Bright Arrow Burning by Isabo Kelly

Bright Arrow Burning. Isabo Kelly. Samhain Publishing, , Ltd. October 24, 2011. eBook. 82 pages. ISBN #: 9781609285340.

It's been many years since this reviewer read an Isabo Kelly story - my word, what a difference! Here we have two main and some minor characters, the former two very strong-willed, focused individuals. Layla Brightarrow lives in a world invaded by a species called Sorcerers who know how to use pain and joy to transform humans into their own kind. They have a destructive goal and are well on the way to accomplishing it!

However, they have a very different power over the elven kingdom (no spoilers here), one which the reader could not guess in a lifetime. All this is finally shared by one of the elves, Ulric of Glengowyn, who is passionate about Layla but has a hard time convincing her he is not an enemy. One of his family members just might complicate the situation for Ulric, but he's a brainy and brawny guy who might be able to handle any adversity that comes his way.

What Layla and Ulric come to acknowledge is that their fierce, steamy attraction and union is irresistible and ultimately so very, very satisfying - more than that!

Yes, this is hot, steamy romance - hotter than most romance fiction depictions for sure! The brevity is powerful in the immediate focus on the need to save Layla's country from traitors, but so is the flame that gets lit early in the lives of Layla and Ulric!

Lovers of the romance genre, you won't forget this power-packed story for quite some time! Nicely done, Isabo Kelly!

But This is Different by Mary Walker Baron

But This is Different. Mary Walker Baron. Steel Cut Press. January 2011. 279 pages. ISBN #: 9781936380008.

Imagine waiting forty years on an isolated Pacific island, waiting for a special someone to fulfill her part of an agreement made so long ago it's almost beyond memory. Such is the life Mere, our main character, is living. It's an existence filled with constant pain and mourning that hasn't lessened with the years. Mere's only comforts are an old, crippled man and watchful woman who cherish Mere as the "Star of the Sea" of this New Guinea island! Others serve Mere and gladly run at her beck and call as if she were the treasure she is perceived to be! The woman who brought her here is revered as a goddess, even in her strange mournful absence!

Every year a mysterious box of gifts arrives on the last day of the year. It's a ritual celebrated on Mere's island almost as a religious rite but one that increases the mystical point of view of the islanders who have guarded Mere's pact for secrecy all these years. They teach her that the highest appreciation of life is to simply and lovingly "be!"

But that other woman now sends a letter in which she states she is dying and wishes Mere to return to New York to be with her beloved in her last days. Here is the journey of an older, dedicated friend who is not always mentally fit but endears all whom she meets on the journey. Inadvertently, she will wind up living as a homeless person who is briefly committed to a mental institution before ending up with her former lover.

But This Is Different is a literate, uniquely crafted novel that is absolutely mesmerizing. Secrets abound and aren't quickly revealed until the reader absorbs the complete personality of the main character which is intellectual, spiritual, and most of all deeply and lovingly emotional. Inner pain is an aching world unto itself. Committment and promises carry a depth far beyond the original words spoken and literally change one's world! The revelation of these two characters is quite stunning!

What else can one say about this beautiful, exquisite novel? Buy it, read it, and love it as much as this reviewer is sure you will! Absolutely outstanding!!!

The Hunter by John Lescroart

The Hunter. John Lescroart. Penguin Group (USA). January 2012. 400 pages. ISBN #: 9780525952565.

Wyatt Hunt is a private investigator who suddenly receives an enigmatic text: "How did your mother die?" Up to now, Wyatt knows he was adopted but has no idea who his parents were, let alone that his mother died by some mysterious event. So begins a journey of discovery, anxiety and trauma beyond one's wildest imaginations, with connections to the infamous Jim Jones, the cultist leader responsible for the deaths of thousands back in the late 20th century.

