Vampire Dawn (Vampire for Hire 5) by J.R. Rain


Six years ago federal agent Samantha Moon was the perfect wife and mother, your typical soccer mom with the minivan and suburban home. Then the unthinkable happens, an attack that changes her life forever. And forever is a very long time for a vampire. 

Now in VAMPIRE DAWN, Samantha Moon tackles her most frightening case yet. Someone is leaving victims drained of blood, and all signs point to the killer not being a vampire. Meanwhile, Sam can't help but notice the changes coming over her son...fantastical changes that will leave her searching desperately for answers. 

As Sam tracks down a ruthless killer, and as her own humanity slips further and further away, an ancient relic holds a secret that will rock her world...and open up a whole new one.


Finally, I found a Samantha Moon novel liked unconditionally. Vampire Moon (Vampire for Hire 5) is the novel I hoped to read when I first read Moon Dance.Although I missed Christmas Moon, I think I was better for that missing knowledge because it had me paying closer detail to the action and actions of the characters.

I like this outing by J.R. Rain because this time around it was so much about her being a vampire as much as it was about her using her vampirism to enhance her being a private detective. Yes, she discovered new things in her life but they weren’t centered on her but around her.

Anthony is definitely going to be about to carry a future series. He has so much future potential that I can’t begin to fathom the direction of this character. I’m glad to see that she starting to realize that she needs to “come out” to her kids. When she does, I think Anthony will stay with his mom and Tammy will leave for her dads.

Another character that I helped to make this novel more interesting is the growing relationship with Detective Hanner. They are both women with similar home stories but where Haner’s became tragic it looks that Samantha’s will be the complete inverse. I speculate that this divide will increase in them until they are enemies. Whatever happens, it will be interesting to see.

Whatever I missed in Christmas Moon isn’t a glaring omission from this story but it will be the next story I read. It will help sate my thirst until the sixth Vampire of Hire novel comes out.


I give Vampire Dawn (Vampire for Hire 5) 4 out 5.

Across the Creek

Across the Creek by Jeremy Asher


Life only gives you one first kiss. 

And when Jesse Malone kissed Sarah Ramsey, he thought his life would change, but not in the way that it did. An unlikely childhood romance between a poor boy and a wealthy girl began the day Jesse decided to do the impossible and cross the creek. A love was born, one that would become their shelter, protecting them from the storms of their lives, until the day Jesse witnessed his mother’s murder, forcing him to leave his childhood home…and first love. 

Ten years later, life has finally gotten better for Jesse. He has a loving family, a charming pet shop to run, and one semester left before graduating with a degree in architecture. Everything is great, until the day fate intervenes and his long-lost love walks into his shop and back into his life. 

Sarah, engaged to a budding attorney, is struggling to keep everything together. Her father, diagnosed with terminal cancer, is running out of time. Sarah races to build their dream business while planning her wedding in time for her father to walk her down the aisle. 

Their brief encounter starts a series of events that neither Jesse nor Sarah expects. After a decade of running, Jesse is now forced to face the demons from his past, while Sarah has to choose between her handsome attorney and her first love. Just when they think love has given them a second chance, Jesse is faced with an impossible decision, one that will change their lives forever.


Across the Creek is an amazing novel that makes you relate to the characters from the very first chapter. They are characters that you want to get to know. They are people that I would want to be friends with. These are well crafted characters that Jeremy Asher has created. They are good nature people moving through life doing the best that they can, given their situations. Jesse Malone is a well-meaning guy that finds his simple life complicated with the reintroduction of the only girl that he has loved, coming back into his life. He’s a protagonist that is relatable from the first few pages from his perspective.

This is the first time that I found and read a novel so close to its release, only two weeks ago. It, Released on 15 June 2012, has me anticipating the next book. There isn’t even a release date for the next novel.

Although the ending is atypical of most books I found in completely realistic. It definitely ends on a cliffhanger that is going to get more interesting in the next book, Beneath the Willow. In five to ten years someone will definitely read this and see the potential, for a movie franchise, just from this book alone.


I give Across the Creek 4 out 5.

The Prodigal Hour: A Time Travel Novel

The Prodigal Hour: A Time Travel Novel by Will Entrekin

On October 31, 2001, six weeks after escaping the World Trade Center attacks, Chance Sowin moves back home, hoping for familiarity and security. Instead, he interrupts a burglary as his father, Dennis, is shot and killed.

