Review: CRYPT: The Gallows Curse - Andrew Hammond

Meet Jud Lester: star agent with CRYPT, The Covert Response Youth Paranormal Team.

When a crime is committed and the police are at a loss, CRYPT is called in to figure out whether something paranormal is at work.  Jud is their star agent.

Jud, unwillingly paired with new recruit Bex, has just landed his biggest case yet ... people have been disappearing in mysterious circumstances while others are viciously attacked - yet there are no suspects and a complete lack of hard evidence.  The only thing that links each attack is the fact that survivors all claim that the culprits were 17th century highwaymen.

Can Jud and Bex work out what has caused the spirits of these dangerous men to return to the streets of London before they wreak more death and destruction?

CRYPT Series:
The Gallows Curse
Traitor's Revenge (March 2012)
There are a further 3 books planned in the series but titles and release dates are TBC

Visit Andrew Hammond's page on Goodreads for more information

Review:

CRYPT (The Covert Response Youth Paranormal Team) is a secret agency set up by MI5 and a private benefactor to investigate paranormal crimes that the police are unable to solve.  When a spree of murders start occurring, with witnesses blaming highwaymen and ghosts the police are at a loss and CRYPT is called in to investigate.  It is up to star agent Jud, along with new recruit Bex, to try and discover what is going on.  If there really are ghostly highwaymen on the rampage can they find a way to stop them?

The Gallows Curse is a great start to a new series and one I'm really looking forward to continuing.  The story is without a doubt one of the scariest books I've read all year and I'm surprised I managed to read it without hiding under the bed in terror.  I have to admit I've become quite a wuss in recent years when it comes to horror so the fact that I was so gripped to the pages is a testament to how good the story is!

Jud is a great main character, he has a lot of faults but that just makes him more realistic and the more you learn about his background the easier it is to see why he behaves the way he does.  He has a big secret to keep and it is no wonder he has been traumatised by things that have happened to him.  In trying not to let his secret out he has become cut off from the people who surround him, he finds it hard to trust anyone and the stress has given him quite a temper.  I do think he has quite a bit of growing up to do and I'm looking forward to seeing this happen as the series continues.  It was nice to have a strong female lead character in Bex too, she is smart and brave and I liked the way she dealt with Jud.  My slight complaint would be that I felt their friendship was a little rushed, one minute they hated each other & the next they were very close.  I would have liked to actually see things develop between them but considering all the other things that were going on in the story that is fairly easy to forgive.

I've already mentioned how scary this was, the ghostly attacks were written in great detail and were gory to the extreme.  As the plot proceeds and you start to uncover the reasons behind the attacks I was fascinated by the historical information interwoven into the story - I actually learnt quite a bit while reading.  I also enjoyed discovering all the high tech equipment that the CRYPT agents had access to.  The Gallows Curse is an impressive debut from Andrew Hammond and I'm looking forward to seeing where he takes the CRYPT agents next.  This is sure to be a hit with horror fans of all ages and I'm already looking forward to the sequel.

Source: Received from Amazon Vine in exchange for an honest review

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Review: Touched by an Alien - Gini Koch

It was just another day in Arizona - and then the monster showed up . . .

Marketing manager Katherine "Kitty" Katt had just finished a day on jury duty.  When she stepped out of the Pueblo Caliente courthouse, all she was thinking about was the work she had to get caught up on.  Then her attention was caught by a fight between a couple - a domestic dispute that looked like it was about to turn ugly.  But ugly didn't even begin to cover it when the "man" suddenly transformed into a huge, winged monster right out of a grade Z science fiction movie and went on a deadly killing spree.  In hindsight, Kitty realised she probably should have panicked and run screaming the way everyone around her was doing.  Instead she got mad, searched her purse for a weapon, and, armed with a Mont Blanc pen, sprinted into action to take down the alien.

In the middle of all the screeching and the ensuing chaos, a tall handsome hunk of a guy in an Armani suit suddenly appeared beside her, examined the body, introduced himself as Jeff Martini with "the agency," called out to an Armani-clad colleague to perform crowd control, and then insisted on leading her to a nearby limo to talk to his "boss."

And that was how Kitty's new life among the aliens began . . .

