BigAl's Books and Pals

Review: Where Nobody Knows Her Name by Lynn M. Dannheisser

2026-04-17T08:00:00.014-06:00

Genre: Thriller

Description:

“Beneath the turquoise waters of the Florida Keys, something sinister waits…

When the body of Bonita Key’s former attorney washes ashore in Pine Cay, Layla Leslie’s new job as the village attorney takes a chilling turn. Drawn in by the village’s charm, sun drenched beaches, and a magnetic county sheriff—Layla thought she’d found her dream escape from the scandal she’d left behind in Miami.

But Bonita Key hides more than just tropical secrets.

As Layla digs deeper, she stumbles into a tangled web of vanishing locals, offshore accounts, and a criminal network hiding in plain sight. With whispers of trafficking and corruption echoing through the village’s charming façade, trust becomes a luxury she can’t afford. Even with a relentless Miami Herald reporter by her side, the truth stays just out of reach—and someone is watching her every move.

The last attorney tried to expose the truth. Layla may not live long enough to finish the job.”

Author:

A retired attorney who had previously written a non-fiction book, Lynn M Dannheisser splits her time between the mountains of western Massachusetts and Miami, Florida. For more from Ms Dannheisser check out her website and follow her on Facebook.

Appraisal:

A disclaimer prior to the beginning of the story makes it clear that the specific location where most of the events take place in this book and the characters are fictional and that if “you find any such resemblance, it is in your imagination, as it was in mine.” Given the opinion many have of some Floridian politicians and since the author is an attorney making that clear was obviously a good idea. That said, if your opinion of politics in that piece of the US hanging off the southeastern part of the country is less than ideal, it makes the events in this book that much easier to believe.

When she’s hired as the village attorney for a small town in the Florida Keys, Layla Leslie (yes, she gets plenty of jokes based on the song) thinks she’s escaping to a more laidback and scenic environment than what she is leaving behind in Miami. What she finds is disconcerting, hard to figure out, and puts her in a position where there doesn’t seem to be any good way out. How, or if, this story resolves keeps the reader guessing to the very end. An intense, fascinating, and all-too-credible (in spite of being complete fiction) tale that once you get into it is hard to put down.

Buy now from: Amazon US Amazon UK

FYI:

Some adult language.

Format/Typo Issues:

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

Rating: ***** Five Stars

Reviewed by: BigAl

Approximate word count: 90-95,000 words

Review: Empty Your Cup by c. martins

2026-04-13T08:00:00.019-06:00

Genre: Poetry

Description:

“Poems that will change the way you think. This collection of poetry by c. martins includes reflections on the impact of our memories in our lives that can cause us to think and act in limiting ways. These reflections help identify biases that influence the way we experience events in our lives. The poems provide a positive perspective on relatable topics that can shift habitual negative thinking patterns.”

Author:

“c. martins is the author of Empty Your Cup and Hourglass. She holds degrees in Psychology, Biology and Medicine.”

For more from Ms Martins, visit her website and follow her Facebookpage.

Appraisal:

I would claim to not be into poetry that much, but I’m very much into music and tend to focus a lot more on the lyrics and what they’re saying or mean to me than many people. Ultimately poetry is just a song without the instrumentation and this collection drove that home for me. This was described to me as “nonfiction poetry” and for good reason. Each of the roughly 30 poems in this collection speak to life, its experiences and lessons, and should get you thinking about such subjects. I’d call that inspirational. That’s a good thing.

Buy now from: Amazon US Amazon UK

Format/Typo Issues:

No significant issues.

Rating: **** Four Stars

Reviewed by: BigAl

Approximate word count: 3-4,000 words

Review: The Barbie Killer by Julia McDermott

2026-04-09T08:00:00.018-06:00

Genre: Thriller

Description:

“When Dolly Garner’s husband is transferred to the small town of Huntington, Kansas, she hates the thought of uprooting their young family and starting over a thousand miles away. But after a year of living on savings and credit cards after Tim’s previous lay-off, refusing to move is out of the question. So they sell their home, pack their bags, and focus on the positives: wholesome Midwestern values, a lower cost of living, and less crime.

But Dolly’s first impressions are not good. The people seem standoffish, unfriendly, and tight-lipped. The women she meets are materialistic and obsessed with status. More unsettling, Dolly learns that years ago, a brutal murder took place on the property where her family’s home now stands, and the case was never solved.

When a violent crime shocks the community, the town secret is out: A serial killer is on the loose and preying on the women of Huntington. As paranoia surges and the line between neighbor and predator blurs, Dolly realizes she can’t trust anyone in this town.

Inspired by true events, this twist-filled thriller will leave you breathless until the final page.”

Author:

“Julia McDermott was born in Dallas, raised in Atlanta, and earned a degree in Economics and French from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, including a junior year in France. Afterward, she moved to Texas, married her college sweetheart, and worked in finance and technology. While raising four children, she pivoted to full-time writing and has participated in literary festivals and writers’ conferences across the U.S. and Canada.”

Appraisal:

Moving from a big city, specifically Atlanta, to a small town in Kansas, the reasonable assumption is that odds of you being murdered are going to decrease. And they would, unless that small town has a serial killer who the townspeople don’t like to talk about, so new people don’t find out until they’re already moved to town. That’s what happens to Dolly Garner and her husband. Now what should they do? None of the potential answers are very good and the more they find out about what’s going on, the scarier it becomes. How this all resolves and the pieces to the mystery behind the killer make for an intense and interesting read that readers who enjoy thrillers should love.

Buy now from: Amazon US Amazon UK

Format/Typo Issues:

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

Rating: ***** Five Stars

Reviewed by: BigAl

Approximate word count: 55-60,000 words

Reprise Review: My Life as a Bench: Jaq Hazell

2026-04-05T08:00:00.009-06:00

Genre: Young adult

Description:

“Ren Miller has died aged seventeen and yet her consciousness lives on, inhabiting her memorial bench by the River Thames in London. Ren longs to be reunited with her boyfriend Gabe, but soon discovers why he has failed to visit. Devastated, she must learn to break through and talk to the living so she can reveal the truth about her untimely end.”

Author:

Jaq Hazell won the Rubery Award (for indie and self-published books) in 2017 for this book. She has been knocking on the awards door for some time now, and this award is well deserved. She is a British writer, now living in London, who has an MA in Creative Writing.

Appraisal:

What a cracking title! It would be a pity indeed if such a funkily titled book should not prove to be fully funky throughout. So, let me assure you at once that it is excellent.

Like so much YA fiction, it can be enjoyed by adult readers as well as teenagers. (I’m 65 and I was blown away by it.)

The tension is ratchetted up constantly by the reveal happening like a striptease. It is two thirds of the way into the book when the reader discovers why Ren is now a bench. By that point I was wild to know what had happened!

Grownups might imagine that the concerns of a teenager could prove facile: I did not find that the case at all. The high-octane heartache over trivialities which might cause the world to end (I remember those) is so believable, and the pace of the book so good, that you tumble along with the protagonists as they fall in and out of love on Facebook and over fried chicken lunches.

