Reviewer's Choice Q - Z

High Stakes
Kathy Herman
Multnomah Publishers
ISBN 1-59052-081-5

The Baxter Series book 4
Angie Marks is one of those teenagers who people avoid. She's got black spiky hair, black fingernails, tattoos, and piercings--many of them. When she shows up in Baxter—a very small Christian town where everyone knows everyone, she attracts a lot of notice, very little of it good. When trouble starts happening not too long after Angie arrives, fingers start pointing in her direction.

Patrick Bailey, a rich old man with little time left to him, looks past her appearance to what's inside. He gives her a job when no one else will, and when the trouble starts, he's the only one who believes her. This man, who's lived so long without Jesus and has yet to accept him, is the only one in this very Christian community who actually acts in a Christian way. Apparently, only God will be able to get this community to see this girl as more than what she appears.

This book struck a cord with me on so many levels. The suspense plot was excellent, of course, but the other issues--Christians who act so judgmental and un-Christian-like, judging people by their appearance instead of who they are, prejudice, etc. I've seen (and am related to) people like this, those who go to church every Sunday, but act anything but Christian the moment they step outside the door, and I've also looked at those kids all tattooed and pierced, with pink streaks in their hair and considered myself better than them, pointed them out as an example to my kids as what not to do, never looking beyond the surface. After reading this book, I won't look at them the same way ever again, nor will I be so judgmental.

This book provides entertainment as well as a lesson to be learned. It introduces (and re-introduces) characters you can identify with and want to spend time with, as well as characters who will leave you feeling shocked and appalled as you see what's going on in their heads. Kathy Herman has a winner with the Baxter Series, and I'm definitely sorry I didn't meet her and her characters in book one. I look forward to more from this talented and eye-opening author.

Available from Barnes & Noble and  Amazon.com.

Dark Hunger
Mayra Calvani
AmberQuill Press
ISBN 1-59279-074-7

Graduating from college and looking for a job, Alana Piovanetti never thought she would go into restaurant management. Especially since she hated anything to do with business. Besides she did not have the experience. But when Alana saw the advertisement for the job opening, she was drawn to the idea. So she called for an interview. Besides now instead of just being fascinated with the supernatural, she could act out the role of vampire because that was the required dress for her position.

Shortly after the opening, Alana meets Sadash. A man but then again not a man, he disturbs her. But she continues to go with him for the bond tethering them together will not break. Full of questions, Alana tries to get him to talk about himself. Instead he convinces Alana to meet him again. Then he will tell her all.

Eternal companions destined to be together, Sadash could not leave Alana alone even in her youth. With just glimpses of what transpired over the past ten years, DARK HUNGER is set at the end of mortal life and transcends Alana into immortality.

Readers should be aware of the graphic accounts that go along with this adventure as Alana learns the true meaning of love everlasting and what it really means to be a vampire. Additionally, it should be noted that romance does not play a crucial role even though it is love that provides Sadash the means of transforming Alana.

Creeps. Thrills. And chills. Even at the moments non-horror readers decide to stop, Clavani refuses to let the ultimate thread between reader and author loose until that final page is complete. 'Tis a good read. One that can be enjoyed for eternity.

Never By Blood
Noel Carroll
Alley-Ayers Books
ISBN 0-9658702-5-1

Therese Elliott wakes up from a horrible nightmare. She was in the body of her husband, Mike Elliott, who in twenty-eight days will be aboard the space shuttle Atlantis, planned to rendezvous with the International Space Station (ISS). The dream revealed Mike to be the sole survivor of the mass slaughter of everyone on board. And the shuttle was heading for its inevitable collision with the ISS.

Strap on your shoulder harness and get ready for a non-stop thriller that will keep you guessing until its final pages. Husband and wife team, Noel Carrol, has a descriptive style and fluid pace that opens windows from the suburbs of Philadelphia, to the wet streets of London, and the poverty of war torn Beirut.

Terese Elliott suspects that her dream is the key to unraveling an international mystery that jettisons the reader around the world. With the aid of a Catholic priest, Father John Cortise, she has little time to prevent the disaster she knows will come. The newly formed team follow-up hunches and leads that the FBI and Interpol have ignored. Only Terese knows the truth. Will she be able to supply the evidence she needs to postpone Atlantis¹ launch date and stop the nightmare she¹s sure will happen?

I highly recommend NEVER BY BLOOD to all readers who enjoy fast paced action, international intrigue and suspense, with a dash of romance.

Available from Barnes & Noble and  Amazon.com.

TIME OF THE WOLF is an epic fantasy that shifts through the portals of time to right an ancient wrong. Who is the hero? He may be The Wolf reincarnated. Or perhaps he is the Druid who, cursed to live for centuries, has finally brought the Four Tribes together in a dangerous occult ceremony to change what has been. He may be the Elf whose wife was so cruelly changed into the most evil and powerful sorceress of all time, unmatched as a villainess.

And the heroine? A female warrior with courage and heart to match that of The Wolf, her true mate, even though she's vowed never to allow herself to love.

Every character in this well-plotted, gripping epic is one the reader will remember. Don't miss TIME OF THE WOLF.

Second Generation
Beth Anderson
AmberQuill Press, LLC
ISBN 1-59279-986-X pb, 1-59279-054-2

SECOND GENERATION by Beth Anderson is a riveting read. The story is multi-layered and Leigh Shaunnessy, the focus character, is a fascinating, strong and determined woman. Twenty-three emeralds, Leigh Shaunnessy's legacy from her murdered father. Twenty-three emeralds stored in a safety deposit box, provide Leigh with security and allow her to reach for her dream of a career in politics. Leigh doesn't know the story behind the gems. They represent her father's revenge against the father of the boy he believes raped his daughter. Twenty-three emeralds -- a curse or a blessing.

Three men, each Leigh's lover and the father of one of her children. Girardo, her schoolgirl friend and crush and the father of the daughter, born in secrecy and given up for adoption. Ted Montagne, her real love, and father of the daughter who dances to her own music. Ted, astute politician who loves Leigh, but is a man unable to make a commitment. Jason Mondagne, the man Leigh marries, Ted's younger brother ad the father of her son. Three men who impact her life.

As Leigh reaches for a political plum, a vice-presidency nomination, her world is threatened. Girardo, not a Colombian drug lord, wants the emeralds. He starts a campaign to ruin Leigh's children. She is faced with the loss of her dreams and a choice. SECOND GENERATION is an excellent read. The writing flows smoothly. Beth Anderson weaves politics and love with accents of history deftly. —J.L. Walters

Available from AmberQuill

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Don't Close Your Eyes
Diana Kirk
Hard Shell Word Factory
ISBN 0-7599-0439-1

I may never close my eyes again—and what's more I may not write anything that might be rejected. Those rejection slips, as in "Shifting Sand," give new meaning to the concept of a rough draft. That particular story is one of ten that gave me chills, made me nod my head in agreement, and gave me incredible insights into what constitutes a "Dysfunctional Family." It would be very hard to chose a favorite, but I rather enjoyed, in a macabre way, the plight of the criminal in "The Alternative." I could try to explicate a few of the tales, but I would hate to take away some of the chill.

I have read every single one of Diana Kirk's books (even the ones written with her writing partner) and enjoyed the mysteries and romances so much that I have re-read several, but DON'T CLOSE YOUR EYES, with cover by the author, revealed another facet of this multi-talented author's range. Although I think the cover should warn the unwary reader not to read it after dark or when you are home alone, I would recommend this book to readers who love horror and those who don't. This is a book written by a master—an author who really know how to turn a phrase, one that will keep the reader's eyes wide open.