Review – Oaths And Promises by Carmen Webster Buxton #@CarmenWBuxton #sciencefiction

Posted on March 8, 2023 by fundinmental

MY REVIEW

WHOA! The horsewhisperer and his trusty steed grace the cover of Oaths And Promises. I love that the horse, at least in The North Edge Of Nowhere, looks like a dinosaur. How fun.

Darius is twenty years old now, becoming a man. He still has not let go of his past and the fact that he was a bastard. He puts a lot more meaning into it, than those around him. He keeps his libido in check, afraid of impregnating a woman and having a child outside of marriage. I think that will make him a wonderful father and husband…when the time comes.

I love the people’s attitude towards women, allowing them to be who they want. When Bronwyn comes into his life, I felt there would probably be a romantic interest between them. Whether it would be a good one or not, I didn’t know. I love that she is not afraid to step outside the norm and wants to learn to fight, like Daniel and Darius are doing. That puts them in close contact and she goes after what she wants.

Some humorous dialogue had me smiling, at times. Sometimes, even laughing.

I follow the characters through their trials and tribulations, watching them resolve their differences, become a family. Romance blooms, friendships become unbreakable. The oath becomes unnecessary, as past mistakes are forgiven, new relationships forged in love and commitment. Threecon makes an appearance and I love how Carmen Webster Buxton creatively handled the situation. I will miss the Nowhere world and the characters I’ve met.

Animated Animals. Pictures, Images and Photos — 4 Stars

GOODREADS BLURB

Twenty-year-old Darius is a man grown, but his childhood still haunts him. Raised as a prince in a distant southern city, he now lives in Castle Muir, a fiefdom in the far north of the nameless world. Having sworn an oath to remain in the fief and to obey the lord of it, his biological father, he still feels a sense of resentment at his circumstances. His friendship with Daniel the Wanderer remains strong, even when he finds out Daniel’s secret. When his cousin Bronwyn comes to live at Castle Muir, Darius’s oath of obedience is tested. Bronwyn is often rude to Darius, which makes it hard for him to treat her with the respect his father demands. But when his father speaks of Bronwyn becoming like a sister to Darius, he’s sure of one thing: When he looks at Bronwyn, he does not see his sister.

ABOUT CARMEN WEBSTER BUXTON

Carmen Webster Buxton spent her youth reading every book published by Ursula LeGuin, Robert Heinlein and Georgette Heyer. This combination of far-future worlds, alien cultures, and old-fashioned courting customs influenced her writing, especially in her ThreeCon series.

Carmen was born in Hawaii and experienced a peripatetic childhood, as her father was in the US Navy. Having raised two wonderful children, she now lives in Maryland with her husband Charlie, and a beagle named Cosmo. She writes science fiction (often including a romance, and mostly set in the far future), and the occasional fantasy.

Carmen has published many books:

WAKANREO SERIES
Alien Bonds
Alien Vows
Alien Skies

HAVEN SERIES
The Sixth Discipline
No Safe Haven

THREECON SERIES (can be read in any order)
The Nostalgia Gambit
Saronna’s Gift
Shades of Empire
Tribes
Worlds Apart

ALTERNATE HISTORY
King of Trees

YOUNG ADULT SCIENCE FICTION
Turnabout
Drifters

FANTASY
Where Magic Rules
Bag of Tricks
Hidden Magic

THE NAMELESS WORLD SAGA (coming in 2021)
The North Edge of Nowhere
Oaths and Promises

Carmen often blogs about ereaders, digital publishing, writing, and speculative fiction. Visit her blog to see what’s coming out next! To ask questions or to provide feedback on her books, send email to carmen.webster.buxton (at) gmail.com.

Website / Twitter / Facebook

MY CARMEN WEBSTER BUXTON REVIEWS

Where Magic Rules (on Goodreads)
Bag Of Tricks
Hidden Magic
Tribes (Threecon) (on Goodreads)
Shades of Empire (Threecon) (on Goodreads)
Worlds Apart (Threecon)
Drifters (Threecon)
Saronna’s Gift (Threecon)
The Nostalgia Gambit (Threecon)
Alien Bonds (Wakanreo Series)
Alien Vows (Wakanreo Series)
Alien Skies (Wakanreo Series)
King of Trees
The Sixth Discipline (Haven)
No Safe Haven (Haven)
The North Edge Of Nowhere ( The Nameless World)(Threecon)

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Review – Contributor by Nicole Ciacchella #apocalyptic #dystopian #NickCiacchella

Posted on February 28, 2023 by fundinmental

I downloaded Contributor by Nicole Ciacchella on 4.8.15. After reading it, and Creators, a ninety page novella that introduced me to the series, I wonder why I waited so long. Oh, wait, it’s because I can’t help downloading the next book, and the next one, and the next one…Do you know what I mean? Do you one click…because you can? LOL

Contributor was free at time of posting, but check to be sure.

