jbronderbookreviews

Listen for the Train by Rosa Sophie

Esther’s parents never approved of her, and her fear of people discovering she’s a lesbian has led to a solitary life. Living alone in an RV park in South Florida, sequestered from the world, Esther thinks she’ll never have to face the truth. Until the only woman she’s ever loved shows up on her doorstep in the middle of rainstorm.

To make matters worse, Esther’s cat, Petunia, mysteriously goes missing. While crossing the railroad tracks to search for her feline companion, Esther steps through a tear in the dimensional fabric. Her carefully constructed world is left behind, and what she discovers is far more than she bargained for…

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Author’s Bio

Rosa Sophia is the author of When I Dream of You (Limitless Publishing), Meet Me in the Garden (Limitless Publishing), Over the Ivy Wall (Sunshine Press), Orion Cross My Sky (Sunshine Press), The House Guest (Limitless Publishing), and A Siren for the Dead (Pagan Writers Press), her first science fiction novel. When she finds the time, she enjoys writing about automotive topics and history. Rosa currently resides in South Florida, where she lives in a cottage by the sea and spends a lot of time staring at palm trees and dreaming. She is also a crazy cat lady in training.

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My Review

4 Stars

Esther has retreated away from the world. She lives in a RV parks and essentially keeps to herself. Her cat Petunia is the only one that she has let into her life. One rainy night a former lover, Lily shows up on her door. Although this seems random, Lily knew about Esther’s whereabouts and she knows how Esther has a tendency to shut herself down. Lily is there to help Esther come back to the world.

But Esther has lost Petunia and is frantic to find her. She stumbles upon a strange man and finds Petunia. Esther is confused when she is told that she cannot take Petunia home with her. She then goes on a journey to both find herself and Petunia.

This is an interesting story following Esther and her journey to herself. She has locked away her true self because of those around her that didn’t approve of her lifestyle. She has let them control her life even after their death. It is heartbreaking to see someone that has almost been destroyed by those that were supposed to love her. But she is going to learn more about herself and how to live life instead of hiding away on this journey.

This is not one of my normal reads and I have to say that I was pleasantly surprised by this story. It’s so sad to see what Esther has done with herself yet it was a good story of growing and not letting others control you. This is definitely one story to check out.

I received Listen for the Train from Sage’s Book Tours for free. This has in no way influenced my opinion of the story.

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Refugees (Mud, Rocks, and Trees – 1) by RA Denny

“An epic journey of a lifetime.” That’s what three young individuals from three different corners of the world have dreamed about. They were destined for greatness since the moment they were born. But what if they don’t want it? What if they’re not ready? What if their desires no longer align with the prophecy?

The problem is, they have no choice. The star has appeared. Their destiny has already begun to unfold.

It’s not the send-off that they’ve been dreaming of. Forced out. Banished. Raided. This wasn’t how it was supposed to be. Now they must discover who they really are while embarking on the most exciting journey of their lives. One star. One impossible task. One chance to save the world they love.

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Author’s Bio

R.A. Denny is an ancient history buff with a law degree from Duke University. While working as a criminal prosecutor by day, she escaped by night to create the fantasy world of her Mud, Rocks, and Trees series.
R.A. Denny loves adventure, animals and history. She has travelled to the ancient rock city of Petra on horseback, flown through the jungles of Costa Rica on zip lines and visited the Great Pyramid on a camel. She lives in Delaware. As a child, she had two pet flying squirrels.

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My Review

5 stars

In this world of Mud, Rock, and Trees, there is a prophecy about a dead king rising and reclaiming his throne. To do so, three individuals from the different corners of the land must come together. Amanki, Brina, and Moshoi all want to grow and find their own places in the world. With the new star in the sky appears, the individuals and with their mentors, gather their belongings and start their journey to fulfill the prophecy. But tragedy strikes and things go from a simple quest to one with heartbreaking consequences.

This is a great start to a new, YA epic fantasy series. This is a wonderful and huge world that R.A. Denny has created. The story seems slow at first but you have to have this world explained or you would be lost. I loved each individuals, they are so intricate and unique. I felt for them just wanting to find their place them being thrown into this prophecy.

Of course you have an emperor that doesn’t want to give up his throne. Mix that with chaos and other events to leave the individuals off balance and not wanting to follow through with the prophecy. But I loved watching each one grow and see them all come together.

This is the first in a six part series. Although that seems like a lot, once you start reading the books you will understand how you will fly through them. I can’t wait for the next books to see what could possibly happen to these individuals.

I received Refugees from the author for free. This has in no way influenced my opinion of this book.

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