Dissever by Colee Firman offers a wild ride!

Addy is a teenage girl living with her grandfather among a special race of human-like beings called the Akori. Her grandfather, Fate, is The Overseer and manages the Estate (the Akori homeplace which magically moves locations all over the world every couple of years). Addy, as her grandfather’s only descendant, is to take on the role of Overseer upon his death, and this last move of the estate (to a beach in Florida) has really taken its toll on Fate. Addy must wrap up her preparation to become the first female Overseer – it has always gone to the oldest male heir – while she watches her grandfather weaken more each day.

Starting out quietly, with Addy watching her grandfather slip further and further away, Dissever gradually picks up the pace and delivers action, romance, excitement and a crescendo of a cliff-hanger ending that leaves you scrambling for book two in the series.

The author slowly builds us a picture of the world of the Akori – hidden in plain view of humans. Dialogue is snappy, contemporary, and fun with a number of references to current pop culture. The teen protagonists dance around each other figuring out their relationships with one another and their places in the scheme of things and those of the adult Akori that have decided it is time for a change back to the way things were before there was an Overseer.

Dissever is very well written, unique, and imaginative. There are some minor issues with grammar and spelling that some additional editing could easily clear up though. If you enjoy young adult fantasy series with an entertaining dose of contemporary life deftly woven in, you’re not going to want to miss Dissever.

Imperfect people, imperfect pasts

Come Home to Me by Brenda Novak is not a story about beautiful people. In this sixth installment in her Whiskey Creek series, the focus is on the hell-raising Amos brothers (Aaron and Dylan) and the flawed Christiansen sisters (Presley and Cheyenne.)

Former wild child, and subsequent drug addict, Presley Christiansen, returns sans spouse with secret baby in tow to the only home she’s ever known. Her sister, Cheyenne, has made a good life for herself here with her beloved husband, Dylan Amos, the eldest of the rowdy Amos brothers.

Both families have grown to adulthood without the benefit of kind, caring, loving parents. The Amos boys, on their own under the watchful eye of Dylan, lost their mother at an early age for most of them and their father has spent the last 20 years in prison for murder. The Christiansen sisters grew up living in cheap motels or cars dragged along by their now-deceased prostitute, drug addict mother, Anita.

But Presley, too, has turned her life around. With the responsibility of a baby riding solely on her shoulders, she’s straightened up, worked hard and saved up enough money to move back to Whiskey Creek and her only relative to open her own business – a yoga and massage studio. Unfortunately, the clueless father of baby Wyatt – Aaron Amos – who was supposed to have relocated to Reno to open a satellite location of the thriving Amos automotive repair business – has come face-to-face with Presley and decided to stay in town a little longer and perhaps, rekindle their former relationship.

The Amos brothers and the Christiansen sisters are carrying around enough baggage to open a Samsonite outlet (if they could ever be enticed to unload some of it.) The decisions made in the past weren’t the best and the decisions being made in the present by these very real characters rival those for the problems they create or will in the future. We’ll have to wait for the next book in the series for some of those chickens to come home to roost! (A couple of interesting subplots are left hanging and we will have to wait for their resolution.)

If you’ve enjoyed the Whiskey Creek series up till now, you really should read Aaron and Presley’s story: previous books have alluded to these characters and their history. Characters from those previous books also make brief and incidental appearances in this one and creates a feeling of connection to this growing and familiar place, Whiskey Creek.

But this story is not a fairytale populated with perfect people. Come Home to Me is about grittier folks with problems, flaws, tough pasts, intense passions, and a doozy of a moral dilemma and decision that may put some readers off. But there is also redemption here, and that is what will keep me waiting anxiously for whatever comes next.

Homeless by Nicolas Wilson

A frightening unseen infestation of deadly creatures has invaded the world! Sweeping across the country from the east coast, the “blight” take over enclosed places – homes, businesses, even tents, and vehicles left closed – and violently destroy any humans that come close enough. Society has collapsed as people have been forced out into the open spaces – abandoning the built environment to the blight – for exposure to the elements, not only of the weather and temperature but of the worst of what remains of humanity.

