C.V. Hunt's Blog, page 19

Short Story: Night At The Kingfisher by Sean Patrick Bridges

Here is a short story provided to me from Sean Bridges titled Night At The Kingfisher. Sean is the author of Roll Of The Die, which was one of my top five books for 2011. I will be reviewing his next novel, On The Bayou. Keep an eye out for it.


Amazon link for Roll Of The Die:http://www.amazon.com/Roll-Of-The-Die-ebook/dp/B004OYT8MO/ref=sr_1_2?s=digital-text&ie=UTF8&qid=1344639266&sr=1-2
Amazon link for On The Bayou:http://www.amazon.com/On-The-Bayou-ebook/dp/B008A7ZM94/ref=sr_1_1?s=digital-text&ie=UTF8&qid=1344639266&sr=1-1
If you have trouble viewing, please visit www.authorcvhunt.com, my blog feeds to several other sites. Thank you.

Book Reviews.

For anyone following my reviews, 
I want to give you guys a heads up. Things are crazy around here. That means my reviews aren't going to be as detailed as they used to be. I'm doing a lot of commuting these days, add selling a house, and trying to live... and somewhere you have to make some sacrifices for the greater good. I'm writing in the midst of all this turmoil, so every word counts. From here on, most of my reviews will be a few sentences about what I did and didn't like about a book. Add a star rating, and I'm sure everyone will figure it out. There will only be few exceptions for some fellow independent authors I previously agreed to do reviews for. 
I'm still open for questions and comments through my e-mail. Just know it may take me a day or two to get back with you. 
Thanks.C.V. Hunt
If you have trouble viewing, please visit www.authorcvhunt.com, my blog feeds to several other sites. Thank you.

Book Review: Haunted by Chuck Palahniuk

[image error]
[image error] 4 out of 5
Haunted is a novel made up of twenty-three horrifying, hilarious, and stomach-churning stories. They’re told by people who have answered an ad for a writer’s retreat and unwittingly joined a “Survivor”-like scenario where the host withholds heat, power, and food. As the storytellers grow more desperate, their tales become more extreme, and they ruthlessly plot to make themselves the hero of the reality show that will surely be made from their plight. This is one of the most disturbing and outrageous books you’ll ever read, one that could only come from the mind of Chuck Palahniuk.
REVIEW: 
I’ve been a fan of Chuck Palahniuk since I read Fight Club years ago and at least once a year I reread it. He’s a talented writer with a unique narration. Anyone who loves his style of writing is compelled to move forward through the story.
I had high expectations when I picked up Haunted. Chuck’s unique voice was a small downfall for this story in my mind. I enjoyed it for what it was: a collection of twenty-three stories. But as far as each story being told from different character’s viewpoints… I didn’t see it. It was a collection of Chuck Palahniuk’s short stories. And as far as the description stating, “one of the most disturbing and outrageous books you’ll ever read”… not for me. There are far more disturbing books by lesser known authors out there.
These little gripes are just that – little gripes. It was well written and kept my attention for the most part. The main story of twenty-three characters felt repetitive, but the individual stories did have their own unique story to tell. There are a few areas that make you cringe, but overall, I laughed. That’s just me. I find humor in the most inappropriate places. It was a good read but not my favorite from Palahniuk. 

If you have trouble viewing, please visit www.authorcvhunt.com, my blog feeds to several other sites. Thank you.

Grindhouse Press

Check out the official release of How To Kill Yourself over at Grindhouse Press's site by clicking here. While you're there, take a look around, you'll find all kinds of interesting reads. www.grindhousepress.com  
If you have trouble viewing, please visit www.authorcvhunt.com, my blog feeds to several other sites. Thank you.

How To Kill Yourself

[image error]
DISCLAIMER: This is not a how to guide. The author is no way responsible for your actions after reading.
Earth, Heaven, Hell, and Purgatory. There is only one way to move from any of these worlds to the next…
AMAZON LINK: http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/B008NX3VXO/ref=nosim/theplanningsh-20
SMASHWORDS LINK: https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/207634

If you have trouble viewing, please visit www.authorcvhunt.com, my blog feeds to several other sites. Thank you.

Book Review: The Road by Cormac McCarthy

[image error] [image error]
A father and his son walk alone through burned America. Nothing moves in the ravaged landscape save the ash on the wind. It is cold enough to crack stones, and when the snow falls it is gray. The sky is dark. Their destination is the coast, although they don’t know what, if anything, awaits them there. They have nothing; just a pistol to defend themselves against the lawless bands that stalk the road, the clothes they are wearing, a cart of scavenged food—and each other.

REVIEW:

The Road was recommended to me after I professed my love of apocalyptic stories. I was never disappointed while reading this book. I usually don't pay attention to mainstream stories and after being told this was an Oprah recommendation I almost shunned it. I'm glad I didn't.
Life just isn't worth living if there is no misery. I'm a fan of realistic endings and this book had one. Some would read this and complain it was dark, but the darkened quality is what sucked me in. 
A man and his son wonder though an empty, broken world of ash. Food is scarce and the people who are left alive have resorted to horrific actions to survive. What would you be willing to do to keep yourself and child alive and safe?

If you have trouble viewing, please visit www.authorcvhunt.com, my blog feeds to several other sites. Thank you.

What I did today.

What did I do today? I finished a story. Not finished reading a story either. I finished writing a story today. That's right, another book is coming soon. 


