The Boy Without a Heart (The Defragmenting Daniel Trilogy #3) by Jason Werbeloff

The Boy Without a Heart is the third installment in The Defragmenting Daniel Trilogy by Jason Werbeloff, and it picks up at the scene of the end of Part II. (The parts are not standalone pieces. They need to be read in sequence to understand and enjoy the trilogy.)

Android Margaret was always a loose cannon but she’s really gone over the top when she and Daniel confront the Stanton brothers after their concert at the Bacchus Mall. She’d become impatient and was ready to obtain the parts she still lacked to complete her “project” of becoming a human. Not only do they recover Daniel’s lungs from the brothers but she gets her lips (and when Detective Kage Jackson gets on the crime scene, he also scores some necessities as well from the fresh corpses!)

Author Jason Werbeloff ratchets up the action, tension, and horror in the final part of the trilogy. Daniel is closing in on the recipients of his last two organs and they turn out to be individuals with whom he has a connection. Daniel faces the dilemma of what to do with a lot of heart though.

With The Boy Without a Heart, the trilogy is done and proves to be a really satisfying reading experience complete with absolutely awesome plot twists at the end. I recommend this story to mature readers that enjoy horror and dystopian society tales.

The Face in a Jar (The Defragmenting Daniel Trilogy #2) by Jason Werbeloff

Jason Werbeloff has delivered AGAIN in the exciting and tension-filled 2nd installment of The Defragmenting Daniel Trilogy called The Face in a Jar.

Daniel Mendez is steadily gather up his original organs (taken from him as payment for his childhood upkeep) from the wealthy, priveleged Bubble recipients. However, the private investigator, Kage Jackson, contracted by the Bubble PD to track down the "Organ Thief" is steadily figuring everything out and closing in. Daniel is helped and hindered in his quest to become whole by Margaret, the robot that wants to become human and needs just a few parts herself to achieve her goal - Project Alpha. Her assistance comes at a price: Daniel must collect her desired parts as well as his own. Kage, a trans male formerly known as Kassandra, helped by love-interest, Una, is also hampered in his successful completion of the case by the police themselves.

The Face in the Jar builds wonderfully upon the world created in The Organ Scrubber (Book 1) and solidifies the totally hedonistic realm that is life in the Bubble. It reinforces the achingly vast difference between Bubble residents and those existing in The Gutter (the broken-down, poverty-stricken area outside). The story has explicit gore and sex and so much imagination of what makes up this world. It is exciting, tense and a definite page turner!

The Organ Scrubber (The Defragmenting Daniel Trilogy #1) by Jason Werbeloff

Daniel lives a grim, futile existence of endless work as an organ scrubber – flushing and preparing human organs slated for reuse by the wealthy and privileged. Orphaned at birth, Daniel grew up in The Orphanage with others in the same circumstances, selling his own organs as required to pay the high debt that even his meager existence incurs, replacing them with inferior cybernetic parts.

On his 18th birthday, he is entitled to receive the identification of his parents. Father unknown, but Daniel receives his birth mother’s name and last known address and leaves the relative safety and security of The Orphanage to find her. Along the way he discovers the fate of his mother and encounters people living outside the control of the known government. More importantly, Daniel decides he wants his own organs back.

Defragmenting Daniel: The Organ Scrubber is the first in of a trilogy by the talented Jason Werbeloff, and it is one heck of a beginning. Daniel's world comes to life, grim and horrific. Characters of a wide variety populate it and the action is non-stop. I can't wait to get my hands on the rest of the story!

Montana Rescue by Kim Law

After completing the first title in this new Kim Law series, Montana Cherries, and enjoying it so very much, I had to read book 2. I was delighted by the characters and setting in Montana Rescue. A handsome bull rider, Nick, part of a large family returns home, temporarily, to manage the family orchard business while his father and new stepmother take a long-needed vacation. Before even taking up his duties, he reconnects with the girl of his teenage dreams, Harper Stone, now widowed, who has also returned home after years away, and is helping her younger sister out with her business of providing the bucking bull stock to the Montana Pro Rodeo circuit (where Nick competes.) What follows is the story of how their relationship evolves and how they come to terms with their pasts.

