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Guest Post and Review of The Quest (Book II of Project Eve) by Mary Abshire

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GUEST POST by Mary Abshire

Life After The Quest

The Awakening The Quest is the second book in the Project Eve series. Both books are action packed and full of mystery. In the first book, The Awakening, my protagonist wakes up among dead bodies and has zero memories. Throughout the book, she seeks to find out her identity and how she came out as the sole survivor among a mass of dead bodies. By the end of The Awakening, she learns her name and what she is. When she finds out who the murderer is and why the person ended those lives, she devotes herself to seeking justice. This is the plot for The Quest.

The Quest takes the reader on another journey with twists and turns as my protagonist is bound and determined to convict the person responsible for murder and so much more. I reveal more about my protagonist such as who took her memories, who her father is, and who her mysterious lover was. Details, details, details. There is a lot going on in the book and they all come together for a happy ending.

Or is it happy? What’s after The Quest?

I left the ending to The Quest open for another book. My protagonist is a unique creature who some admire, others reject, and certain breed want to use. What’s a girl to do?

The books are not romance, but there is a single sex scene in each one. I have ideas for another book, but there wouldn’t be as much mystery and that one detail played a big role in the first two books. Readers seem interested in knowing about her love interest. I’ve considered adding romance, but it would change the direction of the series. At this time, I’m letting my protagonist enjoy her freedom. I think she’s earned it after everything she went through.

If you like action and mystery in a dark setting with a variety of supernatural creatures, I invite you to check out the Project Eve series.

MY REVIEW by sherry

“Yeah, it’s  an odd feeling to enjoy the warmth of the day and then love the magic of the night. I get the best and worst of both worlds.”

The Quest

Spoiler Alert: This is Book II

To see my Review of Book I, The Awakening, go HERE.

I am part demon, part vampire, part angel and part human. There is no other like me. I am the rarest creature on earth. Breeds never mix, so where did I come from?

Six weeks ago Senator Galluzzi had arranged a meeting with various members of the breeds and they had all turned up dead, except for me. I was supposed to be one of them, but someone had saved me.

Jonas and Boss had found me at the dump and become my family, my protectors. They both worked for the World Wide Organization for Peace and Protection – which was created to protect the humans from the rest of us. Since they had found me, almost dead with no memory, we have been working together.

The Senator didn’t know I had no memory and I sure wasn’t going to tell her. I had convinced her to give me a job. I know she only did it to keep me a secret. But I wanted the job so I could investigate her. I knew she was responsible for my mother’s death  and I was determined she would pay.

Sal, the demon leader knew about me and helped me get the job. Why was he here on my first day? We had worked out a deal – he would help me get a job with her and I would convince her not to run for President. She mentioned my father, but I didn’t remember him. It seemed her and Sal both did and I was determined to find out for myself.

Jackson, a werewolf and the policeman investigating the slaughter at the dump, came in and heard me called by my real name. I knew I would have to explain. I had not told him about myself since I remembered things and now I was caught in my lies.

werewolf Pictures, Images and Photos

Later, I took a break and met Jackson to explain to him, that I found out who I was.  I arranged to tell him everything later. On my way back to work I was attacked. Jonas saved me. I told him I was part vampire, so I healed fast and I was going back to work.

As I tried to find my way back to the subbasement, I saw some doors and felt a sense of deja vu. When I saw the silver table, the thoughts that came to me were very strong and sickened me.

At work, I was alone every night for a couple of hours, and would have time to do my own research. Benny, the angel came to warn me. He told me my life was in danger and I needed to leave, but my research was too important for me to leave without answers.

Boss and Jonas picked me up from work and we saw the Gargoyle man following us all the way home. We were going try to trap him for information, but it didn’t go as we had planned.

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Sex with Boss was intense and I kept telling myself I only did it to relax. My relationship with Boss was “friends with benefits”. Is that all it really was?

In a moment of passion, I called out to Anubis. Who? I concentrated hard on the name and began to remember him. He was a vampire and I knew we had been together sexually. Was he the one who made me a vampire?

Anubis is the God of the underworld. My memories had to be wrong.

