RoxsanneL

  I am a lady who is chronically ill, but despite this is still living life to the full, having adventures and creating new experiences!  

[roxsannel]

Artemysia: A Fairy Tale Romantasy by Tessia Ives.

Captain Delphine Julian is the youngest, female captain in the King's army and she has earned that right by successfully leading her squad and defeating the many Syf, a race or magical creatures, who attack the borders of the kingdom. Riev is the King's assassin, the one who gets all the jobs where things have gotten messy and needs cleaning up, but his latest mission hadn't gone to plan and he lost the remaining members of his group and so he has returned to get his next set of orders.

Delphine is called to appear before the King and receive her next orders and they are to cross the deadly forest of Artemysia with a small group and find out what the Kingdom on the other side are doing and whether they have been attacked by the Syf as well. There is only one issue, nobody has successfully traversed this forest and come back alive, but for Delphine it is worth trying to see how to save the Kingdom and so Riev becomes an unwilling addition to the crew, but only on the condition that someone he knows comes along as well and Sona party of four is created and they set off about a week later.

As the four set off on this dangerous and possibly suicidal mission, they come across trouble at the very start with a band of Syf attacking an outpost and then them within the borders of Artemysia, but Riev has travelled through the forest before and created maps and safe passageways, so they get through with minor injuries to the first camping area and this is where a passion begins to ignite between Riev and Delphine, but she is reluctant to give in, but she is tempted to her breaking point, but she has to put the mission first.

Will the motley crew be able to make it through Artemysia and find the Northern Kingdom and any answers to their issues with the Syf, or will they be killed and all hope destroyed before they can even make it through the forest? This is a romantasy with plenty of action throughout as you follow on the quest and experience the highs and lows throughout.

[roxsannel]

The Little AI That Could (but Shouldn't) by Jacob C. Sadler.

In Panacea, the world's technology has moved so far that nobody needs anything to live, the only currency is the "happy juice" and the only priority is gene editing to make the perfect person, but not everyone is happy with perfection, well, maybe not everyone.

AL365 is an automation, a being who served the head scientist of Panacea who receives all the medical patients who can afford him, but one day, someone new comes to see him, a Puritan, Zara, someone who doesn't accept the new world system and even though her health isn't in the best shape and her pregnancy is flawed, she is determined to see it through with no unnatural help.

AL365 immediately notices that his reactions to Zara are not his normal ones, he begins to try and work out why, but while he is processing this, he malfunctions and this creates a whole new level of problems and enigmas to uncover, so when he feels the need to find Zara after she leaves the clinic, he starts a journey which will change him forever.

In Zara's world of prayer and emotions, AL365 develops more than just an interest, but will Zara accept him and his new changes, or will he be stuck and destined for the scrap heap? This is a glimpse into the future of humanity from an interesting viewpoint which will make you think and question the themes throughout the book until you reach it's conclusion.

[roxsannel]

Hop’s Tales: The Kind Bunny by Evelina Ruimy.

Hop is a bunny who loves school, he enjoys learning, playing with his friends and his teachers, he is always happy and full of life!

One day, Hop meets Ruff, a pup who doesn't like school who says that liking school is not cool and this upsets Hop and he stops wanting to go to school.

When his mum asks him what is wrong, he tells her what was said, but can Hop become cool and still enjoy the things he loves?

This is a wonderful tale of kindness and being true to yourself told through lovely artwork and an easy to read tale.

[roxsannel]

Soul-Happy: A Viking Woman's Long Road Home by Anette Nilsson.

Anette Nilsson is a Danish woman who has experienced a lot of life, from being born in Canada, growing up with her family in Denmark and then living in the USA, but it has not always been a positive experience, and this is her story of her fight to become soul-happy.

As a young girl, she was surrounded by family, she had a close bond with her grandparents, but her mother and father were not as close, neither were her relationships with her siblings, so as soon as she could, she escaped from the life they wanted to live and into the life she wanted in Canada.

It was when she was in university there that she met her husband Cal, an enigmatic American with a bit of a temper, volatile emotions and the looks which could have landed him in a magazine and he enthralled Anette until she lost her way and became extremely unwell.

