Review The Rise of the Mad March by Robert Espenscheid, Jr.

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About the book, The Rise of the Mad March  Rise of the Mad March

  • Genre: New Adult / Coming of Age / Friendship
  • Publisher: Stoney Creek Publishing
  • Pages: 374
  • Publication Date: May 9, 2025

This one is for all the rock bands who never headlined the big stage, who never needed protection getting to the limo, who never made any money, who never got signed, who had no answer to the cry of  “why aren’t you guys famous?” It’s for those who wrote killer songs never heard on the radio, who never made a Rolling Stone cover—or even a mention inside. It’s for those whose collars were always blue, who were promised this and wound up with that, who always opened and never closed.

America, 1973. Christine on lead, Henry on rhythm, Gretchen on bass and Melissa on drums. A chaotic rise, fighting amongst themselves, battling self-destruction, finding their sound, learning to trust, finding a helping hand, overcoming convention (girls can’t play guitar) to become one band, on one tour, for one month – New York to LA and all the stories in between.

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About the Author, Robert Espenscheid Jr.  04 Author Espenscheid

Rob Espenscheid, Jr. is a Connecticut native and a 1966 Wake Forest College graduate. After an Army RVN stint in 1969, Rob pulled up stakes and moved to the rural Midwest, settling in southern Iowa in the early 1970s. Prairie life provided a career tuning and repairing pianos from cattle country small towns to collegiate concert halls. When not tinkering on a piano, he can usually be found either on a golf course or working on a manuscript. In 1998, family connections led to a move, with his wife Sharon, to Smithville, Texas.

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My Thoughts MelissaBartell - photo

It’s hard for me to consider a book that takes place after I was born “historical,” but apparently The Rise of the Mad March, which takes place in 1973 is in that class now.

Categorization aside, this book is a fascinating romp through the creation and early touring years of a rock band.

The creation part, which is set in a halfway house, introduces us to Henry the piano tuner who dumps an out-of-fashion beast of a piano on the premises on the condition that he’ll come and repair it as necessary. It’s there that he meets two of the criminal residents, Melissa – mostly referred to as Mel – on drums, and Gretchen on guitar. We meet Christine both before and after these initial coming together scenes, but we meet her separately.

As a musician myself, these early scenes were some of the most interesting for me, because I got to see each character’s first wobbly attempts to play, and then to improve, and finally to mesh with the others.

When the book shifts from the creation of the band to the band touring, I was interested for other reasons. Certainly, the name dropping of all the real people – 70s icons like Billy Crystal and The Ramones – they encountered was fun. Each name was a little like an easter egg, but also a glimpse into what and who resonated with the author. More than that, every now-famous person or group they encountered affected their band’s own future.

And speaking of the author, Robert Espensheid, Jr, has a gift for dialogue and I really appreciated how natural all of the characters sounded, but especially that Mel, Gretchen, and Christine sounded like real women and not manic-pixie-dreamgirl prototypes or mindless, jaded, old-beyond-their-years women. The male characters were drawn equally well.

I also appreciated the interstitial scenes with thirteen-year-old high school journalist Jersey Moon who was given the gift of keeping a tour journal of the band. I identified with her far more than someone in their fifties ought to, even though we didn’t see that much of her.

Overall, this is a solid novel if you like the feel of behind-the-scenes music dramas, or the 70s music scene.

Goes well with: rice pudding and strong coffee, served in heavy porcelain with faint blue or green lines around the rims. Preferably at 2 am in a vintage diner.


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Review: The Calendar, by WM Gunn – with Giveaway

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About the Book, The Calendar 04 Cover, The Calendar

  • Genre: Science Fiction
  • Pages: 302
  • Publication Date: April 3, 2025
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Long-range monitors detect a massive rock plunging through space on a path toward Earth. Will it miss our planet, deliver a glancing blow, or destroy Mankind? And how will people react to an uncertain future? Or will they be told?

What if everything and everyone you cherish vanished in a heartbeat? What if you knew the very day your world would cease to exist? What if you could not save those you love? What if all your dreams and hopes of a brighter tomorrow would never be realized? How would you react if there was nothing you could do to delay it or prevent it? What would you do?

Prepare yourself for the upcoming end of all that is right and wrong. Prepare yourself for the fear and uncertainty of the unknown. Prepare to feel the tension grow and grow.

Prepare to read The Calendar.

