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Flame

(Sky Chasers #3)

Amy Kathleen Ryan (Goodreads Author)

4.02 · Rating details · 1,639 ratings · 244 reviews

In the thrilling conclusion to the Sky Chasers series Waverly, Kieran, and Seth struggle to survive on-board the New Horizon—and take down their enemies before it's too late.

Waverly and the other members of the Empyrean have scattered, and their home ship has been destroyed. Their mission to rescue their parents didn't go as planned, and now they're at an even greater disa ...more

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Hardcover, 336 pages

Published January 7th 2014 by St. Martin's Griffin (first published January 7th 2013)

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· 1,639 ratings · 244 reviews

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Oct 24, 2012 Zoë rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: favorites, 2014-favourites

I can't believe this series is now over. But I think it was a great ending for the series.
I swear for the whole book I was on edge worried what would happen next and rightfully so. There were quite a few things I did not see coming that had me sitting just having the word 'Fuck' going over and over in my head.
Waverly was awesome as usual and loved her strength throughout this book even though she was shit scared for most of it.
Kieran was more tolerable but I will never like him. (view spoiler) ...more

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Sep 24, 2012 Tez rated it really liked it

My history with trilogies is that usually the first book is the best. In the case of Amy Kathleen Ryan's Sky Chasers, the third book is the best. Which fills me with such delight, because it means the author's skills have IMPROVED over the course of the series - just the way writing should be.

With the two earlier novels, the three lead characters were very annoying. That's gone here in Flame - Waverly, Kieran, and Seth are more concerned with staying alive and the wellbeing of their parents than My history with trilogies is that usually the first book is the best. In the case of Amy Kathleen Ryan's Sky Chasers, the third book is the best. Which fills me with such delight, because it means the author's skills have IMPROVED over the course of the series - just the way writing should be.

With the two earlier novels, the three lead characters were very annoying. That's gone here in Flame - Waverly, Kieran, and Seth are more concerned with staying alive and the wellbeing of their parents than they are about relationship dramas.

In the earlier installments Anne Mather seemed like a cult leader, but here she's just a political figure - and there's more political intrigue in store. Will Waverly and Kieran commit perjury? It's Mather and her crew versus the church elders, and neither team is ideal to lead.

What I've most loved throughout this whole series is the marvellous setting, complete with nebula. This is science fiction the way it should be: more about actual SCIENCE, rather than military/war/invasion. And there are medical issues all the way to the end.

I was all set to rate this five stars, until I got to the final chapter. It's not labelled as an "epilogue", but we all know what it is. The more this last chapter continued, the more disappointed I became.

(view spoiler)

Less is more, authors. You don't have to tie every knot - you can leave something up to the reader to decide for themselves. Better to leave something unknown, rather than erase possibility. I still heartily recommend this series to anyone willing to try it. Just go without that final chapter. ...more

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Apr 09, 2013 Vee rated it it was amazing

Shelves: young-adult, all-time-favourites, strong-heroine

God, why can't every YA series be as well formed and written as this one? Full review after future re-read. ...more

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Nov 19, 2013 Keertana rated it really liked it

Shelves: swoooon, kick-ass-heroines

I find I don't have very much to say about Flame. From the moment I put down my copies of both Glow and Spark, it was as if my fingers were possessed, desperately needing to type, to crow in glory, to shove this series into the hands of every unsuspecting bibliophile. After Flame, however, I remember sitting. Simply sitting, soaking up the lingering words in my mind. I was - and still am - very much shocked by the brilliance of this concluding installment. While I may not have much to regale abo I find I don't have very much to say about Flame. From the moment I put down my copies of both Glow and Spark, it was as if my fingers were possessed, desperately needing to type, to crow in glory, to shove this series into the hands of every unsuspecting bibliophile. After Flame, however, I remember sitting. Simply sitting, soaking up the lingering words in my mind. I was - and still am - very much shocked by the brilliance of this concluding installment. While I may not have much to regale about this novel - not without giving away spoilers, at any rate - Flame has been one of the few satisfying conclusions I've read in a very, very long time and I suspect it might remain that way for awhile to come.

Compared to its predecessors, Flame is a much slower novel than Glow or Spark were. And rightfully so. After the bitterness of violation, the anger of rebellion, the closed fist of anarchy, and the open strike of betrayal, these characters are exhausted. Kiernan and Waverly are now on the New Horizon, back under the influence of Anne Mather. Or are they? When Waverly meets an old doctor on board the New Horizon, she agrees to help him take down Anne Mather but, soon enough, she begins to question just who is the true enemy aboard the New Horizon. Meanwhile, Seth is - once again - a fugitive aboard a space ship, only this time it's the New Horizon. While he receives help from a small group of rebels aboard the New Horizon, his health is slowly deteriorating. All aboard on the same ships, friends and enemies alike, these teens don't know where - or who - to turn to. Despite having their parents back, they have been brainwashed by Mather and follow her blindly. Which means that, once again, Waverly, Kiernan, and Seth are alone. Only, this time, if they don't stop the evil aboard the New Horizon once and for all, they might not get another chance.

What makes Flame such a spectacular sequel is the fact that it stresses ideals such as redemption, friendship, and love. After writing such a bloodthirsty, violent series, Ryan comes back to these core values in a manner that never feels jarring but one that, rather, slips into the story line perfectly. Waverly and Kiernan, despite the differences they've shared, learn to set those aside and work together for the first time since their break-up. While they, along with Seth, try to infiltrate the New Horizon from within, though, they are no longer as convinced of Mather's cruelty as they once were. As they learn, Mather is not the only tyrant aboard the New Horizon. Escaped convicts from the prisons of the Empyrean have made it back to the New Horizon with the intent of wrecking havoc and Waverly's doctor has a following of adults who don't seem wholly trustworthy. Although these multiple villains may seem to overwhelm the plot, in reality they paint a picture of different kinds of evil. Mather has always been a villain with an extraordinary amount of depth and her gray matter is explored in even more detail within this installment. Although the other "villains" in this conclusion do not share the same degree of depth that Mather does, they nevertheless contribute to the slow, but constant, build-up to the climax of this tale.

As far as the plot goes, Flame is impeccable. It forces Waverly, Kiernan, and Seth to reach new heights as characters - areas from which they are able to look past the injustices done to them and the anger they feel. Ryan has truly made these teens transcend their barriers and the bumps they experience along the road are realistic. Additionally, this novel wraps up perfectly too. Ultimately, there are sacrifices that must be made and bittersweet separations as well, but I ended this novel utterly satisfied. While Flame is the most romantic installment to-date, its love stories never overwhelm the focus of the story. Although these romances remain minimal, they are heartfelt, equal, and true which I appreciated. Moreover, and perhaps best of all for me, is the fact that every loose thread is tied up, albeit not always in ways we want. Seth, Waverly, and Kiernan don't find the answers to all their questions, but they find enough to live by. Ryan has always been impeccably realistic, to the point of harshness, in this series and I loved that her stance on realism was never compromised in this finale.

Ever-so-slightly bittersweet, achingly romantic, heart-pounding action, and an influx of complex moral situations made this a conclusion to love. Amy Kathleen Ryan: write something else amazing! Quick! ...more

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Jul 16, 2013 Michelle Wrona rated it really liked it

Shelves: book-by-author-i-read, made-me-fangirl, dumb-mc, male-perspective, awesome-ending, meh, favorites, love-triangles, dystopian, 2014-favourites

From a thrilling start to an okay middle, we all expect either the good or the bad for the ending. I'm very proud to admit that Amy Kathleen Ryan has done it again with Flame. This was a heart-pounding thrilling ending to the trilogy, and she just topped it off with the perfect ending that we never would've imagined happening in the first book.

I'd really like to begin talking about that ending first. So this was my reaction when I was done with the book:

I just couldn't believe it ...more

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Oct 21, 2012 Maja (The Nocturnal Library) rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: all-the-right-choices, pan-macmillan, sci-fi, reviewed-in-2014, young-adult, multiple-povs, postcard-from-outer-space, review-copy, best-of-2014, favorites

4.5 stars
I think this quote by Noam Chomsky, chosen by Amy Kathleen Ryan and included in Flame, sums up this trilogy rather well:
It is only in folk-tales, children’s stories, and the journals of intellectual opinion that power is used wisely and well to destroy evil. The real world teaches very different lessons, and it takes willful ignorance to fail to perceive them.

Power corrupts and absolute power corrupts absolutely. We’ve seen far too many examples in Amy Kathleen Ryan’s Sky Chasers tr ...more

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Jul 10, 2013 Jennifer rated it really liked it

Shelves: sci-fi, young-adult

Another ending to a trilogy...I started this knowing how much I liked the first two, like many other trilogies, and just hoped I would enjoy the ending...and I did. It wasn't smooth sailing though.

It’s been quite awhile since I read the other two and unable to find a good summary to recap I had to remember as I read since I don’t reread. It was easy to get back into the story though but maybe because it was slow and it let me get to know the characters again although I know I was missing the fee ...more

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Feb 16, 2016 Kim Ammons (youthbookreview) rated it it was amazing

Shelves: favorites, books-i-want-to-own

***Review of the entire trilogy***

4.5 out of 5 stars (for each one)

I read the first book of this trilogy, Glow, last year, and it was a book that grew on me more and more as I looked back on it. I reread it recently so I could finish the trilogy, and I wasn’t disappointed.

So we have two massive ships on their way to New Earth: the Empyrean (where the main characters live) and the New Horizon. The New Horizon should be way ahead of the Empyrean (they left a year earlier), but everyone’s talking a ...more

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Feb 16, 2013 Shannon Rogers rated it it was amazing

Shelves: 5-star-reviews, favorites, most-thrilling

Wow, wow, wow, and again I say, WOW!!! I have loved this series ever since I read the first sentence of the first book, and this finale just about knocked me into the middle of next week. Amy Kathleen Ryan has pulled off a fantastic and epic conclusion to one of my favorite series of all time.

When I first started reading this series, I loved it, but at the same time, there was a part of it that turned me off because I wasn't sure that I really liked the characters. The story itself was so intrig ...more

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Dec 29, 2015 Wendy rated it it was amazing

Shelves: scify-fantasy

The stage is set for a thrilling clash of wills in "FLAME" the conclusion to the "Sky Chaser̈"series after an explosion forces the survivors of the Empyrean to evacuate their floundering ship. Trapped in a hostile environment on the New Horizon where Anne Mather is trying to build peace after all her crimes, threads of this exciting story follow Waverly Marshall's manipulation by an unscrupulous Council Elder and his untrustworthy son; Anne Mather's efforts to thwart their scheme by recruiting K The stage is set for a thrilling clash of wills in "FLAME" the conclusion to the "Sky Chaser̈"series after an explosion forces the survivors of the Empyrean to evacuate their floundering ship. Trapped in a hostile environment on the New Horizon where Anne Mather is trying to build peace after all her crimes, threads of this exciting story follow Waverly Marshall's manipulation by an unscrupulous Council Elder and his untrustworthy son; Anne Mather's efforts to thwart their scheme by recruiting Kieran Alden; and Seth Ardvale's tenacity and self-sacrifice in trying to prevent a killer from murdering the girl he loves as well as the ship's leader.

The plot is action-packed and mesmerizing as events unfold that have Waverly fighting to survive a devious plan that undermines her ethical values; Kieran becoming a living bomb; and Seth facing death to undermine a killer. In the topsy- turvy chaos as the heroine and heroes constantly face death, love blossoms between Kieran and Felicity Wiggam as the bond between Waverly and Seth strengthens. In all the violence and chaos new friendships are born, as hope, mercy and forgiveness grows.

The main characters - Waverly, Seth and Kieran- are unforgettable with all their imperfections and failings. Feisty and impulsive Waverly will do anything to protect her mother and easily falls into the clutches of the conniving and decrepit Dr. Wesley Carver, going along with his plan until his son threatens her life. Plagued by guilt Kieran Alden will do anything to save the survivors from his home ship, so is an easy target for the ruthless plotting of Anne Mather. Haunted by abuse and a lack of self-esteem which fuels his bad-temper, Seth's love for Waverly begins to change him, enabling him to sacrifice even his life to save her. These three and a host of others add high-energy, passion and drama to a plot that keeps you guessing until an explosive confrontation at the end.

I enjoyed this entire series but rate "FLAME" highly. Intriguing and suspenseful, it's enthralling from beginning to the end.
...more

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Feb 01, 2014 i. rated it really liked it

272!!! pages only ! That was my first though when I began this book,which by the way I didn't want to start because I didn't want to finish the best YA sci-fi trilogy EVER.

How disappointing (or human) are the crew members depicted by Amy Kathleen Ryan and the truth about how everything started is definitely heart-breaking .But given the way Spark ended I supposed that things were going to get worse before improving.

On page 24 I am aghast at how fast I am reading ,I am going to finish it in no ti ...more

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Oct 24, 2012 Georgia rated it it was amazing

Omg the last book!!! One of the best trilogies ever!!!

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Feb 01, 2018 Shelleen Toland rated it really liked it

In the thrilling conclusion to the Sky Chasers series Waverly, Kieran, and Seth struggle to survive on-board the New Horizon—and take down their enemies before it's too late. Waverly and the other members of the Empyrean have scattered, and their home ship has been destroyed. Their mission to rescue their parents didn't go as planned, and now they're at an even greater disadvantage: trapped with their enemies on the New Horizon

You never know who to trust. Who are the good people and the bad peop ...more

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Jun 27, 2017 Bella Martinez rated it it was amazing

Shelves: space-travel, futuristic

Completely unexpected ending. Ryan kept me guessing to the last page.

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Feb 03, 2020 Jamie rated it it was amazing

One of my new favorite trilogies. Keeps you on your toes and makes you feel connected with all of the characters. Great writing. Great story. I'd recommend to anyone. ...more

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Sep 15, 2013 Kimmy rated it liked it

Shelves: arc-e-arc-e-galley-publisher-copy

(3.5 stars)

From www.pingwings.ca
Source: Review copy received from publisher

From Goodreads:

In the thrilling conclusion to the Sky Chasers series Waverly, Kieran, and Seth struggle to survive on-board the New Horizon—and take down their enemies before it’s too late.

Waverly and the other members of the Empyrean have scattered, and their home ship has been destroyed. Their mission to rescue their parents didn’t go as planned, and now they’re at an even greater disadvantage: trapped with their enemie

...more

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Oct 01, 2012 Donna {Book Passion For Life} rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: ya-dystopian-scifi-thriller, for-review

Flame is the highly anticipated finale to Amy Kathleen Ryan's explosive Sky Chasers series, and this time we see Waverly, Kieran and Seth trying to take down their enemies aboard the New Horizon in completely different ways. With Anne Mathers trying to organize peace on board, things don't exactly smooth when the people of the Empyrean find it hard to forget. They've lost so much - their home, their friends and their families and starting over on the New Horizon with people that rule with an iro Flame is the highly anticipated finale to Amy Kathleen Ryan's explosive Sky Chasers series, and this time we see Waverly, Kieran and Seth trying to take down their enemies aboard the New Horizon in completely different ways. With Anne Mathers trying to organize peace on board, things don't exactly smooth when the people of the Empyrean find it hard to forget. They've lost so much - their home, their friends and their families and starting over on the New Horizon with people that rule with an iron fist, is not what they had in mind. Can Waverly, Kieran and Seth help their people get back all that they lost - or will they forever be under the rule of Anne Mathers?

As soon as I started Flame, everything I adore about Amy Kathleen Ryan's writing came flooding back to me. From the very first page of this series, I've been completely at Amy's mercy because of her addictive storyline and with each book she's wrote it's been even better than the last, so Flame certainly didn't disappoint. I'm always worried when I head into a final book to a series because you just never know what to expect, and with Amy throwing in so many shocking twists, in all, it was a fantastic conclusion.

I've always been a fan of Waverly's and this time around, she was just as good. She's clearly had a rougher time because she couldn't see anyway out of the mess her and her friends were in, and the fact that she felt so alone didn't help either. I think she's a very strong character, one that always tries to do the right thing, even though the right thing was not done to her. Her connection with Seth is as strong as ever and I was glad the story didn't focus on the love triangle - if anything, there isn't one any more. All three players - Waverly, Kieran and Seth all know what they want, and I was glad there was a happy ending for all. Seth and Kieran, by the end, I loved both of them. In the first two books I was on one team and then another, but like I said before, I'm glad Flame was more about the plot and not the romance.

There are many players in the plot of this book, it's exciting to unravel whose really the 'good' person and who deserves to be the leader the most. Old faces pop up and new faces, and the whole story is a really driven plot. It's full of suspense and quiet emotional in parts. So as you can see, there's nothing that I didn't like about this story, there's nothing not to like. I think what stood out for me was the ending. I believe Amy really took the time to deliver an ending that would be unforgettable and do her readers proud, one that if I'm honest shocked me - but in such a good way. I honestly never would have thought about ending it the way she did, but I loved the idea and what she did for the characters was fantastic.

I'm glad I decided to pick up the Sky Chasers series because it's one of my favourite science fiction series and I honestly don't have many, because I don't read much of the genre. But Amy has created a great series and I'm exciting to see what she writes next!
...more

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Mar 20, 2016 Samantha rated it it was amazing

Shelves: ya, ya-sci-fi, 2016

Flame is an amazing (and satisfying) ending to this action-packed trilogy.

Everyone is aboard the New Horizon. Waverly and Kieran are in the clutches of Ann Mather. Waverly also finds herself in a tug of war with another political actor on board.

In the previous two books I felt tugged between who to support among the three protagonists. In Flame, it felt good supporting and rooting for all three of them. They acknowledged that their previous actions messed up their relationship with others and th ...more

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Mar 23, 2021 isabella rated it it was amazing

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here. The ending to this series was PHENOMENAL.

I am going to talk about the whole series so here we go.

I loved Kieran and Waverly so much in the beginning of the book, so I was not expecting how much they would change throughout the series. Don't get me wrong, I still love them and their development throughout all of the problems they faced really showed what type of people they are. I absolutely HATED Kieran when he was captain of the Emryean. His congregations got me so angry especially since he KN ...more

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Sep 13, 2014 Carrie Stewart rated it it was ok

Shelves: ya

I think I quite liked the first book, and then it just went steadily downhill. I hated most of the characters in the second, since they seemed to switch personalities depending on what the plot called for. I think that was my main problem with it, I never connected to them because they didn't ring true. (The Kieran/Felicity thing especially. 'Oh, you're pretty, I guess I'll love you now.') This book picked up a bit, and I think the last third was particularly good, with a solid ending. But it di ...more

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Dec 22, 2014 Daisy rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Recommends it for: Fans of YA books set in space

Shelves: fiction, young-adult-teen, 4-star, awesome-setting, reviewed, girl-power, emotional-rollercoaster, 3rd-person-pov, read-in-2015, buddy-reads

And so it all ends! This has got to be one of the most tense books I have ever read. Having the two opposing groups of people trapped on the same ship was such a cool idea and it was so hard to guess what might happen next! The part before the ending was so eventful and emotional - amazing. After all that tension I wasn't expecting such a sentimental and cheesy ending, but it was good nonetheless. I was preparing myself for a more tragic and sudden end, and probably would have preferred one, and ...more

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Jul 29, 2013 Laura Resau rated it it was amazing

I was lucky enough to get a review copy of this book! It was a brilliant and satisfying conclusion to one of my favorite trilogies! Like the first two books, this one had exciting, fast-paced action, plenty of suspenseful intrigue, and lots of unexpected twists and turns. I also loved seeing how the main characters' relationships developed-- I don't want to give away any spoilers, but I'll say that it was heart-poundingly good stuff! I'm sad to see this series end, but the ending was so deeply s ...more

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Dec 17, 2012 Kandrea Cheney rated it really liked it

Shelves: series, young-adult, science-fiction

I thoroughly enjoyed this trilogy. While there were times I questioned how something could be possible, and times when the character's ignorance really got under my skin, the plot was thrilling and kept me turning the pages. Intense, romantic, a definite page-turner. Both genders will love this story. ...more

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Mar 27, 2014 Diane rated it it was amazing

I was completely drawn in to this conclusion of the Sky Chasers trilogy. What great characters and adventure! There are so few true SF/space travel books for teens these days, and this series is a unique and fascinating one. You have to read Glow, Spark, and then Flame, and if you like SF you will be glad you did!

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Nov 29, 2012 Otessa rated it it was amazing

Terrific end to a magnificent series.

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Dec 20, 2012 Renée rated it it was amazing

Loads of action leads up to the perfect ending to this series! I loved it! Best of the three!

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Jan 09, 2013 Edward Drew rated it it was amazing

3 MORE SLEEPS 3 MORE SLEEPS 3 MORE SLEEPS

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Aug 19, 2013 Hannah rated it really liked it

Love this series, totally blew me away. Happy with everything EXCEPT that we have to wait a year and a half for the last book....

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Dec 27, 2013 Drea rated it really liked it

Shelves: books-read-2013

Not as action pack as the first ones, but a satisfying end to the trilogy. Perhaps a little too neatly tied up in a bow, but I'm okay with it. Finally, a trilogy that doesn't let me down. ...more

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Jul 03, 2017 Horsegirl added it · review of another edition

Absolutely rewarding ending to an awesome and exciting series. Recommended.

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About Amy Kathleen Ryan

Amy Kathleen Ryan

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Amy Kathleen Ryan earned her MA from the University of Vermont, and her MFA from The New School in New York City.

Amy only reviews books she thinks are excellent.

Proud to be included in this list of classic science fiction titles: https://media.bookbub.com/blog/2015/0...

Follow her on TWITTER!!
https://twitter.com/AmyKathleenRyan

Website:
http://www.amykathleenryan.com ...more