Join The Book Review Club!

http://thebookreviewclub.yolasite.com/ 

This site is designed to connect authors and readers. It's sort of like an online book club! Every 2 weeks, I will send out a book to all members for them to read and review. There is a Facebook page set up for discussion along the way (facebook.com/thebookreviewclub). This is a great way for readers to get their hands on free e-books, and authors to get the reviews they desire! If you have any questions, or wish to speak to me further, please Email Me.

About Forgotten (AM13 Series) (Volume 2) by Samie Sands - Freado

About Forgotten (AM13 Series) (Volume 2) by Samie Sands - Freado

Nova and Quinton: No Regrets by Jessica Sorensen

From the # 1 New York Times bestselling author of Saving Quinton comes a story about giving in to love-body and soul . . .
Today is the first day of Quinton Carter's new life. The toxic guilt of his past left him in pieces-but one girl unexpectedly put him back together. Thanks to Nova Reed, Quinton can finally see the world with clear eyes. She's the reason his heart is still kicking behind the jagged scar on his chest. And he would love to have her in his arms every minute of the day . . . but he's not ready yet.

Playing drums in a band and living with her best friends are just some of the highlights of Nova's life. But the best new development? Talking to Quinton on the phone each night. She wishes she could touch him, kiss him, though she knows he needs time to heal. Yet shocking news is on the way-a reminder of life's dark side-and Nova will need Quinton like he once needed her. Is he strong enough to take the final leap out of his broken past . . . and into Nova's heart?

Amazon Link

Jessica Sorensen is the author of The New York Times and USA Today Bestsellers, The Secret of Ella and Micha, The Coincidence of Callie and Kayden, and Breaking Nova, which are New Adult Contemporary novels.  She also writes Paranormal series, including the Fallen Star Series, Shattered Promises, Darkness Falls, and the Death Collectors. She loves writing and reading and is an avid watcher of TV series The Vampire Diaries and Modern Family.  An immense music lover,  Jessica immerses herself in her music as she writes.  She has a broad taste in music, and a list of favorite songs that goes on for miles!  A few of her current favorite bands are Chevelle, Rise Against, Alkaline Trio, Brand New, Death Cab for Cutie, Flight 409, and Nirvana.  Some of Jessica’s favorite “watch it over, and over again” movies include Anywhere but Here, Juno, Pride and Prejudice, The Hangover, and Bad Teacher.

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Review: I've followed the series of Nova and Quinton from the very start and the third and final concluding book is just as amazing as the others. The love story is dark, complex and definitely not a traditional easy-going romance novel, but it's that grittiness that makes it all the more real. It's clear why all the characters begin their decent into drug use, which makes it all the more difficult to feel their struggle out of it and to deal with the ramifications of their behaviour. This is the perfect ending to such a series, it isn't over the top in tone or pace and each and every character gets a believable - if not always happy - finish. Perfect for readers wanting a unique love story.

The Liar by Nora Roberts

The extraordinary new novel by the #1 New York Times–bestselling author of The Collector.
 
Shelby Foxworth lost her husband. Then she lost her illusions …
 
The man who took her from Tennessee to an exclusive Philadelphia suburb left her in crippling debt. He was an adulterer and a liar, and when Shelby tracks down his safe-deposit box, she finds multiple IDs. The man she loved wasn’t just dead. He never really existed.
 
Shelby takes her three-year-old daughter and heads south to seek comfort in her hometown, where she meets someone new: Griff Lott, a successful contractor. But her husband had secrets she has yet to discover. Even in this small town, surrounded by loved ones, danger is closer than she knows—and threatens Griff, as well. And an attempted murder is only the beginning …

Amazon Link

Nora Roberts was born in Silver Spring, Maryland, the youngest of five children. After a school career that included some time in Catholic school and the discipline of nuns, she married young and settled in Keedysville, Maryland.

She worked briefly as a legal secretary. “I could type fast but couldn’t spell, I was the worst legal secretary ever,” she says now. After her sons were born she stayed home and tried every craft that came along. A blizzard in February 1979 forced her hand to try another creative outlet. She was snowed in with a three and six year old with no kindergarten respite in sight and a dwindling supply of chocolate.

Born into a family of readers, Nora had never known a time that she wasn’t reading or making up stories. During the now-famous blizzard, she pulled out a pencil and notebook and began to write down one of those stories. It was there that a career was born. Several manuscripts and rejections later, her first book, Irish Thoroughbred, was published by Silhouette in 1981.

