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Cover: Willyam Bradberry

MY REVIEW

At the Sharp End of Lightning by N R Bates is a fantasy with a touch of realism. What happens when one world leaks into another? The world building was fascinating and will lead us to the answer.

Yalara is a Sea Sprite from Oceanlight and has a mission. She must find the disappeared. Yalara and Einion of Earth will join forces to accomplish the mission.

I have a love of the world of oceans and other bodies of water, so when an author puts the real with fantasy, sending us a subtle message about our part of the polluting and ecological damage we are adding to our environment, it adds that special element that keeps me reading, wanting to know how our worlds collide and the end result.

As I read along, their world became my world.

At the Sharp End of Lightning is Book I of the series and lays a great foundation for more, with lovable characters and a villain that is able to make me wonder if he is all bad. What comes next? I am eager to find out.

I loved the special touches, like Sea Sprites having slime fights. Adds that little something extra that makes me love the characters more.

Politics abound in the fantasy world too.

The story does not end here and I am eager to continue the journey and look forward to reading the next book.

I received a copy of At the End of Lightning by N R Bates in return for an honest review.

4 Stars

SYNOPSIS

AT THE SHARP END OF LIGHTNING. The interwoven fantastical tale of family, of loss and sacrifice, of unexpected gifts and coping with disability and new abilities set against the backdrop of climate change occurring across parallel worlds. In Oceanlight, Yalara Narika, a winged Sea Sprite, searches for her lover over immense seas only to find catastrophe and realization that her world is in turmoil.

Meanwhile in the safe suburban normality of North Wales, Einion Morgan Alban, a restless youth afflicted by a disease of the blood, is nearly murdered by a man in a white suit. Yalara and Einion must discover the causes of their near-deaths and their as yet unrevealed connections as they both face upheaval to their lives and their worlds.

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ABOUT N R BATES

NR Bates was born in London, grew up in Wales, and lived in Canada and Bermuda. He shares his life with his wife and his house with seven cats, one dog and the subtropical wildlife of lizards, wolf spiders and ant colonies that seek out a better life indoors.

He is an oceanographer and scientist, and has published more than one hundred and thirty scientific papers on ocean chemistry, climate change and ocean acidification. He is a Senior Scientist at the Bermuda Institute of Ocean Sciences and Professor of Ocean Biogeochemistry at the University of Southampton, UK.

His novels focus on epic fantasy and magic realism, and inspired by his deep love of the ocean and environmental sciences. He has also recently published a small book of short-stories set in Paris, entitled “The Fall of Icarus (The Elevator, The Fall of Icarus, and The Girl)”.

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Win 1 of 5 print copies of At the Sharp End of Lightning

– one winner will also receive a $30 Amazon gift card (open to USA & Canada)

ENTER THE RAFFLECOPTER GIVEAWAY HERE

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Ocean’s Gift by Demelza Carlton left me gasping for breath. It seems like I have been waiting forever for an excellent mermaid story like this. Demelza Carlton says you will never look at mermaids the same way again and she is so right.

I shared Ocean’s Gift on my Tuesday Teaser post (below) and am now happy to share my review. I don’t think I can do this book justice, but here goes……

I feel as if this book was written especially for me – Ocean’s Gift by Demelza Carlton

Be sure and check out Demelza Carlton’s bio. I couldn’t help but smile as I read it.

Book Description

Sirens don’t fall in love with humans. For centuries it has been so…

But Sirena is different. She lost her first love to sharks and a storm, cursing the islands that stole him from her.

Times have changed and she must swim ashore once more, to the islands she once cursed.

Gone are the boats powered by sail and steam – jet boats with GPS are now the order of the day.

Enter Joe, the deckhand on the Dolphin. A handy man to have around when the lights go out. He’ll fix your generator and have the lights back on in no time, no worries.

But can he seduce a siren?

Or will she swim away before he can uncover her secret?

A book about lobsters, beer and boobs, on some cursed islands off the coast of Western Australia. At least, that’s how Joe tells it.

For Sirena, it’s a very different story.

Amazon / Apple / Barnes and Noble / Diesel / Kobo / Sony / Smashwords

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EXCERPT

A tiny taste of what’s in store

The boat was almost full of water now, I realized in panic, as I groped for a bucket to start bailing. Throwing bucket after bucket overboard, I couldn’t tell if I was making any difference to the water level in the boat.

One moment I was holding the bucket, about to scoop up more water, the next I was flying through the air. Immersed in cold, black water, I couldn’t see the surface. I struggled, kicking in the direction I thought was up, and hit a rock. I jerked back reflexively and my head cleared the water. I gulped a huge lungful of air and grabbed for the rock. I had to hold on ’til daylight.

Another big wave broke. I tried to keep hold of the slimy rock, but I was pushed out of reach, drifting in the current. I tried to kick my legs, but I wasn’t sure if I did. I couldn’t feel my feet and the numbness was creeping up my legs.

I could hear the breakers on the outer reef, louder than they were from shore. I could feel the spray on my face. A wave washed over me and I was under the water again.

I thought I could feel someone beside me, rolling me over so my face was at the surface, pulling my body through the water.

