Posts Tagged ‘sci-fi’

The Word of the Muse tour banner

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Welcome to my post during the blog tour for The Word of the Muse by Bridgette Dutta Portman.

The Word of the Muse, the thrilling conclusion to the Coseema Saga trilogy, is perfect for fans of space opera, portal fantasy, art-based magic, coming-of-age adventures, and novels about mental health, confidence, and finding the hero in ourselves.

This blog tour is organized by Lola’s Blog Tours and the tour runs from 8 till 21 May. You can see the tour schedule here.

The Word of the Muse book cover

The Word of the Muse (The Coseema Saga #3)
By Bridgette Dutta Portman
Genre: Science Fiction/ Fantasy
Age category: Young Adult
Release Date: 25 April 2023

Blurb:
A daring rescue. A villain in pursuit. A battle for the suns themselves.

With Coseema off planet, Olive has bought herself some time—but the clock is ticking. After a risky rescue mission, she and her friends make their way to the center of the rebellion against Emperor Burnash, who is desperate to capture Olive and claim her power for his own. Without her journal, Olive must rely on her newfound courage to elude Burnash and help her friends. But that courage is put to the test as she and Coseema clash in a final showdown—one that will decide the fate of a star system.

The Word of the Muse, the thrilling conclusion to the Coseema Saga trilogy, is perfect for fans of space opera, portal fantasy, art-based magic, coming-of-age adventures, and novels about mental health, confidence, and finding the hero in ourselves.

Links:
Goodreads
Bookbub
Amazon

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MY REVIEW

The pace of the story really picked up between the first and second book in the series. In The Word Of The Muse it’s fast and furious. Will Olive retrieve the pen she so desperately needs to save the universe she’s created? Will those she cares about survive? Will she remain in the universe she created or will she return home? Or will it all implode?

I can’t tell you the answers as that will spoil things. I can tell you this was my favorite of the three books. Not just because I got my ending and my answers.  But also, because these characters became genuine and I very much enjoyed watching them grow and step up in some dangerous and suspenseful situations.

Now that the series is finished I’m curious what the author pens next. Could it be a new series with some of the old characters and worlds? Or something else just as intriguing as this sci-fi/fantasy portal adventure. I’ll be watching to find out.

5 STARS

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Earlier books in the series:

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The Twin Stars book coverThe Silver Sail book cover

The Twin Stars (The Coseema Saga #1)
The Silver Sail (The Coseema Saga #2)

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MY REVIEW FOR THE TWIN STARS

Just imagine boarding an airplane, passing through a portal and entering a universe you’d created with your own imagination. That’s what happened to Olive. She’d given up ever finishing the story after the passing of her grandmother. Looks like the story is writing itself now.

Wow, what a universe it was. The world building was incredible and it was easy to visual much of it. Thanks to all of the shows and movies I’ve watched in the sci-fi/fantasy genre, my own imagination showed me a lot.

The plot was very intriguing. Especially as I’d not read much about portals. I do remember when I was a young girl, creating a magical world in my mind that I could enter through an old tree stump in my backyard. Since this began on an airplane, I wonder if I’ll think of this series the next time I get on one.

There was a diverse cast of characters in this story too. They were fleshed out and well represented. Some I liked more than others. And some I didn’t care for at all. But yeah, I don’t think I was supposed to like those.

While the story wasn’t fast paced, I didn’t mind. The author was creating a universe, showing it to me. And introducing lots of different personalities of all ages and sexes. I imagine the next two books may read more swiftly as this has all been done in The Twin Stars and things will be more familiar. Looking forward to more soon.

4 STARS

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MY REVIEW FOR THE SILVER SAIL

I was left with many questions and loads of curiosity about where the series was headed after finishing The Twin Stars. The Silver Sail picks up pretty much where the first book left off. I quickly and easily fell through the portal again and was shown so much more about the universe and the consequences Olive and other’s face after a damaging loss.

The first book wasn’t fast paced. That’s to be expected when building a new world. This one zipped along at a much faster clip, with so many more challenges and dangers and some planet hopping too. Many of these characters are growing on me and I’m developing a strong dislike for a certain villain. Which makes me invested in the lives of these character’s as they grow and face so many new things. I’m really excited to read The Word Of The Muse and see how it all ends. What a great title for the conclusion to an exciting series.

4 Stars

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Bridgette Dutta Portman author picture

About the Author:
Bridgette Dutta Portman is an author, playwright, and teaching artist. Dozens of her plays have been produced across the United States and overseas. She holds an MFA in creative writing from Spalding University, as well as a PhD in political science from the University of California, Irvine. She is past president of the Playwrights’ Center of San Francisco and is currently a member of Same Boat Theater Collective, the Pear Playwrights’ Guild, and the Dramatists’ Guild. She recently joined the board of the Pear Theatre in Mountain View, CA. The Twin Stars is her debut novel, and the first of a planned trilogy. She lives in the San Francisco Bay Area with her husband Deepanshu and their two young children.

Author links:
Website
Newsletter
Facebook
Twitter
Instagram
Goodreads
Amazon

 

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There is a tour wide giveaway for the blog tour of Word of the Muse. One winner wins a $25 Amazon or Barnes and Noble gift card (winner’s choice).

For a chance to win, enter the rafflecopter below:

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For a list of my reviews go HERE.

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To see all of my giveaways go HERE.

Welcome to my stop on the virtual book tour for Mid-Flight organized by Goddess Fish Promotions.

Author Lisa Wilkes will be awarding a $15 Amazon or B&N Gift Card to a randomly drawn winner via rafflecopter during the tour. Don’t forget to enter!

And you can click on the tour banner to see the other stops on the tour.

Mid-Flight

by Lisa Wilkes

Genre: Sci-Fi / Romance

Synopsis

2037 was a really bad year.

