Review: Heart Search: Betrayal by Carlie M A Cullen

Posted on February 11, 2015 by fundinmental

I love the covers for the Heartsearch trilogy by Carlie M A Cullen.

They are a brand that is easily recognizable, labeling the books ‘written by Carlie’.

MY REVIEW

I received an ARC from Carlie M A Cullen in return for an honest and unbaised review. I loved the first two books and jumped at the chance to read Heartsearch, Book III: Betrayal.

Spoiler Alert: This is Book III of the Heartsearch series. The books do need to be read in order.

Carlie M A Cullen takes a common theme, vampires, and spins it in an amazing, creative and original way. I mean, a vampire couple raising their baby vamps. How cool is that? They have unique powers that will be necessary when the ultimate betrayal strikes at the heart of the coven.

The cliff hanger from Book II is over. Remy has found Joshua and she is determined to make it work.

Samir is Joshua’s creator, but Joshua had split off to create his own coven with his mate, Remy and the twins, Aidan and Ashley. Samir is forced to confess his secrete to Joshua, causing another problem they really don’t need right now.

Liam wanted revenge against them all and had a spy on the inside to help him. The ‘visitor’ made it sound too easy. Liam wonders, could it be true, or is he being set up?

Becky, Remy’s twin sister, has not seen her for seven weeks. Why wouldn’t Remy answer her texts or phone calls? They have a special connection and she feels as if she has lost a piece of herself. She feels herself changing – she can’t sleep and her need for rare meat is something new. She finds it hard to control her wild mood swings. She needs answers and only Remy can give them to her. Becky is determined to find her and decides to do the same Remy did to find Joshua, go house to house until she does.

Jakki is Remy’s best friend and a part of her vampire world, but poor Becky and the rest of Remy’s family have no idea that Remy is a vampire. And the babies…Jakkie is a witch and is able to receive warnings from the future. Will it help them to survive?

Remy has a special connection to animals, and the birds that come to her of their own free will be there to help her in her time of need.

Vampires have their own rules and politics to live by. Disobeying or breaking them could be fatal. Just because they are vampires and immortal, does not mean they are never in danger and unable to be killed. Betrayal, distrust, revenge, double cross, jealousy and the need to protect their loved ones is the same as us humans. The blend of human and vampire is written so well, I almost forget at times that they are not human.

The story goes on, drawing me in, deeper and deeper, so engrossed I know nothing going on around me. I just want more, more of Joshua, Remy, Aidan and Ashley. A family that will have you eating out of their hand. 😆 All other characters are important, creating their own roles to support the main ones.

I never could have seen the events to come. When…I was crushed. WTF?

Good and bad, just like you and I. They have all the feelings we do, deep love and loyalty, anger and rage, the need to protect and seek revenge. So much action going on, yet the story is easy to follow, coming together in a wonderful ending.

I am awed by Carlie’s writing, by her creativity and the ability to take a vampire romance story and twist it so originally and uniquely. I do not want to spoil it for you, so I will shut up and hope I have not already said too much. If you love vampires, this is a MUST READ!

Finished reading 2/2/15.

5 Stars – Would Buy It For Them (lol)

SYNOPSIS

One bite started it all . . .

Joshua, Remy, and the twins are settled in their new life. However, life doesn’t always run smoothly. An argument between Becky and her twin causes unforeseen circumstances, an admission by Samir almost costs him his life, and the traitor provides critical information to Liam. But who is it?

As Jakki’s visions begin to focus on the turncoat’s activities, a member of the coven disappears, and others find themselves endangered.

And when Liam’s coven attacks, who will endure?

Fate continues to toy with mortals and immortals alike, and as more hearts descend into darkness, can they overcome the dangers they face and survive?

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Carlie M A Cullen was born in London. She grew up in Hertfordshire where she first discovered her love of books and writing.

She has always written in some form or another, but started to write novels in 2011. Her first book was published by Myrddin Publishing in 2012. She writes in the Fantasy/Paranormal Romance genres for New Adult and Adult.

Carlie is also a principal editor for Eagle Eye Editors.

Carlie also holds the reins of a writing group called Writebulb. They have published four anthologies so far, two for adults and two for children, all of which raise money for a local hospice.

Carlie currently lives in Essex, UK with her daughter.

