Review: NEVER LET ME FALL by Abbie Roads!!

My Review: I'm going to start this off by saying I did not read the previous two books in this series, and I survived just fine. I think there's some stuff that would have had more of an impact if I did know the back story to it, but overall, I connected with the story and the characters enough that I didn't need that background.

I may not have read this book, but I have read other things by this author, and she is a rock star when it comes to the deep, dark, painful stuff. She knows how to hurt you, scare you, and then thank you when it's all said and done. I can see why this would be considered a psychological thriller more than a paranormal story - I definitely feel like my brain got a workout. And I might even go so far to say it's more like speculative fiction than paranormal - so if regular paranormal isn't your genre of choice, you might still want to give this one a chance. It's so, so worth a read!

Cover Lovin': I love that icy color with that hint of brightness in the middle.

Recommendation: Can be read as a stand-alone.

Final Rating: FOUR out of FIVE stars (4/5)!!! Now I have to find the previous books and read them ASAP!

Today we have the blog tour for NEVER LET ME FALL by Abbie Roads. NEVER LET ME FALL is a psychological thriller in the Fatal Dreams Series and available for purchase on all retail outlets!

Title: NEVER LET ME FALL Series: Fatal Dreams Author: Abbie Roads Genre: Psychological Thriller Release: November 6th

About NEVER LET ME FALL

Seeing is believing... Thomas Brown can't see color, but he can see people's true souls. His abilities allow him to work with criminal investigators and deliver justice to families of the wronged. And he's starting to accept that his life will forever be in black and white... Then he encounters Helena Grayse, and everything changes. She brings vibrant color to his world, and he brings acceptance and belief to hers. But Helena's past is quickly catching up with her, and Thomas is in the crosshairs. As an enemy hidden in plain sight threatens their every move, they'll have to rely on their love to beat the darkness.

BUY NOW!

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$10 Amazon Gift Card, Painting by Abbie, and a Necklace

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About Abbie Roads

Abbie Roads loves Snickers Parfaits and acrylic pour painting. It’s her new obsession. The pour painting. Not the parfaits. Though the parfaits would qualify as an obsession too. She spends her days a mental health counselor always looking on the brightside, but at night she likes to write dark and dangerous things—with kissing and sexy times. She loves reading inspirational quotes and stories about serial killers. She is married to her favorite fellow and they have two cranky old rescue dogs that are not spoiled. Not at all. Okay. Maybe a little. Alright, the dogs are terribly spoiled, but they do give lots of cuddles and kisses in return.

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Release Blitz: NEVER LET ME FALL by Abbie Roads!

Today we have the release of NEVER LET ME FALL by Abbie Roads. NEVER LET ME FALL is a psychological thriller in the Fatal Dreams Series and available for purchase on all retail outlets!

Title: NEVER LET ME FALL Series: Fatal Dreams Author: Abbie Roads Genre: Psychological Thriller Release: November 6th

About NEVER LET ME FALL

Seeing is believing... Thomas Brown can't see color, but he can see people's true souls. His abilities allow him to work with criminal investigators and deliver justice to families of the wronged. And he's starting to accept that his life will forever be in black and white... Then he encounters Helena Grayse, and everything changes. She brings vibrant color to his world, and he brings acceptance and belief to hers. But Helena's past is quickly catching up with her, and Thomas is in the crosshairs. As an enemy hidden in plain sight threatens their every move, they'll have to rely on their love to beat the darkness.

BUY NOW!

Amazon | Apple Books | Nook | Kobo

Google Play | Target

Enter the Giveaway

$10 Amazon Gift Card, Painting by Abbie, and a Necklace

a Rafflecopter giveaway

About Abbie Roads

Abbie Roads loves Snickers Parfaits and acrylic pour painting. It’s her new obsession. The pour painting. Not the parfaits. Though the parfaits would qualify as an obsession too. She spends her days a mental health counselor always looking on the brightside, but at night she likes to write dark and dangerous things—with kissing and sexy times. She loves reading inspirational quotes and stories about serial killers. She is married to her favorite fellow and they have two cranky old rescue dogs that are not spoiled. Not at all. Okay. Maybe a little. Alright, the dogs are terribly spoiled, but they do give lots of cuddles and kisses in return.