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About the author, WM Gunn Author WM Gunn

WM Gunn is a native Texan who spent many years in the pharmaceutical industry in sales, sales management, and training and development. He is active in writing groups and volunteering with non-profit groups. He lives in his hometown in Texas with his high school sweetheart bride of many years. To date, he has written hundreds of short stories, three novellas, and two novels. Holmes, Moriarty, and the Monkeys and Chasing the Sun are two novellas released earlier in 2024. His debut full-length novel The Two Terrors of Tulelake was released in October 2024, as an e-book and as a paperback. The Calendar is his newest novel available in April 2025 as an e-book and in paperback

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My Thoughts Melissa A. Bartell

Part thriller, part human drama, The Calendar is a truly original novel about a classic science fiction trope: what would you do if you knew a giant meteor was about to slam into the Earth. 05 Social Media 3

But in WM Gunn’s deft hands, this book defies the tropes, forgoing (mostly) the expected flash and bang for quieter moments. The plot progresses not with one protagonist, but in a series of vignettes told over the course of a calendar year, showing us not only who changes when faced with impending doom, and who stays the same.

The early chapters introduce us to the characters – lawyers with marital issues, doctors with challenging patients, criminals, do-gooders, and world leaders faced with what to tell their various constituents. As the novel progresses, details are filled in both with the external crises of the traveling asteroid, nicknamed Goliath, and the more immediate goings-on at home. Each flip of the calendar page (or new chapter) heightens the tension and makes the characters increasingly more dimensional, until they are as real as anyone we readers might know.

The story of the pizzeria owner, Max, who offers free pies to his city’s unhoused population, really struck a chord with me, reminding me of my own local pizza maker who fired up her oven in a shop without electricity to feed first-responders and those who’d lost their homes after last year’s back-to-back hurricanes on Florida’s Gulf Coast. It’s that kind of resonance that makes this novel so compelling.

One detail that makes it even more relatable is the addition of a song that goes with each month, with lyrics quoted in the text and a playlist provided at the end. It’s a nice touch and really added to my appreciation of the author’s work.

It’s not a spoiler to say that this book doesn’t have a happy ending. We’re told in the blurb that Earth won’t survive. But despite the fact that there’s no neat sci-fi solution, this book isn’t sad. It’s uplifting. It’s hopeful. In a world that seems increasingly dark, it reminds us that there are good people all around us. The Calendar should be on every discerning reader’s summer TBR list.

Goes well with: pizza, obviously, the Neapolitan kind with a crispy crust and blistered cheese, and beer or sweet tea, your choice. 

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Review: Under the Gulf Coast Sun by Skip Rhudy

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About the Book: Under the Gulf  Coast Sun 04 Cover, Under the Gulf Coast Sun

  • Genre: Romance / Coming of Age / Surfing
  • Publisher: Stoney Creek Publishing
  • Pages: 266
  • Publication Date: April 22, 2025

This coming-of-age tale set against the sun-soaked beaches of 1970s Port Aransas, Texas, is a love letter to the people and culture of the Texas coast and the enduring allure of the Gulf of Mexico.

Eighteen-year-old Connor O’Reilly isn’t ready to leave his beloved hometown until the tourist girl he met the previous summer, Kassie Hernandez, returns to Port Aransas for one final vacation before college. Their tumultuous summer fling is wrecked by a freak accident in which Connor is lost at sea. His long years of surfing and fishing in the Gulf, as well as Kassie’s desperation to reunite with him, are pitted against the enormity and utter indifference of the sea.

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About the Author, Skip Rhudy 04 Author Under the Gulf Coast Sunx500

Skip Rhudy grew up surfing in Port Aransas, Texas. He has translated poetry and prose from German to English, and translated Wolfgang Hilbig’s novella Die Weiber for his master’s thesis in 1990 at the University of Texas. His short stories were published in numerous small press magazines in the mid-1990s, and his novella One Punk Summer was published in 1993 and reprinted in 2021.

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My Thoughts Melissa A. Bartell

I have to admit, I was attracted to Skip Rhudy’s new novel, Under the Gulf Coast Sun, because it involved surfing on the gulf coast of Texas, something I didn’t think was possible. As I read it, I discovered that it’s the perfect summer read for people who like their romance a little bit gritty. Taking place over the course of one Texas summer this book has it all: sun, sand, surf, and survival at sea.

