Perilous Shores by Thomas M. Wing

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MWSA Review

Perilous Shores by Thomas M. Wing is an exceptionally authentic and action-packed historical naval adventure that serves as the gripping second installment of The Sea Hawkes Chronicles.

Set during the American Revolutionary War, the narrative follows Captain Jonas Hawke, an American privateer consumed by a relentless vow of vengeance against the British military following the tragic murder of his wife.

Wing brilliantly leverages his real-world background as a retired Navy Surface Warfare officer to deliver incredibly realistic maritime combat and vivid descriptions of life at sea. The historical setting is impeccably drawn, offering complete immersion into the era.

Furthermore, Hawke’s internal conflict—balancing his destructive personal vendetta with his loyalty to the cause for American independence—provides profound depth to his character. Highly engaging, meticulously organized, and emotionally satisfying, this novel is an absolute must-read for fans of nautical historical fiction.

Review by James Elsener

 

Author's Synopsis

Vengeance is as dangerous to a cause as to the enemy.

The murder of his wife at the hands of British soldiers prompts American privateer Captain Jonas Hawke’s vow to make Britain pay.

A grief-stricken Jonas strikes deep into the heart of the enemy, driven by his personal vendetta. When he raids a port city, one of his men crosses an unthinkable line, which forces Jonas to come to terms with the anguish that distorts his definition of justice.

Concerned his wrath will bring irreparable harm to the cause for America’s freedom, Jonas grapples with his role as a warrior and as a man. When he learns the Royal Navy is hunting his ship, he fears his deadly decisions may have cost him and his crew everything. It’s too late to turn back. Instead, he must continue on and face the inevitable perils of war.

Perilous Shores is a gripping, action-packed, and historically authentic tale of revenge, survival, and one man’s relentless pursuit of his country’s independence.

Format(s) for review: Kindle only
Review genre: Fiction—Historical Fiction
Pages/Word count: 388 / 95,000

The Tide Waits for No Woman by Richard K Perkins

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MWSA Review

This historical novel begins with a prologue that hints at the drama the main character Abby finds herself facing in the short two years this book covers. In October 1860, Abby’s husband Clifford is lost at sea and presumed dead. Abby’s cousin Katherine approaches her about helping a family of fugitives traveling through the area on their way to freedom in Canada. Abby considered playing a role in the Underground Railroad before, but Clifford discouraged her because of the risk it posed. Thinking all she had to do was provide a hot meal and overnight accommodations before her cousin Rachel takes the family to the next station, she reluctantly agrees.

The plan changes when they learn Rachel is under surveillance by a deputy marshal. Abby is forced to take the family (Ben, Chloe and Little Ben) to look for another conductor. After they are caught in an early snowstorm, they find shelter with an Acadian man Bill and his Abenaki stepchildren. Unable to leave until late spring, they all have to work together to survive. We learn about the experiences of the fugitives in slavery and their journey north. Bill shares the history of his people.

Part II of the book goes back to April 1860, when Abby and Clifford were engaged and getting to know each other. In Part III, Abby worries about life without her husband, while Bill finds himself attracted to Abby. Meanwhile, the fugitives face a devastating loss. Part IV returns to the story of Abby and Clifford after their wedding. Part V covers the beginning of the Civil War. Bill accompanies Abby and the fugitives as they continue their quest to get to Canada. After they successfully put the family on a train to Montreal, they begin their trip back. Bill wants Abby to return with him to his farm. Abby wants to go with him, but she insists on going home alone first to let her family know she is alive and find out what has happened while she was gone. On her way home, Abby has a life-threatening experience. When she gets home, what she learns changes everything.

I don’t want to spoil the rest of the book, so I will leave it there. This is an excellent book. I was skeptical that a man could write from the perspective of a woman, in general, and during this time period, in particular. The author did an excellent job at both. Abby is a strong and intelligent woman. All the characters are well developed. The book is full of history that is well researched and includes many real historical figures, locations, and events. It includes fourteen pages of references. I highly recommend it.

Review by Eva Nevarez St John

 

Author's Synopsis

Newlywed Abby Anderson is unsure whether to call herself a widow. In July of 1860, as the nation teeters on the brink of war, word comes that her merchant captain husband, Clifford, has been lost to the Graveyard of the Atlantic. Rejecting social expectations regarding proper mourning, Abby agrees to assist in an Underground Railroad operation out of her hometown of Woolwich, Maine. But an early October winter storm catches Abby and the fugitive slave family she's smuggling, and they find themselves snowed in with Bill Boudreaux, an Acadian trapper and farmer, and two Abenaki teenagers in the remote Maine wilderness.
The unlikely companions must work together to ensure their survival through the long, harsh winter and find themselves growing closer, creating an unexpected family few societies would approve of-and leaving Abbey with what feels like an impossible choice. When spring comes, she will continue her quest to see the fugitive family safely to Canada. And then, she must decide where she truly belongs.

Format(s) for review: Paper or Kindle
Review genre: Fiction—Historical Fiction
Pages/Word count: 351 / 88,753

Barbarossa 1940: Hitler Moves East, First by William Soderberg

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MWSA Review

William Soderberg’s Barbarossa 1940: Hitler Moves East First is best described as a fictional history book instead of a historical fiction. This hefty 336-page narrative explores the alternate what-if scenario of Hitler invading the Soviet Union in 1940 instead of attacking France and the Lowland Countries. The omniscient observer point of view examines the decisions and actions of the Germans, Soviets, and neutral countries.

Soderberg uses the first half of the story to examine the invasion of Poland without a British and French declaration of war. The Germans then plan to attack east in 1940. The change in war focus results in different production priorities. Soderberg envisions bold amphibious and airborne elements to a reimagined Operation Barbarossa. The tempo picks up when the Germans launch their invasion, carrying them to the gates of Moscow and creating a completely new global balance of power for 1941.

