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In Defiance of Fate Meradeth Houston
As far as Ami’s concerned, her job as a cosmic coincidence maker has gotten her all she’s ever wanted: the man she loves, a house on the beach, and work that hasn’t required her to save the world…recently. But, fate is about to drag Ami and Luke back to San Francisco for a job that will make her question everything she thought she knew about who, and what, she is.
Tasked with a new assignment for a job that neither Luke nor Ami understand, except that it’s important enough to sneak back into the city they called home for more than a century, Ami must ask a stranger to give up her whole life, because “fate” seems to have willed it.
While visiting old friends and familiar haunts, Ami and Luke notice that something strange is brewing in the city. Other coincidence-creating partnerships have banded together to create their own vision of the future. Ami and Luke have always obeyed the cues they’re given from their mysterious overseers, still, the thought of walking away and creating her own fate is incredibly tempting after being controlled for so long…
As if that wasn’t enough, the group that planned a previous bio-terrorism attack re-emerges, this time with plans to create chaos and death all along the San Andreas fault. Now Ami has to make a choice: help stop the attack, even though they haven’t been authorized to step in, and run the risk of setting fate on an uncharted course that could be catastrophic in its own right; or let millions of innocent people die, risking her own life in the process.
Controlling people’s fate is what Ami and Luke do: it’s what they’ve been tasked with for millennia by an inscrutable force. But when fate demands the impossible, what will defiance cost?
Tasked with a new assignment for a job that neither Luke nor Ami understand, except that it’s important enough to sneak back into the city they called home for more than a century, Ami must ask a stranger to give up her whole life, because “fate” seems to have willed it.
While visiting old friends and familiar haunts, Ami and Luke notice that something strange is brewing in the city. Other coincidence-creating partnerships have banded together to create their own vision of the future. Ami and Luke have always obeyed the cues they’re given from their mysterious overseers, still, the thought of walking away and creating her own fate is incredibly tempting after being controlled for so long…
As if that wasn’t enough, the group that planned a previous bio-terrorism attack re-emerges, this time with plans to create chaos and death all along the San Andreas fault. Now Ami has to make a choice: help stop the attack, even though they haven’t been authorized to step in, and run the risk of setting fate on an uncharted course that could be catastrophic in its own right; or let millions of innocent people die, risking her own life in the process.
Controlling people’s fate is what Ami and Luke do: it’s what they’ve been tasked with for millennia by an inscrutable force. But when fate demands the impossible, what will defiance cost?
300 pages, ebook
Published March 30, 2021
About the author
Meradeth Houston
15 books278 followersMeradeth Houston lives in Montana where she’s an anthropology professor and scientist. If you let her, she’ll tell you more than you ever wanted to know about getting DNA out of dead stuff. She enjoys escaping the snow by imagining herself back in her favorite places in her home state of California, with a little drama or supernatural flare added in.
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Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews
April 13, 2021
It is a testament to acclaimed author Meradeth Houston's ability to write with delicious irony and tongue-in-cheek wry humor, that I, someone who normally never reads paranormal suspense, couldn't put this page-turner down. Using vivid details that are logical and science-based, Houston creates is able to create a strong, believable, and amazing plot, full of both unexpected twists and heart-tugging revelations.
This intriguing second novel in the Coincidence Makers series centers around engaging and empathetic main characters Luke and Ami, whom readers meet in the riveting first book, THE COINCIDENCE MAKERS, and who are tasked with controlling people’s fate for millennia by an inscrutable force. When fate demands the impossible, they must discover what their defiance will cost them, and the reader turns the pages in swift anticipation.
The vivid, action-filled plot is enhanced by Houston's whimsical sense of humor which presents s a delightful counterpoint to the suspense: "My knees were pressed to my stomach as I laid on my side in a horrible parody of a yoga position— ironically, I was in pants and a tee meant for yoga, even though I’d never actually used them for such. Maybe if I had, I’d have been able to feel my right hip in the last two hours."
Her characters are vividly drawn, appealing to the reader, for example, when main character Ami says, “Because it’s terrible! What in the hell are we going to tell them? That they get to live forever? Yay! That they’ll watch everyone they know and love wither and die? Awesome! That they’ll spend their lives trying to make sense of a universe that doesn’t explain one damn little thing? So fun! That they’ll never get to experience life like everyone else?” My throat closed off and I bowed my chin to my chest, fighting back the rush of tears that threatened to wash over me." In another dramatic sequence, Houston writes: "I couldn’t pinpoint why that made me want to rage, pound my fist against the dashboard, or scream out the window. It just did."
Believable characters are key to making a plot credible, especially in paranormal suspense. Luke and Ami are engaging, witty, empathetic, and courageous, which allows the reader to accept them and believe in them, even with their creative paranormal capabilities. They certainly are human and believable. Houston's scientific background (forensic anthropology professor) makes these plots and characters well-grounded in the real world, a definite plus in writing her well-crafted books. Check out IN DEFIANCE OF FATE—and her first in the series, as well—THE COINCIDENCE MAKERS—and discerning readers will be thoroughly delighted!
