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The Gates of Hell” by Caroline Addenbrooke

Africa. Just the word instills a feeling of adventure and danger. To Rui Perreira, Africa means the fullfillment for a dream of gold and glory and the chance for a life with the beautiful Catalina, his childhood sweetheart. For Dela Eden, it means home and a way of life. A chance meeting between these two very different people sets in motion a chain of events that are both wonderful and horrifying at the same time. These events change everything for Dela Eden and Rui, making them both realize that sometimes one must give up the things believed most precious to gain something more.

At first glance, this book looks to be a historial adventure full of strange and exotic places with danger lurking in every page. However, once the reader begins their journey, they will start to see incredible details into a lost world. This story has elements of intrigue into old world politics and social standards with a dash of romance. I very much enjoyed this story and feel that I will continue to find some new detail with additional readings.

Review by: Brenda

Talk Dirty to Topaz

Author: Amber Skyze
Artist: Tuesday Dube
ISBN: 978-1-60168-230-7
Genre: Contemporary
Publisher: Aspen Mountain Press
Publication Date: 07/31/09
Sexual Content: Erotic

Twice bitten by people she trusted, Teagan Topaz has shelfed both the friendship and love life to focus on her interior design business. Although her best friend tried to warn her that the man she was about to marry was no good, the way it was proven left something to be desired. Then one day, she starts receiving mysterious phone calls from a deep-voiced stranger who fills her head with visions of secret desires and naughty sex.

Frank Black sees a picture of Teagan and is taken with her beauty. He decides that he’ll meet her no matter the cost and schedules an appointment for a room design. When Teagan meets Frank on a stormy winter afternoon, there’s an immediate attraction. As Teagan slowly begans to lose her resolve to the possibilities of a hot encounter with Frank, sizzling sex keeps them both hot as the snow flies outside.

This was a fun and sexy story. The fantasy of meeting someone that just pushes all the right buttons is something all women think about at one point in their life. While reading this story, it was fun to put myself in Teagan’s place and wonder what it would be like to lose one’s inhibitions to a total stranger and to genuinely enjoy oneself with no thought of what might happen afterwards. Definitely worth the thought!

Review by Brenda

Book Title: Frozen Death
Author: G.L. Didaleusky
Genre: Mystery
Format: Ebook
Publisher: Rogue Phoenix Press
Purchase Link: http://www.roguephoenixpress.com/
ISBN: 978-0-9824833-3-6
Price: 2.99
Page Count: 133
Release Date: 8/1/09
Heat Level: 0

Reviewer: Laura

Blurb:

Something is causing people to freeze to death in Florida during
ninety-degree weather. Ancient Indian lore holds the answer to these
mysterious medical aberrations. A newly constructed Florida male prison sits
on ancient hallowed grounds called Forbidden Hill. Soon after the prison
opens, two male inmates freeze to death without exposure to frigid
temperatures. John Randall, a widowed prison doctor, meets Lena Windmaker, a
single, off-duty sheriff detective at a local library. Their initial
plutonic relationship soon kindles into a more amorous one. They hide a
personal secret that could bring them together or destroy them. They uncover
articles in local, post-Civil war newspapers describing residence succumbing
to Frozen Death. John and Lena race to discover a cause before it chooses
other victims

Review:

Frozen Death takes place in and around the Timucua State Correctional Institute. The first few chapters grab you and keep you guessing as to the reason why prisoners are dying suddenly. As the story goes on, it follows Dr. John Randall from being the prison physician, to being an investigator to an archeologist of sorts. He wears many different hats in this book and may cause the reader to wonder as to the reasoning. Throw in a beautiful Native American law enforcement officer, and the plot thickens. Overall, the story was intriguing but not riveting. The central theme held such promise but I felt a little let down that there weren’t more twists and turns throughout. The ending was unexpected, but I felt like the author rushed to include so much information in the last chapter that it made the reveal lose some of its punch.

Book Title: Killerbyte
Author: Cat Connor
Genre: Mystery/Crime
Publisher: Rebel e Publishers
Link: http://www.rebelepublishers.com/?Task=system&CategoryID=28211&HeadingText=Killerbyte
ISBN: 978-0-9814256-2-7
Price: $7.99 (Amazon) $9.99 (Mobipocket)
Page Count: 303
Release Date: 2009
Reviewer: Laura

Ellie Conway works during the day as an FBI agent who works on serial crime cases. At night as a hobby she runs an internet poetry chat room. Someone breaks into her home and tries to kill her and she soon realizes that it has something to do with the chat room. Things take a turn for the worse when the killer is found dead in the trunk of her car.

