OOOO Savage must be my first freebie from Willow Rose and it has been sitting on my Kindle for a very long time. I downloaded this from Amazon on 9.24.12.
Books from the Backlog is a fun way to feature some of those
neglected books sitting on your bookshelf unread. If you are anything
like me, you might be surprised by some of the unread books hiding in
your stacks.
The year is 1983.
Christian is 22 years old when he leaves his home in Denmark to spend a
year in Florida with a very wealthy family and go to med-school. A
joyful night out with friends is shattered by an encounter with a savage
predator that changes his life forever. Soon he faces challenges he had
never expected. A supernatural gift he has no idea how to embrace. A
haunting family in the house next door. A spirit-filled girl who seems
to carry all the answers. An ancient secret hidden in the swamps of
Florida. One life never the same. One love that becomes an obsession.
Two destinies that will be forever entangled.
Savage is a
paranormal romance with some language, violence, and sexual situations
recommended for ages sixteen and up. The sequel is Broken.
I am super excited to find this sitting on my Kindle, since 9.24.12. Apparently I didn’t realize how fantastic an author Willow Rose was at that time. I sure do now and grab everything I can when I see her name. I can hardly wait to get to the swamps of Florida to see what’s what. I added it to my TBR 8.22.12.
I would like to send out my thanks to Anita Dickason for the opportunity to read Not Dead. I fell in love with the creepy cover and could hardly wait to find out what’s ‘between the covers’.
The creepy cover for Anita Dickason’s Not Dead drew me in. I love suspense and the supernatural, so this was a perfect fit for me.
There is a long list of characters, which Anita lists in the beginning of the book.
Mandy, a four year old girl, is missing. Meridian, Oklahoma, is a small town, so I am thinking it has to be someone who knows her. Strangers would be noticed.
Chief Chad Bishop is sitting at his desk, rounding up help and doing the basics, amber alert, reward….when in walks HER.
She is the niece of the missing girl and the new editor of the Tribune, Ashley Logan. She is a hotshot reporter from Baltimore, and knowing Chad had left the Atlanta Police Department abruptly to come to to Meridian, she investigates…HIM, while investigating Mandy’s disappearance. Why did he leave such a great position to come to the small town of Meridian. Of course, we could ask the same of her. We will find out all the details.
Ashley thinks she can pump the secretary for details, but she is mistaken.
Anita Dickason’s descriptions of the characters make them easy to picture in my mind.
At the end of Chapter Three there is an eerie moment that ramps up my anticipation for this new element. I wonder, will it be a good thing…or a bad thing.
The story keeps getting more interesting the more I read. It’s nice to see something good coming with the bad. I’m not sure what to share without spoiling things. There is so much more going on than just a missing child and the villains that are truly evil.
The fog…is all fog hiding evil? I didn’t anticipate where the story would go and that is a very good thing. I loved it.
It’s not hard to predict that Ashley will run straight into trouble. She’s persistent, dogged, and determined to find Mandy before her time runs out. She’s not going to leave it up to the coppers to do it.
We switch character’s points of view and I love hearing from the horses mouth, so to speak. It allows me to understand their motivations and feelings that lead them to do what they do.
I love the mix of child trafficking and the supernatural. I can overlook a problem or two that I had with Chad and Ashley working together. After all, it is fiction and I allow the author to take me where they will, as long as there is a good story to go along with it. Not dead did not blow me away, but I loved the mix of romance, suspense and the supernatural…AND THE DOLL.
4 Stars
GOODREADS BLURB
A small-town Texas cop who is haunted by his past. A reporter who risks it all, even her life. A kidnapping that crosses into an unearthly realm.
Focused on the abduction of four-year-old Mandy Norton, Chad Bishop, Meridian’s Police Chief, ignores the twinges of foreboding triggered by an eerie fog that shrouds his town. What he can’t ignore is the editor of the Tribune.
When Ashley Logan becomes embroiled in the search, nothing stops the hard-hitting, investigative reporter, including Chad’s threats to throw her in jail. She’s Mandy’s aunt.
As the mystery of Mandy’s disappearance deepens, unnerving details emerge. Chad refuses to believe they’re connected to his past until the case turns deadly. He’s forced to face the terror that haunts him. It’s waiting in the shadowy depths of the unearthly fog.
This time, it could cost Chad more than his sanity.
ABOUT ANITA DICKASON
Code Name: Trackers: The elite of the elite. FBI agents, each with a secret, an extra edge, that defies reason and logic.
Characters with unexpected skills—that extra edge for overcoming danger and adversity—have always intrigued Anita. Adding an infatuation with ancient myths and legends of Native American Indians, and Scottish and Irish folklore creates the backdrop for her characters.
