Book Review: Wired in (Paradise Crime #1) by Toby Neal

Special Agent Sophie Ang has had a hard life. From being kidnapped as a child to having a mentally unstable mother, and even a very abusive ex husband, she’s been on constant guard since she can remember. Now as an FBI Agent, she sleuths around and saves people, never giving herself a break. That is, until her personal trainer finishes up with her training and starts flirting with her. Could this be just the break she needs?

3/5 Stars 282 pages
Published March 11th 2021 by Neal Enterprises

Spoiler alert: It’s not. Everything is always more complicated than it seems at first glance. An action packed story, it doesn’t even really stop to give to time to breathe. A good plot with a very strong female lead, I enjoyed reading it, but I do have a few complaints leading to why this isn’t my new favourite book.

See, a lot of the info really seems to be thrown at you to just remember. Why? Not really any reason. Her parent’s relationship with her, her friends that aren’t really that close with her, and even her job, because I can’t really even explain fully what she does. She lives in Hawaii, has a dog, and never really sees anyone, but that’s all I know. Special Agent? Might as well be a plain old detective.

The other problem that I have is that there’s no warning to even elude that there may be possibly triggering scenes. They come on very suddenly and really scared me to read honestly, just out of the blue like that. Sophie has the occasional flashback to her abusive ex husband, including the horrific time he had non-consensual sex with her. And that’s something that needs to have a warning, I think. Sophie also reminds me of a bad sitcom stereotype, always swearing in another language.

Photo by Roberto Nickson on Pexels.com

That being said, I did like the story, I just didn’t love it. I felt like I had to kind of push myself through the entire book, and that’s not really something I enjoy doing. It’s interesting, and I don’t regret reading it, it’s just not my cup of tea. I think it’s good for any adult reader who doesn’t get triggered easily, and likes a good mystery novel in Hawaii.

If you’d like to grab a copy, you can here.

And if you’d like to keep up with the author, you can on Twitter here!

Thanks for reading, and I hope you’re having a great night!

Overland by Ramcy Diek Blog Tour & Excerpt

Overland
Ramcy Diek
Published by: Acorn Publishing
Publication date: November 10th 2020
Genres: Adult, Romance, Thriller

Skyla Overland is proud to work for Overland Insurance, the company founded by her grandfather. She enjoys sharing an apartment with her best friend, Pauline, and is in love with Edmond. Besides one nerve-wracking insurance fraud case in the past, her sheltered life is uneventful and just the way she likes it.

Until one day, everything changes…

Skyla and Troy, the manager at Overland Insurance, are the last ones to leave the office. In the empty parking lot, Troy takes her in his arms. Why would he ruin their easy-going friendship by kissing her, especially since he knows she’s dating Edmond?

Left alone, Skyla hurries to her car, puts on her seatbelt, and glances in her rearview mirror.

The face of a stranger grins at her from the backseat. “How nice to see you again,” he hisses close to her ear.

Regaining consciousness, Skyla finds herself on the backseat of her own car, with her hands tied behind her back.

Is she getting kidnapped? Who is he? And where is he taking her?

Goodreads / Amazon / Barnes & Noble

 

 

Author Bio:

A long time ago, I fell in love with the United States while traveling around in an Oldsmobile station-wagon with my husband. We are both born and raised in the Netherlands.
Together, we eventually found our way to the Pacific Northwest, built up a business, and raised our two boys into amazing young adults with their own careers. During this time, I also made a slow transition from reader to writer of many different stories.

My multiple award winning debut novel “Storm at Keizer Manor” sets the bar high for my second novel, Eagles in Flight.
All my books are stand alone novels in different genres. You might be in for a surprise, or a disappointment.

Website / Goodreads / Facebook / Twitter / Instagram / Newsletter / Bookbub

 

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And now, here’s an excerpt of the book!

SKYLA HAD NO IDEA how long she’d been unconscious. When she woke up, immediate panic constricted her throat. She was lying on the backseat of her own moving car. She was being kidnapped. 

The car’s heater ran at full blast, the air suffocating. Despite the heat, she shivered convulsively. Her teeth chattered as horrible images of her discarded mutilated body, raped and beaten, flooded her mind. Drenched in cold sweat, her long hair half covered her face and blocked her vision. She wiggled her arms. They were numb, bound behind her back at the wrists.

