Under the Gulf Coast Sun

by

Skip Rhudy

A quick trip back in time to the beginning of a new young love.

Under the Gulf Coast Sun is a lovely historical romance by author Skip Rhudy and features the young adult surfing culture of mid-1970s Port Aransas on the Texas Gulf coast and the beginning of one made-for-each-other couple’s relationship. Connor O’Reilly and Kassie Hernandez had met the previous summer when she and her family were vacationing in his hometown of Port Aransas. Hitting it off, they’d kept in touch when she and her family had returned home to Midland through heartfelt letters, sharing their hopes and dreams as they completed their senior year in high school. When summer returned, so did Kassie, an event that the shy, inexperienced surfer boy Connor had dreamed about all year. Now faced with the reality, he’s filled with self-doubt that this beautiful girl whom every guy in town wants would want him, believing instead that she is out of his league. 

What a good story! Connor is a genuinely nice guy and falls hard for Kassie. But with his recent history, the departure of his mother with a lover to pursue her own dreams, which didn’t include her only son, he’s got trust issues. Watching other guys hanging around and trying to catch Kassie’s eye is particularly difficult for him. 

Kassie, whip-smart and with a full-ride scholarship to UC San Diego in hand, is certain Connor is different from other guys, interested in her for their common interests and not just for her hot physical attributes. However, his differences could be a two-edged sword, and she worries that her interest in him could divert her from her plans for the future. Thankfully, they eventually talk about their concerns, but not before there is a BIG MISUNDERSTANDING that causes a course correction on their journey to a HEA. 

Told from multiple points of view, readers are privy to the inside skinny on the characters’ thoughts, feelings, and true motives. There’s a bit of repetitive “is she really into me” thinking on Connor’s part, but that seems to be a result of the emotional fallout from his mother’s actions. Kassie both abhorred and enjoyed the attention her physical appearance attracted, but she was only 18 years old when navigating through this. 

The plot includes a lot of interesting descriptions and discussions of surfing, surfing legends of the era, and Connor and Kevin’s work aboard the crew boat. Connor’s time in the Gulf is suspenseful, and I thought the author did a great job of not telegraphing how this scenario was actually going to work out. I was on the edge of my seat the entire time. The story has a lot of humorous moments as well, many centered around Kevin Stamford, but the party at the very beginning of the book had me laughing out loud. 

Set as it is in the mid-1970s, these characters would have been my contemporaries, so I could relate to a number of things mentioned. Women’s roles were still in transition, and Kassie’s father’s warnings about what she could expect as a woman in a university science program were accurate. Even the assumption that women would naturally consider higher education at that time would have been false. But other aspects of the “historical” (really?) setting were fun and nostalgic, such as the music, the lower drinking age, and no cell phones, to name a few. 

With its engaging characters, authentic descriptions, realistic dialogue, and suspenseful plot, I recommend UNDER THE GULF COAST SUN to readers of historical fiction and romance.

I voluntarily reviewed this after receiving an Advanced Review Copy from the author through Lone Star Literary Life Book Campaigns.

Relentless

Kate Preacher Thriller, #1

by

Michael Maloof

A fantastic debut for this thrilling new series featuring former CIA analyst Kate Preacher!

Relentless is the first book in author Michael Maloof’s thrilling new series featuring former CIA analyst Kate Preacher, and what a debut it is! With its honorable and sympathetic protagonist and breathtaking plot, this book needs to be on the top of every thriller lover’s wish list! 

