August 21, 2023 - fundinmentalfundinmental

I want to thank Book Sirens & Vivek Pravat for the opportunity to read and review Xenome.

MY REVIEW

All I had to see was…a remote Pacific Island, something new birthed and not of this world, and I was curious. But, it was a little over my head when it came to the scientific information.

We started out with something I am familiar with, Holly’s mother being found dead. She goes to Melanesia to search for answers. All kinds of red flags were flying for me, and I asked myself, “Would I do it?” It doesn’t take long for danger to mount, guns blazing and bullets flying.

Holly needs to be on her toes, because danger and betrayal lurk around every turn. She has her boyfriend, David, at her side, and he is the only person she can trust. He is injured early on, and she is left to her own devices. As the story develops, other characters come into play that will be important to her.

The something new birthed is nothing I anticipated and I like that, but Vivek’s scientific explanations were confusing and stopped the flow of the story. I think others, more technically minded will grasp the concept quicker than I did, but once we got past that, the action ramps up, evil rises, betrayal and friendship come from unlikely sources, and savagery and death surround her.

I do love an author who isn’t afraid to kill off their characters, even ones I have come to count on and was saddened when they died a grisly death, but I have to consider the players in a game of world domination. Greed and power are at the forefront and the players will stop at nothing to go where no man has gone before. (LOL) Haven’t humans learned not to play God? Nothing good comes of it.

In the Afterword, Vivek Pravat shares elements of the story that are fact and fiction.

I voluntarily reviewed a free copy of Xenome by Vivek Pravat.

Animated Animals. Pictures, Images and Photos — 4 Stars

GOODREADS BLURB

ON A REMOTE PACIFIC ISLAND, SOMETHING NEW HAS BEEN BIRTHED. SOMETHING NOT OF THIS WORLD…

Holly Truong is a field biologist on the verge of an experimental breakthrough on swarm intelligence. But when she receives news that her estranged mother has been found dead in faraway Melanesia, she is compelled to put everything on the back burner and go in search of answers.

Waiting for her there is an experiment of a completely unexpected kind: a recreation of alien life, made possible by a secret SETI program called Metis Eye. Earth is now host to a bizarre new life form—one utterly unlike anything the planet has seen in its four and a half billion years of existence.

However, as shocking as the revelation is, a deeper, far more terrifying secret lurks in the heart of the jungle. A secret that if left uncovered could mean the end of civilization itself.

Nature, red in tooth and claw, has returned to claim its dominion, and Holly is about to find out that she is the only one standing in its way.

Genre: Action and Adventure, Aliens, Fiction, Genetic Engineering, Horror, Science Fiction,Technothriller
450 pages, Kindle Edition
Expected publication July 31, 2023

ABOUT VIVEK PRAVAT (from his website)

Vivek writes books under the pen name Vance Pravat. Software engineer by profession, the author has been an ardent fan of science fiction since childhood. During the course of his work, he has lived and worked in several countries around the world, and prides himself on his ability to assimilate alien cultures and cuisines with all the gusto of some benign version of the Borg.

His love for fiction that doesn’t hesitate to ask big questions eventually compelled him to overcome the demands of his day trade and pen his first book.

His main areas of interest are AI, philosophy, history, physics, and geopolitics. When he is not too busy writing, reading, or entertaining his baby daughter, he likes to indulge in PC role-playing and collectible card games.

He is always happy to chat with his readers and can be found just an email or a PM away.

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Phantom Fire
Delta James
(Winged Warriors, #1)
Publication date: August 18th 2023
Genres: Adult, Paranormal, Romance

A night of passion and a positive pregnancy test will change everything.

Kessily Campbell, a rising star environmental lawyer, was not looking for a relationship when she met the mysterious Falkor at a conference. The attraction was instantaneous and powerful. She didn’t have time for commitment in her life so, she invited him to her room for a fun evening. When Kessily discovers she is pregnant, she must face the realities that come with this new life.

Falkor, dragon and alpha of the Phantom Fire, would lose too much if he committed to a woman. Tradition stated when a member of the Phantom Fire found their eternal flame they were to give up their position and immortality. In addition, they had to pledge their first-born son to the Winged Warriors when he reached age. There are not many human women who are willing to accept those terms.

As the head lawyer on an important case involving the Wind River Mountains, Kessily is very busy. Walking into a meeting with her boss to meet a new co-plaintiff, she is shocked to realize that Falkor will be joining her legal team. Now she has to figure out how to tell him he’s going to be a father in the next seven months.

