(ARC) Book Review (499): Becoming Darkness (Haven #1) - Lindsay Francis Brambles

Becoming Darkness

by Lindsay Francis Brambles

Publication: 1st October 2015

Publisher: Switch Press

Pages: 496

Genre: Paranormal, Dystopian

Age Appropriate: Young Adult

Buy It: Amazon | Barnes & Noble 

Like everyone else living in Haven, seventeen-year-old Sophie Harkness is an Immune--a carrier of the genetic mutation that protects her from the virus Hitler unleashed upon the world more than half a century ago. A virus that wiped out most of humanity and turned two-hundred million people into vamps. But after her best friend is brutally murdered and several attempts are made on her own life, Sophie becomes determined to find answers to what seems to be a conspiracy running generations deep. And when she questions the peace treaty that keeps her small community protected, Sophie begins to discover terrible truths about herself and what it means to be human in a world ruled by darkness.

Lindsay Brambles' debut young adult novel is a story of an alternate universe: Hitler won the war, our modern technologies never evolved, and the Nazis' terrifying reign still continues. This fast-paced novel will appeal to readers who guzzle up genre mashups and are looking for a fresh hybrid to sweep them away. 

My Thoughts.

The synopsis of Becoming Darkness ticked off all of the boxes when it comes to what I enjoy reading, I thoroughly adore the paranormal genre, with vampires being my favourite supernatural beings of choice, add to that the historical element and the horrifying yet intriguing notion of a world where Hitler was never defeated and instead rules the whole world, the twist is what sets this book apart from so many others, the virus Gomorrah was released and turned most of the worlds population that were non-immune into vampires, with the sole remaining humans residing in Haven in America, the only dwelling of the humans immune to the disease, and that's where we meet our heroine Sophie who unbeknownst to her will find herself a part of the conspiracy surrounding Haven and the Third Reich that will change her life forever in ways she could never have imagined.

There's so much to love with this story, when I first got my hands on a copy I was a little surprised by the long length of the book, I of course had reservations that maybe with so many pages that this book would be slow and would subsequently drag a bit, but I was so wrong, I wasn't bored even once which I was so happy about, Lindsay knows how to write a story which is captivating, tense, heartbreaking and full of mystery and intrigue, from the concept through to the execution which was pretty much flawless, I am beyond anxious to read the next book, and while I know it's beyond impossible I wish that a certain character who sadly died during the Eva Braun airship crash would somehow miraculously appear, I was none too happy with the early exit, especially as this series is going to be a trilogy, but that was my only real complaint, everything else about this book was fantastic.

I give this a very well deserved 5/5 stars.

Lindsay Brambles is represented by Kelly Sonnack of the Andrea Brown Literary Agency. He was born in Ottawa, Canada in 1959. In ‘68 his father, an electrical engineer, signed on for a job overseas. This led to a decade of living and traveling in countries such as Pakistan, Iran, and Tanzania.

After grade three, Lindsay’s formal education was largely through the Ontario Ministry of Education correspondence course. He has spent most of his post-academic life in a variety of unrelated jobs, ranging from construction to childcare, all while pursuing a vocation as an artist.

When not engaged in the literary arts, painting, or earning money in less creative pursuits, Lindsay enjoys anything fitness related (especially cycling), collecting Gold Key comics and motion picture soundtracks, tinkering with computers, and just about anything that will expand his awareness of the world around him. Passionate about science and technology, he is especially interested in astronomy, cosmology, and quantum mechanics.

Lindsay is at present busily working on several books, not least of which are the sequel and final novel in the Haven trilogy (of which Becoming Darkness is the first in the series).

