Tag: adventure

Posted on

#BookReview: Island Endgame by Rebecca Hodge

Action Packed Island Adventure With Heart. This is one of those books that is going to be great for damn near any reader. If you’re more a women’s fiction type… well, there’s a lot of aspects of that happening here between one of our main characters coming to the island specifically over some trauma she is trying to heal from and one of our other main characters and the reasons she lives on the island permanently. Both of which play central roles in this tale.

Then for the action/ adventure/ mystery crowd, suddenly the tale spins and becomes much more action/ suspense/ mystery based, with unexpected newcomers threatening to kill everyone currently on the island. Through this section – much of the rest of the book, with the relationship drama folded into this new survival/ action pacing – we get a near Atomfall / early Tomb Raider/ Lara Croft type tale wherein the islanders have to evade their captors and sneak their way around as they work to find some way back to safety.

Both sides of the storytelling work well with each other, with richly detailed main characters providing a lot of the heart even as their various and conflicting motivations also lead to some of the difficulties being faced here.

The Pacific Northwest island setting also plays a strong role here and Hodge describes it so wonderfully that you’ll likely want to consider vacationing out there yourself… without the drama and survival tale taking place within the setting of this particular tale. 😀

Truly an excellently written tale that works superbly on many different levels.

Very much recommended.

This review of Island Endgame by Rebecca Hodge was originally written on August 18, 2025.

Posted on

#BookReview: Roswell Incident by David Wood

David Needs To Open A Teepublic Store. Y’all Should Help Me Convince Him. 🙂 This was another fun entry in the long and spiraling Dane Maddock saga, but also one that those new to Wood can pick up as their first book and neither have much spoiled nor miss much of anything, as it largely is a fairly solid standalone tale with a couple of links to a larger world – though one of those links in particular does play a larger role in the epilogue than it does in the overall tale here.

Instead what we get here is an adventure thriller based in the American Southwest featuring its most famous of creatures – the Roswell Aliens and the various lore and objective facts that are known about that event all those years ago. As usual, Maddock himself has seen some things, but is still the more down to earth explorer. His partner “Bones” Bonebrake… is the more outlandish believer of many things who also happens to be *very* good at, well, breaking bones when the need arises.

As with most of these tales, there is at least some plausibly achaeology-ish setup, a lot of being chased by people with bad intentions, a few key fights, and (particularly later in these adventures, as this book is), some element of scifi and/ or the supernatural. Though in this case it *does* have a more interesting spin on the concepts than I’ve seen in other works, and I’ve read a lot of interesting stuff related to these particular events.

But the reason David needs to create a teepublic store: He has created a symbol for a group – and granted, these people are the antagonist for this novel – that is so badass I actually would consider getting a tattoo of it, and despite having several tattoos, many of them book-inspired, that isn’t something I say very often. I would *absolutely* wear this on a shirt in a heartbeat, and I honestly think even just having stuff available with this image alone would have enough sales to at least warrant the effort of creating the shop and making it available.

But y’all need to read this book and leave your own reviews of it, and tell David to create the shop so we can buy the shirts. Maybe if enough people har – I mean, gently ask him – he’ll eventually do it just to get us to leave him alone? 😀

Very much recommended.

This review of Roswell Incident by David Wood was originally written on June 29, 2025.

Posted on

#BlogTour: The Amalfi Curse by Sarah Penner

For this blog tour, we’re looking at a book that will transport nearly anyone to the beauty of the Amalfi Coast of Italy for nearly anyone who may possibly want to go along for the ride. For this blog tour, we’re looking at The Amalfi Curse by Sarah Penner.

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

Something For Damn Near Everyone. Seriously, this book has a LOT. You’ve got romance, in both timelines. You’ve got a touch of action, in both timelines. You’ve got adventure, again, in both timelines. You’ve got pirates and witches. You’ve got a lonely mom just trying to keep her family together. You’ve got a son desperate to keep his business… in business. You’ve got various heartaches. You’ve got at least some humor. You’ve got an academic investigation. You’ve got the fucking Amalfi Coast of Italy, which apparently is one of the more beautiful settings in Europe. (One I personally have no interest in ever visiting, despite this book’s strong efforts of conveying just how beautiful it is. I have do doubt it is every bit as beautiful as this book describes so vividly… and yet, I can tell you of places in the Caribbean and the Americas that are just as beautiful. :D)

Overall, the story works well here in both timelines. Yes, it can be a touch slow at times… but then, in a setting such as this… maybe you want to more casually linger, have a more relaxing time in this world and in this location, if only in your mind while you trudge through your “real” life in whatever location you may find yourself in. It *does* take a bit more effort to get into the 19th century story than the 21st century one, but once you do… both parts are equally magic.

Ultimately it almost doesn’t matter how you approach this book – whether you’re in it for the 18th century pirates/ witches story, the 21st century travel/ adventure/ discovery story, either one of the romances, or even just here for some of the secondary characters or just to hang out in the Amalfi Coast for a few hours in your mind… you’re going to find something to enjoy here regardless. Truly about the only types of readers that will be overly disappointed – and I’m warning you now if you’re one of these – are those who can *only* read balls to the wall action or Carolina Reaper scorching, damn near erotica, romance, as neither of those are here at all – though their milder forms certainly are. Enough to get the pulse pounding but perhaps without the flood of adrenaline. 🙂

Very much recommended.

