Ashlyn's Radio by Norah Wilson and Heather Doherty

Published synopsis:

When her mother is hospitalized after a mental breakdown, Ashlyn is crushed to have to leave Toronto to go live with her grandmother in Prescott Junction, Maine, where nothing happens. Nothing except for the ghost train that rolls through on the rusted lines on dark nights – the one the townsfolk pretend not to hear as it comes to claim troubled, lost souls. Ashlyn scoffs at the idea ... until she witnesses it herself, with its evil, seductive conductor and the wailing of souls trapped on board. The string of unexplained deaths by the tracks throughout the village's history (Ashlyn's father included, before she was even born) lends credence to the tale. As frightened as she is at the conductor’s pull, more terror awaits when the antique radio in her grandmother’s basement comes to life. Ashlyn’s grandmother tells her the radio is a Caverhill curse, and can’t be destroyed or discarded. It keeps coming back, and it keeps broadcasting "reports" of events yet to happen. Her grandmother begs her to stay away from the radio, but Ashlyn cannot help but listen. And to her horror, it tells her she is bound to board the ghost train. Ashlyn will need the help of her newfound friends – the troubled Rachel and the very sexy Caden – if she is going to get through the coming horrors with her sanity intact and her soul unclaimed.

Review:

What could possibly be worse than having your mother have a complete mental breakdown and be institutionalized? Or being forced to leave behind all your friends in Toronto at the beginning of your senior year and move to a Podunk little town in Maine with a grandmother you barely know? Ashlyn Caverhill finds out.

Prescott Junction isn’t just a sleepy little town in the middle of nowhere. The town is deserted at night, and people do stay in their beds after dark, but sleep is hard to come by when a ghost train intent on stealing souls rumbles through town several nights a week. Add to that an indestructible radio that only Ashlyn’s family can hear – it predicts the future, but only the sad and tragic future – and suddenly, Prescott Junction is far from a boring little town. Unless a seductive, skeletal ghost train conductor can be considered boring.

Ashlyn is thrown into a situation where she may be the town’s only hope. As if that isn’t enough, her new best friend, Rachel, believes that she is next to board the train. Abused, lonely and self-destructive, Rachel believes it may be her only chance to escape the hell she lives in. Caden, Ashlyn’s sexy new boyfriend, cares about them both and will do whatever he can to keep them safe.

Ashlyn’s Radio by Norah Wilson and Heather Doherty, is a unique look at curses, the supernatural and real life issues such as abuse. The characters in the book face not just a ghost train and a doomsday warning radio, they also have to face the real life issues of prejudice, depression, fear, physical and emotional abuse, and falling in love. Wilson and Doherty do an excellent job addressing all of the above. With the exception of being too blasé in the beginning of the book about the idea of cutting to deal with anger, depression and pain, I believe they did a good job of getting into the teenage mind. I was happy to read that the act of cutting is taken more seriously later in the book. Speaking as an adult, the abuse issues were also hard to read without wanting to shake the characters and want them to do something about it, to stop it. But, in situations like that, most teenagers don’t have the slightest idea what to do when a friend is in this kind of trouble. That’s not a problem with the book. Ashlyn’s Radio simply points out a societal squeamishness to address the problem head on, leaving children at a loss as to how to help or get help.

Overall, Ashlyn’s radio is a wonderful read with just enough eeriness to keep it interesting, and enough memorable characters to make it lovable. Though the issues in the book could have made this book a sad journey, Wilson and Doherty were able to keep it a light, entertaining read while still getting their points across. I thank the authors for a review copy and I give the book 4 ½ stars.

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The Merzetti Effect by Norah Wilson

Published synopsis:

Delano Bowen has been a medical doctor for a very long time. More than 170 years, in fact. For much of that time, he’s been searching for a way to reverse the curse foisted on him by a vampress who sought to own him. With the emergence of medical technology, he now also aims to develop a vaccine to protect the vulnerable from predation by rogue vampires. After a century of searching, he thinks he's found the key to his vaccine – a surviving descendent of the Merzetti family. The Merzettis were virtually hunted to extinction over the years by rogue vampires who feared the anti-vampirism properties in their blood.