Anita is a retired Dallas Police Officer. During—what she refers to as an extraordinary career—Anita served as a patrol officer, undercover narcotics officer, advanced accident investigator, and SWAT entry/sniper.
Upon retirement, she became involved in a research project that dealt with the death of a witness to the Kennedy assassination. The research led to her first book, JFK Assassination Eyewitness: Rush to Conspiracy, that details the results of her reconstruction of a 1966 motor vehicle accident that killed Lee Bowers, Jr., a key witness to the assassination.
Once the Bowers book was written, Anita reached the same point many authors ultimately face: I’ve written it, now what do I do? Answering that question has become another career, one she has wholeheartedly embraced. The publishing field is in a constant state of flux, offering unlimited possibilities for an author, but also endless landmines.
Anita started a new company, Mystic Circle Books & Designs LLC, offering cover design and manuscript services. In addition to her works as an author, she enjoys helping other authors see their dream become a reality.
Books from the Backlog is a fun way to feature some of those
neglected books sitting on your bookshelf unread. If you are anything
like me, you might be surprised by some of the unread books hiding in
your stacks.
Ran-Del Jahanpur is a warrior of the Sansoussy Forest, trained in both the mental and physical Disciplines of his people. He thinks he’s prepared for any danger the forest might hold, but his skills prove useless when he’s caught in a hi-tech trap. Soon Ran-Del finds himself in a city so alien it might as well be another world—machines speak, vehicles fly, and his captors’ weapons can inflict pain without touching him. Every time Ran-Del tries to escape, he’s foiled by a technology he doesn’t understand. As terrifying as the city is, his kidnapper, the enigmatic Baron Hayden, exudes a jovial affability that worries the Sansoussy even more. What can such a powerful man want with a Sansoussy warrior, who can neither read nor write and knows nothing of city ways? The Baron’s daughter Francesca clearly knows more than she’s saying, but Ran-Del’s psy sense tells him only she’s being truthful, not what she’s thinking. And it’s only after it seems that Ran-Del has escaped the city and its dangers, that he finds out how thoroughly he has been caught.
I downloaded The Sixth Discipline from Amazon on 7.7.12 and added it to my TBR on 7.28.12. I love paranormal stories, so this is one I will keep on my list, hoping to get to it.
Love Dragons? Abigail Owen has a fabulous series for you. I have loved meeting and getting an in depth look into each character. This is a series that keeps on giving.
I am so excited to be back with these HOT firefighting dragon shifters, and to meet some new ones in The Enforcer, the third book of the Fire’s Edge series by Abigail Owen.
Drake was the only one who could save the family surrounded by fire, but because he is unmated, his body rebelled in his hurry to save them. It is Cami’s family that he rescues.
She is not afraid of him. She has issues of her own, no one to turn to for help, until…Rune. He just happens to be in the vicinity. He is a rogue, a dragon shifter with no clan and gathers those who need his help, offering them a safe refuge
Dragons come in many colors, each with their own special abilities, other than the normal fire breathing and such. If dragons do not mate, they begin to age and death is not far behind. Drake is one of those dragons. They have their own political intrigue and narcissistic rulers.There is betrayal, danger, love and sacrifice. The kings make the laws, the enforcers, enforce them. Going rogue is a death sentence.
Cami finds a friend in Skylar, who has her own secrets. For some reason, she is drawn to Cami and offers to help her, teaching her martial arts, while she is nursing Drake. At first she doesn’t know why she is drawn to him, but as she learns the ways of dragons, it becomes clear to her. At the moment, she is the stronger one.
“…is your default setting asshole?”
“I’m surprised he left you alone with me.”
“He didn’t want to, something about you being a scary motherfucker…”
Oh man, when a shifter dies…it brought tears to my eyes. Abigail Owen’s descriptive writing brought the scene to life and I could picture it in my mind. BUT, I’m not telling you who will no longer be with us. And Drake, that is his biggest fear. If he were to mate with Cami and not be healed, they would both die.
We have a lot of fun verbal foreplay that turns HOT, steamy, sexy, playful, HOT…ADULTS ONLY HOT.
“Did you know some dragon shifters can shift a single part of themselves?”
I know what first popped into my mind and I wonder what pop into yours. LOL
I love dragons in any shape or form. They are people first, doing all the things that humans do, after all, someone has to cook dinner, do laundry, and all those menial chores that need to be done day after day. I love Drake, Cami, and their merry band of misfits. Makes for some wonderful moments as their individual personalities are revealed. It has been a marvelous visit and I look forward to returning.
I voluntarily reviewed a free copy of The Enforcer by Abigail Owen.
4 Stars
GOODREADS BLURB
Death comes for everyone. Even Drake Chandali. The aging process that twists all unmated dragon shifters’ bodies into something useless has taken hold of his body centuries early. A mate could have reversed the process, but now it’s too late. To protect his team of enforcers, he leaves, and comes face to face with the woman he’d thought was human when he saved her from a fire months before.
