Today it’s the turn of Friday Review Share to support Indie authors. Please leave a link in the comments to a review you’ve had on Amazon or Goodreads for one of your own books. A link to the review and a description of the book would be great (or the review itself if you like), because let’s face it, if people are interested in the book they will certainly check it out!
If you haven’t yet had any reviews for your books, then you can leave a review you’ve written for an Indie book that you’ve read and enjoyed.
I’ll start the ball rolling by sharing a 5 star review I’ve had this week on Goodreads for ‘The Daughter-in-law Syndrome’:
“This was a awesome story with a touch of drama and had some unique ideas‘.
Stevie Turner 
Congrats on the great review Stevie. x Well, thanks for inviting in reviews. I went to pluck a review from one of my favs – Twenty Years After “I Do”, and discovered 2 new reviews from a year ago! 🙂 I loved this:
https://www.amazon.com/gp/customer-reviews/R2TGTO2ND7QW57
Customer Review
L. Carmichael
5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent Study in Married Life
Reviewed in the United States on February 3, 2020
Twenty Years: After “I Do” is an autobiographical non-fiction book about the author’s experience with marriage and relationships. I’ve previously read another of her autobiographies about her relationship with her mother, and it was such an emotionally charged and well-written book, I decided to keep reading more from her every few months until I caught up on all her works.
In this one, Debby tells us what happened almost twenty years ago when she debated whether to marry the man who is now her husband. Given he was twenty years older, she had a lot of decisions to consider when it came to how her life would change. At the core of this book, and her approach to life, is her commitment and honesty in all that she achieves. Debby knew… if she married him, she would have to accept all that came with it in the future. From there, she dives into key aspects of married life: emotions, sex life, personal time, separation of couple and individual, fighting, decision-making, and death. Lessons we all need to consider.
Debby’s writing style is simply fantastic. It’s easy to devour in a short sitting, but it always makes you feel like part of her life. She openly shares so much (the good, the bad, and the ugly) while holding back in all the appropriate areas to allow for proper balance, e.g. we learn about the impacts to her sex life when one partner is ill but she doesn’t go into the details. She tells us how she and her husband tackled the issues from a day-to-day perspective and moved on… because they loved one another (to the moon and back).
There is a refreshing honesty and truth in her words, and readers will quickly find themselves a path to compare their own lives to that of the author’s. What have I done well? What could I do better? What needs to change? Excellent questions to consider, but Debby doesn’t directly tell us to do this–her actions show us why this is at the core of a good marriage. I’m thrilled I had the chance to read this one today. Although I’ve only been with my partner for 8 years, it’s easy to track where things are and what we could do differently.
Debby bravely tells us her story, allowing us to interpret for ourselves what everything means, especially in this ever-changing world where people live longer and have access to more things but it’s harder to get them. I highly recommend this book to nearly anyone in a relationship, or those who want to know how to handle one when they are. Debby shares a few secrets, some hints, and a few suggestions to consider. It’s not just for newbies or long-term couples… there’s a bit of everything for how to co-exist and still be who you are. Great work!
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Pingback: Weekend Wrap-up: My first 1-Star review! | Lines by Leon
Thanks Leon.
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What a horrible thing to do! 😦
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I just received my first 1 star review!
1.0 out of 5 stars Boring Stories
Reviewed in the United States on July 10, 2021
Boring stories that don’t draw in the reader. Nothing really interesting happens.
Tune into my blog tomorrow. I now have a topic!
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Don’t worry, we all get them.
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No worries! All in a days work.
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Sometimes they just don´t get it! It´s a good thing many others do.
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Indeed. We writers cannot please everybody unfortunately.
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You can’t please everyone (and you shouldn’t try to).
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Hi Stevie, thank you for this opportunity. Below is a review for my sci-fi technothriller, “Kill Zone”, by fellow sci-fi author Scott Coon:
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/3747563646?book_show_action=false&from_review_page=1
“The Longest Day meets The Truman Show and Soylent Green in this epic tale of battles, shellshock, and greed–and that’s just Act I.
It took me a while to read this because I was savoring the prose. The poetic style of Damir Salkovic brings the broken landscape to life with the horrific and the beautiful, while visceral action scenes are filled with immersive description that embrace the senses.”
