Fearghus Academy: Chrystal Shards

 A wonderful series

My review

I already read Fearghus Academy – October jewels with lots of pleasure,
so I was very keen to read the sequel.

As always, I liked the cover and the characters were amazing. They go through
a lot in this second episode. 

I also enjoyed the story, lots of drama, adventure and even some comedy.
I immediately fell this sequel became a bit darker. Nevertheless I’m looking
forward to read the next story and book!

Of course, I would recommend this book to all who want to read a different
but fantastic kind of young adult story.

Without any doubt I give a five star rating for this fabulous story! 

Booktasters

Thank you very much Booktasters and author I.O. Scheffer for providing
me a free copy in return for my honest review, which I did. 

Bookreview: Four Bittersweet Romances & A Four Act Closet Drama

 A very good read!

Summary

The Ballad of Calle and Maja - a tragicomic story: Maja sends crushes to Calle.
He becomes infatuated, but the fear of failing seizes him as his affection grows.
Lonely and vulnerable for as long as he could remember, Calle suffered a string
of ‪one-night‬ stands and relentless unrequited love. He bears psychological scars
after recently venturing on an online cat-fishing site. Calle decides to pursue
Maja's love. Meanwhile, Maja is unhappily in love with someone else. Calle is
however determined to win Maja’s love.

Two Girls in a Cafe: A young man becomes the subject of a contentious
conversation between Felicity and Ruth. They have different impressions
about the man's character. The question is whether Felicity and Ruth have
the right end of the stick. "Contemporary, witty, honest and ironic".

Binky's Reverie: The story is about loneliness, friendship, misunderstandings,
frustration—between Binky, a young Caribbean man, and Linda, a young
Swedish beauty. They first met in London, where their friendship blossomed
into regular dating, kissing and cuddling—happiness and fun. Linda invites
Binky to visit Sweden for a holiday. And Binky hopes for him and her to go
beyond kissing and hugging—developing a serious love relationship.

Getting It Right, If Ever - romance novella: A tragicomic fantasy tale.
The setting is the early 70s in two imaginary countries. 40-year-old Benji is
a gardener and an aspiring poet. By coincidence, he meets 45-year-old Molly.
They become pen pals, and Molly invites Benji to visit her homeland. Benji is
overwhelmed and seizes the opportunity to visit another country—for the
first time. Then one day, Benji catches sight of a beautiful woman and
becomes mesmerised by with her beauty. He attempts to win her affection.
His manner is anything but conventional: His wooing is courageous as it is
comical. And his approach is a mixture of play-acting, hope, and preservation.
Benji is determined to succeed.

Tell Me Who My Enemy Is — a four-act closet drama: The scene is an outdoor
café near a lake. It is early autumn in the 70s in Stockholm. Berry
(an Afro-West Indian) and Gun and Kerstin (two Swedish cronies) are socialising.
Sam, the Afro-American in time, barges in on the trio. The black men air
opposing views about life in Sweden. Berry becomes belligerent towards Sam:
suspects him to have something up his sleeve. Sam, on the other hand, is calm
and collected, though contemptuous. The girls are puzzled by the bickering
between the two men which escalates into verbal abusive.

My review

I just finished reading "Four Bittersweet Romances and A Four Act Closet
Drama" and I absolutely enjoyed it!

The book was written very detailed and the stories were all great! Although
they looked in the beginning different to each other they form a good whole.

Sometimes I had to laugh, other ways I really felt sad. 

Anyway it was a very good read and I would like to give a 5 star rating! 

The author

He was born in Guyana, immigrated to England in the early 60s.
Worked and studied in London, before taking up residence in Sweden,
in the early 70s.

In the early 70s, he wrote stories, a four-act closet drama,
a novella, and an unfinished (memoir) novel. He had then spent two years
nurturing the ambition to become an author of some repute.
But the going was tough, creating a feeling of insecurity for the future.

In time, he shelved the idea and got a job as a hospital porter.
He later did a BA (Eng. & Edu.). After a summer job at a psychiatric hospital,
he decided to do a 4-term course for mental-health carers, 

Following that he would complete the first of two stages of psychotherapy
education and several short courses in cognitive therapy. After retirement,
he did counseling work for several years.

Booktastes

I really want to thank Booktasters and the author as well for their free copy. It 
was a very good read! 

Bookreview: Damon Ich

 What a fantastic fantasy story!

Summary

Damon Ich, an introverted and lonely workaholic, lives in a paradise with
power to do anything and to go anywhere at any time. He uses his gift to
help people in need. 

One night, he rescues a man who is revealed to be the founder of his way

of life - and suggests a rescue mission he can't refuse. The meeting and the 
rescue set off a train of events that shatter everything. Damon Ich realises that
he isn't alone in being able to do anything. Two invincible forces collide in a
torrent of bewildering, revealing and eventually catastrophic events, dramatically
changing Damon Ich's life forever. Will the roll of humanity's gardian angel be
preserved? Find it out by reading Damon Ich today! 

My review

I could follow Damon Ich easily although this was the second book of the
Wheel of Eight Book series.

The storytelling and the use of language was really brilliant! The characters 
were deepened out very well as they introduced theirselves to the readers. 

The quality of writing even let me forget the time traveling. It felt comfortable
to follow the adventures of the characters.

This is a fantastic fantasy story recommended for people who love fantasy and
drama. Although this book certainly is for adults (more than 18 years).

I give with lots of pleasure a 5 star rating for this excellent book! 