Review by Galen D. Peterson

Author's Synopsis

William Soderberg’s Barbarossa 1940: Hitler Moves East, First offers a riveting exploration of a possible alteration in World War II history. Through detailed maps, strategic analyses and gripping narratives, this book delves into the German and Soviet invasions of Poland in 1939 and the subsequent battles following the surprise German invasion of Russia in 1940 that might have reshaped the global balance of power. From the tactical genius of German commanders to the industrial might of the Soviet Union, the book examines the clashing strategies and resources that defined this brutal conflict. With vivid depictions of military maneuvers—such as Army Group South’s drive to Maikop and the Siege of Leningrad—alongside geopolitical insights into Soviet expansionism and Axis ambitions, Barbarossa 1940 brings the chaos of war to life. A must-read for history enthusiasts, this comprehensive volume uncovers the plans, failures, and enduring consequences of one of the war’s most consequential campaigns.

Format(s) for review: Paper or Kindle
Review genre: Fiction—Historical Fiction
Pages/Word count: 336 / 116,000

Jones Point by Sean Hagerty

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MWSA Review

Sean Hagerty's first book, Jones Point, introduces us to Dane Cooper, a proficient special operator with the skills and mentality to do for this country what many others cannot. However, his successful career is irreversibly sidetracked when his daughter Angela is abducted; no clues, no ransom, no nothing. It sidelines his career, destroys his marriage, and unleashes demons in Dane he didn't even know he had. However, when all seems lost, a mysterious group of well-resourced vigilantes recruits him into the fold. They are from all different backgrounds and professions, but they all share something in common: the loss of a child to violence.

Dane's life again has purpose, and as he becomes more deeply involved in hunting pedophiles and child killers, he begins to regain control of himself. Will this bring him closer to finding his daughter? Or will this cost him what soul he has left?

The characters are well developed and interesting, the cause noble, and the action fierce and decisive. No special ops soldier is average, but even among giants, Dane Cooper is a special kind of hero. It's clear the author has played in the Spec Ops world, and brings all his experience to his writing for the benefit of his readers. Fans of crime thrillers and vigilante justice will certainly enjoy this book.

Review by Rob Ballister

 

Author's Synopsis

By day, we're your neighbors. Your boss. Your teacher. By night, we hunt the monsters who hunt our children.

As a Special Operations soldier, Dane Cooper was trained and tested to handle the toughest, most dangerous situations around the world. He was not, however, prepared for the abduction of his daughter.

That kidnapping sends him into a downward spiral, the depths of which are unknown even to Dane. But a lifeline is thrown to him by a mysterious cabal, which sees his skills as paramount to helping others.

Now investigating other grieving parents' cases, Dane must conceal his efforts from the zeal of an FBI agent hot on the trail of the vigilante cabal, a dedicated Virginia Bureau of Investigation team, and an elusive network of monsters at the center of it all. Punishing the wicked while searching for his little angel, Dane must also overcome the struggle with his own demons.

Format(s) for review: Paper or Kindle
Review genre: Fiction—Mystery/Thriller/Crime
Pages/Word count: 385 / 90,745

Flow, Flow, Flow Your Blood: Sing-Along War Poems by Paul Hellweg

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MWSA Review

Flow, Flow, Flow Your Blood: Sing-along War Songs by Paul Hellweg is a book that incorporates dark humor dressed in well-known nursery rhymes. As the title suggests, the book makes light of serious and painful subjects: injury, death, tragedy, and suffering. The author uses parody for each of the poems, changing the words to songs we learned in grade school. This can serve as a coping mechanism to process the terrors and horrors of war. Each entry is paired with a black and white photograph from various wars, some of them quite graphic. The author includes a content warning on the back of the book regarding the photos, which can be distressing or disturbing.

While this book isn’t classic poetry and might not be considered entertaining, it does open the dialogue for discussion of national policy and care of returning military veterans. In a departure from his previous poetry book—When Eagles Vie with Valkyries, which was awarded a gold medal from the Military Writers Society of America—Hellweg, a Vietnam veteran, uses caustic wit and bitter irony in this volume. This will likely appeal to those who have served in the armed forces, but may provoke discomfort for civilians and possibly offend families whose loved ones died or were injured in war. It may also provoke serious thought as to what is required of service members who are deployed to war zones.

Review by Betsy Beard

 

Author's Synopsis

Flow, Flow, Flow Your Blood reimagines familiar nursery rhymes through a darker lens. With biting irony, Paul Hellweg juxtaposes the sing-song rhythms of childhood with the stark realities of war—violence, loss, and lingering trauma.

Sample Poems:

WOUNDED

Flow, flow, flow your blood
Gently in a stream
Merrily, merrily, merrily, merrily
Life is but a scream
Flow, flow, flow your blood
Gently in a stream
If you see an IED
Don’t forget to scream (Aaagh!)

YANKEE DOODLE

Yankee Doodle went to war
Riding in a Humvee
Stuck a peace sign on his cap
And called it all baloney

Chorus:
Yankee Doodle keep it up
Yankee Doodle dandy
Mind the mines and watch your step
And with the guns be handy

Content Warning: This book contains real-life war photographs that depict graphic violence, injury, and deceased individuals and may be disturbing or distressing to some readers. Viewer discretion is advised.

Format(s) for review: Paper or Kindle
Review genre: Poetry—Poetry Book
Pages/Word count: 59 / 2,174

Stealing Stealth by Brian L. Reece

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MWSA Review

Stealing Stealth by Brian L. Reece is a mystery thriller worth reading. Gabrielle Hyde is a lovely, devious, athletic, cunning con who could out-plan a chess master. She befuddles both FBI and CIA agents with a team of specialists and the ability to think several steps ahead of others. There’s not only a Plan B that her team knows about but always another secret plan.

During the Cold War in the 1970s, stealth technology is just being developed, and whoever owns it changes the balance of power. A disgraced CIA agent, a disgraced FBI agent, and the female con artist who disgraced them are teamed by President Carter’s administration to find out how released US research documents on stealth was leaked. It is an uneasy relationship of people who are trained to trust no one.

