. 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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I won an ebook of Mary Hades by Sarah Dalton some time ago, but I loved this story so much, I wanted to share it with you.
My thanks go out to Sarah Dalton and Laura @ fuonlyknew.
“I don’t blame her,” Seth says. “What I saw that night…I’ll take it with me to my grave. It’s with me every day. Every day. She is with me every day. We’re connected – like rope on an anchor – and we will be forever.” He shrugs.
MY ONE SENTENCE REVIEW
Mary Hades by Sarah Dalton is a creepy and fantastic tale of a girl who is able to see and communicate with the spirits, her vacation adventure that turns into a young girl’s ghostly revenge and I loved every minute I spent with her and her friends, leaving me wanting more.
“…You won’t get help. Not from me, not from the white shirts, not from the docs. Demons don’t simply play with their food. They take prisoners of war…”
Ari is a virgin, young, innocent and head over heels for Marcus. He’s a dick, with a capital D. He only wants to get into her pants and place another notch on his belt.
For their date, they are heading to the Lodley farmhouse. Ari should have listened to her instincts and Marcus should have listened to Ari when she said it was a very bad idea.
Now, they are both being haunted, each in their own terrifying and deadly way and these ghosts do plenty more than go bump in the night.
The tension and anticipation I feel as I wait for whatever is coming on the next page and the next page, makes it hard to contain my excitement. I don’t know what’s coming but I am thinking it will get so much worse…
I am loving what S M Boyce has done with this ghostly story about haunting and redemption as it comes full circle.
Now, I have met Mel and Marcus and I can hardly wait to spend more time fighting demons and monsters with them.
4 Stars
GOODREADS BLURB
A Ghostly Paranormal Horror Novel
A crumbling farmhouse lies on the outskirts of the sleepy borough of White Haven, Pennsylvania. No one lives there anymore, but it’s never been empty.
Ari Bowers is a nerdy high school junior with a crush on the Varsity wide receiver and a healthy fear of the paranormal. When her crush Marcus Wagner takes her on a date-gone-wrong to the local haunted farmhouse, her fear is tested. A dark entity latches onto them both in that house, and they pay for their mistake with blood.
Marcus won’t admit something followed him home from the farmhouse even though shadows lurk in his periphery. It’s a prank, all of it… until a local girl dies with similar wounds on her body. Now he’s convinced he’s gone insane. His life spirals out of control, and it all boils down to his stupid date with Ari. As he sinks into addiction and women to ease his pain, he’s left with a choice: lose everything, or acknowledge the darkness slowly taking over his soul. He’s running out of time, and if he doesn’t face this creature, it’s going to take him the same way it took Ari.
For Ari and Marcus, it’s not about whether or not monsters lurk in the dark—they just don’t know which one is after them.
I love this fabulously creepy cover that opens into an even creepier horror story, and you might want to think twice before you piss off your resident ghost.
4 Stars
GOODREADS BLURB
A Ghostly Paranormal Horror Short Story
Mel has a curse: she can see what’s invisible to most humans. We call them ghosts and demons. She calls them living nightmares.
When she was five, she had her own ghost. A good ghost. She swore to never leave his side, but over time, he scared her. She pushed him away. She broke her promise.
Now well into her twenties, Mel meets her old ghost again. And this time, he’s brought the darkness with him to prove his point…
Limbo by Marko Pandza is a unique and original take on Limbo and the Grim Reaper which had me working hard to visualize the setting, yet laughing at the grisly Reaper rewards, and what happens when someone escapes, when no one reigns in Limbo and it is allowed to ravage humans and Earth, totally out of control, leaving me queasy and asking the question What If.
3 Stars
GOODREADS BLURB
This is a story of a man who accidentally becomes Grim the Reaper, the most highly revered killer in Limbo. A place beyond time and space as we know it where psychopaths compete for perverse honour and status as they carry out their deathly duties.
As Grim struggles to hold onto the memories of the life he’s lost, he discovers that the insane being who shaped him (and the course of existence itself) may have sinister plans for the one thing he values most.