Amazon / Goodreads

MY REVIEW

A book, and series, like Contributor by Nicole Ciacchella, really strike home for me. I love books that deal with things that ‘could’ happen. I mean, think about it…what would you do to survive? And what would those who could save humanity do to make sure the right people were chosen?

What happens to a person when they are no longer ‘useful’ to the system that operates on limited resources? Are people disposable?

In Contributor by Nicole Ciacchella, we see what happens to those deemed disposable by the Creators. I was filled with anger and disgust, yet there are always those characters that will rise to the occasion and shine brightly.

Dara Morrow, a seventeen year old girl has been given everything. Her eyes are opened when she realizes not only must she must earn it, but when her mother becomes ill, what happens when a Contributor is no longer able to contribute.

Nicole Ciacchella has the creep factor going in full force when we meet the Head of Engineering, Andersen. Dara is competing to become his assistant. I love when an author can surprise me, and I was surprised when help came from an unexpected source.

The characters range from the worst of the worst to the best of the best. The danger is subtle, but I knew it was always there. I do wonder if a novel like this could be insight to what our future could be? I love ecological stories that highlight current events in real life, which has become truly frightening. Famine? Storms? Are books like this a warning? Something to think about with this thought provoking series.

GOODREADS BLURB

When the Great Famine threatened the existence of mankind, the Creators saved humanity. Humanity has been their loyal subject ever since.

This history has been ingrained in seventeen-year-old Dara Morrow since her first day of Creator-sponsored school. Grateful for the life-giving necessities her Creator provides, Dara is thrilled to be one of three students chosen for an elite, year-long apprenticeship program. Now is her chance to prove herself a devoted Contributor.

But Dara’s competition is ruthless and will stop at nothing to win the competition. Worse yet, her exacting master has little patience for her.

Then Dara’s mother is seriously injured, and Dara realizes the price of being a Contributor: once you’ve outlived your usefulness, you’re discarded. Can Dara learn to manipulate the system to save not only herself, but everyone she loves?

ABOUT NICOLE CIACCHELLA

Nicole has never met a genre she doesn’t like. She dabbles in everything from science fiction to contemporary rom-coms to fantasy fiction.

Nicole has previously published under the pen names Elizabeth Darcy and Anne Wentworth, but is no longer using those names.

Nicole has had a lifelong passion for the written word. As a child, one of her most treasured Christmas gifts was an electric typewriter, which enabled her to crank out her stories even more quickly than she could with a pen. Naturally, the personal computer is one of her favorite inventions. When she isn’t writing, Nicole can usually be found curled up in a chair, whiling away the hours with a good book.

One of Nicole’s other great passions is travel, and she has visited Europe, as well as traveling to many of the fifty states. Her favorite trips include visits to Paris, Maui, and various parts of Belgium. She feels fortunate that she is married to a native Belgian, as it gives her plenty of reasons to visit Europe as often as possible. Also, it gives her an excuse to eat Belgian waffles regularly.

Born and raised in Michigan, Nicole lives there still with her husband and two beautiful children. She thinks Michigan is the greatest state in the country, and Michigan State University is the greatest university in the world.

Website / Facebook

MY NICOLE CIACCHELLA REVIEWS

Creators (Contributor)

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Review The North Edge Of Nowhere by Carmen Webster Buxton #@CarmenWBuxton #sciencefiction

Posted on February 14, 2023 by fundinmental

Amazon / KindleUnlimited / Goodreads

MY REVIEW

Alllllll right, another science fiction adventure with Carmen Webster Buxton and a meet and greet with Darius in The North Edge Of Nowhere. The cover tells a story of its own and makes me eager to find out about the who and the what of it.

We find Darius ‘not’ sailing the seas on his disabled ship, drinking brackish water and a piece of bread that is hard as a rock. They had been drifting for ten days, when land was sighted. Darius was raised as a prince, so what was in store for him will be life changing in every way.

