The new year rings in with a Flury: Journey of a Snowman by Tony Bertauski ~ Review

Posted on January 24, 2015 by fundinmental

Tony Bertauski writes some very original stories and Flury: Journey of a Snowman is just one of them.

I have read the first two books in this series and enjoyed them tremendously.

You can find my review links below.

Flury: Journey of a Snowman
(Claus #3)
by Tony Bertauski

YA Sci-Fi, Fantasy, Holiday

SYNOPSIS

Life hasn’t been kind to Oliver Toye.

As if juvenile diabetes isn’t enough, he’s forced to live with his tyrannical grandmother in a snow-bound house. He spends his days doing chores and the nights listening to the forest rumble.

But when he discovers the first leather-bound journal, the family secrets begin to surface. The mystery of his great-grandfather’s voyage to the North Pole is revealed. That’s when the snowman appears.

Magical and mysterious, the snowman will save Oliver more than once. But when the time comes for Oliver to discover the truth, will he have the courage? When Flury needs him, will he have the strength? When believing isn’t enough, will he save the snowman from melting away?

Because sometimes even magic needs a little help.

Amazon – Barnes & Noble

MY REVIEW of Flury: Journey of a Snowman by Tony Bertauski

I have read end reviewed Tony Bertauski’s original stories of Claus: Legend of the Fat Man and Jack: The Tale of Frost, so I am eager to begin on Flury: Journey of a Snowman. Tony’s ability to spin a tale and create new worlds is amazing. Every time I open one of his books, I am ready to be taken to a place I have never been before and meet characters that worm their way into my heart, at least most of them, and leaving me hoping I will see them again.

Malcolm Toye became separated from the group that traveled to the North Pole. He knew he wasn’t going to make it out alive, as he closed his eyes and drifted off to sleep.

Oliver and his mom had just arrived at their new home in Colorado. Actually, it was his grandmother’s house, the Toye Residence.

Oliver is used to spending a lot of time alone. He felt even more isolated since moving here, until he made friends with Molly. Molly is a wonderful girl that fits Oliver perfectly. He has juvenile diabetes and has to keep a close eye on his sugar level.

Grandmother is more than prim and proper. Is she purposely cruel? She has rules and one of them is to be in the house before the sun goes down. Why? After waking to sounds crashing through the forest and trees falling, he didn’t question it.

In his explorations, he finds a trunk filled with curious objects. It belonged to his grandfather, Malcolm Toye. What really intrigued him was the journals and the blue orb that seems warm in his hand. Oliver becomes enraptured by Malcolm’s journals. He carries the orb he discovered everywhere with him.

His cousins act like they were trained by terrorists. They could use some lessons from Emily Post. Henry is a little monster. They wouldn’t include him in their games, but after they were gone, he looked for their trail and followed it. Will his inquisitiveness be the end of him or save the day?

Now the adventure really begins at 20% into the book.

This series of books is joyous fun, full of vivid images of the characters, be they human or….Do you believe in Santa, snowmen and elves?

The world building is so imaginative I can feel the light touch of snowflakes on my face as I tip my head back to look up at the sky. Afterwards, I can bask in the warm glow of the fire.

It brought back memories of standing under snow covered trees and shaking their branches until I was covered in the fluffy white stuff. What are some of your best memories of snow and the winter season.

Oliver won me over in the opening pages. His sense of adventure and curiosity led me to follow him through the pages, doing the chores, wandering the property, exploring Malcom’s treasures. And I was very curious about why he shouldn’t be out at night.

Tony can spin a tale that has me believing, taking me back to that time when all things are possible.

Best one yet! I love “Frosty’s” story and him too.

5 Stars – Would Buy It For Others (lol)

I received this book in return for an honest and unbiased review.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

During the day, I’m a horticulturist. While I’ve spent much of my career designing landscapes or diagnosing dying plants, I’ve always been a storyteller. My writing career began with magazine columns, landscape design textbooks, and a gardening column at the Post and Courier (Charleston, SC). However, I’ve always fancied fiction.

My grandpa never graduated high school. He retired from a steel mill in the mid-70s. He was uneducated, but he was a voracious reader. I remember going through his bookshelves of paperback sci-fi novels, smelling musty old paper, pulling Piers Anthony and Isaac Asimov off shelf and promising to bring them back. I was fascinated by robots that could think and act like people. What happened when they died?

I’m a cynical reader. I demand the writer sweep me into his/her story and carry me to the end. I’d rather sail a boat than climb a mountain. That’s the sort of stuff I want to write, not the assigned reading we got in school. I want to create stories that kept you up late.

Having a story unfold inside your head is an experience different than reading. You connect with characters in a deeper, more meaningful way. You feel them, empathize with them, cheer for them and even mourn. The challenge is to get the reader to experience the same thing, even if it’s only a fraction of what the writer feels. Not so easy.

In 2008, I won the South Carolina Fiction Open with Four Letter Words, a short story inspired by my grandfather and Alzheimer’s Disease. My first step as a novelist began when I developed a story to encourage my young son to read. This story became The Socket Greeny Saga. Socket tapped into my lifetime fascination with consciousness and identity, but this character does it from a young adult’s struggle with his place in the world.

After Socket, I thought I was done with fiction. But then the ideas kept coming, and I kept writing. Most of my work investigates the human condition and the meaning of life, but not in ordinary fashion. About half of my work is Young Adult (Socket Greeny, Claus, Foreverland) because it speaks to that age of indecision and the struggle with identity. But I like to venture into adult fiction (Halfskin, Drayton) so I can cuss. Either way, I like to be entertaining.

And I’m a big fan of plot twists.

Website; – Goodreads; – Facebook

I have read the first two books in the unique and original Claus series and would like to share them with you.

MY REVIEW

Click on the covers to get your copy of a Tony Bertauski novel today.

~~~~~~~~~~~~

To see all my Reviews, go HERE.

To see all my Giveaways, go HERE.

If you like what you see, why don’t you follow me?

Look on the right sidebar and let’s talk.

~~~~~~~~~~~~

Thank you for visiting fundinmental!

Aliens Have Arrived – A Human Element by Donna Galanti – Review

Posted on January 17, 2015 by fundinmental

A Human Element is an amazing fantasy that will have you screaming for more.

