Mark your calendar! The Winter Edition for 2023 of Clean Fiction is coming December 20th!
You won’t want to miss this edition! In addition to all of the great reviews, there are always some other great things to read, and the next Windows Into The Multiverse contest, and more! And this upcoming edition has another surprise, so be sure to get yours on December 20th!
Spies Never Swoon by M. Taylor Christensen is the second book in his “Banana Girls” series. Each book can be read as a stand alone, although the Banana Girls all make an appearance in each book.
In Spies Never Swoon, Anna is the Banana Girl in the spotlight. Her job is to protect a prince! She’s up for the challenge, as she’s no stranger to sabotage, mysterious attacks, and high-speed car chases. However, she’s sworn to never get romantically involved on a case, so the prince’s constant flirting becomes a bigger challenge than the physical danger.
M. Taylor Christensen has a talent for telling exciting cozy mysteries from young adult womens’ perspectives. Spies Never Swoon may start out a bit more slowly than the first Banana Girls book, Spies Never Quit, but don’t stop turning those pages! It won’t be long until both Anna and the prince are running and hiding from danger, and the prince is testing Anna’s will of not getting romantically involved.
Spies Never Swoon by M. Taylor Christensen has lots of mystery, action, danger, and a little romance. It is a clean fiction novel that will have you on the edge of your seat while having your heart palpitating with the prince’s sweet flirtation. You’ll be cheering Anna on as she needs to use some smooth fight moves and some brilliant thinking and powers of deduction to figure out who is trying to cause harm to whom. You’ll probably even chuckle sometimes at the prince’s attempts to convince Anna to accept his romantic advances as she tries to resist.
If you like clean fiction, cozy mysteries, sweet romance, danger and action all rolled into one, you’ll want to read Spies Never Swoon by M. Taylor Christensen. I’m convinced you’ll probably also go back to your favorite place to purchase books to get more of the Banana Girls series as soon as you finish reading Spies Never Swoon.
M. Taylor Christensen is a talented writer. His Banana Girls series are fun, easy reads that keep the reader engaged and turning pages from start to finish. I have read the first two books of the series and will most likely read the remaining books in the Banana Girls series because I definitely enjoyed the first two.
I give Spies Never Swoon by M. Taylor Christensen four stars, only because it took longer than I would have liked for the danger and action to begin, but I was definitely too interested in the characters to put the book down and wasn’t disappointed after several chapters, when the danger and action kicked off and grew more intense and continued right up until the end.
I do not read very many nonfiction books, as I’m sure, if you follow my blog and book reviews, you already know. However, the book I’m going to review today is the one nonfiction book I have been waiting for. You see, Joan Patterson is a member of the same local Christian writers’ group that I’m a member of, and I have helped critique chapters of A Matter of Faith. I have also seen Faith and watched her in action.
Enough with the introduction, let’s get down to the book review:
A Matter of Faith by Joan Patterson is Joan’s first book, and it’s an easy read. I read it rather quickly, then passed it on to two friends to read, and they both read through it very quickly, so that it is in my possession once again. The three of us, in total, finished reading this book in less than two weeks!
Anyway, A Matter of Faith is a wonderful book. It is the true story of how Joan’s life drastically changed when she was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis and found herself in need of a wheelchair. In addition to shaking her self-confidence, her faith in her loving, caring God was also shaken. After all, she was an educator, wife, and mother. Would she still be able to fulfill these roles?
That’s where her service dog, Faith, came in. This book, A Matter of Faith, is a wonderfully delightful story about how Joan and Faith built a strong bond, and how much Joan came to depend on Faith. Faith, an intelligent, specially trained Labrador Retriever became Joan’s constant sidekick. In A Matter of Faith, each chapter focuses on a different aspect of Joan getting to know and learn how to work with this dog. The chapters continue to tell of their life together, once Joan had gone through an initial training period with Faith.
If you don’t know anything about dogs that are trained to be service dogs and the things they are capable of, you will be amazed at the things you read in this book. As you read about Faith and the relationship between Joan and Faith, you will come to love this intelligent, skilled dog.
In addition to telling the story of her life with Faith, Joan ends most chapters with a paragraph about a lesson she learned, through her relationship with Faith, that also taught her something about how that very lesson can be applied to our relationship with God. Therefore, even though, this book isn’t written as a devotional book, you could use it as one, as you consider the lessons Joan points out as she points you to the Father.
For anyone who loves dogs, you’ll love this book. Also, anyone who loves great nonfiction stories about the life and struggles of someone and how they deal with those struggles, you’ll love this book.
I highly recommend this book, and I hope Joan will continue to write more books for us to enjoy.
I give A Matter of Faith by Joan Patterson a 5 star rating.
