THE KULT by Shaun Jeffrey: Review

Blurb:

People are predictable. That's what makes them easy to kill.

Acting out of misguided loyalty to his friends, police officer Prosper Snow is goaded into helping them perform a copycat killing, but when the real killer comes after him, it's not only his life on the line, but his family's too. Now if he goes to his colleagues for help, he risks being arrested for murder. If he doesn't, he risks being killed.

My Review:

I received this novel as a Kindle edition from the author to read and review for my blog.

The Kult is definitely one of the better books I’ve read in awhile. It’s strange because I’ve never been into crime fiction, but lately I’ve started to appreciate it a lot more.

The Kult kept me on the edge of my seat throughout the entire book. I loved it. I can definitely see this becoming a movie, like Kiss the Girls or Silence of the Lambs. Forewarning however, to those of you who are not big on gory scenes or descriptions; this author describes the crime scenes in such amazing detail that I actually cringed! If you have a weak stomach, then you should probably pass up on this one! I am wondering how twisted the author, Shaun Jeffrey, is to be able to describe the serial killers murder scenes! It was so creative and completely original!

I can honestly say that I had pretty much figured out who the real serial killer was before it actually came out in the novel, but it wasn’t until near the end that things started to come together for me. There were so many twists in the plot that as a reader you had no idea what was going to happen next. Prosper, the main character, was well-rounded and easy to root for during the story. He wasn’t perfect, but who wants a perfect main character in a crime fiction story?

I would love to see this novel turned into a movie, and I do believe there had been some talks about it? I would recommend it to anyone.

I give The Kult 5 out of 5 stars.

Buy THE KULT here!

Paradox: The Angels are Here by Patti Roberts: Review

Blurb:

A little girls world is turned upside down by a visitor, the Angel of Death. She finds herself trapped in a nightmare, consumed by her paralyzing loss and overwhelming grief. Haunting visions and the untimely deaths of others are a constant reminder that life and death are only a heartbeat away.
She eventually befriends the unusual little girl who moves in next door with captivating violet eyes and a profound knowledge of things that far exceeds her tender years.
"Masks camouflage the faces of both good and evil. Keeps hidden what is a truth and what is a lie."
Lives - bound together by blood - forge an unforgettable trail of heartbreak, loss and betrayal spanning over centuries to the present day.

My Review:

This book definitely made me think outside the box. I’ve never been a big believer in angels or devils, but I was still touched by the idea of them that the author portrayed in this book. Grace is able to see and communicate with an angel named Hope, who protects Grace. As Grace grows and tragedy happens in her life, the reader sees a huge change in her. Grace goes from a socially awkward loner, to a somewhat happy, talkative young girl with the help of another little girl, Angela. Angela is obviously different then other little girls. It doesn’t come right out and say it, but there are enough inferences to make me believe that she is an Angel.  There were definitely moments in this book that brought tears to my eyes, because no little girl should have to go through what Grace went through.

There is also another story going on throughout the book, and it deals with evil. This evil race of immortals have their own Kingdom on what I do believe is a distant planet? There they plot a war to destroy their enemies.

Paradox was a pretty quick read, and it left off with a  bit of a cliff hanger, because there is a second book in the series. It jumped around quite a bit, so I was lost several times. I really like the author's style of writing, but felt that the plot was very vague and hard to follow at times. I think the second book will get more into the evil side of the plot.


I give this novel 3.5 out of 5 stars. The only reason I didn't give it a higher rating is because I felt lost several times, but I definitely want to read the next book in the series, because I feel like it's really going to pick up and be a good series.

Buy Your Own Copy-Click Here!

WINNERS OF TWO GIVEAWAYS!

Sorry I'm a day late announcing the winners of the giveaways for ACROSS THE DESPERATE MILES by Patrick Michael Murphy and THE CROWN IN THE HEATHER by N. Gemini Sasson; long day working at Applebees yesterday..booo!

Anyways!

The ebook winner of ACROSS THE DESPERATE MILES is ManOfLaBook, and the winner of his paperback is Rose Red.

The winners of either a paperback OR ebook copy of N. Gemini Sasson's novel THE CROWN IN THE HEATHER are Allison Macias and Cyn209. 

I have emailed all winners, please make sure that you confirm either your snail mail address, or if it's an ebook, please confirm your email address so that I can get the winners names to the authors!