The beautiful cover is only a prelude to the wonderful story inside.

Let’s open the cover and begin

A Human Element by Donna Galanti

Book I of The Element Trilogy

Cover: Ryan Dean

Imajin Books

MY REVIEW

With A Human Element by Donna Galanti being her first novel, I can only imagine what is to come!!!! I am very excited to find out. I will definitely be following this author.

I have heard so much about A Human Element from my sister, Laura, so when Donna Galanti offered me the book to review, I jumped all over it.

I mean, check out that ominous cover. It oozes mystery and danger to me.

A Human Element is about man’s inhumanity to man, man’s callous disregard of other’s lives, but also, the lengths some people will go to do the right thing.

Evil, yes.

Aliens, yes.

I LOVE this book. The further into A Human Element I read, the more engrossed I become. My heart beats faster as my eyes race across the words…faster and faster. I just have to know what is going to happen. I read on and it gets creepier and creepier.

Ben – he was only nine when his parents were killed by the meteorite that crashed in town and changed his life forever.

Sarah – swore she had never been with a man as she struggles to deliver the child. The nurse stands over Sarah, saying it is her own fault for sinning. She has no empathy for her, even as she lay dying. I found the nurse’s behavior real enough that I became pissed off and would have liked to smack her up side the head and ask her who died and made her God. I mean, how low can you get, especially being in her line of work. Have you even seen or felt the mean hand of righteous indignation and hypocrisy?

The doctor and the nurse will lie to everyone about what happened that day. Crappy people have to find a way to justify their crappy actions. The doctor’s guilt over what he has done, does not outweigh his greed. Karma is a bitch and she demands justice be served. I don’t feel sorry for what happens to him.

Laura – as she grows up, she knows she is different from everyone else. She keeps her abilities a secret. At times she wonders, do miracles happen or is something else going on. Laura can read minds, among other things. Would you want to have that ability?

“Hmph…of course it makes sense you would have polite powers, doesn’t it?’

When her parents are killed and she is left alone, she is committed to finding the killer.

Jim and Scooter – what can I say. I love them both! I believe you will too. They are all that is good in this world. I worry about them. Please let them be okay.

Jim and Laura’s thesaurus game, with their lively and fun banter, lends the book some humor. It is writing like this that gives Donna Galanti’s work that something extra, that something special that takes her work to the highest levels.

Charlie – HE knows hate, luxuriates in it, thrives on it, is driven by it. Hate oozes from his pores like sweat. He hates everything, but mostly he hates Laura. He vows to take her life with his own two hands, to feel the life flow out of her.

Felix – the green eyed man – is he good or bad?

Donna pulled more than one surprise out of her hat and she does an excellent job of showing humanities weaknesses. All the darkness and evil is shared with light and goodness. Human emotions run the gamut – pain and torture, hate and greed, love and generosity, sorrow and bliss.

Each character is forced to assess what is important to them as their moment of destiny approaches.

I love the part about sunrises. Laura explains to Jim how they are like snowflakes, no two alike. I have many sunset photographs of Cape Cod over the years I vacationed there. Friends and family would ask me why I am shooting more. I would tell them that each is unique.

I felt such tension, suspense, fear and dread for the characters, that I was talking to them. Shouting at them. Telling them to watch out. He’s coming.

I had thought A Human Element was paranormal, but it is not, even though powers are involved. They come from another place. A place out of this world.

I never saw the ending coming. Fantastic. I kept trying to figure it out and felt tortured and pained as I raced through the pages – I HAVE to know – now!

I am sitting here, finished, looking at nothing, in complete disbelief. Awesome! Donna Galanti’s imagination knows no bounds.

I am so bummed the story is over. I want so much to read more. I am afraid, yet hopeful because of Laura and her innate goodness. Can it overcome what is lurking on the horizon? My sneak peek has me craving more.

But, wait, it goes on – A Hidden Element, Book II, sits on my Kindle. Must …read…now.

5 Stars – Would Buy It For Them (lol)

I was given this book in return for an honest and unbiased review.

A Hidden Element (The Element Trilogy, Book II)

BLURB

A HIDDEN ELEMENT

Evil lurks within…

When Caleb Madroc is used against his will as part of his father’s plan to breed a secret alien community and infiltrate society with their unique powers, he vows to save his oppressed people and the two children kept from him. Seven years later, Laura and Ben Fieldstone’s son is abducted, and they are forced to trust a madman’s son who puts his life on the line to save them all. The enemy’s desire to own them—or destroy them—leads to a survival showdown. Laura and Ben must risk everything to defeat a new nemesis that wants to rule the world with their son, and Caleb may be their only hope—if he survives. But must he sacrifice what he most desires to do so?

You can read an excerpt here.

Purchase Links

Purchase Book 2 in the Element Trilogy, A Hidden Element
Purchase Book 1 in the Element Trilogy, A Human Element

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Donna Galanti writes murder and mystery with a dash of steam as well as middle grade adventure fiction. She is the author of books 1 and 2 in the paranormal suspense Element Trilogy, A Human Element and A Hidden Element, the short story collection The Dark Inside, and Joshua and The Lightning Road (Books 1 and 2, 2015). She’s lived from England as a child, to Hawaii as a U.S. Navy photographer. She now lives in Pennsylvania with her family in an old farmhouse. It has lots of writing nooks, fireplaces, and stink bugs, but she’s still wishing for a castle again—preferably with ghosts.

