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The Lone Star Child (The Gods’ Scion Book 3) by Winnifred Tataw – Review by Tara Johnson Barnes

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The Lone Star ChildThe Lone Star Child by Winnifred Tataw
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

The Lone Star Child is the third book in The Gods’ Scion Series and continues the story from the first two books. If you have not read the first books you may feel a bit lost while reading this one. This book is fast paced and full of action, drama, suspense, betrayal, and the desire for revenge.

Caro is a space acolyte and disciple to the goddess that rules the universe who finds that her position prevents her from having friendships. She finds her position a lonely one and feels detached from those around her. When Caro is kidnapped, it sets off a series of events in which secrets are revealed. The other acolytes do not know where she is or who has her. What secrets are preventing the acolytes from finding Caro? Who can be trusted?

Caro is with an enemy who has been plotting against those that discarded them as outcasts a millenia ago. Ophiuchus was imprisoned after wanting to share their gift with the world and for the past millenia have plotted revenge against those that imprisoned them and tossed them away like they were worthless. With the help of one space acolyte, they may get their revenge as well as their freedom and the Gods will not see it coming. With Caro’s help their freedom may become a reality and they will crush all those that mistreated them in the past. The Gods called them monsters, so they will become monsters as those that imprisoned them feel their wrath.

This book is a fantasy adventure with gods, royalty, magic, family ties, loss, heartache, and the strong desire for revenge against those that betrayed you. The storyline is compelling, the characters are wonderful, and the scenes are described so vividly that you get drawn into the story alongside the characters. The underlying issues of love, hate, family ties, revenge and betrayal lead the reader on an intense rollercoaster ride of emotions. You can feel the hurt, the anger, the sadness, and the hatred along with the characters and want them to all find peace and happiness within their lives.

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Esprit de Corpse by Ef Deal – Review by Tara Johnson Barnes

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Esprit de CorpseEsprit de Corpse by Ef Deal
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Jacqueline Duval and her twin sister Angelique Laforge are on a locomotive when it suddenly comes to a dead halt on the tracks. As they get out to investigate what could have possibly caused the locomotive to grind to a halt Jacqueline discovers something she has never seen before. It seems that a metal man has slammed into the locomotive full force. When Jacqueline pries open the helmet on the metal man something supernatural escapes. She decides to take the metal man home to look it over in her workshop. When someone breaks into her workshop and tries to steal the metal man it sets off a chain of events that lead them straight into danger as they try to stop a war.

This was a fun read, and I loved the setting. It was well written and vividly described which pulled me right into the story alongside the characters. Angelique and Jacqueline are interesting characters that I immediately loved. Both women were intelligent, brave, and faced danger head-on. A fantastic steampunk fantasy filled with danger, suspense, supernatural, shapeshifting, mystery, and drama.

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Consigliere’s Revenge (Sicilian Gods Book 3) by Via Mari – Review by Tara Johnson Barnes

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Consigliere's Revenge (Sicilian Gods Book 3)Consigliere’s Revenge by Via Mari
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Consigliere’s Revenge is Book Three in the Sicilian Gods series. When beautiful reporter Izzy Arden shows up uninvited to the Larussio Crime Family’s nightclub, Lorenzo Larussio is immediately hit with a wave of anger. As Consigliere to the crime family, it is up to him to seek retribution towards anyone who threatens their position in the crime world. Izzy is nosy and poses a threat to the Larussio family as she digs for dirt on the family to expose them. Lorenzo’s job is to control Izzy but instead he finds himself drawn not only to her immense beauty but her feisty attitude.

As Izzy delves deeper into the Larussio Crime Family and exposes their secrets through her articles she knows the danger it poses for her. Stories and photos of the going-ons of the Larussio’s sell papers because people want to know about them. Women, especially, fawn over the Larussio men and she fails to understand the attraction. Or she did, up until she met Lorenzo. Although she knows the family is heavily involved in the criminal underworld, she cannot help but be attracted to Lorenzo Larussio. Can a relationship between them even be a possibility?

This book was intense from the first few pages as Lorenzo, Consigliere to the Larussio Crime Family, sets his sights on Izzy. His job is to protect his family at all costs and her stories exposing his family’s dark secrets threatens to destroy all they have worked for. Lorenzo is dark, sinister, and deadly which makes him the perfect person to keep his family safe. Yet, when he meets Izzy, something about the stunningly beautiful reporter causes a shift in him. Izzy knows her job is dangerous, but she does not back down easily. She is determined to fight for the truth even if it puts her life at risk. When Izzy meets Lorenzo, she too feels a strong attraction to him that cannot be denied. As the passion between them intensifies, so does the danger. When Izzy’s life is in jeopardy Lorenzo will do anything to keep the woman, he loves safe. Brace yourself for an intense read full of action, suspense, danger, passion, intrigue, and violence as Lorenzo and Izzy work through the complexities of their relationship.

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Small Fry by Stephenie Wilson Peterson – Review by Tara Johnson Barnes

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Small FrySmall Fry by Stephenie Wilson Peterson
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Silas Fitzpatrick is used to being small for his age because of a Growth Hormone Disorder but that does not prepare him for what happens to him on his first day of sixth grade. When he walks into class the teacher mistakes him for a lost elementary school student because of his small size. When Silas tries to explain to her that he is eleven years old she still does not believe him and sends him to the Principal’s Office. The Principal also does not believe him so the first day of middle school starts off bad.

Silas does not let the mishaps surrounding his small size on the first day of middle school stop him from making friends. He joins band class where he meets a group of other students who also face challenges because they are different. These differences have resulted in the school bully, Chad, calling them names and picking on them. Although Chad still picks on the others his bullying seems to be focused solely on Silas. He follows Silas around calling him names, throws spitballs at him, and pushes him around every chance he gets.

When Silas discovers that Chad is running for sixth grade class president he decides to run as well. Along with his friends they decide to start a misfit revolution as their way of standing up to the school bully. However, Chad wants to win and will do so at any cost. Silas must be brave enough to stand up to his bully and overcome his fear of what others think of him because of his small size. As he struggles through the challenges he faces at middle school he finds small comfort in emails he sends to his grandfather. The two have always been close and his grandfather is good at keeping the secrets Silas tells him. Sadly, his grandfather is starting to lose his memory and does not always remember who Silas is.

Throughout the book Silas messages his grandfather and tells him how school is going and the struggles he is facing, not just with the school bully but with one of the teachers as well. His English teacher hates him and does not treat him well because she believes his small size is a barrier. As Silas confides in his grandfather through messages, he also struggles with how his grandfather is slowing losing his memory because of Alzheimer’s. My heart broke for Silas as he had to come to terms with his grandfather not always remembering who he was.

This was a beautifully written story as told from the point of view of an eleven-year-old boy about how he navigates through the challenges he faces because he is small for his age. It is a heartfelt story geared towards middle school children and discusses the sensitive topic of being bullied for being different. Silas might be small, but he is mighty as he does not allow the bully to get the best of him. He perseveres and overcomes anything thrown at him, no matter how difficult it may be. No matter how badly he was treated he still chose to stand up for others. Silas is a true inspiration with a pure heart and courageous nature.

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