Wednesday, January 20, 2016

#SpecFic Bookworm News

BOOKS READ
Soul Breaker by Clara Coulson
The Duality Bridge by Susan Kaye Quinn
Harmony Black by Craig Schaefer

BOOK REVIEWS
Soul Breaker by Clara Coulson
DSI detective Cal Kinsey's first supernatural case might be his last in Clara Coulson's Soul Breaker. What attracted me to this novel was the voice of the main character Cal Kinsey. He's sarcastic, sometimes a bit of a jerk, and rash, but he's also caring, kind, and a hero. The action and tension are non-stop, and all I wanted to do was keep reading to find out what would happen next to Cal and the other Department of Supernatural Investigations' members. Coulson crafts a fascinating and unique world and explanation of the supernatural through the invention of the Eververse. There are mysteries within the world and about Cal that I'm particularly looking forward to reading about in the next books. Soul Breaker by Clara Coulson is book one of the City of Crows series, so I'm excited we have more to come. I'm so looking forward to the next book!

The Duality Bridge by Susan Kaye Quinn
Elijah "Eli" Brighton must understand the fugue state he goes into fast before it's used against him in Susan Kaye Quinn's The Duality Bridge. This book picks up not long after The Legacy Human left off. Eli has a difficult task at hand, and he's very uncertain where he fits in his world from the things he learned in the previous book. His situation grows more dire by the minute. I enjoyed Eli's growth as well as Kamali, who really shined in this book. She's a fierce young woman. I feel like we've still only grasped a tiny bit of the magnificent future world Quinn has created. Quinn has crafted a tense plot that makes a reader want to speed through the pages to find out what will happen next. If you're looking for a book that will simultaneously make you think as well as care about the characters and world, then look no further than Susan Kaye Quinn's The Duality Bridge.

Harmony Black by Craig Schaefer
Special Agent and practicing witch, Harmony Black must return to her childhood home to stop the Bogeyman in Craig Schaefer's Harmony Black. Harmony is a no-nonsense, abide by the rules except in extreme situations type of person. She's also kind and compassionate and will do whatever she can to protect people. Because Harmony chooses not to be overly emotional while on the case, I felt distanced from her and what she was going through in the story. I understand why she acted that way around other law enforcement, witnesses, etc., but it seemed like there was an emotional barrier in place for the readers too. Her partner Jesse is quite the spitfire, and she's definitely into breaking rules, necessary or not, so the two do make quite a team. The story moved at a nice pace and had a police procedural feel with magic tossed in. My favorite character by far was the demon/chainman named Fontaine. He made the story come to life for me, and by the end I was very pulled into the world Schaefer has created. If you enjoy urban fantasy and mysteries, then Harmony Black by Craig Schaefer is a very good read.

NOW AVAILABLE AT OTHER RETAILERS
A legend awakens... My paranormal horror collection Once upon a Nightmare is out of KDP Select and now available at other retailers. Purchase the ebook at Amazon.com, Other Amazon Sites, Google Play, Kobo, Nook, OmniLit, and Smashwords. Sometime next week I plan to borrow my co-worker's Mac and upload the ebook to iTunes.

SPECULATIVE FICTION RELEASING IN JANUARY
The Undead Road: My Zombie Summer, Part One by David Powers King
High School Horror: Teen Frankenstein by Chandler Baker
The Year of Lightning by Ryan Dalton
Thief of Lies by Brenda Drake
Breakthrough series boxed set by Stephen Tremp
Cloaked by T.F. Walsh
Waking Up Alive by Emma Shortt
Passenger by Alexandra Bracken
The Love that Split the World by Emily Henry
Stray by Elissa Sussman
Sword and Verse by Kathy MacMillan
What a Werewolf Wants by Kristin Miller
Ironheart by Nico Rosso
The Bands of Mourning by Brandon Sanderson
The Love That Split the World by Emily Henry
Mass Transit by Graeme Ing

A SPECIAL MENTION FOR A DECEMBER RELEASE
The Scissors and the Sword by Ethan Fox
Two murders, two pairs of scissors, a Scene-Of-Crime Officer and a Samurai in London.
Thrilling Urban Fantasy!
Purchase on Amazon.

