Search Results for: musa

The Red Barn by October Weeks

November 20, 2012 By Leave a Comment

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The Red Barn by October Weeks
Publisher: Musa Publishing
Genre: Sci-Fi/Fantasy, Contemporary, Paranormal
Length: Short Story (12 pages)
Rating: 4.5 Stars
Reviewed by Astilbe

When a ghost reaches her limit with an unwanted guest, there’s no telling what Hell will arise.

I have escaped my afterlife for over two centuries; locking my spirit into the old red barn. There have been many owners since my death, but none have ever given me as much strength and feeling as the new male owner does. There’s just one problem; his wife.

She sickens me, and I can no longer take her presence in my barn. She comes and takes my personal belongings- to sell.

She is unbearable to me- one of us has to go. And it sure as hell isn’t going to be me.

A bump in the night. Inanimate objects that suddenly move around. A cold spot in an otherwise warm, well-insulated room. We all know the signs of a haunted building but have you ever wondered what it’s like be on the other side of it?

After the narrator dies, the life she left behind melts into the background of her mind like bare tree limbs on a foggy autumn morning. Her memories of the time before are so dim that the reader never even learns her name. Only her white hot anger remains.

It was novel to to experience the elements of a traditional haunting from the perspective of the ghost. I’d always assumed that spirits know about the havoc they’re wreaking and are in full control of when and how they influence the living. Adding this twist reminded me of some of my favourite nineteenth and twentieth century gothic novels.

I would have liked to see some sort of explanation for certain choices the narrator made before her death. We’re shown what she did without being given any reasons for why these events occur. While I understand the need to keep exposition brief in a tale of this length I think the plot would have flowed more smoothly if the readers had access to some additional information about this character.

The Red Barn is one of the most chilling stories I’ve read in 2012. I highly recommend it to anyone who loves a good ghost story. Curl up on a cold, rainy night with a warm cup of cocoa and prepare for a wild ride!

Filed Under: Reviews, Science Fiction/Fantasy Tagged With: , , , , ,

freefall by Susan Rae

November 16, 2012 By Leave a Comment

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freefall by Susan Rae
Publisher: Musa Publishing
Genre: Contemporary, Suspense/Mystery
Length: Full Length (260 pgs)
Heat Level: Spicy
Rating: 3.5 stars
Reviewed by Poinsettia

Freak accident, or attempted murder? Kate needs answers to her brother’s plane crash, but can she trust undercover DEA agent “Spike” Larsen to deliver them?

He felt as if he was falling—freefalling through 15,000 feet—without a parachute. It was exciting, thrilling—and deadly. He’d brought Kate up here to protect her, to keep her out of trouble. He’d told himself he owed that much to Keith. Now all he wanted to do was take her down into the cabin and ravage her ‘til dawn…

Kate Reynolds’s quest to unravel the mystery of her brother’s plane crash throws her into the turbulent wake of suave pilot/mechanic Everett Larsen. His gray gaze ignites in her a passion as powerful as a jet stream, but it also sparks a memory…

Drawn to Milwaukee by Keith’s cryptic message, Larsen is unprepared for the torrent of emotion he feels when he sees Kate—after his wife’s death, he is afraid to love again. But when Kate gets too close to the truth, he is even more afraid to lose her.

Can Kate solve the mystery of Keith’s plane crash before she has an “accident” of her own?

After losing her job and going through a tough divorce, Kate is just beginning to put the pieces of her life back together and has even started her own business. Her brother’s plane crash throws Kate’s life back into chaos. When she learns her brother needs her, Kate braves her fear of flying and immediately heads out to Wisconsin to be at his bedside. I admire Kate’s strength and stamina when faced with the severity of her brother’s injuries and the fact that he’s in a coma. She literally puts her life on hold and does whatever it takes to remain at his side. When it becomes apparent that Keith’s crash wasn’t an accident, Kate is determined to find out why.

