Saturday, December 21, 2013

Review - Darkness First by James Hayman

Darkness First: A McCabe and Savage ThrillerDarkness First: A McCabe and Savage Thriller by James Hayman
My rating: 5 of 5 stars
ebook, 306 pages
Published October 1st 2013 by Witness Impulse 
Source: Publisher for review
 
Synopsis:
'The mutilated body of a young woman. The town doctor lying comatose in the road. A hundred and fifty tablets of Canadian OxyContin. This is the havoc that a merciless killer has wreaked on a sleepy Maine seaport.

As detectives Maggie Savage and Michael McCabe investigate, they realize the man they are after does not exist. Nobody knows his real name. Nobody has seen his face. But everybody fears his blade.

The only one who may know the murderer’s true identity is an eleven-year-old girl—who has vanished into thin air.

Taut, twisting, and starring two unforgettable heroes, Darkness First will thrill fans of John Sandford and C. J. Box.

My Thoughts:
This is the first book I have read by author James Hayman and it totally hooked me from the start.
I loved how much of a page turner this story was and I found myself really liking the main character, Maggie Savage, as she is a very strong and down to earth woman who also has some faults but she manages to overcome them and just get on with things.

I really enjoyed how this book constanly kept me thinking as to who the real bad guy was. Maggie is a very likeable and thorough detective who doesn't make you sigh out loud by having every lead or development in her investigation just fall at her feet. This is a big pet peeve of mine when reading these types of novels and I didn't feel it once during this one.

Hayman has a great writing style that really draws you in and makes you keep wanting to read more and more. There are so many twists and turns contained in this story as well as quite a lot of characters to keep track of but I never once found it confusing or tedious to read.

As I said, this is my first ever book by this author and apparently it is the third in the McCabe and Savage series, but I didn't feel like I was lacking in any details from not having read the first two. It is definitely a great stand alone story that holds its own and an excellent thriller/suspense novel for lovers of this genre.

 

Friday, December 13, 2013

Review - Vampires Don't Sparkle! by Michael West

Vampires Don't Sparkle!Vampires Don't Sparkle! by Michael West
My rating: 4 of 5 stars
Paperback, 233 pages
Published March 15th 2013 by Seventh Star Press 
Source: Publisher for review
Synopsis:
'What would you do if you had unlimited power and eternal life?

Would you…go back to high school? Attend the same classes year after year, going through the pomp and circumstance of one graduation after another, until you found the perfect date to take to prom? Would you…spend your days moping and brooding, finding your only joy in a game of baseball on a stormy day? Or would you…do something else?

The authors of this collection have a few ideas; some fanciful, some humorous, and some as dark as an endless night. Join us, and discover what it truly means to be “vampyre.”
'

My Thoughts:
I have to admit that I thoroughly enjoyed reading this book because it took me back to the roots of where vampire stories started. Back to where vampires are creatures that have no soul and are meant to be feared rather than befriended or fallen in love with.

None of these stories have vampires that mourn their old existence or crave the company of humans to try and remember what life used to be like. Every creature in this book is evil and heartless and meant to be feared, just the way vampires should be.

All of the stories in this collection are short, sweet and to the point. If you are like me and miss the old fashioned vampire stories before these creatures were glorified and turned into mushy human wannabes, you'll enjoy reading this collection as much as I did.

Important Links:
Amazon: Vampires Don't Sparkle!

