Author: Jeff

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#BookReview: The Pursuit Of Liberty by Jeffrey Rosen

Intriguing Academic Analysis Of 250 Years Of American History Through One Central Lens. With about 16% bibliography, Rosen here crafts a well wriiten – if perhaps dryly academic in styling – narrative that serves as both history (particularly of the actual events while Hamilton and Jefferson were both alive) and filter to history (as American history progresses through 2024).

On the actual history end, Rosen is perhaps at his best, seemingly almost bringing us into the rooms where these discussions and their resultant divisions first happen. On the historical filter end, Rosen does a solid job of keeping his filter intact while examining different periods of American history from its earliest days and first insurrections (the Whiskey Rebellion, among others) through the Jan 6, 2021 “insurrection” (used in quotes here because even this text shows how dramatically different they were). And yes, we get stops at Jackson and his Indian Removal, the obligatory Civil War look, several other key points in American history. All through this lens of how various leaders chose to interpret the writings and philosophies of both Hamilton and Jefferson.

Overall it really is a fascinating look that both illuminates key ideas in new ways and works well with other books and their own filters to give a more complete view of both the American Founding and the resultant 250 years of American history. Thus, it is absolutely one that every American should read and consider, and it may well be something that even those outside the United States could learn valuable lessons about either their own countries or perhaps just the American mindset which frequently flips between Hamiltonian and Jeffersonian ideals.

Very much recommended.

This review of The Pursuit Of Liberty by Jeffrey Rosen was originally written on October 21, 2025.

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#BookReview: World Enemy No. 1 by Jochen Hellbeck

Possibly Explosive Soviet-Side History Of WWII. The central tenet of Hellbeck’s narrative here is rather simplistic: Yes, Hitler hated Jews. But he *really* hated *Communist* Jews, and believed that the Soviets were just dumb rubes being controlled by said Communist Jews. This, according to Hellbeck, explains everything from the infamous (and disastrous, for both Germany and the Soviet Union) Operation Barbarossa to why, where, and when the most infamous of the death camps – all located in former Soviet controlled territory after Barbarossa pushed so far into Russia – all came to be, and much more.

Admittedly, as an American and an American who happens to be a grandson of two different men who both fought in the Ardennes Offensive/ Battle Of The Bulge, I’ve been fascinated by WWII all my life. I grew up hearing that one grandfather had been there – I found out at his death that he actually had earned the most medals of anyone in his small exurban (at the time) Atlanta town. The other died weeks after my birth, and I learned decades later – when I finally got his service records – that his Division had been the first on the American side to liberate a concentration camp.

Thus, WWII is as much a part of me and my blood as it is for Hellbeck, simply on opposite sides of the fight against Germany. Well, maybe more for Hellbeck, a Distinguished Professor of History at Rutgers specializing in Soviet history, as he both chose and found a way to make studying WWII his occupation, while I remain a professional software engineer and “hobbyist” prolific book reviewer.

Beyond his central premise above, Hellbeck does as good a job as any – and better than many – of presenting both his case and his evidence. Clocking in at roughly 26% bibliography (as measured from where the Acknowledgement section begins, at least in my Advance Review Copy), this is both a fairly hefty tome at over 550 pages and a well researched one, with over 150 of those pages being source documentation.

By shifting the focus from Jews generally to specifically *Soviet* Jews, this narrative could become explosive, potentially even nuclear level explosive. And yet, even while focusing on Soviet Jews and Soviet citizenry more generally, Hellbeck actually presents a more balanced approach to the history than those who focus exclusively on Jews generally (and erase the extra hatred Hitler directed at Soviet Jews specifically) or those who focus on Soviets generally (and whitewash the Jewish nature of Hitler’s specific targets, as Hellbeck brings the case that the Soviet Union did throughout their existence).

WWII as a whole and even the history of the Holocaust specifically is such a large topic that I fail to see how anyone can truly grasp *all* that happened and why, and thus I appreciate histories such as this one that bring a side of the discussion that we often miss, particularly in the West. While others with more specific knowledge about specific events may have more harsh criticism of particular points or perhaps even the entire narrative here, it fits in enough with my own existing knowledge that the text here provides a lot of information I didn’t previously know, yet seems plausible given what I did know prior to encountering this book.

