She’s A Truck Driver – Birth Marked by Maria Violante #MariaViolante

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I got this book back on 10.1.13 and Maria Violante was looking for reviews. I’m not sure when I read it, but probably right around that time. I started writing the review on 2.19.14, but never finished it. No excuse…

Amazon / Goodreads

Charlie is a truck driver and looked like one. She was a mess – overweight, bad complexion, zombie looking. She was horny and looking forward to Luke joining her on the the road, but that never happened. She had given up everything for him, and he betrayed her. Used her, then threw her away. At first she felt pity, then anger, then desperation.

She’s driving along, trying to find a radio station, making up her own words to the song playing. “I woke up alone in a bed I don’t know.” “And eat my breakfast all alone….” It made me think of my hubby and I, laughing and making fun of country music lyrics in that same way.

She stopped for a dog in the median. She could relate to it being dumped and wanted to save it. It would be mine, she thought. She named him Diesel. He was helping her already. He calmed her. 

My heart pounded and I moved forward in my chair, when the truck began to wreck. Her description is so vivid it’s as if it is happening  before my eyes. She looks out the window at something – what is it? It’s very large and furry. What runs through my mind – werewolf, then Sasquatch – as it grew and bared its fangs. I couldn’t help but laugh out loud when she got sick.

He was going to kill her…until he saw her birthmark.

I knew Maria’s book would need to take a twist…and it begins here.

Birth Marked reads like a Twilight zone episode. I was sorta ho hum until this point.

I loved her change of attitude. I’m feeling good about her. Her curiosity became my curiosity. What comes next?

Maria had me cracking up, “You can stare at my chubby ass stomach, assholes. You’re not getting any more looks at the jubbblies.”

A boy brought her breakfast – two pieces of plain toast and plain oatmeal. “That’s it?” “AH!!!!!!!!” “They said I a was a porker, heh?”

As the pieces come together, my interest grew. Now we’re getting to the good stuff. Even though her Master is Buckner, its his duty is to protect her, it was Shawn that saved her. I feel he will play a big part in finding the answers she seeks.

Haven’t you ever wondered why nothing turns out for you? What if you were supposed to be doing something else all along?

The monsters were unique and new to me and had comical names, but are not nice at all.

I know she’s gonna kick ass. I loved the sci-fi element, the monsters fighting in spacesuits and futuristic equipment. I find myself shivering in fear one minute, and chuckling the next.

She would learn fast or die. I felt a sense of adventure with her, stepping out of her rut of a life into mission impossible. Does the way you die determine your afterlife? This was her moment. I felt the weight on her shoulders, the heavy heart and determination to show them she belonged. She had found her place and would fight for it.

Her descriptions like ‘The little mouse that had the heart of a dragon’ brought the characters to life with a humorous touch. Describing the death of a beloved Marker was very creative.

There was a prophecy, there will be an unlikely Marker named the Lily. Is it her?

Maria Violante left me wanting more of this fantastic world.

I voluntarily reviewed a free copy of Birth Marked by Maria Violante.

Animated Animals. Pictures, Images and Photos  4 Stars

GOODREADS BLURB

For the first time in her life, truck driver Charlie Kale might have finally found her little piece of happiness. She’s got it all-her big rig, friends, a great mentor, and a man about to join her on the road. Or so she thought. One by one, the good things in Charlie’s life all fall apart, until a catastrophic accident leaves her at the mercy of a sexy but mysterious gunman. He claims to be a member of a secret order dedicated to fighting the supernatural monsters that filter over into our world. She’s given a choice-join up or die, and while the gunman might be insane, Charlie’s hell-bent on not dying. Too bad it looks like that might not be an option.

ABOUT MARIA VIOLANTE

Maria Violante is the best-selling author of several urban fantasy and science fiction novels.

Her most recent series, The Markers, is published by Hartwood Publishing.

Books by Maria Violante (currently in print):

BirthMarked (Hartwood Publishing)
Monsters and Markers (Hartwood Publishing)
Witness (Hartwood Publishing, previously two separate volumes with Liquid Silver Books)
Gambler’s Luck (Hartwood Publishing, previously Liquid Silver Books)

Books no longer in print:
Wit Awakening (now part of Witness; see above)
Wit Transforming (now part of Witness; see above)
Hunting the Five
Honor in Hell
Seven Sacrifices

I couldn’t find any valid links for her, but you can find her books on Amazon. Maybe I couldn’t find any links because she has recently been picked up by Hartwood Publishing.

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Giveaway – Masters’ Mistress by Jamie Schulz @TheJamieSchulz @XpressoTour

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Masters’ Mistress
Jamie Schulz
(The Angel Eyes #1)
Publication date: February 1st 2020
Genres: Adult, Dystopian, Romance

A man bound by chains. A woman burdened by regret. Will love set this tortured pair free?

In this nightmarish future where women own men, Bret Masters refuses to serve anyone. But after spending years evading slavers in the mountains of the Pacific Northwest, he’s furious when he’s finally caught and sold. So, although his mistress has a pretty face and deliciously tempting curves, he vows to escape.

