Category Archives: Book Reviews

The Tudor Brandons by Sarah-Beth Watkins

Title – The Tudor Brandons
Author – Sarah-Beth Watkins
Genre – Historical Non-fiction
Length – 208 Pages
Publication – June 2016
My Rating – 4/5 Stars

Synopsis

This fascinating book studies the life and times of Mary Tudor and Charles Brandon, Henry VIII’s dearest sister and his closest companion. Charles rose from being Henry’s childhood friend to becoming the Duke of Suffolk; a consummate courtier and diplomat. Mary was always royalty. At first married to the King of France, Mary quickly wed Charles after Louis XII’s death in 1515, against her brother’s wishes. Their actions could have been construed as treason yet Henry chose to spare their lives. They returned to court and despite their ongoing disagreements throughout the years, especially over the king’s marriage to Anne Boleyn, the Tudor Brandons remained Henry’s most loyal subjects and perhaps more importantly, his beloved family.

Review

Besides the reading I did in school and university this is the first real non-fiction book I’ve set myself down to read. It not that I don’t like non-fiction but I love the possibilities with fiction… I needn’t have worried though.

This book is crammed full of detail but told in such a way that it felt like a story playing out rather than just fact and fact.

We’ve all heard of Henry VIII I would hope but this is my first encounter Charles Brandon a very close friend of the King and I it enlightening to learn more about this period than was covered while I studied it at school many years ago.

Although Charles was not the nicest to woman I felt he must have been a very powerful and likeable man as he managed time and time again to keep on the good side of a king we all very much know wasn’t afraid to get rid of anyone in his way. We see Charles rise up through the ranks which seems to have caused quite a stir at the time, especially when he marries the King’s sister.

I’m not going to lie.. I’m not an English expert so I did find it hard to follow some of the text written in Older English but it didn’t take anything away from the tale.. it left me curious if anything so had me looking up little things here and there.

The only thing I would have liked elaborated on a bit further was the value of money at the time. We are told how much certain people were paid but since I’ve no knowledge of the currency system back then I’ve no idea the significance if any… that was the only note I scribbled down while reading.

If I had to pick a word to best describe this book it would have to be fascinating.. There’s so much history out there that isn’t taught at school.. you need to go out and look for it.. and when you do you find there’s some really interesting characters out there.

Anyone with an interest in the Tudors will enjoy this book and I’d highly recommend anyone like myself who has stuck to fiction to give this a go. It really was and enjoyable and engrossing read.

This is a family saga, love and death. It’s something you can really get your teeth into if you enjoy your history

Well worth reading

My thanks go to Chronos Books for the chance to read/review the work! Fascinating!

To find out more head to Goodreads, Amazon.co.uk or Amazon.com

The Opening Bell by J. B. Garner – Review

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Title – The Opening Bell
Author – J. B. Garner
Genre – Sport Fiction
Length – 168 Pages
My Rating – 4/5 Stars

Synopsis

Leilana Ito knew her family had a long history in the wrestling world, but she never knew how much had been kept secret from her. When Leilana wanted to follow in the family footsteps, she was shocked when her father adamantly refused to let her proceed with no reason why. Leilana couldn’t deny the fighting spirit in her heart.

Refusing his prohibition, she had no idea what terrible events her defiance would set into motion! Now a rookie wrestler in the heart of Oklahoma, Leilana faces ring rivalries, impossible odds, corporate machinations, and threats she could never imagine as she struggles to prove herself. As the truth behind her family’s history becomes clear, the stakes continue to rise.

Will Leilana rise to the challenge and win it all or face a final, crushing defeat?

The Opening Bell is the first of three books in Three Seconds to Legend.

Review

The Opening Bell is book 1 in a wrestling fiction trilogy…what if I don’t like wrestling I hear you say… Well first off let me be honest with you. I’m not a fan of wrestling but I loved this book.