She lowered her legs to the floor of the car. A sharp pain shot through her right temple as she tried to push herself up into a sitting position. Overcome by a wave of nausea, she gasped and almost burst into tears. With her eyes squeezed tightly, she waited until her dizziness subsided. Don’t panic, keep your head together, she ordered herself. As long as your heart is beating, you’ll have a chance. You can do this.

She reopened her eyes and caught a glimpse of the man behind the steering wheel. He was wearing a baseball cap and a dark coat, and his hair was shoulder length. She couldn’t see much else and had no idea who he was. She shifted her gaze to look outside. The windshield wipers swished back and forth, and all she could detect was that he was driving in complete darkness. Other than the raindrops in the beams of the headlights, she couldn’t see anything. Realizing every second brought her further away from home, she moved her attention to her tied wrists. He’d used thin rope. If she could get her hands free, perhaps she could find something to hit him over the head with? 

The man shifted position and glanced over his shoulder. “Did sleeping beauty wake up?”

She half-leaned against the backdoor, her attention more focused on the rope than on him. As long as he was behind the wheel, he wouldn’t be able to see what she did. This was her best chance.

“Who are you?” she spat at him, trying to free one of her hands, but the harder she pulled the deeper the rope cut into her skin.  “What do you want from me?”

He emitted a harsh bark of laughter. “I’m the prince who’s rescuing the princess.”

Was this guy crazy? What the hell was he talking about? “Where are you taking me?” she demanded.

He laughed even louder. “I’m taking you to your new home. Isn’t that what happens in fairy tales? Prince Charming and his white horse taking the princess to her castle.” 

She tried to make sense out of what he was saying. This wasn’t a fairy tale. It was a nightmare.

Anathema (Cloud Prophet Trilogy #1) by Megg Jensen Review

5/5 Stars 206 pages
Published February 5th 2011 by Createspace

Though I’ve had this book for a really long time just sitting collecting imaginary dust on my ereader, I only just got around to reading it. And man, I wish I read it sooner. Way different than anything I’ve read lately, books like these have really brought me to love the fantasy and magical power genre, something I didn’t used to enjoy. I can’t wait to check out the second book in the trilogy.

Living as a slave her entire life has been hard, and life is about to get even harder when on the morning of her fifteenth birthday, with her branding ceremony just around the corner, Reychel’s best friend Ivy is missing from their bed. That means Reychel’s going to have to go through the traumatizing ceremony not only alone, but that she’s lost her only friend. She tries to go about the day like normal, with the new girl instead of Ivy helping her shave her head and in turn, she shaves her head too, and then goes about her chores. But Reychel’s different, and her owner knows it. He calls her into his study every day to gaze at the clouds, and tell him stories.

Photo by Dapo Abideen on Pexels.com

She’s horribly hurt and confused by the situation, until she finds a double sided coin with the word Anathema on the back. That gives her the information that she needs, now knowing that her friend hasn’t left her, but was instead kidnapped. That doesn’t help her personal situation, though. Until they come for her, too. That’s when she learns that the people kidnapping the slaves aren’t doing it to hurt them, but to help them. And that they only free the gifted slaves. But Reychel’s confused, because although everyone says that she’s gifted like them, she hasn’t the slightest idea what her gift is, and she’s horribly worried that she’ll never find it out.

Photo by Phil on Pexels.com

One thing I was worried about reading this book was that because the main character is only fifteen, that I wouldn’t be able to really get into the story like I can with other ones, but that wasn’t even a problem. I slipped right into the background and sat there until the end of the book, when I couldn’t help but want more. And I haven’t stopped thinking about it since. This was not only exciting, but also mysterious in the best way, and I really couldn’t get enough. I think if you like books about beings with tough lives but also magical powers, and trying to change the way that the world works, then this is a perfect choice for your next read.

If you’d like to grab a copy, you can do so here through my Amazon Associates link.

And if you’d like to keep up with the author, you can follow them on Twitter here!

Thanks for reading! I hope you’re doing well and staying safe.

Echoes of Darkness (Echoes Trilogy #2) by Cheryl Campbell Review

5/5 Stars 384 pages
Published October 5th 2020 by Smith Publicity

If you read my last review, I read the first book in the series, Echoes of War, in like less than 24 hours. This book was no exception to that as I also finished it in the same amount of time. I just can’t get enough of the trilogy, and I can’t wait for the last book, even though it comes out next year. I really haven’t stopped thinking about them since I started them, and I’m excited to see them nicely sitting together on my bookshelf with the rest of my favourites.

