Monthly Archives: January 2017

The Stoner Stories – Volume 1 by Frank Westworth -Review

Title – The Stoner Stories: The Stoner Stories 1-5
Author – Frank Westworth
Genre – Thriller
Length – 196 Pages
Publication – Nov 2016
My Rating – 5/5 Stars

Synopsis

An action-packed anthology featuring covert operative JJ Stoner, who uses sharp blades, blunt instruments and his innate persuasiveness to discreetly resolve tricky situations for the British government

This collection contains the first five JJ Stoner short stories plus an all-new, previously unpublished stand-alone quick thriller and other bonus material

Please note that the JJ Stoner stories are intended for an adult audience and contain explicit scenes of a sexual and/or violent nature

FIRST CONTRACT: JJ Stoner was a soldier who killed people for a living and made no bones about it. On a scorching day in the Iraqi desert, when British blood stained the sand, he over-stepped the mark. Faced with a dishonourable discharge and accusations of murder, Stoner accepted an offer from a stranger who represented an intelligence agency, and found himself about to execute his first private contract…

TWO WRONGS starts with great sex and ends in sudden death. US Navy SEAL Stretch McCann believes he’s met the girl of his dreams. Trouble is, she’s married to someone else; another military man not inclined to suffer rivals lightly. Enter JJ Stoner, who offers Stretch an opportunity for action…

THIRD PERSON: A target is being stalked through rain-soaked city streets. Someone seeks JJ Stoner, covert investigator and occasional contract killer. Caution is advised: with Stoner you often get more than you bargain for and this is Ireland, not so very long after the Good Friday agreement. Someone plans to put a cat among the peace process pigeons…

FOUR CORNERED: Stoner needs to prove to his boss that he’s more than a one-trick pony whose only skill is delivering an abrupt ending. But when a static stake-out abruptly escalates into live fire, JJ is distracted by two killer women. What should have been a ‘routine conversation’ with a disenchanted weapons inspector veers into violence with fatal consequences…

FIFTH COLUMNIST: A bent copper is compromising national security and needs to be rapidly neutralised, but none of the evidence will stand up in court. That’s exactly why men like Stoner operate in the shadows, ready to terminate the target once an identity is confirmed…

SPECIAL RELATIONSHIP: When Stoner returns to the USA he’s treading on sensitive territory. No Englishman is exactly welcome in Louisiana so soon after the international oil rig disaster. Stoner claims he’s visiting New Orleans for the annual jazzfest, but the agents sent to intercept him have a hard time believing this…

This anthology introduces the central characters from the JJ Stoner / Killing Sisters series in six complete, stand-alone stories. You don’t need to read the longer novels first: you can start right here if you like

Review

Last year I read the first 5 shorts in the Stoner series by Frank Westworth. I was very kindly gifted the first book but I happily purchased the rest in the series I enjoyed the first that much. I was lucky enough to be offered the chance of a copy of the anthology containing the shorts I’d already reviewed but with the added advantage of an extra tale for me to enjoy!

If you’d like to see what I thought of the original 5 shorts click the images below to open up the reviews I’ve previosuly posted.

Looking at the Stoner Stories collection as a whole.. what does it offer you over the purchasing the single stories?? Well to be quite honest the anthology offers value for money. It’s currently £1.99 on kindle which is a steal.

As I also mentioned you get an extra story in this anthology too, SPECIAL RELATIONSHIP. This short builds nicely on the series as Stoner becomes more established and it was a treat to see Stretch in this one as he’s one of my favourites in the series.

I’m not going to spoil the tales for you. What I will tell you is Frank likes to keep you guessing right until the end..you really don’t know where the tale will take you or what will happen to Stoner next.

I enjoyed reading all the stories individually last year but the collection is so much stronger together. Short tales for me are easy to forget sometimes..not that they don’t stick with you but you’ve got to work hard in 50 pages to hook a reader in..this collection perfectly keeps you hooked as you can go from one story to the next and really helps me as a reader enjoy the characters.

The Stoner Collection is full of twists with intriguing characters. Frank Westworth leaves you wanting more and with a short tale that’s never a bad thing in my book..you want to feel like you get value for money (which you certainly do) but you want to know there’s more to come and that the author is hooking you in for future tales.

This collection is highly recommend for anyone who likes shorts like myself, like a bit of a thriller but don’t want the word count or if you just want to try something new.

Great book for a bargain price! Check it out.

My thanks go to the author and also Rowena at Murder Mayhem for the chance to read/review the collection.

To find out more head to Amazon or Goodreads.

Aurelia by Alison Morton – Review

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Title – Aurelia (Roma Nova #4)
Author – Alison Morton
Genre – Fiction, Crime, Thriller
Length – 270 Pages
Publication – May 2015
My Rating – 5/5 Stars

Synopsis

Late 1960s Roma Nova, the last Roman colony that has survived into the 20th century Aurelia Mitela is alone – her partner gone, her child sickly and her mother dead – and forced to give up her beloved career as a Praetorian officer. But her country needs her unique skills. Somebody is smuggling silver – Roma Nova’s lifeblood – on an industrial scale. Sent to Berlin to investigate, she encounters the mysterious and attractive Miklós who knows too much and Caius Tellus, a Roma Novan she has despised and feared since childhood. Barely escaping a trap set by a gang boss intent on terminating her, she discovers that her old enemy is at the heart of all her troubles and pursues him back home to Roma Nova…

Review

Aurelia is book 4 in the Roma Nova series by Alison Morton. The good thing is if like me you’ve come to this series late you don’t need to have read the first 3 books to enjoy this one as the book is a prequel.

I loved the pace of this book, it’s so fast paced and easy flowing that you can’t help but sucked in.

The character Aurelia was well-developed. She has a military background and is very motivated and driven by her need to show just how much a woman can do without the need of a man. She’s strong and while a lot of people respect a woman in a powerful position some still believe a woman beneath them..and she’s loves to wind these people up..some hold grudges.

When we first meet Aurelia we learn of her military background but after some family misfortune she must leave the profession behind..family come first.

She’s soon recruited to be a spy of sorts, with her background and position in power she’s the perfect agent.

Silver is being smuggled and Aurelia soon stumbles upon the person responsible.. but she’s can’t prove it yet.

What happens after that is that we are treated to some very interesting twists. We have great characters such as a potential love interest who helps Aurelia..but he’s got his own secrets. There’s the jealous suitor who Aurelia despises and the biggest treat for me was the military contacts she makes throughout the book in her previous military role and her new role. Each very clearly defined, straight-laced but each intriguing in their own right.

As I’ve said the book is fast paced but the plot was great, I didn’t think anything was missing and it worked well. I particularly liked the historical edge to the tale, bringing the idea of Praetorian’s and such to a modern-day tale, It really gave it the unique feel.

I’m certainly going to pick up the previous 3 books and the series and look forward to more from the author. Her writing style is energetic and purposeful, the characters are always on the move and I loved how things played out.

This is a mystery with a historical edge, twists come out of nowhere.

I really fell for Aurelia..she has so much to deal with but she’s strong, she will persevere.

Most of all I loved how the author managed to make this mystery fun and serious at the same time, at times it’s light hearted at others very poignant. Loved it.

My thanks go to the author for the chance to read and review their work in exchange for an honest review.

To find out more head to Amazon or Goodreads.

Guest post – Lake of Sins character hierarchy – L. S. O’Dea

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The 3rd book in the Lake of Sins series, Hangman’s Army by L. S. O’Dea has just been released and I can’t wait to read my copy. Look out for a review in February!

If you havent already you can see my reviews for the previous titles in the series here :-

Book 1 – Escape

Book 2 – Secrets In Blood

It’s fantasy..dark and gruesome secrets will be revealed!

To get your free copy for the first two books in the series click the image below!

Another bonus is that the author has kindly agreed to a guest post to give some background to the hierarchy within the series. Enjoy!

David was kind enough to ask me to write a guest blog on the hierarchy of the world of the Lake of Sins.

Book one in the series (Lake Of Sins: Escape) is told from the point of view (POV) of two Producers. This is probably not the best way to start the series since Producers are the lowest of the classes and have a very limited view of the world as a whole. Originally, the first two books were combined, so you did get a broader world view due to parts of the story being told through the POV of Almightys and a Guard.

However, the book was too long for traditional publication and I was told by an agent to either delete about 100,000 words or break it into two books. I reworked the original to create two books and here we are. For some, the hierarchy of the world of the Lake of Sins is confusing, until they read book two.

This should help readers who haven’t read book two.

Think of Producers as field slaves who are kept uneducated and isolated. Field slaves unlike house-slaves (or in this world House Servants) do not know the structure of the society as a whole. They only know their world. They understand that there are different levels of “masters” but they have no idea about the government and even the workings of a small town. They know their village and farming and that’s it.

Now, Trinity, the main character (MC) is a little different because her father, who is a House Servant, taught her to read. She knows a little about his life with Almightys and has a slightly broader world view but not much (although she understands a lot more by the end of book one).

