Teaser by Burt Weissbourd

This is the sequel to Inside Passage, it doesn't have to be read to understand this book but I definitely recommend it! It just lets you get more attached to the characters and shows how Abe and Corey found each other. Plus it is written just as brilliantly as this book!

Corey is starting her life over again with a mostly clean state. She is building a relationship with her son Billy, luxuriating in her love for Abe, and finding herself through finding troubled children and helping them out of abusive situations. Life is beginning to feel normal for her again just before she gets caught in the middle of a new spider's web. 

Abe is a talented psychologist who has been helping a young woman Maisie with some of her issues. When she begins to tell him stories about sex and drugs he starts to become concerned especially when she misses one of her weekly drug tests. Billy, Corey's son and friend of Maisie's, confirms that these things have been happening with an older girl named Star. 

What none of them know is the whirlwind that's about to spiral them out of control. The whirl wind's name is Teaser and knows Maisie's real father. That's why he sent Star to befriend her. With a mind focused on revenge he will let nothing stand in his way. 

Such a great book!!!! I love the way Burt Weissbourd handles sensitive issues and weaves them seamlessly into a difficult plot while still keeping you right on the edge of your seat as you try to figure out what's coming next. There is some talk about sexual and physical abuse but it's handled well while also giving a very real look at how difficult it is to deal with. 

Burt Weissbourd is such a great writer and the characters are phenomenal and real. I would kill to have Abe as my actual therapist! He paints realistic pictures of people with all their foibles and imperfections as well as showing their strength and intelligence. All in all definitely a great read! 

  

The Frenchman by Lesley Young

HOT! HOT! HOT! 

Fleur has lived a charmed life, she has been pampered and protected in the American South by her father. When her mother re-enters the picture and introduces Fleur to new things that she had never imagined before she sets off in an adventure to step off of the path of the straight and narrow that has been her norm for so long. 

Fleur follows her mother to Toulon, a seaport town in France for a year. Her mother works for the French National Police investigating the crime family Messette . That's where she meets Louis, the gorgeous rugby player. Instantly her world has not only deviated from the path but exploded into a whole new street filled with things she has never felt before. 

Louis commands her to silence as their relationship gets more intense and passionate and Fleur struggles with his demands and the lies that surround the beginning of their relationship. She can't see beyond the intense passion that blinds her to see who she's becoming involved with. Louis keeps telling her that he is a bad man but she refuses to believe it. 

I haven't read anything by this author before but I will definitely be looking for more by her after reading this. Fleur and Louis are great together! Who doesn't fantasize about meeting that man who is filled with darkness but only you can tame the hunger in him. That is definitely who Fleur and Louis are to each other, they are drawn together like moths to a flame. 

I liked that it wasn't just about the sex either, this is actually classified as a erotica but I wouldn't say that it was anything worse then I have read by Karen Marie Moning and definitely tamer then Laurell K. Hamilton. There was story and humour and mystery, Lesley really makes you care about the couple and the people that surround them not just about when the next sex scene will begin!

Definitely a great read that I recommend!

You can find it here on amazon.ca

Amazon

Unborn by Amber Lynn Natusch

Unborn is strange amalgamation of Greek mythos mixed with a hint of heavenly and unholy fire. And it works so well together! 

Khara has lived her long life as a ward of Hades, and a replacement for Persephone, the reason why  Persephone is ever able to leave the underworld. Hades cares for her as a father should while Demeter has just grown more resentful as the eons passed by. Now the world has changed when a dark one and pulled her from her home with Hades. Khara's last sight was of her father's distressed face and his coded words of "I knew this day would come one day"

Khara is suddenly surrounded by a family she never even dreamed of in a world filled with unbelievable weirdness. She is the calm centre in a world gone mad around her. Maybe that's where these strange emotions start to come from. Caring .... love .... even attraction towards the fallen angel who makes her skin tingle and pisses her off beyond what she thought was possible. 

