I have been remiss in keeping up with my challenges and am now crossing off the Z for my Alphabet Soup Reading Challenge, Zombies v Ninjas by R A Barnes. I have K, Keeper of the Peace by Jennifer Malone Wright, X, EXtinct by Ike Hamill (which I am currently reading), and You Can Run by Willow Rose to finish it off. I pulled them from my Amazon free downloads. I will be squeezing the reviews in before the end of the year, because I like all my challenge books to be reviewed.
I picked this up on 9.10.15 for free and it was still FREE when I created this post.
The tile for Zombies v Ninjas made me have to pick this up. I was curious how they would come together and it happens quickly.
An island, the Undead, an evil mastermind…and ninjas, there has to be a lot of slash ’em up, rock ’em sock ’em action…and there is. Have I died and gone to…HELL?
This is a different slant on zombies and how they came to be and the ninjas are recruited to save humanity from the apocalypse.
I felt like that’s cool, oh yeah, i like that, all right, way to go, but I never felt like OH NO! OMG! Run for your lives. Watch Out.
All in all a fun read and I would continue with the series.
3 Stas
GOODREADS BLURB
The dead are coming alive on an island in the North Atlantic Ocean. A bullet isn’t going to stop them. They feel no pain.
Flesh-eating walkers have been taking sheep and cattle from the fields. A minor inconvenience until someone, or something, starts to organize them.
A force of pure evil, building an army of undead offspring, planning the end of mankind. Only the ninjas are suitably skilled to identify the undead, understand them and cut off their heads. So few against so many.
Will the human race survive?
Featuring Ruby Barnes, John Baptist and D.I. Andy McAuliffe.
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 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.
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.
Nicholas Ryan asked if I would be interested in reading Brink of Extinction, a full length, stand alone zombie novel…and I said YES. Would I read more of his work? You betcha!
Gideon, OMG, is evil personified. What is his motive for the havoc he is wreaking? He is brutal. Is it because of what happened to him? Does he blame the world and is going to take out is revenge of it? Whoa, it’s like someone opened the doors of the insane asylum and the inmates are running wild.
And the author…how deep did he dig to come up with these savage scenarios? I am only at 10%. I can see why the world is on the Brink of Extinction if these are the kind of people holding the power, running wild in the streets.
It has been thirty years since they faced off against the zombies. The apocalypse brought them to the Brink of Extinction. Now…to survive the human danger. Man’s true colors are exposed when their lives are on the line. Will they sacrifice for others? Are they out for all they can get for themselves, killing for sport? What happens when the Army can’t hold the line?
Nicholas Ryan has taken a great angle with Brink of Extinction. This is not your usual zombie story. An original, refreshing, down right frightening take on zombie apocalypse and what comes after. It’s hard to not give away some of the elements I feel would be best you find out for yourself.
You need eyes in the back of your head and your head on a swivel, because every step you take could lead towards capture for the slave auction or death.
A man and a boy on a journey that will bring them both to where they are meant to be by the end of the story. The journey is eye opening, brutal, dangerous and live affirming and I loved walking every step with them.
I voluntarily reviewed a free copy of Brink of Extinction by Nicholas Ryan.
4 Stars
GOODREADS BLURB
A STAND ALONE ZOMBIE NOVEL A drifter in a savage wasteland, up against the evil that has risen from the ashes of the zombie apocalypse. In
a brutal unforgiving world one man will be called upon to take up a
fight to save those who remain. He thought his last war had been fought
in the trenches against the zombie hordes. Now there is one more bloody
battle that must be won. But the enemy is no longer undead, it is much
worse than that… A full length stand alone novel.
ABOUT NICHOLAS RYAN
Australian writer, Nicholas Ryan, is the author of four bestselling zombie novels – ‘Ground Zero’, ‘Die Trying’, ‘Dead Rage’, and ‘Zombie War’. All of Nick Ryan’s novels are full-length stand alone post apocalyptic thrillers that can be read in any order. Ryan’s first novel, ‘Ground Zero’ was acclaimed by author DJ Molles, as a “Bloody zombie smash!” and since then every book has become an Amazon horror/zombie bestseller. Several of Nicholas Ryan’s books have since been published as audiobooks. Nicholas Ryan lives on the East Coast of Australia with his long time girlfriend on a small farm.
