Book Review: House of Thunder by Dean Koontz

 

 

 

  Susan just awoke from a 3 week coma in a hospital in Willawauk, OR. At first the time lost and partial amnesia are the worst things that could be happening to her until she sees her worst nightmares walking the halls. 13 years ago a group of four fraternity boys killed her boyfriend in a place called the House of Thunder. Now, it seems that they have not only not aged in the last 13 years, but she knows for a fact that 2 of them are dead. Her doctors and the nurses seem to think that she is suffering from hallucinations. Could this all be in her head or are the dead really out to get her for testifying against them? 

    I have had this book on my shelf for years and hadn't gotten around to reading it until now. My son actually brought it over to me because he liked the puppy on the back of it (I have the paperback with a author photo of Koontz and a golden retriever on it). Initially he was having me read it aloud to him, but he lost interest a few chapters in. I however, was hooked by that point and enjoyed every minute of this psychological thriller. 

    With this book you are constantly trying to figure out what is going on and if she isn't crazy who is behind it. Of course, I am not going to give it away and ruin the surprise. That being said I can honestly tell you that I did not expect the culprit to be what it was. At first I was a little skeptical since the first line directly under "Chapter 1" was "The year was 1980 - an ancient time, so long ago and far away...", but I can honestly say that I adored the book and I hope that anyone who is a fan of thrillers and mysteries takes a chance on it too!

    This book is available on Amazon for $6.41 by clicking here.

Book Review: Once Bitten by Trina M. Lee (Alexa O'Brian Huntress Book 1)

     Alexa O'Brian has adjusted well since being turned into a werewolf at 17. Since then she has managed to become the equal to her previous Alpha, Raoul, and is an alpha herself now. She even works with a team of supernaturals to take down others who are dangerous with the help of her physic powers that she had before becoming wolf. Everything seems great until she gives into the power that has always spiked between herself and the vampire Arys. 

    Now that she has given in she is experiencing his bloodlust and he is experiencing her need to shift. Not only that, but Roaul needs her help to find who is murdering all of his exs before he gets locked up. Can she master these new urges and save her packmate? 

    This book is a bit odd. This is the first time I have encountered a book where being alpha of a pack means nothing other than they have the ability to help newer weres. Other than that there isn't anything too uncommon with this book and it isn't a bad read. There is the choice between two males that has affection for the main female as well as the mystery of who is murdering people and how to stop them. 

    Honestly, my main complaint with this book is the bouncing back and forth between partners. I am just a bit too much of a monogamist for it, but I am sure some people like that. The story itself is unique and there is plenty of action to keep you entertained if you would like to read this. I do want to warn you if you plan on knowing the entire story this series is 19 books long, but if they are anything like book one everything is resolved in the book and just has a common background thread. 

    This book is available on Amazon for $0.99 by clicking here.

Book Review: Nexus by Leah Solmaz

     Brianna, a young redheaded waitress, has found herself thrust from her normal world and into another. This new world is filled with monsters, witchcraft, and demons. Yet, it has been foretold that she would be the one to save this world, and her own, from destruction. First she much journey with the help of her comrades through this new world with the veritas in order to discover her path. Does she have what it takes to save those who have quickly become so dear to her? 

    I bought this book at the suggestion of the author and while it took me a while to complete it it is an interesting book. There are monsters, a new world to explore, and even a little bit of romance. If you can get past the absolutely abhorrent use of commas then this is a nice book to read. My brain kept wanting to pause at commas, as you should. Instead there would be random commas thrown into the middle of a sentence where it didn't belong and every time it would irk me to no end. 

    Brianna herself is an interesting girl. She thinks of herself as "just a waitress" and as her character develops and she hones her skills to defend herself and her new friends this sentiment is repeated frequently. It is easy to see that this young woman is striving to do what is right and I can only hope that she succeeds in her endeavors, although I do not see myself reading the next book in the series. It is not that the book did not hold my interest to want to continue. In fact it left off at a point where I am curious as to what happens next. The editing just bothers me so greatly that I do not think I would be able to handle another book like that just to continue a plot. 

    All in all, this is an enjoyable book and if you would also like to read it it is available on Amazon for $1.24 by clicking here.

