Burning Heat Publisher: Five Star Publishing (January 20, 2016) Hardcover: 286 pages ISBN-13: 978-1432831110
.
My Review
Having read the first book, Southern Heat, and really liked the characters, I couldn’t wait to meet them again and see what calamity they fell into this time.
Let me introduce you to the main character, Brack Preston. He’s an Afghanistan War veteran, a man of independent means after inheriting his uncles estate, which includes a little cottage with a million dollar view of the ocean and a ramshackle bar, the Pirate’s Cove. His best and most loyal companion is his dog, Shelby. Next is his friend Mutt, owner of a rundown bar in the bad part of Charleston. You’ll also get to know Brother Thomas, a preacher as big as a grizzly with the heart of a teddy bear, until you get him riled up.
There’s also Darcy Coates, a reporter and friend who helped solve his uncles murder and took a bullet for it. Her and Brack do a two step around their feelings. Maybe this time we’ll see where that goes.
From the gritty digs of poverty to the glitz of affluence, Brack butts heads, stirs up several hornet’s nests, and dodges bullet.
He can’t walk away when a girl takes a bullet for him. Especially when her body disappears. Brother Thomas asks him to dig into it, and along with Mutt, Darcy, and a few old and new friends, you get dragged along, thrown in front of bullets, enter neighborhoods the police won’t even venture into, and race around in some very expensive cars.
What charms me with both of these books is Brack’s affection for his dog, Shelby. When things get dicey, he has one person he trusts to take care of the dog. And he always finds time to spend with him until it’s safe to bring him home again. Friends say Shelby is his chick magnet. I can see that.
There’s more than one plot in this story. Someone is trying to kill Brack. Someone is always trying to do that, it seems. And his bar is being sabotaged.
As you get closer to the end of the book, it all comes together. And I was truly surprised by the actual killer. The character never stood out and the motive was as old as time. Should have thought of that.
Another winner in this series and I can only hope it continues.
5 Stars
~~~~~
Synopsis
As darkness blankets the holy city of Charleston, South Carolina, Brack Pelton, an Afghanistan War veteran, steps out of a rundown bar after a long night. Before he gets to his truck, he finds himself in the middle of a domestic dispute between a man and a woman on the sidewalk. When a little girl joins the couple and gets hit by the man, Brack intervenes and takes him down. But the abuser isn’t finished. He pulls a gun and shoots the woman. Brack saves the little girl, but his world has just been rocked. Again.
The next day, while sitting on a barstool in the Pirate’s Cove on the Isle of Palms, his own bar, Brack scans the local paper. The news headline reads: Burned Body of Unidentified Hispanic Man Found at Construction Site. Nothing about a dead woman in the poor section of town. Brack feels a tap on his shoulder and turns around to see an eight-year-old girl standing behind him. She’s the little girl he rescued the night before, and she wants him to look into her sister’s shooting.
Violence and danger make up Brack’s not-too-distant past. Part of him craves it–needs it. And that part has just been fed. Things are about to heat up again in the lowcountry. May God have mercy on the souls who get in the way.
.
About This Author
David Burnsworth became fascinated with the Deep South at a young age. After a degree in Mechanical Engineering from the University of Tennessee and fifteen years in the corporate world, he made the decision to write a novel. Southern Heat is his first mystery. Having lived in Charleston on Sullivan’s Island for five years, the setting was a foregone conclusion. He and his wife along with their dog call South Carolina home.
Is it a coincidence that a weird storm forced several planes to crash land on the same island? That’s what the survivors begin to question.
And what if the island isn’t deserted? What if there’ a secret facility, guarded by armed troops?
And what of the storm. It’s not normal. Especially when it affects your mind.
During a test, several young pilots are forced to land on a deserted island. Separated and unsure if the others survived, the teams set off to find each other.
Along the way, the separated teams encounter strangers. Some are obviously dangerous and some are questionable.
One team encounters a survivor from another crash. Not one of their group. Need to know information has them following him to find out what happened. Danger lies all around them. This stranger isn’t the only one that survived the crash. Dangerous people are roaming the island. Death lurks around every tangled path. And another storm is looming.
While I liked the young pilots. Enjoyed their dialogue, quirks, and the bit of romance that blooms, it was Rios, the stranger from the other crash, that really grabbed me.
As the groups find each other, you also meet Yale. She knows things. Things Rios and the young pilots will need to survive.
Yale also captured my interest. Her and Rios have a connection. Both are double tough, trained to kill and think on the run. I did get some background on them, but would love to know more. Crossing fingers there will be a sequel.
I did run into a few bumps in the road while reading this. A few places felt awkward and caused me to slow down. But as I got further into it, things smoothed out and I was carried away be the action and mystery.
The ending is a whirlwind. You finally get answers, and come up for air after the horrific storm that wreaks havoc.
