Carries Book Reviews

Blood Money
Cynthia Rayne
(Lone Star Mobster #3)
Publication date: August 14th 2017
Genres: Adult, Romance, Suspense

How far would you go to protect someone you love?

When Jasper Tan joined the Lone Star Mafia, his family said he’d dishonored the Tan name and turned their backs on him. Jasper vowed to never let anyone get close again—until he met Victoria Hale. Vick is a hacker and the outfit’s secret weapon when it comes to digging up dirt on folks. They’ve become the best of friends and Lord knows Jasper wants much more, but he can risk letting her in?

Vick puts her family first as well. Her older brother, Jackson, has been fighting an addiction for years and she’s stayed by his side, even when their parents gave up on him. Jackson owed money to some dangerous people. To save him, Vick compromised her morals by striking a scandalous arrangement with Simon Caldwell.

Infatuation has turned to obsession, and Simon is a cold-hearted, ruthless bastard who’ll stop at nothing to keep Vick. Can Jasper protect her? And will these friends become lovers?

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Author Bio:

Cynthia Rayne is a USA TODAY bestselling author of the Lone Star Mobster Series, Let it Ride Series, and the Four Horsemen MC Series. While Cynthia was born and raised a damn Yankee in Ohio, her parents hail from Dixie, and she grew up on homemade buttermilk biscuits and southern wisdom. In her spare time, she enjoys shopping, reading way too many romance novels, and drinking a truly obscene amount of coffee.

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Good Me Bad Me by Ali Land
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Milly is starting her new life with a foster family with her new name to hide her true identity, you see Milly is really Annie, the daughter of a serial killer awaiting trial. Not only is Milly a serial killer’s daughter but she herself is the one that went to the police and turned her mother in to stop her from killing any more children.

Now living in the home of Mike, a psychologist working with Milly, and his family including his wife and daughter, Milly finds herself trying to come to terms with her mother. Her new life isn’t exactly easy for Milly either though, Mike’s daughter makes a point to bully Milly not liking that her parents didn’t keep their promise of no more foster children and Milly also has to prepare for her mother’s upcoming trial in which Milly is the key witness.

Good Me Bad Me by Ali Land is one that caught my attention after seeing tons of great reviews on the book so since it sounded right up my alley I thought I would fall in love with this book. When finished however I rather thought the story was more of one that is just alright, it’s good but not as great as I was expecting it to be.

My first issue with this one came with getting used to Milly/Annie’s narrative in the story. It really does fit the character quite well but it also took some getting used to for me since Milly spends alot of time in her own head speaking with her mother and going over events.

Once I got used to that though the book picked up and took off but then my second complaint came into play… There was no amazing twist or shocking reveal in my opinion. The story really just seemed to go right to the obvious to me so I was left with wanting a bit more unfortunately. Perhaps this is just because I read so much but that did end up bringing my rating down a bit more.

I received an advance copy from the publisher via NetGalley.

Handbook for Mortals
Lani Sarem
(Handbook for Mortals, #1)
Publication date: August 15th 2017
Genres: Contemporary, New Adult, Romance

Zade Holder has always been a free-spirited young woman, from a long dynasty of tarot-card readers, fortunetellers, and practitioners of magick. Growing up in a small town and never quite fitting in, Zade is determined to forge her own path. She leaves her home in Tennessee to break free from her overprotective mother Dela, the local resident spellcaster and fortuneteller.

Zade travels to Las Vegas and uses supernatural powers to become part of a premiere magic show led by the infamous magician Charles Spellman. Zade fits right in with his troupe of artists and misfits. After all, when everyone is slightly eccentric, appearing ”normal” is much less important.

Behind the scenes of this multimillion-dollar production, Zade finds herself caught in a love triangle with Mac, the show’s good-looking but rough-around-the-edges technical director and Jackson, the tall, dark, handsome and charming bandleader.

Zade’s secrets and the struggle to choose between Mac or Jackson creates reckless tension during the grand finale of the show. Using Chaos magick, which is known for being unpredictable, she tests her abilities as a spellcaster farther than she’s ever tried and finds herself at death’s door. Her fate is left in the hands of a mortal who does not believe in a world of real magick, a fortuneteller who knew one day Zade would put herself in danger and a dagger with mystical powers…

Handbook for Mortals is the first book in the series of this urban fantasy, paranormal romance series by author Lani Sarem.

Following Zade through the trials–and romance–of finding her own place in the world, readers will identify with their own struggles to fit in, reflected in the fantastic, yet mundane world of Zade’s life.

Handbook for Mortals is in development as a motion picture set to debut in 2018

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EXCERPT:

“Hopefully I wasn’t interrupting something important,” Mac said, with no attempt at feigning actual sincerity. I could tell he didn’t care that he had interrupted, or that he had been rude.

“Just kindness.” I responded. I don’t think he expected my answer to be truthful, and he looked taken aback. He had probably expected me to say “Oh, no worries! Nothing important.” He made no comment, but backed off a little. When he continued talking, he had a bit less snap in his voice.

“I’d like to schedule a crew call for you once your contract has been signed. You, me, and all of our techs, so we can go over your trick and map out how it will be safely implemented into the show.” He knew that calling what I had done a “trick” instead of an illusion I would take as a slight. It’s sort of like telling someone who had just won an Olympic gold medal and was proudly wearing it around their neck, that their necklace was cute. Mac kept incessantly tapping his Sharpie on the side of his clipboard and shifting his weight between his feet.

I stood up slowly and calculated, looking him square in the eye, which probably surprised him a bit, since he was at least six feet tall. I’ve always enjoyed the luxury of being a tall girl. I’m five foot nine inches and so while I don’t usually tower above any guys I know, I can definitely look them directly in the eye. Most girls who at five feet five inches (which, I believe, is an average height for a woman) have to look up. My height was an advantage that I never took for granted and here, again, I was happy that I didn’t have to look up to him—figuratively or literally. In heels I could even be as tall or taller than him and I’ve always loved that part about being the height I am. I half smiled and slowly spoke, “Maybe you misunderstood. I don’t show anyone how it’s done. That wasn’t just for the audition. I handle this illusion on my own.”

Mac held still for a moment, and then glanced up from his clipboard, looking irritated. He pursed his lips and flared his nostrils. The tapping stopped. He dropped the clipboard from his stomach and held it in his hand while pointing his finger directly in my face. “Listen, lady, I don’t know who else you worked for, but we don’t do that Lone Ranger stuff around here. I’m the technical director and in charge of everyone’s safety, no matter how stupid you want to be. You do what I say, and I keep your pretty self from getting hurt. Got it?” I’m fairly certain he growled at me as he spoke.

Myriad thoughts ran through my head and I’m pretty sure several seconds passed in silence as we stared each other down. I could feel my hands tightening into fists. I really did want to punch him. I could see it happening. I’m not strong by any means but I’m also not a wimp. I wouldn’t have broken anything, but he would have been bruised and sore. I quickly ran through the possible outcomes of punching the technical director on my first day of work. It didn’t really seem to be the best idea.

I leaned into him so closely that it might have looked like to an outsider that I was about to kiss him. I huffed a little and my words were slow and deliberate. “I understand this is your job and all, but I don’t think you’re listening to me,” I hissed. I tapped his chest with my finger and he jolted a bit at my touch. He looked at me like I was speaking some kind of foreign language.

“I’m not listening? Lady, you need your ears cleaned,” he snarled back. He turned around to walk away, as if that was the end of our conversation. If he was trying to piss me off more, it was working.

I grabbed him by the shoulder, stopping him in his tracks and swinging him around to face me. My face had flushed and I’d raised my voice to a full yell. “And you need to get some manners. I’m not showing you how it’s done, okay? If we have a problem I can go to another show where the technical director doesn’t have a God complex. I’m not a girl who needs a knight in shining armor.” I was practically snarling at him.

Mac gritted his teeth and looked like he might hit me, but I knew that wasn’t really an option for him. Guys like him didn’t hit women, no matter how mad we made them. He laughed loudly. “Ha! Good luck finding a Technical Director who will treat you like the princess you clearly think you are. If I found you locked in a tower, I promise I’d leave you there.” Mac whipped around again and this time saw Riley, who had been standing just a few feet away from us the whole time. Riley was pretending not to be paying too much attention, but you could tell that was all he had been doing. I couldn’t blame him. Mac glowered at Riley and barked, “Where’s C.S.? Riley, go find Charles. Now!”

“On the move,” Riley replied with a nervous, almost panicked look on his face as he ran off to the side and disappeared.

Author Bio:

Lani Sarem basically grew up in the entertainment industry. She began acting at age three and continued to act and perform through her early years. Lani began writing scripts when she was eleven. Over the years she has become a jack-of-all-trades in the entertainment business. She became a rock n’ rolly gypsy at fifteen and started touring with bands and working on festivals. She’s toured with everyone from Ryan Adams to Gnarls Barkley. She also became one of the youngest female managers in the business and managed bands like the Plain White T’s, 100 Monkeys and Blues Traveler. Lani has appeared in films like Mall Cop 2, Jason Bourne, and Trailer Park Shark. Handbook for Mortals is a debut novel of a series of books, which are also being made into feature films. You can follow Lani on her social networks to keep up with her many adventures and look out for her at a Wizard World Comic Con near you.

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Uncanny
Sarah Fine
Published by: Skyscape
Publication date: October 3rd 2017
Genres: Science Fiction, Thriller, Young Adult

Two sisters. One death. No memories.

Cora should remember every detail about the night her stepsister, Hannah, fell down a flight of stairs to her death, especially since her Cerepin—a sophisticated brain-computer interface—may have recorded each horrifying moment. But when she awakens after that night, her memories gone, Cora is left with only questions—and dread of what the answers might mean.

When a downward spiral of self-destruction forces Cora to work with an AI counselor, she finds an unexpected ally, even as others around her grow increasingly convinced that Hannah’s death was no accident. As Cora’s dark past swirls chaotically with the versions of Hannah’s life and death that her family and friends want to believe, Cora discovers the disturbing depths of what some people may do—including herself.

With her very sanity in question, Cora is forced to face her greatest fear. She will live or die by what she discovers.

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EXCERPT:

I did not anticipate the wind. on the sidewalk, it made jackets flap and leaves rustle. Seven stories up, it threatens to throw me right over the edge.

Is that what I want?

I’m not good at knowing what I want—that’s what she said to me, and it turns out she was right. This will be my last decision, and it could be my worst or my best, but I don’t know if it will be something I want.

But wanting isn’t relevant now.

My shoes scrape over cement as i stand on the roof’s ledge. I am battered. Faltering. My arms are out, my fingers splayed. I turn around and face the school’s security cannies, who have formed a semicircle around me on the roof as they slowly approach. outdated, outmoded, neo-plastic skin, expressionless. They are here to stop me, or at least detain me until emergency services reach us, but like me, they are not immune to gravity. If I go over, they can’t save me.

They’re programmed to save me. They won’t feel a thing if they fail, though. They can’t. That’s the difference between us.

Looking at their blank eyes fills me with a sense of the inevitable.

I can’t remember not existing, whatever happened before I became me. I don’t think it hurt, not like this. Perhaps I’m wrong, though. Maybe I’ve been here before.

I crane my neck to see past the machine men, searching for the one face I need, one I know I’ve already seen for the last time. She isn’t here. Of course she isn’t. She can’t be.

I want to see her one last time. After everything I did, she wouldn’t look at me with anything other than sorrow or maybe hate or pity. But still, I want to see her.

There. That’s one thing I know I want. even if it were relevant, it still doesn’t matter. I inch back a little. It would be easier for the wind to take me. I’d prefer that over doing this myself. But the cannies keep getting closer, and the wind is still now. Unhelpful.

“This is my choice,” I say loudly. “I’m doing this of my own free will.”

Is this what she wanted? I think this might be what she wanted.

It’s all tangled up in her, and she’s not here. I’ll never see her again. I’ll never see her again, and it’s because of the choices I made.

Free will.

Want.

I close my eyes. It’s time.

Author Bio:

Sarah Fine was born on the West Coast, raised in the Midwest, and is now firmly entrenched on the East Coast. When she’s not writing, she’s working as a child psychologist. No, she is not psychoanalyzing you right now.