Wednesday, November 20, 2013

Book Spotlight & Giveaway - The Kingdom of Vosh by Jason C. Conley


   JasonCConley 

About the Author: In 1999, Jason Conley drew a picture of a young woman’s face. It eventually became the cover of the book you now hold. When not consumed by writing or art, Jason canoes, fishes, and hikes the rolling hills of Tennessee with his family. There are secrets to this world we live in. Some faintly whispered, others hidden in plain view. Some of those secrets have been carefully placed throughout this book. Truth and fiction, it is what we try to discern between every day, though I wonder is it even recognizable anymore? Do we know the truth or are we simply told what to believe in and what is real? It is a journey we are all on. It will be up to you to decide which parts are which. Break loose of those chains and look around you, because the truth… will set you free. 
Book Synopsis: Secrets have been formed in the dark corners of the kingdom. Change is in the air and whispers of new ideas and technologies have swept the land. Unfortunately, the King is old and simple and his daughter is concerned only with worldly possessions. A man by the name of Buul, a man long forgotten, has returned to pay a visit to the King on the King’s birthday. He has not come empty handed and will be the King’s undoing. The King, in moments of panic and war, can trust no one with the protection of his daughter. He quickly decides to entrust her life with a creature most vile and uncommon and chains her to a Vork. He does not leave her empty handed though. His last gift to the Princess is an amulet with powers even he does not comprehend. The land’s only chance, the only one loyal to the King’s memory, is the daughter that cares nothing of the Kingdom of Vosh.   

 Author Links: 

Tour Schedule and Activities November 20 Watch Play Read Review November 20 Beagle Book Space Contest November 21 Sapphyria’s Book Reviews Guest Post November 22 Jess Resides Here Guest Post November 23 Lost Inside the Covers Review November 24 Armand Rosamilia, Horror Author Guest Post November 25 The Official Writing Blog of Dee Dee Davies Guest Post November 26 Laurie’s Thoughts and Reviews Guest Post November 27 Spellbindings Review November 28 Workaday Reads Guest Post November 29 Bee’s Knees Reviews Review November 30 Azure Dwarf Review December 1 Vampires, Witches, & Me, Oh My! Guest Post December 3 Little Red Reviewer Interview December 4 Myriad Musings Guest Post/Interview December 6 Come Selahway With Me Guest Post December 7 Breath of Life Review December 9 Book in the Bag Review December 11 Angela Meadon Blog Review December 13 Deal Sharing Aunt Review December 15 SpecMusicMuse Review/Interview December 16 Word to Dreams Review December 18 A Haunted Head Interview December 19 Bookishly Me Review December 20 The Dan Brien Project Guest Post December 23 Sheila Deeth Blog Review   

Amazon Links for The Kingdom of Vosh Print Version http://www.amazon.com/The-Kingdom-Vosh-Chained-Princess/dp/1937035433  

Friday, November 15, 2013

Book Blast, Excerpt & Giveaway - Building Attraction by Monique McDonell






Title: Building Attraction
Author: Monique McDonell
Published: October 31st, 2013
Word Count: 58,000
Genre: Chick Lit, Romantic Comedy
Content Warning: Adult Sexual Content
Recommended Age:  16+

Synopsis:
Hers has been a life of too many responsibilities and his has been a life of too few. Could the thing that initially repelled them from each other finally be the ultimate source of attraction?

Holly Adams has two jobs in the city, two petulant teenage sisters to support, a farm with a big mortgage and a terrible secret that propels her forward. Brad Winchester has a reputation for being a spoilt playboy who has abandoned his family business but he also has a secret that has finally brought him home.

When they are forced together at work (Holly works at the cut-throat PR Consultancy that handles his family’s account Winchester Homes – “They don’t build homes, they build dreams”)  a series of misunderstandings has them at odds.

Still working together they learn they have more in common than either might have imagined – common friends, family loyalty and dreams of something different. When life keeps pushing them in each other’s paths they must decide whether this is an attraction that might be worth building on after all.



About the Author:
Monique is an Australian author who writes contemporary women's fiction including chick lit and romance. She lives on Sydney's Northern Beaches with her husband and daughter, and despite a dog phobia, has a dog called Skip.

Monique has written all of her life, especially as a child when she loved to write short stories and poetry. At University she studied Creative Writing as part of her Communication degree. After wards she was busy working in public relations and didn't write for pleasure for quite a few years although she wrote many media releases, brochures and newsletters. (And she still does in her day-job!)

When Monique began to write again she noticed a trend - writing dark unhappy stories made her unhappy. So she made a decision to write a novel with a happy ending and she has been writing happy stories ever since.

Excerpt:


'Bradley Winchester dove into his red convertible BMW and discreetly followed Holly home. She was fascinating. Mesmerizing even. He’d never seen anything as erotic as that woman bent over the car hood fixing her engine and snapping her knife shut against her thigh. It was primal and capable and so completely foreign to him. He was used to women who needed help to open their champagne let alone fix their cars.

