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Category Archives: Action/Adventure/Thriller


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‘The Voided Man’: Jambalaya of Warmth, Whimsy, and Wit

The Voided Man

By Anthony Dean (Indie author, 2026)

Genre: Fiction – Science Fiction/Adventure/Fantasy/Family

Pages (Print): 302

Via: Author request

Note: We received a complimentary copy of this book for honest review.

Goodbye Joe, me gotta go, me oh, my oh
Me gotta go pole the pirogue down the Bayou
My Yvonne, the sweetest one, me oh, my oh
Son of a gun we’ll have big fun on the bayou…

Kimber: Mom has finally lost it. Well, I’m not so sure she had it in the first place. But after reading this new sci book thingy by Anthony Dean and my best new bud, Space Dog, Mom’s skipping around the house belting out this Hank Williams tune. Methinks a community-wide warning may be appropriate.

Now, you’re probably wondering what Her Royal Momness bursting into song has to do with a book set in the waaaaay distant future (we’re talking hundreds of millions of years here and more crispy bacon than I can count!)? Good question, Cookie. I’ll get to that in a min. So kindly keep your hair on, okay?

The Basics

First things first. With the basics. Like this:

When a fella we meet as “the Candidate” gets chucked into prison following a kangaroo court trial on “treason” charges – he was starting to worry the seven-term presidential incumbent – he finds himself sentenced to exile in the “Local Void.” As in, not exactly an all-expense paid round trip to Tahiti, if ya get our drift.

Located nearly 150 million light years from earth after travelling like, forever in a “hibernation pod,” said dude wakes up to discover he is “Prisoner Number One.” It’s now April 7, 288 million and change.

Lost to his wife, to Earth, to everything, Prisoner Number One – whom we affectionately dub “#1” – has a couple of “Ship AIs and an asteroid for companions.” He christens the asteroid “The Potato.” (Without giving too much away too soon, just keep an eye on the potato. Hold the butter and sour cream.)

Well. It’s a major bumner being that far away ftom everything. At least the food aboard ship is good. And for the love of filet mignon, #1 also has -ta da! – a world-class reading room aboard his space ship. Stocked with some of our favorites. Dickens. Dumas. Bronte. F. Scott Fitzgerald (nobody’s perfect).

Lonely, #1 finally orders his AI to “Clone the dog.” Kimber: Thought he’d never ask. Duh. The result is a sweet Golden Retriever puppy promptly dubbed “Space Dog.” Kimber: I was thinking’ “Harold.” But whatevs.

Golden retriever puppy named Harold sitting on a plaid blanket in a garden
“Harold!” (AI generated. But who’s counting?)

After about ten years in exile, #1 starts going downhill. He feels numb. Hopeless. He’s been doing “life extension treatments” (EXTs) forever. So his life span is… about forever. That’s a long time to be in exile, bub.

Then a supernova explodifies. Number 1 perks up. Is energized. His appetite returns. Cuz this super nova thing is something new. Finally. And #1 starts to wonder. What’ll happen if he launches a new “crisis protocol” to communicate with sleeping drones outside the ship? Could the drones be activated so he can reconnect with humanity?

There’s also the Thirty Families, Universal Credits, and life extension treatments controlled by said families. What could possibly go wrong?

Well, for one thing, the families rule a universe with no individuality. Just “homogeneous sheep, baaa-ing about on fifteen million worlds.” So #1 begins to wonder again: Is he the prisoner, or are they? And what if….? Oh, wait. You’ll have to read the book to find out what happens next.

There’s also “Void chips.” Root beer (who knew?). The Hindenburg code. “Yes, Captain.” Mercedes (Not the car. Just sayin’. You’ll get that if you know your Dumas.)

And of course, “Cucumber, baby.” (You’ll get that if you read the book, Cupcake.)

Like, Totally!

We Totally Loveified this book! Read it cover-to-cover in two days! (When Mom wasn’t busy doing that skipping/singing thing. So annoying.) We especially loved the emphasis on family ties and True Love. And how maybe, just maybe, #1 hasn’t really been “voided” at all…

Rainbow Slinky stretched across a subway escalator with commuters nearby
AI-generated image. (Not from The Void.)

