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The Lost Ark
In a lonely bar in eastern Turkey, ex-National Geographic photojournalist Sam Ward is hired to find an eccentric professor who disappeared high atop Mount Ararat, fabled resting spot of Noah's Ark.
Accompanied by the professor's beautiful daughter, archaeologist Faye Roberts, Sam soon stumbles upon a secret stronghold — a base of operation for unleashing hell of earth.
Now running for their lives, Sam and company are about to come face-to-face with the greatest archaeological discovery of all time....
**Acclaim for the novels of J.R. RAIN**
"Gripping, adventurous, and romantic — J.R. Rain's THE LOST ARK is a breakneck thriller that traces the thread of history from Biblical stories to current-day headlines. Be prepared to lose sleep!"
—James Rollins, international bestselling author of ALTAR OF EDEN and THE DOOMSDAY KEY
"I enjoyed MOON DANCE immensely. The protagonist, Samantha Moon, is a female vampire with a husband and children. Those predate her condition; six years ago she was attacked by a vampire and rendered into one. Now she's trying to carry on with family and private eye business, and she's a feisty, skilled person, so is doing mostly okay. It is not a horror story; she buys animal blood to eat and doesn't generally prey on humans. But her husband has an increasing problem with her coldness — not of spirit, but of body. 'You sicken me and scare the hell out of me,' he tells her. 'And when I touch you it's all I can do to not gag.' She replies, 'Words every wife wants to hear.' I love this! She really doesn't deserve to be frozen out of her marriage, yet his attitude is understandable. In the course of the novel she solves the mystery she is tackling for a client, and finds a new romantic interest. What makes it special are her character and nature. I sure wouldn't have kicked her out of bed. I recommend it as light reading, odd as that may sound."
—Piers Anthony, New York Times bestselling author of A SPELL FOR CHAMELEON and ON A PALE HORSE
"MOON DANCE is absolutely brilliant!"
—Lisa Tenzin-Dolma, author of UNDERSTANDING THE PLANETARY MYTHS
"MOON DANCE is a must read. If you like Janet Evanovich's Stephanie Plum, bounty hunter, be prepared to love J. R. Rain's Samantha Moon, vampire private investigator."
—Eve Paludan, author of LETTERS FROM DAVID
"Impossible to put down. J.R. Rain's MOON DANCE is a fabulous urban fantasy."
—April Vine, author of THE MIDNIGHT ROSE
"DARK HORSE is one of the best books I've read in a long time! A great classic detective story with a modern twist. Unique and interesting characters (I think I'm half in love with Jim Knighthorse now!), a great plot that kept me guessing until the end, and some of the funniest lines I've read anywhere. Rain does an amazing job of blending suspense, mystery and humor in this fantastic debut novel destined for the keeper shelf."
—Gemma Halliday, three time RITA nominee and National Readers' Choice award winning author of SCANDAL SHEET and SPYING IN HIGH HEELS
"I totally loved THE BODY DEPARTED. As someone who communicates with those who are either earthbound or have crossed over — your descriptions and interpretations of the dialogue and circumstances could not have been written more accurately. My favorite scene is the one of Jesus stepping down from the cross and then the passionate and compassionate way it was treated as he went back to the cross. I will relive that for a long time to come. You're a wonderfully descriptive writer who paints a very creative, visionary canvass based in a paranormal pallet that only a few experience and many can enjoy. Thank you for your talent.
Accompanied by the professor's beautiful daughter, archaeologist Faye Roberts, Sam soon stumbles upon a secret stronghold — a base of operation for unleashing hell of earth.
Now running for their lives, Sam and company are about to come face-to-face with the greatest archaeological discovery of all time....
**Acclaim for the novels of J.R. RAIN**
"Gripping, adventurous, and romantic — J.R. Rain's THE LOST ARK is a breakneck thriller that traces the thread of history from Biblical stories to current-day headlines. Be prepared to lose sleep!"