If you did not win, but would still like to purchase either of these books, please visit the following Links!

ACROSS THE DESPERATE MILES

THE CROWN IN THE HEATHER

Thank you to EVERYONE who entered my giveaways! I will be having another one shortly!

SLEEPING KINGS: Dark Force-Book One by John Prentice: Review

Blurb:

Fans of Anthony Horowitz’s Alex Rider series, or Charlie Higson’s Young Bond books will find themselves on the edge of their seats with this YA action adventure set in the French Pyrenees.

Nik was a normal teen computer geek until her parents split up and her father dragged her off to France. 

The move cost her everything; friends, family, even her obsession; an online computer game. 

Then she meets a dead guy who’s protecting a secret as old as the mountains themselves, and suddenly people want her and the most gorgeous boy she’s ever met, dead too.

When she finds out who she really is, things get freaky. The race is on, and she’s got to beat the clock – a clock that’s been ticking for seven hundred years.

Time has just run out for Nicola Roscoe. 

It could be...Game Over!

My Review:

SLEEPING KINGS: Dark Force-Book One is a fun and adventurous novel about a tomboy named Nik. She feels abandoned by her mother, who runs off to American to be with another man, so she stays with her father. She’s pretty timid, that is until she meets King Pedro II of Aragon and is introduced to the “Power” and her entire life changes.

I thought that this story was extremely entertaining. It’s a fun adventure story, with quite a bit of magic involved. I would definitely say it’s for teenagers, and it is considered YA Fiction, but I can also see adults enjoying it. I was a little confused by all of the snippets of information about  “The Pale One” throughout the story, and how he is involved in Nik’s dreams, but as the novel advances I was able to get a better understanding of who he/it was, and how it fit into the book.

There were several comical parts, such as when the crew in the helicopter were shooting at them; Nik used the “Power” to turn the bullets into chickens and then into rolls of toilet paper. 

I liked Nik’s character a lot. She grows from a wimpy tomboy with a hatred for history, to a young woman who has grown emotionally and mentally and now has a better appreciation for the world around her. I also like that there seems to be an underlying theme to the story about taking care of and appreciating nature and the earth, at least I see that a lot with Daan’s character. Daan is the boy who gets accidentally dragged along into all of Nik’s random adventures!

I would definitely recommend this book to YA fiction lovers. It is book one of a series, and I would definitely read the second book in the series, because there is enough of a cliff hanger to make you curious as to what will happen next!

I give this book 4 out of 5 stars!

http://www.smashwords.com/books/view/53131

REPLICA by Lexi Revellian: Review

Blurb:

REPLICA is a fast-paced thriller/romance you will find hard to put down.

Beth Chandler, bright, attractive but unassertive, is accidentally replicated in a flawed experiment at the government research institute where she works. A second Beth comes into being, complete with all her memories. To Sir Peter Ellis, MI5 chief, the replica is an embarrassment that must be hushed up and disposed of. Overhearing him, Beth Two goes on the run. With no official existence, homeless, penniless and pursued by Sir Peter’s agents, she has to find the inner strength and aggression to survive on icy London streets.

Meanwhile the original Beth, unaware of what has happened, becomes romantically involved with Nick Cavanagh, the spec op she believes is there to protect her. In fact, he’s hunting her double. Nick refuses to face his moral doubts about Beth Two - as far as he’s concerned, it’s not his problem. As events unfold, and the situation grows more complicated, he has to decide whose side he is on.

My Review:

This was the first time I’ve ever read a book like this, once again blogging has introduced me to a book that I really liked, but that I never would have read had I not started reviewing books for authors! REPLICA has a crazy sci-fi feel to it, but without the aliens and spacemen! It was difficult to grasp the idea of replicating a human, but interesting at the same time. When the trial human replication goes wrong, craziness ensues!

I like how the book was told in both 3^rd person and 1^st person. Beth One’s story is told in 3^rd person, and Beth Two’s is told in 1^st. This way the reader is able to keep track of which Beth they are reading about. Obviously the book is called REPLICA, because the main character Beth is replicated, hence the Beth One and Beth Two. I thought it was cool how the author put more of the focus on Beth Two, and her adventure on the streets of London in order to avoid the Secret Service members who were after her in order to take her to a lab and have tests run on her. Beth Two is able to get out of some sticky situations, and even though her and Beth One are the SAME person, with the same memories, as a reader we see Beth Two grow and change more as a character, because of the obstacles that are placed before her in the story. Beth One’s life goes on as usual, so there is no real change in her character. I know talking about two Beth’s is confusing, basically you just need to read the book to get it!