 

Lexi Brennan’s best friend was killed in a plane crash. Two weeks later, an intergalactic crisis threatened the fate of humanity. Authorities responded by launching a genocide.

 

Lexi opposed this vicious attack. Then again, what could she do? An eccentric flight attendant drawn to glamorous trysts, she felt powerless to incite change.

 

Until tragedy struck close to home. Suddenly, Lexi was forced to acknowledge the widespread atrocities. She uncovered a network of lies along with an opportunity to restore basic human rights. To protect others, Lexi would have to launch a movement that could destroy everything important to her, including her promising new romance.

Purchase Links – Author’s Website / Amazon

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Enjoy this peek Inside:

Jason had almost reached the door to the tarmac when his armband lit up with an alert. Employee 89348—Sensitive information. Do not disclose.

 

Jason pressed his thumb to the side of the device, confirming he understood the clandestine nature of the message.

 

Meteor struck SK8474, Flight 2434, over Annapolis, MD. Right engine exploded on impact. No survivors.

 

Jason stopped in his tracks. The screen displayed five crew members’ names. None of them sounded familiar, but that didn’t matter. This was his airline. These were his people.

 

Someone placed a hand on Jason’s shoulder. He turned around to face Shelly, who was in worse shape than he’d ever seen her. The tears were no longer a discreet glint in the corner of her eye. Now they tumbled down her face steadily.

 

“I’m sorry,” she mouthed, her words barely audible over the deafening roar of Jason’s own heartbeat. “She’s one of a kind. A real legend.”

 

Jason blinked, unsure which crew member Shelly was referring to. His arm buzzed once more, and he stared at the screen in disbelief. Another SkyLine plane had been obliterated. Flight 4339. This time over Olympia, Washington. Six employees had been killed.

 

Colleen Johnson’s name illuminated his screen, but Jason knew it was a mistake.

 

He couldn’t fathom a world vicious enough to slaughter the best damn captain at SkyLine Airways. Not under these circumstances. Not on the eve of her fiftieth birthday, with so much to look forward to.

 

Colleen was a hero, a leader, and a trailblazer. Jason refused to accept that she was gone.

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About Author Lisa Wilkes:

Lisa Wilkes has spent 13 years as a flight attendant, jetting across the globe and collecting inspiration for her writings. Her debut novel, Flight Path, is a fast-paced romance laced with serendipitous encounters. This book follows a daydreaming stewardess as she learns to navigate a new terrain: unconditional love.

 

In her second novel, Mid-Flight, Lisa transports readers to the year 2038. A flight attendant begins to unravel after her best friend is killed in a plane crash. In the throes of unspeakable grief, she uncovers a political ploy to decimate one-fifth of the population. To combat this sinister plan, she must risk everything. Including her breathtaking new romance.

 

Lisa’s writing is provocative and timely, with a focus on societal issues and powerful internal conflict. Flight Path’s readers will appreciate Mid-Flight’s emphasis on hope and redemption, while newcomers to Lisa’s work will be drawn to the power of her storytelling.

 

Links: Website / Goodreads / Amazon / Facebook / Instagram / Etsy

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For a list of my reviews go HERE.

For a list of free eBooks updated daily go HERE

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Welcome to my stop on the virtual book tour for Last Chance organized by Goddess Fish Promotions.

Author Darren E. Watling will be awarding a $15 Amazon or B&N Gift Card to a randomly drawn winner via rafflecopter during the tour. Don’t forget to enter!

And you can click on the tour banner to see the other stops on the tour.

Last Chance

by Darren E. Watling

Genre: Comedy / Sci-fi

Synopsis

The earth’s epilogue was a forgone conclusion.

Our World selects seven of the best human beings that man, woman, and other could put their faith in, to ensure human existence, each displaying traits of a master in his/hers/its field.

However, not all traits are in the best interest of humankind.

Out of this World places seven hospital patients on a Plan B shuttle. Life was difficult on Earth. A new planet presents new problems. The ex-Fruit and Nut Friendly Psychiatric Hospital patients are up for the challenge.

Into the Other World—The Twist. Not only a mid-1900s dance, it is also associated with a lemon, a warped shape, a frame of mind, a warped frame of mind, a face you pull from sucking lemons and an end of story, unexpected finish, not to be given away, glancing at the back cover.

Enjoy this peek inside:

“The court versus Jarred Pork,” the bailiff announced.

“Another serious offence. Jaywalking again. Unbelievable. What have you got to say for yourself, hmm? Well? Speak up, speak up,” the judge said, his thick and fearsome eyebrows alternating up and down.

“If the court pleases, Your Honour . . .” Sid, the defence lawyer, started.

“I’m not too pleased so far but ‘carry on, Sid’.”

“I’m the accused’s attorney. I will speak for Jarred as the accused is mute.”

The judge gave a heavy sigh and adjusted his black gown. “Very well, continue.”

“Jarred went out looking for his husband, as he hadn’t returned with an asthma puffer for their great-grandson., Wheelchair-bound, Jarred left the child with a trusting neighbour. As Jarred left their tiny unit, the red-bearded, dreadlocked kiddies friend, Molly Lester sang a kiddie song, and everyone assumed the child was safe, sport. (It is said Molly was heard on the phone: Hey, Dad! Bring Bill over. I’ve got another one. Presumably, another child to nurture, teach and explain what fine examples of human beings they are).

“I’ve heard enough from that man’s/woman’s/its mouth. Guilty! Throw away the key, like a rapper!” “Next, and this better be good, Johnny,” Clint said, as Sid swapped out and Johnny became the new defence lawyer.

“You sure are a weird lawyer Johnny, but I like you.”

“The court versus Harlett Sexton Action. The Honourable Judge Clint Eros presiding,” the bailiff stated.

