Jest....It waits no longer by David Warren

Spine-Tingling!! Mesmerizing!

From the Publisher

Nicole Carzon is an average, young college student, trying to cope with everyday life and an alcoholic father. Life has not been easy since her mother left; in reality, it was the source of the problem. Nevertheless, everything changed the day she received the letter. Her grandfather, having been estranged with his own son for years, shocks everyone when he bypasses her father and names Nicole as heir to his castle in England.

With an angry father and the summer off, Nicole and her friends decide now is the perfect time to fly overseas and meet with her late grandfather’s solicitor, Andrew Willis. Once they arrive, they are overwhelmed with the history and nostalgia pulsating from the 600-year-old Bodlum Castle. However, as Nicole and her friends soon come to realize, this castle has an ancient occupant. One that has been lying dormant and patiently waiting for hundreds of years…

It waits no longer……

My Take

Jest….it waits no longer starts out as an innocuous story about a sick old man and a group of college kids looking for their trip of a lifetime. Disneyworld would have been a much better choice…….

David Warren definitely has a talent for spinning a sweet little tale into a spine-tingling thriller. His writing keeps the reader mesmerized in the activities going on at Bodlum Castle—putting the book down is next to impossible. I had no idea when I started Jest that I would rush through my life just so I could get back to the book. I made up excuses so I could sit down and turn some pages, especially near the end.

Reading is my passion so I have read a ton of thrillers and most of the time I have either an idea who the killer is or can eliminate “suspects”.  I thought I had the killer all figured out in Jest—all the way to the last 10 pages. Needless to say I was completely shocked when the real killer, and the reasons for the killings, was revealed. When I finally put the book down, I had to sit for a minute just to take it all in!

This book undeniably rates 5 out of 5 stars. Mr Warren is an author to watch—he is certainly an up-and-comer in the literary world. I, for one, can’t wait for the second book in the series Jest 2: Welcome Home.
 

Brighton Publishing has provided me with a complimentary copy of Jest in exchange for my personal, unbiased review.

About the Author

David Warren first started writing at the age of nine after he discovered Franklin W Dixon’s Hardy Boys Series. Some of David’s mystery stories appeared in the local school newspaper. As he grew older so did his writing tastes and soon Stephen King and Dean Koontz replaced his adolescent heroes of Frank and Joe Hardy. 

He was born and raised in southern New Jersey but now resides in Blandon, Pennsylvania with his wife and three young children. When he’s not writing, you can find David spending time with his family or curled up with a good book. Jest is his first published novel.

David Warren wants to hear from you!

Amber Grey: Calm Before the Storm by Jennifer Coalwell

Captivating!! Riveting!! Mesmerizing!!

From the Publisher

Tom and Dara Grey knew their baby daughter was special when she entered the world on a hot, muggy morning in June. A delightful child, Amber possessed the ability to brighten any room with her mere presence. But, when her mother began to notice the correlation between unexplainable weather changes and the baby’s moods, she realized it was so much more. Dara observed how lightning flashed at the child’s cry, rain fell with her tears, and the atmosphere seemed to glow when Amber expressed joy. Tom was enchanted with his new daughter, but refused to admit he knows why Amber holds this incredible link with the skies.

Amber Grey bears the burden of this extraordinary connection because she trails a long line of gift possessors who, for generations, have sought to protect the rights and freedoms of the human race. Despite her efforts to control her thoughts and to hide behind a mask of normalcy, her abilities are discovered and she is cruelly betrayed, becoming the victim of a vicious witch hunt. Pulled into a thousand year old conflict between the Protectors and the Misusers, she learns it is the power behind her choices that will lead her friends and family to safety—or to death.

It is inevitable that Amber’s power will be unleashed against dark and elusive enemies, but will she discover the secrets of her nature in time? The storm is coming . . .

My Take

". . . it is never the task of the oppressed to change for the oppressor . . . in other words, we live our lives giving mankind the best we have to offer, and if our best offends another, we cannot change it—nor should we. It is a part of us . . . it is what makes us who we are."  Amber Grey: Calm Before the Storm

Amber Grey: Calm Before the Storm definitely has it all – fantasy, thriller, action & adventure, romance, historical fiction, comedy, and plenty of twists and turns. It’s a fantastic young-adult novel because of its imaginative and exciting story line. You can’t be sure what’s around the next corner for Amber.

