Review - Flesh Eaters (Dead World #3) by Joe McKinney

Flesh Eaters by Joe McKinney
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Time Taken To Read - 5 days (due to commitments not an issue with the story)

Blurb From Goodreads

Battered by three devastating hurricanes in a row, the Texas coast is flattened. But for the people of Houston--and soon all of America--the most terrifying events are just beginning. . .

They Rise. . .

Out of the flooded streets of Houston, they emerge from plague-ridden waters. Dead. Rotting. Hungry. And as human survivors scramble to their rooftops for safety, the zombie hordes circle like sharks. The ultimate killing machines.

They Feed. . .

Houston is quarantined to halt the spread of the zombie plague. Anyone trying to escape is shot on sight--living and dead. Emergency Ops sergeant Eleanor Norton has her work cut out for her. Salvaging boats and gathering explosives, Eleanor and her team struggle to maintain order. But when civilization finally breaks down, the feeding frenzy begins.

They Multiply. . .

Biting, gnawing, feasting--but always craving more--the flesheaters increase their ranks every hour. With doomsday looming, Eleanor must focus on the people she loves--her husband and daughter--and a band of other survivors adrift in zombie-infested waters. If she can't bring them into the quarantine zone, they're all dead meat.


My Review

Houston is hit with hurricanes and storms, houses and towns are destroyed and it is about to get a whole lot worse. A virus has broken out turning people into flesh eating maniacs or better known as zombies. Eleanor is our main character, Emergency Ops Sergeant, mum, wife and a force to be reckoned with. She tries to do her job and keep her family safe amid the caos and mounting number of undead.

Whilst I liked this story I have a few issues, the zombies don't really appear until about 100 pages in (hints of them before this but it's about 100 before it kicks off). The run up to this is really interesting though as it shows you how it goes from a healthy functioning town to utter ruin from the storms.

The characters go from being likable, moral, strong to a complete turn about to the point your questioning are these the same characters? Did I miss something? The story also is a lot about the characters personalities, they think back to past times and then come back to the present. There is enough zombie action to keep you happy but it for me was a mixed bag. I would like to read more about the aftermath and would read this author again, 3/5 for me this time.

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Review - The Life by Martina Cole

The Life by Martina Cole
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Time Taken To Read - 3.5 days

Blurb From Goodreads

The Bailey brothers are gangsters determined to make their mark in the world. Peter and Daniel are chalk and cheese in many ways - Peter's calm exterior belies his ruthless nature, while Daniel's penchant for spectacular violence is legendary - but together they are unstoppable. From the late seventies they rule London's East End and, when their sons join the business, it seems that no one can touch the powerful Baileys. Although it's never easy at the top; there is always someone waiting to take you down - sometimes even those closest to you... Lena Bailey is determined to shield her youngest child Tania from the Life. But when a terrible tragedy occurs, Tania's eyes are opened to their world in a way that forces her to make an irrevocable choice that will determine her future.

My Review

This is Martina's new novel and introducing a new family, the Baileys. Peter and Daniel and brothers, a tough upbringing with their mother being shunned as a single parent from a Catholic family. The story starts in 1997 briefly then revisits the 70s to build up a picture of the family and what happens to lead to the events in the 90s.

The characters are strong and stay with you, Daniel is a nutcase pure and simple. He acts first and thinks later (and even then is still convinced he was right on some level), Peter is the polar opposite - everything is thought through first and actions are always fair although can be just as brutal as Daniel. The story covers their rise to being the top family and the loses they suffer as a consequence. Despite some of the brutality and how they make their money, this book has a strong moral code of loyalty and how strong family bonds and honor can be.

There is pretty much non stop action from the very start, as with all her books there is bad language, violence, a little bit of sex and lots of suprises and skulduggery. If you like her books so far you won't be disappointed.

Had work not got in the way I could easily have read this in one sitting (all 500 pages of it). Martina is currently doing a book tour with this so check Waterstones website to see if she is visiting your town. She is a very interesting lady and I could have listened to her all night.

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Review - Billie Jo by Kimberley Chambers

Billie Jo by Kimberley Chambers
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Time Taken To Read - 1.5 days

Blurb From Goodreads

Billie Jo is the adored only child of wealthy villain, Terry, and Michelle, the drunken wife he hates. Knowing how much Billie Jo dreads her parents’ fights, Terry imagines that she’ll understand when he tells her he is going to leave Michelle to marry his pregnant secretary.

But fate is about to deal a terrible hand and change everything in a way Terry has not planned at all, leaving Billie Jo’s protected world in tatters.

Set in a world of villains and chancers, Kimberley Chamber’s brilliant first novel is a rollercoaster read you will not want to put down.

My Review

This is my first encounter with Kimberley Chambers. I love Mandasue Heller and Martina Cole and was told if I like them I will like this lady, well they weren't wrong. The writing is not the same as Martina (I still like her but in recent time have found things a little samey), but like the other authors mentioned she spins a gritty crime story that pulls you in pretty much from the get go.

Billie Jo is a young girl who dotes on her dad, her mum is a booze addled horrible woman who has little time for Billie Jo and filled with hate. After an untimely accident their lives are changed and Billie Jo falls for a man who seems to good to be true. What follows is a gritty tale of lies, deceit, sex, drugs and betrayal.

I really found it hard to put this book down, (seriously, I was to be up early for work and 2am was still reading, I was so engrossed) the writing isn't the best I have read but this was the authors first book and the story overshadows any small blips you might come up against. She has a talent that is evident from very early on in the book and the characters (whether you are rooting for them or wanting to deck them) are strong and well shaped. I have another book by this author (I, for once am going to follow the sequence of when they were wrote) and it won't be my last, 4/5 for me this time. P.s this cover isn't the same as the one I have (mine is listed as the kindle cover for some reason).

