“Sunnyside” by Rob Dircks was an absolute delight to read

Option 2 – Slightly shorter and snappier (for Goodreads/Amazon):

I loved “Sunnyside”! What starts as sheer ridiculous fun with witty character banter turns into a story that made me care so much I had to pause reading out of concern for the characters. When I came back? Good triumphs — spectacularly. Rob Dircks’ solution to the cat overpopulation issue alone was worth the read!

Both keep your humour and personal reaction while improving clarity.

Would you like me to make a longer, slightly more formal version (for a blog or publication) or keep it short, quirky, and spoiler-free for Goodreads/Amazon?

“Sunnyside” by Rob Dircks is one of those rare books that lures you in with its wit and absurdity, and then surprises you with genuine heart. At first I was content to simply enjoy the fast-paced banter between the wonderfully off-kilter cast and the sheer ridiculousness of the plot’s premise. Dircks excels at comic timing; there are laugh-out-loud moments that feel improvised and yet perfectly in character.

Then, somewhere along the way, the stakes snuck up on me. I found myself unexpectedly invested in the fate of these misfits, so much so that I actually had to set the book aside for a week, worried about what might happen next. It’s a rare author who can pivot from zany to heartfelt without losing either thread, but Dircks manages it with style. When I finally returned to the story, I was relieved – and delighted – to find that good does triumph, and it does so in a way that feels earned rather than contrived.

Beyond the humour and heart, Dircks also peppers the book with sly commentary on contemporary issues without ever getting preachy. The overpopulation of cats, for example, becomes a running problem whose eventual resolution is as hilarious as it is strangely poignant. It’s that kind of unexpected detail that makes the world of Sunnyside memorable.

If you enjoy alternate-history-adjacent tales that blend speculative premises with character-driven storytelling, or you simply appreciate a narrative that can make you laugh while also making you care, Sunnyside is a gem. Dircks has delivered a story that’s as warm as it is weird, and that’s a rare and wonderful combination.

Alternate Australias

Alternate AustraliasAlternate Australias Published by SeaLion Press on 9 Dec 2020
Genres: Type II - Hard/Soft
Pages: 158
Format: Anthology, eBook
Source: Purchased
Buy on Amazon
Goodreads
five-stars

Jared Kavanagh edits a collection of short stories set in different Australias.

What if what we call Australia had become largely Dutch? Could Australia have led intervention in unexpected African conflicts? What adventures might Napoleon Bonaparte have had as he sought to colonise it before the British? Could a space programme launched Woomera have reached the Moon? How might the Emu War have gone differently?

It's time to turn Down Under upside-down.

THE REVIEW
(I’ve asked Chat GPT to do the review, as it includes one of my own stories)

“Alternate Australias,” edited by Jared Kavanagh and published by Sea Lion Press, is a compelling anthology that reimagines Australia’s past and future through a series of thought-provoking alternate history narratives. The collection explores scenarios such as a predominantly Dutch-influenced Australia, Napoleon Bonaparte’s attempts to colonize the continent before the British, and the possibility of an Australian-led space program reaching the Moon. Sealion Press

Matthew Kresal’s. “Moonshot” won the 2020 International Sidewise award for best Short Form, while Andrew J. Harvey’s “1827: Napoleon in Australia” was also shortlisted.

One standout story, “The Savannah War Dispute,” delves into an alternate conflict in East Africa with Australian intervention, showcasing the nation’s potential role on the global stage. Fuldapocalypse Fiction

Critics have praised the anthology for its imaginative scenarios and engaging storytelling. Warped Factor recommends readers “give this little book a look post-haste,” Warped Factor

“Alternate Australias” is available for purchase through Sea Lion Press and other retailers. Sealion Press

For enthusiasts of alternate history and speculative fiction, “Alternate Australias” offers a captivating exploration of the myriad ways Australia’s history could have unfolded.

