Little Red Riding Hood is the little girl who skips through the woods to visit her grandmother and bring her treats, but who is also scared of the Big Bad Wolf, but this is not necessarily true, she actually lives with her grandmother and Red is the name the villagers who who shun her have given her because of her red cloak she wears and she isn’t scared of the Big Bad Wolf, she hunts him.
Red lives in Ravenmore in an area known as Timbergard by the Blakx forest where huge wolves prowl on a night, it is said to have been cursed by a sorceress and cut off from the rest of the kingdom by another who used a fire to burn a border, which it is said to be still burning, but out of all who live there, only Red’s father was brave enough to go hunting in those woods, now it is up to Red to do since he was killed by the wolves a year before. When Red kills a wolf the merchants are always trying to short change her from everything from the meat to the pelt, despite the fact that they would be cold and starving if she didn’t hunt, but when she brings the latest prepared kill, an old friend, Captain Hook helps her out with the pelt, but he has changed and Red is determined to find out why. After Hook tells Red his tale, she agrees to help him to through the forest and collect some of the ash he needs from the border, so they prepare what they need, albeit the pirates think that Red is just a girl, the Captain soon puts them right and they agree that they will meet at Red’s grandmother’s house and set off at first light the next day
As Red and the pirates set off, much to the dismay of her grandmother, Red explains that she will lead the way and that they must listen to her, but the pirates aren’t used to long treks in the forest and after a few hours, they stop to eat, drink and rest, this is were one of the pirates sees his first wolf print and the size of it scares him. Later on, as it starts to get dark, Red insists that they find somewhere to camp for the night, the best place she finds is a cave at the source of the river, it means they have to wade through the cold water to it, but it will be safe and somewhere they can light a fire to dry off. The next day the pirates start to complain about being tired and hungry, so they rest before they get the ash, however, because of this, they are still a ways away from the cave when night starts to fall and the wolves start to hunt them, so Red has to make a drastic decision and she decides to run and lead the wolves away from the pirates. As she does it, she falls down a hill and when she gets to the bottom, she sees a white wolf chasing her, it reminds her of the one who chased her out of the woods the night of her father’s death, but soon she sees a place ahead of her which is far from ordinary, but it is something which could save her life.
Will Red be able to lead the wolves away from the pirates and will this mysterious place be the saving grace she hopes it is, or will there be something inside which could spell the end of her existence? This is a story of secrets, revelations, bravery and magic, it is another untold story which will change your view of Red and fairy tales in general while leaving you wanting more.
https://itsybitsybookbits.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/07/IBBB_2020_logo_sq.png00Roxsanne Lesieurhttps://itsybitsybookbits.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/07/IBBB_2020_logo_sq.pngRoxsanne Lesieur2021-04-01 13:31:162021-04-01 14:19:08Red’s Tangled Tale: Captain Hook and Red Riding Hood discover the Big Bad Wolf, and Rapunzel too! (The Untold Stories Book 2) by Suzanna Lynn – Review by Roxsanne Lesieur.
Dhani Karim is a trained assassin, her weapons of choice are throwing knives, a metal baton, hair accessories which double as lethal spikes, a bracelet which can be used as a garotte and a set of lock picking tools in her brassiere, but in a land of magic, she is one of the few people who cannot wield it. However, due to an accusation of a murder she didn’t commit, she has now been demoted from Imperial Assassins to a lowly covert operative for a year until a judgement can be made as to whether she can rejoin the ranks and as such has been sent to the smallest town which is at the furthest point possible from the capital city.
Dhani has just arrived in the Imperial Colony of Tizrak Yirda to report to her superior, it is a hot, dry place with insects galore, but the thing she is least happy about is the touchy feely guard who took it upon himself to frisk her at the entrance of the Regional Command building with the excuse that it was to find her weapons, although he did get a cracked rib courtesy of her elbow for the inconvenience. Repeating the Imperial Assassin’s mantra she enters the office and faces the music, amid the veiled and outright insults she is told that she is not wanted and that it is only because it has been ordered that she is allowed to be there, she will also have to work with a partner, who isn’t wanted either and that their assignment is to find an individual of interest. The two of them are handed a file and told they have three days to find this person, but that they don’t need to know why they are looking for them and after they are dismissed, they go to find their office which is tiny and full of dust where her partner asks her why she hasn’t kept to protocol and isn’t impressed with her answers, or her attitude, however, she isn’t impressed with his attitude either, but they come to an understanding and an agreement eventually and come up with a plan of action, but albeit reluctantly.
When they go to the archives to pull the files they need, they find that one of the people who should have a file doesn’t and others who don’t need a file do, but they put it to the back of their minds and decide who they are going to talk to first, but it isn’t as easy and straightforward when the people on the list are less than enthusiastic to talk to them, one of them is even dead, but they are sure that at least one of them is lying about what they know. As they make their way through the other names of the list, they find that they are being tailed and are eventually attacked, but when three others join in, they realise that they are outnumbered, but they prevail and Dhani is dropped off outside her lodgings as her partner goes to find some much needed medical help, she finds that one of the people is wearing a bracelet with a religious symbol on it, which looks familiar. The evening is not over for Dhani though as she finds that her apartment has been ransacked while they were out, she gathers what is left of her belongings and goes to find one of her stashes to replenish them, the next thing she does is to go to another place where she knows she will receive a warm welcome and have a place to stay.
Over breakfast the next morning, she talks to the people she is staying with and finds out some interesting information , but when she goes on the search for her partner, she realises that he is not going to be of any help to her, so she decides to draft a message to send the the General to tell him of the developments in the case. As the days progress and this simple search for a missing person becomes a lot more complicated and every time Dhani thinks she has a handle on things, something else happens, but will she be able to solve the mystery of this person of interest and why it ties into the religious imagery she has seen popping up everywhere before it is too late to do anything about it? This is an adventure with more twists and turns than a maze and is just as entertaining, it is a book which pulls you in and keeps you hooked until the end.
https://itsybitsybookbits.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/07/IBBB_2020_logo_sq.png00Roxsanne Lesieurhttps://itsybitsybookbits.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/07/IBBB_2020_logo_sq.pngRoxsanne Lesieur2021-03-31 11:49:352021-03-31 17:07:50City of Whispers: Imperial Assassin Book 1 by Katt Powers – Reiew by Roxsanne Lesieur.
The Ocean’s Light is a gift from the sea to mankind, it can grant any wish to the one chosen to wield it, but it comes with a price, as all magic does, but it is a temptation to those who haven’t been chosen as well. When first gifted the light, the girl chosen wants to use the wish for good, but she also knows that it is a great responsibility on her shoulders, however, the more she argues with herself over what to wish for, the more she realises that she doesn;t want any part of this gift after all, so she decides to return it to the sea and into the arms of guardian who takes into the depths.
Many years later and The Ocean’s Light has become a myth, but there are still a few who believe in its existence and one who holds the key to it, although they don’t know they do, only that it is the only thing linking them to a family lost so they decide to take destiny into their own hands when they have to choose between staying where they have grown up or finding a crew to take them to where this key leads. Things do not go quite to plan and instead of finding and leading a crew, they are kidnapped by one, however, there is another crew who want to help them escape from their captivity, meanwhile in the background there is a third crew who want this key for themselves and will do anything to get it.
Will the person who holds the key find out the secret it opens and what will they do with the information? Which of the three crews will help and which ones will hinder the exploration and will the prize be worth the price in the end? This is a fantasy adventure across unknown seas to far away lands, with a fair amount of thievery and swashbuckling along the way, it is a book anyone and everyone can enjoy from start to finish as secrets are revealed and truths are uncovered.
https://itsybitsybookbits.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/07/IBBB_2020_logo_sq.png00Roxsanne Lesieurhttps://itsybitsybookbits.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/07/IBBB_2020_logo_sq.pngRoxsanne Lesieur2021-03-29 07:18:222021-03-29 16:43:33The Ocean’s Light (Blood of the Pirate Book 1) by Mina Chara – Review by Roxsanne Lesieur.
This is not advised for anyone one under the age of 18 due to the graphic content.
Jordan is a woman with a whole heap of problems, she is an addict, she uses drugs and alcohol to numb the pain of her past and the demons which haunt her, especially when the nightmares hit of the night her life changed forever, she also writes in her journal to help her process her dreams and let out all the pain and the hurt inside. The Shadow is a man obsessed with a woman and that woman is Jordan, all he wants is to keep her by his side, but she isn’t aware of this, their shared past or his commitment to avenge her. . She has tried to get a normal job and keep her head down, but that didn’t work out, so when the opportunity to become an escort came up, she decided to give it a go and here she is several years later and still doing it, she has her regular clients, but only a couple who she actually sleeps with. One of her main clients is a man she has named The Shadow, she sees him once a month and is always blindfolded while she is with him, he gives her gifts and his bodyguard is always professional and polite when he comes to collect her. She knows that he is just a client, but she can’t help but hope that he could be something more, he knows how to play her body like an instrument and she can’t help but give in to his every demand, but this time, something happens and she goes into a full blown panic attack.
The next morning she wakes up in an unfamiliar place with a pounding head and no idea why until flashbacks of the night before make her want to throw up, but instead she explores the room and it’s contents, she finds notes dotted around to make her comfortable and after The Shadow’s bodyguard gives her something to change into, she gets ready to leave, however, when she is dropped off at home, she is surprised when she is told he will be visiting her tonight and she is told to wear nothing but her blindfold when he gets there.
The Shadow is informed that Jordan is safely back at home, he is thinking about his current business path, as well as the past events that have led him to her, but that is nothing compared to his plan for the night to come and the first step in his plan for revenge, but he is worrying about how she will react to what he will tell her.
When the time comes for Jordan and The Shadow to meet, she is spiralling, the cocktail of booze and drudge she has taken are sending her mind into a tailspin and she can’t stop thinking about escaping, even though his bodyguard has put a stop to that straight away already. Meanwhile The Shadow is just as flighty as she is, but he takes a few swigs of liquid courage and goes to her flat, things do not go quite to plan and the things he wants to say are forgotten once he allows her to look at him. That night, there is passion, an argument, a betrayal of trust and exhaustion, but Jordan goes to see him the next day anyway and when he reveals one more part of himself to her, will she be able to accept his words like he wants her to, or will she run when she realises that his demons and darkness are almost as deep as hers? Will these two broken people come together, or are past events going to be too large a barrier to overcome? This is not a romance for the faint of heart, it is a tidal wave of emotion, betrayal and revelations which will pull you under into their world of darkness and wanting to know how the story ends.
