Nightfall on New Babylon by Carmen Dominque Taxer & Richard T Wheeler @RichTWheeler

I have been reading and reviewing some books that authors have requested and they have been a pleasant surprise. Nightfall on New Babylon by Carmen Taxer and Richard Wheeler is one of these books.

Nightfall on New Babylon (Gaslight Vamp #1)

Amazon / Goodreads

MY REVIEW

Nightfall on New Babylon by Carmen Dominque Taxer and Richard T Wheeler is told from multiple character viewpoints. At times I found it confusing trying to remember who was who and what’s happening to them, but I do love my vampire stories, so I read on and I’m glad I did.

Things started falling into place. Characters are being exposed for who they truly are. Horrors arise and they are not only the vampire kind.

The women seem to pay the biggest price. As I learn more about the four main characters, I find their lives tragic and frightening. There is more going on than meets the eye and the ending set me up for wanting to know what comes next.

The setting seems like the time of Jack the Ripper in England, but I could visualize the street and ruins of Italy too.

Cliffhanger ending that hooked me.

I voluntarily reviewed a free copy of Nightfall of New Babylon by Carmen Dominque Taxer and Richard T Wheeler.

Animated Animals. Pictures, Images and Photos
3 Stars

GOODREADS BLURB

Nightfall on New Babylon (Gaslight Vamp #1)

A Gothic Political Thriller Serial in a Victorian Vampire Horror Setting

In a city built on sin, the immortal Lords of Night move all the pieces.

New Babylon is a city of sin, built on lies told over generations. The inhabitants may think they are the masters of their own destinies at the dawn of the Scientific Revolution, but as night falls on New Babylon, the true Lords of Night once again move their pieces across the playing field in a secret war for dominance – Devika Templeton is a girl who has it all, including a nightly visitor; Roald Black has lost it all, but the truth is even more painful than the loss will ever be; Dalla Arnesen must rebuild her scuttled career, a tenuous feat in a city set against her; and Victoria Campbell has a secret that she must share with her rich suitor if she has any hope of escaping the streets.

Binding all four together with strings of obligation and pain is House D’Asur, the disgraced Lords of the Glass Manor – Those who would be Lords of Night again.

ABOUT THE AUTHORS

Carmen Dominique Taxer

Carmen Dominque Taxer: Author, artist, and sometime philosopher, Carmen Dominique Taxer was born in South Africa with familial roots across the globe. She began her career with early scribblings of the dark and twisted, and this love of dark Gothic Horror, and equally dark Romance, has only grown over the years. Her first love was vampires, and to this day she cannot write without the words pouring out in the shape of roses, blood, and thorny kisses.
Carmen uses the presence of vampires in a fictional setting to give voice to the struggles and successes of humanity, painting a portrait of the world that is both dark and beautifully highlighted with love conquering death above all else.

She and her husband and co-author, Richard T. Wheeler, have constructed a universe of these vampires with the affectionate title of Sanguinem Emere. All of these stories take place in the fictional city of New Babylon, a melting pot of cultures, ethnicities, and desires.

Website

Richard T. Wheeler

About Richard T Wheeler: Richard T. Wheeler is the co-author of the Sanguinem Emere Gaslight Vamp novel serial and runs Dauntlesswriting.com, helping writers become authorpreneurs.

Website / Twitter / Facebook / Pinterest / Tumbler

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Town Curfew for The Darkness by Brittney Leigh @BrittneyBass

I was given an opportunity to read some of this anthology and I began at the beginning with Bulwark by Brit Lunden. The short stories/novellas are sold separately and to me they read as standalones. This is the third story I have read and enjoyed.

The Darkness: A Bulwark Anthology (Book 8)

Amazon / Goodreads

MY REVIEW

Bulwark is a small town, where everything revolves around football. I lived in Alabama for a while and they are some of the most avid fans I have every seen, so I can easily relate to this.

The Darkness by Brittney Leigh is written like a diary. from Sophie’s perspective.

Meeting Sophie, I feel, is going to be a real hoot. She did put a smile on my face early on, so I am eager to see what kind of trouble will seek her out.

And…it being Bulwark, I knew the trouble would be of a paranormal kind.

Secrets will be revealed, bodies will fall.

