Giveaway time! " A Life of Death:The Golden Bulls" by Weston Kincade

A Life of Death: The Golden Bulls is the sequel to Weston's earlier work, A Life of Death. These are mysteries with a paranormal twist, and very good books (and I do not just say that because I edited them!). A quick synopsis of the new one:

Fifteen years of ritual sacrifices that began before Alex Drummond joined the force have become an anomaly in Tranquil Heights. For most residents, anger at the unsolved murders has turned to disappointment with the small police force. Now citizens hope this year’s sacrificial lamb won’t be one of their loved ones.

Alex Drummond’s ability to relive victims’ traumatic murders has not been enough. There are misguided links to Egyptian funerary rights, but without evidence and the murderer’s identity, no one outside of Drummond’s tight circle will believe him, let alone make an arrest and stop the vicious killings. After an anonymous tip, Detective Drummond discovers an annual visitor, a local who moved away years before with a similar flare for murder. He follows her to Washington DC after watching the woman burn her husband alive. His high school friend, Jessie Arturo, who settled in the large city after a failed baseball career, assists with the investigation. In such a large place, unsolved murders abound like cobwebs under abandoned guest beds.

September 20, the serial killer’s anointed date, is only days away. How has the murderer proven so elusive, even from Alex’s paranormal abilities? Is he in over his head, or can Detective Alex Drummond save the ghosts calling to him and decipher this network of brutal, ritual sacrifices before someone else is burnt alive?

So, to celebrate the release of this new book, we're holding a giveaway! Weston is giving away two signed paperbacks and 3 e-book copies (epub or mobi, winner's choice) of A Life of Death: The Golden Bulls. So, the e-books are available internationally, but the paperbacks are only for US/Canada (sorry) because of the postage costs. Be sure to sign up for the right one, now! There are two rafflecopter forms below, so make sure you look at them both and select the correct one (first is paperback and 2nd is e-books) to sign up on! The contest ends at midnight, Eastern time, on the 30th, so hurry up!

Paperbacks (US/Canada only)
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E-books (anyone who can accept an e-book)
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Review: Dead Run

Dead Run by P.J. Tracy

My rating: 5 of 5 stars



Book Info: Genre: Suspense/Thriller/Mystery
Reading Level: Adult
Recommended for: Fans of the genre, fans of the series
Trigger Warnings: Violence, terrorism

Disclosure: I purchased first the hardcover and later the e-book editions of this book for myself. All opinions are my own.

Synopsis: Computer game company founders Grace MacBride and Annie Belinsky—along with Wisconsin deputy Sharon Mueller—are en route to Green Bay, following reports of a serial killer, when their car breaks down deep in the northern woods. A short walk through the forest leads them to the eerily quiet town of Four Corners, where they find severed phone lines and a complete absence of any life. But the quiet is deceptive. Before they know it, they witness a horrifying double murder—and discover that this is only the beginning of a race to save their own lives… and countless others.

My Thoughts: This is the third book in the Monkeewrench series, following Live Bait (review here where formatting allowed—there is a link in that review to the review of the first book). I first read it shortly after its release in 2006, but did not write a review for it at that time. After acquiring books five and six, subsequent to reading the first four, I decided to re-read the whole series before book seven comes out next year.

I do not know exactly how this happened, but somewhere between the hardcover edition I originally purchased, and this e-book edition, some pretty annoying typos were introduced. I have no idea what “haifa” is, but I’m pretty sure the places where I’ve noticed it should have said “half a.” I also am fairly sure that Harley did not make a habit of calling Grace “Grade”, but I’m much too lazy to track down the hardcover to verify that. There are a number of these sorts of ridiculous typos and mistakes in this e-book version, which is really odd, because I do not recall this being a problem in the original at all. Admittedly after this much time I might have just forgotten, but... I doubt that. Speaking of errors, in the synopsis is says they are racing to save their lives, and the lives of countless others. In fact, “countless” people were not being threatened—there was a very specific number mentioned.

This book has a segment that gives you a perfect look at who Grace is, deep down inside. She, Annie and Sharon are on trip, and this conversation takes place.

Sharon: “I thought all these fancy rides had GPS.”
“Grace wouldn’t hear of it,” Annie said. “Too Big Brother. They always know where you are with a GPS.”
Sharon cocked her head at Grace. “And who is ‘they’?”
Grace shrugged. “Could be anybody.”

