Sacrifice by Tim Svart

November 24, 2023 By Leave a Comment


Sacrifice by Tim Svart
Publisher: Self-Published
Genre: Contemporary, Mystery/Suspense/Thriller
Rating: 3 stars
Reviewed by Fern

A hidden scheme. Suspiciously pat answers. Can one untested leader navigate the thin line between professional and personal justice?
Essen, Germany. Chief Inspector “Karre” Karrenberg has no appetite for overseeing a homicide squad. Still grieving over his ex-wife’s fatal car crash that left his daughter in a coma, the veteran detective’s gut tells him to ignore all the evidence that it was an accident. But he’s forced to put his own needs aside when a poor young woman’s lakeside adventure transforms her into an unidentified body.

Willing to make risky trades for more information, Karre discovers the mysterious female was a high-class escort. But his attempts to find the dead girl’s client are stonewalled by tight-lipped suspects, iron-clad alibis… and a growing number of bodies.

Will Karre’s private tragedies blind him to clues that could prevent another murder?

Chief Inspector Karre Karrenberg is reluctant to be the acting head of his murder investigations team. With the recent tragic car accident killing his ex-wife and leaving his teenage daughter in a precarious coma, Karre has plenty on his mind already. But when an unidentified woman’s body is found near the lakeside, clearly murdered and there’s no one talking and everyone seeming to have a strong alibi Karre realizes he needs all his effort to try and find justice for this lady – as well as his own family.

I mainly purchased this book because I don’t believe I have ever read a police murder mystery based in Germany. I was strongly intrigued and am very pleased with this book. With a complex mystery that circles around nicely and has plenty of depth and questions, I was also easily dragged in by the small number of very strong secondary characters. Karre’s team-mates as well as a few key forensic characters made an excellent group and they all retained my attention. The fact this plot also clearly linked somehow to the car accident that recently killed Karre’s ex-wife and put his teen daughter into a coma also intrigued me – because at a first glance I assumed the two scenarios were not linked at all.

I have read a number of British police procedural mysteries, as well as a few Scandinavian police mysteries and I would place the tone and voice of this German offering somewhere in between the two. I felt this wasn’t as cosy or rural as I find British police procedural books tend to be. This definitely had more of a city feel to it with a somewhat darker or gritter turn than many British mystery’s feel to me. That said I didn’t feel this was as bleak or dark as many Scandinavian mysteries appear to me. There was still a fair bit of emotion and hope to this book – whereas I often find the Scandi crime novels to be quite terse and often bleak.

I very much enjoyed both the setting, pace and tone of this book. I was easily hooked on the characters and found the mystery complex enough to retain my attention all through the book and I am definitely interested in purchasing the second book in this series. A good first novel and a set of characters I hope to explore further as I work my way through the series.

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

I Am Changing Careers: Questions to Guide a Job Seeker by Anita Job

October 24, 2023 By Leave a Comment


I Am Changing Careers: Questions to Guide a Job Seeker by Anita Job
Publisher: Self-Published
Genre: Non-Fiction, Contemporary
Rating: 3 Stars
Reviewed by Astilbe

In “I Am Changing Careers” you will learn:

How to find fulfilling work
Receive a daily job search roadmap to focus on the right activities
Leverage non-traditional job search techniques and strategies that worked for Anita and will work for you
How to maintain your physical, mental and emotional health while job hunting: a holistic approach
Make a great first impression at your dream job!
Perfect for high school guidance counselors, those entering the workplace (school-to-work transition), college graduates, or those changing industries mid-career.

So what are you waiting for? Buy now and join the many readers who have gone from job seekers to employed in their perfect career!

A good attitude is essential while looking for work, but that’s just the beginning of what one needs to succeed.

It was nice to have so many open-ended questions to mull over as I read this. The job hunt can vary quite a bit for people in different industries or stages of life, so it made sense to ask the audience to think about what they bring to the table and what sort of company they’re interested in instead of making any assumptions about that. I also liked the fact that readers were asked to consider their own preferences for working conditions and any personal or medical considerations they might want to think about when deciding whether to pursue options like shift work, long commutes, long workweeks, or similar issues.

Online applications, virtual job interviews, and asynchronous interviews are incredibly common in many fields these days. Ms. Job spent almost no time discussing how technology has changed the process of looking for work or how to reword resumes with keywords from the job ads in order to get them past the automated applicant tracking system (ATS) and into the hands of a manager or some other employee at a company who screens applications. I was surprised by these choices and wished the author had included a chapter or two of advice on how to get your resume or application seen by an actual person. It would have also been helpful to have advice on how to ace interviews that either happen online or involve the applicant recording their answers in front of a camera without ever having a chance to talk to a live person from the company they’ve applied to until or unless they happen to be selected for the next round of interviews.

