Where Fiction and Reality Meet
Title: Inherit the Lightning Author: Bud Gundy Publisher: Bold Strokes Books Length: 260 Pages Category: Historical Romance, Mystery Rating: 5 Stars At a Glance: Inherit the Lightning is an achingly lovely and compelling book. Its passions soar as high as its sorrows run deep, with a breadth and beauty to the story that is eloquent... Continue Reading →
Title: The Fiend in the Fog Author: Jess Faraday Publisher: Bold Strokes Books Length: 237 Pages Category: Gaslamp Fantasy, Lesbian Romance Rating: 4 Stars At a Glance: The ambiance, the way Jess Faraday immerses readers in the scenery to the point it feels as cloying and uncomfortable as it’s supposed to, and the happiness these... Continue Reading →
Title: Calvin's Head Author: David Swatling Publisher: Bold Strokes Books Length: 264 Pages Category: Psychological Thriller CW: graphic violence and harm/cruelty to animals At a Glance: Jason Dekker is a paradoxical protagonist, a sympathetic, if not conventionally principled, character. I enjoyed this trip into the mind of a serial killer with some serious identity issues.... Continue Reading →
Title: Faux Ho Ho Author: 'Nathan Burgoine Publisher: Bold Strokes Books Length: 152 Pages Category: Holiday Romance At a Glance: Faux Ho Ho is charming, fun, and sweet, everything a Christmas romance should be. And, it’s also a little bit nerdy! Which, in my book, is a bonus. Reviewed By: Jules Blurb: Silas Waite doesn’t... Continue Reading →
Title: Death Checks In Series: A Detective Heath Barrington Mystery: Book Three Author: David S. Pederson Publisher: Bold Strokes Books Length: 242 Pages Category: Historical, Mystery At a Glance: Though some may find the pacing slow, I think it fits with the era. David Pederson does a great job with this classic murder mystery set... Continue Reading →
Title: The Shape of You Author: Georgia Beers Publisher: Bold Strokes Books Length: 236 Pages Category: Contemporary At a Glance: The Shape of You was definitely a nice read that I didn’t feel compelled to finish in one sitting but that I enjoyed coming back to throughout the week. Reviewed By: Courtney Ellen Blurb: Personal... Continue Reading →
Title: Sinister Justice Series: A Jake Finnegan Mystery: Book Two Author: Steve Pickens Publisher: Bold Strokes Books Length: 313 Pages Category: Mystery/Suspense At a Glance: Steve Pickens brings his setting to life with vivid and colorful descriptions. His writing is clear and the pace is just right, making the storyline easy to follow and yet... Continue Reading →
Title: Somewhere Over Lorain Road Author: Bud Gundy Publisher: Bold Strokes Books Length: 266 Pages Category: Contemporary, Mystery/Suspense At a Glance: I loved this book so much. It was moving, gripping, and unforgettable. Reviewed By: Jules Blurb: For more than forty years, the stain of horrific allegations against their father has haunted the Esker sons.... Continue Reading →
Title: The Orchard of Flesh (Arcadia Trust: Book Two) Author: Christian Baines Publisher: Bold Strokes Books Length: 264 Pages Category: Urban Fantasy, Paranormal At a Glance: Never one to dismiss a good cliffie, I can say that this one did its job in cementing my commitment to read the next book in the series, no... Continue Reading →
Title: Skin Author: Christian Baines Publisher: Bold Strokes Books Length: 151 Pages Category: Urban Fantasy, Horror At a Glance: Christian Baines kept me on the hook in the slow and clever revelation of Skin’s characters, and then threw out a surprise twist at the end that was a nice payoff to my perseverance. Reviewed By:... Continue Reading →
Title: A Careful Heart Author: Ralph Josiah Bardsley Publisher: Bold Strokes Books Length: 312 Pages Category: Literary Fiction At a Glance: From a quiet novel of self-discovery to a turbulent exploration of love and friendship, Ralph Josiah Bardsley delivers another beautiful novel exploring the human condition. Reviewed By: Lisa Blurb: Travis Gaines and Stephen Davis... Continue Reading →
Title: Death Comes Darkly (A Detective Heath Barrington Mystery: Book One) Author: David S. Pederson Publisher: Bold Strokes Books Length: 240 Pages Category: Historical, Mystery/Suspense At a Glance: If you really enjoy the murder mystery genre and appreciate the author Agatha Christie, Arthur Conan Doyle’s Sherlock Holmes, or even the game Clue, this book will... Continue Reading →