This book contains scenes of a graphic and sexual nature, only those over 18’s only should read this.
Zachary “Ice” Wentworth is the head of the Domestic Law Enforcement Unit within Chase Security, he has worked his way there from being an ex Navy SEAL, all the way up, but he is still recovering from the loss of a female operative who was also his submissive partner. Saoirse Kennedy is an US Attorney and is extremely good at her job, she is brave, determined and beautiful, but she is also naive in matters of the heart.
Zachary is travelling back home after visiting San Diego for an operation, as he approaches the airport departures ready to check in his luggage and his firearm, he notices a woman ahead of him in the line who is also checking in a weapon, but she is having a lot more problems than he is doing it, so he steps in and then asks to speak to the supervisor about it. This leads to them introducing themselves and parting ways, that is until she ends up sitting next to him on his flight, she is easy to talk to and conversation flows easily between them, but she is guarded, but nevertheless, Zachary can’t deny his attraction to her. He offers her a ride to her destination in the city, but unbeknownst to either of them, she is attending a course in undercover work which Zachary just happens to be running. As the course proceeds, there is one person who Zaxhary realises is underqualified and although she is allowed to finish the course, his dissatisfaction is reported back to her supervisor.
Thinking no more of the situation and a few months pass until Saoirse turns up at the Unit headquarters asking for a meeting with Zachary with a conference call with Martin Bailey at the same time, but what he hears is not what he expected, it turns out that an undercover female officer has been murdered while on assignment to infiltrate a trafficking ring and the woman in question was the same one who was on the same course as Saoirse. As the conversation deepens it turns out that they want Zachary as a dominant to train Saoirse as a submissive to enable her to try and infiltrate the same ring, but he is uncomfortable and unsure as to how to proceed given his past and when it turns out that Saoirse wasn’t given the full details of what would be happening, he isn’t so sure that either of them will be able to do it.
As Zachary digs deeper into the files associated with the case, he can see that there is more than meets the eye and that the target for the investigation is a rich businessman with a lot of connections, plus that there have been ten other undercover female operatives who have died as well. As Saoirse is trying to decide whether to take this case on, Zachary throws her in at the deep end and takes her to observe exactly what being dominant and submissive entails, she is shocked and as things get more serious, she opens up to him and agrees to try. Will Zachary and Saoirse be able to get her trained up and ready in time to carry out the infiltration, or will they become too drawn into their roles to distinguish between their reality and their personas? Will their feelings come between them and the mission, or will they be able to trust each other enough to get over the barriers in their way? This is a suspenseful thriller which draws you into another world as you follow the investigation and infiltration until the end to see how the story concludes.
https://itsybitsybookbits.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/07/IBBB_2020_logo_sq.png00Roxsanne Lesieurhttps://itsybitsybookbits.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/07/IBBB_2020_logo_sq.pngRoxsanne Lesieur2021-03-26 20:52:342021-03-26 21:34:52Secure Her (Chase Security Series Book 4) by R.L. Dunn – Review by Roxsanne Lesieur.
Cassie Modine is an FBI agent working in the Art and Cultural Property Crime Division where she helps to recover and return stolen artwork to its rightful owners, she is successful in her career and has friends she is close to as well as an adopted family who mean the world for her, however Cassie holds secrets which even she can’t remember fully of a time in her past where she experienced something she would never wish on anyone, not even her worst enemy. Ian Chase is out of the military and now is the successful CEO of Chase Security and his teams work like a well oiled machine working in the background on cases where government forces have too much red tape to get through, as well as personal security for those who need it.
Six years ago Cassie and Ian met at an art gallery where she showed him round and introduced him to one of her favourite pieces, now six years later, they have bumped into each other again st Cassie’s uncle’s house where she has just arrived after experiencing something disconcerting while grabbing coffee with a friend, all the feelings she felt about Ian the first time round are coming back to her and it seems it is the same for him as well, but Cassie is not interested in a relationship, not after what happened. As she talks to her Uncle about what happened in the coffee shop, but she is determined that she isn’t going to give up her current assignment because of it, even if her boss is making her feel uncomfortable, so at the briefing the next day, she makes it clear to all in the meeting that she will not accept any behaviour towards her which is not strictly professional and if it does happen that it will be reported. Meanwhile Ian is running a security check on her as she has intrigued him, as well as organising the teams current operations, after he has done this, Cassie returns his call and he asks her to dinner to help him out with something and to get to know each other a bit better, she agrees and when he picks her up later on, they have a lovely time, but this upsets Cassie as she doesn’t feel that she is deserving of him, but this only makes him more determined to find out why.
As the night of her mission approaches, Cassie is ready to protect the target and dresses for the part, however, when she arrives at the table she will be dining at she is blindsided when she is confronted with people both from her past and her present, she manages to hold her own throughout despite the challenges she faces, but when things start to turn sour, will Cassie be able to protect her charge and herself, or will someone from her past harm her while she is in the line of duty? How will Ian react when the cards are down and things happen which are beyond his control? This is a fast paced thriller with a romantic twist which will keep you guessing what will happen until the conclusion presents itself.
Secure Again. Martin Bailey is the new CEO of Chase Security, he is an ex Navy SEAL and excellent at his job and Elizabeth Reed is a trauma surgeon at the local hospital in Silverton Iowa and she does everything she possible can to save the patients who cross her surgical table, no matter how bad the damage is, she does her very best with more successes than losses.
As Elizabeth is doing her rounds she notices that there has been a pattern emerging in admissions, when she checks it out in the hospitals records department, her hunch is confirmed that the inmates from the local prison are showing identical signs of bruising and injuries. It is after she has finished that an emergency call to a young girl being brought in with serious injuries comes in and after four hours and an amputation later, the girl is out of surgery, but she is still in a critical condition due the the extent of her injuries, but she hasn’t got time to deal with her emotions before another emergency call comes in. The next day is one of tragedy when she loses a patient and has to break the news to their family, but when another surgeon makes comments which are unprofessional and derogatory towards her and in front of her students, she struggles to keep her cool. As she checks in on the other patients on her ward, she sees another patient in the same pattern as before, she immediately knows what to do and orders further tests and surgery for the patient, contrary to the primary surgeons report and the primary report by the jail.
Out on patrol Sergeant Austin Bailey has come across another child who needs medical attention in the middle of nowhere, as well as another unidentified male, however, as he is calling for aid, the call is cut off, the next thing that happens is he is rushed into the OR where Elizabeth is the on call surgeon and she rushes him into surgery. Meanwhile, Martin is checking on the operation his teams are working on and finds that one involving illicit pornography and the stealing of identification to sell it, as well as the danger for his teams is showing that there is something deeper going on which they need to investigate, next on his list is a teleconference, however when he finds out that his brother Austin has been injured while on duty, he immediately flies out there to be with his family. As Elizabeth is working on Austin in the theater, Martin sends his own people out to go to the scene and start to liaise with the local officers there and start an investigation of their own when they are roadblocked as soon as they start asking questions. When an update on his brother’s condition comes in and he finds out that Elizabeth is the surgeon, memories of when they were younger come flooding back to him and he is hoping that it isn’t her, however, when it is, he struggles to maintain his anger towards her when she is so professional with him.
As the days pass and Elizabeth carries out more of her duties, she reports her thoughts about the pattern to the inmates injuries while also fending off the comments her coworker keeps throwing at her, especially when she has to attend his patients when he is unreachable and when one unfortunately passed away due to complications, her coworker is on the warpath. However, when Martin reads the background report on Elizabeth he knows he needs to see her, but when he does, she is immediately taken into custody and marched to the police station under mysterious circumstances, so Martin calls in his team to help her, but when he comes across information about what happened after he left, he knows that he needs to talk to her about what happened and see if they can they rekindle their romance, or will the investigation into her being carried out by the police put her in harm’s way? This is another thrilling mystery with telling consequences and an undercurrent of romance which will keep you enthralled until its conclusion.
Secure Heart. Julian “Smooth” Dupart an ex Navy SEAL widower who is still coming to terms with the loss of his wife five years before and has been given a promotion to become the new head of the Chase Group’s San Diego branch where he can use his skills and stay close to the family he loves. Holly Dupree Morrison is a singer with the world at her feet, she is beautiful, talented and has a young daughter Sadie whom she adores and is her silver lining after a past fraught with abuse and hardship.
As Julian heads to San Diego to meet his new coworkers and try to figure out what is happening in the office which has his bosses worried, but first he pays a well overdue visit to his family after getting settled in at his brothers house, but when he finds out that the situation isn’t as all happy as he thought, he starts to make plans and tell them what he has already started to do for them in the last five years. Meanwhile Holly is going through the soundchecks for her next performance when a light falls down from the rigging, however, her manager is also making her feel uncomfortable as he is far too familiar for comfort, despite her protestations. When she returns home after the show, she has no idea that her manager had other plans while she was performing and when he drives her home, he invites himself in and proceeds to drug her and have his way with her while her daughter is sleeping next door.
Julian starts his next day in San Diego picking up his company car and meeting the realtor and look around the properties they have arranged for him to see, at the third property, he finds what he is looking for and puts an offer in before heading into the office. Across the city, Holly wakes up feeling groggy, naked and with a pounding headache, she finds that it is late and is concerned when she finds her daughter in the bathroom and in the middle of an asthma attack, as she screams for her manager to call for an ambulance, she starts the treatment she can until they get her to the hospital. At the same time, Julian gets a call that his nephew is in the same hospital after being hit by a car, he heads over there while his brother is called out to investigate a horrific crime scene and this is where he sees Holly and Sadie for the first time while he is helping to keep his nephew calm, but she makes an immediate impression on him.
