Current Reading List

My Current Reading List

Hello everyone, just wanted to update you on my current book queue. The following is a list of read-for-review books I have lined up to read (the list is not necessarily in order). Click the name of any book to find it on Amazon. All of these books have been given to me for free by the author or their publisher in return for my honest review. (reviewing policy) So keep an eye out for the upcoming reviews of the following books:

The Kasari Nexus by Richard Phillips

This is a Sci-Fi novel and a continuation of the Rho Agenda series. I have loved this series so much so far. These books are detailed and intelligently written. The alien tech is ingenious. I am currently reading this novel and it's really exciting. The story is taking off several years after the last book ended and I'm getting to see how the world was so drastically changed in that time by the previous events. I'm definitely eager to finish this book so keep an eye out for my review.

My reviews for the previous Rho Agenda books can be found here. If you love Sci-Fi this series is one of my top recommendations. Richard Phillips is a very intelligent person and talented writer which is clear in the quality of these novels.

Review now available here.

The Iron Web - Discovery by Kristin Ravelle

This is a NA (new adult) Dystopian Paranormal novel. This novel has a really unique concept and I'm really looking forward to getting into it. It's not too long at 165 pages. It is currently $2.29 for kindle, if this is a genre you are interested in, pick up a copy and we'll read it together and discuss it. Here is the synopsis off Amazon:

Penrith, Wales.
Bryn is turning 22 and must register for One Earth Dynamic ID.

Buried in the mysterious N800 texts is a horrifying secret, an ancient evil that Bryn feels compelled to unearth. A secret that may underpin One Earth, the global agency that monitors and tracks everyone.

Curran, gorgeous, tortured OED fugitive, finds sanctuary with Penrith’s underground, Luxent, and discovers Bryn and her strange ability to throw condensed light. And unexpected love in a world suddenly seeming to go mad.

Can Bryn’s primeval earth magic help Luxent overcome other worldly forces and the OED or will her growing feelings for Curran and learning the horrifying reality of the OED only lead down the road that goes straight into its ancient and evil web, the Iron Web?

Review now available here



Wicked Cries by Michelle Areaux


This is a YA Paranormal Mystery. I had the pleasure of having a nice discussion with the author, Michelle Areaux about her inspirations for the novel. She told me how she was inspired by the Salem Witch Trials and that she did a lot of research on that in the writing this novel. Our protagonist in this story plays messenger to spirits, and it's going to be interesting seeing what secrets the ghost of Elizabeth has to share. 

There is a chance you could win a copy of this novel here. This giveaway contest is going through the entire month of April. 

Also, stay tuned for my Q&A with Michelle Areaux in a few days. Michelle Areaux is a debut author, a mother, and a teacher with some insights on how to promote literacy to our kids.  

Review now available here

Spying on the Boss by Janet Lee Nye

This is a Harlequin Romance novel by debut author Janet Lee Nye. If you can't tell by now I love variety in my reading list so I'm happy to include a good ol fashion harlequin romance. I don't generally review harlequin romances because they tend to have a male/female dynamic that is a bit outdated (the man is always in charge type of deal). But I'm giving this novel a go because it features a nice change of pace where the woman is the boss. I always love a good romance novel and I'm looking forward to reading this.

Here is the synopsis off Amazon:

A difficult childhood left Sadie Martin more interested in work than anything else, including romance. But she'd be a fool not to notice that her newest employee is scorching hot. As long as he works for her, though, he's off-limits. Her company—sexy guys who clean houses—comes first. So why are Wyatt Anderson and his adorable niece always on her mind? When attraction turns into more, suddenly everything is a lot more complicated…and, frankly, a huge mess. What Sadie and Wyatt need is a clean slate. For understanding…and love.


The Zarion: Saving Mankind by J.E. Grace

An intriguing Sci-Fi novel by a debut author. This book is free with Kindle Unlimited! Here is the synopsis off Amazon: 

Davis Summerfield thought he was retired and living the good life; that was before he had to accept an offer he wasn’t at liberty to refuse. Interplay, a secret government agency wants him to head up their space exploration/research department, but he soon learns there is an infiltrator from within.

Along with his staff, he discovers the missing link in the human DNA. What seems like the answer to a lifelong mystery, only leads him to find out other shocking truths; Conspiracy, kidnapping, murder, underground rebels, and the possible annihilation of planet Earth.

Discovering his destiny, he must now face the biggest challenge of his life…help save mankind. Only, will he be able to convince them to trust him in time? 

