Audible Book Review: After the Galaxy: The Unsung by Scott Bartlett

This is a mix up of sci fi ideas - with some strange twists.

After the Galaxy: The Unsung
By: Scott Bartlett
Narrated by: Mark Boyett

Length: 11 hrs and 39 mins
Release date: 03-27-19
Publisher: Mirth Publishing
Genre: Military Science Fiction, Science Fiction, Space Opera
My Rating: 4.0 of 5.0 Overall; Story 3.75; Narration 4.5.

Publisher's Summary
The galaxy’s not big enough....
Commander Joe Pikeman has his share of demons. But after a long deployment, he just wants to enjoy some home leave with his daughter.
The galaxy has other plans.
His last assignment takes him to Earth, humanity’s deserted homeworld. There, he finds Earth’s last settlement littered with the bodies of the people who lived there.
As he hunts down those responsible, he runs head-first into some galaxy-shaking questions.
Why did humanity really abandon the galaxy for a computer simulation?
Who would want to start killing off the last real humans left?
There’s one thing Joe knows for sure. If they’re going after his neighbors...his family...his daughter....
They’ll need to go through him first.
If you like action-packed, run-and-gun military science fiction, you’ll love After the Galaxy. Fans of Firefly will also love After the Galaxy. Download this military space opera now and jump into the action.
©2018 Scott Bartlett (P)2019 Mirth Publishing

Review:
Commander Joe Pikeman lives and works in a world where many people have moved themselves from the real world to a digital, simulation life known as the Subverse. Joe is a Guardsman known by others, especially the pirates, as “The Butcher”. He has learned on an assignment to Earth that there are few real human settlements left and someone is trying to keep Joe from investigating the troubles of the Subverse.

Joe gets to take a break to visit his home and grab a quick visit with his 15 year old daughter, Harmony. Harmony’s mother checked out of life to live permanently in the Subverse. She feels abandoned by her father who is always deployed and won’t listen to her pleas for some opportunity beyond her meager settlement community. The visit with Harmony doesn’t go well for Joe and when he returns to his ship, he realizes how wrong the visit went.

Joe manages pretty much alone on his ship with only his Cybernetic D1C, an AI companion he calls “Dice”. Dice does give good support and saves Joe’s life several times but the two verbally abuse each other in a very unpleasant fashion. Joe has also adopted a feral dog he named Maneater due to the circumstances in which he found the dog. When Joe does need crew on the ship, he activates four members who are stashed in the Subverse waiting to be activated.

Joe is a mixed character who I liked most of the time except I didn’t like his rude, bigoted attitude toward the AI… not that the AI was much better. Harmony adds an additional thread and good element and even the dog adds to the story. The world building is fascinating, and I enjoyed the extensive action, the intrigue and the suspense. Unfortunately, about three quarters into the story, things go very weird. But the action still runs high and all in all is entertaining. Although Joe succeeds in defeating (or destroying) the immediate plan for human destruction, the main villain escapes…letting the story continue in the next book. I’m not planning to rush off to get it, but I would recommend this first book to hard core fans of science fiction and space opera.

Audio Notes: Mark Boyett is a skilled narrator and he does a great job with this. He gives the characters appropriate voices, conveying their quirks and energy. I am glad that I had this in audio.

Source: 9/21/2019 Audible Daily Deal $3.95. This qualifies for 2021TBR, 2021Audiobook goal and 2021Alphabet Audio Goals.

Book Review: Low Tide (The Forgotten Coast Florida Suspense Series Book 1) by Dawn Lee McKenna

This is a real to life mystery with a strong female protagonist.
Low Tide (The Forgotten Coast Florida Suspense Series Book 1)
by Dawn Lee McKenna

ASIN : B00Z2BXCXE
Publisher : The Sweet Tea Press (June 5, 2015)
Publication date : June 5, 2015
Print length : 191 pages
Genre: Mystery, Small Town, Suspense, Thriller
My Rating: 4.0 of 5.0.

