I won a hardcover of The Unfailing Light by Robin Bridges a long time ago and am just getting around to reading and reviewing it.
This is one of those books that is hard to rate because it is Book II and I don’t have Book I or III, so I don’t get the full story, BUT the more I read, the more I enjoyed the story and the more I became involved with the characters, wishing I would have had the entire series and read from the beginning.
3 Stars
.I won two books in the Star Canyon series, paperback novellas, by Tina Leonard.
I wasn’t expecting a lot from this quick read, because romance and ‘westerns’ are not high on my reading list, but we do have a little bit of romance and a little bit of mystery, the characters steal the show, and I would love to know more. 🙂
2 Stars
I am so glad I had Branded by Fire hanging around because with each novella I read, the more I become involved with the family, the more I wanted to know what the heck is going on, get involved in their simple romance, become a part of their tight knit family, and the more I get the know them, the more I want the mystery solved and for them to have their happy ever afters. 🙂
I have been a fan of the Light Brothers for some time now. They specialize in short horror stories that will keep you up at night. I only found this available as an audiobook. Visit his website below for some free stuff for you to check out and I highly recommend doing so.
First off, I enjoyed Black Door by Evans Light and have read several of his short stories. Black Door seemed like its target audience is preteens and teens looking for an adventure. I enjoyed my journey, but like things deeper and darker, giving me shivers and jumping at those things that go bump in the night. I feel the youngster might just do that.
I can hear the boys bickering, jabbering as the GPS leads them on a wild goosechase. The camp is not what they expected and I think we know what that means…some spookalificous moments are to be had.
Evans Light has a way with words, creating some creepy descriptions, but that is not the creepiest part. It is the ending. So, beware when you embark on your next camping experience. You may get more than you bargained for.
3 Stars
GOODREADS BLURB
William and his brothers are on their way to summer camp. But when a wrong turn leads them to an abandoned campground, things start to get weird in this nail-biting tale of adventure and suspense.
”Imaginatively cryptic . . .will delight readers young and old alike with good old-fashioned spookiness. Highly recommended.”
Appropriate reading for pre-teens, teens and adults.
ABOUT EVANS LIGHT
Doesn’t Evans look like someone you would like to take home to mother?
Evans Light is a writer of horror and suspense who suffers from frequent bouts of delusional grandeur interspersed with moments of soul-crushing suspicions of personal inadequacy.
His debut collection of short stories and novellas, SCREAMSCAPES: Tales of Terror, is now available from fine retailers everywhere, and his first novel is well underway.
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.
Today I am sharing one that has been hanging around in Documents on my Kindle for a very long time, Dark Promise, Between Worlds Book I by Julia Crane & Talie Jager. Why? They tend to get lost through all the one clicking I used to do. I still have trouble controlling myself, but I am trying to be choosier. There isn’t enough time to read them all.
Dark Promise was free when I created this post, but be sure and check for the ‘0’
There is more than one cover and I am curious which you like more. They are both gorgeous in their own right and I cannot choose my favorite. How about you?
Rylie is special. Her mother gave her up when she was a baby to keep her safe, but now her birthday is approaching and there is nowhere to hide.
I was quickly intrigued…faeries…I haven’t read a lot of them. Once she met Kallan I became hooked. Even though there is a triangle, it doesn’t bother me, the guys are two separate beings and that just adds to my curiosity…which will she choose…and why.
My only problem, I was just getting hot and heavy into the book and it ended. I need more.
4 Stars
GOODREADS BLURB
Rylie has it all – great friends, dream boy, loving family. But on the eve of her sixteenth birthday, her perfect little world shatters. A stranger claiming to be her real mother appears with a secret: Rylie is a faery whose powers will be unleashed on her birthday. Captured and forced into a new life, Rylie struggles to keep everything she loves and discovers a terrifying truth: some promises cannot be broken.