Book Review: Kindred by Nicola Claire (Kindred Book 1)

     Lucinda moved from a farm with her Aunt and Uncle to Auckland, New Zealand and everything changed. She discovered that not only do vampires exist, but that she can sense them. She has become a vampire hunter, killing off those who feed on innocents rather than the willing. There has been an increase in the number of rogue vampires in her city recently and Michel,  the master vampire, seems to know something not only about it, but about what she truly is. But is she ready for that truth? 

    With the revelation comes a choice that she must make within a month after her 25th birthday or face the consequences. But, when another Level One vampire kidnaps her from work in broad daylight trying to force her to join with him the devil she knows quickly becomes the better option. Especially since the attraction that she has always felt for Michel has become a constant thing and her feelings have become more impossible to deny. Hopefully the power that he will gain in their joining will not change the parts of him that she cares for...will it? 

    This is a book that I got back in 2016 as a suggested deal of the day with BookBub and it has just sat on my TBR till now. That being said I am so glad that I read this book as it is really cute and I found myself calling my newborn daughter "ma petite belle". No, this exact sentiment is not in this book, but it is easy enough to piece together. Now, I will let you know that this is not a book that has the translations for foreign languages after they are used. I used the translate function in my Kindle app for a couple and then my own knowledge for some of the others. Thankfully, most of the words used in French are easily understood in English, like the sentiment above. Douce is one I had to look up though. It means sweet, which is pretty cute. 

    Now, as I mentioned I enjoyed this book. It was a fun,  fast read that has a lot of action and mixed feelings in it. The male pursues the female and has a valid argument, but his possessiveness seems rather one sided. I don't mean that she doesn't get jealous. Rather at multiple points he has another female draped over him or calling him pet names and if anyone so much as looks at Luce Michel has his panties in a wad. I suppose it is what it is, though. I can tell you one thing that is not something that would ever fly with me. 

    I do want to give you a bit of a warning if you are an American reader. It was something that threw me for a moment when I first started reading this. This is not an American author. I am not sure where the author is from but the book is set in New Zealand. That itself if interesting, but some of the verbiages are vastly different between here and there. I expected that, but not for some words. They use "septic" instead of "skeptic". I thought it was a typo at first, but it isn't. You learn something new every day. 

    All in all this is a great book and I hope you take the time to enjoy it like I did. This book is available on Amazon for $4.99 or on Kindle Unlimited by clicking here.

    

Book Review: Follow Me Darkly by Helen Hardt (Follow Me Book 1)

     Skye is a small town Kansas farm girl who left home to become a photographer, and she achieved that, in a way. She takes the photos for Addison Aimes, a social media influencer. It isn't ideal, but at least she is able to take photos and is making some great contacts. Everything is going well until the billionaire, Braiden Black, comments on one of Addison's posts stating that she doesn't like coffee. While true it isn't something that should get out which causes Addison to flip out on Braiden's receptionist and him to pay a personal visit to her office. 

    Braiden is everything Skye has ever seen about him and so much more. He is beautiful in a sexy, manly way and when he asks her to lunch she can't help but agree. The only thing is this man demands full control and she needs to be in control at all times. Just how much is she willing to give to this man who is full of secrets? 

    As we all know I am a fan of dominating males so of course I was drawn to Braiden Black. He is tall with broad shoulders. My absolute favorite. I have to say the history between he and Addison and the reason for their past, at least what we were told of it I seen coming. It was actually a bit more tame than I was expecting, but I will not give it away. Maybe the next book will go in more details about what happened there. 

    This is book one in a series and it has all kinds of fun aspects which give off a 50 shades vibe. There is light bondage, battling with emerging feelings, and mysterious backgrounds. What more could a girl ask for in a smut book? That being said as much as I enjoy a sexy bondage book with lots of sex I don't like unanswered questions. This leaves a lot to be desired. To be technical, yes they didn't just end the book like it is going from one chapter to the next with nothing answered, but they might as well have. There are a lot of questions to be had for the book on the last page and we haven't reached any kind of true resolution. I don't know that I will be picking up the next book in this series, even though I did enjoy this book until the end. 

    If you would like to read this book for yourself it is available on Amazon for $7.99 by clicking here.