Posts Tagged ‘Science Fiction’

Mars Wars ~ Detonation Event ~ Excerpt and Giveaway

Posted: February 6, 2019 in giveaways, Science Fiction
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Detonation Event
Mars Wars #1
by John Andrew Karr
Genre: Science Fiction
Pub Date: 2/5/19
 
For decades the Space Consortium of America has searched for new ways to
harvest resources beyond an increasingly depleted Earth. The ultimate
plan is about to be ignited. So is the ultimate threat to humankind. . .
Detonation Event
Battle-hardened Captain Ry Devans and his crew of the Mars Orbiting Station-1 are
part of a bold plan: resurrect the once-active molten cores of the
Red Planet with synchronized thermonuclear explosions, and terraform
the hell out of that iron-oxide rock for future generations. It’ll
change history. So will the strands of carbon-based Martian cells
that have hitched a ride on the ship.
Dr. Karen Wagner knows the microbes’ resistance to virus is incredible.
It’s the unknowable that’s dicey. Her orders: blow them into
space. But orders can be undermined. Two vials have been stolen and
sent hurtling toward the biosphere. For Devans and Wagner, ferreting
out the saboteurs on board is only the beginning. Because there are
more of them back on Earth—an army of radical eco-terrorists
anxious to create a New World Order with a catastrophic gift from Mars.
Now, one-hundred-and-forty-million miles away from home, Devans is feeling
expendable, betrayed, a little adrift, and a lot wild-eyed. But space
madness could be his salvation—and Earth’s. He has a plan. And
he’ll have to be crazy to make it work.
“Detonation Event starts with the unusual proposition that the
greatest difficulty in terraforming Mars will be not geophysics but
Earth politics–rising quickly to open warfare. Interesting and
intelligent.” –Dave Drake Author of Hammer’s
Slammers
 
 
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Detonation Teaser
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Prologue

2228 AD

The abyss and its twin gape at the Martian sky as if aware of the pain to come.

One in daylight, the other night, they disrupt a global desert. The tunnels thrust to the very heart of the planet, as if the God of War had twice speared his namesake and wrought its demise. Mars was never a kind deity, and while he is no longer capable of violence, his blood-colored world remains just as hostile to life.

Here the sun rises and sets without mortality to mark the passage of time. The thin air constricts no lungs. The cold bites neither flesh nor frond. Beds of ancient waterways gather dust, indistinguishable from surrounding barrens. Volcanoes stand as slowly withering ghosts. The underground reservoirs that once supplied them with magma cooled to rock millennia ago. Deeper still, the once-molten outer core endured the same fate, entombing the mass of solid iron, nickel, and sulfur that had been its heat source: the radioactive inner core. Both are cold now, and there is no geologic activity throughout the entire planet.

Mars orbits the sun—half again beyond Earth’s orbit—as a rocky corpse.

But perhaps not eternally doomed.

The tunnels are the first phase of a mission where the odds are seemingly light years long and without historical precedent. Even if the mission is initially successful, the duration is unknown. Something killed Mars before and can do it again. But a chance at life has arrived where there was none. An opportunity to restore the vibrancy of the planet’s youth, now only hinted at with subterranean ice and mysterious impressions upon the withered husk of the surface.

In its first billion years, the red planet may not have appeared red at all, but purple or even blue like Earth, depending on the ratio of breathable air to iron oxide particles spewed from volcanoes and lifted by wind from mountains and deserts. Surface water existed in the form of streams and lakes and perhaps even seas. Clouds of water vapor circled the globe. Lightning flashed and thunder boomed.

Rain fell on Mars.

And it was no coincidence that the planetary cores were active and “alive.”

Radioactive heat loss and convective currents of magma produced a magnetic field that bound the atmosphere to the planet in a geologic dynamo, the like of which still functions on Earth.

What killed Mars?

Perhaps its smaller size limited the amount of radioactive supply, and it simply ran out of energy. Or massive impact with an asteroid ejected the charged particles out to space. Whatever the case, death arrived soon after the Martian inner core went cold. Having lost its heat source, the molten outer core turned to stone as if succumbing to the Hydra’s gaze. The dynamo failed and its magnetism all but vanished. Gravity alone was too weak to hold the atmosphere. Air and water molecules escaped into space. Without a magnetic shield and atmosphere to deflect them, solar winds and radiation further stripped the surface dry.

Mars lost the means to support life beyond a microbial level.

Now temperature fluctuations spawn the only weather events. Night and polar regions regularly plunge two hundred degrees below zero Fahrenheit; cold enough to freeze its most abundant gas—carbon dioxide—into dry ice, though at times the equator at full sun can reach as high as sixty degrees. Far less drastic temperature swings combine with the weak gravity in a near vacuum to spawn frequent dust storms. The greater the temperature difference, the larger the storm.

Dust, prevalent everywhere, is lifted rather than scoured from the surface. Storms of it can be monstrous, at times engulfing the entire planet except for the gargantuan Olympus Mons. Far more common are the dust devils that waltz through a desolate Hell.

Some of the rust-hued particles fall into the open maws and down the tunnels.

No twists or turns arrest their journey. They gain no purchase along laser-bonded walls. Down they drift like mineral snowfall, passing signal relays at every mile. The dust falls for weeks toward the core. Recent inductees will never reach bottom before Detonation Event.

Electronic relays form a spiral pattern and flash in sequence for two thousand miles, down and back again, each briefly illuminating a section of tunnel along the way. Constantly monitored by satellites positioned above, the relays are members of a large supporting cast.

