Review: By Pain Possessed

By Pain Possessed by Randy Attwood

My rating: 5 of 5 stars



Book Info: Genre: Speculative Science Fiction Reading Level: Adult

Disclosure: I picked up a free copy on Amazon; there was no obligation, but I’m happy to provide an honest review.

Synopsis: Can the weakest human save us all?

My Thoughts: I was actually on my way to go to sleep (I have a lot of manuscripts to get through this week, so it’s going to be a busy one), I learned that not only did Randy Attwood have a couple new short stories up, but that this one, By Pain Possessed, was currently free! Well, I figured I could fit in a short story; after all, I did have to wait to fall asleep until after 8 a.m. so I could take my medication, right? So, I grabbed the story and opened up in my Amazon Cloud reader and started to reading!

Because this is a short story, it is hard to provide a synopsis that describes the idea behind the story without spoilers – that is, I think, why Randy Attwood went with such a short and succinct synopsis (provided above). This story is about pain – those who enjoy dealing it, who who enjoy feeling it, those who would rather avoid the whole thing... Deeper, there is an undercurrent of facing up to your fears and becoming a stronger person for it, but also a warning about becoming that which you hate and therefore losing sight of yourself. So, there are a lot of ideas put into this short story.

I do wish I’d had a chance to edit it for Randy, since I found a few typos and a couple of places where the wrong tense form of a word was used. The one I can remember off the top of my head was the use of “slat” for “salt.” But there were only few and only one of them really made me stop and re-read the sentence because it threw me off.

Like all of Randy’s stuff, this is a great piece. Fans of his work won’t want to miss it. Those who enjoy thought-provoking ideas and don’t mind working a bit to find all the layers should enjoy this also. Definitely check it out – like all of his stuff, I recommend it.



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Giveaway #4: Winner's Choice of a Debra Martin novel!

Okay, folks, here we are, starting up giveaway #4!!
 This week, Debra Martin

has graciously agreed to give away a copy of one of her full-length novels to a lucky winner. Just leave a comment below with your name and your email address (so I can contact the winner).  I'll draw a winner randomly next Monday, May 7.  If you are the lucky winner, you can choose from: Assassin's Curse, The Quest for Nobility (Rule of Otharia Book 1), or The Crystal Facade (Rule of Otharia Book 2). I edited all three books, but in the case of the Otharia series, I read them first, so you can see my reviews of those books here: Quest for Nobility Crystal Facade You can follow the links above to the Amazon book page for further information. You can also follow the links I'll post with the cover images below to the Goodreads' pages for further information.

The Quest for Nobility information here.
The Crystal Facade information here.
Assassin's Curse information here.

Be sure to check out Debra Martin's other awesome titles available on Amazon! These include several novellas. Lots of good stuff.

Thanks to Debra Martin for this awesome giveaway, and good luck to everyone out there who signs up! It's not necessary to be a follower, but I sure would appreciate it if you would consider it!

Review: Level Three's Dream

Level Three's Dream by Matt Posner

My rating: 5 of 5 stars



Book Info: Genre: Fantasy/Magic Reading Level: Young Adult

Disclosure: I purchased this copy for myself, and am therefore under no obligation, but am happy to provide an honest review.

Synopsis: America's greatest magic school is back -- and fourteen-year-old Simon Magus, Goldberry, Mermelstein, and the rest of the team have to face the frustrating creatures in Lewis Carroll's Alice world to help the dangerous young magician Level Three to control his deadly power! Level Three is autistic -- but he's a magician, too, and there is no way to block his ability to trap people within his imaginary mental worlds. When magic doesn't work, and they have only their wits, how can the kids survive in the deadly realm of an unpredictable genius child? Thrill to a bloody and costly magical battle in Paris -- smile at a new love for elementalist Robbie Ravitz -- puzzle at the frightening mystery of why Mermelstein is stalking Level Three's sister -- and wonder at over a hundred pages of comedy, mystery, poems, songs, and logical puzzles as Simon and his friends struggle against all your favorites from Lewis Carroll -- and new creatures as well! Magic fans of all ages will never want to wake up -- from Level Three's Dream!

My Thoughts: Is now a good time to disclose that I’ve never read Alice in Wonderland or Through the Looking Glass? Of course I’m aware of the basics – it would be difficult not to be – and love the song “White Rabbit” by the Jefferson Airplane, which is somewhat remotely related to the story, but have never actually read the story itself, nor have I seen any of the movies related to them. So, I went into this book without that knowledge. As it turned out, it really wasn’t necessary, although I think I might have caught a bit more of the subtle humor if I had.

Not to say I was disappointed – far from it! This book was a great continuation of the story and I read it pretty much straight through (only pausing briefly to post a cover reveal). We learn a bit more about some of the characters, as well as meet some new ones. We learn more about the troubling events around the world that had been distracting Dr. Archer in the first book. The students advance in their studies, although there is really very little about the school itself in this book – there is more action outside the school than inside it in this book.

It was really weird how, after everyone went into the Lewis Carroll-based world, they all started to basically act like jerks to almost everyone they met. They had, after all, gone in for a reason, they had a plan, and it seemed like once they got there, they decided – somewhat arbitrarily – that most of the characters they met were unimportant to that quest. This is one thing that bothered me and it is never really explained, nor is there any real consequence for it. That surprised me.

Having spoken briefly to the author in between reading these books, I’ve learned that there are a number of books planned in this series: at least five in total, maybe more. The next book is to be called War Against Love. At this point I’m not sure when it is due out, but I am planning an author Q&A with Matt Posner coming up in the next week or so, so watch my blog for that! I know I’ll be waiting for the rest of this series and picking it up as I can – great stuff!



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Cover Reveal: J Taylor Publishing Presents "Reaper"

Reaper by L.S. Murphy
Release Date: January 7, 2013
Target Reader: Young Adult
Keywords: Urban Fantasy

Back of the Book:
There's no way sixteen year old Quincy Amarante will become the fifth grim reaper. None. Not over her shiny blue Mustang. Her Jimmy Choos. Or her dead body.

She’s supposed to enjoy her sophomore year, not learn about some freaky future Destiny says she has no choice but to fulfill.

It doesn’t take long for Quincy to realize the only way out of the game is to play along especially since Death can find her anyway, anywhere, anytime. And does.

Like when she’s reassuring her friends she wants nothing to do with former best friend Ben Moorland, who’s returned from god-knows-where, and fails. Miserably.

Instead of maintaining her coveted popularity status, Quincy’s goes down like the Titanic.

Maybe ... just maybe ... that’s okay.

It seems, perhaps, becoming a grim reaper isn’t just about the dead but more about a much needed shift in Quincy’s priorities—from who she thinks she wants to be to who she really is.

URL: http://www.jtaylorpublishing.com/books/19

Review: The Ghost in the Crystal

The Ghost in the Crystal by Matt Posner

My rating: 5 of 5 stars


Book Info: Genre: Fantasy/Magic Reading Level: Young Adult

Disclosure: I received a free copy of this eBook from the author in exchange for an honest review.

Synopsis: Your NEW favorite magic school is New York City's School of the Ages. I am a mixed-race teen from Queens, New York, and when I answer an advertisement in a magazine, the South Wind shows up at my door to introduce me to a world of adventure, power, and tragedy that feels both strange and right: ghosts, elementals, time travel, magic duels, clashes of culture, teen romance, sacrifice, and ultimate loss. The evil spirit of a bitter and scheming heretic from ancient Alexandria attacks me and forces me to risk everything in order to save his soul. Kids and adults won't stop reading -- The Ghost in the Crystal. I am Simon Magus, and I approve this message.

