Special review: Whiteout from February 2009

In Ken Follett's Whiteout, he put the thrill back into thriller and added some medical elements. Before a Christmas blizzard in Scotland, Toni Gallo, the security director of a medical research firm had more problems that she bargained for. Twelve virus samples went missing, while one lab tech ending up bleeding. During the Whiteout, several people converged in front of a family home. Everyone inside had something to win or lose with the end results of the drug been developed to fight against the virus. That's when tempers went high and turned up the heat with jealousies and a boatload of explosive emotions, causing them to reveal family secrets,as heroes and villains emerge in the end.

This was another exhillerating thriller dealing with medical science. I loved the concept of a Scottish  winter season during the holidays. And to have a whiteout happen to trap everyone with snow and ice made it more thrilling as well. Toni Gallo was an interesting and intriguing character. I admired her and love the work she did. As for the  people at the home, that was a whole another story altogether. This would leave you speechless at the end after the gripping hook to start it off.

Don't get caught in the blizzard! Buy a copy this weekend!

Special review: The World WIthout End from April 2009

Eighteen years after the Pillars of the Earth was published, the long awaited sequel, The World Without End, continued the historical fiction saga from where it left off. Two centuries later, the same fight continued against the rich and the poor in Kingsbridge, England. The royal family and the priory were at ends for the same thing, when with a new set of characters that rule the world, they were at the crossroads with a new set of ideas in medicine, architecture, commerce and justice. At this time, this was when the fatal disease of Black Death ravaged their world for this backdrop in a fight against evil. Rich tones of historical facts of how the people lived and died with factual based knowledge on customs and cultures in this fantastic conclusion.

I continued to love the fantastic intricate details on knowing how a new generation of people lived during the Black Death Plague era.  The battle over the priory continued with new and interesting people. The backdrop of the Renaissance period was always amazing to learn about in this long book. I hated another long read and the war against the rich over the poor. Some things haven't changed. When some details were overwhelming with detail, it still made a good read with great drama, excellent action and a hint of romance.

Ready to relive a new war? Grab a copy today!

Special review: The Pillars of the Earth from September 2008

In Ken Follett's The Pillars of the Earth, the first book in the Pillars of the Earth series, he took us back into time of the Renaissance and Medieval Period in the 12th century. In this long book, it was jam-packed with intense history of the customs and cultures of how people lived in there. It wasn't only educational and entertaining at the same time, it set the stage of the cast of enriched characters about Tom Builder's  attempt of building the cathedral in Kingsbridge, England. It dealt with royalty and Tom's family, as we followed them throughout the years with romance, drama, intrigue, action-adventure and suspense. If you haven't seen the TV  mini-series version on Starz's, you'll be hooked in this book and read the sequel later on.

I'm a big sucker for medieval and Renaissance historical fiction. Ken Follett had did his research for this book and the sequel years later. It was so intricate and fascinating to learn about their culture, customs and to learn their way of life. I loved Tom's family and despised the royal prince. I also loved the priory too. I hated that it was so long at a 1000 pages to cram everything in for this saga. This also had some historical romance too as well. You'll be sucked into this ancient world of our past too, when you read this book!

Ready to time travel? Get ready to be intrigued in the Medieval world!

Special review: Jackdaws from April 2009

In Ken Follett's Jackdaws, he took us back to World War Two to tell us an enthralling historical fiction/romance story. During D Day, the United Kingdom had no idea when the Germans would raid their country. It was now up to Felicity "Flick" Clairet, the leader of an all French operative company to attack  against the Germans for the UK Forces. But during their head-on assault, everything went wrong. Her group was destroyed, her husband was MIA, her superiors were unsure of her, while her own self-confidence was shaken up a bit. That's when she developed a new plan of unprofessional all-female operatives for her team, which was later called the Jackdaws, and placed it into action. While she lead her new team onward and forward, that was secrets she kept to herself and haven't revealed to others, including those that were within herself.

This was a fantastic cross-blend of historical fiction and historical romance. During war-time Europe made it a picture perfect setting for this novel. I did begin to feel strong emotions for Flick and her fellow jackdaw spies. She had overcame a lot of things to accomplish that impossible mission. She was a true heroine in this novel, too. I didn't like it, when she lost her husband during the war, or when her team was defeated. With non-stop action, this would launch you right into the scenery to blend in and to join forces as well. This left a smile on my face in the end.

Ready to be recruited? Sign up with a copy today!

Lie Down with Lions

Ken Follett's Lie Down with Lions wasn't just your ordinary thriller. Set in the backdrop of the Soviet-Afghan War, in part of the Cold War, there was a love triangle,  during one of the toughest and longest war in decades. In the course of three years, we follow the love story between Jane, a nurse, and her battle for love during war with Ellis, an American CIA operative, and Jean-Pierre, a Frenchman for the opposition. From Washington D.C. to Afghanistan, we watched how everything unfolded from Jane's main POV, along with JP's and Ellis's, too. We learned everything on life in Afghanistan, how they operated and treated woman, which was no different than how they treated females nowadays. Jane experienced it all. With lies and betrayal, there was deception and love in the midst of it, while an ongoing war was fierce and deadly, which is no exception. This is part historical romance, part historical fiction, and part thriller. If you love novels set during any type of war, you'll love this one, too. Five stars!

This was another great historical fiction/romance by Ken Follett. With the backdrop of the Afghan war during the 1980s, it really painted the scene for this novel.  From Europe to the USA and Afghanistan, the settings were really fantastic. I felt so much compassion and heartache for Jane and Ellis, even for her own daughter. I didn't like JP that much or his Russian compatriots. He was such a cold-hearted calculated man.  The wartime scenes were really gruesome and tough to swallow so many vivid imagery. From the start to the end, you'll be fighting along with them to win the war.

Ready to save a life in a war-torn country? Check this out today!