The creatures die if exposed to sunlight and the open air so a new occupation has arisen: “wall-bangers” or “crackers.” These new entrepreneurs know about the making and setting of explosives to “crack” open infested buildings to make the accessible once again to humans when the blight infestation inside dies. The local populace can then raid the contents of the cracked building for essential items or those that can be used to trade for essentials.

The only other way to obtain these goods is to coax a “runner” to race through the infested building, retrieve the needed treasures, and hopefully, escape with their life. A dangerous occupation, few runners survive their first or second attempts.

A third occupation linking the settlements of society’s survivors are the expressmen. Similar to the postal service, the expressmen travel the devastation between the colonies of survivors with letters and requests for runners and wall-bangers.

The story follows the interactions of a wall-banger, a runner, and an expressman, and the different colonies they encounter in their part of the Pacific Northwest: the remnants of a college town, bandits, and an urban militia that has taken over an abandoned military base which happens to have a stockpile of much needed artillery and ammunition.

I thought the author’s take on the cause of society’s apocalyptic collapse – the infestation of the blight – unique and terrifying. We only get hints of what the creatures are like until the near end when a quick, horrifying description is given when the wall-banger, Mitch, has a near fatal face-to-face. I think the “not knowing” really gave the story a suspenseful edge.

The characters backstories are sketchy at best and also lends something of an unknown quality to them and to the realism of the situation and their encounters with other groups. The book builds from a horror story to the suspense of a real thriller and ends in such a way as to leave room for sequels.

I recommend this story to anyone that likes post-apocalyptic tales. Explicit sexual references might offend some and would remove this from the young adult genre. A little time spent with an editor fine-tuning some spelling, word choices, and punctuation would really polish the final product.

History of the Timelaws - imaginative and engaging for young adults

To the human world, 15-year-old Elizabeth is a regular teenager growing up without her parents in a pretty rough neighborhood. However, in the world of magic, she is the powerful leader of a team of “Darks,” and holds the fate of humankind in her hands.

History of the Timelaws by Marise Ghorayeb is an imaginative story for young adults that marries magic-laden fantasy with science fiction adventure. And although I enjoyed the story, I had to work hard to follow all the different storylines and miscellaneous characters. (I had read the prequel story, Sorcery in the Alleys, and was already hooked so I wanted to stick with it.) There is time-travel involved and action takes place in 2 different times simultaneously. This was not a problem however, at times there just wasn’t enough explanation to why things were occurring to keep me straight. Characters appeared and it seemed they would play a major role but then nothing. Others performed critically significant actions in the storyline but seemed to come out of nowhere without any relationship to the main character. I am hoping that they are to feature heavily in future sequels.

A little more editing is still needed here but because the characters and plot were engaging, it did not disrupt my reading experience.

Sorcery in the Alleys - prequel to History of the Timelaws by Marise Ghorayeb

My friends and family are aware that I'm a "reader." They realize that I'm a bit quirky in what I pick up and that when reading series books I have to start at the beginning and read the books in order. So when I realized that I'd requested to read and review a book that was the 2nd in a series, there was no joy.

Luckily the author of the book popped into the review forum and I asked if it were possible to get a copy of the the story that is the prequel to the young adult novel under review. She agreed but cautioned me that the current edition of Sorcery in the Alleys needs editing before being released. This turned out to be true but the meat of the story is still there and it is a dandy: very imaginative and addictive. I even brought lunch to the office so I would have time during the break to read rather than using the time up driving home and back. I definitely recommend this nice start to the series when the new edited version becomes available.

Thank you to Marise Ghorayeb for giving me the copy to read before her next in line - The History of the Timelaws.

David Estes' Fire Country is 1 Year Old!

Today, Fire Country by David Estes turns one year old. In the first year since Fire Country was born, so much has happened. David signed with an agent, sold more than 10,000 books, wrote five more books and published a further three). He knew he just had to celebrate and he'd love for you to be a part of it! David owes so much of his support to the blogger community, and he wants everyone to have the chance to be a part of the Fire Country Birthday Bash.

