“Emotive” Kevin Laymon

Emotive is a tale of life, love, compassion, and the pursuit of happiness as told through the eyes of the story’s narrator, Linus. Linus is a puppy living in a small city located in the rolling hillsides of upstate New York. When the abnormalities of his owner Sam are all he knows since birth, he gains a perspective of unyielding acceptance and love towards the man who feeds him, takes him to the park, and murders women in his basement.

I AM LOYAL. I AM TRUSTWORTHY. 

I AM POWERLESS

When I read the summary of “Emotive” it immediately piqued my interest. I have a huge soft spot for books narrated by animals. Since I also love a good thriller, “Emotive” was a must-read for me and boy am I glad I did. I was glued to this book from the first sentence of the first page. I literally read this entire book in one sitting. Well, I read it in the bath but you get the idea.  I can’t believe I let it sit on my shelf so long unread. I feel like I’ve offended the book gods by letting such a story sit unattended. My apologies, please don’t smite me!

Fair warning, this book will rip your heart out. Don’t worry it’ll return it eventually but holy moly is it one hell of a ride. Of all the murders in this book, I have to admit the cow was the hardest. After all Linus had been through, I had tears streaming down my face as I read those pages. How alone he must of felt. How betrayed by humans. How completely hopeless he must of found it all.

Sam will boggle your mind. He’s a total psycho, of that I have no doubt, but he also has one glimpse of remorse for poor Linus. I had a bit of hope for our little K9 hero but that hope was quickly dashed when Sam fell deeper into his obsession and paranoia. It was hard to see Sam discard Linus from his affection. It was hard to see Linus’ basic needs not be met and realize how animals must feel when us humans don’t make them a priority. When we forget to feed them on time or their water bowl doesn’t get refilled or we make them wait hours and hours on end before we let them out to potty. It was eye opening to see how emotionally devastating it is to animal kind to be at the absolute mercy of someone else’s compassion……or lack there of.

It was incredibly hard to see humans fail this one dog over and over again. This is a sight of our kind that will leave you with a bad taste in your mouth and a brand new perspective. As I read, my own two dogs lay next to the tub and I caught myself looking at them multiple times wondering just what they were thinking and what they thought of me. I didn’t expect to be so affected. As a pet owner and human in general, this story will inspire some introspection and I was definitely not expecting that when I began to read.

The climax is cleverly crafted and brings everything full circle. Laymon has written a masterpiece. I strongly suggest you read it.

The Technical Data:

Title: Emotive | Series: N/A |  Author(s): Kevin Laymon  |Publisher: Amazon Digital Services / Publication Date: 4-5-2016 |Pages: 194 (Print) | ISBN: B019YT5UIY |Genre(s): Thriller / Novella / Serial Killers / Psychological  |Language: English |Rating: 5 out of 5 |  Date Read: 8-20-2017 |Source: Copy from author.

 

“Emotive was a unique read full of interesting perspective. The storytelling through the eyes of a dog created deep emotions & connections with powerful characters. The writing was strong & visual.” – Amazon Customer

 

 

 

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Book Spotlight “Heirs Of Eternity” Franc Ingram

In a world of sword fights and supercomputers only the cunning survive.

The Twelve, a collective of A.I.s protecting the last of humanity on Euphoria, created hybrids to rule. The first generation proved tyrannical and divided the world into five fighting realms, so The Twelve created the Heirs of Eternity.

Oleana is a computer-human hybrid, created to locate and train the other three Heirs of Eternity, and unite humanity. She struggles to balance her violent past, addiction to alcohol, and history of failure, with the task of being a good mother and leader. She, and the other Heirs face an old enemy in the first-generation hybrid, Cornelius, who wants the world for himself, and new foes in a band of greedy warlords who thrive on the chaos.

With her world on the brink of collapse, and her son in danger, she can’t afford another failure. Oleana must let go of the burden of her past, keep her son safe, and complete the task she was designed to do, save the world.

Franc Ingram is a Sci-Fi writer who loves to write about damaged heroines/heroes and extraordinary technology. Personally, Franc is an animal lover, having a lab mix named Mya. Franc loves planes, green tech, a fine white wine, good food and books of all genres. She lives and works in northeast Ohio. 