Website / Blog / Twitter / Facebook / Goodreads

Click on the Amazon affiliate cover to get your copy of a Donna Galanti novel.

~~~~~~~~~~~~

To see all my Reviews, go HERE.

To see all my Giveaways, go HERE.

If you like what you see, why don’t you follow me?

Look on the right sidebar and let’s talk.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Was this review helpful? If so, please consider voting for it on Amazon or like it on GoodReads.

Thanks for visiting fundinmental!

Review ~ The Chase by Janet Evanovich

Posted on January 15, 2015 by fundinmental

I have read most of Janet Evanovich’s books and was so happy to be able to pick this up through Netgalley.

Her partnership with Lee Goldberg has brought about the Fox and O’Hare mystery series.

How can it miss, with two New York Times Bestselling Authors?

THE CHASE by Janet Evanovich and Lee Goldberg

Series: Fox and O’Hare, Book II

Publisher: Bantam (November 4, 2014)

MY REVIEW

I have read many books by Janet Evanovich, but this is my first foray into the Fox and O’Hare series with Lee Goldberg.

I love mysteries/suspense/thrillers, so this action packed, roller coaster ride is right up my alley and did not disappoint. There is danger and laughter that will keep you on the edge of your seat from beginning to end.

FBI Special Agent Kate O’Hare is a true patriot. She believes in apple pie and the U S of A. She has spent five years of her life chasing Nicholas Fox. When she does manage to catch him, she does not get to put him in prison. Instead, she ends up working with him chasing down other criminals.

Nicholas Fox is an international thief, with a twist. He is the tenth man on the FBI’s Most Wanted list. Nick has the heart of a conman, he just can’t seem to help himself. He reminded me of Robert Wagner in It Takes A Thief. Bad, hot and irresistible. He will be teaming up with Kate.

The peripheral characters are unique and quirky, especially her father. I found myself loving them all, well, almost. Who would be your “hero”?

You’ll travel around the world and back again in search of a rare stolen Chinese artifact, as Nick and Kate do their own little dance. I can’t help but think they will end up together, but as yet, Janet and Lee are keeping them apart.

Their snarky banter is fun and highly entertaining. I love the mix of humor and mystery.

The story goes so much deeper than protagonist and antagonist. The sexual innuendo is so thick at times, you can cut it with a knife.

This is a quick, light read with romance and thrills that will keep you reading long into the night.

Cinch up your seat belt because it’s going to be a bumpy ride.

4 Stars – Would Highly Recommend To Others

SYNOPSIS

Janet Evanovich and Lee Goldberg, New York Times bestselling authors of The Heist, return in this action-packed, exciting adventure featuring master con artist Nicolas Fox and die-hard FBI agent Kate O’Hare. And this time around, things go from hot to nuclear when government secrets are on the line.

Internationally renowned thief and con artist Nicolas Fox is famous for running elaborate and daring scams. His greatest con of all: convincing the FBI to team him up with the only person who has ever caught him, and the only woman to ever capture his attention, Special Agent Kate O’Hare. Together they’ll go undercover to swindle and catch the world’s most wanted—and untouchable—criminals.

Their newest target is Carter Grove, a former White House chief of staff and the ruthless leader of a private security agency. Grove has stolen a rare Chinese artifact from the Smithsonian, a crime that will torpedo U.S. relations with China if it ever becomes public. Nick and Kate must work under the radar—and against the clock—to devise a plan to steal the piece back. Confronting Grove’s elite assassins, Nick and Kate rely on the skills of their ragtag crew, including a flamboyant actor, a Geek Squad techie, and a band of AARP-card-carrying mercenaries led by none other than Kate’s dad.

A daring heist and a deadly chase lead Nick and Kate from Washington, D.C., to Shanghai, from the highlands of Scotland to the underbelly of Montreal. But it’ll take more than death threats, trained henchmen, sleepless nights, and the fate of a dynasty’s priceless heirloom to outsmart Fox and O’Hare.

ABOUT THE AUTHORS

Janet Evanovich is the #1 New York Times bestselling author of the Stephanie Plum series, the Lizzy and Diesel series, twelve romance novels, the Alexandra Barnaby novels and Trouble Maker graphic novel, and How I Write: Secrets of a Bestselling Author, as well as the Fox and O’Hare series with co-author Lee Goldberg.

Goodreads / Website / Twitter / Facebook / Pinterest / G+ / You Tube

New York Times Bestselling author Lee Goldberg is a two-time Edgar Award and two-time Shamus Award nominee whose many TV writing and/or producing credits include “Martial Law,” “SeaQuest,” “Diagnosis Murder,””Hunter,” “Spenser: For Hire,” “Nero Wolfe,” “Missing.” “Monk” and “The Glades.” He’s also the author of the Fox & O’Hare series with Janet Evanovich (The Heist, The Chase, The Job), “The Walk,” “Watch Me Die,” “King City,” the “Dead Man” series, as well as the “Diagnosis Murder” and “Monk” series of original mystery novels.

Goodreads / Website / Twitter / Facebook / G+ / Pinterest / You Tube

Click on the cover to get your Amazon* copy now.

~~~~~~~~~~~~

To see all my Reviews, go HERE.

To see all my Giveaways, go HERE.

If you like what you see, why don’t you follow me?

Look on the right sidebar and let’s talk.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

I have recently joined tsu.

If you are a member too, please stop by and follow. I will follow back.

Thanks for stopping by fundinmental!

Review ~ A Zombie Trilogy by Anthony Renfro

Posted on January 5, 2015 by fundinmental

I had meant to do separate posts in 2014 for these fantastic holiday zombie stories, but time got away from me.

I was really excited Anthony Renfro gave me a copy of A Zombie Trilogy to read.

What do zombies do for the holidays?

Let’s start with A Zombie Thanksgiving and find out, shall we?

A Zombie Thanksgiving by Anthony Renfro

Dawn went to the market, shopping for her holiday feast. She had to walk over the dead bodies and kill a couple zombies to get to the “goodies”. The blood, guts and nauseating smells didn’t even phase her. She missed the simple things, like a run through Raleigh on a cool crisp fall day, but those days were done.I was so hoping she would find the turkey to finish off the feast for the small band of survivors. She risked her life to try and have one “normal” day. What would you risk? 4 Stars for this short and wonderful feel good story for a thankful time of year.

A Zombie Christmas by Anthony Renfro

The zombie tried to take off with Rudolf and he wasn’t going to allow it. It’s the little things that keep us sane and we all have a point in our lives, where enough is enough. A Zombie Christmas is comical and horrible at the same time. Can you picture zombie carolers singing Silent Night and Frosty? In times of trouble, there are those who stand up and give of themselves, expecting nothing in return. 4 Stars for this short and heartwarming Christmas story.

