Special Offers by ML Ryan

Title: Special Offers
Author: M.L. Ryan
Genre: Contemporary Paranormal Romance
Publisher: Running With Scissors Publishing (February 10, 2012)
Available: $0.99 at Amazon
Rating: 5+ stars
Rater: Dihanna

From the publisher:

Hailey Parrish is quick-witted, irreverent, and hasn’t had a date in three years. She only wanted an eBook reader because her collection of paperbacks threatened to take over her small living space. Little did she know that the "special offers" that prompted the purchase included much more than a reduced price in exchange for a few ads. The device came pre-loaded with the essence of Sebastian Kess, an erudite womanizer with magical abilities from a parallel dimension. When she inadvertently releases him and he inhabits her body, she finally has a man inside her, just not in the way she imagined. And soon her predicament introduces her to yet another supernatural, the handsome could-be-the-man-of-her-dreams Alex Sunderland. Can Alex and Hailey find a way to return Sebastian to his own body, stay one step ahead of the criminals who want to keep him where he is, and not lose their sense of humor?

What I liked: I flat loved this book!  I loved the idea behind this story, the plot, the writing, and the characters, and Sebastian in particular. I loved his sense of humor, and how testy-naughty he can be. And Hailey was wonderful. She discovered herself and managed to hold fast to her magnificent sense of humor.  I thoroughly enjoyed reading this book and am looking forward to reading the Coursodon Dimension Series!  I rate this book 5.5 out of 5 stars – easily!

What I didn’t like: Not one thing.

In sum: If you miss this one, you will regret it.

The Return by Carter Vance

Title: The Return
Author: Carter Vance
Genre: Religious Fiction
Publisher: Self-published (unknown date)
Available: $2.99 at Amazon
Rating: 4 stars
Rater: Dihanna

From the publisher:

The Return is an action thriller that challenges us with the possibility that Jesus Christ is returning now. “The world currently in a state of upheaval and getting more chaotic everyday,” states Carter Vance, author of The Return. “Many of the prophesized signs of the end times are here, now, and are an indication of the possible return of Christ.”

What if the Knights Templar never disbanded and have amassed, over the centuries, virtually unlimited resources in anticipation of His return?

What I liked: This books is most assuredly about Good versus Evil and the return of Christ. Here the author speculates about what the Templar’s status has historically been and what it is now.  I enjoyed this author’s characters as they were so kind, and the portrayal of the KT made me completely sympathize with them. I loved that in the end good does indeed conquer!  I found this a good, well written story.

What I didn’t like: I felt great sadness that several characters, including one I adored, died.

In sum: Very well worth the read.

Blood Lite III: Aftertaste anthology

Title: Blood Lite III: Aftertaste
Author: Anthology edited by Kevin J. Anderson
Genre: Horror/Paranormal Fantasy
Publisher: Pocket Books (May 29, 2012)
Available: $7.99 at Amazon
Rating: 3 stars
Rater: Lauri

From the publisher:

Sink your teeth into a smorgasbord of macabre morsels laced with horrific humor in this all-new Blood Lite collection! Whether you shriek with laughter or scream in fear . . . well, that’s simply a matter of taste.

What I liked: I adore horror, and bought this book to read as I traversed the skies during my recent travels. And some of the stories are better than great. Jim Butcher’s, for one. And I love the “smorgasbord,” as the pub calls it, approach to reading. It’s a blast, and you get to dip your tongue into so many different flavors – plots, characters, storylines, descriptions. And short stories are a better choice if you’re attention is wandering, or if, like me, you have a child to watch, too.

What I didn’t like: Some of the stories were horrifying, and not in a good way. That they didn’t contain spelling errors is perhaps the best thing I can say about them. The plots of those several were beyond trite, or so shallow I could see right through them. Melodramatic dialogue. All telling and no showing. Too much explained and not enough revealed. These stories seemed to be written by brand-new writers who had no editors to bleed the stories into some semblance of good.