One of the things that surprised me about this work was how much time it spent talking about the importance of maintaining one’s physical and mental health while job hunting. Everything from exercise to eating a healthy diet to keeping one’s spirits up if things aren’t progressing the way you might have hoped they would, were covered in detail here. There is definitely something to be said for looking out for all of these things and doing plenty of self-care activities during what can be a stressful and lonely time for some folks.

With that being said, I did find myself wishing for more chapters that included practical advice for changing careers or otherwise landing work. This could have easily been expanded from 90 pages into a full-length book on the topic, and there was so much more the author could have said about best practices for trying to find a new position in the current climate. For example, cover letters seem to be less common in some industries, and many places have relaxed their dress codes as well.

The bibliography was filled with links to all sorts of organizations that can make life easier for people who are currently going through hard times. While many of them were specifically about careers, others could be used by folks in a wide variety of other circumstances. I appreciated the work that was put into compiling this list. It highlighted some of the best parts of the earlier chapters about networking, self-care, and so many other relevant topics.

I Am Changing Careers – Questions to Guide a Job Seeker was a thought-provoking read.

Filed Under: Non-Fiction, Reviews Tagged With: , , , ,

A Billionaire Ex by Alexia Austen

October 19, 2023 By Leave a Comment


A Billionaire Ex by Alexia Austen
Publisher: Self-Published
Genre: Contemporary, Erotic Romance
Rating: 3 Stars
Reviewed by Nymphaea

Maria Lawson is 32 years old, and divorced. Just when she thought things couldn’t get any worse, she learns her ex-husband, Jack Styles, is now a billionaire. He enters her life again in the most unexpected of ways, but is he a friend, or an enemy?

One night that led to more, but will it always?

I knew this story would be a cliffhanger and I wasn’t disappointed. The author certainly left me wanting more. The writing was good and the characters interesting. I had to keep reading to see what would happen next.

Maria and Jack are exes who have chemistry, but a lot of problems, too. They need each other, but don’t. I liked the push-pull between them, but there were moments I wasn’t a fan of Maria. I wanted her to stand up more, but the ending was satisfying. I’m glad I read it.

If you’re looking for a story that’s short, leaves you wanting more and will satisfy for a lunch read, then this is the one for you.

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

The Dis’Aster Family’s Halloween by Helen C. Johannes

October 10, 2023 By 1 Comment


The Dis’Aster Family’s Halloween by Helen C. Johannes
Publisher: Self-Published
Genre: Children’s (0 – 6 y.o.), Holiday, Contemporary
Rating: 3 Stars
Reviewed by Astilbe

Meet the Dis’Aster Family!

The kids are creative. The parents are outnumbered. And the pets, well, they’re unusual.

When the kids decide to enter a Halloween costume contest, what could possibly go wrong?

Come along for the ride. Can Halloween survive?

Spooky season is coming, and some folks are more ready for it than others are.

It’s always nice to see large, happy families in children’s stories. I don’t come across this sort of family very often these days, and I was intrigued by how all of the siblings might get along. Luckily, I soon discovered plenty of examples of the ways they played together and hints about what they thought about having lots of brothers and sisters. It was heartwarming to get to know the Dis’Asters and see how they tackled all sorts of things that are more complicated when you have more relatives to think about.

I would have liked to see more plot development. The first half or so of this picture book was spent introducing the many members of the Dis’Aster family and sharing their hobbies. As helpful as it was to know who everyone was, this also meant that there wasn’t as much time to show how they spent their Halloween as I was expecting. Given how important that holiday was to them, I was surprised by the smaller amount of space that ended up being saved for it.

This read like something a child would come up with if he or she were telling it. Tapping into the imaginative ways kids think can be difficult for adults, so I tip my cap to Ms. Johannes for pulling it off so well. Creativity was infused into scenes that many adult readers might assume would turn out a different way instead. I smiled every time the characters once again did something I wasn’t expecting them to do.

The Dis’Aster Family’s Halloween was an exciting ride.

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

Pawsibly Guilty by CeeCee James

October 2, 2023 By Leave a Comment


Pawsibly Guilty by CeeCee James
Publisher: Self-published
Genre: Cozy Mystery, Contemporary
Rating: 4 stars
Reviewed by Snowdrop

A secret book club. A celebrity murder. And a boss that hates books…

When Laura Lee and her club stumble on the dead body of Mrs. Fitzwater’s nephew, (famous photographer to the stars, Andy) snooping takes on a whole new meaning. Especially when one of the house staff—and member of the book club—swears they saw the nephew later that night… very much alive. From whispers of espionage to the motive of a spurned lover, the book club collective isn’t sure which way is up. Even worse, time is running out as the killer makes them the next target. Someone doesn’t want to be found out and is willing to do anything to keep their secret.

This was a really fun read for me. Who wouldn’t love a group of household staff crowding together to meet for Book Club in a secret room filled with a glorious collection of books? I loved the amateur sleuths. The kitchen and scullery maids, cook, even the house manager all hiding away in a beautiful hidden library. I even loved the upper echelon, most of whom were kind.

This is a very odd setting. Kitchen maids are scolded for not remembering a flower on a breakfast tray for the “mistress” and they text one another on their cell phones to tell each other about day-to-day events. The staff stays in a beautiful Manor with a gruff but lovable house manager that is upset the staff doesn’t know the difference between a high tea and an afternoon tea. Yet you can call someone on your cell to see if you can drop by. Seems as if there should be a carriage ride in there somewhere, doesn’t it?

For me, even though this was somehow out of context, it all still worked. I think part of the reason is because of the setting CeeCee James has created, as well as her characters. What emerged was a quick enjoyable read with enough twists and turns to keep the mystery part of it interesting. I love CeeCee James’ work but am not sure if I’ve read this series. Will make a point to read some more right away.

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

The Christmas Letter by Kathi Daley

September 21, 2023 By Leave a Comment


The Christmas Letter by Kathi Daley
Publisher: Self-published
Genre: Cozy Mystery, Holiday, Contemporary
Rating: 4 stars
Review by Snowdrop

Set in the small town of White Eagle Montana, the series features Tess and her dog Tilly, who spend their days delivering the latest gossip along with the daily mail. When a close friend is murdered, Tess and Tilly join forces with the reclusive genius in town to sleuth out the truth behind the shocking murder that is rocking the community as it prepares for the annual Christmas Festival.

If you like quaint types of characters and pets, you’re gonna think this is fun. Tess is a local postal carrier in a small town and Tilly is her ever faithful (and very well-behaved) dog. The Christmas Letter is the first book in a series titled Tess and Tilly.

This is the type of small town where everyone knows everyone, knows their business too 🙂 Tess knows everyone on her route and can’t even help but notice who is beginning to get their Christmas cards or not. She also can’t help but notice when someone she delivers to isn’t answering the door. Even Tilly notices.

This is your typical cozy, except I thought it had a little more depth. It has an amateur sleuth, a handsome cop, and of course a dead body, but it has some underlying layers of mystery that make it an interesting read. It is even difficult to decide if Tilly should like the new vet or not with so much going on.

The author writes well so this flows well and is a quick read. I was very glad to see Kathi Daley had more publications. I’ll enjoy reading more.

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

River’s Reach – Coming of Age Amid the Fish War by David Scott Richardson

September 19, 2023 By Leave a Comment


River’s Reach – Coming of Age Amid the Fish War by David Scott Richardson
Publisher: Self-Published
Genre: Young Adult (14 – 18 y.o.), Historical
Rating: 3 Stars
Reviewed by Astilbe

ADVENTURE. HISTORY. AWAKENING. Life is good for high school senior Alex Haugen. He has a group of buddies to fish the Nisqually River with, his membership on the football team guarantees status with his peers, and he’s recently set his sights on Amanda Schneider – an engaging blend of brains, beauty, and personality. He’s beginning to think that the lead cheerleader and star lineman go together like burgers and fries.

Learning that his dad participated in the latest fishing raid at Frank’s Landing, Alex’s curiosity is piqued. The more he reads, the more he realizes how little he knows about the deep-rooted conflict between the Washington State Game Department and local tribes. The state claims the right to enforce conservation measures and the tribes claim that their treaty rights supersede state regulations.

Alex has strong convictions about conservation but wonders if there’s more to the story. Indian netting can’t be the only reason fish are in decline. Strident and entrenched certainties dominate both sides of the fishing controversy, and Alex begins to resent that a side may have been chosen for him at birth.

Chancing conflict with his dad – an officer with the game department – Alex’s quest for understanding rouses discovery of his own voice and the courage to stand apart from his parents and peers. Along the way, he befriends Charlie McCallister, a Nisqually Indian his dad arrested in a raid.

Amanda, whose mom does pro bono work for the tribe, is a social justice warrior at heart. As the fish war heats up, her readiness to support the tribe clashes with Alex’s reluctance to rock the boat with his father and threatens to drive a wedge in their blossoming romance.

Charlie, Amanda, and the Nisqually River form the key catalysts for Alex’s awakening as the story unfolds against the backdrop of a nation gripped by the civil rights movement, the Vietnam War, and the seismic tunes of rock ‘n roll.

Sometimes change is painfully slow.

The last year or two of high school can be such an exciting and restless time in life. Soon classes will end and everyone will go their separate ways in life. This was a quieter portion of the storyline in the beginning, but it grew more and more enjoyable and meaningful as Alex and his friends inched closer towards graduation and the many different paths they all would take. Mr. Richardson captured this stage in life nicely, and it has made me curious to see what else he may write in the future.

I struggled with the slow pacing of this novel. Most of the plot and character development was released gradually and between scenes that didn’t always seem to push anything forward. As interesting as the descriptions of nature and the small town setting were, there were so many of them that they were distracting for me as a reader as well. In my opinion, this would have been a stronger story if some of those scenes were trimmed down to either shorten the length of this in general or to provide more space for action scenes.

Racism is a complex topic, especially for teens like Alex who hadn’t spent much time thinking about how race can impact everything from how a student is treated by his or her peers to what sorts of jobs someone might be encouraged or discouraged to apply for. The historical setting amplified these themes as well given that societal expectations of what should and shouldn’t be said about race can shift a lot from one decade to the next. I appreciated how much effort the author put into developing this portion of the plot and showing how even a kind and sensitive kid like Alex can still have misconceptions about race and culture.

River’s Reach – Coming of Age Amid the Fish War was a thought-provoking read.

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

Jazzed Up by Laura M. Baird

September 19, 2023 By 2 Comments


Jazzed Up by Laura M. Baird
Publisher: Self-Published
Genre: Romance, Contemporary
Rating: 3 Stars
Reviewed by Astilbe

Jaz Reynolds needs a new lead for his band. One note, one look is all it takes for him to know Cheryl Mathers is the one. Now to convince the sultry jazz singer to make the leap to a different genre and tour with him. When their chemistry rockets off the charts, can he convince himself this is business only? Or will he take a chance to find his own love of a lifetime?

Cheryl Mathers has always wanted music to be center stage in her life. The offer to tour with world-renowned pop-rock band, Jazzed Up, is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. With each day in Jaz’s presence, she falls more and more for his charm and allure. But she’s been burned by love in the past and is hesitant to risk her heart.

As the two find their rhythm and embrace their attraction, a life-altering revelation rocks their world. Will the power of promising of love be enough to bring them back into harmony?

Musicians need love, too.

There was a plot twist close to the end that I thought was handled nicely. It involved both Jaz and Cheryl’s pasts and them having more in common than they already knew they did. Ms. Baird did a good job of keeping this under wraps until it was time to reveal it. Not everything needs a lot of foreshadowing in order to be effective, and this was a good example of how to keep an audience guessing and interested about what might happen next until the final sentence.

I was surprised and confused by how quickly certain business decisions were made in this novella. The main characters were willing to make huge changes in their lives based on limited information, and most of the people around them didn’t seem concerned about how fast things were changing. It would have been helpful for me as a reader to have more information about why everyone was okay with this as it isn’t something that happens too often in real life in my experience.

With that being said, the whirlwind romance made much more sense. Sometimes two people meet and instantly click. It’s rare, but it can be truly beautiful when it happens. I also liked the way the author dove into the difference between clicking with someone and actually taking the time to figure out if there is as much compatibility with them as there seemed to be at first glance. That was a mature and sensible expansion to this theme that only made me enjoy it more.

Jazzed Up was a fluffy and uplifting romance novel.

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

Deadweight by Paul Forster

September 18, 2023 By Leave a Comment


Deadweight by Paul Forster
Publisher: Self-published
Genre: Contemporary, Paranormal, Mystery/Suspense/Thriller, Horror
Rating: 3 stars
Reviewed by Fern

It was hailed as the answer to the obesity epidemic; a pill that allows you to eat anything you like and still lose weight. Millions were attracted by the promise of a leaner, fitter body, but there was a fatal and unforeseen flaw in this new panacea. A tiny microbe, lurking within, slowly infects the users. In turn they pass the infection to others with a sneeze, a cough or a simple kiss, and before long tens of millions are infected and turned into mindless, shambling wrecks, with the sole purpose of existing to eat. The virus is rampant, reaching into every corner of the globe. Governments collapse and shut down, unable to contain the outbreak, while the army works hard against the unending assault in a desperate bid to stop the dead from total victory. But there are even greater dangers to be faced. A few unfortunate souls suffer with the hunger of the dead but the mind of the living. They are neither dead nor alive, but something in between; something far more dangerous to the surviving humans. And amidst this carnage of the end of the world, in the south east of England, a small group of survivors are fighting on, against all the odds, as they try to stay one step in front of the dead, trying to avoid being the next item on the menu. The question is, in a world now claimed by the dead, what will they have to do to survive?

When a new weight-loss pill comes onto the market no one thinks too much of it. Obesity is a global epidemic and millions of people are looking for a quick pill to make themselves thinner. And this pill becomes extremely popular as it proves to work perfectly in everyone – millions all over the world are quickly losing weight no matter what they eat. But no one knows that the microbe that’s being used in this
pill quickly becomes infectious through a cough, a sneeze, and soon the whole world becomes infected.

I found this to be a really well written and scarily believable book. I think some readers mightn’t like how a lot of the start of this book flips between the present – after the zombies are out there – and how the research and science behind the pills was discovered and let loose. I personally didn’t mind this jumping back and forth because I feel the author has done an amazing job in thinking through the background of the pill and making a really interesting, logical and believable plotline behind it. I felt this really set up the story as a whole and it was such a different spin on the whole “zombie apocalypse” thing that I really enjoyed it.

I also enjoyed how the past and present came together and then merged into the rest of the story. Readers who enjoy longer running series like Walking Dead and Last Of Us should find that this book really fills a gap that these series can leave behind. I found the main characters relatable and interestingly drawn and most importantly for me I found the plot to be gripping and interesting. There are a few sex scenes in this book and while there is some gore it’s kept to a fairly low level to my mind and neither overtakes the story. I would mainly declare this an intricately plotted zombie apocalypse style of book with a fair bit of action and a really good plotline.

Readers looking for an interesting and freshly written zombie-style end of the world book should find this a really good read.

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

The Savage Moor by Robert Fael

September 4, 2023 By Leave a Comment


The Savage Moor by Robert Fael
Publisher: Self-Published
Genre: Mystery/Suspense/Thriller, Contemporary
Rating: 3 Stars
Reviewed by Astilbe

The Exmoor Beast is a creature of myth and mystery. Some think it’s a phantom. Others that it’s actually a big cat that escaped from a private collection. The bloody carcasses of deer and sheep found on the moor are often quoted as proof of its existence.

Now for the first time the Beast has taken human prey, and attacks seem to be intensifying. Ex MI5 agent Hollis is called in to investigate.

What he uncovers is more than just moorland myth. It’s a clash between a quiet farming community, and big city gangsters. Things are becoming increasingly violent, and the bodies they find have been pulverized with incredible force. Shotguns may be no match for AK47s, but it seems the people of Exmoor have a surprisingly fearsome ally.

Would you stake your life on local gossip?

The complexities of small town life made this such an interesting read. Some authors and readers assume that life is slower and safer in rural communities, but Mr. Fael knew better than that. Just because everyone knows everyone else doesn’t mean that terribly dangerous things can’t happen in isolated corners of the community late at night. If anything, that false sense of security can help to cover up certain crimes if people are willing to give old friends and neighbors the benefit of the doubt no matter what oddities they might witness. I enjoyed the depth the author brought to this setting and thought he did a good job of exploring both the benefits and the drawbacks of living in such a place.

This novella included a large cast of characters that I struggled to keep up with. There simply wasn’t enough space to get to know any of them well, including the protagonist. As much as I wanted to give this a higher rating, I didn’t feel comfortable doing so due to the limited amount of character development and how confused I was by who certain individuals were.

The mystery was well-paced and exciting. I had my suspicions about the possible identity of the Exmoor Beast, especially after reading a brief, bloody scene of it attacking someone, but the author still managed to surprise me in the end. As much as I’d love to go into detail about the differences between my theory and what was really going on, that’s hard to do without giving away spoilers. What I can say is that this kept me guessing and made me nod with understanding when certain clues were revealed close to the end.

The Savage Moor kept me guessing.

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