—James Rollins, international bestselling author of ALTAR OF EDEN and THE DOOMSDAY KEY
"I enjoyed MOON DANCE immensely. The protagonist, Samantha Moon, is a female vampire with a husband and children. Those predate her condition; six years ago she was attacked by a vampire and rendered into one. Now she's trying to carry on with family and private eye business, and she's a feisty, skilled person, so is doing mostly okay. It is not a horror story; she buys animal blood to eat and doesn't generally prey on humans. But her husband has an increasing problem with her coldness — not of spirit, but of body. 'You sicken me and scare the hell out of me,' he tells her. 'And when I touch you it's all I can do to not gag.' She replies, 'Words every wife wants to hear.' I love this! She really doesn't deserve to be frozen out of her marriage, yet his attitude is understandable. In the course of the novel she solves the mystery she is tackling for a client, and finds a new romantic interest. What makes it special are her character and nature. I sure wouldn't have kicked her out of bed. I recommend it as light reading, odd as that may sound."
—Piers Anthony, New York Times bestselling author of A SPELL FOR CHAMELEON and ON A PALE HORSE
"MOON DANCE is absolutely brilliant!"
—Lisa Tenzin-Dolma, author of UNDERSTANDING THE PLANETARY MYTHS
"MOON DANCE is a must read. If you like Janet Evanovich's Stephanie Plum, bounty hunter, be prepared to love J. R. Rain's Samantha Moon, vampire private investigator."
—Eve Paludan, author of LETTERS FROM DAVID
"Impossible to put down. J.R. Rain's MOON DANCE is a fabulous urban fantasy."
—April Vine, author of THE MIDNIGHT ROSE
"DARK HORSE is one of the best books I've read in a long time! A great classic detective story with a modern twist. Unique and interesting characters (I think I'm half in love with Jim Knighthorse now!), a great plot that kept me guessing until the end, and some of the funniest lines I've read anywhere. Rain does an amazing job of blending suspense, mystery and humor in this fantastic debut novel destined for the keeper shelf."
—Gemma Halliday, three time RITA nominee and National Readers' Choice award winning author of SCANDAL SHEET and SPYING IN HIGH HEELS
"I totally loved THE BODY DEPARTED. As someone who communicates with those who are either earthbound or have crossed over — your descriptions and interpretations of the dialogue and circumstances could not have been written more accurately. My favorite scene is the one of Jesus stepping down from the cross and then the passionate and compassionate way it was treated as he went back to the cross. I will relive that for a long time to come. You're a wonderfully descriptive writer who paints a very creative, visionary canvass based in a paranormal pallet that only a few experience and many can enjoy. Thank you for your talent.
328 pages, Kindle Edition
First published September 2, 2010
448 people are currently reading
985 people want to read
About the author
J.R. Rain
686 books1,727 followersJ.R. Rain is the author of 110 novels and counting. He lives on an island in the Pacific Northwest, where he's hard at work on his next novel... and fighting off sparkly vampires.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 107 reviews
September 27, 2013
I don't usually stop reading a book until I'm finished - but when the dialog/writing is like the exchange below, I just can't take it.
"And you traveled alone?" I asked again, incredulous.
"You sound incredulous."
"Which is why I asked incredulously."
"And you traveled alone?" I asked again, incredulous.
"You sound incredulous."
"Which is why I asked incredulously."
September 18, 2014
Predictable
poorly written and without any background info. made me feel like I was reading a bad screen play. don't waste your time.
poorly written and without any background info. made me feel like I was reading a bad screen play. don't waste your time.
August 27, 2016
I picked this one up for free on Kindle - I thought it sounded like it was in the same sub-genre as The Da-Vinci Code (which I’ve labelled something along the lines of an archaeological mystery/thriller or treasure hunt), which I enjoy. Some people like to criticise Dan Brown’s writing but if you think that’s bad, check this out.
The first chapter is written in present tense, which I’m not a fan of. I think it comes across as trying too hard to be poetic and few authors can pull it off. This one definitely can’t - partly because he hasn’t actually mastered writing consistently in present tense and instead seems to jump back and forth! In the middle of a chapter written in present tense, he writes: “Except now I didn’t find it so cute and endearing. Now we were separated, and something bad was happening, and it was happening now.” Hello?! That’s past tense! Present tense should be “Except now I don’t find it so cute and endearing. Now we are separated, and something bad is happening, and it’s happening now.”
And do I even need to mention the overuse of the word “now”? Okay, we get it, it’s happening NOW. I find repeating words or phrases is characteristic of authors either being lazy or trying too hard to be dramatic. In this case, I think it’s the latter. Maybe the author thought that by using the word “now” so many times, that makes it present tense?
Fortunately, present tense is only used in the first chapter. Unfortunately, the writing quality doesn’t improve. Mostly, the dialogue comes across as trying too hard to be clever and witty.
