Book Review: Chord of Evil by Sarah Rayne

Book Review: Last Hours by Minette Walters

Book Review: Faithless by Graham Austin-King

Book Review: Sleeper's Castle by Barbara Erskine

Book Review & Giveaway: Autumn Moon by Jan DeLima

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Autumn Moon
Celtic Wolves #3
by Jan DeLima
Urban Fantasy/Paranormal Romance
Review Copy from Netgalley as part of blog tour
Publisher: ACE

Blurb:

The heart of a warrior, the soul of a wolf, and the desires of a man…

For centuries, Cormack has lived between worlds—a man trapped in the body of a wolf, shunned by humans and shifters alike. Only one person has ever welcomed his company: Elen, a kindred outcast who is feared by others of her ancient Celtic race for her strange healing abilities.

Cormack has always valued Elen’s kindness and understanding, but after a desperate act of friendship causes Elen to free him from his curse, he realizes he wants more. He wants all of her—completely and forever.Except before Cormack can win Elen’s heart, Pendaran, the evil leader of the Guardians, captures her, determined to manipulate her incredible power to aid him in his twisted war against the shapeshifting tribes.

Now Cormack must use all of his skills as a warrior and a wolf to save the woman he loves—before Pendaran’s vile schemes destroy them all…

Review 5 Stars:

When I saw the subtitle Celtic Wolves, I thought this was a novel set in historic Celtic times, as I don't normally read modern urban fantasy.

So, while the book is set in modern times, the setting and tone do feel quite historical in theme. We have tribes, herbalism, shape-shifters, magic, customs and healing all part of everyday life.

This is the third book, I'd recommend you start with the first two, as things can get a bit confusing at times in reference to things that happened in the past.

Cormack and Elen are part of an immortal Celtic tribe of shape-shifters, but intermarriage with humans over the years has made some of their magic weaker than it used to be, and some are born without the ability to shift at all. Cormack was one of these, he'd been born as a wolf and didn't have the ability to shape-shift into human form, even though he had human thoughts and feelings. He's loved Elena for over three hundred years but up until now he couldn't tell her.

Six months before this book starts, Cormack finally got to shift into human form, but now he's avoiding her and Elen doesn't know why.

That's not the only problem - the Guardians, those Purebloods who think all those from the tribes who can't shape-shift should be culled are interested in war once more. The leader of the Guardians, Pendaran, has been trying to court Elen for those six months - and he doesn't want to take no for an answer.

This book had a bit of everything, romance, adventure, great world-building and plot. It almost had a fairy tale feel to it and the writing at times was very lyrical and poetic.

I adored both Elen and Cormac, and we got to see inside both their heads, which was a bonus. I like to get both points of view in a love story.

A beautiful, entrancing read. Jan DeLima knows how to weave a spell with words.


***

Prequel for Autumn Moon:
http://jandelima.com/ms-hafwen-excerpt/


First chapter for Autumn Moon:
http://jandelima.com/autumn-moon-first-chapter/


***

About the Author:

Jan DeLima is the author of the Celtic Wolves novels, including Summer Moon and Celtic Moon. She lives in Maine with her husband and their two sons. Unlike many authors, Jan didn’t pen stories at an early age, but she has always been a dedicated reader.  It wasn’t until after her children entered school that she began writing. Raised in a military family, she lived in different countries such as Thailand and Germany, but home base has always been Maine.

Website: http://www.jandelima.com/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/delimajan

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/delimajan

Goodreads: http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/6928196.Jan_DeLima

***

Tour giveaway

$100 Amazon gift card open to U.S. and Canada

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Book Review: Operation Parliament by Peter Horstead

Operation Parliament
by Peter Horstead
Historical/WWII
Austin Macauley Publishers
Review Copy supplied by publisher

The sound of a ghostly Lancaster Bomber, its engines struggling and misfiring, has haunted the old airfield for sixty years.

In 1943, Johnnie Sanderson and his crew were seven brave young men who had volunteered to fight the tyranny of Nazi Germany from the air, flying the Lancaster Bomber, they had christened ‘Gloria', with 599 Squadron RAF.

Flak, searchlights and nightfighters generate the gut-wrenching fear of the nightly bombing sorties over war-torn Europe, and they quickly learn that the scythe of war reaps a deadly harvest amongst bomber crews.

599 Squadron trains to take on vital raids against Germany and Hitler's world threatening ‘Wunderwaffen' rocket program, culminating in the most important and dangerous sortie they have ever undertaken, 'Operation Parliament'. To ensure an Allied victory they must succeed at all costs, and from the beginning, those costs are very high.

Johnnie, though, after losing too many comrades and friends to the deadly war, has only one more mission on his mind - to get his crew home.

Little does he realise, just how long it will be before he can finally say,

"Home at last, chaps, home at last."

About the Author:

Peter Horstead spent his childhood in Lincolnshire, ‘Bomber County', surrounded by RAF airfields. He spent eleven years in the armed services himself, and later took up flying. As a member of the RAFA Concert Band, he had the honour of entertaining and meeting, on many occasions, members of Bomber Command.

