The Ballad of Ricky Risotto by Marc Cavella

The Ballad of Ricky Risotto by Marc Cavella
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Nacho Libre meets Quentin Tarantino...

It' outrageous and hilarious, yet The Ballad of Ricky Risotto has the same kind of sweet poignancy its author Marc Cavella brought to his previous novel, ‘Tabernacle’. It’s a wonderfully written and richly descriptive novella with brilliantly drawn characters and settings. The author weaves a well-crafted sports fiction with a generous sprinkling ‘barbed-wire-sharp dialogue, and old-school roster packed with outrageous personalities’. 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 look for in a good book.

The book description gives a sneak preview: ‘t's 1979, and the world of professional wrestling is about to change forever. Small regional promotions are in danger of going extinct, gobbled up by greedy promoters from New York looking to monopolize the industry and make it acceptable to the masses… Ozark Championship Wrestling is determined to avoid that fate. They're about to produce their first Pay-Per-View show, which will make or break their fortunes. But there's one small problem: Their champion has no plans to relinquish his title at the match—hell, he might not even show up at all. And Waylon Pritchards—aka Ricky Risotto—is the only one who might be able to talk some sense into the champ and save OCW's tenuous future . . .’

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.

The contrast between tone and content is a characteristic talent of only a few authors. Cavella pays as much attention to his sentences as he does to his plots, shifting or merging meaning with the use of a single word. His writing is impeccably honed, full of juxtapositions and qualifications that help to create a humorous atmosphere that will leave you laughing out loud.

This for me was a phenomenal read. It was 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. 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.

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

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The Secret Diaries of Juan Luis Vives: A Novel

The Secret Diaries of Juan Luis Vives: A Novel by Tim Darcy Ellis
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

An engaging page-turner...

The Secret Diaries of Juan Luis Vives by Tim Darcy Ellis is a wonderfully written and richly descriptive novel with brilliantly drawn characters and settings. The author weaves a well-crafted historical fiction based on the life of renowned academic Juan Luis Vives. Skillfully constructed and set against the backdrop of sixteenth-century England and Spain, this story will have you turning the pages from beginning to end.

This was a captivating read that had me immersed 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 a first-class historical fiction with perfect pacing. Highly recommended.


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Getting Unstuck: How to transform your life one step at a time by Cara Stein

Getting Unstuck: How to transform your life one step at a time by Cara Stein
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Achieving a better you...

Over the years there have been many great self-help books written. Most of these inspirational books have a similar message, to teach you methods on how to improve your life by implementing various techniques. They all have a common thread running through them, by changing your habits or mindset you can become successful or reach your goals in life.

Getting Unstuck: How to transform your life one step at a time by Cara Stein is a very well written life improvement book. This book is intelligent, wise and packed to the rafters with practical common-sense advice. It becomes very obvious as you read through this page turner that the author is imparting her wisdom and understanding as to what happiness and success really means. It’s an excellent guide for putting things into perspective. Highly recommended.


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Emotional Intelligence: 100+ Skills, Tips, Tricks & Techniques to Improve Interpersonal Connection, Control Your Emotions, Build Self Confidence & Find Long Lasting Success!

Emotional Intelligence: 100+ Skills, Tips, Tricks & Techniques to Improve Interpersonal Connection, Control Your Emotions, Build Self Confidence & Find Long Lasting Success! by Kevin Moore
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

A helpful guide...

Our natural state of being, as one with Soul, is a harmonious state of Love, in which the only feelings are of continuous peace and bliss. Therefore, if we are feeling any feeling other than peace and bliss, we have got out of balance somewhere. This is due to our conditioned and faulty thinking, which emerges as tolerations, needs and limiting beliefs. Using our Emotional Intelligence equips us to identify the message that Soul is sending us through these feelings, so we can rectify our thinking and thus move always towards Love.

