Murder on the Movie Set (Pet Portraits Mystery #3) by Sandi Scott

While arranging for her next pet portrait commission, Georgie Kaye wins tickets from a radio station to go on location for a day with a movie being shot in the area. The movie stars Dustin Stetson, her twin sister’s secret crush, so Georgie takes Aleta along as her “plus one.” To their disappointment, Dustin is not shooting that day, but the sisters are delighted by the offerings on the Craft Services tables.

On location that day is the film’s difficult producer, Jason Hobbs, who stresses out everyone with his micromanaging. He screams at the caterer, demands the best lines of the ingénue be given to a minor male character, and continually orders major changes in the director’s plans and holding up production.

Breaking for lunch is a relief for everyone except the producer, from all appearances a young, healthy man, who suddenly has a fatal heart attack. But from all the gossip on set, Georgie is convinced Hobbs’ death is not from natural causes. When the lead detective investigating the death, her ex-husband, Stan Toon, decides there is no need to look into the death any further, Georgie finagles another couple of days on the set to investigate on her own.

The rapport between the two sisters and with Stan continues to develop and is vastly entertaining. The plot is straightforward, yet satisfying. The Chicago-area settings are fun and familiar. Although the series features pets, they are not the sole focus of the stories – it’s more about the people, their relationships, and the crime-solving. This story is highly recommended for cozy mystery readers.

I voluntarily reviewed an Advance Reader Copy of this book.

Lullaby to a Jitterbug (Avon Calling!, #10) by Hayley Camille

At the end of the previous episode, we were left dangling on one heck of a cliffhanger. Donny and his mugs had the drop on Betty and were holding a gun to poor George’s head. Their daughter, Nancy, was racing little Georgie to the nearest hospital after he’d accidentally inhaled heroin. (He’d thought he was smelling sugar.) When Georgie had reacted to the drug she picked him up and ran for it, discovering hidden strengths and abilities she didn’t know she possessed: she was stronger and faster than any girl is supposed to be.

Betty, too, reaches deep within herself to take her battle with Donny and his goons to another level and defeats them with the sudden arrival and assistance of Detective Jacob Lawrence. Jacob tells Betty that he’d gone to her home before coming to her aid at St. Augustine’s Home for Unwanted Boys, and that her front door was open, the kitchen a mess, and the children nowhere to be found. He produces the jeweled jar that held the heroin. Betty reaches out with her mind and eventually connects with Nancy. She sees her thoughts and discovers what has happened. Betty comes clean with George at the hospital as they wait for Georgie to recover, and they spend the following weeks coming to terms with his new knowledge and understanding about Betty and Nancy.

Jacob though has uncovered a secret file at City Hall on Betty that shows the government is watching her and her associates (including himself, perhaps) and is trying to determine her possible agenda and usefulness in regards to the war effort.

With the exposure of Donny Pinzola and his affiliates, the focus of the story is swinging back to the war. Actual tidbits of history are woven into the narrative – war rationing, the draft. Also, the characters are becoming so well developed that one feels like they know exactly who they are dealing with and what they might be capable of. In this 10th entry in the ongoing Avon Calling! series, we get even more background information on Betty (Susie) and her life before George. I recommend this series, in order, it is episodic in nature, to those that like action and adventure set during the war, and look forward to the next installment.

I voluntarily reviewed an Advance Reader copy of this book.

Serenade to a Savage (Avon Calling!, #9) by Hayley Camille

Holy moly! Episode 9 of the Avon Calling! series is action-packed and TENSE! We left our characters at the high-profile Charity Ball in the midst of a couple of showdowns: one among the two couples - Betty & George and Jacob & Adina, and the other between Betty and Donny Pinzolo. The couples are at odds with each other due to the suspicions of the “innocent” partners – George and Adina – about the true nature of the relationship between Betty and Jacob. Both couples leave the charity event out of sorts and Jacob and Adina seem to have split up completely. Time passes but George’s unease doesn’t, and he decides to follow Betty when she is lured out of safety in an attempt to save one of her Avon customers from Donny’s goons. She and George are both captured and taken to Donny’s headquarters at the St. Augustine’s School for Unwanted Boys for a final showdown with Uncle Donny.

Again, the author maintains the awesome “look & feel” of the 1940s while creating a supernatural suspense story. All the characters are becoming so well developed that one feels like they know exactly who they are dealing with and what they might be capable of. There are still mysteries and secrets lurking in the background and we are left with more than one cliffhanger so, hopefully, Episode 10 is not far off!

Guns and Glitterati (Avon Calling!, #8) by Hayley Camille

Betty’s plans for taking down her evil uncle, Donny Pinzolo, are starting to come together as the St. Augustine’s Home for Unwanted Boys Charity Gala approaches. First, Betty removes Rex Hatfield, the biggest bookie in town and one of Donny Pinzolo’s most lucrative sources of cash from the scene.

In the meantime, we get a surprising look into the life of Adina Sonberg, Sergeant Lawrence’s love interest. It seems she and General Brandway have a “history” – one that meant heartache for Adina.

The night of the Charity Gala arrives and anyone who is anyone is in attendance. As the music and alcohol flow around them, Betty and Donny confront each other. All this time, Officer Parker is keeping a protective eye on the Jones’ family but he may be seeing more than anyone realizes. And he may have a hidden agenda himself.

The surprises keep coming! The flavor of the era established and nurtured by dialogue, fashion, and the settings is strong and delicious.

Bewitched, Bothered, and Bewildered (Avon Calling!, #7) by Hayley Camille

Episode 7 in the Avon Calling! series lets the reader in on the romance that was budding between Betty (Susie Poletti) and Jacob Lawrence when they were just kids and before life took a turn for the tragic. Jacob is not welcome at the Poletti house so the two have been meeting on the sly. Jacob is teaching Susie everything he learns at his boxing and karate classes. Susie has developed super strength and is super fast along with her ability to hear thoughts – a legacy from her mother’s side of the family.

As an adult, Betty uses her speed and strength to whip through her housekeeping. She’s spied on by Felix, one of Pinzolo’s goons, and when she discovers him she chases him down and they come to an uneasy standoff. She can’t take him out right there in front of her home with the neighbors looking on and he can’t hurt her for the same reason. He knows she’s got some unnatural skills and she knows about Tilly, his “secret” girlfriend and love of his life whom he’s trying to keep under wraps and out of sight of the evil, Pinzolo.

And then Jacob Lawrence shows up on her doorstep. Surprise! She’s been waiting for him to track her down and help her make things right.

Each episode in the series advances the plot and gets us closer and closer to a show-off between Betty/Susie and her uncle, Donny. The author seems to have some nice surprises tucked along the way.

St. Augustine’s School for Unwanted Boys (Avon Calling!, #6) by Hayley Camille

The mob boys have to tell Donny Pinzolo that his nephew, Vince, and his gunzels have been killed at Kitty’s Kat House. Donny blames the messenger, Felix, for not having yet identified the perpetrator before this last hit.

Back at the Jones’ house, Nancy discovers her mother sewing money inside her mattress and questions her. Betty is able to offer an explanation that serves for the moment but she’s concerned that her smart and observant daughter is growing up so soon.