Website / Twitter: @carlie2011c / Facebook / Linkedin / Amazon / About.me

Wattpad / Goodreads

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GIVEAWAY

These are a few of the awesome gifts! Aren’t they beautiful?

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Find the Carlie Cullen Heartsearch series on Amazon by clicking on the covers below.

Review of Heartsearch: Lost, Book I

Guest post for Heartsearch: Found, Book II

Review of Heartsearch: Found: Book II

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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 and let’s talk.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

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OMG!!! ~ The One You Have Been Waiting For ~ Heartsearch by Carlie Cullen

Posted on January 31, 2015 by fundinmental

YAY…”doing the happy dance”.

I have been waiting for Book III of the amazing Heartsearch series!

I love the gorgeous covers and eagerly anticipate turning the pages inside.

If you are not familiar with Carlie’s novels, scroll down and check out my reviews for Books I and II.

Betrayal_front_cover

SYNOPSIS

One bite started it all . . .

As Jakki’s visions begin to focus on the turncoat’s activities, a member of the coven disappears, and others find themselves endangered.

And when Liam’s coven attacks, who will endure?

Fate continues to toy with mortals and immortals alike, and as more hearts descend into darkness, can they overcome the dangers they face and survive?

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Carlie M A Cullen was born in London. She grew up in Hertfordshire where she first discovered her love of books and writing.

Carlie is also a principal editor for Eagle Eye Editors.

Carlie also holds the reins of a writing group called Writebulb. They have published four anthologies so far, two for adults and two for children, all of which raise money for a local hospice.

Carlie currently lives in Essex, UK with her daughter.

Website / Twitter: @carlie2011c / Facebook / Linkedin / Amazon / About.me

Wattpad / Goodreads

Find the Carlie Cullen Heartsearch series on Amazon by clicking on the covers below.

Review of Heartsearch: Lost, Book I

Guest post for Heartsearch: Found, Book II

Review of Heartsearch: Found: Book II

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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 and let’s talk.

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Don’t Turn Off The Lights – Night Terror by Jeff Gunhus

Posted on October 30, 2014 by fundinmental

Welcome to my stop for Jeff Gunhus’s Night Terror, Book II of the trilogy.

I read Night Chills, Book I and new this was a series I would follow to the end.

Each page I turned made me wonder what Jeff Gunhus’ dreams must be like.

The cover is so appropriate for spooktacular Halloween.

Title: Night Terror
Author: Jeff Gunhus
Publisher: Seven Guns Press
Pages: 400
Genre: Supernatural Thriller/Horror
Format: Kindle

Purchase at AMAZON

Ten years after her abduction and near-sacrifice to the Source, Sarah Tremont struggles to be a normal teenager. As much as she’s tried to suppress the power inside of her, it’s grown dangerously strong and has drawn the attention of those who want to possess her power for themselves.

The nightmare that she thought was long over starts again as powerful forces descend upon Prescott City to seek her out. With her parents and Joseph Lonetree’s help, Sarah must stand up to an evil much more powerful than the one she faced in the caves a decade earlier. But in the end, she discovers the greatest danger might come from the power living inside of her.

MY REVIEW

Spoiler alert – Book II of the trilogy

Book I Night Chills. See my review here.

Night Terror starts out with a gruesome and horrifying description of Charlie’s death, making me prepare myself for a frightening and terrifying ride into the unknown evil. I am really looking forward to getting my scare on.

I was surprised at the horrible action from the very beginning, but I rubbed my hands with wicked glee and a gleam in my eye. I want to be terrified, hanging on every work, rapidly turning pages, having to know…to know what comes next.

Lonetree loved fighting the evil that roamed his world, but not Jack. When Jack saw Lonetree, he knew the news had to be bad.

Jack saved his family once with Lonetree’s help, but you kill one evil and another rises in its place. Would he be able to do it again?

Sarah could look into others minds. She did her best to control it. At times it seemed as if it wasn’t her, but someone else making her do things. The threat is back and the danger is real. And they are after Sarah.

“…We can go to the police…”

“…And tell them what? That your daughter with psychic powers is being hunted by a horde of semi immortal cannibals…”

They had been lulled into complacency, feeling as if the danger was over, then a new evil reared its ugly head, a new threat that must be stopped. They are back to where it all started and it makes me wonder when it will end and who will be left standing.

