Friday 56 #22 – Did you say Aliens? A Human Element by Donna Galanti

Posted on August 22, 2014 by fundinmental

The Friday 56 hosted by Freda’s Voice.

The only rules are to grab a book (any book), turn to page 56 or 56% in your eReader and find any sentence, or a few (no spoilers) that grabs you and post it.

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A HUMAN ELEMENT by Donna Galanti

Book I of The Element Trilogy

This beautiful cover tells me there are some surprises waiting for me to discover them.

Is it alien? Is it supernatural?

I have heard great things about A Human Element from my sister, Laura @ fuonlyknew and I am excited to begin reading.

This glimpse into the story has me curious. How about you?

(page 56% on Kindle)

“It was a spaceship that crash-landed at Coopersville Lake almost thirty years ago. You were right to think so.”

“It cam from the planet named Elyon.”

“How did these beings from Elyon get here Felix? And how is it possible they can reach us?”

“…they’ve discovered how to operate on a non-physical plane, unlike us on Earth.”

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SYNOPSIS

Evil comes in many forms…

One by one, Laura Armstrong’s friends and adoptive family members are being murdered, and despite her unique healing powers, she can do nothing to stop it. The savage killer haunts her dreams, tormenting her with the promise that she is next.

Determined to find the killer, she follows her visions to the site of a crashed meteorite in her hometown. There, she meets Ben Fieldstone, who seeks answers about his parents’ death the night the meteorite struck. In a race to stop a madman, they unravel a frightening secret that binds them together.

But the killer’s desire to destroy Laura face-to-face leads to a showdown that puts Laura and Ben’s emotional relationship and Laura’s pure spirit to the test. With the killer closing in, Laura discovers her destiny is linked to his, and she has two choices—redeem him or kill him.

Click on the cover below to get your Amazon copy of A Human Element by Donna Galanti.

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What are you reading?

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Friday 56 #21 – A Grid For Murder by Casey Mayes

Posted on August 15, 2014 by fundinmental

The Friday 56 hosted by Freda’s Voice.

The only rules are to grab a book (any book), turn to page 56 or 56% in your eReader and find any sentence, or a few (no spoilers) that grabs you and post it.

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A GRID FOR MURDER by Casey Mayes

A Mystery By The Numbers

A cozy mystery that will have you adding up the suspects as Savannah tries to solve the murder of Joanne Clayton.

(page 56 of the paperback)

He put a board on a narrow lip on the wall behind his desk and started writing. I felt better already, knowing that I had called on reinforcements to help with my search. I had Zach working with the police, and Rob and I were going to tackle things too.

It was a good start, but I knew that we had a lot of work to do if we were going to find a killer.

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SYNOPSIS

Savannah Stone makes her living creating puzzles for logic lovers. But when a novice puzzle maker’s number is up, Savannah has to fill in the blanks to solve a murder…

Savannah would almost rather drink poison than have tea with Joanna Clayton. Not only is the unpleasant woman one of the worst gossips in Asheville, North Carolina, over tea she flaunts her new assignment creating logic puzzles for a local newspaper—one that has repeatedly turned down Savannah’s work. But when Savannah’s retired police chief husband, Zach, calls her later to tell her Joanna has actually been poisoned, she is more than puzzled—she’s troubled. Will the police consider puzzle envy a strong enough motive and think she decided to eliminate the competition? It’s time for Savannah to sort through Joanna’s long list of enemies to find out who was bitter enough to poison the prospective puzzle maker . .

Click on the cover below to get your Amazon copy of A Grid For Murder by Casey Mayes.

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What are you reading?

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Friday 56 #20 – Murder on Whoopee Island – Clam Wake by Mary Daheim

Posted on August 8, 2014 by fundinmental

The Friday 56 hosted by Freda’s Voice.

The only rules are to grab a book (any book), turn to page 56 or 56% in your eReader and find any sentence, or a few (no spoilers) that grabs you and post it.

