Harmony Kent's Blog, page 4
November 27, 2023
#NewBook: The Edge of Too Late by Jan Sikes @JanSikes3 #ghostsuspense #actionadventureromance #harborpointeseries @StoryEmpire
Hi everyone! I hope you’re all doing well.
Today, I’m delighted to announce the release of the fifth book in the Harbor Pointe Series: The Edge of Too Late. I’ve read every novella in the series, and I love them all! You can find the series HERE.
My Review:
A fun, tension-filled read with a touch of the supernatural
This entertaining novella from Jan Sikes has it all: Romance, ghosts, a crazy man, a dangerous womaniser, and lots of tension in the midst of a beguiling, beautiful setting.
The story starts out with a deceptively slow pace and allows the tension to mount gradually until it explodes in the last 30% of the book. And the narrative is full of wonderfully descriptive writing, which pulls you right in to the read. Below are a couple of lines that stood out for me …
‘When she pressed the shutter button, the doe raised her head and froze, leaves dangling from her mouth.’ … This detailed description brings the scene alive so well, and I loved it.
And …
‘He’d never been so desperate for news. Nor so fearful of it.’ … One of the best descriptions of fear and angst, which shows rather than tells the emotional turmoil of the character.
While this story contains violence, most of it happens off page, thus making this a fun, tension-filled read with a touch of the supernatural, and a young couple in love, without being at all traumatic. This is a gripping tale that has something for everyone, and it gets 5 stars from me, which means it’s good enough to lure any reader into pulling an all-nighter to finish it. Go and buy this book! And while you’re at it, check out other works by the versatile Jan Sikes.
***
NOTE ON RATINGS: I consider a 3-star rating a positive review. Picky about which books I give 5 stars to, I reserve this highest rating for the stories I find stunning and which moved me.
5 STARS: IT WAS AMAZING! I COULD NOT PUT IT DOWN! — Highly Recommended.
4 STARS: I WOULD PULL AN ALL-NIGHTER — Go read this book.
3 STARS: IT WAS GOOD! — An okay read. Didn’t love it. Didn’t hate it.
2 STARS: I MAY HAVE LIKED A FEW THINGS —Lacking in some areas: writing, characterisation, and/or problematic plot lines.
1 STAR: NOT MY CUP OF TEA —Lots of issues with this book.
Universal Purchase Link for The Edge of Too Late: https://mybook.to/TheEdgeofTooLateJSikes 
November 26, 2023
#NewBook: The Drau River Flows to Siberia: The Victims of Victory by Marina Osipova @marosikok #WWII #historicalfiction #Russia
Hi Everyone! I hope this finds you all well.
Today, I’m delighted to host a fellow author and friend, who has written a new book. I love all her books, and she never shies away from telling the truth about Russia and War. In her wonderful fiction, she always brings her characters and settings to vivid life. I haven’t reviewed this book yet, but I highly recommend it.
I owe Marina a huge apology, as I should have put up this post in early October, but, well … yep, life! 
And this author is so understanding and kind and has told me to post it whenever I can, so finally, here it is! Yay! 
Without further ado, I’ll let this lovely lady introduce herself and her writing …
Thank you very much, Harmony, for hosting me, and best greetings to your readers who visit your blog today. I’m honored to be invited by you and am thrilled to tell you about my newest book, The Drau River Flows to Siberia: The Victims of Victory.
It’s fantastic to have you here, Marina!
The story captures the hushed after-war events and actions conducted by Allies, which to this day many may not know about. I came to the subject by pure chance—stumbling upon a video on YouTube, titled Последняя тайна Второй мировой (The Last Secret of the Second World War). I was drawn to the theme instantly and couldn’t help but feel an urge to write about it.
In its core, it is a story of betrayal, tragedy, love and devotion, guilt, and survival.
I cannot expect my readers ‘to take delight’ in this novel; rather, to pain for its characters. The story is tragic. And yet, the first readers of my ARC agreed with me that stories like this must be told.
