Review of Dig Two Graves: Revenge and Honor by Nick Vellis. Review by R.L.Bailey

Review of Dig Two Graves: revenge and Honor by Nick Vellis

Mystery, suspense, historical fiction

Review by R.l. Bailey

5/5 angel wings for story

For a first time author, Nick Vellis has done himself and the literary world proud. This book is an extremely well written, well thought-out book, and one that grabs your attention from the first.

It is the story of AJ Pantheras and begins with the murder of his father. AJ, like his dad, is an attorney, although in his father’s opinion not an honorable one because of the clientele. AJ wants to be a full partner at the law firm his father owns, but that won’t be happening as his father doesn’t believe he deserves it. On a trip to Boston, his dad is killed in what is apparently a mugging, or so the Police want everyone to believe. AJ doesn’t believe it and travels there to find out the truth. There he meets Ceres Savas, a supposed friend of his grandfather.

Thus starts one of the best mysteries I have read in a long while. AJ’s grandfather was in the Greek resistance during World War II, and the story weaves seamlessly between then and the present. AJ, hearing about a treasure that would also explain his father’s murder, heads to Greece and hires an Italian P.I., Gina, and together they rush to unravel the great mystery.

I refuse to plant spoilers, I am one who believes a great mystery needs to be discovered one clue at a time, and Mr. Vellis delivers the goods in spades. Rarely have I read a book from a first time author that I have enjoyed so much! If you love mysteries, suspense, and just a bit of history thrown in, may I suggest you read Dig Two Graves: Revenge and Honor. I promise you won’t be disappointed.

 

 

www.nickvellis.com

 

 

 

 

 

Review of Lost Shadows by Julie Elizabeth Powell

Review of Lost Shadows by Julie Elizabeth Powell

By R.L. Bailey

Genre: thriller

Sub-genre- Mystery

4/5 Angel wings for story

www.freewebs.com/julizpow

*book given to reviewer for fair and honest review*

 

When trying to write this review, I had to stop and think: was this mystery? A thriller? Or was it a horror story? In the end, it’s a little bit of all three. The story begins with Adam, a little boy who lost his parents and his memory in a horrific car accident. He dreams of people, but he can’t place them. As time passes, the watchers, his name for the doctors, nurses and social workers who care for him, can’t figure him out. He SEES things in his dreams, he knows his parents are gone, but he has no feelings about it one way or the other.

Then we meet Helen and Pamela, Hank, and the mysterious William. Each one is tied to the other in some way, and it doesn’t start to come together really for the reader until the second half of the book. The fine line between sanity and madness is examined in this book; each character is searching, trying to find IT, whatever that may be for them.

Miss Powell has written an ingenious, intriguing book, one you have to really read to get the full effect of the story. Parts fantasy, some real horror, and at its core, a mystery/thriller. The plot doesn’t weaken at all through the entire book, and after finishing it, I had some questions, mainly who the heck is William really? And will there be a sequel? For my own opinion, there should be. Miss Powell has a clear voice, and her writing is equal parts poetry in motion and sublime narration. It kept my attention from the first sentence to the last. Kudos to the author, this is the first book of hers I’ve read, and I have already looked at her others.

Review of C Through Marriage by Reverend Jim Hughes

Review by R.L. Bailey

Genre- Self Help

5/5 Angel stars

Stand alone book

 

Being married does not necessarily mean that we will always live happily ever after. We wish it were so, but life is not like that. Life has its ups and downs. There are many good times, and there are times in which life is not so good. Calamity happens to everybody sooner or later.

 

This statement is in the first chapter of the book C Through Marriage, by Rev. Jim Hughes. It is quite possibly one of the best and well written paragraphs I have ever read. Everyone goes into marriage thinking it’s going to be hearts and flowers, and as Rev. Hughes points out, life doesn’t work that way.