The title is perfect for this mystery as there are many secrets to uncover. And the cover is thrilling and shows you some of the story inside.
I feel this would be a fun series and hope there are more books to follow. While it didn’t blow me away, it did keep me turning the pages, curious about what would happen and wanting those answers. I would give it three and a half stars, but I don’t do halves, and I always bump up, so I gave it four.
4 Stars
~~~~~
Synopsis
Special Agent Rios wakes up in an abandoned aeroplane. He finds himself on an unfamiliar island in the Bermuda Triangle, suffering from what appears to be amnesia. He must search for clues about his identity, as well as decipher the secrets of the island itself.
But will the truth be too terrifying to live with? Strangers hell-bent on murder, stranded young pilots, and signs of organized weapons trade. These things only touch the surface. What lurks in the skies above is far more sinister.
There is a strange energy high above the clouds, stewing deep within the Bermuda waters. And it grows restless. A storm is coming. A storm like no other, seeking to invade their minds. With the help of his newly acquainted team of special ops pilots, Rios must find a way to stop the storm before it destroys them…from the inside out.
Author Shona Parrett
Shona Perrett is a first time author, blogger and closet poet. Her novel A Storm of Secrets is due to release November 2015. Shona studied applied writing in her home town of Whangarei, and is now looking to branch out into creative business enterprising.
Passionate about finding beauty in the dirt, she aims to write stories of redemption. Shona believes that narratives exist to teach us how to love one another. That every day, we all communicate through the medium of story, seeking out ways to connect with the world around us.
She believes they are one of the most ancient forms of creative expression and vulnerability, and are therefore a fundamental part of what it means to be human.
You can visit her at www.shonaperrett.com or on Facebook at www.facebook.com/shona.perrett.
Teaser Tuesdays is a weekly bookish meme, hosted by MizB of A Daily Rhythm.
Anyone can play along! Just do the following:
• Grab your current read
• Open to a random page.
•Share two (2) “teaser” sentences from somewhere on that page
• BE CAREFUL NOT TO INCLUDE SPOILERS! (make sure that what you share doesn’t give too much away! You don’t want to ruin the book for others!)
• Share the title & author, too, so that other TT participants can add the book to their TBR Lists if they like your teasers!
.
My Teaser for this week is from
Descent
by Tim Johnston
Teaser from page 73 of the paper back edition.
She began to rise, and stopped. He’d said something.
What? she said. Sean?
Don’t, he said.
Don’t what?
Don’t go.
You want me to stay?
No.
What do you want me to do?
He said something else, hoarsely, weakly, and she leaned closer. What? she said, nearly as weakly, and held her breath, watching his lips.
~~~~~
Read on if you want to know more.
Synopsis
The Rocky Mountains have cast their spell over the Courtlands, who are taking a family vacation before their daughter leaves for college. But when Caitlin and her younger brother, Sean, go out for an early morning run and only Sean returns, the mountains become as terrifying as they are majestic.
I’ve read one other book by Ashley Fontainne and loved it so I was excited to read Night Court. If you are looking for unending suspense and thrills that keep on coming, you need to read this book.
A quick recap for ya. Merry lost her son and her husband. Her son died of a drug overdose and her husband had a heart attack at his funeral. With nothing left to lose, Merry turns to vigilante justice. Taking up weapons to eliminate the drug dealers responsible.
And Merry has a few advantages. With her brother being a cop and working for a judge, she has access to vital inside info about the drug dealers.
The first kill goes off without a hitch. In fact, something she did spur of the moment completely covered her tracks. Or did it?
I felt so bad for Merry. Her family gone and not much to live for. When my son was young I often wondered what I’d do if someone harmed him. I sometimes thought I’d go the route of Merry. Why should scum live and breathe while my son is gone.
That this often happens in real life made this even more intense for me. People commit crimes over and over, yet are released from jail to do harm again.
There’s this one scene with a dog that I loved. You know that saying, “Every dog has his day!” Gotta cheer for Percy.
I thought I knew where the story was going. Then, the author threw a kidney punch that knocked be back on my heels. Never saw it coming. Or the next thing. Or the next. So many shockers I was reeling.
And the ending. Man, it was wicked. I wish I could tell you, it was that great. There was something I wanted so bad not to happen, but once I finished the book, I knew it was the perfect ending.
I’d tag this is a suspense/thriller. A must read that I can’t recommend enough.
Thanks, Ashley, for an early copy to review.
5 Stars
~~~~~~
Synopsis
Judge
Merry watches, her presence cloaked by the shroud of nightfall. Nothing moves except her eyes which focus on her target. No remorse. No regret. No second guessing the decision to end the lives of the monsters who turned her into a killer.
Jury
The peddlers of death from potent chemicals are found guilty. Punishment for their crimes–death. Appeals denied. Sentencing to commence immediately. The leeches who sucked out the life of addicts with each snort, shot, swallow, and injection will now pay the ultimate price.