He knew from the minute he walked into the EPR boardroom today that Holly Adams did not like him. He was an hour late, but that had been a genuine mix-up. His secretary had given him the wrong time. He was normally fastidious about punctuality. However, he knew it was more than that.
Holly Adams had him pegged as a guy punching above his weight, so to speak. She saw him as a guy who was handed a job on a silver platter that he wasn’t qualified for. She was right to an extent, but she didn’t know the full story and he couldn’t tell her, even if he wanted to. Not that it had been any of her goddamned business in the first place. He had tried to smooth things over with her at the time and she had been nothing but courteous but her distrust of him was obvious.
Holly did a left-hand turn into a driveway. It was the driveway of St Anne’s School for Day Students and Boarders. Why was Holly going into an exclusive girls’ school at seven at night? He turned into the driveway and shut his lights. She had gone right so he turned left and pulled his car into a park behind a bank of trees. He got out of the car and watched Holly. She parked. She went around to the passenger side and hauled out her briefcase. He watched her head towards a doorway and it swung open…light spilled through the doorway and an imperious woman filled its frame.
“Cutting it fine aren’t you Miss Adams?”
“Nothing to worry about Sister Evangeline, I’m here now.”
The door slammed and the yard was dark. Brad looked along the bank of buildings. Brad had dated a few St Anne’s girls back when he was in high school but he’d never been to the school before and never at night.
Upstairs he could see school girls talking on a veranda. He saw Holly approach. She was backlit and her golden hair looked like a halo.
“Holly! You’re here!” One girl trilled. “I have so much to tell you!”
“OK Maddy, you will have to wait and tell me after study hall. Come on girls everyone inside. You all know the drill.”
Holly Adams worked at the school. How fascinating, Brad thought. He had so many questions.
He saw the downstairs door open again and the large woman peer out.
“Who are you? We don’t need any Peeping Tom’s around here. You’ve got two minutes to skedaddle or I’m letting the dogs out.”
Oh heck, thought Brad, and he climbed in his car and burnt rubber getting the hell away from St Anne’s.'



Giveaway Details:
There is a tour wide giveaway. Prizes include the following:
  • $20 Amazon Gift Card
Giveaway is International.

Tuesday, November 12, 2013

Review - Outback Dreams by Rachael Johns

Outback DreamsOutback Dreams by Rachael Johns
My rating: 4 of 5 stars
Paperback, 352 pages
Published October 1st 2013 by Harlequin Enterprises Australia 
Source: Publisher Review Copy
Synopsis:
'Faith and Monty are both looking for love...but they’re looking in the wrong direction.

Faith Forrester is at a crossroads. Single, thirty and living on a farm in a small Western Australian town, she’s sick of being treated like a kitchen slave by her brother and father. Ten years ago, her mother died of breast cancer, and Faith has been treading water ever since. She wants to get her hands dirty on the family farm. She wants to prove to herself that she’s done something worthwhile with her life. And she wants to find a man...

For as long as he can remember, Daniel ‘Monty’ Montgomery has been Faith’s best friend. When he was ten, his parents sold the family property and moved to Perth, and ever since, Monty’s dreamed of having his own farm. So for the last ten years, he’s been back on the land, working odd jobs and saving every dollar to put toward his dream. Now he finally has the deposit. But there’s still something missing...

So when Faith embarks on a mission to raise money for a charity close to her heart, and Monty’s dream property comes on the market, things seem like they are falling into place for them both. Until a drunken night out ends with them sleeping together. Suddenly, the best friends are faced with a new load of challenges...

Monty and Faith are both ready to find a life partner and settle down, but have they both been looking in all the wrong places?

My Thoughts:
When I first started reading Outback Dreams my initial thoughts were "Great, another 'friends since forever and only just realising they love each other' kind of story". I have read so many other books like this that I was praying this one would have something a little more.

Luckily, it did. Yes, the above theme was definitely a strong part of the plot, but the book did actually contain other elements as well that kept my interest and made it more of an enjoyable read, such as the individual personal journeys that Faith and Monty underwent, the issue of dealing with someone who has autism, and also with losing a loved one just to name a few.

