Review: The Devil's Kitchen by Laura Oliva

Book Summary

"You have to look into this. You're the only ones who will." 

Life has mostly settled down for burlesque dancer Francesca "Frankie" Strong, and that's just how she likes it. But word of how she handled San Francisco's Chinatown mafia has already made the rounds, and when a showgirl suddenly dies at the club where she works, Frankie finds herself sucked into the investigation. 

With growing pressure to keep focused on his assignment, the death of a showgirl is the last thing undercover cop Johnny Marsden needs. Cafe Outré's owner has asked for his help, however, and the chance to be near Frankie again is too tempting to refuse. Working so close together, can they continue to keep the secrets that would destroy their shaky truce? 

What starts as a simple case of murder quickly escalates into a whirlwind of lies and jealousy, all revolving around a dangerous new street drug. What Frankie and Johnny uncover is beyond anything they expected, and the deeper they dig, the clearer it becomes. 

Something big is happening in Chinatown. 

Review

Going into the Devil’s Kitchen, the second installment of Laura Oliva’s series, The Devil’s Playthings, I had an anticipating quench to dig in. After reading the first novel, I had high expectations for it to jump right off and continue with the momentum of the first but I didn’t quite feel that transition. In fact, I felt like it slowed down but not in a bad way. Well, I guess I shouldn’t be too greedy wanting everything in the first novel, right? Laura definitely knows how to tell a story that pulls you into their lives. In this novel I really felt it was a more fulfilling, developed story that slowly built into a fun read bringing back our favs and introducing us to some more interesting characters. Just the right length to read in one sitting and as usual brings a little spice to their lives. So, if you are fans of Laura’s and haven’t read this book yet, you will enjoy where the story leads you. Overall, I think this book was a fun read. If you are new to Laura, this book could stand alone but I recommend reading the preceding first. 

Reviewed by Michelle Bowles 

Review: Ten Fingers Touching by Ellen A. Roth

Book Summary

Evil plots his return to power and Good fights to defeat Evil’s sinister plan. Caught between them in this epic struggle are two young lovers—Martak, master of the forest, and Marianna, a beautiful maiden and governess to Rosy, the impetuous, young princess. Evil’s desperate scheme to outwit Good and rule the Kingdom puts Martak, Marianna and the Princess at risk as they are drawn into the conflict. Will the soulmates realize their “happily ever after?” Martak must first unravel the curse and destroy Evil. In this land where magical forces vie for dominance, could true love be the most powerful weapon of all?

A beautifully illustrated tale for women of all ages, Ten Fingers Touching explores the complex nature of love and fate. It is an enchanting journey of romance, mystery and adventure. Ellen A. Roth’s debut novella is an imaginative take on a classic genre—and a treat for the romantic soul.

Review

The enchanting and beautiful debut, Ten Fingers Touching, elegantly embraces the childlike innocence of the fairy tale blending a mature narrative with elements of romance and adventure that would appeal to the heart of anyone rooting for that happily ever after. Beautifully written, you can’t help but be engagingly enamored by her beautiful gift of storytelling as well as its gorgeous illustrations that grace the pages. You have all the elements wanted in an engaging plot for a modern tale: a curse that needs to be broken, a damsel that needs saving and two young lovers destined to be together but find themselves caught in the middle of a power struggle between Good and Evil. 

This book overall was a wonderful read that was just the right length that wrapped up quite nicely. This is one of those beautiful stories that can be read over and again and placed next to our favorite classics. As I encourage you to add her debut to your reading list, I don’t feel this one even though a fairy tale would be ideal for kids. It’s more like as she said is the beginning of the book, “this story is dedicated to the youth of every woman.” Not that men can’t read but I think it would appeal more to the heart of the gals. 

Reviewed by Michelle Bowles

Paperback: 108 pages
Publisher: Getting to the Point (December 10, 2014)

Review: Shoulder Bones by Mary B. Sellers

Summary

These stories are worth an all-nighter and a steaming cup of tea. Shoulder Bones is a collection of short stories that dive into and out of the conscious and unconscious, into and out of reality. A girl jumps on a trampoline and gets stuck in midair.

Debut author Sellers has a voice that is a touch of Faulkner and a dash Austen, deeply rooted in the sounds, spirit, and heart, of a southern childhood. This is a collection of stories that have the fantastical dimension of the original Peter Pan or Harry Potter, but the adult thematic depth of Augusten Burroughs.