The author draws older characters beautifully too – and gives them plausible things to do which are nicely observed, sometimes poignant and sometimes very funny. Getting inside the head of a teenager isn’t easy (I can hear parents sighing from here), but Hazell makes a lovely job of it. Ren’s take on the adults in her world feels fresh and accurate.

This oldster didn’t need the ‘slang definitions’ aid at the back. Which is not to say that I am down wiv da yoof, more than said slang, most of it, isn’t as ‘now’ as the author seems to think.

One of the puffs on Amazon (‘Nudge’) says of the book “This would be a good discussion aid to issues raised in schools and colleges, but equally book clubs would find it fascinating”. Couldn’t have put it better myself. Nag your book club to read this. Or just get on and read it yourself. It’s my best read of 2018 to date.

Buy now from: Amazon US Amazon UK

Format/Typo Issues:

No issues.

Rating: ***** Five Stars

Reviewed by: Judi Moore

Approximate word count: 60-65,000 words

Review: A Real Collusion by Stu Strumwasser

2026-04-01T08:00:00.005-06:00

Genre: Political Thriller

Description:

“A Real Collusion is a David Vs. Goliath(s) story about a man who accidentally becomes the leader of an independent political movement that nearly takes down the two-party system in America, while exposing a conspiracy that affects the results of the 2016 election. It explores universal and deeply human themes of loss, and the tension between justice and power. In the opening sentence the narrator points out that, “Ordinary people often do extraordinary things.” The characters in the book do, and the action is driven by the fantastic events of a unique political satire. It is also the heartfelt story of regular people struggling with lost love, alienation and nearly universal disaffection who find strength in enduring loyalty and friendship

This is the story of John Campbell (a regular guy from the lower east side of Manhattan) as recounted by his friend Skip Winters. Skip becomes John’s campaign manager and later, a congressman in his own right. He narrates the stunning-but-plausible story of how John Campbell and The American Coalition race to popularity, raising over a hundred million dollars from grassroots contributors—and become a threat to the political duopoly of the Democratic and Republican parties. The book sprinkles in references to real events from recent history, and real political leaders including Trump, John McCain, and more. This imbues the novel with a sense of realism, albeit one of an alternate reality. Skip discovers a deep-seated conspiracy within our political system whose leaders orchestrate a murder, destroy his friend and tip the scales of the election. The novel turns out to be Skip’s exposé of the secret collaboration between the two major political parties in our country—a cooperation to protect the duopoly that is, in part, real.”

Author:

Stu Stumwasser wrote a book that came out more than 10 years ago that was published by Simon and Schuster as well as spending some time as a member of a band that had a lot of air play on college radio stations. But his biggest focus has been spent working for Wall Street companies before founding and running his own financial investments company. Apparently some time spent observing and participating in politics inspired another book.

Appraisal:

The cover of this book calls it a “Novel & Exposé.” One implies fiction and the other implies exposing the truth. Like all good fiction, there is some truth to the story, even if what is chronicled didn’t really happen. This should, like good fiction tends to do, get you thinking about the real world, especially the two-party political system in the US and how it sometimes prevents needed change. No matter where you are on the political spectrum and no matter how much of what is laid out you believe, it should get you thinking. (Lots of it, I’m sure is fiction, at least I hope so, but there is a lot that we all will recognize as reality too.) I highly recommend reading this book and pondering what it means to you.

Buy now from: Amazon US Amazon UK

FYI:

Some adult language.

Format/Typo Issues:

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

Rating: ***** Five Stars

Reviewed by: BigAl

Approximate word count: 85-90,000 words

Review: Our Better Nature by James C Porter

2026-03-28T08:00:00.011-06:00

Genre: Magical Realism

Description:

“What if Mother Nature got angry? What if she got angry at all the factories and power plants and other man-made sources of climate change? What if she made it clear just how angry she was?

What if she had help?

Mary Aimsir can control the weather. So can hundreds of women like her around the world. Maybe Mother Nature is just a myth. These women aren’t.”

Author:

A bit of a nomad, James C. Porter has lived in many places in three different countries, but is currently a resident of Colorado. He’s been writing fiction almost since he learned to write, but finally in his 60s has published his first novel for the world to see.

Appraisal:

Have you ever read a book that starts with the real world and adds an element into the mix (probably something fantasy, science fiction, or some other form of speculative fiction genre) that you wish was reality. I’m not sure it has happened to me before this book. The description gives you a good take on the premise. It feels like an adult version of those fairy tales we were read when we were kids where the good guys and their magical powers overcome the bad guys. I only wish it was true.

While I love the story and the overall flow, it does have some issues in that it wasn’t proofread as well as I’d have liked. It was borderline for the point at which I’d start knocking stars off for proofing issues. I didn’t, but it was a close call. If you’re sensitive to this kind of thing you’ll spot lots of minor issues that should have been caught and fixed in the proofreading process that snuck through like missing or extra words, a wrong word, and the like. Other than that, it was definitely a fun read that I only wish was real and not fiction.

Buy now from: Amazon US Amazon UK

Format/Typo Issues:

This book needs better proofreading which I discuss in the appraisal section above.

Rating: **** Four Stars

Reviewed by: BigAl

Approximate word count: 105-110,000 words

Review: Death Walk by Melissa Bowersock

2026-03-24T08:00:00.000-06:00

Genre: Paranormal Mystery

Description:

“Lacey and Sam had heard of doulas, but hadn’t given them much thought. Similar to a midwife, a birth doula provides emotional and physical support for a woman during pregnancy, helping to ease the process and ensure the smooth birth of a new life. But a death doula? That was a new one. When Sam is asked to come out to the reservation and help a family friend, he’s not at all sure he’s up to the task. After all, this is not help with a haunting, and not with a spirit that has already crossed over. This is helping a man who is still alive—but dying.

How does one birth a soul through death and into the next world? Sam has no idea.”

Author:

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

Appraisal:

This is the 49^th book in this series and while I haven’t read close to all of them, I have read more than just a few, and they all fit a certain high-level pattern. Or at least they did before this book. Prior books all involved Sam Firecloud, one of the two main characters, communicating with ghosts who are stuck in this world unable to move on to the next world due to some unresolved issues. In this case, they’re asked to help a family friend who has a member of their family who is still alive, although on the verge of death, wanting Sam to help ease the transition. Sam and his partner Lacey, just like those of us who are regular readers of the series, weren’t sure quite what to expect. It made for an interesting twist to the pattern. I’ll hint that in this case Sam uses some of his normal skills to help him figure some useful things out, and he also gets some new experiences in dealing with a real live human. How it all turns out I’ll le you discover yourself when you read the book. It’s a good one that ended up fitting the series better than it felt like it might in the beginning.

Buy now from: Amazon US Amazon UK

Format/Typo Issues:

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

Rating: ***** Five Stars

Reviewed by: BigAl

Approximate word count: 25-30,000 words

Review: Unbroken: Life Outside The Lines by Adriene Caldwell

2026-03-20T08:00:00.012-06:00

Genre: Memoir

Description:

“Born into a military family bound by loyalty and silence, Adriene grows up beneath the shadow of her mother's untreated schizophrenia and violent instability. Her early years in Houston are marked by physical, emotional, and sexual abuse, as well as deep poverty and neglect. Through a child's eyes, the world becomes a labyrinth of danger and yearning - a place where love and terror are indistinguishable and where survival depends on invisibility.