And yes, utterly, absolutely, horrific – no matter who was doing the killing or why. (As you’ll see here, Hellbeck doesn’t excuse Soviet actions against the Jews either.)

Overall truly a fascinating look at the war from an angle I hadn’t often considered, and for that reason alone it would be a worthy read. That it was so well documented and read so easily was a bonus.

Very much recommended.

This Review Of World Enemy No. 1 by Jochen Hellbeck was originally written on October 21, 2025.

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#BookReview: Big Nick Energy by Kristen Bailey

Christmas Love Angle. Let me be crystal clear as someone more trained in mathematics than most who happens to work in a field that is technically a sub-discipline of mathematics: For three (or more, really) straight people, there can never be a true love triangle. There can only be a love *angle*. A triangle, by definition, has three sides and three intersecting points. For a romantic love triangle to exist, at least one person involved must be romantically attracted to both of the other two – even if unrequited. With three straight people, no matter the combination of either gender, it will thus never happen. Thus, this book is about a love *angle*, not a love “triangle”, as all of our central characters here are straight.

Now, possible (likely) pedantry aside, this was still a fun Kristen Bailey Christmas book. A bit spicier than a Sarah Morgan Christmas book, with far more sexual innuendo (but you knew that from the title, or should have :D), with quite a bit more comedy, and really at least as much heart to it as Morgan’s annual tales.

Now Jeff, why do you bring up another author in this review? Well, because in both cases they’re both United Kingdom based, with tales primarily based on that side of the “pond” and are fairly consistent in releasing a Christmas book every year, generally within a few weeks of each other. Meaning I tend to read them pretty close and indeed read this one barely ten days after reading Morgan’s latest, so it is fresh on my mind. 🙂

Overall this book hit about as expected – meaning I had a great time and think most readers will too, but if you’re one that doesn’t like cussing or jalapeno (at least) level spice (to be clear, this is nowhere near ghost level, even habanero is debatable, which is why I went with jalapeno)… maybe stick with Morgan’s books. But hey, if you *prefer* the occasional fuck – both in word and in deed – Bailey is going to be right up your alley bringing her version of… well, Big *Nick* Energy. 😀 (Ok, it had to be done once I realized I was kinda walking myself into that one. :D)

I would say that long time fans of Bailey will enjoy this one, and also that if you’re new to Bailey, this is a fun book that is fairly typical of her overall style, even as she writes a few books every year – not just her annual Christmas book. As someone who has been reading her stuff for a few years now, I can honestly say that they’re all fun and if you enjoy this one and are new to Bailey, you’re going to have a fun time reading through her back catalog.

As always, read the book for yourself and let us know what you think by leaving your own review wherever you see this one. Even if you think I’m completely wrong in my thoughts on this book, feel free to call me out in your review if you think I need it. Overall, more reviews reach more readers and help sell more books, so please, help both me and you and help Bailey continue to be able to write more books for us. 🙂

Very much recommended.

This review of Big Nick Energy by Kristen Bailey was originally written on October 21, 2025.

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#BookReview: The Eight Heartbreaks Of Hannukah by Jean Meltzer

A (Jewish) Christmas Tale. Seriously, if it wasn’t clear from the description, that is *exactly* what you’re getting here: a retelling of the Dickens classic, reimagined with a Jewish couple during Hannukah (and with the genders reversed) rather than a Christian couple at Christmas. Yes, the lower level details are more significantly different, but at a very high level, this is what you’re getting here.

Which means it is far from a romcom. So don’t delude yourself there. Even though Meltzer has written romcoms, this is absolutely a romantic *drama*, in line with its base tale. Yes, there is comedy here, enough to keep the overall heavy nature of the tale from being *too* heavy, but it isn’t really the core of this tale.