The author

Damon Ich is written by Aaron David Key. It is a part of the fantasy series called:
The Wheel of Eight about a group of people who have power to do anything. 

Booktasters

Thank you very much for the free copy, which I received from Booktasters and
the author. 

Book

The publication date of Damon Ich was 16 December 2020. The book contains
256 pages. 

Bookreview: Manopoly!?

 Manopoly!?

"A splendid mix of suspense and drama"

written by James Philip "Phil" Jones

Summary

Jackson Reynolds and Beau Benoit are two men with unknown pasts. Jackson
hires Brooke Benoit as his university assistant, Brooke is Beau's sister. Beau
is a Harvard MBA that begins in the private sector on Wall Street. He quickly
 moves up into the Federal Reserve. Jackson and Brooke work to develop
Jackson's dream, to alter the game of Monopoly into a real time predictor
of any micro or macro economy. Beau's position at the Fed creates the
opening to move the MANOPOLY Project into the mainstream federal government.

Bad actors within the university are nefariously connected with the Iranian
government. They plant a bug in the project. Once discovered, an
international trail of espionage ensues. As the story unfolds,
it is discovered that the events in the Middle East have become
very intertwined with the project. This event pits the NSA and the
CIA against the IRGC and the Quds Force fighting to control the
information. The top actors in this drama are President Trump and
The Supreme Leader of Iran who are directly involved. The actions
escalate until international assassination is sanctioned. The assassination
is answered by a retaliatory strike considered by the civilized world
to be a war crime.

Jackson and Beau both find love and happiness in a story of human
achievement and redemption. Follow them on their journeys of personal
discovery and growth. All while creating a world of very believable
business espionage, political suspense, and technological innovation
that will run long through future novels. This story is pulled right from
today's headlines and will keep you on the edge of your seat.

My Review

Can a board game change the world? I was immediately into the
novel and the characters were described very well! Sometimes I
even was thinking: is this history or is this fiction? It's full with 
suspense and drama. 

To conclude, it is a good book and very easy to read, and I wanted
to know the end. So I give the book a 5 star rating! 

The author

Phil has a Bachelor's degree in Computer Sciences and History
and an MBA.  He is a world-class sculptor and has pieces from coast
to coast across America.  He also teaches high school Art. 
You can view his work at www.philjonessculptures.com.  

This is Phil’s second book.  In 2009 he published Beneath the Meniscus,
a comprehensive history of keeping freshwater and saltwater aquaria.
Additionally, Phil authored two issued United States Patents in water
purification. He has been published numerous times in periodicals
including Tropical Fish Hobbyist, Taekwondo World, and
Sports Illustrated.  Phil is also a World Record Holder
and Black Belt in the ATA.

Phil grew up in Jefferson City, Missouri. He has two living children. 
His son Jeremy passed away in 2017.  Phil and his wife Donna
share twelve grandchildren whom they enjoy tremendously. 
Phil is active in the local arts scene and his work can be seen
all over his home town. Phil plays guitar and loves to draw, paint and write.

GENRES:

Political Thrillers

BookTasters

I received an advance copy for free via BookTasters and I'm leaving this
review voluntarily. Thank you BookTasters for giving me this great
opportunity. 

Source picture: Book Cover

The Secret of Rosalita Flats by Tim W. Jackson

 Cal’s a hapless watchmaker. Marina’s a beautiful scuba instructor. They were friends as kids. Now, not so much. Together they’ll solve the secret of Rosalita Flats. If the sharks don’t get them first.

The Secret of Rosalita Flats is about a man trying to unload the football-shaped house he inherited, while dodging the backwater Blacktip Island’s quirky collection of con artists, smugglers and other ne’er-do-wells: an ornery housekeeper who refuses to be fired, a rum-soaked attorney with his own agenda, a chair-wielding resort manager who thinks he’s an avenging angel, and a self-styled psychic who may be able to see the future. There’s also a mysterious someone—or something—trying to scare Cal off the island. Cal has to figure out what his old man was mixed up in, fast, if he’s to sell the house and get off the crazy little rock alive.

Written with Hiaasen-esque humor, The Secret of Rosalita Flats is a beguiling mystery for anyone who’s ever dreamed of chucking it all and running off to the Caribbean. From the author of the award-finalist Blacktip Island. 

Bookreview: Lucia's War

London, 1950. Soprano Lucia Percival has overcome racism and many obstacles to become a renowned opera singer. She is now due to perform her last concert. But she has no intention of going onstage. A terrible secret from her service during the First World War has finally caught up with her.

London, 1917. Lucia, a young Jamaican exile, hopes to make it as a musician. But she is haunted by a tragic separation that is still fresh in her memory - and when she meets Lilian, an old woman damaged by a similar wartime loss, she agrees to a pact that could destroy everything she has fought so hard to achieve.

From the Western Front and the mean streets of Glasgow, to black society in London, Lucia’s story tells a tale of music, motherhood, loss and redemption.

From the author of "stirring" wartime saga White Feathers, shortlisted for the Romantic Novel of the Year Award 2015, Lucia's War is ideal for fans of Andrea Levy and Sebastian Faulks

I want to thank BookSIRENS for their free copy of 'Lucia's War'. My thoughts about the book are my own.

I chose this novel, because I really like to read about historical events and people. So I'm very happy with this wonderful story.

Lucia's War is very well and clearly written by Susan Lanigan.
She writes fluently and convincing.

I really wanted to know the end of the story. So a book to recommend to friends!


Lucia's War
Written by Susan Lanigan
Publication Date: 5 June 2020
Source picture: bookcover