Reviewed by Rabia Tanveer for Readers' Favorite

Frayed: DarkTrench Shadow Volume 1 by Kerry Nietz is the story of a debugger, a human who has been altered and given a set of rules that he has to live his life by. ThreadBare is a human, but it seems like centuries since he actually felt like one. He lives in a garage where he works to “fix” machines and debug them. All he wants to do is become better than BullHammer and be recognized for his efforts. When he is relocated from his garage to serve the Prince at the Palace, he believes that his life is about to change, but he has no idea how good or bad the change will be.

The Prince asks ThreadBare to do things that he feels are wrong, but he is programmed to follow orders, so he does exactly that, even if he knows the difference between right and wrong. He is not supposed to feel that. He should not question, especially the Prince. But something has awoken in him that he cannot repress or suppress. These are forbidden feelings and he has no business feeling them. But how can he do that? Especially when this has awakened things in him that he cannot control!

Frayed is a deep, intense and dark novel that will have you sitting on the edge of your seat and biting your nails. I really liked ThreadBare, he is a complete character and his development was intense yet very believable. I liked him, I liked his reactions, and I loved how he took charge of the situation, especially when he made up his mind. The themes of spirituality and religion are strong, but they do not take the attention away from ThreadBare’s journey. This is simply too good to explain! It is brilliant.

Reviewed by Lit Amri for Readers' Favorite

No one believed young Meriel Hope when she said the attack on her home, the merchant spaceship Princess, was piracy. There had not been a reported hijacking in nearly a century, and she was just a twelve-year-old kid. Ten years after the attack, Meriel still suffers from symptoms of PTSD while she struggles to carve out a normal life for herself on a new ship, with a new job and a new romance. But Meriel knew that pirates slaughtered her parents and friends, leaving her with the responsibility to keep her promise to her mother – find a safe home for her sister and the surviving orphans and stay together. But the group behind the carnage still plots to achieve their ambitious goal while keeping watch on the Princess’ survivors, ready to terminate them if they get in the group’s way.

I like the depth of the plot of Home: Interstellar - Merchant Princess by Ray Strong. The intricate storyline is executed without too much detail that might slow down the pace of the story. It was easy for me to root for Meriel. Her personal quest to keep her promise to her late mother - unite the orphans, and reclaim their ship, Princess - is admirable, especially when Strong gives this lead character believable strong traits as well as flaws. Even though I found the odds of the protagonists in prevailing over their obstacles bordering on the impossible, the suspense was thrilling and enjoyable. Formatting can be more polished, but overall it’s solidly done where the readability is clear-cut and kept me intrigued with the conspiracy element from start to finish. On the whole, this is a good read.

Reviewed by Ray Simmons for Readers' Favorite

I read the first book in this series. I loved it and waited eagerly to see how the story would unfold. I was a little worried that maybe the tale would lose the exciting pace or that things might get bogged down and become boring. That absolutely did not happen. The second book of The Stonegate Series by Harry James Fox is called The False Prophet and it picks up a few weeks after the first book ends. You don’t have to read the first book to understand and enjoy the second book, but I recommend it. Reading that first story will add texture and details to not only the military campaign, but also Donald’s romantic situation. Don’t get me wrong; you still know what’s going on in the second book if you haven’t read the first book, but if you have read it, everything has a deeper texture and urgency.

Harry James Fox has done it again. He plunges us into a world that has struggled back from disaster and is on the brink of recovery. I like the values displayed in this post-disaster America. These are values and struggles I can relate to. I like how Harry James Fox shows us how one man with twisted dreams and ambitions can threaten a whole civilization. As depressing as that can be, it is also a chance for good people, people of faith, to stand up and become heroes. The writing in The False Prophet is clear and concise. The action is vividly and accurately portrayed, and there is a variety of characters, both good and bad. I like this world. I like Don. This is a series that Christians and other fans of action/adventure can get into.

Reviewed by Christian Sia for Readers' Favorite

Gawain and the Green Knight: Temptation Karma Honor by Stefan Emunds is a brilliant rendition of the beautiful tale of Sir Gawain’s destiny, a fiery knight with a single purpose in mind; to attain honor. Courageous and bent on becoming memorable as a noble knight, Sir Gawain of King Arthur’s Round Table accepts a beheading challenge from the mysterious Green Knight and sets out on an odyssey that is shrouded in mystery. Can he face the challenges before him and win the battles he has to fight? Can he conquer the temptations of lust and fame and power, and keep a pure heart worthy of a knight? This is a tale fraught with mystery, religious themes, loyalty, and an endearing sense of purpose.