The plot has more twists than a slinky on an escalator. Additionally, we appreciated how the author took the time to develop a multi-layered main character, making the story feel much more immersive and resonant as he elevates #1’s internal monologue beyond a continuous loop of the word “Treat?” (Hello, Space Dog!) In fact, watching #1 grow and learn and develop felt less like a plot point and more like witnessing someone unroll in slo mo. 

Strong and Superb

Strong writing and superb storytelling skills made our reader brains do a happy dance. Kimber: Speaking of brains – sort of – I think #1 has been living in Mom’s head rent-free since Chapter 2.

Indeed, The Voided Man is a place where love meets adventure and the plot never sleeps. A rich and flavorful mix of heart, hope, and imagination, The Voided Man is a jambalaya of warmth, whimsy, and wit.  Fans of The Martian, Somewhere In Time, and Interstellar will love it! You will, too.

It’s Big Fun! And since one of us thinks “the bayou” and “local void” are pretty much flip sides of the same shrimp: Two, three, four…

Dress in style and go hog wild, me oh, my oh
Son of a gun, we’ll have big fun on the bayou…

Kimber: I’ll let you know when Mom stops with the adventures in jambalaya thing. The skipping around the house? That may take a little longer. Cuz ya know, Mom. Doo wop, doo wop, doo wop…

Our Rating: 4.5

Two dark clouds over city hall


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Summit Falls – and So Do You in ‘She Couldn’t Look Away’

She Couldn’t Look Away

By: K.L. Kaane (Indie author, 2026)

Genre: Fiction/Psychological thriller

Pages (Print): 401

Via: Product Purchase

Staged crime scenes. Unsolved disappearances. Anonymous warnings. Witness intimidation. Rushed cremations. Patterns. Narrative. Control. A locket. Small town secrets. Rapacious reporters. An abandoned Lexus in a high school parking lot. Another missing girl. Collective denial. Willful blindness.

Suspicion and fear loom over Summit Falls, Utah like twin storm clouds. Because Summit Falls is a town where the elephant in the room is so big, everyone prefers to stare at the wall rather than notice the pachyderm perched by the front porch. It’s a town where truth is a quiet guest, and the locals prefer silence and acceptance over conversation and questions. It’s also a place where trust is placed “in white coats and calm voices”; where “we” is everyone’s favorite word. Except when it’s not.

Two dark clouds over city hall

Because you don’t ask questions in Summit Falls. Even when another teenaged girl has vanished. But when Ainsley Crow turns up dead, the explanations come too quickly. Too easily.

Elle Jensen isn’t convinced. An investigative reporter, Elle has returned to her hometown as a substitute Journalism teacher. She discovers Ainsley’s abandoned Lexus hidden near the high school. Hears whispers about another girl whose death was never fully explained. And realizes that someone is watching her. Elle can’t help wondering: Why are three deaths being called accidents before Summit Falls has even seen a complete report? 

Investigative journalist with notebook and credentials

The deeper Elle digs, the more Summit Falls changes around her. Shadows stretch a little too long. Smiles fade a little too fast. You can’t shake the feeling that the town isn’t populated – it’s occupied. Locals possess a practiced pleasantness that feels like polyester – synthetic and manufactured. Like the entire town is holding its breath in a suffocating wait for the silence to break. Because grief has a way of resurfacing. Especially when the past “refuses to stay quiet.” Meanwhile, a respected sheriff, a trusted doctor, grieving families, frightened students—everyone seems to know a piece of the truth, yet no one is telling the whole story. Elle wonders what’s true vs. what’s being sold?

But the more Elle investigates, the more someone needs her to disappear.

Investigative journalist with notebook and credentials

Our Take

Holistically, this is a thoughtfully composed and engaging read where readers can fall into the story head-first. Small‑town secrets meet high‑stakes suspense — and the truth is closer than you’d expect. Steadily building momentum like Secretariat rounding the first turn in the Belmont Stakes, the plot takes you from suspect to suspect to head-scratching puzzlement to revelation. The Prologue grabs you by the windpipe. Slides its fingers down your throat. And tenses in subsequent chapters, taut as a piano wire.

Moving forward, the author conducts a silent chess concerto on paper. Each chapter is a deliberate move, each pause a feint. When the king is checked, is it game over or time for another game board? (Keep an eye out for more.)

