Eyes Deep: A Clandestine Daze novella by Tim Marquitz

When the first few lines include a gross out murder followed by some sort of eyeball eating ritual I could not help but be hooked. But this is no out and out horror novel, more a supernatural, dark urban thriller.

Our main “man” is simply named Z but goes by so many other personas and skins!

After he has consumed said eyeball he is now able to become that person, a doppelganger, this allows him to do his day job of finding a piece of stolen equipment and ascertaining why it was even being built as this seems to be a machine designed to pull energy from another plane/world/dimension, and so the fun begins.

I wasn’t too fussed with Jace the other main character simply because her personality was kept so closed and in the dark, although she clearly has “something” for our main man Z to be so enthralled. I really enjoyed the sexual undercurrent, even if it was all one sided!  Maybe TM will expand her character in the next book, she obviously has a “history” to be the cold, feisty, uber killer that she is.

The pace is edgy and face and I really enjoyed the new world that TM is building done, which is leaked out slowly  as the story progresses, you can’t afford to take your eye of the page for a second or you will miss something. 

There was a great fight scene early on before Z and Jace resort to guns and all the chatter that goes along with that! But there were some very visual shape shifting moments too that really cheered me up.

I found less humour in this novella than what I used to from TM, his other major characters all have a sharp, sarcastic wit to them, Z not so much more of a sad underlying story to him, but then this was an intense story line and apart from the odd one liner there was not much room for humour.

I am really looking forward to seeing how this world/plane/dimension and the characters develop, judging by TMs other “worlds” this should prove to be brilliant!

Eyes Deep

The Misadventures of Bob the Zombie by Jaime Johnesse

What you get here is the three previously released Bob novellas, a new never-before-seen novella, and a BONUS short (actually its quite long!) story.

Love, Love, LOOOOVE these covers! They really show the fun that is all Bob.

Bob the Zombie (book 1):

From his unfortunate demise to his eternal rising, issues with rejection, bits dropping off, some exceptional dance moves and an ongoing need for staples we are introduced to Bob!

The humour ranges from smirking to a few Pepsi nose snorts, yes parts of it are pretty gruesome too! (hello! its a zombie novel) but Ms Johnesses writing is so clever, she uses nearly zero profanity, a feat that seems darn near impossible in the horror genre (I would go so far to say that it is suitable for the YA market).

Lots of introduction to a variety of creatures of the Super Natural kind - which bodes well for many, many more books to come! Yippee!
Plus you get a little glimpse of Holly Andrews (which is going to be an AWESOME story!)

A great start to a brilliant new series.... looking forward to the next body part flinging, dance extravaganza adventure!

Bob the Spy (book 2):

Another brilliant (and well written) chapter in the life of Bob the dancing Zombie!

He is such a well fleshed out character, pun intended! With his back story and friends you can't dispute that he is real! In fact he is on facebook, so he must be.

JJ manages to think of every little loop-hole that might be for his strange existence. With the aid of staples and Super-super glue he is able to go on adventures and dance the night away!

This story is of the Warlock/Witch plot to overthrow the human world. It's fast paced with loads of humour along the way, but also some great tension moments.

Yes, as is Bob's way there are some sentimental moments too, but not enough to be sickly.

So make sure you follow Bob in real life on his FB page; Bob the Zombie.

I loved the idea of a Dorothy door and there are some really clever pop-culture nods.

Bob the Valentine  (book 3):

So the wonderfully cheerie Bob (the Zombie) is off on a date with the potential love of his un-dead life. Careful tactics and few body part staplings have brought him to the moments before she walks in looking as stunning as any zombie girl can – JJ does a fabulous job of making the death pallor sound intoxicating.

At the “posh” restaurant our love birds choose their dishes, suitably with a brain tasting theme. However, no date-night is complete without a bit of drama, as Hunters burst in the door and Bob manages to give his usual accurate view on human nature and some kind advice for us all.

There is a plot twist with a smiling ending that had my own heart in my mouth, thankfully I don’t need to Kachunk it back into place!
If you want a good giggle and snort for Valentine's Day, this lovely little short story is for you!

Fall in love with Bob.

Bob the Hero (book 4):

Lilly is still very much in the picture and Bob is still totally smitten. The way JJ describes her does have a certain appeal.

The little social media and pop culture references are rife and fun.  The thought of Z-Harmony or Z-Match.com hahaha!

Every nuance of Bob’s undead life is thought out by JJ and she gives such a rounded picture you can’t help but believe it’s all real.

In this chapter of Bob’s life he manages to avert a hold up at the local Laundromat; funny how he still feels he is not a hero.

