SHE Was His Obsession – Fyre and Ash by Logan Fox #LoganFox #FyreandAsh

Posted on October 23, 2023 by fundinmental

I got a copy of the complete series of Fyre and Ash by Logan Fox through Booksprout. Thank you Logan Fox and Booksprout for the opportunity to read and review Fyre and Ash.

MY REVIEW

I am reviewing each book individually and the collection as a whole.

Healing was my obsession… until *she* walked into my classroom.

I must confess, I love a good villain as much or more than a good hero. I find them fascinating. Both characters Fyre and Charlotte Ash have tragic pasts, but once Charlotte is in Fyre’s sights…I love that she fought him, regardless of the attraction. She knew it was wrong as he forced himself upon her. There are many triggers, so…if you don’t like diving into the depths of depravity in an erotic thriller that has no boundaries, step aside. This isn’t for you.

Animated Animals. Pictures, Images and Photos — 3 Stars

The action ramps up and the danger rises for Charlotte Ash. Fyre has enemies and will use any means necessary to draw him in. We meet Arrow, Fyre’s faithful companion, who takes an immediate liking to Charlotte. We come to a point where all hell breaks loose and, well, I can’t say much more or I feel I will give too much away. I will tell you, the ending of this novella had me screaming, “No, no, no, no, no,” at my ereader. Logan Fox, what are you doing to me? I am so glad that I have the rest of the story, sitting here, waiting for me to take the next step. First, a breath of fresh air to brace myself for what is to come.

Boy, did Under Fyre end on a low note, so I am eager to begin Catching Fyre. Definitely an appropriate name, because someone’s going to burn. We learn how and why Fyre becomes a serial killer and there is so much to his story. I begin to look at him like another ‘villain’ I love so much, Mr Mayhem, from Sue Coletta’s Mayhem series. Things are not always as they appear to be and the saying: Don’t judge a book by it’s cover applies to Fyre. I have grown to love him and Charlotte and I am shocked at where we end up. Well done, Logan.

MY REVIEW FOR FYRE AND ASH: THE COMPLETE COLLECTION

For those girls who openly root for the hero…while fantasizing about the villain.

Each book starts with a Playlist and I was very curious what music inspired Logan Fox for these novellas.

I love for an author to take me to the dark side and wallow in depravity. I find myself smiling and laughing, all too often, so I am glad this is fiction and not real life. What does this say about me? That I love an author that can take me out of my comfort zone, have me squirming in more ways than one. The perverse and twisted characters reach a climax that made me hate it when I read the last sentence…until I found there was a bonus epilogue.

I’m not sure why I didn’t give this a five star rating. I think because it felt rushed? Like something was missing, but I don’t know what. I don’t think it could have taken me to a deeper, darker place. And, as far as healing her…or himself…I will definitely be checking out more of Logan Fox’s work. Shee hits all my discomfort zones. LOL

GOODREADS BLURB

Healing was my obsession…until she walked into my classroom.

For years, my art therapy classes have provided solace to trauma survivors.
I’ve never questioned my motives before. Then her file crosses my desk.
Charlotte Ash.
Battered. Bruised. Broken.
The devil who kidnapped her put this girl through seven days of hell before she could escape.
The torture she suffered shows in her dead eyes. Eyes that brighten with hope when our gazes lock.
She’s drawn to me.
And I’m obsessed with her.
I’m her teacher, but instead of healing her, I’m stalking her.
Instead of distancing myself, I’m watching her sleep at night.
It’s for her protection. To keep her safe from harm.
I will kill for her.
But the only monster hiding under her bed…is me.

From USA Today bestselling dark romance author, Logan Fox, comes a deliciously dark and twisted stalker romance collection. Fyre and Ash contains all three books in the series, along with exclusive bonus content.
* Playing with Fyre
* Under Fyre
* Catching Fyre
* Bonus content from the Fyre & Ash world

Trigger: This book contains graphic sex, violence, assault, abuse, murder, stalking, voyeurism, exhibitionism, knife play, breath play, primal play, age-gap, a possessive/obsessive morally grey antihero, dub-con, torture, drugs, suicide ideation, bondage, captivity, humiliation and degradation, mental illness, somnophilia. Please proceed with caution.

For fans of Haunting Adeline, That Sik Luv, and the Mindf*ck series.

