Welcome to Wordless Wednesday.
A chance to share your photos and have some fun.
Here is last weeks picture.
There were some good guesses.
It’s a glass flamingo. The reason it looked blue was my dog, who’s black, came and lay down close to it, causing it to change color. LOL
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Now for this weeks picture.
What do you see?
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Having read several books by Tegon Maus, I’m thrilled to have him back on my blog and bursting with excitement to tell you about his series, The Eve Project.
Come on in. Browse for a spell.
The Wishing Stone has a special sale price of 99 cents for a limited time. Get your copy HERE.
And there’s a giveaway, so don’t forget to enter!
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The Wishing Stone
The Eve Project #2
by Tegon Maus
Publisher: Tirgearr Publishing (August 10, 2014)
Category: Mystery, Soft Science Fiction, Technothriller, Humor, Quirky
ASIN: B00MMQYLPU
Tour Date: Feb/Mar, 2016
Available in: ebook, 151 Pages
My Review
Welcome to Ben’s world. Where machines short out and go up in flames in his presence. He has this thing called Bio-Chemical Electrical Discharge, B.C.E.D., a real condition. He gives off electrical discharges that cause machines to go haywire. Ben’s brother-in-law, Roger, put together some inhibitors, but they are no longer helping.
Enter Warwick, an institute filled with zany geniuses, scientists of all shapes and sizes. Here’s where Roger claims he can help Ben. And here’s where the conspiracy and lunacy take place.
You know those books you glance at but never pick up? You don’t know the author, or the cover or genre might not grab ya? You might want to slow down and pick one of them up, give it a try. That’s what I did with Tegon Maus. And boy did I get some great reading.
Having read Bob and currently reading Service Before Self, I fell in love with Tegon’s humor, his ability to suck me into his stories quickly, and the wildly diverse cast of characters he comes up.
I especially enjoy the humor. I anticipate it with each turn of the page. While the first book in this series, Machines of the Little People, gave me some, I got a whole lot more in this one.
I actually got a whole lot more of everything. More conspiracy, more science fiction, more mystery. And more new characters.
I often wonder where Tegon’s characters come from. Ben has three new friends at Warwick and I loved them.
Digby, Marcie, and Peterson are a hoot. They actually believe Ben has X-ray vision and see through their clothes. More of that Tegon humor.
You’ll get a deeper story about Ben and Roger here too. Roger tests Ben’s friendship. He’s deep into his inventions and losing his humanity. While Ben is seeing a side of Roger that scares him.
I wouldn’t recommend you reading this without having read the first book. To get the whole experience you need to meet these characters and enter their world from the beginning.
Remember what I told you, don’t judge or a book by its cover or genre. You never now what gem you might be missing.
5 Stars
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Synopsis
During that last summer, as if in punishment for being happy, Kate was diagnosed with cervical cancer.
The last time we used the wishing stone was at the hospital the morning she died.
On that day, all three of us made a silent wish, certain the others had wished the same. Kate died that afternoon and I never thought about it again. It was the last time I believed in magic, in love or in the existence of God.
Then, after three miserable lonely years, the unthinkable, a second chance . . . Warwick.
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Praise for The Wishing Stone (The Eve Project – Book 2)
“More great Sci-Fi adventure from Tegon Maus. He doesn’t just give us a good Sci-Fi story. He gives us a story with great characters and a unique story and is able to include many other genres in his Sci-Fi stories. Comedy, drama and action. Let’s pray for a book three in the series.”-Erik Nelson, Author ‘Unlawful Protection’
“This is a great science fiction story, which follows on nicely from The Eve Project: Book 1, Machines of the Little People, however could easily be read as a stand-alone.
It has it all for science fiction fans, top secret scientific projects, a great storyline, twists and turns round every corner, yet, at its very core lies, dare I say it, a love story.
It has a great finish, however, at the end, all I wanted to know from the author – is there is another book in the series coming? I hope so”-Susan Keefe, Author ‘Toby’s Tales’ Series
“I enjoyed The Wishing Stone even more than the first book, even though, again, it’s not my usual read. I really liked the eccentric scientist characters Ben meets at Warwick, and as with book one, Tegon Maus did a great job of keeping me guessing what was really going on right to the very end. I look forward to finding out what book 3 has in store!”-Nick Stead, Author ‘Hybrid’
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Machines of the Little People
The Eve Project #1
My Review
I’ve read other books by Tegon Maus so I knew one thing for sure, you never know what you’re going to get with his stories.