Executioner
The idyllic world of Merry Marie Hall, once the loving wife of Harold and mother to their only child, Joshua, is over. Extinguished when Joshua overdosed and Harold died of a heart attack at the funeral. Now Merry hunts down the guilty parties, and one by one, carries out her internal court’s orders.
I have always been an avid reader of the classics: Beowulf, The Iliad, and anything written by the master, William Shakespeare. In the past few years, I became a huge fan of James Patterson, Stephen King and Robin Cook.
However….
My favorite book of all was, and always will be, The Count of Monte Cristo by Alexander Dumas. The revenge on all those who hurt and betrayed Edmond Dantes and the incredible roller coaster ride his journey takes you on has always intrigued me. My love for this book is what sparked my desire to write my debut novel in my Eviscerating the Snake series, “Accountable to None.” With a modern setting to the tale, I wanted to delve into just what lengths a person was willing to go to as they attempted to seek justice on their own for heinous acts perpetrated on them. The second novel in the series, “Zero Balance” (still in draft!) will focus on the cost and reciprocal cycle that obtaining revenge has on the seeker. For once the cycle starts, where does it end? How far will the tendrils of revenge expand? Adjusting Journal Entries answered that question: far and wide.
Her short thriller entitled Number Seventy-Five, touches upon the sometimes dangerous world of online dating. Number Seventy-Five took home the BRONZE medal in fiction/suspense at the 2013 Readers’ Favorite International Book Awards contest and is currently in production for a feature film.
Her paranormal thriller entitled The Lie, won the GOLD medal in the 2013 Illumination Book Awards for fiction/suspense and is also in production for a feature film entitled Foreseen.
Ashley’s decided to delve into the paranormal with a Southern Gothic horror/suspense novel, Growl, which released in January of 2015. The suspenseful mystery Empty Shell, released in September of 2014. Ashley will be teaming up with Lillian Hansen (Ashley calls her mom!) to pen a three-part murder mystery/suspense series entitled The Magnolia Series. The first book, Blood Ties, released the Summer of 2015.
Whispered Pain released in October of 2015 and Night Court releases December 13, 2015.
Special Agent Rios wakes up in an abandoned aeroplane. He finds himself on an unfamiliar island in the Bermuda Triangle, suffering from what appears to be amnesia. He must search for clues about his identity, as well as decipher the secrets of the island itself.
But will the truth be too terrifying to live with? Strangers hell-bent on murder, stranded young pilots, and signs of organized weapons trade. These things only touch the surface. What lurks in the skies above is far more sinister.
There is a strange energy high above the clouds, stewing deep within the Bermuda waters. And it grows restless. A storm is coming. A storm like no other, seeking to invade their minds. With the help of his newly acquainted team of special ops pilots, Rios must find a way to stop the storm before it destroys them…from the inside out.
Enjoy this glimpse inside A Storm Of Secrets
The heat sank in like a deprived leech, eagerly awaiting its feast of blood. If this place was one or the other, it felt a lot like hell. Was he dead? Hard to know. He felt aloof, broken. But he always imagined death as quieter, like that gentle feeling you get before drifting off into a dream. This was more like a nightmare. Not frightening enough to rouse him from slumber, but not peaceful enough to let him rest.
The ticking of a clock sounded, dully at first, then rose in volume. It reminded him of a time gone by, a distant memory of people marching in single file. The sound rose, beckoning him. Ancient, mysterious. Like war drums, summoning him to consciousness.
Was this finally death? No. It couldn’t be. This was too loud a chant for even death. It was filled with passion, violence. No, this was life. But whose? The rhythm pulsed through the chasms of his being until all he could feel was its power, raw and unrelenting.
The climax of the drums rose to a deafening volume, in perfect tempo with the beating of his flurried heart. And then in one final rise it all went quiet. A nice, peaceful sort of quiet. He felt himself breathing in deeply as he opened his eyes to a dreary sky, sunlight peeking through the clouds like pinholes. He was alive. But where was he? And who was he? He remembered his name. Rios.
He glanced down at his side, noticing an open gash through his ripped shirt, blood oozing from the flesh. He was lying on his back. Rios patted at his torso, finding a small flask of whiskey in his jacket pocket. He sat up, pulled the flask out and unscrewed the cap, pouring a little over his wound. Groaning in pain, he drank the last quarter, hoping it would offer some relief. He took off his jacket and then his T-shirt and tied it in a knot around his waist to stop the blood flow.
Rios was in the aisle of a small aeroplane. Some of the chairs were strewn about, ripped from their bolts. Their blue cushions torn apart in places, drooping over the sides of the white and silver framing. Part of the roof had been torn off. The door exit sign to his left was hanging half off its hinges, still flickering, and there was an electrical buzz from the front of the plane.
