Twist after twist!

 In-depth review for my suspense thriller, Overkill:

Colleen Mooney

5.0 out of 5 stars Twist after twist!

Reviewed in the United States on December 15, 2021

Verified Purchase

Overkill (Ash Suspense Thrillers with a Dash of Romance Book 2) grabs you with the first sentence and doesn’t let go. Ashley Winter is on a retreat to try to make a new start after a horrific experience
from her recent past that happens in the first book. Moving to a Florida coastal town seems to be just what she needs to relax and get her life in order. Things don’t go smoothly or peacefully for Ashley and once the trouble starts it does not stop.

Ashley falls into one catastrophic and mysterious situation after another. Upon arrival she finds herself a teenage stalker even her landlady seems to keep lying about and a hidden room upstairs behind a wall. She can’t seem to get rid of the stalker or the smell in her new apartment. This is a timely story in today’s high school environments.

Ashley finds one ordeal after another that she doesn’t count on. The author throws twist after twist. You won’t be disappointed, maybe surprised because the reader will not see them coming. I couldn’t put this book down and am looking forward to Book Three. I didn’t find it necessary to read the books in order since Uvi Poznansky adds backstory right when it’s needed to keep the story moving at an amazing pace. If you like thrillers, OVERKILL raises the bar!

A beautiful love story written by a master's hand

 Lovely in-depth review for The Music of Us:

Sugar

5.0 out of 5 stars A beautiful love story written by a master's hand.

Reviewed in the United States on December 3, 2021

As a contemporary romance reader, I generally avoid romances written about the wars but the cover of The Music of Us intrigued me, so I took a chance on this World War II romance and I'm so glad I did!

You think The Music of Us is a story about a soldier meeting his sweetheart for the first time, but it's so much more than that. It's a story about a man who decades after that war is living through the shifting sands of an illness trying to steal his sweetheart.

The reader is treated to the story of young kids living through an uncertain time. Their sweet love story begins with Lenny as a young man, now a soldier off fighting the war. He is injured and is recovering when his friend convinces him to go to a concert being given that night by a pianist. Natasha, the young pianist coming to entertain the troops is grieving the loss of her Pa. She doesn't want to be there, until a young soldier's antics captures her attention. So smitten by him, she changes her chosen music right there, much to the dismay of her mother.

Natasha's mother has no time for Lenny, the boy she blames for Natasha's new attitude. Regardless, she knows her daughter will never see him again since Lenny is stationed across the world.

Until he's given leave to return to see his father. Lenny isn't done with Natasha and he wants to know why she never wrote him back.

The book is told in the flowing hand of a wordsmith who makes you feel the music in every word.

The ending is touchingly poignant and leaves you feeling all the emotions of love found and love lost, even when you're holding someone in your arms. If you love stories about the war with a beautiful backdrop of music, family, and finding true love against all odds, then you'll love The Music of Us.

The Night of all Hallows

 A wonderful poem by Matthew Walton read by the most talented actor, Don Warrick.

Don narrated a number of my own works, for example The Music of Us and Marriage before Death. The collaboration was a delight and so are the audiobooks.

Through many dangers, toils and snares, I have already come

Coming off the plane I noticed a group of three silent figures and by their deathly pale faces I recognized them: his mother, father, and pregnant wife. They stood together, strangely separated from the hustle bustle of the airport, waiting for me.

They watched in solemn silence as I wheeled the casket toward them. It was a tense moment. No questions were asked, no tears shed. The mother, still reeling from the shock of losing her son, did not cry. Instead she bit her lips, hard. The father wrapped his arm around her for support, but he was the one that seemed closest to the verge of collapse. 

Then he steadied himself, somehow, and with a gentle motion, stroked the flag that wrapped the coffin. 

“So sorry for your loss,” I said, feeling awkward for using a phrase that was too weak and all too common to convey what I was feeling.

He nodded his head to signal that he heard me, but neither he nor the mother could utter a single word. In their place, the soldier’s young wife came to me, holding something in her hand. 

Softly she said, "When Charlie came home on his last leave, he gave me the Marine Corps emblem off his hat. At first I refused it, knowing that without the emblem, he risked not being readmitted to the base.”

I said, “Perhaps he had a premonition of what would come his way and wanted you to keep it.”

“Yes,” she whispered, clutching it to her heart. “I still have it. It's a cherished memento.”

Meanwhile, from out of nowhere, a lone bagpiper came by. In the midst of a busy airport he looked like an apparition from a different place and time, marching slowly towards us. As he strolled past the flag-draped casket I caught the music he was playing: it was an old song, written by an Englishman who in the early part of his life had been an outspoken atheist, libertine, and slave trader, only to find his faith after riding out a storm at sea.

Amazing Grace.

The sound of it was magical. It quelled the noise of people fussing, people walking all about, rushing to and fro with suitcases and stuff. At the same time it calmed the silence, the angry silence in my heart, opening it anew to sadness and to joy.

It was then that the soldier’s wife took a step forward to the casket and placed the emblem on it, which for her meant the beginning of farewell, and for the fallen, the end of a long journey, the journey home. 

Her voice trembled as she started singing for him,

Amazing grace... How sweet the sound

That saved a wretch like me

I once was lost, but now am found

Was blind, but now I see.

Her voice was so soft, so heartbreakingly delicate, and yet it made the hair rise on my head and the flesh quiver on my bones. I felt—oh, I can’t explain what I felt! It was not only grief for this man, who was a brother of mine even though I had never come to know him, but also pity for his family and for all us, civilians and soldiers, the fallen, the wounded, the loved ones back home, all the lives forever changed by this horrific war.