The characters are real to me, as familiar as a long lost friend. I missed them and their struggle to fulfill their desires and save their souls? Sarah’s growth throughout her ordeal is believable and I had a lot of feeling for her. I worried, was scared, was proud and I felt confident she would come out stronger than ever.

Jeff Gunhus’s ability to create tension that builds throughout the story is amazing. The world he builds is so clear it is as if I am there. As I near the end, I am sitting on the edge of my seat, my fingers gripping my Kindle tightly, and my expectations run rampant. I keep thinking the end must be here, but he adds this and that and takes me on a roller coaster ride of terror that won’t let me go.

I love this trilogy…and we know it’s not over. So, Jeff, where is Book III?

I received this ARC in return for an honest and unbaised review.

5 Stars – Would Buy It For Others (lol)

EXCERPT

The woman didn’t look evil, but there was no better word to describe her. Charlie Winters would wonder later how he could have missed sensing her earlier than he did. It was equivalent to normal people walking halfway through a field only to look down and find themselves thigh-deep in a pile of rotting animal carcasses, the stench hitting them like a wave. After retching their stomach contents, they would question both their senses and their sanity. How could they have missed such a smell? How could they have not felt their feet sinking into the liquefied soft tissue?

Charlie’s senses were better than a normal person’s. Way better.

It had started when he was only a baby, a fact he knew because he still remembered every second of this life since the moment of his birth. It was a long time before he understood that such a memory was not a normal thing. Other people, normal humans, could not remember the first feeding at their mother’s breast. The hot pain of circumcision. The first glimpse of sunlight as they left the hospital. So many firsts, memories as clear to Charlie as what he’d had for breakfast that day.

Inside those memories, the echoes and shadows of his other unusual senses lingered. The ability to sense emotion. To pick up on intention. Sometimes these abilities strengthened what he observed in the physical world. His grandparents’ cooing excitement over him matched an internal warmth that felt the same as sunshine. His father’s thoughtful stares mirrored Charlie’s sense that his dad would do anything to protect him, to provide for him. Even if there was an undercurrent of trepidation that vibrated like a single out-of-tune string on a guitar, the other intentions drowned it out and gave Charlie a sense of comfort. This was very different from his mother, whose kind smiles and soft features once masked a nearly constant desire to kill him.

Her thoughts alternated between putting a pillow over his head or dropping him down the basement stairs. In darker moments, when his father was gone overnight for a business trip, she would consider carving up her child with a knife. Even going as far as pulling a cleaver from the block and slowly running her sweaty palm down the length of the blade. She never did this in front of him, but that was part of his gift. He could see through her eyes. Feel her emotions. Know her dark intentions. And understand that the threat of violence was very, very real.

But as much as she fantasized about it, his mother didn’t kill him. In fact, she never so much as laid a finger on him in anger. Slowly, over time, the dark thoughts faded, and the light inside his mother came to match her soft eyes and the beautiful mouth that sang to him and called him sunshine. A normal person might never have been able to forget the darkness and might never have trusted the woman who once considered taking a ball-peen hammer to his forehead, but he wasn’t normal people. He was special. And it was that specialness that showed him the truth in her absolute love for him once the veils of shadows had fallen away from her like someone passing through heavy curtains.

Much later, Charlie read about a condition called post-partum depression and understood where the dark had come from. It hadn’t been his fault. Or hers. It was the depression that spawned the evil thoughts. And he liked to think it was her love for him that pushed them back enough to keep him safe.

Even after she recovered, he could sense when she felt pangs of guilt about those days. They were like electric bolts jolting through her. When those moments happened, and they could happen at any time, he would come up and hug her, kiss her on the cheek and tell her how much he loved her. At first, she cried harder when he did it, and he sensed her guilt grow even stronger. Later, she puzzled over how he timed the affection to her thoughts. Over time, the puzzling turned to suspicion, even fear that somehow he knew. After that, like with all of his special gifts, he learned it was best to hide.

But he hadn’t hidden his powers well enough.

If he had, then the woman who called herself Mama D would never have come looking for him.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Jeff Gunhus is the author of both adult thrillers and the Middle Grade/YA series, The Templar Chronicles. The first book, Jack Templar Monster Hunter, was written in an effort to get his reluctant reader eleven-year old son excited about reading. It worked and a new series was born. His book Reaching Your Reluctant Reader has helped hundreds of parents create avid readers. As a father of five, he and his wife lead an active lifestyle simply trying to keep up with their kids. In rare moments of quiet, he can be found in the back of the City Dock Cafe in Annapolis working on his next novel.

