HINGSTON’S BOX by @Decima_Blake police #crime with a #paranormal twist partly set in #Devon

Hingston’s Box by Decima Blake
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Hingston’s Box is a quick read police drama with a paranormal twist. Det Sgt Hingston can’t sleep and is suffering night terrors, all starting at the same time that twin boys have gone missing. With police scrabbling to find even the thinnest of threads they can use to move their investigation forward, Hingston is put on medical leave by occupational health.

He travels to Devon to stay with his uncle Zach and in Dartmouth he meets a mysterious old women, he also discovers an old musical box in a junk store. His visions and night terrors continue as if they are trying to send him a message and eerily the music box plays the exact same music he’s been dreaming about.

Research into the history of the box and its contents reveal connections to a gruesome murder in the 1800’s and Hingston’s sleuthing into the past opens his eyes to lines of enquiry they could use in the current missing persons case.

I enjoy a bit of paranormal and it gave this book a refreshing touch to the police crime storyline. An ideal read for anyone wanting a quick dip into a police drama.

View all my reviews on Goodreads

Book Description

Since investigating the disappearance of fifteen-year-old twin boys, Hingston – a young, talented Detective Sergeant, has been tormented by night terrors. On waking, he remembers a vast, golden meadow that glows with warmth and carries the sound of rapid footfalls and trouser legs pushing through grasses. A curly haired boy runs tirelessly through the meadow. The promise of adventure is lost when the sickening ache of death seeps into Hingston’s bones. Feeling suffocated and tortured, melodic chimes calm him and his panic subsides.

Signed off and leaving the office, a key inexplicably falls from Hingston’s investigation file. Intrigued, he takes it with him, escaping London for Dartmouth where his investigative race begins. Stalked by a challenging elderly woman and hindered by his boss, his determination to solve the case draws him into the supernatural world that connects a murderous past to the present.

About the author

Decima Blake, aged thirty-two, has a long-standing interest in child protection having worked with teenagers, she is deeply passionate about child victims of crime. In writing Hingston’s Box, Decima drew on her love of classic English murder mysteries and ghost stories. Her interest in English Literature was ignited by two highly motivational teachers who made her A Level studies enjoyable, character forming and invaluable to her future endeavours.
Hingston’s Box raises awareness of the vulnerability of all children to exploitation. A percentage of royalties will be donated to the charity Embrace Child Victims of Crime

AmazonUK | AmazonUS | Goodreads | Twitter

Baby Girl Book 4 by Elle Klass

Baby Girl Book 4: Bite the Big Apple by Elle Klass

My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Baby Girl Book 4 – The Big Apple is the conclusive in a series of short stories surrounding the coming of years of a runaway teenager until the present day on the eve of her twenty-first birthday.

Book one saw the young child left alone by an uncaring mother. She decided life on the run would be better than what she currently had. Calling herself Cleo she met up with other runaway children and formed a survival relationship with Einstein.

Book two, and Cleo changer her persona to Justine and moved to Paris and became involved with hotelier Didier. She became a model and began research into her past to find out more about her missing Mum.

Book three, and Justine was shed for Shanna to escape those that followed her. Shanna got work for La Tige a private detective, and used the opportunity to dig deeper in to her past.

Book four now concludes Cleo’s search, she is now an executive secretary for William Briggs III. She discovers the women she thought was her Mum was only caring for her in a complicated web of secrecy. She meets the parents of Einstein and lays to rest some of his ghosts and finally she writes a book about these runaway years of her life to share with all those people who touched her life but with whom she couldn’t share the truth until now.

I’m really pleased we got closure for Cleo, each previous book left us hanging on cliff edges, looking back I have enjoyed the series very much.

Find a copy here from Amazon.co.uk or Amazon.com

View all my reviews on Goodreads

The Wrath Inside by RR Gall

The Wrath Inside by RR Gall

My rating: 4 of 5 stars

The Wrath Inside is set in the town of Nares, Palestine in AD15. Roman occupation of the land and the aggression of the Roman soldiers add to the hostile attitudes of the nation. The people of Nares lead a simple life, their highlight is the traders who pass through on the road to Jerusalem.

The book centres around 15 year old Ezera, his home life, his friends and his upbringing. These are all set into turmoil when a stranger attacks Ezera with a knife while he sleeps, falsely accusing him of kidnapping his children. Ezera helps the man called Khalil to find his children, on route they discover a cohort of Roman soldiers not far from the village.