I didn’t want to scare you so bad you wouldn’t stop in, so lets have some fun.
A ragtag band of characters are thrown together by chance. determined to solve, not one, but two mysteries. Who took EMMA and who killed Steven’s wife?
The gang physically resembles the Scooby Doo gang – Molly is Velma, the brainy one and is shot in a school incident, Ashdon is Shaggy, the cowardly and hungry one, Steven is Fred and Olivia is Daphne. Olivia is on a school teacher suspension of sorts.
The characters are what I keep coming back to. The neighbor lady is a trip.
We have a stalker, a murderer, a missing person, and even a mystery machine.
The story is told in a comical and humorous way, but it is not all laughs and giggles.
Pink Zombie With a Mist contains some serious and sad issues, yet I found myself laughing at the dialogue and the characters antics. They fumble their way through solving mysteries and become a tight knit group. The zombies…we will find the answer to that too, but it won’t be easy.
Jada Ryker kept me on pins and needles, wondering and worrying.
4 Stars
GOODREADS BLURB
Anthropologist Olivia West is determined to find her missing best friend. As children, she and Emma Martin wandered into Heaven’s Bottom, an isolated Kentucky community cut off by the Ohio River and mountainous terrain. The two women share strange memories of the traumatic experience. Emma is convinced they witnessed a blood sacrifice and moon magic, surrounded by zombies. As a scientist, Olivia believes there’s a logical explanation.
Detective Steven Lewis pursues his own investigation of the mysterious town. His wife, a social worker, fought her way into the Bottom to investigate suspected child abuse. She didn’t make it out alive. Haunted by grief and regret, Steven is obsessed with finding her killer. He’s convinced the murderer is hiding in the wild forest, camouflaged by the swirling mist.
Olivia and Steven enter into an uneasy partnership to find Emma and solve his wife’s brutal murder. They contact Sheriff Noah McCracken, who holds the local law enforcement role that’s been passed down through his family for centuries. Like his ancestors, the sheriff ignores the chilling events in Heaven’s Bottom.
Can Olivia and Steven convince Noah to “release the McCracken” in time to save their lives?
SPECIAL BONUS: As a reader appreciation gift, “The Hand of Karma” mystery/horror short story is included FREE at the end of the book.
This original and unique version of the sinking of the Titanic brings together a group of lovable characters who look danger in the face as the dead rise, scratching, biting, eating and being far more dangerous than any iceberg, and they took me on one hellacious voyage.
4 Stars
GOODREADS BLURB
Everyone knows the tale of the Titanic…a doomed voyage…here is what actually happened on April 14, 1912. Murder, chaos, and the undead threaten to sink the ship faster than any iceberg.
As a nurse, Nora Ryan was prepared for the common illnesses, but what she discovers instead is an infection modern medicine has yet to name.
Head steward, Jonathan Davis was not expecting to meet Nora and he certainly wasn’t expecting to fight a deadly infection alongside her. As the first victim of this strange illness dies and passengers are rapidly becoming infected; these two strangers must find a way to stop these undead creatures from taking over the ship.
The trip home from England to America becomes hectic for the Lambert family when they overhear startling rumors from their second class stateroom. People are dying, and the dead are taking anyone they can sink their teeth into with them. Will their family make it to their destination or will they be caught in the rising tide of infection that intends to leave no living being behind?
After reading this Murderous Little Darlings novella by John Hennessy, I ‘thirst’ for the full length story. All this did was whet my appetite for more.
Murderous Little Darlings by John Hennessy was FREE at the time of scheduling, but be sure and look for the “0”.
OMG, Rocco sucks the blood, then sucks his thumb, and my sick little mind smiles at the picture in my head, as I read about these six year old triplets who go on a murderous rampage, and Marcus knows no one will suspect them, because they are only six years old when the first murder happens…BUT, to really make this a great story, I think John Hennessy needs to make it a full length novel, thus filling in the details and plot holes that left me wanting….MORE.
