October Editions of Fleet Life and EHD #Bookreviews

I am lucky enough to write a set of book reviews for two local magazines both with on-line versions.

Oct Fleet

This month’s books in Fleet Life can be found at http://www.fleetlife.org.uk click on the on-line directory and turn to page 6 where you’ll fine the following books;

The Shell by Tony Riches

Wild Water by Jan Ruth

The Road To Yesterday by Randy Mixter

Round and Round by Terry Tyler

Beneath The Surface by Mike Martin

Books featured in The Elvetham Heath Directory with it’s online version at http://www.ehd.org.uk , click on the on-line directory and turn to page 6 for;

EHD Oct

The Mystery Box by Eva Pohler

Reckless Recon by Rinelle Grey

My GRL by John Howell

The Scrolls of Scion by TJ Therien

Manic Mondays by Michaela Weaver

Reckless Recon by Rinelle Grey

Reckless Recon (Barren Planet #3)Reckless Recon by Rinelle Grey

My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Reckless Recon is the third book in the Barren Planet series. I made a slow start as I tried to remember what had happened in the last book, but I soon picked up the story from the reminders in the plot. A group of rebels are looking for a new planet to inhabit after leaving The Colonies because they disagreed with the strict rules implied to restrict the population growth.

Kerit volunteers to go down to the uninhabited planet to set a beacon so that a new process called terraforming can be used to make the planet habitable. However he bumps into Folly who informs him that at least 5000 people already live undetected on the planet inside a giant cave.

Seizing an opportunity to use Kerit’s shuttlecraft, Folly gets Kerit to fly her to the city of Tadig. A deserted city in ruins after a meteor strike, in search of her father. Instead they find a vicious alien and only just escape with their lives. Folly takes Kerit to meet her people but they are set in their ways and refuse to believe her about the alien. They are even more surprised by the news of 1000 people waiting in the spaceship Resolution above the planet who want to make it their new home.

I really like this series. In this book Rinelle creates a cute furry creature called a skuttle and I enjoyed the idea of the huge cave housing plants and animals and surviving on a planet with dust and acid rain. Looking forward to reading the next instalment for the space travellers.

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

Rosie’s Good Read collections; Sci-Fi

Welcome to “Rosie’s Good read Collections”, I’ve put together the books I’ve read into subject headings that I think the books belong to, for you to browse.

12640824The First Lady in Danger? Jump into the past to save her! Enter an upside-down world where Soviet henchmen botched their mission to eliminate John F. Kennedy fifty years ago, slaying his wife Jackie instead. The unthinkable crime incites Americans and triggers an unending war with Russia. In present day, as the two superpowers teeter on the brink of mutual destruction, a team of outlaws discovers a way to jump through time. The wisecracking felons decide to take matters into their own hands by traveling back to 1963 to save Jackie K. To fix the future, they must right the wrongs of the past. But, their mission may go awry . . .Goodreads, Amazon.co.uk, Amazon.com, My Review: http://wp.me/p2Eu3u-1Kz

17875009Rose comes from the capital of the Confederation of Cities where its citizens live in luxury and the greatest fashion statement of all is being Altered.  People change everything about the way they look as often as they do their hairstyle but Rose is different.  Her position of privilege has made her an outcast and led her to suspect that something sinister is happening to the citizens and flees the capital along with a past that imprisons her in search of a fresh start in the Land of the Unaltered.
Flynn lives in the Land of the Unaltered and hates the capitol and everything it stands for.  So when a spoiled capital girl is assigned to work with him, he wants nothing to do with her and is prepared to make her life miserable.  But Flynn was not prepared for someone like Rose.  She doesn’t fit the mould he expected and finds himself strongly attracted to her.  As she continues to surprise and outwit him, they begin to forge a bond that is tested when they discover a secret that could change everything they know about Land of the Unaltered. Land of the Unaltered is a Dystopian Romance and is the first instalment of the “The Confederation Chronicles” Goodreads, Amazon.co.uk, Amazon.com, My Review: http://wp.me/p2Eu3u-257

Next the first two books in a series by Rinelle Grey which also fit into the romance genre.

