Archive for the ‘Science Fiction’ Category

17985164  Through Glass by [Ethington, Rebecca]

Welcome to Freakin Fridays, where I share my reviews of books that scare you, thrill you, and get those endorphins pumping.

I loved both covers for this book and wanted to share them. Which do you like most?

Today’s book is a really creepy one and I do love that!

 Through Glass

Glass: Episodes 1 – 3

by Rebecca Ethington

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Genre: Dystopian / Horror / Science Fiction

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My Review

I enjoyed this right from the beginning. The author gave me two very likeable characters in Alexis and Cohen . She’s been crushing on him for years, but they’re best friends since childhood, and when she makes a move to change that, he foolishly declines, fearing it will spoil their friendship. After being away at college for a year, Cohen’s perspective changes and he allows himself to show his love for Alexis ?.

Too little too late for their budding romance as darkness shutters the world. They have a fun way of communicating. Their houses are next to each other and they open their bedroom windows and talk across the space between. Now Alexis and Cohen separated by the distance between their two houses and can only look at each through the glass in their windows, alone, yet not alone, as creatures form their worst nightmares kill anyone who steps outside.

I melted when Alexis and Cohen finally acted on their feelings for each other. They belong together and it’s so heart breaking when they are separated shortly afterwards. Only able to look at each other through glass.

I was also very excited to see how they would find their way out of the situation and feared the worst. In horror, many authors aren’t shy about killing off their characters and this really ramped up the suspense.

Things get darker, literally and figuratively, as the creatures from the dark exert their dominance and lay claim to the planet. I can’t imagine how scary it would be to know the creatures are coming for you but you can’t see them. The rasp of their talons connecting with something are the only warning.

This book satisfied many of my requirements for a good dystopian horror story.

The only real snag was that it ended with quite the cliff hanger. There are several more episodes and I plan to read them. I have to know what happens next.

 5 Stars

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Synopsis

***Volume One includes Books 1-3 of the Through Glass Novella Series***

Everyone remembered the day the sky went black. The day the sun was wiped from the sky. They remember the wind as it brought in the darkness; the way the earth shook and everything changed.

Everyone remembered the screams as the darkness ate those who were out in the open, those who had surrounded themselves by light, and those who made noise.

Everyone remembered the voice from the sky and the way food disappeared.

At least, that’s what I hoped. I hoped that there was an ‘everyone’ that would remember because I am not sure how many are left, how many survived. Or if anyone did.

I hoped that I wasn’t alone.

I remembered that day.

I remembered because it was the day I became alone.

It was the day that everything was perfect until the monsters took it away. Then the house went silent and the birds stopped singing. It was the day when everyone disappeared, everyone except the boy, the only person I have seen in two years.
The boy I talk to through the glass.

Amazon

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The Game Begins
Victoria Danann
Publication date: February 27th 2017
Genres: Fantasy, Science Fiction, Young Adult

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Synopsis

When it came to the attention of the old ones that their creations, the Earth gods, had been playing games at the expense of humankind for millennia, they put a stop to it. But the rebellious gods were far too addicted to their games to give them up. After several summit meetings, they voted to use their own children as players and locate the playing field in the most treacherous environment in the known universe. High school.

To make it even more interesting, they would strip their children of their memories and withhold the rules of the game. The players believed they were ordinary kids until they were transferred to R. Caine High School. When odd things begin to happen, the players gradually realize they have special gifts or attributes. But that doesn’t mean they can’t die.

Goodreads / Amazon / Barnes & Noble / iBooks / Kobo

EXCERPT:

My name is Ever Moore.

I know. It makes me wince every time I say it. When I’m eighteen, I plan to have it legally changed to something that doesn’t make people laugh. But right now I’m stuck.

My dad thinks puns are the highest form of humor. He calls it ‘word play’. That’s right. I’m the spawn of nerds. My dad creates video games. My mother is an ethics professor at UCLA who thinks the battle between good and evil begins at home.

If you want to know just how weird it can get at the Thanksgiving table, I can go one better. My grandfather was a big deal rock star in the seventies. You wouldn’t know the name of the band. So there’s no point in name dropping. After a visit, he exits with a two-finger peace salute like all the other well-adjusted hippie grandparents, but he doesn’t say, “Peace.”

He says, “Rock steady.”

Ugh!

My family is big on manners. They’re too strict to let me say what I think, especially about Buzz’s love life. My grandfather doesn’t want to be called Grandpa or Grandad or Gramps or anything close to normal. Oh no. He wants to be called ‘Buzz’. I have no idea why. That is not his name.