As a retelling, Meltzer really gets the overall spirit of the original quite well, making this an excellent read no matter your religious faith or what you do for December-ish (not technically winter all over the world, if we’re truly trying to be as “inclusive” as possible 😉 ) holidays. The re-envisioning of it to fit with a Hannukah theme is actually done really well… perhaps until the very ending. Without going into spoiler territory, let’s just go ahead and insert my “read the book and write your own review wherever you see this one” spiel here and let everyone know what you think about that. I personally think it works well enough, but I could see a lot of genuine and fair debate on that particular point.

Now, with all of this said, I actually had a bit of a personal connection with this book, and I’m absolutely going into more overt religious discussion in this paragraph than I normally do, so feel free to skip it if you feel you must. I promise to keep all of this type of commentary within this paragraph, but to be true to my own experience with the book I *must* discuss it. You see, while I can’t reveal what the personal connection is without going into spoiler territory – and to be clear, my own experience here wasn’t exactly the same in particulars, only fairly similar in end effect – what I really need to discuss here is how the religious aspect hit. Because what struck me, as a near lifeiong Christian who grew up in the Southern Baptist Church before finding the more Anabaptist-type Christian traditions as an adult and more closely identifying with them now, is the absolute despair this couple felt due to their religion offering no real hope in that particular circumstance. And while despair is an absolutely normal human reaction in it – which Meltzer absolutely nailed, by the way – as a Christian, there is *always* hope there. Enough to put a blindingly golden lining on even the darkest clouds, and sometimes the only thing a Christian can really cling to in those situations. Again, this was something I actually *lived* in a very similar circumstance, so I had to speak up at least a bit here.

Meltzer makes it a point with most everything she does in her public life to celebrate all things Jewish, and certainly in her writings, and she absolutely nails it here – at least so far as a Son of the South who has only casually known a few different Jews throughout his life can tell, at least. An actual Jewish person may have a very different take on how well Meltzer celebrates that particular culture and religion. But this is my review of this book, and from my view, I stand by what I said. Whether it be an Adam Sandler-esque romp through the entire Hannukah celebration (and yes, at times it does get up to Sandler level funny) or the much more intensely personal dramatic moments of a boy and a girl falling in love… and falling in love again…, Meltzer here proves that she isn’t a one trick pony only writing Jewish romcoms, that she really has the chops to accentuate Jewish tales across the two largest romance sub genres and do each remarkably well.

Overall a truly worthy holiday read no matter your own practices during the season, and one that shouldn’t be missed.

Very much recommended.

This review of The Eight Heartbreaks Of Hannukah by Jean Meltzer was originally written on October 21, 2025.

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#BlogTour: The Hidden Daughter by Soraya Lane

For this blog tour, we’re looking at a strong tale that brings new elements to this series while also setting up its conclusion brilliantly. For this blog tour, we’re looking at The Hidden Daughter by Soraya Lane.

First, the review I posted to the book sites (BookHype.com / Goodreads.com / PageBound.co / TheStoryGraph.com), SubStack, and YouTube:

Strong Penultimate Book In Series Brings In New Elements. This entire series of Lane combining both her historical side and her romance side have been truly excellent, and this one is no different there. What makes this one different from the rest of the series is that this one actually takes place comfortably outside the shadow of WWII… and is perhaps one of the more powerful books in the series because of this. Indeed, while it can sometimes be hard for modern audiences nearly a century removed from wartime horrors and tribulations to fully understand all that is happening inside a WWII setting, no matter how good the storyteller is, in bringing the story out of that particular shadow and in using a tragedy that is still rare but at least more relatable than total war, Lane makes this particular tale perhaps all that much easier to fully understand the depth of the tragedy here.

Once again, both historical and contemporary elements are done well and perhaps here blended even more seamlessly than the other books, due to the precise nature of what is happening within this one. Foodies will love the restaurant talk of having our FMC be a chef, and indeed her entire story is richly layered with all too relatable drama for far too many. Even the MMC, while not given remotely equal screen time, manages to have the main point of his backstory developed enough to be quite the gut punch when it is fully revealed.

Perhaps most exciting for fans who have been with this standalone-yet-interconnected-ish series since the beginning is the stinger in the epilogue here. On a scale ranging from “makes you not want the next tale at all to Infinity War’s “I need the next tale RIGHT TBIS FUCKING SECOND!!!!!!!!!!!!!”, this one ends not far off Infinity War’s level of build. With no release date given for the next book!

