M.L. Sparrow's Blog, page 15

King's Rising

King's Rising, (Captive Prince Trilogy, Book 3), by C.S. Pacat Blurb:Damianos of Akielos has returned. His identity now revealed, Damen must face his master Prince Laurent as Damianos of Akielos, the man Laurent has sworn to kill. On the brink of a momentous battle, the future of both their countries hangs in the balance. In the south, Kastor’s forces are massing. In the north, the Regent’s armies are mobilising for war. Damen’s only hope of reclaiming his throne is to fight together with Laurent against their usurpers. Forced into an uneasy alliance the two princes journey deep into Akielos, where they face their most dangerous opposition yet. But even if the fragile trust they have built survives the revelation of Damen’s identity—can it stand against the Regent's final, deadly play for the throne?This trilogy has quickly become one of my favourites. Damen and Laurent are great characters, separately they have their own motives and drastically different personalities, but together they are just perfect. The unfolding of the final part of the story was interesting and captivating and it kept me turning the pages well into the night! I couldn't wait to get to the end, but now I regret reading it too quickly because I'm having withdrawal symptoms! The one thing I will say is that the ending was good, but it didn't feel like an ending. I thought it ended rather abruptly and would have liked some follow up. Apparently the short story The Summer Palace - which I have downloaded but not yet read - serves as an epilogue, but I just thought it would be better to have that epilogue at the end of the last book, since it is advertised as a trilogy...Still, I can tell this is a trilogy I'm going to go back to again and again and I'll look out for more from this author.  My favourite quotes from 'King's Rising': 'To gain everything and lose everything in the space of a moment. That is the fate of all princes destined for the throne.' 'When you give a man your loyalty, your faith in him is unswerving. You would fight for him with your last breath, you would hear no word spoken against him, and you would go to the grave with his spear in your side.' 'I loved you, but you wanted a throne more than you wanted a brother.'

Prince's Gambit

Prince's Gambit, (Prince's Captive Trilogy, Book 2), by C.S. Pacat Blurb:With their countries on the brink of war, Damen and his new master Prince Laurent must exchange the intrigues of the palace for the sweeping might of the battlefield as they travel to the border to avert a lethal plot. Forced to hide his identity, Damen finds himself increasingly drawn to the dangerous, charismatic Laurent. But as the fledgling trust between the two men deepens, the truth of secrets from both their pasts is poised to deal them the crowning death blow...Laurent and Damon... They are great characters and they've continued to develop in this second book, more and more details being revealed. In the first book it was very hard to remember that Laurent is just a young man of 19, but in this book, occasionally, he comes across as naive and young, most endearingly when he attempted the magic trick! I actually started to like Laurent and his twisty mind and the more that's revealed, it wouldn't surprise me if he had everything planned! Also, I just want to address something that some reviewers are complaining about, not so much in this book, but especially the first book... Yes, there is rape and slaves in these books. However, this is not a contemporary novel and although it's a fantasy in time when this is set slaves were used, as was corporal punishment. I'm not saying it was right by our standards, but it was real and I personally don't have an issue with it in books like this. If it was a contemporary book painting in the same light, that would be a different matter... But that's just my opinion...All in all, this book was really good. Whereas the first book seemed to set the scene and the characters, this book has more plot and action and the story is really starting to unfold, the relationship between Damen and Laurent developing into more than master and slave. Finally, that ending! Loved it! And now I'm going to dive straight into the last book.My favourite quotes from 'Prince's Gambit':" 'Men find themselves in the places they put themselves,' " "Laurent's cool-eyed arrogance proclaimed that no one could touch him. The earring said that one man could. It transformed him from unattainable to exclusive, an elite pleasure no on here could afford." " 'What makes you think Kastor s the the weaker man? You don't know him.''But I'm coming to know you," ' " 'To get what you want, you have to know exactly how much you are willing to give up.' " 

