Deal With the Devil (Mercenary Librarians #1)

I won't even make you beg.

Available at Amazon

Deal With the Devil
Kit Rocha (Authors' Website)
Mercenary Librarians, book one
ebook, 336 pages
Audiobook, 12+ hours
Published July 28th 2020 by Tor Books
ASIN B07QMHKDGB

Nina is an information broker with a mission--she and her team of mercenary librarians use their knowledge to save the hopeless in a crumbling America.

Knox is the bitter, battle-weary captain of the Silver Devils. His squad of super soldiers went AWOL to avoid slaughtering innocents, and now he's fighting to survive.

They're on a deadly collision course, and the passion that flares between them only makes it more dangerous. They could burn down the world, destroying each other in the process...

Or they could do the impossible: team up.

This is the first book in a near-future science fiction series with elements of romance.

I wasn't expecting much when I grabbed this book off the digital library shelf. Admittedly, I might not have even read past the second paragraph of the blurb but, oh my, this book is good. "Elements of romance"? Uh... yeah! That's putting it mildly. This book has some serious heat.

In a nutshell, Knox has been hired to retrieve Nina not for monetary payment, but rather in trade for the hostage he needs who has the ability to save his men and himself. So he approaches Nina with the intent of betraying the deal he's bringing to their door. But he's desperate. He's dying. And not even his honor can supersede Knox's loyalty to his men.

When he and his crew meet Nina and her team, it's kismet. They fit. Each and every member, no matter how deadly or paranoid, manage to sync together into a single unit. But betrayal is lurking. And trust is a fragile thing.

I thought this was a YA. It's definitely not. Although... the "mastermind" behind targeting Nina was rather YA-ish. And not in a good way. Some have shelved it Urban Fantasy. I feel it's more than that. Rather, it's a post-apocalyptic fantasy romance. One that absolutely deserves to be in anyone's TBR pile.

4 out of 5 stars.

Available in ebook | audiobook | hardcover | paperback



[ Authors' Note ] Kit Rocha is the pseudonym for co-writing team Donna Herren and Bree Bridges. After penning dozens of paranormal novels, novellas and stories as Moira Rogers, they branched out into gritty, sexy dystopian romance.

Act of Defiance

Victors write the history books.

And in their eyes, even Saints can look like Devils.

Available at Amazon.com

Act of Defiance
Adrianne Brooks
ebook, 158 pages
Published June 3rd 2014
Free Read at Amazon.com

Defiance Gray has never had to worry about the Apocalypse. Mainly because it came and went years before she was born. Under the puritan rule of the Church everyone has their place and those unwilling to conform find out all too quickly just how swift punishment can be.

But nothing, not even Priests, frightens Defiance more than the thought of being caught outside after dark. Because when night falls and the bells start to ring, the stone Gargoyles scattered throughout the city come to life and begin their hunt for human souls.

When she starts seeing the Marks, symbols predicting the death of all who wear them, Defiance realizes that the Gargoyles aren’t the only things she has to fear. Which proves to be especially true after she meets Uriel, a winged demon classifying himself as an ‘archangel’.

Defiance Gray has never had to worry about the Apocalypse.
Demons lost the Great War.
The battle was over.

She’d known these things her whole life…but what if she’d been wrong?

I am the devil. But I'm not the only one.

From the very first page, and I'm referencing the Prologue here, I was hooked.

In a post-apocalyptic world where Satan is Lord God and the Four Horsemen are Saints, where women are either nuns or breeders, and the night is haunted by gargoyles seeking those to punish... Defiance Grey lives without a clue as to what the world once was, and what it has become.

A week shy of her eighteenth birthday, Defiance begins to have visions of death depicted through marks upon the heads of its victims just as the Church, the only source of protection, names a new head priest in Father Judas. As his reign begins with the deaths of innocents, including the blacksmith who was her long time friend and mentor, Defiance finds herself volunteering to survive outside the walls after being warned by the ghost of her friend/enemy whom they claim killed herself during the night.

Outside, among the tombstones, Defiance awakens an archangel, long imprisoned as a statue of marble. To her, in this world, he is a demon. One who suffers blindness because of all the iniquity and corruption in the world. His name is Uriel. And he becomes her Savior.

His quest is simple-to kill the Four Horsemen.

Her refusal is firm. To her, they are the long dead Saints of her people. So she seeks out to prove their demise to Uriel so that he may return to... wherever he was while being held captive by stone.