18603639Stranded on the dying planet of Zerris, Marlee longs for the one thing she can’t have…a family. Due to the noxious gas covering the planet, she can’t conceive a child, and the Council, determined to repopulate the planet, have ended her third-and most precious-relationship. They insist she pick a new mate and try again, but she’s sworn off love and the possibility of ever having a real family. When a ship from the thriving planet of Urslat crashes on Zerris, Marlee rescues the ship’s daring captain, Tyris. His ship is grounded, winter is setting in, and he won’t survive without help. She offers him a deal…he can live with her if he pretends to be her mate so the Council will leave her alone. Tyris agrees and a hungry desire sparks between them as they battle the harsh winter and primitive conditions. Their attraction grows, and soon, keeping their distance becomes impossible, even more challenging than the snow, the Council, and, for Marlee, the risks of a real relationship. Goodreads, Amazon.co.uk, Amazon.com, My Review: http://wp.me/p2Eu3u-1WI

18385928With Tyris’s home planet in sight, Marlee is looking forward to exploring her new home. Only a routine medical exam to go, then they can be together on the thriving planet of Urslat. Incredibly, the exam reveals something that shouldn’t be possible. Something that is actually illegal because of Tyris’s past. Marlee’s pregnant. Marlee and Tyris will do everything they can to keep their secret safe. But Urslat has its own problems, forcing Marlee to choose between everyone she has ever known and the ultimate secret she carries within. Goodreads, Amazon.co.uk, Amazon.com, My Review: http://wp.me/p2Eu3u-2HV

Good Deeds Week 8th – 14th December

This is a diary of my year long challenge to complete at least one good deed a day for a year. I started back in the middle of April when I began reading “A Year of Doing Good” by Judith O’Reilly. Her book inspired my own challenge. If you are looking for a Christmas gift for someone who sets themselves up with New Year’s resolutions then this may be ideal. Find a copy here on Amazon.co.uk or Amazon.com

Good deedsDecember 8th – This is my 34th week of my challenge. Sent out a reminder about my December competition to win a e-copy of “Family Ties” by E.L. Lindley. Went to visit my parents and tweak a couple of e-mail issues for them. Wrote a book review for Goodreads and Amazon.

December 9th – “It’s beginning to feel a lot like Christmas…..” Started my morning at school receiving a gift and huge thanks from the class I help with on Mondays. Then settled down to give my time to the children. Next week they will be doing a dress rehearsal for their Christmas play, so I said I’d pop in and help them all get dressed up ready, as a local newspaper photographer has been invited along.

December 10th – It’s READ TUESDAY today an event organised by Chris McMullen to promote books which are discounted for the day, a bit like a Black Friday deal. So I’ve been tweeting and sharing the event, plus I’ve downloaded some books which I’ll read and review to share some more with you all. My Christmas themed book tour is going well and people are also enjoying my daily Good Deed Suggestions for this season of Goodwill.

December 11th – Have been working with Rinelle Grey a fellow author from Australia who I met over the internet, she has a new book out Thursday 12th called “Twin Curse”, it is a fantasy romance which I have thoroughly enjoyed reading. This evening has been full of Good Deeds given and received, I went out with a couple of friends, they organised it and picked me up, we went to dinner in a local pub and had a lovely meal. One friend needed our support with some very stressful issues that she is dealing with at the moment and we provided the much needed help only close friends can give.

December 12th – Rinelle’s book is out check out “Twin Curse” here on Amazon.co.uk or Amazon.com for a great e-copy download. Am going to look up some articles and books for my friend who needs our love and support at this time.

December 13th – Whilst Checking out the super new build to local garden centre Redfields, donated some money to Fleet Lions who raise money all over town and put on special events. Dived into the supermarket do get all the shopping I missed off my list the last time I went and bumped into a friend whom I haven’t seen for ages. Had a quick chat and caught up on news.

December 14th – A home day today, I’ve managed to clear up lots of leaves from my neighbours tree and cleared our shared pathway. Then there is my Rosie’s Good read collection that I’ve posted today, check out the Travel books I’ve recommended. http://wp.me/p2Eu3u-37k Also I’ve Tweeted about some great posts that fellow writers have posted today.