My Thoughts: I imagine a lot of reviewers have referenced Harry Potter, but this is not Harry Potter. The Harry Potter books had an initial kind of innocence to them; this book has an almost-immediately darker feel. Simon Magus is 13-going-on-14 when he learns about the School of the Ages, and his parents are involved in the decision for him to go there. There are no “houses,” no familiars, no robes required for the students, no institutionalized rivalry like that created by the contests between the houses in HP, no flying on broomsticks, no magical creatures... basically, this is a completely different type of story, more in line with a realistic world, and one I found very appealing.

I should point out that while Matt Posner has tried to put in the Chasidic Jewish family and students, my husband used to live in Israel and told me that this would not happen. The Chasidics would refuse to have anything to do with anyone else – it is not possible that a Cabala school would be integrated with any other school, nor is it possible that they would have anything to do with any Gentile. In fact, being in the presence of a Gentile causes them to become unclean and they need to go through special cleansing rituals before they can be reintegrated with their families. Chasidics would therefore require that they be in a separate school, with nothing to do with anyone else, and only Chasidics to be allowed in. I’ll admit that I asked him this because I honestly expected, based upon the hostility between them, that Yakov and Simon would be teamed up somehow – boy did I get an earful! He says that, in Israel, they have separated themselves to the point where they have their own towns, put up walls around them, and don’t allow anyone else inside. These are not people I see accepting the authority of the School of the Ages. However, that is in Israel and I have to admit that it is likely they aren’t quite so segregated here in the States. This is a side issue, anyway...

I must say that, overall, I really loved this book. It was very engaging, the characters changed and grew through the series, and Posner left lots of room for development of their characters as they age. Robbie Ravitz is the one who most acted his age – Simon and Goldberry were almost preternaturally mature for their ages. I enjoyed the character dynamics, and liked most of the characters. I hope we continue to learn more about them, including the enigmatic Rambal, and why Chatterjee and Bannerjee look so much alike.

I noticed a few inconsistencies. For instance, when Simon first goes to the school, he is shown the seven arches. Later the arches are mentioned again, and seven names are given, but the person talking says – twice – that there are six arches. This is done again toward the end of the book: I paused for a moment to look at the six pillars: faith, perception, balance, wisdom, receptiveness, judgment, and discipline. That is, by my count, seven pillars, not six, as said during the initial visit to the school.

It is strange to me also that the only devotionals are run by a rabbi (and listed on the schedule for Simon and Goldberry, when they are not Jewish); it is also strange that the only religion that is allowed for (by leaving the Sabbat clear, except for a basic class in Hebrew) is Judaism. While it is, of course, unlikely that any people from other Judeo-Christian-Islamic religions would be enrolled in the school (it is, in fact, unlikely that the Jewish students would be enrolled there – usually a Cabala school would be separate and exclusively Jewish, as I mentioned before), it is strange that these traditions aren’t kept to a certain degree. There is a certain degree of magic in the history of both the Catholic and Protestant churches, after all, even if they don’t admit it readily. However, although this is a school of magic with simply a connection to the Cabala school, there are several Rabbis teaching and they often discuss their religious beliefs. It’s something that sort of confused me. Of course, students are allowed days off from school for religious observances, and Hinduism is brought up during Asian History class, but there are no pujas during the school year at the school, and meditation is areligious. It didn’t bother me, as I’m not a religious person, I just found the dynamic a bit strange. I guess it challenged my perceptions of the world and my ideas of how things “should be”.

Well, I have certainly digressed a lot in this review – but I must say I enjoy a book that makes me think, makes me question and, most importantly, makes me challenge my boundaries and ideas. For those of you who want a lot of magical twiddle-twaddle (not that there is anything wrong with that; I enjoy that sort of thing, myself), this is not that kind of book. This kind of magic is, for the most part, subtle and quite realistic. I think those of us who know a bit about magic will be the sorts who will particularly enjoy this book, although anyone who enjoys YA fantasy will also likely enjoy this book. I definitely want to talk to the author about some of the ideas he came up with and the sorts of research he did. Maybe, if you’re lucky, I’ll turn it into a Q&A and post it on my blog – would you like that? I highly recommend this book, and I will now try to get the next book in the series read tonight so I can review it before I get started on what looks to be a long week of editing. Check this book out – enjoy!



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Review: M.O.D.

M.O.D. by J.C. Allen

My rating: 5 of 5 stars



Book Info: Genre: Thriller Reading Level: Adult

Disclosure: I received a Smashwords coupon for a free copy from the author in exchange for an honest review.

Synopsis: Where would you draw the line between right and wrong? 

When a wanted hacker from the 80's resurfaces with the means and intent to overthrow what he perceives to be a corrupt government, this question becomes of tantamount importance to the future of the country. Scott Carver is asked to make this decision when this hacker, going by the acronym "M.O.D." asks him to help plan a revolution.

Scott is a young FBI agent partnered with a 14-year veteran, the temperamental Sheelia Tanner. MOD hand-picks the two agents to toy with in their home town of Vero Beach, Florida, with the ultimate goal of recruiting them.

While eluding authorities for decades, MOD has pirated trillions of dollars in fund and equipment for his rebellion. He aims to topple the government in the name of the Constitution and its founding fathers, making several compelling arguments. Is he maniacal? ... or is he right?

While Scott accepts the offer to join, Sheelia rejects it and vows to hunt her old partner down along with MOD. One of MOD's old adversaries, "MaStErMiNd," who is still serving time in federal prison for crimes for which he believes MOD set him up, approaches Sheelia with an offer to help. He thinks he can catch MOD, for a price: his freedom.

Sheelia, with the full support of the President, accepts the offer, kicking off a digital struggle over the fate of the country. Political and ethical lines are blurred, right and wrong are no longer black and white, only fuzzy shades of gray. The two sides debate and wrestle with these issues as they prepare for the showdown that will change history forever.

My Thoughts: I’ve had this book since last fall, but only just now had the chance to read it. I find the timing to be especially fortuitous with President Obama having recently signed an Executive Order that, essentially, allows U.S. troops to fire upon U.S. citizens without our own country, a dangerous step towards this government finally gaining full-fledged tyrannical status. I possibly have a slightly different perspective on this, having been raised by a patriot to believe that the way this country is being run is completely in opposition to the way it was originally set up, and not finding myself opposed to revolution to regain independence if that is what is necessary. I’m quite certain that the British considered the colonists to be dangerous terrorists in their time, yet they were simply trying to achieve the same aim as M.O.D. in this book – freedom from oppression and the chance to live in a country that is truly by the people and for the people.

I will admit that the M.O.D. base of operations seems to be rather Utopian – it may be that I am overly cynical, but I have a really hard time believing over 500,000 people are all living and working together in total harmony, with no one striving to one-up anyone else, and no one willing to become a reverse turn-coat and go back to the government with information. I imagine the money being poured into the thing helps – no matter how much people claim to want to stand for something, the truth is that if it is inconvenient or difficult, way too many people will turn back around and take “security” over freedom any day – that’s how this country has hit the lows it has managed to hit over the years, which have accelerated greatly since 9/11 and the institution of Homeland Security, who have been steadily encroaching on our rights for the past 10 ½ years now. I would like to believe there are enough people to be able to join together like this, but I did find it a little difficult to fully believe that aspect of the story. I was also surprised that the amazing advances that M.O.D. had made weren’t being used for financing rather than stealing money, or at least some of them. I can see where the technological advances would be kept to themselves, to keep themselves ahead of the game, but from the sound of it some of the medical advances could have been shared, at least.

