Category Archives: Book Review

Captain Aricka Badu left Taarken Prime twelve years ago for very good reasons, and she seldom goes back. It was supposed to be a short run, but, between the pirates, a brewing civil war and her ex, she may never get to leave.

Caden Carnes hadn’t seen Ari in twelve years, but he’d never stopped thinking about her. Given their past, it wasn’t exactly surprising she stayed away. What was surprising was seeing her back on Taarken…ever, the mining planet she’d abandoned along with her lover and her family.

Her brother’s mining hauler is missing and Caden asks for Ari’s assistance along with her ship to go find it. One discovery leads to another, until all their secrets are out. Caden and Ari don’t have long to discover the most important thing in the universe; You can actually go home again.

Available on Amazon

BOOK REVIEW: This sci-fi setting is like real. It’s actually quite brilliantly understated. When imagining the universe being depicted here, it’s as if there’s nothing to prove – as if it’s just a matter of fact that this place exists and we all know it. This is a powerful human drama and romance set elsewhere, not on Earth…. The depth in the story itself is also impressive. We can easily imagine the prequel, which would be potentially even more intense and dramatic. I quite enjoyed joining in at the tail end of a story, with lives already blown apart, and seeing everything come together…. An intelligent and nicely constructed read.

Do you want to work from home and leave the rat race?
Do you dream of earning money online doing the things you love?
Do you want to own your time and work at your own pace?
Are you a freelancer but your gigs are not taking off?

This 2nd book of the Now What? Series is the author’s way of paying it forward, and all the information in its pages are based on her successful freelancing career. It will help you discover which of your skills are marketable, which are in demand, and how to entice and keep clients. She will share with you the mindset of successful freelancers, and what other freelancers are doing to make money.

After reading this book, you will have a clear path to a career that will allow you to work from anywhere you want, stay close to your loved ones and work at your own pace. At best, you might even get to quit your day job.

Available on Amazon

Available on Smashwords

BOOK REVIEW: No BS. Straight shooting! Anyone able to match the clarity and concision of this guide in an approach to online freelancing would be well on their way to success. I read this with an open mind, thirsty for an understanding of what opportunities might exist in the field for me in semi-retirement. What I took from the book was a YES, but that there are no shortcuts. This step-by-step instruction manual identifies the pathway to establishing a potentially successful online freelancing business, detailing what you’re going to need in terms of attitude, approach and skill. It gave me the sense that the author has already pioneered the pathway and is shining a light to follow – that whilst there are no shortcuts, there are long, unnecessary and costly detours to be avoided. Every word is entirely believable and starkly logical. There’s a hell of a lot here that makes me want to know and learn more.

I like the Braxians. From the opening scenes of this story it’s easy to imagine them. An alien race enslaved by humans. It’s easy to get on board with their plight and cheer for them. The conflict here is the kind that immediately pulls you into the fictional universe depicted. What transpires from there is a pretty good thriller and an excellent romance. We are given plenty to satisfy the appetite in this fast paced, action packed episode, and where we end up feels like it’s just the beginning. Classic sci-fi romance with a good serve of intrigue.

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Nothing much happens in the small Australian town of Sunset Point, which is just the way the locals like it. So when an outsider with grand plans threatens to demolish an iconic local landmark to build a huge resort the battle lines are drawn. Young journalist Jessica hopes to make it big with her coverage of the court case, but first she must appease her editor and put a human interest spin on the situation.

At first glance the five people she chooses to background have little in common – but it soon becomes clear that staying at The Beach House has changed all of them in some way.

In telling the stories of Kate, Simone, Tom, Clare and Jack, Jessica too learns some important life lessons.

   Actually, I’ve been to the beach house, metaphorically. Any place with important personal history is the beach house. It’s horrible when you drive past somewhere you remember fondly from some life event years ago and find it’s been re-developed. It’s gone… This is a wonderfully uplifting read. The many stories, brilliantly intertwined, are so real and inspiring… If you’re an Aussie you will probably like this book. If you’re not an Aussie you will probably like this book.

Available on Amazon

Historical Fiction: In the 17th Century Lord Cromwell arrived in Ireland with one mission, to address the Irish Problem. This story follows children stolen from their families and sold into slavery into the Caribbean and their journey back to their homes.

   The setting for this powerful adventure is 17th century on the high seas. Pirates and warring nations. Life and death. The idea of children being stolen and sold into slavery halfway around the world is shocking, and it is aptly portrayed here. The story is confronting in its brutality, in the pain of families torn apart, of innocent people murdered. Beneath an expertly detailed depiction of these atrocities is a sweeping tale of guts, courage and the triumph of human spirit. Set aside a full weekend to be transported to another time by this book.

Available on Amazon

Janine Waldron arrives home unexpectedly to find a scene so shocking that it causes her to lose all reason. She embarks on a road trip across Australia, from Brisbane to Broome, indulging in uncharacteristic behaviour that becomes more degrading and dangerous the further she travels.

As a strange contradiction, people she has never met begin to tell her about defining events in their lives. Realizing the important messages these stories contain, Janine records each one in writing, intending to publish them in a single volume.

This project is her only hope of staying grounded in reality. Is this enough to save this sensitive and creative woman?

   True to life characters and an outback Aussie road trip… this is a touching and shocking human drama, the telling of which begins in turmoil and takes us on two journeys. One is the road trip – onward into discovery and hurt. The other is a series of flashbacks that lead us to our starting point and an expertly crafted reveal. Wonderfully written – mesmerizing… this is a terrific novel.