So at the risk of overusing the phrase “trying too hard”, I found that’s what the author was doing in general and it gets really tiring fast. I could not make it passed the third chapter. At least I didn’t pay for it.
The first chapter is written in present tense, which I’m not a fan of. I think it comes across as trying too hard to be poetic and few authors can pull it off. This one definitely can’t - partly because he hasn’t actually mastered writing consistently in present tense and instead seems to jump back and forth! In the middle of a chapter written in present tense, he writes: “Except now I didn’t find it so cute and endearing. Now we were separated, and something bad was happening, and it was happening now.” Hello?! That’s past tense! Present tense should be “Except now I don’t find it so cute and endearing. Now we are separated, and something bad is happening, and it’s happening now.”
And do I even need to mention the overuse of the word “now”? Okay, we get it, it’s happening NOW. I find repeating words or phrases is characteristic of authors either being lazy or trying too hard to be dramatic. In this case, I think it’s the latter. Maybe the author thought that by using the word “now” so many times, that makes it present tense?
Fortunately, present tense is only used in the first chapter. Unfortunately, the writing quality doesn’t improve. Mostly, the dialogue comes across as trying too hard to be clever and witty.
So at the risk of overusing the phrase “trying too hard”, I found that’s what the author was doing in general and it gets really tiring fast. I could not make it passed the third chapter. At least I didn’t pay for it.
September 9, 2015
Will read more of Rain's books.
Enjoyed this book. Very descriptive. Made you feel you were right there for the discovery. Enjoyed the details about Mt Ararat.
Enjoyed this book. Very descriptive. Made you feel you were right there for the discovery. Enjoyed the details about Mt Ararat.
January 23, 2012
I have not had good luck when trying new authors lately, and unfortunately this book was not an exception. I got the book free through Amazon Prime's lending library and I'm rather disappointed that I used my month's freebie on it.
First, the characters. It's hard for me to describe what I didn't like about our protagonists. I think that my main issue was inconsistency--they seemed to do whatever the plot called for at the moment, not what their character would believably do. The most egregious example of this was Faye, an American professor/scholar in search of her father who went missing on Mount Ararat. In the beginning she is perfectly happy to allow a man she just met, with whom she's looking to enter a business relationship, to order her dinner for her, refuse dessert for her, and then order her breakfast (all without asking on his part, of course). But when this same man goes to open a car door for her, she starts waxing feminist. And while on the subject of Faye, I have to mention that the book takes pains to point out that every time she's given any water to drink, she lets most of it spill down her front. Not by accident--that's just how she rolls. In a survival situation that's incredibly dumb and I kept wondering why no one was cutting her off from the water supply until she learned to drink from a canteen like an adult.
Our hero, Sam Ward, seems to be trying too hard to be as smooth as Dirk Pitt (Clive Cussler) and as witty as Harry Dresden (Jim Butcher), and ultimately comes off as trying too hard. I also had a hard time believing that a photographer would be as good in crisis situations as he was. I can buy that he'd know survival in harsh conditions, but being able to shoot and fight his way through a trained army? Not so much. And I have to mention that if you're in a cave, on a thin ledge over a deep cavern with no light whatsoever, and you come to the end of that ledge, you don't just JUMP INTO THE AIR and hope there's something for you to land on.
But most of all, this book's writing was disappointing. The dialog was clunky: characters spoke in ways that just don't fit how most people talk casually. I found quite a few typos, such as using "inch" for "itch" and even cases of wrong word usage ("prescribe" instead of "subscribe"-you don't "prescribe to a theory"). Verb tenses weren't always kept consistent. Finally, if you're going to write your book in the first person, you just have to accept the fact that you can't show what characters are thinking away from your protagonist. Inserting scenes where the POV switches to third person omniscient is lazy. I suppose it can be done, but here it wasn't done well and was distracting.
Finally, this book was barely about the Ark. I'm a sucker for adventure books that tie into Biblical history or general mythology, but it's because I like to hear about the legends surrounding these places or objects and how they tie into the book's reality. In this book, the Ark was just a McGuffin that got the characters into place. The myths and legends surrounding it were glossed over at best.
I'd give this book 1.5 stars. One seems too harsh. Despite the flaws I've listed, I didn't hate the book. I did feel like Mount Ararat came to life for me. The author gave me a good sense of the scope and beauty of the mountain. So the book was still kind of enjoyable, despite its flaws.
