January 9, 2014

CAUTION: WITCH IN PROGRESS by Lynne North

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5 out of 5 stars

I originally picked up this fun, amusing story as a birthday present for my ten-year-old niece, but I made the mistake of reading the first pages when it was delivered and had to go out to buy my own copy so I could finish the story. It has made great reading for the grandkids when they come for a visit.

Gertie Grimthorpe comes from a long line of witches, but unfortunately she’s never really fit in the witch community. She doesn’t look like all the other witches, and all the characteristics the community associates with them, hooked noses, pointed chin, and not such pleasant personalities. Gertie is beautiful and a genuinely nice person. But Gertie wants to fit in, even hoping she’ll soon grow her first wart. Her mother decides she might get things moving along if she sends her daughter to a school for witches, hoping she’ll at least learn how to concoct a simple spell without having it backfire.

 

Lynne North did a great job, the story fun, this quirky cast of characters easy to picture as we follow Gertie in her quest to become a ‘real’ witch. Several places had me laughing out loud. For any of those with tweens, you can’t go wrong with this one, and even for those who are a little older (or a lot, like me), and still embrace the child that lives inside you, I guarantee a fun journey.

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January 5, 2014

INVASIVE SPECIES By Joseph Wallace

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3.5 out of 5 stars

Invasive Species by Joseph Wallace could have been a top notched story in my opinion, but it needed a little more work in the developing stage. Some parts were downright creepy and definitely raised the heart rate as I tried to imagine what life would be like was something like this to happen in real life. Unlike some reviewers I read before purchasing this novel I had no problem suspending disbelief. It was easy to visualize the wasps and the terror they brought to a people totally unprepared to deal with them.

The story opens in the African wilderness where a rainforest is dying out. An unknown predator, an enormous black wasp, is forced to rise up and find new territory to call home.  Before their native land was destroyed, these wasps, known by the locals as ‘Thieves’ preyed on animals, typically monkeys. The animals were used as a host for their growing larvae, an ordeal the host didn’t survive. These thieves had no problem moving from monkeys to people as they quickly spread out, deadlier than anything the world has ever known.

Where I think the novel failed was in character development. It was spread out too thin across too many characters and I wasn’t able to develop a strong enough emotional connection to most of them to remember what part they played. The political side, heavier handed than I prefer, didn’t do anything to add to the story either. I craved more time shown with the wasps as an actual part of the scene. I did find it easy to connect with the little girl Cait, and also with Trey, the man who first came into contact with the wasps, but the rest were just vague images in my mind. The ending also fell flat. I won’t get into it because I don’t want to give anything away. Not everyone will feel the same way I did. Bottom line, it’s a good read with loads of potential, but is let down by a lack of character development. I still enjoyed the story and would score it 3.5 out of 5 stars if I could.

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January 2, 2014

CORPSES SAY THE DARNDEST THINGS By Doug Lamoreux

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5 out of 5 stars

Doug Lamoreux is fast becoming one of my favorite horror authors. He already had me well hooked with his three previous novels: The Devil’s Bed, The Melting Dead and Dracula’s Demeter. I read each of these three in less than two days. If life hadn’t stepped in the way I probably would have raced through in less than one. J As soon as I learned there was something new out by Lamoreux, I raced over to Amazon, intrigued by the title ‘Corpses Say the Darndest Things’. This story definitely has elements of horror, but it’s different from the other three in that it has a lighter, almost comedic, side that I found refreshing.

Katherine Delp is the wife of Chicago’s biggest, most popular, televangelist. Nod Blake is a private investigator who is hired—against his wishes through his over-eager secretary—to keep an eye on the soon-to-be-dead Mrs Delp. But her death is only the beginning, and the person who stands at the top of the police suspect list is Blake himself. This is only the beginning of Blake’s problems however. A nasty bump on the head seems to have opened a door for murdered victims to communicate with him, and they do so by forcing Blake to live through their murders as if he is the one being killed, feeling every second of their pain as they died.