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Fallen Star
Allison Morse
Publication date: September 21st 2016
Genres: Adult, Mystery

Who killed 1940s screen goddess Gloria Reardon? Her unsolved murder hypnotized the public with its scandalous details and shocked two generations.

Avid feminist and aspiring filmmaker, Kate Bloom discovers long lost footage that holds the key to who murdered her grandmother. Legendary movie star, Gloria Reardon, may be dead, but friends and lovers from the Golden Age of Hollywood’s heyday are still very much on the scene, and it seems everyone has something to gain or lose from Kate’s discovery. Enlisting the youthful and brash film restorer Dylan Nichols as her closest ally, Kate becomes haunted by Gloria’s glittering past. Caught between glamorous Old Hollywood and the gritty, exciting New Hollywood of the 1970s, Kate is determined to find out what really happened to her grandmother and in the process becomes the killer’s new target.

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EXCERPT:

A fitful sleep finally came and with it a dream filled with misty tears of her own, of her mother’s, and someone else’s, too.

The drapes looking over the backyard began to sway as if alive. Kate got out of bed and went to close the windows. The curtains lashed around her. Then she saw the windows were shut, yet the curtains continued to billow and sway. Her heart raced as she watched shadows flitting around the patio garden below and darting across the dark lawn down to the edge of a cliff and dropping into a black chasm.

“Run.” A woman’s voice echoed up from the abyss. Kate jumped back from the windows.

“Leave,” the voice said, closer this time. Moist heat like the breath of an animal swirled around her.

The presence was here.

She dashed back to the bed and pulled the covers tightly around her.

Everything in the room shook until the window exploded, shards of glass spraying everywhere.

Her skin felt on fire, it pricked and stung with searing pain. She sat up and threw off the blanket. The room spun. A metallic smell filled her nose. The heat turned sticky. She looked down and saw her body dripping with blood.

She screamed.

The door to her bedroom swung open.

“Good God,” Jarvis said. “What’s the matter? Are you all right?”

She writhed in the bed and had no ability to form words.

Jarvis ran to her and held her shaking body. “Tell me what happened. What’s wrong?”

Taking in a deep breath, she extracted herself from his embrace.

She gazed about the room and blinked. There was no blood and the pretty room was bathed in the soft pink of dawn. The curtains hung still, and the windows were unbroken.

“I’m so sorry. It must’ve been a nightmare.”

Jarvis rose. “Is that all? I heard you cry out. It was…chilling. Like you were dying.” His gaze became diffused, haunted, as if he were watching something terrible that only he could see. Then he came back to himself and said, “A nightmare? Do you have those often?”

“Oh, no… Yes, I do. I’m so sorry I disturbed you.” Kate jumped out of bed, forgetting she was wearing only a tee shirt and panties.

Jarvis swept an admiring look over her bare legs. She jumped back into the bed and pulled the sheet up.

He smiled.

Author Bio:

Allison Morse grew up in a family of actors in Los Angeles; before the age of five she started acting classes, which she adored. She continued in the family business until her early twenties when her curious spirit led her to consider other interests and professions, like counseling and the law. After receiving her B.A. from U.C. Berkeley, Allison went on to graduate from Phillips Graduate Institute with an M.A. in Marriage and Family Therapy and U.C. Hastings College of the Law with a J.D.

Although she loved learning from each of her varied careers one of her favorite jobs was working for the now closed Dutton’s, a wonderful, musty new, used and rare bookstore in North Hollywood with deep roots in Southern California’s literary community. This wonderful, musty new, used and rare bookstore in North Hollywood had deep roots in Southern California’s literary community. Whatever she was doing, books and story-telling ruled her imagination.

Allison always knew that for her, writing is as essential as breathing. But as she pursued her professional life, this great love was consigned to private journals that she filled with musings and story ideas. Ten years ago that changed and she decided to get serious about being a writer.

While continuing to work full time as a lawyer, she kept to a strict writing schedule, took writing classes at UCLA Extension. She joined the Romance Writers of America and Sisters in Crime. Now Allison has completed two novels: a romance entitled The Sweetheart Deal and Fallen Star, a Hollywood gothic.

Allison lives with her husband in a house in the hills that’s filled with books.

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