Brinwood and First Love (Vampirica Book 1)

This time another two freebies, but appart from being at the time free they are as different as night and day. Brinwood is a rather brutal short story of a cult taking over a town in America. It feels post-apocaliptic in it's kill or be killed dark mood. Vampirica however is firmly in YA territory with a sweet and innocent romantic story line. Brinwood I gave 5 stars, mainly because I loved the ending. First Love (Vampirica Book 1) I gave 4 stars. It was well written, but frankly this genre has been done to death and it didn't surprise or blew me away.
Just click on the pictures to take you to Amazon;)

Brinwood by R.K.Gold
When Casper hears of his brother’s death, he is determined to return to Brinwood to save his mother and sister. He was banned from Brinwood by a religious cult that has taken over this town, and he knows his return will put him in mortal danger.

This is a great post- apocalyptic novella. It is only 77 pages but as I picked this up on a free download I didn’t mind it being short, it has everything it needs; a beginning, a cracking ending and plenty of action in the middle. It was well written and the writer managed to draw a convincing universe and some believable characters I cared for. Recommended.
 

First Love (Vampirica Book 1) by Aria Sparke

A young girl and her mother move to the town of Wicklow after her father’s death.  As she struggles with High school, her rapidly falling to bits mother and her own sadness, she finds that running is the only thing keeping her sane. One night whilst out for a run, she thinks she sees a woman being assaulted.  A very attractive boy; Flynn, comes to her aid and convinces her otherwise. Slowly Lily will discover that nothing seems as it appears in gloomy and rainy Wicklow and that she is surrounded by dangerous creatures that don’t like the light.

This is an entertaining paranormal young adult read. It will appeal to the fans of the twilight series and YA paranormal romance. It is a well written, exciting story that kept me entertained from start to finish. It is another different take on the vampire genre and a good introduction to the series.

Bad Blood by Max Power

You might be familiar with this writer. This is the third book I have read and reviewed by Max Power. It is my favorite so far. Expect to see a few more as this writer had a free promotion on all of his work, so I'll get round to the other 2 that are sitting on my kindle. (I'm such a sucker for freebies!)
A well deserved 5 star. Click on the photo to take you to Amazon.

This is my third book by Max Power and my favourite so far. Even though the two previous books; Little Big Boy and Darkly Wood, were very different to this thriller set in the USA, I recognise the writer’s distinct style. Mr Power uses a clever ploy to keep the reader interested. At the end of the chapter we are often left with a tantalising clue or cliff-hanger. As long as the action and the revelations keep coming this works well. Bad Blood had me engrossed from start to finish as the plot took me in several unexpected directions. I loved the part where the action was taken to Dublin, as here we got to see the lighter and more humorous side of the writer this is also the moment when things start to fall into place. I enjoyed the banter at the car hire desk. This is not a comedy however and there are some very dark and gruesome moments in this thriller, but it is the characters and strong story that makes this such a riveting read. Recommended.

The Indigo Rebels by Ellie Midwood

As you know, historical fiction and non-fiction are my favourite genre. I've read and reviewed Emilia by Ellie Midwood a few weeks ago, and it impressed me. I was therefore keen to get this book and it didn't disappoint. A well deserved 5 star. Click on the photo to take you to Amazon.

This is the second book of Ellie Midwood I’ve read and I’m rapidly becoming a big fan. Here are the four reasons why; Historical fiction is my favourite genre and you can always tell if a writer has done her research and Ms Midwood’s has. Secondly she writes a great female character. I absolutely loved Giselle. Intelligent but nihilistic she is not above causing a stir and using people to her advantage. At the same time she is full of life and charming. You have to admire her gut and courage as she becomes involved with the resistance even if it was initially for a thrill.  Thirdly the writer has a very engaging style that keeps you entertained and reading. And the last reason is the most important for me. I don’t like writers who portray history as black and white. Germans are baddies/French are goodies. Things are never that simple and people are rarely pure evil. I liked that she pinpointed the fact that the Wehrmacht were soldiers and often ordinary decent citizens that just did their duty, compared to the SS and Gestapo, which were idealistic fanatics capable of horrendous atrocities.

Great story with some nail-biting action and believable complex characters. Recommended.

Alive at Sunset (Rituals of the Night Series Book 2) by Kayla Krantz

I think this book would suit the reader that likes slasher movies like 'Scream' and gothic horror. I read that this writers favorite film is 'The Heathers' which I also love. I downloaded it as a freebie as the cover hinted at lots of blood and gore but also some dark humour. It was there but not enough for my liking (the humour that is) so 4 stars from me.


I came into this series at book two as I downloaded it when it was on a free offer. I don’t think this mattered a lot as the events alluded to only helped to build the tension. You know that bad stuff happened in book one, but you don’t know exactly what. As with all good horror, there are a fair few moments where you marvel at the bad decisions and the naiveté of psychopath Chance’s victims. I screamed a few times at Luna and her dippy roommate Amanda. Chance is a chilling baddie. We get to see into his deranged mind and he almost seems sad and human when he explains his motives for subjecting Luna to his special brand of murder and mayhem.    

The Du Lac Chronicles: Book 1 by Mary Anne Yarde

As the temperatures are soaring into the 30's here, the only place to be is the beach. After a refreshing dip I reach for my faithful Kindle and read until it gets too hot again. This one was great beach reading. One of my favourite genres; historical fiction. Quite a sweet Romeo and Juliet style plot, but with two more books in the series, I hope that the final outcome will be happier! 5 stars.

To order click picture:)

This romance that mixes fiction, fact and legend works well. It kept me hooked from beginning to the end. The star crossed lovers were both characters I understood and felt great empathy for as they searched for a place of safety where they could be together. I liked that the writer has set this romance after the fall of Camelot so we recognise and know quite a lot already about the main character Alden’s father; Lancelot du Lac. Not much is known about the dark ages so the bringing in of a well-known saga was something that I liked and gave me some background. Unlike many romances that border on the erotic, this one was clean. In my opinion this was a big plus as the characters were in their late teens and early twenties, so their romance was suitably sweet and innocent. There was plenty of action as the young couple fled Annis’ enraged father and they made their way across ancient Britain. The dialogue contained enough humour to provide us with some lighter moments, overall an engrossing and well balanced read. I’m delighted there are another two books in the series as there are more secrets to uncover and adventure to be had.