Archive for the ‘Science Fiction’ Category

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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. Last week I shared the first two books in Marilyn Peake’s zombie series, Mutation Z. Go HERE to check them out. This week I’m sharing books three and four, and next week I’ll share the final two.

Without further adieu….

Mutation Z

Protecting Our Own

  Book Three

by Marilyn Peake

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My Review

Holy crap!

Just when you think things can’t get any crazier, they do. This is one intense series. I loved the first two books and this one is just as good, if not better.

Don’t count on your favorite characters surviving. I read this episode knowing anything could happen. But I wasn’t prepared for how things would go down.

And what’s this about protecting the zombies? What could be the motive behind that, I wonder.

Hang on to your butts, people. This is a boat load of trouble with an ending that will rock you to your core.

I don’t see how the author can make this series any more horrifying or emotional, but we shall see.

5 Stars

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Synopsis

Guerrilla warfare breaks out between armed militias and those perceived as protecting the zombies. Journalist Hunter Morgan becomes the target of Clay Dixon, the organizer of a militia in a Texas border town, when he advocates for protecting the zombies until a cure is found. The journalist has strong motivation for his beliefs: his daughter is suspected of having the disease caused by Mutation Z. This book ends with a devastating confrontation. NOVELETTE. GENRES: Apocalyptic Science Fiction, Zombie Fiction, Conspiracy Fiction, Horror.

Mutation Z: Protecting Our Own is the third book in the Mutation Z series. In the next book, Mutation Z: Drones Overhead, the people working in Dr. Rojas’s house to find a cure for Mutation Z hide from the U.S. government spying on them with helicopters and drones that constantly fly overhead.

AMAZON

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And now for

Mutation Z

Drones Overhead

Book Four

By Marilyn peake

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My Review

And this series gets even more intense.

The beginning grabs you, yanks you into Hunter’s nightmares, and gives you a little reprieve before sending you back into the horror.

After the horrific loss Hunter endured, I didn’t see a happy ending for him. I’m crossing my fingers things get better, but don’t see that in the foreseeable future. He’s on the run, hunted for what he knows. Desperate measures must be taken.

Well, the author did it again. Kept me tearing through this episode, cringing, cheering, and hoping.  Mutation Z is like zombie M&Ms. You can’t read just one and keep reaching for more.

Can’t wait for the next one.

5 Stars

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Synopsis

Journalist Hunter Morgan comes face-to-face with terrible truths, both personal and political. Visiting a local hospital, he discovers firsthand that zombies aren’t being treated there. Instead, they’re being sent to a more sinister fate in a program organized by the government. Fearing he’ll be identified by the helicopters and drones flying constantly over the house where he’s staying, he sets about to permanently alter his appearance. Although a ray of sunshine exists in his life, he becomes filled with despair over the current state of the world. There are even rumors that the United States and Mexico will go to war. NOVELLA. GENRES: Apocalyptic Science Fiction, Zombie Fiction, Conspiracy Fiction, Horror.

AMAZON

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These count towards my Horror Reading Challenge

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!

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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

Forget Tomorrow

  Forget Tomorrow #1

by Pintip Dunn

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Genre: YA science fiction / dystopian

My 56 from the hard cover.

I focus on their eyes. That’s where all the personality lies. Blue eyes, brown eyes, green….Blinking, narrowed, wide open and fearful.

Read on if you want to know more.

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 I won a signed hard cover edition of this book in a giveaway.

My first time reading Pintip Dunn and so far, so good.

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Synopsis

Imagine a world where your destiny has already been decided…by your future self.

It’s Callie’s seventeenth birthday and, like everyone else, she’s eagerly awaiting her vision―a memory sent back in time to sculpt each citizen into the person they’re meant to be. A world-class swimmer. A renowned scientist.

Or in Callie’s case, a criminal.

In her vision, she sees herself murdering her gifted younger sister. Before she can process what it means, Callie is arrested and placed in Limbo―a prison for those destined to break the law. With the help of her childhood crush, Logan, a boy she hasn’t spoken to in five years, she escapes the hellish prison.

But on the run from her future, as well as the government, Callie sets in motion a chain of events that she hopes will change her fate. If not, she must figure out how to protect her sister from the biggest threat of all.

Callie herself.

Amazon

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Leave your link and I’ll drop by your 56.

Until the next time….

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!

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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 next three weeks I’ll be sharing two books from Marilyn Peake’s zombie series,Mutation Z.

Without further adieu….

Mutation Z

The Ebola Zombies

Book One

by Marilyn Peake

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My Review

Did someone say zombies? I can’t pass up a zombie story.