Katherine "Kitty" Katt Series:
Touched by an Alien
Alien Tango
Alien in the Family
Alien Proliferation
Alien Diplomacy
Alien vs. Alien
Alien in the House
Alien Research
Alien Collective
Universal Alien
Alien Separation
Alien in Chief
Camp Alien
Alien Nation
Alien Education
Aliens Abroad
Aliens Like Us (release date to be confirmed)
Alien Galaxy (release date to be confirmed)
Alien Rescue (release date to be confirmed)
Alien Reckoning (release date to be confirmed)

Visit Gini Koch's website for more information

Review:
Katherine "Kitty" Katt has just finished jury service and is about to head back to work when she gets caught up in a domestic dispute.  When the husband suddenly mutates into a creature from Kitty's worst nightmares and goes on a killing spree she takes action without even thinking and manages to kill the creature using just her pen.  What started as a normal day goes downhill rapidly from there and she soon finds herself whisked away by a group of Armani clad hunks who want her to come and work for their secret organisation.  Kitty soon discovers that there are aliens walking amongst us.  You have the good guys from AC who are all drop dead gorgeous and the bad guys who are parasites that infect humans and turn them into evil superbeings.  The good guys want Kitty on their team but is she brave enough to face the bad guys again?  Does she even have a choice in the matter?

I'd seen a lot of rave reviews for this series and it's one that I've been meaning to start for a long time now but for some reason had never got around to.  The only reason I don't regret waiting is that the next 2 books are already available so I can spend more time in Kitty's world without having to wait!  I'll admit now that I haven't read a lot of science fiction but Touched by an Alien had me hooked from the very first page and I literally couldn't put it down.  Yes, there were a few things that bugged me - an entire race of aliens and they all looked like supermodels and Kitty was a tiny bit too perfect - but I absolutely loved the snarky sense of humor that runs through the story and I can't remember the last time a book make me laugh out loud as much as this one did.

Kitty is a likable heroine, although she is thrown in at the deep end when she discovers that aliens exist she keeps a level head and takes things surprisingly well.  She is smart, witty, speaks her mind and won't let anyone push her around which I appreciate in a main character.  Although she doesn't have superhuman strength she can hold her own and isn't afraid to fight back.  From the moment Jeff Martini walked onto the page he stole the show for me, I absolutely loved him and couldn't wait for more scenes with him and Kitty.  Being from AC of course he is gorgeous but he isn't just a pretty face, although he makes his feelings for Kitty known from very early on it soon becomes clear that he genuinely does care for her. 

Aside from two fabulous main characters we are introduced to a whole host of wonderful side characters who just made me love the book even more.  It was a little confusing trying to keep the different characters straight in my head at first but this is often a problem at the beginning of a series and I soon got to know who was who.  The whole secret organisation reminded me a lot of Men In Black (even Kitty makes a reference to the film so I think it's supposed to) but each member of the team stood out as an individual and I'm looking forward to getting to know them all better.  It was probably Kitty's parents that I loved the most though, they certainly had some surprises up their sleeves for Kitty to uncover!

Touched by an Alien is a hilarious book and if you're looking for something light hearted and fun to read then you can't go far wrong.  Don't be put off by the science fiction label even if that's something you wouldn't normally read - if you like a fun story with snarky banter, melting hot smexy scenes and a fast paced plot then look no further.  I loved Gini Koch's writing style and absolutely can not wait to see where she takes this series next.  If Alien Tango is half as good as this was then Gini Koch will definitely be added to my list of must buy authors.

Source: Purchased

Other Reviews:
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Guest Review: The Shadowing: Hunted - Adam Slater

Today I'd like to welcome 12 year old Kain to Feeling Fictional, he recently wrote his first ever guest post for me and now he's back with his very first review!  The Shadowing: Hunted was sent to me for review by Egmont but as I'm a bit of a wuss (the cover is scary!!) and I know Kain is a big horror fan I sent him the book and he has very kindly reviewed it for me.  Thanks so much Kain, I'm glad you enjoyed the book.

Once every century, the barrier between the human world and the demon realm begins to break down. Creatures gather, anxiously waiting to cross the divide, to bring death and destruction from their world to ours. This time is called The Shadowing.

Callum Scott has always known that there is a supernatural world out there—he’s seen ghosts for as long as he can remember. Lately, he’s had visions of children being brutally murdered by a terrifying creature. Then the visions start coming true, and Callum realizes that he’s being hunted, too.