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CLAM WAKE by Mary Daheim

A bed – and – breakfast mystery

Mary Daheim is a prolific writer, but this is my first foray into one of her adventures.

I love cozy mysteries and am finding some chuckles, as Judith and Renie prepare to take a little vacation to Whoopee Island.

I will be reviewing Clam Wake on August 28, 2014, so be sure and check back.

(page 56 of the hardcover)

Judith responded. “We’re natives. Rain doesn’t bother us. We wanted to walk a bit before it got too stormy.”

Jacobson nodded. “Several people had done that in the early afternoon, including the victim. The locals know when a storm is brewing.” He paused. “Mr. Glover hadn’t been dead for more than half an hour.”

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SYNOPSIS

Innkeeper and irrepressible sleuth Judith McMonigle Flynn and cousin Renie face off against a cold-blooded killer in a beach community in this delightfully charming Bed-and-Breakfast mystery from USA Today and New York Times bestselling author Mary Daheim.

With the holidays gone and Hillside Manor almost empty, Innkeeper Judith McMonigle Flynn has a bad case of the blues. A housesitting stint at her aunt and uncle’s retirement home on Whoopee Island with cousin Renie seems like the ideal pick-me-up. Surrounded by retirees in the off-season sounds peaceful and pleasant–or so the duo thinks. But it isn’t long before a dead body pops up in their vicinity. Not surprising in an area full of older folks—until they learn it wasn’t a bad ticker that did in the victim, but a very sharp knife. With clouds of suspicion hovering over her and Renie, Judith reluctantly begins sleuthing—if only to prove they didn’t commit the crime.

But what she finds is puzzling. The victim reputedly didn’t have an enemy in the world–except for the killer. Digging for clams and answers, the cousins discover that retirement can be deadly—at least among the eclectic, eccentric residents of Obsession Shores.

Click on the cover below to get your Amazon copy of Clam Wake by Mary Daheim.

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What are you reading?

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To see all my Reviews, go HERE.

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Friday 56 #19 – Dieselpunk and Paranormal – Dragonfly by Charles A Cornell

Posted on August 1, 2014 by fundinmental

The Friday 56 hosted by Freda’s Voice.

The only rules are to grab a book (any book), turn to page 56 or 56% in your eReader and find any sentence, or a few (no spoilers) that grabs you and post it.

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DRAGONFLY by Charles A Cornell

I am a huge fan of Charles A Cornell, since reading his thriller, Tiger Paw, an awesome debut novel.

DragonFly (The Illustrated Edition)… Parts I & II with 30 color and 30 B&W illustrations… price of $3.99

(56% on Kindle)

“Hans and I have seen Trevillian, the ghost of Affodill’s father,” I said. I was no longer uncertain about my insights, nor afraid of speaking about them. “He told us… ‘to bring the black one to the deep-water cave where your dragons rest’. We will find Affodill there. He’s waiting to take the Blutskrieger away. We need to move the Blutskrieger before the power of that crystal fades and time runs out.”

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SYNOPSIS

A young woman with the fate of a nation in her hands.
An aircraft designed by science, fueled by magic and flown with passion.
A World War re-imagined like never before.

Strap yourself in for a wild ride as award-winning author Charles A. Cornell takes you on his dieselpunk adventure, DragonFly; a collision of science fiction with fantasy that fast forwards steampunk into an alternative World War Two.

In 1942, an unlikely heroine changes the course of history.

On the eve of invasion by the Nazis, twenty-two year old RAF pilot Veronica ‘Ronnie’ Somerset is fighting another battle – winning respect within the stuffy, male-dominated British military. She’s feisty and brash and determined to overcome every obstacle to become Britain’s first female combat pilot.

When Ronnie is re-assigned to Enysfarne, a mysterious Royal Navy base off the coast of Cornwall, fate places her inside the cockpit of the most revolutionary aircraft ever invented. Brilliant engineer, Dr. Nigel Pennbridge has discovered quadra-hydrogen, an element that powers the DragonFly, a remarkable fighter-bomber that carries the hopes of Britain on its blue and silver wings.

