Book Review Tuesday: Case of the Senshi Pearl by AR Norris #bookreview #goodbook

Written by: AR Norris

Desert Breeze Publishing

Book Review for: The Case of the Senshi Pearl

ISBN: 978-1-61252-247-0

Avail as an ebook

5 Stars

Norris pens a slow building heart-pounding suspense with "The Case of the Senshi Pearl." In the distance future, a planetary federation consisting of multiple worlds allows for cooperation and cultural/information exchanges. To keep the peace, the Federation calls on the IIA (Interstellar Intelligence Agency). It's in this atmosphere that Agent Raina Tanuki is given an assignment to go to the planet Nereus and determine who killed Despot Stressner before his death ignites a war between the Homo Sapiens, Homo Naiads, and Homo Sirenian races of that world.

Using quantum teleport, Raina arrives only to discover that the seeds of mistrust have taken the development of the planet backward in progress, not forward. Raina's  investigation is methodical and relentless, but her ability to shape shift sets off prejudices. Will her attraction to Kane complicate her investigation and end up getting her killed before she can discover the seeds that have divided a world?

Norris' writing engages the reader and her style is easy to read. Her creativity and imagination shines. Norris' world building involves different planets and cultures. What ties everything together is how the characters tap into their emotions and feelings, allowing the readers to connect to the story.

The best part of the novel is how the conflict is a metaphor for the conflict in today's world. The characters are endearing, sharing their strengths and weakness in very human ways that will resonate with readers.

The beginning plunges the reader right into the story. Keep going. While a bit overwhelming at first, by the end of the first chapter, the reader will have a good grasp on the setting and characters.

The romance between Raina and Kane is sweet, but its the story with its twists and turns, the compelling characters, and Norris' ability to tap into emotion that kept me turning the pages. This story will appeal to readers of all ages, including young adult. If you enjoy Riordan's Olympus Series with Percy Jackson and even Collins' Hunger Games, this story is a must read. I'm looking forward to the next book in the series and I highly recommend this book.

Amazon buy Link:http://amzn.com/B00AFOIZSU

Welcome Guest Author - AR Norris

I'd like to welcome fellow DB author, AR Norris to the blog. Her latest release, Duty & Devotion, is a sci-fi/futuristic romance and I'm a sucker for a good sci-fi. And now, here's Amber to talk about love at first sight. Enjoy!
Smiles
Steph

*****

I swear to this day that my husband and I were love at first sight. Of course...that's not really true. It was passion at first sight, which bloomed into love. But man! At the time I swore it was true love, immediately. Knocked me straight off my feet!

I think a lot about love. It's hard not to when the idea of true love is everywhere you turn. Books, TV, magazines, movies...the stories really know how to pump up the fantasy. They mix up intense moments and immediate attraction with love. They take opposites and smash them together. (And I'm not talking about individual characteristics...I'm talking compatibility points.)

What they don't show is the reality. The moments after "THE END".

There are a few things I have figured out with me and my husband's relationship.

1. You have to be able to be friends or you're never gonna make it. (We're talking decades together, people. You have to be able to laugh, cry, get angry, and reconnect with each other again.)
2. There has to be foundational morals and values that synch up.
3. The hardest for many, you have to learn to compromise. (Hello, there are two separate lives merging into one. It takes merger skills of gargantuan ability.)

It is easy to fall into the mystery and allure of passion and attraction. I mean, come on, who doesn't want to be wooed? But, I think one of the most empowering things is to realize when a relationship is not love and step away and have the strength to move on. It defines you and opens you to real love.

Poor older sister Nettie in Duty and Devotion has to try and try again, searching for love. And in a time of war no less. Of course, she didn't make it easy on herself. She went for the guy that was socially acceptable to her position and then to the man that intrigued her passion. Below is an excerpt when Nettie realized her first relationship wasn't right, and she walked away.


EXCERPT
Nettie closed down her console. "It was nice returning to engineering. I'm going to miss it." She looked up when he didn't say anything. He stood, staring at her with those deep grey eyes through the floating image. "Sir?"

"Is that the only thing you'll miss?" His voice was low, barely audible.

