Review: Being Travis by Melissa Bowersock

Genre: Science Fiction/Historical Fiction/Time Travel

Description:

“Two years ago, a weird trick of time sent Travis Merrill spiraling from 2016 to the year 1877. Committed now to his life in frontier Arizona, Travis is married with a child on the way and is homesteading a ranch. His knowledge of the future, however, keeps him at odds with his neighbors, his friends… and his wife. He finds it more and more difficult to protect his home without alienating his family, yet he can’t ignore what he knows is – and will be – true.”

Author:

“Melissa Bowersock is an eclectic, award-winning author who writes in a variety of genres: action/adventure, paranormal, biography, fantasy, romance, spiritual and satire. She has been both traditionally and independently published, and is a regular contributor to the superblog Indies Unlimited. For more information, visit her website.”

Appraisal:

In the first book of this series, Finding Travis, the main character (in case you haven't guessed, a man named Travis), is transported back in time. In the first book he was adapting to his new environment, trying not to raise too many red flags, and wondering how, when, or whether he could get back to modern times. But then he fell in love and you know how that can mess with plans.

Being Travis picks up a couple years later. Travis is married, moving a few miles away from the army camp where he landed in the first book to settle down with his pregnant wife.

I typically find books and stories with a time travel element to be interesting thought experiments. When the person has gone Back to the Future it introduces some interesting things to consider. How does the person deal with advancements in knowledge that they're privy to, but the rest of their cohorts aren't? What things can they do safely without changing the future in some way that they'll regret? This book has some of that, as well as plenty of tense moments, balanced out by some feel good moments, and even a run in with a historical figure. It was a fun and entertaining read as well as provoking a bit of thought. I'm looking forward to the next series installment.

Buy now from:            Amazon US        Amazon UK

FYI:

Although the second in a series and a situation where I think this story would be more enjoyable if a person has read the series opener, those who choose to read this as a standalone should be able to follow the story reasonably well.

Format/Typo Issues:

No significant issues.

Rating: ***** Five Stars

Reviewed by: BigAl

Approximate word count: 45-50,000 words

Review: The Golden Tup by Leslie W P Garland

Genre: Fantasy/Occult

Description:

“The Golden Tup - a dreadful tale of paradise being cruelly taken by latent evil.

Can evil be in a place? The tale opens with Verity, a farmer's wife, recalling how a young couple were arrested a few years previously for killing their newborn baby. How could such a nice young couple have done such a dreadful thing? Through a series of flashbacks we learn how they had created their rural idyll, how an enigmatic man had come into their lives and how their idyll and relationship had gradually fallen apart - how, with references to Milton's Paradise Lost, their paradise was lost. Gradually the young wife reveals a dreadful past, but Verity realises that she is holding something back, but what? What is the terrible truth that caused her and her husband to kill their baby?

An adult fantasy story for those who like to think about what they reading.”

Author:

“Leslie Garland was born in 1949, qualified as a Chartered Civil Engineer and worked for several years on projects in the UK, the Far East and Africa. During this period he won the Institution of Civil Engineers ‘Miller Prize’ for a paper on tunnelling. Changing times resulted in a change in direction and after qualifying as an Associate Member of both the British Institute of Professional Photography and the Royal Photographic Society he started his own stock photograph library and wrote for the trade press. An unexpected break in his Internet connection fortuitously presented the time to make a start on a long cherished project of a series of short stories, and the first two of ‘The Red Grouse Tales’ were drafted. Two more tales have followed and he is now working on a second batch of tales. He lives with his wife in Northumberland, England.”

More information is available on his website.

www.lesliegarland.co.uk

Appraisal:

The premise of this tale is pretty spooky. At least to me it is because anything that reminds me of Rosemary’s Baby gives me the shivers. But the execution didn’t serve up any stomach squirming moments because the writer told the story as a narration from the perspective of a local farmer’s wife, Verity, as though it was being related aurally. That delivery kept me one person removed from the actual occurrences. This prevented me from knowing the characters (and caring about their fate). Consequently, I was never able to feel the fear from the main characters.

The spookiest parts of the novel would have been experienced when the main characters were exposed to occult happenings, but the third-party delivery prevented that point of view. The same problem dogged the denouement, where the fearful consequence was hinted at rather than being shown.

Mr. Garland is a fine writer and the finished product is of a high technical quality. I think this would be a terrific horror tale if the main characters became the focal point.

Buy now from:            Amazon US     Amazon UK

FYI:

English settings and spelling.

