Return of the Saboteur

 

*Book source ~ ARC
My review is voluntary and honest.

Return of the Saboteur

The Actuator, #2

James Wymore & Aiden James
20 July 2015

Sci-Fi | Post-Apocalyptic

268 Pages

The Curse Mandate

*Book source ~ A review copy was provided in exchange for an honest review

The Curse Mandate

J.P. Sloan

Fantasy | Paranormal | UF

499 Pages

FFS ~ Curiosity Quills

Friday Featured Spotlight

The Unicorn's Tail

*Book source ~ Purchased at Amazon

Title ~ The Unicorn's Tail

Series ~ The Artifact Hunters, #2.5

Author ~ A.W. Exley

Publisher ~ Curiosity Quills

Published ~ 9 July 2014

Genre ~ Steampunk | Romance

Pages ~ 100

FFS Curiosity Quills

Friday Featured Spotlight

Curiosity Quills Tour ~ Borderlands: The Actuator 1.5

*Book source ~ A review copy was provided in exchange for an honest review.

Title ~ Borderlands

Series ~ The Actuator, #1.5

Editor ~ James Wymore

Cover Artist ~ Michelle Johnson at Blue Sky Design

Publisher ~ Curiosity Quills

Published ~ 10 September 2014

Genre ~ Sci-Fi | Anthology

Pages ~ 316

Amazon US | Amazon UK | B&N

CBB Tour ~ Nero's Fiddle

*Book source ~ A review copy was provided in exchange for an honest review.

Title ~ Nero's Fiddle

Series ~ The Artifact Hunters, #3

Author ~ A.W. Exley

Publisher ~ Curiosity Quills Publishing

Published ~ 9 October 2014

Genre ~ Steampunk | Sci-Fi

Pages ~ 254

Amazon | B&N 

Tortured Truths

*Book source ~ A review copy was provided in exchange for an honest review.

Title ~ Tortured Truths

Series ~ Philip McGuire Mysteries, #1

Author ~ Randy Attwood

Publisher ~ Curiosity Quills

Published ~ 22 October 2013

Genre ~ Suspense

Pages ~ 198

My Rating ~ 4 bites

Philip McGuire is a jaded, cynical and burnt-out journalist that gets captured by the Hezbollah. Under torture he reveals his knowledge of the Marine compound in Beirut and after they bomb it, killing 237 Marines, they let him go. After getting extensive treatment and rehab on his tortured hand, Philip heads back to the States. Deciding to get out of journalism for good he heads back to his college town to open a bar and hopefully heal inside and out. But just as he’s feeling nearly normal again, trouble pops up and his instincts tell him there’s more to the story than is seen on the surface. Can he figure it out without his past haunting him?

The book begins in 1983 and it took me a bit to get my head wrapped around the Marine compound bombing, Reagan as President and everything that went with the 80s. I typically don’t read history this fresh.  When I do step into a bygone era I prefer the far distant past. However, once I got into the right mindset I was off and running.

Philip is a pretty good character to follow around. His mind is interesting and since he’s been a journalist for years he’s fairly knowledgeable. The torture itself is not on page. The story begins right after and how he deals with his mutilated hand, the surgeries and rehab. Then his quest to open a bar and the renovations are all interesting. Then shit gets real with killings in his new/old town. When someone he knows is killed he can’t help but dig into the reason why. Along the way he finds a lovely brash lady, meets old and new friends, builds a business and, most importantly, faces his past. The story is not a fast-paced thriller, but is a slow build, one brick at a time, providing a solid story with a solid character. I would definitely read more about Philip and all of his friends.

Friday Featured Spotlight ~ Curiosity Quills

At Curiosity Quills Press, we believe a book is a portal to another world, a break from reality that frees both mind and spirit. We want to bring a little piece of that magic to every life we touch with the written word.

W. Somerset Maugham once said, “To acquire the habit of reading is to construct for yourself a refuge from almost all the miseries of life.”

Welcome to a world of magic and dragons, of nightmares, vampires, zombies, and aliens. We are the trusty sidekicks, the parallel universe of dreams, the things that go bump in the night.

We are writers helping writers.

We are innovators.

We are escapists.

We are literary marauders.

Everyone needs a place to escape, let Curiosity Quills be yours.

Website | Twitter | Facebook | Goodreads | G+

*Books source ~ Many thanks to Curiosity Quills for providing review copies in exchange for honest reviews.

Title ~Real Vampires Don't Sparkle

Author ~ Amy Fecteau

Published ~ 9 June 2013

Genre ~ Paranormal

Pages ~ 386

My Rating ~ 2 bites and a nibble out of 5

Mysterious 28-yr-old Matheus Taylor is living his life they way he wants when he is abruptly murdered. Quin, a 1700-yr-old vampire uses Matheus to get an artifact then callously murders him in a filthy alley. Well, technically Quin turned Matheus into a vampire, but in order to do that he had to kill Matheus first. And Matheus never lets Quin forget that he was murdered and turned against his will. However, Matheus has a little problem. He’s attracted to Quin even though he swears he’s not gay. So, not only does he have to get used to a new way of living, he has to confront things about himself he’s buried deeper than the Mariana Trench. While he alternates burying his head in the sand and reaching self enlightenment the vampire world is under attack and his past comes back with a vengeance. Will he, Quin and their friends survive the war to come?

The title drew me in because I am so not a fan of that crap that is Twilight. After reading the blurb I figured this would be a good vampire story to, um, sink my teeth into. And to a point, it is. I love the humor and snarkiness in this story. Whenever Matheus isn’t whining like a little girly baby he is pretty damn funny. Quin is sexy and a saint to put up with him. Honestly I both hated and loved Matheus. I can’t decide if he was more annoying or more entertaining. He may have the distinction of being the only character I’ve ever read that is 50/50 with me. When he’s being a snarky smartass I love him. His observations and the way he interacts with his world is so entertaining that when he’s being unreasonably stubborn, digging in his heels only to be contrary and whining, whining, whining it kills me that I just can’t stand him.

The writing is very good and the plot flows fairly smoothly with only a few bumps in the road, but what really did it in for me is the abrupt ending. It was like how I feel when I ride a roller coaster. I’m going up, up, up, clankityclankityclank, I’m cresting the hill and then…whoosh! Right over the top and dropping straight down. Only with this book, that was it. The drop and then nothing. The end. Where’s the end?! I was massively confused. And mad. It was only after I looked around on the internet to see what was up that I realized the book in my hands was only a portion of the story. It’s apparently only Volume One and I didn’t see that at the bottom of the blurb. It doesn’t say so in the title. I loathe abrupt endings. If I had known the whole story wasn’t out there yet I would have waited. Now, I can go to the website and read a new chapter every Sunday (there are now 41 additional chapters from where my book stopped), but I don’t have time for that and I have no idea when it will be done. So, I’ll wait until the book is truly done, complete, fini before I go back to it. 

I also need to mention the editing in this one needs some work. A few mistakes I can ignore, but constant mistakes need to be mentioned. The biggest problems were missing or duplicated words. If a fine tooth comb was used then a finer toothed one is needed.

Title ~ Fractured Earth

Series ~ The Actuator, #1

Author ~ James Wymore, Aiden James

Published ~ 13 August 2013

Genre ~ Sci-Fi

Pages ~ 278

My Rating ~ 4 bites out of 5

Red McLauren is a Key Hunter and when he’s told to escort a group of Machine Monks out to survey some rocks when The Actuator is getting ready to fire up an event he’s uneasy. Something feels off and when the event happens and everything goes haywire he ends up being a leader even if he doesn’t feel like one. Someone has sabotaged the dampeners and the entire world has changed and not for the better. Eighteen confirmed Machine Monks created pockets of alternate realities and four more unconfirmed means the world is in chaos and people are dying by the millions, possibly by the billions. Those from the base are the only ones who know what happened and they need to put the world back before humanity is wiped out. A task easier stated than done.

I can’t recall having read a book that has a machine that can alter reality in the physical sense. I mean, completely change the world into whatever reality parameters the person has selected. The Machine Monks are addicted to the Actuator and get a high from when it substitutes reality for their own. Each Monk has a favorite genre, be it horror, steampunk, historical romance, paranormal, fantasy, sci-fi, etc, so when they feed 20 or so fantasies into the Actuator and the dampeners (which restrict the change to a small testing area) fail those fantasies become realities all over the world. It’s chaos and death. The thought of having to find the keys in each reality in order to change it back exhausted me and I wasn’t even one of the people doing the rescuing. :D

Well-written and fast moving the story made me feel as if I was really there. The characters are great even the ones I wanted to bash over the head, but I have to say that I love Red best. There’s something about a reluctant hero, one who never really thought it would come down to him that I really like and Red is very likeable. The multiple POVs really help with the vast scope of the story and make the experience just that more rich. The thought of the world being carved into different sections of fantasies made real just boggles my mind. It got me thinking…if I was a Machine Monk, what would my slice of the world be like? Uh, oh…I have a feeling it would be a very naughty world indeed. *fans self* All-in-all a solid sci-fi adventure.

CCB Tour ~ Hatshepsut's Collar

I know I'm late with this one, but I blame that bitch Mother Nature and her damn PMS.

*Book source ~ A review copy was provided by Curiosity Quills in exchange for an honest review. Many thanks!

Title ~ Hatshepsut's Collar

Series ~ Artifact Hunters, #2

Author ~ A.W. Exley

Publisher ~ Curiosity Quills

Published ~ 13 November 2013

Genre ~ Steampunk/Romance

Pages ~ 281

Amazon | B&N | Kobo | iTunes

My Rating ~ 5 bites out of 5

Cara Devon and Viscount Nathaniel Lyons are back. It’s September 1861, a few months after Cara nearly had her heart carved out by a crazy psychopath. She and Nate are cohabitating and he has hired her to be his Number 2. Unfortunately, Nate has been keeping secrets, some really big ones and just as he drops a devastating one on her he’s arrested for treason and locked up in the grim Tower of London. As mad as Cara is at him she can’t let him hang because Nefertiti’s Heart means that if he dies, so does she. It’s a race against the clock to uncover the real traitor to England and release the Queen from the evil power of Hatshepsut’s Collar before she plunges their country into a war they can’t win.

And…we’re off and running! What an excellent ride! I can’t tell you how much I enjoy following the adventures of Cara and Nate as they race against the clock. The adventure, suspense, humor, romance and mythology are rolled up into a light flaky crust of steampunk and sprinkled liberally with sexy steaminess. Absolutely delicious! Hmmm…I seem to compare yummy books with tasty food a lot. What can I say?

There is so much I could say about what I loved about this book, but I absolutely do not want to spoil the surprises (yes, I said surprises with an ‘s’), so I will say that my favorite characters are back and a few new ones are introduced. I learned a bit more about what Nefertiti’s Heart can do to/for Cara and Nate (holy shit!) and some fantasy elements are increased in this book. The steampunk elements are awesome. The story moves along at a brisk pace and the book was glued to my hands. I truly hope this series continues for quite some time. And Loki? Oh, boy, I can’t wait for him to meet his match though I hope it will be a bit yet. I like having him single for now. *drools*

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This tour was organized by CBB Book Promotions.

 

CCB Tour ~ Nefertiti's Heart

*Book source ~ Review copy provided by Curiosity Quills in exchange for an honest review. Many thanks!