You may wish to read this first, but it is not necessary in order to enjoy Murderous Little Darlings).
Three siblings. An endless list of victims. A whole lot of time to kill.
* * *
With two specimens of the undead on either side of her, Juliana knew there was no escape. Kill the one they had selected for her, or be killed, and become one of them. What had the neighbours in the road called them, back when their childhood pranks were just that?
Oh yes, she remembered now. Murderous Little Darlings. They had the faces of angels, but possessed the very soul of the Devil.
Marcus had fully embraced his vampire side from the moment he was born. Rocco was the second eldest, and had fought the temptation all of his life. Then Marcus finally broke him.
That just left Juliana. Will she resist them, or join in the hunt?
***
About A Tale of Vampires Series:-
There will be **seven books in the series, novella style, that are separate, standalone stories, but link up to one big story in the end. Of course, they are best read in order.
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Recommended for ages 14 and over.
Writing books about the horrors of the zombie apocalypse is one thing—but Georgie Blake can’t believe it has become her reality…
She never expected her fictional stories of blood, death, and the consumption of human flesh to jump off the page into the real world.She certainly didn’t think she’d survive this long if they had.As a shy novelist, she was sure she’d be one of the first to die.
Safe in the Sanctuary, Georgie holds on to hope for a cure…
But that’s not all she holds on to. The government has promised the people of the Sanctuary that they can return home. The rumours are rife that there is an antidote on the horizon. But even if not, the infected are dying out, throwing the treacherous AM13 virus to thebrink of extinction. If the infection dies out, this horrible nightmare Georgie is living in will be a distant memory.
Until everything that’s right goes terribly wrong…
Soonafter meeting some new friends in the Sanctuary, Georgie learns she’s going to have to face the monsters outside the walls if she wants to return to her old life. But for a scared, introverted bookworm, it may be too much to consider…
WillGeorgina conquer her fears of the dead to return home, or will she beone of the countless others who have gone Extinct?
Every attempt to contain the deadly AM13 virus has failed, leaving humanity on the brink of extinction…
The plague is spreading out of control with no cure in sight. Then the government announces its new plan—a sanctuary in an area completely untouched by the infected—as long as you can get there alive andunscathed.
Ethan Watton has managed to survive this long, even with OCD making everyday more hellish than it already is…
Ethan’s obsessive-compulsive disorder dramatically affected his life before the infection began. Now he’s desperate to get as far away from the zombie virus as humanly possible. Isolated and afraid, Ethan thinks there is no way in hell he will survive the epidemic.
Alyssa Turner has spent her teenage years prepping for the undead to challenge her zombie killing skills…
Alyssa knows with absolute certainty that she will survive the AM13 virus.She’s read all the books, watched all the films, and done all the research. She’s strong, tough, and a self-proclaimed badass. Any group would be lucky to fight alongside her…until the unthinkable makes her doubt every skill she’s acquired.
Dr.Jones is a scientist who doesn’t understand why he was selected to produce a cure…
Surely there are survivors more experienced in virology than he is. And what will happen to him—and the rest of the species—if he fails? Is the fate of the human race really resting on his shoulders? Or are there others working toward the same goal?
With the zombies multiplying and survivors struggling to make it to the sanctuary, Ethan, Alyssa, and Dr. Jones fight to fulfill their destinies. If they fail, their fate is sealed, and they will join the millions of others who have been…
Leah Watton’s practical joke has spiralled way out of control—all to impress a crush…
With a prank online video, Leah hopes to catch the attention of Jake Colton, a cute, blond-haired, blue-eyed co-worker she’s had a crush on for months. But instead of sending it to Jake, she manages to forward the clip to her boss—who buys every gory second.
When mass panic ensues, Leah learns the video is more than a staged act…
The government is calling the virus AM13. As the outbreak spreads,citizens are forced to stay indoors while they assess the gravity of the illness. Most people are quarantined in their homes, but Leah,Jake, and Leah’s best friend Michelle are some of the unlucky few who are stuck at work when the Lockdown occurs.