There is a pervading sense of mystery that permeates every layer of this story and Stefan Emunds has done a great job to make the reader feel it. The character of Gawain comes out beautifully throughout the story and readers will love him, because he represents the spiritual battle that many of us have to fight. This is both a spiritual and a symbolic story with many lessons for the reader. The writing is poetic, at times evocative, and hugely accessible. I loved the way the author used suspense and conflict throughout the story. The mystery surrounding the Green Knight is beautiful created to keep the reader’s curiosity on the alert. Gawain and the Green Knight: Temptation Karma Honor is engaging, entertaining, and satisfying in many ways.

Reviewed by Barbara Fanson for Readers' Favorite

What is the treasure that Emalyn has hidden in the green velvet chair in her bedroom that no one else knows about? Emalyn still has dreams about what happened to her when she was six years old. She was struck by lightning that burned her body and she saw her guardian angel who told her to run. Emalyn does not trust Percy … she’s not sure why he frightens her. Her husband Owen cares about the boy, though she thinks he’s sneaky. Percy is 13 years old and walks with a limp that causes him pain and ridicule. He may be running with the wrong group of boys. Even Fiona, the woman who adopted Percy, doesn’t trust him. Fiona is Emalyn’s maid who helped raise her. Fiona adopted Percy when no one else wanted him. When Percy was a baby, he had been beaten, his leg broken, and left on their doorstep. They never did find out who his real parents were, until the end. She thinks Percy replaced the happiness in her family with tension and strain.

Emalyn’s Treasure by Joy Ross Davis features a young newlywed with the occasional flashback to previous tragedies in her life. The book is filled with happy times, sadness, and a few plot twists. “Her heart felt as if it had broken in two pieces, one for her and one for Owen” was such a sad and moving tribute to Owen. I could feel Emalyn’s pain. Author Joy Ross Davis provides a very graphic sad scene that has readers feeling broken, too. She provides good character descriptions throughout the book. Joy Ross Davis imagines what happens when someone dies, and describes it beautifully for readers. But, she also proves a happy ending for the other characters that survive.

Reviewed by Chris Fischer for Readers' Favorite

Wow! I just finished reading Black Inked Pearl: A Girl's Quest by author Ruth Finnegan, and all I can say is "Wow!" It's written in a unique and creative style, one that at times blends poetry with prose. Follow the story of Kate, a girl from Ireland who falls in love with a mysterious man. She rejects him, which she soon regrets, and spends most of her life seeking him out. In telling her tale, we learn much about Kate's life, from her growing up years in Ireland to her schooling in a convent to her professional career. When she seeks out the man missing from her life, her journey takes her on an epic adventure that readers will not soon forget.

I very much enjoyed Black Inked Pearl. I have not read a book quite like it before, and coming from a person who is a voracious reader, that's not an easy feat. Author Ruth Finnegan has done a wonderful job in creating interesting characters, especially protagonist Kate, as well as realistic yet somehow ethereal settings that the reader will feel completely enveloped in. Her ability to switch between realism and poetry is enviable and beautiful at the same time. Any reader who enjoys a lovely, unique and interesting work of fiction should absolutely read Black Inked Pearl: A Girl's Quest. I am pleased to recommend this book, and will be eagerly awaiting the next offering by author Ruth Finnegan. If it is anything like her debut novel, it will be simply magical!

Reviewed by Anne-Marie Reynolds for Readers' Favorite

Samara’s Peril by Jaye L Knight is book 3 of the Ilyon Chronicles. Emperor Daicon has finally made contact with his war strategist and it seems that all is lost for Samara. In a bid to intervene and stop the disastrous outcome, Lady Anne leads the Landale resistance on a mission to uncover more information, but what they find shocks them to the core and leads to more complications that nobody could ever have predicted. Using their new found knowledge, the resistance sets out to warn the King of Samara, but war is inevitable. They must fight two battles – one on the stronghold of Samara, and one on Jace’s heart - and victory may only be achieved through a great sacrifice.

Samara’s Peril (Ilyon Chronicles Book 3) by Jaye L Knight is the continuation of a Christian fantasy saga. Not having read the first two books in the series, I came into this one feeling that perhaps I might get lost. But, I can honestly say that it didn’t spoil my enjoyment of the story one bit. I found that the author gave sufficient history from the previous books for me to follow this part of the saga easily. There is plenty of action going on and the plot seems to be quite deep. The scenes are described in great detail, enabling a reader to become fully immersed in the story, and the characters were developed sufficiently so that I could grasp who they were and the roles they played throughout the saga. All in all, a good book, but I do feel it is best read in sequence with the others to gain a better understanding of events.