I read a few negative reviews that frankly left me puzzled – one complained that there was too much technical jargon. There was very little technical jargon, and what there is, is necessary – for instance, conversations between hackers. Another complained that there were “only two FBI agents” involved in the manhunt, no one else, which is frankly ridiculous. All the FBI, the military, the NSA, Homeland Security – everyone in the government is involved in the search for M.O.D. I have to wonder if these reviewers even read the whole book, or if they just reviewed based upon the descriptions and an excerpt or two. I also believe there were some sour grapes involved for those who are overly fond of our current administration.

Having said all that, I also want to say THIS BOOK WAS AWESOME!! I spent a lot of this book literally sitting forward, tense, worried about what would happen, and spent the last 20 or so pages punching the air and yelling YES! I loved the new Constitution and law structure proposed by the M.O.D. that basically gets the government’s nose out of everyone’s business and lets people get on with their lives without having to worry if they are going to have institutionalized discrimination against them because they are a small-business owner, or GLBT, or a woman, or what have you. Again, some of the thoughts are rather idealistic, and I don’t know how realistic they would be, but I sure loved them and would definitely prefer to live in a country under that sort of government rather than the one we have now, which is bloated with its own power and importance, not the lean-and-mean government that the originators of this country envisioned. But I think I’ve gone on my soapbox enough in this review – I’ll just again say I loved this book and I can’t recommend it enough! You need to get this book and read it!



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Review: Icarus; The Kindred

Icarus; The Kindred by J.S. Chancellor

My rating: 5 of 5 stars



Book Info: Genre: Paranormal/Vampires Reading Level: Adult Available Currently Available from Rhemalda Publishers

Disclosure: I picked up a free eBook copy of this from Amazon after being informed of the sale by the publisher; there was no obligation, but I’m happy to provide an honest review.

Synopsis: Don t get me wrong; immortality does have its perks. Take dieting for example: kind of hard to do when you’ve only got two choices: fresh blood and slightly less fresh blood. The media makes it all out to be glamorous. Romantic, even. But the books, movies and witty television shows have it wrong. Especially the ones that make a big to-do about not being wrong (you know, the ones that spell vampire Vampyr, like it's original). And don’t think for a second that I was turned in some amazing, soul-binding, body-meshing way either. I don’t think my libido is damaged enough to forget that kind of rendezvous. Though, to be honest, I don’t recall anything about it. As soon as you’re turned, as soon as anyone is turned, the powers that be rush in like witness protection agents and whisk you off, never to see your family or friends again. Your life changes in ways you never imagined that it could. Like the fact that I was kidnapped last night.

Totally didn’t see that coming. Not being the Covenant-level assassin that I am (did I mention that already? I didn’t get much of a choice in that either: the profession I mean). Oh, and get this: the creeps who grabbed me claim that my mentor/should-have-kept-it-professional boyfriend Trinity is the vampire equivalent to the anti-Christ. Nice. And to think it's only Tuesday. But wait, it gets better.

See, there is one fact about vampirism that everyone gets correct: our bodies can’t biologically process natural light. Past that, all I know is that if I don’t partake of my usual dose of Icarus every seven days (provided via injection by the powers that be), I’ll lose my existence as I know it. It allows me to bask in the sunlight, keeps us from exploding into flames, and I’ve heard rumors that it's what makes us immortal. You know, little things. Now, since Head Creep removed the dosing disc from my arm, whether I had anything to do with it or not, I’m guilty of betraying High Coven. This fact not only sucks (pun intended), it means I’ve been condemned to death. An assassin condemned to death. Seems like kind of shitty deal if you ask me. I don’t care that Head Creep is hot enough that he gives Christian Bale a run for his money. He claims that Icarus is part of some massive conspiracy, that vampires are a perverse mutation of beings from another universe, and that Trinity (along with some dark army he 's supposedly in charge of) plans to exterminate the human race. Of course, he says this will occur in less than a week. And damn, wouldn’t you know he’d kidnap me on day six of my dose

My Thoughts: Having loved everything I’ve read from the very talented Ms. Chancellor, I was very excited to see what she did with vampires. I’ve already loved what she has done with angels and with faeries, so hopefully next it’ll be something like werewolves or zombies? I guess only time will tell.

Anyway, I’ve seen other reviewers comment on how Chancellor took a tired idea and gave it new life; this is indeed what she has done. These are not your parents’ vampires. Of course, I had to laugh about her claims of being old because The Lost Boys was out when she was in junior high... JUNIOR HIGH?? *laughs* I was in college when The Lost Boys (still one of my favorite “horror” vampire movies) came out.

I have to tell you, this was a really awesome book. The characters were all great – truly multi-faceted, hard to tell if we were really seeing the reality behind any of them through a lot of the book. In addition, some of them made some rather dramatic turnarounds. I loved the character of Tristan – yeah, he was the Big Bad through most of the book, but he was an interesting character. I also loved little Lucan, as little as he turned up – he was awesome. Quinn and Blake were neat as well, and I would have loved to have learned more about them. In fact, I’m sort of hoping that Chancellor continues this story, as I think there is more to tell. Things were left a bit up in the air.

There are some really great lines in this book. How about: The movies, television shows and novels have it wrong about us. Especially those bright stars who make a big to-do about not being wrong (you know, the ones who spell vampire Vampyr, as if that’s really original). They make being Kindred sound glamorous and romantic. Like all we do is drink blood and sit around discussing existentialism while wearing gothic garb and looking unnaturally beautiful. Another one I loved was Stop smiling like a cat with a fish-flavored arsehole. My cat enjoyed that one, too, especially the possibilities it raised.

I guess what I’ve been trying to say with all this gushing is that you need to read this book. You need to get this book and read this book – it is a completely new and different take on vampires, fresh and authentic, and just as beautifully written as all of Chancellor’s books have been. Very highly recommended for all who love a good fantastical story.



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Review: A Thief of Nightshade

A Thief of Nightshade by J.S. Chancellor

My rating: 5 of 5 stars


Book Info: Genre: Paranormal Suspense/Faeries Reading Level: Adult Available Available in hardcover and eBook editions now; Available in Paperback October 1, 2012 from Rhemalda Publishers



Disclosure: I received a free eBook copy of this text from the publisher in exchange for an honest review.



Synopsis: Avalar isn't real—at least it wasn't supposed to be. Aubrey never expected to fall in love with and marry her graduate writing professor, Jullian. His life's work, a grim fantasy titled A Thief of Nightshade encompassed everything Aubrey hated about fairy tales and make-believe. After Jullian goes missing and is eventually presumed dead, Aubrey discovers just how make-believe the world of Nightshade is. Not only is Jullian alive and well in Avalar, he's at the mercy of the Dark Fae, condemned to a fate worse than death, with no memory of Aubrey or his time in her world. In order to save him, she'll have to confront more than just the demons in her past, but the very real ones that await her in a place she never thought could exist. All of them will do everything in their power to stop her



My Thoughts: I have really loved the first two books in Chancellor’s Guardians of Legends series; she has a great writing style and imaginative ideas. This book is very different, plot-wise, but maintains that high level of writing skill and imagination. I enjoyed the dark nature of this faerie story; a lot of people think all faeries are goodness and light and little flying people, but that’s not the case at all. Those stories came about because people were scared to death of the Good Folk, and called them such in an attempt to propitiate them and keep them happy in hopes that they wouldn’t decide to do something nasty in retaliation.