Sellers writes with the freshness of youth, but out of the fear of childhood. She spills her inky blood onto the pages of this debut collection with a not-quite-sweet prose that is at once feminist and normal, vivid and average, wild-eyed and honeysuckle sweet. This collection of stories represents the best and the worst in each of us, and the fanciful, fantastic escape that the squeeze of reality can bring.

Review

Shoulder Bones is a collection of short stories about girls and women and some of things they encounter growing up. Each story has a heroine and the villains aren’t always people but the adversity or obstacles the leading lady is faced; such as child birth, adolescence, death, love of another and love of self. Shoulder Bones focuses on the things girls and women often go through but told in nontraditional ways. 

Each story is told as if they were individual novels. Except each story’s protagonist is a woman dealing with a dilemma all women, or girls, face. The stories are not related to one another but the flow of themes are good; going from a young woman to older to young and young adult, with themes ranging from adolescent worth to death. Thus I think the book as a whole is written well. 

We start out with adolescence, going from preteen to teenager at thirteen but not really changing; still being seen as a child, though you are growing into a woman. There is nothing extraordinary about this girl, except for the fact that she is stuck in the sky and can’t come down. Yet on some level, she doesn’t want to come down. So as long as she stays stuck in the sky, she can finally be extraordinary, but at what cost? No friends, or family to hang out with and certainly no life to live. Thus how extraordinary is she really? 

And we end with a father dying, so his daughter takes hot air balloon lessons, so that they can fly around the world together before his inevitable end. Loretta has dropped out, or rather been asked to leave college and is just wondering through life as her father comes to the end of his. The doctors suggest he be comfortable, since there is nothing they can do for him and now Loretta is learning how to fly a hot air balloon. Loretta has nothing better to do and he mother hates flying. While hitting on her, the balloon instructor, Timothy imparts some wisdom upon her; that “every second we’re running from it with all our might, as fast as our legs can carry us. Balloons are the ultimate distraction from the inevitable.” Thus the way Loretta sees it, she should just soak up as much of life with her dad before death not only comes for her father, but for her as well. It’s not like she has anything better to do. 

Of course there are other stories within this novel but if I were to describe them all, I would give the whole book away. Overall, Shoulder Bones is about girls and woman and the struggles they go through in life. These struggles deal with everything from being just a teenager to being a daughter or a mother and the ultimate dilemma of death.  Most importantly, Shoulder Bones is just a collection of stories told in unconventional ways. 

Reviewed by Camia Rhodes

Paperback: 133 pages
Publisher: Blooming Twig Books (December 1, 2014)

Review: Death by Roses by Vivian Probst

Book Summary

For the first time in nearly thirty years of marriage, Art McElroy Sr. buys his headstrong, disapproving wife a dozen yellow roses. Hours later he discovers her lifeless body seated on the toilet. Mae Rose McElroy's sudden death leaves a void in her family and in the entire Midwestern farming community of Fairview. It's a void Mae Rose will attempt to fill, herself, from the hereafter by meddling directly in earthly affairs.

Mae Rose's meddling leads to her spiritual expulsion from heaven, and she winds up in the body of Mary Lee Broadmoor (Scary Mary), a crusty writer and director of exquisite horror movies. Mary Lee refuses to succumb to stage-4 pancreatic cancer until she gets one final shot at an elusive Oscar. Like Mae Rose, who argues with God for a return to earth, Mary Lee pleads, from her Hollywood deathbed, for more time to complete her work, as her hospice nurse, Gertie Morgan, looks on.

The two women's spirits work together, and Mae Rose provides her host with a new script idea: a love story, based on her life! The script earns Mary Lee her coveted Academy Award, but the movie's release shocks and disturbs Mae Rose's family. They set out to find, and confront, the woman who has somehow co-opted, and publicly revealed, their personal tragedy.

Along the way, new love emerges as the reader meets a caste of crazy, eccentric, but highly memorable characters. Death by Roses suggests that relationships don't end at death, but continue until their ultimate purpose is achieved. The universe has every resource at its disposal to get the job done. It also has an amazing sense of humor.