The apocalypse has already begun and it’s spreading quickly. Probably not the best time for a young lady like Emma to go to the front lines of the plague. She just graduated from nursing school and is looking for some adventure.

From the moment she arrives, she knows something’s wrong. Before long her fears are confirmed as horrific events unfold.  Now Emma is in for the fight of her life, literally.

Wow.  Powerful writing whisks you away, drops you into a dirty, steamy camp in West Africa, and bombards you with conspiracies, horror, and real life characters who could walk off the pages.

What goes on in the camp, after dark, hidden, is beyond imagining. Imagine the threat of Ebola. Now add in disease carrying zombies. A dark twist.

Though this is a short novella, it made a huge impression on me. Loved it and I now have the other five books on my kindle. The first book was free and the others were priced at a bargain I was happy to pay.

5 Stars

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Synopsis

Ebola, one of the most feared of the hemorrhagic diseases, has begun spreading across the borders of West African countries. The CDC and the World Health Organization have admitted they are losing control over the disease. Some hint at a possible worldwide pandemic. At exactly this point in time, Emma Johnson graduates from nursing school. She takes a job in an Ebola treatment camp inside Liberia, West Africa. The camp is state-of-the-art. It’s run by the CDC and the World Health Organization, and protected by the U.S. military. Emma uncovers a secret about this facility: medical experimentation is being conducted along with treatment. Whether or not Emma can ever escape the camp, she’s determined to get the story out. She has intimate knowledge of a biological horror being secretly unleashed upon the world. NOVELETTE. GENRES: Apocalyptic Science Fiction, Zombie Fiction, Conspiracy Fiction, Horror.

Mutation Z: The Ebola Zombies is the first book in a series. In the next book, the zombie virus will cross geographical boundaries and go increasingly out of control.

AMAZON

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And now for

Mutation Z

Closing The Borders

Book Two

By Marilyn Peake

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My Review

If you read the first book, you probably thought it was horrific. Wait until you read this second one.

The author drops you right into the story. Even after mutilated bodies are found on the borders of Mexico and the US and they begin closing it down, journalists are allowed to investigate the scenes.  What they discover are horrors beyond their worst imagination.

Flash to West Africa and Emma. She’s still at the camp, still unable to leave, and not sure if she should. As she digs deeper into the conspiracy, she’s crushed by what she’s done, what she might become.

Hope arrives in one Hunter Morgan, a journalist chasing a story. When his young daughter becomes ill, he’ll do anything to get to the bottom of it.

Imagine knowing you’re turning into a zombie. Knowing what you’ve done. I can’t think of anything more horrifying. Be warned. The author gives you graphic details. Lots of gore. Maybe I’m morbid, but that’s what I wanted, and that’s what I got. Being a huge fan of The Walking Dead, I can handle it.

More conspiracy and corruption abound. I wonder how bad it can get. A zombie army?

This second book is as intense as the first one. And the addition of new characters and the spread of the disease build the suspense to a fever pitch.

I’m so glad I already have the next four books so I don’t have to wait to continue.

5 Stars

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Synopsis

Eviscerated bodies are found along both sides of the U.S.-Mexico border. Military security is stepped up on both sides of the border. However, journalists are given free rein to explore the devastation. As more and more bodies are found, people begin to panic. Meanwhile in The Liberia Treatment and Research Camp of West Africa, Emma Johnson and Chibueze Koroma continue to receive experimental doses of Mutation Z. They also begin to remember the horrific things they’ve done. As journalist Hunter Morgan’s investigation leads him to that same Camp, his own little girl falls sick with fever. NOVELLA. GENRES: Apocalyptic Science Fiction, Zombie Fiction, Conspiracy Fiction, Horror.

Mutation Z: Closing the Borders is the second book in the Mutation Z series. In the next book, Mutation Z: Protecting Our Own, guerrilla warfare breaks out between armed militias and those perceived as protecting the zombies.

AMAZON

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These count towards my Horror Reading Challenge

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!

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Welcome to My Monday Minis Reviews where I share short reviews of books I’ve read. For today I’ll be sharing my review of Space Cowboys & Indians. I won this some time ago in a giveaway and had a fun read.

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Space Cowboys & Indians

Cosmic Cowboys Series: Episode One

by Lisa Medley

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AMAZON

My Review

Space cowboys, an asteroid, aliens, wormholes, time travel, and indians! never a dull moment here.

Add in a billionaire, a washed out wannabe astronaut, a sexy rival teammate, and things get bumpy pretty quick.