 “Heirs Of Eternity” is the first book in the “Euphoria Duology” series. The second book is set to come out December of this year! 

Great Books For Cheap!

As a single income family it’s sometimes difficult to afford extras. I love reading and can’t imagine not being able to do so. I often hit up my local library and I strongly suggest you do the same but there are often books I really want to read that my library just doesn’t have. Due to this I’m starting a weekly round up post to help my fellow broke book lovers out! Great stories aren’t just for the financial elite.

$1.99 (Kindle)

$2.99 (Kindle)

$3.99 (Kindle)

$2.99 (Kindle)

$5.49 (Kindle)

$9.41 (Paperback)

$12.11 (Paperback)

Enjoy these amazing stories for amazing prices!

Bargain shopping for the win!

Book Review “The Lord of Salamander” T. H. Alexander

Dare to enter a new world of wonder and fear, good and evil, magic and mystery! 

In this first novel in what is to become the Epic Salamander Trilogy, Elijah Pendleton discovers he is the last and only hope of restoring a fabled magical land back to its original order and begins an amazing quest into the heart of the unknown that will include crossing dangerous lands, encountering ferocious beasts, and entangling himself in mythical hazards along the way. Throughout this extraordinary journey, Elijah will accumulate allies, hone his newly discovered powers, and race against time to end the land’s decade-long reign of darkness and fulfill a long-awaited prophecy: to take his place as the strongest who ever lived and become the succeeding ruler of the land called Salamander–the Lord of Salamander.

I want to first brag on how creative this story was. The hero’s journey is nothing new but the way Alexander framed this story was special. Alexander loves his characters. His love for Elijah and this world he has created shines brightly from beginning to end. Alexander’s love for his story brought me to love it as well.

It’s not been an easy life for Elijah and that thread follows him. It’s an uphill battle but a battle worth fighting for. I quickly liked Elijah and my fondness for him grew and grew. He has his flaws like anyone else and has definitely seen his fair share of bumps in the road. I love his tenacity though. 

Alexander’s writing is grabby in all the right places and my attention was caught and held for most of the book. I did feel that a few descriptions were a bit wordy but that can be worked out with a bit more “showing” from Alexander than “telling”. This is a hard concept to really pin down but for the most part Alexander is doing well with it.

There’s not much I feel I can share without spoiling the book. It’s carefully put together and I don’t want to ruin it for anyone. I enjoyed reading it and look forward to reading more from Alexander in the future!

4 stars!

The Technical Data:

Title: The Lord of Salamander | Series: The Epic Salamander Trilogy |  Author(s): T. H. Alexander  |Publisher: Create Space Independent Publishing / Publication Date: 2-14-2017 |Pages: 304 (Print) | ISBN:  978-1543125832 |Genre(s): Fantasy |Language: English |Rating: 4 out of 5 |  Date Read: 3-20-2017 |Source: Copy from author.

For as long as he can remember, T.H. Alexander has been enthralled with the idea of storytelling through writing. Throughout his rough adolescence, he discovered the power of books and reading through such works as Peter Pan, The Wonderful Wizard of Oz, and James and the Giant Peach and used these fantastical tales as an escape from his own harsh reality.

But simply reading these stories wasn’t enough.

He carried with him into his teenage years the desire to go further and write a story of his own. After numerous failed attempts, when he was just fourteen, the right story would finally break through with the Lord of Salamander. Starting what eventually became the first draft of the novel when he was just a freshman in high school, T.H. would spend the next four years occasionally adding more and more to the story until the draft was finally completed in the summer of 2007. Since then, T.H. has edited, revised and rewritten the novel several times, the most recent taking place in 2016. He has also stepped into the Young Adult Horror genre with his gritty follow-up, Till Dawn, and has written numerous screenplays for movies and television.

He currently resides in San Antonio, Texas where he works on the next installment of the Epic Salamander Trilogy, Return to Salamander, which he hopes to have released by the spring of 2019.