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Review: A NECESSARY EVIL by Christina Kaye!

Release Date: December 11th, 2017.

My Review: I'm typically a romance reader, but sometimes other things catch my interest - and this definitely caught my attention. The story itself - two men, estranged since their teens, are trying to solve the same crime... from different sides of the law. Not only is that a darned good story line, but it's original. It's also a fast read. The pacing and plot pull the reader forward, making this a book you won't want to put down - I definitely didn't want to stop.

It's not perfect, there were a few moments of telling the reader something, rather than showing them, but it was so rare, and so small that it hardly detracts from the depth and suspense of the story.

This book just had so many fascinating levels. You have a definite good guy, and the for-sure bad guy. But what do you do when your other hero is also a bad guy? Everyone loves a good anti-hero, and Frankie will be your next favorite. I would love to see this as a movie - I think it would transfer well to screen. Be sure to get your copy today!

Cover Lovin': A fitting, eye-catching cover.

Recommendation: No prior knowledge necessary.

Final Rating: FOUR out of FIVE stars (4/5)! An excellent thriller, and well worth a read!

Find out more about this book and author HERE!

Happy Reading!

~!~ Amanda, Novel Addiction ~!~

Disclaimer: I received a copy to review.

Book promo: A NECESSARY EVIL by Christina Kaye!

Today, we're talking about A NECESSARY EVIL by Christina Kaye! A Necessary Evil released yesterday, 12/19/2017, and should definitely be on your wish-list, if not already on your reader!

About the Book:
In 1977, blood-brothers Frankie Cartwright and Kurt Jamison were inseparable. But when a shocking event touched someone they both loved, the boys handled the trauma differently… Kurt became a cop. Frankie grew up to be a notorious crime lord. Forty years later, when Frankie’s teenage granddaughter Mollie is kidnapped and Kurt is assigned to her case, the former best friends are forced to work together. However, Kurt wants to conduct the investigation within the confines of the legal system, while Frankie would rather use his less-than-legal resources to find her—and punish her abductor. With the cloud of a dark secret casting a shadow over each man’s endeavor to find Mollie, Kurt and Frankie exhaust every resource at their disposal in an effort to save her and serve up their own individual brand of justice.

Buy Links: 

Amazon

Barnes and Noble

About the Author:

I was raised in suburban Central Kentucky in a family full of right-brainers.  With a photographer/artist for a grandfather and an author/illustrator for a mother, I was bound to wind up on the creative side of the spectrum.  I honed my writing skills in school, earning high praise and winning awards for my essays and short stories. I tried my hand at about every sport imaginable, which only went to prove that my efforts were better spent in other creative outlets such as art, singing, and writing. But it was writing that really stuck with me and I  spent the next several years trying my hand at writing fiction novels, just for the fun of it.

I took a break for a while and focused on putting myself through paralegal school while raising two amazing Irish twin girls.  I quickly learned that being a certified paralegal was the best career choice I could have made. On top of all of the cool cases  I have worked on over the years, I was able to write original legal documents autonomously.  When a national magazine for attorneys approached me in 2013 to write a short story for them about the life of a paralegal, I jumped at the opportunity.  When the article was published and garnered me some amazing feedback, I realized how much I missed writing for leisure.  I sat down and wrote my very first full-length fiction novel that year and haven’t stopped writing since.

I love reading (all genres except sci-fi and romance), folk music, caramel macchiatos, puppies, thunderstorms, antique jewelry, dragonflies, the color purple (not the movie), and I enjoy a large sweet tea from McDonald’s every single day.

My first novel, LIKE FATHER, LIKE DAUGHTER was named Suspense Finalist for the 2017 Indie Excellence Awards!

I used to write under the name Christina Morgan, but recently changed it to my first and middle name (Christina Kaye) to avoid confusion in the future due to changes in my life situation.