How could I resist this one. I watched the movie, Space Cowboys and Aliens, and really enjoyed it. So, I couldn’t pass this up. Right from the start I liked the characters, the back and forth humor and sarcasm, the romantic teasing, and the bets they make.

Once this team lands on the asteroid and discovers they aren’t alone, things happen quickly. They end up going through a worm hole and come out on Earth in the 1800s. As they try to figure out how to get home to their present time again, they must make friendly with the indians and fight off an extremely dangerous alien.

Strap on your six shooter, pilgrim. From the present to the 1800s, this book shoots you into action and dribbles humor throughout, keeping you laughing and dodging bullets, arrows, and acid spitting aliens.

4 Stars

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Synopsis

How can the chance of a lifetime go so horribly wrong? Mining Engineer Cole Hudson signed up for NASA astronaut training, but after washing out short of getting his gold wings, he retreats to Alaska where he stakes out a gold claim. When billionaire entrepreneur Duncan Janson offers him an opportunity to join a mining team on an asteroid, Cole jumps at the chance. But nothing is as it seems. Former NASA reject and rival classmate, Tessa Hernandez, is also a member of the team, and from the beginning of the mission test flight, things go wrong. They soon discover they’re not the only ones on the asteroid. As they try to escape, they are pulled through a wormhole and back to the early 1800s New Mexico desert where aliens and Apaches may be the least of their problems.

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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!

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Teaser Tuesdays is a weekly bookish meme, hosted by MizB of A Daily Rhythm.

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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!

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My Teaser for this week is from

Allies and Enemies

Storm Of Arranon #3

by R.E. Sheahan

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My teaser from page 24 in the paperback.

Cace, his young face wet with tears, leaned against the counter between the tiny kitchen and the small parlor. Still and silent, he appeared to sink in on himself, shrinking inside the gray sweater he wore. His youthful innocence faded with each attack against what the boy held dear.

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I really enjoyed the first two books in this year. My review ill be posted later this week. It’s long overdue!

Read on if you want to know more.

Synopsis

A vicious attack on life and love. A race to deny death. Trust blurs and alliances break. The chase begins.
A powerful evil threatens the natural balance of Arranon, endangering all that lives. No less important to Captain Erynn Yager, a life treasured above her own hovers in a coma, close to death.
In a race to uncover a cure and stop the mounting peril, Erynn risks everything—becoming the hunted. She challenges authority and allies herself with a being others believe a mortal enemy. In pursuit of the true evil, Erynn finds the line blurred between those they trust and those set against them.
Answers remain beyond reach.
Erynn embraces her abilities, joining her will with the living consciousness of Arranon. Her authority and confidence rises, and she strikes out against a murderous cruelty—becoming the hunter.

AMAZON

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Other books in this series. Click on the covers for my reviews.

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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

To see all of my giveaways click on the lucky horseshoe below!

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Welcome to My Monday Minis Reviews where I share short reviews of books I’ve read. For today I’ll be sharing reviews for The martian by Andy Weir, the book and the movie.

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My Review

You’d never know it from the jocular beginning, but in moments, s#!t will hit the fan.

The author wastes no time in putting his characters in jeopardy. Beginning years away from home, the first to walk on Mars, these astronauts know the risks. When Mark Watney disappears and is presumed dead during a dust storm, the crew must abort the mission and return home without him.

Wouldn’t they be shocked and horrified to learn that not only did Mark survive, he’s actually colonized Mars.

With so many reviews already written, this won’t be a long one.

I loved this book. From the beginning, I couldn’t wait to read the next paragraph, the next chapter. The humor helps lighten the suspense the author puts you through. There’s no guarantee an author won’t kill off his characters, even the heroes, so you can’t relax, can’t count on anything. Each time something went wrong, I thought, this is it.

I used to think I’d love to travel in space. Not anymore. I’m too old and too fond of my life to endanger it. I fully expect us to one day walk on Mars. Look at all of the amazing things we’ve done already.

Until then, I’ll enjoy books like these, and when I’m done reading, I’ll turn off the light and dream of space from the comfort of my own bed.

5 Stars

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Synopsis

Six days ago, astronaut Mark Watney became one of the first people to walk on Mars.

Now, he’s sure he’ll be the first person to die there.

After a dust storm nearly kills him and forces his crew to evacuate while thinking him dead, Mark finds himself stranded and completely alone with no way to even signal Earth that he’s alive—and even if he could get word out, his supplies would be gone long before a rescue could arrive.

Chances are, though, he won’t have time to starve to death. The damaged machinery, unforgiving environment, or plain-old “human error” are much more likely to kill him first.