As Julian starts to dig deeper into the branch and is finding problems, from staff committing fraud to counterfeit or diluted medications, it is also spreading to other external places as well and as he visits them, he comes into contact with Holly more and more often and one of these times, a case is discussed which reminds him of his past. As all of this is unfolding Holly receives some threatening letters from a stalker who will not leave her alone. Will he be able to sort out the Sand Diego branch’s issues in time, or will the amount of issues cause him to fail and will he be able to make something of the connection he feels with Holly, or will her stalker get to her first? This is a whirlwind of a thriller which keeps you unbalanced and guessing the whole way through to the conclusion.
https://itsybitsybookbits.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/07/IBBB_2020_logo_sq.png00Roxsanne Lesieurhttps://itsybitsybookbits.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/07/IBBB_2020_logo_sq.pngRoxsanne Lesieur2021-03-26 19:22:352021-03-26 21:33:55Secure Boxset (Chase Security Series Books 1-3) by R.L Dunn – Review by Roxsanne Lesieur.
Liam Covington is a typical teenager, he goes to high school and has a close friend group, but as hard as he tries to keep a low profile while he is there, the other kids are always messing with him, bullying him and generally making his life awkward, but what they don’t know is that he can see colours all around him, not just normal colours, they are attached to people and they get brighter when he is going to be messed around with, but even if he did tell someone, they wouldn’t believe him anyway.
As usual his day starts with someone pushing him over on the way to school, but today, he is going on the school field trip to the desert and he is hoping that it won’t get much worse, however, when he gets on the bus, he can see the colours everywhere and tries to mind his own business. When they get there and the ranger starts talking about the desert, it’s geological features and the life which teams within it, all the kids are just waiting until they can go and play on the dunes, but Liam is enjoying the tour and talk just as much, he is also reminiscing about the family holiday he used to have as well. He crests one of the sand dunes and breathes in the air, thoroughly enjoying himself until he is drawn to a midnight blue colour smoke which is making patterns in the sand below him, this is when danger strikes and he steps into a sinkhole just as a dust devil appears and mixes in with the smoke and swirls towards him but he cannot move or- avoid the sand swirling around him, he tries to dig into the sand and find some kind of purchase to get away from it all. The next thing he knows is Kenna, a girl he has been trying to avoid comes to his rescue, pulls him out of the sand and offers him some water, his head hurts and he feels exhausted and gritty, but still he picks up the unusual shell and walks back to the bus with his friend supporting him.
Things start to go from bad to worse when his brother and mother find out what happened and are mad at him for not telling them as soon as he saw them, but it gets worse when the colours start getting brighter and start to appear in people’s eyes, not to mention the school gossip which is making his life worse, especially when it comes to Kenna, someone who he swore not to talk to again after their families had a disagreement years ago. Meanwhile, he begins to see what he thinks are hallucinations and the shell he picked up in the desert is either burning hot or covered in the blue designs he can see in his hallucinations, but what happens next shocks him into realising that maybe his hallucinations are real and that they may be able to give him some answers as to why he sees the colours and nobody else does. This is a fantasy adventure which will have you speeding along with Liam while he tries to work out the mystery of why he experiences what he does, while trying to live a life as normally as he can.
https://itsybitsybookbits.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/07/IBBB_2020_logo_sq.png00Roxsanne Lesieurhttps://itsybitsybookbits.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/07/IBBB_2020_logo_sq.pngRoxsanne Lesieur2021-03-26 07:25:362021-03-26 08:44:49Granted: Curse of the Emerald Jinn by Rachel Huffmire – Review by Roxsanne Lesieur.
Cecily Taylor is your typical seventeen year old girl, she has a close group of friends and a cute boyfriend who she loves, she also has a crush on the popstar Andrew Holiday and has for years, but it isn’t all sunshine and she has had people close to her leave and then not talk to her again, so she has some insecurities around it and a bit of a lack of self esteem, but which teenagers don’t have something like that?
Her boyfriend is in love with her, but he isn’t very romantic, but her best friend helps him out when needed and although it is sweet, Cecily would rather he thinks of these things himself on occasion, but he likes to spend time with her, be that on a coffee date at the library, or watching sports with her at home, even if she does fall asleep and misses the whole thing. However, when one of her friends gets an audition to be in the music video which is being filmed in their home town and Andrew Holiday is the one whose video it will be, Cecily is shocked when she asks her to go as moral support and her parents let her, as long as there is an adult chaperone there as well, but if not, then she would have asked to go to the open auditions with her friends anyway, it would be good practice if she wanted to pursue her career as an actress after all.
The next day, Cecily gets ready for school after she finds out that the private audition with her friend has been moved up, the video said they were looking for the “Girl next door” and that is how she looked normally, then she shows up at school and sees what her friend is wearing and she is not so sure what exactly that means anymore, but hopefully her anxiety wouldn’t get the better of her. As the day goes on all the school is talking about is the auditions, all too soon the day was over and they were heading to the playhouse where the audition was going to be held, her friends mum filled out the paperwork and then her name is called, but as she is going through the door, Andrew himself walks out asking about getting some coffee, walks straight past her and makes a beeline for Cecily, much to her amazement and asks he if she is auditioning too, when she replies in the negative, he asks her to reconsider and come in onto the set anyway. All of a sudden Cecily is being asked to be an extra by the director, saying that she has the “ethereal” look he is going for, he then hands her some forms to fill in and asks her and her friend to come back at 4am on Saturday for the shoot.
As she fills in her family, best friend and boyfriend about the turn of events, they are all surprised but really happy for her, however, her boyfriend starts to act weirdly, but blames it on his mum’s health and says nothing is wrong. The next day Cecily asks his what is going on when she eventually sees him, but he is talking to his ex and seems distracted, this continues the next couple of days, it turns out that he has been seeing more of his ex than normal, although the reason is because she has just broken up with her boyfriend and was upset, but Cecily can’t understand it and feels a little upset and betrayed herself, this feeling continues when the same thing happens and they end up arguing. As Saturday turns up and the filming day arrives, Cecily hasn’t slept well and has no idea what to expect, but Andrew puts her at ease and seems to be as nice as he projects, there is something there and their connection seems more than just superficial, but will Cecily follow her dreams of being with Andrew, or will she stick to her loving boyfriend and the small town familiarity he exudes? This is a sweet romance which will pull you along with Cecily as she figures out what her heart desires and makes the choices she needs to.
https://itsybitsybookbits.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/07/IBBB_2020_logo_sq.png00Roxsanne Lesieurhttps://itsybitsybookbits.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/07/IBBB_2020_logo_sq.pngRoxsanne Lesieur2021-03-25 19:45:542021-03-25 21:56:16Can Dreams Come True? (The Cecily Taylor Series Book 1) by Krysten Lindsay Hager – Review by Roxsanne Lesieur.
Regan Keller is a woman who has been hurt and survived it all and when she gets a new job as a personal secretary, she is determined not to make the same mistakes again. Zachary Benson is a man who heads up a successful empire and is known for his attention to details and ability to get things done, but he hasn’t got anyone but his parents to share his success with.
It is Regan’s first day in her new job and things are not going to plan, her car didn’t start and if she got a ride then she would be late, so she decides to take the bus, but of course it is raining and she forgot her umbrella. When she gets on the bus, she realises that it is going to be one crowded journey and if the old woman taking up two seats between her and her large bag, it is going to be standing room only all the way, that is until the bus jerks and she ends up sat in a strange mans lap, she is terrified, but just about keeps her cool when he engages her in conversation and wraps his arms around her to keep her right where she is. She does enjoy the conversation and despite her misgivings, she agrees to meet the man for lunch, even though she has no idea who he is, but she doesn’t have any time to think on it when she heads into the office where she is due to take over from the current secretary to the CEO who is heavily pregnant.
As she finds her way round the office and learns her new duties, she realises that it is already lunch time and heads to the hot dog stand and surprisingly has a fantastic time until her mystery companion takes a call and leaves her, again without her asking his name, however, that is all about to change when she goes into his office to bob something on her bosses desk only to find that it is actually the man from the bus. She is startled and immediately panics and starts to leave, but just as she is convinced by him to return to the office, his current assistant goes into labour and they have to rush her to the hospital. When a mystery man comes in and envelops Regan in a hug, Zachary has no idea how to react, apart from a twinge of jealousy, the same thing happens when he drives her home to see another man waiting for her at the house, he has no idea why he feels so strongly about her, even though he has only known her part of a day. As time goes on and Regan settles into her role at the firm, she cannot deny that there is an attraction to Zachary and as much as she tries to ignore it and remain professional, she can feel her walls starting to crumble, but she denies his advances as best she can and tries to remain professional, she is a natural at the job though and as she builds rapports with his team and helps him to run the contracts he has been building, he is off to L.A. to try and win a new contract for a company and man he has worked with before, albeit the secrecy he employs until the deal is completed is not something that he enjoys doing, but all he can think about is getting back to Regan and helping her overcome her worries and fears.
Will Regan be able to open her heart to the man who is trying so hard to win her over, or will the past come back to haunt her and make any decisions she makes into a life or death situation again? This is a whirlwind romance with an undercurrent of malice which pulls you along until its conclusion.
https://itsybitsybookbits.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/07/IBBB_2020_logo_sq.png00Roxsanne Lesieurhttps://itsybitsybookbits.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/07/IBBB_2020_logo_sq.pngRoxsanne Lesieur2021-03-25 18:33:022021-03-25 21:54:21The Executive’s Decision (The Keller Family Series Book 1) by Bernadette Marie – Review by Roxsanne Lesieur.
Mielitta Queen Of The Warrior Bees and Mage-Smith Kermon are back living in the Forest and the Citadel respectively, Kermon is trying to teach the children magecraft while also keeping his dual role as a spy between the two parties, as he is carrying out his plans for the transition test where the children go into the world beyond the walls, the children he is testing are also trying to push the boundaries set by their genders, but they don’t fully know why those boundaries are there, in fact, only two people know that at all and Mage-Smith Kermon is one of them.
When Mage Smith Kermon is disturbed in his forge with news that one of his students has gone into the world beyond the walls and not returned, he is frustrated and annoyed, but he is also worried because of the evil which lies within them, he sends the young student away and has to attend a Council meeting to request permission to do this, however as they took the time to listen to all the opposing viewpoints and make a decision which appeals to all, he finds out afterwards that the other student has gone ahead alone, so now he has to go after both of the students with another mage at his side to be his anchor.