***

Review 5 Stars

I'm too young to remember WWII as were my parents, who were born during the war and so don't remember much about it being only babies at the time. I didn't study it in History at school, as I'd given up History by then do to Geography. So what little I do know is from books or films, or from museums.

Recently we were at the Battle of Britain Memporial in Kent and it was both fascinating and heart-wrenching. They had photos of lots of different aircrews and underneath some it said that a particular pilot died a few days after the photograph. Lots of them didn't return and my heart was in my throat throughout most of Operation Parliament. There were also replicas of some of the planes, and that really helped with reading the book as I could 'see' what the planes looked like.

Every time the crew went on a raid, you never knew if they were going to make it back alive. Statistically, a lot of them didn't.

Well-written, well-researched, Operation Parliament puts you in the shoes of those young pilots. The courage they had was amazing. To go up in those planes, knowing that you may not make it back, it was awe-inspiring. They were scared, but they did it anywway - they overcame their fear.

Not to say the book is all doom and gloodm, there is a thread of humour throughout, as I suspect was probably the case with the real aircrews then. You had to laugh or cry.

With sympathetic, well-drawn characters, the book is well worth a read for any History fan.

Book Review: Little Black Lies by Sharon Bolton

Little Black Lies
by Sharon Bolton
Thriller/Suspense
Minotaur Books
5 Stars
Review Copy from Netgalley

Blurb:

In such a small community as the Falkland Islands, a missing child is unheard of. In such a dangerous landscape it can only be a terrible tragedy, surely...

When another child goes missing, and then a third, it’s no longer possible to believe that their deaths were accidental, and the villagers must admit that there is a murderer among them. Even Catrin Quinn, a damaged woman living a reclusive life after the accidental deaths of her own two sons a few years ago, gets involved in the searches and the speculation.

And suddenly, in this wild and beautiful place that generations have called home, no one feels safe and the hysteria begins to rise.

But three islanders—Catrin, her childhood best friend, Rachel, and her ex-lover Callum—are hiding terrible secrets. And they have two things in common: all three of them are grieving, and none of them trust anyone, not even themselves.

In Little Black Lies, her most shocking and engaging suspense novel to date, Sharon Bolton will keep the reader guessing until the very last page.

Review:

I have read every book Sharon Bolton has ever written. And while I do like her Lacey Flint series, I love her standalone novels more. So when I read the blurb for this new standalone novel, I jumped at the chance to read and review. I was not disappointed for a moment.

The setting is unusual, all I know about the Falklands were that it was the scene of conflict in the 1980s and that there are penguins. The islands are a small community, so everyone knows or thinks they know everyone else's business.

Almost three years to the day when Rachel was responsible for the death of Catrin's two sons, another child goes missing. This time one of the visitor's children, but in the past two years two other children have also disappeared and never been found. No one wants to think they are living with a murderer among them and suspicion for this third disappearance falls on the visitors from the cruise ship.

But the other two children disappeared when there were no visitors. The small community is coming to the conclusion that they must face facts - perhaps someone on the islands is a murderer. It could be someone they know, someone they trust, someone they love...

The book is told through the eyes of three characters: Catrin, Rachel and Callum, Catrin's ex-lover. But all three are damaged characters and there may be a case of unreliable narration going on - Catrin is still grieving over the deaths of her children, Callum suffers from PTSD and blackouts where he doesn't know what he's done and Rachel seems to be suffering from post-natal depression two years after the birth of her youngest son.

There are so many twists and turns in the book it's like a maze and just when you think you have it all figured out, you haven't. The author knows how to keep the tension and the attention going. You just have to read on to see what happens next.

It's a book about pain and loss, grief and understanding, but most of all it's a book about characters. Ms. Bolton has created a memorable trio with Catrin, Callum and Rachel and you know that for evermore their lives will be intertwined, no matter what happens.

I did have one niggle with the book, but that's only a preference, most of it is written in the present tense, which is not my favourite for a novel. But because I love the writer, I carried on reading. And in such a tense situation, the present tense did give it a sense of urgency that perhaps past tense wouldn't have.

A great read.

Book Review: The Emperor's Blades by Brian Stavely

The Emperor's Blades
Chronicle of the Unhewn Throne #1
by Brian Stavely
High Fantasy
5 Stars
Review Copy from Amazon Vine

Blurb:

When the emperor of Annur is murdered, his children must fight to uncover the conspiracy—and the ancient enemy—that effected his death.

Kaden, the heir apparent, was for eight years sequestered in a remote mountain monastery, where he learned the inscrutable discipline of monks devoted to the Blank God. Their rituals hold the key to an ancient power which Kaden must master before it’s too late. When an imperial delegation arrives to usher him back to the capital for his coronation, he has learned just enough to realize that they are not what they seem—and enough, perhaps, to successfully fight back.

Meanwhile, in the capital, his sister Adare, master politician and Minister of Finance, struggles against the religious conspiracy that seems to be responsible for the emperor’s murder. Amid murky politics, she’s determined to have justice—but she may be condemning the wrong man.

Their brother Valyn is struggling to stay alive. He knew his training to join the Kettral— deadly warriors who fly massive birds into battle—would be arduous. But after a number of strange apparent accidents, and the last desperate warning of a dying guard, he’s convinced his father’s murderers are trying to kill him, and then his brother. He must escape north to warn Kaden—if he can first survive the brutal final test of the Kettral.