I have to say I have a bit of a thing for the Goblin King – have ever since seeing David Bowie in Labyrinth. I think the Goblin King is a very lonely, very sad figure who just goes about trying to find love in the wrong way. Also, Goblins are notoriously cruel but they do have a form of honor and, if you understand their culture and are strong enough and cruel enough, you can survive. I probably get these ideas from reading the Laurell K. Hamilton Mercedes Gentry books, but I do know I’ve seen and heard stories about the Goblin King before, and it always struck me for some reason.



Be sure to read the afterword and acknowledgments; it provides a bit of background on the story, where it came from, and some of what Ms. Chancellor hoped to accomplish by telling it. It brought tears to my eyes – of course, almost everything it doing that right now, so I guess I should be sure you are aware of that.



The only real problem didn’t really have much to do with the book – it’s just that the graphics at the beginning of each chapter slowed my Kindle to a crawl when it came time to turn the page, taking in the vicinity of a minute each time I hit one of the chapter beginnings. I don’t know if it is was because this was a .pdf format document or if it is just my Kindle hates me, or if this is a common problem with graphics-intensive eBooks on the Kindle. Since I try to avoid reading graphics-intensive books on my Kindle for fear of just this sort of thing, it could be. I don’t know if the Kindle version will have this problem – I’m reading a .pdf format, so that could be part of the problem. Anyway, I soldiered it out until 61% on my Kindle, then gave up and read the rest on my computer. Edit: Please note that the actual .mobi format, for Kindle, does not have this problem - it was only the .pdf file that was slow to load at the chapter breaks.



At any rate, I highly recommend this book to just about anyone. Very well-done, great stuff, not that I expected any less from this highly talented writer.



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Rhemalda Publishing presents "The Breakaway" by Michelle Davidson Argyle

The Breakaway

Publication Date: May 1, 2012

When Naomi Jensen is kidnapped, it takes her parents two days to realize she's missing. Escape isn't high on her list of priorities when all she has to return to is an abusive boyfriend and parents who never paid much attention to her. For the first time in her life she's part of a family-even if it is a family of criminals. But she's still a captive. In a desperate attempt to regain some control in her life, Naomi embarks on a dangerous plan to make one of her kidnappers think she's falling in love with him. The plan works too well, and when faced with the chance to escape, Naomi isn't sure she wants to take it.

Editorial Reviews
"Lush, literary, and multi-layered, The Breakaway is completely compelling. Michelle Davidson Argyle is a talent to watch!" ~Zoe Winters, author of Save My Soul

"With secrets layered upon deception, The Breakaway is a book that kept me up late into the night. It has that amazing quality that left me thinking about the characters long after I was finished reading." ~P. J. Hoover, author of Solstice

"Michelle Davidson Argyle is not only a writer of great skill, she is a writer with a very sharp and compassionate understanding of the human condition many of us fail to appreciate. I believed every word of The Breakaway. And you will, too." ~Jessica Bell, author of String Bridge

"An unflinching portrayal of a young woman's growing attachment to the criminals who kidnapped her, Michelle Davidson Argyle's The Breakaway will leave your heart broken, but your spirit hopeful. You won't be able to put it down until you've read every last word." ~Jennifer Hillier, author of Creep

"The Breakaway is a total mind-bender. This literary roller coaster ride of love, hate, right and wrong will leave readers riveted and breathless." ~Karen Amanda Hooper, author of Tangled Tides

 About the Author

Michelle lives and writes in Utah, surrounded by the Rocky Mountains. She loves the seasons, but late summer and early fall are her favorites. She adores chocolate, sushi, and lots of ethnic food, and loves to read and write books in whatever time she can grab between her sword-wielding husband and energetic daughter. She believes a simple life is the best life.

Review: Fearworld

Fearworld by Paul Melhuish

My rating: 5 of 5 stars



Book Info: Genre: Horror short Reading Level: Adult

Disclosure: I received a free copy of this book on Amazon; there were no expectations, but I am happy to provide an honest review.

Synopsis: Emerging like fish from water, the shapes took form in the air and landed softly among the commuters. A hideous cold accompanied them. Confused passengers saw the monstrosities change shape from formless bodies into uniformed train guards. Uniformed train guards with rubbed-out faces and slits for mouths.

"…tickets… please…"

After the photophobes are summoned into our dimension, what hope is there for the survivors? One man, at least, is prepared to strike back!

My Thoughts: What an interesting idea – a magician opens a rift into another dimension... of horror! It made me think of my great-uncle Fred, who was apparently a magician in his younger years. From what my mom told me, Fred claimed to actually be able to make people float, turn invisible, etc., and quit magic because he became convinced his powers came from Satan... I, unfortunately, only have this information 2nd hand, because he died of throat cancer while I was still quite young. I wish I knew more about him; how interesting, huh?

Anyway, Fearworld is a short but intense horror story; while it is described in the text as Dantean, I found it more Lovecraftian, myself. I loved how it went back and forth between past and present, between the events that led up to, and immediately followed the infestation, and the events some time later. I would love to see this expanded into a longer novel, explore this world a bit more, but done this way it definitely whets one’s appetite for this author’s work. A must-read for fans of horror.



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Review: Summer's Journey: Losing Control, Vol 1

Summer's Journey: Losing Control, Vol 1 by Summer Daniels

My rating: 3 of 5 stars



Book Info: Genre: Erotica/True romance Reading Level: Adult

Disclosure: I received a free eBook from the author in exchange for an honest review.

Synopsis: Fortyish, newly divorced, searching and longing for something different. Something fulfilling and exciting, somewhere far outside my ordinary comfort zone.

Come with me on my journey of discovery. Explore with me. Touch, taste and feel with me.

Lots more to come following my introduction to you in this first volume of a multi-part True Romance / Erotica series.

Perhaps I was being picky, but I really didn't think being able to spell orgasm without being spotted a vowel was asking too much.

My Thoughts: This is a short and fairly non-explicit sort of prequel to Summer Daniels’ so-called “true romance” erotica series. While she claims these are true stories, she also precedes the story with a “this is a work of fiction” disclaimer, so I’m not sure what to think about that. I had planned to immediately read the 2nd book in the series, but Amazon has still not delivered it to my Kindle, so I shall content myself with this one for now, since I did promise her a review a long time ago.

Technically, the book is well-written and well-edited. The character provides a great deal of introspection, and lots of hints of juicy stuff to come, if you’re a fan of erotica. As far as the writing style, this would be a five-star book, but I just didn’t care for it. Probably it’s just not my cup of tea. Please realize it is a sort of prequel and there is not really any “action” in this book, just hints at it; Ms. Daniels says things get juicy in the 2nd book. If you enjoy erotica and “true romance” type stories, you should enjoy this.



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Review: The Immortal Rules

The Immortal Rules by Julie Kagawa

My rating: 5 of 5 stars



Book Info: Genre: Dystopian Fantasy Reading Level: Young Adult Available: Currently available in Hardcover and Kindle/eBook format; available in Paperback on 5/4/12 from MIRA Ink.

Disclosure: I received a free eGalley from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Synopsis: In a future world, Vampires reign. Humans are blood cattle. And one girl will search for the key to save humanity.

Allison Sekemoto survives in the Fringe, the outermost circle of a vampire city. By day, she and her crew scavenge for food. By night, any one of them could be eaten. Some days, all that drives Allie is her hatred of them. The vampires who keep humans as blood cattle. Until the night Allie herself is attacked—and given the ultimate choice. Die… or become one of the monsters.

Faced with her own mortality, Allie becomes what she despises most. To survive, she must learn the rules of being immortal, including the most important: go long enough without human blood, and you will go mad.