Mage-Smith Kermon gathers the children who have spoken to the two missing students to find out any information about what they had gone into the wall to decide, based on the little he is able to gather, he has a starting point for when he takes his turn to enter the mysterious world, he takes the time to gather provisions and goes to the water gate to connect with Mielitta to inform her of the situation and what he is about to do, including that the student was possibly following the story of Mielitta, however, he speaks to someone unknown instead and they say that they will pass on the message to her, when the connection is cut off, Mage-Smith Kermon is surprised to find where he had thrown some boots containing seeds into the mud at the base of the gate, now there are plants forcing their way through to the Forest, with this new knowledge, he sets off to find his students. Meanwhile, Mielitta and her two friends are being woken up after a long winter hibernation, but the news they receive on awakening is not what they had hoped and it means they need to return to aid another of their friends and the bees who rely on them, in this Mielitta shifts from bee to human and back to help the bees and the humans to communicate while the others help her, while the one with the nature of a bear replenishes his reserves in the way he needs to, but while he is resting in the cave, he has a vision which leads to a way to get back into the Citadel to help Mage-Smith Kermon.
When they follow the vision, two of them can enter the walls, however, Mielitta is not able to, so she decides to find another way in which she can help, but is distracted by her heart and the hurt the walls just caused her, she is prompted by her bees to think of and return to the homestead, however, her steps lead her to the water gate instead and she goes in to help the others in bee form, but she has no idea of the danger leaving the Citadel and heading in the opposite direction to her.
Will the four friends be able to solve the mystery of Mielitta’s history, find and protect the missing students from the evil within the walls and come out of the other end unscathed, or will the duplicity within the Citadel lead to their demise? This is a thrilling final installment to the series and you will not be able to put the book down until it is finished and you know how it ends.
https://itsybitsybookbits.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/07/IBBB_2020_logo_sq.png00Roxsanne Lesieurhttps://itsybitsybookbits.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/07/IBBB_2020_logo_sq.pngRoxsanne Lesieur2021-03-25 16:07:302021-03-25 18:31:54World Beyond The Walls (Natural Forces Book 3) by Jean Gill – Review by Roxsanne Lesieur.
Mielitta is now the Queen of the Warrior bees after the battle for the Forest and she and her bees are settling to their new life with two of her friends as the other settles back into life in the Citadel, meanwhile the Council are reporting what happened to the rest of those living within it, while also spinning it in the light of their victory and the fact that those they paint as traitors are still alive, as well as the noble sacrifice of their Chief Mage, what they don’t say is how he died Mage-Smith Kermon is adjusting to life back within the Citadel and he is missing it and his friends greatly, but he spends his first few days back creating the system he needs to connect with them again and while he is completing this task, he learns about the old transition test from childhood to adulthood as he does this.
When Mage-Smith Kermon successfully contacts Mielitta, he is feeling a barrage of emotions and finds it hard to concentrate on the words being said, even though there isn’t much to report this first time, so when a messenger announces that his presence has been requested at a meeting, they cut off the call and he agrees to contact them again when he has more news. Life in the forest continues as they learn the ways of the Forest and its inhabitants, they decide what tasks they need to complete first with guidance from the bees and go out to forage and hunt before finding somewhere they will feel safe as a home base, that is until Mielitta is summoned by her bees to help the hive, but when she arrives, she realises that it is her that needs the helps and so she experiences life as a worker bee to help her to recover from the battle. As the Council meet to replenish their numbers and choose those to replace the ones they lost, they have to adhere to the blood made in the Forest with Mielitta, even though they don’t necessarily agree with it, so they elect people who they feel will fit with the demands, yet still bend to their will, as well as how to commemorate the Chief Mage’s father with an award for going into the walls and helping Perfection to continue with what they find. After that has all been decided, the Chief Mage announces that Mage-Smith Kermon will devise the new transition test and that to do this, he will be going into the walls and at the same time, be the first recipient of the newly created award.
As their lives continue and they all adjust to their new roles, Mage-Smith Kermon enters the wall, but as well as finding the information needed for the new test, he also discovers the more malevolent side to them and when he returns to complete his reports, both for the Council and for Mielitta, something has changed, even though he cannot put his finger on what it is. Will Mage-Smith Kermon be able to continue his double life and still keep his sanity and loyalty intact, or will the web of lies, subterfuge and this mysterious malevolence destroy everything that he, Mielitta and the rest of their group have worked for? This is another journey of secrets, discovery and balance, which propels you along as the revelations come in thick and fast.
https://itsybitsybookbits.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/07/IBBB_2020_logo_sq.png00Roxsanne Lesieurhttps://itsybitsybookbits.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/07/IBBB_2020_logo_sq.pngRoxsanne Lesieur2021-03-25 08:30:142021-03-25 09:35:30Arrows Tipped With Honey (Natural Forces Book 2) by Jean Gill – Review by Roxsanne Lesieur.
Mielitta is an eighteen year old girl, she is a servant in the Citadel of Perfection and she is despised by everyone around her and as hard as she tries to be invisible, there are ones who torment her relentlessly, but there are also those who ignore her as if she was never friends with them in the first place, this has led her to a life of loneliness and the only solace she finds is in the archery classes she runs with the children and the skill she has built up in it over the years. She also enjoys reading in the library when she has done her servants work, she is able to absorb the information like a sponge and this has led to a fascination with the Forest outside the Citadel, but whenever she tries to ask about it, she is tongue tied, she also suspects that the Maturity Test which she is not ready to take stops the adults from talking about it as well. Life in the Citadel is bland for Mielitta, just like the food and water they consume, the greylight which changes depending on the time of day and the building materials used to build her home.
When she wakes up on her eighteenth birthday, she receives a mysterious gift with a small phial of liquid and a riddle contained inside, the riddle makes no sense to her, but the liquid is full of scents and she is enthralled by them, but she is shocked to find that when she wears it, nobody around her can smell it. When she is given the task of taking refreshments to the Council Chamber, she discovers that something has happened in the outer defences and that the Forest beyond is gaining strength and preparing to attack Perfection, but when the conversation turns to the Forest and it’s dangers, Mielitta is wondering if the loss she has felt all her life is Nature, then something happens which shocks her to the core and she gains knowledge of how to access it, but as they declare that her mind has to be wiped of this knowledge, she quickly has to store it away somewhere they cannot get to it, but she can.
The next day she accidentally spills the last of the liquid on herself and the scent is overpowering, bus she soon gets lost in her daily activities and it becomes part of the background and while she is doing this, she uses the time to make a decision about her future and when she goes to visit her father and talk to him about it, her hopes of making it happen are dashed when someone takes the place she wanted, she rushes out to escape the sadness this causes her and instead heads to where she stored the memories, not believing that she would really find them, but when she does and it all comes rushing back to her, she is disturbed by her tormentors. They taunt Mielitta and when she dares to fight back, they proceed to chase her, she heads towards the gate where the memories guide her, she says the words and escapes into the Forest. When she gets out there, she feels, sees and experiences things for the first time and is drawn in deeper as she examines everything she sees, when she comes across a beehive and opens it, she is attacked by the bees within it.
When she wakes up after the ordeal, she sees all the dead bees around her, but when they disappear into an ultraviolet light, she discovers that she can also feel them within herself, however, she just ignores the buzzing and changes to her sight and other senses and returns to the citadel so that she isn’t missed. The next day when she discovers that there is an outline of a bee on her thigh, she also realises that she can hear the bees, she decides that this was her Maturity Test and she devises a plan to take the opportunity to become a woman on the outside to match the woman within her, it is after she has done this that she discovers a plot within the Citadel and the dangers associated with it while she is in the library, she also discovers the ability she has to be called to aid the bees in the hive she now belongs to.
Will Mielitta be able to use her new status and the bees help to foil the plot against the Forest, or will those who want to hurt her and the Forest succeed and wipe out everything outside of the Citadel and keep it in the Perfect state they want? This is a brilliant journey of personal discovery, danger and the wonders of nature which keeps you enthralled as plots are discovered and decisions are made which affect more than just Mielitta.
https://itsybitsybookbits.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/07/IBBB_2020_logo_sq.png00Roxsanne Lesieurhttps://itsybitsybookbits.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/07/IBBB_2020_logo_sq.pngRoxsanne Lesieur2021-03-24 08:45:042021-03-24 09:32:14Queen Of The Warrior Bees (Natural Forces Book 1) by Jean Gill – Review by Roxsanne Lesieur.
Vince is an undercover agent for the Special Branch and when he creates his character and backstory, he throws himself into it completely and immerses himself into the other world he is trying to infiltrate and this time, he has to become an islamic convert and infiltrate a British Jihadi group. Vince starts his journey in a local, nondescript, corner shop where he goes to buy some essentials, bottled water and cigarettes, but when he sees the woman serving on the counter, she is beautiful, he cannot deny that, but he also senses that she is different to most women and also that this would not be their only meeting. He approaches the mosque for the first time as well, it is also a beautiful place, as he enters and follow the other worshippers, he completes the rituals and spots his targets doing the same, he observes them from a distance, he knows he needs to first be noticed, then to earn their respect and after that their trust, but Vince also knows he needs to do it slowly and carefully.
As the days pass and Vince is growing closer to his first check in with his handler, he develops a routine of breakfast, visiting the corner shop to interact with the woman there, to the mosque for prayers and visiting the stalls selling literature and in the market precinct on Fridays and Saturdays, being seen to be devout and seeking of knowledge, eventually the targets come over and talk to him, this is where Vince’s work really starts. Two of them talk about the information in the leaflet he is holding all the while listening to the third man talking to passers by and hears something of interest to file for later on about a study group. Vince is about to leave when he is given another leaflet about a protest happening the day after and he agrees to go and take part, this should help to gain their trust and it is what happens, he also has the opportunity to talk to the woman at the shop who introduces herself as Ayesha, it turns out she is the sister of the targets and is very intelligent and Vince decides that to befriend her could also help him to get in with the targets.