Genre: Erotica, Fiction, Romance, Suspense, Thriller
314 pages, Kindle Edition
Expected publication October 26, 2023
Series: Fyre and Ash novellas

ABOUT LOGAN FOX

Logan Fox writes deliciously dark and twisted romance with damaged anti-heroes and kick-ass heroines.

Subscribe to her newsletter by heading over to her website at https://authorloganfox.com

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Not For Me – The Eight Reindeer Of The Apocalypse by Tom Holt #TheEightReindeeroftheApocalypse #NetGalley

Posted on October 21, 2023 by fundinmental

I want to thank NetGalley and Orbit Books for the opportunity to read and review The Eight Reindeer of the Apocalypse by Tom Holt. I mean look at that cover…and the title?

Amazon / Audiobook / Goodreads

MY REVIEW

Everything about The Eight Reindeer Of The Apocalypse by Tom Holt appealed to me. The great cover, the fun title and the intriguing blurb. BUT…

I had a couple of moments when I smiled but I kept trying too hard to make it work for me.

It depends what ereader I look at but I got to 1/4 to 1/3 of the way through and gave up.

Tom Holt is a prolific writer that has a lot of readers who enjoy his work, but I don’t think I am one of them. Was it the writing style? Is satire not for me? Either way, just because it didn’t work for me doesn’t mean it won’t work for you.

AMAZON SYNOPSIS

Tom Holt’s brilliantly funny new novel set in the world of The Portable Door (now a delightful movie starring Patrick Gibson, Sophie Wilde, and Christoph Waltz).

The team of commercial sorcerers at Dawson, Ahriman & Dawson can help with any metaphysical engineering project, large or small (though by definition they all tend to be pretty large).

They can also create massive great puddles of chaos that might one day swallow up the entire universe.

Take, for example, the decision to recruit a certain bearded fellow whose previous work experience mainly involves reindeer and jingle bells. It might have seemed like a good idea at the time, but is he really the best person to save the world from Tiamat the Destroyer, who has literally gone ballistic?

ABOUT TOM HOLT

Tom Holt (Thomas Charles Louis Holt) is a British novelist.
He was born in London, the son of novelist Hazel Holt, and was educated at Westminster School, Wadham College, Oxford, and The College of Law, London.
Holt’s works include mythopoeic novels which parody or take as their theme various aspects of mythology, history or literature and develop them in new and often humorous ways. He has also produced a number of “straight” historical novels writing as Thomas Holt and fantasy novels writing as K.J. Parker. You can find him at http://www.tom-holt.com

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Infotriguing – The Story That Made Us Stronger by Iris March #IrisMarch

Posted on October 20, 2023 by fundinmental

Amazon / Goodreads

MY REVIEW

It’s funny, not funny ha ha, but that odd kind of funny. I woke up at 4:30 this morning, writing the review for The Story That Made Us Stronger by Iris March, in my head. That happens sometimes, seeing my major activity these days is reading.

Most times cozy mysteries are fun, for me. A relaxing read to give me a rest from the dark and dangerous, sometimes gruesome stories I love the most. A palate cleanser, if you will. Most of the time, I give them a three rating. Not because anything is really wrong with the story, just that it is ‘sorta’ skimmed over, light, not enough meat on the bones kind of story.

Then, I read a story like The Story That Made Us Stronger by Iris March, and all the ‘events’ she hit on had me thinking, thinking so much, I found myself surfing, looking for more information, loving the way she wove the elements into the story.

We have running, cancer, stem cell replacement, a male nurse, ham radios, the Underground railroad, a message in a bottle, and a group of people brought together through unusual circumstances. I found myself unable to put the book down, and, at times, was waiting for that proverbial ‘other show to drop’, which really doesn’t happen for me in cozy mysteries. Iris March has a way of writing that gave me a suspenseful feeling, highly unusual for me in a cozy mystery.

I quickly became involved with the characters, Connor and Katie, especially, but his nieces who are soooo adorable, and the peripheral characters had such large personalities and added that extra bit, that everyone of them added those extra feels that mean to so much to us readers.

Well, this was one of those rare reviews, for me. One where I never went to my notes. I got up at 5:00 am and immediately wrote it. The story wouldn’t let me go back to sleep, soooo here we are. Maybe now, I can put the story to rest…until my next visit to an Iris March adventure that I feel sure will be an entertaing one.

