Reviews – Page 76 – Everything Is Better With Dragons

Review: ‘Hall of Heroes: A Fellowship of Fantasy Anthology’

Publisher: CreateSpace Independent Publishing Platform

Publication Date: 21 Jun. 2017

I.S.B.N.: 978-1548275334

Format: EBook or Paperback

Price: £0.00 (Ebook); £12.57 (Paperback)

Blurb

Twenty-Seven Thrilling Tales from Amazing Fantasy Authors!

Whether they are unwitting, plucky, or just plain epic, heroes capture the imagination and rescue us from everyday life. With stories set in fantastic, magical realms, gritty urban landscapes, and fairytale kingdoms, our heroes stand fast as defenders of good. Struggling against evil governments, wicked demi-gods, wrathful nature, supernatural con-men, and their own insecurities, each must find the strength to triumph and the will to persevere.

In the second anthology from the Fellowship of Fantasy, twenty-three authors explore the theme of heroes, covering genres ranging from steampunk and fairytale to urban and Arthurian. These are the heroes you’ve been waiting for.

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Review: ‘Grimsby Streets’, by Emma Lingard

Published By: Pen & Sword History

Publication Date: 6th July 2017

I.S.B.N.: 9781473876019

Format: Paperback

Price: £12.99

Blurb

Grimsby Streets is a journey through time, which examines the meaning of many of the towns names and their association with the Danish settlers, through to the Victorian era, and the men who helped develop the town and build its surrounding docks.

Names of the great and good that were forgotten until now are explored, as well as some of the many famous people who were born there, and where they lived. The book also covers the many incidents, which occurred on Grimsby’s streets, to give a colourful insight into the history of this once famous fishing port and some of the many wonderful buildings that stood in this proud port.

Included throughout are a selection of old photographs, some of which have never been published before, which for many folk will give them a reminder of what this town used to be like before change and demolition in the 1960s.

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Review: ‘The Mask of Sanity’, by Jacob M. Appel

Published by: Permanent Press

Publication Date: 31st March 2017

I.S.B.N.: 978-1579624958

Price: $25.91

Blurb

On the outside, Dr. Jeremy Balint is a pillar of the community: the youngest division chief at his hospital, a model son to his elderly parents, fiercely devoted to his wife and two young daughters. On the inside, Dr. Jeremy Balint is a high-functioning sociopath–a man who truly believes himself to stand above the ethical norms of society. As long as life treats him well, Balint has no cause to harm others. When life treats him poorly, he reveals the depths of his cold-blooded depravity.

At a cultural moment when the media bombards us with images of so-called sociopaths who strive for good and criminals redeemed by repentance,The Mask of Sanity offers an antidote to implausible tales of evil gone right. In contrast to fictional predecessors like Dostoyevesky’s Raskolnikov and Camus’ Meursault, Dr. Balint is a man who already has it all –and will do everything in his power, no matter how immoral, to keep what he has.

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Review: ‘Women in the Great War’, by Stephen Wynn and Tanya Wynn

Women in the Great War

Published by: Pen and Sword Military

Publication date: 5th June 2017

I.S.B.N.: 9781473834149

Price: £12.99

Blurb

The First World War was fought on two fronts. In a military sense it was fought on the battlefields throughout Europe, the Gallipoli peninsular and other such theatres of war, but on the Home Front it was the arduous efforts of women that kept the country running.

Before the war women in the workplace were employed in such jobs as domestic service, clerical work, shop assistants, teachers or as barmaids. These jobs were nearly all undertaken by single women, as once they were married their job swiftly became that a of a wife, mother and home maker. The outbreak of the war changed all of that. Suddenly, women were catapulted into a whole new sphere of work that had previously been the sole domain of men. Women began to work in munitions factories, as nurses in military hospitals, bus drivers, mechanics, taxi drivers, as well as running homes and looking after children, all whilst worrying about their men folk who were away fighting a war in some foreign clime, not knowing if they were ever going to see them again.

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Review: ‘Childhood & Death in Victorian England’, by Sarah Seaton

Imprint: Pen & Sword History
ISBN: 9781473877023
Published: 19th June 2017 Price: £12.99

Blurb

In this fascinating book, the reader is taken on a journey of real life accounts of Victorian children, how they lived, worked, played and ultimately died. Many of these stories have remained hidden for over 100 years. They are now unearthed to reveal the hardship and cruel conditions experienced by many youngsters, such as a travelling fair child, an apprentice at sea and a trapper. The lives of the children of prostitutes, servant girls, debutantes and married women all intermingle, unified by one common factor – death. Drawing on actual instances of Infanticide and baby farming the reader is taken into a world of unmarried mothers, whose shame at being pregnant drove them to carry out horrendous crimes yet walk free from court, without consequence. For others, they were not so lucky. The Victorian children in this publication lived in the rapidly changing world of the Industrial Revolution. With the introduction of the New Poor Law in 1834 the future for some pauper children changed – but not for the better. Studies have also unearthed a religious sect known as the ‘Peculiar People’ and gives an insight into their beliefs. This book is not recommended for those easily offended as it does contain graphic descriptions of some child murders, although not intended to glorify the tragedies, they were necessary to inform the reader of the horrific extent that some killers went to. This book will appeal to anyone with an interest in the social history of the Victorian period.