First, the characters. It's hard for me to describe what I didn't like about our protagonists. I think that my main issue was inconsistency--they seemed to do whatever the plot called for at the moment, not what their character would believably do. The most egregious example of this was Faye, an American professor/scholar in search of her father who went missing on Mount Ararat. In the beginning she is perfectly happy to allow a man she just met, with whom she's looking to enter a business relationship, to order her dinner for her, refuse dessert for her, and then order her breakfast (all without asking on his part, of course). But when this same man goes to open a car door for her, she starts waxing feminist. And while on the subject of Faye, I have to mention that the book takes pains to point out that every time she's given any water to drink, she lets most of it spill down her front. Not by accident--that's just how she rolls. In a survival situation that's incredibly dumb and I kept wondering why no one was cutting her off from the water supply until she learned to drink from a canteen like an adult.
Our hero, Sam Ward, seems to be trying too hard to be as smooth as Dirk Pitt (Clive Cussler) and as witty as Harry Dresden (Jim Butcher), and ultimately comes off as trying too hard. I also had a hard time believing that a photographer would be as good in crisis situations as he was. I can buy that he'd know survival in harsh conditions, but being able to shoot and fight his way through a trained army? Not so much. And I have to mention that if you're in a cave, on a thin ledge over a deep cavern with no light whatsoever, and you come to the end of that ledge, you don't just JUMP INTO THE AIR and hope there's something for you to land on.
But most of all, this book's writing was disappointing. The dialog was clunky: characters spoke in ways that just don't fit how most people talk casually. I found quite a few typos, such as using "inch" for "itch" and even cases of wrong word usage ("prescribe" instead of "subscribe"-you don't "prescribe to a theory"). Verb tenses weren't always kept consistent. Finally, if you're going to write your book in the first person, you just have to accept the fact that you can't show what characters are thinking away from your protagonist. Inserting scenes where the POV switches to third person omniscient is lazy. I suppose it can be done, but here it wasn't done well and was distracting.
Finally, this book was barely about the Ark. I'm a sucker for adventure books that tie into Biblical history or general mythology, but it's because I like to hear about the legends surrounding these places or objects and how they tie into the book's reality. In this book, the Ark was just a McGuffin that got the characters into place. The myths and legends surrounding it were glossed over at best.
I'd give this book 1.5 stars. One seems too harsh. Despite the flaws I've listed, I didn't hate the book. I did feel like Mount Ararat came to life for me. The author gave me a good sense of the scope and beauty of the mountain. So the book was still kind of enjoyable, despite its flaws.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
September 4, 2017
Exciting and a must read
J.R. Rain never disappoints. I first discovered this very talented author through his vampire series. With "The Lost Ark" Rain shows his fans that he can write a story that is not only interesting but a page turner. Well written and plotted story that brings a new perspective regarding Noah's Ark.
J.R. Rain never disappoints. I first discovered this very talented author through his vampire series. With "The Lost Ark" Rain shows his fans that he can write a story that is not only interesting but a page turner. Well written and plotted story that brings a new perspective regarding Noah's Ark.
August 14, 2022
4,25 stars - English Ebook
MISSING ARCHAEOLOGIST...
A RACE AGAINST TIME...
AND ONE VERY FAMOUS LOST SHIP
Welcome to Mount Ararat, legendary resting spot of Noah's Ark... and the setting for J.R. Rain's wildest, boldest adventure yet! Atleast I think so.
In a lonely bar in eastern Turkey, ex-National Geographic photojournalist Sam Ward is hired to find an eccentric professor who disappeared high atop Mount Ararat, fabled resting spot of Noah's Ark.
Accompanied by the professor's beautiful daughter, archaeologist Faye Roberts, Sam soon stumbles upon a secret stronghold—a base of operation for unleashing hell on earth.
Now running for their lives, Sam and company are about to come face-to-face with the greatest archaeological discovery of all time....
This story was interesting from beginning to the end. It was an amazing and fun read.
Because I'm a Christian it was hard to believe the "Noah's Ark" storyline.
However, this author is an excellent storyteller so, I went with the flow of the story.
I really enjoyed the mystery, characters, and their various situations. J.R. Rain you are an excellent storyteller so, please keep writing stories like this one.
MISSING ARCHAEOLOGIST...
A RACE AGAINST TIME...
