Book Review: Betrayal by Sharon Brownlie

Synopsis (from the author):-

Helen King’s childhood was marred by physical abuse and rejection. At the age of fourteen she finds herself in the clutches of a pimp in Gloucester. He lures her into a life of drugs and prostitution. She uses her drug addiction as a way to blank out the memories and it enables her to hide the psychological scarring caused by those that she felt had abandoned her. 

Her life was spiralling out of control. Helen’s decision to quit her addiction comes at a time when she has a chance encounter with an old school teacher. This opens up old wounds that had remained hidden and festering deep within her. It also leads to her decision that it is time for payback for all those that she felt had betrayed her. Helen, bitter and twisted, heads to Edinburgh to begin her killing spree. 
When the first body is found the police are mystified. When a second body turns up they quickly realise that it is the same killer. They face a race against time to find the connection and the killer. 

As the title suggests, there is going to be some events happening where eventually, payback has to happen, either through karma - if you believe in that sort of thing, or through the main characters actions.

Sometimes, I like to read books because at the most basic level, if well written, they can be enjoyable and entertaining. Stories with a dark theme are fine if they are in a fantasy setting.

Betrayal is a hard book to review because it's generally opposite to what I read - it is very hard hitting account of a woman who has been abused by all and everyone around her. Oh, I know the passer by wouldn't necessarily know of her problems, and Helen - our anti-heroine, of sorts, is not someone I immediately warmed to.

That's fine, because your main character should have flaws. If he or she is perfect, how can you root for them.

But Helen was largely unlikeable in the early chapters, and yet, underneath the story I could see that the premise would be amazing if executed correctly.

Here's where author Sharon Brownlie scores very high indeed, and perhaps it is typical of many books. Some start out like a rat out of a trap, and fizzle out after 30 or so pages. Others take there time to grab you. There's a general convention that if a book hasn't hooked you by 50 pages, it's probably not going to. I am fair to all books I read, so I extend this to a 100. 

With this book, I really wasn't sure. But it nagged at me for a few days, whilst I finished reviews on others. One afternoon, I read it again from the start, and did not stop until I had finished.

This book has stayed with me for several days after, and as I try to process this review, I'm still trying to make sense of what I've read!

The story is set in Gloucester which is not too far away from where I live, thirty miles or so. These days, the county of Gloucestershire boast beautiful scenery, a stunning cathedral, terrific centre with more shops and restaurants than you can shake a stick at.

However, this story is 1980s Gloucester, ravaged by a poor economic outlook, houses that were crumbling, and a people, like Helen in the story, who appeared to have just given up on life.

But you know what you're in for from the very first line:-

"The man slapped Helen hard across the face and grabbed her by the hair, and threw her onto the bed."

Over the next few paragraphs, we are exposed to such brutal scenes that if this were a film, one would have to look away from the screen, and cover their ears for good measure.

Trying to describe this as hard hitting doesn't really scratch the surface. 

Helen had run away from a care home in Gloucester, and her life unravels into prostitution and drugs, drugs and prostitution - a life she cannot seemingly escape.

When the loathsome Addie finds her and quickly indoctrinates her into 'the life', she is initially resistant. Yes, she is dependent on drugs, but does not want to be a prostitute.

Throughout different points in the book, Helen points the finger of blame at many people. It wasn't clear to me if she hated her father more for abusing her, or for those around him that did nothing.

Here's a disclosure of mine - I am a martial arts teacher and (and having gained their trust) for several years taught a group of women who were survivors of domestic abuse. I heard from them stories that I could not believe were real - in the sense that another human could do this to another human. Even now, when I think about it, I can't believe there were any circumstances that justified what happened to these girls.

Of course, this happens to males too. Abuse has no gender, does it?

So Betrayal is no Disney story, and is a very hard read.

Why then should you read Betrayal?

Well, once the story gets going - I mean, once the nasty acts pass and the character motivations become clearer, the story changed from a dark tale of abuse to a taut, gritty thriller that I could not put down.

This is a story you have to take a chance on. It's hard, brutal, unflinching in its descriptive detail. The dialogue changes from stilted in parts to fully understanding what is going on. I blamed part of how Helen talked, on the drugs themselves. But I think she was an extremely frightened young woman who basically life had trampled on from the start.