Wires and Nerve

Wires and Nerve, (Wires and Nerves Series, Book 1), by Marissa Meyer. Art by Douglas Holgate Blurb: When rogue packs of wolf-hybrid soldiers threaten the tenuous peace alliance between Earth and Luna, Iko takes it upon herself to hunt down the soldiers' leader. She is soon working with a handsome royal guard who forces her to question everything she knows about love, loyalty, and her own humanity. Okay, I think my review of this book is going to be a little unpopular since so many people seem to love it... Consider yourself warned. I want to start off by saying that I loved the Lunar Chronicles and Iko was one of my favourite characters. I was desperate for her to get a story, especially after the tension between her and Kinney at the end of Winter. The I heard she was getting a book and I was so excited... then I realised it was a graphic novel... Which brings me to the first problem I had. Why not just write an actual book? I like graphic novels and read a fair bit of manga, but I felt since the rest of the series aren't graphic novels this one should follow that trend. But anyway I gave it a go and upon opening it I knew straight away the style of art just wasn't for me. There's nothing wrong with it, but it's not the style I enjoy and I personally felt it look a little childish. Bringing me to my next point... As well as the art, the speech also made me think that this book was actually meant for a younger audience than the rest of the Lunar Chronicles book, which I thought was weird. Despite this though, I thought the story line was good and I liked seeing the other characters again, especially Cress and Thorne. I will probably read the second volume when it comes out, since it finally started getting interesting with Iko and Kinney at the end and I'm looking forward to that moment when Kinney realises all his assumptions about Iko are wrong. Still, I'm holding out hope that one day Iko may get a full-length written story...

Captive Prince

Captive Prince, (Captive Prince Series, Book 1), by C.S. PacatBlurb:Damen is a warrior hero to his people, and the rightful heir to the throne of Akielos. But when his half brother seizes power, Damen is captured, stripped of his identity, and sent to serve the prince of an enemy nation as a pleasure slave.  Beautiful, manipulative, and deadly, his new master, Prince Laurent, epitomizes the worst of the court at Vere. But in the lethal political web of the Veretian court, nothing is as it seems, and when Damen finds himself caught up in a play for the throne, he must work together with Laurent to survive and save his country. For Damen, there is just one rule: never, ever reveal his true identity. Because the one man Damen needs is the one man who has more reason to hate him than anyone else…This book was not what I expected. On the one hand I loved it and have ordered the rest of the trilogy, on the other... The writing style was strange - not bad, just different and I've yet to decide if I liked it. Also, I was led to believe it was erotica, yet I felt, though there were mentions of rape and stuff that was a little hard to read, most sexual scenes were quick or glossed over and I wouldn't have said it was erotica, just a book with sex in...However, I thought the world building was good, although the first few chapters were a little confusing, as if the author just decided to throw the reader into the book instead of taking a moment to build the scene. Damon was a complex characters, as was Laurent, though in totally different ways. Both characters intrigued me and I can't wait to see how they develop in the other books, I'm also interested as to how the author can possibly redeem Laurent, though she made steps toward it in the latter half of this book.Though this can't possible be called a romance yet, the connection between Laurent and Damon is there and there interactions were great, the snark and Laurent's cool disposition almost had me laughing at time, but I think that's just my dark sense of humour! Like I've already said, I'm not sure how the author will justify Laurent's previous actions, though I have ideas, but I'm eager to see how it all turns out. My favourite quotes from 'Captive Prince':' "... What's a death but easy, quick. It's supposed to haunt you forever that the one time he beat you was the one time that mattered." ' '... for a prince, learning the words of an enemy was as important as learning the words of a friend.' 'What a shame that soldiers and princes are held to a different accounting.''Damon had never before seen half a dozen soldiers reduced to compliant housekeeping by the sheer force of one man's personal arrogance.' ' "He was named for Iphegenia, the most loyal. But they don't remember your name if you fall." ' 

