Boulevard Dreams by E Ryan Janz - Book Review

Boulevard Dreams by E Ryan Janz

Synopsis:

Down and out private eye, Joe Nails, has a problem.
He endures a brief series of surrealistic dreams, in which his long-lost friend pleads for his help before turning a gun to his head and firing. Joe discovers the suicide did occur, a month before his dreams began, so he deepens his probe beneath the mystifying and smoky noir underbelly of 1958 San Francisco, and encounters rising walls of lies and heartbreak from amorous and anguished women alike, and stumbles across incomprehensible goons and vicious killers longing for further bliss, and where his long slow descent painfully binds him to a ruthless yet respectable kingpin bent on reigning over him.
Joe Nails has a problem all right, an entire shopping list of them, but as he speeds down an unrelenting road of murder and mystery with no off-ramps, he just may solve a few…providing the approaching.357 yearning for another victim allows it.

Review:

Boulevard Dreams by E Ryan Janz is an exceptional one-of-a-kind story filled with intrigue, mystery, mayhem, and suspense, in which readers will love and revel in.

It is 1958 in San Francisco’s smoky noir world, and private detective, Joe Nails is having reoccurring lucid dreams about his friend crying out to him for help, and then he puts a gun to his head and kills himself. Joe finally becomes concerned, and goes out to find his friend, but discovers that he has gone missing, and it has been a month since he has been seen. Joe begins to investigate and finds many shock-worthy things about his friend’s life, and some peculiar people that try to convince him of his friend’s supposed death. As Joe digs deeper in his investigation, the plot thickens. Soon, Joe finds himself deep in a world of deceit, murder, lust, suicide and suffering. Joe must face the truth of his friend’s horrific choices and actions, and in the end, the torment of his own.

E Ryan Janz has created a dramatic dark world of mystery, deception and death set in the nostalgic time of 1958, in a city that is known for its intrigue and worldliness. Boulevard Dreams is a fabulous read and one that readers won’t soon forget. Skillfully written, it has all the right elements of a smart crime and mystery novel. Then, goes beyond that and gives readers a chilling, thrilling and suspenseful ride with a fast paced, well developed and deep storyline and plot. The suspense is unsettling and very enticing. The characters are fully developed with quirky, curious and interesting personalities. Their clever, and sometimes humorous, dialogue is written in such a way that only an intelligent writer with a creative, original voice could think up. I connected with the characters and felt that author E Ryan Janz put his heart into them.

I couldn’t put Boulevard Dreams down, and turned the pages rapidly, fully engaged, to find out what would happen next and how Joe would solve this mystery without becoming a desperate man himself.   E Ryan Janz seems to have great detective skills himself, as it is clear in this story filled with twists and turns. The brilliant mystery plot had me guessing all the way through. My mind really became engulfed in this one, and I didn’t want it to end. I absolutely loved the setting and descriptive writing. Boulevard Dreams is an exciting page turner that readers won’t be able to put down until they have devoured the very last page. Boulevard Dreams is one of the best books in its genre that I have read in a long time. When I saw the cover, I had a feeling I would love the book – and I wholeheartedly did! Well done! Artisan Book Reviews highly recommends Boulevard Dreams by E Ryan Janz to all mystery and suspense lovers – and those who want to escape into the passion of the past, and a smoky noir world filled with intrigue, and crime in San Francisco!

Purchase Boulevard Dreams by E Ryan Janz today!

The Winds of Happiness by Teresa Fiedler-Buss

The Winds of Happiness: Irie’s Adventures by Teresa Fiedler-Buss – Illustrated by Bailey Traxler

Synopsis:

Welcome to this crazy world called life!

Have you ever wanted to go on an adventure? Do you like taking selfies?

How attached are you to your electronics or tablet? Do you like robots and drones more?

Would you rather dance and have fun with bubbles? Or would you rather go out for pizza and a movie?

If you answered yes to one of these questions, then you will LOVE this book!

The Winds of Happiness will engage children in a fun and current way to learn important life lessons.

Your child/student’s values start developing with what is taught and learned in social and personal situations.
If you are a parent, guardian or teacher wanting to assist in making a difference in today’s society, this book is for you.

This book includes children discussions, interactive pages and teacher lesson plans which will help with
Common Core State Standard (CCSS) & Social Emotional Learning (SEL).

Review:

The Winds of Happiness: Irie’s Adventures by Teresa Fiedler-Buss is a cute and colorful narrative about an adventurous and laid back, but lively spirited dog named Irie, and her cheerful and energetic bunch of friends. This is a delightful must-read book for every child in your life.

Irie’s friends are always reminding her to be creative, make her own fun but most importantly always be herself! Irie goes on all sorts of fantastic adventures in The Winds of Happiness! One being an incredible day at a splash pad with a DJ and bubbles! Irie learns she doesn’t need technology to have a good time, she can create her own awesome day with musical inspiration and perseverance to “make it happen!”  Another adventure tells of Irie’s birthday at the movies and pizza with her friends Max and Bubba. Throughout the day, Max has issues with social anxiety and uses his tablet to comfort himself and keep his mind off crowded situations. But what he doesn’t realize is his actions start to affect the people and mechanics around him! Being the empathetic friend Irie is, she helps Max get through this troublesome situation with kindness and apprehension. A wonderful reminder to have patience with others and to try to see through someone else’s eyes. And how true friends always help each other out.

The Winds of Happiness touches on many different common and important themes to help a child with emotional growth and development. Such as; learning about coping with life changes, having goals and dreams, important lessons in manners and following rules correctly and responsibly. It gives clear instruction and details with a helpful outline guide that shows key points to be made while reading and how to integrate this book into a lesson plan. Which makes it the perfect book for all types of unit studies in the classroom and for homeschoolers.

I absolutely adored this lovable and wholesome children’s book that made my kids and I smile nonstop from the beginning to the end! Bailey Traxler’s bright and expressive illustrations went along with the story and told it perfectly. Giving it a vivid pizzazz no other children’s book has ever done with such a cool style.

With its unique cast of characters and an entertaining storyline I would greatly recommend The Winds of Happiness: Irie’s Adventures by Teresa Fiedler-Buss to all parents of kids looking for a feel good story full of positive vibes and undeniable contagious good energy!! This one has a permanent spot in our kid’s lit corner at our home!!
Reviewed by Beatrix Bloom for Chick Lit Cafe.

Buy The Winds of Happiness: Irie's Adventures by Teresa Fielder-Buss Today!