I know Michaelbrent Collings from his fabulous, highly creative horror stories and am amazed by Synchronicity, which is a departure from his usual writing and I LOVE IT.
I have grabbed some freebies too and they are waiting….
I love Michaelbrent Collings’ work and he is a must read author for me. He writes some amazing horror stories, so it was a no brainer to grab something new and different from him, a science fiction, suspense technothriller, And WOW, another HIT.
They worked for SINC, Stress Induced Neural Connector. The machine.
Axel, Jade and Duffy are on the run. Their goal is to save the world. Book was just minding his own business, until…Kane had been Axel’s friend, but now…well…he’s an assassin.
Kane feels he is the God of Chaos. He revels in killing. Michaelbrent Collings writes some of the best villains ever and I do love a great bad guy.
1 of 5 stars – The fabulous characters
2 of 5 stars – Storyline
3 of 5 stars – Excellent writing and pacing
4 of 5 stars – Uniqueness and creativity
5 of 5 stars – Ending…
The characters are intriguing, making me guess at who was good and who was bad, until the story was told. Not all survive. Even the peripheral characters had their moment. I do love that Michaelbrent Collings can keep me twisting, turning, flipping through the pages nonstop, because I have to know what happens. To say I HIGHLY RECOMMEND Synchronicity does not do it justice.
I voluntarily reviewed a free copy of Synchronicity by MIchaelbrent Collings.
5 Stars
GOODREADS BLURB
Some call it the Machine. Some call it the SINC. It’s the most dangerous thing ever created. And it’s fallen into the wrong hands.
Tyler “Book” Malcolm has lived a life on the run. Off the grid, out of sight of the authorities. Hoping to escape a terrifying secret; to outrun what he has seen and what he has done.
Kane is an assassin who, with the help of the Machine, possesses the ability to assume the identity of anyone he wishes. He can strike without warning, and kill without mercy. Stronger than a dozen men, faster than sight itself, he can be anywhere, anytime.
When Book catches Kane’s eye, he discovers the world is even more dangerous than he knew. Book must ally himself with people who, like him, know that Kane is on the verge of remaking the world in his image.
But how do you know who to trust, when the man who wants you dead can be anyone he pleases?
How can you fight for the ones you love…
…when you can’t even believe who you see?
ABOUT MICHAELBRENT COLLINGS
Michaelbrent Collings is an internationally-bestselling novelist,
multiple Bram Stoker Award nominee, produced screenwriter, and one of
the top indie horror writers in the United States.
He hopes someday to develop superpowers, or, if that is out of the question, then at least to get a cool robot arm.
Michaelbrent
has a wife and several kids, all of whom are much better looking than
he is (though he admits that’s a low bar to set), and also cooler than
he is.
Michaelbrent also has a Facebook page at http://www.facebook.com/MichaelbrentC…
and can be followed on Twitter through his username @mbcollings.
Follow him for cool news, updates, and advance notice of sales. You
will also be kept safe when the Glorious Revolution begins!
I am a huge fan of Mimi Jean Pamfiloff and the Librarian’s Assistant series. Each book can be read as a stand alone, but I have read 3 out of 6 and have the bookset for books 1-3, so I plan on reading books 2 and 3 in the very near future.
I got The Librarian’s Vampire Assistant Book I by Mimi Jean Pamfiloff on a free day. It led me down a biting good path of laughs, love and vampires. I started with a smile and a chuckle. That’s a good sign and something Mimi Jean Pamfiloff does with ease. Michael Vanderhorst wasn’t looking for work, but he couldn’t resist her. Now, he’s a library assistant. Even though he saw Miriam coming, he never could have anticipated the affect she would have on his life. Hilarious, suspenseful, mouth wateringly, delightfully addictive.
4 Stars
GOODREADS BLURB
From New York Times Bestseller Mimi Jean Pamfiloff comes a Horribly Sunny Mystery, The Librarian’s Vampire Assistant.
NOBODY MESSES WITH HIS LIBRARIAN. . .
Who
killed Michael Vanderhorst’s maker? It’s a darn good question. But when
the trail brings Michael to hellishly sunny Phoenix, Arizona, his
biggest problem soon becomes a cute little librarian he can’t seem to
stay away from. He’s never met a bigger danger magnet! Even her book
cart has it out for her. And is that the drug cartel following her
around, too? “Dear God, woman! What have you gotten yourself into?”
Things go from bad to worse when local vampires won’t play nice.
Can
this four-hundred-year-old vampire keep his librarian safe and himself
out of hot water? Can he bring his maker’s killer to justice? Yesterday,
he would’ve said yes. But yesterday, he didn’t have a strange
connection with a librarian. Yesterday, people weren’t trying to kill
her.
I won a signed copy of The Librarian’s Vampire Assistant Book 5 by Mimi Jean Pamfiloff and I was sooo excited. I had already picked up the first book on a free day and loved it, so I dove right in. Fortunately it can be read as a stand alone, so I didn’t have any trouble following along.
I am immediately drawn back into Michael and Miriam’s world, watching the characters grow and change, finding their place in a world not of their own making. When it comes to a sacrifice that may free her from the life of a vampire, will Miriam take it? No choice is easy. There are always consequences.