Kate is a well rounded, likable character. She’s an intelligent, strong, and stubborn woman who isn’t about to let anyone push her around. Kate tends to want to do things her way, so when Everett pushes his way into her life, Kate grudgingly accepts his help. Kate and Everett have great chemistry, and it isn’t long before the sparks start to fly and culminate into some very well written love scenes. However, there are a lot of trust issues between Kate and Everett. They both profess to be falling in love with each other, yet their actions sometimes tell a very different story. I was disturbed at how often they withheld vital information from each other. Kate and Everett both expected trust from the other, and yet both weren’t willing to give trust in return. Their dishonesty gets them into several scrapes that could have easily been avoided had they been upfront with each other.

I think that the mystery of Keith’s plane crash was too easy to solve, and I was able to figure out who the culprit was very early on in the story. Consequently, I found it frustrating to watch Kate try and put the pieces together. My main suspect’s behavior was so obvious. He had a convenient answer for every question Kate threw at him and that should have been a huge red flag for Kate. Despite this issue, I will say that there were a couple of characters who did manage to surprise me in the end. Also, the suspense regarding when and if Keith would wake up from his coma is very well done. I couldn’t wait to find out just how much Keith knew about his “accident.”

There are many attempts to tarnish Keith’s good reputation throughout the story. While Kate says she doesn’t believe the accusations, she actually begins to doubt her brother’s character. I was very surprised and saddened at how quickly Kate began to think the worst about her brother because I got the impression they had a fairly close relationship. I found it hard to believe that she’d easily swallow horrible stories about Keith, especially given the questionable source of those stories.

Overall, I enjoyed reading freefall. I recommend it to anyone craving an aviation themed suspense steeped in romance.

Filed Under: Mystery/Suspense, Reviews Tagged With: , , , , ,

The Devil Made Me Do It by Pembroke Sinclair

November 12, 2012 By Leave a Comment

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The Devil Made Me Do It by Pembroke Sinclair
Publisher: Musa Publishing
Genre: Sci-Fi/Fantasy, Paranormal, Contemporary
Length: Short Story (51 pages)
Rating: 4 Stars
Reviewer: Astilbe

Temptation is darker than you thought.

This is a collection of five different stories that explores what it would take to drive someone to deal with the Devil. Think they’re all evil? Think again. Driven by tragedy and loss, most of the characters are looking for ways to cope. When no one else can help, the Devil steps in with an irresistable offer. From mothers to husbands to college students, each character has their own reason for leaving the path of the righteous and drifting to the dark side. What would push you to make a deal with the Devil?

Is making a deal with the devil always a bad idea?

In Retribution a man named Adrian is devastated by a personal tragedy. He decides to lubricate the squeaky wheel of justice and could never have imagined what happens next. Adrian is a surprisingly easy guy to like and despite some of his choices I found myself rooting for him. The ending was predictable but did make sense based on everything the reader learns early on.

A father’s love for and frustration with his rebellious teenage son fuels At Wit’s End. Robert and Lydia have done everything they can think of to make their son obey them but nothing is working. The plot felt a little rushed in this one and I think it would have been better if it could have been stretched out into a slightly longer story.

There is No Sin has a heart-pounding beginning when Toby experiences something peculiar when he’s put under anaesthesia for emergency surgery. I expected the action to continue and was a little disappointed to see so much time dedicated to philosophical discussions about what awaits us in the afterlife.

Abigail’s dilemma in The Last Temptation is a tough one. While angels and demons battle over her future in an otherworldly court she’s given one final chance to have a say in where she will spend eternity. At first the flashbacks seemed as though they were misplaced but I soon grew accustomed to leaping from past to present and back again. Despite this momentary confusion this was by far the creepiest tale of them all.

Have you ever wondered what it’s like to be a demon? Rain’s job in The Soul Collector isn’t one I envy. When certain people on earth die it is her duty to attempt to collect their souls and bring them to hell. She doesn’t decide who goes to heaven, hell, or purgatory, she’s simply responsible for making sure they end up in her territory if that’s where they belong. This could easily be expanded into a full length novel if the author wishes and I sincerely hope that I will one day learn more about Rain and her adventures.

Ultimately The Devil Made Me Do It is a solid collection and the complimentary nature of these stories make them perfect spine-tingler to curl up with on a cold, dreary night.

Filed Under: Reviews, Science Fiction/Fantasy Tagged With: , , , , ,

Nightfire by Alyson Burdette

October 29, 2012 By 1 Comment

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Nightfire by Alyson Burdette
Publisher: Musa Publishing
Genre: Contemporary, Paranormal
Length: Full Length (157 pages)
Rating: 5 stars
Reviewed by Orchid

Olivia Townsend’s love is eternal-and deadly.

When a murder shakes the small town of Peninsula, all eyes are on Olivia Townsend. She may look eighteen, but the townspeople can sense there’s something darker hiding behind her pretty eyes. Olivia knows the smart thing to do is to get out of town. Suspicious neighbors can only mean trouble for a vampire. But leaving becomes much more difficult when William, a mysterious man from her past, arrives. Finding out what brought him back is a temptation Olivia just can’t resist. William’s kindness and interest in Olivia only makes leaving harder. As she starts to fall for him, she’s forced to decide if sticking around is really worth the risk of being discovered. Of course, her mystery man has a secret of his own-and he’s not talking.

Olivia is a one hundred year old vampire, but looks nineteen, the age when she turned. Her world flips upside down when she meets and falls desperately in love with a vampire hunter.

Her lonely life finds meaning when she meets Jesse and his sister Jane. They are staying with Jane’s boyfriend William who is looking after his uncle’s house while the older man is away.

She senses something strange about both the men although Jane seems perfectly normal. Love distracts her, making her careless and vulnerable to other vampires.

Olivia appears to be reclusive with a mind set on keeping her nature secret and searching for her food outside her local area. The companionship she receives from the group of friends spreads warmth through her. When William and Jesse argue and Jesse leaves, Olivia’s confusion knows no bounds.

The book starts smoothly and climbs rapidly into the world of paranormal. Olivia is a vampire with a difference, a vampire who drinks blood and eats flesh – human flesh. Ms Burdette provided a wonderful central character, not the evil or funny vampires of other paranormal books. This vampire is the same as anyone else, she gardens, she cleans. The only difference is her diet and her incredible speed and stamina.

William and Jesse are two masterful men, both attracted to Olivia. Unable to resist the different allure of each of them she tries to fathom why they seem so familiar to her. In other words this is a romance. Two guys, one girl who just happens to be a vampire. Poor Jane gets a very low profile, but I believe the author might be tempted to write a sequel and maybe Jane will get a bigger part in the second book.

I would be happy to read this vampire novel more than once. Paranormal at its best.

Filed Under: Reviews, Romance Tagged With: , , , ,

First Frost by Liz DeJesus

October 29, 2012 By 2 Comments

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First Frost by Liz DeJesus
Publisher: Musa Publishing
Genre: Contemporary, Sci-Fi/Fantasy, Action/Adventure
Length: Full Length (274 pgs)
Age Recommendation: 14+
Rating: 4.5 stars
Reviewed by Poinsettia

Fairytales aren’t real…yeah…that’s exactly what Bianca thought. She was wrong.

For generations, the Frost family has run the Museum of Magical and Rare Artifacts, handing down guardianship from mother to daughter, always keeping their secrets to “family only.”

Gathered within museum’s walls is a collection dedicated to the Grimm fairy tales and to the rare items the family has acquired: Cinderella’s glass slipper, Snow White’s poisoned apple, the evil queen’s magic mirror, Sleeping Beauty’s enchanted spinning wheel…

Seventeen-year-old Bianca Frost wants none of it, dreaming instead of a career in art or photography or…well, anything except working in the family’s museum. She knows the items in the glass display cases are fakes because, of course, magic doesn’t really exist.

She’s about to find out how wrong she is.

Bianca is about to find out just how much magic has already changed her life.

I’m a big fan of the original fairytales, so when I read the blurb for First Frost, I knew I had to read this book. Once I started reading, I was immediately swept up into Ms. DeJesus’ world of magic. I especially love the concept of the magical world existing alongside the contemporary world. The references to current events really anchor the story in reality and make the magical aspects of this tale feel realistic.

