DDBook Reviews

Time's Orphan by Hayley Chow is a YA fantasy that tells the story of Emara, who lives in Okarria, a land destroyed by war and overrun by cannibals and undead doing the bidding of the Dead King. A Mage and a Necromancer have resurrected Idriel, or the Dead King as he is known, but they need a Time Heir, blessed with a healing gift, to heal Idriel's broken body. Emara has hidden her gift of healing all her life and only uses it to help ease pain and heal minor wounds. When the city of Faveno falls to the enemy, she is captured and taken to Austerden, where the Dead King rules. On her way there, she is joined by a talking black cat and reunited with the Shadow Heir and Dragon Heir. Together, they can kill the Dead King and save their beloved Okaria. But as all seems lost, something miraculous happens, and Emara is sent back in time with the order to find Bellaphia, a Magus who can help her with her gift as Time Heir. In the past she makes friends with a street rat and the second...

Zomerschoon, Beauty of Summer by Wendi Dass is a beautiful contemporary romance set against the academic backdrop of Oxford. Anna Franklin comes from an Academia family that pressures her into following in their footsteps. Though she is a mathematician and cryptography genius, at 25, she is looking for some warmth and love. When her academic overseer falls into a coma after a stroke, she is left with Hendrik van der Aart, a Dutch Cryptographer, as her overseer. When their love for puzzles brings them together, they realise that there may be something between them to fight for. However, can Anna look past the academic rules that keep them apart and see the man with a strong moral compass, and can Hendrik accept that she is a genius and still want to be with her? If these were but the only struggles in their blooming relationship. Jealous roommates and difficult parents also influence the two lovebirds.   Wendi Dass has written a beautiful romance, perfectly capturing the atmosph...

Her Name Was Lola by Karen Janowsky is a contemporary college love story. Lola has made the second big decision in her life. She is 22 and in the final year of her undergraduate studies at Jewett College; therefore, it is the grown-up thing to do to start acting as an adult. First on her list is to find someone to help her lose her virginity. Unfortunately, the experience does not end as she anticipated, and she is heartbroken when she starts her final year of library studies. When she meets the professor with whom she will be working to fulfill her major assignment to graduate, she is shocked that she already knows him. Intimately. I thoroughly enjoyed reading Her Name Was Lola by Karen Janowsky. It is relevant to young adult love and the ethics around teachers and students when the age difference becomes blurred at a university level. What I loved was the theme of fairytales woven throughout the story. From the first to the last page, it forms a full circle, and the theme is constant...

                                                                             Fae are cruel, calculated and untrustworthy. What does that say about Yana, the bastard daughter of the King of Aclad? Born from a Fae held captive by the King, Yana has only a quarter of Fae blood. She is a hybrid, an oddity used by the King as entertainment. When Yana lost the only family she had known due to her father's arrogance, she became an adept thief, stealing from the Fae. She is sure that she will find the Dark Fae responsible for the deaths of her friends. When she is rescued in the Darkrealm by  Voidsworn, her life changes dramatically. At first, she is but a toy to be played with by the Fae, but then something slowly changes. She and Dain are at constant odds with...

Cruise Ship Heist, by Stuart St Paul, is a fast-paced thriller featuring retired British commander Kieran Phillips. Kieran has accepted a position as a speaker on a cruise ship that travels along the Colombian coast, through the Panama Canal, and then on to Madeira, Spain. He is to meet up with his daughter, a dancer on the ship. When one of his co-workers finds a suitcase full of money, Kieran is unwillingly pulled into the attempt to smuggle the money onboard the Cruise Ship, receiving his money cut. But the owner of the money wants it back, and professional thieves are also looking for the money. When it becomes clear that someone on board is prepared to kill for the money the stakes are raised and become personal for Kieran. Hunter, the ship’s chief of security, has a few secrets that he shares to convince Kieran to help him apprehend the criminals on board the ship. Kieran realizes that his position on the Cruise Ship is no coincidence. He was hand-picked for his military skills. ...