Tag: Chanticleer Reviews

  • LEGACY of LIES by Janet K. Shawgo – Suspense Action, Mystery Action, Action Thriller

    LEGACY of LIES by Janet K. Shawgo – Suspense Action, Mystery Action, Action Thriller

    The question is not if history will catch up with you but instead, when will it attack with a vengeance. Characters with a Legacy of Lies discover they can run, but they can’t hide from past actions. When Caren Johnson sees her family and life literally explode in flames, her uncertain future falls into the hands of a mysterious Irishman. His name is Declan Malone, and he claims he’s been sent by her brother to save her from assassins determined to kill her too. How can that be when her brother’s death was reported ten years ago? Declan’s reasons for a hasty departure from Ireland appear suspect and put a target on his back too.

    A sequel to Archidamus, the intrigue thickens. Aaron Caydon made many enemies in his life, and some are highly motivated for revenge. Declan claims he’s hired to go to Boston, Massachusetts, and save Aaron’s sister and her suburban family. When he arrives, things go terribly wrong, with tragic and deadly results. The plan to make it to the protection of Aaron Caydon blows up right before Declan’s eyes. Now Caren joins him in a race to somehow find this ghost man, her brother, and hope for safety. Declan and Caren are on the run from unknown and hidden enemies. It’s a fast-paced pursuit from Maine to mysterious cemeteries in New Orleans, and on to the lone state of Texas, with imminent danger lurking around every plot twist and turn.

    Declan is happy to find that Caren has many useful skills of her own, including fighting strengths and an eidetic memory. As they battle forward together, they realize one person who might be the missing link to Caren’s brother. Bevan Benjamin was the last man they know of to have seen Aaron. It’s a long shot and a long journey to reach Bevan. If they can get to him alive, will he even believe their story or agree to put himself and his own family in danger to help them? As Declan and Caren run toward this destination, they find a growing attraction between them, igniting a new threat. Can they trust each other completely?

    This tightly paced thriller is full of mystery and fueled by very worthy opponents who match wits ruthlessly against skilled protagonists. It’s a chess game played on steroids that stretches across the cities and countryside of small towns across the USA. The vivid settings provide unique and haunting clues to the intrigue that the reader discovers in the characters. Surprises and setbacks encountered by both the protagonists and their enemies bring out the best skills and cunning in each. It’s fascinating to read the motivations that bring together people to fight for a cause, both for good and for diabolical. “The mistakes men make in their younger lives tend to return at some point and demand retribution.”

    No wonder author Janet K. Shawgo’s settings are so skillfully described and play such an integral role in this well-developed and intricate plot. As a travel nurse, she’s worked extensively across the United States for twenty-three years. She shares a great imagination in her books that plots a spellbinding story, with characters who show great heart and courage.

    Legacy of Lies won First in Category in the CIBA 2019 Clue Awards for Thrillers and Suspense novels.

  • GRACE in the WINGS by Kari Bovée – 20th Century Historical Romance, Historical Thriller, Hard-boiled Mystery

    GRACE in the WINGS by Kari Bovée – 20th Century Historical Romance, Historical Thriller, Hard-boiled Mystery

    Grace Michelle never asked for stardom or fame. Content to sew costumes with her mentor Lucile, Lady Duff Gordon, Grace doesn’t need adoration from anyone. Still, when her sister Sophia, a rising starlet in the Ziegfeld Follies, begins a rapid downhill spiral and then ends up dead, Grace is thrust into the spotlight by Florenz Ziegfeld Jr.

    Florenz, or Flo, was her savior, rescuing Grace and Sophia from a life on the streets when they were mere children. He enrolled the girls in dance, voice, and acting lessons, too. Now, Grace feels obligated to take up the reins and save his floundering Follies. Grace knows her sister’s death was no accident and definitely not the suicide those around her believe. However, the only place to find the truth is California, where her sister was last seen alive with her new husband, Jack Pickford, brother to the famous actress Mary Pickford.

    When Flo sends Grace to Hollywood on a promotional tour, Grace reluctantly agrees, even though it means traveling with Chet Riker, a private investigator indebted to mobster and Flo’s financier, Joe Marciano.  Haunted by Sophia’s death and overwhelmed by the pressure to bring Flo success, Grace doesn’t need to fall for the handsome stranger, but neither can deny the longing they feel. As Grace gets closer to the truth, she realizes everyone is keeping secrets, even Chet, and the only person she can rely on is herself. But will she be enough?

