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Exodus 2022 Review

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Image from Goodreads

Image from Goodreads

Title:  Exodus 2022

Author:  Kenneth G. Bennett

Published:  2014 by Booktrope Publishing

Genre:  Science Fiction, Urban Fantasy

Purchase Exodus 2022 from Amazon

 

 

Joe Stanton wakes up in a panic.  Something is terribly wrong.  His daughter, Lorna Gwin, is missing.  He runs out of the hotel room that he and his girlfriend Ella are vacationing at, in a rampage screaming for his daughter, causing chaos and a huge scene.  The issue is that Joe doesn’t have a daughter.  He doesn’t have any children.  Joe’s worried he’s either going crazy or has a brain tumor that caused this hallucination; his girlfriend, Ella, who’s a nurse, has similar worries.  However, Joe’s not the first person that this has happened to.  The others who were affected didn’t live long.  Will Joe survive long enough to find the answers?

I love that I couldn’t guess what was going to happen or even why it was happening to begin with.  It’s kind of hard to write a review without giving anything away, but I definitely don’t want to leak any spoilers because it’s awesome when you figure out what’s going on.    Sometimes science fiction novels are hard for me to follow, but that wasn’t the case in this story.  And although it is a science fiction book, it felt relatable, as though it could be classified as urban fantasy as well.  I think this book will appeal to readers who like both genres.

There were twists and turns in every chapter.  The characters were relatable, and the villain was hate-able.  Every time I tried to put the book down to go to bed, I told myself, read just one more chapter, and then it would be 2am.  I didn’t want this story to end, and I’m wondering if there will be a sequel?

Romance, suspense, fantasy, drama; Exodus 2022 has it all.  So if you like science fiction, and even if you don’t; I highly recommend this book.

 

My Rating:  5 out of 5 stars

 5

~Pam

***I received this book free from the publisher in exchange for an honest review.  Also, while I am professionally associated with Booktrope, I am not being compensated in any way for this review.***       

The Queen of Swords Review

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Image provided by the author

Image provided by the author

Title:  The Queen of Swords

Author:  Nina Mason

Published:  2014 by Vamptasy Publishing

Genre:  Paranormal Romance

Purchase The Queen of Swords from Amazon

 

 

 

 

*****This Review Contains Major Spoilers*****

 

Graham and Cat are star-crossed lovers.  Graham is a vampire and Cat has been his mate three times; all with different bodies.  The problem is that someone keeps killing her.  This third time that Graham has found Cat, he’s sure that he’s going to protect her by not allowing a relationship between them.  But Cat is a witch and feels the pull towards Graham.  She spells Graham to keep him with her and get more answers…but will she ever let him go to protect her own life?

Overall I liked the book.  I stayed up late a few times just because I had to see what was going to happen.  Some of the feel of the book reminded me of Diana Gabaldon, who I love, so that’s a compliment.  I had no problem envisioning the world that Nina Mason created.

There were a few things that I didn’t like.  Graham and Cat have a few disagreements (as does any couple.)  But two specific times I just felt like Cat got over it way too quickly.  Now, I don’t like to hold a grudge, and I don’t want Cat to either.  One instance is on their wedding day when Graham is kind of a jerk.  Like seriously, I would be so pissed if my husband acted like him.  Granted my husband isn’t a centuries old vampire, but still.  I get that Graham is emotional from all that just happened to him, but I just didn’t like the book to end on that note.

I wish there were a little less memories and a little more ‘in the now’ as well.  I just felt like the book slowed down when the characters were recalling things and that the story went so much faster when the characters were in the present.

Other than that, I really did enjoy the book and I think that Nina Mason did awesome on her debut novel.

 

My Rating:  3 1/2 out of 5 stars

~Pam

*****I received this book free from the author, in exchange for an honest review.*****   

Dying for a Living Review

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Image from Goodreads

Image from Goodreads

Title:  Dying for a Living

Author:  Kory Shrum

Published:  2014 by Timberlane Press

Genre:  Urban Fantasy

Purchase Dying for a Living from Amazon

 

 

 

 

“This is Ms. Jesse Sullivan.  She will be your agent today.”

He turned his narrowing eyes from her to me.  “She’s the zombie?”

Was it my job to remind him “zombie” is a derogatory term?  Yes.

“Necronite,” I corrected.  I threw the muffin wrapper in the bedside trashcan.  “I’m the Necronite here to die so you can keep on a-livin.” (location 56 on Kindle.)

 

Jesse is a death replacement agent.  Only Necronites can take this position as it requires the agent to die in order to save the client.  Necronites come back to life after a day or a few days, depending on their injuries.  One day on the job, a client tried to cut off Jesse’s head, which would prevent her from coming back to life ever again.  This stirs up a bunch of events that lead to Jesse getting in trouble and investigated by the government.  And to top it off Jesse begins to hallucinate and starts to see an angel named Gabriel.  Or perhaps Gabriel isn’t a hallucination after all…..

I love Jesse; she is a girl of my own heart.  She’s not afraid to assert her opinion, and it’s usually in a sarcastic manner.  She made me smile and laugh out loud.  She likes to dress comfortably, and you can usually find her in mismatched sneakers (she usually loses one when she dies).

There are two possible love interests in Jesse’s life, Ally, her personal assistant, and Lane, who Jesse has a ‘no strings attached’ friends with benefits relationship with.  They both care about Jesse a lot, but she tries to avoid relationships with both of them for her own reasons.

