All posts by Kelly S

Fantasy, Fantasy Romance, Part of a Series, Review, Romantic Comedy, Writers on the River Attending Author

#WOTR20 – #Review – How to Spell Disaster (Unfortunate Spells Book 1) by Jennifer Laslie

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How to Spell Disaster (The Unfortunate Spells Series 1)

Being careless with magic is the best way to spell disaster.

Tucker didn’t think his love life could get any worse, until he comes across an antique spell book. When the translation goes awry, instead of finding one girl, he’s bombarded by women left and right. Now it’s jeopardizing both his job and sanity.

Tucker seeks answers at the occult shop, but the witchy owner advises him magic can’t always fix his problems. This time, only true love’s first kiss can lift the spell.

As the magic grows stronger, Tucker isn’t sure how much longer he can survive. But finding the right woman to kiss shouldn’t be too hard. Right?


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OMG, if you want something that is funny with a ton of crazy shenanigans, then I absolutely recommend How to Spell Disaster!

Who’d a thunk that a crazy old book would turn into such a disaster?! Tucker attempts a love spell and it blows up in his face. Women are throwing themselves at him left and right. At first, he thinks this will end his dry spell and decides to go on a date. But as he continues, the women get crazier. This poor guy has to watch out for his well being too! He goes back to the occult shop to get some advice or possibly another spell to break this one but is told that sometime’s magic won’t work and the only way to break this spell, or curse, is to find true love’s first kiss. Ok, so cliche’, right? Well, when the women start going crazier he has to find something to fix this and the book just sits there….staring at him…. flips to another page… shocks people….the book just taunts him. When he thinks he finds a “nice” girl they end up being some sort of psycho. This story had me dying laughing all the way to the end. Love is always found in the most unlikely of places and poor Tucker has hellish luck. This was a super fun story and rooting for Tucker was the best part! I look forward to continuing this series. 

Jennifer Laslie

Jennifer Laslie is a crazy cat lady who lives in Utah with her wonderful family. Her office affords her a mountain view that she loves! When she’s not thinking about cheesecake or cats, she can be found in the bookstore in the Young Adult section, coffee in hand.

Contemp. Romance, Part of a Series, Part of a Spin off series, Review, Suspense, Writers on the River Attending Author

#WOTR20 – #Review – Control Us (The Next Generation Series #1) by J.M. Walker

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Control Us (Next Generation, #1)

Zach

She was innocent.
Passionate.
Fierce.
After Luna Stone and I went from friends to lovers, my only purpose was showing her how worthy I was. But how could I convince her when I didn’t believe it myself?
I craved her touch and her smiles but most of all, her heart.
I vowed to protect her and show her father that I could be the man for his daughter.
I pushed.
She pulled.
And when all was said and done, I’d have to go through an even higher power to prove that I deserved her…
Myself.
~
Luna

He was quiet.
Withdrawn.
Intense.
Zach Porter and I had been friends since we were kids, but it had never amounted to anything more than that. Until now.
But as close as we were getting, he was still closed off.
He protected his heart and put up walls, even though he had no reason to.
He shoved.
I grabbed hold and never let go.
If I didn’t fight for what was ours, he’d succumb to his demons and believe their vicious words telling him that he’s not good enough. To give up.
On us.


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Reader beware, once you start this incredible story, you will not put it down until the end. This is the next generation after King’s Harlots. You won’t need to read King’s Harlots before The Next Generation but I highly recommend it. King’s Harlots is an intensely amazing series and I believe The Next Generation will be just as powerful. 

First things first… Zach F’n Porter! *ahhhhh* Even though Coby and Brogan adopted Zach, he reminds me so much of Coby. Zach had a dark childhood and has some really significant demons that he fights daily. It really warms my heart to see how his parents continue to help him through these issues to overcome them. But like most of us, Zach is his own worst enemy. Now to get to Luna. She may just be the most innocent of the bunch. She is sweet but can bring on the sass with the best of them. She has such a kind heart and wants to help anyone she can. Zach and Luna have always been great friends growing up, but now that they are adults, things start to change. They have a passionate connection where the heat continues to build and many times is close to combustion. There is a delicate push and pull between the two as they try to figure out their feelings for each other. There are many things that can go wrong and a lot of outside forces trying to keep them from each other. However, the one thing that can make or break this is Zach. He has to get past himself or this can go all wrong. 