Everyone goes home a winner, simply follow the prompts below and swipe your eCopy of Fire Country from Smashwords. Read and leave a review on Amazon if you enjoyed it. Feel free to share the code with your friends, family, neighbours and literary inclined pets.

https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/280371

Coupon Code: WH62C

Expiration: March 1, 2014

What's a party without prizes? Yes, David is not only giving everyone a chance to download their own copy of Fire Country, book one in the Country Saga for free, but he's also giving you stuff too. You could win an Amazon giftcard open internationally, U.S residents can win a signed copy of the David Estes book of your choice, or a handful of David Estes eBooks of your choice. Awesome.

Visit David via his Blog • Facebook • Twitter and via Goodreads

Pay Perry the Prickler a visit on Twitter and Goodreads

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A great adventure set in a great “new-to-me” part of the country!

Fugitives from Northwoods by Chris Bostic is a great young adult, survival in the wilderness adventure story set in the Northwoods. For those of us that don’t know, the “Northwoods” setting mentioned in the title is a broad region of northern Minnesota (also Wisconsin, Michigan, and Ontario around the Great Lakes). Historically, according to Wikipedia, this region was home to logging operations and later, lodges were built as fishing camps and lake resorts.

Author Chris Bostic has taken these historic uses and twisted them to nightmarish proportions creating a landscape with massive areas of beautiful, yet dangerous forest, appalling regions devastated by clear-cutting, forced-labor work camps filled with conscripted teenagers, and built a desperate vision of a post-societal-collapse U.S. The story’s main characters escape from one of these work camps and flee the camp pursuers through the wilderness toward the hope of freedom across the border in Ontario.

Besides being a great adventure and tale of survival in a wonderfully described locale, Fugitives from Northwoods has good, solid characters. We get a pretty good feel for each and every one of the teens and their relationship within the group.

I liked the way the author incorporated the well-known Robert Frost poem Stopping By Woods on a Snowy Evening into narrator’s (Penn’s) thoughts. The inclusion connected this nightmarish future world to our reality.

Author Bostic is apparently an actual outdoorsman himself, and brings that experience and knowledge into his debut novel giving a feel of realism that similar stories may lack. I particularly liked the tidbits of nature information sprinkled throughout (i.e., the presence/absence of earthworms at the lakes and assorted other fishing tips.)

Although I couldn’t find confirmation of it, Fugitives from Northwoods felt like the start of a series. I, for one, hope it is.

The Devil Made Me Do It

Gary A. Caruso’s Our Souls to Keep is a young adult, horror story of the dark side of all these YA books about demons that have been published over the past couple of years. It’s a compact and exciting story about 17-year-old Wake Reynolds who trades his soul to Satan to prevent his mother (who has committed suicide) from eternal damnation. Naturally, the deal with the devil does not pan out as hoped and Wake finds both he and his mother consigned to Hell with Wake working as a collector of teenage souls.

The story is an exciting race to beat the devil’s minions, break Wake’s contract, and save the soul of a pregnant teenager bearing a child critical to the upcoming showdown between Heaven and Hell. There are elements of horror, suspense, teenage romance, and even some humorous dialogue (especially between Wake and his mentor, Nevin). Ultimately, however, this is a tragedy. I highly recommend reading the short story prequel, The Promised Land, before Our Souls to Keep but even if you don’t, I think you’ll get enough backstory from the glimpses of how Wake got to be where he is as the novel opens to have a very satisfying reading experience.

Book Review: Forager by Peter R. Stone

Forager by Peter R. Stone
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

A brilliant Australia-set post-apocalyptic tale for YA!

World War III decimated Earth and society; the surviving members of the human race clustered together in settlements on the Australian continent in the former state of Victoria. Eighteen-year-old Ethan Jones has grown up in one of these city-settlements, Newhome, on the outskirts of what is left of Melbourne. He leads a successful team of five friends that forage for metals and other useful items amongst its ruins. Ethan, however, has a secret. Ethan is a mutant with enhanced hearing and echolocation abilities that would earn him a death sentence if the powers-that-be found out.