Rios tried to call out for help, but all he could manage was a mumble. He took a moment, then propped himself up against the chair next to him. Rios scanned the aisles for people, but saw only empty chairs, the middle row stained in what appeared to be thick, sticky blood. Some of the overhead luggage compartments were open, suitcases and smaller bags scattered around the floor of the plane.
Puzzled, Rios peered cautiously out the windows. No one in sight. Only a clearing, followed by palm trees for what looked like miles on either side. He put his black jacket on unbuttoned and clambered down out of the wreckage, into the boggy swamp, a little over knee height. Where was he? Where was he headed before the crash? Frustrated, he pushed against his head, hoping the answers would pop out.
“Think damn it” he muttered to himself. “Where are you?”
Rios looked down, noticing a shiny grey briefcase in the water. Something in the back of his mind recalled it as important.
The water stirred as he picked up the metal case. It reflected clearly for a second as the muddy water parted, just long enough for him to notice that a figure had emerged from the trees behind him. His instincts kicked in.
Rios spun around as quickly as he took his next breath, holding a three inch knife to the man’s throat.
“Who are you!?”
Author Shona Parrett
Shona Perrett is a first time author, blogger and closet poet. Her novel A Storm of Secrets is due to release November 2015. Shona studied applied writing in her home town of Whangarei, and is now looking to branch out into creative business enterprising.
Passionate about finding beauty in the dirt, she aims to write stories of redemption. Shona believes that narratives exist to teach us how to love one another. That every day, we all communicate through the medium of story, seeking out ways to connect with the world around us.
She believes they are one of the most ancient forms of creative expression and vulnerability, and are therefore a fundamental part of what it means to be human.
You can visit her at www.shonaperrett.com or on Facebook at www.facebook.com/shona.perrett.
Pero Baltazar, a film producer, arrives in East Africa, along with his crew, to film a nature show about vultures and giant crocodiles.
Upon their arrival they are met by Mbuno, a top rate safari guide and someone Pero has worked with numerous times.
The plan is for a crew member to fly with the vultures in his hang glider. It’ll be spectacular. Filming goes great. But the crew member never lands at the rendevous spot.
Pero discovers his body, riddled with bullets. He allows the scavengers to mutilate the body so that it will look like an accidental death. This way, the family can collect the insurance money, and whoever killed his crew member won’t know their identities.
The show must go on, so Pero takes the hang glider up for some final shots. He sees an encampment below. They are probably the terrorists who killed his crew member.
If he can see them, they can’t miss him, hanging in the sky like a giant raptor. He rushes to land and the crew load up and get out fast. The plan is to go to the next location, filming crocodiles. Perhaps if they look like they are continuing on their schedule, the terrorists won’t pursue them.
It seemed like a good plan.
The author’s descriptions of Africa are riveting. I’ve always wanted to visit, and hope to do so someday.
The multitude of characters keep you entertained, the plot is intriguing and believable, and the suspense builds, keeping you flipping the pages for the final outcome.
This is my first book by Peter Riva and I’ll be reading more.
4 Stars
~~~~~
Synopsis
Only a reality TV producer and an expert safari guide can stop a terrorist attack.
Every adventure starts at the fringes of civilization. For expert safari guide Mbuno and wildlife television producer Pero Baltazar, filming in the wild of East Africa should have been a return to the adventure they always loved. This time they’d be filming soaring vultures in northern Kenya and giant sea crocodiles in Tanzania with Mary, the daughter of the world’s top television evangelist, the very reverend Jimmy Threte.
But when a terrorist cell places them in the crosshairs, there is suddenly no escape and they must put their filming aside and combine all their talents to thwart an all-out al-Shabaab terrorist attack on Jimmy Threte’s Christian gathering of hundreds of thousands in Nairobi, Kenya.
Peter Riva spent many months over thirty years in Africa, many of them with the legendary guides for East African white hunters and adventurers. He created a TV series (seventy-eight 1-hour episodes) in 1995 called WildThings for Paramount TV. Passing on the fables, true tales and insider knowledge of these last reserves of true wildlife is a passion.
Teaser Tuesdays is a weekly bookish meme, hosted by MizB of A Daily Rhythm.
Anyone can play along! Just do the following:
• Grab your current read
• Open to a random page.
•Share two (2) “teaser” sentences from somewhere on that page
• BE CAREFUL NOT TO INCLUDE SPOILERS! (make sure that what you share doesn’t give too much away! You don’t want to ruin the book for others!)
• Share the title & author, too, so that other TT participants can add the book to their TBR Lists if they like your teasers!
~~~
My Teaser for this week is from
Tropical Depression
A Billy Knight Thriller #1
by Jeff Lindsay
I just reviewed the second book in this series, Red Tides. Check it out and enter the giveaway HERE.
My Teaser from 29% in the eBook.