Bianca is a very realistic character who came to life in my mind almost immediately. I could clearly picture Bianca struggling with the vacuum cleaner and longing for a life outside the family business. Bianca’s world is turned upside down when she learns that not only is magic real, but she just might have some in her blood. I do think that Bianca accepted the idea of magic and fairytales too easily. One minute she is certain that nothing in her mother’s museum is real. The next minute, she’s completely willing to cast aside her previous convictions and embrace a strange new world. I would have expected Bianca to be more skeptical before finally accepting the truth of it all. However, I will concede that the pacing of the story doesn’t allow Bianca much time to adjust. Before she knows it, Bianca and her best friend Ming are swept up in a quest battling a witch with a devious agenda.

I really enjoyed watching Bianca’s relationship with Terrance blossom. When they first meet each other in the magical world of Everafter, the attraction between them is immediately apparent. Terrance is hesitant to become involved with Bianca not just because they come from two different worlds, but also because he has something in his family history that he’s deeply ashamed of. When Bianca learns Terrance’s secret, will her feelings for him change?

Terrance’s best friend, Prince Ferdinand, is definitely the most amusing character in First Frost. Although the prince is the stereotypical self-absorbed royal, he injects some much needed humor into a very serious story. I found myself smiling and laughing nearly every time he opened his mouth.

I’m very intrigued with the ending of First Frost. Nearly all the loose ends were wrapped up when Ms. DeJesus threw in a wonderful twist at the last minute that had me thinking about Bianca long after I finished reading. I’m hoping that Ms. DeJesus writes a sequel to First Frost because I’d love to read more about Bianca and her adventures.

I’m glad I had the opportunity to read First Frost. Ms. DeJesus has taken classic fairytales and given them a modern feel while remaining true to the original stories. Anyone longing for a little magic and adventure should definitely pick up a copy of First Frost today.

Filed Under: Reviews, YA/Middle Grade/Children's Tagged With: , , , , ,

Michaela’s Gift by Cordelia Dinsmore

October 12, 2012 By Leave a Comment

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Michaela’s Gift by Cordelia Dinsmore
Publisher: Musa Publishing
Genre: Young Adult, Contemporary, Sci-Fi/Fantasy
Length: Short Story (135 pages)
Age Recommendation: 10+
Rating: 4.5 Stars
Reviewed by Astilbe

Michaela Cochran still believes in enchanted mountains and fairytale castles, but her happily-ever-after will never happen if she can’t convince her mother to accept the magical gift Michaela has inherited.

Michaela Cochran and her family make the trip to her father’s ancestral home every year, but this year is special. Michaela is now twelve, the age when every girl in the family receives a special gift. When Aunt Sharon explains that Michaela’s gift is a magical ability to bring one of her drawings to life, Michaela begins making plans. What she wants most is a castle high on the mountain, where her family can live together. But if she can’t figure out how to resolve the growing hostility between herself and her mother, her gift is meaningless.

“Twelve is a magical age for every girl. You’re no longer a little girl, but you’re not quite a woman.” Michaela is just as mystified by this process as everyone else who has been through puberty. She has one foot planted in the innocence of childhood and is stepping into the next phase of life with just a little trepidation.

It isn’t easy to create a character who personifies this period in life without portraying her in an overly sentimental or emotional light but Ms. Dinsmore struck the perfect balance with Michaela. I truly enjoyed getting to know this character as she unravels a mystery that is at the heart of the disharmony she feels with her mother.

What surprised me the most about this book was how much I liked the secondary characters as well. Her older brother Sean provides a few instances of much-needed comic relief and her warm relationship with her grandparents and Aunt Sharon gave me glimpses of certain aspects of Michaela’s personality that her nuclear family probably doesn’t see regularly.

I was confused when one of the characters has an abrupt change of mind about something that was a repeated source of conflict earlier in the plot. Readers weren’t given a great deal of information about why or how this took place and as much as I enjoyed seeing the matter resolved I would have preferred to see more time spent discussing what made this individual change her mind.