Okay, maybe the surf is a little flat. Connor and Kassie don’t really see any big waves in the gulf, but their budding romance makes waves in their social circle and in their community as a whole.

I really liked that Kassie was smart and mostly self-assured, but had moments of doubt, as any eighteen-year-old would. I also loved that her relationship with Connor pushed him to be a better person overall. Their romance, faltering at first, felt very real.

I also liked that the supporting characters, especially Stamford and Maxim, were as dimensional as the couple at the center of the story. I did feel that some of Stamford’s behavior was a bit predictable, but his actions were plausible, so I followed his story anyway.

Author Skip Rhudy shows off his adeptness at writing believable dialogue for young adults, without it sounding stagey or stupid. I appreciated the different parties, bars, parking lots and beachfronts represented in the story as well. All seemed familiar to me – as if they were places I might have frequented at that age, even though I didn’t live in Port Aransas. Rhudy clearly has a knack for creating compelling, almost cinematic scenes.

Overall, I felt this book was a solid entry into the summer romance genre, with a little bit more substance than most.

Goes well with: a burger and Lone Star beer.

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Review: A Madness Unmade by E.K. Larson-Burnett

About the Book, A Madness Unmade

  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ E.K. Larson-Burnett (March 3, 2025)
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • Paperback ‏ : ‎ 334 pages

A Madness UnmadeLaurel Rumbroom is the sole living resident of the Underhallow, where dead moths have been showing up at the gates in neatly wrapped packages.

Since the institution of the Revenant Accords, which prohibits ghosts from freely haunting the country, the Rumbrooms have acted as Guardians to the ghosts seeking refuge at their sanctuary. But when Laurel’s father suddenly passes, leaving her orphaned, the Underhallow falls in danger of losing its sanctions.

Bewildered by the mysterious deliveries of dead moths, starting to question her grip on reality, and gradually realizing the precarious position of her home and the questionable circumstances surrounding her father’s death, Laurel begs the help of the Underhallow ghosts animated by her powers, struggling to come into her own and unmake her madness.

With humor, whimsy, and elements of gothic mystery, A Madness Unmade is the first book in the Victorian-inspired Deathly Inheritance Duology, perfect for fans of Charlie N. Holmberg and S.L. Prater.

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My Thoughts: Melissa A. Bartell

The first book in E.K. Larson-Burnett’s Deathly Inheritance duology, A Madness Unmade, is a refreshing take on magic, ghosts, and the world outside our own perceptions where the latter find refuge.

 

I read the Kindle version of this book, and was thrilled when I encountered illustrations at the chapter breaks, because they were the icing on a beautifully flavored cake. Each layer of this novel was richer and more interesting than the next: first there’s the barefoot heroine Lauren, and her cat Goose. Then there are the house-ghosts – spirits who take care of her daily needs, including her education – Master Godwin take a bow. And there’s also the dead moths that keep appearing at Lauren’s door.

 

The final layer of this cake is the world-building. When I read about the first moving portrait, I was worried that this series would be a Harry Potter ripoff, especially since the blurbs all refer to that series. I was pleased to find that the Underhallow and its surrounding village are original, and refreshingly so.

 

If anything, this novel is most like an Edward Gorey drawing come to life. In fact, the images in my head as I read this were eerily similar to the 1980’s animated opening to the PBS Mystery series – except instead of a swooning woman, there’s Madame Rathert trailing seawater.

 

I’m not sure I’d want to live (or be un-alive) in the world Larson-Burnett has created, but I definitely enjoyed the visit.

 

Goes well with: hot tea, lemon tarts, and gingerbread.

Review: Home to Comfort, by Kimberly Fish

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About the book, Home to Comfort 04 Cover, Home to Comfort

  • Genre: Women’s Fiction / Contemporary / Cozy Mystery
  • Publisher: Fish Tales Publishing
  • Pages: 382
  • Publication Date: October 10, 2024

Gloria Bachman has pivoted so many times this year she has whiplash. Now, in the middle of winter and drenched in Mexican sunshine at a five-star resort, she has a role to play: Mason Lassiter’s “arm candy” in a sting to nab his not-actually-dead, first wife, Patsy. It didn’t make any sense to her either, but who argues with government officials offering an expense-paid trip and a reason for a new beach wardrobe?

With  Patsy leading resort security, FBI agents, and Mason on a merry chase, Gloria knows that if you want to catch a woman of a certain age, you have to think like a woman of a certain age. Thankfully, she’s got the credentials.