In Death on the Golden Mile, Clark Thomas, bookstore owner and lover of puzzles and mysteries, does it again – finds himself in the middle of a murder scene, but this time it happens in the middle of a tornado. After a dinner invitation from a famous Hollywood music composer, Clark finds himself trying to figure out which of the family members or dinner guests murdered the composer before dinner while tropical storm Karen brought a tornado with her to the upscale neighborhood of the Golden Mile, part of the Myrtle Beach area.
At first, things look pretty cut and dried, but, all is not as it seems. As Clark looks over the house and questions the family members and guests, he begins to wonder who the real murderer may be.
Caleb Wygal did a great job setting up this mystery and creating the possible suspects. As the reader follows Clark on the murderer’s trail, questions arise and there are several people who could have had a motive for murder. Mr. Wygal takes his readers to several Myrtle Beach businesses as Clark investigates this murder and, at times, the reader is on the edge of their seats as Clark may be in danger or is faced with an angry suspect who may threaten him.
I also read and reviewed Mr. Wygal’s first “Myrtle Beach Mystery”, Death on the Boardwalk, which was a good read. You can read my review of Book One here. However, as all writers know, the more books they write, the better their books become. Therefore, in my opinion, Mr. Wygal has done a better job of creating his cast of characters and setting up an intense murder scene. He’s even improved his unofficial detective, Clark Thomas, who inherited his love of mysteries from his mother. In Death on the Boardwalk, Clark sought out his mom’s help in regard to his thoughts on who committed the murder whereas, in Death on the Golden Mile, though Clark does talk to his mother about it on one occasion, he actually solves the case without further discussion with his mom.
Instead, he’s actually out on what seems to be his first date with Officer Gomez of the Myrtle Beach Police Department. At an art gallery, Clark discovers information about one of the murder suspects, and it isn’t long before he puts everything together and solves the case.
If you enjoy murder mysteries that are free of profanity and grisly details and you enjoy trying to help the amateur detective solve the case, or trying to solve it before the amateur detective, you’ll enjoy Death on the Golden Mile by Caleb Wygal.
I did read Death on the Golden Mile before reading Book 2 of the “Myrtle Beach Mysteries” series, and though I missed some of Clark’s personal story and some of his interactions with Gomez and her partner, Moody, I didn’t miss anything that made me feel lost or confused while reading Death on the Golden Mile. However, I definitely want to go back and read Book 2: Death Washes Ashore, as well as the rest of the “Myrtle Beach Mysteries” series because I have come to love Myrtle Beach and I enjoy trying to figure out whodunnit before Clark Thomas does. I also would suggest reading the series in order.
I give Death on the Golden Mile by Caleb Wygal 5 stars.
Photo by Gülfer ERGİN on Unsplash
I would really like to generate a discussion in the comment section of this post. If you are an indie published author or someone who is planning on publishing a book independently, I hope you will comment after reading this post. I will also warn you that this will be a longer post than I usually write.
You see, I don’t understand today’s indie authors who write a book, then publish it and put it out for the whole world to see without having it properly edited, and yet, they get upset if someone writes a review they find negative or offensive or gives the book less than a 4-star rating. If you publish and release a book with lots of grammatical errors or a book that lacks a good plot or well developed characters, or any other writing problems, why would you expect all the ratings to be four and five stars, and why would you expect a glowing review with nothing but positive things about your book?
As a reader, I want to read honest reviews. As a matter of fact, it aggravates me when someone simply posts a star rating but says nothing about what they thought or how they felt about the book. Just like everything else in the world, books, including eBooks, are getting more expensive and I don’t want to waste my money or time reading a book that hasn’t been polished. Before indie publishing, you or I might have picked up a book we didn’t like after reading it, but not because it had a bunch of errors or lacked all the important parts of a good story. Our dislike would’ve been based on things like a favorite character dying, or an unhappy ending, or the problem not being satisfactorily resolved. However, published books did not have lots of grammatical errors or things like using one name for a character in half of the book and then another name for the same character in the second half of the book or any other major problems because books had been thoroughly and well edited.
As a writer who has been studying the writing craft in the professional writing world for over 10 years now, I have learned the things that are most important to a good story: well developed characters, a story written in the POV (point of view) of one or two characters clearly, without head hopping (jumping from one character’s thoughts and feelings to another’s), and written in a way that takes me deep within the main character’s or main two characters’ heads because that’s what draws me deep into the story. Also, a clear description/picture of the setting; conflict — some kind of problem (usually more than one) that the character needs to overcome; a plot line that keeps me wanting to turn the pages; a clear resolution of the problem or problems at the end of the story along with evidence that the character has grown and changed from the beginning to the end of the story. In addition, the best books evoke the reader’s emotions — I always say my favorite books make me laugh and cry. Some great extras in a book might be an unexpected surprise or twist.