    A significant issue raised within the novel is that of female independence. At twenty years old, Grace is just beginning to understand who she is and what she wants from life. Having moved from seamstress to junior designer, she is finally on the path she most desires, one spent in the shadows of the stage, not in the gleaming gel lights her sister so loved.

    As Grace finds her voice literally and figuratively, she knows she cannot follow in her sister’s footsteps, neither on stage nor in life. As she investigates Sophia’s death, she becomes emboldened and more sure of herself. Grace learns to challenge those in power, people who would have terrified her before. The more strength she finds, the more righteous anger develops. Though she will fulfill her obligatory role in Flo’s latest scheme, Grace vows to fight for freedom once the promotion trip is over and to never again allow a man to take care of her but to put her own feet on the ground when and where she chooses.

    Chet Riker is more than just a pretty face. Tall, dark, and handsome, he fits the image of most romance heroes; however, Chet’s story adds another layer to this period thriller. Chet is haunted by his memories of World War I, a man with a complicated past, but not in the expected “brooding hunk” way. Chet was given up by his mother when he was a boy. Old enough to remember her, Chet spent his life wanting to find her again someday, but when he does, he discovers she is dying and in need of an expensive operation. Money is needed, and that need leads him indebted to a vicious mobster. That debt takes him to Flo, who then attempts to use him in an illegal scheme and eventually sets him up as an unwitting conspirator in his machinations to use Grace. He knows he must pay off his debts or risk his PI career–and possibly his life. Torn between his anger at being used by these two men and his newfound love of Grace Michelle, Chet will have to decide between honor and honesty or ruthlessness and reputation. His story, much like Grace’s, will force him to fight for independence or to remain a captured pawn in a game of titans.

    Set against the glamorous stage of the Roaring Twenties, this star-studded whodunnit will not disappoint fans of mystery and history. Grace in the Wings won First in Category in the CIBA 2019 Chatelaine Awards for Romantic Mysteries.

  • The VALLEY of DEATH, Arken Freeth & the Neanderthals, Book Five by Alex Paul – Children’s Fantasy & Magic Adventure, Children’s Action & Adventure, Children’s Sword & Sorcery Fantasy Books

    The VALLEY of DEATH, Arken Freeth & the Neanderthals, Book Five by Alex Paul – Children’s Fantasy & Magic Adventure, Children’s Action & Adventure, Children’s Sword & Sorcery Fantasy Books

    The Valley of Death, Book Five in the Arken Freeth Middle-Grade series, continues the story of a heroic young man in a land before time.

    The book is the latest chapter in the swashbuckling saga of Arken Freeth, a hero who will eventually become the central figure of his era, 11,000 years before the Roman era, as powerful and wise as Alexander the Great would be to his time. The many readers of the award-winning series know his adventures as a teenager in the land of the Neanderthals, or Nanders as they are called, along with his royal friend Asher, heir to the throne of Tolaria, and the young woman Talya. They know his Nander blood brother Ord, the evil pirate Yolanta, king of the Tookans, and the vile Gart whose life he saves despite their difficulties.

    These familiar figures return in the latest thrilling installment. A war between the leading factions of the time, the Amarrats, the Lanthians, and the Tolarians is on the brink. The central prize that all desire: ownership of the necklace of Tol, which possesses enormous powers such as foretelling the future to those who own it. The quest to own the necklace is such that war is being threatened by the Amarrats against the Lanthians in order to possess it. Arken, who placed the necklace in the hands of the Nanders, is now the one person who can successfully stop the bloodshed by retrieving the necklace.

    The dramatic story of freeing Ord, who has been captured and enslaved by Gart’s family, backed by the King of Tolaria, becomes one of Arken’s biggest challenges. He who owns Ord will enable the recovery of the necklace and all of its powers since Ord is related to the Nander family who now possess the necklace. Those who would free Ord, the families, and their extended families, face death for their treasonous actions. It takes all of Arken’s cunning and leadership to forge a plan allowing he and his family, facing death, to free Ord and escape with him, return him back to his people, repossess the necklace and place it in safe hands away from those who would abuse its powers.