Which just means you have time to either read this book (if you’ve already been following along) or the entire series (if you haven’t) before the finale comes seemingly at some point in 2026. (Pure somewhat educated guess there.) When you read them, make sure to write your own reviews wherever you see this one. I clearly think this book and the entire series are truly excellent, and I’d love to see what you think too.

Very much recommended.

After the jump, the “publisher details” – book description, author bio, social links, and buy links.
Continue reading “#BlogTour: The Hidden Daughter by Soraya Lane”

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#BookReview: Love By Design by Maddie Evans

Atypical Romance Offers Solid Trilogy Conclusion. This is a very atypical romance that some could potentially see as problematic… and others could possibly very easily feel all too seen in. And that all centers on our FMC here.

In the characterization of her rigidity of habit and how completely clueless she is socially, Evans here presents one version of a condition not named in the description, so it would be a spoiler to reveal here. To this writer, living in the real world with the same condition, the characterization here is perhaps a touch stereotypical… and yet while my own life and romances therein have been *wildly* different than portrayed here… I’m also aware enough of others living with this to know that there are indeed very likely some, perhaps many, who will feel quite seen in this characterization and indeed perhaps find hope that they too can find a love as portrayed herein.

Other irritations – and truly, these are *simply* irritations that your mileage will absolutely vary on – are that the author for some reason or another seems to have written “Disney” and then hit Replace All on the manuscript with a fictional name – that is how blatant the descriptions of the company are to real life, yet with the fictional name for the company. There are a few different reasons I can think of even off the top of my head that an author may choose to do this, but it was an irritant every time I encountered it and it did take away from the story a touch… which is unfortunate, given how critical it is at one point.

The other irritant is far more minor in its presentation… and yet it is also one I know many readers will want to be aware of, as it can be a deal breaker for some: without *actually* diving into spoiler territory, let’s just say there is a certain surprise in the epilogue that at least was hinted at briefly in the earlier text that it could potentially be a possibility in this exact situation, so at least it wasn’t a situation of the book before that moment either never mentioning this at all or even outright saying this wasn’t wanted at all.

To be clear though, this really was a solid romance of a very atypical form, between someone who thought he was going to be a priest and thus never have a romantic relationship and someone for whom relationships had always been rather difficult. Indeed, it is these exact two characterizations coming together that actually make this story as strong as it is, as it offers hope to so very many who perhaps are in similar boats of being on the verge of hopelessness for their own potential romances.

Another thing that was done quite well here is the integration of many elements of the Catholic faith, perhaps obvious with a potential priest as the MMC and with the author being so openly Catholic herself. Still, this is one element where at least some readers will want to be aware of up front and can make your own decision to thus read this book or not based on your own thoughts on the Catholic Church. Once again, I’m simply asking you, now that you’ve read this far into my own review, to simply leave this book be if you’re going to give it one star just because it features Catholicism and shows it so favorably or, more actually, normally.

The non-romance drama with the Brighthead Crafters is done very well once again, and this is where the trilogy conclusion comes to bear with both humor and heart, as is to typical of Evans.

Ultimately this really is a quite strong, if also very atypical, romance and a solid conclusion to this trilogy. So pick all three books up, read them, and leave a review for each wherever you find this review. Let us all know what you think – even if you think I’m a complete moron in my thoughts about these books, feel free to tag me anywhere and let me know! I’m just excited that you’re actually reading them, no matter what you think of them. 🙂

Very much recommended.

This review of Love By Design by Maddie Evans was originally written on October 10, 2025.

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#BookReview: Final Orbit by Chris Hadfield

Tom Clancy Of Space. Except Hadfield Has *Been* There. One of the things that struck me most about this book were the several sequences that were so technically detailed and explaining the almost microsecond by microsecond events that were taking place that it honestly felt like Clancy’s infamous pages upon pages of the first nanoseconds of a thermonuclear detonation in The Sum Of All Fears… except Hadfield’s passages here were nowhere near as long, despite being very similarly exacting and detailed.