GOODREADS BLURB

An abandoned building. A motivated runner. A Hodgkin’s Lymphoma cancer survivor.

Connor Jackson has been training for a half marathon for the past six weeks. Katie Brandt has been training to beat cancer for the past 50. When Connor discovers an intriguing secret in a tiny, abandoned building on his running route, Katie finds that the mystery is what she needs to help her get through her three-week stem cell replacement procedure. Together, Conner and Katie must find the strength to achieve their personal goals and, in the meantime, expose the many past lives that the tiny building led.

Genre: Cozy Mystery, Fiction, Mystery
236 pages, Paperback
Published September 27, 2002 by Wandering Ginkgo Press
ISBN
9798985918236
Language: English

ABOUT IRIS MARCH (from Amazon)

Iris March has a reputation for killing house plants and now she’s killing people off in books? Coincidence? Perhaps not. Iris has spent two decades working in the sustainability field and is usually either reading a book or on a trail. She lives in Ohio with her husband, son, and three cats. Learn more about upcoming books and sign up for her newsletter at irismarchbooks.com.

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Heart In My Throat – Defying Evil by Abbie Roads @XpressoTours @Abbie_Roads

Posted on October 19, 2023 by fundinmental

MY REVIEW

Everything about Defying Evil by Abbie Roads appealed to me, from the son of a serial killer to being obsessed with his father’s only surviving victim…and I got so much more than I bargained for. I was blown away, beginning to end, with the blood, suspense and pacing. I have never read any of Abbie’s work, until now, and I feel like I have been missing out.

To give serial killers the status of a celebrity is disgusting, and giving them a moniker gives them power and fame. I am fascinated by their reasoning, what makes them tick. But, seeing their are psychopaths, can you believe what they say?

Cain hated the sight of blood, but he needed it and no one was as good at profiled as he was. He is Triple K, Killer Killion’s Kid. Do serial killer offspring have the killer gene?

Mac is an FBI agent and his adopted dad. Cain works with him. His ‘bloodwork” puts him into the killer’s world.

When I read a book like this…and I am only on page 12, I am amazed at the words that create pictures in my mind and I wonder. I wonder how deep into their head an author goes to create such a gruesome vision… And I love it! Why have I never read any of Abbie’s work. Well, she is staying on my radar now.

Mercy…as soon as I met her, I knew she would have a special role to play (not just because of the blurb). She is a victim of his father’s, locked up in a mental ward…BUT, it is so much worse than I anticipated and my heart went out to her. I love an author that can get me so involved with her characters, so early.

Liz had been in his life since his father forced him to work at the Center where she is a nurse and Mercy is being ‘held’.

Abbie, Abbie, Abbie, that scene in Chapter 2, my heart broke and I’m terrified for Mercy.

The blurb gives nothing away and I hope I don’t either…because…if you love reading about serial killers, love being on the edge of your seat, love having your emotions functioning at such a high level you can’t control them, the…and I’m only on Chapter 3…ya gotta read this book. I found myself holding my breath, leaning forward in my chair, grasping the book with both hands, my mouth hanging open, devouring the words.

I thought I had an idea who the killer was. I was right, yet SO wrong. There is most always a glitch in a book like this, and, yes, there was, but I had to rate this a five regardless, because my heart was in my throat from beginning to end and the story unraveled at a relentless pace.

Defying Evil: A Dark Romantic Thriller
Abbie Roads
(Blood is Thicker Than…, #1)
Publication date: October 17th 2023
Genres: Adult, Romance, Thriller

He’s the son of a serial killer.
She’s his father’s only surviving victim.
He’s obsessed with her.
She’s frightened of him.
Before it’s all over they’ll need each other to survive.

Cain Killion’s life has revolved around blood. From a childhood of torture by his father, to his gruesome ability to solve crimes. When a current case is directly connected to his past, there’s only one person with answers.

But she isn’t talking, and the bodies are stacking up. The only solution… Kidnap her.

Defying Evil is the first book in the Blood is Thicker Than Series of dark romantic thrillers. It features a man tortured by his past who never thought he was capable of love. If you devour edge of your seat thrillers and romance novels, you’ll love a series that combines both in a roller-coaster ride of mind games and tragic love.

Read this dangerously dark romance today!

Trigger warning: Depictions of violence.