It is a sexy, contemporary romance with two strong characters that totally melt when dealing with each other. It is also a story of healing and forgiveness – forgiving oneself and moving on. The setting in Montana was of interest to me. I’ve never been there but it sounds lovely and wild. Also, I enjoyed seeing this side of the workings of rodeo – that was a little different angle than I’ve seen before. As I mentioned before, this is the second book in this series about the large Wilde family but it stands on its own – you wouldn’t have to read the first book, Montana Cherries (although I liked it, too) to enjoy this one.

Montana Cherries by Kim Law

Dani Wilde’s life has been on hold for the last 14 years while she has kept house and looked after her father and brothers on their family farm after the sudden death of her mother during Dani’s first semester of college. But with the college graduation of her youngest brother, Dani plans to move back to New York City (where she’d been when her mother died) and pick up where she left off.

The plan is to stay through the summer cherry harvest when all her brothers return home, say her goodbyes, and attempt to restart her interrupted life. And then, in walks her older brother’s best friend, Ben Denton, the love of her life, who took her virginity 10 years ago and left for a high-profile, celebrity lifestyle as a fashion and “fashionable” photographer. But Ben has not returned home alone. He’s got his newly-discovered daughter, Haley, with him and no clue about how to proceed as a single father to a four-year-old girl.

The feelings between Dani and Ben are still strong, and when Ben and Haley are welcomed into the Wilde family with open arms, complications begin to develop. As harvest time closes in and Dani prepares to depart for New York, the truth and dysfunctionality of the family begin to come to light.

The characters in the story are all suffering and trying to heal from the impact of horrible mothers: the Wilde siblings, their father, Ben, and Haley whose mother kept her existence a secret until she dumped the child on Ben’s doorstep and abruptly left. All are victims of women that never should have had children. Each is trying to cope in their different ways under their different circumstances. There are some very heartbreaking moments.

The romance between Ben and Dani (both as their younger selves and in the present situation) is compelling and keeps the pages turning. I continued to wonder what the final outcome was going to be.

There is tension between family members rooted in their past but there is forgiveness and reconciliation as well making for some additional drama and emotional storytelling.

Altogether, Montana Cherries is unique in its premise and satisfying in its resolution. It is a lovely start to what I hope is a series featuring each of the Wilde siblings.

Her Darkest Nightmare by Brenda Novak

Twisted minds, twisted ending!

After a spectacular set up of the series in the prequel, Hanover House, author Brenda Novak has offered up a very suspenseful series opening in Her Darkest Nightmare. The story begins with a retelling of the horrific abduction, torture and murders of 16-year-old Evelyn Talbot’s 3 best friends by her boyfriend, Jasper Moore, and her subsequent victimization and almost murder when she discovers him in the act. Jasper escapes capture and justice, perhaps aided by his parents, and remains free to this day, haunting the adult Evelyn’s life and mind, always looming in the shadows ready to pounce and finish what he’d started all those years ago.

Dr. Evelyn Talbot is now a successful psychiatric leading a research facility attached to a new prison located in Hilltop, Alaska, studying psychopathic serial killers. Overcoming the fears of the locals and the only law enforcement in the area, Alaska State Trooper Sergeant Amarok, about having such a facility on their outskirts is tough enough but suspicions escalate with the murders of two prison staff members.

With the characters socked in and hampered by winter storms, the remoteness of the setting lending to the feeling of aloneness, and the absolutely terrifying craziness of some of the inmates, the story is really suspenseful. Evelyn and Amarok are immediately attracted to each other but their relationship is complicated by her past and his opposition to having the prison on his doorstep. Then, too, just when I thought I had it all figured out – SURPRISE!

I was so wrong.

And because I never saw it coming, the story was that much more frightening.

I highly recommend Her Darkest Nightmare to those that like their sexy romance with a big dose of suspense.

Hanover House by Brenda Novak

When Evelyn Talbot was sixteen years old, she was abducted, then tortured and left for dead by her boyfriend, Jasper Moore, in their hidden, secret rendezvous spot in the woods. She had walked in on his murders of her 3 best friends and he had to stop her from alerting the police. She was at his mercy for 3 days in the little shed in the wood before he slit her throat and left her to die amongst the bodies of her friends. But Evelyn managed to escape and get to help and did not die. Jasper, with the suspected aid of his parents, immediately disappeared, never caught and brought to justice: his memory and unknown whereabouts always lingering in the shadows and the back of Evelyn’s mind. She goes on to university making it her goal in life to unravel the secrets of the psychopathic mind.