Without responding, she stood and gathered her training materials. He cursed and walked around the table to her.

"Damn it, Matterville. You know what's happening. I've tried to hide it, but it's pretty obvious."

She refused to meet his gaze. "What does it matter? There is nothing we can do about it."

He grabbed her by the shoulders. In shock, she looked up and he kissed her. It wasn't soft and seemed more from frustration than anything else, but the heat behind it ignited her. She leaned into him and let herself fall. Her abdomen knotted and her head spun. She slid her hands up to his shoulders and grasped his face.

She caressed his neck, ran a hand over his cropped hair, tickling her fingers. One of his big, rough hands slid down her lower back, braced her against him, and propped her against the table. Her head fell back. He nibbled her exposed neck. She started to say his name... no, she started to call out Captain.

A nagging doubt wheedled passed her passion. This isn't right. She tried to ignore it, but the feeling grew. Nettie managed to pull away.

"No." It was a simple statement, though breathless. She wasn't sure what regret there
would be, but she knew with that answer there wouldn't be guilt. "No." She stated again for good measure.

She nudged him away, moved away herself, and put some distance between them. "We're attracted to the idea of each other. You'd be the safe choice for me and that's not fair to you or to me. I have to focus on survival and being a soldier."

Conflict sparkled in his eyes, the muscles in his face and neck so tense they could snap. "Matterville, you aren't meant for war. You're not soldier material. I can help you with a safe position after training."

It was a blow to her ego and she felt it physically as the breath left her. Shaken, she fought off the urge to tremble. "With all due respect, Captain. I think I am good enough... No, I know I'm good enough."

She picked up her course material and lifted her chin. "If we are finished here, I would like to be excused, sir."

"I apologize, Nettie. That was... inexcusable."

She struggled to find her equilibrium. "It's Officer Matterville, Captain Branz. And no harm done. If anything, you've given me a reminder I sorely needed. Have a good day, sir."

Nettie walked out without looking back. She'd closed the door to her old world and focused on the one she was heading to.

*****

If you want to learn more about me, stop by my blog: Adventures of a Sci-Fi Writer

Duty and Devotion is available at Desert Breeze, All Romance Books, Amazon, Barnes and Noble, Sony, Kobo, and the Apple iBookstore

Welcome Guest Author, AR Norris

Living in the Future…Beyond the Techie Monologue
By A.R. Norris

One of my biggest gripes about SF is the techie monologue. You know the one. The characters are going about their adventure and BAM! the narrator cuts into a 3-paragraph lesson -- if we’re lucky -- on the detailed mechanism of the lift devise, weapon, or communication system from the character’s POV. Ugh already! Yes, we know they’re in the future. Yes we know they have cool gadgets. And, yes, they get around in awesome ways.

But how often in your everyday do you think about your surroundings? Do you pause in writing your grocery list to think about the mechanisms of that pen or the adhesive technology of the post-it you’re using your pen to write on? No. Do you think about the engineering and materials of the highways (other than cursing about the road conditions)? Probably not. Do you stop and figure out exactly how the magical computer machine is processing and transferring your important information (or like me, the joke of the day)? No.

Why?

Because we’re human beings and we take these things for granted. As a reader, I like to see the characters take their futuristic gizmo’s and lifestyle for granted too…that way I can be jealous without being irritated or put to sleep at the same time. I don’t care the intricacies of the hyper drive system…I just want to visualize the sound and back pressing speed it makes the character hear and feel when it goes vroom. I don’t want to know how the alien’s DNA differs on the minute scale…just describe the wings, slimy skin, and/or multiple eyeballs and how the character reacts or doesn’t react to this appearance.

I’m telling you, for me, it adds a depth of realism to the story. By describing the intricate science behind the world, the writer is wasting word count proving our need to dispend belief. All they really had to do is show how natural the characters acclimated and don't think about the technology to show the natural validity of belief in the world.

I guess my main point, if I were to put it in a one-liner, is: The more humans don’t think about the details behind the aspects, the more realistic and valid the aspects are in the story. (For me)

What are your thoughts on this? Are there limits to this for you…no matter how comfortable the characters might be?


