Well, let’s start with the fabulous cover for The Crisis by T O Paine. It encompasses many elements of the story inside. How does an armadillo come in to play? Look closely and you may see a clue.
What does a convenient store worker and a Cuban rebel have in common? A young girl with a tattoo. What makes her so important?
It all starts when a bald man enters the convenience store with a young girl. Mattie had lost her cousin to human traffickers and felt this young girl was in the same kind of trouble. So, she jumps into her beat up car and follows them, determined to save the girl.
I do love stories with multiple points of view, showing individual character’s motivations for the actions they take. It gives the story more depth and detail. The Crisis unfolds slowly, filling the pages with suspense and tension, keeping me flipping the pages, having to know what will come next.
I am super excited to have found a new author to follow.
4 Stars
GOODREADS BLURB
She wants to quit smoking. He wants to start a nuclear war. They both want the girl with the cryptic tattoo.
“A suspenseful thriller filled with vivid characters, mounting tension, and explosive twists that keep readers guessing until the final page.” ★★★★★ – Readers’ Favorite
Stuck working at a backwater convenience store in the middle of northern Florida, Mattie longs for a cigarette. She longs for her days as a marine biologist at the Queen Aquarium down south. She longs for her best friend—Hank the Manatee. Her colleagues blamed her for his death, and now, she blames herself. She should have done something sooner.
Today, a nervous couple enters the convenience store. The man is big, bald, and has a tight grip on the girl’s arm. The girl is small, young, and has a number tattooed on her leg. It looks like a brand.
Today, a nervous couple enters the convenience store. The man is big, bald, and has a tight grip on the girl’s arm. The girl is small, young, and has a number tattooed on her leg. It looks like a brand.
When they leave, Mattie finds a note on the floor.
“. . . Blue Honda mini-van going to Salt Springs. Someone named Stanley.”
A similar thing happened to Mattie’s cousin. This girl is being kidnapped. Trafficked. The note isn’t enough for the police to care, but Mattie does. She jumps into her decrepit Toyota wagon and flies onto the highway, wasting no time. She’s got to stop that mini-van before it reaches Salt Springs. She’s got to save that girl before she’s sold to the highest bidder.
Meanwhile, in Cuba, a militant rebel has sent his men to the US. He’s been searching for a young woman with a cryptic tattoo on her leg for over ten years. When his men bring her to him, he’ll finally have the negotiating power he needs to overthrow the Cuban government. He’ll have the power to make the United States listen to Cuba for once.
It’s only a matter of time.
His men are already in Salt Springs, waiting for her.
The Crisis is a breakneck thrill ride guaranteed to pique your imagination and thrust you deep into a fun-filled, action-packed, international conspiracy.
Genre: Fiction, Suspense, Thriller
440 pages, Paperback
First published January 2, 2025 by Dark Swallow Books
ABOUT T O PAINE
T.O. Paine is an award-winning author of fast-paced thriller suspense novels. He is a member of International Thriller Writers and holds a master’s degree in computer information systems. When he is not writing, you can find him running and cycling through the mountains of Colorado, USA. T.O. has run fifty marathons in fifty states, ridden his road bike over 10,000 miles up 10,000-foot mountains, and completed an IRONMAN.
He resides with his wife, two children, and two Boston terriers: Fiona the Ogre and Rudy the Trickster.
T.O loves to hear from thriller readers. Visit his website for information on upcoming releases, free stories, giveaways, and other thrilling content.
Beautiful Mistakes by Cora Kent is the first book in the Twisted Sisters series. After reading it, I can hardly wait to see what Cora will come up with next. The first book is Raiden and Lucrezia’s story and to say it is a dark romance is putting it mildly.
Lucrezia was born into the Catiglione family, the most powerful of the Midwest mafia, but her father and brother never had an ounce of respect for her. She was shipped off to a convent in Italy, and now she’s back with a vengeance. She recruits Raiden Drake.
