The Dagger of Apollonia by Oren Hefetz
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

A wonderfully written story by a very talented author...

The Dagger Of Apollonia by Oren Hefetz is a wonderfully written and richly descriptive novel with brilliantly drawn settings and characters. The author weaves a well-crafted historical fantasy that will captivate the reader’s attention from the start. Skillfully constructed, this fantasy will have you turning the pages from beginning to end. There’s plenty of imagery in the writing style that makes you feel like you are right there in the story, and that’s something I really look for in a good book.

The book description gives a sneak preview: ‘Georgios, a young Roman man, receives an unexpected gift from his father, a mysterious dagger acquired during his travels to faraway lands. The weapon sparks his untamable curiosity and sets him off on an extraordinary journey, full of surprising revelations.

Georgios accidentally finds himself amid political intrigues, messianic machinations, and supernatural powers, which threaten to disrupt the existing order of life.

1800 years later, Tal, a young university student, during a walk along the Israeli coast, discovers a mysterious new reality. Soon, he becomes the leader of an ancient order, responsible for preserving the delicate balance of powers in the Middle East.

Would Georgios and Tal accomplish the mission of a lifetime and defend everything they discovered, or is the entire region on the brink of entering a new, dangerous reality?’

Now, if that’s not enough to get your curiosity juices flowing, I don’t know what will. But if you want to find out what happens, you’ll just have to turn the pages for yourself! However, I will say it was well worth the read. It’s my first time reading this author and I was very impressed.

This was a captivating read that had me engrossed from the beginning. The story flowed from scene to scene with ease, and the author shows exceptional ability when it comes to storytelling. I enjoyed the story, character development, and dialogue. There were plenty of intriguing moments that I didn’t see coming and that added to the book’s mystique. When I stopped reading to work, I found myself wondering what happened in the book, and replaying parts of the novel in my head to see if I could figure more out. It has been a while since I enjoyed a book this much.

It’s one of those stories that come along occasionally that makes you want to read it non-stop until you get to the end. I’m giving nothing further away here. And this, I hope, will only add to the mystery and enjoyment for the reader.

I’m a big fan of historical fiction, so this for me was a phenomenal read. It’s one of those books that stayed with me for several days after I finished reading. The vivid descriptions of the settings, situations, and the people were stunning and realistic. The author’s use of genuine dialogue further added to the overall atmosphere of authenticity.

I’ll be looking forward to reading more from Oren Hefetz in the future. I would recommend this book and would add that it has a distinctly cinematic feel to it. Highly recommended reading and a well-deserved five stars from me.

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Ronaldo: The Vixen Pederson Workshop by Maxine Sylvester
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

A wonderfully written and illustrated story...

More often than not children relate themselves with the characters of a good story. In such circumstances, reading fiction can help them to get inspiration from the characters. These stories often portray real life implications through anecdotes, and as such makes it easier for them to understand the complex aspects of life. Moreover, reading these stories at regular intervals can actually help them to develop a positive outlook towards life, which eventually proves beneficial for good character development.

Ronaldo: The Vixen Pederson Workshop (Ronaldo the Flying Reindeer Book 4) is a delightful and charming book for the younger reader. I read it with my grand-kids, and they loved not only the story, but also the amazing illustrations. I thought the text and illustrations worked very well together.

Author Maxine Sylvester writes in a wonderfully simple and imaginative style that will guarantee the attention of young minds. If you ever wanted to bond even more with your children or grandchildren, this would be a lovely story to share with them.

It seems to me that this book was created with a lot of love and joy and it’s clear that the author really enjoys creating such wonderful stories. Thank you for sharing with us the gift that you have obviously worked so hard to refine. We’ll be looking forward to seeing what’s coming next. A well-deserved five stars from us!

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Living A Lie by Rachel San and Orly Krauss-Wiener
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Secrets, lies and shocking revelations...