Emotional Intelligence: 100+ Skills, Tips, Tricks & Techniques to Improve Interpersonal Connection, Control Your Emotions, Build Self Confidence & Find Long Lasting Success! (EQ Mastery) is a basic guide that will help people who are looking to improve their emotional intelligence.


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Redeye Fulda Cold

Redeye Fulda Cold by Bill Fortin
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

An enjoyable military thriller...

Author Bill Fortin weaves an enjoyable military thriller with intriguing twists and turns that will easily captivate the reader’s attention from the beginning. The author paints a dramatic and riveting cold war military adventure thriller in a very vivid and convincing way. In addition, the characters are drawn with great credibility and conviction. It’s a relatively fast-paced, funny and entertaining novel that will keep you engaged from the first page to the last.

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 military thriller with perfect pacing. Not much is as it appears here, which is just the way fans of thriller and suspense will want it. It's a solid thriller that benefits substantially from a raft of better-than-average elements.

I’ll be looking forward to reading more from this series in the future. If you’re a fan of military adventure thrillers you'll enjoy this book.


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Nathaniel's Got the Blues

Nathaniel's Got the Blues by David L. Heaney
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

“As water reflects the face, so one’s life reflects the heart.” Proverb

We all like to read them at some stage, and many of us are so influenced by a good story that we adopt life changes to match. True stories and biographies are obviously the most inspirational, but there are also fictional stories that can be just as inspiring. And for me, Nathaniel’s Got The Blues by David L. Heaney is such a 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.

Nathaniel’s Got The Blues by David L. Heaney is a superbly written and richly descriptive novel. The author reacquaints us with, Nathaniel, a rat who appeared in his first book, A Yorkie’s Tale: Lessons from a Life Well Lived. While that book was a quest in an attempt to learn how to live a good life - with the shocking discovery that life does not go on forever - they learned a lot on that journey; what was important and what was, perhaps, relatively unimportant. ‘Nathaniel, who is now old, is engaged in yet another existential crisis, wondering if there really is anything more to learn as he wanders rather aimlessly through the winter of his life.’

Captivating and commendable, this work had me immersed from the beginning. The story flowed from scene to scene with ease, and the author shows 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 thought-provoking, reflective and inspirational journey!

I’ll be looking forward to reading more from this author in the future. A well-deserved five stars from me.

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Melita by Gill D Anderson

Melita by Gill D. Anderson
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

An emotionally charged and compelling read...

Melita by Gill D Anderson is a wonderfully written and richly descriptive novel with brilliantly drawn characters and settings. The threads of storytelling are expertly woven in this family life fiction that guarantees the attention of the reader. Skillfully constructed and set against the backdrop of a dysfunctional family relationship between a mother and daughter, this book will have you turning the pages from beginning to end. In addition, the characters are drawn with great credibility and conviction.

The book description gives a sneak preview: ‘As the only child of a single parent, and with little knowledge of her father or her paternal relatives, Emily struggles with identity issues throughout her childhood. Her mother’s past and family history have always been shrouded in secrecy… Moving from Scotland to Vancouver, Emily hoped to start a new life and reinvent herself, but she unintentionally becomes estranged from her mother, Melita, during the process… The tension between Melita and her daughter that has built throughout the course of Emily’s life finally comes to the surface. Slowly, the truth about Melita’s harsh childhood growing up in Malta unravels, revealing the inevitable impact it had on Emily’s upbringing… Will the dysfunctional familial patterns remain entrenched forever? Or can Melita and Emily find a way to reconcile with the past?’

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 author shows exceptional ability when it comes to storytelling. There are plenty of emotional and compelling moments in this page-turner that will take the reader on a mesmerizing journey. The story unfurls in small acts, at first feeling slight to touch, then building in emotional substance. Into the spaces between the words, the author breathes a pulsating intensity that rolls like a motion picture camera. With an abundance of imagery in the writing style, it makes you feel like you are right there in the story, and that’s something I look for in a good book.

Melita 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. 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 this author in the future. Highly recommended and a well-deserved five stars from me. I voluntarily reviewed a complimentary copy of this book.

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