We have all the teenage angst of high school as these four kids will solve the puzzle of Billy Joe’s disappearance. It is the past clashing with the present.

The Darkness by Brittney Leigh is the eight book of the anthology. Though I have only read two others, I had no trouble enjoying this one. Fast reading with characters that are forever changed.

I voluntarily reviewed a free copy of The Darkness by Brittney Leigh.

Animated Animals. Pictures, Images and Photos
3 Stars

GOODREADS BLURB

Bulwark- a wall or stockade that protects or sometimes hides the truth from the outside world.

Bulwark, a quiet town… or is it? Four best friends, Sophia, Scott, Chloe and Chris, are just trying to manage their senior year at Bulwark high school when Sophia realizes that her feelings for Chris are really meant for Scott. Before she can deal with that though, the four friends then stumble upon Bulwarks darkest secrets when a spell is cast on Bulwark High. Students have been disappearing and no one has any clues as to their whereabouts. With a town curfew set and parents on edge, the four friends decide to take things into their own hands. Will they break the spell, or will Bulwark High and the town be changed forever? Based on Bulwark, a paranormal thriller by Brit Lunden, The Darkness is the eighth volume in the multi-author Bulwark Anthology.

ABOUT BRITTNEY LEIGH

Brittney Leigh

Brittney Leigh is gracing the Bulwark anthology as a debut author. She is a proud graduate of SUNY Old Westbury College, with a bachelors degree in Media & Communications. Gifted in singing, acting, and dancing, she finds her voice reaches its highest ground in writing. She resides in Long Island where the darkness of New York City comes to sleep.

Stalk Brittney Leigh at Facebook / Twitter

MY BULWARK ANTHOLOGY REVIEWS

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Monday Mini – The Town That Feared Dusk by Calvin Demmer @CalvinDemmer

The Town That Feared Dusk (Short Sharp Shocks! Book 17)

Amazon / Goodreads

MY REVIEW

Sylvia was searching for a good story to kick off her journalism career and almost immediately I thought I knew how the story would go…but not quite. Calvin Demmer wasn’t going to make it quite that easy for me.

Suicide Bridge…36 cases. Why had she never heard of it before?

I can guess. There’s something going on and everyone in town wants to keep it a secret.

Suitably creepy for an easy reading short story.

I voluntarily reviewed a free copy of The Town That Feared Dusk by Calvin Demmer.

Animated Animals. Pictures, Images and Photos
3 Stars

GOODREADS BLURB

Sylvia Bernstein doesn’t want to end up on a dead-end path like a former journalism colleague. She begins searching the tabloid’s archives for a story that can get her career back on track. A strange bridge, with an abnormally high rate of suicides, seems like the perfect place to start. She journeys to the little town, eager to investigate, but encounters a tale far more sinister than she ever expected…

***

Praise for The Town That Feared Dusk:

“Short, sharp and definitely shocking, The Town That Feared Dusk is a grim tale that picks you up, buckles you in, and speeds away on a chilling ride that veers left just when you think you want to go right.” – Renee Miller, author of Stranded

“Calvin Demmer is a rising star in the weird firmament. It’s possible that his work might change your life forever. This short story is a good example of his craft and impact.” – Duane Pesice, author of Before Crazytown

“Prepare to face a menacing supernatural force that’ll have you questioning the veil between heaven and hell. An edge-of-your seat story with a mind-bending conclusion.” – Theresa Braun, author of Fountain Dead

***

(Cover by Adrian Baldwin)

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Calvin Demmer is a dark fiction author. His debut collection, The Sea Was a Fair Master, was released in June 2018. When not writing, he is intrigued by that which goes bump in the night and the sciences of our universe.

You can find him online at http://www.calvindemmer.com or follow him on Twitter @CalvinDemmer.

MY CALVIN DEMMER REVIEWS

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A New To Me Zombie – The Earthdead by Mark James Wooding #Mark James Wooding

I saw the cover for The Earthdead and it made me curious. At first glance, it looks like it could be a children’s book, .then, I looked closer at the hand on the tree. That’s not a very nice hand. The title made me more curious, so I had to read it.

The Earthdead

Indigo / Goodreads

MY REVIRE

The Earthdead by Mark James Wooding was a quick and dirty read. LOL

Rebecca woke up with something heavy on her chest and a bad taste in her mouth.

