Tag: review

Cover Reveal: The Winter Creek Hunter

On By Eric SwettIn Book, Reviews1 Comment

Not too long ago I wrote a review for C. P. Bialois’s The Winter Creek Beast and now I am proud to present the cover for the latest book in the series, The Winter Creek Hunter. If you haven’t read the first one I know you’ll want to check it out because it is an affordable little read that will keep you on the edge of your seat. I look forward to reading this book and giving you my review.

When a bounty hunter arrives looking for the Beast armed with silver bullets, Jay faces the proposition that he could be in the crosshairs as another, deadlier creature rises from the curse of the past.

The Winter Creek Hunter Cover Reveal Cover Art By R.J. Keith[/caption]

About the author: Where do I begin? Well first I guess it’s only fair to say that CP Bialois isn’t my real name. It’s a collaboration I made out of the three greatest pets anyone could ever want. My real name is Ed and I’m just an average person that has found a way to do what he loves.

CP author pic

For as long back as I can remember I loved to pretend. Whether it was with my Transformers, GI Joe, or He-Man toys I loved to create intricate plots and have them fight it out. As a fan of horror, science fiction, action, and comedy I dare say my taste in movies are well rounded. Some of my favorites were Star Wars, Star Trek, martial arts, and anything with Schwarzenegger in them.

I’d write my own stories about the characters I saw in the theaters or TV or I’d just daydream about what I’d see myself as the hero of course. You can’t have a daydream without beating the bad guys, getting the girl, etc. It’s just not right to envision yourself as a flunky or sidekick.

As far as books I loved Sherlock Holmes, Treasure Island, Dracula, and the normal assortment. My early love was the Star Trek novels, I’d read them or the Hardy Boys relentlessly. For a time I could tell you the plot of over a hundred books not to mention comics.

I have to come clean and say that I learned to read because of comic books. I was bored, make that extremely bored when we started to read in school. Reading “the cat fell down” really didn’t interest me. My dad, who continues to astound me with his insight to this day, figured comics would work. With that in mind he went to the newstand in town and bought issues of Donald Duck, Scrooge McDuck, Tales From the Crypt, and Spider-man. He patiently read through them with me until I picked it up. Whether it was him or the comics I learned to read in about two weeks and for a while few were as good as I was. For years after that whenever we’d go out he’d always spring for a couple of comic books for me.

While it wasn’t exactly the perfect beginning everything I’ve ever read or have seen has influenced me in some way and now is the time I’d like to share some of the ideas I’ve had over the years with all of you. I hope you enjoy my stories, they’re always fun to write and I don’t see myself stopping anytime soon.

 

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Book Review

Book Review – Fire and Dust

On By Eric SwettIn Book, ReviewsLeave a comment

Book Review

War is an ugly business. There is conflict from the top to the bottom, between enemies and allies alike, and it is hard to survive the matter. But survival comes in many forms. For some it is enough to live, to see the other end of the war with breath in your lungs. For others it is not enough to live, but to maintain one’s integrity and honor. War breaks men down, brings out their best and worst qualities as time goes on, and in the end it changes everyone it touches.

Fire and Dust is the second book of The Fire Trilogy by Christopher Datta, and it focuses in on members of the Confederate Army at the Battle of Chickamauga and the Siege of Chattanooga. The infighting amongst the generals and the hardships of the soldiers and their families are described in exquisite detail as the author tells his story. This is not a simple story of soldiers and generals, it is the telling of a turning point in the war and it brings to life the people involved, whether they were on the front lines or maintaining a home far from the action.

THE GOOD

The characters in this book are the driving force and the author does an excellent job making even the minor characters stand out as individuals. The accents feel genuine and the dialog straight out of the time period. It is easy to forget in reading this book that the events occurred one-hundred and fifty years ago, not yesterday. The various locations are wonderfully described and when the fighting happens the words pull you along at the breakneck pace of combat.  It is hard to find better writing than this.

THE BAD

It is hard to find fault with this novel on any level, so I won’t bother trying. This book is the real deal.

THE TAKEAWAY

As someone who thoroughly enjoys the American Civil War, I found this book thoroughly enjoyable and found myself reaching into my collection of books to check on some of the events presented, and I was never left wanting. The writing is superb and the storytelling is amazing. This is a story that has its hard moments and I found myself talking out loud while reading. The story is tragic and beautiful, and I would not hesitate a moment to recommend this book to anyone.