The lead roles belong to the hydrogen (thermonuclear) megabombs residing at the base of the each tunnel. These are cutting-edge nuclear fusion explosives; the latest in the class of Asteroid Busters.

Ever silent, Mars awaits its chance at resurrection.

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John Andrew Karr writes of the strange and spectacular. He enjoys
creating fantasy, paranormal, horror, and science fiction, having
self-published novels in all these genres. He’s a North Carolina
resident, IT worker, and all-around family guy.
 
 
Follow the tour HERE
for exclusive content and a giveaway!
 

a Rafflecopter giveaway

 
 

~~~~~

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.

The Cassie Tam Files by Matt Doyle ~ Tour and Giveaway

Posted: February 1, 2019 in giveaways, Science Fiction
Tags: , ,
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Addict
The Cassie Tam Files Book 1
by Matt Doyle
Genre: SciFi, Crime Noir, Clean Lesfic
 
When PI Cassie Tam is hired to investigate the death of a local virtual
reality junkie, she thinks it will be easy money. In New Hopeland, VR
junkies die every day, and the local PD already declared it an
accidental overdose on synthetic stimulants. But the more she digs,
the more that things don’t add up.
To make things even more complicated, her client, the deceased’s
sister Lori, is a Tech Shifter – someone who uses a metal
exoskeleton to roleplay as an animal – and Cassie has always been
wary of that community. That wouldn’t be a problem if Lori wasn’t
fast becoming the first person she’s been genuinely attracted to
since splitting with her ex.
Easy money, huh? Yeah, right.
 
 
 
 
The Fox, The Dog and The King
The Cassie Tam Files Book 2
 
When PI Cassie Tam and her girlfriend Lori try to make up for their recent
busy schedules with a night out at the theatre to watch the Tech
Shift performer Kitsune, the last thing they expected was for Cassie
to get a job offer. But some people are never off the clock, and by
the end of the evening, Cassie has been drawn into a mundane but
highly paid missing pet case. Unfortunately, in New Hopeland City,
even something as simple as little lost dog can lead you down some
dark paths.
Until now, Cassie wasn’t aware that there even was a rabbit hole,
let alone how far down it goes.
 
 
LV48
The Cassie Tam Files Book 3
 
New Hopeland City may be the birthplace of Tech Shifter gear, but it
isn’t the only place that likes to blend technology with folklore.
Now, a new nightmare is stalking the streets…
When PI Cassie Tam is attacked on the way home one night, she expects the
police to get involved. What she doesn’t expect is to be forced
into acting as bait to lure out a lunatic in a tech-suit
that’s literally out for blood. But past actions have consequences, and doing so may be
the only way she can get a clean slate from the city’s law makers.
If only that didn’t mean having to face down a wannabe vampire.
 
 
 
Matt Doyle is a speculative fiction author from the UK and identifies as pansexual
and genderfluid. Matt has spent a great deal of time chasing dreams,
a habit which has led to success in a great number of fields. To
date, this has included spending ten years as a professional
wrestler, completing a range of cosplay projects, and publishing
multiple works of fiction.
These days, Matt can be found working on multiple novels and stories,
blogging about pop culture, and plotting and planning far too many projects.
 
 
Follow the tour HERE
for exclusive excerpts, guest posts and a giveaway!
 

a Rafflecopter giveaway

 
 

~~~~~

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.

Girl With All The Pain ~ Blitz and Giveaway

Posted: January 17, 2019 in giveaways, Science Fiction, thriller, YA
Tags: , , ,
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Girl With banner

Girl with all the Pain
by Michael Herman
(Aliens, Tequila & Us #4)
Publication date: February 23rd 2018
Genres: Science Fiction, Thriller, Young Adult
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Girl With cover
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Synopsis
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Sometimes an ugly duckling becomes more than just a swan.

In the streets of Santiago, Chile, a young homeless girl named Isabel screams a scream of rage that is the last sound the gang tormenting her ever hears.

Deep within the city, a family feels her cry and sets out to find her for their sake as well as hers.

Never straying far from Isabel, Skunk Mountain, a homeless pile of walking filth, visible to only the neighborhood kids, maintains a guardian presence that is key to her survival in a world where, beneath the very ground they walk, a dark ancient intelligent entity prepares to unleash forces that will devastate Chile.

Sometimes that swan has claws and teeth.

_______________________________________

Girl with all the Pain is the first of the Global Invasion Chronicles.

The Aliens, Tequila & Us series is prologue to Girl with all the Pain

_______________________________________

If you are interested in mass extinction events, Chinchorro mummies, alien creatures, tequila, Pisco Sours, Very Large Telescopes, foreign tongues, evolution theories, witchcraft beliefs, Santiago Chile, underground caves, vineyards, million dollar concept bikes, interstellar space travel, abandoned mines, the Atacama Desert, Russian ATVs, Himmler’s Nazis Lebensborn, predictions of future times, earthquakes, orchids, avatars, and people with mutant powers, then this is the book for you.

Kind reviews go far and help keep up the spirit while I work to bring the second Global Invasion Chronicle to life.

 
Purchase: Amazon / B&N / iBooks / Kobo
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Author Michael Herman
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Michael
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When he isn’t doing construction or creating 3D simulations for the AEC industry, Michael Herman writes from his small urban hillside farm in California where he types away to the sounds of chickens, coyotes, the occasional fox and his household pets.

Author links: Twitter / Facebook / Website / Goodreads

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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.

From my series wishlist ~ Which should I read first?

Posted: January 10, 2019 in Dark Fantasy, Dystopian, Mytery/Thriller, Science Fiction, Series
Tags: , , , , ,
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Yesterday I posted about some series’ I had started and some I was planning to start.