But Mark isn’t ready to give up yet. Drawing on his ingenuity, his engineering skills—and a relentless, dogged refusal to quit—he steadfastly confronts one seemingly insurmountable obstacle after the next. Will his resourcefulness be enough to overcome the impossible odds against him?

AMAZON

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And now for the movie!

My Review

Holy cow! If you think the book is fabulous, wait until you see the movie.

The cinematography is out of this world, the casting is awesome, and the scenes you loved in the book come to life in dramatic and fun ways. Careful if you are drinking anything during the movie. I almost spit tea all over the place at one of those comedic scenes.

I’m not a huge fan of Mark Damon, cast as Mark Watney. His most memorable movies for me were The Talented Mr. Ripley and The Bourne series. He won me over with his superb acting. He had to carry most of the movie by himself.

For all of you ladies, I don’t know about you, but is he not ruggedly handsome now. I wonder why men get better looking with time, and we women fight gravity, literally. LOL

I read the book first. Usually do. I’d recommend you do that so you get more indepth info about the characters and their thoughts. Makes for a richer experience.

Bravo to Andy Weir. Out of this world!

5 Stars

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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!

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Welcome to the Infinite Ink $100 Book Blast Giveaway!

The Breeders by Katie French

“When the Breeders come for ya, there ain’t no escape. They strap ya to a bed and all ya hear is the thud of your heart and the cries of your friends as they wheel ya down to hell. Then the doctors come. You squeeze your eyes shut and pray you can forget. But ya never do.”

Sixteen-year-old Riley Meemick is one of the world’s last free girls. When Riley was born, her mother escaped the Breeders, the group of doctors using cruel experiments to bolster the dwindling human race. Her parents do everything possible to keep her from their clutches– moving from one desolate farm after another to escape the Breeders’ long reach. The Breeders control everything- the local war lords, the remaining factories, the fuel. They have unchecked power in this lawless society. And they’re hunting Riley.

When the local Sheriff abducts the adult members of her family and hands her mother over to the Breeders, Riley and her eight-year-old brother, Ethan, hiding in a shelter, are left to starve. Then Clay arrives, the handsome gunslinger who seems determined to help to make up for past sins. The problem is Clay thinks Riley is a bender– a genderless mutation, neither male nor female. As Riley’s affection for Clay grows she wonders can she trust Clay with her secret and risk her freedom?

The three embark on a journey across the scarred remains of New Mexico– escaping the Riders who use human sacrifice to appease their Good Mother, various men scrambling for luck, and a deranged lone survivor of a plague. When Riley is forced into the Breeder’s hospital, she learns the horrible fate of her mother—a fate she’ll share unless she can find a way out.

amazon get it

KatieAuthor Katie French
Katie French imagined herself an author when her poem caught the eye of her second grade teacher. It was about birds and frankly, it wasn’t very good, but it sparked a love of literature. In middle school she spent her free time locked in her room, writing her first young adult novel. This thoroughly solidifying her status as a class-A nerd. She currently works as a high school English teacher, a job that she loves even when it exhausts her. In her free time she writes, reads great books, and takes care of her two beautiful and crazy children. Her young adult best selling series, The Breeders, is available now on Amazon. She also has a kids series starting with Portia Parrott and the Great Kitten Rescue for ages 5-9.

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Praise for The Breeders

Kindle Book Review, 2014 Kindle Book Awards Semifinalist

Over 45,000 downloads so far. More than 300 four and five star reviews. Top Ten in Free Kindle Teen & Young Adult Science Fiction Dystopian Romance.

“This is an Excellent book that should be published the writing is that compelling and suspenseful.” — The Book Runner, Amazon Vine Voice Reviewer

“Wow, just wow! I started reading the sample for The Breeders and before I was even halfway through it, I stopped and bought the book. I was completely enthralled after the first few pages.” — Amazon Reviewer

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Virulent by Shelbi Wescott

Lucy King is only an hour away from embarking on the most incredible vacation of her life: White sandy beaches in a tropical paradise, snorkeling and sunbathing in peaceful tranquility. But as Lucy looks forward to her trip, a sinister plot is unfolding that will demolish the world as she knows it.

An unknown bioterrorist group unleashes a virus that virtually wipes out the earth’s population—leaving Lucy, and a small faction of survivors, trapped inside her high school to wait out the apocalypse. War, looting, and death wreak havoc outside the school; inside, the students must contend with a tyrannical and paranoid principal and their own struggles of being orphaned, frightened, and unsure of what the future will bring.

What begins as a basic fight for survival turns into a search for answers that will challenge everything Lucy has ever known about her life and her family.