Except she’s not human. She’s a mate.
Camilla Carrillo almost lost her family to wildfire. To discover she’s fated to mate a creature made of flame and rage, and become one herself, should be terrifying. But somehow a rightness settles inside her, especially when she’s around the glowering red dragon shifter who wants nothing to do with her.
When Drake learns Cami bears his mark — the same mark as the High King — he refuses to believe she’s meant to be his. It’s too late. How could he turn Cami only to take her with him to the grave? At the same time, he can’t walk away. Hiding her from the corrupt, rotting High King might be the last honorable thing Drake ever does with the little time he has left.
ABOUT ABIGAIL OWEN
Award-winning
paranormal and contemporary romance author, Abigail Owen was born in
Greeley, Colorado, and raised in Austin, Texas. She now resides in
Northern California with her husband and two adorable children who are
the center of her universe.
Abigail grew up consuming books and
exploring the world through her writing. A fourth generation graduate of
Texas A&M University, she attempted to find a practical career
related to her favorite pastime by earning a degree in English Rhetoric
(Technical Writing). However, she swiftly discovered that writing
without imagination is not nearly as fun as writing with it.
Books from the Backlog is a fun way to feature some of those
neglected books sitting on your bookshelf unread. If you are anything
like me, you might be surprised by some of the unread books hiding in
your stacks.
I’m dying, I
thought. This was unexpected and not at all how I envisioned my death. I
was supposed to die gardening in a flowerbed as a hundred-year-old
woman, not as a seventeen-year-old trapped in a lake beneath inches of
ice.
Llona Reese is used to living on the run. After the
Vykens killed her parents, she knew they would eventually come for her
too. She can’t take any chances. But when she starts to make friends for
the first time in her life, she gets careless and lets her guard down.
Big mistake.
As an Aura, Llona can manipulate light and harness
its energy. But if she wants to survive, Llona will have to defy the
Auran Council and learn to use her power as a weapon against the Vyken
whose sole desire is to take her light. Now she’s caught in something
even bigger than she can understand, with a power she can’t wield, and
no one she can trust, except, just maybe, a mysterious stranger.
In this breathtaking and romantic adventure, Rachel McClellan delivers a truly mesmerizing story that will keep you guessing to the very end.
I won an ebook and I do have every intention of reading it….eventually. 🙂 I added it to my Goodreads TBR on 7.23.12.
The Brutal Time Christina Bauer (Angelbound Origins #6) Published by: Monster House Books Publication date: October 29th 2019 Genres: Fantasy, Paranormal, Young Adult
“I love the Angelbound Origins world and just can’t seem to get enough of it!” – The Avid Reader
As the Great Scala, Myla Lewis is the only being who can move Purgatory’s souls to Heaven or Hell. It’s a big job. Too bad Myla goes through assistants faster than a hot knife through brownies. Not that it bothers her much; Myla’s always been a solo fighter.
Then comes the problem of the fading angels. Millions of Heavenly residents are dying. According to a prophecy, the only way Myla can save them is by traveling back in time, meeting King Arthur, and creating her own knights of the round table. The catch? Doing so might end the after-realms in a bloody demonpocalypse.
Yipes.
Myla and her main squeeze, Lincoln, aren’t afraid of taking a few chances (in between kisses). But with so much at risk, the stakes may be too high, even for them. And the biggest challenge of all? Finding those knights.
Because Myla Lewis doesn’t play well with others. At all.
“These books don’t just capture your attention, they straight up demand it. Christina Bauer has created a fascinating and unique world that you do not want to miss out on.” – Bookhalolic Brittany
Lacing my fingers with Lincoln’s, I
guide my guy off the Arena floor. The moving spotlights make it easy to slip
off unnoticed into a nearby archway. Then it’s a matter of navigating through
the back corridors until we reach small stone room. There’s not much to speak
of here, outside of some hooks on the walls and a few large wooden trunks.
I step into the center of the space
and twirl. “Here it is. Changing room central.”
Lincoln slips off his jacket and sets
it onto a nearby trunk. “Did you come here after we met?”
There’s a certain predatory gleam in
my guy’s eyes that I’m enjoying very much indeed. “Oh, sure,” I reply. “I had
lots of matches after we first met.”
My gaze lands on a particular trunk.
Memories appear. My face turns eleven shades of red.
Lincoln notices the trunk in question
as well as my blush. He steps up to the trunk and damn, my fantasies were all
correct. The lid comes to just the right height at his waistline.
Lincoln runs his fingers over the
lid. “And what is there about this particular piece of furniture, may I ask?”
“No point telling you that I don’t
know what you’re talking about, huh?”