The might of anubis Pictures, Images and Photos

Boss thought someone had planned it all – me coming to Indianapolis, selling my  father’s watch and then setting me up for slaughter at the dump. But I knew Anubis wanted me alive, so it couldn’t be him. Was it Senator Galluzzi? I know she wanted me dead.

Back at work, I had some time to prowl through the files and found something with Senator Galuzzi’s  name on it, something about Project E. Before I could investigate further, Jonas called and said we needed to meet. When I went outside, I found him laying on the ground. Before I was able to do anything, I was attacked again, only this time it was so much worse.

I was saved by a vampire, the same one responsible for wiping my memories. He had also saved me at the dump. Why did he continually appear and disappear?

I knew they wouldn’t stop until I was dead, but neither would I. Who would triumph in the end?

Animated Animals. Pictures, Images and Photos   5 STARS – Would Buy It For Them (lol)

A pretty cover and the title is very descriptive of her story. She is on a quest to find the answers about who she is and why so many want her dead.

Mary Abshire’s writing is very detailed. It made me think of Tom Clancy, even though he doesn’t write about vampires, and how in-depth and detailed his novels are. It may cause the story to slow in places, but it helps to fully develop the characters and the plot.

Her friends would sacrifice their lives for her. As far as she knew, she had never had a friend before, let alone a girl friend. She cherished them and was not going to let them die for her. All she wanted was to be able to live like a normal person.

The characters are unique and so well-developed that your feelings for them will be clear. You will think them good, bad or just plain evil.

The Senator made me think of how much she fit in with the politicians nowadays . They figure the world they live in is their little kingdom. How can you dare try to stop them from getting what they want. The world belongs to them and you better not get in their way.

Whether vampires, werewolves, or warlocks, they acted like real people. At times, it made me forget they weren’t human.

This is not a romance novel, but when he made the quotes below, he made me think about the depth of HIS love…………

“You focus on my face and call my name. Do this and I will find you, even in Hell.”

“My love for you is endless. I will do anything to make you happy.”

“I have felt pain only twice that I can recall – when I died and when I couldn’t find you.”

Mary Abshire is an amazing writer. The depth and detail of the wild and bumpy ride kept me eagerly turning the pages. Every time I would think I am approaching the end of the story ……she grabbed me and carried me on. I love how she kept the story going, making me want more.

I always try to figure out the endings ahead of time. I just can’t seem to help myself. This time I was more wrong than right and I like that. It didn’t end with any scenario I thought of, but I liked it. It made me think and wonder……..is there more? The more I thought about it, the more I thought of how appropriate it was. But, if you want to know, you will have to read it for yourself. Hopefully it will be as pleasant a surprise for you as it was for me.

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

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Mary Abshire    Outside of my government job, I write Paranormal Romance and Urban Fantasy. Dark and dangerous creatures are my friends. I create worlds with vampires, demons, werewolves, and other supernatural creatures. I even create new ones. How do I do this? I have a twisted mind and it gets better with wine.

Care to join me in my fantastical worlds? I’ll introduce you to my friends, and if they bite or corrupt your mind… it’s not my fault.

MARY WOULD BE HAPPY IF YOU STALKED HER AT THE LINKS BELOW

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Come on over to Amazon and grab your copy of Mary Abshire’s books, just click on the cover below:

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Giveaway and Review – One thought she was a treasure, One thought she was an abomination.

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The Awakening by Mary Abshire

The Awakening

My first thought when the cute man woke me was good, I have my clothes on. But where am I? When he asked my name, I couldn’t remember.

Boss suggested I go with them to talk, my instinct said I could trust them. We walked through the dead bodies –  burned, torn limb  from limb, missing heads. Boss told Jonas to burn them all. But what about notifying their families of their death? He told me they already knew, but I didn’t understand what he meant. When Jonas asked when I had last fed, I looked at him in surprise.

“You’re not going to stand there and tell me you don’t know you’re a vampire,” he said.

We were in Indianapolis. As we drove around, I felt a familiarity with my surroundings but couldn’t remember anything specific. I was in the back seat of the car and could hear them talking, but their lips weren’t moving. I could hear their thoughts. When I said I couldn’t kill people, Jonas laughed. I could hear Jonas asking Boss what would happen if I couldn’t remember.

