Novels Books

"Spider-Man: The Ultimate Guide" is a must-have book for all the wall-crawler's fan! It has information about lots of characters and a fantastic spidey's time-line! The illustrations are as good as well, and you can even find information on alternative Spider-Man series, like Spider-Girl, and Spidey 2099. Although the book is very nicely done i still missed more detailed profiles, anyway you will sure not regret for buying this one!

I never read a Spider-man comic book, but I wanted to know all about Spidey, his allies, and his enemies. This ended my search!

I have been a rabid Spider-Man fan, reader, and collector for the past 13 years. In that time, I've seen some of the best (1980's to 1993) and worst (Clone Saga) this hero has to offer. IN addition, I have collected every issue ever published. So, I'm very knowledgable about SPider-Man and his world. Still, this book is a delight to read. I didn't learn anything new, but it is well written, spectacularly illustrated with original comic art from some of Spidey's most legendary artists (Ditko, Romita Sr., Romita Jr., Frenz, Andru, Sal Buscema, Gil Kane, McFarlane, Bagley, Larsen). New fans will learn a lot from this book, but no matter how long you've been a fan of Spidey, this book is a treasure trove for you!!

Tom De Falco's comprehensive SPIDER-MAN guide is one of my favourite spidey books, covering everything from the comic's origins in the 60s to the recent movies. With some great insight into the characters in the world of comics and good layout, this guide tells you all you need to know about Peter Parker, Mary Jane and assotment of villians (Green Goblin, Doc Ock, Venom et all). DeFalco's extensive research has paid off, making this an essential addition to the already bookshelf-breaking collection of comic book guides. This is a must-have book for any SPIDER-MAN enthusiast.

We bought this book for our five year old who loves Spiderman, but our whole family has enjoyed learning more about the villains and other characters in Spidey's world. It is fun to learn the origin of characters we are familiar with and some we had never heard of before. There are lots and lots of illustrations to keep the kids' attention, and the stories and bios are interesting enough for adults as well. The binding has fallen apart on our book- which may have survived better under normal wear and tear- but that is mostly because my son takes it to bed with him since he loves this book so much. Overall, a great book for kids and adults too.

Every time Jasmine comes back it means straight drama! This novel was an engaging read and covered taboo topics not often talked about. Victoria is a gifted writer that always takes me on a journey, her stories, touching and painful as well as laugh out load funny. Always a page turner.
Dawnny Ruby
Mahogany Book Club

What a tangled web we weave when we endeavor through deceit!
Victory Christopher Murray, best selling author of A Sin and A Shame, gets my nod for Too Little Too Late. Her main character, Jasmine Larson, is back with the man of her dreams in tow. The novel is fast paced and very entertaining.
Jasmine and her husband, Reverend Hosea Bush, made it through the fact that Jasmine became pregnant with another man's child. However, Jasmine's got a few more bones in her throat, that are ready to pop out: Natasia Redding, a blast from Hosea's past who still has the "hots" for him; Brian Lewis, the good doctor who is also her "baby's daddy", has
discovered through "therapy" that he is a sex addict and in order to save his marriage he must tell all to his wife and convince her that Jasmine and the baby were part of his "illness", which won't be easy considering the sordid history between Jasmine and his wife Alexis.
Will Hosea be able to fight the feelings that he still has for Natasia? Will Jasmine get one more chance to bare her soul and be redeemed once and for all? Will Brian be able to save his marriage and be cured of his addiction? It may all be too little, too late. I recommend that you read and find out!

Excellent storytelling and familiar characters from the past. This was a great novel but I'm wondering will Jasmine ever stop with the lies and will Alexis and Brian find happiness with or without each other. There was one part of the story where I was rooting for Hosea and Natasia, thank goodness I came to my senses! Mae Frances I missed ya. Ms. Murray you have a gift continue to embrace it.

What a wonderful book this was to read! I first heard about this book from the "Girls with Grace" book club at my church. It was our second book to read and I enjoyed it so much. I couldn't put it down. I finished reading the almost 400 page book in 2 days. I would recommend this book to anyone. The end was very touching. Even if you hadn't read the previous books in the series, you won't be lost. 2 thumbs up on this one.

Jasmine Larson Bush is back and she still has secrets. Although the paternity of her daughter Jacqueline is know by her husband to be an ex lover Brian Lewis this couple encounters road blocks of an old flame. No, not Jasmine's old flame. How about the ex-girlfriend of Hosea for a change?