ABOUT THE BOOK:
February 4–11, 1945. Yalta, a resort town on the Crimean Peninsula, Soviet Union. The Big Three are posing for a camera. Franklin D. Roosevelt, Winston Churchill, and Joseph Stalin. All smiling. Stalin, his head is half a turn away from the other two. A shrewd smirk is hiding behind his walrus mustache. He seems to be pleased. Why wouldn’t he be? The Big Three signed the agreement that will shape the fate of Europe and . . .
In 1941, Anna is sixteen, almost an adult yet still a child, craving independence and keen to become an operetta actress. Her rosy aspirations are disrupted by the war. When Krasnodar is taken by the Wehrmacht, she is one of the populace who are ordered to repair roads for the occupants’ trucks and cars and, in fall, to toil in the fields for the sake of sending the harvest to the enemy’s land. A dire event coerces her to go to Germany where she is auctioned as a slave worker.
Born in Berlin into an émigré Cossack family, young Zakhary is more interested in books and archeology than in the war that is raging through Europe, even less in the cause of his parents and their friends, which is to overthrow the Bolshevik regime in the Soviet Union and revert to Imperial Russia. He just doesn’t want to be a part of it. That is, until he finds himself among the Cossacks fighting alongside the Germans against the Allies.
In Italy, he meets Marishka, a young woman of Cossack heritage who fled the Soviet Union with other anti-Soviet Cossacks and departing German troops under the push of the Red Army. They fall in love and marry. And then, on June 1, 1945, Lienz happened.
After the war, a ghastly fate propels each of them to the merciless land where skies are leaden gray, frosts plunge below -60°C in winter, and the woods are impenetrable and so vast, there is no escape from there.
Anna and Zakhary carry with them their personal wounds, at the same time haunted by unbearable guilt, which they can’t undo or fix. In 1955, fate brings them together on an isolated peninsula of the Ob River, connected to one another in inextricably entangled ways they do not yet realize. More than a decade later, can they bury the cruel past and build a future for themselves in the country without Stalin but sealed behind the Iron Curtain?
This is their story, relived in one day.
EXCERPT:
The outside was full of sounds: sheep bleating, painfully, as though calling for help, but that’s how they always wailed, as though complaining. A croak of a crow was answered by another one. A distant roar of airplanes. There will be more bombings, she thought. Her ears registered the same cacophony of sounds. Now it must be safe to go, she assured herself and took a step to the gate. She moved the latch up and pushed against the gate leaf. It didn’t succumb to her effort. She put her shoulder to it to nudge it open. To no avail.
Panic came with the smell of burning. And then she saw it! From the left corner of the barn, where she knew was a broad chink between the planks, the fire, crackling, was making its way to the main haystack. For a moment, she didn’t know how long she stood there, paralyzed, staring at the merry tongues of flames making their way up and to the sides of the stack. She threw herself at the gate, pounding on it and screaming at the top of her lungs, “Hilfe!—Help!”
“Verdammte Partisanen! Brenn in der Hölle!—Damned partisans! Burn in hell!” A demonic laugh assaulted her ears.
She pulled her apron off and started fighting the fire, yet the spurts of flame, finding dry hay, playfully went on devouring it.
“Hilfe!” Anna screamed again, comprehending the helplessness of her situation. Frau and Sebastian in the house, Herr in the fields, no one will hear my plea. Her lungs protesting the rising heat, she pressed against the wall to gain some air through the many but narrow chinks. She started choking, which unleashed with it a horrible memory. That’s how they felt, those people—women, children, and the elderly—when the Einsatzgruppe corralled them inside the church during the service and, latching the doors, set it on fire. Those flamethrowers! They spewed the long tongues of fire through the windows, at the wooden walls of the place of God. Being a witness to it, she could hear the screaming and banging on the doors that would stay with her forever. The horror of that event was now hers. In reality. Happening to her.
What saved her then? Only the fact that she was raised an atheist and had never attended a church service.
She gasped for air. The next instant . . .