A foundling, nurse Ainsley Crawford has no idea that she carries a genetic gift, and Delano aims to keep it that way. He must keep her close, and ignorant, for he can leave nothing to chance. He manipulates events to ensure her unwitting cooperation. But when Delano's arch enemy Radak Janecek mounts an all-out assault to destroy Delano and the fruits of his research, Delano is forced to draw Ainsley even closer to protect her. Inevitably, the attraction that has sparked between them from the first flares hot and urgent. Ainsley sees no reason why that attraction shouldn't be consummated, but Delano knows succumbing to it is not just ill-advised; it could literally be the death of him.

Review:

Vampires aren’t all bad. Most of them live productive lives working right next to us at their night jobs while, for the most part, leaving humans alone. It’s not those vampires Delano Bowen is after. He’s after the rogue vampires, like the one that turned him all those years ago against his will. The ones who prey on the innocent and see humans as nothing more than a lower species in the food chain. In order to stop them, he has to track down the last descendent of a powerful bloodline and prove that the Merzetti effect is more than a scary bedtime story for vampires. And then, he has to determine how willing he is to sacrifice his feelings for her to further his cause.

Ainsley has her own troubles in the human world. Forced out of her job as a trauma nurse, she must find another one ASAP because people she loves are counting on her. Which is the only reason she agreed to meet Dr. Bowen at night for her job interview. And walk through a dark alley to get to his office. She had no idea that short walk was going to irreversibly change her life. Thrust into a world of vampires, she faces danger, lies, assassins, betrayals and love. Now, she has to figure out what scares her the most and what she’s willing to do to protect the human race. And her heart.

In The Merzetti Effect, Norah Wilson gives the reader surprises, plot twists, and a romance that will get your heart pumping loud enough for the nearest vampire to hear. The tension between Ainsley and Delano is there from the beginning, but both struggle against it. Some times more than others. But, when making love may be tantamount to a death sentence, that’s a lot of motivation to resist each other.

I enjoyed the fact that Norah Wilson made Ainsley a strong character; one who is willing to do whatever it takes for the ones she loves. Often, in romances, especially those about vampires, the female character is made into a victim who must be rescued. Ainsley is thrown into a situation that does make her a victim, but she does not have typical victim qualities. She doesn’t fall apart at the first sight of danger, she doesn’t back down when she learns she has been betrayed. Instead, she bolsters who courage and trudges on, willing to meet the danger head on if she must. Being scared is no reason to be a coward or not get the job done.

Delano is written as the epitome of scientist. He is always looking to the greater good, even if that means sacrifices have to be made along the way. He has surrounded himself with humans who have sworn their allegiance to his cause and it has been his single-mindedness that has gotten him this close to finding a cure. Now, if he can only keep his hands off the cure, everything will be fine. Apparently, that’s asking too much.

If you are looking for a fast-paced story that will make you wish your own vampire was waiting for you in the next dark alley you pass, pick up a copy of The Merzetti Effect. It’s the next best thing to finding your own paranormal romance. I thank the author for a review copy and I give the book five stars.

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His Fifth Avenue Thief by Abbey MacInnis

Published synopsis:

Two years prior, Irishman Aaron O'Connel took his life from rags to riches. Chance and wits have kept him alive in 1850'S New York City. But no amount of money or success can bring his love Cathlene back from the dead. When a thief sneaks her way into his mansion, the last woman he expects to find absconding with his belongings is his long lost wife.

Abandoned on New York's shores, a widowed, penniless, and ruined Cathlene O'Connel was left to fend for herself in an unfamiliar world. Fear and circumstance drove her to a life of thieving in order to survive, but her heart risks the biggest danger of all when Aaron hands her a scandalous proposition: A son in exchange for her freedom.