Jasmine has to deal with Natasia, playing the game she knows all too well when yet another obstacle is thrown into her path. Brian Lewis and his wife Alexis are having trouble with their marriage when Alexis is convinced her husband is having an affair. Will their secrets come out finally and when they do will it be too late for either of them to make their relationships work?

Awesome continuation of A Sin and A Shame! I recommend this book.

In spare, poetic and very beautiful dialect, old and grumpy Guernsey misanthrope, Ebenezer Le Page, recounts the story of his life; a tale of disillusionment, loss and remarkable resiliance.

Edwards makes Le Page a Guernseyan "Everyman." Le Page represents an embattled folk community: colonized by the French, occupied by the Germans and finally overrun by English tourists.

Like the butler, Stevens, in *The Remains of the Day,* Le Page has an epiphany that transforms him. But while Stevens' epiphany is of the rather subtle dry sherry variety, Le Page's knocks you flat like a good shot of white lightening, poteen or whatever it is that Guernsey people drink when they want to see God.

*The Book of Ebenezer Le Page* is about a small miracle of the human spirit in the face of war, poverty and souless consumerism.

One of the best books I have read in a long time...The universality of Ebenezer is wonderful. It brings the reader back to another time and place. I highly recommend this book.

It's been more than twenty-five years since I read The Book of Ebenezer LePage, lured to it by the story of John Fowles's involvement in seeing it published. Having just finished The Story of Edgar Sawtelle, my brother and I were comparing notes on the novel we both enjoyed so much when I commented that, in some strange way, the story reminded me of Ebenezer LePage. Thinking still about that extraordinary book, I checked here at amazon to see if it was still in print.
In reading the long list of capsulized reviews, I found the following and laughed out loud: "The Book of Ebenezer Le Page, by G. B. Edwards, is an oddity and a great literary wonder, written in the beautiful French patios of Guernsey, . . . ." --Archipelago. Of course, the book may have been written on a patio, though I've no idea how the reviewer would know. What I do know, however, is that the subtle language of the Channel Islands--English, with some French added creatively--is known as a "patois," and the use of that patois in the book's dialogue is but a small part of the charm that wafts through the book's pages. I've long considered it to be one of the finest novels I've read.

What can I add to the almost unanimous chorus of praise and rave reviews? Not much. But this is such an exceptional yet so inexplicably little-known book that I feel obliged to join the chorus.

THE BOOK OF EBENEZER LE PAGE reminds me, as unlikely as this particular combination may sound, of both Thomas Hardy and Mark Twain. Indeed, for a rough approximation of the narrator Ebenezer Le Page and his personality and humor, imagine that Sam Clemens had been born in 1890 on the Channel Island of Guernsey, lived there his entire life, and then nearing 90 set down the story of his life and his world. Although not as cosmopolitan as Sam Clemens, Ebenezer Le Page is every bit as independent a free-thinker, as open-minded, as cantankerous, as wise, and as ruthlessly disdainful of cant, self-righteousness, and those who better themselves at the expense of others. And almost as funny.

For all its greatness, THE BOOK OF EBENEZER LE PAGE is not a page-turner that you are likely to devour in one fell swoop. It took me two weeks to read it. But each time I returned to it, I was eager to do so. It is not unlike an idiosyncratically crusty grandfather telling tales from his life after dinner; as much as one loves to listen to him every evening for an hour or two, one is not prepared to listen to him day in and day out, to the exclusion of everything else.

This novel is sui generis. It also is, in my experience, the greatest novel by a "single-work author." (It far surpasses John Kennedy Toole's "A Confederacy of Dunces.") But it should not be regarded solely as some sort of curiosity. It is a great work of literature, and it merits far wider recognition and a far wider readership.

This is a book for good readers only. And for good readers who enter the book at the right time when they are willing to invest the effort to get far enough into the story to care about it. There is much to complain about. It is a first person narrative written by a person who is not always likeable about other people who are not always likeable and who are often two dimensional. It is written in an idiosyncratic style that reflects both the education level and patois of the narrator. The setting is limited, obscure and unfamiliar to most readers. Somehow those very complaints gradually reverse themselves to become the strengths of the book. The author asks a lot from the reader because you have to plow through a lot of words and page after page until you become aware of the reversal. You become very interested in the narrator's life story, the vast cast of characters continues to increase with every page but they seem more human and not so irritating, the writing style becomes familiar and essential to the story as the narrator's personality and a reflection of the richness of the setting. This is a long book full of a long life story and many small stories. The small stories are some of the most memorable, particularly during the time of occupation. Some of the little stores are entertaining, like the two pigs and some are tragic, like the story of the young prisoner. I found myself more caught up in the little stories than in the larger tragedy of Raymond and Horace. My recommendation is to skip the introduction by John Fowles which is long and unnecessary and save your endurance to see if you can get far enough into the book to reach the point where you stop having to work at reading and want to pick it up. It is brilliant, even as it is astounding that a publisher read enough of it to make the decision to publish it.