In Apalachicola, Florida, sinister things are afoot, as sinister things tend to be.
Lt. Maggie Redmond is called to a crime scene on St. George Island, where she is met with the body of Gregory Boudreaux. The medical examiner calls it a suicide, but no one knows that Maggie has a horrible connection to the dead man.
When Gregory’s uncle, Bennett Boudreaux, the richest and scariest man in town, takes a sudden interest in Maggie, people start to wonder, Maggie included. Maggie knows he may suspect her of killing his nephew, but she finds herself slowly drawn to the man.
As Maggie fights to help a young girl escape the clutches of a volatile drug dealer who’d love to see Maggie dead, she also struggles to hide her dark link to a dead man, and her burgeoning relationship with her boss, Sheriff Wyatt Hamilton.
Unfortunately, secrets have a way of revealing themselves at low tide.

Review:
Maggie is a police Lieutenant called to the scene of a dead man on St. George Island. The dead man, who appears to have committed suicide, is Gregory Boudreaux, a local man related to a rich and powerful man in town. Maggie has known the deceased since school days, but no one knows the truth of their past association. One of the first people Maggie interviews is Gregory’s Uncle, Bennet Boudreaux. Bennet is a man in his sixties but still makes an impression, especially with his power and confidence in his ability to control the narrative around him.

Maggie runs into a small time criminal she has arrested in the past. This time she sees him with a wraith of a young girl who is holding an infant while shielding two toddlers. Maggie suspects the girl, Gracie, is being bullied and tells her to call on Maggie if there is trouble.

Meanwhile, Maggie has to juggle her personal life issues while doing her job. She is a single mother since divorcing her husband, due to his bad life choices. Maggie has found it hard to move on from her childhood sweetheart, but she is glad to often find support from her boss, town sheriff, Wyatt. Their relationship seems to be growing closer and they struggle to balance their attraction with their work situation.

Danger comes after Maggie when it appears someone wants her to not look to closely at Boudreaux’s death. She is also stirring up trouble from a different direction when Gracie turns informant and seeks her help.

The writing has a good, easy flow. The story is character driven with a nice mix of intrigue, suspense, danger and a touch of romance. The multiple real to life threads are interwoven with Maggie's involvement. The ending closes part of the threads but leaves one wide open for more police (and personal) adventure.

The setting is the Forgotten Coast of the Florida Panhandle, within a few hours of my hometown. The author shares wonderful local, small town color. I am reading this with others in my local Woman's Club, which is a great group of service intensive ladies. They plan to forge ahead with the next book in the series. I recommend this to fans of easy mystery set in a small beach town.

Source: Free Kindle 2017. This qualifies for 2021TBR and 2021eBook goals.

Martha's Bookshelf***Friday Pick Giveaway April 9, 2021

Happy Friday!

TO ENTER FRIDAY PICK.

US Entrants: Leave a comment and tell me WHICH BOOK you would like to get from the Friday Pick lists.

INTERNATIONAL: Leave a comment indicating "Gift Card" (see further comments near the end of the post.)

CUT OFF TIME IS THURSDAY NIGHTS AT 9:00 PM CENTRAL so I do not have to stay up too late to do the winner post! I will randomly pick two winners to announce Friday mornings with the next Pick post.

Thank you to all who entered the April 2, 2021 Pick. There was one automatic win last week. Automatic wins are those who requested the book four times without other people asking for that book during those weeks. There was no title blocked.
BN100 gets Castles in the Mist.

CONGRATULATIONS
to Random.org picked Winners from April 2, 2021 Pick:
ASHFA gets a GC

AND
FREDAMANS gets a GC

All winners please fill in the Winner's Acceptance Form or email me to confirm your win, send your snail mail address information and let me know if you would like bookmarks - sensual, sexy or sweet bookmarks. {The form is new because Google changed their forms and the old one wasn't letting me print out the responses.}

You might be surprised who likes a good book!
Image found at Gibson's Bookstore

New Book Groups #92 and #93 November 13, 2020.
#92 (15 books):

The Promise by TJ Bennett
A Most Unsuitable Man by Jo Beverley
Alaskan Renegade by Kate Bridges
Killing Floor by Lee Child
The Tender Stranger by Carolyn Davidson
Her Wedding Wish by Jillian Hart
Heart's Desire by Ruth Ryan Hagan
Snowflakes on the Sea by Linda Lael Miller
Murder in Plain Sight by Marta Perry
One Perfect Rose by Mary Jo Putney
The Deputy's Duty by Terri Reed
No Ordinary Man by Suzanne Simmons
The Scot by Lyn Stone
The Abducted Heiress by Claire Thornton
Summer by the Sea by Susan Wiggs