This intriguing second novel in the Coincidence Makers series centers around engaging and empathetic main characters Luke and Ami, whom readers meet in the riveting first book, THE COINCIDENCE MAKERS, and who are tasked with controlling people’s fate for millennia by an inscrutable force. When fate demands the impossible, they must discover what their defiance will cost them, and the reader turns the pages in swift anticipation.
The vivid, action-filled plot is enhanced by Houston's whimsical sense of humor which presents s a delightful counterpoint to the suspense: "My knees were pressed to my stomach as I laid on my side in a horrible parody of a yoga position— ironically, I was in pants and a tee meant for yoga, even though I’d never actually used them for such. Maybe if I had, I’d have been able to feel my right hip in the last two hours."
Her characters are vividly drawn, appealing to the reader, for example, when main character Ami says, “Because it’s terrible! What in the hell are we going to tell them? That they get to live forever? Yay! That they’ll watch everyone they know and love wither and die? Awesome! That they’ll spend their lives trying to make sense of a universe that doesn’t explain one damn little thing? So fun! That they’ll never get to experience life like everyone else?” My throat closed off and I bowed my chin to my chest, fighting back the rush of tears that threatened to wash over me." In another dramatic sequence, Houston writes: "I couldn’t pinpoint why that made me want to rage, pound my fist against the dashboard, or scream out the window. It just did."
Believable characters are key to making a plot credible, especially in paranormal suspense. Luke and Ami are engaging, witty, empathetic, and courageous, which allows the reader to accept them and believe in them, even with their creative paranormal capabilities. They certainly are human and believable. Houston's scientific background (forensic anthropology professor) makes these plots and characters well-grounded in the real world, a definite plus in writing her well-crafted books. Check out IN DEFIANCE OF FATE—and her first in the series, as well—THE COINCIDENCE MAKERS—and discerning readers will be thoroughly delighted!
March 26, 2021
This is book 2 in the series, but it can be read as a stand alone! The author gives us enough back story to jump right into this book and get lost in the world of Luke and Ami. The reader will instantly want to go back and read book 1 just because they know it will be amazing, but they can read this one and be just fine.
Luke and Ami have to "recruit" some new coincidence makers while once again trying to save the world. They are back in San Francisco and have met up with their old friends and of course their old enemies. The plot is fast moving, the author has the reader on the edge of their seat as she weaves a tale that keeps the reader trying to predict what is going to happen next. Author Meradeth Houston takes the reader on a looping, curving, winding, twisting road that leaves the reader breathless from the ride!
I love the author's writing style, her attention to detail and the characters that she brings us. The reader feels like they are in San Francisco and rushing to figure out what is going to happen to both the city and the characters! This is one of those books that the reader wants to zoom through while at the same time they never want the story to end. The reader alternates between needing to know what happens next and instantly wanting to start reading the book again once they finish.
This is a must read and a must read NOW!! Don't hesitate to add this one to your TBR list and move it right to the TOP! Don't miss out on this amazing read!
Luke and Ami have to "recruit" some new coincidence makers while once again trying to save the world. They are back in San Francisco and have met up with their old friends and of course their old enemies. The plot is fast moving, the author has the reader on the edge of their seat as she weaves a tale that keeps the reader trying to predict what is going to happen next. Author Meradeth Houston takes the reader on a looping, curving, winding, twisting road that leaves the reader breathless from the ride!
I love the author's writing style, her attention to detail and the characters that she brings us. The reader feels like they are in San Francisco and rushing to figure out what is going to happen to both the city and the characters! This is one of those books that the reader wants to zoom through while at the same time they never want the story to end. The reader alternates between needing to know what happens next and instantly wanting to start reading the book again once they finish.
This is a must read and a must read NOW!! Don't hesitate to add this one to your TBR list and move it right to the TOP! Don't miss out on this amazing read!
April 15, 2021
It is a testament to acclaimed author Meradeth Houston's ability to write with delicious irony and tongue-in-cheek wry humor, that I, someone who normally never reads paranormal suspense, couldn't put this page-turner down. Using vivid details that are logical and science-based, Houston creates a strong, believable, and amazing plot, full of both unexpected twists and heart-tugging revelations.
This intriguing second novel in the Coincidence Makers series centers around engaging and empathetic main characters Luke and Ami, whom readers meet in the riveting first book, THE COINCIDENCE MAKERS, and who are tasked with controlling people’s fate for millennia by an inscrutable force. When fate demands the impossible, they must discover what their defiance will cost them, and the reader turns the pages in swift anticipation.
The vivid, action-filled plot is enhanced by Houston's whimsical sense of humor which presents s a delightful counterpoint to the suspense: "My knees were pressed to my stomach as I laid on my side in a horrible parody of a yoga position— ironically, I was in pants and a tee meant for yoga, even though I’d never actually used them for such. Maybe if I had, I’d have been able to feel my right hip in the last two hours."
