January 2016 Reads.

Amara's Legacy by By E H Howard 4/5
Captain Riley by Fernando Gamboa 5/5
The Maid of Trelanton by Simon Peel 4/5
Clovehoof by Heide Goody and Iain Grant 5/5
The Aunt Sally Team by Flick Merauld 4/5
Wyrd Sister by Terry Pratchett 5/5
The Great Zoo of China by Matthew Reilly 4/5
The Other Son by Nick Alexander 4/5
A Song for Issy Bradley by Carys Bray 3/5
The Unadulterated Cat by Terry Pratchett 4/5

I had another good reading month.

My worst book I would have to say was 'A Song for Issy Bradley'. Purely because it had way too much religious content. It was a book of the month for an online group I belong to. Don't get me wrong, it was well written and tackled the subject of bereavement.

I won't bother with the best book as I really enjoyed all the others so it is very hard for me to pick just one.

The Unadulterated Cat by Terry Pratchett

The Unadulterated Cat by Terry Pratchett
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

A little bit of fresh air and laughter.
Sir Terry just had such a way with words and his humour.
A great read for any Sir TP fans and especially if you like cats :)

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A Song for Issy Bradley by Carys Bray

A Song for Issy Bradley by Carys Bray
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Oh my, I really struggled with this book. I did think it was well written but for me, there was far too much religious content and scriptures.
I read it as it was the chosen book of the month to an on-line group I belong to.
Ian absolutely infuriated me, but I did understand the depth of grieving Claire was going through.
I really could write an essay but I won't as I do not want to spoil it for other potential readers.

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The Other Son by Nick Alexander

The Other Son by Nick Alexander
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I did enjoy this book although at times I had to put it down as Alice infuriated me so much.
The book is well written and articulated.
I really enjoyed seeing the relationship between Alice and Bruno develop. Tim on the other hand was a wet blanket in a thunderstorm so to speak.
I loved the setting in France, it sounded so lovely.

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The Great Zoo of China by Matthew Riley

The Great Zoo of China by Matthew Reilly
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I really enjoyed this book. It started a little slow but I think it was so we could get to know the characters more before the explosive action started.
Yes, it was very Jurassic Park like, but I prefer Matthew's take on the concept. It was also good to see that the lead character was female, and an action female at that.
I love all of Matthew's books, and this was another great action thriller.

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Wyrd Sisters by Terry Pratchett

Wyrd Sisters by Terry Pratchett
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Just love this book. It was good to reread it again.
Sir Terry had such a brilliant mind and was far the best and foremost fantasy humour author.
I miss him and it's so sad to know there will be no more Discword books.
Nanny Ogg, Granny Weatherwax and Magrat are brilliant characters, so different from each other but so similar too. Granny's one liners are just fabulous.

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The Aunt Sally Team by Flick Merauld

The Aunt Sally Team by Flick Merauld
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I really enjoyed this book. It is well written and the author goes very in depth with the characters.
A group of people who have mostly never met before, respond to an advert to join an Aunt Sally Team at a local pub. Relationships and friendships are formed, some for the better and some for worse.
Flick Merauld touches on various issues, including alcoholism, teenage love, relationship issues and vengeance.
It was certainly a page turner as I wanted to keep reading to see how everything evolved, especially with Dante and Diana. I also really liked Jason's character who was beautifully written.


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Clovenhoof by Heide Goody and Iain Grant

Clovenhoof by Heide Goody
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

This is one of the funniest books I have read in ages. The book is an absolute riot! I was laughing out loud a lot.
I loved the characters and I felt the book was well written. The plot line was great. Satan has been kicked out of hell and made to become 'human' with hilarious results. Aided, mostly unknown and against their better judgement, by Nerys and Ben who share the same building as Clovenhoof.
I also loved the small reference to Sir Terry Pratchett. I think that Discworld fans would enjoy this book although it's in a completely different vain, the humour and puns is just fabulous!


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The Maid of Trelanton by Simon Peel

The Maid of Trelanton by Simon Peel
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

A very well written short story. It was so easy to imagine Trelanton Cove. I live In Hastings by the sea and it was easy to picture the settings.
I enjoyed the characters and felt for Jonathan where his life is concerned.
I am looking forward to reading the two further instalments.

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Captain Riley by Fernando Gamboa

Captain Riley by Fernando Gamboa
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

I purchased this as a Kindle First. I am so glad I did. It was an absolute riveting read. Non stop action and very likeable characters.
Fernando Gamboa's style of writing is excellent. I can see why his books have been best sellers in Spain's Kindle sales.
Not only is their plenty of action, but the book is sprinkled with historic references that add to the ambience of the story.
Captain Alexander Riley is likeable as he is flawed and not portrayed as the absolute perfect hero who gets everything right.
If you are a fan of Clive Cusselor then you are in for a treat, but saying that I would recommend this to anyone who loves a good adventure story.


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Amara's legacy by E H Howard

Amara's Legacy by EH Howard
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

A good entertaining read. The characters were enjoyable even though they were a bit shallow and the book was quite fast paced.
Howards' writing has improved a lot from his first book although again, it needs proof reading better. There was lots of missing words that distracts a little.
I would recommend this book to fantasy lovers who want a quick read as the storyline is very enjoyable.


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December 2015 Reads and Roundup

A Death in Sweden by Kevin Wignall 4/5
Lady Chatterley's Lover by D H Lawrence 3/5
The lore of the Evermen by James Maxwell 5/5
The Wilkie Collin's Megapack by Wilkie Collin's 3/5
Cranberry Bluff by Deborah garner 3/T
The Sea Detective by Mark Douglas-Home 5/5
Amara's daughter by E H Howard 4/5
Anxiety Relief How To Use Mindfulness Based Stress Reduction Meditation Exercises To Develop Peace and Happiness In Your Everyday Life
  byMike Mitchell 3/5
The Last Airship by Christopher Cartwright 4/5
Satan's Shorts by Heide Goody 5/5
Mermen by Mimi Pamfiloff 4/5

Wow, I had a really good reading month! New  good authors discovered and some of them were genres that don't usually interest me.

I was sad when I read the last book of the Evermen Saga by James Maxwell . It is such an awesome fantasy BUT, he is releasing a new book series in May. I can't wait and already have it on pre-order for my Kindle.

I was rather disappointed in Lady Chatterley's Lover. I can see why it got banned in it's time but for me there was too much unrelated gibberish, although I did still enjoy it.

Kevin Wignall and Mark Douglas-Home are superb authors, and I highly recommend that you try their books if you haven't already.

I read 71 books for 2015. I am pleased but want to try and read more for 2016. This could be hard as I do have a tendency to read large books :)

Mermen by Mimi Jean Pamfiloff

Mermen by Mimi Jean Pamfiloff
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Not my normal kind of read, but I have to say it was really rather good. Better than what I expected to be honest.
Not a mer-tail in sight but so many twists and turns. The story is well written and the main characters are likeable. The mermen sound like hunky Adonis's when Mimi describes them with their rippling bodies all wet and glistening :)
Highly recommend if you want some brain candy.



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Satan's Shorts by Heide Goody

Satan's Shorts by Heide Goody
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

I have not read any of the Clovenhoof books but after reading this I will.
Although this one is short stories not all featuring Clovenhoof, I thought they were very funny and had me giggling out loud a few times.
I also thought it was well written.
The situations that Clovenhoof got himself into were outrageously silly but just so damned funny. Loved it!

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The Last Airship by Christopher Cartwright

The Last Airship by Christopher Cartwright
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I really enjoyed the storyline. It was a bit slow in places, but once it got going, it became really action packed with likeable characters.
It could do with some proof reading though as there were a few mistakes but don't let that put you off.
If you are a fan of the Numa Files books by Clive Cussler then I am sure you will enjoy this book as it is in a similar vain.

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Mindfulness: Mindfulness For Anxiety Relief How To Use Mindfulness Based Stress Reduction Meditation Exercises To Develop Peace and Happiness In Your Everyday Life by Mike Mitchell

Mindfulness: Mindfulness For Anxiety Relief How To Use Mindfulness Based Stress Reduction Meditation Exercises To Develop Peace and Happiness In Your Everyday Life by Mike Mitchell
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

I didn't really learn anything new about mindfulness to be honest.
But saying that, it has some very good breathing and body scan exercises in it that I found very helpful and I am sure others will to.


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Amara's Daughter by E H Howard

Amara's Daughter by E.H. Howard
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

A very enjoyable action packed read.
My only criticism is that it wasn't proof edited very well.
It took me a few chapters to really get into it and the writing wasn't brilliant but got better as the book progressed.

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The Sea Detective by Mark Douglas-Home

The Sea Detective by Mark Douglas-Home
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

I thoroughly enjoyed this book. It was evenly paced, and well written combining two stories about Asian children sold into sex slavery and Cal's determination to find out what really happened to his grandfather during the war.
I found Cal's character fascinating along with all his flaws.
If you want to read a good crime novel, I would highly recommend!

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Cranberry Bluff by Deborah Garner

Cranberry Bluff by Deborah Garner
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

A nice quick read, although I found a lot of it a bit predictable. But very nice for a mystery with plenty of characters and nice descriptions.
The book setting was quaint and it did make me feel that I would like to stay there and be served all the yummy sounding food :)
The book also contains recipes that all contain cranberries.

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The Wilkie Collin's Megapack

The Wilkie Collins Megapack by Wilkie Collins
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

I did enjoy some of the stories more than others.
Some of the stories do appear in Collin's The Queen of Hearts.
I really do love the way Collin's wrote. Such a good command of English. I also feel that he was way a head of his time.
Like others have commented on Amazon, it is a shame their is no index to jump to as it does make it difficult to navigate if you wanted to read a particular part of the book.

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