As he is walking home a few days later, he comes across a blast from his past who it turns out is his handler for this mission, although they don’t get along, they agree on a way for them to communicate and Vince goes on his way. As time passes and he slowly starts to gain the trust of the targets and their sister, things become more complicated when he starts to develop feelings for Ayesha, he uses her intelligence and discovered love of Moorish Spain to spin yet more tales and seduce her, however, is he becoming too close and losing himself in all the tales he is spinning, or will he be able to see past them to the reality and complete his mission? This is a thrilling deep dive into the life of an undercover agent as he struggles to discern reality from the tales he spins and you are spinning through it all with him until the conclusion is reached.
https://itsybitsybookbits.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/07/IBBB_2020_logo_sq.png00Roxsanne Lesieurhttps://itsybitsybookbits.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/07/IBBB_2020_logo_sq.pngRoxsanne Lesieur2021-03-23 07:02:482021-03-23 10:48:00The Tears of Boabdil by Neil MacDonald – Review by Roxsanne Lesieur.
Captain James Hook wasn’t always a pirate and he didn’t always have a hook, he started off as a humble fisherman, but when it didn’t bring in any wealth, he decided to rename his ship the Jolly Roger and hoist the black and white flag of a pirate, but he was an honest pirate at least and did give back to the poor on occasion, however, that all changed when he went on a quest to kill Peter Pan to avenge the death of a loved one.
This journey was not as easy as he first thought, but he had made a start by knowing he had to go to Neverland to find him, so he pulled into one of his well frequented ports and went to visit an old friend to get some information on how to trap a fairy and once he had acquired that fairy called Tinkerbell and hashes out a deal, he stopped in an another port of call for supplies. While acquiring the means to cross the seas to Neverland, the Captain befriends a young woman named Red by the locals when he comes to her aid in a marketplace, in return he receives some valuable gifts and information, as well as a new acquaintance, or maybe even a friend.
As he nears Neverland and his nemesis, Captain Hook comes across a deadly sea creature and hopes his acquisitions will allow him to sail swiftly from it’s clutches and when he arrives, he sees Peter Pan and puts his plan into action, however, he is foiled by the wily fairy and doesn’t attain his goal. Meanwhile, he just can’t resist helping a damsel in distress, or becoming in distress himself and between storms, mermaids, magic and Lost Boys, this adventure is turning out to be one of many twists and turns, but can he resist the pull of vengeance, or will his one of his rescued damsels convince him to turn from that path? This is a story for all ages as this retelling steers you through dangerous waters and leads you to a destination you can only reach by reading through to the end.
https://itsybitsybookbits.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/07/IBBB_2020_logo_sq.png00Roxsanne Lesieurhttps://itsybitsybookbits.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/07/IBBB_2020_logo_sq.pngRoxsanne Lesieur2021-03-21 18:06:592021-03-21 22:20:19Hook’s Little Mermaid: Captain Hook crosses paths with an enchanting mermaid, as he seeks revenge against Peter Pan. (The Untold Stories Book 1) by Suzanna Lynn – Review by Roxsanne Lesieur.
Seth Johnson is a boy who has just been ripped away from everything he knows to travel with his family to the USA so that his sister can receive treatment for her cancer, but when they stop at a diner in the middle of nowhere, he meets someone who says they are a relative, when he has been told that they were all dead and gone and this meeting is about to change his life. Miriam Miller is a girl with violet eyes who is shunned by all of those around her for it, they see her as a freak despite that she is a Guardian, just like they are, but all she wants to do is to go on a sabbatical and explore the world outside of Edenia, however, her family have other ideas and just want to use her ability to keep the village safe and so she can’t leave even if she wanted to and when a new family come into the village, everything is about to change.
When the new family arrive and Miriam observes them through her front window with her family, her first instincts are unease and she has no idea why, however, it could have something to do with the warring reactions of her family members, especially when she realises that one of the newbies has left Edenia before and that it must have been a strong summoning to bring them back. As Seth and his family enter Edenia, he realises that this is where his father grew up, where he was born, but it is so strange to his eyes, there is no technology other than basic appliances and as they go to a meeting with the head of the village, he realises that it will probably be the most boring place, although there is mention of a mysterious garden, but he knows he must learn about it so that he can save his sister and he will do anything to help her. The residents and the new people are all introduced to each other and they all seem as strange as each other, with some being stranger than others but Seth and Miriam feel out of place and awkward, unlike everyone else, Miriam because she is worried about them finding out about their Natures before it is time and Seth because he is worried about his parents intentions for going there, this is compounded as the Johnsons have a family meeting where his parents ask the three kids to try and fit in, seem like they want to become one of them and to just give it a week and then make up their minds, the kids are not happy about this, but agree to go along with it to keep the peace.
As the Johnsons settle in, Seth opens up to his sisters about what he has to do and they agree to try and help him, meanwhile Miriam is trying to come to terms with her Nature and keeping the discoveries she is making about it to herself, but she is also starting to get closer to Seth and feels drawn to him and as time goes on, Seth begins to realise that he is drawn to Miriam as well, however, with all the secrets surrounding them, will they be able to become as close as they want to be, or will their secrets be their undoing? This is a fantasy with hidden depths which will keep you wanting more and needing to know whether they will succeed with their goals in the end.
https://itsybitsybookbits.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/07/IBBB_2020_logo_sq.png00Roxsanne Lesieurhttps://itsybitsybookbits.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/07/IBBB_2020_logo_sq.pngRoxsanne Lesieur2021-03-21 15:26:012021-03-21 22:08:16Guardians of the Garden by Theresa Pocock – Review by Roxsanne Lesieur.
This is the next installment of the Empire At Twilight series and it focuses on Tashmi-sharrumma, his father has died and he has now been chosen to be the next Great King Tudhaliya IV and as he grieves, he is also wondering how he will be able to take on the mantle of king and worrying that he might not be enough of anything to do it, especially with the family’s questionable allegiances and loyalties he is surrounded with. He does find comfort in his cousin Kurunta, he has since they were boys, but now he has been crowned, he doesn’t quite know how to deal with it, he has never been someone eloquent, however, he also has trouble expressing his feelings as well, as well as his wife, to a point at least. As the funeral rights and commemorative feasting comes to an end, it is time for the oath making part of the ceremony and even though he is exhausted, he agrees and as the vassals approach him to give him their solemn oaths, he is silently hoping that they are genuine with their vows and when he goes to his chambers, he is greeted with the news that his wife is expecting and is due in midsummer, he now hopes that this is a good omen for his reign.
The next day, Tudhaliya tries to escape for a few minutes onto the roof of his palace and away from everyone, but his solitude is broken when Kurunta joins him and the reminisce about their childhood and he can forget for a small time the weight which is hanging on his shoulders now and then his reign really begins when Tudhaliya meets with his generals and his mother the Tawananna to speak about the affairs of the kingdom, that there is more news coming, but this time it is all bad, the Assyrians are hounding his borders and there is a chance that the lands between them and his are vassals who may decide to turn on him if the leverage is right, there is a debate as to what to do, where the choices are hard, wither to direct them one way and give them something else to focus on but break a treaty, or to ask them to cease and desist and if they refuse, to send troops in to send them back to their own country, the king makes a decision which disagrees with the Tawananna and most of the other councillors. Next he finds out that some individuals who were exiled, have been seen and that they may be trying to shore up allegiances to usurp the throne, the decision is made to wait and see what happens, but to keep their ears open. The final thing is that the crops are having another poor year and that they may have to buy in grains if the poor weather conditions continue, after the meeting is finished and other matters of state are resolved, Tudhaliya is notified of a request for help from a vassal king and he agrees to help, but when he gets there, the battle is lost and the person he came to aid runs away instead of fighting back as expected.
As the months pass and the affairs of the kingdom are becoming steadily worse, Tudhaliya does everything he can think of to appease the gods and find out why everything is happening, but he is finding it hard to trust those surrounding him and this is putting a strain on his relationships, including the ones which he thought were the strongest. Will Tudhaliya be able to face his challenges and win the battles and hardships to come, or will the cost be too high and leave his son with a broken kingdom to rule when he has gone? This is a long and arduous journey for the king and you will be swept along with him as you hope from one scenario to the next.
https://itsybitsybookbits.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/07/IBBB_2020_logo_sq.png00Roxsanne Lesieurhttps://itsybitsybookbits.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/07/IBBB_2020_logo_sq.pngRoxsanne Lesieur2021-03-21 05:16:132021-03-21 06:47:30The Sun at Twilight (Empire at Twilight Book 4) by N.L. Holmes – Review by Roxsanne Lesieur.
Carol Wheeler receives a letter in the post from the NCIS to say that they have found a note in a plane which crashed in 1943 and it has been linked to her grandmother Charlotte Wheeler, but she cannot believe that they are talking about the same woman, so she decides to go back to her family home and have a look in some of the trunks that have been stored in the attic, she leaves very suddenly when someone slams a door and then disappears into thin air. Annie Tillery is about to head to University and is almost done packing when her dad comes for a visit, as they talk about her kitten, Annie makes some coffee, while she is doing this her Auntie comes over to the house as well. When they all have refreshments, Annie’s dad gives her a copy of the letter that her mum received and is dumbfounded and extremely curious at the same time as she doesn’t know a lot about her mum’s side of the family and to now find out that she was an instrumental and important part of World War II it is a lot to take in.
When Carol turns up the next day with the things that she has found in the attic, it is the start of a mystery which they all want to solve and so they start with reading some love letters between Charlotte and her fiance, but as they are studying them, they begin to see that there are little strings of numbers and borders which aren’t normally on the stationary used in the armed forces at the time. They decide to bring Annie’s boyfriend Ty in on the action as he is good with codes and when they do manage to crack it, a whole new piece of the puzzle is revealed and how it connects to the note found in the plane, but it also asks a whole new set of questions as well. As they continue to decode the letters and read through them, they realise that they need more information, so they go back to the attic to look for more clues and when they do, the ghost returns and slams some more doors, this again leads to more important clues to the mystery.
