Sunday, December 27, 2015

Review of Last Breath of Innocence

The Last Breath of Innocence

By Anna Cartman

Reviewed by Author Roy Murry

This story of two young adults, Keeley the narrator and her childhood boyfriend Kieran, grow into teens with baggage that defines their choices.
Confused in their entanglement, those choices crossed them over to the wrong side of the law.

Ms. Cartman’s novel holds you to the end, laying out Keeley’s reasons as to why she gets up each morning in a household she had no choice in living in, because of parent’s demise. Her only male friend, Kieran, moves in next door when she is eleven years old.

Their relationship builds, but Kieran is forced to leave because of an event they could not control. Meeting again in their teens, that event’s effect on their personalities brings them together in a strange one-sided love affair.

Ms. Cartman brings you to a chilling end of that relationship, which will stick with you after reading the last chapter. Throughout the novel, you will sympathize with Keeley’s plight to find herself, which we can all empathize with.

Innocence is captured in this well-written young adult novel. We were all young and will understand their choices.

Purchased at Amazon:http://amzn.to/1NRwpzk


Tuesday, December 22, 2015

Review of Last Stop: Paris

Last Stop: Paris

By John Pearce

Reviewed Author Roy Murry


This adventure is centered on a couple named Eddie and Aurelie, who resides in Paris. They're coming together, living together, and future is exciting and needed to understand the going on.

These two socialites are in a whirlwind that will define their future. International characters come back into their lives, and they will help determine their future.

Mixed with murder, kidnapping, international gold standard fixing, and Russian mafia movement, the couple are included in a non-official crime-fighting group including the USA’s CIA and Interpol. These characters’ subplots commingled with the main one that drives this thrilling story forward.

All the characters are well defined and primed for another adventure when Last Stop is consumed. The bad guys didn’t fare so well. However, some doors are left open which could lead to the couple’s future involvement.

Last Stop: Paris, like Mr. Pearce’s Treasure of Saint-Lazare, is a fast-paced thriller that can be read individually or read after Treasure… I have read both and can say that I will be looking forward to reading another of Mr. Pearce’s intriguing novels.

Get both at Amazon: http://amzn.to/1JtaCfo


Thursday, December 17, 2015

Review of Raindancer

Raindancer (Vega)

By P Alan Davis

Reviewed by Author Roy Murry

I am a man who likes an active woman in novels and life. Mr. Davis’ protagonist is a strong woman by the name of Xanszia, who is sent on a mission by her father to find her siblings.

That adventure is across the intergalactic spectrum with thrilling episodes from the past and the future. The characters move in parallel spaces, treks are made to foreign and barbaric worlds, and planets are negotiated to solve wars.

Xanszia, on her mission, is confronted with evil on many levels that test her femininity and her fortitude to complete what she has set out to end. She is at the centered of the ultimate fate of the universe. How she handles her ambassadorship will decide its destiny.

Mr. Davis gives us an imaginary journey into a world surrounding Xanszia's adventure that makes you enjoy its existence. The characters, he has developed, are colorful and exciting.

The story flows smoothly with all the details put in place to keep the reader wanting to know the outcome, which is a surprise. For those who like the unusual, I recommend this read.

Get at Amazon: http://amzn.to/1mux1UF



Tuesday, December 8, 2015

Review of From New York to the Smokies

From New York to the Smokies

By Wayne Zurl

Reviewed by Author Roy Murry

I read about sixty books a year and sometimes come back to one of my favorites. Wayne Zurl’s Sam Jenkins, I once called spiffy, is an ex-New York detective, who becomes the Chief of Police in a small town in the Smokies (Mountain range at the Tennessee – North Carolina border, USA.)

In this book, Sam is put in multiple situations where experience police detective work is needed to arrive at a satisfactory conclusion. I won’t go into the individual plots but will say that Mr. Zurl’s characters are well developed and fun to read about.

You can tell Sam is the outsider and is working at a somewhat disadvantage because of the culture clash. Mountain small town people don’t do things the same way as city people like Sam would do.

