|
Reviews |
Read reviews below for:
TRUTHS OF THE HEART
G L ROCKEY
London Circle
2005
I-930677-55-3
Romantic Suspense
Rating:
Rachelle didn’t know that her life was missing anything, until he walked
into her classroom at the beginning of Fall Semester. One glance was all
that it took and she found that she couldn’t get him out of her mind.
At first sight, he knew that she was something special and that he’d love
her the rest of his life. He knew that he was being dumb; she was his
professor, he her student, but once love entered the mix there was no
stopping it. All Rachelle knew was that she couldn’t stay in her marriage
any longer. The truth was more painful than she could bear. Would she get
out in time or would she be lost in a loveless marriage forever?
G. L. Rockey’s Truths of the Heart was hard to put down. I got caught up in
the love triangle of Carl, Rachelle and Seth and found myself hoping that
the “good guy” would win in the end. Reminiscent of A Storybook Romance, by
Tiffany Hixon, Truths of the Heart is a book for the romance lover in all of
us.
Reviewed by: Kathryn
TRUTH OF THE HEART
WORD MUSEUM REVIEW
TRUTHS OF THE HEART
Reviewed by Sally Painter
4 Flames
Like most authors, I read a lot and it is rare to find an author who can just pull me in as a reader and make me forget all else. G.L. Rockey is one such author. In his latest book, TRUTHS OF THE HEART, I was immediately drawn into his story.
The cast of characters begin with Dr. Rachelle Zannes, gorgeous literature professor, her fiancé, ex football star now sports radio celebrity, Carl Bostich and Rachelle’s new student, every woman’s dream of a sensitive, talented, good sense of humor, intelligent, and oh so sexy man, Seth Trudow. Mix together and you get just the beginnings of what is a very complex and interwoven story that makes the reader think, what if.
What if Rachelle had met Seth before she’d married Carl? What if Seth had never met his crazy (and that is literally insane), gal pal artist, Laura Toth? What if Carl had never been injured and had continued to play football? The pinpoints of choices and life’s circumstances that could have taken these people down different paths is infinite.
Is there such a thing as destiny? Would different choices have made for different end results? Or were these people destined to play out their parts regardless of their choices, right or wrong? TRUTHS OF THE HEART follows these unique (and quite a few quirky) characters as fellow travelers. Each person’s life and choices affects someone else and eventually it all has a domino effect depending on how close one person is to another. Some fall while others merely sway, stagger and then recover.
This reader was left pondering the eternal question, is there such a thing as destiny? Are we pulled along life’s course under the illusion that we are making choices, when the truth is regardless what we choose; it still ends up the same? Clearly, some of Rachelle’s choices simply lead her deeper and deeper down a dark path that she is too blinded by denial to recognize until it’s too late. Her heart longs to abandon her choices, yet, she has bound herself by the simple act of making them. She and those traveling with her are swept away by the eternal plan set in motion by all of their choices. Sometimes not choosing is the biggest choice made.
Warning – This is not a book for the faint hearted. It is a close examination of the two faces most people wear. The one shown to the world and the one revealed in private. Sometimes the private one is better. Many times it is uglier. It soon becomes clear that most of the characters in this book are all headed on a collision course. What remains to be seen is who will survive the crash?
Sexuality is the other common thread running through the book connecting all these characters. Some in obvious direct ways, while others because of the acts done in private away from them. Again, not for the faint of heart. A powerful revelation that most people do not really know the people they work with, attend college with and in some cases, live with. There are those pretending to be sane to the outside world, while in private, their insanity has leaked out disguising itself as an expression of art. And is it merely art imitating life?
It’s not surprising with all the deceit, perversions and lies, that most of the plans go awry and for some murder is the end result. Nothing about this story is simple and the characters who survive do so almost as a rite of passage. They survive the choices of others.
G.L. Rockey is a gifted story teller who leads the reader through the ruins of human lives so often portrayed as perfect and ideal but upon further examination, reveals a collage of failures, disappointments, phobias, love, hopes, and dreams. It is a colorful tapestry of the human condition, reminding us that nothing is as it seems and everyone has many many sides.
4 STARS!
(Professor) Dr. Rachelle Zannes is teaching a
graduate course in "Moral Imagination: Communication Sciences" at Michigan
State University. She marries Carl Bostich, an ex-football star turned radio
sports announcer. Carl is selfish, possessive, a philander, and positive that
the sun shines only for him. Rachelle is too blind to clearly see it all at
first.
Seth Trudow is an art student taking Rachelle's course. He is very attracted
to Rachelle and she is vulnerable. They fall in love and begin an affair.