The main character is Kate Preacher, a former CIA analyst who left the business when a mission went horribly wrong. As a result of the mission, though, she met her husband and the love of her life, Jake Church, a retired SEAL and now owner of an elite executive protection firm. Kate now uses her vast technological skills to support litigation at a downtown Richmond, Virginia, law firm. At times, those skills satisfyingly end up helping the little guy but, for the most part, assist in protecting the assets or reputation of the firm’s wealthy, high-profile clients who have something to hide. Lately, she’s been second-guessing her career choice and what her future holds, but a deadly terrorist attack in Paris ultimately takes the decision out of her hands. Kate is a dynamic character, going from crippling grief to fully harnessing every skill and tactic in her repertoire to follow up on what Jake was secretly investigating and tracking down those responsible for the Parisian café bloodbath. She’s smart and determined and swallows her pride in calling on all her old connections for favors, even those she swore she’d never deal with again. I quite literally ached for what Kate had experienced in her past and for all she was going through in the present. 

The story opens tragically and violently, establishing an atmosphere of dark, brooding menace always lurking in the background. The resulting sorrow is interrupted by adrenaline-fueled action sequences that had me gasping, and scenes of military honors, traditions, and ceremonies had me trying to hold back tears. The plot thickens with unexpected twists and turns and high-tech shenanigans. Still, with both Kate’s and Jake’s backgrounds, an amazing array of creative and envy-inducing technological and tactical hardware is available to Kate for her to fight back. The story was mesmerizing, and I didn’t want to put the book down. My only regret is that there isn’t a prequel detailing the Syrian mission. 

I recommend RELENTLESS to readers who enjoy thrillers with international connections, technological creativity, and capable, strong female protagonists. 

I voluntarily reviewed this after receiving an Advanced Review Copy from Reedsy Discovery.

CAIO

Limerent, #1

by

L.S. Delorme

Dark, shocking debut novel for The Limerent series!

Caio is the first book in author L.S. Delorme’s Limerent dark fantasy series and really sets the tone, pace, and a high bar for what’s to come in the following novels. With its engaging, sympathetic main character and compelling plot, I was completely drawn into the protagonist’s life and couldn’t look away if I wanted. 

Sarah Baker is the main character and is a paralegal by trade, though a fully qualified attorney before the story even starts. Hers is a tale of a depressing, downtrodden life, the result of the abuse of those who should have had her best interests at heart and known better. She is a doormat, and her gradual growth after Caio enters her life is ultimately a story of redemption and success. However, there are several tough topics encountered along the way that readers sensitive to these issues should be aware of. 

The author’s writing is compelling and so easy to read, and I was absorbed by this story and this very realistic heroine. The supernatural and magical elements were creative and elevated Sarah’s tale to one that was even more special and unpredictable. The scene descriptions were vivid, and I could practically see the action unfolding as I read. I am still somewhat surprised by how I sank into this story, and time passed by without me realizing how long I’d been reading before I needed to take a break. Of course, I must read the next in the series as soon as I can! 

I recommend CAIO to readers of dark fantasy, romantic paranormal, thrillers, and tales of the mysterious and unknown. 

I voluntarily reviewed this after receiving an Advanced Review Copy from the author through Goddess Fish Promotions Book Tours.

Peanut Butter and Jelly Sandwiches from Outer Space!

by

I.S. Noah

A delightful children’s SciFi adventure story with amusing political aspects until the children and the adventure were left behind.

Peanut Butter and Jelly Sandwiches from Outer Space! by author I.S. Noah starts out as a fun and entertaining children’s science fiction adventure with amusing political overtones, but it unexpectedly deviates completely from the children to focus on political satire. The plot is exciting and clever, but a couple of dark moments may make it iffy for younger readers. 

The main plot, the children discovering a small alien spacecraft hidden in a forest cave while on a hike and finding out it is that of an alien offspring who has left his parent’s craft without permission to hunt for Big Foot, is delightful. The author crafts a fun tale of the Wilson children: the put-upon older teenage sister, Violet, and her rambunctious and irreverent younger brothers, Brad and Willys, and Violet’s soon-to-be-shellshocked BFF, Pamela Edison. The writing is easy to read and full of laugh-out-loud scenes, many containing relatable, true-to-life interactions among the siblings. Pamela, an only child fresh from a stint as a camp counselor, had no idea what she was getting into by agreeing to help Violet babysit the two Wilson boys. 