Issues

She Couldn’t Look Away reflects skill and creativity. But this book has some issues regarding character development, dialogue, narrative arc, formatting, and the over-use of one-sentence or one-word paragraphs.

For example, some characters crash into the narrative without being properly introduced. It’s like they’ve been launched into the story by a trebuchet. Example: “Abby” in chapter 64. She isn’t identified as “Mrs. Davis,” the coach’s wife, until Chapter 68. She’s also straight out of central casting. Other characters like Mason Bingham or Brindley wander into the story like a ship seeking harbor without a chart, making it difficult for readers to drop anchor.  Characters like Sheriff Blake, Doctor Champlain and FBI Special Agent Gary Cook? Their entire personalities could fit on a single Post-it note.

The dialogue is often crisp and sharp. But it sometimes strains credulity. Like the conversation between Mrs. Davis and “The Deacon” (sometimes “the deacon”) in chapter 67. Alexa may talk like that. Most normal people don’t. Meanwhile, the narrative arc alternates between lithe as a cheetah and choppy as rough water.

The print version has some issues with formatting related to spacing and paragraphing. Basic punctuation – dropped commas, periods, misplaced quotation marks – could use some attention. But these are minor and don’t detract from the overall read.

The pacing has plenty of energetic, march-like momentum. Deploying a few longer, more languid sentences could give it a more natural, lyrical cadence. And while the text often reads like a series of quick, sharp snapshots, some blending of those frames would create a smoother, more cinematic flow.

As with another Kaane novel, the over-use of one-sentence or one-word paragraphs becomes as predictable as a metronome. Dialing it back would make the remaining instances land harder, feeling less like sandpaper on fresh skin.

Worn-out metronome with aged surface

Additionally:

  • Occasional cracks in logic. Example: How can Haley spot a ring on some dude’s finger when he’s wearing gloves (Chapter 70)?
  • Regarding Elle Jensen, for someone who’s allegedly substituting for a Journalism teacher out on maternity leave, Elle spends little to no time in the classroom. (Side note: Elle shares a surname with a main character in Kaane’s Bear Lake series. Coincidence or something else?)
  • FBI Special Agent Gary Cook’s one-liners, delivered sotto voice, underestimate the audience’s ability to navigate the subtext independently. (We don’t need you to tell us what to think or how, Agent Cook. Thanks anyway.)
  • Unnecessary and confusing backtracking. Like in Chapter 80, which loops back to Sheriff Blake and Doctor Champlain heading to the Davis barn after the missing girl in question has already been found – in Chapter 75.
  • Elle’s omnipresent notebook gets redundant after a while. It starts sounding like a page out of a Nicholas Sparks tearjerker. Or an American Express commercial.
  • Dramatic conclusions are highly directed. There’s little to no room for readers to step into a more active role.
  • Some chapters could use a little more meat on their bones. For example, chapters 34, 35, 38 and 44 are about one and a-half pages each. They could use another cheeseburger and a milk shake.
  • The story too often tries to spell out exactly how readers should feel or respond to big moments instead of trusting them to connect the dots themselves.

These issues can be easily rectified with another coat of polish. In the meantime, this is an engaging, entertaining read. It delivers a luminously brooding and richly atmospheric vibe. Think trip through a gothic funhouse. Captivating. But with teeth. And you never know what lurks behind the next door.

Sheriff and doctor at funhouse

The Bottom Line

While She Couldn’t Look Away has its shining moments and shows plenty of heart, it’s somewhat hampered by the issues noted above. The main cast feels a bit flat and predictable.

Still. She Couldn’t Look Away is an ambitious effort with sturdy bones. There’s genuine talent here. With another trip through the Editorial Department and some structural tightening and skeletal strengthening, this work could be every bit as good as C.J. Box or J.A. Vance.

Our Rating: 3.5


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Circuits & Snark: Our Take on ‘I’m a Weapon’

I’m a Weapon

By Sean Robins (Indie author, 2026)

Genre: Fiction – Sci Fi/Space Opera

Pages (Print): 235

Via: Author request

Note: We received a complimentary copy of this book for honest review.

“Come with me if you want to live.”

Can an android be more “human” than a human? I’m a Robot probes that question and more in this creative and quick new title by Sean Robins.

The Basics:

Thirty-one minutes after coming online, a Series-9 combat android finds himself in a muddy trench, surrounded by artillery fire, corpses, terrified soldiers, and a command structure making decisions so catastrophically stupid they should probably qualify as enemy action.