I have known guys who would chase a humpbacked sheep if she had large breasts, or great legs, or a firmly rounded butt. I have always been more attracted to a woman’s hands. To me they reveal so much more about who she is than any other feature. Faces can be made up or controlled. Figures can be accidental, or contrived. And legs, after all, are just something to walk around on.
The hands alone are naked.
~~~~~
My Review
Right from the beginning, the author sets a fast pace with action, drama, horrific events, and intrigue.
When a botched hostage rescue goes horribly wrong, LA police officer Billy Knight loses everything. It’s all too much and he leaves the force, heading for calmer waters.
Key West is his final destination. He hangs up his gun and starts over as a charter fishing boat captain. Sun, cold beer, and the salty breeze over aquamarine waters give Billy a tenuous hold on his sanity.
So, he wasn’t happy to see Roscoe. He’d left all that behind. He agreed to listen, but flat out refused to get involved in the investigation of the murder of Roscoe’s son, and he sent him on his way.
Later, Billy goes looking for Roscoe, feeling bad about how he treated his friend and former co-worker, but he’s already grabbed a flight back home.
The news of Roscoe’s murder a few weeks later hits Billy hard. No matter how much it hurts. No matter how difficult it is. No matter how dangerous it is. Billy will not rest until the killer or killers are caught, dead or alive.
Billy Knight is a wounded warrior. He’s been through so much, more than most can bear. When he went back to investigate the murders, I was reminded of that saying, “let a sleeping dog lie.” Billy woke up and did whatever he had to do, regardless of anyone’s approval or cooperation.
There are some guys you don’t want to get angry. You won’t like them when they’re angry. And Billy is angry.
Lots of intrigue, dirty little secrets, and corruption keep you emotionally engaged. The cast of characters go from funny to sad, from boorish to just plain bad.
The story never bogs down. The author helps you visualize places and scenes clearly. And the doses of humor give you a bright spot in a dark venture.
I happily recommend this book and the series to all thriller and suspense fans.
4 Stars
~~~~~
Read on if you want to know more.
Synopsis
Before there was Dexter, there was Billy Knight.
NEW YORK TIMES bestselling author Jeff Lindsay mastered suspense with his wildly addictive DEXTER series. Before that, however, there was former cop and current burnout Billy Knight. When a hostage situation turns deadly, Billy loses everything—his wife, his daughter, and his career. Devastated, he heads to Key West to put down his gun and pick up a rod and reel as a fishing boat captain. But former co-worker Roscoe McAuley isn’t ready to let Billy rest.
When Roscoe tells Billy that someone murdered his son, Billy sends him away. When Roscoe himself turns up dead a few weeks later, however, Billy can’t keep from getting sucked back into Los Angeles, and the streets that took so much from him.
Billy’s investigations into the death of a former cop, and his son, will take him up to the highest echelons of the LAPD, finding corruption at every level. It puts him on a collision course with the law, with his past, with his former fellow officers, and with the dark aftermath of the Civil Rights Movement. Jeff Lindsay’s considerable storytelling gifts are on full display, drawing the reader in with a mesmerizing style and a case with more dangerous blind curves than Mulholland Drive.
I’m thrilled to showcase another book by Kristine Mason
If you’re looking for an intense, suspenseful, romance, you need to read this series.
Kristine takes it to next level and then some!
Enjoy the glimpse inside the book.
And don’t forget to enter the giveaway!
Genre: Romantic Suspense
Synopsis
What do you get when you mix a mad scientist, a psychopath, an ice cream lady and a repo man? Something perfectly toxic…
Melanie Scarlet is a knife-wielding badass who knows how to dispose of a body, and make evidence disappear. But Mel, a.k.a., the Ice Cream Lady, draws the line at one thing: she refuses to live with her husband, Cash Maddox, unless he quits the repo business that nearly got him killed—no matter how much she loves him.
To thaw Mel’s heart and convince her to leave the Everglades and move back home to Tallahassee, Cash is finally ready to retire from his adrenaline-fueled job…until homeless men begin vanishing. As Mel investigates the disappearances, Cash’s temper goes into overdrive when he realizes his wife has been keeping a dangerous secret from him. She’s been doing more than scooping ice cream—she’s a cleaner for the underground criminal investigation agency, Above the Law.
Mel isn’t the only one with a secret. A scientist has created a drug that will cure psychopaths by deadening the urge to dominate, hurt and murder. To prove his chemical combination works, he uses the homeless as test subjects. He breaks and scrambles their minds, turns them into killers, then tries to fix them. But what if the scientist creates a killer he can’t fix? A true psychopath he can’t control? As Cash joins Mel and the ATL crew, they learn firsthand, the results could be…toxic.
~~~~
Excerpt
When Melanie reached the front door, she touched the faded, sun-bleached wreath she’d made over two years ago. Nostalgia settled over her heart. Although Cash had still been recovering from his injuries, those days had been happy ones. He hadn’t been able to repo.
Betrayal and frustration gave nostalgia the boot. Dang it. They could have been good together. She knocked on the door. Instead, they were living separate lives because she wasn’t enough. Not enough excitement, not enough of a challenge. His accident had taught her that she didn’t need those things anymore. Then again, she had signed on to ATL and did still chop the occasional car or boat. Oh, God. There was also those bodies she’d disposed of in her daddy’s swamp.
The door opened and Cash’s large body filled the threshold. His t-shirt clung to his arms and chest, revealing the muscles she loved to hang onto when she rode him. Her heart beat hard as she shifted her gaze from his chest to his mouth. How she’d love to shove him against the door and kiss that arrogant, overconfident smile off his lips.
“How are ya’, babe?” Cash asked, his tone rough, sexy.
She met his gaze. His dark-brown eyes held hunger, lust and smugness. During their two-year separation, they’d found excuses to see each other. Then they’d have a long weekend of hot sex. Cash was in for a rude awakening. Just because he knew how to make her moan didn’t mean he’d be getting any action during this visit.
He took a step forward and crowded her space. She inhaled his cologne as he slid a finger along her jawline until he reached her chin. “I’ve missed you.” He leaned forward, brought their mouths so close together his warm breath brushed her lips.
God, how she ached for him. If only he loved her enough. The reminder stung and bolstered the promise she’d made to herself: no sex, discuss making their separation permanent.
“Don’t touch me,” she murmured. “I have my period.”
~~~~
Author Kristine Mason
Kristine Mason is the bestselling author of the popular romantic suspense trilogies, C.O.R.E. Shadow and Ultimate C.O.R.E. She is currently working on her next trilogy, C.O.R.E. Above the Law, along with a series of Psychic C.O.R.E. novellas.
Although Kristine has published a few contemporary romance novels, she focuses most of her energy on her romantic suspense stories, which she loves for their blend of dark mystery/suspense and sexy romance. She is fascinated with what makes people afraid, and is famous for her depraved villains whose crimes present massive obstacles for her heroes and heroines to overcome.
Kristine has a degree in journalism from Ohio State University and lives in Northeast Ohio with her husband, four kids, and two dogs. If she’s not writing, she’s chauffeuring kids, gardening, or collecting gnomes. Oh, and she makes a mean chocolate chip cookie!
Magic or madness? Can your dreams really take over your life?
Falling Awake is the story of a book and the power of imagination to turn two lives upside down.
When Mary Parker finds an unusual book everything in her life changes. As she reads, she dreams, and the quiet, repressed woman is transformed.
She gives the book and the phenomenon a name, ‘falling awake’. The existence of the book seems to make others act out of character too. Joe’s usually dour father gambles with the factory where Mary works, and Joe, the romantic daydreamer, engages in a sexual eternal triangle to keep the dull routine of the accounts department at bay. The dominant partner in the triangle is Clem; dark and dangerous.
Extricating himself from Clem, Joe meets Mary. They fall in love and marry in haste when Mary falls pregnant, but this is no happy ever after tale. Their joy turns to misery when Mary miscarries and she turns inward to her darkening ‘falling awake’ world. Then Joe’s father dies, and he has to fight for control of the factory. He falls into Clem’s clutches again, and to make things worse, he believes Mary is going mad, and the people and places she remembers all just dreams dreamt inside her insanity. But then how can Joe remember them too?
Magic or madness?For Mary and Joe, the impossible – or the deadly – might only be a breath away.
Falling Awake is a brain teaser, an atmospheric mystery, an exposition of madness; an examination of the impossible, a fantasy, a ghost story, a psychological thriller, a love story, and a story of intrigue and sudden death. It will keep you awake at night, wondering, and pausing during the day, questioning …
One editor has already described it as:
“In the best traditions of Audrey Niffenegger and Carlos Ruiz Zafón…”
And others comment:
“…one of the most original, quirky manuscripts I’ve read for a long time…”
“…I especially like the fairy-tale and myth undertones that creep in from time to time throughout the novel: Sleeping Beauty clutching her book with echoes of Snow White in her glass coffin, the transformative red mac with its Red Riding Hood connotations, Mary’s Cinderella transformation from emotionally abused child to confident woman, the mermaid dress, Mariam’s Scheherazade dance, and especially the gambler as Rumpelstiltskin…”
“…a light, authoritative touch with both …story and characters.”
Debrah Martin is a British author writing under three different pen names and in three very different genres. She plots fast-paced thrillers as D.B. Martin, with the first in the Patchwork trilogy, Patchwork Man, having been recently awarded a coveted B.R.A.G. Medallion. Her YA teen detective series is penned as Lily Stuart – THE teen detective; irreverent, blunt, funny and vulnerable. Webs and Magpies are the first two books in the series. And as Debrah Martin she writes literary fiction. Her first literary fiction, Chained Melodies, a startling transgender story to rival The Danish Girl, and described pre-release as “…a beautiful book about love, acceptance and self-discovery…” was also released earlier this month.