So, let me present to you the Hierarchy of the Lake of Sins!

I really hope this post gives you some interesting background to the social structure. It’s very easy to follow during the books but for me this is a unique series and I wanted you to know more about the world L. S. O’Dea has created . Here’s some useful links :-

Authors Facebook:

https://www.facebook.com/lsodea

Authors Twitter

https://twitter.com/lsodea

Authors website

http://www.lsodea.com

Links to Amazon to purchase

http://myBook.to/LOS_Escape

http://myBook.to/LOS_Secrets

http://myBook.to/LOS_HangmansArmy

Other places to buy! –

Escape = https://books2read.com/u/4Xgn21

Secrets in Blood = https://books2read.com/u/bo6Dn9

Hangman’s Army = https://www.books2read.com/u/bzpA5Z

Remember to get the first two books in the series for free click the image below!

The Madam by Jamie Raven – Review

Code Breaker by A.J. Trevors – Review

Fifth Columnist by Frank Westworth – Review

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Title – Fifth Columnist: A JJ Stoner short story (The Stoner Series Book 5)
Author – Frank Westworth
Genre – Thriller
Publication – Sept 2016
Pages – 50 Pages
My Rating – 4/5 Stars

Synopsis

An action-packed quick thriller featuring covert operative JJ Stoner, who uses sharp blades and blunt instruments to discreetly solve problems for the UK government. In Fifth Columnist, a bent copper is compromising national security but none of the evidence will stand up in court. That’s exactly why men like Stoner operate in the shadows, ready to terminate the target once an identity is confirmed…

Fifth Columnist is a quick thriller, an hour’s intrigue and entertainment. It features characters from the JJ Stoner / Killing Sisters series. You don’t need to have read any of the other stories in the series: you can start right here if you like.

As well as a complete, stand-alone short story, Fifth Columnist includes an excerpt from The Redemption Of Charm (to be published in March 2017).
Please note that FIFITH COLUMNIST is intended for an adult audience and contains explicit scenes of a sexual and/or violent nature.

Review

I actually read Fifth Columnist last year not long after it was released but I’ve been waiting to review it until I had the time to read it again as part of The Stoner Stories collection. Look out for that review soon :).

Fifth columnist is the fifth tale in the JJ Stoner short stories. The author has also wrote two full length novels that feature some of the characters but I’ve not had a chance to read them yet and can confirm it didn’t affect how much I enjoyed or understood these short stories.

Once again Frank Westworth has given us a super short, informative and intriguing tale.

What Frank does well for me is that he gives you just enough information to follow the action but not enough so to give you the full picture. For me this works perfectly. As someone who is yet to read the full length novels it hooks me in.. makes me want to know more about the characters. I can quite imagine also that if I had read the longer novels then these shorts would build nicely onto the series.

Focusing on Fifth columnist itself I have to say I enjoyed it..there’s quite a build up with this one then BANG.. twist..and I was left rereading the page so I could fully take in what had just happened..It was the wow moment I was looking for at just the right time.

I enjoy short stories like this, it’s a great way to see how an author writes before committing to larger works.

Overall this is another great short from Frank which builds nicely onto the foundations set in the previous shorts. I highly recommend you read the shorts as a collection as I feel you get more from it that way. I’ll certainly be making time to fit more of Frank’s work into my reading schedule this year.

To find out more head to Goodreads or Amazon.
If you want to know more about The Stoner Stories collection my review will be posted next week but in the meantime you can find out more on Goodreads or Amazon.

The Reborn King (The Dragon’s Blade #1) by Michael R. Miller – Review

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Title – The Reborn King (The Dragon’s Blade #1)
Author – Michael R. Miller
Genre – Fantasy
Length – 408 Pages
Publication – Nov 2015
My Rating – 5/5 Stars

Synopsis

Dragons once soared in the skies, but that was before the Transformation, before they took human form. Now, demonic forces stand to obliterate them. When left mortally wounded, Darnuir, the Prince of Dragons, can only be saved through a dangerous rebirthing spell. He is left as a babe in human hands.

Twenty years later, Darnuir is of age to wield the Dragon’s Blade. As the last member of his bloodline, he is the only one who can. He is plunged into a role he is not prepared for, to lead a people he does not know. Shadowy demons ravage his new home and the alliance between humans, dragons and fairies has fractured.

Time is short, for new threats and deadlier enemies are emerging…

Review

Now this was a fantasy tale i could really get to grips with. We have everything I love in a fantasy book, Wizards, Trolls, Dragons, Fairies, Demons and a battle of good versus evil.

