Book Review: Dawn by Cliff W Pettibone (The Brotherhood of Time Book 1)

Author: Cliff W. Pettibone

Genre: Historical Fantasy

Tropes: Historical Romance, Fantasy, Sci-Fi, M/M Romance, Time Travel

Spice Level: 🌶 Low Spice (one explicit scene)

Format: Paperback

Series: The Brotherhood of Time — Book 1

    Rorthan has had a hard life from the very beginning. His mother died in childbirth, and his father—who has always blamed him for it—never even gave him a first name. As the King’s general, his father’s position comes with certain privileges, including elite tutoring, but warmth and affection are not among them.

    Everything changes when Rorthan cuts through the palace gardens one day and meets Prince Tomren. What begins as a chance encounter quickly turns into an unexpected adventure that forces Rorthan to confront secrets about his past—and his future.

    I received a physical copy of this book from the author in exchange for an honest review. Full disclosure: this is an M/M (male/male) romance. If that isn’t something you enjoy, you can either skip the single explicit scene or pass on the book entirely. Personally, I have absolutely no issues with it.

    This story blends historical fantasy with light sci-fi elements and a unique take on time travel. Much of the story takes place in the ancient past, and I really enjoyed how the time travel mechanics were handled, as well as the gradual unfolding of secrets along the way.

    While I hated what happened to Rorthan’s mentor, I was ultimately satisfied with how things played out—even though the book ends on a cliffhanger that leaves the boys’ futures uncertain. The characters are teenagers, giving the story a slightly YA feel, but the presence of a sex scene means I’d recommend some discretion if considering it for younger readers.

    Overall, this was an engaging start to the series, and I’d absolutely be interested in reading more from this author.

⭐ You’ll like this book if you like:

• Historical fantasy with time travel twists
• M/M romance that’s character-driven rather than spice-heavy
• Stories about identity, hidden pasts, and destiny
• Fantasy that blends ancient settings with sci-fi concepts
• Slow reveals, secrets, and cliffhanger endings
• Royalty, palace intrigue, and unlikely friendships 

    This book is available on Kindle Unlimited or buy it on Amazon for $0.99 by clicking here. 

    

Book Review: Connor's Gambit by Z Gottlieb

     Brad had the perfect life. He was married to his best friend, Shiny, and he and his brother in law, Connor, ran a business together. He and Shiny had their own home where they were raising their son. Everything was great, but when he sees a spaceship during a fishing trip he soon learns that his wife and in laws are hiding a lot about their past. This secret will lead to a new adventure among the stars where Brad may be able to unlock his full potential, or he may show that Earth isn't yet ready to join those among the stars. Between being thrust into a war between two factions and his new unsteadiness in the spaceship Brad would rather just be back home with his family. But first, he has to keep Earth safe. 

    I received a copy of this eBook from the author in exchange for an honest review. This book follows Brad as he learns of aliens, that his family are aliens, and of the threat they are now facing. With this new threat he decides to travel with his family to the stars where he begins learning to be a pilot and more about the warring factions. Brad's new outlook into an old war provides helpful insights while sometimes getting he and his companions into trouble. Not only this, but Brad must contend with his fear of another species he encounters and must work closely with. 

    From the beginning the story is packed with action. There are fights and simulations constantly, which makes for a great read. The characters work well together and are well rounded. You get both the bad and the good side of people as you go through the story and watch the characters grow. I really enjoyed how playing videogames contributed to the learning experience for individuals. 

    All in all it was a fun book and I completely enjoyed it. This book is available on Amazon for .99 by clicking here. 

Book Review: Tempus Fugit: The Engagement Ring by Jules X. Perlaski

         In this 'Choose your fate' story you are a college grad who lives in an RV with his best friend. Your friend has discovered a new type of drug and your girlfriend has just broken up with you when you tried to propose. Where will your story go? 

    I received a copy of this book from the author in exchange for an honest review. I have always loved the Goosebumps books that were choose your fate, however, I didn't enjoy this book so much. I will say that I absolutely read through each of the eight possible paths in order to get as much as I could from this very fast read. 

