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Alana Woods

Alana Woods

Amazon.com Author

has 11 followers and is following 18 people

I write thrillers -- I prefer to call them Literary Fiction. 'Automaton', my first published novel is an award-winning best-seller.
I also write non-fiction. My latest, '25 essential writing tips: guide to writing GOOD fiction', is aimed at helping aspiring authors find their voice and feet as a writer.
I'm a copy editor by profession... more »
  • Canberra, Au, Australia
  • member since March 21, 2012

Reviews

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Displaying 41-49 of 49 reviews
  • Murder For Comfort: A Novel of Suspense
    • Rated 4 stars

    “This is another in the series of Detective JD Welch novels.

    Detective JD Welch is a veteran cop but the murder of Sheila McCowell is of a ferocity unparalleled in his career and experience and without any clues he's going nowhere fast in solving it. The husband is always the first suspect but Jim McCowell, the ex, looks clean. Welch needs a break but will he get one? Then two more murders occur and very quickly all three seem to be linked. Adding to his late night dreams about the case is his attraction to one very lovely lady, who may or may not be involved.

    One of the themes to the story is how the male of the species can be coerced by sex. Does Welch fall into that trap?

    The story line is a good one. It develops well with the murders being suitably gruesome and/or shocking and the investigation at times stalling and then forging ahead.

    The main characters are drawn well, the language flows and the dialogue is natural, although the scenes towards the end of the book where Welch meets some New Zealand police and is introduced to 'Strine' jar slightly. Do NZers use Strine? Plus I'm puzzled as to why the Australian authorities are approached for extradition of a suspect from New Zealand. But I don't have expertise in that area and that may be the case.

    The first few chapters are tightly written and move at a cracking pace. It's when the novel comes to detailing police procedure that it slows somewhat. The author served for many years in law enforcement and it shows, for instance, in the level of knowledge of 'police speak' and how investigations and interviews are conducted. Perhaps some of the detail could have been forfeited for the sake of maintaining pace.

    Plus, the author has strong views about Islam, as evidenced in his most recent JD Welch novel, Summons to Perdition (a terrific if unsettling read) and they creep into this book. I think the story would be better without that distraction.

    But minor criticisms aside this is a well-written good read.”

    Alana Woods wrote this review Sunday, September 16, 2012. ( reply | permalink )
  • Changes From a Sunset

    Changes From a Sunset

    by Aileen Friedman
    • Rated 0 stars

    “Talia-May Medeck is a back-sliding Christian with a loving family that puts its faith in God. She adores her surfer boyfriend of three years, Cole. He's everything a girl could want: good looking, loving, cheerful, in fact an all-round nice guy. Life is good until unthinkable tragedy strikes that turns her world upside down and inside out. If she was a back-slider before the tragedy, after it she is reduced to questioning why God allows such terrible things to happen. With the help of family and good friends she struggles to overcome unhappiness and to understand and accept that everything happens for a purpose.

    This is a story of a love lost and a love found.

    Of novella length, it is a heartfelt story sincerely and simply told.

    However, I felt the writing let it down somewhat. The language and dialogue are stilted, they don't flow. I found myself stopping at times to think that they could have been better written.

    Still, as I say, it's a heartfelt story and it is most definitely sincerely told. So there's plenty to recommend it.
    ”

    Alana Woods wrote this review Saturday, September 8, 2012. ( reply | permalink )
  • First Contact
    • Rated 0 stars

    “Science fiction at its best.

    I generally have a feeling, a chapter or two into a book, about what I'm going to think of it. Sometimes I'm mistaken and on those occasions it's usually a downward revision because the initial promise is not fulfilled, usually because the quality of writing drops off.

    This book - First contact - fulfills the promise. It's a quality read in every way.

    The story develops so well, the characters are beautifully drawn, the language is articulate, the dialogue is natural. In fact, I don't have a bad word to say about it.

    I like quality science fiction. I don't read it exclusively, in fact I don't read a great deal of it. But Isaac Asimov was one of my early favorite authors and Michael R Hicks is set to become a new one.

    Set in a far off future when humans have peopled new planets with Earth as the home world and hyperspace jumping makes exploring for compatible worlds possible, a ship makes the human race's first contact with an alien race. They've jumped into Kreelan Empire territory. For the Kreelan's this is not first contact. A much, much older civilization that ours, they live to fight, to bring honor to their Empress through battle with worthy opponents.