After the jump, an excerpt from the book followed by the “publisher details” – book info, description, author bio, social links, and buy links.
Continue reading “#BlogTour: The Amalfi Curse by Sarah Penner”

Posted on

#BookReview: Rescue Run by John Winn Miller

WWII Historical Fiction *Action* Book. *With A Bibliography*! Yes, you read that right. Not only do we get a kick ass action/ adventure tale set during WWII, but this one is so accurate that it actually has a bibliography longer than some nonfiction books I’ve read recently!

The tale itself, while technically a sequel, has enough in the story here to provide the necessary context to understanding this tale itself… *and* has a summary of book 1 at the back of the book, just before the bibliography, as well, for those that need it laid out a bit more explicitly and don’t mind being completely spoiled on Book 1. For those that would rather read Book 1 first… I haven’t read it, but if it is anything like this one you’re in for an awesome time and apparently you’ll be ready for this one pretty well as soon as you finish that one.

And what a tale it is! Yes, if you’re looking for *hyper* realism… you’re going to be disappointed. There are *several* times where in real life…. yeah, dead or in prison or in prison and then dead. But you don’t (shouldn’t) read action/ adventure tales for that level of realism, and the level of realism brought more generally, with the various units and locations and tech and such is on par with the best WWII era historical fiction tales I’ve come across.

With the running problem in booklandia of needing more male readers and with the “understanding” that once a male hits 40 he either becomes intently focused on WWII or on grilling… for those who, like me, went the WWII route (though admittedly I did it long before 40 due to both of my grandfathers serving in it), this book is going to be one those types of guys are truly going to enjoy.

But truly, if you’re into action tales and/ or historical fiction tales set in WWII, you too are going to find a lot to enjoy here, and I really do think this one will be something you’ll want to read as it brings a style not commonly seen much (if at all) anymore, and one which I believe needs to be celebrated just as much as the more women’s fiction oriented tales of the period. (Which are awesome in their own right, to be clear… but they’re also not this particular type of tale either, and I believe there is more than enough space on the digital shelves for both types of stories. 🙂 )

Very much recommended.

This review of Rescue Run by John Winn Miller was originally written on March 28, 2025.

Posted on

#BookReview: The Gray Ghost by David Wood And Stephen John

Maddock AND Bones. Back Together! And Taking On A Civil War Mystery! This is what I love to see from Wood. Both Dane Maddock and Uriah ‘Bones’ Bonebrake back together again solving archaeological mysteries and kicking ass when needed.

The mystery – and adventure – here are awesome for this Son of the South who frequently notes how the Civil War is literally still visible in my home region between Atlanta and Chattanooga… and it isn’t even hard to find in that particular region. While this mystery starts in Virginia, it does in fact also find itself in a location I’ve been to a few times – even taken a date or two out there, *many* years ago. Atlanta’s Stone Mountain Park, home of the largest bas-relief sculpture in the world… and site of many anti-Confederacy protests over the years.

But even if you’re not from the Southern United States and haven’t grown up with this history all around you (as only certain regions of even the South have), the mystery here is still top-notch, and the action is even better. If you like say National Treasure, the 2000s era movie where Nic Cage steals the Declaration of Independence… now imagine Nic and his best friend are both former US Navy SEALs, with action – and danger – ramping up to challenge even them.

Ultimately this was the same type of dangerous (for the characters) yet fun (for the reader) action/ adventure tale that makes this series so excellent, and this was yet another truly great entry in this long running series.

Very much recommended.

This review of The Gray Ghost by David Wood and Stephen John was originally written on March 2, 2025.

Posted on

#BookReview: The Ezekiel Code by John Sneeden

Solid Adventure W/ The Promised Christian Apocalyptic Themes. Going into this review, I was going to call out the heavy use of a particular version of Christian eschatological (end times) thinking, one that the reader of both this review and this book may or may not agree with/ have issues with (but you should absolutely read this book even if you do, as it *does* work within-world). But then I noticed the description of the book, and a careful reading there actually points the reader to knowing that these themes will be there. So hey, you’ve now been warned both in the description and in this review. Still, again, even if you are die-hard 100% adamantly opposed to believing anything remotely similar to this strain of thought… read this tale anyway. It is more action/ adventure/ spy thriller than anything overly Christian, and even when it gets into its (several) eschatological discussions, it isn’t preachy about it. Instead, the tale lays out the in-world reasons for thinking this way, and as this is admittedly a fiction tale, it never actually makes “real”-world claims about the authenticity of any of them. Yes, prayer and conversion are also discussed here, but again, always in world and never overly preachy, and those familiar with American conservative evangelicalism will likely be familiar with most of the speech patterns used here. (Even if you’re not familiar with that particular version of Christianity, it will be close enough and explained well enough in-world to follow along.)