I liked Nick as the main guy in the story. I definitely had the image in my mind of some tall, dark, rugged looking guy, who has a sexy but dangerous look to him. He annoyed me a little bit in the book, because of the fact that he was one of the main Secret Service men hunting for Beth Two, but overall he won me over.

I really did like this book even though it’s written for someone younger than me. I think that YA literature lovers and people who love reading in general will enjoy this book. It’s a fun fast moving, adventure story, that does have some serious aspects to it, and it’s creative and original! The only negative thing I have to say about the book is that when someone you love dies, I feel like there should be more of a reaction then was shown in this book. I can’t say anymore than that, because it’s a HUGE spoiler. I was a little disappointed at the characters reactions, but other than that I really enjoyed reading this book. It was a quick, fun read, and I would definitely recommend it.

I give this book 4 out of 5 stars!

http://www.amazon.com/Replica-ebook/dp/B004VS6XFI/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1307492695&sr=8-2

FERGYVILLE: Episode One by Katina Ferguson

Blurb:

Frank and Catherine are parents worn down by three young children, and life. As they try to come up with a new, more efficient, way of managing their lives, they are met with a series of unforeseen obstacles. When Frank gets home from work, things don't seem quite right. He begins to wonder if some of the problems experienced by his family are in fact the work of malicious people from his past.


My Review:

This was a cute short story that made me laugh several times while I was reading it. The family reminds me of any typical, disorganized family in the US. In fact, it kind of reminded me of my younger brother’s family!  The author comes across as very witty, and this obviously is shown in her characters. 

Frank is outwardly a straight laced guy who spends his 8 hours working on a computer in a cubicle, but that doesn’t mean his mind doesn’t wander at times! I cracked up several times by some of the things that went through his mind, or the way the author described something he did. One comment that made me laugh was when he was working hard on his computer, “He forgot he was hungry, he even forgot that his size 38 pants had become too small in recent days, and were squeezing his balls the entire time he sat in the chair.” Another time I laughed out loud was when he was listening on the phone to an uptight, snooty sounding woman who was listing a ton of things she needed him to do. The whole time he was on th phone with her he was zoning out and imaging bending her over her desk, and seeing if he could make her a little less uptight! I was thinking, what a typical man! He has three kids and a wife, but that doesn’t mean he can’t daydream! The author’s tone was at times dry and sarcastic, which I always enjoy because I’m pretty much the same way.  Frank, like any man, thinks about his penis too much. While on a tightly packed commuter bus, “[…] Frank put his podcast on pause because there was  no way  he could enjoy it crammed like a sardine protecting his family jewels from scandal.” I don’t know why, but Frank’s personality was very entertaining for me.

Catherine is your typical burnt out mom, who is trying to control everything, and in the end is unable to control anything! It’s funny because she has all these plans set up so that she can organize time to do everything she needs to do, spend time with the kids, pick up the husband, get the kids ready for bed, and then relax for a minute. Of course nothing seems to go the way it’s supposed to, so it’s complete confusion! I honestly think that their family, and everything that goes on in this short story is pretty dead on to what goes on in any family with three children under the age of 6! It definitely solidified my resolve to hold off on kids for awhile, and three kids, ha, no way!

The story ends with a cliffhanger, and I’m definitely curious as to what’s going to happen next! 

I gave it 4 out of 5 stars.

http://www.amazon.com/The-New-Plan-Fergyville-ebook/dp/B004ZG7UJO/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1307240652&sr=8-1

WORTH DYING FOR by N. Gemini Sasson: Review & GIVEAWAY!!!

Blurb:


One day. One battle. Bannockburn, 1314.

The rise of Robert the Bruce. The vengefulness of James Douglas. And the ruin of Edward II.

Robert the Bruce has known nothing but hardship since seizing Scotland’s crown. Parted from his wife and daughter and forced to flee through the Highland wilderness, he struggles to unite a kingdom divided by centuries old blood feuds. The price, however, must be paid in lives and honor.