~~~~~
Net Galley reviewers can access an ARC of Falling Awake there from 27th October, and all reviewers can obtain a copy and more information about Debrah’s other works by contacting her at the email address below.
~~~~~~~~~
For the first thirty reviewers to post a review of Falling Awake on Amazon, if you email Debrah with a link to the review, she’ll send you a bumper bundle (digital) of her other adult fiction books, including the award-winning Patchwork People series. Reviewers are also invited to contact Debrah for review copies of any of her books.
But apparently she could. It was the unusual challenge to the premise that had brought him here against the inclination to evade responsibility and slip home to his own dreams. She’d slept continuously for days now, without the need for water or sustenance; her only requirement, seemingly, a book. He peered curiously through the viewing panel as the attendant hovered behind him.
‘That’s her,’ the attendant announced as if pulling a rabbit from a hat. ‘Mary Parker.’
‘She’s very pretty,’ the tall young man declared, deep blue eyes narrowing to slits as he studied her. The woman’s long red hair cascaded over the side of the bed like blood streaming to the floor, her face a marble effigy of life. She reminded him of Millais’ Ophelia as she floated downstream on her layette of wild flowers – except this frozen beauty was merely asleep, not dead. He wondered what she was dreaming about. She seemed very familiar in a strange half-forgotten way.
‘Yeah, she is – and quiet now, but she weren’t once. Blimey – you should have seen her then, screaming and hollering. Wasn’t until we found that old book and gave it back to her that she shut up.’ The attendant picked at his nails and watched the tall young man lean in closer still. The corner of a book poked out from under the tightly clasped hands. ‘Then she just slept,’ the attendant added, shrugging his shoulders.
‘What’s its significance?’ the young man asked. He could just make out a title scrawled longhand across its spine. He wondered if the woman had written it on herself. He could only decipher the first word – ‘Falling’.
‘Not a clue, Mister; it’s just an empty book.’ The attendant shifted impatiently, as if tired of waiting, then asked, ‘How’d you know her again?’ He flipped the visitors’ page back to read the tall young man’s entry.
22nd Sept ’92: Time in – 5.45pm. John Hathorne, Director: Geo. Tooley & Sons.
‘I don’t really. She worked at the factory, that’s all. We have to be seen as caring employers so I’m here to check on her before we sign her off the books.’ He paused. Now he came to think of it he might have met her once. There had been a girl with bright red hair like hers the day he’d been shown round the factory. He’d been surprised by her scarlet mac because of the colour clash. He dragged himself from his reverie.
‘You said she had no family?’
‘Nope, apparently the mother died a while back and the neighbours say she’s been a bit odd ever since. Before they brought her in here she was wandering the graveyard down the road babbling about how she couldn’t find herself any more. Shame – when you got no-one.’
‘How do you think she can do it?’
‘What?’
‘Not eat or drink for so long – just sleep.’
‘Beats me. Maybe she’s not really there and we’re just imagining her.’ The young man stared at him. The attendant laughed. ‘Only joking. You done then?’ The attendant looked expectantly at him, and the young man found himself involuntarily offering his business card before collecting his briefcase and coat.
‘I suppose I could see if I can do something to help her if she comes back to the land of the living.’
The attendant turned the card over and read aloud, ‘Bespoke leisure wear and stage costumiers; themed event supplies a speciality.’ He studied the tall young man. ‘Versions of reality, huh? You’ll be getting a lot of custom soon, then.’ He sniggered. Outside the midweek rush hour traffic distantly hooted on its way home. The light had dimmed to the half-dusk of early autumn, but fallen leaves and skeletal trees said winter was already in the air.
The tall young man had spotted the now redundant leather straps on the side of the bed when he’d been trying to decipher the title of the book. The reddening round her wrists indicated where no doubt they’d been clasped until recently. ‘Halloween does tend to be a busy time,’ he agreed, suddenly uneasy. The place was oppressive and the sight of the comatose and confined woman depressed him. ‘Such a waste. Will she ever recover, do you think?’
‘Don’t know, mister. Not sure if she’s actually ill. Probably just the stresses of life – grief and disappointment. They do strange things to us, don’t they? Perhaps if she had someone to look after her, she’d get well again, but then who knows when anyone recovers from life.’ He laughed mirthlessly. ‘Maybe it’s better to just dream?’ The tall young man considered the idea for a while.
‘No, reality is always better, no matter how hard.’
He went back to the viewing window and studied the young woman for a few minutes more before gathering up the Essex County Gazette he’d brought with him and stuffing it under the arm carrying the briefcase. The pages creased and he made to flatten them, but stopped abruptly and tossed the paper back on the table the attendant had been sitting at when he’d arrived. He peered at his hand as if there was something wrong with it before shaking his head. The attendant cleared his throat meaningfully and opened the unit’s outer door.