Anyway, the best protest I can mount is rolling my eyes. I keep trying to get his attention and roll my eyes back further into my head when he does the ‘rock steady’ thing, but he will not be deterred.

Anyway I was leading a completely typical and deliciously angsty teenage life in Austin, Texas when my parents were suddenly offered jobs in the LA area at the same time. It was weird, but weird is part of my normal. Always has been.

Since my grandad, the rocker, still lives in LA with the latest girlfriend who’s barely legal – she’s two years older than I am and her name is Charmin, yes, like the toilet paper. If that was my name, I’d have the decency to go by something like Charm, which would really be making lemonade from lemmons. But not Charmin. I don’t think she’s bright enough to understand what people are thinking whenever they say her name. Anyway, with the jobs and the fact that ‘Buzz’ lives there, moving seemed like a good idea.

To them.

 

Author Victoria Danaan

New York Times bestselling author of seventeen romances including paranormal, sci-fi, fantasy, contemporary, and teen. Victoria’s Knights of Black Swan series won BEST PARANORMAL ROMANCE SERIES and PARANORMAL ROMANCE NOVEL OF THE YEAR the past FOUR YEARS IN A ROW. This past year two of her series took the top two places and two of her books took first and second place Paranormal Romance of the Year category. – Reviewers Choice Awards, The Paranormal Romance Guild.

Victoria is co-host of the popular ROMANCE BETWEEN THE PAGES podcast.
→ www.romancecast.com

WEBSITE: → www.VictoriaDanann.com
FACEBOOK: → www.facebook.com/victoriadanannbooks

The rich characterizations come from being a lifelong student of behavior, casually, and a serious student of behavior academically. She has also studied comparative religion, myths, and Dark Ages history.

Victoria lives in The Woodlands, Texas with her husband and a very smart, mostly black German Shepherd dog.

 

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Welcome to Teaser Tuesday hosted by Ambrosia  @ The Purple Booker.

Anyone can play along! Just do the following:
• Grab your current read.
• Open to a random page.
•Share two (2) “teaser” sentences from somewhere on that page
BE CAREFUL NOT TO INCLUDE SPOILERS! (make sure that what you share doesn’t give too much away! You don’t want to ruin the book for others!)
• Share the title & author, too, so that other TT participants can add the book to their TBR Lists if they like your teasers!

 

My Teaser for this week is from

 Through Glass

by Rebecca Ethington

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Genre: Dystopian / Science Fiction / Horror

My Teaser from page 18% in the eBook.

It had taken away everything. My room was as black as everything else, the light sucked from it and surrounding me in an abyss of nothing.

Nothing.

Not even sound.

and one more from 22%in the eBook

Crouched in the corner where my bed had once been I stared into the dark, waiting for something else to happen, for something else to attack.

I didn’t dare move; it wasn’t over yet.

This book is so creepy. I love it when I take a chance on a new author and it pays off like this one is doing!

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Synopsis

***Volume One includes Books 1-3 of the Through Glass Novella Series***

Everyone remembered the day the sky went black. The day the sun was wiped from the sky. They remember the wind as it brought in the darkness; the way the earth shook and everything changed.

Everyone remembered the screams as the darkness ate those who were out in the open, those who had surrounded themselves by light, and those who made noise.

Everyone remembered the voice from the sky and the way food disappeared.

At least, that’s what I hoped. I hoped that there was an ‘everyone’ that would remember because I am not sure how many are left, how many survived. Or if anyone did.

I hoped that I wasn’t alone.

I remembered that day.

I remembered because it was the day I became alone.

It was the day that everything was perfect until the monsters took it away. Then the house went silent and the birds stopped singing. It was the day when everyone disappeared, everyone except the boy, the only person I have seen in two years.
The boy I talk to through the glass.

AMAZON

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The first cover is the one I own.

Here is the one from Goodreads.

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Which do you like the best?

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How about you? Got a tease? Tell 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 go HERE

8390993  144773

Welcome to my Saturday Screams.

Today’s reviews are for all of you lovers of creepy critters and aliens. Both of these are books I turn to and reread whenever I can’t decide on something to read. Figured it was time to share them with you.

 Darkfall

by Dean Koontz

8390993

Genre: Horror

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My Review

Ssshhh! Did you hear that? The stealthy movement under the bed? What about in the walls, or in the basement? Or in the sewer?

This was creepy on so many levels. People are found mutilated, riddled with wounds. What puzzles investigators is how the killer or killers got in. There’s no signs of break in or other entries.

Right from the get go I had the shivers. Creepy critters are slithering around in the dark. Hissing, snarling, and whispering in blood chilling voices.