I rooted for her but not in the way I expected.

The ending is satisfying and yet, still has me thinking some days on!

I know 'must-read' is a well worn phrase, but do give this book a try. It is an examination of the human condition, and a damning report on what humans are actually capable of doing to each other.

A brilliant book that will make you think. 

Buy on Amazon

Book Review: 5 Day Festival by Simon E Bond

In summary: A thoroughly enjoyable vampire novel that doesn't trade shocks for length.

5 Day Festival, a vampire novella by Simon E Bond, is a story that centres around a group of youngsters at a rock festival. Now I've been to Glastonbury, Knebworth and other places. My concerns were things like 'What if the M5 is shut' or 'will we even be able to see anything from where we stand?' You know...things like that.

This horror story has made me rethink my next trip to Glastonbury! Vampires on the prowl and music do not make for a good mix, unless you are the vampires in question.

What makes 5 Day Festival work so well is its very strong narrative. Some of the dialogue has swearing in it - perhaps understandably given the context, but after a while I felt it took away from the undeniably strong storyline which I totally enjoyed.

The ending with Vernard is satisfyingly brutal, but in a good way.

As the patrons start to end up dead - or undead, our core group of characters have survival on their minds, but surviving the fanged ones won't be easy, and to be fair, I didn't know if they would. Novellas tend to spring surprises and 5 Day Festival was choc full of them.

I also enjoyed the fact that this is set in England and I would read more stories of this ilk from the author.

"Vampires - we have to get out of here," he replied

"How many drugs have you been taking today? Too many, by the sound of it," said Doug.

Oh Doug, you really do need to look up from your bowl of sushi sometimes! Vampires on stage...surveying how many people they could kill, is a scene that is terrifyingly executed.

Simon E Bond is an author to watch. His other work, Weekend At Stanley's looks suitably clever and smacks of Inside No9 / The League of Gentlemen for its wicked macabre yet comic delivery.

Recommended.

Buy on Amazon

Book Cover Reveal: Reunion of the Blood - A Tale of Vampires Book Five

The Tale of Vampires series was always meant to be a seven-book chronicle of vampire lore. Over the course of the four books that have already been released, I have attempted to focus on different elements of what vampires really are. 

Of course, they are fictional, and I feel you do have to separate the books from the films. 1992's Bram Stoker's Dracula, by Francis Ford Coppola was subtitled Lover Never Dies. I thought it was an excellent film, and rather clever of the director to make the story more of a romance. The original book is far different, but this film version works well. At no point was I scared of the movie, but it has a majesty about it that has let it hold up its elegance as time has passed.

In 1995 we were treated to Neil Jordan's Interview With The Vampire. I was of Anne Rice's mind, that Tom Cruise -a good actor in his own right, could not have the menace and presence of Lestat.

How wrong I was, and happily so. Cruise was a fantastic Lestat who was never over the top, and it is a regret that he never reprised the role. He said 'I would not do sequels unless it would stretch the character' and yet he has made five films with his Ethan Hunt character.

I grew up watching many British Hammer Horror films, and from Dracula (1972) to other films like Twins of Evil, The Vampire Lovers and more, I have drawn much inspiration for my tales.

However, the modern day incarnation, though interesting, was not something I wanted to do with my series. Twilight - the story of a girl who falls for a vampire, and his battles to not make her like him, was interesting, but devoid of real horror for me.

I have enjoyed writing this series, and with three books to go, I hope to have brought vampires back to the way I believe they should be. But to quote one review from the second book, The Blood and the Raven:-

"A great read, talented author that is bringing back vampires are they should be - evil, with no mercy. "

Quite right too - I don't intend for this to be a romance. I hope if you pick up the series, you will enjoy it.

Thank you to Merril for being the first to reveal this on her fantastic blog:- The Original Cover reveal on Read Watch and Think

Buy on Amazon, starting with Murderous Little Darlings

Book Review: The Institute (The Institute, 1) by Kayla Howarth

Synopisis: by the Author

Allira Daniels will do anything to keep her family safe from the Institute. They claim to protect the Defectives, but really the Defectives are trapped and segregated.


