fiction

#Review – Miracle Man by William R Leibowitz – Fascinating, thrilling and realistic!

Review of Miracle Man – William R Leibowitz

Synopsis:

REVERED REVILED REMARKABLE The victim of an unspeakable crime, an infant rises to become a new type of superhero. Unlike any that have come before him, he is not a fanciful creation of animators. He is real. So begins the saga of Robert James Austin, the greatest genius in human history. But where did his extraordinary intelligence come from? As agents of corporate greed vie with rabid anti-Western radicals to destroy him, an obsessive government leader launches a bizarre covert mission to exploit his intellect. Yet Austin’s greatest fear is not of this world. Aided by two exceptional women, one of whom will become his unlikely lover, Austin struggles against abandonment and betrayal. But the forces that oppose him are more powerful than even he can understand.

Amazon | Smashwords| Goodreads

Review:

** Review done in conjunction with SayWhatSavannahMae, check out her site for more info**

** I was given a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review, all opinions are my own**

This book sure has an opening, I’ll definitely say that. The prologue is mysterious, interesting, and really makes you want more right away. The author has the hook down pat. I don’t want to spoil it, I see a bunch of reviews telling you what the beginning is, but its better that you just read and find out, because I didn’t expect what it was from the opening! It kept me reading, and I think it’ll keep you reading as well.

Overall, I really enjoyed this book. It’s got a great storyline, a bit of an Ender’s Game feeling to it, with the special program and the hidden agendas, but overall, very good and unique enough to stand on its own. I thought the author really took the time to flesh Bobby out, and really give us a driving force for him. He’s a great character, and with great people, there’s always someone trying to manipulate them. That’s exactly the story here. It’s perfect. The writing is solid, the story is pretty refreshing and it’s got strong main character. Technically speaking, the author has written a great novel, it flows, it draws you in, and it finishes strong.

As for plot, you’ve got a genius character, who we follow through his life, and the great thing is that this book isn’t over anyone’s head. It’s a read for the everyperson who likes thrillers and science. We’ve got Bobby who has lived his extraordinary life, and only wants to do well, after the bad life has handed him, but we’ve also got outside influences trying to push Bobby in a different direction, using his life and doubt to push him where he doesn’t want to go. It’s a thriller, not just in the hidden agendas and motives but also on a personal level, because you really start to care about Bobby, and want to see Bobby happy and succeeding in what he chooses. There’s a lot of undertones in morals and what’s rights and even slightly ethical in this novel. It really pulls you in, you just start to feel it.

I would suggest this book. It read easily, and quite quickly, it’s got a good storyline, strong character to lead us, and some interesting questions it raises. If you enjoy thrillers, or even a bit of sci-fi, then I think you wouldn’t regret picking up this book, and giving it a read. I think you’ll enjoy it.

About The Author:

William R. Leibowitz practices law in New York City and lives in the village of Quogue with his wife, Alexandria, and his dog, Georgy.

#Review – Stan by Richard Wold – A deep journey into good & evil!

Stan by Richard Wold

Ever since he survived a suicide attempt, New York artist Stan Foster has not been himself. Plagued by amnesia and a head full of visions of death and destruction that fuel his ever-more disturbing work, he claws his way through a life he doesn’t recognize in search of his true identity. What he finds leads him to believe he is Satan, spit out from the bowels of hell to live among the mortal inhabitants of earth. Is he delusional, or is there truth behind this troubling revelation? One woman can help him find out. Enter Abigail: lapsed Catholic, lonely city dweller, and psychiatrist with a heart of gold. Meeting Stan makes her question everything she’s believed about faith and humanity for so long, but she must overcome her own troubled background to offer him the redemption he needs—and ultimately wants.

Amazon | B&N | Goodreads | Smashwords

Review:

4 Stars – B+

This was an interesting concept novel. I’ve always said I look for books which strive to break from the normal, and this book definitely did that. We meet Stan, when he decides to end it all, and throw himself off the Washington Bridge. I mean talk about grabbing a reader. This book makes you commit right from the beginning and keep reading. I like how the author approached the topic of Satan, he doesn’t automatically assume you believe in him, because like the character most people are unlikely to jump to that answer first, but assume mental illness or shock. I do like how human nature plays a role in this book, really character driven, and we get some insight into what drives them. Wold really makes the reader question things throughout this whole book. You may come into this book knowing what good and evil are but by the end, I bet you’ll be questioning a little bit. You get influences in Stan life, both what we’d consider good and evil, but there’s something laying under the surface of both of them, so who can he really trust? I do wish they would’ve let us get to him being Satan on our own, leaving hints and clues instead of basically spelling it out for the reader, I didn’t enjoy that. I like a little more mystery and a little more work on the readers part. There’s a little bit of romance in this book as well, but it doesn’t play a primary theme at all, mostly this book has elements of a mystery and a thriller, with a long inner running conflict on what really is good and evil. I enjoyed it, I thought it was refreshing, though some choices the author made didn’t resound with me, but overall a good read and something new.

*I was given a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

About the Author:

Richard Wold is a business owner and consultant. He currently lives in Gurnee, Illinois. Stan is his first novel.

Website | Facebook | goodreads

#Review – Pack Up The Moon by Rachel Herron @penguinusa @RachaelHerron A #touching story of #life and #rebuilding and second chances! A #MustRead

PACK UP THE MOON

NAL Trade Paperback Original / March 2014

A poignant novel about loss, lies, and the unbreakable bonds of family.

Three years after a horrible tragedy took her son and tore her family apart, artist Kate Monroe is beginning to pick up the pieces of her life and move on. At a gala showcasing her triumphant return to the art world, Kate’s world is rocked again when the daughter she gave up for adoption twenty-two years ago introduces herself.

Pree is the child Kate never knew and never forgot. But Pree has questions that Kate isn’t sure she’s ready to answer. For one thing, she never told Pree’s father, her high school sweetheart and ex-husband, Nolan, that they had a daughter. For another, Kate hasn’t spoken to Nolan for three years, not since the accident which took their nine-year-old son from them. But to keep Pree from leaving forever, Kate will have to confront the secrets that have haunted her since her son died and discover if the love of her family is strong enough to survive even the most heartbreaking of betrayals…

Amazon | B&N | Goodreads

Review:

Grade: A (5 stars)

This was a lovely gift. I was excited to receive this book from Penguin to review, just reading the synopsis, but when I started the actual book is when I felt really lucky. This is such a touching, emotional story based around really realistic characters who people can completely relate to. It’s all about life’s changes, and if it’s too late. When is too late? Herron does an outstanding job in this novel really showing us true characters with real struggles. This is the first book by this author I’ve read but I love her voice. She’s the perfect storyteller for this story, and she really find the perfect balance in some really tough topics. You’re faced with a lot of broken people and dark topics in this book, but Herron manages to show us the beauty in the brokenness, and the hope in the hopeless. You start to really see beyond what’s expected into a deeper, more beautiful story. You see how one choice can affect so many people, and you see just how people choose to handle that . You’ve got a mother struggling with the death of her son, and the loss of the daughter she never knew. The daughter trying to figure out her life without a mom, and a Father who never knew about his daughter, and has been crushed, not only by the loss of his son, but the loss of his marriage as well. Nolen is one of those characters that you see beauty shining from brokeness, he’s a convicted felon, gave up everything that was his life before, and has fallen all the way to the bottom, but his struggle and courage is something so beyond touching. I’d gladly read another book by Herron in the future because her way with characters is exactly what we need more of. Complex, confused, broken but beautiful. The author allows us to see beyond what’s in front of our faces in this novel to what’s really there. There’s such a wonderful theme of forgiveness and healing in this book, and it really brings tears to your eyes LITERALLY, I cried. I suggest this novel to people I meet in bookstores now, my book club, and friends and family. It’s beautiful and haunting and it’s perfect. Thank you Rachel Herron!

*I was given a copy of this book by Penguin to read and review. All opinions are 100% my own.

About The Author:

Rachael Herron is the internationally bestselling author of the Cypress Hollow series (HarperCollins/Random House Australia) and of the memoir, A Life in Stitches (Chronicle). Her newest novel, Pack Up The Moon, will be available in March 2014 from Penguin (USA) and Random House Australia (NZ/AUST). Rachael received her MFA in writing from Mills College and is a 911 fire/medical dispatcher when she’s not scribbling. She lives with her wife, Lala, in Oakland, California, where they have more animals and instruments than are probably advisable. Rachael is struggling to learn the accordion and can probably play along with you on the ukulele. She’s a New Zealander as well as an American. She’s been known to knit.

Goodreads | Facebook | Twitter | Website

#TheWeightofBlood – Blog Tour & #giveaway – @LauraSMcHugh @atrandom @20SB

Today I’m so excited to share with you this amazing new book I got from Random House and 20SomethingBlogger! The Weight of Blood by Laura S McHugh! It’s going to be released on March 11th! I got an ARc copy of this book to read and review, and share with you!! Plus, I get to host a giveaway!!

So about the book!

Synopsis:

For fans of Gillian Flynn, Scott Smith, and Daniel Woodrell comes a gripping, suspenseful novel about two mysterious disappearances a generation apart.

The town of Henbane sits deep in the Ozark Mountains. Folks there still whisper about Lucy Dane’s mother, a bewitching stranger who appeared long enough to marry Carl Dane and then vanished when Lucy was just a child. Now on the brink of adulthood, Lucy experiences another loss when her friend Cheri disappears and is then found murdered, her body placed on display for all to see. Lucy’s family has deep roots in the Ozarks, part of a community that is fiercely protective of its own. Yet despite her close ties to the land, and despite her family’s influence, Lucy—darkly beautiful as her mother was—is always thought of by those around her as her mother’s daughter. When Cheri disappears, Lucy is haunted by the two lost girls—the mother she never knew and the friend she couldn’t save—and sets out with the help of a local boy, Daniel, to uncover the mystery behind Cheri’s death.

What Lucy discovers is a secret that pervades the secluded Missouri hills, and beyond that horrific revelation is a more personal one concerning what happened to her mother more than a decade earlier.

The Weight of Blood is an urgent look at the dark side of a bucolic landscape beyond the arm of the law, where a person can easily disappear without a trace. Laura McHugh proves herself a masterly storyteller who has created a harsh and tangled terrain as alive and unforgettable as the characters who inhabit it. Her mesmerizing debut is a compelling exploration of the meaning of family: the sacrifices we make, the secrets we keep, and the lengths to which we will go to protect the ones we love.

Praise for The Weight of Blood

“A fantastic novel, rich in character and atmosphere . . . This is one you won’t want to miss.”—Karin Slaughter, author of Unseen

“Laura McHugh’s vivid and enthralling The Weight of Blood centers on a mother and daughter in a seemingly benign yet deeply horrifying small town. It kept me on the edge of my seat from the first page to the last.”—Vanessa Diffenbaugh, author of The Language of Flowers

“The Weight of Blood pulled me in and wouldn’t let go. What starts as Lucy’s coming-of-age story becomes a chilling tale about the price of secrets. As the menace deepens, so does the tension. Laura McHugh has written a terrific novel.”—Meg Gardiner, Edgar Award–winning author of The Shadow Tracer

“McHugh’s debut is as lush and evocative as its Ozark setting, with luminous prose and characters you can’t help rooting for, even as the mystery surrounding them intensifies and the odds against them grow more and more harrowing. I couldn’t put it down.”—Carla Buckley, author of The Deepest Secret

“In this clever, multilayered debut, McHugh deftly explores the past of an Ozark Mountain family . . . with plenty to hide and the ruthlessness to keep their secrets hidden. . . . This is an outstanding first novel, replete with suspense, crisp dialogue, and vivid Ozarks color and atmosphere.”—Publishers Weekly

“Debut novelist McHugh comes out swinging with this gripping tale set in the Ozarks of Missouri. . . . Her prose will not only keep readers turning the pages but also paints a real and believable portrait of the connections, alliances, and sacrifices that underpin rural, small-town life in Henbane.”—Library Journal (starred review)

How amazing does that sound?? I know I killed Gone Girl in two days, and I read this one just as quickly! It’s addictive and entertaining, and will consume you! You need to check it out!

Preorder it on Amazon!!

Review:

Grade: A (5 Stars)

This book is outstanding! Such detail, plot and development, I was just drawn in and I couldn’t put it down! This book really makes you think, and question things. The mystery is really surrounded by a community, and it’s not exactly like gone girl, but it is in depth, and though the mystery element is exposed a lot sooner then expected, you don’t lose interest as a reader, because it’s the way the other has developed her novel. She really pulls you into this small community, and asks you to start looking around. Start noticing what’s different in small communities, what’s accepted, and what really makes up a family. There’s some violence in the book, and murder, but it’s not over the top, and it really deepens the plot for the story. Overall, I thought the author did an outstanding job creating such a good character in Lily, she’s strong, and I loved that unlike some mystery books, the character didn’t do stupid, dangerous things while trying to solve the mystery. She was smart, clever, and did what she could, and it works out. It really gives you a better picture of a realistic murder mystery. There’s also a lot of other emotional moments in this book, that work in the vein of female experiences, and situations that we see and face in daily life, from mental illness to teen pregnancy and we really look into it a little deeper in this book. Yes, there’s mystery but there’s so much more to this book, I’d hate to see someone pass on this book because they don’t like mystery. You need to read this book because it sticks with you, it makes you think, and as a female it really brings something else to this novel I can’t really explain. I enjoyed reading it, I read it quickly and I was completely involved! I look forward to more books from this author. A very strong debut novel, and one I’m considering a re-read of! 🙂

*I was given a copy by Random House & 20SomethingBlogger for a review! All opinions are my own!

About The Author:

Laura McHugh’s debut novel, THE WEIGHT OF BLOOD, will be published March 11th, 2014.

McHugh lives in Missouri with her husband, children, and large furry dog. She is currently at work on her second novel.

You can find her on:

Twitter | Her Facebook Page | Website | Goodreads Page

Third Daughter by Susan Kaye Quinn – #blog tour! :)

Tour Schedule

Third Daughter by Susan Kaye Quinn

Skyships, saber duels, and lots of royal intrigue… and, of course, kissing.

The Third Daughter of the Queen wants her birthday to arrive so she’ll be free to marry for love, but rumors of a new flying weapon may force her to accept a barbarian prince’s proposal for a peace-brokering marriage. Desperate to marry the charming courtesan she loves, Aniri agrees to the prince’s proposal as a subterfuge in order to spy on him, find the weapon, and hopefully avoid both war and an arranged marriage to a man she does not love.

Third Daughter is the first book in the The Dharian Affairs Trilogy (Third Daughter, Second Daughter, First Daughter). This steampunk-goes-to-Bollywood (Bollypunk!) romance that takes place in an east-Indian-flavored alternate world filled with skyships, saber duels, and lots of royal intrigue. And, of course, kissing.

From the author of the bestselling Mindjack Trilogy, The Dharian Affairs is a new series filled with equal doses of action-adventure and romance, meant to appeal to fans of Mindjack.

NOMINATED for the Illinois Librarian’s “Soon to be Famous Author Project” wherein librarians hope to discover local authors whose “work will jump off the page for readers.”

“Third Daughter is vividly breathtaking. Quinn delivers royal intrigue, exotic locations, and sweeping romance. Not to be missed!” – Pavarti K. Tyler, author of Shadow on the Wall

“Susan Kaye Quinn writes characters that leap off the page… Incredibly well written, the vivid setting was crisp in my mind… As the plot raced on, I was cursing real life for not letting me just sit glued to my kindle, punching the touch screen to get to the next page.” – Tiffany on Goodreads

Amazon * Barnes & Noble * Kobo * Book Depository

Excerpt:

Priya gave Aniri a sly glance in the mirror. “If my lady is not interested in the new Samirian diplomat, I know many ladies of the court who will be. I might even try a hand at him myself.”

Aniri smiled. “Priya, you are wicked.” She decided it was indulgent to burden Priya with her worries. She would have to figure this out herself. Priya stabbed in a final pin, making Aniri wince. “I also think you secretly train in the fencing room with those pins.”

“Yes, my lady, I do.” Priya pulled another pin from her waist and flourished it in the air. “Have you seen the fencing instructors? They are quite handsome, and strong, and very… sweaty in their earnest practice.”

Aniri nearly laughed, but her sour mood returned when Priya stepped back, her primping complete. Aniri studied herself in the mirror. The girl who had run into the forest in her night clothes was completely erased, and a princess glowered back at her.

“Perhaps you could go to tea in my place, Priya.”

“Oh no, my lady.” Priya gave her a mocking half-curtsey. “My bravery is nowhere near equal to that task.”

Aniri wasn’t sure hers was either.

Author Susan Kaye Quinn

Susan Kaye Quinn is the author of the bestselling Mindjack Trilogy, which is young adult science fiction. The Dharian Affairs trilogy is her excuse to dress up in corsets and fight with swords. She also has a dark-and-gritty SF serial called The Debt Collector and a middle grade fantasy called Faery Swap. It’s possible she’s easily distracted. She always has more speculative fiction fun in the works. You can find out what she’s up to by subscribing to her newsletter (hint: new subscribers get a free short story!).

Website * Facebook * Twitter * Pinterest * Goodreads

Blog Tour Giveaway

$25 Amazon Gift Card or Paypal Cash

Ends 3/24/14

Open only to those who can legally enter, receive and use an Amazon.com Gift Code or Paypal Cash. Winning Entry will be verified prior to prize being awarded. No purchase necessary. You must be 18 or older to enter or have your parent enter for you. The winner will be chosen by rafflecopter and announced here as well as emailed and will have 48 hours to respond or a new winner will be chosen. This giveaway is in no way associated with Facebook, Twitter, Rafflecopter or any other entity unless otherwise specified. The number of eligible entries received determines the odds of winning. Giveaway was organized by Kathy from I Am A Reader, Not A Writer and sponsored by the author. VOID WHERE PROHIBITED BY LAW.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Young Adult Review: Alex The Cat by Dina Porell

Alex The Cat

Buy Link: Amazon

Synopsis:

A short story for older children, Alex the Cat is the tale of a little cat who has to grow up tough. He faces abusive humans, fierce strays, and hungry nights and he never expects to find a loving home.

Review:

A

This is a wonderful book. No, this book is not a children’s book. It falls into the category of young adult, maybe 8-15 would be good ages. This isn’t a perfect happily ever after story, it’s a story that’s full of information and struggle.

Alex, the main character, a young cat is born into a happy family. They live together. The trouble in the story begins when the food starts be become scare. Too many stray cats, not enough food. As the story progresses, Alex goes on a journey for food and friendship and there’s a lot of tough lessons along the way.

This book is sad, there’s no way around that but it’s also accurate and truthful, and shows what life is like for animals that don’t have a home. It’s a great read for a older child or young adult so they can have a better understanding of what taking care of an animal means, and the responsibility you have.

Reading this from the cat’s perspective was unique but also even sadder then before because it’s so realistic and luckily has a pretty good ending, after all the struggle Alex goes through.

It’s a well written, well organized story with a wonderful message that might be hard to hear at first but should reach more people!

** I was given a copy in exchange for an honest review **

About the Author:

Dina Porell was born in 1984 and grew up in Cairo, Egypt. She graduated from business school majoring in business administration. She started traveling at the age of 24 and moved to South Korea in 2010, where she met the love of her life and married him. Her first two books are about Egypt, because she is passionate about her country.

Connect with Dina

Amazon Page | Facebook Page | Goodreads Page | Author’s blog

Casted by Sonya Loveday! Blog tour & Giveaway!

Jade had spent the majority of her life running from the Triad. The Triad, are a powerful group, who would stop at nothing to obtain Jade and the missing spell book for leader, Lorenzo’s, nefarious plans. And now that she has absorbed the highly coveted magic contained inside the missing book, there is nowhere left for her to hide.

With the help of her friends, Jade steps out from the shadows and learns how to fight back. But no one is prepared for Elinor-the woman bound inside of the book that’s trapped in Jade’s mind. Now she not only needs to protect herself from the Triad, but from what’s hiding inside her mind as well.

Jade never expected the answer to it all would revolve around love.

Edge is dark, mysterious, and a sworn member of the Triad. He also hides a secret past that threatens the thin line he walks between good and evil. Lives are at stake when Jade and Edge’s two worlds collide. Can Jade learn to trust him when he says he is her pre-ordained and vows to do everything he can to protect her? But more importantly, can she trust herself and the woman in her mind?

