Review of The Fall of the Empire

Review of

The Fall of the Empire                 

Written by

Zoe Saadia

Reviewed by R. Murry

Most of my readers know that I’m an ex-Green Beret and have been exposed to unconventional warfare and hand-hand combat.  Where Ms. Saadia acquired this information, only she knows.  She did her research, and her battle scenes come alive on the written page.  One of the Warlords is praised for his unusual way of setting up a fight that will commence in an unconventional way, leading to many victories.  

However, the story is not about warfare – its backdrop.   It’s about people, trying to stay alive in the turmoil they had no control over. A young lady of sixteen wants to avenge the death of her family and is in the process of solving it when interrupted by force bigger than her.

A young trader, who has feelings for the slave girl, is put in a position where his allegiance is opposite to that of the girl unbeknown to him.  Each becomes spies for opposing the army of warriors.  This is what propels the story forward.

Battles are fought hand to hand.  The firm with moral purpose survives in the story.  They believe that the gods are helping them, but it’s their inner strength that moves them forward.  Zoe’s has written characters who show their feelings on their sleeve so to speak.

Zoe’s young lady is the strongest of all the characters with a moral goal.  Her strength is noticed by an invading Warlord who helps her to move towards her goal to the point that he is in awe of her uncommon beauty with physical and inner strength. He noticed that she is not a slave and he was right.  You’ll have to read the book to see what she really is.

Zoe Saadia prose is well written and will keep you wanting to know – What next?  It’s a delightful tale.  Something you shouldn’t miss.

Purchase at: http://
amzn.to/1mQr4N2

http://http://amzn.to/1mQr4N2

   

Review of The 24

                      

Review of The 24

(The Books of Kendra)             

Written by

Stephen Jennison-Smith

Reviewed by R. Murry

Jennison-Smith’s style of writing is cult bound.  He develops action scenes that bring the reader in, wanting to go on to see what next will happen to the main characters Kendra and his son Chelnuk. 

The reader must be attentive to absorb all the details of the other characters (Angels – good and bad, Giants – good and bad, and their followers.)  Stephen is careful with his presentation that helps as one continues to read this multi-level spirit/earth fantasy set in biblical times.

Kendra, the main character, has many abilities that humans are not endowed with because of his birth right.  This is another detail that should be understood when reading this adventure.  Most of his warriors are amazed of his abilities and faithfully follow him knowing he will be true to them – his charges.

This adventure keeps you entertained.  Heads roll a la Spartacus status.  Blood and prayer are the underpinning themes.  Bad blood against good blood of the giants involved in keeping each other’s existence perpetuated.  Hence, war is at hand to keep the trouble making giants at a controllable number.  Prayer is used to keep the faithful going into battle.

This second in Jennison-Smith’s series was enjoyable to read, but I would liked to have read a little more color in his prose.  This is a black and white series – good against evil that does have some shades of gray in it.  No pun intended.  The gray here is – who prays to the right god.

A good quick read that I recommend.  Where can people go to read Stephen's work?

Amazon at  http://tinyurl.com/StephenJennison-Smith
or samples and some shorter finished work on Wattpad  http://www.wattpad.com/user/StephenJennisonSmith
Smashwords  http://www.smashwords.com/profile/view/SJennisonSmith

Review of The Soul Keeper

                                      

The Soul Keeper                

Written by

Maree Ward-Russell

Reviewed by R. Murry

Maree has kept the story of a young lady named Melody with paranormal gifts alive and well.  The story goes on from book one into a plausible continuation that will endear you to Ms. Russell's style of writing that is colorful, as I noted in my review of The Transient  http://bit.ly/W8vGQa.

The universal spirits are in turmoil, the evil ones are trying to overcome the good spirits, and the events at Heartworth’s castle portal are bustling with the comings and goings of those spirits. 

Our young lady would be a Soul Keeper if you didn’t know.  To understand the full effect of a Soul Keeper, one must be of another power above her.  We get to meet her charge, a young or old ghost, which either way you interpret him – is young in spirit, but old in the number of years he has been a Transient.