Box #93 (14 books)

Three Complete Novels by Sandra Brown (Best Kept Secrets, Mirror Image, and Slow Heat to Heaven)
Select Editions Four Novels: Safe Harbor, The Analyst, Fallen Angel and Open Season
Seducing Mr. Darcy by Gwyn Cready
There's Only Been You by Donna Marie Rogers (personally signed)
The Celtic Riddle by Lyn Hamilton
For the Love of Pete by Julia Harper
The Irish Bride by Alexa Harrington
The Best Man by Kristan Higgins
Castles in the Mist by Jose Litton
When We Met by Susan Mallery
Thief of Hearts by Teresa Medeiros
Anne of Green Gables by Montgomery
Familiar Stranger by Sharon Sala
All of Me by Lori Wilde

New Book Group #91 October 2, 2020 - Suspense themed

SINGLES: Ten books in this box:
Senseless by Mary Burton
Indefensible by Pamela Callow
Fight or Flight by Natalie J. Damschroder
Final Appeal by Joanne Fluke
The Shape Shifter by Tony Hillerman
The Sinister Pig by Tony Hillerman Audiobook

PICK TWO  your choice (listed below the picture) Nora Roberts:

Born in Fire Audiobook Cassettes
Montana Sky
A Little Magic (Sorry - I initially listed this as Dark Magic)
Valley of Silence
Inner Harbor and
Chesapeake Blue


New Book Group #90 June 19, 2020
Quite a few mysteries in this box.

SINGLES:
Siren's Song by Trish Albright (personally autographed)
Alias by Smy J. Fetzer
Angel Face by Suzanne Forster
Stalking the Puzzle Lady by Parnell Hall
Hot Sex by Janet Evanovich (Audio cassettes)
The Warrior by Frances Richey (poetry  hardcover)

New Book Group #89 March 6, 2020

Singles:
My Surrender by Connie Brockway
How to Tame a Modern Rogue by Diana Holoquist
Phoenix by A.J. Scudiere

New Book Group #88 November 8, 2019

Singles:
A Lady Never Tells by Candace Camp
Dawn of Redemption by Starla Childs

New Book Group #87 August 23, 2019

SINGLES:
Captain's Paradise by Kay Hooper
Open Season by Linda Howard AUDIO CASSETTES

New Book Group #86 June 7, 2019
Another group of variety from my shelves.

SINGLES:
Show No Fear by Marliss Melton
A Question of God's Balance (Vol 1) by Joseph Thek
King by Right of Blood and Might by Anna L. Walls

New Book Group #85 March 22, 2019
A variety from my shelves.

SINGLES:
Summer Skies by Judith Christenberry
Windfall (two stories) by JoAnn Ross
Daddy's Little Cowgirl (two stories) by Judith Bowen and Kimberly Raye
The Forever Year, Cold Pursuit, Lover's Lane and Temporary Sanity (Reader's Condensed)
ToxiCity by Libby Fischer Hillmann

New Book Group #84 December 15, 2018
Here are some Christmas titles to pick from.

SINGLES:
A Family for Thanksgiving
On this Holy Night
Christmas Haven
King Harold's Snow Job

New Book Group #83 November 30, 2018

(Starting bottom left and continuing up then down)
SINGLE
Seductive Secrets by Lynne Connolly
Seven Up by Janet Evanovich - Audio Cassettes
A Good Walk Spoiled by John Feinstein Audio Cassettes
Three Reader's Digest Condensed Books - each hardback:

Cold Harbour and The Courtship of Peggy McCoy
The Things We Do for Love, Three Weeks With My Brother, The Murder Artist and Night Train to Lisbon
Follow the Stars Home, Hunting Badger, The Quiet Game and Second Wind

New Book Group #82 November 9, 2018

SINGLES:
Magic Strikes by Ilona Andrews
Killing Time by Linda Howard
The Wedding Night by Barbara Dawson Smith

New Book Group #81 August 17, 2018

SINGLES
Best Laid Plans by Allison Brennan
Darkness Tell Us by Richard Laymon
Cooking Most Deadly by Joanne Pence

New Book Group #80 August 17, 2018

Note: The Final Judgment and
The Book of Fate are Audio Cassettes
SINGLES:
Summer’s Moon by Lacey Baker
The Final Judgment by Richard North PattersonAudio Cassettes
Firebird by Janice Graham
No Getting Over a Cowboy by Delores Fossen
The Book of Fate by Brad Meltzer Audio Cassettes

New Book Group #79 July 13, 2018
I found this box of books buried under some other boxes.

