Book Info-

Title- The House on Sunset

By-  Lindsay Fischer

Genre- Memoir/Women’s Fiction

Blurb-

Lindsay Fischer was once a high school English teacher with dreams stretching far outside the classroom. When her boyfriend of a year-and-a-half cheated on her, Lindsay found herself alone, looking online for a replacement. His name was Mike.

That’s where the nightmare started.

The House on Sunset is a memoir, a collection of reminiscences, scattering the ashes of two broken homes and putting them to rest. Each chapter offers a different glimpse inside the cycle of intimate partner violence, where honeymoon phases and traumas coexist.

Everyone could fall victim to abusers. This book bravely displays the reasons a quirky, twenty-something teacher would, and did.

The Thing With Feathers by Anne Sweazy-Kulju
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

The Thing With Feathers is an unnerving journey through an Oregon town's history, or better yet, the people that inhabit the town. Evil lurks, it has a face, and it is known.

What the author does very well in The Thing With Feathers is likely to go unnoticed by many. The history is rich and detailed and she has an interesting way of weaving a little poetry subtlety into the mix. (I appreciate that.)

I rarely give 5 stars, but I wholeheartedly offer all five for The Thing With Feathers. I understand the topics of incest and rape and harsh violence intertwined with biblical themes and religious overtones is unsettling for some. We are so often bombarded with the idea that everyone has good in them , no one is pure evil. The author rips that veil right down and exposes it like a nerve. She kills off characters, unreservedly so, and it is wonderfully uncomfortable. Pure evil does exist, some families are drawn to harm and pain, and sometimes they don't deserve it.

Well done.

I received a free digital copy of this book through a blog tour for my honest, unbiased opinion. I do not know the author, and I am not affiliated with her in any way.

View all my reviews

 

Please scroll down for my review of Wake, by Abria Mattina. I received a free digital copy of this book from the blog tour owner for my unbiased, honest review and was not compensated in any way for my review. 

Title: Wake

Author: Abria Mattina

Genre: Contemporary, Romance

Publisher: self-published

Ebook/Paperback

Pages: 759

Purchase:

Amazon.com | Amazon.co.uk | Epub book | Barnes & Noble | LuLu (Paperback) | More formats listed here. |

Book Description:

Eighteen isn’t too young to run your life into the ground, but it’s not too old to fix it, either. The desire for change drives Willa Kirk from St. John’s, Newfoundland back to her hometown of Smiths Falls, Ontario, away from her mistakes and the place where her sister died. She’s looking for a place to settle and rebuild, but Jem Harper just wants to get out of town, back to the life he knew before cancer. By letting the tragedies in their lives define them, they are both dying a little more every day. Welcome to the wake.

About the Author:

Abria Mattina works as Production Manager for the Ottawa Arts Review, an eclectic literary journal. Her work has appeared in Ottawa’s The Fulcrum and Canculture Magazine. Her poem “Circus” was published in volume 5.2 of the Ottawa Arts Review.

Abria holds a Certificate in Publishing from the New York University Summer Publishing Institute and a degree in English Literature and Psychology from the University of Ottawa. When she isn’t writing she enjoys travelling, eclectic books, blogging, and baking. She lives with her fiance, Daniel.

Her debut novel, Wake, is about the struggle to redefine life after experiencing cancer and caring for an ill loved one.

Find the Author:

Website | Facebook | Twitter | 

My Review: 

   Wake is a great book and a great concept. I don't like to post spoilers, so I won't go much further into the actual story. 

    Jem has cancer, he's back in school after being held back due to his illness and is-rightly- miserable about it. Willa is the new/not so new girl in town with a bucket of angst than befriends Jem. Her sister was lost to cancer. She sympathizes with him without the sympathy. She treats him like every other kid, which is refreshing. 

   The tone of the book is great, it's heavy, it's hard, it's very real. The writing is great, the characters are fleshed-out and real. I'd have given it a five except for the following:

 This is a great novel, it really is. It is long. I think a very good editor could have reduced the pages without minimizing the story, which is a great story. However, it is fan-fiction based on another book with a huge following, huge success, and a very distinct concept. I know fan-fic is all the rage right now, but as I writer I cringe at the thought. I think many aspects could have been thrown right out of the window and this story could stand on it's own legs. To be very honest, this novel is better than it's inspiration. That said, I think the author should have cut it's ties and similarities and then Wake could be a truly outstanding novel shining it its own light, not in the shadow of Twilight. 