Brandon Fisher FBI Series

Brandon Fisher FBI Series, by Carolyn ArnoldPublished by Hibbert & Stiles Publishing Inc. Thriller, Police Procedural Profilers. Serial killers. The hunt is on.Do serial killers and the FBI fascinate you? Do you like getting inside the minds of killers, love being creeped out, sleeping with your eyes open, and feeling like you’re involved in murder investigations? Then join FBI agent and profiler Brandon Fisher and his team with the Behavioral Analysis Unit in their hunt for serial killers.This is the perfect book series for fans of Criminal Minds, NCIS, Silence of the Lambs, Seven, Dexter, Luther, and True Crime.Read in any order or follow the series from the beginning: Eleven, Silent Graves, The Defenseless, Blue Baby, Violated, Remnants.Grab your copy of the first book, Eleven, for FREE on Kindle and Nook!AmazonNookGoodreadsCAROLYN ARNOLD is an international best-selling and award-winning author, as well as a speaker, teacher, and inspirational mentor. She has four continuing fiction series—Detective Madison Knight, Brandon Fisher FBI, McKinley Mysteries, and Matthew Connor Adventures—and has written nearly thirty books. Her genre diversity offers her readers everything from cozy to hard-boiled mysteries, and thrillers to action adventures.Both her female detective and FBI profiler series have been praised by those in law enforcement as being accurate and entertaining, leading her to adopt the trademark: POLICE PROCEDURALS RESPECTED BY LAW ENFORCEMENT™. Carolyn was born in a small town and enjoys spending time outdoors, but she also loves the lights of a big city. Grounded by her roots and lifted by her dreams, her overactive imagination insists that she tell her stories. Her intention is to touch the hearts of millions with her books, to entertain, inspire, and empower.She currently lives just west of Toronto with her husband and beagle and is a member of Crime Writers of Canada.Get to know the author more in this interview...1. Have you ever been on a manhunt or at the scene where a dead body was found?I took part in my local police department’s Citizen’s Academy. As part of this, I received an inside look at seventeen divisions over a ten-week period. As an added benefit, each student was afforded a ride-along. And mine… Well, I went on the perfect one for a crime writer.My ride-along actually started out with a manhunt. I experienced the excitement of wanting to find the guy and found myself scrutinizing every male I spotted in the area just to make sure he wasn’t the one we were after. Unfortunately, the search moved to the downtown area from the eastern end of the city where the hunt had begun, and the sergeant signed off the investigation. By the end of my ride-along, about five hours later, the man still hadn’t been found.After the sergeant left the investigation, he turned to me as he was driving and asked if I had ever seen a dead body. I told him I had at memorials and funerals and then asked why. I soon found out that our next stop involved one.I figured I’d catch a glimpse of the deceased under a tarp or being wheeled away, but I got far more than that. I received a front-row seat to a death investigation. For hours, the sergeant and I were mere feet away from the body. I witnessed firsthand how it changed color over time, but I also found that I went into detective-mode. The forensic identification unit—essentially CSIs—was called in and arrived with collection kits. The team members gloved up, snapped photographs, took fingerprints from the deceased, and more.The entire time that I was on scene, I noticed myself going into a detached state—the result of adrenaline. Later that evening, it began to sink in that I had spent hours with a dead body, and I was nauseated. As more time passed, I became weepy as it sank in that the deceased had been a husband, a father, a lover, a friend…a person. That night I dreamed about the man. It wasn’t a nightmare, but I was an officer trying to figure out what had happened to him.I couldn’t imagine returning to the field the next day and having a similar experience or witnessing something even worse, like a violent murder scene or that of a fatal car accident.2. What do members of law enforcement say about your books?Many testimonials attest that I am pleasing readers in law enforcement. They love that my mysteries are accurate in that regard, and they view that alone as a sign of my respect for them.Here are a few testimonials that I have received on Eleven (Brandon Fisher FBI series):“I spent thirty-eight years with a major police department in Missouri, fifteen of which were in the homicide section. I also had numerous dealings with the FBI throughout my career, mostly bank robbery, interstate shipment thefts, and a few kidnappings. Eleven kept my interest piqued throughout… Loved it.”–Richard Bartram, Sergeant (retired), St. Louis Metropolitan Police Department, St. Louis, MO“I am a forty-year veteran of police work. All local, no Fed. Eleven was a great read. All the descriptors and nomenclature were spot on.”–Joe Danna, Police Officer, Katy Independent School District Police Department, Katy, TX“Very good! I worked as a police officer for eleven years and with the Federal Bureau of Prisons for twenty-two. I have also dealt with the FBI.”–Richard Smith, Facilities Development Manager (retired), Federal Bureau of Prisons, Central Office, Washington, DC“A great police procedural! … Full of twists and turns. The characters are well-developed and a mix of interesting personalities. … Holds your interest to the end!”–Mark Davis, FBI Special Agent (retired), Washington, DC3. What did you do before you became a bestselling author?For a living, I worked in accounts receivable for a few different companies collecting from businesses. Yet, despite working full time, in 2006 I was reunited with writing. I wrote every chance I got—before work, on lunch breaks, after work, on the weekends. I became so focused on writing and the publishing world that hardly a day went by without them being a part of my life, and since the summer of 2014, I’ve been a full-time author.4. How do you know so much about what criminals think?I can’t answer that without incriminating myself… Just kidding.Everyone has what we call a “dark side.” In writing these books, I suppose you could say I tap into this side of my psyche. Whatever I can scheme up is possible, and I write that which scares and excites me.5. When did you know that you had hit the big time with your books?When I got to say good-bye to my day job! Even before I fully resigned, I had cut back a five-day a week job to four days, then to three. It got to the point, though, that I loathed going in for that many days, and I knew it was time to make the move and become a full-time author. That was in the summer of 2014. Since then, I incorporated my own publishing company in the summer of 2015, and, at the start of 2016, my husband joined me there full time. Find out more...Facebook TwitterGoodreadsAmazon Website NewsletterWin a print copy of Violated by Carolyn Arnold!Ends September 3rd, 11:59 PM EST, open to those in the UK, USA and Canada. For you chance enter HERE!