I couldn’t stop them from hurting her, but I couldn’t let them destroy her, no matter what they did to me. The moment I heard the bottom feeder had been chosen for the reckoning, my heart sank. Had I been discovered for what I truly was? Years of pretending I was just like everyone else could all have been for naught. But then I heard it was Verona, and my blood ran cold.
Why was I surprised?
I shouldn’t have been. I’d stood by and watched her ridiculed since we were younglings. I was never as brave or as unselfish as she was. But today, I would be.
Verona is a bottom feeder. She is the one mer in her clan who is considered the ugliest and least intelligent. Growing up with the constant bullying and abuse wasn’t the worst of what her kind had in store for her. At seventeen years old, she must now endure “The Reckoning.”
The scales will measure her worth to her clan. Will she endure thirty days as a land-walker to gather information and knowledge to appease her clan and return a valued member? Will she wait three years, until she is twenty, and find a mer of her kind to accept her and marry her? Or will she suffer exile for the rest of her life?
After reading this Murderous Little Darlings novella by John Hennessy, I ‘thirst’ for the full length story. All this did was whet my appetite for more.
Murderous Little Darlings by John Hennessy was FREE at the time of scheduling, but be sure and look for the “0”.
OMG, Rocco sucks the blood, then sucks his thumb, and my sick little mind smiles at the picture in my head, as I read about these six year old triplets who go on a murderous rampage, and Marcus knows no one will suspect them, because they are only six years old when the first murder happens…BUT, to really make this a great story, I think John Hennessy needs to make it a full length novel, thus filling in the details and plot holes that left me wanting….MORE.
You may wish to read this first, but it is not necessary in order to enjoy Murderous Little Darlings).
Three siblings. An endless list of victims. A whole lot of time to kill.
* * *
With two specimens of the undead on either side of her, Juliana knew there was no escape. Kill the one they had selected for her, or be killed, and become one of them. What had the neighbours in the road called them, back when their childhood pranks were just that?
Oh yes, she remembered now. Murderous Little Darlings. They had the faces of angels, but possessed the very soul of the Devil.
Marcus had fully embraced his vampire side from the moment he was born. Rocco was the second eldest, and had fought the temptation all of his life. Then Marcus finally broke him.
That just left Juliana. Will she resist them, or join in the hunt?
***
About A Tale of Vampires Series:-
There will be **seven books in the series, novella style, that are separate, standalone stories, but link up to one big story in the end. Of course, they are best read in order.
—
Recommended for ages 14 and over.
Who do you trust when your world unravels and everything you believed is a lie?
For the past fifteen years, The Office of Civilian Safety and Defense has
guarded the public against the rampant threat of terrorism. Teenagers
Tommy and Careen have never known life without Civilian Restrictions.
For them, there’s no social media. No one is allowed to gather in
public places or attend concerts or sporting events. Only a small,
select group of adults have driving privileges, but it’s a small
price to pay for safety.
Now a new, more deadly, terrorist threat looms: airborne chemical weapons
that can be activated without warning. The OCSD is ready with an
antidote to counteract the effects of the toxins. Three drops a day
is all it takes. It’s a small price to pay for health.
The day the disaster sirens signal the dreaded attack, Tommy shares his
last dose with Careen, even though doing so might hasten his death.
It’s a small price to pay for a friend.Follow Tommy and Careen as
they uncover a web of lies and deceit reaching to the highest levels
of the United States government and join an underground resistance
group that’s determined to expose the truth.
“Counteract is a novel for our times, but with a decidedly different plot twist.
Most dystopian thrillers focus on the devastating consequences of the
unleashed virus or poison on society, community, and the individual.
They become character studies of the protagonists and
antagonists.
“Tracy Lawson’s novel asks an even more disturbing question–what if the
real culprit was someone or something we trusted? I thought The
Hunger Games might be the Millennial generation’s version of George
Orwell’s 1984. Now, I think Counteract and the Resistance Series are
more primed to take that spot.”–SR Staley, author of St. Nic,
Inc., and the Tortuga Bay series.