Little does Defiance know that three of the Four Horsemen are living and well, possessing Father Judas and two of the nuns that head her former church. The fourth seeks a new host. And Defiance has become their target.

There's something about demons that allow me to be pulled into this trending world of YA literature. I need a good villain. I need a freaking unbelievable world. Because, frankly, the characters just don't have it in them to hold my interest.

While there's not much accomplished in this first book of the series, the stage is well set. And Defiance is beginning to wonder what exactly it is she's believing in.

3 out of 5 stars.

It's a Wolf Thing

It's yours now, y'know.

Available at Amazon.com

It's A Wolf Thing
Mina Carter; Chance Masters
ebook, 47 pages
Published May 8th 2013 by Blue Hedgehog Press
ISBN 139781301409082

Months after Armegeddon, the creatures of myth and legend have been forced out of hiding to join what remains of humanity to fight for their very survival against both Heaven and Hell. Dale Foxx, a born were-wolf, is one of the Rebellion's front line fighters. Strong, fast and absolutely lethal on the battlefield, there's very little Dale fears. In fact, she fears just two things. Her upcoming Mating Moon, and her attraction to her battle-partner Spencer Pena...

If Spencer wasn't fighting Hell's forces, he'd think he was in the fiery pit himself. He's lost his best friend already, and is forced to watch the woman he's loved for years risk her life day after day on the battlefield in a war no one can see ending. Then the match-making fae lend a helping hand, and a key-card leads him to the woman they've picked as his perfect match. The woman he's told himself is off limits.

In a world gone mad, can Dale and Spencer find the happiness they crave, or will the war take a fatal toll?

So Kaleb was... intense. So much so that I needed a quick, mindless, and most important of the three-emotionless, read to give me time to recover.

And that I found in this: a quirky, wtf, post-apocalyptic story about two wolf shifters who have been deemed a perfect match by Fae who leave a hotel key card as a sign of their decision.

Okay, it has a corny foundation but actually manages to save itself with uncommon facets as the story progresses. Having each received a key card that appears out of nowhere, both Dale and Spencer choose to meet the stranger the Fae has deemed their match with the same purpose of purging the other from their system. They've wanted one another long before the end of the world came. Have been ignoring their feelings ever since.

Once inside the hotel room, there's no shame in finally giving in to those long kept emotions. And once inside her body, with her confession of he being her first wolf in his ears, Spencer has the dawning realization that she is indeed his mate. In a half shift, he claims her. And the story doesn't end there.

Weeks later, as much as he's always hated watching her go into battle against demon and angels alike, he can't seem to take it anymore. She's not just the sister of the man whom he once considered his best friend, to whom he'd once sworn he'd watch over her- she's his mate. And he won't watch her die like he did Cain.

This story is short, but no less sweet. Spencer is probably one of the most emotional wolf shifters I've read. Not a good thing, mind you. What's worse it that he fails to protect both his mate and himself, welcoming death at her side before his superiors show up to save them both.

I've read Chance Masters, and many by Mina Carter. Together, in this, they did well. 3 out of 5 stars.

Brighid's Cross: Keepers of the Flame, #1

Available at Amazon.com

Brighid's Cross
Cate Morgan
End of Days, book three
Keepers of the Flame, book one
ebook, 87 pages
Published November 1st 2011 by Samhain Publishing
ISBN: 9781609286316

One woman with a job to do. One gorgeous hacker with a plan. One apocalypse. Any questions?

Aika Lareto is a descendent of St. Brighid in her incarnation of all things fire and warfare in a time when heroes were revered as gods. In 2025, this means Aika is hunted by all things demon and government. All she wants is to get on with her work as guardian of the dregs scraping out a fringe existence in London s blitzed underground the lost, forgotten and the just plain ignored.

Declan Pryce is the hacker who finds her first. Quite a feat, considering current ruling government conglomerate Dreamtech has issued a bounty on Aika's head for her ability to bypass their security systems.

When she escapes Dreamtech's net, the vote is unanimous.

Aika is a liability in need of immediate resolution dead or alive is entirely her choice.

No choice, really. She ll take death over disloyalty every time. Declan has a plan that doesn't include falling for an impossible woman in an impossible situation. She has plans of her own that don't leave room for a love life.

If they're incredibly lucky, it just might work.