Bleak: The First Mission and Bleak: The Story of a Shapeshifter by Ian Martyn

The first is a short story prequel and the second a full novel. 

Synopsis from Amazon:

Bleak is a manipulant human clone, a shapeshifter. He and his kind are considered an abomination, unless…

In putting down the rebellion the Confederation used the ultimate spies. Creating, against all conventions on the use of human clones, the manipulants, shapeshifters. However, in peace time their continued existence threatens to end the career of General Niias. So now they must be eliminated. After months on the run Bleak, is cornered in the Grand East Ground Hub of Metrakis’s main space port. Until that is, a desperate Catrinas Pekrov of the Confederation intelligence Unit decides she might have a use for his particular talents after all.

Bleak’s circumstances and programing give him little choice, involving him in a plot that will threaten the stability and future of the newly united Confederation. 

The Reflections of Queen Snow White by David Meredith

This book is a fiction/fantasy novel that is free with kindle unlimited. A spin-off sequel to the original story that takes place when Snow White's daughter is getting married. This book sounds like a darker story and a new twist on the fairy tale we are familiar with. It should make for a quick, fun read at 155 pages. If you like shows like Once Upon a Time this may be the book for you. 

Synopsis off Amazon:

What happens when "happily ever after" has come and gone?

On the eve of her only daughter, Princess Raven's wedding, an aging Snow White finds it impossible to share in the joyous spirit of the occasion. The ceremony itself promises to be the most glamorous social event of the decade. Snow White’s castle has been meticulously scrubbed, polished and opulently decorated for the celebration. It is already nearly bursting with jubilant guests and merry well-wishers. Prince Edel, Raven's fiancé, is a fine man from a neighboring kingdom and Snow White's own domain is prosperous and at peace. Things could not be better, in fact, except for one thing:

The king is dead.

The queen has been in a moribund state of hopeless depression for over a year with no end in sight. It is only when, in a fit of bitter despair, she seeks solitude in the vastness of her own sprawling castle and climbs a long disused and forgotten tower stair that she comes face to face with herself in the very same magic mirror used by her stepmother of old.

It promises her respite in its shimmering depths, but can Snow White trust a device that was so precious to a woman who sought to cause her such irreparable harm? Can she confront the demons of her own difficult past to discover a better future for herself and her family? And finally, can she release her soul-crushing grief and suffocating loneliness to once again discover what "happily ever after" really means?

Only time will tell as she wrestles with her past and is forced to confront The Reflections of Queen Snow White. 

The Whisper Trilogy by Dana Faletti

This is a 3 book YA series that includes the following books: Whisper, Wake, War and Wonder. 

I love series books because you tend to grow really attached to the characters in them; simply because you witness them go through so much and even change as a person. I'm looking forward to seeing how Callie's character will be developed throughout the trilogy. 

Amazon synopsis for Whisper:

Callie Evans is named after a muse from Greek mythology. Little does she know she is actually an angel, an Arc sent from Heaven to do battle with Darks on Earth. Her specific targets are Raysers, demons who prey on the souls of teens.

Callie’s mind has been Cloaked for the past sixteen years, so she has forgotten who and what she really is. On her sixteenth birthday, all she really wants is a cell phone and a date with Joshua Pride, the super-hot new guy at school who harbors a secret of his own. Instead, Callie is visited by Silas and Jules, a pair of outlandish Micro Angels whose job it is to coach newbie angel warriors in training. The gift they bear is her true identity. While the rest of the world grows up and moves on, Callie will stay sixteen forever, a permanent structure on the teenage social scene. After all, this is precisely where the battle between good and evil is being waged, and she is a highly sophisticated weapon.

Now, Callie isn’t sure whether her biggest problems are the stinky demons she must seek and destroy or the celestial law stating that Arcs are meant to be solitary soldiers. Her unexplainably magnetic attraction to Joshua and the fact that he seems to dig her right back is also a source of confusion for Callie. Should she allow herself to get close to him if he is ultimately going to forget her after a year or so passes, and what is it about him that draws her in and steals her senses? Will she be able to fall for Joshua without falling into the hands of the evil that's out to destroy her?


Enthralled by Ryan Gish

This is very exciting because this is a new release (Apr. 2, 2016) by debut author Ryan Gish. I don't know about you but I love having the opportunity to discover new authors. This book along with "Wicked Cries" I received from Black Rose Writing in return for my honest review. They have quite the assortment of books so give them a look, they also offer a $2/month book-a-month deal. 