Monty was definitely my favourite character because he was easy to relate to and seemed like your typical Aussie bloke. He is a very determined person, knows exactly what he wants to achieve in life and is willing to work to get it.

Faith on the other hand annoyed me a little. She seemed to just drift along as an extra on her family farm doing nothing more than being the cook and cleaner to a totally oblivious father and brother. When she finally realises that her life has been a bit of a waste and decides to do something about it, she seems to get so defensive about her position which bothered me to no end because it was her decision to live that life in the first place.

I really enjoyed reading an Australian novel for a change (being Aussie myself) as it was so much easier to relate to the language and slang used throughout as well as picture the scenery described.

This is the first time I have ever read a story by Rachael Johns and I liked how realistic her characters were and how easy her style of writing was to read. I'll definitely read another novel by her in the future if the opportunity comes up.

Links:
Amazon

Sunday, November 10, 2013

Book Spotlight - Nightlife by Matthew Quinn Martin

Nightlife

by Matthew Quinn Martin

on Tour October 14 - December 14, 2013


Book Details:

Genre: Horror/Thriller Published by: PocketStar / Simon & Schuster Publication Date: Oct 21, 2013 Number of Pages: 332 ISBN: 1476746893 ISBN13: 9781476746890 Purchase Links: NOTE: Excessive strong language, Graphic violence

Synopsis:

For centuries an ancient evil has slept beneath the streets of New Harbor. This Halloween, it wakes up. An action-packed debut horror novel from talented new writer Matthew Quinn Martin, NIGHTLIFE pits a feisty bartender and a mysterious loner against bloodthirsty terrors as alluring as they are deadly. Nightclub bartender and serial heartbreaker Beth Becker might be a cynic. But when her best friend goes missing Halloween night, Beth knows it’s up to her to find out what happened. Her quest will take her on an odyssey through the crumbling city of New Harbor, Connecticut. Along the way she meets a homeless prophet warning of something he calls the “Night Angel”…a bloodthirsty creature that has been feeding on the forgotten. And she will form an unlikely bond with a hunted stranger who knows all too well what is stalking the streets at night. He reveals to her to the hideous truth about the nightmare creatures that have haunted mankind’s imagination for eons––creatures the world calls vampires. Together they are the only hope for New Harbor, but to defeat what lurks in the shadows they are going to have to conquer something far stronger than fear––their own desires.

Read an excerpt:

Beth was alone. She looked down at the wallet still in her hands. Behind a scratched plastic window was a picture of her and Ryan, both of them smiling at her from happier times. Had he gone missing the same as Zoë? What was happening? She shook her head. Maybe she’d finally gone around the bend. Could she really have just seen a man get shot, bleed white, and then liquefy into nothingness—and all because of a box of salt? “Get a grip, Becker.” She reached for the nearest bottle, not even sure what was in it, and poured herself a full glass. “You’re seeing things.” She was about to take a sip when she heard the sound of footsteps from the shadows. She turned to spot a faint outline form in the blackness, almost as if it was born from it. It was a man, and the slightest flicker gleamed from his eyes as he moved into the light. Beth’s glass slipped from her grasp, shattering on the floor as she saw just who it was. “Ryan!” she called out, rushing over. “Oh, my God, Ryan!” But something about him made her stop just shy of the slick spreading out on the floor where the corpse had been lying only minutes before. She looked at Ryan. Something wasn’t right. His hair was different, longer, the way he wore it back when they’d first started dating. He was dressed in clothing he’d thrown out years ago. The same clothing he’d had on in the photo in her wallet. His gaze landed on her, and in that moment, Beth had never wanted him more. Those eyes—so inviting, so mesmerizing, so . . . hungry. He shifted closer. He had yet to speak a single word. “Ryan,” she said. “I was so worried.” But even as she spoke the words—even as she felt that if she’d just let him take her in his arms, all her troubles would disappear—she knew something was terribly wrong. She started to inch backward. “Ryan, why don’t you say something? You’re scaring me.” He sniffed the air, almost gulping at it. Then he cocked his head at an angle that didn’t seem natural—or even human. Suddenly, he leaped for her, covering the three yards between them in a single bound. She dodged. He missed her by inches. But he now stood between her and the door, cutting off any possible escape. He moved closer, hands grasping for her. Beth ducked around a table and shoved forward with all her strength, crushing him against the wall. Ryan screamed. It was that same high-pitched wail she had heard coming from the man who’d been shot. The one Jack said was “hardly a man.” Ryan pawed at the table, sending it flying end over end as if it was made of papier-mâché. Planks splintered against the brick wall. Beth swept up a board. She hit him hard, right across the face. The board cracked in half, and her hand sang with a dull thwack. It did nothing. He simply shook it off and stepped forward, closing the gap between them as he pegged her against the bar. His hands clamped down on her. His grip was like quick-drying cement. She couldn’t move. Beth’s knees began to give out as a heady brew of terror and desire overtook her. She felt the hard press of his hand pushing back her head, exposing her throat. She felt herself giving in. She wanted to go where Ryan had gone, to see what he’d seen, to become whatever it was he’d become.