If only she could understand the other people in her life—particularly Gardner Rogers. Gloria returns home to Comfort, Texas with a ring, a pressing need to organize her house, and a custom order of Sweeties signature truffles to be delivered to White House chefs. When her business partner embarks on last-minute travel plans, one of her best friends announces a retirement, romances bloom from unlikely sources, and Gardner and her ex-husband, Harry Rogers, come unhinged—quite publicly—it all forces Gloria to face her strangest challenges yet.

This final book in the Comfort and Joy trilogy weaves happy endings for the townsfolk that readers have come to love, and just deserts for those they don’t. It’s Kimberly Fish at her finest, and a treasure for brave people who don’t retire quietly.

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About the author, Kimberly Fish 04 Author Photo, Kimberly Fish

Kimberly Fish has been in the writing industry for over 30 years. An amateur historian and fan of cozy mysteries, she weaves history and mystery into her stories of women finding their grit and sweet second chances.

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My Thoughts Melissa A. Bartell

It’s always difficult saying goodbye to beloved friends, even when those friends are fictional. I’ve been reading Kimberly Fish’s Comfort books for the better part of a decade now, and when I opened her latest, Home to Comfort, and read that it was the final book in the Comfort and Joy ssub-trilogy featuring Gloria Bachman, I felt a lot like good neighbors were moving away.

As aways, Kimberly Fish is the consummate storyteller, hooking us on this book at the very beginning, when Gloria lament choosing a hot yoga session instead of a massage or a mani-pedi on her resort vacation. True to form, she sticks it out, proving to herself and all of us that you don’t have to be young and skinny to take such classes (though maybe you have better sense than to repeat the process.)

But this isn’t a resort story. Rather, it’s Fish’s trademark mix of mystery and romance, relationship drama, and continued self-awareness, told through the happenings and hijinks of Gloria and the men in her life, Gardner, Harry, and of course Mason Lassiter. Fish’s use of dialogue is on point, as always, and her pacing is dead-on, with the romantic bits enhancing but not out shining the mystery elements of the story.

If you’ve read the previous two books in the Comfort and Joy trilogy, you’ll benefit from familiarity with some of the characters, but it isn’t necessary to enjoy this book.

At 382 pages, this book is the perfect length to savor, much like the perfect summer afternoon as it slips into evening.

Goes well with: chocolate truffles and a glass of red wine.

 


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Review: The Border Between Us, by Rudy Ruiz

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About the book, The Border Between Us 04 Cover, The Border Between Us

  • Genre: Literary Fiction
  • Publisher: Blackstone Publishing
  • Pages: 256 
  • Publication Date: August 27, 2024 
The Border Between Us is a poignant coming-of-age novel from one of the most exciting voices in fiction. Ramón López was born along the US–Mexico border but is determined to get out and embrace the American dream—and he’s not sure whether his complicated family is a help or a hindrance. As the son of immigrants, as Ramón grows, his admiration for his entrepreneurial father sours as he watches his

dad’s dreams of success wither on the vine. Ramón’s mother is constantly preoccupied with his younger brother, who struggles with intellectual disabilities. And the outside world is rife with danger and temptations threatening to distract Ramón from his dreams of making it to New York and succeeding as an artist.

As dreams clash with reality and values conflict with desires, Ramón finds the American dream within his reach—but will it demand too big a sacrifice?

Award-winning author Rudy Ruiz brilliantly captures the beauty and danger of border life as Ramón struggles to understand his home and his place in the world. The Border Between Us is a stunning, compassionate story about a son’s fraught relationship with his father, the challenges of pursuing a creative life when one comes from humble beginnings, and the power of embracing one’s whole self.

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About the Author, Rudy Ruiz 04 Author Photo Rudy Ruiz

Rudy Ruiz is the author of The Resurrection of Fulgencio Ramirez and Valley of Shadows. He is a winner of the Jesse H. Jones Award for Best Book of Fiction, the Gulf Coast Prize in Fiction, and multiple International Latino Book Awards. A bilingual native of the

US–Mexico border, he earned his bachelor’s and master’s degrees at Harvard University. Rudy lives and writes in Texas and New England with his wife and children. Visit his website at RudyRuiz.com.

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My Thoughts Melissa A. Bartell

I’ve often said that the Young Adult / New Adult market includes some of the most provocative storytelling in contemporary literature, and Rudy Ruiz’s latest novel, The Border Between Us is proof of this.