I chuckled through some parts, enjoying the sharp wit of this old style detective story, while flinching through others. The plot remained complex, the characters 3D and fun to follow, as we watch Blake try to get to the truth of what’s taking place. The scenes where he experienced the murders personally were well-written, realistic and definitely able to make me cringe. Every time I thought I knew who the killer was, another bump was placed in the road, tossing everything back up into the air again. I enjoy trying to play the ‘who did it’ game with mystery detective stories, but I admit the twists and turns in this one kept me guessing right up until the end. A fast and fun read that I think fans of horror and mystery will both enjoy.

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December 23, 2013

IMMORTAL LIGHT: INTO SHADOW by John D. Sperry

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5 out of 5 stars

I loved this second book in the Immortal Light Series by John Sperry. It starts off with a bang, placing the reader straight into action, and it never let up until the very last page is turned. I didn’t get a lot of sleep last night because I had to finish the story.

Lucy Higgins is forced to grow up fast when her best friend Kat is kidnapped and tortured by evil agents of the Immortal Light. In her quest to find and rescue Kat from their torturous hands, Lucy is separated from her soul mate and forced to put her trust in another man she hardly knows, a warrior named Sean. But can she afford to trust him? Can she afford to trust anyone? It would appear not when at every turn she finds her life and the lives of those she loves placed in mortal danger.

In my opinion the first novel in this series would have to be categorized as a straight young adult, with all the teenage angst and confusion that tends to go along with it.  I prefer a fast start and admit I struggled some to become engaged with the characters and story. After the first quarter though the action started and I read the rest in one sitting. I have no doubt book two will hold the attention of all readers, YA and adult alike. There wasn’t anything slow, the pace lightning fast, the action intense. The characters are all richly drawn, the tension held high from start to finish. I grew so emotionally connected to Lucy and her struggles that I wanted to jump straight through the pages and try to help her figure out the truth. World building was incredible. I could literally see the swords Lucy and Sean created from water, and light she used as a weapon as they fought against the evil reapers.  I have no doubt others will enjoy it as much as I did. I’ll definitely be watching for more from this gifted new author.

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December 16, 2013

OBSTACLES by Chris Reardon

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3 out of 5 stars

I think this was a great first novel for Chris Reardon. He is a talented author with a bright future ahead of him.

A young doctor has a nine-year-old patient who is dying and he’s frustrated that there is nothing he can do to save him. Then another patient steps into the picture and offers the doctor an ancient tome. Inside is a possible solution to saving the dying young boy. All he has to do is follow the directions and call a powerful god down for a favor, a god who has the ability to alter destiny. The catch, young doctor Alcott has to give up his life so the boy can live. But there’s a sub clause involved. He must pass three seemingly impossible obstacles in order to proceed. But Alcott isn’t the only one who must pass these obstacles. There are four others, each of whom wants to save the life of another person. They will work together and help one another in their quest to save another person’s life.

This is an action-packed story, the pace super-fast and the characters easy to become emotionally involved with. Though I wanted to score higher, I couldn’t justify more than three stars because I did struggle at times, especially in the very beginning, to believe Alcott was a real doctor. His word choices and actions didn’t always come across as realistic. As I read I kept seeing a mid-teen type in my mind. But I could feel the young doctor’s pain over the thought of losing his patient and understood why he took a chance and followed the directions found in the tome for calling down a god. Word choices were awkward at times, not fitting with what was being said, though on a positive note, was never bad enough to stop me from reading and enjoying the story. I think this author has a bright future ahead of him. I know I’ll definitely be watching for the next one to come along by Chris Reardon.

 

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December 10, 2013

THE SUBTLE THIEF OF YOUTH by DJ Wiseman

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5 out of 5 stars 

The Subtle Thief of Youth is the second novel I’ve read by D.J. Wiseman and he did not disappoint. The rain began as a few drops leaving circles in the dust, and then it steadily began to fall harder. I felt as though I was standing right there, the description handled so well I could almost feel the pelt of rain on my skin and sense the panic of people as the water rose higher and higher, destroying everything in its path as it flooded the countryside.