Allira's brother Shilah is not dangerous like everyone assumes all Defectives are. He just sees things before they happen, and Allira knows that if anyone finds out, they will turn on the entire Daniels family. So they live by one simple rule: be invisible. They try to blend in at school, try not to draw unnecessary attention to themselves. But when Allira witnesses a car accident that critically injures two of her classmates, her family’s rule and her dad’s warnings are tossed aside.


Allira is quick to discover that saving Drew’s life could just be the best and worst thing she’s ever done.

My Review:

"You always fear what you don't understand."

- Carmine Falcone, Batman Begins.

Any dystopian tale is immediately going to be compared the The Hunger Games and the Divergent series.

There are immediate and noticeable parallels with these two giants of YA fiction, but also new and interesting layers that the author has weaved into her story.

A new novelist can have a great idea in their head, but it needs fleshing out on paper and on screen, and for those of us who have written books, we can fully understand where she is coming from.

The book has a rather slow start but there are signs even in the early stages, that this was going to be a great book. And so it came to pass.

Our heroine, Allira invites us inside her head as The Institute is told from first person. That's never as easy as one would think, it relies upon the reader getting alongside the main character, and understanding her motivations.

Through a freakish accident Allira discovers she is Defective, which in her case means she will take part, unwilling, in a game of will she or won't she be killed.

The Defectives, for there are more than one appear at different points throughout the story. It's important to stick with the story, especially in the early chapters, to see where it's going to take you. Bear in mind the Council of Elrond scene in Lord of the Rings (the book) is far too long and over descriptive. The reader is all for vivid descriptions but it would be nice for the reader to work them out too.

Fortunately, when The Institute finds its feet, Allira is no longer focussed on some girlish trivia - she actually starts to learn what it is to be Defective. The story takes glee in kicking us in the gut several times, and at this point, we're hooked!

Kayla Howarth's description of the world in which this story takes place is the real star. It's not bleak by accident or design, it is a realistic, gritty story that soon becomes unputdownable, fully realising its early promise.

I didn't immediately warm to Allira, but as the story progresses and some real humdingers of a reveal happen in the story's closing stages, I began to cheer for her. Comparisons to Katniss or Tris are inevitable but I feel we would be doing the author's creation a disservice by saying 'take Allira out, put Katniss in, we've got the same story here.'

I would argue that Miss Howarth has created an even better story here - this is book one in the series so there is more to come. Whilst I loved The Hunger Games, it was clear book one was THE book in the series.

When The Institute ends, it's clear that there is more story to come that will tease, entice and enthrall. There is a peek into book two which I decided not to read, because I'm already invested in this series and want to read it in its entirety.

From my own personal perspective, I loved the training sequences where Allira is learning to fight:-

"I'm so distracted by Chad and Ebbodeine that I get hit in the face by my sparring partner numerous times.......I manage to get a few good jabs in when they tell us class is over. Damn it, I was just getting warmed up."

Loved that. In my own experience, the bell goes just when I'm getting warmed up for a fight! 

Another line I loved:-

"You don't know how far you've come until you're taken back, back to a time of complete innocence."

Gosh, doesn't something like that make you think? It's not some twee, pretentious line to throw away. I found myself breaking from reading the story just to take some of that in. That's the author's skill, and her power - she makes you think whilst you are reading!

The last third is a heady mix of thrills and revelations. As for the ending, I could not have wished for better. Once the story gets going, it sweeps you along with it.

I would be very surprised if this story didn't be the next dystopian tale to hit the big screen. Before you all feel washed out by Mockingjay Part 2 to come, along with the next Divergent film, give this story a chance. Those who do can say? "Oh, all this hullaboloo about The Institute series? We read it FIRST."

My thanks to the author for introducing me to this amazing book. There is a Kayla in one of my books too, and whilst I think it's one of the most awesome names in the world, this is my critique of the book, not the author.

This is a terrific tale that deserves to be on your read list. get it so you can read it now, and tell all your friends. They'll be glad you did.

Buy on Amazon

Book Review: On the Run - The Moriya Chronicles Book One by I-Lanaa Twine

Synopis (from the author)

Isn’t it amazing how in a mere split second, the very essence of who you are can change forever? That in just an instant your entire life can be ripped to shreds? 

One night, three years ago, my mother was torn from us. Gone, without a trace. And just like that, nothing was ever the same.

