Follow the Stone (An Emmett Love Western) - John Locke

I have once again strayed into the realms of the Western for entertainment dear readers, this time from a recommendation by a friend who said this book was an easy read and even better, it was free. Free being the magical word in this time of austerity I decided to take her up on the offer and give it a go.

It wasn't a bad read either. I do enjoy a good Western and this novel isn't shy on that count. The details are all there and the characters all counted for - a cool gunslinger, a fiesty maiden and a bunch of whores, lets not forget the Indians and the cowboys either. Mix this up with an intricate setting and you've got yourself all you need for a Western novel. The characters are easily recognised and fairly simple too. There is no great need for understanding with this novel, the characters do what is expected of them and I feel this simplicity is part of the enjoyment I took. I knew I wasn't going to be reading a gret epic from the first page but this didn't put me off at all. I knew the hero was going to end up sleeping with at least one of the prostitutes during the journey and I knew there was going to be some form of change on his part too - that's what story is after all right?

The plot of the novel is somewhat predictable however and I found I could guess what was going to happen before the words appeared. Most of the time I would find this annoying however in this novel, because I knew what I was getting, I found it was a good thing. John Locke may be the first 'kindle millionnaire' but he hasn't written a great masterpiece nor shocked the world with beautifully crafted writting.

I liked this novel for all its simplicity and I didn't pay a penny for it which was nice - which is a good thing. If you want a simple easy throw-away read, this is the book for you. If you want some hardcore detailed writing with fast paced fights and gunslinging wizards, go and read The Dark Tower series... Until next time!!

The Colour of Vengeance (The Ties that Bind Book 2) - Rob J Hayes

I have to say I was really looking forward to getting my teeth into the next book in the trilogy seeing as I loved the first one. It took me about 3 days to read and here are my thoughts:

I couldn't put my kindle down. I couldn't consume this book fast enough it was that good. The second novel follows the story of The Black Thorn, who we should all be familiar with from the first novel. It depicts how he survives by the hand of the very organisation he hates. What follows is a whirlwind of searching across the wilds for the one who 'killed' him in the first place. The novel features some new characters as well as some old ones. The blend of characters is, once again, fantastic. However they are not static carbon cut-outs; there is excellent development and they are all multi-dimensional and intreging. Even the villains, and believe me, they are nasty, all have something they want - they're not bad for being bad's sake which makes you just want to read on and find out where their journey will take them.

The world is as bleak as it is in the first one. Betrayal seemed to come naturally to those inhabiting it and the tough lives the characters lead is reflected in the language spoken. I believe I mentioned this in my first review so won't go on about it again, it works so well for me so I feel I have to give it another salute here. The lives and characters put me in mind of those from Joe Abercrombie's First Law trilogy, another set of books I loved, yet Hayes has made his story his own. I can see the influence yet it is not a rip-off or re-telling.

I do have two criticisms, one is the spelling again, however this does not detract from the read. I was so interested in what was going on that I didn't care that much (which is a big thing coming from me, I usually slate people for this). The other was the lack of mention of the Arbitor and the Blademaster. I was surprised there was no mention of them at all other than the Black Thorn thinks they are dead - which we know is false due to the end of the last novel. I loved those two characters and was sad when they didn't turn up. I have since learned they are in the third novel - awaiting to be read on my kindle - so feel a bit relieved about that, I NEED to know what happened to them!

One again, a fab read from Hayes and I cannot wait for the next one. I am already dreading the book hangover from this set, whatever comes next is going to have to go some to beat it. Thanks Rob Hayes for creating such a wonderful story once again.

The Heresy Within (The Ties that Bind) - Rob J Hayes

It was a gamble this novel, a 77p buy from Amazon when I couldn't decide what to go for and nothing on my to read list was screaming at me to be read. I do love reading independent novels but they can be hit and miss as they don't necessarily have the same resources as those books issued from a publishing house. This one is one of the best I have ever read.

The best thing about this novel is the characters. From the moment I started to the very end, I was interested in what happened to all of them. I cared whether they lived or died and what's more, they were not the generic characters found in a fantasy novel. The inquisitor, Thanquil, has the compulsion to steal things in order to calm his nerves. The female fighter has her fair share of quirks, including not wanting to fight and the theif guy seems to always find himself in a fight which is never (always) his fault. The three come together and work towards their goal in an interesting way which is a real delight to read.

The world in which the novel is set is a harsh one, this is reflected in the narrative. I would never recommend this book to under eighteens. It deals with some rough themes and it doesn't skimp on the details or the swearing. Normally this would irritate me in a novel but Hayes makes it work well. The language reflects on the lives of the characters. The ones that swear are the ones who have had a tough time and it works well. Even the sex in the novel is rough and I'm going to be honest, it doesn't skimp on that either. There are times when characters are running naked through the street and instead of seeming silly, it comes across as a reflection of the harsh world they live in.