31 comments:

Alex J. Cavanaugh said...

I know that last author! He'll be a guest on my site in February.
Awesome your book is available everywhere. I confess, I always go to iTunes first for my books. Probably has something to do with the never-ending supply of iTunes gifts cards I possess...

Joss said...

I love the cover of once upon a nightmare. It's really making me want to dive into the book and just lose myself in the words. I may have to sneak it onto my February read list if I can. :)

M.J. Fifield said...

I think I just bought that Harmony Black book. Glad to know you enjoyed it.

I never got around to putting my book up on iTunes. Let me know how it goes!

Crystal Collier said...

Huh. Not so many book releases in January. Interesting.

Natalie Aguirre said...

Awesome how you're getting your books out in more ways for people to buy them. The books you read sound interesting, especially with the mystery element added to some of them.

Mark said...

Great reviews:) I especially love anything with a detective/mystery element, and several of these have definitely got that going for them. Very cool:)

L. Diane Wolfe said...

That's wonderful you can offer your book to a wider audience now.

Nas said...

I heard ipad and iPhone users buy heaps of books and read. I hope you much success.

M Pax said...

The Nightmare Collection is great reading! I know many advocate against branching out, but for some of my books it had been a wonderful choice.

Anonymous said...

I really like the cover for Ethan Fox's book.

Anonymous said...

I've read Cloaked and I'd like to read others on your list. Ethan's cover is creepy. I like it.

Christine Rains said...

Great reviews. My TBR list is huge. It's even making my Kindle feel heavy! *LOL* Hope you're having a good week. :)

Misha Gerrick said...

So many of these books are on my TBR list. Sigh....

Sherry Ellis said...

Soul Breaker sounds like a book I'd like. Great reviews of all the books!

Romance Reader said...

Great reviews. And the more platforms your book is out on, better for the readers.

DMS said...

Great reviews! Wonderful to get to catch up with you about what you have been reading. Congratulations on Once Upon a Nightmare. What a cover! Awesome!
~Jess

Nicola said...

Thanks for the reviews, Cherie. I love the cover of your book. Wishing you much success!!! Have a lovely weekend.

Cathy Keaton said...

Was KDP Select a big bust for your collection? If so, sorry to hear about that. I hear that from a lot of authors. I wonder if it's worth signing up for some books, though....

Libby said...

Harmony intrigued me because it has to be difficult to write a distanced character without alienating the reader. Not sure how to do that well. Neat idea though.

Heather R. Holden said...

How exciting that Once Upon a Nightmare is available at other retailers now! Hope that leads to even more sales for you! And those January releases sound amazing based on the titles alone. Congrats to all the authors!

Catherine Stine said...

Thanks for turning us on to such great reads. Personally, Harmony Black is one I might pick up!

Shelley Sly said...

Thanks for posting these reviews! I'd been meaning to check out that series by Susan Kaye Quinn, and I hadn't heard of the other books, but they sound good!

Nicole Zoltack said...

So much great bookish news! The cover for Once Upon A Nightmare is so creepy - it's perfect!

Tyrean Martinson said...

Wow! Lots of amazing books are coming out or are newly out!
Thanks for the reviews and the updates, Cherie!
Happy writing and life!

Yolanda Renée said...

Congratulations - love the cover and the stories sound amazing!

TBM said...

Didn't know about the Sanderson release. Will keep an eye out for it. Congrats to all the authors! It's always so exciting and terrifying to release a book.

cleemckenzie said...

Once Upon a Nightmare looks quite compelling. Love the black and white cover! You're really on a reading roll. I have to get busy after seeing all that you've accomplished. Thanks for the kick in the pants, Cherie!

Michelle Wallace said...

I have one or two of Susan Kaye Quinn's books on my Kindle. Now just to find the time to read them.

Tabatha Morrow said...

Wow, you read a lot of books. I'll have to check some of these out.

Tabatha Morrow said...

Wow, you read a lot of books. I'll have to check a few of these out. Especially the horror story collection.

WritingNut said...

All of these look so good! I will need to check them out!

Thanks so much for dropping by earlier, I'm looking forward to seeing more of you! :)