{Review} Battle Axe by Bill Cokas

ISBN #: 978-1470087623

Page Count: 258

Copyright: March 2, 2012

Publisher: CreateSpace

Description:

(Taken from back cover)

When his father plays the sax, he blows crowds away. But when Dorsey Duquesne picks up a guitar, he simply blows. Though he's a wealthy software entrepreneur, music just isn't in his blood -- and neither is his father's DNA. When his mother Cherry reveals (at his father's funeral, of all places) he was adopted at birth, Dorsey's tin ear suddenly makes sense. But it also leaves the 40-year-old questioning his identity. Emotionally adrift, he hires a one-eyed strip-mall detective, hoping the missing pieces will provide the peace he's been missing. Meanwhile Cherry, along with Dorsey's wife and best friend, are colluding to keep him from finding the long-buried truth about his "adoption."

A yellowed, anonymous letter leads the vulnerable Dorsey to a dusty vineyard in the Black Forest -- and straight to a jitterbugging, strudel-baking redhead named Mitzi, who claims to be his birth mother. Employing a well-rehearsed charm, she slowly wins him over -- and away from his family. While in Germany, and with the help of the axe-wielding village night watchman, Dorsey does some long-overdue growing up. But will his eyes open in time to see his new "mom" has a darker agenda? And will he realize the true definition of family before it's too late?

Battle Axe is an offbeat, suspenseful novel that places quirky, flawed characters in unwelcome situations. Adopted or "normal," readers will find something to relate to and someone to root for.

Charlene's Review:

When 40 year old Dorsey Duquesne finds out his is adopted, he is desperate to find his birth mother. Left reeling with the sudden news, he soon finds himself deep in a mess of secrets and lies, and the farther he pushes, the farther from the truth he gets. As he alienates himself from his family and friends, they join together to uncover the deception of his newly-found "mother."

This is a story that carries you away, quickly. The first chapter introduces us to all the major characters, covers two deaths in two separate continents that are ultimately related, and sets the scene for a host of happenings that leave you hanging on every word. Add in a few interesting character traits, unseemly circumstances, and a wonderful sense of humor, and you have a book that is totally absorbing. The depth of pain Dorsey experiences when questioning his identity, coupled with the pain of the adopted mother, Cherry, when she must let him go to find his way, create a powerful testimony to the realities of adoption. Ultimately though, Dorsey finds out that the true making of family isn't always dependent on DNA.

I love Mr. Cokas' writing style. Humorous, sensitive to emotion, and full of suspense; I couldn't read it fast enough. I found the characters to be charming and a little crazy, but totally relatable. The action flows quickly, and while the ending was fairly predictable, there are enough surprises to make this a memorable story.


*A physical copy of the book was received by the author in exchange for an honest review.

{Review} School Daze by Dr. Sharon A. Mitchell

ASIN #: B0085HN9HQ

File Size: 345 KB

Page Count: 198

Copyright: April 29, 2012

Publisher: ASD Publishing, 2nd Edition

Book Summary:

(Taken from Goodreads)

After suddenly receiving custody of his five year old son, Ben must learn how to be a father to a child with autism. Ben's sixty hour a week work schedule goes out the window. Teacher Melanie Nicols sees Ben as a dead beat dad, but grudgingly comes to admire how he hangs in, determined to learn for his son's sake. Her admiration grows to more as father and son come to rely on her.

Kathy's Review:

While the author is obviously knowledgeable about autism and the challenges a parent faces with an autistic child, this book read more to me like an exaggerated case study than a work of fiction. Ben, whose life is turned upside down when his ex delivers his five-year-old son to his doorstep, bumbles through one scenario after another like a bull through a china shop. It reminded me of a film strip from driver's ed or something similar where the scenarios are so ridiculous you almost have to laugh. This is probably a good teaching manual and I'm sure parents of autistic children could relate to the challenges Ben faces throughout with Kyle, but it seemed to me that most of Ben's mistakes were errors in common sense.