However, there are common traits in all of us humans, and Sam understands them in the way he approaches a crime. You’ll love how his humanity gets him to where he wants to go in his crime solving.

Enjoyable fast reads at Amazon:  http://amzn.to/1S1RLPu


Review of Just East of Key West

Just East of Key West

By Tom Winton

Reviewed by Author Roy Murry


Even though I am not a fisherman, I was pulling on the line with the protagonist Frank towards the end. He has gone on a fishing trip passing by different characters on the wharf.

They are not the center of the story. Like in Hemingway’s The Old Man and the Sea, I got the feeling that Frank enjoyed his venture down to the sea. Without the sea, they would not be complete.

He gets irritated with those who don’t cherish the moment of fishing. Those are the people who don’t prepare for the event.

He gets upset with himself in the middle of this game in trying to catch a big one. He made an error in preparation and would be damned.

Whether he or the fish will be damned on the last pull of the rode will be known to you in the last paragraph of this fast-paced novella. Like me, you will get caught up in action.





Review of Bentwhistle the Dragon

Bentwhistle the Dragon
                  In
A Threat from the Past

By Paul Cude

Reviewed by Roy Murry

Did you know that dragons turn into humans? Neither did I. But, Mr. Cude does an excellent job of convincing me of them existing in the days of yore. Maybe they are still with us.

Seriously, young adults will enjoy this fantasy. A parallel world is interwoven with the reality protecting it from the evils of that world.

Dragons shift into human form. They do this to infiltrate our supposedly superior, friendly world, helping protect people from the monsters of the world.

Mr. Cude told a story that was amusing and delightful. The prose was more telling than showing but keeps the reader's interested. You will look at people after reading this novel and wondering if they are dragons or not. LOL

Take a journey that is written for the young at heart, which I am one. Are you?




Saturday, November 28, 2015

Review of Amina: The Silent One

Amina: The Silent One

Written by Fiza Pathan

Reviewed by Author Roy Murry


A beautiful girl is brought into the world. What more could a loving couple want? In many cultures, including India, they would want a boy first and foremost.

Amina is the third child of Jaffar and his wife, as she is referred to throughout most of the story. Not only is Amina the third, but she is the third girl of an Indian Muslim family.

The matriarch of the family is outraged and begs Allah to forgive the family for their sins. Why else would Allah curse them with not three but five girls and no boy to carry on their name?

To the matriarch and many in their society, a girl is to be used for domestic chores, childbearing, and for the pleasure of her husband. She has no rights or to progress in the new world order.

In Amina, Ms. Pathan paints a vivid and disturbing picture of how women are USED (For no other appropriate word) by the ignorant religious male controllers of some societies. Unfortunately, this persists in some parts world today.

This is a story of an Indian family that has a disaster, setbacks, and jubilation.  Amina, though, is the center of it, where she receives the brunt of her country’s brutal underbelly of illegal use of women. It is her innate natural ability to play music, listen intently, and not speak, that helps her overcome the ignorance around her.

Ms. Pathan writes with a knowledgeable pen. Her colorful ink I will enjoy reading again, soon.


Check her out at http://amzn.to/1S1Tg06

Review of Blurline

Blurline

Written by TW Lawless

Reviewed by Author Roy Murry

Peter Clancy, a displaced Australian conventional reporter, falls head over heels with an English beauty named Ruby, after becoming a sleaze writer for one of London’s lower tier tabloids. Not being upfront with the lady allows him to enter into her world – daddy is one of Britain’s entertainment royalties.

His pickup line, that he is a ghostwriter of novels, and his personality, opens the door to her heart and her world. From here, thrilling adventure proceeds into the life of the rich and famous. It’s the world that Peter would be forbidden to enter under normal circumstances.

Letting his boss at a Red Top British tabloid know what he has discovered, leads him into a story of the century. With his bosses bullying and probing, Peter investigates one of the sleaziest stories that could topple some of the government elite and entertainment royalties if published.

