5 Stars | Lost in a Good Book

Dark Southern Sun by Shaun J McLaughlin

06 Mar 2015 Leave a comment

by Amy in 5 Stars, Book Bingo, General Tags: aboriginal, australia, book bingo, ebook, five stars, gold rush, historical fiction, shaun j mclaughlin

Published: 1st December 2014
Publisher: Raiders and Rebels Press
Pages: 284
Format: ebook
Genre: Historical Fiction
★ ★ ★ ★ ★ – 5 Stars

Dark Southern Sun is a story about love, friendship, and honour in the goldfields of old Australia.

In this sequel to Counter Currents, Ryan washes up on the southern shore of Australia near death in 1845. Rescued by two Wathaurung native children and nursed to health by their parents, his life and theirs are entwined through good and sorrow for the next ten years. Set against the historical backdrop of Australia’s formative years, Ryan witnesses the displacement of the Aboriginal people, and he faces the chaos of the world’s largest alluvial gold rush and the bloodshed of Australia’s only armed uprising.

Throughout, two very different women—one white, one black—tug at his heart as he struggles from penury to prosperity. As he rises in social esteem as an astute businessman and cunning street fighter, Ryan creates two bitter enemies—one white, one black. In time, they set aside their vast racial and emotional hatreds and combine forces. Can Ryan survive their vicious attempt to destroy him and save the good life he has built?

Note: I was provided a copy of this book for review

Across ten years and coinciding with the gold rush, McLaughlin’s story is a beautiful and tragic story about life in Australia and the expansion of one culture and the decline of another. This is not the sole focus of course, at the heart there is a fantastic tale about the power of friendship and the life and successes of a former convict.

While this is a sequel to McLaughlin’s other work Counter Currents, it can also be read as a standalone. Counter Currents tells the story of how Ryan came to be sent to Australia and Van Diemen’s Land but these reasons and his story are adequately covered in this novel to make it understandable.

There are a few varying points of view but Ryan’s is the main viewpoint we are given. Ryan is an admirable character and someone who is proud and honest, and who stands up for what he believes in. His past makes him streetwise and clever but he is also fair and honourable.

It is not just Ryan who is shown to have honourable strengths and weaknesses, each one of McLaughlin’s characters is depicted as their own person; they are complicated, unique, and not just a background figure to Ryan’s life. Having such detailed characters draws you into their lives easily and adds emotion and affection to each of their actions. By staying alongside many of these characters for the ten year period you are able to see them grow and develop, understanding who they are people and what they represent. Such an approach is brilliant on McLaughlin’s part because it makes every event and action that happens hold a lot more meaning and deeper importance than it may not have if the characters were not as understood as much as they are.

The downside of the strong attachments that develop is that you become quite invested in each and every character. With the rejoicing of successes and the mourning of losses there are a lot of unexpected and multiple emotions to experience. Within this story that looks relatively innocent on the surface, lies a deeper and darker one lurking in the background. Given the context and era such a story was expected, but the way McLaughlin uses words and emotions as well as his characters to bring this story to life is marvellous.

One of my favourite discoveries about this story was just how many historical elements had been included and McLaughlin’s attention to detail and creativity for bringing together so many stories, lives, and events is astounding. The Eureka Stockade, Aboriginal culture, and life in 1800s Australia are brought to life, intertwining with Ryan’s story and there are also historical people dotted throughout adding an additional element of reality and history.

With McLaughlin’s writing there is never a moment where he begins to preach or demonise, and yet by capturing the society and conflicts so wonderfully within a brilliant story, it cannot help but highlight the issues of the era. He shows a lot of respect for both cultures and with impressive skill cleverly and effortlessly weaves many aspects of the turmoil of the time into the narrative such as bushrangers, settlement expansion, abuse and cruelty to Aborigines, as well as the legal and social laws of the time.

Knowing this story is based deeply on history and real events it can be quite a depressing and melancholic read. McLaughlin’s story captures beautifully and tragically the takeover of the Aborigine’s land and culture and seeing the opinions expressed by characters towards them is painful. But at the same time it is strangely fascinating and captivating to see it play out before you, knowing this is so close to what happened and how the arrival of white culture eradicated and erased much of the indigenous culture.

