Book Review: The Girl Who Ignored Ghosts (Unbelievables) by K.C. Tansley

The Girl Who Ignored Ghosts is the first book in the Unbelievables series by K.C. Tansley is a young adult novel. Kat Preston doesn’t believe in ghosts. Not because she’s never seen one, but because she saw one too many. Refusing to believe is the only way to protect herself from the ghost that tried to steal her life. Kat’s disbelief keeps her safe until her junior year at McTernan Academy, when a research project for an eccentric teacher takes her to a tiny, private island off the coast of Connecticut. Accompanied by her research partner, her best friend, and another student, she investigates the disappearance of Cassie Mallory and Sebastian Radcliffe on their wedding night in 1886. Evan’s scientific approach to everything leaves Kat on her own to confront a host of unbelievables: ancestral curses, powerful spells, and her strange connection to the ghosts that haunt Castle Creighton. But that’s all before Kat’s yanked through a magic portal and Evan follows her. When the two of them awaken 129 years in the past with their souls trapped inside the bodies of two wedding guests, everything changes. Together, Kat and Evan race to stop the wedding-night murders and find a way back to their own time—and their own bodies—before their souls slip away forever. 

The Girl Who Ignored Ghosts is a book that captured my imagination. I liked Kat's intelligence and perseverance. She is not opposed to working hard, and is willing to pitch in even when it puts her personal safety at risk. Ignoring the ghosts has worked well thus far, but surrounding herself with the research about a murder and curse is not helping her keep the ghosts at bay.  Jumping in further with the research trip makes it impossible to keep her shields up. I liked the dynamic between Kat and her best friend Mallory, and the humor that fellow student Seth brings to the group. I will admit that I was initially creeped out a bit by the connection between Kat and Joshua- the next possible victim of the curse the group is investigating. I enjoyed the enemy to friend vibe between Kat and Evan, but I could enjoy a gothic style mystery without any kind of romance hinted at just fine- not all girls are looking to forge romantic relationships their entire lives. I would love to pick up a young adult or new adult novel that skips hints at love triangle and romance once and awhile, particularly when it is not vital to the mystery or larger story line. That being said, I found that the mystery and paranormal aspects of the story were the focus for the majority of the book. The magical time travel was well done, and I liked the explanation of ghosts, spirits, and the differences between them. The curse and mystery surrounding it were well constructed, and interesting to watch unravel. I liked the layers and complexity of the curse, mystery, and the paranormal aspects that connect them and the characters. I did get a little bored with some of the ritual and spell work, and the emotional games being played in the past. However, I did enjoy the read and might pick up the next book if I run across it. However, I am not going out looking for it at this point.

The Girl Who Ignored Ghosts is a good mystery with gothic and paranormal aspects. While I do not have patience with emotional games, I think there are many readers that will enjoy the read and get fully invested with the characters and mystery.

Book Review: Preying Game (Decorah Security) by Rebecca York

Preying Game is the fifteenth book in the Decorah Security series by Rebecca York. I have read only one other book in this series, Outlaw Justice, but find that the books can easily be read as stand alones and newcomers can catch up pretty quickly.

 

Jonah Ranger was restoring an antique 1955 Chevy when he heard a woman’s voice on the car radio pleading for help. She said her name was Alice Davenport, and a man was holding her captive, forcing her into a grueling workout routine so she’d be a proper challenge when he hunted her like big game on his private estate.  As they talked, her voice shifted from the radio to inside Jonah’s head. Born with telepathic abilities, he’d helped Decorah Security rescue kidnap victims, but never had he felt this personal connection to one of them. Calling on psychic resources he didn’t know he possessed, Jonah was able to project himself to Alice’s location, where he could hold her in his arms, touch her, kiss her, and plan. 

Preying Game is a mystery and romance with a twist. Alice is a prisoner, being forced to train and get in great shape so that her kidnapper can hunt her. Jonah works for a firm that hires people like him, those with an little extra skill. Jonah is on a mission to save Alice after hearing her pleas for help. I know that this kind of danger and connection make emotional and adrenaline run high, but I found how quickly they acted on attraction a little off putting- I mean really. A ghost-like guy that you are not even sure really exists shows up in your room and you make out?  Okay, sure. I liked the effort Jonah and his team put into planning and working toward finding Alice and saving her, and I liked that while Alice was trapped she still kept thinking and doing what she could to survive another day. Then, just when I think we are ready for the wrap up- lets make it more complicated and mess with time travel a bit more. I still expected one more twist, and thought the police run ins would amount to something more. Perhaps that was ground work for something that will pop up in the series later.

Preying Game is a nice romance with a paranormal twist. I found it to be a good weekend read, but never really connected with the characters or the story. So, a good but not great read. Fans of the author or series are likely to enjoy it more than I, but I was left unimpressed but I was interested during the actual read. 

Early Book Review: The Time Museum by Matthew Loux

The Time Museum is a graphic novel by Matthew Loux. It is currently scheduled for release on February 21 2017. The internship program at the Earth Time Museum is a little unusual. For one thing, kids as young as twelve get to apply for these prestigious summer jobs. And as for the applicant pool, well, these kids come from all over history. When Delia finds herself part of the applicant pool at the Time Museum, the last thing she expects is to be sent on time-traveling adventures with the others. From a cave-boy to a girl from the distant future, Delia's team represents nearly all of human history! They're going to need all their skills for the challenge they've got in store, defending the Time Museum itself!

The Time Museum got off to a slow start, but picked up speed quickly. First off, I really enjoyed the bright and quirky art style. It captured my attention and had me looking for hidden details and clues on every page. It was just fun and well done all on its own. Now as for the story, I always love the oddball characters, and Delia fills that role perfectly. She is smart and a free spirit, but awkward in the way teenagers are when they have not really grown into their full size and personality. Stumbling into the possibility of an internship at the Earth Time Museum and the adventures that awaited her there was just what she needed. There are multiple layers of mystery going on, along with the coming of age, getting along with peers, and fending off dinosaurs. For instance, just who is the Earl and what does he have to do with the Museum? This was just such a fun read, and a delightful find that will appeal to middle grade, young adult, and new adult readers the most. I am hoping to see more of this in series in the future.

The Time Museum is a fun, colorful graphic novel that kept me happy and entertained. I think any reader that likes adventure, science, or mystery will find this well worth the read. 

Book Review: Future Shock by Elizabeth Briggs

Future Shock by Elizabeth Briggs is a young adult book with adventure and science fiction elements. Elena Martinez has hidden her eidetic memory all her life. When powerful tech giant Aether Corporation selects her for a top-secret project, she can't say no. All she has to do is participate in a trip to the future to bring back data, and she'll be set for life. Elena joins a team of four other teens with special skills, including Adam, a science prodigy with his own reason for being there. But when the time travelers arrive in the future, something goes wrong and they break the only rule they were given: do not look into their own fates. Now they have twenty-four hours to get back to the present and find a way to stop a seemingly inevitable future from unfolding. With time running out and deadly secrets uncovered, Elena must use her eidetic memory, street smarts, and a growing trust in Adam to save her new friends and herself.

Future Shock is a great book with vibrant characters. I like the fact that the characters are all so different, and yet share common issues. The majority of major players come from the foster care system but even Adam, the only one not in the system, has issues of his own. It was also nice to see a variety of races and background issues for each of the characters, and they all felt very real and organic rather than forced. Elena and the crew all have trust issues (who can blame them), but they doubt themselves as well as each other. Their mission seems simple, find technology and information in the future that can earn Aether Corporation big money. However, there are secrets and  lies that throw everything off and make everyone even more distrustful. I like the serious character development we see with Elena and the murder mystery component of the story, as well as the fact that the romance aspect did not take over the other aspects of the story. It was a real page turner, and I was very much engaged with the characters through the entire book.

Future Shock is a book with a great premise and execution. I enjoyed the read greatly and will be looking for more from the author, hopefully to continue the story.