I live in Nicholasville, Kentucky with my two teenage daughters,  an extremely intelligent Aussie, and a very fat cat.

Find Christina Kaye online: 

Facebook

Twitter

Website

Happy Reading!

~!~ Amanda, Novel Addiction ~!~

Book tour: THE ONE APART by Justine Avery!

The One Apart

by Justine Avery

Genre:Fantasy, Supernatural Thriller

Only one obstacle stands in his way of enjoying a normal life. He remembers—every life he's lived before.

Tres is about to be born... with the biggest burden any has ever had to bear. He is beginning again—as an ageless adult trapped in an infant body.

He and his teenage mother face life filled with extraordinary challenges as they strive to protect, nurture, and hide how truly different he is. But Tres alone must solve the greatest mystery of all: who is he? The answer is linked to the one question he's too afraid to ask: why am I?

In his quest, Tres discovers that all is considerably more interconnected and dynamic than he could ever imagine—and fraught with far more danger. He cannot hide from the unseen threat stalking him since his birth.

Life as he knows it—as all know it—is in peril. And Tres is the only one aware.

Goodreads * Amazon

Justine Avery is an award-winning author of stories large and small for all. Born in the American Midwest and raised all over the world, she is inherently an explorer, duly fascinated by everything around her and excitedly noting the stories that abound all around. As an avid reader of all genres, she weaves her own stories among them all. She has a predilection for writing speculative fiction and story twists and surprises she can’t even predict herself.

Avery has either lived in or explored all 50 states of the union, over 36 countries, and all but one continent; she lost count after moving 30-some times before the age of 20. She’s intentionally jumped out of airplanes and off the highest bungee jump in New Zealand, scuba dived unintentionally with sharks, designed websites, intranets, and technical manuals, bartered with indigenous Panamanians, welded automobile frames, observed at the Bujinkan Hombu Dojo in Noba, Japan, and masterminded prosperous internet businesses—to name a few adventures. She earned a Bachelor of Arts degree that life has never required, and at age 28, she sold everything she owned and quit corporate life—and her final “job”—to freelance and travel the world as she always dreamed of. And she’s never looked back.

 Aside from her native English, Avery speaks a bit of Japanese and a bit more Spanish, her accent is an ever-evolving mixture of Midwestern American with notes of the Deep South and indiscriminate British vocabulary and rhythm, and she says “eh”—like the Kiwis, not the Canadians. She currently lives near Los Angeles with her husband, British film director Devon Avery, and their three adopted children: Becks, Sam, and Lia. She writes from wherever her curiosity takes her.

Avery loves to connect with fellow readers and creatives, explorers and imaginers, and cordially invites you to say “hello”—or konnichiwa.

Website * Facebook * Twitter * Amazon * Goodreads

Follow the tour HERE for exclusive excerpts, guest posts and a giveaway!

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Guest post: CHRISTOPHER DRAVEN, author of HUNTED!

Today we have an awesome guest post from Christopher Draven, author of Hunted, and the upcoming Confessions!

GUEST POST:

A Male Author’s Method of adding in convincing Romantic Themes / Storylines

Without a doubt, writing romantic elements into my novels is a challenge. While I wouldn’t say I’m a complete failure in the romance department, it is the hardest stuff for me to write. It can take me an entire day to write one scene of dialogue between two ‘entangled’ characters. In comparison, the words teleport onto the screen when I’m writing an action scene or some aphoristic dialogue that drips with snarky humor.

Building romantic elements in an Urban Fantasy/Supernatural Thriller is a core component to creating three-dimensional characters. Relationships like those between Karin and Harry, and Merry and her harem of male sidhe, are not plotlines I’m eager to read. Getting to the good stuff – the action, magic, and defeating the villain – are delayed when we are forced to deal with some new lover’s spat.

However, my journey into authorhood has taught me those ups and downs are a vital component of the story. Without the ‘entanglement of feelings’ between Karin and Harry, there is no payoff in her saving him, or him saving her. If there is no connection, then the drama of the story stays stagnant – if the person being saved is always a stranger.