    There are no goodies and baddies in this story; one I believe that will be epic in both the story line and the telling of it.

    The story is a fight from almost the opening pages to the last, and if I had known that before starting I would probably not have bothered with it - I'm not a fan of war stories. But this one is so well told with the characters attaining a depth of development I would have doubted possible beforehand.

    The author has done some smart marketing by making book 1 in the series free. He's well aware that few of its readers are going to demur at buying the rest to see where he leads us.

    A thoroughly deserved 5 stars from me.
    ”

    Alana Woods wrote this review Sunday, September 2, 2012. ( reply | permalink )
  • The Rock Star's Sheriff
    • Rated 4 stars

    “If you like your romances on the side of lots of wanting, rather than lots of explicit sex, then this book may be one you would enjoy.

    Zach Murphy, Sheriff of small town Parson County, an hour out of Denver, arrests a drunken driver who turns out to be Leia Shea, superstar rock star. It brings an unwelcome media frenzy down on his small town that continues long after Leia leaves. Trouble is, when Leia leaves she can't take with her Zach's thoughts and fantasies about her. Neither can she leave behind her thoughts and fantasies about him. Could a world-touring rock star be satisfied with a small town sheriff? Zach doesn't think so, but it doesn't stop him from wishing. Would a small town sheriff want to take on the craziness of a rock star's life? Leia doesn't think so, but it doesn't stop her from wishing.

    This is a well-written, novella-length light read. Nothing to keep you awake at night but an enjoyable way to wile away a few hours.

    I found it very enjoyable.
    ”

    Alana Woods wrote this review Monday, August 27, 2012. ( reply | permalink )
  • Trapped on Draconica

    Trapped on Draconica

    by Dan Wright
    • Rated 3 stars

    “Manga mayhem.
    This is my first manga read and review and apart from knowing illustrations accompany the text I didn't have any idea what constitutes manga. A Google search told me it's exactly that: illustrations accompanying text. But anime-style illustrations. And my hat is doffed to Alexia Centeno, the illustrator of Trapped on Draconica, because they are first class.

    There's plenty I liked about this book and plenty I didn't.

    The likes: firstly it's a big book, and I like books that take a bit of time to get through. Secondly the illustrations are great. My e-copy is in black and white but I've seen the colour cover on Amazon and I loved it.

    Then there's the story itself. Ben, a 15 year old boy fast heading into a life of dole bludging and petty crime, finds himself on another world - why isn't revealed until almost the end. He's the main character but he doesn't start out a hero and he doesn't become one. It's the people he teams up with - or to be exact, the people who befriend and protect him - who are the heroes, battling against an evil emperor intent on subjugating the world. It's very entertaining.

    What didn't I like?

    The writing could be called amateurish at times. It reads as I would imagine a 15 year old boy would write. There's no subtlety and little depth. The dialogue often reads like peeved teenagers not getting their way.

    The characters remain one-dimensional although Ben develops to the extent that he sees the error of his ways. But if the audience is teenage boys it's perhaps exactly what they would like and in that case the author has been clever.

    However, if that's not the audience then this very entertaining tale could do with some rewriting and tightening.

    A small point but one I'm mentioning by way of illustration is that towards the end a new character is introduced and disposed of on the same page. He wasn't essential to the plot and was therefore totally unnecessary.
    ”

    Alana Woods wrote this review Sunday, August 19, 2012. ( reply | permalink )
  • The Binding
    • Rated 3 stars

    “
    I discovered this book when I visited the author's Facebook page. The blurb had me immediately clicking on the link to Amazon and buying it - and I wasn't disappointed.

    It's a fast-paced, action-packed fantasy ride with likeable heroines and heroes.

    I'm not going to give much away about the story and plot line because they're a large part of the charm of this book.

    The binding is book 1 of The velesi trilogy. One aspect that made an impression is that the setting is so familiar; it's earth, the locations are real and the heroines are human. The ending foreshadows a different setting but where it will be is not disclosed.

    The many typos and mistakes including incorrect tenses marred the reading experience for me. After finishing I made the point of visiting the author's website and found that an edited edition has now been published. This should make all the difference. However, I can only go by what I read and because of the poor editing and formatting of the version I read I'm giving the book 3 stars. Without those problems it would have been 4 stars.

    If you like fantasy I recommend this one.