The Community of Men are on the hunt for Rebecca. The town knew the rumors of Earthdead rising from the ground to feast on humans.

The Earthdead is a different take on the Undead and looking at the cover I was fooled. I thought it was a children’s book, I didn’t foresee the gruesomeness, but the deaths are not the ususal bloody or gory for zombies….maybe when she seeks her revenge Rebecca will do worse.

For it’s originality, fun and entertainment value I give it a three.

I voluntarily reviewed a free copy of The Earthdead by Mark James Wooding.

Animated Animals. Pictures, Images and Photos
3 Stars

GOODREADS BLURB

A certain fungus brings corpses back from the dead. After the dead revive, they become stronger, faster, and smarter than they were. They can also travel underground. And there’s only one item on their menu: human flesh.

Two local lodges, the Community of Men and the Community of Women, must once again step up to defend the county against an evil that most people don’t even believe exists.

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Monday Mini – They Come At Night by Nick Clausen @NickClausen9 #Horror

At the time of posting, They Come At Night by Nick Clausen was FREE. Be sure and check for the ‘0’

And what about that cover? Creepalicious huh?

They Come At Night

Amazon / Goodreads

MY REVIEW

There are more than animals in the water, and they want YOU.

How do you protect yourself?

A little mystery and plenty of danger, as the four kids try to survive and make good their escape. I enjoyed this novella, but I was never really scared, just curious.

What is it? Who and how will they survive?

Animated Animals. Pictures, Images and Photos
3 Stars

GOODREADS BLURB

Four teenagers. A cottage by the sea. Something comes at night. Something comes with the tide …

They Come at Night was originally published in Danish, but is now available in English.

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One Sentence Review – The Last Dinner Party by Carly M Duncan @carlymduncan

The Last Dinner Party by Carly M Duncan is one of those long lost review books that slipped through the cracks. I finished reading it 11.27.16.

The Last Dinner Party

Amazon / Goodreads

MY ONE SENTENCE REVIEW

Well, what can I say about these characters…that they leave a lot to be desired is putting it mildly, as they will throw each other under the bus as the mystery surrounding the murder brings forth some misdirection and plenty of suspects that may keep you guessing as the last drink is drunk and the party has ended.

I voluntarily reviewed a free copy of The Last Dinner Party by Carly M Duncan.

Animated Animals. Pictures, Images and Photos
3 Stars

GOODREADS BLURB

When Jeanie D’Alisa is found murdered in her bedroom after hosting a dinner party in her home, detectives Anna Cole and Kristy Hicks are called to investigate the crime. Known within her community for her generous, yet unpredictable nature, Jeanie’s secrets unfold as family, friends and neighbors become suspects. Anna and Kristy discover stamped passport pages revealing travels unknown and a curious relationship between Jeanie and the charming salesman who frequents the apartment building. Meryl, Jeanie’s devoted and needy friend, further complicates the investigation when she phones Jeanie’s sister who is studying abroad and lies to her about the cause of death. Through a muddied pool of misdirection and betrayal, will Anna and Kristy be able to assemble the clues in order to bring Jeanie’s killer to justice? The path to solving the mystery becomes tangled with faces of loved ones who are revealed to be foes in this story about the lengths people will go to in order to save themselves.

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One Sentence Review – Rite of Passage by Emily Martha Sorensen @CleanYAFantasy

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I have read a lot of Emily Martha Sorensen’s short stories and was happy to read Rite of Passage.

Rite of Passage

Amazon / Goodreads

MY ONE SENTENCE REVIEW

The twins are turning twelve years old and will have a choice to make, but it is not a choice like human children make and it will definitely be life changing…but this ends in a cliffhanger and you will have to read more….

I voluntarily reviewed a free copy of Rite of Passage by Emily Martha Sorensen

Animated Animals. Pictures, Images and Photos
3 Stars

GOODREADS BLURB

Twelve-year-old twins Jaeda and Kaedin are preparing for their society’s rite of passage. Kaedin’s hoping to get magic. Jaeda just wants to survive. But neither are prepared for the surprise awaiting them.

“Rite of Passage” is a 1,900 word short story. It can be purchased here, or read on the author’s website for free.

ABOUT EMILY MARTHA SORENSEN

Emily Martha Sorensen

Emily is a prolific writer with many titles to choose from. She writes of fairies, dragons, fantasy, science fiction, steampunk, world peace in short stories and flash fiction.

You can find her on Goodreads & Amazon

MY REVIEWS FOR EMILY MARTHA SORENSEN

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Magnum PI meets Pink Panther – Blacktip Island by Tim W Jackson @TimWJax

Blacktip Island by Tim W Jackson has a fabulous cover and I would love to be stranded on a tropical island. So…another adventure with Tim. Thanks for inviting me along for the ride.

Cover design by EBookLaunch

Blacktip Island

Amazon / Goodreads

MY REVIEW.

Blake is a bit of a douche, a thief and embezzler. I seesaw back and forth with him trying to cut him some slack, but enjoying watching him sweat.

Whispers of pirate treasure and ghosts on the wind.

On this small isolated island it seems all the residents are running from something. Do they all have secrets? All the characters seem to be a mess of one kind or another. Sly, sneaky, secretive…I do love bad guys. What would the world be without villains?

Mal, I am very suspicious of her and I am curious if my thoughts are correct. Time will tell.

Will they find out who has been blowing up the new runway? Is there any treasure? So many questions I am waiting to have answered.

I laughed all the way to the answer to the mysteries of Blacktip Island. A cross between Magnum PI and Pink Panther. I can see him putting around on his scooter. I enjoyed my time on the island, snorkeling, treasure hunting, dodging the law and those who would betray me…and Hugh, wondering what comes next.

I voluntarily reviewed a free copy of Blacktip Island by Tim W Jackson.

Animated Animals. Pictures, Images and Photos
3 Stars

GOODREADS BLURB

Inadvertent embezzler Blake Calloway high-tails it to the Caribbean, a step ahead of the Feds and desperate to restart life as an anonymous divemaster in a tropical paradise. On Blacktip Island, though, Blake quickly discovers “tropics” doesn’t mean “paradise,” and rookie boat hands stick out like a reef at low tide.

The locals are quirky: a landlord who swears he’s Fletcher Christian reincarnated, a boss who likes fish better than people, a sloshed resort manager with a sex-crazed wife, a possibly ax-murdering neighbor, and a girlfriend who just might turn Blake in for the reward money. Blake steers a ragged course between them, trying to straighten out the mess he’s made before the cops can track him down and haul him away.

Blacktip Island is an irresistible comedy for anyone who’s ever dreamed of trading the rat race for a hammock under the palm trees

ABOUT TIME W JACKSON

Tim W. Jackson

Armed with a newly-minted master’s degree in creative writing, former journalist Tim W. Jackson knew he was qualified to be a bartender, a waiter, or to apply to a PhD program. Instead he chose Secret Option D: run off to the Caribbean to work as a scuba instructor by day and write fiction at night. More than a decade later, he still wishes that was half as interesting as it sounds. Or even a quarter . . .

Jackson is the award-winning author of the literary novel Mangrove Underground and The Blacktip Times humor blog. His second novel, Blacktip Island, is a comic misadventure set in the Caribbean. His “Tales From Blacktip Island” short stories have been published in literary journals worldwide. He is currently concocting his next Blacktip Island novel, The Secret of Rosalita Flats.

For more insider info, visit his website, www.timwjackson.com, the Blacktip Times (www.blacktipisland.com) or follow him on Facebook (Tim W. Jackson) and Twitter (@timwjax).

A portion of the proceeds from his stories goes to the Nature Conservancy’s Coral Reef Preservation Fund.

MY TIM W JACKSON REVIEWS

When the Sea Shall Give Up Her Dead

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Monday Mini – Craven Street by E J Stevens @EJStevensAuthor

I have seen E J Stevens name bandied about and even follow her newsletter, so why I haven’t read or reviewed any of her work before surprised me. LOL So I set out to correct that and picked up a review copy of Craven Street, which was released 6.25.19.

Craven Street (Whitechapel Paranormal Society, #0.5, Ivy Granger Psychic Detective, #0.10)

Amazon / Goodreads

MY REVIEW

The cover has an eerie vibe and I do I love the location, Whitechapel. It made me feel as if Jack The Ripper was looking over my shoulder as I walked the streets…or should I say ran, because there be monsters here.

