thrill ride of the first order, filled with exciting martial arts action and vibrant characters, set against the fascinating backdrop of the Tokyo underworld.

This is my first time reading Jon F. Merz.   The Kensei is written in the first person.  Although the book was really good and action packed.  I wish it was written in the third person.  So that we could have known what the other characters were thinking.   The author did a good job as letting us in, by the wonderful descriptions and witty dialogue.   I thoroughly enjoyed it.  As a person who is into martial arts and Zen, the fight scenes were good, the backdrop of Japan and Tokyo makes me want to fly there and see. Definitely a good read.

I probably will read the other book in the series.  This was the last one, which means I have to start at the beginning.  I knew I should have started at the beginning but sometimes when barrowing books at the Library a person gets what they can get.

More from Jon F. Merz:

The Fixer
The Invoker
The Destructor
The Syndicate

To find out more about Jon F. Merz see his website. www.jonfmerz.net.   

Book Review: Espersanza by Trish J. MacGregor.

The cover flap reads:
When Tess Livingston got off the bus at the roadside stop high in the Andes, she couldn’t quite remember how she got there.  She’s an FBI agent, and the last thing she remembered was tracing a group of counterfeiters to Ecuador.  But now she’s at the bodega Cielo, waiting for the bus to Esperanza – or at least that where her ticket says she’s going. 

Ian Ritter, a journalist from Minneapolis, is also at the Bodega. He was planning a trip to the Galapagos Island, and his limited Spanish isn’t up the explaining why he needs to chance to Bus 13 to Esperanza. 

Their meeting will change their lives forever.  For there are ghost in Esperanza—Hungry ghost who call themselves brujos, who can possess the bodies of living people, angry ghost who can’t let go of life and the sensual pleasures of the flesh.  The people of Esperanze are in great danger, and the rest of the world will be too, if the brujos cannot be defeated ands send from this mortal plan.  Ian and Tess are the living keys who will permit humanity’s guardian spirits to wage this war, and together they hold a power that neither can imagine alone.
And in the midst of this war, Tess and Ian will find a love that can transcend time, and a cause that not even death will overcome. 

This is my first time reading this author.  I adore the supernatural stories and fantasy fiction.  This one was very good. Lots of twist and turns, a real page turner.   I do have one complaint.  The end of the story was not well rounded.  What I mean by that is the end didn’t tell the story enough to satisfy my curiosity of the characters and what happened to them.  I believe that was done because sequels are coming. 
I would have like to know more about them.  That is all.  I really enjoyed this story and couldn’t wait to get to it even when my eyes closed of their own accord for sleep. 

To find out more about Trish J, MacGregor click here.  trishjmacgregor.com

Book Review: Safe Haven by Nicholas Sparks

The cover flap reads:
When a mysterious young women named Katie appears in the small North Carolina town of Southport, her sudden arrival raises questions about her past.  Beautiful yet self-effacing, Katie seems determined to avoid forming personal ties until a series of events draws her into two reluctant relationships:  One with Alex, a widowed store owner with a kind heart and two young children: and another with plainspoken single neighbor, Jo.  Despite her reservations, Katie slowly begins to let down her guard, putting down roots in the close-knot community and becoming increasingly attached to Alex and his family.

But even as Katie begins to fall in love, she struggles with the dark secret that still haunts and terrifies her… a past that set her on a fearful, shattering journey across the country, to the sheltered oasis of Southport.

With Jo’s empathetic and stubborn support, Katie eventually realized that she must choose between a life of transient safety an one of riskier rewards…and that in the darkest hour, love is the only true safe haven. 

This is the first time reading one of Nicololas Sparks books.  I have seen some of his movies and have enjoyed them but to read the words is quite different.  I really enjoyed reading this tale.  There is a good reason his work has been turned into movies.  He is a very good storyteller.  My preference is still fantasy fiction although I will continue to read different genre during the year long challenge. 

This book challenge has brought me to new authors with wonderful stories but I have learned so much in their work.  My challenge was to read 50 books this year, so far I have read 23 including reading writing books.  I can only say that this challenge is one that I am happy to continue.

More from Nicholas Sparks.

The Notebook
Message in a Bottle
A Walk to Remember
The Rescue
A Bend in the Road
Nights in Rodanthe
The Guardian
The Wedding
Three Weeks with my Brother (with Micah Sparks)
True Believer
At First Sight
Dear John
The Choice
The Lucky One
The Last Song

To find out more click here:  nicholassparks.com

Update on Braveheart. Life after being fixed.