    Book 2 The drifting is scheduled for release in October this year and I will be buying it as I already feel connected to the characters.
    ”

    Alana Woods wrote this review Saturday, August 4, 2012. ( reply | permalink )
  • Angel in the Shadows
    • Rated 4 stars

    “
    God versus the Devil, good angels versus bad angels; this is the ultimate good versus evil story.

    It's book 1 in Grace's The angel series, the first two of which have had the film rights optioned. Book 1, and I presume the rest in the series, are aimed very much at the young adult reader. I imagine the film will have a much broader appeal but I could be wrong as I don't know much about movie targeting and what brings in the money.

    Megan lives in the suburban beach town of Clearwater, Florida, and is pleased that she's finally old enough to be a junior counsellor at summer camp. She's bouncing with excitement on the bus trip because she'll be reunited with Seth, the boy she loves. She has no inkling that she'll be a very different person by the time camp is over. One worry that will be solved for her by camp end is why she sees people who shine. Who'd have thought she could see angels! It's a relief to know that it's real and not caused by a brain tumour. Book 1 sets the scene for what I anticipate will be an epic battle for Megan, chosen by God to fight evil incarnate in the form of bad angel Judas.

    One of the things I like about this book is that it's a full length novel. Many series take advantage of the electronic format to deliver shorter books.

    I was disappointed that it finished on a cliffhanger. That's obviously the hook to get me to buy the next installment but as a reader I prefer the books in series to be complete. If I enjoy the first one I don't need a cliffhanger to entice me into wanting to read the rest.

    I also like the message Grace is sending: be brave enough to stand by your principles and beliefs. Not easy when you're a teenager and want to be accepted by your peers.

    My one criticism is that at times I found the language and dialogue stilted.

    But it's not hard to see why a film is in the works. With CGI magic the visuals should be terrific.

    The book should appeal to readers who like the genre.
    ”

    Alana Woods wrote this review Sunday, July 29, 2012. ( reply | permalink )
  • Jim's Life
    • Rated 5 stars

    “This book is a rare find. I always have the utmost admiration for people with a breadth of knowledge in a subject that reflects intense interest. In this book the author shows a working knowledge, if not a command, of many faiths and philosophies.

    Soul transference -- unlike Matthews my knowledge of faiths and philosophies is scant, so I'd not heard of this before but the idea appeals, as does reincarnation.

    Set in the mid 22nd century the story follows a 15 year old boy, Jim Ranck, who may or may not be the next Messiah. It's an entrancing read devoid of any kind of religious fervour as we follow Jim's path to his own enlightenment while on trial for serious crimes, all of which take place under invasive media scrutiny. There are obvious parallels to the story of Jesus, and there are the fervent believers, the vociferous non-believers and the fence sitters.

    I found myself smiling for much of the time through this full-length novel. It's a thoughtful expounding of the author's views wrapped in a beautifully written fictional tale.

    I didn't realise until I had finished this book that it's the sequel to Matthew's The little universe -- which, of course, I'm now going to have to read. Hopefully I'll enjoy it as much as I did Jim's life.
    ”

    Alana Woods wrote this review Monday, July 23, 2012. ( reply | permalink )
  • The Canal
    • Rated 5 stars

    “This book is dedicated to the Leavenworth 10.

    It's the second of this author's books I've read and I'm coming to realise he doesn't take the easy option in relation to subject matter. He's also not afraid to lay his beliefs on the table.

    The canal is a short novella packed with uncompromising provocation. As is Summons to perdition, this book is an unsettling read. Like any good story it weaves several strands together. It's a detective story with a difference, set in a world that has largely become Islamic - Australia alone has rejected it's advance.

    In the mid 21st century newly-promoted Detective Marie Casteneda investigates the suicide of an old man. She runs up against military brick walls and her own force's veto when endeavouring to ascertain why the old man killed himself. At some risk to herself she discovers rewritten histories, political correctness gone mad and a military unable and unwilling to protect its own.

    The author's family is replete with servicemen of the military and police kind. He himself was a serving police officer for 20 years and it shows in the level of detail and ease with which he discusses police procedure.

    This is another well-written good story from Work and for that reason I'm giving it 5 stars.
    ”

    Alana Woods wrote this review Saturday, July 14, 2012. ( reply | permalink )
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Displaying 41-49 of 49 reviews

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