His connection to Melody becomes knowledge soon after they meet, which becomes something of a delight to her – it’s connection to her lover, another Transient.   What a world they live in?  If it weren't for those non-transient lovers, life would be so grand.

But they are lurking.  They produce havoc in Melody’s world and her beloved friends.  Not to mention the castle itself.  There are too many disrupting episodes to divulge.  So I’ll let you read the two books.  That way, you’ll get to enjoy what I have – a pleasant read with romance in the air on many levels and a conclusion to remember Forever and a Day.

A great read for the young and the young at heart.   

Read Maree’s books: http://amzn.to/1IuMduE

Indie Authors 5 Star Reviews of The Audubon Caper

5 Star Reviews of The Audubon Caper

by Authors

 https://amzn.to/4hPwfgM

Carol Marrs Phipps, author of Good Sister, Bad Sister

The Audubon Caper is a hair-raising, eye-opening story you won't want to miss, particularly if you want to glimpse how one of our intelligence agencies conducts its covert operations.

Danny Kemp, author of The Desolate Garden, wrote: 

I have read this book and can happily recommend it. A thoroughly enjoyable story told with conviction and expertise.

Rags Daniels, the author of  Lallapaloosa, wrote:

'The Audubon Caper' is an utterly compelling, riveting, factual roller coaster ride.

I will devour my hat if it doesn't reach the big screen.

PS; I guarantee you will hate reaching the end.             

Faith Helen Mortimer, author of many mystery novels, wrote:

R. Murry has written a good book here, with plenty to excite and interest the reader and add reality to the story. The fluency and pace kept me on edge until the end. This was a most enjoyable read, and if you like thrillers, then this one could be for you.

Seumas Gallacher, author of SAVAGE PAYBACK says:

I've seldom been seduced by a storyline from the first page as I was with The Audubon Caper...

The fluency and pace keep the reader on edge until the final page. It’s a most enjoyable read...

Kathryn Kimball Johnson, author of many romance novels/professor, says on 

the back cover of the book:

“The Audubon Caper is a page-turner.”

Vonda Norwood, author of many Erotic novels, wrote:

This TRUE story is filled with SEX and LIES.  I LOVED IT.  All the accounts in this exciting mystery are true, and the facts are there. Am I right? I DON'T KNOW!!!

Theresa Brau, author of Groom and Doom and English teacher, wrote:

R. Murry's The Audubon Caper is a fast-paced story. There are so many things going on in this creative non-fiction tale.  One of the most extraordinary things about this book is that it's based on a true story…

Zoe Saadia, author of HIGHLANDER and many historical novels, wrote: 

I had been meaning to pick "Audubon Caper" for some time, but the moment I peeked into the sample chapter, I knew I had to read this book. It gripped me from the very beginning, the author's way of addressing the reader in the friendly conversational way of someone telling you his story…

Cynthia J Smith, poet and author of Voices in my Head, wrote: 

Mr. Murry writes so smoothly that the story flows from past to present without a ripple. His scenes of sex and drugs evoke the activities of that era but are written to add to the story instead of becoming a major piece of it.

Larry B. Gray, author and blogger, wrote: 

Do you want to read a book that you can't put down? Do you want a book that will grab you by the seat of the pants and will not let you go? The Audubon Caper by R. Murry is just the book for you. In this true-crime tale, Roy Murry has pulled it all together into a fast-paced adventure tale.

Debbie McEwan, author of fiction, says:

Debbie wrote, "I've just finished this book, and it's brilliant! It will keep you guessing until the end, and the author's notes are also intriguing."

The Audubon Caper can only be found on Amazon Kindle E-books  US  https://amzn.to/4hPwfgM

Review of Playing The Coach

Review of Playing The Coach      

Written by Vonda Norwood

Reviewed by R. Murry

What is the orgasm of a positive emotion?  Awe is.  It’s in the eyes of the beholder.  With wonder, comes fantasy.  Ms. Norwood’s character, Vicky, is in awe of a man, Jake Wilson, who does what she fantasizes in doing – coaching a high school football team.