In the beginning, Darius tries to hide his identity, with bright red hair and a face such as his, the secret won’t be kept for long, Brian, Lord of Castle Muir, easily recognizes him. The Oath demanded from Darius and the ‘cost’ of the repair to the boat are his first introduction of the new culture he will have to learn to live in.

Daniel the Wanderer is a fabulous character, so richly developed and vital to the story, as are several others. The details Carmen painted of the world make pictures in my head, seeing the ocean, woodlands and creatures we will see and interact with.

Sometimes, when I crack open one of Carmen Webster Buxton’s books, they seem to start out slow, but really, I think they are laying a foundation, introducing the characters, for what is to come. Her study of human actions and interactions are fascinating. We watch characters grow, learn, mature…a psychological, indepth study of humanity. The more I read, the more involved I become.

Now that I have finished The Northedge Of Nowhere, I am moving on to Oaths And Promises, The Nameless World, Book II, by Carmen Webster Buxton.

AMAZON SYNOPSIS

On the nameless world settled long ago by human colonists, humanity has spread out. Darius is seventeen and was born and lived all his life in a warm southern climate. Raised as a prince, he conceives the desire to see his maternal relations, who live in and rule a city-state a good distance north of his home. But when disaster strikes on the journey, Darius is forced to travel even farther north, where he discovers his very existence is a kind of riddle to which only a few people know the answer. As he struggles to cope with a new way of living, a man named Daniel the Wanderer befriends him, and a cousin he didn’t know he had teaches him that women are not always meek and well-behaved. All in all, life is very different in the North.

ABOUT CARMEN WEBSTER BUXTON

Carmen has published many books:

WAKANREO SERIES
Alien Bonds
Alien Vows
Alien Skies

HAVEN SERIES
The Sixth Discipline
No Safe Haven

THREECON SERIES (can be read in any order)
The Nostalgia Gambit
Saronna’s Gift
Shades of Empire
Tribes
Worlds Apart

ALTERNATE HISTORY
King of Trees

YOUNG ADULT SCIENCE FICTION
Turnabout
Drifters

FANTASY
Where Magic Rules
Bag of Tricks
Hidden Magic

THE NAMELESS WORLD SAGA (coming in 2021)
The North Edge of Nowhere
Oaths and Promises

Website / Twitter / Facebook

MY CARMEN WEBSTER BUXTON REVIEWS

Where Magic Rules (on Goodreads)
Bag Of Tricks
Hidden Magic
Tribes (Threecon) (on Goodreads)
Shades of Empire (Threecon) (on Goodreads)
Worlds Apart (Threecon)
Drifters (Threecon)
Saronna’s Gift (Threecon)
The Nostalgia Gambit (Threecon)
Alien Bonds (Wakanreo Series)
Alien Vows (Wakanreo Series)
Alien Skies (Wakanreo Series)
King of Trees
The Sixth Discipline (Haven)
No Safe Haven (Haven)

You can see my Giveaways HERE.
You can see my Reviews HERE.
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Books From The Backlog – Fields Of Elysium by A B Whelan @AuthorABWhelan

Posted on February 9, 2023 by fundinmental

Books from the Backlog is a fun way to feature some of those neglected books sitting on your bookshelf unread. If you are anything like me, you might be surprised by some of the unread books hiding in your stacks.

If you would like to join in, swing by Carole’s Random Life in Books.

Amazon / KindleUnlimited / Goodreads

GOODREADS BLURB

Can love mend a heart full of hate?

Small town girl, Molly Bennett, moves to Los Angeles where she becomes an outsider while attending Beverly Hills High School. It seems life cannot be any more dreadful. Then one day after school, something magical happens. On a secluded hike in the Hollywood Hills, Molly chases her disobedient mutt and only friend into a hidden cavern. She stumbles upon a strange glimmering gateway that transports her to Arkana, a planet that is the cradle of an advanced human race. There, teenagers navigate amazing flying vehicles, compete in perilous games for glory, and possess supernatural powers.

While Molly tries to wrap her mind around this unbelievable discovery, she meets the alluring and mysterious Victor Sorren. He is a Sentinel Apprentice, whose hatred toward people from Earth is beyond understanding. Yet every time Victor unpredictably saves Molly’s life, his heart draws closer to hers, no matter how much he tries to fight against it. It further complicates things that their growing friendship is strictly forbidden. Earth people are prohibited in Arkana, yet Molly continues to cross through the portal to Arkana to see Victor. Torn between their double lives, they go down a dangerous path, from where there is no return and multiple endings.