Across the English Channel, Nazi Germany is busy planning its next conquest. Reichsführer Bernhardt Morax, Hitler’s personal sorcerer and leader of the Third Reich’s Zauber Korps is preparing his Blutskriegers for the invasion; bio-mechanical warriors created by a depraved occult science whose dark secrets cross the boundaries of evil.

In DragonFly, Veronica Somerset’s adventures unfold in two self-contained novellas:

In Part I: ‘To Hell and Back’, Ronnie proves she’s a hard-nosed, quick-thinking daredevil. She embarks on a dangerous mission behind enemy lines to spy on Hitler’s invasion plans and rescue a defecting officer from the Zauber Korps. Hans Schüller is a Nachtjäger or Night Hunter who introduces her to psychic powers she didn’t know she possessed; powers that entwine her destiny with his.

In Part II: ‘Victory or Death’, DragonFly comes to its dramatic conclusion. The Nazi invasion fleet is gathering off the shores of England. Morax, with help from his spies, is determined to seize the DragonFly and unlock the secrets of Enysfarne’s Druid past. Will the Druid wizard, Affodill – whose ancestral home of Enysfarne has been expropriated by the Royal Navy – join forces with the British, or will he make a pact with the evil Morax? Can Princess Victoria and Ronnie Somerset convince Affodill to place his magic in the service of a nation that has betrayed his Druid ancestors for centuries?

‘DragonFly – the Illustrated Edition’ is the ultimate DragonFly reading experience! It’s packed with sixty illustrations that make the action jump off the page, including character dossiers, historical ‘retrographs’ and fantastic designs of retro-futuristic aircraft. Eleven of the sixty illustrations are exclusive to this omnibus edition of DragonFly and will be unavailable anywhere else!

Click on the cover below to get your Amazon copy Dragonfly by Charles A Cornell.

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What are you reading?

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To see all my Reviews, go HERE.

To see all my Giveaways, go HERE.

If you like what you see, why don’t you follow me?

Look below or on the right sidebar and let’s talk.

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Friday 56 # 18 – A Serial Killer Ghost – Tortured Souls by Kimber Leigh Wheaton

Posted on July 25, 2014 by fundinmental

The Friday 56 hosted by Freda’s Voice.

The only rules are to grab a book (any book), turn to page 56 or 56% in your eReader and find any sentence, or a few (no spoilers) that grabs you and post it.

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TORTURED SOULS by Kimber Leigh Wheaton

Tortured Souls by Kimber Leigh Wheaton is Book I of The Orion Circle.

The cover and title are nice, but that was not what hooked me.

The tag line told me ghosts, but – man, oh man – this is so much more.

A SERIAL KILLER GHOST!

As if that isn’t bad enough, the killer likes children.

(56% on Kindle)

I awaken with a start, grasping at the hazy tendrils of a dream. It was about the murdered children. That much I know, and yet I can’t seem to remember anything else. Just fog and trees, some candles….A hand smooths my hair away from my face and I realize I’m not in my bed. As the memories come rushing back, I recognize the plush brown sofa beneath me, which means – the pillow beneath my head must be Logan!

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SYNOPSIS

Sometimes Rest in Peace isn’t an option.

Kacie Ramsey sees ghosts—and it’s ruining her life. Her mother left, her father blames her, and no matter how hard she tries, she can’t keep the ghosts away. Now a new power has emerged. Nightly visions of grisly murders and a relentless predator draw her to the brink of insanity.

When the phantom appears at a party, Kacie’s longtime crush, Logan, saves her. He invites her to join the Orion Circle, a group of supernatural hunters with chapters in schools all over the country. Through the Circle, Kacie learns to embrace her spiritual powers, and for the first time in her life she feels in control rather than a victim.

