Tag: Hawaii

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#BookReview: A Brief Fleeting Almost Impossible Gift by Karaya Vega

Fault In Our Stars Meets Meet Joe Black Meets Twilight. This is one of those sad romance novels – and yes, it does meet every known RNA/ RWA “requirement” for romance novels – that specifically because it *is* so heavy is actually that much better for it. This isn’t a feel good beach read. At all. This book is going to haunt you in some of the best possible ways – but it is going to have quite a few very dusty rooms throughout. It is a powerful romance of its form, and it has that tinge of the paranormal that humanity has always wrestled with in these points of our lives.

It is almost as much character story as romance, and that is where the real depth comes in. It asks a lot of the questions that are seemingly common at this point, particularly when you are so young. Which I happen to have a degree of experience with these last several months, as my wife had a Widowmaker type heart attack at just 43yo almost a year ago as I write this review, survived (because she was literally 3 miles from Advent Celebration hospital just outside the gates of Walt Disney World near Animal Kingdom), and now less than a month ago had a quadruple bypass surgery. Indeed, that surgery is the reason this review has been so delayed and the reason I fell about a month behind on reviews generally, though this review marks the beginning of the final phase of me catching up on them – this and two other books came in after I knew the surgery was coming, and all three authors knew up front the review would be delayed. So while I’m not dying myself (not any more than everyone is all the time, at least), I’ve been quite close to these questions from the side of the “significant other” and know all too well this side of that. Which I know is something far too many will identify all too well with, either from the characters’ perspectives here or from my own.

For those that can withstand or even appreciate the weight of this tale, it really is one of the better books I’ve read this year – and this was the 75th book I’ve read so far in 2026. Even without looking back, I can tell you that this book is right up there in the top third of those at minimum, *perhaps* as high as Top 10 or even higher. It really is that good – but it is absolutely one that you need to be in a mental place to be able to withstand its weight to fully appreciate, and I understand all too well that not all readers are in such a space at all times. I would still recommend picking this book up for when you *are* in such a space, because even if you’re one of those left behind by someone like these characters, it really can bring a degree of catharsis when you’re in the space to be able to accept it.

For me, the absolute best romance novels are not the bubblegum or even Hallmarkie ones. Don’t get me wrong, those are good for what they are, but they’re the safety blanket or the candy. They’re designed to be safe at worst and even fun and enticing at best, and they are awesome. Needed, even. But the best, most powerful romances for me will always be the ones where death is imminent – and love is chosen anyway. Whether that be a Without Remorse by Tom Clancy, where John Kelly becomes one of the most sadistic, brutal murderers you can think of specifically because he is going after the people who killed the woman he fell in love with while leaving him for dead himself, or a Nicholas Sparks tragic romance or, yes, a Shakespearean romance (no, not Romeo and Juliet, where teens were being overreactive teens and if they had just slowed down and thought things out, virtually none of the tragic elements there would have happened). Or even a Pearl Harbor (the 2001 Michael Bay movie) or even (and I’m really going to piss even more people off with this one that perhaps any of them yet!) the Star Wars prequel movies and how Anakin Skywalker becomes Darth Vader *specifically because he is trying to protect the woman he loves*. This is *that* type of romance, romance knowing death is absolutely imminent, and it is so much more powerful because of it.

Very much recommended.

This review of A Brief Fleeting Almost Impossible Gift by Karaya Vega was originally written on May 23, 2026.

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#BookReview: The Shark House by Sara Ackerman

Beautiful Anti-Jaws. In a sense, this book is the anti-Jaws intended to take everything ugly about Jaws (including its New England setting, sorry Yankees) and make it more vivid and beautiful, with a far stronger emotional component to boot.

Now, admittedly I haven’t read the Peter Benchley original book (yet), but this year *is* the 50th anniversary of the movie that effectively created the Summer Blockbuster out of thin air, and yes, I’ve seen the movie more than a few times (and ridden the former ride at Universal Orlando, may it rest in peace). Stupid Harry Potter. (No, Rowling is awesome. I just hate that Universal decided to rip out Jaws to insert a new HP land. Almost as much as I hate that they took away Dueling Dragons in Islands of Adventure to put in Hagrid’s rollercoaster.) Wait. Wait. Back to the Ackerman’s book.

