Zomblog by T W Brown

Sunday

I was browsing the Book Junkie Review page – saw a very good review on Zomblog by Todd Brown – decided to check it out....

Book looks interesting from the synopsis, I have downloaded it.

Monday

I have started the book – as the title suggests, it is written in blog form  - not sure how the author will manage to keep the momentum throughout, writing in this format.

Well, he is managing so far! Can’t put this book down!!

Tuesday

Okay, I am hooked! This book is coming with me wherever I go, Todd has a lot to answer for , my house is a mess! I am being reminded of The Walking Dead , a series I love on TV , both being  about the battle for survival against the Walkers (the undead) and the traumas that ensue. Todd brings the scenes to life (pardon the pun ) and does it very well.

Wednesday

What a shocker ! Well, in a zombie book  I don’t suppose you should expect things to all go well but this story has now taken on a different dimension. Very clever but at the same  time quite sad, although with the fast paced action, we don’t linger too much on emotional side of things.

Thursday

Getting closer to the end, I am enjoying this so much, my initial doubts about the format of this book are completely unfounded, it works brilliantly. Todd has entertained me for 3 days now and apart from the storyline ( which is right up my alley ), he also writes superbly, he has a very good use of words and the book is well written and edited, just a couple of  oddities in the use of hyphens, here and there.

Friday  

Finished !! All I can say is WOW!!

Off to download the next book  - first part of a zombie trilogy, the Dead series.

Thank you for keeping me company for 5 days Todd Brown, I will be recommending your book to all my friends!

    

Second Chances by Dannye Williamsen

Firstly, this is an excellent paranormal story by Dannye Williamsen. She has a way of captivating her readers with her confident style of writing, easy flow and a very good plot. There are no boring fillers, scenes are described with such expertise that you almost feel that you there. Also,one of the hardest things to do is edit your own work. In this novel, Dannye proved her abililties as an editor. Her editing, in my opinion, was flawless.

The one thing that struck me about this book was the power. Although, predominately this is a story about a battle between good and evil, the power aspect of it really shone through for me. The two main characters struggled to maintain this in their lives, therefore forcing them to follow a different path in order to try and re-gain control. One good, one evil, both demanding sympathy in different ways. Several times I found myself feeling this and I was questioned why. Again, the power thing- this time the author over the reader.

 In the end it became a fight between the characters, Darian and Freddie  to see who would win the emotional fight, who would gain control.

No spoilers here, I recommend you read this book for yourself. However, there is more to this book than meets the eye, in my opinion. On the surface, it is a thoroughly enjoyable, paranormal page turner. Into the mix, the author throws in some romance, action and spine tingling moments. Delve into this book deeper and you will find  much more material to study .Food for thought on the psychological aspects of it all, what makes people act in a certain way, different actions, different ways of dealing with things? Does love conquer all or is it power? Well, I recommend you read it and decide for yourself.

To conclude:

Very good storyline, skilfully planned throughout, the author had complete control of her characters at all times, no waffle or straying off the point. The underlying material is there if you want to analyse it, if not just enjoy the book for what it is. I did!

How to survive being owned by a Cat by Annarita Guarnieri

Are you looking to own a cat ? Then this is the book you need to read before doing so.
It contains everything you will ever need to know from deciding to get a kitten following through to adult life and the problems you could encounter, setting it apart from any other instruction book as the author has incorporated her own experiences, throughout the entire book, telling stories about the cats she has owned and giving examples as she goes along. This makes for a much more personal touch and for me, inspired confidence in her knowledge , showing that this wasn’t just a run of the mill instruction manual but written by a genuine cat lover with an obvious passion for the feline world , passing on to others, her vast experience.
To conclude: A comprehensive guide on cat ownership written in an interesting and easy to follow manner by an author who really knows her stuff and is very passionate with it .A must for a cat owner!

Upgrade by Stephen Hise

Let me begin with the ingredients: Take a decent amount of science,  add to this quite a lot of sex, then introduce mystery and intrigue, mix it all up, give it a twist right at the end and you have a superb , end product-Upgrade!

The author’s   way with words and jaunty style of writing makes this book a very lively and entertaining read. He tells the tale of an unattractive but wealthy man seeking to change his life by neuroscience .The procedure is successful and we follow the protagonist, Brent Schoenfeld through his new style of life, now focusing   on females ( which I hasten to add have very different and colourful personalities of their own )and the exploits in their effort to woo him.

As the story progressed, the author builds up the feeling that something just isn’t quite right , the suspense was growing .I actually found myself trying to second guess the ending with all sorts of scenarios and although I got somewhere close , he still managed to outmanoeuvre me  with a totally unexpected and dramatic conclusion. Superb twist!

 This story is original, sexy, extremely well presented with excellent grammar and editing. Also, in addition to the clever mix of genres, the author  also incorporates a serious message with this book ; be careful what you wish for , the grass isn’t always greener on the other side!
I enjoyed Upgrade  from the first page to the last and I will now look forward to reading anything else Stephen Hise  has to offer. He is talented to say the least!