Just when you think you have the story all figured out, there is another twist. Twist upon twist upon twist. Who do you trust? What does Gabrielle do when she’s off on her own? Why is she on that roof? Is the best way to keep the stealth documents from the Russians to steal them, especially since it’s the con’s plan? There are even Cray computers in the secretive Skunk Works facility where the documents are kept and many layers of security.

Along the way, CIA agent Olson learns about Hyde’s personal story and her ethics. He also questions his agency and his own future. They face a shared enemy from their pasts.

The author’s background lends authenticity to his debut novel. As someone who spent years in special operations and strategic command, he is well aware of what happens when plans meet reality. His background also includes cinematic storytelling, so he knows how to move a story along. This is a winning combination.

Review by Nancy Kauffman

 

Author's Synopsis

The only way to protect the ultimate secret is to steal it.

1977. Deep inside the secretive Skunk Works facility, the United States is forging its biggest advantage of the Cold War: Stealth technology. Invisible to radar, it will shift the global balance of power forever. But a traitor at the highest level is about to hand the blueprints to the Soviets.

CIA Officer John Olson has seven days to stop the leak. But his agency is compromised, the FBI is hunting him, and the official protocols are a suicide pact. Out of time and out of options, Olson realizes he can’t save the program by following the rules. He has to break them.

Olson turns to the only person capable of stealing the unstealable: Gabrielle Hyde. The brilliant, elusive con artist he spent a decade hunting is now his only hope.

Together, they must launch an elaborate con against the U.S. government itself. From the dusty streets of Africa to the high-security vaults of Los Angeles, they must outwit a ruthless KGB assassin and a vengeful FBI agent to pull off the greatest heist in military history.

Format(s) for review: Paper or Kindle
Review genre: Fiction—Mystery/Thriller/Crime
Pages/Word count: 472 / 127,000

Jungle Ghosts: Walking Point in Vietnam by Ed Mann

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MWSA Review

Ed Mann’s Jungle Ghosts: Walking Point in Vietnam immerses you into the Vietnam War’s most heart-stopping duty. Be prepared to experience all the senses as you read this visceral and candid account of patrolling the jungle. Ed doesn’t just make you feel the jungle and the adrenaline of easing into the ambush kill zone. His portrayal of his fellow soldiers brings them to life.

I picked up my eBook version and found myself unable to put it down until my eyes could no longer ghost with Ed from cover to cover. Walking point was one of the most dangerous duties of the entire war. Untrained or unskilled soldiers often only discovered the enemy after it was too late. While the North Vietnamese soldiers were experts in harnessing the natural concealment of the jungle, the same jungle was neutral and offered indicators of human presence. Ed put his childhood experiences in the woods to use to offer himself and his squad better odds. By sharing his experiences, Ed provides insights any modern soldier would want to master. His transformation in combat illuminates the mental and moral challenges so many of our soldiers must face.

Review by Galen Peterson
 

Author's Synopsis

Jungle Ghosts: Walking Point in Vietnam is a narrative nonfiction account of an infantry soldier’s tour of duty in 1969-70. Described by a Vietnam Veterans Association reviewer as a “beautifully written, exquisitely detailed Vietnam War memoir [that] is almost a literary work of art,” the book offers a raw, bottom-up perspective of the conflict.

At barely 20 years of age, the author was a low-ranking enlisted man stepping beneath a jungle canopy for the first time with eyes wide with wonder. At that moment he knew little about the war in the jungle, but what he experienced that day led him to a decision that would follow him throughout his year in Vietnam: that to survive he had to rely on his own judgment, regardless of rank. In the rigid world of the military, this meant risking the severe legal consequences of disobeying orders under Article 92 of the UCMJ, even if it later became apparent that the commander had issued a terrible order that would have led to a disaster.

The book avoids lecturing, opening a window to a dim, leaf-littered world where men fought and died on a jungle floor that was hidden from the sky. The story captures raw hardships, inner reflections, the fears and courage of fellow soldiers, and the lethal commitment of the enemy. It also confronts the systemic challenges of a complex military bureaucracy that proved institutionally incapable of evaluating its own performance.

This is not a story of a hero, but of a survivor. The author recounts how seductive the adrenaline-pounding danger was, reawakening long-buried survival instincts so that fleeting jungle sounds, scents, and images began to flow through him unimpeded by slow analytical processing. He learned to recognize subtle nudges of alarm generated by his subconscious brain, and experience taught him to do whatever felt right without questioning why.

Though deeply regretting the brutality of the war, the author treasured the spellbinding connection he had with the natural voices, scents, sights, and feels of Vietnam’s ancient jungle. That connection is vividly illustrated in sections of the narrative that describe the living, breathing, animal and insect-filled ecosystem whose messages were his lifeline.

While many combat memoirs focus heavily on the aftermath of war, Jungle Ghosts closes with the still-haunting memory of his imperiled fellow soldiers looking up at the author as a helicopter lifts him from the jungle floor for the final time.

Format(s) for review: Paper or Kindle
Review genre: Nonfiction—Memoir/Biography
Pages/Word count: 325 / 135,000

Assassin's Mace, A Jake Palmer Novel by Ron McManus

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MWSA Review

Assassin’s Mace by Ron McManus is a thriller based on current-day technology and weapons. Jake Palmer and his partner Alona Green, both contractors with the US Joint Special Operations Command’s elite Task Force Orange, must exfiltrate Russia’s top hypersonic missile engineer, Dmitry Solokov, with virtually no time to plan or arrange for backup other than Britain’s MI6 chief of station. Russia’s FSB has been interrogating and arresting innocent missile scientists, and Solokov knows he could be next. Border crossings with Finland are being carefully watched with human agents, pressure sensors, video, drones, and, in rural areas, dog patrols. To make matters more difficult, there is little, if any, cell service in rural areas and nowhere to charge dying phones. In addition to the FSB hunting them, there is a highly successful sniper who has no qualms about crossing borders.