The Book includes stories by:

  • Simon Berading
  • Liam Connell
  • Wm. Garret Cothran
  • David Flin
  • Andrew J. Harvey
  • Jared Kavanagh
  • Matthew Kresal
  • Peter Rhodan
  • Natasja Rose
  • Colin Salt
  • Steven H Silver

https://www.sealionpress.co.uk/product-page/alternate-australias

https://andrewjharvey.com/shop/product/alternate-australias/

five-stars

Lady Avely’s Guide to Lies and Charms

Lady Avely’s Guide to Lies and CharmsLady Avely's Guide to Lies and Charms by Rosalie Oaks
Series: Matronly Misadventures #2
Published by Parkerville Press on 15 November 2024
Genres: Not An Alternate History Review
Format: eBook
Source: Author, Purchased
Buy on Amazon
Goodreads
five-stars

A lady shouldn’t be seen to incite a duel… but Judith wasn’t even there when it happened.

Lady Avely doesn’t know what infuriates her more: that someone used her image to provoke the Duke of Sargen into killing a man, or that the duke actually believed it was her trysting in the maze that night.

Now she and the duke must concoct their own subterfuge to shake out the culprit. Otherwise, Dacian might be arrested for murder, or worse, the shadowy guardians of the Musing might inflict their own cruel punishment for the misuse of his Gift. Judith will need her most respectable mobcap, and unfortunately, the duke will need a false moustache.

With Judith’s ability to detect lies and Dacian’s now carefully contained power, they set out to uncover the truth - but their own hearts make them easy to manipulate. Facing a master of deception, as well as the duke’s renewed determination to win her, Judith will need a stiff drink of chocolate and the help of her cheerful, tiny vampiri companion before she can find her way out of the deadly tangle…

Can Judith and Dacian unmask the killer before more blood is shed? And how many different ways can one disguise a duke?

The Matronly Misadventures feature a mid-life heroine in a slow-burn, second-chance romance (with a duke who has waited long enough), set in a magical version of Regency England.

THE REVIEW

Although the book is entitled Lady Avely’s Guide to Lies and Charm’ I suspect I will always think of it as the that Poor Mr. Wooten story. Wooten, the Duke of Sargen’s tiny vampire companion, is now beset by two female vampires. Marigold (Judith’s vampire companion), and Yvette (possible friend, possible enemy – but someone who is definitely interested in becoming better acquainted with Marigold).

Wooten, a dandy to rival Beau Brummell as being the model British dandy: always bathed and shaved, always powdered and perfumed, always groomed and immaculately dressed in a dark-blue coat of plain style with an elaborately knotted cravat must now put up Marigold’s positive flaunting of her own nakedness everytime she must turn into a bat, or back into her human form. Wooten’s eventual victory in requiring a Marigold to wear a cloak while changing leads to some of the funniest scenes as Marigold is forced to fly while wearing it.

I do concur with the Author’s description of the book as being a slow-burn, second-chance romance. It is a slow burn but I enjoyed the opportunity to watch Judith’s developing awareness of her attraction for the Duke, and with the evolving relationship she has with her dead husband’s illegitimate son.

There is no doubt that I will be reading the book again, and have already pre-ordered Lady Avely’s Guide to Guile and Peril (Matronly Misadventures Book 3) Kindle Edition, due for release late 2025.

 

five-stars

Lady Avely’s Guide to Truth and Magic

Lady Avely’s Guide to Truth and MagicLady Avely's Guide to Truth and Magic by Rosalie Oaks
Series: Matronly Misadventures #1
on 16 February 2024
Genres: Not An Alternate History Review
Format: eBook
Source: Author
Buy on Amazon
Goodreads
five-stars

A gothic cozy mystery series, starring a midlife protagonist, and set in a magical version of Regency England.

A Regency widow shouldn’t be hunting spectres all night.

Lady Judith Avely’s magical gift for divining the truth makes her prodigiously good at lying. To absolve a guilty secret, she travels to the exiled Duke of Sargen’s estate, but the last thing she expects is to run into the duke himself, who is lamentably now even more attractive than in his volatile youth.

The duke has his own concerns: he has returned home to a haunted house, with skulls floating about and a footman apparently bashed by a book. Such vulgar circumstances are best avoided, but the duke needs Judith’s unique talents to help uncover the culprit – even if it might put her in the sights of a killer.