Brighid's Cross is both book three in the End of Days series (shared with Mina Carter and Karen Erickson) and book one of the Keepers of the Flame series... and it has terrible reviews on Goodreads. But did that stop me from finishing up End Of Days? Perhaps, it should have.

This story is not told well. That is, I have no idea what the hell it was about. There was a plot. And there was a goal. And it was achieved. I'm just not sure what *it* was. She stabbed something? Something was thwarted by the action?

Okay, here's what I know, or, what I think I know. Aika is, or was, an angel in a world where angels are nothing more than evolved humans now living back on what is left of Earth. But mortals have the gift of choice. And that's all she ever wanted.

In this post-apocalyptic setting, Aika protects the survivors of the great war, living outside of a society that may or may not exist. Dreamtech is the villain, though I don't recall any demons.

Declan is a hacker on a search for angels, or Other, or any combination of the two. He first becomes aware of Aika via security cameras and tracks her down within hours of Dreamtech putting out a bounty on her. The two know each other a mere day before they end up in bed together so even the romance, and I use the term loosely, is rushed.

I have to believe the author knew what was going on, and maybe she shared with Aika. But it's a secret neither are sharing with anyone else.

1 out of 5 stars.

Rogue Rider: Lords of Deliverance #4

"I'm five thousand years old... 

But the day you found me in the woods, that's when my life started."

Rogue Rider
Larissa Ione
Lords of Deliverance, book four
ebook, 380 pages
Published November 20th 2012 by Piatkus
ISBN 9780749955571

They're here.

They ride.

The Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse.

Born of a match between good and evil, four siblings stand between hell's minions and everything they want to destroy. They are the Lords of Deliverance, and they have the power to ward off Doomsday... or let it ride...

The prophecies were there but no one listened. Until now.

Jillian Cardiff came to this remote mountain town to forget the demon attack that almost killed her. Instead, she rescues - and falls for - a gorgeous stranger who has no memory of anything other than his name. Handsome, charming and protective, Reseph seems like the kind of man that Jillian can trust. But with hints of a troubling history of his own, he's also the kind of man that can be very dangerous...

Reseph may not know his background, or why he mysteriously appeared in Jillian's life, but he knows he wants to stay. Yet when Jillian's neighbours are killed and demon hunters arrive on the scene, Reseph fears that he's putting Jillian in danger. And once it's revealed that Reseph is also Pestilence, the Horseman responsible for ravaging the world with death and destruction, he and Jillian must face the greatest challenge of all: can they forget the horrors of a chilling past to save the future they both desire?

I knew this book was going to be good (despite the amnesia that the story opens upon) but my level of focus, or lack thereof, being what it is lately I chose to put it off lest I fail to savor the epic goodness inside. 

Then my last read happened, and I desperately needed something to put the fire back in my fantasies. Enter the Lords of Deliverance. 

Oh Reseph. The best of them. Now, alone, naked in a snow laden forest with no memory of ever being Pestilence, the Horsemen whose seal had broken. Saved by his siblings in the last book, Reseph knows only his name now. And that he doesn't like being alone. 

When Jillian, survivor of a demon attack, finds him face down in the middle of the forest with an impending blizzard on the rise, she loads him up on her horse's sled and drags him home. And kudos to Jillian. This girl's a keeper.

Despite the loss of Reseph's memory, the core of him remains. His instincts, and the familiar, are all at the forefront of his consciousness. Computers are familiar. Condoms, not so much. Love? First time falling for this warrior.

So many good things happen in this book. Limos gets pregnant. Yays for Arik! And Reaver finds out he's a father. Oh yeah! And not just *any* father, no- he's the father of the Four fucking Horsemen! Reaver *is* Yenrieth.

And Reseph murders their mother. yeah...

Reaver and Harvester go beyond the definition of fascinating for me. Betrayed by Harvester, a Fallen Angel and co-Watcher of the Horsemen, Reaver has been tortured violently, his wings cut from him, and has been left for months to be slowly digested over and over again in the belly of one of Hell's creatures. But Harvester, despite her many many sins to the contrary, is not all bad. Unfortunately (Or fortunately?), she plays by her own rules. For very good reasons. She loves the Horsemen. Has been watching over them since their births. And even saved Than's life when he was a child.

Anway-- She cons Reaver, offering his freedom, for the location of Reseph to which he refuses to trade. So she offers up another bargain: Reaver goes free if, at a time of her choosing, he must submit to her for the sole purpose of sexual pleasure for a full 24 hours. Original? No. Deviously wonderful? Yes! Although appalled (and I honestly couldn't fathom why) Reaver agrees and the deal is sealed with a kiss. One that Reaver is flabbergasted at having enjoyed.

