Riding For Redemption

Riding for Redemption

Desperate to find her place in the world, Sara Beth dreams of applying for the Miss Wrangler Montana competition that tours with the rodeo circuit. Riding horses has become her anchor until a near fatal accident takes more from her than she’d ever willingly sacrifice.
Determined to prove his business training, Johnny seeks out the Rourke family to call in an old favor. When he embroils himself in Sara Beth’s life, he has to prove they’re nothing more than friends. Seeking independence, both Sara Beth and Johnny lean on each other more and more, until love threatens their friendship. Will they seek out each other or be confused by their dreams? Can either of them leave their past and embrace their future?

Author: Bonnie R. Paulson
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This is an interesting, quick read.  It explores themes of healing, friendship, recovery from tragedy, and growing wiser.  I love that the romance is founded on friendship and not on superficial things like appearance or money or being rescued (although those certainly play a part).  Sara Beth is a strong character on her own and watching her grow and develop is a pleasure.  The author uses dry wit and a subtle sense of humor to excellent effect in this story.

Spoilers:
This is the second book in the series and I was a little worried because I had not read the first one.  It was not a problem, though.  I understood everything that was going on.  I did go back and read the first book in the series, "Romancing Redemption" and some of the story made more sense, but I was fine without having read it first.  That being said, the book is part of a series, and those seeking closure to the story will be wonderfully disappointed.  There is a little profanity scattered throughout the book, but no smut.

I received a download of this book for my honest opinion.

Outsystem

Outsystem

Major Richards needs to get out of the Sol System Demoted by the military and hung out to dry, the media labels her the Butcher of Toro. Despite her soiled record, Tanis still one of the best military counter-insurgency officers in the Terran Space Force. And they need her to find the terrorists responsible for trying to destroy the GSS Intrepid, a massive interstellar colony ship in the final phases of construction at the Mars Outer Shipyards. It’ll be her ticket out of the Sol system, but Tanis discovers she is up against more than mercenaries and assassins. Major corporations and governments have a vested interest in ensuring the Intrepid never leaves Sol, ultimately pitting Tanis against factions inside her own military. With few friends left, Tanis will need to fight for her life to get outsystem.
 

Author: M.D. Cooper Facebook / Website / Amazon

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I really enjoyed this book!  The combination of sci-fi that is thoroughly grounded in science and politics that are equally well grounded in reality was refreshing and kept my attention.  Major Tanis Richards is a strong, intelligent, and charismatic woman who has a good sense of humor, and is able to navigate the treacherous grounds of military hierarchy and politics very well.  The story kept me reading long after I should have gone to bed, and absorbed my lunch breaks until I finally finished the book. I highly recommend this book to fans of the David Weber's Honor Harrington Series, and Elizabeth Bear's Jenny Casey Trilogy.

Spoilers:
As if the banner above doesn't give it away... There's a sequel!  But the good news is that it's available now.  Some readers have said they had trouble understanding when the Tanis' artificial intelligence implant was "speaking" and when it was actually Tanis' internal monologue, but I think that's kind of the point.  The blurring of the real and the virtual is crucial to the setting and the way people interact with their environment.  

Whiskey Witches

Detective Paige Whiskey comes from a long line of witches. They may not all be the most powerful, but they are outspoken and supportive of their community. She alone has no gifts. She can’t summon fire, can’t read minds. She knows the arcane. She’s studied it. That, along with her connection to the Whiskey Witches, lands her some pretty strange cases.

Like the sacrificial murders of St. Francisville, Louisiana. There’s a killer on the loose, choosing people in a vain attempt to raise a demon. Not just any demon, though. A man born long ago, made a demon in order to protect the Gate to Hell.

Together with demon hunter, Dexx Colt, her kitchen-witch grandmother, and her paranormal investigator brother-in-law, they unravel a conspiracy far bigger than a few simple murders, and re-discover Paige’s gift.

She’s a demon summoner and she’s key to the killer’s plan.

Author: SM Blooding

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This was a well-written book that kept my attention from the first couple pages onward.  The plot and premise are fascinating and present a new take on the whole concept of angels and demons.  Paige Whiskey is a realistic character who, despite her powers still has good days and bad days, comes up with brilliant plans yet still makes bad decisions, and is wholly, entirely human.  The cast of supporting characters is equally well-imagined and described and they breathe extra life into the story.  I highly recommend this series.

Spoilers:

If you are offended by a presentation of Christianity that is at all different than what is taught in most churches, this book is probably not for you since this story blurs the line between guardian angels and predatory demons so that it is hard to tell who is who.  Profanity abounds in this book, but it is not used for the sake of being "edgy" or "hip," the words are sincerely meant in context.  There is talk of sex, but no intimate sexual content or descriptions.  This story does not end with the book, and I am intrigued to see what the sequel will bring.  It's definitely on my "to buy" list! 

 I received a download of this book for my honest opinion.

A Date To Die For (Series)

A Date To Die For

When dating ends in deaths and threats, Molly might be better off staying single. During one of Molly’s weekly meet-ups with her girls at their regular bar, Molly succumbs to the duress of her two best friends and begins the aggressive dating they sign her up for online where the pairings are questionable… and dangerous. They’ve entered her in an evening of speed dating. But at the end of the evening she finds an item from her past that raises questions, grief… and danger.

When the number of deaths surpass Molly’s goodnight kisses, her past pushes into the present and Molly loses much more than she gains. A stalker has focused on Molly and refuses to let anyone else date her. But she refuses to be single for the rest of her life.