This is a powerful story full of love and compassion with a few personal demons thrown in the mix. Bravo, JM! Can’t wait for more!

J.M. Walker

2nd Chance, Fantasy Romance, Paranormal, Part of a Series, Review, Rockers, Vampire, Writers on the River Attending Author

#WOTR20 – #Review – Because the Night (The Night Songs Collection, #1) by Kristen Strassel

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Because the Night (Night Songs Book 1)

Meet the vampire hellbent on destruction and the girl who will do anything to save him, set to a hard rock soundtrack in the hot Las Vegas night…
Sex, blood, and rock n’ roll.

Immortal Dilemma is the hottest show in Vegas and Tristan Trevosier is their biggest star. But to me, he’s the guy who broke my heart and then showed up on stage claiming to be a vampire.

Tristan says I won’t understand his new life. He won’t let me in. That’s how I met Blade, a human with a mysterious connection to Immortal Dilemma. Blade is willing to give me everything Tristan won’t.
But I can’t let him go.

The true darkness of Tristan’s world terrifies me, and I fear for his life. Now Blade’s gone missing and I have to choose—save my mortal friend or abandon my immortal love.

This book is full of twists and turns you won’t see coming, and characters you won’t soon forget.–Tam, Amazon reviewer
As I read the last page GASPING shaking the book thinking to myself if I shake it more words would magically appear but note to self NOT GOING TO HAPPEN. I REALLY LOVED THIS BOOK.–Karina, Amazon reviewer
Leave yourself some time when you begin this story. It will draw you in, and you must find out how it ends before you can put it down again.–KSon, Amazon reviewer


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Vampire rock scene, in VEGAS! Callie goes to Vegas with her cousin to see her ex-boyfriend who has become famous from a reality tv show and is also the star of the band, Immortal Dilemma. She thinks she needs to save him as he is spiraling out of control with addictions. What she doesn’t realize is that he is a vampire and there are other circumstances that keep him from leaving. In the midst of this she meets Blade. He is into music too and seems to be a pretty great guy. She spontaneously decides to stay in Vegas instead of going home. This is the first part of where I start to lose Callie. She is 18 and decides to stay in Vegas. But ok, she gets a job and things are going ok. The story keeps going and she is falling in love with Blade but can’t stay away from Tristan, her ex and vampire star. I got back into the story with the push and pull that she had to deal with between Tristan and Blade. At this point since she is spending more time with Tristan we start to understand his situation better. Things go from weird to crazy and to just plain terrible for Callie. As Callie tries to fight for her life, and the others she cares about, she gets into some super bad situations. I listened to this in an audiobook. The narrator was ok, I wanted to like her but sometimes I think that the narrator made Callie sound even more whiny and undecided with what she wanted to do. The story is good but sometimes it seemed like it took a long time to get to where it needed to be. I plan to continue the series because there was a huge twist at the end of the book and I have to find out what happens! 

Kristen Strassel

Kristen Strassel writes heroes you want to spend the night with. Spend the night reading…what did you think she meant? She started reading paranormal and romance when her mom realized the spookier and spicier the book, the more likely she was to devour it. Now she creates the characters and worlds she always wanted to read about.

Contemp. Romance, MMA, Writers on the River Attending Author

#WOTR20 – #Review – The Heartbreaker by Tricia Andersen

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The Heartbreaker

Can town librarian Lily Dixon and MMA bad boy Reese Cooper keep their love affair a secret in small town Iowa? Braden, Iowa is the last place on earth Reese Cooper wanted to be but a devastating injury in the octagon forces the MMA fighter back to the small town he once called home. He barely steps foot on Main Street before he is reunited with Lily Dixon, the town librarian and the girl who possessed his heart since they were in kindergarten. Every day in Braden is the same for Lily Dixon. That is until Reese Cooper walks back into her life. With his chiseled, perfect body and dreamy blue eyes, he steals her heart just like he did when they were kids. His kisses, his touch are far better than any fantasy she’s ever had about him. Is she willing to risk everything when her preacher father finds out about her love affair with the town bad boy? And what will happen when Reese goes back to Vegas, leaving her alone in Braden without him?