Format/Typo Issues:

Rating:  *** Three Stars

Reviewed by: Pete Barber

Approximate word count: 20-25,000 words

Review: Shattered Spirit (Totem Book 4) by Christine Rains

Genre: Fantasy/Romance/Mystery/Adventure

Description:

“A haunted house isn’t going to stop Ametta Dorn from doing her job.

Frustrated that her family has left her out of the search for the missing totem tokens, Ametta Dorn loses herself in her work. She’s offered a dream job of a complete interior renovation of a famous Cremaschi house. Not even discovering the house belongs to Lucky Osberg can dampen her enthusiasm.

Lucky’s plan to spend more time with her as she works goes awry when the spirit who protects his home tries to murder her. Ametta won’t be scared off, despite being tempted to run and never come back. She was going to flee Alaska and pursue her designer dreams anyway, yet that means giving up on Lucky and the totem that is just within her grasp.”

Author:

“Christine Rains is a writer, blogger, and geek mom. She has four degrees which help nothing with motherhood but make her a great Jeopardy player. When she's not reading or writing, she's going on adventures with her son or watching cheesy movies on Syfy Channel. She's a member of S.C.I.F.I. and Untethered Realms. She has one novel and several novellas and short stories published.”

Check out her Amazon author page for all of her books or stalk her on Facebook.

Appraisal:

Ametta Dorn, the youngest of the Dorn sisters, frustrates the hell out of me. Is it a common trait for the youngest sibling to be so self-absorbed and single minded? At the age of twenty-five Ametta has secured herself as an up and coming interior designer to keep an eye on. Despite being a polar bear shifter, she is intent on opening her own business in the lower 48 or perhaps even Europe. When she decides her family doesn’t need or want her help in recovering the totem tokens that will save all shifters, she moves her timeclock up for her move out of Alaska. Her attraction to Lucky is distracting her from her goal.

Lucky Osberg, a handsome Kodiak shifter who has his eye on Ametta, has the patience of a saint and a plan. He hires her to do a renovation on his house, which happens to be a famous Cremaschi house. This is a dream come true for Ametta, and here she thought Lucky was only a volunteer firefighter. She hasn’t taken the time to get to know him through his pursuit because he has no desire to leave Alaska and that doesn’t fit her dream for her future. Her short-sightedness also bites her in the butt when she discovers that she isn’t even aware of the totems that make up the totem pole, which scattered its tokens all over Alaska to protect itself. See why she frustrated me? Ametta is my least favorite sister. However, I love Lucky.

The addition of Lucky’s house being haunted was an interesting twist. Through the years the spirit has always been a protective entity and its change of character puzzles and disheartens Lucky. The spirit’s aggression is centered on Ametta, which forces her to take a hard look at herself. Lucky tries to protect her, but much of his effort is thwarted by the contentious spirit.

An additional bonus was Ametta’s two phone conversations with Saskia and then later with both Saskia and Sedge. So we gained another peek into their relationship, which I enjoyed immensely.

Shattered Spirit is Ametta’s journey to self-realization and she has redeemed herself, somewhat, in my view. This addition to the series is enthralling and I was able to read it in one evening, because I didn’t want to put it down.

Buy now from:            Amazon US        Amazon UK

FYI:

Contains adult language with several F-bombs. Shattered Spirit is the fourth book in the Totem series. This series of novellas build on each other and should be read in order.

Format/Typo Issues:

I came across no proofing or editing issues.

Rating: ***** Five Stars

Reviewed by: ?wazithinkin

Approximate word count: 20-25,000 words

Review: Secret Workplace Romance by Roxanne Amour

Genre: Romance

Description:

“A secret office Romance leads to insomnia, lies, and layoffs!”

Author:

Roxanne Amour writes short, clean romance stories.

Appraisal:

Oh, my. I'll start by quoting the first two paragraphs of this story. Give it a read, then we'll talk.

After an impossible day at the office, the only thing on Jenifer's mind was a steaming, hot bubble bath a tall glass of Merlot and a well-earned night’s rest in her cozy, little bed.

Jennifer Grant put up with the boisterous goings-on coming from the apartment overhead as long as humanly possible finally after tossing and turning for hours she decided something must be done. Nevertheless, three o'clock in the morning was hardly the time to be pacing back and forth accompanied by loud music right over her head.

Did you notice the author doesn't know how to spell the protagonist's name? It can be Jenifer or Jennifer, not both. But both get used throughout the story. However, that's relatively minor and I'm sure will get fixed quickly. So we'll move on.