Previously published until the title Saving Mercy.

Goodreads / Amazon

Author Bio:

Abbie Roads is the best-selling author of the Fatal Dreams Series and the Fatal Truth Series. Her novels have been finalists in many prestigious contests including The Golden Heart, The Greater Detroit Booksellers Best, The Oklahoma National Readers’ Choice Award, The Write Touch, The Strut Your Stuff Contest, The Aspen Gold Contest, The Gayle Wilson Award of Excellence, The Heart of Excellence Readers’ Choice Award, The Midnight Sun, The Kathryn Hayes Contest, The Chanticleer, The Daphne du Maurier, The National Readers’ Choice Award, The New England Readers’ Choice Contest, The Beverly Award, and The Maggie Award. Her debut novel Race the Darkness was Publishers Weekly Top 10 Pick for Fall and Never Let Me Fall is an Amazon Editor’s Pick.

By day Abbie Roads is a mental health counselor always focusing on the bright side. By night she writes on the dark side, putting her characters through the wringer before she gives them their happily-ever-after. She loves a good inspirational quote and is a fan of true crime.

Website / Goodreads / Facebook / Twitter / Instagram

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Giveaway & Review – Her Secret Protector by Bonnie Vanak @dollycas

Posted on October 19, 2023 by fundinmental

Her Secret Protector (SOS Agency) by Bonnie Vanak

About Her Secret Protector

Her Secret Protector (SOS Agency)
Romantic Suspense
4th in Series
Setting – Florida
Harlequin Romantic Suspense (October 24, 2023)
Mass Market Paperback ‏ : ‎ 288 pages
ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 1335593802
ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-1335593801
Digital ASIN ‏ : ‎ B0BQ3R6V3L

MY REVIEW

I do love a good bodyguard story and Her Secret Protector by Bonnie Vanak met all my requirements.

A damsel in distress
A Knight In Not So Shining Armor
A Villain….Or Two…Or…

The hook was already set when I read the blurb, but I still love a Prologue. Bonni Vanak also tells us, in the beginning of the book, why her character is a marine biologist with a love for sea turtles. I do find reasons like hers add that something extra I am always looking for.

I love books that bring ecology into the mix without being preachy. The pollution of our waters is brought into the story in a logical fashion. I feel like I may have been a mermaid in a previous life, so a book like Her Secret Protector hits all the buttons for a romantic suspense novel that leaves me wanting more of these characters.

Gray Wallace works for the SOS Agency, assigned to protect Peyton Bradley from her stalker. There is so much more to the convoluted story and I am unable to figure out all that is going on. Gray has a past that haunts his present. He works with Rangers and Seals, but ‘his past makes them look like Boy Scouts.’ That made me very curious.

I had my suspicions early on about her Nana’s property. I wasn’t right, but I wasn’t wrong either. Does that peak your interest?

When Peyton is taken and loses her memory, the only person she trusts is Gray. She doesn’t know why, but feels he is her best option to finding all the answers she seeks, plus, she does have the hots for him. The feeling is mutual, but he doesn’t act on it, keeping his personal feelings in check.

Bonnie Vanak treats their attraction with restraint and I love that they don’t hop in the sack at first lust. LOL

Once I started reading, I didn’t stop, staying up until the wee hours of the morning to get all the answers. The ending, well done, Bonnie. I love how you handled it and it’s not your typical happy ever after romantic suspense ending.

SYNOPSIS

To find her attacker
…he must stay in the shadows.
Assigned to protect sea turtle biologist Peyton Bradley from a dangerous stalker, former SEAL Gray Wallace is determined to save his headstrong charge—even if she doesn’t want to be saved. Their attraction is powerful. But damning rumors around the handsome bodyguard’s past get him fired. Only when Peyton is kidnapped and loses her memory does Gray reveal his startling—possibly deadly—secret.
From Harlequin Romantic Suspense: Danger. Passion. Drama.
Feel the excitement in these uplifting romances, part of the SOS Agency series:
Book 1: Navy SEAL Seduction
Book 2: Shielded by the Cowboy SEAL
Book 3: Navy SEAL Protector
Book 4: Her Secret Protector

About Bonnie Vanak

Bonnie Vanak is a multi-published author of paranormal and historical romance novels. After a career in journalism, she became a writer for an international charity, traveling to poor countries like Haiti to write about issues affecting the poor. When the strain of her job demanded a diversion, she turned to her childhood dream of writing books. Bonnie lives in Florida with her husband and rescue dogs.