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Extremely sweet with a helluva happy ending! I listened to this in audiobook. The narrator was good and kept the story moving with a great flow. So this sounds sort of cliche’. Sweet and meek librarian and the bad boy MMA fighter falls in love. Reese returns home from Vegas for therapy and runs into Lily, the town librarian. Right from jump the tension between these two is high. The problem is, her father is the pastor and has forbidden her to see Reese. Naturally they can’t stay away from each other and this makes the angst go through the roof. Reese has so much potential to stay in Braden and has all but promised Lily he will stay when one day, BOOM! He has to go back to Vegas for an unexpected fight. He isn’t able to talk, let alone explain why he has to leave to Lily before he has to go. Well, Lily has something she needs to tell him too but can’t bring herself to talk to him because she is heartbroken. So now we have some really big secrets being held back. So, I know I already said there is a HEA, and it is a beautiful HEA, but I had a little bit of a hard time with the way Lily acted when Reese took off. She seemed to be a stronger girl, or I was hoping for that, but I was a little turned off by her near the end of the book. However, if you are looking for a sweet, small town romance with a gorgeous HEA, this is a great book for that and I highly recommend it!

Tricia Andersen

Fantasy Romance, Military, Paranormal, Part of a Series, Review, Shifters, Suspense, Thriller, Wolves, Writers on the River Attending Author

#WOTR20 – #Review – Savage Surrender (The Devil’s Dires #1) by Ellis Leigh

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Savage Surrender (The Devil's Dires #1)

There’s no escaping a Dire Wolf on the hunt…

Feared by even his own kind, Bez of the Dire Wolf shifters knows exactly how to succeed in any battle. Even if that means racking up collateral damage along the way. A simple mission into the swamplands to save a teenage wolf shifter should have been an easy track and retrieval for a man with his training, but nothing comes easy when the fates get involved.

In one night, Omega Sariel went from a free, single shewolf to a captive with a teenage girl to watch over and a couple of guards intent on making her life miserable…what little is left of it. Then a soldier with ice in his eyes walks in, and the mating call begins. He’s too tough, too harsh, too murderous…but when your life hangs in the balance, a lethal fighter in your corner is better than battling alone. Especially one who isn’t afraid to get a little dirty with her.

Two kidnapped women, one dangerous soldier unknowingly about to come face-to-face with fate, and a monster set on destroying everything in its path. In the world of the Dire Wolves, a retrieval is a simple mission for the unit of soldiers that make up their pack. But this time, a single glance blows simple right out of the swamp and forces Bez to make his stand alone.

One soldier, one fight…one chance at forever.


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Love this story! It was truly captivating right from the beginning! I listened to the audiobook version of the story. The narrator was the perfect fit for Savage Surrender and absolutely holds ALL of your attention. This is a shorter book but it does not stop. There is no down time. It will consume you! The POVs go back and forth between Sariel, a kidnapped Omega wolf, and Bez, of the Dire Wolves. Bez is put on a mission to retrieve a kidnapped, teenage Omega wolf but when he finds her, there are two Omegas! He has to go against normal protocol to go back for the other Omega but there is a problem….they are mates! *wags eyebrows* So now there is this instant mating bond and both of them are having a hard time concentrating. Bez, going against every protocol and saves both Angelita, the teenage Omega, and Sariel, his mate and other Omega. There are so many things going on from the time they meet, escape, and get to the safe house. As they are able to assess the situation better, they find that the enemy has something else up their sleeve…and it is soooooo bad! As the enemy makes their way toward them, Bez and Sariel have to keep their heads about them and not give into the mating as it will make them extremely vulnerable. But once the fight happens, look out! If you listen to the book or read it, it will consume you and you will not be able to put it down. I can’t wait to continue this journey!