Goodreads

Amazon

Sonya’s Facebook

Sonya on Goodreads

Soyna’s Website

Sonya on Twitter

Amazing, simply amazing. This tale breathes some fresh air into the magical genre and I love it. The book from beginning to end drew me in and kept me reading. Sonya Loveday has an amazing way with her words! This book paints the scenes so beautifully! 🙂

I think overall this book had all the right additives to make an amazing novel. The world is interesting, and complex. The characters are real, heartwarming, and broken. It’s a lovely story the mixes romance, fantasy, action and suspense all in one. The main character has gone through so many hardships and struggles throughout the novel, and you just want to keep cheering for her, and hoping she will make it through. Each time there’s another obstacle, you root even harder for her. This really makes good writing. We become invested in the story, in the characters, we want the to get the HEA.

This book was wonderful, original, well written and the plot was structured beautifully. I’d read this book again, and I’d love to see another book from the author as well! 🙂

Sonya Loveday, first and foremost is a reader, an avid one. It is of that love that brought her to the realization that this was the answer to the nagging persistent feeling that ‘there’s got to be something more’.

The dream came alive in 2009 when she purchased her laptop and began the tedious step of becoming a published author.

When she’s not reading, she’s writing. When she’s not writing, she’s reading. And when she’s not doing either of those things she’s sleeping, shuttling her children back and forth to school, letting the dogs and cats in and out of the house for the umpteenth time in the last hour and dreaming of a clean house.

GIVEAWAY! 🙂

Prizes:

Casted purse charm
Ebook of Casted
Casted mini poster
Casted bookmarks

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Review: The Vampires of Soldiers Cove by Jessica MacIntyre

The Vampires of Soldiers Cove by Jessica MacIntyre

Review by Shelley for Sunshine & Mountains

Blurb:

When 24 year old Rachel Landry, who suffers from a debilitating mental illness, receives a knock at her door one night from a stranger she gets an offer she can’t refuse. The chance to live as a vampire, gaining eternal life and relative sanity seems like a great plan. Soon she comes to realize she has been turned for a specific purpose and her vampire existence may be short lived. Also, the handsome stranger may not be as much of a stranger as she thought. Facing her demons along with new enemies she must come to rely on her own strength to save her life and the life of her new clan.

Review:

Grade A+

The vampire clan of Soldiers Cove is only one clan out of several in Nova Scotia. Friendly with each other the clans don’t believe in airing their own dirty laundry even if it may cost everyone their lives and that of all the humans they live with. They are counting on Rachel and her special gifts to save them but not everyone in the clan wants to see her succeed. Her mentor Gavin must teach her not only how to use her gifts but also how to survive in her new world.

The story takes off right away, pulling you in and never letting up. You ride the roller coaster of emotions with this great ensemble of characters. In Rachel Landry, Jessica MacIntyre created an emotionally strong female lead. She didn’t go simply from being mentally ill to a super vampire. Her character is strong to begin with and with her transformation to vampire she is finally able to realize her full potential. This same commitment to the development of all her characters makes Jessica stand out in her writing.

Twists, turns and betrayals you never see coming will keep you up reading til the early morning hours.

You can see the spotlight we did on this book here.

**Sunshine & Mountains was given a copy of this book by the author. This review is honest and is entirely the reviewers opinions. **

Links:

Jessica’s website

Vampires of Soldiers Cove’s FB page

Jessica’s Twitter

Jessica’s Amazon author page

Jessica’s Goodreads page

Vampires of Soldiers Cove on Amazon

Vampires of Soldiers Cove on Goodreads

About the Author:

Jessica MacIntyre was born in Sydney, Nova Scotia and raised in the tiny rural community of Soldiers Cove. A habitual daydreamer, MacIntyre was sent to the principal’s office many times during her school years for not paying attention in class. In 1998 she moved to Dartmouth, Nova Scotia with her husband and began writing seriously a few years later. Her first novel, “The Vampires of Soldiers Cove” is available now on Amazon and is the first in the “Vampire Island” series. MacIntyre has also published a work of Paranormal Erotica titled, “The Slave Queen”, also for sale on Amazon.

She lives in Dartmouth, Nova Scotia with her husband and two children.

New Anna Cruise Cover: “Down By The Water”

To see the whole wrap, keep reading! 🙂

SYNOPSIS:

Lily McMahon can’t escape the past.