To keep up to date with all the latest Nicholas Ryan news and new book release information visit him on: Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/nickryanauthor Instagram https://www.instagram.com/nicholas_ryan_author/
You can contact Nick directly at nicholasryanpublicist@gmail.com.
Tainted Future by Ashley Fontainne is an apocalyptic/dystopian novel where zombies run AMOK and aren’t the only bodies that will be falling. The series does need to be read in order.
Tainted Future by Ashley Fontainne is the third book in the Rememdium series and I do recommend reading them in order. That being said, how do I write this review without giving any of the good stuff away?
Ashley Fontainne included a cast of characters in the beginning of the book and it picks up where Book II, Tainted Reality left off.
Tainted Future starts out with three bloody, gory deaths and a flaming missile that obliterates the town. They are on the run. Where do they go?
And it only gets worse. A bullet to the head. Brains splatter.
My emotions ran hot. I was filled with fear, smiles and hope, watching the characters face their personal demons and rise above them was inspiring. I only wish I would do the same in a dire situation.
People will be exposed for who they really are. Some will change for the good, others… Some characters are filled with great courage and sacrifice, at least those that are not out to rule the world. I hate that Ashley Fontainne has the need to kill so many of them off, but hey, I’m not surprised at all. Be careful of who becomes your favorite, because they might not make it.
One of the greatest scenes was in the Humvee, racing over the terrain and anything else that gets in the way. Bodies were thrown side to side, as they bounced their way into the next hair raising end of the world scenario.
We don’t end up with a cliffhanger, but we do need to read Book IV, Tainted World to find out what happens next. Will it be the final chapter? I am already bummed at some of the characters that had to bite the dust and I am afraid to find out who will be next…but, I have the book on my Kindle and will begin reading…NOW.
I voluntarily reviewed a free copy of Tainted Future by Ashley Fontainne
4 Stars
GOODREADS BLURB
Everything they know is gone. The old world obliterated in less than forty-eight hours. They soon discover they aren’t alone, and other dangers besides the undead lurk in the forests. The new law of the land: kill or be killed.
Dr. Everett Berning and his team seek refuge in the underground lab in the Ozark Mountains. The first week after the collapse of civilization, those who made it out alive struggle against the odds to survive.
Only a handful escaped the devastation in their hometown of Malvern, Arkansas, and they grapple with the new reality. Tired, frightened, and mourning the loss of loved ones, they attempt to regroup and cope with the life-altering changes.
When one suffers a debilitating injury, they are thrust into a tenuous relationship with Dr. Berning’s group. Other survivors battle the odds as they flee treacherous cities destroyed by the government and crawling with reanimated corpses.
Unfortunately, they all are about to discover the roaming dead aren’t the only threat they face. As the world plummets into darkness, things will never be the same. Ever.
ABOUT ASHLEY FONTAINNE (from her website)
Award-winning and
International bestselling author Ashley Fontainne is an avid reader of
mostly the classics. Ashley became a fan of the written word in her
youth, starting with the Nancy Drew mystery series. Stories that immerse
the reader deep into the human psyche and the monsters that lurk within
us are her favorite reads.
Her muse for penning the
Eviscerating the Snake series was The Count of Monte Cristo by Alexandre
Dumas. Ashley’s love for this book is what sparked her desire to write
her debut novel, Accountable to None, the first book in the trilogy.
With a modern setting to the tale, Ashley delves into just what lengths a
person is willing to go when they seek personal justice for heinous
acts perpetrated upon them. The second novel in the series, Zero
Balance. focuses on the cost and reciprocal cycle that obtaining revenge
has on the seeker. For once the cycle starts, where does it end? How
far will the tendrils of revenge expand? Adjusting Journal Entries
answered that question: far and wide.