Goodreads Ratings: 3.74 358 ratings 156 reviews

I added Fields Of Elysium by A B Whelan to my TBR on 2.23.13. On the cover it says for Twilight Fans. Back in 2013, I probably wouldn’t have known about it because I saw the movies before I read the books. LOVE, love, love them both, so I am very excited about Fields of Elysium. Also, I have read numerous books from A B Whelan and love them, so to knock another off the first book of the series sounds great to me. Have you read any of her work? I highly recommend it.

MY A B WHELAN REVIEWS

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Giveaway – Jewel Of The Alien Bandit by Sky Robert @XpressoTours @SkyRobertAuthor

Posted on February 1, 2023 by fundinmental

Jewel of the Alien Bandit
Sky Robert
(Treasures of Trillume, #1)
Publication date: January 31st 2023
Genres: Adult, Romance, Science Fiction

A jewel to steal. A planet to save. A leader to love?

I’m supposed to be taking rulership of my planet when I find myself sneaking aboard an offworlder’s ship. My clan needs scientists capable of solving Estreldez’s food imports and spawning decline without being enslaved by krelis or necia control.

It’s just my bad luck the last known shol male is a compatible mate, when being with him could jeopardize my entire species. I am a leader, and it is my clan duty to mate for survival… not love. He can’t be mine if I wish to protect my planet from invasion. Mating with a nearly extinct species is reason enough for unscrupulous outlaws to get away with attacking my planet, without breaking any star system codes.

I can’t keep him. He had an obligation to any surviving shol to spawn with his own kind, and I had to mate for political protection of my planet, as the next Almder Leader of Estreldez. It wouldn’t work, but my mating loh react to his touch, and everything in me wants him to be mine.

A sci-fi fated-mates alien romance from Sky Roberts. Jewel of the Alien Bandit is the first of the Treasures of Trillume series. This steamy, page-turning romance between an outlaw alien and the strong female leader that wants him, will have you devouring every morsel towards their HEAFN.

A standalone romance, consensual steamy 18+, and an overarching plot laced between each book. World building sci-fi adventure but with a sexy twist. Strong females, and possessive (but respectful) love interests. For all you alien lovers out there that like vibrating, pulsating extremities, and mates that bond for life. The steamy bare chest should be evidence enough of what you are getting yourself into. You’re welcome.

Goodreads / Amazon

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Author Bio:

Sky Robert is a mom of two tiny humans in training, narrates audiobooks for fantasy/sci-fi indie authors, and when she isn’t writing (which is MOST of the time) you can find her consuming copious amounts of coffee, creating podcasts for Blind Indie Novel Dates, BINDER, to promoting indie authors, reading alien smut, fantasy, sci-fi and romance books, chowing down on Indian butter chicken, and when she actually hangs out with people in person, in real life, outside of the internet, (gasps) she’s playing board or card games. All around nerd, lover of the strange, and all things fantastical. Grab your first free Alien Romance Her Alien Exchange by joining her newsletter today! https://dl.bookfunnel.com/f2fwrjww4p

Website / Goodreads / Twitter / Bookbub

GIVEAWAY!
a Rafflecopter giveaway

—

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Review – Creators by Nicole Ciacchella #apocalyptic #dystopian #NicoleCiacchella

Posted on January 30, 2023 by fundinmental

I grabbed Creators by Nicole Ciacchella on 6.9.14. Don’t ask me why I waited so long to get to Creators and Contributors (which is free on Amazon, but be sure and check). Books seem to get lost as I download and download and download…

Amazon / Goodreads

MY REVIEW

Scrolling through my books, looking for something to read, I came across Creators by Nicole Ciacchella, a ninety page novella in the Contributor series. I find the cover and title interesting, making me curious, and I do love apocalyptic and dystopian fiction. When I saw it was about the food system being threatened, I thought….could this be a portent about what is to come for us?

With all the ecological damage being done to the planet, the overpopulation, what happens when there isn’t enough left for everyone to survive? Who makes the choice of who to save and who to leave to their own devices? Are you thinking what I’m thinking?

Well, we shall see. Even good people have to make hard choices. Would you choose to stay behind and let someone else have your spot?

A lot of my emotions rose to the surface. I felt disgust for those who had no thought for anyone but themselves, empathy for those knowing what is going on and having to make difficult choices, despair for those who figure things out and know they are being left to fend for themselves, almost no food, no water, the planet a barren landscape.