Laura Troth is as possessive of Seth as Carl is of Rachelle. Laura often shows
up at Seth's place spaced out. He is too soft hearted to kick Laura out and
she uses that gentleness against him all the time. Laura seems insane and
determined to ruin Rachelle's happiness.
When the worst finally happens, it is up to Rachelle to pull together her
shattered life and live on.
**** Author G.L. Rockey's style of writing makes everything fast paced. There
is more verbal communication than narrative paragraphs which makes reading
this book seem faster than most. The take off is slow so the reader may
clearly see how things stand between Rachelle and Carl. Rachelle's conscious
is guilty throughout the book and the character seems more realistic due to
this very human fact. Be warned that there IS gambling, rape, and other vices
in this book. If this bothers you in a novel, then pass on this one. However,
if it does not, you will find this story to be moving and, at times, even
inspirational. ****
HUNTRESS REVIEWS
(Reviewed by Detra Fitch)
http://www.huntressreviews.com/
Huntress Book Reviews
http://www.huntressreviews.com/1742.html
Locate Authors
The
Journalist Reviews
If you’re tired of dumbed-down mysteries and made-for-TV thrillers,
read The Journalist. It brings the political tensions and dilemmas of
the twenty-first century into razor-sharp focus.
http://gottaread.blogspot.com/2006/11/review-of-journalist.html
THE JOURNALIST
REVIEW
Zackery Stearn eats torrid Mexican food, drinks Bohemia beer and writes
newspaper copy—in a world where newspapers are going the way of the T Rex.
It’s the year 2008 and profound things are happening on Planet Earth—all of
them bad.
The Journalist (Zumaya Publications, 296 pages) is a biting political
thriller. G.L. Rockey’s writing is reminiscent of John D. MacDonald’s; his
hero, Zackery Stearn, capably plays the role of a modern-day Travis McGee.
Like Travis, Zackery is a cynical knight-errant trying to stay afloat in a
world of vertiginous moral complexity. There’s a touch of Robert Parker here
too, in the sassy, snappy dialog. As befits a man of the twenty-first century
though, Zackery is more cerebral and less susceptible to the female sex than
either MacDonald’s or Parker’s characters.
The caper in The Journalist centers on a plot to abolish the
constitution and the perpetrator is none other than the President of the
United States. Coming out of the West Wing is a lot of lofty rhetoric
concealing a plot to use the fear of terrorism to strip citizens of their
freedom. It’s a little too close to the truth to be comfortable, but The
Journalist manages to takes a small, toothy bite at truth without pushing any
specific political agenda.
The Journalist is full of colorful characters who get thrown into an
increasingly frenetic mix, but the real fun lies in listening to how they all
talk to each other. True to life, no one answers anyone’s real questions;
they’re too busy listening to their own inner dialog.
One thing you have to watch in The Journalist is that it moves back
and forth between characters chapter by chapter. Switching perspective so
abruptly means that the characters weave in and out of view. It keeps things
fresh, but it also makes it easy to get lost. My advice is to grab yourself a
tall Mexican beer, put your feet up and read it straight through.
Saludo, G.L. Rockey. The Journalist is a great read.
Cheryl Swanson,
Author, Death Game
Reviewed by Angie Mangino - 2001 Inscriptions
Rating: * * *
* * stars
With many
eerie similarities to the terrorism situation the U.S. is now facing,
reviewing this book [THE JOURNALIST] after Sept. 11 was definitely a
challenge. To do a fair review, I found I had to rely on my own training as a
journalist to remove myself from the emotions I experienced in the reading to
an objective narration of the story.
"The Journalist" is a captivating book that had me reading quickly to follow the developments as they occurred. The story progresses well with extremely believable characters. Reading a fictional accounting of a war on terrorism by a president with an agenda was both upsetting and thought provoking for me, but I must conclude the writing is very well executed to stir up so much in the reading.
Thrilling…"The
Journalist," by G.L. Rockey is one story that not only captures you in the
opening sentence and holds you spell bound till the end, it will also scare
the socks off you wondering….."What if?" Zack, editor of a newspaper,
discovers a political plot that has the potential to destroy life as we all
know it, FREEDOM. Where's Zack to turn, is there anyone he can truly trust
with his information, is the world coming to an end? This is soon to become a
favorite with all Sci-Fi and Thriller Fans. Don't miss your chance in
experiencing "The Journalist", it's a must read.