A Zombie New Year by Anthony Renfro

A girl on her own, trying to survive not only zombies, but men of the human (?) kind and a ghost too. Could you do it? At times I felt sorry for Joe, other times I felt he deserves whatever he gets. Joe and Becky had gotten separated during the zombie attack. They had shouted to meet where the acorn dropped on New Year’s Eve. Who would show? Or would either make it? 4 Stars for this horribly sweet short story of love and hope.

A Vampire Christmas by Anthony Renfro

How about a bonus story. We don’t want to forget about the vampires at holiday time, do we? Ever meet a Parrothead vampire? How about a vampire who’s favorite time of year is Christmas? Do they decorate trees with lots of blinking, sparkling lights? He decorated his casket with tinsel. He looked 25, dressed in jeans and work boots. He would have played music if he felt no one would hear. His favorite song is Margaritaville. Discovering Christmas had changed his feeding pattern. Now he chose mostly those who deserved it. He should have met up with the thugs who intended to rape Becky in A Zombie New Year. He even listened to music in his coffin with an mp3 player. I love him and the humorous writing of Anthony Renfro. 5 Star for this fun vampire short story.

This is a wonderful collection of short stories for the holidays, or any time, that I would love to buy for all my friends and family.

.
I chose this version of Margaritaville, because Jimmy Buffet did this benefit concert for the Gulf Coast after the BP oil spill.

ABOUT ANTHONY RENFRO

Anthony Renfro lives in Apex, North Carolina. He is a reader, writer, runner, husband, father, and stay at home dad – one of the toughest jobs anyone could ever do. He was born in Bristol, Tennessee, and is a graduate of UNC-Greensboro.

You can find him at many spots on the web, but if you really need to find his center in the social media storm it would be at his blog, apoetryjourney.wordpress.com.

Now reach out, just beyond the light, right into that big black space, and let him take your hand on a journey into cold dark places. You will be scared, and you may even be terrified, but in the end you might just find you liked the ride.

Find him on:

Blog ~ Goodreads

~~~~~~~~~~~~

To see all my Reviews, go HERE.

To see all my Giveaways, go HERE.

If you like what you see, why don’t you follow me?

Look on the right sidebar and let’s talk.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Thanks for visiting fundinmental!

Crater Lake is under siege – Dinosaur Lake II: Dinosaurs Arising by Kathryn Meyer Griffith

Posted on January 2, 2015 by fundinmental

Kathryn Meyer Griffith is a prolific writer of some awesome books and I believe she will have another hit with Dinosaur Lake II: Dinosaurs Arising.

I love creature stories and these dinosaurs look wickedly mean.

I can hardly wait to get my hands on Dinosaurs Arising.

I have read Dinosaur Lake, Book I and loved it. Look below for the fantastic cover and 5 Star review!

Dinosaur Lake II: Dinosaurs Arising

Kathryn Meyer Griffith (Author), Dawne Dominique (Illustrator)

SYNOPSIS

Henry Shore has been Chief Park Ranger at Crater Lake National Park for thirteen years now and thought the days when he’d had to fight a rogue dinosaur that lived in the caves below the lake were long over.

.
Until one of his park rangers, to save a visitor’s life, is in a deadly struggle out in the woods with a new breed of dinosaur worse than the last one. It’s as big as a man, but this one is a young one. And growing.

.
Then more of the creatures begin to show up everywhere, threatening people and destroying the tranquility and safety of his beloved park.
A tourist trolley filled with fifteen people is snatched up off the crater’s rim by another version of the younger one…but this one has grown into a giant with fangs, claws and a deadly tail.

.
And this one has wings.

.
Ugly Gargoyles, Henry calls them.

.
For this one isn’t alone.

.
They’re flying beyond the park’s boundaries into the neighboring towns.

.
So Henry, with the help of his son-in-law, a paleontologist named Justin, and a band of brave park rangers, and a few good soldiers, must not only protect his park and his people from monsters once more but find their lair and destroy it and them before the creatures kill again.

~~~~~~~~~~~~

Dinosaur Lake, Book I by Kathryn Meyer Griffith

MY REVIEW

Creature Dines on Crater Lake Smorgasbord

Crater Lake was formed by a volcano. When Mount Masama erupted, it left a caldera. It filled with rain and snow, making it into the lake it is today.

Henry’s friend and fellow ranger, George Redcrow, thought it was warming since the earthquake two years ago. They both wondered what damage had been done under the lake.

While showing tourists the lake, another earthquake hit. Henry looked around for any damage. He loved dinosaurs. He read all the Godzilla and Jurassic Park books, so when he spotted the bones, he thought he would come back later and check them out. They looked too big for a bear.

In the morning, Henry ran into George. George told him he had been out to the island and found a lot of carcasses. They were surrounded by monster sized tracks that looked like nothing he had ever seen before. Henry thought back to yesterday. A woman had been telling him about her friend that had visited the Park the year before. Her friend had told her she saw the Loch Ness monster in the lake.

Henry called in a Paleontologist from John Day Fossil Beds National Monument. Dr. Justin Maltin introduced himself to Henry and told him he didn’t know what kind of bones they were. He had never seen fossils like these, ever. Justin talked about his concern for any damage under the lake. They agreed to meet for dinner to discuss the situation further.

Justin told Henry the water temp was still rising and there was ongoing volcanic activity. It was not inconceivable that it could destroy the Park. What upset him the most was a huge track he had found. If it were real, it was from a creature he had never seen before.

Justin believed that dinosaurs were extinct because they couldn’t coexist with humans. Some were just too vicious. Think of King Kong and what happened to him. Or the dinosaurs in Jurassic Park.

With all the changes around the lake due to the earthquake, could it be possible?

If so, where did it live? How would they find it? What would they do once they did find it?

I found the book full of suspense and anticipation. The writing led me into the story and never let me go. The book was so good, I didn’t want to quit reading. What was going to happen? What were they going to do? I started reading it too late, otherwise I would have read it straight through.

It captured enough details of the characters daily activities to allow me to imagine their lives and know them as if they were my neighbors. I like that it included things about the current economy and joblessness. It seems I am reading a lot of books that talk about current events. It makes the stories seem real to me.