Told simply, using Spanish dialogue (without translation) when appropriate, the story of Ramón López, a boy from the southmost part of Brownsville, TX, who makes routine trips across the border-spanning Gateway Bridge with his father, is kind of coming-of-age tale that has you rooting for the protagonist to succeed, even when you’re shaking his head at some of his poor choices.

Author Ruiz brilliantly captures the unique culture of the Texas-Mexico border, and the people who dwell on both sides. It’s a rich tapestry that he gives us: struggling Mexican-American families who live in intergenerational homes and tight-knit communities, more affluent families who are sent to the border to manage companies there, private schools run by nuns, public schools where bullies might carry switchblades or guns or both – and the ever-present angst of knowing that drugs and smuggling are becoming ever more pervasive.

And in this cultural pozole, we have a boy entrepreneur who sells sweet chili packets (foodie readers may recognize this as Tajín) to earn the money for a coveted Evel Knievel bike, until the nuns shut him down and steal his market (in a truly tragi-comic turn of events).  The boy mogul finds his second success, years later, in art, and manages to “get out,” as his friend Dante says.

But no one really leaves the border forever, and even when life takes him halfway across the country, Ramón remains connected to his family, his hometown, his culture, even when he doesn’t entirely wish to be.

I loved the characters Rudy Ruiz created. Ramón was the center, of course but his extended family, his friends, even is blonde art-school girlfriend Clara are all painted in vivid colors. Similarly, the landscape is described incredibly realistically. I could feel the hot pavement, taste the dust in the ear, feel the oppressive heat, but I could also smell Grandma Fina’s cooking, taste the cherry (or lemon) donuts provided by Perla, and hear the strumming of David’s guitar.

I also appreciated that none of the characters were perfect, but that their flaws weren’t over the top. Ramón’s father Joe is perhaps the best example of this, as his struggle is a counterpoint to his son’s.

At 296 pages, The Border Between Us is a satisfying read that flows quickly, but may be better appreciated if savored slowly.

Goes well with:  tacos with a squeeze of lime juice, mangos with tajín, and Mexican beer like Indio or Bohemia.


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Book Review & Giveaway: The Doll from Dunedin, by ML Condike

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About the book: The Doll from Dunedin 04 - Cover - Doll from Dunedin, The

  • Genre: Historical Mystery / Genealogy Mystery
  • Publisher: Harbor Lane Books
  • Pages: 428
  • Publication Date: October 22, 2024
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The Doll from Dunedin is the sequel to the 2024 Readers’ Favorite Gold Medal winner in Fiction – Mystery – General, The Desk from Hoboken.

Still reeling from the dangers of a recent case, forensic genealogist RaeJean Hunter takes on a supposedly routine case to locate the missing heir of a woman she met in Central Park a year ago. Tantalized by a hefty income, she accepts.

But there’s a catch-she must find the heir within six months or the forty-million-dollar estate is donated to a local university.

With the tight deadline comes the chance of a sizeable bonus, a series of unforeseen obstacles, and the unexpected connection to a cold case from 1910, when perfume heiress Dorothy Arnold disappeared without a trace.

Armed with only her genealogical skills, the books and historical documents she unearths, and an antique doll that seems to be guiding her toward the answers she needs, RaeJean faces dangerous events that threaten to shatter her world and challenge her to meet the deadline. Her travels throughout the United States and New Zealand in search of answers bring with it its own question: Will she find the heir before time runs out?

But someone doesn’t want her to solve the case. The clock is ticking, and it will take every ounce of grit RaeJean has to solve this mystery and outwit the dangers that threaten her present while she sifts through the past.

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About the author: ML Condike 04 Author Photo Condike

ML Condike’s novel, The Doll From Dunedin released October 22, 2024, is the second book in her genealogy mystery series. The first novel, The Desk From Hoboken (March 5, 2024), received a gold medal in the 2024 Readers Favorite, General Mystery category. Her stories blend facts with fiction, using historical records and current technology to solve century-old cold cases.

She’s published in seven anthologies including Granbury Writers’ Bloc (2019, 2022); Key West Writers Guild (2023); and SinC North Dallas (2022, 2023, 2024).

She’s a member of MWA, Florida Chapter, Sisters in Crime National, Sisters in Crime North Dallas, Granbury Writers’ Bloc, and Key West Writers Guild.