Solokov offers more than his technical knowledge, which he is certain is far superior to that of Western nations. The West has been slow to develop hypersonic missiles and effective defenses and faces production challenges as compared to Russia and its allies (China, North Korea, and Iran). The West’s power grids, communication networks, and satellites are targets for simultaneous attack. Their reaction might be a nuclear one.

The major characters have well-developed stories that explain their motivations and actions, and the road to safety for the exfiltration is far from straightforward. In addition to the fast-paced story of their run for the border, you learn some geopolitics, like Russia weaponizing immigration into Finland. In other words, if they can put enough Russians into the border area of Finland, they can alter the political leanings of the area and claim that they need to protect their citizens, as they did in the Crimea. It is clear that members of the FSB are well trained, although the motivation of the leaders of Russia and FSB have questionable goals, strategies, and tactics.

The author’s background as a former naval officer and a Vietnam combat veteran undoubtedly helped him add authenticity to the story. This is well written and will keep you engaged.

Review by Nancy Kauffman

 

Author's Synopsis

Jake Palmer is weeks away from finishing a grueling two-year contract with the U.S. Joint Special Operations Command’s elite Task Force Orange in Islamabad. But instead of winding down, he and his partner, Alona Green, are thrust into their most dangerous mission yet: a covert operation deep inside Russia under false identities. With MI6’s Moscow Station Chief, Sania Reed, as their only lifeline, their goal is clear—extract Russia’s top hypersonic missile engineer and deliver him safely into U.S. custody. But when the mission uncovers intelligence with world-shaking consequences, the stakes rise beyond anything they imagined. Now hunted by Russia’s Federal Security Service and its most lethal operative, assassin Nikolai Ivanov, Palmer and Green must outwit an enemy who rarely misses. The consequences of mission failure could redefine the balance of global power and cost Palmer and Green everything.

Format(s) for review: Paper or Kindle
Review genre: Fiction—Mystery/Thriller/Crime
Pages/Word count: 363 / 89,000

Broken Destiny: The Story of Sergeant William M. O’Loughlin, United States Army Air Force by Mark Verwiel & Mario Acevedo

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MWSA Review

Broken Destiny: The story of Sergeant William M. O’Loughlin, United States Army Air Force tells a story like many others of the WWII era—seemingly normal people performing under extraordinary conditions. What breaks this story apart from others is the way it is told in such a personal way. The main author, Mark Verwiel, wrote this book based on his great uncle Bill (Sergeant O’Laughlin) whom he knew little about until finding his photo in family files.

Verwiel introduces readers to Bill as the larger-than-life character he was. He’s confident, and he’s funny. He has a way with the ladies, but once in love he is devoted to her like no other. There are so many dimensions to this story to enjoy. From the realities of “hurry up and wait” training to the intensity of combat missions and tasting unknown fears. He shows the human bonds of brothers in combat and sets the scenes of the campaigns from North Africa to Italy. The technical details do not distract from the story and help place readers in the aircraft from takeoff to full mission chaos.

The rhythm of the book ebbs and flows by weaving Sergeant O’Loughlin’s life overseas with the life of his new bride Betty and the rest of his family back home in the Midwest. Family letters and descriptions from family members helped create these honest portrayals of the worry and concern of families trying to read through censored letters where their family members really were. Verwiel portrays the hardships of loneliness, bearing children alone, and families standing together to try and pull through the most difficult times in their lives.

This book is highly recommended for those who want to read about a real-life family in WW2. While it is a biography, it reads like a novel with likeable characters and a solid story line. I won’t be forgetting this book any time soon.

Review by Valerie Ormond

 

Author's Synopsis

In this remarkable biography of Sergeant William M. O’Loughlin, the author, Mark Verwiel, portrays thrilling aerial combat over North Africa, the Mediterranean, and Italy during some of the most savage fighting of World War II. Then came the fateful day when O’Loughlin’s squadron of B25 Mitchell bombers was launched to destroy the Isoletta Dam and break the formidable Gothic Line. What happened next to O’Loughlin was lost to history.

While casually perusing a family photo album, Verwiel discovered a vintage newspaper clipping of men who had fallen in battle. “Who was this?” he asked, and his father replied, “That’s your Uncle Bill.” This was the first that Verwiel had heard that one of his relatives had served, much less that he had been killed in action. So began a quest to learn about the man behind the name, and equally important, why his story had been all but forgotten.
William Maurice O’Loughlin was a product of the Great Depression and when the stormy clouds of war darkened the horizon, he volunteered for military service. Whatever his plans might have been, they were upended when he met Betty Cummings. After a whirlwind romance, he shipped overseas to begin his combat tour as an aircrewman, and he left behind a new bride, pregnant and hopeful.

O’Loughlin’s loss broke Betty’s heart and that of a daughter he was never to meet. His tragic death rippled silently across the generations until Verwiel and his family amassed the historical record and breathed life into O’Loughlin’s wartime adventures.

When we think of World War II, what comes to mind are the sweeps of armies across continents, the grand strategies of generals and admirals. But victory was only possible by the sacrifice of the ordinary man in uniform, doing his duty, and this is such a story.

Format(s) for review: Kindle or Paper
Review genre: Nonfiction—Memoir/Biography
Pages/Word count: 286 / 54,034

Colored Pebbles by Del Staecker

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MWSA Review

A time-honored philosophical maxim states, “An unexamined life is not worth living.”

Colored Pebbles is an intensely personal memoir that, based solely on its title and cover, is modest to a fault. A near-fatal health scare confronted award-winning writer Del Staecker with the challenge to reflect on the many meaningful connections he had with others and to gather them into a personal memoir.

He has collected the stories of his encounters with an array of significant people in his life, ranging from family members and friends to nationally known and world-renowned figures. Inspiration for the title stems from the courtship rituals of penguins, which instinctively gather colorful stones and present them as gifts to their prospective mates.