All to soon its running, screaming, and more running as these creatures find their targets, killing them off one by one. And then, time runs out.

This was a super fast, really creepy tale. Not being able to see what’s stalking you, knowing it’s not human, and then actually seeing the nightmares that want to kill you. I can’t imagine anything more terrifying.

I loved it from the beginning, to each horrifying attack, to the relentless chase and finale.

 5 Stars

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Synopsis

They found four corpses in four days. Each more hideously disfigured than the last, the bodies punctured with dozens of tiny wounds. At first they thought it was a savage psychopath. Then they thought it was a vicious gangland war. Then they thought packs of demonic rats were escaping through the ventilation system.

Then they saw the nightmare itself, in all its mottled, slimy horror, coming after them from every direction, and they realized that the Gates of Hell had been left open…

Amazon

Here’s the cover for edition I own from 1984.

Not too “pretty in pink” is it? LOL

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Contest

by Matthew Reilly

144773

Genre: Thriller / Science Fiction

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My Review

What a terrific story.

I loved the setting for this book. The New York Public Library. I’ve always wanted to go there and get list in the thousands and thousands of book stacks.

In the middle of a phone call, Dr. Stephen Swain and his young daughter, Holly, are teleported into the library. A strange little man, all in white, informs Stephen he is a part of the Presidia, a contest that has been going on for millenia. There are 7 contestants from different planets. The only way out is to be the last one alive. You win or you die.

I’ve read all of this authors books. Contest is his first book and still my favorite. I loved the setting, the plot, the characters, and the incredible and terrifying alien contestants.

It’s non stop action that will keep you glued to the story until you read the end.

If I knew who to ask, I’d beg for this to be made into a movie.

    5 Stars

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Synopsis

The New York Public Library. A silent sanctuary of knowledge; a 100-year-old labyrinth of towering bookcases, narrow aisles and long marble hallways. For Doctor Stephen Swain and his daughter, Holly, it is the site of a nightmare. Because for one night this historic building is to be the venue for a contest. A contest in which Swain is to compete – whether he likes it or not.

The rules are simple: Seven contestants will enter, only one will leave.

With his daughter in his arms, Stephen Swain is plunged into a terrifying fight for survival. The stakes are high, the odds brutal. He can choose to run, to hide or to fight – but if he wants to live, he has to win. For in this contest, unless you leave as the victor, you do not leave at all.

Readers all over the world have been cheering about Matthew Reilly’s lightning fast adventure thrillers. Contest, the action-packed extravaganza that launched this international bestselling career, is vintage Reilly at his explosive best.

Amazon

I also have the paperback. Here’s its cover.

Which do you like more?

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Dominion banner

Title: DOMINION: FIRE AND ICE
Author: D.A. Hewitt
Publisher: Double Dragon eBooks
Pages: 372
Genre: Science Fiction

Dominion cover

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My Review

I couldn’t resist the idea. An orbiting space resort. I’d sure buy a ticket.

Two big corporations are in a race to commercialize space. And the first space resort is about to become reality. You know they aren’t going to play nice. Oh, and did I forget to mention that there’s an asteroid headed right for Earth and the Pope needs rescuing? These new Jungi Knights are in a race against time.

This book has all the ear marks of an exciting space race. However, I had a hard time with the character’s. I just couldn’t connect with them. Especially the two main protagonists. They felt more like teenagers than grown up men and women.

I did enjoy how the rescue squad was trained in the Jungi discipline. Mind over matter and all that. I believe a quiet mind is the best for any situation and it was fun to read how they all came to accept that idea.

The authors world is vast and complex. I used my imagination from all of the science fiction movies I’ve watched and got a pretty good picture of it. I envisioned all of the complications that you’d run into on a daily basis, and do believe we will eventually colonize the moon and people will travel in space.

To really enjoy science fiction, I feel you need to suspend your disbelief and set your imagination free. Hitch a ride and enjoy the trip.

4 Stars

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Synopsis

It’s the year 2075. Lunar mining and processing facilities have prospered near the lunar south pole, where the Moon’s largest city, Valhalla, rests on the rim of the Shackleton Crater.

Dominion Off-Earth Resources has beaten the competition into space and is ready to establish its monopoly with the opening of the orbiting space resort Dominion. But Pettit Space Industries has a secret plan to emerge as a major contender in the commercialization of space. The upstart company is training the first space rescue squad at a secluded off-grid site in Barrow, Alaska.

The rescue squad gets nearly more than it can handle when its first mission involves the Pope, who’s traveling to the Moon to establish the Lunar See. During the rescue attempt, they discover Earth is imperiled by an asteroid large enough to cause mass extinction. Using the unique skills taught during their training, skills emphasized by the great psychoanalyst Carl Jung, these Jungi Knights must elevate their game if they are to save both the Earth and the Pope—while not getting killed in the process.

