Daniel and Colette are holidaying in the redwood forest when they discover some real fairies! This is a sweet, magical tale with an important message to impart about how important it is for us to look after our world, recycle, nurture and not be greedy like poachers (and other uncaring people,) who have no respect for nature, or the damage they can do to the natural world by their carelessness.
There are lovely descriptive passages as well as engaging dialogues of the fairies, wise talking trees, and dragonfly. And an amusing section with a kingfisher!
I particularly loved the parts with the trees (and dragonfly,) as I love redwood trees and dragonflies! Redwoods are such spectacular trees and have a special magical quality.
This is a lovely short tale with a considerable amount to say in a short magical narrative.
And there is also a lovely poem – The Little Fairies – at the beginning which I thoroughly enjoyed.
Thank you so much to Cynthia Morgan for featuring me at her awesome blog Word Mongery and Musings.
Do pop by to read the blog post in its entirety… I’m talking about reviews, The I-Ching and Clocks!
The variety of responses to Bloodstone have been varied, and thoughtful.. No two people will read a book and have the same opinion. That is the beauty of writing, reading and reviewing. Books are e…
Thank you so much to Denise Finn for this marvellous review of my YA Fantasy Bloodstone along with fab reviews for Jacquie Biggar’s Twilights Encore and The Rebel’s Redemption.
“Bloodstone” is a paranormal YA story that centers on 15-year-old Amelina. Her family life drastically changed after her father disappeared and then returned home a different man. Her once happy household was gone. When she gets an invitation to a mysterious place, she goes down a forbidden path by the river. Here she meets Ryder, who completely mesmerizes her after saving her from a robbery attempt. There were many great secondary characters, including her band members and cat, Shadow, but I think my favorite was Esme or the girl who lived in the mirror. There was a lot of depth in Esme, and the subject of self-harm was dealt with well. I’m a fan of rocks/crystals, so their importance in the story was a plus. The magic and darkness weaved into the plot of finding the truth contrasted with Amelina’s constant conflict. The poetry before each chapter was a nice addition, and I enjoyed the descriptive passages. The ending answered some questions, but not all. I look forward to reading the next book in this series to see what happens next. If you like a paranormal story told from a teen’s perspective who is not only finding herself but discovering her unique abilities, this is for you.
In the cosmic realm of Eternity, there’s only one private eye to hire when your world gets turned inside out—Angela Hardwicke.
Darla Fyne, a college freshman and galaxy design savant, is suffering from a nervous breakdown—or is she the victim of an urban legend known as the Scarlet Raj?
As Hardwicke follows the intersecting worlds of art galleries, college dorms, and a semi-secret clan that patches up tears in the Universe, her investigation will either uncover a hoax gone wrong or a plot that could shift the balance of power across the entire realm. If only she can fight through her own paranoia to tell the difference.
In Russ Colchamiro’s new Sci-Fi mystery Fractured Lives, Angela Hardwicke is confronted by a PI’s worst nightmare—dark secrets from her past
Book review
It’s the first time I’ve reviewed for Blackthorn Book Tours and I was very impressed with the quality and imaginative breadth of this story. I really enjoyed Fractured Lives and found it different, original and engaging. It is the second in (The Angela Hardwicke Mysteries) but I didn’t find any difficulty following the story. Though, do start at the first in the series – Crackle and Fire (The Angela Hardwicke Mysteries Book 1).
It was interesting to see how the author Ross Colchamiro meshed together a sci fi tale with a private investigative vibe. Awesome!
The story is about Private investigator Angela Hardwicke who begins to uncover the unusual goings on at Wrolen, a special Art and Engineering school for gifted students. At the beginning, I thought this was a missing daughter type story but soon realised there was much more to this sci fi private investigator tale. Darla hasn’t disappeared in the literal sense but it appears as if her soul has. There are fascinating mentions of a shattered glass self portrait, multi galaxy projects, and the mysterious Scarlet Raj. Is she real or a student prank?
And touching secrets are revealed too!
Great characterisation, and confident storytelling.
This book was so me! Loved it, and would definitely recommend this author’s writing, especially if you like metaphysical type stories with excellent characters and story line.
Easy to rate. A compelling 5 stars.
Thank you to the author and to Blackthorn Book Tours for a copy for review. Opinions are my own and unbiased.
Age range: This is an adult book but suitable for mature teenagers age 16+
Trigger warnings: None
About Fractured Lives
In the cosmic realm of Eternity, there’s only one private eye to hire when your world gets turned inside out—Angela Hardwicke.
Darla Fyne, a college freshman and galaxy design savant, is suffering from a nervous breakdown—or is she the victim of an urban legend known as the Scarlet Raj?
As Hardwicke follows the intersecting worlds of art galleries, college dorms, and a semi-secret clan that patches up tears in the Universe, her investigation will either uncover a hoax gone wrong or a plot that could shift the balance of power across the entire realm. If only she can fight through her own paranoia to tell the difference.