With the relationship moving between ups and downs, the stakes of the game change. That adds complexity and layers to the character’s motivations. The characters transform into someone worth relating to on a deeper level.

Developing this aspect of my craft has been a challenge. In writing the Jonathan Harker novels, I received positive feedback from readers about the relationship between Jonathan and Clover. The credit for this success goes to a fool-proof way of writing convincing romance themes and/or storylines. It is an approach that relies heavily on other people to help keep me in line.

Here is my approach:

•    The first step is understanding the progression in the relationship. As an author, I spend a lot of time outlining the story, what scenes are coming up, and what surprises I have for readers along the way. The relationships between your characters need to be part of that outline.

You need to take the time to figure out how the action would impact the relationship(s). This ensures your characters don’t  stagnate.

Karin loved Harry from the start, but he did a lot of things that scared her. She never left his side, but the love factor rose and fell based on her experiences with Harry.

•    When writing the scene, channel the physicality into something emotional.

In Hunted, I included a scene where Jonathan is leaning on Clover. He feels her against him, but it isn’t only her physical body that feels good. He discovers he can rely on her. He can give in and let her help him. An awareness the hero could let someone else be in charge, even if for that moment, began as physical stimulus but ended as emotional.

•    There are a lot of senses attached to romance. Remember that showing your readers is preferable to telling. By engaging more senses, you are pulling them in and painting a more romantic picture.

Touch, taste, smell, sight, and sound are the usual standby senses writers use. However, think about other options – we humans are reported to have over twenty different senses.

Try using some of these other options to spice it up:
Emotions, Time, Pressure, Heat, or Balance.

•    Finally, and this should just be a standard part of your process, ask for feedback. I’m lucky enough to have two very accomplished editors. No matter how good you are, every author needs an editor who gives tough love. Far too many writers have fallen by the sword of their own ego. If only they had asked someone for feedback before publishing.

Writing romance full-time is not in my future. It is a genre that requires a lot of study and finesse to do well. However, I do feel that any author should consider the human element when writing in Urban Fantasy/Supernatural Thriller. It’s easy to focus on saving the day, but sometimes it’s nice to add a few lines on who makes it worth saving.

ABOUT THE BOOK: 

Slinging Spells with Broken Ribs Isn't Easy 

Jonathan Harker, mage and life-long demon hunter, wakes to find himself tied to a chair and severely wounded. His captor, a demon in service to a summoner who wants Harker alive.

Armed with impossibly powerful magic and a gang of demon toughs, the summoner has snared Harker in a deadly trap. Nothing is ever easy, and being new in town has left Harker with few allies. However, with help from a Fortune-Teller named Clover and a self-described "Kitchen Witch" named Momma Dee, Harker fights back.

To prevail, Harker must walk unprepared into a pit of demons and black magic - and come out alive on the other side.

Get your copy from Amazon.com today!

ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

Got my start as a technical manual and instructional material designer for Corporate America.

Eventually they gave me a team to manage. One day I had enough, reclaimed my soul, and left to follow my passion.

AUTHOR'S WEBSITE:

Christopher Draven

FIND CHRISTOPHER ONLINE:

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Happy Reading!
~!~ Amanda, Novel Addiction ~!~

Excerpt: THE VICTIM by Eric Matheny!

Today we have an excerpt from Eric Matheny's book "The Victim"! If you're looking for a good suspense/thriller novel - be sure to check this one out!

EXCERPT:

Chapter 1

March 16, 2003

Payson, Arizona

He thought he was dead.

Steam hissed from the crumpled front end of the RV that had folded accordion-style against the guardrail. His face stung from the punch of the airbag. His lungs burned from that awful talcum powder that drifted through the cabin as the bag deflated. The chemical dust, suspended in the air, seemed to be frozen in time.