Also, I am realistic. I know that whatever I publish, no matter how well written it may be, it is still bound to get some negative reviews because not everyone likes the same kinds of books. Therefore, I fully expect that there will be some people who will read my book and not like it and write a review stating why they disliked it. I am also fully aware that not everyone writes their criticisms in a kind, constructive way. That’s what all writers need to be aware of and ready to accept. The first thing I was taught in the professional writing world is: “You better develop a thick skin.” In other words, you’d better be able to accept or ignore negative and/or nasty critiques and/or reviews and not respond in kind.
So, if your book is lacking some important parts or has glaring grammatical errors, wouldn’t you prefer to have an honest review that points these things out in a kind way?
Example: I recently read a book that had major problems and should have been more thoroughly edited and corrected before publication. Here is the review I wrote without the title and author’s name or specifics about the story:
The story fails to really draw the reader into the story. It also lacks descriptions that paint pictures of the setting in the readers mind. There is also no real conflict, action, or danger, although there were a couple times in the story that the reader may suspect danger or a threat of danger ahead.
This is a very simple sweet story where everything goes well and leads to a happy ending. The story moves quickly and reaches its end without full development of plot or characters. Therefore, I believe this book has been written and published by a person who has had little writing instruction.
If it had illustrations, it would make a fun children’s book. As it is, I would recommend it for elementary age children. It is an easy read where there are no dangers and everything ends happily. It is a completely clean story.
So, I posed two questions earlier in this post I would like comments on. In addition, I would like comments on the following questions in regard to this review: 1) Do you consider this review harsh? 2) Do you see positives in the review in addition to the criticism? 3) Would you take offense to the review or consider taking another look at the book and trying to see the points made and make corrections?
Only respectful answers/comments will be posted and will get a response from me or other readers.
If you enjoy reading Clean Fiction or if you enjoy reading my Book Reviews, you’ll want to take advantage of tomorrow’s one-day Sale of ALL SIX issues of Clean Fiction Magazine in e-book format, ALL FREE Tomorrow, Friday, June 30, 2023 ONLY!
Most of the reviews that I wrote that are included in these issues have NOT yet been posted here on my blog because I haven’t had the time to post them.
Clean Fiction Magazine also includes contests, some short stories, and poems as well.
False Blood is another fast-paced book in the Detective Cliff Husto thriller series by Jack King. This time Detective Husto faces his most challenging case yet. This case includes drug smuggling, murder, arson, and kidnapping, and the number of suspects mounts.
Jack King’s False Blood will keep you turning pages, keep you on the edge of your seat, and keep your mind thoroughly engaged as you try to figure out which suspect or suspects are guilty. Will you be able to identify the guilty person or persons before Detective Husto can?
False Blood also includes some twists and surprises. I did feel like some parts of the story were a bit rushed and some characters not as well developed as in the previous two Detective Cliff Husto hard-boiled mysteries. I also think some parts of the crime weren’t as clearly wrapped up with details as they could have been, which made the case wrap-up at the end feel a bit rushed. I also would have liked to have seen the main suspect better developed.
Unlike Jack King’s first two Detective Husto novels, False Blood did not begin with a lot of character introductions. Instead it begins with a Prologue where a crime is committed, then the first chapter finds Detective Husto and his two sons engaged in some at home one-on-one basketball and Horse, followed by Detective Husto going for a jog. Then begins his detective work, introducing the cases without really introducing characters. This change in how the story begins works fine, although I think focusing more on the crimes caused a lack of development of the criminals, and being a reader who wants to be fully engaged with characters and really get into their heads, found that missing part disappointing.
Jack King is a talented writer, who, obviously knows how to weave a complicated crime story with lots of characters. Detective Cliff Husto is a very likable character. He cares about his family and spends time with his sons. He is kind and respectful to the victims of crime that he must question or to whom he must give bad news. He is also respectful of his coworkers and those in authority. So, all in all, Detective Husto is a positive role model.
False Blood author, Jack King, is also talented at keeping the story moving at a fast pace, something all thriller readers enjoy. Readers will find it hard to put this book down. I certainly did.
False Blood does not include a lot of graphic violence. There are also no religious examples or messages in this book, although there is a character who is Muslim as well as a Jewish character. There is profanity sprinkled into some dialogue in some scenes in False Blood, but it is not used excessively.
I give False Blood 4 stars.
As a Book Reviewer, this is my honest review of The Great Austen Adventure by Tomi Tabb. I was not required to write a positive, nor any review.
I have become a devoted fan of Tomi Tabb’s books as I have read her complete “Unexpected Royals” series. The Great Austen Adventure is Ms. Tabb’s lastest novel and the first in her “The Royals of Isola Nostrum” series, and though I have heard a lot about Jane Austen and her novels, I must confess I am not a Jane Austen fan. However, The Great Austen Adventure by Tomi Tabb drew me in right from the start.