Individual vignettes can stand alone, and the order of presentation does not follow a chronological arc. Each story focuses on the author’s interaction with a particular individual and their impact on him at a specific time of his life. He provides his personal thoughts about how each encounter influenced him at the time.

A dedicated reader will be rewarded with a compelling, cohesive narrative that emerges as a literary equivalent of a photomosaic portrait—a moving retrospective image formed by the diverse fragments of the author’s multifaceted life.

This memoir will appeal to readers who appreciate the lasting influences of others on an individual’s life story.

Review by Peter Adams Young

 

Author's Synopsis

Del Staecker is an American writer of novels, novellas, short stories, and non-fiction in a number of genres, including suspense, crime, philosophical fiction, satire, and memoir. He is a Life Fellow of the Royal Society of Arts (London) and Knight of Honor, Order of St. John (Malta). He was educated at The Citadel, Wheaton College, and The University of Puget Sound.

Format(s) for review: Paper and Kindle
Review genre: Nonfiction—Memoir/Biography
Pages/Word count: 306 / 65,000

I'm Alive: A Young Fighter Pilot's Diary of the US Navy Air War in Vietnam, 1964 to 1965 by Errol F. Reilly; Kevin Callahan; Christopher P. Callahan

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MWSA Review

I’m Alive, a biography of Errol F. Reilly (Rile), is written with great attention to detail. When I read that Kevin Callahan and Christopher P. Callahan are Errol Reilly’s stepsons, I understood why. It’s apparent from the Callahan brothers’ work on this biography that they loved and respected their stepfather.

I’m Alive is a story of a novice fighter pilot during the early years (December 7, 1964 to October 23, 1965) of the Vietnam conflict. Rile’s entries in the diary were written with a raw emotion laced with a sense of humor. I felt his depths of sorrow with each loss of a fellow pilot to the heights of excitement when he learned his time in the Gulf of Tonkin was over, and he was still alive. In the course of that year, while fighting an unpopular war, Rile evolved into a hardened combat pilot with a wealth of experience to share with others. And he did just that.

Having recently returned from his third Western Pacific (WESTPAC) cruise and the deadly air war in Vietnam, Rile was assigned to the Naval Air Station in Pensacola, Florida, as a flight instructor. This extraordinary man drove cross-country by himself from San Diego to the family’s new officers’ quarters with four rambunctious stepsons, aged seven to fifteen. When I read that, I knew that Errol Reilly was more than brave; he was fearless. In a wise move, his wife and toddler son flew to Florida to meet them.

Stepsons Kevin and Christopher Callahan are now retired US Navy captains. After organizing and editing their dad’s letters and diary, they produced a historical look at the Vietnam conflict from the cockpit of a fighter plane that will live on. I’m so glad I had the opportunity to read I’m Alive.

Review by Nancy Panko
 

Author's Synopsis
I'm Alive is the compelling diary of Lieutenant Junior Grade Errol F. Reilly, a 26-year-old US Navy fighter pilot, written aboard the aircraft carrier USS Coral Sea during his first combat cruise in Vietnam. In writing that is colorful, perceptive, and at times both humorous and heartbreaking, "Rile" chronicles his daily experiences "living, playing, and fighting" within the context of the Navy's fledgling air war. Covering the period from December 1964 to October 1965, I'm Alive details an untested F-8 Crusader pilot's personal journey from "nugget" aviator to seasoned combat professional. Reilly's feelings quickly change from patriotic enthusiasm to frustrated disillusionment as he begins to experience the realities of deadly air combat over Vietnam. His keen observations provide rare insights into the evolving strategies and tactics of the US Navy. With historical context and explanatory notes provided by the editors, I'm Alive offers a bold, unfiltered narrative of the earliest stages of the air war in Vietnam, and a fascinating personal account of friendship, war, and triumph over adversity.

Format(s) for review: Kindle Only
Review genre: Nonfiction—Memoir/Biography
Pages/Word count: 209 / 66,450

2121: EXODUS: Lupus Stella by Scott D. Rodriguez

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MWSA Review

Author Scott D. Rodriguez has given us an imaginative science fiction thriller in his book 2121: Exodus, Lupus Stella Book 1. As the title indicates, the book takes place a century from now, when space travel has become routine, and mankind has discovered a way to draw its power needs from what is believed to be the emptiness of space, or as the author calls it, the "quantum vacuum." It is an era where resources are scarce, and warfare between Earth's most powerful seems inevitable. When war comes, it happens quickly and with an overwhelming number of nuclear missiles striking most of the world's key cities. With mankind's survival on Earth at jeopardy, Theo Knox, our protagonist, is chosen to lead ten thousand humans through a wormhole in space to a world that should be able to support human life. Upon arrival, they soon realize that this new world may not be that friendly.

Note: the author's decision not to use standard punctuation may make it difficult for some readers. Dialogue is not set apart by quotation marks, apostrophes often not used in contractions, and question marks are frequently omitted. 

Review by Bob Doerr

 

Author's Synopsis

A veteran. A dead world. A ship full of strangers. And an arm that remembers things he never told it.

June 2121. Colonel Theo Daniel wants nothing but his Texas ranch, his coffee, and the silence the VA can't prescribe. Twenty-three years after a grenade on Mars took his arm and his best friend, the military has one more thing to ask of him.

When a resource war over the Moon's helium-3 deposits spirals into global nuclear exchange, Theo is thrust from retirement into the fight to save what's left of humanity. His sister dies sheltering children in an Austin school basement. His commanding officer stays behind so others can leave. A man he trusted turns out to be the reason the grid fell.

Now Theo commands the Odyssey — a colony ship carrying ten thousand souls through a wormhole to a planet fourteen light-years from the ashes of Earth. But Lupus Stella is not the empty paradise they were promised. The forest watches. The predators learn. An ancient civilization left a warning carved in stone — and the thing they warned about has already found the signal.

2121: EXODUS is military science fiction with literary bones. A story of sacrifice, found family, and the stubborn refusal to let the dark win — written by a veteran who knows what it costs.