Angel Aldridge hides her pain behind fences as sturdy and vast as her ranch. And even though her newly acquired slave is a ruggedly handsome cowboy, she’s not about to let her fantasies endanger the people she swore to protect. But between her always-watching enemies and her wounded heart, she’s reluctant to admit she may need him in more ways than one…

As the two toil side by side, Bret is surprised to discover Angel’s vulnerability and her compassionate nature. And the more time they spend together, the harder she finds it to resist her feelings and to soothe her lonely soul. But when they’re stranded alone together, the barriers between mistress and slave may not be strong enough to withstand their red-hot attraction.

Can Bret and Angel overcome their fears to sow the seeds of lasting love?

Masters’ Mistress is the steamy first book in The Angel Eyes futuristic dystopian cowboy romance series. If you like complex characters, gritty western settings, and slow-burning desires, then you’ll adore this enthralling story.

Goodreads / Amazon

EXCERPT:

Bret remained silent, his stomach twisting and his heart beating faster with every step he took. He could feel sweat soaking into the cloth tied over his eyes and trickling slowly down his chest, but cold enfolded him like a heavy frost.

After what seemed like hours, the stairs finally ended and Bret’s guard ushered him forward. He wanted to resist, but the fear and his pride wouldn’t let him.

Something soft brushed harmlessly against him, but its unexpectedness sent Bret over the edge. He whirled around, dislodged the guard’s hold on his arm, and prepared to confront an aggressive opponent.

“Now,” the auctioneer’s voice boomed over the loudspeaker in a pleased tone that turned Bret’s heated blood to ice and stilled his frantic scuffling, “here’s what most of you have been waiting for, and a fine breeder he will make! What shall be the starting bid?”

With a stunned mind and hesitant feet, he stumbled forward as the guard towed him toward the sound of the crowd. She brought him up short and fastened his leash to a bolt in the floor, all while the auctioneer spoke. The guard removed the blindfold from his eyes and, as he blinked in the brilliant light that filled the Auction Hall, he heard a rash of astonished female exclamations.

“Oh my, he’s beautiful!”

“Is he as good as he looks?”

“Put your money down and find out.”

A brief spattering of laughter echoed around the room.

Bret shifted uncomfortably and bared his teeth in fury, disgust, and embarrassment. He pulled on the chains with an inadvertent yank, wanting to run so badly he could taste it—a bitter, coppery flavor, like blood on his tongue.

Wide-eyed, he took in the crowd of faces leering up at him. He forced himself to look away, to take a deep breath, and tried to relax before he collapsed and embarrassed himself further.

“Twelve hundred,” one woman shouted above the others, unwilling to wait for the auctioneer to begin.

“Twelve! My, that’s a heavy starting bid, but start with it, we will,” the auctioneer said in a happy, greedy tone before she began her banter.
Bret only listened with half an ear as the price multiplied. Instead, he attempted to ignore the sea of faces staring at him by gazing around the glamorous room.

He stood on a stage-like dais with a set of wide stairs running down either side to the audience floor below—both glowed a satiny silver and sparkled under the bright lights. The luminous color repeated itself in the silk curtains that draped the back of the round room. Rows of silver chairs lined the full length of the black and white checkered floor below where Bret stood. Women filled the seats, and they were staring up at him with hungry eyes. His skin tightened and bile burned the back of his throat as those eyes raked over his naked body without so much as a thought about him. It made no difference who won him. He wouldn’t stay long, no matter where he ended up.

Yanking at the chains again, Bret looked away and wished in vain that he could cover himself from their avid stares. Instead, he gazed toward the men in the far back. All dressed in black suits and under heavy guard, they waited patiently for their owners. Bret searched the crowd in the rear, not expecting to identify anyone; yet, contemplating the small sea of male faces, he stopped short to stare in disbelief. One individual stood out like a flashing beacon in the dead of night. The face was unclear, but the man he scrutinized possessed the same stature, the same appearance, the same stance. Bret’s breath caught in his throat.

It can’t be…

“Forty-five hundred,” someone cried as if in triumph, but Bret barely heard.

As he stared, the too-familiar man in the back of the room nodded to another person in the crowd. Bret combed through the fervent faces closer to the platform and caught the slightest indication of acknowledgment from a tall woman, her vibrant blonde hair pulled into a high ponytail. Without a glance at Bret, she looked toward yet another woman on the opposite side of the room and lifted a hand to her simple coiffure. The second woman gave an almost indiscernible response before lifting her gaze to him.

Her eyes impressed Bret. They were the brightest, the darkest, the deepest, most heavenly blue he had ever seen. They were an ocean for a man to get lost in, alluring with just enough wariness to spark his need to rise to the challenge. Slow-ly, his vision pulled back enough to see her eyes were only the beginning of her beauty. Her sun-kissed skin appeared silky smooth. Her nose was straight, above a luscious mouth with full, pink lips. Her ebony-colored hair framed a fine-boned oval face and hung past her shoulders in a mass of gently curling waves. She wore no makeup, which made her seem a little plain compared to all the flash and glamor around her, but Bret found her appearance wholesome and stunning.

He sucked in a breath and berated himself. She’s just another woman who’ll hurt you. Stop hoping for the impossible.

In the middle of the shouting bids, Blue Eyes stood up, showing a short, curvy figure, which Bret, despite his inner chastising, examined with male appreciation. Lifting her chin in what looked to him like stubborn determination, she addressed the auctioneer in a loud, demanding voice that brought everything to a stumbling halt, “What’s wrong with his feet?”