Today I’m sharing some that I already have on my list. I have the first book in each series and its a mixed bag of genres. All of these have been on my wish list and I’m really anticipating some great reading.

This is going to be fun!

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Moon Called

Mercy Thompson #1

by Patricia Briggs

Moon Called (Mercy Thompson, Book 1) by [Briggs, Patricia]

THE FIRST MERCY THOMPSON NOVEL!

Moon Called is the novel that introduced Patricia Briggs’s Mercy Thompson to the world and launched a #1 bestselling phenomenon… 

Mercy Thompson is a shapeshifter, and while she was raised by werewolves, she can never be one of them, especially after the pack ran her off for having a forbidden love affair. So she’s turned her talent for fixing cars into a business and now runs a one-woman mechanic shop in the Tri-Cities area of Washington State.

But Mercy’s two worlds are colliding. A half-starved teenage boy arrives at her shop looking for work, only to reveal that he’s a newly changed werewolf—on the run and desperately trying to control his animal instincts. Mercy asks her neighbor Adam Hauptman, the Alpha of the local werewolf pack, for assistance.

But Mercy’s act of kindness has unexpected consequences that leave her no choice but to seek help from those she once considered family—the werewolves who abandoned her…

Amazon

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Extinction Horizon

The Extinction Cycle #1

by Nicholas Sansbury Smith

Extinction Horizon (The Extinction Cycle Book 1) by [Smith, Nicholas Sansbury]

The worst of nature and the worst of science will bring the human race to the brink of extinction…
 
Master Sergeant Reed Beckham has led his Delta Force Team, codenamed Ghost, through every kind of hell imaginable and never lost a man. When a top secret Medical Corps research facility goes dark, Team Ghost is called in to face their deadliest enemy yet–a variant strain of Ebola that turns men into monsters.
After barely escaping with his life, Beckham returns to Fort Bragg in the midst of a new type of war. As cities fall, Team Ghost is ordered to keep CDC virologist Dr. Kate Lovato alive long enough to find a cure. What she uncovers will change everything.
Total extinction is just on the horizon, but will the cure be worse than the virus?
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Called

Southern Watch #1

by Robert J. Crane

Called (Southern Watch Book 1) by [Crane, Robert J.]

A demon hunter without a home. A cop without a cause. A seemingly unstoppable evil rising in a small town…

WARNING: Contains violence, coarse language and sexual situations.

Archibald “Arch” Stan was a local cop in Midian, Tennessee that was good at his job, good at being a husband, and exceptionally good at hiding his disappointment at not being able to figure out what was missing in his life that made it all seem so empty.

Lafayette Hendricks looked like a drifter, a broken-down hitchhiker blown through Midian on the prevailing winds. When Arch catches him in a fight on the town square, though, things start to get weird, fast, because the guy he’s fighting doesn’t die when he gets shot. And Hendricks is carrying a sword.

Pretty soon, Arch’s whole life is turned upside down by Hendricks’s revelation that there’s a secret world operating under the one he’s been living in his whole life – one filled with demons, chaos, and unspeakable evils, one of which is already in town, stirring trouble. And if the two men don’t band together to keep watch on the darkness falling on Midian, then this small town might just get swallowed up by the forces of evil – with the rest of the world to follow shortly behind.

If you like Jim Butcher, Kevin Hearne, Stephen King, Michael Anderle, Shayne Silvers, Shannon Mayer, or J.R. Rain, you will LOVE the first installment of the Southern Watch series.

Amazon

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All Systems Red

The Murderbot Diaries #1

by Martha Wells

All Systems Red (Kindle Single): The Murderbot Diaries by [Wells, Martha]

A murderous android discovers itself in All Systems Red, a tense science fiction adventure by Martha Wells that interrogates the roots of consciousness through Artificial Intelligence.

“As a heartless killing machine, I was a complete failure.”

In a corporate-dominated spacefaring future, planetary missions must be approved and supplied by the Company. Exploratory teams are accompanied by Company-supplied security androids, for their own safety.

But in a society where contracts are awarded to the lowest bidder, safety isn’t a primary concern.

On a distant planet, a team of scientists are conducting surface tests, shadowed by their Company-supplied ‘droid — a self-aware SecUnit that has hacked its own governor module, and refers to itself (though never out loud) as “Murderbot.” Scornful of humans, all it really wants is to be left alone long enough to figure out who it is.

But when a neighboring mission goes dark, it’s up to the scientists and their Murderbot to get to the truth.

Amazon

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Tombyards & Butterflies

A Montague & Strong Detective Agency #1

by Orlando A. Sanchez

Tombyards & Butterflies: A Montague and Strong Detective Novel (Montague & Strong Case Files Book 1) by [Sanchez, Orlando A.]

A Missing Ferryman. An Undead Dilemma. An Immortal Detective.

An emissary from the Dark Council has just materialized in the office of the Montague & Strong Detective Agency, and makes Simon Strong an offer he can’t refuse. Charon is missing. The legendary ferryman responsible for transporting sorcerer souls across the river Styx hasn’t been seen in days. And with each passing hour, those unable to cross the river are left to walk among the living, tilting the world further out of balance.

Meet Simon Strong, an immortal, who is also the best private detective in New York City. Together with his surly partner-Tristan Montague, a mage of indeterminate age, they must find the Ferryman and get him back to work before another Supernatural War ravages the earth, destroys humanity, and Simon’s local coffee shop.