What begins as a homicide investigation escalates when the Joint Terrorism Task Force arrrives. Where he hoped for solutions, Chance finds only more questions: who killed his father, and why? Was his father—a physicist at Princeton’s Institute for Advanced Study—working on dangerous research? Why did Dennis build a secret laboratory in his basement?

Chance might not know the answers, but Cassie Lackesis, Dennis’ research assistant, thinks she does. She isn’t certain that Dennis discovered a way to time travel, but she knows who told her: Chance.

Together with Cassie, Chance will go on a journey across time and space that will challenge his every notion of ideas like “right” and “good.” One young man’s desire to make a difference will become, instead, a race against time as he tries to prevent forces he could never understand from not just destroying the universe but rendering it nonexistent.

When every action has a reaction, every force its counter, Chance will find that the truest measure of his character is not what he wants but what he will do when the prodigal hour returns.

For as long as I discovered the writings of MichaelCrichton, Timeline has been my favorite Time Traveling novel. I have found one that has finally dethroned it. The Prodigal Hour: A Time Travel Novel deals with quantum physics on level that I barely grasp. For the most part I don’t even know if the theoretical science is sound but it’s compelling and logical to my mind.

It followed my logic and understanding of time travel which made it instantly relatable. I like how Entrekin inserted his characters to many significant points in history. I think what happen when Chance and Cassie visited Christ; is my favorite part of this book.

But the crown jewel of this novel is the reactive consequences of temporal manipulation. Everyone has discusses visiting Christ, stopping Hitler and WTC but using alternate realities, colliding and collapsing universes, Will Entrekin crafts a fictional novel, that answers those questions. I think it will become a classic.

Although it ends a little more somber than I would like, I understand and applaud its conclusion. There has to be consequences for partaking in time travelling. Even now as I write this I have smile on my face because it was that interesting.

Having been a fan of time travel since I first saw ‘Back to the Future Trilogy’ as a kid, The Prodigal Hour should be made into a movie; as long as they stay faithful to the book. Timeline, as previous mention, is a perfect example of how Hollywood crapped an excellent novel.

I give The Prodigal Hour: A Time Travel Novel 5 out 5.

Finding Kate Huntley

Finding Kate Huntley by Theresa Ragan

During a vacation in the Caribbean, fifteen-year old Kate Huntley's father, a prominent U.S. scientist, is murdered before her eyes. For the next ten years Kate grows up alone in Haiti, one of the most dangerous and poorest countries in the Western Hemisphere. Not a day goes by that she doesn't think of her father. Kate pushes herself to become stronger, mentally and physically. Every day is a struggle for survival. And yet she lives for only one reason...revenge.

While looking for a drug lord via satellite in Port-au-Prince, Haiti's capital, Jack Coffey, rookie FBI agent, spots Kate Huntley. Jack is sent by the agency to find Ms. Huntley and bring her back to the States. They have many unanswered questions about her father's death. A professional and responsible man, Jack is confused by Kate's lack of cooperation. He wants to help her return to the States where he believes she'll be safe, but she treats him like the enemy and refuses to go. Everything about her is a contradiction. She looks fragile and innocent, but every time he turns around she's putting another thug in his place. In the beginning Jack wonders if Kate's distrust of his superiors is warranted or just simple paranoia. In the end, Jack realizes nothing is as it seems.

Theresa Ragan is quickly becoming my female Michael Crichton... favorite author. From the moment I discovered Abducted, I read the majority of her books. The one thing they all have in common is that they don’t disappoint.

I thought Finding Kate Huntley would be another great read. It was, even to the end. The characters didn’t end where I thought they would when reading the first few chapters and it made the book that more enjoyable. The characters had plausible story arc that didn’t betray what made them and the novel an entertaining read.

If you’re not familiar with Theresa Ragan, or T.R. Ragan, she writes under both you should. Her plots are vivid and not overly complicated. For the most part they keep me reading until the end. I rarely want to put down one of her books wants I start reading.

I give Finding Kate Huntley 5 out 5.

UnEnchanted (An Unfortunate Fairy Tale)

UnEnchanted (An Unfortunate Fairy Tale Book 1) by Chanda Hahn

Mina Grime is unlucky, unpopular and uncoordinated, that is until she saves her crushes life on a field trip, changing her High School status from loser to hero overnight. But with her new found fame brings misfortune in the form of an old family curse come to light. For Mina is descended from the Brothers Grimm and has inherited all of their unfinished fairy tale business. Which includes trying to outwit a powerful Story from making her it's next fairytale victim.

