The Vagrant by Bryan Hall

The Vagrant is a supernatural fiction story about Creighton “Crate” Northgate. Crate can see the spirits of those who have passed and helps people who are being tormented by them.

He comes across a homeless man outside of a gas station. Next to the man, is a well-dressed man. Crate finds out that the well-dressed man is a spirit haunting Ed, the homeless man.

The Vagrant was an. . .interesting read. It was a short story, only 26 pages. I felt like it could have been more developed and made into a novel. I feel like that would have done the story more justice. The story itself was very intriguing. I feel like it was rushed to make it into a short story rather than make it into a full novel.

I have to say I give it 3.5/5 stars. If it were a bit longer, there could have been some more backstory for the main character as well as some more action in it.

Amery House by Samantha J Moore

This story is set back in the Great Depression. It is about a lady named Nadine who first started out as a burlesque dancer in New York. Once the stocks began to crash, her life was turned upside down. She made a choice that changed her life, and she will forever be haunted by her past.

Once she left New York, she made her way down to the city of New Orleans where she takes up selling herself just to get by. The Big Guy decides to move all of his ladies into a large house so he can keep an eye on him. This is where the title comes from – Amery House.

“The trick was not to fall in love, not to let it get a hold of you. If you did, death was sure to come creeping around.”

This story gives the reader an interesting look into how the country was affected during the Depression. It isn’t a happy story by any means, but the ending did leave me smiling. It also gives you an insight into the lives of women who have to sell themselves for a living, because they have no other choice. Like the book says, they aren’t monsters. They do what is necessary. Samantha did a very nice job with the writing.

It’s an easy read, and is also pretty short. It is a story you should grab on a nice Sunday morning with a cup of coffee and just read it all the way through. It doesn’t take very long, but it will keep your interest from the first page all the way to the end. I would recommend this more to the ladies, but I am sure men will find it interesting as well.

All in all, it was a nice read and very well written.

So from me, it will get 5/5 stars!

Fluke by Bart Hopkins and David Elliott

Fluke is a story about a man named Adam Fluke. He’s just an average pizza delivery man in his 20’s. He falls in love with a woman named Sara. It is a fun loving romantic story…. Until everything goes wrong.

Adam and Sara must travel back to Sara’s hometown to revisit her past and sort find the truth surrounding issues that were haunting them both. When the conclusion is what they were hoping it wouldn’t be, their relationship is in danger.

I feel like this novel was very well written. It started off as a fun, easy-going read. But, as you get further into it, it becomes more tense and issues start arising. I feel like the authors did a wonderful job with character development – something that isn’t always very easy to do.

They touch on some very rough topics that unfortunately many people have experienced throughout their lives, and they handled the writing of it very well.

I really enjoyed this book; to the point where I would probably read it a second time. The characters were all great, the story was very well written, and I really enjoyed the comedy side of it mixed in with the rough topics.

It was an easy read, and well worth it.

5/5 Stars   

Click here to purchase the book: http://www.amazon.com/Fluke-ebook/dp/B007Y4XDZE
To hear more from the authors click here:  www.barthopkins.com        

                                  

Read ahead for spoilers

The Ark by Kenneth Newman

As per the title, one is able to assume that this novel is about God along with Noah and the ark – which is correct. But, in this novel, Newman puts a modern spin on the whole story. Usually with religious novels, they are either hit or miss. I was a bit interested and also a bit nervous to start this book because of that. I must say, The Ark is a hit!

I thought it would take me awhile to get through this, honestly. But, it hasn’t at all. From the first page, there hasn’t been a dull moment. It is full of action.

There is the classic theme of Good vs. Evil. God vs Satan. The Humans vs The Giants. They are present throughout the whole novel.

In The Ark, Noah is cast aside by many members of the community and also his own family for his beliefs. They think he is crazy for believing so much in God and trusting Him to guide him through life. When God appears before him telling him that the world is going to end, and tells Noah that he needs to build an ark to keep him and the animals safe, everything takes a turn for the worse. The family starts falling apart, and a huge target is put onto Noah and The House of Seth from the outsiders.

