Lit List LitPick Book Reviews

 Lit List: LitPick Book Reviews

By Julie Sara Porter

Bookworm Reviews

It's no secret that I have been incredibly busy this year working on other projects. When I haven't been   reading and reviewing books for the   Bookworm Reviews, I have been editing,   summarizing, and reviewing books for   other sources. I would like to highlight some of those other sources.                                                                                                            

Here is a brief summary and review for the books that I have reviewed for LitPick Book Reviews site. Because of restrictions, I cannot post the full reviews here so I am just posting brief summaries and reviews

The Cuban Gambit by Jay Perin 

The third volume in this series. It involves the powerful, wealthy, and ruthless Shepherd, Barrons, and Kingsley Families who in the wake of their defeat of archenemy, Jared Sanders find themselves embroiled in corporate takeovers, extramarital affairs, kidnapping, scandals and plenty of drama.

This wide encompassing series features a wide variety of multifaceted characters with various goals and motives. There is enough glitz and glamor to put an 80's night time soap opera to shame and enough intergenerational conflict, high stakes, and deep characterization of a Shakespearean Tragedy. It reveals the inner personal struggles of various public figures with all of their conniving schemes and on rare occasions their empathetic warmth.

The Devil's Calling by Michael Kelley

Academic couple Sean McQueen and M Edens are adjusting to a new life together with their children and their recently established all-female college. Unfortunately, a new AI program and some messages from a previous enemy reawakens old fears and grudges as M is about to go on a lecture tour.

This book is awash in both science and spirit to make a technological and metaphysical masterpiece. Sean and M take different views but are able to bridge those views into something that combines the best of both worlds.

They are aided by a brilliantly written circle of friends and family and a deep abiding love for each other. This allows them to overcome every struggle and work together when it comes to a dramatic confrontation against an old enemy

Art Imitating Life by Claire Merchant

After a devastating breakup, Paige Stewart and her friends Liam and Nathaniel (the latter of whom has a crush on Paige) find themselves in a parallel universe. In the fantasy kingdom of Avellithia, the trio must play the parts of Sage the Sorceress, Nathaniel the Rogue, and Liam the Archer to fight an approaching army. Along the way, they discover counterparts of everyone they know and get involved in various romantic engagements.

The parallel universe of Avellithia is very interesting and well written. Unfortunately, it's buried under too much Teen Romance. The love shapes among Paige, Nathaniel, and other characters takes precedence over the potential magic, fantastic elements, and conflicts among kingdoms. The results end up becoming boring and cliche. Because of the focus on Romance over Fantasy, there are some fascinating touches that are introduced but not brought to their fullest fruition.

The Music Within Your Heart by Isaac Samuel Miller 

Songwriter, Sophia looks back on her troubled life. She comes from a dysfunctional background with a mentally ill mother, a father with a secret life, and a brother who was murdered in a hate crime. She is surrounded by racism as she attends college and tries to earn a living as a singer. She also ends up being caught between Sammy, the white son of a racist and Kyle, a charismatic African-American musician.

This is a brilliant character study of Sophia looking back on her hard life to see what went wrong and right. Her journey is both heart wrenching and heartwarming. Many of the more racist elements make for suspenseful and tense moments as Sophia doubts even the seemingly good people around her. She also navigates through her romances with grit and determination as she and Sammy have their ups and downs while Kyle proves to be a charming and engaging presence before he comes to an untimely end.