In Russ Colchamiro’s new Sci-Fi mystery Fractured Lives, Angela Hardwicke is confronted by a PI’s worst nightmare—dark secrets from her past
Praise for Fractured Lives
“Colchamiro’s heroine is a blunt, wry gumshoe battling her own demons.” —James McCrone, author of Emergency Powers
“I didn’t think Russ Colchamiro could surpass his previous novel. Fractured Lives proved me wrong. It takes readers into the workings of the universe and shows them the workings of the soul.” —John L. French, author of the Bianca Jones series.
“A tale of mystery, intrigue and suspense… in a unique and fascinating world.” —Hildy Silverman, former editor of Space & Time magazine
About the Author
Russ Colchamiro is author of the Sci-Fi mystery Crackle and Fire the first novel in his ongoing series featuring intergalactic private eye Angela Hardwicke. Russ is also the author of the rollicking time travel/space adventure, Crossline, the SF/F backpacking comedy series Finders Keepers: The Definitive Edition, Genius de Milo, and Astropalooza, is editor of the scifi mystery anthology Love, Murder & Mayhem, and co-author of the noir anthology Murder in Montague Falls.
Russ has also contributed to several other anthologies, including Tales of the Crimson Keep, Pangaea, Altered States of the Union, Agents of the Abyss, Camelot 13, TV Gods 2, They Keep Killing Glenn, Thrilling Adventure Yarns, Camelot 13, Footprints in the Stars, Devilish and Divine, Badass Moms, and Brave New Girls.
Russ is a member of the Mystery Writers Association and Crazy 8 Press, and hosts Russ’s Rockin’ Rollercoaster podcast, where he interviews best-selling and up-and-coming Sci-Fi, fantasy, crime, mystery, and horror authors.
He lives in New Jersey with his wife, two ninjas, a black lab, Jinx.
Thank you so much to Valentina for this lovely Autumn with an author chat.
1. Your latest publication “Bloodstone – The Curse Of Time” is an imaginative mystery book. What did you develop first the plot or the characters?
Thank you so much for inviting me to interview at your wonderful blog Valentina. My latest publication, Bloodstone The Curse of Time Book 1 is an imaginative YA fantasy mystery with paranormal, light and dark elements inspired by two sculptural artworks:
The Corpus Christi Chronophage invented by extraordinary British inventor Dr. John C Taylor OBE (who I had the pleasure of meeting in person in 2017.)
The extraordinary timepiece is situated on King’s Parade Cambridge opposite King’s College. I discovered Juniper Artland’s The Light Pours Out of Me by Anya Gallaccio while out with friends near my parent’s home in Scotland.
With regard to your question, I developed the characters first of all. For me, characters are central to the story and I don’t tend to plot. I write organically from my imagination which brings interesting results!
Read the rest of the interview at Valentina’s blog…
Lose yourself in this heart-warming chick lit of love, romance, family and friendship
‘The humour and attention to detail made the story come to life and seem real’
‘The story of Katie and Jack is warm with family, friendship and romance’
‘A book that takes you away from it all’
‘For the romantics amongst you, this book is a lovely, heartwarming read’
‘An amusing and romantic story perfect for brightening up a dull afternoon’
When Katie was fourteen, she met her brother’s best friend for the first time. He was good looking, funny and mischievous. What was there to dislike? The trouble was she never stopped liking him and now, in her twenties, her feelings had got stronger. There was no way she was going to tell him though. For a start, her brother wouldn’t like her going out with his best mate. And Jack? Well, he wouldn’t be interested. I mean, why would he, when his girlfriends were so much more glamorous than her?
Jack hadn’t thought of Katie as anything other than his best friend’s sister. At least he hadn’t, until the evening of her parents’ Christmas party. Now, he couldn’t get her out of his mind. But knowing what to do about it was the tricky part. His best mate would hate it if they got together. He was very protective of his sister and from the outset he’d told his friends they couldn’t date her. Not that that would happen anyway. I mean, she’d never shown any interest in him in the whole time that he’d known her so why would she want to go out with him now?
After countless missed opportunities, the time now felt right for them to let each other know. There was one problem, Jack was going to become a father. He didn’t have a reason to doubt this, so he had to move on, make a fresh start. Would the time ever be right for Katie and Jack or had they missed their chance?
This is my first introduction to Sarah Lithgow and I really enjoyed When The Time Feels Right. It’s a light-hearted love story that will make you smile and bring back those angsty thoughts and tummy butterflies! Sweet, with engaging characters, and a nice story line. What’s not to like? I’d recommend if you like romances with a touch of humour, and a family touch (she falls for her brother’s friend!) Bit predictable in parts but one to enjoy when you want a nice, easy and fun romance read to cosy up to. A new author I believe, so hats off to her with this debut novel.