When I first picked up this book and saw it had a fantasy themed plot, I was skeptical since that’s not my usual genre. However, after the first chapter, I was hooked! It was hard to put it down—I took my Nook with me everywhere because I was so absorbed in it. Even if I only had 5 minutes to read before an appointment, Amber was with me.

We all have our own “special gifts”—maybe not quite as flamboyant as Amber’s—that are given to us at birth. The challenge, as with Amber, is to use those gifts in a way to better ourselves, others, and possibly the world. Even a simple, small gift as being able to make others smile is a contribution to society. The trick is to find that gift within yourself, grow it, and use it in a positive manner—exactly the way Amber was taught to use her “special gift”.

The ending of the book (read it to find out!!!) was certainly not what I was expecting! But it’s made me want to learn more about Amber and her gifted journey. I’m really looking forward to Book 2—Amber Grey: The Lost City.  Hopefully it comes out soon so I can dive right in!

I’m giving this one a 5 out of 5 stars – it’s definitely a “must read” for young adults (and ahem…older adults….) with active imaginations and a yearning to read.

Brighton Publishing has provided me with a complimentary copy of  Amber Grey: Calm Before the Storm in exchange for my personal, unbiased review.

About the Author

Jennifer Coalwell was born and raised in Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada, and attended a French immersion school until her high school years. In her education, she focused primarily on language art, and, ultimately, music.

“Writing has always been like breathing, to me,” she says. “In another perspective, I see each sentence mimicking a musical phrase, defined by balance and beauty, carrying with it the power to alter or enhance opinions and ideas.”

She’s built small businesses encompassing piano and music instruction, catering, and co-boutique ownership. Over the years, she and her family have hosted a myriad of foreign students, inviting the Chinese, Russian, Ukrainian, and Japanese cultures and—what she describes as—truly wonderful children and adults to their home.

J. L. Coalwell lives among the Rocky Mountains in Utah with her husband and five children.

BE CAREFUL WHAT YOU WISH FOR by RK Avery

Intriguing……captivating…...lifelike

From the publisher

Bunting Valley, North Dakota—a scenic and picturesque town where nothing dreadful ever happens—is a place where people feel safe leaving their front doors unlocked and their cars running in the driveways. So when beautiful, blue-eyed, three-year-old Maggie Taylor mysteriously vanishes, the Bunting Valley Police Department begins a kidnapping investigation that uncovers unthinkable crimes spanning many years—not only in Bunting Valley, but also in surrounding states and jurisdictions.

Bea Miller is a penniless widow, living a meager existence among the town’s residents with her four young, rambunctious boys. Her entire life she wished and dreamed of having a little girl of her own. When everything she did to have one of her own failed, Bea takes matters into her own hands and lives by the chilling words of her estranged father, “If you want something, take it.”  She and the boys visit a local beach and find the little girl of her dreams. She snatches the girl and they disappear in seconds, only to leave the parents bewildered and devastated.

Through the handwritten journals of Bea Miller, she takes you on a journey into the deranged mind of an individual who believes you can make your own wishes come true—at any expense; and sadly, also at the expense of others.

My take

What kind of person plans to take a child? Involving her other children in abduction so she can have the daughter she always wanted? Once she has the girl, why is Bea so callous as to let the girl suffocate just so she doesn’t get caught? 

Bea Miller is an intriguing piece of work. The first portion of the book tells the reader WHAT she has done while the last portion tells us WHY. It’s so hard to imagine the life Bea had growing up. Coming from a very loving family, I can’t fathom living the hell that she lived through.  As hard as it is to understand, the author keeps us captivated throughout the entire book. It’s one of those books you can’t put down even though the subject matter is challenging. 

Once the journals are found and we read about Bea’s past, it’s hard to decide if they should “lock her up & throw away the key” and “get her some help”.  Should she pay for her crime or just get assistance for her mental condition?  

Be Careful What You Wish For is not a book where the reader can just lose themselves in a fictional world.  No, the reader gets totally immersed in the actual words spinning around them. Bea almost becomes real—you go through so many emotions and you want to take sides on the outcome.

I have no problem giving this book 5 stars.  Ms Avery tells the story as if it were her own—lifelike descriptions and sensations.  Great job, Ms Avery!

THE GOOD FIGHT by Matthew Horn

INTENSE!  FOLLOWS TODAY’S HEADLINES!  THE GOOD FIGHT BRINGS OUT THE HERO IN ALL OF US!