Now a successful psychiatrist, Evelyn has gotten the Bureau of Prisons to fund and build a special maximum security prison and research facility for the study of psychopaths outside the remote Alaskan town of Hilltop. The townspeople there are of mixed opinion about having the prison located there: while it will provide some much needed economic development and jobs, it brings with it some of the worst criminals in the country to their back door. Leading the local opposition to the project is handsome, single, local boy Alaskan State Trooper Benjamin Murphy or “Sergeant Amarok (Wolf)” as he was known by the community – also the only law officer in the region.

When construction on the prison is interrupted by vandalism, Evelyn must travel to Hilltop to oversee its repair, hire some construction site security, and meet with Sergeant Amarok in an attempt to garner some support for the project in town. In the meantime, Jasper reappears on the scene.

The characters that populate the story are a wonderful mix – good/evil, supportive/adversarial. Evelyn is still vulnerable as an adult due to Jasper’s horrendous attack. It continues to color her life and her healing is an ongoing process and a major part of the story. Amarok also has a past that affects him. He had discovered only a few years earlier that he had a twin brother. His mother had left him and his father alone in Alaska taking this brother with her to live in Seattle without further contact. So both the main characters have trust issues with the opposite sex. There are also Jasper and the inmates, all suitably crazy.

The plot is tense and suspenseful with immediate romantic tension between Evelyn and Amarok. The setting in Alaska introduces a layer of hardship and remoteness into things as well which added up to keeping me on edge throughout the reading.

Hanover House is the precursor to the actual series which kicks off with Her Darkest Nightmare in August 2016. With such a dramatic and suspenseful build up, I will definitely be in line to pick up that title.

Saven Deception by Siobhan Davis

What a good story!

Set in a dystopian future Earth where society has been separated into 3 classes: Bullions (the elite), Coins (the middle-class), and the lowest level or Stars and segregated into living sectors by class centered around a core city, author Siobhan Davis has built a grim, hopeless, and wearing life for story protagonist, 18 year old Sadie Owens.

When offered a way out of her miserable life and horrible home situation through selection to participate in a government-sponsored experimental program, Sadie jumps at the chance. “The Experimento” is the creation and development of new underwater cities that are expected to ease massive overpopulation issues that exist on the surface. Sadie and her fellow program participants have been recruited as study subjects to see how, and if, humans can successfully adapt to a life lived in these cities under the ocean.

With much young adult romantic drama and the slow unfolding of secret government agendas, the story moves forward at an exciting pace with something always going on. There is foreshadowing of secrets yet-to-be-revealed, hopefully in the succeeding novels of the Saven series. I’m so on board for the next installments!

I received a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Daisy's Chain by Gillian Larkin (Storage Ghost Mystery #5)

Frankie and Grace have experienced some good luck with the contents of the first couple of storage lockers they’ve bid on and won at auction. They’ve lucked into some definite hidden treasures. However, in this, the 5th story in the Storage Ghost Mysteries, Grace may have faltered.

One of the lockers at the day’s auction appears to be the abandoned result a charity scam: unscrupulous persons have collected household donations in the name of a bogus charity, sifted through the contents for valuables, and left the rest in a temporarily-leased storage unit. Along with the leftover charity detritus is the very angry ghost of a man named Dan Manville. Against her will, Grace’s arm is forced up to make a winning bid on the whole distasteful scene – the ghost has somehow compelled her. The unpleasant ghost need her help and will not be denied.

In life, Dan Manville had been a loving husband and doting father to a single daughter (Daisy). During Daisy’s first term at university, she becomes pregnant. She is devastated and unable to tell her parents that she was drugged at a club and raped. Old-fashioned and unforgiving, Dan cuts his daughter out of his and his wife’s lives. His only keepsake of his daughter is the heart and chain necklace he gave Daisy on her 16th birthday. He dies a bitter, angry man. He doesn’t know it but he needs Grace to help him discover the truth of what happened to his daughter and resolve his anger.

This story relies on some realistic circumstances with some very possible consequences for its plot. It is a short novel but one that gives you a full story (and continues to broaden the whole Storage Ghost history). It is great for a single evening’s reading or any time you like.