As her mother's delusions intensify, Adriene and her younger brother are swept into a cycle of instability: temporary relatives' homes, decrepit apartments, shelters, and the bureaucratic indifference of Child Protective Services. Her life becomes a study in adaptation. Teachers, social workers, and therapists appear as both saviors and spectators, their well-meaning interventions undercut by a system that cannot see the full truth.

Amid this chaos, Adriene discovers a sanctuary in learning. Books become her escape and her mirror, a means of constructing identity from fragments. Her intelligence and resilience earn her entry into gifted programs and, later, a transformative scholarship through the Duke University Talent Identification Program's ADVANCE Camp - a rare space of belonging and recognition. Yet even moments of promise are shadowed by trauma's lingering grasp; her mind remains both brilliant and haunted.

Foster care, meant to save her, instead subjects Adriene to new forms of cruelty. The ‘Bitch from Hell,’ her abusive foster mother, wields authority with sadism cloaked in righteousness. Still, Adriene's intellect and adaptability allow her to navigate this world - and, in small acts of defiance, reclaim pieces of her agency.

College becomes both a milestone and a reckoning. Having survived the unimaginable, Adriene graduates with honors in International Business, only to find herself unprepared for the invisible toll of trauma in adulthood. Depression, self-sabotage, and a string of hollow relationships bring her to the brink of despair once more. The memoir crescendos with a raw confrontation of suicidality - and the awakening that follows.

In one of the book's most powerful sections, Adriene revisits her own CPS case files, psychiatric evaluations, and therapy notes. Reading herself through the cold lens of institutional language, she confronts the staggering disconnect between documented ‘stability’ and lived abuse. This duality - the official record versus the inner truth - forms the heart of Unbroken. The narrative closes with a reclamation: survival not as triumph over pain, but as the deliberate act of continuing to live and love despite it.”

Author:

“While her childhood and early adult life might have been tumultuous, Adriene is now happily married to a wonderful man and living a life she could only dream of when she was young. Adriene’s daughter, currently at university, was, is, and will always be a handful and Adriene wouldn’t have it any other way. She is blessed to now live a rather bland life filled with family and friends and is a firm believer in the idea that ‘boring is underrated.’”

Appraisal:

My normal take on memoirs is that they can work two ways. Some probably have aspects of both. One is to recognize aspects of myself or my own life experience in the story. Comparing, contrasting, and sometimes seeing your comparable experiences in a different light are some of the appeal of those that fall in this category. The other way it can go is for the life being chronicled to be nothing like yours. Sometimes that is too bad (like that person becoming a millionaire which you’re still shy of making) and sometimes you’re incredibly grateful that you haven’t gone through anything close to what this person has. For me this book is solidly in that last category and hopefully that’s the case for most of you.

I think understanding the kind of situations that some kids find themselves in, the difficulty they have and the ways government entities that are supposed to help when the issue is discovered can sometimes fall short are all things that are valuable for all of us to understand.

Buy now from: Amazon US Amazon UK

FYI:

Quoting from the book:

“Trigger Warnings: Emotional and physical abuse, the sexual assault of a child, the drowning death of a child, extreme poverty, mental illness, homelessness, abusive foster care, pedophilia, graphic sexual descriptions, violence, bulimia, incest, death, and suicide.

Please proceed with caution.”

Format/Typo Issues:

The review is based on an ARC version (advance reviewer copy) and I can’t gauge the final product in this area.

Rating: **** Four Stars

Reviewed by: BigAl

Approximate word count: 50-55,000 words

Reprise Review: Pocketful of Bones by Julie Frayn

2026-03-16T08:00:00.014-06:00

Genre: Psychological Suspense

Description:

“Finnegan MacGillivray, red-haired, freckle-faced social pariah, finds solace in his mother's garden while she entertains ‘dates’ in his home. When an accident takes the life of a friend, Finnegan buries the evidence amid the purple dead nettle and bougainvillea, and unearths a treasure trove of human remains. Did his house rest atop an ancient burial ground? Or was there a killer tucking him into bed at night?

His fascination with bones grows as fast as his obsession with his mother. She rejects his advances, and he escapes to the other side of the country. Years later, he returns to his childhood home, to the secrets and the guilt and the bones -- and to fulfill his destiny.”

Author:

“Julie Frayn is a multi-award-winning Canadian author of novels and short stories that pack a punch. And a few stabs. She is fluent in three languages — English, sarcasm, and profanity. Although she didn't invent swearing, Julie wields it like the visionary vulgarian who threw the first f#(k out into a crowd. She writes psychological suspense filled with a lot of death, a bit of sex, and sprinkled with the F-word (sometimes… not so sprinkled). Her favourite pastime is murder night (translation: watching crime drama and drinking beer with her daughter). Her least favourite pastime is writing author bios (translation: author bios — yuck).”

Appraisal:

They say there are only so many stories and, at a high level, I understand they’re right (whoever they are). But it’s the added detail that makes or breaks a story and gives it its unique flavor. In the case of Pocketful of Bones, I’m sure it fits one of those high-level templates, but it has so much in the details that isn’t like anything I can remember reading before that I can’t imagine what pattern it might fit. It’s a strange story that has me liking and pulling for characters that I could easily find repulsive, yet don’t, even when they do things that are … we’ll call them “not good.” Bad is going too far. (Okay, maybe I’m trying to cover for them here.) But I understand why they do what they do. I’m sure you would too.

In case it isn’t apparent, I liked this book, both the characters and the strange, out-of-left-field life that they lead. If you like slightly offbeat stories and psychological suspense, you should too.

Buy now from: Amazon US Amazon UK

FYI:

Did you read the author’s bio? Obviously if a swear word or 50 are going to be an issue for you, this isn’t your kind of book.

Canadian spelling. You can deal with an extra ‘u’ heure aund there, riught?

Format/Typo Issues:

No significant issues.

Rating: ***** Five Stars

Reviewed by: BigAl

Approximate word count: 75-80,000 words

Review: The Hours Are Long, But the Pay Is Low by Rob Miller

2026-03-12T08:00:00.000-06:00

Genre: Memoir

Description:

“Rob Miller arrived in Chicago wanting to escape the music industry. In short order, he co-founded a trailblazing record label revered for its artist-first approach and punk take on country, roots, and so much else. Miller’s gonzo memoir follows a music fan’s odyssey through a singular account of Bloodshot Records, the Chicago scene, and thirty years as part of a community sustaining independent artists and businesses. Hilarious and hundred-proof, The Hours Are Long, But the Pay Is Low delivers a warm-hearted yet clear-eyed account of loving and living music on the edge, in the trenches, and without apologies.”

Author:

Born and raised in the Detroit metro, Rob Miller eventually fled to Chicago, he thought to escape the music business he was involved with in Michigan. That didn’t exactly work out as he landed in Chicago and eventually got convinced to partner with a couple others to form Bloodshot Records, an independent record label.

