April's Book Reviews and Previews

I dipped into the genre pool a bit more deeply this month with reviews covering a historical/paranormal fantasy (Nights Arose) and a teen fantasy novella (Blossom Blood).  But I also hit my bread and butter genre, technothriller, in Douglas Richards' Split Second (and loved it). 

Happy reading,
Bruce

Split Second by Douglas E. Richards

A Thought-Provoking, Well-Constructed Technothriller

Split Second is a tense, fast-paced technothriller involving a capability that in the context of all the books and movies about time travel sounds rather mundane – the ability to move an object a mere split second into the past.  I mean, what injustice could you right, what fortune could you win in a split second?  None.  But mundane it is not, as author Douglas Richards takes the science behind time travel, extends it in fictional but believable ways, and ends up with a story that’s not only adrenaline-charged, but also thought-provoking.  In my view, that’s an unbeatable combination.  For the complete review, see this link to Amazon:  https://amzn.to/2GIykuL

Nights Arose by Andrea Roche

An Opportunity for Some Fun, Imaginative Escapism

Interested in escaping for an afternoon or a couple of evenings?  Do you like fantasies with magic, both good and evil?  Want a bit of romance for some added spice in your story?  If so, Nights Arose is perfect for you.

The novel is an inventive telling of a battle between good and evil – good in the form of our heroine, Nessarose (Arose) Du Mouchelle; evil in the guise of Morel, a Voodoo sorceress.  Over the pages of the book, Arose comes to understand her magical powers and how they are magnified by a mysterious opalescent stone called the Gem of the Red Spirit.  Morel is intent on stealing the stone and using it to open the gates to the netherworld.  That, Arose realizes, will spell the end of humanity.  With the stakes set, the battle wages on in ever increasing drama and fury.  The encounters with Morel’s brother and chief henchman were particularly intense, ranging from sexual assaults to attacks from the man transformed to beast.  All of the violence, however, was handled well – intense without being graphic.  For the complete review, see this link to Amazon: https://amzn.to/2D42wzN 

Blossom Blood by Carlyle Labuschagne

A Fast-Paced Fantasy with a Twist (and a few typos) 

Blossom Blood hooks you quickly with a car crash that claims the lives of three people.  Asher Blossom is thrown clear but must deal with the pain and guilt of the incident that took his parents and his girlfriend.  Fast forward three years and Asher is returning home from school abroad.  And although he’s been in contact with his siblings and his uncle who has been raising them, he’s taken aback by what he finds – a house in disrepair, relatives he hardly recognizes, and a tattooed babysitter he’s sure is a bad influence on them all.  For the complete review, see this link to Amazon:  https://amzn.to/2X8hlbZ