Ethan Templeton awakens the All-Seeing Eye by JulieJoe B.

For full review please go to onlinebookclub:

https://forums.onlinebookclub.org/viewtopic.php?f=21&t=109455

Fallen by DP Conway

See the full review at onlinebookclub.org here:

https://forums.onlinebookclub.org/viewtopic.php?f=22&t=125550

Dunes of Fire by AJ Goodrum

For the full review please follow this link to onlinebookclub.org:

https://forums.onlinebookclub.org/viewtopic.php?f=21&t=127440

Notoriously Nefarious by Sergio Black and TD White

Please see the full review at onlinebookclub here:

https://forums.onlinebookclub.org/viewtopic.php?f=21&t=119065

A Predator and a Psychopath by Jay Kerk

For the full review please follow this link to onlinebookclub.org:

https://forums.onlinebookclub.org/viewtopic.php?f=22&t=123493

Crueler and more Unusual by Erik Dean

Please follow link for full review...

https://forums.onlinebookclub.org/viewtopic.php?f=22&t=121380

Macaria by R Kitt

Macaria is the first in a series and combines a bit of Greek mythology, science fiction, romance and the supernatural. It has a lead into the second book and the author emphasises the Six Degrees of Separation ideology.

Adam arrives at the gates to the Underworld. Oops. He very possibly should not be there. Well, Macaria, daughter of Hades, certainly seems to think so. She decides to free his soul and her father is so angry with her that he sends her topside. Back up to Earth. Macaria now gets the opportunity to meet her mom for the first time too. And then a revelation. Apparently, they are not who they appear to be. Now what?

As the book started I was intrigued as to why Adam was at the gates to the Underworld and why Macaria sent him back. The descriptions at the beginning of the book were illuminating, but the writing did not seem to carry on in the same manner. I found the fall-in-love-instantly relationship between the two very strange and even knowing the backstory didn’t answer the myriad of questions that then popped up.

Unfortunately, another round of proofreading was definitely needed too as silly mistakes cropped up with incorrectly used words being substituted for another like using scotch free instead of scot-free or affect and effect. The story is short and the abrupt ending (even though there was a teaser for the second book) did not do enough to draw me in and want to continue with the series. This is a pity considering that the premise of six degrees of separation between the books sounded promising. Maybe if the story and characters had been fleshed out a little more I would have wanted to see where this went.

Thanks to Voracious Readers Only and the author for a copy of the book.

Lia: Human of Utah by Greg Ramsay

Lia: Human of Utah is a duology about a dystopian sci-fi world and the effects of a virus and alien invasion.

Lia wakes up alone with no idea of who she is and is shortly thereafter attacked by a monster; an abomination that humans have evolved into. Somehow she has the skills to fight back but when more monsters join in, she realises she is outclassed. Her body assimilates some of the dead, which replenishes her and she soon realises that she now has an alien consciousness in her system. Lia goes out into the world and finds a band of human soldiers who immediately do not trust her. Lia vows to work with them but something at the back of her mind constantly nags that she needs to remember. As more evidence comes to light as to how the world was decimated by a strain of virus, Lia and the crew fight new monsters and Lia learns to control her shifting. But everything she thought she understood about her change and indeed the world might be completely wrong...

The title and front cover drew me to the book, and the idea of humans and aliens assimilating and sharing a host was intriguing. The descriptions of the armour and its creation and movement along with the tendrils was explained very well. I found the fight scenes very laborious, though, as each action was described, whether blow or duck and the fights (there were many) went on and on. Lia’s character was strange, and she went from being one with compassion to ice-cold killer to selfish leader. The fluctuations were jarring at times, as was her dialogue. In book one she adopted a standoffish manner of speech and in book two her dialogue was littered with “cuz” amongst others and then would veer off into “high speech” again. In book one there were a few punctuation editing mistakes but nothing major, yet in book two there were a lot more, and mistakes like your/you’re and lightning and lightening. The writing almost felt like it was a different person between the books.

Unfortunately, I was never vested in Lia or her journey. I only felt a slight bit of empathy for her at the end as you realised what she would have to go through forever. But it was as if she brought it on herself, as her motives and actions were always about her. Some sections of the books flew by and others were so drawn out I was tempted to skip pages. It is a great base idea but could do with some serious streamlining as the parts where I could really get into the story were overshadowed by the parts that were superfluous.

Thanks to Voracious Readers Only and the author for a copy of the book.  

The House of Twelve by Sean Davies

The House of Twelve is a paranormal/psychological horror story and does not hold back on the mental games or the physical gore.

Twelve strangers wake up in a house together with no idea how they got there, where they are or who the other people are. All they have is a set of house rules, which is not very long. Seems simple, right? You have no more supplies than are in the house—ok then. Your numbers have to be reduced by one (no more and no less) by a certain time each day or everyone dies—surely they can’t be serious? And redemption is the only key to escape! This has to be a joke...

The author feeds you titbits about each character and as you grow to like one something crops up and you change your mind. It’s an interesting dilemma to put out there—exactly how far is a person willing to go to save their life? As the bodies start piling up and the personalities come out you realise that there is a thread that binds them all together, but just when you think you have it figured out, you find you are wrong. Some of the more supernatural elements like the clock and the walls seemed strange, but I guess in the big scheme they make sense. The answer to escape is right there but it’s funny how so many will not accept it.

I started wondering if the plot was echoing Identity or Saw and then decided it was more like the ending to the Dark Tower series. The writing is engaging if a little rushed and it’s a quick read. The problem with it being a quick read and that bodies do pile up, is that you don’t really get to know any of the characters well and some of the questions surrounding the house and characters never get answered.

It’s a great idea for a story but could use a bit of work on the execution by allowing the reader to engage more with the characters and not rush through their stories. Thanks to Voracious Readers Only and the author for a copy of the book.    

From Illusion and Blood by Karen See

From Illusion and blood is a paranormal/horror story and is the first in a series.

Renee is a first-time hunter. As part of one of the most influential clans, she is desperate to prove herself. The clan is personally invited to go demon hunting in a supposed haunted house, but when they arrive they find a member of a rival clan already there. What starts out as a routine investigation soon turns into a fight for sanity and survival, as a witch, intent on keeping the secrets of the house, will push limits—physically and emotionally.

I enjoy a good paranormal/horror story and I must admit that this one impressed me more than I expected it to. Not only do you get to experience the hunting and the rituals and spells involved, but you are privy to the undertones and nuances of the backstabbing and fighting and what it takes to get your clan to the top and keep it there. There was an interesting dynamic between the members of the clan and how the matriarch, in an attempt to escape a hellish past and ensure they keep the clan on top, manipulates her family to the point of ostracising some and physically and mentally abusing others. The way that the story and haunting were revealed in layers made for exciting reading and the suspense and action definitely made for a fast-paced read.

The editing of the story was very good with only one or two minor errors and the author’s writing style kept you riveted through most of it. One negative was that I didn’t feel the cover did the book justice and I also felt the take on witches and demons was a bit singular but probably needed for this particular plot.

I thoroughly enjoyed the book and had a few heart-beating-faster moments. I would definitely recommend it as long as you have to stomach for horror and some gore.

Thanks to Voracious Readers Only and the author for a copy of the book.

His Fool by Garry Sullivan

For the full review please go to:

https://forums.onlinebookclub.org/viewtopic.php?f=2&t=116742

The Dating Process: Casey (Book 1)

The Dating Process: Casey (Book 1) is the first in a series about a group of teenage girls and explores the trials and tribulations they go through in navigating love, school and friendship. Each book is told from a different character’s perspective and the series is suitable for young adults and up.

Casey has a new nickname and it’s not flattering. Casey Commando. And no, it has nothing to do with the military. Oh boy. Casey and her two besties Amber and Kiera are trying to get through their school career without any more chaos. Except boys keep cropping up. There is an online wacko that they are trying to keep Kiera away from, and Amber’s Gavin, well, Gavin, is in a band. Enough said. Casey is doing her best to keep them all on the level but she has a sneaky suspicion that there is something deeper going on here. Something beyond the normal games that guys play. And Casey prides herself on being able to outsmart the players. Most of the time, anyway...

This was definitely a guilty pleasure to read and made me think back to those days of being that age and feeling like other people’s opinions actually mattered like that. The story itself as a snapshot is very clever and written in such an easy and flowing way that you truly feel you need to get through just one more chapter and then just one more. Her writing style is fun and inclusive and makes you believe what the character is feeling. I understood Casey’s frustrating struggle in trying to get Amber to see passed her rose-tinted glasses and I wanted to shake Amber so many times!