He might be dead but Bob is still a brave and morally correct guy.

Bob the Mentor (bonus feature):

The story of how he met Holly Andrews – a girl I really want to read more about. This is such a huge part of the book it’s hard to call it a bonus feature – its more like the main attraction.

A Vampire, Troll and Zombie all gathered around a prone body…. Sounds like the start of a joke! But that’s how this new group of friends all meet and go on this new adventure.

Bob and his new friends, Victor & Flea (yes, Flea!)  guide and teach Holly how to use her new and often overwhelming gifts. He does find himself in some weird pickle situations – as only Bob can.

I was so enchanted to read that he had met Jane (the vampire – a Lisa Lane creation).

JJ introduces the reader to whole supernatural world and its glory!  Can’t wait to see what she comes up with in the next instalment.

I love the way JJ writes the humour in, I am always reading about Bob with a smile on my face and the occasional snort. 

The Misadventures of Bob

Shifter Wars: Mind Sweeper by AE Jones

The prologue is heart breaking – are Dalton and Kyle together? Or is Dalton truly gone from her life?   

AEJ is clever to catch up the reader in a few quick sentences, even if the beginning is a little disorientating to start with. 

Kyle has tried to move on with her life after the horrific ending to book one and is now in Nevada post quitting the Supe Squad and an unmentioned but well hinted at row with Nicholas her ex-boss. 

She is now a casino security person and this is how she soon runs into trouble in the shape of Kevin Doyle the Dalmot Demon, who is back and he seems to have a nice character fix! But he remains a demon; slimy and a thief!  

Kyle is still trying to deal with the new added bonus of absorbing people’s memories after her mind sweeping which is playing havoc with her emotions regarding Dalton and showing her all sorts of weird memories which she is trying to piece together.

When Griffin the super sexy leader of the Pack calls out to her for help to solve the current mystery, she is soon back into the swing of things with her old team and I was pleased to be back in the world of Misha and Jean Luc.  

So who or what is plotting against his leadership? Who is Thomas Wilson? And is she now half of the prophesied “Key of Knowledge”? 

Some great new characters too, I totally loved Beatrice, Griffins kick ass sister and little Trina is becoming a major player in this series. Glad to see that Booger/Mathew is back and playing a pivotal role as he is also able to give some light comic relief to some of the darker elements of this story.

Marie the ghostly Grandma of Dalton seems to now be Kyles “Guardian Angel” and boy oh boy does she need one, floating in and out of Kyle’s life with the hint of roses, she is a brilliant character with some great one-liners.

The brilliant TV references are still there and afford little smiles amongst the tension.

Loved the idea that despite being in a “pack” not all shifters are the same type of animal, which of course lends itself to some fantastic storylines.

All of AEJ characters have flaws, they have emotions, they do unpredictable yet normal human things (and some demon ones too!) which makes the story easily readable and not too farfetched, this has to be a believable world to be able to fully immerse yourself in and I just sunk to the bottom of the pool. I can easily get lost in these books, AEJ has such an easy way of writing and there are no errors to distract and her continuity line appears to be perfect, outstanding for such a new author.

So happy to read that books 4 and 5 are on their way!

Shifter Wars

Lady Blues, Forget-me-Not by Aaron Paul Lazar

I was concerned to find that I had picked up book 10 in the series, but this works well as a standalone novel. 

There is a slew of characters that are obviously well established but quick comments on their relationships soon bring a novice up to speed. Although even in the opening paragraphs I did find this a bit repetitive so imagine if you read all the series this would start to grate.

The time line seemed a bit off in the first few chapters as they were out jogging, then rescuing, driving home, eating supper then bed all within what appeared to be only an hour or so.

Between music and food making interludes this story meanders through Gus’ life, lots of family, extended family and friends. The affection and love becomes a bit overwhelming at times and whilst they have suffered loss etc I was starting to feel that their lives were a little too perfect; however, if you are invested in this series, to be on no.10 book, then I should think you feel part of the family by now.

There is a dramatic start to the book which then takes a long and windy way to get to the meat of the story and the crux of the mystery.

There is some intrigue,  tension and a hint of threat, but Professor Gus is calm and comforting, so the real edge is never felt IMO. When you don’t actually fear for any of the characters’ lives it’s hard to be all that concerned. For me this is very much a lazy Sunday afternoon read.

The two main mysteries to solve are siblings Thom and Lily and the secrets they hide. Then there is the Music Man at the Nursing home, a lost man who remembers is lost love, Bella, when music is playing, with an added little twist, both are very emotive stories. 

Am I intrigued enough to read from the beginning, maybe, as mysteries are not really my thing but I did enjoy the beautiful descriptions of landscape, music and food. 

Lady-Blues

The Fledgling by AE Jones:

AEJ does well with all her 80’s references and how she injects them into the storyline thus evoking some nostalgic flashbacks. Also included in those memory lane walks are little snippets of Jean Luc, that wonderful 400+yr old vampire from Mind Sweeper and he still remembers vividly his world before being violently turned.

Add into the mix his partner, Misha the Demon, both tasked with fighting to keep the supernatural world secret from humans.    I think AEJ missed a trick by not exploiting his love of calories and the 80’s explosion of fast food.

The duo are currently on the trail of a killer but so is Talia, a baby vampire and bounty hunter, as they clash there is a sexual tension that runs throughout which thankfully culminates in something easy to read, worthy and satisfying.

Through a series of conversations I could see the shape that AEJ’s vampire system, their “beliefs” and abilities take form.   I loved the Adam and Susannah vampire characters and hope to see more of them in the following series, what a tale their story would make on its own.

It is a cat and mouse mystery that drives the story with lots of character history and building going on in a very subtle way. You could read this as a standalone but I dare you not to want to read the first book; the one where a vampire, an angel and a demon walk into a bar…..

My only complaint about the book is that I was never actually told the reason for all the killing, but then do we know why any psycho’ kills?

The little bonus chapter at the end really showed off AEJ’s humour skills, if you were still unsure.  The mental image of a demon doing jazzercise had me in giggles.

Such perfection in the editing, layout and flow of story and spot on consistency, AEJ has proven she is has great skill and has most certainly not dropped the ball in her second installment, I was overjoyed to read of a planned 4th and 5th book.

Fledgling

Jane the Hippie Vampire: Love Beads by Leigh M. Lane

Jane is the strangest vampire I have come across in a long while.

One sunny afternoon she meets Randy and his weird dogs, strange job and horrific food sense.

LML treated me to a brilliant piece of mystery thriller writing with a super natural element, with just enough grossness to add a horror element.

She hints this will be a series and I do hope so.

Some fabulous in depth and textured descriptions allow you to become immersed in the story I was totally engrossed in this novella and was sad when it ended.

Jane is an intriguing character and I so want to know more about how she became what she is and what her forward plan is.

Jane: Love-Beads

White by Tim Lebbon

Tim Lebbon is a new author to me, I was offered his book by The Daily Bookworm a really great resource if you like free or low priced books, finding out about authors via interviews and trying something different!

One of the previous reviews for this book commented on its “tried, tested and tired” set up, but essentially aren’t all stories just that, what makes them stand out is the writing, the settings, the characters and the odd twist. 

I think TL managed this. He is also a master at human observation, the little details and nuances about a personality. Despite all his characters having very scanty to no background he made me care about them, want to know more; it was beguiling.

One simple line at the very start made me realise I was going to really enjoy this author’s work: we could not leave Boris lying dead in the snow.  Apply whatever levels of civilisation, foolish custom or superiority complex you like, it just wasn't done.

After the first dead body shows up this hodgepodge group of survivors begin to show cracks, then as the second of them is found punctured to death by “something” the paranoia really ramps up. 

How each character copes with it is the fundamental element of the story and TL is very adept at keeping them very separate characters.  He picks at human nature in a very precise way, showing up with the flaws and bringing out the annoying habits that would soon grate.

A very brief paragraph gives the minimal information as to how this motely group came together and why.  The world is going to Ruin as nuclear reactors have been melting down, it is obvious in the comments from the group that humankind has become more of a cancerous plague upon the planet and the speculation is that Earth, God, Nature, take your pick is fighting back, with devastating consequences. 

At times this was more like a good murder mystery with a gore/horror flavor but this novella kept me rapt for the 3+ hours. There is a wonderful element of dark humour; mutant badgers and hedgehogs gone bad… really made me giggle.

As each continuing death ratcheted up the tension, TL introduces new nuggets of the mystery to keep you guessing at who or what is doing the killing. Allowing the tension to show through his characters, where you are privy to little secrets about certain members. 

The narrator is never given a name, we only know him through the grief of his wife, taken early in the Ruin and his constant commentary on the situation; he does appear to be losing a few cogs of sanity though, which is interesting to observe.

The ending was a big disappointment to me until I thought about it for a few hours. Like a locked room mystery you never fully understand what is going on. I usually like all my horrors to have had faces, names, and a reason. But I enjoyed this “drop of a cliff” ending because of the story. It has left me feeling more spooked than an explanation.  A true shiver down the spine.

Unusually I found not one single grammatical error. 

White