Review: The Progeny by Tosca Lee

progenyThe Progeny
Tosca Lee
Howard Books

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Twenty-one year old Emily Jacobs wakes up to learn she has elected to have her memory erased. In a small town in Maine, she struggles to form a plan for her future. A handsome stranger approaches her in a grocery store, and she reluctantly lets him into her life. Which would be great, but apparently he’s trying to kill her. Emily flees with no clues as to her past, the identity of her allies or her enemies beyond a hidden code recovered in a necklace. The code leads her to a conspiracy spanning generations and linking her genetically to the most famous female serial killer.

Part Continue reading

Review: The Land’s Whisper by Monica Lee Kennedy

landswhisperThe Land’s Whisper
Monica Lee Kennedy

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Since he was a boy, Bren has looked up to Darse as a father. When Darse receives word through a portal that he’s been called home to another world, Bren determines to follow his friend. Once through the portal, though, Bren discovers a power he’d never known. The land speaks to him, offers him knowledge beyond anything he could imagine, and Bren hungers for it, even if having it means betraying those he loves. A powerful queen sends Bren and Darse on a quest to find her daughter, and Bren must make a terrible choice. If he locates the missing girl and brings her home, he may lose his … Continue reading

Review: Nirvana by J R Stewart

Nirvana by J R StewartNirvana
J R Stewart
Blue Moon Publisher

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Seventeen year-old punk rock star Larissa Kenders has a cause to fight for and a soul mate who understands her better than anyone. But when her lover, Andrew, a brilliant programmer for a powerful company, disappears, Kenders has to take all she’s learned in her quest to protect animal rights to a whole new kind of fight: one to find and save the man she loves. With corporate thugs closing in around her, she must decode clues Andrew left behind about why he may have been murdered. She’ll need help, but choosing the wrong ally could cost her life.

My number one issue … Continue reading

Review: TAP: The All Powerful by J. K. Brown

TAP: The All Powerful by J K BrownThe All Powerful
J. K. Brown

Amazon | Goodreads

When the Alyon military wrongly sentences Jason for committing an impossible crime, he and two allies must escape before they’re killed. As Jason, Josh and Jacqui explore the world outside the military, they discover powerful abilities their commanders kept secret from them. They also find other allies with secrets of their own. Together the team vows to stop Shadow Leader, the sinister man who seems to be at the center of everyone’s problems. The only problem is finding a way to overcome him.

I loved that this story is written in present tense. I’ve only read a couple of stories written that way before, but I really like that it … Continue reading

Review: The Dredge by Jaimie Engle

The Dredge by Jaimie EngleThe Dredge
Jaimie Engle

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Crushed under the powerful Regime, Marrok and his mother slide deeper into poverty. Driven by a strange vision, Marrok spends the last of his money on a bet that’s beyond a long shot. And then wins. But what seems like his salvation soon becomes his worst nightmare. Ambrosia, a mysterious woman who leads a resistance network, knows about Marrok’s power and believes he has come to save them from the terror of the Regime. Ambrosia isn’t the only one interested in Marrok, though. He feels powerfully drawn to Chantelle, a girl he meets in the gambling hall. It isn’t long before she’s saved his life, more than once. When … Continue reading

Review: As White as Snow by Salla Simukka

As White as Snow by Salla SimukkaAs White as Snow by Salla Simukka
Translated from Finnish by Owen F. Witesman
Skyscape/Amazon

After risking her life to bring down a crime ring in Finland, seventeen year-old Lumikki retreats to the anonymous streets of Prague, hoping to find a little peace. Instead she finds a young woman claiming to be her long-lost sister whose life may be in danger. Even though she finds the girl’s story suspicious, Lumikki can’t turn her back on the girl and the mystery surrounding her.

Some elements – an investigative reporter working to uncover a far-reaching scandal aided by a brilliant but odd girl – may remind readers of Larsson’s The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo. Yet despite the drama and suspense, the story’s pace chokes … Continue reading