Now that he has her back, Aaron doesn't intend to let Cathlene slip between his fingers. He'll do whatever it takes to regain her trust and love. But when an enemy from Cathlene's past resurfaces, Aaron not only faces battling for Cathlene's heart, but also her life.

Review:

Abandoned by a husband who jumped ship, one who convinced her to give up her society life in Ireland and travel to this new land, Cathlene O’Connel has had to shed her life as a lady and become someone she hardly even recognizes. Desperate to save herself from the life that most destitute women fall into, she takes to thieving to keep herself off the streets.

Aaron O’Connel lost the love of his life, his wife Cathlene, two years ago. He has searched desperately for her to no avail. When chance brings her to him in the form of a thief, he knows that fate has given him a second chance with her. If only he can convince her that he did not abandon her. It breaks his heart to see the hardened shell she has put around herself to survive, and he is determined to find a way to make her stay. Even if he has to create a fantastical compromise to make it happen. He needs time to figure out what she is hiding from him, and how to make her love him again.

His Fifth Avenue Thief by Abbey MacInnis is a novella about love, betrayal and sacrifice. These two characters, so much in love at one time until fate intervened, wrenching them apart, desperately want to be on the same path again. But learning to trust once more is not easy. Love is a fragile thing, easily bruised and destroyed, regardless if it was a series of misunderstandings and the intervention of others that caused its demised. Abbey MacInnis’s characters are strong, determined and not easy to trust. Perfectly understandable considering their recent past. She has given them a depth that many romance characters lack. They do not rush back into each other arms right away, they think and reason, and try to lead with their minds instead of their feelings.

Readers are brought on an emotional journey that has you wanting desperately to let them find a way to be together again, yet appreciating their reluctance. Even though the rags to riches aspect of the novel seems a little much, the interactions between Cathlene and Aaron make this novella an excellent story of hope and forgiveness. I thank the author for a review copy and I give the book four and a half stars.

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Savannah Storm by Corin Castro

Published synopsis:

SAVANNAH STORM is the first of a trilogy set in this fabled city of romance and adventure right here on our own southern doorstep. Greed, lust and the struggle with nature as much as historic charm and the scent of gardenias is still alive and waiting for those who choose to seek them.

Savannah is an old city, a city of secrets and shadows. Nearly three hundred years of storms and wars have left her scarred but still standing. When a modern pirate sails into her harbor and McGuire Knight's successful life will he bring the same destruction and pain his ancestors did when the city was young? Can McGuire overcome her own past and its shattering secret to meet this dangerous Spanish sailor with the passion neither can deny? Will her hard won courage be enough to help her break her ties with a second man who isn't at all what he seems and has the power to destroy her world in a different way? In the quest they share to guard the past McGuire and Juan will need more than history to protect them from the danger to their hearts and their lives in today's Savannah.

Review:

McGuire Knight didn’t expect Juan to walk into her life. She had a plan. Settle down with a nice man, who would be a good father, and have kids. Not willing to risk her heart again, she feels this is the only way to go. Until he showed up. Now, she is discovering that passion and love are too important to live without.

Juan has been a shadow of himself since his wife died giving birth two years ago. Losing everything in one day, he merely goes through the motions of living, sure he will never again feel the way he felt about her. Then he walks into an animal shelter and meets McGuire. Everything changes. His soul wakes up again, and maybe he love does still exist for him.

Circumstances bring them together again and again, and it takes neither of them long to realize love at first sight is a strong thing. Life is not always accommodating for it, though. Major obstacles in their lives are trying hard to make their budding romance fizzle before it really gets started.