Falling to temptation, Robert’s only means of redemption―and to one day win his wife Elizabeth back―is to forgive those who have wronged him. One by one, Robert must win back Scotland’s clans and castles. The one man who can help him purge the land of English tyranny is the cunning young nobleman, James ‘the Black’ Douglas, who seeks vengeance on those who took both his inheritance and his father’s life.

With the death of Longshanks, Edward II ascends to the throne of England. His first act as king is to recall the banished Piers Gaveston. Too soon, Edward learns that he cannot protect the one he loves most and still preserve his own life and crown. To those who demand the ultimate sacrifice, he must relinquish all power. To have his revenge, he must do what his father never believed him capable of―defeat Robert the Bruce on the field of battle.


My Review:

After reading the first novel in The Bruce Trilogy by N. Gemini Sasson, The Crown in the Heather, I was hooked and already counting her among my favorite authors of historical fiction. I immediately bought the second novel in the trilogy, Worth Dying For, and I also bought her novel Isabeau, because after reading the first novel, I knew that Sasson was an author who will remain among my all time favorites. I only wish she had written a hundred  more novels, so that I could own them all! I know I sound a little over the top, but I guess I’m the type of reader who discovers an author that I like, and then reads every single one of their novels!

Anyways, what I’m trying to say is that I loved the second book in The Bruce Trilogy just as much as I loved first one. I have so much anticipation built up for the third and final novel in the trilogy! I can’t believe that I have never read a historical fiction novel dealing with Robert the Bruce’s life. I’ve read hundreds of books dealing with royalty and also dealing with the time period that The Bruce was alive, but somehow either I missed the books, or maybe there just aren’t many historical fiction novels dealing with The Bruce. Plus, there’s also the fact that in the majority of books that I’ve read that did mention Robert the Bruce, he’s portrayed as a horrible traitor, and is given no redeeming qualities. I enjoyed getting “his” side of the story! 

Sasson also brings other legendary men to life; such as the brave and ruthless Scot, James Douglas, and the cowardly, fey-like Edward II of England. I really like how the narrator switches between different men involved on both sides of the war between Scotland and England. As a reader you’re able to get a more balanced point of view, and to understand more than just one side of the story. Although it's obvious that Robert the Bruce is the hero of Sasson's novels, it's still nice to see things from his perspective as well as Edward II. I’ve always preferred to read books from multiple P.O.V.’s, because it makes the novel more rounded as a whole.

Sasson’s research and writing style are, in my opinion, flawless. I know that I sound like I’m gushing, but I really am THAT impressed with her novels. I love a good historical fiction novel that is so well researched, and written so well, that by the end of the book I feel like an expert on the content. I honestly think that a show about Robert the Bruce's life would be as popular as THE TUDORS or THE BORGIAS on SHOWTIME! If her novels were turned into a SHOWTIME series the world would fall in love with Robert the Bruce, and of course the author, N. Gemini Sasson.

Ok, so now that I’ve gushed about how absolutely fascinating THE CROWN IN THE HEATHER and WORTH DYING FOR are, how does everyone feel about the fact that N. Gemini Sasson has offered to give TWO of my readers a copy of the first book in the trilogy, which is THE CROWN IN THE HEATHER!  

The winner of the giveaway will have their choice between a signed paperback copy of the first novel in the trilogy, or an ebook compatible with Kindle.  If you are a fan of historical fiction, then I think it’s impossible not to love this book.

Now, onto the good stuff! The GIVEAWAY!

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Click here to read my review for THE CROWN IN THE HEATHER!

About the Author:

N. Gemini Sasson is the author of The Crown in the Heather (The Bruce Trilogy: Book I), Worth Dying For (The Bruce Trilogy: Book II) and Isabeau, A Novel of Queen Isabella and Sir Roger Mortimer. She holds a M.S. in Biology from Wright State University where she ran cross country on athletic scholarship. She has worked as an aquatic toxicologist, an environmental engineer, a teacher and a track and cross country coach. A longtime breeder of Australian Shepherds, her articles on bobtail genetics have been translated into seven languages.

http://www.amazon.com/Worth-Dying-Bruce-Trilogy-ebook/dp/B004DI7L0W/ref=sr_1_5?ie=UTF8&m=AG56TWVU5XWC2&s=digital-text&qid=1306945804&sr=8-5