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Book Review (498): Once Upon A Zombie (The Color Of Fear #1) - Billy Phillips & Jenny Nissenson

Once Upon a Zombie (The Color Of Fear #1)

by Billy Phillips, Jenny Nissenson

Publication: 1st October 2015

Publisher: The Toon Studio Press

Pages: 368

Genre: Fairytale Retellings, Paranormal

Age Appropriate: Young Adult

Buy It: Amazon + Barnes & Noble

Unexplainablenews.com is reporting strange phenomena in cemeteries in Scotland, Germany, Italy, and America. Only one individual knows what's happening - and why! This person also knows the one girl who can prevent an unspeakable and imminent catastrophe from taking place. But will she? When Caitlin Fletcher's mom disappeared (or left?) four years ago, Caitlin began suffering from breathless bouts of anxiety. Her new move to London, with her Dad and her brainiac sister, threatens to lead to more situations that will trigger panic. Now, she's having anxiety over the possibility of having anxiety! Caitlin's life takes a turn for the bizarre when she's tricked into climbing down a "rabbit hole", landing in a wondrous fairy tale universe - except it's crawling with savage, starving blood-eyed zombies. But what's scarier - a blood thirsty zombie, a panic attack....or the painful truth?!

My Thoughts.

I know I've said this numerous times over the years while blogging and reviewing but I absolutely adore fairytale retellings, so when I discovered this book and realised that not only does it feature every fairytale character you can think of like Cinderella, Sleeping Beauty, Snow White, Rapunzel, The Little Mermaid, Belle from Beauty And The Beast and characters from Wizard Of Oz, Alice In Wonderland, Peter Pan, I could go on and on, but there's a big twist they're all Zombies, that's right that's the angle this story took on and boy did it turn out well.

The integration of these characters of popular culture has brought to life a world and story that's certainly unique and hard to tear yourself away from, I loved the imagery of the characters and the world that they're living in, the storyline is intriguing and so full of adventure that there's never a dull moment, the way that we as readers come to discover and meet these colorful characters was so unexpected but totally cool and creepy at the same time.

I don't want to give too much away because I believe the fun in reading this is discovering everything yourself, but the quick version is a curse bestowed upon the fairytale lands by The Queen Of Hearts which has turned everyone Zombie, and only one person can reverse this curse otherwise they'll be left as Zombies forever, and so it's up to a human girl Caitlin Fletcher to save the Kingdoms and it's folk, I like the way they've set up the series for the next book, I cannot wait, this book was so enjoyable I just want to get my hands on the next one.

I can't recommend this book enough, for those who like a twist on their favorite fairytales then this is the series for you!

Plus kudos for the fantastic cover.

I give this 5/5 stars.

About the Authors

Billy Phillips is a writer, creative director and producer. He has ghost-written thirteen best selling non-fiction books, some of which surpassed a million copies sold. This is his debut novel. He owns a large vintage collection of fairy tale books and art and lives in sunny and all-too-dry Southern California.

Jenny Nissenson is a writer, producer and entertainer. She has written for Nickelodeon and lives in Hollywood, California with 1009 puppets and her twenty-five year old pet tortoise.

http://www.onceuponazombie.com/

Blog Tour: Spotlight & Giveaway: An Inheritance Of Ashes - Leah Bobet

Brought To You By Rockstar Book Tours.

Title: AN INHERITANCE OF ASHES

Author: Leah Bobet

Release Date: October 6, 2015

Pages: 400

Publisher: Clarion Books

Formats: Hardcover, eBook

Goodreads | Amazon |Barnes & Noble | iBooks

The strange war down south—with its rumors of gods and monsters—is over. And while sixteen-year-old Hallie and her sister wait to see who will return from the distant battlefield, they struggle to maintain their family farm.

When Hallie hires a veteran to help them, the war comes home in ways no one could have imagined, and soon Hallie is taking dangerous risks—and keeping desperate secrets. But even as she slowly learns more about the war and the men who fought it, ugly truths about Hallie’s own family are emerging. And while monsters and armies are converging on the small farm, the greatest threat to her home may be Hallie herself.