This really gives the reader a good look at who Grace is. We had hints of it from the very beginning, of course. She always carries at least two weapons, always wears her English riding boots outside of her own house. Once you understand her background, you understand of course (it’s all explained in Monkeewrench), but she is an intensely paranoid young woman.

Now, I’ve been to Wisconsin, and I thought it was a beautiful state, especially the woods. It’s not heavily populated, but I grew up in Montana, which borders both North and South Dakota, and I think all three states together are about the same population as Wisconsin, so I didn’t really consider Wisconsin to be all that empty. But this conversation between Annie and Sharon really brought home to me how many people, used to more populous areas, might see the Wisconsin woods.

Annie: “This is absolutely the spookiest place I have ever been in my life. I never heard of anyone famous from Wisconsin, and now I know why. Nobody lives here.”
Sharon turned around... “Ed Gein was famous. He lived here.”
“Never heard of him.”
“He used to kill people, grind them up, and eat them.”
“Hmph. Well, apparently he ate them all.”

I’d have loved to have heard what Annie had to say about Montana, or North Dakota, or South Dakota for that matter, if she thinks backwoods Wisconsin is bad. Of course, as my mom used to say, at least in the prairie you can see them coming. Who is “them”? As Grace said: Could be [just about] anybody.

I’ve seen many critical reviews of this book complaining of sexism, which really confuses me. I simply do not see it. While it is true that the men all jump up to go “rescue” Annie, Sharon, and Grace, they all also admit to themselves that these women do not need to be rescued, and that they are able to take care of themselves. They are worried, so they do what men do: take action. There is no sexism at all at work here in my opinion—just people worried over their friends and wanting to help however they can, even as they realize said friends can take care of themselves in most situations.

This book is different from the first two, in that it is not a mystery, per se, but more a suspense thriller—and it is very, very suspenseful. At the moment the suspense broke, I literally had tears in my eyes and a goofy smile on my face, simultaneously. And this was the second time I’d read the book, so it was no surprise to me, but it is so skillfully done, and such a wonderful scene, that I could not help myself. If you like suspenseful thrillers, if you’ve enjoyed the series, then definitely read this great book. Next up: Snow Blind.



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Review: Live Bait

Live Bait by P.J. Tracy

My rating: 5 of 5 stars



Book Info: Genre: Mystery/Suspense/Thriller
Reading Level: Adult
Recommended for: Fans of the genre and series
Trigger Warnings: Violence, murder, hate crimes

Disclosure: I purchased first a hardcover and later an e-book version of this book for myself. All opinions are my own.

Synopsis: Minneapolis detectives Leo Magozzi and Gino Rolseth are bored–-ever since they solved the Monkeewrench case, the Twin Cities have been in a murder-free dry spell, as people no longer seem interested in killing one another. But with two brutal homicides taking place in one awful night, the crime drought ends-–not with a trickle, but with an eventual torrent. Who would kill Morey Gilbert, a man without an enemy, a man who might as well have been a saint? His tiny, cranky little wife, Lily, is no help, and may even be a suspect; his estranged son, Jack, an infamous ambulance-chasing lawyer, has his own enemies; and his son-in-law, former cop Marty Pullman, is so depressed over his wife's death a year ago that he's ready to kill himself, but not Morey. The number of victims—all elderly—grows, and the city is fearful once again. The detectives' investigation threatens to uncover a series of horrendous secrets, some buried within the heart of the police department itself, blurring the lines between heroes and villains. Grace MacBride's cold-case-solving software may find the missing link—but at a terrible price.

My Thoughts: This is the second book in the Monkeewrench series, following Monkeewrench (review here where formatting allowed). I first read this second book in the series soon after it came out in 2005, but didn’t review it at the time. Since I have, subsequently to reading the first four, acquired books 5 and 6, I decided to re-read the whole series at a go before book 7 comes out next year, and actually do reviews for all of them this time (I believe I have an old review for Snow Blind out there, which I will share when I do the next one).