Vicky will do anything to get to work at coaching but is impeded by Jake.  Not because she is a woman, but because he is put in an awkward position which he didn’t ask for.  I won’t give you that reason because it would give away some of the plots.

What I will say is that he devised a way of eliminating the problem.  In this experiment, he leads Vicky on with a ruse of asking her, what you think is my favorite thing.  Vicky believes it’s her body.  She teases Coach Wilson to try and get what her favorite thing is – coaching football, with little by little sexual meetings.

Ms. Norwood does an excellent job at teasing the reader with their sexual encounters.  Each contact is developed to keep the reader’s attention and does its job.   The reader will relish in wanting to see what happens next sexually and will want to read on to their climax.

The story was well structured with sexual content that any reader of erotica will enjoy.  The characters come alive as sexual beings.  I read it twice to find some pitfalls, but I couldn’t find any in this short story of some new highs.    

A quick read before bed is recommended.

Where can people go to buy her work?

US: 

Interview with Vonda Norwood

Interview of Vonda Norwood

Author of Playing The Coach        

Questions by R. Murry

Can you tell me a little about yourself?

My name is Vonda Norwood. I was born in Alabama, raised in California by a mother from Texas and I now live in Arizona.  I love mysteries and hate long walks on the beach.  :-D

Do you remember the first story you wrote?

Yes!  At 8 years, I re-wrote of the Flintstones’ cartoon.  I didn't like their anniversary special, so I wrote my own.  

Were you inspired by someone or something?

When I was a kid, I heard someone on T.V. once say that if you don't like what you read, watch, or experience - write what you do want to experience. 

What do you like about writing a story?

My favorite thing is creating the characters personalities - how they think, how they relate to each other.  As I write, I get to enjoy their world.

Can you tell us about your book?

"Playing the Coach" - This is an erotica story, which means that my characters have sex with each other and I described it!  LOLOLOL.  One of the most fascinating aspects of this sexual/romance/comedy is the comedy.  Vicky being high-strung about her goal to be the first female football, head coach of her hometown's high school.  That position is held by the one man she's most attracted to.  What does Vicky really want?  Does she want to be a coach or have sex with Coach Wilson.  I'll just say this, Coach Wilson makes certain that Vicky gets exactly what she wants.  :-D 

How did you come up with the story?

That's the best part of this story!  But it would take a story to explain it and then my mind would create another erotica story and I already have too many going on in there to deal with, so I'll just say this:  I tried to make an innocent funny-sexy joke, but I couldn't!  The harder I tried to think of something that was football-coach and sexually-funny, the more inappropriate my thoughts became and the next thing I knew, I had me a whole sexy-funny story that wouldn't leave my mind!  I couldn't stop thinking about a sexy man, lying around in a towel just waiting for me to um...  :-X  .

What genre best fits for the book?

Erotica/Romance/Comedy

Are you working on something new at the moment?

I am working on my sequel.  The title is "Facebook can also make you go to jail too"

And I am writing book 2 of "Indie Authors Make Better Lovers".   I'm hoping to finish Indies 2 before March 10th.  HOPING!!!  My sequel to my "Facebook" - book, is very involved and will take me a lot longer to complete.  I keep finding new short stories to do and the stories clog my mind too much to write my sequel.  So after Indies, I hope to have no more erotica clogging and just complete my sequel!!!   :-/  LOLOLOLOLOL  

Do you have any tips for aspiring writers?

Every writer is an individual.  Just be yourself and be true to your work.  Enjoy writing it so that people can enjoy reading it.  If you don't enjoy your stories, how can anyone else?

Which authors inspire you?

I've only been inspired by one author.  Ernest Hemingway.  Why?  I HATED his character's personality in the book "The Old Man and The Sea."  I didn't want to have to read that book!  It was a class assignment, so I read it.  Nearly completed with the reading of that story and realized that Mr. Hemingway created one heck of a strong character, which seemed so very real.  What an amazing ability!!!  I still didn't like him, but, I have 100%  respect for the man who created him.  :-D

Where can people go to read your work?

