The Burgeoning Bookshelf

Tuesday, 18 January 2022

Book Review: The Order of Time and Odin's Door by Scott P. Southall

The Order of Time and Odin's Door

Scott P. Southall

Publisher: Seaview Press Holdings

Publication date: 20th January 2022

Series: Order of Time #2

Genre: Fantasy / Young Adult

Pages: 270

Format read: paperback

Source: Courtesy of the author

About the book

The orange light bathed the snow-covered fields as the fiery globe began to dip below the horizon. It was strange that something so beautiful could signal the arrival of something so evil. One thing twelve-year-old twins Anastasia and Edward Upston knew for sure was that when mortals were caught between two bickering gods nothing good would come of it. Surviving the Viking Age may be the hardest thing they ever do, if they can.....

My review

Twelve-year-old twins Anastasia and Edward are back in the second action packed adventure in The Order of Time series.

The twins travel from their hometown of Washington DC to London where they are to attend a disciplinary hearing for their good friend and mentor Dr G.

With this series I think it's imperative to read Book 1 The Order of Time first to get the full background on The Order and how the twins became involved.

The Order of Time and Odin's Door is another fabulous time travel adventure filled with amazing characters. Anastasia and Edward are transported to the world of the Vikings and Norse Mythology. They again use their different strengths to solve problems by working together. In this story they band together with Vikings, Soren and Eric the Red, who are on a mission to save their village from the dragon Nidhogg.

I was totally captivated by this whole story firstly in London as we learn all about The Order and the academy. Not everyone in The Order is keen for the twins to join and there is treachery at play. As we move to the Vikings the action heats up when they come face to face with a giant kraken, an army of zombies and a malevolent dragon. This mythological tale had me on the edge of my seat.

The Order of Time and Odin's Door has superb world building, unforgettable characters and confrontations aplenty.

The Oder of Time is a tremendous series and the scope for new stories has no bounds. I'm hooked!

Recommended age 11+

Undead zombies (descriptive scenes)

moderate violence

My rating 5 / 5 ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

About the author

Credit: Goodreads

Scott is an American author and banking executive who lives in Sydney, Australia. He grew up in the suburbs of Washington D.C. and attended Georgetown University.

While he loves his job as a global banker, his true passion is making up stories with his children. His debut novel, The Order of Time, reached #1 in it’s category on Amazon and was the 2021 Reader’s Favorite Gold Medal Winner in the Children's – Mythology/Fairy Tale genre.

Friday, 14 January 2022

Book Review & Giveaway: Unforgiven by Sarah Barrie

Unforgiven

Sarah Barrie

Once a victim, she's now a vigilante

Publisher: Harlequin Australia

Imprint: HQ Fiction

Publication date: 1st December 2021

Genre: Crime Fiction

Pages: 496

RRP: $29.99AUD

Format read: Uncorrected advance copy

Source: Courtesy of the publisher

About the book

Lexi Winter is tough, street-smart and has stood on her own two feet since childhood, when she was a victim of notorious paedophile the Spider. All she cares about now is a roof over her head and her long-term relationship with Johnny Walker. She isn't particular about who she sleeps with ... as long as they pay before leaving.

Lexi is also an ace hacker, tracking and entrapping local paedophiles and reporting them to the cops. When she finds a particularly dangerous paedophile who the police can't touch, she decides to gather enough evidence to put him away. Instead, she's a witness to his death ...

Detective Inspector Rachael Langley is the cop who cracked the Spider case, 18 years earlier - but failed to protect Lexi. Now a man claiming to be the real Spider is emulating his murderous acts, and Rachael is under pressure from government, media and her police colleagues. Did she get it wrong all those years ago, or is this killer a copycat?

Lexi and Rachael cross paths at last, the Spider in their sights ... but they may be too late ...

My review

Unforgiven takes place over a three week period but the action is so full on it feels much longer.

Told through first person narration by Lexi, former victim now vigilante paedophile hunter. I feel this type of narrative gives the reader a more personal look at Lexi, how she feels and why she acts the way she does. An alternating third person narrative is also given for DI Rachael Langley. The alternating narratives keep the story moving at a fast pace.

I did find the content of child abuse, paedophilia and child murder deeply disturbing and very hard to read at times.

Barrie highlights the complexity of the dark web with its numerous hidden portals and the difficulty police have with breaking into these sites and making arrests before they close down.