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My Thoughts Melissa A. Bartell

Reading this second book in ML Condike’s Genealogy Mystery series reminded me of the reasons I loved the first novel, The Desk from Hoboken, and yet, while familiarity with the initial novel is helpful, I felt that this book could easily stand on its own.

What I loved: Protagonist RaeJean Hunter is a character I really resonate with. She loves dogs and beautiful things. She finds solace in books and coffee and porch time. She has a good marriage with her husband Sam, one that has survived personal struggles, and when something attracts her attention, in this case the double mystery of finding the family who might inherit a recently-passed acquaintance’s estate and also solving the cold case of long-disappeared heiress Dorothy Arnold, she gives it her entire focus.

And did I mention there’s a creepy doll?

In this case the two cases are interwoven and while Dorothy Arnold is a real person, and Jill Hamilton is entirely fictional, Condike combines them well and the result is a compelling read that follows twists and turns, taking RaeJean to New York, Washington (the state), and New Zealand in her PN&J-fueled detective work.

Forensic genealogy was new to me when I read the first book, and I find the concept equally fascinating in the second, especially when we see our lead character using her skills to help sort out her own family history.

What I struggled with: Condike’s story is jam-packed with people, some of whom merely get a mention, but many of whom RaeJean actually talks to. The interconnections between friends, colleagues, family members, etc. can be challenging to keep straight, though the author tries to do so without pages of needless exposition. Rather, she shares what we need to know to follow the story. Still, there were times when I felt like I needed a “murder wall” with strings and thumbtacks (or, at least a whiteboard), just to remember who’s who.

What I’m looking forward to: Book three was hinted at in the final chapter. I hope it happens.

Overall: this is a well-paced novel that is mostly intellectual but still has some action sequences. There’s also some nice romance with RaeJean and Sam, though it fades to black before things get explicit, which is appropriate for this genre and intended audience.

Goes well with: peanut-butter and jelly sandwiches and coffee.

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Review: Austin Heat – The One Who Undid Me, by Amari Nylix

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About the Book, Austin Heat: The One Who Undid Me 04 Book Cover - Austin Heat

  • Series: Austin Heat, book one
  • Genre: Contemporary Romance/ Comedy / Football
  • Publisher: Temair Media
  • Pages: 390
  • Publication Date: September 14, 2023
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Rumor has it that Texas just got a little hotter! Fans of Tessa Bailey and K. Bromberg will fall for this sexy story of mistaken identity, electric attraction, and irresistible romance in the first installment of the addictive new series, Austin Heat.

Jake is desperate to rewrite his past with women and leave behind the media storm surrounding his off-the-field antics that cloud his potential. He’s done with the stream of models, actresses, and NFL cheerleaders that have warmed his bed since he made a name for himself as starting quarterback for the University of Texas. He desperately wants to meet a normal girl in his hometown of Austin.

After moving to Austin to be the hired girlfriend of one of her long-term escort clients, Rakell finds herself wishing she could live a normal life with an average guy. Turned off by the billionaire clients she’s been serving for the last five years, she longs to get out of the business and build a life where she doesn’t live in the shadows of her escort persona.

Their worlds collide and the spice is off the charts. “Pretty boy” Jake Skyler has met his match with saucy-mouthed, Rakell McCarthy. Both think they’ve fallen for an average person. Both are wrong! What happens when their physical connection explodes, their hearts take charge and the secrets they are concealing are revealed? 

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About the author, Amari Nylix 04 Austin Heat- TOWUM - Author Photo

Amari Nylix (alter ego to author Tara Delaney) tells sordid stories revolving around tempestuous love affairs that are inspired by the secret liaisons of Old West villains, heroes, and the temptress women who lure those powerful men into their webs. Amari delights in sharing her torrid stories of heart-wrenching, epic love that begin with the desires of the flesh and evolve into affairs of the heart.

In the Austin Heat series, Amari works closely with bestselling author of both non-fiction and fiction, Tara Delaney 😉. Tara has been a pediatric occupational therapist for more than thirty years and has extensive professional experience in sensory processing and nervous system development, while also having studied how early trauma impacts our responses as adults. Tara is responsible for trimming back Amari’s numerous spicy scenes, allowing room for all the FEELS. 

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My Thoughts MAB-Summer24

There’s something to be said for a slow burn romance – something we don’t feel enough of these ays, and author Amari Nylix has given us that in this book, which is the first of a series (the following three are also available.)

