Reader Views

In All Cases Whatsoever

Howard S. Ford’s novel entitled “In All Cases Whatsoever” is based during the early battles of the Revolutionary War between the British Empire and the separatists from the new colonies in America. While the British troops are determined to regain control of the colonial separatists, those who support the idea of separation from Great Britain are equally determined to keep their newfound freedom.

The first part of the book centers on James “Jamie” Claveraque, a stand-up member of the separatist movement. Jamie, a newlywed, with his wife Olivia celebrates their first anniversary together and dream of many more years of marriage. This is a risky endeavor due to the British army pillaging the homes of the separatists and also the threat of those loyal to the British government.

Claveraque must find balance between two higher ranking colonels who often give Jamie conflicting orders. Luckily for him, the colonel who is first in command protects Jamie over his nemesis counterpart.

Jamie proves his value upon the capture of a British deserter who is suspected as being a spy. Instead of using techniques of torture, he gains the trust of the “prisoner” by treating him as a human being. This method proves invaluable to the Separatists’ cause.

The second part of the book focuses on Trevor Shaw, a general store owner and real estate entrepreneur in New York City. He is also a stand-up person and he supports the Separatists. Due to the British troops who frequent his store, Trevor must appear to be neutral so he can keep his business while also allowing him to gain strategic plans the British are using to defeat the Americans.

Despite his efforts to appear neutral, Trevor endures several hardships and predicaments which almost cost him his business and his life. Fortunately, Trevor is wise and sly in many ways and he is able to survive many of his challenges.

“In All Cases Whatsoever” by Howard S. Ford is a well written and descriptive book that brings the reader back in time to the Revolutionary War. It shows the struggles of not only the Americans and the British, but it includes the interactive challenges of the various Native Indian tribes and their roles during the war. I would recommend this book to anyone who enjoys a good historic novel.

In All Cases Whatsoever
Howard S. Ford
AuthorHouse (2012)
ISBN 9781477280515
Reviewed by Daryn Watson for Reader Views (4/13)

Haze

“Haze” by Michael Chavez is the story of Andrew. Growing up overweight and very reserved, Andrew never had a chance to feel like part of a group. When he goes to college and meets his first love, Nat, everything changes.  Nat completely accepts Andrew just as he is. He also encourages him to join his circle of friends. When Nat is involved in a horrifying accident, Andrew’s life is completely torn apart. While he stays loyal to Nat, he becomes best friends with Ilario. Ilario is haunted by memories of being brutally violated in high school. Efron, the person who led the assault, shows up in Andrew’s life after Ilario commits suicide. 

Andrew is filled with anger towards Efron. Vengeance is on his mind. When an opportunity to take revenge presents itself, Andrew actually backs down but he put himself in a position of being blackmailed by a witness. Since Efron has no clue who he is, Andrew decides to drastically alter his appearance by losing weight and getting fit.  By sticking to this plan, Andrew becomes more confident and assertive, especially at work.

Encountering Efron again, Andrew sees that he is still deceptive and disloyal to those who are close to him. At this time, Andrew’s change is complete and he is unrecognizable to Efron. When Andrew’s place of work has serious allegations made against them, Efron comes into the picture as part of the legal counsel for the opposing side.  When given the chance, Efron betrays Andrew to help his side. When he realizes what happened, Andrew has to reach inside himself to see how strong he really is. He knows that by doing what is right, he will risk losing everything.

“Haze” by Michael Chavez is a very complex novel. There are several dramas unfolding around the main one. Each one is connected in some way, yet at the heart of the novel is Andrew’s story.  I was really impressed with how the author managed to tie everything together. His subplots were also very complex, and he presented them all so that they stood well on their own. Tying everything together made “Haze” stand out as an extremely well written, thought-provoking story about redemption - I highly recommend reading “Haze.”

Haze
Michael Chavez
Regal Crest Enterprises (2013)
ISBN 9781619290969
Reviewed by Paige Lovitt for Reader Views (4/13)

New York Roommates: Where Do These People Come From?

“New York Roommates: Where Do These People Come From?” by Howard Boger is a fictional story about Hank and the myriad roommates with whom he has shared his New York apartment. Hank, a photographer, has vowed to never again share his home with another male. However, his experiences with female roommates have ranged from bizarre to downright dangerous. As this story begins, he is actively seeking his latest roommate. After deciding to give Aurora a chance, he regales her with stories about his former tenants, completely unaware of the secret that she possesses. Will this relationship be able to last longer than the others?