Betty leaves an Avon meeting at the home of a senior Avon lady and just misses running headlong into her old friend and NYPD Police Sergeant, Jacob Lawrence, as he slowly makes his way through a list of all Avon representatives in the city. He’s tracking down the origin of the Avon Calling! card found at the scenes of the recent mob slayings.

George and Betty meet with the mayor and Donny Pinzolo at St. Augustine’s to discuss the upcoming charity event. Betty ducks out of the meeting in order to check out the goings on in the basement with the mob, the orphans, and the stolen drugs. While Betty’s out of the room, George writes down his contact information for Donny on the back of one of Betty’s Avon Calling! cards that he rummages from her handbag. When the body of a dead gang member is found right after George and Betty leave the school, suspicion falls squarely on Betty, the only person that left the meeting, and now Donny has her home address.

The pressure is mounting and I kept wondering if George or one of the children was going to find out too much about Betty’s clandestine activities. With Jacob Lawrence on the right track to finding her and Donnie Pinzolo, himself, suspicious, Betty is starting to get into a very tight situation. This is the 6th episode of Camille's Avon Calling! historical suspense story. Due the episodic nature of the series, they should be read in order to understand what's going on and for maximum enjoyment.

In For a Dime, In For a Dollar (Avon Calling!, #5) by Hayley Camille

Betty confronts her old acquaintances and coworkers from her Uncle Frank’s mob in the offices of Kitty’s Kat House. Quite a struggle ensues, these boys don’t go down easy, but Betty eventually prevails and is able to claim all the cash in the safe and retrieve the stolen drugs that were meant for the troops on the battlefield. Once again, she stashes the drugs in a location that the police will be able to find them and get them back on their way to the war front. The back story of the old homeless guy in the park is revealed in this episode and just adds to the nastiness that is Donald Pinzolo.

This foray into the night has taken quite a bit of time for Betty Jones and now she must face the music at home. Little does she know that her husband, George, knows that she didn’t go where she told him she was headed, and these recent inconsistencies are starting to eat away at him.

Sergeant Jacob Lawrence is brought in on the case and the Mayor, himself, shows up on the crime scene at the bordello to threaten, cajole, and then bribe the sergeant into closing this case as quickly as possible.

The author is slowly building our knowledge of all the characters involved while moving the story forward. The era itself is one of those characters as is the setting. Betty has some skills but we’re starting to see that she’s not superhuman. This is the 5th episode in the Avon Calling! series. So far, each episode has been entertaining and they need to be read in order. Very enjoyable reading!

Kitty's Kat House (Avon Calling!, #4) by Hayley Camille

St. Augustine’s Home for Unwanted Boys proves to be a goldmine of unpaid labor to the local mob and mob bosses, Vince and Felix. When Betty runs across the new apprentices with the mobsters as she attempts to foil a robbery of a military truck convoy, she’s stymied. Taking out adult men is one thing but doing it when the boys could see and identify her is another. Finding another avenue to her goal leads her to Kitty’s Kat House later that night.

The author continues the Avon Calling series in this 4th episode, Kitty’s Kat House, and we not only get the reason behind Donald Pinzolo’s interest in the orphanage (besides good PR), but get another look at what makes Betty Jones tick. Her realization that the orphans were being used to further the mob’s aim of stealing the drugs meant for soldiers on the battlefield gives Betty a flashback to her own youth when she was forced to run drugs for her uncle. She watches helplessly as the convoy’s military escort is gunned down in the street.

The author continues to maintain the 1940s flavor with musical mentions, fashion, and language. Every now and then a term not normally used in this country slips in and you may realize that the author is from Australia (i.e., lorry, wireless) but you still get the “look and feel” of the times.

Chocolate Cake and Sandwiches (Avon Calling!, #3) by Hayley Camille

In Episode 3 of Hayley Camille's Avon Calling! series, while Betty tries to assuage husband George’s concerns about her intense attention to her Avon business (which she uses as a cover to mask her real actions and get her out of the house alone), we’re reintroduced to her childhood friend, Jacob Lawrence, now a newly minted police sergeant in the NYPD. As the new guy in rank, Jacob has caught the cases of the “random” mob killings in town.

Meanwhile, mob boss Donald Pinzolo, Betty’s ultimate target, is making nice with the NYC mayor by publicly becoming the benefactor of the city’s St. Augustine’s School for Unwanted Boys. However, the hits on his boys and their operations, not to mention the loss of money and product, has caught his attention and he’s out for blood trying to find the perpetrator.

Once again, the 1940s atmosphere is both charming and attention-grabbing. The author has clearly put a lot of time, effort, and research into recreating the mood and setting, making it feel genuine. Mixed with the noir are the superhuman traits that Betty brings to the table. It’s a fun mix, and I can really recommend this series to those that like the era, a strong female lead, and a touch of the paranormal in their thrillers. They’re just fun! Start with Episode One though, they are episodes of an ongoing story.

A Dream That I Can Call My Own (Avon Calling!, #2) by Hayley Camille

Episode 2 in Hayley Camille’s Avon Calling series gives us another look into Betty Jones’ backstory. Her ability to hear the thoughts of others is a family trait that appears in all the women of her line. Her daughter, Nancy, approaching adolescence, is due to soon begin experiencing her own form of the trait.

Betty is also ready to make a move against her despicable Uncle Frank, a lesser mob boss in the local crime syndicate. Uncle Frank knew all about the abuse going on her home when Betty was a child and chose to do nothing about it.

In this episode, she and her beloved husband, George, are having a night out dancing at a nightclub. While George waits for her to return from the ladies’ room, Betty goes to the club office and confronts Frank and his men who are waiting to meet with the “man” that hijacked their stolen drug shipment. Uncle Frank finally recognizes her as his niece, Susie, but that does nothing to save him from her revenge.

The author really brings the era to life with descriptions of fashion, language, and character attitudes of the times. Betty’s husband is concerned about her involvement in her Avon business. He provides for the family. But her Avon Lady gig is her cover for what her real agenda is – one that is still just unfolding for the reader. I recommend this for readers that like a historical slant to their mystery, thriller, and action reading.

Save Her Soul by Amanda J. Evans

Kate Ritter was out for revenge against the man and mob that raped and killed her younger sister. Drake Summerfield is the demon set on making sure she takes her vengeance and her soul is sent straight back to hell to be at his side for eternity. Little did he know, he was meant to be her salvation instead.

This scenario has been repeated for the past 500 years. A prophecy claims that Drake will be the one and only one that can save Kate’s soul from eternal damnation. He has always believed her soul was as dark as his, and has done whatever he could to lead her to kill during each and every reincarnation. But every new age, he is ripped from Hell by the guardians of light which includes her mother, Majeria, to find her soul and try to redeem her. Now, with the 500 years almost up, Drake has this last lifetime to fulfill the prophecy before they are both sent to Hell for good.

An interesting story with engaging characters, once I began reading Save Her Soul, I was hooked and didn’t want to put it down. Very enjoyable. Kate and Drake both are damaged souls. Their attraction is instantaneous and I was rooting for them to get back together throughout the story. The story of Kate getting her revenge is furthered and concluded by plausible means. She watches and follows and gets evidence against the villains through hard work and creativity – no paranormal, otherworldly assistance. But readers that enjoy the touch of the paranormal will enjoy this story as well.