Each chapter starts with the letter C.  Cash, Contentment, Courtship, etc., and at the end of each chapter are points to ponder. In each chapter, you learn something you might not have known, or…known but never acknowledged. The book is a fast read. Rev. Hughes points things out in a simple, easy-to-understand way. Also, each chapter is laced with biblical references, which makes sense since the author is a Pastor.

I really, really liked this book. From both a spiritual and secular point of view, the book just makes sense. Too many times a married couple believes that the honeymoon will last forever, and it just doesn’t. Daily living, money woes, children, different ways of doing things all come into play in a marriage and too easily these days, people will give up and move on to another person. A real marriage, both in mind, body, and soul requires work. Rev. Hughes makes the case that with open, honest communication, prayer, and a spiritual base, any marriage can be helped.

 

 

Review of A Bird without Wings, by Roberta Pearce

Title: A Bird Without Wings

Series: No

Author Name:  Roberta Pearce

Reviewer: A.R. Wise

Main Genre: Romance

Sub Genre:

Story Rating: 5 out of 5 Kisses

Heat Rating: 3.5 out of 5 Flames

http://robertapearce.blogspot.com/

 

*Provided to reviewers to honest review*

 

In the second grade Calandra (Callie) Dahl was asked, “What is the most important thing in the world?” Her answer, “Money.” In A Bird Without Wings, (a romance about two people from very different worlds and the mystery that brings them together) Callie figures out that money is not the most important thing in the world. Callie is the daughter of gypsies, who grew up with love but not enough money to sometimes feed, clothe and house them. With all the self-doubt she has, Callie grew up to be a beautiful and intelligent woman. Lucius Randsome (Luscious as Callie calls him) is the golden boy of the wealthy Randsome lineage. He is handsome, intelligent, a financial wiz. His life would be different if he didn’t have to always fix his family’s problems. Rachel, Lucius’ long-time friend, puts the two on the path for romance when she suggests Callie to head up a special research project for Lucius.

 

Callie hates to be the center of attention but isn’t afraid to speak up when something isn’t right. Lucius barely pays her any attention, even after her disastrous entrance and exit into his office. That is, until Rachel gives Callie a makeover and pretty much pushes her and Lucius on each other. When she is on the case of the HRF, Callie is confident, vibrant. Lucius desires her, and first, can’t figure out why. But putting his mind to getting her and coupling it with close, secretive work is an explosive combination.

I really enjoyed this story, though I could have wrung Callie’s neck several times for selling herself short so often. It drove me nuts. Her constantly doubting herself and putting herself down started to wear thin and made me want to skip those pages. The sex was understated  but still  worked well for the story. What I didn’t like was the constant use of acronyms. There were way too many thrown in throughout the story.

All-n-all this story was well written with an excellent plot and characters. The people are real and honest. They exhibit real emotions with past and present shortcomings. The message behind the ugly bird painting was a lesson most people could use. A wonderful story, Ms. Pearce. A wonderful story indeed.

 

 

 

Review of A Dubious Curse, by Gerald J. Kubicki & Kristopher Kubicki

Review of A Dubious Curse, by Gerald J. Kubicki & Kristopher Kubicki

Review by R.L. Bailey

Book 8 in series:  Colton Banyon Mystery

Genre: Mystery

Sub Genre: Action adventure

5/5 angel wings for story

*book given to reviewer for fair and honest review*

 

I have to start by saying, I have never read one of the Colton Banyon Mysteries, so starting at book 8, I was worried that I wouldn’t understand what was going on. However, I am glad to say this wasn’t the case. This is a stand-alone book, at least for me, and I loved it.

 

The book starts out at the beginning of World War II. The Nazis have been given a rare chance at building a device that can bend time, but as they were wont to do, the women who asked for their help were imprisoned and managed to get away with the diary that contained all the answers.

 

Cut to many years later: we meet Lisa Lange, a Professor of History. She also holds a secret. She is the last direct descendant of the Vril, a secret group who believed in a Utopian world, and someone wants her. There is a group, The Effort, whose members are all Nazis that escaped after the war and are trying to resurrect the Third Reich in America.