Her characters are vividly drawn, appealing to the reader, for example, when main character Ami says, “Because it’s terrible! What in the hell are we going to tell them? That they get to live forever? Yay! That they’ll watch everyone they know and love wither and die? Awesome! That they’ll spend their lives trying to make sense of a universe that doesn’t explain one damn little thing? So fun! That they’ll never get to experience life like everyone else?” My throat closed off and I bowed my chin to my chest, fighting back the rush of tears that threatened to wash over me." In another dramatic sequence, Houston writes: "I couldn’t pinpoint why that made me want to rage, pound my fist against the dashboard, or scream out the window. It just did."
Believable characters are key to making a plot credible, especially in paranormal suspense. Luke and Ami are engaging, witty, empathetic, and courageous, which allows the reader to accept them and believe in them, even with their creative paranormal capabilities. They certainly are human and believable. Houston's scientific background (forensic anthropology professor) makes these plots and characters well-grounded in the real world, a definite plus in writing her well-crafted books. Check out IN DEFIANCE OF FATE—and her first in the series, as well—THE COINCIDENCE MAKERS—and discerning readers will be thoroughly delighted!
This intriguing second novel in the Coincidence Makers series centers around engaging and empathetic main characters Luke and Ami, whom readers meet in the riveting first book, THE COINCIDENCE MAKERS, and who are tasked with controlling people’s fate for millennia by an inscrutable force. When fate demands the impossible, they must discover what their defiance will cost them, and the reader turns the pages in swift anticipation.
The vivid, action-filled plot is enhanced by Houston's whimsical sense of humor which presents s a delightful counterpoint to the suspense: "My knees were pressed to my stomach as I laid on my side in a horrible parody of a yoga position— ironically, I was in pants and a tee meant for yoga, even though I’d never actually used them for such. Maybe if I had, I’d have been able to feel my right hip in the last two hours."
Her characters are vividly drawn, appealing to the reader, for example, when main character Ami says, “Because it’s terrible! What in the hell are we going to tell them? That they get to live forever? Yay! That they’ll watch everyone they know and love wither and die? Awesome! That they’ll spend their lives trying to make sense of a universe that doesn’t explain one damn little thing? So fun! That they’ll never get to experience life like everyone else?” My throat closed off and I bowed my chin to my chest, fighting back the rush of tears that threatened to wash over me." In another dramatic sequence, Houston writes: "I couldn’t pinpoint why that made me want to rage, pound my fist against the dashboard, or scream out the window. It just did."
Believable characters are key to making a plot credible, especially in paranormal suspense. Luke and Ami are engaging, witty, empathetic, and courageous, which allows the reader to accept them and believe in them, even with their creative paranormal capabilities. They certainly are human and believable. Houston's scientific background (forensic anthropology professor) makes these plots and characters well-grounded in the real world, a definite plus in writing her well-crafted books. Check out IN DEFIANCE OF FATE—and her first in the series, as well—THE COINCIDENCE MAKERS—and discerning readers will be thoroughly delighted!
April 15, 2021
Ami and Luke are immortal coincidence makers, but it isn't a fate Ami would wish on anyone. When they are tasked with getting two people to meet to become like them, Ami isn't certain she wants it to happen. Luke disagrees, and things are rocky as they meet up with old friends as they discover that perhaps the bio-terrorists they believed they had thwarted are readying for another attack. While they have not been tasked to stop it, can they stand by and let millions of people die or will they take the chance and do this on their own?
This is the second book in this thrilling speculative fiction series, and it is even better than the first. It's immensely well-written and smart with a layered plot. I empathized with Ami as she struggled with wanting to recruit the new coincidence makers and wanting to let them choose their own fates as she did not feel she got to choose her own. The rogue coincidence makers had decided they're not taking orders any more and want to act as gods, but that's not the role Ami wants to play either. All the while there is a job to be done and a huge terrorist attack to stop. There are twists and turns which made me gasp, and while this could be a stand alone book, it sets the stage for even bigger things to come. I can't wait!
This is the second book in this thrilling speculative fiction series, and it is even better than the first. It's immensely well-written and smart with a layered plot. I empathized with Ami as she struggled with wanting to recruit the new coincidence makers and wanting to let them choose their own fates as she did not feel she got to choose her own. The rogue coincidence makers had decided they're not taking orders any more and want to act as gods, but that's not the role Ami wants to play either. All the while there is a job to be done and a huge terrorist attack to stop. There are twists and turns which made me gasp, and while this could be a stand alone book, it sets the stage for even bigger things to come. I can't wait!
July 5, 2021
Another great story
This second installment of the Coincidence Makers takes the reader on a whole new job with Ami and Luke, while also adding insight into the world of the Coincidence Makers. There are some familiar characters I was happy to see and new faces as well. It all culminates in an exciting climax that sets up more stories to come.
This second installment of the Coincidence Makers takes the reader on a whole new job with Ami and Luke, while also adding insight into the world of the Coincidence Makers. There are some familiar characters I was happy to see and new faces as well. It all culminates in an exciting climax that sets up more stories to come.
July 30, 2021
Wow! This book took me for a ride. Excitement, action packed, romance. Loved this book. Another great read from Meradeth Houston!
Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews