 Conspiracy, murder, dystopia, young adult fiction / extreme sports: skateboarding
Blurb: “All he wants to do is skate. But they have other plans for him. Michael Daniels is seventeen and dreams to enter professional skateboarding contests. But beneath New Manhattan, a city under the oppressive shadow of climate change, exists another world altogether--secret laboratories which threaten society as he knows it. Those with power will get what they want. No price is too high, even if it means making someone special or robbing them of their dignity, freedom . . . or life. The price is too high for Michael, though. He has endured his stepfather’s abuse and mind games for almost as long as he remembers. Until one day he takes matters into his own hands, ruining the lives of those he loves most. And his skateboarding friends, Alien and Victor, are his only hope for freedom. When there is no hope left, friendship is what remains.” Michael is a seventeen-year-old boy living in New York. His mother died a few months back, and he cannot find peace of heart and mind ever since. He is not on good terms with his father, Hank Daniels, and his sister Rebecca is in Denver, visiting their grandparents during summer vacation. Yes, it is summer, but a different one. With temperatures more appropriate for winter and with lots of dark events, it resembles more of a cruel summer. Michael loves skateboarding, and his main wish would be to take it to the professional level. And this sport and his friends are what keeps him sane. Behind his beautiful psychical figure, intelligent mind, and good heart, Michael hides a big secret. He is ashamed and afraid to share it with his friends. Michael doesn’t know that his friend Alien knows more about him. However, he does know that his friends are on his side, and he can count on them during the hardest times. There are many touching scenes in the story. I loved the most the one when Michael visits Victor's grandmother, Angela, and he reads her poetry. Skateboarding and poetry may not seem to interest the same person. But it does Michael. Michael visits almost daily his mother's grave. “Mama, I’m not happy. Nothing’s been good since you’ve been gone. I’m lost in a world I do not understand, and I am trying to find myself. I despise so many things, and there is so little worth living.” Michael misses his younger sister and scares her a bit when he’s telling her about the visions he has about her. He calls them presumptions. At his father’s suggestion, Michael starts seeing a psychiatrist, Neil. Neil gains Michael’s trust. For a short period, it seems that Neil can help him. Until one day when Michael decided that he needs to stop it. Rebecca suffers too from her mother’s death and finds a bit of relief in the company of Sunny Red. But this relief is about to end when something terrible happens. Her father is dead, and Michael is assumed to be the killer. A real family drama where murder is only one of the so many awful things that take place. Is Hank the victim here or the one to blame for so many wrong things? It is a heartbreaking story, full of love, trust, loyalty, family drama, conspiracy, and a brilliant inclusion of skateboarding. The author, who ingeniously describes skateboarding moves at the beginning of each chapter, managed to create an unpredictably compelling story, beautifully written and beautifully crafted just like in his other books: A world without color, Look for Me Under the Rainbow, and January River. My rating: 5/5. Find it on Goodreads Follow the author on Amazon Author’s website
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 An exceptional mystery read.
Blurb: “She presumed their first meeting had been coincidental, but then discovered that he had already painted her in intimate detail. They agreed not to reveal anything about their previous lives to each other, not even their names. They became lovers and planned to marry, but then he disappeared and she had no means of discovering what might have happened to him. A decade later she received a postcard that enabled her to start the search but, in doing so, she discovered that she could be the most hunted target of the Cold War. She hoped she could survive long enough to find out why. The unseen and unthinkable escalating nuclear arms threat is the dreadful umbrella overshadowing this story, that riddles beneath the ideological standoff that dominated the middle of the last century, but there are other tensions here too, just as dangerous to the individuals involved. National security vies with personal fidelity, integrity with identity and nature with legality in this psychological thriller; and for the protagonist at the heart of it all is the perennial quandary: who really is the person that she loves?” I enjoyed a lot reading this book. The mystery within the whole story kept me reading and wondering what was behind everything. Mrs. A, the poser, the muse or whatever name the main character had is a strong female character on a mission. First, it seemed to be the mission to find her fiancé that she lost contact with since almost at the end of the world war two. As events evolved and more mysteries appeared, the story seemed much more complicated and her mission has changed slightly. The more I've read the more intrigued I became. Everyone seemed suspicious and it was hard to assume what stood behind the conspiracy. The author managed to get my full attention and everything made sense in a specific way. Leftovers from the war, secret objects inserted in people’s body that may become dangerous for many influencing people from many nations, espionage, fake and real deaths, disguises, talking with people you may not know their names and many other elements created the suspense effect of this book. There was love too, sometimes only as an appearance, a fantasy, an imagination or simply a different kind of love. All in all, this is a book I truly recommend. Type of reader: Fans of exceptionally written novels of mystery, thrillers, suspense with psychological touch and flavors of war, espionage, and politics. Quotes from the book: “Derek had been a distraction, but the artist was her muse. She thought about him every day and most nights. She had even thought about him when she had been with Derek; especially at the most intense times. She had long admitted that the man she adored had become an icon rather than a reality. Like so many of those who had not been seen since the war, he remained as he was when last she saw him, even though she knew that, in reality, he must be quite different. She frequently feared that if she saw him again she might not recognise him. Even worse, she might have already seen him and not known it. How terrible that would have been, especially if he had recognised her.” “Dreams and thoughts became intertwined. In light sleep he was her hero, lifting her from the mundane and moribund life of a department store spinster into an idyllic existence amid shared seclusion. In deeper sleep he was a diabolical deceiver, handing her over to Soviet surgeons who removed her hidden appendage without anaesthetic, and then left her to wither from infection. When she was awake he was close and distant, benevolent and menacing, familiar and strange.” “An oath is the truth; but all truths are temporary. Time sees to that. Time changes everything. It changes you, it changes me, it changes everything that there is. It’s foolish to say I will always be this, because being this is not in one’s control. This belongs to time. When time changes this changes also. My oaths were always true. At the time when they were made.” My rating: 5/5. Find it on Goodreads Follow the author on Amazon  Great English humor.
Blurb: “Sisters Edna and Edith inherit the first house on Curmudgeon Avenue from their parents Mr and Mrs Payne who were killed in a freak accident involving an elephant. The two sisters could not be more different if they tried, and now they have to live together in the house they grew up in several decades ago, bringing the baggage of the past with them for our enjoyment. It seems that Edith cannot stop bumping into exes of her older sister, Edna. First there is Maurice - you won't believe what happened with him. Then, whilst Edith is heartbroken and vulnerable, she meets the notable Harold - another ex of Edna's who she really does not want to see. With Edith's son Ricky Ricketts and his on/off girlfriend Wantha (yes that really is her name) trying to protect the sisters it is only a matter of time before Curmudgeon Avenue is filled with laughter. But then things change when yet another ex of Edna's returns, Madame Genevieve Dubois (although things are not as they might seem with this French woman).” From the beginning, I liked the fact that the story was told by a house. How cool is that? The whole book made me smile and even laugh. I love English humor. None of the characters was meant to be really likable and that was what the story needed. Edith and Edna, the sisters that are constantly in argue. One strong and self-confident, the other bit silly and submissive are the heart of the whole story. Harold, well, a guy that no one would like but still matched perfectly in his role. Lots of things are happening in and because of the story-telling house. If you want a fun and unique read just go for it. You won't regret it! My rating: 5/5. Find it on Goodreads Follow the author on Amazon Author’s website  A novel full of details regarding wine and vines.
The concept of this book is an interesting one. When Olivia and her cousins find out they inherited a vineyard, everything seemed surreal. Especially, having in mind the stipulations attached to the will. The author has done a great job in narration, especially regarding the life in a vineyard with all the details, a bit too many, I must say, as it slowed the pace. But there were also moments about life, work, love, and determination. While Olivia and her two cousins were fulfilling their obligation stated in the will, we learn as they do what should to have the harvest at the end of the season. While I'm not particularly interested in wine and its production, I did follow with interest how this inheritance changed the life of the cousins. They became a family, discovered a new passion, and found love and even lost it at times. They found a purpose. It felt as if their grand Aunt Gloria could guess the outcome. The main impact this has on 44-years-old Olivia. After a painful divorce, in a time where she was struggling to keep her job, inheriting a vineyard was more of an inconvenience at first. But then the fun began. Type of reader: Fans of life changing topics with a lot of insight into wine producing. Quotes from this book: “Wasn’t loneliness a kind of freedom? You didn’t have to pick your mess up if there was no-one there to complain about it. You could do as you pleased.” “We’re human. We’re always making mistakes. It shouldn’t stop us trying though.” My rating: 3/5. Find it on Goodreads Follow the author on Amazon  Fast paced and entertaining.