Ellie runs to her friend Mac who she met through the chat room. The killer almost gets her at Mac’s house so they go on the run to evade the killer while at the same time figure out who it is and catch him. The FBI is called in and as the killer starts picking off the chat room’s members one by one they realize they need to find the killer and stop him fast. Even though there are numerous crime scenes they do not have enough evidence to catch the killer much less figure out why Ellie is being targeted. The killer is clever and manages to mess with them while managing to escape right under their noses several times.

Once there are victims that were not part of the chat room the FBI, Ellie, and Mac realize something more sinister is going on. Eventually a chance remark from twelve years ago give them a clue to help them start to piece together who it is and how to stop him.

This was a great book! I really enjoyed this one and couldn’t wait to read what was happening next. It kept me on the edge of my seat the whole time I was reading it and I didn’t want to put it down. Which unfortunately at points I had to since I was traveling and they make you turn off all electronic devices during take off and landing (I sincerely doubt leaving my Kindle on was going to make the plane crash but I was a good girl and followed the pilot’s instructions and turned it off. Darn it!) This killed me since I was dying to keep reading so I could find out who the killer was. Luckily for me taking off and landing doesn’t take that long and I was able to get back to the book and finish it. And it was worth the wait. I highly recommend this book and am going to read anything else this author has written immediately. Buy this book! You WON’T be disappointed.

Book Title: Meghan’s Legacy
Author: K.J. Legacy
Genre: Mystery/Crime
Format: Ebook
Publisher: Rogue Phoenix Press
Purchase Link: http://www.roguephoenixpress.com/
ISBN: 978-0-9824833-5-0
Price: 2.99
Page Count: 114
Release Date: 9/1/2009
Heat Level: 0

Reviewer: Val

Meghan had just inherited her family home and is back to claim it. Appearances can be deceiving, especially in this big mansion. There are people who don’t want her there or are they ghosts? Now that I cannot tell you as it would give away much of the story but let me just say that you will be gasping in horror at some of the scenes throughout the book but I will make this promise, it is totally worth every minute spent reading this book.

I picked up Meghan’s Legacy for the mystery/ suspense aspect alone and found it to be one of the best books that I have read. K.J. Dahlen most definitely knows how to write a chapter with one heck of a cliffhanger. I love how K.J. Dahlen’s mind works. Just when I thought I knew what happened, boom, another surprise! This book does contain a sensual romance and characters who sizzle together, but the main focus is on the mystery as, for this book, it absolutely should be. It’s what made the book a compelling and well crafted read. I found this book to be fast moving with a lot of sitting on the edge of your seat suspense. The villian is always lurking just one step behind Meghan and Quinn. I consider this book to be an instant pick me up book and I know that I will be reading it for a long time to come. I will definitely be looking for more work by K.J. Dahlen and this author has just become a mandatory add to my automatic to be read list.

Book Title: The Darkness Within
Author: K. J. Dahlen
Genre: Mystery
Format: Ebook
Publisher: Rogue Phoenix Press
Purchase Link: http://www.roguephoenixpress.com/
ISBN: 978-0-9824833-9-2

This story is fraught with twists and turns that make for interesting reading. One critique I do have is there are too many people comprising Sable’s team. The characters get a little lost in the plot while the reader attempts to keep up with who is who. I think paring down the numbers would have kept the story intact without sacrificing the integrity of the plot. Also, the killer in the story did not do very much in the way of killing. He beat up a lot of people and left them for dead. However, the idea of his killing people is what put the fear in most of the people in the story. To have him not make absolutely sure his victims were dead did not make a lot of sense to me. All in all, the story was compelling, intriguing and captivating. I read the story in one sitting because I could not stop turning pages. I loved the unexpected ways that the story came together in the end. I plan to recommend this book to several friends because writing this good should not be overlooked.

Laura Moreno
Reviewer

Here’s another sci-fi novel that readers of the genre won’t want to miss. The book is Heroes Die Young by T.M. Hunter and it’s an excellent read from front to back. The book is published by Champagne books, and at their author awards last week, it won bestselling eBook of the year. From that, apparently there are others who agree with my assessment of this book.