Ten years after a tragedy tore her family apart, Lily is on her way to college for what she hopes will be a fresh start. Instead, she finds herself broken down in the place she swore she’d never return to, the place by the water that damaged her family beyond repair. When local resident Ty Reilly offers her help, she reluctantly accepts, eager to get her car fixed and get the hell out of town.

But before that can happen, an eerily similar recurrence stops Lily cold. With her identity and ties to the old tragedy revealed, new suspicions cast a bright light on Lily. Everyone around her—the guy who offered her help, her own wayward sister, and the town sheriff who remembers her from a decade earlier—begins to wonder if her reappearance is merely a coincidence or if she’s somehow involved.

As Lily begins to thread together strands from the past with the present, she realizes there’s no such thing as a coincidence down by the water.

And that you can’t ever really leave the past behind.

*****

Add to Goodreads: http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/18331188-down-by-the-water

BIO:

Anna Cruise has been writing and drooling over boys since middle school. Lots of years have passed but some things never change…

Her books include the best-seller IT WAS YOU (New Adult), IF I FALL (Mature YA) and MAVERICK (New Adult). Additional titles include SET IN STONE (YA Paranormal) and IT WAS ME, the follow-up story to IT WAS YOU.

Anna loves to hear from readers and authors. Email her at authorannacruise@gmail.com. You can also like her Facebook page, find her on Twitter @AnnaCruiseBooks or friend her on Goodreads.

Review: Fireblade by J.D Sims. Fantasy in the style of Tolkien!

So you say earlier when I posted a spotlight for J.D Sims and Fireblade, if not, you can check that out here.

I have finally been able to find the time to finish Fireblade, and I have to say I’m glad I did. This novel is definitely unlike any other novel I’ve read recently. The picture links to the Smashwords page, so you can check out a sample chapter, and see what e copies are offered! Amazon offers a paperback for those interested as well.

I spotlighted this author and book here, in case you’d like to know more about the author!

Blurb:

“Two hundred years have passed since the great war. Evil magick and violence still ravage the lands of Vercinnor. Human kind wars with elves, the Wyzaerds have all but vanished from Terralea and darkness blackens the horizon. A young elf, Aicanaro, must walk a path between light and darkness where only he can govern his true destiny. As a nomadic assassin, diplomat and General, Aicanaro is tested and tempered in the flames of battle. By blade and fire, Aicanaro mitigates his heart and quiets his rage on the front line against evil. The war selects its champions carefully, reluctant as they may be. Out of the inferno and ash an unlikely legend is born who may be the only hope for all of Terralea.

Fireblade is the first book of the series which chronicles the life of Aicanaro from his humble and tragic beginnings through his struggles with life, death, love and hate.

The war between the elves and humans quickly approaches its climax as, on the fringe, the dark elven race; the Sha’edyri, vie for their piece of Vercinnor. Aicanaro must become a legend to return peace to the land. But will the cost be too high to pay? Will the once clear lines of good and evil blur beyond recognition, or will the war end all of Terralea before there is a chance for peace?”

Review:

Grade: A-

This book is good, and one of the highlight points for me is that the author, knowing he set up a book with confusing words, offers the reader a pronunciation guide! 🙂 This is the best thing ever in the fantasy genre, knowing how the author intended the words to be said really helps me connect to the world and the characters!

This novel is well written, and quite the epic. Yes, it’s long, and you that can be intimidating but I promise, this book is worth it. You will lose yourself in the pages and you won’t realize you’ve read as much as you have. This isn’t a big book that drags. This is a well written, well thought out book. Each scene has a reason, and each character has depth. He doesn’t just throw in unnecessary things to create a long novel, J.D Sims has thought this whole book through beginning to end and everything makes sense. I promise, get to the end.

The fight scenes, as other reviewers have pointed out, are great. They are realistically written, and they include a wonderful use of foreshadowing, and show the writer’s talent. These scenes are some of the best parts of the book. Each one has something new about it, we’re not repeating the same fight over and over like some books do.

This book is in the style of Lord of The Rings, and if you know what that means, then this book is for you. The book based in fantasy, about epic adventures and living by the sword. It’s great to have a new author creating such a great fantasy, and not needing to lean on any cliches to acheive it!

Well Done J.D Sims! Looking forward to the next one! 🙂