“None.”
“Well, I might have thought about
you, the trunk and, um, things.”
Lincoln steps closer. “Things?”
“I’d put on my dragonscale suit and wonder
what would happen if you came into the dressing room or something.”
That predatory look returns to
Lincoln’s mismatched eyes. It makes me feel all woozy inside. Not a bad thing.
“I love this story. So you’d be …
what?”
I gesture toward the trunk. “Sitting
here.”
Lincoln scoops me up and sets me
right atop the trunk. “Like this?”
“Uh-huh.”
A knowing grin rounds his mouth. “So
I could stand before you like this.” He rests his hands on my knees. His skin
is all warm and rough at once. Little by little, Lincoln slowly guides my legs
apart and presses my skirt up to my hips. Then he steps between my legs.
“Almost like that,” I say
breathlessly.
At last, Lincoln presses himself
against me. At this angle, his hardness hits all the right places. “Do you mean
this?” he asks.
Fire sparks inside my core.
“Exactly.”
“I can see the appeal.” Lincoln
slowly trails his hands over my body. Wherever he touches me, there’s an
electric zing of desire. Leaning in, he stops when his mouth hovers a breath
above mine. “You know what I want.”
“I do.” I lick along the seam of his
lips. “And I’m calling in my prize.”
Author Bio:
Christina Bauer thinks that fantasy books are like bacon: they just make life better. All of which is why she writes romance novels that feature demons, dragons, wizards, witches, elves, elementals, and a bunch of random stuff that she brainstorms while riding the Boston T. Oh, and she includes lots of humor and kick-ass chicks, too.
Christina graduated from Syracuse University’s Newhouse School with BA’s in English along with Television, Radio, and Film Production. She lives in Newton, MA with her husband, son, and semi-insane golden retriever, Ruby.
Be the first to know about new releases from Christina by signing up for her newsletter: http://tinyurl.com/CBupdates
I have been a collector of all things Unicorn for some time now, so when I saw the opportunity to read The Unicorn Key by J A Culican, I had to jump on it. I’m prancing with joy that this is a series because I want more.
I love a story with unicorns, but there are so many other supernatural and mythical creatures to fear and love, that I barely had a moment to catch my breath as the threesome set off on a dangerous quest to find the Diamond.
An unlikely duo appears at Freya’s door. Opal is a young ‘girl’ with pink and purple hair and a gruff attitude, making it hard to like her. Jet is a young ‘boy’ with blue hair and a lighthearted demeanor, making it easy to like him.
Freya’s grandfather had a stroke and had not spoken in years, but when the duo arrived on their doorstep, he told her she must join them on their quest to find the Diamond and save them from the Darkness that is taking over the land.
River volunteers his services in reading the map, which is in a code they cannot decipher. Can he be trusted…or is he after the Diamond for himself.
Trouble is sure to find them as they enter the woods, travel to distant mountains and come face to face with Baxil. They will encounter many supernatural creatures and have others join in their quest.
Unicorns are not extinct, just very well hidden. Like elephants and rhinos in our world, they are valued for their horns.
I love the Diamond twist.
The action ramps up as their journey nears its end. The characters grow, develop, and show their true colors, while forming a family of sorts, with a little romance thrown in for good measure.
The world building is magical, supernatural, and the more I read, the more I got lost in it, worrying, fretting, and wondering how the Diamond would save their world.
I love this quote:
I would never make the mistake of letting my fear stop me again. Life was too fragile, too uncertain to risk never getting the chance again.
Their quest is over, but there will more to the story and I look forward to being there for it.
I voluntarily reviewed a free copy of The Unicorn Key by J A Culican and J A Armitage
4 Stars
GOODREADS BLURB
I was born with a secret. The problem was, I didn’t know it…
Not
until two weirdoes turned up at my door asking to speak to my
grandfather. My grandfather that had been mute since a stroke five years
ago. When he uttered his first words in years to them asking us to find
Cassiopeia, I found myself leaving the comfort of the only home I’d
ever known and embarking on a quest with the strangest couple of people
I’d ever met.
As elusive as they are strange, I only followed
in the hope that whoever Cassiopeia was, she would help my grandfather.
However these two are looking for a rare diamond and my own quest means
nothing to them. They are hiding secrets of their own, secrets that
neither is willing to share.
Thankfully, they enlist a
navigator to help them through the perilous terrain, a local bad boy and
money grabber only interested in one thing…and no it isn’t me.
With
the three of them dead set on finding the diamond and me out to find
Cassie, tension is high, and it’s not helping that the dark fae know we
are looking and will stop at nothing to keep hold of the diamond. Add
unicorns, mages, evil gryphons and dragon shifters into the mix and soon
my life takes on a terrifying turn, which nothing has prepared me for.
