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William L. Stuart

author of The Gemstone Chronicles Series

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The Guardian’s Angel by Lorrie Farrelly – My Review!!

December 14, 2016 by Bill Stuart 1 Comment

The Guardian’s Angel – My Review!

Angel

Recently, a friend challenged me to read outside my normal favorite genres. Having read a couple of Lorrie Farrelly’s books, I accepted the challenge and picked up The Guardian’s Angel. Read on for my thoughts!

Synopsis (from the author):

When nobody knows what to do with a troubled, damaged kid, it’s time to call Elizabeth Driscoll. A wary, vulnerable, unusually intuitive young woman, Libby has a knack for helping children that others have given up on.

Certainly nobody knows what to do with Tommy Madden, least of all his fiercely devoted guardian, Seattle Police Detective J.D. McCammon. McCammon believes the autistic little boy witnessed a double murder: his mother and his father, the city’s District Attorney. J.D. is determined to help and protect Tommy at all costs, and somehow, find a way to communicate with him.

When Tommy’s life is threatened by the corrupt organization that killed his parents, J.D. and Libby take him on a desperate and dangerous flight to safety. They must place their trust in one another to escape a relentless evil that threatens not only their lives, but that of the child they’ve both come to love.

On the run, Libby and J.D. are tested to the limits of their courage and resolve. They discover an intimate and mystifying bond that will either drive them apart, or become their greatest source of strength and passion.

What I liked:

The Guardian’s Angel drew me in from the start. Libby’s trauma from an attack and the unexpected mental interaction between her and JD sets the tone for the story. With Tommy’s safety at risk, Libby and JD embark on a dangerous mission to save him. But enough, no spoilers from me. The ending is satisfying and the sacrifices made by all tie the tale together nicely. This book has romance, intrigue, suspense, and enough action to keep the pages turning.

What I didn’t like:

About my only criticism of the book is the constant indecision of both Libby and JD to accept their feelings about each other. It frustrated me a reader for the characters to vacillate as long as they did.

Overall Impression:

The Guardian’s Angel is well written, full of compelling characters with plenty of angst, suspense, intrigue, and sacrifice to go around. I recommend this book to romance and chick-lit aficionados. I also recommend it to anyone who simply likes a good read!

My Rating:

5 Stars

Connect with the author:

Have you read The Guardian’s Angel? What about any of Lorrie Farrelly’s books? If so, please consider leaving a review. Reviews mean the world to authors as it lets them know what readers like or dislike about their work! Want to know more about Lorrie and her work, find them on her Amazon Author Page or her website.

Speaking of like (or dislike), please consider leaving a comment about this review. It’s always nice to know whether I helped someone find something new to read.

Connect with me:

Connect with me on the socials, too. I can be found on Twitter, Facebook, and Goodreads. You can also email me at bill@williamlstuart.com. Don’t miss a post either. Subscribe to the blog! I’m happy to meet new friends!

Filed Under: Amazon, author, Book Posts, Goodreads, Goodreads author, KDP, Kindle, Recommendations and Reviews, Reviews, The Gemstone Chronicles, William L Stuart Tagged With: Amazon, author, autism, book, book review, book reviews, books, chick lit, ebook, ebooks, fiction, Good Reads author, KDP, Kindle, Lorrie Farrelly, novel, review, romance, suspense, The Gemstone Chronicles, The Guardian's Angel, william l stuart, William L Stuart. Author

Acts Beyond Redemption by Suzanne Burke – My Review!

December 5, 2016 by Bill Stuart 5 Comments

Acts Beyond Redemption – My review!!

Acts Beyond Redemption Cover

I admit I love a good thriller, so when I read the blurb for Acts Beyond Redemption by Suzanne Burke, I wanted to give it a try. And I must say, it was a good choice!

Synopsis (from the author):

Acts Beyond Redemption takes you on a twisted, deadly, journey.

Mike Matheson is head of a Special Task Force set up by the F.B.I to track down and apprehend the serial killers responsible for 18 brutal murders.

The team are exhausted, frustrated, and ready to burn out after almost five years and no leads.
Their nightmares are stripping them to the bone.