About Leah:

Leah Bobet is a bookseller, publisher, and editor as well as a Pushcart-Prize nominated author. She lives in Toronto. www.leahbobet.com

Website | Twitter |Facebook | Goodreads

Giveaway Details:

3 winners will receive a finished copy of AN INHERITANCE OF ASHES. US Only.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Tour Schedule:

Week One:

9/28/2015- Literary Meanderings- Interview

9/29/2015- MEREADALOT- Review

9/30/2015- Moonlight Gleam Reviews- Guest Post

10/1/2015- Nerdophiles- Review

10/2/2015- Stories & Sweeties- Excerpt

Week Two:

10/5/2015- Falling For YA- Review

10/6/2015- A Dream Within A Dream- Guest Post

10/7/2015- Head Stuck In A Book- Review

10/8/2015- Once Upon a Twilight- Interview

10/9/2015- Book Briefs- Review

Book Review (497): Sustained (The Legal Briefs #2) - Emma Chase

Sustained (The Legal Briefs #2)

by Emma Chase 

Publication: 25th August 2015

Publisher: Gallery Books

Pages: 272

Genre: Contemporary Romance

Age Appropriate: Adult

Buy It: Amazon + Barnes & Noble

A knight in tarnished armor is still a knight.

When you’re a defense attorney in Washington, DC, you see firsthand how hard life can be, and that sometimes the only way to survive is to be harder. I, Jake Becker, have a reputation for being cold, callous, and intimidating—and that suits me just fine. In fact, it’s necessary when I’m breaking down a witness on the stand.

Complications don’t work for me—I’m a “need-to-know” type of man. If you’re my client, tell me the basic facts. If you’re my date, stick to what will turn you on. I’m not a therapist or Prince Charming—and I don’t pretend to be.

Then Chelsea McQuaid and her six orphaned nieces and nephews came along and complicated the ever-loving hell out of my life. Now I'm going to Mommy & Me classes, One Direction concerts, the emergency room, and arguing cases in the principal's office.

Chelsea’s too sweet, too innocent, and too gorgeous for her own good. She tries to be tough, but she’s not. She needs someone to help her, defend her…and the kids.

And that — that, I know how to do.

My Thoughts.

I thoroughly enjoyed the first book in this series Overruled, so I had pretty high expectations for Sustained, and those expectations were blown out of the water I loved this book so much more than the first one and that was all because of the lead character Jake, I adored his romance with Chelsea and his interactions with the kids, need I mention anything more than the One Direction concert which I found extremely funny, in fact any scene where Jake was out of his comfort zone was highly enjoyable to me.

For someone known to never show any kind of emotion, and who was described as cold Jake was surprisingly delightful to have as the only point of view in Sustained, the change in his attitude and character throughout had me falling in love with him, the story drew me in from the first page and I couldn't get enough, I wish that the book was longer than it was, I didn't want to say goodbye to Jake, Chelsea or the six kids, I was just so absorbed, intrigued and utterly fascinated with all the goings-on.

Also enjoyable was the frequent appearances of Stanton, Sofia and Brent, I love the scenes with the four of them all together, I'm extremely anxious to read Brent's book, I think it will be very entertaining, although it will have to be pretty spectacular to overtake Sustained as my favorite book of The Legal Briefs series.

I seriously need to pick up Emma's other series, I really enjoy her writing and I want to fall in love with a whole new set of her characters, I highly recommend this series, especially this book.

I give this 5/5 stars.

ABOUT EMMA CHASE

By day, Emma Chase is a devoted wife and mother of two who resides in a small, rural town in New Jersey. By night she is a keyboard crusader, toiling away the hours to bring her colorful characters and their endless antics to life. She has a long standing love/hate relationship with caffeine.

Emma is an avid reader. Before her children were born she was known to consume whole books in a single day. Writing has also always been a passion and with the 2013 release of her debut romantic comedy, Tangled, the ability to now call herself an author is nothing less than a dream come true.

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Book Review (496): Until Friday Night (The Field Party #1) - Abbi Glines

Until Friday Night (The Field Party #1)

by Abbi Glines 

Publication: 1st September 2015
Publisher: Simon And Schuster
Pages: 336
Genre: Contemporary Romance
Age Appropriate: Young Adult
Buy It: The Book Depository

To everyone who knows him, West Ashby has always been that guy: the cocky, popular, way-too-handsome-for-his-own-good football god who led Lawton High to the state championships. But while West may be Big Man on Campus on the outside, on the inside he’s battling the grief that comes with watching his father slowly die of cancer.