The word “heat” is part of the title, and aptly so. I mean, yes, this book is set in Austin, TX, and I appreciated the author’s attention to detail. I felt like I was on those streets, breathing the sultry southern air. At the same time, there was a more metaphoric heat, in the relationship between Jake and Rakell, and I thought the spicier scenes were well written. It’s more challenging than you think to ride the line between “insert tab (a) into slot (b)” and being too explicit. Nylix straddled it perfectly.

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While I have to admit that I didn’t really relate to either character, I still enjoyed the story. I know real women who have worked as escorts, and the connections they sometimes form with clients are real and lasting,while still being business. I thought the author let us glimpse a bit of that life.

I also appreciated the peek at the world of both college and professional football. It’s not a sport I follow (I prefer hockey), but the details felt plausible.

Overall, this is a good introduction to a series, and an enjoyable, relatively fast-paced read with a healthy dose of steamy romance.

Goes well with smoked brisket and Shiner bock.


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Review: The Barber, the Astronaut, and the Golf Ball

04 BNR The Barber, The Astronaut, and The Golf Ball (1920 x 1005 px)

 

About the book, The Barber, the Astronaut, and the Golf Ball 04 BAGB Cover

  • Genre: Biography / Golf / Space Travel
  • Publisher: Stoney Creek Publishing
  • Pages: 202
  • Publication Date: September 17, 2024
  • Scroll down for giveaway.

In 1971, famed astronaut Alan Shepard returned from the moon and went to get a haircut. Before settling into the barber’s chair in Webster, Texas, near NASA’s Mission Control, Shepard gave his longtime barber and friend, Carlos Villagomez, an autographed golf ball.

During his Apollo 14 moonwalk, Shepard had conducted a world-famous demonstration of gravity by hitting a golf ball in an out-of-this-world sand trap. It took him two tries.

Carlos, a Navy combat veteran and barber for numerous astronauts, says Shepard gave him the ball immediately after he returned to earth and was released from quarantine.
Had Shepard taken a third ball to the moon? And did he give it to his barber as a token of their long friendship?

The debate provides a backdrop for The Barber, The Astronaut, and The Golf Ball, a story of two extraordinary men and their lasting friendship. The book offers a rare glimpse behind the scenes of America’s space program at its pinnacle and shows the ordinary people who supported one of the nation’s most monumental scientific endeavors.

Praise for The Barber, The Astronaut, and The Golf Ball:

It’s perfect!! Barbara and Ed capture Daddy and his long friendship with Carlos. —Laura Shepard, Daughter of Alan Shepard

Brings back the glory days of the U.S. Space Program and the importance of the “little people” who made it happen.  We see stern Shepard in a new and admirable light – in Shepard’s high regard for the vast team of dedicated supporters who enabled astronauts to succeed.Charlie Duke, Apollo Astronaut

Buy, read, and discuss this book:

Stoney Creek Publishing | Amazon | B&N | Texas A&M Press | Goodreads


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About the authors, Barbara Radofsky & Ed Supkis, MD 04 Author photo Barbara Radnofsky

Barbara Radnofsky and Ed Supkis grew up in the 1960s in the shadow of NASA’s

Manned Spacecraft Center and married in 1982. They have three children and five

grandchildren. The couple —with many other community members — are co-owners of

Brazos Bookstore, an independent bookseller. As children of NASA scientists, Barbara, and Ed had front-row seats to the development of the space program and the community built around it on rural cow pastures near Webster, Texas. 04 Author Photo - edited

Barbara Radnofsky is a writer, mediator, teacher and lawyer. She’s the author of A Citizen’s Guide to Impeachment, a nonpartisan explanation of U.S. constitutional impeachment history and practice.

Ed Supkis, MD is a board-certified anesthesiologist specializing in cardiac anesthesia. He served as Director of Quality Assurance for the Division of Anesthesiology and as Medical Director of Respiratory Care for the Division of Surgery and Anesthesiology.

Connect with Barbara and Ed:

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My Thoughts MAB-Summer24

I’m a space junky. More than that, I’m a great fan of the Mercury, Gemini, and Apollo missions. I’ve read memoirs of the various astronauts, and devoured Andrew Chaikin’s book A Man on the Moon cover to cover… twice. So when I got the chance to review The Barber, the Astronaut, and the Golf Ball saying yes was a no-brainer.