Check out this eerie synopsis of Enthralled:

Like all things in Shane McCall’s life, a trip to the grocery store for a gallon of milk should be simple. No decisions required. Especially not the kind he’s forced to make when an old woman attempts to steal his three-year-old son. And after returning his children home safely, nothing would have pleased Shane more than to forget the incident ever happened. That was several hours ago. Before the strange man bit a chunk out of Shane’s arm. Before the cryptic word showed up on his son’s bedroom wall. Before the screaming began.

A Minor Happy Ending by Shaan Ranae 

This is an Adult/NA Romance novel by debut author Shaan Ranae who recently appeared on my blog for a guest post. Be sure to check it out and read the excerpt! I am lucky to have quite a few new releases in my reading list and this one is no exception being released: Mar. 26, 2016. 

This novel is about a girl torn between two different guys. if you like the drama of a love triangle look no further. 

Synopsis:

Recent high school grad and free spirit, Dyllan Prescott is planning on a summer full of fun with friends and her boyfriend, Nick who happens to be her best friends brother. Nick is the epitome of the typical nice guy. Kind, caring, but he becomes too attached, too quickly for Dyllan. Her boyfriend shelf life doesn’t usually last too long, but she is trying extra hard not to disappoint her best friend, Max. She begins to navigate through her new relationship with blinders on.
All is well until Dyllan’s personal wet dream, Jace Harvey enters the picture. The chemistry between Jace and Dyllan is undeniable. When Jace confesses his feelings, Dyllan is conflicted with her loyalty for her friends as well as her attraction for Jace.
Jace Harvey is a man with a complicated past and has never really known love. He can’t resist her. He’s sure that she’s made to be his. If Dyllan can make up her mind about her feelings for Jace, will she be prepared when Jace has a dilemma of his own? Can she live with his secret or will she be forced to make a decision neither of them are prepared for?
A story of young love, bad choices, and obsession. Can young love survive when lies threaten to tear it apart? Will Dyllan find her happy ending or will she settle for A Minor one?

Black Waters by India R Adams

I am stoked to read this YA Fiction/Romance. This is the sequel to "Blue Waters" which I wrote a 5 star review for. You can currently get Blue Waters for free here. I did a very fun Q&A with India R Adams. She is an absolutely delightful woman and very talented author. My big praise for the novella "Blue Waters" is in the way so much emotion and plot was packed into so few pages. It is very well written. If you like YA novels and want to go on an exciting ride grab these books. 

Here is a little teaser for "Black Waters" off Amazon:

The blue water Whit once loved now looked black because it was claiming her, taking her from me.

Whitney Summers is Link’s best friend. He would do anything for her, even sacrifice their friendship to protect her. Whitney believes she understands what is transpiring in her life, but so much stirs beneath the surface. As her closest friend and protector, Link faces the darkness in his own life to guard the girl he loves.
This is Link’s story…

There was no beauty in her dying that day… 

Murder in Absentia by Assaph Mehr

Another crazy-exciting novel in my list. I love Historical Fiction/Mystery and this adds some more variety to my queue. This novel blends reality and fantasy in a historical setting. It is free with Kindle Unlimited.

Here is the synopsis off Amazon:

A young man is found dead in his bed, with a look of extreme agony on his face and strange tattoos all over his body. His distraught senator father suspects foul play, and knows who to call on.

Enter Felix the Fox, a professional investigator. In the business of ferreting out dark information for his clients, Felix is neither a traditional detective nor a traditional magician – but something in between. Drawing on his experience of dealing with the shady elements of society and his aborted education in the magical arts, Felix dons his toga and sets out to discover the young man’s killers.

Murder in absentia is set in a fantasy world. The city of Egretia borrows elements from a thousand years of ancient Roman culture, from the founding of Rome to the late empire, mixed with a judicious amount of magic. This is a story of a cynical, hardboiled detective dealing with anything from daily life to the old forces roaming the world.

This is a story of Togas, Daggers and Magic - it will appeal to lovers of murder mysteries, ancient Rome and fantasy.

I also have some Children's books in my queue. 

A couple short-but-sweet illustrated books with positive messages for small children. 

Love Your Body (The Fruitable Friends Book 1) and  Are You a Good Listener? (The Fruitable Friends Book 2)

"Love Your Body" teaches children self-esteem and the importance of healthy habits. "Are You a Good Listener" teaches children the importance of listening to others and how to be attentive. 