In my childhood, my mother used to sing Amazing Grace to me in place of a lullaby, because it had always calmed me down before she tucked me in, before she said good night. 

Through many dangers, toils and snares,

I have already come

’Tis grace hath brought me safe thus far,

And grace will lead me home.

The music made me think of Natasha. In a complete reversal of emotion I found myself overcoming my rage, my sense of betrayal. Suddenly I realized that whatever had caused the break between us should be set aside. It was time to accept and be accepted in return. 

I, too, was coming home. 

And I could not wait to see my father.

 

The Music of Us

Paperback ★ Hardcover

Audiobook

"It is a reflection to their best days, and it is those memories that carry Lenny forward through the difficult challenges he faces nearly thirty years later. The war story is filled with details that take the reader back in time. It is nicely written. The plot is complex. The characters are unique and authentic."

~B Roscoe, Audible Reviewer

Before I could utter another word, she kissed me long and full on my lips

Scores of men lined up. Each one in turn presented his printed Programme to her, asking for an autograph.

One said, “Natasha Horowitz, I just love your music.”

“I’ll never forget your name, as long as I live,” said another.

And another one said, “You remind me of my girl, back home.”

Joining the line I had no idea, at first, if she caught sight of me. Natasha gave a nod here, a word there to her fans, asked each one of them for his name, scribbled a short greeting, and signed it for him. Then, as I drew nearer, she took a step back and exchanged a quick look with Mrs. Babcock. 

With a flash in her eyes Natasha asked, under her breath, “Did you tell him where to find me?”

“Who, me?” said the woman.

Turning away from her she said, this time out loud, “I suppose the whereabouts of a performer are no secret, so what took you so long?” 

Astonished at her remark I looked at those who stood ahead of me and those who stood behind. Then I asked, “Who, me?” 

“No, not you,” said one. “Me! Me! How about me?”

And another one asked, “Who, him?”

And a third one chimed in, “That guy, you mean?”

To which Natasha said, “I do.”

And to me she said, “It’s too late for us, Lenny, don’t you agree?”

And I asked, as if I had no idea why she would resist me, “Late for what?”

“For love to start all over again.”

“You’re wrong, Natashinka.”

“Am I?”

“I’m here just in time, to ask you one thing.”

“Which is what?” 

I handed her the Programme, which I had just snatched from the next person in line, and said, “Will you sign your name for me?”

She asked, “What name shall I sign?”

“Natasha,” I said, “Kaminsky.”

“You know that’s not my name.”

“Not yet. But soon, it will be.”

I knelt before her, opening my arms, my heart. 

“Please, do it, Natasha,” I said. “It’ll be a great honor for me.”

Then I dug the gold locket out of my pocket, and offered it to her. She opened it, uttering a cry of amazement.

“Oh! It’s you, it’s me,” she breathed. “And look, there’s no tear.”

“Well,” said Mrs. Babcock. “D’you like him?”

And Natasha said, in a soft tone, “I do.” 

And I said, in a tone that was even softer, “I love you, sweetheart, and I always will.”

In a heartbeat she bent over, heat surging between us, and before I could utter another word, kissed me long and full on my lips. 

 

Apart from War

Paperback ★ Hardcover

This trilogy includes three novels, where one begins where the previous one ends, so you keep yourself immersed in the times and in the saga that begins when Lenny and Natasha first meet. Follow them from the US to England to France during WWII.

"The D-Day story with a backdrop of romance is a fascinating look back at World War II. It is well-written. The story takes the reader back in time; the details feel authentic and immerse the reader in a tumultuous time in France, where allegiances were in doubt and different forces could be happened upon around any corner."

B. Roscoe, Audible reviewer

With every footfall, I tell myself that it’ll be all right. Nothing bad will happen to me.

My pulse is hammering in my ears as I swing away from the car and take my first step across the road. There’s no reason why I should tiptoe my way back—after all, the so-called Dr. Patel is expecting me—but I do, out of fear. 

With every footfall, I tell myself that it’ll be all right. Nothing bad will happen to me. My boyfriend will watch over me. Even if I find myself in some kind of trouble, he’ll see it on his cellphone and call the police at once. Yes, it’ll be all right.

As I pass under the lamppost, steps come rasping over the asphalt behind me. Here comes a tap on my shoulder. I turn around. Michael looks pale, but somehow he manages a faint smile.

“Wait,” he breathes, handing me a pair of my elegant high-heels, which he must have found in the back of his car. “You must look your part. Better change into these.”

Standing on one foot, then the other, I take off my ballerina flats. “You make me feel like Cinderella, only in reverse.”

My attempt at humor is a bit clunky, but we both laugh. 

Nervously.

Despite being aware of how dangerous Kabir is, Michael makes no attempt to stop me. Nor does he even warn me against going forward with this ill-advised date. Saving our friend, Karishma, is now our top concern. It has overridden both his caution and mine.

He wraps my shoulders with my red scarf. “Scared?”

“Who, me? Of course not,” I say.

Both of us know that’s a lie.

He kisses me, long, hard, desperate, as if that’s our last moment together. “My mother used to say, ‘If your path demands that you go through hell, walk like you own it.’”

“That’s what I’ll do.”

Another kiss, and he sinks back into the shadows. 

Ash Suspense Thrillers: Trilogy

Paperback ★ Hardcover

By popular demand, all three thrillers in one box!

Coma Confidential

Overkill

Overdose

"I've never read/listened to this author before but I really liked this thriller boxset. Each is a standalone story with characters reoccurring. The suspense is great and has an underlying love story. I'll definitely be looking for more from this author."

~Carey Sabala, Audible Listener