Driven by a dark destiny, he must stand against the demons that threaten our world.


And The Shadowing is almost here. . . .

The Shadowing Series:
The Shadowing: Hunted
The Shadowing: Skinned

Visit Adam Slater's page on Goodreads for more information

Kain's Review:
I thoroughly enjoyed this book, mostly because of the way the author wrote it, but also the genre of horror as this is my favourite type. The Blurb of this book fits perfectly with the events in the book. Its Front cover would surely catch lots of people’s eyes. I must admit even I (who could watch a marathon of horror movies) raised an eyebrow as you could picture the scenes in which they took place! I also like the plot of this book.

If I had to rate it it would have to be 5/5!

This is also one of the very best books I have read.

Thanks for reading! Please feel free to comment and let me know if you liked it, or on any ways I could improve.

Source: Received from Egmont in exchange for an honest review

Other Reviews:
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Book Trailer: One Grave at a Time - Jeaniene Frost

I am a massive fan of Jeaniene Frost's Night Huntress series so of course my excitement levels go through the roof whenever a new book in the series is released.  Cat and Bones are one of my favourite fictional couples (I adore Bones!) and if you haven't already started reading these books you're seriously missing out.

One Grave at a Time is book 6 in the series and was released in the US on the 5th of September.  I had pre-ordered my copy from Amazon months ago (in fact I was so over-excited that I'd ordered two copies by mistake!) so you can imagine my disappointment when Amazon emailed me to say that the book won't be shipping until early October.

So to keep me going until the book eventually turns up at my door I'm just going to have to keep watching the trailer!  I thought I'd share it here too so you can join me :o)



Have you read any books in the Night Huntress series?  Which one is your favourite?  Do you have a crush on Bones?  (I'd be shocked if anyone who has read these books tells me they haven't!).  If you've been lucky enough to already get your hands on a copy of One Grave at a Time I'd love to know what you thought of it (no spoilers though please!)

Mary Hooper Blog Tour - Guest Post & UK Giveaway - NOW CLOSED

* UPDATE - THIS GIVEAWAY HAS NOW ENDED - Winners announced here *

I really loved Mary Hooper's newest book Velvet so I'm very excited to be taking part in the blog tour to celebrate it's release.  If you haven't already read it you can find my review of Velvet here, it's a fantastic story set in the Victorian era about a young girl who is employed by a clairvoyant but soon finds out that not everything about her new job is what it first seemed.

Velvet is an orphan.  She struggles to make ends meet by working in a steam laundry, where the work is back-breaking and exhausting.  So when she attracts the attention of the glamorous clairvoyant Madame Savoya, she cannot believe her good fortune.

Raised to the status of Lady's maid, Velvet is given elegant clothes to wear and is brought to live in a grand house in London.  But the longer she works for Madame Savoya, the more she discovers about the mysterious world of a spiritual medium.  Velvet soon realises that her employer is not quite what she seems and that this knowledge could put her very life in danger . . .

Visit Mary Hooper's website or her fan page on Facebook for more information



I'm going to hand you over to Mary Hooper who has written a really interesting guest post for us about Baby Farms.  I had never heard of Baby Farms before reading Velvet but they are a truly horrific part of our history - I'm glad they no longer exist but it is quite frightening that this kind of thing was still happening in England just over 100 years ago!

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Mary Hooper

Baby Farms

Sadly, there were many of these in Victorian and Edwardian Britain. In 1864 a law was passed stating that illegitimate children were the sole responsibility of their mothers until the age of sixteen. However, if their mothers were unable to care for them it was difficult to find anyone who would. At this time, unwed mothers and their children were seen as an affront to morality and the majority of orphanages denied illegitimate children shelter, fearing they would contaminate the minds and morals of legitimate children. Single mothers were therefore desperate enough to use people like Mrs Dyer to baby-mind or even adopt their infants, otherwise there was little hope of their obtaining accommodation or work. Laws were in place against the mistreatment of animals, but not children, and reform moved slowly for fear of violating the Victorian ideal of the sanctity of the family. Fallen women were condemned, their children stigmatised, and there was no welfare state to look after them.