Her short thriller
entitled Number Seventy-Five, touches upon the sometimes dangerous world
of online dating. Number Seventy-Five took home the BRONZE medal in
fiction/suspense at the 2013 Readers’ Favorite International Book Awards
contest and is currently in production for a feature film.
Her paranormal thriller
entitled The Lie, won the GOLD medal in the 2013 Illumination Book
Awards for fiction/suspense and is also in production for a feature film
entitled Foreseen.
Ashley’s decided to delve
into the paranormal with a Southern Gothic horror/suspense novel,
Growl, which released in January of 2015. The suspenseful mystery Empty
Shell, released in September of 2014. Ashley will be teaming up with
Lillian Hansen (Ashley calls her mom!) to pen a three-part murder
mystery/suspense series entitled The Magnolia Series. The first book,
Blood Ties, is due out the Summer of 2015.
Ashley also hosts The WriteStuff, a popular BlogTalk Radio show, each Friday night at 10 p.m. CST.
I am so excited to have you here today, Ken. I have read books from you that have dealt with cookies, zombies, personal success, magic, fantasy and love. I have enjoyed each and every one. You are here to share your thoughts about your Heaven series. So…let’s begin.
Grief is Funny
(Emotional Honesty in Heaven Denied)
So,
I’m sitting in a radio-show studio, just before going on the air – this
was a couple of years ago – and one of the hosts asks me a question I’d
been hearing a lot that still took me by surprise. Were we going to see
a sequel to Heaven Enough?
I
say the question took me by surprise because, ever since the day I put
pen to paper (or fingers to keyboard) to write my first novel, I always
had sequels in mind. Most of my brainstorming for any novel includes
some strategizing as to where I take that story next.
But Heaven Enough
was a different kind of novel for me. The idea sprang forth fully
self-contained. For a novel about a man who had lost his wife to later
find love on the Pacific Crest Trail; what more was there? I had even
taken my wife on a drive through Warner Springs, telling her about the
characters and pointing out where they would go, finishing with a
definite conclusion – Heaven Enough would be a stand-alone story.
As
so often is the case, life had other plans. The story of Matt Murphy
and Heather Brooker and this unlikely pairing of one broken man who
insisted he wasn’t with one indominable woman who bore a tragic secret
caught on rather unexpectedly. Here and there, readers would inquire
after a sequel. Until the day came when I was sitting in that studio and
I realized that my readers were right: Heaven Enough needed a sequel.
…
As it turned out, my publisher wasn’t interested. Too much time had
passed since the first book’s release, I was told. I’d be smart to move
on.
But
if I was smart, I wouldn’t be a novelist. I had spent too much time
thinking about a sequel to let it go – not just one but two! My
publisher, Limitless, while not interested in the sequels, released me
from my contract so that I could self-publish all of the Heaven novels. All that was left was to write them.
The
smart move would be to follow that sad tale of Heather and Matt with a
more upbeat chapter. Everyone was asking about Neal and Babette, the
flamboyant cross-dresser who appeared towards the end of the first
novel. Perhaps, some suggested, I focus more on them.
While
I knew that might make for a more marketable title, I also knew Matt
wasn’t finished with Heather. Babette and Neal will have their moment,
of this you can be sure, but I couldn’t move on until Matt could move
on. Only… how could Matt move on? Heather’s story was wrapped in a tight
bow. Where could Matt turn to share his awful grief?
In Heaven Enough,
I made it clear that Heather was not only alone in the world, she’d
also never married and was still a virgin. That is ironclad. But that
doesn’t mean she didn’t have a life, that she didn’t love. And, if the
Heaven novels are about anything, they are about love and opening
ourselves up to love. And, so, I planted an imaginary photograph on an
imaginary Internet for Babette to find, a photograph of a much younger
Heather with a much younger man posing outside of a chapel in Las Vegas.