In sum: Unless the price is lowered an awful lot, I absolutely will not buy another one of these books. Even the half of the stories I liked cannot make up for the half that I didn’t.

The Hour of Predators by Lane Stark

Title: The Hour of Predators
Author: Lane Stark
Genre: Mystery/Horror
Publisher: Self published (March 22, 2012)
Available: $2.99 at Amazon
Rating: 4.5 stars
Rater: Dihanna

From the author:

"It was the hour of prowling bears, circling nightowls, vengeful spirits, and savage hearts. It was the hour of predators."

Two gruesome murders have shocked and divided the community of Bella Coola, a small, isolated village in a remote river valley on the coast of British Columbia. The evidence points to a teenaged Nuxalk boy, and the simmering tension between whites and tribe members heats up. RCMP Inspector Marcus Chao must sort through misleading clues, cultural conflicts, tangled relationships, sexual scandals, and even rumors of sorcery to find the truth.

Marcus is a man whose life has skidded into remorse and misery. His own infidelity has ended his marriage to the woman he still loves, and now he finds himself with only two things to keep his sinking spirits afloat: the need to serve justice and his eternal fascination with solving the puzzle of the crime. This latest puzzle, however, is proving to be a maze of intrigue, and his mettle as well as his principles will be tested.

Warning: Potential Spoilers!

What I liked: This writer writes extremely well, and she draws her characters with true skill. They’re clear, and believable. The plot is logical and well thought out. The mystery is not completely predictable. I read this in one day because I wanted to know what happened.

What I didn’t like: This story is just too grisly for my tastes. Central to the plot is the repeated rape of a teenage child. The descriptions of the murders are too graphic. I felt upset pretty much throughout the entire book. From the technical, the story jumps around far too much, and that makes it extremely difficult to understand and follow.

In sum: This book should be regenred as horror. For the folks that like those stories, this book is doubtless well worth the read.

The Dark Man's Son by Meg Whitlock

Title: The Dark Man’s Son
Author: Meg Whitlock
Genre: Fantasy Adventure
Publisher: Self published (June 4, 2012)
Available: $2.99 at Amazon 
Rating: 4 stars
Rater: Dihanna

From the publisher:

She claimed the muggers were demons, but of course Jason didn’t believe her. At first.
When a mysterious woman appears in a dirty alley to rescue Jason Latimer from a pair of muggers, he tries to write her off as a garden variety lunatic. But he can’t shake the memory of her intense green eyes that seemed to flash gold, or the glowing sword she’d worn on her hip.

She calls herself Alex (no last name) like she’d made it up on the spot, and she offers Jason her protection. From what, she can’t or won’t say. He refuses, and that night he dreams of a dark man with the same offer. His black eyes flash blood and garnet, and he smells of burning things. Jason refuses him, too.

A chance meeting brings Alex and Jason together again, and she tells him of the Guardians: two immortal beings created near the beginning of time with the express purpose of fighting for mortal-kind’s soul. She is Light, and the man from Jason’s dream is Dark. Jason must choose, because Lucifer, for reasons purely his own, has unleashed the armies of Hell to hunt Jason down.

But there are things about Jason that not even he knows, and he’ll face hard truths and bitter choices as he struggles to find his place in a world redefined. Will he rise to the challenge, or, when the time comes, will he falter?

From Renaissance Florence to the French Revolution, from World War II to the modern streets of New Orleans, The Dark Man’s Son is a riveting journey filled with unforgettable characters, wry humor, dark twists, and a touch of romance.

Warning: Spoliers!

Jason was a just normal kid with a step dad who treated him very well and who grew up to be quite a good man.  On an auspicious night he was attacked by two demons, but before the worst could happen, a woman - "Alex" - appeared and stepped between him and the demons. On what seemed a strange whim, the woman told Jason to ask her to be her guardian because she could not help him unless he asked.  After several things happened he did ask.