Henry and Justin were both concerned about damage to the park when the news came out. What would happen to the Park when it was invaded by seekers of the creature? Americans are known in other countries as being rude and crude, disrespectful of the environments around them.

Henry calls it Godzilla. I love it. Some of my best weekend afternoons have been spent watching cheesy B rated monster shows. I think they are a blast to watch and I find I get into the books even more so. If there is a creature on the cover, I want the book. I am rarely disappointed.

They search the caves for a voracious meat-eater – Jack in the Box.

I loved the book and look forward to reading more from this author.

I received this book in return for an honest and unbiased review.

5 STARS – Would Buy It For Them (lol)

Check out this awesome cover. Doesn’t it make you want to dive right in?

Click on the cover below to get your Amazon copy of Dinosaur Lake I or II by Kathryn Meyer Griffith.

~~~~~~~~~~~~

To see all my Reviews, go HERE.

To see all my Giveaways, go HERE.

If you like what you see, why don’t you follow me?

Look on the right sidebar and let’s talk.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Thanks for visiting fundinmental!

A One Way Ticket To Dead by D V Berkom Review & Giveaway

Posted on November 11, 2014 by fundinmental

The Kate Jones Thriller series is quickly becoming one of my favorites.

A One Way Ticket To Dead picks up where Yucatan Dead left off, but they can be read in any order.

Read my 5 Star review for Yucatan Dead here.

D V Berkom sure can pick a cover. I love them all.

Almost as much as I love the stories inside.

Be sure and enter the giveaway at the end of the post.

Paperback, 284 pages

Published March 20th 2014 by Createspace (first published March 6th 2014)

ISBN -149737765X (ISBN13: 9781497377653)

4.9 out of 5 stars – 21 reviews on Amazon

Cover – Kim Killion from the Killion Group

SYNOPSIS

After years of running from her ex-a vicious Mexican drug lord-and his subsequent death, Kate Jones is ready to bury the past and try to piece together a new normal. But first there’s a loose end to tie and it involves digging up old ghosts that are best left alone.

Unaware her actions have attracted the notice of a powerful enemy Kate is plunged into a deadly fight for survival, as both her life and the lives of the children of a man she once loved hang in the balance. And, with the possibility of an informant inside the DEA, she doesn’t know who she can trust.

From the emerald green shores of Seattle to the lush Yucatan jungle and unforgiving Sonoran desert, Kate Jones must once again face her past…and hope she survives.

MY REVIEW of A One Way Ticket To Dead by D V Berkom

D V Berkom asked me if I wanted to read A One Way Ticket to Dead. I had just finished reading Yucatan Dead and had met Kate while she was tearing through the jungle on a mission. I loved Yucatan Dead, so of course, I jumped all over A One Way Ticket To Dead. I was ecstatic when the package arrived and I opened it. Take a gander at this sweeeeet cover. Blood, guns and money, oh my. 😆

I must confess that the book stared at me for a few days before I gave in and said OK already. I love holding the pretty book in my hand, turning the paper pages instead of virtual ones. 🙂

We are going on another adventure with Kate. If you don’t know her, let me tell you a little bit about her. She had been young and impulsive when she made the biggest mistake of her life. She had been paying for it for ten years and so had anyone who befriended her. She had been kidnapped and chased through the Mexican jungle in Yucatan Dead and I knew it couldn’t be over yet. YAY!

I began reading the series out of order and you can to, but if this is your first DV Berkom novel, you might as well start at the beginning. I love these so much, I am sure I will work my way through them all.

My anticipation and tensions are high. I’m waiting for something to happen, you know, the proverbial shoe to drop.

In A One Way Ticket To Dead, Kate goes back for the stash of money she had stolen from the drug lord. They thought she was dead, she had been cautious, changing her appearance and keeping a low profile. She thought this would be her last trip here and she was happy for it. She’s determined to change her life. It’s time to lay all her cards on the table and hope the truth will win out.

But, she was wrong. She brought doom to all those close to her. Kate was determined to finish this, once and for all, to get Cole’s, her new husband, kids back come hell or high water.

I love the hint of Alaskan shamanism heritage. It adds that extra element that takes a book to a higher level.

Why would she jump from a perfectly good airplane? HALO 21,000 feet High altitude low opening . I am terrified just thinking about and so was she.

A One Way Ticket To Dead is my favorite kind of book. A fast paced adventure of a thrill ride. The suspense builds from page one, when I found her back in Mexico, and never let up. The sex and romance is light and the action heavy. Perfect.

DV Berkom knows how to create tension and suspense in a simple yet masterful way. Her writing flows smoothly and the pacing kept me turning the pages, unable to put the book down.

I’m wondering where HE is – Quinn. I feel sure he will make another appearance and I can hardly wait to see him again.

The fortune teller told her – Danger surrounds you. Be certain of your enemies even more so of your friends. You will soon have reason to fear.

5 Stars – Would Buy It For Others (lol)

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

DV Berkom is a slave to the voices in her head. As the author of two popular thriller series (Leine Basso and Kate Jones), her love of creating resilient, kick-*ss female characters stems from a lifelong addiction to reading spy novels, mysteries, and thrillers, and longing to find the female equivalent within those pages.

Raised in the Midwest, she received her BA in political science from the University of Minnesota and promptly moved to Mexico to live on a sailboat. Many, many cross-country moves (and several years) later, she now lives just outside of Seattle, Washington with the love of her life, Mark, an ex-chef-turned contractor, and writes every chance she gets.

For more information, please visit her website at www.dvberkom.com.

Facebook / Twitter / Blog / Pinterest / Amazon US / Amazon UK/ Newsletter

Author Pages

Amazon / Smashwords / Barnes & Noble / itunes / Kobo

The Kate Jones Thriller Series, Vol. 1 box set (includes the 1st four novellas in the series).

(The Kate Jones Thriller Series, Vol. 2 includes Cruising for Death (#5), YD, and AOWTTD, all for $8.99 (bought separately they would be 12.99)

Check out all these beautiful covers for the Kate Jones thrillers by DV Berkom.

~~~~~~~~~~~~

GIVEAWAY

D V Berkom is offering for the giveaway two (2) ebooks of each novel, Yucatan Dead and A One Way Ticket to Dead. The novels can stand alone. Entry is easy. International.