ABOUT THE AUTHOR:
Marina Osipova was born in East Germany into a military family and grew up in Russia, where she graduated from the Moscow State Institute of History and Archives. When she was five, she decided she wanted to speak German and, years later, she earned a diploma as a German language translator from the Moscow State Institute of Foreign Languages. In Russia, she worked first in a scientific-technical institute as a translator, then in a Government Ministry in the office of international relations, later for some Austrian firms. For many years, she lived in New York, working in a law firm, and then in Austria for several years. In the spring of 2022, after spending ten months in Russia, some unfortunate world events brought her back to the United States.
A long-standing member of the Historical Novel Society, she is dedicated to writing historical fiction, especially related to WWII. Her books garnered numerous literary awards, including a 1st Place WINNER of the 2021 Hemingway Book Awards novel competition for 20th Century Wartime Fiction (a division of the Chanticleer International Book Awards). At some point or another, all her books hit the Amazon Top 100 lists in Historical Russian Fiction and Historical German Fiction and How Dare the Birds Sing even #1 or #2 in War Fiction in Canada, the UK, and Australia.
Her readers praise her books for “emotional realism,” for “taking on a subject that few authors have touched,” for “writing with heart and compassion while not holding back from hard cold realities of war,” for “giving an authentic and in-depth look at a culture that tends to baffle westerners.”
To learn more about Marina Osipova and her captivating books, visit her website at https://www. marina-osipova.com.
You can find her also on
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/marina.osipova.14/
Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/4701687.Marina_Osipova
Twitter: https://twitter.com/marosikok
Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/marina-osipova-65b81418/
Bookbub: bookbub.com/authors/marina-osipova
I hope you’ve all enjoyed meeting Marina and learning about her latest book.
Seriously, if you haven’t yet read any of her books, I can’t recommend them highly enough to you!
Thanks for stopping by and supporting Marina and myself. We both appreciate you all so much. Hugs 
November 13, 2023
#NewBook: The Seas of Time by D Wallace Peach @Dwallacepeach #timetravel #comingofage #harborpointeseries @StoryEmpire
Hi everyone! I hope you’re all doing well.
Today, I’m delighted to announce the release of the fourth book in the Harbor Pointe Series: The Destination. I’ve read every novella in the series, and I love them all! You can find the series HERE.
My Review:
A story you live rather than merely read
Our ability to reach unity in diversity
will be the beauty and test
of our civilization
~Mahatma Gandhi
Wonderful opening quote, which sets the tone perfectly.
The book opens in 1858, where a great wrong occurs. The next chapter takes the reader into the turmoil of 1972, where racial and gender prejudice remains rife despite the 114 years interval.
A feisty young woman of colour takes a summer break to attempt to find some direction in her life, other than constant protests and a useless history course that seems irrelevant amidst the social upheaval all around. Her aunt and uncle offer her the use of the Harbor Pointe Inn while they go away, and here she meets Greg. Immediately, sparks fly, and not of the romantic kind. One thing leads to another, and the modern fight merges with that of a century prior. Friendships form and attitudes shift.
As with all of D Wallace Peach’s books, the writing is superb with beautiful and evocative phrasing, which pulls in all of the reader’s senses so that one lives the story rather than merely reads it. Below are some lines I adored …
‘The iron hands of oppression bore down on his shoulders, heavier than the black wings of death.’
And …
‘With the lighthouse a short walk away, the place belonged on a calendar, and it often was.’
And …
‘It looked unchanged from a century before—the bluff sheer and dappled with bird crap, gulls wheeling overhead, the swells rising and falling, and the surf polishing billions of pebbles and grains of sand.’
And …
‘“… starving artists are real things.” |“So are starving carpenters.”’ … lols! This shows the wonderful banter between the all-too real characters as well as the humour which weaves throughout this fantastic narrative.
One final line, because I love this mind-bending time-loop stuff … ‘If you hadn’t gone back in time to change his future, you might not exist to go back in time and change his future.’