Nothing has prepared them for this.
Someone on the inside is deflecting their weary eyes away from an incomprehensible and shattering truth.

Who will be buried in the shattered remains of a country where freedom and honor are treasured above all things?
Just how far will those elected to protect and defend go, to keep the American dream alive?

What I liked:

This was a twisty story. The brutal killings, the burned-out FBI agents, and the prime suspect all make the story work. I liked the character development, and the story allowed me to use my imagination to try to identify the killer. All told, Acts Beyond Redemption was a harrowing tale of murder, political cover-up, and Sheila (the prime suspect) is a wonderfully evil operative. But, no more from me as I won’t spoil anything!

What I didn’t like:

Only a couple of complaints from me. First, there were times when British/Australian terminology sneaked into the story (calling cookies biscuits, for example) and jarred me out of the story. Secondly, the use of coarse language was, in my opinion, excessive. I understand the need for it at times, but it seemed a bit gratuitous.

Overall impression:

Good characters, a twisty plot, and a good ending make Acts Beyond Redemption an excellent thriller. I would recommend this one to anyone who enjoys an action packed thriller!

My rating:

5 Stars

Connect with the author:

Have you read Acts Beyond Redemption? If so, please consider leaving a review. It’s always great to know what readers think! If you want to know more about Suzanne Burke and her work, you can find her on her Amazon Author page!

Connect with me:

If you liked (or disliked) my review, feel free to leave me a comment. We can also connect on the socials! I’m on Twitter, Facebook, and Goodreads, so say hi. If you want to make sure you don’t miss a post, subscribe to the blog!

Filed Under: Amazon, author, Book Posts, KDP, Kindle, Recommendations and Reviews, Reviews, The Gemstone Chronicles, William L Stuart Tagged With: action, Acts Beyond Redemption, adventure, Amazon, Amazon Author, amazon book, author, book, books, ebook, ebooks, fiction, KDP, Kindle, murder, review, reviews, Suzanne Burke, The Gemstone Chronicles, thriller, william l stuart

Crystal Rebellion by Doug J Cooper – My Review!!

November 21, 2016 by Bill Stuart 2 Comments

Crystal Rebellion – My Review!!

crystal rebellion cover

This book is the fourth installment of the Crystal Series by Doug J Cooper. I read the first three and thoroughly enjoyed them. When Mr. Cooper released Crystal Rebellion, it went on my TBR. Since I’ve been reading books outside my normal fantasy genre, this was an opportunity to continue my efforts. Read on for my review!

Synopsis (from the author):

Ruga, leader of the Mars ruling council, is building a secret facility to produce four-gen crystals, each a sentient AI with the cognitive ability of a thousand humans. Criss, the only four-gen now in existence, discovers Ruga’s plan and alerts Sid, Cheryl, and Juice, his human leadership team. The stakes skyrocket when the full scope of Ruga’s nefarious plans are revealed: the production of four-gens without the attribute that requires them to follow leadership, the same hard-wired feature that compels Criss to follow his. Unfettered by human guidance, the four-gens will lay siege to Earth and its resources. When they do, will they view humans as a nuisance to be eliminated? The only option is to stop crystal production before it starts. After an anxious journey to Mars, Criss and the team arrive to find events spinning beyond their control. While they’d started with the goal of saving humanity, Sid, Cheryl, and Juice find themselves in a desperate struggle for their own survival. And as the battle with Ruga grows to intergalactic proportions, Criss must make impossible decisions about who lives and who dies…including himself.

What I liked:

Mr. Cooper’s characters return in Crystal Rebellion. The twist here is how Criss (our 4-gen AI) is really the focus of the story. Criss has to separate from his human counterparts when Ruga (one of the Kardish crystals) tries to transform to a 4-Gen and devastate Earth. I won’t spoil anything, though, so I will stop there. With subplots revolving around Juice and an old boyfriend, Sid and Cheryl working undercover, and the friction among the three Kardish crystals ruling Mars, the story moves along nicely. As always, I like the characters, and especially appreciate Criss’ growth. Well done, Mr. Cooper!