Title ~ Nefertiti's Heart

Series ~ Artifact Hunters, #1

Author ~ A.W. Exley

Publisher ~ Curiosity Quills

Published ~ 14 February 2013

Genre ~ Sci-Fi/Steampunk/Mystery

Pages ~ 284

Amazon | B&N | Kobo | iTunes 

My Rating ~ 5 bites out of 5

The year is 1861 and Cara Devon is back in London after being gone for seven years. The circumstances of her exit are gossiped about even now and her reappearance after her father’s death has added fuel to the fire. All Cara wants to do is find her father’s precious collection of artifacts, sell them off and get the hell out of dodge, um, London. But things become complicated when young women her age are being murdered and it seems they are connected in some way to one of her father’s most prized artifacts, Nefertiti’s Heart. Of his extensive collection, its hiding place is the only one she hasn’t been able to pinpoint. In the meantime, she is fascinated by the Villainous Viscount, Nathaniel Lyons. She agrees to a business arrangement with him in order to sell off the artifacts, but his price may be more than she can bear. Will she have the courage to do what they both want and will he have the patience to wait? Only time will tell and time is running out.

The only reason I put this book down is because I couldn’t keep my eyes open. After working hard all day cleaning up after the nasty storm and power outage I couldn’t get my eyes to cooperate with my will to read. I wanted to keep reading! I struggled to keep reading, but finally had to admit defeat.  Eyelids-1, Will-0. Dammit.

This is one excellent steampunk adventure! The world is exciting, the mystery kept me guessing and the characters…holy shit, what can I tell you about the characters? I love them! I want to interact with them in the real world, but since that’s impossible can I get some action figures of them to put on my desk? Can I? Huh? Pleeeeaaaaasssse? Told from several POVs, though mostly from Cara’s, I really got a sense of who these guys are and I want this series to go on forever. Forever, I tell you!

For those who love steampunk I highly recommend this one, but that’s not only what it is. While being mostly steampunk driven, it has humor, romance, mystery, mythology and even some fantasy thrown in with a smidgeon of steaminess and it’s done wonderfully I might add. So very tasty! I will sit here and giggle in glee because I have Book 2 to dive right into. So why am I still talking to you guys?! *runs off with Hatshepsut’s Collar clutched to chest* 

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Stiltskin

*Book source ~ A review copy was provided in exchange for an honest review. Many thanks to Curiosity Quills.

Title ~ Stiltskin

Author ~ Andrew Buckley

Publisher ~ Curiosity Quills

Published ~ 9 December 2013

Genre ~ Fantasy/Fairy Tale Retelling

Pages ~ 260

My Rating ~ 4 bites out of 5

Rumpelstiltskin has been imprisoned in the Tower for years and years. Now, somehow he has escaped and he’s on a mission to finish the dastardly deed he started so many years ago. But first, he has to pass a message to the Mad Hatter’s son, Robert Darkly who doesn’t live in Thiside with the rest of the weird and dark fairy tale denizens. Robert lives in Othaside or as we call it, normal reality. However, Robert’s life hasn’t exactly been normal though he has no idea why. Well, his journey to discovering who he really is starts with a very rude dwarf in his bathtub.

An entertaining fairy tale retelling that is not warm and fuzzy. The entities in the so-called fairy tales are nothing like what is written in Othaside, I mean, our reality. They are very very different. I had fun trying to guess which person (we’ll say person here even though there are animals, dwarves, gnomes and other weirdos) matched which story. Robert Darkly is a bit of a dweeb. But he’s a likeable dweeb and following him around while he’s following around Lily and two gnomes was quite entertaining. Especially when he starts talking to a voice in his head. Well, apparently he’s not the Mad Hatter’s son for nothing. The ending is left a bit up in the air and I’m peeved I didn’t get to find out who Robert’s mother was. I also have an almost uncontrollable urge to go buy a garden gnome for my front yard. Maybe I’ll just watch some of the Travelocity YouTube videos until the urge passes.