That
was all Matt would need. I knew Babette wouldn’t be able to keep his
mouth shut, especially with a little help from Neal and Babs, Matt’s
mother. Once he knew some strand of Heather’s life remained out there,
somewhere, Matt would step onto the pages of a new novel, a more
complicated novel than Heaven Enough. Part Bromance, part romantic
comedy, part road trip, the new novel would touch on missed
opportunities and regrets, love in all of its forms and coming to terms
with who you are after who you are is almost unrecognizable.
That novel, I titled Heaven Denied.
Heaven Denied is now available in ebook and paperback, with an audiobook on its way. You can also pick up Heaven Enough in ebook, paperback, and audiobook. Look for the third novel in this series, Heaven For Now, coming late this year.
Congratulations, Ken, for having written a love story that has stuck with me, making me look inside myself, not just along for the ride. I am happy we will have a third book, and I hope you will put me at the top of list when it becomes available for review.
Shade is a YA Paranormal mystery that includes some difficult subject matter, such as cutting and alcohol and drug abuse. More than anything it is the journey of Galactic Shade Griffin as she struggles with life and the danger and difficulties that cross her path.
A drug addict, a ghost, faeries, a troubled teen girl, her missing friend, a messed up mom, an amulet…will Shade be the hero she created in her graphic novel?
Shade has pretty much raised herself and hasn’t done too bad of a job, considering…no father and a mother who drank and drugged herself into oblivion.
Her mother moved them again, and things changed for Shade. She met Brandon Yates, a ghost that haunted their new home. When her best friend turns up missing, they band together to figure out the mystery.
More girls go missing…
I love how Shade struggles and grows to develop. I knew a girl who cut herself and I cannot stress how upset and sad I was for her. I could not understand how hurting yourself could make you feel better. Or maybe it was just so she could feel…something.
I love a good mystery and the paranormal is a nice touch. It adds an extra element I always appreciate. The danger rises and the the mystery is darker than Shade could have imagined. I have read of what can happen to girls who go missing and I fear how vulnerable the female species is…how unprepared and innocent we can be about the evil men do.
Marilyn can spin a wonderful tale that is easy to read and contains lovable characters that will wiggle their way into your heart. I would love to have Shade as my best friend too.
Amongst the dark, there is light.
In the tragic and sadness, there is hope and love.
4 Stars
GOODREADS BLURB
Finalist in the 2015 National Indie Excellence Book Awards, Young Adult Fiction category
Thanks to her offbeat mother, Shade’s full name is Galactic Shade Griffin. Having a name like that while being the new girl in school is pretty much catnip for bullies. The summer before Shade’s junior year of high school, her mother breaks up with yet another boyfriend and moves them once again to a new town.
This time, they move into a dilapidated old house where Shade has an entire attic bedroom to herself—at least until she discovers it’s haunted by the ghost of a teenaged boy named Brandon Yates. When Shade’s best friend goes missing, her life becomes even more complicated. With the help of Brandon who’s struggling with his own issues in the world beyond, Shade faces the question of whether or not she has what it takes to become a true hero.
Although this novel deals with a number of serious issues—drug and alcohol abuse, cutting, and disturbing world events—it’s primarily a novel about a teenaged girl finding out who she really is and that she’s capable of so much more than she ever thought possible.
Shade is a Young Adult Paranormal Mystery novel.
ABOUT MARILYN PEAKE
From Goodreads:
Marilyn Peake is the author of both novels and short stories. Her publications have received excellent reviews. Marilyn’s one of the contributing authors in BOOK: THE SEQUEL, published by The Perseus Books Group, with one of her entries included in serialization at THE DAILY BEAST. In addition, Marilyn has served as Editor of a number of anthologies. Her short stories have been published in seven anthologies and on the literary blog, GLASS CASES.
Awards: Silver Award, two Honorable Mentions and eight Finalist placements in the ForeWord Magazine Book of the Year Awards, two Winner and two Finalist placements in the EPPIE Awards, Winner of the Dream Realm Awards, and eight Top Ten Finisher Awards in the Preditors and Editors Readers Poll.
4 Stars
From Goodreads:
