The Jersey Devil by Hunter Shea-Book Review

“If it can bleed, it can die.” ~The Jersey Devil by Hunter Shea

I’ve read and reviewed a plethora of books, but not many make it to my blog.  Before I post one, I ask myself the following questions:

1. Was the writing fantastic?
2. Did the plot keep me excited and reading without skipping pages?
3. If it is horror, did it make me turn on the lights?

If the answers are yes to all of these questions, I consider the book a 5 star novel, and The Jersey Devil is definitely one of those books.

——

Old man Willet had a secret; a secret he and his family hid, and a secret they didn’t fully understand.  After years of lying dormant, The Jersey Devil decided to make a reappearance.  Sightings became more frequent and turning violent where they hadn’t  before.  Somehow tied to this creature, the Willet family, along with cryptozoologist Norm Cranston,  set out to find the Devil with the intent to destroy him, and hopefully sever all ties with the monster.  Read to find out if the Willets succeed, or if the Jersey Devil lives to terrorize another day.

I’ve been looking for a great horror book and definitely found it in this one.  The Jersey Devil kept me awake every night reading in the dark, sometimes forcing me to get up and roam through the house turning on the lights.  It did what I’d hoped.  It kept me up, made me paranoid, and afraid to turn out the lights.  Great work Mr. Shea!

I give this one 5 stars!

 

 

Review of Waking Wolfe by S.L. Shelton

I picked up this book a while back and I am so glad I did.  It didn’t take me very long to figure out why it’s a best seller.  It really is an awesome novel.

Scott Wolfe, a computer geek, security specialist and average Joe, finds himself knee deep in a quagmire of kidnapping, organized crime, murder, and international espionage when his ex-girlfriend is kidnapped abroad.  Instead of fiddle-farting around and waiting for the CIA to find her, Scott Wolfe avoids them altogether, and with the help of some old friends and a gorgeous new friend, he sets out to find her himself.

Will he succeed?

This book rolls like a locomotive.  Once it gets moving, it’s fast and non stop and all you can do is hold on and enjoy the ride.  I loved the detail Shelton put into this story and am very impressed with his computer, military, and geographical knowledge.  All of these things along with the ability to weave a fantastic plot, enhance the story and make this book a great thriller.

The characters feel real and are well developed, even the mysterious heroine.

The switch from first person to third person is difficult to pull off, but it worked quite well for this story and the author did a fantastic job.   I really enjoyed this book and plan to continue reading the series to find out what happens next.

Overall, Waking Wolfe is my top read of 2015.

I give this one 5 stars!

You can learn more about S.L. Sheldon on his blog.

You can also find his books on his Amazon author page.

Twitter:  @SLShelton

Happy Reading!

K.R. Rowe

KRRowe.com

Review of Deadfall Lane by Israel Finn

 

In a rage, Pete Denning commits an unspeakable act while in a desperate attempt to keep that which he loves –his son. But eliminating his problem doesn’t solve anything. It only breeds and nurtures his worst nightmare.

I’ve read Deadfall Lane twice and yes, it is that good.   It is a very short story that took me only about twenty minutes to read.

Finn weaves a chilling and gripping tale that left me thinking about it long after I finished reading it. This story has it all: love, hate, rejection, betrayal, murder and a deep, heavy creep factor to hold it all together.

Finn is an excellent author and I’ve read a few of his other stories, such as No Such Thing as Monsters and Stones. All are beautifully written and I recommend any one of Israel Finn stories.  If you have a few spare moments and want to fill them with something great to read, grab one.

Deadfall Lane gets 5 stars.

You can find all of Israel Finn books on his author page at Amazon.

Learn more about Israel Finn by following his website Israel Finn.com and follow him on twitter @Israel_Finn

Israel Finn  is a horror, dark fantasy, and speculative fiction writer, and a winner of the 80th Annual Writer’s Digest Short Story Competition. He’s had a life-long love affair with books, and was weaned on authors like Kurt Vonnegut, Ray Bradbury, Richard Matheson, Arthur C. Clarke and H.G. Wells. Books were always strewn everywhere about the big white house in Indiana where he grew up. He loves literary works (Dickens and Twain, for instance), but his main fascination lies in the fantastic and the macabre, probably because he was so heavily exposed to it early on.

Later he discovered Robert McCammon, Dean Koontz, F. Paul Wilson, Dan Simmons, Ramsey Campbell, and (God help us, everyone) Stephen Edwin King, as well as several others, and the die was indelibly cast.

Right now he lives with his wife in southern California.

 

Review of Elena: Divinity Rising Issue 1 & 2

Being an author, I try to be more diverse with my reading material, but it’s been a long time since I’ve read a comic book.  I’ve admired the artwork on Elena: Divinity Rising for ages and I jumped at the opportunity to read the first two issues.  If the story was as great as the covers, then I wouldn’t be disappointed.  I was right, these comics are fantastic, and they reminded me of what I’ve been missing!

Elena, a gifted young Russian woman working with the CIA believes she is investigating the terrorist group, Yuri.  She, along with her boss Miller and her friend Alex, soon find the latest threat they face is not Yuri at all, but something far different.

The action in issue #1 starts on the first page and doesn’t stop.  The ending left me scrambling to get into issue #2 to find out what happens next.

I really enjoyed Elena: Divinity Rising and I can’t wait for issue 3 and 4 to come out.

The story is gripping and exciting and the artwork is fantastic.  Darren Pearce and Stuart Jennet did an amazing job putting these issues together.

If you love action, suspense, and explosions, then you’ll love Elena: Divinity Rising.  Grab a copy and dive head first into Elena’s world.  Find out more about this young woman and her extraordinary gift.

I loved these comics and give both issues five stars.

You can purchase your copies at IN2THEREVIEW STORE

Hey, if you are over on social media, you can follow Elena: Divinity Rising on Twitter at @ElenaAnchova and like the Elena Book Series on Facebook.

Happy Reading!

K. R. Rowe

KRRowe.com

Review of KIN by Kealan Patrick Burke

           

Elkwood, AL

A teenage girl is found wandering alone; nude, battered, missing an eye.  Her friends murdered, her captors hot on her trail, she escapes to live another day with the help of an old man and his son.

KIN is the best book I’ve read this year.

Not only did KIN keep me glued to my kindle, Burke’s detailed descriptions horrified me and turned my stomach.  I could almost smell the rancid stench of “Mama-in-bed” and nearly gagged along with her son Luke, when he tasted the putrid funk infusing the air of her room.

Without giving away any of the plot, I have to say that the moments leading up to Luke’s “rebirth” is quite possibly the best and most unsettling scene I have ever read in a book.  Just the thought of this scene disturbed me for days.  So much so, in fact, I had to read it to a few others to disturb them as well.  A good disturbance is meant to be shared.

Burke’s writing style has a unique descriptive quality, both horror and non-horror.  In perfect contrast to the more shocking descriptions, I found quite a few beautifully written lines, such as, ” … consciousness flickering like a candle flame in a draft.”  and “The breeze snatched the smoke from the car, dragging it into the rain.”

This author’s ability to make me love, hate, and empathize with his characters is incredible. In the end, I actually felt sorry for one of those murderous bastards and found myself cheering for him.

Contrary to a statement an Amazon reviewer posted, the family as a unit, did not approve nor condone incest.  These people were sick, murderous, and cannibalistic, but inner family relations were harshly dealt with.  As a Southern girl, I am pleased that Mr. Burke did not fall into this type of stereotypical behavior with the characters of this story.  Yeah, yeah, I know, but I am ok with reading about murder and cannibalism. We all have our demons.

I give this one a firm 5 stars.  In all honesty, I absolutely loved this novel, but if you are easily disturbed, this book may not be for you.

Otherwise, read it!  🙂

You can find KIN on Amazon and find more of this authors books on his Amazon Author page.

You can also learn more about Kealan Burke on his website.

Review of Flowers for Evelene by Joseph A. Pinto

When we first meet Doug, he appears to be a normal average guy, but just a scratch below the surface, we find a tortured, confused man battling a consuming addiction—Evelene.

Doug tried to fight Evelene’s seduction and thought he’d won, but he made a horrid mistake. He invited her into his life again. Now she’s relentless, haunting him, whispering in his ear, convincing him that all those who are dear to him are trying to cause him harm. She pulls him back into her world repeatedly, but will he finally break free, or will he succumb to all she desires?

See for yourself.

I am impressed with the author’s ability to lock us inside the mind of a man who appears to be going insane. The question of Evelene’s existence is always in the forefront our minds. Is she real? Is she a demon? Is she a figment of Doug’s imagination? She is his addiction, and that is about as real as it can get for Doug.

Joseph Pinto’s writing is fluid, descriptive and a joy to read; no stumbling over awkward sentences, no eye-catching errors, just a nice relaxing book with an addictive plot that kept me turning pages as fast as I could.

Just remember, this is erotic horror, so don’t expect your Granny’s Reader’s Digest.

Be prepared for anything.

I gave this one 5 stars.

You can find Flowers For Evelene here:

Amazon US

Amazon UK

Learn more about Joseph A. Pinto at  https://josephpinto.wordpress.com/ and follow him on twitter @josephapinto.

Review of The Dead Lands by Dylan J. Morgan

One hundred years after nuclear war devastated Hemera, its President sends a distress signal to its sister planet, Erebus. Hemera’s president has awakened and needs help. Lane, a government hit man, is forced into a military mission to Hemera to find and rescue the president. Lane is thrown into the mix with twenty other soldiers, many of whom despise him–including a former love interest.