His latest book is the thriller/horror novel, Night Terror.

For More Information

Visit Jeff Gunhus’ website.
Connect with Jeff on Facebook and Twitter.
More books by Jeff Gunhus.
Contact Jeff.
Discuss this book at PUYB Virtual Book Club at Goodreads.

Click on the covers below to get your Jeff Gunhus amazon copy now.

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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 and let’s talk.

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The Executioner at the Institute for Contaminated Children by Margaret E Alexander Review Tour

Posted on October 24, 2014 by fundinmental

The Executioner at the Institute for Contaminated Children by Margaret E Alexander

The title alone makes me wonder what’s inside the cover.

The clouds over the institute are foreboding, but what waits inside will have Donna fighting for survival.

Cover Art by Angelique Anderson

16 The deciding age of contamination.

30 The number of coin flips it takes to prove that Donna may have subconsciously used her genetically enhanced abilities to excel in school.

24 The number of hours Donna has to board a train to the Institute for Extraordinary Children.

14 The flights of stairs she must climb to get to her room.

700 The number of pages in the rule book that will determine how she eats, sleeps, and…well…smells for the remainder of the school year.

2 The number of members in her squad. Good thing Dan’s there to help get her abilities in shape and avoid Donna’s worst fear—humiliation. Her abilities skyrocket. Until the day she learns exactly what Dan is capable of.

1 The number of bodies that turn up dead.

0 Her chances of getting out alive.

Amazon – Barnes & Noble

Add The Executioner at the Institute for Contaminated Children to your Goodreads list!

MY REVIEW

The title alone sold me on this book. How could I resist – The Executioner at the Institute for Contaminated Children. Books about children getting a bad rap, seems to strike at the heart of all of us. I just know this is going to be a unique and twisted story and I was so right.A chemical plant explosion that contaminates is not so original, but want happens to those that are contaminated is original and sixteen is the magic number, for better or for worse.

An evil madman runs wild throughout the book. Will he be victorious or get what’s coming to him?

Isolated – no email, no texting, no facebook, no internet and no cell phones. Powers – yes.

Donna is smart, studious, a bit rebellious and she is contaminated. Upon her sixteenth birthday, she is sent to The Seventh Institute for Extraordinary Children. Her parents had tried to protect her by not telling her of the schools and the powers that the contaminated children have. She starts out naive about what is really going on, but quickly learns through her power of guessing more than she wants to know. What she does with that knowledge shows her true character. In times of trouble, she finds out who her friends really are.

Dan is someone she is drawn to and at the same time is very dangerous for her to get close to. They are put to the ultimate test and I rush through the pages wondering how this can end happily ever after.

The mix of characters in Donna’s squad brings Maragaret’s writing to the forefront. They may seem an unlikely group, but she brings them together in a interesting way that shows their growth as they struggle to survive. As the story develops, so do the characters.

They come alive on the pages. Even with superpowers, the children have all the problems that young adults have. Teenage angst – insecurities, love interests, trust issues….Donna is forced to grow up fast and the author’s writing does a great job of showing her progression.

The storyline developed into a fascinating tale of egomania, conspiracy and love that kept me captivated throughout with twists and turns I never saw coming.

I was given this book in return for an honest and unbiased review.

4 Stars – Would Highly recommend To Others

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Margaret E. Alexander

Margaret E. Alexander grew up in Miami, FL. Ten years of frizz and hurricanes chased her away to sunny San Diego, CA. While in college, studying biomedical engineering didn’t stop her from pumping out novel drafts every year. She found her escape in storytelling and others like her who sometimes preferred the world of fiction to the real one. The Executioner at the Institute for Contaminated Children is her first YA novel with Crescent Moon Press. She loves blogging about thrillers with young protagonists and is putting her art minor to good use with a graphic novel project on the side. Her wandering focus is the fault of her cat.

Blog – Twitter – Goodreads

Click here to get your Amazon Affiliate copy of The Executioner by Margaret E Alexander.