What would I do? What would you do? Does throwing ourselves to the wolves benefit anyone? How do we live with ourselves?

Glad I have Contributor, Book I, by Nicole Ciacchella to see what happens next.

GOODREADS BLURB

When the imminent collapse of the world’s food system threatens to all but eradicate the human race, it’s up to nineteen-year-old Liang Zhang to determine which of his company’s employees will live and which will die.

Liang and the other Job Creators have only weeks to choose which of their staff and families to move into the domes, the last refuges on the barren planet. Despite their best efforts, the Job Creators are unable to keep their selection project under wraps, spurring violent protests against the privileged few.

Now, Liang must race: against starvation, against insurrection, and against his own conscience.

ABOUT NICOLE CIACCHELLA

Nicole has never met a genre she doesn’t like. She dabbles in everything from science fiction to contemporary rom-coms to fantasy fiction.

Website / Facebook

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Cover Reveal – Max Dedge in The Time of The Uniborg by Ken La Salle @KenLaSalle

Posted on January 26, 2023 by fundinmental

I am a fan of Ken La Salle’s and have read a number of his books. He crosses many genres. I read Max Dedge and loved it. The old cover, with the mountains, does hint at the adventure inside, but the new cover….eye catching.

Amazon / Goodreads

I love the new cover.

ABOUT MAX DEDGE IN THE THE TIME OF THE UNIBORG

The BreakThrough is coming, and with it Doom for earth.

Max Dedge is the only person standing in its way and he doesn’t even know it. He’s too busy snapping pictures of unfaithful spouses from the dark as he wonders what happened to his life. He may not have a license but those who have employed his services call him a sleuth. Others use the term “adventurer,” while others still just call him a jerk. Max may tend to agree, taking shadier and shadier jobs as his own marriage falls apart. The only relationship he can rely on is with his phone and even that is a little one-sided.

But don’t worry about Max. He might be starting his day hanging from a tree, but odds are pretty good he’ll end it by falling between worlds.

Edward Cazwell, billionaire entrepreneur and mystery unto himself, says he’s hiring Max to solve a series of bombings. Max doesn’t know the first thing about bombings, is a whole lot more comfortable chasing shady husbands and wives. But what starts as a hired job investigating bombs takes a turn when Max lands in a different world.

Now, he’ll have to leap from castle walls, escape certain death, and even burn down a bar or two as he chases one clue into another all leading to the same impossible, inescapable conclusion. Max Dedge may not be aware of it, may be stumbling into it, but you can be sure he can sense something’s up. And it’s something far bigger than one amateur detective can solve.

The end of the world is coming and Max Dedge first has to find his way home. Buckle up because its gonna get crazy…

ABOUT KEN LA SALLE

Born on an 18th century mining ship, Ken La Salle is not his name. He just likes it. He writes about whatever he damn well pleases, hoping to build more of a cult following than a readership just for a cut on the robes. Looking for the mainstream but sticking to the shore, you can find out more about Ken La Salle at the imaginatively named www.kenlasalle.com.

MY KEN LA SALLE REVIEWS

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Review – Out Of Due Season: The First Transit by Benjamin X Wretlind @bxwretlind

Posted on January 17, 2023 by fundinmental

What if society could start over?
Would we make the same mistakes? For one cult, the only way to find out is to try.

I won a signed hardcover copy of Out Of Due Season: The First Transit by Benjamin X Wretlind some time ago. It looked really good, but it is a big book, 544 pages, and a series, so I put it on hold. Then, I got a chance to grab Book II, Sunshine and Shadow: Exodus, or The Second Transit…then, a tour came up for Book III, All We Leave Behind: Transits Of Three. YAY!!!!!

Amazon / KindleUnlimited / Goodreads

MY REVIEW

First off, I am going to start with the fact that there will be nine books in this series. It’s science fiction, but so much more than science fiction. It is a study of humanity, the good, the bad, and the ugly. It is a saga, each book 500+ pages long, so be prepared when you sit down to read.

A lake. A floating corpse. Under the water, 131 more. A mass suicide? A cult?

Zachary is twenty five years old, and the body of his missing sister, Claire, was identified as one of the three hundred and twelve bodies found in the lake. He is a part of the dive team, whose job it is to recover the decomposing bodies. This is his first dive and even those prepared for what they found, were hard put to keep it together.