Kim Gaona
 |
TIME AND CHANCE |
|
Alcohol, sex, greed and just plain nasty human
habits are the gist of this first-person account about a newscaster, his
love life, kidnapped children and eviscerated organs. Readers who pick up
this book will not be able to put it down. Summary:
As a widowed, hard-drinking newscaster, Jack pretty
much does whatever he wants, including doing Peggy, the latest gimmick his
boss hired to beef up ratings. Then he meets Gillian, a woman he may
actually be interested in, but she has a secret: She's an undercover
Tennessee Bureau investigator looking into the same rash of disappearances
of young women as Jack and another reporter. Throw into the mix a deranged
friend of Peggy's and a murdered CEO, and Jack starts wondering if he needs
to up his drinking time. What he really needs is to get his head straight to
save a woman who has fallen into his bed -- and his heart. (Zumaya, Feb.,
304 pp., $15.00) HOT |
||
Time &
Chance, a suspense novel written by G.L., Rockey, runs the gamut of emotions
along with just the right amount of twists and turns designed to keep the
reader twisting and turning -, and reading. Published by London Circle |
Publishing, this electronic book, (in pdf format) deserves more recognition
than | it is getting - which, incidentally, is substantial. Reviews have
compared the hero Jack Carr to Phillip Marlow, but in truth, Carr is less
sophisticated than Marlow and more street smart, and actually a lot more
interesting, especially as the complicated layers peel off his flesh-and-blood
character.
Rockey, who
lives in Hinckley with his wife Connie, is a former television program
executive, producer and director. His experience in this field makes this
particular story come to life as we watch the protagonist Jack Carr, a news
director of a major TV station, try to exist among a cast of motley characters
who "thicken the plot." The reader is led willingly into the backside workings
of the communications industry, as well as into the undersides of the
community (in this case, Nashville, Tennessee) where colorful and seamy
characters provide an amazing backdrop.
The best part
of Rockey's writing is his own "reality," and how his lifelike characters
become either your best friend or your worst enemy. As a teller of tales,
Rockey know exactly how to catch a reader's interest and to pull them into the
story as it progresses.
This is not
Rockey's first effort into the literary field, and, hopefully, it will not be
his last. At the risk of making predictions, it would be easy to believe that
if any of the major book publishers were paying attention, both this effort
and his first e-book, The Journalist, would be gracing the shelves of the
likes of Barnes & Noble, Waldens and Horders.
. . . . . . .
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
As a serious
writer, Rockey has the ability, as they might say in Tennessee, to "run with
the big dogs," when it comes to spinning the kind of yarn that could easily
enter today's best seller list.
THE HINCKLEY RECORD
Reviewed by
Peggy Russell
Bats In The Bellfry, Bells In The Attic Reviews
Reviewed by Denise M. Clark
Denise’s Pieces Author Site & Book Reviews
This collection of tales brought to life beneath the talented pen of G. L. Rockey is a true delight. Short stories, a few such as ‘Cora’s Diary’ and ‘Bus Ride’ and ‘The Shroud of Turin’ to ‘Séance (chat@livingdead.com), offers readers a view of many different perspectives, and no gender, age or social group is left out. (You want to try the link, go ahead… this reader/reviewer didn’t dare.)
The stories range from surrealistic to comedic to downright spooky, and emotional ranges from despair to frank understanding and acceptance. Each vignette displays another aspect of Mr. Rockey’s unique writing style, and his ability to portray such an eclectic cast of both usual and oddball characters is admirable. Each and every character has a depth of their own, all are unique; and several are definitely and delightfully odd.
Each story is penned to amuse, titillate and/or cause some degree of reaction or manner of thought from the reader, an endeavor in which he admirable succeeds. His narrative ranges from biting wit to droll to thought provoking, providing something for everyone and every taste with this latest offering.
Bats In The Belfry, Bells In The Attic
Sixteen off the wall stories are what await the readers in this book. Stories that will make you wonder, stories that will make you stop and think, stories that in some cases are so open they are almost painful to read. The stories are all from different viewpoints and cover all walks of life from the youngest to the oldest.
G.L. Rockey has written sixteen wildly different stories that will at times leave the reader amused, worried, sad, confused, intrigued and much more. From the many different viewpoints, you are able to see snapshots into people’s lives, each with their own insight. Rather than reading the book all the way through from start to finish, a reader will get the most enjoyment by popping in and out of the stories one by one.
G.L. Rockey has tried to tackle many underlying questions in these stories including what came first the chicken or the egg, as well as the one question we all find ourselves asking at one time or another, ‘What if?’. Although the stories are all very short, G.L. Rockey was able to create fabulous characters and memorable stories that are a pleasure to read.
Although I found some of the stories quite hard to follow at times, Bats In The Belfry, Bells In The Attic is a very interesting book. This would be a great book for people who don’t want to get too deep into a novel and instead enjoy reading small short stories that have a slight, off the wall slant to them.
Reviewed by: Heidi