Time is running out. His landlord wants the rent and Karma with a capital K is paying him a visit, and she can be a real…

Join the Montague & Strong Detective Agency and help them locate Charon, so he can restore balance to the universe, put the dead sorcerers to rest, and maybe solve the age old conundrum-coffee or tea?

Amazon

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Killing Trail

Timber Creek K-9 Mystery #1

by Margaret Mizushima

Killing Trail: A Timber Creek K-9 Mystery by [Mizushima, Margaret]

When a young girl is found dead in the mountains outside Timber Creek, life-long resident Officer Mattie Cobb and her partner, K-9 police dog Robo, are assigned to the case that has rocked the small Colorado town.

With the help of Cole Walker, local veterinarian and a single father, Mattie and Robo must track down the truth before it claims another victim. But the more Mattie investigates, the more she realizes how many secrets her hometown holds. And the key may be Cole’s daughter, who knows more than she’s saying.

The murder was just the beginning, and if Mattie isn’t careful, she and Robo could be next. Suspenseful and smart, Killing Trail is a gripping read that will have readers clamoring for more Mattie and Robo for years to come. Fans of Nevada Barr and C.J. Box will love this explosive debut.

Amazon

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Have you read any of these?

And how about some help! Which do you think I should read first?

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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.

The Prospero Chronicles ~ Excerpts and Giveaway

Posted: January 4, 2019 in giveaways, horror, Science Fiction, YA
Tags: , , ,
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Splinters
The Prospero Chronicles Book 1
by Fiona J.R. Titchenell & Matt Carter
Genre: YA Horror, SciFi
 
Under normal circumstances, Ben and Mina would never have had reason to
speak to each other. He’s an easy-going people person with a
healthy skepticism about the paranormal; she’s a dangerously
obsessive monster-hunter with a crippling fear of betrayal. But the
small Northern California town of Prospero, with its rich history of
cryptid sightings, miracles, and mysterious disappearances, has no
normal circumstances to offer.
When Ben’s missing childhood friend, Haley Perkins, stumbles out of
Prospero’s surrounding woods and right into her own funeral, Ben
and Mina are forced to work together to uncover what happened to her.
Different as they are, their unlikely friendship may be the only
thing that can save the town, and possibly the world, from its
insidious invaders.
“A snapping, crackling, popping homage to classic horror.”
—Kirkus Reviews.
“Whip-smart
dialogue… genuinely terrifying Splinters, the descriptions of which
will have fans of monster films utterly enthralled… A promising
series opener, this will satisfy those readers who like their scary
stories to be as clever as they are chilling.” —KQG, the
Bulletin of The Center for Children’s Books.
“The stakes are high. The action is intense.” —Washington
Independent Review of Books.
**only 99 cents!!**
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Prospero splinters teaser 2-1
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Shards
The Prospero Chronicles Book 2
 
When autumn descends on Prospero, California, Ben hopes the normality of
the new school year may offer a reprieve from the town’s paranormal
horrors. Mina knows all too well that there are no reprieves and no
normality to be had in Prospero, but even she can’t prepare for
what the coming year holds.
On top of the vivid hallucinations that have plagued Mina since the
attack on the Warehouse, and the brewing Splinter civil war that
threatens all of humanity, inside the walls of Prospero High, Ben,
Mina, and their expanding Network face a vicious campaign to destroy
their friendship, and a mysterious assassin picking off human rebels
– an assassin with powers like no Splinter they’ve fought before.
Ben and Mina’s one hope rests with a mysterious old man hiding in the
woods outside of town; a living legend who may be able to teach them
how to fight this dangerous new breed of Splinter. That is, assuming
he doesn’t kill the pair of them himself.
“Titchenell and Carter hold nothing back in this solid sequel that thrills and
expands on its predecessor. Aided by swift writing, relatable
characters and unexpected scares, Shards is a chill-inducing
delight.” —David Powers King, co-author of Woven.
“Maintaining the same level of popcorn-munching fun, Titchenell and Carter are
taking The Prospero Chronicles in a promising direction.” —Joe
Dell’Erb, Washington Independent Review of Books.
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Prospero shards teaser
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Slivers
The Prospero Chronicles Book 3
 
Ben
Growing up is hard, and growing up in Prospero is even harder, but I think we
manage. I mean, yeah, my friends and I spend more of our time
fighting a race of shapeshifting aliens than we do hanging out, but
we have our fun. We go to parties, help each other with our classes,
maybe even fall in love…
I’ve no illusions that we live ordinary lives, but they’re our lives,
and I’m going to make sure we make the most of them whether the
Splinters want us to or not.

 

Mina
The truce is temporary. We will not humor the Splinters forever. It’s
only until the Slivers can be stopped, until the army of Shards being
planted among our classmates can be disassembled, until we get our
hands on the thing I’d almost given up believing in.
The humanity test.
For the chance to know, once and for all, who can be trusted, some
dealings with monsters must be excusable. Inevitable. Just like this
feeling between Ben and me.
And that has to be temporary too.
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Prospero slivers teaser 1
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Stitches
The Prospero Chronicles Book 4
by Fiona J.R. Titchenell
 
This is Prospero’s darkest hour. The few remaining humans trapped within
the quarantine zone are all but defenseless against the multiplying
forces of the Sliver Queen, Locusta. With Ben missing, Aldo among the
enemy ranks, and more steel plates than bones left in her body,
Mina’s passing the hours drowning in morphine and throwing heavy
objects at her guards. 
Stripped of her weapons, her gadgets, and the Network itself, she has just one
card left, hidden somewhere under her oft-sutured skin. It might be
powerful enough to complete her life’s work once and for all… or
to reach the one person who could make her life into more than a
means to an end. But playing it will cost everything she has, or
everything she believes in.
The final chronicle of Prospero waits in these pages.
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Prospero stitches teaser 1
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F.J.R. TITCHENELL is an author of young adult, sci-fi, and horror fiction, including
Confessions of the Very First Zombie Slayer (That I Know of). She
graduated from Cal State University Los Angeles with a B. A. in
English in 2009 at the age of twenty. She currently lives in San
Gabriel, California, with her husband, coauthor, and amazing partner
in all things, Matt Carter, and their pet king snake, Mica.
 