All of a sudden I felt a sharp pain rip through my skill and my ears rang. Boss was doing it, trying to read my mind. He found nothing there, no memories. The pain lessened as he backed off, finally believing me. There should be something there, some memory he could find, even if I couldn’t, but there wasn’t. It was possible for a vampire to erase some memory, but not all. Demons can alter memories and reality, but not wipe out memories.

Boss admitted to being a vampire. I asked about Jonas, but Boss cut him off before he could answer. He held my hand to his chest, no heartbeat. But I had one. He told me  I was a half-breed. So I was only half dead. That was why I needed warm blood and human food. Boss could think of no one, or no reason for someone to wipe my memories. Whoever did do it, couldn’t be human. As Jonas and Boss talked, they mentioned other breeds, werewolves, demons, fae, shifters, warlocks…..

When I held my stomach while it was cramping, I felt a bulge in my skirt. I reached in my pocket and found two pieces of paper. Before I could see what they were, Boss grabbed them out of my hand. They were my clues. As we fought over them, they blew out the window. We chased them in the wind and finally caught them. One was a receipt to a bookstore. Still no memory.

The other paper was a pawn shop receipt. But if I hocked something, where was thePawn shop Pictures, Images and Photos money and what did I pawn? Boss  kept my papers. He also found my knife when we got back in the car. It had fallen out of my boot. The handle was made from gold and had two initials, S and B, and was poisoned. Boss told me, if it belonged to me, the poison wouldn’t affect me.

Boss and Jonas worked for the Worldwide Organization of Peace and Protection. His job was to monitor the clans and make sure no one species dominated. We agreed to work together to find out who I was and who killed all those people, those creatures. I knew I wasn’t a killer. I didn’t drink blood and I didn’t have fangs. We figured someone had been looking for me and would do whatever they had to do to get me back. How did they lose me?

We went to the pawn shop, but it seemed to present more questions than answers. I had pawned a demon watch. It tells time in Hell and on earth. It could open a portal between the two worlds.

When the question came up, was I part vampire and part demon, Boss said that it was not possible. He said Tabby may be able to help. She was a Shape-shifter and was living with him and Jonas.

It was decided I needed to test my skills and Tabby would be the perfect sparring partner.  When I shifted to mist, I had the not so bright idea to tease Boss. He not only attacked me, he called me an abomination and told me to get out. He thought I was a freak, thought me dangerous. Jonas saw me as a treasure, one of a kind. If Boss made me go, Tabby and Jonas said they would go with me.

Tabby suggested we go shopping and do girl things. We were having a good time, until I noticed the same guy appeared wherever we went. Tabby couldn’t see him, so I told Jonas about him over the phone. He wanted us home, now. Tabby went off to finish the shopping and I waited near the entrance.

Benny chose that moment to introduce himself. He knew I was a half-breed. He was an angel. He told me I needed to remember soon, Tabby’s life was in danger. Now I was human, vampire, demon and angel.

We went to the book store listed on the receipt. While there I had a flash of memory. I hadWriting journal Pictures, Images and Photos been writing in a journal and there was a strong smell of coffee. Boss picked another memory. I had been writing in a journal and was going to mail it. That was four days ago. It should have arrived. What would the journal contain? Would it help answer all our questions?

While we were surfing the internet, a hacker began hunting for our IP  address. Boss had us grabbing computers and weapons. Tabby was throwing bags of clothes and stacks of  cash. Boss and I jumped in the SUV, Jonas and Tabby followed behind us. Gargumen were hunting us, so we split up, agreeing to meet up later.

What was up with Senator Galuzzi, presidential candidate, and Allison?  Why did our internet search of them trigger such a hunt? On top of all that, Benny had told me I needed to remember, that Tabby was in danger and I could save her. From what?

Animated Animals. Pictures, Images and Photos    5 STARS – Would Buy It For Them (lol)

It caught my interest from the beginning. Amnesia. But as the story progressed, I found myself reading faster and faster. The book was full of mystery and suspense.

The plot was going in several directions, but they do come together.