Michaela’s Gift reminded me of all of the emotions and experiences I encountered for the first time at twelve. Even though my adventures were not nearly as exciting as Michaela’s my inner preteen felt a sincere kinship with her. I highly recommend this book to anyone interested in seeing the world through the eyes of a twelve-year-old whether it is as a reader living through that age for the first time or someone who wishes to relive old memories.

Filed Under: Reviews, YA/Middle Grade/Children's Tagged With: , , , , ,

The Wrong Sword: Book One by T.M. Mendelssohn

October 11, 2012 By Leave a Comment

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The Wrong Sword: Book One by T.M. Mendelssohn
Publisher: Musa Publishing
Genre: Action/Adventure, Fantasy
Length: Full Length (280 pgs)
Age Recommendation: 14+
Rating: 4.5 stars
Reviewed by Poinsettia

For a thousand years, Excalibur has been the sword of heroes. Unfortunately, its new owner isn’t one.

Ever since he arrived in Paris, Henry the Rat has made a pretty good living selling “magic” swords to gullible knights. But when Henry sells one to Geoffrey Plantagenet, brother to King Richard, his happy days are over for good. Geoffrey forces Henry into a dangerous, uncomfortable quest for the most famous magic sword of all time, Excalibur, even though Henry is certain that it’s just a myth.

Then Henry actually finds Excalibur – and his troubles really start: For Excalibur is not just the sword of heroes…it’s also the sword that won’t SHUT UP. It communicates with its owner, it knows what kind of owner it deserves, and Henry doesn’t even come close.

To keep Excalibur and the world safe from the appalling Geoffrey, Henry will have to masquerade as a knight, crash a royal wedding, rescue a princess, break a siege, penetrate the secrets of the Perilous Brotherhood, and find Excalibur’s rightful bearer, all while trying to reach an accommodation with a snotty, aristocratic hunk of steel that mocks him, takes over his body, and keeps trying to turn him into the one thing he hates most…a hero.

Henry is the most reluctant hero in the world.

Henry is a very interesting character. He’s been living on the streets practically his whole life due to the tragic destruction of his home when he was a very young child. Right from the start, it is clear that Henry is smart and extremely clever. Unfortunately, he uses his talents to devise schemes to cheat others out of their money. I couldn’t help but wonder what Henry could achieve if he put his mind to better use.

Henry goes through some interesting changes as the story progresses. At first, he is all about his own survival. Though he has a small group of people he cares about, his own personal well being remains his primary concern. Once Henry finds Excalibur, his perspective gradually begins to change. Bearing Excalibur comes with all sorts of responsibility that Henry didn’t ask for, and I had serious doubts as to whether Henry could handle them. He seemed to want nothing more than to get rid of Excalibur as quickly as possible. When it becomes clear that Henry needs to keep the sword out of the hands of men who would misuse it, I was pleasantly surprised to discover that Henry is up to the task. Underneath the guise of the slippery street rat, Henry is a good man who ultimately chooses to do the right thing.

Excalibur is also a vivid character. Not only does the sword have magical properties, but she has a very strong and opinionated personality as well. To say that Henry and Excalibur clash is a huge understatement. Excalibur wants Henry to be a hero, and Henry has no interest. Their snippy banter is very entertaining. Though they had a rough beginning, by the end of the story Henry and Excalibur had grown on each other and were well on their way to becoming friends.

Henry meets a lot of other interesting people in his travels, but none of them are nearly as developed as Henry. Even though I thoroughly enjoyed following Henry on his mission, it would have been nice to get to know some of the secondary characters better, especially Percy, a knight who devotes himself to Henry’s service. Percy’s character seems very one dimensional at first, but Mr. Mendelssohn hints that there is more to Percy than meets the eye. Perhaps I’ll learn more about Percy in the following books in the series?

One of the things I like most about The Wrong Sword is that the action is very believable. Henry has absolutely no experience in combat and yet he finds himself wielding a powerful sword and fighting against Geoffrey and his army. Henry doesn’t always succeed in his efforts and he gets himself into plenty of scrapes. However, no matter how many times Henry gets knocked down, but he always gets back up and tries again. This gives Henry’s adventures a realistic feel and made it easy for me to immerse myself in the story.