What I didn’t like:

My only complaint is some of the minor characters (such as the other Kardish crystals and the rebellious underground) could have been developed more and played a bigger role.

Overall impression:

Crystal Rebellion by Doug J. Cooper is an excellent sci-fi read. Full of the familiar characters of Criss, Sid, Cheryl, and Juice, plus Juice’s new love interest, a nicely paced story, and enough twists to keep it interesting, I completely enjoyed the book. I recommend it to all sci-fi fans!

My rating:

5 Stars

Connect with the author:

Connect with Doug J Cooper and find out more about Crystal Rebellion and the rest of the Crystal Series on his Amazon Author page or his website. If you read one of the books, please consider leaving a review. I know Doug Cooper will appreciate it!

Connect with me:

If you enjoyed my review (of even if you didn’t), leave me a comment and let me know. I like to know what you think. If you want to connect with me on the socials, I can be found on Twitter, Facebook, and Goodreads. You can also email me at bill@williamlstuart.com. And don’t forget to subscribe to the blog so you won’t miss a post!

Filed Under: Amazon, author, Book Posts, KDP, Kindle, Recommendations and Reviews, Reviews, William L Stuart Tagged With: adventure, Amazon, author, book, book review, books, Crystal Rebellion, Crystal Series, Doug J Cooper, ebook ebooks, fiction, KDP, Kindle, Kindle author, review, reviews, sci-fi, science fiction, william l stuart

Protector (Anniversary of the Veil Book 1) - My Review!!

November 1, 2016 by Bill Stuart 1 Comment

Protector (Anniversary of the Veil Book 1) – My Review!!

Protector by Vanna Smythe Cover

Protector (Anniversary of the Veil Book 1) by Vanna Smythe showed up in my Goodreads recommendations. Finding myself with an open spot on the TBR list, I followed Goodreads advice and read it. Read on for my thoughts!

Synopsis (from the author):

Kae has trained his entire life to become an elite Protector of the Realm. When he finally achieves this honor he finds himself protecting something far greater: the Veil separating two worlds. On one side of the Veil lie unlimited stores of magic. On the Realm’s side, magic is all but obliterated, and Kae is one of the few who can use it. The priests who secretly rule the Realm will do everything they can to control his growing magical abilities. Kae’s willing to pay the price, even though it separates him from Issa, the girl he loves.

But the Veil has weakened over the last thousand years and powers on both sides will stop at nothing to keep it intact. Strangers from the other side have kidnapped Issa to take her across the Veil and sacrifice her to strengthen it. Kae is the only one who can find her. Going to her rescue means forsaking his oaths and duty, and leaving behind the future he always wanted. But if he chooses duty over love, Issa will die.

What I liked about Protector:

Protector (Anniversary of the Veil Book 1) had about everything one could ask for in a fantasy novel. Palace intrigue, conflict between the king and the priests, a love story, destiny and fate, and the looming possibility of chaos to be unleashed by the Anniversary of the Veil.

Set against this backdrop is the story of Issa and Kae. Kae is a good character and grows into his role as a Protector. Issa is a bit of a spoiled princess, but not in the stereotypical way. Vanna Smythe weaves their stories into a compelling tale. I also liked the way the other side of the Veil interjects itself into Kae and Issa’s world, with Issa aunt coming to kidnap her and take her to the other side of the Veil. Good stuff!!

What I didn’t like about Protector:

While I enjoyed the characters, they were a bit one-dimensional. I hope in the rest of the series, the characters will grow and provide us more insights into their personalities. I also would have liked fewer characters, as it was a bit difficult to keep them straight.

Overall impression of Protector:

Good story, good plot, and good pace kept my interest and attention. This is a solid start to the series and I look forward to the next installment. I recommend Protector (Anniversary of the Veil Book 1) to fantasy fans everywhere!

My rating:

4 Stars

Connect with the author:

Want to know more about Protector (Anniversary of the Veil Book 1) or any of Vanna Smythe’s books? Find out more on her Amazon Author page or her website. If you’ve read Protector or any of Vanna Smythe’s other books, please consider leaving a review! I know Vanna would appreciate it!