Add to this: drugs, abduction, attempted murder, murder, pedophilia, and lies; this novel becomes a tell-all in the life of some celebs. It’s fast paced, but you won’t miss anything.

Mr. Lawless has laid it all out for you in quick-moving prose that will have you enjoying the lovemaking of Peter and Ruby, outraged in the deceit of many, and wanting to go on to the next chapter in the life of Peter Clancy.

It's book three of a series, but it can stand alone. Start from the beginning or go to this book: 

Amazon:  http://amzn.to/1S1TCUy



Sunday, November 22, 2015

Review of Perfectly Flawed

Perfectly Flawed
By Shaunna Rodriguez


Reviewed by Author Roy Murry


‘I Love Lucy’ was a popular TV program in the 50’s and 60’s. Lucy got into all kinds of trouble just being lovable and beautiful Lucy.

In Ms. Rodriguez’ Perfectly Flawed, her Grace, like Lucy, is just being Grace. Being trusting and gullible in their relationship with men, Lucy was lucky; Grace is not.

The episodes that Grace goes through are funny and sad at the same time, because of the way she looks at life. She meets a man at work and goes with the flow without questioning his or her status.

This leads into an adventure that has you laughing at her naivety but understanding her motivation. The character Ms. Rodriguez has developed is one that many can relate to, and one many will follow after reading this fast pace hilarious snippet of Grace’s life.

Shaunna style is easy to read and follow. I think I may follow Grace for a book or two.


Review of Five Spot

Five Spot
Written by Cindy Blackburn

Reviewed by Author Roy Murry

As my readers know, I like a good mystery. ‘Five Spot’ is a whodunit that leads you in one direction, then sends you into another, and finally has you confused until you hit the Five Spot.

Part-time sleuth Jessie and her police chief husband Wilson is at a Romance Novel Conference when one of her cohorts dies in the middle of an event. Although it seems like a clear-cut murder, the victim who died is or may not have been the target.

How this situation is unraveled is quite funny. The characters clash humorously but help bring about a conclusion the reader can live with.

Ms. Blackburn’s style has developed into one that I enjoy. It flows nicely keeping you laughing to the end. Using characters that have special likings for Romance novels, she has woven in a murder mystery that keeps you interested even if you don’t care for romance.

I recommend any of Ms. Blackburn’s novels. All have different twists that are enjoyable.

   




Sunday, November 1, 2015

Review of The Greatest Gift of All



Written by Roger Grubbs

Reviewed by Author Roy Murry

If you care to shed a few tears, Mr. Grubbs story will help that gland to produce a few. From beginning to end, this novel will grip you and might tear you apart.

It starts when two young children become friends forever. The boy and girl become an item throughout their childhood to the point that they and their parents thought the two would be married.

In their journey to adulthood, many cute stories are introduced to show how close they became one in their friendship and love. Some of them will have you in tears and others will have you laughing, because you most likely encountered similar situations in your youth.

When it is evident that the two will wed, an event occurs that will change their lives forever – one or both of them may die. This turmoil awakens the young man into action that will control that came to an end that will surprise the reader.

This is fun and exhausting, in a right way, read that will keep you wanting to know what will or could happen next. Mr. Grubbs keeps you on your toes.

It’s an easy and fast read that I feel romantics will enjoy. Roger Grubbs has done an excellent job of telling his lover’s story.


Purchase at: http://amzn.to/1NwsLgj




Sunday, October 25, 2015

Review of Fobidden


Forbidden, Book 1
A Novel of Love and Betrayal…

By Mike Wells

Reviewed by Author Roy Murry

Love and Betrayal come in many forms. In Mr. Wells’ novel, paternal and sibling love comes to the front; and betrayal is just around the corner.

A young lady’s life is turned into a confused state after an elderly woman reveals her true identity. The woman tells a fantastic story, but the girl believes her, because of something her mother had told her when she sixteenth.

Without informing anyone, she travels with the women to Europe. There she is surprised again with something that confirms the woman’s story to the one hundredth percent degree.

Here more twists are put in place, where betrayal of a loved one, who will be uninformed as to the events surrounding his betrothed. He will be played.