As she recovered from her physical ailments, she found the path back to her soul with some help from outside influences and shored herself up to be able to work through her trauma to find the truth of her soul-happy and build the life they she and her daughter deserved in this emotional recounting of one woman's life and the challenges within it.

[roxsannel]

Twist of Cain: A Coming-of-Age Horror Novel by Michael J. Stiehl.

Chris Beckwith is a young man making his way through school while at home his parents are not in a happy place, not to mention that his best friend, Donnie recently died and he hasn't left the house, or seen his other friends since, that is until the school rumour mill starts flying about Donnie and his hobby of making mix tapes, rumours which are strange and decidedly macabre.

Chris just ignores the rumours until he hears one involving a kid in school who he can't stand and this is where something chimes as wrong because his best friend never had anything to do with them. This sparks Chris' interest and sends him on a trip down memory lane, as well as confronting some of his deepest inadequacies and memories, not to mention the rumours become darker and things start to happen which he can't explain.

As he digs deeper, Chris unearths a tangled web of secrets, lies and guilt which culminates with him calling on his friends, talking about everything which is happening and heading to the biggest party of the year, but when he is too late to stop the tape playing, he realises just how dangerous it is, but can he figure out what the tape actually does before anymore damage is done?

This is a fast paced coming of age horror where nothing is what it seems and twists and turns are everywhere and nobody is safe from the horrors within.

[roxsannel]

The Surf Kidz Riding Waves: A Surfing Adventure Chapter Book for Ages 6-10 by Kim Ann.

The Surf Kidz are Maya, Jack and Oliver, three best friends who love surfing and riding waves and they are good at it, and they can't wait for school to end so that they can do what they love.

Unfortunately for Maya, she struggles with a difficult maths test and is disappointed with her result, so are her parents, so when they find out about a competition they are excited to enter it, but Maya needs to also work hard for a make up test.

Once her friends agree to help her study, they are allowed to enter the competition, but they have a rival group of surfers who also enter, but who will win and can Maya balance work and play and succeed in both?

This is a wonderful message that working hard as a team and persevering with their dreams can have big pay offs in a way that is easy for everyone to understand.

[roxsannel]

Operation Awake (Space Force Rejects) by Landra Graf.

Doscher is a Kafgarian, and they are on a mission to find their best friend, however, they find a ship which looks almost the same as the one they are looking for, unfortunately it isn't, but it is in trouble and trouble is just what they find, a Kafgarian female, the last thing they expected or wanted and now they have to make a difficult decision whether to return her home to Xin, or take her with them.

As they are pondering this decision, they are contacted by a friend who is waiting on them and some precious cargo they are carrying and that makes up their mind, and although reluctantly, they head for Delphi, a space station to complete the transaction, cheese for some information.

When the female wakes up, she is disoriented and angry, especially when she finds out that her rescuer is an intersex, someone they have heard are selfish and only interested in one thing, the one thing she has run away from, mating, but as she introduced herself as Fee, they agree to travel together until their objectives are met, however, she has unknowingly, also eaten the precious cheese they were planning to trade, so they have to find an alternative and it is not what either of them want to do!

As the pair spend more time together, they realise that cheese is the least of their problems, the mating bond which is developing between them is, but will they be able to achieve their goals and keep the bond from fully forming, or are they doomed to lose themselves in the frenzy? This is a brilliant space adventure with plenty of romance and complex decisions making this an adventure you will not want to miss.

[roxsannel]

The Green Baize Door by Eleanor Birney.

Marie Chevallier is a young woman living in poverty with her family and she isn't happy, but she also is, despite all their troubles and the main saving grace is her grandmother who lives in Chestnut Hill, working as a housekeeper for a well of family, but that all changes when her grandmother is brutally murdered at her workplace on New year's Day.

This is a shock to her and her family and so to hopefully ease some of their troubles, she travels to see Mr Lett, the son of the owner of the house her grandmother lived in, hoping that he can put in a good word towards the investigation, however, he isn't what she expects and neither is she, but together they are hoping that they can figure out who the culprit was.