As Rachael and her team try to catch a deadly paedophile calling himself The Spider they are hampered by the stretched resources of police and community services and the limited power they have to act on information received.

Barrie does add a little humour into what is otherwise a dark read with Lexi's neighbour Dawny who has a few tricks up her sleeve when Lexi is in need of help. Dawny was a fun character and a warning to us all to never underestimate the old lady who lives across the road.

Unforgiven is a gripping, tension filled read that exposes the fragility of children and the extraordinary work of the people trying to protect them.

My rating 4.5 / 5 ⭐⭐⭐⭐½

About the author

Photo: Goodreads

Sarah Barrie is the author of eight novels, including her bestselling print debut Secrets of Whitewater Creek, the Hunters Ridge trilogy and the Calico Mountain trilogy. In a past life, while gaining degrees in arts, science and education, Sarah worked as a teacher, a vet nurse, a horse trainer and a magazine editor, before deciding she wanted to write novels. About the only thing that has remained constant is her love of all things crime.Her favourite place in the world is the family property, where she writes her stories overlooking mountains crisscrossed with farmland, bordered by the beauty of the Australian bush, and where, at the end of the day, she can spend time with family, friends, a good Irish whiskey and a copy of her next favourite book.

Giveaway

Thanks to Harper Collins I have two additional copies of Unforgiven to giveaway. One here on my blog and one on Instagram @theburgeoningbookshelf You can enter both. Australian addresses only. Giveaway closes at midnight EDST on 20th January 2022.

This giveaway is now closed and the winners were announced HERE

Monday, 10 January 2022

Mailbox Monday - January 10th

Mailbox Monday is the gathering place for readers to share the books that came in their mailbox during the last week (or month). I post my new books on the last Monday of the month (very late with my December post). It now has a permanent home at the Mailbox Monday Blog

Happy Monday!

It's been a while since I last posted a Monday update. Christmas has come and gone and we are in the middle of a very humid summer. Dot has been enjoying the pool and we even got Jay in for a swim today. He usually sits on the edge because he doesn't like to get wet.

I couldn't resist this Christmas themed toilet paper. The ultimate in Christmas decor 😀

Every night we go for a walk along a path beside the creek and the last few nights we have been lucky to see an abundance of wildlife; turtles, water dragons, skinks, blue-tongue lizards and ducks.

After all the worry with Covid and not knowing whether our daughter's wedding would be able to go ahead, or not, we were very lucky to be in a Covid free window and the wedding went off beautifully. It was an unusually cold summer's day but it didn't rain so that's a plus. The setting was gorgeous with the surrounds lush and green and the dining area open to the outside.

We spent New Years Eve at home watching the festivities and fireworks on TV. This seemed the safest option as Covid had started it's rampage through Sydney.

Books I've received for review, purchased new, bought second hand and received as gifts

Do any of the above peak your interest? What has arrived in your mailbox lately?

Sunday, 9 January 2022

Book Review: 138 Dates by Rebekah Campbell

138 Dates

Rebekah Campbell

The true story of one woman's search for everything

Publisher: Allen & Unwin

Imprint: A&U New Zealand

Publication date: 2nd July 2021

Genre: Non Fiction / Memior

Pages: 416

RRP $29.99AUD

Format read: Paperback

Source: Courtesy of the publisher via DMCPR Media.

About the book

On the outside, Rebekah Campbell has an enviable life. She is founder of hot Sydney startup Posse.com, writes a popular blog and gives inspirational talks at conferences for female entrepreneurs.

But when she turns off the light each night, she is alone and terrified of the future. She knows that what's important to her isn't money or startup glory or social media followers. She wants love. She wants a family.

And she is stuck. She hasn't been on a date in ten years. She's too embarrassed to list herself on the internet and can't bear the risk of getting rejected.

She decides to act. She'll take the tactics she's learnt building companies and apply them to finding a man. Her epic journey will take her on dates with 138 different men in Sydney, New York and San Francisco, while at the same time confronting the immense challenges of launching a business.

She'll face exhaustion, humiliation and heartbreak; she'll meet some strange and dangerous characters. And she will strip herself of the ego and expectations that have been holding her back. She will not stop.

138 Dates proves that the end is always worth the effort.

My review

I was surprised by how much I enjoyed this book. Not being the target audience and all.

If you follow Rebekah on social media you know how this turns out but this little spoiler didn't affect my reading pleasure.