This is where Mr. Wells leaves you standing at the altar, so to speak. You won’t find out until you read on.

Mike Well’s book ones are always hooks that leave you wanting for more. It is an enjoyable time for those who like a classy read.
You’ll want to go on to the next book. So…

Book #1 is free http://amzn.to/1muyXN0
But I recommend buying #1, 2, 3 at once: http://amzn.to/1Nx377R




Wednesday, October 21, 2015

Review of Life Sucks







Life Sucks

By Charissa Dufour

Review by Author Roy Murry

This novella SUCKS you in. You believe you're reading a story about a rising star piano player, a little down on his luck, and then you receive a shock.

A fight for life is the main event. The piano player is belittled, kicked, punched, and nearly killed. Someone yells, “Police,” and the world for the Jazz player is turned into another dimension.

This read is fast-paced, character-driven, and a BLOOD SUCKING surprise  – a great read into another Vampire novella.  

Purchase at http://amzn.to/1jSHTKc Presently, it is free.


Review of I AM




I AM

By Beverly E. Barracks

Review by Author Roy Murry


If you are looking for a way to free yourself from a life of an unsatisfied routine, Ms. Barracks’ I AM may just be what you need. The power of I AM, in its definition, is a way to relieve yourself from the mundane of everyday life using God’s Words.

According to the book’s premise you will overcome some of the life’s woes and be free to be I AM by meditating, confessing, and receiving revelations. I AM is easy to follow read that has quotes from the Bible which will help guide your journey.

Ms. Barracks’ 31 Day solution to reaching I AM should inspire you. Each day has a page to make notes of your daily thoughts concerning that day’s word to meditate on.

An open mind is needed to follow through in reaching your revelations. God’s Words need faith behind them to be powerful. Ms. Barracks’ I AM leads you in the right direction.

Purchase at Amazon: http://amzn.to/1S1VWL6


  


Sunday, October 11, 2015

Review of The Puzzle

The Puzzle
 (Samantha Jamison Mystery)

Written by Peggy A. Edelheit

Reviewed by Author Roy Murry

What would you do if the police came to your front door and told you your loved one had been murdered? This is the beginning of The Puzzle.

Samantha is in denial. How could this be? I just took him to the airport. How did he die behind the wheel of a rental car on his way to his hometown?

To put the pieces together in this hard to explain event, she goes to the source, trying to put The Puzzle together – to the people who knew her secretive husband best. In this quest, she becomes a new person, questioning and feeding off his boyhood’s closest friends, acquaintances, and the small town he grew up in.

Protecting his memory and not knowing the full extent of his endeavor, they are allusive when Samantha tries to get to the truth. It comes to light after much probing and self-evaluation by all who knew her husband well, including Samantha.

Ms. Edelheit’s writing is clear cut with no clutter. Her chapters are short, and to the point, forcing you to turn to the next (And the next,) looking for the answers yourself. It won’t take you long to get to the truth – it’s a fast read.
Good opening for a series with nine books in it. You might get hooked.
     
Get at amazon Free: http://amzn.to/1muzzlu


Saturday, October 3, 2015

Review of Oblivion's Forge


Oblivion Forge
By Simon Williams

Reviewed by Author Roy Murry


I have mixed feelings in writing this review. On the one hand, I know it’s a difficult task to write the first book in a series, but on the other, I believe it is the author’s duty to make it simple to read, so it will be a good launch for the series.

Oblivion’s Forge is not the end but the beginning of the Aona Series. Mr. Williams does an excellent job of developing his characters and plot. However, he has not made it simple for the reader – his audience.

As an avid reader, I got lost in the many unconnected plots until the end, which was a long time coming. I would have liked to have read a shorter version with fewer characters to follow.

When readers get to the final page, they will be left wanting more, because of the fascination of the subject – the beliefs of the human race, and how those ideas forge us toward our own oblivion – death. They may want to reread it to get a better grasp of the interwoven plots.

Long read that can be bought for $.99 on Kindle: http://amzn.to/1S1Xchi