Review:

It's difficult to find fantasy books that are unique, and while this isn't the most original fantasy tale on the planet, it is interesting and engaging and kept me turning the pages long into the night.

My favourite character was Kaden, the heir to the Unhewn Throne who'd been sent to a distant monastery for the past eight years and was constantly being told to do things that on the surface served no purpose, such as running up and down mountains blindfolded, being buried to his neck in earth so that he could learn emptiness. But it's when the reasons behind all these things are revealed that you realise something more is going on and you get hooked even more on the story.

There is political intrigue, attempted murders and like Valyn, the reader isn't sure who is to be trusted. There is magic, but magic users, Leaches, are reviled as unnatural and are few and far between because most have been executed when their powers are discovered. Are Leaches the conspirators behind the emperor's murder and the plot to gain the throne or someone more mundane?

Fantastic world-building, with an ancient race of mythical beings (or are they?) along with a panopoly of different gods. We get to see both Kaden and Valyn's training, one as an adherent of the Blank God and one training in the elite fighting force, the Kettral (the kettral are also the giant birds they fly into battle) but we didn't get to see much of Adare, their sister. She's the eldest but because she's female she can't take the throne. Maybe we'll get to see a bit more of her in later books.

The writing flows well and the pacing is good, nothing seemed there just to pad things out, every scene has a purpose, even if at the beginning the reader isn't sure what that purpose is.

I really enjoyed it and will be eagerly awaiting the next part in the series, which will hopefully be soon.

Book Review: Trick in Time by JL Merrow

Review Copy From Netgalley courtesy of the publisher
Trick in Time
by JL Merrow
M/M Romance/Time Travel/Novella
Carina Press

5 Stars

Blurb:

A lover from another time
When Ted Ennis steps out the doors of the Criterion Theatre for a cigarette and finds himself in Victorian London, he begins to doubt his sanity. At first he thinks it's all a film set, and is sure that the strikingly handsome young man leaning against a lamppost must be the leading man…

What starts as a sordid transaction with a beautiful rent boy quickly turns into something much deeper, drawing him back again and again as he gets to know Jem and craves meaningful encounters with him.

But Ted doesn't understand the exact conditions necessary for his trips through time—and for Jem, time may actually be running out. Now Ted has one last shot to get back to Jem and save their relationship, before it's too late…

Review:

Grief stricken after the deaths of his parents and husband in a car accident, the accident that he survived, Ted Ennis works as a theatre assistant in London trying to get some semblance of normality back in his life. He may have survived the accident, but he's still scarred - both physically and emotionally. Ted is suffering some after-effects, especially with his brain. When he steps out of the theatre for a cigarette break, he's unsure whether he's hallucinating or if it's some big budget costume drama he's stepped into that night.

It soon transpires that this is no hallucination or vision, not even a drama set. Everything is very real, from the gas lamps to the squalor of the back streets of Victorian London, not to mention the real fear of being caught by the police for having sexual relations between men.

Although short, the novella has quite a depth of characterisation. You are drawn both into Ted's world of the twenty-first century and how sad he still is after the car accident and losing the people who mattered to him and then into Victorian London and what Jem has to do to survive there. Ted and Jem were both so sweet that I just wanted to reach in and hug them both. Victorian and modern-day London were both brought vividly to life, just as both characters were. Everyone else was well-rounded and fleshed out too, from Ted's boss at the theatre to Jem's landlady Mrs. M.

The writing had a beautiful, lyrical quality to it, even though it was also written in quite plain language. There are a few love scenes in the book, which were written in a sensual style, making it feel almost dreamlike. It's an engaging read and easy to get lost in for a few hours. You'll be rooting for Ted and Jem to get their happy ending.

Reviewed by Annette Gisby

Book Review: Hello Darkness, My Old Friend by David Kessler

Hello Darkness, My Old Friend
by David Kessler
An Alex Sedaka Thriller
Thriller/Crime Drama
5 Stars

Blurb:

SWITZERLAND - the Jungfrau Region: A wealthy young man dies in a skiing accident.

SAN FRANCISCO: A few months later, two homeless men stagger into a bar. One of them leaves his friend there, but minutes later the friend is stabbed by another homeless man: George Stone.

Arrested at the scene and charged with murder with special circumstances, Stone asks for Alex Sedaka to represent him. However, it soon becomes apparent that this is anything but a straightforward case of violence between homeless people. After all, how many homeless people have $2000 on them. And why would a homeless killer leave such a large sum on his victim? Also... why is the British Prime Minister taking such an interest in the murder of a homeless "John Doe" over five thousand miles away?

But when Homeland Security become involved and an attempt is made on the accused man's life, both Alex and the DA realize that matters are running out of control. And as powerful forces up the ante, Alex also has to face the fact that his client isn't the only one in danger.

Review:

I've never read any of the previous books featuring lawyer Alex Sedaka, but that doesn't really matter. This is a novel that stands on its own with a few mentions of the cases Alex dealt with previously, but you don't need to know all about those to enjoy this book. And it is an enjoyable book. Alex is a very likeable character, he's very down to earth, has normal troubles like everyone else but does his job to the best of his ability.