Book Spotlight “The Lord of Salamander” T. H. Alexander

After living his entire life in a world short on magic at the hands of his two misanthropic aunts in a tedious and forever dusty town called Buckwood, thirteen-year-old Elijah Pendleton’s life begins to unravel when he rescues a sleek black cat from a tree that just so happens to mysteriously appear and then disappear in his yard one day. After convincing himself that he must have imagined it, the black cat inexplicably returns, and eventually, Elijah decides to investigate the address printed on the cat’s collar. 

      The cat’s owner is a kind, self-proclaimed psychic named Aura Dearborn, who seems to know far more about Elijah than Elijah does about himself. Over lunch, she quickly spins a tale for him about his lost parents, a legendary prophecy of the Enchanters, and a land called Salamander: a land, she says, “for people like us”. This information leads Elijah to embark on a journey to the Mythic Realms: a place of wonder and fear, good and evil, magic and mystery. But the revelation that he is both the heir to extraordinary powers and the hope of a generation is his greatest surprise–one Elijah may not be prepared to face. As he crosses dangerous lands, encounters ferocious beasts, and entangles himself in mythical hazards along the way, Elijah will accumulate allies, hone his skills, and race against the clock to end the land’s decade-long reign of darkness and fulfill his destiny: to inherit his throne and become the succeeding ruler of Salamander–the Lord of Salamander.

Keep an eye out for our review of “The Lord of Salamander”!

 

 

Can Reading Make You More Empathetic?

According to Neuroscience….yes it can. I recently came across an article on “Psychology Today” that explored this very subject. I’ve often said that reading has incredible benefits to society and science backs me up on that assessment.

When I read, I’m transported to the mind of the character. I’m in the story. I’m wielding a battle axe or sipping from a chalice while surveying my kingdom. I’m running from a hit-man or twirling in my ballgown at the coronation. I am the character and the character is me. My brain learns from these characters trials and triumphs. I gain from their experiences and each life I live adds to the mix that is me.

From the article:

“Neuroscientists mapping the brain have discovered that reading fiction taps into the same brain networks as real life experience. When you are engaged in reading a fictional story your brain is literally living vicariously through the characters at a neurobiological level.”

The article also touches on the “Theory of Mind” and how even fiction improves it. If you’re not familiar with this term it’s “the ability to attribute mental states — beliefs, intents, desires, pretending,knowledge, etc. — to oneself and others and to understand that others have beliefs, desires, and intentions that are different from one’s own.”

In my own experiences, I have found that those who have came into my life as readers were typically more understanding and had a global view of the world and it’s problems while those who were not readers were more isolationist. 

In my own life, I read often to my children and will continue to do so. I hope that you will consider reading more too.

Quote credit goes to “Psychology Today”. The article I’ve referenced is below.

https://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/the-athletes-way/201412/can-reading-fictional-story-make-you-more-empathetic

 

Book Review “The Junkyard Capital”Jak Locke

Senator Aphid only wanted to improve his country, though after four years in the District of Laws he really should have known better. He’s removed from office and soon grudgingly finds himself paired with Frog Dell, the reckless and self-indulgent hermit of the junkyard. As the two evade the wrath of a government run amok with corruption, dissension spreads through the public, and conspiracy reigns. What role does psychiatrist and part-time inventor Weasel McKenzie play in the upcoming Archministry election? How does front-runner candidate and acclaimed playwright J. Thomas Capra plan to fix the broken nation? Who’s being stalked by merciless bounty hunter Jack Dingo? Why is Dead Fish wandering an empty version of the world? The pressure escalates quickly in this twisting, zany, fast-paced and subversive satire that, like real politics, requires (and prefers) absolutely no prior political knowledge. NOTE: This book is the heavily revised second edition of the now out-of-print book Frog Dell’s Junkyard.

I’d like to start this review with sharing some of my favorite passages of this book. “The Junkyard Capital” is one of those books that you could basically highlight from cover to cover. It’s probably the most quotable fiction novel I’ve read in awhile. I hope you enjoy the few I’ve selected for you.

“Well that’s a bit rude, but then again, genius is never understood by the layman, so why the lawman?” 

“I’d be interested in your package that includes just leaving me be, that was nice. How much is that? Is that a thing we can do?”

“Ahh Good, more like Ahh Stop. Have you considered working in corrections?”

“What kind of person thinks to run to be Archminister? The idealistic fool, the strict careerist, and the sinister. In short, the only sorts the job description’s not revolted, are unqualified to do it or the type that shouldn’t hold it.”