Author Links

Visit her website at bonnievanak.com
GoodReads https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/259021.Bonnie_Vanak
Facebook https://www.facebook.com/bonnievanakauthor/
Instagram https://www.instagram.com/bonnievanak/

Purchase Links:
Barnes and Noble Amazon Kindle Amazon Print Apple Harper Collins UK Kobo Google

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Review – Noir: A Crimson Shadow Novel by Nathan Squiers @LitDark_Emperor

Posted on October 18, 2023 by fundinmental

I pulled Noir: A Crimson Shadow Novel by Nathan Squiers from my TBR, where I added it on 2.16.2020. This is the perfect time of year to share this Occult Horror story.

Amazon / Audiobook / Goodreads

MY REVIEW

Xander Stryker wants to die.

He has had an abusive upbringing, but there is so much more to the story. As his eighteenth birthday approaches, he gets caught up in the supernatural world and learns his true destiny. Poor Xander. His father missing. His mother murdered in front of his eyes. Now, someone wants him dead. Thank goodness, he has a couple supernaturals by his side, getting him ready to face the biggest challenge of his life.

I wasn’t sure how much I would enjoy this, seeing I think it was written for a younger audience, but the more I read the more involved I became. This is the first book of seven and I would love to watch him grow and become the man he is meant to be.

GOODREADS BLURB

Xander Stryker wants to die.
Ever since witnessing his mother’s murder at the hands of his abusive stepfather when he was a boy, he has spent every day trying to reach that goal. But every night he’s denied the death he craves. As his eighteenth birthday approaches, a chance for change is offered when his life is plunged into a supernatural world of vampires and other creatures of darkness.

Caught in the depths of this new reality, mysteries of his vampiric lineage begin to unravel and he’s offered the ultimate choice:
Continue on with his wretched human life or begin a new one as the vampire prodigy he was always meant to be.

Unfortunately, the supernatural world can be just as unforgiving and brutal as any other and Xander’s choice is met with disastrous consequences.

Now, with a little support and even less hope, the chaos of his new world collides with his torturous past and threatens to crush him once and for all.

ABOUT NATHAN SQUIERS

Nathan Squiers, along with his loving wife & fellow author, Megan J. Parker, two incredibly demanding demons wearing cat-suits, and a pair of “fur baby” huskies, is a resident of Upstate New York. When he isn’t dividing his time between writing or “nerding out” over comics, anime, or movie marathons, he’s chasing dreams of amateur body building. If he can’t be found in a movie theater, comic shop, or gym, chances are “the itch” has driven him into the chair at a piercing/tattoo shop… or he’s been “kidnapped” by loving family or friends and forced to engage in an alien task called “fun.” His Crimson Shadow series has gained international recognition and has been a bestseller in urban fantasy and dark fantasy. His novel, Curtain Call, won best Occult & Paranormal Thriller in the 2013 Blogger Book Fair Awards.

In 2016, he became a USA Today bestselling author and since then, has been on the list four times.

Learn more about Nathan’s work at www.nathansquiersbooks.com

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5 Star Ending – The Horror At Pleasant Brook by Kevin Lucia @KevinBLucia

Posted on October 17, 2023 by fundinmental

Amazon / Goodreads

MY REVIEW

BRACE YOURSELF! Come to Pleasant Brook in the Adirondacks. I dare ya! Looking for some Halloween fun, this is a nightmare you won’t want to miss.

I love an author that loves to kill off his characters, the good, the bad and the ugly. Those that deserve it and those that don’t. Those that I could care less about and those that I have come to cheer for, wanting them to survive and overcome that evil that has befallen them. It doesn’t matter what I want, only what the author wants to give me.

A mask…

Blood, guts, mayhem and slaughter.

An unlikely group of characters come together to try and save the town, which is being overrun by evil. Some of the weakest stepped up, some just gave up, others fought to the bloody end. Who will survive is always the question in a horror novel. Many times it surprises us all, and that is what you have to look forward to in The Horror At Pleasant Brook by Kevin Lucia.

“No, no…”

I was saying it too…But it doesn’t change anything. Does it, Kevin?

The ending…..To die for!