Thrust into a world of darkness and danger, my father and I were forced to flee a past that haunted us and the beasts that hunted us.

As the black walls of despair closed all around me, I felt eternally lost... 

Until I found him. And he helped me find myself. 

Derrick Harris was a beacon of the purest light, guiding me straight into the warmth of his heart.

But sometimes the past has a way of finding you. Lies have a way of catching up to you. And secrets never seem to stay secret for very long.

Now all that I hold dear is at stake, and I must fight to survive, or my entire world will crumble before my eyes. 

I am on the run…

I love any book that starts with an extended prologue. It tells us, without showing us too much - where the story might go. On The Run completely changed my view of prologues - truly it revealed itself to be far deeper than I thought. I ended up re-reading the prologue several times!

When the story begins in earnest we are introduced to Delilah Simpson (super-cool name alert!) and she is being left to school by her father. Clearly there's a lot of growing pains to go through and the author expertly takes us through them from Delilah's point of view.

Even in these early stages, there are hints of the author's wonderful use of words:-

"And while most girls my age were discovering how to embrace who they truly were, I was learning how to mask it."

Each chapter could have been subtitled Secret 1....Secret 2 and so on, because each chapter almost runs like a story on its own reveal bits of the story majestically.

The father-daughter relationship is realistically portrayed and I liked the interplay between the two. The author doesn't shy away from hard hitting scenes between them, and this is to be welcomed. It gives the story extra spice, because if these two cannot work together, what hope for anyone else Delilah runs into?

The subplot of will they / won't they find her mother drives the story, whilst other riveting plot-lines develop.

On the Run is a tremendous achievement, because over its considerable length, I kept on reading. Our story centres around Jade, who is left uncertain of her future when her mother disappears from her life. Her father Keith is a great character. Through his wisecracks and hard father-daughter talk, it's clear he has a heart of gold and will stop at nothing to find Jade's mother.

As someone who knows what it is like to write a long, multi-layered story, and join all the dots together, I felt a special empathy for the author's work. The point-of-view changes are something that readers should enjoy experiencing. Why make it super easy as a read? Surely you want a book that challenges you so you, as the reader, will become actively involved in the story.

The story gets trickier in its complexity when Jade is introduced, so you really do need to pay attention to the plot as it develops. You cannot skip a single page for fear of losing teh thread of the narration, which, whilst easy to read, has a level of complexity all of its own. Readers should welcome this - there's nothing to fear about this style of storytelling, and actually, it is very refreshing to me! On the Run has a stylish swagger about it that I loved. As the story developed, it just got better and better, and during the second half in particular, I thought 'we have a winner here, ladies and gentlemen'.

Like any great fantasy, it has a bit of everything in it - mystery, paranormal, romance, action and much more.

The romantic angle is well done without being angsty. The Interplay between our heroine and Devon / Damion / Derrick...or as he is so called in one first and memorable exchange 'Whatever' I did chuckle.

However, I wanted to see where the story was ultimately going to take me and it is the second half of the book that is truly a treasure and a pleasure to read. By now we are introduced to vampires - which made my ears prick up and my fangs develop. I love vampires - stories well done that is and even when this is kicking off, Miss Twine drops in great lines, such as:-

"Desdemona....was also in a high position of power in the undead aristocracy. Kinda like vampire royalty. The Princess Diana of the underworld."

In summary, this is one of the best fantasies I have read in while, perhaps as good as Lisa Tawgren's Rivers of Time series.

But I think there's more to it. Connect all the dreamlike sequences together and you will enjoy the book just as much as I did.

Final note - look at the cover. The story backs it up too, so get this today.

Buy on Amazon

Book Review: The League of Protectors - Fire and Ice by Christian Green

In a word (a hyphenated word, actually) - action-packed.

This is a fun, fast and packed to bursting with action novella that the punches, kicks and super hero type abilities burst from its pages. Christian Green, a talented author who gives us this novella, the first in what should be a fun and intriguing series, creates a fun tale, but look deeper and you'll see a more complex narrative.

The plot centres around Shayne Tucker and Jackson Prescott, one who has an ice ability - so he can freeze assailants, whilst the other can create a fireball from nothing in his hands, and use it to devastating effect.

In the story's rather blistering start, I found myself a little confused between the two main characters, save for a brief description of their differences rather than their similarities, but as it is a novella, it is a nitpick, nothing more.