 Please scroll to the bottom for my review of  The Last Degree by Dina Rae.

Title: The Last Degree

Series: Book #1

Author: Dina Rae

Genre: Action, Adventure, Crime, Paranormal, Political, Suspense, Thriller, Christian

Publisher: Dina Rae

Ebook

Words: 93000

Purchase for only $1.99:

Amazon

The Last Degree will be FREE July 14^th & July 15^th!

Book Description

The Last Degree is a fictionalized account of how Freemasons and other secret societies set up the world for takeover. Ancient writings foretell a ‘Shining One’ who emerges as the world’s prophet. A murder of a Most Worshipful mason resembles a secret oath. A cop gets too close to solving the crime. Paranoid preppers go underground, preparing for war.

Headlines such as the Norway massacre, meltdown of the European Union, unscrupulous media, animal die-offs, Middle Eastern unrest, and U.S. shrinking power make the plot relevant to present day. This book is an ode to Christians, Birthers, 2012ers, Truthers, preppers, and/or other conspiracy junkies who enjoy Dan Brown, Jesse Ventura, Brad Meltzer, Alex Jones, Jerry Jenkins and Tim LaHaye.

Excerpt:

Dwight took off his crown, signifying he was no longer playing King Solomon.

“Sacrifice is expected for ones that you love. Do you love me?” Dwight shouted. “Then bow down before me and offer praise!”

Everyone knelt and laid their head down to the floor, chanting 'Most Worshipful,

Most Worshipful' several times before Dwight commanded them to get up.

In a manic energetic state, Dwight vociferated, “Et vitam impendere vero!” All repeated, with the three new pledges joining in. Minutes later, he began to calm down. “To sacrifice life for truth - that is what we must always do! You must trust me as your Most Worshipful and sacrifice at my command! Are you prepared to do this?” All three pledges nodded.

Dwight pulled the content baby out of Arthur's arms and threw it high into the air. As the baby began to descend, Dwight took his sword and hacked through its neck, decapitating it before it hit the floor. Only the three pledges shrieked in horror. He sinisterly smiled as he picked up the head and body, revealing it was only a doll.

“Don't believe with your eyes, but believe with your knowledge. We are his chosen and will soon be exalted.”

The three men looked down at their hands and tried not to scream. They were covered in blood.

“Sacrifice, my brothers, sacrifice. I will teach you well. You are all Chiefs of the Tabernacle! Let us go and celebrate!” Dwight gleamed.

Check out The Last Degree Prequel as well—Be Paranoid Be Prepared!

About the Author:

Dina Rae is a new author here to stay. As a former teacher, she brings an academic element to her work. Her two novels, Halo of the Damned and The Last Degree, weave research and suspense throughout the plots. Her short story, Be Paranoid Be Prepared, is a prequel of sorts to The Last Degree, focusing on the James Martin character. Dina also freelances for various entertainment blogs.

Dina lives with her husband, two daughters, and two dogs outside of Chicago. She is a Christian, an avid tennis player, movie buff, and self-proclaimed expert on several conspiracy theories. When she is not writing, she is reading novels from her favorite authors Dan Brown, Anne Rice, Stephen King, Brad Thor, George R.R. Martin, and Preston & Childs.

Find the Author:

Website | Blog |

This tour brought to you by Full Moon Bites.

My Review:

  I'm a great fan of conspiracy theory stories, as they marry the best elements of fact, fiction and myth. The Last Degree did all of those things and then some. There is more myth brought to life in The Last Degree, and it's an element I enjoyed. The Masons have long been a favorite secret society of mine, and the author brings their mystery to the page with some religious interpretation that works really well. The history is well-researched and the pacing keeps you engaged.

There are many comparisons of this author to Dan Brown and I think that is very accurate. If you liked Angels and Demons or The DaVinci Code, The Last Degree is right up your proverbial alley.

*I received a free digital copy of this novel through a book promotions blog which was supplied by the author for my honest, unbiased review. I have no affiliations with the author.