With the help of a tiny vampiric acquaintance and a continuous supply of drinking chocolate, Judith should be able to solve the uncanny mystery…if only the duke will stop making improper remarks about her mobcaps.

A lady who can discern lies, the duke who lied to her, and a gothic cosy mystery full of bats, skulls, and cocoa.

Lady Avely’s Guide to Truth and Magic features a mid-life heroine, a slow-burn second-chance romance, and a magical version of Regency England.

THE REVIEW

I fell in love with Ms Oak’s miniature vampires, barely 2″ tall in the old measure, when I binged on her ‘Lady Diviner’ series, and had been hounding the author for the release date for her new spin-off series for over a year. ‘Lady Avely’s Guide to Truth and Magic’ did not disappoint.

There is a subtle difference in the tone between the two series. In the Lady Diviner books the reader is invited to join Miss Elinor Avely, is a a jewel diviner, who befriends a tiny spinster vampire (a necessity if one is practicing magic as without such a companion a practitioner is likely to become bemused). Together they solve mysteries, find romance, and practice good manners in adverse circumstances, with a focus on good manners. A particularly difficult task when there is a certain amount of nakedness involved, as must occur when vampires transform to and from their bat body.

With ‘Matronly Misadventures’ Lady Judith Avely, who is Elinor’s mother, is considerably more relaxed about the need for manners (unless it applies to the necessity for mobcaps), a fortunate trait when it comes to dealing with her own tiny companion, to quote:

[Lady Avely] crossed to the bedside drawer and slid it open and blinked, for Miss Cultor [the vampire] was lying quite at her ease, completely naked, on her stomach on the orange-gold cloth. Her chin rested on her hands and she looked quizzically up at Judith.

There remains a search for a murderer, any number of suspects, while maintaining at least some continuing need for good manners:

Lord John looked glum. “A fine library if it will stop raining blood.”

“John!” snapped Lady Agatha. “Do not refer to such vulgar subjects at the dining table.”

And now I have to wait until December (9 months 10 days) before I can read the sequel.

five-stars

‘The Darkest Cargo’ by Amanda Bridgeman

I received this book for free from the Author in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.

‘The Darkest Cargo’ by Amanda BridgemanThe Darkest Cargo by Amanda Bridgeman
Series: Spud Compton #1
Published by Centralis Entertainment on 10 May 2023
Genres: Not An Alternate History Review
Format: eBook
Source: the Author
Buy on Amazon
Goodreads
five-stars

Spud Compton is an ex-soldier running cargo across space, while also running from his past – most notably his well-known Senator father and his war-hero older brother. When Spud’s ex-girlfriend suddenly turns up in his life with an urgent job, he knows he should walk away. Money is tight, though, and he can’t afford to turn it down. Spud takes on the cargo run, but soon finds himself with both the mob and navy on his tail, all the while the biggest threat to his life sits inside the cargo hold of his ship, just waiting to be released.

What starts as a simple job, turns into a fight for his life and that of his crew, as a black-ops bio-engineered creature is released – and it won’t stop until it has eliminated all threats.


WARNING: Do not read this book for at least an hour before bed.

‘The Darkest Cargo’ is an adrenalin pumping, stomach clenching ride of sheer fear by a master spinner of nightmares. Neither the predator, nor the aliens would stand much of a chance of facing down Amanda’s navy black-ops genetically modified killing machine. And yet this is precisely what Amanda team of ex-navy misfits has to do.

The only quibble I have is that it takes the first four chapters to get going, but they are short chapters and then the action starts, and builds, and keeps builds. I can’t honestly say that the book was un-put-downable, as I did have to take a break after chapter 7 to recover my breath, and my equilibrium, but after that it was dash for the finishing line only to find that … I’m going to have to read the next book in the series.

A five-star rating from me means that I am planning to re-read the story, in this case I am intend to read it again to find out just how Ms Bridgeman manages to create and maintain the excitement she so successfully deals up.

five-stars