Purchase at Amazon

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Enjoy this glimpse inside the book.

The girl shook her head impatiently, the ponytail swaying back and forth. “You don’t recognize me?” she asked.

I looked closer. “I’m not up on the latest supermodel scene,” I told her, “and I haven’t seen many movies lately.”

“Supermodel? Movies? What on Earth are you talking about?”

“You seem to think I should recognize you. I assume you’re a model or an actress, someone who would be easily recognized.”

She whispered something under her breath, and having a modest ability to read lips, thought she’d said, What an idiot. “I’m Jessica Thibideau.”

I thought Julia was going to leap out of her chair and try to strangle the girl. I reached over and laid my hand on her forearm with as much reassurance as I could muster.

Julia reached over, grabbed the back of my neck, pulled my head down, leaned in, and whispered, “She runs the science departments in DOER’s space program. She’s the daughter of Benjamin Thibideau.”

“Oh,” I whispered. “Yes, of course I’ve heard of her. Never seen a picture, though. Why would she assume I’d recognize her?”

“Even in the Ural Mountains, I’ve seen news pics of the famous Jessica Thibideau. Her spaceship designs incorporate integrated shielding generators. She’s responsible for the explosion of industry in space.”

“And on the Moon,” I added. “Maybe I have seen her picture. She looks different in person.”

Jessica Thibideau began tapping her toe. “If you don’t mind, I have things to do.” She waved her arm in a wide sweeping movement. “And in case you haven’t noticed, we have a problem here.”

I began straightening myself but Julia grabbed my wrist. “Be careful,” she whispered. “Her company practically buried yours. Some say the stress is what killed your father.”

“Yeah, well, my dad worked too hard.”

I pulled away and straightened myself in my chair and folded my hands in front of me on the table. “Are you referring to the street music?”

She snorted. “Of course. What are you, some kind of joker?”

“Just trying to communicate.”

She reached up and pinched her nose, equalizing pressure. “You stole my asteroid retrieval drone.”

My reaction caught me by surprise. I jerked back as though jolted by a cattle prod such was my surprise at being accused of something so off my radar that she may very well have accused me of being an alien in disguise. “What?” I managed to eke out.

“You must’ve sanctioned it, at least. There are only two players in space—DOER and PSI. And DOER wouldn’t steal from itself.”

“Are you accusing me of something?”

“A DOER asteroid interceptor-collector drone has gone missing. Not only that, a dummy drone was left in its place to camouflage the theft. Now tell me, Mr. Pettit, how many companies have the capacity to handle what an interceptor-collector drone can deliver?”

I held up two fingers, eyebrows raised with uncertainty.

She stared as though trying to melt me with her glare. After a few moments, she made a sound that resembled harrumph and placed her hands on her hips. “Anibal Sanchez is your stooge, right?”

She throws out big tomatoes and observes your reaction.

I realized that this woman believed she possessed the skill to discern changes in blood pressure, eye dilation, and other change indicators that revealed when a person was lying.

Interesting.

“Never heard the name before,” I told her. “And now that I’ve answered your question, Miss Thibideau, I’ll tell you that you’re in no position to judge me. You don’t know me, and I doubt you have the depth of field to see clear enough for me to even want to have a conversation with you.”

“We all make judgments constantly,” she shot back. “You’re judging me right now.”

“You’re the one who barged in on us.”

She took a step to her left, then to her right. She placed her hand on her chin, opened her mouth, then finger-tapped the side of her head. She looked like a frenzied shopper who’d lost her shopping list and was trying to recall each item in the order in which they appeared.

She reached up and pinched her nose. Instead of finding it annoying, I found myself attracted to it.

Here, let me help …

Finally she stopped fidgeting and looked at me. “Mr. Pettit, allow me to apologize, please. I just got back from Valhalla, and I’ve got a bit of the jitters. I’m jumping at conclusions.”

“I hear jitters can be a common problem for space-goers,” I said. I reached over and nudged a chair away from the table. “Have a seat.”

Julia jabbed me with her elbow. I leaned over and whispered, “Let’s see how much information we can get.” Then I kissed her neck and this seemed to appease her.

Jessica Thibideau glanced back at her sedan. “All right. I am starving.” She sat and whispered a command that brought up a translucent eight-panel octagonal grid interface that encircled her.

Impressive. But where’s the projector? An implant? No—more likely embedded in clothing.

Signorina Thibideau twirled her finger and jabbed at one of the displays on the panel to her left. She glanced at me. “How’s the pizza here?”