Then Allie is forced to flee into the unknown, outside her city walls. There she joins a ragged band of humans who are seeking a legend—a possible cure to the disease that killed off most of humankind and created the rabids, the mindless creatures who threaten humans and vampires alike.

But it isn't easy to pass for human. Especially not around Zeke, who might see past the monster inside her. And Allie soon must decide what—and who—is worth dying for.

My Thoughts: What an awesome book! In a world filled with books about dystopian futures, vampires, zombies and ridiculous romantic entanglements, Julie Kagawa manages to write a dystopian young-adult vampire book with zombies (well, what else would you call the rabids??) and still make it completely fresh and exciting. I read it in one marathon sitting – took me about 7 hours.

I was afraid there might be a romantic triangle in here, as that seems to be de rigeur nowadays; I was very thankful not to run across one. The reasons that Allison holds herself aloof from those around her, including Zeke, to whom she is drawn, are realistic without being overly dramatic. Characters that are essential to the plot are developed well. I would have liked to have seen a bit more development of the more minor characters, but you can’t have it all. The plot flowed smoothly; this is a very creepy and dangerous world in which these people live, and I often found myself shuddering in sympathy.

I believe a wide range of people will enjoy this book – fans of dystopian fiction, horror fiction, psychological thrillers, etc. This is book one of a series, and I know that I, for one, will be watching with keen interest for upcoming books in this series. Highly recommended.



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Review: The Very Long, Long Weekend of Tom Iris

The Very Long, Long Weekend of Tom Iris by G.W. Davies

My rating: 5 of 5 stars



Book Info: Genre: Suspense Reading Level: Adult

Disclosure: I won a free eBook copy of this book on LibraryThing, which I received in exchange for an honest review.

Synopsis: Tom Iris has no big plans for the July 4th long weekend. But that quickly changes when he runs into his boyhood crush, Cheryl Kerr, the newest recruit for International Lab Group in Blockton, and they plan to meet up. Beginning the long weekend with the usual game of poker, Tom, against his better judgment, smokes and drinks himself into a stupor, only to soon after find himself lost and alone in the industrial area of Blockton. Things take a turn for the worse when he discovers a body; a dead body which turns out to be Cheryl’s ex-husband. Not only that, Cheryl has been injured in a bombing at the ILG building, a bombing seemingly orchestrated by a militant animal rights’ group. When Tom learns that he is the prime suspect in the murder of Cheryl’s ex, Jack Dobbs, he enlists a motley crew of characters—including Mal, a pot-growing barber, and Hepp, a bumbling ex-con and newsstand operator—to find Dobbs’ real murderer, a task which pits him against professional killers and pharmaceutical magnates. As the mystery begins to unravel, Tom finds danger at every turn and learns that nothing is as it seems--and no one is safe. That is until Tom blows the case wide open by doing what he is best at—nothing.

My Thoughts: I hadn’t really planned on reading another book over the weekend, but when I saw this was by the same author as Beast Saves the Brothers and Sisters of the Cosmic I AM, I decided to go ahead and read it, too, even though it was late Sunday night. I didn’t get a chance to actually finish it before my weekly editing started (no thanks to NetFlix’s allure) and had to carry it over, but was able to get back to it by Tuesday morning.

Anyway, this book was hilarious – the bumbling attempts at various things by Tom and his stoned and/or drunk friends were a real hoot. In some ways, the book reminded me of the movie “Half Baked,” although the book is a bit more of a thriller/suspense aspect than that; but it is mighty funny in places. A couple quotes: “Weed, the ready pipe wrench for all your ontological plumbing problems.” Or how about: “It turns out reconnaissance and reminiscence are fundamentally at odds. Like drinking while driving, like sex in a church, or drinking in a church and sex while driving—all doable, but not advisable.”

The main problem I had with the book was the random and frequent lack of punctuation. Sentences all ran together, with the only hint that a new one had begun being the random capitalization of a word. It was frequently a cause for a pause where I would try to figure out whether a sentence was meant as a statement or a question or what. But if you can deal with that, then you should enjoy this book. There is a terrific twist to the end that I absolutely did not see coming; it was really out from left field. Great stuff. Highly recommended.



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Cover Reveal: "Widow's Might" by Sandra Brannan (and other info on her series)

Widow’s Might
3rd installment of the Liv Bergen Mystery Series'
By Sandra Brannan

Paperback, eBook
Fiction/Mystery
Publisher: Greenleaf Book Group Press
August 7, 2012
Price: $14.95


With a mind for crime solving and headstrong about protecting her family, Liv Bergen finds herself trailing a vengeful killer with a crooked sense of justice

The third Liv Bergen mystery picks up right where the second one left off: the murder of her future sister-in-law has been solved, but an older rancher has been bludgeoned to death in a style eerily reminiscent of a long-inactive killer known only as the Crooked Man. FBI agent Streeter Pierce, still on assignment in Sturgis, South Dakota, must now turn his sights on tracking down the killer—his nemesis from ten years earlier. Pierce doesn’t complain, though; he’s falling in love with Liv and sets in motion an unconventional way to recruit her for the FBI’s training camp in Quantico as they work the case together. But is Liv falling for the brilliant, exotic agent Jack Linwood instead?

Once again, Liv’s vast knowledge of the Black Hills of South Dakota—territory made famous by the gold rush following General George Custer’s expedition —and the modern-day ranchers and environmentalists who live there leads her to unearth critical clues about the Crooked Man, further endearing herself to Streeter. But is it enough to protect the life of her sister Elizabeth and the murdered rancher’s widow who was attacked while in hospice days after her husband was murdered? Who would want to kill an eighty year old dying in hospice? And although she’s fighting a losing battle with cancer, can the widow recover enough strength to help Liv thwart the Crooked Man’s murderous plans, saving lives in the process?
 www.SandraBrannan.com
 Twitter.com/SandraBrannan
  Facebook.com/AuthorSandraBrannan

 Previous books in the series:

In the Belly of Jonah and Lot's Return to Sodom. My reviews can be seen here and here.

Review: "Lots Return to Sodom

Lot's Return to Sodom by Sandra Brannan
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

In this sequel to “In the Belly of Jonah,” Liv is in the last week of her rehabilitation after her encounter with the de Milo killer and has come to stay with her parents in Rapid City, SD. She has arrived just in time for the beginning of the annual motorcycle rally in Sturgis – and just in time for murder. Her brother’s girlfriend, Michelle, has been murdered, as has an older man who is a friend of the family. To make matters worse, Michelle’s 14-year-old sister, Char, is missing. Jens, Liv’s brother, is concerned that Char might be in trouble and asks Liv to try to discover where Char is, and what really happened to Michelle. In the meantime, the local FBI SAC has requested that Special Agent Streeter Pierce come to SD to help solve the murders. Will Liv be able to find Char? How much danger has she just put herself in? And will she and Streeter FINALLY manage to meet?

I’m enjoying the series, although Liv had a TSTL moment when she decided that she knew who the killer was, but wanted to go and confront the person and make sure about it before she told anyone. Hello? This person, she suspects, killed someone – does she really think she’ll be safe? But other than that – and the ridiculously coy “Liv and Streeter keep just missing each other” thing (which has been driving me nuts), I did enjoy this story a great deal. We learn more about Liv’s family and meet a few of her siblings, and we also get to know Streeter better, learning a bit more about his mysterious past. The pace is fast; although the book covers only 3 days, they are days that are absolutely packed with action and suspense. For fans of suspense/thrillers and mysteries, this is a great book – and it has a great twist to the ending that threw all my preconceptions about whodunit right out the door. Definitely pick it up!