Murder on the Great Lake (A Pet Portraits Cozy Mystery #2) by Sandi Scott

Once again, Georgie Kaye and her sister, Aleta, are party to a murder. This time the sisters are along for a ride on the annual lake cruise of the Fit Family Gyms, a fitness franchise in the greater Chicago area when the evening’s award winner, Deck Zannowski, goes overboard and drowns. Deck had been a nice guy, and had taken the franchise’s problem location on and turned it around to become the highest earning one in the group. When the autopsy reveals that Deck had been given Rohypnol and with several suspects from which to choose, Georgie, Aleta, and Georgie’s ex-husband, Stan – the lead detective on the case, investigate to track down who might have shoved Deck overboard.

I am really loving this series and hope the author does many more. The characters of Georgie, Aleta, and Stan are charming (as are many of the supporting players). I love the setting in the city and neighborhoods of Chicago and the mention of real places and things there. The mystery of who killed Deck Zannowski is simple but not straight-forward so the detective work is necessary to come to a plausible conclusion. I would recommend this book and series to cozy mystery fans.

I voluntarily reviewed an Advance Reader copy of this book.

Welcome to the Apocalypse: CyberNexis by D.L. Richardson

The excitement in Book 1 (Pandora) of the series, Welcome to the Apocalypse continues in Book 2 (CyberNexis) as the story shifts from being the end-of-the-world scenarios being played inside a computer game to real-life. The Yellowstone Caldera, a supervolcano located under Yellowstone National Park, blew while the 100 plus Apocalypse Games launch day players were ensconced inside their gaming simulation pods at CyberNexis headquarters in San Diego. This triggered volcanoes around the world to erupt as well. The survivors in the U.S. have been directed to central evacuation camps near major population centers. The gamers were discovered by remnants of the military after an unheard-of three months hooked up to the CyberNexis system, and transported to the old site of the Lunar Receiving Laboratory at the Johnson Space Center in Houston because the gamers’ simulation pods and their physical conditions are so similar to astronauts coming out of a long space mission. Not all the gamers survived the damage that the CyberNexis headquarters sustained when the caldera erupted. Those that did are experiencing muscular dystrophy and other ailments.

The main characters from book 1 make a reappearance: some alive, some as casualties. Kelly Lawrence and Reis Anderson are recuperating at the NASA location. The doctors there are having difficulty though disconnecting Kelly’s brother, Jack Minnow, from the simulation pod and Pandora’s hold on him. And Jack doesn’t want to leave the game. He’s found and developed a bond with another player, Sasha Vaness, who though still alive in the game, was one of the casualties in real life.

The Lunar Receiving Laboratory was only meant to be a temporary stop for the Apocalypse Game players. On their recovery, they are to be bussed to the nearest evacuation camp in Fort Worth. Jack refuses to leave the lab and Sasha’s personality trapped inside Pandora as does Reekha Soodi, another player from book 1 who believes her husband, Naresh, is also trapped within. Kelly and Reis are both anxious to find their way back to California to check on family.

While Jack and Reekha conceal themselves at the lab, Reis and Kelly leave with the other gamers on busses headed for the Fort Worth evacuation center. Along the way, the bus convoy is attacked by a band of end-of-the-world mutations or Primals: humans that have survived and been changed somehow by the caldera eruption. Those that survive the attack crowd onto one of the other buses and make their way to the evacuation camp only to be redirected to Austin: no room in Fort Worth. The story continues from Austin as Kelly and Reis get on a train headed west and their goal – San Diego and CyberNexis, and from NASA headquarters where Jack and Reekha remained.

I enjoyed this installment of the series, and yes, there appears to be a third book coming – Welcome to the Apocalypse – Primal Scream (yay!) I enjoyed that a good portion of the story was set in my state near where I live and work. Of course, I compared for accuracy and found big differences, but who knows how the landscape would have changed after a supervolcano erupted, right? I recommend this book and this series but readers do need to have read the first book in the series to enjoy this one.

I voluntarily reviewed an Advance Reader copy of this book.

Welcome to the Apocalypse: Pandora by D.L. Richardson

Three friends (since their teens) pay to participate in the grand opening of the next generation of virtual reality games called The Apocalypse Game. Players pay $5,000 each to be enclosed in a glass pod, interface with the gaming system to try and outlast an apocalyptic scenario of their choosing. Those that perish during the game wait out the rest of the 24-hour session in a “death dream” – a pleasant interlude tailored for the player while the clock runs down.

Of course, something goes terribly wrong and when Jack, Kelly, and Reis successfully survive the first game, they are sent into a second scenario. At first, players think they’ve been rewarded for their initial successes, but as they keep continuing into new games and the scenarios keep getting more bizarre, it becomes apparent they are trapped inside the system while their physical bodies deteriorate inside their glass pods.

The author touches on many different end-of-the-world game scenarios and it is very entertaining. The main characters all have interesting back stories that slowly come to light as the games unfold. Kelly, the young, grieving widow, looking to reunite with the spirit of her game programmer husband. Jack who is there to watch out for his sister (Kelly) and scope out the Apocalypse Game for his adventure tour company, undergoes some real soul-searching and revelations. Reis, Jack’s partner in the adventure tour company is, and always has been, in love with Kelly. Interesting NPCs (non-player combatants) and other players pop up throughout the various games, a few of whom I really became attached to. The story ends well but somewhat abruptly leaving several loose ends and questions. Only one of the three main characters (I won’t say whom) is featured in the ending and we have no idea what has become of the other two, let alone the rest of the players. Significant looks and pauses between others in this scene lead me to believe there was way more going on in the world than just a malfunctioning game though. I look forward to reading book 2 to resolve the cliffhangers.

I voluntarily reviewed an Advance Reader copy of this book.

Cookies, Corpses, and the Deadly Haunt by Rachael Stapleton

As an addict of the various TV remodeling, fixer upper, house flipping shows, I was already inclined to enjoy this series, and this first story was a lot of fun!

Former couple, Juniper Palmer and Jack Young, are business partners in the house flipping firm, Spirited Construction. In this first book in the new series by Rachael Stapleton, they have come to Jack’s hometown of Bohemian Lake to find their next project: renovating a spooky, old Gothic Revival house that has seen its better days. That project turns out to be the haunted “Doctor’s House” where 100 years earlier, the owner, the Doctor murdered his wife, Victoria, before turning a gun on himself.

Creepiness aside, the house really has potential and the partners are beginning to make some headway in bringing the old place back to life when Juniper’s best friend and former college roommate, Pike Hart, who also calls Bohemian Lake home, talks them into letting her hold the town's annual fundraiser Halloween Ball at the soon-to-be completed home. But before that can happen, Pike’s co-chair on the fundraising committee (and a descendant of the original owner) is murdered in the attic of the house. Strange music keeps playing, and the vision of a woman in white (the Doctor’s murdered bride?) is spotted on the grounds. Hunky police detective Cody Lumos is assigned the case and his interests include Juniper herself.

I liked the main characters – Juniper Palmer (from whose point-of-view we watch all the action), Pike Hart – her best friend, Detective Cody Lumos – her new love interest, and Jack Young, her business partner and former love interest. There are a number of plausible suspects provided, and a load of other interesting characters filling out the town of Bohemian Lake.

I really enjoyed this book even though I had a couple of issues with the execution of the book itself: point-of-view switches from first person to third and some grammar problems that can be easily cleaned up at some point. I was reading an advance readers copy so I'm sure some of these issues will not appear in the final edition. In spite of this, I still really liked this story and I'm already impatient for the next book in the series to come out. I will be seeking out books in this author's other series to tide me over.

I received a free, advance copy of this book from the author in exchange for my unbiased review.

Murder in the Art Gallery by Sandi Scott (A Pet Portraits Cozy Mystery, #1)

Oh, I am so going to like this series if this first novella, Murder in the Art Gallery, is any indication of what’s to come!

Set in Chicago, the story revolves around the 66-year-old twin sisters, Georgie and Aleta Kaye. Georgie, the older, more outgoing, and artistic of the two, has dragged a reluctant (but supportive) Aleta to the opening of a new exhibit of the hot, new Occhipinti Art Gallery. She is actually there to meet the gallery owner, Nate Stephenson, and discuss his interest in exhibiting her pet portrait artwork that he had admired in the neighborhood Earwax Coffeehouse. In addition to scoring some awesome noms at the exhibit, the sisters are front row & center when another local artist crashes the reception and loudly threatens to burn down the gallery and murder the owner’s financial partner, Jamal Landry.

The next day when the sisters return to the gallery to follow up with Nate regarding the details for Georgie’s proposed exhibit, they discover the Jamal’s dead body sprawled in one of the galleries.

I really enjoyed the sisters, their family and friends. The Chicago setting is presented and used so well I was ready to plan a vacation to go see the sights. I particularly enjoyed the back and forth between the sisters and between Georgie and her ex-husband, Police Detective Stan Toon. I was hoping for their collaboration and reconciliation from their first scene together.

I’m definitely looking forward to more titles in this series with more dogs, too. I can recommend this book to mystery readers that enjoy their mysteries on the cozy side and are looking for sleuths on the far side of 40.

Hello Again by Brenda Novak

Hello Again is the 2nd full-length novel in The Evelyn Talbot Chronicles featuring Dr. Eve Talbot and hunky Alaskan Trooper Sergeant Benjamin “Amarok” Murphy. Eve has regrouped from the previous novel where she was dealing with opening the program at the new maximum security research prison for psychopaths in Hilltop, Alaska. Along with the pressure of opening this facility in climate-challenging location where the local residents had not been enthusiastic, to say the least, she had also had to juggle the desires and egos of a high maintenance and difficult staff, the attentions of a stalker, and the murders of some of her coworkers. Just recalling all that had occurred up to this time, I was wondering what could possibly top that?

Hello Again delivered! This book is full of twists and suspenseful action throughout as well as the steadily growing romance between the two main characters. Being set in a prison specifically for psychopaths gives the story an immediate creepy factor. Every character behind those bars has the potential for a story of terror. This story features a lot from the viewpoint of Eve’s personal, UNincarcerated psychopath though: Jasper Moore. He’s getting closer …

I particularly liked how the relationship between Eve and the awesome Amarok progresses. She was such a damaged soul, and she’s concerned about being more than a few years older than him. He has turned out to be so much more patient, caring, and understanding than the usual romance novel hero – without feeling unrealistic, too.

I can wholeheartedly recommend this book (and this series) to romance and romantic suspense readers. It is great, and I can’t wait for the next is the series.

I received a free, advance copy of this book from the author in exchange for my unbiased review.

Avon Calling: A Woman's Work is Never Done by Hayley Camille

Ding-dong, Avon Calling!

It’s the summer of 1943, and Betty Jones is living the perfect life. Married to her beloved, George, a successful insurance man, with two children, George, Jr., age 5, and Nancy, age 11, she completes her days helping her Avon business customers and friends. Just when life becomes a little too much, the sound of “Avon calling” and the little bit of pampering that accompanies it can really boost a girl’s day.

But Betty isn’t all that she seems. Underneath that perfect exterior, Betty has secrets. For one, she can hear your thoughts.

Wow! Betty is my new super hero, and Avon Calling! is my new favorite series. A Woman’s Work is Never Done is the first episode and is a great start to this series. Episode 1 introduces the character Betty Jones and her family, and gives us a glimpse into her backstory, growing up with an abusive father who is a member of a local crime family in New York City and her heroin-addicted mother who uses the drug to quell the voices she hears in her head. Her mother could also hear other people’s thoughts, and the constant barrage from these voices drove her to find relief, and ultimately her death, in a syringe.

The author has incorporated the fashion, the language of the time, and the cultural history of the door-to-door Avon Lady into this story of mob crime and paranormal gifts. I can’t with to get into the next episode A Dream That I Can Call My Own.

Indentured (The Mystic Saga, #1) by Scott McElhaney

Declan Stringfellow is on a vigilante mission to take out the drug dealers and their organization when he is shot, rushed to a hospital, and undergoes an MRI to determine the damage. One minute he’s entering the scanner and the next he’s waking up (in a new, healthy, and fit body) in the far distant future aboard a spaceship. Future humans have developed the technology to highjack the results of MRIs collected in the past and imprint them on the brains of commercially-developed human bodies. Although the original Declan and the others with him lived out their normal lifespan in the past, the new beings only have memories up to the point of the MRI and nothing further. To their horror, they have been created to serve as “Indentures” or slaves. They are on this space vessel bound for an uninhabited planet light years away with the goal of building a base for future colonists already enroute from Earth. However, not everything is as it seems and many of the Indentured aren’t “on board” with their new lives.

This is the first book in a five-book series, The Mystic Saga, by Scott McElhaney. With an interesting storyline that goes from modern times to well into the future, a variety of characters, cool tech, heartbreak, and mysteries all around, the story had me hooked right away. There are intriguing developments all along the way that the characters question, just like I was doing. I’ve already obtained Book 2, Legacy, to continue the fun.

Severing Sidney by Jason Werbeloff

When Geppetto (the Gutter surgeon and 'parts' dealer from The Organ Scrubber) receives the "Save the Date" (awesome touch!) announcing the "Merging" ceremony of his only child (only daughter), Simona, he leaves his home outside the New York Bubble and travels back to his home country, the Roman Bubble. The announcement has taken its time finding and getting to him in the Gutter and he must leave immediately as the ceremony is to take place in 2 days time. Arriving in his former home, he discovers the ceremony has actually already taken place and Simona has already "become one" with her intended, Neville. To recognize their new relationship and state of being, they have taken a new name, Sidney, a melding of both their birth names. But Geppetto cannot find the true essence of his beloved daughter in the new being and sets about to rectify the situation as only a surgeon in the Bubble World would do!

This slice of life in the Bubble World adds to our knowledge and understanding of author Werbeloff's universe and we get to see some of the backstory of characters that appeared in the very first story: Geppetto and his niece, Florenza. I particularly was surprised by the introduction of Geppetto's ex-wife, Lilly White. I was suitably horrified by this latest installment in the Bubble World saga and look forward to more.