What I liked best about this book was at no time did it turn into a soap opera. It wasn't about who was sleeping with who (or not), the main focus was on the crime and Alex's client's part in it. Yes, Alex and his law firm partner Juanita have a personal life (not with each other), but those parts were few and far between before we got back to the main meat of the story.

There are twists and turns, red herrings galore and you don't really find out what is really going on right till the end. It's a fast-paced, easily read book and you find yourself getting lost in it, wondering what the next revelation is going to be. It keeps you guessing right till the last and I was surprised by both twists near the end. A great read.

Reviewed by Annette Gisby

Book Review: The Roswell Conspiracy by Boyd Morrison

Review copy from Netgalley
The Roswell Conspiracy
by Boyd Morrison
Thriller
Little Brown UK
5 Stars

Blurb:

After the 1908 Tunguska blast levels a Siberian forest the size of London, a Russian scientist makes an amazing discovery amongst the debris.


In 1947, ten-year-old Fay Allen of Roswell, New Mexico, witnesses the fiery crash of an extraordinary craft unlike anything she's ever seen.

More than sixty years later, former Army combat engineer Tyler Locke rescues Fay from gunmen who are after a piece of wreckage she claims is from the Roswell incident. Incredulous of her tale, Tyler believes the attack on Fay is nothing more than a burglary gone wrong. But when he finds himself locked in the back of a truck carrying a hundred tons of explosives and heading for a top secret American base, Tyler knows that he has stumbled onto the opening gambit of something more sinister than he ever imagined.

Because disgraced Russian spy Vladimir Colchev is after an Air Force prototype code-named Killswitch, an electromagnetic pulse weapon of unprecedented power. Although Tyler is able to avert catastrophe at the US facility, Colchev gets away with the bomb and plans to turn it on America itself. To complete his mission, he needs only one other key component, a mysterious object recovered from the Roswell crash.

In a desperate race against time, Tyler must unmask a conspiracy a century in the making to rescue the United States from electronic Armageddon.

Review:

Having watched The X-Files and Roswell for many a year, how could I pass up the opportunity to read a book entitled The Roswell Conspiracy? I picked the book because of the title, but then to add icing on the cake, some of the opening chapters take place in and around Queenstown, New Zealand. This is one of my favourite places in the world and I was even more hooked. I felt like I was back there, the author described everything so well.

This book has an unusual publishing history, in that it is the third of a series but the US publisher of the first two didn't want it. The author did get a publishing deal in the UK, but not in the US, so it's a book that's both self-published and traditionally published at the same time.

It's a fantastic book and the US publisher has missed out here. Unlike with a lot of thriller/conspiracy novels the characters are well drawn with great depth, even the 'bad guys'. I adored Fay, the feisty grandmother who is determined to go along on the adventures and discoveries. The plot can be a little bit far-fetched and convoluted at times, but I was having so much fun reading it that it wasn't a bother. You can suspend your disbelief for the time it takes to read.

Mr. Morrison has written a fast-paced page-turner of a book which takes the reader on an adventure from Australia, New Zealand, the US, Russia and Easter Island to name a few. So you think you know what happened in Roswell in 1947? Think again. The author has taken a well known story but given it an entirely different spin, but I won't give it away.

You don't just feel you've read the book, you feel you've been there with the characters. It's was wonderful, a real joy to read and I was sorry to finish it. I'll definitely be looking out the first two now.

Reviewed by Annette Gisby

Book Review: Mindfront by Dave Becker

Review copy from author
Mindfront
by Dave Becker
Thriller
5 Stars

Blurb:

After uncovering a universal code in the brain waves of all living things that could revolutionize psychology, Martin Keller wakes one morning to find himself covered in blood, surrounded by his butchered family. Convinced he’s being framed by a diabolical organization set on stealing or sabotaging his work, he dodges a multi-agency manhunt that pursues him from the seediest corners of DC to the highest offices of government. Struggling to stay alive and find his family’s killer, Marty soon finds himself lost in a maze of conspiracies and paranoia, and eventually begins to doubt his own sanity.

How can he find the truth when he doesn’t know what’s real?

Review:

From the very first chapter where a woman is murdered and a chess piece with her name carved on it pushed into her eye, this book grips you by the throat and doesn't let go. It's a real page-turner and you just have to read on to see what happens next.

On a family vacation on Kent Island, Dr. Martin Keller wakes up in the shower one morning covered in blood and in the hotel bedroom, he sees his wife and two children dead in their beds. On the run from multiple federal agencies, everywhere he turns for help, is shortly followed by another dead body. Is Martin responsible and just can't remember? He fears for his sanity and his life and just has to keep running. Is he paranoid or is it really everyone is out to get him>?

The story is tightly plotted, very fast paced, sometimes you feel like you are the one being pursued, you get so involved in the story. Mr. Becker is a brilliant writer, with the knack of cliff-hanging chapters that encourage you to read 'just another chapter' and then you find you've read far more than you intended to before getting to sleep. I liked that we didn't find out right away what was going on, but were giving hints along the way. It was like a giant jigsaw puzzle where you'd never seen the picture on the box, but you get to certain points and go, "Ah, that's where that bit fits in." It takes skill to leave hints but without giving everything away.