No matter what else, this is absolutely a fun adventure with tinges of the scifi, and absolutely worth the read no matter your thoughts on any “real”-world issue. Very much recommended.

This review of The Ezekiel Code by John Sneeden was originally written on November 7, 2023.

Posted on

#BookReview: The Last True Templar by Boyd Morrison and Beth Morrison

Middle Ages Mediterranean Adventure. One of the interesting things for me when reading this book is that David Wood released his book Baal just a couple of weeks before this one came out, and both books are rather similar at the highest of levels – in that both are adventure books touring the Mediterranean Sea region in search of lost treasures. Separated by a few hundred years and thus with completely different specifics as far as character motivations, transportation, weapons used, cultures, etc. And to be clear, with Beth Morrison – an apparently renowned Medieval period scholar – as coauthor here, the actual historical aspects – from the various factions involved to the different cultures of the various Italian cities to even exactly how different things worked and who would have what skillsets, are apparently spot-on, so best as I could tell anyway. Paired with her brother Boyd’s action story sensibilities, once again the two create a spectacular historical fiction tale that anyone interested in any modern action/ adventure tale can also love – and showing those who “only” read historical fiction that modern tales can also be just as great. Overall truly an outstanding book, and I hope these siblings can continue to work together for many more books to come. Very much recommended.

This review of The Last True Templar by Boyd Morrison and Beth Morrison was originally written on September 28, 2023.

Posted on

#BookReview: Baal by David Wood and C.B. Matson

Wild Ride Action Adventure. This one has everything – exotic (at least to American audiences) locations throughout the Eastern Mediterranean, unintentional/ intentional skydiving, long distance endurance swimming, running from bad guys via various means, lots of guns, a few explosions here and there… and a touch of the mystic, just because this *is* Maddock and Bones and, well, that’s kind of what they do these days in particular. 🙂 This time, they’re back with the more complete team, and as such this *is* one of the longer, more involved adventures – this isn’t one of the shortish adventures that may be able to be read in an hour or two, but it also isn’t so long as to feel out of place in the overall series or genre. So sit back, strap in, and enjoy the ride. Very much recommended.

This review of Baal by David Wood and C.B. Matson was originally written on September 16, 2023.

Posted on

#BookReview: The Last Odyssey by James Rollins

Good Change Of Pace After The Last ‘Trilogy’. The prior three books in the Sigma Force series proved to be almost an in-series ‘trilogy’, with a lot of events playing directly off prior events. Here, we get a good change of pace – Kowalski actually starts the tale, and he has some major things going on. Gray and Seichan come in later, when things get a bit more hairy, and Kat and Monk, and even Painter, are barely mentioned at all after playing major roles in the prior books. The actual story here is one of the more intriguing in the series, particularly with more modern findings establishing that at least parts of the Illiad and Odyssey may have been factual. Rollins then does his thing with combining history and science into fascinating “what-ifs”, with plenty of action and drama and double crossings to boot. If you’re reading these – or virtually any – action/ adventure books expecting 100% realism… well, you’re probably *really* fun at parties, aren’t you? (/sarcasm) For the rest of us looking for a few hundred pages of fun escapism… let’s go on a romp from one end of the Mediterranean to the other, with a couple of stops in some other places to boot, shall we? Very much recommended.

This review of The Last Odyssey by James Rollins was originally written on July 1, 2023.

Posted on

#BookReview: The Seventh Plague by James Rollins

Like Riding A Bike. It had been quite a while – and a few *thousand* books – since I read the prior book in this series. In the intervening years, I’ve started a few different bookish projects, begun reviewing every book I read, and even met Mr. Rollins himself a few years ago, just before the insanities took over the world. And yet coming back into the world of Sigma Force, to pick up here with Book 12 as I gear up to read an Advance Reviewer Copy of the upcoming Book 17, Tides of Fire, was truly like riding a bike. Even across all the years and all the books, Rollins told enough of the backstory here for me to be able to remember what was going on in this world – without rehashing every minor detail. For example, he would mention Monk’s prosthetic hand… without going into the details of that mission (book) and how he lost it. So this made it quite easy indeed to get into the groove of this particular book… and boy, what a book.

There have been several various scifi tales over the years seeking to explain some or all of the Plagues of Moses, and yet Rollins here manages to do it in a way I’d never seen before, while incorporating several other wide ranging myths and techs as well… as Rollins does. So while the driving force is the Plagues of Moses (and one of them in particular), we also see Nikola Tesla and some of the mysteries around his life. We see the mystery of the elephant graveyard. We even get appearances from both David Livingstone *and* Mark Twain. And cutting edge discoveries such as a strange new class of bacteria.

All rolled up into one action packed, near balls to the wall, globe trotting adventure trying to save the world before the forces of… well, misguidedness, let’s call it in this case… can try to destroy it in their hubris.

Truly a fun read, and one I’m glad I’ve come back to after all these years. Very much recommended.

This review of The Seventh Plague by James Rollins was originally written on June 3, 2023.