The Executioner at the Institute for Contaminated Children Review Tour schedule:

October 20th | Happy Tails and Tales
October 21st | The Avid Reader
October 22nd | Karen Blue Reviews
October 23rd | Justified Lunacy
October 24th | Fundinmental
October 27th | Darkest Sins
October 28th | Proserpine Craving Books
October 29th | Mind Reader
October 30th | Classy Cat Books
October 31st | Mean Who You Are
November 3rd | Vaempires
November 4th |
November 5th | Bookworm Brandee

November 6th |
November 7th | Lusty Penguin Reviews

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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 and let’s talk.

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BOO_2

Friday 56 #30 & BB #6 – Freeblood by Marny Copal

Posted on October 24, 2014 by fundinmental

The Friday 56 is 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.

Please join Rose City Reader every Friday to share the first sentence or so of the book you are reading along with you initial thoughts about the sentence, impressions of the book, or anything else the opener inspires.

Please include the title of the book and the author’s name.

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FREEBLOOD by Marny Copal

There is plenty of blood, guts and gore for all of you gruesome horror lovers.

What does it take to kill a vampire? Are the stories you’ve heard really true?

I read and reviewed Freeblood by Marny Copal in February of 2013.

I was looking at my bookshelf, it’s just something I do, and saw this cover. It’s different from many covers and stands out, so I grabbed it for this weeks meme. I hope you enjoy another fun and gruesome horror novel for the waning days of October.

(page 56 of a paperback)

But she didn’t know she’d end up this way, a small voice cried from within. She’d heard that vampire blood was powerful and that she coud get hooked, but she didn’t believe it. Addicted? Not her. Will of steel. She’d drink the blood a couple times, rescue Mom and Theo, then she wouldn’t need it anymore.

(Book Beginnings)

A slender feminine figure stepped out of the apartment building and started across the rubble. In the dim twilight, Quinn recognized the precise, purposeful gait of her cousin. Picking her way through burned-out remains wasn’t a typical hobby for the well-groomer Kasey, so Quinn knew this meant trouble. She dropped her armload of bricks and ran the back of one glove across her brow.

Kasey planted herself squarely. “Have you been keeping secrets from me?”

My Review of Freeblood by Marny Copal

SYNOPSIS

Secrets and lies have surrounded 21-year-old Quinn Zauber since a vampire killed her mother and brother a year ago. Jo-Jo Huang, her best friend and roommate, has offered steady support, even going along with Quinn’s crazy ghost-hunting schemes. Now Jo-Jo has been kidnapped, and clues point to an audio recorder the roomies placed in Portland’s notorious underground tunnels.

With her naïve cousin Kasey riding shotgun and an old attraction, paranormal investigator Del Whelan, imposing his own brand of help, Quinn searches for Jo-Jo, fights supernaturals, and strives to keep her horrible secrets under wraps.

What Quinn doesn’t realize is that her witch bloodline makes her of special interest to one of the deadliest vampires around.

Click on the cover to get your Amazon affiliate copy of Freeblood.

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BOO_2

Zombie Humor – Unfed by Kirsty McKay – Review

Posted on October 21, 2014 by fundinmental

Zombies beware, Bobby is in town.

Me thinks the cover speaks for itself.

Unfed by Kirsty McKay

This is Book II, but I jumped right in and was off and running on a wild adventure with Bobby and her gang.

This young adult zombie novel is a bit different from the norm. It is funny and snarky in a sick way and I had a great time reading it.

Zombie hordes and teenage heroes run AMOK in quarantined Scotland. How did the zombies come to be? Why are they so different from a normal zombie? (Is there such a thing?) They seem to be able to think and figure things out for themselves, albeit slowly.

I loved when Bobby was running and jumping from pipe to pipe like a gymnast above the zombies head. Will she fall? What do you think? I can picture them all on the hospital gurney, barreling down the hospital corridor, plowing through the zombies as they fly right and left, not even bothering to try to get out of the way. There is plenty of blood, guts and body parts flying to satisfy zombie lovers everywhere.

I love Bobby and hate Alice, the whiny pretty girl that never has a hair out of place. Bobby is more of a tomboy. She doesn’t need protecting, she’ll do it herself. Alice is quite the trip. She does nothing but complain. She is not like the innocent Alice in wonderland. But I do wonder about her. Sometimes the one you love to hate can surprise you. Zombinos – kid zombies. Lol

Unfed is well written, fast paced and hilariously funny. Kirsty described the characters so well, I could picture them in my head. And the zombies, well, you will have to find out for yourself. Oh yeah, Kirsty. I hope you are rapidly writing the next book, because I have to know what the future has in store for our teenager heroes.