OMG… I loved the book, but as I read the last chapter, I laughed so hard I had tears in my eyes. This is not in anyway a vampire romance you have read before. Five stars for love, hope, laughter and sweet sweet Stella. I will sorely miss these characters, now that the story has been told and the series is done.
Humans can live without us, but we cannot live without them. And that is why they must always be protected, for better or worse, they are the species that make this world what it is.
5 Stars
GOODREADS BLURB
From New York Times Bestseller Mimi Jean Pamfiloff comes the FINAL vampire-mystery-slash-romance-slash-adventure about a librarian and her trusty vampire assistant, The Librarian’s Vampire Assistant, Book 5. (Yes, yes. Still a standalone. Yippy! You don’t have to go back and read all four books. But don’t ya kinda wanna?)
NEVER HIRE A HANDSOME VAMPIRE!
MIRIAM MURPHY loves being a librarian. It’s all she’s ever wanted—to eat, breathe, and sleep books. But when she hired Michael, a handsome college student, she had no idea he was a four-hundred-year-old vampire and that inviting him into her life would result in her becoming one too. But not before he knocked her up and broke her heart.
Now Miriam is a single mother, all alone in a new world with a new vampire body. And someone’s trying to kill her. Who? Why? She has no real enemies.
If only Michael would help. After all, he’s the vampire king now. And this is one mystery she can’t solve on her own.
NEVER FALL FOR A LIBRARIAN!
MICHAEL VANDERHORST knows he’s changed. He can no longer love or laugh or enjoy hot peppers like he used to. But being an unfeeling, ruthless vampire is what it takes to rule the deadliest bloodsuckers on the planet. It’s the only way to keep humankind safe.
Problem is, his enemies know the librarian and his daughter are special to him. They are his to protect, even if he’s incapable of feeling love.
But when danger comes knocking at Miriam’s library door, he must choose between solving the biggest mystery of his existence and the woman he swore to protect.
“I am a Vampire Man! Vampire on the inside. Man on the outside. NOM NOM NOM
Michael and Miriam’s stories may be told, but we still have Mr Nice to deal with. Vampire Man picks up where Book 5 left off, but seeing it is Mr Nice’s story, a rebirth, if you will, it can stand by itself and he is about to get some very bad news. I feel for the messenger. You know the saying, right? Don’t kill the messenger? Well, Mr Nice could very well do that. There is a secret Mr Nice is keeping, thinking to unleash it when the time is right. We have good and bad vampires, as well as good and bad humans.
We have lots of laughs, danger and gruesome deaths, but love is the magic element that can make an evil vampire reevaluate what is important in life. Does he deserve a second chance?
I voluntarily reviewed a free copy of Vampire Man by Mimi Jean Pamfiloff.
5 Stars
GOODREADS BLURB
From New York Times Bestseller Mimi Jean Pamfiloff, comes a standalone Paranormal Romcom about second chances.
CAN THIS EVIL VAMPIRE CHANGE HIS WAYS?
Just
a few short years ago, a medical miracle turned this ancient evil
vampire into a human baby. Just a small setback in Mr. Nice’s plans for
world domination, right?
Wrong. Because now a slight problem with the transformation has left him aging five times faster than a regular human.
Sure,
he’s happier and stronger than he ever was in his past human life
(These vitamins do wonders!), but if he wants to live, he’ll have to
find a vampire willing to turn him. Fast!
Of course, none of
them are crazy enough to do it. Not after the hell he put the vampire
world through, including the vampire king.
“Will no one give me a second chance? I’m only a little bit evil now!”
Then,
just when all hope is lost, he walks into a library and meets the new
head librarian. She might be the only vampire on the planet who has no
clue who he is.
Can he convince her he’s a good man, one who deserves to live forever? Because she’ll only turn the man who’s destined to be her mate.
I have loved the series…so far…and will be reading Books 2 and 3 ASAP. This was free at time of posting, as was Book I
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.
We begin Day 7 with Dan, my favorite guy, and my heart breaks for him. I have been with him every step of the way, from Day 1, of the apocalypse.
I will warn you about the characters and Nick Clausen’s ability to kill them off, no matter how brave, courageous and selfless they may be. So be leery of falling in love with any of them.
“…the human body can go three weeks without food, three days without water…and 3 minutes without oxygen.”
Does that whet your appetite for suspense?
Iver, who we met in Book 6, is still alive. YAY! He is a wonderful character, putting his life on the line to do the right thing. Getting away from the ferry was pretty amazing, but, now, they are stranded on an island…with zombies outnumbering them.
“Paranoid people live longer.”
William….When he was stranded in the car, I thought of Cujo, but he has it worse. Will he survive? I really want him to…BUT…it’s up to Nick. Is there a way, Nick?
OMG…you are killing me Nick! From beginning to end, my heart was in my throat. BUT, when I reached the cliffhanger ending, it dropped to my gut and I think it will drive me crazy having to wait until Day 8.
So much happens in each terror filled Day, it feels like weeks, months, or even years have passed. People’s true nature rises to the surface, their humanity…or inhumanity…exposed.
I voluntarily reviewed a free copy of Dead Meat: Day 7 by Nick Clausen.