“Out of this world,” I said, trying to suppress the corner of my mouth from rising slightly. I failed.

Jessica closed her eyes, sighed, then placed her order.

Julia leaned in and whispered, “She seems flighty to me.”

“Jitters is typically temporary.”

“Permanent jitters, in her case, if you ask me,” Julia commented.

~~~~~

About Author D.A. Hewitt

 Dominion author

D.A. Hewitt is an award-winning author of four novels and over a hundred short stories. One novel was awarded a gold medal from the Independent Publishers Book Awards for best regional fiction. He attributes his success to hard work, honing a skill and providing an outlet for his passion for writing.

Born in Michigan, he lived for 25 years in North Carolina before returning to live in his home state. In addition to enjoying sky diving and mountain climbing, he is a proud veteran of the US Marine Corps and has earned a degree in mathematics.

Mr. Hewitt admits to a fascination with the work of Carl Jung and of the Gnostic religion. He’d always thought intertwining these topics in a science fiction novel was a stretch, but one day the storyline of Dominion came to him. He wrote the novel in a stream of consciousness. “It makes sense, tapping into the collective unconscious,” Mr. Hewitt says, “very much like Carl Jung might have predicted.”

WEBSITE | TWITTER | FACEBOOK | GOODREADS

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1426200  1496682

Welcome to my Saturday Screams.

Today’s reviews are for all of you lovers of creatures. Got two of them that I really enjoyed. There be a fire breathing dragon and big, hairy beasts.

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Monster

by Frank Peretti

1426200

Genre: Horror / Christian Thriller

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My Review

I’ve enjoyed other books by this author and couldn’t resist this one. It’s different from his other Christian thriller novels and takes a swing at the Sasquatch legend.

This is a Sasquatch story with a twist. Reed drags his wife, Beck, along on a weekend survival trek. It quickly turns into a nightmare when a huge animal comes out and takes Beth. As search parties organize and enter the wilderness in search of Beth, something else is out there, hunting them down, along with the creature that took her.

The twist for me was reading about what happened with Beth. She has to survive her abduction. And it’s scary and sometimes funny what she has to contend with. Sasquatch is in no way human. A large predator with plenty of attitude, the family dynamics for them is tumultuous and violent. Talk about dysfunctional.  And Beth has to fight for her place in order to stay alive long enough to be rescued.

There’s a strong sense of urgency as you get into the story. And for such a large book, I was surprised how quickly I finished it. Grab the book, remember this is fiction, and just enjoy the ride. It’s well worth a go.

I’m still crossing my fingers that this will be made into a movie. It would be such an adventure.

   5 Stars

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Synopsis

Reed Shelton organized this survival weekend. Hired the best guide in the region. Meticulously trained, studied, and packed while encouraging his wife, Beck, to do the same. But little did they know that surviving the elements would become the least of their worries.

During their first night of camping, an unearthly wail pierces the calm of the forest. Then someone – no, something – emerges from the dense woods and begins pursuing them. Everything that follows is a blur to Reed – except for the unforgettable image of a huge creature carrying his wife into the darkness.

Dependent on the efforts of a small town and a band of friends, Reed knows they have little time to find Beck. Even more important, he soon realizes that they aren’t the only ones doing the hunting. Something much faster, more relentless – and definitely not human – has begun to hunt them.

Amazon

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Leviathan

by James Byron Huggins

1496682

Genre: Science Fiction / Horror / Spiritualism

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My Review

I can’t quite pin down the genre for this. I notice it’s been tagged as science fiction, which I agree with that. But I feel it’s also a horror and spiritualism genre too.

There’s the beast. What a beast it is too. It started out as a benign creature. Then the idiots alter it genetically, hoping to use it as a weapon. I swear, no matter how many times I come across this plot, it just never gets old for me.

Imagine a harmless creature turned into something that looks like a dragon. Then make it impossible to kill and program it’s brain like a computer. Then imagine it getting a mind of it’s own and a raging desire to kill and burn.

Thor is a mysterious viking, a giant of a man living an isolated life in an ancient tower on the harsh and frozen Grimwald Island, his only companion his valiant steed, Tanngrisner. Until the men come. He’s a gentle giant and quickly comes to care for these men and their families, as they do him.

When the beast escapes his confinement under the ice, they must keep it from reaching the surface, for there will be no stopping it’s bloody revenge then.

