DDBook Reviews

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 atmosphere

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 each other but cannot stay away from each other. While living with the Shaden,  four Voidsworn bound by a dark power, she begins training and learning about her Fae heritage, but when the High King of the Fae hears about her, she

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.

Behavior Beyond Analysis by Richard van Doren is a crime procedural and the third book in the Abel Haskins Trilogy. Having recently joined the renowned BAU with the FBI, former parish minister, and subsequent police detective, Abel Haskins is pulled into the most horrific murder cases of his career. Abel is suited to join the FBI task force, which has to investigate the ritualistic killings of young girls kidnapped from church camps. As the investigation expands, it becomes clear that the killer has a bigger plan than any of them could have guessed. Following leads and hunches, Abel, his friends, and family come into the crosshairs of a Satanic group. Willow, the young woman Abel rescued from the Deep Dark cult, feels called to aid the investigation, but when she joins the Satanic cult, Abel is at a loss. Will he be able to keep his loved ones safe from a sinister adversary, or will he lose those he fought to save in his quest to thwart evil? Behavior Beyond Analysis brings the reader

  The Seventh Friend by Tim Stead is an Epic Fantasy of phenomenal proportions. It is a complicated tale encompassing a whole continent. Four hundred years before the Seth Yarra came to the shores of Terras. The religious fanatics tried to convert the people of Terras by sword but did not make it further than Afael. They met with the fury and vengeance of Wolf Narak, the Wolf god, one of the Benetheon created by Pelion to look after the continent of Terras and its surrounding seas. Now, the Seth Yarra have returned and has a different tactic. As traitors show their colors and friends are lost, Narak attempts to thwart the Seth Yarra invaders. The most unlikely heroes arise and come together at the gate on the Green Road between  Telas and Berash, the gateway to the rest of Terras. In this first book of the Sparrow and Wolf series, we meet the core characters and the battle for the gate against staggering odds.   Tim Stead has written a tome of a fantasy novel, an epic story with ch

The Wolf and Flame is a paranormal shifter romance that focuses on Kasspian, an American with roots in Ireland as he is from a Wiccan family. He has inherited a fae pact that he has to uphold but his time is running out to receive the proper training. When he is invited to Ireland to train and meet the other Wiccan families he meets and is immediately drawn to Cara, a Wiccan/Shifter who is torn between her adoptive parents who are Wiccans, and her father's family who are shifters. Raff's mentor is killed and Raff's training is in danger as the International Council is called in to evaluate Raff and his abilities. When a traitor shows his colors and tragedy strikes close to home for Cara she and Raff have to join forces and try and find a way out for both of them. The Wolf and Flame is a new adult novel and has many themes that are relevant today, such as family and acceptance, moral compasses and how they differ from person to person, and a strong need to protect those you