McLaughlin is a great storyteller and someone who manages to encapsulate the lives of people in a way that breaks your heart and fills you with admiration, sometimes even at the same time. Dark Southern Sun brings a moment of Australia’s past to life in its glory and its failings and offers up a stunning tale filled with strong friendships and unbreakable bonds making it a story that will stay with you for a long time.

You can purchase Dark Southern Sun via the following

Ebook

Paperback

Animal by Nikki Rae

27 Feb 2015 Leave a comment

by Amy in 5 Stars, Book Bingo, Giveaway Tags: book bingo, ebook, five stars, new adult, nikki rae, paranormal, paranormal suspense, suspense

Published: 28th February 2015
Publisher: Self-published
Pages: 281
Format: ebook
Genre: New Adult Paranormal Suspense
★ ★ ★ ★ ★ – 5 Stars

Ava has spent her life running from the monsters that lurk in the shadows, always the prey. She finally thinks she can settle down, have a normal life, and work on not being so scared of the world around her. That is until she runs into her worst fear.

He has finally found the potential family he has always wanted. All he has to do is make his little bird sing. Will Ava escape with her humanity intact?

Note: I was provided a copy of this book for review.

From the very beginning I adored this book and when I was still up at 3am that night finishing it I continued to adore it. I loved being able to get back into the world I knew so well from The Sunshine Series, but this time be able to see it from a whole new side and a completely new perspective.

Even though Animal features characters from The Sunshine Series, this story is not really a prequel and it is not presented as being one. While it does deal with events before those in the series, it is more a completely new story about one of the minor characters.

Animal tells the story of Ava, a girl who has been running almost her whole life until what has been chasing her finally catches up with her. What I knew about Ava was only partially explained previously, so it was fascinating and exciting to explore her past and discover where she came from and how she came to be the person you see in The Sunshine Series.

Rae tells Ava’s story with style and skill as well as multiple character perspectives which add a beautiful element to the storytelling. There is also a wonderful balance with the characters, each action and thought seems measured and calculated but there is no absence of worry or fear either. Emotions and reactions are not over exaggerated one way or the other and Rae is clever at demonstrating how each character is trying to remain in control in their own way and in their own circumstances.

This believability brings the characters to life on the page and makes you invest in them, no matter who they are. Multiple points of view allow multiple justifications to be made which also means that many times sympathies can be misplaced, though often only temporarily. With her words Rae captures you and draws you into the story and you feel like you are there alongside each character, feeling what they feel and understanding who they are. The thrill and exhilaration that I love in Rae’s writing is there as well, not to mention the unexpected and unknown, even with these familiar characters.

While Ava does not initially seem to be, she is strong and determined and brave, though she never tries to be more than who she is. She follows the rules her parents taught her and she makes sure she knows the risks of her surroundings, choosing her moves carefully, always thinking of ways out and how to survive, even manipulating her situation to her advantage and discovering where cracks can be tested.

The benefit of this story is that Ava is shown in a different light than how she is known in the series. Her story is able to be told and her character is given a greater exploration and representation than the role she has played before. As a result it makes me want to revisit the series and pay closer attention to her, now with a greater understanding of who she is and of the life she led before.

Animal is a story that is fascinating, eerie, and extremely captivating. I never once put the book down after I had begun and I was glued to each page that I read; always wondering what would happen, intrigued by what I had just read, and intense curiosity motivating me to keep going no matter what. Rae’s writing grabs you and holds your attention from the start, even with the simplest of scenes, and while you do not know where the story will go, you still try and guess what will happen. Something I should know better than to do with one of Rae’s stories.

Nikki is running a giveaway to win signed paperbacks and ecopies of Animal!

You can get all the details on how to enter here.

You can purchase Animal via the following:

Amazon

Summer’s Gone by Charles Hall + Giveaway (Aust) DRAWN

13 Feb 2015 2 Comments

by Amy in 5 Stars, Giveaway Tags: australia, book bingo, charles hall, fiction, five stars, giveaway

Published: 19th February 2015
Publisher: Margaret River Press
Pages: 288
Format: Paperback
Genre: Fiction
★ ★ ★ ★ ★ – 5 Stars

One short, beautiful summer of love, and then a tragedy – and the Vietnam War – will drive four friends apart.
But nothing is straightforward about what has come between them. And nothing is clear, really, until years later, when Nick goes back to where it all happened and trawls through his memory to put the pieces together.

