Book Review: An Indecent Obsession by Colleen McCullough

Four Stars

I’m probably going to get booed for this review, but here it goes: I did not love this book. As a matter of fact, for it being just 324 pages, it was one of the longest, most arduous books I have ever read.

I know Colleen McCullough wrote “The Thorn Birds”, a critically acclaimed novel that was turned into a TV miniseries in 1983. I neither saw the movie nor read the book. I’d heard about it, but that’s as far as it went. Everybody loved it. An Indecent Obsession was my first experience with this author.

This particular book is a paperback that I found in a box of books that was given to me by a friend after he found these books in his deceased mother-in-law’s house. I was looking for something different. I found it in this book.

Sister Honour Langtry is a nurse on Ward X, where she is taking care of five men who were suffering from mental issues due to the war. To clarify, “Sister” in this book does not mean Nun. Each of these men has their own issue. One of them is a hypochondriac, one is blind, another is prone to extreme introversion. I can’t remember what Neil was suffering from, but he was the only officer on the ward. Then there was Luce, who was just flat crazy and an instigator. Sis, as the men called her, was deeply involved with these guys, talking with them, taking tea with them, and basically hanging out with them and befriending them. But she secretly entertains love and romance with a few of them while they do the same with her.

All is well until Sergeant Michael Wilson shows up. Sis knows at an instant that he isn’t at all like the others. He carries himself well, helps around the ward, and helps her take care of the patients. Sis fancies herself in love with him. She’s had the same thought about a couple of the other guys, too, but Michael was different.

This book is like a study of the human dynamic, propelled by loneliness, during a dire time of war. The characters are provoking, the plot is tight albeit dry and even somewhat boring, but something kept me turning the pages. I wanted to know more. I wanted to know how all of this was going to end. I was hoping for a happily ever after and was disappointed that I didn’t get it. It was more sad than anything.

The reasons mentioned along with impeccable writing, earned it four stars. The book is a difficult read with unexplained acronyms and old vocabulary to give it five.

 

 *Look for this book at your favorite used book outlet 🙂

Are Advance Reader Copies Becoming a Thing of the Past?

Anyone who knows me knows that I read and review for a few authors before their books come out. These books are called Advance Reader Copies, or ARC’s. Many authors send these out to a select group of people so they can get book reviews up on release day and thus, bolster their sales. It’s a great idea and there’s nothing dishonest or nefarious about it. It helps me, the reader, get a great (or not so great) book for free and in return, the author gets a fair and honest review. Everybody wins. Right?

Wrong.  I’ve been a reader for a certain author for awhile now. I had to jump through hoops and prove myself worthy to be in this ARC group. Not a problem. I am one of the reviewers who gets the book read in time and has my review ready on release day.  When I receive an ARC, it goes to the top of the to-be-read list.  I get it done as expeditiously as possible. What I don’t do is share this book with anyone. I have two non-internet ready eReaders that I use exclusively for these books and my home network is secure. Nobody is going to take these books and I’m not going to share them.

Unfortunately, not all of my fellow ARC comrades feel the same way.  They’re sharing the author’s work and it’s ending up on sites as pirated work. It has become so bad that this author has dissolved her ARC group. She doesn’t know who she can or cannot trust. It makes me angry that we’re all being punished for the bad behavior of others, but I doubt there’s a way to weed out the bad guys here. She’s doing what she has to do.

Another author I read for was getting rolled over, too. I don’t know if his books are pirated. I can’t imagine that they aren’t. In his case, his ARC readers weren’t coming through for him. He would send out the book a few weeks before release day–that’s plenty of time to read a book and write a review–and some of his ARC recipients weren’t holding up their end of the deal. What kind of crap is that? The guy gives you a book,  meaning you aren’t paying for it, and you can’t leave the guy a review? You suck! He finally asked  his reviewers for their Amazon profiles. I gladly sent mine. He was trying to weed out the deadbeats. I get it. I don’t know how he came out with it, but so far, I’m still on his team and grateful to be there.

I am appalled by the conduct some of these reviewers. I won’t say that being a part of an ARC group is an elite thing, but it is a position I hold near and dear to my heart. I would never abuse it or take it for granted. I am humbled and thankful to be a part of it. I consider this to be a privilege.

With this being said, I wonder how long Advanced Reader Copies are going to last. Some reviewers see the need to sell out on these authors, who are scrambling to make it in this dirty world of literature. To have even one book make it into a pirate’s hands is a willful, deplorable act and a betrayal of trust.