Ellis Leigh

A storyteller from the time she could talk, USA Today bestselling author Ellis Leigh grew up among family legends of hauntings, psychics, and love spanning decades. Those stories didn’t always have the happiest of endings, so they inspired her to write about real life, real love, and the difficulties therein. From farmers to werewolves, store clerks to witches—if there’s love to be found, she’ll write about it. Ellis lives in the Chicago area with her husband, daughters, and a German Shepherd that refuses to leave her side.

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#WOTR20 – #Review – Black Magic by Aspen Winters and Verity Inkwell

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Black Magic by [Winters, Aspen, Inkwell, Verity]

My name is Nix, I am a familiar. Or I want to be one.

I turn twenty-one in less than two weeks and before than I have to find a witch that will bond with me. If I don’t I will turn into a normal cat and all never get my human form.

The problem is, no one wanted me to be their familiar. I am not very good with magic or channeling any magic. Every time I try to do so, something blows up….or catches fire. There was only one witch I knew that may take me in, but the rumors about her aren’t that good.
The witch is said to be a black magic witch, and she already has four other familiars.

I can only pray the Black Magic witch will take one more familiar, for she is my only hope.


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Great start to a new series. This story dives into what it takes for a familiar to bond with a witch. I love the background of this and what is at stake if a familiar isn’t bound to a witch. This story follows Nix and she is on a race against time. Her magic is uncontrollable and her family isn’t helping. She has to bond with a witch, and pronto so she isn’t stuck in her cat form. She attempts to go to a warlock who takes in all familiars but finds herself in a very bad situation. As a result she finds a few new friends during her escape. Some of this may seem like a godsend to her…a witch to be bound to with all male familiars *wags eyebrows* but trouble is right around the corner. Now that NIx can control her magic she embarks on a journey of self discovery. She stands up to her family, and has an incredible harem of men that want her and have no problem sharing her…then their witch gets kidnapped. The overall premise of the story is great and the story flowed well. I would have liked to have a little more of the slow burn or more time getting to know the guys than there was. Their relationships seemed a little rushed. Ultimately all the characters mesh well together and there is a great story to continue to be told. This is a new author for me but I look forward to reading the next in the series.

Attending author Aspen Winters

Aspen Winters

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#WOTR20 – #Review – Beauty Loves the Beast (Wylde Paranormal Love #1) by Robyn Peterman

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Beauty Loves the Beast (Wylde Paranormal Love #1)

Carter

Avoidance had become my norm. After too many tours in Afghanistan and Iraq, I’d checked out—on everyone and everything—on life. Ex-navy SEAL. Totally broken man. I’d hit rock bottom so many times, I was sure I was about to fall straight to hell. It would be a welcome reprieve.
Then she found me. Beautiful, insane and more broken than I was. She needed my help. I needed her humanity.
How she found me was anyone’s guess. But she had. She needed rescuing. She needed a hero. I was none of those things.
But for the first time in many years, I wanted to be. I wanted to be her hero.

Georgia

Becoming an undercover agent for the CIA had been my dream until everything went wrong—wildly wrong. Trapped in a cage with nothing to do but anticipate more torture from the ones I was supposed to trust, I had no choice but to escape—again. This time I’d succeed or die trying.
They’d turned me into a beast and it was time to show them exactly what I could do.
Finding the beautiful man who could help me end my pain was something I’d never expected—or wanted.
It was a complication for normal people. I wasn’t normal. I would never be normal.

Could two broken pieces make a whole? Could we truly disappear with the government hunting us down like animals?
He was Beauty and I was the Beast. Happily ever afters didn’t happen for people like us.
Or did they?


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I am a huge fan of twisted fairytales and was not disappointed by this one. Loving the paranormal and the role reversal! There are two completed broken and messed up people just trying to survive. 