Appraisal:

If you’re into music and the music business in any way, you’re likely to enjoy this book. If you’re a fan of Americana music (or if you prefer to call it “alternative country” or “insurgent country” as Bloodshot Records, the label cofounded by the author of this book, called it) that’s even more likely. I enjoyed this not only for the insight it gave me into the music business done with a love of music rather than a love of money being the primary motivation, but the author’s sense of humor kept me engaged even more. A great read.

Buy now from: Amazon US Amazon UK

Format/Typo Issues:

No significant issues.

Rating: ***** Five Stars

Reviewed by: BigAl

Approximate word count: 85-90,000 words

Review: Fighting Words: Notes for a Future We Won't Have by Peg Tittle

2026-03-08T08:00:00.013-06:00

Genre: Short Story Collection/Speculative Fiction

Description:

“Fact-driven speculative fiction.

What could've been. What should've been.

A collection of 18 stand-alone, but related, pieces”

Author:

Peg Tittle is the author of several novels, a few screenplays, and multiple non-fiction books as well as writing in other venues including a couple blogs and various publications.

Appraisal:

Each of the stories in this collection have something in common, whether showing how bad things could end up if we (as in the world in general, although focused on the US and Canada) continue with some of the current social and political trends that are engrained in our cultures. Think a dystopian world due to things like climate change that remains relatively unchecked and misogyny (yeah, I know “tough guy”, you don’t think it’s real, but people like you are a big part of the problem). Or wait, maybe if we make some big changes things could turn out okay. It depends on which story you read, but those changes are far from trivial. If you read this and it doesn’t get you thinking, pondering the issues that it illustrates, and recognizing some of the problems it is illuminating, then I don’t want to say you might be a big part of the problem, but …

Buy now from: Amazon US Amazon UK

A special note that while you’ll want to go to Amazon to get a paper version of the book, if you want an ebook version you can get that that for free from a link on this page on the author’s website: https://pegtittle.com/books/fighting-words

FYI:

Some adult language.

Format/Typo Issues:

No significant issues.

Rating: ***** Five Stars

Reviewed by: BigAl

Approximate word count: 70-75,000 words

Review: Throwing the Hammer by Gary J. Kirchner

2026-03-04T08:00:00.003-07:00

Genre: Literary Fiction/Humor

Description:

“Paranoid administrators, interdepartmental feuds, quirky staff members, and an eccentric headmaster: welcome to Winston Grant High School.

Mark Patterson has a master’s degree in physics, wants to do nothing more than surf and ski, and believes that high school teaching will be the cushy job of his dreams. He receives a rude awakening when he becomes a physics teacher at Winston Grant, a begrudging little brother amidst rival private school heavyweights.

From the outset, Mark must tiptoe through a virtual minefield of Procrustean rules, coddling parents, scheming colleagues, and, of course, teen-aged students.

Things don’t go well, inside or outside the classroom. His students call him Mr. Goofegg. His football team is pathetic. His lunch-table kids behave like Neanderthals. His teaching supervisor, aka the ‘education implementation strategist,’ criticizes him for using equations. His colleagues have even organized a betting pool for when he will get fired.

And when Mark discovers that a weak student in his class is a physics genius, he finds himself caught in the middle of a conflict between father and son, a conflict which could destroy the young man’s potential. Or help Mark find his.”

Author:

“Gary J. Kirchner studied physics at McGill University and did his Master’s work in sports biomechanics. He also played football with the McGill Redmen and continued as a coach with the team for many years after he graduated. In 1993 he was a recipient of Football Canada’s Gino Fracas Award.

Kirchner taught physics at several Montreal area high schools as well as at John Abbott College. In 2014 he was awarded La Mention d’honneur de l’Association québécoise de pédagogie collégiale for teaching excellence.

He is also a flute-player, amateur astronomer, and keeps physically active as an avid cross-country skier, curler, and triathlon participant.

Kirchner lives in Dorval, Quebec, with his Estonian wife Hille. He is the author of five novels.”

Appraisal:

This book is an interesting read. It’s funny at times, frustrating at others if you’re imagining yourself in the place of or at least feeling a minimal amount of empathy for the protagonist, and thought provoking as you consider the complications that our protagonist Mark has to work through. For various reasons Mark finds himself using his education to get a job as a physics teacher because someone has to support his wife and the baby on the way. If he had his way he’d be in Vancouver surfing in the summer and hitting the slopes in the winter. The frustrations, battles, and learning he experiences are humorous at times, but the messed up priorities of a private school, sometimes more concerned with keeping the tuition paying parents happy than actually helping the kids being taught, the internal battles between different cliques (talking other teachers here, not just the students), and all the other complications keep this interesting and engaging to the end. What that end was going to be, I was not sure what it was going to be until we got there, but I had to find out and I eventually did. (You’ll have to read it yourself if you want to know too.)

Buy now from: Amazon US Amazon UK

FYI:

Uses Canadian spelling conventions.

Some adult language.

Format/Typo Issues:

No significant issues.

Rating: **** Four Stars

Reviewed by: BigAl

Approximate word count: 70-75,000 words

Review: Gates of Polished Horn by Mark A Rayner

2026-02-28T08:00:00.006-07:00

Genre: Speculative fiction

Description:

This sort of fiction skips between science fiction and literary. The subjects are usually those that engage people who enjoy reading about real people in the real world, but there is a twist. Not as in crime fiction where (shock, horror!) the butler did not do it, but something … weird. In Britain TTA Press, run by Andy Cox, was the prime exponent of the genre in short form. That, sadly, ceased publication in the Noughties. But here is a whole collection of speculative stories. Yum yum.

Author:

Mark A. Rayner is a Canadian author of science fiction, satire and humour, from London, Ontario. His most recent books are The Gates of Polished Horn (Donovan Street Press, 2025.), Alpha Max (Monkeyjoy Press, 2021) and The Fatness (Monkeyjoy Press, 2017). The latter won and IndieReader Discovery award for humor and an Independent Book Publisher Association (IBPA) award for humor (silver). He has been nominated for the Prix Aurora Award (for short fiction) three times.

The Gates of Polished Horn was selected by the Toronto Star as one of its 20 favourite fiction books of 2025. ^[1]

Rayner teaches in the Faculty of Information and Media Studies at The University of Western Ontario. He is a member of The Writers' Union of Canada, and is a founding member of The Emily Chesley Reading Circle. He is also the co-host of the Re-Creative podcast. And he has cats.

He has a Wikipedia page here https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mark_A._Rayner#References where you can discover his other published works.

Appraisal:

The first thing to say is that this short story collection is first class. Even if you don’t usually read short fiction, you should really give this a try.

The title is found in a quotation from Homer’s Odyssey (book XIX):

“The dreams that pass through the gates of polished horn are fraught with truth, for the dreamer who can see them.” Are you that dreamer? I bet you are.

There are 20 stories in this collection. Some tiny, some much meatier. Here are a few thumb nails to whet your appetite: Socrates and time travel: worms and Adidas: a mind meld with a deer: celebrity cooking (a far cry from Master Chef): in the theatre, the essence of character vis à vis the height of your leading lady.

Each story has a dichotomy at its heart. Some of them simply investigate the human condition, with a penetrating eye. Others bring in outré elements.

