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Writing, Reading, and Rural Life With a Border Collie

Category Archives: Book Reviews – Fiction


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‘Death By Politics’: Cozy, Cool

Death by Politics

By Kent Ostby (Indie author, 2021)

Genre: Fiction/Cozy Mystery

“Politics turning to violence is the mark of an unstable society. Death by politics was generally confined to third world countries and was definitely supposed to end at the US border.”

Simmering tensions threaten to boil over into murder and mayhem following an acrimonious ballot initiative that split Cobb County, Georgia into two in this cozy mystery by indie author Kent Ostby.

When the mayor is critically injured and a county supervisor is murdered, Shea Carlin suddenly finds himself up to his proverbial eyeballs in a murder mystery. Are ReUnite protestors to blame, or is something else in play? What? As dead bodies pile up, so does the danger. Can Carlin solve the Whodunit before he’s next on the hit list? And what about Carlin’s main squeeze, Kim?

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‘Mad Magician’ Not Our Cuppa

On The Island of the Mad Magician: An Interactive Tale

By Eric Grissom, 2023

Via: Author Request

Genre: Middle Grade Fantasy

Pages: Your guess is as good as mine

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

Now hear this: Mom and I require a few things from a book in order to make the read worth our while. The must-haves are non-negotiable. As in, books we want to read and are most likely to finish must: 

  • Have strong writing
  • Have solid characterizations
  • Have a distinct beginning, middle, and end.
  • Have a coherent plot
  • Be error-free

5 Essentials

Books must also include the five essential elements of a story:

  • Setting: The time and location where the story takes place.
  • Characters: The main and supporting characters.
  • Plot: The key events that happen in the story.
  • Conflict: The main conflict, which can be internal or external.
  • Theme: The underlying message or meaning of the story.

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‘Perestroika’ Percolates With Perspicacity

Perestroika

By Joao Cerqueira

Publisher: Arkbound, 2024

Via: Author Request

Genre: Historical Fiction

Pages: 436 (paperback)

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

“Does beauty require freedom?”

Tucked into the chapters of this epic historical fiction, this question is one upon which the entire book hinges. 

 

For more, click here.


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Historical Fiction Has Potential

The Black Magician

By Kay Cee Jones (Indie Author)

Genre: Historical Fiction

Pages: 233 (print)

Via: Author request

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

Nasty oil. Sleeping dust. Illusions. Tunnels. An herb garden. Masterful planning. Clever camouflage. Courage, creativity, and daring. All of the above and more are part of Granny and George’s ingenious plans to help black slaves escape their chains in this historical fiction novel set in 1836 Charleston.

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Professional Joy Spreading & 4 NEW Ones for the Little’Uns!

Kimber the Magnificent.

Hello Friends!

Your favorite furry face here. I’m jumping for joy today! Well, okay. I jump for joy pretty much every day. Cuz I’m what Her Momness calls a “Professional Joy Spreader.” No idea what that means. But Mom likes it. So I like it, too.

 

For more, click here.


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Mystery Collection is the Dog’s Bow-Wow

The Mystery of the Fox Down Dog and Other Stories

By Doralynn Kennedy (2022)

Genre: Fiction/Supernatural Mystery, Cozy Mystery

Pages: 125 (Print)

Via: Author request

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

Can two retired spooks figure out why a Ukrainian professor died, how his dog learned to drive, and why Archie had a homing device in his collar that may have had its origins in the jungles of Vietnam? 

Hold on to your fur, friends. Cuz that’s only a few questions swirling in this finely crafted collection of mystery-ish stories. The collection runs the gamut of emotions and covers the waterfront from creepy to cozy to the back woods to the dog house. 

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‘One Last Wave’ Worth the Ride

One Last Wave

By Kent Ostby (Indie author. November 2023)

Pages: 280

Genre: Fiction

“Nothing is impossible if you are too stupid to give up.”

Colt Weiss is a surfer who’s “built his life around the waves.” He lives in central California’s Arroyo Grande and tends bar at Ultimates Surf Shop & Grub. (Think Pismo Beach’s Panchos.) Courtesy of a Secret Lies TV episode, readers soon discover that Colt lost his first wife to cancer. He’s lost other women to The Grim Reaper, too.

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Ringing in 2024 With Random Awesomeness & a Maybe!

Happy New Year!

No idea what that means. Today is pretty much the same as yesterday, right? Barking at the neighbor’s cat. Snoozing in the sun. Long walks with that stupid orange jacket thingy Mom makes me wear in cold weather. 

But Mom keeps skipping around the house chirping about “Happy New Year.” So annoying.

But you know Mom.

Anyway, we thought we’d kick off 2024 by focusing on three recently read books that are mostly extra tasty. (Well, it was mostly my idea. Mom helped. A little).

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Dark Fantasy Shows Promise

Shadows of the Dark Realm

By Tyler Edwards (December 2023)

Genre: Fiction – Fantasy

Pages: 503

Via: Author request

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

Tbe Basics:

The idyllic kingdom of Parisia sat nuzzled securely in the Great Emerald Mountains. For generations Parisia had known nothing but peace and prosperity. When the elder dragon Darka Mors, steals the Darkstone, the entire realm is threatened. Without the Darkstone, the magic sealing away the Shadow King would fail. His return would bring death and destruction to the world of men.

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MG Fantasy Flies High

Crown of Three

By J. D. Rinehart (Aladdin, 2015)

Genre: Middle grade fiction/ fantasy

Via: Library

Pages: 407

“Change is coming – coming like the winter wind. We cannot change the weather, Agulphus. But we can stand before the storm.”

No one is who they seem to be or where they should be in this humdinger of a high adventure. This high octane fantasy moves like Secretariat around the final turn at the Belmont Stakes. So you might want to buckle up, Buttercup. Here’s the scoop:

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