Authors Rachel San and Orly Krauss-Wiener deliver an excellent debut novel that is wonderfully written and richly descriptive. With brilliantly drawn characters driven by love, loss and tragedy the authors weave a well-crafted contemporary romantic drama. There’s an ample supply of intriguing twists and turns that will captivate the reader from the first page to the last. Skillfully constructed, the story touches on thought-provoking themes as well as being a very enjoyable read.

The book description gives a sneak preview: ‘Nicole is a young divorcée who finds herself in a new relationship with a partner who is seemingly perfect in every way. Razi is well-educated, a wealthy and successful businessman, and a man of the world, who manages to deceive her and everyone else around him, thanks to his uncanny charisma.

Six months into their relationship, Nicole discovers that Razi is married. She then finds out that his former business partner committed suicide under dubious circumstances. Despite everything, Nicole and Razi get married and raise a family, and life looks more promising than ever. However, over the years, Nicole’s inner voice repeatedly warns her that bigger things are happening behind her back. She decides to find out who her husband and the father of her children really is.

Her search leads her to discover new and shocking information about Razi’s life. Now she must do whatever it takes to save herself and her children from a destructive relationship, and a life of deceit which defies the imagination.’

Now, if you want to find out what happens, you’ll just have to turn the pages for yourself! However, I will say it was well worth the read. The story had every element a good story should have. A solid plot, attention to detail, but best of all fleshed out, well-written and well-rounded character development. There’s an abundance of well-illustrated scenes that make you feel you are right there in the story, and that’s something I really look for in a good book.

I enjoyed the story, character development, and dialogue. There were plenty of plot twists that I didn’t see coming and that added to the book’s mystique. When I stopped reading to work, I wondered what happened in the book, and replaying parts of the novel in my head to see if I could figure more out. It has been a while since I enjoyed a book this much.

This was a fascinating and captivating read that had me immersed from the beginning. The story flowed from scene to scene with ease, and the authors show exceptional ability when it comes to storytelling. There are plenty of attention-grabbing moments in this page turner that will take the reader on a truly mesmerizing journey. A well-deserved five stars.

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Girl Power by Blush Design
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Awesome coloring book!

Adult coloring books are, very simply, coloring in books for grownups. Like children's coloring books, they are full of outline illustrations designed to be filled in with colored pencils, markers, crayons, or whatever other media you wish to use.

Believe It or not, adult coloring books gives you a reality check. First and foremost, it allows you to touch paper. And paper, as it turns out, is missing more and more from our daily lives, being replaced with all kinds of tech gadgets. You can also feel the pen you're coloring with, sense its texture, you can smudge and smear with your own fingers. And there's no "undo" button.

"Escapism" is defined as "entertainment or recreation, as an "escape"... from the perceived unpleasant, boring, arduous, scary, or banal aspects of daily life." In other words - coloring helps you cope with an otherwise stressful or boring routine or even with depression. The magical world of shapes and colors takes you to a far nicer place, where you can enjoy simple pleasures.

GIRL POWER by Blush Design contains beautiful designs that will allow you to have hours of enjoyment and help develop your creative expression. As a non-practicing counselor, I would highly recommend this if you are looking for ways to relax.

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Zombies, They're Coming To Get You by Blush Design
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Awesome coloring book for the Zombie Fanatic!

Adult coloring books are, very simply, coloring in books for grownups. Like children's coloring books, they are full of outline illustrations designed to be filled in with colored pencils, markers, crayons, or whatever other media you wish to use.

Believe It or not, adult coloring books gives you a reality check. First and foremost, it allows you to touch paper. And paper, as it turns out, is missing more and more from our daily lives, being replaced with all kinds of tech gadgets. You can also feel the pen you're coloring with, sense its texture, you can smudge and smear with your own fingers. And there's no "undo" button.

"Escapism" is defined as "entertainment or recreation, as an "escape"... from the perceived unpleasant, boring, arduous, scary, or banal aspects of daily life." In other words - coloring helps you cope with an otherwise stressful or boring routine or even with depression. The magical world of shapes and colors takes you to a far nicer place, where you can enjoy simple pleasures.