The Write Dream by Gillian Larkin (Storage Ghost Mystery #4)

A mother's love helps "write" a wrong!

In The Write Dream, Grace and Frankie Abrahams are finally free of the vicious loan shark, Eddie Tominski, and can now concentrate on making a living with their shop left to them by their parents. Frankie is expanding their stock from antiques to household goods by bidding on and winning the contents of abandoned storage lockers. He is developing an online presence for the store and his auction adventures to further his marketing reach and sales.

Part of a recent storage locker auction acquisition includes the personal notebooks of a young writer as well as the ghost of his deceased, yet still doting, mother. The mother wonders how her son has turned out and a quick search of the internet leaves mom and Grace with more questions than answers – deeply troubling questions.

This fourth installment of The Storage Ghosts Mysteries has Grace assisting another ghost with unfinished business here on Earth find the answers she needs to move on to the afterlife. With a truly awful and sneaky villain in the story, its resolution is very satisfactory.

Grace continues to learn more about how she can help the ghosts that are in need and we get a better glimpse into the existence of a ghost that is attached to the shop itself.

Another fast-paced plot and quick resolution (not rushed!) made for a nice single sit-down.

Tick Tock by Gillian Larkin (Storage Ghost Mystery #3)

This Eddie character is EVIL!

Third in the natural progression of tales in the Storage Ghost Mysteries, Tick Tock reveals what really happened to Grace and Frankie’s parents.

Eddie Tominski, the ruthless loan shark, steps up his evil ways to wrest the antiques shop left to them by their deceased parents away from the Abrahams siblings. He even has his thugs attack Grace at a storage locker auction - in a public restroom. Grace is rescued and family friend, Big Bob, determines to put an end to Eddie’s plans.

Grace wins the contents of a storage locker that holds the ghosts of an older couple that she recognizes to be friends of her parents. Lynne and Tom Opendale had owned and operated a watch repair shop and died under mysterious circumstances. Grace is led to the couple’s grown daughter, Clare, who has developed a theory about their deaths as well as that of the elder Abrahams and others. All the suspicious deaths lead back to Eddie Tominski.

Although Grace never encounters the ghosts of her parents, she does receive word of them from some of the ghosts she end up helping. We also discover in Tick Tock that there may be the helpful spirit of a saucy old woman inside the antique shop.

Once again, this is a quick, fun, and satisfyingly-resolved cozy mystery but with a heavy dose of menace this time. Still … THUMBS UP!

Lost and Found by Gillian Larkin (Storage Ghost Mystery #2)

Another good entry in the Storage Ghost Mystery series - this time, Grace helps a couple, separated by time and a long-ago secret, find peace.

In this second story of the Storage Ghosts Mysteries, Grace Abrahams and brother, Frankie, attend another storage locker auction to find more saleable goods for their antiques/bits & pieces shop. Grace runs across a ghost named Clive Arthur that needs her help to peacefully move on to the hereafter. In life, Clive was an acclaimed photographer who traveled the world over for his art. In death, he is attached to some unknown item in an abandoned storage locker keeping him from exiting his earthly existence. That item turns out to be 2 undeveloped rolls of film. Once developed, the photographs lead Grace and Clive back to the only woman Clive ever loved and the bittersweet secret that, unknowing to him, served to keep them apart throughout his life.

Lost and Found furthers the story and the character development of Grace, Frankie, and some recurring, supporting players – evil loan shark Eddie Tominski, auctioneer Sylvester Sylver, and family friend, kindly Big Bob. Grace is able to discover the unfinished business tying Clive to his past life and the contents of the storage locker prove to be hidden treasure of the best kind – profitable.

This is a cozy, gentle mystery for the most part. Eddie is EVIL though and his thugs are rough and tough and relentless in their harassment of the Abrahams siblings. I recommend this story to readers that like their mysteries cozy and whose reading time is at premium. It is a short, quick, and completely satisfying read anytime but will really fit the bill if you only have an hour or so to sit down and enjoy.

