#127 : Why Hate the Billionaire : Cover Reveal!

The Latest in New Adult Romance

by Johanna Bordeaux

Why Hate the Billionaire? is the first of The Delanys, red-hot romances filled with sensuality, passion, and all the forms of deepest love.  Five closely-bonded siblings -- Cassidy, Brianna, Kellee, Norah, and Niall –– from a lower, middle class family whose parents were killed 11 years ago each must find a way to survive –– and thrive –– from their encounters with the sexy billionaires who desire them. 

Synopsis

Why Hate the Billionaire? (The Delanys Book I)

Cassidy Delany is resigned to a life of responsibility, hard work, and sacrifice as she struggles to support her orphaned family. She never indulges her passions so that her younger siblings can have the freedom to follow all of theirs. That is, until she encounters Daniel, a sublimely gorgeous –– and arrogant –– billionaire. Overwhelming mutual lust leads her to agree to a one-night stand that morphs into a fantasy weekend full of mind-blowing sex. When he acts like Cassidy is just another woman who exists for his pleasure, she runs away, hoping to never see him again. But when Daniel reappears and turns everything upside down, Cassidy knows that their unquenchable passion and the disturbing emotions it evokes, could destroy everything she’s fought so hard to achieve.

Daniel Sheffield, MD, is a typical spoiled, Beacon Hill Adonis from a Boston Brahmin family with trillions of dollars, and always gets whatever –– and whoever –– he wants. But the delectable and brilliant Cassidy Delany is something he’s never encountered before: a woman who sees something worth wanting beyond his money, power, and sex appeal. One taste and what he thought was just an insatiable desire for her body becomes a need for much more. But he’s shocked to discover that getting the girl can destroy what he values most –– control.

Coming Next Month...

and stay tuned for the tour - brought to you by

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#126 : Online Talk! - Interview with Jason Thibeault

Hi Jason, Thanks for talking to me. It's always a pleasure to talk (Er….? Over mails may be!) to a writer who creates a whole new world.

BI: Your recent book - “An Ordinary Magic” is based on the very common theme of good vs. evil in the world of sorcery, why this school of thought? ? 

 Jason : Okay, you got me there. Yes, it’s an archetypal story. In fact, the entire story is an allegory of a Voodoo myth that’s laid out in the book. The sorcery part, though, you have to understand is a construct of the genre—magic realism. To the denizens of my story, a “sorcerer” is like a dentist, just an average part of every town on the fictional Caribbean island that I created. I chose the genre because I have always been a fan of literary magic realism (Marquez, Allende, Erdrich, Morrison). I am fascinated by the fantastic becoming the mundane and ordinary. I chose the archetype because I wanted a simply framework against which I could develop a deep character study (which is really what the book is about; sure it’s a story, but it’s really  about the characters).

BI :The protagonists – father and son, what prompted you to have a male parent to fight that battle. Wouldn't having a mother in place make more sense? 

Jason : It very well could have, but the story was largely influenced by my own relationship with my two fathers (biological and step) so it made more sense to construct the narrative along those lines. I wanted to explore the relationship that sons have with their fathers and how, when that relationship becomes stifling, a son can develop his own identity even while he feels beholden to his father and his family.

BI : How easy or how difficult it is to create a new whole new fictional world, a world filled with magic?

Jason : I wrote this book almost 20 years ago, while I was an undergraduate at the University of California, Irvine studying fiction. At the time, I needed to produce a senior project for completion of my degree. What better, for a budding writer, than to write a novel. With that said, the project needed to be ground in real research. I was always interested in Voodoo and decided that it would be great if I could combine the research requirements with my interests. Hence, the fictional world of La Croix (the Caribbean town’s name in the book) was born steeped in real-world research of Voodoo mysticism and practices with a lot of embellishment and imagination on my part. The reason I mention all of this is because it exemplifies that I think is required to write believable fiction (especially magic realism, sci-fi, or fantasy)—the world that we writers create must have a set of rules that the characters follow. My research into Voodoo gave me some of those rules for An Ordinary Magic. Others I made up. Think about Rowling’s Harry Potter or Tolkien’s Lord of the Rings. Magic doesn’t just happen. It’s governed by a set of rules that the author establishes through the course of writing the story. That’s the hardest part.

BI: You are quite an established writer with about 10 books to your name, years of experience in teaching, marketing and working in start-ups, how does it feel like when another book comes out?

It feels fantastic. Liberating. Cathartic. Ultimately, what I’ve been after all my life is creating things. During my startup days, I was primarily focused on launching new software into the market. Then, as I turned back to writing (basically, I took a couple of decades off from pursuing writing), I discovered that publishing is much the same thing. Each book or story that I launch into the market is all about creating something. So it’s the act of creation that I’m ultimately after.

BI : I also noticed that you give stage talks about customer relationships, topics about marketing and all such real world stuff. Writing or talking. Which is your comfort zone?

Well, it goes without saying that I love to write. Not just fiction. Part of my responsibilities in my day job is to write. Whitepapers. Blog posts. Research reports. And even though I love to write, I love to speak publicly as well. I am on the road for about 40% of the year giving presentations all around the world, which, consequently, gives me a lot of time to write! But presenting and writing are the same for me—it’s all about storytelling.

Now for some rapid fire 

BI: Tequila or Rum? 
Rum

BI: Most treasured possession? 
My family

BI: Biggest lie that you've ever said? 
That I don’t lie

BI: Idea of perfect happiness? 
Giving up the business world to return to the university as a teacher and writer (I walked away from that world 20 years ago)

BI : Dancing or Sword Fighting?
 Given a chance to learn, choose one of the two? Sword-fighting. I have two left feet and no sense of rhythm.

Finally, my last question,

BI : Pearls of wisdom for want-to-be writers.

Jason : Have patience. I too often see writers rushing material out. They’ve come up with a great idea. They’ve written it all down (an accomplishment in and of itself) and they want nothing more than to have other people read it as soon as possible. Don’t. Put it in a drawer for 3 months. 6 months. A year. Let it sit and marinate. The experiences we have in life are what shape our writing. Don’t be afraid to come back to something you’ve written and re-write it. Developing a novel or a story isn’t a race, it’s a marathon and, as writers, we need patience to persevere. 

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About The Book

An Ordinary Magic

By Jason Thibeault

Genre: Literary Fiction, Magical Realism

Book Description:
A new sorcerer has moved into La Croix, upsetting the tranquility of the other otherwise idyllic Caribbean fishing village. But Panon, the town’s priest, can’t afford to waste time wondering about the newcomer. He needs to concentrate on fixing his relationship with his son, Jaime, who has been called by Dela Luamba, a powerful spirit, to join the church. The problem? Jaime doesn’t believe in magic or the spirits anymore. To protect his son from a potentially terrible punishment, Panon must hide the truth from Dela while he tries to make everything right. But when Panon trades for a bit of magic guaranteed to help Jaime believe again, everything goes horribly wrong, turning Panon’s world upside down. Drawn into an epic struggle of good versus evil with the mysterious sorcerer, Panon, Jaime, and the whole town must battle the walking dead, malicious spirits, and potent Voodoo. It’s up to Panon to discover the only power capable of saving his son…and redeeming himself. An Ordinary Magic is a fast-paced, entertaining, and thought-provoking work of literary magic realism.

Author bio: 

Jason received his B.A. in English, with an emphasis in Creative Writing, from the University of California, Irvine where he wrote An Ordinary Magic for his senior thesis as part of the Campuswide Honors Program. After a year in Europe during which he spent some time working with HarperCollins, London, Jason returned to get his M.A. in English, with distinction, at California State University, Northridge. Jason is currently the author of the middle-reader chapter series Marmalade and a co-author on the marketing thought-leadership book, Recommend This!. He lives in Gilbert, AZ with his family.

