"The King's Bastard: King Rolen's King Trilogy, Book 1" by Rowena Cory Daniells

File Size: 886 KB/849 KB
Print Length: 640 pages
Publisher: Rebellion Publishing Limited (July 13, 2010)
Language: English
ASIN: B004SAE54K
ISBN-13: 978-1849971782 (Ebook)
ISBN-13: 978-1907519017 (paperback
Purchase: Kindle, Nook, Paperback, Mass Market Paperback
Website: www.corydaniells.com

This is what fantasy is all about! I was immediately sucked into the world created by Ms. Daniells. I fell in love with the main character, Byren, almost immediately and was rooting for him through the whole book.

I was so sad when the book ended - a cliffhanger that left me literally screaming to know what happened next. I felt the author left off at a bad spot of the plot line - almost in the middle of the climax. I would have preferred, even with things left open, to have it stop at a more quiet part of the story line, rather than the middle of the action. It was simply an abrupt stop.

However, I loved this book. It has a bit of everything in it - politics, magic, love, friendship, treachery, intrigue, adventure - and the list goes on! I couldn't stop turning the pages, wanting to know what happened to the main characters of the story, praying they didn't have one more bad thing happen to them. I highly recommend this book to fantasy readers everywhere -really anyone who loves a great book!




Reviewed by: Anastasia V. Pergakis

A free copy of this book was furnished by the author for review, but providing a copy did not guarantee a review. This information is provided per the regulations of the Federal Trade Commission.

"Seven Point Eight (The First Chronicle)" by Marie Harbon

File Size: 769 KB
Pages: 456
Publisher: Magnetic Lion Productions; 2nd edition (June 1, 2011)
Language: English
ASIN: B005IBYKC0
Print ISBN: 978-1-46107248-5
Purchase: Kindle, Paperback
Website: http://www.marieharbon.com/

This book was a very intense read. With so much specifics into quantum physics it can be easy to get lost in. However, the real trouble I had with this book was how jumpy it was between points of view and even decades. I often had to reread the beginning of a section over again to realize whose story I was reading. The story also breaks up between 3rd person narrative and what seems like a personal diary account from the characters themselves. I did think it was an interesting touch that added some great insite into the characters, but it was just a little abrupt in delivery.

In essense, this is almost two stories molded into one. One story, that follows Ava, takes place in the 1980's and beyond a hidden (and unexplained) clue at the very end of the book, I have no idea how she relates to the other story (the real meat of the story it seems) that takes place in the 50's and 60's, with the characters Paul, Tahra, and Max. I wish Ava's story had continued as it simply stopped but I do know that this is the first in a series so I'm sure she will return and readers will learn how she relates to Paul, Max, and Tahra. All of the characters were developed well, in backstory and progression.

Now, despite all that, I did enjoy reading this book. No doubt the author put extensive research into the story as there is so much scientific detail. While sometimes it felt the science dragged the story with long monologues of explanation, at the same time, it helped me to understand the later events that related to it.

There wasn't a lot of 'action' in the book, the tension coming from the "unknown" factor, playing well against the emotional state of the characters. I do look forward to reading more of this series to find out more about the characters and how the story ends.



Reviewed by: Anastasia V. Pergakis

A free copy of this book was furnished by the author for review, but providing a copy did not guarantee a review. This information is provided per the regulations of the Federal Trade Commission.

"The Jeweler's Apprentice" by E. Kaiser

File Size: 490 KB
Publisher: Hearth Books (December 15, 2011)
Language: English
ASIN: B006MW636A

I enjoyed this story; it definitely was a good start. It was a little hard to keep track of some of the characters, but with Fia (the main character) having so many siblings, that's not surprising. The more I read, the more each person became separate in my mind.

The story opens with a tense scene of Fia following some mysterious shadows through the garden. It hooked me immediately, wanting to discover the mystery along with Fia. More and more twists were revealed throughout the story, keeping me turning the pages and wanting to know how it all fit together.

I was a little disappointed with the ending, as I felt it ended too soon. Even though this is the beginning of a series, I still felt the "cliffhanger" ending was too much. I only feel if I've read half the book and put it down. There wasn't really an "ending"; the story just stopped.

I also wished there was more description to the location when Fia first arrived at her new home in the mountains. It was a new place for her and I felt seeing it for the first time, more detail would have been shown to the reader. Bits and pieces came out of course as the story continued, but initially I would have loved to know Fia's thoughts of her new home from when she first arrived.

The mystery and intrigue built up in this book is enough to make me read more. I want to know how it all ends, how Fia and the other characters continue on their journeys, and who makes it out in the end unscathed - or not. I'm look forward to the next installment of the series.




Reviewed by: Anastasia V. Pergakis

A free copy of this book was furnished by the author for review, but providing a copy did not guarantee a review. This information is provided per the regulations of the Federal Trade Commission.