Author Bio:

Matthew Quinn Martin was born in Allentown, Pennsylvania and raised in New Haven, Connecticut. However, it wasn’t until he moved to Manhattan that he realized he was a writer. These days, he lives on a small island off the North Atlantic coast of the United States where it gets quiet in the winter…perhaps too quiet.

Catch Up With the Author:

 

Tour Participants:

Saturday, November 9, 2013

Cover Reveal & Giveaway! - Embrance the Mystery by Caris Roane



COVER BLURB:
Mastyr Quinlan pursues the artist, Batya, with only one thing in mind but soon discovers that his desire for her is just the beginning of an earth-shattering affair…
He doesn’t want a woman in his life…
Quinlan must keep Grochaire Realm safe from the enemy at all costs.  As ruler of his realm, a woman has no permanent place in his day-to-day existence. But when his lust takes him to Batya’s bedroom, he soon discovers he’s deep into a powerful experience that threatens to blow his life apart.  He wants Batya with a feverish desire that makes no sense in his logical, warrior world.  But when an ancient fae attacks Batya’s gallery, he launches into protector mode and soon finds himself embroiled -- body, soul, and fangs -- with a woman he’d only meant to bed a couple of times.  
She has no desire to get involved with a mastyr vampire…
Batya’s intense desire for Mastyr Quinlan stuns and baffles her.  She doesn’t want to be involved with the vampire on any level.  His sole focus of ruling Grochaire Realm has kept him from staying with one woman longer than the proud length of his fangs.  Besides, she’s built a life for herself in Lebanon, Tennessee as an artist and healer to the realm ex-patriot community. But when the ancient fae attacks Quinlan at her gallery, then attempts to kidnap her assistant, Batya finds herself catapulted into an astonishing adventure.  Even so, she works steadily to get back to her free-clinic and her painting, but how can she leave Quinlan behind when he’s commanded her like no other man ever has?
READ MORE:http://www.carisroane.com/3-embrace-the-mystery/ 

BIO:
I confess I've had a love affaire with vampires for several years now, especially warrior vampires, the kind found in the books of Sherrilyn Kenyon, Lara Adrian and JR Ward. Though I've been published in Regency Romance under the pseudonym Valerie King--and yes one of my Regency Novellas features a vampire--one day I woke up knowing I had to create my own contemporary world of the warrior vampire.
For some mystical, magical reason, early in the process, my vampires appeared with enormous beautiful wings and it has been the most amazing experience to include flight in my novels, in both battle scenes and scenes involving spectacle. My special vampire world, published by St. Martin's Press, is introduced in the first book called, ASCENSION (12-28-2010). The second book, BURNING SKIES (May of 2011), opens up the world a little bit more. And even as I write this, I'm on the final draft of my third novel, WINGS OF FIRE (September of 2011). What a thrill it has been to live with my ascended vampires through the creation of this extraordinary, multi-dimensional world!
For more information about my unique take on the vampire mythos, check out my website at carisroane.com and my book release video on YouTube by putting in the search phrase, Caris Roane Ascension.