Her unexpected question plunged the room into silence.

The auctioneer glanced at a group of women sitting off to the side and cleared her throat before she answered. “Nothing.” Her composure was clearly shaken. “Why do you ask?”

“Because,” Blue Eyes retorted while crossing her arms, “there’s something wrong with them, and his ear too. Did any of you notice his ear’s infected?”

The auctioneer flicked another swift glance toward the same woman to her right. “Well, no,” she replied as her gaze refocused on the blue-eyed woman. “How do you know it is?”

Those heavenly blue eyes turned cold and her jaw hardened. “Because I asked him.”

So this was the woman he spoke to outside earlier. Bret almost wished he hadn’t been blindfolded during that conversation. He would’ve enjoyed seeing her up close. He also now understood her concerns about his health and chuckled in silent scorn—the stingy bitch wanted to depreciate his value.

Heat flashed over Bret’s skin and his body tensed. He lifted his chin and glowered at the audience, his blood pounding rage through his veins. They wanted his body, but they only saw a breeding slave standing naked on a stage, not a man with a heart and a mind. And one of them thought his price was too high? Shaking his head, shame joined the fury that swept through him, momentarily blocking out the fear, as he yanked at his chains again. He was worth a hell of a lot more than forty-five hundred!

“Are we done, or are we still declaring?” the last bidder asked, eyeing him as if she wanted to retract her bid.

He caught her gaze and his lips curled in his nastiest smirk.

“No, we’re not,” the blue-eyed woman said and broke his menacing glower at the other bidder. He focused on the small woman with the same malice, but his glare didn’t appear to bother her. In fact, she didn’t even look at him.

“If anyone bothered to ask him about his health,” she continued, “you’d have known of his injuries as well, but then I suppose that’s too much to hope for.”

Bret frowned, confused. She sounded bitter, but he couldn’t understand why. She wasn’t chained up and forced to stand naked in front of strangers to be sold like an animal.

“And, Darla,” she said, twisting her stiff posture toward the same group of women the auctioneer had glanced at, “if your guards talked to these men instead of beating them all the time, they might be a little more responsive, not to mention obedient.”

The scorn that infused her last word deepened Bret’s frown.

“Not this one,” a young guard who stood near the stairs leading down to the checkered floor said. “Why do you think he’s chained so heavily?”

The auctioneer’s glare silenced the chatty guard in an instant. An uncooperative slave would bring a much lower price.

Blue Eyes lifted a pointed eyebrow at the guard’s comment and tilted her head. “Because most of the guards here are sadists who enjoy beating the spirit out of men.”

“No one forces you to come here to get your slaves,” an audience member chided her.

“It’s not like I have much choice though, is it?” Blue Eyes shot right back.

“That’s some heavy criticism, Angel,” the auctioneer said with a slow shake of her head and another quick glance to her right.

Angel… Bret thought, savoring her name in his mind as his eyes scanned over her. The name seemed to fit her outward appearance, but he doubted its implied connotation extended to her heart. Don’t be a fool, his inner voice rebuked him again. She’s just like all the rest.

Straightening her shoulders, Angel replied, “I only criticize what needs changing.”

The auctioneer bit her lip. Her eyes shifted to Darla, who nodded her head and spun her fingers in a quick get-on-with-it motion.

The auctioneer, rubbing her palms on her black slacks, refocused on Angel and said in a calm voice, “The bid is forty-five hundred. If you wish to make a bid, then make it. If not, please sit down.”

“Yes,” Angel said, her blue eyes as cold as ice and hard as granite, “I wish to make a bid: Ten thousand, gold.”

Several spectators gasped at the size of her offer, while the rest of the room went deathly silent. She met Bret’s eyes as stunned whispers filled the air, and he shivered with trepidation as a caustic smile curled her pretty pink lips.

Author Bio:

Jamie Schulz lives in the beautiful Pacific Northwest with her family, her husband, and their fur babies. Writing has always been a big a part of her life, and she hopes to one day reach the best sellers lists.

Cowboys, ice cream, and reading almost any kind of romance are among her (not so) secret loves. To her, every one of her stories, no matter how dark, must have a happy ending, and she strives to make them impossible to put down until you get there.

She balances her free time between reading her favorite romance authors–in genres ranging from erotica and dark romance to sweet historicals and contemporary romance–and spending time with her family.