“I need the best the Destroyers have to offer…And I’m told that’s you.”
I love Lucrezia. To say she is a firecracker is to underestimate her. She is more like a bottle rocket. She has no fear. I wondered about Kristopher. I’m not sure what I was expecting, but I got a lot more than I anticipated. I love how Cora Kent handled the situation.
When God made me he broke the mold.
I love that The Twisted Sisters series have recurring characters and each story can stand alone. Beautiful Mistakes is told from multiple characters points of view. It’s an enemy to lovers romance. There are lots of triggers, so beware. Myself, I love the dark. I definitely have my eye on Cora.
I want to thank her for the opportunity to read and review Beautiful Mistakes.
4 Stars
GOODREADS
I was born a Castiglione—once the most powerful name in the Midwest mafia. But that all changed when my brother banished me to a convent in Italy, erasing me from his empire like I never existed.
Five years later, I’m back. And I’m not here to beg for forgiveness—I’m here to destroy everything he built.
But I can’t do it alone.
Raiden Drake is dangerous and untouchable—the Destroyers’ most ruthless enforcer. He doesn’t follow the rules; he bends them, and anyone who defies him bleeds for it. Relationships and loyalty mean nothing to him unless they’re earned in blood. He’s exactly what I need: the man who will help me bring Saverio to his knees.
There’s just one problem—Raiden doesn’t take orders. He wants everything. My body. My mind. My soul. And once he claims them, there’s no going back.
In the game of vengeance, there’s only one rule: never fall for the devil you’ve unleashed. But what happens when the devil is the only one who can save your soul?
Each book in The Twisted Sisters series can be read as a standalone novel.
Note: Beautiful Mistakes is Raiden and Lucrezia’s story.
Genre: Dark Romance, Fiction, Romance, Suspense, Thriller
ABOUT CORA KENT
Cora Kent fell for her first villain before she even knew what romance was. Ever since Scar was denied a happily ever after, she’s been on a mission to give all the dark, dangerous anti-heroes the endings they deserve. If the Big Bad Wolf had swept Little Red off her feet, it might have saved the fairy tale—so that’s exactly what Cora does in her novels: grants her bad boys redemption through passion, power, and the women who can handle them.
When she’s not spinning tales of morally gray heroes and forbidden desires, you’ll find her snuggled up with her cat, sipping a margarita, and watching Grey’s Anatomy.
Immortal Gifts by Katherine Villyard is a fresh take on a familiar tale. These characters quickly drew me into their story and I found myself rapidly flipping pages to see what the future had in store for them.
We have two timelines and multiple character point of views. It was easy to follow along and the pacing kept the story flowing smoothly. I did read late into the night, but I didn’t finish it in one sitting.
Abraham is a vampire and he’s Jewish. He follows his religion as much as possible, considering he is a vampire. He is married to a human, Destiny. She’s a veterinarian. I love that he loves cats. He even nurses kittens, whenever Destiny brings them home. Can you picture a big bad vampire bottle feeding a tiny kitten? The animals have their own complex personalities that develop as the story unfolds.
Abraham’s biggest danger is Thomas, a blowhard vampire that rouses the masses to bring hell down on him. Abraham became a vampire when Ludwig impulsively saves him from death due to consumption. Thomas thinks that Abraham does not deserve immortality because he is Jewish, but Ludwig sees Abraham’s talents with a violin as a gift from God. There will be a reckoning.
There is a lot of historical information about Judaism and I trust that Katherine did her research. I do love the blending of religion and vampires that Katherine handles so well.
Immortal Gifts is Katherine Villyard’s first novel and I feel that she is a rising star. I loved Immortal Gifts and I can hardly wait for what comes next. After all, Abraham is Jewish and there are a lot of Nazi war criminals hiding out in South America.
My thanks go out to Katherine Villyard for the opportunity to read and review Immortal Gifts.