I don't know if the science of eidetics mentioned in the book is accurate, but it makes sense within the context of this story and its universe, so even if you're not scientifically minded, don't let that put you off. This book is as good, if not better than some of the offerings from the so-called 'big' publishers. If you like a good conspiracy novel with a whirlwind pace and characters you grow to care about, give this one a try.

Reviewed by Annette Gisby

Book Review: The Raven's Seal by Andrei Baltakmens

The Raven's Seal
by Andrei Baltakmens
Historical/Mystery
Top Five Books
5 Stars

Blurb:

A Murder. A Fall from Grace.

A Mysterious Symbol That Could Be the Key to One Man’s Salvation…

When the body of Thaddeus Grainger's rival turns up stabbed to death in an alley just hours after their inconclusive duel, only one suspect comes to mind. Charged with murder, Grainger's fate is sealed before his trial even begins.

A young gentleman of means but of meaningless pursuits, Grainger is cast into the notorious Bellstrom Gaol, where he must quickly learn to survive in the filthy, ramshackle prison. The "Bells"--where debtors, gaolers, whores, thieves, and murderers all mix freely and where every privilege comes at a price--will be the young man's home for the rest of his life unless he can prove his innocence.

Despite his downfall, his friends--the journalist William Quillby and Cassie Redruth, the poor young girl who owes Grainger a debt of gratitude--refuse to abandon him. But before they can win his freedom, they must contend with forces both inside and outside the prison determined to keep Grainger behind bars and, at the same time, decode the meaning behind the crude wax seal that inspires terror in those who know its portent.

Set against the urban backdrop of late 18th-century England, The Raven's Seal unravels a tale of corruption, betrayal, murder, and—ultimately—redemption and love

Review:

It's been a while since I've read a Historical novel that I've enjoyed so much. The prose is lyrical, descriptive and so evocative that you are easily drawn to the fictional town of Airenchester and the characters inhabiting it. From the genteel salons of the gentry to the squalor of the tenements in The Steps, every location is brought vividly to life.

Grainger is unjustly imprisoned on a murder charge and sequestered in Bellstrom Gaol and it was interesting to note how his incarceration differed from those of the 'lower orders'. Those who couldn't pay the gaoler's 'garnish' are fettered in chains and sent to the most desolate parts of the prison.

The thrust of the book is Grainger trying to find out who set him up and why. Rumours abound of a certain society called the Black Claw, which seems to have claws in every villainous pursuit in the town. But who is behind it all? Who is the mastermind? That is something you'll have to read the book to find out, I don't want to spoil it.

Some of the characters are larger than life, but never quite turn into caricatures. The names are wonderful - Mrs. Scourish for a housekeeper and Quillby for a writer, were just some of the great touches of humour within the book. It's a book to be experienced, not just read.

The author loves words and language, you can tell just by the way he's written this book. It's a book you want to savour like a good meal. Despite its old-fashioned language, it is easily read and fast-paced. Nothing I say in a review can do it justice. It's wonderful, a joy to read and I can't recommend it highly enough.

Reviewed by Annette Gisby

Book Review: The Travel Auction by Mark Green

The Travel Auction
by Mark Green
Travel/Humour/General
amazon / smashwords

5 Stars

Blurb:

It should have been their trip of a lifetime. But with just days to go, Jonathan Cork finds himself dumped by his girlfriend, Kate Thornly. Even worse, a life-threatening allergy means he can’t travel alone. Unable to change the name on the spare ticket and fast running out of time, Jonathan resorts to desperate measures. He advertises on eBay for a travel companion with the same name as his ex. The problem is, it’s a complete lottery who he’ll end up with.

Kate Thornly (the second) is aware of the unusual eBay auction, but she can’t be persuaded to bid. Enter Maria, her best friend, who secretly applies on her behalf! With her nursing credentials and erotic photo, Kate seems the perfect travel companion. But there’s just one small detail Maria’s conveniently left off Kate’s bid...

What follows is a funny, page-turning, rollercoaster ride around South America.

Review:

I was feeling very under the weather when I started reading this book and it was a perfect pick-me-up. Even with a sore throat and a cold, it was hard to feel miserable while reading of Jonathan and Kate (the second's) adventures in South America.

Jonathan has paid lots of money for his trip of a lifetime, Kate the first was supposed to pay him back, but now that they've split, she's not going and not paying for the trip either. Jonathan has a severe nut allergy which could kill him and he's got a phobia about needles so he needs someone else to administer the adrenaline if he accidentally ingests any nuts. The airline won't let someone else travel on Kate Thornly's ticket, so he sets up an auction on eBay to find another Kate Thornly to go on the trip with him.

The first few bids he gets are hilarious, I was really laughing out loud at the pensioner Kate Thornly who wanted to make sure that she'd be able to draw her pension abroad, and he wonders if he's done the right thing. Of course, it would be a very short book if he didn't pick one of the Kate Thornlys to go with him, so he decides on Kate the second or KT2 as she's referred to later in the book.