Website / Goodreads / Facebook / Twitter / Bookbub / Amazon


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Giveaway – The Flow Series by Clare Littlemore @Clarelittlemore @SDSXXTours

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Flow
The Flow Series Book 1
by Clare Littlemore
Genre: YA Dystopian Fiction
A flooded future. A relationship torn apart.
When 16-year old Quin’s best friend Harper fails The Beck’s assessment, will she ever see her again?
Regular appraisals are part of life in The Beck, a walled-in community constantly threatened by floodwaters. But when the shocking results of the most recent test are revealed, Quin knows her world is about to change forever.
Wrenched from Agric, where she has lived and worked for years, Quin finds herself thrown into the unfamiliar Patrol Sector. Yearning for her lost friend, struggling to adjust to her new surroundings, she begins to question the society she thought she knew.
And then she meets the mysterious Cam, who seems willing to break the rules for her. Determined to find Harper, Quin enlists his help. But when she discovers the horrifying truth, it might just destroy her.
If you devour fast-paced, addictive stories with compelling characters who inhabit intriguing futures, you’ll love The Flow Series.
Get two FREE short stories for the Flow series here!!
The Transfer:
The Storm:
https://BookHip.com/DFNWMV
Break
The Flow Series Book 2
Broken.
It’s been three months since Quin transferred to Patrol and discovered the terrifying truth about the community she lives in. Citizens of The Beck are disposable and those in charge are capable of terrible cruelty. Vowing to protect those around her, Quin has joined the Resistance. But she knows she is risking everything.
Rebellion of any kind must be secretive and clever. Gathering enough people to fight seems like an impossible task. When those closest to her are directly threatened, Quin knows she has to act. But time is running out. Governance will stop at nothing to protect the world it has worked to build. In the end, Quin must decide how far she is prepared to go to rescue the ones she loves.
Break is the second in the Flow series, which follows Quin as she struggles to carve out a future in the harsh regime she was born into.
Drift
The Flow Series Book 3
She wanted freedom. But freedom comes at a price.
Quin believed that a life away from The Beck would make her happy. But when a cruel twist of fate forces her to leave sooner than planned, she struggles to come to terms with her new reality. Haunted by memories of the people she left behind, she finds herself wishing she was back in Patrol, with Cam by her side.
Cut off from The Beck, the escapees carve out a new existence on a small island. Tentative bonds are formed, but as disputes surface and rebellion is threatened, Quin quickly realises that their new home isn’t the sanctuary she had imagined. And when one of her fellow citizens is willing to go to desperate measures to save those he loves, he puts the entire community in danger.
As they hatch a daring plan to save themselves, Quin is faced with a terrible choice: protect her friends or follow her heart.
Drift is the third in the Flow series, which follows Quin as she battles to forge a new life in unfamiliar territory without the man she has come to depend on.
Quell
The Flow Series Book 4
One battle. One chance to change the future.
Having survived the deadly virus that endangered her new community, Quin is devastated to learn that the same sickness threatens The Beck. With Adams and his Shadow Patrol in charge, Cam and her friends are in mortal danger.
The rebels know they’re not strong enough to take on The Beck’s government alone. The only way to succeed is to join forces with The Ridge. But their alliance is built on tenuous threads: one wrong move could destroy their hopes forever.
As Quin steels herself for the final battle, a shocking revelation leaves her wondering what she is willing to sacrifice in the name of freedom.
Quell is the fourth and final book in the Flow series, which follows Quin and her allies into the ultimate battle to save The Beck.
Clare Littlemore is a young adult dystopian and sci-fi author who thrives on fictionally destroying the world in as many ways as she possibly can.
She was born in Durham, in the UK. Her parents were both teachers, and she grew up in a world surrounded by books. She has worked for most of her life as a teacher of English at various high schools in England, where she has shared her passion for books with hundreds of teenagers. In 2013 she began writing her own fiction, got totally hooked, and hasn’t stopped since.
Clare lives in Warrington in the North West of England with her husband and two children.
$50 Amazon Gift Card
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Books From The Backlog – Collapse by Richard Stephenson @RStephenson5

Books from the Backlog is a fun way to feature some of those neglected books sitting on your bookshelf unread.  If you are anything like me, you might be surprised by some of the unread books hiding in your stacks.

If you would like to join in, swing by Carole’s Random Life in Books.

Everything about Collapse, New America Book One, appeals to me.

Collapse (New America, #1)

Amazon / Audiobook / Goodreads

GOODREADS BLURB

America is falling, ready to join the Roman Empire as a distant memory in the annals of history. The year is 2027. Tired and desperate, the American people are deep in the middle of The Second Great Depression. The Florida coastline is in ruins from the most powerful hurricane on record; a second just like it is bearing down on the state of Texas. For the first time in history, the Middle East has united as one and amassed the most formidable army the world has seen since the Third Reich. A hidden army of terrorists is on American soil. This is the story of three men: Howard Beck, the world’s richest man, also diagnosed with Asperger’s Syndrome. Richard Dupree, ex-Navy SEAL turned escaped convict. Maxwell Harris, a crippled, burned out Chief of Police of a small Texas town. At first they must fight for their own survival against impossible odds. Finally, the three men must band together to save their beloved country from collapse.

It feels to me like I have read the book, but don’t find a review and marked read anywhere. It looks fantastic and worth another read, just to make sure. I downloaded it from Amazon on 8.23.12 and added it my TBR on 8.8.12. Looks like I won another good book.

Goodreads rating: 3.68

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It Starts With A Blizzard – Extinct by Ike Hamill @ikehamill

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EXtinct by Ike Hamill is my X for the Alphabet Reading Challenge. I picked this up on an Amazon free day on 7.1.13.

I sure do love this cover BelleDesign.Org

Extinct

Amazon / Goodreads

MY REVIEW

Extinct by Ike Hamill has an awesome cover, so I had to take a walk into the woods, during a blizzard to find out WTH is going on.

