Older Readers

Barking Madness by Ryan Hill

 in Books / Older Readers / Young Adult by

Barking Madness by Ryan HillSummary

“Seventeen-year-old Rosetta Harper is plagued by nightmares of a masked man. With her father’s new career move, her family has just relocated from Florida, to the small New England town of Ashwood, a quiet town and close-knit community where you know your neighbors, and trouble is a word unspoken. But soon after her arrival, both Rosetta’s world and the worlds of her classmates come crashing down.

Michael hates his family and feels alone and unloved. He only finds comfort when he’s with his friends, but even they get on his nerves. Everything about Ashwood and his life bores him, until Rosetta Harper moves into town. With her as a new classmate, Michael finally gets the excitement he was looking for, but it may be at too high a cost…”

-From Amazon.com

Review

Ryan reached out to me over this book and as a he was a university student like I am as well, I had to give it a go as I was curious and all Uni students want success and I’d love to be a part of that for him. And I’m definitely glad that I agreed to read this book as it was fantastic! It took the regular story of a werewolf and gave it a slight twist which was quite interesting and unexpected.

I would definitely classify this book as older YA because of some of the themes occurring, such as some of the violence, but other than that it was a perfect YA novel! Which was a really nice change for me because I’ve been reading such heavy texts recently as well as adult novels (so the writing is more advanced) and it was nice for the change.

First thing I’ll focus on is the character development, which there was a lot of. I love when there is character development and because there was so much in this, you kept wondering how characters would react to different situations, as they kept developing. You were never sure and so it definitely kept you on your toes.

Next was the general story line. Even until the end I wasn’t sure how it was going to end, because of the character development. You never really knew who would say what and react to each situation.

Now this book is heavy with death and violence, some of which is quite graphic, so if you aren’t necessarily into that type of stuff, then this book isn’t exactly for you. There was also quite a lot of talks about suicide and self-harm, which I want to mention as I know quite a few people get uncomfortable with things such as this within books. There was bullying and teen drinking and all that such, hence why I classify it as mature YA, a genre which it fits perfectly into.

It was a decent length, almost 500 pages, so it wasn’t an excessively long read but potentially a little longer than some YA books.

Also, one of the things which I really liked was that you got to dislike or really hate some of the characters in the book. I love when an author can do that because it makes it more realistic and more fun as well! So that was also really interesting and awesome.

Overall I really did enjoy the book. Click here to purchase it from Amazon and definitely do give it a go and let me know what you think.

Happy Reading!

New York Night (The 7th Jack Nightingale Supernatural Thriller) Book Tour!

 in Adult / Books / Hot Off The Press / Interesting / Older Readers by

Stephen Leather's headshotPraise for Stephen Leather’s Jack Nightingale series: 

“Another great thriller from Stephen Leather but this time with a devilish twist!”
– James Herbert 

“Written with panache, and a fine ear for dialogue, Leather manages the collision between the real and the occult with exceptional skill.”
– Daily Mail

“A stunning masterclass in darkness from a ferocious talent who excels in putting the devil in the details”
– Daily Record

Book Information

New York Night by Stephen Leather

Title: New York Night (The 7th Jack Nightingale Supernatural Thriller)
Author: Stephen Leather
Book Genre: Supernatural
Author Website/Blog Link: www.stephenleather.com
Blurb/Synopsis: Teenagers are being possessed and turning into sadistic murderers. Priests can’t help, nor can psychiatrists. So who is behind the demonic possessions? Jack Nightingale is called in to investigate, and finds his own soul is on the line. New York Night is the seventh novel in the Jack Nightingale supernatural detective series. Jack Nightingale has his own website at www.jacknightingale.com
Amazon Link: www.amazon.com/New-York-Night-Nightingale-Supernatural/dp/095662037X/
Apple Link: https://itunes.apple.com/gb/book/new-york-night-7th-jack-nightingale/id1057762247
Barnes & Nobel Link: www.barnesandnoble.com/w/new-york-night-stephen-leather/1122933866
Kobo Link: store.kobobooks.com/ebook/new-york-night-the-7th-jack-nightingale-novel

This book promotion was hosted by BookBear.

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Five Thousand, Three Hundred Miles by Cecily Knobler

 in Adult / Books / Older Readers by

Summary

“Beth Wilton lived a small life in a small town, where day after day was the same until her sister bought her a trip to London, England for her 30th birthday. There, she had an electric encounter with handsome and kind Jack Stoll, who made her forget her past heartbreak. Two days together made everything seem real until he disappeared suddenly in a storm. Five thousand, three hundred miles apart once again. Would they ever find each other? Or would Beth’s life go back to its former small self? What happens when a new man enters the picture?
Light, fun and funny, “Five Thousand, Three Hundred Miles” is an enjoyable escape that can’t help but make you smile. Beth Wilton is an imperfect and relatable protagonist who needs to make a few changes in her life. Jack Stoll is a semi-reluctant hero who nevertheless turns Beth’s trip into something magical. In addition to being a multi-published humor columnist and author, Cecily Knobler is a comedian and media personality who knows how to make the pages keep turning.”