The only negatives I found were a few editing mistakes, but nothing that would interrupt the flow of reading, and I found Casey’s tirade about playing games a bit hysterical and could actually hear high-pitched shrieks in my head. But those were very minor things.

Be warned—the book ends on a major cliffhanger which is rather frustrating but understandable to lead into the next one. A fab, fun lazy day read! Thanks to Voracious Readers Only and the author for the opportunity to review the book.

Dead Wrong by Lynn Emery

Dead Wrong is the third in a series about the Joliet sisters who are detectives and psychic ones to boot.

Jessi and Charmaine are called in to a case on a plantation involving missing objects and the owner’s certainty that spirits are to blame. The two of them discover very quickly that they are not welcome, both because the rest of the family do not believe in ghost hunters, and also because they are the wrong colour in a place where colour determines status in life. As the finger is pointed at different people and bodies start turning up, will the ghosts doomed to spend their existence there help them to trace old records that have made this mystery and indeed an unsolved murder into so much more?

I found this an average read and not one I would read again or look further into the series. I found the story overall rather drawn-out considering the ultimate ending. Taking into account they are paranormal detectives I was surprised that very little actually had to do with the ghosts and their talents and I felt a lot more could have been incorporated. Even the actual detective work was a bit humdrum. Jessi’s past as a stripper and hooker kept being brought up and I thought fewer mentions would have been better. Charmaine’s sex drive was also a little OTT and the fact that she jumped into bed with some of the characters, whether clients or not, seemed odd. It was a bit like taking a bunch of unlikeable characters all blaming each other and figuring out whodunit. Except, since I didn’t gel with the way many of the conversations were worded, I didn’t really care.

There were a lot of editing errors, from incorrect punctuation marks, to punctuation in the wrong places to erroneous words being used, which really jarred the flow of reading.

Many thanks to Voracious Readers Only and the author for a copy of the book, but I wouldn’t give it more than 3 stars as I was really hoping for more action and more paranormal activity.

Princess Grace of Earth by AK Lambert

The full review can be found here:

https://forums.onlinebookclub.org/viewtopic.php?f=21&t=114217

Three Remain by RA Andrade

Three Remain is a post-apocalyptic sci-fi thriller and tells the story of three strangers thrown together who have to learn to work as one in order to remain alive.

First, we meet Glen, who works in insurance and has witnessed a strange meteor shower just before he has gone to sleep. Then we have Sunshine (so named by Glen obviously due to her sunny personality—or not) who has awoken after a car accident with no memory and no clue as to her identity. Lastly, we have Traci, a pre-teen out at the movies who has woken to find everyone is missing and there is no signal for her phone (horror of horrors). The three land up meeting each other and realise they are trapped in an area surrounded by a fogbank. With no power and no means of communication with anyone else, they are forced into strange circumstances and have to make decisions they might never have even contemplated before. Could it really be the end of the world or are they pawns in a larger game?

I was drawn to the book by the description and the start really pulled me in. Then things went south. This is one book I actually struggled to finish. The idea behind the beginning of the book—great. The idea about the multitude of plot changes—getting fishy. The ending—oh, come on! You would get to a section where the characters were pushed a ‘la “Truman show style” and sort of buy into it, and then they would be pushed somewhere else and then somewhere else. Each time I kept asking myself—surely not? There is fiction and imagination and then there is just plain silly. It’s almost an insult to ask the reader to swallow some of it. From tanks to androids and dolphins to sex robots to aliens – it’s like someone looked at some interesting ideas and said hey, why not use all of them in one book?  

There were initially only three characters to concentrate on so you would think that a lot could be said about them and you could really get into their stories. I didn’t find this at all. Sunshine was the most annoying and whiny character and I honestly felt more irritated than sorry for her. While Glen was trying to be the perfect gentleman around her she harped on and on about him not looking while she was changing or telling him he was too old for her and never stood a chance or just being flat out rude to him. Traci was not much better and her moaning about her phone not working got on my nerves. Her attitude and actions jumped constantly from a pre-teen to one much older and the inconsistency was jarring. The supposed “mother and daughter” dynamic between Sunshine and Traci that was meant to be a big part of the story fell flat to me, and I found some of the interactions between the three unnerving.

It’s sad when a book makes such a negative impact on a reader and the silly dialogue and ludicrous situations overshadowed any positives. I’m sure if it had been developed correctly it might have been a good story, but all I remember are the negative parts. The one thing I can say, though, is that barring a few punctuation errors, the proofing was very good.

Unfortunately, this is one I wouldn’t read again. Thank you to Netgalley for the opportunity to review the book.

  

Shatterskin by Beca Lewis

Shatterskin (The Return To Erda) is the first in a fantasy series aimed at young adults.

Hannah is about to do a portal dimensional jump. This is definitely a first for her, and even though she has some small trace of powers on Earth, she doesn’t know how they will translate in Erda. Erda is a breathtakingly magical place. Similar to Earth, but blessed with nature beyond anything she has ever seen before. As Hannah meets new characters and people, memories are slowly beginning to come back. Memories of having lived in Erda before. Of being someone important, someone needed. As it turns out, Hannah is a princess and in order for her full powers to be revealed on Erda, she needs to train. And train she does. Hannah finds out that the threat she will be facing is a giant metal robot named Shatterskin who was created by Abaddon, an age-old enemy of Erda. Shatterskin, accompanied by the green slimy blobs called Shrieks, literally destroys everything in his path, and nature cannot rebuild where he has been. Will Hannah be ready in time or have the inhabitants of Erda left it too late to bring her back?

The author has created a lovely world in Erda, one that feels gentle and flows with nature and as you picture the damage done by Shatterskin, it actually feels rather sickening. The writing is very evocative and you are able to picture the dragons and tree people and fairies and get swept up in their emotions. As the battles against Shatterskin and the Shrieks took place, the author helped you to understand the despair the characters were facing, and it became much more than just a story.

I found Hannah a bit whiney in the beginning, but I guess with all she was going through she was bound to be feeling out of sorts. The story is very light and you don’t delve too deeply into the character’s emotions, which is understandable seeing as this is the first book and the characters and their roles need to be introduced. There is no cliffhanger, but plenty of paths are left open for the series to move into! The editing was fantastic, and no mistakes occurred which would interrupt the flow of reading.

Thank you to Reedsy Discovery and the author for an ARC.

https://reedsy.com/discovery

Ancient Fall (Legends of Rhyme series #7) by Jaime Lee Mann

This is the final instalment of the Legends of Rhyme series and is aimed at middle grade so contains no profanity or scenes of a sexual nature.

The event they dreaded happening has come true. The Coraira opals that so many carry have gone black, which can mean only one thing. The land is dead. Those in Rhyme and Cymbria, whether sea or land, the Ice Realm and even Coraira, find themselves drawn together to fight not only evil that has again presented itself, but a far more powerful adversary. Mother Earth has taken a look around and decided that those she entrusted to look after all that she has provided have failed and will not be given another chance. That means that all of her warnings have been ignored and it is time to take it all back from humanity. All manner of beings from mermaids, to pixies, to giants, to humans and all those connected must band together with a phoenix of legend to break the curse and somehow convince Mother Earth that they can do better than those before. Will they be able to persuade her of their pure intents, though? And even if they do, will it be too late to stop the destruction she has begun?

The final book was always going to be difficult to bring together, as all the character’s stories had to be tied up and finished off. This meant a lot of hopping between characters and chapters where sometimes the chapter was only a page long and their story was so briefly touched on it almost seemed a waste.

I did, however, really enjoy how the final pieces were put together and the last questions about family and connections were answered. The poems leading into the sections were very well written and the big idea of Mother Earth fighting back was a very sobering thought. It brought home the idea that we need to look to the future and repair damage that was done before. This was also brought through as a thread in the book with regards to family ties and broken promises.

I was a little annoyed that at 86% the book was over and the rest was taken up with a summary of the previous books in the series, a list of characters and more about the author. While I appreciate the added extras, as soon as I see so much extra added, I wonder if the book couldn’t have been added onto instead considering its abrupt ending. The book also only started at 7% due to the hyperlinks. Again, the discussion questions were a great addition and would definitely prompt some lively debates.

I thoroughly recommend the series, not only for the fictional aspect it represents but for the morals it emphasises. The writing is compelling and flows easily and the characters draw you into their stories.

Thanks to Netgalley and Blue Moon Publishers for a chance to review the book and the series.

The League of Necros by Alexander Ellis

For full review please go to:

https://forums.onlinebookclub.org/viewtopic.php?f=21&t=111835

Get out of my Dreams by Allan J Lewis

Get out of my Dreams is the first in the Magic Man series and tells of a man able to control others through hypnosis in their dreams.