Robby is an intellectual young boy, always analyzing, so when the freak snowstorm hits on Thanksgiving and people began to go missing, he began questioning…everything.

Well, I’m still no sure exactly what’s going on and neither is our gang of survivors…that keeps dwindling in numbers. Vanishing into thin air, eyeballs popping our of their heads, ‘water’ devouring anything it touches…

This ragtag band keeps moving, not always forward, but sticking together, going the extra mile, doing whatever they can to save our world.

The characters come and go and at each juncture in their adventure I wonder who will vanish next. Where do they go? Who is taking them?

The world building is so richly detailed I could follow the thin blue line with them and we all know in troubled times peoples true colors are exposed.

Well, this has been one wild ride, danger around every corner and the mystery of ‘them’ hangs in every word. Good thing Book II, Instinct is ready and available, because I want to know. It looks like…so far…there are five books, so you will be seeing more of Ike Hamill’s work on fundinmental.

Animated Animals. Pictures, Images and Photos
4 Stars

GOODREADS BLURB

Channel Two predicted a blanket of snow for Thanksgiving weekend–unusual, but not alarming for the little Maine island. What comes is a blinding blizzard, and a mass disappearance of nearly every person Robby Pierce knows. He and his family flee, trying to escape the snow and the invisible forces stealing people right from the street.
Miles away, Brad Jenkins battles the same storm. Alone, he attempts to survive as snow envelops his house. When the storm breaks, Brad makes his way south to where the snow ends and the world lies empty. Join Brad, Robby, and the other survivors as they fight to find the truth about the apocalypse and discover how to live in their new world.

ABOUT IKE HAMILL

Ike Hamill

Ike Hamill writes fast-paced horror novels with strong, relatable characters. His books have gained a steady following amongst readers who enjoy his blend of sci-fi, paranormal, occult, and suspense. Whether focused on a small family trying to survive the move to a haunted house, or following a band of angry rebels determined to withstand an apocalypse, his stories draw the reader into the lives of real people in crisis. Readers are always sad to leave the characters behind when the book is finished.

Reviewers compare Ike to Dean Koontz and Stephen King—two of his favorite authors. His narrative often jumps between interwoven stories, presenting readers with a fresh perspective and keeping them guessing until the last chapter. Most of Ike’s readers are repeat customers. Pick up one of his books to learn why.

Website / Twitter / Facebook

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Do You Believe in the Illuminati – Tainted World by Ashley Fontainne @AshleyFontainne

Well, we are coming to the end of the Rememdium series with Tainted World by Ashley Fontainne. It has been one hell of a ride and I can only wish the best to the gang I have come to know so well.

Tainted World (Rememdium Series Book 4)

Amazon / Audiobook / Goodreads

MY REVIEW

Well, we are at the end of the adventure with this group of people I have come to know and love in the final story of the Rememdium series, Tainted World by Ashley Fontainne. It has been a long, torturous, bloody road to El Salvador and we have lost many friends and family. How many people are alive and where they are will remain unknown and that may make their survival more likely.

Those around you died brutal, savage deaths, literally being ripped limb from limb and eaten alive. Would you rather go out in the initial slaughter or be one of the last ones standing? Which is worse? Well, I will not go quietly into that good night. How about you?

So much more to worry about than the zombies that dog their every step. Sometimes humans can be more deadly. Conspiracy is the ultimate betrayal when the country is going through an apocalypse. If you can’t count on those in charge, who can you count on? Do you believe in an ultimate power source, like the Illuminati? I sure do.

When Mike and Trent came across Chris, that about summed up everything for me. I can’t tell you what happened but it affected me profoundly.

I was surprised to see a character that carried my name, Sherry, whether it’s intended or not., It’s always so much fun to see it happen. I thought she was the best. LOL

I love Jesse. She is a character that has turned everything in her life around and stands tall in a crisis. I loved it when she said, “…even a pawn can capture the king if in the right position on the board.”

I wondered how Ashley Fontainne would wrap up the Rememdium series and I thought she did a bang up job. I am completely satisfied. After all the running, fighting, killing, munching, hiding, crying, dying and loving, I breathed a sigh of relief at a job well done. Not everyone made it, but those that did left me with a feeling of hope for humanity.

I voluntarily reviewed a free copy of Tainted World by Ashley Fontainne.

Animated Animals. Pictures, Images and Photos
4 stars

GOODREADS BLURB

The final installment of what happens when a miraculous cure ends up destroying the entire world.

When Dr. Everett Berning’s discovery of a permanent cure for drug addiction fell into the hands of Benito San Nicholas, head of the Alvarado cartel in El Salvador – the end result was the dead took over the world.

In less than 48 hours, narcotics tainted with fungal spores are deployed around the globe and mankind’s existence hangs in the balance. Nowhere is safe as the death toll mounts and the reanimated corpses aren’t the only threat.

The remaining members of Project Rememdium and the small contingent of survivors from Arkansas band together. The decision is made to flee to a safer location, yet Teresa Alvarado had other intentions. Once in the air, hell-bent on finding Benito San Nicholas and killing him for what he’s done, Teresa Alvarado forced the pilot to take them to her native El Salvador.

Will Teresa’s own personal vendetta actually offer hope to Dr. Berning and the rest of the world?