Title: The City of Seven Gods Author: Andrew J. Peters Publisher: Bold Strokes Books Length: 218 Pages Category: Spec Fic At a Glance: Peters delivers another world rich with details from the ancient past, and with a compelling LGBT twist. Reviewed By: Ben Blurb: Kelemun was bought from his peasant parents to tend the inner... Continue Reading →
Title: Triad Blood Author: ‘Nathan Burgoine Publisher: Bold Strokes Books Length: 240 Pages Category: Paranormal, Urban Fantasy At a Glance: The start to an amazing paranormal series. I’ve already reread this book! Reviewed By: Jennifer Blurb: The law of three is unbroken: three vampires form a coterie, three demons make a pack, and three wizards are... Continue Reading →
Title: Brothers Author: Ralph Josiah Bardsley Publisher: Bold Strokes Books Length: 264 Pages Category: Literary Fiction, LGBT Fiction At a Glance: Brothers is another must read novel from an author whose writing voice speaks to me in a deeply gratifying way. Reviewed By: Lisa Blurb: At twenty-three, Jamus Cork’s plans are simple—graduate college, stay in... Continue Reading →
Title: The Photographer’s Truth Author: Ralph Josiah Bardsley Publisher: Bold Strokes Books Length: 264 Pages Category: Contemporary Romance, Literary Fiction At a Glance: Ralph Josiah Bardsley has penned a beautiful and often heartbreaking love story, the sort that snuck up on me and then lingered in my memory for days after. Reviewed By: Lisa Blurb:... Continue Reading →
Title: Café Eisenhower Author: Richard Natale Publisher: Bold Strokes Books Pages/Word Count: 264 pages At a Glance: An amazing book with two stories: one set in the 1990s, the other told through notebooks from pre/post WWII. Reviewed By: Jennifer Blurb: In the early 1990s, soon after the fall of the Iron Curtain, Matthew Robins, who is grieving... Continue Reading →
We're so pleased to welcome author Charlie Cochrane to The Novel Approach today to chat about her new novella from Bold Strokes Books, Don't Kiss the Vicar Welcome, Charlie! How and where does a story and its characters start? I know that some authors get an idea then plan their novel/novella down to the nth... Continue Reading →
Title: The Strange Case of the Big Sur Benefactor Author: Jess Faraday Publisher: Bold Strokes Books Pages/Word Count: 99 Pages At a Glance: Clever, clever, clever! Reviewed By: Lisa Blurb: Billiwack, California, 1884. When translator Rosetta Stein comes across her rival, Bartholomew Vincent, under attack by weird, raven-headed man-beasts behind the infamous Puckered Rosebud Gentleman’s... Continue Reading →
Title: Fool’s Gold Series: The Ira Adler Series: Book Three Author: Jess Faraday Publisher: Bold Strokes Books Length: 322 Pages Category: Historical, Mystery/Suspense Rating: 5 Stars At a Glance: There’s a reason The Affair of the Porcelain Dog and Turnbull House both made my list of their respective years’ Best Books. Fool’s Gold will make... Continue Reading →
Title: Fool’s Gold (Ira Adler: Book Three) Author: Jess Faraday Publisher: Bold Strokes Books Pages/Word Count: 322 Pages At a Glance: In a word: Outstanding. Reviewed By: Lisa Blurb: For once, Ira Adler has it easy. He has money in his pocket, a comfortable arrangement with an undemanding young man, and no one’s punched, chased,... Continue Reading →
Title: Blackthorn Author: Simon Hawk Publisher: Bold Strokes Books Pages/Word Count: 240 Pages At a Glance: While I hesitate to recommend this book to romance fans, I'll gladly do so to fans of erotic gay fiction. Reviewed By: Rena Blurb: Rian Blackthorn’s Gypsy and Elven heritage have earned him the title Master of the Hall... Continue Reading →
Title: Cheap as Beasts Author: Jon Wilson Publisher: Bold Strokes Books Pages/Word Count: 240 Pages At a Glance: A recommendable read for lovers of classic murder mystery. Reviewed By: Lisa Blurb: Like most soldiers, Declan Colette lost his fair share in the war—in his case a sailor, drowned off Iwo Jima. Since then he’s been... Continue Reading →
Title: Bottled Up Secret Author: Brian McNamara Publisher: Bold Strokes Books Pages/Word Count: 264 Pages Rating: 4 Stars Blurb: Brendan Madden is in the midst of his senior year of high school and couldn’t be happier. He has a great group of friends, his pick of colleges, and he has recently come to terms with... Continue Reading →
The Novel Approach Reviews 