US: http://ow.ly/gUUVE UK: http://ow.ly/gWjCR

Where can people find you on the internet?

My goodreads blog:

http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/5826686.Vonda_Norwood/blog

I am Vonda Norwood on Facebook

and @VondaNorwood on Twitter

Review of Blast from the Past

Blast from the Past

Written by Lauren Carr   

Reviewed by R. Murry

Within a few chapters of this snappy moving mystery, there are more dead bodies than the town of Spencer, Maryland, has body bags to fill.

The plots are many, but the solutions are simple if you are one Mac Faraday. His epiphanies, woven into this multilevel crime wave of a small resort town, will keep you awake for this good read. Even his dog Gnarly gets into the act by being his dominating lovable self.

Ms. Carr’s main character is in the middle of a Blast from the Past of others: the woman he is love with, the owner of a local restaurant, and two couples he never met before.

What crimes have they committed in the past? None, but all the action comes from their history because they came in contact with the wrong people at one time – the ones with the broken noses - the mob.

Mac’s and his half-brother’s investigative abilities outshine that of the U.S. Marshals and the FBI.  Mac’s half-brother is the local chief of police and Mac is helping him solve what seems to be a mess of a situation – dead bodies with few clues to follow.

Lauren’s presentation of these situations keeps the reader’s attention. The clues are there. I had to read some areas twice, but they are there.  And it was fun trying to keep ahead of Mac, Gnarly, and all the other crime fighters trying to solve these mysteries.

I can see why @TheMysteryLadie has a good following.  I’m putting her next book on my BTR list.  You should too after reading this one.

The links to Lauren Carr’s books and her other endeavors are listed in her below:
Amazon.com: http://amzn.to/1IuSsyH

All of my books are available in both print and e-book. The e-book versions are only 99 cents each.

You can start by visiting my author page on Amazon: 

Do you have anything to add?

Readers can also get the updated schedule for my tour by visiting my sites:

Visit Lauren’s website and blog at:

Website: http://acornbookservices.com/

                 http://mysterylady.net/

Blog: Literary Wealth: http://literarywealth.wordpress.com/

Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/lauren.carr.984991

Review: The Sheepish Pirate

Review of The Sheepish Pirate   

Written by B.L. Genteman

Reviewed by R. Murry

Writers, readers, and dreamers are the ones who lead us into the future.  There are too many to mention.  However, I’ll mention Jules Verne, whose adventures first started with a dream, and then he wrote it down, people read it, and the cycle began to produce those machines he wrote about.

Ms. Genteman’s main character is a reader and a dreamer, albeit an eleven year old sheep.  A child is a child and all seem to love one type of an animal.  Many animals are represented in Pirate: Dog, cat, goat, and a rat or two.

These animal/characters come to life in a story about a sea adventure that The Sheepish Pirate, Ryeland, first dreamt about while living in his dull life of going to school.  He is an outcast because of his shyness and studiousness.

He dreamt of going to sea on one of those great ships.  Inadvertently, that is what happens after he finds a key in a cave. From this point, he learns the hard lessons of life through the pirates and new friends he meets on his Mediterranean voyage captained by a father figure, a ram, who is searching for a lost land and a treasure.

The animal/characters in this children’s book are properly developed i.e. ram is his captain; a dog is his friend; a rat is one of his enemies. Colorful attire is also adorned, showing the character’s position.

This is a book for readers and dreamers.  Others do not apply.  Better still read this to your children so they’ll dream and read more.

Ms. Genteman’s links:

Currently I have my book available on Amazon. http://amzn.to/YAITlP

Do you have anything to add? 