Amelia Dyer was a real person, one of a breed of baby farmers. By moving around and changing her name and her methods, for some time she escaped the notice of police and the newly formed NSPCC (National Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children). Babies disappeared from baby farms, but their mothers were tricked into thinking that they had died of natural causes and were reluctant to take matters any further for fear of disgrace. Dyer was first arrested in 1879 after a doctor became suspicious about the number of child deaths he had been called upon to certify, but instead of being convicted of murder, she was sentenced to six months’ hard labour for neglect. She returned to baby farming and murder, and began to dispose of the bodies of the infants she minded in the nearby River Thames.

In 1896, a package containing the body of a baby girl was retrieved from the river at Reading, and Dyer’s house was placed under surveillance. When it was raided, police discovered that in the previous few months alone, at least twenty children had been placed in her care, and subsequently seven bodies were found in the Thames. In May that year she appeared at the Old Bailey, where it took the jury a mere four and a half minutes to find her guilty. She was hanged in June 1896. The Dyer case caused a national scandal, fol-lowing which, stricter adoption laws were passed giving local authorities the power to police baby farms and stamp out abuse. However, the advertising of homes for infants and their trafficking and abuse did not stop immediately.

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Giveaway Details:

Now onto the giveaway details.  Thanks to Bloomsbury I have an amazing giveaway (I really want to enter this one myself lol!) for you.  One lucky UK winner will receive a full set of Mary Hooper's historical novels: At the Sign of the Sugared Plum, Petals in the Ashes, The Remarkable Life and Times of Eliza Rose, At the House of the Magician, By Royal Command, The Betrayal, Fallen Grace & Velvet.  That's an amazing 8 books!

• Courtesy of Bloomsbury I have 1 complete set of Mary Hooper's historical novels (see titles listed above) to give away to 1 lucky UK winner.
• The winners prize will be sent out directly by my contact at Bloomsbury so winner must give me permission to pass their address on.
• The winner will be chosen at random from all entries received. 
• Only 1 entry per person please, multiple entries will be deleted.
• To enter please fill in your name and email address in the form below and confirm you are a UK resident.
• The giveaway will close on the 21st September 2011 and the winner will be contacted soon afterwards.  You will have 48 hours to reply to me with your address or a new winner will be chosen.

Review: Black Gold - Vivian Arend

Lone wolf Shaun Steven’s automatic response to the words “happily ever after”? Kill me now. Yet with all his friends settling down he’s begun to think there may actually be something to this love-and-roses crap.

One thing’s for sure: his dream mate will have to out-cuss, out-spit and out-hike him. So he never expected the one to push his forever button would be a blue-blooded Southern debutante with a voice as dark and velvety as her skin.

When Gemmita Jacobs steps off the plane in Whitehorse, Yukon, it’s about more than her research project. It’s her declaration of independence from an overprotected upbringing. Except there’s something in the air she can’t quite define—something that unexpectedly rouses her mating instincts.

Moments after their eyes lock, the deed is done—and done thoroughly. When the pheromone dust settles, though, all the reasons they don’t belong together become painfully clear.

It’s enough to make a wolf learn a whole new set of cuss words…

Warning: Two strong wolves getting exactly what they deserve. Includes wilderness nookie, shifters being naughty in public places, the Midnight Sun as a canopy for seduction and grizzly shifters on the loose. Oh, and don’t forget the sarcasm.

Takhini Wolves Series: (This is a spin off from the Granite Lake Wolves series but can be read seperately)
Black Gold
Silver Mine
Diamond Dust
Moon Shine

Granite Lake Wolves Series:
Wolf Signs (Novella)
Wolf Flight (Novella)
First Howl (Short Story free on Vivian's website)
Second Howl (Short Story free on Vivian's website)
Wolf Games (Novella)
Wolf Tracks (Novella)
Wolf Line (Novella)
Wolf Nip (Novella)

Takhini Shifters Series:
(This is a spin off off the Granite Lake and Takhini Wolves series but can be read separately)
Copper King (Novella)
Laird Wolf (Novella)

Visit Vivian Arend's website for more information

Review:
I've been a big fan of Vivian Arend's since I read the first Granite Lake Wolves novella last year, she writes fabulous paranormal romance stories (and great contemporary erotic stories too!) so I was very excited about getting started on her new series.  Black Gold is the first novel in her Takhini Wolves series which is a spin off from the Granite Lake series but can be read separately.  The main difference between the two series (apart from the fact that they revolve around 2 different wolf packs) is that the Granite Lake Wolves stories are all novellas where the books in the Takhini Wolves series will all be full length novels.  Considering that my only (minor) complaint about the first series was that I wanted more of them this is definitely a good thing and I definitely wasn't disappointed with Black Gold.

