Odette by Lauren K. Pomeroy

This is a sweet retelling of Swan Lake. Most of the original characters are there although a few have been renamed. Parts of the story are dark, but this book is appropriate for teens and YA. The original story has a very sad ending, but Ms. Pomeroy has rewritten this in a more satisfying  manner (for me at least).
The book is slow in parts, especially during the years when Odette and Gabriel are growing up. While nicely written, it didn't move the plot along. But it's a good first book and I look forward to reading some of the sequels and prequels.
I really liked the cover.

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The Body Market by D.V. Berkom

The Body Market is a fast-paced thriller and a very enjoyable read. The story about human trafficking and the selling of body parts is well developed and the characters are really interesting. Liene, the protaganist, has a great back story and I liked her dedication to her job. Elise, the rich Beverly Hills girl that Liene must find, grows throughout her ordeal and becomes almost likable by the end of the book. I liked the way the book alternates POV between the two and the secondary cast of characters were engaging.
Although this is not a genre I prefer, I heartily recommend this book.

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Peter Wilson's Dream Theater by John Archer

I received a copy of this book from the author for an honest review. Peter Wilson's Dream Theater is a great adventure story for young teens. The book follows high school freshman Peter Wilson as he learns to control his dreams through lucid dreaming and go on adventures in a Walter Mitty type way. In this first of the books (I think more are planned) he travels in his dream theater as a Viking to rescue a kidnapped princess.
The book is well written and though I thought it too young for most adults, it should be an enjoyable read for teens.

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The Young Lions by Tony Maxwell

I was given a free copy of this book for an honest review. The Young Lions is a well researched book about the Boer War. Robert is a young Canadian who ends up in Africa to pursue diamond mining and other opportunities. He ends up  fighting for the Boers among whom he's made his home against the English.
There were many interesting descriptions of the country and cities as well as the battles that took place in the war. It seemed very realistic to me and I enjoyed the story and the characters met along the way including a young Winston Churchill.
I rated it three stars is for two reasons: the endless descriptions of guns and ammunition. This is a long book and at least one-third of it had to do with armaments. A little bit adds to the historical flavor of the era, but this excess seemed a bit Freudian, especially when I get to my other reason. It is not realistic that about every 10-15 pages Robert has a sexual encounter with women who fall madly in love with him. This starts with his aunt (with the consent of her husband) through pretty much any other woman he meets. I applaud Louisa who never succumbs although she wanted to. It was as if the author felt that he needed these gratuitous sex scenes to hold the readers interest. He was capable of doing that with just his writing so these were just unnecessary interruptions to the flow.
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View From the Sixth Floor by Ellizabeth Horton-Newton

The premise of this book was good, although I had a pretty good idea of the big reveal early in the book. But the book was very slow to get there and then never really delivered. It was way too vague in the details of the conspiracy, maybe on purpose as Bill didn't want Olivia to know, but it left me hanging and slightly bored.
I probably would have given this book three stars, but it badly needed a proofreader. There were almost no commas in the entire book and it really interrupted the flow of sentences. I would often have to go back to reread to catch the meaning. For example, “I know honey." Is he referring to Olivia or is he a beekeeper? Place names weren't separate as in the example here: "Then he kissed me, right in front of one of the oldest steak restaurants in Fort Worth Texas."
This was a proof copy and maybe the author intends to correct these issues before publication.

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Candle's Christmas Chair by Jude Knight

I loved this novella. The main characters are very likeable and the romance is very sweet. It's a slightly
different type of Regency romance and I enjoyed it very much.

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The Bone Wall by D. Wallace Peach

I have read two of D Wallace Peach's books, The Melding of Aeris and Myths of the Mirror, and loved them. However, I wasn't as pleased with The Bone Wall. It's a metaphor for Heaven and Hell in a post-apocalyptic world and twin girls, Rimma and Angel, who represent evil and good. I found the pace of the story very slow and somewhat predictable, even the ending was unsurprising. I think it just wasn't my cup of tea and that others may enjoy it more than I did.
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