Blog Tour with Excerpt and Giveaway: Synching Forward by W. Lawrence

Synching Forward by W. Lawrence

1st Place for 2015 Feathered Quill Award, Science Fiction/Fantasy

Finalist in the 2014 Book Pipeline Contest

Description:
--Travel to the future - it will only cost you everyone you love.--
Attacked and injected with a drug which slows his metabolism to a fraction of normal, Martin James becomes an unwilling time traveler who hurtles through the years. His children grow up, his wife grows older, and his only hope is finding the people who injected him in the first place- not an easy task when one day for Martin lasts four years. And while Martin James strives to find a cure before everyone he loves is gone, others are uncertain if his journey can be stopped at all.

W. Lawrence weaves a dystopian future filled with the best and worst of humanity, highlights the blessings and curses of technology, and pushes the limits of faith and hopelessness. Above all,Syncing Forward is a tale of one man's love for his family, and their devotion to saving him from being lost forever.

PURCHASE

Amazon - Kindle, Amazon - Paperback

Audible, B&N Nook, Kobo, iBooks

Oakleaf Books, Book Depository

Half.com, Alibris, Google Play  

Excerpt:

Bella’s sentences were all blended together, and before I could respond she was being pulled from the room by my wife. I blinked hard and flapped my eyelids to keep them from stinging and—hopefully—to clear my head. I tried yawning to pop my ears, thinking perhaps they were clogged. A second later Dave stood by the bedside, shaking my arm.

“Martin Martin are you okay can you hear me what’s wrong Buddy you’re not looking so hot can you please just say—” Dave was talking as if on fast-forward, his words riding one upon another.

“Slow down,” I started to say, trying to cut through their rapid speech and the concern on their faces. “I feel very strange—”

The nurse cut me off. My voice sounded raspy in my own head, and low-toned.

“Martin why are you talking so slow do you understand what I am saying?”

“Yeah, but you can’t talk so fast—”

“I need you to tell me what you’re feeling right now.”

I tried to get a word in edgewise. “I’m trying to answer, if you would let me—”

Amara had been standing in the doorway, watching the chaos from a distance after being yanked into the hallway by somebody on the staff. She ran back into the room with the hospital worker chasing after her. “Daddy why are you talking like that are you fooling around you’re fooling right come on Daddy tell the truth you are playing right you are pretending right Daddy?”

“No, sweetie, I’m not. I don’t—” I couldn’t even finish one sentence as the girls kept talking over me. The woman grabbed Amara with both hands and pulled her kicking and screaming from the room, her face flushed with anger as they rapidly sank backward toward the hallway. “Let go of my kid!” I tried to yell, but the command stalled in my throat and sputtered out like a whisper.

“Leavehimaloneleavehimalonenowstopit!”

“We’vegottotransporthimtothelabrightnow . . .”

“Wherearewemovinghimto?”

“Ma’amyouneedtocalmdownandtakeyourchildrenoutofhere—”

The room became a swirl of battered sentences strung together and overlapping. The doctors and nurses took the foreground, asking me questions, never waiting long enough for me to answer. For 
split seconds I could catch the movement behind them. Miranda was holding onto Amara now, dragging her from view. The hospital worker was bent over the crying face of Bella.

“Belladon’tworryyourfatherisgoingtobefinethesemenareheartohelphimit’sokayit’sokaydon’tbescaredcomeonlet’sgowithyourmomandsisterokay?”

“. . . thereisnosignofastrokewe’veplacedacalltoLangleyyesIunderstand . . .”

“. . . sealoffthisareafromvisitors . . .”

“. . . goingtoneedtotransporthim . . .”

Life turned sideways as they wheeled my gurney from the room and raced to the rooftop. Tears were building in my eyes again. I had to resign myself to quick glimpses of the world as I shut my lids and peeked from behind them when something caught my ear or moved me enough to rouse my curiosity.

By the time they got me into the medivac helicopter, I finally understood what Bruchmuller had injected me with. Those four syringes were the culmination of what these doctors had been researching. The world wasn’t speeding up; I was slowing down.

I had become the rat.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

W. Lawrence's Website / Twitter / Facebook  / Goodreads

W Lawrence was born in San Francisco, California, and moved two dozen times before settling in Pennsylvania with his extraordinarily patient wife and two precocious daughters. He wants a boy dog. He works in the world of corporate security as an investigator and professional interviewer/interrogator.

Lawrence is obsessed with 5K zombie runs, comes home empty-handed from hunting turkeys, and loves non-fiction books about pirates. He has no problem reconciling that his two favorite shows are Downton Abbey and The Walking Dead.

ENTER THE GIVEAWAY

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Brought to you by Worldwind Virtual Book Tours

Novels that Span the Centuries

Some people have a love for novels that take place in one specific time period. Others have several favorites that they enjoy reading about. Each of these novels artfully span the centuries rather than staying in one short period of time. These are not the lighthearted fare that I normal suggest, but much more reaching and intense. Explore these new times and places, they are all well worth the journey reading them will take you on. 

Specimen Days by Michael Cunningham is his first book after The Hours. Similar to the previous bookSpecimen Days is a compendium of three stories in which we see a similar group of characters. There is a small boy, a young woman and an older man. The first section of the book, entitled "In the Machine", is a ghost story, which takes place during the peak the industrial revolution, as people face the difficulties of the new machine age. The second section of the book is called "The Children's Crusade". This portion is set in the early twenty-first century and plays within the traditions of noir thrillers as it follows the pursuit of a terrorist group that is apparently setting off bombs at random locations throughout the city. The last section is titled "Like Beauty" and takes place in a New York one hundred and fifty years in the future. At this point New York is almost overwhelmed with refugees from the first inhabited planet Earth is able to establish contact. The poet Walt Whitman is a muse and prophetic figure that ties all the sections together. Specimen Days is haunting, genre-bending, and transforming work about life in one of the United State's greatest city and a thorough meditation about America's destiny.

Ireland: A Novel by Frank Delaney is an epic tale that explores the passionate Irish spirit. Seanchai, a traveling storyteller, arrives unannounced on the doorstep of a home in the countryside on a winter night in 1951. To trade for food and shelter for the night Seanchai offers his hosts and their neighbors to listen to his tales. He tells tales Ireland's history. Nine-year-old Ronan becomes so enthralled in the tales that he is determined to find the storyteller again after he leaves under mysterious circumstances. Ronan's quest for Seanchai becomes much more than expected. It soon becomes a journey of self-discovery and an immersion into the sometimes-conflicting histories of Ireland. As the long-unspoken secrets of his own family begin to reveal themselves, he becomes increasingly single-minded in pursuit of the old man, who he fears may already be dead. However, Ronan's personal path also leads him deeper and deeper into the history and mythology of Ireland itself, in all its drama, intrigue, and heroism.

Ireland travels through the centuries, bringing together Ronan's quest for the Storyteller with a rich unfolding of defining moments of Irish history. Events include the harsh Ice Age to the green but troubled world of political conflict and tourism. Readers are introduced to fool hardy kings, fabled saints, pure monks, great works of art, cunning Norman raiders, powerful tribal leaders, poets, politicians, and lovers. Each story demonstrates the true wonder of Ireland and the connection between the people and the land. Ireland is a beautiful novel by an author whom is passionate about his country.

The Lazarus Project by Aleksandar Hemon starts in 1908 when 19-year-old Lazarus goes to the home of George Shippy, the Chicago chief of police. His visit is supposed to be a simple letter delivery, but Shippy shoots Lazarus twice, killing him. Shippy releases a statement claiming that Lazarus was a terrorist. Olga, Lazarus' sister is left alone, grieving, and destitute in a city brimming for unrest. In present day, a young writer, Brik, becomes obsessed with Lazarus' story and the details as to why things happened the way they did. There has to be more to the story. As Brik investigates with a friend, his story becomes intertwined with Lazarus'. They retrace Lazarus's path across Eastern Europe with scenes from history and today. Photographs enhance the tale and draw readers deeper into this original and entertaining novel. In The Lazarus Project, Hemon creates a novel that has both haunting historical feel with a sharp wit and heart wrenching voice.