To break the fairy tale curse on her family and make these deadly occurrences stop, Mina must finish the tales until the very Grimm end.

UnEnchanted (An Unfortunate Fairy Tale Book 2) is another interesting take on the Grimm legacy. It’s something that I have been interested since the premiere of NBC’s Grimm during the 2011-2012 Television Season. Before the show I was never much of a fan of the Grimm fairy tales, but that show made me a fan.

The book was introduced to me by my favorite daily email from Pixel of Ink. The moment I read that it was about the Grimm curse I knew I wanted to read it. It didn’t disappoint. Wilhelmina Grime is an interesting character just like Grace Murphy. I find her instantly compelling and riveted to the book. Just like the character Jared I want to protect her, hoping with every character she will be safe.

Toward the end of the book, I was lost in the tale. Most times I’m analyzing the story as I’m reading. This time I was along for the ride. I was never a fairy tale reader so I’m woefully ignorant to which tales she is fighting to complete. The only one that I readily knew she was facing was Red Riding Hood.

Even before I finished the book, I downloaded to my Kindle a couple of books that had the Grimm tales in them. Something I should have done long ago, but neglected too. I think with a series so new I don’t know if research the Grimm tales will help or hurt my experience with the books.

The next book in the series by Chanda Hahn is entitled Fairest (An Unfortunate Fairy Tale Book 2). From the description Mina Grime looks to tackle the Snow White tale, which in recent months has gain in popularity for some reason.

I give UnEnchanted (An Unfortunate Fairy Tale Book 1) 4 out 5.

Easy

Easy by Tammara Webber


A girl who believes trust can be misplaced, promises are made to be broken, and loyalty is an illusion. A boy who believes truth is relative, lies can mask unbearable pain, and guilt is eternal. Will what they find in each other validate their conclusions, or disprove them all?

When Jacqueline follows her longtime boyfriend to the college of his choice, the last thing she expects is a breakup. After two weeks in shock, she wakes up to her new reality: she's single, attending a state university instead of a music conservatory, ignored by her former circle of friends, stalked by her ex's frat brother, and failing a class for the first time in her life.

Her econ professor gives her an email address for Landon, the class tutor, who shows her that she's still the same intelligent girl she's always been. As Jacqueline becomes interested in more from her tutor than a better grade, his teasing responses make the feeling seem mutual. There's just one problem--their only interactions are through email.

Meanwhile, a guy in her econ class proves his worth the first night she meets him. Nothing like her popular ex or her brainy tutor, Lucas sits on the back row, sketching in a notebook and staring at her. At a downtown club, he disappears after several dances that leave her on fire. When he asks if he can sketch her, alone in her room, she agrees--hoping for more.

Then Jacqueline discovers a withheld connection between her supportive tutor and her seductive classmate, her ex comes back into the picture, and her stalker escalates his attention by spreading rumors that they've hooked up. Suddenly appearances are everything, and knowing who to trust is anything but easy.


There was a definite disconnect with me and Easy. Amazon had 177 five ratings. I had nowhere near the reaction of these reviews. And definitely could be that my head just wasn’t in the mind set for this book. The writing was excellent. It was the subject of the book is where it lost me.

I think I will revisit this book later. After finishing the first two books in the Slammed Series by Colleen Hoover the subject of this book may have been too much of a drastic change. I had such an adverse effect from this book that it was off putting. Even as I continued to read I was seething from one incident in the beginning.

They say 3 out 4 women have been sexually assaulted. Murder is the first, second, third thing on my mind. I have a little sister; I just want to protect her. After the party I saw Jacqueline as my little sister. I wanted to protect her. Because of that fact I think I maybe harshly judging this book.

From the moment Jacqueline refused to call the cops, I lost sympathy for the character. I know it’s harsh but I would be just as harsh and disappointed, in my sister, as I am in the character, for stay silent. When she found her empowerment at the end, I still couldn’t recover from the disappointment I still felt because she was silent, in the beginning.

I not saying it was her fault; she didn’t deserved what happened to her. But I feel silence is never the answer to RAPE. Then there is Lucas/Logan; he was too lenient on Buck. I would have pounded Buck within an inch of his life. He is at the top of list for the worst type of human scum I can think of. The bottom of my shoe deserves to be smeared with his blood


I give Easy 2 out 5.

