BigAl's Books and Pals

Review: Happy Iceland by Anne Marie Wells

2026-09-04T09:50:00.000-06:00

Genre: Travel Memoir/LGBTQ

Description:

“A simple question at Iceland's international airport-What are your happiest memories of Iceland?-sets off an unforgettable journey across the Land of Fire and Ice. Abandoning guidebooks and itineraries, a young woman on the precipice of turning thirty, newly unemployed and stuck in a faltering relationship, spends five weeks backpacking and hitchhiking to find the locations where Icelandic strangers' happiest memories took place. From childhood sports fields and family farms to hidden waterfalls and the remote Highlands, this intimate travel memoir explores Iceland far beyond what can be seen from a sightseeing bus tour. Part adventure, part meditation on what it takes to be happy in a volatile world, Happy Iceland is a reminder that some of the best journeys begin when we shut up and listen.”

Author:

Anne Marie Wells is an award-winning poet, playright, and author of a few books in addition to working as an editor and writing coach.

For more visit her website.

Appraisal:

I don’t remember the last time I read a book that felt so much like it was written for me specifically. Yeah, I’m an old white straight guy and Anne Marie Wells, the author of this book, is opposite of that in every way. However, we also connect on many levels.

One of those is that I’m an avid traveler. Although my travels have primarily been in the US I’ve done a little international travel. One of the things I enjoy about travel is in seeing how people, places, and the life led by the people in those places compare to what I experience where I live now as well as where I’ve lived in the past. This book, while focused on Iceland and what the author experienced there, also gives an idea of the author’s background, where she’s lived, and how they differed from each other as well as how they compared to what she was experiencing in Iceland. Many of the places in the US she mentioned were places I’ve lived or been to, so she got us on the same wavelength pretty quickly. (Her being a fan of Tim Hortons, the Canadian-based fast-food outlet, sucked me in even more.) I think our senses of humor are compatible as well.

But most of all, I loved her concept of exploring Iceland without an itinerary. I’ll admit, I was nervous that she was basically getting around by hitchhiking. In most countries I wouldn’t expect her to survive with that approach. That combined with her technique for picking her next destination by questioning the first person she interacts with after getting to one destination about where their happiest memory in Iceland took place meant she immersed herself in life in Iceland, not only meeting and interacting with a large range of people there, but seeing what the country was like from the standpoint of the people who are native to the area. Most travel memoirs focus a lot more on the travel and less on the memories created by the travel than this one does and ultimately that difference is what makes it standout so much for me. An incredible read.

Buy now from: Amazon US Amazon UK

FYI:

Adult language and some mostly mild adult content.

Format/Typo Issues:

No significant issues.

Rating: ***** Five Stars

Reviewed by: BigAl

Approximate word count: 95-100,000 words

Review: The Luck Illusion by Martin Signorin

2026-09-01T08:00:00.000-06:00

Genre: Non-Fiction/Self-Help

Description:

“What if luck is not an explanation, but simply the name we give to causes we have not yet seen?

Why do some individuals succeed while others do not? Why do lives with comparable potential end up taking very different paths? We frequently attribute these differences to a single, convenient explanation: luck.

But that word may conceal more than it explains.

The Luck Illusion investigates the unseen forces that affect human outcomes, including health, timing, location, education, wealth, relationships, and opportunities. It looks at how causality and probability interact to produce outcomes that might seem lucky, unlucky, deserved, or inevitable only after they occur.

Walsdos, a fictional character at the heart of the book, illustrates how unseen forces can slowly cluster around an individual. His life experiences challenge the notion of success and failure as isolated events, instead framing them as the outcomes of extended chains of cause and effect.

Inspired by psychology, philosophy, probability, and social sciences, The Luck Illusion is a serious yet approachable nonfiction book aimed at general readers. It questions common assumptions without sounding overly academic, technical, or prescriptive.

The book ends with the Setback Audit, a practical framework that helps readers analyse a challenging event in detail, identify contributing factors, and go beyond simple judgments of luck or misfortune.”

Author:

“Martin Signorin is a British nonfiction author who has lived in southeastern Bulgaria since 2005. Now retired from teaching, he writes about psychology, philosophy, causality, judgement, success and failure.”

Appraisal:

When I started reading this book, I actually anticipated that I’d get some interesting new insights that would be a positive, but that I’d disagree with the overall premise to some degree. I was wrong. Oops. It turns out that I agree with the point the author is making. Some things he points out I’ve always recognized as reality, although I might have described what was happening differently and in other cases the points made here adjusted my thinking for the better. I’m trying not to give any spoilers here, so won’t say more. You’ll have to read it for yourself if you’re curious.

Buy now from: Amazon US Amazon UK

Format/Typo Issues:

No significant issues

Rating: **** Four Stars

Reviewed by: BigAl

Approximate word count: 15-20,000 words

Reprise Review: Four American Tales by Jack Messenger

2026-08-29T08:00:00.000-06:00

Genre: Short Story Collection

Description:

“Secrets. Money. Love. Death. Sometimes they’re hard to tell apart.

Four American Tales describes a world of hopes and fears on the far side of the American Dream, in a quartet of evocative stories about love and loss, struggle and ambition from the 1950s to the present day.

Wichega is an atmospheric tale of childhood’s dreams and nightmares: when Sweet Pea and her family move far away, is it really because her father has quit the Navy, or is there something else going on – something to do with his new Oldsmobile and the monster that lives in the pond out by the highway?

A Hundred Ways to Live follows Nadine and Earle outside the Law as they travel across the desert in search of the stolen money they hope will give them a new life.

Ballbusters on Parade is an unconventional parable of work in the sex industry: Mike is persuaded by his girlfriend Yolanda to apply for a screen test. Success, however, leads him in unexpected directions.

Uncle Mort tells how a bequest gives rise to unforeseen problems. Helen and Thomas are successful and happy New Yorkers. News of her uncle’s death opens up the past and suddenly everything becomes uncertain – marriage, identity and what to do with a tumbledown house that no one wants.

All four stories feature great female characters, powerful writing and intriguing storylines – stories in which things happen and people change.”

Author:

A full-time writer and editor, Jack Messenger lives in the UK. He is the author of one novel and multiple non-fiction books in addition to this short story collection.

Appraisal:

Interesting characters and stories. In the foreword the author indicates that one of his aims with the stories is to “provoke thought.” The stories certainly did that with me. They have characters and storylines that make you wonder, sometimes forcing you to read between the lines and, in doing so, making the story your own since your interpretation will be different than mine. A good, fast read.

Buy now from: Amazon US Amazon UK

Format/Typo Issues:

No significant issues.

Rating: ***** Five Stars

Reviewed by: BigAl

Approximate word count: 10-15,000 words

Review: False Dawn by D.V. Berkom

2026-08-26T08:00:00.000-06:00

Genre: Thriller

Description:

“She thought the mission was about protecting a defector. She was wrong.