Alice has woken up again with her underwear folded neatly on her shoes and her husband downstairs asleep on the couch with the house alarm off and the front door unlocked. Her husband is having his own issues as he is troubled by the disturbing dreams he is having. They call the police and find out that there is a man out there, who has not been identified, but is able to get people to bend to his will and divulge dark secrets while sleeping seemingly under hypnosis. Of course, the police are on high alert about this as a man who can control others while asleep could be a terrorist. As Alice continues to dread sleeping, she finds herself in a position where the dreams she is having are oddly exciting. Kinky, in fact. Alice realises she is able to talk to the Magic Man and he can guide her dreams. This has serious repercussions as Alice, a would-be reporter, gets roped in with him to help police investigations as they enter into people’s dreams as informants and give the police information that leads to criminal arrests. But even for all the good that Joe can do, there are always those who will never trust him. The line is fine and Alice and Joe could find themselves on the wrong side of it.

The idea started off well and I thought the ultimate ability to catch terrorists was a good one. I did not enjoy the erotic dreams and scenarios that Joe led some people through though. I thought that the author did not exactly understand what turned women on, and was using the premise of an old porn script. In fact, when I found out the author was an older male I was quite surprised. The erotic parts didn’t throw me until Alice decided to sleep with cartoon characters in her dreams and the absurdity of this destroyed any of those parts of the story. So many questions were left unanswered and when you find out who Joe is and how he fits into the story I had to question why he continued to create the erotic dreams he did. It almost seemed seedy and out of character.

There were a number of editing mistakes which tripped up the speed of reading and I found a lot of parts repeated and unnecessary. There was a distinctly British feel to the book even though it is based in the US. Overall the book was very average for me as the idea was great and could have been used in a much more meaningful way. But hey, different strokes for different folks (no pun intended).

Thanks to Voracious Readers Only and the author for a copy of the book.  

Good Girl, Bad Girl by Ann Girdharry

Good Girl, Bad Girl is the first in the Kal Medi series and tells of Kal, a photojournalist who is about to face an enemy she didn’t know she had.

Kal’s mother is missing and Kal is heartbroken that she didn’t take her mother’s request to come home sooner more seriously. As she begins to dive into the mystery, she finds that the training she received from her criminal father becomes more and more useful as threats she and her family have been receiving for years become pertinent once more. Kal lands up involved with a company called ScottBioTec that helps to fit children with artificial bio-enhanced limbs. But something doesn’t feel right. As Kal ropes her friends and sparring partners Marty and LeeMing into the case, she realises that corruption and immoral choices run not only higher up in different levels of society but also across continents. Kal is now fighting against the clock to save her mother who may have stumbled across this tragic secret, but also to save those innocents caught up in its evil web. Revenge is deep and can span many generations, but Kal will certainly give it her all to end the cycle now.

The idea of the book was appealing but ultimately it didn’t grab me enough. First and foremost because of the editing mistakes. I’m not sure which edition I received, but there were numerous errors from punctuation in the wrong places, to sentences being mixed up, straight instead of curly apostrophes being used as well as other mistakes. I find errors of this number just take away any pleasure in concentrating on the story as your mind is constantly having to readjust itself to understand the correct sentence structure. The whole “trained by her father” thing really set up parts of the book, but it never came into its own. I didn’t feel engaged in the fight sequences and her ability to heal so quickly was remarkable. Kal’s character was a little too good to be true and there was no actual connection to her. The ending of the book was tied up too quickly and when I thought there were still pages left in the book to read, they turned out to be excerpts of the next books, which was a bit of a letdown. The fast pace set in the beginning just fizzles out.

Overall not a bad book or start to the series but not one I would remember. In fact, in writing this review I had to go back and look up a few things as nothing really stood out to me. Not bad, but not memorable.

Thanks to Voracious Readers Only and the author for a copy of the book.

Avenging Angel by Charles S Isaacs

The full review can be found at onlinebookclub:

https://forums.onlinebookclub.org/viewtopic.php?f=22&t=107650

Death on a Dark Street by Fred Dickey

The full review can be found at onlinebookclub:

https://forums.onlinebookclub.org/viewtopic.php?f=22&t=103655

Addicted to Hate by Lucia Mann

The full review can be found at onlinebookclub:

https://forums.onlinebookclub.org/viewtopic.php?f=2&t=96126

Advent of Darkness by Gary Caplan

The full review can be found at onlinebookclub:

https://forums.onlinebookclub.org/viewtopic.php?t=93388

Holy Crap... We're on Fire by Paul Miller and Diane Vetter

The full review can be found at onlinebookclub:

https://forums.onlinebookclub.org/viewtopic.php?f=2&t=71642

Genesis by Edward Johns

The full review can be found at onlinebookclub:

https://forums.onlinebookclub.org/viewtopic.php?f=22&t=67506

Stillwaters by Yvonne Anderson

The full review can be found at onlinebookclub:

https://forums.onlinebookclub.org/viewtopic.php?f=21&t=62982

Code Name: Zeus by Gary Anderson

The full review can be found at onlinebookclub:

https://forums.onlinebookclub.org/viewtopic.php?f=21&t=61619

Once Upon a Time in LA: A Criminal Ballet by Ceasar Nickson

The full review can be found at onlinebookclub:

https://forums.onlinebookclub.org/viewtopic.php?f=22&t=54804

CyberDayze by Gina Davis

The full review can be found at onlinebookclub:

https://forums.onlinebookclub.org/viewtopic.php?f=24&t=53660

Rubber Girl by Sean Bradley Wheeler

The full review can be found at onlinebookclub:

https://forums.onlinebookclub.org/viewtopic.php?f=21&t=50539

Is She the One by Bob Boog

The full review can be found at onlinebookclub:

https://forums.onlinebookclub.org/viewtopic.php?f=2&t=51407

The Expansion by Christoph Martin

The full review can be found at onlinebookclub:

https://forums.onlinebookclub.org/viewtopic.php?f=22&t=46615

The Most Diminutive of Birds by Madison C Brightwell

The full review can be found at onlinebookclub:

https://forums.onlinebookclub.org/viewtopic.php?f=22&t=42808

The Goblin Child by Michael Forester

The full review can be found at onlinebookclub:

https://forums.onlinebookclub.org/viewtopic.php?f=2&t=41998

Renegade World: Future Past by GD Patten

The full review can be found at onlinebookclub:

https://forums.onlinebookclub.org/viewtopic.php?f=21&t=41318

Nightlord: Sunset by Garon Whited

The full review can be found at onlinebookclub:

https://forums.onlinebookclub.org/viewtopic.php?f=21&t=40573

Westward: The Journey of Adolf Nagel by Harry Simpson

The full review can be found at onlinebookclub:

https://forums.onlinebookclub.org/viewtopic.php?f=2&t=39330

Deviant Acts by JJ White

The full review can be found at onlinebookclub:

https://forums.onlinebookclub.org/viewtopic.php?f=22&t=38697

Shadow of the Coalition by Jaime A Waters

The full review can be found at onlinebookclub:

https://forums.onlinebookclub.org/viewtopic.php?f=44&t=38132

The Amber Isle by Ashley Capes

The full review can be found at onlinebookclub:

https://forums.onlinebookclub.org/viewtopic.php?f=21&t=36831

Return of the Dragon by Alex J Webster

The full review can be found at onlinebookclub:

https://forums.onlinebookclub.org/viewtopic.php?f=22&t=36506

Portal: Mandren and Irien by Paul Hoisington

The full review can be found at onlinebookclub:

https://forums.onlinebookclub.org/viewtopic.php?f=21&t=35898

Alien Manifesto by TW Embry

The full review can be found at onlinebookclub:

https://forums.onlinebookclub.org/viewtopic.php?t=35126

Analogue by Jack Rohrer

The full review can be found at onlinebookclub:

https://forums.onlinebookclub.org/viewtopic.php?f=22&t=34752

Divergent Chill: Fall of Night by Brian Fontenot

The full review can be found at onlinebookclub:

https://forums.onlinebookclub.org/viewtopic.php?t=34225

The Six and Anwyn of Ialana by Katlynn Brooke

The full review can be found at onlinebookclub:

https://forums.onlinebookclub.org/viewtopic.php?f=21&t=33624

Divergent Chill: Battle of Nesma by Brian Fontenot

The full review can be found at onlinebookclub:

https://forums.onlinebookclub.org/viewtopic.php?f=21&t=32980

Controlled Descent by KM Herkes

The full review can be found on onlinebookclub:

https://forums.onlinebookclub.org/viewtopic.php?f=21&t=31574

A Cold Wind by CJ Brightley

The review can be found on onlinebookclub:

https://forums.onlinebookclub.org/viewtopic.php?f=21&t=31137

Bicentenary Boy by Mike Rothery

Bicentenary Boy is the story of a young man who wakes up in the 1950s with memories of being alive in another time and another world but is stuck in a psychiatric ward where no one believes him.