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Review - Baked To Death (#4) by Dean James

Baked To Death by Dean James
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Time Taken To Read - 3 days

Blurb From Goodreads

With the help of some dandy little pills, Simon can get through his first summer in Snupperton-Mumsley with only a mild aversion to the sun. On the other hand, his assistant, Giles Blitherington, is bemoaning the beginning of the season. A medieval faire is coming to town--and setting up tent practically in Blitherington Hall's backyard. It doesn't take Simon long to don tunic and tights and gambol straight into controversy. The group putting on the faire is in the midst of a power struggle. Their "king" is about to be dethroned by a charismatic and popular duke. But when the usurper is poisoned by way of a fig pastry, Simon is confronted with enough suspects to fill a royal court. Now Simon must infiltrate the players to uncover a murderer most medieval.

My Review

If you haven't read the previous 3 books you don't really have to but as this one focuses a lot on the Simon and Giles side I would suggest you do to get a proper understanding on it (but the story itself is easy to read as a stand alone). We are back in the little town of Snupperton-Mumsley (got to love that name), where everybody knows or is in everyones business. This time there is a medieval fair coming in Giles back yard (much to his mothers annoyance), and once again we have an untimely murder. Simon sets about investigating, finding plenty of suspects and trying to solve the crime.

I do enjoy the humor of these books, it is all very murder she wrote with all the gossiping and skulduggery going on, Simon being the gay male version of Jessica. Did I mention Simon is also a vampire? These books are very tongue in cheek and they keep you guessing as each chapter comes along we have yet another suspect in the picture of who could have done it and why.

This book focused I felt a lot more on the Giles/Simon aspect, although there is plenty of of focus on the killing and all that follows but normally in the books the relationship between the two is a background side story, this time is more upfront and key to the story. A great wee series and I will be sad to see it go, a 3/5 for me this time.

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Septembers Pre-Loved Giveaway

Is not available this month, I am so behind and have had some things come up that means the blog and reading have and will need to take a back seat for a while. I will still be doing what I can but it won't be nearly as much or often as I usually do.

Therefore this month instead of a pre-loved giveaway it will be a £5 amazon voucher, as always fill in the form (via the link) at the bottom of the page to enter and you can leave a comment for an additional entry. The competition is open to everyone all you need is an email address (and of course an Amazon account). If you have a website, mention that in the form along with your name and I will list it when I announce the winner.

The competition as always runs to the end of the month, good luck and feel free to share. Click here to enter the competition

A.R.R - Redemption On The River by Loren DeShon

Redemption on the River by Loren DeShon
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Time Taken To Read - 4 days

Blurb From Goodreads

Silas Jacobson pulled a trigger, killed his father, and ended up months later face down in Memphis mud, trying to forget the girl who betrayed him.

Silas buries his father on the farm, his guilt in himself and leaves home seeking to forget past mistakes. He travels on Mississippi steamboats and meets his best friend in a brawl, his worst enemy in a cathouse, and a mentor and lover at a New Orleans faro table. Fighting, fornicating, and cheating at cards are a grand time, but there's another woman, a girl on a mission of her own, who saves his life and offers the opportunity to redeem himself.

Silas staggers out of the mud to go to her, but he finds that she's deceived him from the start. He'll risk his neck for her—he owes her that much—but love is no longer possible. His shot at redemption comes down to his conscience, the two women, a poker game, and the turn of a card.

Redemption on the River is historical fiction set along the Mississippi River in 1848.

My Review

Silas has just killed his father and abandoned his family and his responsibilities. He wants to forget his past and find pastures new. Along the way he meets a new best friend, some ladies of the night, murderers, gamblers and some hustlers. Outside of the family home is a whole new world, where Silas has to learn to adapt, think on his feet and use all his brains and brawn just to stay alive. It is a journey of self discovery, and education on slavery, honour, love and what it is like to live as a slave and what they endure.

I got off on a bad footing with this story as once I read the first line "The day I killed my father began like any other on our farm in northwest Missouri". I had already made up my mind how it happened and the idea of what the story was going to be like, it was the total opposite and it took me a while to let go of what I wanted and thought it would be. Go into it with an open mind as you will enjoy the story so much more. Silas is the main character and I went from hating him, to liking him, to hating him, to liking him again. It is a story that moves you with the plight of the slaves and the education Silas gets and the growth and strength of his character (along with his weaknesses and bad attributes).

The main story is split between slavery and racism in the time period when it was considered normal and people where just beginning to (not all of them) realize how wrong it and immoral it is. It also is about a young mans journey from being a boy doing his duty at home to a journey of escape from a horrific time and self discovery to becoming a man with morals and thinking about more than himself. There is a lot to this story and I think people will take different things from it, love and hate it pending on what they can relate to and what it evokes in them. A thought provoking read with many aspects to it and I believe everyone can enjoy something from it, a well told tale and a respectful 3/5 for me. Thank you so much to the author for giving me the opportunity to read and review their work and I would read something by this author again.

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Delays all round!

Apologies that I haven't put up Septembers Pre-Loved Giveaway. I was away in Spain for a few days and came home to 4 shifts in a row. This resulted in delays posting out last months winners prize (thanks again Tracy for being so understanding). I made it to the post office today and if your waiting on a parcel from me it is now on it's way.

Septembers pre-loved giveaway will hopefully be up in the next day or two, thanks again for being so patient.