Point of Retreat (Slammed Series #2) by Colleen Hoover


Point of Retreat is the second novel in the SLAMMED SERIES. Layken and Will's relationship persevered through hardships, heartache and a cruel twist of fate, further solidifying the fact that they belong together. What they don't expect is that the things that brought them together may ultimately be the very things that tear them apart. Layken is left questioning the very foundation on which their relationship was built. Will is left questioning how to prove his love for a girl who can't seem to stop "carving pumpkins." Once they find answers, the couple faces an even greater challenge. One that could change not only their lives, but the lives of everyone who depend on them.


Point of Retreat (Slammed Series #2) is definitely my favorite of the two. I don’t think any more books could top this one in the series. I love this book of so many reasons. It inspired me to write a poem entitled Butterfly. It gave me a new quote:

The points are not the point; the point is poetry. -- Allan Wolf, former slammaster, Asheville, NC

I definitely think having read Slammed, I understood the characters more than if I hadn’t. Whereas the first book was from Lake’s point of view, this one’s from Will’s. Kiersten, also another interesting name, is a new edition, in this book, along with the cast of characters returning, but an integral character, who is also my favorite. Just like everyone in the book, I would want her as my “new” best friend. The character is instantly like and endearing in my eyes. I couldn’t help but look her. Once I started I didn’t want to put it down. I think this book may be the highlight of my reading this year. I’m just so sorry that it came when it did. I found a lot of amazing but in the first half of this year, I hope to continue to find more amazing but I know my luck has to run out soon. As soon as I finished the first one I wanted to start this one. I think knowing these characters had me more invested in the drama. If you haven't read it you should add this to your 2012 to read list.


I give Point of Retreat (Slammed Series #2) 5 out 5.

Butterfly

BUTTERFLY is my new favorite word.

Don't you love how delicate it can be.

Only the few will get this reference,

so don't wonder why, so don't even try.

Don't you love how freeing it can be.

Only a few will learn this lesson,

so don’t even try, so don’t wonder why.

Don’t you love how powerful it can be.

BUTTERFLY is my new favorite word.

Slammed (Slammed Series 1)

Slammed (Slammed Series 1)by Colleen Hoover

Following the unexpected death of her father, 18-year-old Layken is forced to be the rock for both her mother and younger brother. Outwardly, she appears resilient and tenacious, but inwardly, she's losing hope.

Enter Will Cooper: The attractive, 21-year-old new neighbor with an intriguing passion for slam poetry and a unique sense of humor. Within days of their introduction, Will and Layken form an intense emotional connection, leaving Layken with a renewed sense of hope.

Not long after an intense, heart-stopping first date, they are slammed to the core when a shocking revelation forces their new relationship to a sudden halt. Daily interactions become impossibly painful as they struggle to find a balance between the feelings that pull them together, and the secret that keeps them apart.

Slammed (Slammed Series 1) is definitely one of the better books I have read in 2012, so far. Even when I was feeling emotionally wrecked, it made me laugh. She uses a lot of lyrics from the Avett Brothers, a group I hadn’t heard of before this book.

I think, I was more impressed with the amazing poetry, than the love story, which wasn’t bad either. Layken is one of the most unique names of any literary characters. Slammed has the perfect balance of story and poetry.

My sister told me about going to one of these events and she absolutely loved. I was happy for her but I wasn’t interest in the experience. Now, it’s made me consider writing more poetry and entering a slam event. To feel the rush Lake and my sister felt.

This is the perfect book for an inspiring writer. Although the slam is a small portion of the book, it’s an integral part. Colleen Hoover gives the reader small insight into that feeling of having your emotion naked and expose.

From the preview of the next book in the series, Point of Retreat (Slammed Series 2), I’m definitely going to read it. Lake has lost her father earlier in the book, having lost my grandfather; it brought those emotions back up.

I give Slammed (Slammed Series 1) 4 out 5.

Mood Child (Vampire for Hire #4)

Moon Child (Vampire for Hire 4) by J.R. Rain

Moon Child—the fourth book in the Vampire for Hire Series...

Mother, wife, private investigator...vampire. Six years ago federal agent Samantha Moon was the perfect wife and mother, your typical soccer mom with the minivan and suburban home. Then the unthinkable happens, an attack that changes her life forever. And forever is a very long time for a vampire.

