"Magic Born" by Rayanne Haines

Publisher: Macedon, New York : Soul Mate Publishing, [2018]
Copyright Date: ©2018
ISBN: 9781682916759
Characteristics: 249 pages.

This is the second book of the Guardian Series (I reviewed the first - Magic Born last week). This novel is once again classified as romance, and I'm still no closer to figuring out what this really means, so I'll continue to call it a fantasy novel. This story was also well written, but I don't believe it is quite as good as the first, as the storyline is somewhat more confusing, and a number of additional characters are introduced that are both temporary and in my opinion not really crucial to the story.

This instalment revolves around the life of Maria Del Voscova who is a powerful witch, and during the story her past life is revealed to the others (Alex, Collum, Neeren and others) whether she likes it or not. Her life is quite messed up, as is her family, and her adventures reveal this throughout the book. In some ways though I felt that the strangeness of her family was a bit too much, and that this made the plot suffer a little in that it was presented too quickly.

The third book in the series "Air Born" has yet to be released.

"Fire Born" by Rayanne Haines

Publisher:Macedon, New York : Soul Mate Publishing, [2017]
Copyright Date:©2017
ISBN:9781682915387
Characteristics: 249 pages ;,21 cm

According to the book jacket this novel is classified as a romance, I'm not exactly sure how they came up with this as I would have put it squarely into the fantasy genre. But it doesn't really matter what you classify it as, as it is a very well written story that definitely keeps you turning the pages.

The story revolves around a young lady Alex Taleisin who as it turns out has the rather spectacular power of being able to control fire, in fact she is a fire elemental. In addition she is the long-lost daughter of a fierce female warrior, is protected by a dragon, and aided by a witch who dresses in clothes (from Holt Renfrew) that make all the men's heads turn.

There are quite a number of funny moments in this book when you consider the interactions between the various characters, but there is also a fair bit of stress as not only is Alex falling in love with her dragon guardian (he shape shifts in case you are wondering), but she also meets up with her grandfather who depending on how you look at things may be the wisest of them all, or a few cards short of a full deck.

All in all a very good story, and I'm looking forward to the second book in the series "Magic Born".

"The Light of Day" by Eric Amber (1909-1998)

Publisher:New York: A. Knopf [1962]
Copyright Date:©1962
Characteristics: 219 pages: maps

This novel is one of many by Eric Ambler who was a celebrated suspense novelist, and tells the tale of a jewelry heist from the National Museum in Istanbul in Turkey. In it not only do you get a well rounded story, but a bit of a history lesson as well, which was another of Mr. Ambler's trademarks as he was known for do a lot of research forms books (most of it in person from what I understand).

The novel was the winner of the Edgar Award in 1964 and tells the story of one Arthur Simpson an out-of-luck con man, who is hired to drive a car across the Turkish border from Greece. Seems quite a simple job, but unbeknownst to him the car is being used to smuggle weapons. This story is told in first person by Simpson who upon discovery of the weapons becomes an unwilling "agent" for the Turkish Secret Police - a role he was forced into due to various circumstances and subsequently an even more unwilling accomplice in the robbery.

This book inspired the 1964 movie "Topkapi" which starred Peter Ustinov, Maximilian Schell & Melina Mercouri and unlike many movie adaptions, this one actually stays quite close to the story as Mr. Ambler wrote it. True they did change some things, but not nearly as much as they do now-a-days.

The characters in the movie are fairly true to those in the book as well, but not as close as they could be which is somewhat typical of Hollywood (even in the 60's). The Arthur Simpson character as played by Peter Ustinov is a lot of fun to watch, and could considered to be one of his better performances (at least in my opinion).

"Loot for the Taking" by Don Levers

Publisher:[Victoria, British Columbia] : Tellwell, [2017]
Copyright Date:©2017
ISBN: 9781773027142
Characteristics: 297 pages

"Loot for the Taking" revolves around the real life robbery in 1977 of the Vancouver Safety Deposit Vault in Vancouver, British Columbia. It tells the tale of four average friends who decide to rob the vault of a fortune in money, jewels, and bonds.

The author has produced a cohesive story that is extremely well written, and keeps you reading to the very end. The characters are intricately developed, and their motivations are believable. The explaination of how the robbery was carried out is very detailed, and gives the story a life of it own that keeps you turning the pages.

Historical fiction is a growing genre, that more authors should investigate, as the rewards are substantial. These include such a thing as a targeted audience, which is something very few other genres can boast. On the down side of this genre there is the research that the author has to do to support the story, which most authors are unwilling or unable to do. Mr. Levers has definitely succeeded in this and has produced a story that should delight all readers. In addition, his interweaving of the dream sequences was an interesting plot twist that definitely kept me interested.

The only thing I found missing in this novel - and it's a minor thing that likely only matters to very few readers - is the lack of a bibliography. As an author myself, when I read a historical fiction piece I frequently like to read more on the subject, and would have appreciated the reference material.

I'm very much looking forward to the next book by this author.