New Review! Fireproof Girl by Loretta Lost, 2 Cranky Stars

The Fireproof Girl by Loretta Lost
My rating: 2 of 5 stars

** 2 Cranky Stars **

Abandoned at birth, Sophie grew up neglected and abused. A talented computer whizz, Sophie's life changes when she meets Cole Hunter. He becomes her brother, her protector, and a reason to keep going.

Years later, Sophie and Cole are estranged. When she learns of his murder, Sophie sets out to find the killer and try to bury ghosts from her past.

Somewhere in here is a good book with a lot of potential that wasn't realized.

Time switches can be great literary devices. They can also slow down the pace of the story. Alas, this book was the latter.

There's a mystery in here that is dropped in pieces, but I really felt that some of this should've been indicated earlier in the story. It would've given the reader something to hang onto as the book moves from the past to the present.

It's expected that some level of belief is suspended in works of fiction. This book, however, had areas where I couldn't do that and it made me question the whole work.

The end didn't leave me intrigued. It left me frustrated.

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New Review! Rise of the Branded by Scott Keen, 5 Cranky Stars

Rise of the Branded by Scott Keen
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

***** 5 Cranky Stars *****

This book takes off where book 1 ended with Crik and Jak and the other Downers in the group escaping from Ungstah with the help of the Avarah and Durgan the captain of the guard.

They are free but are faced with many dangers from the Rukmush, the witch's horned crows and the Kings blue guard and the ghostly Kurokah under the witch's control.

They meet and are assisted by an eccentric wizard and there is a dramatic rescue back at Ungstah.
As with book one this one enthralled me and I am anxiously awaiting book three.

In my humble opinion, this author is a master story teller and as such deserves again 5 stars for his book.

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New Review! Scar of the Downers by Scott Keen, 5 Cranky Stars

Scar of the Downers by Scott Keen
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

***** 5 Cranky Stars *****

Friends, Andevin and Forden are on their way to Ungstah on a mission for Andevin's father. On their way they are ambushed and killed.

Ungstah is the city of fire and smoke, ruled over by the Gaunt King who is manipulated by the Voice behind the throne and an ancient wicked witch.

Downers are people who are branded like cattle and owned by masters who treat them worse than dogs. Rik and Jak are two of these Downers and the central characters of this tale.

This book is peopled by fantastic creatures, the Rukmush, flesh eaters, The Dendron, wood people, The Ashes, monstrous ash and fire beings to name but a few.

The setting of the book is reminiscent of Edwardian times and the author did an amazing job of world building and the story captivated and held my interest from beginning to end and I could barely wait to dive into book 2.

My rating of 5 stars then should come as no surprise!

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New Review! Holy Remedy by J.G. Martin, 2 Cranky Stars

Holy Remedy by J.G. Martins
My rating: 2 of 5 stars

** 2 Cranky Stars **

Set in Hungary in the mid-13th Century, the Magyars are rebuilding their kingdom after the devastation by the Mongol Hordes.

A disease strikes Baron Levente and the chief advisor, Bishop Konrad, declares it's supernatural in origin - a curse.

Knight Rodger Clement is sent to find a cure in the Bukk Mountains. The foster son of Baron Levente, this strikes close to home for Rodger and he will do whatever he can to see his mentor healed.

This is a book to me that needed more work. Some of the writing is clunky, especially the speech tags and the structure of the book takes away a lot of the suspense i.e. you know who the central mystery and who the bad people are because the reader is told. As such, a lot of the tension is lost when the work, overall, would have benefited from it.

There is also head hopping - from one character to the next in the space of the same chapter. This is unnecessary and needs to be eradicated.

If the above were fixed, Holy Remedy has the potential to be a very good that I'd recommend for young adults.

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New Review! Crush Me by Stasia Black, 3 Cranky Stars

Crush Me by Stasia Black
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

*** 3 Cranky Stars ***

Calliope Cruise hasn't made many wise choices. She was a promising young mind at Stanford in the field of robotics engineering until a dashing professor comes along. Flash forward to almost 3 years later she's struggling. Living with her sister trying to make ends meet. We can only guess how that meeting went with the professor.

Bryce Gentry is the owner of a cutting edge robotics company. He seems charming at first glance but underneath he's a manipulative jerk who plays with people making it seem like they wanted to be treated this way. He hires Calliope simply because she has a nice body among other assets. He does unspeakable things to Calliope and even goes as far as to use her to woo Jackson Vale to collaborate on a new drone. Him and Jackson aren't on stable ground their friendship burned to the ground.