Or will the dangerous jungles of El Salvador be the place where all hope is lost and they take their final breaths?

ABOUT ASHLEY FONTAINNE (from her website)

Award-winning and International bestselling author Ashley Fontainne is an avid reader of mostly the classics. Ashley became a fan of the written word in her youth, starting with the Nancy Drew mystery series. Stories that immerse the reader deep into the human psyche and the monsters that lurk within us are her favorite reads.

Her muse for penning the Eviscerating the Snake series was The Count of Monte Cristo by Alexandre Dumas. Ashley’s love for this book is what sparked her desire to write her debut novel, Accountable to None, the first book in the trilogy. With a modern setting to the tale, Ashley delves into just what lengths a person is willing to go when they seek personal justice for heinous acts perpetrated upon them. The second novel in the series, Zero Balance. focuses on the cost and reciprocal cycle that obtaining revenge has on the seeker. For once the cycle starts, where does it end? How far will the tendrils of revenge expand? Adjusting Journal Entries answered that question: far and wide.

Her short thriller entitled Number Seventy-Five, touches upon the sometimes dangerous world of online dating. Number Seventy-Five took home the BRONZE medal in fiction/suspense at the 2013 Readers’ Favorite International Book Awards contest and is currently in production for a feature film.

Her paranormal thriller entitled The Lie, won the GOLD medal in the 2013 Illumination Book Awards for fiction/suspense and is also in production for a feature film entitled Foreseen.

Ashley’s decided to delve into the paranormal with a Southern Gothic horror/suspense novel, Growl, which released in January of 2015. The suspenseful mystery Empty Shell, released in September of 2014. Ashley will be teaming up with Lillian Hansen (Ashley calls her mom!) to pen a three-part murder mystery/suspense series entitled The Magnolia Series. The first book, Blood Ties, is due out the Summer of 2015.

Ashley also hosts The WriteStuff, a popular BlogTalk Radio show, each Friday night at 10 p.m. CST.

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MY ASHLEY FONTAINNE REVIEWS

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Refreshing, Original Zombie Tale – Brink of Extinction by Nicholas Ryan #NicholasRyan

Nicholas Ryan asked if I would be interested in reading Brink of Extinction, a full length, stand alone zombie novel…and I said YES. Would I read more of his work? You betcha!

Brink of Extinction

Amazon / Goodreads

MY REVIEW

Gideon, OMG, is evil personified. What is his motive for the havoc he is wreaking? He is brutal. Is it because of what happened to him? Does he blame the world and is going to take out is revenge of it? Whoa, it’s like someone opened the doors of the insane asylum and the inmates are running wild.

And the author…how deep did he dig to come up with these savage scenarios? I am only at 10%. I can see why the world is on the Brink of Extinction if these are the kind of people holding the power, running wild in the streets.

It has been thirty years since they faced off against the zombies. The apocalypse brought them to the Brink of Extinction. Now…to survive the human danger. Man’s true colors are exposed when their lives are on the line. Will they sacrifice for others? Are they out for all they can get for themselves, killing for sport? What happens when the Army can’t hold the line?

Nicholas Ryan has taken a great angle with Brink of Extinction. This is not your usual zombie story. An original, refreshing, down right frightening take on zombie apocalypse and what comes after. It’s hard to not give away some of the elements I feel would be best you find out for yourself.

You need eyes in the back of your head and your head on a swivel, because every step you take could lead towards capture for the slave auction or death.

A man and a boy on a journey that will bring them both to where they are meant to be by the end of the story. The journey is eye opening, brutal, dangerous and live affirming and I loved walking every step with them.

I voluntarily reviewed a free copy of Brink of Extinction by Nicholas Ryan.

Animated Animals. Pictures, Images and Photos
4 Stars

GOODREADS BLURB

A STAND ALONE ZOMBIE NOVEL
A drifter in a savage wasteland, up against the evil that has risen from the ashes of the zombie apocalypse.
In a brutal unforgiving world one man will be called upon to take up a fight to save those who remain. He thought his last war had been fought in the trenches against the zombie hordes. Now there is one more bloody battle that must be won. But the enemy is no longer undead, it is much worse than that…
A full length stand alone novel.

ABOUT NICHOLAS RYAN

Nicholas Ryan

Australian writer, Nicholas Ryan, is the author of four bestselling zombie novels – ‘Ground Zero’, ‘Die Trying’, ‘Dead Rage’, and ‘Zombie War’. All of Nick Ryan’s novels are full-length stand alone post apocalyptic thrillers that can be read in any order. Ryan’s first novel, ‘Ground Zero’ was acclaimed by author DJ Molles, as a “Bloody zombie smash!” and since then every book has become an Amazon horror/zombie bestseller.
Several of Nicholas Ryan’s books have since been published as audiobooks.
Nicholas Ryan lives on the East Coast of Australia with his long time girlfriend on a small farm.

To keep up to date with all the latest Nicholas Ryan news and new book release information visit him on:
Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/nickryanauthor
Instagram https://www.instagram.com/nicholas_ryan_author/

You can contact Nick directly at nicholasryanpublicist@gmail.com.

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Monday Mini – A Mighty Rolling Thunder by Kerry Alan Denney @KerryDenney

A Might Rolling Thunder by Kerry Alan Denney is another one of those books that slipped through the crack. I finished reading it on 11.14.16 and loved it. Soooo…here we go.

