Felicity and the Fire Stoppers by Loralee Evans
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I have reviewed the two previous adventures of Felicity the cheeky, chirpy sparrow before and enjoyed them both. This new adventure is both novel and exciting with language, dialogue and plotline very well arranged and pitched, in my opinion, for the target audience of children 6 to 10 years. It is brave of the author to have most of the story around such a serious issue as a forest fire but it works. There is the right amount of fear and panic for such an incident to be related to youngsters as well as bits of magic and amazement for a hero who is a literate sparrow that can use a computer! There are daring references to War and Peace and The Hobbit in tactfully small amounts that allow adults to perhaps talk about them later, with amusing little jokes here and there to keep smiles on the faces of those same adults!

I think this is the best of the three books with more twists in the plot and several touching moments with regard to Felicities new friends and her once enemy, Grak the grey hawk. The story has plenty of pace and is full of original ideas for keeping young readers involved from beginning to end. As a first chapter book for early readers and as an experienced reader to grandchildren I can thoroughly recommend it. I received a complimentary copy of this book.


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The Inn at Misty Lake by Margaret Standafer
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

The Inn at Misty Lake was a very enjoyable read with characters and a plotline that I found both real and very believable. I have read the first book in the series and knew some of the characters here but I think this novel could almost be considered to be a stand-alone, so complete is the story from beginning to end. There are elements of woodworking, DIY and restoration in both books that particularly took my interest. Susan is hoping to restore an old farmhouse into a B&B with Riley in overall charge of the building work. However, quite aside from this I have found the quality of Margaret Standafer’s writing to be exceptional in that she has portrayed the two central protagonists, Susan and Riley, perfectly. Each has their own distinctive traits and qualities such that we see conflicts, arguments and occasional flirtatious behaviour between them implying all the time that they are meant to be “together” – but there are doubts enough throughout the story to make the reader wish for a happy ending despite these. I say this as one who very rarely picks up a “cozy romance” by choice since Standafer’s books are more than just romances and I was left wanting more at the end!

There are all the elements of small town life: gossip, mundanity, awareness of everyone’s business, support and possible condemnation. The author skilfully mixes this with many twists and turns by introducing her own elements of a mystery that slowly builds until it becomes the main focus towards the end. There were few tear-jerking moments and no gratuitous sex or violence – thankfully! Standafer’s underlying development of the relationship between Susan and Riley, the credible dialogue and realistic scenarios did not need such extremes. The writing was so well done that, when one compares it to a lot of contemporary new authors, I found it a quite refreshing change. It is to be hoped that there will be many more books from this accomplished writer – in whatever genre.
I received a free copy of this book


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Cardiac: A Jack Getty Thriller by Jeffrey Monaghan
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

This is a new book from a new author and I greatly enjoyed reading it. As a thriller it had all of the expected ingredients one hopes to find: an intriguing plot with plenty of twists and turns; strong characters in Jack Getty and his family; believable dialogue throughout the novel and a fast moving, action-packed story with many unpredictable situations that drew me in. Most importantly for me, I was immediately captivated by the beginning of the book and happy with the final denouement at the end. It left me curious to know more about Jack Getty in a future sequel maybe?
When Jack wakes up in hospital after an apparent heart attack, during his company’s launch of a new product, his troubles are only just beginning. The intimidation and life-threatening issues that persist in chasing him and eventually his loved ones, become more and more complex page after page, demanding the reader’s attention. If you enjoy thrillers written by authors like Tom Clancy and Frederick Forsythe then you will become a fan of Jeffrey Monaghan. I found a couple of sentences where the time frame confused me and another glance at the book by a copy editor is needed to clear up some typo/punctuation errors. These latter points prevented me giving this talented and imaginative writer five stars for his excellent debut thriller.
I received a free copy of this book from the author.


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