The
Unicorn key is an electrifying first in series by the USA Today
Bestselling authors who brought you the Dragon Tamer series. Realm of
Light and Fire is guaranteed to have you hiding under your duvet with
your flashlight, turning the pages.
Scroll up and one click now for the adventure of your life.
ABOUT J A CULICAN
J.A. Culican is a teacher by
day and a writer by night. She lives in New Jersey with her husband of
eleven years and their four young children.
J.A. Culican’s inspiration to start writing came from her children and their love for all things magical. Bedtime stories turned to reality after her oldest daughter begged her for the book from which her stories of dragons came from. In turn, the series The Keeper of Dragons was born.
I have made a huge dent in back reviews that have been sitting, waiting…and waiting. I am close to reaching my goal for this year, the first round through my notebooks and review list. I won’t get everything done, but I am happy with the challenge and my progress.
I read Gideon on 6.2.16 and gave it a 5 star rating for this debut thriller. I love Alex Gordon’s work and can only imagine how far Alex Gordon will go in her career. I plan on being around to see.
Lauren’s fate is sealed with the death of her father. He tried to protect her, but the lure for answers about death and danger surrounding her beckons her to Gideon, where He waits.
Alex Gordon”s story takes us from Seattle, Washington, to Gideon, Illinois.
Gideon was a crossroads for evil.
HE is surrounded by woods and darkness, where the dead don’t stay dead. Have I hooked you yet?
The town’s people job was to keep the darkness from crossing over.
Could Lauren be the one to stop HIM for good? Would innocence and naivety in the ways of evil and magic win out?
From the 1800s and burning at the stake to cell phones, potions and spells, evil rises and good does it’s best to prevail.
Both good and evil characters will die, so be careful who you get attached to and be prepared to grieve for the characters taken before their time.
I was a bit slow to get involved, but once Lauren traveled to Gideon, I found the pace picking up and my need to know what happens next rising to such a high level I found it hard to put the book down.
BUT…the story is not over and I am so happy to have Book II, Jericho, here at my side, ready to crack open and see what challenge faces Lauren next. I wrote that in my notes, but I reviewed Jericho before Gideon. Don’t ask me why, because I don’t know. LOL
Gideon wraps up the story in a great way and I feel it can stand alone, but I rated Jericho 5 stars, so I think ,once you begin, you would have to know more.
I voluntarily reviewed a free copy of Gideon by Alex Gordon.
5 Stars
GOODREADS BLURB
Preston & Child meets
Kim Harrison in this edge-of-your-seat debut thriller—a superb blend of
mystery, urban fantasy, horror, romance, and the supernatural.
When
Lauren’s father dies, she makes a shocking discovery. The man she knew
as John Reardon was once a completely different person, with a different
name. Now, she’s determined to find out who he really was, even though
her only clues are an old photograph, some letters, and the name of a
town—Gideon.
But someone—or something—doesn’t want her to
discover the truth. A strange man is stalking her, appearing everywhere
she turns, and those who try to help her end up dead. Neither a shadowy
enemy nor her own fear are going to prevent her from solving the mystery
of her father—and unlocking the secrets of her own life.
Making
her way to Gideon, Lauren finds herself more confused than ever. Nothing
in this small Midwestern town is what it seems, including time itself.
Residents start going missing, and Lauren is threatened by almost every
townsperson she encounters. Two hundred years ago, a witch was burned at
the stake, but in Gideon, the past feels all too chillingly present . .
.
ABOUT ALEX GORDON
Alex Gordon, author of the
supernatural thrillers GIDEON and JERICHO, was born in the Northeast,
grew up in the South, and now resides in the Midwest. When she isn’t
working, she enjoys watching sports and old movies, long walks, and the
company of her dog, Gaby. She dreams of someday adding the Pacific
Northwest to the list of regions where she has lived. And maybe the
south of France.
She is not the Alex Gordon who has written
several books about English footballers. She also has never played for
the Kansas City Royals.
Photo by Libby Bulloff
Alex also writes Science Fiction and Fantasy under the name Kristine Smith.
Wicked is his name. He watched her from the dark, barely able to control himself.
Gwen saw him approach from the dark, tall, heavily armed and looking like the warrior he is.
At first I had trouble figuring out who was talking, him or her. It took a moment to catch the shift.
How she becomes a vampire is a bit different and so are these vampires. I am always on the lookout for an author that represents them in a new to me light. They are accepted as part of the human world.
When I heard Gwen say, “Well, hurray for me. Don’t I feel special?”, I knew I was going to love this character. LOL I love her sarcastic wit. She is a Halfling, half vampire and half human.
We have other supernatural characters visiting and, in my book, we can never have too many.