‘I hope her dreams are sweet,’ the young man added sadly as the attendant ushered him out. The attendant flicked the light off and the room behind them sank back into shadow.
Neither saw the frozen figure thaw, stir, and open her eyes – deep green pools of luminescence. They fixed on the door and she listened intently to the low rumble of the tall young man’s voice as he made his goodbyes. The marble features creased to a frown and the slack body tensed. The book still clutched in her hand shivered.
‘No!’ she murmured. ‘No, no, no!’
——————————
Two (2) print copies of Falling Awake by Debrah Martin (INT)
Ends November 19th
Prizing is provided by the author, hosts are not responsible.
If you ask Harry why he went in the store, he’s tell you it’s because he’s always wanted a dog. And the kids would love it too. He figures he can get around his wife’s objections with this dog.
Queenie is a robot. She looks and acts like a dog. The plus is she doesn’t eat or drink, so Pam won’t get stuck having to take care of her. She doesn’t pee or poo so there are no accidents to clean up. And she comes fully programmed so you don’t have to train her.
There’s still a problem though. Queenie doesn’t seem to like Pam. How can that be? And the robot dog comes with a warning. Don’t ever over charge her battery.
Well, you know what happens don’t ya? Queenie is left on the charger too long and has a melt down and starts to act weird. This is where Pam can and does say, I told you so.
A robot dog sounds ideal. Until you start thinking about all of those movies you watched and books you read. Nothing good can come of it.
I really got creeped out by this story. Once Queenie went bad, the horror began.
Imagine this cute little doggie, hiding in the shadows, setting traps, luring you into the dark. And then…..
I could see it. Lured outside by a sound, seeing this tiny dog appear from the shadows. It steps towards you. So little. So cute. So dang scary.
I almost felt sorry for Queenie, Almost. Then the terror began and all I wanted was to run her over with a big piece of farm equipment. Smash her flat. But I had a feeling she’d be too slippery for that to happen.
Queenie is a Baad Dog. If something seems to good to be true, don’t buy it!
There’s plenty of chills and hair raising scenes to make any horror fan a happy camper.
5 Stars
~~~~
Synopsis
Don’t let the cute face fool you
Cujo has got nothing on this cute fuzzy faced little mongrel… or should I say fuzzy faced little killer?
Harry wanted a dog. He’d wanted a dog ever since his mother gave away the pup they’d adopted when he was a kid. She gave her away because Harry and his brother, Lenny, wouldn’t take care of her. Now Harry is a grown man with children of his own. He brings home, Queenie, a miracle of modern robotics that looks and behaves just like a real dog. Big Mistake. Harry’s wife, Pam, feels there’s something off about Queenie right from the start. But will Harry see the light before he and his entire family become dog food?
Excerpt
Some dogs are dangerous…
You can’t deny it. Everyone’s heard a story or two about the friendly pit bull, or the loveable Rottweiler who was the treasured family pet until the day he was playing with the kids in the yard and chewed little Liza’s fingers off.
But truth be told, those dogs— Rottweiler’s, Pit Bulls, Dobermans, aren’t born mean, they’re mean because they’ve been mistreated. A mistreated dog is nothing more than ticking time bombs just waiting for the right moment to go Cujo on an unsuspecting public lulled into a false sense of confidence by their giant gentleness.
But my, dog… my dog, the man thought. His dog was loved and cared for right from the start. His was a lap dog, cute and cuddly, and… perfect, which is why he was having the damndest time accepting the bitter truth— that his cute, cuddly, well treated dog was also a murderer.
So he lay there, his legs rendered useless, feeling as if they’d been set on fire like Christmas kindling. His world was spinning, spinning, spinning as if he’d been set down on a runaway merry-go-round. Through the pain and the spinning he heard the dog coming for him, coming to finish him off, her soft, doggie footsteps scratching gently toward him on the dust covered road.
Then she climbed up onto his body as he lay, eyes gazing up at the moon. She stood on his stomach, and teetered for a second before looking into his eyes.
Go get help, he thought. I need help. Of course, he knew better. She was the reason he was in this position in the first place. As the little dog began moving up his torso toward his chest, he thought of all the killer dogs he’d heard about or seen on the news over the years, and as his dog closed in for the kill, he wondered: since when did man’s best friend become his very own worst nightmare?
About the Author
Sal Conte is the horror writing alter ego of Amazon #1 Teen Horror author, E. Van Lowe. As Sal Conte, the author turns his talents to gruesome horror with stunning results. Sal Conte is the author of 80s pulp horror classics “Child’s Play” and “The Power,” as well as recent shorts “The Toothache Man” and “Because We Told Her To.