I am so stoked that these two get their own book--due out December 17th! Reaver being the daddy was just the icing on the molten chocolate cake. Finding out Harvester has been a spy for Heaven ALL ALONG, oh yeah!

I could have easily gone without the smut in this book if only to stay right there in the heat of Reaver and Harvester's spats. By the end of this installment both R&H have been removed as the Horsemen's Watchers. Harvester is being tortured by Satan, --her father!--, and Reaver has said fuck it all and is on his way to save their Fallen ally.

Reseph's battle against Pestilence is over in a blink. Which didn't affect me at all. I was turning pages for Reaver alone.

5 out of 5 glorious stars!

Previously in the series:

Dawn of Darkness

Dawn of Darkness
Devin Harnois
ebook, 51 pages
Published June 29th 2010 by Samhain Publishing
ISBN 9781609280659

Letting her live was bad enough. Wanting her is much worse.

Richard Everson has seen too many people die, killed by the nightmare creatures that have overrun the world. Every night he leaves the protection of the walled city to hunt the nasties alone. He likes his job. Maybe a little too much.

By day, Jennifer lives in her human skin. By night, the wolf takes over, a legacy forced upon her by the nasties who made her one of them. Everson is a tenuous link to what s left of the human world. Despite the danger to them both, she hungers for his touch.

Each encounter sends the heat spiraling higher, until it burns away all control. And Richard realizes too late his heart has crossed a line punishable by death Warning: This book contains strong language, nightmarish creatures, a violence-loving hero, a very naked woman, werewolves, forbidden desire, and post-aocalyptic monster-killing mayhem

I was surprisingly pleased by this read, and caught off guard by the ending which was even more delightful. Yes, delightful.

Emerson has survived three years hunting the "nasties" at night in this post-apocalyptic world--longer than any other--without succumbing to drugs, madness, or being turned. When his wayward path finds Jennifer, human turned werewolf, he's itching to pull the trigger, but she manages to talk him into each going their separate ways.

From there, she's all he thinks about and he continues to return to the same place at the end of every shift. They talk. They bond. They... mate.

I expected certain happenings while reading this, as all readers tend to do, and not a one came to fruition. Other than the smut, which was, although short, quite rough. That's not a bad thing. Quite the contrary. And it was rather nice to be surprised after all this time.

4 out of 5 stars.

Neon Chaos: End of Days #2

Neon Chaos
Karen Erickson
End of Days, book two
ebook
Published (first published November 1st 2011)

A one-night stand turns into a partnership for survival…

Party girl Samantha Sanders is celebrating her thirtieth birthday in style—a road trip to Las Vegas for a long weekend with her girlfriends. Staying in the swankiest hotel on the strip, she’s naked and in bed with the sexiest guy she’s ever laid eyes on when the clock strikes twelve. Who knew the world would really end December 21, 2012? Those Mayans, they weren’t lyin’…

Russ Weaver is above all else a soldier. Looking for a little fun before spending Christmas with his crazy family, a weekend on leave in Vegas unexpectedly turns into his newest mission——protecting the sweet, scared woman he happens to be in bed with when the world as they know it is over.

Wandering throughout the virtually abandoned streets of Vegas, the fine city has turned into a war zone. Their only hope to get out alive is to stick together—and fight those who wish to cease their endeavors. Permanently.

Warning: It’s not all doom and gloom. A sexy man who’s a fierce protector, a sassy woman with fortitude of steel, these two stick together through it all. Watch the sparks fly—true love does endure. I promise.

Oh yeah. Insult my alcoholic beverage of choice. That'll get you laid.

Guys think it's charming to insult women's tropical drinks. And apparently, most women think it's cute. I don't. And I can't figure out why they do. Oh, sure, you're a big strong man for drinking *beer*.

Aliens aren't exactly how I expect the world to go, and if absolutely nothing happens on December 21st, I'm going to be pissed. That's how things go down here, and Samantha and Russ find themselves, inexplicably, the only people still roaming around now that most of Las Vegas is in mass destruction and strange aircrafts are stalking the skies.

This story plays shamelessly into the cliche of alien invasion and the whole plot of impregnating our females to save their dying superior race. It didn't help that Erickson's own characters had to constantly throw in how badly this sounded like an awful science fiction movie. And I do mean *constantly*.