Twitter: www.twitter.com/_jasonthibeault

Facebook: www.facebook.com/thejasonthibeault

Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/Jason-Thibeault/e/B003UQFBK0/

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/4025688.Jason_Thibeault

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#125 : Online Talk! - An Interview with writer Ben Starling

Ben Starling is passionate about marine conservation and boxing, both central themes in his upcoming novel.

He is Oxford’s only ever Quintuple Blue (varsity champion five years running), was Captain of the university boxing team, and has coached and boxed competitively. 

Ben graduated from Oxford University with a Master of Arts and an MPhil. He was born in the USA but has lived in the UK since childhood.



Reach Ben at his Website, Follow him in Twitter, Find him on Facebook !                          

Ben, thank you for taking time to answer my questions! Looking forward to knowing more about your

upcoming book.

'Diving' straight in,

BI : Writers normally promote their book once it is published. Pre-release promotions are very

minimal, but from my little research on the internet, I found that you have been promoting

your book quite extensively using character blog tours and regular updates in social media

platform. For a rookie writer, aren't you a bit nervous given that people now would probably

expect a lot from you, thanks to the promotions?

BEN : With pre-order sales becoming more and more common and authors more comfortable 

with internet possibilities for helping gain visibility, we are seeing much stronger and 

earlier campaigns. Favourite authors like Colleen Hoover and Amanda Hocking work very 

hard to connect with their readers before, during and after their book launches. When I 

look at how these masters do it, I feel very far behind! I am also very excited about my 

story and look forward to sharing it. 

My novel (title reveal coming soon) will be released on January 21, 2016. Lots to do to 

prepare for that! Right now I’m also working on a series of prequel short stories to be 

released from September 2015, set in the same world as my upcoming novel.

BI : Your protagonist (from what I've read on your blog) is a strong willed female being forced to

handle serious environmental issues. What or who is the inspiration for this character? Why a

'female' lead in particular?

My heroine Teal’s character came to me nearly fully formed one day and I was so 

fascinated by her that I had to sit down and write her tale. Sketching out her backstory was 

one marathon writing session! She is most probably a compilation of several people – 

female and male – that I have met before. Or she may have been a gift that I was lucky 

enough to channel out of the ether. 

As I wrote the story, there were some developments in her character as revisions 

progressed and an extra skill or two added. But fundamentally, she exists very much as I 

originally imagined her on that first evening. 

BI : The other character, Perry, you have sketched him to be a Marine biologist and an Ex-boxer. Is

that character modeled after you?

While it’s true that I used to box and have coached for many years, I am not a marine 

biologist! I would have liked to have been one though. And I’ve got my fingers crossed that 

I’ll come back as one in the next life – it’s such a fascinating world underwater. The craziest 

sci-fi movie aliens don’t have a patch on the creative and bizarre life forms in our oceans.

Perry is not me - I’m not as brave as he is for a start. His boxing ability is simply a product 

of applying the old adage “write what you know”. I had to think a bit more about Perry to 

develop who he is and boxing seemed to fit with Perry’s character. Most people think of 

aggression and speed when they think of boxing. But it can also be a very technical sport. 

The precision and tactical choices behind each move executed would appeal to many 

scientists. Particularly one with Perry’s family background.

BI:  Environmental crimes aren't as popular as your regular homicides are, did you take up that

particular subject as it was in your comfort zone? Or is there a specific reason to have taken up

this issue?

The health of our oceans is a particular passion of mine. We are doing a very poor job of 

maintaining them in this century and I am worried about what we will pass on to the next 

generation. The human body is sixty-five per cent water and about seventy-one per cent of 

the earth is covered by water. It’s our most critical resource. We can’t do without it.

I have done a fair amount of research on this topic for personal interest over the years, so 

again the environmental theme in this novel is another product of “write what you 

know”… and are passionate about!

BI : What can we expect from your book? A simple summary would help.