If you haven’t guessed already from my gushing, I give a solid five stars to The Seas of Time by D Wallace Peach, who is one of my auto-buy authors, and whose back catalogue I seriously need to devour. If I could give this wonderful novella ten stars, I’d do it in a heartbeat. With racial and gender prejudice mixed and melded with the perils of seafaring and gods and demons, along with a strong female main character, you’ll love this read. Go and buy this book!
***
NOTE ON RATINGS: I consider a 3-star rating a positive review. Picky about which books I give 5 stars to, I reserve this highest rating for the stories I find stunning and which moved me.
5 STARS: IT WAS AMAZING! I COULD NOT PUT IT DOWN! — Highly Recommended.
4 STARS: I WOULD PULL AN ALL-NIGHTER — Go read this book.
3 STARS: IT WAS GOOD! — An okay read. Didn’t love it. Didn’t hate it.
2 STARS: I MAY HAVE LIKED A FEW THINGS —Lacking in some areas: writing, characterisation, and/or problematic plot lines.
1 STAR: NOT MY CUP OF TEA —Lots of issues with this book.
Universal Purchase Link for The Seas of Time: https://mybook.to/TheSeasofTimeDWPeach
October 31, 2023
Health update #covid #bronchitis #asthma and #BadMoonRising The Room at the End (Harbor Pointe #8) by Harmony Kent #thriller #suspense #ghost
Hi everyone!
Sorry I’ve been so absent.
I caught the lovely Covid from dear hubby. Tested positive on Saturday but began feeling unwell on Friday.
I needed first responders and two emergency ambulances over three days. Happily I avoided hospital … a very narrow escape yesterday morning when at my worst. The emergency services telephone operator stayed on the line yesterday and kept my breathing going with excellent help and advice until the crew arrived 
It turns out that as well as Covid, I have a bronchial infection (a nasty one), and as you’d expect, a big exacerbation of my asthma, all on top of the Fibromyalgia!
The good news is that today I feel like I’ve turned the corner! 
As much as I’d love to, I can’t possibly catch up but will have to start from scratch as soon as I feel stronger.
I’ve missed you all and look forward to getting back into the swing of things as soon as possible!
Teri Polen was kind enough to post my Bad Moon Rising for me even though she knew I couldn’t get to the wonderful comments then. I’m going to attempt that now . If you missed that fun, our post is HERE.
I’ve left comments open here so you can chat, but please don’t feel obligated to comment about Bad Moon Rising here as well as at Teri’s place.
Love, hugs, and much gratitude, Harmony! 
October 30, 2023
#NewBook: The Destination by D L Finn @dlfinnauthor #historicalfiction #metaphysical #visionary #harborpointeseries @StoryEmpire
Hi everyone! I hope you’re all doing well.
Today, I’m delighted to announce the release of the third book in the Harbor Pointe Series: The Destination. I’ve read every novella in the series, and I love them all! You can find the series HERE.
My Review:
This read evokes so many emotions, so you’re laughing one minute and on the edge of your seat the next!
‘Annie watched helplessly as evil exited the beautiful redwood forest in predator mode.’ … This opening line grabbed my whole focus immediately, and continued to hold me captive right up until the end. The banter between the two best friends is natural and humorous, and I fell in love with them straight away. I love that some favourite characters from The Gift by G M Plano—book 3 in the Harbor Pointe Series—make a cameo appearance here. Below are some lines I enjoyed …
‘What good was it for her to know things and not be able to do anything about them?’ … Oh, the frustration evident in these few words.
And …
‘Sandy’s throat tightened as she pushed down the hidden simmering rebellion with the cold coffee.’
And …
‘… her moment to take in all she had lost before she embraced all she had gained.’
And, one final line …
‘Sometimes we can’t stop evil, as much as we’d like to.’
If you enjoy a cosy mystery with a serial killer and benevolent ghosts you’ll love The Destination, which gets five stars from me. Honestly, go and read this book!
***
NOTE ON RATINGS: I consider a 3-star rating a positive review. Picky about which books I give 5 stars to, I reserve this highest rating for the stories I find stunning and which moved me.