I loved the aftermath of the Wilsons notifying the feds that they had found Goobex 3’s spacecraft with the ensuing visit, testing, and interrogation in the “Men in Black” style secret underground base. The author includes so many special touches, such as Agent Orange’s unusual effect on people, the ten sniffer dog teams comprised of some less-than-traditional breeds (one’s a PUG), and enough bodily fluids mentioned to thrill the heart of any 10-year-old boy. The author tells a great story for this age range, and yet, underlying the adventure is a dark theme: Willys’s trauma for what he believes he’s inadvertently done to Goobex 3. 

The political aspects of the story begin light-heartedly with the author mimicking Trump’s verbal patterns to an amusing “T.” But, as things progress, the children’s involvement is dropped, and the plot focuses solely on how the author envisions Trump’s “first contact” would unfold. While there are unexpected and funny consequences to Trump’s negotiations with the Goobex, I believe younger readers would lose interest in the story before getting to them. This last quarter of the book includes some additional dark images, such as a general shooting a raccoon out of a tree only because he could do so and bystanders drowning when January 6^th-type crazies riot outside the Goobex spacecraft. Can children read about these things? Of course. They represent reality. However, these images were left hanging and uncommented upon. Thankfully, the author does wrap up all these events, though, putting everything back into place as if they’d never occurred. But the bottom line for me is what started as a fun children’s adventure lost its way by crossing genre lines and perhaps trying to widen its target audience too much. Still, I would definitely read more by this author. 

Content warning: Death of young alien, killing of wildlife, mass deaths in a crowd, negative portrayals of Republicans, President Donald Trump

I voluntarily reviewed this after receiving an Advanced Review Copy from Reedsy Discovery.

Woods and Wings

Woods and Wings, #1

by

M.W. Devers

Young adult fantasy full of action and adventure!

Woods and Wings is the first book in the new young adult fantasy series of the same name by author M.W. Devers and it is full of daring action, suspense, and fresh approaches to this popular genre. With engaging and heroic protagonists, a smarmy, villainous town warden, and two tragic and dragon-like wingroans as antagonists, I was absorbed by this adventurous tale from start to finish. 

Told from the multiple viewpoints of several main characters – good guys, bad guys, and wingroans – readers are treated to an intimate look at the story from all angles and quickly realize that this fantasy adventure is much more complex than the blurb description leads on. Astraya Myna, while aching to escape a safe future serving in the Rhigov village bailey’s kitchen, yearns to take what she feels is her rightful place alongside her grandfather and older brother, Raustra, as a guardian of her village and its residents. Raustra, who’s always known this was his destiny, is driven by his deep sense of duty, never dreaming that one day he may not be able to fulfill it in the way he’s always imagined. 

The last of the world’s original inhabitants, the dangerous wingroans, are the brother and sister, Vronti and Vulmen. Their kind was obliterated by the actions of humans when they naturally fought to retain their homes and way of life, which included hunting and eating large land animals like the livestock the humans brought with them to their farms and villages. Their conflict with the humans became a tragic cycle as time passed, and neither side was sure who was initially to blame for their troubles. 

However, one of the most interesting characters is Elizabyth, Astraya and Raustra’s widowed mother, mentally and emotionally troubled since the death of the sibling’s father and the love of her life by Vulmen during a long-ago village Harvest Ceremony. I was riveted to her storyline as she forces herself to re-enter life in hopes of getting the answers to how to help her son Raustra heal from injuries inflicted by Vronti during the most recent Harvest Ceremony. 

Devers’s world-building is robust and creative. Gaeyla vividly comes to life, along with its inhabitants, as Astarya, her grandfather, and their companions track Vronti across the land to end the wingroan threat once and for all. The story is one of family, friendship, loyalty, and courage in the face of desperate odds and one that you’ll not want to suffer interruptions.

I recommend WOODS AND WINGS to readers of young adult fantasy.

For this review and more, visit my blog, Boys' Mom Reads!