The Perfect Plan by Ty Hutchinson

This is a short, brutal but entertaining story.It is action packed from the first page to the twist at the end .The perfect plan......or not so perfect for some ..read it and find out , you won’t be disappointed, I wasn’t. I enjoyed it  but other   readers should be aware that the story contains bad language throughout  but then again you would hardly expect bank robbers to be polite now , would you?? Even though this was a thriller,in parts of the story I could detect underlying humour from the author and I will now look forward to reading more of his work.

To conclude; well written and a fast paced , energising read.Well worth the hour you will spend reading it, if you like a hardcore thriller. 

Kiwi in Cat City by Vickie Johnstone

I have to admit I started this book with a little indifference. My preferred genre is horror ,thriller and murder mystery and it is many, many years since I have read a children’s book. Oh boy , was I in for a surprise! This book is a pure delight –the author has such a great imagination and her ability to captivate an audience is second to none.

The tale is of two children who decide to follow their pet cat, Kiwi, one night and get the shock of the lives when they are led into a great adventure within ‘Cat City’.It is here when Kiwi and the children, who, by the way are now kittens , embark on an investigation to find missing catizens.I just loved the way the author changed words to fit into the cat world , I really don’t know how she managed to come up with so many but they were brilliant and I found myself chuckling away throughout. I soon became engrossed in the story and completely forgot I was reading a children’s book –it was so good .

To conclude; this was a well written and edited story, full of fun, colour and adventure, which I found very refreshing. The ending was a little inconclusive but this is the first in the series so I am guessing this is purposely done in order to encourage the reader to read the next one, which I would certainly do. I would love to see this book published in paperback and lining children’s bookshelves, it would also be a great choice for parents to read out loud as bedtime stories as they would enjoy it just as much.

With an imagination like this and the skill of the storytelling Vickie Johnstone could go far and I , for one , really hopes she does. 

While the Savage Sleeps by Andrew Kaufman

If you are a fan of Stephen king this book is a must.I enjoyed the story from the first page to the last , the author had my imagination running wild throughout and with each twist and turn he outwitted me to the end .

 The story was set in the town of Faith (such a brilliant name)with Cameron Dawson, the Deputy Sheriff, at the forefront of the investigations. He is an extremely likeable but unhappy character , due to a sad event in his past and I found myself empathising with him throughout.

 The plots takes the reader through a trail of bloodthirsty , chilling events within the town but at the same time, running parallel in Albuquerque , Doctor Kyle Bancroft is experiencing paranormal visitations which eventually leads her to Faith and Cameron Dawson, where their lives become intertwined for the investigation.

 The ending of the novel was superb! It was scary, gripping and unique and at the same time very sad. It was very well done and left me with no questions unanswered.

 To conclude, this is a very well written and researched novel, very cleverly put together and keeps it’s audience captivated with every turn of the page .I would recommend this to anyone who likes a good horror story with many extra’s. In my opinion Mr Kaufman has set up the characters in such a way that they could now be used in many future novels .....I really hope I am right.

Stephen King, watch out, you have competition, this is a excellent piece of work!

The Remains by Vincent Zandri

I dont know why but from the title I had an idea that this book was going to borderline horror ...Shaun Hutson style ...I was wrong .I read the prologue and immediately I started to think I could work this book out.. again I was wrong .Chapter one gets you straight into the main character Rebecca and I was hooked ! It is a tense psychological thriller ,for me a real page turner, I couldn't put it down.In addition to this Vincent also managed to introduce relationships and feelings to the story bringing on another dimension to the book .I'm not going to give too much away and spoil the plot for everyone so i will just say that the ending was superb .....there was a mixture of horror ,suspense and sadness ...yes I cried .All in all, this is a brilliant book ,I would recommend to anyone who enjoys a thriller packed with emotion .I will, without a doubt, be reading more of Vincent Zandri.

The Fathers Child by Mark Adair

What a fantastic read! This book is listed under the Thriller genre but is much more than that! The story is intriguing, you just never know what is going to be around the next corner, it is full of twists and turns, with a bit of romance thrown in as a bonus. I thoroughly enjoyed how the plot developed and halfway through I was just baffled at how it would end. It didn't disappoint ....the conclusion was exciting, unexpected and very different! I would highly recommend this book, it was well written with a very clever plot.

Lonesome Night by Christopher L Beck

This is a short story not for the faint hearted!It starts off with Michael full of emotion over Becky leaving him ..he is distraught and has to get out of the house where everything reminded him of her ..The story then takes on a twist ..I won't spoil it by saying why but Michael went on a rather unusual 'journey'.The content here is graphic and explicit but relevant to the story For me, it felt like I was reading the beginning of a Richard Laymon novel .Anyone who enjoys his books will enjoy this .I would now like to see the Author expand and take over where Richard laymon ,sadly, left off ...he certainly has the potential to do so, and I for one will look forward to reading more