My Good deed for readers to take part in during this season of Goodwill, Today, sort out some books to recycle either to give to friends to read or to take to the charity shop.

Twin Curse by Rinelle Grey

Twin CurseTwin Curse by Rinelle Grey

My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Twin Curse is another book from Australian author Rinelle Grey, I was thrilled to be offered the opportunity to read and review an ARC copy and couldn’t wait to start reading. I would describe this as a fantasy/romance. Twins are rare in this land, but when a man finds twin sisters he can’t wait to get married because he gets to marry both as an ancient law is upheld. Mianna and Brianna are of marriageable age and there are few suitors in their village because of the constant attack by Trolls. Brianna is torn between her twin and her heart, she cannot face marrying the man her twin has chosen, so she fakes her death and runs away. Brianna runs to the city, but it is not all she hopes until one day she meets a young man. Lyall instantly recognises a fellow mage, but Brianna seems unaware of her magic and power. Back in Brianna’s village the worst attack ever from the Trolls leads Brianna to make drastic decisions. Rinelle weaves a magic of her own throughout this book, the settings and the characters are well written. The concept of a magical curse and ancient rules set by Kings long ago is peeled away in gentle layers as you read through the book. It’s the young of today who must choose how they take forward the rules of the land and how they will change them for the better. I really enjoyed the book and look forward to reading more books from this author.

For an e-copy of this book visit Amazon.co.uk, Amazon.com 

View all my reviews on Goodreads.

Reckless Rebellion by Rinelle Grey

Reckless RebellionReckless Rebellion by Rinelle Grey

My rating: 5 of 5 stars

This review is based on an ARC of Reckless Rebellion sent to me by the author. It is the second book in the series and I thoroughly enjoyed it. The story follows on from the first book where refugees from a stranded planet return to the main Colonial planet and their future plans are greatly changed. The book is a very readable sci-fi romance which would appeal to many readers across both genres, there is a strong passion for survival from the characters which leaves a warm after glow when you reach the end of the book. I believe Rinelle is working on the third book which will be available next year and shall look forward to catching up with the characters in the next part of their adventures.

You can catch up with my review of Book 1 in the series Reckless Rescue, here http://wp.me/p2Eu3u-1WI

If you missed yesterday’s guest author interview with Rinelle catch up with us here http://wp.me/p2Eu3u-2FB

Reckless Rebellion, seek out your copy here from Amazon.

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Guest Author Rinelle Grey (Oct 14th)