That’s where she first encounters one of the infected…
Aside from a contaminated woman devouring one of her co-workers, Leah has another problem. Does she do as she’s ordered and stay at work? Or should she disobey government orders and break free to reunite with her family?
She can’t go it alone—after all, Leah has none of the skills needed to survive—but with Michelle and Jake by her side, not even a contagious virus and a sea of the dead can keep her from…
Samie Sands is a 28 year old freelance graphic designer who has recently decided to follow her lifelong dream and use her creativity in a new way by writing.
She has a degree in Media Studies and PR and has already had articles published in a number of e-zines, including one of the most popular pieces at Zombie Guide Magazine. She has also had short stories included in a number of successful projects.
She livesin a small seaside town in the UK, but loves to travel to gaininspiration from new places and different cultures.
Egypt, time travel, ghosts, and mystery…sounds like a winner to me. And I love Kathryn Meyer Griffith’s ability to tell a story that draws me in, keeping me lost in the story she tells. She infuses her stories with the music she loves so much and I think it adds a special touch of realism.
Nefertiti watched as everything she loved fell.
Faye, her hubby, Nick, the bar, her band and her friends…she is happy.
As Faye cleans the bar, bathed in sweat, SHE came to her…again.
Faye knew she shared her body with a ghost, she felt the Egyptian link. She has even seen a glimpse of her in the mirror. Who is she? Why is she haunting her? What does she want?
Everything changed when the thug walked into the bar.
She is Ankhesenaton, a queen of Egypt. She wants justice. She came to Faye, when Faye died…and Faye came back…different.
“It’s going to be quite an adventure isn’t it?” Nick states the obvious. Gotta love the guy and I know I’m ready to be whisked away to Egypt and the mystery they must solve. They talk about the information and history discovered in the Egyptian’s garbage and it makes me wonder what ours will tell in the future.
Good magic and bad magic both want her.
In Egypt, in the desert, they are open to danger from bedouins, hallucinations, and bad magic. The danger and suspense mount.
Kathryn Meyer Griffith’s writing brings to life the sandstorm, the haunts. I can picture blowing sands, almost feel the stinging grit, getting in every exposed nook and cranny, can almost feel the dead reaching out trying to halt their progress.
I love myths and legends of Nefertiti and Egyptian lore. I can almost see the palace falling, and the senseless slaughter of the people. Echoes of the past filter into the present and it’s shock and awe for Nick. I love that he gets a taste of his wife’s visions.
Kathryn’s writing makes for easy reading and stepping into the characters shoes, whether they are being ravaged in an Egyptian sandstorm or chilling on a snowy Montana night. The danger makes for suspenseful reading and, even though I know everything will be all right, at least I think it will, I am still worried, fretting, trying to get Faye’s attention so I can help her
Can’t get much more involved than that. LOL
I voluntarily reviewed a free copy of The Calling by Kathryn Meyer Griffith.
4 Stars
GOODREADS BLURB
Faye Summer has been haunted by a three-thousand-year-old-murdered Egyptian princess, one of the five daughters of Nefertiti and the doomed pharaoh Akhenaton, since she was a young girl…glimpsed her ghostly and desperate face in darkened mirrors and heard her whispers in her dreams. Whispers begging for Faye’s help in uncovering the true story of her and her family’s long ago disappearances and deaths, their terrible fate, so she would no longer be damned to eternal wandering. On that grave quest, Faye and her husband, Nick, reluctantly travel to Egypt and among the ancient pyramids, sparkling hot sands and the ghosts of the past they discover a truth far worse than they could have imagined…and then end up fighting for their own survival.