 

I was not disappointed. Authors Barbara Radnofsky and Ed Supkis have done a deep dive into   history and the interwined stories of Al Shepard, astronaut, and Carlos Villagomez, barber, and the autographed golf ball that may or may not have traveled to the moon and back is the delightful result.

 

More than addressing the debate about the origins of Villagomez’s prized souvenir, this book gives us an insider’s view of two men, one lauded as a cultural hero, the other who was mostly behind-the-scenes, and the very real friendship they shared.

 

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We don’t celebrate men’s friendship enough, but this book does that. It also humanizes Shepard, a complicated man at best, in a way that other biographies and memoirs haven’t been able to do. The Al Shepard in this book is more than a stereotype, but a dynamic, flawed but still exceptional, human being.

 

If you love stories about the space program and the Apollo missions, you will love this book. If you enjoy historical anecdotes, you will enjoy this book. And if you like to get to know our cultural heroes as dimensional beings, you will appreciate this book. I know I did.

 

Goes well with hot dogs and Tang orange drink.


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Review: The Duchess of Korkora, by Nikhil Prabala

04 BNR The Duchess of Kokora (1920 x 1005 px)

 

About the Book, The Duchess of Kokora 04 BOOK COVER The Duchess of Kokora

  • Genre: LGBTQ+ / YA / Humorous Fantasy / Romantasy
  • Publisher: Grand Press
  • Pages: 442
  • Publication Date: August 8, 2024
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The Duchess of Kokora, Phera Ylir Mdana, has entered the marriage games of the neighboring kingdom of Ryene. But she’s not there to woo the dashing Prince Dominic.

Her true objective? To win back one of the other contestants, Lady Rocelle Virae—Phera’s true love and ex-fiancée.

Love proves to be a game like any other when Phera must not only mend matters with her childhood sweetheart, but conceal her true intentions in order to earn votes and stay in the competition.

And as long-brewing political tensions simmer beneath the surface, the playful veneer of the competition begins to crack. In the end, Phera, Dominic, and Rocelle find themselves united in a desperate bid to prevent a duel that threatens the integrity of the kingdom, the stability of the continent, and any hope for a happily ever after.

This novel is the first in a planned series.

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About the Author, Nikhil Prabala 04 Author Photo Nikhil Prabala

From playing the DM in Dungeons and Dragons to writing fantasy novels, Nikhil Prabala loves storytelling, delighting in fantasy fiction from the epic to the cozy and everywhere in between. The Duchess of Kokora is his first published novel.

Born and raised in Austin, Texas, he graduated from Stanford in 2019 and is currently based in the Bay Area. In his free time he enjoys ballroom dancing, singing, playing the guitar, tabletop games, and spending time with friends and family. 

Connect with Nikhil:

Website | Tiktok | Instagram | BookBub | Amazon | Goodreads


My Thoughts MAB-Summer24

Nikhil Prabala’s “romantasy,” The Duchess of Kokora is a witty and delightful novel with the kind of self-possessed lead characters I always love to read. I was intrigued from the moment I read the synopsis, and immediately fell in love with the story. I especially appreciated the use of wordplay, creative cursing, and the many unfavorable comparisons between male human and equine anatomy.

 

The title character, Phera (the eponymous Duchess) has entered marriage games with a neighboring principality, ostensibly to find a prince, but really to reclaim her lost love Rocelle. I was a little dubious about a lesbian relationship being written by a man, but Prabala showed himself to be astute and attentive to detail. The last time I read such believable women from a male author was probably Arthur Golden’s Memoirs of a Geisha. But while that book was historical fiction, this one is set in a fantasy world with magic. (It’s worth mentioning that while marriage games are a common trope in fantasy romance, the idea felt fresh and original as treated in this book.)

04 XTRA AD - The Duchess of Kokora

 

While I enjoyed all of the characters, especially the leads, I also loved the world building in this book. I’m a little rusty on magic systems (I’m a recovered table-top role-player) but I didn’t have any issues following the use of magic, and rules thereof, in this novel.

 

The Duchess of Kokora is escapist fiction at its best. It doesn’t pander, but neither does it require notes and charts to follow the plot. Rather, I needed tissues handy because several scenes had me laughing out loud.

 

Overall, this is an excellent entry into the romantic fantasy genre, and a thoroughly engaging read.

 

Goes well with: cottage pie, brown bread, and hard pear cider.


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