The Vanishing Act of Esme Lenox by Maggie O’Farrell
P.S. by Helen Schulman
Her Sexiest Surprise by Dawn Atkins (personally autographed)
Dakota Child by Linda Ford
Calling the Shots by Ellen Hartman
Promises, Promises by Amber Miller
This Time for Keeps by Jenna Mills
A Daughter’s Legacy by Virginia Smith
Another Man’s Baby by Kay Stockham

New Book Group #78 April 27, 2018

SINGLES
Blackberry Bush
Breaking Point
A Tangled Affair
Too Wicked to Love
Roses are Red Audio Cassettes

New Book Group #77 February 16, 2018- 

All gone

New Book Group #76 November 3, 2017
13 books remain of the original 37:

I finally Have them Listed!
Boots & Booties by Kristine Rolofson
Saucer the Conquest by Stephen Coonts
The Scorpion Seducer by Bonnie Vanak
Hell On Earth by David L. Porter
Riders of the Purple Sage by Zane Grey
The Glimpses of the Moon by Edith Wharton
Crisscross by Harmon Henkin
Maelstrom by Anne McCaffrey
Inhuman Condition by Clive Barker
101 Commonsense Rules for the Office by John R. Brinkerhoff

This shelf of 35 books are what is left from Groups #1 (11/27/09) through Group #75 September 29, 2017

(Title list reads left at bottom to right at top - 14 titles.)
Rehabilitation
Secret Blessing
Named of the Dragon
Aunt Erma's Cope Book
The Eye of the World by Robert Jordan
Bound by Destiny by Rayka Mennen

(Title list reads left at bottom to right at top - 21 titles.)
Plan of Attack by Dan Brown
(*Three One more very old books from my Gothics box.)
*The Man in the Garden by Paule Mason (1969 - yellowed)
Fire Dancer by Ann Maxwell
*Four One books are very old; pulled from a box of gothic novels I found.
*Maggie – Her Marriage by Taylor Caldwell (1953 very old, yellowed pages, some stain damage doesn't effect reading)
First Things First by Stephen R. Covey- Audio Cassette
Trilogy Of Mysteries Audio Book Shadow Prey, There Was A Little Girl, Smokescreen Audio Cassettes (NOT CDs)
Raintree Haunted by Linda Winstead Jones (spine creases)
The Shadowing by Joan Overfield
The Sweetheart Dance by Patti Ann Colt
BOX 4 2015 (reboxed from Boxes 47-53)
Undateable by Ellen Rakieten & Anne Coyle
Jezebel by Katherine Sutcliff
The Hidden Truth of Cytech's Randall Forty by Vickie Kennedy
Breakfast in Bed by Sandra Brown - Audio Cassette Tapes (link is for mass media version)
BOX 3 2015 (reboxed from Boxes 39- 47)
Shetland Summer by Janet Lynnford
BOX 2 2015 (reboxed from Boxes 24- 38)
The Trailsman: Texas Lead Slingers by Jon Sharpe
A Courtesans Guide to Getting Your Man by Susan Donovan and Celeste Bradley -- NOTE This book has dog bite damage; it is missing half back cover and the edges of pages in the back third of the book... it does not effect the text but I will understand if no one wants this one
An Honorable Man by Rosemary Rogers (spine creases)
The Willful Widow by Valerie King (spine wear)
Foundation (Foundation Novels) by Isaac Asimov
BOX #1 2015 (reboxed from Boxes 1- 23)
Ghost Writer (Shivers #3) by M.D. Spenser
Alien Chronicles - The Crimson Claw by Deborah Chester

If you saw the pictures posted of my bookshelves and boxes you know I do have lots of books! And that doesn't include the other eight or so boxes at my office!! And more books as I find deals too good to pass up! I am sharing my book bounty by these Friday Pick Giveaways.

