The Bleiberg Project: A Consortium Thriller by David Khara


My rating: 5 of 5 stars


I received an e-copy of The Bleiberg Project by David Khara from Netgalley. I have to admit when I think about reading anything related to the Holocaust it makes me want to run the other way. Knowing everything that was done and probably not being aware of some things makes it a hard subject to digest. I have to admit this is my first foray into reading about this topic for that very reason. But, when I read the synopsis I thought this sounds really good and just maybe there is a good enough ending that I will not feel totally depressed afterwards.

The characterization in the story was done really well. I have to admit that Jeremy Corbin, even without knowing his secret, makes it hard to like him. He is quite witty and also so darn down on himself it makes you want to avoid him. But, as the book goes on you start to become invested in his pain and hope that somewhere down the line things get better for him. Oddly enough his thoughts about Jackie Wells at first seemed a bit off to me, then as I read on I decided he is just a bit self-centered and immature and kind of thinks of her in high-school terms. Jeremy takes body blow after body blow in losses and as he deals with them throughout the book you start to see him maturing and growing and realizing how he lost more than he realized with his father.

I love reading books based in other countries, especially Europe and Eastern Europe. This book did a good job of giving me a bit of armchair travel. There was not a lot by way of describing the sites in the different places they visited when they arrived in Switzerland and made their way across to Poland but, there were enough of the descriptions that it grabbed my interest. What was really great was the tie-in to some of the rumors of some of the medical testing that happened in the camps. They were nicely woven into this book. But, my all-time favorite part of this book was Eytan Morg. I love reading about and seeing stories on television about the Kidon unit of The Mossad. Granted they are not nice people but, this was my first book that I got to read about some of what they do and what is known about their skills. It took me back to my favorite parts of NCIS and the character Ziva who was also Kidon. Eytan was larger than life and not just due to his size. He was this amazing, scarred man who didn’t allow himself to have anything other than the work he did and we find out why in The Bleiberg Project. That part of the story was riveting. Eytan’s fight scenes were awesome and jumped off the page when you read them. Interestingly enough at the beginning of the book you don’t know whose side he is on so he comes off as if he might be one of the bad guys but, he is so much more.

I just read on Goodreads that this is the start of a series and I have to say a very good start and I look forward to following this series every step of the way!

From Paris with Love by Samantha Tonge
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

One of the most interesting things happened with this title. I requested it on NetGalley without even knowing it was the follow-up to Doubting Abbey which I really enjoyed. I started reading it and had a deja vu with the characters so I went and looked up the author's name and realized this was the next step in the hilarious antics from Lord Edward and Gemma. I think of that story and the first thing that pops in my mind is the imitation of Titanic.

This story had some great Gemma antics as well. Her internal dialogue was hilarious as always. She also gets to further her adoration of Kate Middleton. Who knew I would ever have a reason to type that name? In From Paris with Love, Gemma is visiting Paris with Edward and he is still waiting for a response to his marriage proposal. She's also in Paris to enhance her cooking skills at a famous Parisian restaurant. Edward is working to increase his skills as a host. They have a bit of notoriety from the reality show they both participated in from Doubting Abbey. They introduce us to a host of Parisian characters that really enhance the enjoyment of this book. There is a side story that just makes things more fun and gives From Paris with Love its adventure and fun. I do not know if there will be more books in this series but, I can say that I will definitely read them if there are more.

I Am the Mission by Allen Zadoff
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Unknown assassin is back and this time he is Daniel. I love that we don’t know his real name. We are returned to the series right after he finishes his previous assignment and is found at a camp training to be a camp counselor of sorts. There are some bumps in the road just before he is given his new assignment, to eliminate the leader of a right wing camp for kids. The problem is that there was someone else on this mission and they have disappeared. Daniel is brought in to complete the mission. The problem is it starts off with massive problems and he doesn’t know who he can trust.

Daniel meets new kids his age and starts again experiencing confusion because he starts having memories of his father and of course continues to remember his previous assignment in New York. He made a friend or two there and that is not is against the rules. He is supposed to be alone with minimal exposure to those around him, and that exposure is only supposed to be cursory, enough to do his job. I find it weird that Father and Mother and whoever else is running this organization think that a teenager would be able to not have any feelings when they are full of jumbled up emotions. I like that Daniel does what he needs to do to finish his task and get out alive. The only problem is that anyone else he involves is in danger.

I am the Mission is full of action, emotion and that dreaded betrayal, or is it betrayal. It is time for Daniel, or whatever his name is, to find out. In comes Mike, the biggest contradiction that Daniel has come against. Can you be friends with the person that murdered your father in front of you? Did he really murder Daniel’s father? The next book is ramping up already and as much as I hate cliffhangers I cannot wait until the next installment in the Unknown Assassin series comes out.

Model Undercover: Paris by Carina Axelsson
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I received an early release copy of Model Undercover: Paris via NetGalley. One of the things I like about this book and other books that have teens in them is that they are quite enjoyable for adults as well. In between travels I love to read fiction based in countries outside of the U.S. Of course, Italy and Paris are my favorites so when I saw this title available at the NetGalley site my first thought was "this sounds great!" I was not disappointed. Off the top I can say that there was only thing I found odd. Axelle Anderson is a British teen who is given a trip of a lifetime, a few weeks in Paris to work as an intern in the fashion industry for her aunt. But, to Axelle it's more of a punishment since she is not interested in fashion. She hopes to be a top-notch detective and spends her spare time investigating small crimes. Her parents are trying to steer her away from this and give her the trip.