 

And, if you are a reviewer, please leave the author more than one line of feedback in your review, especially if you are receiving the book at no charge. “Great book” or “This book is terrible” doesn’t cut it.  Give it some detail.

Thank you for taking the time to read my post. Please feel free to leave a comment.

Book Review: Blaike: Secrets Gone Askew by Collette Cameron

Five Stars

Blaike Culpepper and her twin sister, Blaire are trying to escape a school in France that lured them under the guise of being an educational institution when it really isn’t. This puts them in the path of a very dangerous sea captain and a few members of his crew. When they think all is lost, Oliver Whitehouse intervenes.

Oliver is a sea captain, too, but he’s honest. He’s not out to hurt anyone. He wants to help the Culpepper twins, but Blaike ends up helping him. Oliver is handsome (I love long hair on men), has a sense of decency, and is chivalrous. I loved him from the moment he was introduced into the story.

The story was quite captivating, but M’Lady Lottie added some humor to it. That bird said some of the raunchiest things, cursed in British English, and said things at the most inopportune times. I laughed more than once.

Oliver was relieved that Blaike thought Lottie was amusing, too. The bird was annoying to her for awhile, but she was never really offended by what Lottie said. I thought that added to Blaike’s character. It showed that she’s not such a goody-goody and isn’t pampered. There were other places in the novel that showed that as well.

A great story with great characters and an amusing sidekick in Lottie earned this book five stars.

In case you missed it, this is book four of the “Conundrums of the Misses Culpepper” series. I haven’t read any other books in the series, but I wish I had just because I liked this book so much. It is easily read as a standalone novel.

*I received this book as a gift

Purchase at Amazon: https://tinyurl.com/y8g4679h

Book Review: The Walker: The Untold Story of Black Bart by Bruce Bradley

Five Stars

I have to be honest here. I’d never heard of Black Bart until I saw Ralpie shooting at him and his gang with his Red Rider BB Gun in A Christmas Story. I didn’t know Black Bart was a real person until I heard about this book.

I like to keep up on my Old West outlaws, but somehow this one got by me. I didn’t know anything about him until now. I love a book that teaches me something without being dull or preachy. The author obviously did a ton of research, wrote the story in first person, and called it fiction.

But let’s face it, folks; there’s a lot of truth in fiction. This is a fine example of it. Like most outlaws, Charlie Boles or Black Bart as he is known, started out with humble beginnings, fought in the Civil War, and did what he could for his family. But things were rough and he eventually turned to a life of crime.

He didn’t ride a horse. He walked everywhere. When he’d step into the road in front of an approaching stagecoach, he’d point an empty shotgun at the driver and have him throw down the box that as going to Wells Fargo. He never stole from the passengers and he never hurt anybody while committing the robbery.

The book is well-written and the facts are documented, complete with a few Civil War maps where Charlie had been in battles. It was really very interesting and the author is to be commended for his research and presentation. However, the book has some formatting issues. Other than that, it was a great read.

Purchase at Amazon: https://tinyurl.com/yb5nt8k3

Book Review: Phoebe’s Promise by Kay P. Dawson

Five Stars

Phoebe’s Promise

Phoebe Hamilton is on an adventure of a lifetime. She, along with her younger sister, Grace are setting out on the Oregon Trail after Grace was sorely mistreated by their uncle. She knows that she has to get Grace out of the precarious situation before something really bad happens.

Their older brother, Luke, is in agreement. He tells Phoebe to dress like a boy and to give a letter to Colton Wallace, the wagon master and one of Luke’s friends. Luke wants Colton to look after his sisters until he can catch up with them. Luke is trying to figure out if their uncle had anything to do with the death of their father, who died in a fire.

Colton begrudgingly does as he’s asked. He didn’t have time to lead a small crowd of people to Oregon and be saddled with two girls, but he does it for Luke.

As the wagons progress, Colton finds himself being drawn to Phoebe and Grace. His interaction with Grace was heartwarming. Phoebe, whom he’d known was a girl before he even read the letter, is a bit of a different story. She has a tendency to be a spitfire. Rumors are spreading that there was more going on between them than met the eye. His authority was challenged. Phoebe’s reputation was at stake.

A lot happened in this book. A lot more could have happened in this book that didn’t. The author could have had a huge book going if she’d tackled more of the hardships that these people encountered while they were chasing their dreams. She did a great job of keeping the story on track and keeping the tone light.

I loved the characters. I loved the story. I’m anxious to start the second book in this series.

Purchase at Amazon: https://tinyurl.com/yc2x4gt4