Kill Zone blurb: Frank Clayton’s life has fallen apart in the wake of his son’s death. His wife has left him, he has been blacklisted from employment and his citizen-consumer status had been taken away, leaving him no choice but to enlist in a murderous reality show. When an opportunity comes up to escape, he finds out that he still has something to live for: revenge.
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Thank you. Great review.
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Pingback: Friday Review Share by Stevie Turner – look into the comments – DEEZ – News about Art, Books & more
Thanks for sharing.
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Reblogged this on NEW OPENED BLOG > https:/BOOKS.ESLARN-NET.DE.
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Thank you, Michael. Have a nice weekend.
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Thanks, Stevie. Here’s a review of my psychological thriller Life and Other Dreams. The reviewer, Michelle Medhat, is herself a USA Today bestselling author.
5.0 out of 5 stars A brilliant, bold storyline that captivates your imagination!
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 13 July 2021
Verified Purchase
I wasn’t sure what to expect with this story, as I’m not a great fan of psychological thrillers, but this was one written by Mr Richard Dee, an author that I have read before, and really found to be a fantastic writer, capable of capturing and holding my attention through to the very end. Within reading a few pages of the beginning of Life and Other Dreams, I knew that this book was going to be a book to keep me hooked.
The reader is introduced to Dan, a galactic planetary explorer with his gorgeous, unpredictable, risk-loving wife Vanessa who lives on Ecias six hundred years into the future. Then, Dan becomes Rick, an advertising copywriter with a pretty, dependable, and risk-averse wife Cath living on Earth in the present day. Rick dreamt he was Dan, and whilst in the dream he believed he was really living that life. Rick suffered from insomnia, and when he slept, he dreamed lucidly of Ecias – his dreams a continuous flow, as if a space soap opera was running in his mind. After many attempts to sleep naturally, Cath pushed him to see a sleep consultant, who prescribed an experimental drug, and told Rick his insomnia would be cured through it consistent use. Rick took the tablet, and his dreams on Ecias became turbo boosted.
Mr Dee has made living on Ecias a reality for the reader, as much as for Earth-bound Rick. His descriptions are deep and rich; the situations feel like they exist, that they’re happening… somewhere right now. Technology is advanced but grounded in scientific understanding. The teamwork, camaraderie of the surveyors, and the innuendo-dripping banter of the other party, ‘the plant hunters’ is typical of today’s construction sites. Unsettling, but such vocal abuse comes with the territory.
As I read further into the story, many coincidences started to spring up, almost like clues as to what was really going on. Mr Dee’s word play is great fun, and turns the reader into a detective, joining the dots and making the connections – the mayfly whose acronym of its Latin genus name connects to the planet Ecias, the ‘Avon’ exclusive restaurant and Richavon, a region on Ecias…and so many more. Just when you decide that Rick’s life is reality and Dan’s life exists only in dreams, Mr Dee throws in a curve ball. A sudden plot point that turns everything on its head. What is being purported is impossible, but possibly true… This is a book that gets you thinking. It fires up the synapses and launches the reader off into a series of what ifs. Being of a scientific persuasion, I leapt into possible science-based reasons, quantum tubules in the brain linking one life to another, spacetime overlapped to create duality of lives in the moment, many different theories, and I hadn’t even finished reading, that’s how invested in the central premise I became. This is mind-blowing writing at its best.
The actual plotlines are intense and keep the pages turning. No spoilers, but Dan’s idyllic life by the middle of the book jars sharply into seven circles of hell. Rick’s life is also no better, with his domestic bliss suddenly shattered by a series of incredible but believable events, that, like a runaway train, shoot off, leading to unfortunate and rather sad conclusions. Each chapter leads the reader to feeling for both Rick and Dan, as both become victims of circumstance.
Mr Dee’s ability in world-building is only matched in his brilliant characterisation. The characters of Dan, Vanessa, Rick and Cath, jump from the page. I didn’t warm to Cath at all. She seemed like she was an erratic woman who preferred to listen to her work colleagues, rather than talk matters through with her husband Rick. Vanessa also had similar traits, in that she was easily influence, didn’t think through the situation, and condemned her husband Dan without properly discussing things through. It was clear that Vanessa loved Dan, and Cath loved Rick, but their singular failure to ‘believe’ their loved ones were innocent of all the implied crimes and misdemeanors, was a running thread through both ‘lives’. It was that layer of suspicion that permeated throughout the book, making all interactions and events questionable, and the motives of those characters involved shrouded in secrets. The truth was underneath, not quite visible, but every so often giving glimpses of itself. These moments only served to allow the reader to scramble to conclusions, but couldn’t quite grasp that definitive answer.