Mackenzie ‘Mac’ Reynolds thought she was prepared for anything. But when her close protection team is wiped out in a surgical ambush, she realizes she’s been caught in a game much bigger than she imagined.

As Mac digs deeper into who wanted the defector silenced—and why—she uncovers a global conspiracy tied to black ops missions, encrypted intelligence, and a man she thought she’d lost: her father.

To expose the truth, Mac must navigate a deadly web of espionage, betrayal, and buried secrets—with the help of a journalist whose personal mission might just get them both killed.”

Author:

“DV Berkom is the USA Today bestselling author of action-packed, riveting adventure and crime thrillers. Known for creating resilient, kick-ass female characters and page-turning plots, her love of the genre stems from a lifelong addiction to reading spy novels, action/adventure stories, and thrillers.”

For more, visit her website.

Appraisal:

After reading the first few pages of this book I said to myself, “this is off to an intense start.” It turns out that it was just ramping up and relative to where things go from there it wasn’t so intense after all. The protagonist, Mackenzie, or Mac as she is known, is a strong female who gets things done, something that I know to expect when I read a book by D.V. Berkom and one of the reasons I always jump at the chance to read her books. Mac is a new character, but this book is the first of a planned trilogy, so I expect to see her kicking some butt (that has it coming) in some fashion again. As intense as this read was and how much it impacted Mac in many ways, both professionally and personally, this is the perfect read if you enjoy intensity in the stories you read. If you’re looking to relax, maybe not, although even then you can be glad that you’re not dealing with things as stressful as Mac does.

Buy now from: Amazon US Amazon UK

FYI:

Some adult language.

Format/Typo Issues:

No significant issues

Rating: ***** Five Stars

Reviewed by: BigAl

Approximate word count: 90-95,000 words

Review: Double Walk by Melissa Bowersock

2026-08-22T08:00:00.000-06:00

Genre: Paranormal Mystery

Description:

“Talk about a double whammy. An executive jet is subjected to two catastrophic events in a row, and has now gone missing. Daniel and Dakota, vacationing in Fiji, find a floating object that Daniel feels came from that plane. The authorities might be interested, but not when they hear about Daniel’s psychic source. In the meantime, half a world away, Sam and Lacey are confronted with a case unlike anything they’ve ever encountered, another double whammy. As they work to tease out the reasons behind multiple ghosts attached to an ordinary housewife, the answers they uncover are too incredible to believe.”

Author:

“Melissa Bowersock is an eclectic, award-winning author who writes in a variety of fiction and non-fiction genres: paranormal, biography, western, action, romance, fantasy, spiritual, and satire.”

For more visit Ms.Bowersock’s website and follow her on Facebook.

Appraisal:

This being named double has more than one reason for its name (at least two, to double up on the doubles). One of them is explained in the description. We actually have two mysteries that are resolved in this book. One of them by Sam Firecloud’s son, Daniel, who has the same ability to communicate with spirits caught between this plain and the next one as his dad. Daniel teams up with his brand new bride while they’re on their honeymoon, just to spice things up a bit. The second mystery is one that Sam and Lacey deal with that fits the normal high level storyline of the other fifty plus books in this series in some ways and in others really changes things up a bit. I’ll say that we’ve got a bonus double plus another bonus that is much bigger than that when compared to the normal cases that Sam and Lacey deal with. As always it was a fast and fun read that kept me guessing and buying into some supernatural stuff that I’d never go for in real life. Every time I read a book in this series I immediately start eagerly anticipating the next, but loving the read I just finished.

Buy now from: Amazon US Amazon UK

Review: Seeing Sunny Again by Paul Clayton

2026-08-18T08:00:00.000-06:00

Genre: Short Story Collection

Description:

Seventeen short stories that take a critical look at what life is like for an average middle class American these days.

Author:

The author of several books over the years ranging from short story collections to novels and genres from historical to fantasy and science fiction.

Appraisal:

A collection of short stories that have the common thread of featuring normal everyday people dealing with the kinds of issues that any of us might have to deal with at some time in our life. Odds of at least a few of the stories feeling like it could have been you or at least a friend or family member is there. But, like with any good story, most of them pulled me in wondering what was going to happen to the protagonist of the story and how their current situation was going to work out. I like to read a short story collection once in a while to add a little variety to my reading diet and this one did the trick well.

Buy now from: Amazon US Amazon UK

FYI:

Some adult language and mildly adult situations.

Format/Typo Issues:

No significant issues

Rating: **** Four Stars

Reviewed by: BigAl

Approximate word count: 55-60,000 words

Review: Running From Herself by April Tompkins

2026-08-14T08:00:00.000-06:00

Genre: Coming of Age/Contemporary Fiction

Description:

“Leah Branch just wanted the noise to stop. After years of watching her band splinter, she welcomes the quiet of Chance, Wyoming. Working shifts at the local saloon, she finally finds a rhythm she can live with—steady work, honest friends, and a shared connection with a local singer named Jared. For the first time in years, she feels safe.

But music has a way of pulling you back.

When a desperate choice to save the saloon forces Leah back onto the stage, a chance encounter changes everything. Suddenly, Nashville wants her. Still reeling from her fractured romance with Jared, Leah takes the leap, viewing the contract as her escape hatch.

Instead, it becomes her cage.

The label doesn’t want Leah's raw, acoustic soul; they want a polished product they can sell. Piece by piece, they dismantle her life. They swap her boots for heels, trade her honest songs for studio-engineered pop, and strip away her actual name.

Now, standing on the edge of a stardom she never asked for, Leah is a ghost to herself. With the industry tightening its grip, she has to decide: keep playing a part that is killing her soul or risk everything to reclaim her voice and find her way home.”

Author:

“April Tompkins is a professional daydreamer, author, and musician who has been spinning tales since she was a kid roaming rural Minnesota farm roads. A former North Dakota prairie girl, she now writes contemporary fiction about complex characters that take a little coaxing to reveal their true stories. She is the author of thirteen books, including the hit Running From Herself, and is a singer-songwriter with thousands of Spotify streams. She lives in Minnesota with her husband and her delightfully chunky cat, Sasha.”

Appraisal:

A fun and engaging read with a protagonist. Leah, that was likeable and as a reader I wanted to see succeed, which kept me engaged from cover to cover. If you pay any attention to the music business and what it takes to make a living in it, the story here feels all too real as Leah struggles to make it as well as dealing with the kinds of regular life issues that complicate things for most of us from time to time. How or if things were going to work out was up in the air and constantly changing in my mind which kept me reading, pulling for Leah the whole time.

Buy now from: Amazon US Amazon UK

FYI:

Some adult language.