I won this ARC paperback in a Box o Books giveaway on the Tiffany Loves Books blog. I love adding books to my collection. Thanks Tiffany and Kirsty.

5 Stars – Would Buy It for Others (lol)

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Stalk Kirsty McKay: Blog / Goodreads / Twitter / Facebook

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Click on the covers below to get your Amazon copy of Undead or Unfed by Kirsty McKay.

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To see all my Reviews, go HERE.

To see all my Giveaways, go HERE.

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Zombies – Dead New World by Ryan Hill – Blitz Giveaway

Posted on October 13, 2014 by fundinmental

DeadNewWorldBlitzBanner

Dead New World’s cover made me do a double take.

I was trying to figure out what is wrong with his face.

Is he a zombie?

Read on and find out.

Also, check out Ryan Hill’s interview and enter the giveaway.

Add ME to your Goodreads reading list now!

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Book & Author Details:

Dead New World by Ryan Hill
Published by: Curiosity Quills Press
Publication date: October 13th 2014
Genres: Dystopia, Young Adult, Zombies

SYNOPSIS

Zombies aren’t mindless anymore.

Before the world fell into chaos, the undead existed only in the imagination. Now, more of them walk the earth than living. Zombies move about freely, while humans entomb themselves inside concrete barricades to stay alive.

All that, while the leader of a powerful cult – known only as Reverend – becomes the next threat to the rebuilding United States. Believing zombies to be God’s latest creation, making humanity obsolete, he wants to give every man, woman, and child the chance to become one. With his combined army of humans and zombies, he may well get his wish.

Best friends Holt and Ambrose went up against the Reverend once. Holt lost a foot and a zombie bit Ambrose…though he survived the virus, only to become a human-zombie hybrid, reviled by the living and unwelcome among the dead. When the Reverend kidnaps the woman Holt loves, the race is on to save her from a fate worse than death.

Purchase: Amazon

INTERVIEW

It seems like everybody is writing about zombies these days. What sets yours apart from the herd?

DEAD NEW WORLD is full of large action sequences, thrills readers expect from a zombie novel, and even some hand-to-hand combat between humans and zombies. DNW also has one major caveat: a select few people can survive a zombie bite. These survivors become human-zombie hybrids, capable of communicating with and controlling zombies. The book also does not feature Brad Pitt running around in a scarf.

What is the novel about?

Holt, a seventeen-year-old soldier, must save the woman he loves from a cult leader bent on turning everyone into a zombie. Born shortly after the zombie apocalypse, this hellish world is the only one Holt knows. Before it’s over, he’s going to learn that zombies may not be the most dangerous thing in this… dead new world. Dun-dun-dunnnn! You like how I worked the title into my answer.

Sure. It was awesome. Moving on. Would you touch a zombie on a dare?

No.

What if you were offered a dollar?

Hm… is there a chance it could bite me?

50/50.

Let me think… yeah. For a buck, I can roll with those odds.

Were you inspired by any zombie tales when writing DEAD NEW WORLD?

Absolutely.

Can you elaborate? Please?

Fine, if you’re going to press…

Ryan, YOU are the one making up these questions. You’re only being difficult with yourself.

Fair point.

So?

So what?

Answer the question!

The one about zombie influences?

*slaps forehead* YES.

Actually, every zombie book, movie, or television show I’ve come across influenced me. I love a well-told zombie tale, and I’d sometimes find myself wishing they’d stretch the limits of the genre. Some people don’t like Isaac Marion’s WARM BODIES, but it’s certainly a unique take on the genre. For me, the biggest thing was “Why is the zombie virus, or whatever it is, 100% lethal?” I wanted to explore the possibility of someone surviving. Yes, 28 WEEKS LATER has some people who survive, but aside from an eye changing color and their fluids becoming contagious, what’s different about them? Nothing. I wanted to dig deeper into that idea, while also writing a story that had epic action and fun scares.

Is there anything else you’d like to see in the genre?

Honestly? I wish they hadn’t made a film adaptation of Max Brooks’s WORLD WAR Z. It’s by far the best zombie novel ever written (mine is a somewhat distant second), and while the film isn’t bad, it’s not WORLD WAR Z. That novel needs to be turned into a 13-15 episode miniseries for HBO, with each chapter being a different episode. It would be the greatest zombie story ever filmed. It can still be done too. Maybe if enough people buy DNW, I can go up to Brad Pitt and his scarf, and offer to put up the money to make it for HBO. It can happen.

