Roberta Writes – A trio of shorts by Yvette M. Calleiro, John Podlaski and Pat Garcia

Uncategorized 4 Minutes

The One Chosen: A Diasodz Short story by Yvette M. Calleiro

The One Chosen: A Diasodz Short Story (Chronicles of the Diasodz) by [Yvette M Calleiro]

What Amazon says

Valerie is eager to learn the skills needed to become a Diasodz warrior, but when she meets her new trainer, all she can think about is him.

Nolan is a master trainer who has taught thousands of fledglings throughout his life. He has never had a relationship with a student nor does he plan to.

When Nolan and Valerie are thrust together on a routine mission, nothing goes as planned. If they want to survive, they will need to trust each other. But how do you trust someone who has rejected you? Nolan and Valerie must find a way or lose each other forever.

Note: This short story is related to the Chronicles of the Diasodz series. It takes place in the early 1600s and sets the stage for a major conflict in the series. It can be read alone, but if you enjoy it, I encourage you to read the series.

My review

I have read the first book, The One Discovered, in the greater series to which this short story belongs and enjoyed it very much. I enjoyed this short story even more than the longer book and thought the author did an excellent job of developing an interesting and emotional love story within the short word count of this book.

Valarie has recently experienced her death day and is embarking on her first training camp to become a Diosodz warrior. Her older sister is a trainer at the camp Valarie will be attending and she is unsure whether that is an advantage or not. Two men, Alo and Nolan, comprise the trio of trainers and Valarie is immediately attracted to the handsome but distant Nolan.

During her time spent under Nolan’s tutelage, Valarie can sense Nolan’s interest in her but he is determined to push his attraction to her aside, even when Valarie makes her own interest obvious. Hurt and puzzled by his rebuff, Valarie becomes friendly with Drake, a master trainer who is visiting the camp. Valarie passes her training with flying colours and goes on to attain her first assignment. Valarie is rather taken aback when she is paired with Nolen for her first venture into enemy territory but she undertakes to make the most of it, despite her reservations. Adverse circumstances led to changes in Valarie and Nolan’s relationship that they never anticipated.

I enjoyed the character of Valarie. She is intelligent and determined as well as confident enough to speak her mind. She is also able to cope with rejection and difficult situations, both emotionally and physically.

Nolan is a complex character and his back story is not revealed in this short book so I will have to wait for it to be unpacked in the greater series. He has obviously experience some sort of loss and pain that has resulted in his barricading himself against a potential romance, but his softer and more appealing side is gradually unveiled as the story progresses.

A well written and enjoyable short story.

Purchase The One Chosen by Yvette M. Calleiro

Amazon US

Unhinged: A Micro-Read by John Podlaski

Unhinged: A Micro-Read by [John Podlaski, Nicole Patrick]

What Amazon says

Two fourteen-year-old boys are offered a great first-time opportunity to watch a movie by themselves at a local drive-in theater. Little did they know that the movie would affect them in ways neither imagined nor will ever forget.

My review

Unhinged is a quick read about two boys who help out cleaning up at the drive in one afternoon and, in return, get provided with a good supply of takeaway food and watch the movie of that evening for free. The movie is a horror movie about zombies and the two teenagers discover how unnerving it is to sit in the near dark watching something designed to scare them silly. Everyone around them is safe and secure in their cars but they are exposed sitting outside on the grass. After the movie the pair walk home and discover something or someone is following them. Is it a murderer or a zombie? Is it real or just their imagination? An entertaining short story that will bring back memories to anyone who ever watched something really scary with a mate in the dark.

Purchase Unhinged: A Micro-Read by John Podlaski

Amazon US

Turn The Light On by Pat Garcia

Turn The Light On by [Pat Garcia, 4Wills Publishing]

What Amazon says

Would you ever accept a dinner invitation to meet a stranger who never spoke one word to you during your time together? Would you accept that you could not even sit at the same table with them? How about, you don’t even know their name and you continue this “game” for months?

Meet Della Cartwright. A superstar at what she does professionally, but when the tall, mysterious, Italian stranger, Alessio Terracina, enters her world, she begins to question her judgment and everything about her.

In this short story which takes place over the course of one day, this otherwise savvy businesswoman is led into making decisions that could jeopardize her professional life and maybe even cost her her freedom. But the greatest danger … just might be to her fragile heart.

Shalom aleichem,
Pat Garcia

My review

Della Cartwright is in a mess, someone has been depositing large sums of money into her bank account for months and now she thinks the mysterious man she has been flirting with from afar may be using her to launder money. As Della pours out her anxiety about this strange situation to her boss, she wonders what this is going to mean for her future. Della is a top dealer at her company where she works in Foreign Exchange Settlements. How could she have let this happen?

As with many things in life, this situation is not what it seems and as this fascinating short story unravels the reader gets to understand more about Della’s past life and current circumstances, and how her unusual romance came about. You also get to meet Della’s romantic interest and to understand how he feels about Della and their intriguing relationship.

I really enjoyed this story which is different with both the age group of it’s characters [middle aged] and its story line, and I would recommend it to anyone who enjoys a unique and well written short story that keeps you engaged from beginning to end.

Purchase Turn The Light On by Pat Garcia

Amazon US

Published by robertawrites235681907

I am a writer of young adult fiction and poetry

Published

37 thoughts on “Roberta Writes – A trio of shorts by Yvette M. Calleiro, John Podlaski and Pat Garcia”

  6. Thank you for such a wonderful review, Robbie! I’m so happy you enjoyed The One Chosen. You are correct that the series will reveal Nolan’s past (as well as Valerie’s and Drake’s). Their lives are tied together in more ways than one. 😉

    I’ve read both Unhinged and Turn the Lights On and enjoyed them both. I hope your readers pick them up. 😊

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply

    1. Hi Yvette, that’s good to know. I look forward to reading the next book in your series. I am enjoying Cherries at the moment. I love war books and as John is a vet, there is a lot of interesting detail he knows from actually being there and experiencing it all.

      Liked by 1 person

      Reply

  11. Robbie you did an excellent job in highlighting these books. But I worry about spoiling it for future readers. How do you know if a line has been crossed, or whether or not you are just on the edge of crossing the line? I have a hard time with this. I have been called out for doing it on my show. This is a tricky one for me.

    They are wonderful reviews and I couldn’t agree more with your assessment. One of them I read, and one I didn’t read.

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply

    1. HI Shirley, I try not to give to much plot away and to also cover character analysis and writing style. It is harder with short stories. I suppose we all do our best with reviews, but no-one can ever please everyone. I am glad you liked these reviews. Thank you.

      Like

      Reply

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