Joey Horne was studying medicine in England and learning the societal niceties of life in 1754 when his parents took him out of school in order for them all to move to America. On the voyage there they are attacked by pirates and Joey is forced to become one after his parents are killed. Life aboard the ship is fraught with danger and cunning people and one day, in an attempt to evade another pirate ship, Joey and the rest of the crew sail through a strange fogbank and land up in a world beyond a world.

In the 1950s you have Dani, a psychologist, who has been tasked to debunk his claims but everywhere she has gone to look for evidence, has turned up clues to back his story up. What on earth and who is she supposed to believe?

The blurb sounded very intriguing and I was drawn to the idea of a past life or a time traveller, however, I found the story quite hard to follow and I didn’t really get into it. It starts off with a voodoo ritual/burial that goes wrong and the words used to recreate the language and accent were difficult at times to understand. Then we get sent to a section in the school in the UK as well as the story in the psychiatric ward and it becomes muddled as to how it all fits together. Suddenly we are on the pirate ship and the author has really gone into the accents used so instead of concentrating on the story I was now trying to decipher what they were trying to say. When they move into the new world there are a number of new animals, people and concepts introduced so a lot of new made-up words used which created even more confusion. This really detracted from any pleasure I would have gained from the story itself, but at least the editing is good with no major recurring mistakes.

The world beyond the world was an interesting supernatural spin on the tale, but to me, the ending and the explanation of why Joey was dying in this world was stretching it a bit. An interesting idea but a book I wouldn’t read again. This might appeal to those who specifically like books depicting pirate travels with a supernatural twist and while there was nothing wrong with the story, it just didn’t grab me enough.

Thank you to Voracious Readers Only and the author for a copy of the book.

Remorseless by Will Patching

Remorseless is a gritty story of revenge and a man’s imprisonment, which alters his perceptions of morality.

Peter Leech has been in prison for half of his life for the murder of his parents and those that put him there agreed that he was a psychopath. But for the entire time, Leech has maintained his innocence and blamed his brother.

Dan Powers is a forensic psychiatrist and one of the people who advocated for his imprisonment. A shadow of his former self, Dan is battling to face reality as he mourns the death of his wife, killed in a car accident they were both involved in a few months previously.

Judy Finch is a strong woman. Well, she thinks she is until she meets Peter to assess whether or not he should be eligible for parole.

Peter develops a fixation on Judy and when he gets out into the world decides to make her his. So what if a few people stand in his way? Prison taught him to deal with his problems; permanently. Life is simple; find his brother and get his girl.

No holds barred. That’s pretty much how the book started and ended. You are taken on a rollercoaster ride of a story and very skilfully introduced to the characters and their roles. You feel Dan’s depths of despair as he battles to reconcile with the loss of his wife. You understand Judy’s frustration with her ex-husband and his treatment of their son. You try to follow the emotions and logic of Peter’s revenge-fuelled rage but can only feel nauseated at the depravity that he is willing to sink to.  

The author has very cleverly planted many seeds of doubt throughout the book as to who actually killed the parents, and at one stage you feel sorry for Peter as you are convinced his brother shammed it all to get rid of Peter and in the next instant you are fearing for the brother’s life as you learn what a psychopath Peter is. And the next thing the author turns the tables and you change your mind again.

I found the writing engrossing and even with the extreme level of violence I just kept reading one more page and one more page. No major grammatical mistakes interrupted the reading so you were able to absorb the story in its full visceral quality entirely. The descriptions had me on the edge of my seat and even though I was a little let down by the ending (I know, I know) I thought it was an interesting look at the manipulation of the system for those who claim to be rehabilitated. True, the romance aspect might have been a little contrived and the level of violence should have felled many of the characters before they actually succumbed to their injuries, but hey, it’s fiction. The one thing that I did have a strong aversion to though was the cruelty to animals.

If you are even remotely squeamish then this is definitely not for you, but if you want a gripping thriller, then here it is.

Thanks to Voracious Readers Only and the author for a complimentary copy.

Chasing Legends by Pippa Amberwine

Chasing Legends is the first in the Vampire Elixir series and is a fantasy book about vampires and dragons, aimed at the YA market.

Katie is a vampire—a rogue one at that. She and her band of fellow rogues are running from SCAR (Supernatural Crime Action and Rehabilitation) as they refuse to become one of the vampires infected by the virus forced to wear implants to control their thirst. Up to now they have been able to keep the thirst at bay with the help of dragon blood, but that has run out and it seems that one of their group is tapping into his primeval side. Not only that, but the virus is destroying human lives, including those not infected. So, what to do? Find another dragon of course! The group set about locating a witch to recreate the phenomena that brought the dragon through to Earth in the first place. What they didn’t take into consideration was the world the dragon came from...

The story did not delve very deeply into Katie’s character, and you only got to experience the tip of her emotions. You were often told how she felt, but never really shown. Jevyn (who came from the world beyond the rift), was a more complex character whose struggle with deep feelings for a friend and then a stranger and the internal battle of making sure his family remained on the throne while still keeping to his morals, played a huge role in his actions. The peripheral characters were essential to the story too, and I loved the description of the nerdy Derek’s outfit.

The writing style is extremely fluid and comfortable to read, with simple language and conversations that don’t become too involved, and it’s easy to absorb the book in a sitting. The editing was very good and no major mistakes interrupted the flow of reading. There were a few formatting issues which might have come up because of the eReader, and I did notice a backwards apostrophe and some capitalisation issues as well as an incorrect word or two.

While the book does not end on a cliffhanger per se, it leaves enough questions open that the story could go in a number of different directions in the second book. Will love prevail? Will friendship win the day? Will the rebel vamps be able to take on SCAR? What dodgy deeds is the witch planning? So many questions...

Thank you to Reedsy Discovery and the author for an ARC

Sepultura by Guy Portman

Sepultura tells the story of a sociopath named Dyson who works in Burials and Cemeteries and deals with people who irritate him in a very illegal way.

Dyson’s move to Paleham Council was under a cloud of suspicion, but he has hidden the dodgy details from his new co-workers well. Not that he interacts with them or even tries to remember their names. All he wants to do now is make sure his department runs smoothly and that everyone adheres to his strict rules regarding the graveyards. And of course, he wants to make sure his son receives a good education. The problem is that Free Lunch (as he names his ex’s current partner) is a lowlife druggie that shouldn’t be in her life and has some influence on his son. Well, he is not really a problem. Not when Dyson can get rid of him. In really small pieces.

Dyson’s mastery of Italian puts him in a group of people about to participate in a town swop, where councils who do the same work but in different countries come together to discuss strategy. Good wine, sexy women and picturesque surroundings. Sounds good, right? Well, there is one annoying co-worker, but Dyson knows how to deal with annoying people...

Boy oh boy was Dyson a guilty pleasure of a character! As much as you knew it was not the right thing to do to support him, each time the body count got higher and another annoying person was wiped off the earth you did a little happy dance. I loved the snarky character of Dyson and the way he saw things being so cut and dried. If you didn’t like something, do something about it. Obviously, this is not ok in real life, but in the book it really was funny. The town swop was an interesting idea but the paperwork and bureaucracy in Italy sounded like a nightmare. I hadn’t read the first one in the series but this book could be read as a standalone. However, the ending is a major cliffhanger, so be prepared to have many questions.

The editing was very good and only a few mistakes cropped up like the incorrect use of “here, here” and using wined instead of whined. Some things that you thought were mistakes turned out to be for effect like calling a person It or having a stutter when remembering the beginning letter of a person’s name. The one thing I couldn’t fathom though was using this to label a person: Mar-keting. Sometimes getting too clever with accents creates confusion.

I have never read a book in the transgressive genre before and didn’t know what to expect. I’m certainly glad I did as I loved it and will definitely be reading more. Thanks to Voracious Readers Only and the author for a copy of the book.

Girl Divided by Willow Rose

Girl Divided is a standalone novel and creates a story about old Gods in legends and their influence in present-day life. There are some spoilers ahead but if you were reading the story you would have figured them out already anyway.