So the story goes…Ben’s sister died of cancer and her husband, Roger, Ben’s best friend, up and vanishes, not even attending his own wife’s funeral.
Needless to say, that puts a strain on their friendship. Even more so when Roger reappears with a new wife, a carbon copy of his old one, and he’s acting all wiggy. Claims there are little people, calls them Katoy, living under his house, running strange machines.
Things go further south when Roger’s new wife is found murdered and he has vanished again.
So many characters in this story, it’s hard to choose a favorite, but I’d go with Ben. He has this thing called B.C.E.D., or Bio-Chemical Electrical Discharge. He makes electronics go haywire. He has his car, Margaret, specially shielded, but still has problems with her.
There’s some fun scenes because of his condition. People even close their doors when he approaches, not wanting their equipment to short out or burn up. This is where some of the authors trademark humor appears.
There’s a couple of old ladies that had me in stitches. One’s a psychic, and copious drinking is needed for her to use her ability. Nothing like some old birdies deep in their cups. LOL
As I’m huge on character driven stories, Tegon never fails to give me plenty to keep me entertained. Where he came up with the Katoy is a mystery in itself. Perhaps he sat down with those little old ladies.
I’d tag this a science fiction mystery with heavy doses of humor.
Seeing this is a series, I wanted to ease your anxiety. The author wraps up the mystery. There’s no cliff hanger. But there’s still plenty to be carried on in the next book. Looking forward to it.
4 Stars
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Synopsis
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Praise for Machines of the Little People (The Eve Project – Book 1)
“The plot is unique, I must say that I haven’t read a Sci Fi book so original in a long time. It has everything, mystery, suspense, romance, eccentric characters, conspiracy theories, and of course the little people with their machines!
Crazy, Wild, Excellent Written. Highly Recommended!!!”- Julia Damatto, Romorror Fan Girl
“the real joy of this book is not the plot itself. The real joy is the way in which Maus keeps his readers constantly off guard, stringing them along for pages before flipping the situation on its head and forcing readers to reevaluate whatever they thought they knew. Normally, that just pisses me off, but the way Maus manipulates his readers makes us squeal with delight at every turn. There is an energy to his novels, a sense of urgency tinged with wonder. We trust that wherever he takes us–and it won’t be somewhere we expect–it will be an adventure in the truest sense of the word.
And then we have the characters. At the end of the day, it’s the characters that make a Maus book what it is.
Definitely recommended for anyone who just wants a cracking good story. “-Jonathan Cook, Author ‘Youth and Other Fictions’
“Anyone who loves a good science fiction/fantasy story would have a hard time putting this one down.”- Lisa Binion, Author ‘Softly and Tenderley’
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About Tegon Maus
Tegon Maus was raised pretty much the same as everyone else… devoted mother, strict father and all the imaginary friends he could conjure. Not that he wasn’t friendly, he just wasn’t “people orientated”. Maybe he lived in his head way more than he should have, maybe not. He liked machines more than people, at least he did until I met his wife.
The first thing he can remember writing was for her. For the life of him he can’t remember what it was about… something about dust bunnies under the bed and monsters in my closet. It must have been pretty good because she married him shortly after that. He spent a good number of years chasing other dreams before he got back to writing.
It wasn’t a deliberate conscious thought, it was more of a stepping stone. His wife and himself had joined a dream interpret group and we were encouraged to write down our dreams as they occurred. “Be as detailed as you can,” we were told.
He was thrilled. If there is one thing he enjoys it’s making people believe him and he likes to exaggerate. Not a big exaggeration or an outright lie mind you, just a little step out of sync, just enough so you couldn’t be sure if it were true or not. When he writes, he always write with the effort of “it could happen” very much in mind and nothing, he guarantees you, nothing, makes him happier.
He has consistently placed in the top 3 in 189 writing contest in a variety of genres and has been featured in magazines a couple of times to raise money for Saint Jude’s Children’s Hospital.
Tegon Maus Website / Author on Tirgearr Website
Twitter / Facebook / Pinterest / Google +
Purchase Links for Wishing Stone
Amazon
Barnes and Noble
Smashwords
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I have one eBook copy of Wishing Stone to give away. (Open Internationally)
Entry is easy. Please leave an email address so I can contact you if you win and answer this question:
“If someone told you they’d seen an alien, would you believe them, or have you encountered one yourself?”
Giveaway ends March 23rd.
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Follow the tour:
Teddy Rose Book Reviews Plus Feb 15 Review & Giveaway
Second Book to the Right Feb 16 Excerpt & Giveaway
Father, Writer, Logistical Wizard Feb 17 Review & Excerpt
The Libromaniac & Bad Case of Libromaniac Feb 18 Review & Interview
Pomegranate Radio Feb 19 Podcast Review
Inspire to Read Feb 22 Review
Books, Books, and More Books Feb 23 Review
Christy’s Cozy Corners Mar 1 Review & Giveaway
Deal Sharing Aunt Mar 3 Interview
INFINITE HOUSE OF BOOKS Mar 10 Excerpt
fuonlyknew Mar 14 Review & Giveaway
Lisa’s Writopia Mar 17 Review
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Thanks so much for visiting fuonlyknew and Good Luck!
For a list of my reviews go HERE
For a list of free eBooks updated daily go HERE
To see all of my giveaways click on the lucky horseshoe below!
Anthony has a new zombie story, just released. Can’t wait to tell you all about it.
And he’s offering it free today. Click on the cover or links below to grab your free copy!
Come on back every Sunday until The Walking Dead Series is over. There will be a different free zombie book by Anthony every Sunday.
The Dead Of Winter
by Anthony Renfro
This is the original cover art. Wanted to use it in case it’s still this one posted on Amazon.
My Review
You never know what you’re going to get when you meet this author’s zombies. In one book, they were singing Christmas carols. LOL At one point in the story I thought I knew what they’d be doing. But nope, it was something else. Still made me laugh, until I took the time to picture them. Then it was pretty creepy.
The story beings with two strangers meeting on a brutally cold winter’s day. They decide to stick together. The odds are better for survival that way. Two pairs of eyes and ears to warn of approaching zombies.
It’s not long before they run into trouble, narrowly escaping with their lives. It’s now become vital that they find a place to hole up. The zombies don’t get tired. They don’t feel the cold. And they do not stop coming.
From the mind of Anthony Renfro comes a new kind of zombie,. A smart zombie, kind of. They do think, but that doesn’t necessarily make them that smart. Several scenes have me laughing and cringing.
The characters are few. Just two men and a cat. Not including the hoard of zombies.
It’s these characters and their struggles to survive that drive this short story. Make it a deep experience.
The harsh environment of cold winter makes their struggles even harder. It’s bad enough they have to worry about food and warmth. There’s also those zombies who don’t feel the cold.
Not one to shy from gory details, you get plenty here. And the author’s macabre sense of humor shines in the end. You won’t see it coming. Just like one of the characters didn’t. Since it made me laugh, I guess I have a macabre sense of humor too.
5 Stars
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And this is the new cover.
Eric surveyed the road ahead and behind him. The world was filled with death. The highway was littered with silent, rusting cars sitting on rotting tires, waiting on drivers who were never going to drive them again. Ripped apart, torn open and partially eaten corpses littered the ground in various forms of decay. The corpses ranged from children to elderly adults. The zombies had done a number on them when they went into their “feeding frenzy.” The bodies that weren’t on the ground or pulled from their cars were still seated, and most of them still strapped into their seat belts, like they were still driving to whatever destination they had been going to before the world fell into death’s harsh embrace.
Eric breathed in deep and felt the cold air settle into his lungs. Bitter winter winds whipped at his face and tore at his clothes, trying to get inside the protective layers. Flakes of snow fell from the sky, nothing more than flurries.
“It’s something,” Eric replied, looking down at the white and grey cat in its carrier. He then put his eyes back on the man sitting with his back against a car.
Synopsis
Will they be food for the zombies?
Links on Amazon: US / UK / AU / CA
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And a surprise freebie.
Click on the cover or links below to grab a free copy while it lasts!
Also with a new cover.
Synopsis
Dawn stopped at the edge of the parking lot. What she saw in front of her was an apocalyptic nightmare. It was a picture of mass panic frozen in a time of chaos.
The parking lot looked like a war zone–cars burned to metal bodies, cars crashed together, cars turned over, shopping carts everywhere and in all kinds of positions, (food and supplies in these carts long since looted), and bodies, lots and lots of dead bodies. Most of them had been laying out here rotting in the hot sun for far too long, and they were now decayed and gooey, slipping back into the Earth one second at a time.
She closed her eyes, held the gold cross on a chain around her neck, prayed, and then crossed the parking lot.
GET IT HERE FREE TODAY
Amazon
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Thanks so much for visiting fuonlyknew!
For a list of my reviews go HERE
For a list of free eBooks updated daily go HERE
To see all of my giveaways click on the lucky horseshoe below!
This is my own version of a weekly book haul and all things new on fuonlyknew.
Another fun way to share your book news and enjoy others is The Sunday Post hosted by
Kimberly the Caffeinated Book Reviewer
Head on over and leave a link to your Sunday Post and hop around to visits others.
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Some chit chat.
Hello everyone and happy Sunday!
I’m officially a great auntie as of March 9th. The sweet baby girl has arrived. I’ve seen pictures and she has the cutest little nose.
I just love babies. My son came as quite a surprise. My husband had been married before and his first wife already had a child from a previous marriage. When they had trouble conceiving, he’d discovered he probably couldn’t have children. Imagine our surprise when I got sick at the smell of hamburger cooking and took a test. Yep, I was pregnant.
With my rare blood type and RH Negative factor, I had to have ultrasounds twice a month. When my son came into the world, I recognized his sweet face from the pictures. My sweet boy with the Gerber baby face!
I remember crying when he got his first tooth. I loved his gummy smile. LOL
What a joy and a blessing are our children. No matter how old they are, they’ll always be our precious babies.
Got lots of books to share, so let’s get to it!
I’ll be hopping over to check out your Sunday posts so be sure to leave me your link!
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New books on my shelf. Some I won, some are for review, and some I just had to have.
Print books.
New eBooks
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And here are some freebies for ya!
Click on the covers to get yours and remember to make sure they’re still free before you click that buy button.
I hope ya’ll realize I don’t grab all of the free books I show on my posts! LOL
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Books I reviewed this week. Click on the covers for my reviews.
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Books I’ll be reviewing next week.
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Other posts on my blog this week.
Crushed ~ A novel of wine and love by Deborah Coonts
Launch Day Blast and Kindle Fire HD Giveaway ~ Mosaics: A Collection Of Independent Women
Release Day for James A. Hunter’s Mudman ~ The Golem Chronicles
Spooky fun! The Perfectly Proper Paranormal Museum ~ Review and Giveaway
The Island~ A Paranormal Horror Novel by Clarissa Johal ~ Excerpt & Giveaway
My Freakin Fridays Reviews #37 ~ Ellie Jordan: Ghost Trapper ~ Books Two and Three
The Friday 56 #97 ~ Forest Of memory ~ Authenticities and Captures
Saturday Screams #10 ~ Mutation Z ~ Books Five and Six
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Have you joined TSU yet?
Click on the widget to friend and follow me!
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For a list of my reviews go HERE
For a list of free eBooks updated daily go HERE
To see all of my giveaways click on the lucky horseshoe below!
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So, what did you get to read this week?
Got any recommendations?
I’d love to know and thanks so much for visiting fuonlyknew.
Welcome to my Saturday Screams where I share reviews of all things scary.
For today I have a some good ones from my TBR that I’ve been wanting to share. For the past two weeks I’ve shared the first four episodes of Marilyn Peake’s zombie series, Mutation Z.. Check out One and Two HERE, and Three and Four HERE. This week I’m sharing books five and six, the final two.
Without further adieu….
Mutation Z
Dragon In The Bunker
Book Five
by Marilyn Peake
My Review
Hunter puts his disguise to the test and it works. Good thing too. He escaped getting blown to smithereens when he went to a clandestine meeting in the middle of nowhere.
The information he received was so horrifying, yet it was detrimental to all of their survival. It looks bad and the virus can only keep spreading.
I’m still surprised by how much can happen in each of these short episodes. The conspiracy keeps getting deeper and uglier. And it’s so easy to believe it could happen. Big Brother is a bully.
What’s happening with the zombies will turn your stomach. Maybe they aren’t human any longer, but how they’re dispatched is truly evil.
As the world crumbles, many people die. How could it be any other way. I was saddened, though I knew it could happen.
I’m having a hard time clinging to hope for the characters and the world. The next book was just released and I’m ready to see where the author goes with this.
Zombie horror, big government, a little bit of science fiction, and some modern cyber twists. Too good to pass up.
5 Stars
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Synopsis
Journalist Hunter Morgan gains an unlikely ally in his search for the truth about the origins of the zombie virus. Mark Chen, youngest son of a co-owner of Chen-Zamora Pharmaceuticals, shows him information more frightening than his greatest nightmares. Together, they travel all the way from an abandoned meth shack in the Mexican desert to China, evading the authorities by communicating with Mark’s contacts through a video game on the Dark Web. NOVELLA. GENRES: Apocalyptic Science Fiction, Zombie Fiction, Conspiracy Fiction, Horror.
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And now for
Mutation Z
Desperate Measures
Book Six
By Marilyn Peake
My Review
I almost didn’t want to start this one as it’s the final book and I didn’t want it to end.
I wondered who would survive, if they’d find a cure, whether the world could be saved. I didn’t have a clue how all of my questions would be answered.
The author did a bang up job of doing just that. She gave me lots of endings for lots of characters. I got a pretty good idea of what would happen with the bad guys. No real surprise there. It’s happened that way for a lot of them in real life, so it felt right. And I learned what would happen to the world.
Curious about how she would handle the two kinds of zombies, she explained that too.
All that and Marilyn still found room to throw in some sea pirates. Not bad at all. Nothing felt rushed or disjointed. It all flowed easily to the end.
I hope you get a chance to read this series. I’d recommend you try the first one. If it’s you’re cuppa tea, grab the rest. The price is right and you’ll be able to zip through them without pause.
5 Stars
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Synopsis
Sixth and final book in the series.
As things heat up in the United States with both the U.S. military and radical militias targeting those trying to develop a vaccine and cure for the Zombie Plague, more researchers flee to Mark Chen’s bunker in China. There, they will be free to carry on their research. Bringing patients afflicted with the Zombie Virus to China on a cargo ship, they’re attacked by pirates. It becomes very clear that they’re in a race against time to try and save the human race. NOVELLA. GENRES: Apocalyptic Science Fiction, Zombie Fiction, Conspiracy Fiction, Horror.
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These count towards my Horror Reading Challenge
Freakin Fridays is my own little meme. I’ll be posting about books, movies, and all things scary.
Feel free to join in and do your own Freakin Fridays posts.
Get your scare on!
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For today I’ll be sharing
Ellie Jordan: Ghost Trapper
Cold Shadows
Book Two
by J. L. Bryan
My Review
It’s time for Ellie to get back to ghost trapping. She’s got a nasty new case. Looks like it might be a poltergeist.
The family is experiencing loud noises, objects getting thrown around, toys playing by themselves.
There is a young lady in the house and that’s usually where a poltergeist comes from. All that teen angst. And she’s got a lot of it. But their younger son is experiencing some odd things too. Imaginary friends that are causing him to slowly withdraw from the family.
If it’s a poltergeist, it’s like nothing they’ve heard of before. Seems to be more powerful and have its own agenda.Things get more violent, and Ellie comes under attack. It’s time to trap this entity before some gets seriously hurt or dies.
Ellie’s new assistant Stacey, is coming along nicely. She may spend most of her time in their van outside, monitoring the cameras, but she’s ready at the drop of a hat to rush in when Ellie gets in trouble. Which she does when she tries to tackle whatever entity is attacking the family.
I like Stacey’s sense of humor. She’s always trying to put her own name to occurrences. And she never cuts Ellie any slack about her love life, or lack of.
Ellis is getting more confident as she gains experience. She’s a great researcher and not afraid to try a new angle when an entity defies capture.
There’s mention again of Ellie’s parents, teasers about how they died and by who or what’s hands. I hope we get that story somewhere in this series.
This was another gripping ghost tale and it had a gothic feel to it. I could see the house, scary even in the daylight. Feel the heavy, malevolent atmosphere inside. And I think I was more scared than Ellie when things got really violent.
The title for this series may have you thinking of the movie Ghostbusters. You might expect it to be all fun and filled with ecto spewing ghosts. There may be some of that, but these are darker, more developed hauntings, fraught with danger. Watch your step is what I say.
If you like ghost stories that make you jump at sudden noises, keep you looking at those shadows that move out of the corner of your eye, and sleep with the light on, I recommend you give this series a read. Keep a torch handy in case the electricity goes out.
5 Stars
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Synopsis
Footsteps in the attic. Toys that play by themselves. A dark presence in an upstairs room.
Paranormal investigator Ellie Jordan faces a difficult new case. Her new clients are a family haunted by multiple ghosts and a poltergeist that wrecks their home at night. Their seven-year-old son’s invisible friends may not be imaginary at all, but the restless spirits of dead children.
To clear her clients’ house of the dangerous entities, Ellie must unravel the mysterious deaths of another family who lived in the old mansion more than a hundred and sixty years ago—and she must do it before the ghosts can carry out their malevolent designs on her clients and their children.
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Ellie Jordan: Ghost Trapper
The Crawling Darkness
Book Three
My Review
I’m not sure why I didn’t notice it before, but checking out the titles to the books in this series, I noticed how cleverly they revealed hints about what’s waiting in the haunted pages inside.
There’s something nasty haunting the apartment house. One that Ellie and her boss, Calvin, have come up against before, and lost.
I’ve always been curious about how Calvin ended up in a wheelchair. I knew it had something to do with trapping ghosts and being attacked. The house they are investigating abuts another property. One with an abandoned, boarded up house. It just so happens, that’s where the attack occurred. Could this be the same entity? Could it have just moved to the next inhabited house? And is it appearing at the other houses that connect to the property?
Whatever it is, it seems to be drawn to the children. Feeds off of their fear. And if you get in its way, the consequences are very bad.
The creeping darkness reminded of the thing in the movie Babadook. You don’t see it clearly. It hides in the shadows, sneaking around, crawling on ceilings and along banisters. Slipping under doors and vanishing. How do you fight something like that?
Something fun is happening in this series too. Stacey and Jacob, the psychic they use in some of their cases, are dating. And one of the residents in the haunted apartments happens to be a hunky fireman, and he’s single. Could this be the end of Ellie’s sadly lacking love life? We’ll see.
I’ve got to hand it to the author. It takes a lot to give me the creeps, and the entities he’s thrown at me in this series have me rethinking ever stepping foot in anything with even a remote possibility of being haunted. Scary good it is. And I can’t imagine what he’ll spook me with next.
5 Stars
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Synopsis
Ghost removal specialist Ellie Jordan must face a dangerous, shape-shifting entity that she and Calvin have encountered once before, with tragic results. The spirit has the power to reach into the minds of living and feed on their fears, taking the shape of their worst nightmares, and it has awoken in search of new victims.
Now Ellie must try to succeed where she and her mentor failed before, and try to defeat the twisted and powerful old ghost before it can claim another soul for its collection.
AMAZON
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I reviewed the first book some time ago and want to share it today.
The first thing I noticed about this book was the story takes place in Georgia. It’s supposed to be one of the most haunted cities in the south, steeped in dark stories. It’s the perfect setting.
You’ve read the blurb so you know this is about a haunted house. So I’m going to introduce you to the ghost trappers from Eckhart Investigations instead of telling you what you already know.
Retired Homicide Detective Calvin Eckhart is the owner and boss man. He needed something to do with all of those empty days and it was an easy decision to start investigating hauntings as he had a keen interest in the supernatural.
Since he’s confined to a wheelchair and not getting any younger, he hires Ellie James to do the work for him. To determine if there is, in fact, a haunting, and then take care of that pesky ghost.
Ellie Jordan, head ghost trapper. Her job is to determine if a house is haunted, and either to get the ghost to vacate, or trap it and dispose of it in a safe place.
She’s my favorite character. Smart, determined, and gutsy, she goes places I’d never dream of entering.
But even she is terrified as the ghost turns out to be many ghosts, and the danger escalates into the physical realm.
Stacey is the newbie. Eckhart didn’t like Ellie going into a haunting investigation alone. It could be very dangerous. Stacey always had an interest in ghosts, and really wants to meet one up close. She helps set up the video equipment and monitored the cameras from outside in a van. She’s in contact with Ellie, and helps to pinpoint where a ghost might be lingering. Her enthusiasm is fun and addictive. I doubt she’ll be so eager to see a ghost after this job.
Jacob Weiss is thrust upon Ellie by the boss. Eckhart insists a psychic could be beneficial. Jacob is one of only a few survivors of a horrible plane crash and now can contact ghosts. He comes into the story closer to the end so I didn’t get to know him very well, but as this is a series, I hope to see more of him. He did come in handy though, so Eckhart was wise to use him.
Finally, the hauntees, the Treadwell family, consisting of Dale, Anna, and their young daughter Lexa. They bought a rundown mansion in an out of the way place. The only other structures on the street are some derelict warehouses and factories. They have big plans to renovate the house and turn it into a bed and breakfast. Dale came up with a great idea. They could add a sports lounge for the men, complete with a huge flat screen TV to watch the games, and plenty of beer. That would make it appealing to the husbands while the quiet holiday appealed to the wives. It’s really a good idea.
There’s just one little hitch. The house came with a ghost, a very expressive ghost. It wants just one thing…for them to vacate the premises, now!
I’d tell you about the ghosts but that would be telling you the story. I can tell you this. I don’t think I’ve experienced such an intense, nail-biting, scene as the one when these characters enter the house for the final event. If it was a movie, I’d have been peeking through my fingers. Horror doesn’t always come with a happy outcome, so all of them were fair game to die a grisly death. That kept me reading, eyes zipping from word to word, hoping for the best and fearing the worst. I was breathless afterwards and my shoulders ached from the tension.