Virulent is the first book in the Virulent trilogy, an enthralling post-apocalyptic adventure that takes you from the end of the world to the formation of a new society.

amazon get it

ShelbiAuthor Shelbi Wescott

Shelbi Wescott is a high school Language Arts and Creative Writing teacher, a mother of two, a television junky, and a board game connoisseur. Her first book, “Virulent: The Release” was born from a challenge issued by her students to write a book that would interest them. When she isn’t writing or teaching, Shelbi can be found throwing unnecessarily elaborate birthday parties and officiating weddings. She is a fan of: Spanx, bourbon, Powell’s Books, and tabloid magazines. Shelbi lives in Portland, Oregon with her husband, her two sons, Elliott and Ike, and an affectionate hound dog named Darby.

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Praise for Virulent: The Release

“My favorite part was how realistic and authentic Wescott is about to make her characters. It is clear from the specific detail and the way she shapes her setting that Wescott knows her way around a high school. She also knows a thing or two about teenage minds.”
— Underground Book Reviews

“Great characters, amazing descriptions, suspense and the beginnings of a great conspiracy mark this beginning to a series that I look forward to following. I can’t wait for book two.”
— Cherie of Cherie Reads

 

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Scourge Ebook Sml

 

The Scourge by A.G. Henley

Seventeen-year-old Groundling, Fennel, is Sightless. She’s never been able to see her lush forest home, but she knows its secrets. She knows how the shadows shift when she passes under a canopy of trees. She knows how to hide in the cool, damp caves when the Scourge comes. She knows how devious and arrogant the Groundlings’ tree-dwelling neighbors, the Lofties, can be.

And she’s always known this day would come—the day she faces the Scourge alone.

amazon get it

LauraAuthor A.G. Henley

A.G. Henley is the author of the BRILLIANT DARKNESS series. The first book in the series, THE SCOURGE, was a finalist for the 2013 Next Generation Indie Book Award.

A.G. is also a clinical psychologist, which means people either tell her their life stories on airplanes, or avoid her at parties when they’ve had too much to drink. Neither of which she minds. When she’s not writing fiction or shrinking heads, she can be found herding her children and their scruffy dog, Guapo, to various activities while trying to remember whatever she’s inevitably forgotten to tell her husband. She lives in Denver, Colorado.

 

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Praise for The Scourge

“Looking for a trenchant, imaginative, beautifully written novel to read? Look no further: it’s The Scourge, by A.G. Henley.”
— Sarah Cloots, former editor at Greenwillow Books, imprint of HarperCollins Children’s Books

“The prose flows smoothly and easily but there are much deeper issues lying beneath the surface of the story that are captivating and will hold the interest of readers of any age . . . I was quickly transported into the world of The Scourge and plummeted breathlessly toward the resolution. This is a very good book and a good look at just what science fiction can achieve when in the hands of a capable writer.”
— Josef Hernandez, Examiner

“Lovable and relatable heroine? Check. Swoon-worthy, kick-butt hero? Check. Compelling romance that makes your heart melt and toes curl? Check. Captivating story and fascinating world? Check. Eagerly anticipating the next book? Check, check, check.”
— Refracted Light Reviews, blog review

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Contributor

Contributor by Nicole Ciacchella

When the Great Famine threatened the existence of mankind, the Creators saved humanity. Humanity has been their loyal subject ever since.

This history has been ingrained in seventeen-year-old Dara Morrow since her first day of Creator-sponsored school. Grateful for the life-giving necessities her Creator provides, Dara is thrilled to be one of three students chosen for an elite, year-long apprenticeship program. Now is her chance to prove herself a devoted Contributor.

But Dara’s competition is ruthless and will stop at nothing to win the competition. Worse yet, her exacting master has little patience for her.

Then Dara’s mother is seriously injured, and Dara realizes the price of being a Contributor: once you’ve outlived your usefulness, you’re discarded. Can Dara learn to manipulate the system to save not only herself, but everyone she loves?

amazon get it

NicoleAuthor Nicole Ciacchella

Nicole has progressed from scribbling in notebooks to banging on keyboards, but she’s never managed to stop daydreaming at inappropriate moments.
Born and raised in Michigan, Nicole lives there still with her husband and two wonderful children. When not answering the demands of her characters, Nicole can often be found curled up with a good book or spending far too many hours acting the hero in whatever video game is her obsession of the moment.
Nicole rarely meets a genre she doesn’t like, and as a result has written contemporary romcoms, fantasy fiction, fairy tale retellings, and dystopian/post-apocalyptic fiction. She’s the author of the Fairytale Collection books, the YA/NA crossover Contributor trilogy, and the Astoran Asunder series.