A full decade has passed since an eleven-year-old girl went missing and is never heard from again. Ten years later a tree is uprooted in a flood of mud and water, exposing the skeletal remains of Melanie Staples tangled in its roots. Is it coincidence or something far more sinister that another young girl comes up missing on the exact day Melanie’s body is returned to the community? I found myself intrigued as the mystery continues to grow. We follow the paths of a host of colorful characters: a withdrawn stonemason, a church-goer with a hidden fetish, a Sri Lankan student never quite accepted by the locals, and a vicar who likes to keep secrets. But some secrets aren’t meant to stay buried. What, if anything, does the death of Melanie Staples have to do with this latest girl’s disappearance? The answers to this mystery definitely left this reader surprised at the end.

D.J. Wiseman is an expert at getting inside the characters’ minds. He understands what it takes to build a relationship between reader and character, never rushing things. By the end I felt as though I knew each one of these people on a personal basis. We feel their pain, their fears, and their desperation to keep painful secrets hidden from prying eyes.

 

 

 

Posted by on December 10, 2013 in Archives and tagged , , .

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November 26, 2013

Debut Novel “Soul of a Warrior” released by Crescent Moon Press

Soul of a Warrior

Happy days!! My debut novel released on October 30, 2013. Available in paperback or kindle at Amazon and Barns & Noble.

An act of vengeance leaves three friends and their tabby cat abandoned on a hostile alien world.

Kimi Wicker learns the hard way what it means to have the rug jerked out from under her.  It takes on a whole new meaning when the rug being jerked is Earth and she’s no longer standing on it.

Soul of a Warrior is a science fiction romance that sends Kimi, her two closest friends and a beloved cat on an incredible journey to the planet of Lavina.  Kidnapped by a stranger, they are given no reason for why they must endure the agony of having their bodies stripped down to pure energy, attached to a beam of light, then whisked across the cosmos.  With no weapons, and little information, they are abandoned to their own defenses on this beautiful, but treacherous, world.  Now Kimi and her two friends face the daunting task of trying to find their way back home again. They have the clothes on their back and Kimi’s tabby cat as their only means for hunting food.

Hours before she is torn away from everything she knows, Kimi comes face to face with her soul mate.  She is shocked to learn he traveled from another world to claim her. But Neyvarre hesitates when the time comes to take her back with him and leaves an opening for his enemy to step in.  Now Neyvarre is desperate to learn which planet Kimi and her friends have been taken to.  He realizes her odds for survival are slim to none and knows he will suffer for all of eternity because of it.  It is this endless suffering his enemy has planned for all along.

I hope you enjoy the story.

Posted by on November 26, 2013 in Archives and tagged , , , , , , , .

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October 30, 2013

DAKOTA CAPTIVE by Alythia Brown

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4 our of 5 stars

Charli is a young woman who is witness to an act forbidden by outsiders to see. While taking a walk in the woods one day she sees four Earth Spirits transform from their animal form to human. When she is spotted, Charli finds herself taken captive. The Earth Spirits plan to keep her with them until they reach a type of witch doctor who is capable of erasing her memory.

But there’s a lot more going on than just what Charli is going through. Jumlin, an evil spirit is once again loose in the human realm and the Earth Spirits are awakened from their long sleep to stop him. But Jumlin has his eye on Charli and is planning to take her from his lifelong enemies. With her in his grasp, Jumlin knows he has a chance to win against the Earth Spirits.

Charli is a young adult and fighting the confusion most teenagers face as they struggle to become adults. Right before her family’s move, her boyfriend breaks off their relationship, but what hurts her most is learning he’s been cheating on her since before the breakup. The somewhat slow start to this novel was the most difficult for me to get through, but it did, in my opinion, nail the fluctuating feelings of a confused teenage girl. I’m a ‘get-to-the-bottom-of-the-problem-and-fix-it’ type of person, so sometimes I became irritated with Charli’s inability to make a decision and then stick with it. Others may very well find they empathize with her struggles.