Patenting Peter by Jason Werbeloff

Jason Werbeloff and "The Bubble" continue to entertain me with each new addition to this world. In this latest story, Peter is a discontented husband acting out while his wife is at work. He suspicions that he is under constant surveillance by the Tokyo Bubble government, in general, and his wife in particular, while toting up the “movement tax” on his actions. He tries to garner his wife’s attention with more and more outrageousness until he succeeds. And succeed he does. Just not with the results he was hoping for.

The Bubble World short stories are a super addition to the Defragmenting Daniel trilogy. Don’t miss it or the supplemental stories.

The Sixth Man by Rupert Colley

Occupied France – 1943 - Six Frenchmen, picked up by the Germans for conspiring with the Resistance, have been held in a detention facility for the past six months. They are due to be released to go back to their homes on the morrow when they are informed by their captors that a train has been blown up by Resistance members. During the attack, five German soldiers were killed, and as an example to deter future attacks, five of the six Frenchmen are to be executed rather than released. It is up to the six to determine which of them is to be spared while the others die.

During the tension-filled night, the six decide to each tell their story and then vote, based on the lives they’ve lived and the deeds they’ve done, who is to escape the executioner. Rupert Colley has written an engrossing story with interesting characters and great background vignettes. I won’t divulge the final decision or results from the tense night of storytelling. Historical fiction readers will really enjoy finding out what happens.

Defenestration by Matthew W. McFarland

Originally a short story published as part of the author's previous work Fifty/Fifty and Other Stories, Defenestration has been expanded to novella length.

The story opens with our main character, Adam, looking back up to the 12th story apartment he’s just fallen from. He's falling, falling, and then ...

He is greeted by Gabriel and Michael who welcome him to the afterlife and give him an overview of his new situation. Turns out, the afterlife is whatever you believed it to be whenever you were alive. Adam decides he wants to know why and how he got to where he is, and the story takes off. And take off it does with many delightful interconnections deftly woven together to bring the story back around to where it started.

I love it when stories come full circle and tie everything together. This one is excellent! There were quite a number of the twists and turns that I never saw coming. All to the better for me. I highly recommend this book and the previous short story collections by the author.

City of Hope and Ruin by Kit Campbell and Siri Paulsen

Theo lives to protect her people from hellish monsters that sweep over her city each night when the sun goes down. She leads a trio of fighters on patrol to seek out and destroy them or be destroyed. Theo is the longest serving fighter on duty and has had numerous trio members wiped out by the creatures.

Briony is a healer in her village which lies near the border of her country and that under the control of the vicious Scarred. As the Scarred invade closer and closer, Briony is desperate to get her family to flee away from the border to the safer interior of the country.

One twilight, while Briony is deep in the forest with her mountain lion companion, Poes, she comes face-to-face with a projection of Theo. Over a series of meetings, they learn the rudiments of each other’s world and decide that their societies can and must come together to defeat their enemies and survive. While they work to solve the mystery of how their two societies got to where they are, the two begin to fall in love with each other.

It was my understanding that City of Hope and Ruin is a collaborative work by Kit Campbell and Siri Paulsen with one author writing from the point of view of one character and the other from another. Right there I was intrigued. The result was a very nice story. The authors have also posted pictures on Pinterest of settings that resembled their ideas of their characters and various settings. This was fun and I only wish that I’d run across that earlier in my reading - great pictures that really fit the story! The character names are awesome by the way.

City of Hope and Ruin is a solid fantasy with good character and world building, loads of exciting action, mystery, intrigue, heartbreak, and romance. This is the beginning of a series and I look forward to finding out what happens next.

I received an ARC copy of this book, and I was not obligated to write a review. This is my honest feedback.

Manufacturing Margaret - More awesomeness from Jason Werbeloff!

I don’t know what this author does day-to-day but he needs to write more and do less of whatever that is. Author Jason Werbeloff has a New Year's Resolution to produce a short story based in the world of the Bubble every month in 2017. This is the January 2017 story.

Manufacturing Margaret is a delightful addition to the world and history of the Bubble from the Defragmenting Daniel trilogy. If you’ve read the trilogy, you’ll know that Margaret is the murderous android that Daniel encounters first in his quest to regain his donated organs. However, Margaret has her own quest – to become more human by incorporating actual human parts into her android frame. This story tells about her earliest beginnings and what starts her on this quest. Werbeloff has crafted a truly creative origin story for Margaret!

I received an ARC copy of this story, and I was not obligated to write a review. This is my honest feedback.

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

Awakenings by Kristy Brown
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

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 won't 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 ventured 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 the true potential here for a great series.

View all my reviews

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.

Marvelously creative visions of an obsidian-dark future!

Seems like I have always found short story anthologies to be a mish-mash of good and “meh.” However, Obsidian Worlds by Jason Werbeloff, is a solid! Each piece of the collection is a darkly-gleaming treasure of a story. All represent a view of an obsidian-dark future and all are a satisfying reading experience – some horrific (“Dinner with Flexi” – yikes!), some amusing (“The Time-Traveling Chicken Sexer”), some with surprising plot twists (“The Cryo Killer”) – just to name a few, are all well crafted and entertaining. The stories have depth with details that unfold and smoothly and easily draw you into the world the author is creating in each scenario. I fully intend on re-reading the collection just to re-experience the pleasure.

I will be recommending it to friends and family members (though not for the youngsters. The stories entail adult themes and a really grim, scary future for the human race!) Personally, I have found a new-to-me author to keep an eye on and follow. If you think this might be down your reading alley, check out Jason's short stories on Amazon.com; he has had some Kindle editions listed for free.

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

Holy moly! Here's a story that grabbed me by the emotions on the first page!

I'm talking about the Young Adult book SLIP - #1 in the SLIP Trilogy by author, David Estes. I received this book in exchange for an honest review.

Maybe it's because I'm a parent but I was emotionally invested in this story and the little unnamed boy (later called Benson) from the beginning. I had to find out what happened to him! So many gut-wrenching scenes and decisions, by both the boy and his parents, that had to be made kept that investment growing, too.

David Estes has created a dark and somber setting of a world that slowly unfolds to reveal a future Earth with critically limited resources. Extreme solutions have been put in place to ensure those resources are enough to support an optimally sized population. Procreation is rigidly controlled and mistakes are ruthlessly eliminated.

Benson is one of those errors, and his family does what it can to hide and protect him from discovery. Eventually he is hidden in plain sight among the masses of the reorganized capitol of St. Louis where he meets other "unauthorized" individuals, and becomes the target of the human-cyborg teenage hunter that never seems to stop. The author develops cool and plausible technology in this future, and uses it to advance the story in interesting ways. The action is constant with no dull moments.

I look forward to continuing the story in the next book, GRIP.

The Secret Sister by Brenda Novak Has Mystery and Romance

Maisie Lazarow returns home to Fairham, North Carolina, the island of her childhood after suffering the double tragedy of losing both her only child, Ellie, to SIDS and her husband, Jack, to an affair with another woman. But the island is not a refuge, she returns to help her brother, Keith, who is dealing with his own problems - the pains and the ups and downs of addiction and their cold, controlling mother, Josephine. Complicating the situation, Maisie discovers that her first love, Rafe Romero, is renovating the vacation cottages on her family’s property and is living right next door with his young daughter, Laney.