J B. Garner has a talent for making a story interesting for the reader. This is the second book of his I’ve read and I see the same fast, easy flowing reading that I expected and loved

There’s more going on in the book than just a simple tale of wrestling. Wrestling is just the theme.. the story is family feuds and the past coming back to haunt the ones you love

For me there was a perfect mix of action in this book, in and out of the ring. This was the key reason I enjoyed the book so much. Garner has managed to write a book around wrestling in such a way that even someone like me who’s not into the sport can still enjoy his work.

J B. Garner has a talent for the short story with fewer than 200 pages. For anyone who doesn’t fancy picking up a 400 page + book in highly recommend his work. The subject matters he covers are a breath of fresh air for me and covered in such a way that the tales are easy and enjoyable to read

The plot of this story focuses around Leilana who is trying to make her way in the wrestling world with a deep family history that doesn’t become clear until the end of the book. Along the way she makes friends and also some enemies.. rivalries become clear and a path is left nicely for the series to continue.

As I’ve said.. I’m not a fan of wrestling but this story is deeper than that, I’ll definitely be interested in reading the rest of the series

If you’re a fan of the genre you’ll no doubt enjoy this.. I also think anyone who likes a short story or anyone looking outside of their general comfort zone will enjoy this

To find out more head to Goodreads, Amazon.co.uk or Amazon.com

Agent of Equilibrium by N. J. Mercer – Review

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Title – Agent of Equilibrium
Author – N. J. Mercer
Genre – Fantasy
Length – 462 Pages
My Rating – 5/5 Stars

Synopsis

The gift had always been with him. But only now was he beginning to understand it. Sent by his mysterious benefactors to investigate a series of powerful psychic disruptions, Johnny crosses paths with the deadly Disciples of Disorder and suddenly more than just his life is at stake. It’s the very nature of Earth. Travelling north and confronting beings whose existence he couldn’t even have imagined, he discovers the Equilibrium that preserves all life in its current state, and learns of the terrifying forces that seek to overturn it. This journey will expose Johnny and his loyal companions to the fantastic, the sublime and the depraved. It will ultimately reveal to him the hidden conflict that defines reality itself. AGENT OF EQUILIBRIUM is a work of epic urban fantasy, combining elements of science fiction, horror and the occult. It will take you on a white knuckle ride through darkness and hope. It might even alter your perception of the world you think you know.

Review

I’m a big fan of fantasy I must admit, so this book appealed to me straight away.

Personally I thought the plot of this story was just brilliant. I really enjoyed the idea that there are multiple forces in existence, Order, Disorder and those who wish to maintain the balance, the Equilibrium, add to this a healthy dose of guns and psychic abilities with a great plot and you’ve got a winner for me. I particularly liked the idea this power struggle goes on right underneath the noses of normal humans.

One of the other major things I enjoyed about this book was the characters themselves. As the story flows you learn more and more about them (some not so much.. but I do like a mysterious character or two).

It was a brilliant mix of characters too..We start off with Johnny but as the story progresses he is joined by others which bring their own individual talent to the group, for me this meant each character got a good amount page time.

Mr Kreb for me stood out as one of the main bad guys, silent but deadly. I would love to have got to know more about him and the world for which he came from

The story flowed really well; it built up nicely to the last couple of explosive chapters which left me in no doubt just how good the story is. At over 400 pages I thought it might take me a while to read but I was so engrossed that time went out the window..the sheer enjoyment I had from reading the story kept me reading into the early hours

I couldn’t imagine how the book was going to end until it did and i can’t wait to read more.. I hope the author has plans to revisit this world.. it would be such a shame if they didn’t.

One advantage I find from reading books on my kindle app is it helps me highlight things that stick out to me, things that don’t make sense to me etc. The only note I made was that I’d love to know more about the worlds of Disorder.. I was just enjoying the story so much I never needed to make any other notes

For me this was a fresh, interesting story that totally gripped my imagination and the author has left a great chance to expand on this tale which I sincerely hope they do.