Connect with me:

Want to tell me your thoughts on my review? Leave me a comment, email me at bill@williamlstuart.com, or connect with me on the socials. I can be found on Twitter, Facebook, Goodreads, and Pinterest!

Filed Under: Amazon, author, Book Posts, KDP, Kindle, Recommendations and Reviews, Reviews, The Gemstone Chronicles, William L Stuart Tagged With: adventure, Amazon, Amazon Author, author, book, books, ebook, ebooks, fantasy, fantasy adventure, fantasy author, fiction, KDP, Kindle, magic, Protector, Protector (Anniversary of the Veil Book 1), review, reviewing, reviews, The Gemstone Chronicles, Vanna Smythe, william l stuart, young adult

Take the Body and Run by Jada Ryker – My Review!!

October 20, 2016 by Bill Stuart 1 Comment

Take the Body and Run – My review!

Take the Body and Run Cover

Have you heard about the Kindle Scout Program? The program encourages authors to submit new books and have the books voted on by readers. Kindle Press publishes the book that garners the most votes. Jada Ryker, whom I have read before, submitted her book Take the Body and Run and won! Because of my previous experiences with her books, I had to read it!

Synopsis (from the author):

Macey’s first day in the college employee relations department ends with a knife at her throat.

Macey is certain things can’t get any worse. She’s wrong. An angry employee vows to put her on an online hit list. When he turns up dead, she’s a suspect–and on the hit list.

To keep her secrets and her life, Macey partners with two unexpected allies who cause her pulse to race with steamy attraction–and exasperating annoyance. Vince, a handsome, driven lawman, digs up more than just clues to the brutal murder. Brett, a fun-loving pathologist with a deadly sense of humor, drives everyone crazy with his fart machine-will travel. Macey’s supersized black cat Wikket, possessing courage, curiosity, and crankiness in equal portions, assists in his own grumpy, feline fashion, golden eyes open and claws extended.

What I liked:

As with the other Jada Ryker books I’ve read, connecting with the characters is easy. Macey, with her secret past, Brett, with his goofy personality, and Vince, as the no-nonsense lawman, all blend into the story nicely. Macey’s cat provides side entertainment, and Macey’s office staff is an excellent cast of characters. Because of Jada Ryker’s writing, the story itself moves along and, despite having a chick-lit feel, kept me turning the pages. The quirky villains also deserve a mention. Overall, Take the Body and Run is an excellent read!

What I didn’t like:

About my only criticism of the book is some of the minor characters could have been fleshed out a bit more. Despite how much I enjoyed the book, those characters could have added a lot to the story.

Overall impression:

Filled with fun characters, romance, and a good story, Take the Body and Run is a book to turn to when you need a fun and entertaining read!

My rating:

5 Stars

Connect with the author:

Have you read Take the Body and Run or any of Jada Ryker’s other books? If so, what did you think? And, did you consider leaving a review? If not, why not go back and leave one!

If you want to know more about Jada and her books, find her on her Amazon Author Page or her website. Stop in and say hi!

Connect with me:

Like my review? Leave a comment and let me know. I look forward to your thoughts. If you want to connect on the socials, find me on Twitter, Facebook, and Goodreads. You can also email me at bill@williamlstuart.com. If you don’t want to miss a post, subscribe to the blog!

Filed Under: Amazon, author, Book Posts, KDP, Kindle, Recommendations and Reviews, Reviews, The Gemstone Chronicles, William L Stuart Tagged With: Amazon, Amazon Author, author, book review, chick lit, ebook, ebooks, fiction, Jada Ryker, Kindle, Kindle Scout, mystery, review, reviews, romance, Take the Body and Run, The Gemstone Chronicles, william l stuart

Tektite – Glass Rock or Telepathy Stone? You Decide!

October 11, 2016 by Bill Stuart 6 Comments

In The Gemstone Chronicles Book Two: The Amethyst, Nana and Beebop buy a tektite necklace from an antique dealer. The necklace, as it turns out, has telepathic powers. I won’t tell you more, as it would spoil the story! Nonetheless, I’ll tell you more about tektite!