There is also a subplot to this story involving politics and foreign affairs. One faction of Congress wants to strike the enemies of the United States before they decide to act first. However, the other members believe it would be unwise to antagonize countries that have done nothing to harm our nation. As they wrangle over this matter, terrorist plots and bombings are occurring in New York but it is uncertain who is behind them and what their agenda may be. As the days progress, deeper ramifications arise regarding the security of the city.

While the plot for this book was fairly interesting, many other aspects left me disappointed. The characters were not particularly well-developed. I could not picture them or relate to them in any way. The dialogue was stiff and filled with clichés. The stories about Hank's ex-roommates were randomly inserted and really did nothing to advance the plot. Instead, I felt the author used them in an attempt to infuse humor into the book. There are also some editing issues. Scene breaks are not clearly delineated and there are numerous punctuation and spelling errors. Lastly, the story ended too abruptly. An epilogue of possible events that occurred after the climax would have been appreciated.

“New York Roommates: Where Do These People Come From?” by Howard Boger would best be categorized as an action/adventure book with elements of science fiction. It is definitely intended for an adult audience. While my above comments may seem harsh, there are some positive aspects of this story including mystery, political infighting, and lively recollections of days past.

New York Roommates: Where Do These People Come From?
Howard Boger
Outskirts Press (2012)
ISBN 9781432796815
Reviewed by Leslie Granier for Reader Views (1/13)

The Butterfly Ball: A Metamorphic Story

Article first published as Book Review: The Butterfly Ball: A Metamorphic Story by H. T. Manogue on Blogcritics.
 
“The Butterfly Ball” by H. T. Manogue is written in a style of poetic prose to relate a fictional story to lead the reader on a metamorphic journey of transformation and change. H. T. Manogue uses the butterfly as a metaphor of life to stimulate creative thinking, to stretch the imagination, to prod curiosity, and to challenge the reader to pursue the adventure of self-discovery; to realize and appreciate the magical beauty and mystery of change that brings one into harmony and inner peace with the true self.
 
The story traces three generations of a family to illustrate how an individual caught up in the mental cage of fear from an environment of painful situations, malice and vindictiveness can find resolution and be transformed to experience freedom by adapting a new point of view through a life metamorphosis.
 
Manogue alerts the reader of the importance of recognizing the troubling signs of mental issues, and manic outbursts manifest by adolescents and teenagers, brought on by parental abuse, Post-traumatic Stress Disorder, and the impact of well-meaning judgmental religionists preaching a gospel of guilt and fear. He introduces the concept of how our perceptions impact and determine the meaning and purpose of our lives. Manogue’s writing is haunting, instructive, and inspiring. I appreciated the dozens of quotes from highly respected and recognized authors, philosophers, and world leaders that challenged the reader to move beyond their perceived limitations and to see the diversity and potential around them.
 
In “The Butterfly Ball,” H. T. Manogue encompasses the metamorphic cycle and artistically creates word pictures of the butterfly side of being human and the human side of being a butterfly and creates a masterpiece of poetic prose around the theme of facing the realities of life and the consequences of life choices.



The Butterfly Ball: A Metamorphic Story
H. T. Manogue
shortsleeves (2012)
ISBN 9780977813056
Reviewed by Richard R. Blake for Reader Views (1/13)

Snail’s Pace: The Inventor, A Novel

Article first published as Book Review: Snail's Pace: The Inventor by John Miller Conn on Blogcritics.
 
In “Snail’s Pace: The Inventor, A Novel” by John Miller Conn, we meet Lawrence Roebuck, born a brilliant child. From a young age, in his preteen years, he was already building scientific and electronics kits. He built so many that in the end the company was sending him kits for free. Even school held no challenge for “Buck,” as he was affectionately called. He graduated from high school and was off to college at the ripe old age of fourteen. Not only did he graduate from college but he went on to medical school and became a doctor. He did all this for one very simple reason, to find out what his father had really died of. He was just a child when his father died and Buck was not satisfied with the decision of the Coroner. He was determined to find the real reason for his father’s death.
                                           
He returned home to find his father’s ranch closed up and all the help gone. Since Buck was a minor at the time of his father’s death, the bank had put his father’s estate in trust for him and paid him an allowance. The conditions set were to last till he attained the age of twenty five, at which time he would be given the full amount of money.

Buck resurrected the ranch, met a beautiful Mexican girl and began to work in his lab. He was determined to find out the cause of his father’s death. After some diligent investigating he found out and began working on a device that would keep other people from dying in the same manner.

