Infiltrate by K.C. Ale
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Ashley is “hired” to dig for dirt on Caden Martini before he becomes CEO. What she doesn’t realize is that he is jaded, caustic and extremely difficult to work for. Caden has been hurt, betrayed, and played with by too many women to ever trust one again. When the new Temp comes into his office, and can stand his aggressive nature, he slowly starts to see beyond the fact she is a woman. Sparks fly soon and They both must decide if the truth will set them free or bury them both forever.
Slow to start, the plot and intrigue takes off around the middle of the book. This is a sort of enemies-to-lovers romance and while I really didn’t like Caden, he grew on me by the end. Ashley was stuck in this hard place where any decision she made simply wasn’t the best until she laid it all out. Great story.


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A Quantum Alibi by Liam Fialkov
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

A scientific murder mystery novel, this book takes off with Professor Eldridge attempting to travel into a separate dimension. Meanwhile, in a different location, his rival is murdered, and all evidence points to Professor Eldridge. Was he successful in travelling and then murdered his rival? Will investigative journalist Michael be able to unravel this mystery in time?
The book was good but confusing at times. There were many characters to keep track of and the plot quickly became bogged down with all the separate plotlines that were converging. The ending was satisfying, but I felt like I was slogging through the middle of the book.


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A Framework for Growth: Smart Financial & Tax Planning Strategies throughout the Entrepreneurial Life Cycle by Robert Cordasco
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

As an Entrepreneur, you need to be at the top of your game, and part of that means you need to know how to navigate and plan your financial strategies to ensure you are fostering growth in your company. Using the fictional character of Eddie who has a great Idea, only need starting capital, the author weaves in his experience, his advice, and his guidelines to avoid mistakes into an engaging read.
I have read many business books and this one was very easy to follow, with the structure it received from the author. The advice was common sense and good in that I think it would be very helpful and not detrimental to any entrepreneur starting out.


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Transformation After Trauma: Embracing Post-Traumatic Growth by Stephanie M. Hutchins PhD
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Healing journey

Healing after any kinds of trauma can be hard and take a long time. Not easy in our society when many simply dont want to hear about it, or give one size fits all solutions. Here, the author talks about her journey towards a healthier lifestyle and how she transformed herself after her considerable traumatic past.
While the book was interesting and I found many of the activities to be well thought out and certainly something I would be willing to try, I also found myself a bit put off by the authors many journeys and travels. This gave her an air of otherness, as in she was able to do all these things to help her overcome but I cant afford trips to go hike mountains or travels to other countries. I think if she had toned these portions down a little bit, the book would have felt more accessible and relatable to me.

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Iconoclasm: A Survival Guide in the Post-Pandemic Economy by Tony Zorc
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

No one can deny that the pandemic has irrevocably changed our lives forever and for some in ways we haven’t even felt yet. Therefor, it is imperative for us to not be passive and reactive, but we should strive to be free thinkers, disciplined and driven. In terms the author explains in detail, we should strive to be Iconoclasts, people who will make a difference.
A very interesting book, that promotes an “outside the box” mentality and lifestyle, I was however disappointed slightly with the writing style as the book drags on for a while, and I believe certain sections could have been consolidated for a better book.


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Cash-n-Carry by Peter Sarda
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

A glimpse of life

In the 1970's California, something as small as a corner store can bring people together that seemingly have nothing in common. A great job for some, is an inconvenience to others, or even the site of the local criminal hangout to others.
The story was compelling in that the author skillfully used pop culture that was current in the time, as well as phrases and manner of speech which brought a touch of authenticity to the story. More a coming of age story, there is some criminal elements as well as how different people interacted that might not have met. I liked the book, even though it was a bit long.

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Alpha Bots by Ava Lock
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Step ford wives meets AI

If you want a feminine bot that will be programmed to your personal demands and needs, what can go wrong? In this book, the first of the series, we see what happens when even 1 bot can't quite make it through quality control.
The story was funny and moving. The bot, Cookie truly struggled with her own burgeoning personality that clashed with her programming. The revenge she got on some of the men was truly satisfying after how she was treated. Quite possibly you could even take this as a cautionary tale.

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The Past is Never Really Gone: Cybercrime Chronicles: Volume 1 by Norbert Monfort
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

First book inn a new series about cybercrimes, feels futuristic even as our world is undergoing a ever-increasing epidemic of hacking and ransomware attacks. In that vein, this book deals with an attack on an Insurance company that is left with almost a million dollars less and the perpetrators used the companies own systems against it.
I found this to be a really good book, the story was well planned and moves at a steady pace throughout I liked the ending and the characters. It was interesting to see how Santiago finally traced down the criminals.


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A Destiny to Die For Complete by Rik Stone
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Angelita lives in South America, and her life is shaped by violence and tragedy. Rather than try and pry her way out of it, by the end of the book, she wholeheartedly embraces the violence and becomes apart of what she despised in the beginning. In other books where the women might be the one who Is gentler, in this book, she is one of the most violent characters.
Not enjoyable book for me, I found that Angelita was too over the top as a character and it flavored all of her interactions in that I found it too unbelievable, and the characters that surrounded her did nothing to temper her violent streak. This is not a book I would care to re-read.


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The Punisher Cycle: Changing Our Mindset from Punishment to Discipline by H.S. Daniels
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

The punisher cycle talks about how we can easily get stuck in the mindset that we have to browbeat and punish people into doing what we want, professionally and personally. The author gives examples of different managers who approach situations with their employees in various ways. This helps show how damaging a punishment mindset can be to employee morale and ultimately the business bottom line.
Even though the book is quite short, I truly believe there is some really good information here. Mainly through the examples that show the nuances that can exist. I found myself agreeing with much the author was writing as I had utilized it myself in my own management career. Very insightful and helpful for managers and leaders.