The impact of this novel is materially diminished by its reliance on obsolete paradigms of the previous century. Science seeks to reanimate creatures of the past not with incantations, wall inscriptions and the usual mumbo gumbo of witchcraft and sorcery, but with the information storing capacity of DNA macromolecules and cellular implants. In Lovecraft's works, as in certain scriptural references, matter is endowed only with minimal capacities to create the inorganic realm - but living creatures need to have the influence of nonmaterial spiritual influences from BEYOND. Lovecraft hints at methods and materials used in the "experiments" he describes, but relies too heavily on "fancy" language to create atmosphere...a practice losing its impact after frequent repetition. This novel also develops much too slowly......the material would have fit more comfortably in a short story or a novelette. In addition, I think H. P. might have started writing a handbook for tour guides of Providence, R. I. and took a sudden turn on Route 2 in Cranston. The thought is amusing to this writer to consider the REAL Providence and its appeal - consisting until recent times - mainly of sidewalk art of prostrate bodies, being accosted by pan-handling bums, or rats scurrying about freely in daylight along the canal. In spite of these comments I would recommend this book. Read this volume and then go for a walk in the environs described therein ---watch out for "incomplete" rats......

If you want really classic Lovecraft at the top of his form, then this novel is it. It is a good, tight, driven read- except for the extensive prose tour of his beloved old Providence near the beginning. Yet, even this detailed introduction helps to weave an unmatched atmosphere that draws you deeply into Lovecraft's world. This is an ode to Providence, and to those unobtrusive and unlikely heroes that would keep it safe from cosmic evil.

Lovecraft carries us from colonial days to the "modern" 1920's in this tale. We are introduced to the hidden brotherhood of dark magicians and necromancers- those to seek to wield unnatural power from beyond the grave and beyond the stars. So much concentrated occult information, or rather enticing hints of such information, is packed into the narrative. Mystery within mystery unfolds. Yet, it is rather ordinary men that are called upon to confront this inconceivable evil, even though it threatens their very sanity.

Besides being an extremely well written tale of supernatural suspense it also serves as a teaching tale. There is madness out of time and a horror from beyond the spheres that threatens to entrap and destroy the unwary. Do not call up what ye lack the power to put down. Upon this depends more than can be put into words- all civilization, all natural law, perhaps the fate of the solar system and the universe. Perhaps even more than this- all because one fool opened a door and there was no one there with the knowledge to close it...

This is the type of story that you sit back and imerse yourself in the setting. With each new tid bit of information the horror of Joseph Curwen becomes clearer and clearer. The final chapter however sent chills down my spine, as Dr Willet searches through Curwen's undergroud, antedeluvian laboratory. The dank putrid odors, the slime green walls, and the horrific wailing from the darkness... the build up is phenominal, and the pay off will have you sleeping with your lights on!

Great read, you will go back to it again and again.

At 48,000 words, this is the longest tale that H.P. Lovecraft ever wrote. It is also his best.

This novel has both good plotting and an otherworldly atmosphere that pervades the book. The setting is 1920's New England where there was a revival in interest in the occult. However, the key to the tale is the 18th Century New England scene that Lovecraft had a lifetime interest in.

The character of Charles Dexter Ward was based on Lovecraft himself: a lonely intellectual who was an antiquarian who detested the Industrial Revolution. Ward's research into the occult leads to the reincarnation of one of his ancestors who in turn hatches a plot with both Ward and one of Ward's friends for a mass resurrection of the dead who would become mindless zombies dedicated to both the destruction of heavy industry in America as well as the forced expulsion, if not mass murder, of the Roman Catholic immigrants who Lovecraft detested so much from America.

The Case of Charles Dexter Ward is a fantasy/horror novel that tells you a lot about its author. H.P. Lovecraft was a self-styled aristocrat from a decadent Old Money family who bitterly hated the Roman Catholic Church and especially the Irish and Italian immigrants who by 1928, when this novel was first published, had already assumed a position of political power at the expense of the WASP elite that Lovecraft was a member of. Clearly, The Case of Charles Dexter Ward was reflective of Lovecraft's religious bigotry and his hateful tendencies towards certain ethnic and religious groups. It should come as no surprise that during the 1930's, Lovecraft frequently praised Adolf Hitler and the Nazis.