SOCIAL MEDIA LINKS:
Website:  http://www.carisroane.com/
Facebook:  https://www.facebook.com/caris.roane
Twitter:  https://twitter.com/carisroane
Goodreads:  http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/3500801
EXCERPT:
From Chapter Two: Mastyr Quinlan, having survived an enemy attack because Batya healed him, has to brush out his long warrior hair. Batya helps him out…
Quinlan showered, washing out the mass of his hair twice then applying Batya’s crème rinse until he’d have a half-way decent shot at getting the snarls out with a brush.
Using her blow dryer, he scowled as he watched his damn hair fly around. Why couldn’t a vampire, especially a Guardsman, have some kind of preternatural power to remove snarls and dry his hair without electricity?
“Want some coffee with your ‘shits’ and ‘damn-all-the-elf-lords-to-hell-and-back’?” He met Batya’s reflection in the mirror, and saw a mug extended in his direction.
He shut the dryer off, turned around, and took the cup. “That bad, huh?”
Batya chuckled. She had dimples, two of them. Not deep, but they were definitely there, beside her mouth. He’d never noticed before, but then most of his seduction work had taken place at a distance.
“Turn around. I’ll work the back section.”
He didn’t hesitate, something that resonated deep in his brain as a serious warning of some kind, but he wasn’t sure in what way. 
She picked up the brush he’d been using and started at the tips. He couldn’t even feel the tugs so he drank his coffee and released a sigh. 
His thoughts turned to Grochaire, the realm he ruled. “I need to get word to my Guard, to warn them about what they’re up against. But my telepathy isn’t working through your shield and my phone got blasted by one of those wraith-pairs.”
“You can try my phone, but I can’t guarantee you’ll get through, not with the shield I have in place. Sorry, but staying alive has a priority here.”
He smiled because he couldn’t have agreed with her more.
She brushed through a long length, hit a snag and started working it. He could see her in the mirror, brow furrowed. He’d seen that look already, more than once just conversing with her. She had a seriousness about her that he approved of, maybe because it matched his own. 
He sipped some more and watched her. She was a beautiful woman and tall, maybe just under six feet. He wouldn’t have to lean too far down to pull her into his arms and kiss her. She wore her hair loose with clips holding it away from her face.  She had strong cheekbones and a straight nose. Her chin was definitely fae, more pointed than a human’s would be, but exquisite.
 
 He knew her ancestry, half-fae, half-troll, her genetics having fallen on the fae side. Realm-DNA did that when the species mixed. The offspring landed one way or another, the same if more than two lines made up the code. Genetics always picked a lane. He realized that he liked her looks, really liked them. “Have you ever done a self-portrait?”
She picked up another long hunk of his hair and once more started at the tips, working swiftly. “I don’t really do faces. I’ve always been into landscapes and the occasional still-life if the objects intrigue me enough.”
“Do you go out, snap photos of woodlands, that kind of thing?”
“Sometimes.” She stopped brushing and scratched her cheek with her thumb. “But more often than not I’ll get these rich images in my head and that’s what I’ll paint.”
“Sounds fae.” 
She started brushing again, making quick work as he sipped his coffee. “Maybe. Probably. I don’t think about it. I just paint and let the spirit move me.”
He smiled. “The spirit, huh?”
“It’s a good earth-saying, don’t you think?”
“I suppose it is. So you like being here on human earth?”
“I do. In fact, I love it. I didn’t know what happiness or freedom was until I moved here.” She met his gaze in the mirror. “And I don’t plan on ever returning to the Nine Realms. The day that we made our treaties with the US, turned out to be the best day of my life…”
 
GIVEAWAY:   signed copy of BORN IN CHAINS, e-copies of EMBRACE THE DARK, EMBRACE THE MAGIC, and EMBRACE THE MYSTERY, small tote, notepad, versatile calendar, sticky notes, and RTC cards!!!  International winner receives gift card compensation!!!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Friday, October 18, 2013

Review - Under The Dome by Stephen King

Under the DomeUnder the Dome by Stephen King
My rating: 5 of 5 stars
ebook, 1120 pages
Published December 24th 2009 by Scribner (first published 2009) 
Source: Own copy

Synopsis:
'On an entirely normal, beautiful fall day in Chester's Mill, Maine, the town is inexplicably and suddenly sealed off from the rest of the world by an invisible force field. Planes crash into it and fall from the sky in flaming wreckage, a gardener's hand is severed as "the dome" comes down on it, people running errands in the neighboring town are divided from their families, and cars explode on impact. No one can fathom what this barrier is, where it came from, and when -- or if -- it will go away.

