Book Review: A Passionate Play by Jessica Lauryn (Rabourn Theater Book 1)

     Alicia comes awake in a strange house with no memory of who she is or her past. Her captive is a tall, sexy, man who seems to know her well and keeps calling her 'Alicia'. He insists he isn't keeping her captive, that he is a friend and is only trying to keep her safe. As her memories come back in small, disjointed segments, could 'Nick' be the threat she keeps dreaming of? 

    I received a copy of this eBook from the author in exchange for an honest review. This is an exciting thriller that makes you wonder at some points if it is paranormal or natural. The author does an amazing job of casting just enough in shadow for you to wonder what is real and what is imagined. 

    I loved this book and the characters within. We get a healthy dose of romance and betrayal with our thriller, which is always fun. It is great to see the differences and similarities between Alicia's personality during her memory loss and what we know of her from before. Then there is Nick, who even when you don't trust him or are mad at him, you can't help but root for. 

    While this book is part of a series about Rabourn Theater this book has very little to do with the theater itself. Alicia is an actress there, and her cousin runs the place. This isn't a bad thing. As I said, this book is amazing and I truly enjoyed it. 

    This book is available on Amazon for $2.99 by clicking here. 

Book Review: Keystone by Sadie Mason (The Made Book 1)

     Oriana knows the Others are coming. They have been outside her window every night and she knows she can't fall asleep or they could get her. Others are dangerous, but usually only if you enter into a deal with one. In her case, she didn't. When she wakes up in a tunnel surrounded by bodies she knows she has to get out and make her way home. Her family has to have noticed she is gone by now. When she gets out and goes to the police she can tell them everything about the abduction, but nothing about who she is or where she lives. Now her only option is to trust an Other to try regaining her memories and her life. There is more at stake than just abduction, this time, though. 

    I received a copy of this eBook from the author in exchange for an honest review. This is kind of a Young Adult Fantasy as it has the fantasy aspect of Others. Others can be fae, demons, dwarves, or most anything else. The main character in the book, Oriana is technically an adult, but only just. There is a romance aspect to the story, but it is very PG. 

    From the start of the book to the very last page you are looking forward to what is going to happen next. Does Oriana get taken? Does she escape? Does she remember her past? Does she trust the Other she has to go to? Will she go back to her family? The author does an amazing job of keeping you on the edge of your seat and engaged in the story. I enjoyed every second of it, even if it did end on a bit of a cliffhanger. 

    The characters are amazing in this book. Everyone had an important role to play and you didn't see certain aspects until the author wanted you to. I don't want to say too much here about the characters and give one fun aspect away for the readers. 

    This book is available on Kindle Unlimited or buy it on Amazon for $2.99 by clicking here. 

Book Review: The Fourth Charm by Robert Howell (Dransmit Children Mysteries Book 2)

     After their adventures following the death of their grandmother the Dransmit cousins now need to focus on their education and prepare for the things to come. However, when witches' familiars begin to disappear, it is suggested to the council that they be allowed to solve this mystery. With an impressive track record they are given access, but only if they do everything possible to stay safe during their investigation. Could three new witches be better problem solvers than the entire witch council? 

    I received a copy of this eBook from the author in exchange for an honest review. Book 2 picks up shortly after book 1 ended. We see how the children's education of all things witchy is progressing as well as how they are dealing with the things that happened. Then, when they are informed of witches familiars going missing they decide the help the council and those affected by looking into the mystery. Along the way we receive a prophecy stating that the children must harness the fourth charm in order to complete their mission. The only problem is the fourth charm has not been mentioned in any of the books in the Dransmit house. 

    In this book, instead of staying in the present, the author jumps back in time at certain points to tell the story of an event that happened in detail versus just someone talking about what took place. I think it provided us a better insight without taking away from the ongoing story. We seen the characters grow beyond what took place in book one. The book was completely enjoyable, but do keep in mind this is a middle grade mystery. There are very innocent budding romance aspects, children, and mild threats. Although the risk to the characters lives were very real I just mean that the descriptions were not gory at any point. 

    We did not lose the supernatural aspects seen in book one, although instead of the dragon we had a djinn. No complaints on my end about this story. 

    This book is available on Kindle Unlimited or purchase it on Amazon for $2.99 by clicking here. 

Books by this author:

Third Times the Charm (Dransmit Children Mysteries Book 1)

Book Review: Connor's Gambit by Z Gottlieb

     Brad had the perfect life. He was married to his best friend, Shiny, and he and his brother in law, Connor, ran a business together. He and Shiny had their own home where they were raising their son. Everything was great, but when he sees a spaceship during a fishing trip he soon learns that his wife and in laws are hiding a lot about their past. This secret will lead to a new adventure among the stars where Brad may be able to unlock his full potential, or he may show that Earth isn't yet ready to join those among the stars. Between being thrust into a war between two factions and his new unsteadiness in the spaceship Brad would rather just be back home with his family. But first, he has to keep Earth safe. 

    I received a copy of this eBook from the author in exchange for an honest review. This book follows Brad as he learns of aliens, that his family are aliens, and of the threat they are now facing. With this new threat he decides to travel with his family to the stars where he begins learning to be a pilot and more about the warring factions. Brad's new outlook into an old war provides helpful insights while sometimes getting he and his companions into trouble. Not only this, but Brad must contend with his fear of another species he encounters and must work closely with. 

    From the beginning the story is packed with action. There are fights and simulations constantly, which makes for a great read. The characters work well together and are well rounded. You get both the bad and the good side of people as you go through the story and watch the characters grow. I really enjoyed how playing videogames contributed to the learning experience for individuals. 

    All in all it was a fun book and I completely enjoyed it. This book is available on Amazon for .99 by clicking here. 

Book Review: A Bleak Remedy by DS LaLonde

     After the successful capture of a live vampire in South America a team of scientists are intent to learn just how to use this genetic makeup to cure diseases, preferably without turning people into vampires in the process.  Still, nothing is without risk, and this institution takes some of these risks both knowingly and unknowingly to make a healthier tomorrow. Will any human results have adverse side affects, such as an insatiable thirst for human blood? 

    I received a copy of this book from the author in exchange for an honest review. In this book we jump perspectives from the vampires in question to those who work in the facility. We are able to see the gradual changes in the humans with the added DNA as well as how others are dealing with everything. While the reader is never kept in the dark as to who is doing what you don't miss the mystery of who did it, because you're curious where the story will end up. 

    I enjoyed this book, although I will admit to skimming on some one the science parts since it didn't hold my interest. I really liked the fact that we get to see from multiple points of view so we aren't just learning about things happening around one person. It worked well for the storyline, allowing the reader to be more invested in the story. There is a lot of blood and some gory scenes in the book, but you won't hear a complaint from me about that. I will say that the book took a while for me to get invested in. When the characters were just learning about the vampire and being careful it was slow and didn't hold a lot of interesting points for me. Once human testing began was where it became a great read. 

    There is also the fact of the original vampires in the story. Unlike a lot of the other working theories of vampires that abound this was just a bat-like creature that was born from regular humans. They have great healing abilities and, of course, drink blood. The humans affected by their DNA are closer to the vampires we are used to, in varying degrees of violence. 

    This book is available on Kindle Unlimited or buy it on Amazon for $4.99 by clicking here.