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Praise for Contributor

From the world of dystopia comes something different – The Contributor. A society set wherein all must either contribute or be nothing at all. Very intense story line with a daunting theme. This is a great read and I can not wait to see what happens in book 2.
— LadyLox

Mindblowingly good. This book is brilliantly constructed.
— Kelly Walker

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the torturer's daughter Aa2

The Torturer’s Daughter by Zoe Cannon

When her best friend Heather calls in the middle of the night, Becca Dalcourt assumes it’s the usual drama. Wrong. Heather’s parents have been arrested as dissidents – and Becca’s mother, the dystopian regime’s most infamous torturer, has already executed them for their crimes against the state.

To stop Heather from getting herself killed trying to prove her parents’ innocence, Becca hunts for proof of their guilt. She doesn’t expect to find evidence that leaves her questioning everything she thought she knew about the dissidents… and about her mother.

When she risks her life to save a dissident, she learns her mother isn’t the only one with secrets – and the plot she uncovers will threaten the lives of the people she loves most. For Becca, it’s no longer just a choice between risking execution and ignoring the regime’s crimes; she has to decide whose life to save and whose to sacrifice.

It’s easy to be a hero when you can save the world, but what about when all you can do is choose how you live in it? The Torturer’s Daughter is a story about ordinary life amidst the realities of living under an oppressive regime… and the extraordinary courage it takes to do what’s right in a world gone wrong.

 

amazon get it

ZoeAuthor Zoe Cannon

Zoe Cannon writes about the things that fascinate her: outsiders, societies no sane person would want to live in, questions with no easy answers, and the inner workings of the mind. If she couldn’t be a writer, she would probably be a psychologist, a penniless philosopher, or a hermit in a cave somewhere. While she’ll read anything that isn’t nailed down, she considers herself a YA reader and writer at heart. She lives in New Hampshire with her husband and a giant teddy bear of a dog, and spends entirely too much time on the internet.

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Praise for The Torturer’s Daughter

“…a great read that plays with your nerves and sets great challenges before its characters…”
— Willing to See Less

“The society created by the author is incredibly oppressive and realistic in all its horror.”
— Le Chat de Bibliotheque

“My day stopped in its tracks once I picked up this novel, racing frantically towards the conclusion and the answers I needed to have.”
— Bookluvrs Haven

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Heartbeat Thief

The Heartbeat Thief by Ash Krafton

Haunted by a crushing fear of death, a young Victorian woman discovers the secret of eternal youth—she must surrender her life to attain it, and steal heartbeats to keep it.
Poe meets Austen in this haunting tale of death and endless devotion…
Being the most beautiful debutante in 1860’s Surrey isn’t all that it’s cracked up to be. Senza Fyne knows all too well the expectations set upon a young Victorian woman—and she also knows that, in one fell swoop, death can just whisk it all away. When she meets the mysterious and mystical Mr. Knell, she is offered the chance to escape the chains of Life and Death and to enjoy the bliss of youth and beauty for all eternity.
But that takes magic…and a steep price. She’d have to surrender her life to gain an eternity and she’d have to steal the heartbeats of others in order to keep it.
She has everything to gain if she succumbs to his spell…but knows not what she might lose.
It’s a little bit Jane Austen, a little bit Edgar Allan Poe, and a whole lot of stealing heartbeats in order to stay young and beautiful forever. From the posh London season to the back alleys of Whitechapel, across the Channel, across the Pond, across the seas of Time…How far will Senza Fyne go to avoid Death?

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A.J.Author A.J. Crafton
The Heartbeat Thief is the first release for AJ Krafton, a New Adult speculative fiction author from the Pennsylvania coal region.
If she’s not writing, it’s probably because she’s distracted by all the cool junk on her desk or by the stacks of books that have grown up around it.
She also writes novels, short fiction, and poetry for adult audiences as Ash Krafton.

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Praise for The Heartbeat Thief
“It’s a supernatural story, but it doesn’t rely on the conventions and themes that have gone before it. To be honest, when I picked it up I was expecting witches and/or vampires, but I found something else entirely. I loved the story and the concept.”
“True to its word, “The Heartbeat Thief” is part Jane Austen, part Edgar Allen Poe. The author revives the best of the style of writing found in the classics: the introspect of characters, lovely allusions comparing characters to nature and life, beautiful alliteration and prose. Mixed with this is a deep foreboding of death, a macabre sensation that follows Senza throughout the story.”
“Beautiful imagery and language shape this intriguing story that spoke to me about the meaning of maturity and purpose in life. Lovely!”