    We get to know the families of Arken, Asher, and Talya as they explore their individual futures as well as their intertwined fates. A soothsayer tells of Arken’s fate as the savior of their world, even though he is only 14 at the time of this volume. Arken plans to marry Talya when they turn 16, a relationship that began in a previous volume in the series. Asher, a prince, is destined to become a ruler in his world. His sister, Sharmayne, is set to marry another prince to cement their family’s alliance with the power structure but is resisting with all her might.

    The discovery by Arken, Asher, and Talya of the major invasion secretly planned by the Amarrats to conquer Lanth is is a huge new development. Can Arken and his friends, fleeing the wrath of the king of Tolaria, warn the people of his country about the attack, plan a sneak attack that will thwart the massive Amarrat forces, and arm friendly Nanders with weapons in order to fight the Amarrat forces? Stay tuned.

    The continuing story of Arken and his friends, details that make this book a delight for fans of the series, almost like participating in a members-only club. Hopefully, the colorful exploits of these daunting youthful heroes portrayed in The Valley of Death might just encourage readers experiencing the world of Arken Freeth for the first time to go back and read the whole series.

    Alex Paul’s Valley of Death won the Grand Prize in the CIBA 2019 Gertrude Warner Awards for Middle-grade fiction.

     

     

     

     

     

  • ORPHAN DREAMER: Little Peach Lies, She Laughs Last, and The Missing Arrowhead (Books 1, 3, 9) by J Nell Brown – Black & African American Sci-fi, Black & African American 90-minute Sci-fi & Fantasy Short Reads, Teen & Young Adult Time Travel

    ORPHAN DREAMER: Little Peach Lies, She Laughs Last, and The Missing Arrowhead (Books 1, 3, 9) by J Nell Brown – Black & African American Sci-fi, Black & African American 90-minute Sci-fi & Fantasy Short Reads, Teen & Young Adult Time Travel

    The Missing Arrowhead

    Daniela Rose Cavanaugh is the Orphan Dreamer, destined to travel time and space and to protect the world from a demon who’s already set his sights on her. But as a young black girl in the American south, all she wants is a friend who understands her well enough to be called a kindred spirit. J. Nell Brown paints a vivid picture of Daniela’s alienation from her peers; her thoughts are clear as she questions God’s choice of her as the Orphan Dreamer, as Daniela’s depression, guilt, and sense of inferiority clash with her divine mission. Daniela desires to be “normal” and love herself with the help of a friend she hasn’t met yet. Her strong character voice carries the story forward, under the crushing weight of the world and the fate of her best friend on her shoulders. When she loses an arrowhead on a journey to the past, Daniela faces disbelief from those around her. What if others label her as ill and lock her away? Orphan Dreamer and the Missing Arrowhead is an impeccably paced story, full of the complex thoughts of a girl who yearns for connection.

     

    She Laughs Last

    Gertrude Smith rides a Greyhound bus to meet her soon-to-be-born granddaughter. She reads about the science of dimensions and muses on the destiny waiting for her granddaughter, Daniela Rose Cavanaugh. The past haunts her ride, as she remembers the murder of her son at the hands of a racist mob in a Greyhound station years ago; grief, love, and fear for her family mingle while she wears a false smile, hiding the turmoil inside her from the other passengers. She Laughs Last explores how false happiness can eat at someone and how much the social obligation to appear good-natured is worth. Can truth and trust be buried by lies and doubt? But surrounded by people—one of whom is the fancy scientist who wrote her book on dimensions—the isolation of being judged presses on Gertrude, adding only more reason to wear a mask. The scenes of Gertrude riding the bus are intimate and filled with emotion, dwelling on her thoughts and memories. Elsewhere, in the cosmos, the demon Nomad plots against the world and the Orphan Dreamer, planning to drown Daniela in depression. Gertrude speaks to her granddaughter, as the story’s themes of truth and faith come together in her words.