The success of this team (far outstripping that of the other forager teams) attracts the attention of the “Custodians”: the militaristic overseers of the city and the guardians of the status quo. Under the pretext of protecting Ethan’s team from the horrific marauders known as the “Skels” that haunt the Melbourne ruins, a team of Custodians accompany them out of the city for a day of foraging.

While working, the two teams must come to the rescue of a trading party from the distant city-settlement of Hamamachi that the Skels have attacked. The party’s only survivors are Counsillor Okada and his young female translator, Nanako. For Ethan, life as he knows it is fixing to change forever - again.

The author has given us a fully developed, post-apocalyptic world and populated it with great characters. The plot is imaginative, and I was immediately absorbed in the story. The society of Newhome, highly structured with rigid and unforgiving laws and traditions, sets the stage for the variety of characters and their hopeless lives (although the ambitious can aspire to entry into the privileged and mysterious part of the city known as “North Gate.”)

The mix of actually existing items like the Custodians’ Bushmaster vehicles and Austeyr assault rifles add a touch of our present to Ethan’s reality, and I found that fun. I also liked that the characters used actual Melbourne streets and place names on the foraging trips. I imagine that if the reader actually lived in Melbourne, that would be pretty cool.

The action was tense and tight, with a number of twists that I never saw coming. As I read, I did not want to put the book down, respect the clock, or get on with what needed doing (sleep, work, etc.) in my day-to-day. I just needed to read “one more chapter.” Bravo to the author for a great start to his trilogy.

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It's a Mad World at Wakefield

Wakefield by Erin Callahan & Troy H. Gardner is told from the differing perspectives of several of the main characters, and is a tightly written (and well edited) tale of teenage residents in one wing of a mysterious psychiatric treatment facility. The story begins as we are introduced to the facility's students and staff members upon the arrival of its two newest residents: Astrid Chalke & Max Fisher.

There is mystery, teenage angst, paranormal/magical elements, superpowers, and even the budding of teenage romance: all the makings for a very engaging story and an enticing start to the Mad World series.

Action and mystery begin immediately and the back stories of the characters are slowly revealed so the reader learns and feels the heartbreak and circumstances that led to the children’s placement at Wakefield. I found I developed a definite investment in the characters as story progressed: even for those that I didn’t view very sympathetically at the start.

The story closes at a great jumping off place for the second book in the series, Tunnelville. I enjoyed Wakefield so much that Tunnelville is now on my “To Read” list.

TOKEN by Ryan Gresset - the debut book in a YA Dystopian series - very good!

Let me begin right off by saying that I REALLY liked this book and enjoyed the author’s writing style.

The plot was GOOD. I wanted to keep reading (disregard what the clock is showing) and will be anxiously awaiting the next book in the series. I originally felt the prologue was too vague – I was unsettled by the lack of knowing what was going on – but I pushed on into the story and was rewarded with a nice, gradual unfolding of the world's history.

The characters were interesting although I kept forgetting that the leads were in the 15 – 16 year old range and not a good 10 years older. I enjoyed the camaraderie of the 4 shack mates while they were on the island and kept envisioning them as the Zoolander roommates in the movie of the same name. The relationships between the shack mates later in the story are the source of much tension, anxiety, and ultimately, sorrow. I am still concerned over the outcome for one, Nayze, who was left in a real cliffhanger situation at the close of this book. I hope to see him later in the series.

There are twists and turns in the storyline that I never saw coming. Reading through again later, I found a couple of clues dangling out there that should have given me a hint though. I love that.

I did have some issues with the book though. This book is in great need of a good editor. A couple of typos here and there are okay, but the reading experience for me suffered from instances of misused words. For example, in The Prologue, “Kloe begins to hastily make her way back to the shanty hole she has been hulled up in over the last seven months.” In this case, “hulled up” probably should be “holed up.”

Things like this stop me while reading totally interrupting the flow of the story. Token has quite a few of these BUT I still REALLY liked the book. If these had been cleared up, I’ll bet I would have been blown away.

