- The King’s Rock by Alan Black (An Ozark Mountain Series, #6)
- Wick by Matt Doyle (The Spark Form Chronicles Book 1)
- The Last Honest Man in Havana by Melanie Furlong-Riesgo
- Irony Book 2 – Gin Soaked Dreams by Robert Shroud
- Metamorphosis by Jennifer Carole Lewis
| The King’s Rock by Alan Black (An Ozark Mountain Series, #6)
Posted: 30 Dec 2015 08:25 PM PST
The King’s Rock
by Alan Black
My rating: 5 stars
Series: An Ozark Mountain series – Book 6
Publication Date: December 16, 2015
Publisher: Alan Black
Genre: Historical Christian Fiction
Print Length: 161 pages
Available from: Amazon
LillieBeth is determined to find the men responsible for stealing her horses, to stop them and make them pay.
Leota Wikoff finds refuge from her abusive father with LillieBeth Hazkit. Embarrassed by her past and her recent actions, she speaks without thinking and offers to go with her new protector to the edge of the Ozark Mountains, back to her hated Arkansas to hunt down and stop a ring of horse thieves. Leota’s only tether is the tenuous link to her new boss and the odd collection of outcasts LillieBeth gathers around her. Can Leota overcome her own selfish ways and find a tether to the biggest anchor of all?
The King’s Rock by Alan Black
(An Ozark Mountain Series, #6)  Alan Black brings LillieBeth Hazkit’s tale to an end with the final book of the series, The King’s Rock. After watching LillieBeth grow up, this is a bittersweet finale, but perfectly timed, because she is now an adult, still set in her ways, not very flexible and on a mission that could be her last in life as she knows it. LillieBeth’s horses have been stolen and she is determined to retrieve them and bring the thieves to justice. With a reluctant Leota at her side, their journey will take them back to Arkansas, the place Leota ran from to escape the clutches of her father. Will the journey give Leota the strength to face her fears and the man who has made her life a living hell? Will LillieBeth show Leota the kind of trust and faith she so sorely needs to grow as a person? Will they find and retrieve the horses without unnecessary bloodshed? How far will LillieBeth go for justice?
Life is always in flux and LillieBeth’s is now at a crossroads as she must determine which path to follow and listen carefully to what her heart is telling her. This is her time, these are her decisions to make, will she make the right ones? Her future lay in the balance, as do the futures of those she cares about…
Alan Black made me feel good about saying goodbye to LillieBeth, not “happy” good, but assured that she is on the right path for the rest of her life and has also pointed the way for those she has called friend. Mr. Black slips into the voice of LillieBeth and has given her a hard-headed personality, limited filters for her thoughts and a strength of character that few could rival. His ability to create a world that breathes will have his readers walking the dusty roads, feeling the raw heat and humidity and believing you are there in the Ozark Mountains of the early twentieth century. This is a series that will stay with me for a long time to come!
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| Wick by Matt Doyle (The Spark Form Chronicles Book 1)
Posted: 30 Dec 2015 03:57 PM PST
Wick
by Matt Doyle
My Rating: 5 Fascinating Stars
Publisher: Matt Doyle
Publication Date: August 1, 2015
Genre: Science Fiction | Dystopian
Print Length: 239 pages
Available from: Amazon | Barnes & Noble
How do you define a life?
With overblown visuals, stunning entrances and bloody battles played out in real time by holograms, Spark Forming has become far more than a simple card game. Drawing in fans from across the Colonies, no other sporting event creates a bigger buzz than the annual two day tournament to crown a new Spark Form World Champion. Yet the scramble for the title is not the only source of conflict this year, and for some competitor’s the real battles will take place away from the TV cameras.
What defines a person’s life and drives them to keep moving forward? When a game grows to reflect a society struggling to hang on, are some lives more valid than others? Can an AI ever truly be alive?
Find out in Matt Doyle’s genre bending Slice of Life / Science Fiction series, The Spark Form Chronicles.
Wick by Matt Doyle
 Let the games begin! Welcome to the annual two day Spark Form World Championship where survival of the fiercest, baddest holograms may be in the luck of the cards! Be amazed as the crowd watches the masterminds behind the warriors plan their strategy and hope that lady luck will smile on them. In a world filled with turmoil, the crowds crave an escape and Spark Forming delivers in full dimensional and bloody color. The last AI standing gains the crown for their creator, but is the competition and the battle only on the arena floor or is there something deeper going on backstage? Old favorites versus champions versus the brash newcomers take the challenge for their own reasons, but what are they? The show must go on as the struggles of each player reflects the struggles of life in a world gone awry.
Matt Doyle’ Wick is part social commentary, part science fiction and 100% fascinating reading as we are introduced to each character with a full chapter to meet, greet and get to know what propels them to begin or continue competing year after year. Is it all they know? How they find value in their lives? Have they gotten so lost within their creations that they have lost a sense of humanity? Mr. Doyle gives us a multitude of personalities to root for from laid back and seemingly indifferent to agitated and angry twitchiness. Share each character’s POV and crawl inside their minds to get to know them better. Whether one can actually understand what truly makes each individual tick is a matter of perception, and the joy of being turned loose in a new world with a brilliant promise of more of everything.