Following Dani, Brody, Oliver, Mary, Miles and Hattie, along with all the other characters that we’ve grown to love (and hate) throughout these two books, it shows their lives in third person, jumping to and from each of them when needed to give the story the sides you need to see to really put it all together. I gladly started this book less than half an hour after finishing the first one. I was very thankful to have the second book ready to go, as that doesn’t happen very often with me. As you might know, I’m really bad for leaving multiple books in a series to sit for months or even years after I read one, and I want to change that.

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We get to see their lives not long after the first book ended, with Dani and Mary and another character on a supply run. However, things don’t go as expected. They’re blown off the road by a group of Wardens and their insane tech, and have to be rescued by Gavin and his team, as well as Miles. Though this book isn’t as action packed as the first book in the first half, the second half is total destruction, and that’s what I love about this trilogy. The characters are everything I want from them and more, and there’s really never a dull moment, even when they’re simply training, or interacting with each other. I think my favourite might be Oliver, or maybe Hattie, aside from Dani of course.

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So in the last one, we saw the armies, one military and one scavenger, come together and take back Portland, and set their eyes on Boston next, even though it’s pretty far from them, and there’s a whole other area between them. But Dani knows what she needs, especially when things take a turn for the worse, and a kidnapping takes place that forces her hand. I loved the amount of work that was written into the story, not only from Dani, but the rest of the team as well, and the life that was woven in between the annihilation that happens. It really sucked me into the story, and I knew once I picked it up that even though I was debating reading something in between the first and second books, that I wouldn’t be able to do that.

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Overall, if you’re looking for something insanely exciting and action packed, as well as emotional and just really well put together, than you should pick up this trilogy next. Of course I love aliens and destruction, so this was easily one of my new favourites. But I think even if you don’t exactly love those things, and are just looking for an action packed book to pick up, I definitely think you should give these a chance.

If you’d like to grab a copy you can do so here with my link through Amazon Associates!

And if you’d like to keep up with the author, you can follow on Instagram here!

Thanks for reading! Hope you’re doing well and staying safe.

Bronze Dragon: Riders of Fire (Dragons’ Realm Novella) by Eileen Mueller Review

Are you looking for a third person fantasy novella full of dragons, magic and fighting? Do you like when one of the  points of view is from the dragon itself? Then this might be something you’ll want to look into. Following a dragon named Handel and his handler Idelian, it shows their lives as they quickly change course entirely and end up somewhere they never thought they’d be.

 

You may have noticed I posted this book not too long ago as it was a free book in my inbox. That’s kind of what spurred me reading this, though I have tons of books I need to get to, this was a short and easy read. The world it’s set in isn’t especially exciting, but the characters and kinds of characters inside it makes it.

 

4/5 Stars 89 pages
Published December 2nd 2018 by Phantom Feather Press

Although it’s not something I’d usually read, I was quickly swept up into the world inside this book, and I’m glad I gave it a chance. Able to mind meld, we get to see a seamless transition between dragon and rider, because they can not only speak to each other inside their minds, but they can send pictures and feelings as well. That’s just something that comes naturally to both dragons and their riders.

 

We also learn about Hans, a young boy. This story was unexpectedly exciting, and something I was really into. Though I don’t usually like books about magic and dragons, this was interesting and kept me sucked in the whole time. A quick read, I finished in less than an hour.

 

Because this is a novella, like another book I read recently, it’s half ads. After about 65%, that’s all there is to the book. I’m not mad about seeing them, I just think it’s a little bit of false advertising to say that the book is this long even though a lot of is is ads and descriptions for the other books in the series. This is why I only give it 4 stars.

 

The book is available here.

Here’s a link to the author’s Twitter.

 

 

Thanks for reading!

Renegade Patriot (Empire Rising #1) by Oscar Andrews is On Sale Now!

You ever just wake up in the middle of the night panicking because you can’t breathe? Yeah same. Anyways, I found my inhaler. Here’s a cheap book I found.