What really drove this story for me was the character’s. The author really outdid himself in bringing them to life. Even some that are only briefly mentioned are easily imagined. I felt bad that they were hired to do an innocuous job, little knowing the terrible secrets being performed behind blast proof doors deep in the caverns below.

And I adored Thor. He’s an epic warrior and the best of heroes. His friendship with Connor and his wife and daughter is strong, forged with love and loyalty. The power of the bond between Thor and Connor is another favorite part of this book.

Take a bunch of people, good and bad, and isolate them somewhere with the harshest of elements, and then unleash holy hell on them. This is the best of scenarios for me and I loved everything about this book. I’ve reread this several times and will do so again. Can’t recommend it enough.

 5  Stars

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Synopsis

In a cyberspace experiment deep beneath an Arctic island, Electromagnetic Chromosomal Manipulation recreates man’s most ancient nightmare. Searching to possess a living weapon that can bring every nation to its knees, scientists spawn a dark legend that once trembled the Earth, a beast that heralds the end of the world.

Amazon

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26200651  33869437

Welcome to Freakin Fridays, where I share my reviews of books that scare you, thrill you, and get those endorphins pumping.

Today’s treats are all about the monsters in the dark.

 Nightwalk 

Book #1

by D. Nathan Hilliard

26200651

Genre: Horror / Science Fiction

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My Review

I like it when a story creeps up on me like this one did. Just another street in another suburban neighborhood in the good old US of A. Everyone knows everyone. Minds their own business. Kind of. And go their merry ways.

Until…it all goes sideways. Overnight, carnivorous plants that suck you empty like an arachnid and lure you in with their pulsing florescent colors come out of nowhere. God awful creatures straight out of nightmares prowl the streets, tracking you down and tearing you limb from limb.

This is all kinds of creepy. Throw together a dysfunctional family,  a bunch of people who don’t have a clue how to handle things, and some horrific monsters, and the words fly by. I read this straight through, enjoying every attack, every new monster, and the epic showdowns.

The ending was solid, yet mysterious, leaving things open enough to include more if the author chooses. Which I hope he does.

4 Stars

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Synopsis

New from the author of Dead Stop and Spiderstalk

Welcome to Coventry Woods, a tranquil, middle class neighborhood where trees turn the streets into shady tunnels, soccer moms jog on secluded paths, and backyard barbeques are weekend staples. It’s a quiet, urban example of the American dream. Here businessmen are neighbors with radio DJs, young doctors buy their first houses, and author Mark Garrett has been settling in with his lovely new wife and stepdaughter.

But tonight Mark’s new neighborhood is going to come with something he never bargained on.

The pits of hell have yawned wide and poured their contents into the midnight streets and homes of Coventry Woods. Everything has gone insane. Shots and screams ring out in the night, while death stalks the darkness in forms this earth has never before seen. Even worse, the only hope of escape is by foot.

Now Mark, along with his stepdaughter and his back-fence neighbor, must flee the neighborhood while attempting to help anybody they meet. And it won’t be easy. They will be walking a gauntlet of unearthly predators, as they strive toward a goal they aren’t even sure still exists…the outside world.

Amazon

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I grabbed this as a freebie on Amazon. Click on the cover to get your copy.

Mark Of The Beast

Book #1

by Steve Wells

33869437

Genre: Horror / Short Stories

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My Review

Out of the dark they come. Three beasts. One beyond naming. One by the name of Bigfoot. And the loupe garou. Those who they encounter pay a terrible price. Then, back to the dark they go.

All three of these are quick reads. All of them have a terrifying monster, or two. Many die. A few survive.

Each of these short stories has a fun twist. There’s even a bit of furry romance. Warning you though, most have a sticky ending. All’s fun until it isn’t.

Scary good.

  3 Stars

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Synopsis

An anthology of horror shorts with beasts of many forms.
MARK OF THE BEAST – Jessie has just picked up trailer park mother and are en route to the grandmother’s house when they hit a deer on a deserted highway. The accident totals her broken down Volkswagen Bug…but the two soon have bigger problems. The deer was being chased by something very large. A beast emerges from the shadows and soon sees the two women as an appetizer as they try to escape.
BIGFOOT CREEK – Cindy is the producer of a low budget reality show that specializes in cryptozoology. Both her and her crew journey to the woods where they discuss and look for the existence of Bigfoot. It is all done with a fake seriousness until they encounter a real beast at night that goes on a rampage, hunting them down one by one.
