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Apocalyptic & Post-Apocalyptic fiction

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A Matter of Love and Death by Caron Albright

Adelaide, 1931. Telephone switchboard operator Frances’ life is difficult as sole provider for her mother and adopted uncle. But it’s thrown into turmoil when she overhears a suspicious conversation on the phone, planning a murder.

If a life is at risk, she should tell the police; but that would mean breaking her confidentiality clause and would cost her the job. And practical Frances, not prone to flights of fancy, soon begins to doubt the evidence of her own ears – it was a very bad line, after all…

She decides to put it behind her, a task helped by the arrival of their new lodger, Phil. Phil takes her to a night club, where she meets charming but slightly dangerous club owner Jack. Jack’s no angel – prohibition is in force, and what’s a nightclub without champagne? But he’s a good man, and when Frances’ earlier fears resurface she knows that he’s the person to confide in.

Frances and Jack’s hunt for the truth puts them in grave danger, and soon enough Frances will learn that some things are a matter of love and death…

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Author Bio

Caron Albright fell in love with books as soon as she could read and never grew out of it. With one foot firmly planted in Fictionland ever since, she is moving from one adventure to the next (strictly on the paper of course).

She loves capers with feisty heroines, dashing heroes with a dangerous edge and thrilling locations and would gladly explore the world for the sake of research – preferably while tap-dancing, with a champagne glass in her hand.

Instead she spends her time in front of her keyboard, sipping herbal tea.

When she feels the need for a change, she switches to coffee and writing crime novels under the name Carmen Radtke.

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My Review

5 stars

It is 1931 and Francis works as a telephone operator. One day she over hears a conversation about a murder. But after seeing another operator being fired for talking about what was heard she is afraid to say anything. Initially she decides it is a bad line and to ignore it. But when she meets night club owner Jack, she thinks twice about the murder. It is during prohibition and Jack dances around illegal champagne so Francis thinks confiding in him will help whomever was to be murdered.

What follows is a whirlwind adventure as Francis and Jack come across a murder, a jewelry thief, and thugs willing to do what it takes to stop them to stay free and clear. I loved Francis. She is supporting her mother and adopted uncle on very little money, especially for the time. I can completely relate to her trying to do whatever to keep this job. But I’m glad that she told Jack about the murder. He is a great, strong character with a soft spot.

I loved this whole story from the time period to the mystery. I couldn’t put this book down. And that ending is perfect. Bloodhound Books has picked up another amazing author. I can’t wait to read more from Caron Albright/Carmen Radtke.

I received A Matter of Love and Death from Bloodhound Books for free. This has in no way influenced my opinion of this book.

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Heaven’s Crooked Finger (Earl Marcus – 1) by Hank Early

Earl Marcus thought he had left the mountains of Georgia behind forever, and with them, the painful memories of a childhood spent under the fundamental rule of his father RJ’s church–a church built on fear, penance, and the twisting, writhing mass of snakes. But then an ominous photo of RJ is delivered to Earl’s home. The photograph is dated long after his father’s burial, and there’s no doubt that the man in the picture is very much alive.

As Earl returns to Church of the Holy Flame searching for the truth, faithful followers insist that his father has risen to a holy place high in the mountains. Nobody will talk about the teenage girls who go missing, only to return with strange tattoo-like marks on their skin. Rumors swirl about an old well that sits atop one of the mountains, a place of unimaginable power and secrets. Earl doesn’t know what to believe, but he has long been haunted by his father, forever lurking in the shadows of his life. Desperate to leave his sinful Holy Flame childhood in the past, Earl digs up deeply buried secrets to discover the truth before time runs out and he’s the one put underground in Heaven’s Crooked Finger.

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Author’s Bio

Hank Early spent much of his youth in the mountains of North Georgia, but he never held a snake or got struck by lightning. These days, he lives in central Alabama with his wife and two kids. He writes crime, watches too much basketball, and rarely sleeps. Heaven’s Crooked Finger is his first novel. He’s represented by Alec Shane of Writers House.