Jacob's Coins by Gillian Larkin: a unique premise behind storage wars

Having a friend working as a site manager for a major US chain of storage facilities, I’d heard some stories about the behind-the-scenes at these places. But who knew even WERE stories? Or drama? Or storage unit auctions? Or finally, reality TV shows ABOUT storage unit auctions? Come to find out this was interesting stuff! Author Gillian Larkin apparently though it was interesting, too, and has parlayed that and a really cool premise into a series called “The Storage Ghosts Mysteries.” And the storage units (or lockers as they are termed in the series) her protagonist, Grace Abrahams, runs across have ghosts tied to their contents.

Grace and her brother, Frankie, recently lost both their parents (and almost Grace herself) in a tragic car accident. Left deeply in debt to a ruthless loan shark, Eddie Tominski, Frankie and Grace turn to bidding on storage unit auctions as a way to put stock back on the shelves of their parents’ antique store in an attempt to dig their way out from under Eddie’s demand for payment.

After her parents’ death, Grace starts to see shadows and glimpses on insubstantial things the just aren’t there. Gradually, these sitings begin to take on a somewhat more substantial “form.” Grace can see and talk to dead people.

In their first storage locker auction experience, Grace encounters and talks to her first real ghost: teenager Jacob also killed in a car accident. Together, they figure out that Grace can help him determine why he hasn’t moved on to a more pleasant afterlife and remains anchored to the contents of an abandoned storage locker.

The characters of Grace and Frankie share a typical brother-sister relationship of sibling love and antagonism. It is fun to watch them interact, care for each other, and tease. The premise of the ghosts in the storage lockers, unable to disengage from their past until some unfinished business is resolved, can be poignant, but was satisfactorily resolved in this first installment of this growing series.

This one is a quick, fun, short novella that lays an entertaining foundation for the coming additions. I can highly recommend this debut to the reader that likes their mysteries cozy and find their sit-down time at a premium. You can get the whole enchilada in the space of an hour or so. I read this book on my birthday. I was delighted.

The Blow-Up Man by Nina Blakemore

Annette Dolce feels betrayed by life and by the father of her two illegitimate children. She is the mother of twin girls, Ella and Emma – who couldn’t be more different from each other in personality. Emma takes after her mother; Ella, her father. The girls’ father, Dr. Todd Davis, Ph.D., is a professor at the local university. He has recently found success in his pharmacological research on a new drug for treating prostate cancer, and his love life when he falls in love with his student, and much younger woman, Dr. Faye Brady.

Annette and daughter, Emma, don’t accept Todd’s new liaison nor his subsequent marriage and make no secret of their displeasure. Ella is accepting but is the scapegoat for the unhappiness and frustration of her mother and sister. When the local lifestyle magazine publishes a big spread on the new super-couple, Dr. & Dr. Davis, and “their” daughters, Annette goes off the deep end and plans to get revenge for all her past perceived insults, injuries, and betrayals.

The Blow-Up Man by Nina Blakeman was a suspense-filled story of a madwoman scorned. Fast-paced with interesting characters in a rural West Texas location (which I loved!) The author’s descriptions of the various settings were vivid and creepy, yet familiar. (Like the author, I, too, am a Texan.) The plot incorporates intense scenes of torture and child abuse.

Good, strong secondary characters in Faye’s mother, Madeline; Annette’s live-in boyfriend, Angel; an obnoxious and privileged med student, Matthew Nolan; and the new priest in town, Father Sweeney all add depth and help to advance the story. Cool medical terminology lent a feeling of authenticity and genuineness but some of the details of the research were a little much for me on occasion.

I highly recommend this tense and highly readable novel for those that like their suspense “gritty.” I was pleased to see mentioned somewhere online that there is a sequel in the works. Yay!

I received this book in exchange for an honest review.

Kiera's Quest: Awakenings by Kristy Brown

A great premise that needs a bit more work.

From Goodreads: "This book was originally written for 9plus/ tweens. But if you're young at heart, then you may enjoy this too. 'Awakenings' is book one in the four part series, so you wont get all the answers straight away. Meet Kiera, a pretty, intelligent, and talented girl, brought up by her uncle, and abandoned by her parents. Life is as normal as she believes it to be, apart from the deep ache inside her, telling her she’s different. For years, Kiera had dreams where she ventures into a different reality. She’s not alone; a presence is always there, keeping her safe, yet she feels vulnerable, and hunted. Zakk, Prince of Zantar, is under the Witch Queen’s spell as she tries to take over his world. He crosses paths with Kiera, and their fates are entwined. As their journey unravels, she learns that she is not the only one affected by this prince. Who is on her side? Will she find out why she has been chosen? How can someone so young, defeat such evil? Will she find the strength to save the ones closest to her? Will this be Kiera’s only Quest?"