 

Enter Colton. He is a Private Investigator. At least, that’s his cover. What he really is, is a Nazi Hunter. Helped along by Wolf, a dead man who is Colton’s guide, the two have had great success in doing what they do. Wolf can only answer questions put to him by Colton, that is part of the curse placed on him as he was dying. After working together for so many years, Colton knows how to ask for anything. A mysterious murder in Mexico makes headline news, and our Hero contacts his guide, which is how he found out about Lisa, the Vril, and how one dying Nazi plans to get the diary and the girl.

 

This book is so chock full of plot and twists, it was like being on the best joyride. The authors blend history and fantasy so well, and after you get over your initial fear that this is an Indiana Jones ripoff, the reader can really get lost in the story. There is plenty to keep you reading, and I have to say considering this is book 8 and not book 1, it makes me want to go and read the rest of the series. There are some issues with the book, some unnecessary plot points, but not enough to detract from the overall theme of the book. Congratulations to the authors, it was one heck of a great read.

Review of Dark War by Meg Amor Reviews by A.R. Wise AND R.L. Bailey

Title: Dark War (Wild Darkness Calls)

Series: No

Author Name:  Meg Amor

Reviewer: A.R. Wise

Main Genre: Erotic Romance

Sub Genre: Ménage, M/M/F

Story Rating: 3.5 out of 5 Kisses

Heat Rating: 4.0 out of 5 Flames

 

 

*Provided to reviewers to honest review*

 

In Dark War, Charlie Laralde is a man so emotionally destroyed that the words of a hateful woman sends him on a path of self-destruction that could cost him his life. The love of a man that’s been there for him all his life and the love a good woman is the only thing to save him. All Charlie has ever wanted was someone to love him, but little did he know that Henry and Izzy already do. They love him just the way he loves them.

 

The dialog was a bit much. The use of the word “baby” was excessive. I found that for characters of their ages (68, 58 and 38) they sounded more people in their mid to late twenties. I did, however, find the emotion between the two guys very heartwarming. Henry has been there for Charlie since they were children in ways no other person would ever have been.

 

I do believe my favorite line in the story is:

“I don’t want a pity ****. You’re not into men anyway,” I say. Now I’m wondering if this is real. Shit, maybe I got slipped something in my drink tonight. The whole night has taken on surreal proportions. I’m starting to lose my grip on reality. I thought I was sobering up, but it doesn’t seem so.

 

“I’m into you.” Henry’s tawny eyes smolder. It’s the same passionate come-to-bed look he give Izzy.

 

I wish this story was longer. I would have liked to hear more on Charlie’s background to say why he felt the way he did. There are little hints, but nothing really significant. I would have liked to see the strong, feisty Izzy give Liz what she deserved for her meanness.

 

All-in-all truly not a bad story just needed more.

 

———————————————————————————————————————————————-

 

Review of Dark War by Meg Amor

Review by R.L. Bailey

Genre: Erotica/Menage

2/5 angel wings for story

4/5 flames for heat

Stand alone

*book given to reviewer for fair and honest review*

 

This COULD have been such a good short story. Could being the operative word. The book is about three people: Charlie, Henry and Izzy.

Henry and Izzy are a couple deeply in love. Charlie is their best friend and worst nightmare. Henry has spent his life pulling Charlie out of one fire or the other, and this latest one is the topper of them all.

Charlie goes missing, they find him, in the most filthy and degrading condition at his hiding place. Chasing the hangers-on away with threats of violence, the couple clean up their friend, and the honest-talk starts. A huge ménage scene finishes the short story, with the couple declaring their love for Charlie.

The book is so confusing to read, and the reason is simple. There is so much head hopping going around, jumping from one point of view to the other that the reader doesn’t know who’s narrative they are reading. The story feels rushed and unfinished, as if this was the middle of the book, not the entire story. I don’t know what the author was trying to get across, there was no clear voice in the entire read. I really wanted to like it, the idea of it is good, but there could be so much more.