There are a couple of things that could use improving through the novel and this is the editing for the most part. There are spelling errors and a few clumsy sentances which could easily be solved with another set of editing but this is a minor complaint as I enjoyed the novel that much I hardly noticed. The same goes for the cliche terms that have crept in, the novel is that good I could ignore them!

All in all, this was a great recommendation from Amazon and I am more than pleased with the read. I have already purchased the sequel and have read 20% of it already. This hasn't happened since I read The Dark Tower series, which you all know how much I love. I recommened you go and read this book if you can, its well worth it/

Across A Moonlit Sea - Marsha Canham

The title of this one sounds rather sappy and I've only just realised that. It was a free read through Kindle Store and seeing how I am currently writing about pirates, it seemed to fit well.

It was an ace read. I thoroughly enjoyed every word in this novel and despite the sappy title, the story was anything but. Yes, there was a romantic element to it, it is after all a romance novel, however there was plenty of other plot to keep that side of me entertained as well.

The two lead characters didn't always get along through the novel, even after they'd decided they liked each other and this was a pleasant surprise. It made it more true to life, unlike some other romance books I have read in the past - as soon as two characters discover they 'like' each other, they agree on everything. It takes the tension from the novel and frankly, makes it rather a dull read. Not in this case. The characters continue to fight with each other throughout, how positively human of them! The support cast as well were interesting enough to care about as well, there are some very curious people in this novel and that's what they feel like; people, not just a cardboard cut out.

The detail of the world is spot on too. Canham makes good use of naval language throughout and her description of sixteenth century ships is wonderful, she really transports you back on board one of these vessels. The way Canham writes actions scenes as well is superb. These scenes were exciting to read, I couldn't wait to find out what happened, who got killed, which ship survived and so forth.

It was a real page turner and a pleasant surprise, especially as it was free! I'll be keeping an eye open for any more of her work that's for sure

The First time: True Stories of Virginity Lost and Found - Kate Munro

This book was offered to me via email from Amazon, I get them monthly and usually ignore them as they deserve but this one caught my eye. It's true stories of people's first sexual experiences. Maybe I was attracted to it because I'm nosy, a trait inherited from my mother! Nevertheless, my interest was piqued so I gave it a go.

Munro has collected stories from all walks of life, the stories are captivating. It is a subject everyone has an opinion on and Munro doesn't skimp on expressing those of the people she interviews. It was interesting to see the aspects of social history involved and how attitudes towards sex have changed over the last one hundred years. I enjoyed learning of people's different experiences of thier first time and reading of their different attitudes towards the event. A lot of emphasis was placed on the spiritual journey too and how one single event can shape the whole of an individual's life. I both agreed and disagreed with this but to be able to have such thoughts provoked by a text was a wonderful reading experience.

It was lovely to read the opinions of those much older than myself. To hear the stories of men and women in thier 70's, 80's and even 90's was a delight. Thier attitudes at the time were so different to my own it seemed so alien. The stories come from the spectrum of the world, from Muslim to Christian, men and women are both included, the experiences good and bad. Munro expresses that she has many stories that are not included in the book and I'd like to be able to read some more tales.

Although this book was written like an essay, I found it easy to read, unlike some of the books I read at university. The language flowed and I read this book in a matter of days. This is a quick review and I hope I can do the book justice. It made a great change to read a non fiction book and what started out as a nosy curiosity turned into a genuine good read. Give it a go, it really is a thought provoking book.

Daddys Little Girl - Julia Latchem-Smith

Now, this is completely different to what I 'normally' read. For a start it's not fiction. I'm not sure how to review a book like this as the themes have caused distress and I don't want to belittle the experiences of those involved.

I picked this book up while on holiday and read it in a few hours, the language was easy to follow and the narrative voice of the author suited the serious tale she had to tell. The story itself is interesting, she tells how she was sexually abused by her father - which is awful. It's a tough subject to broach but the author does it in such a way that is sensitive but not graphic. She also tells of her obsessive compulsive mother, who has a problem with cleanliness. I found this part of her story fascinating - how she'd leave her daughter in the car for two hours while she cleaned the weekly shop was such an alien thought to me I found it hard to grasp.

The story tells of the author's growth from an eight year old girl, who was abused for five years, through rebellious teenage years- including a teenage pregnancy, to her quest for justice. It's a painful journey and I don't want to think how much pain it must have taken to walk her path.

I'm always suspicious of people capitalising on abuse stories, there have been more than a few who have done so but this is not the case with this story. Latchem-Smith has published her story to help raise awareness for shunned cases of child abuse in the middle-classes, which is a worthy cause. The book is well worth reading, even if it's not your normal genre.