Awesome, 5*

My thanks go to Kate Appleton @ Authoright for the chance to read and review the book

To find out more head to Goodreads, Amazon.co.uk or Amazon.com

They Mostly Come Out At Night by Benedict Patrick – Review

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Title – They Mostly Come Out At Night
Author – Benedict Patrick
Genre – Dark Fantasy
Length – 219 Pages
My Rating – 5/5 Stars

Synopsis

He locked himself away from the dark, but in the Magpie King’s forest nowhere is safe…

Lonan is an outcast, accused of letting the monsters that stalk the night into the homes of his fellow villagers. Now, he will not rest until he wins back the heart of his childhood love and reclaims the life that was stolen from him. However, locked safely in his cellar at night, in his dreams Lonan finds himself looking through the eyes of a young prince…

Adahy has a destiny, and it terrifies him. How can he hope to live up to the legend of the Magpie King, to become the supernatural protector of the forest and defender of his people? But when the forest is invaded by an inhuman force, Adahy must rise to this challenge or let the Wolves destroy his people.

Watching these events unfold in his sleep, Lonan must do what he can to protect his village from this new threat. He is the only person who can keep his loved ones from being stolen away after dark, and to do so he will have to earn back their trust or watch the monsters kill everyone that he holds dear.

They Mostly Come Out At Night is a Dark Fantasy novel from Benedict Patrick’s Yarnsworld series. If you like Neil Gaiman and Patrick Rothfuss then you will love this captivating, dangerous world in which ordinary people struggle to find their place in a land ruled by stories.

Start reading today to discover this epic tale of dreams, fables and monsters!

Review

This book was a real surprise for me. I’ve never read anything quite like it.

The main thing I enjoyed about this book was the format, it switches between different viewpoints to keep you interested and inbetween you get little folk tales which fitted perfectly with the story but also broke up the reading making it flow and easy to digest. The way the book was paced was honestly the reason I read it so quickly and enjoyed it so thoroughly

Adahy has to be my favourite character, and the tale that unfolds towards the end surprised me. I knew something was coming but didn’t quite get it before the author gave you the twist in the tale.

I love fantasy and this is no exception, it dark, fast paced, creepy and wild

Another thing that really made it interesting for me was the “knack” the villagers possessed, each individual gaining their own skill to benefit their village. This really came in useful for the story when learning about Lonan and his story.. Although it’s fantasy I felt it was real, you really felt for him

The ending did not disappoint one bit, it gave me just what I was hoping for.. When I put the book down the only thing I could think to say was “Wow”

For me this book ticked everything and the way it was written made it fresh and easy to read. Usually when i read at night I might only read a couple chapters before I get too tired but with this I was so drawn in.. it flowed so well that I just kept going

I won’t spoil the plot for you but this story weaves two people’s lives into one with a very surprising and interesting twist.

Anyone who likes dark fantasy will enjoy this no doubt, any lover of fantasy in general also.. come to think of it anyone who just enjoys a dark tale, like the Brothers Grimm, not every story has a happy ending.

Love it!

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

The book is out tomorrow at 99p! but only until the 22^nd when it will go up in price so I’d grab a copy now if I was you.

To find out more head to Goodreads, Amazon.co.uk or Amazon.com

The Jumbee’s Daughter by Jonathan M. Ross – Review

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Title – The Jumbee’s Daughter
Author – Jonathan M. Ross
Genre – Military Fiction
Length – 186 Pages
My Rating – 3/5 Stars

Synopsis

Enter a boiling cauldron of danger, adventure, romance, and a touch of island magic:

– Ex-Army Ranger Mike Stiles, haunted by the loss of a comrade in combat, can’t settle into civilian life. When his best friend asks for help to break up a drug-smuggling ring on St. Thomas, Mike rushes to his aid. Mike figures the danger will do him some good.

– Anika Hegner, of Danish heritage, has Jumbee blood in her veins, straight from the Dark Continent. Since childhood, she has delighted in shape shifting to a black cat and scaring the unwary. Now, as she struggles to reconcile her dual heritage, she discovers the added distraction of a taciturn veteran who insists on camping on her family’s abandoned estate.