I’m always interested in feedback from everyone.  Those who liked the book, hated the book, which characters they liked and want to see return.  I am always eager to hear what everyone thinks and try to be responsive to everyone’s comments. I try to have every type of social media option available so that the audience can pick and choose how they want/wish to following me.

http://on.fb.me/UIDDyw 

http://instagram.com/bgenteman/
http://blgenteman.tumblr.com/
https://twitter.com/BLGenteman
http://thesheepishpirate.blogspot.com/

   

100 Unfortunate Days - Review

Review of

100 Unfortunate Days

Written by Penelope Crowe    

Reviewed by R. Murry

When reading Ms. Crowe’s Days, Salvador Dali’s name came to mind.  He always haunts me every once in a while.  Dali’s painting The Persistence of Memory, an omnipotence of a dream and an unconscious, shows in oil what Penelope demonstrates in her writing.

She writes with a natural surrealistic aptitude that reminds me of Dali’s paintings.  Example of this is in her don’t likes list: I don’t like Yeast infections…or…American Idol, said in the same breath.  Ms. Crowe does this with a smile in her presentation, knowing she'll hit a nerve in someone’s mind.

Her Days, 100 of them, represent many attitudes, one of which is the theme of Self Reliance.  Ralph Waldo Emerson and his Transcendentalists would be proud of her.  Faith in God or the after-life is not all that is needed to survive underlines her episodes with religion.  I posed the question: Is Penelope a Gnostic?

100 Unfortunate Days is not for the faint of heart, overly religious, or weak minded person.  One must have an open mind to read each individual Day.  She doesn’t hole back any punches on any of the subjects to the point you may feel insulted.  Just forget about it and more on to the next Day.  It’s worth it and you’ll be intellectually stimulated on another Day.

I paid $.99 for a read that I will remember.  Penelope Crowe, whatever her real name is, will haunt me, as Dali has since the Sixties.  I paid a dollar for a haunt - What a deal?!

Ms. Crowe links are attached to her interview below:

                   

Voices in my Head

VOICES IN MY HEAD        

Poems by Cindy Smith

Reviewed by R. Murry

Genuine poetry can communicate before it is understood was T.S. Eliot’s motto for writing.   His name and motto I picked as a stepping stone because of his American fame and the appropriateness of using his motto in referring to Ms. Smith’s style, which is clear and comprehensible – no mental gymnastics required in reading her poems

I give you a microcosm of her writing technique:

From poem:  OLD MAN        (My note: Man looking back on life.)

…You are thinking of your children

    They are all full grown

    “Where are they? How are they?

    Why have they left me alone?”…

From poem:  NEW LIFE        (My note: Pregnant woman talking to unborn child.)

…I will try to show you

   The best way that I can

   How to love and respect

   The whole family of man…

Cindy Smith writes from the heart.  She, as in the poems OLD MAN, NEW LIFE, and the others in this collection of poetry, communicates in an understanding way that we all can relate to.  I am happy to say that her poems meet T.S. Eliot’s motto’s criteria for being genuine poems.

Being an old man and a father, 65 years old with two adult sons, LOL, I connected right away with these two poems.  I read them a number of times because of their theme and the easy flow of the thoughtful words.

I recommend that you purchase VOICES IN MY HEAD for your bookcase.  Take it out every once in awhile and quietly read a good-heart word or two.  These poems will take you away from your everyday life and make you feel good about yourself, or not.

Purchase at:

Amazon Paperback: http://amzn.to/1m2lRGp

Barnes and Noble:  http://tinyurl.com/cu4q7c8

Review of If Love was Enough

Two Short Stories by                  

Regina Puckett                        

If Love was Enough

            And

   Balloon Wishes
(Angel Collection, 
     Book 1&2)

Reviewed by R. Murry

I took note of what an actor on the TV program Bones said the other day.  Yes, TV.  “God gave us words, so we could put wings on them.” Profound.

Ms. Puckett has put wings on her words in her two short stories that I recommend to be read one after the other, because of a common theme.  However, each holds its own as an inspirational motivator.

I’m a fan of Og Mandino, a Christian inspirational writer of the first caliber.  Regina Puckett’s stories are close to that degree of excellence. 