**FREE on Amazon July 17th – 21st, then .99 cents
for the remainder of the tour!!**
“I loved the first book in this series so much that I jumped right into
the second one to continue the adventure. The Resistance Series is
another great YA dystopian adventure that combines elements of
thriller, romance, dystopian, and much more to create a well-rounded
story that is sure to appeal to many readers – it definitely has my
attention.”–TFL Reader, top 500 Amazon Reviewer
Knowledge comes with a price.
Tommy and Careen no longer believe the Office of Civilian Safety and
Defense’s miracle antidote can protect them from a terrorist’s
chemical weapons. After accidentally discovering the antidote’s real
purpose,they’ve join the fight to undermine the OCSD’s bid for total
control of the population.
Being part of the Resistance brings with it a whole new set of challenges.
Not everyone working for change proves trustworthy, and plans to
spark a revolution go awry with consequences far beyond anything they
bargained for.
Tommy and Careen’s differing viewpoints threaten to drive a wedge between
them, and their budding relationship is tested as their destinies
move toward an inevitable confrontation with the forces that
terrorize the nation.
Where does love fit in when you’re trying to start a
revolution?
“Dystopian YA literature needs more writers like Tracy Lawson! Lawson’s lean
writing style and idea-driven dialogue reminded me of the novels of
Ayn Rand, particularly Anthem, but Resist is much faster paced and
holds your attention from the beginning.
“Resist picks up right where the first book, Counteract, leaves off, and
readers are thrown immediately into the action. I also loved the way
Lawson doesn’t give her characters the easy way out–they are forced
to make decisions and suffer the consequences. These are real people
that anchor the story, even if the setting is not.” –SR Staley,
author of St. Nic, Inc. and the Tortuga Bay series
Nationwide food shortages have sparked civil unrest, and the Office of Civilian
Safety and Defense’s hold on the people is slipping. The
Resistance’s efforts to hasten the OCSD’s demise have resulted in
disaster, with Tommy Bailey and Careen Catecher taking the blame for
the ill-fated mission in OP-439.
Both teens struggle to survive the circumstances that force them into the
national spotlight—and this time, they’re on opposite sides. On
the run and exiled from the Resistance members in BG-098, Tommy makes
his way to a Resistance safe house in the capital.
The OCSD is preparing to monitor all under-eighteens with the Cerberean
Link, a device that protects them against hunger and sickness and can
even locate them if they’re lost. Tommy’s now living in close
quarters with Atari, an operative who has been assigned to sabotage
the Link. But does Atari plan to use it for his own
purposes?
Through it all, Tommy refuses to believe Careen’s loyalties have shifted
away from the Resistance, and he’s willing to assume any risk to
reconnect with her. Will they be able to trust each other when it
matters most?
The Explosive Conclusion to the Award-Winning Resistance Series
To Deny Freedom is to Deny the Human Spirit.
Fugitive Resistance fighter Tommy Bailey has come out of hiding to help rescue
Careen Catecher from the clutches of the Office of Civilian Safety
and Defense, where she’s been held and interrogated for information
about the rebel group. The OCSD is poised to launch the Cerberean
Link, a security device that will put all minors under constant
surveillance under the guise of protecting them.
Fearful that OCSD director Madalyn Davies’s bid for control won’t stop
there, the Resistance puts its own plan in motion to sabotage the
Link and oust Madalyn from the directorship. Just when everything
seems leveraged in the Resistance’s favor, treachery, lies, and
long-held secrets threaten to derail it all.
Will even a life together on the run be impossible for Tommy and Careen?
Or will the Resistance’s efforts convince the public to put their
fears aside and demand freedom?
This is a wonderful and enticing introduction to Careen, who is running from her past to start her life anew, and The Resistance Series that reeks of government conspiracy and danger…and I am hooked.
