Angelica You Have Chosen Well

Angelica of Bethlehem is arrested and imprisoned by a man persecuting the church, Saul of Tarsus. Her crime is for preaching Jesus on the narrow streets of Jerusalem. While she's waiting a life or death decision, of a painful death, she decided to write her life's story, which began in Bethlehem. Phillip, an innkeeper, is unseasonably full just as his wife is about to give an early birth. That's the moment he met an unusual couple, a very young couple, the wife also about to give birth. Her husband Joseph begged with Phillip for all he may have which happens to be the freshly prepared and groomed stable. What will the night bring with two, impending births? And what will Angelica do when faced with death? Will she deny a Jesus she had vowed her life to follow and loved or will she acknowledge Him and face a most certain death? *This tender and emotional novel is guaranteed to jerk that God shaped hole and shake the core of your foundation!

Angelica: You Have Chosen Well (Religious Fiction)

By Aimee Marie Bejarano

Independent Publishing Platform

ISBN #978-1542824385

Price $9.99 (Paperback)

Price $1.99 (Kindle)

190 Pages

Rating 5-Stars

The author gave me a copy of the book for an honest review. This is the Biblical story of Jesus, the Son of God, and His birth to crucifixion. We meet Angelica of Bethlehem, the daughter of the innkeeper whose wife dies giving birth on the very night Mary and Joseph arrive in Bethlehem for the census. Phillip, the innkeeper has no room at the Inn, but offers them a place in the stable with the animals since Mary is ready to give birth. The physician brings the dead mother’s child to Mary to suckle, and Angelica is tied forever with Jesus. When she grows up, she never marries, and hearing of John The Baptist, decides to leave Bethlehem to listen to his teachings. While following the Baptist Jesus arrives and Angelica knows that she is to follow Him from then on.

Saul is having Christians arrested and stoned to death. When she’s arrested for preaching Jesus in the streets, Angelica records the story of Jesus on parchment. In the cell next to her is an elderly thief named John who she reads the story to as she writes it while they wait for their death. We read again the Biblical story of Christ, but the author has created a fictional character, Angelica, to tell the story once more, and we see how the early Christians who followed Jesus were treated and put to death, becoming martyrs for our Lord. Although I am torn between just reading the Bible for the story, I did enjoy the author’s book about Angelica, who sacrifices her life to follow Jesus. Should we create fiction stories to retell the original story? I don’t know. I will leave that for others to decide. In the meantime, I think readers will enjoy Angelica. I know I did.

Tom Johnson

Author of THE SOUL STEALERS

Co-Evolution

Another intelligent species existed on Earth long before human kind. They had a taste for human flesh and slaughtered humans by the thousands. Human kind advanced, built great cities, and learned how to defend themselves. A stalemate ensued, and a truce was negotiated, with one human a week offered as food. What better humans to offer than criminals?
Detective Victor Pargner of the Capital Crimes Division of the Wetlands City Police Department solves serious crimes and gets the culprit sentenced to a “feeding.” The truce is working out until people begin to disappear. What could be causing those disappearances? Is the other species violating the truce?

Co-Evolution (SF/Mystery/Horror)

By Arthur Weissmann

Independent Publishing Platform

ASIN # B07B9QJFTD

491 Pages

Price $2.99 (Kindle)

Rating 4-Stars

Intelligent reptiles co-exist with humans: The Reptecti adult species is scaly and stands upright at about eight feet tall weighing approximately five hundred pounds; they have been around for sixty-six million years. They share this alternate universe with the human race in a treaty system that allows both species to exist. To prevent war and hunting each other for food or hatred, the humans provide one person a week as food for the reptecti; these are the human criminal element.

Now something is happening. Humans are disappearing, and naturally the reptecti are suspected. The police must figure out what is going on or the treaty could shatter.

There is a good twist at the end, and I liked this novel better than the author’s first book, however my main complaint is with the author’s writing style; it doesn’t flow smoothly. It needs to be tightened, and a good editor could do that for the author. There is too much repeated that could be eliminated to make the narrative flow more easily. The plot and characters are unique, and readers will find the story pulls them in from the beginning. Highly recommended.

Tom Johnson

Author of WORLDS OF TOMORROW

Cop Shot

Cop Shot (Murder Mystery/Police Procedural)

By David Delee

Dark Road Publishing

ASIN: B00AVYXRDM

Price $1.99 (Kindle)

Rating 4-Stars

One Dead Cop. Two Dedicated Detectives. And More Suspects Than You Can Shake a Wiretap At.

On a cold, rainy, March night, NYPD homicide detective Frank Flynn catches the worst case there is: A cop shot under the Brooklyn Bridge. Forced to team-up with an Internal Affairs investigator, the two detectives must work together to sort through a plethora of suspects, all of whom have reasons for wanting the dirty cop dead, to determine who shot the cop—and why—while harboring secrets of their own.

