Review: MAGIC O’CLOCK, by L.S. Fellows

Such a beautiful and thoughtful review of “Magic”. I’m overwhelmed. Thank you, Iris

Author_Iris_Chacon

Magic O’Clock, by L.S. Fellows, has been rated five stars out of five by reviewer Iris Chacon. A complimentary ARC was provided to Iris for an honest, unbiased review.

Imagine that someone you loved very much simply disappeared. Imagine that you know they become visible again for an hour each day at three o’clock, and you go to that place every day at three just to see your loved one. You can’t talk to them or touch them or even reveal yourself to them, because if you do, they’ll disappear again immediately.

That’s the scenario presented in all its joy and pathos in L.S. Fellows’ short story/novella, Magic O’Clock. The story is so empathetic, enthralling, and eloquent that even readers who thought the subject of dementia held no interest for them will be delighted.

One is tempted at several points to simply stop in the middle of the narrative to…

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Does the book fairy exist?

It might be the cough medicine I’m taking, but I’m convinced strange things have been happening on Goodreads.

For those of you unfamiliar with Goodreads, it’s a social cataloging site for booklovers (readers & writers alike)

Authors can list their books for readers to find, read and (hopefully) review. There are many thriving communities, discussing a wide range of topics – whether you’re a Harry Potter fan, or have a penchant for the Classics, there’s a group for you.

However, as with most things that seem too good to be true, there is also a darker underbelly of trolls. The kind of people who take pleasure in leaving one star ratings without a comment, or even worse with the inexcusable comment of “I didn’t read this book”.

But this week I think I’ve come across the Book Fairy, or at least someone who wants to send positive vibes rather than spread evil poison.

The Book Fairy is leaving 4 and 5 star ratings willy nilly – all without comment. Could she possibly have waited to post all her ratings in one go, one the same day, or is she simply seeking to restore some balance?

We’ll never know, that’s for sure.

Regardless, these ratings – while much nicer to see 4 or 5 stars – still don’t attract new readers, If you’re anything like me, seeing a whole swarm of ratings without any comments doesn’t sway the decision to read that book one iota. Comments (or reviews, whatever you want to call them) don’t have to be long and no-one expects glowing reviews every time – so if you enjoyed a book,  tell everyone why. Conversely, if you didn’t enjoy it, feel free to say why also. You never know, your review might just be the one that helps a reader find a new favourite author – or you just might highlight something that helps a reader to avoid buying a book they most likely won’t enjoy. Either way it’s a service to the book-loving community. Not every book suits every reader and not every reader suits every book.

In the meantime, thank you to the Book Fairy for prompting me to write this post. I feel another swig of cough syrup coming on …and maybe it’s time to curl up with a good book too.

Thank you for reading 🙂

Featured Author – George M. Nagle

In the September spotlight from Mystery Authors International is George M. Nagle and his debut novel – The Life We Lead:Ascending – which is available to purchase now. There’s a trailer on YouTube that will give you an instant feel for the story. You can see it here.

What’s not to love about spies, romance, drug cartels and the like. The young protagonist, James, has been heralded as a mix between Bond & Holmes. It has to be good to receive that kind of accolade.

This is just the first in a series of what should be three books. At 425 pages, it is the shortest of the series and really the introduction to James, the group, Carissa and a whole cast of others.  The Life We Lead follows the life of James, the main character as he battles criminal syndicates while trying to have a normal life.  It is inspired by real life events, however, names, places, timelines and such have all been altered.  This story has been 25 years in the making and certainly won’t disappoint with an incredible ending to the series.  This series is based in reality of spying so the far-fetched gadgets and such like those found in James Bond won’t be appearing. It is a spy novel has lots of twists in turns that can make you laugh, cry, feel the characters outrage and even love.  The subtitle to the book is a clue to why it ends where it does too.

***

It’s a great cover, don’t you agree? Fancy a snippet? Of course you do.

Chapter 03 – [context:  James and Daen capture Nikolias after Petior has been abducted.]

“You are our prisoner, but you are a captive of whatever group you…” Daen began, but Nikolias cut him off.

“What makes you think I want to leave?” growled Nikolias.

“When you help us, your bosses will not be too happy with you. You and your cousin will need to leave to survive,” replied Daen.

“So he says,” Nikolias said curtly, with a head gesture towards James.

“What did he say? Why did he just do that?” asked James.

“Sounds like he doesn’t feel the need for our help. It seems he doesn’t want to, or have a reason to leave,” Daen replied, a puzzled look on his face.

“I am no traitor, and I will die to help our fraternity and country. I am loyal and believe in things, unlike you American dogs,” Nikolias stated in English.

James bowed his head, closed his eyes, and rubbed his left temple for a moment with his left hand. He dragged it down his face before speaking again.

“Okay, tell us what the fraternity’s cause is. What’s so special about it that you’re willing to risk your life, your cousin’s life, because someone felt I disrespected them near a train?” asked James.

Nikolias laughed. “We know you’re looking for drugs. You feel drugs are not disrespectful and destroying. You think we do not know that is why you are here? We see you peoples, and how you treat us. You all deserve death for your exploits on us, and our children.”

Check out the full blurb – I’m sure this will have you one-clicking in no time:

The DEA, FBI, and CIA have failed for years to bring down the Spara family, who control the world’s largest drug cartel. A secret society of spies whose members are under the age of 25 will try to succeed where the government has failed.