As the trial heats up so does their relationship. Their relationship is tested as they fight to find a path forward. Will they be able to reach a compromise that will benefit everyone? Find out in this passionate and suspenseful tale of love and responsibility.

If you enjoy romantic suspense books by K.C. Crowne and Lillian Monroe you’ll love this story of a passionate night that changes everything.

Goodreads / Amazon / Barnes & Noble / iBooks / Kobo

—

EXCERPT:

Along about dusk, she had her usual campsite within reach. As she rounded the corner, she realized it was in use. The woman emerging out of the bright orange tent smiled as she spotted Kessily and raised her hand.

“Hello, sister,” she called. She was dressed in jeans and a pretty sweater with Native American-inspired artwork intricately woven into the sweater. Her jeans were tucked into traditional moccasins instead of hiking boots.

Kessily looked all around her to see to whom the woman was referring.

The woman laughed. “Yes, I mean you. I’ve been waiting for you.”

“You have? Do we know each other?” Kessily asked as she reached into her pocket for the bear spray—if it could drop a grizzly, surely it could drop a medium-sized female.

“There is no need for violence or confusion. I am known as She Who Listens.”

“What do you listen to?” asked Kessily.

“To all the living things. They speak to me.”

Curious, Kessily moved closer. “What do they tell you?”

“Many things. For instance, they say you are on a great quest.”

Kessily smiled and approached her. There didn’t seem to be any reason not to. “I’m hiking up to the Cauldron of Fire.”

“Ah, it is the dragon you seek. He searches for you, as well.”

Okay, so the woman is a little bit crackers. Perhaps I’ll move along and hope she doesn’t follow.

“You think I’m not right in the head, but I am. There is a reason you feel at peace when you are within sight of the Cauldron. It is because he is there and has been waiting. He will come to you and you will bear his child.”

“I’m not quite sure how to tell you this,” Kessily said, politely, “but it is next to impossible for me to get pregnant. I have something called PCOS. It will prevent me from ever having children.”

“Dragon seed is strong. I can prove to you that what I say is true.”

“Short of producing a dragon, I don’t think that’s possible. But you have yourself a nice day.”

Kessily turned to leave, and she heard the woman scurrying back into her tent. She didn’t think anything good could come of that. She picked up her pace and began to put as much distance between herself and the mad woman as she possibly could. When the sound of the woman exiting her tent and starting after her reached her ears, Kessily broke into a run.

“Wait, sister! I mean you no harm,” the woman said as her hand closed around Kessily’s upper arm and spun her around. In her hands was a large deck of ornate cards. “Pick one.”

“No, thanks. I have friends waiting and want to get to them before they start to worry.”

The woman frowned and shook her head. “No, you don’t. There is no one who waits for you. Pick a card. Listen to the message the gods send to you, and I will leave you in peace. I am nothing more than their messenger. When you have listened, I will go.”

The woman held out the deck of cards, and hesitantly Kessily started to pick one but glanced at the woman’s face to see if there was any indication that she wanted her to pick a specific card. There was nothing. This woman would be hard to beat in a poker game. Her expression showed no emotion whatsoever.

“Pick.”

Kessily withdrew a card and handed it to the woman, who smiled. “You chose the silver dragon of imagination, possibility, and self-discovery.”

Looking at the card, all Kessily could see was a silver dragon flying high over the peaks of a set of mountains that looked oddly familiar. The sky above it was midnight blue with shining stars that cast their light on the snow-capped peaks.

“What are you trying to tell me?” Kessily asked.

“It is not I who speaks to you, but the dragon lord who will claim you. I wish you well, sister.” The woman turned around and returned to her campsite.

Wanting to put as much distance between them as possible, Kessily headed up the trail at a fast pace—just short of running. What a nut job. Nice enough, but clearly not quite right in the head.

Author Bio:

As a USA Today bestselling romance author, Delta James aims to captivate readers with stories about complex,curvy heroines and the dominant alpha males who adore them. For Delta, romance is more than just a love story; it’s a journey with challenges and thrills along the way.

After creating a second chapter for herself that was dramatically different than the first, Delta now resides in Florida where she relaxes on warm summer evenings with her loveable pack of basset hounds as they watch the birds, squirrels and lizards. When not crafting fast-paced tales, she enjoys horseback riding, walks on the beach, and white-water rafting.

More about Delta, including a full list of her books and audiobooks, can be found at www.deltajames.com.

Her readers mean the world to her, and Delta tries to interact personally to as many messages as she can. If you’d like to chat or discuss books, you can find Delta on Instagram, Facebook, and in her private reader group https://www.facebook.com/groups/348982795738444.

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