Charles Hall’s novel tells a very personal story set in Australia in the rebellious days of the 60s, a decade of upheaval, when one’s own journey was intensified by the politics of the world – civil rights, feminism, drugs and, at the heart of the upheaval, the Vietnam War and conscription. It was a time of uproar on every level – families, music, film, relationships and a belief that not only did the world need changing but that ordinary people could change it…

Note: I was provided a copy of this book for review

What I love about this book is how Hall manages to capture the feeling of Australia in the 1960s and the following years through war, feminism, personal journeys, and most of all what it meant to be young. As someone who was not even alive during this time I found myself getting sad and reflective about the whole thing and it isn’t even my story, or close to my experiences, but Hall makes you become involved with these characters and care for them and every set back or joyful moment they have becomes yours. I was reminiscing alongside Nick despite the fact I have never experienced anything even remotely close and these were not even my memories to recall.

Part of what makes Hall’s writing work is that he knows how to make the reader understand the emotions and experiences of the characters. He knows how to capture the feeling of being young and doing whatever you want but at the same time also knowing the past is gone and knowing you could never have it again, leaving you to just look back at the past. Hall’s words convey the strength of friendship and the power it has, and through shared experiences there builds a bond and a solidarity that makes you think it can last forever.

The writing is sublime in as much as it is simple and uncomplicated, and the story is so well told it really does become a part of you. As you read you are pulled into these lives almost immediately; the experiences that Nick and his friends have are so real and you know them and pity them and celebrate them intensely. The same can be said of all of Hall’s characters, even the briefest appearances and mentions are able to convey a wonderful understanding of who they are as people and you truly feel like you know these characters.

The story is told through Nick, who alters narrating between the present day and thinking about the past. It is also told out of chronological order which is a brilliant move by Hall as it only adds to the reading experience by flitting around and going backwards and forwards and having memories within memories. Hall blends these different memories and moments together fantastically, he knows when to stop and move on and how to link back to the scenes that have been left unfinished or to slowly reveal hints and clues as he goes.

The amount of forethought and small details that you brush off as insignificant is wonderful, you never know what may be important later and Hall hides it brilliantly. These small details are scattered throughout and seem inconsequential but everything is connected and Hall demonstrates that everything they do and the people they meet are important and do have an impact on their life in some way.

There is an initial mystery that surrounds the story but as the novel progresses this fractures off into multiple issues and as a result shows the complexities of friendships and relationships and life, yet another thing Hall depicts brilliantly.

The best way I could describe this book is that it is beautiful and tragic and wonderful all at once and it is a heartwarming story about being young and in love. From the early pages I wanted to give this book five stars and I am so extremely pleased that the same could be said when I closed the book. A truly amazing bittersweet story.

In celebration of the upcoming release of Summer’s Gone I have ONE PAPERBACK copy to giveaway (Australia only I’m afraid)
Click here to enter via Rafflecopter

Entries close 28th February at 11:59pm AEDST.

Good luck!

You can purchase Summer’s Gone once released via the following

Fishpond

Margaret River Press

Amazon

All Your Bits and Pieces Needs

Read an excerpt

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Icy Pretty Love by L. A. Rose + Giveaway

15 Dec 2014 1 Comment

by Amy in 5 Stars, General Tags: ebook, five stars, giveaway, l.a. rose, new adult, romance

Published: 15th November 2014
Publisher: Self Published
Pages: 174
Format: ebook
Genre: New Adult Romance
★ ★ ★ ★ ★ – 5 Stars

Glass-doll beauty. A shy, proper smile. Georgette Montgomery is the perfect billionaire’s fiancé.

Or she would be, if she existed.

A dark past. A smile that hides everything. At nineteen, Rae Grove escapes her disaster life by pretending to be other people—specifically, whoever the man paying her that night wants her to be.

Until she’s offered enough money for a one-way ticket to a better life. All she has to do is fly to Paris and pretend to be the fiancé of young business tycoon Cohen Ashworth for one month. Within an hour of meeting Cohen, Rae knows three things about him:

1. He hates everyone and everything.

2. He has abundant wit and a knife-sharp tongue.

3. He uses 2 to make everyone aware of 1.

Before long, Rae’s determined to crack open his unbreakable shell. Cohen’s determined to stay unbroken.