Red Days is out!

Red Days is out today on Kindle!Soon out in paperback! Blurb:2017: 235 taken into captivity, 570 slaughtered. Keiko never set out to be an activist, but when she’s sent on an assignment to Taiji, Japan, the ball is set in motion. Reporting on the brutal yearly slaughter of hundreds of dolphins alters her life. Over the course of ten years Keiko follows the highs and lows of the campaign to stop the slaughter of dolphins in Japan and attempts to bring change through her articles. Will her efforts and that of many others be enough? *Though fictional, Red Days is based on a series of true events up until January 2017*Grab a copy and check it out for yourself!UK KindleUSA Kindle Need more convincing? Read a excerptHERE

Stars Above

Stars Above, (Lunar Chronicles Series, Book 4.5), by Marissa Meyer Blurb: The enchantment continues.... The universe of the Lunar Chronicles holds stories—and secrets—that are wondrous, vicious, and romantic. How did Cinder first arrive in New Beijing? How did the brooding soldier Wolf transform from young man to killer? When did Princess Winter and the palace guard Jacin realize their destinies? With nine stories—five of which have never before been published—and an exclusive never-before-seen excerpt from Marissa Meyer’s upcoming novel, Heartless, about the Queen of Hearts from Alice in Wonderland, Stars Above is essential for fans of the bestselling and beloved Lunar Chronicles.I brought this book after reading the Lunar Chronicles just because I wanted to read The Little Android. I wasn't really interested in any of the other stories when I brought it because I usually think added extras like this are pointless after already reading the series... However, I take it all back.The Little Android actually turned out to be my least favourite story - it was also the only story that didn't star the main characters from the Lunar Chronicles, though Cinder makes a brief appearance. I loved the idea for this story, but just though that it was too short with not enough space to develop the story and the characters, I think the other short stories were so enjoyable because we already know the characters and they didn't need any development since the stories were just snap-shots from their younger years. Personally I felt let down by this particular story, especially after anticipating it so much and buying this book just to read it...The rest of the stories more than made up for that disappointment though! It turns out I loved seeing the main characters from the series as kids, especially Thorne, and although we already know the events which happen in these stories it was nice to see them in more depth and show how they changed the characters and set them on their future paths. I also loved seeing Kai and Cinder's first meeting through Kai's eyes and wanted more!Something Old, Something New, the end story was definitely my favourite because it seemed to give a definite close to the series, which I felt the end of Winter lacked - though I'm disappointed that it doesn't look like Iko will get a story, beside the graphic novel which I'm still debating whether or not to read since I seem to be in the minority who doesn't actually like the art work in it. It was also great fun to see all the characters back together again and what they're doing two years after the rebellion. All in all, despite my initial thoughts, I really enjoyed this book and it's made me want to go back and re-read the Lunar Chronicles again, even though I only read them a couple of months ago and I have a TBR list about 500 deep!My favourite quotes from 'Stars Above':'But was the woman's death the tragedy, or her life?' 'I will accept any amount of monsters my mind wants to give me, but I will not become a monster myself.' 'She was pretty, but not exceptionally so. Not noticeably so, until you bothered to look.' 'He had long ago determined that he would not let his birthright go unearned, that the history texts would not condemn him as an unworthy emperor. And while he may still have been plagued with doubts every single day, he knew, deep down, that he was doing his very best.' 