At times I forgot the characters weren’t human. I fell in love with Jonas and Tabby was wonderful. They didn’t even know Stephanie, but would leave everything to protect her, to help her.

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Stephanie wanted to know all the answers. She felt human and had no desire to do anyone any harm, until they threatened her new-found friends. She would do whatever it took to protect them all, even Boss.

Stephanie couldn’t always understand why Boss could be so cold and demanding. Guess she kept forgetting that he was a vampire. Isn’t that how they are? Yet, he took care of and protected Jonas and Tabby.

Then, boom it was over. I read the last page. Oh no, now what? I didn’t want it to end. I am really curious to see where this story will go. Book II: Quest came out October 8, 2012.

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

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Mary Abshire    Outside of my government job, I write Paranormal Romance and Urban Fantasy. Dark and dangerous creatures are my friends. I create worlds with vampires, demons, werewolves, and other supernatural creatures. I even create new ones. How do I do this? I have a twisted mind and it gets better with wine.

Care to join me in my fantastical worlds? I’ll introduce you to my friends, and if they bite or corrupt your mind… it’s not my fault.

You can find more information about me and my books on the links below:

Website

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Facebook

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Twitter

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Blog

Goodreads

taiwan flag smiley animated gif Pictures, Images and Photos  Giveaway – Mary has offered 1 ebook for the giveaway. It is International and easy to enter, as always. Just answer the question – If you were a supernatural being, what would it be and why? – and leave your email. Ends November 5, 2012. THIS GIVEAWAY IS NOW CLOSED. The winner is – bev – I would like to thank everyone that stopped by to comment and enter.

Tweet it out and share it with your friends and family, not required.

It is always appreciated if you follow me on my blog and Twitter, not required.

 

Book II: Quest came out October 8, 2012. To order any of Mary’s books, simply click on the cover below.

To order one of the books, simply click the cover.

To see all my Reviews, go HERE.
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To see all my Giveaways, go HERE.

To keep updated on the latest happenings here on fundinmental, follow by email.

 

Undermountain and Afterlife are Over the Top – Reviews and Undermountain Giveaway

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Undermountain by Eric Kent Edstrom

Undermountain (The Undermountain Saga, #1)

Six troubled teenagers and their mountain guide, Harvin, went on a ten-day hike in the Canadian Rockies. Harvin, Danny and Breyona went to get water. When they heard a shriek, Harvin went to investigate. While he was gone, Danny saw a Bigfoot chasing something. As he tried to cross the river, Danny slipped and fell in, only to be saved by the Bigfoot he had seen earlier. Breyona was hiding behind a tree, afraid to show herself. Danny went to her and they both watched as the Bigfoot was pacing and talking to himself. It looked like he was holding a cell phone in his hand. Danny thought he heard him say, “What a mess”.

When Harvin returned, they joined up with the rest of their friends and were led further into the forest. Why was Harvin leading them away from the trail? He told them to keep moving up the mountains towards the pass, so they did. They came to a huge boulder blocking the path with only a small space for them to fit through. They all made it through but Harvin and Bronson.

There was a large explosion and the boulder erupted in a hail of rubble.  A shrieker came at Danny and he turned to run, only to find a wall of fur. It was the same Bigfoot that had saved him at the river. As more Bigfoot came and led them to a cave that was the entrance to Undermountain, Em kept saying she wasn’t comfortable with this. Her feelings of anxiety were to ring true when they found the only way out was to help settle the war between the Bigfoot and the Tangoga.

Disclaimer: I received this book in return for an honest and unbiased review.

This has been the hardest review I have done so far, but here goes. I liked the cover and title. The cover is usually the first thing that catches my eye and the title related to the book. I can’t even think of a synopsis. The story is so different from what I thought it would be that I cannot find the words to describe it. I enjoyed each Bigfoot surprise and do not want to spoil it for you so you will have to read the book to find out what happens. It was so very innovative and creative, bringing to the genre a new and wonderful twist on the Bigfoot story. The city was magnificent. I love to watch B movies, and this reads like one. I could visualize the action as I was reading the words. The book was well written and hard to put down as the author kept throwing twists and turns at me, one after another. I couldn’t imagine where he was going with the story, so I had to keep reading. His imagination had my head spinning as I wondered how in the H— he came up with the things I was reading.