Is Molly doomed to a life of singledom wrapped in fear – or will the stalker turn on her?

By Bonnie R. Paulson
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If you enjoy daytime television and fast-paced, snarky writing, this is the one for you!  Molly and her friends are funny, devoted to one another, and just that perfect little bit catty.  The action takes place over the course of seven very short novellas and can be read one at a time or devoured in one sitting - just like your favorite TV show.   I have to admit, when I first read the tag line for this book, I was not terribly excited.  It looked like all those shows on TV that are more about shoes and clothes and women re-enacting their mean girl days from high school than anything else.  But there is more to this story than a desperate woman trying to get married before she reaches the unthinkable age of twenty six.  There are elements right out of classic film noir, traditional whodunnits, and those wonderfully mushy romances (you know the ones), as Molly tries to solve the mystery that surrounds the death of her sister.

Spoilers:
Not a lot to say here.  There is sex, murder, stalking, and open dialogue about various shades of kink.  Definitely for mature readers.

To Love a Cyborg

To Love a Cyborg

Genetics, Corruption, Romance, and passion.

It is 2065. No-one knows the true identity of Detective Chief Superintendent Ben Tobin or where he came from.  His world turns into a nightmare with a spate of shocking homicides and abductions. Never encountering such evil before, Ben suspects they are ritual killings carried out by more than one killer.  Determined to solve the sinister notes left with the bodies, he turns to American psychologist Lucy Roberts.  She informs him genetic research could be involved. Working together they begin a passionate affair that turns into a nightmare. Can Lucy resolve her fears?   Can she accept Ben?
The clock is ticking, as the crimes take them across the world, and out to the Asteroid Belt. As Ben races to save the victims, Lucy disappears.

Author: Katy Walters

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This book has a fascinating premise and has well-imagined characters. It is fast paced and the mystery aspects of it are well described and detailed. It's not a standard "whodunnit," but there is still a degree of guesswork and suspense. The setting is a little hard to wrap one's head around, as the reader is dropped into a futuristic world with absolutely no preamble or descriptive build up. Once you get past the setting, it is a quick read and has some interesting plot twists. I am a little at a loss as to how to discuss this book without posting spoilers; suffice it to say that this book should come with a trigger warning.

 Spoilers: There is a lot of implied rape in this book. Most of the scenes involve adults, but there is a scene where the detective saves children from a pedophile ring before they can be abused. While very little is described other than sounds that are overheard, there is no doubt of what is happening in these scenes. There are also many scenes with snakes, so if you are an ophidiophobe, you might want to give this one a pass.

 I received a download of this book for my honest opinion.

Time of Their Lives

The simple tale of what happens when a super hero and super villain meet by chance after years of retirement...  The original story was published in May 2004 by Top Cow Productions, and is written by Troy Hickman

http://seananmcguire.tumblr.com/post/84545084905/geardrops-oldearthaccretionist

I know I usually review books, with the occasional graphic novel, and one short story, but it still seems odd to now include a link to a comic that has been reblogged on tumblr.  This one is a short comic - only nine pages - but the story it tells is so perfect, so moving, so incredibly powerful, that I have to include it. I can't say anything more about it without telling the tale, so I'll let the author take it from here.

Spoilers:
Nothing, really.  No swears.  No sex.  No drugs.  Just the amazing complexities of human interaction.

Spartanica

Spartanica

Ty and Marcus Mitchell are average middle school brothers growing up in a suburb north of Chicago until one night when they’re hurtled through an inter-dimensional gateway to a parallel world defined by its multiple moons and planet-wide apocalypse. As they struggle to figure out where they are and how to get home, the boys encounter refugees of “the last day” from the distant city of Atlantis and a mysterious girl called Bellana, the sole survivor and resident of the devastated metropolis of Spartanica. Ty and Marcus soon learn they only have seven days to get home. But before they can leave, they must battle through long-extinct deadly predators, find the elusive Professor Otherblood (if he’s still alive), and rescue a new friend from certain death. Is all of this insanity just Ty’s overactive imagination or are the brothers truly on the brink of being stranded in the brutal wasteland known as Spartanica?

Author: Powers Molinar

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This was a fun young adult science fiction book.  The characters of Ty, Marcus, and Bellana are enjoyable to read about, their adventures are fascinating, and the world is vast and complex.  I am looking forward to reading more from this author - especially since Spartanica is the first book in The Survivors of Sapertys series.  This is not a book you can just power through and read quickly - although it's hard to go slowly!  The storyteller's point of view changes among the three main characters, and the world is described and defined through their unique perspectives, so this requires a bit more focus than usual.  The language and measurements of Spartanica were difficult to grasp at first since the contextual cues are initially vague - I could tell that one was a measurement of time, but not whether it was an hour or a century.  This is defined for the reader as Ty and Marcus figure it out, but was a little frustrating at first.  Place your trust in the writer - the ride is worth it!

Spoilers:  Ty and Marcus are very much alike in terms of their narrative style and I found it quite difficult to tell from whose point of view the story was being told unless the speaker was complaining about his brother. Which they both do.  At great length.  As I mentioned above, the contextual cues as to the meaning of Spartanican words are vague and are defined only after they have been used for several chapters.  This made reading quite frustrating for me and broke the willing suspension of disbelief - reminding me that I was reading rather than allowing me to stay lost in the story.  This book has a cliffhanger ending, so if this frustrates you, wait until the series is complete - the second book is still being written.  

I received a download of this book for my honest opinion.