Have you ever felt like…one minute I was attracted to him and wanted him to kiss me and the next I wanted to punch him in the face and watch him bleed.
As Gwen sits at his beside, tears rolling down her face, I came close to crying with her. I love a story that evokes emotions.
He met his match in her, but will she be his mate? In the supernatural world, love and romance is on a different timeline and I love to go with it, letting the author take me where they will.
Kayden…I laughed and worried about him. He is a great warrior, but, deep in his soul, who is he really?
Great and a bit gory fight scenes and sweet lovin’. This is not erotica, but I highly recommend it for adults only. The sex scenes are more sweet and loving than erotic.
As I saw the end coming, I knew what would happen, with 500 pages left, I was racing through the pages as I see the story undold right before my eyes. I worry so much more for Kayden than I do for Gwen and Wicked. After all, they are the stars of the show and can’t be killed off…can they?
Whew…no cliffhanger, unless you count the tease, which did its job and hooked me. I have to know more and this is one of those series that I want to read to the very end.
I am hooked on the characters, the vampire warriors, and Evi’s ability to spin a tale that captured me totally, completely. I was afraid I would have to wait for the next book in the series, but, no worries. It has been written. The only problem I see is there is no Kindle version available. Hey, Evi, help a girl out, please. I have to know more!!!!!!!
I voluntarily reviewed a free copy of Wicked Night by Evi Rhodes.
4 Stars
BLURB
Follow
the journey of a strong, independent, yet caring woman as she navigates the
supernatural world she is thrust into. Gwen steps out of a dysfunctional family
life and into a world filled with danger she never realized lives at every
turn, fiery passion, and a love that is ever binding. How will she handle her
strange new surroundings as well as the man with the intense and overbearing
personality who threatens to destroy the emotional barriers around her heart?
Wicked, the next in
line to become the vampire king, is caught off guard when he grudgingly agrees
to take on a charge, something he never wanted to do. He is unsure how to
handle the fierce and vibrant woman with the unsettling green eyes. It doesn’t
take long for them to clash, but will it end passionately or burn down around
them?
EXCERPT
Wicked stood in the darkness staring at his soon-to-be
charge and felt like a deer in the headlights. He couldn’t take his eyes off of
her and just stared, blinking with wide eyes.
“I didn’t expect you to be so beautiful,” he whispered to
himself. He was late meeting her but he
could not face her yet, not until the blood in his veins cooled and his
breathing returned to normal. The last thing he needed to do was make an ass of
himself by acting like a high-school boy hyped up on hormones. He had never in all his 148 years felt this
kind of draw toward anyone. He had the strongest urge to reach out and touch
her hair, to whisk her off her feet into his arms and kiss her until their lips
hurt and she breathlessly begged him to stop.
His blood felt as if it were boiling in his veins as the image of this
woman in his arms flickered across his mind.
Out of the blue, she laughed aloud, seemingly for no
apparent reason, but it was almost his undoing. It was like she was purring in
his ear; he could feel her breath against his skin as if she were standing
right beside him. He growled under his
breath and then turned around and closed his eyes as he ground his teeth
together in response to his body’s reaction. Good God, he wanted to march
across the short expanse separating them and do something that he would
definitely regret later, like push her up against the wall and take her right there. He could picture ripping open her jacket and
lifting her off the ground . . .
AUTHOR Bio and Links
Evi Rhodes has
always had a passion for writing and likes to spend as much time as possible
hanging out with the array of rescue animals on her farm in Ontario, sipping on
a cup of coffee and typing on her laptop.
In addition to
getting her degree in business as well as competing in her favourite equestrian
sport, dressage, she is an entrepreneur, and has coached many of a riding
enthusiast, but she has always found herself coming back to wanting to write
full-time.
“I just want to
be me and to be authentic. To tell a story that others can immerse themselves
in and enjoy is what I have always wanted.”
The eerie cover of Beneath London’s Fog by Ilona Caldwell makes me think of Jack the Ripper and ghosts. Are you creeped out yet?
Jonathon has made himself a prisoner in Raven Hollow Manor, along
with his daughter, Holly. He lost his love, Anna, but her ghostly
presence lingers.
His past is coming back to haunt him when a serial killer goes wild in the foggy nights of London.
He is able to transform himself and I loved it. He becomes a cat, a
Great Dane, or a mist in the night. Being immortal allows him to see
without being seen. He is very protective of Holly and struggles to
allow her some freedom. He is easily able to ‘spy’ on her, assuring her
safety. After all, he knows first hand the monsters that lurk in the
shadows. His oasis is by Anna’s gravesite. He reads Poe and Robert Frost
to her.
Holly knows that he is an immortal. Authors have the freedom to
create the immortal they want to portray, and I love Ilona Caldwell’s
version.
I begin to wish for his happiness, for him to move on and create a new life, without Anna.
