The Rules by Mark Troy and audible review

The Rules by Mark Troy narrated by Julie Hoverson.

Ok, so the more I read or listen to books with the double tap horror / surprise endings the less I personally like it.  This is a short read at a bit over an hour and although the narrator did a very good job with the main protagonists voice and even to a degree with the second main protagonists she does not have the range to pull off more voices and a lot of the story got lost due to my irritation with the narrators inability to make the surprise guest to the house sound anything else other than a person not good at imitating voices.  Then the surprise double horror tap ending showing nothing is as it appears…the first such a surprise would have done fine.  

The second one simply annoyed.  Well it annoyed me personally.  I would have preferred if these double tap endings were replaced by a truly surprising twist.

WaAr

Audible review of Blue Ink by Nancy Fulda

Click on the pic to go to audible.

Blue Ink: A short story  by Nancy Fulda narrated by J.R Mangels

A short story with heart. 

This short story on audible was a surprise.  I did not know how well a short story would do on audible so when I started with this 20 min listen I was surprised at how well the short story is fitted to audible.

The story, of a boy who wants to make sure his clone is happy is far deeper than I expected from such a short short.  It's implication on our world view etc is quite something and the author and the narrator made every offer to make the story come to life.

WaAr

Book Review of Partials (The Partials Sequence #1) by Dan Wells

Synopsis:

The human race is all but extinct after a war with Partials—engineered organic beings identical to humans—has decimated the population. Reduced to only tens of thousands by RM, a weaponized virus to which only a fraction of humanity is immune, the survivors in North America have huddled together on Long Island while the Partials have mysteriously retreated. The threat of the Partials is still imminent, but, worse, no baby has been born immune to RM in more than a decade. Our time is running out.

Kira, a sixteen-year-old medic-in-training, is on the front lines of this battle, seeing RM ravage the community while mandatory pregnancy laws have pushed what's left of humanity to the brink of civil war, and she's not content to stand by and watch. But as she makes a desperate decision to save the last of her race, she will find that the survival of humans and Partials alike rests in her attempts to uncover the connections between them—connections that humanity has forgotten, or perhaps never even knew were there.

Review:


Partials by Dan Wells
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

This is the first book in the Partials Sequence series. I loved it!

Kira is a sixteen year old girl living in a post apocalyptic Long Island, along with the few remaining humans after a biochemical war. I liked this character a lot. She has a lot of compassion, bravery and determination. However, she finds out a secret that will change her life forever.

I was recommended this book by Amazon, since I am a fan of dystopian YA. I decided to give this book a try, and downloaded an audio book copy to listen to whilst doing chores. I loved the story so much, I also purchased a Kindle copy to read.

Narrated by Julia Whelan, the story is a fantastic post-apocalyptic dystopian novel full of twists and turns. Kira is a girl facing an insurmountable challenge (capturing a Partial and trying to find the cure for RM). However, she has a host of friends that go with her on her journey. The story is told through Kira's eyes, and the reader goes through the ups and downs of being a teenager - the angst and the frustration of being old enough to work and have children, but not exactly treated as an adult either. The characters were quite interesting, but Samm was an enigma. Yes, he's a Partial, but I was dying to know what he thought of things. It would have been nice to have some of the latter part of the story from his point of view. However, that wasn't to be. There is political intrigue that threatens the populace, not to mention the RM disease. There is also hint of attraction between Kira and Samm that smoldered in the background and, even though Kira already has a boyfriend, I was secretly hoping that they would get together.
The narrator did a wonderful job in bringing the characters alive, but I was a little disappointed that she made Kira sound a bit whiny. Yes, teenagers and angst go hand in hand, but when I read the story rather than listened to it, the voice in my head didn't sound the same. I suppose it's the interpretation we, as readers, make when reading books that brings the book to life in the mind's eye. I am now wanting to read/listen to the next book in the series, Fragments and the final installment, Ruins, which has not been released yet.

Dan Wells has written a fast paced, action packed post-apocalyptic YA novel that kept me riveted from the first page. I loved his writing style, which kept me highly entertained and the story flowed wonderfully.

