Fiction Review

The Changing River
by Dat Phan
ISBN-: 978-0-07-212575-7
Review by Heather Froeschl



When we seek happiness outside of ourselves, we are being perfectly human; but it is the person who looks within and changes what they don’t like, that truly ends up being happy. Such reminders are abundant in these days but rarely is a book fictionally interesting and captivating, yet also inspiring and even meditative in it’s unfolding. Dat Phan has penned a novel, “The Changing River,” that will leave readers looking within and building their own bridges over troubled waters.

Mr. Dubois enters the novel as a cranky drunk who leers at women, complains about life, and finds his only moments of connection with prostitutes. He’s been fired from work and at a moment when all seems to be caving in on him, he is given a helping hand by Rice Boy. Rice Boy loses his own job to simply help the drunken man home. This reaching out is the beginning of great change. Over time, Mr. Dubois has realizations that leave him knowing what steps he has to take. Volunteering as a clown in a hospital leads him to quit drinking. He goes back to school and eventually becomes a guidance counselor. But a voyage awaits him. He finds Rice Boy in the forest and the two become intense friends. This relationship leads Rice Boy to some realizations as well, including one of his wife. Mr. Dubois has more to learn and more to teach, and since we are all teacher and student, he has much to accomplish. He travels and finds home in various interesting places, including a hut high up in a tree, living like the monkeys.

The tale is classic and the writing is flowing, poetic, and calming. The descriptions evoke moments of meditation and deep thought, while the story carries the reader down one man’s river of life. His encounters are mostly easy to relate to (with exception to the tigers); his inner struggles are ones that many will understand all too well. It seems that most readers will find inspiration in these words and hopefully some guidance in their own lives, but surely they will enjoy the read. I hope to see more from Dat Phan in the future. For more information about this book and its author, see www.ChangingRiver.com.

Fiction Review

With A Gentleman's Heart
by Phillip J. Archer
ISBN-10: 1425962254
Review by Heather Froeschl



Does adult life begin at the turning of the clock on the twenty first birthday? We all know that it doesn’t…it could happen much before, or much later. In Phillip Archer’s novel, “With a Gentleman’s Heart” readers are given a glimpse into the making of a man and what I think is an atypical twenty year old.

Damon is a dedicated hard worker. He has two jobs to keep him busy and he has two roommates, one of which is a fun loving drinking buddy and the other is an ex-girlfriend close companion who there may still be feelings with. The lives of these friends revolve around work, college, and exploring the possibilities. When Damon’s twenty first birthday approaches he is against the typical celebratory plans and chooses to take a road trip by himself instead. Where he ends up and with whom, could possibly change his life. Was it the birthday that did it or the circumstances, or was he already a gentleman at heart? The past is brought into the present and it all comes crashing in together on the beach of South Carolina.

The novel is rich with life and displays a strong character in Damon. The style is a little formal for me, demanding a bit more attention than I am used to giving to reading fiction, but one does become used to it. The plot builds slowly, creating the atmosphere of young adulthood. Phillip Archer’s work here is interesting!

Fiction Review

Unholy Penance
by Roberta Ideus
ISBN-10: 142417029X
Review by Heather Froeschl

What if vampires were real? How many unsolved deaths and missing person’s cases would be revealed as blood thirst? Roberta Ideus offers an interesting twist in her novel “Unholy Penance.” Nothing is ever as it seems, even to a detective and her Sheriff boss.

Kaci Robinson is starting her life over, back in a town she knew well, with family and friends around her. Having been betrayed by her husband, she realizes it was a necessary life lesson. When she is offered an investigative position by her former police academy classmate, synchronicity seems at play. She dives right into the work of trying to solve a series of mysterious murders around the lake. The victims are drained of blood, yet not a drop can be found at the crime scenes. There is no sign of struggle, or even approach. Kaci and David are at a loss, until a well known author of vampire books arrives, Evan Cain. He suggests that the killings are the work of a vampire.

Scoffing at first, there seems no other logical explanation, if vampires can be seen as logical. There is something about Cain that draws Kaci to him. She becomes rather involved in a way that can only be attributed to fate. There is a bigger story here. Cain is not revealing all that there is to know. Will the killing stop? Will penance be done for five hundred years of murder? Is it punishment to kill a vampire, or a blessing?

Ideus suggests things about vampires that you may not have thought of before. This interesting twist will keep readers guessing. The work is nicely plotted, with fantasy, romance, and crime, all rolled up into one. You just might leave this book believing in the unknown…or at least thinking about it. Well done!