5 Stars
AMAZON SYNOPSIS
The dead have awakened. The world is ending. Can the disaster still be stopped?
Our
survivors are facing daunting odds in their quest to find a way to save
the world from the brink of collapse. The dead are growing in numbers
rapidly, and hope seems like a distant dream.
This is Day 7 of the zombie apocalypse.
Fans
of Mark Tufo, TW Piperbrook, Bobby Adair and Camille Picott will devour
this action-packed zombie book. And if you liked The Orphans, Dead
State or The End of Everything, you’ll love Dead Meat.
What readers are saying about Dead Meat:
★★★★★ “like reading an episode of The Walking Dead” – Amazon review
★★★★★ “I’ve read a lot of zombie series, and this is the best” – Amazon review
★★★★★ “terrifying, nightmare-inducing, impossible to put down” – Amazon review
ABOUT NICK CLAUSEN
Born 1988 in North Jutland,
where I still live with my wife, who also happened to be my earliest
childhood girlfriend. From 2017 I have lived as a full-time writer. Up
until then, I had different jobs beside the writing. I have been
studying as a carpenter for three years, and have also read two years of
psychology at Aalborg University. It turned out that the writing had a
much more powerful pull on me.
I decided early on that I would be an author when I grew up. In
fact, the decision came to me already when I read my first book,
Snevampyren by Dennis Jürgensen. My first “real” stories I wrote at
14-15 years of age. They were rejected by the publisher, but still got
praise. There were some years when I was busy with being a teenager and
trying to get an education before I suddenly remembered that I should
be an author.
That day I made a promise
to write 1,000 words a day until I got a book published. I sat down and
started writing. I continued to write every single day for a year and a
half. I sent the finished manuscripts to different publishers, and the
rejections piled up. Twelve of them by the end. But each time I could
feel it was a little bit better. The criticism became more positive. The
thirteenth story was called Tidevandet, and it was adopted by the
publisher and came out a year later.
I have always enjoyed writing, although in the beginning I put a lot
of pressure on myself. My approach to the process has become much more
free over the years. For example, I no longer plan my stories. That
way, I feel that I’m experiencing the story while writing it and the
characters feel like real people. I do not know where the ideas come
from, but I’ve never had trouble finding them.
I have been reading Ken La Salle’s work for some time now and he never ceases to amaze me with his creativity and ability to spin a tale…and some of them are pretty far out there. LOL And I love it.
I was very curious about the cover, because I knew Ken La Salle just couldn’t find the right thing, so I asked him to write up a guest post and share his thoughts about it. The story is very original, unique and…well, it’s very hard to describe, but if you like something that can shock you and make you stretch your mind, this could be for you.
So….welcome Ken.
IN HIS OWN WORDS…
“Seat
of the pants” is much more than a style of writing; it really is a way
of life. And this is especially true in the writing world where book
release dates and cover reveals are just as strategic as the handsome
stranger entering in the third act.
For
me, though, strategy can get boring sometimes. I was working on Heaven
Enough when I was first captured by this strange notion of art as
torture, which was only my first glimpse into the world of Little Mike.
As strange as this notion was, I knew I couldn’t create a traditional
outline or structure – or anything. Little Mike revealed itself much
like a sculpture locked in stone, freed by the tiniest chips.
Because
Little Mike was such a different kind of book, I talked up the idea
with some friends just to see their response to some of the ideas
presented and, after I wrote the novel, I managed to corral my first
beta readers. I knew there would be pushback to some of my ideas but I
was pleased to see the story connect in such a powerful way.
Agents
and publishers turned Little Mike away in droves, however. Still, I had
to believe that the reactions of my readers meant far more than the
publishers and agents who turned their noses up at the mention of a
Muslim prostitute. This was, of course, before my editor asked, and I’m
paraphrasing, “Are you sure?” This was before two cover artists told me
the cover was impossible to create and a third cover artist told me he
couldn’t “draw funny.” (Not that anyone asked…)
Seat
of the pants style, my wife and I bought a doll, found a place to shoot
the cover, and brought Little Mike to life ourselves.
“Seat of the pants” is not a guaranty of success; it is an offer of adventure, a ticket to unexpected destinations. I hope Little Mike takes you someplace unexpected, just as it did for me.
You accomplished your mission, Ken. You definitely took me somewhere I couldn’t have gotten on my own and I LOVE IT!Keep up the great work.
“The country needed more pollution and dumber children, I guess.”
WOW! I mean…WOW! Ken La Salle blew me away with this grotesquely hilarious glimpse of what our future could behold.
Ken La Salle writes some of the most wildly entertaining, unique, and creative stories I have ever read and Little Mike hits all the marks.
I love the simple cover and it sure doesn’t give anything away. He worked on the cover for quite some time.
Ken La Salle’s version on the have and have nots, and the decline of the human race is…
BEWARE: There is graphic violence and his version of the end of the world, man, oh man…bereft of all hope, surviving while waiting to die…sure don’t see much to live for.
Perversion, depravity. Totally twisted. Laughs and disgust. Need a strong stomach…and maybe a puke bucket. LOL
A satire on the state of the union and what the future could hold for us. Think you have it bad…these characters show that it can always be worse.
Who is better off? An optimist? A pessimist? A realist?