One thing of the very few things that bothers me in this book (and series) is the authors’ constant focus on the weight of a couple of the characters. Admittedly, Annie and Gloria are also described as sensual and sexy, with men always tripping over themselves to gain their attention, but neither woman can be mentioned without the additional mention of how heavy she is, like this is terribly important to keep rubbing in the readers’ faces. But that’s just a personal issue, I imagine. The only other thing I have to complain about with this book is the occasional head-hopping that will occur out of the blue. Fortunately, it’s generally only a paragraph and then the narration will return to the regular style used through the book.

None of that is enough to make me change my original assessment of this, given many years ago, as a five-star book. Let me tell you why. One of the truly outstanding things about this series is that the storylines, the ideas presented, they all make you think. Consider this line by Lily, wife of Morey, whose daughter was also murdered.

“You men. You always want to know who did this or that terrible thing, so someone can find them and make them pay. Always it’s been like this for men, the eye for the eye, as if it would make any difference.”

I mean, really think about that, about what that implies, about what that means. It’s wonderful. There are things like this in every single book in this series, something really profound that will make you question your motivations, make you question your beliefs. I love that—I love that they don’t allow you to escape by using easy answers; they insist that you question your beliefs, that you really take a good, hard look at your basic assumptions and then ask, “Is that really who I am? Is that really how I feel? And is that really right?” Not to mention that the authors are wonderful about hiding the villain until they are good and ready to reveal whodunit. That makes these among some of the best mysteries I’ve read since Agatha Christie.

So, despite any minor annoyances, these books are right up there with the best of the best, and I highly recommend them to anyone who enjoys a great mystery/suspense/thriller. Definitely check them out. Next up: Dead Run.



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Annabell Cadiz Presents: Cover reveal! "Lucifer" a Sons of the Old story

Let me start out by saying: I edited this book.  Annabell had contacted me and said it was still a bit rough, but could I please do an edit for her anyway?  I agreed.  After a few pages, I wrote her back, because I was so surprised by how well-written the book was.  "I thought you said this was rough!" I said.  So, yeah, this is a great book.  I am going over it again in a another week or so, and then Annabell will be finishing it up and publishing it. Check out that cover!  Isn't it awesome?

Synopsis: Have you ever wondered what could be hiding in the shadows?

Well, for eighteen-year-old Zahara Faraday, she doesn’t have to wonder. You see she comes from a lineage of Light Witches, those who have chosen to help protect and serve between the supernatural world and the human world. The only problem is Zahara, like her father Solomon, is as human as a human being can be whereas her mother, Mia, and her Aunt Catalina, were born as Light Witches. As a family they hunt down rogue supernaturals—creatures who harm humans or who have committed an act against their kingdom. 

Zahara’s hunting skills are usually kept dormant since her parents would prefer she live life as a normal human girl without knowledge of the supernatural world. She plans on doing just that—except when she finds a couple being attacked by fairies, she has no choice but to step in. Before she can return to pretending to be blissfully ignorant, Zahara encounters a problem she isn’t the least equip to handle: Bryan Hamilton, the good looking new co-worker she has to help train. In a heartbeat, her best friend, Becca King, has set her up on a double date with herself and her new crush, Rekesh Saint-Louis, who happens to be the most powerful leader of the biggest Imago Coven in South Florida –supernatural creatures with the ability to control water . . . and suck out human souls. 

Zahara has no time to focus on how she’s going to explain her double date with her best friend and the enemy they have a tentative truce with to her parents because soon one of the members of Mia and Catalina’s coven is found murdered with a strange tattoo of a snake with wings carved into his arm.

Zahara is then thrown into a whirlwind battle with an angel determined to have revenge against God, an Imago coven she doesn’t think they should trust, and slew of dream-eating fairies and powerful Nephilims, hybrid children of angels and humans, more than happy to rip her to shreds.

Normal just got a deadlier definition.

Add to Your To-Read Shelf on Goodreads!

Go Inside Lucifer (Sons of Old Trilogy, #1)

Coming January 31, 2013!

“Care to dance?” Bryan asked, already leading Zahara to the dance floor.

She pulled him back and shook her head. “I’m the worst dancer! My feet, hips, and body don’t know how to coordinate well together, so I wind up looking like an ostrich trying to bust a move.”

Bryan laughed and pulled her onto the dance floor. “Whether you look like an ostrich or a ballerina dancer, you’re still the best lookin’ one here.”

