A. Renee Hunt's Blog, page 71

The Bad Seed by Michael Lackey

"Borrowing from mega hits like Game of Thrones, Merlin and Lord of the Rings, The Bad Seeds grows on you, pushing away the world we're living in, into a new one."

     Mike Lackey, author of The Bad Seed, has created fan fiction.  I never knew what it was until today.  Numerous times, I'd heard of authors submitting fan fiction, but had I not picked up The Bad Seed, I'd have remained in the House of Ignorance.  Right now, this novel is free on KindleUnlimited with regular price being $2.99.  Not too shabby for the opportunity to slide into another world.

     The story is about The Champion of Light, but he may not be born yet!  So until then, or we're led to believe, we learn what happens before the challenger of evil matures.  That gives us Zachery Morley.  He's headed towards the herb garden when he spies a stranger in a dark cloak doing something suspicious.  As he tries to watch the figure proves to be a demon who delivers a cryptic message before dramatically vanishing.  In its wake is a small sapling.  From there, we follow Zachary and the adventure he'd always wished for but wished he'd never taken.

     When I began reading this story, I was über impressed.  The idea of the story was nice and I liked Zachery.  I was able to understand Zachary and slightly care for him as a character.  His thoughts were in another font instead of italics, like many authors choose to do, but most of those times, I didn't need to know what he was thinking.  It got to be distracting at times but wasn't damaging.    

     So here's where I learned about Fan Fiction!  Lackey used some awesome ideas from great storytellers, that allowed me to know exactly the sort of atmosphere and creatures inhabiting the story.  Borrowing concepts from stories like GOT, LOTR and even Merlin - was kinda cool.  It let me know exactly what I was supposed to see,  As I'd previously stated, I'd never read anything like that before, so at first I was like, "Nuh-uh", and "Oh no he dih'nt!"  Then I was like, "Oh... okay, I get it now!"  Fan fiction-  It's borrowing and evidently, a lot of people can do it and not get trouble for stealing.  Well, what do you know...   
Hi-Five, Alyssa!
Fan Fiction definition:  when someone takes either the story or characters (or both) of a certain piece of work, whether it be a novel, tv show, movie, etc, and create their own story based on it. (UrbanDictionary.com)    

     So now because Michael Lackey is a first time author, he's gotta go through some of the rites of passage as the rest of us.  He's gotta grasp the 'Show it, don't say it' skill.  There were a few times where he simply stated a fact, taking from the story's build up and sorta deflating the action in my mind's eye.  The best part of a book, for me, is the description.  We all see things differently, but if instead of providing that visual, it's all plainly stated, the beauty of the read is lost.  It happens to many of us.  Did it hurt the story for me- a little bit.  I think once he masters that, his next book will be EPIC, no doubt!  

     Although I like knowing things from other stories, but I don't know if I'm a huge fan fiction sorta gal.  I love originality.  When I see something epic in another person's story, it just feels like mimicking to use someone else's stuff.  But that being said, the story still carried its own premise and a charm that can not be missed.  I have to say- on a good day, this story packs some punch.  I liked it.  The Bad Seed is a cool story.  Grab yourself a copy and enjoy!

Hidden Bodies by Caroline Kepnes

     Evidently I really missed out on the book that preceded Hidden Bodies by Caroline Kepnes. I read this book with an open mind, thought it's difficult for me, sometimes, to switch from one genre to another.  Books stick with me, as do genres.  Going from family and romance to a psychotic, narcissistic murderer like Joe offered up a bit of transferal turbulence.

     Hidden Bodies is about a guy who's got physical skeletons in his closet.  He's creatively butchered several people and their bodies are either tucked away or blamed on another.  He's good and he knows he's good, but the past won't stay in the past.  He's losing it.  Simple things like  moving violations sends him into anxiety attacks.  

     All he wants is peace and to enjoy the new love of his life.  She's perfect for him, so he believes.  All he wants is to be with her and forget everything else, but if he's unlucky enough to be found out, he may have to do away with her too.               This review won't be very long because I didn't like it.  Not to knock this author, because from what I hear, You was amazing!  You is the book that Kepnes wrote before this one.  Joe's original story evidently.  This book was way too repetitive for me.  He was slow- near death to me and his constant mockery of everyone in his uppity manner just bugged me.  The story was silly to me and he, the Bad Guy, was so freaking lucky, it was just not good to me.  Evil shouldn't always win.

     Reading this book was monotonous and honestly provided no entertainment for me.  I just read it and was done.  For me, there was nothing to ponder, it was raunchy and listening to him brag was way more than I normally dealt with.  I'm actually disappointed with Stephen King for misguiding me by saying this book was hypnotic and scary.  Uh, not!

     Sorry if I offend any Kepnes fans, but this just wasn't the book for me.  La siguiente novela, por favor?

Just Breathe series by Martha Sweeney

     It's not very often I get into romance, especially erotic romances, but when I do, I managed to find the hottest, oddest and sexiest stories ever written!

     The Just Breathe Trilogy Box set belongs to an Instafriend of mine.  Martha Sweeney (@marthasweeneyauthor) is a wonderful woman with an IG account that's full of great pictures and support for other authors.  How could I not want to read her books?  Not to mention, she's got an gorgeous coloring book out- you have to check it: Bookish: Adult Coloring Book!

     Okay, the Just Breathe trilogy has three books: Breathe In, Breath Out and Just Breathe.  I will tackle each one with a small summary and review so you can decide for yourself if you're ready for the plunge!       Emma is an enigma!  Breathe In, volume 1 was, to me, an introduction to Emma's world.  It didn't quite explain why she was the way she was, but the backstory was very deep and detailed.  I understood why she was strong and why she felt the need to be as supportive to others as she was, but there was something missing in her.  

     Her past paved way to her living by eight particular rules.  Sadly, these rules slightly contradicted themselves, but people and their lives are funny that way.  Because of these rules, Emma lived a promiscuous life, but when she meets Joe while helping one of her best friend's meet a guy- the game changes... to a point.

​     I enjoyed Breathe In, but Emma is difficult to appreciate.  She's got her reasons for being distant but the rules she's set for herself are odd and the 'no touching' thing is really funny, when thinking about her way of living.  And I won't even go in to how 'perfect' she seems to be!  lol  But all in all, I enjoyed the story and am looking forward to volume 2.
Ratings: 

Eligible (A modernized version of Pride & Prejudice) by Curtis Sittenfeld

     While reading this beautiful and very thick book, I was tempted on occasion to call upon Ms. Sittenfeld (Yes, 'Curtis' is also a girl's name!) for an interview!  My mind continually questioned why Ms. Sittenfeld needed to create this story, using Pride and Prejudice as the skeleton or outline.  The story on its own could have been written amazingly without the comparison.    Especially since the constant concern with proprieties were next to a theme with Jane Austen's novel and this one... well, it was totally different!  It was written as if the Bennet girls were teenagers, with their manners uncouth, no- that's too kind.  They were hilariously scurrilous!

     But I have to admit, I enjoyed the story.  It was funny while still sticking to Austen motif.  You could see how, though modernized, the stories carried along the same line, but in order to tell what I thought of the story, I need to go into details.
     Okay, so the story is pretty much the same as Pride and Prejudice, there are the Bennet girls, a mother who's seeking affluent bachelors and a father who's yonder of it all.  That's pretty much where the similarities end, other than names.  

    Set in Cincinnati, Jane and Lizzie return home to assist the family due to Mr. Bennet having a heart attack.  The sisters band together to show their playful, childish behavior more than their gifts of Florence Nightingale!  They're insane: Mary is assumed to be a lesbian, Kitty and Lydia are health fanatics and Jane is a regular patron at her hometown's IVF clinic!   Lizzie, the bookworm works for a magazine called Mascara.  

     Then there are the other characters:  Mr. Collins' first name of "Willie" instead of William and Mr. Wickham who goes by the nickname "Ham".  Oh, and he's a Crossfit Instructor.  It's been totally rejuvenated to fit our current century instead of the 18th.  With that, I was pleasantly pleased.  I liked that instead of the girls being goofy and stitching, they were into their smartphones, but they were, as mentioned above, Insane!  A hilarious part was when they were playing charades.  The things they purposefully called out, throwing the game made me choke on my bottled water!  Thankfully I wasn't near my computer.

     Mr. Darcy was still haughty and self-important but a doctor and "Chip" Charles Bingley is a handsome doctor who appeared on a famous tv show called Eligible.  The story was extraordinary but entertaining, but it would have made for just an entertaining story without the Austen storyline.  I wonder what compelled her to do so?  I need to look up a few interviews with her or just send an email.  I'm sure she'd respond.

​     Well, while I see what I can find out, I'll be moving on to the next novel.  If you haven't purchased this book yet, you should get it.  Try to not compare it to Pride and Prejudice.  It's not the same, but it is the same.  You'll see!  Next book, please!

Agatha Parrot and the Odd Street School Ghost by Kjartan Poskitt

     There are children's books and there are children's books. This book, wasn't just made for children, it tossed me back to my days of being a child, reading Judy Blume!  The ideals, Agatha's way of thinking and how she went about the story made for a boisterous read for both my son and myself!

We finished the book in one sitting and thought,​ "I could read another one of these!"  My son agreed- laughing loudly and rolling about our classroom floor (that's where we read together; in my office, lying about the floor is the best place).

     We also found the introduction to The Gang and their qualms entertaining and good to know.  Illustrations of the characters, like Ellie who's afraid of nonfat milk because she believes they come from skeleton cows- only elementary kids can think of things like that!  The other illustrations of the book are hilarious, all squiggly and such.  I don't see this sort of stuff every day, so it was a blast!

     In Agatha Parrot and the Odd Street School Ghost, Agatha and her friends believe their school is haunted.  From a ringing bell, a glowing face and stinky food, the kids are determined to solve the strange happenings!  It's not the case that has you laughing but what happens while they're trying to figure everything out.  Anyone who reads this book will have a good time.  Onward!  There are books waiting on me!

Alien: Out of the Shadows an Audio Drama by Tim Lebbon

     Written as a short story in-between Alien and Aliens, Out of the Shadows gave Ripley insight that pushed towards a richer understanding for both Aliens and Prometheus. I listened to it once, then again- excited with each incident, thanks to actors like Rutger Haur, Corey Johnson, Matthew Lewis and the almost duplicate voice talent of Laurel Lefkow, as Ripley.  She was on point, sounding just like Sigourney Weaver!      The story begins at the end with Ripley's famous lines:
 "This is Ripley, last survivor of the Nostromo, signing off."  
     She placed herself in stasis, only to wake up with the crew of the DSMO Marion.  Somehow Ripley's shuttle, the Narcissus, didn't head towards earth to possibly meet up with the company, as we all knew.  She was forced deeper into space, towards a particular area... a mining colony. (Oh boy!)  When she's awakened, she's already in neck deep in feculence.  The miners have been attacked and their escape shuttles are on a collision course with their mother ship, the Marion!

     It's an amazing adventure that kept me listening and regretted the ending.  Not because it wasn't good but because it had to end.  I love the Alien tales and I know there are more out there- they're mostly in book or comic form though.  I have a ton of books and don't need more comics... For now.

     Check out Alien: Out of the Shadows and let  me know what you think!  It's totally cool if you're already an Alien fan.   This is Alyssa Hunt, book reviewer for Books! Books! Books!  Signing off...
"Next!"

The Closing by Ken Oder

                                                                                                                                                                              *Audiobook Review
     It's good to be on an author's mailing list.  I received an email asking if I'd like a free audiobook.  You know me- FREE is my middle name!  Yup, Alyssa Free Hunt, so I accepted and was given the code to purchase The Closing, by Ken Oder.  I haven't read a legal suspense thriller before, ever!  I'm not into politics or courtroom cases; I'd always left that for movies and Forensic Files, but when I got the book for free, I figured I could try it out.  
I'm so happy I did..      Friday, I headed outdoors to pull weeds and trim the hedges while the guys cut the lawn.  I popped The Closing in my ears and I went at it from 8am to almost two o'clock!  I'd already started it the night before, but by the time my share of the yard work was done, I was practically finished with the book.  It was so good, I listened from start to finish!

     The story is about Nate Abbit, a washed out prosecutor, turned defense attorney.  His fear of aging, depression- heck, due to his mid-life crisis, he made mistakes that cost him his job and reputation.  Add the constant beckoning of alcohol and you have his life in a nutshell.  Later he's dropped into a murder case that has so many twists and turns, his head spins!  But Nate's known for making his own rules; can he come up with a legal plan to save himself as well as a possibly innocent man?

     The Closing is a suspense-filled novel that will leave you guessing on every character you meet.  You wonder if the mother, the ex-wife or the dirty cop had anything to do with it- but which it?  There's so much dirt and reasons for people to kill that you won't know who to suspect.  It was very entertaining and I loved every minute from it.  Peep The Closing by Ken Oder.  I'm on to a sci-fi tale!.

Lilif by R. P. Falconer

     I took a chance on reaching out to this Londoner and won!  As per my usual saunter through the titles up for giveaway on Goodreads, I came across a particular book cover.  You know I'm a Cover-Lover, taking to them like candy, but when I saw this one, it wasn't the HD imagery that captured me.  It was the mystery.  I entered the giveaway for Lilif.  
And Lost.  
So I took another chance and reached out to the author.  I mentioned my love for horror and how I thought the book would make an impact with my readers.  And he took a chance on me and sent it.  I was thrilled beyond belief once the book was actually in my hand, with the Royal Mail tag!        The story has three protagonists, but they have no idea they are against a horde of opposers.  One is next to dirt-poor but carries great values; one came from a simple life only to be submerged into money and power.  The last was born of The Day of Treats, to become a power-hungry mogul, bent on one, true goal.  Valda, Alex, and Patrick are on an unknown mission and everyone will not survive.  The good guys never do, right?

     Valda, is difficult to view as a heroine.  She thyrst's (yes, I did use that spelling!) for money, power and a baby.  All her clout couldn't give her the one thing she wanted more than anything else in the world.  She and Alex, her boyfriend, sought out the best of fertility specialists, but it just didn't happen.  Then she received a letter from someone by the name of Lilif.  Lilif offered Valda the world: a baby, at a cost....   
    
​     Patrick was a Jamaican who only wanted to make enough money to send home to his family and live a quiet life.  A good man with a big heart, turned driver for Valda and Alex, who later became an associate to Valda and Alex- almost a friend.  Because he was on the outisde, he was able to see things, the couple were blind to.  But there are some things even the closest of friends can't prevent, especially from them...

     I can not describe the bad guy(s) without telling the story.  The plot is so huge, it's like Pinky and the Brain: "Try to take over the world!"  The way it happens, the way it works takes you, the reader, on a ride of confusion and pain, down into deep-rooted fear and insanity.  R. P. Falconer's prose allows you to see through the eyes of the characters- all of them, as they're driven to madness.  A few incidents were expected but the story was original enough to overlook such trivialities.  The story was strong and made for a true, supernatural thriller that you won't want to put down.  

     Check out Lilif, by Harlesden's R. P. Falconer.  He's got two other books you may find interesting as well.  Click on his highlighted name, above, and surf his site and peep the book's trailer below!  I'm on to my next novel!

The Enfield Horror Trilogy by Ron Ripley

     When I found The Enfield Horror, it was just one of the three books that makes this such a cool read.  I thought it was just a horror story- but at the end, I found out, for a few bucks more, I could get the entire tale  So I did.  Ron Ripley is evidently known for throwing shorts together to make trilogies.  The trilogy, was about 132-pages long and kept me, all the way till the ending...       I read other reviews on this book, because I was trying to decide if I wanted to purchase the other two books.  Many loved Ripley's previous works but said something was wrong with this one.  Since it was my first book by the author, I figured I had nothing to compare it to, so I'd not be disappointed.

     I was.

     Don't get me wrong, the story was very original.  The Enfield Horror took place in a New England town, where everyone knows everyone.  But no one  knew there was a strange lodge hidden in the woods.  Not until a storm came and opened up the area, allowing it to be spotted- but the lodge wasn't the problem.  Well, not the real problem.

     I really wanted to enjoy this story.  It was different, it was filled with action and there was no rhyme or reason to any of it.  It was funny from time to time and quite realistic when it came to the way the townsfolk and sheriff handled things.  What I did not like was the ending.  

     Everything else was okay.  It was a simple read- straight forward with nothing to really figure out.  I felt like I was simply along for the ride.  I was happy till the ending, where I was like: "Wha?"  I literally shut down my ipad with yuck in my mouth (not bitter).  Then to top it all off, I was offered a chapter or two that had been cut from the original publishing.  Of course, like a fool, I had to sign up for the author mailing- no big, right?  Well, I never even got the frigging thing!!!  What kinda deal is that?  

     I didn't even send the website a message; I just let it go.  I rated  the story one spec less than what I'd originally thought to rate it.  Some stories are difficult to close, I understand that, but the price the characters had to pay, made me pay too!  And that ain't right, no siree Bob!  
I'm on to the next book. 

Needs of an Incubus by Ashley Ehlers

     Annabelle's Erotic Nightmare: Needs of an Incubus picks up where Book 1, Wants of an Incubus (reviewed 9/22/2015_left off.  The battle was over, the heart was crushed and Annabelle knew who and what she was.  But it didn't end there.

     Not only did the fight for Annabelle's soul not end, there's a freaking conspiracy!  These days, fresh souls are hard to come by, so they need to be marked when found.  The mark is an indicator... but I can't tell you all that, because then I'd be giving away SPOILERS!  And you know I don't do that!

     So in book 2, author Ashley Ehlers (formerly used the last name Hill), places Annabelle and Henry in a situation where things are more dangerous than ever and help has to be forced from an unlikely source.  The thing is, can Henry deal and stick to his promise to the one he loves?        I enjoyed book 2 more than book 1!  I think it's due to the story being more about sexually enticing Annabelle.  The first book had to be a heavy on the enticing- but only because there was so much more going on, on the flip side.  Mom, Feya, Dad's part and even her brother!  Then there's the institution.  

     I love Ashley's style of writing.  She tends to go light on the details, but with this book, it reads more like a YA adventure novel than paranormal romance.  For me, this was an A+ deal.  Not many romances can hold my attention, but this one did.  Honestly, I felt like, other than excluding a few bits of the story, I could have read this with my daughter and not been ashamed!  lol  This book was a blast!  

     The story's an easy read and more than likely can be finished in one sitting.  You can find both books, Wants and Needs of an Incubus available at Amazon.com.   Both together are STILL less than a cup of my amazing Starbucks coffee!  Ha!  I'm on to the next read!