Sunday, March 31, 2013

A Hint of Frost - Hailey Edwards

A Hint of Frost is the first book in the Araneae Nation series. This book is now $4.24 for the kindle. The world of the Araneae Nation is like none I've read about before. This story is ripe with possibilities for more books, but it comes to a very satisfying conclusion all on its own.

Lourdes is the oldest daughter of the Maven and Paladin of the clan Araneidae. Suddenly she finds herself the new Maven, when her clan is attacked and her parents killed. Lourdes seeks help from the clan Mimetidae to defeat the attacking Theridiidae. Part of her bargain for this help, is that she wed a male from the Mimetidae clan.

Rhys is the youngest son of the Mimetidae Maven. He's a fierce and fearless warrior. He's also a mystery. Rhys has secrets that few know. Some secrets that could get him killed.

Rhys is the Mimetidae male chosen to marry Lourdes and cement the alliances between the Araneidae and the Mimetidae clans. Can Lourdes and Rhys make this marriage of convenience work? Can they recover Lourdes sister Pascale, who fled the attack on the Araneidae, but may have been part of the Theridiidae plot? The adventures and intrigue that follow make a great story. It takes some work to get familiar with this new world, but it's worth the effort. Very highly recommended.

Saturday, March 30, 2013

Threads That Bind - Brant Williams

Threads That Bind is the first book in the Havoc Chronicles. This book is $2.99 for the kindle, but free for Amazon prime members. A whole new take on supernatural.

Madison Montgomery is a pretty normal teenage girl. She's a little on the heavy side and not popular, but she's smart and her family is solid. Madison is just getting ready to test for her driver's license. That's when her change hits. It turns out, Madison is not so normal after all. The changes are slow at first, but when she starts to glow in the dark she knows something is definitely going on.

I really liked this book right up to the last page or two. This is just about the worst ending ever for such a good book. A huge disappointment. I still recommend the book. The first 300 pages are great.

Thursday, March 28, 2013

Ghosts of Rosewood Asylum - Stephen Prosapio

Ghosts of Rosewood Asylum is $2.99 for the kindle, but free for Amazon prime members. If you like ghosts, spirits, and even a demon or two, this is the book for you.

Zach Kalusky is the host of a TV reality show called Xavier Paranormal Investigators. What most don't know is Zach has some interesting paranormal of his own going on. When the XPI team are tasked with investigating the Rosewood Asylum they're thrilled, but they have to share this investigation with another team from the show Demon Hunters. XPI is a serious scientific investigation, while Demon Hunters are all about the WOW. Both teams will find they've taken on more than expected. Not everyone associated with Rosewood is going to survive. Hang on for a wild ride. Highly recommended.

Tuesday, March 26, 2013

Sweet Blood of Mine - John Corwin

Sweet Blood of Mine is book one in the Overworld Chronicles. This book is still free for the kindle. Snap it up.

Justin Case is a 17 year old high school student. He's got a happy family and seemingly normal life. Justin is an admitted pudgy nerd, and he spends most of his time focused on Kings and Castles. Justin is having a crisis though. He's changing and he can't figure out why. Just when he could use some parental advice his Mom splits and his Dad turns into a drunk. Everything in Justin's life is heading downhill fast when he's befriended by the school's goth chick, Crye Rayne. Magic, monsters, rescues, and romance make a very interesting and entertaining coming of age story. This is not your average paranormal teenage fantasy. I'd take this story over Twilight any day. Very highly recommended.

Saturday, March 23, 2013

Divergent - Veronica Roth

Divergent is $5.70 for the kindle. If you like books about dystopian societies, and are familiar with Chicago, you'll want to read this novel. Imagine Lake Michigan without the water.

Beatrice Prior is a 16 year old Abnegation girl. Abnegation is just one of the five factions making up society around what used to be Chicago. But Beatrice is different. She's divergent. Beatrice chooses to become a Dauntless on her decision day, and takes the name of Tris. This decision changes her life, and the whole of society, in ways she can never imagine. A coming of age novel like no other. Action, suspense, and a little romance. Very highly recommended.

Reprisal - Colin Nelson

Reprisal is $3.99 for the kindle, but free for Amazon prime members. Islamic terrorists have decided to up the ante and Minnesota is the bullseye on the target.

Zehra Hassan is a Muslim woman and a public defender in Minneapolis. Paul Schmidt is an FBI agent. He's part of a task force that was investigating Somali Muslim men disappearing from the twin cities area. Mustafa Ammar is a geneticist working for the Minnesota company, Health Technologies. But that's just Mustafa's day job. Mustafa is planning the biggest terrorist attack on America in history. Zehra and Paul are going to have to stop Mustafa before Minnesota becomes the epicenter of the worst epidemic in modern history. This is a good book, but not great. The disjointed editing, and dead ends used as filler, distract from what could be a great suspenseful thriller. Recommended.

Sunday, March 17, 2013

Dodge the Bullet - Christy Hayes

Dodge the Bullet is free for the kindle. This book has cowboys, cattle, politics, greed, gunfights, and sex. It's an adventure, but it's a romance novel at heart. Don't hold that against it, because it's a great read.

Sarah Woodward is a widow with two young boys. After her husband's death, Sarah finally decides to move from Atlanta to the small town of Hailey, Colorado and become a cattle rancher.

A.J. Dodge is a rancher with a past. A past he's not proud of. When a friend convinces Dodge to help Sarah learn the ranch business, it starts more than one kind of trouble. Sparks fly between Sarah and Dodge, but the real trouble is going to be hanging on to Sarah's ranch when some powerful people want it for themselves. Highly recommended.