But no one escapes unscathed when two opposite worlds collide.

Note: I was provided with a copy of this book for review

This is a great novel. As she has demonstrated with her other novels, Rose is brilliant at telling a story and she uses her characters to tell her stories wonderfully. With Icy Pretty Love she offers something a bit different than before, but with the same style and skill as I have come to expect from her writing.

The story is not intense or even too serious but it is heart warming and the characters draw you in and you become involved in their lives and who they are as people; complexities, flaws, and strengths included. Rose has created characters that are real people, they are not overly special and held to a pedestal, they just are people, and they are trying to deal with their lives as best they can. Cohen and Rae have different lives, different pasts, and see the world through their own eyes and Rose contrasts these beautifully, using Rae to showcase their differences but also keeps their experiences and interactions grounded, making them authentic.

There is a greater focus on character exploration and development than on a sexual side as seen in Rose’s previous books, which is great if you are not a fan of detailed sex scenes or a strong reoccurrence of them, but this story isn’t actually about the sexual relationship between Rae and Cohen, or even romantic relationship essentially. It is about them discovering who they are as people, what they are doing with their lives and where they want to go. Perhaps that is why I loved it so much, Rae shows Cohen that there is beauty in the world and that being nice to people is important instead of being negative and horrible all the time. They learn and grow from being in each other’s company, some more than others, and they help to improve their lives and benefit from their time together.

Cohen comes across as rough and arrogant but even from the start there is something about him that makes you wonder, something secretive and unspoken, not just in his actions but in himself that hint that maybe his rough exterior is more mask than true nature. Granted he isn’t completely wonderful, but Rae brings new life into his world and with her optimism she aims to turn his view around. Rae notes multiple times it is hard not to keep sounding like a self help book in doing so but she is right about many things she tells Cohen, and as the month passes together you see their influences on one another flourish.

Cohen also hides a secret, and while I thought it was going in one direction, when I realised it wasn’t I was more intrigued to find out what it could possibly be, and I was not disappointed. Rose balances out the content in this story remarkably well and includes the information that is needed for the story while not keeping the mystery the focus of the narrative or making it a key point.

As for Rae, I loved her. She takes life as it is, tries to better herself, and even though she has had a rough life she does not let it get her down, instead she learns from it and it makes her strive harder. She also does not let it dampen her view of the world though she is not ignorant of the bad that does exists, and it was touching reading about her reactions as she explores Paris. Knowing where she has come from to where she ends up is a moment that makes you proud of her, and glad she has been given the chance she has.

Watching Rae influence Cohen is charming and captivating, as Cohen keeps his secrets close and you watch the pair get to know one another and figure out how their strange relationship will work. The characters are truly gorgeous, and the stories than surround them are divine. They are authentic, hopeful, lost, genuine, and Rose makes sure there is no exaggeration in her words that fault the flow of her narrative.

The negative moments of the story are balanced and there is not an overload of sunshine and lollipops but there is a strong grounded reality in the story Rose is telling us. There are secrets, revelations, surprises, and a wonderfully heart warming and real story being told and one that I look forward to reading again. Once again Rose has done a magnificent job.

You can purchase Icy Pretty Love via the following

Amazon

Barnes & Noble

Kobo

Giveaway

As part of her blog tour Rose is offering up ten ecopies of Icy Pretty Love.

Enter the Rafflecopter giveaway

About the author:

L.A. Rose recently made it out of college alive and with an English degree. She’s a habitual beach bum, a cuteness aficionado, and a not-quite-recovered romance addict. She’s a big believer in laughter as medicine and steaminess as…more medicine. You can never have enough medicine. Icy Pretty Love is her third New Adult standalone.

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Revenge and Retribution (#6) by Anna Belfrage

02 Oct 2014 Leave a comment

by Amy in 5 Stars, General Tags: anna belfrage, ebook, five stars, graham saga, historical fiction

Published: 29th June 2014
Publisher: Silverwood Books
Pages: 371
Format: ebook
Genre: Historical Fiction
★ ★ ★ ★ ★ – 5 Stars

Life in the Colony of Maryland is no sinecure – as Alex and Matthew Graham well know. But nothing in their previous life has prepared them for the mayhem that is about to be unleashed upon them. Being labelled a witch is not a good thing in 1684, so it is no wonder Alex Graham is aghast at having such insinuations thrown at her. Even worse, it’s Matthew’s brother-in-law, Simon Melville, who points finger at her. Not that the ensuing hearing is her main concern, because nowadays Alex’s entire life is tainted by the fear of what Philip Burley will do to them once he gets hold of them.