Outside of these passages, what we get here is a seeming conclusion to an alt-history trilogy based in and around the time of the Apollo missions, here specifically the Apollo-Soyuz mission.

Using his experiences as everything from a fighter test pilot to NASA pilot to NASA liaison at the Roscosmos HQ to being Commander of the International Space Station (all detailed in his excellent memoir An Astronaut’s Guide To Earth), Hadfield brings the reader into Low Earth Orbit as only an astronaut who has been there – and been there several times – can. The launch sequences rattle and jostle with real power as though you yourself are there in the capsule awaiting ignition of the then-most powerful rocket humanity had ever built – one controlled by a fraction of the computing power (and in particular a fraction of the lines of code) of whatever device you’re reading this review on. Pick your favorite movie showing such a sequence, and here Hadfield has its literary equal if not better. The precise details of NASA and Roscosmos procedures – even technically in the era before Hadfield actually joined NASA – are here, at least at the public or at minimum now outdated levels.

Indeed, the alternate history of this tale actually works as well as it does – and introduces another level of similarity to both Clancy and similar military technothriller author Dale Brown – specifically because the real history details are buttoned up so solidly. Hadfield is able to create a world so similar to our own that it feels just as real… even as certain elements play out seemingly as they only ever do in action books of various forms.

Truly breathtaking in many ways, this is one of those books that will have you checking your own heart’s health as it races with the action at times, but also giving some space to slow down and take a breather as other elements are setting up.

Indeed, if there is one criticism of this book, it is perhaps that one particular inclusion of one particular side tale may arguably be a touch too much and could have likely been left on the editing room floor with no hindrance at all to the tale told here, but even there it is interesting enough and wouldn’t have spared enough pages to make the book feel any shorter.

At slightly over 400 pages, this is one of those books that both feels it and at the same time almost doesn’t, as there is just so much action here. Indeed, we get well into the 90% range of this text before the final moments of the action… and yet the conclusion doesn’t feel rushed at all. Truly well done, beginning to end.

Very much recommended.

This review of Final Orbit by Chris Hadfield was originally written on October 9, 2025.

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#BookReview: A Merry Little Lie by Sarah Morgan

Another Solid Sarah Morgan Christmas Tale. The sun rises in the East. The grass is green. Some politician in your country is being an idiot. Some celebrity said something stupid. Baby animals doing cute things in short videos. The clock showing the same numbers twice every day. The tide comes in and goes away. Ohio State Football being severely overrated. Some things you can just count on, day after day, year after year. They just seem like they’re *always* going to be there, longer than the pyramids of Egypt.

Sarah Morgan writing a 300 ish page Christmas novel that feels like a warm blanket at a cozy fireside with the beverage of your choice on the table beside you and your cat (or dog, if you prefer) curled up at your feet is one of those things, and here, she doesn’t disappoint at all.

As usual, there is at least a touch of drama. A touch of romance. But at its heart is a family coming together for Christmas, and as usual yes, there is at least an element of a road trip involved for some of them.

Indeed, about the only thing to turn anyone off from this book or any of Morgan’s other Christmas romances is that she isn’t exactly a warm glass of milk level spice author. More of a jalapeno or so, *maybe* up to a habanero at certain key moments, but never more than once or twice or so per book. And even then, absent those scenes… yeah, about as spicy as a good eggnog. One where it is blended so well that you get all the flavors of the bourbon and rum and cognac without any burn whatsoever.

Seriously, if you’re looking for a Christmas romance author that you can just buy every year and not have to worry about quality or consistency and just *know* you’re going to get an enjoyable tale long enough to really sink into and spend a few hours with… Sarah Morgan absolutely belongs at the top of that list, and this book, her 2025 entrant here, is no different.

Very much recommended.

This review of A Merry Little Lie by Sarah Morgan was originally written on October 9, 2025.

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#BookReview: Good Days Bad Days by Emily Bleeker

All Too Real. I’ve been reading Bleeker’s books since her debut, WRECKAGE, many years ago now. I even finally got a chance to meet her IRL at Walt Disney World last year when we both randomly happened to be there. (For what its worth, I’m there frequently, living just 2.5 hrs away. In fact, the reason I’m writing this review less than 24 hrs before this book comes out rather than last week is because I was at Disney yet again late last week.) All of Bleeker’s books have been great, and this one is no exception. Several have hit close to home, either because of her Southern roots showing through or just because we’re similar in age and thus have seen a lot of the same events from similar generational views or for some other random reason.