His nose was numb and swollen. He tasted blood trickling down the back of his throat like a cocaine drip. He peered through the cracked windshield, his eyes adjusting to the reddish glow of a desert sunrise. The crushed-in hood had jarred upward. The chassis was off balance. The whole vehicle wobbled as he shifted his weight in his seat.

Oh my God.

He cranked the door handle and heaved his shoulder into it to pop it off the jamb. He hopped down onto the highway. The winds were heavy and dry, rustling the sage and scrub oaks that dotted the rugged landscape along the Beeline Highway. A sliver of fiery light barely illuminated the peaks of the Mazatal Mountains, which rose and fell against the horizon. Giant saguaros stood like sentries.

The back half of a red two-door sedan lay beneath the shredded front tires of the RV. Flattened like an aluminum can. On impact the RV must have bucked forward, rolling up onto the rear bumper of the smaller car, coming to rest on its roof. The significant weight of the RV crushed the sedan into something you might see stacked in a junkyard.

The highway was quiet. Just the rush of hot wind crackling the delicate spines of the sagebrush. He got his bearings quickly, the initial shock of the crash having passed. A sobering experience. Literally. Half a handle of Jack Daniels coursing through his veins had been replaced by something stronger.

Panic.

He saw long hair, a young female’s. How he could tell her age by the back of her head, he would never know. Maybe by its length and sheen—bright, yellow-blond. Slick with blood. Her forehead propped on the steering wheel. The driver-side window blown out. The windshield was a shattered web.

The man beside her—or boy, he was arguably young—was out cold, his body positioned in the passenger’s seat in a gimpy, off-kilter fashion. The passenger side had been thrust into the guardrail, which molded itself to the frame of the car. His head lolled against the door. Blood leaked from his ear and ran down his neck.

“Are you okay?” he screamed, although he knew he would get no reply. His voice resonated throughout the valley. “Hello?”

He braced himself against the ruined front end of the RV. He felt a surge of bile and whiskey come up in the back of his throat. He heaved forward but held it in. He was lightheaded.

Oh God, please let this be a dream. Oh God, please...this can’t be happening, this can’t be happening. This isn’t happening. This isn’t happening...  

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Eric Matheny is a criminal defense attorney who enjoys writing crime fiction, drawing from his experience working in the legal system. He has handled everything from DUI to murder. His latest novel The Victim was released on August 13, 2015, published by Zharmae. 

If you are a fan of John Grisham, David Baldacci, and Harlan Coben, The Victim may be your kind of novel. 

The Victim is a tense, fast-paced, legal thriller/psychological suspense novel that centers around a young defense attorney whose horrifying misdeed from his college days comes back to haunt him.

Synopsis:

Anton Mackey is a man with everything. At least, he seems to be on the surface. He has a rising career as a private attorney, a lovely wife, a beautiful daughter; he and his family live in an idyllic neighborhood that most people dream about. Sure, there are troubles that plague this family, the same as any other, but all in all things are looking up. Life is good, and the future is better. 

Except Anton has a past, too, and something has been looming, bearing down on him from that history, just waiting for the chance to strike. Soon, everything will change, and the life he’s struggled so hard to build will come crashing down around him. 

And the worst part of it all: Anton Mackey has no one to blame but himself.

Praise for The Victim:

“The Victim by Eric Matheny has a fast moving pace and a skillfully conceived plot with quite a few twists and turns… A page turner, this legal thriller has all the elements to hold reader interest from the first page to the last.” - Reviewed by ReadersFavorite.com

“An astounding legal thriller that is full of surprise, mystery and moral dilemma. Matheny may well be the next Scott Turow.” – Reviewed by BestThrillers.com

About the Author:

Eric Matheny was born in Los Angeles, California, where he lived until he went away to college at Arizona State University. At ASU he was president of Theta Chi Fraternity. He graduated with a degree in political science and moved to Miami, Florida, to attend law school at St. Thomas University. During his third year of law school, he interned for the Miami-Dade State Attorney's Office, where he worked as a prosecutor upon graduation. In 2009, he went into private practice as a criminal defense attorney. He is a solo practitioner representing clients in Miami-Dade County, Florida, and Broward County, Florida. He has handled everything from DUI to murder.