With The Secret Sister, Brenda Novak has written another wonderful and complex story of heartbreak, mystery, renewal, and romance. The characters quickly became real people to me, with lives and back stories all their own. Supporting characters are solid and help develop the complications and give completeness to the novel. The beautiful island gives us a perfect setting for mystery and romance. I found the little touches, such as the texts from Maisie’s ex-husband, gave the story another feeling of reality as well. The interplay between the mother and EVERYONE always had me holding my breath to see what she’d say next. Great!

I can easily recommend this book to my friends and family or anyone that enjoys a good family drama or their romance involved with a good mystery. This is a heck of a start for a new series.

Blade of the Samurai by Susan Spann

In this second installment in the Shinobi Mystery series, Matsui Hiro and Father Mateo return to try and find the killer of one of the shogun’s chief samurai. Set inside the shogun’s mansion and grounds, the story features murder, political intrigue, and romance within another mental trip to medieval Japan for the reader. This book is just as entertaining and interesting as the first in the series and once again, we get an authentic glimpse into the life and culture of 16th century Japan.

My only disappointment with this series is that the next isn’t due out until 2015, of course. I highly recommend this to historical mystery fans especially those that have enjoyed the Sano Ichiro series by Laura Joh Rowland.

Book Review: Claws of the Cat (Shinobi Mystery, #1) by Susan Spann

Claws of the Cat by Susan Spann
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Excellent Japanese historical mystery perfect for fans of Laura Joh Rowland’s Sano Ichiro series!

When one of Father Mateo’s congregation, a lovely young entertainer in a geisha house, is accused of the murder of one of its samurai patrons, Matsui Hiro, Father Mateo’s Japanese translator/bodyguard (and undercover shinobi or ninja) lends his skills to find the real killer. The murdered man’s son gives the pair three days to discover the murderer or face death as part of the son’s traditional revenge.

This is a great mystery set in 16th-century Japan, and you can almost feel, hear, and smell the setting and live the story right along with the wonderful lead characters, Hiro and Father Mateo. The story is also sprinkled with memorable supporting characters such as Ana, the curmudgeonly housekeeper, and Luis, the Portuguese merchant and guest in Father Mateo’s home.

The story is filled with authentic-sounding and feeling details, and the author certainly has the chops to assure you of their genuine nature. This was a fabulous reading experience; I feel like I just returned from a trip to medieval Japan, and I was absolutely immersed in the story. I highly recommend this to historical mystery fans, especially those who enjoyed the Sano Ichiro series by Laura Joh Rowland.

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The Girls from Alcyone by Cary Caffrey

Like many other children in this bleak, future America, Sigrid is sold into indentureship to pay off the debts incurred by her parents to the Kimura Corporation. However, Sigrid’s got something in her genetic makeup that makes her and other girls like her “special.” She is sent to The Kimura Academy For Girls on the planet Alcyone to be educated, physically trained, and surgically enhanced. Sigrid and the other girls are a successful experiment that other corporations are willing to steal, kidnap, and kill to get their hands on.

Cary Caffrey has created a dark, moody future world where corporations truly rule everything. The story of the special girls growing up away from their families is a sad one. The 21 girls form alliances among themselves with the typical “mean girls” and their followers, and Sigrid, the youngest and weakest, is at the bottom of the pack. Tormented, Sigrid is ostrasized from the larger group until she is befriended by the stronger, popular Suko. Under Suko’s protection, Sigrid is able to mature and grow and develop into one of the most accomplished of the group. The relationship between Sigrid and Suko eventually develops into one of a romantic and sexual nature but they are parted while still attempting to sort out their feelings for each other.

As their training comes to a close, the girls begin to receive their “contracts,” their assignments where they will work and begin to repay the debts their parents racked up even before the girls were born. Some are sent to Kimura operations, others to the naval service until their very existence is threatened by the Council for Trade & Finance, the governing council of the Federation of Commercial Enterprise. Called “abominations,” the council wants all the girls turned over to them to be used for their own mysterious purposes.

There is a bit of the geek fantasy about the novel with young girls achieving mental and physical perfections and skill levels in fighting hand-to-hand, flying planes, and operating any weaponry under the sun (as well as the aforementioned girl-with-girl romance.) It is a fun and entertaining tale that I would recommend if you’re in the mood for a fun, light, entertaining space story. I probably would not recommend it for the younger, young adult fans because of the few scenes of a sexual nature. This is the first in a series (The Girls from Alcyone series). Book 2 is already released and titled The Machines of Bellatrix. I'll probably be picking that one up soon.

The Annihilation of Foreverland - A young adult novel with a dose of horror!

Author Tony Bertauski has created a paradise of an island in the south Atlantic Ocean where adolescent and teenage boys roam, fish, play state-of-the-art video games, anything they want to their heart’s content, except leave. Each is watched over, coached and guided by an elderly man of dubious health known as an “investor.” Every couple of weeks the boys are herded into “The Haystack,” a building that is the gateway to “Foreverland” where every impossible dream can come true but not without its price.

The Annihilation of Foreverland is told through the eyes of multiple characters but mainly by Danny Boy, whom we first encounter as he wakes up on the island devoid of any memory of his past. In fact, none of the boys remember who they are or where they came from. Another viewpoint is that of Reed, an older boy who has steadfastly refused to succumb to the promise of “Foreverland.” Finally, we get insight from the mysterious island owner known only as “The Director.” The old men or “investors” vary from supposedly kindly and caring to downright creepy and cruel. There is a psychotic bully among the boys which adds more tension. The characters and their pasts are gradually revealed over the course of the novel. The suspense and horror grows until we have a satisfyingly full picture of each.

The storyline is a unique one in which technology, privilege, money, and power all combine for an exciting, thought-provoking, ethics-challenging tale. The author added exquisitely creepy little details that absolutely made my skin crawl. These small details added a whole other level of “eww” to the story. Thankfully, the villains get their “just desserts” and we can leave the island with the knowledge that things are going to work out right. With a marvelous setting, interesting characters, and nice plot revelations, I recommend this to the young adult readers that like theirs with a good dose of horror.

Excellent for home or in the classroom!

The Take Back of Lincoln Junior High by Roseanne Cheng is a fun, yet thought-provoking novel for the middle school years. The author builds her story around the timely topic of the growing practice of commercial sponsorships (and financial support) of public spaces, in this case, a junior high school. As the story unfolds, it reveals both the positive and negative aspects of the impact that such sponsorship and product placement has on the school in a manner that is easy to read, understand, and enjoy.

The pre-teen protagonists, Andrew, Hannah, and Jackson, are highly likeable characters and act true to age. The setting, situations, and the interactions between the characters felt genuine and actually took me back to my own junior high experiences. It felt that real.

The Take Back of Lincoln Junior High not only delves into the issue of commercial sponsorship but addresses the everyday problems of being a kid and growing up. There is suspense and mystery. Who is the mysterious new student, Liam, and what’s he up to? Will Andrew get the girl? Will Andrew and Jackson resolve their problems and become true friends?

I think that this book would be enjoyed by young readers, the middle school crowd, and parents reading along with their children. The author's writing is clear and simple for the younger folks and interesting enough to hold the attention of adults. Additionally, it would be a great classroom tool, and to that end, the author has included a study guide at the end of the book with specific activities designated for each chapter as the story unfolds.