You can expect obstacles, ecstasy and some tragedy that ultimately deliver catharsis. It is a 

story of the most enduring kind of love, one that lights up two lives and reaches past the 

grave. The novel (title reveal coming soon) will be released on January 21, 2016. Lots to do 

to prepare for that! 

Additionally, I’ll be releasing a series of prequel short stories from September 21, 2015, set 

in the same world as my upcoming novel. 

What if to be with the man of your dreams… you had to give up your life? On the verge of 

losing her job, a side-lined journalist is forced to travel to the South Pacific to untangle a 

mystery where she meets a reclusive ex-boxer with a message. When a syndicate of 

corporate criminals invades paradise, she must either defend the island with her life or 

accept the plum promotion that will save her career.

BI : What is your writing process typically like? This would help fellow newbie writers. 

I typically start my day catching up on the news at a local café before settling in to the 

day’s work. It’s good to loosen up to someone else’s words before flexing my own.  If 

there’s time, I swim at the local pool. 

I tend to work for long stretches without interruption. But a tricky plot knot calls for a 

change of scene and here the writer’s walk comes into its own! Walking in parks is good. 

Walking near water is better. The rhythmic churn of flowing water somehow lulls me into 

a place where plot snarls magically smooth themselves out. Then I’m ready to sit down 

and try again.

BI : Now for some quirky rapid fire questions  

1) Bloody Mary or Bourbon? 

Bloody Bourbon. Absolutely.

2) One habit of yours that you have always wanted to get rid of. 

Wanting to get rid of habits!

3) What do you consider the most overrated virtue?  

All virtues should be overrated to encourage more virtue.

4) Can you fake any accent? 

Cor blimey, mate. (That was meant to sound like French, but it didn't, did it?) 

5) One thing that not many people know about you.  

I won a major primary schools under eleven javelin throwing competition with the very 

first throw of a javelin in my entire life!! No one else entered. 

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#124 : Bianca's Vineyard : A Review

BOOK TITLE: Bianca's Vineyard

ISBN: 0983121001

AUTHOR: Teresa Neuman

GENRE: Fiction

NUMBER OF PAGES: 412

FORMAT: Digital - PDF

SERIES / STANDALONE: Standalone

REVIEW BY: Shree Janani

HOW I GOT THIS BOOK: Review copy as a part of Italy book tours. Thanks guys!

SUMMARY :

Bianca Corrotti's vineyard is more than a piece of mouth-watering real estate in Tuscany. It's an inheritance; a storehouse harboring the secrets of her Uncle Egisto, a world-class sculptor, and his troubled wife -- a woman whose destiny converges with Mussolini's when WWII overtakes them all. Based on a true story, Bianca's Vineyard follows a devoted family of strong-willed men and lion-hearted women waging an epic battle against a gathering storm intent on destroying their lives

REVIEW:

The cover and the summary work in tandem to make you believe that the story is going to turn out to be one of these drool worthy Italian romance stories that make you wish you were born in Italy. This story, is nothing like that. The story is about a traditional Italian family set in Tuscany during World War II time. The book opens with Bianca, one of the characters, narrating her uncle Estigo's story and eagerly waiting for her extended family's visit from the United States. Estigo, like every other man from Italy, leaves to US in search for better prospects. Being a fine sculptor he eventually finds job. Before he leaves, he marries the bold and impulsive Armida. What follows is their story pacing back and forth between US and Tuscany.

The story stretches over years making it a long read. More than a proper story, this story felt like an account of a particular Italian Family's tale – a tale that is filled with normal mundane issues that every family faces, with the exception of a World War in between. This made the book a little boring at times.

The characters were all undoubtedly realistic, thanks to the fact that this is a semi- real life account. The writing was a mix of excellence and semi-boredom. I'm thoroughly confused if I really like the writing or not! The characters contributed to much of how the book is looked upon. I'd say, thanks to the characters, the writer could actually escape with a not so great story line.