I highly recommend this book if you love books like The Hunger Games and Divergent or YA, Science Fiction, Dystopian or Post-Apocalyptic genres. - Lynn Worton

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Book Review of Walking Wolf Road by Brandon M. Herbert

Synopsis:

—A new breed of Werewolf Urban Fantasy—

Marked by Brother Raven…
Uprooted and dumped in a small town at the edge of the Colorado mountains, Jimmy Walker is at odds with everything. He feels adrift, alienated from his classmates and even his own family. It’s hard enough just being a teenager in a new town, struggling with grades, depression, hostile classmates, and a stepfather bent on making his life hell—

Until a violent collision with fate leaves Jimmy bleeding under the light of a Full Moon.

Now, Jimmy’s entire world is transforming, and his new friends are not what they seem. Adolescence is challenging enough without a mysterious white wolf haunting his dreams, the ability to see and hear the dead, budding shamanic powers, and the soul of a wolf growing inside him. And when catastrophe shatters his world, Jimmy is pitted against the demons of his past, and must embrace his heritage and unravel the prophesies hidden in his dreams. In a race to discover and confront the menace that seeks to destroy everything he loves, Jimmy must draw on every power he has.
But will it be enough, or will Jimmy’s hidden nemesis kill him first?

Review:


Walking Wolf Road by Brandon M. Herbert
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

I downloaded this book when I first bought my Kindle, as the blurb intrigued me. I am kicking myself for not reading this sooner, as I loved it!

Jimmy Walker is an intriguing character. I really liked him a lot. He is a teenage boy full of loneliness and angst. Bullied and overweight, he is struggling to find a place to fit in. It's not easy when his family has just moved to a new town. However, a fateful encounter will change his life forever.

I love the idea of shapeshifters - wolves, bears, big cats etc., and I was completely hooked with the blurb of this book and decided to give this book a try. I'm glad I did, because the story was an exciting roller coaster ride from start to finish. The story was a bit hard to get into at first, but as I got further into the book (the second chapter), I was hooked pretty quickly and I began to really enjoy the story. I felt for Jimmy as his life unravels and then gets re-built. He is one of the nicest characters I have met in between the pages of a book, and his bravery in embracing his heritage blew me away. This story had me in tears in places, and giggling in others. The interaction between Jimmy and the other characters, especially his younger brother, was extremely touching. Even his new friends and pack members, Fen, Loki and Geri are interesting characters. Their personalities are all different, and they each have their own problems and angst issues. The story is told from Jimmy's point of view, and takes the reader through an amazing journey full of twists and turns. I have always been interested in the spiritual beliefs of the Native American people and the author seems to have the same interest. He also seems to have done a lot of research, or has had some experience in Shamanism. His descriptions of the rituals and practices brought them to life. He made me want to find my spiritual inner animal. The end of the book has a slight twist that I didn't expect, but it made an interesting conclusion to a most intriguing urban fantasy.

Brandon M. Herbert has written an exciting urban fantasy that kept me highly entertained. I loved his writing style which, although not especially fast paced, flowed wonderfully and made me want to keep a look out for more of his work in the future.

I highly recommend this book if you love pararnormal, shifter or urban fantasy genres. - Lynn Worton

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His Substitue Wife...My Sister by Sylvia Hubbard and Fabulosity Reads.

Presented by me and

 

 

Life has never been worth living for Charisse before her father died. After three attempts to kill herself were unsuccessful, she makes a deal for release from hell on earth, with one of the people who made her life what it was.

It wasn't until Chyna finds out that her husband, Parker Mills, was having an affair with her twin sister, Cheyenne, that she realizes she's losing the best thing she's ever had. Feeling the ultimate betrayal by her own sibling, Chyna knows she has to do whatever it takes to keep her husband and give him what he longs for - a baby. Knowing that she's unable to have children and Cheyenne is afflicted with the same condition, she decides to go to the only person that can help her save her marriage - her younger sister, Charisse.

In the end, one sister will die, another will lose everything and one will get everything that she wants.

“Spending fifty thousand dollars to produce off spring is crazy. Do you know what I could have done with that money? By this time, I’d have hundred college funds set up for you to donate to some third world child you could have adopted.”

Frustrated, Parker sunk down in the chair in front of Jaelen’s desk. “Yeah, but it’s not the same and you know it, Jae. Look at you. Five kids. Five damn kids.”

“Two are from my wife’s first dead husband.”

“But you’re still a family. You have off spring. You have someone to carry on your bloodline and you’re sharing these moments with the woman you first fell in love with and married. I want that. I want to be you… well not all ornery and mean, but you know what I mean. I’ve been married ten years to Chyna and you weren’t even married to Kim before you were bopping out twins.”