AND ONE VERY FAMOUS LOST SHIP
Welcome to Mount Ararat, legendary resting spot of Noah's Ark... and the setting for J.R. Rain's wildest, boldest adventure yet! Atleast I think so.
In a lonely bar in eastern Turkey, ex-National Geographic photojournalist Sam Ward is hired to find an eccentric professor who disappeared high atop Mount Ararat, fabled resting spot of Noah's Ark.
Accompanied by the professor's beautiful daughter, archaeologist Faye Roberts, Sam soon stumbles upon a secret stronghold—a base of operation for unleashing hell on earth.
Now running for their lives, Sam and company are about to come face-to-face with the greatest archaeological discovery of all time....
This story was interesting from beginning to the end. It was an amazing and fun read.
Because I'm a Christian it was hard to believe the "Noah's Ark" storyline.
However, this author is an excellent storyteller so, I went with the flow of the story.
I really enjoyed the mystery, characters, and their various situations. J.R. Rain you are an excellent storyteller so, please keep writing stories like this one.
April 24, 2023
Great Read!
A well written story with a bit of humor thrown in! I'm looking forward to reading more books by this Author.
A well written story with a bit of humor thrown in! I'm looking forward to reading more books by this Author.
July 3, 2024
Entertaining relationship listening
This kindle e-book novel is from my Kindle Unlimited account book 9 of 9
Another series completed. J. R. Rain is one of my favorite authors. I have read or listened to a number books and series.
Sam Ward is approached by the daughter of a missing professor and his student. Sam and her set off on an adventure searching for her father and the Ark. This leads to an adventure with lots of action, misdirection, and violence leading to the happy ending.
I would recommend this series and author to readers of romantic family and friends relationships adventure thriller novels. 2024
This kindle e-book novel is from my Kindle Unlimited account book 9 of 9
Another series completed. J. R. Rain is one of my favorite authors. I have read or listened to a number books and series.
Sam Ward is approached by the daughter of a missing professor and his student. Sam and her set off on an adventure searching for her father and the Ark. This leads to an adventure with lots of action, misdirection, and violence leading to the happy ending.
I would recommend this series and author to readers of romantic family and friends relationships adventure thriller novels. 2024
March 5, 2016
"The Lost Ark" is an Adventure/Action/Quest Thriller with an underlying Christian theme (as regards to the Noah's Ark portion). Sam Ward is a guide who hires out to adventurous tourists who wish to explore Mount Ararat, usually related to their interest in finding Noah's Ark (reputed to be somewhere on the mountain). Beautiful (of course) archaeologist Faye Roberts wants to hire him to help her find her professor father, who had a self-generated map which would supposedly lead him directly to the Ark (of course). Sam doesn't think this is a good idea at the time because an Evil Rich Saudi Prince™ has teamed up with the Turkish military to close off the mountain to everybody other than the prince's people. Sam eventually capitulates. Even though (or because) the prince tries to buy him off to ignore her.
In their quest to find her father, they deal with bears, avalanches, the loss of their equipment, cold, submersion in a river, crossing a glacier (without said equipment), and other difficulties. But they do find a pencil which Faye notes has been chewed in her father's characteristic style (!), so Faye knows he has been in the area. Then, however, they come across the prince's secret base of operations, which doesn't make the prince happy. Since he doesn't want them to tell the world about his evil plans (and they are definitely evil!), he decides to kill Sam and make Faye a very hidden forced member of his Harem.
But here, the search for the Ark comes to the forefront, since the prince's secondary motive for being on the mountain is to be the first to find the Ark (of course). In fact, he's been using Faye's father and his student as unpaid manual laborers to clear a rockfall from the entrance to the cave that the professor's map predicted would lead to the Ark's location. So the prince forces Sam to help clear the rockfall (he can always kill Sam later). The rest of the book deals with trying to find the Ark's location and with Sam's fight to save Faye, her father, his own life, and to stop the Evil Prince.
The author switches viewpoints every once in a while (not my favorite style), and the story line is not very believable (especially about Sam's many skills), but it is fun in its own way. I'd say about 3.5 stars.
In their quest to find her father, they deal with bears, avalanches, the loss of their equipment, cold, submersion in a river, crossing a glacier (without said equipment), and other difficulties. But they do find a pencil which Faye notes has been chewed in her father's characteristic style (!), so Faye knows he has been in the area. Then, however, they come across the prince's secret base of operations, which doesn't make the prince happy. Since he doesn't want them to tell the world about his evil plans (and they are definitely evil!), he decides to kill Sam and make Faye a very hidden forced member of his Harem.