"Embattled" by Darlene Jones


File Size: 439 KB
Paperback: 400 pages
Publisher: CreateSpace (October 31, 2011)
Language: English
ISBN-13: 978-1466468054
ASIN: B005ZLLR4M
Purchase: Kindle,Other E-Readers, Paperback
Website: http://emandyves.com/

The plot this story was very interesting, and I stay interested throughout the entire book. The characters held their own personalities, own quirks, that really made them stand out for me; allowed me to care for them.

I was confused at first, as this book switches POV between the "Madam of Miracles" and a "Drone", an otherworldly entity. The hard part here, wasn't the switch perse, it was the fact that one part was in third person, while the other was in first. And there wasn't much transition between the two - it simply jumped. Also, with this, some times the Drone's section was only a few lines then would skip back to the Madam. While it did add an interesting pace and unique viewpoint to the story, the harsh back and forth sometimes was hard to keep up with.

I did enjoy the story, the idea of an empowered miracle worker saving the world from itself. I think the author handles the growth of the Madam from first learning of her special abilities and her "mission" to the end when she accepted it whole heartedly and could use her abilities without a second thought - and ultimately could live with herself and what she was doing.

I do wish some more information was given about the "Guardian's" and who they were exactly, only to cure my own curiosity. However, the mystery of them fit well with the story, allowing the reader to draw their own conclusions about who the Guardian's really are.

Overall, a good read. As I said, the only real issue was the hard shift in point of view, but by the end of the story, I was almost used to it and barely noticed anymore. It did give the story an interesting perceptive and tempo for sure.



Reviewed by: Anastasia V. Pergakis

A free copy of this book was furnished by the author for review, but providing a copy did not guarantee a review. This information is provided per the regulations of the Federal Trade Commission.

"Freerunners" by Joseph Chandler Cain

"Peace World: Peace Warrior Trilogy 3" by Steven L. Hawk

File Size: 453 KB (Kindle Edition)
Print Length: 229 pages
Language: English
ASIN: B005W67V8G

Purchase: Kindle, Nook

While I was sad the story had to end - I could have continued to read about these characters forever - I was happy with how the story came to a close. Mr. Hawk wove so many intricate plot layers together, I was shocked time and time again at how everything related to each other and how things played out for the characters.

I gasped out loud and cried through this book. The amount of detail really took me inside the characters minds, how they felt and why they felt that way. Mr. Hawk developed his characters with their own unique personalities. Each had a deep richness and I felt as if the characters had become "friends" and real people through reading the series. I love all of them! Okay, well I love to hate the villains but even they had their own motivations and desires and were not evil just for evil's sake.

I hope this is not the last we see of Grant Justice! Like I said, I'm sad to see the trilogy over but I was not dissapointed at all. I couldn't wait to see how things turned out, that I read all three books in a week! This series did not dissapoint and I will read it again and again.

Reviewed by: Anastasia V. Pergakis

"Peace Army: Peace Warrior Trilogy 2" by Steven L. Hawk

File Size: 387 KB (Kindle Edition)
Paperback: 338 pages

Language: English
ASIN: B004WTUK8C

ISBN-13: 978-1461100935

Purchase: Kindle, Paperback, Nook,

I was so entranced with the beginning of the Peace Warrior series, that I immediately read "Peace Army" just a few days after finishing "Peace Warrior". I was not dissapointed at all!

Mr. Hawk delivers an action packed story that left me breathless. I couldn't put the story down and even walked around the house with my Kindle in hand, so I could continue reading!

Once again, Grant Justice goes toe-to-toe with the Minith aliens trying to enslave Earth. I love the fact that we were able to get into the mind of more characters in this book, like Titan and Mouse for example. We also were introduced to some new characters. I immediately was drawn to the characters, cheering them on or hoping the good guys won! But, with so much at stake, I feared that by the end of the book, someone was going to die. I literally held my breath through some parts because I hoped that everyone made it through unscathed!

The complex layers from Book 1, "Peace Warrior," expanded and filled to create amazing amounts of tension. The style in which Mr. Hawk delivered all the different pieces caused me to read the entire book in one sitting. I just kept thinking "One more page, one more chapter". The cliffhanger ending made me want to cry, but luckily, I already had the third book in the series waiting on my Kindle. I literally jumped right into "Peace World" without stopping.

Reviewed by: Anastasia V. Pergakis

"Dark Waters" by Shannon Mayer

File Size: 377 KB (Kindle Edition)
Language: English
ASIN: B006R03B6C
Purchase: Kindle
Website: ShannonMayer.blogspot.com


This story intrigued me from the start. Especially the part about the two sisters. I loved the relationship between Quinn and Ashling, reminding me of my own sister as I read the book. I definitely related to Quinn, being the older sibling - the urge to protect and watch out for her younger sister.

