Book Review - My life uncensored by Cristina Caymares

My life uncensored by Cristina Caymares is a short memoir of her childhood, growing up without a father, and the various abusive men who came in and out of her life during her mother's relationships. Cristina's father had a heart attack and died when she was two years old, and her mother was left to bring up two small children on her own. Although Cristina lives with her mother in Los Angeles, she spends most of her school holidays with her grandmother in Florida so that her mother can work.

The idea for My life uncensored was promising, touching on child neglect, Cristina losing her father at an early age, and the consequences these have growing up. However, the book is poorly written. There is much repetition, e.g. Page 16 -  The big huge mirror we had in that town house was too big for that house. There are complete sentences that make no sense, e.g. page 29, Her earrings looked brighter, and her teeth got springier. The author seems to have written her thoughts down as they came into her head, making the book unpolished, disorganized, chaotic, and very frustrating to read. 

I struggled to find anything I liked about this book. I admire the author for laying bare her early life. However, it is Cristina's mother with whom I have the greatest sympathy. Her mother died giving birth to her, her father had a lengthy prison sentence and died in prison, and her husband died aged 26, leaving her with two small children. 

There were many things I was not too fond of about My life uncensored by Cristina Caymares. The book would be much more interesting if the author rewrote it as a longer book and expanded her thoughts and explanations. Rewriting would help Cristina see the errors and where more explanation is needed for the book to make sense to the reader. 

I do not recommend this book because the narrative lacks structure, many interesting subjects were left unexplored, the characters are not developed, and the topics call for more insight. My life uncensored reads like a teenager's diary!

I rate this book 0 out of 5 stars. My reasons for this are: the text did not appear to have been edited, as I found errors on practically every page! The writing style is chaotic and challenging, and I did not enjoy reading it! 

Thank you to Cristina Caynares for a free copy of this book in exchange for an impartial review.

Book Review - Smart Love by Vincent Fudge II

Smart Love by Vincent Fudge II is a self-help relationship manual that uses the author's experience and volatile relationship problems to help others mend broken relationships. The author uses the alias Edward for this autobiographical book. Edward is married to Ebony, and the couple has two children, Elizabeth, born before the marriage, and Elijah, born after. We learn quickly that this is a toxic relationship, but Fudge bravely tells the story warts and all so that we can learn from his experiences. In the book's first chapter, we learn that many trigger points set the couple fighting. After a particularly explosive argument, Edward pushes Ebony's head into a wall, the police are called, and Edward spends a night in prison. He realizes that the relationship has hit a watershed. It is make or break time, and this realization is what sets in motion the writing of Smart Love. It seems to be the age-old problem of a couple having a sexual bond who otherwise do not seem to like one another but stay together because they have children. Their relationship is one of emotional, physical, and verbal abuse and can be started by both Ebony and Edward. The first thing the couple works through is their communication skills, and the author gives the reader lots of practical advice to change toxic relationship patterns. It takes Ebony and Edward a year of hard work to become more like the couple they want to be.

I liked that despite the subject matter being unpleasant, the book is written in a very down-to-earth way, and there are many lessons readers can learn from the practical steps laid out by Edward. I also liked all the analogies used, and they helped to clarify what Edward was teaching, e.g., page 190 - 'Think about people as flowers: there are many different types that have different fragrances, bloom at different times of the year, and require varying amounts of sunshine and water.'

I found this book immensely frustrating as Edward and Ebony claim to love one another, but their incompatibility is the root cause of their problems. The couple is trying to avoid upset to their children by divorcing. However, children pick up on the atmosphere and hear the fights, which begs the question, wouldn't the children be happier if their parents split up?

Smart Love has a plethora of grammatical and spelling errors and does not appear to have been edited or proofread at all, e.g., page 13 - 'How you work on fulfilling the vision is by defining what needs to be done to fulfill the vision.' This sentence does not flow very well, and the spelling should be fulfil. Because of all the errors and my frustration with the relationship, I am rating this book  3 out of 5 stars.

I recommend this book to adults or older teenagers who want to learn new ways to work through their relationship problems. There is no sex in this book, but there is some swearing; hence it would not be an appropriate book for younger people.

Thank you to Vincent Fudge II for a free copy of this book in exchange for an impartial review.

You can read more of my reviews here :  http://onlinebookclub.org/reviews/by-tara-d-morgan.html

Book Review - We are Voulhire : A New Arrival under Great Skies by Matthew Tysz

We are Voulhire: A New Arrival under Great Skies by Matthew Tysz is an exciting fantasy story. The author starts by setting the scene and tells us that the King of Voulhire has four sons. As the boys grow older, the King realises they are competing with one another in anticipation of the future and claiming the throne for themselves. To diffuse the situation, the King bestows a gift of an island to each son and all the money they will ever need. Unfortunately, this plan does not work, and a controversial civil war leads to a precarious truce.

