Carries Book Reviews

Security by Gina Wohlsdorf
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Tessa take her job as the hotel manager at the new Manderley Resort in Santa Barbara very seriously. She has her staff working on all the last minute details before the opening coming up in twenty four hours to make sure everything ends up perfect. The only problem is Tessa and the staff don’t know there is a killer at large in the building and now this luxury resort is becoming one of nightmares despite the top of the line high tech security.

Security by Gina Wohlsdorf is one of the books when finished I’d love to see this done on the big screen. A mix of horror and thriller it’s one intriguing read as you follow along and watch the grisly murders unfold on the security feeds and hope that someone will be able to stop the killer. It really made me think of a mix of Die Hard with that brand new top of the line building type of setting mixed with Psycho with the killer in the hotel.

Reading this one a Kindle I do think you lose a bit of the set up with the cameras and a hard copy would probably be the best bet but with an early copy I can’t say that for sure because the format may change in the final e-copy. It’s meant to have the story of what’s happening on cameras side by side at the same time but what you get in the electronic version comes off as jumpy switching the action.

As with a slasher story we need to have a couple at the forefront to root for. The relationship developing in the story also involves Tessa and a man from her past that she was raised with. They aren’t related but sort of raised that way in a foster home so beware if that may bother some. For me I didn’t mind as at least their past is a reasoning for the relationship instead of something like insta-love being tossed into the mix.

Overall, basically a slasher book instead of a movie with sex and violence involved set in a top of the line hotel with secret passages and fun gadgets.

I received a copy from the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Pieces by Toni Aleo
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

In New York City there is an underground society of supernatural beings known as the Works. It’s made up of five distinct groups consisting of vampires, werewolves, shifters, witches and the Patchwork. Rebecca von Stein is a member of the Patchwork with her father being the leader of the Patchwork and he oversees all of the Works. The Patchwork are descendants of Dr. Frankenstein.

Rebecca has been kept locked in their mansion for the past three years while her father runs experiment after experiment on her. Between her father, three brothers and her own personal body guard she has no privacy or freedom. You see, Rebecca is the only one of her family that is not immortal and her family thinks keeping her prisoner will keep her safe.

I have to admit Pieces is one of those books that the cover just jumped right out at me and screamed read me! Glancing at the synopsis I see all the supernatural groups and think well this should be interesting but of course I’m still a bit up in the air as to what I’m going to find but when finished this is one that I’m glad I took the chance on.

The Patchwork descendants of Dr. Frankenstein are just what you would expect them to be, they use the body parts of humans to fix up their own bodies as they need to. Rebecca herself has different color eyes and man legs that she despises to help make her stronger. There wasn’t anything too overly graphic or gory in the book though when it came to this, it’s just mentioned here and there.

Now, Rebecca has been locked up and the entire read takes place in the von Stein mansion but not to worry it’s a rather big place. The family owns a bar that Rebecca works in so there is interaction with others outside the family and a budding romance with a vampire working in the bar so this never became boring to me as some reads with just one setting. There’s also a threat of unrest among the groups of the Works and threats on Rebecca to further add to the story.

Overall, I really enjoyed this one, it was certainly a refreshing, fun read and Rebecca’s story had me hooked right away.

I received an advance copy from the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

A Second Chance
Dana K. Ray
Publication date: June 14th 2016
Genres: Contemporary, New Adult

A past she can’t forget…

Raven will do just about anything to forget a horrific event from the past that still haunts her. Forced to attend church because of a promise she made at a party, she is immediately attracted to the young, handsome preacher but is unconvinced of his promises of a better life.

A future he refuses to accept…

Matthew has everything planned out until Raven walks into his church and turns his life upside down. Repulsed by her lifestyle, yet fascinated by her beauty and charm, he finds himself drawn to her by a force he can’t explain.

Raven and Mathew’s unlikely friendship leads them through escalating troubled waters that threaten to doom their growing relationship. Will they survive to learn valuable lessons of grace, forgiveness and love?

Goodreads / Amazon / Barnes & Noble

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Q&A with Dana K. Ray:

When did you first know you wanted to be a writer?

Always. I felt odd because I always had movies playing in my head. I was so concerned with it that in college I wrote a paper on “fantasy thoughts” because I wasn’t sure if it was normal. I was a stay-at-home mom which gave me the chance to write my books down. Now, I am a full-time children’s minister at my church, which I love, and a writer in the evenings and weekends.

What do the “movies in your head” look like?

Very vivid. I see the characters in color but the fun of it, is I can change things. I can watch a scene and if I don’t like it, I mix it up. I do this until I love the scene then I go write it down.

When did you first start putting your stories on paper?