As they find the need to travel more, Ty takes to the air as a newly qualified pilot to take them between their homes, as he is going through the checklists, Annie feels a connection to the plane, as if she has been in one before, despite it being her first time and when they talk to the people on the airfield about what they are finding out, everyone wants to be kept updated on their findings. Will Annie, her family and her boyfriend be able to find out why the plane crashed and what Annie’s great grandmother’s part was in it? This story is full of mystery and intrigue as you unravel the tangled web of clues to find out what really happened to the downed plane and why, a great read for all ages.
https://itsybitsybookbits.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/07/IBBB_2020_logo_sq.png00Roxsanne Lesieurhttps://itsybitsybookbits.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/07/IBBB_2020_logo_sq.pngRoxsanne Lesieur2021-03-19 03:53:542021-03-19 09:07:28The Mystery of the Lost Avenger by Linda Maria Frank – Review by Roxsanne Lesieur.
Diego Valentine is a Professor at Kirk University, he teaches Psychology and his students really enjoy his classes, plus he is easy on the eye which is a bonus. Cassie Rodriguez is a first year under-graduate studying Psychology at Kirk University, but she is all about studying hard, but she does enjoy playing hard too and being a fresher, that is an easy thing to do, but between the two, she has no time for romance or relationships.
So she can really get to grips with the seminar materials for child psychology Cassie signs up for some extra tutorials with Professor Valentine, but when she rolls in late for her first one still a bit worse for wear and looking it too and the complete opposite of the gorgeous man sitting opposite her, who insists she calls him Diego and not sir, she ends up embarrassing herself by throwing up in his office,]. Cassie is utterly mortified, but he is understanding and also trying to suppress laughter at the same time, but he promises not to tell anyone about what happened, but she decides that when she next sees him, she is going to look better and prove that she isn’t just what her first impression showed. The next day she intends to go and see him before lectures, but instead runs into friends from her class and ends up spending most of the day with them, however, as luck might have it, when they go for coffee later on, Diego is there as well, so they end up chatting for a little but and agree that she should book another session on the University portal and he gives her a hint when his next free one is with a wink.
As time goes on and Cassie continues in her studies and tutorial meetings with Diego, she keeps making an effort and finds that they spend as much time talking as they do going over notes, but when their attraction raises its head, she realises that it is mutual, but because they are a student and teacher, Diego tries to stay professional, but finds that it is becoming harder to do.
Will they be able to keep their relationship professional, or will their secret be revealed to the rest of the world? This is a short tale of romance which deals with secrets, revelations and forbidden love which sweeps you along for the ride.
https://itsybitsybookbits.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/07/IBBB_2020_logo_sq.png00Roxsanne Lesieurhttps://itsybitsybookbits.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/07/IBBB_2020_logo_sq.pngRoxsanne Lesieur2021-03-18 08:16:002021-03-18 20:59:21Professor Valentine: A Student-Teacher Contemporary Romance Novella (Kirk University Book 1) by Diana Vale – Review by Roxsanne Lesieur.
This book starts with a boy watching a woman giving birth in the presence of “Father” under his watchful gaze, just like all of the other times this had happened, but he couldn’t say or do anything because it would make him angry and that is the last thing he wanted to do.Detective Petrosky and his partner go to investigate a burglary, it is something lighter than the usual predators and their victims, but when he sees an expensive looking watch on the table and nothing else being disturbed, apart from some broken picture frames and a whole lot of blood, it’s looking highly likely that the break in was just secondary, especially with who had their house broken into. This new case brings back memories of a old one where domestic abuse was involved until the victim had had time to decompress and quickly retracted their statement and decided not to press charges, but as they question the owner of the house, his answers don’t tally with the evidence inside and it is the same thing when they talk to the neighbour who called it in, her description of the person she saw running away from the house is the same as a case from the past, but the person who is being described is dead adding yet more questions than answers to the case, especially when the blood results come back as a match for the dead person as well, which makes them a lot more alive.
As they try to find more leads to follow, the case becomes more and more bizarre and more questions than answers keep popping up, especially when the dead woman was kidnapped and involved in a car accident not too long before she died in a warehouse fire with her husband a brother in law, even more frustrating is that the case file has disappeared, so they decide to go and talk to someone who was involved. While talking to them, similarities between the dead woman and the domestic abuse victims cases appear, but it still doesn’t give any more clarification, just more questions again. As Petrosky finds out more about the family of the burglary victim, he gets an increasingly bad feeling that there is more to the case than meets the eye, but when he finds out that an old partner was involved in the original case, it leads to more suspicion, but these questions are not ones to be answered as the individual died, but his widow might be able to shed some light on it. When Petrosky suddenly comes across Shannon in the course of the investigation, even though she lives nowhere nearby, she tells him some information which shocks him.
Will Petrosky be able to solve the crime and the mystery surrounding a woman who is supposed to be dead and why she came back, all while battling to keep himself from getting too involved, especially when the case is so close to home? This is a thriller which will keep you guessing until the end and is as action packed as it can be as the detectives try to untangle the web of lies and deceit they find themselves in the middle of.
https://itsybitsybookbits.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/07/IBBB_2020_logo_sq.png00Roxsanne Lesieurhttps://itsybitsybookbits.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/07/IBBB_2020_logo_sq.pngRoxsanne Lesieur2021-03-16 10:23:002021-03-16 22:01:12Witness: An Ash Park Novel (Volume 9) by Meghan O’Flynn – Review by Roxsanne Lesieur.
Cam Mackintosh is back in the second installment of the Antipodes series and he is happily living on Lewis with his family and adapting to the changes within it, he still hasn’t fully recovered from the experiences of going through the tunnels and how his body felt while he did, but he tries not to think about it if he can, but he is more scared by the upcoming change in his life, but as he is listening to his friends advice about the situation, he definitely still feels unprepared. He finds that he reminisces about his family before the virus more as he thinks about them all and what examples he can take from it, as well as thinking about how different his wife’s upbringing was and how that will be useful in the future as well. He is also remembering his last lot of travels to Ireland and the people he spoke to there, especially what he learned from one person in particular about the portals and how they work, as well as who may have created them, it was an in depth conversation, but he now he knows more information, he was able to share it with his community on Lewis when he returned. When he returned last time he also realised that this is where he was meant to be and where his home was, including the woman who was waiting for him there.
As life continued on in the community, Cam is the happiest he has been in a long time and although he has had a lot of work to catch up on in the greenhouses and the orchards, he has been the most settled he had been in a long time too, that is until he bumps into someone and a whole flux of memories come flooding back, he escapes to his spot in the hills to think about what he has just found out and ends up confronting old feelings and learning things that he has wanted to know for over a year, this will hopefully bring some closure to the past, but instead it opens up a whole new can of worms. As a community meeting is called, some more surprising information is announced by a group from another community who have returned from their travels and he learns that there were other communities established in Australia which has less strict requirements and as such that there is a possibility that other people may have survived in other domes, but when a list of people is produced and a certain name jumps out at him, he knows that he has to take another trip through the portal and take a chance to see if this person is still alive, but this means leaving his family and he is not sure if he can do that, however, he is encouraged to go.
As a small group prepares to set off on this new adventure, will they find what they are looking for and discover whether the rumours of other domed communities are true, or will the time Cam spends away from his family be its undoing? In this dystopian adventure, you go on an emotional journey across the world to uncover secrets which could change the groups world view and experience everything with them, prepare for a journey through a bleak world to see whether there are any lights at the end of the tunnel.
https://itsybitsybookbits.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/07/IBBB_2020_logo_sq.png00Roxsanne Lesieurhttps://itsybitsybookbits.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/07/IBBB_2020_logo_sq.pngRoxsanne Lesieur2021-03-13 14:26:422021-03-13 20:43:05The Liminal Space (Antipodes Book 2) by T.S. Simons – Review by Roxsanne Lesieur.
Cam Johns is a chef, he also owns his own restaurants, but his life is torn apart when the woman he loves, Phoenix Brighton is ripped away from him by death and he can’t understand why, but he knows he doesn’t want to live without her and that his heart is broken. He thinks about his past experiences, especially with women and the one who got away, he remembers the last time he saw her and thinks about how much his life has changed and that her parting words have come true, just as she predicted, so when he goes to seek help, although he doesn’t want to speak or think about any of it.
Eventually, his therapist helps him to finally open up, but she starts slow and asks about the first time he met Phoenix. This just happened to also be the day when he made a mark in the foodie world with his restaurant which he had just opened. He talks about how a very influential foodie blogger had come to review his restaurant and his food, but when he takes the dish, his pride and joy to her in the restaurant, he cannot take his eyes off of the mystery woman eating alone and reading at another table and unwittingly walks straight into his guest and ends up spilling the entire dish all over her while she is livestreaming to her multitude of followers. Without a second thought, she ends the livestream while giving him a second chance to cook for her when the woman he couldn’t take his eyes off offers to help her out with her dilapidated and food covered state with some clothes she has in the boot of her car. As they disappear he goes to prepare for his second chance and ends up having a rave review, but the mystery woman never comes back, however, she does give her details over the phone when she arranges to pay her bill which she walked out on. After he has spoken about this with his therapist, she gives him some homework and then drops a truth bomb on him at the end of the session, she tells him something about phoenix which he knew nothing about and which shocks him to the core, he feels betrayed, lied to, more heartbroken and angry about this information and it takes time for him to process it.
A couple of days later, he goes back to his restaurant and realises what a selfish person he has been for the last year since Phoenix died when his staff finally break through his angry exterior and open up to him about their feelings and this paired with the homework he has been given, he finally sees a light at the end of the tunnel. This is the start of a long process of grief, recovery and a rollercoaster of emotions as he comes to term with the revelations of more secrets and information while completing his homework until he comes face to face with a blast from his past and doesn’t quite know what to do about it. Will he be able to come to terms with what he knows and what he is finding out and be able to recover from his biggest heartbreak, or will his emotions get the best of him before he can jump on a second chance he never thought he would get and which he is struggling to believe he deserves? This is an emotional rollercoaster filled with secrets, revelations, betrayal, heartbreak and love as you are whirled around in a torrent of emotions along with Cam as he undertakes his journey.