Georgia thought she was doing exactly what she loved by being an undercover CIA agent but ended up trapped and experimented on. When she makes the escape she runs to Carter, the broken ex-Navy Seal. As their worlds collide, they both become the hunted. And here my friends, is when the action picks up as well as Georgia’s snarkiness and her death wish. 

“Your life would be simpler if we offed me. Just saying.” “Maybe I’ll off you tomorrow,” I replied, … “But today, I’m finding complicated quite interesting.

This is full of action with tons of sarcasm but with the sweet love story in the background that we all have come to love. Even if they don’t make it, they will take their stolen moments together. I am hooked on these and am very much looking forward to the next in this series. Bring on the crazy hawtness!

Robyn Peterman

Robyn writes because the people inside her head won’t leave her alone until she gives them life on paper. Her addictions include shoes (the expensive kind), Coke with extra ice in a styrofoam cup, and bejeweled reading glasses.
A former professional actress, she now lives in the south with her family and too many animals to count. Writing gives her a chance to have a job where working in her P.J.’s is acceptable. You can follow Robyn at http://www.robynpeterman.com and at Facebook http://www.facebook.com/pages/Robyn-P….

BDSM, Contemp. Romance, Review, Romantic Comedy

#Review – The Golden Pecker by Penelope Bloom

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The Golden Pecker

I never planned to tell Andi who I was.
Hell, I never planned to meet her.
But her grandfather’s will changes everything.
That, and the shockingly intimate to-do list he left for us.

Landon

I’ve known about Andi Wainwright my whole life. Until now, I’d done a damn good job of keeping my distance. No photos. No social media.

But that changed when I learned about the old man’s death. I had the misfortune of being his business partner, and now the keys to my future are tangled up in his ridiculous will.

First, I had to personally bring Andi down to his club, The Golden Pecker to show her some mysterious video. I may be in the dark about what’s going on, but I know one thing:

I don’t care what’s on that tape. Nothing is going to change the fact that Andi Wainwright is the enemy.


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Fun Rom Com with light BDSM, sure. Why not? So, I personally, am not into BDSM but I sure am of the sarcastic sort. When I saw the title of the book and the cover, I one-clicked not really knowing what I was getting myself into. I was pleasantly surprised and actually laughed quite a bit throughout the story. 

“As the saying went, when in The Golden Pecker, do as the peckers do. In this case, Landon was the Pecker King. The peckeriest pecker of all, you could say.”

Andi and her sisters are mourning their grandfather’s death and his will still needs to be read. What they didn’t know was their grandfather has secrets and has stipulations to have the will read. This where Landon comes in. Landon has it in his mind already that Andi is the enemy and that he completely hates her but now he has to escort her to have her portion of the will read. This is where Andi finds out about her grandfather’s secret of owning several BDSM clubs. And now the fun begins. These rules involve Andi and Landon in the club. Landon is very professional and brooding while Andi has a defense mechanism of being snarky and sarcastic at all the right, and wrong, moments. Pairing these together brings a ton of fun into this light BDSM world. The chemistry between the two are great while they are unraveling all the secrets. The story is intriguing but with the right amount of funny. I recommend this book to just about anyone and look forward to reading others by this author. 

Penelope Bloom

I’m a USA Today Bestselling Author and have written nearly a dozen top 50 amazon bestsellers, including four books that have hit the top 10! Despite all that, I’m still a nervous wreck before I release every new book and I still feel like I have so much more to learn about writing and publishing than I can even wrap my head around.

I’m just beyond honored and humbled that so many readers have embraced me and found enjoyment in my words, because I can’t think of any better opportunity than this.

When I’m not writing and stressing about what I’m going to write, I’m trying to wrangle my two little girls who are 2 and a half and 1 and a half. When I’m not wrangling them, I’m trying to keep my husband in line.

Writing and helping run the family aren’t easy, but I’d never trade it for anything!

Apocalyptic, Writers on the River Attending Author, Zombie

#WOTR20 – #Review – Mean (The F*cked Series Book 3) by R.K. Gleason

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Mean (The F*cked Series Book 3)

There are few options left to Major Carolyn Brooks. As the ranking officer sent by the military to oversee containment operations, she’s prepared to take any steps necessary to ensure the safety of humankind. The virusite must be stopped from spreading any further. Sterilizing the potentially contagious population may be the first step to global salvation.