As the story develops, the differences become more clearer and it's here where the author comes into his own.

The duo are Post-Humans, and whilst special on the Earth they are somewhat a target to other groups. So whilst they feature as part of G.U.A.R.D there is a rogue faction that probably wouldn't mind recruiting their services to help the rebel cause, but of course, Shayne and Jackson are good guys, so they want no part of it.

The final third of the story is super frenetic, and I was gulping down tea with almost every paragraph. 

I've read stories like this where there was so much going on, it was hard to keep track. Fortunately the author gets the balance just right, leaving much scope for the next in the series.

Lines I liked:

"But I am who I am, and I refuse to let society dictate my happiness."

"Hey, I like to keep it one hundred." 

And there are many more. It's a fun story that won't fail to hook you, reel you in, and excite you on every single page.

Highly recommended.

Buy on Amazon

Book Review: Forsaken by J.D. Barker

Overview from Goodreads book page:

New from Master of Suspense, J.D. BARKER

Bram Stoker Award Nominee - Superior Achievement in a First Novel 

Book One of the Shadow Cove Saga

From the witch trials of centuries past, an evil awakens.

Inspired by Actual Events
Excerpt from the Journal of Clayton Stone – 1692
She was examined today without torture at Shadow Cove township on the charge of witchcraft. She said she was wholly innocent of the crime and has never in life renounced God. I watched as they brought her out. A poor, sickly thing, worn by her time behind the walls of her prison. Her bared feet and hands bound in leather, her clothing tattered to that of ruin. Despite such condition, her head was held high, her eyes meeting those of her accusers. She still refuses to provide her name so we remain unable to search baptismal records, nor has her family stepped forward to claim her as their own. We have no reason to believe she is anything but an orphaned child. I find myself unable to look at her directly in the moments preceding her trial. She is watching me though; with eyes of the deepest blue, she is watching me.
Thad McAlister, Rise of the Witch

When horror author Thad McAlister began his latest novel, a tale rooted in the witch trials of centuries past, the words flowed effortlessly. The story poured forth, filling page after page with the most frightening character ever to crawl from his imagination. It was his greatest work, one that would guarantee him a position among the legends of the craft.

But was it really fiction?

He inadvertently opened a door, one that would soon jeopardize the lives of his family.

She wants to come back.

At home, his wife struggles to keep their family alive. Secretly wondering if she caused it all…a deal she made long ago. A deal with the Forsaken.

My review: Great horror storytelling doesn't just get under your skin, it stays there, merging with your flesh and bones like this was how it was always meant to be.

Forsaken, by author JD Barker, takes us into a world where the writer may have created something very nasty - very nasty indeed. Not only that - it threatens to harm our hero - Thad - and his family.

Things are not looking good for the McAlisters.

Thad is a writer, and as with most writers in the Stephen King universe, if you are a writer, you will suffer.

I could see the heavy King influence here, but to labour any more on that point would be to do the author a disservice. 

Forsaken is a very well crafted horror thriller. The modern day breakdown, to the very minute things are happening in the book isn't a new thing, but it date stamps things nicely whilst being interspersed with the writing from Thad's book - the book that almost writes itself.

The witch trial and the court events are brilliantly handled...dare I say I enjoyed these more than the present day events? I could be in the minority there.

Taking the book as a whole, whilst it certainly has its moments I wanted to be shook out of my skin - so I think I must be a bit desensitised to horror by now.

The story works because everything is logical, believable, plausible.

Whilst I couldn't root for Thad as much as his wife, Rachael, I found myself leaning towards her and her daughter Ashley's plight.

Told over three days, it's the sinister 'creep' of the book that is the star - you really feel like some impending doom is coming, and you as the reader will want to know what it is.

I loved - absolutely loved the ending. In fact, it could be said that JD Barker has 'out-Kinged' King - but how, you say?

Well, Stephen King often mentions his earlier works in his later books, but they are done more like pop culture references than anything else. 

In Forsaken, the author pays homage to King, but it is so well done, so clever, so 'ahhh...that's it!' that you just have to take your hat off to the author.

This is book one in the Shadow Cove saga, and it's a hell of a breathtaking start.

My thanks to Maxine for introducing this book to me.