A RAINY DAY IN HELL – Robin was violated by a group of hayseeds in the Louisiana backwoods. The police are doing nothing so she solicits the services of a voodoo witch, the mysterious Madam Porcelain, in order to help her gain retribution. The witch summons a werewolf that Robin can use as a weapon to gain revenge.

Amazon

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Welcome to Teaser Tuesday hosted by Ambrosia  @ The Purple Booker.

Anyone can play along! Just do the following:
• Grab your current read.
• Open to a random page.
•Share two (2) “teaser” sentences from somewhere on that page
BE CAREFUL NOT TO INCLUDE SPOILERS! (make sure that what you share doesn’t give too much away! You don’t want to ruin the book for others!)
• Share the title & author, too, so that other TT participants can add the book to their TBR Lists if they like your teasers!

 

My Teaser for this week is from

 Heart Of Eve

Trilogy Of Eve #1.5

by Pam  Godwin

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Genre: Dark Romance / Sci Fi / Dystopian

My Teaser 4% in the eBook.

Rumor was, only ten percent of humanity remained worldwide. The rest were mutated creatures. No children or elderly survived. No women.

Except Evie.

And one more. I just loved how these words flowed.

From 8% into the book.

Her sleepy whisper floated across my skin, caressing places no woman had ever touched. The sensation filled me with wonderment. Hunger. Guilt.

Poor Roark. A man of the cloth, and wouldn’t you figure, one of those rare women left on Earth arrives on his humble doorstep, seeking sanctuary. Doesn’t help that Evie is one fine woman to look at. LOL

I love Roark and love how the author made me wish for something forbidden. Makes it quite the suspenseful quickie.

I loved the first book and I’ll be reading the third one soon.

Heart Of Eve is free right now. If you want to meet these characters, click on the cover or the link below and it’ll take you to Amazon.

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Synopsis

My vow of celibacy has never been broken nor tempted, not even when the plague thrust me into a lawless, brutal world. So why did God send the only surviving woman to a priest? To test me? Or to save me?

*This is a 10,000-word novelette and can be read as an introduction to the Trilogy of Eve or as bonus material between the other books. It was previously published in the For the First Time anthology.

Amazon

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How about you? Got a tease? Tell me!

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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

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Sekkol
Lara Larue
(Galaxy Alien Warriors, #2)
Publication date: January 18th 2017
Genres: Adult, Romance, Science Fiction

She’s a captive. He wants her to be a queen. Will his passion be enough to change her mind?

Keira wishes she could return home. After being kidnapped from Earth by aliens, she’s fiercely determined to make it back to her planet. The absolute last thing she needs is a love interest. What Keira wants is an ally…

Sekkol is heir to the throne of Jupiter. As a highly-trained alien warrior, he’s probably the last creature in the universe who should help Keira. But when he lays eyes on her, he knows: she is his mate, and he’ll do anything to protect her.

As Keira warms to Sekkol’s presence, she wonders if her own feelings will keep her from returning home. Sekkol remains patient, protecting Keira from his own mating urges… until she’s ready to let him in.

Sekkol is the standalone second book in a series of sexy sci-fi alien romance novels. If you like feisty heroines, intense action, and sexy romance, then you’ll love Lara LaRue’s Galaxy Alien Warriors series.

Goodreads / Amazon

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Author Lara LaRue

Lara LaRue is a romance author who lives in New York City. She loves writing sizzling, sexy stories.
To learn more about Lara LaRue and her collection of romance novels, visit her at www.laralarue.com.

Website / Goodreads / Facebook

 

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For a list of my reviews go HERE.

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Of Cinder and Bone

by Kyoko M

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Genre: SciFi Romance/Action-Adventure

Date of Publication: December 23, 2016

Number of pages: 268 / Word Count: 139, 893

Cover Artist: Agata Broncel

 

Book Description:

After centuries of being the most dangerous predators on the planet, dragons were hunted to extinction. That is, until Dr. Rhett “Jack” Jackson and Dr. Kamala Anjali cracked the code to bring them back. Through their research at MIT, they resurrected the first dragon anyone has seen alive since the 15th century. There’s just one problem.

Someone stole it.

Caught between two ruthless yakuza clans who want to clone the dragon, Jack and Kamala brave the dangerous streets of Tokyo to steal their dragon back in a race against time before the world is taken over by mutated, bloodthirsty monsters that will raze it to ashes.

Smashwords

 

Excerpt:

“They’re gone,” Jack whispered. “I don’t…I don’t understand. They were right here, Kam. What did I miss?”

She squeezed his hand. “Jack, this isn’t your fault. Maybe something went wrong and their health destabilized while we were out.”

“All that work,” he said hoarsely. “Years’ worth. Just like that. Gone.”

