reviews Archives - Page 5 of 9 - Trisha Sugarek, Author, Playwright & Poet

Book Review ~ The Revelators by Ace Atkins

5 out of 5 quills BOOK REVIEW

From the first sentence, in the first paragraph, on the first page The Revelators had this reviewer hooked! As sheriff Quinn Colson lay face up, in a creek bed, shot four times, Boom’s face, like a black moon, hung over him, shouting into his best friend’s face, “Quinn, man. Stay with me brother… Can you hear me?”

I’ve told newbie writers and experienced writers that the first page, if not the first sentence, should grab your reader and not let go. They must feel compelled to read on and find out what happens next in your story. Ace Atkins personifies this rule in his writing. If you are a fan of Quinn Colson and the goin’s-on in Tibbehah County, Mississippi you don’t need a reason to buy the latest in the series. If you are aware or not, it’s the fine writing that brings you back again and again. We love the grit, the gore, we even love the villains. At least, I do.

The characters are drawn with the precision of a rapier. Caddy, Fannie Hathcock, Sam Frye, Donnie, Lillie, Quinn, Boom, the list goes on and on. And the graft portrayed just below the surface of the genteel south is real. When I lived in Harrison County (Gulfport, 1974) the elected Sheriff’s job was worth $1 million per year to that elected official. Nobody really blinked at the graft that took place every day. Just as long as crime was low and we were safe in our homes.

I highly recommend this newest release in the Quinn Colson series.

Did you miss my Interview with Ace Atkins?
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My weekly BLOG features INTERVIEWS with best-selling AUTHORS! June: Mike Maden writing for TOM CLANCY. July: Guest Blogger Desiree Villena, August: Carolyn Brown
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Book Review ~ Miss Janie’s Girls by Carolyn Brown

5 out of 5 quills BOOK REVIEW

Carolyn Brown has delivered again! This new release is a heart-warming story of two young girls caught up in the CPS’s foster system. They finally land with Miss Janie until the ‘system’ spits them out at age eighteen. Separated for years, they both circle back to Miss Janie. Has their animosity toward each other survived the separation?

The writing is superb and the drawing of the characters flawless. I highly recommend this book for summer, fall or winter reading!

Did you miss my Interview with Carolyn?

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My weekly BLOG features INTERVIEWS with best-selling AUTHORS! May: Joram Piatigorsky, June: Mike Maden writing for TOM CLANCY. July: Guest Blogger Desiree Villena, August: Carolyn Brown
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Book Review~~the friendship list by Susan Mallery

4 out of 5 quills ~~ Book Review

Susan Mallery has done it once again! She has woven a mundane story of a single mom, Ellen, and a young widow, Unity into a riveting journey that both women take, each in their own way. I don’t believe it would be a spoiler to reveal that the friendship list is not a list of friends. It is a bucket list that each woman (who are friends) has written out for themselves. They have decided that it will be a challenge, a contest if you will, with a reward at its end. Sharing their victories, as they check off the list, and cheering each other on when a challenge seems unsurmountable.

Susan Mallery writes wonderful stories and I know her fans agree with me when I say, Thank God she is so prolific as we all wait for the next new one. This is a great summer read and I highly recommend it!

Release date August 4th. Pre-order now

Did you miss my Interview with Susan Mallery?
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Firing Point, by Mike Maden, writing for TOM CLANCY~~Book Review

5 out of 5 quills ~A Book Review~

From the first sentence, on the first page, begins a riveting new story for Jack Ryan, Jr. Our readers would never know that Tom Clancy wasn’t writing this book. Mike Maden does his usual magic in creating another harrowing international intrigue.

The story winds and weaves through Spain, with flash-backs to Washington D.C., and cruises the deep seas of the South Pacific. Supreme intrigue, international terrorists, spies, and lots of techno stuff that I adore. An extremely complex story plot made simple and clear in the deft hands (and pen) of Mike Maden.

My new readers (Tom Clancy fans) may not know this about me: I don’t write spoilers. I don’t write cliff notes for the book. I review the WRITING! And it is a pleasure to report that the writing here is superb.

I highly recommend this book to my readers.
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My weekly BLOG features INTERVIEWS with best-selling AUTHORS! March: Olivia Hawker, April: Dan Sofer, May: Joram Piatigorsky, June: Mike Maden writing for TOM CLANCY
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Book Review ~~ Brave Girl, Quiet Girl

5 out of 5 quills ~~ A Book Review

No surprises here! The writing is …..(I’m running out of adjectives)…superb, luscious, heart rending, and inspired. The characters that Catherine Ryan Hyde has created and drawn are empathic, scary, motivating, and real. The reader falls in love with all of them, even the villains.

Never one to write spoilers….I’ll let the back jacket of the book do that…I’d rather give my assessment of the writing, the characters and the story.
The writing: flawless, (as usual) keeping the reader riveted to the story. The characters: Well drawn with depth and a back story for each character. The bonding between a run-away teen and a toddler is beautiful to witness. The story: You’d think that it was unlikely and (slightly) unbelievable for a run away to keep a baby for that long but then the reader understands that Molly had very few, if any, options. This is the story of three people who find each other…but the question is, will they keep each other?

I highly recommend this book to my readers. It’s a rich story about the humanity in all of us.

Did you miss my Interview with Catherine Ryan Hyde?
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MY BLOG features INTERVIEWS with best-selling AUTHORS! March: Olivia Hawker, April: Dan Sofer, May: Joram Piatigorsky
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Book Review ~~ A Woman of True Honor

5 out of 5 quills ~~ Book Review

Delicious! For fans of this genre, that is historic romances, A Woman of True Honor is a must read. Book #8 in this series, Emily Pepper is a merchant’s daughter and an heiress. She has narrowly escaped several fortune hunters trying to woo not her, but her money. And try as her family might, she has not entirely escaped ‘the stench of the shop’.