Review

If this book is any indication of what life after death could be, than what a fantastic adventure to look forward to. Vivian Probst’s, Death by Roses, was one of those books that I am proclaiming hands downs a must read. Blending a beautifully created story with unforgettable characters and humor that will knock your off socks, the only disappointment for me was when the novel ended because I loved every moment of it. 

Such a beautiful message of second chances blended with a creative interpretation of life after death, the reader experience was exciting and fulfilling. There was never a dull moment and keeps you engaged from the first through the end. Definitely thought provoking in so many regards to life, beyond the humor, it really inspires you to live life everyday being conscience of not regretting what you do or feel to others because you may never get that chance to make it right again once either of you are gone.

Let me introduce and give you a little backstory to the book. The McElroys could be anyone you know. Art and Mae Rose have been married for thirty years, have two children, and live in a small community. While no one is perfect, Art made a decision that could’ve cost him everything but he should consider himself lucky that he didn’t lose everything and is able to experience a second chance, even though it might seem like he is experiencing the “wrath” of Mae Rose. Now, before you find out what happens you might consider Mae Rose’s personality a little rigid towards Art but I’ll leave it up to you to decide if giving Art a second chance by how he was treated was justified. 

Every relationship goes through its ups and downs, the quality of their marriage really met it challenges. After receiving great news at work, Art was inspired to do something to try and regain their lost love in the relationship. Inspired to do something that he hadn’t done in the entirety of their marriage, he failed miserably. Well, it’s the thought that counts.  On the way home, once one bad thing happens it seems like a domino effect, his good effort seemed to be misinterpreted by what had happened which turned into a huge fight that led them to that one regrettable moment for Art in life that leaves you thinking what if I go do over, I would change…

When you lose someone in a way that leaves you with regret, depending on your situation, it can take a while to come to terms and accept that you cannot change anything. Life might be difficult but for those who have either a spiritual or a faith based background, there usually comes that solace moment of confirmation that will give you that sign of affirmation to not carry that burden of regret any longer. While Mae Rose was living, she only lived life from her experience which could’ve been different if she made different choices. When she meets the afterlife, she finds herself in a situation where she could she could see what happened versus what could’ve happened and finds herself wanting to have her own do over. There are rules though but after breaking them, she loses this privilege by being banished and sent back to Earth in the form of a Mary Lee Broadmoar, a horror writer dying of cancer who wants one last chance to get an Oscar before she dies.  Between these two women, we are sent on a funny, heartwarming journey that shows us so much about life, love, relationships and getting second chances that make you appreciate how short life is and to live each moment knowing that it could be your last.

Overall, you have to experience this book for yourself. It is definitely worth the read and I feel both men and women will appreciate and take away some great insight that may bring a new perspective in your lives. This is great book that any reader or book group could really appreciate. The great plot, characters and the nonstop humor all come together for a fantastic read that will entertain and inspire you. 

Reviewed by Michelle Bowles

Pages: 320 pages
Publisher: SelectBooks (February 3, 2015)

Review: A Season for Martyrs by Bina Shah

Summary

The U.S. literary debut of an up-and-coming Pakistani novelist and journalist.

Ali Sikandar is assigned to cover the arrival of Benazir Bhutto, the opposition leader who has returned home to Karachi after eight years of exile to take part in the presidential race. Already eager to leave for college in the U.S. and marry his forbidden Hindu girlfriend, Ali loses a friend in a horrific explosion and finds himself swept up in events larger than his individual struggle for identity and love when he joins the People’s Resistance Movement, a group that opposes President Musharraf. Amidst deadly terrorist attacks and protest marches, this contemporary narrative thread weaves in flashbacks that chronicle the deep and beautiful tales of Pakistani history, of the mythical gods who once protected this land. Bina Shah, a journalist herself and now a NYT op-ed writer, illustrates with extraordinary depth and keen observation into daily life the many contradictions of a country struggling to make peace with itself.

Review

When one thinks of Pakistan, depending on who you are, your mind might immediately grasp onto stereotyped perceptions of what you think defines its’ cultural identity and heritage. As a reader, thoroughly enamored by her gorgeous, vibrant novel, A Season of Martyrs, a title so fitting, embraces a powerful and illuminating homage blending generations presenting the heart & soul of those in a region whose suffered convictions beg to be heard.