Enter…Walter Deverough, a detective on the hunt. I wonder….I feel we’ll be seeing a lot more of him.
Hell hath no fury like a woman scorned and SHE will scorch the earth with her need for revenge.
We, also, have Leland…a hero to the end.
Fast paced. Suspenseful. A vampire of a different color. Great world
building as I pictured him walking the streets of London, damp and
weary. Ilona Caldwell draws pictures with her words.
I voluntarily reviewed and ARC of Beneath London’s Fog by Ilona Caldwell.
4 Stars
Beneath London’s Fog Iona Caldwell Published by: FyreSyde Publishing Publication date: October 30th 2019 Genres: Occult Fiction, Ghost Story, British Literature
Jonathan is the immortal master of Raven Hollow Manor – a decrepit mansion riddled with superstition, murder and restless ghosts. Beneath it lies a restless malice.
Its previous owner driven mad, violently kills his guests with a rusted ax, creating the perfect venue for Jonathan to seclude himself in a prison of his own device.
When the streets of London begin to run red with blood; the bodies exhibiting disturbing signs and baffling wounds, the identity of the killer remains elusive to police.
The bodies are just the beginning of Jonathan’s troubles. A mysterious letter accusing Jonathan of committing the murders appear, raising suspicion in the police. Hidden beneath the mangled bodies, Jonathan soon realizes he is being forced to face demons he thought died in a forlorn past he attempted to escape.
One thing Jonathan knows for certain: He must deal with the demons of his past if he is to survive his future. Not only him but those he has come to love as well.
For fans of Jim Butcher, Stephen King, Darcy Coates and Nick Cutter.
I want it known before this tale begins – I am not a hero but a villain. I want no sympathy from whomever reads this recalling of my story; no mourning for the tragedy that befell my life. I am not an innocent man but a sinner forced to face the ravaging demons and ghosts of his own creation.
My story began as many do – a lie, a fire and murder. One of my kind murdered the woman I loved in the coldest of blood in one of history’s darkest times at the behest of a possessive noble.
After a run in with him in Nottingham, I soon found myself fleeing for my life from hunters, framed for a murder I had not committed.
Forgive me, I am getting ahead of myself.
Let me begin where this part of my story took place.
A bloody civil war ravaged London followed shortly by the Great Fire in 1666. A glorious time for me and those like me to take advantage of the chaos and remain hidden in the shadows.
I managed to pursue the one responsible for nearly getting me killed two centuries prior to the plague which befell London before the fire.
Within the shadows of the flickering flames of St. Peter’s Cathedral, I struck him down and departed the city, thus avoiding my demise.
I had yet to escape him, however, when his vengeful spirit devoured the souls of the innocent in a mad bloodlust.
Though greatly injured, I managed to drive his spirit to my new home Raven Hollow Manor in London, imprisoning him in stone coffin in the crypt beneath it.
Peace resumed in my life and nobles of all kinds enjoyed lavishly hosted parties within the halls of my estate.
Unfortunately, the short lived splendor at the hands of the hauntings filled the ears of the locals and my beloved home decayed into a tangled web of blood-filled rumors and superstition.
My once glorious halls became infested with dust, its crystal chandeliers covered with cobwebs, their spiders fat on the insects buzzing around the decay and mold-covered wallpaper.
Yet, there I remained as it proved a decent place to not only contain my greatest sin but served also as a castle of solitude.
The tides of time swept by in a cacophony of modernization and the movement from superstition to things only mortal science could explain.
I still needed to venture into the city, not only to feed but also to purchase other items needed for everyday living.
It wasn’t until the winter of 1910 that my silence would be disrupted in the form of a girl named Holly, a young street urchin accused of theft. I took her with me after using a bit of “persuasion” on the local officers to let her go.
They did not need to know where I would take her and she soon grew into a wonderful messenger on my behalf. She became a rather attractive young woman with bouncy blonde curls who kept me company with stories of what went on in the city.
I am sure, at one time, she became infatuated with me. It did not surprise me. To mortals, my kind held a certain allure they found difficult to ignore. I ended her infatuation quickly following a stern talking to and dousing with cold water.
One day, while in my labyrinthine garden, Holly came to me in tears.
When the people of London learned where Holly lived, the townsfolk dubbed her a practitioner of black magic.
One day, I found Holly sitting on one of the marble benches in the garden, sobbing. I picked a flower and put it in my daughter’s hair, sitting next to her beneath the statue of a praying angel.
“You need not worry about them, dearest. Mortals are always quick to place labels on what they do not understand.”
Holly sniffled and sobbed, wiping her nose and offering me a smile. “But why do they avoid this place, Jonathan?”
“Mortals fear what they cannot comprehend. Pay them no mind. You are a wonderful young woman,” I purred, brushing a blonde curl from her face.