 

Published at the end of last month, this book only has two reviews so far, but they’re already rating it a high 4 stars on Goodreads. I think that the cover is very unique, and if I didn’t know better, I would have though this was a graphic novel. Wouldn’t that be awesome? Maybe that should be a thing.

It’s description claims that: “War is looming and Flight Sergeant Neffy Klingerman answers the call.

“Teamed up with Ally, a human consciousness in a concierge bot-body, he heads out to New Atlantia in the Federation’s boondocks where he finds two sides ready to blow each other off the face of the planet.

“Standing in the way of a peaceful resolution is a little matter of a kidnapped scientist and a stolen zero-point energy generator: a piece of tech which, in the wrong hands, is capable of ripping a hole in the universe.”

 

There’s more, but doesn’t that sound exciting already? I really want to check it out! It sounds like something that would be right up my alley.

 

If you’re interested, the book is available here, for $1.30 now!

 

Thanks for reading! Let me know if you have any thoughts below, in the comments.

The Twisted Window by Lois Duncan Review

If you want your next read to be an exciting young adult thriller, than this may just be the book you might want to grab. Following two teenagers, Brad and Tracy, it show their lives in third person. Starting out semi normal, Tracy goes to school and sees a new boy staring at her from a distance. Little does she know, that he doesn’t go to the school that she does, and that he actually lives in another state. But he’s come here to find someone just like her, and he won’t stop until he gets her help.

4/5 Stars 194 pages
Published August 28th 2012 by Open Road Media YA (first published 1987)

Originally published in 1987 and re-released in 2012, this book is only about 200 pages, tops. It’s a quick read, but it really sucks you in. Although, I do have to say, I kind of called the story from about a third of the way through. Maybe that’s just me being insightful. The characters are believable for their age, though Tracy’s guardians got on my nerves a bit. They seemed kind of like the stereotypical annoying too many rules parents.

 

Overall, I didn’t take a break while I was reading this. I think if you’re looking for something thrilling and maybe a little different from your usual books, if you’re like me and usually read some kind of science fiction or fantasy. It was a nice read, and although it’s not my new favourite, I’m glad I read it. I think lots of people would like this book if they picked it up.

The book is available here.

Thanks for reading!

Machine City (Detective Barnes #2) by Scott J. Holliday Review

Machine City (Detective Barnes #2) by Scott J. Holliday 5/5 Stars 300 pages
Published October 16th 2018 by Thomas & Mercer

When I saw that this book was coming out, I knew I had to read it. I was really excited, because I absolutely loved the first book. While this one is different, I’d like to think it’s just as good but in a different way. Not as violent but still action packed and mysterious. I’m glad to get to know John Barnes all over again.

This time, there’s a missing girl. John Barnes is now a former homicide detective, married with a child, working as a construction worker. He’s been surgically repaired after the events of the last book, and the voices in his head have gone quiet for quite a while now. He has a son named Richard. It’s been six years since the last book.

His new life is rocked, however, when three police officers show up on his doorstep to give him an envelope and ask him to come back on the now outlawed machine, as a favour. Of course, he’s reluctant at first. But then he goes to get a pizza, and gets wrapped back up in it all once again. His wife isn’t happy. It messed his head up bad last time, and she doesn’t want to have to go through that again. But he knows what he has to do will probably save the missing girl and everyone surrounding her.

Desperate to finish an old scavenger hunt from his brother, he begins to unravel things in the world he didn’t know were possible. A monster, dressed as a man. He begins hearing a strange new voice, who only pushes him to go on the machine more and more, to figure out the mystery. And I loved every single page of it.

The characters are amazing, and they always have been. That’s not something that has changed. What has changed, however, is that they’re not looking for a serial killer this time. No more going into victims minds, hunting down the person that killed them. This time, he’s searching for a live victim. The story itself was breathtaking, and I couldn’t put it down once I started it. It’s everything I wanted it to be and more. I could really clearly see the surroundings they were in, and that’s always something I enjoy.

Overall I absolutely loved this book, and I can’t wait to see what the author comes up with next. I know that this is probably the end of this series, but it definitely makes me want to check out the other books by the same author. If you love exciting and dark mysteries that suck you in immediately, you’re going to love this book. While I don’t think you absolutely have to read the first book to understand this one, I think you’ll definitely enjoy this book more if you do. It’s available here, and here’s a link to the author’s Twitter.

 

Thanks for reading!