The Secret World of Callie Beck by Merrick Green

The Secret World of Callie Beck by Merrick Green

Veronica Mars - the TV series (Kindle Worlds Novella)

Publisher: Kindle Worlds (April 2018)

97 pages, eBook (provided by Author for review)

Book Rating: 5 Stars

Content Note: Includes Swearing , Violence, and Sexual Innuendo

Interesting Veronica Mars story involving a cult that appears to be involved in some sort of sex trafficking.  This story takes place during the Hearst College years of the show and features Veronica’s friends Wallace, Mac and Weevil. Fast-paced, intricately developed plot, that keeps you on your toes. There is a enough backstory included to be enjoyable for new readers, but not so much as to be burdensome. Entertaining short read!

Jilliand by Clare Gutierrez

Jilliand by Clare Gutierrez

Publisher: River Grove Books (April 2018)

310 pages, eBook (provided by Publisher for review)

Book Rating: 5 Stars

Content Note: Includes Swearing , Violence, and Sexual Situations

Jilliand—captive of the man she calls father, escapes years of abuse only to be captured by Viking raiders, but is lucky enough to find favor with the Viking Sea King Rurik. This story contains a love story (of sorts) but I wouldn’t classify this as a romance story. This is more a myth or legend about the heroine Jilliand, that tells of all her trials, tribulations and exploits. The story is told in the style of a person telling you a myth or legend, and I really enjoyed that. According to the author’s note at the end, many of the characters are at least, in part, based on real historical characters, which I felt lent to the overall realism of the tale. Rurik (Jilliand’s Viking love interest) is less a hero of the tale and more one of the things Jilliand must overcome. Jilliand comes through so much heartache and adversity in this tale, that it is probably not a read for everyone, but I loved her strength, her humility, and her helpful, caring nature. This story includes depictions of violence that are not for the faint of heart. A fascinating tale of a woman’s will to survive in a harsh world!

The Comedown by Rebekah Frumkin

The Comedown by Rebekah Frumkin

Publisher: Henry Holt and Co. (April 2018)

319 pages, eBook (provided by Publisher for review)

Book Rating: 3 Stars

Content Note: Includes Swearing, Violence and Sexual Situations

This is a twisted tale of two families, one Jewish and the other black, forever connected by a drug-deal gone wrong, in which no one emerges unscathed. The blurb billed it as a dark comedy, but I found very little of comedic value in these pages. It was a rather depressing and, I have no doubt, realistic look at a world where entire families are ruined by one member’s bad choices and seemingly everyone is taking some sort of drugs. The characters were colorful and very vividly drawn, but there was little to like about them. There was also a lot of backstory given on characters that had little to do with the main plot, which I found unnecessary. I found the ending very abrupt and without sufficient resolution. I will say that it was very well written and it had an interesting rhythm that I enjoyed. Perhaps just not my cup of tea, exactly.