No it can’t.

You’re right. But a guy can dream, right?

Sure. Have your dream. Is there anything else you’d like to say about DEAD NEW WORLD?

DNW is the first in a trilogy. The second novel is DARK NEW WORLD, and the finale is THE NEW WORLD. Each novel will dig deeper into this world I’ve created. They will also further explore the psychological and emotional impact of surviving the zombie virus. It’s all quite exciting!

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Growing up, Ryan Hill used to spend his time reading and writing instead of doing homework. This resulted in an obsession with becoming a writer, but also a gross incompetence in the fields of science and mathematics. A graduate of North Carolina State University, Ryan has been a film critic for over five years. He lives in Raleigh, NC, with his dog/shadow Maggie. Ryan also feels strange about referring to himself in the third person.

Author links: Twitter / Website / Facebook

GIVEAWAY

taiwan flag smiley animated gif Pictures, Images and Photos

Blitz-wide giveaway (INTL)

$25 Amazon gift card
Ends October 28, 2014

ENTER THE RAFFLECOPTER GIVEAWAY HERE

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FREE HORROR – Are You Afraid of Tight Places? Crawlspace by Evans Light

Posted on October 9, 2014 by fundinmental

Halloween spooktacular season is here and Evans Light has a gift for you.

CRAWLSPACE by Evans Light is now permanently free.

Find the purchase links at the end of the post for your reading device.

Happy reading!

Add ME to your GOODREADS reading list now.

MY REVIEW

Evans Light, and his brother Adam, write some of the most excellent and creeptastic short stories you will ever read. Crawlspace is a prime example of Evans originality and his twisted mind. LOL

He is a bestselling author and his short stories are a delight (?) to read.

I feel confident he will have me cringing and the hairs standing up on the back of my neck as I delve into this one.

I love the covers that foreshadow the wickedness between the pages.

Thomas had been living the high life, until…..

His depression over the loss of his career was paralyzing.

I can picture him as he gains weight and doesn’t care enough to even shower.

Then he met her, Miranda.

Kelly, his wife, is at her wits end.

I can feel her frustration with the situation.

She heads out the door with their daughter, giving him an ultimatum.

Finish the work in the Crawlspace, or else.

He could do that.

He just needed to pick himself up and get on with it.

I’m tring to figure out how Evans can make a crawlspace any creepier than it already is.

I mean, think about it. It’s dark, damp, dark and there are creepy crawlies in there.

Evan Light’s description of the darkness and smell makes me not want to go into the Crawlspace, but glad that Thomas has to. LOL

The darkness is so deep, he can’t see his hand in front of his face.

The ground is muddy and cold, seeping into every pore of his body.

Oh no, spiders. But they are just webs, empty with empty carcasses of captured prey.

I’m getting claustrophobic.

My heart starts to beat faster.

My breath comes quicker.

I had a glimpse of where this is going, but the extreme machinations of Kelly, a woman determined to keep her man, no matter what the lengths she has to go to, knows no bounds.

I sit tensely waiting …..

Crawlspace is a dark and horrifying tale that had me on the edge of my seat, wringing my hands.

I did not see the end coming and couldn’t help but chuckle a bit when it did.

I may have a morbid sense of humor.

I am an armchair editor and found some minor issues.

They did not affect my rating, because the writing was so imaginative, I feel Crawlspace deserves a high rating.

After all, how do you take something as common as infidelity and make it into a story you can’t put down?

This is a free read, so grab your copy now!

4 Stars – Would Highly Recommend To Others

AMAZON SYNOPSIS

Fooling around on your wife can be hazardous to your health. Jusk ask Tom.

He’s a man with a lot to juggle: a frustrated wife, a secret new girlfriend, and the unpleasant task of trying to keep his deteriorating vintage farmhouse from falling down around him.

Now with his wife out of town for the week, Tom is eager to get busy under the covers with his beautiful new lover – but first there’s something he has to finish up…in the CRAWLSPACE.

(CRAWLSPACE is a short story selection from SCREAMSCAPES: Tales of Terror, by Evans Light, available now in eBook, paperback, hardover and audiobook editions.)

ABOUT EVANS LIGHT

Doesn’t Evans look like someone you would like to take home to mother?