I started Friday Pick on November 27, 2009 and in almost TEN years I have posted 91 groups of 16 books plus an additional 21 totaling 1,477 books available to find new homes! (As of November 6, 2020).

I am happy to say that so far about 1,356+ books have found new homes through this feature! YAY. [A year or so ago I posted I had reached 2000 books given away. As I calculated the numbers 11/2/17 I realized that had to be an error. I realized I went from 1098 to 2001 instead of 1101. Guess I was tired; sorry for the error.] I have to update my print out to check the exact number sent out - a few were never claimed. I periodically update the lists - deleting those won. You can still go to the Friday Pick list link to see older posts and the older lists book pictures if you want!

Note rules here regarding international entries.

Because postage to overseas can be prohibitive I am willing to give a $5.00 book certificate to international winners - Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Borders, ARe, TWRP, ClassAct Books, eTreasures, Desert Breeze, etc....you tell me where and I'll set it up. So for my overseas visitors, your comment may indicate a smaller book and I'll check postage or note your choice of gift card.

I learned that The Book Depository does not ship to everywhere. The postage for some of the books to faraway places runs between $7.00 and $10.00 and up. Since I would award $5.00 for The Book Depository to an international winner, as an alternative you may choose a smaller book and we will hope the postage will not exceed $6.00. If the postage is more, or if you want to pick a larger book and you are willing to pay any extra postage beyond the $6.00 I will work with you on that. This may not make a difference to many but if it helps one or two of you to give one of my books a home that will make me happy too. :o)

Repeating this helpful blog tip: You can right click on a link and you will be given the choice to open the link in a new window or tab so you do not navigate away from the screen you are on!! I use this all the time!

Audible Book Review: The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe by C.S. Lewis

I enjoyed listening to this Christian Classic.

The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe
The Chronicles of Narnia
By: C.S. Lewis
Narrated by: Michael York

Length: 4 hrs and 21 mins
Release date: 12-26-04
Publisher: HarperAudio
Genre: Children, Christian, Classic
My Rating: 4.75 of 5.0 Overall; Story 4.75; Narration 4.5.

Publisher's Summary
Don't miss one of America's top 100 most-loved novels, selected by PBS's The Great American Read.
Four adventurous siblings - Peter, Susan, Edmund, and Lucy Pevensie - step through a wardrobe door an into the land of Narnia, a land frozen in eternal winter and enslaved by the power of the White Witch. But when almost all hope is lost, the return of the Great Lion, Aslan, signals a great change...and a great sacrifice.
The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe is the second book in C. S. Lewis' classic fantasy series, which has been drawing readers and listeners of all ages into a magical land with unforgettable characters for over 60 years. This is a stand-alone listen, but if you would like to explore more of the Narnian realm, follow up with The Horse and His Boy, the third book in The Chronicles of Narnia.
Don't miss any of the books in C.S. Lewis' classic Chronicles of Narnia series.
©1950, 1978 C.S. Lewis Pte. Ltd (P)2000 HarperCollins Publishers, Inc.

Review:
This Christian tale tells the story of four children, two son and two daughters of Adam. They have been sent away from wartime London to a home of an old professor. There they stumble upon a wardrobe that leads them into a strange land frozen in eternal winter. Lucy is the first to find this strange world where she made a friend of a half fawn.

The other children don’t believe her and especially Edmund makes fun of her. Then he goes out and learns that the world is real. Edmund runs into the White Witch and she shares an enchanted treat to befriend him.

It takes some time but in a few weeks all the children go through the wardrobe. They learn the land is called Narnia and that the land and inhabitants are under the spell of the wicked White Witch. The other siblings make friends with a beaver family but Edmund sneaks away to find the White Witch.

The Beaver family explains that there is a prophesy that four children of Adam will save the land of Narnia. The White Witch plans to stop them by freezing them like she has other enemies, by allowing her wolf guards to kill them or by any other means necessary to keep her control.

The children have no idea how they can save the land but then the Great Lion, Aslan returns and brings hope. His breath and touch release the good animals who have been frozen. Each child has a role to play but Aslan will have to make a great sacrifice to save the children and Narnia.