But the Foxblood Demon will not give up so easily. A demented serial killer in life who trapped the souls of the thirteen children he murdered, imprisoning them within the walls of his mansion. Now in death, he plots his return while drawing power from the pure souls of the children. He recognizes something in Kacie he’s never seen before—a medium powerful enough to provide a vessel for his tainted soul.

Kacie can’t ignore the tortured souls of the children crying out to her every night. With Logan at her side, she will fight the Foxblood Demon. But can they banish this powerful phantom, or will Kacie lose not only her body, but her eternal soul to the monster.

Click on the cover below to get your Amazon copy Tortured Souls by Kimber Leigh Wheaton.

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What are you reading?

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To see all my Reviews, go HERE.

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Look below or on the right sidebar and let’s talk.

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Friday 56 #17 – Serial Killer runs AMOK – The Eyes Die Last by Teri Riggs

Posted on July 18, 2014 by fundinmental

The Friday 56 hosted by Freda’s Voice.

The only rules are to grab a book (any book), turn to page 56 or 56% in your eReader and find any sentence, or a few (no spoilers) that grabs you and post it.

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THE EYES DIE LAST by Teri Riggs

I love murder, mystery and suspense, so when I saw Teri Riggs’ novel, The Eyes Die Last, I knew it was a book that was right up my alley. All I have to do now is dodge all the hookers and johns. lol

Be sure and stay tuned for my review on July 31, 2014.

(56% on Kindle)

Nick got a beer out of the bar fridge and sat down on his couch. His muscles were still knotted after seeing the news clip of his altercation with Ms. Mixer and the biased interview Hershey had given. It’s bad enough to be called a murderer on live television, but in an odd way, the idea of the slimy news anchor conferring with Detective O’Brien about the case was more unsettling. He’d never been jealous a day in his life. Was he now? Is this how jealousy felt? What did he have to b jealous about?

The way Ed told the story, he and the detective had spent an entire evening discussing the murders. An evening trying to pin the murders on Nick and doing who knows what else. Was there a relationship between the two of them? Surely the detective wouldn’t be interested in someone like Ed. Would she? Why in the hell would Nick care if she was? He had bigger issued to deal with for now. Like spending some time remembering how to relax.

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SYNOPSIS

The Las Vegas Mayoral race is heating up, and the incumbent doesn’t have a prayer. Wealthy real estate speculator Nick Campenelli, who wants to legalize prostitution in Clark County, and former pastor Louis St. Louis, running on a ‘clean-up-Vegas-by-getting-rid-of-the-whores’ platform, are the front runners.

They’re also front runners on the suspect list for a string of murders. Kennedy O’Brien, four-year detective with cop blood running in her veins, and her partner Wilder “Wild Thing” James, a veteran, are determined to find the man who’s murdering prostitutes who work the wrong side of the street, and they don’t care how important or politically active he is.

The killer is a man with a mission. He stalks the women before he kills them, leaving a “BEFORE” photo on their bodies, and sending an “AFTER” shot to the local news hound. Ed Hershey, an aging newscaster with just the right amount of grey in his hair, is determined to turn this story into a network gig, and his interference, along with the LVTVS legal team, are making Kennedy and Wilder look bad. Campenelli’s good looks and charm, and St. Louis’ vitriolic hatred of prostitutes are muddying the waters too, and now the killer seems to have taken a liking to Kennedy.

So the big question remains. Can she get him before he gets her?

Click on the cover below to get your Amazon copy of The Eyes Die Last by Teri Riggs.

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What are you reading?

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To see all my Reviews, go HERE.

To see all my Giveaways, go HERE.

If you like what you see, why don’t you follow me?

Look below or on the right sidebar and let’s talk.

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Friday 56 #15 – Horror, Horror and more Horror

Posted on July 4, 2014 by fundinmental

The Friday 56 hosted by Freda’s Voice.

The only rules are to grab a book (any book), turn to page 56 or 56% in your eReader and find any sentence, or a few (no spoilers) that grabs you and post it.