Two years ago, Maggie Carleton’s life fell apart when her father murdered her mother. And after she told the police what happened, she stopped speaking and hasn’t spoken since. Even the move to Lawton, Alabama, couldn’t draw Maggie back out. So she stayed quiet, keeping her sorrow and her fractured heart hidden away.

As West’s pain becomes too much to handle, he knows he needs to talk to someone about his father—so in the dark shadows of a post-game party, he opens up to the one girl who he knows won’t tell anyone else.

West expected that talking about his dad would bring some relief, or at least a flood of emotions he couldn’t control. But he never expected the quiet new girl to reply, to reveal a pain even deeper than his own—or for them to form a connection so strong that he couldn’t ever let her go… 

My Thoughts.

I have been a huge Abbi Glines fan for quite a while now, I know that when I pick up one of her books whether it be YA or New Adult I will find myself immersed and enraptured in whatever world of hers I'm reading at the time, her ability to transition between the two different age brackets is flawless never have I read a bad book by her, I love them all, and Until Friday Night is no different.

I knew just from reading the synopsis that I was going to enjoy this book, Abbi can write tragedy extremely well, with her writing you can find yourself overcome with emotion, which I did more than a few times throughout this story, but I find that's the way to tell if someone is a great writer, if I find myself crying while reading a book and it wasn't just the once then that's the making of a true author, to have you caring enough about a character(s) that you feel their every pain as if it were your own, and that's what I'm guaranteed to get with every book of Abbi's that I pick up, she is one of the best author's around, and I can't get enough of her books.

I'm glad that this is going to be a series and not just a standalone, there are quite a few characters that deserve their own books, Brady in particular who's book I'm hoping will be released next, and also glad that while the series is based around American football it's not heavy with information about the game, there is mention of a couple of things but for those of us not into sport it's a welcome relief that the story isn't saturated with all that is football.

I can certainly see myself re-reading Until Friday Night at some point, it was thoroughly enjoyable, with just the right amount of drama and romance that will keep you glued to the pages, another winner from Abbi, I suggest that everyone should pick this up.

I give this 5/5 stars.

When Abbi isn’t locked away in her office typing away she is hauling her kids to and from their many social activities. You could say her second job is the Glines Kids persoSince publishing her first novel Breathe in May of 2011, Abbi has also released The New York Times bestselling Seabreeze Series which includes Breathe, Because of Low, While It Lasts, Just For Now and Sometimes It Last, The Existence Trilogy that includes the USA Today Bestseller Ceaseless. New York Times and USA TODAY bestsellers The Vincent Boys and The Vincent Brothers. Last but not least her most popular series to date, Rosemary Beach which includes The New York Times and Wall Street Journal bestsellers Fallen Too Far, Never Too Far, Forever Too Far, Twisted Perfection and Simple Perfection. Her newest book scheduled to be released on December 17th, 2013 is Misbehaving (Seabreeze).nal chauffeur. It’s a rather illustrious job.

 She maintains a Twitter addiction at @AbbiGlines and can also be found at facebook.com/AbbiGlinesAuthor and AbbiGlines.com.

Book Review (495): Tracker's End (Wind Dragons MC #3) - Chantal Fernando

Tracker's End (Wind Dragons MC #3)

by Chantal Fernando

Publication: 1st September 2015
Publisher: Gallery Books
Pages: 352
Genre: Contemporary Romance
Age Appropriate: Adult
Buy It: The Book Depository

The third in a sexy romance series from the bestselling author of Saxonand Toxic Girl about the bad boys of the Wind Dragons Motorcycle Club and the women who fall in love with them.

Tracker is everything I’ve ever wanted.

I see him. I’ve watched time change him.

I’ve been patient, but he still hasn’t noticed me. Not the way I want him to. The more time I spend with the MC, the more I understand.

When you want something, you have to take it. You have to fight for it.

And Tracker is more than worth fighting for… 

My Thoughts.

I have been anxiously awaiting Tracker's story ever since I read the first book in the Wind Dragons MC series, his was a character that had me intrigued from the get go and I was eager for his book to be released, and I'm so happy to say that I wasn't disappointed.