Shaun was a character I loved from the very beginning, we have met him briefly in some of the Granite Lake novellas but it was nice to get to know him better.  He has always been a happy go lucky guy who doesn't take life too seriously and tends to bumble along from one thing to the next much to the frustration of his alpha Evan.  However, since his friends have all started finding their mates and settling down Shaun has started to become lonely and all he really wants is to find his mate and start a family.  Gem couldn't be more different and I have to admit it took me a little longer to warm to her.  She has been raised in a very secluded environment by an overprotective family and this visit to the Yukon to do research is her way of finally asserting her independence.  She wants to prove to her father that she can manage on her own and that she doesn't need him running her life anymore like she was still a child.  Throughout the story Gem really comes into her own, she learns to stand up for herself and by the end I felt she made a worthy mate for Shaun.

Sparks fly immediately when Gem and Shaun first meet and they are quick to recognise the fact that they are both mates.  However, just because they are destined to be together doesn't mean that they immediately agree on how their lives will fit together.  Gem has every intention of returning to her home in the south while Shaun is happy in the north and really doesn't want to have to move to live with Gem's pack.  Shaun is naturally protective of Gem but she doesn't want someone else coming along thinking they can take control just like her family have always done.  They have a lot to work out before they can have a happy ending.

I thoroughly enjoyed every moment of Black Gold, there are some hilarious moments - when Gem first meets the Tahkini alpha Evan, as Shaun & Gem try to work out their differences and in the side story with Evan and the pack females who are all chasing him.  The interactions between Shaun & Gem are scorching hot from the beginning, I think this is the hottest of Vivian's wolfie stories so far.  If you're looking for an intense paranormal romance you can't go far wrong with this one and I'd highly recommend it.  I didn't think Vivian Arend could beat the Granite Lake Wolves books but Black Gold has now become my favourite of her stories to date.  I can't wait to read the next one and I'm particularly excited to see more of Evan in the future.

Source: Received free from the author in exchange for an honest review

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Review: Too Small To Fail - Morris Gleitzman

What do you do when your mum, your dad and sixteen camels are in trouble - and only you can save them?

The sometimes sad but mostly funny story of a boy, a girl and four trillion dollars.

Visit Morris Gleitzman's website for more information
















Review:
Oliver's parents both work long hours at an investment bank and are so busy making money that they hardly have any time for him.  Oliver isn't worried about having all the latest gadgets that money can buy though, he would just like them to spend time together as a family and he would really like a pet dog.  He spends his time watching a dog through a pet shop window trying to come up with ways to convince his parents to let him bring the dog home.  When a lady buys the dog and threatens to harm him if Oliver doesn't get his parents to return the money she invested with them he doesn't think things can get much worse.  Until he discovers that there is a problem with the bank and he realises the money has been lost.  Can he find a way to repay the lady and save the dog?

I really enjoyed Morris Gleitzman's last book Grace so was looking forward to reading Too Small To Fail.  I'm pleased to say that the story doesn't disappoint and I enjoyed it just as much.  Morris Gleitzman has a way of writing that will capture the attention of younger readers, he writes about current events in a humorous and light way but still manages to offer a lot of insight into the financial crisis.  I loved the way he manages to talk about investment banking in a way that will make sense to even the youngest readers and I think even adults can learn something from the story.

Oliver is a lovely main character, he is young and in some ways naive but he is sweet, loves his family and has a strong sense of right and wrong.  He may be hopeless at maths and come up with some crazy money making schemes but he is trying to correct his parents mistakes.  The story is hilarious, partly due to the things that Oliver gets up to but also with thanks to the antics of the dog Bailey and Moo the camel, I actually laughed out loud several times when I was reading it.

Like Grace, Too Small To Fail is a relatively short book and one that it is easy to read in one sitting.  It is a fun story with a serious edge to it and a strong moral undertone.  I definitely need to start working my way through the rest of Morris Gleitzman's back list and am looking forward to seeing what he comes up with next.

Source: Received from Penguin in exchange for an honest review

Other Reviews:
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