Now in MOON CHILD, sequel to AMERICAN VAMPIRE, private investigator Samantha Moon is faced with an impossible decision—a decision that no mother should ever have to make. A decision that will change her life, and those she loves, forever.

And through it all, Sam finds herself in a lethal game of vampire vs. vampire as a powerful—and desperate—enemy will stop at nothing to claim what he most desires.

I liked the introduction of a potential nemesis. All good heroes have a nemesis. Batman has the Joker, Holmes has Moriarty, Superman has Lex Luther, Picard has the Borg, and Samantha Moon has Dominique. The introduction of a nemesis gives the series someone who can be a shadowy puppet master of potential danger and conflict. In future books, the nemesis can always be a red herring for the conflict of the story.

Overall this story was driven by the decisions of a parental love. When Samantha finds her son sick and has to make the ultimate sacrifice. I don’t know if I could do it if I was in her position. I think it one of the reason I finished the book. I had to know if it what would happen.

I can imagine being a vampire and living forever. I can even imagine staying frozen for eternity. Just like her I think it would be pretty hard to watch my love ones fade from existence. But I do know that if I was a vampire my family would always have an undying protector.

These are a few of the questions that Moon Child (Vampire for Hire 4)  brings up. J.R. Rain shows up the potential and consequences of both choices. I personally still don’t know who I feel about the decisions made. The resolution of the conflict felt too convenient.

I give Moon Child (Vampire for Hire 4) 3 out 5.

American Vampire (Vampire for Hire #3)

American Vampire (Vampire for Hire #3) by J.R. Rain


American Vampire—the third book of the Vampire for Hire Series... Mother, wife, private investigator...vampire. Six years ago federal agent Samantha Moon was the perfect wife and mother, your typical soccer mom with the minivan and suburban home. Then the unthinkable happens, an attack that changes her life forever. And forever is a very long time for a vampire. Now in AMERICAN VAMPIRE, sequel to VAMPIRE MOON, private investigator Samantha Moon receives a heartbreaking phone call from a very unlikely source: a five-year-old girl who's been missing for three months. Now on the hunt, Samantha will use her considerable resources—including her growing supernatural abilities—to locate the missing girl before it's too late. And as she gets closer and closer to the horrible truth, she receives devastating news on the home front. Now with her world turned upside down, Samantha Moon is forced to make the ultimate choice of life and death. And through it all, she discovers the identity of one mysterious man...a man she has grown to love.

American Vampire (Vampire for Hire #3) finds the drama ratchet up. Her son is sick, possible dying. She found out who Fang is. She learned that there’s more to the light that she can see. Oh, she has to find a missing little girl.

J.R. Rain found his stride in this novel. Samantha “Sam” Moon’s life continues to get complicated but in this novel she handles it better than the previous two. She discovers so much about herself and still after six years of being a vampire she is clueless.
This time she is facing the mother’s dilemma with the ability to give a unique solution. When her son Anthony gets sick early in the novel, she is left with the decision to make her son a vampire to save his life.

I’m starting to realize his theme, each book is like a television season ending with a cliffhanger that carries into the next book. It makes the reader, if they are invested, to want the next book.
In the beginning I was leery of the direction this series would take. It did take me three books to get there but it’s definitely a series to invest in. The mythology works perfectly in the outing making it a better than summer read.

This is the third book in the Vampire for Hire Series. The story of Samantha Moon started in Moon Dance and continued in Vampire Moon.


I give American Vampire (Vampire for Hire #3) 3 out 5.

Vampire Moon (Vampire for Hire #2)

Vampire Moon (Vampire for Hire #2) by J.R. Rain  


Mother, wife, private investigator...vampire. Six years ago federal agent Samantha Moon was the perfect wife and mother, your typical soccer mom with the minivan and suburban home. Then the unthinkable happens, an attack that changes her life forever. And forever is a very long time for a vampire. Now in VAMPIRE MOON, sequel to MOON DANCE, private investigator Samantha Moon finds herself hunting down a powerful crime lord and protecting an innocent woman from her ruthless ex-husband — all while two very different men vie for her heart. And as the stakes grow higher and her cases turn personal, Samantha Moon will do whatever it takes to protect the innocent and bring two cold-blooded killers to justice — her own brand of justice.