4 Stars
GOODREADS BLURB
He lied about his identity. Two hundred years later, he’s still paying the price…
Prussia, 1841. Abraham only ever wanted to play violin. Hiding his Jewish status so he can study at the prestigious Berlin Academy of Music, the eager young man is delighted to find a patron who believes in him. But he’s mortified when his new friend turns him into a vampire… and Abraham earns the fury of an ancient antisemite who vows to see him permanently dead.
Fleeing the hate-mongering fiend across the decades, the sensitive violinist at last settles in twenty-first-century New Jersey with a mortal woman. But when he discovers his relentless tormentor has tracked him down yet again, Abraham despairs he’ll never find true happiness.
With everyone he’s ever loved at risk, can he escape the rage of a ruthless bigot?
In a complex tale woven through history, Katherine Villyard delivers a fresh and insightful twist on the vampire novel. Infusing the narrative with profound themes of love, betrayal, and the nature of monsters, she crafts an unforgettable saga of surviving prejudice that will keep readers turning pages deep into the night.
Immortal Gifts is the thoughtful first book in the Immortal Vampires contemporary fantasy series. If you like well-drawn characters, dual-timeline storytelling, and pulse-pounding suspense, then you’ll adore Katherine Villyard’s compelling read.
Published February 1, 2025 by Flower Feather Press
ABOUT KATHERINE VILLYARD
My parents met singing opera and started taking me to choir practice when I was six weeks old. I attended four elementary schools and four high schools before getting master’s degrees in art and library science. So naturally I work in IT, abusing SQL Server for fun and profit. When I’m not working or writing, I’m probably playing the Sims or spoiling cats. My greatest ambition is to rule the world.
If you’re looking for “Becoming,” you can find it here.
I love romantic suspense novels, so reading Defending Kiernan by P J Fala was a joy. Sure, the premise is familiar…a lady in distress and the hunkalicious man that will come to her rescue. When a cute kid is added to the picture, it becomes that much more enjoyable.
I love that Defending Kiernan is a lead in to a new GHOST series that is a perfect fit for me.
Defending Kiernan moves along at a steady pace, supplying plenty of suspense and danger along the way. The characters hold their own. We even have a touch of the paranormal, adding a little something extra.
I feel I am being a bit generous in the rating, but that’s because I love the genre and I am able to overlook some of the issues with the writing. I feel the story could have been developed more and the characters become more complex. That being said, I am looking forward to some GHOST stories in the future.
4 Stars
GOODREADS BLURB
All Keirnan Vickers ever wanted was to be a teacher. Having realized that dream, she’s focusing on helping the local library with desperately needed repairs so she has a place to host her growing reading program. Just when her life is beginning to look like a storybook, an enemy of her father’s threatens her very existence.
Single father Dane Copeland has known his share of heartaches. He put love on the back burner to finish his career as a special operative with the Army and raise his daughter. Fate intervenes when he meets Keirnan, who brings a new zest for life and the promise of a new start. But it all comes crashing down when she is kidnapped and local law enforcement is unable, or unwilling, to mount a rescue.
Partnering with Auggie Vickers, GHOST is born, and all of their lives are irreparably changed as the details behind Keirnan’s abduction are revealed and time becomes their enemy.
First published April 21, 2020 by Rolling Thunder Publishing
ABOUT P J FALA
USA Today Bestselling Author
Writing has been a desire my whole life. Once I found the courage to write, life changed for me in the most profound way. Bringing stories to readers that I’d enjoy reading and creating characters that are flawed, but lovable is such a joy.
When not writing, I’m with my family doing something fun. My husband, Gene, and I are bikers and enjoy riding to new locations, meeting new people and generally enjoying this fabulous country we live in.
I come from a family of veterans. My grandfather, father, brother, two sons, and one daughter-in-law are all veterans. Needless to say, I am proud to be an American and proud of the service my amazing family has given. In trying to give back, I’ve started a foundation, Authors4Veterans, with my friend and fellow author, Stacey Joy Netzel. Our charities will rotate but will always support our military and their families.
I know it might sound odd, but I love serial killers….I mean reading about serial killers. I love getting into their minds, searching for the reasons they do the things they do…and Wayne Adam Ford deserves a close look and the sentence that was handed down to him. I am also intrigued by the legalities. Why does it take years?
I got ticked off at those who felt empathy for him. I don’t believe there was anything wrong with him, other than he is a monster that gets off on killing women. I believe that he was able to manipulate people, never letting them see the real him, until they take their last breath.
Body Parts has been updated by Caitlin Rother and I think she did have some things I didn’t like. The story was easy to follow along, but I don’t believe it was family or a brain injury that was the cause of him being a serial killer. That is where the nature or nurture question comes into play. I am not an expert, so I can’t say what is what, but I feel they will use whatever excuse they can come up with to make themselves less of a monster.
My thanks go out to Caitlin Rother for the opportunity to read and review Body Parts.
3 Stars
BOOK BLURB:
BODY PARTS takes a deep psychological look at serial killer Wayne Adam Ford. A long-haul trucker, Ford confessed to picking up dozens of prostitutes and troubled women along California roads. He tortured and repeatedly choked them during sex, revived them with CPR, then did it again. Only four of them didn’t survive, he said, claiming that was an accident. After dismembering two of his victims, he dumped their bodies in the California Aqueduct and other waterways in Humboldt, Kern, San Joaquin, and San Bernardino Counties. Ford’s complex death penalty case made national news because he is one of the only serial killers to turn himself in and help authorities identify his victims. He was recently transferred from death row at San Quentin to a state prison in San Luis Obispo.
Originally released in March 2009, this new edition of BODY PARTS has been updated with 32 pages of new developments about the identification of Kerry Anne Cummings, Ford’s first victim, whom he dismembered and who went unidentified for 25 years. If there is such a thing as a happy ending to a book about a serial killer, this is it. The new material takes the reader through the investigative process involved in solving a cold case like this one so many years after the fact. Kerry now has her name back and her family has closure after so many years of not knowing what happened to her, after being prevented from reporting her missing to police because she was using drugs. Rother is the first to interview the Cummings family about Kerry and her troubled life before she went missing in late 1997.
Overall, the book is based on exclusive information Rother uncovered during her extensive research and exclusive interviews with Ford’s father and brother. She also interviewed, the prosecutor, sheriff’s detectives from all four counties, the defense’s sole investigator, and a woman who survived after being raped and tortured by Ford. By obtaining a court order to release sealed court files and digging through boxes of evidence and investigators’ reports, Rother was able to paint comprehensive and compelling portraits of Ford, his family and his victims. Rother’s book shows readers how Ford’s family dynamics, his severe head injury, his bouts of mental illness, and his compulsive sexual perversions led to his tragic killing spree, tearful confessions, and dramatic trial.
This is a re-release with 32 pages of new developments about the recent identification of Ford’s first victim, Kerry Anne Cummings, through genetic genealogy 25 years after her murder. So, now she has her name back and her family has closure.
Kathie Cummings had recently moved from the Seattle area to the small town of Addy in northeastern, Washington, after leaving a job with the University of Washington as the director of operations in finance and research.
The new number Detective Fridley tried for Kathie went to voice mail, so he left her a message, saying that he was calling from the sheriff’s department in Eureka.
Kathie immediately assumed that he was calling about her long-missing sister, Kerry, though she was expecting him to say that Kerry had overdosed, and they had finally identified her. But when they connected, she didn’t mention any preconceived notions. “I let him do the talking,” she recalled.
“I’m calling about an unusual situation,” he told her. “Can I ask if you have any family members who are missing?”
“Yes, I do, my sister.”
“How long has she been missing?”
“Since 1997 or 1996,” Kathie said, feeling a little dizzy from the stress of the call and unable to remember exactly.
“Does your sister have any identifying marks?”
“She has a ring of flowers around her left ankle, a nose piercing, and her ears are pierced.”
“Can you tell me, did your sister ever give birth?”
“Not to my awareness,” she said, but inside, she was thinking, oh, s***. She knew he was talking about Kerry, so she started to panic, jumbling the chronology of events in her mind. There’s a baby out there. No, there’s an adult now.
Just the thought of a baby she never knew about broke her heart, especially not knowing if the child had lived.
“We may have connected her DNA to a close relative,” Fridley told Kathie, clearly trying to be sensitive and careful with his words. “Jeff Cummings, do you know him?”
“Yes, he’s my cousin.”
“I would like to talk to you about what we know, but first we’ll need to get DNA confirmation that the person that we have here matches your sister.”
Hearing that said so directly, Kathie felt faint. “I’d been expecting it, but I hadn’t been expecting it that day,” she recalled.
“What do we need to do?” she asked. “We need to get a copy of your DNA and compare it to the DNA that we have.”
After determining the location of the nearest police agency, Fridley said he would arrange for her to get tested.
Over the next three days, Kathie went even further down the rabbit hole than Jeff had. Not only did she read all the news stories she could find, but she listened to podcasts and downloaded the first edition of this book, published in 2009, on her Kindle.
“When I searched on the internet and all those pages came up with him, I went into complete shock. I never imagined, honestly, that this would be the kind of information and news I would get.”
She had to read this book three times, because she couldn’t absorb all the gruesome details on the first go. “The first time I just read through it, and I could hardly remember what I read, other than a few identifying markers that convinced me that this was the right person. I went back for pieces that I missed, [thinking], what did I read? I just kept going through it.”
She kept wondering why Ford had started off “so gruesome,” by cutting up her sister so violently, but then didn’t do the same thing to his next victims, other than slicing off the woman’s breast that was in his pocket when he surrendered.
“Knowing my sister, she was willing to be intimate with him,” Kathie said. Based on her last conversation with Kerry, when she “was more wasted than any other conversation I’d had with her, I figured she was on something new, so he suggested, ‘Let’s try this,’ and she said, ‘Okay, whatever,’” until she choked, passed out, and died.
– Excerpted from Body Parts by Caitlyn Rother, Citadel Press, 2025. Reprinted with permission.
About the Author
New York Times bestselling author Caitlin Rother has written or co-authored 15 books, ranging from narrative non-fiction crime to thrillers and memoir. Among her recent titles is an updated edition of BODY PARTS with 32 pages of new developments about the Wayne Adam Ford case, and DEATH ON OCEAN BOULEVARD, the story of the Rebecca Zahau death case. Coming out in June is DOWN TO THE BONE, about the McStay family murders, and in 2026, DOPAMINE FIX, the first in a two-book deal for a new crime fiction series with Thomas & Mercer. An award-winning investigative reporter for 19 years, Rother’s stories have been published in Cosmopolitan, the Los Angeles Times, The Washington Post, The San Diego Union Tribune, The Boston Globe, Chicago Tribune, and The Daily Beast. Her more than 250 TV, radio and podcast appearances include 20/20, People Magazine Investigates, Crime Watch Daily, Australia’s World News, and numerous shows on Netflix, Investigation Discovery, Lifetime, HLN and REELZ. A popular public speaker, she also works as a writing-research coach-consultant and website designer. For fun, she binges on limited series, swims, and plays keyboards and sings in a jazzy bluesy trio called In the Lounge with her partner. Rother earned a bachelor’s in psychology from UC Berkeley and a master’s in journalism from Northwestern University.
Shawn David Brink writes some of the best Christian Horror fiction I have read. He never fails to have me tearing through the pages, having to know how the story ends. Pets For Legion is another hit. The battle between good and evil is fierce. The feeling of menace lurks on every page. The story flows smoothly, quickly, having me feeling like I can’t wait for what happens next. It pulls me along like a toddler with a string toy. I love Shawn David Brink’s ability to give me a unique look into the world of Christian horror.