Available on Amazon

Just as retired G-man John Hixon recovers from wounds incurred from a security detail in which he saved the life of billionaire investor Julian F. Thibaut, Thibaut calls him again. This time, his talents, intuition, and experience are put to the test as he attempts to protect seven of Thibaut’s friends while investigating a murder. In this, his second novel, FCEtier brings eight new characters into play along with several from his previous novel, The Tourist Killer.

Hixon and company, along with his loyal K-9 corps, must defend their home turf as they seek the truth behind international conspiracies and encounter the seat of ultimate power — the puppeteers who control the world’s finances. Hixon and company discover that those same powerful forces who control the world’s money also control the destinies of those who oppose them. FCEtier takes readers on a breathless and perilous trek through the jungles of politics and the palaces of power.

   Standouts in this novel are the realistic characters and their dialogue, and an intelligent plot. The club of old men at the centre of things seem ordinary and innocuous. You are fascinated by their interactions and their minds, but you wonder where it’s all leading. You are actually pulled quite unsuspectingly into the intrigue – or perhaps it’s a case of the characters being so interesting and well written that you are distracted from the plot and freshly surprised by the way it steadily builds and escalates into a powerful political thriller. Yes, the strength of both the plot and the characters are quite impressive. I’d highly recommend this novel to readers who like an intellectual challenge to go with their serving of wit, humour and suspense.

Available on Amazon: 

Just past actuality and third universe on the left…

Emily Branwell wakes up one morning with a hangover and finds her horoscope is astoundingly accurate, sausages keep appearing out of nowhere all around her, and she can walk through walls. That is confusing enough, but when a huge, threatening shadow appears in the sky, Emily must solve the riddle of her rapidly disintegrating world before reality itself collapses.

In her quest for answers, Emily seeks the help of both psychics and scientists, but finds that ultimately the truth lies far beyond the world anyone knows.

Maybe next time she’ll count her drinks.

Plato’s Cave takes a humorous look at humanity’s search for truth and the meaning of existence through the eyes of someone who wishes the universe would just stop bothering her.

BOOK REVIEW: This is an excellent, highly imaginative story you can just read and enjoy. You could also read it again and again and delve deeper into Plato, I suspect. I liked the witty, irreverent style of storytelling the author used, even apologetic about getting too philosophical or scientific in places. It kept things light and enjoyable and kept the story powering along. Terrific characters, especially the heroine. The sausages… classic!!

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Little Doll is a dark, gritty story not for the faint hearted. It’s not all bad. Redemption, forgiveness and trust are central themes that are weaved amongst the character’s interactions. If you are easily offended by most things violent, this tale of survival may not be for you.

Laila had already overcome many heartbreaking obstacles in her twenty-five years… but none compared to this. With her brother missing and no other family to speak of, Laila has no idea of the evil that shadows her every move. Now in the hands of a notorious cartel family, she quickly learns that trust and betrayal are a deadly mix.

Aiden had a plan. One that was operating smoothly until Laila surfaced in his father’s mansion. With time against him, he must work night and day to right the wrongs that threaten to expose his ultimate betrayal.

Juan and Aiden share many differences, but the one thing that threatens to tear their family apart is the one thing they want to claim as their own, no matter what the costs.

This series continues with Part Two: Crimson Desert (Bittersweet Duet)

This book contains themes and situations some may find confronting.

   The beautiful young heroine in this powerhouse of a book is dragged through shocking acts of violence, through deprivation, imprisonment, lust, domination, desperation, need, passion, betrayal… She is wonderfully drawn – authentic and endearing in her blend of fight and vulnerability. You’re going to want to personally get your hands on her captors. They are excruciating to read. Our hero is a bit of a mystery so far. The way the heroine is driven to (mistakenly?) hate and despise him is brilliant storytelling. Just how much she is now indebted to him is tantalising…. I’m so glad the next volume is already available. This story is too good to stop reading at this point. A cover to cover edge-of-your-seat thriller.

Available on Amazon

“Fight me or Marry me!” Frances Kendrick was not a woman willing to sit idly by and wait for her Prince Charming. An heiress, the best rider, hunter and swordsman in the Royal County of Berkshire in the last year’s of good Queen Anne’s reign, she found the men presented to her either boring, stupid, or most often both. Until she met this scapegrace of a lawyer, Benjamin Child. This sweet romance with a paranormal twist follows their developing passion and the means they used to bring their romance to fruition despite the objections of her trustees.

Set in Reading and thereabouts in 1714, the story commences with the memorial service for Frances’ older brother. Since she is the heiress to a baronet, Miss Kendrick did not want for suitors. She wanted for acceptable suitors, as the men she met were simply not up to her standards. When she finally meets one who is, a circuit-riding barrister named Benjamin Child, her trustee’s refuse their approval. He’s too much of a fortune hunter, gambler and wastrel for their tastes. Despite their difference in rank and fortune, he’s the man for her and she’s the woman for him.

Complications abound in the story, ranging from a gypsies’ curse, to highwaymen, to nobbling jockey’s before a critical horse race, and even to the activities of the Hellfire Club.

Book Review: The heroine is a handful. Way too intelligent and strong willed for the conventions of her time. The way she fights, deceives and manipulates to get what she wants out of life makes for a bit of a romp, but the fact that this tale is based on a true story is quite sobering. It’s also very romantic and interesting because of that. For word of this lady to be around 300 years later, she must have made quite an impression at the time… I felt well enough immersed in the early 18th century setting, with minimal detail allowing the plot to move along quickly, making for a fast and exciting read. There’s a cute supernatural twist that offers another dimension to the tale. This quite cleverly heightened the intensity of the climax and ending with a parallel timeline. It also brought our protagonists to the intersection of storytelling and true-to-life… Well done!