Okay so, Vampire Moon (Vampire for Hire #2) worked for me. Maybe I needed to warm-up to the characters. Maybe it was that she finally put showed signs of being a real vampire, but I guess that’s all relative.

This time around Samantha Moon is knocking off a lot of first. Her first Kill. Meeting a werewolf. Where she was insecure most of the time in the first novel, this one finds her getting her supernatural legs under her.

Most of the major players return in this novel with great character development. The conflict with Sam and her husband is a minor plot to the story but it’s an important part of the overall story. This is, in my opinion, where it shines.

For the most part J.R. Rain’s mythology is solid. For me these are interestingly new takes on werewolf mythology. It made Kingsley a more interesting character in the reveal.

It ended on an intentional suspenseful high note. That demands the reader to not just want but have to read the next. Teasing us with the question: Who is Fang? I hope that I’m not disappointed with the answer in American Vampire (Vampire for Hire #3) It’s a question that I’ve question since the moment she started chatting with him.


 I give Vampire Moon (Vampire for Hire #2) 4 out 5.

What a Boy Wants

What a Boy Wants by Nyrae Dawn.  


Courtesy of watching his mom’s relationships, Sebastian Hawkins knows what girls need to do to get a guy. He has what he considers a PHD in hooking up. When he needs extra cash for a car, Sebastian starts up an online venture as The Hook-up Doctor, to anonymously help girls land the guy of their dreams. Of course, his services don’t offer a happily-ever-after guarantee. He’s seen firsthand getting together never means staying together. And then he falls in love… With the last girl he would expect… Totally not in his game plan. Suddenly, Sebastian finds himself muddled in the game he’s always prided himself on. He can’t even pick up girls at parties anymore! Why would anyone want to be in love when it turns you into a stuttering, screwed-up, mess with really lame stalker tendencies? Stalking? Totally not his gig. But the Hook-up Doctor won’t let himself go down easily. He’s always known how to give a girl what she wants and now it’s time to figure out what a boy wants… and he definitely plans on getting it.

What a Boy Wants, I found this in my daily email from Pixel of Ink. It was an interesting premise. In the beginning it was smart, witty, and funny. Sebastian, Aspen, Jaden, and Pris are interesting character, which is surprisingly pleasant. It’s a nod to those young adult dramas, like Beverly Hills 90210 and Dawson’s Creek. Any one that watched those shows will know what I’m talking about. The book is like one entire season of those dramas. Its light and an uncomplicated read, perfect for young adult readers.

Nyrae Dawn’s What a Boy Wants seems to take major influence from Dawson’s Creek, which it references in a comedic way. Toward the end of the novel it becomes a formulaic young adult romantic comedy. This is the one fact that keeps me from saying it was a five. But I like how it left it open-end. Hopefully she continues with more in the series. Although she only hinted at Jaden, the Pacey character, he seems to have a more troubled home life; which could make for the perfect second season book.


I give What a Boy Wants 4 out 5.  


Addendum: Nyrae Dawn, did write a second novel, What a Boy Needs.

Any Other Night

Any Other Night by Anne Pfeffer  


Any other night, Ryan Mills would have driven his best friend, Michael, to Emily's sweet sixteen party at the Breakers Club. Instead, determined to win over the birthday girl, he goes to the party early and alone, setting off a chain of events that ends with a car accident in which Michael dies. 

Ryan blames himself for what happened to Michael. As far as he's concerned, he doesn't deserve to have love or ever be happy again. Then he learns Michael left a secret behind. Ryan feels compelled to take on his friend's unfinished business, and in the process, changes his life forever and becomes a man.

This book was published in October 2011 under the title Loving Emily. In May 2012, it was reissued with its content unchanged as Any Other Night. Personally I found the title made all the difference in the world. I remember coming across this book when it was titled Loving Emily and didn’t get pass the titled. Any Other Night is a more appropriate title to this book.

Although loving Emily takes a lot of the book, the guilty of his friend’s death drives the novel. It touches on a lot of issues that I remember my brother facing when one of his older friends wrapped himself around a tree. I remember feeling guilty that I couldn’t help my brother deal with this. We have never really talked about it, but I imagine this is definitely how he felt. That summer he changed just like Ryan did. The both found themselves doing better in school.

This is definitely a story to give anyone that has lost a friend too soon. The character of Ryan is truly a mensch. Anne Pfeffer has craft a character that finds himself developing into man because of losing his best friend. I can’t even imagine the future for him but I do know Michael, his best friend’s child, is in great hands.