I recommend this to you.

Buy now from: Amazon US Amazon UK

Format/Typo Issues:

A very few missed proofing errors.

There is an odd tic throughout the book which is an underscore where one would usually expect a hyphen. Is it a badge of slipstream-ery? Or a trick of the file? Having just finished this book I am inclined to say that it means you shouldn’t try to explain _everything_.

Rating: ***** Five Stars

Reviewed by: Judi Moore

Approximate word count: 50-55,000 words

Reprise Review: Dangerous Memories by Donna Fasano

2026-02-24T08:00:00.018-07:00

Genre: Romance/Suspense/Psychological Thriller

Description:

“What kind of woman am I?

The question haunts Keira Rhodes when she awakens in the hospital with amnesia and learns that two men claim to be her baby’s father.

Logan claims he is her loving husband. Although Keira feels drawn to this quiet man, she senses that their marriage has been far from perfect. For Logan’s own brother, Kyle, staunchly maintains that Keira’s baby and her heart are his…

The truth lay hidden in Keira’s lost memory—and in the tender touch of one special man…”

Author:

“USA TODAY BESTSELLING AUTHOR DONNA FASANO is a three-time winner of the HOLT Medallion, a CataRomance Reviewers Choice Award winner for Best Single Title, a Desert Rose Golden Quill Award finalist, a Golden Heart finalist, and a two-time winner of Best Romance of the Year given by BigAl's Books & Pals Review Blog.

Her books have sold 4 million copies worldwide and have been published in two dozen languages. Her novels have made the Kindle Top 100 Paid List numerous times, climbing as high as #1...”

To learn more about Ms. Fasano, check out her website or stalk her on Facebook. “She loves to hear from readers.”

Appraisal:

I was enthralled with Keira Rhodes predicament. She awakens in the hospital with no memory of her life before her fall from Simon’s Point in this psychological thriller. The story is mainly told through Keira’s eyes with the exception of getting enough of Logan’s thoughts to complicate and intrigue the reader. Right along with Logan’s younger brother Kyle, who both claim to be her baby’s father.

I found the dialog realistic as Keira tries to put the pieces of her life back together. Logan is soft spoken as he tries to help Keira by giving her space and time to remember her past with him. Where Kyle is more insistent that she and the baby are his. Keira is not sure who to trust, to make matters worse, they all live in the same large house. All she can do is trust her own feelings while searching for something familiar that may jog a memory.

The plot has a nice pace. The tension rises as Logan and Kyle both share pieces of their past with Keira. Ms. Fasano’s descriptive prose puts the reader right in the middle of each scene to share the experience along with Keira as pieces of her life are revealed from each brother. I was sure the story was going to take a turn for the worse, which kept me reading late into the night.

I like character studies like this. They give me a lot to think about and the suspense gets my heartrate up. I enjoyed this story, it’s different from the other books I have read by Donna Fasano. “If you enjoy the Hallmark Mystery movies, you will love Dangerous Memories.”

Buy now from: Amazon US Amazon UK

FYI:

This is a clean romantic suspense with just the right amount of sexual heat.

Format/Typo Issues:

No significant issues.

Rating: ***** Five Stars

Reviewed by: ?wazithinkin

Approximate word count: 45-50,000 words

Review: Tripping Over Your Cane by Jass Richards

2026-02-20T08:00:00.010-07:00

Genre: Humor

Description:

A humorous looks at the issues with aging.

Author:

“Jass Richards has, surprisingly enough (or not), a Master’s degree in Philosophy and for a (very) brief time was a stand-up comic (now she’s more of a sprawled-on-the-couch comic). Despite these attributes, she has received four Ontario Arts Council grants.”

She has several books written under this name as well as under a couple pen names.

Appraisal:

I’ve been known to say that “getting old sucks, the only thing worse is the alternative.” I wouldn’t have been surprised to see Jass Richards saying the same, not only because this book looks at aging and the pain in the … well, lots of body parts this causes, but does so in a humorous way that you old people out there could relate to (yeah, I’m looking at you, the balding grey-haired person reading this). This is a quick, fun read for you old people who can relate. You kids (yeah, the 48 year old, I’m talking to you), might still be amused, even though you won’t get some of it quite as well as those of us with more life experience.

Buy now from: Amazon US Amazon UK

FYI:

Old people like me will be saying “language young lady, language” to the author as they’re reading. (Yes, I use those fucking words too, don’t tell on me.)

Format/Typo Issues:

No issues.

Rating: ***** Five Stars

Reviewed by: BigAl

Approximate word count: 10-15,000 words

Review: The Crushed Can by F.E. Beyer

2026-02-16T08:00:00.011-07:00

Genre: Literary Fiction

Description:

“Kurt and Reece don't fight the reputation foreign teachers have in China in 2002—they embrace it. Opium, brothels, and booze help them forget unsuccessful classes and long commutes.

When Reece abruptly leaves the country, Kurt takes over his apartment and inherits Ronghua—Reece’s ex-girlfriend.

Originally from Anhui Province, Ronghua once sold cigarettes on a Shanghai street and is now an unlucky gambler. As her problems spiral, Kurt senses a chance to redeem his own failures through helping her. Or should he jettison her to avoid sinking?”

Author:

” F.E. Beyer writes about dead-end jobs, travel, history, and crime. He is the author of three novels. His articles and reviews have appeared in the South China Morning Post, Los Angeles Review of Books, Inside Indonesia, and Travelogues Magazine.”

Appraisal:

The premise of this book, a teacher from Australia is living in China and teaching English there is an interesting one. How realistic the culture and things he goes through are, I have no idea. It may be very accurate and it may have no relationship to the reality someone in this situation would experience. But either way it’s an interesting thought exercise as Kurt works his way through the things he encounters and tries to figure things out in a culture that he’s trying to figure out on the fly. If you’ve ever spent time in a foreign country, especially if that involved trying to communicate in a language you aren’t experienced in or depending on others to understand your foreign (to them) language, you’ll probably flash back on that a time or two. All in all an interesting read.

Buy now from: Amazon US Amazon UK

FYI:

Some adult language and some relatively minor references to adult subjects.

Format/Typo Issues:

A small number of typos and proofing misses.

Rating: **** Four Stars

Reviewed by: BigAl

Approximate word count: 40-45,000 words

Review: Shot For Justice by J.R. Wheeless

2026-02-12T08:00:00.010-07:00

Genre: Suspense/Mystery

Description:

“After rival gangs kill his sister during a gun battle, an Army sniper returns home for revenge.

Travel with him as he makes his way across the nation to visit a wife of a fallen comrade before settling into his hometown of Modesto, CA. Along the way, his journey forces him to examine his own life and the past he thought he’d left behind.

Before he can get settled in, he meets Henry Clay Jackson, a retired lawman with ideas of his own. Then there’s the young lady and her son, who have an influence on his life. The only thing standing between him and happiness is a husband with a violent personality.

From the beginning, Detectives Peterson and Dempsey become a concern for our hero, a man determined to make someone pay for his sister’s death. As the bodies pile up, additional problems arise to slow him down. And his old partner from his army days arrives with issues of his own.