Jackson Vale is the owner of a robotics company as well. Focusing on more civilian and company use. He meets the beautiful Calliope Cruise during a lunch meeting one that didn't sit well with him. He sets out to win Callie over with his gentlemanly ways and a job offer. He also gives Callie fair warning of who the real Bryce Gentry is. He finds himself very drawn to her and get's involved in her personal life. Feelings and hearts are on the line.

I'm all for a good smutty book and this book read like a soft core porn. Some plot and steamy sex yet we get to that pivotal moment toward the end that kind of came out of left field and was rather disturbing. I'm a huge fan of dark books but this didn't sit right with me for some odd reason. Also Gentry needs to work on his terms i mean half the stuff he said was just juvenile and rather cringeworthy. He needs a class on talking dirty. I wish I could say a million nice things. At its core it had a lot of potential especially the story running parallel to the kinky stuff. Yes there is a second book so I heard but I'm thinking i'll end the Callie, Jackson, Gentry train at this stop.

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New Review! Copperfield Lane by JL Long, 4.5 Cranky Stars

Copperfield Lane (Copperfield Lane Volume 1)

Copperfield Lane by JL Long
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

**** 4.5 Cranky Stars ****

Married couples at some point hit the proverbial wall. Am I enough? Is he enough? Do I look ok? Self doubt creeping in will taint anyone and that's what we see here in Copperfield Lane. It's the story of a couple fighting to keep their marriage. Two people who are very much in love and get the butterflies when they touch. It's coping with ever changing life.

Selena has been dealt a tragic blow. Reeling from the loss of her brother she flees her once safe happy town. She skips from town to town never staying long trying to run from memories instead of dealing with them head on. Lena is a runner and is scared of being in one spot. The day to day is what she fears the most. Her brother's best friend is her partner on the road. She feels something epic for him and hopes he returns the feelings.

Lawson has always loved Selena. He would follow her to the ends of the earth and basically he does. He dreams of one day settling down in the small town where he's from and raising a family. One day he makes the leap and tells Selena how he really feels and here we find ourselves in the present day. He runs a successful tattoo business and he's living the dream. Except it't not all sunshine and roses. He is fighting to keep his family.

This book isn't watching a marriage stay afloat - it's hope. Hope that if you and your partner are in this moment you can break on through. Yet this book has a layer of mystery and one very vile woman. Without giving too much away I hope everyone reads his book and its unique plot line. I like how JL Long blended a piece of the past into the future and made this story its own. My only issue with it was it was short but that's just how the story played out and I can't wait for the continuation of Lawson and Selena.

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New Release! Lines Drawn by Ker Dukey

Lines Drawn (Drawn to you Book 2)

By Author Ker Dukey

Release Date: March 27, 2017

Synopsis

One phone call.

One secret.

One moment changed us all.

Everything is different now and learning to survive all over again comes with a price.

Deception, heartbreak, and sorrow implode the relationships that were once strong.

The lines are drawn, who will cross it?

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Also available on Kindle Unlimited!

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Also available on Kindle Unlimited!

Coming Soon From Ker Dukey

Evi Devil.
Yes, that’s really my name.
The irony is not lost on me.
I was created from two evil souls and have the name to prove it.
Devil worshipers, perverts, murderer. Is all terms used to describe the parents I refuse to remember. My mind won’t allow me to.
And why would I want to?
One born of dirty blood running through her veins can never truly be clean from its murky hue.
No matter what they try to tell me happened in my past, my mind denies me access, therefore how can I know it’s true?
How can I believe that’s what I’m born from?
Glimpses of my past haunt me, the screams of terror echo in the silent darkness of my memories, trying to remind me that my Mother went from room to room butchering our family.
I’ve learned from scars that I suffered abuse and that my Father and siblings weren’t my Mother’s only victims.
Hearing what they tell me.
Reading the words printed in the papers. None of it can prepare me for what’s to come.
My biggest lesson is learning that some memories we suppress for a reason.

DEVIL.
A DARK SUSPENSE NOVEL

Release date: to be determined

Meet Ker Dukey

I have always had a passion for storytelling, whether it be through lyrics or bedtime stories with my sisters. I wanted to be an actress growing up so I could live many roles but I learned early on that my mind was too active… I would want to change the script.I would watch films and think of ways they could have improved the story if they took another direction so I thought it best that I tell my own.

My mum would always have a book in her hand when I was young and passed on her love for reading, inspiring me to venture into writing my own. I tend to have a darker edge to my writing. Not all love stories are made of light, some are created in darkness but are just as powerful and worth telling.

When I’m not lost in the world of characters I love spending time with my family. I’m a mum and that comes first in my life but when I do get down time I love attending music concerts or reading events with my younger sister.

You can find me on Facebook where I love interacting with my readers.

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Cranky - The Book Curmudgeon