“Oh, you poor thing. What have they got you in here for?” the judge showing compassion to the DD’s.

Harlette continued chewing gum as she spoke, “Well, Clinty, I’m pretty sure it’s a case of mistaken identity. I was on my way to make another porn movie, and the next thing I remember was a police officer saying I hit something or something.”

“You have a very strong defence Miss Action,” the unbiased judge claimed. “Let the prosecution begin.”

From chapter ‘Clint’ part three – Into the Other World

About Author Darren E. Watling:

Born Darren Edward Watling, Subiaco, Western Australia, 1966. Darren excelled in English, maintaining ‘A’s, throughout his schooling and wrote a play, ‘Laughing Gas’, for his school at the age of 10. Credited with one small, published article, Darren found inspiration and reward, arriving at his latest piece, ‘Last Chance’.

He completed an apprenticeship, as a fitter, at Princess Margaret Hospital, while continuing his passion for short story writing.

Traveling Australia for three years on a private bus gave Darren a beginning to the experiences and continued, humorous outlook he has on life.

Darren approached his mother Jill Stubbs Mills and asked for her blessing to take her short story, ‘Deception’, and rewrite it into a novel. (The feedback from her publisher about her story was exceptional). Jill agreed to her son’s request. Sadly, Jill now suffers with dementia, but, keeps her sense of humour.

Various forms of employment, including a movie extra, a welder on a crocodile farm, a drummer for a touring band and currently a roof plumber, gave Darren considerable ‘fuel’, for a fired up, comedic novel.

Darren has had several passions over the past 56 years while walking this Earth. Drums, Karate, tennis and continuing today- comedic writing.

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Lo by Bradford Tatum

Posted: August 15, 2022 in Science Fiction, thriller
Tags: , ,

LO copy

Welcome to the tour for genre-blurring novel, LO by Bradford Tatum. Read on for more details!

LO Front Cover

LO

Publication Date: June 7, 2022

Genre: Sci-Fi/ Noir Thriller

Publisher: Soft Moon Press

Willoughby, known back on Earth as “the East Hamptons of the Kuiper Belt,” is the first sustainable colony on Mars.

Built by the mysterious geneticist Carlo Yakamura this settlement encourages the rich to live as they please. They can enjoy decadent homes, physically modifiable partners, meals based on their best memories and even boutique children known on Willoughby as Builds.

Designed to impress even at the dullest cocktail parties, the Builds’ proprietary motive genes have been sourced from the DNA of some of the greatest artistic disruptors of the last several centuries. But even among a host of uniquely gifted Builds, Lo is unique. And uniquely unbalanced. So what would be the grisliest of murders back on Earth, is just an inconvenience on Willoughby. That is why Lo is sent to be “seasoned” by a man we come to know only as Cook.

Can Cook’s fatherly hand guide Lo to a deeper understanding of his potential and purpose or is Lo’s innate power destined to destroy all of Willoughby? Is Lo the key to Cook’s creative redemption or is he the cause of Cook’s worst nightmares? And once Cook learns the true purpose of Yakamura’s Willoughby will Lo or Cook find the colony worth saving at all?

LO is a sci-fi noir thriller, painted in more deeper shades of blue than black. It is also a story of fathers and sons, lost to one another through terrible compromises and found again through the limits of love. It is a parable of our possible future, a future that is doomed if we rely only on the digital representation of our present while forgetting the lessons and lore of our analogue past.

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Purchase LO Here!

About the Author

Bradford Tatum Author Photo

Bradford Tatum’s award winning debut novel I Can Only Give You Everything was published in 2010. His second novel, Only the Dead Know Burbank was published by HarperCollins in 2016 and received a starred review from Publisher’s Weekly. His book Gray Matters has been used as a text book in various college business communication courses.

Bradford began his career as an actor appearing in numerous television shows and movies such as 20th Century Fox’s submarine comedy DOWN PERISCOPE, Disney’s POWDER and HBO’s WESTWORLD.

He was a staff writer for Dick Wolf on the NBC series DEADLINE and has written and directed two award winning independent features. He has won an Alfred P. Sloan grant for his written work as well as sold pitches to various production companies.

Bradford Tatum | Facebook | Instagram

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Shifter

The Healer Chronicles 
Book Two
Michael J. Bowler
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Shifter (The Healer Chronicles Book 2) by [Michael J Bowler]
 
Genre: Teen and Young Adult Horror/Science Fiction
Publisher: Michael J. Bowler, Author
Date of Publication: 4/12/2022
ISBN: 978-1-7333290-5-7
ASIN: B09R2K41L7
Word Count: 105K
Cover Artist: Streetlight Graphics
 
Tagline: Alex fears his power. Andy craves it.
 
Book Description:
 
Fifteen-year-old Alex and his learning-disabled friends barely survived the events of Spinner, but their nightmare has only just begun. 
 
Alex’s wheelchair has never stopped him from doing what he wants, but his supernatural power to heal every human ailment known to science has put him in the crosshairs of a dangerous doomsday cult that will stop at nothing to capture him and his long-lost twin, Andy, who can shift illness from one person to another. When the boys combine their “gifts,” they unleash the power to control life and death.
 
Now Alex, Andy, and the others have been kidnapped by the U.S. military. On a creepy Air Force base in the remote Nevada desert, they must decide who to trust and who to fear while uncovering secrets this base wants to hide from the world. Who is the young boy with unusual abilities who’s treated like a soldier? What is hidden in an ultra-secret hangar that no one can access? And what unnatural experiments are conducted in that closed-off laboratory? 
 
As Alex unravels these mysteries, he strives to bond with his twin, but Andy is distant and detached, trusting no one. He’s also more attracted to the dangerous power they wield than Alex would like. When misplaced faith in science ignites a hidden lust for supremacy, rescue can only come from the most unlikely source, and Alex must confront a terrible truth. 
 