In a previous life, he published some books as John Mantooth. Check them out here.

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My Review

5 stars

Earl Marcus is the child of a fire and brimstone preacher in a small mountain town in Coulee County, Georgia. RJ Marcus is a Pentecostal preacher that strongly believes in the word of God. When Earl is bitten by a snake when he is seventeen he is essentially kicked out of church, his home, and hated by everyone in town. Thankfully a midwife by the name of Granny takes him in and finish raising him.

Year later Earl has moved on and now lives in North Carolina as a private investigator. He still has bad memories about his father and refused to return when the man died. But then he hears that Granny is dying from pancreatic cancer and wants to see him one more time, he returns to the little town. When he gets there he finds those that hated him still hate him. But then he sees a picture of his father clearly alive after he is supposed to be dead and hears about strange happenings with teenage girls. He decides to look into both events.

This is a killer start to a new series from a new author. You can’t help but feel for Earl. He’s stuck in a small town that is enraptured with his father’s preaching and has a certain small mindedness that you can only find in a small town. When Early clearly is not accepted by God, his is discarded. I don’t blame him at all for not going back for his father’s funeral but I understand sucking it up for Granny. As for the mystery, I really liked the twists and turns you follow along as clues are revealed and red herrings dropped around. I was kept guessing until the end and really liked the big reveal.

This is a first in the series and I will definitely be keeping my eyes out for the next book. If you like a great thriller with religious undertones and some paranormal added in, you need to check this book out.

I received Heaven’s Crooked Finger from Sami at Roger Charlie for free. This has in no way influenced my opinion of this book.

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My Review

4 stars

Excerpt

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Tatter and Shine by JW Troemner

Shine is running out of time.

She’s a self-taught sorceress in a kingdom that outlaws magic, and the witch hunters are closing in. If they catch her, she’ll face slow death by torture. If she turns herself in, the best she can hope for is a long life locked in a convent.

She takes a third option: she summons Tatterdemalion, the immortal sorcerer of legend, and offers herself as his apprentice.

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Author’s Bio

JW Troemner was born in Germany and immigrated to the United States, where she lives with her partner in a house full of pets. Most days she can be found gazing longingly at sinkholes and abandoned buildings.

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My Review

5 stars

Shine is a duke’s daughter that has taken to practicing magic. After the war with the Sorcerer Queen, magic is forbidden and Shine is on the verge of being discovered. She summons Tatterdemalion to be her teacher. Tatter has his own issues but decides to accept her. He wonders how long until she walks out the door like so many others. At first Shine feels like she is nothing more than a scullery maid but slowly starts to understand how she can make things bend to her will.

Then Shine learns more of Tatter’s history and who the Sorcerer Queen is to Tatter. She leaves and Tatter thinks of her for a year until he is summoned to a dungeon by someone that is barely alive from her torture. The Sorcerer Queen has gotten a hold of Shine and is draining her powers. But they cannot be safe for long, The Sorcerer Queen has not for gotten about either Tatter or Shine and is not going to let them get away.

This is a great, quick read. When you learn of Tatter’s past, you can understand why his is the way he is and you can’t help but having feeling for the guy. Shine is a proud duke’s daughter and clearly insulted to be cleaning the castle but something as simple as this gives her a new perspective with how to use magic. I loved the concept of how the magic you work can only be what you know. What a great concept that keeps limits on power.

This is a quick read and I loved every moment of it. I have read JW Troemner’s story Mark of the Dragon and have to say I love her books. She has many more that I need to catch up on. But this was a great read to wet my appetite for more of her books.

I received Tatter and Shine from Ari at Candid Book Reviews for free. This has in no way influenced my opinion of this book.

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My Review

5 stars

My Review

5 stars

Father Paladina and Arthur Vangeest are on the hunt for the Bishop. After The Everett Exorcism they are trying to get him to make him pay for his actions. They find a connection to the Bishop and learn that he has gathered an army of special children. Both men are going to learn more about themselves as they try to learn more about this world and their part in it.