“Well, she raped me to get mine.”

“Let’s not even go into that. I think you just harbor that over her just so you can take advantage of her.”

Jaelen smirked wickedly. “It does make the mundane marriage very exciting when you can tie up your wife and make her beg for you. You should try it sometime.”

“Chyna says it might mess up her hair and hands.”

“If you can spend fifty on a baby, you can spend a couple of hundred– “

“Let’s not go into this.” Parker really didn’t want to expand upon his wife’s shallow behavior.

Jaelen took the hint, understanding in advance this was a sore subject for Parker. “So, this crazy sister-in-law, what’s her story?”

“Nothing I haven’t already told you. Chyna says her sister is so pathetic she can’t even kill herself.”

“How many times has she tried?”

“This last time makes three.”

Jaelen stopped what he was doing and frowned. “I’m not religious and all that, but she ever thought that it just wasn’t her time, and that she had a purpose in life.”

“You ever thought you’re just saying that shit because you’re an ass and you’re trying to find some hilarity out of a bad situation?” He stood up.

“So I take it you haven’t told Chyna about the boat?”

Parker didn’t answer because he knew Jaelen already knew the answer. He was saving it for the moment when Chyna announced that they were going to have a baby. Knowing that they were going to dedicate eighteen more years together deserved an award and “the boat” was the key.

Yet that moment hadn’t come and he was starting to think it never would. The majority of Parker’s friends were married and those that were had children, vibrant healthy off spring. Their blood running through small versions of themselves.

 

Sylvia Hubbard knew she’d wanted to be a writer of romance long before she knew there were black writers in the world. Weaving stories magically as a summer past time to writing stories to get through the humdrum of school, she was able to create something from nothing.

Today, she has independently published over 28 books, is the founder of Motown Writers Network and The AA Electronic Literary Network, CEO of HubBooks Literary Services, runs over five blogs on a variety of subjects, host The Michigan Literary Network Radio Show and is a happily divorced mother of three children in Detroit, Michigan.

“I’m no superwoman,” she states with a smile that seems infinite on her lips. “I’m just being an asset in the world instead of a liability.”

 

Considered an addicted blogger by HoneyTechblog.com, nominated and recognized for her literary work in the Metro Detroit area, referred to as “A Literary Diva” by Detroit City Council and donned “Cliffhanger Queen” by her readers, she finds solace in speaking and educating on a variety of topics.

Author’s Website: www.sylviahubbard.com

Author’s Blog: www.sylviahubbard.com/blog

Facebook: www.facebook.com/sylviahubbard

Twitter: www.twitter.com/sylviahubbard1

Goodreads: www.goodreads.com/sylviahubbard

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Causality!

Causality

Let me tell you a story.  A story of how I got into the busy world of reviews, promotion, publishing and writing.

It starts like all these stories does with a love of reading.  Not a love, a passion a consuming drive to loose myself in a world not my own.  And why, I hear you ask am I telling this to you now? Well now see, I am seriously luck luster.  And I could not figure out what was up.  Then it hit me… I last read over the weekend.  My life is simply too busy.  Too busy to do the one thing that calms me.  The one thing I love to do.  So after much deliberation with me and inner me I got to go

The other thing that has been on my mind a lot lately is causality.  So I figured I need to share with you How I met your Mother…oops no. 

Wrong story.  I meant how I first got into this business.

See Once Upon A time..

A long long time ago.  I joined a James Patterson page.  It was great fun and I soon discovered that talking about books was a low priority on a page aimed for book lovers of an author. 

I also learned that if a site is not stable it will lose a ton of it's people pretty fast.  So I opened a FB account.  Cool hey? Not really.  I had no friends.  Nothing happened on my wall.  I was lonely.  Then bit by bit I made friends….do not knock FB games.  I got my start in them.  So soon I met a woman who reviewed books, I know on Patterson a 16 year old boy did the same and I was soooo impressed with him.  As was I with this woman.  On Patterson I got into a blurb writing giveaway for Karin Slaughter… I won. 

A T-Shirt which is now as worn as can be but I still wear it with pride.  Sooooooo I talked to this lady.  Nice girl.  Then horror upon horror I found out she got her books FREE….What evil magic is this? I wanted in.  NOW.  I did not get in then.  It took me some time.  Then this weird little English chap responded to my pleading request for a free book for review….that guy, none other than my awesome friend Jason Ellis.