5 STARS: IT WAS AMAZING! I COULD NOT PUT IT DOWN! — Highly Recommended.
4 STARS: I WOULD PULL AN ALL-NIGHTER — Go read this book.
3 STARS: IT WAS GOOD! — An okay read. Didn’t love it. Didn’t hate it.
2 STARS: I MAY HAVE LIKED A FEW THINGS —Lacking in some areas: writing, characterisation, and/or problematic plot lines.
1 STAR: NOT MY CUP OF TEA —Lots of issues with this book.
Universal Purchase Link for The Destination: https://mybook.to/TheDestinationbyDLFinn
October 26, 2023
#BadMoonRising is here! Day 26: The Seas of Time (Harbor Pointe 4) by D. Wallace Peach #novella #fantasy #timetravel @TPolen6 @Dwallacepeach
Hi everyone! It’s October, which means it’s a whole month of Bad Moon Rising! You can find this paranormal fun-filled fest over at Teri Polen’s place … HERE
My husband has Covid, I’m doing what I can alone, so if I go offline and miss the rest of these, you’ll have an idea why. I’ll do my best to keep you posted
I’ve closed comments so you only have to reply at Teri’s
Enjoy!
October 25, 2023
#BadMoonRising is here! Day 25: The Edge of Too Late (Harbor Pointe 5) by Jan Sikes #ghost #paranormal #suspense @TPolen6 @JanSikes3
Hi everyone! It’s October, which means it’s a whole month of Bad Moon Rising! You can find this paranormal fun-filled fest over at Teri Polen’s place … HERE
I’ve closed comments so you only have to reply at Teri’s
Enjoy!
October 24, 2023
#BadMoonRising is here! Day 24: The BEK Curse by Jonathan Pongratz #horror #novella #thriller @TPolen6
Hi everyone! It’s October, which means it’s a whole month of Bad Moon Rising! You can find this paranormal fun-filled fest over at Teri Polen’s place … HERE
I’ve closed comments so you only have to reply at Teri’s
Enjoy!
October 23, 2023
#BookReviews: Goodbye Old Paint (The Hat #7) by C.S. Boyack @Virgilante and Deep in the Forest Where Poetry Blooms: Just Her Poetry Book Two by D.L. Finn @dlfinnauthor #Fiction #GoodReads #Kindle
Hi everyone. Today I have two book reviews for you by authors who are some of my faves: C S Boyack and D L Finn Here are my reviews >>>
About the Book:
Lizzie and the hat haven’t been as careful as they think. When the FBI comes knocking, they know all about their nighttime pursuits.
Who even knew we had a Geospatial Intelligence Agency? This obscure part of the intelligence community has a problem that requires a special skillset. Lizzie and the hat are tasked with ridding the intelligence server farm of a gremlin infestation. They’re ill prepared for this one, because .357 magnum revolvers are designed to deal with larger and hairier problems.
The Feds aren’t giving Lizzie much chance to weasel out of the assignment, and they reluctantly accept the job. Lizzie faces some unique trials and has to make new friends to get through the assignment, and avoid a debilitating curse at the same time.
It’s been a hard road for Lizzie during this series, and she’s due for a couple of small upgrades. These are solo titles in a larger series, and you should be able to read any individual one without feeling lost. The series is dark humor at its base, but this one tends a little more toward the humor.
My Review:
A fun, entertaining, and thoroughly enjoyable read
Though I haven’t read all the books of this series, and often the one’s I have read aren’t in order, I enjoy each and every one. While this is book 7 of The Hat series, it works well as a stand alone novel. I’m sure I would have had much fun with revisiting old characters and other shenanigans had I read all of them, but still this book stands out on its own.
I love the story premise of a Government Agency having a problem with Gremlins. I’ll say no more on that to avoid spoilers.
Here are some lines/paragraphs I loved …
‘“Our weapons are unsuited to this job, but we have to do it anyway. It’s like cleaning your bathroom with a fork. Good for what it’s intended for, but not much else.”’
And …
‘The glop slowly reversed course, like a slug making an about-face. “What the hell is that?” the hat asked. “My sourdough starter. I just fed him, so he’s feeling frisky.”’I found this so hilarious and freaking inventive!