I also enjoyed the tone of The Wrong Sword. It is a medieval adventure yet it has a distinctive modern flavor displayed mainly in the attitudes and language of the characters. I found this to be a very interesting combination. It is clear that Mr. Mendelssohn definitely has fun playing with history and the legend of Excalibur.

The Wrong Sword is a wonderful twist on the legend of Excalibur. It is filled with enough magic, humor, and danger to satisfy the most adventurous spirit. Fans of young adult fantasy should certainly give The Wrong Sword a try.

Filed Under: Reviews, Science Fiction/Fantasy Tagged With: , , ,

Another Journey by Michael Sutherland

September 28, 2012 By Leave a Comment

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Another Journey by Michael Sutherland
Publisher: Musa Publishing
Genre: Sci-Fi/Fantasy, Suspense/Mystery
Length: Short Story (13 pages)
Rating: 3.5 stars
Reviewed by Astilbe

They wouldn’t dare get in that machine themselves, but you? Who the hell cares what happens to you?

They stick you in a machine and send you on another journey, and they don’t care if it kills you.

Sometimes it’s easier not knowing what the future holds.

Mr. Sutherland certainly knows how to capture a reader’s attention by painting a vividly unforgettable picture in one sentence:

“Graffiti monsters lunge out of shadows, furies frozen in a flash of Day-go pink and lime, and yellow curves, and sherbet orange pikes, and everything is edged off, caged in a halo of lies, in scarlet and black so serious it makes my eyes ache.”

As much as I wanted to piece together the mystery I kept jumping back to reread certain passages. The images that popped into my mind were so imaginative and unexpected that I wanted to experience them again before moving on to the next page.

I really wanted to give this book a higher rating. The concept behind it is intriguing and the plot starts off with a bang but I was repeatedly distracted by the narrator’s flight of ideas. He jumps so quickly from one thought to the next that I had a difficult time differentiating between important and potentially irrelevant information. At one point I even wondered if the narrator could be trusted. Was his interpretation of the events swirling around him correct? Are readers intended to believe him or come to the conclusion that his impressions were at least partially influenced by mental illness or mind altering substances?

This piece have worked better if the narrator’s state of mind was explained more clearly either through one of his thoughts or by having one of the other characters comment on what was or was not actually happening.

Another Journey is a roller-coaster ride through the mind of one of the most interesting characters I’ve never met. I’d recommend this book to anyone in the mood for a mystery that is not easily unravelled.

Filed Under: Mystery/Suspense, Reviews Tagged With: , , , ,

Heartbeats by Susan Rae

September 26, 2012 By Leave a Comment

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heartbeats by Susan Rae
Publisher: Musa Publishing
Genre: Contemporary, Suspense/Mystery
Length: Full Length (206 pgs)
Heat Level: Spicy
Rating: 4 stars
Reviewed by Poinsettia

Love makes your pulse race, but passion can kill…

murder, passion, suspense…

Dr. Elizabeth Iverson’s career is on track. She’s just landed the enviable position as lead cardiologist at a prestigious Chicago heartcare center working under a renowned cardiovascular surgeon. But her plans for a quiet, controlled life are shattered when she discovers her college roommate murdered in her apartment. When her former lover, FBI Special Agent Drake McGuire, shows up on her doorstep with the cops, he unleashes a storm in her heart that further threatens to destroy her world, especially when he insists on hanging around to help solve the case when it becomes apparent that Elizabeth was the intended target for murder!

Elizabeth’s patients put their lives in her hands, but what happens when her own life is in danger?

Elizabeth is definitely someone who likes to have things under control. I wouldn’t go as far as to call her a control freak, but she comes close. When her life spirals out of control after the death of her friend, she certainly doesn’t want to admit that she needs help. She’s the kind of person who insists on pressing on no matter the circumstances. While I admire her determination, this does give Elizabeth the appearance of being cold at times. However, underneath her carefully controlled exterior, Elizabeth does have a softer side. She is absolutely crazy about her daughter and is as loving and devoted as any parent could be. Elizabeth also has a true passion for her work and she genuinely cares for each one of her patients.