If this kind of thing doesn’t bother you, and you’re a YA dystopian fiction fan, you’re looking at solid story and a possible 5 star read. Bottom line, I recommend Token by Ryan Gressett, warts included.

Jump on this one for a good young adult read

Jump When Ready by David Pandolfe is a well done after-life story about 14-year-old Henry who accidentally drowns while wading in a river during a teen party. He finds himself in the company other “dead kids” and an older woman, Martha, in another place – a nice, “normal” place that changes according to the desires of the kids and Martha. The kids have their own home together, each with their own private room that suits their personalities and interests from the lives they just left. A food court provides any type of meal.

As part of the process of settling in to his new “life,” the other kids take Henry to his own funeral. Although undetectable by the living, Henry discovers that by really trying he can make his family hear him talking to them in their heads – if only they would believe it was really him! What begins as Henry desperately trying to get through to his family and make them understand that his death was accidental rather than suicide becomes a critical ability when his older sister, Bethany, is kidnapped and held for ransom by a sinister online acquaintance.

Henry and his new friends attempt to save Bethany and bring her captors to justice as they come to understand their afterlife, begin to develop their newly discovered ghostly skills, and avoid becoming ghostly shades trapped in their former lives.

The author’s vision of the kids’ afterlife was great and well described. Explanations of “how things worked” were gradually worked into the storyline so there was a nicely drawn out feeling of discovery. Henry is initially confused and the gradual unveiling of the story was nicely done and progressed at what I felt was a natural pace.

I really liked the main characters. The author provided a nice variety of young teenage characters to populate the new surroundings, and their voices, attitudes, and actions sounded true and appropriate to their ages and situations.

The gradual “reveal” of what heaven is, what hell is, and the soul was gentle, positive, and hopeful, and left me interested in knowing where things might go next for all the main characters.

Gargoyles: they're not just for Disney anymore

Life, as we know it, comes to a screeching halt when giant, green gargoyle-like creatures start cropping up and eating people beginning with the president of Mexico in front of the world at a large public event. Never appearing alone - just like cockroaches - where there is one, there are many!

The author of Dawn of the Apocalypse, E.S.P., has one vivid imagination for inserting this most bizarre invasion into the mundane day-to-day. In the subway, on the Queensboro Bridge, the boroughs of New York, she takes the reader from zero to crazy in nothing flat!

I really liked and rooted for the main characters, Cliff, Angel, and Hunter. The teenagers were scared and acted like teens, but underneath it all, they are strong survivors. There are creepy adults throughout that challenge the kids. A story aspect I really liked was that Cliff is the older teenage brother to the much younger sister, Angel. Having read a number of books where an older sister is the protector and stabilizing element to younger siblings, it was fresh to see an older brother in that role.

Early in the story, Cliff and Angel are separated from the rest of their family. Cliff does his best to keep himself together and protect his young sister while trying to survive. He is aided by a stranger, a teenage girl named Hunter, whom he meets during an attack in the subway.

Besides good characters, the author's apocalyptic catalysts are not zombies as is currently popular but GARGOYLES. Personally, I've always enjoyed looking for these carvings on buildings and liked the Disney cartoon characters, but these are the stuff of nightmares. (Literally. I understand the author was inspired by a nightmare!) These big boys are scary, green, vengeful, oblivious to bullets, and hungry.

Additionally, I am a sucker for a good story setting, and New York is a natural. The author has well known locations for action and all seems so comfortable until the gargoyles enter the scene.

Just like the characters, the reader will feel somewhat bombarded by action and the confusion that it brings. It makes for a fast paced story and a feel for what the characters are going through. But stay with it!

I recommend this very quick, entertaining read, however the text could benefit from a little clean up editing. But if you ignore that and just go with the flow of a good action tale, you'll be very glad.

You can find this ebook at http://www.amazon.com/Dawn-Apocalypse-E-S-P-ebook/dp/B00EETHMAE/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1387856143&sr=8-1&keywords=Dawn+of+the+Apocalypse

Book Review: A Shade of Vampire (A Shade of Vampire, #1), by Bella Forrest

A Shade of Vampire by Bella Forrest
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

A fun, easy-to-enjoy vampire story.