Ms. Tabb has, once again, created endearing characters and put them in interesting predicaments that lead to a delightful sweet romance. In The Great Austen Adventure, Sabrina, a devoted Janeite loses her job after an accidental blunder while planning her vacation to attend the Jane Austen Festival. But she doesn’t let the loss of her job stop her from going on her planned, and long dreamed of, adventure.
Leaving family struggles and troubled relationships behind, she embarks on a European adventure.
What follows is an enjoyable story that includes adventure, mishaps, and a sweet romance. Both Sabrina and Lorenzo learn lessons that bring growth in their characters and change in their thinking and their lives as the story progresses. And, though there is a lot about Jane Austen’s books and characters included in this novel, I found it all interesting and fun to read, like all books by Tomi Tabb.
Tomi Tabb is a gifted writer who cleverly ties the world of Royals to the common folk. At least one character in every story has an interesting quirk which adds some delightful, sometimes humorous, scenes to the story.
If you’ve never read a Tomi Tabb novel, I highly recommend them. If you like delightful, sometimes humorous, clean, sweet romance stories, you are sure to become a Tomi Tabb fan, just as I have. After reading a Tomi Tabb novel, I always eagerly await the next one.
I am a Book Reviewer and received a free copy of In Darkness: The Vampire and this is my honest review. I was not required to write a positive review nor any review.
In Darkness: The Vampire by L. Diane Wolfe is the first book in her In Darkness series. It is a Paranormal Romance story. It is a short easy read with only 11 chapters.
Anna is an overworked barmaid in her father’s tavern. She longs to leave and is saving her money in hopes of doing so. One night a group of strangers enter the tavern and Anna is struck by their wealthy appearance. When she overhears that they are looking for Zancrela, an ancient fortress filled with treasure and a magical library, she decides to offer to lead them.
During their travels, Anna and the leader of the group, Victor, form a special bond as Victor is surprised and impressed by Anna’s strength and determination and Anna feels safe in Victor’s protective presence. Victor is also very kind to Anna. Anna faces danger during the travel, and realizes she has tied herself to a group of vampires. Will Anna get them to Zancrela or will she become a meal for at least one of the vampires?
In Darkness: The Vampire is a story filled with action, adventure, danger, and a subtle romance. It is a unique vampire story in that these vampires are not immortal and the story does not include a lot of blood and gore. Ms. Wolfe has created well developed characters in the three main characters of the story. The cast of characters is short and well focused. The plot line is simple but definitely exciting and engaging, and the ending is definitely unique.
I thoroughly enjoyed In Darkness: The Vampire, and if you like clean Paranormal Romance stories or Vampire stories, I’m sure you’ll like In Darkness: The Vampire by Diane L. Wolfe.
I give In Darkness: The Vampire 5 stars.
Soulmates Lost in Time by Ellen Knightly is a historical romance story set in the old west. Josephine’s family is struggling to make ends meet and bring in money for a doctor for her sick mother. Josephine and her father are exhausted. Then Josephine’s mother mentions something that she lost many years ago. This sparks an idea in Josephine, so she leaves home and ends up in a town she lived in as a young girl. She secures a job as a maid for a wealthy ranch family without realizing how much trouble this will bring.
Johnnie is being pressured by his parents to marry, not a woman of his choosing, but the one they think is best. His father is also pressuring him to focus on running the ranch, insisting that what Johnnie dreams of doing is a useless endeavor. Then his parents hire a new maid and he is immediately intrigued by her.
Ellen Knightly does a great job of writing a story with lots of surprises and twists that keep the reader turning pages. She is also talented at creating characters who face struggles that cause them great internal conflict. She even included a bit of a mystery in this story.
Soulmates Lost in Time does have lots of tension and suspense as well as a couple scary scenes, but the scary scenes are not too scary and there is no violence.
There is no clear religion mentioned or represented in Soulmates Lost in Time, but there is a pastor in the story and there is a clear representation that marriage is a lifetime commitment and there is no such thing as acceptable divorce.
The only issue I had with this novel is that the ending, though fairly satisfying, is left a bit open and Ms. Knightly mentions that there is an Extended Epilogue to the story, but she doesn’t include it at the end of the story or on the ebook at all. Instead, she includes the first chapter of one of her other novels, but here is the link where you can get the Extended Epilogue to Soulmates Lost in Time: http://ellenknightley.com/soulmates-lost-time-extended-epilogue/
The epilogue gives a glimpse into a few years after the end of Soulmates Lost in Time and wraps things up very nicely, so it is well worth going to the link to read it.
Also, I feel the need to issue a warning here. I have reason to believe this book may have been written by a bot writer and not an actual person.
Historical romance readers who enjoy stories set in the Old West will enjoy this story just as I did.
I give Soulmates Lost in Time by Ellen Knightley 4 stars.
Kelly F Barr 