This one is no different there. Something that despite knowing each other for several years now and despite how public I am about my admiration of one of my grandfathers in particular, I’m not *as* public about is that I actually lost three of the four grandparents I knew in my life – my natural maternal grandmother and grandfather and my maternal step grandfather – to dementia long before we lost their actual bodies. Yes, that includes the WWII hero grandfather that I knew as a simple Southern farmer the last 20 years of his life. The one that I could not bear to see in the nursing home losing his mind, so chose to stay away and preserve those memories of that strong southern farmer I had known before that point.

So yeah, this book, partially about a daughter’s experience with her mother who is now suffering dementia hit as all *too* real, particularly when it came to one particular interaction deeper in the text that is a spoiler to reveal.

Bleeker hits all the perfect notes here, particularly for someone in a more… challenging… relationship with her parents before the dementia strikes. All the anger, the fear, the desperation, the longing, the heartbreak… it is all there and captured so well, and yet done in an overall women’s fiction tale that never gets *too* dark or heavy, instead turning to different issues in other relationships both new and old to more fully flesh out the overall story.

The addition of the historical fiction timeline also works quite well here, as we get to see the grandmother and grandfather in their prime, including several of their own life changing experiences before kids came into the picture.

As someone who has long sought the memories of his grandparents lost long ago to first dementia and then death, the historical timeline – and its intersection with the present day timeline, which was executed to near breathtaking (and very dusty room) perfection – was truly remarkable.

This is one that I could very easily see recommending to my mom and “second mom” – one of my mom’s oldest sisters – as they could most likely identify with this particular tale even more strongly than I did, having done so much of the caregiving for their parents in those years, including frequent nursing home visits. As this is an unfortunately far too common occurrence in the US these days… Bleeker could well have the biggest hit of her career to date on her hands, if that particular community starts spreading this book.

With apologies for making this review have so much of *me* in it. But, two things here: 1) Every review should *always* be about the reader’s experience with the book, and thus I needed to explain my history to explain my experience with this text and 2) my own history here really is far too common these days, at least at the very high “grandson of someone who developed dementia” level, and thus I really do think that explaining that these types of readers in particular will find much here actually does help further a review’s primary purpose: to help authors sell books. So even though so much of *me* is interwoven here, I think it actually both works and, for me, is necessary here. But maybe I’m blinded by narcissism or some such here and am an absolute idiot. You should read this book for yourself and absolutely feel free to call me out when you write your own review if you think that is the case. Let us know *your* experience with this book, even if it differs dramatically from my own. Between all of us, we can begin to get a more clear picture of exactly what this book is and is not, and that is always a beautiful thing to behold.

Very much recommended.

This review of Good Days Bad Days by Emily Bleeker was originally written on October 6, 2025.

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#BookReview: Broken Bayou by Jennifer Moorhead

Excellent Debut. This is one of those books I randomly picked up as an Amazon First Read… and then only read it over a year after its initial publication when I was getting ready to read its sequel as an Advance Review Copy.

Y’all… I missed out. This book is truly quite excellent, with a solid plot revolving around a broken woman from a small town having to go back to said town to hide from new problems… and ultimately have a reckoning with past ones too.

As someone from a “small” (yet thriving and growing) Southern town who has indeed seen many more rural towns actively dying off largely similarly to how the town in this book is portrayed, this absolutely strikes as a fictional book that is uncomfortably all too real.

The mysteries of both the past and the present work remarkably well as our lead character tries to reconcile her memories with what she actually sees in front of her today, and along the way we get some very dusty rooms in more ways than one.

Oh, and the murders themselves? I’ve seen more chilling in books… but this is certainly one I’d never seen used in any other book, and is pretty damn chilling itself.

Very much recommended.

This review of Broken Bayou by Jennifer Moorhead was originally written on September 30, 2025.