The Horror At Pleasant Book by Kevin Lucia delivered so much more than I expected. It contains everything required for a horror story, with an ending that BLEW MY MIND.

GOODREADS BLURB

This Halloween, a malevolent, creeping horror invades a small, isolated town nestled deep in the Adirondacks. It cares nothing for this town’s secrets, prejudices, or flaws. Its only desires are to consume everything in its path and spread, until nothing else remains.

It is ancient, pitiless, and unstoppable. It is the horror at Pleasant Brook.

Genres: Adult, Fiction, Horror, Paranormal, Supernatural
361 pages, Paperback
First published October 1, 2022 by Crystal Lake Publishing

ABOUT KEVIN LUCIA

Kevin Lucia’s short fiction has appeared in several anthologies, most recently with Neil Gaiman, Clive Barker, Bentley Little, Peter Straub and Robert McCammon.

His first short story collection, Things Slip Through was published November 2013, followed by Devourer of Souls in June 2014, Through A Mirror, Darkly, June 2015, and and his second short story collection, Things You Need, September 2018. His novella Mystery Road is forthcoming from Cemetery Dance Publications.

For three free ebooks, sign up for his monthly newsletter at www.kevinlucia.blogspot.com.

MY KEVIN LUCIA REVIEWS

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Brace Yourself for 2050 Psycho Island by Phil M Williams @PhilWBooks

Posted on October 16, 2023 by fundinmental

Amazon / Audiobook / Goodreads

MY REVIEW

I love books that flow smoothly and Psycho Island made me work. The back and forth between characters confused me in the beginning. I figured they would come together and it would flow smoother once they did…and it did.

I love books about the haves and have nots. I love when a book can get me riled up having me cringe with shivers running up and down my spine. I love psychopaths, I mean reading about them. I love apocalyptic and dystopian books. The title and cover won me over, before I ever read the blurb. I’m not sure where I saw the book, but I picked it up on a free day and I am so glad I did. I had to begin reading it ASAP, but because it took me a while to get into, I kept putting it down and picking it up.

Once we got on the island, I didn’t put it down until I was done. The depth of depravity was truly terrifying. Some of the characters were no longer human, they were animals. It’s one thing to do evil to save your life, if there is no other way. It’s another thing to do it for sport. Of course, I wondered where their food would come from. I mean, how much is left in the demolished buildings? Are there any animals on the island…other than the wicked people? Being female…well…let your imagination run wild and I think it still won’t get you there.

This is one of those books, that I wish the characters could do unto others…You know. Switch places with the ones who put them on the island.

Looking at the Phil M Williams photo makes me wonder…he sure does look normal, doesn’t he? But, where his mind takes him? Wicked evil imagination! I watched the book trailer after I read the book and I think it hit me harder than it would have if I watched it before, because everything I read matched the video.

Warning: There is violence!!!!!!!! Every kind that you can imagination, and some you can’t.

GOODREADS BLURB

Disagree with the government? Low social credit score? They might send you to Psycho Island.

The American dream is a mirage. The gap between the haves and the have-nots is wider than ever before. The haves live a life of opulence, with robotic domestics and self-driving vehicles. The have-nots struggle to survive, their jobs long since replaced by automation, with only Universal Basic Income standing between them and starvation.

Crime is nearly nonexistent, thanks to the surveillance state and the test. Ubiquitous cameras and facial recognition software deter and detect would-be criminals, and the test identifies psychopaths with 99.59% accuracy. Citizens who test positive receive a one-way ticket to US Penal Colony East. The have-nots call it Psycho Island.

In 2050, people struggle for their piece of a shrinking pie. Derek Reeves is one of those people, a small farmer, his business hanging by a thread. His wife, Rebecca, dreams of the finer things in life. Jacob Roth, CEO and member of the most powerful banking family in the world, sweeps Rebecca off her feet and gives her the lifestyle she craves.

Summer Fitzgerald’s pregnant. Like all prospective parents, she wants a designer baby. These children vastly outperform natural-born children. Unfortunately, her nurse’s salary and her fiancé’s low-level tech job don’t pay enough to give their little bundle of joy the must-have advantage in the new economy.

Naomi Sutton is a congresswoman with her eye on the White House. Unwilling to take campaign donations with strings, she lacks the budget or the connections for a serious run at the presidency. In a town of sharks, she’s the only one who truly cares about the people. Will she compromise her ideals to sit on the throne of power? Will she make good on her promise to close Psycho Island?