 

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Book Blast Giveaway – $100 Amazon Gift Card or $100 in Paypal Cash

Ends 1/31/16

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 and sponsored by the participating authors. VOID WHERE PROHIBITED BY LAW.

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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

Treasure

  Seed Savers #1

by S. Smith

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Genre: Children’s/MG dystopian sci-fi adventure

My 56 is actually from pages 5 and 6 as page 56 only had one sentence.

  From page 5

Holding out her closed fist, she whispered, “What I have here will change the world.”

Dante’s eyes widened. “It’s so small.”

From page 6 

“You can’t make food. Everyone knows that food comes from Stores and from Delivery Trucks if you have government ration tickets – but people can’t make food.”

Dante laughed. “But wouldn’t it be great if people could make food?”

Read on if you want to know more.

Synopsis

Two kids, two bikes, and an idea they can change their world.

It’s 2077. There’s no apocalypse, but some things are different. Things like the weather, the internet, and food. In twelve-year-old Clare’s world, blueberry is just a flavor and apples are found only in fairy tales.

Then one day Clare meets an old woman who teaches her about seeds and real food. The woman (Ana) tempts Clare with the notion that food exists other than the square, processed, packaged food she has always known. Under Ana’s tutelage, Clare and her friends learn about seeds and gardening despite suspicions that such actions are illegal.

When the authorities discover the children’s forbidden tomato plant and arrest their mother, Clare and her brother flee. Clare has heard of a place called “The Garden State,” and with their bikes, a little money, and backpacks, the children begin a lonely cross-country journey that tests them both physically and spiritually. Will they succeed in their quest to find a place of food freedom?  And can they, only children, help change the world?

Treasure is a gentle dystopian, frightening only is the possibility that we may not be far from the future it paints.

Amazon

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Leave your link and I’ll drop by your 56.

Until the next time….

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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I’m very excited to share A Beginner’s Guide To Invading Earth with ya’ll.

  I have a an interview with the author, along with my review.

And don’t forget to enter the giveaway!

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Interview with Author Gerhard Gehrke

Thanks so much for taking time out from your busy tour to answer some questions. Let’s get started, shall we?

 

  1. How long did it take you to write A Beginner’s Guide To Invading Earth?

Two years before editing was complete. It still feels like I didn’t spend enough time on it but if I ever wanted to move on, I had to stop tinkering and let it go so people might actually read it.

  1. What is your target audience?

The book should be accessible to non-science fiction fans and be right up the alley of those comfortable with the genre. It is not overly grotesque or graphic and is appropriate for younger readers. There’s some disrespectful language and mild violence. Three aliens get accidentally impaled with a kite, so be warned.

  1. Could you share with us a favorite part you enjoyed writing?

My editor insisted on a new first chapter where the main character would be introduced and we just spend a few moments with him before the aliens show up. Here I got to reintroduce Jeff Abel to the story and was able to describe him in his mundane element working as kitchen help at a restaurant, while touching on the fact that he used to be a computer programmer who developed a distrust of technology, paranoia, and chronic bad luck.

  1. Where is your favorite place to write?

I have a messy desk with a desktop. Here I have room to adjust my keyboard, my multiple notebooks and Post-Its, and sit at ergonomically horrible angles while pecking away at the keys. Usually one of my wife’s cockatiels is sitting on a knee or foot.

  1. Are you currently working on anything new?

I have a follow-up to A Beginner’s Guide to Invading Earth that is now going through editing. Also I have a post-decline of civilization novel I’m writing where a young girl escapes from a secret sanctuary only to discover that the world outside is a much more complicated place than she had ever imagined.

Five fun shorts.

You are an alien on earth:

  1. Can I take your spaceship for a spin? If you’re telling me you can actually see our ship, then Zn’Fordell is going to get an earful about his ‘foolproof’ cloaking device.
  1. What is your reaction the first time you see a human? “Look, Gurgl’inada, these look just like the natives of Epsilon Eridani 4. Maybe we should be more careful this time.”
  1. Do you have a favorite TV show or movie? We do. Mostly our own shows. But to get good reception on this planet we will have to obliterate your moon as Zn’Fordell forgot to plug in the TiVo.
  1. Are you going to eat my cat? Well he did start it by eating my navigator. Unless by chance you’ve trained your cat in advanced astrogation?

What came first? The chicken or the egg? The egg enjoys deflecting attention to the chicken in order to obfuscate its true diabolical parentage which currently grows under your own city streets. Go ahead, eat the eggs. What doesn’t kill you makes you ours.

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A Beginner’s Guide To Invading Earth

by Gerhard Gehrke

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Genre: Science Fiction

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My Review

I expected some humor in this story. The title sure suggests it. As does the fun cover art.