Format(s) for review: Paper or Kindle
Review genre: Fiction—Horror/Fantasy/Sci-Fi
Pages/Word count: 292 / 76,581

Hill 119, Defending a Reconnaissance Marines' OP, Vietnam 1969-70 by Colonel Michael O Fallon USMC (Ret)

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MWSA Review

Hill 119: Defending a Reconnaissance Marines’ OP, Vietnam, 1969–70 is an extremely detailed account of the Marines and Corpsmen of Delta Company, 1st Reconnaissance Battalion, as they manned an observation post near Danang during the Vietnam War. Like a James Michener novel, the account starts with a description of the surrounding infrastructure constructed during the French colonial period: roads, railroad tracks, dams, and canals. All of these features would play a part in the daily operations of the Hill. With two higher hills in close proximity, it was only through aggressive patrolling and regular night ambushes that the men of Hill 119 were able to maintain their presence and enable another group of Marines to conduct vital day-and-night surveillance over a valley that was an NVA infiltration “highway.”

The author, who spent considerable time as the commander on the hill, spares no one by offering an honest appraisal of both the valor and shortcomings of the people who manned the Hill and the supporting 1st Reconnaissance Battalion. Most chapters start with a short paragraph on what was happening in the U.S. at that time and in the conduct of the war, to provide necessary context. Even though Hill 119 was an isolated and occasionally beleaguered outpost, events on the Hill would eventually be felt not only in the larger theater of the Vietnam War but also in the United States.

The author uses an extensive collection of maps and diagrams, many of which he and others used during the war. An extensive glossary is provided, ensuring readers at any level of interest in military history do not get lost in the blizzard of jargon and acronyms from a conflict that happened over 55 years ago. This book will be of interest to military history enthusiasts, Vietnam veterans, or anyone seeking a deeper understanding of the U.S. military's final days in the Vietnam War.

Review by Terry Lloyd

 

Author's Synopsis

A narrative account of Reconnaissance Marines in Vietnam. Small Teams launching daring deep Stingray patrols in the bush. On the Observation Post, Hill 119 defending for 600 relentless days and nights. Surrounded by the NVA with the constant challenge of determining friendly Vietnamese civilians from hard corps Viet Cong and North Vietnamese regulars. Their lifeline were the Marine helicopters that flew out bringing water, ammo, food, and their replacement platoon. In 1969 and 1970, Delta Company, 1st Reconnaissance Battalion, 1st Marine Division manned the OP and ran patrols in Phu Loc Valley and Go Noi Island. This firsthand account of the Marines and Corpsmen who patrolled deep and occupied the OP describes their struggle to survive. Based on participant interviews and the detailed declassified debriefing reports compiled after each patrol returned to their rear base, at Camp Reasoner, Da Nang in the Republic of South Vietnam. This is their history!

Format(s) for review: Paper or Kindle
Review genre: Nonfiction—History
Pages/Word count: 449 / 261,656

The Legacy of the Twins Platoon by Christy Sauro Jr

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MWSA Review

Legacy is not a word lightly used, and Christy Sauro aptly applies it to the members of the Twins Platoon. In 2006, Sauro released The Twins Platoon, but the call to capture the legacy these warriors left resulted in The Legacy of the Twins Platoon. I picked up the eBook version and was thoroughly immersed into the lives of a variety of characters, their dreams, their dedication, and their sacrifice. The narrative is colorful, descriptive and easy to chase the next page.

The gripping tale of readjustment to post-Vietnam is candid and a must-read for anyone in a relationship with a veteran and every lonely veteran struggling. Sauro sheds light on how the burden of sacrifice in an unpopular or unjust war only prolongs the conflict after the bullets stop. Sauro set out to honor 150 Marines and those who never came home and ended up with a tribute to the millions of Vietnam and other veterans, their families, and their everlasting sacrifices.

Review by Galen Peterson 

Author's Synopsis

In early June 1967, Marine Corps recruits from Minneapolis-St. Paul and outlying Minnesota received a letter stating all those scheduled for active duty in June would go as one platoon on June 28, 1967. One hundred fifty Marine applicants would be shipped to San Diego, California, to the recruit training depot. The Minnesota Twins baseball team was sponsoring the unit.
They were sworn in on television at a pregame ceremony and were guests of the Twins at the game. By the end of the fourth inning, the recruits were hustled to buses whisking them to the Wold-Chamberlain Field Airport, and they flew to San Diego. Before dawn the next day, the Twins Platoon met their drill sergeants at the receiving barracks of the Marine Corps Recruit Depot. By the end of the year, the Marines were in Vietnam sprinkled across the length and breadth of the Marine Corps operating areas of I Corps, the northernmost part of South Vietnam where they experienced some of the toughest combat of the war. Khe Sanh and Hue City were just a few of the hot spots they encountered as the 1968 TET Offensive rolled across the country. Not all members of the Twins Platoon came home in one piece. Some did not come home at all. In The Legacy of the Twins Platoon, author Christy Sauro Jr. tells their complete stories from baseball to combat and their lifelong readjustment to civilian life.

Format(s) for review: Paper or Kindle
Review genre: Nonfiction—Memoir/Biography
Pages/Word count: 381 / 111,022

Sheltering Angel of Belleau Wood by Louella Bryant

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MWSA Review

Sheltering Angel of Belleau Wood: A Novel of One Woman's Life After Titanic by Louella Bryant continues the story of Florence Cumings Swain after her husband, Bradley, perishes in the Titanic tragedy. The plot follows Florence through World War I, her grief after losing her son Wells at Belleau Wood, the lingering injuries suffered by her son Jack, and the other losses that follow her into the World War II years. When her granddaughter Eva visits and discovers Jack and Wells’ letters from France, the past takes on new significance as a link between generations.

