Review of The Summer Solstice

The Summer Solstice: Enchanted

K.K. Allen

Reviewed by Author Roy Murry

Enchanted is the beginning of a ‘Fantasy world’ series of a young lady who is becoming of age in an unconventional way. She moves in with her estranged grandmother after the death of her mother, who kept her from any engagement with her wealthy and locally popular stepmother.

Katrina, the young lady, has much in common with her grandmother Rose. They were both born on the date of the Summer Solstice, and mysterious abilities, which are now developing in Katrina.

The Solstice is a day of change in Greek Mythology, one of Rose’s questionable linchpins; and is the day that Katrina finds distinct concerning changes in her being. Her mind and body are coming of age, which is not unusual for a sixteen-year-old, but the changes that she is having are not typical of a young woman. They are powerful and consuming.

Ms. Allen’s Young Adult novel grips you and doesn’t let you go. Once you enter the world of The Summer Solstice, your enchanted by its developing fantasy and love story. A story many young adults should follow.

Purchased: http://amzn.to/2a7FrOQ

Review of Lucy Stands on Her Principal

Lucy Stands on Her Principal

The “Lucy” Series, Book One

Bethie Gold

Reviewed by Author Roy Murry

I found this first book in the Lucy series an enjoyable venture into the world of teaching. The detail into how a teacher navigates through the complicated day to day routine of dealing with children and the administration was intensified by a murder.

Lucy walks into the aftermath and gets involved unintentionally. Her demeanor changes from one who is introverted to an outgoing person who takes charge of her life. This conversion comes after her association with a new teacher friend and her changing love life.

The characters are well developed and move the investigation into the murder of one of their wretched cohorts forward. The ebbs and tides of the storyline keep the reader involved to the end of that endeavor.

When the reader reaches the end, he or she will be asking for another Lucy story. I think I’ll put it on my reading list.

Purchase: http://amzn.to/29Eainb

Review of Pursued

PURSUED

Jeff Joseph

Reviewed by Author Roy Murry

Boy meets girl, and the sparks fly. Neither was looking for love, but they found it through an endearing courtship. Romance is in the air.

Kat and Collin’s love affair reach heights that they thought was not possible. They became one in all respects, other than Kat being upfront about her paternal background. Because of his infatuation with Kat, Collin lets it be. It is what it is, as they say in today’s colloquialism.

All this changes when Kat, for Collin’s sake, breaks off the relationship; and she moves to what she considers safety from another person in her life. It is a threat that is looming, because of her parent’s unfortunate history with one unstable man, who is in a killing mood for revenge.

The story brings up many aspects of how we love one another and how we may become overly possessive. Where that line is drawn and when people cross it, is what leads to the conflicts in this adventure that may or may not go on blissfully, because the story doesn’t seem to be over.

That, of course, is up to author Jeff Joseph.  I’ll be watching to see what happens because I enjoyed the characters.

     

Although this is the second book in a novel series and having read book one, A Novel Obsession, in late 2014, PURSUED read like a new adventure to me. In reading it, the connections between the two were interwoven smoothly. Each can be read solely based on its content.

Purchase at: http://amzn.to/29BkyLq

Review of Between the Vines

Between the Vines

     a memoir

E.B. Sullivan

Reviewed by Author Roy Murry

Being a wine drinker, I found the production of it, as a backdrop of a love story fascinating. The planting of embryo vines, taking them to fruition, and then developing a particular type of wine, is a love affair only a few can understand.

Ms. Sullivan’s main character, Lucia, has an Italian immigrant mother and father, whose love is captured in the way they live in producing the fruit of the vine into wine. Lucia tells her story, her memoir, of how their love for her, her brother Marco, and of their devotion in living Between the Vines.

Telling her story, she explains how her parent’s commitment helped develop her character and the decisions she made in route to maturity like the vines that produce on their precious Vino Baci Vineyard. Like the vines’ production, Lucia’s life has difficulties that must be overcome to produce a loving conclusion within her family.

Lucia’s trials and errors in her personal life do co-inside with her new understanding of winemaking. Devoted to the family’s vineyard, she comes close to losing her husband, whose allegiance is to her and to another profession that takes him away from the vineyard on long business trips.

Between the Vines has its highs and lows, but it's even-keeled in the story’s flow. This memoir is a well worth read on many levels, especially if you are a wine drinking romantic like me. 

Purchase at: http://amzn.to/29qMnmM

Review of Percy Crow

Percy Crow

By Danny Kemp

Reviewed by Author Roy Murry

When asked to investigate the who, what, where, and why of Percy Crow’s demise, Lord Harry Paterson, Mr. Kemp’s main character, gets involved knowing that something is rotten in Denmark. In this case, it’s United Kingdom’s high society.

There is enough criminality to go around, internationally and locally. The enormity of Percy Crow’s involvement extends beyond his depravity and that of why he does what he does to pay back the center of his festered anger.

The story has its twists and turns that lead back to people close to Lord Harry, putting him in a position of a somewhat savior in the eyes of an ex-lover. Harry closes the case for all concern and leaves the reader wanting to know what comes next.

Mr. Kemp’s British tongue-in-cheek is understandable for us across the pond and doesn’t interrupt the flow of the storyline. When his writing gets to the point, there is an intriguing explanation of Percy Crow’s, English High Societies’, and Lord Harry’s involvement.

The truth comes alive – government officials can’t be allowed to overstep their power.  In this case, they are stopped by a deranged complicated man – Percy Crow.

I enjoyed the characters, the adventure, and would like to read what Lord Harry will get his head around next.

Purchase: USA http://amzn.to/29iniNV UK http://amzn.to/29bjpad

Selena the Movie

Selena Gomez

Those who know me, know that I am partial to Latin women, having married two ladies from the Dominican Republic. So when I saw the movie Selena with a young Jennifer Lopez, I couldn’t stop watching.

Even though Jennifer was not a singer, her portrayal and that of Rebecca Lee Meza as young Selena seemed very genuine. The glue to the movie was Edward James Olmos as Selena’s father.

Whether you are a lover of Selena’s music or not, you will enjoy this story of a young American Latin singing sensation, whose star is taken away from the world. This movie gives you entertaining moments of the growth in Selena’s short career.

Adored by all, Selena is gone, but her music will live on in the Mexican and North American communities. This movie does her and her family honor.

If you don’t take the time to see and watch Selena the movie, you will be void of knowing the emotional nature of Latin music’s effect on our American culture, which has been part of my life for thirty-eight years. 

I loved it, and I love Latin women.

You’ll cry at then as I have.

Purchase movie: http://amzn.to/28WxcBv

Review Sarah Woods Mysteries

Sarah Woods Mystery Series

Books 1- 2 and

Island of Illusions

Jennifer L. Jennings

Reviewed by Author Roy Murry

I started reading Book 1 & 2 of this series and couldn’t stop. I continued on and read book three - Island of Illusions. Ms. Jennings style is smooth. She effortlessly tells a story of an intriguing mystery.

Her lead character Sarah Woods, a masseuse and housewife, is at a crucial turning point in her life. Then in a flash, she is involved with a murder in book one. From there on, she stumbles into situations that the need her unique intuition.

The individual plots of each book are well constructed leading the reader to an unpredictable end. In each, I was involved to the end, leaving me with the thought – why didn’t I think of that? And, I have read many mysteries.

The main characters are evolving nicely, and I look forward to reading more.

Purchase at:  http://amzn.to/1XPJbYC