Evans Light is a writer of horror and suspense who suffers from frequent bouts of delusional grandeur interspersed with moments of soul-crushing suspicions of personal inadequacy.

His debut collection of short stories and novellas, SCREAMSCAPES: Tales of Terror, is now available from fine retailers everywhere, and his first novel is well underway.

Website / Twitter / Evans Light on Facebook

Evans and Adam Light have a Goodreads Q&A group, Corpus Press: Horror and Weird Fiction, which can be found here: http://www.goodreads.com/group/show/8….

Click on the covers below to get your Amazon affiliate copy.

My 4 Star Review – Whatever Possessed You

My 4 Star Review – Dark Curtain

My 5 Star Review – Way Out Of Here

My 4 Star Review – Taken

Get your free copy of Crawlspace by Evans Light below:

Crawlspace on Amazon

Crawlspace on Amazon UK

Crawlspace on B&N Nook

Crawlspace on iTunes Books

Crawlspace on Smashwords

Crawlspace on Kobo

Crawlspace on Sony Reader

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’ 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.
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Teaser Tuesday #26 – Who’s Afraid of a Little Kitty Kat?

Posted on October 7, 2014 by fundinmental

Teaser Tuesdays is a weekly bookish meme, hosted by MizB of Should Be Reading.

Anyone can play along! Just do the following:

• Grab your current read

• Open to a random page.

•Share two (2) “teaser” sentences from somewhere on that page

• BE CAREFUL NOT TO INCLUDE SPOILERS! (make sure that what you share doesn’t give too much away! You don’t want to ruin the book for others!)

• Share the title & author, too, so that other TT participants can add the book to their TBR Lists if they like your teasers!

9 LIVES by George Moser

9 Lives is George Moser’s debut novel and it is a doozy.

Do you like kitty kats?

Well, you may think twice after reading 9 Lives.

Enjoy this fun and spooktacular REVIEW:

Who’s Afraid Of A Little Kitty Kat?

MY TEASE

(page 179 of paperback)

“Come here, kitty, kitty, kitty.”
The cat raised its head, and those pointed black ears lifted before it slowly took one step toward Shawn, one front leg crossing the other in an imaginary line. The brown tail curled back and forth while it stepped closer to Shawn. Dark black eyes were wide open when Shawn realized the one was milky white.

“That’s odd.”

SYNOPSIS

Do cats really have 9 Lives? Find out in this suspense-thrilling page-turner that will definitely keep you up all night! On a seemingly ordinary day, Michael Merlino, a successful man with a picture-perfect family, accidentally killed a stray cat. Unbeknownst to him, this mundane occurrence was to become the day he would never forget as a series of eerie and tormenting events begin to haunt him and his family. Will he solve the mystery behind these series of bizarre and horrendous happenings? Where will this all lead to? Discover the answer in this spine-tingling horror story you wouldn’t want to miss.

Nine Lives is the thrilling debut novel from George M. Moser, a captivating and quirky tale in which a chilling horror rises from the most unlikely of places. Masterfully fusing legends of Egyptian antiquity with elements of popular horror and urban myth, Moser delivers an atmospheric narrative full of dark twists and turns. Moser conjures characters of deep emotional richness, bringing a heartfelt realism to his work. Nine Lives portrays the twin fears of a man who is haunted by his own psychological demons as well as demons from the beyond. Evil manifests itself as terrifying feline beasts as well as more familiar incarnations such as denial, self-doubt, dishonesty and greed. At times romantic and at times absurdist, Moser’s thoughtful and captivating storytelling delivers a tale of black comedy and powerful human drama making Nine Lives into much more than a horror story. A rip-roaring plot with a noble morality, Nine Lives is a must-read for all discerning fiction fans, cat lovers, horror buffs and indeed, anyone who likes a great read with a truly worthwhile message.

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Click on the cover to get your Amazon affiliate copy of 9 Lives by George Moser.

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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 and let’s talk.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Thanks for stopping by fundinmental!

Spooktacular Seductions – A Halloween Anthology

Posted on October 6, 2014 by fundinmental

Roane Publishing is giving away three eARCs of Spooktacular Seductions!

Genre: Romance Anthology
Release Date: October 31, 2014
Keywords: Romance, Short Stories, Halloween, Paranormal

Falling in love can be terrifying.

Eight tales of spooky romance brought to you just in time for Halloween.