All the Light We Cannot See

All the Light We Cannot See by Anthony Doerr Blurb: Marie-Laure lives with her father in Paris near the Museum of Natural History, where he works as the master of its thousands of locks. When she is six, Marie-Laure goes blind and her father builds a perfect miniature of their neighborhood so she can memorize it by touch and navigate her way home. When she is twelve, the Nazis occupy Paris and father and daughter flee to the walled citadel of Saint-Malo, where Marie-Laure’s reclusive great-uncle lives in a tall house by the sea. With them they carry what might be the museum’s most valuable and dangerous jewel. In a mining town in Germany, the orphan Werner grows up with his younger sister, enchanted by a crude radio they find. Werner becomes an expert at building and fixing these crucial new instruments, a talent that wins him a place at a brutal academy for Hitler Youth, then a special assignment to track the resistance. More and more aware of the human cost of his intelligence, Werner travels through the heart of the war and, finally, into Saint-Malo, where his story and Marie-Laure’s converge.Okay, this is a hard book to review... For the most part I enjoyed it, but I also found it very slow going. It was like a monotone all the way through with few up and downs, and then parts that should have been faster paced or more exciting or scary weren't. Perhaps it was the writing style; although I enjoyed the style of writing and the short chapters like snap shots of their lives, this book just didn't hook me like I thought it would.I liked the characters, I thought they were well developed and they grew throughout the story and I think the author portrayed perfectly how easy it was for people, especially children, to be brainwashed by all the German propaganda. I also liked how everything linked together; a little detail that seemed insignificant at first, later wove into something that was vital. Also, the backwards and forwards in time kept me interested, since I think I probably would have been bored if everything had happened in chronological order. All in all, this book ticked so many boxes and clearly many people love it - it won the Pulitzer prize for fiction in 2015 - but it was just the pace with stopped me from really loving it. Once I was reading it, I enjoyed it, but it wasn't one of those books which hooked me and kept me coming back for more...My favourite quotes from 'All the Light We Cannot See':'Open your eyes ... and see what you can with them before they close forever.' ' "Nearly every species that has ever lived has gone extinct, Laurette. No reason to think we humans will be any different." ' ' "You know the greatest lesson of history? It's that history is whatever the victors say it is. ..." ' ' "Don't tell lies. Lie to yourself, Werner, but don't lie to me." ' " 'I don't want to make trouble, Madame.' 'Isn't doing nothing a kind of troublemaking?' 'Doing nothing is doing nothing.''Doing nothing is as good as collaborating.' " " 'Don't you want to be alive before you die?' " ' "Don't you ever get tired of believing, Madame? Don't you ver want proof?" ' 'Time is a slippery thing: lose hold of it once, and its string might sail out of your hands forever.' 'He made her the glowing hot centre of his life: he made her feel as if every step she took was important.' 'What the war did to dreamers.' 

Win a Kindle Fire!

Want the chance to win a Kindle Fire?Of course you do! And it's nice and easy!Just sign up for S.K. Gregor's newsletter HEREEnds August 15

Remnants Book Tour!