Second Chance at Life

After 103 excruciating days in the hospital recuperating from a botched suicide attempt, Ryan Farnsworth returns home to pick up the pieces of his life. However, the car wreck that almost killed him successfully robbed him of his memory: of his family, his friends, his past, everything. Erased, by Margaret Chatwin, is the excellent telling of Ryan’s second chance at life, his discovery of who he was and his desire to become someone better.

As the story unfolds, we slowly get glimpses of what kind of person Ryan was and what kind of life he led. We see the vestiges of his past relationships with his family and his friends and how they attempt to pick up where they left off although Ryan has undergone more changes than just those that physically apparent. Ryan tries to make the most of his chance to makeover a life that he had obviously found more painful than death.

Chatwin has created some memorable characters and memorable scenes as if she’d been a witness to their happening. The interactions and dialogue seem genuine, and the eventual resolution of the story is quite satisfyingly real. Ryan’s ultimate confrontation and confession to his father is emotionally tough.

Erased is a great story with good characters, and well worth the experience of reading. There are some consistent grammar and word choice problems that keep me from giving the novel a higher rating but there is nothing that a competent editor wouldn’t easily repair.

Prison Nation by Jenni Merritt - Justice gone very, very wrong

In this view of the future, the United States has become a land of "mega-prisons" where a large majority of the population lives out its days laboring at jobs to sustain the prison population (and society's elite we later discover). Millie 942B is a "Jail Baby," born in one such prison - Spokane - to "lifer" parents. She has spent her entire existence within the walls of the prison never having experienced the outside world, touched a tree, or studied the stars.

The story begins as she is approaching her 18th birthday and her impending release to the outside when she is discovered and stalked by a senior prison guard, Carl. Carl wants Millie for his own purposes, and all Millie wants is to be a citizen, good and strong, and free. However, free means leaving everything she has ever known behind in the prison including her parents and her secret friends, Jude - a young night guard and Orrin - an inmate in a nearby cell - both of whom she's never actually met face-to-face, only through the grill of the closed cell door after "lights out." And "outside" may not prove to be as free as she's been led to believe.

Prison Nation is a fascinating vision: horrible, threatening, and exciting to read. The characters Merritt has created seem like ordinary people surviving under extraordinary circumstances (that have become the new normal). Millie is "street-smart" in the prison and naïve (yet wary) when she gets outside. She is a nice, regular girl - someone that you'd like. The supporting characters are well-developed and give us good variety. Carl, the villain, is suitably evil and creepy, and single-minded in his pursuit of poor Millie.

Fans of young adult dystopia should enjoy Jenni Merritt's creative story of the United States in the future where justice has gone very, very wrong. The setting of Spokane to Portland is both changed to support this future and familiar enough to make it all the more devastating a vision. The story ends at an appropriate place but poised to continue with book 2 - Lady Justice - coming sometime, I most fervently hope, in 2014.

Lord John and the Private Matter by Diana Gabaldon

Lord John Grey (apparently a popular character from the Outlander series) discovers quite by accident that his cousin's fiancée, the Honorable Joseph Trevelyan, is afflicted with "the pox." As he struggles to come up with a way to break the engagement without ruining Olivia's reputation and future chances at another good marriage, he becomes embroiled in a murder mystery, espionage, and missing persons.

Lord John and the Private Matter has a fast-paced and intriguing plot, and Gabaldon's dialogue sparkles and entertains. The Recorded Books version is wonderfully performed by Jeff Woodman who magically makes these characters come alive.

You will not be disappointed as the plot takes sudden left and right turns keeping you guessing the entire time. I think you will even be surprised when "all is revealed" at the end.

Open Minds by Susan Kaye Quinn - action, adventure, young adult medical mystery

In this vision of our future, humans have developed the ability to share their thoughts telepathically. However, every now and then a child is born that does not have this capability; they can neither read someone else’s thoughts, the collective thoughts of the group nor can anyone read their thoughts. They are known as “zeroes,” and are ostracized and distrusted by the rest of humanity.

Sixteen-year-old Kira has not yet undergone the change that brings the mindreading ability like her friends and is already feeling the shame and humiliation of being different from everyone else. Her anxiety that she may never change is abruptly exchanged for fright when she discovers that she has other, more powerful abilities. Rather that changing into a “reader,” Kira has developed into a mind-jacker, and can control the thoughts and actions of the mere readers. However, “jackers” are considered a danger by the government and when discovered are rounded up for imprisonment and study.

The author has created a fabulous story of being different and not fitting in with the crowd at school. Her depictions of the simple day-to-day realities, the rejections and humiliations, Kira’s thoughts and feelings were dead on. She skillfully builds in how Kira’s relationships with her friends were before and after their own changes, and gives Kira at least one true-blue friend, Raf, who stays by her side no matter what.

The story has action and mystery, villains and heroes, family and young love. It is a fast-paced, young adult story that keeps you wondering where it is going to go next.

This is the first book in the Mindjack Trilogy.

Great story with a great backstory!

Honestly, I don’t know which I liked more: the novel itself or the story behind the writing of Virulent: The Release. Written as a challenge from a student to create a post-apocalyptic young adult story set in their high school, English teacher Shelbi Wescott surely has a win with this terrifying tale inside what is normally seen as a safe haven.

The action and danger is non-stop. The characters act, speak, and interact as you’d expect teens to – even under such horrifying circumstances. Adults that are looked to for protection act crazy or fall apart at the seams. Strangers end up being the compassionate saviors.

The author builds a close-knit family unit and immediately separates our main character from this safety net as well. I worried right along with Lucy about whether her family was alive or dead. I agonized over the come-and-go cellphone signal and the meaning of the text messages and their timing. I wondered if Lucy’s brother, Ethan, was really coming to the rescue or if he’d never made it at all.

The larger setting is Portland, Oregon with its urban setting, its rivers, and the farmland only a little ways out of town. Clues the characters discover at Lucy’s home tell them to flee to another part of the country and we’ll have to wait until book 2 in the series to see if they can successfully do this and whether or not the rest of the family has survived.

I highly recommend this zombie-free young adult novel to those fans of both young adult in general and post-apocalyptic fantasies as well.

Rain, rain, that didn't go away leads to a great new series:The Rain by Joseph A. Turkot

I have to admit a bias toward the author’s use of rain as the catalyst for the crumbling of society in this book. I have been the storm water program coordinator for my hometown for the past 20 years dealing with water quantity, quality, conveyance and regulatory compliance so going into this I figured I was going to LOVE it or HATE it – probably no middle ground (heh heh). I am happy to report: I loved it.

Written from the viewpoint of Tanner, a teenage girl that was found and rescued as an infant by a friend of her decease parents, the story is a narrative, with very little dialogue, of her journey across the treacherous, flooded land that was formerly Wyoming to Colorado. She and Russell, her adopted father, have survived the rain, rising water, and the dissolution of society for the past decade plus but not without some bumps and bruises, terrors and tragedies as they’ve worked their way cross country from Philadelphia to the mythical “rain-free” city of Leadville, Colorado.

The settings are familiar (having traveled in the general locations) and horrifying in their depiction of collapse and ruin under the impact of the unrelenting rain.