The romantic side-plot between Ben and Melanie, Kyle's teacher, is sweet. Though most of the book is told in third person but most follows Ben's point of view, occasionally Mel slips in there. She misjudges Ben at first because of how ignorant he is when it comes to parenting in general, and parenting an autistic child in particular. As he increasingly leans on her for help with Kyle, they get to know each other better.

I'd recommend this book to parents who are just learning about autism for the first time. It's a lighthearted, easy read that will help you understand the common mistakes a parent might make with an autistic child. Parents will benefit from references to methods of calming a child, different toys and gadgets used for autistic children, and ways to adapt a child to a routine. There are even links in the back of the book to sites where you can find out more information.


*A Smashwords coupon was provided by the author for a free download of this book in exchange for an honest review.

{Review} Time Donors Wanted by Russell Scott

ISBN #: 978-0615556901

Page Count: 231

Copyright: September 5, 2011

Publisher: IsoLibris Publishing

Book Overview:

(Taken from back cover)

If you could have a one time affair with someone you've never seen before and would never see again and there was no way that anyone could ever find out ... would you?

Want to see what can happen if you answer yes?

Then read Time Donors Wanted.

Mandy's Review:

Jarvis Sloan is a psychiatrist who is the brainchild behind the online self-help website, LifeSolutions Seminars. He created the site to reach more troubled individuals. His thought was that most people would feel comfortable seeking help from the comfort of their own home rather than sit face-to-face with a shrink. His colleagues, though, laughed him out of the room when he tried to present this idea to them.

Seeking solace from the alcohol provided by the hotel's bar, he finds two of his friends there and they begin discussing relationships. One of his friends, Tanya, suggests creating a way for unhappy partners to secretly have clandestine meetings for an afternoon under assumed names and then return home to their lives. Tanya recommends Jarvis hire Brooke to set up the secure server and program.

All the people have to do is enter the LifeSolutions Seminars website, pay a fee to be able to access any seminar they choose, and then click on the TimeDonors link. Brooke set up the TimeDonors site to permanently delete any user names and passwords created after a 72-hour window. This ensures the people's privacy when chatting about their future rendezvous.

At first, I thought this book would just be about one secret meeting after another. I began to wonder if the story was going anywhere or if I would just be reading about people's sex lives. It wasn't too long after I began wondering this that the book took a turn and became a whole lot more interesting.

Any time you decide to meet someone off of the internet, you're going to run the risk of encountering a crazy person. This time, though, the crazy person was someone one of the main characters knew. She just didn't realize how well she knew that individual.

Time Donors Wanted starts off a bit slow, but picks up speed fairly quickly. Once it kicks in, it takes you on a ride full of twists and turns that'll leave you slightly disoriented. My only issue with the book is that I missed part of the story ... literally. Pages 151 and 152 WERE EXACTLY THE SAME!!! Then page 153 starts in the middle of a sentence that doesn't go with the two pages before it! If there was an editor, they should've caught this mistake. Other than that, though, this book uniquely tells an engaging murder/mystery that I would recommend to all you mystery-lovers out there.

{Review} Tears for the Mountain by Chris Rakunas

ISBN #: 978-0984293063

Page Count: 186

Copyright: January 14, 2012

Publisher: Divertir Publishing LLC

Book Summary:

(Taken from Goodreads)

On Tuesday, January 12th 2010, a magnitude 7.0 earthquake shook the island nation of Haiti. The United States Agency for International Development estimated the death toll to be somewhere between 46,000 and 85,000 people, with 220,000 injured and over 1.5 million homeless. Many organizations, both from the U.S. and abroad, responded to the appeal for humanitarian aid. Dr. Stephen Schroering and Chris Rakunas went to Haiti to deliver over 21,000 pounds of medical and surgical supplies to the New Life Children's Home in Port-au-Prince, Haiti, and several other hospitals.

In Tears for the Mountain, Chris recounts his mission to deliver these supplies to the earthquake-ravaged island nation. Chris discusses both the triumphs and heartbreaks of the trip, the problems with distributing aid in a nation lacking the most basic infrastructure, and his unexpected encounter with a notorious Haitian warlord.