Love the fabulous cover by Nicolle Brown Designs.

A Mighty Rolling Thunder

Amazon / Goodreads

MY REVIEW

A Mighty Rolling Thunder by Kerry Alan Denney starts out so nice…but it quickly turns into a run for her life for Livy…enter Conor, a guy with no memory…

At 17% it hit me…I have had those same thoughts. What would I do? How far would I be willing to go if the shit hit the fan? Lawlessness, fear, hunger, need desire…The Rapture…the people are gone, just vanished.

Could you imagine talking to your dog, yeah, I know you already do, but what if he really understood you…and talked back?

Victor, oh yeah, he’s the villain and he wants to rule the world and would do anything to make it happen. Power, he wants it.

Free will. Do you choose to share joy or sorrow? Hope or despair? Love or damnation?

I enjoy a desolate world with a cast of characters that must band together to survive. Throw in some magic (?), and I am in heaven. Too bad these guys weren’t, but it sure did make for a great story because of it.

I voluntarily reviewed a free copy of A Mighty Rolling Thunder by Kerry Alan Denney.

Animated Animals. Pictures, Images and Photos
4 Stars

GOODREADS BLURB

The end of the world is just the beginning of the terror…

Spring, 2024: Two spirit hordes break through from another dimension, and make half the world’s population vanish. The spirits possess the survivors, dividing them into two groups: those who fight to retain their humanity, and marauders who destroy everything in their paths.

Artist Livi DeSilva is fleeing from possessed killers when she meets Conor McLain, a man suffering from amnesia. Outnumbered and outgunned, Livi and Conor team up and fight off homicidal lunatics and ruthless gangs, only to end up cornered by their deadliest foe: billionaire Victor van Danz, a psychopath who commands the new world’s dark forces. Victor craves immortality, and kidnaps Livi. He believes that when he kills Livi in front of her collection of canvases and absorbs her life energy, he will transform into a god.

With only Conor, two amazing dogs, and a band of plucky children to aid her, Livi must harness the power of the spirits inside her and use it to defeat Victor — or die in the clutches of a madman.

Stalk Kerry Alan Danney at the links below:

MY KERRY ALAN DENNEY REVIEWS

Marionettes

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3 Bodies and a Missile – Tainted Future by Ashley Fontainne @AshleyFontainne

Tainted Future by Ashley Fontainne is an apocalyptic/dystopian novel where zombies run AMOK and aren’t the only bodies that will be falling. The series does need to be read in order.

Tainted Future

Amazon / Audiobook / Goodreads

MY REVIEW

Tainted Future by Ashley Fontainne is the third book in the Rememdium series and I do recommend reading them in order. That being said, how do I write this review without giving any of the good stuff away?

Ashley Fontainne included a cast of characters in the beginning of the book and it picks up where Book II, Tainted Reality left off.

Tainted Future starts out with three bloody, gory deaths and a flaming missile that obliterates the town. They are on the run. Where do they go?

And it only gets worse. A bullet to the head. Brains splatter.

My emotions ran hot. I was filled with fear, smiles and hope, watching the characters face their personal demons and rise above them was inspiring. I only wish I would do the same in a dire situation.

People will be exposed for who they really are. Some will change for the good, others… Some characters are filled with great courage and sacrifice, at least those that are not out to rule the world. I hate that Ashley Fontainne has the need to kill so many of them off, but hey, I’m not surprised at all. Be careful of who becomes your favorite, because they might not make it.

One of the greatest scenes was in the Humvee, racing over the terrain and anything else that gets in the way. Bodies were thrown side to side, as they bounced their way into the next hair raising end of the world scenario.

We don’t end up with a cliffhanger, but we do need to read Book IV, Tainted World to find out what happens next. Will it be the final chapter? I am already bummed at some of the characters that had to bite the dust and I am afraid to find out who will be next…but, I have the book on my Kindle and will begin reading…NOW.

I voluntarily reviewed a free copy of Tainted Future by Ashley Fontainne

Animated Animals. Pictures, Images and Photos
4 Stars

GOODREADS BLURB

Everything they know is gone. The old world obliterated in less than forty-eight hours. They soon discover they aren’t alone, and other dangers besides the undead lurk in the forests. The new law of the land: kill or be killed.

Dr. Everett Berning and his team seek refuge in the underground lab in the Ozark Mountains. The first week after the collapse of civilization, those who made it out alive struggle against the odds to survive.

Only a handful escaped the devastation in their hometown of Malvern, Arkansas, and they grapple with the new reality. Tired, frightened, and mourning the loss of loved ones, they attempt to regroup and cope with the life-altering changes.

When one suffers a debilitating injury, they are thrust into a tenuous relationship with Dr. Berning’s group. Other survivors battle the odds as they flee treacherous cities destroyed by the government and crawling with reanimated corpses.

Unfortunately, they all are about to discover the roaming dead aren’t the only threat they face. As the world plummets into darkness, things will never be the same. Ever.

ABOUT ASHLEY FONTAINNE (from her website)

Award-winning and International bestselling author Ashley Fontainne is an avid reader of mostly the classics. Ashley became a fan of the written word in her youth, starting with the Nancy Drew mystery series. Stories that immerse the reader deep into the human psyche and the monsters that lurk within us are her favorite reads.