As their investigations deepen, they are drawn into a web of secrets, lies and intrigue and it is not clear as to whose family the guilt lies, but will they be able to figure it out before the families come to ruin, or will everything they have built fall down around them? This is a historical mystery, based in New England with an informative angle of the contact between the lives of the rich and the poor of the time, set within a mysterious scenario.

[roxsannel]

Murder By White Tiger (A True North Murder Mystery) by A. J. Ullman.

Trueman North is back and has another case to solve and this time, he has Veronica Huxley as his partner on the case, so when they are sent to the Zoo, they are shocked to see that it is a white tiger who is the culprit, he has eaten aan who has been tied up and deposited in the tigers enclosure.

Unfortunately for True, as soon as he returns to the office, he is called into his superiors office and is then told that he is being investigated by Internal Affairs, but this is something which is linked to a past case of his and so he starts his own investigation to see whether the new claims have any footing.

As the intrepid duo investigate the tiger case, they are also given a strict deadline by when they need to have this all nearly wrapped up, but that deadline is the end of Easter and it is already the Saturday before, so time is of the essence and so True pulls in a few favours, including a newspaper reporter to help and past friends, but he is finding that some of these leads are more tangled than he expected.

Will True be able to solve the white tiger case before the end of Easter while also working on his own personal case and how deep will he have to dig to be able to do this? This is another mystery in this series where the big game aren't just cats and the web of secrets and lies wraps around everything to create one big knot to untangle as you follow along this race against time.

[roxsannel]

Murder at Music Hall by A.J. Ullman.

Trueman "True" North is a private investigator in Cincinnati and his life and past experiences mean that he knows all about Death and even feels like they are just hovering and waiting for his luck to run out, but he is haunted and very much an outsider, however, when he is hired by one of the richest men in his town, he realises just how far outside he is.

St. John Skidmore is a business man with a need for justice for his son Stoddard who was brutally murdered at the Music Hall while practicing the timpani which he played for the Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra and it was brutal but he believes that the wrong person was arrested and convicted, so he wants True to take a look and see what he can find.

As True gathers all the evidence, witness statements and court papers, he conducts his own interviews to find out what he can about Stoddard and his life in and around the music hall, all while trying to juggle his personal life in the process, but as he digs deeper into the case, he finds that the rich are a law unto themselves.

There are more skeletons hidden in the proverbial closets of family, friends, colleagues and rivals that True's moral compass is spinning and between meddling sisters, jilted lovers, monetary incentives and threats galore, will True be able to hold onto his ideals and put the right person away, or will money win over truth? This is a murder mystery which is full of twists, turns, secrets and lies, where nothing is straight laced and money talks, or silences, depending on the situation as you follow along on this thrilling dig into the ghosts of the untouchable.

[roxsannel]

Love Big: A Sweet Story on the Power of Kindness and Caring (The Live Big Series) by Kat Kronenberg.

In the African Savannah, the animals are all thirsty and hungry and this makes them all angry at each other, especially Rhinoceros, Hare and Lion.

However, when Baboon sees one of the animals changing the story and being nice and kind to one of the others, he starts to think things can change.

Can Baboon save the Savannah and show the animals that kindness and compassion are essential to thriving?

This is another fantastic message shown in an easy to learn and fun filled book with great characters.

[roxsannel]

The King's Choice by Lois Wickstrom.

The King has just had a meeting with a neighbouring King, but now he is angry and upset because he broke his favourite glass!

As he calls in his advisor Wynnie to come and help him, he keeps on repeating the story and becoming more upset and angry.

This is where Wynnie shows the King her come-back can, but will this help the King to make a choice to either stop or start a war?

This is another brilliant learning opportunity within a charming book in this series, where forgiveness and kindness are taught in a positive way.

[roxsannel]

Unshattered: Surviving My Mother's 123 Personalities and Transforming a Legacy of Abuse by Emma Churchman.

This book contains a lot of triggers so please read them before considering reading.