With good friends willing to intervene when needed, and shady characters trying to accomplish their own ends, this book makes for a good read. A sucker for love at first sight, Corin Castro’s Savannah Storm caught me right away. McGuire is a likeable character who deserves to find true love. Juan is sexy and intense. A strong combination in any romance novel. The secondary characters are interesting, if sometimes a bit stereotypical or obvious, and have been set up nicely for the next books in the series.

There was a drawback for me, though. Throughout the interactions between McGuire and Juan, there is an undercurrent of violence and dominance in their lovemaking. It is subtle; just prominent enough to rub me the wrong way. Passion should be intense, it should take the characters where they have not been before, but for me, that doesn’t include the edge of pain. Well written, Savannah Storm is still a romance worth picking up and it will leave you curious to learn what happens to the other characters in future books. I thank the author for a review copy and I give the book three and a half stars.

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Stone Cold: A Vampire Novel by Mike Denault

Published Synopsis:

Damien Magneson's life is anything but normal. He is part of an innocent vampire family, helping to promote peace, all while secretly working alongside the local government to track and eliminate supernatural threats that may harm society. However, when Damien meets target Aderra Fayre, who is part of a potentially sought-out and labeled family of serial killers, he feels he must protect her. Damien's life changes dramatically, now living in a world filled with constant drama, violence and sacrifice.

Review:

Damien and his family are not ordinary vampires. They are assassin vampires working with the government to keep humans safe from supernatural threats. Until now, Damien has had to sit on the sidelines while his parents, brother and sister tracked down, and often killed, the bad guys. Now, his training is complete and it’s time for him to step up and stand next to his family in this fight against evil.

Unfortunately, things don’t work out according to plan. His very first target gets the better of him and his sister ends up badly hurt. He falls for his next target, Aderra, a suspected serial killer who also happens to be a vampire. Strange, since the government had led him to believe that his family was the last line of vampires in existence. Now, he has to figure out who he can trust, and how to save the day, all while avoiding a certain pesky reporter determined to take them all down.

In Stone Cold: A Vampire Novel by Mike Denault, readers are drawn into a world where the government not only knows about the supernatural world, but also sanctions kills against any creature who proves to be a threat to humans. I always enjoy the premise of vampires being the good guys ridding the world of evil, and I believe the story has a solid foundation to build from.

There were a few things that would have made me enjoy the story a little more, though. There wasn’t a lot of information about the vampires that made me relate to them as individuals, or as a group. I did not know enough of the history of each individual to make me feel as if I knew him or her on a personal level, allowing me to get truly involved in the story. I wanted to know more about what they did from day to day, what they ate, how they managed bloodlust, or all the ways that they were different from humans. Also, Damien’s character seemed a bit immature to be an assassin. Often, his interactions with his parents felt as if he was a petulant child who needed to be watched more closely, rather than be sent out as a trained killer. This said, I would enjoy watching his character grow and mature through a series.

I also found the dialogue to be a troubling area, at times. It tended to bounce back and forth between being a bit long, and at other times, I felt things moved along faster than they should. For example, there was very little dialogue before Damien is convinced to trust Aderra and her family of admittedly evil vampires.

I did enjoy the overall story and feel that the foundation is one that could move in many positive directions. I thank the author for a review copy and I give the book three stars.

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The Wrong Brother by Nancy Brophy

Published synopsis:

Navy SEAL Zack Pritchard is home on leave determined to avoid his brother’s girlfriend, Chloe La Ruse, the object of some pretty erotic fantasies. If he can just avoid her, then walk his sister down the aisle everything will be great or so he thinks.

Unbeknownst to him, his brother, Gordy’s life is in the toilet. He’s dropped out of college, is broke and frustrated. All he wants to do is drive for NASCAR, but in the meantime he’s picked up a gig that promises quick money and is only a little illegal.

Chloe La Ruse’s life revolves around graduate school. Every so often she raises her nose out of a book to notice that her boyfriend hasn’t been around in months, his family hates her, her thesis is incomplete and men only ask her out for one reason. She teaches sex education. She’s counting the days until she can leave.