Nora met her second husband, Bruce Wilder, when she hired him to build bookshelves. They were married in July 1985. Since that time, they’ve expanded their home, traveled the world and opened a bookstore together.

Through the years, Nora has always been surrounded by men. Not only was she the youngest in her family, but she was also the only girl. She has raised two sons. Having spent her life surrounded by men, Ms. Roberts has a fairly good view of the workings of the male mind, which is a constant delight to her readers. It was, she’s been quoted as saying, a choice between figuring men out or running away screaming.

Nora is a member of several writers groups and has won countless awards from her colleagues and the publishing industry. Recently The New Yorker called her “America’s favorite novelist.”

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Review: I am a huge fan of Nora Roberts and I was very excited to read The Liar and...oh wow! Shelby is an amazingly well written character and her developing friendship/romance with Griff after her recent tragedy progresses wonderfully. The plot flows perfectly from a clearly failing marriage full of secrets that reveal themselves as events transpire, to a growing mystery filled with tension and highly strung emotion. Considering what happens within the pages of the book, it's brilliant how believable it all is. I would recommend this book highly to anyone who enjoys romance, thrillers, mystery, or just wants something a little unique to read! 

Nestled Amongst Temples by Jillian McKay

Cajoled by her daughter to join her in India to help launch a business venture into fashion design, Nestled Amongst Temples chronicles a six-month career break spent in this beautiful country.  It is a funny, poignant story with undertones of self-discovery as trials and tribulations are met along the way.  Colourful characters encountered during the journey are described in loving detail and with humorous insight.  The wonderful fusion of east and west is depicted beautifully alongside the inevitable culture clashes that occur and the often hilarious consequences of these.

Living in a small house within an Indian suburb, the author and her daughter become a source of great amusement to their neighbours who are both fascinated and bemused by these two western women with their strange antics and puzzling behaviours.  Nestled Amongst Temples not only affords the reader a clear insight into Indian life as viewed through the eyes of a westerner, but also a glimpse of western life as seen through Indian eyes.  Both lenses offer glimmers of hilarity, humanity and hope.

Amazon Link

Review: I love this book! It's full of useful information and personal stories. I'd recommend this for anyone travelling to India!

Last Night on Earth by Kevin Maher

Jay adores his small daughter, Bonnie, and nothing matters more to him than being a good father. But Bonnie's traumatic birth puts an unbearable strain on his marriage with Shauna and the couple eventually separate. Struggling to cope with the separation from three-year-old Bonnie, Jay thinks constantly of his own mother who he hasn't seen since he fled Ireland a decade before.

Resolved to move forward, Jay finds himself a flat-share with two eccentric Kenyan businessmen, snags a role working on a documentary about the Millennium Dome (through 'Dublin Darren', an old laboring contact), and is utterly rigid in his commitment to Bonnie time.

Indeed, things might have even begun to look up were it not for the arrival of an old 'friend' from home. 'The Clappers' is six foot tall, four foot wide, built like several Guinness barrels strapped together, and is all, all woman. She means well, and she means to make everything right for Jay. But inevitably, she makes it wrong.

A helter-skelter dash to Ireland results in some brutal revelations on behalf of Jay's mother, and an inevitable return to London culminates in a midnight epiphany in the shadow of Tony Blair, The Queen, and Auld Lang Syne. Can Jay be a good father to Bonnie? Or is it too late?

Amazon Link

Kevin Maher is an Irish writer. He is primarily known as a journalist and film critic, whose work has appeared in The Times, The Guardian, The Independent, and The Observer. His debut novel, The Fields, was published by Reagan Arthur Books in 2013.

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Review: Wow. This story just grabs you from the very first page and sucks you into the unusual telling of extraordinary events. Kevin Maher has a fantastic way of giving his characters their own, unique voice in a way that you'll very clearly hear them in your head as you read. Jay and Shauna have a tragic tale to tell and despite their awful circumstances, I was rooting for them every step of the way. This book was not only unique, it was very exciting to read and I got through it really quickly because I just couldn't put it down! If you want something to read that stands out from the crowd, then this is for you!

Shadow Gods Saga by Stefan Vucak

Book 1 of Shadow Gods Saga, the book that started the incredible epic!

The Four Suns, a backwater system in the Deklan Oligarchy, hides a sinister plot to destabilize the Serrll Combine.