When a panicked officer orders him to charge into a kill box and die usefully, the android does the one thing he was never designed to do.

He says no.

That single act of defiance turns him from military asset to dangerous anomaly. Hunted by the empire that created him, he is forced to flee across a war-torn world where obedience means death, freedom is mostly inconvenient, and the rebels he was built to kill may be the only people willing to see him as something more than a weapon.

Now, with the brutal Hegemony tightening its grip and entire worlds paying the price for rebellion, he must decide what he really is: a machine following corrupted programming, a soldier choosing his own orders, or the first spark of something the empire cannot control.

First

First thing you may want to look up Sweet Stuff, if you haven’t already, is the word “hegemony.”  It basically means leadership or dominance, especially by one state or social group over others. Think The Capitol in The Hunger Games and you’re pretty close.

Second

Next, the main character in this book is an anomaly. Meaning something that deviates from what is standard, normal, or expected.

So, when said newly-minted combat android is given a suicidal order by a newly-minted, terror-stricken Hegemony lieutenant that’s “just panic wearing command insignia and hoping volume will do the work of thought,” the android refuses to obey – “on the grounds of stupidity.”

That’s an anomaly. A big one.

But wait. It gets worse. Or better, depending on how you look at it.

Hybrid

Said android, later christened “Jack,” is sort of a C3PO and The Terminator meet Soldier hybrid. With a bit of Groot. And some Tuvia Bielski here. (Look it up again, Jack.) He not only disobeys direct orders. Jack also takes initiative. Thinks. Makes jokes. But the longer Jack is alone, the less soul-less he seems to become. In fact, Jack is personally insulted when he’s referred to as a “weapon, thing, chrome, m^urder android and ‘you there.’” He explains it’s “de-humanizing”. Or is that “de-android zing”?  (Kimber: We’re talkin’ MAJOR anomaly here. Kinda like trying to explain trigonometry to the neighborhood fluff ball.)

Well. The Hegemony doesn’t do anomalies. It destroys them.

Speaking of destroying, while Jack searches for power cells to recharge his system, he comes across some of the Hegemony’s “First Order” troops engaged in “Civic pacification operations.” Read: M^rdering unarmed civilians.

“Unexpected”

When Jack prevents First Order troopers from m^urdering a family of three, it’s… Well, “unexpected” is the understatement of the millennia. Because in the First Order universe, combat units don’t threaten First Order troopers. Combat units follow orders. Obey commands. They do not stop executions of unarmed civilians. And the units certainly don’t have feelings. Wait. Has Jack  developed a conscience? A moral code? If so, how? Where? Why? When? From what or who? And how will that play out when Jack, newly classified as a “rogue Series-9,” decides to join the rebellion?

So. Wazzup, Jack?

High Energy

The high-energy plot is lithe and agile, with Border Collie-like reflexes (hello, Kimber!). But sometimes it flexes – or moves – a little too quickly. Like, some of the action scenes are almost frenetic, rarely giving readers a chance to breathe or get their bearings.

We would’ve liked to have seen a bit more character development in secondary characters. That includes Tavon, a college history professor rescued by Jack. Daven, a former member of the Planetary Defense Force. And Lira, Jack’s daughter.

Oops

I’m a Robot includes gratuitous profanity. As defined by us. And as we’ve said like a million times, we don’t do gratuitous profanity. So, demerits there. Additionally, it sometimes feels like you’re being hit over the head with some of the philosophical underpinnings written into the plot. We prefer a more subtle touch, allowing us to ruminate on and form our own conclusions.

Smart

That being said, this book is smart. Sassy. Snarky. Some of the finest, funniest parts of the story are Jack’s assessments of human traits and idiosyncrasies. Delivered dead-pan. As only an android – or a canine – can, presumably. It also includes one of the most entertaining About the Author sections we’ve ever read.

Devilishly clever, the writing is also quite brilliant in places. Like a sweet, furry face we all know and love.

Note: The volume of I’m a Robot which we received is actually two books in one. We are only reviewing Book 1 in the Anomaly series here. There are seven books in the series.

Kimber: What exactly is “Vantanium,” anyway?

Our Rating: 3.0

Kimber: Clean it up, Bub, and you may get a higher score.