The story starts well and we are thrust into a war between demons and the rest of humanity. During this battle Prince Darnuir is hurt but saved by the wizard Brackendon. He uses a dangerous spell which turns him back to a baby.

Cosmo is a wonderful character, a hunter who is entrusted with baby Darnuir. He raises him without the knowledge of his former self. This means when the demons return that Darnuir has to grow up fast and unite everyone to fight. But the demons have been quiet for 20 years.. why did it all stop any whya re tye now suddenly back??

Now I can’t spoil the plot but there’s a good reason why.. things are hinted at throughout the book.. little bits shared here and there that add up to give you a fuller picture but still leaves you desperate for more when the end comes.

As Darnuir grows Brackendon has his own battle to fight. I loved in this book that magic is poison.. If not properly controlled it will break you and the rebirthing spell is just too much for Brackendon to take.

For 20 years Darnuirs past life has been kept secret and he must face an internal battle with himself to become the leader everyone needs.

The main issue he has is trust, none of the races really trust each other..too much bad blood.

Along the way he is aided by not only Brackendon and Cosmo but the mysterious Guardian Blaine. He’s been away for many years…why?? I liked Blaine. He’s certainly got the best interests of his people at heart but how far will he go to save his own race? only time will tell. Dragon’s have a rather high opinion of themeselves so will Blaine be able to follow Darnuir’s wishes to unite the races to fight the demons as one?

There’s battles, death and so many twists to enjoy in this one and one of the best things had to be the unpredictability of it..I was hooked, even though I had some ideas I really didn’t know where the story was going to go and what would happen next.

Now, let’s talk about the demons and their master Rectar. I loved the setup and their internal struggles. As a reader you are still left in the dark a bit as to Rectar’s motivations but his plan is clear and towards the end of the tale his past starts to become clearer. There’s so much unanswered at this stage but I felt the author gave you just the right amount of information to hook you so you’ll come back to read the next book.

The word I used most often with this book was “Damn”. Mainly –

Damn why didn’t I see that coming, Damn that’s a nice idea! or Damn they killed….(obviously not going to drop names 🙂 )

Overall this is a brilliant story, easy to read, fun, exciting and engrosing. There’s twists & treachery around every corner… what more could you want? Early on I felt a lot of questions were unanswered which meant I stopped reading to think these questions through..answers do come but later in the book. My only advice is don’t over think things..all will be explained in due course and what an imagination this author has…Damn it’s good!

The author has me excited to see how this one plays out. Bring on book 2 due out in February.
To find out more head to Amazon or Goodreads.

My thanks go to the author for the chance to read/revew their work

David’s Book Blurg is 2 years old!

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Well this has come around fast hasn’t it… 2 years! where has the time gone.

First off i just have to say a quick thank you to those who have supported my blog. In what seems like a tight community bloggers I feel I’ve been made very welcome.

I’m very very proud of the growth in these two years. Compared to year 1 i had an extra 5000+ views. I’m no expert..I’m just reading books for the love of it, so to find so many of you interested so amazing to me.

So what have i learned for last year. Well first off..If you’re thinking of becoming a blogger…Do it! I’ve never felt better. Go back a few years and all I would do is sit and watch TV all day.. no more!

My biggest tip would just be honest..Don’t read books that don’t interest you as you’ll just not enjoy it and I’ve seen too many bloggers stop over that past year as they just seemed to lose the passion for it.

The next thing I’ve learnt the hard way is to not over extend.. I’ve committed myself to too many books during 2016 so this year I’m limiting how many I say yes to. I feel bad but i can only read so much and requests are about double my reading rate.

I have to admit though my love for books grows everyday at the moment, the covers, the plots, the characters, the authors.. there’s so much to explore and I’m looking forward to more.

My main focus for this year is to tidy up my filing system and to prepare and schedule reviews when possible. Sometimes I need to put the books down and do some admin ha ha.

Thanks again for following my blog, it’s very much appreciated!

As Wings Unfurl by Arthur M. Doweyko – Review

Inkitt Android App Launched

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First of all I’d like to welcome you all to my first post in 2017!

During 2016 David’s Book Blurg has went from strength to strength with the thanks to my readers, fellow bloggers and some very supportive authors not to mention those who deal with book promaotions. I really do thank you all for making reviewing such a pleasure and I look forward to connecting more with you throughout the year.

Ok, so for my first post this year it’s not a review..it’s an info post to draw your attention to something I like that hopefully you will aswell.

I’m always looking for otherways to read. Don’t get me wrong, I love Amazon but I like the idea the authors can take control and can share work in different ways to reach a wider audience in whatever way they like.

