Untold Deception

Untold Deception by William Staikos
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

A well-crafted sci-fi fantasy...

Author William Staikos weaves an exceptional Coming of Age Fantasy that will captivate the reader’s attention from the beginning. The author paints a compelling and intriguing story involving pain, isolation and death in a very vivid and convincing way. In addition, the characters are drawn with great credibility and conviction. It’s a relatively fast paced novel that will keep you engaged from the first page to the last

The book description gives a sneak preview: ‘People are like coal the pressure of pain, isolation, and death can crush them into dust or can form them into diamonds. This is the pressure that sixteen-year-old Salan must face. Salan is a mixed-race child, half-cat and half-human, and as such his society regards him as a dangerous Abomination. But it’s the execution of his own mother in the town square that forces Salan to run from the law. As it turns out, rather than being the lowest of the low, Salan is worth more to his country than he know.’

Now, if that’s not enough to grab your attention, 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.

The contrast between tone and content is a characteristic talent of only a few authors. Staikos pays as much attention to his sentences as he does to his plots, shifting or consolidating meaning with the use of a single word. His writing is impeccably honed, full of juxtapositions and qualifications that helps to create an atmosphere that will leave you wanting more.

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 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 a first-class sci-fi fantasy with perfect pacing.

Untold Deception had every element a good story should have. An interesting 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 like you are right there in the story, and that’s something I really look for in a good book. It’s one of those stories that come along once in a while 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’ll be looking forward to reading more from William Staikos in the future. I would highly recommend this book. A well-deserved five stars from me.

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Chasing Benevolence, #1 by RaNnae Dawn Goulart
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

A lifelong quest of one to shine light where humanity has failed to see...

Author RaNnae Dawn Goulart weaves an exceptional dark fantasy that will captivate the reader’s attention from the beginning. The author paints a compelling and intriguing story involving artificial intelligence and the awakening of a robotic beast in a very vivid and convincing way. In addition, the characters are drawn with great credibility and conviction. It’s a relatively fast paced novel that will keep you engaged from the first page to the last. It’s a very absorbing read containing messages at a deeper level that will challenge your mind.

The book description gives a sneak preview: ‘Hidden Darkness. This is what Joel Contello was beginning to suspect, forcing him to challenge the secrecy of his six-year role involving infants and microchip implants. When hiring promises fail to deliver and his questions are ignored, the suspicion of conspiracy grows. At the same time, Officer Graham becomes overwhelmed with a separate darkness. One that quickly changes the rookie deputy and pushes him close to ending his dream career.

Over a few days, a series of events begin to take shape, when the Citizen Defense Acceleration Center (CDAC) implements a new policy initiative involving artificial intelligence and the awakening of a robotic beast. These events bring the two men together as the policy change directly impacts both of their current roles within society, and their assigned unknown roles from three decades before. Joel realizes there may be a link between his infant research and the robotic beast. Will Joel and Officer Graham embrace the hidden darkness? It may be just enough to continue the lifelong quest of one to shine light where humanity has failed to see.’

Now, if that’s not enough to grab your attention, 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.

The contrast between tone and content is a characteristic talent of only a few authors. Goulart pays as much attention to her sentences as she does to her plots, shifting or consolidating meaning with the use of a single word. Her writing is impeccably honed, full of juxtapositions and qualifications that helps to create a dark atmosphere that will leave you wanting more.

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 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 a first-class dark fantasy with perfect pacing.

Chasing Benevolence had every element a good story should have. An interesting 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 like you are right there in the story, and that’s something I really look for in a good book. It’s one of those stories that come along once in a while 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’ll be looking forward to reading more from RaNnae Dawn Goulart in the future. I would highly recommend this book. A well-deserved five stars from me.

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Sheriff B.J. Kincaid: Bullet for a Bad Man: A Classic Western From The Author of "Jacob Blade: Vigilante" by Charles Ray
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

A Classic Western that’s packed with action and adventure...

Sheriff B.J. Kincaid: Bullet for a Bad Man by bestselling author Charles Ray is a wonderfully written and richly descriptive novella with brilliantly drawn characters. The author weaves a classic Western Fiction with intriguing twists and turns that will captivate the reader from the first page to the last. Skillfully constructed and set against the backdrop of the Old West, this book will have you on the edge of your seat! It’s a quick fast-paced read that will have you mesmerized from the opening chapter.

Bullet for a Bad Man had every element a good story should have. An interesting 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 like you are right there in the story, and that’s something I really look for in a good book.

An excellent series recommended to all fans of the Classic Western genre.


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Where the Earth Sings by Walter Rouzer

It Happened in the Mining Town by Adela Pilowsky
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

An exceptionally well-written debut novel...

It Happened in the Mining Town by Adela Pilowsky is a wonderfully written and richly descriptive novel with brilliantly drawn characters driven by love, loss and jealously. The author weaves a well-crafted emotional drama with intriguing twists and turns that will easily captivate the reader’s attention from the beginning. Skillfully constructed, the story revolves around the internal dynamics of family life.

The book description gives a sneak preview: ‘A poor copper mining town. Three generations of one family. A life full of secrets. María Inés’s life has always been marked by upheavals. Her mother died during childbirth. Her father found it extremely difficult to raise her on his own, and when she was just a teenager, she already managed to get into trouble with a dubious young man named Eduardo because of whom she was sent away to a special agricultural farm for girls. She returns five years later only to find herself falling in love with Rodolfo, a well-known and admired soccer player, with whom she has two children—Raquel and Rosa. Eduardo, however, who in the meantime was saved from a life of crime and has joined the military, is still madly in love with María Inés, and lets his jealousy of Rodolfo haunt him. In order to win her heart back, he realizes he first must get rid of Rodolfo. When Eduardo’s plan goes awry, the young family’s life is thrown into turmoil. Will the truth be revealed, or will so many secrets remain buried forever?’

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 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 a first-class emotional family saga with perfect pacing.

It Happened in the Mining Town had every element a good story should have. An intriguing 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 like you are right there in the story, and that’s something I really look for in a good book.

It’s one of those stories that come along once in a while 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’ll be looking forward to reading more from Adela Pilowsky in the future. Recommended. Five stars.

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True Crime 2019: Homicide & True Crime Stories of 2019 by Jack Rosewood
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Another great true-crime read...

This is yet another great read that’s really hard to put down. It's an insightful and graphically detailed account of some of the most horrific crimes in recent times. In fact, while reading yet another of Jack Rosewoods books (with Rebecca Lo) I just had to keep turning the pages yet again. Not necessarily because it's all that enjoyable in any way, shape or form, to delve a little too deeply into the malefic minds of such murderous people, but because I sincerely believe that most people are fascinated in one way or another by serial killers. Perhaps it’s the human morbid fascination with death. I’m not exactly sure. However, maybe it just astounds the average person as to how depraved other individuals can be.

Even if you are a seasoned campaigner of true crime, True Crime 2019: Homicide & True Crime Stories of 2019 will surely raise more than a few hairs on the back of your neck. It was a first-class read and the author gave a perspective to these horrific crimes that was both fascinating and shocking. This was one of the better true crime books that I have read recently.

I would highly recommend this read to all fans of the true-crime genre. I’m also a big fan of Jack Rosewood so it’s another 5 Stars from me. Well done again!

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