I give Any Other Night 4 out 5.

Moon Dance (Vampire for Hire #1)

Moon Dance (Vampire for Hire #1) by J.R. Rain



Mother, wife, private investigator...vampire. Six years ago federal agent Samantha Moon was the perfect wife and mother, your typical soccer mom with the minivan and suburban home. Then the unthinkable happens, an attack that changes her life forever. And forever is a very long time for a vampire. Now the world at large thinks Samantha has developed a rare skin disease, a disease which forces her to quit her day job and stay out of the light of the sun. Now working the night shift as a private investigator, Samantha is hired by Kingsley Fulcrum to investigate the murder attempt on his life, a horrific scene captured on TV and seen around the country. But as the case unfolds, Samantha discovers Kingsley isn't exactly what he appears to be; after all, there is a reason why he survived five shots to the head.


It was a strong opening entry that left me underwhelmed. Moon Dance (Vampire for Hire #1) was overall an okay story. I liked the fact the protagonist is a woman dealing with her condition. But to me, the character is too emotionally tied to her human life to be an effective creature of the paranormal world.

I was totally into the story but three things happen: she couldn’t see her reflection; she changed into a giant half woman-bat; and if someone didn’t suspect her “condition” she was telling them about it. I couldn’t reconcile the first two. Why does becoming a vampire make you reflection disappear like the invisible man? I never understood the shape-shifting myth in vampire mythology.

 The fact that so many people suspected or know about her abilities is a too distracting. If she was trying to keep it a secret, the internet is not the place. She is frustratingly naïve about the power she has at her command. The moment her spouse gave her an ultimatum, at least two people should have been dead. I expected a new vampire struggling to embrace her vampirism and instead a got a vampire struggling to let go of her humanity.

Maybe I’m just at my vampire thresh hold. I could have expected too much from this novel. It was interesting enough while I was reading. Once I finished it didn’t leave me with that amazed feeling I like from books.

I give Moon Dance (Vampire for Hire #1) 2 out 5.

On the Island

On the Island by Tracey Garvis-Graves

When thirty-year-old English teacher Anna Emerson is offered a job tutoring T.J. Callahan at his family's summer rental in the Maldives, she accepts without hesitation; a working vacation on a tropical island trumps the library any day. T.J. Callahan has no desire to leave town, not that anyone asked him. He's almost seventeen and if having cancer wasn't bad enough, now he has to spend his first summer in remission with his family - and a stack of overdue assignments - instead of his friends. Anna and T.J. are en route to join T.J.'s family in the Maldives when the pilot of their seaplane suffers a fatal heart attack and crash-lands in the Indian Ocean. Adrift in shark-infested waters, their life jackets keep them afloat until they make it to the shore of an uninhabited island. Now Anna and T.J. just want to survive and they must work together to obtain water, food, fire, and shelter. Their basic needs might be met but as the days turn to weeks, and then months, the castaways encounter plenty of other obstacles, including violent tropical storms, the many dangers lurking in the sea, and the possibility that T.J.'s cancer could return. As T.J. celebrates yet another birthday on the island, Anna begins to wonder if the biggest challenge of all might be living with a boy who is gradually becoming a man.

I found On the Island in an article about books being made into films. I looked it up and it had amazing reviews but what got me was the premise, two people shipwrecked on an island. Having read a surprising amount of romance novels this year, I figured I knew what I was in for.

The romance is an undercurrent of the survival tale being told. It's so compelling and gripping, that like other readers I couldn't put it down. This book has everything a reader would want. The way she alternates between the two perspectives keeps the story interesting.

The moment I finished I had a little pang of regret that this journey was over. I will definitely read again, because this time it was about finding out what happen; I knocked it out in about four hours. The next time is about savoring the story.

I don't think you'll find a better debut from any other author. It truly is an amazing novel. After finishing it I definitely think this should be a movie.

I give On the Island 5 out 5.

Yesterday's Flight

Yesterday’s Flight by Martyn Ellington


Yesterday's Flight is a thought-catching time travel novel written by first-time English author, Martyn Ellington. Yesterday's Flight is a superb read with cleverly-written twist of events and takes the reader on an unexpected journey. When a Dinosaur fossil is unearthed in the Badlands of America the last thing Susan Lavey expected to see as the cause of death was the tail section of an airliner. Now together with Bruce Ackland, a chief air crash investigator, they must find out why and how this could have happened and what became of the passengers on board. William Relford was flying to yet another meeting, but this time it was to hand in his notice; he had worked in sales for as long as he liked to remember and now was the time for a change. But destiny has a way of changing things in ways we can't imagine, and now it was about to bring them all together in a race for the truth and for one of them: their very survival!