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Review: ‘Best Day Ever’, by Kaira Rouda

Best Day Ever Paperback by

ISBN: 9781848456914
Imprint: HQ
On Sale: 07/09/2017
Format: Paperback
List Price: £7.99

LINK

Blurb

A loving husband. The perfect killer?

‘I wonder if Mia thinks I have a dark side. Most likely as far as she knows, I am just her dear loving husband.’

Paul Strom has spent years building his perfect life: glittering career, beautiful wife, two healthy boys and a big house in the suburbs.

But he also has his secrets. That’s why Paul has promised his wife a romantic weekend getaway. He proclaims this day, a warm Friday in May, will be the best day ever.

Paul loves his wife, really, he does. But he also wants to get rid of her. And with every hour that passes, Paul ticks off another stage in his elaborately laid plan

Behind Closed Doors meets Liane Moriarty in this creepy, fast-paced psychological thriller with a twist you won’t see coming!

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Moving day cometh and I have loads of books.

Almost.

I am packed. The washing machine is running through a last load before I put some cleaning stuff in it. The fridge-freezer has been turned off, ready for both to be collected tomorrow morning. My internet gets turned off tomorrow but I’ll be back online on Saturday afternoon when my new house gets connected up.

I am stressed. It’s not fun, this moving lark. The clinical psychiatrist I was seeing to sort out my anxiety and depression says because of my obsessive and ritualistic traits any change in my routine causes upset and anxiety. There is nothing more disturbing to my routine than moving. Everything is out of place because I’ve had to pack it all up and I really don’t like my stuff being moved about.

I collect my keys and sign the paperwork tomorrow afternoon. I shall be calmer once that is done and then I’ll really relax once I’m moved, and have got everything back in its place.

A box of books arrived today, from Pen & Sword books. Two more arrived on Tuesday from HQ, and I also received a book from an author who had contacted me directly for a review. That’s ten books this week. I have so much to read, it’s brilliant. It’ll keep me entertained for a few weeks anyway. At the moment I’m reading Best Day Ever by Kaira Rouda from HQ. I’m enjoying it so far.

A trio from Olympia Publishing

A couple of weeks ago a marketing bod from Olympia Publishing emailed me with a list of recent books to see if I wanted to read and review any of them. I asked for three that looked interesting. I’ve now read them and present to you, dear readers, the reviews. I’ve also been looking at the Olympia Publishing page, since I’ve never heard of them before I thought I’d also give you my opinion on the quality of the books and anything I’ve gleaned from reading their website.

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Review: ‘Deadly Burial;, by Jon Richter

Published By: HQ Digital

Publication Date: 1st March 2017

I.S.B.N.: 9780008219833

Format: Ebook

Price: £1.99

Blurb

A fight to the death…

When DI Chris Sigurdsson is assigned a grisly murder case on remote Salvation Island, he knows that it might be his strangest yet.

A forgotten wrestling star of the 1980s has been poisoned whilst in the ring, and amidst the slippery lies of his dangerous opponents, unravelling the victim’s murky past is almost impossible.

And as a storm threatens to cut Salvation Island off from the mainland, the race is on for Sigurdsson to find the ruthless killer before he strikes again…

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Review: ‘Outbreak Mutiny’, by James Sandlin

OUTBREAKMUTINYCOVER

Blurb

ALTERNATE HISTORY. WITH SUPERHEROES.

December 31, 1929, was a Day That Lived in Infamy. A war between extraordinary beings with superpowers ended in DEFEAT for the United States and her Allies. Darkness fell on a Golden Age of heroes at the hands of the REICH.

Ten years later, all still mourn the anniversary of the day the Reich seized control during Operation TripleReich. Life is a struggle for the Remnant States occupying the middle of the Old US.

A virus in the Chicago Zone reignites the conflict between good and evil as the Outbreak Mutineers gather to stop the plague’s deadly origins.

Join the Outbreak Babies: – Buccaneer, Clockwork, Atlas, and more- as they battle the Warlords of Reich. Their adventures stretch across the years and through the sewers, high-seas, and even a city park.

No Matter the Time or Place, their Choice is Clear:

Die Free or Live in Chains.

Available here: rxe.me/ZDL95Q

Author’s website: www.thenovelcomics.com

Publication date: 19th April 2017

Published Independently

I.S.B.N.: 978-1521106679

Format: Available as Kindle e-book and paperback

This book was sent to me by Bear & The Book in return for an honest review as part of the blog tour for Outbreak Mutiny.

Find Books & The Bear on Twitter @booksandthebear

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