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On My Radar: Navigating Stock Market Cycles by Stephen Blumenthal
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

The author begins the book by giving a brief history of recent market events such as the crash on 2007 and how they came about. While this might seem obvious to some, to laymen, or those just entering the stock market, this information is valuable to learn the warning signs and things to avoid. As the author says: “Sell when everyone else is buying and buy when everyone else is selling.” As this was good advice he received early in his career.
Plenty of interesting concepts were explored and explained here, such as the 80 Core-20 Explore concept, amongst others that I have never heard of. I liked the charts and graphs that helped explain what the author was talking about. Overall, the book was a good explanation of the stock market, how to navigate it and how to avoid costly mistakes.


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Stargazer: The Ultimate Artefact by Ivan Ertlov
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Frank Gazer is a prospector through and through. He is uninterested in the lost civilization of humanity; he is only looking out for himself and how he can turn a profit. His life is turned upside down though, when he finds an unusual comet and figures out that it will affect so many trillions of beings more than just himself.
There is certainly a great deal of imagination here. Space opera is the right word to describe this book, there are a multitude of characters, all being juggled at the same time and interacting in various ways. The writing is well done however, some of the dialogue seemed a bit stilted and forced. The word building was good, but with everything going on in this book, I had a harder time following the story and so I am not sure if I would pick up the next book.


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Debussy's Slippers by STEVE EXETER
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

A re-imagining of the relationship between \Maurice Ravel and George Gershwin. I do not know the composers, or their stories, so I cannot comment on how realistic the portrayals are. Certainly, this book is full of excess, parties and two men who are opposites in how they approach their work, and yet strike up an unlikely friendship that unravels when Gershwin accidentally steals Debussy’s slippers.
The story was entertaining and while the characters were quirky and so not entirely relatable, I found them interesting enough to continue reading till the end.


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The Silver Land by Nancy Harding
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

I see some reviews that are really negative on this book, but I loved this when I was a teenager and have purchased it and reread it at least 4 times since then. Melangell is a young girl who admittedly has a really harsh and horrid life, but she tries to see the beauty in everything. There are some things true that are far-fetched, such as her marrying her original rapist happily a few years after it all happened. The story does follow other characters and it paints a more vivid and detailed world for us. The change in characters is seamless and there is plenty of action and mystique (on the druid side of things) to keep the overarching plot moving along.
Remember, this book was published in 1989, so some things would not have aged well but those are minor. I really enjoy the story, I enjoy the characters and I would have loved to see some of the men in Nectall's band of warriors get their own stories eventually.

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The Padre by Alex Davidson
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Caleb Caine, our Mercenary from book one, returns in the sequel where he is now in Mexico, attempting to live a quiet life away from anyone who might connect him to his violent past. A young girl in his village gets kidnapped and then trafficked to the USA which leads Cal back into the world he was trying to leave in order to find and rescue her.
As with the first book, the writing style is gritty and does not shy away from the violence that others gloss over. The descriptions will stay with those who don’t have the stomach for such things. Engrossing form the start, the book will pull you into the violent world of drugs, coyotes, traffickers and much more.


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Safe Harbour: The Sgt. Windflower Mystery Series Book 10 by Mike Martin
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Sgt Windflower continues his stories with the latest installment in the series. This time Sgt windflower is tasked with a slew of missing girl’s cases as he adjusts to life in the big city. His life is a mess while he investigates this mystery and gets pulled into the darker aspects of the city.
While the writing was done well, I found that there was almost too much going on. You have the crime case, the criminal underbelly, the biker gangs, the inept police department and then Sgt windflower coming in to solve everything. I think the book would have been better if some of all the “extra” stuff wasn’t there.


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From Backroom To Boardroom: Earn Your Seat With Strategic Marketing Operations by Debbie Qaqish
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

A guide into how to be strategic in how you can take your career from the backroom (or the salesfloor) into the Boardroom. Many different areas are included here, but the main topics, driving revenue, integrating the virtual world into your business as well as the importance of marketing in a customer centric manner.
The section of managing and leading in a virtual world was helpful as we are certainly heading towards a more virtual workplace with the recent events. From a manager’s point of view, this book is well worth the read as the advice is solid and well written.


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Graveyard Bound by Lawrence J. Epstein
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Another Jack Ryder mystery in a string of good books. This time, we follow Jack along as he is asked to help the FBI with an assassination. He also ends up helping a man find love and then must compete with another man for Ruth’s heart and affections. Jack is juggling a lot in this book; will he be able to handle it all?
As with previous Jack Ryder books, I found the writing to be a pleasant experience and an easy way to pass a few hours reading. The author still does a good job with the mysteries and action and the overarching plot and theme does not feel tired or overworked, even 6 books into the series.


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The Dolphin Law: A Story of the Seas by Linda Collister
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Dolphins are regarded as some of the most intelligent creatures on earth after us Humans. This book explores this intelligence as well as human failings and how in one example of cohabitation, where we can see that dolphins are basically humans living in the ocean as their personal and societal behaviors mimic our own closely.
This book is a reflection on the human spirit and how we lost our connections to nature. Told through the eyes of a grandmother, I found the story to be very inspiring. The love the author has for Dolphins can be felt throughout the book. Very well written and I really liked the complexity of the characters within.


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Affirm The Word: The Spiritual Practice of Speaking & Living God's Word by J. Marie Jones
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

This book gives a testament to how God’s word and His scripture can change someone’s life. She includes her own story and how she has found God and now lives a better life devoted to God and helping others find Him as well.
The book is a collection of scriptures, prayers and reflections from the author, all of which have helped her so she is sharing it with others. I’m not sure how much it will help others, but for those truly seeking God and need a starting point, this can be very beneficial.


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