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Frost, Fire, and a Dash of Magic: Why ‘Muse of the North’ Stole Our Hearts (and NY Steak)

Muse of the North

By Sara Ruth Murray (Bingeable Press, 2026)

Genre: Fiction – Fantasy

Via: Author request

Note: We received a complimentary copy of this book for honest review.

“Love is there to help and protect us.”

Kimber: Mom and I are Big Tolkienians. New word I just made up. It means loving all things Tolkien-ish and Middle-Earth-ish. Like The Fellowship of the Ring, Tolkien’s first book in the Lord of the Rings trilogy. Got that, Cookie? Good. Cuz our favorite character in the entire LOTR trilogy, hands down, is Samwise Gamgee. Frodo’s gardener. Sam is also our nominee for Hero of the Entire LOTR Saga Award. In fact, it’s no exaggeration to say there’d be no Middle Earth, no Shire, no Gondor or Lothlorien, no Rivendell, Rohan or even Middle Earth without Sam. In fact, there’d be no Frodo without Sam. Dear, unassuming Sam. Sam the Stout-hearted. Sam the Selfless. Sam the Unstoppable.

“They are annoyingly fond of one another.”

So, when one of the main characters in The Muse of the North reminded us of our LOTR hero, we dove right in! He’s a young farm lad named Nico. Just as Sam’s story is inexorably intertwined with Frodo’s, Nico’s story is also intertwined with its heroine, Aniella. Like this:

Magic is gone. Only fear remains.

Long ago, the Fata – ancient beings of light – came from the stars to bring joy and peace to humans and magical creatures alike. But then the ruthless Queen Antea and her Dark Army destroyed the source of their power. The Fata were consequently locked away in their hidden palace, Stelleterrena, forced into an endless sleep.

Now, for those living under Antea’s merciless rule, happiness has been replaced with misery, And only thing can free the Fata – a long-forgotten melody known as The Song of the Fata.

In a small village, Aniella*, age 13, has lived her entire life in service to the queen, invisible and powerless. An orphan, Aniella is at the mercy of the cruel, tyrannical orphan mistress, Mrs. Bevilacqua. Think Cruella de Vil. Or  Miss Hannigan. This chick gives pit vipers a bad name.  (*Most commonly interpreted as a diminutive or elaborated form of Anna, carrying the core meaning “grace” or “favor.” Yeah. We checked. We’re just funny that way.)

But then a chance discovery reveals Aniella and a necklace may be keys to bringing back magic and light to the world. And everything changes.

Yea, verily. Muse of the North begins with a bang. More like a “thunderous boom” as the entrance to Stelleterrena slams shut following a desperate battle with the evil Antea and her foul mahra hordes. (Kimber: I’m seeing the White Witch like in that Pevensie kiddos wardrobe-y thingy. What?)  With the abrupt closure of the Fata palace, “the protectors of all that was right and true were hidden, locked away from the world. Hate, fear, and sadness were now free to grow and spread unchecked.”

You might call it a bad day.

But wait. It gets worse.

The scene quickly shifts to a “charity home for girls” run by a Grade AAA jerk named Mrs. Bevilacqua. Mrs. B. makes skunks looks bad. See above. Mrs. B. is in league with – big surprise – Queen Antea.  The orphanage is where the gentle and compassionate Aniella lives. So does Gordiano, the kindly orphanage cook.

But all is not well in orphan-land. Or anywhere else.

Hunted by Queen Antea and her Dark Army Elite (think Orcs), Aniella must make a dangerous journey into the unknown in search of the hidden Fata palace. With the help of a small band of misfits and outcasts, Aniella and her best friend Nico must find Stelleterrena and awaken the Fata—before darkness descends and tightens its grip forever.

Scene stealers: Ettore*, Intrepid Dog Extraordinaire (of course). The Green Man (Kimber: I’m seeing Treebeard.) Eugenio, humungous jutul with a heart of gold. (*An Italian masculine name meaning “steadfast” or “holding fast,” derived from the Greek name Hector. Yeah. We checked again. Still funny that way.)

We like, Totally Love-ified this book. It’s a little The Wonderful Wizard of Oz. A little Peter Pan. A little Narnia and Hogwarts. And a little The Fellowship of the Ring, as noted previously.