Her muse for penning the Eviscerating the Snake series was The Count of Monte Cristo by Alexandre Dumas. Ashley’s love for this book is what sparked her desire to write her debut novel, Accountable to None, the first book in the trilogy. With a modern setting to the tale, Ashley delves into just what lengths a person is willing to go when they seek personal justice for heinous acts perpetrated upon them. The second novel in the series, Zero Balance. focuses on the cost and reciprocal cycle that obtaining revenge has on the seeker. For once the cycle starts, where does it end? How far will the tendrils of revenge expand? Adjusting Journal Entries answered that question: far and wide.

Her short thriller entitled Number Seventy-Five, touches upon the sometimes dangerous world of online dating. Number Seventy-Five took home the BRONZE medal in fiction/suspense at the 2013 Readers’ Favorite International Book Awards contest and is currently in production for a feature film.

Her paranormal thriller entitled The Lie, won the GOLD medal in the 2013 Illumination Book Awards for fiction/suspense and is also in production for a feature film entitled Foreseen.

Ashley’s decided to delve into the paranormal with a Southern Gothic horror/suspense novel, Growl, which released in January of 2015. The suspenseful mystery Empty Shell, released in September of 2014. Ashley will be teaming up with Lillian Hansen (Ashley calls her mom!) to pen a three-part murder mystery/suspense series entitled The Magnolia Series. The first book, Blood Ties, is due out the Summer of 2015.

Ashley also hosts The WriteStuff, a popular BlogTalk Radio show, each Friday night at 10 p.m. CST.

Website  /  Twitter  Facebook  /  Pinterest LinkedIn  /  Instagram

MY ASHLEY FONTAINNE REVIEWS

  • You can see my Giveaways HERE.
  • You can see my Reviews HERE.
  • If you like what you see, why don’t you follow me?
  • Look on the right sidebar and let’s talk.
  • Leave your link in the comments and I will drop by to see what’s shakin’.
  • I am an Amazon affiliate/product images are linked.
  • Thanks for visiting fundinmental!

Giveaway – Sum of all Tears by Kim Cresswell & M.K. Chester @M_K_Chester @kimcresswell

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Icehaven
Sum of All Tears Book 1
by Kim Cresswell & M.K. Chester
Genre: Post-Apocalyptic Dystopian, Paranormal
They said it wouldn’t happen.
Everything would be better.
They were wrong.
After a climate change experiment goes terribly wrong, August Madison, finds herself resurrected in a frozen wasteland.
With most of the world’s population and food sources annihilated, depraved nomadic gangs patrol the lawless landscape as outlasters claw for survival.
Amid the chaos, Graysen Marx, iron-fisted leader of the domed settlement Liberty, emerges from the catastrophic event with his own agenda.
When August crosses his path, he sees an opportunity he must exploit.
She sees an evil she must destroy.
Fans of The Day after Tomorrow, The Handmaid’s Tale, Mad Max, and The Hunger Games are sure to enjoy this enthralling post apocalyptic dystopian adventure with a paranormal twist.
Liberty
Sum of All Tears Book 2
A new enemy rises.
Surviving the cold is only the beginning.
In the second installment of the exciting Sum of all Tears series, a core group of survivors from Liberty travel to Boston, endangering themselves and those they left behind in a winner-takes-all showdown that will leave readers breathless.
Fans of The Day after Tomorrow, The Handmaid’s Tale, Mad Max, and The Hunger Games are sure to enjoy this enthralling post apocalyptic dystopian adventure with a paranormal twist.
Kim Cresswell resides in Ontario, Canada and is the bestselling and award-winning author of the action-packed WHITNEY STEEL series.
Her romantic thriller, Reflection (A Whitney Steel Novel – Book One), has won numerous awards including RomCon®’s 2014 Readers’ Crown Finalist (Romantic Suspense), InD’tale Magazine 2014 Rone Award Finalist (Suspense/Thriller), UP Authors Fiction Challenge Winner, Silicon Valley’s Romance Writers of America (RWA) “Gotcha” contest. Kim also signed a 3-book German translation deal with LUZIFER Verlag for the first three books in the series: Reflection, Retribution and Resurrect. Lethal Journey won RomCon®’s 2014 Readers’ Crown (Thriller).
The Assassin Chronicles TV series was in development with Council Tree Productions. The TV series is based on Kim’s upcoming 4-book paranormal/supernatural thriller series: Deadly Shadow (May 2018), Invisible Truth, Assassin’s Prophecy, and Vision of Fire.
M.K. Chester is an RWA award-winning author of historical and contemporary romance. Her first novel, Surrender to the Roman, is currently published with Carina Press. Her three-book historical series, Bryeton Books, focuses on love, loss and redemption in small town America at the turn of the 20th century, while her latest release, Crashed, is the first book in the contemporary New South Series.
M.K. is a native Buckeye who lives in Tennessee. She’s married to a veteran, recently became a MoM (Mother of Marine), and will soon become a grandmother. She adores her Scottish Terriers and is fighting MS.
Follow the tour HERE for exclusive excerpts, guest posts and a giveaway!
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