Will the man who is out for justice succeed in his quest? Can he deliver retribution?

Does he ever quench the anger that pierces his soul? Can he stay a step ahead of the detectives who are intent on putting him behind bars, all the while carrying out the plan he has laid out for himself?

And how does he handle the situation with the woman who comes into his life without getting her tangled up in his problems?

Dealing with his past and the obstacles determined to thwart his plans, our army veteran attempts to establish a new life for himself, only to face adversity at every turn.”

Author:

A writer all his life, J.R. Wheeless was writing a weekly column for his local newspaper as a high school senior. His writing was more personal for a lot of years, journals he kept for himself and such, but in 2015 he published his first book and he has had several since then, some fiction, some non-fiction, some novels, some short story collections.

Appraisal:

As I was pondering this book one thing that struck me is how in a story like this it is possible for the reader to get behind and be pulling for a protagonist who could accurately be described as a mass murderer. As law enforcement is looking for him, trying to figure out who is doing this to arrest them, he’s doing his best to prevent that from happening and figure out who killed his sister, his ultimate target. As a reader, we’re pulling for him to meet his goal. Sometimes a “bad guy” by most definitions can still be a good guy. What the ultimate conclusion is, I’m not saying, other than to wonder if he’s done now or if there is more to come.

Buy now from: Amazon US Amazon UK

Format/Typo Issues:

No significant issues

Rating: **** Four Stars

Reviewed by: BigAl

Approximate word count: 80-85,000 words

Review: The Collected Lives of Chuck Burke by Shawn Inmon

2026-02-08T08:00:00.014-07:00

Genre: Science Fiction/Time Travel

Description:

“Chuck Burke dies surrounded by clutter, isolation, and the remains of a life that never found its way—but Middle Falls, Oregon, offers the rarest gift of all: a do-over.

Waking in his nineteen-year-old body with all his memories intact, Chuck sets out to break the cycle of hoarding that has destroyed him. But as the weight of old patterns bears down, it’s not just his life at stake—it’s his chance to love, to connect, and to truly live.

In this quietly powerful tale of recovery and renewal, Chuck must learn that real change isn’t about what he can keep—it’s about what he’s willing to release.”

Author:

Former DJ, business consultant, and real estate agent, Shawn Inmon is now a fulltime author. He can’t seem to decide whether to write fiction (Rock’n Roll Heaven) or non-fiction (a couple travel memoirs) or something in between (a couple books he wrote that were slightly fictionalized memoirs mostly based on truth). He has a couple long running series, one of them the Middle Falls Time Travel series.

Appraisal:

It’s been a while since I read one of the books in this series, and decided it was time I dove into one. The premise of each book is an interesting one. The protagonist typically makes some questionable decisions or choices in life that eventually lead to his or her death. Then they wake up, but rather than being dead they’re at some earlier point in their life before it headed down that route with a bad ending. On the positive side, they remember that first life and given a second chance can hopefully do better this time around. But being human, the same impulses and tendencies have a way of making a different route a struggle even when you know how bad the repercussions might be. The result is often some improvement the second time around, but eventually the character falls into the bad habits and dies again. And again. And … continues to do so until they finally get things right.

As a reader we can often sympathize with the protagonist and while hopefully things work out better for us than for them, we might see ourselves in them and experiencing their lives will get us thinking about our own. In Chuck Burke’s case, he’s an obsessive collector. A little of this is okay. I tell myself it doesn’t matter how many books and CDs I have, but at some point I’ll run out of space. Chuck’s numerous collections do exactly that leading to fatal consequences. I really enjoyed watching him as he fought these urges and figured out eventually how to control them. As with the other books in the series, this was a fun, yet thought-provoking read.

Buy now from: Amazon US Amazon UK

FYI:

While this book is the 23^rd in the Middle Falls Time Travel series, each book stands alone.

Format/Typo Issues:

No significant issues.

Rating: ***** Five Stars

Reviewed by: BigAl

Approximate word count: 85-90,000 words

Reprise Review: Castle Walk by Melissa Bowersock

2026-02-04T08:00:00.020-07:00

Genre: Paranormal/Cozy Mystery

Description:

“Paranormal investigators Lacey Fitzpatrick and medium Sam Firecloud discover their reputation has spread around the world when they get a surprise call to investigate ghosts in an Irish castle. They’re even more surprised when they learn it’s the Castle Fitzpatrick, the ancestral home of the Fitzpatrick name, and Lacey’s hopeful she can uncover some of her own family’s history. But while they’re researching that and the ghosts that Sam’s walk has revealed, they get unexpected resistance from the castle owners. If Sam is wrong about the impressions he’s received from the spirits, the releasement won’t work, and the ghosts will be doomed to walk the castle forever.”

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. She has been both traditionally and independently published and is a regular contributor to the superblog Indies Unlimited. She has a tattoo on the inside of her left wrist that says IMAGINE. In her next life, she plans to be an astronaut. She also writes under the pen name Amber Flame.”

Learn more about Ms. Bowersock and her other books on her website or stalk her on Facebook.

Appraisal:

Lacey is thrilled when she and Sam have the opportunity to go to Ireland, all expenses paid, to release a couple of ghosts in an old castle. Castle Fitzpatrick is outside of Dublin and being renovated as a tourist attraction as well as a Bed and Breakfast. Needless to say the ghosts have been in residence for centuries and it is almost impossible to learn who they are and their stories. However, Sam is an optimist and is sure they can do it together. Sam and Lacey both become unnerved when Lacey gains a ghostly suiter who seems to have the run of the castle, including their private suite.

On a more personal note Lacey is hoping to be able to trace her family’s genealogy farther than she has been able to get on the internet. With what little info she has, she felt like it would be a pipedream to be able to trace her family back to Castle Fitzpatrick. However, that was not her goal. With the castle owner’s archivist, Oswald, Lacey is able to learn more about the ghosts. With castle employee, Harley, Sam and Lacey are led to a small abbey outside Dublin to meet Brother Jonas who has a hand-written history from which Lacey learns more about her ancestors than she ever dreamed possible.

Castle Walk is a lovely feel good mystery after the last harrowing story, Blood Walk. Both story arcs in Castle Walk are woven together seamlessly. The dialogue is engaging, the secondary characters are well written, and realistic. The descriptive prose puts the readers right in the setting. I highly recommend this series to lovers of mystery’s with an element of the paranormal.

Buy now from: Amazon US Amazon UK

FYI:

Castle Walk is the ninth book in Ms. Bowersock’s A LACEY FITZPATRICK and SAM FIRECLOUD MYSTERY SERIES. I would recommend reading from the beginning to get the full benefit of Sam and Lacey’s storyline.

Format/Typo Issues:

No issues in proofing or formatting.

Rating: ***** Five Stars

Reviewed by: ?wazithinkin

Approximate word count: 30-35,000 words

Review: Human Again: In the AI Age by J.D. MacPherson

2026-01-31T08:00:00.000-07:00

Genre: Non-Fiction/Technology

Description:

“In a world where algorithms shape thought and automation floods the creative field, Human Again is a field-tested playbook for staying awake, original, and alive in the age of machines. Part reflection, part practical guide, it invites readers to explore identity and inspiration in real time, learning to think with AI rather than be replaced by it.

