Book Review - Elysium Tide

James Hannibal has firmly established himself in my must-read list and Elysium Tide is the latest addition to the collection. Dr. Peter Chesterfield, senior attending neurosurgeon at Royal London Hospital, is plummeting toward burnout and a forced vacation is just what the chief medical officer ordered. Detective Lisa Kealoha has worked hard to overcome the circumstances of her youth and return home from L.A. to head up the gang task force for the Maui Criminal Investigative Division. Things are already getting hot on the island when the two collide after Peter tries to save the life of Lisa’s friend, and then continue to collide through the course of her investigation into Kelly’s murder and a host of other criminal activity surrounding it. Peter has his own investigation to conduct after he fails to save the woman he found floating in the surf outside his luxury hotel, and he will conduct that investigation with or without Lisa’s help. 

Sabotage and auto theft, murder and intrigue keep the plot flying like a modified Mustang over hidden smuggler’s tracks toward a satisfying conclusion. Written with great still to keep the reader engaged until the very end, Hannibal has delivered yet another gloriously successful action novel, further solidifying his must-read status.

Elysium Tide by James Hannibal is available now from your favorite local bookseller or online:

Baker Book House            Christian Book            Barnes & Noble            Amazon

Thank you to the author and publisher for allowing me a copy to read and review. All opinions expressed here are my own and are completely genuine. 

Book Review - Wolf Soldier

With the Lightraider Order scattered and the people of the Dragon Lands under oppressive rule, it is up to one shepherd boy and his four compatriots to fulfill the mission of the Rescuer and vanquish the wyrm before it gains full control of their world. Connor Enarian and four other new Lightraider initiates must train quickly and learn to rely more fully than ever on their Rescuer in order to find a Lightraider spy presumed dead and his talking wolf companion. Facing off against trolls, orcs, and fantastical beasts that bewilder and terrify is only one aspect of a mission that seems doomed in the hands of the untried cadets.

James R. Hannibal brings the Lightraider world to larger-than-life reality for readers in his new release, Wolf Soldier. This allegorical fantasy is loaded with references to the Rescuer that will seem very familiar to anyone who has spent time in the New Testament, but don’t be confused by the similarities. Wolf Soldier is an epic adventure based on the DragonRaid game created by Dick Wulf. The storyline is well constructed, skillfully honed, and superbly executed to draw in the reader and bring us along on the adventure of a lifetime. I spent hours thinking this would make a stunning movie, only to realize I’ve seen it in my mind as I read descriptions so crisp and clear I felt completely immersed into battle alongside the Lightraider cadets. 

Wolf Soldier by James R. Hannibal is available now from your favorite local bookseller or online:

Christian Book            Barnes & Noble            Amazon

Thank you to the author and publisher for allowing me a copy of theirs book to read and review. All opinions expressed here are my own and are completely genuine.

Book Review - The Paris Betrayal

I learned a very valuable lesson from The Gryphon Heist and Chasing the White Lion: When James R. Hannibal releases a new book, jump on it like it's a live grenade in a crowded square. This lesson served me well when Hannibal was looking for a street team for his upcoming release and I digitally raised my hand. *pick me! pick me!* And I did NOT embarrass my nephews in a public place when I was notified that I had been chosen, but they might tell you a different story. Speaking of a different story, I'll outline my conclusion for this one and then tell you how I got there. Are y'all ready for this?

I could tell you that I was hooked between Hannibal and Betrayal, but that would be judging a book by its cover. That made me want to read the synopsis, and that, my dears, was the hook in the nose. After an op in Rome goes sideways, Ben Calix returns to Paris to find himself under attack. His Company contacts have him pegged persona non grata. This is severance. The Director has closed the door on him, and Ben has no reasoning for what is happening. But one man is on the prowl and ready to scoop Ben into the folds of his own organization. Jupiter is poised and ready to welcome Ben with open arms, and the antidote to a plague of his own engineering.

The thing about Ben Calix, is that he knows he hasn't done anything to deserve severance. This is a set-up, and if he has been fed bad intel then he needs to find the right information and find a way to get it to the Director. Because it's the right thing to do, even if it is no longer his job. The action hits like a strike to the solar plexus followed by a series of rubber bullets to the kneecap and topped off with a KA-BAR hilt to the temple, but no worries, since you'll shake it off and beg for more. Why? Because Ben needs to push through to the answers and deliver them to the man who turned his back on Ben, but can still save the world.

You wouldn't know that the majority of the writing for The Paris Betrayal, including the threat of pandemic, was done before our world faced its own pandemic. I appreciate the work James R. Hannibal did to frame this masterpiece respectfully in light of what we've all experienced over the past year, but there's also no denying that our pandemic experiences make Jupiter's plot even more terrifying. And make you crave Ben's success maybe more than ever.

The Paris Betrayal by James R. Hannibal releases May 4, so you can preorder now to receive your copy as soon as it becomes available. Also, check out the super awesome preorder giveaway from James R. Hannibal, for all you super awesome preorder-ers!

Christian Book        Barnes & Noble        Amazon

Thank you to the author and the publisher for allowing me a copy of this book to read and review. All opinions are my own and are completely genuine.

Book Review - Chasing the White Lion

Oh my gravy, y'all! I was doing great in my bookish world, reading all the good books, writing all the reviews, geeking out over all the authors I love. Then along comes James R. Hannibal with The Gryphon Heist, Talia Inger, Tyler, Finn, Eddie and the rest of the merry-ish band of law and disorder. My world was rocked. My Google searches got a little weird and TripAdvisor is STILL trying to convince me to take my dream trip to Transnistria. (Thanks, TripAdvisor, but I'm currently self-quarantined.) By the end of The Gryphon Heist, I wasn't sure who it was that I love and who I don't trust, who is telling the truth and who has been lying so elegantly all along. What I did know, is that I wanted more and Chasing the White Lion could not be released soon enough!

Problem solved! At least one problem was solved; I still had to convince the entire world to leave me alone while I utterly devoured this book! It was almost as if a hand reached out of the story and grabbed my face. There was no putting it down! This is the kind of book that genuinely left me breathless at the end, with a bit of, "What the heck just happened here?!?" The action of the story, the actual pursuit of the White Lion and the search for the missing children, is excellently crafted. The real core of the story, though, is one of redemption and of family.

It is always encouraging when an author takes an opportunity to use an already awesome story to fulfill a higher purpose. James R. Hannibal does this through a partnership with Compassion International, a wonderful organization with a heart for the impoverished children of the world, in which a portion of every book sold goes to support their mission. That's fiction with a purpose, for sure!

Thank you to the publisher for allowing me a copy of this book to read and review. The opinions stated in this review are my own and are my completely honest assessment.