There’s a whole lot of laughs here. The author’s choice of casting his main protagonist as your average Joe makes it mysterious and fun.

And the aliens. What can I say. You’d expect them to be intelligent, right? They come from galaxies far, far away. They must be smart to be able to conquer space travel.

Well, that’s not the case here. They seem completely unaware of how scary they look to us humans.

The first few attempts at contact fail dismally. One alien gets run over by a truck, several get shot, and many more meet sticky ends. And when you see the story from their point of view, you’ll shake your head at just how inept and clueless they really are. I wish I could share some of their attempts with you, but don’t want to include spoilers. I may have a warped sense of humor, but I had to laugh, a lot, at how some of the aliens met their ends.

Jeff has no idea he’s been chosen as the person of first contact with the aliens. Why would he. He’s nobody special. When contact is made, he’s soon embroiled in alien politics and conspiracy. He has some help from an outcast alien and a woman with her own agenda. It’s crucial that he discover the reason behind all of the alien deaths before Earth and humanity becomes a target.

I laughed at the beginning, and the laughs just kept coming. The aliens were kind of gross, in a funny way. They smelled. I mean really smelled. And they acted more like children than intelligent beings.

An action/adventure science fiction story for all ages. With loads of laughs and fun characters, and plenty of adventure, this is one I’d recommend to all readers. It has something for everyone. Sure kept me entertained for a few hours.

4 Stars

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Synopsis

What would you do if you found a dead alien on a lonely highway?

Was it an accident, sabotage, or murder? And why is everyone blaming Jeff?

The extraterrestrials aren’t waiting for answers. They want revenge. And Jeff isn’t ready for company.

His only hope is an outcast mechanic from another world and a woman who might do anything to get off planet, including selling out her own kind. Jeff has to get to the bottom of why there are so many alien bodies piling up and who is really responsible.

A science fiction adventure novel, A Beginner’s Guide to Invading Earth tells the story of a reclusive ex-computer programmer who is the unwitting central figure of a plot to keep humanity from ever making first contact.

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Enjoy this glimpse inside!

First contact with the humans wasn’t going as planned, as was obvious by the rank smells that choked the air of the alien visitorsʹ craft. But no one called them aliens where they came from.

Seven little Greys, short bipeds with large heads and big eyes and delicate limbs, sat in the flight seats of their ship’s crew compartments and listened as the Mission Commander lectured them from the Command Module. The harangue lingered in the air, not as words or even sounds but as a smell, a ripe one replete with pheromones and scent packets that the Greys used to speak with one another. A new string of curses from the Commander’s glands smelled of licorice. The Mission Commander composed itself. It wiped sticky sweat from its hairless frontal lobe.

The lights and displays in front of the seven crew members blinked and flashed. No one would so much as touch a button until the Commander was finished addressing the crew.

“I’ll hear no more of it,” the Commander said. “We’re on the human world. We go forward. Probability calculations for success show at 100%. The computer will be trusted.”

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AUTHOR Bio and Links:

ABeginnersGuideToInvadingEarth author pic

Gerhard Gehrke studied film at San Francisco State University. He wrote and produced several shows for community television. His Science Fiction, Fantasy, and Horror short stories have appeared in several publications, including an Editor’s Choice-winning short story at AnotheRealm.com. A Beginner’s Guide to Invading Earth is his first novel.

You can connect with him at these links

Website / Twitter / Facebook / Blog

Purchase links: Amazon / B&N

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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!

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Teaser Tuesdays is a weekly bookish meme, hosted by MizB of A Daily Rhythm.

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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!

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My Teaser for this week is from

 I Am Number Four

by Pittacus Lore

7747374

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Teaser from page 11 of the hard cover edition.

My current name is Daniel Jones. My story is I grew up in California and moved here because of my dad’s job as a computer programmer. Daniel Jones is about to disappear.

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Read on if you want to know more.

Synopsis

Nine of us came here. We look like you. We talk like you. We live among you. But we are not you. We can do things you dream of doing. We have powers you dream of having. We are stronger and faster than anything you have ever seen. We are the superheroes you worship in movies and comic books–but we are real.

Our plan was to grow, and train, and become strong, and become one, and fight them. But they found us and started hunting us first. Now all of us are running. Spending our lives in shadows, in places where no one would look, blending in. We have lived among you without you knowing.

But they know.

They caught Number One in Malaysia.
Number Two in England.
And Number Three in Kenya.
They killed them all.

I am Number Four.

I am next.

AMAZON

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How about you? Got a tease? Tell me!

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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!

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