Tuesday, 23 April 2013

New Sneak Peek at Diary of a Dead Girl




Then

The computer beeped, Danny set up straighter and opened the email. The fluorescent light lit up his face, the lack of sleep had left his features drawn and his eyes bloodshot. He scanned the email, his eyes going wide and his mouth hung open. He wiped at his face unbelieving what he was reading, he clicked on the attachment and sat unmoving as he watched the video play out on the screen.

Four uniformed clad men sat around a large metal table, the video was grainy and slightly obscured by someone’s clothing. It was obvious the filming had taken place secretly but there was no mistaking the fifth figure. It was not human.

The huge lizard like body, the claws extended on its hand sat a foot taller than the men, its large head was round with an elongated nose, and its large eyes watched as the others appeared to be in a heated debate.  The video lasted no longer, than two minutes, Danny watched it over and over again until he fell asleep in the front of his computer.

He awoke groggily, his neck stiff. He made some coffee before sitting back in front of the monitor and read the information that came along with the video. If what he had seen were true, the world as he knew it was about to come toppling down and millions of lives would be lost. He quickly typed out a message to his friend Steven and included the video. He sat back, his stomach a flurry of butterflies. He needed to see Elise and tell her what he had found.

It was an hour later when he rang Elise.

“Hey babe.”

“Hey-you okay?”

“Yeah yeah. Listen I have something to show you. You’re home right?”

“Of course I am. Do you want to go out for tea or stay in and eat?”

“We’ll stay in.”

“Are you sure you’re okay, you sound weird.”

“I promise I’m fine.” He replied trying to reign in the excitement and terror both simultaneously.

“Okay I’ll see you soon.”

“See you soon.” He ended the call and kicked the bike into life. He knew if anyone was going to believe him it would be Elise. He smiled thinking about her, she had been such a huge part of his childhood that he had never considered a relationship with her. They had grown up together and as they hit their teens, they had drifted apart. A chance encounter at a coffee shop had them sitting side by side laughing at their shared childhood memories. Fast forward two months and they were now closer than ever, having stepped beyond a childhood friendship into the beginnings of a relationship.

He put his helmet on, not seeing the black four by four parked nearby; he pushed the bike forwards and roared off. Driving the bike made him feel as if he was flying, the outskirts of his town quickly zipped passed as he drove on.

The black Lexus followed Danny, driven by Sergeant O’Hannesy on the orders of his Warrant Officer. Sergeant O’Hannesy had picked up Private Collins, the young soldier had proved outstanding in his entry exam and the Sergeant had plans for him.

“Private Collins, this is a training simulation. One that you’ve been handpicked for.”

“Yes Sir.”

“Our orders are to follow the civilian Danny Stevens but not to engage him. Do you understand?”

“Yes Sir.”

The young Private was excited, he had not been in the army long and here he was with his superior on an impromptu mission.

The followed the man on his bike as he weaved his way in and out of traffic, keeping one car in front so as not to draw too much attention to themselves.

The traffic lights up ahead began to turn red when the car in front started to slow, they watched as Danny hit the accelerator and dash through the lights.

“Shit!” bellowed the Sergeant, instead of waiting for the cars to slow he picked up speed and swerved around the car in front, other cars stepped on their brakes causing a few vehicles to run into the back of one another. The crunch of metal against metal was deafening. Danny slowed his bike down and peered behind him.

He watched as the black four by four picked up speed and swerve around the other cars gaining on him. His heart jumped into his mouth as he realised they were following him. He knew it the information he had been given had landed him with a target at his back, his only option was to try to flee. He pushed down harder, almost willing the bike to take off as he tried to shake his pursuers. In his effort to get away, he misjudge an exit, his front wheel clipped the tailgate of a car sending him flying off his bike.

The Sergeant and Private watched in stunned silence as the man flew through the air landing in the oncoming traffic. Those that saw what happened tried to hit the brakes of their vehicles but it was too late, a barrage of cars ran over Daniel leaving him dead.

The Private tried to open the door, his stomach began to heave as he realised he and his SO had inadvertently killed the man they were supposed to follow. His Sergeant grabbed his arm before he had chance to exit the car.

“Private, this stays between us. Do you understand? If you say one wrong word they will gives us either a dishonourable discharge or worse, prison.”

Private Collins stared at him; he saw his own fear reflected back. He nodded, not able to speak as he stumbled out onto the road and heaved up his breakfast. The sight of the man thrown from his bike and crushed to death by the other cars would be something that would haunt him for the rest of his days. He began to wonder if he really could stomach serving in the army.