The Monsters of Templeton: A Novel by Lauren Groff is a novel that spans two centuries. It is partially a contemporary tale about a girl's search for her father. It is also part historical novel and part ghost story. I found The Monsters of Templeton to be spellbinding story about a town's hold on a family's secrets. 

Willie Upton returns home after a disastrous affair with her professor. She expects to be able to hide at home with her mother who has changed from free spirited hippie to strict born-again Baptist. However, the death of the monster changes everything. The very fabric of the quiet town her ancestors founded has shifted. Willie also discovers that the stories her mother had told her about her own history is not quite true. She starts digging for the complete truth about her family history, only to discover that the secrets of her family run much deeper than she expected. The dead tell their own tales through journal entries, letters and editorials in this haunting story. Dark mysteries become known, stories from the past are put to rest, the truth about more than one monster is revealed as the past and present blur.

Burning Bright: Stories by Ron Rash uses the lives of unforgettable characters to demonstrate the beauty, starkness and violence in Appalachia. The stories range from the civil War era to present day. Together the picture painted of the region by these stories with all of its complexities like some books can capture the true essence of a person. Appalachia is dichotomous with elements of exceptional beauty in the harsh rugged landscape, as well as the effect of siren or muse to those that visit or live there. In one story, "Back of Beyond," a pawnshop owner profiting from stolen goods helps his brother and sister-in-law when their son threatens them. In the title story, a small town woman marries an outsider, who becomes the prime suspect when an arsonist starts fires in the Smoky Mountains. These stories shed light on an area that often goes unexplored.

These books carry the reader across the boundaries of time and place. I highly recommend all of these to give you a new perspective on your own place in time and understanding of others.

Early Book Review: First Time with a Highlander by Gwyn Cready

First Time with a Highlander is the second book in the Sirens of the Scottish Borderlands series by Gwyn Cready. This follow up to Just in Time for a Highlander is currently scheduled for release on October 6 2015. Although this is a sequel, the the story makes for a better read with the background of having read the first, you can easily catch on and enjoy this book without reading the first.

What do you get when you imbibe centuries-old whiskey-besides a hangover the size of the Highlands? If you're twenty-first century ad exec Gerard Innes, you get swept back to 18th-century Edinburgh and into the bed of a gorgeous, fiery redhead. Gerard has only a foggy idea what he and the lady have been up to, but what he does remember draws him into the most dangerous and exhilarating campaign of his life. Serafina Seonag Fallon's scoundrel of a fiancé has left her with nothing, and she's determined to turn the tables. If she can come up with a ringer, she can claim the cargo he stole from her. But the dashing man she summons from the future demands more than a night, and Serafina finds it easier to command the seas under her feet than the crashing waves he unleashes in her heart.

First Time with a Highlander is a solid sequel with great characters. Gerard is a modern man that pulls no punches. He has significant charm, and is used to getting his way all the time. He regularly uses his modern ideas of branding and marketing to help those around him, while garnering some profit for himself. However, he is not a wholly selfish man, he is dynamic and interesting as he tries to piece together what has happened, and what he would like to have happen for his future. Serafina is outspoken and unconventional, while trapped by the confines of the time. Everything she had, including her reputation have been taken from her by her former fiancee, and she is desperate to regain what is rightfully hers. Very little goes as planned, and there is plenty of adventure and suspense as the trail for her cargo leads her and Gerard into more trouble than anyone expected. I really found myself invested in the characters and eager to see how they found their happy ever after. I loved their bickering and heated interactions, although their more intimate moments were not as intense at their verbal exchanges. 

First Time with a Highlander is a satisfying read, with a good cast of characters and use of time travel. My only real complaint on finishing the story is how much I want the next book so I can see how Undine finds her happy ending. 