A Shade of Vampire is the first book in author Bella Forrest's series of the same name. This very imaginative tale is told in first person from the perspective of the two main characters and features our world with vampires living in seclusion on a hidden island fortress. The leader of the vampire community, Derek Novak, has been asleep for 400 hundred years since establishing the secret sanctuary. But Derek is scheduled to wake up soon.

The vampires of this coven leave the island periodically to kidnap humans to use as slaves and their source of nourishment. In preparation for Derek regaining consciousness, his sister and brother kidnap several young and beautiful girls to serve him in his harem, and in doing so, select Sofia Claremont, who was discovered walking along a deserted beach on her 17th birthday after arguing with her best friend, Ben. When Derek awakens, he is taken with the young captive as he fights to control his blood hunger, and eventually, they become emotionally involved with each other.

The story has interesting characters with unusual backstories. Sofia grew up under difficult circumstances and was taken under the wings of Ben's family. She was falling in love with Ben. Derek was once a hunter of vampires and was "turned" by his father. Derek's older brother, Lucas, has been passed over to rule the coven in favor of Derek courtesy of a prophecy. The island's protection against discovery by the vampire hunters was set in place by Cora, a powerful witch whom Derek wooed to the vampires' side. Cora, dead for centuries, has been succeeded through the years by her descendants, currently by one named Corrine. Ben also reappears to complicate the story further.

The setting is fun and imaginative. The island itself, known as "The Shade," is kept in eternal night by a spell crafted and maintained by Cora and her family. Prisoners are kept in "The Cells" and slaves in "The Catacombs." A medieval town known as "The Vale" and "The Baths" serve as the meeting, shopping, and social centers of the coven. The members of the first vampire families are known as "The Elite" and live in modern, fantastic tree houses or villas, with the members of the royal family residing in the best of the best – "The Penthouse."

Mystery, murder, a foiled escape attempt, and romance all serve to spice up this fairly short (152 pages) and quick introduction to the world and characters of this series. I recommend A SHADE OF VAMPIRE to readers of vampire stories.

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New Look on an Old Legend - The Impaler's Revenge by Ioana Visan

In this story, vampires are a known part of society, “living” amongst humans and going about their own business everywhere except … Romania (Points for the setting!) which closed their borders to the undead over five centuries previously. However, the country’s elected President has ordered a secret (and highly treasonous) operation allowing one 1,000 year old vampire, Maximilien Hess, into Bucharest. The operation is secret even to the vampire’s minder, Liana Cantacuzino, and her cadre of pandurs (trained vampire killers.) Liana is a descendant of one of the oldest noble families and is a member of the Little Council – the power behind the president. Liana and her pandurs have been trained from birth to despise and eradicate vampires from their country. She obeys the order but is not happy about it. The Impaler’s Revenge is the debut of her story told in the series, The Impaler Legacy, and it is a good one. Back stories slowly and naturally unfold to fill in the details of the characters’ lives. I thought the plot was a fresh take on the “vampires among us” theme, interesting and entertaining. The author brings out a different telling of the history of Vlad Tepes. I found myself liking the main characters and at the conclusion of this story I wanted to know more about them and what was going to happen to them. This sent me looking for the next installment in the series: Sweet Seduction (The Impaler Legacy #1.5). Then, too, is the great setting – Romania – and from an author that is familiar with the location. My only hope is that the stories are some day combined into one longer novel. I would so read it all again.

Red River - sequel to Kelly Van Hull's Tent City

I want to thank the author for a sneak preview at this very satisfying sequel to Tent City.

Red River follows up on Dani, her family, and her Tent City crew in this series about life after the food chain in the United States is destroyed and the government collapses, and gives us a better idea of what happened, how, and why.

After the first book, I felt really invested in knowing what became of the kids and their families, and to learn more about the back story of the characters.

The author does this for the reader and more. Some great new characters are introduced. Love interests are sorted out and teenage angst plays out (without getting boring or on my nerves anyway!) Interesting new "advancements" appear and grow. Villains come to light that were previously unknown.