Thought provoking. Soul crushing. Hopeless and hopeful. Had me questioning myself and my responsibilities towards the world we live in.
I voluntarily reviewed an ARC of Little Mike by Ken La Salle.
5 Stars
GOODREADS BLURB
He’s come to destroy the world. We beat him to it. Welcome to a world where you have to suck the KKK for breakfast and people fight for the right to be warehoused. Welcome to a world where television is free just as long as you never turn it off, where opioids are delicious and safe, mostly, where the streets are filled with the bodies of the dead, worms are blessed, and children are tortured for the sake of art. And into this world awakens Little Mike. Little Mike is a doll. Little Mike doesn’t know why he’s woken up. He doesn’t know that he means the end of humankind. He’s too busy being traded for sexual favors, watching Reality TV, and searching for the last shreds of human hope in the same landfill where they’d deposited their decency and their intelligence. Dystopia is a word that gets thrown around a lot but what do you call a world where the future has been stripped of its meaning? Where the petty greeds of humanity eclipse survival? Where corporations have data-mined the human heart… and no one can see beyond the latest distraction… and human history culminates in silent surrender? You’d call that the world of Little Mike. It only sounds like the world where you live.
ABOUT KEN LA SALLE
Born on an 18th century mining ship, Ken La Salle is not his name. He just likes it. He writes about whatever he damn well pleases, hoping to build more of a cult following than a readership just for a cut on the robes. Looking for the mainstream but sticking to the shore, you can find out more about Ken La Salle at the imaginatively named www.kenlasalle.com.
GIVEAWAY
Want a glimpse into Ken La Salle’s world? Now is your chance. Ken is offering 3 ebook copies of Little Mike. Entry is easy peasy. All you have to do is leave a comment answering the question and leaving your requested format and email:
WOW! I was expecting a great read when I opened Stolen Daughters by Carolyn Arnold, but I got more than I expected. I find that amazing, because I have been reading her work for some time now and loving it, so for her to write a novel that has me saying to myself (and you), “WOW, this is the perfect story for me.”, it hits all the spots.
Amanda Steele reminds me of Clarisse on the new TV show. I guess that shows how I feel about Carolyn Arnold’s work. It is suitable for the visual media, whether on TV or the movies. Who knows?
The romance is there, but not, and that is fine with me, because I was so involved with the characters I was reading about, I never really missed Logan. He did drop in for a minute or two here and there, just enough to let us know he is waiting….
I love that Amanda doesn’t jump into a relationship with Logan too quickly. I kinda like the one they have right now, taking their time to let it develop naturally, if that is possible in the world they live in. Danger is all around, and they never know when it will find them.
Carolyn Arnold does police procedurals proud. She gives the investigative details in a clear, concise manner, not slowing down the story in any way.
We have a lot of things going on in Stolen Daughters. Logan is trying to hook up with Amanda, but she is too busy trying to help her mother, find out who killed the girl in the fire and deal with her own personal issues.
I love when I can have empathy for the villain, but that does not excuse his actions. He knows right from wrong, he just loves doing wrong. The past is the past and I feel no one can use that for an excuse for their behavior, and when I remember his victims, well…you’ll have to read the book and then I think you may know what I feel.
I love when a fictional novel can draw me so far into it that I, at times, forget I am reading fiction. I had a bunch of notes, but after rereading the blurb, I had to wing it. I didn’t want to give anything away. I want you to experience it for yourself. It is well worth it.
I ignored everything going on around me and stayed up late to finish Stolen Daughters, so to say it was unputdownable is not doing it justice. When IT hits the road, Amanda Steele puts the pedal to the metal, no looking back and no second guessing.
I voluntarily reviewed and ARC of Stolen Daughters by Carolyn Arnold.
5 Stars
GOODREADS BLURB
The girl looked so peaceful, she could have been asleep. Except her eyes were open, blankly reflecting the flickering flames spreading towards her…
When firefighters discover the body of a teenage girl at an abandoned house, Detective Amanda Steele hurries to the scene. Dumfries, Virginia is a small town, yet no one seems to have any idea who the dead girl is until Amanda finds a dragonfly pin with the name Crystal engraved on it.
Working tirelessly, Amanda traces the pin to Crystal Foster, a thirteen-year-old who disappeared three years ago from her wealthy parents’ home. Breaking the news to the distraught parents won’t be easy, but the loss of her own daughter still haunts Amanda, and she knows this will bring them closure. But when Amanda goes to see the Fosters, they do not recognize the girl. She isn’t Crystal.
Before Amanda can react to this new development, she gets an urgent call. A fire has consumed another vacant house, and the remains of two more girls have been found. Who are these girls, and why are they being picked off? Amanda must stop this killer before the pattern continues, and the death toll climbs.
When Amanda receives a taunting note from the killer, she realizes that she holds the missing piece of this puzzle. The victims are connected to Amanda’s past, to a case she can never forget, and which almost claimed her life. As she follows the clues to their deadly conclusion, can she save more innocent lives… even if it risks her own?
An unputdownable, pulse-pounding mystery. Fans of Rachel Caine, Lisa Regan and Robert Dugoni will be gripped.