Wolf Dawn - Susan Cartwright

It's always tough knowing what to read after you've had your mind blown by a previous book. You know nothing is going to be as good and the sense of loss can be hard to over come. What I read after The Dark Tower series had a tough act to follow but I will do my best to be honest.

This book was a half-way decent read. The writing was reasonably well crafted which made the flaws in the novel that little bit easier to swallow. Cartwright used some interesting metaphors throughout the novel, some of which I may remember for my own writing. The world building was a reasonably well done and there were only a few minor errors that could be overlooked.

Fitting the characters into this world is where the trouble begins. Cartwright has written a system of mental communication into her world called 'icom', which is installed into those people who can afford it. Which seems to be everyone except those living on the fringes of society, so when the hero is thrust into a boar pit and escapes slavery by those fringe dwellers, they manage to call the police via icom, which they can't afford, it seemed a bit jarring.

The pacing of the novel is a little off as well and there is no real conclusion at the end either. During the first half, our hero escapes doom on his home world and is pursued by a sadistic space captain. This is an interesting arc with a random police officer thrown in for good measure. I was looking forward to learning more about this after the hero is marooned away from home however the author abandons this arc until the last few pages in which we learn nothing new. She also spends half of an entire chapter discussing the pros and cons of sex in a temple lecture. It slowed the pace right down and was frankly rather dull.

The other concept I found difficult to grasp was on referred to as Dark Sankomin. This is explained as a darkness that affects all living beings, if a mind dwells on past events it becomes bogged down and the beings go mad and die. It seemed to me that everything has negative emotions at some stages in existence and although this affects people in different ways (I don't want to make light of mental illness here) it isn't severe for everyone. I found it hard to see the Dark Sankomin as a threat and it made a large part of the book hard to comprehend. Maybe I'm too positive to see this darkness as something destructive.

Most of the characters are believable, except the female lead, who was as flat and predictable as mud and you do care what happens to them. My only other issue is the genre of the book itself, it's listed as: 'Adventure Sci-fi/Heroic Fantasy Romance.' It is all of these things granted, but it is none of them well. The romance isn't well written enough to satisfy romance fans, the fantasy isn't good enough for fantasy fans. It just tried to fill too many boots at once and found that none of them fit very well.

So to finish off, I did enjoy this book - even though Roland wasn't in it - but I doubt I will be picking up the sequel any time soon.

Wizard and Glass - Stephen King

Again, another outstanding read from Mr King.

In this novel we learn about the early experiences of our delicious 'hero'. Essentially, this is a book of back story that usually would turn me off totally to a series. I like my back story drip fed and intertwined in the main body of story but after having hints and whispers throughout the last three books, I couldn't wait to hear what Roland had to say about it.

So this book fixes up the unfinished parts of the last book with the usual heart pounding white knuckle pace. Once this danger has paced and our companions are sat safe(ish) and comfortable, Roland begins to talk. I really felt as though I was sat with the rest of the companions as his tale was told as too. The book is as engaging as the others have been which is to King's credit.

Roland and his companions are sent to the Mid World town of Hambry and what takes place there is a tragic tale of friendship, love and loss. The telling of the tale had me laughing to myself, once again to odd looks from those around me, and at one point, tears. It has been a long time since a book has made me cry. The words left me with the desire to hug Roland and tell him it will all be OK in the end, of course, it probably won't. The sense of foreboding for the future is never left alone for long and the events that happened in the past echo through the the events that happen at the end of this novel.

I look forward to the next novel, however, this book ended in a comfortable place so I don't feel the burning need to grab the book of the shelf right now. I am considering having a break from King's series but I suspect this won't be the case!

D H Lawrence, Lady Chatterley's Lover

We all like forbidden things right? Speaking for myself, tell me I can't have something and I so want it. The same applied to banned books. Why were they banned? What is all the fuss about? What was so shocking about the book that it was restricted from common view?

This is what prompted me to read this book, written in the 1920's I can see why the material inside could be considered illicit. In fact it still could be, having said that though, by modern standards, it isn't as graphic or sordid as some of the other erotic romances I have read.

The language used when describing body parts is basic, there's no cock splattered across the page and it's ability to shock the reader has passed along with the time when it was written. Having said that, there is some beautifully crafted scenes in this book and they are a wonder to read. Lawrence's ability for the poetic really shows in this book and for this reason, but not only this reason, I would recommend you read it.

After the initial outcry of the sordidity of the book, and once you look past the sex scenes, there is a very pointed comment about the society Lawrence lived in. There are some very good points about the state of economy during the period between the two wars, as well as the changing attitudes of generations. The characters are very real as well, their insecurities and observations of the gender differences is easy to relate to, as is observed,  “A woman has to live her life, or live to repent not having lived it.” and what can be more true?

This was a really enjoyable read and I would suggest you add it to your 'to read' list!