I'd say this book is worth to be something like a TV Mini series that BBC would probably telecast. One thing I thoroughly enjoyed was the description of Italy and its enchanting Vineyards. Though the characters were over powering and distracting me from enjoying the set up, I still managed to love that!

VERDICT: Beautiful read that needs a lot of patience.

RATING: 3.5 on 5

Note : This review was first posted in Readers' Muse

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#123 : Tiger Mates by Amrish Shah : Review

GENRE: Fiction – Romantic Thriller

NUMBER OF PAGES: 332

FORMAT: Paper-Back

SERIES / STANDALONE: Standalone

HOW I GOT THIS BOOK: Review copy from PR Pundit in exchange for an honest review. Thanks guys!

REVIEW:

It took me about 2 months to complete reading this book – the longest time I’ve ever taken to finish reading a book. I'll elaborate why towards the end of the review.

Our male protagonist, Neil is an informant who has successfully infiltrated the Red militants posing as a care-free smuggler who isn't bound to one particular group. The chief “architect” of the Red Militant group Debraj along with the next in command, the maniac Kedar plots a series of gruesome attacks in the state of Chhattisgarh to drive away the domestic and international NGOs. Neil deals directly with Debraj thereby gathering scrapes of information during his visits inside the dense forest. Neil doesn't think of the risk he takes, for he wants to avenge his brother who died in a bomb blast while escorting a minister.

Our female protagonist, the bold and beautiful Shyla, works for an NGO in South Africa. When she learns that she is an illegal daughter born out of a rape incident, she is shattered beyond measure. She heads to India to document the Red Militant situation in order to help bring rehabilitation funds for the tribals caught up in this hell.

When Shyla and Neil meet sparks fly. What follows is their respective journey weaving amidst the evil.

Characterization plays a crucial role in making a story hit the right nerve of a reader. The characters in this book were surely crafted with utmost care. It is not new for the protagonists to make a lasting impression. But for a sub-character to make an impression that surpasses that of the protagonist, the writer needs to put in a lot of effort. This writer has gone that extra mile to bring in that impression. I was attracted a lot to Anand and Raghav (Read the book to know who they are. I don't give out spoilers). In fact, I'd say Anand was the true hero paling out Neil in comparison.

In spite of having strong and meaningful characters, the story lacked the depth and pace. Things were a bit slow till mid way after the initial twist that the writer threw in. The narration is in present continuous tense. I'm not really comfortable with that style of narration.

It is apparent that the writer is adept in scriptwriting. I felt like reading a Bollywood movie script with enough drama to it.

MY SAY: Recommended for people who can handle perfect drama without complaining about the lack of pace.

RATING:

• Plot: 6/10
  
  


• Characterization: 8/10
  
  


• Narration: 6/10
  
  


• Boredom Quotient: 4/10 (The lower the better)
  
  


• Overall Rating: 6/10
  
  

AUTHOR LINKS:  Amrish Shah - Website

BOOK LINKS: Goodreads, Amazon.

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#122 : The Runaway Bridegroom by Sundari Venkatraman: Review

GENRE: Fiction - Romance

NUMBER OF PAGES: 192

FORMAT: Digital - PDF

SERIES / STANDALONE: Standalone

HOW I GOT THIS BOOK: Review copy as a part of The India Readathon in exchange for an honest review. Thanks  Sundari and Rasana!

REVIEW:

The runaway bridegroom is a typical South Asian romance story that is set in against a backdrop of the social issue of child marriage.

The protagonists, Chanda and Veer are married at a very young age by traditional Rajasthani customs. Veer, being thoroughly disinterested in the concept of wedding in such a young age escapes after the wedding is complete leaving Chanda married and without a husband.

Fourteen years later, Chanda finally has the guts to love Ranveer, the big boss of the company where she takes up a temporary job. Ranveer’s secretary, Shika already has her eye on Ranveer and has been trying to woo him to marry her. Sadly Ranveer doesn’t reciprocate her feelings.