In 2050, the seeds of discontent are growing. The elites will stop at nothing to maintain their dominance. But the people are awakening to the rigged game. And they’re very, very angry.

Buy this twisty page turner before it’s banned by the powers that be.
A 2021 Finalist National Indie Excellence Award
Adult language and sexual content.

Genres: Apocalyptic, Dystopian, Fiction, Horror, Science Fiction, Suspense, Thriller
408 pages, Kindle Edition
Published January 22, 2020 by Phil W Books

ABOUT PHIL W WILLIAMS

Phil M. Williams is the author of twenty-five books primarily in the thriller genre. His thrillers span many subgenres, such as: murder mysteries, political, domestic, dystopian, legal, psychological, and technothrillers. His stories often feature regular Joes and Janes in extraordinary situations that are ripped from today’s headlines.

Williams lives in central Pennsylvania with his wife, Denise. When not writing, he can be found tending their permaculture farm.

If you’d like to read two of his thriller novels for free. Go to http://PhilWBooks.com.

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All About Eve – The Girl From The Basement by Michael B Chikondi #michaelbchikondi #vampires

Posted on October 15, 2023 by fundinmental

Amazon / Goodreads

MY REVIEW

Because The Girl From The Basement by Michael B Chikondi is the third book in the Idle Hands series, I am not going to go into specifics and spoil anything for you. I will, however, tell you how much I have enjoyed learning about Michael’s complicated brand of vampires. We have politics, betrayals, killing at the drop of a hat, conspiracy and machinations for power. Sound familiar? Sound human?

Sinjen is a fascinating vampire. Sure, he will kill at the drop of a hat, but he has his own set or morals. I find his neediness funny and sad at the same time.

Sinjen is working with Lord Aster, investigating the rogues, but when he meets Eve, it becomes all about Eve. She is not who or what she appears to be. He has a complicated relationship with Miriam, a human and an order of monks have an extreme dislike for his kind. We have a lot of action and players involved in, but Sinjen is a master at maneuvering around and manipulating others.

Brace yourself for The Girl From The Basement, Book 3 of the Idle Hands series, by Michael B Chikondi. With this series, you will need to begin at the beginning, with Book I, Like Father Like Son.

GOODREADS BLURB

After the events in the Highlands, Sinjen begins to work with Lord Aster to uncover the truth about the rogues they discovered. As the vampire couple begins to integrate into Nightfall, Sinjen is sent away, in search of the fledgeling who escaped their clutches. By the time he meets Eve Morgan, something is wrong. Either someone got here before him, or Eve might be something abnormal. While he gets to the bottom of it, he finds he has two other problems. Miriam’s safety, and an order of monks with a particular dislike of the undead.

Genre: Fiction, Mystery, Paranormal, Supernatural, Suspense, Thriller, Vampires
227 pages, Kindle Edition
Published August 20, 2023
Series: Idle Hands, #3

ABOUT MICHAEL B CHIKONDI (from Amazon)

Michael B. Chikondi is not to be trusted, but the creature agrees to a meeting in its burrow. We enter with trepidation, given that the thing has no doorbell. As we crawl through the narrow tunnel, gored out by its own teeth, by the texture, we hear what can only be described as a hacking cough.

“Can we approach?” we call.

“No soliciting.” the voice returns.

“You sent for us; you told us to ask you questions. You know, for promotional reasons.”

“Ask.” the dread voice responds.

“Alright, who are you?” we try.

“A creature of mist and shadow, half-mad, I used to go out, I did, and know those…humans. Not now, not since…the pen.”

“You found a pen? That’s why you became a writer?” we ask, now terrified, trying to gauge how fast we can leave the burrow. The photographer has already left us, chewing off his own watch, caught on a tree root.

“Yes, but now…I hunger…”

We are not proud; we turn tail and flee, before it can leave its den. We aren’t paid enough to get a full bio. We can only pray someone buys its books, so that the thing never comes out on its own.

Ed. What the hell is this? This isn’t what we requested. Just some nonsense and an artist’s rendition of what one of my people saw before he contracted rabies? Eh, whatever. Plenty more writers in the sea.