Rebekah is open and honest as she takes on finding love as she would a business venture, organising do's and don'ts lists and practically interviewing her dates.

I did find her quite judgemental and not very warm when she was on the dates. She was all business.

I admire her tenacity as she goes on 138 different dates and I enjoyed all the descriptions of the different restaurants and meals she had.

As she combines looking for love with the stress of running a start-up, Rebekah talks a lot about her business and work although I still feel she played down how stressful and time consuming starting your own business is.

I really enjoyed this candid and entertaining look at dating in your mid thirties and the call out not to give up on your dreams. However, I feel the real take out was Rebekah's acceptance of herself. It's hard to find love when you don't love yourself.

My rating 4 / 5 ⭐⭐⭐⭐

About the author

Rebekah Campbell is the co-founder of Hey You, a mobile app used by more than one million Australians to order and pay at cafes. She has kept a blog about her experiences as an entrepreneur which was named 'Best Business Blog' by Smart Company and became a New York Times column in 2012. Rebekah writes a monthly opinion piece for AFR BOSS Magazine and has contributed to MamaMia, Women's Agenda and Stuff. She is a high-profile public speaker who spoke at TEDx Sydney and numerous events for Business Chicks. Rebekah was named a Woman of Influence in 2015 and APEC Young Woman Innovator. She is currently the host and curator of the City of Sydney's virtual event series 'Reboot', supporting 18,000 Sydney business owners to recover from the impact of COVID 19. Rebekah's personal passion is her everything which she finds at the end of this book.

Saturday, 8 January 2022

Winners in my latest Giveaways announced!!

Once again I would like to thank everyone who entered my giveaways for a copies of Once Burnt, Twice Shy, The Last Thing He Told Me and The LaVonda Robinette Double Set. The giveaways closed on the 8th December, 28th December and 7th January respectively and the winners were randomly selected (using Random org) from all correct entries.

Congratulations to ................... Sharon who won a copy of Once Burnt, Twice Shy

Congratulations to .................. Jodie K & Tracy M who won copies of The Last Thing He Told Me

Congratulations to .............. Bronze Toes, Ros, Kylie H & DonnaRae who won copies of the LaVonda Robinette sets.

Please look under the giveaway tab for more chances to win great books.

Saturday, 1 January 2022

Wrap-up of my 2021 Reading Challenges - Let's see how I went!

It's that time of year when we look back over our challenge pledges and see how we went.

You can read my 2021 sign up post HERE

My first one was the Book Lover Book Review Aussie Author Challenge

I signed up for the EMU level

Read and review 24 titles written by Australian Authors of which at least 10 of those authors are female, at least 10 of those authors are male, and at least 10 of those authors are new to you; Fiction or non-fiction, at least 4 different genre.

My completed challenge was:
58 x Female authors, 10 x Male authors, 40 x New to me authors, 8 x Genres. With a total of 68 books read.

I am a bit disappointed with my male Australian authors this year and will endeavour to increase this in 2022.

You can see the full list of books HERE

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Next up was the Australian Women Writers Challenge

I nominated to read and review 30 books for this challenge.

My completed challenge was 58 books read and reviewed.

You can see the full list of books HERE

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This was my second year with the Non Fiction readers challenge.

There were three challenge levels and I joined Nipper level

Nonfiction Nipper : Read 3 books, from any category

I read four Non Fiction books but they only fit into 2 of the categories listed.

You can see my list of books HERE

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This was my second year with the Historical Fiction challenge hosted by The Intrepid Reader

There were 6 different reading levels and I will joined:

Renaissance Reader - 10 books.

I completed this challenge by reading 12 books.

You can see my list of books HERE

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New to me in 2021 was the Cloak & Dagger Challenge

There were 5 levels and I signed up for the lowest level:

Amateur sleuth 5 - 15 books

I completed this challenge by reading 20 books.

You can see my list of books HERE

📗📘📙📗📘📙📗📘📙📗📘📙📗📘📙📗📘📙📗📘📙

Well that's a wrap for 2021. I will be dropping some of my challenges in 2022 as they are very time consuming adding all the links. However I have found a couple of new ones that look like fun.
Look out for my 2022 challenge sign up post coming soon!

#AussieAuthor2021 #AWW2021 #HistFic2021 #2021ReadNonFic #cloakanddaggerchallenge