I'm typically a fan of Erickson's and this certainly doesn't damper that, but... Damn, this was so not a great read. The teaser at the end, for Brighid's Cross (book three), however, was. Despite its poor reviews on Goodreads, I liked what I saw and plan to be reading it soon.

2 out of 5 stars.

Previously in this series:

Daybreak (Dark Age Dawning, #3)

Daybreak
Ellen Connor
Dark Age Dawning, book three
Paperback, 312 pages
Published December 6th 2011 by Berkley Sensation

The Change Is Forever.

Their mission was to save the world.
Their destiny was to fall in love.

It's been twelve years since the Change, and Penelope Sheehan is one of the few still practicing magic for the good of humanity in this dark, dangerous world. Determined to infiltrate the notorious O'Malley organization, she poses as an abducted girl—until a furious lion thwarts her mission. When the beast turns into a devastatingly handsome man, she recognizes in him the troubled boy she once knew.

Since becoming a skinwalker, Tru Daugherty has allowed his animal nature to take over. Aloof and cynical, he takes no interest in making the world a better place. He's a creature of instinct and impulse, living only to satisfy his senses—ignoring his scarred heart. He's also the best man to help her bring down the O'Malley crime ring.

Fighting alongside the last holdouts of humanity, they unleash a passion that tempts them to risk everything for love. But if they succeed, Tru and Pen hold the power to brighten the Dark Age for all time.

It's not very often that a reader gets to know the protagonists of a series while they're still children. A very special insight it is. And since I've forgotten most of the details of the many different series I'm begun a journey through due to my maternity hiatus, I figured I'd pick back up with book three of Dark Age Dawning since I was planning to skip book two anyway. So now, the feeling of being a tad lost is justifiable.

Tru is the same cynical bastard he was as a child, presently seeking either death or a good fuck. Whichever, whatever, whenever. He has, however, managed to hold on to his humanity, a feat very few Skinwalkers have managed to achieve after the Change. Tru is a lion shifter and while I'm not big on the feline corner of the shifter world. Tru's isn't half bad. He's found himself a "pride" to protect. Now, we just have to wait for the man in Tru to come around to the idea.

Penelope is just as disappointing to Tru as he is to her. Now known to countless rebels as the Orchid, Pen is basically out to save the world. With her healing and semi-mind reading powers she grasps each and every opportunity to put some good back in the tattered world, with the ultimate goal of taking out the dictator O'Malley if ever she can locate his hidden fortress. For that, and to protect the orphaned Adrian, she bargains for Tru's aid. With sex as payment once the destination is met.

The plan is first, for the child's sake, to get to Georgia. Why the hell does anyone seek refuge in Georgia?! Along the way, it's a kiss for each day. One on day one. Two on day two. And so on. Tru's idea, as Pen needs familiarity before she can go to bed with a man. Meanwhile, Tru finds himself battling between the instinct to connect and the urge to break away. They've both been hurt, lost, and abandoned. Jenna and Mason, from book one, could only heal just so much.

There were things I didn't expect in this book. Tru being the advocate of love being one. His past after leaving Mason and Jenna, another. In all honesty, it soured him for me. I get it, and saw the necessity of it. But that doesn't mean I have to like it.

Kudos to Pen for setting a strong first ground rule. LOLs to Tru for that rather unique admission of love. And sighs of satisfaction for them both. Yays. She chose him. 4 out of 5 stars.

Previously in the series:

Immortal Rider: Lords of Deliverance #2

Immortal Rider
Larissa Ione
Lords of Deliverance, book two
Mass Market Paperback, 414 pages
Published November 22nd 2011 by Grand Central Publishing
ISBN 9780446574471


The signs are everywhere...disastrous world events. Evil rising up, unleashed upon the innocent. The prophecies were there...but no one listened. Until now. The time has come for those who can either usher in Doomsday...or prevent it. They are here. They ride. The Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse.

Arik Wagner, a soldier with the U.S. Army's paranormal unit, the R-XR, kissed a girl and liked it. And then he went to hell as punishment. Where he's spent weeks being tortured...and plotting revenge.

Limos, Horsewoman of the Apocalypse, isn't your average girl. She's immortal, dangerous, and her fiancé is Satan himself. In a moment of weakness, she gave in to her desire and kissed Arik, triggering her fiancé's wrath - and his claim on her. In order to save Arik, and the world, Limos must make a dangerous pact with her recently turned evil brother, Pestilence. A deal that might just cost her her soul...and her heart.