The Romans demand a census takes place in the town, but a scuffle causes a soldier to be wounded and the situation becomes more threatening. Ezera and his friends become embroiled in the conflict. The morals of the town are put into question when they allow an innocent man to die as revenge for the Roman soldier.

When an important priest and his entourage arrive in town the Roman power authority is lessened, highlighting some of the trouble there was at the time between the religious leaders and the occupying forces. Yet the leader of the Romans has come to this town for more than one reason.

Find a copy on Amazon.co.uk or Amazon.com.

View all my reviews on Goodreads.

Author Richard Gall will be our guest here on the blog tomorrow.

Letter Y on The A to Z April Challenge 2014

Today is letter Y on the April A to Z blog Tour. My book today comes from Tony Carnival and is the first book in his Over Odyssey Series called Yellow. Genre – Fantasy Fiction

As if being a teenager wasn’t tough enough, Exodus Magaba (Ex) must come to terms with the loss of his beloved older sister, the sudden disappearance of his father, and a move to another town in another state.  On the night of his thirteenth birthday, Ex has an unexpected meeting with a mysterious man.  This encounter reveals Ex’s supernatural destiny as an “Era Key,” the only one of his generation, who can move freely and mysteriously through time. Now, with help from his mother’s chronodelias—mystical flowers that let you watch memories as though watching tv—and his new group of zany but street-tough friends, Ex must piece together the truth of the mysterious man, the forgotten magical world of Odyssia wherein lie his roots, and the connection with a new and lavish videogame…and his future.

Amazon Links

Paperback: http://www.amazon.com/Over-Odyssey-Yellow-Tony-Carnival/dp/1622126181/ref=tmm_pap_title_0?ie=UTF8&qid=1393880085&sr=1-1

Kindle: http://www.amazon.com/Over-Odyssey-Yellow-Tony-Carnival-ebook/dp/B00II7ZXVS/ref=tmm_kin_swatch_0?_encoding=UTF8&sr=1-1&qid=1393880085

Barnes& Noble Links

Paperback/Nook: http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/over-odyssey-tony-carnival/1117711709?ean=9781622126187

Smashwords 

Electronic Download: https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/411971

Tony Carnival is that rare author who comes along once in a generation.  Born with a penchant for storytelling and an uncanny ability to weave innovative ideas into cogent prose, he has developed from the nine-year-old short-story writer to the current epic fiction talent.  Over Odyssey: Yellow is the first novel in a sextet of epic fantasy, which has already been heralded as “lavish and captivating,” and as “an amazing roller coaster ride of excitement and thrills.”  A New Jersey native, he now lives in New York with his beloved family and is busy writing the second book in the sextet, Over Odyssey: Blue – a sequel that is already greatly anticipated by his fans.

Other Links

Facebook Page: https://www.facebook.com/Overodysseyyy

Linkedin: http://www.linkedin.com/profile/view?id=324065237&goback=%2Enmp_*1_*1_*1_*1_*1_*1_*1_*1_*1_*1_*1&trk=spm_pic

Strategic Website: http://sbprabooks.com/TonyCarnival/

Twitter Handle: @Over_Odyssey

Here are some randomly selected links to other bloggers who are taking up the challenge, please find time to visit them too.

http://www.clairegillian.com/

http://welshbloggers.wordpress.com/

http://indiewritersmonthly.blogspot.co.uk/

http://elsieelmore.com/

During the challenge we are asking people to leave comments on as many blogs as possible, all supportive comments are very much appreciated, thank you.

Sarah’s Survival Guide by Cynthia Harrison

Sarah’s Survival Guide by Cynthia Harrison

My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Sarah’s Survival Guide is a short story. It is a companion story for a character from “The Paris Notebook”, but it is easily read as a stand alone story too. Sarah is a pregnant college student who is forced to find her own feet when her mother gives her the ultimatum; Have an abortion or leave my house.

It’s about growing up fast and facing your responsibilities. Sarah is lucky she finds help from her teacher, Deena. This snowballs into help from another teacher and her son. Myra has had a fall and needs someone to help her while she recovers. David will pay Sarah to look after his mother and also helps Sarah find a waitressing job.

I wasn’t sure of the relationship between David and Sarah, my mind went off on its own and I imagined him to be years older than he actually was, thus I judged him and his motives poorly, until I was slapped in the face by the ending.

Sarah was lucky, she had friends and support when she needed them most. An interesting read.