Click on the pic to go to Amazon and see all this man has written.

The book - none other than

A click will take you to Amazon which holds a surprise for you....

This was my review

Amelia Maylock: book one. The 12th year awakening. By Jay Ellis.

Genre: Young Adults, paranormal.

Basic story line:
This book is the first of a series of books by Jay Ellis. Amelia, a twelfth year old girl learns that she is special. Real special. Amelia is a witch. Not any old witch either. She is a very powerful witch. A witch who will need all her powers to face the future destined for her. 

Amelia learns that she, as a witch is the counter to her evil twin, Erryas. As witches, the two of them together with others can move between dimensions. This is cool right? Not always! Amelia gets drawn into dimensions she is unfamiliar with and in which great mortal danger resides. She survives these exploits at first due to her friends and later due to the fact that this girl is built out of guts and determination. She is only twelfth though and unlike her sister she is new to her powers. It becomes a race against time to get Amelia first to accept her true calling then to get her to accept her powers and train for a battle against the ultimate evil. Erryas. 

Amelia learns that she and her evil twin, Erryas were born during a massive evil thunder storm. She was taken to the earth dimension where she grew up loved, wanted and protected. What happened to Erryas is a mystery. It becomes clear that only person knows what happened during that storm. Only one person can answer Amelia’s questions. But that person is dead. 


Amelia needs to learn how not only to protect and defend herself, but also to protect those dimensions opposed to evil. But will she live to be able to do that, and is she powerful enough to go up against the greatest evil in all dimensions - her twin?

Amelia's friends include an old Hag; Ellis' description of this old woman had me laughing out loud. You cannot help but love her. Anin is Amelia's primary trainer. And not a women to be messed with. I loved the fact that she is a strong character who cares so deeply for Amelia and that she is not scared to make her feelings known. Apart from the evil and unknown forces Amelia also has a voice that keeps popping up, instructing her. Guiding her. The question is; can she trust the voice?

Review:
I give this book a 4 / 5 star review. At first I was skeptical as to the pace the story takes on from basically the beginning of the book. Soon however I discovered that the pace is indicative of the danger lurking and the fact that in the fight between good and evil, time is not on the side of good. This is brilliantly displayed by the pacing of the story, fast to start with and almost speeding along at the end. The reader cannot help but be swept along with it. The sense of urgency of the coming dangers had the reader riveted and the role of time is unmistakably written into each and every page as the story builds from one momentum to the next. I personally find this technique of Jay Ellis a brilliant one, the tempo’s increase has the reader thinking that this is a fast sweet read in the beginning but soon the frantic feelings of the Old Hag and Anin becomes the readers own. As the intervals between incidents grow smaller all the time the reader is left with the same urgency of that of the Old Hag and of Anin. Amelia must be ready. Or all hope is lost. 

The story line is fresh and not boggled down with any overly long dialogues. The fast pace of the story lets little time for character development of characters although Ellis' seems to fit in enough information to make the reader not only like the characters but also to have us rooting for the good guys and leaving us in anticipation of the next book in the series. 

Although this book is primarily aimed at the younger spectrum of the YA market it is soon apparent that the book is a great read for any age kid. At 38 I myself enjoyed it immensely and did not find that patronizing tone from the author that I have come across previously when reading YA books. I am about to start the second book in the series and cannot wait to read the next adventures of the young heroin. So for now, I say goodbye and hope you will read the book. It is really worth it. Jason Ellis 

Note the date: 12 Feb 2011

Yes my very first. 

Go learn more about Jason here

http://jasonellisukauthor.blogspot.com/2014/03/new-vlog-d.html

and 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FJilWzqSMNw

So this guy.  This tea drinking, cap wearing English chap was the first ever author to enter my life directly…an Indie author who changed my life…what did this lead to… read more later to see more causality.

For now, I want to thank Jason for the fact that he changed my life!

I also know for a fact that Jason has been there for tons of you, with an encouraging word, a like a nod, a dedication.  Which ever form this man's support has taken.... he has been there for all of us, touched all of us.  Made us better.  So join me in thanking him for being a friend.

Free on Smashwords! Suicide Song.

Look, go click on the pic

Here ............ 

and download your free copy of my short story today!  https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/423567

Now go go go.