Blue Courage – Battle for the Afterlife by C.J. Davis

Blue Courage by C.J. Davis

My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Blue Courage, Battle of the Afterlife is a fantasy book. We are introduced to Reese in a present day situation as he demonstrates his Navy seal training in a daring kidnap rescue from a Mexican drug cartel. It ends with his death and a leap to the afterlife where Reese arrives as a Noob (Newbie)

Here Reese is very naïve and trusting of all those around him, accepting all that he is told without question. We are introduced to groups within the afterlife and Reese discovers that he is destined to become a Centennial Warrior for the Blues in a contest of power and skill. He is taken to a healing chamber and then trained as a warrior with three others for a tournament.

When the Reds start the Centennial contest early the Blues must also head in to danger even though they may not be battle-ready. The contest is watched by other inhabitants of the afterlife on large screens and the story ends with a big power showdown and the promise of more battles to come in the second book of the series.

There are a lot of characters in this book and I would have liked the main characters to have been fleshed out more so that I engaged with them and they stood clearly out from the minor characters. There is a lot of back story to set the Afterlife scene and the Centennial battles and I would have liked to see more time spent on Reese, his feelings, his questions, his life.

Overall I felt there was room to tighten the writing style, and the copy I had needed another proofread.

Find a copy here from Amazon.co.uk or Amazon.com

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Rosie’s Book Review Team #RBRT Alison reviews Round and Round by TerryTyler

Today we have a review from Book Review Team Member Alison, she blogs at http://alisonwilliamswriting.wordpress.com/

Alison chose to read and review Round and Round by Terry Tyler.

Round and Round by Terry Tyler

Here is her review.

Round and Round

Sophie is feeling less than satisfied with her life and with her boyfriend who has developed an interesting new ‘hobby’ – one that she wants no part of. As her fortieth birthday approaches, Sophie thinks back to 1998, the year she received four Valentine’s cards and the year she had to make a choice – but did she make the right one? Feeling alone, now that her beloved Aunt Flick has died, her best friend is miles away and her mother is as being as judgemental and unhelpful as ever, Sophie questions her decisions and wonders what might have been. But Aunt Flick isn’t about to let a little thing like death prevent her from helping Sophie find the right path.

I’m a complete sceptic about things like life after death and guardian angels, but I found myself thoroughly enjoying this lovely book. Sophie is a great central character – I really cared about her and felt her frustration as she struggled to come to terms with the regrets she had about what might have been. Supporting characters are well drawn and believable – they develop along with Sophie. The romance isn’t sugary sweet and there are plenty of laughs too.

I recommend ‘Round and Round’ – having only read Terry Tyler’s short stories before in ‘Nine Lives’ (recommended too) I was impressed by this book and will definitely be reading more of the author’s novels.

5 stars

Find a copy here from Amazon.co.uk or Amazon.com

The Road To Yesterday by Randy Mixter

The Road to Yesterday by Randy Mixter

My rating: 5 of 5 stars

I’m a big fan of Randy’s books he writes all sorts and I really enjoy the ones I’ve read which have a little magic as they cross the thin veil between this life and the next. In this book we meet Dave Burke, grieving husband and father. It’s been two years since he lost his family in a house fire. He lost it all and turned to drink. He’s now been dry for seventy-eight days, he has changed his job and he goes to friends who are “safe”.

There are still huge social mine-fields that Dave avoids and he’s not ready to let go and move on. The trouble is, his family come to him in his dreams, every-night he sees them and Laura his wife says, “You can still save us, you can bring us back”. When he wakes Dave is at a loss as to what to do.

In the end he goes to see a psychiatrist, revealing that he also sees a white deer in his dreams. The white deer keeps turning up, the more Dave can remember. He’s desperate not to forget any moment from the past which involves his family, and he writes down all his memories.

I loved the ending, I didn’t see it coming at all and that made it even more magical for me.

Find a copy here from Amazon.co.uk or Amazon.com

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