But here, the search for the Ark comes to the forefront, since the prince's secondary motive for being on the mountain is to be the first to find the Ark (of course). In fact, he's been using Faye's father and his student as unpaid manual laborers to clear a rockfall from the entrance to the cave that the professor's map predicted would lead to the Ark's location. So the prince forces Sam to help clear the rockfall (he can always kill Sam later). The rest of the book deals with trying to find the Ark's location and with Sam's fight to save Faye, her father, his own life, and to stop the Evil Prince.
The author switches viewpoints every once in a while (not my favorite style), and the story line is not very believable (especially about Sam's many skills), but it is fun in its own way. I'd say about 3.5 stars.
January 16, 2012
I'm not normally into action/adventure, but the author of this book is one of my new favorites. Plus, he was offering it up for free for the Kindle for a short while.
Short review: I'd pay for this.
Long review: This book combined two of my top interests, one, archaeology, two, Turkey. It's set in Turkey. I used to live in Turkey. My expectations were a bit low, as most of the books I've read set in Turkey remind me nothing of the place I used to live.
J.R. Rain did a da**ed fine job of it. The village was very familiar. While on summer break one year, my parents, their best friends and all kids involved went on an extended tour of the country, by van. I have quite a few sheep shooing memories. Watching my dad and his best friend trying to help the sheep herders get the animals out of the road. The only thing missing was the paint/dye they use to tell one man's flock from another.
Oh, and the the Pepsi line?? That made me shout out loud! That's all we could get on the Turkish market, when we were there. Coke was only available on base.
Okay, enough of the background. J.R. did a great job on the scenery. The story began from the first page and held on to me for most of it. Some of the scenes got a bit gory, and for someone who had lived in Turkey for three years, Sam spent an awful lot of time speaking Arabic to Turks. But for 95% of the book, it's a wild ride! (I'm not a fan of shoot-em-up scenes, but if you are, he's quite descriptive about them.) The characters are nicely done. The good guys have an Indiana Jones feel and the bad guys are all right out of a Bond film. They've all got their motivations for where they are and what they're doing and the motivations all make sense.
All in all, it's a good read. Quick and exciting. (Sorry about the disjointed review, but I needed to get this down quick. I'll write a more well thought out on on mouseandpage.wordpress.com later. I need to finish up some others, as well.)
Short review: I'd pay for this.
Long review: This book combined two of my top interests, one, archaeology, two, Turkey. It's set in Turkey. I used to live in Turkey. My expectations were a bit low, as most of the books I've read set in Turkey remind me nothing of the place I used to live.
J.R. Rain did a da**ed fine job of it. The village was very familiar. While on summer break one year, my parents, their best friends and all kids involved went on an extended tour of the country, by van. I have quite a few sheep shooing memories. Watching my dad and his best friend trying to help the sheep herders get the animals out of the road. The only thing missing was the paint/dye they use to tell one man's flock from another.
Oh, and the the Pepsi line?? That made me shout out loud! That's all we could get on the Turkish market, when we were there. Coke was only available on base.
Okay, enough of the background. J.R. did a great job on the scenery. The story began from the first page and held on to me for most of it. Some of the scenes got a bit gory, and for someone who had lived in Turkey for three years, Sam spent an awful lot of time speaking Arabic to Turks. But for 95% of the book, it's a wild ride! (I'm not a fan of shoot-em-up scenes, but if you are, he's quite descriptive about them.) The characters are nicely done. The good guys have an Indiana Jones feel and the bad guys are all right out of a Bond film. They've all got their motivations for where they are and what they're doing and the motivations all make sense.
All in all, it's a good read. Quick and exciting. (Sorry about the disjointed review, but I needed to get this down quick. I'll write a more well thought out on on mouseandpage.wordpress.com later. I need to finish up some others, as well.)
December 16, 2013
Well-drawn characters, a tantalizing mystery and adventurous journeys in a dangerous area made this very enjoyable. The writing is fluid and descriptive, with a great turn of phrase, and the main character seemed - for the most part - to be someone I could actually picture.
Unfortunately there were a few problems for me with the last third, which didn't cause me to lose interest but certainly jolted me out of the reverie I'd been in.