Blurb: “Bridesmaiding is a tedious business at the best of times, but as Julia discovers, the task is particularly cumbersome when one of the brides is your ex and her fiancée won’t stop sulking about it. With the wedding threatening to dominate everything for the rest of the year, a bewildering embrace with a devastatingly attractive pop star offers a welcome distraction. Dating Krisha catapults Julia away from the paltry concerns of dress fittings and hen dos, but it also takes her away from her friends, and directly leads to her most disastrous f**k up yet. Much to her surprise, she discovers that embracing the role she’d accepted so reluctantly might just be exactly what she needs.” This is Holmes’ debut novel and I enjoyed it. The story was fun and entertaining with lots of unexpected twists and turns. The main character Julia, a 27-year-old single woman, has not much interest in her job, not much luck in finding a new girlfriend and in general she's a real mess. With a strong desire for finding love, she was pretty active on online dating. Unfortunately with not much luck. While being a bridesmaid for her friend Freya, something that she didn't enjoy very much, on the verge of losing her job and messing up everything else, Julia's future didn't show very bright. Still, hope exists. Love is out there. Maybe closer than she thinks. Chances are that she will mess up things again. All are variables and everything fluctuates in Julia’s life and mind but still, she does find the strength to make a bit of order. “Julia looked at her old friend, her new girlfriend, her greatest adventure yet, and shook her head.” For the first time in her life, she knew with absolute certainty that she was exactly where she needed to be. Will she manage to keep it that way? I look forward to reading more from this author. My rating: 5/5. Find it on Goodreads Follow the author on Amazon Author’s website  An emotional rollercoaster wonderfully written and beautifully crafted.
Blurb: “When the body of their best friend, Derrick Zachariah, is found in the bushes along the January River, everything comes crashing down for Ethan and William McCoy, Jason Hawk, and Derrick’s sister Sarah in their idyllic small town in the southwest of Nebraska. Derrick’s sudden death completely changes their lives. Living in the tame and peaceful Greenfield with a secret becomes very hard, and almost unbearable for some of them. Things get worse for Ethan and his brother William after someone poisons Ethan’s golden retriever, the dog Ethan saved from near death when he found him on the banks of January River the previous winter. A few years later, when he has reached adulthood, William leaves Greenfield in search for a better, different life. It doesn’t take too long before Ethan follows the footsteps of his older brother and also leaves his hometown. He goes to New York City to visit Will, with hope to find solace, forgiveness and liberation from the ghosts of his boyhood. Instead, Ethan meets, falls in love and marries Susan Dupie, a successful editor of New York’s prestigious magazine, A Way of Life. Susan also falls in love, not only with him but with his writing too, and helps him become a best-selling author. But it is never quite that easy and Ethan’s idyllic life is shattered again by Susan’s illness. Only after Susan succumbs to leukemia does Ethan muster enough courage to return to Greenfield and after more than twenty years reveals the truth about Derrick’s death to his sister Sarah. Some things are better left untold, but the dark secret in Ethan’s heart lying buried in the silent waters of the January River is not meant to remain a secret forever.” Greenfield, a small American town, where diversity in terms of religion, nationality and personal interests were accepted and tolerated, seems to be the paradise on earth. Surrounded by great forests, a beautiful river, populated with wonderful people, isolated from all the happenings in the rest of the USA, this place is nothing far from the ideal place to live in. Ethan, the main character, had a wonderful and peaceful life in Greenfield, playing with his friends and his brother Will. Unfortunately, when only twelve years old, his life takes an unpredictable turn due to the death of Ethan’s good friend. Greenfield suddenly doesn’t look the same anymore. “In a voice as calm as the descending night, he spoke words as icy as the water of the January River in which Derrick, his belly up, floated at that moment. “Why did you let that happen? Why didn’t you help me?” His voice, distant and cold, echoed in Ethan’s head as he shook it from side to side, his eyes closed.” Ethan, his brother, and the other friends were all affected by the sad event and this will have a huge impact on their life. Ethan’s following his brother’s steps and leaves for New York. He got a job, got married, became a successful writer. After everything he’d been through, Ethan would have deserved to have the happily after. Even though at times things seemed to take a positive turn, life gave one strike after another. “Big decisions are often made suddenly. The biggest deals are made in a fraction of a second. It’s up to our wisdom, wits and shrewdness whether they will be worth the trouble or boomerang and hit us in the head.” I liked the fact how the whole story was centered around the January river, the river that passed through Greenfield. All the great and bad things happened there. There’s not a big coincidence why also the dogs that Ethan had were named after the river. Once by choice and the other time, by coincidence. This is a heartbreaking story, full of true love between brothers, parents and sons, friendship, and self-searching. The author managed again to create a real emotional rollercoaster wonderfully written and beautifully crafted as he did with the other books A world without color and Look for Me Under the Rainbow. My rating: 5/5. Find it on Goodreads Follow the author on Amazon Author’s website  For the time being, some of the books are only available in their original language hence, my review will be in that specific language. This book is in Spanish, though a little bird told me that the author has plans to make it available in English. I hope so.
Un romance encantador, desgarrador y emocionante. Blurb/ Desc: “La sargento Bates toma la decisión de retornar a las calles para vencer la criminalidad en su ciudad. Su mayor enemigo, el destino. Tracy Mecher vive en las frías calles de la ciudad en una lucha incansable contra ese mismo destino. El sendero del destino es un relato de amor envuelto en escenas conmovedoras entre estas jóvenes mujeres con sus vidas encaminadas en el mismo destino. Dos mundos contrarios se entrelazan donde tienen que tomar complicadas decisiones para demostrar que el amor no tiene límites. Con una sublime narración, se llega a giros inesperados con los que se descubre la verdadera identidad de una de las protagonistas con sucesos llenos de romance, acción y suspenso. Es una historia que te mantendrá conectada hasta el final para descubrir, ¿cuál será el verdadero sendero a seguir en sus vidas?.” Esta es una dulce y a menudo triste historia de amor entre dos mujeres jóvenes. Al encontrarse, se les ofrece la posibilidad de un futuro más brillante. Es la historia de Tracy y Kristen, ambas de diferentes orígenes, hermosas y con un corazón incorrupto. Kristen es policía y se enamora de Tracy con solo mirarla. No importaba que Tracy pareciera estar sin hogar o que Kristen tuviera novio. Todo lo que importaba era que sentía la necesidad de estar con Tracy. Por otro lado, Tracy ha tenido algunos años difíciles dejando a su familia y viviendo en las calles, una decisión que tomó porque se lastimó al no ser aceptada por su familia. Tracy misma necesitaba algo de tiempo para aceptar quién era y, con la ayuda de Kristen, se las arregló. Fue el destino lo que los colocó juntos, aún así, el mismo destino pone en riesgo su relación y su vida muchas veces. Es un romance encantador, desgarrador y emocionante con mucho drama, giros y vueltas, y un final feliz. This is a sweet and sad love story between two young women. By finding each other they are offered the possibility of a brighter future. It is the story of Tracy and Kristen, both coming from different backgrounds, both beautiful and with an uncorrupted heart. Kristen is a cop and she fell for Tracy just by looking at her. It didn't matter that Tracy appeared to be homeless or that Kristen had a boyfriend. All that mattered was that she felt the urge to be with Tracy. On the other hand, Tracy had some hard few years leaving her family and living on the streets, a decision she made because she was hurt by not being accepted by her family. Tracy needed some time too to accept who she was and with Kristen’s help, she managed. It was destiny that placed them together, still, the same destiny puts their relation and life at risk many times. It is a lovely, heartbreaking, exciting romance with lots of drama, twists-and-turns, and a happy ending. My rating: 5/5. Find it on Goodreads Follow the author on Amazon Author’s Facebook page  A paranormal novel about love, family, bullying, and special gifts.
Blurb: “Henrietta Bailey is a mysterious woman who has spent her entire life living in the town of Crescent, a sleepy beach community in Central Coastal California. She loves the beach, the ocean air, and the town itself. Her simple life fulfills her. However, she spends much of her time reminiscing about her long-lost love, a woman who left her devastated. Now, another woman awaits on the horizon; a wise, intelligent, and sexy lady who is sophisticated beyond her years. This woman yearns for her soul mate and lover. Will she be able to win Henrietta’s heart, or will Henrietta be fated to live the rest of her days alone? All her life, Henrietta has held a gift, one that most of the townspeople fear and do not understand. Still, this doesn’t deter her from pursuing these extraordinary talents, and she does what she can to help others improve their lives. Those close to her encourage her, and new people enter the picture who offer enlightenment. Personal secrets emerge that change the course of Henrietta’s life. Can she do the right thing and move forward? A long-lost mystery comes to the surface, causing upset among some of the town’s residents. Come meet this incredible woman who strives to attain the things in the world she values the most – family, love, and respect.” The story moves along nicely. It contains paranormal elements, and lots of intertwined stories combined with memories, one of them being a fictional lesbian one. Through the memories, we find out a lot about the history of the house in Crescent, his owners over the years and also about Henrietta and her relationship with her mother and grandmother. Henrietta was a good person as a child and also as an adult. “My life is a journey and I celebrate each step of the way with love and joy. I am all knowing, all loving, and an important being in this universe.” Emphatic, shy, hard-working, appreciated by few, including her employers but unfortunately not accepted by many others. She had the capabilities to do readings and talk to those that passed on the other side. Henrietta is now 60 years old, not married, with a tough past and suffering from anxiety because of it. She is quite an introvert, hardly speaking to anyone about the most intimate things. While we get pretty much into details into Henrietta’s life and thoughts we get to find out about Mary, the woman from her past, and also that she gave birth to a son, Andrew, when she was only seventeen. Mary, the love of her life was now trying to get in touch after 20 years after she finally divorced the husband she never loved. Sophia, the gorgeous Italian woman, 30 years younger than Henrietta, tried to seduce her and they had some intimate moments, to Henrietta's surprise having in mind the age gap. Henrietta had a special gift that made others refrain from accepting her, calling her a witch. “...thoughts create our reality and we are in control of them.” With all the added mysteries, the novel is easily gripping. This is a paranormal novel but it's about love, family, bullying, and special gifts. A very pleasant and intriguing read. My rating: 5/5. Find it on Goodreads Follow the author on Amazon Author’s website   Gaudí's work was influenced by his passions in life: architecture, nature, and religion. Gaudí's work enjoys global popularity and continuing admiration and study by architects. His masterpiece, the still-incomplete Sagrada Família, is the most-visited monument in Spain. Barcelona would never be what it is without Gaudi. Visiting Barcelona and the beautiful creations of Gaudi, I came across this book in a gift shop in Parc Guell. The more I walked around the streets of the Catalonian capital, the more impressed I was by Gaudi’s creations. I wanted to know more also about the man who created such unique architectural designs. This book is short and offers little information. Still, I know more after reading it. Like many great people, Gaudi was a simple man with a vision, as says the subtitle of the book. He knew what he wanted, he had the talent. Despite all the barriers that life itself put in his way and his poor health, he managed to create ad leave such majestic works. Gaudí is usually considered the great master of Catalan Modernism, but his works go beyond any one style or classification. They are imaginative works that find their main inspiration in nature. “For Gaudi, the theory of architecture was inseparable from the analysis of the laws of nature and religious symbolism,” says the author. My rating: 4/5. Find it on Goodreads   Captivating and engaging from start to finish.
Blurb: “The year is 1304 A.D. in the Yorkshire area of England. King Dunstan reigns in Europe over the Kingdom of Misty Hill. The King’s castle stands large, beautiful and strong surrounded by large fences and all of his knights and their squires. Not far off from the castle lives the townspeople enclosed by the safety of the Northern Woods and the mystery of the Dark Woods to the South of the Castle. The story showcases a young squire named Jai and his best friend, the beautiful princess Amelie. As the story unfolds we follow both of them on their adventures from their secret meetings in the Northern Woods to their forbidden steps through the Dark Woods. Most especially, though, we follow Jai who quickly develops an unforeseen talent for seeing visions. As Jai and Amelie journey along their days, another kingdom from across the land arrives for The Medieval Games. As The Medieval Games begin, Jai uncovers secrets about the other kingdom to imply that they are more than what they seem - secrets that only he and Princess Amelie are privy to. What will they do with those secrets? What is the other kingdom really there for, if not for The Medieval Games? If he keeps secrets from the King will he risk his chance at knighthood?” This is a sweet and captivating story. The beautiful picturesque writing style is the key element to the plot. The events take place in the year was 1304 A.D. in the Yorkshire area of England. The main characters are squire Jai, a tall young man, and Lady Amelie, his best friend, and the beautiful Princess of the land, both about 18-years-old. As they are friends for many years, despite their difference in their noble status, the reader can easily predict and except them to be together in the future. But the story takes us in witnessing something even more special. “There was a strange yellow door that only Jai could see. A ray of light shot down through the treetops far above them and highlighted the door, standing in the dirt in the middle of the woods.” The visions bothered him because he knew he was the only one seeing them, he knew they were not real, yet he did not understand why he was seeing them. Jai’s vision isn’t something explainable at first but it will save the Kingdom. There are plenty of twists and turns to keep reader’s interest. The ending leaves you with answers and also questions that will make you eagerly expect the next book in the series. I warmly recommend. My rating: 5/5. Find it on Goodreads Follow the author on Amazon |
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Message to you:In order to be a good writer, one has to read a lot. And I do and I love it....and I chose to share my readings with you. Feel free to share with me any of the books you have read or wrote, if I find them interesting I will add them to my list. I'll post my reviews on Goodreads, Amazon and all my social accounts. |
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