Claire had told him that he is detached from the world around him, so he is quick to adapt to the what ifs that life throws at him. I have a suspicious nature, and it is confirmed when Zachary receives an email from his dead sister, DO NOT BELIEVE WHAT YOU HEAR.

Tigger’s best friend is one of the bodies found in the lake. They had been in the service together, then Darrell disappeared and Tigger got lost in a bottle. Tigger was injured in Syria, where he served as a Marine. He lives in a trailer with his drugged out girlfriend and a case of PTSD. BUT, he’s determined to get the real story about Darrell and the other COL members.

Kayla’s brother, Kenneth, was a victim of the Circle of Light, or COL. Or was he? She is black, deaf, mute, and a geointelligence specialist, spying on citizens, reading every email ever sent. She is on the run, because no one leaves the agency. I immediately thought of the deaf girl in Walking Dead, and how dangerous the world is for someone who can’t hear what’s going on around them.

Jorge an accountant finds out his father is missing. When he meets Kayla, he becomes her protector.

They are the Remainders, an unlikely group of people that come together, seeking answers. Will they be off on a wild goose chase, or hunting down a conspiracy?

I love when a book mentions the Pandemic, now that I’ve lived it first hand. I can relate to the lockdown imposed on the characters. The mounting chaos in the streets, the government clamping down, taking advantage of the situation. Riots, militia uprisings, police crackdowns, curfews, closed borders, government oppression…

…fifteen seconds to midnight

…fifteen seconds folks.

Is this our future? The clock was designed to keep people afraid, so they can be controlled. Their liberties, their freedoms can be taken away, one by one, until they are happy to be locked away in a detention center or an internment camp, or whatever the government wants to call their home these days.

Transit won! Going to Utopia, right?

The book was loaded with details, told from multiple points of view. There is so much going on, I try to put the pieces together, one page at a time, one day at a time. I am so happy that I saved this book to read at this time, because I now have two more books in the series. At 500+ pages each, I think that will keep me going for a while and maybe the wait won’t be too long for the rest of the books in the series, which will be nine…at this time. 🙂

I voluntarily reviewed a free copy of Out Of Due Season: Transit One by Benjamin X Wretlind.

GOODREADS BLURB

A cult leader. A government tightening its grip. Competing global interests. A mysterious power source. What could possibly go wrong?

What if humanity had a second chance?

On a June afternoon, a body is discovered floating in a remote lake in northwestern Washington. When a recovery team attempts to retrieve it, they make a shocking discovery: 311 other bodies lie under the water, all members of a previously unknown religious cult. However, what appears to be a tragedy of immense proportions is only the beginning.

When a few relatives and friends of the victims discover inconsistencies in the stories, a small group bands together to learn the truth. As government agencies apply pressure for reasons unknown and civil unrest in the country makes communication and movement difficult, this tiny yet determined team unravels what may be the greatest event in recent—if not all—human history.

Something epic is about to happen in that remote lake, and as competing sides inch ever closer to the truth, the last pieces of the puzzle are revealed.

The First Transit is for those who follow the rules, while disaster awaits everyone else.

ABOUT BENJAMIN X WRETLIND (from Amazon)

Benjamin, a multi-genre author, ran with scissors when he was five. He now writes, paints, uses sharp woodworking tools and plays with glue. Sometimes he does these things at the same time.

He is the author of the dystopian novel Beneath Gehenna, the psychological horror Castles, Sketches from the Spanish Mustang (literary fiction), Sunset on Maior Pales (a sci-fi western) and other novels and novellas.

Benjamin lives with his wife Jesse in Colorado.

Blog / Twitter / Facebook / Instagram / Etsy

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Reviews for The Valens of Legacy, Book I & II, by Sherrel Lee @gryphoenix

Posted on December 20, 2022 by fundinmental

I was looking on my TBR for something to read that I didn’t ‘have’ to review (because I have several others waiting to be written) and came across this fabulous cover. 🙂 Then, I saw I had the second book too. There are numerous books in the series and I am excited to see they are on Kindle Unlimited.

I mean…look at that fabulous cover. How could I possibly resist?

Amazon / Kindle Unlimited / Goodreads

MY REVIEW

Flipping through my reading list, I came across this gorgeous cover. Then, I saw I had the second book in The Valen Legacy by Sherrel Lee, and I had to read on. Valens Remembered is a prequel and it sure caught my attention. Short and not so sweet, I quickly got caught up in the intrigue. Why is everyone in the Nix family being bumped off?