Format/Typo Issues:

No significant issues

Rating: ***** Five Stars

Reviewed by: BigAl

Approximate word count: 110-115,00 words

Review: The Feathered Tree by Allan Frewin Jones

2026-08-10T08:00:00.000-06:00

Genre: YA/Fantasy

Description:

Polly, a teenage girl – restless of spirit as, surely, are they all – is something of a loner, living with her feisty, luthier gran on the edge of Exmoor in Devon, father working ‘overseas’. She tells her troubles to “Tree” - a beech she can see from her bedroom window.

One night it is cut down. Polly is sure it has been done deliberately, out of spite, and that she knows who did it.

Thereafter malice and the nearby ancient sacred wildwoods aroused by the death of the beech, combine to put Polly in real and increasing danger. As she struggles to understand what is going on she begins to change from child to woman.

Yet more of Polly’s senses are awakened when she meets someone who might become special to her, in more ways than one.

Author:

Allan Frewin Jones has been writing fantasy since he was nine, and a professional author in the genre for around 40 years. He has a substantial back catalogue, if you find this one a good read.

Appraisal:

Interwoven with what it may or may not mean to harm a tree, and what may or may not be unleashed when you do, are several other strands. Frewin Jones explores what it is like to be on the outside looking in – something which happens to us all at least occasionally. He weaves in how creativity may be a balm for the soul and bring purpose, how carelessly humans are despoiling the only planet we have, how meat and game animals may feel about their slaughter. Such themes might make the book feel more worthy than entertaining. But Frewin Jones brings light and shade to each short chapter, and has a writing style which enables him to present even heavy material with a light, witty hand. He writes beautifully about that super-sensitive first love that can never be experienced again. It is, indeed, a lot of plot in a short book. The threads are cleverly twisted together and the ending is neat but far from trite.

This is a book for young adults, but does not pull its punches on that account. Adult themes are explored, violence is … violent. Tension and pace never flag.

If you like your fantasy grounded in the earth beneath your feet rather than spattered with odd made-up names and magic swords, then I recommend this to you.

The hundred year old tree cut down in Sycamore Gap, near Hadrian’s Wall, on the border between England and Scotland in 2023 inspired this story. The event is infamous in Britain. That sycamore tree was a famous and beloved landmark, and almost everyone who went to see it, or hiked past it, took a picture of it. It has a Wikipedia page here: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sycamore_Gap_tree

Buy now from: Amazon US Amazon UK

Format/Typo Issues:

Review is based on an advance reviewer copy.

Rating: **** Four Stars

Reviewed by: Judi Moore

Approximate word count: 55-60,000 words

Review: La Petite Mort by Mark Coker

2026-08-06T08:00:00.000-06:00

Genre: Science Fiction/Dystopian

Description:

“The year is 2043, and simple pleasures are hard to come by.

America struggles to recover following the Rare Earth Wars and decades of political turmoil.

A new invention out of Silicon Valley promises to bring safe and affordable pleasure to the masses. Days before the device enters manufacturing, a dangerous bug escapes that could bring the nation to its knees.”

Author:

“When Mark Coker’s not traveling, hiking, gardening, working his day job, or caring for his pet chickens and pure-bred homing pigeons, he enjoys writing short stories that shine light on modern day dystopias.”

“Mark is a Silicon Valley entrepreneur and patent-holding inventor best known as the founder of Smashwords, the pioneering publishing company he founded in 2007 that helped catalyze the self-publishing revolution. Smashwords merged with Draft2Digital in 2022 where Mark now serves as Chief Strategy Officer and board member.”

Appraisal:

An interesting read. Sure, it takes place almost 20 years in the future, but in many ways it feels like the US. It and much of the world has gone down a slippery slope that our current leader and the billionaire class seem to want to happen. In fact, we’ve got at least one businessman who plays a big role who seems to take the same approach to things as a current leader in the US. The end result for his followers, well, it feels good for a while, but you’ll have to check out this quick read to find out what happens in the end. Ultimately a humorous, but thought-provoking read, for those who are capable of thought, of course.

Buy now from: Amazon US Amazon UK

FYI:

Some adult language and while not very explicit, adult subjects do come up in the story.

Format/Typo Issues:

No significant issues.

Rating: ***** Five stars

Reviewed by: BigAl

Approximate word count: 18-19,000 words

Reprise Review: Every Wind of Change (Paths of Shadow Book 3) by Frank Tuttle

2026-08-02T08:00:00.000-06:00

Genre: Epic Fantasy/Magic/Young Adult/Sci-Fi/Adventure

Description:

“Mage Meralda’s perilous airship journey across the vast Great Sea made her a hero.

Her discovery of the Arc may doom her world.

The Arc, a mysterious metal structure hanging ten thousand feet above the stormy Sea, is singing. Tasked by the King to decipher the Arc’s strange song, Meralda discovers plans for an outlandish machine hidden in the song’s mathematical lyrics.

With sharp-tongued vegetable familiar Mug at her side, Meralda embarks on an unexpected journey across the void. Together they face ravenous beasts, ancient engines, and the most diabolical creature of all – Meralda's own long-lost mother.

With nothing but her wits, her Sight, and her determination to return home and find a decent cup of coffee, Meralda vows to lead her tiny band to safety. But her long journey home also means facing an old sorrow, and a singularly unpleasant truth.

As monsters close in, can Meralda prevail where thousands before her failed and perished?”

Author:

“Frank Tuttle lives and writes in the perpetually humid wilderness of North Mississippi. Frank tried to be a proper Southern author and write about pickups and hound dogs, but trolls and magic kept creeping into his stories, so Frank is a fantasy author. Although hounds do make occasional appearances in his fiction.”

To learn more about Frank Tuttle you can check out his website and of course you may also friend Mr. Tuttle on Facebook.

Appraisal:

While this series, Paths of Shadow, has always had an element of steampunk and magic in its world, Every Wind of Change jumps into the realm of Sci-Fi after the “event.” Sorry, I got a little ahead of myself there. Meralda has been assigned, by the King of Tirlin, to decipher the sounds the mysterious Arc is emitting. He also bestows a pay raise and a promotion to Tirlin’s Secret Service. Her new boss is none other than Mrs. Primsbite. To put a cherry on top of it all, Meralda’s long-absent mother reappears and insists on insinuating herself, and her little dog too, into her daughter’s life again. Donchen attempts to arbitrate between mother and daughter, to Meralda’s dismay.

While Meralda is attempting to decipher the Arcs complicated song, King Yvin insists on seeing her results so far. Meralda has to oblige with an incomplete work. Unbeknownst to all, this exhibition initiates a standard tripping wheel transport protocol from the Arc bringing forth the “event” that hurls Meralda, Donchen, Mug, Meralda’s mother, and Mrs. Primsbite (Oh, and I mustn’t forget Nameless and Faceless in crow form as well.) into the embattled Hub of the Arc which is located in the void. Luckily our small band is befriended by an unusual robot named Skoof, who knows the Arc well and assists finding them a safe place to hide from giant carnivorous cockroaches, called Mags who are well aware of their arrival, before they can formulate a way home without magic.