In this novel, the historical period plays an integral role in the narrative. The letters allow the author to move between Florence’s present day, the Great War, Belleau Wood, and the World War II home front while maintaining the emotional flow of the story. The relationship between Florence and Eva is particularly compelling; Eva’s curiosity pulls the family history forward in a natural and believable way.

The book is well written and easy to understand while still giving readers a strong sense of time, place, and family memory. The writing is reflective and emotionally driven, and the book is well suited for historical fiction readers who enjoy stories about family, wartime correspondence, grief, resilience, and living with the impact of historical tragedy.

Review by Matthew West-James

 

Author's Synopsis
Sheltering Angel of Belleau Wood, a sequel to Louella Bryant’s novel Sheltering Angel, Based on a True Story of the Titanic, is the WWII story of a mother’s grief in losing her husband to the Titanic disaster and two sons to the battlefields of the Great War.
In 1943 Florence Cumings’ youngest son Thayer (known as Tax) has driven her from New York to her summer house in Maine. He leaves her alone for the week with a box of old letters from her sons Jack and Wells, both soldiers in France in 1918. As Florence begins reading the letters, she is visited by the ghost of her first husband Bradley who lost his life in the Titanic disaster.

When Jack’s widow Margaret, newly remarried to a U. S. Consul, and her daughter Eva arrive for a visit, Margaret asks to leave Eva with Florence for the summer as she helps her husband with his assignment to Guatemala. Ebullient Eva brings lightness to the story as she learns about her father from his letters. In the box Eva finds a diary written by her uncle Wells, a sensitive and musical young man who for pride in his country finds himself in a horrifying and deadly situation. Eva learns distressing details about fighting on the front lines against the German army and realizes life is not all glamour and parties.

When Florence and Eva return to New York, Eva meets and falls in love with a U.S. Marine just before he leaves for training in the Pacific as Japanese troops are threatening to attack. While experiencing WWII deprivations, the two women follow the progress of the war, both hoping Eva’s beau will return safely.
The novel culminates at the end of WWII when Florence takes Eva to France to find the grave of Wells who was killed in the battle of Belleau Wood when he was Eva’s age. As the women stand under a clear blue sky by the small white cross bearing Wells’s name, they realize both joy and sorrow are part of earthly existence.

The story is based on actual letters from Jack sent to his mother Florence between 1918 and the war’s end. As with Sheltering Angel, the sequel depicts a true story of real people. Through the book, readers will realize that war has been part of human history since the beginning of time, but throughout hardship and sacrifice, love and optimism have been our guiding light.

Format(s) for review: Paper or Kindle
Review genre: Fiction—Historical Fiction
Pages/Word count: 306 / 90,500

The Organization: Operative Nova by Daniel C. Davis

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MWSA Review

Operation Nova by Daniel C. Davis had me hooked in the first few pages. Davis introduces Nova Dunn, an extraordinary young woman, daughter of a former operator, groomed from a young age, extensively educated, and trained to develop her talents. Nova works for The Organization with the same handler that her father had.

Handler B is the man who delivered the news to eight-year-old Nova that her father had been killed on a classified mission. Since that day, Nova has worn her dad’s dog tags around her neck. Following in her deceased father’s footsteps, Nova intends to be every bit as good as Jonathan Dunn. The dog tags around her neck serve as a reminder to use her highly trained skills in every situation, regardless of personal feelings.

Nova’s Handler B walks a fine line, knowing the entire story about her father, hoping that Nova will succeed in each mission, earning the right to have an answer to one question each time. Handler B drops subtle hints along the way to steer Nova to find the truth. How will Nova handle what she discovers?

This fast-paced, action-packed book had me on the edge of my seat the entire read, and when it ended, I yearned for more. I look forward to the next installment by Daniel C. Davis.

Review by Nancy Panko

 

Author's Synopsis

They don't exist on paper.
They don't answer to Congress.
They were built to protect the Republic from the shadows.

Nova Dunn has spent twenty-one years carrying her father's dog tags-and the weight of unanswered questions. Jonathan Dunn died on a classified mission when she was eight years old. At least, that's what she was told.

Now recruited into The Organization, the same covert force that sent her father on his final operation, Nova is beginning to realize that some classified secrets cut deeper than others.

Operating under federal cover, Nova is thrust into three escalating missions that will test her loyalty, discipline, and survival. She must confront a corrupt official selling secrets to Russian intelligence. Hunt down a missing nineteen-year-old girl and dismantle the trafficking network that erased her. And face a Russian enforcer known only as Bull-a man who believes he cannot be stopped.

He's wrong.

Perfect for fans of Jack Reacher, Orphan X, and Atomic Blonde, The Organization: Operative Nova is a relentless, character-driven spy thriller featuring a new kind of hero-one forged by loss, driven by truth, and trained to operate where the light never reaches.

Format(s) for review: Paper or Kindle
Review genre: Fiction—Mystery/Thriller/Crime
Pages/Word count: 200 / 50,000

Grunt 0311 Reflections of a Marine Rifleman by George P Berg

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MWSA Review

George Berg's Grunt 0311: Reflections of a Marine Rifleman is a well written and poignant combat memoir by someone who experienced it firsthand. From his humbling performance in high school through boot camp and on to the battlefield, George is honest about himself and his experiences. He tells it like he felt it, the good and the bad, and makes no apologies about what he did or what he felt while he was serving his country as a Marine.

Most notable to the reviewer was his account of being seriously wounded; what it felt like, the thoughts he had, his survival instincts, and his recovery. He talks openly about how it felt to be a Marine no longer able to serve in combat; a feeling which many veterans can probably relate.

Army and Marine infantry vets will appreciate this book and will feel like they are spending time with someone who "gets it." Vietnam veterans especially will recognize and feel the camaraderie that for a while may have been missing when they came home. Well done, Grunt!

Review by Rob Ballister

 

Author's Synopsis

The author recounts his very personal combat experiences as an infantry rifleman in Vietnam. Grunt 0311 is a candid and often uncomfortably frank description of the brutal conditions Marines faced in Vietnam in 1968. The year, 1968 was the most violent of the entire war for the Marines - the operational tempo was extreme and unrelenting. The new Marine was challenged with moral decisions young men in war are often forced to make just to survive.

