Book Review: NINE CANDLES OF DEEPEST BLACK by Matthew S. Cox

Title: Nine Candles Of Deepest Black
Author: Matthew S. Cox
Category/Genre: Young Adult Paranormal
My Star Rating: 5/5

Goodreads Blurb:

She saw it coming. She knew it would happen―but no one believed her.

Almost a year after tragedy shattered her family, sixteen-year-old Paige Thomas can’t break free from her guilt. Her mother ignores her, doting on her annoying little sister, while her father is a barely-functioning shell. He hopes a move to the quiet little town of Shadesboro PA will help them heal, but Paige doesn’t believe in happiness anymore.

On her first day at school, a chance encounter with a bullied eighth grader reawakens a gift Paige had forgotten, and ingratiates her into a pack of local outcasts. For weeks, they’ve been trying to cast a ritual to fulfill their innermost desires, but all they’ve done is waste time. After witnessing Paige touch the Ouija board and trigger a paranormal event, the girls are convinced another try with their new fifth member will finally work.

Once the darkness is unleashed, it’s not long before they learn it will give them exactly what they asked for―whether they want it or not. 

My Review:

Remember that movie from the nineties, Now And Then with Christina Ricci and Thora Birch?  This reminded me of a twisted, creepy, suspenseful version of that.  From the very beginning I feel for Paige and her turmoil.  There were so many important secondary characters I thought it might get to be too much to keep up with, but each one is developed so well I had no trouble at all remembering who was who.  I adored the relationship between Paige and her sister, Melissa.  I would say this book teeters on the edge of 'paranormal' and 'horror'.  I'm a big horror fan, and a HUGE paranormal fan, so this was a perfect read for me. So well done!
  

INK: Sketches (Book 0 - parts 1 & 2)

So, the author of my favorite series INK has released (or, kind of re-released with extra content) the prequel to INK: FINE LINES.  It's titled INK: Sketches Parts 1 & 2.  Yay!!  And best of all, for the next few days only you can get it for FREE!  I've got the links for here, so head on over and one-click this! You'll be so glad, I promise!

 

Title: INK: Sketches Book 0 (Parts 1 & 2)

Author: Bella Roccaforte

Category/Genre: Adult/Paranormal

Blurb:

A deeper look inside of Shay Baynes and the events leading up to the start of INK: Fine Lines.

Shay's life was moving along with all the normal hassles and hazards of your typical twenty year old. Then everything changes when her twin sister is possessed by the Specter and kills herself.

We get insight as to why Shay is the way that she is, why she's making the mistakes that she's making and what lead to all of the main players to react the way they have when the Specter starts to take control of everything.

INK: Fine Lines (Book 1) FREE, should be read first. Then this book can be read at any point after that. 

Amazon US † Amazon UK † Amazon CA † Amazon AU 

INK: ABSTRACTION by Bella Roccaforte: Release Day

Hey, all!  Most of you know I am a HUGE fan of Bella Roccaforte and her Ink series.  Today she is releasing book three!!  *Squeel and flail*  So, hurry your little fingers over to Amazon, or BN, or where ever it is that you go to feed your kindle or book shelf.  Haven't read the other two?  Bella's got you covered!  To celebrate her latest release, she's holding a great special on the first two in the series.  Can you say...FREE and almost FREE?

 

And don't worry, loves.  I, of course, will be reviewing this one for you, too!

 

 Title:  Ink: Abstraction (book 3)

Author: Bella Roccaforte

Genre: Paranormal/Horror Romance

Goodreads Blurb:  

 

Shay Baynes is a survivor
Even while bound, gagged and blind-folded she refuses to give up hope, because hope is all she has to hold on to.

Can Shay escape the cruel binds of her captor? Will Eli & McNab be able to find her in time? Before the unspeakable happens?

Continue on this incredible roller coaster ride of suspense and emotion to find out that Shay Baynes is no ordinary damsel. Watch as her inner power grows, and she begins to become enlightened with just how amazing she can be.

 

Amazon † B&N † Kobo † Smashwords

Need to catch up on the others?  

 

Ink: Fine Lines (book 1): FREE!!!  Amazon † B&N † Kobo † Smashwords

Ink: Vanishing Point (book 2): $.99!!!  Amazon † B&N † Kobo † Smashwords

WOLF by Jim Ringel: Blog tour stop

Genre: Literary Horror

Publisher: Curiosity Quills Press

Date of Publication: May 13th, 2014

Wolf on Goodreads (https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/18332734-wolf) 

 

Blurb:

Johnny Wolfe carries his dog Sindra in a vial that he keeps in his pocket. He carries her out of loyalty. He carries her out of guilt. He carries her because there are no more dogs in this world. And he carries her to connect to her feral nature, so that he might take her inside himself and feel her animal wildness.

Johnny’s life is in shambles. His sales career at Bulldog Enterprises is on the blink. On his way to work one day he comes across a colleague who is killed by a dog. But with dogs now extinct, how is this possible? Going through his colleague’s dead body, Johnny discovers the colleague is carrying a rather sizeable sales order. Figuring “he’s dead, I’m not”, Johnny decides to place the order as his own.

Except he can’t figure out what product the colleague is selling. As he gets closer to understanding the product, Johnny starts to realize it has more and more to do with why the dogs might be returning, and why they’re so angry.

Then he starts to wonder if maybe the dogs know more about him and Sindra, and if maybe they’re angry with him.

Wolf Purchase Links:

AmazonUS

AmazonUK

Barnes& Noble

Kobo: Forthcoming

--

About the Author:

Jim Ringel lives in Boulder. When not writing fiction, he can be found hiking, biking, and skiing in the Colorado mountains, or sitting still and meditating at home. He also does a lot of reading, and is a long-standing member of Denver’s Lighthouse Literary Workshop.