The plot is cleverly crafted and engaging with twists and turns of the outlandish storyline, since they are all out of their element I found that fitting. The dialogues are intelligent, cunning, and witty. New characters are introduced who I hope to see more of in the next book. The scenery and surroundings are well described, which place the reader right beside the characters. The ending is epic and a lot more far-reaching than I was expecting. Meralda’s mother also gains a new larger pet, which fits her well. Readers will also be pleased that Mr. Reardon, mother’s ankle-biter, is still with her as well. Don’t miss this new addition to Meralda and Mug’s adventure.

Buy now from: Amazon US Amazon UK

FYI:

Every Wind of Change is the third book in a planned four book series from Mr. Tuttle’s, Paths of Shadow. Each book stands alone. However I have enjoyed watching each character’s growth as the series continues. The first book of the series is All the Paths of Shadow, followed by All the Turns of Light.

Format/Typo Issues:

I did find a small number of proofing issues, nothing that threw me out of the story.

Rating: ***** Five Stars

Reviewed by: ?wazithinkin

Approximate word count: 80-85,000 words

Review: The Serial Killer’s Fiancée by Beth Orsoff

2026-07-28T08:00:00.000-06:00

Genre: Legal Thriller

Description:

“She dedicated her life to locking up criminals. Now she’s engaged to one. From a bestselling suspense author comes a twisting story of love, law, and lethal deception.

Stella Brant, single mother, U.S. Attorney, and soon-to-be-bride, is used to controlled chaos. When she races to join her colleagues in the Moakley Courthouse conference room her only concern is making it to the meeting on time. The room is packed and everyone is staring up at the perp walk on TV.

The police finally caught the Lady Killer, the man who’s been terrorizing the women of Boston for the last six months. The press shout questions. The perp lifts his head. And Stella’s world implodes.

The police made a mistake. Stella knows this in her bones. Her fiancé cannot possibly be the Lady Killer. But Stella’s goal, her true belief, her north star has always been to obtain justice. That’s why she became a prosecutor. Now that belief is put to the ultimate test.

How far is Stella willing to go to see that justice is served?”

Author:

The author of thirteen books that vary from romantic comedy to suspense and now a legal thriller, Beth Orsoff has a long history as an author. She’s an attorney in Los Angeles and a mother, but finds enough spare time to write books too. For more, visit her website or you can check out the interview she did for this book blog in ancient times (aka 2012).

Appraisal:

The first paragraph, really just the first line, of this book pulled me in and never let go. It’s been a long time since I read a book that captured me so quickly and I hated to put down. I started it while on an extended road trip and found myself reading it every chance I got from lunch time at some fast-food joint or my motel at night when I should have been sleeping. I had opinions as to whether the fiancé would turn out to be a killer or not from that first paragraph too, but that opinion kept waffling as Stella dug into the details on her own and as a reader I observed what was going on. The thrills and suspense of a thriller are here. We’ve also got some legal things thrown in which are never too complicated for an average person to understand, but for someone like me who likes to say that he’s not an attorney although he sometimes plays one on the internet it just adds that more good spice to the story and makes it seem even more real. I wish every book I read was as engaging as this one. If you like legal thrillers checking this one out is a no-brainer.

Buy now from: Amazon US Amazon UK

FYI:

Some adult language and mild adult content.

Format/Typo Issues:

While review is based on an advance reviewer copy it appear that there are no significant issues here.

Rating: ***** Five Stars

Reviewed by: BigAl

Approximate word count: 60-65,000 words

Review: Crime Scenes by Joseph S. Walker

2026-07-24T08:00:00.000-06:00

Genre: Crime Fiction/Short Story Collection

Description:

A collection of short stories, all crime fiction, each of them previously published in various magazines and short story anthologies.

Author:

An Edgar award nominated author of crime and mystery stories, Joseph S. Walker lives in Indiana. For more, check out his website.

https://jswalkerauthor.com/

Appraisal:

This is a fun collection of short stories. While each story stands alone, it should be clear that they are all crime fiction. If you’re a fan of that genre you ought to enjoy reading all of these. A few of the stories have the same protagonist, a guy who is a good guy in many ways, but has some issues as well. His stories were fun to read and even when you realized it was a story featuring him, you weren't sure what direction things might go. All in all, a fun and engaging read.

Buy now from: Amazon US Amazon UK

FYI:

Some adult language.

Format/Typo Issues:

No significant issues.

Rating: **** Four Stars

Reviewed by: BigAl

Approximate word count: 90-95,000 words

Review: Ghost Phone by Melissa Bowersock

2026-07-21T08:00:00.000-06:00

Genre: Mystery/Paranormal/Detective

Description:

“When Sam first starts getting phone calls with no name and no number—and no one there on the line—he thinks it’s strange but not a big deal—just irritating. Without a number, there’s no way to trace the calls to either find out who it is that’s calling, or to block them and their annoying pranks. But then the calls take a darker turn, spewing an unintelligible stream of angry, garbled nonsense. The calls are very insistent, ringing through even when the phone is turned completely off. To save their sanity, Sam and Lacey have to figure out who—or what—is calling, and what it wants. But how?”

Author:

For more visit Ms.Bowersock’s website and follow her on Facebook.

Appraisal:

If you’ve read a few of the 50 prior books in this series then you’ve come to expect certain elements. A house or some place seems to be haunted. Sam Firecloud is called in with his wife, Lacey Fitzpatrick, to figure things out. Sam, with his ability to communicate telepathically with spirits who have not yet left this world visits the haunted space and Sam describes what he’s seeing which Lacey records. Together they ponder with Lacey figuratively putting on her detective cap to help figure things out. As a team, they find what it will take to help resolve the unfinished issues preventing the spirit from peacefully moving on. It’s an engaging and thought-provoking pattern that the author has managed to keep entertaining with each of her stories keeping the reader guessing along with Sam and Lacey, just what you’d hope for in a mystery story.

This book throws a few twists into the pattern especially in the beginning, when they get calls that give no caller ID information and are silent on the other end, at least at first. Later, some of the calls have a voice that is too garbled to understand. How these calls evolve, how they figure out where they are coming from and ultimately how to communicate in a way they can understand with the being on the other end is full of twists and turns we haven’t seen in any other book in the series. Then where this leads them to resolve the issue at hand and how they get there is much different from any of the other books in the series. Sam’s connection with the spirit behind it all matters, but it felt like Lacey’s detective skills got much more of a workout than is typical for the series too. In the end, it was an entertaining read that shakes up the normal pattern, but that fans of the series are still going to enjoy, find entertaining, and make them work a bit harder trying unsuccessfully to figure out where things are going through most of the story. I’d call that a positive.

Buy now from: Amazon US Amazon UK

FYI:

While the 51^st first book in the series, each book stands alone.