I loved to see Father Paladina grow and realize how limited his knowledge of the world is. He understands his limits and knows that they are either going to help him or get him killed. Vangeest on the other hand is trying to turn a new leaf with not killing. But as a demon hunter this is going to be a lot harder than he thinks. Is this going to get him killed?

The Vatican Children follows on the heels of The Everett Exorcism so I strongly recommend reading this series in order. I liked the progression but do wish there was a little more to this story. Although it was still good, fast paced, and a quick read I felt like there could have been something more added in.

I really like where this series is going. I really want to finish reading the World on Fire series and The Ninth Circle. I want to see more of what is going to happen to both of these men. Plus I can’t wait for Lincoln Cole to finish writing The Bishop’s Legacy.

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My Review

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[Praise]

– [Name], Goodreads Reviewer

My Review

5 stars

Karen and Jeremy are exploring a cave in West Virginia when they stumble into Rahm, the leader of an underground cult. This group of people decided to go underground many years earlier and now they are starting to have problems. Mutations are happening to those that have come down and left many of them infertile. It’s just bad luck that Karen and Jeremy are discovered since Rahm has decided that their child can fix what has happened to the people. Of course Karen and Jeremy want nothing more than to escape, but this is just the beginning of the trouble they are about to face.

What starts as a harmless journey quickly becomes hell for Karen and Jeremy. Although newlyweds neither really knew as much about the other as they thought. The truth is going to come out and it is going to be brutal. Both are going to be change from this experience in more than one way. Watching Karen and Jeremy’s true selves come out was brutal but very realistic. And the caves, OMG! What kind of third ring of hell did these two fall into?

This is a wonderful horror story with one heck of an ending. I couldn’t put the book down and had the creeps that night. Ugh!!!This is a great story for those that love horror stories.

I received Something Down There from Book Unleashed for free. This has in no way influenced my opinion of this book.

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The Lesser Sin by D.B. Corey

AT WHAT COST, VENGEANCE?
He murdered her sister and the courts set him free. Now just one thing stands between CIA sniper Hanna Braver and the justice she demands: Her Catholic Faith. Her love of family clashes with her love of God, and if she pulls the trigger to commit murder, will God forgive her yet again? Or will hypocrisy condemn her to Hell. Her Immortal Soul hangs in the balance.

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Author’s Bio

DB Corey lives in the Baltimore area with his lovely wife Maggie, an offish Chocolate Lab named Murphy, and a sleepy American foxhound, aptly named Dozer. After a rather uninspired stint in college, he spent twelve years with the U.S. Naval Reserves flying aircrew aboard a Navy P-3 Orion sub-hunter chasing down Russian subs. During that time, he began a career in data processing, or as it’s known today—Information Technology. He began his writing career in his mid-50s.

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My Review

5 stars

Hanna Braver is a sniper for the CIA. Although she is very religious, so has no problem killing people during a time of war. But when she returns from Afghanistan, she returns home to the torture and murder of her sister. If that wasn’t bad enough, the man that killed her sister is left free. Hanna is now torn. She has her CIA handler that has plans for her. She has her family and everything that has been thrown to the wind. And then there is God. How could he abandon her sister in her time of need? How can she kill the one that needs to die if it is against God’s word?

This is an amazing story. Hanna is a sniper and kills people for her job but it is justified since it is during a time of war. But, in a time of peace, the man that killed her sister needs to be put down and Hanna is torn with killing is against the Lord. But there is so much more happening than just this internal battle.

I really loved this book. It makes you think about the injustice of the world, vigilante justice, and how important a belief system can be for a person. There is no cliff hanger but I love how there is the possibility of more books to come.

I really enjoyed this book and recommend everyone check it out. You will not be disappointed.

I received The Lesser Sin from the author for free. This has in no way influenced my opinion of this book.

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