Robert Nathaniel Parker is a man who tries to get what he wants, but he is seldom successful and his run of bad luck continues when he is caught trying to steal a rose bush from a neighbouring landowner, one who is known locally as being a beast of a man, but when he is invited in to see the master, he is treated as a guest and offered wine and a game of cards, just as he seems to be winning, he bets his daughters against this rose bush, however, his luck doesn’t hold yet again and he loses the bet, now he just has to tell his three daughters Lily, Rose and Poppy about the situation. As usual, he leaves it up to his eldest to break the bad news, so she tells her other sisters and they work out a plan to uphold the results of their fathers mistake, but in such a way as the rest of the villagers don’t suspect the truth of the situation.
The next day, Lily and Rose go to see the owner of the mansion and while Lily goes in to see the beast himself, she agrees to be his housekeeper in the time between then and when she leaves to be married, reluctantly the beastly man agrees, but without knowing that he is a Parker, as she goes to introduce herself to the household and take a look around the enchanting of not deteriorating interior, the master goes outside and finds Rose in the garden. Rose is obsessed with the outdoors and sees beauty and intrigue in the dilapidated gardens, so when she is approached by the master of the house, she introduces herself and her agreement with him ends up being that she shall work in the garden to restore it to its previous beauty which is no laughing matter as it is in as bad of a state as the house.
As time goes on and the two sisters get on with their jobs in the house, their youngest sister Poppy makes the acquaintance of the master and when caught in his library and seeing that he is having troubles writing his letters, Poppy ends up being his secretary, but she is using that as a front purely to read his books, especially the ones to do with magic to try and remove the curse. The house contains many secrets and as the sisters continue to stay around the estate, experiencing them first hand in some cases, can they work out how to break the curse, or will an unexpected visitor derail all their attempts at restoring happiness to the grand estate and it’s master? This is a sweet retelling of beauty and the beast full of romance, magic and mystery.
https://itsybitsybookbits.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/07/IBBB_2020_logo_sq.png00Roxsanne Lesieurhttps://itsybitsybookbits.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/07/IBBB_2020_logo_sq.pngRoxsanne Lesieur2021-03-09 05:08:442021-03-09 08:10:14Price of a Rose: A Beauty & Beast Tale (Historical Fantasy Fairytale Retellings Book 2) by Byrd Nash – Review by Roxsanne Lesieur.
Braelynne Shaw is a woman with a powerful job, she is an attorney at law and is one step away from partner, but she has secrets from everyone apart from one person at work who she trusts and one day, she decides to clear the air around one of these secrets, so she goes to see the other person involved, but instead of being her usual strong self, the same thing starts to happen all over again, but this time, she snaps back to reality and acts on impulse and in self defense, but unable to stop herself, Braelynn gives in to more animal urges and goes one step further and commits a murder and now she doesn’t know what to do. Seth Giordano is the youngest son of a the Sindicato, a group of mob families who is also in an unethical but loving relationship with his lawyer and when he is sent in to see one of her coworkers, he stumbles into his girlfriend covered in blood in the office of the man he came to see and realising the situation, he calls in the reinforcements.
Once Brealynn realises what she has done, she is glad Seth is going to help her, but when her crime means that they both have to come clean with his family, but they are all about tradition and Braelynn is the opposite of all that, but when a mutual enemy is discovered and the ability to do something about it comes knocking, will Braelynn and Seth’s relationship survive the barriers put up between them, or will love conquer all? Life is never as simple as it seems and this story will have you joining the dots and following the winding road until it’s conclusion.
https://itsybitsybookbits.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/07/IBBB_2020_logo_sq.png00Roxsanne Lesieurhttps://itsybitsybookbits.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/07/IBBB_2020_logo_sq.pngRoxsanne Lesieur2021-03-08 10:57:192021-03-08 20:27:35Sons of Sindicato by Sonya Jesus & Cam Johns – Review by Roxsanne Lesieur.
How do you find love in a big city surrounded by the dead? This is the question all those with a beating heart are asking, but what is the use of going out on a date when the one you are out with turns out to be one of the Hungry?
As much as you want to deny it, the gray pallor, the missing parts and the lack of humour or attention span should key you into it, but still perseverance is the key, but it makes you colder every time you do it. The atmosphere is grey, the decor is grey and your hopes are also starting to turn grey, but you keep on feeding the Hungry business of dating all the same.
Will there be enough time to find someone else with a beating heart like yours before you join the ranks of the others?
https://itsybitsybookbits.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/07/IBBB_2020_logo_sq.png00Roxsanne Lesieurhttps://itsybitsybookbits.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/07/IBBB_2020_logo_sq.pngRoxsanne Lesieur2021-03-08 10:31:532021-03-08 20:27:05Hungry Business: A Short Story by Maria DeBlassie – Review by Roxsanne Lesieur.
Ciera and Topher go to the same school and are the same age but they don’t interact much, he is part of the group which bullies her everyday and that means that they were in such different social social circles that he barely even acknowledges her existence. Topher is dating the head cheerleader and he is on the football team, they are the dream couple that everyone wants to either be with or just be, but underneath that perfect exterior, Topher is just going through the motions with her and he also knows that she is cheating on him, but doesn’t care enough to act on it, but when he finds out something a little closer to home, his emotions get the best of him and instead of being numb, he is just angry and in need of distraction. Meanwhile Ciera is always trying to be invisible, she doesn’t look anyone in the eye, or talk to anyone but her best friend and tries to avoid the popular kids as much as possible, she also is trying her best to keep her family’s head above water by working and looking after her siblings when she is not at school but it is at work and at home where she can be more herself. .
As Topher is avoiding going home but knows he has to eventually, he takes notice of the girl who is being tormented by his friends, but he can’t understand her at all, but he also doesn’t care enough to try, although he does notice that she makes eye contact with one person, it is then that he realises that she is intriguing to him. However, Ciera is just trying to avoid him and his friends, but when she goes to the bathroom, she is confronted by two of the popular girls and as usual they just insult her, but this time, they have put gum in her hair and all her pent up emotion escapes, she is then shocked when someone else comes into the bathroom and is actually nice to her, what is more shocking is that it is another of the popular crowd and she doesn’t know how to react to the kindness, apart from to say thank you.
When the next football game comes along Topher goes through the his normal pre game routine, but when he looks over and sees a girl in a yellow sundress he is shocked at his reaction and later on when he sees her at a party, he still cannot believe it, when it turns out it is Ciera. Earlier on that afternoon Ciera got off work early and went to the recommended hairdresser and when her new friend takes her shopping and gives her a makeover, the results are as shocking to her as to everyone else, although when she gets to the party, things do not go as planned and the usual insults fly until she leaves and Topher ends up giving her a lift home, even though he is intoxicated.
As time goes on, Topher can’t seem to keep his distance from Ciera and much to her consternation, neither can she, especially when she gets some news which leads her to decide to live life to the fullest, but will anything develop between her and Topher, or will the barriers between them be too high to overcome? Will Topher be able to learn to live with everything he has found out recently, or will he remain numb to the beauty of the world around him? The only way to find out is to follow along on their journey with them in this emotional rollercoaster which will make you feel everything along with them.
https://itsybitsybookbits.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/07/IBBB_2020_logo_sq.png00Roxsanne Lesieurhttps://itsybitsybookbits.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/07/IBBB_2020_logo_sq.pngRoxsanne Lesieur2021-03-06 10:03:592021-03-06 17:23:12Learning to Live: An Enemy to Lovers Ugly Cry (The Infinite Love Series, Book 1) by Kira Adams – Review by Roxsanne Lesieur.
In the fourth installment of the series Dahlia Nite is again being hunted down by the retrievers for the Queen and this team, the fourth one isn’t giving up easily, as she leads them to a strip mall, she takes them out one by one and disposes of the bodies in her own personal manner and gets away on her motorcycle before the authorities arrive and try to work out what is going on, the only difference is that this time, she has a team behind her who she can trust, even if one half is way more high maintenance than the other.
A few days later and Dahlia and her team are back in Drimera and she is practicing and trying to understand the blight and what can affect it, but she isn’t making any headway and it is frustrating her to no end, but her team still have faith in her, but when they are about to leave and get attacked by the normal creatures they come across in the area, they are shocked and unnerved by the creatures which are attacking them because as far as they know, those creatures have no way to get to this area and that is worrying to all of them, especially when they realise that they are being affected by the blight as well. The main thing which is worrying Dahlia at the moment is the speed that the blight is growing and that she is running out of time to stop it, not to mention the secrets which are being kept from her by friends and allies alike, but when she returns to the human realm for her patrols once the creatures had been dealt with, there are already police reports being reported which could be supernatural in nature, so Dahlia goes to check them out. Two were a bust, however the third one seems like a likely candidate, but she cannot get close enough to see what is happening and the crowd aren’t forthcoming with information, just insults aimed at one of the cops working the case, so she leaves while trying not to be seen, after giving the grumbler a piece of her mind along the way.
While Dahlia is trying to rest, she keeps having more nightmare, but they are not the usual kind and they are more detailed than before, but they still aren’t making any sense, but when they wake her up, she doesn’t want to disturb her bed fellow, but she can’t relax either and so she goes to get up and go to the gym instead and try and work out the emotions instead. The last thing she expects to happen is her ex partner banging the door after weeks of not speaking to her, but when she eventually decides to let him in, it is really awkward between them so instead of much talk about the elephant in the room, they talk about a case instead and it turns out it is the one she saw last night and that there are similarities and connections between that one and Dahlia’s first case she worked with him, too many connections but in the end she agrees to help him.
When Dahlia and her team go out on another patrol, they are responding to reports of animal attacks and missing pets, but what they find is worse than they could have possible imagined, there is a sinkhole and a whole herd of creatures, not to mention a lot more blight, but will Dahlia and her team be able to ferret out the clues to who is behind all the lies and secrecy which surround them, or will the blight become uncontrollable and destroy everything in its path before they can come up with a solution? This is another whirlwind adventure with thrills and spills along the way as you are pulled along on the current as it speeds towards the conclusion.