As if all this wasn’t enough, Alex also has to cope with the loss of one of her sons. Forcibly adopted by the former Susquehannock, Samuel is dragged from Alex’s arms to begin a new life in the wilderness. How is Alex to survive all this? And will she be able to put her damaged family back together?

Note: I was provided a copy of this book for review

I definitely thought I was at a disadvantage when reading this book by not realising it was the sixth in the series, but Belfrage writes in such a way that if you pay close attention you do get told the key moments in their story and past that you have missed. By piecing together references and casual remarks the story and events of the previous books are made clear. Granted this isn’t in any detailed or complicated way, but it is enough, enabling you to enjoy and understand the current one.

Belfrage works it into the story seamlessly as well and while the references are often small and fleeting, they are enough to help you work out what has happened in the past, enabling you to understand how the events and situations in the current book came to be. As a result, even if you haven’t read the others, you still get intensely involved in the story and being so far into the series it could almost be a novel on its own, with only a more detailed back story required. As a continuation on the other hand, I can see it as a great addition to the saga, continuing the story of Alex and her family with real situations, events, continuity, and consequences.

Being the sixth book, there is a sense of it being another chapter in the Graham family saga rather than one that introduces anything new. A lot assumedly has been established in the earlier books and there is an investment in the family already. However even though it was my first introduction, by the end of the book I too was invested in the family, with the brief catch up to their past and the nature and honest reality of their lives, it is hard not to get involved.

There are great, complicated, and detailed characters that bring this story to life. Each character has their own story to tell and their own life to lead but they are all connected together so well. Belfrage manages to be detailed but not overbearing with information and despite the numerous characters, there is no confusion and it is fairly easy to keep track of who everyone is and what their role is.

Despite being from the future, by the time the sixth book occurs, Alex has spent many decades in the past and has established a life there. This means that there is a lot of focus on the current life, rather than her former, though there are occasional references and mentions about her life from the 21^st century. Few people are privy to her secret, and it is great to see how those in the know cover when an issue arises and learn how she has hidden it so well. There is a fascination about each of these characters, not just Alex and her secret, and I got immense pleasure from reading about them and seeing their struggles and joyous moments.

The conflicts and dramas reflect the era but there are many similarities to the present day as well, reflecting what has changed and what has stayed the same. Seeing the Graham family live and survive without any of the modern comforts was part of the enjoyment and you realise just how clever and innovative the early settlers were. It also gives credit to Alex who is able to use her modern knowledge and adapt it to the different era successfully.

From the beginning of the book there is a feeling of something big developing and it grows steadily, snowballing to a gripping end through a narrative that is engaging, fast-paced, and at times emotional for numerous reasons. There are shocks and harsh realities, and some things that are very adult, brutal, and violent, something that may not appeal to everyone, but it is not without purpose and all of varying degrees. The characters are tough though and you see their strength and determination shine through with every obstacle that is thrown at them, no matter the size or severity. I don’t think you need to have been invested in these characters for five books beforehand to understand who they are, Belfrage demonstrates their strength and vulnerability so well, whether it is for simple things, the brutal, or the heartbreaking.

There is also a beautiful mixture of the present and the past, and even though Alex has become accustomed to her new life, there is still evidence of the old life shining through, making her stand out amongst the other characters. This is another reason to return to the beginning of the series, to see the gradual adjustment to this different life.

The historical aspects are well researched, and while I know little of American history, especially colonial times, there are minute details that bring this story together and add realism to the time travelling aspect. With so much happening there is never any real certainty of what will happen next, and with so many characters, each with their own troubles it means that surprises are always in store.

Belfrage has created a fascinating and captivating story filled with characters that you come to know, admire, and love. It is definitely a story that makes me want to go back to the start of the series and be introduced to Alex from the very beginning. From what is hinted at and mentioned in this book it is certainly a unique and mysterious journey but with an added danger as well, and one that is never truly forgotten.