“Snail’s Pace: The Inventor, A Novel”  by John Miller Conn was a very compelling and intense book. The author must be commended for the attention he paid to such detail as the medical terminology and some of the procedures. This first book of the Trilogy by Mr. Conn is one that I would consider a general audience book. It is wholesome and exciting without the colorful language or much of today’s violence. I enjoyed the book and gave it a well-deserved B on my scale.


Snail’s Pace: The Inventor, A Novel
John Miller Conn
Xlibris (2012)
ISBN 9781469165103
Reviewed by William Phenn for Reader Views (1/13)

Never Change What Is Natural

Article first published as Book Review: Never Change What Is Natural by Prague Raja on Blogcritics.
 
Prague Raja stimulates the imagination of the reader in his novel “Never Change What Is Natural” by drawing attention to the effect that nature might have when society or an individual uses science and technology to accelerate the pace of nature for corporate profit or personal egocentric reasons.

Raja introduces the possible consequences of this abuse at a personal level, through the story of a billionaire Sir Christopher Louis, one of the richest men in England. Although Louis had everything a man could need or want, he felt something was missing in his life. He was looking for perfection and became obsessed with a dream of changing his natural self. Willing to spend millions to accomplish this dream, he overlooked all of the repercussions he might face as a result of his action.

Raja’s concept is unique. His writing style is straightforward and compelling, informational, and entertaining. A supporting cast characters move the plot forward incorporating dialog and descriptive background information and local points of interest.
 
Raja’s rich culture background, extensive travel, and interaction with a diverse cross section of ethnic cultures add to the rich insights introduced in his writing. However, the lack of grammatical and copy editing of the manuscript may prove distracting to a critical reader. Terms used in England, Canada, and India may limit the reader potential of the U.S. market
 
“Never Change What Is Natural” by Prague Raja is entertaining, informative, and imaginative.


Never Change What Is Natural
Prague Raja
Xlibris (2012)
ISBN 9781479718276
Reviewed by Richard R. Blake for Reader Views (1/13)

Miss Fannie Mae’s Girls: A Southern Tale of Life Lost and Love Found

The daughter of sharecroppers, Miss Fannie Mae was born in Macon County, Georgia, in 1922. Miss Fannie Mae’s mother was shocked to find her daughter born with the skin color of “red Georgia clay.” So began the life of the loyal, hard-working and tough-as-nails Southern girl, who eventually became the mother of five daughters along with her husband, Henry Turner, as told in “Miss Fannie Mae's Girls: A Southern Tale of Life Lost and Love Found” by Larry Batchelor.

The daughters were each given traditional names at birth, but soon took on nicknames that suited them better. Belle became “Lil Buck” after her grandfather; Nettie became “Sis;” Rosalie, being born with the same color skin as her mother was called “Big Red.” The fourth daughter was named Christine and became “Sweetie Pie;” and the final baby Elenora was to be henceforth known as “Girlie.”

Readers who grew up with similar backgrounds will probably find a lot to love in Batchelor’s simple but heart-warming story. Like all families, the Turners have their fair share of heartbreak and challenges. But like only the luckiest of families, the Turners successfully recover from their losses and hardships. They may even love each other a little more. The Turners certainly know the magnificent and unique joy that comes from a large, albeit chaotic, family. There is never a dull moment with this family.

Although this book is penned as a novel it reads more like a biography. The author has diligently recounted the history of his Southern family. Dates, locations, births and deaths are well-recorded and the author has done a good job of including relevant American history along the way as well.

Also, there is the added bonus of quite a few recipes. The ‘Supper Cookbook’ seems to be the perfect homage to Miss Fannie Mae. She has a recipe for every meal, Southern style. Baked Ham, Fried Chicken, Sweet Potato Lemon Pie and Berry, Banana, and Peach Trifle are but a few of the recipes included in Batchelor’s book.

Readers will most likely keep this book in the kitchen instead of the library. “Miss Fannie Mae’s Girls: A Southern Tale of Life Lost and Love Found” by Larry Batchelor is a very sweet book, and the love for the author’s family comes through loud and clear.


Miss Fannie Mae’s Girls: A Southern Tale of Life Lost and Love Found
Larry Batchelor
3L Publishing (2011)
ISBN 9780615562407
Reviewed by Jennifer Gooch Hummer for Reader Views (11/12)

Unrequited

Article first published as Book Review: Unrequited by Brendan Shannon on Blogcritics.
 
In “Unrequited,” author Brendan Shannon takes readers on a journey in the life of John Moran. The descriptive details of his characters make one believe they are there with the characters and each reader can relate to some of the feelings and behaviors exhibited.
 
John Moran was a child who had trouble from the start with his cold, negative mother to having learning problems in school. Several times he was held back in school and eventually they passed him onto other grades even though he couldn’t read well or do any of the basic studies.
 