Like every other typical Indian family, Chanda’s family also consults the astrologer about Chanda’s marriage only to be told that Chanda would get back to Veer, her long lost husband of the child marriage. This puts Chanda into a great dilemma. What follows is how Chanda’s life changes with this revelation.

Child marriage has always been serious and a rather common issue in the Northern and North-Western part of India. The writer took the unconventional route in talking about it. The conventional route obviously involves the young bride being saved and cops getting involved and a whole lot of drama. That typical plot line is a wee bit boring given that we are dealing with a fiction. Basing a story on a social issue is fine, but turning a work of fiction into a piece of advice is really a weak attempt in making a difference. Thankfully Sundari steered cleared of that line of thinking.

Though the story turned predictable at one point of time, the writing kept me hooked and made me want to know what actually happened. The characterization was perfect to dot. What pleasantly surprised me was the characterization of Chanda’s parents and Chanda herself. I was expecting demanding and hollering parents. I also expected Chanda to be a weak and timid person. Thankfully, she was portrayed otherwise.

With the exception of a predictable story line, the story was an enjoyable read and adhered very much to the romance genre.

MY SAY: Light read against a serious backdrop.  Recommended to light fiction readers and romance lovers.

RATING:

·        PLOT : 6/10

·         CHARACTERISATION : 8/10

·         NARRATION : 7/10

·        BOREDOM QUOTIENT: 2/10 (THE LOWER THE BETTER!)

·         OVER ALL RATING : 7/10

AUTHOR LINKS: Goodreads, Website

BOOK LINKS: Goodreads, Amazon

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#121 : Burning Embers by Hannah Fielding : Review

GENRE: Fiction- Romance  

NUMBER OF PAGES: 285         

FORMAT: Digital - ePub

SERIES / STANDALONE: Standalone

HOW I GOT THIS BOOK: The writer sent me a review copy upon request, in exchange for a honest review. Thanks Hannah!

REVIEW:

Having read Hannah’s “Echoes of Love” before, I knew I could expect an intense love story. The book didn’t disappoint me. Set in Kenya, in the 1970s, the book describes Africa’s lush beauty, the culture and its people through our protagonist, Coral’s story.

Coral, our young and heartbroken protagonist – a photographer, returns to Mpingo, Africa to claim her inheritance upon her father’s demise.  On her journey, she meets the intensely charismatic Rafe, the man who is projected to be a womanizer.

In spite of rumors that Rafe’s affair with his stepmother was the reason behind her dad’s death, Coral is drawn to him. Rafe is the quintessential brooding yet gentleman hero. Sparks fly between them and they embark on a journey to find each other.

The characterization was impeccable. The writer managed to show various shade of the character in spite narrating a romantic story.

The other thing that surely deserves mention is the background of the story line – Mpingo. Africa has always been described a dangerous place filled with thieves. Most of the books that I’ve read set in Africa, portrayed the place as a desert of sorts with rickety buses and red dust looming. This book was a refreshing change. I could visualize the waterfalls and the lush greenery. Africa is indeed one beautiful place.

The story was well writing and the writer’s grip over the language enhanced the beauty of the book.

The cover art deserves a mention. The purple shade and model in the cover give the story line a much deserved air of mystery. The title on the other hand could have been better.

One thing that I found a little monotonous was Rafe’s character. I was reminded of Paolo from “The Echoes of Love”. They are both passionate men with a past for which they blame themselves to an extent. They are handsome, brooding and intense lovers. This similarity could have been avoided in the latter book.

MY SAY:  Recommended for pure romance lovers. Ideal romance with a historical setup.

RATINGS:

·        PLOT : 8/10

·         CHARACTERISATION : 6/10

·         NARRATION : 8/10

·        BOREDOM QUOTIENT: 3/10 (THE LOWER THE BETTER!)