Remnants, (Brandon Fisher FBI Series, Book 6), by Carolyn ArnoldPublisher:  Hibbert & Stiles Publishing Inc.Genre: ThrillerBlurb:All that remains are whispers of the past…When multiple body parts are recovered from the Little Ogeechee River in Savannah, Georgia, local law enforcement calls in FBI agent and profiler Brandon Fisher and his team to investigate. But with the remains pointing to three separate victims, this isn’t proving to be an open-and-shut case.With no quick means of identifying the victims, building a profile of this serial killer is proving more challenging than usual. How is the killer picking these victims? Why are their limbs being severed and bodies mutilated? And what is it about them that is triggering this killer to murder?The questions compound as the body count continues to rise, and when a torso painted blue and missing its heart is found, the case takes an even darker turn. But this is only the beginning, and these new leads draw the FBI into a creepy psychological nightmare. One thing is clear, though: the killing isn’t going to stop until they figure it all out. And they are running out of time…Haven't started the Brandon Fisher FBI Series yet? Here's what you can expect...Profilers. Serial killers. The hunt is on. Do serial killers and the FBI fascinate you? Do you like getting inside the minds of killers, love being creeped out, sleeping with your eyes open, and feeling like you’re involved in murder investigations? Then join FBI agent and profiler Brandon Fisher and his team with the Behavioral Analysis Unit in their hunt for serial killers.This is the perfect book series for fans of Criminal Minds, NCIS, Silence of the Lambs, Seven, Dexter, Luther, and True Crime.Read in any order or follow the series from the beginning.Here's a quick excerpt! KILLING WAS THE BEST SEDATIVE. Just knowing that the time was coming had allowed him to fall asleep the second his head had hit the pillow last night, and now the clock on his nightstand told him it was almost noon.He got out of bed and opened the curtains, letting the sun spill in and blanket him in its warm glow. Closing his eyes, he bathed in its splendor. His breath was calm and deep as he got down onto his knees and spread his arms heavenward, giving thanks for not just another day but for the blessing of life. Not his, but what would be the beginning of another offering.He remained there in a meditative state, letting his consciousness drift to the other realm, a place far too few visited or were even aware of. But it was in this stillness that he found his true self, his identity, and his purpose, where he became centered and focused on the seriousness of his mission.He wrapped himself in a black robe and shuffled downstairs and out the back door. He stood on the patio facing the riverbank with his eyes closed.As the sun warmed his eyelids, he imagined himself being carried up toward the sky, merging with the flames, the source of life, and shedding his human form. He knew that he belonged somewhere else—a different plane of existence—but the physical required roots. So for now, he was grounded.He remained standing there until the sun ducked behind a cloud, the shadows casting over him. He opened his eyes and knew. It was time.His stride was full of purpose as he returned inside to where he kept the man in a dimly lit room. He closed the door behind him and headed for the preparation room.The man was standing, restrained at the wrists and ankles, and held up by a clasp around his neck. His arms and legs were stretched out like rays of sunshine. The offering was free to talk, but his spirit had become broken with the passage of time and he rarely whispered a word.GRAB A COPY! AmazonNookI.TunesKoboGoogle PlayOr check out reviews on Goodreads!About the AuthorCAROLYN ARNOLD is an international best-selling and award-winning author, as well as a speaker, teacher, and inspirational mentor. She has four continuing fiction series—Detective Madison Knight, Brandon Fisher FBI, McKinley Mysteries, and Matthew Connor Adventures—and has written nearly thirty books. Her genre diversity offers her readers everything from cozy to hard-boiled mysteries, and thrillers to action adventures.Both her female detective and FBI profiler series have been praised by those in law enforcement as being accurate and entertaining, leading her to adopt the trademark: POLICE PROCEDURALS RESPECTED BY LAW ENFORCEMENT™.Carolyn was born in a small town and enjoys spending time outdoors, but she also loves the lights of a big city. Grounded by her roots and lifted by her dreams, her overactive imagination insists that she tell her stories. Her intention is to touch the hearts of millions with her books, to entertain, inspire, and empower.She currently lives just west of Toronto with her husband and beagle and is a member of Crime Writers of Canada. Amazon Author PageFacebookTwitterGoodreadsWebsiteNewsletterGiveaway!Win $10 Paypal Cash!Open InternationallyEnds July 17th at 11:59 PM ETCLICK HERE to Enter!