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Review: "In the Belly of Jonah"

In the Belly of Jonah by Sandra Brannan
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Liv Bergen is the manager of a quarry outside Ft. Collins, CO. She’s having a normal start to her day when it is interrupted by the arrival of a police detective – one of her employees, a summer intern, is missing. She later learns that the employee – Jill Brannigan – has been murdered. Later that day, she gets a call from an old friend of hers – Lisa Henry – with whom she played basketball at university in Laramie, WY. Lisa is now with the FBI – a behavioral analyst – and she has been called in to profile Brannigan’s murder. The FBI believes Jill is the victim of the Venus di Milo Murderer – a serial killer who poses his victims in bizarre ways, and cuts them in a way that has baffled the FBI, who have been unable to discern what sort of weapon made the cuts. SAC Streeter Pierce joins Lisa Henry in staying at Liv’s house while they pursue the killer. The next victim shocks everyone … Will the FBI be able to track down the killer before yet another victim is taken?

This is quite a good debut novel – good character development, carefully layered plot with a good pace. There were a couple minor plot discrepancies that were missed by the content editor, but I’m not sure many people will have noticed them – they didn’t detract from the overall story. I would certainly recommend this initial book in the Liv Bergen Mystery Thriller series to fans of suspense, mysteries and thrillers. Also look for the second book in the series, released earlier this year, “Lot’s Return to Sodom.”

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Giveaway #3 is OVER!

Hey, folks - Giveaway #3, which is for a Randy Attwood book of your choice from his Amazon offerings, is now ended.

Now, here's the good news and the surprise - you're ALL winners! Five people signed up for this giveaway, and being a generous and wonderful person, Randy has said he'll let all five of you pick one of his books from Amazon and he'll gift it to you! Here is the list of winners:
1 Arlena Dean
2 Sojutu (Carol)
3 Vered:
4 Tabitha
5 Simon

I'll be sending 'round the email in just a mo - if you still haven't chosen your book, remember that there is a listing of his books in this post toward the bottom (including links to the Amazon page), and I've re-posted my reviews for many of them on the blog over the past couple of weeks for your edification; and you can find my reviews of the others on their Amazon or Goodreads pages!

Giveaway #4 will be coming 'round next week, so keep your eyes open for that!

Review: "Ambasadora"

Ambasadora by Heidi Ruby Miller

My rating: 5 of 5 stars


Book Info: Genre: Romantic science fiction Reading Level: Adult

Disclosure: I received a free copy with no expectations, but am happy to provide an honest review.

Synopsis: The Ambasadora-verse...a new futuristic romance series.

If everyone told you love wasn't real, would you still be willing to die for it? Sara Mendoza and Sean Cryer are.

Sara is part of the Embassy's plan. Captured, tortured, and falsely accused of treason, she is given a chance to win back her freedom. She only needs to charm information from one of the fragger leaders, then kill him. But by the time she figures out the Embassy's intel is flawed and that Sean Cryer is her true mark, she's already in love with him.

Sean knows why Sara is on his ship from the start, but as a lonely, anti-social doser, he doesn't value his life, only his ideology within the fragger organization. Against his better judgment, he becomes her protector, each day caring more about a future he was always afraid to hope for

My Thoughts: My good friend Coral over at Alchemy of Scrawl blog recently posted a review of this book, and I realized I’d had a free copy since last summer. She made it sound so enticing, I decided to give it a quick read right away. I’m not generally a fan of romance, but I figured in a science fiction setting I might find it more bearable. And I was right – in fact, the romance was understated and realistic, and I quite enjoyed the book (except for the descriptions of the pain the characters went through; I know pain and the descriptions made me feel it with them – it was quite uncomfortable. A big compliment to the author, who created such a realistic and visceral reaction!). The book has a lot of themes, dealing with issues of caste, social mores, sexuality, freedom and the danger of a person gaining too much power over others. Like any good piece of science fiction, it makes the reader really think about things while at the same time creating an entertaining world to experience; in this case, the author took her background in anthropology to create a very realistic world. Highly recommended.



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Review: "Beast Saves the Brothers and Sisters of the Cosmic I AM"

Beast Saves the Brothers and Sisters of the Cosmic I AM by G.W. Davies

My rating: 4 of 5 stars


Book Info: Genre: Fiction Reading Level: Adult

Disclosure: I won a free eBook copy of this book on LibraryThing, which I received in exchange for an honest review.

Synopsis: This genre-bending tale tells the story of Hartley Finn, aka Beast, as he follows cult leaders Bo and Peep to the Last Stop, a hippie commune in the mountains of Montana where the Brothers and Sisters of the Cosmic I AM await the arrival of their Space Brothers. But no sooner does he arrive than the free-loving façade cracks and a schism occurs, leaving the Brothers and Sisters hopelessly split between Bo and Peep, and Chad Barker, jazz trumpeter extraordinaire and incorrigible junkie. To make matters worse, a psychopath is on the loose among them, methodically stalking and attacking the Brothers and Sisters. When Bo and Peep turn to Beast for help, he uses Magick and just plain old muscle to try and straighten things out before the Arrival. But is it enough to save the Last Stop and the Brothers and Sisters of the Cosmic I AM?

My Thoughts: I honestly didn’t know what to expect when I started reading this thing - I mean, obviously the idea appealed to me or I wouldn’t have signed up for the giveaway, but would it be funny or serious? Realistic or fantastical? Honestly, it was a bit of everything. Bo and Peep were indeed based on those people: Marshall Applewhite and Bonnie Nettles, who founded Heaven’s Gate. Only this was way back in the 1970s when they first got started. John Lennon and George Harrison are characters, although they are never explicitly named – only hinted at. Beast is not only fascinated with the Cosmic I AM, but also with Aleister Crowley, which is where he came up with his name. There are some really funny moments – dark humor, but funny all the same. Strangely, it made me nostalgic for the days of hippies and free love – although I was only born in 1970, I feel strangely drawn to that lifestyle. Maybe it’s a past-life thing, just like my fascination with Druids and the Wild West. There were some really quite serious moments, too – it was, all-in-all, a sort of comprehensive picture of what being sucked into a cult would be like, as well as the general sort of atmosphere of a commune.

Technically it was fairly well-written; there were some editing issues, but they weren’t overwhelming. There were several instances in which Millie was called Lisa, which really confused me the first time it happened, until I figured out it was a typo. A final editing pass wouldn’t hurt things, but it isn’t too bad and most people should be able to overlook it. I quite liked the book, overall. If it sounds like something you would like, I’d say go for it.



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Review: The Department of Magic

The Department of Magic by Rod Kierkegaard Jr.

My rating: 5 of 5 stars



Book Info: Genre: Urban Fantasy Reading Level: Adult

Disclosure: I picked up a free copy on Amazon; later I found it offered on NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. I was more than happy to get the excuse to read this book sooner, so took up the offer.

Synopsis: It’s hate at first sight.

Jasmine Farah and Rocco di Angelo are competing for the same job in a dusty office in a secret Federal agency run by the mysterious, menacing Jefferson Davis Crawley – “Creepy” Crawley, as he’s known.

When Crawley is murdered in front of them after their first day on the job, Jasmine and Rocco are left to figure out who killed their new boss, and exactly what a job in the so-called Department of Magic entails. And magic, it seems, is nothing like it seems in children’s books; it’s dark and bloody and sexual.

What follows is a nightmare gallop through a world of ghosts, spooks, vampires, demons, and the minions of South American and Voodoo gods hell-bent on destroying the world and subjugating all America in the year 2012.