The world building into the Fomorii and the Tuatha was developed well by the author. I'm sure we will learn more about each in the coming books of the series, but for the first book, Ms. Mayer did well bringing me into the hidden world of these creatures. She definitely set up the mystery and danger surrounding the sisters as they discover their new paranormal powers and how they fit into a prophecy. I hope to learn more - and get the mysteries solved - as the series progresses.

A lot of unanswered questions were left at the end - a great set up for the next book in the series. I was surprised when I reached the ending, still expecting there to be more. The book is a bit shorter than I'm used to and I wish it was a bit longer. It doesn't need more in the way of world building or character development, I just feel like it, suddenly stopped mid-story. I know many authors use this as a set up for book 2, to make readers hungry to read the next one (which obviously works for this book as I really want to know how it all ends) but I still felt a little disappointed by the abrupt ending of this one.

I look forward to reading the second book in the series, Emerald Isle, when it releases this spring.

Reviewed by: Anastasia V. Pergakis

A free copy of this book was furnished by the author for review, but providing a copy did not guarantee a review. This information is provided per the regulations of the Federal Trade Commission.

"Peace Warrior: Peace Warrior Trilogy 1" by Steven L. Hawk

File Size: 376 KB (Kindle)
Paperback: 262 pages

Language: English
ASIN: B003UHVYQE

ISBN-13: 978-1452891668

Purchase: Kindle, Paperback, Nook

I was hooked into this book from the very beginning. Being a huge fan of military fiction and sci-fi, I was not disappointed by this book. The blurb posted on Amazon drew me into the story and I had to give it a shot. I'm so glad I did.

The story begins with the awful death of SFC Grant Justice. Then it shoots ahead hundreds of years in the future to where Earth has rid itself of war and all violence. Even cursing is seens a major offense that landed one in prison. As I said, that concept pulled me immediately into the story. Advancement in science allowed Grant Justice to be revived to help the Peaceful people of earth to fight against the Minith, an alien race that had enslaved the entire planet. But, Grant's revivial poses problems for the veteran soldier, as his very nature offends the very people he is trying to save.

I found Mr. Hawk's new Earth to be very interesting. I especially loved the new names for countries and cultures as well as the world government he built for this story. It was a great idea that fit perfectly with the "No Violence" world Earth had become. I don't want to give away too much of the story, but the world building in this book is very deep and I felt, completely realisitic due to the way Hawk presents the new world to the reader.

I was also impressed with the character of Grant Justice himself. He is a fully developed character, three dimensional. As a girl and Army Brat, I was completely entranced by Grant's sense of duty, honor, and loyalty to humankind. And yes, I admit, I found the character rather sexy too.

I can't wait to read more of this series. I couldn't put this one down. I can't wait to read Peace Army, the second book in the series, that already awaits me on my Kindle. I would recommend this book to anyone who loves military fiction and sci-fi.

Reviewed by: Anastasia V. Pergakis

"Excelsior" by George Sirois

Paperback: 207 pages
File Size: 287 KB (Kindle Edition)
Publisher: Infinity Publishing (July 30, 2010)
Language: English
ISBN-13: 978-0741460882 (Paperback)
ASIN: B003TXRYAY (Kindle Edition)
Purchase: Kindle, Paperback, Nook.
Website: www.GeorgeSirois.com

Excelsior tells the story of Matthew Peters, a somewhat lonely teen drudging through high school. He lives in a world he created from vivid dreams about Excelsior and the epic adventures that befall him. At least, he thought he created it. When one of his comic characters shows up, live and in person, Matthew soon realizes that his dreams were really memories – and Excelsior is a real person from Denab IV!

I was immediately drawn into this story from the first line and it kept me hooked until the very end! With action and more action in this story, it’s sure to keep you on the edge of your seat, just like it did me. I read it in one shot, fearing that if I put it down, I would miss a vital piece of information! The world of Denab IV that we visit in this story is truly magical. George put exquisite amount of work and detail into describing the new world and the culture of the Denarians and Krunations. I was sucked into the world and instantly felt a connection to the Denarians and their fight for survival.

I was most drawn to Matthew of course, because I could completely relate with him. Becoming lost in a story and almost obsessed with characters the way Matthew does with this comic, reminds me so much of myself in High School it’s not even funny! There is one moment where Matthew has his nose a few inches from the page he’s working on, not paying attention in class and I instantly remembered practically the same moment as it happened to me!

All parts of this book pulled me in and I became totally immersed into Matthew’s adventure! This is one of the best books I’ve read in many years and I highly recommend it to anyone – not just sci-fi lovers like myself. I think anyone will fall in love with this book because of it’s simple yet complex twists that just suck you right in!

Reviewed by: Anastasia V. Pergakis