    Little Peach Lies

    Charlotte Cairstine McDonald’s research intrudes on her dreams. She sees the ghostly story of Mary, Queen of Scots, and feels a strange connection between herself and the long-dead monarch. In her waking life, Charlotte is embroiled in her own royal drama. She intends to marry Charles Darbyshire, grand-nephew of Queen Elizabeth, but the secret of her pregnancy threatens to throw both of them into a devastating scandal. Charlotte rides the highs and lows of joy and fear at the prospect of her new family, while the phantom visions of Mary grow darker. Charlotte is a lively protagonist whose chemistry with the other characters—particularly Charles—makes Little Peach Lies a delight to read. The descriptions are flavorful and quickly set each scene, giving space for the story to explore the pull between freedom and obligation, independence, and family legacy. The past repeats itself, as secrecy leads to danger.

     

    All three stories, connected over space and time, are powerful portraits of three women trying to move into new stages of life—whether that be grandmother, mother, or hero. The past follows them; fear and guilt are clear to see in their internal monologues and hampers their connection to the people around them at every step.

    Nell Brown illustrates the divide between how the world sees her protagonists and how they want to be seen. The descriptions show what these characters love about the world, what makes them happy and interests them, while complex emotions swirl in their heads. Orphan Dreamer and the Missing Arrowhead, She Laughs Last, and Little Peach Lies are all united by the central theme of family, trying to connect with and do right by the people one loves, the need to have faith in one’s self before that faith can genuinely extend to others. These characters’ unbearable yearning to find someone who understands them, truth and all, will resonate with all readers. Highly recommended.

     

               

               

  • FIRE TRUCKS, GARTER BELTS, and MY PERFECT EX (Edie’s Automotive Guide, Book 2) by Heather Novak – Romance, Romantic Comedy, Contemporary Romance

    FIRE TRUCKS, GARTER BELTS, and MY PERFECT EX (Edie’s Automotive Guide, Book 2) by Heather Novak – Romance, Romantic Comedy, Contemporary Romance

    The old adage “You can’t go home again” is often very real, but for Vera Eastman, it is a massive understatement. Vera left home eleven years ago after losing her mother to breast cancer, changed her name, and began a very successful career as a porn star. Her seven-figure salary and multimillion-dollar, female-owned porn business might be acceptable in SoCal, but in her hometown of Grenadine, Michigan, she is a pariah. After a breast cancer scare, Vera goes back home to fulfill her mother’s bucket list. With an estranged father, a grandmother she believes is dead, and a sexy ex-boyfriend who haunts her dreams, Vera wants to get in, keep a low profile, and run back to her best friends and fellow porn stars, Jasmine and Payton. But when she discovers her grandmother is still alive and her ex is now an even sexier fireman, Vera knows leaving may be easier said than done.

    When Vera wrecks her exotic sports car, she has the perfect excuse to stick around awhile despite the stares and hateful whispering that surround her everywhere she goes in town. But the longer she lingers, the more demons there are to confront – and more questions arise within her whether her financial success is genuinely the kind of success she really wants.

    Family isn’t just those connected by blood. Sometimes, the strongest familial bonds are those people create by choice. When Vera left home, she met the women who would become her lifesavers, Jasmine and Payton. These women are beyond important to Vera. They gave her a family when her own had deserted her and forced her away. Without Payton, Vera would never have gotten clean and turned her life around. Though many would argue becoming a porn star isn’t exactly a significant life change, that change, partially facilitated by Payton, created the career for which Vera feels very accomplished. Throughout the novel, the text messages between these three women add more than just humor. It’s that “girl-bond,” with which many women identify. They are her rocks, giving her advice and acceptance.

    Another important theme of the novel is a lesson Vera learns throughout her journey through her mother’s bucket list. Home isn’t really a place. It is a feeling. From the moment she sees Jack Reeves, her childhood sweetheart and one true love, memories flood her heart and leave her stunned in their ferocity. The familiarity gives Vera a feeling of true peace, a comfort she hasn’t had since her father told her to go and never come back. Though she had been in relationships since she left Grenadine at eighteen-year-old, she had never really connected with anyone. Jack, as it turns out, feels the exact same way. The two have more than history; they have love, undeniable and complete. She comes to see that he is home, more than any location can ever be, and he accepts her with open arms, just like a home should, and not even a successful career can take the place of that feeling.