Matthew Tysz does a brilliant job of creating different characters who are very well described so I could picture them in the story. Nearly all of the characters have magical power; e.g. page seventy, "Some schools of magic teach their students to dance to become in tune with their abilities, and they go on dancing in all practices of magic."

The main character in this story is Galen Bray, a young man who has grown up on one of the war-torn islands. His Uncle, a Master Blacksmith on Voulhire, fell out with his family years before. When he realises he does not have long to live, he tracks down Galen and sends money for him to travel to Voulhire and begin a new life. The story is mainly told through the eyes of Galen and his new friend Rowan who is the executor of his Uncle's will. We see Galen's disappointment when he arrives in Voulhire to find his Uncle has died. We see how Galen's character grows in confidence as he becomes immersed in his attempts to bring prosperity to the town, pursuing his aspirations to learn the blacksmith's trade and take over his Uncle's blacksmith in Voulhire. Always lurking in the background is Meldorath, a powerful and greatly feared wizard. Matthew Tysz cleverly uses the characters to help you visualise the geography, context, and politics of Voulhire.

I was fascinated by the adventures in this book. It is a well-written and well-thought-out entrance into the new and mystical land of Voulhire. Many characters have fantastic and magical powers, which intrigue the character development and storylines. It is a complex but exciting tale which draws you in and ends on a cliffhanger, hungry for more.

I was not too fond of how the book jumped between different characters and storylines. This made the story very disjointed and confusing in places. The reader needs to stick with the book to discover how everything marries towards the end and the links between the different characters and plots. I felt this should have happened far earlier in the novel, as not every reader is prepared to wait that long.

My rating for this book is 4 out of 5 stars. This is a fantastic book but confused and disjointed in areas. 

Anyone interested in Fantasy and Magic would enjoy this book. There is a lot of swearing in the book and sexual references, so I suggest older teenagers and adult readers.

 

Thank you toMatthew Tysz for a free copy of this book in exchange for an impartial review.

 

Book Review - Cynthia and Dan by Dorothy May Mercer

 

Cynthia Patterson is employed as Senator Mike McBride's bodyguard and is a private investigator helping her brother wage war against cyber terrorism in her spare time. Cynthia is the main character in the book Cynthia and Dan by Dorothy May Mercer. Cynthia is on her way to work one morning when the traffic is at a standstill. She gets out of her car and starts walking, trying to find out what is happening. She bumps into a handsome and mysterious stranger who introduces himself as Sky Eastman. He propels her into a cafe for lunch, and Cynthia finds herself swept away by this charismatic man. The two have a one-night stand, and Sky's behaviour the next day makes Cynthia suspicious of him. She is also worried about her ex-boyfriend Dan's intentions when he becomes increasingly protective of her. In the meantime, Cynthia's brother Glenn is waging war against cyber terrorism.

I liked that Dorothy May Mercer has put a lot of effort and time into researching areas of the Cynthia and Dan story, mainly how cyber war is fought.

Unfortunately, I dislike more things about this book than I like. Cynthia is supposed to be an independent and confident woman who is the head of security for a Senator and contributes to fighting cyber terrorism. Despite this, she has moments of extreme naivety and excessive emotional responses that don't make sense to the character she is supposed to be. It's very annoying that the characters constantly call each other my dear this makes the story twee. There is no way Cynthia would have had anything more than slight stomach cramps and bleeding at the stage of her pregnancy. The most she would have needed to get through it would have been painkillers and a hot water bottle, not several days in the hospital. I also doubt that her staff would have gone charging into Senator Mike McBride to say she was ill with bleeding from the vagina! I believe that had Cynthia and Dan by Dorothy May Mercer been adequately proofread and edited, the above dislikes would have been picked up on and corrected.

There were too many things that detracted from this book for me to enjoy, and I rate it 1 out of 5 stars. I am disappointed that I have had to give such a low mark as the concept of fighting the cyber war had the potential to be a fantastic read. I feel that this book could be excellent with a bit more editing.

I wouldn't recommend this book to anyone, but it might appeal to older adults on a beach holiday!

Thank you to Dorothy May Mercer for a free copy of this book in exchange for an impartial review.

Book Review - I Spy My Life In MI5 by Tom Marcus

 

This is the true story of Tom Marcus's life in MI5, but it reads like a James Bond novel. From the first page, I was fascinated by the detail that Tom used to describe the various missions he was involved in. He gives no secrets away but still manages to make you feel you are beside him in the heat of the action. The writing flows very naturally. It felt possible to imagine being part of the surveillance team, whether hidden in grassland on a Welsh hillside or alone in a pub full of strangers. 

This book is a page-turner. It is a fascinating glimpse into the highly pressured work that the MI5 operatives do. The teamwork of these highly trained people is beyond amazing they are like a well-oiled machine watching out for each other whilst doing this hazardous work. 