Braveheart is a rescued kitty I found one day.  He has been in my home since July 2010.  He was only four weeks old at the time and needed medical attention.  He grew up fast and became a burden with his fighting the other cats, spraying everyday and wanting to go outside.  One day he attacked me for a misunderstanding.  I placed him in a room away from the others and away from food and water.  It was hours before his first visit to the vets to be fixed.  He attacked me and I put him outside.  This broke my heart.

Braveheart was out in the world for three weeks before he came back to me.  He was in a grassy area near the alleyway by my house.  He was skinny and frightened, cold and hungry.  I was so happy to see him, I approached.  He remembered me and began meowing very loudly.  I coaxed him to follow me back to the house.  He did, all the way to the front door.  He was nearly under my feet as I walked.  I had to be careful not to step on him.

I reluctantly went into the house worried that he would think I wasn’t going to help him.  When I came out with food he had already began to walk away.  I shook the bowl of food.  As soon as he heard it he came running.  He was so hungry he knocked over the bowl attacking it and he meowed at the same time.  I wanted to stay with him but I had to go to work.  I wondered if he would be there when I came home.  He was and I was thrilled.  Originally I had intended him to stay outside and I would continue to care for him.  At the time he refused to come into the house, but I would not abandon him even if he was no longer under my protection.

A few days after his return he wanted to come back into the house.  I allowed him to.  The other cats hissed at him and he acquiesced to their punishment for leaving.  But after four days he started to have the same wild tendencies he had before.  The good news was I had an appointment for him to be fixed the next day.  This time I didn’t put him in the room and the next morning was able to get him safely to the Vets.

Now that he is home, fixed and recovering, he is learning to be a kitty of luxury.  He seems happy although touchy at times.  He still is recovering from the wild outside cats and the huge world he was unaware of living in my home.  Hopefully he will learn that he will be loved, pampered and protected for all the days of his life.

I look forward to having him sit on my lap getting a rub behind his ears and me telling him how happy I am to have him with us, and of course that I love him.  He in turn will learn to trust me and love me back.   That is all I want.

Until next time.  

Book Review: Little Bee by Chris Cleave

The Back Cover Reads:
This is the story of two women.  Their lives collide one fateful day, and one of them has to make a terrible choice, the kind of choice we hope you never have to face.  Two years later, they meet again—the story starts here…

Once you have read it, you’ll want to tell your friends about it.  When you do, please don’t tell them what happens.  The magic is in how the story unfolds.

This is my first time reading this author.  The story of the two women is based on reality, even though the characters are fictional.   I really liked both women, what they went through, and their dilemma.  I was caught up in there lives.

I will say right out I didn’t like the ending, only because I like reading ending where everyone is happy.  (Unrealistic I know.) This book is based on the real world.  That doesn’t mean that the book is not good.  It is absolutely good, well written and moving.  I couldn’t stop reading it.

Chris Cleave is the author of Incendiary which is another book I will have to check out.  Anyway read Little Bee, you will not be disappointed.

To find out more about Chris Cleave here:  chriscleave.com



Until Next Time

The Diligent Writers Critiquing Group April Meeting.

This is the 2nd meeting for the group from Meetup and it went really well.  We had nine people including me.  Some were from the Greater Cleveland Writers Group and a few were new writers.

Each person had a chance to read a bit of their work and received feedback.  I am happy to say we have some really good writers.  They also gave some really constructive feedback.

After the group left there were some writers that stayed behind to talk with me.  We had a discussion of a smaller group that I want to have.  A group of six writers with on going projects that want continuous feedback until the project is finished.   A few of them stated that they want to be involved.  I am pleased.

I am sorry to say the restaurant where we met was loud and very disruptive.  It was hard for the writers to read their own work and to hear the others read.  I could tell everyone including myself was extremely annoyed. I was very embarrassed.  I should have found a better location.  When I first started it I had a few tell me to just hold it at a coffee house.  I was worried about the noise then but we prevailed. After this last meeting there was no discussion I was making a call.

Previously I had a location picked out but the owners weren’t ready for us having just started the business. 

Here’s the good new:
Just as I was leaving the restaurant, the person I was just going to call walked in.  “I need to talk to you.”  I told her, and we did.  We agreed upon the new location and terms, but now I have to charge a nominal fee to cover the cost.  I think the group will be okay with the small amount as long as we don’t have the disruption of the restaurant.

I also have some good news.  The owner and I discussed the option of having a workshop at the location.  We have set a date, now I am working on putting it together.  I am so excited about the potential growth of the workshop.   If it goes well, we can have more and make the group a really good resource for writers.

I am so glad that I went to The Greater Cleveland Writers Group first.  From there I have met and networked with some wonderful people.  Then I started my own group and now we have the promise of a great future.  Until next time.