If anyone is paying attention I'm sure there are some questions. Let me try to answer them all before they are asked.


* It's not part of Endlessly series. (waits for groans of disappointment to die down) 


* This is something off my normal track and I've been wanting to try out some new stuff. So hang on to your hats, it may be a bumpy ride.


* I don't know when it will be available, yet.


* I do know what the title will be but I'm keeping it a secret right now, along with the cover art.


* There is a high likelihood it will only be available as an ebook. (because it's not long - think Danse Macabre - and I don't move many paperbacks) 


Why are theses answers sort of crazy? Because for the first time one of my stories may have a publisher. What does that mean? I would relinquish all control to someone else. 


So stick around and I'll keep you updated. By the way, today is National Kissing Day. Pucker up.


If you have trouble viewing, please visit www.authorcvhunt.com, my blog feeds to several other sites. Thank you.

Book Review: Unguarded by Ashley Robertson

[image error]
[image error] 4 out of 5
Guardian angel Selene was so close to becoming an archangel—the supreme of all beings—until she fell in love with Cole, a forbidden dark one. Once she discovers her vampire lover has been kidnapped and the only way to save him is by abandoning her number one priority—Caitlyn, her human charge—there really is only one answer in Selene’s mind, even though leaving Caitlyn unguarded will most likely cause Selene to fall from grace. 

But her choice to save Cole doesn’t come without a price…and now Selene is racing against time to not only save her dark lover, but find a way to keep Caitlyn alive as well. 
With the help of a new vampire ally, Luke, Selene will push her diminishing angel abilities to the point where her very existence lies in the balance. Now threatened with the chance of becoming a fallen angel or even dying, Selene can only pray she’ll have enough time—and good grace—to save the ones she loves.

http://www.ashleyrobertsonbooks.com/
REVIEW:
Ashley Robertson has created another fantastic world with a collection of every creature you could imagine. Vampires, angels, demons, sirens, and shadow sliders all take center stage in Unguarded.
Selene is an angel with a dilemma; she’s in love with a vampire. Her ranking as an angel has been demoted after the revealing of her love affair, and she has been warned to stay away from any dark ones. When her lover, Cole, is suddenly taken hostage, there are few places to turn. The angel is willing to do anything to get Cole back - even things that could cause her to become fallen.
There are a lot of twists and turns throughout Unguarded as the main character Selene orbs from world to world in search of help. She bumps into a vampire named Luke, but he seems to hinder her more than anything. After finding out his true intent, and the damage he may have created between Selene and Cole, things get interesting.
Traveling from one world to another, Selene makes pacts with the unholy, fights unseen forces, and struggles to find her love. But nothing will prepare her for the transformation of herself through the search.
Battles with demons, inner and manifested, come to the forefront in Ms. Robertson’s books. Since they are told from first person POV, they’re all very interesting to me. I love a good inner struggle. 

If you have trouble viewing, please visit www.authorcvhunt.com, my blog feeds to several other sites. Thank you.

Let us turn the tables.

I did an interview a few months back and it went live today. Some of my personal info is a little out of date, but what the world doesn't know can't hurt them. The interview questions are honest, and all the links are good. Check it out here:

http://lisavproulx.wordpress.com/2012/06/22/meet-author-c-v-hunt-horrorparanormal-author-of-endlessly/


If you have trouble viewing, please visit www.authorcvhunt.com, my blog feeds to several other sites. Thank you.

Book Review: Geek Love by Katherine Dunn

[image error]
[image error] 4 out of 5
Geek Love is the story of the Binewskis, a carny family whose mater- and paterfamilias set out–with the help of amphetamine, arsenic, and radioisotopes–to breed their own exhibit of human oddities. There’s Arturo the Aquaboy, who has flippers for limbs and a megalomaniac ambition worthy of Genghis Khan . . . Iphy and Elly, the lissome Siamese twins . . . albino hunchback Oly, and the outwardly normal Chick, whose mysterious gifts make him the family’s most precious–and dangerous–asset. 
As the Binewskis take their act across the backwaters of the U.S., inspiring fanatical devotion and murderous revulsion; as its members conduct their own Machiavellian version of sibling rivalry, Geek Lovethrows its sulfurous light on our notions of the freakish and the normal, the beautiful and the ugly, the holy and the obscene. Family values will never be the same.

REVIEW:
Geek Love is the guts of a dysfunctional family. The Binewskis family not only looks dysfunctional on the outside, but within its ranks the siblings have a very common rivalry. A spiteful competition of sales between Arturo and the twins is constantly aired, and Arturo makes no attempt to conceal his disdain for Chick’s normal appearance and apparent favoritism from their father.   The story flashes back and forth between present day and the childhood of Oly. When her estranged daughter moves into her apartment building, she struggles with whether she should tell her about her true origins.
Most of the story is told from Oly’s point of view. She is an albino hunchback, and describes her outwardly appearance as not abnormal enough. The whole family describes how norms (the term they use for normal people) must have it rough since they will never be unique. This is the type of thinking is the basis of the story when Arturo offers norms a unique way for them to see the world.
The heart of the story is centered on love and all its many branches. It dives deep into the things people will do for love, and it displays the fallouts caused by jealously and greed. My only complaint would be the narrative voice came to me as emotionless, which seems to defeat the purpose, but overall the storytelling was unique and grips the reader’s attention. 

If you have trouble viewing, please visit www.authorcvhunt.com, my blog feeds to several other sites. Thank you.