Chantal knows how to write hot, steamy and sexy alpha males, the kind that will leave you weak in the knees and hot under the collar, and this series is full of them.

The intrigue of life and day to day living in a motorcycle club certainly makes for an interesting storyline, whilst living my life that way wouldn't be my cup of tea it's definitely exciting and interesting to read about.

With feisty, intelligent and strong kick ass heroines to boot, we are given such well rounded and developed characters that make this series an addictive one sitting read.

I can't wait to find out who's book will be next although I'm hoping it will be Rake, I think his story will be just as good as Tracker's would.

Another great installment of a series that I recommend everybody who loves this genre should pick up.

I give this 5/5 stars.

New York Times, Amazon & USA Today Bestselling Author Chantal Fernando is twenty seven years old and lives in Western Australia.

Lover of all things romance, Chantal is the author of the best selling books Dragon’s Lair, Maybe This Time and many more.

When not reading, writing or daydreaming she can be found enjoying life with her three sons and family.

Chantal loves to hear from readers and can be found here:

Website ~ Facebook ~ Twitter~ Goodreads

Book Review (494); Safe At Last (Slow Burn #3) - Maya Banks

Safe at Last (Slow Burn #3)

by Maya Banks 

Publication: 23rd June 2015

Publisher: Avon

Pages: 368

Genre: Romantic Suspense

Age Appropriate: Adult

Buy It: Amazon | B&N | iBooks | Kobo | BAM

The third book in the beloved #1 bestselling author’s sexy, romantic suspense Slow Burn series…

They say young love doesn’t last, but a girl from the wrong side of the tracks with unique abilities and the hometown golden boy were determined to defy the odds. For Zack Covington, Anna-Grace—his “Gracie”—was the one. Until one night forever alters the course of their future, when a devastated Gracie disappears without a trace, leaving Zack to agonize over what happened to the girl he loved. As the years pass, his desperate efforts to find her uncovered nothing.

Now working for Devereaux Security, he stumbles across a painting featuring a special place only he and Gracie would know. The image is too perfectly rendered for it to be coincidence. His Gracie must be alive. When he finally tracks her down, he is shocked—and heart-broken—to discover the wounded shell of the girl he once knew and still loves. Her psychic gifts are gone, and worse, she believes he betrayed her all those years ago.

Zack has enemies, and once his weakness is discovered, Gracie becomes a target for revenge. He’ll have to save her before he can earn her trust and her love. And he vows they’ll never be torn apart again.

My Thoughts.

The Slow Burn series is incredibly hard to put down once you've picked one of the books up, filled with suspense, pulse pounding action, romance and of course terrific story-telling, they are very addictive and you'll find time passing by very quickly so absorbed you'll find yourself in each and every one of the books.

Safe At Last deals with a very sensitive matter, one that can at times be hard to read about but Maya has done a very good job of tackling the subject sensitively and with the compassion and delicateness that this story needed, there is a lot of violence towards women in this book but it's dealt with in a way that hopefully shouldn't offend or upset anyone in any way, and that is because of the strength and professionalism of Maya's incredible writing.

While these books are primarily contemporary romantic suspense in nature, I also enjoy the heroines in each and every book having a psychic gift in some sense, adding a bit extra to the storyline and setting this series aside from it's counterparts.

I look forward to the next installment, Wade and Eliza are a couple that I can't wait to read about, a highly recommended series that I can't get enough of.

I give this 5/5 stars.

Maya Banks is a multiple #1 USA Today and New York Times bestselling author whose chart toppers have included erotic romance, romantic suspense, contemporary romance, Scottish historical romances. She is the author of the Breathless Trilogy, the Surrender Trilogy, the KGI novels, the Sweet series, and the Colters Legacy novels.

She lives in the South with her husband and three children and other assorted babies, such as her two Bengal kitties and a Calico who’s been with her as long as her youngest child. She’s an avid reader of romance and loves to dish books with her fans and anyone else who’ll listen! She very much enjoys interacting with her readers on Facebook and Twitter as well as in her Yahoo! Group.

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