Then at the end – my favorite, there is a huge twist! I never saw it coming which made me super excited.

Overall, The Ark is an easy, fun read. I, myself, am a Christian so it was especially entertaining for me to read. The chapters were short, so it makes the book seem not as long. And Newman never leaves you with a dull moment.

It is a great modernized retelling of Noah and The Ark, and I would recommend anyone who has some interest in the Bible and God to pick it up. Even non-believers could be entertained. Very well written.

5/5 Stars from me!

To purchase this novel visit 
http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/the-ark-ken-newman/1111560066
or
http://www.amazon.com/The-Ark-ebook/dp/B008BTYF62
it is available for ebook and paperback!

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Solo: A Memoir of Hope by Hope Solo

There is much to be said about this outspoken goal keeper for the US Women’s National Team. Some people will describe her as selfish, some as too outgoing. People say she needs to keep her comments to herself. To me, she is an amazing goal keeper who says the things many people think, but are too afraid to say, and doesn’t care what the media says about her. Why should she? She is an Olympic gold medalist – more than once, and the greatest goal keeper in the world. In her autobiography, you, as the reader, gain an insight into what made Hope into the person she is today.

When you think of star athletes, you think of fame, fortune maybe, and having a life where everyone looks up to you. For Hope, the story did not go that way. She has had to face much adversity to get to the place she is today.

Her books takes you through stories about her personal family life, some of which could be really hard to share with people. Especially knowing the media hasn’t always been on your side – there will always be critics. The stories are filled with emotion, and gives you a pretty good insight into the type of person she is, which does not include selfish.

There aren’t many good ways to critique an autobiography, you can’t judge the story, because it is all real. But, the writing in this book was full of intelligence and class. Hope has faced many issues with her team and with the media, she explains how every one of those events came about. She may not apologize for everything she says, which she shouldn’t, but she gives her perspective on the situations and makes you realize that the media does, in fact, blow things up in order to get a good story.

It will have you crying one minute, then laughing the next. I guarantee, if you ever had a negative opinion about Hope, your mind will instantly be changed after reading this emotion-filled memoir.

5/5 stars. Beautifully written, and had me hooked from the very first page.

Read ahead for spoilers

Angel by Sebastian Michael

Angel is a story about Damion - the most beautiful boy in the world. He could get anything he wanted. He could get anyone he wanted. On paper, his life seemed ideal. Who wouldn’t have people showing them adoration all of the time. But, to Damion, this wasn’t always a blessing, and when it comes to what he wants, the end result may surprise you.

“But beauty is the cruelest gift the gods bestow. With it, you are everything to everyone, even if you are nothing to yourself”

Alright now I have a few things to say, I will state the cons first since the last part of a review is usually what people remember.

The story was really good, but the writing style had it running a bit dry at time. The beginning was very slow; it took me awhile to get through. I can’t pin point the exact reason. It could have been the length of the chapters, or just the writing.

It felt like the ending was written FIRST. This is not a writing style I am opposed to - if it doesn’t make the beginning run slow because the main events have already been written. I see why the first part was as long as it was; the tone was just very… sophisticated… I guess I could say. Nothing wrong with that, but for me it’s hard to read at times.

Now for the reasons you must read this.

As I stated before, the story is great. It points out that beauty is not always a blessing, which I feel the world needs to recognize more.

The last half of the book moved very quickly. There were many exciting events that made reading it seem like a breeze.

THE ENDING. The ending. The ending. Reading the rest of the book was so worth it just to see how it ended up. It really doesn’t disappoint.

3/5 Stars for me only for the slow beginning.

To read more about Sebastian Visit his site at www.sebastianmichael.com
or visit the books page at http://www.optimistcreations.com/angel.html

Read ahead for spoilers