Jetta was born with unique markings on her face. A line right down the middle divides her into half-black and half-white. The second American civil war breaks out where any black person is believed to be evil and placed in camps or killed. Jetta finds herself in a unique situation in that she doesn’t really fit into either side. She meets Tyler in a camp and together they are able to break out to try and find freedom elsewhere. On the journey Jetta discovers that she is the daughter of Shango, an African God of fire and lightning, and Lovitar, a Finnish Goddess of death. With these genes running through her will she be able to end the divisive conflict and save mankind?

I have read a number of this author’s books and again she is such a hit and miss. This was a miss for me. Firstly the fact that pretty much every single white person in the book suddenly turned against every other race and was willing to kill them was a bit abrupt. It was confusing as to who was actually in the black population as originally it was everyone who was not white and then other races were brought in and then they were not black enough. The fact that Jetta could hide either side of her face from others merely by pulling her hoodie down did not sit well – how does a hoodie hide a vertical side perfectly? I think the thing that nearly stopped me reading (and I generally read a book all the way through as I owe the author an honest opinion) was when all of a sudden Jetta could command armies of the dead (as she is now in charge of black and white)and she summons them all to a battle. The number described, however, is hundreds of millions. How on earth do hundreds of millions of dead people all get together in one spot? Jetta also has an unfortunate influence on others where if there is peace, conflict will emerge. Since she is two living in one you would think that she would be able to do the opposite.

The book suddenly ended at 87%, which was a bit annoying as I tend to keep an eye on the space left as you can gauge what could be coming up. But actually, I was quite glad. I much prefer some of the fantasy and thriller books that the author has published and just feel that this one missed the mark in so many ways. The basic idea was very interesting but the execution was not for me. I will say that I looked up more info on the characters mentioned in the book and learnt of the mythology so that was one good thing to take away. The actual story, not so much...

Enlightened by Billie Kowalewski

Enlightened is a romantic fantasy for YA and is the first in a series.

Harmony is one of the souls in Artopia that is sent to Earth for their life lessons. She has a guide who takes care of her and is able to hear her thoughts and try to steer her through the process of education in life lessons. As the souls reach the end of the lesson, they are pulled back to Artopia where there is a full unpacking and sharing of learning. Harmony realises that if she concentrates hard enough on Earth, she has some memory of where she is from so is able to look for her classmates and possibly draw them together before they get pulled back. Her feelings for her classmate Kaleb, however, seem to run deeper than just a little liking. He has confessed his love to her and she is confused. Her last life on Earth, where she lost her boyfriend, was torture, and she nearly died of a broken heart. How is this linked to Kaleb and her feelings on Earth and Artopia for him? Surely it should not be this intense?

The blurb that was offered told of a number of lives that ended accidentally but all belonged to one person, which intrigued me. As I began the book, the author states in her dedication that she will see her father after school. In hindsight I understand it, but in the beginning, it made me think that the author was a young girl/teenager and the style of the first couple of pages reinforced this. I was shocked when I realised she was an adult as the writing is very fluffy and on a very high emotional level with lots of exclamation points strewn all over. I hate bashing peoples’ works, but I think that’s the beauty of being a reviewer – there is something for everyone, and this was just not for me.

You have a soul who has life lessons on Earth. So many questions. Right then, does that mean that all people on Earth are souls? If so, why bother to go at all? If not, why Earth? When do the lessons end? Why do they not occur in Earth’s timeline sequence? What happens if their lessons cause a butterfly effect? What happens to the people on Earth once an accidental death has taken place? How do they recover? The barrier between worlds prevents them from remembering who they are, but this would mean that they would not be able to incorporate it into the next mission to Earth as they would not remember it from Artopia. It would also mean that what was about to happen on Earth must have been preknown by the guides or they are just sent there randomly? What if they learn the same lesson over and over? The whole concept of the story didn’t make sense once you looked deeper into it, and to get to the concept took a long time. The beginning of the story was very confusing and I nearly put it aside quite a few times, but felt I owed the author a full review so slogged on.

Once Harmony realises that she and Kaleb are meant to be soul mates the style of writing becomes OTT. Over the space of a few pages she mentions running her hands through his silky sandy-blonde hair a fair number of times and he touches her long brown curls over and over again. The repetition was beginning to drive me nuts. Also his honey-scent and her floral scent and them breathing it in and going “ahhh” gets repeated over and over. Now I’m all for a good YA love story, but when the characters are teenagers and the story has them tied into soul mates and they feel that their love is so intense that they cannot live without each other and feel empty enough to kill themselves, then warning bells start ringing. To advocate that a person’s validation only comes from the love of another is a dangerous message to send out. In fact Edward and Bella from Twilight spring to mind.

It’s unfortunate that so many negatives stuck in my mind with this book instead of the positives that I’m sure were there. Well done to the author for taking on the idea, but the book just did not resonate with me and the (obvious) cliffhanger that ended it, reinforced the fact that I would not read the next in the series. I really hope there are others out there that will connect on a better level with the book than I did. On the plus side, the grammar and spelling were well taken care of.

Thank you to Voracious Readers Only and the author for the opportunity to review the book.

Desperate Paths by EC Diskin

Desperate Paths is a standalone thriller which journeys into betrayal, racism, abuse, abortion and misguided parental teachings.

Brooklyn’s dad was a shining light in her life. She came to see him a week ago after her sister, Ginny, let her know that he had fallen and broken a hip. So why now, a week later, is she sitting in a police cell after being found wiping a gun and standing over his body?

Eden is a good, clean town guided by the morals and teachings of religion and Pastors like Gary who want nothing more than to let loose decent, upstanding teenagers into the world. So, it’s proper that the community turn on the local abortion clinic and kill a doctor, right? Well, no one knows exactly who did it, but you don’t hear any complaints.

Darius Woods is a boy who left Eden and made it big in the world of showbiz. He has now returned to see his father and brought with him a manuscript for a movie he has written about some of the residents and happenings in Eden. The names have been changed to protect people, but if this gets out, no one will be safe from the repercussions. Darius is shot shortly after arriving back in Eden—was this a case of racism, which is still rife in this town, or someone willing to do whatever it takes to save their name from being exposed in the manuscript?

The web of lies is being held together by a thread which is threatening to snap. If it starts to unravel, who knows what will be exposed. Eden is not the paradise it claims to be, after all...

This book is really busy, with a lot of storylines and intermingled timelines and I enjoyed it tremendously. I was literally just going one more chapter, one more chapter and I’ll go to sleep! You are introduced to Brooklyn who was adopted as a baby from the Dominican Republic and never quite accepted at school or by her older sister. As she starts questioning Ginny’s story about her dad’s accident and sees how Ginny is relying more and more on alcohol, she begins to realise that something is not adding up. The author takes you on the journey of her anguish through what she believes to be true now might not be and jumps back and forth in time in the story from the day she is arrested to the week prior when she comes home. This makes filling in the blanks like a treasure hunt where the reader is only fed tiny nibbles of the clues until Pandora’s Box opens and secrets start spilling out in a tsunami.

There are so many questions that just as quickly as they are answered lead to more questions and very often you find yourself liking a character and are then shown who they really are and land up hating them. It goes to show how often we make assumptions based on one trusted person’s opinion when there are a number of people warning us off but we won’t listen. The secondary characters all played pivotal roles, from a cop who wants to help out a friend by manipulating the rules of justice to a husband who is so self-involved that the world constantly lets him down as nothing can meet his standards.

I really appreciated the level of editing in the book as there were no mistakes in grammar and punctuation that interrupted the flow of reading and you were left to just devour each page as it went by. To be picky, there are one or two scenes that seem a little far-fetched even in the context of the story, but without them, the bigger picture wouldn’t be what it is, I guess. You will most certainly find yourself wanting to fly through the book in order to see where the story ends.

The themes in the story are deep, and if you are a person who is easily offended by stories involving abuse in the church, racism and abortion then take this as a warning before you decide to start to read. If you can read it for the sake of reading a great story, then jump right in; the highs and lows will have you questioning decisions and actions and sometimes just outright shaking your head. I highly recommend this book.

Many thanks to NetGalley and the author for the opportunity to review Desperate Paths.

Shades of Circle City by Stephanie A. Cain

Shades of Circle City is the first in an urban fantasy series with elements of the paranormal.