Larinda Nix Thomas has lost two sets of parents. She only has memories of her adoptive parents, but that is only a temporary situation. You see, Larinda is special. She is a Valen. A unicorn shapeshifter, born to guard humankind. BUT…

A quick read of loss, sorrow, danger and intrigue. I am so happy that I have Valens Rise, Book II waiting to be read.

Amazon / Kindle Unlimited / Goodreads

MY REVIEW

I immediately began reading Valens Rise by Sherrel Lee after reading the prequel, Valens Remembered. I was just getting involved with Larinda when….

Jemma NIx is a Phoenix, but doesn’t know it…yet. She has no family and doesn’t realize the danger she will face. She had been in the foster system, but that didn’t work for her, so she grew up on the streets. She is naive, untrusting, easily misled. She began to run away at a very young age, ending up on the street, until she found out she was the sole survivor of an inheritance that will change her life. She is childlike in her joy when experiencing new things.

I love when Hawke takes her to the fair and she has her first corndog.

“Ooooooh, it’s really good….I may become addicted. Who knew meat by products on a stick could manifest love at first bite?”

I can understand her making some mistakes, going to the wrong people for help, seeing she doesn’t know who she can trust.

For the first time in her life, sexual feelings are coming alive. Hawke makes her feel ‘funny’ and I feel a romance coming. Her aches and pains are something else. She does not yet know that Valens are a special breed of human…and she is a Phoenix.

I was sad to say goodbye to Larinda in the first book, but I am quickly becoming a ‘friend’ to Jemma, whether she realizes it or not. LOL I love humor with danger and Sherrell Lee gave me smiles, along with the…NO, DON’T DO THAT. NO, DON’T GO THERE.

I don’t read as many books about Phoenixes as I do Werewolves and Vampires, so I try and snap them up. I am loving this series and the covers that spotlight what supernatural/fantasy creature will be the star.

I voluntarily reviewed a free copy of Valens Rise by Sherrell Lee.

GOODREADS BLURB

When Jemma Nix, a shape shifting phoenix discovers her family’s legacy, she is overwhelmed with distrust and doubt. Her entire family may have been murdered. Her mentor may be using her in a deadly pursuit of power.

Confronted with these facts, Jemma begins to suspect that those closest to her are mad. Refusing to believe their claims of a secret race, she pushes away the one man who may be able to help. The one man who she may love. Rather than face the reality of her new life, Jemma makes a fateful decision. One that places the Valens in jeopardy and forces them to face a deadly, genetically engineered threat.

ABOUT SHERREL LEE

Sherrel Lee lives in a land called Texas and is the wrangler of a fearsome Yorkiepoo named Rogue (Half Yorkie half Poodle weighing in at a hefty eight pounds). She is a mother and grandmother who encourages her family to live life on their own terms, and to laugh as often as they can. She is fascinated with the real and mystical worlds of Urban Fantasy and Romantic suspense chasing murderous villains through the pages of her books.

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Review – Blood Moon by Heather Graham & Jon Land @heathergraham @jondland

Posted on December 2, 2022 by fundinmental

The action-packed follow up to The Rising, from acclaimed thriller-suspense novelists Heather Graham and Jon Land, this is Blood Moon (from Goodreads)

Amazon / Audiobook / Goodreads

MY REVIEW

I love the collaboration between Heather Graham and Jon Land in The Rising series. I was surprised that Jon was into writing science fiction and hooking up (lol) with Heather Graham, but it’s allllll good. Heather and Jon are two of my must read authors.

Why now?
What’s happening?

Two worlds collide and it is explosive.

He had been protecting the book for the past thirty years and thought he would do the same until time to pass it on to the next protector…But that was not to be. Raiff ran, but where was he going and why he didn’t know. What he did know is people sacrificed their lives for him.

Alex and Sam, high school seniors, are being called on….again…to save the world.

Elaine had discovered the existence of Earth and built up a force to send refuges there to ready themselves for the Great War.

Alex is an alien by birth, but he’d lived with humans his entire life. Raiff grew up in an alien world. Together, with Sam, a human, they work to defeat the evil that wants to exterminate humankind. Could their friendship grow into more, as the characters develop and mature?

Androids. Endoskeletons, Golem. An enemy who’s only goal is to stop them. What’s next?

Golems. How can they be defeated? I stopped and wallowed in my fear for a while. I love how Sam, who has no superpowers, dealt with them. It had me laughing, picturing it…once the danger was under control.