Many love triangles involving thwarted ambitions, fraternal competition, drugs and racecars work out well. Unfortunately this one has some problems.

Review:

Zack likes being a Navy SEAL. Strange as it seems, his life is uncomplicated. He gets to go to exciting locales and take dangerous risks that get his adrenalin pumping, as well as help keep the country safe. This may leave him as a bad candidate for boyfriend or husband, because SEALS always leave, but that’s okay. He’s not looking. The only downside – the Navy keeps threatening to promote him. Which would take him out of the field and behind a desk, spending his days doing paperwork and training recruits.

Chloe hates her life in Riggers, Texas. Other than Gordy, her almost non-existent boyfriend, sometime boyfriend anyway, she is alone. His family hates her, she’s too busy with graduate school to make friends, and dating has been hell. Men see her body and hear that her major is human sexuality, and they think they have a green light to take her to bed. Who cares if she has a brain and genuinely wants to help people. Basically, her life sucks.

When Zack and Chloe are brought together because Zack’s sister is getting married, both are taken by surprise at their reaction to each other. Zack, because there’s no way he can have a long term relationship while a SEAL, and Chloe, because she’s sure he’s just like his brother and all the other guys she’s dated. Love ‘em and leave ‘em. Without the love part. And, as if their attraction to each other isn’t bad enough, they’re thrown even closer together when a mysterious death affects both of their lives.

People can only hide their feelings for so long, but can people change their whole lives for love? In Nancy Brophy’s The Wrong Brother, the reader is brought on a roller coaster ride to test out this theory. Along the way, there’s humor, family dynamics that don’t sugarcoat how things are instead of should be, and bad guys that want to ruin everything.

About half way through, this romance turns into a murder mystery; and that half is just as good as the first. Nancy Brophy has the ability to turn a whirlwind romance into a refreshing, can’t put it down, do they really have to find the murderer because then the book will end kind of romance. Both Zack and Chloe are realistic characters who are portrayed as smart, independent people who happen to stumble into love. The secondary characters are realistic and interesting, if not always nice. The family issues are far from the typical nuclear family, but they are dealt with as many families deal with them – sometimes with denial, sometimes with frustration, and sometimes, with love. I’m ready to read Nancy Brophy’s next book to see what other characters she has to draw me in like this romance did. I thank the author for a review copy and I give the book five stars.

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Vampires Revealed by Rebekah Harrington

Published Synopsis:

Leave behind your preconceived ideas, forget the horror stories and disregard everything you think you know about vampires.

For centuries the debate has raged; are vampires real? There has been plenty of myth and superstition regarding vampires but not a lot of truth or answers. In a unique piece of work, Bektamun a 3000 year old vampire, puts to rest all the myth and finally reveals the truth about the legendary creatures known across the globe as vampires.

Vampires Revealed is a journey of discovery. Never before have humans had and an opportunity such as this. To know the unadulterated truth, for every question you may have ever had about vampires to be answered.

Review:

Bektamun knows more about vampires than most because she’s been around almost since the very beginning. And now, she wants to share her knowledge, and dispel some myths along the way, with us humans. Told from her point of view, Vampires Revealed is part journal, part instructional manual, and part vampire encyclopedia. All three parts come together to make a fun and enjoyable read.

In Vampires Revealed, Rebekah Harrington has put together quite a combination of folk lore history and fiction. Obviously well researched, her take on vampire society may not always be original, but the reader will come away feeling as if he or she learned some things along the way. Written as a faux informational text, with a healthy amount of anecdotes along the way to keep the reader’s interest, the book is at times fascinating, definitely thought-provoking, and on occasion, humorous. There were instances where I found the text to be repetitive, which caused a couple of parts to drag a little bit, but overall, I found myself enjoying an interesting, and sometimes refreshing, look at vampire mythology. I thank the author for a review copy and I give the book four stars.

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