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Reveries, Reflections and Ruminations

Caribbean Love Affair by Richard J. Foster

5/8/2016

2 Comments

 
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In the early part of the eighteenth century, two ships sail the waters of the Caribbean. The first, an English merchant ship, leaves Kingston, Jamaica fully laden and bound for her home port in England. On this voyage she carries two passengers. The first, Eleanor Simpson Forbes, seventeen years old, blonde haired, medium height, slender and beautiful, is an only child. Her father is Sir Benjamin Simpson Forbes, aide to Sir Francis Black, governor of Jamaica. Her mother is Lady Caroline Simpson Forbes, a stunningly beautiful English rose. The second passenger, Margaret Stewart, born of good Scottish stock, joined the Forbes’ as governess to Eleanor. She is travelling with her charge in her new position as companion.
 
The second ship, a French first-order frigate, now in the hands of a murderous horde of escaped prisoners, and by a cold-blooded, half-caste called Paul Duval, is engaged in acts of piracy.
 
Aboard the pirate vessel is a young English sailor, Peter Bennet, an unwilling member of the crew, released from prison when Duval led the daring escape and subsequent capture of the frigate. Just turned eighteen, tall, strong, with dark brown hair, and a ruddy complexion, Bennet has no choice but to accept the situation.
 
Will fate bring these two vessels together? If so, what does the future hold for all on board?

My Thoughts:


I thoroughly enjoyed Caribbean Love Affair – the author evokes the time and place extremely well, and the characters are plausible and just flawed enough to give them depth. There’s plenty of action, suspense and emotion – and plenty of piratical threat and misdeeds to go along with it!
 
It’s clear Richard J. Foster knows the sea and a sailor’s life – the shipboard scenes read so authentically, I felt I was on the water myself! On top of that, he presents the historical timeframe and setting extremely well, with both narrative and dialogue, on land as well as at sea.
 
Recommended reading for anyone who enjoys a good seafaring tale!
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Cat 'n' Dog Get Drenched - by Lilli Lea

5/8/2016

1 Comment

 
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Alanna MacLachlin is an animal whisperer, in love with a Berserker, and has prophetic dreams about death. But when her impromptu lake house get-away from everything that life and her dreams has thrown at her turns deadly, she can’t just sit on the sidelines. 

Her tenacious but tipsy cousin, Jenae, insists Alanna should relax and let the sheriff handle things, but when Alanna finds out that Derek, who “needs his space” at the moment, is the prime suspect for murder, what will she and her curious four-legged, furry friends do? Help to clear him, or continue to unearth clues that may ultimately convict him? 

Derek’s family believes his curse has turned him into a bloodthirsty killer, but then Derek’s cousin, Lenny, a womanizing nudist surfer, who recently came to town to crash on Derek’s couch, confesses his own curse to Derek. Once Lenny’s secret is out, Derek’s life, and all of those closest to him, will be affected by the epic battle that follows. 

And when the killer’s identity is ultimately revealed, the whole town of Aurum has to re-evaluate everything they thought they knew about their quiet little town. 
​ 
My Thoughts:

​Lilli Lea has given me the greatest gift an author can give a reader – a whole new genre to explore and enjoy.
 
Alanna is psychic, and can talk to and understand animals, and together they solve murder – with great theatrics, plenty of humour, and a deep-seated desire to do right. Throw in a steamy romance, some Norse mythology and complicated families, and you have all the right ingredients for a suspenseful and entertaining read.
 
The real gem in Lilli Lea’s books, though, is her understanding and characterisation of the animals. They are so well-rounded, appropriate and believable – especially the Machiavellian and rather scary cat, Juneau – that I half expect next-door’s cats to start talking!

Author Website
Cat 'n' Dog Get Drenched on Amazon
1 Comment

The Cortés Trilogy - Enigma, Revenge, Revelation by John Paul Davis

5/8/2016

2 Comments

 
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ENIGMA! REVENGE! REVELATION! THE BRAND NEW Trilogy From the International Bestselling Author of The Cortés Enigma and The Templar Agenda 
​

 ***Two Brand New Thrillers***
***One International Bestseller***
 
Trilogy Edition includes:
The Cortés Enigma - new and revised edition, May 2016
The Cortés Revenge - new release, May 2016
The Cortés Revelation - new release, May 2016

FROM THE BACK PAGE

Mexico 1520: As the Aztec Empire burns to ash at Hernán Cortés's feet, in another part of the country a great treasure lies hidden in a sacred place watched over by its keepers. Throughout the land, a strange legend has long told of an ancient people dwelling deep within the jungle whose possessions include a precious set of stones with the potential to bring unlimited power to its owner. As well as wealth beyond their wildest dreams . . .