All I could hear was an unearthly singing, high and sad, like some kind of suicidal dolphin. I could say I blacked out, but everything was already so black I wouldn’t have noticed the difference.

I checked out of Hotel Consciousness. At least I got to dream of Vanessa naked.

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My Review of Ocean’s Gift by Demelza Carlton

The cover for Ocean’s Gift had me stopping in my tracks. I knew I was going to read this book without looking any further. Mermaids, romance and a subtle ecological warning are some of the things to look forward to in this amazing novel. Demelza writes as if mermaids are real and they could be your next door neighbor. Her characters come alive on the pages as the fascinating story develops.

As soon as I hit 7%, I felt like jumping up and down for joy. I love mermaid stories and the writing and plot have me super excited to read more about Sirena and Joe. Will I be able to put down the book or will I have to read straight through? Curiosity makes me read on – what is the ocean’s gift?

Carved Wood Mermaid (c) Sherry Fundin

The more I read, the more excited I became. I feel as if the book was written especially for me. Demelza Carlton writes with a light and comical air at times that made me smile and feel as if I was a part of their conversations as they puzzled over us humans actions and interactions.

Ocean’s Gift is written from three points of view, Joe’s, Sirena’s and Belinda’s. At first, I wasn’t sure I was going to like this, but I began to look forward to what each person would think and feel about the occurring events. I seemed to relate to each character on a deeper level when I read their viewpoint.

Joe – I fell for him and I was only 5% into the story. He made me smile and he looks pretty good too. He’s a sparky, an electrician. He lives with his folks and owns nothing. He works setting up remote mining camps and loves fishing. His biggest goal is to make enough money to buy his own home. He loves beer and boobs, no doubt about that.

His mining coworker asks him, “How’d you like to fish for two months and get paid for it?” My mind is spinning as different scenarios play out. Will there be a shipwreck? Will he almost drown and Sirena save him? How he will meet Sirena? Will they hook up?

Painted Mermaid (c) Sherry Fundin

Sirena (Vanessa) – a super hot babe and a bit of a hussy. She is the leader of the Elders and is determined to warn the humans of what is to come, but she still has time to play with Joe.

She was an elder among our people, but today she sounds as silly as the sixteen year old child who dared defy the entire Elder Council.

Belinda – Sirena’s daughter. I related to her easily. She is quick to anger and has a mouth like a sailor. She doesn’t hesitate to speak her mind. She keeps watch over Sirena, especially when she is with Joe.

Maria – a gay mermaid, not understanding humans at all and just wants to go home. I mean how real is that? A gay mermaid. I busted out laughing, loving it.

Demelza Carlton’s description of Belinda and Maria frolicking with the dolphins, had me wishing I was a mermaid too. Their version of fishing is so much different than ours. I would love to fly through the ocean with them, leaping and twisting in the wind, feeling the sea wash over me.

Joe threw his empty beer bottle into the ocean and it came back to him. I had to crack up laughing over this. How do you think that happened?

“Have you been playing with dolphins?”

The trio is there to warn the humans about the dire ocean conditions before it is too late. By saving humankind, they would be saving themselves. They are all females and need human males to perpetuate their species.

The ecological warning is very subtle and woven into the story in excellent fashion.

I thought I would be let down when the book was done, but I know another book is waiting to be read. An awesome ending that put a smile on my face, making me want to read the next book right now.

If I didn’t know better, I’d think this is a true story.

My favorite part????? I cannot pick just one.

5 STARS – Would Buy It For Them (lol)

I received this book in return for an honest and unbiased review. I am eager to read the next book in the series, Ocean’s Infiltrator.

Demelza Carlton has upcoming tours for Ocean’s Infiltrator and Water and Fire, but I am unable to participate, sooooooo I am buying the boxed set today! Only $4.99 on Amazon.

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Ocean’s Gift series

This is the first book in Demelza Carlton’s Ocean’s Gift series, which currently includes (click on the cover to get your copy from Amazon):

Ocean’s Gift (Book 1)
Ocean’s Infiltrator (Book 2)
Water and Fire

Check out these gorgeous, breathtaking covers and feel free to paddle your way over to Amazon and pick up your copy of the Ocean Gift’s series by Demelza Carlton.

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THE OFFICIAL BOOK TRAILER

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ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Demelza Carlton has always loved the ocean, but on her first snorkeling trip she found she was afraid of fish.

She has since swum with sea lions, sharks and sea cucumbers and stood on spray-drenched cliffs over a seething sea as a seven-metre cyclonic swell surged in, shattering a shipwreck below.

Sensationalist spin? No – Demelza tends to take a camera with her so she can capture and share the moment later; shipwrecks, sharks and all.

Demelza now lives in Perth, Western Australia, the shark attack capital of the world.

The Ocean’s Gift series was her first foray into fiction, followed by the Nightmares trilogy.

Website / Facebook / Twitter / Goodreads / YouTube / Amazon

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Check out these gorgeous, breathtaking covers and feel free to paddle your way over to Amazon and pick up your copy of the Ocean Gift’s series by Demelza Carlton.