Reviewed by Lit Amri for Readers' Favorite

No one believed young Meriel Hope when she said the attack on her home, the merchant spaceship Princess, was piracy. There had not been a reported hijacking in nearly a century, and she was just a twelve-year-old kid. Ten years after the attack, Meriel still suffers from symptoms of PTSD while she struggles to carve out a normal life for herself on a new ship, with a new job and a new romance. But Meriel knew that pirates slaughtered her parents and friends, leaving her with the responsibility to keep her promise to her mother – find a safe home for her sister and the surviving orphans and stay together. But the group behind the carnage still plots to achieve their ambitious goal while keeping watch on the Princess’ survivors, ready to terminate them if they get in the group’s way.

I like the depth of the plot of Home: Interstellar - Merchant Princess by Ray Strong. The intricate storyline is executed without too much detail that might slow down the pace of the story. It was easy for me to root for Meriel. Her personal quest to keep her promise to her late mother - unite the orphans, and reclaim their ship, Princess - is admirable, especially when Strong gives this lead character believable strong traits as well as flaws. Even though I found the odds of the protagonists in prevailing over their obstacles bordering on the impossible, the suspense was thrilling and enjoyable. Formatting can be more polished, but overall it’s solidly done where the readability is clear-cut and kept me intrigued with the conspiracy element from start to finish. On the whole, this is a good read.

Reviewed by Marta Tandori for Readers' Favorite

A Time to Speak is Book 2 in the explosive sci-fi/dystopian series, Out of Time, by Nadine Brandes. With plenty of suffering, conflict, tension and action, A Time to Speak takes its readers to another place, a fractured world where time is a precious commodity, and having a Clock means knowing the day you’ll die.

The huge electronic post board on the county building makes the announcement for all to see – Parvin Blackwater returns to Unity Village and outlives her Clock! Major news, to be sure. The only problem is, it wasn’t her Clock, it was her brother, Reid’s Clock, and there’s absolutely nothing right in Parvin’s world at the moment. She’s lost her left hand and, more important still, her beloved Reid is dead, her sister-in-law can’t stand her, her parents are aloof, her little albino friend, Willow, is locked up in the containment center, and Elm, another little boy, is trapped in the Wall tunnel. At the moment, Parvin can barely help herself, let alone help anyone else. She is Unity’s newest registered Radical and everyone hates her. Well, almost everyone – except for Solomon Hawke, who’s now one of them – an Enforcer, someone to be hated and certainly not trusted, and yet it is he who shows Parvin mercy and kindness when no one else will.

To say that A Time to Speak is off the charts in terms of imagination is an understatement. Brandes has a knack for combining elements from today’s world with something that is out of the ordinary to create a dynamic dystopian world where Walls and Clocks have profound life and death significance. The character of Parvin Blackwater is strangely reminiscent of Katniss Everdeen, the young protagonist in The Hunger Games by talented author Suzanne Collins. Like young Katniss, Parvin is a galvanizing symbol of rebellion and ultimately of hope; a voice for those who have none or for those too afraid to speak. Solomon Hawke is the epitome of strength and support, and is the perfect foil for her.

The book is well written, keeping readers thoroughly engaged through effortless dialogue and vivid descriptions that are a feast for the senses. If there’s anything negative to be said, it would be that the book requires more back story in the first few chapters which will benefit those readers who did not read the first book in the series. While the lack of back story made the read somewhat perplexing at the beginning, it did not take away from the overall enjoyment of the story – and what a story it was! Well worth the read.

Reviewed by Emily-Jane Hills Orford for Readers' Favorite

Time is relative. That was the basis of Einstein’s theory of relativity. But relative to what? The possibilities of 'what if' are endless. What if we really could go back in time? Or, for that matter, forward in time? Can we change the course of history by just being there? The mystical theories of time travel have inspired and influenced creative minds for quite some time. Science fiction suggests various forms of equipment required to make this leap into the past or the future. But what if all that was needed was quite literally a leap of faith, a meditative transformation into the infinity, the time line which is infinitesimal and connects all times? And what if the ability to transcend into this infinite time/space equilibrium is the only way in which the world as we know it can be saved from the ultimate devastating Armageddon, the one that we all fear as opposing forces around the world continue to flaunt their powers?

Don Mardak’s Christian mystical science fiction thriller, Armageddon and the 4th Timeline, is a fast-paced, action-filled drama of multiple dimensions. As the possibility of the annihilation of planet Earth approaches, another possible plot emerges, the mystical time travel alternative that will unravel the events leading up to Earth’s ultimate tragedy. Each plot interweaves with and complicates the other. The tension builds substantially as the reader learns about past events, about how early Christian history affects in so many ways what happens in the present. And, in the end, the plot takes the reader, quite literally, back to the beginning. A very powerful, thought provoking approach to the end-of-the-world theme. Well done!