I love learning random facts while reading for fun.   Do you know that feeling when you go to sleep and then it feels like your falling and you jerk awake?  That’s called a myoclonic jerk.  Your brain sends a signal causing the jerk, because it’s mistaking your slow breathing for dying.  The ‘jerk’ makes your muscles and heart contract for the purpose of waking you up.  I bet you’re a little creeped out now after reading this; I know I was!  (This was brought up by Jesse when explaining to others how a Necronite’s body and brain reacts differently than the average human.)

I only have praise for this book.  The editing was good, the characters were awesome.  It was fast moving and interesting.  But also, it was unique.  It wasn’t another vampire or werewolf book that’s already been done.  Dying for a Living is a one of a kind novel, and a really good one at that.  So if you’re into urban fantasy go read it, just don’t call Jesse a zombie; she takes offense.

 

My Rating:  4 out of 5 stars

 04

~Pam

*****I received this book free from the author in exchange for an honest review.***** 

Napoleon (Layers of Veronica #1) Review

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Title:  Napoleon (Layers of Veronica #1)  Napoleon

Author:  Emilia Rutigliano

Published:  2013 by Emilia Rutigliano

Genre:  Women’s Fiction

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Veronica is a great mother, friend, and lawyer.  Her ex-husband is having a baby with his new wife, which is fine with Veronica as long as the new wife treats her kids well, and she does.  Veronica has a lot of self confidence in the courtroom and in the bedroom.   She sleeps around with no strings attached and that’s the way she likes it to be.  But Veronica starts to meet certain men and develops stronger feelings for them.  Will she meet that special someone who she can’t live without, or will she continue to live her life the way she does because after all she is happy, isn’t she?

It’s hard to like a book when you don’t like the morals that you’re presented with.  I really did like Veronica.  She’s a great mom, and an awesome friend.  She’s there for everyone when needed.  As a lawyer, she also excels.  She’s been a lawyer for years so it comes naturally at this point in her life.  And the fact that she sleeps around, I couldn’t care less.  The only thing that bothers me is that she prefers married men so there are no strings attached.  Her husband cheated on her and got another woman pregnant.  Veronica doesn’t act hurt by it, but I’m sure she was/is.  Doesn’t she realize that she is doing the same thing to someone else’s wife?  It’s obviously the men’s fault as well; they’re not getting off the hook here.  It’s just that she doesn’t seem to feel bad for the men’s wives in the least.  That’s what bothers me.

Anyways, the book itself was well written and fast moving.  I did get a little confused when she met Jeremy, a successful and married man, and he tries to explain to her about different levels and layers of her life.  I just didn’t understand what was going on.  He was trying to give her an education on how to get more out of life and more money I believe.  I don’t know, I just didn’t get it.

There was a rape, not really scene cause it wasn’t, we, the readers, just know that it happened.  Anyways, it was horrible but during the after effects of the rape there were some significant spelling errors.  Semen was spelled ‘seamen’ a few times.  Now honestly, I was glad for the error because it made me laugh and I needed that laugh during that scene to take me back to reality.

The ending didn’t give me closure at all.  In fact, I made a note in my kindle saying, “what??????”  I know that this is the first book in a series but I just feel that some sort of closure would have been nice.

Looking at what I wrote it sounds like I’m ripping apart this book, but I’m really not trying to.  Again, it was for the most part a fast moving enjoyable read.  All and all, definitely a good book.

 

My Rating:  3 1/2 out of 5 stars

~Pam

*****I received this book free from Pump Up Your Book in exchange for an honest review.*****

****Image provided by Pump Up Your Book.****

Eire’s Captive Moon Review

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Image from Goodreads

Image from Goodreads

Title:  Eire’s Captive Moon

Author:  Sandi Layne

Published:  2013 by The Writer’s Coffee Shop

Genre:  Historical Fiction

Purchase Éire’s Captive Moon from Amazon

 

 

Chagris was found, well she was found inside her mother.  A local medicine man found her mother about to give birth in a cave and he helped her.  Chagris’s mother passed away right after, and the medicine man helped raise Chagris and taught her his ways.  Fast forward to Chagris’s adulthood.  She is married to not one, but two men; twins.  Her town is ransacked, her husbands slaughtered, and she is taken captive by a man named Agnarr.  She not only becomes his slave in the proverbial sense, but also his to use for sex.  Agnarr is kind in the way that he doesn’t beat her and treats her gently.  Will she find love with him or kill him in revenge for her husbands’ deaths?

I won this book in a giveaway and brought it with me to pass time while I waited for my son in speech class one day.  I wasn’t expecting to like it as much as I did.  I came home and read it that night, then finished it two days later.

This book outraged me, or rather Chagris being a slave did.  It baffles me that her owners just wanted her to serve them with no complaints but they just killed her family and took her to a foreign land.  Don’t they see that?  I know that this is probably how things were with slavery, but wow, did it make my blood boil.  And the fact that it made me mad just shows that it’s a well written book.

Although she’s being put through hell, Chagris has someone that she can talk to, another slave taken at the same time as her, Cowan.  Cowan is valued for his knowledge of many languages and translating abilities.  He wants Chagris to keep her head up and stay safe, because although he isn’t acting like it, he can’t wait to be free himself.

Will there be romance between Chagris and Cowan?  Or Chagris and Agnarr?  Neither, or perhaps both?   I guess you’ll have to read it to find out.  All I’ll say is I’m glad I picked it up because I was pleasantly surprised.

 

 

My Rating:  4 out of 5 stars

04

~Pam

*****I won this book in a giveaway from the publisher, The Writers Coffee Shop.*****