Bond Girl is an Unsuspected View of life on Wall Street

Bond Girl, the debut novel by Erin Duffy, is fresh and entertaining, offering readers a female take on the inner workings of the Wall Street scene. Since she was a young girl, Alex had known that she wanted to work on “the Street”, like her father. She knew that it wouldn’t be easy as a woman in the male dominated world of high finance, but she never dreamed that she would be sitting on a folding chair with no desk of her own, filling lunch orders, and buying $1000 wheels of cheese. Just when things begin to look up for her, 2008 rolls around and she watches her company turn topsy-turvey, trying to stay on top of a dying market. Alex is determined not to let them break her. She has always played the game her way, even when her male counterparts tried to make her play it theirs, but can she hold on without going down like the markets that are her job to anticipate? Alex Garrett is a bold and sassy heroine that you can’t help but like; a financier that follows her heart. Warm, funny and really quite an enjoyable read.


“The Green Lamp” sheds a light of a different color

The Russian flavor in Mishka Zakharin’s The Green Lamp makes this collection of short stories, parodies, poetry and plays delightfully different. The poetic plays are true tragic comedies, (or comic tragedies), reminiscent of the work of Samuel Beckett and other Dada playwrights from the era of the Theatre of the Absurd. In fact, much of Zakharin’s humor has a hint of the surreal, with just a pinch of slapstick thrown in for good measure. Fans of Crime & Punishment and Anna Karina will find it impossible not to chuckle, as one reads Zakharin’s parodies of these classic Russian tales. His poetry, too, is oddly fascinating, although I never have understood Zakharin’s apparent preoccupation with spleens, which presents itself in the poetry here, as well as in his previous book of poetry, From The Spleen of Fiery Dragons. The Green Lamp (not to be confused with The Green Lantern), may be purchased on Amazon or on Mishka’s website. I recommend that you get your copy of this unique collection today.


Blind Fortune captures the reader’s heart

Blind Fortune, by Joanna Waugh is a most engaging historical romance set in 19th Century England. Within the first few pages, Waugh captivated me. I had to read more. Blind from birth, Lady Fortuna Morley has been schooled in all of the proprieties of the bourgeois society, but shielded from most social interactions that would put them to practice. Fueled by the work of Mary Wollstonecraft, Fortuna views men as stifling and condescending, and she loathes the fact that she is forced to be dependent on others. When she learns of her younger cousin, Juliana’s ambitions to marry the Marquess de Granville, Fortuna is convinced that it is a road that will only lead her cousin into a life of seclusion and dependence, and she is determined to deter the union.
Waugh does a wonderful job of leading the reader through the eyes of a woman who has never seen a sunset, and she allows readers to share in Fortuna’s joys and frustrations. As a battle of wills unfolds between she and Lord Granville over his marriage to her cousin, her propriety is put to the test. Both she and the gentleman discover that their adversary is not the person that was at first apparent and, in a turn of events that is most unexpected, Fortuna finds herself longing for something that she never thought she would desire and that she is certain she can never possess. I highly recommend Blind Fortune.
Blind Fortune can be purchased on Indie Bound, Barnes & Noble, All Romance, Elora’s Cave and Amazon. Links to these outlets can also be found on Joanna’s website.


Get wrapped up in Tim Baker’s “Pump It Up”

I am privileged to be able to do the first review on Tim Baker’s soon to be released, Pump It Up. This fast moving story about the underground world of black market cosmetic enhancement draws readers in quickly and doesn’t let go. A cover up of an accidental death, a kidnapping, a car chase and two attempted murders … and that’s just in the first three chapters. Fans of Baker’s books know well his tough guy protagonist, Ike and new readers can’t help but like this ex-SEAL with a passion for doing the right thing, but doing it his own way. Ike and his friends are out to get the bad guys once again after their underground silicone injection business goes terribly wrong, resulting in the deaths of three innocent people. When the police are ineffective in their response to the reported crimes, Ike takes matters into his own hands and sets out to set the villains up for a fall. The stakes are raised as their plan unfolds and they discover that they aren’t the only ones out to get the silicone injecting criminals. Things don’t go as planned, forcing Ike and his friends to improvise, and placing them in some precarious and hilarious situations. They race to take down the silicone pumping “doctor” before his transgender ex-“girlfriend” or his money-grubbing cronies can get to him first. This is a fun read that you won’t want to put down until you’ve turned the last page. Pump It Up is sure to please everyone but the bad guys.


Dreams come true in unexpected ways in Tim Baker’s “Living The Dream”.