Only Rock and Jazz, in the company of a ragtag team of urhobos – homeless guardians of the District of Columbia– can prevent it by resurrecting “Goddess America” in a mystical ceremony on the Fourth of July, as the story reaches its bittersweet and unforeseen climax.

My Thoughts: I got the biggest kick out of the excerpts from The Federal Bestiary that open each chapter in this book. Kierkegaard has a sly and dark sense of humor that I found very appealing. I was also very amused by the idea of the Goddess America; it put a whole new perspective on Goddess worship, that’s for sure! It was interesting and refreshing to read an urban fantasy in which the main characters had no particular specialness – no powers, not monsters of any type, not even particularly good fighters, just regular people put into strange circumstances. Highly recommended for fans of urban fantasy and good story-telling.



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Review: Death Throes

Death Throes by Ian Woodhead

My rating: 5 of 5 stars



Death Throes is a three-book omnibus, consisting of Spores; Shades of Green and Third Sight

Book Info: Genre: Horror Reading Level: Adult

Disclosure: I picked up a free copy for my Kindle from Amazon.com; since it is Ian Woodhead’s birthday 4/19/12, I decided to have a little Ian Woodhead marathon this week in celebration. Happy Birthday, Ian!

Spores Synopsis: Over the course of a couple of days, all the liquid is lost from the body, leaving in its wake a dried shell. Just a slight vibration is enough for the corpse to detonate, sending millions of dust spores into the air.

Everyone over the age of 40 has been wiped out by an unidentified fungal plague. Only the young remain. The survivors leave their shelters and emerge into a world blanketed with clouds of drifting spores.

They believe that the worst is over, now is the time to start re-building. They have yet to encounter the abominations, altered by the spores. They thought the plague was the end. The plague is just the beginning.

My Thoughts: Wow, this is one high-octane thrill-ride of horror. There’s no way to tell who to trust, who is telling the truth or who is lying. It isn’t a very long book, and it is mostly action, but there is some character development. The book is left open for a sequel, too, which I’ll be interested in seeing if it should come out. Recommended for fans of horror.

Shades of Green Synopsis: Holburn was just like any other northern English town, at least on the surface. Buried below the local woodland, something had begun to tunnel up…

Within hours, Holburn suffers a drastic transformation as invasive, bizarre plant-life infest the town, the population and wildlife transform into rampaging, blood-thirsty beasts. A handful of survivor’s battle to stay alive and search for answers

My Thoughts: This book has much better editing than any of the previous books I’ve read by Ian Woodhead thus far. It also has more character development and plot – it’s still not terribly long, but it tells a more comprehensive story. I really enjoyed it and since he seems to have left it open for a sequel, I’ll be interested in whether he follows through with that. I would love to know more about... well, I can’t tell you, ‘cause that would be a spoiler! But I would like to know what happens next. Enjoyable story. 5 out of 5 stars.

Third Sight Synopsis: Driving its serrated talons through their hot skin fills it with unbelievable pleasure. Only the immense waves of life energy detonating from its chosen watcher can come close to the almost orgasmic experience of deleting their physical form from this realm.

Adrian Winters is unaware that close to his home, a newborn demon has chosen him to be the watcher. Very soon, his loving family and all his friends are about to become food for the demon.

Adrian will witness every gruesome death!

My Thoughts: Wow, this is one trippy book; it keep popping back and forth between reality and hallucinations and other realms until you have no idea what is going on. Plus there is no telling who to trust, or even who really is what they say they are. Crazy book – definitely have to pay attention or you’ll get completely lost in it. However, if you enjoy horror or bizarro fiction, you should enjoy this book. 5 out of 5 stars



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Review: Third Sight

Third Sight by Ian Woodhead

My rating: 5 of 5 stars



Book Info: Genre: Horror Reading Level: Adult

Disclosure: I picked up a free copy for my Kindle from Amazon.com; since it is Ian Woodhead’s birthday 4/19/12, I decided to have a little Ian Woodhead marathon this week in celebration. Happy Birthday, Ian!

Third Sight Synopsis: Driving its serrated talons through their hot skin fills it with unbelievable pleasure. Only the immense waves of life energy detonating from its chosen watcher can come close to the almost orgasmic experience of deleting their physical form from this realm.

Adrian Winters is unaware that close to his home, a newborn demon has chosen him to be the watcher. Very soon, his loving family and all his friends are about to become food for the demon.

Adrian will witness every gruesome death!

My Thoughts: Wow, this is one trippy book; it keep popping back and forth between reality and hallucinations and other realms until you have no idea what is going on. Plus there is no telling who to trust, or even who really is what they say they are. Crazy book – definitely have to pay attention or you’ll get completely lost in it. However, if you enjoy horror or bizarro fiction, you should enjoy this book. 5 out of 5 stars



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Review: Shades of Green

Shades of Green by Ian Woodhead

My rating: 5 of 5 stars



Book Info: Genre: Horror Reading Level: Adult

Disclosure: I picked up a free copy for my Kindle from Amazon.com; since it is Ian Woodhead’s birthday 4/19/12, I decided to have a little Ian Woodhead marathon this week in celebration. Happy Birthday, Ian!

Shades of Green Synopsis: Holburn was just like any other northern English town, at least on the surface. Buried below the local woodland, something had begun to tunnel up…

Within hours, Holburn suffers a drastic transformation as invasive, bizarre plant-life infest the town, the population and wildlife transform into rampaging, blood-thirsty beasts. A handful of survivor’s battle to stay alive and search for answers

My Thoughts: This book has much better editing than any of the previous books I’ve read by Ian Woodhead thus far. It also has more character development and plot – it’s still not terribly long, but it tells a more comprehensive story. I really enjoyed it and since he seems to have left it open for a sequel, I’ll be interested in whether he follows through with that. I would love to know more about... well, I can’t tell you, ‘cause that would be a spoiler! But I would like to know what happens next. Enjoyable story. 5 out of 5 stars.



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Review: Spores

Spores by Ian Woodhead

My rating: 5 of 5 stars



Book Info: Genre: Horror Reading Level: Adult

Disclosure: I picked up a free copy for my Kindle from Amazon.com; since it is Ian Woodhead’s birthday 4/19/12, I decided to have a little Ian Woodhead marathon this week in celebration. Happy Birthday, Ian!

Spores Synopsis: Over the course of a couple of days, all the liquid is lost from the body, leaving in its wake a dried shell. Just a slight vibration is enough for the corpse to detonate, sending millions of dust spores into the air.

Everyone over the age of 40 has been wiped out by an unidentified fungal plague. Only the young remain. The survivors leave their shelters and emerge into a world blanketed with clouds of drifting spores.

They believe that the worst is over, now is the time to start re-building. They have yet to encounter the abominations, altered by the spores. They thought the plague was the end. The plague is just the beginning.

My Thoughts: Wow, this is one high-octane thrill-ride of horror. There’s no way to tell who to trust, who is telling the truth or who is lying. It isn’t a very long book, and it is mostly action, but there is some character development. The book is left open for a sequel, too, which I’ll be interested in seeing if it should come out. Recommended for fans of horror.



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Review: The other side of Dead

The other side of Dead by Ian Woodhead

My rating: 5 of 5 stars



Book Info: Genre: Horror/ZombiesReading Level: Adult

Disclosure: I picked up a free copy for my Kindle from Amazon.com; since it is Ian Woodhead’s birthday 4/19/12, I decided to have a little Ian Woodhead marathon this week in celebration. Happy Birthday, Ian!

Synopsis: Contained within this collection are seven stories, each story dealing with the mystery of death and what may lie beyond.