So... first impression here (as far as this particular book is concerned anyway) is that Arik has a very dirty mind. And a fetish for coconuts. Well not really, but I just love how Ione tells a story. Even things a reader finds in numerous other books seem to become something altogether original just by the ways she delivers it.

At an engagement party for and hosted by Ares and Cara, Arik breaks from the crowd for some fresh air. Limos, the third Horseman and destined 'Famine', has been driving his libido wild and the throng of demons isn't helping his control. When she challenges him to spar in an attempt to settle the agitation she senses in him, Arik goes in for a kiss. Then hell itself opens up to swallow Arik whole and he goes on to spend a month being tortured at the hands of Satan's minions.

Release from his prison doesn't come easy. Regaining a sense of reality afterwards is an even greater challenge. Especially since Pestilence (aka Reseph) went all vampire on him in an attempt to claim Arik's soul for a bargaining chip.

The side stories are a wonderful compliment to the book which is a nice change since most are either distracting or a downright nuisance. Regan steps further into the spotlight in this installment and the plot to break Thanatos's seal begins. Oh yeah, it's time to get Than laid and make him a daddy!

Meanwhile Reseph has been in Limos's ear and her scales are tipping (literally) toward the dark side with every lie she's forced, and secretly thrilled, to tell. This is a double whammy as lying seems to be the one thing Arik detests above all else thanks to an abusive, alcoholic father. Just another obstacle in the way of he and Limos getting together. That, and a very aggressive chastity belt. And let's not forget Satan.

(spoilers) Harvester and Reaver, the two watchers, evolve drastically in this book as Reaver becomes a victim of Harvester's cruel plans when she captures and mutilates him with the cutting off of his angel wings. The two do still have a chance in the future, if they don't kill each other first.

We meet Lilith, the Horsemen's mother, and witness a glimpse that Reseph is very much still present inside Pestilence. Limos is forced to reveal her sins against her brothers, earning herself some very scary wrath from Ares and Thanatos. And Lucifer, too, for altogether different reasons. She and Arik manage to break her betrothal contract to Satan just before Regan takes advantage of Thanatos and holy hell, that Guardian better keep running. The fourth Horseman is pissed.

4 out of 5 stars.

Previously in the series:

I, Zombie

I, Zombie
Clive Bonnet (and Nick Spalding)
Kindle Edition
Published July 13th 2011 by Racket Publishing
ASIN B005CR872E
Amazon freebie

"My name is Jim Monroe and I am a zombie.

"My natural life on this planet has ceased and I've been re-animated to stalk the world as a pale, hollow imitation of my former self.

"I'm different from my undead brethren though... I'm a zombie with a brain.

"This is the short, shocking story of how I came to be this way."

Anyone who's ever cared enough to watch a zombie flick should appreciate this short story. Told through the POV of Jim Monroe, he recollects how he came to realize he had become one of the living dead and describes the events that led him to pen his experience.

Though graphic during certain situations, the mood remains light and entertaining as the author assigns humor to just about everything Jim encounters.

As I've already stated, it's hard (if not impossible) to feel fear physically when your body has more or less shut itself down.
     ...ditto shock.
     ...ditto surprise.
     So when the bedroom door banged open violently and my hideously decaying girlfriend appeared with arms outstretched, my body didn't react all that much.
     Perhaps a slight twitch and a wobble on my heels, but that was about it.
     In my mind however, this was going on: 'Aarrgghh! Ohshitohchristohfuckme! Aarrgghh!'

At the price of free, this quick read will cost you nothing but five minutes of your life. And it's more than worth it. 5 out of 5 stars.

Fearworld

Fearworld
Paul Melhuish
ebook
Published April 8th 2011 by Greyhart Press
ASIN B004VWKVKC
Amazon freebie

Emerging like fish from water, the shapes took form in the air and landed softy among the commuters. A hideous cold accompanied them. Confused passengers saw the monstrosities change shape from formless bodies into uniformed train guards. Uniformed train guards with rubbed-out faces and slits for mouths.

After the photophobes are summoned into our dimension, what hope is there for the survivors? One man, at least, is prepared to strike back!

At 6,000 words (equivalent to about 24 pages in paperback) this Greyhart Press eBook is the perfect length to enjoy on your lunch break, or to complement a drink in your favorite coffee house. Be warned, though, after reading this story you will want to keep the lights on for a long time.