I have been to a Mayan city and climbed Chichen Itza. That the Blood Moon will take place in El Mirador, a Mayan City, added an extra element to the story, for me. I could visualize them running through the ruins, as they fight for their lives and the lives of all humanity. Sacrifices will be required, and, though, I knew what was coming, it didn’t make me any happier.

The story is not over. There is much more to come, and I plan on being there for it.

I voluntarily reviewed a free copy of Blood Moon by Heather Graham & Jon Land.

GOODREADS BLURB

The recipient of RWA’s Lifetime Achievement Award and ITW’s ThrillerMaster Award, Heather Graham is at the pinnacle of her career. Now she’s teamed up with USA Today bestselling author Jon Land to continue the story of high school seniors Alex Chin and Samantha Dixon.

They may have managed to win a major battle against the powerful enemy determined to destroy civilization as we know it. But the war continues, with Alex and Sam embarking on a desperate journey to save mankind, even as their friendship blossoms into something much more.

The roadmap for their journey lies in a mysterious book, the language of which has never been deciphered, until Alex finds himself able to translate the words that may hold the keys to saving the future. Toward that end, Alex’s and Sam’s quest spirits them away to a myriad of locations around the world, each of which holds another piece of the puzzle that can defeat the alien invaders.

But an ageless foe, long the guardian of the secrets his race has left behind on Earth, arises to stop them at all costs. At his disposal is a deadly and merciless army that has been awaiting this very war, an army as unstoppable as it is relentless.

Over the ruins of the lost Mayan city of El Mirador, a blood moon is about to rise, triggering the end of mankind unless Alex and Sam can prevail in a struggle that will determine the fate of the planet. As forces both ancient and modern converge, as painful choices must be made and sacrifices accepted, two young heroes will rise again to stand as the final line of defense to preserve their world and their love.

ABOUT HEATHER GRAHAM

Also published as Heather Graham Pozzessere and Shannon Drake.

New York Times and USA Today best-selling author Heather Graham majored in theater arts at the University of South Florida. After a stint of several years in dinner theater, back-up vocals, and bartending, she stayed home after the birth of her third child and began to write, working on short horror stories and romances. After some trial and error, she sold her first book, WHEN NEXT WE LOVE, in 1982 and since then, she has written over one hundred novels and novellas including category, romantic suspense, historical romance, vampire fiction, time travel, occult, and Christmas holiday fare. She wrote the launch books for the Dell’s Ecstasy Supreme line, Silhouette’s Shadows, and for Harlequin’s mainstream fiction imprint, Mira Books.

Heather was a founding member of the Florida Romance Writers chapter of RWA and, since 1999, has hosted the Romantic Times Vampire Ball, with all revenues going directly to children’s charity.

She is pleased to have been published in approximately twenty languages, and to have been honored with awards frorn Waldenbooks. B. Dalton, Georgia Romance Writers, Affaire de Coeur, Romantic Times, and more. She has had books selected for the Doubleday Book Club and the Literary Guild, and has been quoted, interviewed, or featured in such publications as The Nation, Redbook, People, and USA Today and appeared on many newscasts including local television and Entertainment Tonight.

Heather loves travel and anything have to do with the water, and is a certitified scuba diver. Married since high school graduation and the mother of five, her greatest love in life remains her family, but she also believes her career has been an incredible gift, and she is grateful every day to be doing something that she loves so very much for a living.

Website / Facebook / Twitter / YouTube

MY HEATHER GRAHAM REVIEWS

ABOUT JON LAND

Jon Land is the award-winning, critically acclaimed author of 36 books, including the bestselling Caitlin Strong Texas Ranger series that includes Strong Enough to Die, Strong Justice, Strong at the Break, Strong Vengeance and, most recently, Strong Rain Falling. The Tenth Circle marks the second return engagement of his longtime series hero Blaine McCracken on the heels of last year’s Pandora’s Temple which was nominated for a Thriller Award and received the 2013 International Book Award for Best Adventure Thriller. Jon’s first nonfiction book, Betrayal, meanwhile, was named Best True Crime Book of 2012 by Suspense Magazine and won a 2012 International Book Award for Best True Crime Book. He is currently working on Strong Darkness, the next entry in the Caitlin Strong to be published in September of 2014. He graduated Phi Beta Kappa and Magna Cum Laude from Brown University, where he continues to maintain a strong volunteer presence, in 1979.

Stalk Jon: Website / Twitter / Facebook

MY JON LAND REVIEWS