At only 21 years old, James is the most skillful member of this society. His new target is the Spara family. Through their relationship with Russia, the Sparas are the largest distributor of heroin in the world.  While beginning his investigation in Russia, James inadvertently saves the life of a former KBG officer who has a connection to the Tan family. This connection leads James farther into the heart of the criminal cartel.  However, the Tans have a dark secret of their own, which could jeopardize James’s perfect record and his tenure as a spy as he struggles to do what is right while protecting his family, friends and the love of his life.

***

George is the 3rd of 6 children and grew up in western Pennsylvania. He earned his BS in Biology from the University of Pittsburgh, his MSc in Biology and his MBA in Marketing and Management from Duquesne University. He is also a Master 5th degree black belt in the art of Taekwondo with Young Brothers in Pittsburgh. He currently in a global marketing and strategy professional in science industries. He also has one son, Matthew.

Follow him and his series at any or all of these sites:

WEBSITE

FACEBOOK

TWITTER  

AMAZON AUTHOR PAGE

GOODREADS AUTHOR PAGE

SMASHWORDS AUTHOR PAGE

Don’t forget to leave a review afterwards – reviews keep authors writing – and you’ll want to read the rest of this series, I’m sure.

Good luck with sales, George, and your push for those bestseller lists.

 

Geeking out – for a change!

I’m taking a break from all things bookish to share a couple of fun moments that happened this week.

So, please, join me on the time out bench. Bring a cushion and a cuppa.

First up, did you catch Lego Masters on Channel 4?

Wow!! What those guys can do with Lego bricks is amazing. You need to be part architect, part designer and part visionary to get even close to their masterpieces. I loved Lego as a child, and Legoland in Denmark is definitely on my bucket list. Yeah, none of that dangerous stuff for me – I’m a simple thing 🙂

Can you believe this Chinese banquet is made of Lego?

and what about these cute cubs?

The finalists’ entries were completely out of this world, with a lush landscape filled with gnomes on one side and an adult / inner child battle on the other. The piece-de-resistance for me was the functioning typewriter. It types faster than I do!

If you did miss it – and you’re a Lego lover – then check it out on All 4 now. It gives Bake-Off a run for its money, although unfortunately Lego is not edible. It really isn’t, so please don’t try that banquet for real.

After Lego Masters comes another favourite of mine – and this one is edible.

But what comes with it now is a test kit to see if you have the gene – the Marmite gene! 

As a ‘loud-and-proud’ Marmite lover, this needed more investigation. Being the geek I am, I did download the PDF document to explain the research too. I won’t share it with you here, but suffice to say, it’s pretty thorough 😉

To keep it brief, you can get the gene test kit to see if you’re a lover or a hater.  Really – you can. Check this out if you don’t believe me.  The Marmite Gene Project

But, if that doesn’t float your boat, how about this: As part of Marmite’s Gene Project,  they have developed a bespoke web app named TasteFace. Using  facial recognition technology,  the app claims  to tell if the Marmite eater pulls a face of enjoyment or disgust while eating Marmite.

So, will you give it a go? Are you are lover or a hater?

Thanks for reading and escaping the book world with me for a while.

If I find myself back in the real world, I’ll see you there soon 🙂

I’ve never had a review like this! Awesome!

But what if memory decides one day to walk out of someone’s life? Can new memories be made while befriending forgetfulness?

via Magic O’Clock by L.S.Fellows — Biblichor

A little bit of Magic goes a long, long way

Okay, so I have never really done something like this before, so bear with me. I got Magic O’Clock as ebook for free (through Story Cartel) in exchange for an honest review. This book by L.S Fellows speaks of a man who has dementia and how every day, at the ‘magic hour’ tells stories to […]

via Book Review: Magic O’Clock — Oseremen A.

Book Review – Cosy Mystery

The Iron Dog

by Liz Graham

Carmel McAlistair has a new job at the local archives, a blossoming relationship with Inspector Darrow of the RNC and a growing sense of home in St. Jude Without, Newfoundland. What could possibly go wrong?
When a skeleton clutching a partial treasure map is unearthed below a city street, Carmel finds out how tenuous her grip on happiness is. Her neighbors believe the pirate loot is their inheritance. Her archivist boss guards the secret jealously until she is found murdered – with Carmel, covered in her blood and standing over her, the chief suspect.
It doesn’t look good for Carmel and, to make matters worse, Inspector Darrow is forced to recuse himself from her case because of conflict of interests, leaving her to the mercy of the local constabulary’s most notoriously vicious investigator. Meanwhile, the safest place for her might be to remain in jail….
Pirates, murder, jealousies and tested loyalties swirl in The Iron Dog, the third volume in the Carmel McAlistair series, set on Canada’s most easterly coast.

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My thoughts: With treasure maps, pirates, ghosts and fairies this is a story to fuel your imagination and keep you turning those pages. Carmel McAlistair has a knack for finding trouble, and can frequently be in the wrong place at the wrong time. Helping her out of her dilemmas is a strong – and very original – cast of characters. I hadn’t read any of the previous books in the series, but I will go back and catch up for sure.

This is a well-written story with fully-developed personalities whose interactions are novel, funny, bizarre and intriguing. It reminded me of the Murder She Wrote stories, where the characters of a small cove are all talking about a murder in their neighbourhood. This book has the same cosy feel to it, although adding a Scottish detective and a rusty-coloured dog named after Irn Bru was a masterstroke in my eyes. I did guess the murderer early on, but I enjoyed the misdirection and began to doubt my own sleuthing skills for a while.

I must add that the cover is stunning – it’s one thing I generally take little notice of as a Kindle reader, but every so often a great cover will catch my eye. This is one of those times when it’s worth getting the paperback version too.

A most entertaining book for those who enjoy a good mystery in a great setting. Available now on Amazon, click here for details.