ZOMBIES, THEY'RE COMING TO GET YOU by Blush Design contains beautiful designs that will allow you to have hours of enjoyment and help develop your creative expression. As a non-practicing counselor, I would highly recommend this if you are looking for ways to relax.

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The Bet by Orna

The Bet by Orna Landau
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

A well-written contemporary romance that’s insightful, witty and relatable...

Author Orna Landau weaves a very engaging contemporary romance. With intriguing twists and turns, it will easily captivate the reader’s attention from the beginning. The author paints a mesmerising story addressing issues of a middle aged couple in a very vivid and convincing way. In addition, the characters are drawn with great credibility and conviction. It’s a novel that will keep you engaged from the first page to the last.

The book description gives an intriguing preview: ‘It's Sarah's 45th birthday, and her husband, Ben, jokingly says that she is stuck with him, because the chance of a woman her age finding a new man, is smaller than being attacked by a terrorist.

Sarah, who finds this statement both insulting and depressing, proposes a bet: they will separate for three months. During those three months, they will both be free to explore other sexual partners and prove to each other that they are still attractive to others. Together they set down the rules: they will tell no one, they will not date any of their mutual friends, and they most definitely will not fall in love. Thus begins “The Bet".

The happy couple begin their exploration of love and commitment, sure they will succeed. But very soon, they discover that rules are made to be broken and a Pandora box once opened, cannot be closed.’

Now, if that’s not enough to get your curiosity juices flowing, I don’t know what will. But if you want to find out what happens, you’ll just have to turn the pages for yourself! However, I will say it was well worth the read. It’s my first time reading this author and I must say I was very impressed.

This was a captivating read that had me engrossed from the beginning. The story flowed from scene to scene with ease, and the author shows exceptional ability when it comes to storytelling. There’s an ample supply of attention-grabbing and thought-provoking moments in this page turner that will take the reader on a compelling and fascinating journey.

It’s one of those books that come along occasionally that makes you want to read it non-stop until you get to the end. I’m giving nothing further away here. And this, I hope, will only add to the mystery and enjoyment for the reader.

If this book is anything to go by, I’ll certainly be looking forward to reading more from Orna Landau in the future. A well-written contemporary romance that’s insightful, witty and relatable. I would recommend this book to all fans of contemporary romance and would add that it has a has a distinctly cinematic feel to it. A well-deserved five stars from me.

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In Fire and Snow: Memories of a Ghetto Fighter by Yaacov (Yakubek) Putermilch
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Raising the memory of his comrades and fellow holocaust survivors...

The late Israeli author Yaacov Putermilch wrote a unique and exceptional memoir about his experiences during the Holocaust. He paints an all-encompassing human dramatization of love, loss and survival in a very vivid and compelling way. It's a heart-rending and thought-provoking read that will leave you, unexpectedly, feeling like a better person for having read it.

IN FIRE AND SNOW is a powerful story about a young boy who joined the “Hashomer Hatzair” youth movement, and in the summer of 1942, joined the Jewish combat organization - JCO in the Warsaw Ghetto. He participated in the Polish uprising in Warsaw. In January 1945, upon the liberation of Warsaw, he and a group of surviving fighters, including his future wife, Masha, who fought in the central Ghetto as a member of the “Bund” movement, left Warsaw toward Bucharest, Romania. In October 1945, the group received certificates to travel to Palestine, and Yaacov fulfilled his wish to reach the holy land.

Each Holocaust survivor has a unique and individual story. However, these survivor’s stories didn’t end in 1945. They continue through to the present day. Their testimonies provide us with an understanding of how the events of the Holocaust have shaped their lives and are an ongoing testimony to the strength of the human spirit.

This was such a phenomenal read. It’s a story you won’t soon forget. It’s a book that will stay with you long after you’ve finished reading it.

Highly recommended and a well-deserved five stars from me.

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