On the flip side, Tom's private life is interwoven into this story. He has a young son and a beautiful wife, and he starts becoming obsessed with keeping them safe. His job nearly destroys him by its all-encompassing nature and unsocial hours. Tom starts to think that every shadow is out to get him and is finally diagnosed with PTSD, but with the help of his ever-supportive wife, he starts to live a life in the real world and begins to work on his demons.

This is a highly readable book. I would recommend it to anyone who is interested in learning a little about the workings of MI5, and I think anyone who enjoys spy novels would enjoy this book too.

I give this book 5 out of 5 stars and I'm looking forward to reading other books by Tom Marcus.

I would like to thank my son for recommending I read this book 

Audible Review - E M P Honeymoon by Dorothy May Mercer, Narrated by Scott Ellis

 

The audiobook E M P Honeymoon by Dorothy May Mercer tells the story of Tom and Kelly, who are on their honeymoon on a Caribbean Island. While Tom is on a diving boat checking out the coral reefs. Kelly goes off on the Excursion bus. Whilst out, she discovers an exciting shop where she hopes to buy souvenirs for the family back home. Kelly spends a while choosing gifts, and when she is ready to pay, she realizes there is no one else in the shop, not even a shop assistant! Peeking around a door at the back of the shop, she is shocked to see a strange hi-tech lab. A burly man sees her, grabs her and tries to drag her away. She fights back and gets in a taxi back to her holiday villa. The first thing she does is shut the windows, pull the curtains and then call her brother Senator Mike McBride. Kelly is so scared that she does not make much sense and hangs up before Mike finds out what is wrong. He is worried and calls Tom, who gets in touch straight away. Kelly does not want to spoil Tom's day, so she dumbs down what has happened. Their honeymoon is not the romantic and relaxing holiday Kelly and Tom had hoped for as they find themselves caught up in international intrigue and a plot to blow up North America using an electromagnetic pulse.

There was not much I liked about this audible book, and I only managed to read 50 pages. The idea for the story was good but poorly executed, even though Dorothy May Mercer has obviously put time into researching areas of the book. I did like that there were no swearing or sex scenes.

The narrator Scott Ellis has a dreadful voice, so staccato. It is also extremely annoying that this has the title, chapter, reader's name and author's name at the beginning of every chapter. This really interrupts the flow of the story. It was also very odd that Kelly's brother. Senator Mike McBride does not recognize his sister's voice when she calls him at work. Su -Jin, the young commander of a top-secret mission for the People's Army, does not make sense. Who has undergone meticulous training, including how to throw a frisbee and facial reconstruction. She gives herself away when she is unsure how to wear Western clothing. 

The story changes direction all the time to the point that I had no clue what was happening in some areas and had to rewind this audible book to relisten.

I would suggest this is aimed at older adults looking for a book to read on the beach.

I would rate this book 0 out of 5 stars as I did not enjoy it and would not recommend it to anyone. I feel that if this book had been adequately proofread and edited, the things mentioned above I did not like would have been picked up on. Dorothy May Mercer has proudly written 5 novels in 7 months; sadly, it shows in this audible book!

Thank you to Dorothy May Sayer for a free copy of this book in exchange for an impartial review.

Audible Review - Looking Glass Friends by E L Neve

 

This review is of the Audible book version of Looking Glass Friends by E.L. Neve, a slow-burning romance between two married people, Neil and Ellie. Who bond over a book when they meet at a bakery. They have an online relationship by writing to each other through emails. Eventually, the relationship moves on to talking on the telephone. The book is multi-dimensional, and we get the growing relationship between Neil and Ellie but also see the effect of their relationship on their families. Ellie has a husband called Jake and a son, Johnny, and Neil has a wife, Fay. Both marriages have relationship problems that leave an emptiness in Ellie and Neil's lives, allowing their love for each other to grow and blossom.

I would not usually listen to romances, but the way the characters interact is very different from books I have read. I found the way the book is written challenging to get into to begin with, but I ended up loving this audible book. There is plodding progress where Ellie and Neil grow from being strangers, then friends to falling in love. At the same time,  I liked how I could see this effect on their failing relationships with Fay and Jake. All the characters in this book have lovely, uncomplicated personalities. Although this was a love story, I liked that it did not revolve totally around Ellie and Neil. Their families were equally important. This novel gives all sides of every relationship in the story and builds an excellent picture for the listener. I felt I experienced all of the characters' emotions even when I disagreed with what they were doing.

The build-up to the romance between Neil and Ellie is a slow burn, and I did find myself wishing the relationship would progress more quickly as there are times when the book can feel very slow. The story explains how Jake treats Ellie and how she feels about her marriage, her husband, and her relationship with her son. It equally told me about Fay and Neil's home life, and I could see how their marriage was going and where it was failing. I liked how the narrator, B. J. Harrison, read the book. His voice was very listenable.