This series reminded me a little of the Tomorrow, When the War Began series by John Marsden with the story revolving around teenage survivors, and I really liked the South Dakotan setting a lot.

I look forward to more from Kelly Van Hull!

Short, but oh so good!

Just read Fifty/Fifty, a short story collection by Belfast author, Matthew W. McFarland which I received in return for an honest review. SCORE! Comprised of 11 vastly different short stories, each shared a couple of common bonds; they were clever, entertaining, and smooth, smooth, smooth. Several of the phrases he used continue to stick with me out of the sheer delight I experienced when reading them – “Fir missile” and “special robot socks which make him go fast” are two in particular. I loved both for the visual imagery invoked but also for the connection I had with them (I’m a mother of 3 boys.) The author mentions in an Afterword that “Some of the stories in this collection are complete fiction, and some are closer to reality than you might imagine.” I’d love to know more about which are which. Complaint? I’ve finished reading them for that first time! I already know that this will be my new “share” book to talk about with family, friends, and strangers after we’ve exhausted the weather situation.

Romance, mystery, teen angst, and ZOMBIES!

Just had the pleasure of reading Out of Darkness (The Starborn Saga #1) by Jason D. Morrow. This is a great story set in a time at least 60 years after society as we know it is destroyed. Humans huddle together for safety from the marauding “greyskins” in isolated villages or concentrated in cities protected by skilled guards under the direction of the powerful, Jeremiah. Mora leaves her grandmother and younger brother, Jake, in her besieged village, Springhill, to seek out and negotiate protection with Jeremiah. Along the way she encounters the brothers, Connor and Aaron, in a protected city of Salem, and discovers new abilities within herself. Additionally, secrets regarding the “greyskins” and the death of her parents are revealed. The story has everything: romance, mystery, horror, engaging characters, an entertaining story, secrets hidden and secret revealed, teen angst, and zombies. I loved it, and look forward to the next volumes in the series: If It Kills Me(The Starborn Saga #2) and Even in Death (The Starborn Sage #3).

The 5th installment in the Whiskey Creek series is another winner!

This episode tells the story of Ted and Sophia – characters introduced in the previous series’ entries. The unthinkable has happened – Sophia’s husband, Skip, has defrauded almost the entire town of Whiskey Creek and accidentally killed himself while sneaking away in the night. (He slips off his yacht while vacationing off the coast of Brazil thinking to swim ashore and run away leaving his innocent and unknowing wife, Sophia, and daughter, Alexa, behind to suffer the consequences – including the ire and treatment of the inhabitants of the town and the FBI.) This story is Sophia’s gradual metamorphosis from alcoholic, abused spouse to a capable, independent woman and mother. Yes, alcoholic – Sophia had escaped from her hard marriage through a wine bottle, and the story realistically presents her battle with addiction. The change from the icy, privileged princess of the high school memories of the series’ core characters to someone you can really get behind and root for is satisfying and a pleasure to experience. I expected this to be a hard sell but I thought the author really nailed it. The dialogues and emotions are real ones, never contrived. The daughter’s former friends act like kids do sometimes. Ted’s mom has trouble accepting Sophia back into her son’s life. And the relationship between the Whiskey Creek’s inhabitants and Sophia isn’t all wrapped up with a bow for Christmas – although positive steps are made. I was hooked by this story (this entire series) from the very first page to the end.

A thoroughly enjoyable story from beginning to end!

I recently read Through the Smoke, a new historical, by Brenda Novak. The story begins with a breakneck race through the darkened countryside in a horse-drawn carriage, and although the pace of the story does let up, the mystery and suspense remain. One of the things that I appreciate about this book (and all of this author’s books that I’ve read to this point) is that characters have normal reactions to events and take reasonable actions accordingly. Conversations make sense (and do not feel contrived) and move the action along. Suspense builds. Characters develop. This story includes details about the coal mining industry of that era which was interesting and frightening at the same time. Supporting characters and enough story left over after a satisfying ending that a sequel would be possible and welcomed.