Dahlia Nite is back to up her old tricks again and this time, she is chasing a banshee through the streets of Sentinel City, something very unusual must have brought it there, but after she and her Sidekick Casey Evans take it out and they succeed despite its best efforts to kill them in return, but no sooner than they are done that they are called in to another gruesome scene at the riverbank, a lot of body parts have been uncovered by the recent storms and not all of them are human, neither are the bits of tanned skin they find at the scene either, but it isn’t just an animal attack, there are also precision cuts where the parts have been removed and it is in a place where nobody really goes and hasn’t done for many years, but when they are called over to a nearby sewer where there are more body parts floating around, the two decide to go into the tunnels and take a look around.
What they find there looks like a converted jail cell, complete with bars, but it also looks abandoned and smells like it too, as Casey checks out all of the cells, Dahlia hears something moving further down the tunnels and goes to investigate it. They know that she is tailing them and that they are leading her somewhere specific, but she has no idea where, until she enters the basement of an old steel works where rumours of toxic waste and man eating mutated piranhas abound, but what she finds there is more sinister, multiple gurney’s covered in blood where it looks like the victims were strapped on while they were tortured and dismembered, she can sense the horror which lies in wait for her as well. She spies the person running along a skywalk being followed by another three people, but more are on their way as Dahlia is showered in bullets and only just avoids them before being engaged in hand to hand combat, again! She is surprised by the speed and agility, they look human, but she has a feeling that they aren’t, but there is no telltale smell or other indication telling her what they are, but she does her usual, but gets no further information from any of them before she is forced to set the place alight, hoping that there are no more victims being caged there as well.
As she tries to explain away the destruction and get Casey out of the way of it, Detective Creed doesn’t believe her, again and tja Captain of the force wants answers yesterday. The only lead they have is the van tyre tracks which they found and as it is the only solid thing, it means that they will be doing their best to track it down. Just as they finish the meeting Casey informs them of a crime at a past crime scene of an altercation which may have a non-human origin, so all three head three due to its proximity to the steel works. When they get there, Creed interviews the witness and Dahlia goes to look for clues to what happened and what creatures were involved, she finds some blood and some fabric, one she shares and one she examined and keep for further tests, but what she initially finds explains the mystery of how she wasn’t able to smell or use her senses to identify her assailants earlier. She also sees the evidence of a struggle and works out that it probably isn’t prudent to stay in the dark as it is in the backyard of the criminals they are looking for.
Later that night, Dahlia is running tests and comparisons to try and find out what type of creature the suspect is when the alarm in her gym goes off and when she gets there, she knows exactly who and why, she talks to Casey again about the dangers he was just walking into and although she understands that he just wants to feel close to and find his sister, she still tells him off until they are interrupted by someone being attacked, they try to help, but the victim doesn’t speak their language and as they are trying to decide what to do, they escape, now they have to worry a out then becoming a victim of a different type, these worries are put onto the back burner when a new lead appears and when it shows other connections, the hunt is in for her and Creed.
Will they be able to figure out who is behind the abductions and dismemberments, or will they fall foul of more than they can handle as the tangled web of secrets is revealed? This is another whirlwind of a tide across realms where revelations are not always what they seem and which hook you into their mysteries as well.
Dahlia Nite is back in the next installment of this series and yet again, she has another crime to solve, but this time she has to overcome her own personal barriers as well as professional ones, although having Casey Evans around to talk to us helpful and her partner Detective Creed is as much of a thorn in her side as ever, but they all make a good team. This time, Dahlia is on one of her nighttime forays into the darkness and the seedier part of town, she is interrupted by a familiar scent, when she follows it she finds a young women who doesn’t belong there covered in blisters and peeling skin, but there is nothing she can do to help her when she combusts right before her eyes, but when the same thing happens at the gym the next day after her a d Casey have been sparring, there aren’t just blisters this time, the woman in question is mutating and as Dahlia is trying to help her, she combusts again, but this time it is in the middle of the street where everyone can see.
When Detective Creed arrives on the scene, he is frustrated and also slightly annoyed that is on Dahlia’s doorstep again, but not surprised either, however when he learns it is another spontaneous combustion case, he is not happy either, but at when it is revealed that Casey knows this woman, they start on tracking her movements for the last few days to see where she may have contracted whatever caused her death and to see if it uncovers any other victims. A few days later, some calls have come in about someone attacking their girlfriend in a club and then going on a violent rampage around the city, but when Dahlia and Creed finally chase the person down, it is clear that it is another victim, but this one is not easily put down and when Dahlia has chased him to the top of a building under construction, Creed is right on her heels, but she cannot get any information from him apart from one word before he falls to his death in a fiery ball.
Dahlia has no further ideas on what is causing the outbreak, but when a friend screams for help when he starts to report a crime, she is shocked to hear that he stole and came into contact with some of whatever was causing the problem, so as she sets off for another late night hunt, she runs into an old enemy, but she does find a name and a possible connection, however nothing goes as smoothly as planned, but as the bodies keep appearing and the mystery deepens, will Dahlia be able to keep a lid on what is happening and find out who is behind it, or will the city be swarmed by these rage fueled and mutated humans and in some cases, can they even still be called humans? This is another action packed thriller with a whirlwind of twists and turns throughout which will leave you guessing until the very end.
Dahlia Nite is a woman who moves around a lot ever since she escaped from her home and her execution, all because she paused while carrying out her duty when she was startled by something she couldn’t easily explain, so she ran in the middle of the night leaving everything and everyone she knew behind and escaped to the human realm, but her past has caught up with her now she has moved back to Sentinel City and not just when she is reliving her pain and fear in her dreams whenever she goes to sleep. When she uncovers a nest of otherworldly creatures who have been killing the humans in the city she currently calls home, she has no choice but to exterminate them, although it isn’t easy and she has to hide her true form while doing it, she completes her mission, but while working out how the creatures made it there, it is what they say which troubles her more, this and the fact that these particular creatures normally live alone, but here there were five of them, just another thing to add onto her list of strange things happening in Sentinel City.
The next day she is contacted by her contractor saying that there has been a murder, but that it is so unusual in the way it was commited that she is being called in to help and so keep the humans from finding out what truly happened there, but when she arrives at the scene, she is shown in by a police officer who looks like he doubts what he is seeing as she doesn’t look old enough to have experience of dealing with these types of investigations. The brutality of the murders is the first thing she notices and the manner in which they were killed is devastatingly familiar and that is before she has even properly looked at the bodies, but she knows exactly what did this, the thing she needs to find out now is why this family is dead. When she meets the captain of the police force there, she learns that she is being assigned a partner to investigate with, but after she requests to be alone with the scene, she confirms her original suspicions, even though she doesn’t want to. Later on in the day, she goes to a favourite haunt to have a drink and think about what she had found out that day, however, she senses someone nearby who could be involved and gives chase, however, when she gets close to them, they attack and this leads to more bodies like the ones at the house, but she loses sight of the person when they escape out of the back of the building.
Things start to get more complicated after she meets her new partner and that is when she realises that this one is going to become a thorn in her side, especially when the bodies start to pile up and any leads she has are either dead ends or things she can’t explain to the other officers on the team, she knows she is running out of time to figure it all out, but that doesn’t make it any easier on her. Will Dahlia be able to figure out who is killing these people and why while also covering it all up at the same time, or will the cat get out of the bag and reveal everything she has been trying to hide? This action packed urban fantasy will leave you wanting more as you are pulled in all the same directions as Dahlia as you try to figure things out with her.
Max Duncan is one of three siblings on the run from a government organisation who want her head, she is recovering from the torture she experienced at their hands and she has a family around her, but her thirst for vengeance against the man who tortured her is haunting her days and nights where she has nightmares of her being in that chamber again and this time not surviving. She is struggling with life in the group because of this, but the apocalyptic circumstances she finds herself in allow her to forget that her troubles when she is out on runs, or fighting for her life against the undead.
As she settles in for another meal with her family, not just joined by blood but by jointly held experiences she cannot stop thinking about the missed shot and the consequences of leaving this particular person alive, but she aspect she is struggling to accept the most is the person who missed that shot, it is a relic of thinking from her childhood, but something she is trying hard to change, but everyone around her is feeling the resulting tension. The one person she can count on though is her partner and her child’s father, this is only enforced when they go out hunting together to gather some fresh meat for the group, plus the few days break from the tension will be good for everyone, not just Max. When they get back to their home base, they find that there are four of the undead there and have to delay their entrance to deal with the threat, then after moving them as far away as possible so as not to draw attention to themselves, then after they have cleaned up a family meeting is called, this is where they find out that they need to find someone, Max is not impressed and feels that it isn’t something they should be focussing on and also that the individual isn’t someone they should or can trust, instead it should be finishing what they started and getting rid of her torturer, there is a discussion where everyone weighs in their opinion and in the end she is overruled and the decision is made to find them.
As the plan is put into action, they also take the opportunity to find out about their other important person, however, the news is not what they want to hear but they agree that at least they have some idea on what is going on, but they take advantage of the opportunity to gather supplies from the gas station they stopped in before they head back, but it is an escape by the skin of their teeth when a large horde of the undead attack them as they are leaving. As the news of what they found is broken to the group, Max decides that they need more information and that she will be the one to go and get it, so she sets out with her favourite hunting partner to scout out locations and find a scavenger party so that they can abduct one of the members and get them to spill the information they know, however, albeit they got some more information, it doesn’t go quite to plan and her partner gets injured during the confrontation, this leads to them taking longer to get home and in the meantime becoming trapped due to the severity of the injuries and lo and behold, the person who comes to their rescue just happens to be one of the people they are looking for, but will they end up being a friend or foe in the days to come and will the information which they have gleaned during the run be enough for them to formulate and execute a plan to finally put a rest to all their troubles?
This post-apocalyptic thriller will leave you strung out after being whirled around on an emotional rollercoaster as the scenarios play out and decisions are made, this fast paced story is full of action and suspense throughout and will leave you wanting to read until the end.
https://itsybitsybookbits.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/07/IBBB_2020_logo_sq.png00Roxsanne Lesieurhttps://itsybitsybookbits.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/07/IBBB_2020_logo_sq.pngRoxsanne Lesieur2021-03-02 16:39:482021-03-02 21:13:06Vengeance by Courtney Konstantin – Reviewed by Roxsanne Lesieur.
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Red’s Tangled Tale by Suzanna Lynn