About Kathryn Meyer Griffith…
Since childhood I’ve been an artist and worked as a graphic designer in the corporate world and for newspapers for twenty-three years before I quit to write full time. But I’d already begun writing novels at 21, over forty-four years ago now, and have had twenty-five (six romantic horror, four thrillers, two horror novels, two romantic SF horror, one romantic suspense, one romantic time travel, one historical romance and eight murder mysteries) previous novels, two novellas and twelve short stories published from Zebra Books, Leisure Books, Avalon Books, The Wild Rose Press, Damnation Books/Eternal Press. But I’ve gone into self-publishing in a big way since 2012; and upon getting some of my 24 books’ full rights back for the first time in 33 years, have self-published all of them along with my newer novels. My four Dinosaur Lake novels and four Spookie Town Mysteries (Scraps of Paper, All Things Slip Away, Ghosts Beneath Us and Witches Among Us) are my best-sellers.
I’ve been married to Russell for thirty-eight years; have a son and two grandchildren and I live in a small quaint town in Illinois. We have a quirky cat, Sasha, and the three of us live happily in an old house in the heart of town. Though I’ve been an artist, and a folk/classic rock singer in my youth with my brother Jim, writing has always been my greatest passion, my butterfly stage, and I’ll probably write stories until the day I die…or until my memory goes.
2012 EPIC EBOOK AWARDS *Finalist* for her horror novel The Last Vampire ~ 2014 EPIC EBOOK AWARDS * Finalist * for her thriller novel Dinosaur Lake.
*All Kathryn Meyer Griffith’s books can be found HERE.
Novels and short stories from Kathryn Meyer Griffith:
Evil Stalks the Night, The Heart of the Rose, Blood Forged, Vampire Blood, The Last Vampire (2012 EPIC EBOOK AWARDS*Finalist* in their Horror category), Witches, The Nameless One erotic horror short story, The Calling, Scraps of Paper (The First Spookie Town Murder Mystery), All Things Slip Away (The Second Spookie Town Murder Mystery), Ghosts Beneath Us (The Third Spookie Town Murder Mystery), Witches Among Us (The Fourth Spookie Town Murder Mystery),Egyptian Heart, Winter’s Journey, The Ice Bridge, Don’t Look Back, Agnes, A Time of Demons and Angels, The Woman in Crimson, Human No Longer, Four Spooky Short Stories Collection, Forever and Always Romantic Novella, Night Carnival Short Story, Dinosaur Lake (2014 EPIC EBOOK AWARDS*Finalist* in their Thriller/Adventure category), Dinosaur Lake II: Dinosaurs Arising and Dinosaur Lake III: Infestation, Dinosaur Lake IV: Dinosaur Wars, Memories of My Childhood (short story collection) and Christmas Magic 1959 short story.
This is not my usual brand of high action and suspense. It is written as if they are face to face – murderer to investigator – and Alex Melville is proud of his despicable actions, wanting to share.
Up until the cave, his kidnap attempts are almost comical. His ineptness and bad luck will surely get him caught. I try not to laugh (sarcasm) when bad things happen to him.
I sometimes felt I was sitting with him…listening.
I am not even halfway through and the verdict is still out. Is it good? Great? All I know is he has captured me too, and I know I won’t get away until the final page is read.
When his motivation is finally revealed and his last confession written, it truly made my skin crawl. The evil is slow, insidious, gets under my skin, and erasing his existence can’t happen soon enough.
I voluntarily reviewed a free copy of The Skin Room by Morgan Fleetwood.
3 Stars
GOODREADS BLURB
The Last Confession of Morten Flygare is an unnerving suspense thriller narrated by Morten Flygare – multi-lingual translator and multiple murderer. The blood-stained document that comprises the narrative of the novel is his claustrophobic, unreliable account of the murder of Valentina, and the incarceration and death of his drug-addicted sister, Sonia. This is no ordinary confession, however. In a unique and distinctive style, Morten gradually reveals his secret: this story has only one reader, the police inspector he holds responsible for his beloved sister’s death, and that while he writes in the flickering candlelight, he has one last grotesque secret to share that is his ultimate revenge. The Last Confession of Morten Flygare is a ‘whydunnit’ with a twist.
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.
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.
5 Stars