 

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Book Review: The Winter Creek Beast

On By Eric SwettIn Book, Reviews2 Comments

Book Review

It’s not too unusual for a hiker to go missing in the woods around Winter Creek, but when a local celebrity famous for his big game hunting turns up dead, the apparent victim of a bear attack, Sheriff Jay Lightfeather can’t help but wonder if there is something more going on. When he visits his grandfather for advice he starts to wonder if the legends of his people might just be true.

THE GOOD

This novella is a sharp and quickly paced thriller revolving around a popular pair of legends that keeps the reader on the edge of his seat. It is never easy to make characters stand out in a novella, but the author manages to make the main character stand out in even the short number of pages in this book. The monster is vicious and deserving of place in the pantheon of campfire ghost stories.

THE BAD

The only thing I can complain about with this story is that it is not long enough. I would love to see this redone, drawn out, and made into a full blown novel that kept me reading for days rather than hours.

THE TAKEAWAY

Its a good read for a lazy weekend afternoon, but for the $1.99 price point I would like to see it a little longer. I would definitely recommend picking it up, because you just can’t go wrong with anything written by C. P. Bialois.

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Book Review – Devil Music

On By Eric SwettIn Book, Reviews2 Comments

Book ReviewWhat’s a demon to do? When Cain’s master sends him across the country on an impossible mission to convince a girl to fall in love with his eldest son, the demon has no choice but to go. Before long Cain finds himself the lead guitarist in a heavy metal band, but can he keep his master happy while avoiding the mysterious serial killer known only as The Engineer?

THE GOOD

This is a clever book that takes the Urban Fantasy and twists it around into something a little more. There is suspense, romance and danger in the pages of the book and it blends together into a supernatural drama. The story is well written and the main characters of the book are unique and easily discernible from one another. The primary setting is the club scene of early eighties Los Angeles and it fits the story perfectly. The reader really gets a feel for the scene and it pulls the book together perfectly.

THE BAD

This is a long book and it is a long read. The first third of the book slowly introduces the characters and their place in the story. It can be a little hard to get through. When things start to happen in the middle third the action is still slow as the plot slowly grinds forward. The action really doesn’t start to kick in until the last third of the books, but when it does it is worth it. The author misses an opportunity to inject action into the earlier part of the books so that by the time the reader reaches the end of the book the tension is ratcheted up to a crescendo.

THE TAKEAWAY

This is a good book. It is well written with a good plot and excellent characters. This is not a quick read and may take some patience in the beginning, but the ending is worth it when you get there. I would recommend this as a good winter book where you can sit and read it over a long stretch. Throw in a selection of early eighties metal before each read and you’ll be right in the middle of the action.

Book Review
Carly Orosz

About the Book – About the Author – Prizes!!!

About the prizes: Who doesn’t love prizes? You could win one of two $50 Amazon gift cards or an autographed copy of Devil Music! Here’s what you need to do…

  1. Enter the Rafflecopter contest
  2. Leave a comment on my blog

That’s it! One random commenter during this tour will win the first gift card. Visit more blogs for more chances to win–the full list of participating bloggers can be found HERE. The other two prizes will be given out via Rafflecopter. You can find the contest entry form linked below or on the official Devil Music tour page via Novel Publicity. Good luck!

About the book: Cain Pseudomantis leads a miserable life. Bound to the mortal world by a powerful spell no demon could hope to break, he must obey his human master’s every command or face harsh punishment. He finds solace in the rock music which he listens to when he isn’t running unsavory errands for his master. Then everything changes. While on a mission in a seedy section of 1980s Los Angeles, Cain impulsively buys an electric guitar and discovers an unusual talent for music, a talent that catapults him to hair metal stardom. With three superpowered human band mates and his beautiful girlfriend Michelle by his side, his life starts to look a lot better. But Cain soon finds that even rock stars have troubles. The crusading televangelist Nathaniel Breen—who happens to be Michelle’s father—accuses him of turning the city’s youth to Satan worship. Meanwhile a mysterious killer known only as the Engineer terrorizes the Los Angeles rock scene with a series of brutal murders. When Cain and his friends attempt to unmask the killer, they discover a deadly secret that could cost Cain his hard-won freedom, and possibly his life.Get Devil Music through Amazon, Barnes & Noble, or iTunes.