Seriously though, Ackerman flipped the script from New England (boo! hiss!) to the beautiful Hawaiian waters (yay!), gave us a compelling and complicated shark scientist lead character, truly makes us see the beauty of both Hawaii (as she always does in her books) and sharks, …

Wait. She makes us see the beauty in *sharks*? Those apex predators who are nothing but man eating living torpedos that lurk silently and randomly attack humans? Yeah, well, Ackerman actually has solid in-story rebuttals to all of that, and she works it in without being preachy but instead having her characters truly be in awe of the majesty of the sharks and seeking to understand them.

Combining elements of real-world Hawaiian anti-“mainlander” racism and magical realism to great effect both comedically and in key moments in the story, Ackerman brings in elements of Hawaiian culture in this book I’d never seen her bring in before, and looking at her catalog, I’ve now read 75% of it – the last six of her nine published books. (And I’m fairly sure I have the other three on my Kindle as I type this review.)

Indeed, it is the magical realism elements here that perhaps shine the brightest in the biggest moments of the book and help elevate the book from “just a Jaws clone” to more of a “Moana-esque epic celebration of family and culture”.

Or maybe I’m just completely seeing all of this wrong and being an absolute idiot here. Once this book releases less than two weeks into 2026, make sure to read it for yourself and write your own review. Feel free to call me out on anything you feel I got wrong here. As long as you’re actually writing a review, I’ll gladly take the hit. 🙂

Very much recommended.

This review of The Shark House by Sara Ackerman was originally written on September 23, 2025.

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#BookReview: The Guest In Room 120 by Sara Ackerman

Intriguing ‘What If’? Particularly with the author’s note at the end, where Ackerman notes that her motivation for this book was to try to resolve the mystery behind Mrs. Stanford’s death, this book feels most like a phenomenal book most of y’all have never heard of – The Last At-Bat Of Shoeless Joe by Granville Wyche Burgess. The key difference being that Ackerman admits she created a character to blame the death on, while Burgess actively dug into the scandal and claims to have unearthed new real-world evidence that definitively exonerates Shoeless Joe Jackson of the Black Sox scandal.

This noted, for what this book actually is, it will absolutely put you back into Mrs. Stanford’s last days both in California and in Hawaii, where all of Ackerman’s books (at least every one I’ve ever read, including her January 2026 release The Shark House (review will be written shortly after I finish writing this one)) are set. The story is full of Ackerman’s usual attention to detail of the specific time period of Hawaiian history that her central mystery actually took place in, and really makes the reader long for the Hawaii of old rather than the hyper-touristy destination it can be at times and in places today. (Which is only going to get worse with Carnival Cruise Line resuming cruises from Los Angeles to the Hawaiian islands in the coming years.)

One of the more interesting things about this tale that I’ve never seen Ackerman do is the addition of the novelist character and the discussions on writing novels… which always seem like the author inserting meta-commentary about their own views and practices, even when they’re actively creating a character they actively oppose with every fiber of their being. (As Dale Brown once somewhat infamously did in Warrior Class with the introduction of President Thomas Nathaniel Thorn over 20 years ago now.)

Between the turn of the 20th century timeline and the 21st century timeline, there really are two compelling stories that do in fact eventually sync up to some degree… and the damn cat nearly steals every scene it is in. Seriously, this cat will make even dog lovers want to at least consider have a cat adopt them.

Overall truly a strong book of its type, one that will absolutely leave you questioning the official narrative of Mrs. Stanford’s death – even with the introduction of the fictionalized killer.

Very much recommended.

This review of The Guest In Room 120 by Sara Ackerman was originally written on September 23, 2025.

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#BookReview: Falling For You Again by Kerry Lonsdale

Lonsdale At Her Absolute Best. Gah. These past couple of weeks. So very much going on. My wife had a widowmaker type heart attack, survived while having 2 stents placed in arteries 90 and 100% blocked, and is having a stent placed in her 80% blocked widowmaker artery later this week. Lonsdale herself suffering an unimaginable personal tragedy that is unfortunately all too common – even one of my own aunts has suffered it, and then we get to the dozens of people – including kids – dead in the Texas flash floods less than a week after Lonsdale’s tragedy. Bill Goldberg is facing his retirement match in Atlanta this weekend, and his own father died a week before that match. All the neverending political bullshit. Even I’m facing direct challenges in my own life that in some cases even my wife isn’t as fully aware of just how much they’re weighing on me as maybe she should be, things that few beyond family would even care about – if even them – and which I doubt I’ll ever publicly discuss.