Contents:
Rotating Flesh
Very Dead Dolls
Two Skins
Crimson Dreams
Beg the other Man
Lumps
Blood Curse

Reading with the light on, preferably whilst holding a teddy bear is advised. Pleased be warned that some of the stories do contain violent imagery usually associated with a horror anthology.

My Thoughts: Wow, what a terrific batch of horror stories – and these are real horror. No happily ever after to be seen here. If you love real horror, you’ll love these stories. Woodhead has a seriously twisted mind, and I absolutely am in love with his fiction. I can’t really give details of the stories – that’s the trick with short stories, as giving much of any information will spoil it. But again, all I can say is, if you love horror, you’ll love these wonderfully twisted stories. Highly recommended.



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Review: ZombieDead

ZombieDead by Ian Woodhead

My rating: 5 of 5 stars



Book Info: Genre: Horror/ZombiesReading Level: Adult

Disclosure: I picked up a free copy for my Kindle from Amazon.com; since it is Ian Woodhead’s birthday 4/19/12, I decided to have a little Ian Woodhead marathon this week in celebration. Happy Birthday, Ian!

Synopsis: The rotting dead slowly clawed their way through the hard packed grave soil. The risen corpse only had one purpose, to feed on the living.

Somewhere on the Welsh border, the insular village of Seeton continues its usual business unaware that the world around them is falling prey to the reanimated dead. Their routine lives are abruptly turned on their heads when a lone scientist arrives in their village with the virus close behind.

Dean Kasnovski had arrived home, his mind laden with the guilt of leaving his fellow researchers to perish in the secret laboratory hidden deep under the streets of London. Dean is positive that a cure can be found but he’s quickly running out of time. As the villagers’ departed loved ones return to feast on their warm bodies, Seeton’s surviving population direct their hate at the strangers in the village.

My Thoughts: Well, the editing was a problem. Lots of typos and grammatical errors, plus one guy named Richard became Christian just after being zombified. But that is pretty common in this books, honestly (sorry Ian) and I put that aside for all the fun action. I really wasn’t a fan of zombie horror, but Ian Woodhead has changed my mind. He knows how to put the zip in zombie.

This was an interesting one – a little different take on zombies, using a virus-like mechanism. There was a bit more character development than in his first two Zombie Armageddon books, as well as more information about the various characters’ interaction. Definitely a must-read for fans of the zombie genre.



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Review: Walking With Zombies

Walking With Zombies by Ian Woodhead

My rating: 5 of 5 stars



Book Info: Genre: Horror/ZombiesReading Level: Adult

Disclosure: I received a free copy of this eBook from the author in exchange for an honest review.

Synopsis: Ladies and Gentlemen, welcome to the Stockholm Club. Have we got a special treat for you tonight! We’re privileged to have with us, a highly talented county and western singer, all the way from exotic Birmingham. I know that you’ll give the lad a fantastic Yorkshire welcome.

Don’t forget, the first drink is on the house. Now before all you geriatric parasites slouch over to the bar and start making your way through my alcohol, I’d just also like to mention that there is a chance that some of my staff may turn into flesh eating zombies as the night wears on.

In fact, I think I can confidently predict that most of you will resemble jackal stripped zebra carcasses before the dawn sun makes an appearance.

So please enjoy tonight’s live entertainment and drink like there’s no tomorrow. Let’s face it; you ain’t going to be seeing it.

Despite attempts to quarantine the Breakspear housing estate, the infection has somehow spread further into the city. Whole neighbourhoods are falling to the undead plague. On the outskirts, the staff and customers of the Stockholm Club have no idea that the moaning dead are slowly shambling towards them.

My Thoughts: This is book two of the Zombie Armageddon series by Ian Woodhead, following The Unwashed Dead. Book 3 is called Infected Bodies, just FYI. I read The Unwashed Dead just a couple of days ago and quite liked it, despite my general preference to avoid traditional zombie fiction. Despite a need for additional editing, it was quite a fun read. Walking with Zombies was even better. Again the book started with various character vignettes, but in this case all characters had a commonality in the Stockholm Club, and as the story progressed, the characters gradually consolidated into the same location. Fascinating, fast-paced, and with some unconventional twists that I quite enjoyed, this is a feast for zombie lovers. Check it out!



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Review: Letters In Cardboard Boxes

Letters In Cardboard Boxes by Abby Slovin

My rating: 5 of 5 stars



Please note: I first read this book 6/23-24/2011; I am reposting this review to celebrate it winning the First Horizon award for 2012!

Book info Genre: Literary fiction Reading level: Adult

Disclosure: I received a free eBook ARC from the author in exchange for an honest review.

My Synopsis: Parker was raised by her grandmother Dotty while her parents, anthropologists, traveled the world and rarely visited. Because Parker was never able to travel the world and often felt lonely (especially when her parents declared, when she was 12, that she could stay by herself in their apartment rather than always staying with her grandmother), she and her grandmother developed a habit of writing each other letters, pretending they were writing from various locations around the country, and around the world. Parker saved those letters in a cardboard box in her closet.

Since her late teens, however, Parker cut off these fanciful letters. Now, at 29, she rarely even thinks to check her mailbox, so she doesn’t know how long the letter has been waiting in there – only that it was written five days ago. The letter is written in a different hand than her grandmother’s, and says that her grandmother is very ill, not likely to live the night, and would Parker mind donating Dotty’s clothes and taking over mentoring a high school girl, Tanya, whom Dotty has been mentoring on Wednesday nights. As Parker sits trying to understand this, the phone rings – it’s her grandmother. It turns out it was a false alarm, but Dotty still wants Parker to take over mentoring Tanya. Dotty had just forgotten about the letter until she was contacted as to why no one had shown up to mentor Tanya.

My Thoughts: This strange event begins Letters in Cardboard Boxes, a poignant and moving story about Parker and her relationships – or lack thereof – as she tries to come to grips with the fact that Dotty is sinking into dementia. It deals with how Parker deals with the situation, how she develops relationships with Tanya, and Jerry – Dotty’s next-door neighbor. Scattered throughout the book are letters – letters from Dotty to Parker; Parker to Dotty; and mysterious letters that Parker discovered in another cardboard box, love letters from a mysterious boy to Dotty from when she was younger. The story shows how Parker grows from a neurotic woman with little self-confidence to a blossoming into a person very similar to Dotty.

This book is very well-written and created in me a strong, visceral reaction – I found it very uncomfortable at times, because it reminded me of similar times with my grandmother. This strong reaction shows that Ms. Slovin knows how to connect with her readers at an emotional level, and how to elicit strong reactions through nothing so much as the ungilded truth. Despite the highly competent writing, at first I didn’t like the book – because of the strong reaction it provoked. Once I realized this, I saw the story from a new perspective and realized that this is a true work of art. It should be appreciated as such and therefore I highly recommend that you read this story and tell all your friends to as well.



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Giveaway #3 FINALLY - Randy Attwood book!

Hey, dudes and dudettes! I've been hinting at it all week, re-posting my reviews of his books, and doing everything to get y'all interested, so without further ado - it's time to giveaway a Randy Attwood book!

Randy has generously offered reader's choice of any of his books available on Amazon - whichever one you most want to have! If you check out my blog post from last week here, you'll see that I've included, about half-way down during the Q&A, a list of his books with links to their pages on Amazon, as well as a link to Randy's Amazon page so you can learn more about him and his writing! I've included the covers of a few of his books below for your viewing enjoyment. To enter, just leave a comment INCLUDING YOUR E-DRESS and next Monday I'll pick a random winner! Simple!