About the author: Carly Orosz lives in Kalamazoo, Michigan with her husband. She graduated from Kalamazoo College and went on to earn an MFA in poetry from Sarah Lawrence College. Her poetry has been published in Wavelength Journal and SpoutMagazine. In her spare time she enjoys cooking, weaving on a hand loom, and studying the art and cultures of pre-Columbian Mexico.
Connect with Carly on her website, Facebook, Twitter,or GoodReads..
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Day Four of the Blog Tour

On By Eric SwettIn Apocalypse in the Balance, Armageddon Angels, Blogs, Book, Guest Posts, Reviews, WritingLeave a comment

Blog Tour
http://www.freeimages.com/photo/1428315

I’m very excited about today’s stop on the Apocalypse in the Balance Blog Tour. AJ Beamish of The Dead Console fame has posted a Quick and Dirty Book Review of Apocalypse in the Balance, and his post is an excellent read if I do say so myself. AJ hasn’t finished reading the book (as you will see when you read his review), so his post has more to do with the improvement he has seen in my writing since he reviewed Apocalypse Rising.  He writes with a special flare and a self deprecating sort of humor that I often find elusive in my own writing. I think you’ll really enjoy reading his blog post and blog.

Make sure you hit up the rafflecopter giveaway for your chance to win an autographed copy of one of my books.

Book Review – The White Dress, The Autumn Leaves

On By Eric SwettIn Book, ReviewsLeave a comment

In the dream, she was in a dark place. She was with a man, tall, like Jack, with dark hair. The man left her for a time, and other rough men surrounded her where she sat. It was confusing; they began touching her, prodding at her. She was frozen with a sharp stab of fear. She felt fragile like glass, tried shifting to the side, wishing they would just stop. Wishing that the man with her would save her.

In the dream, she hated their awful touches. She knew she could do nothing if they attacked her. She was frightened, wondering what she should do. The man like her Jack stepped in, and all hell broke loose as he fought off the men around her. She was dizzy, disoriented; was she hitting the men trying to grab her? Was she screaming? She couldn’t recall.

In the dream, one of the men rushed into her and she fell back against the wall. She turned, she saw the man with her—her lover—and she saw another man about to stab him.  She shoved at him in abject terror. Another of the men knocked her forward and into the knife that sliced right into her belly. There was no way to turn aside. She felt it go into her. She heard a voice that said, “And so she who was the only one he had ever loved died in saving him.”

In the dream, she could not speak to him. She could not tell him she loved him, and it was her only wish in that moment that to tremble, the pain too great. But she would have endured all of that acid agony again if she could merely reach out and tell him she loved him, and when he looked at her…

In the dream, they shared that last long look and she drifted, releasing into the cold gray paleness, sliding into oblivion. The pain in his eyes; he looked like he was about to shatter.

Shauna Aura Knight (2014-06-22T05:00:00+00:00). The White Dress, The Autumn Leaves (Kindle Locations 32-48). Jupiter Gardens Press. Kindle Edition.

Book Review
The White Dress, The Autumn Leaves

Being awkward and shy can be hard enough, but add to it a sensitivity to the supernatural and it is easy to see why Meredith wouldn’t be comfortable approaching Jack at a Pagan festival. When he introduces himself there is an immediate connection, and it is not long before they are making plans for the future, but the future has something different in store for them unless they can change their fate.

THE GOOD
The story focuses on Meredith and Kevin and they are very well written. In a short span the reader is given a real sense for who they are and what motivates them. So often novellas fall short in this regard and the reader is left with a story without depth, but this book does not fall into that trap. While I am not personally knowledgeable in the ways of modern Pagans, the story is so well written that I could not help but feel that the author is speaking from a place of knowledge.

THE BAD
There is not much to complain about with this book, but there were moments, specifically when the characters are fumbling their way towards intimacy, where the dialogue felt a little stilted, but it may well have been an intentional effort to communicate their awkwardness with the intimacy and the emotions at play.

THE TAKEAWAY
This is a wonderful little novella. It is erotic, romantic, spiritual and touched with the supernatural, but it is not overloaded with any one of these. The genre bending of this story is wonderful and a testament to the author’s skill that it comes off so naturally. If you are looking for a quick, enjoyable read, this novella is worth picking up.

Shauna Aura Knight
An artist, author, and presenter, Shauna’s work is inspired by the mythic stories of heroes, of swords and magic, and of the darkness we each must overcome. She’s a fantasy artist and author of paranormal romance and urban fantasy including Werewolves in the Kitchen, A Winter Knight’s Vigil, and The White Dress, the Autumn Leaves. Her mythic artwork and designs are used for magazine covers, book covers, and illustrations.