And then we get to this book.

Escapism at its absolute finest, but with so many layers so expertly and intricately crafted that it pulls at the heart just enough for catharsis without delving into pain. That exquisitely powerful balance that the singular best description I’ve ever found of it (so far?) was the moment in XMen: First Class where Charles is teaching Erik to harness his full power and move the (60s era giant) satellite dish some distance away. Lonsdale, in this second chance romance book with various things that will irk various readers, manages to capture that feeling so well without ever even acknowledging it.

This is a romance for the real person. The flawed person. The one with flawed parents. Even the one without parents any longer. The one who just wants to do their job, do it well, and go home to be with their cat and their friends. (Sorry, dog lovers. This is a cat book. Read it anyway.)

If you need your romance books characters to be some idealized Superman or Wonder Woman, well, this book isn’t really for you – but you should still read it anyway, because it will pull at even your hardened heart strings.

If you need ghost pepper level spice in your romance books, again, this book isn’t really for you – but read it anyway and discover how there is so much more to love than just the physical.

If you need your books to have some kind of political messaging, again, not the book for you. Read it anyway and discover the power of *real* relationships, where love and community hold sway over the raw desire for domination and subjugation.

Read this book because as excellent as Lonsdale’s books have been over the years, whether it be the early “Everything” trilogy of romances or the more recent women’s fiction books of the “No More” trilogy and Find Me In California, this really is Lonsdale at her absolute best yet.

And I am 100% honest in saying that of the 90 books I’ve read this year upon finishing this one, this is absolutely in contention for best of the year, certainly for best of the year so far.

Very much recommended.

This review of Falling For You Again by Kerry Lonsdale was originally written on July 8, 2025.

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#BookReview: California Golden by Melanie Benjamin

Moving Coming Of Age For Two Sisters During Surfing’s Golden Years. Another dive into the 1960s, with stops in the 1950s and 1980s as well, this is one of those books that takes that period and adds a flavor not always seen as readily. Yes, even when we eventually go to Vietnam with a couple of characters here, the book manages to show-without-showing the horrors there while focusing on its own spin on the story and era – in this case, how to move on from insta-fame and transition back to “normal” life while still in love with the surf. There is a lot going on in this book, as there was in the era, and the book manages to treat all of it in the same faded golden tones of the current (release day) cover. Note that if you have personal problems with reading about any of the common problems of the era – racism, cults, abuse, the Vietnam war, neglect, unhealthy doses of narcissism, etc… eh, maybe this book isn’t for you. But for the clean/ sweet romance crowd (and yes, this book meets every qualification I’m aware of for that genre), know that there isn’t much if any sex shown “on screen”, and even the worst of the domestic violence is actually off-screen. Overall a fairly realistic while still clearly fictional take on the era, and one fans of surfing’s Golden Age on the untamed shores of Southern California in the early 1960s and Hawaii in the mid 1950s will absolutely love. Very much recommended.

This review of California Golden by Melanie Benjamin was originally written on August 8, 2023.

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#BookReview: The Demon Crown by James Rollins

Tom Clancy Meets Jeremy Robinson Meets Brett Battles In An Epic Race To Save The World. Yet again, Rollins manages to blend different things from science and history in ways that seemingly only he can, though this time he did indeed have shades of the other authors named above. You’ve got the Debt of Honor ties to Tom Clancy with similar villains. You’ve got the Island 731 ties to Jeremy Robinson via using the real-world Unit 731 of the Imperial Japanese Army for some of the backstory. And you’ve got the PROJECT EDEN ties to Brett Battles’ epic series via the ultimate endgames of the bad guys.

And yet Rollins manages to make this story completely his own, with only fans of the other three authors being able to see the connections probably at all. The follow up from The Seventh Plague in the opening scene with Sigma characters is great, and really drives home the very humanity that makes this series so truly compelling. But then the action picks up dramatically, and because of the nature of the threat… never really dies down. Once again the team is split with various people going various places, so people who don’t like following multiple trains on a given story may not like that bit – though at least here, we basically follow the two halves of the Sigma team + the bad guys (a bit). One interesting feature here is that Rollins actually bakes the life span of the featured creature into the narrative here, having one chapter devoted to each stage of its development – from that stage’s perspective. And yes, there are some utterly horrific scenes here as well, as virtually anything based on Unit 731 must include.