The Case of Charles Dexter Ward is a uniquely powerful and compelling work by a master of horror fantasy.

Charles Dexter Ward is a young man in Providence, RI who is fascinated by antiquities --- too fascinated, perhaps. He becomes obsessed with an ancestor, an alleged warlock named Joseph Curwen who escaped persecution in Salem over 200 years before and fled to Providence. A unusually long-lived ancestor, I might add.

If you aren't used to reading Lovecraft, or other writers of the same time period, the language and writing style might be a little tough at first, but it is well worth getting into. Lovecraft leaves a lot to the imagination of the reader --- a device that works quite well in this story.

This is one of my favorite novellas --- actually, one of my favorite stories, even. I first read when I was in high school, and I have re-read it every few years ever since. I re-read it again a couple of days ago and I still love it. This is Lovecraft at his best.

Many reviews have been written about this book, so you already know that it is a great read. I just wanted to add that this is one of those books that you keep and pick up again many years later and then loving share with your son or daughter on a boring rainy afternoon.

I haven't had time to read for fun since graduating from high school. Nor was I about to, until I was assigned to read LBM for a Lit class in college. I was only assigned to read a small section.

But damn if I couldn't put the book down once I reached that assigned point. Berger created an absorbing novel with many good points. The most obvious is the narrator, Jack Crabb. By the time I finished reading LBM, Crabb had got my sympathy whether he wanted it or not. His cynicism from being surrounded by people during the first thirty-four years of his life, yet never quite connected to them, seemed tangible at times. The ending is especially moving, when he literally becomes alone in the world.

I can't speak of the ending without mentioning another fine feature: the settings. Berger describes places in a vivid manner, which is all the more impressive when considering he likely did not visit all of those places before writing LBM. Some of my favorites include Crabb's sighting of the so-called millions of buffalo (probably an exaggeration but a nice image nonetheless) on the plains, the description of the Little Bighorn valley and, of course, the aforementioned final scene at the mountaintop.

Although my class read LBM because of its historical references to the American Indians, I must admit I was more drawn to the theme of alienation that Berger crafted.

The last thing of note is the epilogue. Says Ralph: "A pity that we will never get the account of his later years, which he led me to believe were no less remarkable than his first thirty-four" (439). Well, Berger did provide that account with The Return of Little Big Man (which I will find and read this summer). And, assuming he divided Crabb's life about even in both novels, that means some more years of Crabb's life remains untold. So hopefully a third novel featuring Jack will be made in the future.

(Just an aside if the author ever reads this: is that a typo on p.360? "I was thirty-six..." Yet on p.432 Crabb is "only thirty-four years of age." I'm aware that Crabb interjects future events to Ralph, like when he says he reads about Amelia's bigshot husband in the papers, but at the point where he says he's thirty-six, it seems like he's in the moment so to speak. Thus since his story is in sequential order, for the most part, the contradiction is obvious)

What a wonderful literary adventure is Little Big Man. This is a genuine American saga as told by a genuine historical novelist, Thomas Burger. While this is a work of fiction, Burger allows the reader the impression that it is a true story. The source of this story is one lovable, sagely old man, Jack Crabb. Crabb, interviewed by the author in his wheelchair in a nursing home, at age 111; delivers a recollection worthy of a raconteur of royal proportions. Each of Jack's adventures and misadventures, childhood through manhood, are told with uncanny wit and wisdom; in the unrefined nuances of a wise old geezer who has literally seen it all.

Jack's story begins at age 10 when heading west with his family in a wagon train. Jack's dad is fascinated with the Mormon faith's concept of multiple wives. So, it is for Salt Lake City they are headed. Furthermore, Dad believes, as do the Mormons, that American natives are a lost tribe of Israel and therefore speak Hebrew! When the wagon train is stopped by a band of Cheyenne, a failure to communicate of titanic proportions ensues, directly resulting in Jack and his sister being kidnapped by the Cheyenne. Thus begins Jack's life as a Cheyenne Indian, "Little Big Man". Six years later, during a losing battle with the 12th Calvary, Jack abandons the tribe, deciding it is better to be white than dead.

Jack specialized in the art and craft of coincidence. At age 17, he was taught the quick-draw by none other than Wild Bill Hickok. Later, he had the distinction of facing down Wyatt Earp, yelling, "Draw, you belch you". Jack called Wyatt "belch" because he said his name sounded like one.

At age 18, he joined the Calvary, serving under General Custer at the fateful battle of Little Big Horn. Owing to his acumen as an erstwhile redskin, Crabb was the only survivor.