As the story unfolded, I came to love her – this woman - because she had the kindest nature. She forgave everyone and tried to find the good in everything and everyone.  In her searches, she discovered that her brother was in fact Jason's father (Cassius-another Guardian) and his mother was a human.  Lucifer wanted to get Jason into Hell so that he could then be free to roam the earth.  To do that he poisoned the Lady of Light and kept her in purgatory.  Jason, after meeting Lucifer on several occasions, decided to make the trade for the Lady of Light but when the trade went down Cassius The Dark Guardian (his father) took Jason's place which left Jason to fight Satan on the earth to kill him.

I rated this story four stars for two reasons: I was surprised to see Werewolves and Vampires, and didn't think they belonged in this story (and they didn’t really add anything meaningful). Second, the plot was a bit too predictable. This was, however, a well written story that was extremely fun to read. I recommend it without hesitation to every fantasy fan.

Aristeia II by Wayne Basta

Title: Aristeia : A Little Rebellion (Book 2)
Author: Wayne Basta
Genre: Adventure/Battle Star Sci Fi
Publisher: Grey Gecko Press (May 30, 2012)
Available: $4.99 at Grey Gecko Press
Rating: 4 stars
Rater: Dihanna

From the publisher:

"I like a little rebellion now and then...The spirit of resistance to government is so valuable that I wish it to be always kept alive. It will often be exercised when wrong, but better so than not to be exercised at all." -Thomas Jefferson

Unlike her brother, Saracasi Ocaitchi has always known that her loyalties belong to the ideals of freedom and democracy, not the government of the Alliance, and that protecting those ideals would require a fight. But now that the rebellion she has dreamed about has finally begun, she must come to terms with what that truly means: for herself, for her brother, and for all of the people who will die in the coming war.

Written in the spirit of heroic space adventure, Aristeia: A Little Rebellion is the second book in the Aristeia series by author Wayne Basta. The first book, Aristeia: Revolutionary Right, is available now.

It was amazing. As in the first book in this series, I felt I was a part of the fighting right along with Maarkean and his sister, Saracasi.

This story is rocking, rollicking adventure that pulls you in from the first page. The two siblings’ trials reminded me of why wars are won: determination and tapping into the hero that lies within us all.  Not only were these two heroic, but they knew when to lean on others for help (and I loved the character Zeric, without whom they most likely would not have survived many times).  I loved how they rose about fear and bitterness even when faced with betrayal and such harsh trials.

I would like to have a friend like either of these two, and I was sad when the story ended.

As in the first book, I rate this a four star because some of the descriptions are too involved and hard to follow. Otherwise, like the first book, this is a great, great read.

Aristeia by Wayne Basta

Title: Aristeia: Revolutionary Right
Author: Wayne Basta
Genre: Adventure/Battle Star Sci Fi
Publisher: Grey Gecko Press (December 14, 2011)
Available: $4.99 at Grey Gecko Press
Rating: 4 stars
Rater: Dihanna

From the publisher:

A former naval starfighter pilot, Maarkean Ocaitchi once fought to protect the Alliance and its principles of freedom and democracy, but his sister's rebellious past forced them both into a life of smuggling. He nevertheless refuses to believe her assertions that the whole system is corrupt... until she is arrested and condemned to death as a traitor.

Now, Maarkean must decide where his loyalty lies, and will either spark a rebellion or help crush the spirit of democracy once and for all. The experience will challenge everything he thinks he knows about resistance, loyalty, and friendship.

Written in the spirit of heroic space adventure, Aristeia: Revolutionary
Right is the first book in a series by new author Wayne Basta.

Frankly, I don't usually read battle star sci fi, but I found myself pulled in to this story from the first page. For one, the characters are very interesting.  Maarkean and his sister, Saracasi, are trying to live a semi-calm life. Adventure ensues. A lot of it. As Maarkean struggles and tries to take care of his sister, he is forced into learning about  loyalty, perseverance, developing friendships with otherwise enemies, and ultimately about perseverance and democracy.  I think what struck me most was the simple, yet profound message that being a hero is simply doing what needs to be done and never giving up.

The detail is amazing.

I rate this a four star story because some of the descriptions are too involved and hard to follow. Otherwise a great, great read.