Afterlife by Eric Kent Edstrom

Afterlife (The Undermountain Saga, #2)

Danny came home from school and noticed a van that he thought he had seen before. Ever since they had come back from being rescued in the Canadian Rockies, it seemed like the press followed them everywhere. With Danny’s implant, it was easy for him to store each license plate and make and model of the cars in his computer memory.

He was excited about going to his Grandma’s in Indianapolis tomorrow because the group-Danny, Em Wa and Breyona were all going to meet there. Bronson invited himself and Danny knew he had some ulterior motive, because no one liked him and there was no reason for him to want to come along. They all arrived at his Grandmas, except Breyona, who had called and told him she had an emergency so she would be late.

When there was a knock on the door, Danny rushed to answer thinking it would be Breyona, but two men burst in wearing gas masks and spraying a canister at Danny. They fought but were overcome. Bronson had run out of the house but came back  just in time to stop them from taking Em or Grandma and told them to take Wa instead. When Breyona finally got to the house, she found Danny and Wa had been kidnapped.

They tried to tell the police about the Bigfoot and GorVit, but they wouldn’t listen. thinking they were still drugged from the gas. Then Breyona thought of sending a message on Twitter. She knew the Bigfoot monitored the humans so they would know what was going on above ground. It worked. Grizz talked to them on video chat and told them to come to Undermountain, that GorVit had escaped.

GorVit told Danny that he had fifteen minutes to solve the puzzle of the Spheroid. He believed it to be a weapon, but when Danny figured out the puzzle he knew it was a teleportation device. He pretended it was ticking to keep GorVit away. A projection appeared, Danny and Wa ran and jumped into it, landing in a strange jungle unlike anything they had seen before. GorVit and his gunners were right behind them. Danny and Wa ran until they reached a drop-off. They could hear GorVit and the gunners coming and had no choice but to go over the cliff.

Animated Animals. Pictures, Images and Photos    5 STARS – Would Buy it for Them (lol)

Disclaimer: I received this book in return for an honest and unbiased review.

As in the case of the first book, I just cannot find the words to describe the book. The cover and title were a continuation of the first book and I always like it when they relate to the story. I got lost in the characters and action, devouring the words to find out what would happen next. The ending will catch you off guard. I think I sat with my mouth open for a couple of minutes at a loss for words. I kept thinking – what? No way. What? But do not look ahead. It is well worth the wait to get there word by word. It still amazes me how the author comes up with the characters and their environment. I am eagerly awaiting the third book.

Sightings of Bigfoot in USA based on informati...

Sightings of Bigfoot in USA based on information from the BFRO Geographical Database of Bigfoot/Sasquatch Sightings & Reports (accessed 2009-04-08). (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Giveaway: International.  I am really excited that Undermountain by Eric Kent Edstrom, a book I fell in love with, will be my very first giveaway. Eric is offering 10 ebooks. The giveaway ends on August 31, 2012. Just scroll down and click on replies at the end of the post and tell me do you believe in Bigfoot? Would he look like Shaggy?

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About the Author

Eric is an author, songwriter, husband, father, and guitarist. He is the author of Undermountain and Afterlife, the first two entries in YA science fiction series The Undermountain Saga.

Eric loves working out with kettlebells and eating pretty much anything with peanut butter.

Eric has a featured article just published: http://www.kalkion.com/news/1736/scie…

http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/5408492.Eric_Edstrom

My twitter is @ekedstrom

Facebook.com/erickentedstrom

www.ericedstrom.com

To order any of these books, just click on the cover.

The photo and comments of Shaggy below, were copied from Eric Kent Edstrom’s blog.

Is This Hanameesovenama (aka Shaggy)?

The brilliant concept artist Cristof Grobleski created this stunning conceptual image of Hanameesovenama, one of the villains from The Undermountain Saga.

What do you think? Is that how you envision a bigfoot? I have to say, I totally love the robe.

View more of Christof’s wonderful artwork here.

To see all my Reviews, go HERE.

To see all my Giveaways, go HERE.

To keep updated on the latest happenings here on fundinmental, follow by email.