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Bycatch by Alexander Blevens – Review by Tara Johnson Barnes

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BycatchBycatch by Alexander Blevens
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Rex is a man that has been running from the crimes he committed in Vietnam over twenty years ago. When his sons drown an immigrant fisherman that witnessed their crime after scuttling a shrimp boat, Rex feels remorse but keeps quiet. When the fisherman’s daughter discovers her late father’s wartime journal, she approaches Rex with secrets her father never told anyone. Now that his sons are being forced to face their crimes, Rex is also forced to face his past. Rex must decide if he should continue living his life of lies or beg for mercy from those that he hurt.

Bycatch is a haunting tale of one man who is forced to come face to face with his past and the harm it caused. With multiple timelines the reader can see into the past as the Vietnam war is taking place, while reading about the shrimping industry and the characters in present day Biloxi, Mississippi. When a theft is committed in Vietnam during the war, the parties involved go their separate ways and think that they will never see the other again. Until one fateful day when they run into each other decades later in Biloxi, Mississippi. Things start to unravel as one man dies and the other is forced to face the consequences of his past actions. A beautiful and haunting tale of war, greed, and the consequences of bad choices.

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Glass Houses by Sinister Styx – Review by Tara Johnson Barnes

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Glass HousesGlass Houses by Sinister Styx
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

This book was an intense read from the first page right up until the last page. Our characters, Ivy, and Falcon are perfectly matched for each other and seemingly have the perfect relationship. Then Falcon suspects that Ivy has betrayed him by cheating on him, so he decides to hurt her in the worst possible way and exacts revenge. This was a short read, but it was packed full of drama that escalates very quickly. A story of love, lust, anger, betrayal, deception, jealousy, and revenge.

Warning that this is an 18+ book due to the explicit sexual scenes and domestic violence.

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Soliloquy by Janet Fogg – Review by Tara Johnson Barnes

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SoliloquySoliloquy by Janet Fogg
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

When Erin is given a box of figurines gifted to her by her late grandmother she is transported back in time to Nazi-held France. Erin incredibly enough finds herself living the life of a pre-deceased ancestor whom she was named after. She helps to protect members of the Resistance by performing and composing music for an influential German Officer. When Erin rescues a downed British pilot, she puts her life farther in danger by protecting him and evading his capture. She finds herself attracted to the pilot Arick and cannot understand why she recalls him from a former life. However, this attraction could become deadly as they are both running out of time to save their lives.

This was a beautifully crafted masterpiece that transports the reader back in time. The main character Erin is strong, courageous and an extraordinarily talented pianist and composer. She must be brave and do as the German officer wants to save her friends, herself, and Arick from being put to death. The scenes were rich and vivid allowing the reader to feel as though they are there experiencing the moments the characters are as the story unfolds. You can hear the music as Erin plays the piano. You can see the Gypsy girl swirling around and smell the smoke in the air. You can feel the sense of impending danger and cannot help but continue to read and see how the story ends. This book is a beautiful story of love that transcends both time and place. I highly recommend!

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