It's told in alternating points of view between Kate and Jonathan, both in first person. The banter between them is enjoyable, and they both have quite a bit of baggage with them, although not of the luggage variety. Their pasts are part of who they are and help flesh them out. Both are well-drawn characters and I was impressed how Mr. Green got into the mind of Kate here, she was very believable as a character in her own right, not just there to be a love interest as is the case with some other novels.

The novel is fast paced, with plain, simple writing that makes it easy to sink into. All the places in South America are so well described that it makes you want to pack up and go on your own adventure. Green's love for the places he's visitied (I presume) shines through in the book. It's unpretentious, it's just like being on holiday with two friends.

Does romance blossom between our two intrepid travellers or do they remain friends? You'll just have to read to find out because you don't want to miss any of their adventures or the people they meet along the way.

A wonderful read.

Reviewed by Annette Gisby

Book Review: The Mists of Avalon by Marion Zimmer Bradley

The Mists of Avalon
by Marion Zimmer Bradley
Historical/Arthurian Mythical
Penguin
5 Stars

Blurb:

"In my time I have been called many things: sister, lover, wise-woman, queen."

Morgaine, gifted with the Sight and fated with her brother-lover's doom, recounts the glorious tragedy of Camelot's brief flowering - not as a tale of knightly deeds but as a woman's rounded view of society in the crucible of change.

Through the lives of pious Guinever, ambitious Morguase, Priestiess of Avalon Vivian and her successor as Lady of the Lake, Morgaine herself, this rich and haunting epic reveals a greater threat to the Old People than the Saxons. For the spread of patriarchal Roman ways and a narrow Christianity seem likely to drive the ancient worship of the Mother forever into the mists.

Review:

This was the first book dealing with the Arthurian legends that I ever read. I suspect it won't be the last, but in my mind it is certainly one of the best, if not the best.

It made a change to have the legends told from the perspective of the women involved in Arthur's life, rather than just the men and their fight in battles.

Morgaine becomes a sympathetic character rather than the evil witch she is more normally portrayed as. The characters and situations seem so real that when you look away from the book, you are surprised to see modern day things around you. I loved all the little details about her training as a priestess, it was fascinating.

The portrayal of the new Christian religion against the old religion of the goddess was deftly handled and the comparison between the two was interesting.

It's a hard book to put down once started and it's one to read over and over again. I've lost count how many times I've read it now and there is still something new to discover in each reading.

Reviewed by Annette Gisby, author of The Chosen.

Book Review: Daughter of the Forest by Juliet Marillier

Reviewer's purchased copy.
Daughter of the Forest
by Juliet Marillier
Fantasy/Historical/Fairy Tale
5 Stars


Blurb:

Lovely Sorcha is the seventh child and only daughter of Lord Colum of Sevenwaters. Bereft of a mother, she is comforted by her six brothers who love and protect her. Sorcha is the light in their lives, they are determined that she know only contentment.

But Sorcha's joy is shattered when her father is bewitched by his new wife, an evil enchantress who binds her brothers with a terrible spell, a spell which only Sorcha can lift-by staying silent. If she speaks before she completes the quest set to her by the Fair Folk and their queen, the Lady of the Forest, she will lose her brothers forever.

When Sorcha is kidnapped by the enemies of Sevenwaters and taken to a foreign land, she is torn between the desire to save her beloved brothers, and a love that comes only once. Sorcha despairs at ever being able to complete her task, but the magic of the Fair Folk knows no boundaries, and love is the strongest magic of them all...

Review

This is one of my favourite books, I have a love of re-told fairytales. But Miss Marillier doesn't just retell fairytales, she takes a story you may have heard of, in this case, The Tale of the Six Swans by the Brothers Grimm, and adds elements that makes it uniquely her own. I think it also has elements of the Celtic tale, The Children of Lir, and if you know either of those stories, you know what terrible spell has befallen Sorcha's brothers, but I won't spoil it here. I also have a bit of a soft spot for this series, since the fictional place of Sevenwaters, according to the maps on Miss Marillier's website, was an actual place in Ireland where I lived growing up.

Daughter of the Forest is set in Britain and Ireland at the time of the druids, before either land became predominantly Christian and magic is just an acceptable fact of everyday life. Sorcha is a wonderful, strong female character, something that seems to be lacking in a lot of other fantasy. Sorcha is under a curse to be silent in order to save her brothers, but even though she is mute for most of the book, you never feel her character is any less essential to the story. I also loved the author's rendition of the Fair Folk, and how at times, what they did could not be considered 'fair' at all, but they had a different sent of rules to humans and what each of them considered 'fair' depended on the race.

There is a bit of history of the conflict between the old and new religions at the time, but everything flows within the story rather than being written as a history lesson. The characters are well-drawn and each have their own part to play in the whole. Miss Marillier's descriptions are breathtaking, with a lyrical quality that transports you to the forest or Lord Colum's hall.

It is a sweeping, epic tale with a bit of love, adventure and romance. This is well-written and kept my interest right until the end (and through the other books in the series too.) If you like books that have a fairytale or otherworldly feel, then give this one a try, you won't go far wrong. It's a wonderful book and I can't recommend it highly enough.