Is it just me or does the first sentence in the second paragraph run on forever? How many thoughts are there? Maybe it could be broken into a couple sentences. Maybe throw in a comma or two.

Jennifer Grant put up with the boisterous goings-on coming from the apartment overhead as long as humanly possible. Finally, after tossing and turning for hours, she decided something must be done.

Lines like these were popping up constantly in this book. It appears to me the only editing and proofreading help the author had to polish this story was her word processor's spell checker.

As for the underlying story, it's hard to tell how much I'd like it if it had been more readable. Possibly that influenced my attitude toward the characters. But by the end I found the heroine and the two men in her life, the three most important characters, all to be unlikable. On the positive side, this is a romance and it did get to the happily-ever-after ending required of the genre. So it has that going for it.

Buy now from:            Amazon US        Amazon UK

Format/Typo Issues:

Numerous proofreading and copyediting errors.

Rating: * One Star

Reviewed by: BigAl

Approximate word count:  7-8,000 words

Review: One Good Eclair: A Nutrition Mafia Mystery by Maria Schneider

Genre: Cozy Mystery/Contemporary Fiction

Description:

“Ivy is determined to make her living as a nutritionist, but her family has other plans. When that family is the mafia, and one of them has gone missing, all other jobs are summarily pushed aside. Or else.

Ivy can’t trust anyone outside of the family, but Slate is not only willing to help, he’s the last person to have seen her uncle alive. It only makes sense to keep her eye and gun on Slate while they hunt for clues. Watching him is easy because Slate is more than happy to keep her close, but is he leading her away from her uncle or truly helping?

Ivy can’t cook her way out of this mess, but she has a recipe or two for dealing with disaster—if she can just put the fires out before she gets burned!”

Author:

“Maria E. Schneider: A few years ago, I decided I wanted to be a writer. I gathered up my computer, memory cards (because you definitely want to back this stuff up!), and dictionary. It’s a slow journey, one with pitfalls, cliffs, boulders and every now and then a peaceful meadow with a clear brook. Surprisingly, the peaceful meadows aren’t publishing credits, they are just moments where I’m doing what I want to do, where the writing is clicking, where my characters are fascinating and I can’t wait to see what happens next.”

Feel free to check out her website, Bear Mountain Books, for her many other books. Or stalk her on Facebook.

Appraisal:

I have read several of Ms. Schneider’s fantasy novels and enjoyed them. I don’t believe I have read any of her cozy mysteries though. Fact is, I haven’t read many mysteries at all. However, I am enjoying the genre.

Ivy is trying to establish herself as a nutritionist. However, she moonlights for her Uncle Tom doing odd jobs when she isn’t working. She is probably the most stable person in her family, but trouble seems to follow her. When her uncle goes missing Ivy is left to figure out if there is a connection between her uncle, a bleeding man trying to pick the lock on her uncle’s patio door, gun shots shattering the same sliding patio door, and a murder down the street all in the same evening.

Ivy isn’t sure she can trust anyone but close family, but she keeps bleeding man at gun point as they escape uncle’s house after the gun shots are fired. She’s suspects bleeding man was the last one to see Uncle Tom before he disappeared and she wants answers. It’s a suspenseful captivating story that involves crooked cops, a loan shark, and a computer genius. Ms. Schneider doesn’t miss a beat weaving the tale as Ivy flounders while trying to connect the dots. There are twists which involve an unscrupulous cousin, a mixed breed terrier, a K-9 German Shepard, marijuana-laden chocolate cake batter, an adorable bloodhound puppy, a cat, and a surprising ally.  

One Good Eclair is the first book of Ms. Schneider’s Nutrition Mafia Mystery series. You’ll find intrigue, suspense, humor, and a little romance. I can’t wait to see more escapades involving Ivy and her family.

Buy now from:            Amazon US        Amazon UK

FYI:

One Good Eclair is the first book of Ms. Schneider’s Nutrition Mafia Mystery series. As a bonus there are a couple of Ivy’s recipes at the end of the book.

Format/Typo Issues:

No significant proofing or formatting issues.

Rating: ***** Five Stars

Reviewed by: ?wazithinkin

Approximate word count: 65-70,000 words

Review: Beauty of the Fall by Rich Marcello

Genre: Contemporary Fiction/Literary Fiction

Description:

“Dan Underlight, a divorced, workaholic technology executive, suffers lingering grief over the death of his ten-year-old son, Zack. When Dan's longtime friend and boss fires Dan from RadioRadio, the company that he helped create, he crashes and isolates himself.