-From Amazon.com

Review

This was an adorable and light romance book and I absolutely loved it! It was a nice break from the other stuff that I’ve been reading, especially as this one was so light and it did have many realistic parts to it. And it was so fluffy and cute!

I did like the whole cliché idea of meeting a guy abroad, only to find out that he disappeared for many reasons and then each side continues to look for the other, while still carrying on with their lives, hoping that their ‘true love’ will appear once more. It was adorable and such a light topic that you couldn’t not like this kind of thing.

The writing style fit perfectly into the genre and so did the story line as well; the genre being romance. There was only one mention of sex in the book (well two because of a perspective change) but it wasn’t graphic at all and it did the scene change so sex was mentioned, but it wasn’t written about in detail which was also very nice as well.

There was one aspect of the book which I did like. About half way through the book, Ms. Knobler changed perspectives to be that of the other protagonist which I really did like. It’s always interesting to see the change in perspective to understand what the other person is thinking. She also did that later in the book with another protagonist, Nick, and it was kind of interesting as well as you were able to see secrets from his perspective and understand other characters takes on situations. The book was predominately from Beth’s point of view, but it was spiced up a little by placing a little of other perspectives into it.

One criticism of this POV change though was, when it jumped to Jack’s POV, it started all the way from when they first met and it was quite a longggg way back to you were reading pretty much the same events but from another perspective. I didn’t really mind it but it was kind of like re-reading the book all over just with a slightly different twist which was kind of monotonous, to a slight degree, although interesting to see slight perspective changes from the guys view.

Overall I really did like this book. It wasn’t vulgar or crass like some romance books can be as this was strictly about wanting to find the true love, for the most part. I do recommend checking this one out as it wasn’t a massive read per se and shouldn’t take too long. If you’re looking for something light and fluffy with a happy ending, this is your cup of tea.

Enjoy and happy reading!

Trapped (The Condemned Book 1) by Alison Aimes

 in Book Events / Books / Fantasy / Hot Off The Press / Interesting / Older Readers / Otherworldly by

This post contains affiliate links. Please see my full disclosure here.

Trapped book cover

Summary

“When Bella West crash lands on prison planet Dragath25, the only thing standing between her and a mass of brutal criminals is one of their own, a ruthless loner known only as 673. But what starts out as a desperate trade based on protection and raw lust soon blossoms into a scorching need that will push them both to the edge….

Cadet Bella West has one simple objective when she joins the scientific mission to Dragath25, the notorious penal planet housing Earth’s condemned. Earn the credits necessary to save her family from starvation. But when her shuttle crashes and the majority of her crew perish, her simple mission becomes complicated fast. Now, to stay alive she’ll have to depend on one of Dragath’s own. But such protection doesn’t come free.

Convicted of a crime he didn’t commit, 673 has become more beast than man after eight grueling years on an unforgiving, hazardous planet of dirt and rock—and even more treacherous inhabitants. He doesn’t look out for anyone but himself and he certainly never grows attached. So when the bold female offers him pleasure in return for protection, he takes the deal without hesitation. He never expects how her touch will alter him. Or the growing realization that saving her may be the key to his own salvation.

But as dangers mount and their ‘simple’ deal unravels will he prove to be her surprise savior or her ultimate downfall? Because caring for someone on Dragath25 may prove the greatest hazard of all.

A tale of unbridled desire, stunning sacrifice, and unwavering love, Trapped is an action-packed, sexy sci-fi romance that takes you to the brink of oblivion on a prison planet where only the strong survive.

The first book in the Condemned Series, Trapped has a HEA [happily ever after] and can be read as a stand-alone.”

-From Amazon.com

Review

One of the exciting things about being a book blogger, who has been around for quite a few years and is slowly getting recognized, is that people come to you asking you to review their books and promote books as well and this was one of them and I’m quite happy that I received an ARC to review ! Trapped was actually a really good book and I didn’t expect it to be as I usually don’t read main stream romance stories. This is, once again, considered to be an erotic romance novel and I never would have picked it up if I wasn’t contacted to ask to review the book and I have to say it was quite enjoyable. While there will be other books in the series, I don’t know if I’ll check them out as while the book was good, it isn’t my kind of story exactly and I’m happy with the HEA, but it was a decent novel to read and easily fitted into the bodice ripper category.