The Healer Chronicles continue…
 
 
Book Trailer:  https://youtu.be/SiHwa4Ml3Ns  

 

 
Amazon      Books2Read
 
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Enjoy this peek inside:

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He studied his silent brother, staring upward as though hypnotized.

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“You okay, Andy?”

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Without dropping his gaze in the slightest, Andy said, “You dreamed about Teacher too,
didn’t you?”

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Alex flinched, his breath momentarily on hold. “Yeah.”

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Now it was Martin who looked confused. He shifted position on the chair and that’s
when Alex noticed the gun strapped to his belt. Martin studied them both in the
dark, his face hidden in shadow. “What are you guys talking about?”

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When Andy remained silent, Alex pulled his gaze from his brother’s back and faced
Martin. “A teacher we both had. She’s part of the group that’s trying to get
me. She says she’s gonna find me no matter where I go.”

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Martin’s expression turned from grim to resolute. “I’ll protect you.” He patted the gun
in its holster.

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Alex eyed his brother once more. “She…she said you belong to her, Andy.”

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Alex thought he saw his brother recoil, but the moon wasn’t completely full, so he
couldn’t be sure.

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“I won’t be in a cage ever again,” Andy said quietly, his voice almost a whisper,
as though talking to himself. “I told that to Teacher and I meant it.”

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Martin leaped to his feet, startling the boys.

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Alex whirled to face him. “What?”

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Martin threw a finger to his lips and reached down, pulling out the gun and pointing
it over Alex’s head.

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Now Alex heard it. Movement. The sound of people trying hard to be quiet, but a
slight crunch of gravel gave them away.

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Martin waved the boys behind him and darted in front, gun aimed toward the house.

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A red light rounded the corner and before Alex could even think of the red light
that had killed Juan back at the church, Martin fired his weapon. One pop,
muffled, like he had a heavy sock over the barrel. The red light spun crazily and
then toppled to the grass.

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Alex glanced at Andy with wide eyes. They’d been found!

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After that, everything happened so fast Alex could barely process it. Another figure
rounded the corner with a gun and fired. A tiny burst of light accompanied the
pop of a gunshot, and then Martin grunted, collapsing to the lawn.

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“Martin!” Andy dashed around Alex’s chair and knelt by the unmoving form of their
protector.

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More figures rounded the corner of the house and bore down on them. Alex backed up,
but suddenly Andy grasped his hand. Alex felt the rush of power surging through
him—just as it had at the church when they’d brought Roy back to life—heavy
floodwaters that meant their combined powers had been activated. He looked down
at Andy, still kneeling beside Martin’s body.

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Andy whispered, “Death, to me!”

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Alex stiffened, his vision growing dim, his mind filled with a gray nothingness that
terrified him.

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As though from miles away, he heard Andy hiss, “Death to them!”

 

 

 

About Author Michael J. Bowler:

Michael J. Bowler is an award-winning author of the five-book urban fantasy series The Lance Chronicles, the mystery-thriller The Film Milieu Series, the supernatural-sci-fi The Healer Chronicles, and several standalone books. He also writes screenplays. His horror screenplay, “Healer,” was a Semi-Finalist, and his urban fantasy script, “Like A Hero,” was a Finalist in the Shriekfest Film Festival and Screenplay Competition, and his sci-fi screenplay, “The God Machine,” was the 2017 Scriptapalozza First Place Winner.
He worked as producer, writer, and/or director on several ultra-low-budget horror films, including “Fatal Images,” “Hell Spa,” “Club Dead,” and “Things II.”
He taught high school in Hawthorne, California, both in general education and to students with learning disabilities, in subjects ranging from English and Strength Training to Algebra, Biology, and Yearbook.
He has also been a volunteer Big Brother to eight different boys with the Catholic Big Brothers Big Sisters program and a long-time volunteer within the juvenile justice system in Los Angeles.
He has been honored as Probation Volunteer of the Year, YMCA Volunteer of the Year, California Big Brother of the Year, and 2000 National Big Brother of the Year. The “National” honor allowed him and three of his Little Brothers to visit the White House and meet the president in the Oval Office. He also adopted a child in 2020.
His goal as an author is for teens to experience empowerment and hope; to see themselves in his diverse characters; to read about kids who face real-life challenges; and to see how kids like them can remain decent people in an indecent world. The most prevalent theme in his writing and his work with youth is this: as both a society, and as individuals, we’re better off when we do what’s right, rather than what’s easy.
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I am an Amazon Affiliate. Product images are linked.

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Welcome to my stop on the virtual book tour organized by Goddess Fish Promotions.

Rose Mackie will be awarding a $30 Amazon or B/N GC to a randomly drawn winner via rafflecopter during the tour. Don’t forget to enter!

And you can click on the tour banner to see the other stops on the tour.

Heart Fire

by Rose Mackie

Synopsis

*The planet Falosia has an excess of females. The planet Verit has a surplus of males. The best of each have been put forward to start a new colony and find mates, in a last desperate attempt to save both worlds. A scorchingly hot sci fi, alien romance. *

Denara barely survived her disastrous first attempt at marriage; for years she threw herself into her research, giving herself time to heal. When the opportunity arises to take up a position on the colony, she decides to take a risk for the chance to live, and love, again. Lucius has spent his life under the heel of the ruthless Matriarchs of Verit. Tasked with leading the males of the new colony, he reluctantly accepts the assignment. The last thing he wants is to tie himself to a scheming female through mating, but nothing could have prepared him for meeting Denara. Sparks fly, but can they overcome their pasts to find love? With the political machinations of two planets vying for control over the colony, perhaps together, they can bridge the gap between their worlds.