Terrllss-rr, a Second Scout in the Serrll Combine Scout Fleet, is assigned as an aide to an Envoy sent to Elexi, the capital world of the Four Suns, by the Serrll government to investigate allegations of slavery on Anulus.

The Envoy is not there to find evidence to compromise Kapel Pen’s government, but to discover why she has allowed Kunoid Minerals—a company controlled by the Karkan Federation—to extensively mine Anulus. This could destabilize the Serrll metals market and the Serrll government on Captal.

Alasi, a beggar boy on Elexi, sees his family taken into captivity by local priesthood guards. Taking freehold families has become common practice to fuel Anulus’ labor needs. He is tracked down, captured and sold to a slave factor. Terr ends up buying Alasi as proof of illegal slavery, which he thinks the Envoy will be able to use against Kapel.

During a survey of Anulus, Terr’s ship is attacked and he is forced to flee. The pursuing ships catch up with him over Anar’on, the desert world of the fabled nomad Wanderers. His survival blister crashes in the deep desert and he undertakes a trek toward an escarpment in the hope of locating water. The Wanderers find him delirious and dying, and bring him to their village.

Although physically recovered, Terr’s mind is still somewhere in the deep desert. Dharaklin, a young Wanderer on leave from the Fleet, enters Terr’s mind in an attempt to return him to sanity. An adept of the Discipline, Dhar leaves Terr a latency of a terrible power.

Terr partially recovers, but remembers nothing of his past. An old Wanderer takes it on himself to instruct him in the life of a Saddish-aa Wanderer. To regain his memory, Terr is forced to confront the gods of Death, and comes away with more than his memory. He returns to Elexi for a final confrontation with Kapel Pen, forcing him to use his power over Death.

Book 2 of Shadow Gods Saga

In an effort to expand their political influence within the Serrll Combine, the Sargon Directorate and the Palean Union are working to merge.

To gain an extra seat in the ruling Executive Council, they need to boost the total number of star systems they now occupy. To achieve this, Sargon and the Paleans are coercing independent systems to join them. Pizgor’s five systems are the prize, but it is resisting all overtures to force it to join Sargon. In retaliation, the Palean Union establishes a clandestine base near Pizgor space and engages marauding raiders to prey on its commerce. Pizgor petitions the Serrll General Assembly to destroy the raiders, accusing Sargon and the Paleans of piracy and political intimidation.

Second Scout Terrllss-rr is tasked to locate the raider base in an attempt to link its activities to the Palean Union, unmasking the merger plot. Despite support from the Serrll Scout Fleet, Terr is dubious that his effort will succeed, but he has his orders.

While escorting a supply ship, Terr feigns drive problems and falls back, leaving the supply ship unprotected—a lure for any prowling raider. A renegade Palean First Scout commanding a Fleet warship and an armed merchant auxiliary, is lying in wait. He detects Terr’s supply ship and attacks, forcing Terr flee toward a nearby gas giant. The renegade cannot allow the knowledge that the raiders are using a Fleet vessel to become known and pursues, but Terr manages to elude him and reports his findings to Pizgor.

He is directed to search two likely outposts that may hold a raider support base. He encounters a raider about to attack a commercial ship and captures it. Interrogating its commander, Terr obtains the location of the raider base and the Scout Fleet moves in. The political fallout against Sargon and the Paleans has serious economic repercussions for both and derails the merger.

But Terr’s mission is not over and an elaborate trap brings a confrontation with the renegade Fleet officer.

Amazon Link

Stefan Vucak is an award-winning author of seven techno sci-fi novels. His political thriller, Cry of Eagles, won the coveted 2011 Readers Favorite silver medal award, and his 'All the Evils' was the 2013 prestigious Eric Hoffer contest finalist and Readers' Favorite silver medal winner. His 'Strike for Honor' won the Readers' Favorite gold medal. Stefan leveraged a successful career in the Information Technology industry and applied that discipline to create realistic, highly believable storylines for his books. He lives in Melbourne, Australia.

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Review: I am posting about these books together because I have just finished reading them both and I am already totally gripped by the series! I love sci fi novels and the Shadow Gods Saga is rapidly becoming one of my favourite series ever. Not only are the books extremely well written with wonderfully complex characters, the plot is also extremely easy to keep track of. Sometimes authors pile on so much information that it's a challenge to keep track of what's going on - but that just isn't the case here at all. I really cannot wait to read the rest of the series!!