CAROLYN ARNOLD is an international bestselling and award-winning
author, as well as a speaker, teacher, and inspirational mentor. She
has four continuing fiction series—Detective Madison Knight, Brandon
Fisher FBI, McKinley Mysteries, and Matthew Connor Adventures—and has
written nearly thirty books. Her genre diversity offers her readers
everything from cozy to hard-boiled mysteries, and thrillers to action
adventures.
Both her female detective and FBI profiler series have been praised
by those in law enforcement as being accurate and entertaining, leading
her to adopt the trademark: POLICE PROCEDURALS RESPECTED BY LAW
ENFORCEMENT™.
Carolyn was born in a small town and
enjoys spending time outdoors, but she also loves the lights of a big
city. Grounded by her roots and lifted by her dreams, her overactive
imagination insists that she tell her stories. Her intention is to touch
the hearts of millions with her books, to entertain, inspire, and
empower.
She currently lives just west of Toronto
with her husband and beagle and is a member of Crime Writers of Canada
and Sisters in Crime.
WOW…I mean…WOW. Each story in Michaelbrent Collings Stranger series keeps getting better and better, but seeing my rating system only goes to 5…I have a full page of notes and I think that means I’ll be doing some editing. Don’t want to give away too much…only want to teeeeease you. 🙂
Not everyone that Legion seeks out dies, but you better be on your best behavior. If he has any doubts….
Legion is one of those characters I fall in love with and never want to lose, never want his story to end, even though I wonder how it will. He reminds me of Dexter, meting out his own version of vigilante justice. How can his ending be a good one? I don’t see it, yet I want it. Like all people, he is neither all good or all bad. Where his journeys are taking him, I don’t think even he knows, but there is a destination he seeks.
Warning…Set aside some time. Once I began, I couldn’t stop. Listening to him talk to Fire, Water and The One had my head spinning, at times. Each individual voice has it’s own personality. But…something is changing. He doesn’t know what, but he feels it all the same.
There are discriminating, racist, sexist, gangs, white supremicist elements, but isn’t that like real life? A mother trying to save her and her son, a Wolf after revenge…and Legion. Even with all the danger and violence…no punches are pulled… in Michaelbrent Collings Stranger series, there are moments of levity.
Michaelbrent Collings Stranger series is at the top of its class. Love, love, love Legion. He is such a tortured, complex individual. I don’t know how Michael takes each story to a new level of breath taking suspense and so many book surprises, they even last until the last page. I am desperate for more!
What a fabulous TV series The Stranger stories would make!!!! I’m sure it would do fantastic as movies, but I am a TV addict. Is anyone listening? Who would you choose to play the lead? I’m going to have to think on that.
I voluntarily reviewed a free copy of Stranger Danger by Michaelbrent Collings.
5 Stars
GOODREADS BLURB
He will teach you the lesson… … he knows you’re dying to learn.
Legion is a teacher. An avenging angel. A murderer.
A madman.
Raised
in the underground hideout of an insane father, he searches for those
who keep secrets and sins. Then he teaches them how to leave those
mistakes behind. Even if it means killing them to do it.
Because sometimes murder is the cost of a proper education.
That’s why, when he comes to a neighborhood in the grips of a vicious gang war, he knows the time has come to teach.
Soon
Legion – and his imaginary brothers, Water and Fire – are caught in the
middle of a vicious fight for control of the Downs, the worst part of a
city on the verge of anarchy.
Legion is facing enemies on all sides. Hundreds of men will stop at nothing to capture or kill him.
Legion will teach the lessons. And the students will never forget, no matter how long – or short – their lives may be.
The students are ready.
And the teacher will never stop.
ABOUT MICHAELBRENT COLLINGS
Michaelbrent Collings is an internationally-bestselling novelist,
multiple Bram Stoker Award nominee, produced screenwriter, and one of
the top indie horror writers in the United States.
He hopes someday to develop superpowers, or, if that is out of the question, then at least to get a cool robot arm.
Michaelbrent
has a wife and several kids, all of whom are much better looking than
he is (though he admits that’s a low bar to set), and also cooler than
he is.
Michaelbrent also has a Facebook page at http://www.facebook.com/MichaelbrentC…
and can be followed on Twitter through his username @mbcollings.
Follow him for cool news, updates, and advance notice of sales. You
will also be kept safe when the Glorious Revolution begins!
Strong From The Heart by Jon Land is the eleventh book in the Caitlin Strong Texas Ranger series and I have been loving spending time with her. I usually receive an ARC, but this time I received a beautiful, signed, hardcover and I am so excited to add it to my collection of Jon Land books.
Many of us are aware of the opiod epidemic and Caitlin Strong will be facing it in Strong From The Heart by Jon Land. I wouldn’t want to be the culprits that she is seeking.
The Prologue reeled me in and my mind was whirling with the possibilities.
We start out with a wayward mailman who is on a mission, but it’s not to deliver his mail.
WTH…happened in Camino Pass? Caitlin Strong is on the case and will get to the bottom of it.
She has stepped into a snake pit and I am rooting for her, as she defuses a volatile situation at the Canyon Ridge Elementary School, where ICE attempts to pick up six children. We have the usual posturing between law enforcement divisions for control of the situation. She will not allow that, and her trusty friend Guillermo Paz is by her side. I love Caitlin’s attitude and the humor that Jon Land adds to his thrillers.
