Reviewed by Charles Remington for Readers' Favorite

For those aficionados of entertaining, optimistic sci-fi, who have been avidly waiting for another Time is Irreverent adventure - your wait is over. Erstwhile heroes Marty Mann and Nellie Dixon have become embroiled in another scramble to manipulate time in order to save planet Earth. This time they have their own ship, a nippy space cruiser with time-jumping capabilities that they happened to be testing on behalf of the Krichards, a space-faring civilization which manipulates timelines to encourage war-like races to develop into peaceful, loving societies. A fundamentalist Krichardian faction has reversed the changes made by Marty and Nellie in their first adventure and now they must find a way to stop a lunatic US president from instigating a nuclear war. Time is Irreverent 2 by Marty Essen follows their complex jumps through time as, together with Chrissie and Tina, their respective Krichard paramours, they race to rid the planet of the misguided president. In order to achieve this, they will once again call on the assistance of Jesus Christ, but can they possibly prevail against an incestuous, corrupt and hugely powerful church, state, business hierarchy?

It was a relief to read for a change a sci-fi novel not mired in the hopelessly depressive, dystopian formula that seems to be the fashion these days. Marty Essen has cleverly structured his novel to present a mildly humorous look at aliens, time travel and politics while at the same time examining some of the crucial issues that confront society today. He takes a sideways look at the close relationship between supposedly Christian churches and political parties, the shady connections between politicians and big business, and the resultant plundering of our planet’s resources. He makes one of the most intelligent comments I have come across regarding American gun control where he observes that when the Founding Fathers wrote the Second Amendment, they could not have known that muskets would eventually be replaced by modern semi-automatic assault rifles. Whether the observation is original or not, it got this resident of Scotland, who has never handled a gun, thinking on the issue. Marty Essen has produced a fine follow-up to his first time traveling escapade and I hope that the likeable characters he has created will get many future outings. A great addition to a currently gloomy, pessimistic genre. I do not hesitate to recommend it.

Reviewed by Anne-Marie Reynolds for Readers' Favorite

The Winner's Circle by PJ Colando tells the story of three friends. Friends who want out of their mundane lives. Bonnie wins millions on the Boffo Lotto and both Bonnie and Jackie tell her she needs to get a lawyer, invest her money and hide away. But Bonnie doesn’t want that. Bonnie wants to get married so she invites her friends to their wedding in Vegas and on their Hawaiian honeymoon. After all, money isn’t an issue now! It's fun to begin with but things start to go wrong. Husbands end up in jail and everything tends to go horribly wrong. Consequences abound but when they are halfway around the world, away from everything they love, the homes and lives they wanted to escape from so much seem to be so welcoming.

The Winner’s Circle by PJ Colando is a cute story with some very funny moments. The story is told from the point of view of each of the three friends and is the third in a trilogy. I didn’t read the first two but felt that I had enough information from this book to understand the characters – it's probably better to read all three in order though. The story runs smoothly as we follow the fate of the three friends, follow their ups and downs, fortunes and misfortunes. The Winner’s Circle is well written, the characters are well developed and identifiable, feeling very realistic. I’m sure we all know people like Jackie, Fran, and Bonnie! I would recommend this for anyone who wants a quick, amusing story to read to fill a couple of hours.

Reviewed by Saifunnissa Hassam for Readers' Favorite

Michael Guillebeau's novel MAD Librarian is a comic thriller set in the small city of Maddington, Alabama. Serenity Hammer is the head librarian of Maddington Public Library and is determined to keep the library open after draconian budget cuts by the city council. Serenity and her librarians - Doom (Amanda) and Joy - are given additional responsibilities by the city council, including maintenance of the city's computer software. When Doom discovers a mysterious residual fund in the accounts, Serenity seizes the opportunity to transfer its funds to the library account. There is enough money flowing into the account to build a new library. As the new library begins to emerge, Serenity faces death threats from the real owner of the residual fund.