I also love that the Whitechapel Paranormal Society has an all female unit.

We have plenty of action and sometimes our enemy will be our friend, as the bodies pile up. Gritty, dangerous action in this other worldly battle between good and evil.

Though there is not a cliffhanger, the story is far from over.

I voluntarily reviewed a free copy of Craven Street by E J Stevens.

Animated Animals. Pictures, Images and Photos
3 Stars

GOODREADS BLURB

In this spellbinding novella, E.J. Stevens weaves a tale of murder, necromancy, and demonic possession that brings together characters from her Whitechapel Paranormal Society Victorian horror series and award-winning Ivy Granger Psychic Detective urban fantasy series on the fog-shrouded cobblestones of 36 Craven Street.

The discovery of bricked up skeletal remains at 36 Craven Street point to something more diabolical than an illegal anatomy school. The tool marks on the bones, arcane sigils of great power, indicate more than mere butchery, more than enlightened experimentation. The signs, omens, and portents support the crown’s greatest fears. A great evil is being unleashed upon the gaslit streets of London, a blood-drenched shadow reaching skeletal fingers beyond the slums of Whitechapel.

We must stamp out this demonic plague for the sake of our Queen, our Country, and our immortal souls. – Cora Drummond, Whitechapel Paranormal Society

Collecting human souls is a thankless job, nearly as tedious as acting as solicitor to the fae. But when the demon Forneus enters an opium den searching for men eager to trade their souls for the ill-smelling weed, he stumbles on a plot so devious, so heinous, he’s jealous that he hadn’t thought of it himself.

There’s nothing like a maniacal plot to unleash Hell on earth to break the boredom of immortality. – Forneus, Grand Marquis of Hell

The Whitechapel Paranormal Society series is a Victorian horror “dreadpunk” series set in London’s East End. The Ivy Granger Psychic Detective series is an award-winning urban fantasy series known for heart-pounding action, quirky characters, and supernatural horrors.

Whitechapel Paranormal Society novels Eeper Weeper and One for Sorrow coming July and October 2019.

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Monday Mini – Beyond Time by Laura N Anile – @lauraanile

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I finished reading Beyond Time (Time Shifters #1) by Laura N Anile on 1.1.15. I did rate it on Goodreads, but didn’t post the review for this ARC. Sooooo….here is is.

It was free when I made this post but be sure and check for the ‘0’

Beyond Time (Time Shifters #1)

Amazon / Goodreads

MY REVIEW

Beyond Time by Laura N Anile intrigued me because I do love a good time travel story and add a bit of the apocalyptic/dystopian to it and it intrigues me more.

Why I didn’t connect to the characters, other than Kira, I don’t know.

There’s danger, a virus, nuclear bombs, lies and conspiracy, trouble figuring out who’s good and who’s bad…

The Time Shifter series needs to be read in order and Beyond Time makes the need to read more a necessity. Could that be part of my problem? Was it too ‘young’ for me.

If it sounds interesting to you, I do recommend trying it for yourself. Just because it didn’t work for me, doesn’t mean it won’t work for you.

I voluntarily reviewed a free copy of Beyond Time by Laura N Anile.

Animated Animals. Pictures, Images and Photos
3 Stars

GOODREADS BLURB

When you wake up in the wrong body within a futuristic world, being yourself can get you killed.

17-year-old Ryder is on his way to school when he experiences pain like he has never felt before. He awakes in a mysterious lab to discover that, as a victim of an unauthorized transfer, he has been pulled into the year 2127.

Now Ryder’s life depends on him succeeding in making everyone believe that he is Ziron, the boy that swapped places with him in 2015. If he fails, he will be captured, imprisoned, or worse. Ryder only has to survive two weeks in this futuristic world he doesn’t understand. But two weeks is a long time when you don’t know who to trust, and when you have to keep away from a girl you have sworn to protect.

Kira refuses to stay away, so how can he prevent her from discovering his secret? And how can he be with her when she thinks he’s someone else?

Time is running out for Ryder to unravel the conspiracy and uncover the answer to the biggest question of all: Just why did Ziron risk everything to change places with him? And what exactly has Ryder been pulled into?

In a desperate quest to find his way home, Ryder will stop at nothing to protect the girl of his dreams, and the secret that could destroy everything.

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