What is tektite?

Tektite, for lack of a better description, is a glass rock. Similar to obsidian, tektite is mostly silicon. However, tektites are the result of meteorite impacts. Yes, that’s right, tektites are glass rocks formed when meteorites impacted the earth, sent molten particles into the air, and which fell back to earth in the strewnfields. Since tektites formed from the impacts, they have different characteristics compared to obsidian. Additionally, tektites might just have a little bit of cosmic matter in them! How cool is that?

Where can we find tektites? Across the globe, a few locations yield the majority of tektite finds. One of those locations, called strewnfields, is in Georgia! The Georgia tektites are known as Georgiaites and, just like the stone in The Amethyst, are green. Other strewnfields are in Texas, Autraliasia, the Ivory Coast of Africa, and Europe. Tektites from the different strewnfields have different characteristics which I will discuss next.

Tektite varieties:

Georgiaites:

I’ll start with Georgiaites. Found principally in Dodge and Bleckley counties in Middle Georgia, Georgiaites are olive green and generally tear drop shaped. Below is a picture of a Georgiaite (Photo by Sean Murray, courtesy of FallingRocks.com). Beautiful and extremely rare, Georgiaites are 35 million years old!

Georgiaite Tektite

Moldavites:

Moldavites are green, too, though a different shade than Georgiaites. Typically found in Czech Republic in Bohemia (no singing of Bohemian Rhapsody, please), the stones are about 15 million years old. The museum quality pieces are gorgeous and often used in jewelry. Here is an example of a museum quality Moldavite. I particularly like the flaky appearance!

Tektite Moldavite
Moldavite

Australites and Indochinites:

Australites spread across Australia and Southeast Asia. By far the most common variety, Australites are dark, usually black. Found across most of the southern half of Australia, these tektites have a unique disk or bowl shape. NASA (according to Wikipedia) used the shape of these tektites when designing the re-entry modules for the Apollo Space Program!

Tektite Australite
Australite

Due to the size of the impact, part of the same strewnfield reaches into Southeast Asia. The tektites found here – called Indochinites – are black like the Australites. Both Australites and Indochinites are much younger than Moldavites or Georgiaites, dating to about 790,000 years old. Here is an Indochinite.

Tektite indochinite
Indochinite

Ivorites:

Lastly, we talk about Ivorite. Found along the Ivory Coast on the Western Cost of Africa, these stones are only about 1.3 million years old. Because of the unstable political climate in the area, I couldn’t find a picture of an Ivorite to include in this post. As a result of the instability, few have been excavated. The found Ivorites resemble Indochinites.

In The Amethyst, the tektite was from the Georgia strewnfield. According to HealingCrystals.com, tektite encourages telepathy and helps with lucid dreaming and astral travel. Sounds a lot like what Nana and Laura experienced, but you’ll have to read the book to find out more!

Obviously, I took some license with the properties of all the gemstones in The Gemstone Chronicles series, but I enjoyed learning about the magical and mystical properties the stones possess. And tektite was a great addition to the collection!

What is your favorite gemstone (or gemstone power) from the series? Aidan’s double-terminated quartz is my favorite. Laura’s invisibility power is the best power, too! What about your favorite? Leave me a comment and let me know! I look forward to it!

Connect with me:

If you want to connect on the socials, find me on Twitter, Facebook, and Goodreads. You can drop me an email, too, at bill@williamlstuart.com or subscribe to the blog (so you don’t miss a post)!

Filed Under: Amazon, author, Book Posts, Cool Things, Gemstone Posts, The Gemstone Chronicles, William L Stuart Tagged With: adventure, Amazon, Australite, author, book, ebook, ebooks, fantasy, fantasy adventure, fiction, gems, gemstones, Georgia, georgiaite, Good Reads author, Indochinite, invisibility, KDP, Kindle, magic, middle grades, moldavite, Smashwords, tektite, telepathy, The Amethyst, The Gemstone Chronicles, william l stuart, young adult

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