The author nailed it with his characters. Each almost immediately became familiar.
His ghosts were terrifying.
The plot was fun and scary and your quickly immersed in it.
And this is book one in the series, so read it now. That way you’ll be ready for the next one.
5 Stars
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This counts towards my Horror Reading Challenge.
Welcome to The Friday 56 hosted by Freda’s Voice.
This is a really fun meme!
The only rules are to grab a book (any book), turn to page 56 or 56% in your eReader and find a sentence or a few (no spoilers) that grabs you and post it.
Then go over to Freda’s Voice and leave your link so we can visit your 56!
My 56 for this week is from
Forest Of Memory
by Mary Robinette Kowal
Genre: Fantasy / Science Fiction
My 56 from the paperback.
If you’ve been paying attention, you know he lied about how long I was unconscious.
If you expect me to tell you what happened during that time, I hate to break it to you, but I don’t know.
And yes, I had to pee.
Read on if you want to know more.
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Synopsis
Katya deals in Authenticities and Captures, trading on nostalgia for a past long gone. Her clients are rich and they demand items and experiences with only the finest verifiable provenance. Other people’s lives have value, after all.
But when her A.I. suddenly stops whispering in her ear she finds herself cut off from the grid and loses communication with the rest of the world.
The man who stepped out of the trees while hunting deer cut her off from the cloud, took her A.I. and made her his unwilling guest.
There are no Authenticities or Captures to prove Katya’s story of what happened in the forest. You’ll just have to believe her…
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This is a short read. Only 88 pages. But so fascinating. I’ll be reviewing it soon.
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Leave your link and I’ll drop by your 56.
Until the next time….
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Come on in and check out The Island by Clarissa Johal!
I have the awesome cover art and an excerpt to share with you.
And the book is on sale for only 99 cents! Grab your copy HERE.
Oops, almost forgot. There’s a giveaway too. Don’t forget to enter!
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THE ISLAND
by Clarissa Johal
Genre: Paranormal Horror
Author: Clarissa Johal
Editor: Marisa Chenery
Booktrope, Forsaken Imprint (2015)
ISBN-13: 978-1-5137-0161-5
ASIN: B010TE7W1G
Number of Pages: 210
About THE ISLAND
Exploring a remote island can sometimes get you into trouble.
Especially when you stumble upon a cave and awaken two demons.
Rumors and superstition.
That’s what Emma thinks about local gossip concerning her grandmother’s “cursed” private island. Emma journeys to the island to ready it for sale. While out exploring, she unearths a hidden cave–a cave which holds answers to the island’s dark past.
There may be more to the rumors than she thought.
Excerpt from THE ISLAND
THE ISLAND Buy Links:
Amazon / Amazon UK / Amazon CA / B&N
About the Author:
Clarissa Johal is the author of paranormal novels, THE ISLAND, VOICES, STRUCK, and BETWEEN. When she’s not listening to the ghosts in her head, she’s dancing, taking pictures of gargoyles, or swinging from a trapeze. She shares her life with her husband, two daughters, and every stray animal that darkens their doorstep.
Find Clarissa Online:
Author Website: http://www.clarissajohal.com/
Blog: http://clarissajohal.blogspot.com/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/clarissa.johal.9
Twitter: @ClarissaJohal
Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/4502113.Clarissa_Johal
Amazon Author Page: http://www.amazon.com/Clarissa-Johal/e/B003KVTMPK/
Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.com/clarissajohal/
Google+: https://plus.google.com/101586327494596967316/posts
WIN an ecopy of THE ISLAND by Clarissa Johal
Click HERE to enter.
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March 7
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March 8
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March 11
Dreamland Teenage Fantasy – Spotlight
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Vanessa Kings’ Books – Review
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I want to apologize. My comment feature stopped working. I am trying to fix it. Just bear with me. And so sorry about it.
The Perfectly Proper Paranormal Museum was a lot of fun to read… Lots of great characters surround Maddie and they are each well written and fully formed.
~The Girl with Book Lungs
The Perfectly Proper Paranormal Museum
(A Perfectly Proper Paranormal Museum Mystery)
New Series
Cozy Mystery
Midnight Ink (March 8, 2016)
Paperback: 288 pages
ISBN-13: 978-0738747514
My Review
I read Kirsten’s Riga Hayworth: The Metaphysical Detective series and her science fiction/ steampunk book, Steam and Sensibility, and enjoyed them very much. I was thrilled to have the opportunity to read her paranormal cozy mystery.
