tbmarkinson

About T B Markinson

T.B. Markinson is passionate about reading, traveling, sports, and movies. While living in Colorado she worked at a newspaper in the news and advertising departments. Most recently she has moved from Boston, Massachusetts to London, England. Currently she is working on the draft of her first novel during her work hours and exploring her new city whenever she gets the chance. She loves to read all types of books, including young adult, literature, science fiction, fantasy, mystery, travel writings, history, politics, and biographies.

Review: The Black Orchestra by JJ Toner ★★★★

black orchestraThe Black Orchestra, by JJ Toner, is a mesmerizing spy thriller set in Nazi Germany during World War II.

Kurt Muller, an Abwehr signalman, shows up to work and finds that his coworker is dead at his radio receiver. The police barely investigate the death and quickly determine it was a suicide. Kurt doesn’t agree. He begins his own investigation, but not many want him to. Kurt’s inquiry leads him to a German resistance group. Kurt has to choose between his conscience and duty.

Historical fiction thrillers have a lot of moving parts that need to be grounded with […]

2015-02-02T09:43:15+02:00January 21st, 2015|Categories: Book Reviews|Tags: |

Review: Dobyns Chronicles by Shirley McLain ★★★★

Dobyns Chronicles by Shirley McLainEvery life is a story in itself. The author, Shirley McLain, proves this with her historical fiction novel Dobyns Chronicles.

Charley Dobyns began his life in northeast Texas, on the Red River. His cowboy father and his Cherokee mother worked hard to provide for Charley and his two younger siblings, David and Viola. In 1888 tragedy struck. Both of his parents died from yellow fever. At the age of sixteen, Charley was the head of the family. His brother was only ten and his sister four. He moved the family to the Chickasaw Territory to stay with friends of […]

2023-02-28T08:02:00+02:00January 19th, 2015|Categories: Book Reviews|Tags: |

Review: Between Midnight and Morning by Beverly Mitchell Dodd

★★★★½ between midnight and morning

Between Midnight and Morning, by Beverly Mitchell Dodd, is a hard-hitting women’s fiction novel that explores the dichotomy between personal freedom and family obligations and traditions.

When Lena turns eighteen, she leaves her home, her father and sister, and their church and religious beliefs. In her new life she meets Cos, she marries young, and has her son, Nathan, soon after. However, she can’t escape her painful past. Years pass and then something terrible happens. Lena and Nathan move back home, and she feels trapped in the past and present. Will she be able to pull herself out […]

2016-03-04T04:35:00+02:00January 17th, 2015|Categories: Book Reviews|Tags: |

Review: The House on Sunset by Sarafina Bianco

house sunset Contains brief scenes of rape and forced drug use.

Some books demand to be written. This is one. And it also demands to be read. Ignoring domestic abuse cannot go on. Authors like Sarafina Bianco are sounding the alarm and we should listen. Heeding the alarm isn’t always easy because it forces people out of their comfort zone. The House on Sunset does just that.

Sarafina was a high school English teacher. She had recently purchased a new home, which was an accomplishment she was proud of. Not everything was going well, though. Her boyfriend of a year and half […]

2015-02-02T08:59:57+02:00January 15th, 2015|Categories: Lead Story|Tags: |

Review: The Alcatraz Rose by Anthony Eglin

alcatraz roseThe Alcatraz Rose: A Lawrence Kingston Mystery by Anthony Eglin is a cozy mystery that sticks with the reader well after finishing.

When Lawrence Kingston is approached by a thirteen-year-old child, who wants him to look into her mother’s disappearance, he has no idea what he’s about to get into. The case has been unsolved for eight years. Then another mystery falls into his lap when he learns that an English rose thought to be extinct has been sighted on Alcatraz Island. How did the rose travel 5,000 miles and end up outside one of America’s most notorious prisons?

During […]

2020-12-23T05:54:32+02:00January 14th, 2015|Categories: Lead Story|Tags: , |

Review: The Immigrant by Alfred Woollacott ★★★★

The ImmigrantAlfred Woollacott didn’t have to look too far from home for an idea about a novel. He turned to his own family tree to find inspiration. While The Immigrant: One from My Four Legged Stool is historical fiction, it’s about his ancestors during the 1600s. His imagined account not only seems plausible, but is a wonderful and enthralling read.

John Law, a Scotsman, is captured by Lord Cromwell’s forces in the seventeenth century during the Battle of Dunbar. Law survives the march to Durham, England. During his imprisonment in England, he is sold as an indentured servant and Law will […]

2015-02-02T10:02:35+02:00January 13th, 2015|Categories: Book Reviews|Tags: |

Review: A Better World by Belangela G. Tarazona

A Better WorldA Better World, by Belangela G. Tarazona, is a difficult, but uplifting, read about three women who have to endure harsh realities.

This is a collection of three novellas. In the first, Saja, flees from Sri Lanka, which is in the midst of a civil war. Most of her family and her husband are lost, leaving her alone when she seeks asylum in Denmark.

The second story focuses on Yonna, a Venezuelan. Her entire family has been murdered by a rival clan and she is captured and raped repeatedly, until the rapists grow tired of her and toss her […]

2015-01-13T04:59:27+02:00January 12th, 2015|Categories: Book Reviews|Tags: |

Review: Venus Lionheart: The Witch and The God by Dino Costi

dino costiVenus Lionheart: The Witch and The God by Dino Costi is an action-packed Young Adult fantasy novel.

Venus Lionheart isn’t like the other kids in her small sleepy town. At the age of twelve she’s experiencing visions and out-of-body experiences. This troubles her. But when a mysterious man shows up at her house on the last day of school Venus’s life is about to get much more complicated. Galahad tells Venus that she is indeed different. In fact, she’s a witch and there are people who want to harm her.

The hunters are the Grey Men, who are merciless in […]

2015-01-08T07:01:41+02:00January 8th, 2015|Categories: Book Reviews|Tags: , |
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