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41 Strange by Diane Doniol-Valcroze & Arthur K. Flam

A horror anthology that will have you screaming…

What about the cover. Does it creep you out?

(56% on Kindle)

No one answered my calls for help, and foolishly I had lost my cell while dashing madly through the trails.

Where on earth was I heading?

Now I was crawling on my knees.

What are you reading?

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SYNOPSIS

Death meets Strange…

… in this debut collection of 41 new short-short stories… 41 little slices of nightmares…

A neurotic tenant encounters a staircase-creature coming alive in his peephole in the witching hour (Staircase Man); A futuristic tour bus ride has a gruesome surprise in store for its unsuspecting tourists (Strickland Domain); A simple trip to the car wash turns into psychological torture for a claustrophobic driver (Frank’s Wash); Two sexy girls skinny dip in the pool of their night terrors (The Pool Hoppers)… Plus lots, lots more. The selection includes sci-fi, fantasy, humor, mystery.

Click on the cover below to get your Amazon copy of 41 Strange Diane Doniol-Valcroze & Arthur K. Flam.

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To see all my Reviews, go HERE.

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Friday 56 # 14 – She is The City by Dean Koontz

Posted on June 28, 2014 by fundinmental

The Friday 56 hosted by Freda’s Voice.

The only rules are to grab a book (any book), turn to page 56 or 56% in your eReader and find any sentence, or a few (no spoilers) that grabs you and post it.

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I hear or see the name of Dean Koontz, I perk up. What is he up to now?

Welllllll……….let’s find out.

(56% on Kindle)

I surprised myself when I said aloud, “What are they up to?”

Intuitively, based on my experience of my father, I knew that neither he nor Miss Delvane, nor Mr. Smaller, for that matter, was at the city college demonstration because they thought the war was immoral and hoped to end it. Something else must be afoot.

Hmmm. wonder what that could be.

What are you reading?

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The city changed my life and showed me that the world is deeply mysterious. I need to tell you about her and some terrible things and wonderful things and amazing things that happened . . . and how I am still haunted by them. Including one night when I died and woke and lived again.

Here is the riveting, soul-stirring story of Jonah Kirk, son of an exceptional singer, grandson of a formidable “piano man,” a musical prodigy beginning to explore his own gifts when he crosses a group of extremely dangerous people, with shattering consequences. Set in a more innocent time not so long ago, The City encompasses a lifetime but unfolds over three extraordinary, heart-racing years of tribulation and triumph, in which Jonah first grasps the electrifying power of music and art, of enduring friendship, of everyday heroes.

The unforgettable saga of a young man coming of age within a remarkable family, and a shimmering portrait of the world that shaped him, The City is a novel that speaks to everyone, a dazzling realization of the evergreen dreams we all share. Brilliantly illumined by magic dark and light, it’s a place where enchantment and malice entwine, courage and honor are found in the most unexpected quarters, and the way forward lies buried deep inside the heart.

Click on the cover to grab you copy of The City: A Novel by Dean Koontz from Amazon.

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To see all my Reviews, go HERE.

To see all my Giveaways, go HERE.

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Look on the right sidebar at Home and let’s talk.

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Friday 56 #13 – True Crime – Dark Deeds by Susan Fleet

Posted on June 20, 2014 by fundinmental

The Friday 56 hosted by Freda’s Voice.

The only rules are to grab a book (any book), turn to page 56 or 56% in your eReader and find any sentence, or a few (no spoilers) that grabs you and post it.

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Dark Deeds: Serial killers stalkers and domestic homicides (Book 2)

by Susan Fleet

Susan Fleet loves to write about the dark side of human nature.

Sometimes the monster is right next door.

Be aware, be vigilant and do not let the monster make you its next victim.

(56% of Kindle ebook)

Since the shooting, Georgia feels more vulnerable. “I didn’t realize how easy it is to die. How deep hate runs. How do you thank the deputies who walked into the line of fire?”