“Kids are safe and I didn’t even have to shoot anybody.”
Cort, her outlaw boyfriend is at the hospital after a call telling him his son ODed on opiates. Caitlin would stop at nothing to trace who was providing the drugs to him and the other kids at school. I love that Jon Land tosses in current events.
“Just one Texas Ranger, son?”
“You ever hear the motto, one riot, one Ranger? Because it’s damn near true.”
“You are like human flypaper Ranger, and wherever you go, the worst of the worse just sticks to you.” An apt description of Caitlin Strong, and she wouldn’t have it any other way.”
Jon Land’s writing makes the story flow smoothly, increasing the danger and suspense over the course of the story. We have more than one story line going on and the past creeps into the present. Jon Land always gives us tidbits of Texas Ranger history and I love that.
I worry for some of my favorite characters, because they do not run from trouble and danger, they run towards it.
I had been waiting to read Strong From The Heart by Jon Land for when I really needed a pick me up, a get lost for hours book. I started reading during College Game Day (and anybody that knows me, knows I don’t want to be disturbed during football) and figured I would read during those dull moments, commercials, and half time. I finished it shortly after the Alabama vs Ole Miss game. I got so involved that I couldn’t put it down..
I needed some distraction from current events and I want to thank you, Jon, for helping me to get lost and escape through your words.
I voluntarily reviewed a free copy of Strong From The Heart by Jon Land.
5 Stars
GOODREADS BLURB
In what Brad Meltzer
calls a “savory Tex-Mex tale, seasoned with all the ingredients of a
great thriller,” Texas Ranger Caitlin Strong digs for the truth behind
the Opioid Crisis in the next installment of Jon Land’s critically
acclaimed series
Mexico, 1898: Texas Ranger William Ray
Strong arrives in the border town of Camino Pass to transport a young
Pancho Villa to stand trial, but his plans are waylaid when he learns
all of the town’s children have been kidnapped.
The Present:
The drug crisis hits home for fifth generation Texas Ranger Caitlin
Strong when the son of her outlaw lover, Cort Wesley Masters, nearly
dies from an opioid overdose.
Determined to make those
responsible pay, Caitlin sets out to track down the dealer and pusher,
while trying to solve the inexplicable tragedy of a small Texas town
where all the residents died in a single night. When she realizes these
two pursuits are connected, she finds herself following a trail to the
truth of the crisis nestled hard in the center of America’s power base.
That
power base, comprised of politicians, Big Pharma, along with corrupt
doctors and drug distributors, has successfully beaten back all threats
in the past. But they have no idea what’s in store when the guns of
Texas come calling.
ABOUT JON LAND
Jon
Land is the award-winning, critically acclaimed author of 36 books,
including the bestselling Caitlin Strong Texas Ranger series that
includes Strong Enough to Die, Strong Justice, Strong at the Break,
Strong Vengeance and, most recently, Strong Rain Falling. The Tenth
Circle marks the second return engagement of his longtime series hero
Blaine McCracken on the heels of last year’s Pandora’s Temple which was
nominated for a Thriller Award and received the 2013 International Book
Award for Best Adventure Thriller. Jon’s first nonfiction book,
Betrayal, meanwhile, was named Best True Crime Book of 2012 by Suspense
Magazine and won a 2012 International Book Award for Best True Crime
Book. He is currently working on Strong Darkness, the next entry in the
Caitlin Strong to be published in September of 2014. He graduated Phi
Beta Kappa and Magna Cum Laude from Brown University, where he continues
to maintain a strong volunteer presence, in 1979.
Jane Blythe is one of my must read authors. Her romantic suspense does everything you want it to do and she covers dark and disturbing events, which draw me in like flies to honey.
I have been anticipating Emerald’s story and finally…I have it. I let the book linger on my Kindle for a little while because I knew this was the last sister to be found after their parents had sold them to human sex traffickers. It is fifteen years later….and this book sure took a turn I wasn’t expecting. Jane Blythe is good at that, so don’t get too comfortable. I am sure this is going to be a very bumpy ride.
“Ooh, she’s a pretty one.”
“How old?”
“Fifteen.”
“She’s not to be touched…she’ll either be sent to training or sent off with her new owner.”
Emerald is only fifteen, the baby of the family. It had only been a year since she quit sleeping with a night lite, even though she shared a bedroom with her sister, Sapphire. Her name matches her emerald green eyes.
She knew it was easiest to obey, though she wished the floor would swallow her up. She felt her dreams would never come true. She would not live a wonderful life, dying at an old age. Would she even make it to twenty? She didn’t care. She is afraid to live. Afraid to die.
Emerald gets to her owner, and I thought OMG, but she felt relieved. When you read Splintered Emerald, you’ll understand why we had conflicting thoughts, though I do see why she felt that way.
Ten days. Ten days until her eighteenth birthday. What then? She still held a tiny sliver of hope…hope that she would be rescued.
Eleven years have gone by…OMG…I would have lost all hope.
WOW! Fifteen years have gone by and Jane has gone off the rails with this one. My mind would never get to where she took me on my own. I am stunned and unable to see how we are going to reach a happy ending. Jane’s imagination knows no bounds and I love it!