The words appeared to have placated her as she smiled and joined me in a moonlight stroll through the garden.
***
Around midnight, after dinner with Holly, I dismissed her to bed. Once she departed, I sought out sustenance in the city.
A dense fog rolled in due to the cool winter weather and the recent days of rain.
Combined with the darkness of the streets and alleyways, I managed to meet a young working woman on the corner and wooed her into joining me for a walk to the park. As with other women, I made sure she understood I respected her body with gentle caresses and loving words murmured into her ears.
Once I placed her deep under my spell, I kissed the tender flesh of the woman’s throat and exposed shoulder, thanking her for her gift.
My fangs pierced her flesh, earning a moan of pleasure as her body surrendered its precious life force without any significant damage. Her body pressed against mine, her moans increasing with pleasure at my kiss.
I preferred this method to those of many of my other brethren who tore their victims apart during a feeding, choosing power to subdue instead of sexual allure.
When signs of weakness began manifesting I released my hold, picking her up after licking the small puncture wounds, my saliva healing them, leaving no marks or scars.
To assure she received care, I took her to the nearest hospital and deposited her on the steps without anyone noticing.
As always, I used hypnotic suggestion to erase her memory and leave her with a pleasant dream.
During the wee hours of the morning, I tended to enjoy the calls of the birds and the chirping of the crickets to help relieve the burden on my mind.
Not a soul roamed the streets near the bridge where I liked to sit and write poetry or read a book.
In the midst of the silence, a horrifying shriek caught my attention, almost startling me.
My pupils narrowed to those one might see in a viper or a cat. I let my body dissipate into the form of a black mist, hovering over the city in search of the source of the scream.
I found it in the shape of the body of a mangled man.
The whites of his eyes consumed most of the portion of the glossy orbs in his skull, mouth gaped open mid-scream.
I knelt before him, my own brows furrowed in frustration at the recognition of the familiar puncture wounds on the man’s throat. This cannot be. No other has hunted here in centuries.
The disturbing find made something clear.
Many of my kind preferred not to hunt in one place occupied by another of higher status, or in another’s territory for that matter. We changed due to the growing number of human hunters who would kill any of us they came across.
Despite the city’s size, my reputation often kept others out of my hunting grounds, for which I remained grateful.
This new kill had been malicious.
If I allowed such behavior to continue, it could draw the attention of the hunters or the local police to my home.
Whomever the responsible party, I needed to locate them and have a word with them or kill them if necessary.
My eyes closed, a heavy sigh drawing up from within my lungs. I placed my fingers over the man’s eyes, using a gentle touch to close them. “Forgive whichever of us did this to you. You did not deserve to die in such a horrific manner.”
Searching through the pockets of his trench coat, I located his identification card and vowed to send some money and roses to his family.
Sounds of sirens and the calls of the corner watchmen announced the arrival of the authorities. I left them the man’s wallet so they could inform his family of their loss.
I lurked in the shadows listening to the inspectors scrutinizing the scene.
“Bloody mystery, it is. This is the second mangled body we found this week. One has to wonder if we might be witnessing the birth of another blighter of a serial killer.” One of the inspectors scratched his head beneath the dome shaped hat.
I recognized him as Bertrand Abrams, a well-known officer and one of the only men who aided Holly during her visits to town.
From his looks, one would expect him to hail from Scotland. A bushy mustache and stringy hair with the consistency of sheep’s wool held the color of fire. Dimples set into high cheekbones and a double chin made me smile. A portly belly betrayed his affinity for too many scones and perhaps Scotch.
He had been wrong. This death held no mystery. I merely needed to find the one responsible before it resulted in too much of a personal dilemma.
Following the release of the corpse to the medical examiner, I took the form of black mist and drifted back to Raven Hollow.
The beginnings of my night would be haunted by dreams of a past filled with love, vengeance and pain.
It would be filled with shining auburn locks and eyes the color of the fresh leaves of spring.
Author Bio:
Iona Caldwell is the lover of all things arcane, folklore, nature and magic.
She is the author of the British Occult Fiction, Beneath London’s Fog set to be published by FyreSyde Publishing October 2019. Her second title, Hell’s Warden is forecasted to release in February of 2020. When she’s not busy weaving worlds of the arcane and dark, she’s spending time out in nature. An avid lover of books, Iona claims her biggest inspirations are H.P Lovecraft, Stephen King, Neil Gaiman and Edgar Allen Poe.
She believes storytellers should tell the stories they want to tell. As such, most of her titles are stand-alone novellas she hopes will leave her readers immersed in magical worlds.
She is also an extremely active book blogger who will review primarily horror, suspense, supernatural thriller, mystery, and occult/gothic fiction.