Dale Barbara, Iraq vet and now a short-order cook, finds himself teamed with a few intrepid citizens -- town newspaper owner Julia Shumway, a physician's assistant at the hospital, a select-woman, and three brave kids. Against them stands Big Jim Rennie, a politician who will stop at nothing -- even murder -- to hold the reins of power, and his son, who is keeping a horrible secret in a dark pantry. But their main adversary is the Dome itself. Because time isn't just short. It's running out.'


My Thoughts:
Oh boy! I don't even know where to start with this book except that I now feel a little bit lost that I have finally finished it.
In true King style this book contains a massive list of characters but they all weave together in such intricate ways and play their parts so well that I don't feel it was a struggle at all to remember who was who.
I love the concept of this book. It's a bit like Lord of the Flies where you get a glimpse at seeing how normal people react and adapt to an abnormal situation. It shows us how human nature can change and that everyone is capable of a bit of evil if pushed far enough.
Also, this is not a book where you should get too attached to any particular character as there is a great possibility that they may not be around by the end. King certainly doesn't pull any punches with what fate awaits the poor citizens of Chester's Mill.
Under The Dome is definitely one of my favourite King books to date. It has taken me a good couple of months to get through this mammoth read using a mix of audio and regular reading and I haven't felt so consumed or invested in a book in a very long time. I literally felt like I knew the people personally and could visualise the town and the events that were happening with almost perfect clarity. I guess a lot of this has to do with the great narrator of the audio book portion I listened to.
The ending was a bit of a surprise to me. I'm not sure what I was expecting but it wasn't what finally eventuated.
I wouldn't class this as a regular King horror, instead I would say it is a bit of a mix of Sci Fi and Thriller. Whatever you think it should be classified as, it just works.

Important Links:
Amazon: Under the Dome
The Book Depository

Friday, October 11, 2013

Book Spotlight - Word by Harry Hallman






Word
a short story

"When a word game turns deadly, how do you fight it?" Who do you go to for help? Martin must answer these questions before he becomes the next victim of an insidious plot. In a single day Martin's simple life as a business executive is turned upside down, because of his fascination with word games. And he is not the only one in danger.

Available in ebook format on Amazon - http://www.amazon.com/Short-Story-Harry-Hallman-ebook/dp/B00ENHU20E/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1378438749&sr=8-1&keywords=Words+by+Harry+Hallman


 Author’s Biography

Hallman a resident of Atlanta and was born and raised in the Kensington section of North Philadelphia. He served in the U.S. Air Force, including two tours in South Vietnam as a photographer. He is married to Duoc Hallman, and has two children, Bill and Nancy, and one grandchild, Ava.
Hallman is a serial entrepreneur who has created several marketing services companies and continues to work as a marketing consultant. In 1995, when the Internet was an infant, he formed a web development company and has been a practicing online media consultant ever since. In 1990 he assisted his son Bill Hallman, a then budding fashion designer, start his business. Bill Hallman operates several stores in Atlanta and designs fashions for both men and women.

Writing Influences
Hallman's father was Harry Hallman, Sr., a champion billiards player who also owned a poolroom called Circle Billiards, located at Allegheny Avenue and Lee Street in Philadelphia. The younger Hallman spent many hours after school at his father’s pool hall. These youthful experiences laid the groundwork for his novel Mercy Row, including the colorful language in the text.
"The combination of my digital marketing experience, my work with my son's business and my own mania about playing word games on my iPad, allowed the idea for Word to pop into my head one day. Although I was working on my sequel to my Mercy Row novel, Mercy Row- Clann, the idea would not leave me alone until I fished this short story: WORD"

Works by Harry Hallman:
Mercy Row 
Available in ebook and paperback at Amazon.com
Website: www.meryrow.com
Facebook: www.facebook.com/mercyrownovel

Mercy Row- Clann- Coming Late 2013

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