In this novelette, a cop is discovered in his patrol car, shot twice, once in the chest and again in the groin. Known as a tough, dirty cop, everyone is surprised he didn’t try to defend himself. The scene gives the impression he knew the killer, and wasn’t worried. Frank Flynn, the homicide detective, and Christian Levy, Internal Affairs are both on the scene and take over the investigation. Each discovers the other has a past history with the dirty cop, and while they investigate other suspects, they secretly uncover clues about their partner.

Some characters were a little too stereotype in my opinion, but the writing is excellent, and the story moves fast to a conclusion. I think it would have worked better as a novel length mystery, as it moved a little too quickly. However, there is a fine twist at the end, and I highly recommend this for mystery lovers.

Tom Johnson

Author of TILL DEATH DO US PART

Millennium Bug

THE DOCTOR IS IN! The world’s most famous crimefighter, scientist and adventurer from the Thirties and Forties comes out of his fifty-year retirement when his anti-crime operation is attacked. Someone has discovered his secret: a clandestine program to turn criminals into productive members of society. Aided by a new group of assistants, Ulysses Brazen, Jr. finds a genius equal to his behind a scheme to take over the world without firing a shot.

Millennium Bug (Action Novel)

By Jeff Deischer

Independent Publishing Platform

ISBN #978-1986942034

Price $15.00 (Paperback)

Price  $4.00 (Kindle)

Rating 5-Stars

“Action From Beginning To End”

Set in contemporary times, Doctor Ulysses Brazen, Jr. returns to New York from retirement in Coronado when ex-criminals suddenly return to their old habits after years of being cured. Brazen, now approaching 100, still looks to be in his fifties; a giant, muscular golden man, he had been instrumental in fighting crime and world power grabbers in the 1930s and ‘40s, and curing men of criminal behavior during a brain operation. But now it appears someone has discovered his methods, and is returning criminals to their original ways. Doc Brazen knows it’s a direct attack on him and his past.

His old team members are now all dead, but he has new followers to take their place: Ozomatli, called Oz, and his cousin, Tlazotidapilzin, called Noble, are two Aztec warriors he has trained. Both are young, in the twenties, and may be sons of previous aides. Then there is Robert Laffite, called le Chat, a French cat bugler that could not be cured, but has a good heart; and Henry Prevost, a Gulf War vet and computer genius; Finally, Norma Crale, the granddaughter of a famous aviatrix and pilot extraordinaire, who goes by the name of Thunderbird: These are the new aides of Doctor Brazen.

Possibly the author’s best yet. This is actually a clone of Doc Savage, but Doc is an old man now – though he’s still in great shape and married to the Aztec Princess. Pat is mentioned, as Lucrezia Brazen, and was listed as missing in the Amazon Jungle in 1961. Oz has the appearance of a monkey or ape, so he’s apparently Monk’s son. I’m not sure if Noble is also a son of one of the aides. There is action from the beginning to the end, and though old, even Doc is still The Man Of Bronze, and he faces an old foe once again. It was a great story, and the new aides are fun, but regrettably I did miss the old gang and Pat Savage.

Tom Johnson

Author of THE MAN IN THE BLACK FEDORA

Across A Wounded Galaxy

Across The Wounded Galaxy (SF/Space Opera)

By Rex Hurst

Bowker

ISBN #978-0999380307

Price $9.99 (Paperback)

Price $3.99 (Kindle)

266 Pages

Rating 4-Stars

A sadistic pirate clan shanghais a forced-grown Gen-Human three months from his decanting bottle. Three aliens track a gleeful villain who is hell-bent on destroying his own world. A military failure on a ruined planet finds only one chance left for his personal glory. All their paths collide together in a galaxy at war. Worlds destroyed. Civilizations ruined. Cities devastated. Join them on this trek across a wounded galaxy

In this character driven science fiction yarn we are introduced to numerous alien races, as well as POVs. It is an exciting tale of war, devastation, and it’s effect on the individuals involved.

I had a difficult time following the story, but it wasn’t due to the author’s writing. The Kindle version kept jumping on me. For instance, from Chapter One it jumped to Chapter Seventeen, and from Page 10 it jumped to Page 84, and this jumping continued. I was constantly forced to search where I was at when the pages jumped on me. I don’t know if this was a formatting problem on this Kindle story, or my personal Kindle, though my Kindle has never done this befofore. I’m not sure if I missed something important in the story, but the problem with formatting kept me confused. The story itself was very interesting, however.

Tom Johnson

Author of WORLDS OF TOMORROW