I am trying to be careful about what I share with you, because this dark and evil story you need to read for yourself. And it kept getting worse. The physical torture may be surpassed by the mental torture, the innocence stripped away. The abuse, rape and beatings aren’t enough for Jane, she has gone even darker. AND I LOVE IT!
I don’t know what to think of Emerald. She is so lost, I don’t know if she can find herself, when she learns the truth. But, what is the truth?
There is an underlying story that I haven’t figured out. I thought of…but it doesn’t fit. I was curious how Jane Blythe would wrap up the book and the Hatcher sisters stories. She nailed it.
The Epilogue…I love Prologues and Epilogues. It is sweet, but I felt some pieces were missing. It doesn’t affect my rating THOUGH…5 well earned STARS it is!
I voluntarily reviewed a free copy of Splintered Emerald by Jane Blythe.
5 Stars
GOODREADS BLURB
Fifteen years is a long time to be missing.
Emerald Hatcher was the baby of the Hatcher family. Sweet, kind, compassionate, a dreamer who would give the shirt off her back to someone who needed it more than her.
But that was then.
What have fifteen years away from her family, tortured and abused, done to her?
The Hatcher sisters have been desperate to find the last sister and bring her home, but what they get is not what they bargained for.
Is anyone really ready for Emerald Hatcher to return home?
ABOUT JANE BLYTHE
Jane
has loved reading and writing since she can remember. She writes dark
and disturbing crime/mystery/suspense with some romance thrown in
because, well, who doesn’t love romance? She has one completed series,
Detective Parker Bell, and one new series, Count to Ten.
When she’s not writing Jane loves to
read, bake, go to the beach, ski, horse ride, and watch Disney movies.
She has a black belt in Taekwondo, and a 200+ collection of teddy bears.
She has the world’s two most sweet and pretty Dalmatians, Ivory and
Pearl. Oh, and she also enjoys spending time with family and friends!
MY REVIEW FOR THROUGH THE FURY TO THE DAWN BY STU JONES
Though I am not what I would consider religious, I love to read about angels and demons. I jumped on this series because I have read some of Stu Jones work and loved it. I am looking forward to reading what he says is a story of faith, conviction and redemption.
I can usually go wherever an author wants to take me and was easily lead into this series with Stu Jones’ ability to pen a great story and OMG, I am lost in this world. As I read, the pacing flows like a river and I am along for the ride. The evil is true EVIL and man descends to its basest levels. BUT…
God won’t forget his creation and has a chosen few that will rise to the occasion. Dark and gritty doesn’t begin to describe the levels Stu Jones goes to in order for us to join in the battle of Good vs Evil…and it will be a fight to the death.
Through the Fury to the Dawn reads like an apocalyptic/dystopian, paranormal/supernatural novel, with a heavy dose of religious influence. I immediately began reading Book II, Into the Dark.
All profits are donated to combat sex trafficking.
A huge thank you goes out to Amazon for the two months of free Kindle Unlimited, of which this series is not the only one I was able to finish.
5 Stars
MY REVIEW FOR INTO THE DARK BY STU JONES
I immediately began reading Into The Dark by Stu Jones as soon as I finished the first book in the Action of Purpose series, Through the Fury to the Dawn. I think this could be read as a stand alone, but I highly recommend beginning at the beginning.
We start at mourning the loss of someone I will miss dearly, but each character has their role to play and Stu Jones has no qualms about killing them off for the good of the story…and it definitely creates some emotional backlash for me.
We get an indepth look at some of the characters and how they came to be who they are.
Life has changed drastically since the destruction caused by WWIII.
Unputdownable! The nail biting, spine tingling suspense made me unable to stop fretting, racing through the pages. Bodies falling in grotesque manners, the sick, Malak, who is much more than a man of evil, Kane, Courtland, Jenna, Tynuk and Az….
I love the blend of genres and was amazed at how easily it was for me to accept the religious angle because it fits so well.
OMG. I had tears in my eyes as the brutal battles rage through the pages, losing some of those I have come to care for deeply. I love a series that maintains the same level of intensity throughout. It doesn’t happen often. Kudos Stu. Keep up the great work. AND…I’ll be checking out Book III right now.
5 Stars
MY REVIEW FOR AGAINST THE FADING OF THE LIGHT BY STU JONES
Each book of the Action of Purpose series begins where the previous book left of. With that being said, I am all in and can hardly wait to get to the conclusion and find out what happens to all my friends.
In Against the Fading Light, Tynuk’s story is told and I love this young man. He is a believer, never wavering.
Kane and the gang are what family is all about, though they are not related.
As the showdown approaches, God’s talking and the angels are listening.
I AM LOVING THIS SERIES. I am not religious, don’t go to church, but this story and Stu Jones’ ability to tell it has blown me away. Amazing, awesome, uplifting, hopeful, heartbreaking, devastating…
I must warn you…put aside some time, because once you start reading about this battle between good and evil, you won’t be able to stop! The ending was all I could hope for and he kept me entranced, riveted, unable to quit until the last page was read.
P R Garcia is an amazing writer and I am soooo happy to have a copy of her latest book, The Bounty Hunter. If you like science fiction, you will love this. If you don’t, I would still highly recommend it. It just might change your mind.