Format/Typo Issues:

No significant issues.

Rating: ***** Five Stars

Reviewed by: BigAl

Approximate word count: 25-30,000 words

Review: How to Hotwire an Airplane by Henry Rausch

2026-07-17T08:00:00.000-06:00

Genre: Adventure

Description:

The protagonist, Hiram is a Vietnam veteran, and carries a lot of guilt. He makes a very small living from flying his battered Cessna on whatever jobs he can pick up, and renting out half of his house. He has issues. The story takes us through from Spring, to 9/11 and its aftermath, in 2001. The action takes place around the Texas/Mexico border.

Author:

Henry Rausch was a submariner for 20+ years. He did some hush-hush things for the USA, deep underwater. He retired in 2005. Now he enjoys flying small planes, and has a lot of experience in this area. He has written about his submariner experiences in Submerged which was very well received, and won prizes.

Appraisal:

Hiram is not really a likeable character. But then, the book is set in 2001 – a third of a lifetime ago, in my case. Attitudes have shifted: some of them. And, of course, some of them never shifted at all, and some of them are circling back around. Am I being a bit gnomic? Well, it’s that sort of book. Just when I thought I had Hiram pigeon-holed as a woman-objectifying red-neck the book takes flight (if you’ll pardon the pun). He falls in love. He starts mercy flights for rescue dogs. This leads onto rescuing some of the people who daily try to cross the Mexican/Texas border on foot. He sees it as atoning for a perceived, fatal, error he made in ‘Nam. But perhaps the only error in war is starting one…

Hiram and the lovely Lucy for whom he falls are both old enough to know better. But their developing relationship is, none the less, sweet passionate and good for them both.

The ferrying of immigrants across the Mexican border turns out to be not as secret as Hiram had believed. Border Patrol go to some lengths to catch him. But one man and a battered Cessna can do much once they are air-borne.

For much of the book I feared Raush was displaying firearms over the mantlepiece which were not going to get fired, rather than building plot. I was wrong. Most of what he puts on the page is used in the end. Trouble is, the setting up (and the occasional excursion) does tend to reduce pace. As do the lengthy technical explanations of what exactly Hiram does with his Cessna.

But if you enjoy adventure which leans fairly hard on the technical, there is much to enjoy here.

And 2001 Hiram turns out to have some interesting humanitarian opinions which are once again matters for debate under the current (2025) regime. This is one of the great things you can do with fiction. It can’t be political can it, because it all happened a long time ago. Yes, in some ways this is an historical novel – and yet it all somehow seems so now …

Oh, and the splash of magic is a delight.

Buy now from: Amazon US Amazon UK

FYI:

Format/Typo Issues:

The variation in formatting is slightly odd. This reviewer spent time trying to work out if it was deliberate and meaningful, or not. Not, I decided. So don’t you waste time on that.

Rating: *** Three Stars

Reviewed by: Judi Moore

Approximate word count: 100-105,000 words

Reprise Review: The Grumpface by B.C.R. Fegan

2026-07-13T08:00:00.000-06:00

Genre: Children’s Picture Book

Description:

“Dan is a young inventor in love. He ventures into a forest looking for a rose but instead finds the mysterious Grumpface who threatens to hold him captive unless he passes some difficult challenges. What follows is a humorous adventure that neither Dan nor the Grumpface could have anticipated.”

Author:

“BCR Fegan is a multi-award-winning author who has written a number of fairy tales and fantasies for children and young adults.”

“His ravenous appetite for both reading and writing soon saw him drawing on the transformational influence of the world around him to craft short stories, poems and picture books.”

Appraisal:

What a fun kids story. I had fun reading it to my four-year-old granddaughter, with its rhyming, lyrical language and a nice mix of things that felt silly (aka fun, for a four-year-old) and serious. That my granddaughter was giggling at the Grumpface (the guy in the book, not her grandfather) was another good sign. We both enjoyed and my granddaughter hopes to revisit the grumpy old guy (that would be the grandfather this time) for another reading of The Grumpface.

Buy now from: Amazon US Amazon UK

Format/Typo Issues:

No significant issues.

Rating: ***** Five Stars

Reviewed by: BigAl

Review: Short Grift by Simon Maltman

2026-07-09T08:00:00.000-06:00

Genre: Short Story Collection/Crime Fiction

Description:

“In the world of the Short Grift, the plans are desperate, the criminals are questionable, and the outcome is usually messy. Simon Maltman delivers a masterclass in modern noir, blending razor-sharp crime fiction with a dark, cynical wit that cuts right to the bone.

This collection contains conflicted grifters, serial killer grifters, zombie grifters, and even Donald Trump.”

If you’re interested you can also find an album of music related to the short story collection here.

Author:

“Simon Maltman is the author of crime fiction novels, novellas and short stories.

He is also a T.V writer, reviewer, musician and the lead guide for the crime tour, Belfast Noir.”

Appraisal:

A fast read with eleven short stories that, while all crime fiction, have a wide variety of takes with the common theme being grifting, sometimes by zombies which, while as a reader you suspend belief, you realize isn’t true to Donald Trump making an appearance, where you just assume lots of grifting is going to happen. It made for a fun read and an enjoyable change of pace from my typical reading material.

Buy now from: Amazon US Amazon UK

FYI:

Some adult language. The author is Irish and based in Ireland, so some of the verbiage and context is going to require some minor reading between the lines, but it wasn’t too difficult. For example, I had no idea what the reference to an Ulster Fry was, but Google quickly clued me in that it was a traditional Irish breakfast that apparently includes baked beans as one of the items.

Format/Typo Issues:

Review is based on an ARC (advance reader/reviewer copy) and thus I can’t gauge the final product.

Rating: **** Four Stars

Reviewed by: Bigal

Approximate word count: 20-25,000 words

Review: One More For The Ditch by Eric McLaughlin

2026-07-05T08:00:00.000-06:00

Genre: Absurdist Fiction

Description:

“One More for the Ditch is a savage, darkly comic triptych about collapse, cancellation, and the violent search for meaning in a culture addicted to outrage. Moving between addiction, grief, satire, and rebellion, the book asks what, if anything, is worth worshiping when institutions fail, morality fractures, and survival itself becomes an act of defiance.”

Author:

Information about the author is limited, but this appears to be his first full length book with short stories being featured in multiple venues prior. He has a substack site that you can check out if you’d like.

Appraisal:

I feel like I could write a novel on my reactions about this book which range from the extremely negative to the extremely positive. I’ll try to cut my review down to at least novella length or even a short story. We’ll see how I do.