I read this when I was younger and have watched the movie. It is a classic tale of good versus even and interestingly, this listen gave me a new insight to the Christian allegory. I was fully engaged and enchanted. If you have never read this, I encourage you to. If you read it as a child, take the effort to re-read and enjoy the message!

Audio Notes: The narration by Michael York is delightful. The quality of the audio is a bit lacking as it sounds older and has some volume inconsistencies. Still, I enjoyed the ability to listen to this precious work.

Source: 11/3/18 Audible Daily Deal $1.95. This qualifies for 2021TBR, 2021Audiobook, and 2021Alphabet (Audio) goals.

#NetGalley Audio Book Review: Ever Winter by Peter Hackshaw

This is a suspenseful dystopian, revenge story with strong characters.
Ever Winter
By: Peter Hackshaw
Narrated by: Dan Stevens

Length: 9 hrs and 58 mins
Release date: 01-26-21
Publisher: Podium Audio
Genre: Adventure, Dystopian, Post-Apocalyptic, Science Fiction
My Rating: 4.5 of 5.0 Overall; Story 4.5; Narration 4.5.

Publisher's Summary
Narrated by award-winning actor Dan Stevens (Beauty and the Beast, FX’s Legion) Ever Winter is a vivid and eloquent story of loss, rehabilitation, and revenge set in a post-apocalyptic ice world.
Far from the savage remnants of humanity, Henry and his family have managed to survive the grip of desolate, perpetual winter on a vast tundra that was once an ocean teeming with life. When the family is discovered, their peaceful existence is shattered and their lives changed forever.
Henry’s siblings are kidnapped, leaving him alone in the ruins of their home. Broken, altered, and tormented by all that has befallen him, he is driven to wreak vengeance upon those who assume him dead...by any means necessary.
Fans of Cormac McCarthy’s The Road or Emily St. John Mandel’s Station Eleven will enjoy the raw, emotional pull of debut author Peter Hackshaw’s writing.
©2020 Peter Hackshaw (P)2021 Podium Audio

Review:
Henry is a teen raised with his younger sisters and brothers in a solitary family. His parents made a choice to go into the wilderness in the vast tundra, once an ocean, where they struggle to survive the perpetual winter. Henry’s father taught him to stay alive, scavenge, and provide food for the family. One day they found a recently dead body in the snow. They scavenged from the body as that is the way of the wild. This act led to another man showing up at their home while Henry and his father were out. They return to find the man charming the younger girls although their mother is cautious. Henry’s father sends the man on his way and warns the family that they need to relocate.

Henry, his sister Mary, and their father make a remarkable find of a supply ship frozen in the former ocean. Henry remains behind intent on opening a container. When he returns home, he finds the home on fire, his mother and infant son killed and his father dying. His siblings have been kidnapped and Henry swears to find and rescue them.

But what can a young boy do against a community led by brutal, evil men and women? His first attempt meets with failure and he is dragged out to the snow and left to die. Surprisingly, another young boy sneaks out to try to help. Then an android entity arrives to treat his injuries and bring him back to the ship to be nursed back to health. In the process, Henry is changed and trained to become a warrior who might be able to face the savage community where his sisters reside.

The story started just a bit slowly, but I was soon wrapped into Henry’s world and cheering for the family’s, specifically Henry’s, survival. I liked the AI companion and the other feline companion that Henry managed to befriend.

Peter Hackshaw created a fascinating, if brutal, world, and then added historic (to Henry but not the reader/listener) elements including a surprise vehicle. Admittedly the story is harsh with deprivation, violence, and evil. Some sensitive readers might be offended by some of the scenes. I cringed a few times but, overall, I appreciated the author’s ability to weave a tale of personal determination in a harsh world. I recommend this to readers who like dystopian and can handle the evil elements that might exist in a broken-down society. I would be interested in reading more by Mr. Hackshaw.

Audio Notes: Dan Stevens does an excellent job with the narration. He provides distinct voices and accents that fit the characters. The narration added to my enjoyment of the story and I would be glad to listen to more stories narrated by Mr. Stevens.

Source: 2021 NetGalley. This qualifies for 2021NetGalley and 2021Alphabet goals.