Book Review: Benjamin Franklin: Huge Pain in my... by Adam Mansbach, Alan Zwiebel

Benjamin Franklin: Huge Pain in my... by Adam Mansbach and Alan Zwiebelis is a middle grade novel. This is the start to a most unlikely pen pal relationship between thirteen-year-old Franklin Isaac Saturday (Ike) and Benjamin Franklin. Before the fateful extra credit assignment that started it all, Ike's life was pretty normal. He was avoiding the popularity contests of middle school, crushing hard on Clare Wanzandae and trying not roll his eyes at his stepfather, Dirk-the-Jerk's lame jokes. But all that changes when, in a successful effort to make Claire Wanzandae laugh, Ike mails his homework assignment to Ben Franklin and he writes back. Soon, things go awry. After Ike has an embarrassing moment of epic proportions in front of Claire involving a playground, non-alcoholic beer, and a lot of kettle corn, Ike decides he needs to find a way to win Claire back. With some help from his new friend, B-Fizzle, can Ike get the girl and make his mark in history?

I really wanted to like Benjamin Franklin: Huge Pain in my... but I had some serious issues with it. I might be out of touch, but I do not think the middle grade set is sneaking out of the house with stolen alcohol or having parties that include alcohol pilfered from their parent's liquor cabinets and games of spin the bottle. These things are framed in a way that makes them look normal at best, part of the cool kid activities at worst. The book is being marketed for 10 to 14 year olds, and I just do not think that this is quite appropriate. I would not want to even encourage this or normalize it for high school students, who are much more likely to have exposure or heard talk from friends about similar activities.

Benjamin Franklin: Huge Pain in my... has some elements that I did like. I liked the idea of mailing a letter with an time appropriate stamp and having that mail reach a person from that time period. I liked that through the majority of the book readers, and the characters, are on the fence about if it is really happening or is someone, somehow is playing an trick. I like that Ike learns that he needs to be himself, and true to himself, in order for the people most important to him to trust him, and want to spend time with him. However, I found the disrespectful tone Ike often used, and the activities I found to be not age appropriate, really ruined the read for me. I think the concept has promise, and could have been done extremely well, but it failed here.  I was further frustrated when I pushed myself to finish the book only to have it end on a cliffhanger. 

I would not recommend Benjamin Franklin: Huge Pain in my. I found it frustrating on several levels, and rather sad because of it. 

Early Book Review: My Highland Bride by Maeve Greyson

My Highland Bride is the second book in the Highland Hearts series by Maeve Greyson. This romance is currently scheduled for release on August 25 2015. I have not read the first book in the series, and while it might have made the acclimation to the premise and cast of characters easier, I felt like I could fully enjoy the story despite the lack.  Kenna Sinclair seems like just another pretty Kentucky girl. But she can also read minds, erase memories, and jump through time; a skill set that comes in handy when her matchmaking granny sends her back to thirteenth-century Scotland on the pretext of visiting her older sister. When she encounters the clan’s womanizing man-at-arms, a single electrifying touch makes Kenna see that playing hard to get will not be easy. Bewitched by the first lass who could ever resist him, Colum Garrison will do anything to prove his devotion, even ask for Kenna’s hand in marriage, and swear off his chosen form of recreation until their wedding night. The match might be perfect, but Colum's pride just might open the door to more trouble than either are prepared for.

My Highland Bride caught me interest quickly, but lost me for a bit in the middle. The love interest between Kenna and Colum was quick, and backed up by the Sinclair family's particular set of gifts. I enjoyed Colum's character, and development but after the initial introduction to Kenna (which I really liked and got my hopes up for a strong character) I found her to be less dynamic and interesting as the story went on. I did like that they did not go straight to a happy ending, and when the big conflict arose in the middle I was on board with it.I thought it was just the kick in the pants Colum needed to kick things into gear. However, In I think the conflict as a whole was more complicated and hard on Colum than it needed to be. If it had come together a little sooner, I would have felt a little more connection with the final resolution- but because of the additional problems I found myself impatient for the conclusion. I also found myself more interested in the characters I expect to star in the next book than with Kenna and Colum.

My Highland Bride was a decent story. There were parts that I really loved, but was disappointed in Kenna’s character over all and became impatient with the story. I will be reading the next book, because this one did make me very interested to see what happens with two of the secondary characters which I fully expect to be the main players in the near future.