Friday, March 15, 2013

The Forever Gate - Isaac Hooke

The Forever Gate is a five part novel. This is part one, and it's 99 cents for the kindle, but free for Amazon prime members. It's short but good. Not good enough for me to pay for the other parts though.

Hoodwink is scheduled for execution. In Hoodwink's world there are people and gols, and the gols are in charge. Each city is surrounded by the Forever Gate. If Hoodwink can escape, the Forever Gate may be his only chance to stay alive. But no one who has passed the Forever Gate has ever come back. Think Matrix and strange. This book was good for what there was. Again, this is part one of a five part novel. Recommended.

Thursday, March 14, 2013

In the Blood - Steve Robinson

In the Blood is book one in the Genealogical Crime Mystery series. This book is 99 cents for the kindle, but free for Amazon prime members. It starts slow but finishes with a flourish.

Jefferson Tayte is a professional genealogist. He prefers to be called JT and hates to fly. When JT is forced to head to England to pursue his latest contract he's not happy. His client seems to be missing a branch on his family tree. When JT gets to England he finds he's not the only one searching for the missing branch. The problem is the other searchers will stop at nothing to keep JT from finding the answers he's looking for. As the bodies start to pile up, JT finds himself in danger of joining the pile. A good mystery, and if you like genealogy that's a big bonus. Highly recommended.

Sunday, March 10, 2013

Jimmy - William Malmborg

Jimmy is $3.99 for the kindle, but free for Amazon prime members. This is a disturbing book. Not one I recommend.

Jimmy Hawthorn is a high school senior. He's also a budding serial killer. No worries about spoilers here because I recommend nobody read this book. I almost quit reading in the first chapter, but continued because I thought there might be some glimmer of good in the book. Other than Jimmy's budding romance with a girl he didn't kidnap, there was nothing. No redeeming social value at all. The ending was just as bad as the rest of the book, if not worse. Not recommended for anyone for any reason. I'm so glad I didn't pay for this.

Saturday, March 9, 2013

The Last Praetorian - Mike Smith

The Last Praetorian is the first book in the Redemption Trilogy. This book is free for the kindle. The story doesn't have a real cliff hanger, but you'll still want to read the second book.

Jonathan Radec was the commander of the elite praetorian guard, and personal bodyguard to the emperor. When the empire collapsed Jon blamed himself and never stops trying to pay for what he sees as his mistakes. As the CEO of Vanguard Shipping, Jon now fights against the corrupt syndicate that's trying to take over the sector. The syndicate has targeted Jon and Vanguard Shipping for elimination. Epic fighter duels and space battles are the spice in a solid hard science fiction story.

There were two part of this novel that slowed me down. The first was too much introspection. It would have been better if the story had kept flowing, instead of wasting pages on guilt and worry. The second was the chapter headings with superfluous information: "Present day (five years later) Terra Nova, Zeta Aquilae System" Why can't the narrative explain the where and when? Especially when the where changes mid-chapter anyway. Other novels do. That said I still really liked this book and hopefully I'll get to read the rest of the trilogy. Highly recommended.

Wednesday, March 6, 2013

Sasha - Joel Shepherd

Sasha is book one in the Trial of Blood and Steel series. This book is free for the kindle. This novel kept me up until 3:00 in the morning, and now I crave the second book in the series.

Sashandra Lenayin was a princess of Lenayin. Then she chose to become the uma to Kessligh Cronenverdt, the greatest swordsman in the kingdom. Sasha is now a fighter of the svaalverd style, but she is still the king's daughter, and court intrigue and treachery will force her to face her destiny. This story has swords, horses, and battles galore. The author captures the urgency and action in a way that brings the book to life. Very highly recommended.

Sunday, March 3, 2013

Homeland - M.L. Hall

Homeland is free for the kindle. This book hides an engaging story in some of the worst editing I've ever seen. This novel is amazing for it's lack of correct spelling and grammar. And that's too bad, because if you can get past the editing, the story is very good.

Bran El'bryn is he youngest son of Lord Oscar El'bryn of Bryn Canlyn. Bran has no interest in being a lord, or governing Bryn Canlyn, but circumstance may force his hand. When an old enemy of Bran's father rises to power, and challenges for the rule of Bryn Canlyn, Bran may be the only El'bryn left. You should never make a witch mad.

This is a story that kept me reading, even though I was thoroughly fed up with the misspellings and sentences that made no sense. I read a lot of free books, so my tolerance for a few little mistakes is high. This is much more than a few little mistakes. That said, I still recommend this book if you're not a grammar Nazi.

Saturday, March 2, 2013

Cat's Paw - L. A. Taylor

Cat's Paw is $3.99 for the kindle, but free for Amazon prime members.

Miranda Glivven is the wife of the lighthouse keeper at Gwynnhead. Her husband Alexi has been gone on a secret job for the governor for months now, and Miranda is determined to find him. When Miranda sets out in search of Alexi, she finds more than she bargained for. Miranda has some allies she's not aware of though. One in particular. I really enjoyed this book. Highly recommended.

Ferris' Bluff - Fred Limberg

Ferris' Bluff is one of those rare books. You can't wait to find out how it ends, but you never want it to stop. This book is $2.99 for the kindle, but free for Amazon prime members.

Ace is on the run from the bad guys. Out of witness protection and on his own, Ace is just trying to get to Ferris' Bluff Arkansas to find an old friend. What he finds is more trouble than he planned for, and possibly a place he can finally stop running. A whole lot of action, a little bit of romance, and a great story. Very highly recommended.