Blending cultural insight, personal experience, and practical tools, Macpherson explores how artificial intelligence is reshaping creativity, work, and identity, and how to harness it without losing yourself.

You will learn how to:

Ask sharper questions that create leverage, not noise

Build a High Signal Question Engine to think deeper and faster

Use the Socratic method and mindfulness to train deeper thinking

Recognize the ‘qualia,’ the unspeakable textures of human experience, that no algorithm can touch

Protect your authenticity, taste, and voice while others sound the same

Learn how to compound clarity and creativity

Whether you are a professional, a creator, or simply curious about what is next, Human Again shows how to use AI better than anyone around you while keeping what no algorithm can replicate: your judgment, conscience, and imagination.”

Author:

“J.D. Macpherson is an author and journalist who works in the messy middle—turning complex ideas into stories people actually want to read. Relentless, jargon-allergic, and unmistakably human, she cuts through hype with a reporter’s instinct. A Canadian with a background in theatre and philosophy, Macpherson loves people-watching and finding beauty in unexpected places—and has an especially soft spot for chicken katsu.”

Appraisal:

This is an interesting book. I’m sure you’ve seen the same thing I have with lots of people badmouthing AI on social media and various news stories. I’ve seen acquaintances who are college professors complain about students having an AI application write their papers and mention how obvious it is and how bad the results are. I’ve also interacted with AI in various forms including hints and ideas from word processing programs or answers from Siri and her Android cohort for a few examples. The little I’ve interacted with AI thus far seems okay, but I’ve tried to stay away from it as a rule. This book has me reconsidering.

An author’s note at the start of the book makes it clear that these are the author’s opinions and judgements she has made, that the reader should research on their own and come to their own opinions on the issues raised. She doesn’t claim to be a tech expert, but it will become apparent from reading her thoughts that her background as a journalist who knows how to research, dig into new things to understand them better, and communicate her thoughts through the written word resulted in a book that should help most people who are curious understand AI, both its faults and its positives along with how an average person might put it to good use, much better. Like any tool AI can be used in a good way or a bad way. The author’s thoughts on this were very helpful in helping me better understand how to use various AI tools for a positive result for both me and the world as a whole.

Buy now from: Amazon US Amazon UK

Format/Typo Issues:

No significant issues.

Rating: ***** Five Stars

Reviewed by: BigAl

Approximate word count: 45-50,000 words

Review: Murder At Goldenleaf Apple Farm by Jodie Morgan

2026-01-27T08:00:00.010-07:00

Genre: Cozy Mystery

Description:

“Laura Evans has finally found her rhythm in the charming Vermont town of Silver Springs. Managing the General Store café feels like a world away from her high-pressure Boston restaurant career, and she's building genuine friendships with locals like Evelyn, her wise neighbor, and Izzy, the enthusiastic young man who works at Goldenleaf Apple Farm and lights up every room he enters.

But Laura's peaceful new life shatters when Vernon Reed, an apple farmer, is found murdered in his garage with a bung hammer—a tool used in cider production. And the weapon turns up covered in Izzy's fingerprints along with one of his distinctive handmade bracelets at the crime scene. But Laura knows the gentle soul who welcomed her to town could never commit murder.

Determined to clear Izzy's name, Laura teams up with Evelyn and her café colleague Jasmine to investigate Vernon's final months.

But the killer will stop at nothing to protect their carefully constructed lies...”

Author:

Jodie Morgan writes cozy mysteries. She has two novels available in this series (this is the first) plus a couple short stories that take place in the same small Vermont town.

For more, check out Ms Morgan’s website.

Appraisal:

In the first book of this series the protagonist, Laura Evans, was new to the small town of Silver Springs, Maryland. In her position as the manager of the General Store, she got to know a lot of people in town and ends up solving a murder that happened not long after moving there. In the short time since she’s continued to fall in love with her life in Silver Springs, continues to get involved with the community, both as a volunteer and by participating in various local groups. Then another murder happens and she can’t resist trying to figure things out.

Given her history in town thus far she has people trying to discourage her from getting involved and others wanting to clue her in on things they think might be pertinent in finding the culprit. This makes for a lot of clues, multiple possibilities for suspects and motive, and a fun read as the reader goes along for the ride, trying to figure out what the answer might be along with Laura. If you enjoy the cozy mystery genre joining Laura for her adventures is a fun time.

Buy now from: Amazon US Amazon UK

Format/Typo Issues:

No significant issues.

Rating: **** Four Stars

Reviewed by: BigAl

Approximate word count: 65-70,000 words

Review: A Remembrance of Death (The Castle Drogo series) by Andrew G. Tweeddale

2026-01-23T08:00:00.006-07:00

Genre: Historical fiction

Description:

This is both a sequel to the author’s earlier book, Of All Faiths & None (which won awards) and a standalone novel set between the latter days of World War I and the Fifties. It moves between Britain, California, India, Vienna and Kenya. It picks up where the first in this (short) series ends and continues a fictionalised story of the people involved with the building of Castle Drogo: its architect’s and its owner’s families and friends.

Author:

Andrew Tweeddale started his working life as a chef, went to university as a mature student to read Law, then worked in the legal world for some 30 years first as a criminal barrister, then as a solicitor before beginning his writing career. This is his second novel. This novel was short-listed for the Yeovil novel prize (a prestigious British award) which is why I picked it for review. I hope Tweeddale continues in his new career – he has a gift for telling an involved and involving story clearly at a good pace.

He splits his time between Spain and London.

Appraisal:

The families upon which the stories are based, some of the events, and all of the historical underpinnings in the book are real. Some of the characters bear the names of real people but Tweeddale assures the reader that they are, nonetheless, all entirely fictitious. I’m not sure what I think about that. However, as Tweeddale was a lawyer in a previous life I’m sure he knows what he’s doing. And you cannot libel the dead … The historical setting is rendered with a light touch as it moves forward in time. The language used never throws the reader out of its period. And it is always made clear ‘when’ we are as well as where.

This is an intricate work of fiction with a large cast of characters, who enter and leave and re-enter the book, sometimes with many years passing between appearances. Some of them, by contrast, cast a long shadow by their absence. The author maintains a godlike overview of the action, which could have been distancing but which, instead, enables the reader to keep the plot and action straight in what could otherwise have been quite a noisy novel. You may guess that, with so much going on, the book is not short. But it is consistently absorbing. The pages turn themselves. One becomes really invested in the characters.

I became increasingly delighted by the novel the more I read, and was saddened when I had to leave it, having turned the final page. There are not so many books which have this kind of power. I will definitely be investigating Of All Faiths & None.

Tweeddale says of his book “[it] is intended to take the reader through some of the darkest moments of our recent history and [show] how, as a society, we still make the same mistakes today. It does not seek to apportion blame but invites the reader to question the lessons that history teaches us.”

This is a beautifully written novel. Early in my reading of it, it began to remind me, in its tone and scope, of A Dance to the Music of Time by Anthony Powell. In his afterword the author says that he was keen to avoid it becoming too like Evelyn Waugh’s Brideshead Revisited – but there are definite resonances. There may, too, be a faint whiff of The Camomile Lawn which rises from it. If you like that sort of reading, you will enjoy this.