Unfortunately there were a few problems for me with the last third, which didn't cause me to lose interest but certainly jolted me out of the reverie I'd been in.
March 23, 2014
I thought this book sounded fun when I saw it (free on kindle) and it was. Just enough international flavor and adventure to keep it interesting, but not gruesome or too historic.
I don't want to give away the details, but the most thought provoking part for me was when they found the ark. What did Noah's Ark really look like "inside"...the floors, the walls, the living quarters for ship's crew and the animals?? I can clearly picture it from J.R. Rain's descriptions. I'd like to think he is right and those on board the Ark made good use of their time!
I don't want to give away the details, but the most thought provoking part for me was when they found the ark. What did Noah's Ark really look like "inside"...the floors, the walls, the living quarters for ship's crew and the animals?? I can clearly picture it from J.R. Rain's descriptions. I'd like to think he is right and those on board the Ark made good use of their time!
June 3, 2014
Let me start off by saying I got this book by chance free. I read some bad reviews on this book but I gave it a try and I am glad that I did. This was a nice adventure book on Mount Ararat. I really like Sam Ward. life had dealt Sam a bad hand in life but he kept going. He really didn't want to help Faye Roberts but he knew he was the best guide that could keep her safe. Their trip up the mountain turned into one dangerous adventure looking for Faye ' s father that has been missing. This was a nice book if you looking for an easy to read adventure novel.
November 18, 2016
Easy to read summer fiction. Flows nicely, reminds of Indiana Jones stories. You have all the classics:
- the good guy with a heartache
- the new sexy girl in town
- the ultimate villain
Not really something to keep you on your toes, but definitely a great summer read! I especially loved that it's set outside USA, on a bit of an exotic location and that's quite nicely geographically accurate.
I did expect though, that given the name "THE LOST ARK", the ark would have a bigger role in the whole storyline.
- the good guy with a heartache
- the new sexy girl in town
- the ultimate villain
Not really something to keep you on your toes, but definitely a great summer read! I especially loved that it's set outside USA, on a bit of an exotic location and that's quite nicely geographically accurate.
I did expect though, that given the name "THE LOST ARK", the ark would have a bigger role in the whole storyline.
July 2, 2018
The book was great.
It started slowly as I learned the author's writing style, but then we connected and the book started to flow very well. The author is quite funny. This is by no means a comedy, but the author deftly wove in very funny humor throughout the book.
As with most books, this one was not fine literature, but it was excellent. I can imagine this book being made into a movie for the SyFi Channel on TV.
It started slowly as I learned the author's writing style, but then we connected and the book started to flow very well. The author is quite funny. This is by no means a comedy, but the author deftly wove in very funny humor throughout the book.
As with most books, this one was not fine literature, but it was excellent. I can imagine this book being made into a movie for the SyFi Channel on TV.
January 5, 2021
Very Good
I thought it had a slow start but about a third of way, it started getting better and better. I won't say whether they found the ark, found the ark of the covenant or the shroud of Turin. There is lots of action and fighting the elements. I definitely do not want to go mountain climbing-not now, not ever! If you read this book I hope you enjoy it too. Happy Reading.
I thought it had a slow start but about a third of way, it started getting better and better. I won't say whether they found the ark, found the ark of the covenant or the shroud of Turin. There is lots of action and fighting the elements. I definitely do not want to go mountain climbing-not now, not ever! If you read this book I hope you enjoy it too. Happy Reading.
January 12, 2021
Bit clunky
In spots, especially the dialogue. Some characters were oddly stiff while speaking while others were fairly realistic. The action felt more like a bad sci-if movie with c or d list actors just this side of too old but it was a better read than some of my previous ones.
In spots, especially the dialogue. Some characters were oddly stiff while speaking while others were fairly realistic. The action felt more like a bad sci-if movie with c or d list actors just this side of too old but it was a better read than some of my previous ones.
November 12, 2013
Read this book with Indiana Jones firmly in mind. I felt it was very tongue in cheek and perhaps not Meant to be totally serious...but I could be wrong. I found is very entertaining in a light-reading kind of way!
December 10, 2012
An adventure, a great adventure.
January 7, 2018
Ok, not much about the Ark, more about the mountain.
November 17, 2018
I believe I got this for free from Pixles of Ink. There was enough to it that I finished it, but it was really just an implausible jumble where a man child gets to enact his hero fantasy.