Aside from the plethora of twists of fate and fancy, this heartwarming story is replete with trivial, yet fascinating facts of the lives of American Indians during the most tumultuous era of their history. These facts will paint the "redskins" for you, as for me, in a very sympathetic light.

The lives, loves and lore of Jack Crabb, Little Big Man; deserves a conspicuous place in every one's library of classic American literature.

I was pretty much hooked by the narrator's first words: "I'm a white man and never forget it" (followed by "but I was brought up by Cheyenne from the age of ten"). A few paragraphs later: "I never suspected it at the time, being just a young boy, but I realize now that my Pa was a lunatic," and I was a complete goner.

Little Big Man is an extremely humorous novel of the American west, wonderfully narrated in a breezy, informal style, peppered with humorous colloquialisms and directness, reminiscent of Huckleberry Finn, by the 111 year old Jack Crabb, a (so he claims) surviver (and the sole survivor) of Custer's last stand.

But it's also touching and heartbreaking at times, and with tension as he rides with Custer to the Little Big Horn.

As Crabb recounts his life, moving between the white man's world and that of the Indians, stopping at many stations along the way in the kaleidescopic West, we are often given a detailed pictured of what various aspects of life were like back then. From what it's like eating dog in the tepee to Hickcock's advice on gunfighting, to the traveling snake oil salesman and his occupational risks.

In this way also it's much like the Last of the Mohicans, giving an inside view, hopefully a researched, accurate one, of the frontier to those of us safely and comfortably ensconced at home in greater civilization.

Definitely high in the echelon of American novels I've read.

I got this book as an Easter present from my parents when I was [...], back in the late 1970's, so the book was at least 15 years old then. I think I had not long before seen the film with Dustin Hoffman. I'd always had a fascination with American Indians as they were known then and at that time was just about beginning to read/ see more than what I had been exposed to through John Wayne style westerns - about the same time one of my uncles bought me 'Bury My Heart at Wounded Knee'.

The book is - as usual- far more broader in its scope than the film, although the film is excellent too. It begins with an amateur researcher tracking down a survivor of the Battle of the Little Big Horn. The 111 year old survivor begins the story in 1852 when as a ten year old boy he (Jack Crabb)and his elder sister end up living with a small group of Cheyenne who have killed his father and the other men on their wagon train during a drunken mistake. The elder sister runs away the first night leaving the young Jack with in his own words "newly joined a pack of barbarians".

The book takes the reader through Jacks life up to the age of 34 in 1876 when indeed he survives the Battle of the Little Big Horn (Custers Last Stand) - saved by a complex relationship to a Cheyenne playmate from his youth. Throughout the intervening years between 1852 and 1876 Jack oscillates between living with the Cheyenne and frontier society. Often feeling fundamentally 'white' when among the Cheyenne, and feeling fundamentally 'Cheyenne' when among the whites.

The book is laced with great humour, great characterisations (Caroline Crabb, Old Lodge Skins, Little Horse, Younger Bear, Lavender, Reverend Pendrake, Sunshine, Allardyce. T. Meriweather and Botts for example) and moments of pure reflections upon the great and most mundane things all of us encounter within our lives. I especially liked the fact that the whole book is written in the vernacular of the American frontier. That and the historical accuracy of the book are testament to the research Thomas Berger put into the work.

Read it and hopefully you'll love it as much as I did.

I was really rooting for Ruby. I did appreciate how the author connected all the dots through the many layers of Ruby story. I think this is an excellent example of domestic abuse & mental illness and how it effects everyone in the family. I really felt bad for the characters which to me shows what an excellent job Leyung Ryan did.

This is truly one of my favorite novels! This magnificent work hit home for me, I grew up with a Chinese mother in the Midwest, and felt deeply connected to the same issues of absorbing Chinese and American cultures - and finding my own identity in the middle of it. I remember so many of the traditional values of being a Chinese woman, having to be a dutiful daughter, and always putting myself last, and "Love Made of Heart" goes deep into the heart of these ideas. Ruby's growth often reminds me of my own realizations and obstacles of overcoming the past.

I highly recommend this book, it truly appeals to anyone, whether you're Chinese, a woman, or just anyone facing those past histories we often try to leave behind. We all have a journey of life, which often leads to reconciling with the things that have made us who we truly are.

LeYung's Book is excellent. I read it in two sittings. Dinner could wait. I had to find out what would happen to Ruby Lin. LeYung Ryan uses her novel to advocate compassion for mental illness and to help survivors of family violence find their own voices. I could relate on many levels to her book. I am Caucasian, way older than Ruby Lin, my family was not violent nor experienced mental illnesses and yet, LeYung's writing is so evocative, so much from the heart. . . she reaches deep and succeeds with her genuine and authentic voice. As I think about this book I read a year ago, I realize I want to read it again. Yes, it's that good.