Told the planet was uninhabited—no life existed—the soldiers stepped foot on its surface to find they were not alone.

Mankind existed–but so did something else.

Morgan nailed it with The Dead Lands. This book has everything: great characters—both loved and despised, a touch of romance, a touch of humor, a whole lot of blood, gore, guts, brains, and my favorite—bone fragments.

The action was almost nonstop, and absolutely teeth-clenching and nail-biting. The author added just the perfect amount of down time between action sequences to allow the reader to take a deep breath and get ready for more.

Morgan’s writing is beautifully descriptive. Not only is he well versed in describing carnage, some of the scenes he paints for the readers are absolutely gorgeous. One of my favorite lines was, “Water droplets fell like stars discarded by the arrival of early morning sunlight.”
Simply poetic …

The author has an uncanny knack of pulling the reader directly into the mind of his creations. I wanted to cry, puke, and pee my pants right along with the characters.

The Dead Lands is a shining example of how excellent writing and a great plot come together to make a fantastic book.

Guys, this has everything you’ll ever ask for in a book. Ladies, there is a love story hidden in its pages.

I give this one 5 stars. If I could give it more, I would.

The Dead Lands is now available!  Grab your copy!

Amazon US

Amazon UK

Learn more about Dylan J. Morgan at http://dylanjmorgan.wordpress.com/

Review of Treed by Craig McGray

McGray hacked open the pages of this short story, shoved in a load of gore and depravity, and sewed it up tight with the threads of freakin’ awesome.

Treed is a mini story with maximum punch. When a deal between two psychopaths goes sour, the deadly duo find themselves stuck in a twisted alliance and haunted by the same gruesome specter.   While in the forest attempting to cover up their latest despicable deed, the two men find that this time, they are not the ones creating the nightmares, but in fact they are forced to face the demons of their own.

This story took me about an hour to read.  It is well written, well thought out, and very descriptive.  It was gross, disturbing, and a little stomach turning–as it should be.  The dialogue was very nicely done and refreshingly foul, the story original, and I enjoyed the slight touch of humor here and there.

One line I particularly enjoyed was, “… moving her was like moving a plank of wood-a bloody, sticky plank.”  I have to admit, that gave me bit of a chuckle.

I’m looking forward to reading more of McGray’s work.  I have no trouble recommending this one.

I give this one 5 stars.

You can buy Treed at:

Amazon US

Amazon UK

Learn more about Craig McGray at:  http://craigmmcgraywrites.blogspot.com/

 

 

Review of Sam by Darlene Purcell

Sam is a touching tale of love, compassion, deceit, and survival. Set in the old west, we meet Sam Johnson, a dying man, whose sedated thoughts take us back to relive his unusual life. Sometimes hilarious, and always heartwarming, we get a glimpse of his poor but happy childhood.

The story then shifts to Violet. Desperate, crying, and nowhere to go, Sam takes pity on her and offers her a job and a place to live. Although Sam is not a good-looking man and his hygiene is atrocious, eventually Violet falls in love with him—but the feeling isn’t mutual. In a selfish act of deceit and betrayal, Violet tricks Sam into marrying her, forever destroying their friendship.

About half way through the story, we find that Sam has a secret.

Take a peek and find out why Sam can never love Violet the way she truly wants to be loved. I really enjoyed reading Sam. It was a very well written novel and I found myself reading every chance I had.

Some of the dialogue was a little hard to understand but once I got accustomed to it, it was fine.

I do not hesitate in recommending this book. I loved it!

I give it a five star.

You can buy Sam at:

Amazon US

Amazon UK

 

Review of Pilgrimage of Angels by Raymond Sardella and J.D. Rice

 

The endless fields of heaven burned for days on end …

The first line of this book hooked me instantly.  After I finished the first chapter, I couldn’t stop reading.

The mixture of mythology and religion is ingenious.  The descriptive scenes are so nicely done that I felt like I actually woke in a field of new born Angels.  I could almost smell and feel the scorched lines of the earth as Hermes followed the smoking paths of the fell-beasts through the green fields of Heaven.  I felt Greagian’s pain from the loss of a friend in battle and his overwhelming emotion as he stood at the throne of our Father.

If the vivid descriptions are not enough, there is plenty of fast paced action and fighting to keep you occupied as you read.  This is a very nicely written book and I’m very impressed.  I do need to point out that this is not a religious book.

The only negative was that it ended, but it really hasn’t.

The war has only begun …

I give this one a 5 star.

You can find Pilgrimage of Angels at:

Amazon US

Amazon UK

You can find Raymond Sardella at:   http://raymondsardella.com/