Throughout his life John had it hard and took measures in his life to make it even harder. Alcohol, drugs, loss of jobs and a basic negative attitude is all he had. He didn’t understand why women did not love him or even how to attract women who would be interested. John was more interested in being a bad ass boy and man in an effort to make up for his incompetency.  John is a character that you feel sorry for while learning to hate his behaviors, including how he treats others.

Brendan Shannon writes in a way that one cannot put the book down, as each time you do you wonder what happens next. There is plenty of action in “Unrequited” but not so much you are overwhelmed. It is fast-paced and exciting.


Unrequited
Brendan Shannon
Lincolnshire Press (2012)
ISBN 9780615650579
Reviewed by Carol Hoyer  for Reader Views (11/12)

Letters to the Grave

Article first published as Book Review: Letters to the Grave by Lucia Cascioli on Blogcritics.
 
In “Letters to the Grave” by Lucia Cascioli, we meet siblings Sofia, Michael, and Lucy; they have suffered greatly as children after the death of both of their parents within a short period of time. As their mother is about to pass, she asks them to write to her after she is gone.  In spite of being raised in an economically poor environment, their mother made them feel rich with her love and ingenuity.  Until Michael and Sofia suffer through another tragic loss, they continued to write letters to their parents in a diary kind of format.

 When Sofia and Michael sign up for Doctors without Borders, they begin their letter writing again.  Sofia is now a psychiatrist and Michael is a physician.  Their journeys take them to exotic third world places like Boguila, Vietnam and Ethiopia.  The experiences that they have in those countries teach them about how people can live with very little and they meet other compassionate individuals who share their desire to make a difference.  Their mother shared much of the same ingenuity as some of the health care professionals they now work with, in that they can be creative and come up with simple solutions to complex problems while working with almost no budget.  Because they are in places of political unrest, the siblings also witness horrible acts of violence against the people that they are trying to help.  Unfortunately, Michael and Sofia both suffer greatly while they are in Libya during an uprising.  Left alone, Sofia uses these letters, which her aunt has been collecting, to reflect back on their adventures.  By reading Michael’s stories she is able to maintain a feeling of still being connected to him.
            
“Letters to the Grave,” is both sobering and fascinating. Some of the letters written were borrowed from a real doctor who was a part of Doctors without Borders.  As the letters take the reader into other worlds, it is fascinating to see how other people live however it is also tragic that they have so little while we have so much.  As the author brings some of these characters to life, it is heartbreaking to see them suffer needlessly especially as a result of civil unrest, which is really happening all over the world as I type these words.  This is definitely a book that will hold your attention, and have you reflecting upon it after you finish.  I highly recommend reading “Letters to the Grave” by Lucia Cascioli.


Letters to the Grave
Lucia Cascioli
Lulu (2012)
ISBN 9781300071716
Reviewed by Paige Lovitt for Reader Views (10/12)

The Twelfth Child

Article first published as Book Review: The Twelfth Child by Bette Lee Crosby on Blogcritics. 

Bette Lee Crosby’s “The Twelfth Child” is an extraordinarily heartwarming story, written by a talented author and narrated in a rather unusual way by an extremely charming and complex old lady, Abigail Lannigan.

Abigail Anne Lannigan, who was born in 1912, led a very colorful and eclectic life, and in her sunset years she met probably the best friend she has ever had, Destiny Fairchild. The two of them had some absolutely wonderful times together, but Destiny is now accused of embezzling a fortune. Abigail knows the truth but she’'s unable to tell the authorities about it. Why? Well, since I do not want to give away any of the secrets and twists in this charming story, you will simply have to read the book for yourself.

Bette Lee Crosby’s talent lies not only in telling a good, compelling story, but telling it from an unique perspective. I’ve greatly enjoyed the shifts of time in the narrative, and the life story of Abigail Anne proved to be quite intriguing, particularly the way it was revealed slowly, piece by piece, and by the end of this book all of the pieces fit together truly well. It would be impossible not be feel emotionally attached to the characters in this book, and Abigail is certainly one of the most engaging ones I’ve “met” in a long time.
 “The Twelfth Child” by Bette Lee Crosby should not take you long to read, but will definitely stay with you for a good while. Its characters are simply too endearing to go away, and if you are anything like me, you will be impatiently awaiting the sequel, since the ending of this book practically promises one.


The Twelfth Child
Bette Lee Crosby
Bent Pine Publishing (2012)
ISBN 9780983887973
Reviewed by Olivera Baumgartner-Jackson for Reader Views (11/12)