He shook his head again. “I shouldn’t have dragged you into this.”

“You didn’t drag me into anything. I chose this. I chose you.” She caught his chin and made him face her. Fierce brown eyes blazed at him. “And I’d do it again in a heartbeat.”

“This kind of thing can end a career. Let me take the blame. Please.”

“It’s my career to end. We tell them together. End of story.”

He shut his eyes at her words, shuddering slightly. “I’m so sorry.”

“We’ll find our way again. I promise.” She stroked the side of his face before turning towards the increasingly uneasy spectators around them.

“Ladies and gentlemen,” Jack said after clearing his throat. “I’m afraid that something’s happened. Our hatchlings have flat-lined. They’re…they’re gone.”

A frigid hush fell over the room. The lead reporter stepped forward. “They’re dead?”

Kamala nodded grimly. “Stillborn. We’re not sure how, but we’ve tried everything to resuscitate them and nothing has worked. I’m afraid we’ve lost them.”

Edie’s hands rose to her mouth, and her eyes fell on her son. “Oh, honey.”

“You’ve got to be kidding me,” the reporter moaned. “I got pulled off a hot lead at the Mayor’s office for this crap and you’re telling me the whole thing’s off? Get a defibrillator and bring the little bastards back to life.”

“Watch it,” Jack said very quietly.

“No, you watch it, pal. Everyone’s been talking you up like you’re gonna save the world and yet here we are with nothing to show for it.”

Jack stepped forward, gritting his teeth. “No one put a gun to your head and told you to come here. That’s three years of my life lying on that table over there, dead. Cry me a fucking river.”

Kamala gripped his arm. “Jack.”

The reporter snorted, not backing down even though Jack practically towered over him. “This was just a publicity stunt, wasn’t it? Something to get MIT some attention, since that’s where all the washed up scientists go to spin their wheels and pretend like they’re making a difference. What’s the matter? The real world too much for you?”

“The real world?” Jack laughed bitterly. “You’re about to find out how real the world can get.”

“Jack!”

“No, let him go, sweetheart. This’ll look good on the front page. I can see the headline now: ‘Failed Scientist Socks Award-Winning Reporter for Hurting His Feelings.’”

Jack grabbed two handfuls of the guy’s shirt and a couple of people darted between them, shouting for them to cool off and separate.

Crack.

Jack froze.

Crrrraaaaaaack.

He craned his neck slowly towards the table.

The furthest egg to the left had a fracture running down the length of it.

Crick-crack.

The egg wiggled once, twice. The fracture widened.

Jack and Kamala stumbled towards the table together, their eyes transfixed on the tremors going through the lone egg. A moment later, a tiny green snout poked through a hole in the top and embryonic fluid oozed outward.

Jack snatched up a box of gloves and handed it to Kamala, snapping a pair on, and then reached a shaking hand towards the creature. He lifted the small piece of shell that the dragon had stuck on his snout and watched slack-jawed as it sneezed and pushed its glistening, spindly limbs out. It was the size of a large gecko. The scales were leafy-green over most of its body, with paler shades along its belly, and dark green splotches along its spine. It had four limbs like a normal lizard, but two thin yellow membrous wings stuck out from its shoulders. Its head bore similarities to a bird, with a triangular head with bright eyes, its pupils thin slits like a snake. Each foot ended in pinpricks of claws and it had a set of needle-like teeth just barely poking out of its gums.

“Kamala?”

“Yes?”

“You’re seeing this, right?”

“I am.”

Jack let out a thready, borderline manic giggle as the young dragon wobbled on its legs and let out a needy chirp, its yellow eyes focusing on the two of them after a moment. Jack cupped one hand and brought it forward slowly, his deep voice soothing.

“Hey there, buddy. Welcome to the party. Nice timing.”

The dragon chirped a couple more times and sniffed his fingers one by one. It nipped them, coughed, and then crawled clumsily into his arms. Kamala handed him a small towel and cleaned the little reptile off, smiling as it nuzzled its head against her touch.

“She’s beautiful, Jack,” she whispered. “What should we call her?”

“Pete.”

She choked on laugh. “You’re such a sap. Hello, Pete. Welcome to MIT.”

 

 

About Author Kyoko M

Kyoko M is an author, a fangirl, and an avid book reader. Her debut novel, The Black Parade, has been ranked #5 in Amazon’s Bestselling Occult novels. She has a Bachelor of Arts in English Lit degree from the University of Georgia, which gave her every valid excuse to devour book after book with a concentration in Greek mythology and Christian mythology. When not working feverishly on a manuscript (or two), she can be found buried under her Dashboard on Tumblr, or chatting with fellow nerds on Twitter, or curled up with a good Harry Dresden novel on a warm central Florida night. Like any author, she wants nothing more than to contribute something great to the best profession in the world, no matter how small.

Website/Blog ~ Twitter ~ Facebook ~ Goodreads

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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

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