Find a copy here on Amazon.co.uk or Amazon.com

View all my reviews on Goodreads

Gone by Christine Kersey

Gone by Christine Kersey

My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Morgan is a 16yr old American teenager who act rather immaturely when she argues with her Mum. She decides to run away and after a night in the woods she finds herself in a parallel universe.

Unable to find her family, Morgan finds herself in a world full of thin people where the government fights obesity through the F.A.T programme. (Federally Assisted Thinning) Morgan eventually find her family, but everything is different. She tries to fit in, whilst making a plan to return home to her own world as quickly as possible.

The idea behind the book is perhaps to appeal to teenagers and the YA market of readers, encouraging them to think about their health and the problems of diet and obesity. The book is the first in a series and ends on a cliff hanger with Morgan being taken by the local Enforcers.

Find a copy here from Amazon.co.uk or Amazon.com

View all my reviews on Goodreads.

Spirit Warriors by D.E.L.Connor (Feb 6th)

Spirit Warriors: The Concealing by D E L Connor

My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Spirit Warriors is a Young Adult story set in Montana, USA. It is an extremely well written tale about a group of friends growing up in the freedom of the wild landscape. The group have grown up re-enacting battle scenes with General Custer and Chief Crazy Horse. The story is narrated by 16 year old Emme, the daughter of a Montana Rancher. Her group of friends include Charlie the love of her life and the descendant of local Native Americans. Under the watchful eye of Archie, the foreman on the Flying A Ranch and Charlie’s Grandpa, the teenagers camp out in Tepees and learn the stories of The Native American ancestors.

Charlie believes his destiny is to protect Emme and that all the teenagers will need to join together as spirit warriors to fight an evil spirit. Machayiwiw will come soon and threaten the lives of the group, to be at their strongest for battle they must join with animal spirits and use their strengths for the coming battle.

Lilly is Emme’s best friend, but she spends her time with her friends, avoiding going home to a father who constantly abuses her. She is thrown a life line by Oscar Hines who leaves his ranch to her upon his death. She is wiser to her own destiny than Emme can believe, and her cheerful character humbles those who know her.

When Jack Arrington arrives to live with his uncle on the Flying A Ranch he befriends the group instantly. They must trust him and let him in on their secret lives. The group have a very close and supportive friendship which would be the envy of many teenagers, their dress code for the school prom is a prime example. Meanwhile the evil is drawing closer.

The author captures some great emotional moments between the teenagers and the events which surround Lilly. It brought tears to my own eyes on more than one occasion. This book deals with social issues which face many teenagers in todays society. I liked the setting where the children grew up in the countryside with horses, farms and native traditions. The historical lessons involving the spirits of the ancestors brought great meaning to the story and the interactions with the adults in the story worked well. I know I’ve read a good book when it stays with me for several days and I keep thinking about it. This book is not just for the YA market, adults can enjoy it too.

This review is based on a free copy of the book sent to me by Booktrope.com

Find a copy here from Amazon.co.uk or Amazon.com

View all my reviews on Goodreads

Della Connor will also be our guest author on the blog tomorrow, come back and read more about her book and her writing.

 

Guest Author L. T. Vargus

Today I’d like to welcome author L.T. Vargus to the blog, yesterday I reviewed her book “Casting Shadows Everywhere” you can read the review here http://wp.me/p2Eu3u-4nq

1) Where is your home town?

I’ve lived in Kalamazoo, Michigan, for about 12 years. Actually, I’m about to go shovel a foot of snow off the of the driveway so I can go to the grocery store before it snows more tonight. It’s like I always tell people: Michigan is a great place to live if you like a lot of snow and murder.

2) How long have you been writing?

I’ve been serious about writing for about 4 years. I was interested in writing and stories from a pretty young age, though.

3) How do you see the title of your book “Casting Shadows Everywhere” fitting with the storyline?

I think of the “shadows” in the title in terms of the archetype – so more like the dark side of humanity instead of literal shadows. Nick casts his shadow on Jake in the story, and as he does so he basically reveals that all of his ideas are based on the underlying messages all around us in advertisements and wars and slaughterhouses and the way people treat each other and other beings in general. The idea that morality isn’t really real is sort of all around us these days, and Nick is following that premise to its logical conclusion. That’s the shadow that’s being cast everywhere, to me. It’s open for interpretation, though. I mean, they’re creeping into dark places, so I think there’s a literal connection as well.

4) You’ve written the book from the point of view of a 15 year old boy, how much of a challenge was that as you are female?