About fifteen years ago when I first started writing reviews of most of the books I read, focusing on indie (both self-published and extremely small press) publications that were starting to get attention among Kindle owners, one of the claims I saw from my fellow readers was that the proofreading was lacking in these books. While it wasn’t unusual to see a handful of proofing misses in a book, even those published by the large traditional publishers, I didn’t often see serious issues regardless of how they were published, but sometimes it happened. I came up with a threshold of a number of errors I needed to flag while reading a book where I would mention that it had proofing issues and an even higher number where I would start deducting stars based on the proofing misses. This book exceeded that second threshold by more than 4 times and of the close to a thousand books I’ve gauged using this criteria this has, by far, the worst proofreading of any. In fact, it feels like the book could have been written using speech to text and then the generated text was published without even looking at it based on a lot of the errors I saw, like constantly confusing the words passed and past or saying shes instead of she’s with apostrophes missing from words where they should be. If this kind of thing bothers you, this book will drive you crazy.

The content itself, if you ignore the above, I liked much better. The title says it is a “triptych” which is usually used for a work of art that has three pieces. This has three parts to it with different sections that are different, yet still tie together in many ways. Amazon has this classified as absurdist fiction which Wikipedia describes by saying that “common elements in absurdist fiction include satire, dark humor, incongruity, the abasement of reason, and controversy regarding the philosophical condition of being ‘nothing’.” That gives a pretty good idea of the story (okay, make that stories) that you’ll find here. In some ways it felt dystopian, but felt like it was showing us what today’s world could be headed for if we continue on our current path. I love books that get me thinking and looking at the world from different angles. This does that. If I wasn’t constantly having to interpret and correct in my head for all the proofing issues, I’d have enjoyed it a whole lot more.

Buy now from: Amazon US Amazon UK

FYI:

Some adult language

Format/Typo Issues:

Proofreading, if it happened, was atrocious as discussed in the appraisal section.

Rating: ** Two Stars

Reviewed by: BigAl

Approximate word count: 75-80,000 words

Review: Dreaming True in the Apocalypse by Phoebe Walker

2026-07-01T08:00:00.000-06:00

Genre: Dystopian/Science Fiction/Romance

Description:

“After being left for dead by her survivor group, Allie Dawes has been living in an underground bunker for the first year of the zombie apocalypse. Her only company is Morrigan, a goddess who has gifted Allie with prophetic dreams and abilities that seem to have brought more trouble than good into her life. Just when the isolation is starting to make Allie wonder if she’s losing her mind, Morrigan sends her a dream with a mission: save Cameron Hale.

Cameron Hale is trying like hell to get back to his group and their community of settlements, where they are starting to rebuild society. On the way, he stumbles into the path of a massive zombie horde. Cam’s only hope for escape is to outrun the monsters, but he’s on the verge of exhaustion. Then an angel with a rifle snatches him, quite literally, from the jaws of death.

In Allie’s bunker, these two touch-starved, PTSD-ridden people who don’t quite feel like strangers find themselves drawn to each other physically and emotionally. But love isn’t simple in a world where the undead walk the earth, and even if Allie and Cam manage to stay alive during the struggles that await them outside the bunker, their tenuous bond may not survive.”

Author:

“Phoebe Walker is the pen name of co-authors and longtime best friends Jennifer ‘Jay’ Bull and Mary Morris. Jay lives with her husband and her cats in rural Illinois, where she works as a writer and a professional psychic. She began making up stories and characters in her mind at a very young age and always loved sharing them with others, so writing became a natural creative outlet. Jay collects tarot decks and cats, but her spouse has put a limit on cat collecting, so she only has the care of three tiny terror beasts. Mary grew up reading romance novels and SFF epics on a farm in southeastern Illinois. After earning an MFA in fiction, she has worked as a proofreader, copy editor, reporter, and English professor; today, she is an educator and freelance editor who has published short fiction and nonfiction in various lit mags. She lives in the middle of nowhere with her husband, her children, and miscellaneous cats.”

Appraisal:

While willing to consider books of almost any fiction genre, I tend to shy away from science fiction although books in the dystopian subgenre are the most likely exception. While I’ll read romance, it is relatively rare, although a bit of a romantic subtext is no big deal. This book, while definitely falling outside my normal mild doses of sci-fi and romance still hit the spot in spite of that. The romance, while an important part of the overall book and definitely fitting the conventions of the genre, seemed perfectly natural (in spite of the very unnatural setting of the book). The premise of the book and how things shake out for our main characters involved a lot of unique twists that I had no idea what was coming next. Figuring out how to live in a world that has changed in so many ways, who to trust, and how far to trust them, and just how to survive this wild and strange world the characters found themselves in was a vicarious adventure I’m glad I took.

Buy now from: Amazon US Amazon UK

FYI:

Some adult language and relatively mild adult situations.

Format/Typo Issues:

Review is based on an ARC (advance reader/reviewer copy), so I can’t gauge the final product in this area.

Rating: **** Four Stars

Reviewed by: BigAl

Approximate word count: 105-110,000 words

Review: I Remember Everything by Brooks Eason

2026-06-27T08:00:00.000-06:00

Genre: Adventure

Description:

“Sam Thompson and Jeff Freeman become best friends on the day they meet in the summer they turn eight. Sam serves as the best man in Jeff’s wedding and, a decade later, they swap roles. They name their sons for each other and remain best friends until the night of a shocking twist of fate in 2023.

I Remember Everything traces their lives for more than five decades, from growing up to growing old, and follows them on grand adventures to some of the most magnificent rivers and mountains in America.

The novel also explores their mutual love for the music of the late John Prine, one of America’s greatest songwriters. I Remember Everything is the title of his last song.”

Author:

“Brooks retired after forty years practicing law to a life of walking dogs and writing books. He has three children and five grandchildren and lives in Madison, Mississippi, with his wife Carrie, three rescue dogs, and an orange tabby cat . In their spare time, Brooks and Carrie host house concerts and dance in the kitchen.”

Appraisal:

To be fair, I can see this book not hitting home with everyone the way it did me. It has elements of mystery, a bit of suspense, and a lot of flashbacks to experiences and adventures in the past.

I’m old and can’t claim to have friends who I’ve been doing things with since I was a kid like Sam Thompson and Jeff Freeman, the friends featured in this story. However, this book really appealed to me with it’s talk of travel (I’m an avid traveler who loves to get out and explore the US, which these characters have done, comparing their experiences to my own or riding along and having new experiences vicariously. Even though this is fiction, their travel felt real.

They’re also obsessed with what is currently being described as Americana music, with John Prine being high on the list. As someone who has been a fan and even written about that genre of music in the past, the artists whose names were mentioned drew me in that much more. I’m sure I would have liked this read regardless, but it is rare for a book to hit so close to home for my personal interests like this one did which just made it that much more enjoyable.

Buy now from: Amazon US Amazon UK

Format/Typo Issues:

No significant issues

Rating: ***** Five Stars

Reviewed by: BigAl

Approximate word count: 70-75,000 words

Reprise Review: Quest of Thunder by Karissa Laurel

2026-06-23T08:00:00.000-06:00

Genre: Young Adult/Epic Fantasy/Adventure

Description:

“Evelyn Stormbourne has overcome revolutionaries, pirates, devious relatives, and powerful Magicians to claim her birthright as Lady of Thunder, but before she can embrace her dominion over the skies, her powers falter, leaving her impotent and adrift. Under the protection of her stalwart companion, Gideon Faust, Evie hides in anonymity and searches for news of the Fantazikes who had once promised to help her master her divine abilities.

Without her capacity to control the storms, Evie wonders how she’ll ever reclaim her throne—a legacy she’s not convinced she deserves. But when a fearsome nemesis from her past reemerges, she embarks on desperate quest to find the Fantazikes and restore her powers. If she fails, her enemy’s dark Magic will enslave her, forcing her to destroy everything and everyone she loves.”

Author:

“Karissa lives in North Carolina with her kid, her husband, the occasional in-law, and a very hairy husky. Some of her favorite things are coffee, dark chocolate, and super heroes. She can quote Princess Bride verbatim. She loves to read and has a sweet tooth for fantasy, sci-fi, and anything in between.”

To learn more about Ms. Laurel, please visit her website, or stalk her on Facebook.

Appraisal:

Evelyn Stormbourne, Lady of Thunder and the Crown Princess of Inselgrau has lost her connection to the skies. Evie is now on a quest with her companion and protector Gideon Faust. Their goal is to locate the Fantazikes, a clan she met in her first adventure, Heir of Thunder. They live and travel in airships powered by lightning. They once promised to help her master her divine abilities.

When tragedy strikes from an old nemesis Evie is forced to leave Gideon behind and go on the run searching for a safe place. Where better to hide than a traveling circus? However, this isn’t just any ol’traveling circus. She is allowed to stay, but Evie has to earn her keep for passage by working in the kitchen wagon and cleaning up each morning. In the afternoon she mends and repairs costumes. The circus workers are colorful and unique folks who all speak different languages. Evie has to find a way to communicate with them and make friends, while keeping her own true identity hidden for everyone’s protection. There is more to this circus than meets the eye and Evie intends to learn its secrets.

This book is full of evil magicians’ and devastating battles, not only with magic, but with crossbows, swords, knives, and guns. Several twists in the plot makes it hard to set the book aside as tension grows. All is not as it seems and the world is smaller than Evie ever imagined. The steampunk elements are surprising and magically delicious. There is a romance blooming between Gideon and Evie that only takes up a small portion of the novel as Gideon patiently chisels away Evie’s walls. He has my heart already. And I hope to see more from the circus crew in the next book. Evie’s journey to reclaim Inselgrau is bound to be spectacular. I can’t wait to see how Ms. Laurel wraps this trilogy up.

Buy now from: Amazon US Amazon UK

FYI:

Quest of Thunder is book 2 in the Stormbourne Chronicles by Karissa Laurel. I would recommend reading Heir of Thunder, Stormbourne Chronicles book 1 before reading this book.

Format/Typo Issues:

No significant proofing issues.

Rating: ***** Five Stars

Reviewed by: ?wazithinkin

Approximate word count: 85-90,000 words

Review: Little Red Riding Hood: Off The Grid by Lars C. Hallene

2026-06-19T08:00:00.000-06:00

Genre: Short Story/Fairy Tale

Description:

“She just wanted a weekend off the grid.

When graphic designer Scarlett Reyes arrives at a remote mountain cabin for a digital detox, she finds exactly what the booking promised — no Wi-Fi, no cell service, no way to reach the outside world. Just peace, quiet, and a property manager named Wolfe who seems to have an answer for everything.

Then she finds the phones buried in the woods. Then the bones.

By the time Scarlett understands what she's walked into, the sauna door is locked from the outside and the temperature is climbing.

A modern retelling of Little Red Riding Hood for readers who know the wolf was never just a wolf.”

Author:

“Lars C. Hallene writes dark fiction that finds modern terror in the oldest stories. His Grimm's Modern Nightmares series reimagines classic fairy tales for adult readers who know that the wolf was never just a wolf.”

Appraisal:

Who’s afraid of the big bad Wolfe? Yeah, me too. A fun … well, maybe entertaining would be a better adjective as long as it doesn’t really happen to me or anyone I know, twist on the classic fairy tale. However, moving it to modern times and a scenario that in theory could actually happen sure makes it seem more real and for that reason even spookier than the original.

Buy now from: Amazon US Amazon UK

Format/Typo Issues:

No significant issues.

Rating: **** Four Stars

Reviewed by: BigAl

Approximate word count: 4-5,000 words

Review: Wok Walk by Melissa Bowersock

2026-06-15T08:00:00.000-06:00

Genre: Mystery/Paranormal

Description:

“The Dancing Wok is a highly successful family-owned restaurant in LA’s Chinatown, but it has a problem: it’s haunted. The recently deceased owner is making his unrest known by moving things around at night and leaving them in places they don’t belong, throwing the restaurant into chaos every morning. Sam and Lacey are called in to connect with the unhappy spirit and find out why he’s still on the earth plane and causing problems for the surviving members of his family. Oh, and while they’re at it, it would also be nice if they could find out who murdered him.”

Author:

For more visit Ms.Bowersock’s website and follow her on Facebook.

Appraisal:

As the 50th book in this series, those of you who already discovered the series and read more than a couple of the prior books have a rough idea of what you’ll find. Thnstallment should meet those expectations. The main characters, Lacey Fitzpatrick and Sam Firecloud, are a married couple. Sam, is a native and has the ability to communicate to the spirits of people who have passed on, but for some reason are unable to leave this world and go on to their next life. Lacey is a detective and assists Sam in putting together the clues he gleans from the departed in order to help them resolve whatever is preventing them taking their next steps.

The installment fits the big picture of the series, but if you’ve read lots of them and think you can guess where things are headed, I’ve never been able to do that before and this one throws a twist that I didn’t see coming as the issue at hand turned out to be a bit different than Sam, Lacey, and the readers would expect. As always, a fun, engaging, and enjoyable read. I’m already eager to start reading #51.

Buy now from: Amazon US Amazon UK

Format/Typo Issues:

No significant issues.

Rating: ***** Five Stars

Reviewed by: BigAl

Approximate word count: 20-25,000 words

Review: A Ravishing Abomination by Dutch Broadstreet

2026-06-11T08:00:00.000-06:00

Genre: Suspense

Description:

“I didn't intend to kill a televangelist. But once I met his wife, the rest felt inevitable.

Jordan Bramble makes a living spotting weaknesses and exploiting them for profit. He applies pressure. He gets paid.

When he meets Seraphine Hale—the dangerously beautiful wife of a rising Christian celebrity—he thinks he’s found his next sexual conquest. Instead, he finds a ruthless partner in crime.

Together they hatch a deadly plan that will turn a digital megachurch into the biggest religious phenomenon in America. All it takes is a little seduction, a carefully staged tragedy, and a nation desperate to believe.

But when the cameras turn on and the donations start pouring in, Bramble realizes something unsettling: Seraphine may be even more ruthless than he is.

A Ravishing Abomination is a fast, vicious pulp novella about sex, faith, media manipulation, and the kind of ambition that leaves bodies behind.

In every great con, someone eventually becomes expendable.”

Author:

“Dutch Broadstreet writes dark pulp about crime, ambition, and the people who turn catastrophe into opportunity.

He lives in his own private Sodom, somewhere in Upstate New York.”

Appraisal:

This is an interesting and very unique read. When a story involves two or more parties, all plotting against another one, but none of those involved are very good people, just evil in a different way, who do you root for? I went for the party I’d view as the lesser of the evils. How things actually shake out kept me engaged and wondering how it would end. (The answer is … well, I can’t tell you. That would be a spoiler.) But this is a quick read, so it won’t take you long to find out if you decide to give it a read yourself.

Buy now from: Amazon US Amazon UK

FYI:

A small amount of adult language.

Format/Typo Issues:

Review is based on an advance reviewer copy, so I can’t gauge the final product in this area.

Rating: **** Four Stars

Reviewed by: BigAl

Approximate word count: 25-30,000 words

Review: Show Yourself by Shane Pollard

2026-06-07T08:00:00.000-06:00

Genre: Thriller/Suspense

Description:

“Walking home on a summer evening, Tristan's eleven-year-old goddaughter runs ahead to hide and scare the group. A warm breeze filters through the city streets. She turns down an alley and tucks behind an old dumpster unaware of the stranger. Tristan's best friend, James, jogs ahead of the group to catch his daughter at her own game.

James reaches the alley and turns the corner. The stranger draws a knife. In the seconds it takes for James to collapse, the worlds of those closest to him change forever.

Tristan becomes Jenavieve's guardian. He makes her breakfast, argues with the PTA, and teaches her to cook. He also learns to disappear into crowds, lines the trunk of his car with plastic, and quietly begins hunting a killer that no one has been able to find.

Sharp, warm, and darkly funny, Show Yourself builds to a conclusion that will make you hold your breath. Shane Pollard's debut asks not just who did it, but what you would be willing to become to make it right.

This is not a revenge story. It's a story about what it means to be alive.”

Author:

“Shane Pollard decided at a very young age that he was going to work for NASA. But when an accident in his teens forced him to take time off from school to recover, his plans changed. He instead took the incredibly straightforward path of chasing his own curiosity half-way around the world, and back, a few times. Throughout his travels, Shane taught sailing, English, illustration, and critical thinking. He sold his photography and paintings, and pushed pixels and words as a graphic designer and copy writer. He mixed drinks professionally, spent a few years underwater as a commercial Divemaster, did technical shenanigans for an electric boat company, became an engineer for a 3D printing company, and wrote a novel that he is currently trying to convince people to read.”

Appraisal:

This story gives the reader lots to think about, wondering how you’d react if you found yourself in a comparable situation to what the protagonist of this story, Tristan, did. There are multiple threads that explore different aspects of what Tristan and his goddaughter Jenavieve go through after the murder of Jenavieve's father James, and Tristan subsequently becoming her guardian. Not to mention wondering who murdered James, whether others are in danger with him uncaught, and who he might be. The police don’t seem to be getting anywhere, maybe James can figure it out. But if he does, then what? It all makes for an intense story that I couldn’t put down.

Buy now from: Amazon US Amazon UK

FYI:

Some adult language.

Format/Typo Issues:

No significant issues.

Rating: ***** Five Stars

Reviewed by: BigAl

Approximate word count: 45-50,000 words

Reprise Review: Prancing Around With Sleeping Beauty by Stacy Juba

2026-06-03T08:00:00.001-06:00

Genre: Romantic Comedy/Young Adult/Chick Lit

Description:

“Dance instructor Rory Callahan likes to play it safe. When she meets Kyle, he’s impulsive, persistent, and her exact opposite. He’s pushing her to tango way past her comfort zone and keeping Rory on her toes more than twenty years of dance teachers ever had.

Unfortunately, he’s the grandson of her family’s archrival and she doesn’t want to disappoint them. After all, her parents imagine her as a proper princess - hence her namesake Aurora, AKA Sleeping Beauty. Complicating matters, Rory’s also dealing with a surgeon boyfriend who’s perfect for her (sort of), an obnoxious boss, and desperate dance moms. Kyle wants to change her whole life, but Rory doesn’t like the stakes. After all, princesses are the ones who get the happy endings. . .aren’t they?”

Author:

“Stacy Juba loves to write about Characters at a Crossroads: individuals who are finding themselves and getting on the right life path after overcoming obstacles. Her goals are to entertain readers of all ages as well as inspire them through her mystery, romance, and contemporary fiction books for adults, teens, and children. She has written about ice hockey, sibling rivalry, and sportsmanship, teen psychics, U.S. flag etiquette for kids, and determined women sleuths solving mysteries.”

Find out more about Ms. Juba on her website or follow her on Facebook.

Appraisal:

Aurora Callahan, nicknamed Rory, is floating through her life. She’s dating a doctor in residency. Their relationship is comfortable but going nowhere. When Rory trips into Kyle’s life they both enjoy a lively banter. Which entices Rory and Kyle alike.

Rory’s brother, Dylan is general manager for the family-owned Storybook Valley Amusement Park, who we met in book one. Wants to start a princess program for young girls that will incorporate dance, crafts, and games. He wants Rory to teach it. Grandmother is quick to offer her services for etiquette lessons as well. Rory agrees to start the program but can’t see how she can continue to work the program while she is teaching ballet and running interference between competitive dance students, their mothers, and other dance teachers who are tired of dealing with their overly competitive boss. It’s beginning to be a full-time job for Rory to smooth things over for everyone involved. Things are working to a boiling point.

I really enjoyed the way this story was told. I kept waiting for Rory to end up in a coma like her namesake Aurora from Sleeping Beauty. That would have devastated me, because I grew to love all the characters. That’s not to say I didn’t want to slap Rory a few times or perhaps just shake her and yell, ‘WAKE UP’. It was fun watching her learn to stand up for herself and go after her dream job and dream guy with or without her family’s approval. It was also nice to learn more about Rory’s family’s past. What a quirky family with grandmother all prim and proper, and grandfather with his feud that stems from a high school classmate and his garden gnomes. This is a quick easy, enjoyable read.

Buy now from: Amazon US Amazon UK

FYI:

Prancing Around With Sleeping Beauty is book 2 in Ms. Juba’s Storybook Valley Series. These novels can be read in any order. The series starts with Fooling Around With Cinderella.

Format/Typo Issues:

I found no issues with proofing or formatting.

Rating: ***** Five Stars

Reviewed by: ?wazithinkin

Approximate word count: 55-60,000 words