#BookReview: Undiluted by Benjamin L. Corey

Solid Effort. In this book, Corey puts forth a clear message that no matter what you think of Jesus, you are more than likely wrong in at least some aspect. He challenges very nearly every reader on at least some issue, and in that vein he truly shines. But in the end, he just can’t quite fully overcome his own particular bent, and ultimately this mars what could have been a truly stellar work. Still a worthy read, but could have been even better.

This review of Undiluted by Benjamin L. Corey was originally published on December 12, 2018.

#BookReview: The Christmas Lights Battle by Skylar M. Cates

The Battle That Never Was. This is a M/M romance that works well. Both men have their own unique histories that make getting together complicated, but it seems that these complications are resolved way too quickly. As is the “battle” that is so central to the premise that it is the title of the book. But the romance itself flows well, and the sex is absolutely NC-17 and fairly plentiful. Solid book, and looking forward to more from this new-to-me author.

This review of The Christmas Lights Battle by Skylar M. Cates was originally published on December 8, 2018.

#BookReview: Alter by Jeremy Robinson

The Master Made Me Cry! In this latest book from the Modern Day Master of Science Fiction, Robinson yet again does something he has never done before – he left me in tears at the end of a tale. In yet another foray into gut punching emotional drama (while still keeping the pulse pounding science fiction that is his bread and butter), Robinson outdoes himself again in exploring just how much a man will lose in order to survive – and whether or not the man can ever revert fully to what he was before the change. Simply amazing.

This review of Alter by Jeremy Robinson was originally published on December 3, 2018.

#BookReview: Disarming Scripture by Derek Flood

Solid Trajectory, But Not Far Enough. I’m not completely sold that the “trajectory” reading of the Bible Flood bases his premise on is entirely correct, but for now let’s go with it. Flood raises a lot of good points that will, as the title implies, “step on toes” across “both” sides of the American political divide. But there are certainly times where he contradicts himself and others where he reveals his own cloudy understanding of violence, choosing to view violence only as genocide, murder, explicit assault, and the like. But in the end, Flood doesn’t go quite far enough in his own line of reasoning and instead tends to embrace certain forms of “acceptable” violence, in ways reminiscent of the very blatantly antiquated notions he is attacking in this book. Absolutely recommended for those that either openly embrace the wanton slaughter of the Old Testament or those that fully reject it, as this will at least open you to the basic concepts of nonviolence.

This review of Disarming Scripture by Derek Flood was originally published on November 23, 2018.

#BookReview: Twain’s Feast by Andrew Beahrs

Twain Would Be Proud. This lighthearted yet fascinating look at the life of Mark Twain through the Feast he laid out in one of his books – but never actually ate himself – is a breathtaking. From describing the prairie hens as Twain would have known them (more multitudinous than even the famed bison) to San Francisco as Twain knew it to his beloved Mighty Mississippi. The combination of tales of food and food history with the history and writing of perhaps the world’s first true mega-celebrity is a delight to read, particularly as today is itself Thanksgiving Day 2018.

This review of Twain’s Feast by Andrew Beahrs was originally published on November 22, 2018.

#BookReview: Hotel Megalodon by Rick Chesler

Not Your Normal Meg Story. Other than taking place near a trench in the Pacific Ocean, this isn’t your typical Megalodon story at all. With this one, the terror takes place in an enclosed-ish island/ reef area with the trench just outside the reef, and thus the terror is a bit more immediate. Definetly an interesting take on the subgenre, and one that is perfectly safe to read when in the Atlantic or Caribbean – neither of which have ever (to my knowledge) featured a Meg story. 😀

This review of Hotel Megalodon by Rick Chesler was originally published on November 20, 2018.

#BookReview: Everything We Give by Kerry Lonsdale

Epic Conclusion. In this conclusion to the Everything Trilogy, we follow up shortly after the ending of the 2nd book and get an Ian-centric story this time. In it, we struggles as a kid trying to deal with his mother’s Dissociative Identity Disorder and how the issues that it caused have played out in his adult life. Humourous with inside jokes for the reader at times, particularly when Aimee follows up some thought with “but that is [Insert James or Ian Here]’s story to tell”. Overall this is probably the heaviest of a heavy trilogy, but it is a fitting conclusion that wraps up the last unresolved thread from the first two books. Read the first two books first, but you’ll want to have this one handy when you finish Book 2. 🙂

This review of Everything We Give by Kerry Lonsdale was originally published on November 20, 2018.

#BookReview: Everything We Left Behind by Kerry Lonsdale

Don’t Leave This Behind. Wow. If the first book in this series was a gut punch, this one was a roundhouse to the face. Picking up several years after the events of the first book, we continue the story of one of the first book’s characters and the impacted families. Amazing look into a phenomenon introduced in the first book, and some surprising twists to some of the plot lines introduced in the first book and greatly expanded upon in this one.

This review of Everything We Left Behind by Kerry Lonsdale was originally published on November 18, 2018.

#BookReview: Everything We Keep by Kerry Lonsdale

This One’s a Keeper. Maybe not the smartest idea I’ve ever had to read this one on a Bahamian cruise, as it is extremely emotionally intense. But an amazing story that I’m glad to have finally read, and presents an interesting twist that I had never seen a story really delve into. Very much looking forward to finishing out this trilogy and seeing where the author takes it.

This review of Everything We Keep by Kerry Lonsdale was originally published on November 18, 2018.

#BookReview: Past Tense by Lee Child

Reacher Being Reacher. This is Reacher number 23, and kind of in the middle of the pack overall. Not the best Reacher story, but not the worst either. Third person again, and while the bad guys are truly bad, they aren’t quite as bad as I was fearing – I thought early on Child might be going for more current headlines ala the last Reacher tale, and instead he shifts into something that is rumored online but which I’ve never seen actual evidence of. Don’t start with this book if you’re new to Reacher, but if you’ve read even a single Reacher reading this one out of order won’t be a problem other than introducing certain new wrinkles that could be interesting going forward, should Child decide to pursue them.

This review of Past Tense by Lee Child was originally written on November 18, 2018.