Elizabeth’s softer side is further revealed in her relationship with Drake, a flame from her past. Elizabeth is cautious at first, but when she fully commits her heart to him, they have great potential as a couple. Unfortunately, Elizabeth has a secret that threatens to ruin her budding relationship with Drake. I thought the revelation of this secret played out in a fairly typical way, but it did add an interesting dimension to Elizabeth and Drake’s relationship.

Drake is a typical tough guy with a good heart. He’s a successful FBI agent who doesn’t take no for an answer and is used to doing things his way. Since Drake and Elizabeth both have strong personalities, they butt heads frequently, but given time and little compromise on both sides, I think they will work well together.

Ms. Rae did an excellent job of presenting several plausible suspects who would want to target Elizabeth. I carefully considered the motivation of each one and I was eventually able to narrow down the list based on the continued threats of the killer. As the story progressed, I couldn’t help but read faster, sure that I was on the right track. There were two twists that I didn’t see coming. The first involved Elizabeth and I didn’t think it was necessary as it sort of slowed things down at a moment when I wanted to keep moving full speed ahead. The second twist was more interesting and happened right at the climax when all the pieces of the puzzle were sliding into place and added an extra dash of suspense at just the right moment.

I enjoyed reading heartbeats. The pacing is great and the mystery is plotted very well. Anyone looking for a thrilling romantic suspense should give heartbeats a try.

Filed Under: Mystery/Suspense, Reviews Tagged With: , , , , ,

There Are Giants in This Valley by Jack Hillman

September 3, 2012 By Leave a Comment

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There Are Giants in This Valley by Jack Hillman
Publisher: Musa Publishing
Genre: Action/Adventure, Contemporary, Sci-Fi/Fantasy, Suspense/Mystery
Length: Full Length (258 pgs)
Age Recommendation: 10+
Rating: 5 stars
Reviewed by Peppermint

A young boy moves to the Lehigh Valley, meets beings from another dimension and joins a battle to save two worlds!

Thirteen-year-old Eric Johnson never wanted to move out of Philadelphia.

But the untimely death of his parents left him little choice in the matter and dropped him in the farm country outside the Lehigh Valley, an hour away from his old home, living with an aunt and uncle he barely knew. Used to the big city with its constant action and excitement, Eric found the slow pace of the rolling farms frustrating. He kept looking for ways to move back to the city, back to his friends and all his familiar activities.

But when Eric helped a tall, blond-haired stranger escape from a pack of wild dogs, he took the first step in an adventure that took him out of the mundane world of Eastern Pennsylvania and dropped him in the middle of Norse mythology; right at the heart of a centuries old war between the Norse Gods and their ancient enemy, the Frost Giants.

There is nothing more tempting to a young boy than an adventure full of giants, gods, dwarfs, and mystery. When Eric runs into Thor, a god of Norse legend, he knew an adventure would follow.

Add any type of mythology to a story and you have captured my attention. Norse mythology is not one that I would consider myself familiar with, but after reading this story I would love to learn even more. The author did a great job of collaborating mythology with reality, which created a dynamic story. The added twist and turns including other mythical creatures like giants and dwarfs and I couldn’t put the book down.

Eric is a character I can see in any boy. His life hasn’t been perfect, but he still has the innocence and compulsive personality. It’s what leads him to want to learn more about Thor and the others, as well as aid them in any way possible. I couldn’t help but think of my son, brother, cousins when reading this story, because I saw similar traits in them as well. These traits also made for a interesting read, because as with any young boy, Eric didn’t always do what was best for himself, but instead did what he felt needed to be done.

This story encompassed some great characters above and beyond just the main character. I got to meet some regular humans as well as other creatures who had personalities that came to life on the pages. They added depth at times, and humor at others. This is truly a story the whole family can enjoy.

Filed Under: Reviews, YA/Middle Grade/Children's Tagged With: , , , , , ,
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