There is one thing I found a bit off. Though Axelle and her family were British the text of the book was written in American English so the characters felt American instead of British. I kept expecting Axelle to speak like a British teen but she felt very American to me. Outside of that the characters were great. Axelle makes two great friends and has some surprising things happen to her while in Paris. She gets her chance to investigate a great crime and spend some time with her Aunt Venetia who is huge in the fashion industry in Paris as an editor of a fashion magazine. She introduces Axelle to designers and Axelle in the process of becoming engrossed in the fashion industry in a huge way she gets a chance at investigating a huge case. She sees this as her opportunity to make a name for herself as a detective and discovers some surprising things in the course of her investigation. You cannot help but like Axelle and cheer her on as she works to find the answers and also as she gets a chance to do something she had absolutely no interest in and gets a bit closer to her mom, who also loves fashion.

I look forward to seeing Axelle travel and investigate more mysteries!

An American Girl in Italy by Aubrie Dionne
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

This was a great read for me. I tend to inhale anything based in Italy, more so when the author does a great job with imagery. Aubrie Dionne gave a good view of Italy. Carly is a gifted musician who plays with an orchestra traveling in Italy. She plays an instrument that I have little experience with so it was great to read the descriptions of her playing and the solo that she was trying to achieve with the opera singer, diva. They worked really hard from venue to venue and it was amazing to read the descriptions of how music is affected by our moods and interpretations. The author did a wonderful job describing their attempts at the song, so much so that, I literally cringed for them when the song did not go the way they intended. Reading about some of the other orchestra members also went a long way for me with liking this story.

Michaelangelo was a wonderful man who we learn about slowly as the story goes along. But, the reader is not sorry they get to know him because not only was he a great tour guide, despite his lack of experience, as well as showing himself to be a great man. Unfortunately, I did not realize there was a book before this one so I have not read it yet so I did not know the history of Carly and Melody's friendship though that did not distract from the story. It did make me want to get to know the characters better and spend more time reading other work by this author.

Royally Lost by Angie Stanton
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

I have to admit that I see where people are calling falling in love in one week instalove but, in my experience that is exactly what a lot of teens do, fall in love very quickly. Speaking as a teen that detested everything my mom tried to expose me to including ballets, anything that included spending time with my family and anything that took me away from my friends. Those very same things I love to do now. I also had a habit of hating my mom's boyfriend because he wasn't my dad. Later when I realized he wasn't trying to replace my dad I regretted my behavior but, as a teenager I was horrible towards him and misinterpreted everything he said and did. I never wanted to go to visit family in California and see the amazing things my family tried to introduce me to because it took me away from my friends and I would be missing the things they were doing. So, this book really resonated with me and likely wouldn't with teens that mostly behaved in a manner expected of their parents and enjoyed doing things with their family, all things I do now and regret not doing while growing up. Yes, I fell in "love" at the drop of a dime and now realize it wasn't actually love but telling me that had me convinced you did not know what you were talking about. I love seeing how our own experiences affect how we rate books. If the behavior is completely not something we can identify with we tend to give it a lower rating and if we identify with it then we give it a higher rating. This is what makes books so great! Since I saw so many of the things in Prague last October and loved it this book just brought back great memories for me. I am in armchair travel love with this book.

Boy Nobody by Allen Zadoff
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

I always get excited about secret agent/assassin books and really love it when they are young adult. I was a bit confused by the title because on my version of the book I Am the Weapon is in bold and there is nothing on it that says Boy Nobody. Once I ironed out I had the correct book as the book descriptions were slightly different also I jumped in and was very happy that I did. I have been in a weird reading slump for several months and have been reading outside of my normal genre, Urban Fantasy, now. I have spurts of time when I love anything with secret agents and assassins so I saw Boy Nobody and decided to go for it. I have to admit that I fell into deep like for this book. I am sitting here and thinking to myself "I don't remember his name!" Wow he really is good at keeping his identity a secret because it just will not come to me. For the purposes of this review I will call him Ben since that is his cover name in this story.

Ben was "recruited" at the age of 12 by the organization that he works for who also is nameless. It appears they are likely part of the government and he is constantly in the field. Outside of his covert contact with his handlers, "Mom" and "Dad" he is out in the field alone. Or is he? This story showed that even when you think you are on your own there is always someone watching. Ben, who normally followed the rules to the letter of the assassin law found himself up against some things that made him question what he was doing and how he should do it and even he began questioning his instructions.

In Boy Nobody, Ben is placed in a school full of affluent students and assigned to move in close to a very public figure in New York. He does the magic that he can do and things start to happen that make him question everything. He starts putting himself at risk and I have to admit that his skills appear to be excellent though I wish there was more action. The author did a great job of writing in the background of the mission and giving the reader great details for how Ben worked the mission but I wish there was more that showed his skills as an assassin. The scenes where he did demonstrate those were great! I look forward to the next installment!

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