Maddie Kosloski got canned for standing by with her ethics and now she’s back in her home town, San Bendetto, wine country.
She’s soon tricked into taking over the quirky paranormal museum. It’s purported to be haunted. Now, Maddie doesn’t buy into that. But the museum cat, GD, (stands for ghost detection), has her wondering when he reacts to things she can’t see.
When a dead body is found in the museum and Maddie’s friend is arrested for murder, she doesn’t hesitate to do a little sleuthing of her own. Who knows, maybe one of the museum’s ghosts will lend a hand.
That’s just a taste of what lies in these pages.
There’s a closet witch, I mean someone who doesn’t want others to know she’s a witch. A high school bully who keeps putting the screws to Maddie. The town uppity ups of the Ladies Aid Society want the museum closed. A strange man claims he knows something about the murder, but then disappears. A lawyer with questionable morals who gives Maddie the heebie jeebies. These are just some of the eclectic characters that make this cozy such a lively romp.
Mustn’t forget the romance. There are two men interested in Maddie. The tall drink of water, Lieutenant Slate, and the man with the muscles neighbor, Mason. Either one sounded good to me. I do like a man in uniform. But I also like a rugged hunk who rides a motorcycle. What’s a girl to do?
It took me some time to choose who I thought the killer was as I was having such fun I forgot to try to figure it out. I recalled a few tiny crumbs the author had sprinkled around. Talked it over with my son. Was pretty sure I knew. And when I got to the end I was….right.
There’s a scene in the book that really tickled me. The character, Maddie, is reading a book, and it’s one by this very author. I even remember the pie scene she was reading. I thought that was so funny.
Enough gushing. This review is getting too long.
Cozy up with a copy for yourself and have a spooky good time. I guarantee, when you reach the end, you’ll feel like me. Hoping this will be a series.
4 Stars
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Synopsis
When Maddie Kosloski’s career flatlines, she retreats to her wine-country hometown for solace and cheap rent. Railroaded into managing the local paranormal museum, she’s certain the rumors of its haunting are greatly exaggerated. But a new ghost may be on the loose. A fresh corpse in the museum embroils Maddie in murders past and present.
With her high school bully as one of the officers in charge, Maddie doubts justice will be served. When one of her best friends is arrested, she’s certain it won’t be.
Maddie grapples with ghost hunters, obsessed taxidermists, and the sexy motorcyclist next door as outside forces threaten. And as she juggles spectral shenanigans with the hunt for a killer, she discovers there truly is no place like home.
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About Author Kirsten Weiss
Kirsten Weiss grew up in San Mateo, California. After getting her MBA, she joined the Peace Corps, starting an international career that took her around the fringes of the defunct USSR and into the Afghan war zone. Her experiences abroad not only gave her glimpses into the darker side of human nature, but also sparked an interest in the effects of mysticism and mythology, and how both are woven into our daily lives.
She writes paranormal mystery and suspense, blending her experiences and imagination to create vivid worlds of magic and mayhem.
Kirsten has never met a dessert she didn’t like, and her guilty pleasures are watching ghost Whisperer re-runs and drinking good wine.
Author Links
Follow her on Twitter @KirstenWeiss, or on her Facebook page, http://www.facebook.com/metaphysicaldetective or at her blog at http://kirstenweiss.com
Purchase Links:
Amazon
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Follow the tour for more fun stops.
March 8 – The Girl with Book Lungs – Review
March 8 – deal sharing aunt – Interview
March 9 – Reading Is My SuperPower – Review
March 9 – Book Babble – Review
March 9 – fuonlyknew – Review
March 10 – The Book’s the Thing – Review
March 10 – Community Bookstop – Review
March 11 – Bubble Bath Books – Review
March 12 – Shelley’s Book Case – Review, Guest Post
March 13 – Cozy Up With Kathy – Review, Interview
March 14 – I Wish I Lived in a Library – Review
March 14 – StoreyBook Reviews – Review
March 15 – Moonlight Rendezvous – Review
March 16 – Mallory Heart’s Cozies – Review
March 17 – Readsalot – Review
March 17 – Bea’s Book Nook – Review
March 18 – Laura’s Interests – Review, Guest Post
March 18 – Nadaness In Motion – Review
March 19 – Mystery Playground – Interview
March 19 – Socrates’ Book Reviews – Review
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