Turkot has given us some genuine characters to get behind: the single-minded, unwavering Russell and our heroine, spunky Tanner who is emotionally growing up before our eyes. The villains are frightening monsters: both the obvious ones (the “face-eaters”) and the ones that are not so apparent on first meeting.

I felt Tanner’s struggle and panic to survive when Russell suddenly becomes incapacitated and her yearning when coming into contact with a teenage boy her own age for the first time. I thought the author wrote “young teen girl” really, really well.

This is the first story in a series, and I will definitely be reading further.

Prequel to The Narrowing Path - The Cruel Path

The Cruel Path is an excellent prequel to The Narrowing Path, and the series by David Normoyle. If you hadn't decided if you wanted to read the series, I think this would positively cinch the deal.

As noted, this occurs 30 years prior to the incidents beginning in the The Narrowing Path and I believe gives you a fair grounding on the world of Arcandia and its way of life. Characters appearing in The Cruel World reappear in the series.

Having said that, I went back and reread this story after completing The Narrowing Path, and enjoyed it again for the glimpses of how the characters changed after 30 years had passed.

The Narrowing Path by David Normoyle - Great story – Great characters – Great beginning to the series!

Thirteen-year-old Bowe is the last surviving member of the Bellangers, one of the four ruling families of Arcandia. Soon after his birth, the entire clan which was on the cusp of financial ruin committed mass suicide/murder. Somehow, the baby Bowe, survived or was missed only to be discovered by leaders of the other families as they surveyed the tragedy inside the Bellanger mansion. One leader takes the baby back to his family to be reared by one of the childless wives of the harem as her own.

Every six years, the course of the moon (Helion) causes the planet to come so close to their sun that every living thing on the planet would burn up if they did not seek safety in a series of huge caverns that extend under the ocean. However, the capacity of the caverns are not infinite, and to keep the population size suitable for their sexennial retreat to safety, young teenage males of the ruling families are tested with 8 selected for entry to the “Refuge.” All the others are left to burn up and die or kill themselves.

“The Green Path” is the 50 day test of the boys’ skills, ingenuity, and potential usefulness to the families. Some are good fighters. Some excel at building alliances and trading. Others are assassins and seek to kill off the competition. At the end, each family will select one boy who will then make his own selection of another ‘green’ to accompany him into entry into the family and the safety of the caverns for the 2 week period of the Infernam.

As the only surviving member of a lost house, Bowe has always known that he was to be killed the first day of the test and, consequently, is ranked at the bottom of the list of boys for selection. At 13, he’s at the youngest age of the competitors and unskilled as a fighter. When another boy is suddenly killed on the traditional first day of the test, Bowe begins to understand that he may be able to find a way to survive. The game, and the action, is on.

The author has developed an interesting world with a harsh environment and rigid traditions for his characters to populate. There are some mysterious subplots which give the main storyline an added robustness. These subplots are not reconciled but lead us to book 2, The Treacherous Path.

One thing I really liked is that the author pretty much kept action, dialogue, and reaction true to the age group. Yes, the characters faced a horrible situation – one that they were trained from birth to expect, fear and agonize over. They had to do grown-up things and make grown-up choices earlier than what we would expect but when confronted with a girl his own age in a romantic situation, Bowe stuttered and stammered, blushed, and wondered what to say like most boys of that age and experience level.

The story will keep you guessing as to who will live and who will “fall from the path,” die. (Spoiler: The author is not afraid to kill off major characters.) It is fast paced and intriguing. I think it will hook you from the very beginning and have you staying up past when you should have shut down your Kindle for the night.

Stitch by Samantha Durante has a surprise waiting inside for you

Stitch, Book 1 in the Stitch Trilogy, begins life as a good ghost story. Alessa Khole, a freshman at Eastern State University, is living in an old house that is the Zeta Epsilon Pi sorority house. But as schools begins, so do Alessa’s eerie and brief sightings of a young man dressed in clothing from an earlier era in her bedroom. There one minute but quickly fading from sight, the young man stares pensively out of her bedroom window unaware of Alessa and evoking in her overwhelming feelings of grief and longing.

Alessa's life, this past year, has been tough. Both parents were killed suddenly in a car accident sending her, a previously stellar student, into a downward spiral of depression, where she eeks through her senior year of high school. Instead of the coveted entrance to a previously guaranteed prestige college she finds herself begging for a place in any second rate university that will take her. She ends up at ESU and things here aren't what they seem to be on the surface. For one thing, there are security cameras literally everywhere.

Then with limited living spaces available, she and another freshman, Janie, are forced on the Zeta Epsilon Pi sorority house by the university administration. Neither girl fits in, and aren’t particularly welcome. And then there is the ghost ...

Just as Alessa begins to unravel the mystery of the ghost, the story takes an amazing, “out of the blue” left turn, and the action really takes off. Fans of the young adult, dystopian novel should enjoy this very, very different story, and I look forward to the next installment in the trilogy myself.

daynight by Megan Thomason - a tense, young adult dystopian story

daynight is based on the intriguing premise that Earth has a “sister” world, Thera, where those that have had their lives cut short can go for a second chance at a longer life. Specially gifted individuals can go back and forth via portals between the two worlds (without having to die). Kira Donovan, is unknowingly gifted with this ability and as her tragic junior year of high school year ends (110 of her classmates, her boyfriend and best friend were all killed in a house explosion at an after party for the Winter Dance), she chooses to complete her final year as a recruit of the SCI - the Second Chance Institute. The Second Chance Institute is the corporation that makes possible the "second chance" at life for the deceased.

Blake, a classmate that also escaped the house explosion, signs on with SCI as well but he has a secret agenda behind his decision. Ethan, the son of a prominent family on Thera, attends college on Earth during the school year and interns with his father in the Theran government during summer break. The three main characters are united on Thera and an angsty love triangle develops.

Life on Thera is governed by strict rules with harsh consequences for non-compliance. It is also a physically, harsh environment with the outside temperatures reaching 150 degrees during the day. As an adaptation to the heat, the inhabitants live their lives and are awake during the cooler hours of darkness and sleep during the heat of the day.

The Second Chance inhabitants are unaware of their previous lives on Earth. They come to Thera the same age they were when they died with no memory of their past. When Kira realizes that her former boyfriend, best friend, and many of her former classmates are now on Thera as Second Chancers, it becomes a stressful struggle for her to maintain the pretense that they are meeting for the first time and have no history with each other.

The story is an adventure, a mystery, a romance and thriller all blended to create a highly enjoyable reading experience. The main characters are flawed, yet very likeable; the situation on Thera, tense; and the machinations behind the scenes on Thera, frightening and dangerous. All of which will keep the “pages” turning.

The Wrath of Potter - Finale of the Blood Thirst Trilogy by Stephanie Jackson

The Wrath of Potter is the concluding installment of the Blood Thirst trilogy by Stephanie "Tate" Jackson. It is a very good finale for this very good story. It ties up the stories of Beck and Richard, Potter and the hunters, but still leaves the door open for another go should the author ever decide to revisit this series. Very enjoyable story again with vampires, vampire hunters, fighting, gore, violence, time travel machinery, romantic love all over the place!, and even a witch this time around.

The book could definitely benefit by having an editor give it a good look. There are just so many misspelled or misused words that could easily be fixed and give this so much more polish. Still, I fully intend to read more by this author.