– Ambitious, young drug lord Santiago Morales is expanding the family business from Puerto Rico to backwater St. Thomas. Smuggling, fast cars, and beautiful women are his passions. To celebrate his arrival on the island, he plans to romance a certain local girl and kill a nosy ex-soldier.

Review

This book follows Mike, who has been asked by his friend to help with an investigation into drug smuggling. They have a background of working together in the Army so you can understand why he would call on him for assistance.

The plot of pretty interesting, good guy arrives, bad guy arrives, it’s cat and mouse.. neither knowing if the other knows they are there. Everything builds up to an explosive ending.

The things I enjoyed about this book had to be the military background; it gave some depth to Mike. Add to this the magic within the story and it made a very intriguing book, the idea Anika can shapeshift was great.

What didn’t work for me were the relationships within the book. Mike tries time and time again to explain to his friend he believes he knows where the drug smugglers are landing but even with their army background together he’s just ignored..

For me the relationship between Anika and Mike that develops just doesn’t work.. it happened way too fast

The main bad guy in this story is Santiago Morales, even though I enjoyed his character he just annoyed me. He kept calling Mike the police agent even when he didn’t know that’s what he was.. Mike was hired outside of the police due to a mole.. for all Morales knew he could have just been camping out.

All in all I enjoyed the plot, it’s a slow burner but enjoyable if you don’t mind characters falling head over heels for each other quickly.

The writing itself was very good and easy to follow; I think I’d quite enjoy another book from this author if it has a little less romance.

It’s a quick read too so if you like romance mixed with a bit of action and suspense you’ll enjoy this

My thanks go to the author for the chance to read/review his work.

The Jumbee’s Daughter is out today! To find out more head to Goodreads, Amazon.co.uk or Amazon.com

Daddy Dearest by Paul Southern – Review

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Title – Daddy Dearest
Author – Paul Southern
Genre – Thriller/Suspense
Length – 245 Pages
My Rating – 4/5 Stars

Synopsis

An estranged father’s weekend with his beloved five-year-old daughter turns into a nightmare when she gets into the lift of a city centre tower block and goes down without him. She vanishes without a trace. It sets off a race against time, and a nationwide manhunt, to find her. As the police investigation closes in, suspicion falls on those closest to her – with devastating consequences. Daddy Dearest is a terrifying story of love, obsession and psychological meltdown.

‘My daughter has always had a thing about lifts. There’s something about the thrill of pressing a button and seeing the lift doors close which excites her imagination. It terrifies me. Every time she walks in, I imagine it’s the last time I’ll see her. What if she hits the button before I get there? What if the lift doors close and I can’t get her out? It drives me nuts. There are eight floors in the Sears building, nine if you count the basement, and the lift is fast: more like a fairground ride, really. It does top to bottom in twelve seconds. I’ve timed it. Taking the stairs, I’ve done it in forty-two. That leaves a gap of thirty seconds. You’d be surprised what can happen in that time. I was.’

Review

This is a very psychological tale told from the viewpoint of the dad when his daughter goes missing after getting in a lift

I never give away spoilers but I can say for certain this is has a very clever plotline with some very interesting developments that happen throughout the course of the book

There is a underlying tone of love to the tale and I think the author did a great job in making the reader understand the motives behind certain actions.

Emotion played a big part in the tale and the emotion made the tale real for me

For me the best thing about the book had to be the storyline itself. After reading one chapter Paul Southern hooked me in enough that I had to keep reading to see how the story would finish

Overall I felt this was a very well planned and written, raw and real. The storyline is so smart I could easily envisage this one being made into a TV programme.

I very much enjoyed the book and I’ll be looking out for the author’s next release

I really do wish I could give you more to go on but if I say anything else it would give the whole plot away.