I think these books are ideal to read with the child and discuss with them all the points the books are making. 


The Rules Series by Hanleigh Bradley

This 3 book Romance series is a total of 407 pages. Find the series on amazon currently $2.99.

Broken Rules:

Aurora Stone knows what it means to keep the rules. She's lived with the expectations of the people around her. The only person who's expectations aren't met? Hers. On the spur of the moment, Aurora decides to break the rules. Only the list seems endless and Aurora is a little overwhelmed by it. When she sees Landon sat at the bar watching her, she makes a split second decision that might just change her life, one broken rule at a time. The list of broken rules quickly exceeds the number of rules they keep as they embark on this whirl wind adventure of control and chaos.

Enforced Rules:

​When Landon Peters met Aurora Stone everything changed. His world began unravelling and his sense of control seemed lost. Aurora's ability to make his rules seem completely irrelevant terrifies him, especially when he rashly invites her to his parents' house for dinner and he accidentally allows her to see more than he would like. With control out of his reach though he might just push to enforce the rules between himself and Aurora in a desperate attempt to reclaim the control he craves. After all, he told Aurora he would help her break her rules but he hadn't planned on it being at the expense of his own.

Revised Rules:

Now that Landon and Aurora are together they try to put their rules behind them but it might be easier said than done. Living together so early on in their relationship seemed like a great idea when Aurora first moved in, but a few weeks in they are beginning to realise that they both have flaws. Especially when life gets even more complicated and neither one of them feels in control of what's happening around them. Together, they learn that control is often fleeting but those moments of control can be hot and extremely intense, especially when the person you love is giving you that control, and losing control can be even more exhilarating when you lose it together.

The Cain Children by Brett Lane

In the not so distant future, scientists stumbled upon a discovery. They learned to isolate and identify the gene in a child's DNA that makes them susceptible to killing for pleasure, to become a serial murderer. Not every child with the gene kills, but every serial killer has this gene, called the Cain gene after the first murderer in the bible. 

There is no cure for the gene and since not every child with the gene kills, a new government agency called the Guardians is created. They are instituted to monitor the children born with the genes and to take appropriate actions once the genes manifests itself and they prove to be killers.
Only carriers of this gene can pass it along to their children, so even those that don't kill, can sire children that may. 

This is the dilemma - end the outbreak by possibly killing the innocent, or eliminate all carriers to end all possible murder in the future. 

Follow the story of the Cain children as well as the Guardian program scientists that monitor them while posing as their parents. What do they do when they find out the children are on the wrong path? What would happen if a child finds out he is being monitored by the program? What happens to the innocent children in the program?

Trigger Warnings for this book include: murder, rape and torture. 

Inside Out by Jack Kearney 

This Semi-Autobiographical Fiction Suspense Thriller is 206 pages.

As an actor, Danny Belson has played many criminal types, but as the prisoner transport bus pulls out of the LA county jail, the realization of his conviction overwhelms him. The irony is that only six months ago he taught an acting workshop at the same institution he is now going to be incarcerated in. Danny had been chosen to take part in California's answer to New Jersey's highly acclaimed “Scared Straight” by actually working with the inmates of the Medium Security Federal Prison in Lompoc. In his short stay, Danny made some interesting friends as well as unforgiving enemies. 

Utilizing a groundbreaking format, Follow Danny as he goes from a care free beach volleyball loving, pool shooting, actor, who's only worry is knowing when his next audition will come, to a convicted murderer. Written using flashbacks, with no chapters, learn what a struggling actor goes through, and how, after his incarceration, Danny's life is turned INSIDE OUT.  

Upcoming Release!

My Wolf and Me by India R Adams

I've gotten my hands on a copy of this upcoming book, how cool is that. This book will be released in a couple weeks and is available for pre-order. Check it out.

Description off Amazon:

Their love was innocent.
Their friendship was pure.
Their fear was real.
Their danger was true.

When little Marlena is left to care for an abandoned wolf pup, her parents see their irrevocable bond, and this humble family embarks on an adventure trying to care for the needs of a rapidly growing wolf, and the needs of their headstrong daughter. The comical complications of such a venture only darken when Marlena, now a high school student, witnesses her wolf shift… into a young man.

Secrets and the pure hatred from a man out for revenge take Marlena, her family and her wolf on a heartbreaking journey of devastating loss, captivity, and ultimate sacrifices.

This love story will haunt you well after you finally set this book down. 

Review available here

Keep an eye out for my reviews and let me know what you are reading!