I really enjoyed this book! It's an off shoot of another series but I never felt like I was missing something since I hadn't read it. Khara starts off as very repressed and emotionless which makes sense she was pretty much raised in hell. I liked watching her change and grow as the world changed around her. Her brothers also seemed like well rounded characters and I am excited to see what she does with some of the mysteries surrounding their characters as well. Okay, I am just excited in general to see where this series goes! I can't wait for more!

Amazon.ca

From Newton, Einstein, to God

From Netwton, Einstein, to God is an interesting story of an amazing life. Ying starts off as a wondering child with strange abilities. Abilities that seem to tantalize him and terrify him with equal measure. I find it interesting that even with these occurrences happening to him he still begins to disbelieve in God.

So many people go into science thinking to prove that God doesn't exist. Ying started off with a similar thought. But even Einstein said that science led him to believe more fully in the existence of God. Ying found himself following in the footsteps of one of his heroes when he came across "The Twin Universe" theory.

The book is beautifully written and a spellbinding tale of an immigrant coming to America and trying to make the dream of a better life come true while battling his inner demons and doubts. It was compelling and drew you in, making you want to care about this man's journey into self knowledge. And of course some pretty amazing scientific breakthroughs as well.

If you enjoy memoirs I would definitely recommend this one! It gets released on January 13th!
Amazon

As Far As You Can Go

As Far As You Can Go by Lesley Glaister is a desolate thriller set in the Australian Outback. Cassie feels like something needs to change between her and Graham, her boyfriend of three years. He randomly goes off and she has suspected him of wandering a time or two. When she sees the ad looking for a couple to go to the Australian Outback she decides this will be the test. Just the two of them in the desert to see if they can make it or if it be the end of them. 

The job entails living in the remote edges of the Outback and helping to take care of of the mentally unstable Mara as well as cook and clean for her husband Larry. At first it's just the distance that's hard, there are no phones, no email, no way to contact their family. Cassie longs to share information with her twin sister Patty so she begins to write her letters in the hopes that the next time the neighbour Fred comes by he will take the letters into town and post them. 

No letters come back though, and desperate for some sort of conversation she begins to turn to Larry who has impressed her with his kindness towards his wife. Cassie begins to feel like she's being watched even when she's alone. She begins to get lethargic and blames it on the sun. The one bonus is that Cassie and Graham have exposed their secrets and are now working towards something. 

Then the strange turns into stranger and Cassie and Graham find themselves torn as they attempt to unravel the mystery and debate about running. But where do you run to when you are trapped in the middle of no where?

I really enjoyed this book! I read it in two days actually and was immediately drawn into the tense prose and the dark desolation of it. I loved the detail that was used to describe the Australian Outback and it's barren beauty. I did begin to wonder why the English don't just buy cigarettes the way we do here with filters and pre rolled but I went along with it. 

The action was slow to build but it made sense, you were always waiting for the next twist and turn that the novel would throw at you. However, what I didn't like was the end. It was .... too neat and yet gave no real details of how the characters were dealing with the aftermath of what they had been doing. 

Soulwoven: Exile

Soulwoven:Exile is the continuing story of Litnig, Cole, Dil, Ryse and Quay. The story picks up right where the first ended. The group is trying to come to grips with the horror of losing Len and releasing Sherduan, a dragon of darkness and shadows, onto the world. 

The group breaks up and goes into different directions. Heading into the unknown to prepare the world for the darkness that is about to sweep it away. Ryse and Quay head towards Eldan to warn them of the danger. Dil and Cole find themselves as ambassadors. to the scary Pyrelle who hopes to lure the dragon with their presence. Litnig follows a beautiful woman into the wild  in order to learn more about himself and his race. 

This book is much darker then the previous novel as it's really about feeling torn down and how to rebuild yourself into a better version of yourself rather then let the darkness consume you. But even among all this darkness is the thought of redemption. Finding actions or learning to help make up for the mistakes of the past, learning to be better. I loved this book and the hope that lay between the lines.