MY MICHAEL B CHIKONDI REVIEWS

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HMMMM – Twas The Bite Before Christmas by David Rosenfelt #netgalley #twasthebitebeforechristmas

Posted on October 14, 2023 by fundinmental

I want to thank NetGalley and MacMillan for the opportunity to read Twas The Bite Before Christmas by Davidrosenfeld. This is book 28 in the series, so I thought I couldn’t go wrong.

Amazon / Audiobook / Goodreads

MY REVIEW

Okay, before I get into the story, I will tell you, it was the cover and title that hooked me. Yeah, I read the blurb and all, but I still ended up feeling a bit disappointed and misled. Sure, the dogs are there, but they don’t do like the ‘normal’ animals in a cozy mystery. And bite in the title?

Derek Moore is revealed as being in the witness protection program, when he is arrested for murder. As his friend, lawyer Andy Carpenter is on the case. Seeing this is book #28 in the series, I expected big things.

Sure, we have a mystery, but at times, it felt like a police procedural or a legal mystery. I did enjoy the story, but I doubt I would actively seek out another Andy Carpenter series book. With David Rosenfeld having such a huge collection of books, others may enjoy the books much more than I did.

GOODREADS BLURB

In National Bestseller David Rosenfelt’s ‘Twas the Bite Before Christmas, all through the Carpenter house, five dogs are stirring, and not even Andy can get out of working this latest case at his door.

Reluctant lawyer Andy Carpenter is at the Tara Foundation’s annual Christmas party. The dog rescue organization has always been his true calling, and this is one holiday tradition he can get behind because every dog that’s come through the rescue—and their families—are invited to celebrate.

This year’s party is no exception. But before the stockings can be hung by the chimney with care, homicide detectives ruin the evening. Derek Moore, one of the foundation’s best foster volunteers, is arrested for murder.

Andy discovers Derek—whose real name is Bobby—is in the witness protection program after giving evidence against his former gang. The police believe Bobby murdered a member. But Bobby swears to Andy he didn’t do this. He’s built a new life, a new business, has two new dogs after being a double foster-failure.

There isn’t much Andy likes about this case, but he likes Bobby. If he’s innocent, Andy wants to help. Before Andy can settle down for his long winter’s nap, he has a client’s name to clear, a murderer to catch, and two new dogs to look after: a golden and a Dalmatian. Andy’s golden retriever, Tara, will have to adjust to not being the only golden at the house while Andy gets to the bottom of this one…

Genre: Christmas, Cozy Mystery, Holiday, Mystery,
304 pages, Kindle Edition
Expected publication October 10, 2023 by Minotaur Books
Language: English
Series: Andy Carpenter #28

ABOUT DAVID ROSENFELT

I am a novelist with 27 dogs.

I have gotten to this dubious position with absolutely no planning, and at no stage in my life could I have predicted it. But here I am.

My childhood was relentlessly normal. The middle of three brothers, loving parents, a middle-class home in Paterson, New Jersey. We played sports, studied sporadically. laughed around the dinner table, and generally had a good time. By comparison, “Ozzie and Harriet’s” clan seemed bizarre.

I graduated NYU, then decided to go into the movie business. I was stunningly brilliant at a job interview with my uncle, who was President of United Artists, and was immediately hired. It set me off on a climb up the executive ladder, culminating in my becoming President of Marketing for Tri-Star Pictures. The movie landscape is filled with the movies I buried; for every “Rambo”, “The Natural” and “Rocky”, there are countless disasters.

I did manage to find the time to marry and have two children, both of whom are doing very well, and fortunately neither have inherited my eccentricities.

A number of years ago, I left the movie marketing business, to the sustained applause of hundreds of disgruntled producers and directors. I decided to try my hand at writing. I wrote and sold a bunch of feature films, none of which ever came close to being actually filmed, and then a bunch of TV movies, some of which actually made it to the small screen. It’s safe to say that their impact on the American cultural scene has been minimal.

About fourteen years ago, my wife and I started the Tara Foundation, named in honor of the greatest Golden Retriever the world has ever known. We rescued almost 4,000 dogs, many of them Goldens, and found them loving homes. Our own home quickly became a sanctuary for those dogs that we rescued that were too old or sickly to be wanted by others. They surround me as I write this. It’s total lunacy, but it works, and they are a happy, safe group.

Website / Facebook / Macmillan