Wyatt has a bunch of great people working for him, all of whom want to be part of figuring out how Wyatt's mother died, a hunt that will turn even more desperate after one of their own group is murdered while investigating what at first seems a very vague clue. In the process, Wyatt will be seeking who is the unrevealed texter and wanting to know why someone higher up in the Police Department has ordered him to stop fishing around in police business, even though this case has been cold for forty years.

What's Wyatt to do about a letter supposedly written by his real father, a message which declares his own innocence in the demise of his wife? Little by little, the people Wyatt and his staff are interviewing remember a little more and a little more, just enough each time to make the story even more complex and more traumatic for Wyatt. One of the hallmarks of this novel is the authenticity by which Wyatt, normally a very together, orderly guy, suffers increasing mental, emotional, and physical distress and illness. However, a relationship with a significant other improves, even through the test of dire stress to which Wyatt succumbs at one point in the story. A lifetime of coping with the unknown surfaces with horrific effects that it seems may or may not be healed with a solution to the multiple questions reached at many near dead-end points.

The Hunter is a taut, thrilling, complex and fascinating mystery about origins, cold case crime, and relationships gone awry because of hidden motives and secrets! Well done, John Lescroart!

The Book of Lost Fragrances by M. J. Rose

The Book of Lost Fragrances. M. J. Rose. Atria Books. March 2012. 384 pages. ISBN #: 9781451621303.

Rob and Jac L'Etoile are brother and sister inheritors of the famous House of L'Etoile perfume manufacturers and sellers. But their interest lies far beyond just selling appealing perfumes and colognes. For the family has many secrets, all going back centuries when it was believed that a perfume existed that could lead one into past life regression. This, however, is not always such an appealing experience, as Jac experiences, one she and others believe is a touch of psychotic episodes that are seen as an illness and not a special talent.

For that reason, Jac has turned to the world of mythology, producing credible and magical stories for television audiences and Robby, a dedicated Buddhist, has returned to his great love of the spiritual world. The House of Etoile, however, is in dire financial condition, and Robby's involvement with some discovered pottery shards filled with a strange scent and hieroglyphic writings plunges the reader into a thriller plot laced with the Dalai Llama, the Mafia, governments, and others greedy for control of the mind.

No spoilers here; there is so much more in this thriller story that will rivet the reader's attention. Sometimes there's a bit of excessive repetition but just when one thinks that, a startling turn of events makes the reader amazed and unwilling to put the book (or e-book) down. There is some factual truth behind this story which is even more intriguing!

M. J. Rose has written a terrific adventure/thriller/mystery account that in many ways is also excellent historical fiction! Well done, indeed, M. J. Rose!!!

Perfume - The Story of a Murderer by Patrick Suskind

Perfume - The Story of a Murderer. Patrick Suskind. Vintage Press. February 2001. 255 pages. ISBN #: 9780671749606.

Jean-Baptiste Grenouille is born in late 19th Century France to parents who is rejected by his parents and all who would otherwise want a little baby to nourish and cherish. The few who do encounter him as a baby note that he smells "evil," like an abomination, whatever that means; it turns out he literally has no smell to him, unlike other sweet babies. But Grenouille survives the rejection of a woman, priest and others to discover that his total way of appreciating the world is through the unique sense of smell that HE has. For he can recognize any object or person by smell, and this is what feeds his soul and sets his identity - that is until the day he encounters a wholly new intoxicating smell. What he will do upon reaching the source of that lovely odor will shock the reader to the core of his or her mind and heart!

Grenouille is now a changed man and seeks to create perfumes that will entrance other as he has been enraptured. But how he will do it is both mesmerizing and shocking, again and again. For creating the perfect perfume makes him even more of a misogynist than previously and his hate will lead to numerous victims as he seeks to rid the world of malodorous men, women, and children.

This is not your average horror or serial killer story. For the author depicts this psychotic individual with such neutrality and writes in such a literate style that the reader is compelled to keep rapidly turning the pages until the last shocking event! The story also gives a nice historical touch to the story, depicting the poverty, wealth, degradation and depravity of the times in a France that may be post-Revolution but is none the better for the overwhelming changes.