Social Links: Website | Twitter | Goodreads

a Rafflecopter giveaway

STEEL ROSE by Barbara Custer: Promo Blitz

Steel Rose - PROMO Blitz

By Barbara Custer

Horror/Sci Fi

Date Published: February 1, 2013

  

The denizens of hell attack. The zombies feed. She’s their meal.

Sometimes they come back. At least the Kryszka aliens do. Their leader injects captured humans with a drug, turning them into zombies. Yeron escapes the Kryszka Colony, hoping to practice medicine on the humans who fear him. Alexis—a patient—is afraid too, until his seductive attentions arouse her. Despite his experimental drug, severe arthritis leaves her too weak to handle most guns. The Kryszka troops and zombies who break into the hospital are hungry. Very hungry. How will she fight them?

EXCERPT

Shattering glass. Plodding footsteps. IV poles crashed to the floor. Glass shards tinkled, punctuated by low-pitched groaning from the rear elevator, the exit Hoffman had claimed to seal.

“Dear God, help us.” Alexis reached for her gun.

“What are you doing? Guns are forbidden on this floor, and…Oh, my God!” Ms. Grese cupped her hands over her mouth. Her authoritarian demeanor vanished, replaced by horror-stricken pallor. “Where are the officers?”

“You think our visitors give a shit?” Alexis scuttled toward the door, feeling vulnerable. The vest didn’t protect her face or hands, but the intruders wouldn’t care about that either. She shoved Ms. Grese ahead of her, pushing with her mind, Yeron beside her. “Run!” she hollered.

As the creatures poured through the ward, a stench crawled down her throat, the stink of things many days dead. Moaning drowned out the sound of Ms. Grese’s cries, a continual chant of “hungry.”

Skeletal figures in tattered rags skirted around Mark, who fired at any who got too close. Their tendons flashed gray against cold cobwebs of rib and knuckle. The flesh that quivered through widened skin tears had the sheen of rotting meat. The skin resembled cracked leather. Weeds sprouted on some of the figures’ necks and hair, the way they did in her nightmares. They made their way to the desk, where two nurses sat. The two women jumped up, both screaming. One of them opened fire with a Glock.

The armed woman was her mother.

Barbara Custer

Barbara lives near Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, where she works full time as a respiratory therapist. When she’s not working with her patients, she’s enjoying a fright flick or working on horror and science fiction tales. Her short stories have appeared in numerous small press magazines. She’s published Night to Dawn magazine since 2004.

Other books by Barbara include Twilight Healer, City of Brotherly Death, and Close Liaisons. She’s also coauthored Alien Worlds and Starship Invasions (both now out of print) with Tom Johnson. She enjoys bringing her medical background to the printed page, and then blending it with supernatural horror. She maintains a presence on Facebook, Linkedin, Twitter, and The Writers Coffeehouse forum. Look for the photos with the Mylar balloons and you’ll find her.

Author Links

Website | Facebook | Twitter | Blog

Buy Links

Amazon | Barnes and Noble | Eternal Press | Website

Giveaway

$10 Starbucks Gift Card

a Rafflecopter giveaway   

Book Review: Ink: Vanishing Point (book 2) by Bella Roccaforte

 

Category/Genre: Paranormal (Romance?)/Adult

My star rating: 5/5

Goodreads blurb: Shay Baynes is being put through her paces.
She’s under the threat of multiple murder charges, is being stalked by one of her fans and she’s dealing with the loss of her home as well as the mystery of what happened to Aiden. Everyone in her life is candy-coating the truth and treating her like a child.

Shay makes the decision to go it on her own and get away from everyone smothering her only to find out that the murder charges are the least of her worries. Now she’s fighting to stay alive trying to get out of the cruel haunted playground the specter has created for her.

THE RAVE WORTHY:  It's official: Bella Roccaforte is my favorite author.  Yep. I said it.  You may remember a while back when I reviewed book 1 in this series titled Ink: Fine Lines and I really, really enjoyed it.  Vanishing point is even better.  There is way more of the paranormal aspect in this one, although I still can't tell you what the hell the Specter is.  I think it's a ghost story...maybe?  Anyways, the imagery in this book is amazingly haunting, so much so it airs on the side of horror.  I got goosebumps reading about the new world that Shay finds herself in and I wanted to hide under my covers away from my own GalaxyTab.  I didn't, of course.  The book was way too awesome to put down.  The ending to this one left me just as tortured as the last, but I'm growing to love it I think.  Luckily, because I purchased it on the (early) release day Bella was sweet enough to send the first three working chapters to me, so SQUEE!  You won't hear a peep from me about them though, not until book 3 is released.  On the technical side of things:  as predicted the story advancement was flawless.  Bella's writing style is unique and unmatched.  As for the characters: what the hell happened to Shay, Bella?! I love love love her new bitch-in-charge attitude.  Eli is still Eli, sweet but just not the right match for Shay.  I changed my mind about who I'm rooting for; it used to be Aiden but now I'm thinking McNab is her guy.

THE GRUMBLE WORTHY: I really wished there was a bit more romance to this one. I know, I know.  I said on the first one that I wanted more paranormal, and I got it.  But part of me missed the triangle and smooching *sigh* I'm a romantic, what can I say?   I think there was even more head-hopping in this one, which I've made no secret of disliking in the past.  BUT just like Fine Lines, I don't care.  The story made up for any and all grumbles.  Once again, awesome job, Bella!