“All must awaken eventually; for even the sweetest dream is just that”

“The Junkyard Capital” begins by dropping the reader right into the mind of a few characters that really appear to be way off their rocker. Have you ever heard the saying “He/she has the attention span of a nat”? There’s a couple characters in here that definitely fit the bill. 

Just as I was about 40% into the book, a lot of things started to come together in really unexpected and very clever ways. Once you get passed the  assumed madness of their minds and the full picture comes into view, I promise it will all make sense and will blow your mind. I especially enjoyed the “News Debate” sections. There’s a lot going on and the updates help to keep events in order without boring the reader by rehashing the whole ordeal. Very clever strategy from Locke.

While “The Junkyard Capital” is definitely a fictional story, it was also eerily similar to current events. I’ll admit there was more than once that I looked up from the pages and pondered the similarity.

The ending completely blew my mind. Like, total head explosion. I did a double take and yelled WHHHAAATT???? at my Kindle. My whole family whipped their heads around and eyed me like I had lost my mind. Which I did because it’s rare I don’t catch onto the climax before it happens. Well done Locke, well done.

I even reread a good portion of the book to see if I could catch it and even knowing whats to come, I still couldn’t see it. It amazes me that this is Locke’s first novel. It’s incredibly well staged and boy has he set the bar high! 

One thing Locke has excelled at with this story is his complex character building. Locke also impressed me with his writing ability to “show” the reader instead of “tell” the reader. This isn’t as easy as it sounds and I was duly impressed with Locke’s skill. This book is cleverly crafted and masterfully written. I am absolutely blown away! For lovers of politics and all it’s intricacies, this is definitely the book for you.

Solid 5 stars!

The Technical Data:

Title: The Junkyard Capital | Series: N/A  |  Author(s): Jak Locke  |Publisher: Amazon Digital Services  / Publication Date: 2-1-2017 |Pages: 200 (Print) | ISBN: 978-1542836135  |Genre(s): Political Satire / Fiction  |Language: English |Rating: 5 out of 5 |  Date Read: 2-25-2017 |Source: Copy from author.

Jak Locke is an entertainer, filmmaker, and programmer obsessed with exploring every form of expression. The Junkyard Capital is his first book and gives his degree in political science some relevance to his life for once. He is a lifelong New Orleans area resident.

Dan Alexander, Pitcher – Bottom of the Ninth Series

Fed up with cheating women, Dan Alexander, star pitcher for the New York Nighthawks, grew restless. Searching for something more than a bar babe, he zeroed in on a girl in the stands. He never expected to see a beautiful chick pushing frankfurters. But the hot dog girl looked as smokin’ as the food she was selling. Holly Merrill found a place to hide in plain sight, as a vendor at Nighthawks’ stadium. Keeping her secret safe and simply happy to stay alive, she never considered finding love an option. After all, a bad girl doesn’t deserve a decent guy, does she? Coming off his best season ever, Dan went into the playoffs, hell bent on winning the pennant and playing in the World Series. But could he maintain his focus on the field, where everything was going right, when off the field everything was falling apart?

This book has been personally reviewed by AlliesOpinions! 

To see the review, click the title below.

Dan Alexander, Pitcher

Review Stats

Amazon: 4.8 Stars!

Goodreads: 4.6 stars!

About The Author

I’ve been making up stories for as long as I can remember. When other kids wanted to be doctors, teachers or firemen, I wanted to be a writer.
As soon as I could read, I began devouring books. I’d read anything I could get my hands on, but Louisa May Alcott’s Little Women and Nancy Drew mysteries were early favorites.
In school, term papers were my favorite homework. While others bemoaned the amount of work involved, I jumped in, burying myself in research and writing the document with care.
Still fiction was my first love. After college and a degree in English, I fell into the world of advertising. After many years in corporate America, I went my own way. Working and raising two kids took all my energy and creativity. But when the youngest went off to school, all the story ideas in my head came to life. Mac Caldwell and Callie Richards landed in my head and refused to leave. So I told their story. What started as one book has become six. Now I greet my characters every morning at six and jump back into their story, enjoying every minute. I’m blessed to be able to work at something I love and share my space with my husband as well as my beloved pug, Homer. More than 26 books later, I’m still up at the crack of dawn, crafting the tales of the people who live in my head.