My advice is that if you enjoy psychological thrillers or mysteries then you’ll enjoy this one

My thanks go to the author for the chance to read/review his work

To find out more head to Goodreads, Amazon.co.uk or Amazon.com

Returning Eden by Maria Mellins – Review

Games People Play by Owen Mullen – Review

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Title – Games People Play (Charlie Cameron #1)
Author – Owen Mullen
Genre – Crime Fiction/Mystery
Length – 405 Pages
My Rating – 5/5 Stars

Synopsis

On a warm summer’s evening thirteen month old Lily Hamilton is abducted from Ayr beach in Scotland, taken while her parents are yards away. Three days later, the distraught father turns up at Glasgow PI Charlie Cameron’s office and begs him to help. Mark Hamilton believes he knows who has stolen his daughter. And why.
Against his better judgement Charlie gets involved in a case he would be better off without. But when a child’s body is discovered on Fenwick Moor, then another in St Andrews, the awful truth dawns: there is a serial killer out there whose work has gone undetected for decades. Baby Lily may be the latest victim of a madman.
For Charlie it’s too late, he can’t let go. His demons won’t let him.

The stunning first novel featuring Glasgow PI Charlie Cameron. Games People Play will have the reader guessing to the very last page.

Review

This book starts with a bang.. I literally felt compelled to keep reading just so I could find out the truth about what happened.

Charlie is a PI who’s tasked to find a missing person, he knows he should take this case since it’s too close to an ongoing police investigation but he just can’t help himself.

Along the way we find out more about the PI’s own past and his motivations which gave him some depth and made him likable, he’s flawed but you want things to go his way.

The book has two stories playing side by side, one being the investigation and the other Charlies own complicated life. This brought a freshness to the story.. with each turn of the page the story would shift focus seamlessly kept me engaged and interested in what was happening

The story was well written and planed out. I must admit I did not see the ending coming until the author put all the pieces together.. it really had a wow finish for me..the hand over mouth moment when you finally see what Charlie has figured out.

Suspense is the word that best describes this book.. it’s all about the build-up and Owen Mullen did this really well. Some books just make the suspense plane boring but not this book!

The characters were great and I really loved the development throughout of the main character Charlie as you slowly learn more about him

For me this definitely is one of the best Crime Fiction novels I’ve read, not only does it have the investigation side you’d expect but with the underlying story behind Charlie I couldn’t help but be hooked in.

I can’t wait to read the next book in the series

My thanks go to the author for the opportunity to read/review their work

To find out more head to Goodreads, Amazon.co.uk or Amazon.com

Darkness Descends by Peter Arvo & Lauren Arvo – Review

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Title – Darkness Descends (Elemental Kingdoms #1)
Author – Peter Arvo, Lauren Arvo
Genre – Fantasy/Young Adult
Length – 317 Pages
My Rating – 3/5 Stars

Synopsis

Once there were many kingdoms of myth and legend, but six stood apart from the rest. They may have lost their origins, but they still possessed their elemental abilities of creation as well as destruction. Their rule was about to be threatened by an unseen group, who have waited patiently to make their move.

A group of powerful royal blooded teenagers are about to experience the time of their lives, but also have their lives turned upside-down. They will have to go beyond what they thought possible, stretching their skills, friendship, courage, love, and powers to the breaking point.

Review

I’m going to level with you, I requested to review this book for a couple reason. Firstly I liked the cover and the plot behind the book, who doesn’t love a bit of fantasy where people have powers. The second reason and also the main reason behind me wanting to review the book is I loved the story behind it.. I loved the fact Lauren came up with the idea and with the help of her father Peter has helped it come to fruition. I always love to see parents support their children.

I loved the story, the idea those with royal blood have elemental powers was a nice idea. I particularly liked the idea each kingdom had their own powers and these powers can be used in different ways or even combined.

The plot itself is pretty straight forward, Hawten sets out on his mission to get help for his kingdom and in the process is meets the teenage members of other royal households who join him. It was a fun read, although something like this wouldn’t happen in real life I did think the authors managed to get the rebellious and adventurous sides of teenagers across nicely.

I have to admit my favourite character was Ahmu and I loved he had his own section at the end of the tale where his journal entries were listed

The story is a coming of age tale based on fantasy, these young boys and girls are out to find themselves and learn about their powers as well as help Hawten.

My overall impression of the book is that it is well planned out and very interesting to read, the only two things that could be improved for me were the chapter length and the amount of detail thrown in the story.

Some of the chapters were around 50 – 60 minutes in length and I just felt this was a little too long for a YA book.

The flow of the story was good but at times you had a lot of information thrown at you to describe a place or a person. The information was great at helping you visualise but at the same time it did slow the flow of the story and I think the story would have worked just as well with a little info left out

All in all I really enjoyed the book it was fun to read with lots of potential. I’m very much interested in reading the second book to see how the story progresses

If you’re a fan of YA novels then add this to your TBR pile, I have a good feeling this series will only improve as it goes forward

To find out more head to Goodreads, Amazon.co.uk or Amazon.com

The Flood by Steven Scaffardi – Review

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Title – The Flood
Author – Steven Scaffardi
Genre – Lad Lit/Humour
Length – 359 Pages
My Rating – 5/5 Stars

Synopsis

One bet, four girls, eight weeks, multiple dates. What could possibly go wrong?

Following his traumatic eight month dry spell, Dan Hilles is back in the driving seat and ready to put his dating disasters behind him.

But if only it were that simple.

After a drunken afternoon in the pub, fuelled by the confidence of alcohol, Dan makes a bet with his three best pals that will complicate his love-life more than ever when he brazenly declares that he could juggle multiple women all at the same time.

With just eight weeks to prove his point, Dan is about to find out how hard it is to date a flood of women without them all finding out about each other, especially when they come in the shape of an ex-girlfriend, a stalker, the office ice queen and the one that got away.

The Flood is the hilarious follow-up to The Drought by lad lit author Steven Scaffardi, chronicling the adventures of unlucky-in-love Dan Hilles. Available at Amazon and all good book retailers from March 2016.

Review

The Flood is the second novel in the Sex, Love & Dating Disasters series. If you haven’t already read my review of The Drought, check it out here.

We are back with Dan Hilles and his very unfortunate love life..If you haven’t read the first book don’t worry, the author weaves such a good story they work well as standalone tales.

If possible this book was even better than the first, for me it had more cringy moments where I found myself laughing on public transport.. at one point I even let out a little snort..not my finest moment I’ll admit.

The guys in the story are a very likeable bunch. I think the author really does give a true male perspective. Yes we can be tits sometimes but for the most part we mean no harm.. we just don’t use our brain as much as we should… and we can end up in some awkward situations just like Dan.

From the opening chapters and synopsis I thought I had a good idea what the direction the story would go in but with all the twists and turns the author throws in I literally had no idea what would happen next.. the only thing I knew for certain is that I had to keep reading.

One of the things I liked most in this book is we are introduced to some very weird and fun new characters… some were so unpredictable you just had to keep reading to see what they got up to next

If you read my reviews you’ll know I’m not one for spoilers.. but the ending blow me away.. didn’t see it coming a mile off and I’m eagerly looking forward to more from the author.

I definitely feel the characters have grown a little since the first book, although not very much ha ha they’re still the fun bunch of lads that had me laughing in The Drought.

Overall I felt this was a honest, funny and clever tale that pretty much anyone will enjoy.. how can you not 🙂

If you’re looking for a nice fun read then this is the series for you. It keeps you hooked and leaves you wanting more..

My thanks go to the author for the chance to read/review his work..it was my absolute pleasure

To find out more head to Goodreads, Amazon.co.uk or Amazon.com

David's Book Blurg

Book reviews from a guy up north (UK)

Category Archives: Book Reviews

The Tudor Brandons by Sarah-Beth Watkins

The Opening Bell by J. B. Garner – Review

Agent of Equilibrium by N. J. Mercer – Review

They Mostly Come Out At Night by Benedict Patrick – Review

The Jumbee’s Daughter by Jonathan M. Ross – Review

Daddy Dearest by Paul Southern – Review

Returning Eden by Maria Mellins – Review

Games People Play by Owen Mullen – Review

Darkness Descends by Peter Arvo & Lauren Arvo – Review

The Flood by Steven Scaffardi – Review