Yesterday's Flight is an amazing time-travel book. It gave me hope even when in the back of my mind I knew the inevitable was true. It made me question some of the things we as 21th century man take for granted; the things we cherish and the things we shouldn't. We live in a world that is totally complacent.

As the present characters came to face the realities of their situation, it made me know this would be the typical government response. Then I thought... has this happened before? Will it happen again? Time is so fickle and obstinate at the same time. Martyn Ellington has crafted a really amazingly somber tale that any science fiction, time traveling lover will read and enjoy. I like how the events create a circle.

This would be an amazing movie. It falls into so many genres; if done correct, people would enjoy it.

I give Yesterday’s Flight 5 out 5.

Echoes

Echoes by Jason Brant

What if the thoughts in your head were not your own?

When Lieutenant Asher Benson suffered a traumatic brain injury while stationed in Iraq, his doctors warned him that the symptoms would be life altering. They had no idea. As Ash recovered, a never ending barrage of voices began echoing in his mind, effectively crippling his life. Mistakenly treated for PTSD, Ash was honorably discharged and now lives in self-imposed, drunken isolation.

Five years later, Ash is still struggling to rejoin society. His desperate, lonely existence is maintained by a meager disability check and gallons of alcohol. As he's finally learning to control his burden, and making progress with the girl next door, Ash is thrust back into a life he thought he'd left behind. When unidentified intelligence agents abduct him from his apartment, he is plunged into a world of espionage and assassinations.

A unique terrorist is operating on U.S. soil, and the government needs Ash, and the malady that has plagued him for half a decade, to find him.

At roughly 30,000 words, Echoes is an edge-of-your-seat, page-turning thriller with the pacing of The Terminator and the quirky characters of Carl Hiaasen.

I found this book because of Pixel of Ink. Elle Casey is exactly right in her review of this book. I was constantly laughing at the jokes made. Is ninety good? Most definitely YES.

This book reminds me of Savages by Don Winslow. If you haven't read either of these books you should go find them immediately. It’s the first time in a while that I didn’t see the twist coming until the characters found out. It made me feel real stupid because I’m usually questioning everyone’s motives and actions.

Ash is a character that I definitely connected with right out of the gate. I also hope that there are more stories coming, because it ended with so much potential left. But if this is Ash’s ending I think he did a pretty good job finding redemption that he wasn’t looking for.

I give Echoes 5 out 5.

Kingdom Jumper (Children of Avalon: Book One)

Kingdom Jumper (Children of Avalon: Book One) by E.S. Lark.

Fourteen-year-old Kyle Briggins didn’t enter Camelot Junior High with an evil sorceress or Excalibur in mind. But when a mistake in roll call brands him as Kyle Pendragon—a surname shared with King Arthur, his part in an old legend begins to surface.

School bullies and teachers aren’t the only ones making such ridiculous claims either. The class pet, a talking ferret named Merlin, insists Kyle is the real King Arthur, and if that wasn’t bad enough, his math teacher is Morgana, an evil sorceress who’d happily kill him for the throne.

Traveling to ancient Camelot with a talkative ferret as his sidekick is nothing compared to the characters he’ll meet once they get there. Stuck in the middle of a legend, Kyle must face Morgana, her dark realm of nightmares, and brave the school dance. Should he survive, he’ll have to make the hardest choice imaginable; stay in the magical kingdom of Avalon or return home to new friends, his own Knights of the Round Table.

Geared toward middle grade readers, this would definitely have been a book I would have read as a kid. King Arthurian tales have been my favorite since I was a kid. Kingdom Jumper (Children of Avalon: Book One) is an interesting take on the Arthurian legend.

The way E.S. Lark left the fate of the characters is ambiguous at best. It leaves the series open to future books. I definite would give another installment a read.

The quickness with which I read this book I would consider it more of a novella. It’s an easy read for any budding reader to handle. If they are a fan of Arthurian tales this is definitely a must read. I don't think they will be disappointed.

I give Kingdom Jumper (Children of Avalon: Book One) 3 out 5.