    The book was not poorly written, by any stretch, but it wasn't something I found myself enjoying or a series I would like to continue in the future. I don't feel like I walked away from the book with a real depth of feeling for any of the characters involved. The series may get better as it progresses, but this will be my stopping place. 

    We "play" as a college graduate who is living in an RV with his best friend who is both a drug addict and seller. After we are dumped by our girlfriend, he tries to convince us to take a drug that allows you to travel in time. The choices you make from that point on are your own. You can give your friend to the authorities, join forces with them, take the drug, don't, and so on. 

    This may be something others would enjoy, personally I just wasn't a huge fan. The author does have a website: playtempusfugit.com 

    If you would like to try this book it is available on Amazon as a paperback for $250 (not sure why that is) by clicking here. 

Book Review: Our Eternal Souls by P.L. Jonas

     With the Zorathian's way of life ending and no escape seemingly possible Yonan and Xenia want to find solace in the only way they can: by travelling via astral projection into the future to see if their future incarnations find love with each other. Will they be able to find the lifetime in which they grow old together before their own time comes to an end? 

    I received a copy of this book from the author as an ARC in exchange for an honest review. The book was released on Dec 27, so I am a bit behind on finishing it in time, but I have tried my best. 

    This book starts with a utopian civilization called Zorathia where everyone lives forever except for death by sickness or some other outside force (ie poison, drowning, storms, or physical injury). While they have an infinite lifespan they are not able to withstand things such as volcanic blasts and the shifting on plates which threatens their way of life. Desperate to see their future selves grow old together a couple travels through lifetimes doing their best to get their reincarnations together for the long haul. Getting them together is easy. Falling in love is natural. But, growing old together may present a challenge. 

    I have to admit I was a bit leery at the start of this book. With the first incarnation her arranged marriage is with her cousin and I worried about inbreeding throughout. While there are instances of it in this book, as I just referenced, the end result is a bit more distantly related. While third cousins are not ideal it's better than first. That being said, if you aren't a fan of it in any instance, no matter how close or far this is your warning. I can't say I entirely loved that fact, but nothing to do about it. 

    The book is well written and the characters, outside of inbreeding, are relatable to some extent in each lifetime. Of course it is easier to relate to the present day lifetime versus those participating in cave drawings, serving under Queen Cleopatra, under the Queen from the 1800s, or a native American fur trader. 

    It was interesting to see how they pushed their future selves together time and again. Each time they are together it is easy to see the love felt by their initial selves all those years before. Even when the love does not result in forever, at least they felt it for that moment. I will say, however, if the elders had better prepared there may never have been a need for the astral travelling and the loss of life would have been unnecessary. 

    This book is available on Amazon for $4.99 by clicking here. 

Book Review: Flash Back by John Turiano (Project Eight Ball Book 1)

     After after the loss of Charlie Sam and his wife begin to drift apart. Work is a monotonous distraction at the military base where he works as a civilian. That is until he receives a mysterious envelope addressed to the General. When he turns it in he is given a new assignment: Project Eight Ball. A group of scientists have developed what was previously considered impossible: the ability to travel in time. However, the Americans are not the only ones with this technology, but how far have the butterfly affects rippled from changes made? 

    I received an eBook copy of this book from the author in exchange for an honest review. This book is very well written and will have you drawn in from the first page. We start by following a melancholy man plagued by nightmares to his job where he is a civilian contractor on a military site. Not uncommon. Soon we find that he has submitted a mysterious envelope he found in his house to his higher ups without opening it. Man has more self control than I do, but I've never been in a high stress or security job. When he is brought into the secret project on his base he isn't given a lot of choices, but I don't think he would have turned it down anyways. Especially knowing what happens in this book. 

    It is interesting to see how timelines change throughout the story and the back and forth between past and present. Especially when we see how something could play out then that timeline is essentially removed like it never happened. But, it adds a certain amount of intrigue to the story seeing if the events in the past are going to remain in the timeline. Sometimes they do sometimes they don't. While this is a science fiction book it doesn't go overly hard into the details of how something works. Because of this I feel like the story takes the fore-front, which is my personal preference. 