1904: In an old graveyard in a remote part of the Isles of Scilly, a distinguished academic makes a surprising discovery. The inscriptions on the gravestones are unlike any he has ever seen, at least in that part of the world. The clues point to an astounding possibility. A forgotten Spanish legend. And a four-hundred-year-old cover-up!

Present Day: History lecturer Dr Ben Maloney is sitting in his office when the phone rings. A call from his cousin is rarely anything out of the ordinary, but today what he has to say is anything but normal. Their great-great-grandfather's body has been discovered in a boat near a deserted island in the Isles of Scilly. With a bullet through his skull!

Dropping everything, the cousins' decision to visit the site of their ancestor's demise soon proves to be one that will change their lives forever. With nothing but a hundred-year-old diary and legends from the past to guide them, Ben soon realises their quest to solve the riddle of their ancestor's death will require them to take on an altogether greater mystery that will lead them not only halfway across the world delving deep into humanity's bloodiest past but potentially to their own deaths. An unimaginable treasure remains undiscovered - one with the ability to change the world for better or worse. And some will stop at nothing to find it . . .
​ 
My Thoughts:

​Great action, well-drawn characters, emotion, suspense, history, myth AND a lost treasure! What more could you want? A fast-paced quest across the Isles of Scilly, Spain and Mexico? The Cortés Trilogy has that too!
 
I thoroughly enjoyed the read, and struggled to put the books down. I loved that all three books were in one volume so I didn’t have to wait for the next - John Paul Davis definitely had me hooked into his characters’ world, and the Isles of Scilly are now on my holidays’ list. I’ve even found myself missing Ben and Chris et al and wondering where they are now and what they’re getting up to!

Author Website
The Cortes Trilogy on Amazon
2 Comments

Stand Your Ground: A Torsten Dahl Thriller by David Leadbeater

24/7/2016

0 Comments

 
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SYNOPSIS


FAMILY THREATENED ON VACATION.

HUNTED AND WITH NO CHANCE OF RESCUE.

HOW WOULD YOU SURVIVE?

​An idyllic family vacation in Barbados goes terribly wrong when Torsten Dahl is spotted by the one man with reason to hate him most in all the world.

With his marriage already crumbling and his defenses down, Dahl is finding it hard to switch between the soldier's discipline and a family unit. When their hotel is attacked by gunmen they are forced to flee blindly with no phones, no ID, and no money. It gets worse when Dahl realizes his wife, two daughters and himself are being singled out and hunted down by a dangerous army that includes corrupt local authorities.

As the chase continues through Barbados's darkening streets, aboard a pirate cruise ship, and amidst a festive carnival parade, Dahl realizes there are even deeper nightmares abroad tonight. The island's prime minister is under threat. The leader of one of the world's most violent drug cartels has arrived.

And though instincts say run, hide, just survive, there is only one thing a man like Dahl will do when his wife and daughters come under direct threat.


Stand His Ground.
​

My Thoughts:
​

​Torsten Dahl’s first solo outing has all the action, suspense and excitement we've come to expect and anticipate from a David Leadbeater novel, but with a twist.

In the Matt Drake novels, Dahl is a rock, a complete professional at the top of his game, and yes, the Mad Swede – and he always comes up with the goods, usually in dramatic fashion! In Stand Your Ground, he is all of this, but we also see his softer side, his vulnerability: his family.

​This brings new emotional and psychological levels to the action novel, which add to the suspense and threat levels as Dahl is now far more than a soldier; he is a parent, and any one of us could face the same dilemmas. Somehow everything seems all too real for comfort.


So how does a key member of an elite special forces team balance his professional role with that of a husband and father? Especially when the two intersect?


Read Stand Your Ground to find out…
Author Website
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  • Home
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