In his free time, Eric enjoys writing crime fiction, drawing from his experience working in the legal system. He published his debut novel Home in 2004, which centers around a successful drug dealer catering to the rich in Orange County. His second novel Lockdown, published in 2005, follows a law student trying to prove that an inmate serving a life sentence in one of California’s toughest prisons might actually be innocent. Eric’s latest novel The Victim, is a tense, fast-paced, legal thriller/psychological suspense novel that centers around a young defense attorney whose horrifying misdeed from his college days comes back to haunt him. It was published by Zharmae in August 2015 and is available for sale on Amazon.

Eric lives outside of Fort Lauderdale with his wife and two young sons.

Readers can connect with him on Facebook, Twitter, and Goodreads.

To learn more, go to http://www.ericmathenybooks.com/

Happy Reading!

~!~ Amanda, Novel Addiction ~!~

Review of "The Falling Away" by T.L. Hines

 Don't forget to enter my contest for a ebook by HP Mallory! Enter here! 

I will say this... I do rather like that cover. It's so.. bright. And wind turbine-y.

Disclaimer: I received this book from Booksneeze, aka Thomas Nelson, in exchange for a review.

Type: Christian Fiction, Thriller, Cults, Adult, Drugs, Cutting.

From the back of the book: "  He has a unique name...and a unique problem. A member of Montana's Crow Tribe, he is called Dylan Runs Ahead. But that name couldn't be more off, because he's spent years running away--from his family, his people, his past...and himself. Now he's running out of places to run.
He's haunted by his younger sister's disappearance, the recent death of a friend, and his impending sense of being chosen for something of great importance. But before Dylan can figure out what it really means to be chosen, and whether he's going to embrace the cost of that calling, he's going to have to slow down and face the demons he's been running from. Demons that are all too real...and aren't about to back down.
Enter a world where things aren't quite what they seem...a novel bursting with supernatural suspense, well-crafted characters, and spiritual insights that will defy your expectations and leave you both breathless and hopeful.   "

I'm going to say right off the bat that this was not my sort of book. I was extremely interested in the storyline when I heard about it, hence why I requested a copy to review, but this was not something I enjoyed. I'm still a little amazed I managed to get through it all. And as I said, it did have an interesting storyline, I just couldn't follow the book.

The male main character, Dylan's, story generally moves forward in a straight line. He has moments where he thinks about the past, but mostly in quick little flashback scenes, and the reader knows that's what's going on. But the female lead, Quinn, her story moves all over the place. We meet her in the present, and then each scene after that, the reader has to guess from the actions if that scene is in the present, or her past. Sometimes it's easy to pick up on, sometimes not so much until another character is introduced. I'm usually pretty good about keeping track of characters and where they are in different timelines, being a fan of science fiction... that can happen a lot. But I will admit to getting lost several times throughout the course of this book.

Not only was it hard to follow, but there was another big issue I had - it seems the members of The Falling Away (which seemed rather cult-ish to me, and therefore incredibly creepy), all have a compulsion (or need) to do something. With one guy it's obsessively washing his hands, with Quinn it's cutting or hurting herself. I'm an adult, I can deal with things like that, people have these problems, I get it. But I did not like that these issues were considered okay and even a good outlet for the members of The Falling Away to deal with the stress of their lives. Cutting or hurting yourself should not be seen as okay or acceptable. There was one scene where Quinn was toying with a staple she has pushed into her arm and just left there. That scene alone was hard to get through.

As I said, I didn't really enjoy this book. I won't go into any more detail to avoid any possible spoilers.. so I'll just get right into the rating. I'd rate it a ONE POINT FIVE out of FIVE (1.5/5). It was confusing, but the story was interesting.. just done poorly in my opinion. But feel free to check it out for yourself and find something to prove me wrong.

Have you read it? Tell me your thoughts in the comments. Want to read it? Find it at Amazon.com

Until next time, Happy Reading
~!~ Morning Glow