    Prejudice is another significant part of the novel. Grenadine is a small town with all the drama contained therein. Everyone knows everyone, and news travels faster than social media. Vera immediately feels that prejudice, getting kicked out of her B&B before she even unpacks her suitcase despite her pleas to allow her to stay since that is one item on her mother’s list. Though Vera feels no shame in her porn-star status, she can’t help but be affected by some of the townspeople’s disdain. When she rear-ends the most prominent, loudest busybody in town, her hopes of getting out unscathed in this emotional battleground are shattered.

    Despite her kindness and philanthropy, many refuse to see her as more than trash, especially her own father. Without Jack, her feisty Grandma Bea, and her lifelong friend Franky, she would have run away and never looked back–again! But Vera isn’t the only character who daily runs the gauntlet. Franky experiences his own brand of prejudice as a trans man, and Grandma Bea, the owner of an adult novelty store known as Happy Endings, isn’t exempt either. However, Grenadine isn’t a typical small town, and somehow, Vera, Bea, and Franky all find a place in this anomalous cast of characters that will keep the reader smiling.

    Fire Trucks, Garter Belts, and My Perfect Ex by Heather Novak won First in Category in the CIBA 2019 Chatelaine Awards for Romance books.

     

  • BLOSSOM — The Wild Ambassador of Tewksbury (Audiobook Review) by Anna Carner – Animal Rights, Friendship, Environmental & Naturalist Biographies

    BLOSSOM — The Wild Ambassador of Tewksbury (Audiobook Review) by Anna Carner – Animal Rights, Friendship, Environmental & Naturalist Biographies

    One woman’s encounter with a rescued deer turns into an unanticipated life-changing experience in Blossom — The Wild Ambassador of Tewksbury, the audiobook.

    Author Anna Carner lived in a horse-friendly farming area of New Jersey in 1999, when she encountered a newborn fawn, barely breathing, near her home. The animal seemed to be communicating its need to her, and, with some experience of animal and human care, Carner set out to revive the fawn. She took the baby deer into her house and nursed her back to health. When she and her husband, Pino, saw the fawn curled up asleep with the family dog, the couple knew they had a new pet. Her name, Blossom, seemed suited to her sweetness and soft, gentle beauty.

    Caring for animals was not uncommon nor unfamiliar to Anna, who, with her husband Pino, housed horses and raised alpacas on their property. But bringing in a fawn was different because some community members considered deer a nuisance and hunting a sport to be enjoyed. As Blossom grew, she would venture farther away from home for more extended periods. Anna and Pino circulated “please, don’t shoot Blossom” posters to bring awareness and compassion for not just the friendly deer but for all deer. While many championed Blossom’s safety, others did not.

    Narrator Petrea Burchard breathes life into the audio adaptation of Anna Carner’s captivating and moving memoir. Setting the tone from the get-go, Burchard’s soft, silken voice immediately draws readers in as she deftly prepares the groundwork of bucolic Tewksbury scenes that are mere façades to the danger lurking in its midst. Carner’s memoir functions more like a mystery thriller; its well-balanced mix between the first-person narrative and engaging dialogue and emotional roller-coaster scenes provides Burchard plenty of room to use the full range of her vocal skills.

    Carner’s encounter with Blossom pushes her to recall childhood memories she’d rather leave behind. She can’t since the parallels of victim and rescuer between her present and past are too powerful to dismiss. While much of the story centers on the present, Carner appropriately shifts to disturbing but at the same time thought-provoking moments from her dysfunctional youth. The alterations may not be unusual from a reader standpoint but challenging for a narrator since Carner’s memoir includes a full cast of mostly secondary characters—neighbors, hunters, veterinarians, supporters—many of whom play critical roles in the direction of the story.

    However, from a listener standpoint, three characters besides Anna take the front-and-center stage to shape the narrative. When Burchard morphs into Caruso, the Carner’s opera-loving and chattering parrot, her comical voice provides a definite mood change that lightens the story’s continual underlying tension focused on Anna’s incessant worry that a hunter will take Blossom down. The story’s tenor shifts again with the introduction of children’s voices, particularly Viola, one of the young burn-unit patients whom Anna befriends while in the hospital. Burchard’s attention to narrative details enhances the innocence and compassion as the girls converse with one another, discussing life issues. Lastly, another voice change, when Anna receives phone calls from a creepy stalker. Burchard’s gravelly tone against the terror in Anna’s voice could easily make one think the story was a Stephen King novel; it’s that spine-chilling.

    Audience listening level: Light profanity and sexual references (mainly dealing with animals) make this perfect for middle-graders on up.

    Riveting from beginning to end, Blossom—The Wild Ambassador of Tewksbury audiobook is a powerful story of love, determination, and hope for the betterment of wildlife conservation that won First in Category in the CIBA 2019 Journey Awards for Memoirs and Biographies.  A highly recommended listen!

  • EXECUTE ORDER by Jett Ward  – Political Thriller/Suspense, Military Thrillers, Action/Adventure

    EXECUTE ORDER by Jett Ward – Political Thriller/Suspense, Military Thrillers, Action/Adventure

    On a military base outside Las Vegas, Lieutenant Brent Parker sits in a bunker in a darkened room looking to an outsider to be playing a sophisticated aerial combat video game. But this is no game. People live and die with Parker in control of a lethal drone nicknamed the Reaper flying over forbidden Syrian air space in 2011, striking American enemies on the ground with killer missiles from several miles in the air.

    Enemies are one issue, but collateral damage—men, women, children, whole families who die in a missile attack as a side effect of bringing down a terrorist—weighs heavily on Parker’s conscience. It doesn’t help when his ultra-sensitive cameras see the face of a woman who his missile will obliterate as a side effect of bringing down a military-mandated target, a face that haunts him as he leaves the bunker for the clean, and safe, American desert air of Nevada.

    Early on, we find out that Parker isn’t as safe as he thinks he is. Forces across the globe are watching as his drone wipes out an apartment building in the Middle East where a renowned Iranian bomb maker is holed up. When a missile controlled by Parker takes out the bomber and decimates the site, an incident widely reported by the international press, sophisticated military men in the enemy camp want the head of the man who murdered their prized weapons maker. They dispatch an assassin to infiltrate the U.S., track down and kill the killer of their esteemed techno genius.

    That’s only half of Parker’s problems.

    The other concerns another mission where Parker’s eye in the sky over Libya spots the transfer of some suspicious crates looted from a former Libyan dictator Gadaffi stronghold that turns out to be surface-to-air missiles that could wind up in the hands of ISIS. A U.S. crew is parachuted into Libya to stop the hand-off, but the mission becomes complicated when they are detected and are outnumbered by a superior number of ISIS soldiers. To complicate matters, a helicopter used to support the U.S. soldiers is shot down, and the soldiers’ orders are to kill the pilot to avoid him falling into enemy hands. Parker makes a decision to help the trapped soldiers, using a method frowned on by his superiors and puts him in danger of being court-martialed by his own command structure.

    This tense action novel gives the readers a close-up, first-person knowledgeable view of the massive, sophisticated technology with which war and the collateral spying that goes with it. It feels hands-on real, both in the descriptions of the various weaponry and the way it is used. Someone lived this life, which makes it all the more readable. It also delivers a satisfying portrayal of the international forces focusing on controversies that Parker kicks up in the performance of his job as the pilot of a remote killer aircraft, and the actions he takes that have international repercussions.

    There is more back story including a relationship that Parker develops with a well-paid Las Vegas escort and various battles with bad guys from both America and the Middle East. Some are bloody detailed hand-to-hand struggles, others are vicious mind games played by both sides.

    Parker himself is portrayed in terms that would fit well in a graphics novel or a Jason Statham movie. Some of the dialog between him and other characters is less than stellar. But this isn’t a novel you read for Eudora Welty-level characterizations. You read Execute Order for the rush of an action novel with complex plots, a knowledgeable narrative, and a surprising, satisfying conclusion. On that front, Execute Order delivers the goods, and then some.

    Execute Order won First Place in the CIBA 2019 Global Thrillers for Military Thrillers.

  • PINTO! Based Upon the True Story of the Longest Horseback Ride in History by M.J. Evans – Horse Showing and Training, Equestrian Sports, Middle-Grade Equestrian Fiction

    PINTO! Based Upon the True Story of the Longest Horseback Ride in History by M.J. Evans – Horse Showing and Training, Equestrian Sports, Middle-Grade Equestrian Fiction

    In the charming and heartfelt Pinto! Based Upon the True Story of the Longest Horseback Ride in History, M.J. Evans brings to life a forgotten piece of American history. Here from a unique perspective, Evans recaptures the legendary journey of the Overland Westerners, a group of four men on horseback who rode over 20,000 miles across the US, over 3 years. Their goal was to visit each of the 48 state capitols, be photographed with the governor, and ultimately reach California for the triumph of the 1915 World’s Fair Panama-Pacific Expo. Of the seventeen horses who joined the trip, whether traded, sold, or lost along the route, only one heroic equine made it the entire way.

    Pinto was that beautiful, 6-year-old black & white Morab, i.e., half Morgan/half Arabian horse. Only 15 hands high but sturdy and well-proportioned, he had always dreamed of accomplishing something great. The opportunity comes about when George Beck chooses Pinto to join his ambitious cross-country trek. Clearly, the two develop a special bond rooted in heart and determination.

    In a story that blends history, travelogue detail, equine knowledge, and adventure, this book is so special because the narrative is told from Pinto’s point of view. Whether struggling with variations of the terrain, observing human frailties – consider in the aftermath of a stolen saddle, Pinto opines, “I don’t like the evil side of men.”; performing as a show horse, or posing for photo ops; the arduous adventure keeps us invested.

    Humor and pathos play hand in hand throughout the chapters. Whether revealed in the act of a pile of manure deposited in response to a dishonest rancher’s nefarious business tactics or the harrowing lesson of a near-drowning due to improperly secured horse packs, this well-crafted storyline moves steadily forward. Throughout their odyssey, the riders sold postcards and calendars to help fund their endeavor, though often they found it difficult to pay bills or feed themselves. While hard times often had them relying on others’ generosity, pep talks and song helped buoy their spirits, and the well-being of the horses was always a priority.

    As an avid horsewoman, Evans weaves relative informative tidbits throughout this work. These range from artful descriptions of horses forming small familial bands rather than joining herds, dealing with colic’s precarious nature, and understanding the consequences of a horse’s improperly fitted tack or harness.

    Evans retrieved much of her research from the Overland Westerners’ diaries, journals, and photographic materials, housed in the Oklahoma City National Cowboy Museum, as well as historical museums in Washington State. Much of the dialogue is based on the actual writings. Choice conversations and actions serve to showcase individual personalities and the emotional sentiments of trek participants, through the likes of facing belly-high snows on a precarious trail; appreciating the comic relief and antics of a companion dog, Nip; or witnessing the rough and declining character of some who overindulge in alcohol. While certain details were created from Evans’ own imagination, such embellishments heighten the excitement and enhance the drama.

    In a nod to the classic Black Beauty story, one of her childhood favorites, Evans felt it necessary for Pinto to tell this tale. Though targeted for a middle-grade audience, history buffs and horse lovers of all ages will enjoy this rare account. The glowing result is informative, entertaining, engaging historical fiction that creatively explores a monumental horseback ride, now destined to be remembered.

    Pinto! won the CIBA 2019 First in Category Gertrude Warner Awards for Middle-Grade Fiction.

     

     

  • MARTHA by Maggie St. Claire – Small Town Crimes, Contemporary Social Issues, Literary

    MARTHA by Maggie St. Claire – Small Town Crimes, Contemporary Social Issues, Literary

    In the unique and compelling voice of an aging woman teetering on the edge of financial ruin, Maggie St. Claire’s debut novel, Martha, takes the reader from affluent residential areas of Los Angeles to its urban streets of despair, shadowing a 71-year-old, retired bank teller as she comes to grips with the challenges and adversities that threaten her existence.

    This is the story of Martha Moore, many years divorced, estranged from her only child, and living a lie, as she enters her golden years. The most important things in her life, outside her pride in her desirable Hancock Park bungalow, are her book club friends. She attends their meetings dressed in her finest, projecting what she hopes is the image of a well-educated, well-to-do, Los Angeles dowager. The three wealthy women who comprise the remainder of the group are her best, perhaps only friends, and sometimes that’s a stretch.

    In reality, anxiety and fear permeate her psyche as Martha struggles with uncertainty, failing health, food insecurity, and dwindling finances. Impoverished and alone, she is learning to live by her wits, filching food from many sources and raising money in unorthodox ways.