Want to know more? Check out her website! 

https://jeanjoachimbooks.com/

This book has the AlliesOpinions official stamp of approval. We recommend this book!

“The Bloodless – Awakening” Book Review

The year is 2100-something, Daniel Justice is just another geneticist working for GoD Laboratories, a big box, publicly traded biotechnology company. Then one day he proved that resurrecting the dead was not only possible, but economically viable. Back in the old days, this would have been a massive ethics debate, but in a world where religion is all but extinct, the conversation is a whole lot different.

Once someone is resurrected they are welcomed back into society with open arms, right? Wrong. They are shunned and treated like third class citizens. Abuse will only be tolerated for so long and when their patience is up, the resurrected population rises up and rebels against the very people who created them.

His coworkers are either dead or have vanished without a trace, but by a combination of luck and his own determination to live, Daniel escapes a similar fate. With the military already embroiled in an all-out war with Russia, it’s up to him and a small group of mercenaries to fight back against what is turning into a quiet genocide. Their survival depends on fending off overwhelming numbers of enemies that only desire death and destruction. Or does it?

“The Bloodless” begins by dropping you right into the action. Right from the start your blood is pumping and your heart racing. Within the first few pages the characters quickly start to flesh out and the group dynamic forms quickly. It’s rare when I feel an immediate connection with any character, let alone an entire group of them. For someone who is fairly new to the novel game, Gibson does a good job building that bridge between reader and novel. That certainly isn’t easy but it appears that Gibson has a natural talent for it. If only he would of continued with that skill throughout the entire book. Instead, he does well in the beginning and misses lots of further opportunities to build later on.

“The Bloodless” initially comes across as another zombie story and that’s really too bad because while having zombie like attributes, the creatures that Gibson has created aren’t exactly zombies. For those of you who are heartily sick of the same zombie story being told over and over, let me quell your worries. “The Bloodless” is very unique and not at all a retelling.

The one area that I would like to see Gibson put some work into is transitions. When a new task is set before the team the writing is abrupt and I think Gibson is losing out on opportunities to world build and deepen his story line. This applies to the loss of characters too. There is a sense of sadness and loss but those feeling are only portrayed at face value. I would like to see Gibson take these events and use them to round out his characters. He is doing well on most all other avenues to build his characters but this one. Unfortunately, this is doing its fair share of damage and in doing so is keeping this book from being great. Without these corrections the book is still entertaining and I would label it “good”. However, without revision this book isn’t one that would stick with me for long. It lacks the depth.

The ending could also use a bit more work. This is another opportunity that Gibson should of used to deepen the readers knowledge of the world as well as give a bit more perspective into the whys of the worlds current standing. It appears that the main character is deep in the dark on most of the whys and his lack of perspective in some circumstances is a bit of a stretch. 

On the bright side, Gibson sneaks in a clever bit of foreshadowing. Those of us who picked up on it are looking forward to seeing it pan out.

The Technical Data:

Title: The Bloodless – Awakening | Series: The Bloodless  |  Author(s): Andrew Gibson  |Publisher: Amazon Digital Services  / Publication Date: 9-2-2015 |Pages: 230 (Print) | ISBN: B014VDN1PC |Genre(s): Science Fiction|Language: English |Rating: 4 out of 5 |  Date Read: 1-20-2017 |Source: Copy from author.

To Be Read List!

How goes it my book besties? Here’s a sneak peak into what I’ll be reading this week! I’ve received some e-mails from a few antsy authors wanting to know what’s next in my queue so I’m going to bring back the weekly TBR post. Just a reminder, I review books for free and am also the mother of two very small children…. so it may take a while to get a review out. However, as you may already know…when I do review a book I take care to explain any issues I have with the book as well as heap on praise when a book blows me off my feet! I love reviewing books and I hope that by doing so I am connecting readers with awesome stories! Click on the covers to get more information about each book! If you have read any of the books on my list hit me up in the comments and let me know what you thought of it! No spoilers though! Ain’t nobody got time for that.

To Be Read

    

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