WOW! INTENSE! A MUST READ if you are into science fiction…and if you’re not, this may change your mind. So much more than I expected, this wild rollercoaster ride had all my emotions roiled up. I was happy, sad, devastated, and satisfied. I felt like I had been run over by a truck by the time I was done. I loved the start and was immediately hooked on Biijun and Li-ara’s story. I don’t feel my review can convey my feelings, but I tried.
Biijun is a Huntsman, a Bounty Hunter. He is all man, a warrior whose life is devoted to his work. Li-ara lives alone, after the death of her husband, with her faithful companions Kii and Beta, two canines. I would love to have them for my friends and protectors. They are highly intelligent and will lay down their lives for those they love. They play a huge part in the story. Unforeseen circumstances bring them together to face the fight of their lives.
The romance is so sweet, naive and innocent on both their parts, but he cannot stay with her. His life is devoted to being a Hunter, never showing his face to outsiders. Will he sacrifice the Helmet for love?
P R Garcia writes some powerful novels. Her characters make me worry for them, hope for them, want to call out to them as I’m reading, telling them to not go out the door. She makes me want to race through the pages to find out what will happen next, yet I slow down and enjoy the journey.
I teared up as…the children…and I do love that P R Garcia adds a touch of realism, the fact that no matter how hard we try, sometimes circumstances are beyond our control.
The danger is intense, brutal, savage, lurking in the dark, right around the corner, waiting… We have plenty of sadness, but the bravery and hopefulness lessens the pain. The world P R Garcia created is full of battles, lives lost, but love, family, friendship, sacrifice, loyalty and respect are in abundance. She has become a must read author for me.
WARNING: For Part III, find a quiet, solitary place where you will not be disturbed, have some tissues handy, and be prepared for an emotional rollercoaster. AND I loved every minute of it. I kept putting the book down, savoring the moment, not wanting it to end. I was so choked up at the last pages my throat hurt. It took a while to get through because I couldn’t see through the tears in my eyes. Even though it was so emotional and filled with sadness, I also felt relief when I was done. Mr Wonderful was sitting beside me, laughing at me.
I voluntarily reviewed a free copy of The Bounty Hunter by P R Garcia.
5 Stars
AMAZON SYNOPSIS
When he lands on a planet, he’s there to kill. But when his heart is caught off-guard, this world could claim his last breath…
Notoriously
known as “The Hunter,” BiiJun D’Kolor must hide his empathy on the job.
Armor-clad and virtually invincible, the skilled bounty hunter sets his
feet on a desolate asteroid to end the life of a rapist. But when an
alluring figure distracts him long enough for a vicious fanged bear to
attack, the assassin discovers what it means to be the prey.
Rescued
by the mysterious woman, his bloody trail attracts a pack of wild dogs
hellbent on making him their next meal. And now thrown together to make a
stand against a ruthless enemy, the wounded man feels the spark of
something he has never known: affection and love.
Will the Huntsman’s near-fatal brush with fate open a destiny he has rejected for decades?
The Bounty Hunter
is a whirlwind science fiction romance. If you like deeply drawn
characters, savage settings, and conflicts between duty and dreams, then
you’ll love P.R. Garcia’s compelling tale.
ABOUT P R GARCIA
P.R. Garcia grew up in rural Michigan and is the youngest of three. She became a lover of Science Fiction at an early age when her parents took her to the movies. She was hooked the moment she heard Patricia Neal tell the robot Gort in The Day the Earth Stood Still “Klaatu barada nikto”. Inspired by what was possible, she and her dog spent many days in the fields behind her home fighting aliens and investigating unexplored planets. Her love continued to grow, and while in high school, the series Star Trek hit television, boosting her fascination with what might be out there. Her friends still comment on how she skipped the football games to stay home and watch each episode. When in her thirties, she became an award-winning basket weaver and continued in this craft for three decades. Upon retiring from her job of thirty years, she moved to San Diego, California. She volunteered for five years as a guide on the Whale Watching Boats, teaching people from around the world about the Pacific Ocean’s aquatic life.
At sixty-two, Ms. Garcia began to write her Europa Saga, a tantalizing, ten-part sci-fi series of intrigue, suspense, and mystery. Her saga is a fresh retelling of the story of Atlantis and its inhabitants. The books span six thousand years and four generations. Her story launched her into the world of a best-selling author.
Global warming, deforestation, pollution of our air and water, species loss, and the devastation of Earth itself are all subjects dear to Ms. Garcia’s heart. She has incorporated those themes into her later books, including books seven through nine of the Europa Saga and Extinction 2038. Her upcoming book Guardians of Earth and the sequel Guardians of Earth II, which should be released in early 2021, also deals with these subjects. If you’d like information on ways you can help stop global warming and other green topics, sign up for her newsletter.
Ms. Garcia also writes children’s books. A Cat for William is based on an authentic story about how a stray cat helps a man cope with a disabling disease. She is working on two more children’s books: The Story of Sudan: The Last Northern White Male Rhino and The Christmas Crayons, a story about a homeless boy who finds happiness in a box of crayons on Christmas Day. For more information, go to her web page: http://www.prgarcia1.com.