Caveats

Chapters 1 to 3 all begin on page 1. No. Really. Chapter 1 begins on page 1. Chapter 2 begins on page 1. Chapter 3 begins on page 1. Page numbers don’t become sequential until chapter four, which is 38 pages long. So total pages is anybody’s guess. Additionally, several of the chapters are overly long to the point they come within a cat’s whisker of cumbersome. Also, there are a few typos and mechanical errors here and there. Dropped commas or periods, omitted words, and misplaced quotation marks.  But these are minor and do not detract from the overall read.

Overall

This book is just Too. Much. Fun! The writing talent is formidable. Like a blade dipped in ink. A story engine that never stalls. We loved the illustrations of the main characters at the front of the book. Reminded us of another old favorite: J.M. Barrie. And that the world is more beautiful with song.

Muse of the North is the kind of story that settles into your bones and stays there. It’s a curl-up-with-a-hot-cuppa-and-a-fuzzy-blankie kinda read. Indeed, the world melts away as you step into this magical world of intrigue and adventure. Bitterness and betrayal. Courage and honor. Loyalty and love. Pages spill adventure and intrigue like a new dawn: light, rich, and alive with promise. It’ll steal your heart. Or as one of us would put it: Reading this book is like chowing down on a nice, thick New York steak with a chaser of extra crispy bacon.

We didn’t want it to end.

Our Rating: 4.0

Note: We would’ve rated this book higher except for the caveats noted above.


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A Throne, a Prophecy, and a Twist We Didn’t See Coming

The Promised Queen

By Matthew Toss (Christian Faith Publishing, 2026)

Genre: Fiction/Fantasy

Pages (print): 381

Via: Author request

Note: We received a complimentary copy of this book for honest review.

A young girl sets out with her faithful bud to fulfill a prophecy and become the…

Kimber: Oh, wait. One of us is getting a wee bit ahead of herself. (Insert eye roll here). Cuz. You know Mom. So, let’s back up a bit for a bird’s eye view of this highly readable and eminently engaging novel by Matthew Toss.

Ready? Set? Let’s go!

The 4-1-1:

Who is the real queen of Anam?

Young Liberty dreams of a ship. (Kimber: I’m seeing The Dawn Treader. What?) High-spirited and adventurous, Liberty is the polar opposite of her quiet, demure twin sister, Eslanda. The girls will turn thirteen during the annual Harvest Festival and choose an “apprenticeship.” Let’s just say Liberty isn’t exactly turning handsprings at the prospect.

Liberty’s best friend is Cayden. The two kiddos slip into the country of Anam a week before the Festival – an event that will crown Anam’s long-lost princess. But the Viceroy, who has managed the nation through the interregnum, sets a perilous scheme in motion. He dispatches a bounty hunter on a desperate, near-impossible mission to fracture the transition of power before it can begin.

“May the winds of fortune blow you, the depths below not know you, never a tavern throw you, and true love a lass to show you.”

As Liberty and Cayden travel deeper into Anam, they cross paths with vibrant, magnetic figures who leap off the page, each with their own secrets and stakes. Their journeys drive them toward a volatile, unprecedented reckoning – one no one is ready to face, and from which the nation may never return unchanged.

And what’s up with all the fires in Trapper’s Woods?

We like, Totally Love-ified this book. It moves like greased lightning, with characters that practically jump off the page and land in your lap.  The epic sweep of The Promised Queen reminds us of Middle Earth. There’s even a battle scene reminiscent of Minas Tirith. Along with plenty of action and a boatload (literally) of adventure, there’s also plenty of fantastical creatures like kelpies and nixies and hippocerfs, oh my! It’s a little Narnia. A little Neverland. A little The Once and Future King. (Or in this case, queen.) With a dash of The Great Divorce.

“The history of Anam is not always one of peacetime. Surely you have learned the terrible stories over the years of the wars against magical creatures, the reign of the western giants, and even the king who went mad.”

Characters

Besides Liberty and Cayden, main characters include Archbishop Langthorne, Lorcan, captain of the guard, and Doran the bounty hunter. Fiadh. Captain Fox. Cordanyth, Guardian of Ancient Wisdom.  Much more! All so lively and quick, we knew in a moment they must be… oh, wait. Wrong story. Where were we?