SPOILER!!!!!!

Ryse and Quay find themselves in a dark place. Literally raped and broken. However the topic is handled with compassion and grace. I really felt the author captured the horror and helplessness of the situation as well as the strength it takes to rebuild yourself afterwards. It's hard to see characters you care about go through something so painful but it was handled really well with Ryse. Unfortunately, for me, Quay's story didn't really pick up much after the rape but I look forward to seeing how he moves forward. It took Ryse some very dramatic events to find the strength to move forward and I am excited to see how Quay handles the same sort of abuse. 

I would definitely say that this book is all about growth as well as learning to accept yourself for who you are, flaws/darkness and all. I really liked seeing the transition of this book from the first book as the threat of Sherduan becomes ever closing. 

Jeff Seymour captures the horror and brillance of the human spirit and makes you hunger for the next book!!! I definitely recommend this to anyone looking to get into a new epic story! 

Grab your copy at Amazon here!

Amazon

You can also find out more about this great author

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Guest Post by the Indomitable Jeff Seymour

The amazing sequel to Jeff Seymour's comes out today and I am lucky enough to share his words with you. Hopefully he forgives my inexperience in matters of guest posts and what not! When I had the chance to ask him anything I sadly could only think to ask how he came with the idea for the Soulwoven series and how he used Kickstarter to further his dreams of getting the story published. I feel so privileged that I actually got to speak with him. So here are his words! And look for my review of Soulwoven :Exile on Sunday!!

Soulwoven was conceived in the back of a school bus.

Racy, huh? The gestation period was pretty long though. It took more than ten years for the book to grow from a little blastocyst of an idea about a hero, his brother, and their friends into a story capable of eating, drinking, and breathing on its own.

Man, this birth thing is a better metaphor than I thought it’d be.

Anyway, the book (and its sequel, Soulwoven: Exile, out 12/12/2014), is primarily about identity, in no small part because it was conceived during years when I was actively forming mine. Every major character in the story loses something that anchors his or her identity, and the human element of the narrative (it’s also got dragons and magic and plenty of flash-bang-whiz) is about each of them trying to either reclaim it or replace it.

After all, that’s what drew me to fantasy. Cloud Strife (Final Fantasy VII) and Tanis Half-Elven (Dragonlance: Chronicles) gave me examples of people who were kind of like me struggling with their identities at a time when I really needed them, and I wanted to pass on the favor to a new generation of readers.

I've also learned, now that I’m older, that you never really stop forming and re-forming your identity. Or at least I haven’t yet, and even my 92-year-old grandmother’s not done. So I think stories about identity have value no matter your age or station in life.

Which brings me, in a roundabout way, to the role of Kickstarter in Soulwoven’s life.

It was the midwife, really.

In 2012, after years of trying to get published traditionally, I embraced a shift in my identity as a writer and dove into the indie thing. Soulwoven was featured by Wattpad.com, and it got enough interest there that I decided it was worth publishing on my own. I was leery of committing a lot of money to it (because I didn't have a lot of money to commit), so I turned to Kickstarter for help.

And Kickstarter was great. Eighty people contributed more than $3,000 to make publishing the book possible. That was all I needed. Eighty people. Try approaching a publisher with a manuscript and asking them for a $3,000 investment on the guarantee you’ll sell eighty books. See what happens.

Soulwoven launched quietly. It’s been a modest success commercially, about on par with what I would've expected if it had been published by a small press.

But artistically, it’s been a huge success. I've grown as a writer because I put out that novel, Soulwoven: Exile has benefited enormously from that growth. Not many writers are excited about seeing the first reviews come in for a new book. It’s supposed to be a terrifying experience.

It isn't for me.

Soulwoven was conceived in the back of a school bus. It was birthed with the help of a small community of wonderful people. It’s growing into something wonderful.

And I couldn't be a prouder papa.