Which book would you like and why?

Giveaway runs from November 11 – December 2, 2014.

~~~~~~~~~~~~

To see all my Reviews, go HERE.

To see all my Giveaways, go HERE.

If you like what you see, why don’t you follow me?

Look on the right sidebar and let’s talk.

~~~~~~~~~~~~

Thank you for visiting fundinmental.

To comment, please sign in through your favorite social media.

This will only need to be done once.

Don’t Turn Off The Lights – Night Terror by Jeff Gunhus

Posted on October 30, 2014 by fundinmental

Welcome to my stop for Jeff Gunhus’s Night Terror, Book II of the trilogy.

I read Night Chills, Book I and new this was a series I would follow to the end.

Each page I turned made me wonder what Jeff Gunhus’ dreams must be like.

The cover is so appropriate for spooktacular Halloween.

Title: Night Terror
Author: Jeff Gunhus
Publisher: Seven Guns Press
Pages: 400
Genre: Supernatural Thriller/Horror
Format: Kindle

Purchase at AMAZON

Ten years after her abduction and near-sacrifice to the Source, Sarah Tremont struggles to be a normal teenager. As much as she’s tried to suppress the power inside of her, it’s grown dangerously strong and has drawn the attention of those who want to possess her power for themselves.

The nightmare that she thought was long over starts again as powerful forces descend upon Prescott City to seek her out. With her parents and Joseph Lonetree’s help, Sarah must stand up to an evil much more powerful than the one she faced in the caves a decade earlier. But in the end, she discovers the greatest danger might come from the power living inside of her.

MY REVIEW

Spoiler alert – Book II of the trilogy

Book I Night Chills. See my review here.

Night Terror starts out with a gruesome and horrifying description of Charlie’s death, making me prepare myself for a frightening and terrifying ride into the unknown evil. I am really looking forward to getting my scare on.

I was surprised at the horrible action from the very beginning, but I rubbed my hands with wicked glee and a gleam in my eye. I want to be terrified, hanging on every work, rapidly turning pages, having to know…to know what comes next.

Lonetree loved fighting the evil that roamed his world, but not Jack. When Jack saw Lonetree, he knew the news had to be bad.

Jack saved his family once with Lonetree’s help, but you kill one evil and another rises in its place. Would he be able to do it again?

Sarah could look into others minds. She did her best to control it. At times it seemed as if it wasn’t her, but someone else making her do things. The threat is back and the danger is real. And they are after Sarah.

“…We can go to the police…”

“…And tell them what? That your daughter with psychic powers is being hunted by a horde of semi immortal cannibals…”

They had been lulled into complacency, feeling as if the danger was over, then a new evil reared its ugly head, a new threat that must be stopped. They are back to where it all started and it makes me wonder when it will end and who will be left standing.

The characters are real to me, as familiar as a long lost friend. I missed them and their struggle to fulfill their desires and save their souls? Sarah’s growth throughout her ordeal is believable and I had a lot of feeling for her. I worried, was scared, was proud and I felt confident she would come out stronger than ever.

Jeff Gunhus’s ability to create tension that builds throughout the story is amazing. The world he builds is so clear it is as if I am there. As I near the end, I am sitting on the edge of my seat, my fingers gripping my Kindle tightly, and my expectations run rampant. I keep thinking the end must be here, but he adds this and that and takes me on a roller coaster ride of terror that won’t let me go.

I love this trilogy…and we know it’s not over. So, Jeff, where is Book III?

I received this ARC in return for an honest and unbaised review.

5 Stars – Would Buy It For Others (lol)

EXCERPT

The woman didn’t look evil, but there was no better word to describe her. Charlie Winters would wonder later how he could have missed sensing her earlier than he did. It was equivalent to normal people walking halfway through a field only to look down and find themselves thigh-deep in a pile of rotting animal carcasses, the stench hitting them like a wave. After retching their stomach contents, they would question both their senses and their sanity. How could they have missed such a smell? How could they have not felt their feet sinking into the liquefied soft tissue?

Charlie’s senses were better than a normal person’s. Way better.

It had started when he was only a baby, a fact he knew because he still remembered every second of this life since the moment of his birth. It was a long time before he understood that such a memory was not a normal thing. Other people, normal humans, could not remember the first feeding at their mother’s breast. The hot pain of circumcision. The first glimpse of sunlight as they left the hospital. So many firsts, memories as clear to Charlie as what he’d had for breakfast that day.

Inside those memories, the echoes and shadows of his other unusual senses lingered. The ability to sense emotion. To pick up on intention. Sometimes these abilities strengthened what he observed in the physical world. His grandparents’ cooing excitement over him matched an internal warmth that felt the same as sunshine. His father’s thoughtful stares mirrored Charlie’s sense that his dad would do anything to protect him, to provide for him. Even if there was an undercurrent of trepidation that vibrated like a single out-of-tune string on a guitar, the other intentions drowned it out and gave Charlie a sense of comfort. This was very different from his mother, whose kind smiles and soft features once masked a nearly constant desire to kill him.

Her thoughts alternated between putting a pillow over his head or dropping him down the basement stairs. In darker moments, when his father was gone overnight for a business trip, she would consider carving up her child with a knife. Even going as far as pulling a cleaver from the block and slowly running her sweaty palm down the length of the blade. She never did this in front of him, but that was part of his gift. He could see through her eyes. Feel her emotions. Know her dark intentions. And understand that the threat of violence was very, very real.

But as much as she fantasized about it, his mother didn’t kill him. In fact, she never so much as laid a finger on him in anger. Slowly, over time, the dark thoughts faded, and the light inside his mother came to match her soft eyes and the beautiful mouth that sang to him and called him sunshine. A normal person might never have been able to forget the darkness and might never have trusted the woman who once considered taking a ball-peen hammer to his forehead, but he wasn’t normal people. He was special. And it was that specialness that showed him the truth in her absolute love for him once the veils of shadows had fallen away from her like someone passing through heavy curtains.

Much later, Charlie read about a condition called post-partum depression and understood where the dark had come from. It hadn’t been his fault. Or hers. It was the depression that spawned the evil thoughts. And he liked to think it was her love for him that pushed them back enough to keep him safe.