Author Bio:
A published author of speculative and science fiction, I live in Napa Valley and am married to a wonderful husband. We have 4 children ranging from 3 to 15 and two canine babies. One very evil cat -- of which the dogs fear -- decided to accept our offer of residency and has tolerated us for about 7 years now.

More Information:
Adventures of a Sci-Fi Writer http://sci-fiadventures.blogspot.com/
Email Contact AmberNorris2000@yahoo.com

Guest Author Series - Author AR Norris talks about the Kindle

STEPH: Hi Amber, can you tell us a little about yourself?

AMBER I live in the beautiful Northern California Wine Country of Napa Valley. Married to a wonderful husband, we have 4 children ranging from 3 to 15 and two canine babies. One very evil cat -- of which the dogs fear -- decided to accept our offer of residency and has tolerated us for about 7 years now. Although I enjoy reading all genres, my writing centers on speculative fiction and science fiction.

STEPH: What kind of Ebook Reader do you have?

AMBER: Is it the Kindle 2 or 3? - I just recieved the Kindle 3G with WiFi for Christmas. (Thank you Hubby and Kids!)
STEPH: Sounds like the Kindle 3.

STEPH: What's the best feature on the kindle you like?

AMBER: I think my favorite feature is the ability to click for more information on the book. It takes you to Amazon and you can look up more information on book, get reader reviews, and find other books by that author. I've been able to easily find other works by my favorite authors that are not found in my brick and mortor store. I'm no longer restricted to what others decide to put on the shelf and can easily get opinions from others readers.

STEPH: How many books are on your Kindle?

AMBER: I've only had it since Christmas so my collection is still rather small. I've only downloaded about 35 books so far. I've spent the time to create collections so they're separated by genre. This makes it easy to find the book I want based on the mood I'm in.

STEPH: Where do you buy books from - just Amazon or other places?

AMBER: I've bought books through Amazon's Kindle Store and B&N so far, because it's easiest. I'm starting to branch out to other publisher sites now.

STEPH: Do you have a program like Calibre to help you convert & load books?

AMBER: No, I haven't needed to convert anything. So far the few that I've downloaded away from Amazon, I've been able to save to my PC, plug in Kindle's USB and upload it directly. Super easy to do and no converting needed.

STEPH: Any cons or something you don't care for with your Kindle?


AMBER: The only thing I've found I don't like is it doesn't have a reading lamp. So in the evening I still have to turn on my nightstand lamp. I'm going to look for a book light in the next month or two, if Kindle doesn't have an accessory. I would also like it in color, but it's so much like a page in a regular book that I don't miss it as much as I thought I might.
STEPH: Now, I'm not so sure, my husband has a reading light the Kindle 3.

STEPH:Tell us about your upcoming project.

AMBER: I can't wait until debut novel, Duty and Devotion, comes out in ebook format. It's a SFR set about 700 year in the future. The two main characters are sisters from the now ice covered planet of Earth. They are drafted into the first war in several hundred years. No one really knows what to expect, not even the current militia, which is run more as a galactic monitoring system. The story takes us through their training and the very different paths they each go down. Nettie, the older one becomes a space fighter pilot while the younger is training to become a ground combat soldier.

When battle starts, both sisters find out what it really means to live in a time of war and fight for freedom. Nettie's pain and loss close her heart to anything but her duty, but Officer James Northman is focused on opening her heart again to see the happiness even in chaotic times. Rinny finds love and devotion right off the bat in Danny Gubvre, but learns war is a fickle beast when it rips it away as she's captured by the enemy. Now she's fighting to keep her home free, return home herself, and just maybe find her lost love.

Duty and Devotion will be released by Desert Breeze Publishing June 15th.

STEPH: Any thoughts on Ebook Readers in general?

AMBER: Overall it is an amazing step into the future. As a SF writer, I can only see good things from this technology finally hitting the main stream. Whereas paperbacks brought literacy to the masses, ebooks will ensure they stay that way. It really has brought the written story to the electric age and put it back on the same playing field as movies. It's so exciting to see the new buzz from kids and young adults refinding the joy of reading.

Thanks for being here today.
Smiles
Steph