Reviewed by Annette Gisby

Book Review: Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix

Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix
by J K Rowling
Fantasy
Bloomsbury Books
5 Stars

Blurb:

Dumbledore lowered his hands and surveyed Harry through his half-moon glasses. 'It is time,' he said, 'for me to tell you what I should have told you five years ago, Harry. Please sit down. I am going to tell you everything.' Harry Potter is due to start his fifth year at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizadry. He is desperate to get back to school and find out why his friends Ron and Hermione have been so secretive all summer. However, what Harry is about to discover in his new year at Hogwarts will turn his whole world upside down ...But before he even gets to school, Harry has an unexpected and frightening encounter with two Dementors, has to face a court hearing at the Ministry of Magic and has been escorted on a night-time broomstick ride to the secret headquarters of a mysterious group called 'The Order of the Phoenix'. And that is just the start. A gripping and electrifying novel, full of suspense, secrets, and - of course - magic.

Review:

Harry is eagerly awaiting his fifth year at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. The holidays are no fun stuck with his Muggle (non-magical) relations. Why does he have to spend every summer with them anyway? He hates it and the way he is constantly mistreated by them. He has been miserable ever since school broke up, with worry over You-Know-Who's return at the end of the fourth book. He's also missing his friends, Ron and Hermione, who have been sending him cryptic letters full of hints at secrets they can't or won't reveal.


Then to top it all, someone wants Harry dead and has sent Dementors after him, magical creatures that suck the happiness from a person leaving them only despair and madness. Harry has to use magic to get rid of the creatures, (in front of his cousin Dudley) but then he gets in trouble with the Ministry of Magic for using magic outside of school and in front of a Muggle too!

Harry thinks that things can't surely get any worse, but he would be wrong...

Oh, I loved this book. It was a darker book than the other four, but I still enjoyed it. Here was a Harry who was getting so fed up at everything the world had been throwing at him for the past four years and he snapped. I'm not surprised at all, and he still remained sympathetic, even though at times his temper flared so often it was a wonder he had any friends left!

You bristle at all the unfairness heaped upon him, especially by Professor Snape and Professor Dolores Umbridge (the new Defence Against the Dark Arts teacher), who was appointed by the Ministry and she wasn't a favourite with the staff either.

Not only has Harry to take all this abuse from his teachers, it's his O.W.L. year (Ordinary Wizarding Levels), he suffers horrible nightmares and visions of his friends' deaths and the newspapers are hinting that he has gone mad and is unstable. Maybe a stay at St. Mungo's Hospital for Magical Maladies may be in order?

We discover a few new characters in the book, as well as some secrets from old ones, which keeps the suspense going. Although the overall tone of the book is dark, there are some welcome moments of comic relief.

Is it a good book? Put it this way, the book is over 700 pages long and the first time I read it, I read it in one day. I just had to keep reading to find out what was going to happen next. Nothing on television was as interesting as finishing the book that night.

I'm eagerly looking forward to re-reading the next installment of Harry's adventures!

Reviewed by Annette Gisby.

Book Review: Primary Fault by Sharon Kae Reamer

Primary Fault: Tales of The Schattenreich
by Sharon Kae Reamer
Urban Fantasy/Paranormal/Romance
5 Stars

Blurb:

Geophysicist Caitlin Schwarzbach, out of work and weary of small-town Texas, leaves home. For good. Separated from her beloved brother Gus at age seven when their parents divorced, she moves to Cologne, Germany to be with him. Instead of meeting her brother upon her arrival, a Gus lookalike attempts to kidnap her by pulling her into a wall of glass. His accomplice: a curvy Nordic beauty dressed in black taffeta and lace and swarmed by ravens. Caitlin believes her experience to be a product of jet lag and disorientation. Later that evening at a university reception, Caitlin feels intimidated by one of her brother's former colleagues.

The conversation is interrupted by a dangerously attractive man who introduces himself as Hagen von der Lahn. She learns her seismologist brother has included her in a research project with the amateur archaeologist and stylish aristocrat. After Gus is called away by an earthquake, the deranged Gus doppelgänger again tries to drag her away. Hagen rescues her and spirits her to his castle near the Rhine. After her brother fails to return from a meeting in the Praetorium in Cologne, Caitlin discovers him on his terrace bleeding from a head wound. Gus vanishes, sought by police for multiple sexual assaults.

Before she can follow a promising lead as to his whereabouts, a blow to the head sends her to the hospital. An unwanted visitor appears by her bed; someone she feared since childhood, the being she thinks of as Death. His appearance can only mean one thing: her brother is in mortal danger. A novel of supernatural suspense, Primary Fault tells the tale of a woman's quest to save her brother. The mixture of science meets beings from a Celtic Otherworld against atheistic Druids and will delight fans of a tightly plotted fantasy with richly drawn characters.

Review:

A lot of fantasy is very similar with the same rehashed characters and plots. Primary Fault is different, a very imaginative ride. The author has blended science, earthquakes, history, mythology, mysticism and adventure into something very unique. It is very well-written and is quite a page-turner, you have to keep reading to find out what happens next.

