Lia London

In this work of young adult fiction, author Lia London introduces us to fourteen-year-old Caz Artemus, who is your typical bored Interplanetary City Station (ICS) teenager. Caz feels burdened by rules seemingly designed to extinguish any chance of having fun, so she is constantly getting herself in trouble. In one of her escapades, she is given an unusual power by an alien being called a Fanep. It is this power which allows her to get back at a school bully, but unfortunately this also gets her sent to a reformatory for young offenders in the planet Caren. However, this is the first step in an imaginative journey of discovery, growth, adventure, and peril, in which Caz finds new friends and maybe something more.

I loved how the author describes Caz’s sensations upon disembarking in a new world. After living in the cramped ICS all her life, Caz experiences, for the first time, oceans, sunlight, blue skies, trees, wind, and even stairs! I also liked the author’s portrayal of Caz. Her fears and insecurities are laid bare when she embarks on her new life away from family and everything else she has known. But you also come across her convictions and determination as she awakens to the realization of who she is, and to the fact that, if she can complete her dangerous journey and acquire all the powers, she will be able to make a difference. Will Caz receive all her powers? And if she does, how will she use them?

The Gypsy Pearl is the first book of a trilogy about the saga of Caz and her friends. The book is written in 2-to-9-page chapters, each with its own title, which highlights the basic ideas to be presented and makes for a pleasant page-turning read as the author moves the action at a brisk pace. My only qualm is that I would have appreciated an introduction, but that doesn’t detract from the enjoyment of the book.… (mehr)

Meet Chief (of should I say Chef?) inspector Terrence Morgan who is recruited to come up to Bloome Manor and solve a most baffling and also seemingly trivial mystery involving the excitable Lady Chatterly. The good inspector thinks he will have this one nailed in no time at all, but little does he know that he is about to embark on an adventure that will have him bitten by ferrets, falling on ashes, singing to hounds, wearing ladies clothes, and pursuing a love interest.

This book is an interactive fiction co-creation by author Lia London and several collaborators. The twists and turns of the plot are as funny as the British-sounding names of some of the characters including Mr. Crumbfellow, Mrs Moulderswich, and of course Millicent Fargenstropple. Reading this book reminded me of the BBC comedies that I used to watch with my family on NPR. The Brits have always been adept at capturing in everyday language the nuances of the human condition ranging from the solemn to the silly, and the author does a good job of reflecting this here.

Lia should be commended not only for writing a great story and doing it very well, but also for coordinating all the moving parts of this interactive experiment. The book is well formatted, has a functional table of contents, and each chapter has a distinctive title, which is something I always like because it makes navigating back and forth among the chapters easier.

If you want to relax, and have a good time "The Fargenstropple Case" is the book for you!… (mehr)

I read this book via an Amazon KINDLE Unlimited download.

If one really reads this book, I believe that the title I’ve given my review should become quite evident how truthful it is. This might sound like an extremely bold statement for any reviewer to make, but the proof of what I’m saying can be found in The Bible itself, especially if one recalls what’s stated in:

Mark 4:33 Contemporary English Version [best version I could find]

“Jesus used many other stories when he spoke to the people, and he taught them as much as they could understand.”

And isn’t this what the author, Lia London, has attempted to do here by sharing her own life’s experiences in this book? The life experiences of basically anyone who is reading this review is definitely not unique, for others have also been experienced similar ones as well.

Too often, as the author has stated, people feel they’ve been forgotten by the Lord in the many of the things they do each day or is happening to them, and they wind up beseeching for his guidance and help, without the realization of the promise he’s made:

King James Bible Isiah 41:13
For I the LORD thy God will hold thy right hand, saying unto thee, Fear not; I will help thee.

What Ms. London has done in her book is to first offer a story about one of her life experiences, then relates it to our daily lives, culminating with an appropriate biblical verse. And isn’t this what Jesus had done with the parables he gave his believers, sans the biblical verse.

For wanting all of her readers to be motivated about the world around them by the devotionals she’s offered in this book, how can I not her the 5 STARS she so richly deserves.… (mehr)

Parker, the director of the reality show in the first book Who Needs Reality, is on a forced vacation to Orcas Island in the Pacific Northwest. She meets Guy, a year-round resident, and the two are attracted to each other despite knowing this is a short-term friendship. Plus, everything seems to go wrong whether it's Parker locking the keys in her car or stepping in dog poo.
This is a sweet romance. Both Parker and Guy must overcome some ingrained modes of behavior and insecurities to find their HEA. There are some very funny moments and some poignant scenes that make the reader really feel for the couple. Parker was so tough in the first book, and here we see some vulnerabilities. Guy is just a sweetheart.
This is a nice clean romance that readers will enjoy.… (mehr)