Carrie Green's collection of short stories in Roses Are Red were compelling and well-written. She developed each character with creative detail and presented each story in a fluid, cohesive, logical and organized manner. My favorite story in this book was the one titled, "A Long Distance...

"An Affinity for Shadows" by Liz R. Newman centers on the life of Kate Theodore, a talented and focused broadcast journalist who has made it to the top, only to find that office politics as well as national events may force her out of her...

I’ve had the privilege of reading one of David McDonald’s earlier books, “There are No Unwounded Soldiers,” and because it was so emotionally charged, I wanted to read another one of his collections of poetry. McDonald is a hero in my view. In “I Never...

Nikolai Crowe’s life takes a downturn in a hurry when he is arrested for murdering his ex-girlfriend, Jade Sho. Luckily for Nikolai, he has help from a human clone identified as Alpha Replica 3007. This clone, along with the remaining alpha models that have begun...

Ari, half Israeli, half Persian, is married to unpampered Lily who is of American Jewish descent. They live quietly in the Arizona desert until an unsigned letter arrives stating that "The time has come for the Hidden One to make himself known and fill the...

The immoral Zodiac set off a fire storm throughout the world, setting off bombs that leveled cities and killing millions. After a rather large setback, he is now even more determined to unleash his final solution upon the shattered remnants of humanity. With his mostly...

A Pointed Death is a riveting read. The strong female personality in the person of Nola Billingsley provided mystery, action and wit in one neat little package. The story is set in San Francisco and describes the city so beautifully that one is literally transported...

“Love the Wounded” continues the story of Jake, Leigh, Mike Tim and Dylan whom we met in the first two books of this series. It seems all four of these young adults are still struggling with difficulties that life has brought their way. Tim is...

Brian choked and vomited up a sphere that emitted light. It communicated with him telepathically. He did not question its commands; it seemed natural to obey. When Jacob found the orb he was transported to an alternate universe. The citizens proclaimed him royalty. “Long live...

It is the early years of the last century and Stefan Vladeslav leaves his family's Croatian home, running away from constant family problems. Stefan's father announces his illegitimate son Ivan as an heir and Stefan's mother is obsessed with the family's monetary inheritance. Stefan sells...

"The Forger" by Shannon Neprily is set in a world where humans are at war with demons. This battle has been going on for a long time, in fact for thousands of years, and the angels were never meant to get involved. However, despite the...

“Human Instincts” by Ioana Visan is an apocalyptic novella which is entirely different from any other I have read. The premise is that a global war finally ended when the losing side released a biological agent over the enemy. However, they failed to recognize how...

"The Xavier Mosaic" by Emma Austen is a beautifully crafted fantasy novel. The author has meticulously constructed a complex, menacing yet intriguing world in Larasca for her rich variety of characters to inhabit. The unpleasant Queen is slowly dragging the realm into crisis with persecution...

“A Royal Elf of Abalon” by Anna del C. Dye is almost certainly the finest Fantasy it has ever been my pleasure to read. The human Kingdom of Abalon was ruled by the wicked and evil Queen Amathis. In her efforts to produce an heir...

“Laws of Depravity” by Eriq La Salle should be on a fast track to Best Seller status. The line between legal and illegal is broad and readily discernible; the line between right and wrong is not so. This intense debut novel will have you pondering...

This book is about a middling cat with a crooked tail. What is middling? The book states that middlings commonly have a comfortable standard of living, considerable economic security, moderate work plus life autonomy and often rely on their own expertise to sustain themselves. They...

Jay and Katie Barber’s "Spellbound" is sword and sorcery at its finest. Set in the world Aronshae, where an evil sorceress leads a host of ice orcs against the outpost city of Snowhaven, "Spellbound" follows the intertwined destinies of the twins Katya and Sasha, the...

The second book in Jay and Katie Barber’s Aronshae series is better in every conceivable way than its predecessor, the excellent "Spellbound". "Icebound" picks off after the events in the King’s castle. It is now time for the kingdom to strike a blow against the...

"The Planet-Girded Suns" by Sylvia Engdahl is about what people have thought about exoplanets, and how the thoughts of exoplanets have influenced our thinking. It starts off with an account of historical thoughts from the Aristotelian era through the middle ages to the present. This...

What would it feel like to see the world through the green eyes of a cat? No need to guess, just read "The Unconventional Life of Haee" by R.S. Vern. The story made me keep turning the pages till the very end, as the writing...