And …
‘”I’m nice, see. I’m practically smiling.” He curled his brim upward.’
For pure entertainment value and lots of laughs and imaginative quirks, Goodbye Old Paintgets 5 stars from me. If you love a quick, fun read, then this book is for you!
About the Book:
Embark on a captivating journey with D. L. Finn as she guides you through the intricate landscapes of free verse and symbolic poetry. Hike with her through the magical forest, feel the wind on your face riding on the back of a Harley, or bask on the warm Hawaiian shores. Her search for life’s magic invites the reader to traverse through the four seasons in part one. Emotions, observations, and stories weave through part two’s texture. Whether the words explore a sunset, healing, or magic, each poem flows through moments where poetry blooms.
My Review:
A captivating collection of poetry to take you through forest, the ocean’s depths, & riding a Harley
So many of these poems touched me. Some are full of sadness, others hope, and yet more are on the fun, whimsical side of life, but all enjoyable. So many stood out for me, it’s difficult to highlight just a few. Here are some of the titles of these wonderful poems:
Safe, Muses, Peek, Gratitude, Encounter, Oak Branch, Puddles, Emerging, The Beginning, My Magic, Goodbye, Life’s Song, and–finally, but not all,–As the Sun Sets. Such a short list from a most enticing selection. Below are a few lines that struck me in particular:
‘FROM GRATITUDE: My strawberry plants stretch out like a slow summer yawn.’
And
‘FROM OAK BRANCH: The tree branch dangles like a child’s loose tooth.’
And
FROM AS THE SUN SETS: … nature’s artistry |awakens my stagnant soul | inspiration flows
It pains me to stop there. You have to read this book. Then read it again. And then some more. Honestly, this is a collection of poems to revisit and dip into as each season assaults or inspires. Deep in the Forest Where Poetry Blooms gets a solid five stars from me.
***
NOTE ON RATINGS: I consider a 3-star rating a positive review. Picky about which books I give 5 stars to, I reserve this highest rating for the stories I find stunning and which moved me.
5 STARS: IT WAS AMAZING! I COULD NOT PUT IT DOWN! — Highly Recommended.
4 STARS: I WOULD PULL AN ALL-NIGHTER — Go read this book.
3 STARS: IT WAS GOOD! — An okay read. Didn’t love it. Didn’t hate it.
2 STARS: I MAY HAVE LIKED A FEW THINGS —Lacking in some areas: writing, characterisation, and/or problematic plot lines.
1 STAR: NOT MY CUP OF TEA —Lots of issues with this book.
Goodbye Old Paint: a-fwd.com/asin=B076VWBYGZ
Deep in the Forest Where Poetry Blooms: a-fwd.com/asin=B076VWBYGZ
I’d love to hear what you think of these reviews. Thanks for stopping by
***Due to limited energy and time, I will be taking a break from publishing review posts for the foreseeable future. Thank you for following my reviews all this time! Now and then, I will post a review for any authors in my online circle, but won’t be reviewing traditionally published books. I’ll pop in from time to time with updates and teasers on my planned projects. Hugs, Harmony
The post #BookReviews: Goodbye Old Paint (The Hat #7) by C.S. Boyack @Virgilante and Deep in the Forest Where Poetry Blooms: Just Her Poetry Book Two by D.L. Finn @dlfinnauthor #Fiction #GoodReads #Kindle first appeared on Welcome to Harmony Kent Online.
#BadMoonRising is here! Days 22 & 23: Killing the Butterfly by Dale Ward #thriller #suspense and Infected (SFV-1 Book 1) by Terry Tyler #psychologicalthriller #dystopian @TPolen6 @ DWardMedia @TerryTyler4
Hi everyone! It’s October, which means it’s a whole month of Bad Moon Rising! You can find this paranormal fun-filled fest over at Teri Polen’s place … Day 22 HERE and Day 23 HERE
I’ve closed comments so you only have to reply at Teri’s
Enjoy!
