Matt McAvoy Book Review

Having read and enjoyed the first in the War Torn series by Jan Lloyd – an excellent book, I should add – I was looking forward to this, the second, and had high hopes.  It did feel, and forgive the cliché, a little like revisiting old acquaintances to see how they’re getting on.  This offering wasn’t quite up there with its predecessor, but matching it would have been no mean feat.  To be honest, this one didn’t have the same exciting, dramatic story arc; which is not surprising, ...

This interesting and particularly eloquent book throws you a huge curveball, not once but three times.  By the title alone, I was expecting a young-adult sci-fi fantasy.  By three-quarters of the way through, however, this assumption had changed, as Seeker of the Secret then seemed to have taken a more spiritual turn, toward a troubled soul’s journey toward self-enlightenment, following tragedy in her life.  But then, in the final quarter, the book swerved off into an entirely different dir...

This is a truly beautiful book, epic and grand in scale.  Alan Lessik writes in melodic and lyrical style, telling a sweeping tale of love between the world wars, how ordinary people’s lives were so disrupted by the collapse of relations between nations, and indeed how a peace-loving man finds himself tested at every turn, by global events and tragic ones in his own life.

This is much more than simple LGBT romance, and it would be tremendously unfair to categorize it exclusively as such.  ...

Although long and very wordy, this book was actually a great deal more enjoyable to read than it might have been.  A very simple tale with a basic, linear premise: two ancient souls separated by different paths, but the forbidden love between them is eternal – even if one of them doesn’t yet know it.  Other than this, there isn’t really much more of a story arc – and, in fact, that’s a good thing.  The author rather prefers to concentrate on the emotions, expertly crafting the two p...

More of the same from the immensely capable Gary McAvoy, quite simply one of the most prolific writers it has ever been my good fortune to review.  If you haven’t read Gary’s work before, you’ve missed a treat, and you are strongly advised to go back to the beginning of this long-running saga and get to know the characters from their first case together.  The author is the real star of this series.  His writing is eloquent and intelligent, his narrative craftwork flawless.  He researche...

Something of a mixed bag for me, this chaotic comedy of errors and enlightenment.  On the one hand, I’m a big fan of (the awesomely named) Merlin Franco, and I love his intelligent, insightful and wit-laden writing style; on the other, I wasn’t keen on this particular tale, which I would describe as a fictional travel memoir.  I would say this is one for its audience – and a good one at that, which perhaps may not be clearly reflected in my writing; fans of this book will surely be thos...

It isn’t often I throw superlatives around, but I think it is fair to describe this book as something of an epic – and it is very, very good.  Nor is it common for me to be crying out for a sequel, but having reached the end of this, I would love to see one, to see characters reunited.  I’ll try not to spoil anything; suffice to say that the premise concerns three young, orphaned siblings, although beyond a certain point the readers only get to follow two of them.  The end is left perfe...

I’m in two minds about this book by Christopher Lude.  Whilst on the one hand it is exceptionally well written and presented, and at times offers traces of poignancy, it also felt on the other to be something of a whimsical look at a particularly emotive subject, and one of huge controversy, particular in God-fearing countries like the States.  It took me a while to come to the conclusion that this book is entirely fictional, as its introduction does appear to suggest otherwise; I am theref...

I like to review every type of book, and that includes children’s books sometimes.  I had a few minutes to spare so decided to read How To Fix The Smile Of A Crocodile, having been asked to take a look by author Rebecca Kurien.  It’s a lovely book, as these educational books for toddlers usually are.  A particularly professionally packaged production, it is colourful and jammed to full bleed with beautiful illustrations throughout – your 3- to 4-year-old will love it.  They’ll learn a...

It’s always nice to read a book which has a slightly different character edge to it, and the more realistic the better, I think.  This is particularly satisfying when applied to a common, standard premise.  That pretty much describes Will Chisholm, the hero of B.C. Howard’s Sexy Erotic Lingerie.  It is an otherwise formulaic noir action thriller, perhaps with more focus on plot development than actual action; the character twist in this case being that the primary protagonist is addicted ...

I enjoyed this genre-hopping, seafaring tale.  I couldn’t work out why Unfurling the Sails needed to be set in the future, and it wasn’t until quite late in the book that I started to realize it might have been part of a series.  This wasn’t an issue as such, as it does stand alone quite comfortably, and for a refreshing change also actually rounds itself up quite nicely – far too many books I read leave open endings without warning, and it’s fast becoming one of my pet hates.  But ...

The romance genre covers a range of different styles and sub-genres, such as the sweeping, epic drama style, the steamy suspense thriller style, the pure erotica style and the Hollywood gloss fantasy style.  This is predominantly the latter, although it isn’t located in the superficial setting of Jackie Collins books.  The two primary protagonists are hugely talented and, of course, irresistibly gorgeous artists, at the top of their game, mixing with the very best of the set.  Naturally, ev...

I review plenty of these self-actualization type of self-help books, and am surprisingly something of a fan.  They are usually pretty well written and presented, and generally they work.  Whether that’s a placebo effect or not I don’t think matters; the whole point is that positive mental attitude can have a material and physical effect on you in the real world.  This book is another of the same – maybe not the best I’ve read, but like all of them it means well, and the author truly b...