Overall an excellent tale and strong followup to The Seventh Plague, and sets in motion events which are sure to pay off down the line as well. Very much recommended.

This review of The Demon Crown by James Rollins was originally written on June 7, 2023.

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#BookReview: Caroline, Adrift by Kay Bratt

Another Strong Family Tale From Bratt. This is yet another tale where Bratt uses elements of her own life and where she is in life to craft a fiction tale that explores deep issues in a serious yet also light-ish manner. Here yet again she shows great love for her youngest daughter’s adopted home of Hawaii and shows that having family thousands of miles away can still result in close bonds – if efforts are made. But the main story is of a woman facing the all-too-real scenario faced by so many women nearing or above Senior Citizen Discount age: what happens when you lose your partner of decades? This is the main thrust of the story, and Bratt does a tremendous job of exploring this scenario, particularly as it also relates to having adult children with their own lives, through the course of this sub-150 page novella. Packing quite a bit here, it is often forgettable just how short this story is – while it reads quick due to its actual length, Bratt manages to have *so much happen* that it “feels” like it could have had an extra 50-100 pages. In other words, don’t let the short actual page count fool you – this is a complete tale, just one without the filler and perhaps extra drama of an actually longer tale. And for those familiar with Bratt’s real-life work rescuing dogs and particularly Yorkies… yes, a Yorkie also appears here. 😀 Ultimately a strong tale filled with great topical exploration… and more drama than ever happens on any of *my* cruises. 😀 Very much recommended.

This review of Caroline, Adrift by Kay Bratt was originally written on January 2, 2023.

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#BookReview: Retribution by Robert McCaw

Propulsive And Explosive. This is one of those books where every challenge only leads to a more difficult challenge – and the challenges don’t start easy for our hardened and capable yet flawed hero. As the stakes rise ever higher, attacking everyone Koa Kane loves, can he save… anyone? Even himself? Well, this is an action book seemingly in the middle of an already successful series. So he’s going to save people, that’s what heroes do in these types of books. But McCaw grounds these books in a fair amount of realism as well, and therefore… well, some may die. Or may not. You’ll have to read the tale to see what happens. 😀 But that ending, setting up an explosive confrontation with a foe Kane thought conclusively dealt with… yeeah… I’m absolutely looking forward to seeing where McCaw takes this series next. Very much recommended.

This review of Retribution by Robert McCaw was originally written on January 1, 2023.

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#BookReview: Eden Quest by David Wood

Tropical Adventure Turns Mystical / Fantasy. This is one of the rare books from Wood (in this series, he does have a pen name that is more pure fantasy) that has any level of actual fantasy in it, and even here it is more of a mystical bent that *could* be read as more scifi – though it is certainly on that boundary, in a similar place as roughly half of Ted Dekker’s Circle Quadrilogy.

What starts out as a tropical vacation quickly turns into a race to find and obtain priceless artifacts which leads to the mystical/ fantasy payoff – meaning that prior to the fantasy section, this is a pretty standard Maddock Adventures book, with the usual elements – various people showing up from prior adventures, Bones showing up where he isn’t “supposed” to be, Bones wise cracking and cracking bones, Maddock outsmarting most everyone and being all chivalrous while doing so, etc. The things that long time fans know and love, but done in a way such that newer readers won’t be lost – but will be enticed to go back and read about these prior adventures with the various connections.

Overall a fun and quick – just under 200 page – read, and thus a good actual beach read. 😀 Very much recommended.

This review of Eden Quest by David Wood was originally written on May 16, 2022.

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#BookReview: Treachery Times Two by Robert McCaw

Santa Blows The Case Open. I know what you’re thinking. You’re thinking (accurately) that Santa is never once mentioned in this police procedural/ mystery set in Hawaii and showing off many elements of its land and people not often seen by non-Islanders. But I swear the connection is there, at least for me – you see, there is one particular clue that blows at least part of this case wide open. It tells Koa, our hero, that all is not as it seems – and an *eerily* similar situation, wherein x happens (though not the exact particulars and certainly not in a murder investigation), is how I learned that Santa wasn’t real nearly 30 years ago. So that was cool for me personally, and shows that just that thing *can* actually lead to life changing real-world events. Overall truly an excellent book of its type, one that shows a great layering of plot and characterizations in order to show just how complex we all are – even when we look like we’re not. Very much recommended.

This review of Treachery Times Two by Robert McCaw was originally written on January 7, 2022.