To begin, I liked the characters. I'd like to know what happens to them. I liked the humor, and I think that it is age appropriate. I really liked the plot of the hero having been turned into a doll that the heroine finds in her uncle's shop however, I had to re-read several transitions from one scene to another because the action or the dialogue didn't make sense.

There were a lot of unanswered questions, yes, because this is the first book in a series. But there were questions that were created just because the story seemed to skip or jump ahead leaving a gap.

The early part of the story seemed more "finished" than the latter and I fully intended to go look for the rest of the series as I initially got into the book. But the further I read, the sketchier the story became so I'm not so sure that I will continue with the series after all.

I think this author is one to watch and keep up with because of true potential here for a great series.

Impersonator, Forager Impersonator Trilogy Book 1 by Peter R. Stone

I received a free copy of this book in exchange for an impartial review. (This review may contain spoilers).

Impersonator is the first book in a new series set in the same Australian post-apocalyptic world as the author's previous Forager Trilogy. Set in a time period prior to Forager, the book revolves around the Thomas family in Newhome, the town created by the "Founders." The father, Malcolm Thomas, the head of the family, is a broken man after an undeserved stint in a prison-factory. We are led to believe he has given up on his family responsibilities to save his own skin. Mother is a bitter woman and accusing, nagging wife. Brandon Thomas, the only son, has disappeared and is hiding out somewhere in the town for unknown reasons. Youngest daughter, Karen, is spoiled and not in any position to provide support for the disintegrating family. This leaves the burden of rescue and support on Chelsea, the Eldest Daughter. Chelsea impersonates her brother at his job to earn money to keep the family afloat. Hassled and beaten by mobsters for her father's gambling debts, evicted from their apartment for being unable to pay 8 weeks back rent, and coming to the realization that Brandon has been involved in something horrible at work, Chelsea struggles to protect her mother and sister and find a way to a safer place, out of Newhome.

The author has developed a restricted, strangled society in the setting of Newhome. The characters are interesting, diverse, well developed with back stories of some depth. the plot is exciting, suspenseful, and chock full of twists and turns that provide a lot of jumping off places for the rest of the trilogy.

I can, of course, recommend this new installment of the Forager series to anyone that read and enjoyed the first trilogy. However, I don't believe that you'd have to have read those 3 books in order to really enjoy this one. I look forward to book 2 which I understand comes out later this year as well.

Horizon by Tabitha Lord Took Me Back in Time to ST:TOS!

Derek Markham crash lands his fighter on a previously unknown planet after an attack by a mercenary ship that suddenly appeared out of nowhere. Derek is the leader of a fighter squad attached to the space ship, Horizon, who had been sent to set a probe to mark the location of a previously unidentified planet. His crewmate dead and he himself critically injured, he is found and healed by Caeli Crys, a fugitive slave that had faked her own suicide hiding out in the unpopulated wilderness on the planet. Caeli is one of her people’s few survivors after a ruthless attack by a neighboring city’s militia. Together, they escape the planet when Derek’s shipmates return to find out what happened to him.

This was just a darn good story. For me, it had the feel of an early Star Trek novel (The Original Series) which was a plus for me. I liked the settings – Caeli’s home world, Almagest, (the pristine, empty wilderness where she is originally found by Derek, her city, the city of the Amathi). I liked the differences in how the two societies evolved after the destruction of their common founding society. I enjoyed the description of Derek’s ship, Horizon, but wanted to become more familiar with his world and hope that this will be explored in future installments.

There is interesting and fast-paced action throughout from the subjugation of the survivors of the attack on the Novali, their integration into Amathi life, the Amathi rebellion, the unfolding of the attempt of universal domination by the race of beings known as the Drokaran, and the interface with underworld operations on Alliance planets.

I really enjoyed this story from the cover to the final page, and am hoping for a quick arriving sequel to prolong the entertainment.

I received a copy of this book in return for an honest review.