The second instalment in Irene Edwards’s Magic Islands series of books for 8-12-year-old children, and I have to say that, in my opinion, this is something of an altogether slightly darker offering – not so much in its content, but rather the environmental message.  In the first book, the message was clear: we should care for and respect our oceans; but in Chaos in the Cosmos, the world is literally burned by those mean Purple Wizards, who have accelerated global warming in revenge for th...

This is the first in the Magic Islands series of books from Welsh author Irene Edwards, and it is something of a treat.  These are charming books for younger kids, I’d say from the eight to twelve age range, and the series gets off to a promising start with this exciting tale combining light-hearted magical fantasy with an important environmental message.  There may be some people who say why does this always have to be the case; why can’t we just allow kids to be kids without always tell...

On the surface, this is your usual, run-of-the-mill biography of an undeniably quite amazing career air-force soldier.  But when reading you find it is actually more than that – far more.  In fact, the life story of World War Two bomber pilot Colonel Harold McNeese, known to all as Mac, is a relatively very small part of this book, which rather seems to deliver two narratives simultaneously.  Whilst the opening chapters and the final third delves more intimately into Mac’s life, the large...

Something of a surprise, this wholesome and kind-hearted parable, about a family who are heavy on love, but light on shared goal or direction.  Written by husband-and-wife team of writers and spiritual family therapists, Derek and Amy Weichel, I would guess it was probably composed as a sidenote accompaniment to their day-to-day work.  For those readers of a Christian faith who, like the (semi?) fictional Richardson family in this book, feel their family has lost its way a little, it is somet...

This is a quirky little novella, which amounts to really only an hour or two of reading time, but it is a fun way to fill a couple of lunch breaks, a quiet evening or a day or two’s commute – though, if the latter, then you might want to practice a little discretion, and make sure nobody is sneaking a peek over your shoulder, as some of it is quite explicit, with some pretty graphic descriptions of the more adventurous of sexual tastes.  But don’t think this book is about pure titillati...

I’m a big fan of art in all its forms, and this book is indeed what one would call modern art.  Metaphorical and subliminal throughout, Helen Cova doesn’t so much write, she purges.  There are many hidden messages in these short narratives, none less than the recurrent metaphor itself, and you wonder how much of the content in this book is therapy for its author.  Indeed, Helen says as much in her book’s preface, that the somewhat bizarrely chosen title – Autosarcophagy: To Eat Onesel...

Slow-burning, cerebral drama isn’t everyone’s cup of tea, but I have to say that author Karen Jewell really lives up to her name with this sublimely atmospheric piece; it’s a gem.  Set in the southern states of depression-era America, it is appropriately melancholy, and so it should be, with its grim subject matter of a rural farming couple watching their marriage fall apart following the death of their son in the first world war.  Bleak and moody, you wouldn’t think there was a great...

This is a superb book, and Lance Wilkins is an exceptional writer.  He has a use of syntax and a writing style which are utterly engaging and wonderfully endearing, and I found myself gripped from start to finish.  Caught in the Crossfire is, in some ways, a very simple tale of a rescue mission, though it is not really the story itself which is the real point of this book; that is simply a three-act mechanism to craft this world Lance brings us into – which he does flawlessly; you feel ever...

The “indelibles” referred to in this book title are ten people who have left an indelible impression on the author.  Each chapter in this book is dedicated to summarizing the story of one of these people, what they are well-known for (or some not so well known), and how their story has affected Philip, to the extent that they will always be remembered as remarkably important in his life and development.  Most of us will probably have a similar list of people we can point to and thank (or ...

I liked this book by Brock Rivers – I liked it quite a lot in fact, but to a point.  The truth is that I thought it might go much more epic than it did.  That said, it is fun, enjoyable, and very pleasingly crosses the genres of sci-fi, action and historical adventure.  With an interwoven dual-timeline narrative, there are two tales being simultaneously told five hundred years apart, though the focus is very much on the “present day” one – “present day” in this case actually being...

I’ve read many from my namesake Gary McAvoy, and generally always know what to expect from his work: excellent action fiction with a theological historical angle, incredible research and in-depth procedural detail.  Of course, this is more of the same, but if I’m to be totally honest, I would have to admit this is probably not my favourite from him to date – in fact, I would go as far as to say that I actually struggled quite a bit keeping engaged with this one, and somewhere around the...

M.K. Nielsen’s book can be described in many ways, and it is likely reviewers will all have their own choice of adjectives, but one thing which is unambiguous and not in doubt, across the board, is that it is a real work of excellent quality.  Even better, it is that rare thing: a gripping fiction book in which the reader genuinely doesn’t know what is going to happen next.  The story itself, to be honest, is a very simple one; the book is perhaps more literary or metaphorical than a form...

I’ll have to be harshly frank here, but in truth I really found this book a little of a struggle.  Not that it isn’t very good and Hayden is not a tremendously experienced, talented and articulate author – he absolutely is; the problem for me was that I just didn’t quite get into it from the outset, and was then playing catch-up for the whole duration of the book.  The story is a tangled one, with an ensemble cast, and in honest I was pretty lost throughout; the disappointing fact is ...

Whilst there is nothing new or unique about this type of trivia book, that is not to say they aren’t very good, and this one is a cracker, filled with humour and genuinely fun, interesting facts – my personal favourite is a town called Hell in Scandinavia, which literally freezes over every year (I won’t spoil any more).  These books are genuine achievements in two respects: first, the sheer amount of work that goes into them, and second, a conscious concern of the author, I’m sure, t...