I thoroughly enjoyed reading Michael Guillebeau's comic thriller MAD Librarian. Guillebeau has created strong characters in the librarians, Serenity, Doom and Joy, who are passionate about books and libraries. Doom and Joy are fired up by Serenity's dreams and plans to build the new MAD library and they work with her on ideas to help the entire community. Serenity knows that technically her use of the city funds is illegal; she could end up in jail. She is committed to taking full responsibility for her actions. The tension builds as Serenity faces grim obstacles and discovers more about the residual fund. She remains tenacious and forges ahead to build that seven-story MAD library. The humor and suspense, twists and turns made this well-crafted story an exciting one for me.

Reviewed by K.C. Finn for Readers' Favorite

To Squeeze A Prairie Dog: An American Novel is a work of literary contemporary fiction by author Scott Semegran. Melding the genres of modern day folk tale with both satire and humor, the book centers on our unlikely hero, J.D. Wiswall. Working for the state government in a data entry department, J.D. becomes aware of a cost savings program where he could obtain a share of ten thousand dollars. When a scheme is developed to help the team win, however, the idea serves as a spark that sets off everyone around the department and beyond into the wider media. A whole series of secrets and lies is unveiled, all of which threaten to stop Unit 3 claiming their original prize.

As settings go for novels, this one was pretty strange but ultimately really different and refreshing to read. Viewed as a tale of camaraderie and the secrets that other people keep, the work that Scott Semegran puts into the intricacies of his large cast of characters is very impressive. The prose flows well and the dialogue is humorous and realistic, particularly for me in the tale of the alcoholic wannabe rock star Brent Baker who kind of stole the show. The plot certainly requires the concentration of literary fiction readers to keep track of it, particularly as more and more characters join the scene, but it all builds to an accomplished tale that’s well worth sticking with. Overall, To Squeeze a Prairie Dog is a recommended read for fans of humor, drama, and office politics.

Reviewed by K.C. Finn for Readers' Favorite

The Emily Dilemma is a work of humorous fiction penned by author Guy Sigley and is the second book in The Barney Conroy Trilogy. Continuing the theme of a man who is trying to get his life together, we find our hero in a fairly good position with his work life and looking at a bright future with his girlfriend. So when four-year-old Emily comes into the picture, chaos looms again. Emily is every nightmare you could wish from a child, so being tasked to look after her is something Barney wants to offload as soon as possible, ready to get on with his life. But the longer he’s stuck with her, the more he starts to see the value of a very special kid.

Author Guy Sigley writes with both humor and compassion in this heartwarming tale about people seeking solace, comfort, and companionship from one another. Little Emily is both a monster and a delight in a story filled with hilarious moments of dialogue and vivid descriptions of the scrapes and mess that she gets herself and Barney into. For his part, Barney is a lovable and realistically drawn character, initially a selfish anti-hero a la Hugh Grant in About A Boy. This brings on a lot of laughs, but also a deep emotional arc as the tale progresses and certain important plot secrets come to light. These are surprising, but convincing and well-timed, turning The Emily Dilemma into an adorable comedic parenting adventure with a lot more punch to pack than you’d first expect.

Reviewed by Cheryl E. Rodriguez for Readers' Favorite

No fluff! Pure cowboy! Midway is the tenth book in Tell Cotten’s The Landon Saga. The Landon brothers, Cooper and Yancy, are just your average Texas Rangers. Well, maybe not average! Returning to Midway, after a rescue mission in New Mexico, Yancy is eager to see Jessica. He is going to propose right away, but Cooper convinces him to bathe first. Yancy awkwardly pops the question, and Jessica accepts. Much to everyone’s surprise, Yancy and Jessica agree to get married the following day. Why wait? While Yancy prepares for his wedding, Cooper is left handling all the town’s law issues. In one day’s time, Cooper must settle a domestic violence dispute, handle an alcoholic cowpuncher who destroyed the saloon, deal with Wyatt, his coming of age adopted son, and confront four Mexican bandits who want to kill Yancy. Proving once again, the Landon brothers rarely experience normal, peaceful days. Don’t mess with Texas!