Are you a dyed-in-the-wool science fiction fan? Love to explore unique worlds or just looking for something fresh and edgy to sink your teeth into, Matt Doyle has a fresh voice, a complicated voice that brings the entertainment right to your door and plops you down in front row seats to watch both in the arena and behind the scenes. Pick your favorite AI, your favorite competitor and place your bets-may the odds and the computer cards be in your favor.
Fast, furious, populated with characters that come to life, feel the excitement as the clock counts down for this year’s Spark Form World Championship and forget your cares for a few hours!
I received this copy from Matt Doyle in exchange for my honest review.
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| The Last Honest Man in Havana by Melanie Furlong-Riesgo
Posted: 30 Dec 2015 01:04 PM PST
The Last Honest Man in Havana
by Melanie Furlong-Riesgo
My rating: 5 stars
Publication Date: August 26, 2015
Publisher: Melanie Furlong-Riesgo
ISBN-13: 9781508908098
Genre: Fiction
Print Length: 179 pages
Available from: Amazon | Barnes & Noble
It is 1988 and Rafael Áviles, an engineer at the Cuban Mint in Havana, is a young, earnest Communist Party member living with his ambitious wife, Elena.
When Rafael is drafted to the war in Angola, just as he is about to become a father, he takes a risk to escape the military—convinced he is doing what’s best for his country.
As Communist countries around the world begin to see change, Cuba enters its dire Special Period and Rafael’s family does what it can to survive. Rafael becomes disenchanted at work and, after a disastrous meeting with Fidel Castro, questions his Party ideals. Finally, he’s convinced to do everything in his power to leave the island and improve his family’s future.
This is at once a love story—for family and country—as well as a portrait of Havana during this tumultuous time.
The Last Honest Man in Havana by Melanie Furlong-Riesgo
 As Americans, we are hard-pressed to truly understand a Communist dictatorship. Imagine living under conditions so difficult and under such scrutiny that your every move is watched, the amount of food you are entitled to but NOT guaranteed is regulated and health care is non-existent, unless you have the money to grease palms. Rafael believed the party line, he thought his family’s best interests were considered, until one day, he realized that he was nothing but a disposable commodity to a government who cared little for anything beyond its absolute power.
It was 1988, a time when Cuba was a mystery for Americans, and the American way was disparaged in Cuba. It is also a time when one young man realizes that beyond the love of family and favorite places, he must get his family out of this brutal environment if they are to ever know the true joy of living without the heels of a powerful government crushing their every effort to soar. Walk the streets of Havana, a jagged portrait of a city seen both through the heart and the harshness of its bleak reality. Feel Rafael’s heart tear in two as he realizes that escape, at any cost is all that is left, that the government he firmly believed in is not a benevolent institution guaranteeing equality, but a horrible, monstrous being built with lies and cemented with the blood of its people.
Follow Melanie Furlong-Riesgo as she fictionalizes the life and events her husband endured on his journey to freedom. The Last Honest Man is like a eulogy to the dreams and freedoms of Cuba’s sons and daughters who were left behind the iron bars of Communism and a beacon of strength for those fortunate enough to escape. Well-written, filled with the day to day lives of those in Havana, as well as the true beauty of a land that could have been paradise. Ms. Furlong-Riesgo gives a hands on look at a piece of history that has helped shape the world and the people we know today, imperfections and all. She reminds us that heroes and bravery take on all shapes and sizes.
I received this copy from Melanie Furlong-Riesgo in exchange for my honest review.
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| Irony Book 2 – Gin Soaked Dreams by Robert Shroud
Posted: 30 Dec 2015 09:40 AM PST
Irony Book 2 – Gin Soaked Dreams
by Robert Shroud
My rating: 5 gritty stars
Series: Irony – Book 2
Publication Date: October 12, 2014
Publisher: Robert Shroud
Genre: Psychological Thriller
Print Length: 282 pages
Available from: Amazon | Barnes & Noble
For both Detective Reginald Thomas Williams and the citizens of Bay City, Irony 2 picks right up where Irony left off. Just when the streets were thought safe, The Animal is replaced by serial killer Henry Louis Needle. In the case of Detective Williams, he seeks revenge on those he feels responsible for his tragic loss. His partner, Detective Reuben Garcia, is determined to stop him. His greatest obstacle? The bottom of a gin bottle, where Reg is firmly planted.
In the meantime, Henry’s lust for killing grows, sacrificing people in the name of his god and running the streets red with blood. Things become especially dire when someone close to Reg is threatened. If he is to save them, he must come to terms with his demons and stretch the limits of his mind and beliefs. And he needs to do it fast, because time is not on his side. Getting people to believe he is anything but a washed up drunk, however, is a hard sell. His solution? Get the job done himself, no matter what it takes, gin soaked dreams and all.