Living The Dream, by Tim Baker

In Tim Baker’s first novel, Living The Dream, Kurt, a down and out plumber’s helper; Jimmy, a dishonest businessman, who is up to his ears in cheating and embezzlement; Vicky, a disheartened wife; and Danny, an easy going dive shop owner all have two things in common: they’re all having some very strange dreams and they all feel that somehow, their dreams will come true. Kurt’s dreams lead him on a very rough ride to the Florida coast to carry out a get rich quick scheme that is not even fully developed in his mind. Jimmy thinks that his dreams are telling him that the walls are closing in around him and it’s time to break away and start a new life. Vicky is dreaming of a handsome mystery man, who is everything her husband is not. Danny is dreaming of a mysterious woman, the girl of his dreams, so to speak, and he is following clues from his dreams to find her.
Their dreams do, in fact, come true, but not in the same ways as each one envisions, as they are all drawn together by circumstance, while trying to sort through the craziness of their individual dream worlds. When their lives unwittingly intermix, it is an ending for some of them and a new beginning for others, but one thing is certain. They never dreamed that it would be like this.
Readers will never be bored while reading this comical race to riches, where nothing is at it appears. No one is truly in control, although they all think that they are. It’s hard to tell the guys from the bad, at times, and you may be surprised who ends up winners in this truly entertaining tale, as they all search for riches and happiness.

You can find Living The Dream and other books by Tim Baker at Blindogg Books


It’s Up to You, the Reader

New Years is almost here and what writer doesn’t include in their list of resolutions a resolve to improve their writing? In 2010, I had the privilege of reviewing many truly good reads, by some really awesome authors. With 2011 just around the corner, I thought it might be beneficial to take a look at those reviews to see what worked and what didn’t. The only problem is I don’t really have an unbiased opinion, so I thought that I’d leave it up to you. So, here are links to twenty-two book reviews, both here and on the Southern Colorado Literature Examiner. Please take a look at them, if you haven’t already,  and then vote for the ones that you think are the best in the comments section. You can choose more than one, but please include a brief explanation as to why you liked each particular review, or why you didn’t, so that I can identify areas that might need some work. If you read the book, do you agree or disagree with my review? I will approve all comments as long as they are not downright nasty. Next week I will publish a list of the top reviews, according to you, the readers. I couldn’t do it without you.

“The Ruby Notebook” holds the key to many secrets

When “Mosquito” gets hold of you, it sucks you in and doesn’t let go

Anna Strong is a force to be reckoned with in “Chosen”

Storyline in “The Truth Comes Out” keeps readers guessing

You’ll think twice about water after reading “Water Hazard”  

“Reprisal! The Eagle Rises” gives readers something to think about

“I’ll Be There to Write the Story” – A true tale that will touch your heart and stir your spirit

“The Last Lie”: a perplexing tale that will keep readers guessing

“Why Did This Happen to Me, Aunt Lou?” Inspires and Delights  

“Killing the Cobra” is packed with action

“The Midnight Ride of Blackwell Station” is delightfully entertaining for all ages

“The Secret to Lying” holds the key to more than one secret

“Raw Edges: A Memoir”: a journey of self discovery and revelation

“Star in the Forest”, a glimpse of reality through a young girl’s eyes

Pamela Clare brings another sizzling romance in, “Naked Edge”

“The Spirit Lens”, a spellbinding tale that will captivate readers

“From the Spleen of Fiery Dragons”, by Mishka Zacharin  

From the Old Blog to the New – Reviews of “Demon Hunter: The Chosen One” and “Demon Hunter: Seek and Destroy”

“The Fishing Trip: A Ghost Story”, by Chris Keys  

“Beneath the Mask of Holiness” depicts the human side of Thomas Merton

“The Secret of Everything” is an absolute must read


You’ll think twice about water after reading “Water Hazard”

Water Hazard, by Tim Baker takes readers on a ride as wild as any water slide. When twelve year old Justin and his buddy heist a collection of CDs from a car parked in a construction area, they don’t realize what treacherous waters they are treading into. Included in the collection, are a pair of encrypted discs that contain valuable information about an illegal water pumping operation, that mean big bucks for the owners, and they will stop at nothing, including kidnapping and murder, to get them back. When the boys sell the CDs to a local music store, owner Steve Warwick and his friend Ike are plunged into the eddy, and they are determined to bring down the whole operation with a splash. It seems that the villains in this story have just been dog paddling, in an attempt to swim with the big sharks, and you’ll have to laugh as Steve and Ike outsmart the bad guys time and time again, as they slip and slide through all the loops, and watch the bad guys as they belly flop. Water Hazard is filled with back flips and cannon balls that will keep you guessing as to who will sink and who will swim, in this hilarious adventure of high jinks and intrigue.