    There are sad bits in the book and points where I was annoyed with the main character and his actions, however he's only human and I can't hold that against him. Well, I could if I was a certain character in the book, but as a reader, no. I don't know that I have a favorite character in this book. Which is fine. I enjoyed the read and have no complaints. While this is book one in a series I feel like this book ends in a good place. We resolved all major points of the book, established a base group of characters, and left a trail for future books without taking away from what happened in this story. 

    This book is available on Kindle Unlimited or buy it on Amazon for $2.99 by clicking here. 

Book Review: Ripples by Ricky Dragoni

     Jordan is from a point in the future where humans have achieved genetic perfection. They are a time scout, someone who goes to a point in history and researches how safe it is before time tourists can visit it. However, Jordan longs to feel the lust and level of love that humans of the past felt for each other that they are not capable of in this new world. Because of this Jordan is going to fix as many of the issues of the past as possible in an attempt to stop their future from happening. Will the things done in the past create enough ripples through time to make a difference or is Jordan risking their life for nothing? 

    I was sent this ebook from the author in exchange for an honest review. When I began this book I was very curious what gender Jordan is, but I will not reveal one way or the other, or if they even have a gender. As a result I refer to Jordan as "they". Anyways, we normally hear that even the smallest change in the past has the ability to make large changes in the future. With Ripples we find that that is not always the case. Jordan has been working diligently for years making changes in the past in order to alter their future. This has not resulted in nearly as many alterations as one would hope, but Jordan feels that if they just keep trying they will be able to achieve that which they desire and be with their Lumi in a whole new way. 

    As with most books that I read my favorite character was a red-head. Yes, I know, big surprise. She actually played in a very small segment of the book, but had a large impact on Jordan. I hope that you enjoy this character as much as I did!

    Sometimes during reading this book I felt like so many lengths were taken to avoid pronouns such as he and she when referring to Lumi and Jordan that it was almost painful. There is only so many times you can read a name before you just want to start skimming and hope for the best. Other than that I really enjoyed the book. Jordan walks a delicate line between vigilante and becoming the monsters hunted very well. You truly do not know if Jordan will have to answer for the changes made until the very end of the book. As with the other book I have read by Dragoni the ending is a bit of a twist and is very enjoyable. 

    I hope that this book is one you add to your TBR! Ripples is available on Amazon for $2.99 by clicking here.

Books by this author:

The Swift

Book Review: The Tattler: Losing Time by Chad Descoteaux (The Tattler Book 2)

     It has been 4 years since the race of aliens from the planet Kardash has taken over the planet. Since then Agent Cromwell has been the President of the United States. Now the aliens are allowing the human race to run in a presidency. The one to run is none other than Lee Fin. The fate of the world rests on who is elected and whose message is received. Everything seems to be going well until a time-traveler from 600 years in the future comes back to try to right the wrong that has been done at this point in history. Can Elaina save the person she came back to save or will her boss, Rupart, achieve his own agenda?

    Time is a fluid thing. Constantly changing based on the actions that we take and the choices that we make. So when, in the future, time travel becomes possible someone could go back to any point and make changes that causes life in their current time to change as a result. We all have regrets and would want to go back to a certain time and change something that had happened. For this reason there are the Time Cops. Police that are able to see when an event has been altered and resolve it. Yet, as with any institution corruption is always possible. This was the case with Rupart, who wanted to go back in time and ensure that the results of the election led to the residents of Kardash to remain on the planet. 

    If you could go back and change something would you? I have many regrets, but out of those regrets I have my son. A son that I wouldn't trade for anything. When I think about my life I know that if anything in it was different that I may not be who I am today and I am fine with the person that I am. That being said, I can see how it could be used for good. But, this book is about much more than the controversies surrounding time travel. There is action, awful aliens, and a crime lord. Even a dash of romance and heart-break. Truly something for everyone. I actually believe I enjoyed this book more than I enjoyed book one, both of which I received from the author in the form of an audible redemption code in exchange for an honest review. 

    The only thing I didn't like about this book was the same thing that irked me in book one. The narrator's inability to correctly pronounce the word picture. I promise there is a c in that word. But, since it is not the author's fault I will not take away any stars on the review because of it. 

    This book is available on Amazon for $0.99 by clicking here. 

Books by this author:

The Tattler (The Tattler Book 1)