She travels nationally offering intensive education in the transformative arts of community leadership, facilitation, and personal transformation, and is the author of numerous articles and books on those subjects including The Leader Within, Dreamwork for the Initiate’s Path, and Ritual Facilitation.

http://www.shaunaauraknight.com

Fiction Blog: https://shaunaknightauthorartist.wordpress.com

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Book Review – The Dagger of Adendigaeth

On By Eric SwettIn Book, Reviews2 Comments

Book Review

Alliances form and break as new discoveries are made and old loves rekindled. In The Dagger of Adendigaeth, the characters from the book Cephrael’s Hand plunge

THE GOOD

This book, much like the last, is very well written. The world is fantastic, well described and diverse. The characters continue to grow and develop beyond their origins. The twists and turns of the personal stories and the greater story keeps the reader turning pages at a rapid pace. It was often hard to put this one down and I know I spent more than one night staying up far later than I should have.

THE BAD

There is nothing bad I can say about this book. I thoroughly enjoyed it from front to back and I cannot wait to start the next one.

THE TAKEAWAY

The seeds planted in the first book take root in this one and the resulting story is excellent. I  was eager to get my hands on this one and it did not disappoint. Some of the strings left hanging from the first book come together in this one and it leads straight into the third book, which I will be starting shortly.  I would definitely recommend checking out this book and this series.

About the Book – About the Author – Prizes!!!

About the prizes: Who doesn’t love prizes? You could win one of two $50 Amazon gift cards or an autographed copy of The Dagger of Adendigaeth! Here’s what you need to do…

  1. Enter the Rafflecopter contest
  2. Leave a comment on my blog

That’s it! One random commenter during this tour will win the first gift card. Visit more blogs for more chances to win–the full list of participating bloggers can be found HERE. The other two prizes will be given out via Rafflecopter. You can find the contest entry form linked below or on the official Dagger of Adendigaeth tour page via Novel Publicity. Good luck!

About the book: “A Pattern of Shadow & Light Book 2

At long last, the reason for the blessed Adept race’s decline has been discovered: powerful beings known as Malorin’athgul are disrupting the Balance and preventing Alorin’s Adepts from awakening to their gifts. Who are they? Where are they? And how can they be stopped when they wield a power meant to unmake the universe itself?

In T’khendar…Prince Ean val Lorian has forsaken his companions in blood and battle to join the traitorous Fifth Vestal in T’khendar in the hopes of gaining some insight into the tragedies that plagued his Return. Now he must confront the man he’s long thought of as his enemy and discover the role he is meant to play in the First Lord’s darkly magnificent game.

The Vestal Raine D’Lacourte has followed his traitorous oath-brother Björn through six kingdoms and into the distant realm of T’khendar seeking explanation and atonement. But the condemned realm harbors shocking secrets, and Raine soon realizes he’s facing his greatest enemy yet—not in Björn, but in the truth.

Elsewhere in Alorin…the young truthreader, Tanis, faces a new villain in the fiery-eyed man he followed from the café in Rethynnea; the soldier Trell struggles to reconcile his growing feelings for the girl he rescued from the river against the guilt of his unknown past; and in Tambarré, another truthreader named Kjieran van Stone treads the incense-filled hallways of the Prophet Bethamin’s temple hoping to uncover a plot of treachery and betrayal before the Prophet demands his soul.

The time has come for each player to claim his role in the First Lord’s masterful game. All will be tested, but only time will tell how many can survive the dagger of Adendigaeth.
Get The Dagger of Adendigaeth through Amazon or Barnes & Noble.

About the author: Melissa McPhail is a classically trained pianist, violinist and composer, a Vinyasa yoga instructor, and an avid Fantasy reader. She lives in the Pacific Northwest with her husband, their twin daughters and two very large cats.
Connect with Melissa on her website, Facebook, Twitter,or GoodReads.

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Book Review: The Grey Matter

On By Eric SwettIn Book, ReviewsLeave a comment

Book ReviewWhen the lights go out in America and civilization falls apart, a small group of teenagers living in a cabin in the woods must find a way to fend for themselves. Finding food and water is hard enough, but when their closest neighbor starts acting a little odd and one of the boys finds a freshly dug grave near the neighbors home, questions start to arise and it is not long before the kids find themselves facing a monster in their midst. Can they survive the end of the world? Can they even survive the madness that comes with the people who coming looking for food and shelter? What about the madmen they once called friend?

Billie Sue Mosiman’s new thriller, The Grey Matter, takes a microscopic look at life in rural America when there is no more electricity and the modern conveniences we take for granted are swept away in an instant. Set in the foothills of Alabama, the story follows the lives of a group of runaways that came together before the apocalypse and are forced to survive in the world left behind afterwards. As if mere survival were not hard enough, when they find their friend, John Grey, is also a sadistic murderer, the terror kicks into overdrive and they must decide if they can make it in a kill or be killed world.