Emma Churchman has suffered a lot during her life, but so has the rest of her family, it goes back generations and each one had its own version, but Emma is determined to break the cycle and end this abuse and use her experiences to help others as a trauma chaplain and entrepreneur.

In this book, Emma talks through her childhood, but also that of her brothers, as well as the past generations to explain why and how much this trauma was passed down. The other thing this book talks about is Emma's mother and how she coped with the abuse and was eventually diagnosed with multiple personality disorder, or later dissociative identity disorder and she had the most complex number of personalities there, 123 in total.

These personalities came out at random and each had their own emotions, age, physical appearance and accent, but Emma had to learn to anticipate the shifts, manage the personalities who came out, as well as being a mother to her brother's, complete her education, be there when her mother was institutionalised and manage the chaos and fallout that this had on her family.

This book is an emotional rollercoaster as you read through the actions, consequences and chaos which brought Emma to where she is now and is not for the faint of heart, but the examples of resilience, self advocacy and personal strength within give hope that no matter the situation, changing your mindset can make any situation a positive learning experience instead of a negative one.

[roxsannel]

Dream Big: A Heartwarming Story on Overcoming Adversity (The Live Big Series) by Kat Kronenberg.

Flamingo, Tadpole and Caterpillar live in the African Savannah and they all have big dreams, Caterpillar wants to fly like the birds, Tadpole wants to dance and Flamingo wants to be beautiful but there is one animal who doesn't believe that they can.

These animals unfortunately listen to this negativity and they become sad that they may not be able to achieve their dreams, but instead of stating this way, they decide to persevere and harness their Catch-M.

Will Flamingo, Tadpole and Caterpillar be able to achieve their dreams, or will negativity step in? This is a wonderful story with an important meaning which is perfect for all to read.

[roxsannel]

Think Big: A Story About Believing In Ourselves and Working Together (The Live Big Series) by Kat Kronenberg.

We are in the African Savannah where there is a huge rainstorm with thunder and lightning all around Giraffe, Kudu and others are enjoying themselves until suddenly there is a fire surrounding them.

The animals are all scared and don't know what to do, but when all seems lost, they each find something within them to help figure out a way out, their Catch-M!

As soon as the animals remembered that they are loved, amazing and built of stardust meaning they can do anything, they realise they need to work together to survive, but will they?

This is a wonderfully inspiring story bringing a message of love, the benefits of helping others and being confident in your own abilities and that a smile can change the world.

[roxsannel]

Shattered Peace: A Century of Silence by Julie McDonald Zander.

Colleen Holmes has just left the Marines after multiple tours and decides that she needs a fresh start, a break from her past and her memories and so she throws herself into renovating a house in Centralia, a small town with a past of its own. It is during this renovation that she finds an old diary and letters belonging to a young woman and her soldier beau from one hundred years before and through it she learns about tragedy and love.

As she reads through the events of the years within the diary from the perspective of a soldier fighting in the trenches in France, the horrors which were inflicted and which they inflicted on others, as well as news of the home they had to leave behind and the love of their life residing there, but nothing compares to the events of the 11th November 1919 when an entire community was devastated by the choices made by the American Legion members and the Industrial Workers of the World, or Wobblies.

All this is revealed as Colleen battles her own demons, but will the secrets and revelations lead to enlightenment or further tragedy as you follow along this story inspired by true events which will lead you down a twisting path of historical knowledge and emotional turmoil.

[roxsannel]

Break Me Better (Ashes of Us) by Ava Ruin.

Berkley, Rowan, Ronan and Emerson are back and now the past has been revealed, they all know what stakes they are playing for and why the events of the past happened and now they are our for blood, even more than they were before because vengeance can be a bond stronger than blood.

One task needs to be completed before the bonds between the four strengthen, something needs to burn and after this has been completed, they work to create a sense of home and family in their new secured location and repair what the past has broken.

Soon, things escalate again and the four move up their plans and begin to dismantle the rotten empire they are fighting against and burn it all to the ground, but will they be able to do this unscathed, or will they burn too? This is a very dark romance with plenty of action and fire within, of all kinds, which will keep you reading until you reach the end.