 
 
Follow the tour HERE
for exclusive excerpts, guest posts and a giveaway!
 

a Rafflecopter giveaway

 
 

~~~~~

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.

Last Review for 2018 ~ Wolves: Hell Divers IV

Posted: December 31, 2018 in apocalypse, reviews, Science Fiction
Tags: , ,
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My first review for 2018 was Hell Divers. I loved it and thought sharing my review of the latest book in the series, Wolves: Hell Divers IV, would be a fitting end to a year of great reads.

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Wolves

Hell Divers IV

by Nicholas Sansbury Smith

40117350

Genre:  Apocalyptic / Science Fiction

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My Review

This starts off pretty much where the last book left off. X and Magnolia, along with his dog, Miles, are braving the dark ocean on board the Sea Wolf, searching for the ever elusive Metal Islands. What used to appear to be a myth is now looking more like the real thing. And Katrina is settling into her role as captain of both the Deliverance and the Hive. Her command comes with tough choices and a learning curve. As X and his motley crew deal with their demons from the deep, so Katrina deals with her own inner doubts and all the complications of making decisions for the good of the last remaining survivors of Earth.

Yes, I was hoping this would start with a bang, and it sure did. X and the gang are soon in over the heads as the author throws  the book at them; killer sharks, a mutant kraken, giant vultures and man eating metal-skinned hogs. The action never really lets up. Not for the occupants of the Sea Wolf and not for those floating in the ships above. The author adds more danger with a surprise enemy or two.

As I neared the end of the book my anxiety was through the roof! It was exciting to see the  crew from Deliverance finally land on the surface. They’d been there before, seen the horrific conditions, the deadly monsters, but they still weren’t ready for what they encountered. Some perish while others face what seem to me to be insurmountable odds. This is nothing new in the series. With mutant creatures ruling solid ground, death is always looming. What got me was a couple of scenes with Magnolia and Miles. The author had me in tears and that takes some doing with me. And a rescue scene with X had me so tied up in knots I feared to read on. Sure, X is a main characters and the all powerful alpha male, but that doesn’t mean he’ll survive and continue to the end of the series.

I was about to say this series keeps getting better and better, but that’s not necessarily what I want to convey.  I can’t choose any book that is better than the other. Each books is awesome. The action is super fast. And the situations are mind blowing. Where it gets better in each book is the character growth and the secrets revealed. I finally learned how the world ended. I should have guessed it, but I didn’t.

Loved Wolves. Hell Divers IV. Love the Hell Divers Series. “They Dive So Humanity Survives.” And the author can’t write more fast enough. I have my fingers and toes crossed that these will be made into movies!

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Synopsis

They dive so humanity survives. Now they take to the sea.

In the fourth installment of the award-winning and USA Today bestselling Hell Divers series, the Sea Wolf sets out to search for the Metal Islands. Leading the expedition is legendary Hell Diver Xavier Rodriguez. After enduring for a decade on the poisoned surface, his survival skills will be put to the test on the dangerous open seas. But storms, sea monsters, and the cannibalistic Cazadores aren’t the only threat to X and his small crew. Their mission will uncover hard truths about the history of the war that left humankind stranded in the air for centuries. And the fate of those still living on the airships might very well rest on this fragile and perilous journey to find a new home.

Amazon / B&N /

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Click on the covers for my reviews of the previous three books.

   

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Thanks so much for visiting fuonlyknew!

You can find a list of my reviews HERE.

For a list of free eBooks go HERE

To see all of my giveaways go HERE

I am an Amazon Affiliate. Product images are linked.

Stuck by Samantha Durante ~ Grand Finale Blitz and Giveaway

Posted: December 24, 2018 in Dystopian, giveaways, Science Fiction, YA
Tags: , , ,
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On Tour with Prism Book Tours

Book Tour Grand Finale for
Stuck
By Samantha Durante

We hope you enjoyed the tour! If you missed any of the stops

you can see snippets, as well as the link to each full post, below:

Launch – Note from the Author

I am *so* thrilled to be kicking off the Stuck (Stitch Trilogy, Book 3) tour! We’ve got lots of awesome stops planned with exclusive Stitch Trilogy content you won’t find anywhere else, plus a big giveaway to celebrate the arrival of the long-awaited conclusion of the series!…

Andi’s Young Adult Books – Guest Post

A Tale of Three Book Covers

Even a writer has to admit that (as the saying goes!) a picture is worth a thousand words. It comes as no surprise, then, that *almost* as much thought must go into cover design as into the book itself.

When designing the covers for the Stitch Trilogy books, I had several goals in mind:

Captivate: Of course, a cover needs to get readers interested, and one of the best ways to do that is to make it pretty!

Signal: The cover’s job is also, naturally, to give readers some clues as to what is in the story by referencing the genres and major plot points.

Unify: And, finally, knowing that this was going to be a multi-book series, I needed to come up with a consistent theme that would tie each cover together.

So how did I accomplish all this? By driving my cover designer crazy, of course! 🙂 …

Candrel’s Crafts, Cooks, and Characters – Interview

2.) Tell us about the rest of the series.