I love the Native American quality that’s brought into the picture, the names and legends. I also found Charli’s connection, through the peace pipe her family plans to return, to the Lakota Natives intriguing. I’m left wanting to know more about these people, where the legends got their start, and maybe more important, what influence they will have on Charli’s future now. The building romance between Charli and one of the Earth Spirits, Matho Chante, is extremely entertaining. One can’t help but smile when they see how hard he fights against his growing attraction to Charli, and hers to him. When her old boyfriend enters the picture again, we can’t help but hope she’ll do the right thing and choose Matho. Or at least it’s what I hope.

As Charli begins to mature I found her a fun and interesting main character to follow along with. I found the Earth Spirits fascinating and can’t wait to learn more about them. If you like young adult novels, especially ones with shape shifters and a bit of the mystical quality, you’ll be sure to enjoy Dakota Captive by Alythia Brown. I know I did.

 

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October 11, 2013

MY MASTER’S NIGHTMARE by Marita A. Hansen

5 out of 5 stars

 

I received an ARC from the author for the purpose of an honest review.

I read episode one of My Master’s Nightmare in one sitting. This fact alone should be enough to show other reader’s how well it held my attention.  Rita’s husband is killed by an Italian mob boss, one who traffics human flesh against their will, mainly beautiful woman. These young unfortunate souls are broken down, humiliated, and then molded into the perfect slaves for top-dollar clients.

Rita Kovak, an FBI agent, offers herself up as bait, hoping she will be brought in close to the man who killed her husband. But things are not always what one sees on the surface and Rita can’t be certain the man who abducts her isn’t also a victim in this organization.

In this first episode we are introduced to Rita as she is set up to be abducted. We learn why she is there and about her plans to bring the mob boss down.  But we also learn more about her as a person, especially when she is forced to face one nightmare ordeal after another at the hands of these cruel men.  The pace is lightning fast. I found absolutely zero areas where I grew bored or felt tempted to skim and became totally involved in Rita’s predicament. I’m left hoping she will find a way to win against the astronomical odds set against her.  The cliffhanger ending of episode one left me chewing on already ragged nails, anxious to learn what horrors she will face next. I only hope I don’t have to wait too long. My Master’s Nightmare, a great start from talented author Marita Hansen for what looks to be a thrilling new serious.

 

Posted by on October 11, 2013 in Archives.

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September 26, 2013

TIME OF THE OVERMEN: OF MICE & SUPERMEN by Kevin M. McGreer

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5 out of 5 stars

Excellent world building by Kevin M. McGreer in this futuristic look at our world. Add a cast of colorful characters maneuvering through a complex plot and you have an exciting story guaranteed to keep you up far past your bedtime.

The story takes place in Hades Ring, an area once known as the Chicago Loop. And Hell is a just description for those poor unfortunate souls trapped inside it, people like Pio Bardanaro, a young man who survives with the use of powerful psychic powers. If you want to survive inside the Ring, one learns quickly to stay alert, and in Pio’s case it means offering up his unique talents to a crime lord boss, because even a man as powerful as Pio can’t hope to make it alone, not while trapped inside Hades Ring.

Out of the depths of hell climbs a creature born when the Earth was still brand new. Cain, the first recorded murderer, is set free for reasons even he doesn’t know. Cain is a bloodthirsty monster who cares for no one but himself and his terrible hunger for blood. But Pio senses it would be wise to keep the cursed monster close, as a friend if he can manage it, especially when he learns his boss has made plans to sacrifice his life in a bid to take total control over Hades Ring. With Cain’s help, Pio hopes to find a way free of the Ring.

Pio and Cain are only two of the many intriguing characters we meet in Time of the Overmen: of Mice and Supermen, each part masterfully woven into an intricate plot that left this reader hungry for the next installment to become available.

Posted by on September 26, 2013 in Archives and tagged , , , , , , , .

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