He spun her around and placed his hands on her hips, attempting slowly to move her in the same rhythm as his own. At first Zahara’s body moved stiffly, even under Bryan’s warm and smooth hands, which were sending shivers creeping up her spine and around her midsection; she couldn’t stop looking around the club. Stuck in between a group of scantily clad teenage girls who kept dropping to their knees and bouncing back up, a giggling mass of hysteria, and a Spanish couple pressed so tightly together their dancing came off as borderline sex, Zahara felt like an alien. Even the hyena-sounding girls–who, Zahara was pretty sure, were all buzzed and quickly heading to being drunk—moved with more skill than she possessed.

But Bryan pressed her closer against him and placed her arms to circle his neck from behind. He moved a little faster and Zahara fell into step, laying her head against his shoulder and closing her eyes to drown out the crowd. She focused on the hard muscles of Bryan’s chest, his heated breath against her hair, and his fingers gripping her waist. She absently wondered if it was wrong that an angel was dancing inside of a club full of youth, and if this was as weird and exhilarating for him as it was for her. Bryan spun her around to face him and kissed her. He wasn’t as gentle as he usually was, digging his hand into her hair and nibbling on her bottom lip. Zahara whimpered and moved her fingers underneath his shirt, digging her fingers into his back.

Bryan pulled back and laid his forehead against Zahara’s, his breath ragged and intense enough to set her on fire. “You’re making this difficult.”

“Making what difficult?” Zahara huffed.

“Leaving you.” Bryan closed his eyes and kissed her again.

Fun Quotes

“Enough with the games, I know what you are, Nephilim and if you make one move, I promise I will carve you open.” ~Zahara

“You caught me, I was definitely dreaming of you. If I remember correctly, you were frolicking on a beach, wearing a pretty skimpy red bikini and some kind of flower in your hair. Gotta say that was the best dream I’ve ever had.” ~Bryan

“Time is endless for a being such as I. Power is the only master I trust.” ~Lucifer

 “All those night long phone calls! All those secret visits to my house! All those secret walks! And you’re fond of me! You think I’m being over dramatic! How about I break your face open for over dramatics!” ~Becca

“Solomon, you will remember that although I agreed to ally myself and my coven with yours, that does not mean you have any semblance of authority over me. We have a truce, and I conduct my own actions as I see fit, whether that involves Becca or not.’

‘And you remember I will take your coven down the moment you step over the line,” Solomon hissed.” ~Solomon and Rekesh

About the Author: Annabell Cadiz was born in the sweltering heat of South Florida. She was raised surrounded by Puerto Rican chefs and band of siblings that weren’t all related to her. A self-proclaimed nerd and book-a-holic (her room does hold much evidence to prove her claims are justifiable), she created TeamNerd Reviews to showcase her EXTREME love for novels where, along with her best friend, Bridget Strahin, she hosts book reviews, interviews, giveaways, Indie Shoutouts and much more. She also blog tour services for authors. She also had the pleasure of being published in three separate issue of Suspense Magazine. She also adores Cinnamon Teddy Grahams, has an addiction to Minute Maid Orange juice, and is a proud Jesus Freak. She is working on getting LUCIFER, the first book in SONS OF OLD TRILOGY ready to be published JANUARY 31, 2013.

Where to Find the Author

Website

TeamNerd Reviews

Goodreads

Twitter

Facebook

Review: Monkeewrench

Monkeewrench by P.J. Tracy

My rating: 5 of 5 stars



Book Info: Genre: Mystery/Suspense/Thriller
Reading Level: Adult
Recommended for: Fans of the genre
Trigger Warnings: Violence, serial murder

Disclosure: I received this book, along with a whole box of books, from a coworker in 2004, as they were extras she didn’t want. All opinions are my own. This is my second reading of the book.

Synopsis: People are dying for the new computer game by the software company Monkeewrench. Literally. With Serial Killer Detective out in limited release, the real-life murders of a jogger and a young woman have already mimicked the first two scenarios in the game.

But Grace McBride and her eccentric Monkeewrench partners are caught in a vise. If they tell the Minneapolis police of the link between their game and the murders, they'll shine a spotlight on the past they thought they had erased-and the horror they thought they'd left behind. If they don't, eighteen more people will die...