An overzealous television performer decides to smash particles on live tv, claims ignorance to what could be inside the resulting black whole, only pushing that whatever it is, it would make for some great entertainment. And behold, a portal to hell was ripped open.

Despite its length, this story has a pull into its fantasy that most novels fail to achieve. There's not much depth. You won't go any further than a handful of memories and the current objective of the protagonist, but all of it is no less than you need. I don't typically go for those cliffhanger endings, but in this- where it was so simple to bring about the end of life as we know it- the conclusion of an equally simple, would-be solution fit beautifully.

I can only wish other freebies were written as well as this short story. Hell, I wish half the books I've paid for were written this well! 4 out of 5 stars.

Half Past Dead

Half Past Dead
The Undying Heart by Zoe Archer
Simon Says by Biana D'Arc
ebook, 320 pages
Published January 1st 2010 by Kensington Publishing Corporation
ISBN 9780758256034

There are good guys, there are bad boys, and then there are men with a danger all their own—these are the ones who take you places you never imagined... and will never forget.

The Undying Heart by Zoe Archer

Samuel Reed had no idea magic existed, until it almost destroyed him. Thirsting for vengeance against the enemy who made him something less than human, Sam returns to England and crosses paths with Cassandra Fielding. His best friend's little sister has become a fearless woman on a dangerous mission of her own. And against all odds, she sees past what he's become, and stirs a desire he thought he'd lost forever...

Simon Says by Bianca D'Arc

Special Forces soldier Simon Blackwell ended his affair with Mariana Daniels three years ago, but he hasn't stopped protecting her. Mariana has no knowledge of the dark, deadly creatures that lurk in the forest surrounding her clinic, or of the mysterious powers that make Simon the only one who can defeat them. But soon he'll have no choice but to reveal the truth, and urge her to trust in an explosive passion that never faded.

The Undying Heart unfolds a story about Samuel Reed, a soldier who is murdered by his commanding officer and then brought back as an undead slave. He eventually breaks the hold over him and free will becomes his once more. In his quest for vengeance, he returns to his home town in England where he is reunited with Cassie, a childhood friend who has been smitten with him for years.

In Simon Says, things keep more to the basics of how zombies will come to be- overzealous scientists. Simon survived a zombie attack three years ago while on a mission that left him with incredible healing abilities and immunity to the virus. He's now a one man team on the hunt of a number of infected Marines that wander the woods where his ex-girlfriend, Dr. Mariana Daniels lives.

I wondered, when picking up the second half of this book, where the author was going with her title. Quite honestly, I find Simon Says to be the least kinky of all  games one could manipulate for sexual purposes and having it cheesy up the last portion of the story was a total disappointment. The first story, however, was rather enjoyable, even unto the very end, and contained far less predictability. As far as characters go, Samuel was easily the more appealing of the two leading men. Then again, when doesn't a story of vengeance outdo a special ops mission?  3 out of 5 stars overall.

Nightfall: Dark Age Dawning #1

Nightfall
Ellen Connor
Dark Age Dawning, book one
Paperback, 327 pages
Published June 6th 2011 by Berkley Trade
ISBN 9780425241691

First in a stunning new post-apocalyptic paranormal romance trilogy.

Growing up with an unstable, often absent father who preached about the end of the world, Jenna never thought in her wildest nightmares that his predictions would come true. Or that he would have a plan in place to save her-one that includes the strong, stoic man who kidnaps and takes her to a remote cabin in the Pacific Northwest.

The mysterious ex-Marine named Mason owes a life-debt to Jenna's father. Skilled and steadfast, he's ready for the prophesied Change, but Jenna proves tough to convince. Until the power grid collapses and mutant dogs attack-vicious things that reek of nature gone wrong.

When five strangers appear, desperate to escape the bloodthirsty packs, Jenna defies her protector and rescues them. As technology fails and the old world falls away, Jenna changes too, forever altered by supernatural forces. To fight for their future, she and Mason must learn to trust their instinctive passion-a flame that will see them through the bitter winter, the endless nights, and the violence of a new Dark Age.

Got as far as the prologue and already I knew this book was going to make me very happy. The prophetic message from Jenna's father alone had me tingling in anticipation and finding a well crafted wolf shifter inside-pure bonus!