5 Stars
GOODREADS BLURB
When local school paraprofessional Sasha James rescues a child from a mysterious assailant, she unknowingly marks herself as the next target. To survive this supernatural foe, she will need to search deeper than the physical, pray for power beyond the natural, and fight like there’s no tomorrow.
Genre: Christian, Fiction, Horror
242 pages, Paperback
First published August 1, 2021 by by Tell-Tale Publishing Group
Anyone that knows me, knows I love my vampires. It doesn’t matter whether they are sparkly or horrific, bring ’em on. When Patricia J Esposito offered me a chance to read her novel, Beside The Darker Shore, I was happy to oblige. It sounded different than the norm and I am always on the lookout for something different.
Governor David Gedden is responsible for the state’s vampire community. He has an obsession with Stephen Salando, an immortal dhampir. How far will he go to have Stephen? Will he become a killer himself? Will he become an ally with the community’s archrival?
Beside The Darker Shore by Patricia J Esposito is a m/m romance, but it is so much more than that. It’s a tale of love and obsession and corruption of a man who espouses truth. If you like dark, brooding vampires, this could be for you.
I really wanted to love Beside The Darker Shore by Patricia J Esposito, but it missed the mark, for me. The writing flowed and the tale was interesting, keeping me reading til the last page was read, but I didn’t find myself lost in the characters or the story. This is Patricia’s first novel and I have high hopes for her in the future. I’ll have my eye on her.
3 Stars
GOODREADS BLURB
What might the ethical Governor David Gedden give up for one man’s exquisite beauty? It’s terrifying to consider when the man is a destructive blood prostitute and David is responsible for the state’s peaceful vampire community. Blood sales in Boston are up, blood taxes support a thriving new nightlife, neighborhoods have been refurbished, and deaths by vampires have plummeted. David is assured reelection. However, the blood addict Stephen Salando has returned from exile with one unalterable plan: to turn the good governor into a vampire. Stephen is an immortal dhampir, whose beauty obliterates reason, who rouses in David a fierce desire he’s ignored his whole life. For David to have Stephen, he must ally with the community’s archrival. To have him, he must become a potential killer himself.
Genre: Fiction, Horror, MM Romance, Paranormal, Supernatural Vampires
248 pages, Kindle Edition
First published July 1, 2011 by Eternal Press
ABOUT PATRICIA J ESPOSITO
I’ve been a writer of edgy paranormal fiction for most of my life, but always knew I had a romantic heart. My most recent fiction and poetry reflect that enduring quest for love and joy beneath the human struggle. I’ve had numerous stories and poems published in anthologies and magazines, received honorable mentions in “year’s best” anthologies, and been nominated for a Pushcart Prize. I work as a copy editor for law books and textbooks, when I’m not spending time with family, friends, books and music, or I’m off exploring the intoxicating realms of the imagination and chasing muses. Beside the Darker Shore is my first novel.
Omniviolence by Jones Worthington is one of those books that makes me wonder if it will ever become our reality. It all begins with Jackson Cross, a teenager that has nothing better to do than visit a slaysite, killing strangers with a drone. Kills are paid in crypto currency. Once his accounts are hacked, he is on the run with the hitman hired to take him out. Joseph “Bones” Carboni has had a change of heart and the race is on.
In this rapidly changing world of technology, it’s hard to predict our future. I love novels that make me think about…and, at times, fear what is to come.
Stu Jones and Gareth Worthington are an amazing duo. Omniviolence may not be my favorite novel by the authors, but it may be yours. How about it? Is anarchy and the downfall of our world as we know it of interest to you? Could you imagine our world becoming the Wild West with the weapons we have available to us? Who would be safe?
I voluntarily reviewed a free copy of Omniviolence by Jones Worthington.
4 Stars
GOODREADS BLURB
Jackson Cross kills strangers with nothing more than a drone and a computer in exchange for crypto—all from his mother’s basement.