Willow, a poet and domestic violence survivor, helps Dan regain his footing. With her support, Dan ventures on a pilgrimage of sorts, visiting Fortune 500 companies to flesh out a software start-up idea. He then recruits three former RadioRadio colleagues and starts Conversationworks, a company he believes will be at the vanguard of social change.

Guided by Dan's leadership, Conversationworks enjoys some early successes, but its existence is soon threatened on multiple fronts. Will Dan survive the ensuing corporate battles and realize the potential of his company? Or will he be defeated by his enemies and consumed by his grief?”

Author:

Rich is a poet, a songwriter and musician, a creative writing teacher at Seven Bridges’ Writer Collaborative, and the author of three novels, The Color of Home, The Big Wide Calm, and The Beauty of the Fall. Previously, he enjoyed a successful career as a technology executive, managing several multi-billion dollar businesses for Fortune 500 companies.

Appraisal:

I became engaged in this story very quickly. The insights into how personal and working relationships become strained in a start-up company after it goes public were fascinating--I suspect the author’s past work experience was put to good use.

The main character’s “pyramid pilgrimage” worked well as a vehicle to highlight the yin and yang of family responsibilities and business demands.

However, when Dan started his second company, the story bogged down in a series of scenes that seemed to exists more to preach a worldview than to progress the story. Dan’s treatment of Willow seemed out of character to me, as though force-fitted in order to inject tension into a story that had drifted a little too far into the realms of proselytizing.

Mr. Marcello’s writing flowed beautifully throughout. Dan, Dan’s team, Olivia, and Willow were all interesting characters, and the premise of Conversationworks provided an interesting view of the potential problem-solving capabilities of a hi-tech social media platform that wasn’t wholly focused on commercial gain.

Buy now from:            Amazon US     Amazon UK

Format/Typo Issues:

No significant issues.

Rating:  **** Four Stars

Reviewed by: Pete Barber

Approximate word count: 105-110,000 words

Reprise Review: The Broken Saint by Mike Markel

Genre: Mystery/Police Procedural

Description:

“Seagate and Miner investigate the murder of Maricel Salizar, a young Filipino exchange student at Central Montana State. The most obvious suspect is the boyfriend, who happens to have gang connections. And then there’s Amber, a fellow student who’s obviously incensed at Maricel for a sexual indiscretion involving Amber’s boyfriend. But the evidence keeps leading Seagate and Miner back to the professor, an LDS bishop who hosted her in his dysfunctional home. Seagate takes it in stride that the professor can’t seem to tell the truth about his relationship with the victim, but her devout partner, Ryan Miner, believes that a high-ranking fellow Mormon who violates a sacred trust deserves special punishment.”

Author:

Mike Markel teaches writing at Boise State University. In addition to the Seagate and Miner Mystery series (this is the fourth in that series) he has written eight non-fiction books on writing and numerous articles for various publications.

For more, visit the author’s website.

Appraisal:

I’d previously read Three-Way, another of the books in the Seagate and Miner mystery series. One of the things that appealed to me was the relationship between the two detectives, with Karen Seagate as the crude-talking, cynical, recovering alcoholic and Ryan Miner as the devout Mormon family man who describes himself as “a bit of a boy scout.” They’re just about polar opposites, despite this, they have mutual respect, yet the dynamic between the two and their different styles, as ripe as it is for a lot of tense moments, rarely works out that way. Instead they tend to complement each other, with their differences and contrasting points of view making the partnership stronger.

In this installment, Ryan’s religion comes into play, at points blinding him to possible scenarios and later, when he’s not able to ignore new information they’ve uncovered, causing him to focus too much on a single suspect, to his detriment.  There’s a lesson to be learned about how our preconceptions can influence our approach to problems in a bad way. Another excellent read from Markel that keeps you guessing whodunit the whole way.

Buy now from:            Amazon US        Amazon UK

FYI:

Some adult language.

Added for Reprise Review: The Broken Saint was a nominee in the Mystery category for B&P 2015 Readers' Choice Awards. Original review ran November 1, 2014

Format/Typo Issues:

No significant issues

Rating: ***** Five Stars

Reviewed by: BigAl

Approximate word count: 80-85,000 words

Review: Interface by Tony Batton

Genre: Science Fiction/Technothriller

Description:

“Tom Faraday - new employee at the famous CERUS Biotech - wakes up after a Friday night party to find it's Monday, and he's lost the entire weekend. And that’s only the start of his problems.