Enter Valerian Dorning (of the True Gentlemen series) penniless, but charming and industrious, a true gentleman. He doesn’t have many prospects as a younger son of an earl because titled families are not allowed in be involved in ‘commerce’. His book is probably not going to be a commercial success, much less read by many.

How can an heiress and a younger son with pockets to let find their way to happily ever after. And this is exactly where ‘delicious’ comes in. I LOVE Grace Burrowes’ style of writing and her effortless storytelling. This one is not to be missed.

Did you miss my interview with this author?
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MY BLOG features INTERVIEWS with best-selling AUTHORS! January: David Poyer, March: Olivia Hawker, April: Dan Sofer
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Book Review ~~ Above the Bay of Angels

5 out of 5 quills Above the Bay of Angels

The story was great. Well written as always by Rhys Bowen. She never disappoints even when she ventures into stand-alone fiction and leaves (for a pair of seconds) her series like Her Royal Spyness and the Molly Murphy series.

We all love an underdog who fights toward an even playing field. Hard to do for a young woman in the Victorian (Queen Victoria) era. Being of gentle birth tragedy and bad luck has forced Bella Waverly ‘into service’; waking before dawn and cleaning fireplaces in every room of a large mansion. Her talent for cooking is soon made apparent and she is moved to the kitchen as an assistant. She suddenly has a once in a lifetime chance at bettering her place in life. But it’s a huge risk and will mean lying to her sovereign. Can she? – Should she do it? The tale weaves and turns to a satisfying ending and I high recommend this book to my readers.

However, the cover set my teeth on edge. The wardrobe suggested that the story was about a nurse, in the (Royal) Army Nursing Service, during the first World War and serving in India. The pinafore apron is from that era and not that of a chef. The apron for a chef/under-cook had a simple strap around the neck. Because of the nature of their work (and the women forced to wear full length sleeves), the illustrator should have placed sleeve protectors on her arms. The title was uninspired. How about: ‘The Chef and the Queen’ or ‘The Royal Chef‘ or ‘Cooking for a Queen‘.

The cover is beside the point but I couldn’t help but critique it. It’s the work of a graphic designer at the publisher not that of Ms. Bowen. The cover designer should have done their research more thoroughly. The author and the book certainly deserved better.

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MY BLOG features INTERVIEWS with best-selling AUTHORS! December: Dervla McTiernan – January: David Poyer, March: Olivia Hawker
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Review ~ The Vanishing by Jayne Ann Krentz

5 out of 5 quills Book Review

This is a slick and clever mystery cloaked in the paranormal. Not all that ‘woo-woo’ stuff but rather heightened senses; something that we can all relate to.
Deja vu, intuition, and sometimes just ‘a feeling.’

But in this story our protagonists and antagonists….well no… just about everybody in the town of Fogg Lake has the gift. The unique part of this story is for a short while, the author makes believers out of most of us. To write more about the story would give away too much. I highly recommend it and fans of Krentz won’t be disappointed.

Jayne Ann Krentz (also writes under the pseudonym, Amanda Quick) is an excellent writer. And reliable. Whether she is writing historic romances or modern-day tales, her writing is always consistent and excellent. The Vanishing delivers.

Did you miss my Interview with Jayne Ann Krentz?
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MY BLOG features INTERVIEWS with best-selling AUTHORS! December: Dervla McTiernan – January: David Poyer
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Review: Christmas in Winter Valley by Jodi Thomas

4 out of 5 quills Book Review

This story was perfect reading for the holiday season. While it did rely heavily on readers knowing the back stories from the series (Random Canyon Romance) it was entertaining and charming. So many characters in this one, but my favorites were Coop, Tatum, Tye, Creed, Dani and of course the horses. I didn’t connect with the other brothers, Elliot and Griffin. They weren’t as well drawn as the others.

While I enjoyed the story immensely, the whole thing felt rushed. I felt rushed. I wish there had been less story lines and more story. And my only real criticism was the need for the wacky half-cousins, trashing the house, getting drunk, (no character development); they were here, they were gone and they seemed superfluous to the story plot. (Delete key!) And Creed rashly hooking up with the redhead. He wouldn’t do that. He’s too careful about life.

This is not to say I didn’t finish the book with relish and left wanting more.

Did you miss my interview with this best selling author?
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MY BLOG features INTERVIEWS with best-selling AUTHORS! December: Dervla McTiernan – January: David Poyer
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The Lost are the Last to Die ~~ Book Review

4 out of 5 quills ~~ Book Review

The Lost are the Last to Die by Larry D. Sweazy is a new, old west tale.
Fans of westerns are going to love this story. Set in the early 1900’s, the horse is being replaced by the automobile, the Great War has just ended and the lawlessness of the ‘old west’ is being rooted out.

Ranging from 1911 (flashbacks) to 1934 (present time for this story) Sweazy’s hero, Sonny Burton has enjoyed a stellar career in law enforcement. Surviving fighting in the Great War, he comes home and joins the Texas Rangers. But life has served up a couple of career changing setbacks and Sonny must find new meaning in what seems like a meaningless life.

The writing is superb. Larry leads the reader on an exciting chase with many twists and turns in the plot. Sonny Burton gives the reader someone worthy of rooting for. We want him to win even when it seems most unlikely.

My Review of other Sweazy books.
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MY BLOG features INTERVIEWS with best-selling AUTHORS! December: Dervla McTiernan – January: David Poyer
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