Format(s) for review: Paper or Kindle
Review genre: Nonfiction—Memoir/Biography
Pages/Word count: 202 / 68,000

Seeker by Glenn S. Robertson

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MWSA Review

Seeker by Glenn S. Robertson takes the reader into a post-apocalyptic world of chaos, brutality, and survival. The United States is ravaged by the red death and a nuclear weapon attack that kills the President of the United States and all of Congress. The country devolves into pockets of chaos and remnants of civilization.

The main character, Ghost, aka Seeker, travels on horseback in and around Wyoming to find relics of a once-thriving culture to prove that the nation was civilized.

When a child with special mental powers is abducted by goons working for the ruthless, bloodthirsty King John, Ghost becomes not a seeker of things, but seeks to get the child, Neva, back home to Casper, Wyoming.

Ghost partners with Jake and Carl, who follow the deliberate clues left by Leonidas and Hannibal, the abductors traveling with the young one. The two soldiers become fond of the girl and do not want to hand her over to King John. They try to slow the trek, hoping Seeker will overtake them and save the girl from a fate worse than death.

Will the tactic work? Will Ghost recover the girl without a bloody battle? Will King John exact revenge with brutality? Will Casper’s civilized community survive the evil in this new world? Read Seeker to find out.

Review by Nancy Panko

 

Author's Synopsis

Seeker by Glenn S. Robertson
More than a century after a devastating disease erased ninety-five percent of humanity, the American West has fallen back into something older—and far more dangerous.

Across the harsh plains and mountains of the Rocky Mountain Free Zone, scattered towns cling to survival. Places like Casper, Wyoming, stand together against the lawless violence that stalks the land. Beyond their borders roam raiders and warbands who live by brutality, taking what they want and leaving little behind but ashes.

In this broken world, a Seeker is a rare and valuable thing—someone trained to track down lost relics of the old world, knowledge that might help the scattered remnants of humanity endure.

But this time the Seeker is not searching for an object. He is searching for a girl.

Kidnapped by a ruthless band of ravagers from the ruins of Denver, the child may possess a gift that could change the balance of power across the frontier. In the wrong hands, it could mean disaster for the fragile communities struggling to survive.

And the farther the Seeker rides into the violent lands beyond the Free Zone, the clearer one truth becomes:
Some things are worth finding. Others are worth killing to keep hidden.

Format(s) for review: Paper or Kindle
Review genre: Fiction—Sci-Fi/Fantasy
Pages/Word count: 384 / 96,385

Three Years in Tending by Nicholas D. Butler

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MWSA Review

In Three Years in Tending: A Memoir, Nicholas D. Butler delivers a deeply resonant and honest description of his struggles with alcoholism, depression and homosexuality. He chronicles his experiences working in the hospitality industry as a bartender navigating the widespread bar closures brought on by the Covid pandemic.

Butler uses his time in the service industry as a lens to explore the fragile nature of livelihood and self-worth. He bridges his professional struggles with deeply personal reflections, connecting his time in hospitality to his upbringing and the unsettling realities of a midlife crisis. He clearly explains his confusion and struggles, and success in dealing with being gay in a military culture that frowned upon the lifestyle and then in a somewhat dysfunctional, though lengthy marriage.

The narrative shines brightest in its vulnerability. Butler does not shy away from the exhaustion, financial desperation, and identity shifts that defined his life. Three Years in Tending serves as an empathetic tribute to hospitality industry workers, and providing readers with an intimate roadmap for overcoming hardship and finding meaning in life's unpredictable second acts.

Review by James Elsener
 

Author's Synopsis

Nicholas Butler's second memoir is the continuation of his account of working in the service industry as a bartender who struggled to survive the pandemic's massive closure of bars. "Three Years in Tending" seeks to build empathy with readers by connecting memories of how the author (a former Air Force officer) found his way into working in hospitality to his upbringing, sharing the details of a mid-life crisis, and providing an example of how to overcome hardships in life.

Format(s) for review: Paper Only
Review genre: Nonfiction—Memoir/Biography
Pages/Word count: 245 / 54,586

The Bureau by Dale Kelley

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MWSA Review

The Bureau by Dale Kelly is a fast-paced crime novel chock-full of law enforcement procedural action and adventure. Protagonist Sean Hurley, an experienced FBI agent in Chicago, takes on a new assignment in Dallas, Texas, with a multi-agency task force. His target: a dangerous outlaw motorcycle gang who may have been involved in the murder of a judge.

While excited at the new challenges awaiting him in Texas, Sean has distractions in his personal life when his live-in girlfriend, Angie, returns to Lebanon to “help her people” and is kidnapped by Hezbollah. He’s torn between his responsibilities to the new job and the need to find Angie.

As fate would have it, while in Texas, Sean accidentally bumps into Dominique, a former love interest in Vietnam. Hearts pound and love is rekindled. Author Kelly throws in a twist when Dominique, who works for a French intelligence agency with contacts in Beirut, offers to help Sean look for his girlfriend, Angie.

Sean only has a limited amount of time to look for Angie, and people in the government want the culprit(s) responsible for the judge’s murder off the street.

Readers: fasten your seatbelts, you are in for a bumpy ride with The Bureau.

Review by Nancy Panko

 

Author's Synopsis

A gripping FBI thriller packed with crime, corruption, and the relentless pursuit of justice. Sean Hurley is a seasoned FBI agent in Chicago - battle-hardened by Army service, sharp, and driven by duty. He heads a team in a special investigation in Dallas searching for the killer of a federal judge.
This is the 3rd book in a trilogy. All written by a former FBI agent.

The author is a former FBI agent.

Format(s) for review: Paper or Kindle
Review genre: Fiction—Mystery/Thriller/Crime
Pages/Word count: 201 / 44,250