Chloe died after she was shot. Ok, so it was only for three minutes but she still died. It seems, however, that she brought something back with her: the ability to see ghosts. Now you would think that as a cop that would be beneficial, but for some reason, they can’t communicate with her. And strangely enough, the guy who shot her is now haunting her. But he didn’t get killed when he shot her, so what happened? Chloe’s case gets linked to a string of other robberies where occult jewellery and books seem to be the main target. Braxton Wolfe, the cop in charge of these other cases calls Chloe in to help out and as they work closer together the inevitable feelings start to develop for each other. But how exactly is Braxton going to tell her that he is a werewolf and how is she going to tell him she sees ghosts? As they delve deeper into the world of the dead, they realise that someone out there is trying to resurrect a person. And that they will stop at nothing to do this; whether sacrificing an innocent or eliminating anyone standing in their way. A cat has nine lives but will a wolf and the woman he fell for be as lucky?

This is a great start to a series, and I enjoyed the introduction of hardheaded Chloe and her stubbornness in finding out exactly what happened in this case. Her tenacity and bravery in facing her fears was a nice reminder of real-world problems especially as it was interspersed with the inner demons of her past that she was still battling to deal with and the guilt and forgiveness associated with them. Braxton came across in the same manner. Thrust into the role of alpha after the loss of his father and still struggling to assert his dominance on certain members of the pack, Braxton must mix this in with the work caseload he has. The addition of pack members and colleagues, as well as family, allowed the story to be shared among characters without the amount of them becoming overwhelming. And I can certainly understand the anguish of losing a child and wanting to bring them back but the way Garza was trying to accomplish this screamed a loud warning of leaving the dead exactly where they were.

The editing of grammar was very good, and the one mistake I spotted surprised me as I stopped to go back and reread it. The writing style is easy to read which helps increase the pace of your reading without compromising the understanding or retention. The ending was a bit abrupt for me as when I had 15 pages to go it wasn’t quite there yet and then all of a sudden it was, but it leaves the story open to lead into book two. When you sign up to the author’s subscriber’s list you receive the prequel to this book, which I’m looking forward to reading. This looks like it’s going to be a great series.

Thanks to Voracious Readers Only and the author for a copy of the book. It’s never explicitly stated that a review must be done on receipt of the book, but as a reader, I think it’s important to give feedback when you have been gifted a copy of the author’s hard work.  

The Fireman by Joe Hill

The Fireman is a supernatural fantasy thriller and at nearly 800 pages is an epic read about how society handles a crisis.

Dragonscale is rife. When you become infected with it, it looks much prettier than its consequences. Soon it will cause you to overheat and spontaneously combust. It’s contagious, and there is no cure.

Nurse Harper Grayson is a happy-go-lucky take charge kinda gal. One who loves singing Mary Poppins songs but will fight anyone standing in her way of looking after her patients. Mary and her husband Jakob have a plan if they become infected as they want to end their lives on their terms so have a pill waiting just in case. Harper finds out she is pregnant though, and this changes her outlook as she knows she cannot harm her child. When she becomes infected, she finds out what kind of man Jakob really is and knows the only way to keep her child alive is to run.

The Cremation Squads, however, are out there. Bands of people intent on killing the infected as soon as possible so that the virus cannot spread anymore. Harper manages to run and is found by a strange group of people who take her into their colony. There is the fireman she met once before at the hospital desperate to help a child. Then there is Allie, a teenager prepared to fight the world to protect her deaf brother, Nick. Accidents start happening in the colony, though, and as more and more people turn to fanaticism to cope, the accidents become deliberate ways of sabotaging those they mistrust. Soon the crowdthink takes over and anyone found not towing the fanatics’ line finds themselves punished by archaic methods. Harper realises that the only way to save her baby is to try to convince the fireman to go with her to a safe place for the infected. But the fireman has demons of his own and is firmly on the line between this world and a mad reality.

This is the first book I have read by Joe Hill and didn’t want to compare any aspect of the book or the writing to his father, but as soon as characters from his father’s books or a mix of their names cropped up I found it quite weird as I stopped concentrating on the work and started looking for the eggs. A mix of names can be overlooked but when you straight-out use a name like Tom Gordon it’s just too in your face. His style of writing is interesting; very evocative in some places and very slow in others. The story itself is quite a journey with the focus shifting around between the characters, which meant that very often you couldn’t feel as much for the character as you would have liked to. There are some definite WTF moments that were either too drawn out, not necessary or just plain seriously? I think I preferred to look at what was under the story instead of the surface as you see how people react in a crisis they were never prepared for and how even though you think you are in charge of your own decisions, that when the crowd believes something you don’t, you fit in for fear of being ousted. The shared hysteria around punitive punishment also made you feel extremely uneasy.

The ending was pretty obvious and when it came; it felt oddly dissatisfying. Luckily, the grammatically mistake-free editing of the book allowed for ease of reading so that you could focus your attention on the story itself. The beginning of the book really drew me in with a fantastic idea, but the meandering and tangents that the reader was thrown on made it a slog in places to get through. It felt as though the parts that needed expansion were cut short and some parts that really didn’t need as much description got the full monty.

I’ll definitely be trying more of this author’s works and thought this was a very interesting introduction to my Joe Hill journey.   

Knight of the Hunted by Elizabeth Dunlap

Knight of the Hunted is a YA paranormal romance and is the first in a series.

Lisbeth is a 400-year-old Born vampire and a strong one at that. Created by the coupling of a human mother and an Incubus, she is more powerful than a turned vampire and can take sustenance, not only from blood but from human food too. Throughout her life she has lived by the rules, knowing that they are there for a reason and there is no need to break them. So why did she feel the need to protect a Lycan pup? That was a big no no. Now she has Hunters on her trail (including her friend Olivier) who mean to bring her in to face the consequences of breaking that rule. As she flees from her pursuers, she meets up with a guy called Knight whose scent she cannot place. Part Lycan, part something else. Plus, he has no pack to run with. Knight vows to protect Lisbeth and as their pursuers get closer, they find themselves in a village of vampires and humans, controlled by another ancient Born vampire James, drunk on the control additional blood feedings give him. James decides to make Lisbeth his own, and she starts to sink deeper and deeper under his influence. She needs to get away from James, but how? She needs to remain safe from the Hunters, but how? She needs to decide what to do about Knight in her life, but how?

So, the story itself. The author has definitely kept it YA so a bit of romance, not any gratuitous violence, and some light-hearted banter and snarky remarks. What I did enjoy about the book, was the idea that one who follows the rules so whole-heartedly would break them to save a child and in doing so learns more about what is out there in life. The lycan/vampire love interest is not a new idea, but the slight change that makes Knight something more than a Lycan makes it interesting. I found there were too many questions left for me at the end of the book. Yes, there is a cliffhanger at the end, but it was the holes in the story that were left open that made it feel not well-rounded. For instance, there is a character called Sara who runs the guest house in the village James controls that has quite a big part in helping Lisbeth out but the reader has no idea who she is, where she comes from, why her son was mentioned, or her purpose. This might be looked at later on in the series but a small explanation now would have piqued the readers’ interest. The same goes for any other explanation about the village or what happens at any other times in it other than when Lisbeth meets James, more info about the Alpha’s protection, and maybe more character backgrounds especially Cameron and Balthazar.

The proofreading of this book did not do the flow of reading any favours. As an editor, my eyes tend to catch needless quirks and mistakes quickly which take the enjoyment out of an easy read. I understand that mistakes can crop up, but when curly apostrophes and straight apostrophes are mixed up in the same sentence, or en dashes are used in place of em dashes, or a word has a hyphen and an en dash in it more than a couple of times it makes me pause too often.

I would have to put this in the average category due to the editing mistakes and the story that left me with more questions than answers. I’m sure many people will enjoy it for its easy to read style, but I needed more substance to feel more for the characters. I would like to find out what happened to Lisbeth at the end though!

Thanks to Voracious Readers Only and the author for a copy of the book in exchange for an honest review.  

A Lot of Nerve by Ian McCulloch

A Lot of Nerve is a standalone novel about the shady world of crime and being able to trust no one.

Jones is a small-time crook; a confidence trickster who likes working schemes around schemes and violence is definitely not his thing. One day, while having a pint in a local, he sees some sort of payoff taking place and vows to worm his way in on the deal. The problem is that he is still obligated to shift some merchandise for a local gangster, one who doesn’t want him to get out of his debts so easily. As Jones uses Peter to pay Paul, he lands up being pulled in a number of different directions and finds himself drawn deeper into the more dangerous side of his profession. Add to this a cop who seems to have more than a professional interest in him. A lot is riding on perfect timing, so can he pull off one of the biggest capers of his life and keep his head on his shoulders?