When his accounts are scythed, and he’s pegged at the top of the most popular slaysite, Jackson is ejected from his virtual comfort zone and forced to go on the run.
Joseph “Bones” Carboni is an old-school mafia hitman with a lot of demons and one big problem: he’s developed a conscience. When tasked with slaying fifteen-year-old Jackson, Joe breaks rank. Now, he must decide if playing the hero is worth having a target on his own back.
Attacked from all sides and struggling to survive in a world where your elderly neighbor or an angry kid on social media can be your executioner, neither Joe nor Jackson realize they’ve become entangled in a global power struggle that could change what it means to be human.
* * *
This near-future speculative fiction thriller with a dose of satire explores the consequences of the democratization of technology, cryptocurrency replacing fiat, cancel-culture bleeding into the streets, the total disbanding of government, and the disenfranchisement of the next Generation—Generation Alpha.
A gripping tale of vengeance and redemption, this story plunges into the heart of our rapidly changing world and values, revealing a terrifyingly real and imminent future for humanity. We are on the brink of omniviolence.
A veteran law enforcement officer, Stu Jones has served in patrol, narcotics, criminal investigations, as an instructor of firearms and police defensive tactics and as a team leader of a multi-jurisdictional SWAT team. He is trained and qualified as a law enforcement SWAT sniper, as well as in hostage rescue and high-risk entry tactics. Recently, Jones served for three years with a U.S. Marshal’s Regional Fugitive Task Force – hunting the worst of the worst.
A Dragon Award Nominee, Jones is the author of multiple sci-fi/action/thriller novels, including the multi-award-winning It Takes Death To Reach A Star duology and Condition Black, written with co-author Gareth Worthington(Children of the Fifth Sun, A Time for Monsters).
Known for his infectious storytelling and blistering action, Jones strives to create thought-provoking reading experiences that challenge the status quo. When he’s not chasing bad guys or writing epic stories, he can be found planning his next adventure to some remote or exotic place.
www.stujonesfiction.com
ABOUT GARETH WORTHINGTON
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Gareth Worthington holds a degree in marine biology, a PhD in Endocrinology, an executive MBA, is Board Certified in Medical Affairs, and currently works for the Pharmaceutical industry educating the World’s doctors on new cancer therapies.
Gareth is an authority in ancient history, has hand-tagged sharks in California, and trained in various martial arts, including Jeet Kune Do and Muay Thai at the EVOLVE MMA gym in Singapore and 2FIGHT Switzerland.
He is an award-winning author and member of the International Thriller Writers Association, Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers of America, and the British Science Fiction Association.
Born in England, Gareth has lived around the world from Asia, to Europe to the USA. Wherever he goes, he endeavors to continue his philanthropic work with various charities.
Gareth is represented by Renee Fountain and Italia Gandolfo at Gandolfo Helin Fountain Literary, New York.
For Peace And Purpose by Ethan Warrener is the second book in The Tucker Clan Saga apocalyptic and dystopian fiction series. Ella is the star of the show and her world is growing more dark and dangerous by the minute.
The Reverend is a character I love to hate. He may believe his way is the right way, but I see him manipulating religion to fit in a way that profits himself. I don’t trust him as far as I can throw him. LOL
Omar, the outsider is back again. I can’t figure out what his game is and wonder if he will be the death of the Tucker clan or someone that will help them.
There are lots of peripheral characters that have important parts to play. As with most apocalyptic and dystopian novels, there are the haves and the have nots. Slavery even rears its ugly head. We have genetically altered beings and I’m not sure if there is a person around that is completely human, that hasn’t been modified in some way.
The series took thirteen years to write and I am thankful that Ethan Warrener stuck with it. I love apocalyptic and dystopian novels, and always wonder how authors come up with such fabulous ideas. The Tucker Clan Saga is a trilogy and I can hardly wait to find out how Ethan will bring it to it’s conclusion.
I voluntarily reviewed a free copy of For Peace And Purpose by Ethan Warrener.