Even after she recovered, he could sense when she felt pangs of guilt about those days. They were like electric bolts jolting through her. When those moments happened, and they could happen at any time, he would come up and hug her, kiss her on the cheek and tell her how much he loved her. At first, she cried harder when he did it, and he sensed her guilt grow even stronger. Later, she puzzled over how he timed the affection to her thoughts. Over time, the puzzling turned to suspicion, even fear that somehow he knew. After that, like with all of his special gifts, he learned it was best to hide.

But he hadn’t hidden his powers well enough.

If he had, then the woman who called herself Mama D would never have come looking for him.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Jeff Gunhus is the author of both adult thrillers and the Middle Grade/YA series, The Templar Chronicles. The first book, Jack Templar Monster Hunter, was written in an effort to get his reluctant reader eleven-year old son excited about reading. It worked and a new series was born. His book Reaching Your Reluctant Reader has helped hundreds of parents create avid readers. As a father of five, he and his wife lead an active lifestyle simply trying to keep up with their kids. In rare moments of quiet, he can be found in the back of the City Dock Cafe in Annapolis working on his next novel.

His latest book is the thriller/horror novel, Night Terror.

For More Information

Visit Jeff Gunhus’ website.
Connect with Jeff on Facebook and Twitter.
More books by Jeff Gunhus.
Contact Jeff.
Discuss this book at PUYB Virtual Book Club at Goodreads.

Click on the covers below to get your Jeff Gunhus amazon copy now.

~~~~~~~~~~~~

To see all my Reviews, go HERE.

To see all my Giveaways, go HERE.

If you like what you see, why don’t you follow me?

Look on the right sidebar and let’s talk.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Thanks for visiting fundinmental!

To comment, please sign in through your favorite social media.

This will only need to be done once. May need approval.

Horror to the Nth Degree – Crawl by Edward Lorn – Review

Posted on October 23, 2014 by fundinmental

Edward Lorn is a prolific writer of some of the most original and frightening horror novels.

Crawl by Edward Lorn is not what I expected, but OMG, so much more.

His covers and titles foreshadow what is between the pages.

If you love horror, this is an author you want to add to your reading list.

SYNOPSIS

You’re out in the middle of nowhere.

You’ve been crippled and left for dead.

There’s something in the woods.

It’s coming.

There’s only one thing you can do…

CRAWL

MY REVIEW

Colton did bad and bad was gonna bite him. He had betrayed Juliet and I thought this was about Karma biting him back.

Boy was I wrong, or this is the most twisted form of Karma I have ever seen.

Edward took this in a very shocking direction that I never saw coming. I am amazed and delighted by my surprise.

Saying I was caught off guard is putting it too mildly.

I do not want to give anything away, so I have few details to give you. But I will share my thoughts and feelings about Crawl as I read it, twice.

It went from spine tingling and hair raising fear to paralyzing terror and I loved every minute of it.

I think that may say something about me. 😆

I am not a masochist or a psychopath, I just love to be freaked out.

I love to find an author whose writing is so creative and at such a high level that their story stays with me long after I have finished reading it.

OMG, the horror!

I saw no reason for these things to happen.

Evil saw, evil wanted and that’s that.

Crawl is a paranormal horror novel that will have you cringing at Edward Lorn’s description of the torture.

The hair was raised on the back of my neck, chills ran down my spine and I shivered with dread for what was coming next.

I could not see the end coming and it was worse than I imagined.

I could not help myself. I went back and reread this short story while I was writing this review.

Because of all the wonderfully horrific surprises Edward had for me, right to the very end, I must give this 5 Stars!

I got this book on a free Amazon day. My thanks go out to Edward Lorn.

5 Stars – Would Buy It For Others (lol)

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Edward Lorn is an American horror author presently residing in the southeast United States. He enjoys storytelling, reading, and writing biographies in the third person.

Once upon a time, during a session of show and tell, a seven-year-old Edward Lorn shared with his class that his baby brother had died over the weekend. His classmates, the teacher included, wept while he recounted the painful tragedy of having lost a sibling. Edward went home that day and found an irate mother waiting for him. Edward’s teacher had called to express her condolences. This was unfortunate, as Edward had never had a baby brother.

With advice given to her by a frustrated teacher, Edward’s mother made him start writing all of his lies down. The rest, as they say, is history.

Edward Lorn and his wife are raising two children, along with a handful of outside cats and a beagle named Dot. He remains a liar to this day. The only difference is, now he’s a useful one.

STALK EDWARD LORN

Goodreads / Website / Twitter

~~~~~~~~~~~~

MY REVIEW for Dastardly Bastard

MY REVIEW for Life After Dane

To pick up a copy from Amazon, simply click on the cover.

~~~~~~~~~~~~

To see all my Reviews, go HERE.

To see all my Giveaways, go HERE.

If you like what you see, why don’t you follow me?

Look on the right sidebar and let’s talk.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Was this review helpful? If so, please consider voting for it on Amazon or like it on GoodReads!

Thanks for visiting fundinmental!

To comment, please sign in through your favorite social media.

This will only need to be done once. May need approval.

Zombie Humor – Unfed by Kirsty McKay – Review

Posted on October 21, 2014 by fundinmental

Zombies beware, Bobby is in town.

Me thinks the cover speaks for itself.

Unfed by Kirsty McKay

This is Book II, but I jumped right in and was off and running on a wild adventure with Bobby and her gang.

This young adult zombie novel is a bit different from the norm. It is funny and snarky in a sick way and I had a great time reading it.

Zombie hordes and teenage heroes run AMOK in quarantined Scotland. How did the zombies come to be? Why are they so different from a normal zombie? (Is there such a thing?) They seem to be able to think and figure things out for themselves, albeit slowly.

I loved when Bobby was running and jumping from pipe to pipe like a gymnast above the zombies head. Will she fall? What do you think? I can picture them all on the hospital gurney, barreling down the hospital corridor, plowing through the zombies as they fly right and left, not even bothering to try to get out of the way. There is plenty of blood, guts and body parts flying to satisfy zombie lovers everywhere.

I love Bobby and hate Alice, the whiny pretty girl that never has a hair out of place. Bobby is more of a tomboy. She doesn’t need protecting, she’ll do it herself. Alice is quite the trip. She does nothing but complain. She is not like the innocent Alice in wonderland. But I do wonder about her. Sometimes the one you love to hate can surprise you. Zombinos – kid zombies. Lol

Unfed is well written, fast paced and hilariously funny. Kirsty described the characters so well, I could picture them in my head. And the zombies, well, you will have to find out for yourself. Oh yeah, Kirsty. I hope you are rapidly writing the next book, because I have to know what the future has in store for our teenager heroes.

I won this ARC paperback in a Box o Books giveaway on the Tiffany Loves Books blog. I love adding books to my collection. Thanks Tiffany and Kirsty.

5 Stars – Would Buy It for Others (lol)

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Stalk Kirsty McKay: Blog / Goodreads / Twitter / Facebook