25 years ago CERUS crossed boundaries that should not have been crossed. With Tom's help, they're about to try again. And what they have in mind will change everything.”

Author:

Tony Batton worked in international law firms, media companies and Formula One motorsport, before turning his hand to writing novels. He is passionate about great stories, gadgets and coffee, and probably consumes too much of each.

Tony's novels explore the possibilities and dangers of new technology, and how that can change lives. When not writing, or talking about gadgets, Tony likes to play basketball, guitar, and computer games with his two young sons. He lives in London with his family.

Appraisal:

I write novels in the technothriller space. I’m not sure whether that makes me more likely to enjoy or to be critical of fiction written in a similar vein. I just thought I’d put that out there before saying that this was a very good example of the genre that kept me engaged and turning pages.

The McGuffin--nanotechnology that enhances a human brain, is current and close enough to warrant speculation. The technical details never bog down the story. The characters were believable. The CERUS HQ was futuristic and very cool. The main character, Tom, went through an interesting story arc that moved him from unsuspecting victim to… well that would be an unnecessary spoiler. Tom was often in danger, as were those who supported him, and yet he managed to extricate himself from most situations without some miraculous external intervention, so the tension remained taut throughout.

Although this is Book One of a series, the story is complete in its own right. We are left with a hook for the second book but, thank heavens, not a cliffhanger! If I didn’t have such a large backlog in my TBR list, I’d read the second installment.

Buy now from:            Amazon US     Amazon UK

Format/Typo Issues:

No significant issues.

Rating:  ***** Five Stars

Reviewed by: Pete Barber

Approximate word count: 85-90,000 words

Review: Days of the Dead by Felicia Lee

Genre: Cozy Mystery/Ghosts

Description:

“When is it terrifying NOT to see a ghost? Los Angeles Alternative reporter and political activist Elena Guzman knows. She sees dead people – all the women in her close-knit Mexican-American family do. They only stop seeing the dead shortly before they die themselves. And right now, Elena’s failing to see a ghost that seemingly everyone else is seeing — the mysterious wraith seen abducting Graciela Hernandez, a young immigrant housekeeper.

But Elena has plenty to distract her from her possibly impending death. Her loyal but unstable best friend Mona is growing dangerously obsessed with her abusive ex-boyfriend. Graciela is still missing, and Elena is determined to find her and return her to safety, even if the police aren’t.

This means doing exactly what she fears most: tracking down a ghost she can’t see. But Elena must power through her dread to find Graciela before it’s too late…for both of them.”

Author:

Felicia Lee: “Many members of my family have seen ghosts, but I haven't, and am not sure I want to...so instead I write about them. When I'm not writing about ghosts, I'm writing non-creepy web and promotional copy for businesses, nonprofits, and public agencies or writing non-fiction essays (some of which have appeared in the Los Angeles Times and Salon.com).

I'm also a near-native of Los Angeles, the setting of the Days of the Dead series. I arrived there from my birthplace in the mysterious east (Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania) at the age of the 3 and earned two degrees in English from Stanford and a doctorate in linguistics from UCLA. After 10 years as a university professor and researcher (and writing unintentionally terrifying things like my first book, Remnant Movement and VSO Clausal Architecture: A Case Study of San Lucas Quiavini Zapotec), I returned to my roots as a writer. I've never looked back.”

You can follow Days of the Dead series on it's FaceBook page or follow Ms. Lee’s blog.

Appraisal:

Days of the Dead is what I consider a cozy mystery and I have to admit, I love the book cover. I found the premise unique, the characters well developed, and diverse. Elena Guzman is a strong Latina heroine with high moral character out to make her small corner of the world safer with her journalistic integrity and her supernatural investigative skills.

When an undocumented seventeen year-old Mexican housekeeper disappears from an older upscale neighborhood of Windsor Square, the police are eager to dismiss Graciela Hernandez as a runaway and be done with it. However, Elena is determined to find the truth and save Graciela if she can. When Betty Markman, a busy-body neighbor, warns Elena to stay away from the Parks’ house where Graciela disappeared, because it is a dangerous place for young girls and it’s haunted, Elena’s curiosity is piqued.

I do have one bone to pick though. I would like to suggest to Ms. Lee to not use the same name for different characters in her stories. The first Edward is the art director and layout guy for the Alternative newspaper where Elena works. Later in the book another Edward, an Edward St. John, is introduced. He was a known criminal from the past and referred to using his full name or Big Ed. While that was easy for my old brain to sort out, there was yet a third Edward introduced toward the end of the story. Edward III, that’s what I am going to call him, is nosy neighbor Betty’s adult nephew. I found so many Edwards distracting and Edward III actually threw me out of the story.