Showcase Saturday

Title ~ Sin

Author ~ Sharron Riddle

Publisher ~ Curiosity Quills

Published ~ 13 January 2014

Genre ~ YA/Fantasy

Pages ~ 274

My Rating ~ 3 bites out of 5

Sin Blackmore is sixteen and having a hard time getting a handle on her temper. Her dad decides she needs to get some psychiatric help so Sin is heading to be locked up in the nuthouse. However, on the way there they encounter some zombies. While her dad is distracted her mom races off with the car and takes Sin to the airport to get her on a plane to Chicago. Sin needs to get to her great-aunts since they are the only ones who can help her with her problem. Because Sin isn’t human and her world is about to be turned upside down.

The plot for this story is inventive, exciting and excellent. The doors between Faerie and the human world are being breached and the Hellhounds have been stolen. All hell is breaking loose, humans are becoming aware that there are other things than themselves out there and Sin is at the middle of it all though she has no idea why. The characters are wonderful, varied and detailed. This story would have easily gotten a 5 out of me if it weren’t for the execution. While the writing itself is pretty good, I think I got whiplash from the mood changes. The characters must be bipolar because their constantly switching moods, even in the same paragraph, were lightning fast and unpredictable. It was massively irritating to have no transition from one mood to the next. I love, love, love the story and I hate that the execution of it disappointed me.  I mean, massively disappointed. *sigh* I can’t say that I wouldn’t pick up another book if this is to be a series because I love the world so much, but I would be wary of the same quick mood changes.

  

Title ~ Please Don't Tell My Parents I'm a Super Villain

Author ~ Richard Roberts

Publisher ~ Curiosity Quills

Published ~ 15 February 2014

Genre ~ Middle Grade/Sci-Fi

Pages ~ 384

My Rating ~ 4 bites and a nibble out of 5

Penny Akk is the 13-year-old daughter of two superheroes, The Audit (her mom) and The Brain Auk (her dad). She’s impatiently waiting for her super powers to manifest even though they may not do so for a few years yet. But wonder of wonders, they do pop into existence. Only, Penny has no control over them nor can she make them perform at will. Excited and disappointed that she may still have to wait for them to settle, she continues about her life with her two best friends Claire and Ray. However, when her powers spark more and more within a week, and those powers set off Claire’s and Ray’s it’s only a matter of time before they’re out doing things they shouldn’t really be doing. Now, instead of being firmly on the superhero side they are instead pegged as new super villains. One little lie, some omissions and a few misdirections lead to another and another until they are leading the lives of super villains. How are they going to get out of their situation? But the more important question is, will they want to?

Very well-written with great characters this is a story I think my kids would love. Who wouldn’t want super powers? I wouldn’t mind some especially if they helped me win the lottery once in awhile. The trio of best friends become, by accident, a team of super villains and then they can’t just admit who they are. So they slide further and further into the super villain arena while still trying to be good because they intend to be “converted” to the superhero community when the time is right. However, they’re enjoying their newfound fame a bit too much to give it up. Heck, most adults would screw up like that and these kids are only 13. At least they try to keep from hurting anyone, causing a lot of property damage or outright stealing. And can I say that Penny’s Machine is pretty freakin’ awesome? That thing alone would be a huge boon to the environment, but she invents some other really cool stuff, too. This is a fun read that I think most people would enjoy.

Friday Featured Spotlight ~ Curiosity Quills Press & 3 Reviews

At Curiosity Quills Press, we believe a book is a portal to another world, a break from reality that frees both mind and spirit. We want to bring a little piece of that magic to every life we touch with the written word.

W. Somerset Maugham once said, “To acquire the habit of reading is to construct for yourself a refuge from almost all the miseries of life.”

Welcome to a world of magic and dragons, of nightmares, vampires, zombies, and aliens. We are the trusty sidekicks, the parallel universe of dreams, the things that go bump in the night.

We are writers helping writers.

We are innovators.

We are escapists.

We are literary marauders.

Everyone needs a place to escape, let Curiosity Quills be yours.

Website | Twitter | Facebook | Goodreads | G+

*Books source ~ Many thanks to Curiosity Quills for providing review copies in exchange for honest reviews.