Eloquent and beautifully written, we are swept into a novel alternating between almost the last two hundred years blending a rich history of familial and culture folklore, myths and historical derivatives from events stemming from commentary and research of Sindh’s past and through the present Pakistan. Connecting the history of a feudal family to the Bhuttos, Shah’s American debut illuminates our minds with a captivating literary voice that permeates from beginning to end.

The novel can be broken down into two blended central themes. One is the perspective told through the eyes of a young journalist named Ali. Ali brings a perspective to the book that represents a voice that never gets heard. He is someone who has had it hard but is determined not to let history repeat itself nor become the expected statistic. His passionate voice from his story of forbidden love with someone who would be considered taboo, familial issues of abandonment, political conflicts and his journey to finding himself opens the reader to a world that many here from a Western perspective don’t really see. Being in a country that’s core is democracy, daily life is taken for granted that you have the freedom to say what you want, live how you want and be who you want without being punished or persecuted. So empowering to see his character evolve and fight for a voice whose silence would be safer, challenges the cultural norms that defined what he is supposed to be. 

Beyond his story perspective, there is the connection to what I would consider the second theme of the book that involves the former Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto with her arrival into Pakistan from exile. The focus within the book was concentrated on the last couple of months of her life until her assassination but we learned through the history of his family her connection with them. What I really loved about her portrayal in the book was that despite the political conflicts and the consequences of believing in a movement that was against the mainstream belief, as a woman in a cultural that having this sort of power was not the norm, it was inspiring to read. I was in my twenties when Benazir was killed but remember how incredible it was for a woman to have such an influence and so much power was amazing consider the limited opportunities for women. 

Overall, I thought this book was amazing. The way she blended the past and the present bringing to life the culture and history of Sindh was such a brilliant narrative. Such a compelling storyteller, you will not only fall in love with the story being told but appreciate the true valor in risking everything for your voice to be heard. I would definitely add this one to your upcoming reading list.

Reviewed by Michelle Bowles 

Pages: 288 pages
Publisher: Delphinium (November 4, 2014)

Review: A Rooster Once Crowed: A Commentary on the Greatest Story Ever Told by Bryant Cornett

Book Summary

From a one-room Sunday school class—the lesson that’s been downloaded over 8,000 times in 54 countries—comes A Rooster Once Crowed, A Commentary on the Greatest Story Ever Told.
We live in those few moments between the first and the second crow of the rooster: between decision and indecision, between knowing and being known. But do you even care?

Small decisions made today establish our path for all time, and yet we piddle with a piece of this and a taste of that. We diet on wisdom from antiquity and gorge on culture that is next month's joke.

This story is an opportunity to gorge on Scripture, from Genesis to Revelation, in context. It is the Gospel of Jesus Christ and an opportunity to see for yourself what it actually is, rather than what we mold it to be, and to finally choose whether or not to care.

Through small stories and a modern context, this book will help you understand and decide what you believe about the greatest story ever told.

Review

When I first heard about this book, in my mind, I thought it would be different. That’s not to say it wasn't good but I was expecting and entirely different type of book. With that said, I was impressed with Cornett’s passionate, introspective commentary regarding what many Christians would consider, “the greatest story ever told.” As the title suggests, A Rooster Once Crowed, is dually based on the story of Peter and the rooster who crowed three times and a Sunday school lesson that he gave. 

Cornett’s commentary places the reader within the Gospel story. For many who had any type of Christian foundation growing up, these stories & tenets should be familiar as you follow through the book. For those just being introduced, it will allow a modernized, refreshed perspective that gives a great insight that can teach and inspire your own interpretations. Using biblical passages, personal stories, and suggested readings to accommodate each chapter, he opens and challenges your own beliefs which I felt was a great starting place for conversation about a subject that has over time left many Christians divided. It allows you to sit back and really delve deep inside and consider your own relationship that encourages and challenges new insights that will either strengthen or allow an interpretative perspective of understanding the Gospel.

One thing that stands out is the question of “what do I believe?” Whether you believe or not, in some point whether through school or conversation, this subject has been talked about. I will admit that there were some aspects of this commentary that I felt different about but that doesn't deter my thoughts of this being an engaging, well thought out and reflective book. Whether you are faith driven or not, I think this is a commentary that will definitely promote a starting point for an insightful conversation.

Reviewed by Michelle Bowles

Pages: 208 pages
Publisher: Carpenters Son Publishing (January 1, 2014)