    Martha’s handbag is filled with things from the kitchen that will never be missed when she leaves book club meetings and after times she volunteers at her church—she helps with the food bank and clothing donations, earning stars in her crown. She’s the sweet little old lady schmoozing her way to the buffet at local weddings and/or funerals, or the seasoned businesswoman whose nametag has been misplaced at conventions and rallies—a chameleon in sheep’s clothing, one might say.

    Such events are her food sources. Of course, they don’t pay the overdue bills or the taxes. She worries how long it will be before she loses her home.

    Then, seemingly, the planets align.

    After finding her friend’s large emerald and diamond ring on the bathroom counter at a book club meeting, Martha sticks it in her pocket, intending to return it. Later, at home, she finds it still in her pocket. She had intended to return it—hadn’t she? Conflicted, she vacillates between fears of losing face or being thought of as a thief, and the urge to keep the ring until she can sell it and raise some badly needed cash. When she decides, the die is cast. She’ll sell the ring somewhere in one of the many jewelry venues abounding in the city.

    Because she doesn’t dare, doesn’t know-how, and fears being found out, it was a fruitless decision until an indigent, young woman with her own problems enters Martha’s life. Then, everything changes …

    Throughout the story, the direction of Martha’s life has been dictated by both changing circumstances and the choices they engendered. Ultimately, she must make a choice that will permanently change the rest of her life.

    While the reader may “bump” out of the story by grammatical and formatting errors, they are drawn back in by the author’s complex characters, vivid imagery, and authentic dialogue and setting. In Martha, Maggie St. Claire has deftly chronicled troubling social issues that often go unnoticed in today’s world, within the context of one woman’s life.

    More than just a good read, Martha is a relevant, provocative, and memorable story that lingers long after the book is closed.

     Martha won First in Category in the CIBA 2019 Somerset Awards for Literary fiction.

     

     

  • TO BE ENLIGHTENED by Alan J. Steinberg, MD – Metaphysical Science Fiction, Magic Realism, Metaphysical and Visionary

    TO BE ENLIGHTENED by Alan J. Steinberg, MD – Metaphysical Science Fiction, Magic Realism, Metaphysical and Visionary

    If you have never read a work of philosophical fiction, be prepared—it’s not fluff.

    Dr. Alan J. Steinberg’s latest work in some ways echoes other works with similar themes, e.g., Nietzsche’s Thus Spoke Zarathustra, or Siddhartha by Herman Hesse. But To Be Enlightened provides a distinctive, twenty-first-century take on setting and characters, giving it a uniquely California flavor.

    In a tale of ambivalence and obsession that would captivate a Freudian psychologist, Steinberg uses the main character, Abe Levy, a conflicted philosophy professor at a Southern California college, as a vehicle to recount the philosophical underpinnings of Transcendental Meditation, relating the tenets of Indian Vedic philosophical beliefs to those of Western and Middle Eastern civilizations over the ages.

    Abe’s conflict is both spiritual and mundane, affecting every aspect of his life.

    When he was fifteen, Abe experienced an inexplicable, life-altering event. At that time, two strangers transported him to another plane of existence—heaven, if you will—on another planet. There he lived a joyful, perfect life without the complications of sex, avarice, or any of the seven deadly sins, with a soul mate whom he had known forever. One day, when he was very old, the same two strangers returned him to his previous adolescent existence on earth.

    From that time, Abe’s obsession has been to return.

    Stuck in 21st century California, he is ambivalent toward his wife, Sarah, whose anxiety and panic attacks, along with her healthy libido, both distract from and interfere with the meditations that will transport him back. Abe is happiest when teaching The Insider’s Guide to Our Self, which allows him to escape his worldly concerns and responsibilities and focus on enlightenment. When Sarah masters the technique and joins him in advanced night meditations, Abe is delighted. However, he doesn’t anticipate what comes next.

    A well-crafted book, To Be Enlightened is weighted with philosophical thought from multiple sources, documented with citations and footnotes worthy of a doctoral dissertation. Most of this, presented in classroom scenes, slows the pace—only the repartee between/among the students and professor save it from a complete stall. However, quirky characters and unexpected events, while stretching credulity, keep it alive.

    Worthy of finishing—the reader should be prepared to set aside the time and patience it demands. To Be Enlightened is sure to illuminate the unenlightened readers, expanding their understanding of eastern philosophy and religion.