My Thoughts: Thanks to my coworker all those years ago, I was introduced to this excellent series (as well as another of my favorites, the Lucas Davenport mysteries by John Sandford, but that’s another review) and started buying the rest of them as they came out. There are currently six books available in this series, which I will reviewing in the coming days, with a seventh due out next year. I first read this book in 2004, but did not write a review at that time, so when it came time to read the latest books in the series I decided to start again at the beginning and write the reviews I neglected to write the first time around.

Over the years, while I remembered I had enjoyed the story, I had forgotten how mesmerizing it is. I was initially charmed because it is set in Minneapolis, a city in which I lived for 5 ½ years. This description from the book is really quite apt. “From her first day here Grace had pegged Minneapolis as a prissy city, an aspiring lady with her skirts held ankle-high to avoid the prairie mud. It had an underbelly, of course—the hookers and johns, the porn shops, the junior-high kids cruising for a hit of black tar or Ecstasy—but you really had to look to find it, and that it existed at all never failed to shock the stalwart Lutheran populace into action. It was one of the few cities in the country, Grace thought, where the self-righteous still thought you could shame the sleaze into redemption.” This is all especially impressive once you realize that this is the debut novel by the mother-daughter team that wrote this book.

The synopsis is not completely accurate, in that the Monkeewrench crew did not hesitate in the slightest to contact the police about the connection to the game. It was their own past they didn’t immediately discuss. I can’t say anything more than that to avoid spoilers, but inaccurate synopses drive me crazy, so I thought I’d point that out.

At any rate, this is really top-notch suspense fiction. If you enjoy mysteries and suspense, you will definitely want to check out P.J. Tracy’s wonderful Monkeewrench series, starting with this, the first book, Monkeewrench itself. Great characters, and you will never, ever see the denouement coming. Wonderful stuff.



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"Khost" winners!

Sorry for the delay in announcing today's winners! I forgot what day it was... it happens sometimes. Anyway, today we have three winners, who will each receive an e-book copy of "Khost" from Hobbes End Publishing. Congratulations!

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Review: The Dead of Winter

The Dead of Winter by Lee Collins

My rating: 2 of 5 stars



Book Info: Genre: Dark Urban Fantasy
Reading Level: Adult
Recommended for: folks who think they might enjoy it
Trigger Warnings: Plot holes. Discrepancies. Annoyances.

Disclosure: I received an ARC (unproofed galley) from Angry Robot via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.

Synopsis: Cora and her husband hunt things—things that shouldn't exist. When the marshal of Leadville, Colorado, comes across a pair of mysterious deaths, he turns to Cora to find the creature responsible, but if Cora is to overcome the unnatural tide threatening to consume the small town, she must first confront her own tragic past as well as her present.

My Thoughts: I’ve seen a number of negative reviews for this book, but it sounded like something I might like, so I figured I’d check it out and see what I thought, rather than relying on what other people think to decide whether or not it was a worthwhile book. Of course, I ran the risk of wasting my time reading a really horrible book, but one has to take a risk once in awhile, right?

It didn’t start off so great—on the very first page there is this very weird description: “. . . his breath lingering in front of his nose like a lover’s ghost.” What does that even mean? But I took a deep breath (minus the lingering lover’s ghost) and plunged on.

Now, some people have commented on Cora starting to throw a rock at the crow, but that was just realism—people weren’t terribly concerned with kindliness to animals at that point in our history. However, when Cora closed an eye to aim her pistol, I was pretty irritated. A person with any knowledge of the proper handling of handguns and how best to aim them will know that one is not supposed to close one’s eye, as that will distort one’s aim. A lot of people do it anyway, but it’s not correct, and I’m guessing someone like Cora, who is supposed to be a professional and (I would guess) a sharpshooter, would know that. So, yeah . . . typical writing by someone who knows very little about firearms culture. This occurred very early in the book and made my heart sink . . . I was pretty sure this would not be a book I would end up liking if I was already nitpicking it this early. Another of the minor things that really bothered me was when Cora ate some snow to ingest some water—well, sure, that would work, but you would have to eat a lot of snow to manage to quench your thirst, and in the meantime you’d end up with some serious hypothermia. Again, anyone with any common sense or knowledge about wilderness survival should know this. Not to mention the author, on more than than occasion, uses a phrase that just drives me crazy: “stood to his/her feet.” Does that phrase bother anyone else? I’ve been pointing it out when I edit, that it is redundant and ridiculous, but I see people using it all time. What’s up with that?