Heroes Die Young by T.M Hunter

Heroes Die Young tells the story of Aston West, an ex-military pilot turned transport pilot. Aston is a seemingly selfish character, who worries only about keeping his own skin and earning some money while he does it. Upon finding a Rullusian freighter floating in space that includes some valuable cargo, Aston is suddenly thrown into world where circumstance and duty force him to change his selfish outlook.

I’m not going to give away any more of the story line, but I will say the book was a great read. I read this book in one night – I couldn’t put it down – and I was drawn in from the first page on. The book is action-packed and will take you on a journey through space as the like-able Aston West makes his way to becoming a hero.

With a writing style that will take you right into the action, you won’t want to miss this particular novel. I am highly recommending it to anyone who enjoys a good Sci-Fi book.

Excerpt:

Two short beeps in my ears notified me of new contacts on the scanner. I looked at the center of the instrument panel and cycled the target onto the display. A graphical depiction of our foe came up on the Target Acquisition Computer to the left of the scanner. This heavy cruiser was twice the size of those I’d seen destroy Rione’s ship. These were the kind used for heavy bombardment and I didn’t figure they were coming to the station to talk. We were still a few moments out of weapons range.

My old instincts took over. “Get in behind the cruiser. We’ll be safe from their cannons back there.”

“Acknowledged.”

I grabbed the control stick tight and eased it far to the right. Thrusters banked my fighter in the same direction and vectored me into a turn. I watched the cruiser’s image circle around the scanner. It passed the center mark and I flipped the stick back to the left until I saw the tail end of the cruiser through the front of the canopy. Its engine pods were three white-hot globes from my viewpoint, a few kilpars away.

Quick Links:

Get Heroes Die Young in Multiple eBook Formats from Champagne Books

Get Heroes Die Young in Paperback from Amazon.com

Today I’m reviewing a Science Fiction novel by K.M. Tolan. The book is published by Champagne books, and it is one Sci-Fi read that fans of the genre won’t want to miss.

Blade Dance is an action packed book that is a truly imaginative novel, and it doesn’t follow some of the nerve-grinding conventions of this type of book. One of my biggest pet peeves with science fiction is the fact that so many books follow the same story line as the last one you read. With Blade Dancer you move away from those boring conventions and you get a truly original story that will draw you in from page one on.

The book tells the story of Mikial a female Datha warrior (and no I’m not going to explain the terminology – you’ll have to read it for yourself) who seems to always be struggling between what’s right, and what duty tells her she should be doing. Throughout the book you are taken with Mikial on a journey through war, to distant lands regularly untraveled by her people, and ultimately to success. I’m not going to share any more of the story line, but I will say this is one Sci-Fi eBook that should be in your library.

K.M. Tolan has an excellent writing style that is descriptive enough to draw you right into this whole new world. I’m looking forward to the next book featuring Mikial, and I enjoyed this ones so much that I also plan to buy K.M’s other book Waiting Weapon. I’ve included links at the bottom of this post for all of our Sci-Fi fans. I do suggest you grab a copy.

Excerpt:

The odd coughing thud increased in tempo. She was sure it came from among the trees, but a noise like the quick rush of birds made her look up. A geyser of dirt flashed skyward near the creek just to her right, scattering stones and debris through the brush. Before Mikial could make sense of what had happened, another crash of sound and light erupted in front of the Line’s position.

Cort Havada gave a series of signals that sent her scrambling to her feet. Assault by flanks. Mikial bolted as more “birds” flew in, chewing ground around the Datha blocking force.

Feren was right behind her as she dashed along the creek along the hillside. Glancing back, she saw Cort lead a skirmish line across the field as enemy cannon shells continued to rend the bushes they had left behind. Then came the next ugly surprise. It sounded like the sharp blast of a Qurl cannon, except that one report followed another in impossibly fast succession. Something raked across the rushing Datha like a deadly wind, many of them crumpling in bloody sprays.

Mikial dove instinctively as projectiles far worse than the expected simple rifle balls smashed rocks and tore the soil around her. A stinging rain of debris made it seem like an entire cavalry brigade had chosen her for volley fire.

“In the trees!” Feren shouted, slapping at her helmet. “Just ahead…see the flashes?”

“Targeted!” She snapped open the bipod attached to the cannon barrel and raised the weapon into position. Whatever the thing was, it had gone back to hammering Cort’s group in the field, forcing Datha to crawl across the meadow.