The plot is well paced for a novella and the history around Windsor Square community is intriguing and adds to the depth of the story. I found this an enjoyable read and now that I’ve addressed the Edward dilemma readers shouldn’t get as confused as I did. However, it was a grievous enough error I had to deduct a star.

I would also like to end this review saying, I think Days of the Dead will make an interesting series to follow. So, if you enjoy cozy mysteries with a touch of the supernatural, you may enjoy this series beginning.

Buy now from:            Amazon US        Amazon UK 

FYI:

Days of the Dead looks to be the first book of a series and the debut novella  from Felicia Lee.

Format/Typo Issues:

Aside from the three Edwards problem, I found a couple of small proofing issues.

Rating: *** Three Stars

Reviewed by: ?wazithinkin

Approximate word count: 25-30,000 words

Review: Chaos Unbound (The Metis Files Book 2) by Brian S. Leon

Genre: Urban Fantasy/Mythology/Contemporary

Description:

“The hunter becomes the hunted.

Framed for the murder of a high ranking member of the Unseelie Court of Fae, Steve Dore–also known as Diomedes, Guardian and protector of mankind–goes on the run. He’s determined to uncover the real culprit and clear his name.

But the assassination may be the beginning of a more sinister plot that involves not just the Fae and Humankind, but all the races of the world. And what if the real assassin is a boogeyman even the Fae don't believe is real?”

Author:

“Brian S. Leon is truly a jack of all trades and a master of none. He writes just to do something with all the useless degrees and skills he’s accumulated over the years. Most of them have no practical application in civilized society, anyway. His interests include mythology and fishing, in pursuit of which he has explored jungles and museums, oceans and seas all over the world.

His credentials include an undergraduate degree from the University of Miami and a master’s degree from San Diego State University, plus extensive postgraduate work in evolutionary biology at the University of Massachusetts Amherst, where he studied animals most people aren’t even aware exist and theories no one really cares about anyway… Brian currently resides in San Diego, California.”

Learn more at Brian's website, or follow his series page on Facebook.

Appraisal:

Steve Dore runs a private fishing tour business in San Diego. After a particularly strange day of dodging several selkies on a fishing tour with clients on board, Steve knows something is up. When his friend Ned, the Titan God of the Sea--Nereus--, greats him at the dock with a warning and rushes Steve off the boat. Steve learns his alter-ego, Diomedes, has been accused of murdering Lord Indronivay, a high ranking member of the Unseelie Court. To make things worse, Goibniu -- chief bladesmith for the Seelie Court – has been murdered as well. Now the race is on as every Unseelie and Seelie fae around the world are after Diomedes to bring him to justice.

The plot is fast moving as Diomedes and his friend Duma, a Peri fae, who is sent by Athena to assist Diomedes in clearing his name. Duma knows how to read the energy of the ley lines to the portals of the Telluric Pathways, known as the Ways, to speed through the human or Fairy realms searching for a mythic half-breed fae.  

Chaos Unbound is full of non-stop action and bloody battles as Diomedes and Duma try to unravel the conspiracy while eluding both fae courts to clear Diomedes of two death-worthy crimes he didn’t commit. The plot is a roller-coaster ride of twists and turns with the introduction of many unsavory fae monsters and a few unexpected allies. Their foray into the vampire realm was a startling surprise to me, which may give you nightmares. I wasn’t expecting that. *shivers*

Duma is an interesting character. He is more laid back than his brother, Ab, and he added bits of humor in this tension filled story. Diomedes’ self-deprecating humor is always funny for such a hero-type figure. I was glad to see Sarah Wright make an appearance as well. I’m glad to see her forcing the issue for a more inclusive relationship with Diomedes. This addition to The Metis Files series is entertaining on many different levels and it was easy to become enthralled with all the elements. I also believe enough background material is covered so Chaos Unbound could be read as a stand-alone novel.

Buy now from:            Amazon US        Amazon UK 

FYI:

Chaos Unbound is book two in The Metis Files series, book one is Havoc Rising. Contains adult language with several F-bombs.

Format/Typo Issues:

I believe I was given an advanced readers copy, however I found no significant proofing issues.

Rating: ***** Five Stars

Reviewed by: ?wazithinkin

Approximate word count: 115-120,000 words