.
3 Stars
“What was our heroine Careen Catecher like BEFORE she became a firebrand
for the Resistance? Well, she was just a normal teenage girl trying
to survive college in the totalitarian state of Tracy Lawson’s
creation.” –review by Patrick Hodges
“Careen is a believable, strong female protagonist who, having survived a
harrowing terrorist attack, is now trying to survive [college] in a
new ‘Quadrant’ where she can’t seem to fit in.” –review by
Candace Williams
A strong heroine is made, not born.
Though Careen Catecher survived a terrorist attack when she was nine, her
childhood ended on that awful day. Now, nine years later, she’s
ready for her life to truly begin.
A full scholarship to a prestigious university far from her beleaguered
home quadrant seems like a dream come true, but when she arrives on
campus, she’s perceived as a charity case, despite grades and test
scores that prove she’s the academic equal of the best students there.
Careen knows she’s tough enough to survive just about anything, but
fitting in with her acquisitive peers—at least on the surface—is
necessary if she’s going to leave the past behind and claim the
stable future she craves.
But her past won’t stay buried. She’s only been at school for a few
weeks when a cryptic message from an unlikely friend raises questions
that may put her in danger all over again.
Check out this novella-length prequel to the award-winning Resistance
Series, “a promising new YA series about a totalitarian America.”
Tracy Lawson knew she wanted to be a writer from the time she could read.
In the first grade, she authored sixty-seven contact-paper bound
books through her school’s Young Authors program. Though that pace
proved impossible to maintain, she always intended to be a real
author one day.
While working toward her Bachelor’s degree in Communication at Ohio
University, she studied creative writing with the late Daniel Keyes,
author of Flowers for Algernon. After short stints as a media buyer
and an investigative analyst, she settled into a 20-year career in
the performing arts, teaching tap dancing in Columbus, Ohio, and
choreographing musicals. Though her creative energies were focused on
dance, she never lost her desire to write, and has a non-fiction book
to her credit: Fips, Bots, Doggeries, and More, (McDonald &
Woodward, 2012).
Tracy’s love for writing Young Adult fiction is sparked by all the wonderful
teens in her life, including her daughter Keri, a college student.
Counteract is Tracy’s first novel.
“I’ve been reading this series basically since it first came out, and
honestly I really still love the characters and all of their weird
interactions. As the conclusion to the series, Revolt is
not one of those books that gives you a neatly tied bow on a package
and tells you it’s over. It has twists, turns, and you’re going to be
in for yet another adventure with the Resistance crew.”
“So, this series that I’ve been reading since the beginning is over.
What’s a girl to do? Restart from Book One, of course!”
Can’t Get Enough of the Resistance Series?
Wanna know what happened the night of the car accident that changed Tommy
Bailey’s life forever?
Take advantage of this limited-time offer:
Get a FREE PDF of Shatter: Tommy’s Prequel to the Resistance
Series, which includes a gallery of the amazing artwork
created for the series! This prequel will NOT be available on Amazon.
Here’s how it works:
Purchase Revolt:
Book Four of the Resistance Series on Amazon for $2.99:
Her kind treats her as less-than-human, but she’s always been so much more.
Mermaid life has never been easy for Verona. Her scars give evidence of her abuse. When her day of reckoning arrives, she is determined to endure exile. According to her father’s experience, exile is better than becoming a land-walker and risking her life among the humans.
However, when she saves the life of a drowning human boy, she inadvertently sets off a chain of events which force her to choose a path: stay with the humans she has become attached to or return home to a life of scorn. A savage hunter draws closer, threatening even the humans. Her only hope is to keep everyone safe until the next full moon, but those around her devise their own plans.
I won a hardcover of The Unfailing Light by Robin Bridges a long time ago and am just getting around to reading and reviewing it.
3 Stars
.I won two books in the Star Canyon series, paperback novellas, by Tina Leonard.