While there was the romance going on, there was a whole other story there too as it was set on another planet, which was also kind of cool too. Not many romance stories have that quality in them. Sure, maybe vampires or some fantasy creatures, but not based on another planet. But all of the people in the story were human, save for some of the animals which the main male protagonist fought.

The whole scene that the book was set in was interesting as well. The planet was actually where criminals were sent and so it was an extremely harsh planet, like lots of sand and hot and dangerous. Except 673 found some nice oasis’ that had water and nice plants. I did feel that there could have been more to the story, like maybe a little more character development because 673 kept going forward and then regressing back to his old ways but in the end he was suddenly different, but it still worked for the story so it wasn’t a down side. I just always like character development as you all probably have figured out by now.

Based on the picture of the cover, which is usually used to represent a character, I did have a different visual of the guy in my mind. I was thinking of more Conan the Barbarian kind of feel but like much much bigger, like 7 feet tall, but he apparently was more like 6 or so and more of a normal guy. I just felt he had a bigger than life quality which was kind of cool and he was sooo badass.

I also really liked the female, Bella, because she was a strong female character and attempted to kick some ass and was stubborn and strong-headed which I really like. I hate when the main characters are simpering females (as you all know) and I liked how she would go head-to-head with this guy who was a lot stronger than her and she wouldn’t back down which was awesome.

This is definitely mature literature so not for 18 and under, but if you’re looking for something a little steamy and a quick read (I read it in only a few hours), this is definitely what you’re looking for. It fits the bill perfectly.

It comes out in March of this year and I do recommend that you check it out and I hope that more books will be coming out because I would love to see how this story develops.

Happy Reading!

Siren’s Call (A Rainshadow Novel) by Jayne Castle

 in Adult / Book Reviews / Books / Fantasy / Older Readers by

Siren's Call by Jayne Castle Jayne Ann Krentz writing as Jayne Castle

Summary

“In the mysterious world of Harmony, there are places filled with unexplored marvels. But Rainshadow Island isn’t about to give up its secrets…

In the alien catacombs of Rainshadow, there are creatures whose compelling songs lure the unwary to their death. That’s why Rafe Coppersmith, hired to clear out the catacombs for exploration, needs a music talent. He’s knows the perfect one, but she probably doesn’t want anything do with him…

Ella Morgan had once fallen hard and fast for Rafe, but then he disappeared for months…and he’s not about to tell her why. Ella, too, has secrets that only her dust bunny knows. She’s not just a music talent, she’s a Siren: a paranormal singer capable of singing men to sleep—or to their deaths.

But once on Rainshadow, Rafe and Ella will learn that surrendering to passion doesn’t come without risks—and fighting fire with fire only adds to the flame…”

-From back of book

Review

And I’ve done it again. This is the fourth book in the series I think…

I mean, you can kinda read it out of order, it does make sense, though there are questions. Of course….I LOVE to do this. Grab a good book and find out that it’s not the first book in the series. Click here to view Jayne Ann Krentz’s website and her page for her pen-name Jayne Castle and see which books are part of the Rainshadow Series.

But honestly, even though I hadn’t read the other books in the series, there weren’t that many questions which were kind of hanging there because I didn’t have previous knowledge. I mean, yes there definitely were things which didn’t add up or took me a little longer to figure out what was meant, and that was kind of annoying, but it is what you get for reading out of order.

Now, I will review this book as well as I can for reading it…out of order. >Violently smacks head against the book.<

Honestly, I did enjoy it quite a lot. It was well written and had an interesting storyline. I don’t think it was based on earth, as far as I could tell, but there were humans and other creatures as well. They kept referencing these Aliens and Alien technology so I’m thinking that they traveled to another world and had found stuff on the planet and stuff. But either way, it was a cool concept.

And while it was a fantasy book, it also did have romance in it. I don’t think this is classified as erotic literature at all though. There was definitely a little bit of sex, and it was kind of explicit, but I don’t think it was defined as erotic, so I’d just say it was a fantasy book with a smattering of…sex. Because of the sex though, I would classify it as an adult book, by far.

The writing was good, the sentences being a little more challenging than regular romance book and books like this, so it kept me interested as well. Also a lot of the characters kept you curious as well, interested to see who would kill who and who the bad people were, though you didn’t know until the end. I didn’t really like though that the main characters didn’t really develop, in my view. I like to see some type of character development, even if it is just the character letting a secret out that they don’t like to share and showing another side of themselves, but there wasn’t really any of that in this book. Now this of course doesn’t bother most people, so this complaint is something more personal, but with the summary, it made it seem like there was some big secret which was kept. And it wasn’t as big as it was made out to be which was kind of annoying. All of this suspense for nothing.

But, overall it was a decent book. I’m not sure if I’ll bother to read the first book, but maybe if I have some time.

Happy Reading!