Buy now from: Amazon US Amazon UK

Format/Typo Issues:

No significant issues.

Rating: ***** Five Stars

Reviewed by: Judi Moore

Approximate word count: 115-120,000 words

Review: The Gardener’s Wife’s Mistress by Cassondra Windwalker

2026-01-19T08:00:00.010-07:00

Genre: Literary Fiction/LGBT

Description:

“Hayden Hill has always felt most comfortable with his hands in dirt, nurturing life. He designs natural spaces for others and comes home to his back yard, where he seeks refuge amidst the fruits and vegetables, flora, and shade-giving trees. When he finds himself suddenly a widower, his garden becomes the resting place for the ashes of his wife, Shelly, and he’s thrown into an unexpected vortex of pain, shock, and guilt. As Hayden struggles to survive the torment of each day and keep his landscaping company functioning, a directive in Shelly’s will leads him to the discovery of a shocking secret.

Fighting to find a path through the weeds of grief, Hayden meets his wife’s secret connections and becomes involved helping local, homeless teens cast out by their families for choosing to be who they are. Rocked by this newly discovered, complicated facet of Shelly’s life, he begins to question their marriage, her identity, his past choices, and whether anything he believed about his wife was ever true.”

Author:

“Cassondra Windwalker earned a BA of Letters from the University of Oklahoma. She's the author of nine novels and three works of poetry who does her best to keep fed the menagerie of stray critters, cryptids, marooned kelpies, and lost specters. Born and raised on the red clay, she's wandered the sticky corn fields of the Midwest, the frozen seas of the Wild North, and frequently rests her wings where orange skies meet purple mountains.”

Appraisal:

The description and even the title of this book hint at some things at the heart of the story. In order to avoid spoilers, I’m not going to expand on any of the specifics, but will say I found this book to be an incredibly great and in many ways inspiring. The author of the book works through some difficult discoveries in the wake of his spouse’s death. It’s a difficult time for him, but in the end, he grows as a person and learns a lot that will help him in the future. As a reader, it might get you thinking as well. I wonder how I (or you) would deal with things if you found yourself in the same situation.

Buy now from: Amazon US Amazon UK

FYI:

A small amount of adult language.

Format/Typo Issues:

My review is based on an ARC (advance reader copy) so I can’t judge the final product in this area.

Rating: ***** Five Stars

Reviewed by: BigAl

Approximate word count: 60-65,000 words

Reprise Review: Maggie at Moonrise: Transcendence Book 3 by Lynne Cantwell

2026-01-16T08:00:00.019-07:00

Genre: Magical Realism/Contemporary Fantasy/Drama/Native American Myths/Adventure

Description:

“What’s behind the final door?

Maggie Brandt is the lone survivor of the fire that claimed her mother, her brother, and her childhood home. Turtle and Thunderbird, ancient Native American spirits who have enlisted her help, say the fire was necessary. They insist Maggie must move on quickly, for a greater trial is coming: the renewal of the earth, which only she can complete.

But first she must check in on two of her children: Emily in California and Tim in Mexico City. And something else is pulling her to Mexico, too – an ancient entity whose task Maggie will want no part of.

No wonder she feels like jumping off a bridge…”

Author:

“Lynne Cantwell writes mostly urban fantasy and paranormal romance, with a dash of magic realism when she’s feeling more serious. She is also a contributing author for Indies Unlimited. In a previous life, she was a broadcast journalist who worked at Mutual/NBC Radio News, CNN, and a bunch of other places you have probably never heard of. She has a master's degree in fiction writing from Johns Hopkins University. Currently, she lives near Washington, D.C.”

To learn more about Ms. Cantwell, check out her website.

Appraisal:

I love this trilogy all the way through. Watching Maggie grow in ways I never expected. Her adventure in this book is a large part of the story. The plot twists frequently as Maggie follows her instincts to first procure an RV to drive across country to visit her daughter in California and her son in Mexico City. Maggie and Rick take off on this journey together as their relationship grows stronger only to falter, as Rick starts to get pushy and tries to interfere with things that are important to Maggie. I almost cried, they seemed like such a good fit!

There is so much packed in this last book of the trilogy. And Maggie is taking her role in the earth’s renewal seriously as she challenges a goddess and saves a young boy’s life, while still being there for her family. The dialogue is realistic and informative. I love Maggie, she is a true heroine, and I wish I was a part of her extended family. The ending is surprising, heart-breaking, and encouraging. It also fits well with Maggie’s own renewal of her character. Well done, Ms. Cantwell.

Buy now from: Amazon US Amazon UK

FYI:

Maggie at Moonrise is the third book in Ms. Cantwell’s TRANSCENDENCE SERIES. It is important to read this series in order as the story builds on the previous books. Book one, Maggie in the Dark and book two, Maggie on the Cusp.

Format/Typo Issues:

No issues with formatting or proofing.

Rating: ***** Five Stars

Reviewed by: ?wazithinkin

Approximate word count: 55-60,000 words

Review: Stray: Breaking Free, Falling Hard, Growing Stronger by Shannon O’Brien

2026-01-13T08:00:00.014-07:00

Genre: Memoir/Narrative Nonfiction

Description:

“What happens when the path you choose leads far from everything you thought you knew?

Shannon O’Brien leaves behind a life of routine to chase adventure across South America and Asia. With only a backpack and a restless heart, she dives into landscapes as beautiful as they are unpredictable. But what begins as a journey to explore the world soon becomes a deeper quest to explore herself.

She finds herself lost and dehydrated in Peru’s Colca Canyon, nursing an injured spider monkey in the Bolivian jungle, and inside a high-altitude jail. A crude hospital in Cambodia tests her limits, while encounters with a shaman in Vietnam and a dangerous brush with Moroccan drug lords challenge everything she thought she knew about trust and survival.”

Author:

“For over 15 years, Shannon O’Brien has made the world her classroom—immersing herself in cultures and discovering how every journey transforms the traveler. A writer, educator, and lifelong adventurer, she crafts vivid, character-driven stories that explore identity, change, and the emotional landscapes of travel. Her debut travel memoir, Stray: Breaking Free, Falling Hard and Growing Stronger, blends raw honesty with rich cultural detail, capturing both the external journey and the inner one. Originally from California but now based in Malta, Shannon teaches at an international school and continues to write.”

For more visit the author’s website.

Appraisal:

I’m an avid traveler although the vast majority of that travel has been in the US rather than to places all over the world like the author, Shannon O’Brien, chronicles in this book. I also love travel memoirs. Since I can’t be on the road all the time reading these gives me the chance to experience places I’ve never been vicariously as well as seeing places I have been and travel experiences in general through someone else’s eyes, giving me a chance to compare. This book was incredible. I enjoyed reading it as much as some of the classics of the genre I’ve read over the years. If you like travel memoirs, giving this one a try is a no brainer.

Buy now from: Amazon US Amazon UK

FYI:

A small amount of adult language.

Format/Typo Issues:

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

Rating: ***** Five Stars

Reviewed by: BigAl

Approximate word count: 80-85,000 words