I rate Looking Glass Friends by E.L. Neve 4 out of 5 stars. It is a compelling story, and I enjoyed listening to it. I marked it down because of the areas where the story plods.

I recommend Looking Glass Friends to adults who enjoy romantic books, especially ones which build up slowly.

Thank you to E L Neve for a free copy of this book in exchange for an impartial review.

Book Review - Wild World by Peter S Rush

 

Wild World by Peter S. Rush begins in May 1970. It is a time when thousands of students across America are holding rallies to protest against the Vietnam War. Steve Logan, a law student and his girlfriend, Roxy Fisher, a medical student, want to make the world a better place to live in. The story begins a few weeks before Steve is due to have his graduation from Brown University. Sitting with his roommates and Roxy in front of the television, they cannot believe what they see. National Guard troops have been called out to a protest by students at Kent State University. The guards are armed and end up killing four students. After meeting a reform-minded police officer, Steve is convinced that getting involved is the only way to change things. He postpones law school and joins the city's police department. Steve is different to other rookie police. He has a good degree, and he is inherently honest. These make him an outsider, and a target for corrupt police, the reality of fighting the establishment soon overwhelms him. His college friends think he is a traitor to the cause, and even Roxy, the woman he loves, has begun to pull away. Devising a plan to shake up the system radically, Steve begins to collect evidence to bring the corrupt police down. Steve's life will never be the same again! 

I loved the fact that Peter S. Rush appears to have named his book after the Cat Stevens song Wild World which was released in 1970, an example from page 62, He turned on a transistor radio, and Cat Stevens sang, "Baby, baby it's a wild world...." I also enjoyed the parts of the book where Steve experiences inner turmoil between his work life and home life when he cannot always go with his instincts but has to play by specific rules to survive, even when they seem wrong. e.g. 'The man had stopped moving, and Steve realized he could be dead. It was under control - he had it under control. Was he responsible for the man's death? Was this police work?' This was very well written, and I could feel Steve's inner turmoil.

This is a great story, written with passion for the subject, but I was disappointed in the number of mistakes. It was as if the book had not been edited or proofread.

I rate this book 4 out of 5 stars. It is a great story, but there are way too many errors to rate it the full 4 stars.

I would recommend this book to older teenagers and adults interested in novels telling American history during the 1970s. The continuous swearing in this book fits with the characterisation but would not be suitable for anyone who dislikes this type of language. 

Thank you to Peter S Rush for a free copy of this book in exchange for an impartial review.

 

Book Review - Unlight by Chandra Shekhar

 

A massive cloud of dust has blanketed the Earth, causing the temperatures to drop to minus 127 degrees centigrade. Unlight by Chandra Shekhar is the story of Larry Brandon's forward-thinking vision to build a shelter he calls the Shell, which will keep his family safe while the Earth repairs itself. The story is told, in part, through diaries kept by the family, and we see different ways the situation is affecting them. From Elizabeth, the gentle, calm grandmother in her 70's. Her daughter Nicole  a top surgeon in her 40s. Teenage daughters Anna and Jessica; Anna who is thoughtful and kind, and Jessica, who is prone to criticising just for the sake of being critical. To Larry, Nicole's fiancee, a self-made billionaire and well-known engineer who has masterminded the Shell. We not only hear of their life now but get background stories telling us about their life before. While most of the world had ignored the threat until it was too late, with humans unable to survive such inclement weather conditions, the world's inhabitants froze to death. Believing they are the last people left on Earth, the family must work together to keep their shelter working for them because their lives depend on them working as a team.

It was refreshing to read a book with no swearing, and although sex is touched upon, it is all left to the reader's imagination. I liked how Chandra Shekhar works the characters so that they all influence their new life. There is not one person in charge dictating to the others. I liked that Unlight is a gentle but thought-provoking book; it is science fiction but has no strange life forms or made-up words. The people in it could be you or me, just in a new life in a changing world.

I feel that Unlight would have been more realistic if there was some confrontation between the characters, in particular Jessica, who begins by being a stroppy, very opinionated teenager, but within a few chapters, her character completely changes, and she is considerate, helpful and wants to please. People do not change that quickly in real life. I also did not think it was believable that Larry had a large team of people helping him to build the shelter and they were all happy to walk away once the shelter is finished knowing they would die? I feel there would have been at least some of the people who would have been able to create their own Shell or would have fought to access Larry's. 

 This book is very readable but needs some conflict to balance the harmony, there is no excitement, and this makes the book bland at times. I rate this book 4 out of 5 stars.

As this book has very mild sexual content and no swearing, I would recommend this book to adults and teenagers. I think it would be enjoyed by readers who like science fiction stories which make you think -  this could happen!

Thank you to Chandra Shekhar for a free copy of this book in exchange for an impartial review.