Ruby Lin's dilemma, though specific to the individual mother-daughter issues she faces of how to support and love her mother who is plagued with mental illness, is universal to all mothers and daughters. How does one break away without breaking the love between them?

I recommend this book to everyone and especially to women who could use a good role model in finding their own personal power to stand up to men who exploit them, abuse them, cast blame or guilt or withhold their love.

Ruby Lin, in her quest to become an American Girl, learns powerful advice and strategies from the black and white American movies she watches as a child. When she steps into her own power goosebumps race.

The moments of love and surrender, and pain and abuse cause laughter and tears.

Above all this book has great heart.

Love Made From Heart made me laugh, made me think, made me cry. Author Teresa Leyung Ryan takes the reader to a vulnerable place, where she uncovers the tear in a young girl's heart. From there, she shows how to grow from a tragic experience, how to become strong, how to heal. The reader not only comes away with a better understanding of the Chinese culture, the reader comes away with a better understanding of self, and of love. I highly recommend this book to anyone who comes from a dysfunctional family.

I loved the movie/book The Notebook by Nicholas Sparks and the movie Titanic. There is just something about class differences and forbidden romance that holds unmistakable appeal for me. This book deals with this controversy and so much more.

Lorna Barnett was the 18 year-old daughter of a wealthy commodore. Jens Harken was the kitchen help. These two people's lives intersect when Lorna's father looses a boating race and will do anything to win the next one. Jens is from Norway and comes from a long line of boat builders. He convinces Lorna's father to let him build a boat that he says will be the fastest in the water. This leads to a friendship between Lorna and Jens that turns out to be so much more.

Lorna was very likable. She wasn't self-centered or uppity. She was honest, forthright, and assertive. Jens was also likable, hardworking, and was a man of integrity.

This book had some very tragic moments...I was moved to tears several times. At one point I thought these star-crossed lovers would never get their HEA.

My only complaint with this book is that it was a bit "slow to go". I'm not much of a "boating" person....so all the descriptions of the boat and building process got tedious for me. I did appreciate the slow couple development. These two are friends first and Spencer takes her time bringing them to the next level of lovers.

All in all, a memorable read.

When I started out reading this book, I was very skeptical, and I did not want to read something, that was set in the 1800's. I was pleasantly surprised though, because of what I learned about those times. I loved the characters and thought that they just fit together, especially Lorna and Jens. The book was romantic, but definitely had tragic and horrible moments, as well. This was a great novel, with an expected ending, but I really did enjoy this book a lot.

and this book proves she is at the top! I enjoyed this book even though it was a tear jerker.

Levyrle Spencer can just make you feel what her characters are feeling so effortlessly that you laugh and cry with them and almost forget that they are not real.
Lorna and Jens are one of her most real characters and their situation is also so real. The way they are helpless against their attraction to each other even after knowing it would be disastrous was so beautifully written that you could feel the sexual tension yourself whenever they were together.
Lorna was a rich girl but not spoilt at all. And Jens was poor but too ambitious and proud to become one of the servents in house for Lorna. Their attraction, like it always happens in Levyrle Spencer's romances, grew with each of their meetings to an extent that it was almost unbearable for me(and i suppose all the readers). It became something too strong and inevitable to ignore anymore. I especially liked the scene when Lorna asked Jens if he was ever going to kiss her, "I have considered ordering you to, but it didn't work before." How sweet!
People like Lorna's parents could make something so beautiful and rare into something cheap and dirty. Her mother was so convincing that she made Lorna question her own feelings. Her mother used her shame and guilt as a weapon against her love for Jens and made her give up hope. Jens was angry with her for giving up and i don't blame him.
The ending was Great! It warmed my heart to see Lorna stand up for her love and her child without any shame or guilt.
This is one of those books that you have got to read again and i definately will.

I LOVED this book!!! It is the love story of Lorna, a rich girl (though not spoiled at all), living in the high society of Minnesota in the late 1800s, and Jens, the kitchen handyman, hired by her father to build him the fastest boat possible. The characters come to life in this book - LaVyrle Spencer at her best, so very well written that you can feel their pain, etc. Heartwrenching and very romantic. Reminds me of "Titanic" with the whole upper class/lower class theme. I can't say enough about this book. I just couldn't put it down, it is really that good!!! It is definitely one of my favorites and I recommend it to everyone!!!

Normally the suspense books are not what I read. I'm so glad I read this book. I couldn't put it down! This book should be read before Sugar & Spice although it was published second. I love how the chapters are short, this gives me time to sneak in reading when I find time! The story grabs you at the beginnning and leaves you begging for more. I can't wait to see the 3rd installment of Mrs. Phoenix Perry! I would rate this book about a 4 1/2 but that option is not there.

It was a page turner for me. It was a different book for me all the martial arts stuff, but I ended up liking it. Worth reading definitely.

I read this book in just a short while and I have to say I was very impressed at the author. This is my first novel by Mr. Johnson and it won't be my last. This book was written with great finesse. The plot and the chracters were a pager turner from beginning to end. He was to the point and never left you feeling like "Can he please get on with the story". I give Mr. Johnson Cudos for this novel. I'm on line now looking for more from this author. Read the book and you won't be dissapointed.

I have to give praises to Keith Lee Johnson for this original story. This book puts you on the edge, just like any good movie would; I could not wait for the ending. The suspense was there and surprises as well. A well written novel and a lot of imagination went into this story. I do not want to give away any details, just pick up the book. You will not be disappointed. This is the fifth novel I have read by this author and I would have to say this is the best one. I gave this novel the rating because it deserves it. I read approxiately 25-30 books a year of all genres and I do not give a 5 star rating easily. I just started giving reviews because they are really helpful in making a book selection you will enjoy. I always read reviews before I purchase a book. If you one of my favorite authors though, I will pick it up and judge the book myself. Mr. Johnson, if you are reading this one please look into a screenplay, you have a lot fans backing you on this one. Keep up the good work.

This book caught me by surprise and I found it to be very entertaining. I have now read all seven of this author's book and have yet to be dissapointed. I can't wait for book eight, Hell Has No Fury. I'm looking forward to the return of FBI Agent, Phoenix Perry.

If there was a way I could rate this book higher than 5, I definately would.

If you are a fan of incrediblely well written action, Christian themes, powerful topics, well-researched fighting techniques, and an all around good story... this is for you. Even if you dont' like action, you should get this.

One of the many reasons this book is so incredibly awesome is because on one character. Gage. He is the best of the best. The author researched every type of fighting to make this character. All the way from more-than-advanced knife techniques, to war tactics.

To state it simply: Get this book.

James Byron Huggins' thrillers are catered for the manly man. They are routinely explosive, tautly-paced, and laced with a supernatural element. The Reckoning lives up to his standards and, even though initially confusing, is a bonafide page-turner. His protagonist, Gage, is patentedly a superlative killing machine yet is spiritually conflicted. Even though The Reckoning is touted as a "Christian" thriller, it doesn't really get that preachy, which I appreciated.

Jonathan Gage is a man at odds with himself and with his murky past as a proficient, highly trained Delta Force operative. He's trying to change his ways, but it's proving to be a daunting task, as he is tasked by his friend Simon, a dying priest, to safeguard an ancient manuscript which foretells the advent and identity of the Anti-Christ. Shadowy forces stand in Gage's way, forces focused on bringing about the downfall of mankind. Gage, weary of violence but having no other recourse, must now muster all his old training and once again resume the ways of the killer. Because, ultimately, it falls on him and a few allies to keep darkness at bay and safeguard the future of humanity.

If that plot summary sounded overly dramatic, well, that's the vibe I got off reading The Reckoning. This book is one of James Byron Huggins's earlier works (published in 1994), and it shows. I found it initially hard to get into, which actually surprised me because I generally find his novels (Sorcerer, Cain, Hunter, Nightbringer) to be vastly entertaining stuff. But, in the Reckoning, I was thrown for a loop with the disconcertingly abrupt start, which throws the reader smack dab in the thick of the action. It left me with a lost feeling - as if I'd missed out on some key events which had gone on before page one. However, once I pressed on, the story rapidly became more involving and, in the end, proved to be an intense, adrenalin rush of a thriller. It is action-packed (believe me, brother!) to the max. The pace is hectic, as the protagonists seem to be assaulted or on the assault every few pages or so. The Reckoning is also colored with a supernatural Doomsday element. Anytime the Anti-Christ figures into the plot, you gotta think the stakes are raised just a tad more.

Gage is so daunting and self-sufficient a character that it's sometimes hard to empathize with him. Whenever he's in action, he simply becomes a killing automaton. It's a good thing Huggins infuses his hero with a conflicted persona, said conflict arising from his newly awakened moral compass, which goes at odds with his military-instilled, tightly honed instincts for mayhem. Also a good idea of Huggins is the introduction of a nemesis, Sato, who seems to be even more of a bad mo-fo than Gage. Their first encounter doesn't go well for our hero. But it does serve to humanize him more.

After Gage, the book has another intriguing character: the grizzled Nathaniel Kertzman, a civilian investigator assigned by Washington with unearthing a covert military faction steeped in illegal activities, of which investigation Gage is the prime suspect. Kertzman is uncompromising and honest to a fault, yet is comfortable with the greasy machinations and the double- and cross-dealings of Washington's upper-level power brokers. A fun character.

Then you have the baddies. There is a chain of command to these villains, with each elevated position of power seemingly providing a more callous and corrupt villain. The main Machiavellian mastermind is snaky cold and without scruples, while the deadly warrior Sato lives for the perfect kill.

At 473 pages, The Reckoning is a thick read. However, once you get into it, those pages'll fly by. I personally couldn't wait for Gage and Sato's final "dance." Huggins's research really shows thru as he ably engrosses the reader with a revealing depiction of the life and ways of an elite commando. Three and a half testosterone-filled stars.

Huggins does a masterful job of combining Christian truth with modern warfare. The hero realizes that in order to defeat evil, sometimes you must take up a "sword" and fight. I would highly recommend it.

This is probably my all-time favorite Christian novel. Huggins, who is now retired from law enforcement, is also an award-winning journalist. This is the story of a man who sought redemption and tried to leave his old life behind. This book is action-packed, gripping and spellbinding. It will pierce you to your very soul.

Gage, our hero, is an exile in his own land, abandoned on a military mission by his own country. He is rescued by a priest and an archeologist, who smuggle him back into the states and who helps him see a different way of life. Then a secret society kills the priest and Gage must take up the guns that he had forsworn, to protect those most dear and near to him.

Can Gage come out of retirement and take on some of the best assassins in the world? Can he save his friends? Can he stop a great evil from taking place? You will have to read The Reckoning to find out.

This is probably my all-time favorite Christian novel. Huggins, who is now retired from law enforcement, is also an award-winning journalist. This is the story of a man who sought redemption and tried to leave his old life behind. This book is action-packed, gripping and spellbinding. It will pierce you to your very soul.

Gage, our hero, is an exile in his own land, abandoned on a military mission by his own country. He is rescued by a priest and an archeologist, who smuggle him back into the states and who helps him see a different way of life. Then a secret society kills the priest and Gage must take up the guns that he had forsworn, to protect those most dear and near to him.

Can Gage come out of retirement and take on some of the best assassins in the world? Can he save his friends? Can he stop a great evil from taking place? You will have to read The Reckoning to find out.

Kokoris does something unusual with this book: he captures the core of people that you probably know (at a minimum, their personalities will be familiar), and shows them in a sweet, compelling story. The boy's-eye view works to a T. The Dad is a delightful introvert, neither simple nor heroic . . . . the result is a novel that will win you over.

This book was very well written and captured my interest from the beginning. It was interesing to see how people make a decision and the ramifications just continue on through the years.

"The Rich Part of Life" depicts the good, the bad and the ugly that befalls the Pappas family after winning the lottery for $190mm. Theo, the family patriarch hits it big playing his deceased wife's lottery numbers. Upon revealing that he is the holder of the winning ticket, Theo is bombarded by request for financial assistance from strangers, neighbors and family. Socially introverted and emotionally reclusive, Theo is faced with the challenge of managing the celebrity of his new found wealth in the midst of the resurrection of a long forgotten adversary whose demands of Theo threatens to destroy the Pappas family.

"The Rich Part of Life" is filled with genuinely likeable and detestable characters portrayed in clean, crisp language that uniquely sets them apart. The only character disappointment for this reader was the unimaginative portrayal, usage really, of the Maurice character. Although I never discounted his importance to the novel, I wanted to know more about him than was broadly revealed by the author. Ultimately, the novel is successful in its exploration of the dynamics of chance. What are the odds of winning the lotto? What wonderful or dreadful situations await us when the stars are perfectly aligned or the comets collide? What's likelihood of a middle aged recluse starting a family with a young dancer? This is an excellent debut novel that reconfirmed for me that it's not money, but people that's at the root of all evil. Enjoy!

You will laugh, you will cry...but you will not put it down... A great read...can't wait for the movie Jim K.

I'm a little late getting to read this wonderful book, published in 2001, but am oh so glad I found it on the shelves.

What a delightful read, couldn't put it down. When you laugh out loud and also shed a few tears you know you found the perfect book.

Good Job, Jim KoKoris...keep 'em coming.

Penny Burke
Mt Laurel, NJ