February 3, 2020
Clever book but it needs to be edited. Grammatical errors are painful speed bumps when zipping thru a clever story.
September 5, 2021
Intriguing
Liked the author’s writing style. The biggest negative for me was the use of God’s name in vain and the expletives could have been eliminated without changing the story.
Liked the author’s writing style. The biggest negative for me was the use of God’s name in vain and the expletives could have been eliminated without changing the story.
August 13, 2023
This was an interesting book, especially because the location of most of the action was Mount Ararat -- an exciting, mysterious, dangerous mountain. The book is written in first person. That person is Sam who is having a dream/nightmare in the first chapter about the loss of his true love Liz. He has been sliding along in life since losing Liz, staying in Turkey where it all happened, and running a bar frequented by Turkish goat-herders among other customers. A woman named Faye walks into the bar and asks him to guide her up the mountain to help her find her missing father -- a man who's been searching for Noah's ark. The story progresses with Sam often expressing his thoughts in a flippant way (which might be considered humorous). We're also given visual descriptions of the mountain and what it's like to climb the thing. There are, of course, conflicts along the way, some life-threatening, others miserably cold or hot. It's surprising that portions of the climb can be incredibly hot, while others are icy freezing. it was a good plot.
December 12, 2025
Not his usual work - huge disappointment
I am a huge fan of J.R. Rain but this was a painful read. I had to skip through the final 30-50 pages because I couldn't take it anymore. Trying to visualize what was happening was more than challenging in different areas of the book. Exciting yes to think Noah's Ark was found, but the descriptions from that point forward were just too confusing and too much of a leap from reality. I truly hope the next reader enjoys this more than I did - if not? You were fairly warned.
I am a huge fan of J.R. Rain but this was a painful read. I had to skip through the final 30-50 pages because I couldn't take it anymore. Trying to visualize what was happening was more than challenging in different areas of the book. Exciting yes to think Noah's Ark was found, but the descriptions from that point forward were just too confusing and too much of a leap from reality. I truly hope the next reader enjoys this more than I did - if not? You were fairly warned.
May 19, 2022
JR Rain you continue to surprise me.
I used to read Mr Rain when I was into more horror books. He spins a good yarn. I think I had read this before but was worth another read. He takes a single object and forms an exciting and adventure in the pages. I hadn't read him in a long time and I'm glad I'm getting to know him, his writing, and perhaps a bit of fun along the way. I knew I liked him for some reason.
I used to read Mr Rain when I was into more horror books. He spins a good yarn. I think I had read this before but was worth another read. He takes a single object and forms an exciting and adventure in the pages. I hadn't read him in a long time and I'm glad I'm getting to know him, his writing, and perhaps a bit of fun along the way. I knew I liked him for some reason.
October 1, 2023
Treacherous fast paced adventure!
Dynamic plot. The main character, Sam seemed to be wise beyond his years with a great attitude. Plot immersion was at times intense. While there were two characters in particular with innate psychological-diabolical hatred combined over-the-top massagonist personal lack of knowledge just tweaked the plot. While the Ark lent an air in and of itself dimensional perspective. SAT; 09302023_Pottsville PA.
Dynamic plot. The main character, Sam seemed to be wise beyond his years with a great attitude. Plot immersion was at times intense. While there were two characters in particular with innate psychological-diabolical hatred combined over-the-top massagonist personal lack of knowledge just tweaked the plot. While the Ark lent an air in and of itself dimensional perspective. SAT; 09302023_Pottsville PA.
June 21, 2021
I love JR Rain’s “Samantha Moon” books and was delightfully surprised at this newest book of his. I highly recommend it. I told my husband about it and now he’s going to read it, too. Wow! I was into this book right from the start. I appreciated the chance to read such a good novel for free. Don’t hesitate to get this book.
July 29, 2022
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I THOUGHT THIS BOOK STUNK!
I JUST SKIPPED OVER ENTIRE SECTIONS BUT IT DID NOT SEEM TO MATTER A BIT.
I hated this book.
It seemed totally interchangeable with the last similar books i looked at. In fact, I could not even know which book this was — except that i hated it.
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I THOUGHT THIS BOOK STUNK!
I JUST SKIPPED OVER ENTIRE SECTIONS BUT IT DID NOT SEEM TO MATTER A BIT.
I hated this book.
It seemed totally interchangeable with the last similar books i looked at. In fact, I could not even know which book this was — except that i hated it.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 107 reviews