Most of it is written in the first person, by our heroine Caitlin, and although it's not my favourite point of view, here it works very well because we as readers get to discover things at the same time as her. It has both a down-to-earth feel and a mysterious/otherworldly feel as well and the author has done both very well. Other less, skilled writers might find themselves doing better at the one than the other.

I'm not usually such a fan of urban type fantasy, where the fantasy elements encroach on the real world as it were, but here I didn't mind at all because I was transplanted into the middle of such a good story that it didn't matter what particular genre it was. In this book I loved the blend of fantastic and normal, with Caitlin never quite sure whether or not she was hallucinating. I also adored the fact that Caitlin comes face to face with her brother's Doppelganger in Germany, that just seems so apt to me.

The romance between Caitlin and Hagen von der Lahn could have felt overdone, handsome man, baron with his own medieval castle, but in the context of this book, it just clicked and who hasn't dreamt of being rescued by the knight in shining armour (or in this case a silver limousine) on his white horse at some time? All in all, it was a sweeping, romantic, exciting adventure not to be missed with enough twists and turns to keep even the most jaded thriller fan happy.

Reviewed by Annette Gisby

Book Review: Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire by J.K. Rowling

Reviewer's purchased copy.
Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire
by J. K. Rowling
Fantasy
Signature Edition
Bloomsbury
5 Stars

Blurb:

Harry Potter is midway through his training as a wizard and his coming of age. Harry wants to get away from the pernicious Dursleys and go to the International Quidditch Cup. He wants to find out about the mysterious event that's supposed to take place at Hogwarts this year, an event involving two other rival schools of magic, and a competition that hasn't happened for a hundred years. He wants to be a normal, fourteen-year-old wizard. But unfortunately for Harry Potter, he's not normal - even by wizarding standards. And in his case, different can be deadly.

Review:

Books aimed at children or the YA market don't usually appeal to me, so I was surprised how much I enjoyed the Harry Potter books, and still do. I first got into it when we went to a midnight showing of the first film and my husband bought me a set of the Harry Potter books for my birthday. There were five then and he didn't know what he'd started! I was hooked and am a big fan and waited eagerly for the last two.

Because I am a fan, it's difficult to write a review without too much gushing, but I have to admit that I loved Goblet of Fire and I re-read it quite a bit. Here, we get to see Harry, Ron and Hermione growing up and navigating the choppy waters of adolescence, with arguments, heartache and facing up to the fact that no one is safe from Voldemort.

Harry and Ron's attempts at finding dates for the Yule Ball were hilarious with just the right tone of akwardness and humour. The romance parts I could take or leave really, but you do feel for Harry when he finally gets up the courage to ask Cho to the ball but she's already going with Cedric. That was very realistic.

There was so much to love about this book - the Triwizard Tournament, Quidditch world cup, dragons, secret discoveries, learning more about the Death Eaters and Voldemort's past. It was a long book but as I was reading it for the first time (before the film came out) I really couldn't see what they should cut. Every scene seemed essential to me, from Ron's old-fashioned dress-robes and his falling out with Harry over being chosen as a champion, to Hermione seeking emancipation for the house-elves. They cut the house-elf storyline for the film, but I loved it in the book and it lets you find out more about Hermione too.

Some of the book is quite light and jolly, like Harry getting to see the Quidditch world cup for the first time and the Yule Ball, but the book sets a darker tone towards the end. I like how things were set up before hand, such as Harry discovering about Portkeys on the way to the world cup and how they play a part much later on. It's like parts of the book have been set out like a giant jigsaw puzzle and it's only as you get near to the end that you see how they all fit together as a whole.

The writing is simplistic, but that same simplicity draws you in and before you know it you've read 200 pages and have to stop because you need some sleep, but really, you just want to keep reading to see what happens next. Even though I've read it before. My husband asks why I re-read things that I've read before and know the story, well for the Harry Potter books, the answer is simple: I love Harry as a character and every time I'm re-reading the books, it's like getting to know a friend all over again. Will I still be re-reading the Harry Potter books in ten years time? I don't know for sure, but I'd like to think so.

The Goblet of Fire is a great, escapist read.

Reviewed by Annette Gisby

Book Review: The Dark Mirror by Juliet Marillier

The Dark Mirror
by Juliet Marillier
Book One of the Bridei Chronicles
Publisher: Tor
Genres: Historical fantasy
Available as ebook, paper book and audio
5 stars
Reviewer's purchased copy.

Blurb:

In the mid 6th century the Pictish kingdom in northern Britain is under threat from the Gaels and the Christian faith, which leaves the leaders of the northern realm struggling to maintain their ancient traditions.

All hope rests on the shoulders of young Bridei, a little-known son of the royal line, who is seen as the perfect candidate for future kingship. At his remote forest home of Pitnochie, Broichan, a powerful druid, sets about training the boy in the ways of the ancients and in the all-important preparation to be a leader of men.

But Broichan has not allowed for the Good Folk, inhabitants of the ancient forests of Fortriu and well-known workers of tricky magic. When Bridei discovers a strange baby girl abandoned on Broichan's doorstep in the chill of the winter solstice, he takes her into the house. And the druid has to realise that there is one unpredictable power at work that may be too strong for him to control and could become the death of his dreams.