Ace Carroway and the Ghost Liner by Guy Worthey

Book reviews are subjective. I tend to rate books not according to how “perfect” they are, seem to be, or are said to be in general but rather to how perfect they are to me. I received a complimentary copy of this book for an honest review.

Ace Carroway and the Ghost Liner by Guy Worthey

My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Great War veteran. Pilot. Private eye. Cecilia “Ace” Carroway wears a number of hats, but it’s her inventor’s noggin that’s in need of titanium for an innovative aeronautics project. Her associate Bert heads to Juneau by water to make a metal deal for her, but after he catches the eerie sight of a silent ship passing by in the night, Bert mysteriously disappears in Ace Carroway and the Ghost Liner by author Guy Worthey.

I would definitely recommend reading the previous books in The Adventures of Ace Carroway series before diving into this seventh. As Ace’s motley crew showed up to search for Bert, I took note of how distinct the returning characters are and how often I could recognize which character was speaking before seeing his name. It’s been fun getting to know these guys!

While I get a kick out of the action in this series, I think that this time, my heart may’ve gotten the most noticeable tug its gotten since Ace’s suffering of a personal loss at the end of one of the earlier books. In this one, as Ace gave her grim take on “the ghosts of the Great War,” it got to me. Yes, I’ve repeatedly called her a bad, bad chick because her various abilities are off the charts, but it’s just as affecting to see different aspects of her humanity.

Now, I’ll admit I wasn’t as gripped throughout this story as I was with the others. During some chapters in the middle, the read started to feel a little long to me.

Nevertheless, the element of the overall plot that’s leading to the next, upcoming book in the series (*gasp*…Darko Dor—dun dun DUNNNN!) already has me on the edge of my seat…

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Here’s my review of the first book in the series, Ace Carroway and the Great War.

Never Play God by Bryan Jabouin

Book reviews are subjective. I tend to rate books not according to how “perfect” they are, seem to be, or are said to be in general but rather to how perfect they are to me. I received an advance reading copy of this book for an honest review.

Never Play God by Bryan Jabouin

My rating: 3 of 5 stars

It’s 2071, and Elliot is a widower on edge, missing his wife. He turns to a controversial scientific solution for help, requesting to have his wife cloned at one of the nation’s cloning centers. But when Elliot’s request is denied, an illegal underground cloning ring with a notorious leader may have just what Elliot is looking for—or not—in Never Play God by author Bryan Jabouin.

I’ve become quite a fan of graphic novels in recent years, and hearing about this ChristFic sci-fi story intrigued me from the start.

One of my favorite aspects of the art form occurs when the dialogue takes a backseat for a while as the images alone tell you everything you need to know for a few beats. The emotion this author conveys through artwork may be what I enjoyed most about this read. Besides that, when I hear myself say “daaaang” or “aw, shoot!” out loud at a particular twist or turn, I know I’m into it, and I also get a kick out of adding my own sound effects during the fight scenes in a novel like this. (Uh, yeah. I actually do that.)

Now, although the concept of the story kept me interested, the development had a rushed and choppy feel to me at times. I found some of the action panels to be unclear about what was happening, so I likely missed parts of the story here and there. I was also a little distracted by some missing apostrophes, commas, and periods in the dialogue. (Granted, the advance copy I read might have been a little different from the published version.)

Nevertheless, this first graphic novel from Jabouin leaves room for more to come, so I’ll be interested in seeing what may be next.

Danger in the Canyon by A.T. Butler

Book reviews are subjective. I tend to rate books not according to how “perfect” they are, seem to be, or are said to be in general but rather to how perfect they are to me.

Danger in the Canyon: A Western Novella by A.T. Butler

My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Jacob always preferred to take in his targets alive, but if Corker wanted a fight, he would get one.

Bounty hunter Jacob Payne is tracking a bank robber through the Arizona desert, but the outlaw himself may not prove to be the biggest threat to Jacob out here. The heat is intense, water is scarce—and not to mention hazards like rattlesnakes and falling rocks in Danger in the Canyon by author A.T. Butler.

After enjoying the first Western novella (well, novelette) in this series, I looked forward to taking a break with the next one. I’ll admit I didn’t enjoy this one as much as the first, as Jacob spends most of this story alone, trekking through the desert. Stories about traveling and surviving in nature without much dialogue tend not to be my favorites, and it does get a bit corny when the narrator blatantly praises Payne’s abilities, here.

Still, this is a quick, profanity-free read with some grit and Western flavor, and I plan on trying at least one more book in the series.

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Here’s my review of Book One in the series, Trouble By Any Name.

Trouble By Any Name by A.T. Butler

Book reviews are subjective. I tend to rate books not according to how “perfect” they are, seem to be, or are said to be in general but rather to how perfect they are to me.

Trouble By Any Name: A Western Novella by A.T. Butler

My rating: 4 of 5 stars

The new sheriff of San Adrian is ruling the town with an iron fist. But what his deputies and the nervous townsfolk don’t know is that the man posing as sheriff is a man on the run from the law, wanted for the murder of his wife. It’s up to bounty hunter Jacob Payne to expose the outlaw for who he is in Trouble By Any Name by author A.T. Butler.

Yup. I had a hankerin’ to read me a Western.

Yup. Jacob Payne’s story gets violent at the climax. Even so, I found it to be the easy and unsurprising but entertaining read I needed for some relaxation. The pace is good for its novella (or novelette) length, like an episode of a TV show instead of a movie. There’s a vague point or two where the story would make more sense with a little explanation, but it isn’t the biggest deal. Some mild colorful language pops up here and there, but there’s nothing R-rated.

Now, the style does get to be a bit much in places where the drama heightens, with the men’s glaring and growling and such, but the read wasn’t too corny for me overall. There are also a few errors (such as the word “snuggly” where it should say “snugly,” and a couple of places where the author gets the characters’ names/identities mixed up), but I was only mildly distracted by that.

Yup. I intend to read more in the Jacob Payne, Bounty Hunter series.

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Here’s my review of the next book in the series, Danger in the Canyon.