She takes a simple occurrence that has happened to everyone in the world – the death of a loved one and turns it into a faith changing event.  Her words - those of her characters figuratively speaking - sail into heaven.  One must have faith to believe this to occur.

Ms. Puckett’s main characters question their beliefs and are not always answered in the way one may understand, but they are answered.  These answers Ms. Puckett poses are faith based, but don’t impose a religion on the reader.

She uses Love as her main theme, which motivates us all to do what is right for ourselves.  Ms. Puckett conveys this well in her prose.

For two dollars, I believe, you will be pleased with yourself after reading these two well written Faith Builders.

All of her novels and short stories are on Amazon.

http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_sb_noss_1?url=search-alias%3Dstripbooks&field-keywords=regina+puckett

     

   

Heroes and Lovers Review

Review of                           

Heroes and Lovers

By Wayne Zurl

Reviewed by R. Murry

My uncle Lou used the word spiffy to infer that an individual had class, was cool, and had his act together.  Yes, the 60’s.  I’m dating myself again.  I don’t think spiffy is a real word, but it describes Mr. Zurl’s character Sam Jenkins and spell check didn’t put a red line under spiffy.  Sam is a hero with style.

Wayne’s characters come alive in a small Southern State in the United States of America where the day to day life of a relocated New York gray haired detective is accounted for.  Criminal events happen that must be rectified.  Mr. Zurl goes into some detail in his interview below.  I won’t.

What I’ll say is the character Sam is the center of resolving crimes against his town where he is the Chief of Police. The whole story revolves around how he intellectually finds clues that others don’t see.  Not because he is such a brain, but because of his investigative street smarts that they don’t have in the Smokies.

Sam’s wit is sometimes over bearing, but enjoyable to the reader. Not so for the other characters he is surrounded with.  To them, he comes across as not being sensitive enough at times.  He feels he is and can’t understand why they don’t get it.

Here’s where the love comes in.  Three women love him: his wife, a reporter, and his police desk sergeant.  They’re all in love with him on different levels.  Fair to say, this presents some uneasiness for Sam, who tries to understand the why.  

Even though he jokes about these subconscious affairs going on, they pop up to the surface.  Sam is oblivious to the underlining affect.  All the three women try to explain with some break through.

The adventures in this light crime chronicle are appealing to the reader who wants to enjoy a read that is not over bearing with a blood and guts story.  Heroes and Lovers is a fun read with some frills attached. 

Buy at amazon:  http://amzn.to/1IuSeYr
  

     

Becoming Mona Lisa

Becoming Mona Lisa

      Written by Cat Holden Robinson

Reviewed by R. Murry

Developing characters is an art and takes time to bring them alive on the written page.  Ms. Robinson was able to bring alive her main protagonist Mona Lisa Siggs from the dead, figuratively speaking.  Mona and her husband Tom for years have drifted apart, loosing whatever connection they had when they courted and wed.

Here is where Holden Robinson begins a story that will have you crying and laughing at the same time.  The Siggs’ battle among themselves to return to the love they once had; they battle with Mother Nature; and they battle an antagonist who is out of his mind with loneliness.

After looking in the mirror, Mona makes a decision to get back her life that has been declining for years.  Living with a husband who she has lost verbal contact with, she probes him into active reaction by getting a makeover.  It works and the characters come out of their cocoons of living daily boring lives.

From here on in, this novel has you hoping for the best for this couple.  As they move into loving reconciliation, their relationship is hit with situations that are comical, heart breaking, life changing, and dramatic in nature.  The twists and turns will keep you reading, wanting to know what else could get in their way from getting back to that loving feeling they yearn for.

This romantic comedy will keep your eyes pegged to the page; and you may reminisce into how your relationship developed and flourished.   Ms. Robinson wrote a creditable story that one would believe that it really happened to the Siggs’ family.  Or, did this happen to you?

I know you romantics will love this read, as I did.  Publisher Black Rose Writing found another fine writer, as they did with me.  LOL!  Have a good read! 

Cat's fans can reach me through my website at http://www.holdenrobinsonproductions.com/,