THE GOOD

This is a refreshing take on the Post-Apocalyptic genre with the added twist of the murder in the midst of the young protagonists. The short time frame of the story and microcosm represented in the story makes for a tight story in a global arena. The characters are well developed and easily distinguished from one another. The writing is crisp and compelling, setting a pace that keeps the reader invested and turning pages in anticipation of what is to come.

THE BAD

If there is anything that might have been improved with the book it is that the anxiety level could have been ratcheted up a bit higher than it is. The climatic moments fell a touch short, often because of the introduction of some unforeseen element that added to the chaos of the atmosphere, but took away from what was potentially a nail biting moment. This is a case where less would definitely have been more.

THE TAKEAWAY

This was an excellent book and I would definitely recommend it to anyone who is a fan of the posy-apocalyptic genre. It is a fun, quick read that is hard to put down.

 

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Book Review – Trophy Target

On By Eric SwettIn Book, ReviewsLeave a comment

Deep in the jungle of French Guiana, a once anonymous soldier of the French Foreign Legion mysteriously disappears. Days later, word reaches his younger brother, Prince Erik Rohde, second in line to the Danish throne. Doubting the government’s capabilities and questioning the Prime Minister’s sincerity, Erik turns to the world’s top mercenary, Fadi Khaldun, to rescue his brother.

Fadi Khaldun is a former assassin of the Saudi government determined to make amends for his malicious past. Since making his debut in the thriller 28 PAGES, Fadi has spent the past seven years rescuing hostages, avenging the deaths of loved ones of his clients and destroying terrorist and organized crime rings in the deadliest conflict zones on the planet. Now he embarks on his most high profile and dangerous job yet to rescue the crown prince of Denmark. From the jungles of South America to the mountains of South East Asia, Fadi meticulously hunts the prince’s kidnappers while enemies at the highest level of government conspire against him.

Book Review

“No man is justified in doing evil on the grounds of expediency.”

– Theodore Roosevelt

 War has always been a messy thing, and modern wars have become even more so with their decentralized leadership, disparate factions, and unconventional tactics. Afghanistan is the perfect example of this with the different tribal factions, warlords, Afghan military, NATO, and a host of mercenaries, and when you introduce a wildcard like a foreign prince, things are bound to get complicated. Author Allen Mitchum takes us on a wild ride through the chaos of Afghanistan and the politics of Denmark.

THE GOOD

This is a fast paced thriller of the highest order. The action comes fast and it is impossible to avoid getting hooked once this story kicks into high gear. The writing is top notch and the reader is given a story so well crafted that you would swear the author is giving a first hand account rather than sharing a tale of fiction.

THE BAD

There really wasn’t anything to complain about in this novel. The pacing was excellent, the characters were well developed and even the editing was top notch.

THE TAKEAWAY

I really enjoyed this book and I look forward to reading more from this author. If you enjoy a good thriller filles with a healthy helping of political intrigue, I would definitely recommend this book to you.

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Book Review: You Can’t Kill the Multiverse

On By Eric SwettIn Book, ReviewsLeave a comment

Book Review

The multiverse is a big, no I mean BIG, I MEAN REALLY BIG place and there is a lot going on out there. If you’re an Agent of the Transdimensional Authority you never know what you’re going to run into (unless you actually read the mission briefing, but who has time for that). You might find yourself smack dab in the middle of the zombie apocalypse while the robot revolution is occurring and aliens have invaded, or you end up on a world of sentient machines have helped humanity to death. Yup, the multiverse can be a dangerous place. Thank goodness it is so resilient.

In Ira Nayman’s latest novel, You Can’t Kill the Multiverse, But You Can Mess With Its Head, we revisit the office of the Transdimensional Authority, but this time we get to spend time with some of the other Agents as they each try to track down the source of some illegal counterfeit Home Universe Generators that have popped up in some very unusual universes, and when they discover a connection the whole team races into action. Okay, races might seem a bit extreme. It’s more like a casual stroll into action preceded by bureaucracy, indecision and uncomfortable personal admissions.

THE GOOD

The author does a great job of sharing the absurd possibilities of a multiverse filled with infinite possibilities. The pop culture references are brilliant and spaced for maximum effect. The development of characters introduced in Welcome to the Universe is fun and adds depth to an already enjoyable series.

THE BAD

Some of the scenes can get a little slow, but those are few and far between and there is enough humor woven into them to keep the reader from losing interest.

THE TAKEAWAY

I would definitely recommend this book to anyone. While I did not like this book as much as I enjoyed Welcome to the Universe, but it was still a really fun read. The different  chapters were enjoyable all on their own, but they are brought together to form a terrific story that anyone with half a sense of humor would enjoy.

 

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