Jake is based on a mixture of some people I knew in high school. I knew them pretty well, so it wasn’t that hard to write from that point of view. I guess the idea of writing from the perspective of a different gender might be a little overrated in terms of difficulty. If you want to sound like the average 15 year old boy, just mention boobs a few times and you’re well on the way to authenticity in my experience.

5) The storyline took quite a sinister turn for Jake, what made Jake turn away from the road of no return?

I think Jake’s self-awareness catches up at the end. I liked the idea of a seemingly self aware character that slowly starts deluding himself over the course of the story and becomes a less and less reliable narrator. I don’t know if I executed that as well as I’d hoped. Anyway, grasping the logical conclusion of Nick’s teachings snaps Jake out of it at the last minute.

6) Do you think much of the storyline reflects issues that teenagers in America face today?

On a literal level, I actually think the book is tame in some ways and over the top in others. Loads of kids are drinking, smoking weed and having sex on a regular basis by Jake’s age. He’s really shy, so he’s barely dabbled in those. On the other hand, the majority of teenagers definitely aren’t burgling all that much. Morally and philosophically, though, I think the issues are relevant.

7) Would you agree that learning to live your life and finding a reason to get out of bed each morning is worth more than winning the lottery?

 There are many examples of lottery winners’ lives falling apart shortly after they get the money, and studies have suggested that earning anything above $75,000 a year doesn’t actually make anyone happier. So yeah, I think finding things to be passionate about and people to connect with both mean a lot more than money.

8) Are you working on your next book? Can you tell us about it?

 I actually have a few different works in progress, and I don’t know which will be finished next. If I had to guess, I’d say that the next to be released will be a comedy about a slacker girl in her late 20’s that seeks revenge by trying to ruin the wedding of a girl that tormented her in high school. It’s a lot lighter than Casting Shadows Everywhere.

9) Do you have an expected publication date for fans?

I’m hopeful that it will be out in the summer or fall of 2014.

Thanks again for the awesome review and featuring me on your blog. I really appreciate it.

Casting Shadows Everywhere – Goodreads, Amazon.co.uk, Amazon.com

Thank you L.T for being our guest today and good luck with the next book.

Casting Shadows Everywhere by LT Vargus

Casting Shadows Everywhere by L.T. Vargus

My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Reading as a series of informal diary entries this book is written from the point of view of 15 year old Jake. An American teenager of a single parent family, Jake strives to do more with his life. He wants a reason to get up in the morning.

The opening scenes are very vivid, we meet Jake’s cousin Nick who will play an important adult role in Jakes next few months. There are few males for Jake to look up to and Nick’s air of danger entices Jake. No longer prepared to be a victim to school bullies Jake accepts Nick’s offer to help him learn some important life lessons.

Jake finds that he likes the excitement and thrill that taking on Nick’s tasks give him and he can feel himself changing and wanting to keep changing. Jake’s college lessons help him analyse his feelings and actions which make him different from Nick. Nick ultimately becomes out of control relying on his one rule in life “Don’t get caught”.

The book deals with plenty of teenage issues such as bullying, bulimia, puberty and peer pressure. There is strong language and violence in Jake’s journey to find meaning in life. He came full circle through his lessons with Nick. Nick felt life had no meaning. Jake did something with his life experience, he changed his outlook and at the end began living his life once again.

There is a lot of strength in this story and if you can see through the violence and some of the points that no parent wants to think about, there is a lot of true life experiences. Many teenagers are trying to find themselves and they have to deal with issues today that we all need to face.
Find a copy here on Amazon.co.uk or Amazon.com

View all my reviews on Goodreads

Author L.T Vargus will join us on the blog tomorrow for a guest author post, do come back and read more about the writing of this book.

Anna by Meghan Riley (Nov 14th)

Anna by Meghan Riley (Starseed series)

My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I didn’t know what to expect from this YA book, I was intrigued by the cover and the references to the stars in the sky. The teenage youth scenes and school setting were all very well written with plenty of descriptions which were easy to imagine. The storyline was interesting, Anna was brainy and interested in astrophysics. She had a realistic crush on the leader of the boy’s football team and I enjoyed the on/ off romance which they both shared. The suspense and star adventure built with the story, and I was guessing right up to the end between Jared, The Shadow and Steve. A cliff hanger ending had me wishing for more. Bring on the next book in the series.

Find a copy of this book here from Amazon.co.uk or Amazon.com

View all my reviews