“I’m not over what he did,” said Promethea. During the interview, the phone range twice, but Promethea didn’t answer. She said the calls are from another Greek American, who believes any school in Montana must be a “hick” college and she ought to attend a “real” university.

“He calls me three times a day,” Promethea said, adding that she has begun to wonder if she is a “lunatic magnet.”

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Dark Deeds-Volume Two contains 12 new true crime cases about serial killers, stalkers and domestic homicides.Once again, Susan Fleet has researched, written and compiled detailed accounts of twelve true crime cases: four serial killers, four stalkers and four domestic homicides. Chapter 13 involves a case that defies categorization. Some examples …

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• Serial killers: The Candy Man loves little boys to death.
• Stalkers: Arthur Bremer and John Hinkley Jr. stalk Presidents.
• Domestic Homicide: A rabbi pays a man to murder his wife.

No one knows how many serial killers are roaming the United States. Some experts believe they murder as many as 180 people each year. Others say the count may be much higher because some serial killers hide the bodies and they’re never found. Stalkers far outnumber serial killers. Each year they threaten and intimidate 3.4 million people in America. Although stalkers may profess love for the objects of their obsession, many seriously injure or kill their “love object.”

Domestic homicide is rampant in the United States. Women and children rarely kill family members; men commit the majority of domestic homicides. Some are crimes of passion. Others are carefully calculated. Why bother with a divorce when you can kill your spouse?

Here’s what Arthur Smukler, MD, psychiatrist and author of Chasing Backwards, a psychological mystery, said about Dark Deeds, Volume One: “In Dark Deeds, Susan Fleet immerses us in the world of serial killers, stalkers, and domestic homicides. An inveterate fiction enthusiast, I found her real-life tales obsessively haunting and educational.”

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To get your Amazon copy of Dark Deeds, Book 2 by Susan Fleet, click on the cover.

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To see all my Reviews, go HERE.

To see all my Giveaways, go HERE.

If you like what you see, why don’t you follow me?

Look on the right sidebar at Home and let’s talk.

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Friday 56 #12 – What kind of Necromancer are you? – Undeadly by Michele Vail

Posted on May 30, 2014 by fundinmental

The Friday 56 hosted by Freda’s Voice.

The only rules are to grab a book (any book), turn to page 56 or 56% in your eReader and find any sentence, or a few (no spoilers) that grabs you and post it.

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Undeadly (The Reaper Diaries #1)

by Michele Vail

Michele’s take on necromancers had me eager to learn about Molly’s journey to becoming a reaper.

Would she be the champion Anubis was looking for?

A fun, light-hearted, young adult take of a 16 year old girl’s life that had me laughing more than cringing.

I won this book from Harlequin Teen.

(56% of paperback copy)

Ever since I’d woken up from that fitful rest, I’d felt different. It was a subtle feeling, though. More like a hushed expectation – you know, like that creepy silence before a bad storm.

Nobody had said I looked any different, and I hadn’t noticed any manifestation of uber powers.

I wasn’t sure that Anubis had granted me gifts……..

The day I turned 16, my boyfriend-to-be died. I brought him back to life. Then things got a little weird…

Molly Bartolucci wants to blend in, date hottie Rick and keep her zombie-raising abilities on the down-low. Then the god Anubis chooses her to become a reaper—and she accidentally undoes the work of another reaper, Rath. Within days, she’s shipped off to the Nekyia Academy, an elite boarding school that trains the best necromancers in the world. And her personal reaping tutor? Rath.

Life at Nekyia has its plusses. Molly has her own personal ghoul, for one. Rick follows her there out of the blue, for another…except, there’s something a little off about him. When students at the academy start to die and Rath disappears, Molly starts to wonder if anything is as it seems. Only one thing is certain—-Molly’s got an undeadly knack for finding trouble…

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Get your copy of The Reaper Diaries or learn more about Michele Vail by clicking on the cover below.