·         OVER ALL RATING : 7.5/10

AUTHOR LINKS: Goodreads, Website

BOOK LINKS: Amazon, Goodreads

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#120 : The Long and Short of it : Review

GENRE: Fiction – Collection of Short Stories of all Genre NUMBER OF PAGES: 130 FORMAT: Digital - PDF SERIES / STANDALONE: Standalone HOW I GOT THIS BOOK: Review Copy from the publishers – Indireads in exchange for an honest review. REVIEW: This book is an anthology of the best short stories, both winners and finalists from Indireads’ 1st Short Story Competition 2013. A book of short stories is always a refreshing read. This book was no different. What made the book more interesting was that, the book had a mix of stories from various genres like drama, paranormal, mystery and romance. There is something for everyone in this book, be it a mystery lover or a romance lover. The stories, all of them, were just perfect. They adhered very much to the genre that they were placed under. The crime section was the best. I do have a weakness for crime in general, but then I'm sure any person who has read this book will agree with me. Both the stories by Dr.Roshan were simply brilliant. That man has a way with words I say! The writing in general was good. Given that most of the stories are by rookie writers, the book exceeded my expectations. Simple writing, I belive is the key to success. Using fancy words and complicated scenarios doesn't really deliver a punch. Almost all the stories featured in the book were simple and delivered what was intended. My only complaint would be the paranormal section – It didn't really enthuse or impress me. It didn't stand out like the other sections did. MY SAY: Recommended especially for novice book readers. For seasoned folks, this book is the perfect and refreshing change after a full length novel. RATING: Narration : 7/10 Adherence to genre : 9/10 Plot line : 7/ 10 (For Dr.Roshan's stories – It's a 10!) Writing : 8/10 Boredom quotient : 3/10 (The lower the better) Overall Score : 8/10 BOOK LINKS: Amazon, Indireads, Goodreads

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#119 : D4 by Sherrie Cronin : Review

GENRE: Fiction – Sci-Fi

NUMBER OF PAGES: 384

FORMAT:  Paperback

SERIES / STANDALONE: Series (46. Ascending #5)

HOW I GOT THIS BOOK: Review Copy/ Guest Edit Copy

REVIEW:

D4 is the fifth installment in the Ascending Series. This book focuses on the skill of Ariel, the older daughter from the Zietman family. The story is set in financial backdrop where Ariel works for a firm that handles software and hardware for high frequency trading.

Though the book is fifth installment in series, it can be read as a standalone. The book does have references to other books in the series, but the writer has ensured to give it a context.

It is evident that the writer has done enough research about high frequency stock trading and its impact on the world economy. The fact that the story is set in a very remote place of the world, makes it more interesting.

Like the previous books in the series, the characters in this book also have a special paranormal skill, the skill to predict future based on contact (i.e. touch).  The writer beautifully showed variation in range of the particular skill. In sense, the future can be near future or say 1500 years ahead, making that difference apparent needs a lot of imagination.

Initially, I really didn’t like the characterization. I felt the writer could have spiced up the characters a bit more. As the story progressed, that completely changed.  That could be attributed to the story’s pace by itself, which was akin to a cosine wave (errr…..a pattern with lots of ups and downs.

The title and the cover deserve a special mention. All the books in the series have a single letter title which would be justified in the book either as a mathematic progression or a scientific term. This book was also no different from its predecessors. *no spoilers, read the book to know what ‘d4’ means*.  Amongst the entire books in the series so far, this book had the most attractive and brilliant cover. (Okay I am being partial there. I love the color blue and can’t get enough of it!)

The writing was simple and straightforward as usual. The part where the writer goes on to explain High Frequency trading requires a lot of attention form the readers, especially if they aren’t familiar with the concept of stocks and bonds.

RATING:

·        PLOT : 8/10

·        CHARACTERISATION : 7/10

·        NARRATION : 8/10

·        BOREDOM QUOTIENT: 4/10 (THE LOWER THE BETTER!)

·        OVER ALL RATING : 8.5/10

RECOMMENDED TO : Seasoned Fiction readers, Sci-Fi lovers

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