Title ~ KIYA: Mother of a King

Series ~ KIYA Trilogy, #2

Author ~ Katie Hamstead

Published ~ 25 October 2013

Genre ~ Historical

Pages ~ 234

My Rating ~ 4 bites and a nibble out of 5

At the behest of her husband the Pharaoh Queen Kiya has fled Armana with her children and the daughter of another wife who died protecting her. With only the Hebrew guard Malachi to protect them the journey is perilous as they need to stay off the well-traveled roads and cross the desert to Thebes. Queen Nefertiti and her father Ay will do anything to make sure Kiya and her son Tut, the true heir to the throne, ends up dead. Kiya and crew must make it to her family and stay hidden until the death of the sickly Pharaoh and Tut is old enough to rule. Life in the royal family in ancient Egypt is dangerous and treacherous, but with Malachi and her family as protectors outside of Armana and Commander Horemheb as a protector inside Kiya is determined to persevere for her son’s sake.

There is a lot that goes on in this book. It’s well-written, the characters are great and the plot is believable for the time period. I know it’s historical and that people married young back in the day. I mean, way waaaaaay back in the day, but a nine-year-old boy marrying a 20-year-old woman is ewwwww. Of course, that’s nowhere near as bad as a father marrying his daughter, but it’s still hard to read about and not want to call the police. What were these people thinking back then?!

Anyway, why anyone would want to be the Pharaoh and be in constant danger of assassination, backstabbing and deceitful machinations is way beyond me. Is the power of the throne that great of a compensation? Poor Tut doesn’t have a choice. He’s definitely, even at nine, better than Smenkhkare or Ay though. The story of Kiya and Tut is very creative and since I never really liked history, much more exciting for me to learn than anything that is actually out there about them. Which isn’t a whole lot.  I’m looking forward to the conclusion.

Title ~ Negative Space

Author ~ Mike Robinson

Published ~ 17 August 2013

Genre ~ Horror/Mystery

Pages ~ 169

My Rating ~ 3 bites and a nibble out of 5

It’s 1992 and Max Higgins is a painter in L.A. He finds the inspiration for his paintings from missing people. After he is interviewed for an art magazine his whole life is turned upside down. For better or worse? Only Max knows.

The story itself about Max and his life is interesting, but all the art talk was beyond me. Everything that every character said about art went right over my head, so that’s why, even though I enjoyed the basics of the story, I gave this a lower rating. I’m just not that big a fan of art and art talk, I guess. Also the story is well-written, Max is a well-developed character and the secondary characters are pretty good, but I totally didn’t like the ending. I have a feeling this is one of those books with a ‘deeper’ meaning that I just don’t fathom. Ah, well. Give it a go and tell me what you think.

Title ~ The Strong Brain

Author ~ Nathan Yocum

Published ~ 31 October 2013

Genre ~ Horror/Mystery/Paranormal

Pages ~ 178

My Rating ~ 4 bites out of 5

Simon Craig hears voices, but he’s not crazy. He’s an alcoholic, drug addict, smoker and sort of private detective, but definitely not crazy. The only voices he doesn’t hear are the ones of the dead. The dead don’t speak. When Detective Tanner comes to him for help in finding the daughter of a local crime boss Simon agrees. However, what should have been a routine and easy job for him soon turns into a nightmare of epic proportions changing Simon’s life in ways he never could have imagined.

Well-written with plenty of action this is a great psychic story. Simon Craig is one interesting dude and then to find out he’s not unique? Fantastic! Damsel is downright scary and tragic. The Benefactor is truly evil. I love how this story went from routine to shit with only a touch of Simon’s hand on Pauline. One little innocent thing and BAM!  I loved how Simon’s psychic connection is described, but Damsel’s confused me a lot of the time. Very little is said about the Benefactor.

Set in 1952, I’m not sure this story would have been as good set in current times. People are more apt to believe in psychics nowadays and with the digital age it would have been a lot harder for the people in this story to get away the things they did. The ending was very interesting and I’m wondering if we’ll see more of Simon Craig. I certainly hope so. I would love to ride along with him again.