As Dave and Pam guide their loved ones to safety, they’re confronted with how quickly people have begun turning on one another, and the lengths others will go to to take what they want. Dave and Pam are forced to face the realization they may not all survive the escape they hope to make. New bonds are forged, and old ones are left in tatters. Dave begins doubting his ability to lead their group.

One thing is certain, before this is all over, things are going to get mean…

*This is book three in a series of novellas.


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Wow! What a ride! I really enjoyed this story as there is the right amount of gruesome and perfectly timed sarcasm to even things out, in a crazy good way. I am a zombie enthusiast, so to read a story that really is about survival and family is incredible. There is no romance here in the middle of the apocalypse. This is the journey of Dave and Pam’s family trying to make it to safety. There are zombies out there, roads are blocked off everywhere, and they need to find a new vehicle as theirs is just not going to make it. About the time they get a plan together they deal with the crazy survivors that are out for blood, no matter whose it is. New friendships are made and the group gets bigger. Dave is having a lot of doubts on whether he will be able to save everyone and the doubts grow with the new additions to the group. But as things get heavy, it really comes down to family and survival. I cannot wait to continue this journey with the family as I root for them to survive and get to safety.

53253927_10216354182425451_7170624479662

I was born high in the Andes and raised by a band of wandering gypsies. At the ripe old age of 7, I struck out on my own, dabbling in the arts of alchemy and personal financing. Neither of the trades paid off. At 13 I became the personal juggler for Stephen King, but alas, that didn’t last long either. Since then, I’ve wandered aimlessly through life and this planet, stopping along the way to help people and smite the wicked.

A little while ago I decided to try my hand at writing. I published The True Death series independently in 2015 and currently have ten books published to date.

Apocalyptic, Part of a Series, Review, Zombie

#Review – Lone Survivor (Last of Us #2) by Nikki Landis

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Lone Survivor (Last of Us, #2)

Zombies!

The world has gone to ***, and the zombie apocalypse is now responsible for wiping out humanity.

One girl believes she’s all alone and the world’s last hope for survival . . . but is she the key, a threat, or something else entirely?

A GROUP OF SURVIVORS … must find a way to live together when a terrible virus turns deadly. Two different strands determine what type of zombie is unleashed upon those lucky enough to escape the initial outbreak. One year later survival is the only objective . . . until the mutations begin to change and humanity becomes the scariest monster of all.

– Bailee & Sawyer –


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All things ZOMBIE! We have a reason why the world has gone to hell in a handbasket! And now…how do we fix it??? There is a reason the zombies are the way they are, and the way the zombies are evolving will make the geek in you get excited! We have so much more in this story about the hows and whys that make the zombies. EXCELLENT!

This is Bailee’s and Sawyer’s story. This starts out with Bailee and her dealing with her own turmoil. She has been on her own for a year. That’s right folks, an entire year. Feeling like she was alone, the lone survivor. Along with her own turmoil we find out that she is the niece of the man that found this virus that made zombies. While out scavenging she is overrun by zombies and is saved by Sawyer. Sawyer happens to be an alpha soldier that has had a team out looking for Bailee…but she does not know this. There are lots of secrets and Sawyer, along with his team, don’t divulge these with Bailee. Bailee is brought to their compound and is made to feel like one of the group. A budding romance begins between the two …then things go awry. Traitor? Enemy? Zombie? Crazy chaos!

This story starts giving you some essential information to get started, it gets you drawn in, gives you something new to grasp onto with the zombie apocalypse. It’s fast paced and an incredible page turner right to the very end. Love always finds a way but then sacrifice always gets in the way. This is a fantastic story with just the right amount of everything put into one story. There really is something for everyone with this. Even if you aren’t a zombie fanatic you will absolutely enjoy this story. I can’t wait for the next installment. Bring it on!

Nikki Landis