Today my guest author is Rinelle Grey, please join me in welcoming her to the blog. Tomorrow you can read my review of her new book.
Rinelle Grey
1) Where is your home town?
Currently I live just outside of Brisbane, in Queensland, Australia. I was  born here, and lived in the area for a large proportion of my life. In fact, I  hadn’t even left the state until after I turned 18! But I’ve moved around a lot,  up and down the coast a bit, especially in my teenage years, so I don’t really  consider any particular place my ‘home town’. Home is where my family is.
2) How long have you been writing?
I’ve always loved writing. As a child, my favourite part of the school day  was when we had time for ‘creative writing’, and could write about whatever we  liked. I started several books as a teenager, but then life got in the way, and  I was busy with university, jobs, and getting married. I picked up writing a  little in my late twenties, and wrote about 6 chapters of a fanfiction story,  before finding out I was pregnant. Writing went out the window again for a  while, then in 2006, when my daughter was about 18 months old, I heard about  NaNoWriMo, and I was hooked. I won that first year, and finished that book at  120k a few months later. Since then, I’ve written more months than not.
3) I see your book “Reckless Rescue” as a sci-fi romance, is this what you  were aiming for?
I wasn’t really aiming for any particular genre. I knew the book was  romance, but the sci-fi elements were just part of the story. I hadn’t actually  heard of sci-fi romance until I friend of mine said that’s what she wrote, and I  realised Reckless Rescue probably fell into that category as well. I still  hesitated for quite a while, because my sci-fi elements are quite soft. You  won’t find any technical details or hard to understand passages in my novels.  But the concepts are most definitely sci-fi, so it’s hard to argue that that’s  where it belongs.
4) Many of the people from your book live in a world without technology,  did it take a lot of research to write these parts of the book?
I’ve always been interested in living without technology. For a portion of  my childhood/early teenage years, we lived on a property without power or  running water, so I do have personal experience to draw on. A lot of Marlee’s  experiences, such as milking goats, gardening, sewing, spinning, bottling etc,  are all things my mother did, and I enjoyed. In fact, learning how people dealt  with snow required a lot more research for me, since that’s something I have no  experience with.
5) Some of the drastic steps that the stranded people took in order to have  children were very harsh emotionally, where did those ideas come from?
I’m not sure exactly where they came from, they just sort of evolved as the  story grew. Some, no doubt, come from an article I read on China’s one child  policy, and the problems that has caused, but I couldn’t say that was the direct  inspiration.
6) By mixing romance and sci-fi I think you are helping to get people to  explore reading new genres, would you say your strength is romance or  sci-fi?
I’d definitely say my strength is in the romance side of things, although I  have watched a lot of sci-fi! I love writing romance, but I like to add in a  little extra, either in the form of sci-fi, or fantasy. I love the extra  interest you can add when you change a few details of the world, and the extra  complications it can cause for the characters is fun! Introducing new people to  the genre is an added bonus.
7) Your book is available on Amazon, I know there are different royalty  payment rates across the world. Do you mind telling our readers the minimum  sales you need in Australian dollars before you get a payment.
Unfortunately, Amazon won’t direct deposit into an Australian bank account,  so payments are done by cheque. The minimum amount you need before they’ll send  you a cheque is $100, which is good, because it costs me $15 to cash one! I have  just opened a payoneer account though, and I’m hoping that will be more  convenient, and involve less fees!
8) You have a sequel to “Reckless Rescue” called “Reckless Rebellion”, can  you give the readers a few hints about what we can expect in this book? When  will it be available to buy?
Reckless Rebellion is due for release on the 18th of October. I don’t want  to give away too much yet, but let’s just say that Marlee and Tyris are going to  find themselves with an even bigger battle to fight once they return to Tyris’s  home planet of Urslat.
9) Can you tell the readers what else you get involved in, I believe you  are involve with a “Fantasy Friday” writing group.
I have been doing a ‘Fantasy Friday’ segment on my blog each Friday, but  it’s just me. I’ve been posting excerpts from some of my fantasy romance  stories, mostly my upcoming Twin Curse, which I hope to have out in  December.
Reckless-Rebellion-web
Get a copy here from Amazon.
You can catch up with my review of Reckless Rebellion here on the blog tomorrow.
If you want to read my review of the first book in the series “Reckless Rescue” click here http://wp.me/p2Eu3u-1WI

July Issue of Fleet Life featuring Rosie’s Reads

It’s July already and I’m thrilled to announce my Rosie’s Good Reads page in this months issue of Fleet Life. To view this online go to www.fleetlife.org.uk click on the online directory and find my reviews on page 36.

July Fleet LifeThis month I have included; The Doctor’s Deceit by Kathy Steinemann, The Mummyfesto by Linda Green, Reckless Rescue by Rinelle Grey, Legends of Windemere by Charles E Yallowitz and 44 Charles Street by Danielle Steel.

Reckless Rescue By Rinelle Grey

Reckless Rescue (a barren planet romance #1)Reckless Rescue by Rinelle Grey

My rating: 5 of 5 stars

This was one of those books that I didn’t want to put down. Rinelle mixed the sci-fi with a society lost in space whose life style was similar to that of a couple of hundred years ago or from a few select communities of today. No modern medicine or technology the people of the planet live a simple life, but there is a dark shadow which looms over their existence. Can one lost space traveller save them? A very well written book, I enjoyed the romance and the relationship issues of the people on the planet.

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Reckless-Rescue-barren-romance-ebook/dp/B00BLOI13C/ref=sr_1_1?s=digital-text&ie=UTF8&qid=1369553562&sr=1-1&keywords=reckless+rescue

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