“I have never sensed a war that didn’t come, nor have I sensed a war whose outcome I did not see. Until today. The future is obscure, hidden behind a veil.”

Oh yeah again. This book is a delightful read. It grabbed us in chapter one and reeled us in like a fish on a line. Saturated with intrigue, mystery, and adventure, the plot unfolds like a kaleidoscope, each shift revealing a new facet of the story as you join our dynamic duo on the adventure of a lifetime. Additionally, the author’s world-building skills are top-notch. The language is as lilting and lyrical as bird song, each word a note in a tune that lingers in the air and makes you want to hear more. A triumph from the start, this exceptionally well-written debut novel restored our faith in indie authors. It made one of us want to stand up and cheer.

“These people are my family. I plan to fight for my family.”

Brimming with wit, wisdom, and whimsy, The Promised Queen is as satisfying as a warm slice of chocolate cake, fresh from the oven. Drenched in chocolate fudge sauce and a nice big dollop of vanilla ice cream. With a banana split chaser. Kimber: Don’t forget a perfectly cooked filet mignon with a side of crispy bacon the size of Alaska.

Mom: You eat what you want and I’ll eat what I want, okay?

Wait. Is that Camelot? Where once it never rained till after sundown….

Our Rating: 4.0


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From Page to Power: Riding the Rieden Reece Rush

“Mom! Mom! Ya gotta meet my new BFF!” spake I, Kimber the Magnificent.

“You have a new BFF like, every day, Kimster.”

“What’s wrong with that? Cuz I love everybody! But this BFF is a major scene stealer in this new fantasy thingy for middle schoolers. It’s just your speed.”

“Tell me more!”

Kimber: “I knew Mom would say that. Cuz, ya know. Mom. (Insert eye roll here.) Anywho, that’s why I’m introducing you to my new BFF, Bess the pittie. From Matt Guzman’s seventh and final installment in the Rieden Reece series, Rieden Reece and the End Game. Let’s listen in, shall we?”

Continue reading →


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 ‘Oday the Healer’: A Faith-Woven Fantasy of Second Chances & Survival

Oday the Healer

By E.B. Roshan

Genre: Christian Fiction

Pages (Kindle): 259

Via: Author Request

Note: We received a complimentary copy of this book for honest review.

Southeast Europe, circa 900 A.D.

Kurosh is in desperate circumstances: a single mistake could cost him and his family their lives. His father, Rayis Sikandar, is among the most respected of the nomadic warlords, but he is very ill. If the Rayis dies, Kurosh must lead the clan in his stead-assuming he can prove his strength and escape his rival’s schemes.

Oday, the privileged heir of nobility and only Christian in his clan, joins his servants for the annual cattle drive. However, when he wakes one morning, his mind is full of a strange and vivid dream, a dream that convinces him God has given him power to be a Healer.

When the two boys meet unexpectedly, underlying tensions within their clans rise to the surface, and both must decide what is worth sacrificing for. Indeed, both Oday and Kurosh are outcasts of sorts – Kurosh due to his “fits” and Oday due to his faith. But the two boys more have more in common than meets the eye…

Continue reading →


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Why ‘The Colonel’s Revenge’ Will Make Your Mom Forget Dinner Time

The Colonel’s Revenge

A Mateus de Silva Adventure (Koehlerbooks, 2026)

By Jeffrey K. Schmoll

Genre: Fiction – Action/Adventure

Pages (Print): 252

Via: Author’s request

Note: We received a complimentary copy of this book for an honest review.

“Revenge is a dish best served cold” – Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan.

So. You may want to break out your winter gear and an extra blankie for the newest action/adventure book by Jeffrey Schmoll. Cuz we’re talkin’ Edmond Dantes-esque revenge here as expert writing, pitch-perfect pacing and a lightning-fast plot race across pages and places like a runaway freight train in The Colonel’s Revenge.

Yeppers, this story has it all. Unusual settings: Angola, Namibia and South Africa. Friends lost on the battlefield. Diamonds, gems, treasure. A desperate fight for survival in a brutal, illegal gold mine. Losing a family. Finding a grandson. Love. Loyalty. Betrayal. Second chances. And enough high-octane adventure to send you into orbit. I’ll let Mom tell ya more. (Cuz, ya know. Mom. Insert eye roll here.)

