Relic (The Dean Curse Chronicles) by Steven Whibley

The secret Society began more than a thousand years ago, during a time when kings took war seriously, while disregarding human life. The Society evolved out of necessity to preserve life.

Dean Curse continues to be the youngest member of the secret Society, being only fourteen. He wonders why he was never given the chance to accept or reject membership. In Relic, he learns why everyone in the world isn’t a member - People are different, and some would use the gift for their own benefit, others would go insane having to deal with the visions and possible failures resulting in death.

Accepting his life’s fate as a member in the Society, Dean’s visions of people in danger of losing their life, is all-consuming. He shares his visions with a few of his best friends, which certainly helps Dean deal with his vision to vision occurrences, especially since he only has twenty-four stressful hours to save a life.

Relic is about Dean’s vision of a museum robbery, where he believes a monk will be killed. Brainstorming strategies, he and his friends involve breaking the law and the police.

I recommend Relic, because it is packed full of adventure for kids, and may spark an interest to put down the video games and start a fun secret society of their own. Family and friendship values are sprinkled throughout the book, which is a secret bonus in itself.

Planet Willie by Josh Shoemake

A Heavenly Detective

 

Being dead and hanging out in heaven isn’t Willie Lee’s cup of tea. After being murdered as a mortal, his ‘future’ becomes rather boring, until he is given a task to change from his angelic state to incarnate and become a detective back on earth.

 

Sporting a no-holds-barred attitude, Willie provides plenty of humor (at times, off-color) throughout the story. He wastes no time enjoying a politically incorrect life, which includes plenty of booze and women.

 

This is not your typical book; the characters are exaggerated and a bit outrageous. Watching Willie balance his angelic thoughts and actions with earth’s many temptations, is amusing.

 

Trying to complete his original task, Willie would also like to solve his own murder mystery.  Is he a successful detective?  Find out by reading Planet Willie by Josh Shoemake. It’s an unusual story, demonstrating a change of pace to be entertaining.

Magic Bridge by Thomasina Burke

A trip around the world!

 

Browsing for a good novel, I was fortunate to locate this treasure, Magic Bridge. The pitch for the book described the setting in Arizona, and having lived in Phoenix, I was excited to take the trip. It was nostalgic visiting Phoenix and other memorable places in the great state of Arizona.

 

There’s more to the story than beautiful landscape, however. We share the lives of Bridgette and Matt, who meet in Crown King, Arizona. Not only do they fall in love and marry, but they travel the world, and as lucky readers, we get to hike right alongside the couple.

 

As with any relationship, there are ups and downs, and Bridgette and Matt live through adversities most relationships hope to escape. Promises are made and Bridgette is put to the test in keeping her word.

 

What balances the heartbreak of the story is being able to travel the world with two characters that relish life, and are intelligent, interesting, and very real. The true meaning of friendship is a major theme in Magic Bridge, and Bridgette and Matt’s friends are the cream of the crop.

 

Booklovers, who appreciate history, and stories about genuine relationships, will be captivated taking a trip around the world with Bridgette and Matt.

Daughters by Florence Osmund

Captivating me immediately, I anticipated a story filled with rich history and conflict of the 1940’s and 50’s. My expectations weren’t met after reading the first couple of chapters.

The story was about a young woman, Marie, who lived her first twenty-something years as a white woman, only to discover the father she never met, was a Negro. Conflicted with being biracial was the heart of the story. But Marie’s conflict involved excessive commentary lacking an equal amount of struggle.

While it was a noble story, with a link to history, I felt so much more could have been expounded to add historical depth. It mentioned a few events, adding language, music, and culture, but I longed for more.

My favorite character was Richard, Marie’s ex-husband. He sprinkled conflict into the story and I looked forward to his unexpected visits.

Daughters, by Florence Osmund, is a feel good story about relationships that will leave you thinking about your own believes and prejudices. Simply touching on historical accounts of the era, it may serve as a motivator for research.

Stop the Whistleblower by Charles Deemer

Reading the novella, Stop the Whistleblower, is compelling.  The book is written like a screenplay and I’m fascinated by the no fluff writing style of Charles Deemer.

As the title suggests, the book is about a whistleblower. Ray is a white man who works for BeautiLine. VitaTan is a new suntan pill the company manufactures and according to Ray, the pill is not safe and he can prove it, and we all know what happens to whistleblowers.

Drastic measures are taken to keep Ray quiet – an overdose of VitaTan – and Ray is now a black man. Trying to convince everyone he is Ray, the white man, is where the story becomes full of suspense and humor. That’s right, I found it to be quite comical at times, which makes it an entertaining read.

Experiencing life as a black man is eye-opening for Ray, his situations range from not being able to hail a cab, to sleeping with a black woman, to being arrested. This all happens while he tries to deal with a jealous half-brother and revenge plans for BeautiLine.

No spoilers here, you’ll have to read, Stop the Whistleblower, by Charles Deemer, to see if Ray lives his life as a free white man or an incarcerated black man.

The Tegen Cave by Inge-Lise Goss

A Spider’s Web of Crime and Corruption

Escaping from her boyfriend, Conner, and his mafia-style life of organized crime, Sara Jones becomes a silent hero in this tangled web of mystery and suspense.

Spiders remain busy spinning a murderous web when they are signaled by a unique sound heard only by spiders. Possessing poisonous venom, the spiders complete their mission consistently.

Sara learns she is immune to the poison, and this is where the story begins to build up suspense on every page.

Caught in a web of deceit, Sara isn’t sure who to trust, Conner, the gorgeous hunk of a boyfriend who entangled her into his life of crime, or the other gorgeous hunk of a boyfriend, Brett, who replaces Conner. Yes, there’s plenty of sex interweaved with horror and violence in The Tegen Cave.

Keeping up with Sara’s libido as she tries to spin a web of moral survival is incredibly entertaining. All the characters become real in this particular world of spiders and creative fiction by Inge-Lise Goss.

Appreciating extraordinary writing was a pleasure. I was engaged throughout the story as there was never a predictable event. I’m hoping for a sequel to The Tegan Cave, by Inge-Lise Goss.

The Dream You Make by Christine Nolfi

Complex relationships

Annie McDaniel is in her thirties – owns and manages Green Interiors, a greenhouse – acting like a teenager at times, in other respects, an intelligent business woman. Michael Rowe is in his thirties - owns and manages Rowe Marketing, a successful marketing firm – acting like a brute at times, in other respects, a caring and generous boss. When the two meet, during Annie’s interview to work at Rowe’s Marketing Firm, there is an immediate attraction.

Annie tries to keep her personal life from her boss, Michael Rowe. Any relationship would jeopardize her chances of gaining custody of her nephew. The secrecy drives Michael crazy, and his way of handling bad situations is to pack up and leave.

While Annie reciprocates Michael’s love, she must put her nephew first, which creates feelings of angst in the relationship.

During most of the story, I couldn’t stand Michael, but I grew to understand and love the guy. The same could be said for Annie, at times, her behavior drove me nuts. Their relationship was complex and is thought provoking – do I judge people too quickly, too harsh – do I give people a chance?

The Dream You Make is all about second and even third chances. Both Annie and Michael forgave each other many times for a chance of happiness.

While I enjoyed the story, I agreed with a remark made by Michael, during a usual work day, “Damn it! I’m sick and tired of the theatrics!” 

Understanding the first section of chapter one served as an introduction, the information was more enjoyable when it was integrated afterward and into the first chapters.

The Dream You Make by Christine Nolfi gives hope to all relationships.