I won my first poetry contest when I was in 5th grade, 1976. A very basic, five-line poem. (you can go to danakray.com to read it) I’m not a poetry writer so I find it funny that that’s what I wrote, entered and won first place. In college I’d write thoughts, short stories but when computers came out in 1994, I wrote the book, Absolution.

So A Second Chance wasn’t the first book you wrote?

No. A Second Chance was the second book I wrote but the first on to be published. Funny how that worked out. I’ve had a couple articles on the Internet published that I got paid for.

Were any of the characters based on real people or your own experiences?

All the characters are purely fictional. I did draw from my own experiences. I’ve been touched by one friend and two family members that have fought Leukemia. I’ve also experienced the effects of suicide four times in my life, from a close friend’s attempt to three friends/relatives that accomplished it. Although fiction, some of Raven’s feelings were therapeutic for me to write about. Suicide is never the answer and I’d plead with anyone thinking about it to please, please, please reach out for help. Your life is SO important and you are loved more than you can even imagine, even if you don’t feel like it.

Have you met people like Raven and Matthew?

Oh yes, and I have been Raven and Matthew. I’ve felt people were too judgmental of my past actions and I’ve been too judgment towards other people. That’s the awesomeness of our God. With repentance, He’s forgiving of everything. And as we grow closer to Him, we become more forgiving of other people.

Where can I buy A Second Chance or contact you?

I love to connect with my readers and aspiring authors. You can go to my website danakray.com, amazon.com or eLectiopublishing.com to purchase my book. If you buy from my website, I’d be happy to send you a signed copy. While at my website, you can signup on my email list so you can receive news, updates, blog posts and new releases. I’d also love to hear from you

What’s next?

Absolution is the first book in the Luciano series and comes out in July of 2017. It’s about two brothers, one woman, and one bullet. Absolution is a fast read with mystery, love, devotion, fun and you might find a murder or two.

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Author Bio:

Dana K. Ray has been writing gutsy, true to life stories since she became a teenager. A full-time children’s minister in her church, she and her husband reside in the

Midwest with their four children and four dogs. A Second Chance is her first published novel. Absolution, the first in the Luciano series, is set to be released July 2017. Connect with her at danakray.com.

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Sticks and Stones by Michael Hiebert
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Fifteen years ago there were a string of murders in Alvin, Alabama and the media dubbed the killer The Stickman. Police officer Joe Fowler fronted a special task force dedicated to finding the murderer and capturing him. When the killer was found Joe Fowler shot and killed him ending the spree that ran for six months and totaled at least fifteen victims. That is until another body shows up now fifteen years later.

One of the things the Stickman always did was to leave a note for Joe Fowler as to where to look to find the body of the victims. Now years later the police receive a note but this time it is addressed to Joe’s daughter Leah Teal. Leah is now a detective herself and with more bodies showing up in the same style as the murderer her father had killed Leah is questioning whether it’s a copy cat or did her father kill the wrong man?

Sticks and Stones is actually told from several point of views, those of Leah and her children as each are involved in the new investigation. It was really an OK read but one that I didn’t find myself overly excited and drawn into as I do with some books.

I do think one thing about this story that I didn’t quite love was Leah herself. There was something a bit off with her character to me that I struggled to find myself connecting with her the way I should with a supposed to be strong female lead in a story. Sometimes her actions seemed a bit off as a detective and perhaps it was referring to her father as Pa it made her feel younger.

Also, I think sometimes this story got a bit too technical for my taste. Sure I love to understand the forensics and cases when reading something like this but I also sometimes found it just lingered a bit too long explaining things that I would start to get bored.

Overall, I found this one just OK in the end. The part of the kids helping to tell the story was a bit different which I did like.

I received an advance copy from the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Afterlife: A Shadows Series Novel by Cege Smith
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

After breaking up with her boyfriend Morgan Mitchell decides to surprise her parents and go home for Thanksgiving break. The only problem is when Morgan arrives home her parents don’t seem to be there so she thinks they may have gone on a trip for the holiday since she wasn’t going to come home. Morgan ends up taking up an invitation to explore an old abandoned mansion that is going to be torn down the next week but Morgan finds more than she would ever have expected.

Afterlife is a novella associated with the Shadow series by Cege Smith. This is actually the first I’ve read of this series but after this I’d be really interested to see how the earlier books went. I believe this is a follow up to the series and the earlier books were about Morgan’s parents. I’m sure reading those would have shed a bit more light onto this one but it did read well even without the others.

This being a novella it is a rather short read but the author certainly packed a lot into this book. Without giving too many details what started as a trip into a thought to be haunted mansion turns into so much more. A lot of creativity with the details in this one that had me quite intrigued.

I received a copy from the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.