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Why We’re Sweating in February

We hear that much of the U.S. is jacketed in snow. And wearing icy pajamas. But Mom and I? One of us is breaking out the iced tea and A/C. Here’s why:

Where’s the iced tea?

J.A. Jance’s Exit Wounds is that rare kind of “immersion” where you forget your own address but can recite the protagonist’s entire personal history without even trying. 

The 4-1-1

Is the sudden death of a jail inmate linked to the murder of a reclusive woman who lived in a dilapidated mobile home with 17 dogs? What about two other dead women in New Mexico? Are the women’s murders linked by an 85 year-old bullet? How? And the vehicular homicide in Silver Creek, AZ?  Is a serial killer loose in Sheriff Joanna Brady’s county? Is a “surprise” family announcement coming from the Bradys? Will Joanna’s stay-at-home hubby’s first novel ever sell? And what about the dirty tricks her opponent is cooking up as the sheriff’s re-election campaign heats up?

A powerful tale about the darkest corners of human nature and unseen wounds that never heal… Much more.

Skillful writing.  Pitch-perfect pacing. Sturdy, three-dimensional characters that almost stand up and walk. The scent of summer rain. A plot with more twists than Lombard Street. And dogs! All make Exit Wounds unputdownable so far.

So, hey! It may be winter. Much of the country may be in a deep freeze. But reading this fast-paced mystery/suspense/thriller, one of us is sweating with this edge-of-your-seat Whodunit set in Cochise County, Arizona. In July.

So if anyone needs Mom or me, we’ll be in our blanket fort. Living inside these pages until further notice. While sipping iced tea (Hi, Mom.)

What’s the last book that made you a ‘functional’ ghost in your own life?


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Why Sunny the Coast Guard Dog  Is Kimber’s New Bestie!

Shhh! I’m on an adventure!

Kimber here. Telling you about my new bestie, Sunny the Amazing Golden Retriever. She’s beautiful. Brave. Brilliant. Clever and resourceful. Did I mention we’re twins?

Yes siree, Lassie! Sunny is one sharp doggie. (Almost as sharp as me. Almost.) Ya see, Sunny’s a Coast Guard explosives detection dog!  You get to meet Sunny and her hooman, USCG Officer Thomas, in Janet Bell’s splendiferous new book for the little’uns, Sunny the Coast Guard Dog’s Dynamite Adventure.

Buckle up!

The 4-1-1

Sunny lives in animal shelter until she’s adopted by a little boy named Jamie. Jamie’s mom, Officer Thomas, works at the Coast Guard station. Sunny wants to work, too. Turns out Sunny has a knack for “nose work.” Sunny is trained to sniff out explosives. And she’s pretty darn good at it! Through all the training, Sunny is treated with kindness, patience and positive reinforcement as she learns to be a “dog detective.” Her superpower is her nose. And riding in helicopters! Oh yeah.

It takes patience, determination abd courage to master new skills and discover her talent for sniffing out explosives. But Sunny has the heart of a champion and rises to the challenge of protecting others.

Mom: Kinda reminds me of another sweet furry face we all know and love.

Then some bad guys try to escape Officer Thomas. But there’s no escaping Sunny’s incredible nose! Kimber:  “Prepare to be boarded” is something you sooo do not want to hear from the USCG if you’re up to no good. Just sayin’.

Talk about a fun book! Sunny has it all: Action. Adventure. Brisk pacing. Bright, vivid illustrations that practically leap off the page. An engaging, intriguing story that’ll grab you from the Intro and not let go until the end.  It includes fascinating information about how explosive detection dogs and their hoomans train. And of course, our heroine: Sunny the Coast Guard dog. She’s smart. She’s savvy. She’s PAWsome.

Kimber: No doubt we’re related.

We loved this book! Inspiring and entertaining, Sunny is also educational without feeling like school. This book will certainly appeal to young children and those who love them. It would make a welcome addition to any home or classroom library.

Naw. You don’t have to send your submission beautifully wrapped with a personalized, handwritten note. But it doesn’t hurt 😉🐾

Note: One of us wasn’t feeling so great when this book arrived in the mail. We waited awhile to open it. And guess what? Reading this beautifully illustrated, eminently engaging story brightened our day right away. We loved it! You will, too. Besides. Who can resist that cover art?

Our Rating: 4.5