Bookworm Press

Saving Red by Sonya Sones

I became familiar with Sonya Sones, the author, through her husband, Bennett Tramer, another famous writer (remember Saved by the Bell?) who happens to frequent the same coffee shop in Santa Monica that my friends and I go to on Sunday mornings. Cafe Zella, like many other businesses in California was in lockdown but is now open again with restrictions of course.

The action in Saving Red takes place in large part in Santa Monica, my home town, and Cafe Zella is mentioned in the book.

Here is my review:

I read this novel in one sitting, couldn’t put it down. It’s a touching but unsentimental tale of a young girl, trying to complete her community service school project by counting the homeless people in Santa Monica, CA. Before she knows it, she becomes involved in a series of turbulent adventures, trying to reunite a troubled, homeless girl with her family before Christmas. Her passion to help this girl is fueled by her genuine good heart but also by feelings of guilt about that terrible thing that happened in her own family and which she feels responsible for.

Saving Red, written in verse that captures the emotions and thoughts of these young protagonists perfectly, is a real gem. It’s the first book I read by the author, but it won’t be my last. It’s written for young adults and those older ones who are still young at heart! Highly recommended.

Check it out on Sonya Sones’ website: https://www.sonyasones.com/ or on Amazon.

More books to follow. Have a great and entertaining reading weekend!

5 Minutes by Gareth Stokes

I am not exactly a sci-fi fan but I read a few novels in that genre I really enjoyed, one being 5 Minutes by Gareth Stokes.

Here is my review:

More than 5 minutes worth of excitement.

This is a novel of epic proportions which deals with events in Russian history of the early twentieth century and stretches far into the future to the planet Excel and the Five Moons. The inhabitants of these places are descendents of “old Earth,” mixed in with robots, talking spaceships, and characters which are part human and part machine. These worlds are far ahead of earth as far as technology is concerned and yet they deal with the same problems their ancestors struggle with and their leaders remind us of our modern corrupt and power-hungry politicians.

Empress Lydia, the ruler of Excel, wants to destroy Earth as an act of revenge for the murder of her children when she was tsarina in Russia. She is even ready to sacrifice her daughter who opposes her plan. Her husband, a gentler creature, tries to reign in her hatred and her violent leanings. Marielle, her daughter, escapes with Pegasus, the talking spaceship and attempts to thwart her mother’s plans. While all this turmoil and warfare is going in outer space, a young child by the name of Amy is cruelly abused by her foster father. But it is Amy, vulnerable but tenacious and lovable, who becomes an important instrument in saving Earth.

5 Minutes is full of dark and at the same time humorous and crazy incidences. The characters, whether human or machine-like, are vividly portrayed and genuine. One of the funniest parts for me is the verbal exchange between Pegasus, the talking computer which controls the spaceship, and Marielle, the commander of the ship.

Lovers of sci-fi will really enjoy this story as well as readers who are looking for a good adventure novel with a deeper meaning, because in essence the story deals with very “human” problems: greed, corruption, and the hunger for power as well as the power of love. One word of caution: the novel is quite long, so set enough time aside to be able to enjoy it.

In other words, the perfect book to get lost in during our stay-at-home time.

More to follow. Stay safe and healthy!

Greetings loyal readers!

Both the eBook and the paperback version of Fire in the Vineyard are now available–and with an improved cover!

Blurb: When bottles of wine disappear from the Segantino Winery and an arson fire kills his close friend, the owner of the estate, Robert Segantino, is faced with the toughest ordeal of his career as winemaker: someone intends to destroy what he has built over the years. As it becomes increasingly clear that members of his staff and of his family are among the suspects, the ambitious wine tycoon is forced to reevaluate his goals in life, and, above all, his relationship to his son and future heir.

Part family drama, part suspense, Fire in the Vineyard, the third book in The Wine Lover’s Daughter series, takes the reader on another thrilling adventure through one of California’s wine countries.

Links to the books:

eBook: https://mybook.to/FireVineyard

Paperback: https://mybook.to/FireVineyardPrint

If you decide to buy the paperback, you’ll get the ebook for free!

One of the enjoyable activities when writing my novels is the research part, in particular when I get to travel to the beautiful wine region of the Central Coast of California. If you would like to see some pictures that inspired me in my work, here they are. Sit back and travel with me!

Picture Tour of Fire in the Vineyard