Over the course of the trilogy, you join our protagonists as they uncover the sordid truth and dark history of their society, Paragon, a place set in a world much like our own but with some important (and chilling) differences. In fact, some members of this society are so blinded to the truth that they don’t even realize they are, in fact, living in Paragon… which is something you get to experience firsthand in Book 1. (Trying not to give away too many spoilers here!) In Book 2, we learn more about how this world came about, and in Book 3, the main characters struggle against nearly insurmountable odds to try to bring those responsible to justice. And of course, there’s some romance along the way!

Paulette’s Papers – Guest Post

Playlist: Music to Go with Stuck (Stitch Trilogy, Book 3)

It’s no secret that I love words (I am, after all, a writer). But sometimes, nothing captures a feeling *quite* like a song. So without further ado, here is a selection of hand-picked songs to go with several of the most pivotal chapters of Stuck (Stitch Trilogy, Book 3):…

Wishful Endings – Excerpt

Not a Bear

“But how can we continue to keep this from everyone?” Janie interjected. “It’s not right. They deserve to know!” she hissed.

Alessa shrugged in defeat.

Yes, she thought, just like Isaac deserves to know that his brother might still be alive – but she couldn’t bring herself to say anything about that, either, knowing the guilt would eat him alive. She at least had to be sure first. She had to know it was really Joe.

Lisa Loves Literature – Review

” I really liked the first two books in this series, and I waited 5 years between book 2 and this one. There was one point I know that I even reached out to the author to find out if this one was coming soon, because I needed to know what would happen next. . . . There was just so much going on in this book! . . . if you haven’t started the series yet, you are the lucky one to get to start with all three of them out now. You can sit down and read them all, back to back, and get all the feelings that will come with a good series.”

Why Not? Because I Said So! – Review

“I’ve waited a long time to read this last book in the Stitch Trilogy. I loved this series from the first book. It was so unique and had so many twists and turns that kept you reading. Guess what? Things haven’t changed in this third book: It’s still has so many unique things in the story line and the the twists just keep on coming. . . . If you like the Dystopian and Sci-Fi genres, you need to put the Stitch Trilogy on your To-Read list immediately.”

FUONLYKNEW – Review

“There’s plenty of action, intrigue and betrayal. But there’s also bravery, romance and hope. . . . A perfect finale to a series that fueled my imagination and captured my heart.”

Bri’s Book Nook – Review of STITCH

“This premise for a science fiction novel is so unique, and that truly drew me in. . . . I would recommend this book to anyone looking for a new upper YA or NA science fiction trilogy with a strong female main character.”

Colorimetry – Excerpt

Happy Pills

“Seriously, Alex?”

Deion chuckled and shook his head at the sight of his best friend – shirtless, sweat gleaming off his abs – precisely positioned so that anyone passing by the construction site would get an eyeful of his chiseled physique.

“First of all, it’s only 50 degrees out –”

“58,” Alex argued, heaving another stone on top of the wall he was building for this set of Paragon’s latest drama. “That’s almost in the sixties.” He paused to swipe a dusty, rippling forearm across his brow, brushing the fringe of straight black hair from his striking, angular eyes, which were narrowed against the sun.

Hopelessly Devoted Bibliophile – Review

“It’s been a privilege to follow along with Samantha Durante since this trilogy first started! I felt a little woeful as I started to read Stuck, only because I knew that this was the end of my time with these characters. After completely falling in love with the last book, I knew that this finale was going to be a rough read for me either way. It’s the end of an era, really. It’s been fun! . . . If you haven’t started this trilogy yet, you’re in for such a treat. I envy you. I really do.

Lovely Reads – Spotlight

Chapter Break – Interview

Is there anything you would like people to take away from your book?

There are SO MANY things I’d like people to take away from the Stitch Trilogy! First, that things aren’t black and white. Just like real life, no one in my books is infallible, and anyone can make a mistake that can really hurt other people – and this can happen on a small or very large scale, even with the noblest of intentions. Second, that anyone can make a difference. It would be easy for anyone living in that world (or any world!) to feel insignificant and powerless, but the characters work really hard and work together to make things better, and they manage to do so even against odds that seem insurmountable. Third, that inclusivity and diversity of thought are good things, especially when it comes to leadership – otherwise you’re almost certain to further exploit already marginalized groups, and foster a lot of ill-will. And finally, that love conquers all. At the end of the day, even (perhaps, especially) when the world has gone to hell, all we have is each other. Be selfless. Be brave. Be kind.

Words Are the Breath Of Life – Review

“Stuck is a phenomenal completion to a wonderfully complex, challenging, and heartfelt adventure. My heart jumped for joy when I found myself finally reading the last chapters of this brilliantly original and deeply captivating journey full of heart, hope, and love. . . . I have been looking forward to this elusive ending, and I found myself completely and totally satisfied in every way a story can offer. . . . Samantha Durante has once again left me in awe of the depth of her brilliant creativity and boundless heart.”

Books & Such – Guest Post

Quiz: Where Do You Rank in Paragon Society?

Over the course of the Stitch Trilogy, we’ve gotten to know several different groups within the society of Paragon, from plucky rebels and manipulated citizens to mastermind Engineers and bloodthirsty Stuck. Where do you fall amongst these ranks? Take this quick quiz to find out!…

fundinmental – Interview & Review

1. What made you decide to be a writer?

I don’t know if it was a *decision* so much as a compulsion! I’ve always loved to write, ever since I was a kid. I got away from it for a few years in college and afterwards, but even as a software engineer, I managed to“sneak” writing into my job. So when it came time for a major life change (moving back across the country to be near my family), I knew it was a good time to see if I could shift gears and get back to doing what I’d always loved.