Sunday, 21 April 2013

Ocean's Gift - a review


 
 
 
Click to purchase
 
 
Demelza shows off her wit in this engaging tale of mermaids, booze and a sparky named Joe. Her descriptions of sea life and the tales of being a deck hand have made me wish I had some sea legs myself. Reading this book made me laugh aloud, my favourite character of course being Joe, his thoughts and actions making me his personal cheerleader.

The author gives information throughout the book of the mermaids lives without it being overwhelming and writes in such a way that I am almost a believer of them. The story flows so effortlessly that you come to the end of the book far too quickly.

If you want to read something that is fun and full of adult humour that I suggest you read this. I’m going to be following the tale of these engaging creatures (Pun intended.) Sparkly vampires and werewolves are last year, mermaids are the new craze and I am more than happy to jump on this bandwagon. 
An easy 5 out 0f 5 stars

Thursday, 18 April 2013

Step up and make a difference

Tiffany's website


I recently saw an authors page asking for help with a book. Tiffany Carmouche suffered an abusive relationship and she wants to help others by sharing not only her story but ours. She's looking for people who have been through a physically, or mentally abusive relationship and survived for a book that will be compiled of our stories. Tiffany states, "If we can give even one person the courage to leave and break free of the cycle of abuse, we will have succeeded".  All the money will go to help provide service to victims of abuse.

I for one will be participating, I suffered sexual abuse as a child. Abuse always comes with labels and people feel the need to hush it up or ignore it. It only takes one person to have courage, that has a domino effect on others.

If you wish to help please visit Tiffany's website.

(R)Evolution

Click to read

Burden of Sisyphus - Brink of extinction Book 1

Click to purchase
 
 
 
Between the alien Alliance and the Terran Empire, a neutral zone stretches between the galaxies, a demilitarized zone that was established 150 years previous, following the Great War. The peace accord granted a semblance of peace to the universe. The peace, however, is a facade, and it is the responsibility of Michael Vance and his covert operations team to maintain the illusion of peace. Recently, the Alliance lost contact with one of their outposts near the neutral zone. Surveillance scans show an abandoned city and no signs of life. The Alliance does what it always does: send in the best. But an unexpected betrayal leaves Vance and his team stranded. Worse, the city that was supposed to be dead is quite alive. And the monsters that now roam its streets are slaughtering his team, one at a time.
 
This book deserves a five out of five stars for me. Although I'm slightly biased, as sci-fi is my top favourite genre. This book really had it all for me.
 
From the outset it's fast paced and action packed. You're drawn in by the beautiful descriptions of other planets and the different races, yet are not overwhelmed by superfluous imagery. The characters are bold and enticing, with each having a human trait that we can find within ourselves.
 
The action scenes are well detailed, giving credence to the authors military background whilst simultaneously  creating a haunting bloody imagery of true battle and the costs.
 
Like all great authors, Jon Messenger has kept me on my toes throughout the book, surprising me, making me laugh and almost cry and constantly kept me on the edge of my seat. It has all the great components of a truly wonderful book, and I'm happy to say this is only the beginning.
 
I for one will be purchasing the rest of the series on reading the first book alone.

Tuesday, 16 April 2013

Review for Wicked - The Seventh Layer



I must admit that upon reading this book, I found it difficult to get through the flowery descriptions and the style of speech.  Although the main character Sarah/Adonia’s mysterious past has an enchanting way of drawing you in to find out what her secret is.

I was intrigued about the ‘seventh layer’ and enjoyed the book’s explanation of the title and how fundamental it is the story. I will not give away details as I do not want to spoil it but this a pivotal moment in the plot where my opinion changed of the story as a whole.

Reading on I began to feel for the MC and could envision the heartache she had gone through and how she comes to terms with what has gone on previously. I always love that ‘light bulb’ moment when you can emphasise with a character.

Reviews for Wicked - Fear The Beast Within


Fear the Beast Within – by LR Barrette-Durham & EG Glover

For me this book had a fantastic start. Without giving too much away, it set the story up in a very creative way. The authors have cast a different spin on a werewolf tale that I have not previously read in a book thus far. It is descriptive without it being overly so, my only complaint being the relationship between the main character and her love interest. It happens all so quickly and the relationship felt a little rushed; I would have loved to see more dynamics between the two.

There is a bit of sly humour in this, my favourite being “I think its part of the curse. I know you’re not my territory; I mean, I don’t plan on pissing on you or anything,” he laughed. Which made me chuckle.

Unfortunately, I found the relationship between the two lacking and could not quite warm to them as much as I would like and the sex scenes were a bit much. The history in Romany Gypsies was interesting and that interweaved within the story was a great touch.

For those who love their twilight, might enjoy this story.
http://www.amazon.com/L-R-Barrett-Durham/e/B005P102E8