A portion of the proceeds for this book will be donated to the New Life Children's Home in Port-au-Prince, Haiti.

Kathy's Review:

This is a first-hand account of hospital administrator Chris Rakunas' experience in Haiti after the earthquake in 2010, offering medical support at an orphanage. It details the conditions, the chaos and the wonder of the human spirit amidst such a tragedy. Though he was only there for a couple of days, he was able to witness first-hand just how ravaged this nation really is.

The suffering goes beyond the damage from the earthquake - the people of Haiti have long suffered at the hands of their government. Entire villages are starving to death, with no help in sight. Stories of how their former leader sacrificed and burned Haitian citizens in order to instill fear and cooperation are horrifying beyond imagination.

The stark contrast between American society and comforts and the conditions found in Haiti made me feel thankful and a little bit ashamed of how easy we have it. We have access to food, shelter, electricity, medical care, and we feel safe in our homes and neighborhoods (for the most part). None of that exists in Haiti. A simple walk down the street can turn into confrontation. People are desperate and starving and are in survival mode.

The author disdainfully describes a Hollywood film crew that tagged along with them to film the conditions in Haiti and how inconsiderate they were, more concerned with getting the film footage than with the humanity before them. Almost like it's not real to them.

The formatting of the ebook is pretty messy - there are bad page breaks and it looks like the footer has gotten interspersed in the middle of the pages - but after a while I just started to ignore them. The story is engrossing enough that it's easy to look past it.

One last note: proceeds from this book will go to the orphanage in Haiti where Rakunas and his colleagues stayed. A good cause and a very interesting read - I encourage you to read this and learn about a country not too far away from ours, but it may as well be in a different world.

{Review} Raising Wild Ginger by Tara Woolpy

ISBN #: 978-0983203322

Page Count: 217

Copyright: June 11, 2012

Publisher: Bats in the Boathouse Press

Book Summary:

(Taken from Amazon)

Parenting is hard.

That's what Edward Rosenberg has always assumed, although his only experience with children has been as the drunken uncle. Now the love of his life, Sam DaCosta, is yearning for fatherhood. Edward's been sober for years. He and Sam are in a good place. Why rock the boat? On the other hand, how can he deny Sam his dream of a family?

Then they met Ginger. At twelve she's been through more than either Edward or Sam can imagine. She's seductive, secretive and dishonest. But somewhere between stealing his cash and alienating Sam, Ginger manages to wind herself into Edward's heart.

Can the three of them create a family? Or will Ginger blow them all apart?

Mandy's Review:

This is the second book in the Lacland Stories series. The first, Releasing Gillian's Wolves, was reviewed by me on August 1, 2011. You can click here to read that review.

Quick quirky mention: Did you notice that the first and second books have the same initials, just in a different order? RGW and RWG. Sorry, I notice things like this.

Back to the review ...

My heart breaks for Ginger. This girl has been through a tremendous amount of physical, and ultimately emotional, abuse. She wants so bad to be a normal girl, but her "daddy" has ruined that for her ... or has he?

Edward and Sam, who were introduced in Releasing Gillian's Wolves, are happily cohabitating. Sam has some delusions about how his life was growing up and wants to have a family of his own. Edward is hesitant, but agrees when his AA/NA sponsor tells him about Ginger. How hard could a 12-year-old be? Surely, it wouldn't be as difficult as having a newborn.

Having Ginger in their home has Edward and Sam at each other's throats. The change has taken more of an effect than they thought it would. They struggle to remember that Ginger had been abused and acting out is part of her learned behavior.

Can they all adjust to the changes and live happily ever after or will Edward and Sam decide that being adoptive parents is too much of a strain?

Emotional and touching, Raising Wild Ginger needs to be added to all fiction-lovers' bookshelves. Even though it's the second book in a series, this book can be read and understood on its own merits.


*A paperback copy of the book was provided by the author in exchange for an honest review.