Midway by Tell Cotten is an amusing gun-slinging western. Not having read any of the previous books in The Landon Saga, I was grateful for the list of the main characters and their current status given at the beginning of the book. Tell Cotten quickly catches the reader up on what is happening with the Landon brothers, and then jumps right into their continuing saga. The short chapters propel the plot action, creating a steady pace from one chapter to the next. Far from boring, there is no hitch in the giddy-up of this story at all! Being born and raised in the Texas panhandle, I felt right at home with the story’s West Texas setting. The narrative is written in first person, told from Cooper’s point of view; however, Yancy’s personality speaks loud and clear! The brotherly banter throughout the story was warm and comically entertaining. I believe the continual changing of shirts was my favorite part. Most would simply iron a shirt, not use them as element of irony! It wouldn’t be a western if the lawmen did not strut down the street to a gunfight! With this in mind, Tell Cotten totally delivers. Midway concludes with a happily ever after ending, well at least for the Landon brothers. Midway’s town sheriff might think otherwise.

Reviewed by K.J. Simmill for Readers' Favorite

Melvin is dead. There's no beating around the bush with that. But what a mess he left in his wake, or rather his Aunt Martha left after a brief possession of the priest to give him the 'no punches pulled' send-off she thought he deserved. His mistress is pregnant, and his wife, Melody, has made her own withdrawal from the Rogue Sperm Bank in the hope of letting her husband's legacy live on. Melvin has a choice: his aunt is insisting he is born again, and he must quickly choose which vessel his soul should enter, the child carried by his wife, or that of his mistress. There are, of course, complications that cause even those against idle chatter to sow the seeds of gossip. Melvin was indeed reborn, and what a stir it caused.

Lately, whenever I pick up a book claiming to be comedy, a brief wave of dread passes over me. Today's amusement seems often to be nothing more than a string of put-downs, and jerkish behaviour, something I would call closer to bullying than humour. I actually heaved a sigh of relief when I first started reading James Pumpelly's Twice Melvin. I don't remember the last time a book with such witty humour crossed the screen of my kindle. Only a few paragraphs in, I found myself chuckling, and the momentum continues. Refreshing wit, great banter, some ironic humour, all wrapped up in an interesting and enjoyable plot. This book certainly rekindled my faith in the genre, and restored my hope that there are still people who can be funny, without it being at someone's expense.

Within Twice Melvin you'll find some great characters, deep and real with their own unique personalities and agendas. The book itself is written in alternating perspectives between the first person narrative of Melvin (later Melvin Jr.), and the third person perspective of the other characters. Whilst Melvin, for a large portion of the book, is deceased, it in no way hampers the story-telling, and James Pumpelly manages to spin a creative, humorous tale with serious aspects, romance, otherworldly meddling, and mortal gossip. A refreshing read that had me laughing aloud more than once.

Reviewed by Lisa McCombs for Readers' Favorite

How do you feel about unexpected visitors? At one time, random company would not have bothered Claire. After the death of her husband, though, Claire faces a life alone with no surprise visitors and the impending departure of her college age twins. Alone except for the midnight visits from Clint, her adopted raccoon, who is intent upon bringing his uninvited raccoon posse outside her bedroom window every night. Maybe alone is better after all. She knew she had to ready herself for the empty nest syndrome that would settle soon upon her home. But she isn’t ready for the wave of unexpected guests in the form of Napoleon Bonaparte, Count Dracula, and Janis Joplin.

Occupying every inch of her home, eating Fruit Loops in her kitchen, these visitors are related to the job she left many months before. Unwanted and uninvited, Bonaparte, Joplin, and the Prince of Darkness were somehow detoured on their way from In Between to After. Fortunately for them, Claire is a retired Afterlife coach. Unfortunately for Claire, she said farewell to that job some time ago. All those years she managed to hide her profession from her friends, family and her beloved Daniel. She wasn’t ready to start explaining herself now.