Now, don’t get me wrong; the story itself was entertaining enough, when you were reading it. But there were so many little things like the ones I mentioned above that it started to become a bit irritating. For instance, Cora is supposed to be some big-shot monster hunter, but doesn’t have the awareness of what is going on around her to notice that someone is acting out of character? I don’t know... it all sort of aggravated me. This is a neat plot twist in the last quarter of the book that was unexpected, but even then I couldn’t stop my nitpicking. Unfortunately I can’t tell you exactly why I had a problem with that without giving out spoilers, but I’ll give you a very minor one as an example. If it wasn’t Cora, then who bought tickets for the train and put the horses on it while she was settling up with the marshal after defeating the first monster? Suffice it to say: there are several places where major plot holes open up after that little twist and are never explained.

So, at the end, I have to rate it as only 2 stars, because while the story was entertaining enough at times, and that plot twist was awesome, there were just too many other problems and I ended up the book with a feeling of distinct annoyance. I mean, if you think the story will amuse you, and you can ignore the things I’ve mentioned, definitely go for it. It’s well-written enough overall, and I assume any typos I noticed will be corrected in the final copy, but … I really didn’t like it that much.



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Review: The Stein & Candle Detective Agency, Vol. 3: Red Reunion

The Stein & Candle Detective Agency, Vol. 3: Red Reunion by Michael Panush

My rating: 4 of 5 stars



Book Info: Genre: Urban Fantasy/Serial shorts/Pulp or Noir fiction
Reading Level: Young Adult
Recommended for: Fans of the series, pulp fiction, noir, fun stories
Trigger Warnings: There is a fair bit of violence

Disclosure: I received an e-galley ARC from Curiosity Quills via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.

Synopsis (slightly altered for space) courtesy of Goodreads: For Weatherby Stein and Morton Candle – private detectives specializing in the paranormal – life normally isn’t easy. They deal with cases that pit them against ferocious demons in the Tokyo underworld, Satan-worshipping teenagers in a seemingly normal suburb and lizard-men in a Lake Tahoe lounge, and they still manage to come out on top.

But now one of Weatherby’s ancient ancestors, the villainous Viscount Wagner Stein, has been resurrected and is looking to stir up trouble – and he’s not alone.

Facing down dangers from the past like the Viscount and the newly arisen Dracula, Lord of Vampires, Weatherby and Mort have no choice but call in help. They’ll bring in Weatherby’s sister, a college student studying folklore and her beatnik boyfriend. They’ll bring in Morton’s squad mates, a tough bunch of soldiers who stormed through Europe together. And they’ll bring in a hulking monster named Adam, with another connection to the past of Weatherby’s family.

Weatherby, Morton and their allies make a stand to stop the evils of the past from corrupting of the future – and only one faction will make it out of the battle alive.

My Thoughts: I have read this entire series so far (Vol 1 review here and Vol 2 review here where links are permitted) and quite enjoyed it. This is very pulpy pulp fiction, so if that doesn’t appeal to you, these books probably won’t entertain you as much as they have me, but we each have our own vices and mine happens to be pulp fiction.

The first two books contained a few short stories apiece, and were really fairly short. This one is much longer, the stories almost reaching novella length, which I quite enjoyed. The first four stories—the basic plotlines to three of which (plus the first Dracula story) are explained in the first paragraph of the synopsis—take up exactly 50 percent of the book. Then there is a two-part final story. According to the end notes, this is the end of a trilogy, but Panush will be releasing some new series in the upcoming year. After these very enjoyable books, and his other book Dinosaur Jazz (review here where links are allowed), all of which are very good stories, I’m very much looking forward to what he will come up with next!

There are a number of typos in this book, including the consistent misuse of “breaks” instead of “brakes,” and missing and extra words. NetGalley usually provides ARC copies of books, so hopefully most of these issues will be fixed in the final book. This is the only reason I have dropped the rating to 4 stars, as it was distracting.

This book takes a sharp turn into noir in the last half of the book, but we really move deeply into the characters. While it is left open for potentially more stories—just in case—the ongoing issues that have been faced throughout the series are all more-or-less cleared up, and this is a very satisfying conclusion to the overall series. I really do recommend you check out this talented, young writer—I know I have very much enjoyed his books.



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Review: The Redemption of Mata Hari

The Redemption of Mata Hari by Scott Rhine

My rating: 5 of 5 stars



Book Info: Genre: Urban Fantasy
Reading Level: Adult
Recommended for: Fans of fantasy, urban fantasy, strong world-building, world mythology
Trigger Warnings: Duplicitous females (Mata Hari is sometimes really hard to like)

Disclosure: I edited this book. I do not receive any remuneration based upon sales. All opinions are my own.

Synopsis: A poor word choice when arguing with an angel sends Aaron to the Abyss. Creatures are usually exiled to the Caves of Ice for good reason, but when Aaron discovers a frozen, 1950s starlet praying, there must have been a mistake. To rescue her, he has to make a deal with a crocodile demon. Meet the tribes of the djinn as you travel the lands of Dante’s Inferno, the Talmud, and the Arabian Nights in the supernatural sequel to Foundation for the Lost.

My Thoughts: I really enjoyed the previous book in this series, Foundation for the Lost (review here where links are allowed), so I was very excited to have the chance to work on (and thereby have an early chance to read) its sequel. I really like what Scott Rhine does with the various world mythologies that are worked into this story, and the inclusion of the various types of djinn in the story. Mata Hari is very hard to like through a lot of the book, as she is very focused on finding a way to make Aaron hers, regardless of his feelings on the matter, but she does redeem herself in the end (thus the title). I also really liked Princess Maymoora and her brother. I wish we'd have had more time with Winn and the other people left from the first book, but this book focused on Aaron and his travels and changes. It's a good book and I'm hoping that Rhine will continue this series. If you're a fan of fantasy stories - be that urban fantasy or more straight-up fantasy - and enjoy strong world building that includes a variety of mythological bases, then you will definitely want to check out this series.



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Review: Intervention: How Humanity from the Future Has Changed Its Own Past

Intervention: How Humanity from the Future Has Changed Its Own Past by Alan Butler

My rating: 5 of 5 stars



Book Info: Genre: Non-fiction; alternate thoughts
Reading Level: Adult
Recommended for: Those who are curious about different ideas behind what we’re told, those who don’t care to accept common “truths”
Trigger Warnings: 9/11 is mentioned and a few conspiracy theories surrounding it are expanded on. If you have a trigger for 9/11, be aware of that.

Disclosure: I received an e-book ARC from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.

Synopsis: As Alan Butler demonstrates in this extraordinary book, many key events in the history of our world—from the creation of the Moon to the evolution of human beings—came about through the intervention of humans from the future. Based on rigorous science, Butler's theory reveals the changes made by these time travelers, as well as the markers they left behind to prepare us for the most spectacular revelation of all: our first contact with our future selves, an event that will occur within the lifetime of most people alive today.

My Thoughts: I have read a few other books (one by Alan Butler The Knights Templar Revealed, and other, similar books by other authors: Fingerprints of the Gods by Robert Hancock and The Message of the Sphinx by Robert Bauval—where formatting allows links and there are reviews, clicking on the book title will take you to the review) that were along this same lines and found them very interesting and fun to read, so when I stumbled across this on NetGalley, I knew I had to read it. I find alternate theories as to our past and present to be fascinating; plus I just enjoy thinking about things from a different point of view.

And I also enjoyed this book, a great deal. The ideas espoused in it are absolutely fascinating, as Butler claims that we, ourselves (or humans from the future) are responsible for the evolution and development of our own world. He provides a number of very interesting proofs of this theory, and it really makes a lot of sense in many ways. He says that people cannot simply go to any time in the past and jump into the timeline, but can only go into times where they were already a part of the timeline—it’s hard to explain, so you’ll just have to read it for more details—but it made me wonder if there were possibly elements of reincarnation involved; that is to say, that if a person’s past incarnation were involved in a specific timeline, if a person could sort of hitch hike on that person in order to experience what happens. Butler also has theories about so-called implants that he addresses that are very interesting. Obviously not everyone will find this as interesting as I did, but if you’re interested in hearing about different theories of human evolution and development, you should definitely check out Butler’s books. I have at least one more in my personal library, and a number more on my wishlist, which I’ll read eventually. Recommended.



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