~~~~~~~~~~~~

Click on the covers below to get your Amazon copy of Undead or Unfed by Kirsty McKay.

~~~~~~~~~~~~

To see all my Reviews, go HERE.

To see all my Giveaways, go HERE.

If you like what you see, why don’t you follow me?

Look on the right sidebar and let’s talk.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Was this review helpful? If so, please consider voting for it on Amazon or like it on GoodReads!

Thanks for visiting fundinmental!

To comment, please sign in through your favorite social media.

This will only need to be done once.

Teaser Tuesday #24 – Poetic Words of…. Life Under Examination by A T Glazki

Posted on September 23, 2014 by fundinmental

Teaser Tuesdays is a weekly bookish meme, hosted by MizB of Should Be Reading.

Anyone can play along! Just do the following:

• Grab your current read

• Open to a random page.

•Share two (2) “teaser” sentences from somewhere on that page

• BE CAREFUL NOT TO INCLUDE SPOILERS! (make sure that what you share doesn’t give too much away! You don’t want to ruin the book for others!)

• Share the title & author, too, so that other TT participants can add the book to their TBR Lists if they like your teasers!

~~~~~~

I have a backlog of reviews owed to some very patient authors.

I am determined to catch up before the year is out, so I hope you don’t mind if I share them on my Teaser Tuesday from time to time.

~~~~~~

This cover is so exquisite in it’s simplicity that I marvel at it’s beauty every time I look at it.

The colors are lush and vibrant, just like Life.

I love to photograph benches, chairs and seats.

I find the combination of ingredients for the Life Under Examination cover is spectacular.

***get you Amazon affiliate copy here***

~~~~~~

About Life Under Examination

~Blogger Book Fair Reader’s Choice Award Winner! (Summer 2013)~

Life Under Examination is a collection of poetry exploring the gamut of interpersonal relationships, with a blend of lighthearted satire and earnest, emotional expression.

MY REVIEW

In school, my favorite subject was English, but poetry was not high on the list.

I cannot say that I have read and reviewed a lot of poetry, but I know what I like.

And I like Life Under Examination by Aria T Galzki.

I guess that adage is true – with age comes wisdom.

I used to have to work really hard to get the message from poetry.

Now it seems easier and touches me more.

I am including THE ROSE by Bette Midler, a heart wrenching and uplifting song that brings tears to my eyes.

I do so because Aria’s poem Unexamined Rose brought it to mind.

What song evokes strong emotions from you?

Some of my favorite poems are:

Otherworldly Remedy

In words full of magic, you’ll forget and forgive.

Commercialized Love

Why can’t we show our love and always buy flowers.

I love that line because Mr Wonderful brought me home some flowers just yesterday.

He does that quite often…because he’s Mr Wonderful. 😉

Every day is a special day.

Do something special for someone without it being a holiday.

I won a signed first edition paperback on Aria T Glazki’s blog.

I love adding it to my collection.

Due to the strong emotions this book of poetry brought forth, I give it:

5 Stars – Would Buy It for Them (lol)

~~~~~~

WHAT HAS ARIA T GLAZKI BEEN UP TO?

Here she is to tell you:

Here it is — the cover for my very own novel, Mending Heartstrings.

I would absolutely love to hear your thoughts and reactions in the comments!

Please of course feel free to share this.

Thanks to Xpresso Book Tours for organizing this reveal!

MENDING HEARTSTRINGS

by Aria Glazki

Release Date: December 2, 2014

Swoon Romance

Kane’s a country singer who’s tangled with too many deceitful women. He’s learned his lesson: girls are for flirting and fun; emotions are for his music. But after spending a night with an earnest woman unlike any he’s known, he can’t force her out of his mind. So he goes in search of the woman he knows only as “Elle.”

On her last night in Nashville, the staunchly pragmatic Sabella found herself in a situation more suited to a romance novel than reality. Swept away, she ignored her rigidly self-imposed rules, succumbing to the fantasy just this once. But she knows real-world relationships have nothing in common with their fictionalized portrayals. When Kane unexpectedly shows up at her Portland apartment, she must choose between the practical truths she has learned and the desire for a passionate love she has struggled to suppress.

Despite the distance, Kane’s tour schedule, and their meddling friends, both are drawn to the chance for a romance neither quite believes is possible.

~~~~~~

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Aria’s writing story started when her seventh-grade English teacher encouraged her to submit a class assignment for publication. That piece was printed, and let’s just say, she was hooked!

Since then, Aria has run a literary magazine, earned her degree in Creative Writing (as well as in French and Russian literatures), and been published in a few collections. Though her first kiss technically came from a bear cub, and no fairytale transformation followed, Aria still believes magic can happen when the right people come together – if they don’t get in their own way, that is.
Other than all things literary, Aria loves spending time with her family, including her two unbearably adorable nieces. She also dabbles in painting, dancing, playing violin, and, given the opportunity, Epicureanism.

Goodreads / Blog / Twitter / Facebook

~~~~~~~~~~~~

To see all my Reviews, go HERE.

To see all my Giveaways, go HERE.

If you like what you see, why don’t you follow me?

Look on the right sidebar and let’s talk.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Was this review helpful? If so, please consider voting for it on Amazon or like it on GoodReads!

Thanks for visiting fundinmental!