Quick Links:

Multi-Format eBook From Champagne Books – Blade Dancer – K.M Tolan

Paper Back from Amazon.com – Blade Dancer in Paperback

Kindle Format eBook from Amazon.com – Blade Dancer for Kindle

Here’s a short story that Sci-Fi readers will enjoy. The eBook is The Treasure by Michael W. Davis, and it is an excellent read from start to finish. Personally, I enjoy short eBooks like this one. They give me a way to grab a book to read for a $1.00, and they can be finished in a shorter amount of time (time is something I seem to have less of lately).

The Treasure tells the story of Major Jake Hamilton, a space traveler who finds himself marooned on a distant planet, alone after his crew is killed, and faced with a daily struggle against the inhabitants of that planet. I’m not going to give away the story line, but I will say this short story is a great read. It is one of those books that really makes you think, and it will leave you with a sense of wonder when you finish.

As I expected, since it’s written by Michael W. Davis, the writing style is great and it will draw you right in. If you’ve been looking for a good short eBook, I highly recommend this Sci-Fi short from Champagne books.

An Excerpt from the Treasure

Jake heard the scream from the direction of the shoreline. He ripped his way through the dense undergrowth, but when he got there, she was gone. He followed the drag trail into the teal colored trees. Just inside the dense underbrush, he came to an opening, and there she was, the life being sucked from her small body. She reached for him, pleaded for relief. He struggled to help her, but he couldn’t move. His feet were entangled in the roots of the forest; the vines rose up and anchored him to the ground. She called his name again and again, begged him to save her, but he could only watch as she was slowly devoured. He looked toward the sky; cried out for a reprieve, but there was no one to help.

Quick Links

Get The Treasure from Champagne Books (Only $1.00)

Check out some of the Other $1.00 Download from Champagne Books

Here’s a book that those who read horror won’t want to miss. The book is called Thirst of Youth, it’s written by Preston J. Sexton, and it will be available from Rogue Pheonix Press on April 01st, 2009. I am recommending this one to anyone who enjoys this genre.

Thirst of Youth is a vampire novel, but with a very unique twist – the vampires aren’t actually vampires at all (if you want to understand you’ll have to read the book). The book tells the story of Justin Browser, a young man trying to escape the mundane life of central Oregon. Upon moving out to L.A. he is presented with a whole new, quite horrific, world where he is forced to fight against a new evil he discovers.

The whole book is an excellent keep-you-on-the-edge-of-your-seat novel, and I am recommending it to anyone who enjoys a good horror book. It’s is an action packed thrill-ride that will keep you reading and wanting more.

Thirst of Youth will be available on April 01, from the Rogue Pheonix Press site. You can bookmark their site, or just subscribe to our RSS feed – I will be announcing the official release of this particular eBook.

An Excerpt from Thirst of Youth:

Sarah and the kids flinched at the first sound of gunfire. They moved quickly toward the end of the building. Sarah scanned the open space for a pay phone.

The Uzi’s rattled off round after round with little pause between them. Metal shards sliced the night air anticipating the collision with the angry vamptilians flesh. All three women caught the searing pressure at once. Camille took one shot off her left shin, another spread a hole in the flesh of her right hand. She was livid.

Now that his strengths were like theirs, it would be more difficult to attack through the rapid succession of bullets. Camille jumped from the van, leaving her cousins to be shredded. She disappeared into the dark sky, wounded, and plotting her revenge. Ming and Nicki were heavy with molten shrapnel. The 9mm cartridges rained from the ejection port. Ming’s arms and face looked like ground beef. Thick blood streamed down her cheek. Her right eye had exploded in its socket. The dying beast gave one last gargling hiss–fell to her knees and then her belly.

Nicki cried out like a wounded animal. Fingers were missing from both her hands. Chucks of muscle tore from her arms, thighs, and abdomen.

Justin kicked his right leg over the motorcycle as he continued unleashing bullets from the guns. Once free from the bike, he walked closer to the helpless vamptilians. He turned both pistols on Nicki. The violent barrage of ammunition tore into her skull. Fragments of brain matter and bone splashed onto the cement and the van behind her. She remained on her feet, although the glaze in her dark eyes was completely devoid of life. By the time Justin had calmed his tensed index fingers, the entire upper crust of Nicki’s skull was gone. She fell to the earth.