FROM THE PUBLISHER

Jeffery Scott had always made it on his own. Unwanted by his family, Jeff spent his childhood being shuffled from family members to orphanages before finally ending up alone, homeless, and on the street. One night, in a dark, cold alley behind a local restaurant, Jeff’s life was saved by a dark suited, masked vigilante whose true identity was unknown to him.

Sixteen years later, he crosses paths once again with the dark suited stranger. This time, it is Jeff who saves the vigilante’s life. And this time he discovers the masked man’s identity. Jeff learns to understand the quest of good versus evil and becomes the protégé of the masked hero. Ultimately, he arrives at a crossroad where he must decide whether the quest itself is good or evil. Jeff’s inner struggles ultimately draw the line between what he wants to do and what he must do.

His decisions not only affect those he cares about, but they alter and shape the course of his young life. Through the mask of the vigilante, Jeff finds the courage and determination he needs to get an education, change his life and become the person even his own family believed he could never be.

MY TAKE:

When Jeff is only nine years old, he witnesses a violent crime in a back alley. It was then that he first saw the hooded man. A masked man who killed the bad guys and then came over to where Jeff was hiding to make sure he was okay. Was this man a killer or a hero?

Fast forward sixteen years. After a young life of a dysfunctional family and being passed over for adoption at the orphanage, Jeff is now living in his own apartment, working the night shift, and going to college during the day.  He vowed to himself that because he was spared that night in the alley, he was going to live his life the right way and make something of himself.

One night, as he was trying to fall asleep, Jeff listened to the sounds of the city. All of a sudden, he thinks he hears something that sounds like gunshots. As any south-side Chicago dweller would do, he hits the floor to take cover. When he finally gets up the courage to look out in the back yard, he sees bodies strewn across the yard and a familiar masked man standing in the middle. But the man looks injured and drops down to the ground. Remembering that night in the alley, Jeff rushes out of his apartment only to find blood seeping out on the masked man’s side. The little boy in Jeff says “save him” while the adult Jeff wants to get the man to a hospital.

What happens after that will alter Jeff’s world, not only for that night, but for the rest of his life. The more he learns about his “hero” from all those years ago, the more confused Jeff becomes. Why does this man don a rubber suit and mask  and stalk the neighborhood at night? Is it eccentricity? Is it nobility to get involved and save his neighborhood from crime? Or is it to take matters into his own hands to see his persona splashed all over the media?

Jeff just wants to get on with his life but the “hero” has other ideas. What follows is an intriguing and intense series of events that Jeff isn’t even close to expecting.

This is the first book from the author and it’s an out of the ordinary read. The topic was new to me and it was a nice change from the usual shoot ‘em up thriller. Although slow or drawn out in some spots, overall the book was easy to follow. I’m not too sure about the character of Jeff’s girlfriend other than to show Jeff is moving into another stage of adulthood, but the reader doesn’t really learn much about her. The theme of “good over bad” is an interesting one to ponder. What would YOU do if you saw a crime in progress? Or if someone asked you to help pro-actively fight a crime?

In real life, most people are blind to the wrongdoings and violence around them. They bury their heads in the sand so they don’t feel guilty when a crime happens in front of them and they don’t intervene. However, there are real-life defenders around who take the situation into their own hands and do get involved---but they are few and far between. Some of these guardians really do dress up in super-hero suits to guard their neighborhood. Reading The Good Fight fits in perfectly with today’s headlines!

I’d give The Good Fight a 4 out of 5 star rating. It’s now available for download at Amazon.com and other online retail outlets.

Author Biography

Matthew Horn is an aficionado of fiction. Spending his life reading authors such as Tom Clancy, Clive Cussler, and C.S. Lewis, Matthew gained an appreciation for a good story. His first book, Heroism, written in 2009, is the compilation of ideas that have been building since childhood. Since then, he has developed many different stories and plans to continue his writing as more than just a hobby.

Matthew graduated from Rochester High School in 1998 and from Purdue University’s Krannert School of Management in 2002. He is currently the Chief Financial Officer for Modern Materials, Inc. in Rochester Indiana. He is married and enjoys spending his free time writing and learning about the publishing industry. “As a new author, you probably spend more time learning the industry than you do writing.”

“You always want to write from the heart,” he says from his home office in late October, 2010, “but it takes a special book to be from the heart and still reach out and make people want to read it.”

         Pub. Date: February 2011

        Publisher: Brighton Publishing

        Format: NOOKbook (eBook)

        Series: The Good Fight , #1