“If you love having your emotions ramped up to a fever pitch, if you love white knuckled reading, if you love apocalyptic/dystopian novels and are looking for an original storyline, you may want to grab the Stitch trilogy.”

Christy’s Cozy Corners – Guest Post

Style in Dystopia: 3 Ways to Style a Jumpsuit

Dystopian societies aren’t often known for their embrace of individuality and free-thinking… which unfortunately means their fashion trends tend to lean towards the sterile and conformist, at best.

But don’t let that post-apocalyptic thinking get you down! As the characters of the Stitch Trilogy show, there are lots of ways you can buck the trend and give that old standard-issue jumpsuit a fresh spin…

Don’t forget to enter the giveaway below, if you haven’t already…

Stuck
(Stitch Trilogy #3)
By Samantha Durante
YA Dystopian, SciFi
Paperback & ebook, 306 Pages
December 15, 2018

3, 2, 1… BOOM.

Things are finally looking up for the Resistance. Sure, Alessa is still processing the revelation that the best friend she’d presumed dead is miraculously alive, though far from well… And her boyfriend is being manipulated under threat of blackmail. But her quest for justice against those behind the systematic extermination of the world population is so close to victory she can taste it.

And then in a matter of seconds, everything Alessa believes in is shaken to the core. Months of preparation are obliterated. The people she cares for most are lost.

But Alessa is still standing. And Paragon must pay.

The odds are grim, but unexpected allies surface in the most unlikely of places: A new pair of citizens still under the colony’s rule who notice something amiss in the latest drama. An old adversary who realizes the error of her ways. And a veritable army of inhuman power and terrible strength, with an insatiable thirst for vengeance. The trustworthiness of each of these factions is yet to be proven, but without many other options, Alessa may have to take what she can get. Especially since the Engineers, never to be outdone, also have a few more tricks up their sleeves…

The long-awaited final installment in the riveting Stitch Trilogy, Stuck will have readers gripping their seats as Alessa and a handful of intrepid survivors usher their harrowing journey to a close, risking everything as they endeavor – once and for all – to set things right.

Goodreads│Amazon│Barnes & Noble│Smashwords│Kobo

Other Books in the Series

About the Author

Samantha lives in Westchester County, New York with four of the five loves of her life – her husband, son, younger daughter, and cat – and carries her fifth love, her stillborn daughter, in her heart. An avid reader herself, Samantha’s dream is to bring the same delight to readers that other authors have brought to her life. In addition to penning novels and writing candidly about grief, she is also a sometimes freelance writer/consultant – though more often than not these days she’s on full-time mom duty! A former software engineer, Samantha said goodbye to the corporate world in 2010 to pursue her entrepreneurial dreams and lifelong love of writing. Learn more at www.samanthadurante.com.

Website│Goodreads│Facebook│Twitter│Instagram

Tour Giveaway

– 1 First Place Winner will receive: Signed Print Copies of All 3 Books in the Trilogy, a Limited-Edition Stitch Scarf, Bookmarks, and a $15 Amazon Gift Card
– 3 Second Place Winners will receive: eBook Copies of All 3 Books in the Trilogy for You *and* a Friend, plus a $5 Amazon Gift Card
– Open internationally
– Ends December 27th

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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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31 Days Of Thrills And Chills #25 ~ Spot & Smudge

Posted: October 25, 2018 in horror, reviews, Science Fiction
Tags: , ,
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Welcome to My 31 Days Of Thrills And Chills 2018! I did this last year and so excited to do it again. I’ll be sharing reviews and lots of extra spooky stuff every day leading up to Halloween. I hope you’ll join me!

day of the dead photo: Dancing Skeleton dancing_skeleton.gif

I’m sharing all kinds of books, movies, and other spooky stuff for every day in October. Gots to get those scares on for the 31st!

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Spot & Smudge

by Robert Udulutch

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Genre:  Horror / Science Fiction

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My Review

A family looking for a fresh start, a town with dark secrets, and two very special pups.

Since I’d read this quite a while ago, I figured I’d better read it again to refresh my memory before writing a review.  The first thing I remembered was that this is not a children’s book. You’re hit in the face with some strong curse words right in the beginning. Don’t let that stop you. Once you get to the meat of the story, you’ll see how this actually worked as the town has some nasty character’s.

But then, there’s Spot and Smudge. two of the most adorable puppies ever. They’ll wiggle their way into your heart. These puppies are special. They have abilities far beyond a normal dog, or a human for that matter. They’re the Dr. Dolittle of dogs.  And their human family is one you’d love to call your own.

A blend of science fiction and horror is always interesting. I knew about the sci fi part just by looking at the cover. And the horror didn’t take long to enter the picture either. Sure this is a dark story. But it’s also joyful, fills you with wonder, and makes you laugh out loud.

I should warn you though, there is some animal abuse. It’s tough to read, but it makes the story stronger. And it’s not a large part of the book.

I could go on and on. In fact, my review was way too long. I wanted to tell you about so many things. But, the spoiler thing. So I deleted almost all of it and will leave you with this shorter review and my recommendation.

Don’t miss out on a terrific story. Read Spot and Smudge if it appeals to you even a tiny bit. You’ll get way more than you bargained for.

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Synopsis

The speculative fiction thriller that masterfully kicks off the series! This darkly humorous, wonderfully twisted, ‘boy and his dogs’ tale has been bitten, kicked in the crotch, attacked by a pack of wild dogs, and genetically modified into a superbly crafted story.