Enjoy the antics of Claire and her deceased buddies in The Afterlife Coach by Susan E. Paul. Outrageously funny and remarkably witty, Susan E. Paul has created the novel of the decade. I am so glad that I selected this book to review. I haven't laughed so much in a long time. Hope to read about Cleopatra soon! There is never a dull moment, never a wasted page in this literary romp on the wild side.

Reviewed by Joel R. Dennstedt for Readers' Favorite

Like the reality behind the term made famous by this book’s leading character, one is never quite so sure that what he reads is not truer than the facts – if one is reading Fake News by David Hutter. The subtitle best explains the premise of this funny, funny book: “Strange historical facts reimagined in the world of Donald Trump.” By now, the cast is all too familiar. The names of Trump’s cabinet and advisers are household names. But Mr. Hutter takes us back to the beginning (Inauguration Day), when our newly elected “greatest-President-ever” assumed this republic’s throne, deciding on Day One to replace the Lincoln Memorial with one of his very own and, oh-by-the-way, to suddenly declare war on North Korea by way of Twitter. It’s all going to be okay. Ivanka approves. And he trusts Ivanka.

This will give you a taste of David Hutter’s more-than-satirical treatise on Mr. Trump’s dubious ascension, and will provide you with an early warning that all the contents of this funny book may indeed be Fake News. What is not fake is Mr. Hutter’s keen attention to the quirks and foibles, the tones and attitudes, and the incredibly misinformed antics of our country’s first lunatic – not a political stance or conjecture, mind you; simply a statement of the news. The reader feels as if he has gained front row access to the crazy show, with only one choice left for him to make: to laugh or cry. I guarantee you, this book will make you weep with glee. But the truly ingenious part of this book is that David Hutter follows each Fake News chapter with reports on similar real-world historical events (fascinating trivia), proving in the end that Trump and readers have all been here before.

Reviewed by Charles Remington for Readers' Favorite

Marty, who is the erstwhile hero of Time Is Irreverent, has been abducted by aliens but, contrary to his initial fears, these are nice aliens. They are here to try to put things right on our planet before the crazy presidential incumbent currently in charge manages to destroy it in a nuclear holocaust. In order to do this, they must change the course of history and they must select a human whose time line would not be affected by the change – one who, in other words, would survive the mission. Marty, who is the human selected for the task, must travel back to the time of Christ and present a different version of the Sermon on the Mount, one designed to deliver a more harmonious history for our race. But time travel is no easy matter, even for aliens with technology far in advance of our own.

Due to his claustrophobia and subsequent panic attack, Marty finds himself catapulted into the Cretaceous period when dinosaurs reigned and must avoid becoming a tasty lunch for the carnivores of the time before being retrieved. A second attempt finds him landing into a future USA at a time when global warming is changing the landscape and Christian Fundamentalism has become entrenched, before a third attempt when he finally makes it to Galilee to try to complete his mission. In between he manages to enjoy a romantic liaison with one of the female alien crew, make camping and picnic visits to most of the planets in the solar system, and spends a good deal of time getting high using the alien ship’s euphoria dispensers. But is Marty capable of successfully completing his critical mission? Can he change the course of human history and, more importantly, can he ensure his beloved rock music is not deleted from the new time line?

Time Is Irreverent by Marty Essen is, on the surface, a light-hearted science fiction romp which plays with a number of themes in a novel way. But there is a serious underlying core to the book which looks at where we are heading and how prejudice and bigotry are gaining ground against tolerance and understanding. ‘Why can’t we just get along and be nice to each other’ is a distressingly common cri de coeur among thinkers and philosophers, and while a man was nailed to a cross just over two thousand years ago for saying the self-same thing, it seems that very little has changed since. Time Is Irreverent is a well-written, well-paced novel peopled with solid, likeable characters. Marty Essen is a talented author who has managed to wrap several complex threads into a light, enjoyable narrative. I hope he will continue writing in the sci-fi genre and I look forward eagerly to his future works.