A Lot of Nerve is a fast-paced and enjoyable quick read. There are a few editing mistakes but nothing that is offputting. Even though Jones is a crook and you know he is defrauding people, you can’t help but root for him as he works out ways to use his connections. Since I’m not privy to the world of conmen and thievery I cannot say for certain just how much artistic licence is taken in the story, but the craziness of what was asked of him and how he weaselled out of it definitely had me laughing. Add in a government agency somehow trying to manipulate gangsters and you have the basis of a hair-brained scheme relying on the most unexpected of players.

I really enjoyed this book as a bit of a snarky look at the world of crime. It had a Guy Ritchie feel to it—where more of the cerebral ability instead of general physical violence ruled the day. Good for a quick laugh with writing that creates a comfortable flow of reading.   

Thanks to Thistle Publishing for the chance to review the book.

Destructive Interference: The Devastation of Matthew Morrisey by Michael Christopher Carter

Destructive Interference is a paranormal standalone thriller and tells the tale of parallel realities and what might have been.

Matthew Morrisey and his family have been through a rough time recently. What with their daughter, Abi, battling leukaemia and the long hours at work to land the account for the new water vehicle the army can use, they could use some family time together at Christmas. Abi’s present from their neighbour, however, needs new batteries so Matthew sets off to the local store on Christmas day to buy some. Outside the shop he encounters a homeless man and does something he would not normally do—he gives him money. Little does he know that his return home will not be as expected. His family have disappeared from, his neighbours don’t recognise him and some form of authorities seems to be after him. What is going on?

The author has taken two realities to show us what could have happened to Matthew based on an accident that may or may not have happened when he was young. Each reality depicts a completely different life for Matthew—one from rags to riches and the other from hero to zero. The realities are intertwined with each other as the characters play roles in each. The story ends with the possibility of what happens when someone is given opportunities and runs with them or has things taken away and doesn’t know how to cope.

I kept turning pages to see where the story was going as I understood the paranormal twist to it, but I didn’t really feel it as such. I wasn’t really drawn in by the characters and felt that some were OTT while others just blended in. The ending threw me because even with the author’s explanation of destructive interference it felt like he was saying no good deed goes unpunished and it left me with a bitter taste in my mouth.

I’m not sure what I expected but I felt ambivalent at the end and it was one of those books that didn’t make a lasting impact on me. 

Twisted Tales from the Northwest by Mari Collier

Twisted Tales is a collection of short stories that falls into the horror genre but without the expected bloodshed.

Here you will find, amongst others, tales of people stuck in time loops, a town insistent on burial customs, newly awakened vampires and a haunted house.

To me, this collection was a hit and a miss so I’m glad it was on a free promotion. And unfortunately, the hits didn’t really stay with me either. When I finished the book I had to go back to the beginnings of each tale to refresh my memory of what the story was about as nothing really stood out for me. I know what elements the author was using to convey the anthology as horror, but very often the story had no scary element; whether physical or mental. Some stories would just end and that was that. Sort of an “oh, that’s it?” moment. A number of editing mistakes crept through which also hindered enjoyment of the stories.

I expected more but it turned out to be an average read that didn’t really resonate with me.

Fire and Ice: Born in Fire by K.F. Breene

Born in Fire is a paranormal adventure and is the first in a series.

Reagan is a bounty hunter and an annoyed one at that. Some thieving vampire swooped in and stole her mark. It doesn’t matter that he is an elder; he shouldn’t be allowed to do that. Since she is running low on cash, Reagan has no choice but to take the next available job. But urgh—it’s for vampires and she has to deal with the smarmy idiot (Darius) who took her mark in the first place. But not all is as it seems. As demons and mages and other manner of beings get involved, Reagan must learn to rely on others as she has never done before. Reagan has a secret of her own, however, and needs to keep it just that: a secret.

Again, another book you can enjoy without having to get too involved in thinking about it. I know a lot of reviewers found Reagan angry, but considering her secret I can see where she gets it from. I actually enjoyed her personality but found it strange that she was impervious to so much magic and could fight off any manner of beings but give her some alcohol and she becomes so drunk she can’t defend herself. Surely her body would have been able to fight it off considering in the beginning of the book she orders a drink at the bar where they are made of “turps and artificial flavouring” and has no problem drinking those? The non-sex between the main characters and the sex with Darius and a donor is also a bit weird—guess it is up to each reader to see how they feel about it. The introduction of so many different kinds of supernatural beings was very interesting and showed how mixing magic between them was not a good idea. The spells in their casings were also an intriguing way of looking at storing magic. I didn’t like the beings that the vamps were inside. I get that it’s the idea of the evil behind the mask, but I’d rather the dark side be wrapped in something pretty (I blame Eric Northman for that)!

The writing is easy to read and it’s a style you can read at a fast pace as you don’t have to remember minute details from one scene to the next. The story doesn’t go very deeply into characters' back-stories so the plot is pretty much surface level, which is great for a quick, easy read. I’d definitely like to know more about Reagan’s secret and see where the relationship between her and Darius is going.

Recommended for a light-hearted paranormal read, but don’t expect too much substance.

What Hurts the Most by Willow Rose

What Hurts the Most is a psychological thriller and is the first in a series.

Mary Mills has had better days. She has just been fired from her job as a journalist for a good piece of work and received a phone call to say that her brother has been arrested and charged with murder. She packs up her son and heads off to Cocoa Beach where she grew up, determined to clear his name. The problem is that she is running right back to the people and problems she left behind; including an ex-husband, a manipulative stepmother, a downtrodden father, and a group of friends she hung out with known as the 7^Th Street Crew. The case becomes more sinister as more bodies turn up and Mary gets threatened by some very high levels in the military base in her old hometown. As past and present collide and old hatred rears its head, can Mary find the help she needs from her old crew or will she be one of the next bodies?

This is one of the better works by the author and I enjoyed the psychological aspects of it. It takes a bit of time, in the beginning, to get your head around all of the characters and their timelines as they only come together much later in the story. As you are fed more and more clues you start piecing it together and then find out your assumptions are incorrect. The whole idea behind it must be read with artistic licence as once you start questioning certain aspects or actions, some incidents don’t tie together (like a certain photo at the end) or actions being strange (a group of friends who are now adults are all still afraid of the school bully but all working together to break the law and fight for justice). These can be overlooked to enjoy the story in its entirety.

The writing is good but I did find some jumps between 1^st and 3^rd person POV for the same character which caused a jolt in the reading experience. Take the story with a pinch of salt and enjoy the tale for what it is: an enjoyable afternoon’s read with a twist that you didn’t see coming.

V-Games by Caroline Peckham

The V-Games is a paranormal thriller and is the first in a series.

Selena is in jail for killing her stepfather. Even though Selena and her mother have been subjected to physical and emotional abuse for years, the state believes that she deserves to be punished. Selena is not inherently a bad person, so to be stuck in jail with hardened criminals is pretty scary.

Varick is a vampire and in the servitude of the Van Helsings. Once a feared pirate, he now has to bow down to his masters as torture and starvation face his every transgression. The V-Games are about to start soon and Varick must take his pick of contestants from prisons that look the other way when inmates go missing (well they get glamoured anyway!)

Selena and some of the others are carted off, dolled up and let loose on an island. An island where they have to get from checkpoint to checkpoint each day while bets are placed on their lives until only one survives to cross the finish line. And in their way? Starving vampires! Something strange has happened though; Selena seems to be getting a little more help than the others from Varick. She can feel a spark of interest from him and even though she doesn’t want to admit it, the feeling is mutual. So now vampires are real, hunters are real, the games are real and being the last contestant standing; has totally become real.

As has been claimed, this book can be compared to the story in The Hunger Games mixed in with some of the obsession from Twilight. If you are looking for in depth characters with angst and soul this is not for you. Take it as a YA novel filled with action, betrayal, friendship and a love interest, and you have a fun afternoon’s read. Not that you don’t get to feel the characters – there is a definite cheer for the girls you feel didn’t’ deserve to be there in the first place and a boo for those “bad girls” who did.

The writing flows well and is easy to read with minimal editing mistakes. A slight twist at the end leads into the next book nicely. While not a deep story, it kept me turning pages until the end. Those who enjoy a strong female lead and an interesting take on an old idea will enjoy this.

Code Name Camelot: A Noah Wolf Thriller by David Archer

Code Name Camelot is the first in the Noah Wolf series and is advertised as an action thriller.

No emotions. Having suffered from blunted affectation disorder since he saw his dad killing his mom and then killing himself, Noah lives his life by logic only. When he kills the members of his platoon for raping and murdering civilians his logic dictates that he was doing the right thing. The court disagrees, however, and sentences him to death. Just before his execution, he is approached by the leader of a secret military organisation; one who can use people like him. People who are ruled by their heads and not their hearts. Noah is about to enter the world of approved assassins.