Writing such a book often sets up the author with the ‘how do I finish this’ bugbear. Mr Dee however, with smooth aplomb launches into a denouement that smacks you in the face. Unexpected, but somehow, on balance, the only fitting ending. I really loved Life and Other Dreams for its bold directions, intriguing plotlines and thoroughly engaging narrative. Just grab a copy and make your own mind up as to which life is real. Recommended completely.
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Awesome review! Thanks Richard.
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Thanks, this is one I’ll treasure.
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Congrats on this fabulous review! don’t these just make it all worthwhile.
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They certainly do. I’m always impressed at what people see in my scribbles, things that I never realised at the time.
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The reader is always right!
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Here´s a 5-star review on Goodreads by Barb Taub that I just love. Nothing better than when a reader gets it!
Amanda in Malta: The Sleeping Lady by Darlene Foster
Barb Taub’s review, May 14, 2021
it was amazing
As a genre, kid detectives have a long history. From the Bobbsey Twins and basically everything Enid Blyton ever wrote, to Swallows and Amazons, from the Hardy Boys, Nancy Drew, Encyclopedia Brown, and even three young wizards who go away to magic school—young sleuths never cease to capture our imagination.
One of my favorite additions to their group is Amanda Ross, the twelve-year-old heroine of the Amanda Travels series. In her latest adventure, Amanda’s best friend Leah sends a mysterious letter begging Amanda to join her in Malta. “Something’s not right. Can you come ASAP?” Amanda is puzzled to receive a letter instead of email, worried that she has no way of replying, and dejected at being trapped in a Canadian winter. “Her mom was in a bad mood again. She always was during tax season. Amanda would rather die than be an accountant.”
Luckily, she receives an invitation from Caleb not-her-boyfriend Sorenson’s family to join them for a vacation on Malta. But when they arrive on Malta, Caleb and Amanda are unable to find Leah. They begin to realize that something dangerous is going on. As they investigate, the situation becomes darker by the minute. A national treasure, the tiny ancient sculpture of The Sleeping Lady, has been stolen. Leah and her aunt are somehow involved, and clearly in danger.
As the children investigate, we join them in exploring the treasures and unexpected surprises of Malta. True to their genre, they outwit bad guys, protect endangered animals, and hide in really tiny spaces. And of course, there’s the time-honored kid detective trope when a bound and gagged Leah must bang for a rescue.
But like the mom who sneaks vegetables into the pizza, this series has another secret weapon. Geography—surely one of the least popular subjects in any middle school classroom—takes a starring role in Amanda’s adventures. We see both the gorgeous coast and fishing villages, learn about history, meet some of the people, and even discover wonderful food and quirky local features such as a movie set from the Popeye movie which is now a theme park, or an entire cafe for homeless cats.
The nonstop action, danger, daring rescue, and humorous banter between Amanda, Caleb, and Leah all make this adventure fast-paced and a huge amount of fun. But what is also remarkable is the way the main characters’ flaws play as big a part as their bravery. Caleb’s fish phobia, Amanda’s fear of heights, and Leah’s decision not to reveal her knowledge of the crime in order to protect her aunt are all fully but sympathetically revealed.
If you know any middle school readers who enjoy adventure, mystery-solving, bravery, and humor, I would not hesitate to recommend any of the books of this wonderful series.
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What a great review! Thanks Darlene.
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That’s brilliant, Barb (favourably) reviewed one of my Steampunk novels and gave me some great insight. She “got” my alternative universe.
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I recently did a book promo that netted me over 20 new reviews for my poetry book. What pleased me the most were that the comments mirrored my reasons and purpose for publishing my creations.
Tuesday Tidbits: On the right track!: http://linesbyleon.com/2021/07/13/tuesday-tidbits-on-the-right-track/
Always nice to know I did something that positively affected someone.
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Great! Thanks Leon.
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I am going to share my review of one of your books that I really enjoyed reading!
Best wishes, Pete.
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Cheers Pete. Much appreciated!
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