What to expect: Glorious world building, spicy alien romance, friends to lovers, enthusiastic consent. Recommended 18+ due to sexual content.

Enjoy this peek inside:

“Would you like to see a trick?” He blinked in surprise. “What?”

“A trick? Something that Falosians don’t often show outsiders?” Not waiting for his reply, she stood up and walked to a nearby bush that bore large buds. “I have been analysing some of the flora that the bio teams have been bringing in, and if I’m not mistaken, this is a fruiting plant.”

She reached her hands out to cup one of the buds, and bent to place her lips next to it, whispering, bathing the bud in her breath. Lucius moved next to her, staring in rapt interest. He reminded her again of a huge jungle cat, eyes bright with curiosity. A few moments passed, and she opened her hands to show a peach-coloured fruit, covered in fuzzy blue hairs. She plucked the fruit, pulled her laser knife out, and sliced a section away to reveal the dark blue pearls within.

Lucius leaned in to sniff, his eyes flicking to hers at the sweet smell.

“Go on, it’s perfectly edible. They will start appearing on our normal food rotation soon, now that we’ve confirmed they are suitable for our digestion.”

He took the offered fruit and scooped out some of the pearls, dropping them into his mouth and popping them with his teeth. As he did, his mouth was flooded with a sweet, slightly spicy juice. “I suspect they will be very popular. This would make an excellent fermented spirit.”

Denara laughed. “I will start mixing hangover cures.”

“How did you do that?”

Denara smiled archly. “I said I’d show you a trick, not that I’d show you how I did it. You can’t expect me to show you all my secrets at once.”

About Author Rose Mackie:

Rose Mackie (she/her) is an Australian author who writes and loves sci-fi romance, paranormal romance and fantasy romance. Born in Scotland and living in Perth, Western Australia for the past 15 years, Rose loves nothing more than to hang out with her family and rescue cat, and create magical worlds of imagination.

All Rose Mackie books have an element of spice, kick-ass heroines, enthusiastic consent and happy endings. Rose has been writing for as long as she can remember, but has recently published her first book, Heart Fire. It still spins her out that people are reading the weird stories she makes up in her head!

Rose has fallen in love with writing, and loves seeing audiences connect with her work and characters, and hopes you’ll love them too!

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For the Strange and Surprising: Where the Mongrels Are
M.F. Adele
(Where They Are, #1)
Publication date: August 27th 2021
Genres: Adult, Reverse Harem, Romance, Science Fiction

I’m a catastrophe waiting to happen—I always have been.

When a waterspout drops me on the shores of a seemingly deserted island, I soon realize that I’m not on Earth, and I’m not alone.

This new world is full of dangers, from sea monsters and feuding tribes to poisonous food and beasts that lurk in the shadows. None of those things are as dangerous as the Mongrel men appointed to guard and teach me.

All I want to do is go home, but the island has no intentions of letting me leave.

I’ll be forced to interact with total strangers to survive this perilous land surrounded by treacherous waters.

My dreams of happiness sink into the dark depths below as I struggle to save myself from certain death.

The Mongrels will learn that fear makes a person reckless.

My name is Adelaide Storm.
But they’ll call me Ada Stormbrave.

Goodreads / Amazon

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Author’s Play List

  1. Spider in the Roses

Sonia Leigh, Daphne Willis, Rob the Man

 

  1. Swan

Willa

 

  1. Take me to Church

MILCK

 

  1. Eyes Blue Like the Atlantic

Sista Prod, Subvrbs

 

  1. Cringe

Matt Maeson

 

  1. Deep Water

American Authors

 

  1. Stare

Willa

 

  1. Maybe, I’m Afraid

Lovelytheband

 

  1. Fire and the Flood

Vance Joy

 

  1.  Beast

 8 Graves

 

  1.  Man or a Monster

 Sam Tinnesz, Zayde Wølf

 

  1.  Are You Gonna Be My Girl

 Jet

 

  1.  Paradise

 Bazzi

 

  1.  I’m Not Okay

 Weathers

 

  1.  Black Sea

 Natasha Blume

 

  1.  Bitches Broken Hearts

 Billie Eilish

 

Link to For the Strange and Surprising Spotify Playlist

 

Link to For the Ghastly and Beautiful Spotify Playlist (watch me build it)

 

Link to MF Adele Spotify Account for access to other book playlists

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Author M.F. Adele

M.F. Adele resides in the outskirts of the Rocket City in Alabama. She lives in her overactive imagination, often fueled by caffeine and no sleep. When she isn’t writing, M.F. is outdoors with her family, obsessing over spicy margaritas and cigars, or reading books by her favorite authors.

If you’re looking for M.F. Adele, you can find her on social media in her group:

M.F. Adele’s Hellacious Hybrids.

M.F. loves to interact with her readers, hear character theories, and share embarrassing stories.

Website / Goodreads / Facebook / Instagram / Pinterest

 

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Welcome to my stop on the virtual book tour for If The Light Escapes organized by Goddess Fish Promotions.

Author Brenda Marie Smith will be awarding a $25 Amazon or B/N GC to a randomly drawn winner via rafflecopter during the tour. Don’t forget to enter.

And you can click on the tour banner to see the other stops on the tour and for more chances to win.

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IF THE LIGHT ESCAPES,

A BRAVING THE LIGHT NOVEL

By Brenda Marie Smith

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Genre:  Sci-fi, Science Fiction (post-apocalyptic)

Synopsis

A solar electromagnetic pulse fried the U.S. grid. Now northern lights are in Texas—3,000 miles farther south than where they belong. The universe won’t stop screwing with 18-year-old Keno Simms. All that’s left for him and his broken family is farming their Austin subdivision, trying to eke out a living on poor soil in the scorching heat.

 

Keno’s one solace is his love for Alma, who has her own secret sorrows. When he gets her pregnant, he vows to keep her alive no matter what. Yet armed marauders and nature itself collude against him, forcing him to make choices that rip at his conscience. IF THE LIGHT ESCAPES is post-apocalyptic science fiction set in a near-future reality, a coming-of-age story told in the voice of a heroic teen who’s forced into manhood too soon.

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Enjoy this peek inside:

Bright green lights stream and pulse across the northern sky all night now, growing from thin and wispy to bold and fat, expanding, contracting, sending out bands of yellow streamers like they’re partying on ecstasy at some cosmic rave. The lights are pretty, and they’re hypnotic, and they creep me out to the core.

 

Northern lights every night for two solid weeks in Texas. Halfway to the equator from where they belong. They’re supposed to be a phenomenon tied to the magnetic poles—it’s a scientific fact.

 

Nothing is right about this. The only explanation I can think of is that the north and south poles are shifting. I don’t know what that means for the planet and the future of its creatures. We don’t have TVs or talking-head scientists to tell us…

 

The universe just won’t stop f**king with us.

 

Today, I’m hoeing corn in our front yard, sweat stinging my eyes. It’s blistering hot out here—early December in what used to be high-tech Austin, until the … sun zapped us with an electromagnetic pulse and took our power, our cars, the damned running water. It stopped pretty much everything—everything modern, that is.

 

It’s been fourteen months, and all the front yards in our subdivision are mini-cornfields now. We grow beans and veggies in the backyards. It’s a desperate attempt to keep us alive when our food stockpiles run out. Don’t know if it will work, but I’m doing my damnedest to make sure it does.

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About Author Brenda Marie Smith

2018-10-18_Brenda Marie Smith

Brenda Marie Smith lived off the grid for many years in a farming collective where her sons were delivered by midwives. She’s been a community activist, managed student housing co-ops, produced concerts to raise money for causes, done massive quantities of bookkeeping, and raised a small herd of teenage boys.

 

Brenda is attracted to stories where everyday characters transcend their limitations to find their inner heroism. She and her husband reside in a grid-connected, solar-powered home in South Austin, Texas. They have more grown kids and grandkids than they can count.

 

Social Media: Website / Blog / FacebookTwitter / YouTube / Goodreads

 

Buy Links: Amazon / B&N / BookPeople

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Sand and Shadow

by Laurisa White Reyes

Genre: SciFi Horror

Winner of the Houston Writer’s House Competition★

Seven Survivors.

One Monster.

Nowhere to hide.

Mission Specialist Adán Fuentes awakes from cryo-hibernation to discover that most of his fellow crewmates are dead and the shuttle Carpathia is not where it’s supposed to be. Surrounded by a vast barren landscape, he and the other survivors wonder how they can accomplish their mission, to establish a home for future colonists.

When an unseen creature attacks them, the Carpathia’s crew must turn their attention to surviving and solving the true purpose behind their mission.

Inspired by the 50’s sci-fi flick FORBIDDEN PLANET, SAND AND SHADOW plumbs the depths of the human psyche and the power of its influence. As the Carpathia’s crew’s secrets and flaws are revealed, readers may find themselves compelled to examine their own dark places.

Goodreads * Amazon

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Tell us about Sand and Shadow.

Mission Specialist Adán Fuentes awakes from cryo-hybernation and discovers that he is one of seven survivors of the shuttle Carpathia’s crew. The shuttle’s been damaged, and they are on a distant planet, way off course from their intended destination and purpose. When they are attacked by some unseen creature, the crew must race against time to figure out where they are, how they got there, and how to defend themselves – if they can. Think The Martian meets Alien.

 

What inspired you to write Sand and Shadow?

When I was kid, one of my favorite movies was Forbidden Planet, about a scientist on a distant planet who somehow taps into the deepest recesses of his psyche and unleashes a monster. I watched the video over and over for years and have always been fascinated with the plot. I watched it a few months ago. The movie is very hokie by today’s standards, but the premise still holds up. I wanted to create a new story with new characters but based on a similar idea: that humans and the human mind are capable of both great good and profound evil.

 

Most of your books are either fantasy or contemporary young adult. What motivated you to delve into science fiction/horror?

I’m a sucker for horror fiction. Every summer, I read nothing but horror. I’ve read a lot of zombie and haunted house books over the years. Most of the short stories I’ve written are either horror or speculative in nature. Even a couple of my novels have elements of psychological suspense. So, I was destined to eventually write something seriously hard core like Sand and Shadow. I would love to write more in this genre. I’ve got some good ideas.

 

What was the writing process like for this book?

I began writing the first draft in 2012, the year my very first novel was published. By then, I’d already written a dozen other manuscripts, each of which has taken about eight years on average from start to publication. Writing is a long process for me. I muddle over details for years before I ever begin to write. I finished the first draft of Sand and Shadow in about a year, but then it sat on the back burner while I revised and published my other books. Eventually, I came back around to it. I spent all of 2020 revising and polishing it, and most of this year on everything else it takes to publish a book.

 

Besides writing, how do you spend your time?

Writing is on and off, depending on which project I’m working on. I just finished the first draft of a historical novel that I’ve been working on for about five years. So, I’m not writing anything new at the moment. I’m currently focused on promoting and marketing my backlist, which is like a part-time job. I own my own small press, and we’re actually publishing our second contest winner this fall, a memoir called A Sacred Duty: How a whistleblower took on the VA and won by Paula Pedene. So, I’m spending time editing and designing that book as well. When I’m not writing/editing/designing, I spend the rest of my time with my thirteen-year-old son (he’s my youngest of five kids – the others are all adults now). I homeschool him and transport him to his many activities: scouts, horseback riding, theater, piano, voice lessons. I volunteer with scouting and theater as well. Oh, and I also teach college composition part-time, take care of my home and family, and I read. A lot.

 

What sorts of books do you enjoy reading?

I’ve always been an avid reader. As a kid and teenager, my brothers would spend Saturday afternoons outdoors pulling weeds and doing yardwork for my dad. I’d be lying in bed devouring a book. I read between 30-50 books a year in a variety of genres. Summers are devoted to horror fiction, especially zombies and supernatural thrillers. But I also love historical non-fiction, young adult, suspense, and mysteries. The only genre I won’t touch is romance. Blech. I’ll read a book with some romance in it but never a straight up romance novel. Some of the best books I’ve ever read include:

Gone with the Wind by Margaret Mitchell

Lilies of the Field by William E. Barrett

Ender’s Game by Orson Scott Card

Code Name Verity by Elizabeth Wein

Angels & Demons by Dan Brown

 

What do you enjoy most about writing?

Most novelists can tell you that something magical happens while you’re writing a first draft. When you get really into the story, the real world seems to dissolve, and you’re transported into a world of your own making. My husband and kids joke that they can ask me anything while I’m writing, and I’ll just nod my head and have no recollection of what I’ve agreed to. And then somewhere along the line, it’s hard to explain, but the story takes on a life of its own. Like you’re not writing the story but it’s writing itself, and you as the author are the conduit rather than the creator. The characters become, in some sense, real beings, and the writer’s job is to be faithful to those characters and the story. That’s why I love writing first drafts. It’s the creative, magical experience that is so remarkable. But then later, the real work begins with editing and revising. It’s a completely different mental process, and I enjoy that too but in a different way. Editing, to me, is like shaping clay on a potter’s wheel, molding the material that is already there into something really beautiful.

 

What kind of research goes into your writing?

I love research. I’ve spent countless hours researching for each of my novels: reading non-fiction books, newspapers, magazines, online studies and websites, conducting interviews, and even on-location travel. For my novel Sand and Shadow, I had to learn about cryogenics, habitable planets, ESP, light speed calculations, and a bunch of other stuff. My dad was a computer programmer for Jet Propulsion Laboratories working on deep space craft like Voyager and Ulysses. He first introduced me to the idea of planetary colonization and deep space travel. What we’ve always considered science fiction is, in reality, within reach. I didn’t want the book to sound too futuristic but something that could happen within the next few years. The secret to good research for any book is for the information to be so smoothly incorporated into the story that the readers don’t notice it. Like the beams and bolts make up the structure of a building. It should be invisible to the naked eye.

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Laurisa White Reyes is the author of sixteen books. Her middle grade novel THE STORYTELLERS won the 2015 Spark Award from The Society of Children’s Books Authors & Illustrators (SCBWI) and her young adult novel PETALS received the 2017 Spark Honor Award.

In addition to writing, Laurisa also is the founder and Senior Editor of Skyrocket Press, which publishes quality fiction and non-fiction for a variety of readers. She also teaches English composition at College of the Canyons in Southern California. To subscribe to Laurisa’s monthly newsletter, visit her website at www.LaurisaWhiteReyes.com

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Website * Facebook * Bookbub * Amazon * Goodreads

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Follow the tour HERE for special content and a giveaway!

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a Rafflecopter giveaway

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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 go HERE.

I am an Amazon Affiliate. Product images are linked.

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A Slave’s Revenge
Hell Holes Book 4
by Donald Firesmith
Genre: SciFi, Paranormal Horror
When demonic aliens kill his father and transport 15-year-old Paul Chapman, his sister, and mother to Hell as slaves, he learns just how far he’ll go to survive, get revenge, and regain his freedom.
After killing his father, a marauding band of alien demons captures 15-year-old Paul Chapman, his mother, and his twin sister. Taken as slaves and food to Hell, a planet orbiting a nearby star, their survival is extraordinarily difficult and far from certain. As the years pass, Paul learns he only has two choices: live as a powerless slave or die as food for his masters. How much must Paul collaborate with his demon masters to survive?
Hell Holes 4: A Slave’s Revenge is a prequel to the first three books in the series. Paul Chapman, its protagonist, is also a character in Hell Holes 3: To Hell and Back.
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Goodreads * Amazon

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Oweynagat (which is pronounced “Owen-ne-gatt” and means Cave of the Cats) is the name of an actual cave located at Rath Croghan, Ireland. Ancient legends state that many evil and destructive creatures have emerged from the cave, especially on Samhain, the start of the Celtic New Year. These include a three-headed monster, wildcats, and red birds whose breath withered plants. Referred to as the hell-mouth of Ireland by medieval texts, the cave is also said to contain a portal to another world. It seemed a fitting place to be the source of the hellhounds that attacked Aileen’s village and killed her parents, the terrible event that led to her joining the Tutores Contra Infernum.

With the exception of the hell holes, I have taken great pains to ensure that the Alaskan settings in the book are as they are in real life. To achieve this level of realism, I flew to Alaska, drove the Dalton Highway up to the Yukon River, and toured Eielson AFB. I have relied heavily on Google maps, Google maps street view, photographs of Coldfoot and the Trucker’s Café, and both photographs and articles on military equipment such as Strykers and Pave Hawk helicopters. I also used multiple military advisors.

Video of Dalton Highway Site of the Forest Fire

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To Hell and Back

Hell Holes Book 3

The beautiful young photojournalist, Aileen O’Shannon, is not who she seems. For centuries, she has been a demon hunter, a sorceress who has tracked and killed small bands of demons that occasionally crossed into our world. But that changed when she joined Dr. Jack Oswald’s expedition to study one of hundreds of huge holes that mysteriously appeared overnight in the frozen tundra north of the Arctic Circle.Instead of small sporadic incursions, hordes of demons now pour from these hell holes like water from a sieve. With bombing little more than a losing game of whack-a-mole, Earth’s armies are unable to destroy the portals. When Jack suggests a desperate plan, he is drafted to join Aileen and a team of other sorcerers and Army Rangers to travel to the demon homeworld. Once there, they will unleash a plague virus and set off a nuclear bomb to destroy the portal complex. It’s a suicide mission. But Aileen has given Jack’s wife her word to bring him back safely, and the demons have already killed three men under her protection. Just how far will Aileen go to avoid losing another?
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Goodreads * Amazon

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Demons on the Dalton

Hell Holes Book 2

When hundreds of huge holes mysteriously appeared overnight in the frozen tundra north of the Arctic Circle, geologist Jack Oswald picked Angele Menendez, his climatologist wife, to determine if the record temperatures due to climate change was the cause. But the holes were not natural. They were unnatural portals for an invading army of demons. Together with Aileen O’Shannon, a 1,700-year-old sorceress demon-hunter, the three survivors of the research team sent to study the holes had only one chance: to flee down the dangerous Dalton Highway towards the relative safety of Fairbanks. However, the advancing horde of devils, imps, hellhounds, and gargoyles will stop at nothing to prevent their prey from escaping. It is a 350-mile race with simple rules. Win and live; lose and die…
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Goodreads * Amazon  

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This is book two in the series. My review may contain some spoilers.

 My Review

It started with mysterious holes appearing overnight in the tundra of the North Slope in Alaska. A team of seven, including Jack, a geologist, his wife, Angela, a climatologist, Aileen, a reporter with a secret power, and four others are hired by Exxon Mobil to investigate. When the very hounds of Hell crawl out of one of the holes and start killing, the team races south on Dalton Highway, one of the ten most dangerous roads, trying to reach Fairbanks and safety. Soon, imps and gargoyles join the hellhounds in pursuit. Only three of the team members make it to the SUV and begin their escape. The Demon War has begun.

Jack told his story of how it all began in the first book. Now, Angela tells what happens next.

As the three survivors race down the highway, they encounter more and more demons. And the demons have some surprising tricks up their sleeve that don’t bode well. It’s attack after attack. Every time it seems like they’ve found safety, it goes to hell in a hand basket. Even the military, with all of their technology and weapons, don’t stand a chance.

After what I’ve just read, I have now decided that if there’s ever an apocalypse, I’ll take zombies over demons any time. Some of these of creatures are dumber than a box of rocks, but they are guided by higher demons, smart ones, and can inflict major damage.

The author sure doesn’t give his characters a break. And he keeps the action and suspense at full throttle. How many demons are there? Do they have a weakness? And most important, how do we stop them? The answer is one you can’t begin to imagine.

I take from the ending that there’s more to come. I have an idea where it will go and sure excited to see how that works out.

4  Stars

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What Lurks Below

Hell Holes Book 1

It’s August in Alaska, and geology professor Jack Oswald prepares for the new school year. But when hundreds of huge holes mysteriously appear overnight in the frozen tundra north of the Arctic Circle, Jack receives an unexpected phone call. An oil company exec hires Jack to investigate, and he picks his climatologist wife and two of their graduate students as his team. Uncharacteristically, Jack also lets Aileen O’Shannon, a bewitchingly beautiful young photojournalist, talk him into coming along as their photographer. When they arrive in the remote oil town of Deadhorse, the exec and a biologist to protect them from wild animals join the team. Their task: to assess the risk of more holes opening under the Trans-Alaska Pipeline and the wells and pipelines that feed it. But they discover a far worse danger lurks below. When it emerges, it threatens to shatter Jack’s unshakable faith in science. And destroy us all…
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Goodreads * Amazon

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I love unexplained acts of nature. Makes for such a chilling plot. When holes start appearing in the Arctic Circle , a team of experts is sent to investigate. Once they arrive, things get worse as more holes appear. And then something straight out of Hell crawls out. A horde of otherworldly creatures that have only one thing in mind. Killing mankind. With nowhere to run, the team seeks shelter in an old station. But the horde won’t be denied, and like an octopus with a sealed bottle full of yummy bait, they will find a way in.

I was almost rubbing my hands together in twisted anticipation before I started this one. Mysterious holes appearing. Something beyond imagining crawls out. The fate of mankind hangs in the balance. Oh yeah. I knew I had to read this book.

There’s a mixed bag of character’s. Ones you come to like and respect and some not so much. The author doesn’t seem to mind killing off either one. Keeps you on edge when things get down and dirty. Which doesn’t take long at all.

The story is strong and there’s a sub plot that makes things even more interesting. Also, the blend of science fiction and horror leaves the story wide open for the author to go in many different directions.

The ending. Well, it’s an end, but also a cliff hanger. That’s because this is really the beginning of something much bigger. I’ll be grabbing the next one immediately. Got a good feeling about this series.

   4  Stars

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Donald Firesmith is a multi-award-winning author of speculative fiction including science fiction (alien invasion), fantasy (magical wands), and modern urban paranormal novels.
Prior to recently retiring to devote himself full-time to his novels, Donald Firesmith earned an international reputation as a distinguished engineer, authoring seven system/software engineering books based on his 40+ years spent developing large, complex software-intensive systems.
He lives in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania with his wife Becky, his son Dane, and varying numbers of dogs and cats.
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Website* Facebook* Twitter* Bookbub* Amazon* Goodreads

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Follow the tour HERE for special content and a giveaway!
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Autographed Book of Hell Holes 1: What Lurks Below (US only)

$10 Amazon giftcard

-1 winner each!

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a Rafflecopter giveaway

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Thanks so much for visiting fuonlyknew and Good Luck!

For a list of my reviews go HERE.

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