An assassin ruled by rational logic? The blurb definitely caught my attention but the action thriller I was promised fell short. Even a lack of emotion would not automatically make Noah better than everyone else, yet time and time again he bested others on training courses and in tests. Everything seemed to happen too easily for him: from his team hating him to believing he is better than sliced bread, to infiltrating and organising the drug busts in a matter of weeks, to ‘rescuing’ the prostitute. In fact, the whole part of the story with the underage prostitute was borderline dodgy, especially when the team listens in to him having sex with her and the woman that he was sleeping with just shrugging and saying that the prostitute was part of the job and then carrying on having sex with him. The team also seems superfluous to requirement. They played a tiny contribution and the majority of the mission seemed to be about Noah.

The writing itself was rather flat. I know Noah’s name was supposed to be changed when he joined the organisation but his lawyer kept alternating between the names in the beginning when she should not have known them. There was a lot of description of actions that could have been summarised as a movement starting at A and ending at B instead of A.1 and A.2 and A.3 etc. At the end of the book, I felt dissatisfied. I don’t enjoy huge cliffhangers, but this book was like a story with an ending and the lead into the next book was basically to say that the same characters would be used in an entirely different story. There was not enough of a teaser left for me to want to continue with the series.

I give this book an average rating as there are no good or bad reasons for me to remember it. If you are on the beach and want a book where you don’t have to concentrate or you can put it down and pick it up much later then this one’s for you.

The Brambles by Leah Erickson

The Brambles is part supernatural, part mystery/thriller and goes beyond the boundaries of death to solve a murder.

Elizabeth and her mom Annabel were always considered a little strange. Neither really socialised and nothing much was known about them. When Elizabeth was younger, she had three close friends: Vanessa, Lillian and Mack; but as with kids, they drifted apart as they got older. Elizabeth is found hanging by her neck from a tree, apparently a victim of suicide. As the police look deeper into the case, they find no birth certificate, no education record and no social security number for her.

Each of the childhood friends is dealing with their own issues. Mack has a brother damaged by war, a father who will only focus on the brother and a mother who is too dependent on him. Lillian is overwhelmed by the universe. She feels too much and too deeply and is battling to find her place in it all. Vanessa is very intelligent but feels that no matter what she accomplishes in life is not enough and is constantly looking for more. As Elizabeth starts appearing to them in different ways, they realise she is trying to tell them something. Her clues lead them to The Brambles; a sprawling mansion just round the corner from Elizabeth’s house through the forest where Milton Cooper, a dying film star, has a house filled with vagrants and partygoers looking for a good time. As the kids meet a motorcycle gang, a dodgy doctor and Mitch’s fanatically religious caretaker John, they become sucked into a world they might not be able to handle. Will Elizabeth get the retribution she seeks?

As the book began, I liked the idea of Elizabeth sending clues to her friends to try to hint that her death and indeed her life may not have been as it seemed. As the story continued, however, I felt it became incredibly drawn out. There was so much info given about the kids’ backgrounds and John’s journey and feelings yet not much offered as to why the clues were as “subtle” as they were or how Elizabeth knew of the location or contents of the secret place. While the main idea for the story was interesting, there were just too many holes to be able to pick at and because of the amount of info offered, scenes felt stretched to fit the story. Some characters also did things that didn’t correspond to previous actions or went against their personality traits described before. Yes, the friends wanted to help Elizabeth, but they put themselves in physical danger in situations where it would have been easy for them to be killed or had no problem taking unknown drugs to fit in with the people around them. These are high school kids; not paid private detectives or the cast of Pretty Little Liars.

The writing and editing were very good which did help the story along, but I felt let down that the elements didn’t gel together and the reality segments were far-fetched. The end ties up too neatly and I was left feeling something was missing. I don’t like closing a book and feeling just “meh” about something, but that’s I guess that’s why we all have different tastes! 

The Indestructibles by Matthew Phillion

The Indestructibles is a YA action novel that brings together a band of unlikely superheroes.

Doc Silence knows that the time has come once more. Evil has reared its head again, and he needs to unlock the powers in a group of kids who must fight together to bring an end to the evil experimentation that is taking place. The kids need to not only learn to use their powers but learn to work together, and as anyone knows, stick a bunch of teenagers together and that’s not always an easy task. Can a werewolf, a dancer, solar-girl, a flying boy and gravity-defying Emily stop arguing with each other long enough to defeat a destructive storm as well as other humans that have been turned into experiments? The world had better hope so.

I really had fun with this book. The characters showed a lot of the human side of superheroes and how they can doubt their decisions or miss their families. The experimentation done on the children was horrific as the uncontrollable evil powers that were thrust on them was hardly fair. Especially as many were not given the choice. I liked how the superheroes knew intrinsically they had these powers but learning about them and controlling them was a give and take fight. Doc’s history and the extent of his powers were fascinating, and I’m keen to see what will happen with him and the Lady.

There were a few editing mistakes like there and their being mixed up and capitals appearing in the middle of a sentence for no reason but nothing to slow the flow of reading drastically.

I definitely recommend this book that even adults can enjoy and am interested to see where the story is heading.

Inside the Whispers by AJ Waines

Inside the Whispers is a psychological thriller and the first in a series which tells the tale of one so motivated by selfish gain that they are willing to ruin lives to do it.

Samantha is a post-traumatic stress specialist who is seeing a disturbing trend in some of her patients. They have come in claiming to have been in the London Underground fire that happened recently. What is strange though, is that they all mention crowds and chaos and people dying and the guilt they are experiencing by not helping others out, yet there was nowhere near this type of mayhem or injuries reported. Then one by one these patients commit suicide. Added to this awful situation is Samantha’s schizophrenic sister who has trouble adapting to a normal world and has moved in with her and her manipulative actor boyfriend who is suddenly having the same memories of the fire. There are only a few people she can turn to for help, and now she might not be able to trust any of them.

I rather enjoyed this book. Yes, the ending was a bit stretched for me but the idea behind it and the central theme of memories, whether real or buried deep, made for an interesting thriller. Conn was really the most awful boyfriend and why she put up with his actions, I do not know. Her sister’s behaviour was so bizarre and when you thought she couldn’t get any worse, truths come out and you forgive her for a lot of reactions. I thought Samantha was a bit of a soft character who needed to learn to say NO more. But considering what she had gone through and that this is a fictional story we can cut her some slack.

The editing and flow of reading were good with enough questions to keep you going back for one more chapter. The chapters that were written from an unknown POV made for an interesting addition as you could attribute them to a number of different people and when the person is made known the true depth of selfishness is revealed.

A good story, well-written and definitely recommended.

Three Men on their Bikes by Richard Mapes

Three Men on their Bikes is a standalone novel (with previously published characters) in the general fiction genre and tells a tale of new discoveries, the test of friendship and the battle for supremacy.

Ian, George and Harry have been friends for 15 years. It’s a strange friendship and seems to be more of convenience than deep. Ian is a writer who achieved a degree of fame and is struggling to recreate the stroke of brilliance he once had. George works in an accounting department and is worried that: 1) with Ian being engaged he will bow out of the friendship and 2) that he will never find someone to spend the rest of his life with. Harry is new to the management level after previously being in sales and is struggling to adapt. He has an opinion on just about everything and everyone else’s opinions are just wrong. The three of them decide to go on a 3-day cycling holiday as a way of finding themselves. The problem is that George is the only one who has ever cycled frequently before – and that was only to and from work. So the three set off across the English countryside where they meet other cyclists; some on the same trip and some on their own journeys. Harry’s competitive side comes out when he challenges one of the other cyclists to a race. All Ian wants to do is stop at attractions and collect info for an article while George just wants to meet women. What could possibly go wrong?

The story starts out predominantly as a tale of a bicycle journey but becomes one of a journey of choices, of realisations and self-discovery. It’s as though each character has an epiphany about a decision which has been weighing them down for a while. The story itself is very simple, and I think it’s what the reader parallels in their own lives that is meant to be taken away from the reading experience.

There were a few editing mistakes but nothing too serious. I wish more could have been explained about the attractions as I feel there were definitely missed opportunities to showcase the countryside the book had to offer. Harry was an awful character and why the others stayed friends with him was beyond me. George’s character was not delved into very deeply, but with Ian being the narrator you get to share a fair few of his emotions. The story would be fine as a once off holiday read but it didn’t catch me enough to make me want to reread it. Nothing wrong with it, but nothing that really stood out for me.

Thanks though to Thistle Publishing for the opportunity to review the book.