The Spot and Smudge series explores the love of a unique family, the loyalty of their very special dogs, and the perils of underestimating them. These smart, imaginative stories weave together elements of horror, thriller, mystery, espionage, crime, medical drama, and genetic engineering.
Note: This series contains some colorful language and mature themes.

“Shove over brother, let me show you the proper bloody way to strangle someone.”

The Hogans weren’t looking to start a war. They just wanted to leave their troubles behind, move closer to grandma, and let their kids adopt some damn puppies.

But their quaint new town is harboring some gruesome secrets…

…and their strange new pups are not what they appear to be.

There’s a dark connection between these mysterious orphaned canines and the town’s twisted criminals…and that connection is dragging the Hogans into a ruthless fight they aren’t prepared to win.

But the grit of a devoted family, like the loyalty of a faithful pair of dogs, shouldn’t be underestimated…

…Especially when those cunning dogs are the most significant leap forward in the forty million years of canine evolution.

Amazon

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Other books in the series.

The Glasgow Gray: Spot and Smudge - Book Two by [Udulutch, Robert]  Let Slip the Pups of War: Spot and Smudge - Book Three by [Udulutch, Robert]  Of Rogues and Revenge: Spot and Smudge - Book Four by [Udulutch, Robert]

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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.

31 Days Of Thrills And Chills #9 ~ Cryptid Zoo

Posted: October 9, 2018 in horror, reviews, Science Fiction
Tags: , , ,
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Welcome to My 31 Days Of Thrills And Chills 2018! I did this last year and so excited to do it again. I’ll be sharing reviews and lots of extra spooky stuff every day leading up to Halloween. I hope you’ll join me!

day of the dead photo: Dancing Skeleton dancing_skeleton.gif

I’m sharing all kinds of books, movies, and other spooky stuff for every day in October. Gots to get those scares on for the 31st!

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Cryptid Zoo

by Gerry Griffiths

40881174

Genre:  Horror / Science Fiction

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My Review

I’ve read lots of horror stories about zoos. There’s the zombies, werewolves, vampires zoo. The dinosaurs zoo. A dragon, crocodile zoo. Why not a crytpid zoo.

So, the plot isn’t all that new. We know going into this that the zoo is a very bad idea. We know the creatures escape and wreak havoc. But this gal says, so what. It’s still bloody good fun.

There’s every kind of cryptid you can think of, and a few new ones for me. They all have their own special killing abilities and, one by one, the humans fall like dominoes.

The author gave me a few characters that I actually liked and wanted to survive.  That always adds to the edginess. And not being familiar with this author, I didn’t know if he was willing to kill off prominent characters. I found out pretty quick.

The monsters are out. There’s nowhere to hide. Watch the skies. Stay out of the water. Don’t look it in the eyes. Plug your ears. Stay out of dark places. Who knows if they can be killed.  All of this made Cryptid Zoo a fun, scary, atmospheric read for me.

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Synopsis

As a child, rare and unusual animals, especially cryptid creatures, always fascinated Carter Wilde.

Now that he’s an eccentric billionaire and runs the largest conglomerate of high-tech companies all over the world, he can finally achieve his wildest dream of building the most incredible theme park ever conceived on the planet…CRYPTID ZOO.

Even though there have been apparent problems with the project, Wilde still decides to send some of his marketing employees and their families on a forced vacation to assess the theme park in preparation for Opening Day.

Nick Wells and his family are some of those chosen and are about to embark on what will become the most terror-filled weekend of their lives—praying they survive.

STEP RIGHT UP AND GET YOUR FREE PASS…

TO CRYPTID ZOO

Amazon / B&N

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Thanks so much for visiting fuonlyknew!

You can find a list of my reviews HERE.

For a list of free eBooks go HERE

To see all of my giveaways go HERE

I am an Amazon Affiliate. Product images are linked.

Blitz and Giveaway ~ Missing Signal by Seb Doubinsky

Posted: September 1, 2018 in giveaways, Science Fiction
Tags: , ,
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Missing Signal
by Seb Doubinsky
Publication date: August 28th 2018
Genres: Adult, Science Fiction
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Synopsis

“Beneath the entertaining wrapper of science fiction, Missing Signal is a masterfully written work, both provocative and rewarding.” ―Foreword Reviews

“A tiny, jeweled puzzle-box of a book, strangely but entertainingly crossing Kafka with Philip K. Dick to make something quite new.”―Tad Williams, bestselling author of the Memory, Sorrow, and Thorn, and the Otherland series

From Seb Doubinsky, author of The Song of Synth, The Babylonian Trilogy, White City, Absinth, Omega Gray and Suan Ming, comes his highly anticipated next installment in the City-States Cycle.

Missing Signal―a riddle wrapped in a mystery inside a government conspiracy? Agent Terrence Kovacs has worked for the New Petersburg Counter-Intel Department propagating fake UFO stories for so long that even he has a hard time separating fact from fiction. Especially when he’s approached by a beautiful woman named Vita, who claims she’s been sent from another planet to liberate Earth.

Purchase:  Amazon / B&N
Author Seb Doubinsky
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Seb Doubinsky is a bilingual writer born in Paris in 1963. His novels, all set in a dystopian universe revolving around competing cities-states, have been published in the UK and in the USA. He currently lives with his family in Aarhus, Denmark, where he teaches at the university.
Author links: Facebook / Twitter / Website / Goodreads

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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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