4 Stars
GOODREADS BLURB
Things used to be simpler.
Now, as the Tuckers’ enemies hatch a secret plot for revenge, as a shadowy entity stalks the surrounding woods, and as new players enter the scene, Ella Holland’s world grows darker, more dangerous, and more twisted. The lines between good and evil, native and foreigner, friend and foe become ever more blurred in the Tucker clan’s struggle for peace and purpose.
Can Ella navigate this increasingly complicated world while still holding onto her convictions? Can she save those she loves without sacrificing her soul?
Ethan Warrener grew up in Southwest Missouri, which resembles West Virginia if you really squint. If he’s not writing or teaching, he’s spending any extra free time with his wife and kids or playing too many video games. As you might expect from a Midwesterner, he’s an occasional farmer, a regular churchgoer, and a huge metalhead. For Home and Hearth is his first novel fit to see the light of day.
OMG. Mimi Jean Pamfiloff had me in stitches, from the beginning of Dragon In Boots, to the very end. The characters, both human and those drawn from the imagination of Mimi’s mind, are fascinating and complex.
Jacqueline is the main character and there is more to her than even she knows. She runs a sanctuary for misfit critters and her biggest worry is making enough money to take care of them. That is how she finds herself working at a strip club and meeting characters that will change her life forever.
Mimi’s ability to create unique stories and characters is off the charts. Every time I grab one of her books, I know I am in for a treat. I eagerly begin reading and find it impossible to stop until the last page is read.
My thanks go out to Mimi Jean Pamfiloff and Paper & Silver, Inc for the opportunity to read Dragon In Boots.
5 Stars
GOODREADS BLURB
From New York Times bestseller Mimi Jean Pamfiloff comes Dragon in Boots, a Paranormal Rom-Com with way too much baby oil, awkward dirty dancing, and a scorching hot love.
MEET DASH: MALE STRIPPER, ANIMAL LOVER, AND…DRAGON?
JACQUELIN
Jacquelin would do anything to save her struggling animal sanctuary—including bartending at a strip club, enduring drunken bachelorette parties, and putting up with her weirdo boss, who’s obsessed with all things pink.
But nothing could prepare her for Dash: the club’s star performer with abs you could grate cheese on and an ego bigger than his, ahem, moves.
From the moment Dash struts onto the stage, Jacquelin can’t decide if she wants to throw her drink at him or pour it over her head. “Is it just me, or is it scorching hot in here?”
When the women in the audience start acting like wild animals, Jacquelin knows something strange is going on.
Is Dash’s off-the-charts charisma driving her mad, or is there more to him than meets the abs?
DAMIEN
Damien, the immortal tailor, has tackled demonic fashion emergencies, violent vampires, and unhinged deities. But convincing Dash—a male stripper and, oh yeah, the last male dragon on Earth—to embrace his scaly destiny? That’s next-level absurd.
But Damien would do anything to win back Sky, the love of his life, who is, well, dead and needs a new body—something only a deranged goddess can arrange. A goddess who wants an army of dragons for her war.
Can Damien nudge the reluctant dragon into the mating game? Or will Damien lose the ghostly love of his life forever?
DASH
I’m the world’s greatest stripper. Not a dragon. Pass the baby oil.
Expected publication: February 25, 2025 by Paper & Silver, Inc.
ABOUT MIMI JEAN PAMFILOFF
MIMI JEAN PAMFILOFF is a New York Times bestselling author who’s sold over one million books around the world. Although she obtained her MBA and worked for more than fifteen years in the corporate world, she believes that it’s never too late to come out of the romance closet and follow your dreams.
Mimi lives with her Latin lover hubby, two pirates-in-training (their boys), and their three spunky dragons (really, just very tiny dogs with big attitudes) Snowy, Mini, and Mack, in the vampire-unfriendly state of Arizona.
She hopes to make you laugh when you need it most and continues to pray daily that leather pants will make a big comeback for men.