It doesn't take long to get to know Mason, our main character, and we even get introductions to the leading men of books two and three: Dr. Chris Welsh who's holed up at a nature outpost, and Tru (aka Midnight) who's currently a 15 year old former gamer into the goth scene. Oh, and we also meet Penny. =)

Not everything is a lost cause after the cell towers go down, communications are lost, and rabid death dogs turn people into mutants- we still have magic. Mason and Jenna begin to discover a psychic bond they share and it's so worthwhile to experience Pen and Tru coming together so early in their lives. I was all kinds of 'awe' when that little girl climbed up into his lap.

Mason is truly a woman's dream. Jenna tells the guy what she needs from him and instantly he's processing that newly found information through his brain and trying to figure out a way to put it to action, albeit after an epic ton of drama back and forth between the two. Still, kudos for effort!

I loved this book, the world and the characters, and am beyond ready for book three. Chris (star of book two) really didn't do anything for me, though I felt the author(s) didn't intend him to anyway. A tad disappointing as well was the countless possibilities this world offered up weren't exactly explored to their full potential. Everything stayed according to a familiar formula which actually made me miss The Walking Dead tv show even more. Hopefully, the sequels will push further outside the box. 4 out of 5 stars.

He closed the blanket around her like a cocoon and swept loose tendrils of hair from her face. No fever now. Just cold. Holding out little hope, he leaned in and brushed a kiss against her mouth. His own Snow White- only Jenna didn't stir. Her lips didn't respond. He opened his thoughts, sending a desperate SOS. But even on that unseen highway where their minds once met he traveled alone.

Beyond the Night: Envy Chronicles #1

❝  Who are you? Good fucking question. ❞

Beyond the Night
Joss Ware
Envy Chronicles, book one
Mass Market Paperback, 357 pages
Published January 12th 2010 by Avon
ISBN 9780061734014


A man with no future

When Dr. Elliott Drake wakes from a mysterious fifty-year sleep, the world as he knew it is gone. Cities are now desolate, and civilization is controlled by deadly immortals. Stranger still is Elliott's extraordinary new "gift"—he has the power to heal, but it comes with fatal consequences.

A woman with a past

Jade barely escaped the immortals and is now hell-bent on revenge. She trusts no one... until Elliott. His piercing gaze and tempting touch shatter her defenses, but the handsome doctor seems to have dangerous secrets of his own. Is it safe to trust him with her heart?

If they are to survive in this dark new world, Jade and Elliott must work together to fight the forces that take them beyond danger.

Beyond desire.

Dr. Elliot Drake -Dred, for short- takes a weekend caving trip with his buddies Quent and Wyatt- and emerges from their adventure to discover that the world has aged fifty years, and it is nothing like they remember it. Dred also discovers he's developed some rather phenomenal powers. He can heal. And he'd become a human MRI. Quent, too, has been given a gift. That of reading the memories of anything he touches. Quite handy in this situation, eh?

They soon come to learn of a large civilization of people still surviving the gangas that feed during the night and soon enough they meet Jade. It's then that Dred realizes another talent of his- he can transfer an injury from one person to another. Now *that* would be cool. What wouldn't be cool would be holding on to it and having it destroy yourself.

POV switches between Elliot, Jade, and even Quent. Readers are also privy to a journal kept by Lou Waxnicki, who is basically the founder of Envy. I really enjoyed the journal. =)

The romance is very realistic. Elliott wants Jade but he won't share, a fact he vocalizes quite clearly. At first, casually. Then again, quite forcefully. Jade, being a former prisoner and now a very independent woman doesn't believe herself to need to explain her association or actions with the other men. And so, a rift forms between the two.

Meanwhile, Quent has his own unobtainable woman to conquer. A modern day female Robin Hood, Zoe is an outsider and she's not given much of a role other than to aid the group at certain times and eventually share Quent's bed. The sex was rather hot though. Much different from the beautiful but somber love making by Elliot and Jade.

As far as violence goes, Elliot and Jade do get their asses kicked. Jade's encounters definitely have violence written all over them near the end and Elliot finds himself leaning hard on death's unlocked door more than once. While I did very much enjoy this book, and am quite curious as to how the story goes as the series progresses, I'm not sure if I'll make a hasty return to find out. There's a lot of questions left unanswered. Did the rise of Atlantis really bring about the end of the known world? Will Zoe ever come back? (bk 3) And what's up with Simon and Sage? (bk 2) What happens with Theo? (bk 4) So, so, many questions.

4 out of 5 stars.