 

 

Review of Agony by K. Shitij

Title: Agony

Series: No

Author Name:  Kshitij

Reviewer: A.R. Wise

Main Genre: Horror

Sub Genre: Mystery

Story Rating: 2.5 out of 5

 

*Provided to reviewer to honest review*

 

Agony is basically the story of one person using another to stop her own nightmares (literally). I went into this story hoping for a good horror. That is not what I got. There is a story, but it’s hard to stay interested long enough to get to it. The book could also use a good editor. Someone to help with the language difference. There was a lot of head-hoping throughout with no breaks in between. It was hard to figure out who was talking at times.

 

The interaction and reactions of the characters are flat and stay that way throughout the story. A reader is forced to read through page after page of minute, pointless details to glean the next snippet of the actual story. We really don’t need to be told every tiny action and thought.

 

Like I said before, there is a story within, you just have to wade through everything else to reach it. In the true sense of a horror story, this is not, but in the sense of today’s “Hollywood” horror, it is. I would recommend a bit of editing and restructuring then republishing. This tale can be told.

Review of Hard Choices, by Hillary Clinton, by R.L. Bailey

Review of

Hard Choices by Hillary Rodham Clinton

Review by R.L. Bailey

A Biography

5/5 angel wings

 

A caveat…I love Hillary Clinton and I have since she was nothing more than the wife of a man wanting to be President, so it was with great glee that her newest book finally hit the shelves. Let me say right from the get go, if you aren’t a fan of Mrs. Clinton, this book won’t change your mind.

The book starts on June 5, 2008, with Hillary on her way to a secret meeting with then candidate, Barack Obama. Mrs. Clinton describes that meeting as something akin to an awkward first date, and the reader can see why. It was a first chance to reunite the party, and make a solid unified run for the White House.

Of course, then came the speech. The one that broke the heart of every Hillary supporter; mine included. I can remember sitting there, tears pouring down my face as she so graciously dropped out of the running.

“Although we weren’t able to shatter that highest, hardest glass ceiling this time, thanks to you, it’s got about 18 million cracks in it. And the light is shining through like never before, filling us all with the hope and the sure knowledge that the path will be a little easier next time. That has always been the history of progress in America.”

Her speech later on at the Democratic National Convention was one of her finest moments in public life and forever sealed her place in the national circuit. After the disappointment of losing the nomination, Mrs. Clinton assumed she would go back to doing what she did so well; represent the people of New York. But the now President Obama had bigger and better plans for her. Soon, she was sworn in as Secretary of State, the most senior post in the Cabinet and fourth in line to the presidency. A job she, quite frankly, didn’t want. Yet her spirit of public duty, of putting the good of the country ahead of her own needs, kicked in and she took the job.

The book runs over the course of the four years she was Secretary of State. To me, the most dramatic of those years was the night the SEALS captured and killed Osama Bin Laden. You can feel the collective hearts pounding in unison as the President, Secretary of State Clinton, and others watch in horrified awe as first the copter set down, then the heroic actions of the men sent in to do the job take over. She writes of the strained relations between the U.S. and Europe, and the terrible, awful night of September 11, 2012, when our Embassy in Bengazi, Libya was attacked and four men were killed. During the hearings over what happened, Mrs. Clinton took responsibility for the security lapses that led to the attacks.

No matter what she dealt with, from a rude Russian Premier, to those who would pat her on the head and say good little girl, now go back in the kitchen where you belong,  Mrs. Clinton has held her head high and proud. She isn’t afraid to confront an issue head on, and she doesn’t back down when right is on her side. Her writing is crisp, clear, and very concise. She doesn’t sugar coat anything, nor would I expect her to. She handles her detractors with grace and class, even those hard, painful moments of her life that should have remained private.

As I said in the beginning of this review, if you are not a fan, you won’t be after reading this book. If you are, then what you will take away is a better understanding of the woman behind the titles of wife, mother, Senator, Secretary of State, and for me and a generation of women who have waited patiently for our turn, hopefully one day, President Hillary Clinton.

 *book bought by reviewer*

Review of Dangerously Happy by Varian Krylov, by A.R. Wise

Title: Dangerously Happy

Series: No

Author Name:  Varian Krylov

Reviewer: A.R. Wise

Main Genre: Romance

Sub Genre: Erotica/LGBT/BDSM (M/M, M/F/M, M/M/M)

Story Rating: 3.5 out of 5

Heat Rating: 5 out of 5

http://variansfiction.blogspot.com/

 

*purchased by reviewer*

 

I purchased this book, as I do a lot, based on the cover.

 

The story starts off slow, sweet, and endearing but doesn’t stay that way as the plot slowly shifts to dark secrets and past traumas. If you only looked at the cover, you’d believe the book was strictly M/M, but that is not the case. There is both MMF and MMM ménages a trôis. While for me these aren’t bad things to have in a story, at first glance, I hadn’t expected them.  Other things that some may not like include: rape fantasies, humiliation, references to rape. All of which I could live without.

 

I think there is more to this book than just a love story between two guys. Dario is a gay, tortured writer with a past that haunts him. Aiden is a “straight” part-time musician who has an un-fulfilling day job. They have been around each other in the same circle for a few years but were basically acquaintances until one night when they were unexpectedly alone together. After Aiden plays a song for Dario, then read his book with unexpected results on Aiden’s part, they take tentative steps to act on their attraction.  They both have issues to work out on their own and together, which made them jumping into BDSM and threesomes so fast, one with a female and one with a very dominating man, hard to believe and/or understand.

 

In the end, this is an intimate, erotic, and eerie read.  It would benefit from some tidying up; spelling/grammar, plot-wise. I would also recommend the author not use words that would require some people to have to stop reading and grab a dictionary to get the meaning of the word.  I couldn’t quite sink my teeth (so to speak) into the story, which kept me from really enjoying. It felt more like I was being told what happened than seeing what was happening for myself.

Review of Keeping His Destiny by Princess so and Talon ps by R.L. Bailey

Review of Keeping His Destiny by Princess So and Talon ps

Review by R.L. Bailey

Stand Alone

Genre: Post-Apocalyptic / Dark Fantasy

Secondary Genre: Erotica

4/5/ Angel wings for Story

4/5 flames for heat

 

I have reviewed many of Princess So and Talon Ps’ books, and it’s fair to say I am a huge fan of their writing. Having said that, this one, Keeping His Destiny, was a little hard to review. I am not a fan of this genre in particular, but I am a lover of the written word, so I picked up my copy and started reading.

In a nutshell, the world as we know it is long gone. There are no more countries, Presidents, or Kings. Instead, there are the Blood Lords. Generals from times past who have taken over, and not in a good way.

The story centers on Tannin, a man who the Keepers of Destiny are watching over, and Aari, a woman who is more than human. It is she who Tannin seeks, for she is a Symboite, and possibly the last breeder left on what is left of Earth.

In a twist, he finds her hiding in plain sight, among the very people charged with hunting down and killing those of her kind.

A mysterious being, the Edify Mother, has brought these two together for reasons that are her own but will be made known to all soon enough.

The world created by Princess So and Talon Ps is not one for the faint of heart. It’s rough and dangerous, and things we take for granted now are nonexistent in the future. Tannin reminds me of those old gunslingers from the westerns we all watched as a child. He is a fighter, and a man who wants what was promised him; his destiny. This is an excellent read, the writing so imaginative that I can picture the world as it is written in my mind. However, having said that, one has to have a huge love of this kind of genre. The words and sayings created by the authors take some time to get through, although they did include a glossary at the end of the book, just in case you are like me and got lost once or twice.

As stated earlier, I love the authors and will read anything they write. I did enjoy Keeping his Destiny, even if I did have to use the glossary once…or twice.

*arc gifted to reviewer for fair and honest review*