I found out about Inkitt when I was asked to review some work posted and I loved the idea.

About Inkitt

On the surface, Inkitt (www.inkitt.com) is a platform where aspiring writers can share their novels and inquisitive readers can unearth fresh content. But under the hood, we are democratizing publishing: The Inkitt algorithm analyzes reading behavior to predict future bestsellers. In other words: if readers love it, Inkitt publishes it.

Essentially it’s another way for authors to share their work but what I felt it lacked when I first viewed it was an android app since I don’t read much using my laptop. The iOS app has been available for a little while but I’m an android man..I’ll never leave Samsung.

Thankfully the developers noticed this to and the app is now available for free to download. The below images show what the app looks like on a tablet.

Today I basically want to ask you a few things. Have you heard of Inkitt before? Have you used their website? Will you download the app? If you do download it please let me know what you think.

The app was only released yesterday so its early days but first impressions are good. It easy to use and works well on my tablet so I think I’ll be using this a bit throughout 2017. The offline library is perfect for me since I read on the bus which very rarely has WiFi.

Will it replace my normal means of reading? No… this is an addition, a different way to read books and so far I can see it fitting in nicely. I’m looking forward to seeing what authors I stumble upon.

You can check the app out on the Google play store here – Play Store

Here’s the blurb from Inkitt for the release if you’d like to know more. Let me know what you make of it.

David 🙂

THE INKITT APP BRINGS THOUSANDS OF NOVELS BY INDIE AUTHORS TO ANDROID

Inkitt empowers readers and publishers to discover world’s next best sellers

BERLIN, JANUARY 7, 2017: Inkitt, the world’s first readers and data-driven book publishing house is introducing an Android app for phones and tablets, globally available from today.

Inkitt’s iOS app became available back in November and was well received by users: The app was not only featured on the US App Store but also on numerous other App Stores around the world, as well as on the front page of Product Hunt, ranking in the top 10 in Tech.

Inkitt for iOS featured as a top Books app in the US App Store

Following the warm welcome by the iOS community, and in order to meet the demand of their own fast growing user base, Inkitt is now bringing their digital library with thousands of novels by emerging authors to Android devices.

“It was a great reward to see Inkitt featured as a top app in numerous App Stores around the world and receive such great feedback from users” says Inkitt’s Founder and CEO, Ali Albazaz. “Readers were really excited about the iOS app but kept asking when we’re launching on Android too. We heard them, worked really hard and today we’re bringing Inkitt to Android devices. All readers will now be able to discover tomorrow’s bestsellers on the go and read great novels by upcoming authors wherever they are.”

Inkitt for Android – 4 key features:

Access to thousands of novels from all fiction genres: fantasy, sci-fi, mystery, thriller, horror, romance, drama, action, adventure, YA and more
Personalized reading suggestions: hand-picked novels based on a reader’s favorite fiction genres
Customizable look to match user preferences (e.g. font size, color combinations)
Online/Offline: readers can save novels to their offline library to access them anytime

Beyond being a platform connecting aspiring authors with book lovers, Inkitt’s mission is to become the world’s fairest publishing house: Its in-house developed algorithm analyzes reading behavior to determine the potential of a novel to become the next bestseller. Using this unique data-driven approach, Inkitt wants to ensure that great works by new and talented writers never again stay in the dark.

Since July, Inkitt has published 7 novels: Catalyst Moon: Incursion by Lauren L. Garcia (Fantasy), Just Juliet by Charlotte Reagan (YA Romance), I Was A Bitch by Emily Ruben (YA Romance Mystery), Esper Files by Egan Brass (SciFi) and Caged by Onaiza Khan (Psychological Thriller), King’s Lament by Lilia Blanc (Fantasy Romance) and Three Fat Singletons by J.M. Bartholomew (Humor Romance), six of which became bestsellers on Amazon.

David's Book Blurg

Book reviews from a guy up north (UK)

Monthly Archives: January 2017

The Stoner Stories – Volume 1 by Frank Westworth -Review

Aurelia by Alison Morton – Review

Guest post – Lake of Sins character hierarchy – L. S. O’Dea

To get your free copy for the first two books in the series click the image below!

Remember to get the first two books in the series for free click the image below!

The Madam by Jamie Raven – Review

Code Breaker by A.J. Trevors – Review

Fifth Columnist by Frank Westworth – Review

The Reborn King (The Dragon’s Blade #1) by Michael R. Miller – Review

David’s Book Blurg is 2 years old!

As Wings Unfurl by Arthur M. Doweyko – Review

Inkitt Android App Launched