Irony Book 2 – Gin Soaked Dreams by Robert Shroud
Will there always be one more demented killer to threaten the lives and peace of mind of the citizens of Bay City? The Animal is a past memory, a dark nightmare, but from the slime of the earth rises a new killer, one even viler, more dangerous and more deadly. Henry Louis Needle, is terrorizing the streets as he sacrifices his victims to his personal twisted god. He has chosen the wrong town, the wrong time and the wrong enemy to taunt. Detective Reginald Williams will stop at nothing when, once again, death threatens to steal someone from him. Reg has few friends left, his partner stands as his blockade against doing something foolish, but his bottle of gin has his back, gives him the false strength he needs and feeds his head with visions of grand vengeance as his wrath grows to know no bounds. Determined to bring this monster down, Reg must first crawl his way out of the bottle or be deemed a parody of the man he once was. Must he and his trusty bottle stand alone? Whatever it takes, someone is going down, because no one should live the nightmares his world has become.
Once again, Robert Shroud takes us behind the façade of day to day living, ripping us from our safe little cocoons we have woven and forces us to crawl through the seedier side of life where darkness prevails and one man stumbles, barely clinging to his own existence. Reg has become a shrouded ghost of himself, empty, except for the gin in his belly and the pain in his heart. Will he seek revenge alone or will he find that someone stills believes in him, his gut instincts and stand with him? Is it possible that answers may come from the unexplainable? Unlikely heroes will rise, but it is up to Reg to regroup and rise with them.
Robert Shroud sugarcoats nothing, his characters are flawed, with human failings and lofty dreams as one creature of the night pulls no punches in playing a psychological game of cat and mouse that will leave you chilled. Feel the grit, the despair, the determination and follow the clues, the taunts and the angst that leads to that last page. Suspense in its raw glory, grit like the sands of the desert and a plot as twisted as vines in the jungle of life.
I received this copy from Robert Shroud in exchange for my honest review.
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| Metamorphosis by Jennifer Carole Lewis
Posted: 30 Dec 2015 05:48 AM PST
Metamorphosis
My Rating: 4 Stars
Written by: Jennifer Carole Lewis
Print Length: 350 pages Publisher: Past the Mirror Publishing Publication Date: February 14, 2016 Genre: Paranormal Romance  Amazon USA | Amazon Canada  Ron McBride thought his life couldn’t possibly get any worse. He’s been physically transformed, hunted across most of North America and is haunted by the failures of his past. Now it looks like he’s about to die in the Canadian wilderness.
When he wakes up in the tiny community of Bear Claw, he thinks he’s died and gone to heaven. Particularly when he meets Lily Charging Bull, a beautiful young woman whose family runs almost everything. But there’s a reason why no one has found Bear Claw before.
Lily and her family are skinwalkers, able to shift between human and animal form. For generations, they’ve protected the lalassu who can’t blend easily with human society, often lethally. The question is, will they offer Ron sanctuary or will he vanish like last year’s snow?
  Metamorphosis by Jennifer Carole Lewis
Ron McBride on the run from a secret organization that is using experimental procedures to create the ultimate human. Finds himself nudged by a huge bear, while stranded in a frozen land, that he is utterly ill-prepared to survive in. That nudge is the only thing that saves him from freezing to death…that and being saved by the locals. The locals of the community of Bear Claw.
Bear Claw is a hidden community of skinwalkers who are hiding from the very likes of what Ron is running from. Lily takes an instant liking to Ron but her family sees him as a threat and wants him dead.
Metamorphosis is a slow building shifter/skinwalker story that had plenty of action, suspense (romantic and plot wise) and growling cuddly bears to make for a highly entertaining read. To me, the unique twist that really pulled me in was, the not so often wrote about, skinwalker aspect.
I received this ARC copy of Matamorphosis from Jennifer Carole Lewis in exchange for a honest review.
 
Jennifer Carole Lewis is a full-time mom, a full-time administrator and a full-time writer, which means she is very much interested in speaking to anyone who comes up with any form of functional time-travel devices or practical cloning methods. Meanwhile, she spends her most of her time alternating between organizing and typing.
She is a devoted comic book geek and Marvel movie enthusiast. She spends far too much of her precious free time watching TV, especially police procedural dramas. Her enthusiasm outstrips her talent in karaoke, cross-stitch and jigsaw puzzles. She is a voracious reader of a wide variety of fiction and non-fiction and always enjoys seeking out new suggestions.
For more information about Metamorphosis or the first book in the series, Revelations, (including behind-the-scenes commentary), more books on the lalassu and updates, you can go to www.pastthemirror.com or find Jennifer on Facebook or Goodreads. You can also follow her on Twitter at @jclewisupdate or email her at jclewis@pastthemirror.com.
Connect with Jennifer Carole Lewis
Twitter: @jclewisupdate Website: www.pastthemirror.com Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Jennifer-Carole-Lewis-266116980245327  |
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