One word only perfectly describes this novel - amazing!

The Other Guy's Bride by Connie Brockway

The Other Guy's Bride. Connie Brockway. Published by Montlake Romance. December 2011. 386 pages. ISBN #: 9781612181448.

Ginesse Braxton is trouble waiting to happen! She's an intelligent girl, curious about everything, and mocked by all because her adventurous spirit has led her into several broken bones, some temper-filled conversations, and even the destruction of a very valuable ancient papyrus document. Now she's on her way to Egypt to find the lost city of Zerzura, but what she will do on her own there defies the imagination since this is 1897 when women are not expected to "do" but to "be" for their male partners/husbands. Trust Ginesse to come up with a very clever idea, to take the place of Ms. Whimpelhall, who is traveling to meet and wed her fiance, a British officer. Ms. Whimpelhall is quite seasick and says she cannot abide another trip at sea, so she asks Ginesse to take a letter to her fiance stating that she will make the rest of the journey by train. Everything seems to be falling into place so very nicely for Ginesse, that is until she actually arrives in Egypt and meets the man who will be accompanying her across the formidable Sahara desert.

Jim Owen is not whom he seems. Ginesse thinks he is the proverbial cowboy and a rather smelly, rude, and crude one at that. Yet despite their constant clashes, they are drawn to each other, which stands them both in good stead as both are avoiding people they know. If they were to meet these significant other people, disaster would strike for sure, wouldn't it? Or perhaps the two of them together are enough to invite troubles galore! Yes, these troubles are both hilarious, annoying, and very dangerous.

In the process of their travels, Ginesse and Jim get to know each other - that is, in their false identities. But little by little, revelations will unfold, and love will blossom but not until they both have to surmount more secrets and revelations that only the exotic Egyptian past can reveal to those who seek without fear. Jim is quite an unusual and special guy when all is said and done! Passion galore will flow and end in a lovely but surprising end for this stormy, feisty couple!

Nicely plotted story, Ms. Brockway - there's enough complexity and turns of the story to keep any reader avidly turning the pages. Fine romantic fiction!

Amongst My Enemies by William F. Brown

Amongst My Enemies. William F. Brown. Publisher - William F. Brown as E-Book. 348 Pages. ISBN #: 9781617506710.

Mike Randall is an American pilot shot down during World War II over Northern Germany, treated mercilessly as a German POW to do labor in conditions where one wondered whether one would freeze or starve to death first. While there, his buddy is dying and Mike makes a choice that will haunt him for the rest of his days. As if that were not enough, he is taken on a job and stows away on a ship carrying valuables stolen by the Germans from the captured and murdered Jews. A German officer allows Mike to go free but what follows literally minutes after he is placed in a boat to go ashore is a burden that causes Mike to have a physical and mental breakdown! War is indeed hell for Mike Randall!

After being cared for by a kind Swedish family, Mike years later sees a news story that he knows he must follow-up on - the identification of a German officer who is not who he says he is. Not to spoil the story, a journey begins in New York and continues in Germany that involves an American detective, former German military who are hidden but ever-plotting, Russians who are looking to guarantee the spread of Communism, and numerous other sharks who will maim and kill just like all the others to guarantee their own wealth and power.

No, this is not just another war story! William Brown takes the reader to the heights and dregs of the human condition, giving glimpses to the motives and relationships that are ruled by head and heart, sometimes but not always balanced or whole. On the other hand, there are many characters who understand what Mike has endured and why he must bring some type of closure to the past and perhaps redeem the ghosts that haunt him on a daily basis. He surprisingly is drawn into a relationship with a spunky female whom he fears because of his secret that she doesn't know, but even there the author credibly leads them into a compassionate and passionate place.

This is a story that speeds along like a Ken Follett or Eric Ludlum novel of old. For those who love adventure, thrills, and mystery with a tinge of romance, this novel will leave you breathless and wanting more from this skillful writer. Splendidly written!