Review

The Deadening by Kerry Peresta

FTC: I received a free copy of this book from Partners In Crime Book Tours in exchange for my honest review. I received no other compensation and the opinions expressed in this review are one hundred percent true and my own.

The Deadening by Kerry Peresta was an exciting read.  When I finished this book, I wished that the next book in the series was released because I hate waiting.  This book did keep me guessing throughout most of the book, which I loved as well.  This book had a unique plot that also left me thinking about what was going to happen next.  The author did a great job of making the characters come to life and make me feel like I was right there with the characters.  It has been quite a while since I have read a book that I like as much as I did this book.  I also loved the medical parts of this book because that stuff always interests me.  I wish that this book moved a bit faster, but that wasn’t a deal-breaker for me.  This author did a great job of making me feel like one person did it, and then in the next chapter, I realized that I was wrong, and I had to go back and figure it all out again.  If you are looking for a book that will always keep you guessing, I would pick up a copy of this book and check it out.

About The Book

Book Details:

Genre: Psychological Suspense
Published by: Level Best Books
Publication Date: February 21, 2021
Number of Pages: 353
ISBN: 1953789358 (ISBN13:9781953789358) (ASIN:B08SVKLMZ8)
Series: Olivia Callahan Suspense, 1

OLIVIA CALLAHAN’S quiet, orderly life is shattered when she regains consciousness in a hospital and discovers she is paralyzed and cannot remember a thing. The fragmented voices she hears around her help her piece together that an apparent assault landed her in the hospital, but nobody knows who attacked her, or why.

Now, in spite of a brain injury that has rewired her personality, Olivia is on a mission to reclaim her life. As clarity surfaces, and she starts to understand who she was, she is shocked.

Could she really have been that person?

And if so, does she want her old life back?

Praise:

“A gripping read populated by likable characters. Peresta draws us into a colorful detailed world and makes us care what happens to the people living in it. We root for Olivia as she struggles to regain her memory, her bearings, and the identity she lost long before her injury. Excellent!”
– Susan Crawford, Internationally bestselling author of The Pocket Wife and The Other Widow.

“The Deadening is a captivating psychological suspense novel that will have you holding your breath with each turn of the page. Peresta has created a world chock-full of characters who are dynamic and unforgettable, for better or worse. Hold onto your seat.”
– Clay Stafford, bestselling author and founder of Killer Nashville Writers’ Conference

About The Author

Kerry’s publishing credits include a popular newspaper column, “The Lighter Side,” 2009-2011; and magazine articles in Local Life Magazine, The Bluffton Breeze, Lady Lowcountry, and Island Events Magazine. She is the author of two novels, The Hunting, women’s fiction, released by Pen-L Publishing in 2013, and The Deadening, released in February, 2021 by Level Best Books, the first in the Olivia Callahan Suspense series, She spent twenty-five years in advertising as an account manager, creative director, and copywriter. She is past chapter president of the Maryland Writers’ Association and a current member and presenter of Hilton Head Island Writers’ Network, and the Sisters in Crime organization. Recently, she worked as editor and contributor for Island Communications, a local publishing house. Kerry and her husband moved to Hilton Head six years ago. She is the mother of four adult children, and has a bunch of wonderful grandkids who keep life interesting and remind her what life is all about.

Catch Up With Kerry L Peresta:
KerryPeresta.net
Goodreads
Instagram – @kerryperesta
Twitter – @kerryperesta
Facebook – @klperesta

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Sins Of Our Mothers by Nicole Souza

FTC: I received a free copy of this book from MC Book Tours in exchange for my honest review. I received no other compensation and the opinions expressed in this review are one hundred percent true and my own.

Sins Of Our Mothers by Nicole Souza was an interesting book.  This type of book isn’t for everyone, but I did enjoy it.  Whenever I read books in the dystopian genre, they always have big shoes to fill.  I can’t help but compare them to 1984 & the Divergent series of books.  This wasn’t as good as those two, but it was still a good book.  I also liked it enough that I would read other books in this series.  I enjoyed this author’s style of writing, but I did find parts unbelievable.  Even as I typed that, I know that is something crazy to say because anything can happen in dystopian novels.  I just wonder why with the society so advanced, they didn’t figure out how to make all of the babies born female so that there wouldn’t be any defective babies born.  Other than things like that, I did enjoy this book enough that, as I said before, I would read the other books in this series.  If you love books in the dystopian genre, I would pick up this book and read it.  If dystopian books aren’t something that you usually read, I will pick up this one because it would appeal to people who don’t usually like this genre.

About The Book

◊ Genre: Dystopian Novel
◊ Publisher: WiDo Publishing (August 25, 2020)
◊ Print & eBooks
◊ Paperback: 338 pages

It has been fifteen hundred years since the solar flare devastation of the Global Catastrophe. Due to the radioactivity in the harvesting fields, society dismisses its defective children as nothing more than flawed products of the malfunctioned seeds in the field.

     But Lyratelle, a hyper-observant musical prodigy, believes these “defects” are intelligent, particularly her own sibling, the youngest child of her impervious mother. Abandoning her dream career, Lyratelle climbs the bureaucratic ladder to run the Defect Research Center, where she can safeguard the child.

     With an underground team of women who share her uncertainties, Lyratelle unearths the Old History truth that womankind’s survival actually hinges on the existence of these defects.

     When General Sarah Love, the city’s most powerful advocate against the defects, detects Lyratelle’s sympathy toward the creatures, she threatens the life of Lyratelle’s sibling.

     Now Lyratelle’s desperate attempt to save this child endangers everyone she loves—her team, her family, even the existence of the defects themselves.

About The Author

As the third of eight siblings, Nicole has always been surrounded by people. Among her immediate family are spoken seven languages. Her favorite thing is hearing her nieces and nephews speak French, Tongan, or Mandarin. It’s no surprise she graduated with a bachelor’s degree in Languages, as language is one of her greatest passions, topped only by music and Beat Saber.

Nicole minored in Women Studies and continues to take a particular interest in both women’s history and their individual stories. She’s grateful for her ancestors and other women who paved the way for her to pursue her dream of publishing stories and strives to create new avenues for the coming generations to pursue their dreams.

Though she’s lived-in various states in the U.S. and Brazil, Nicole considers Utah “home base” and continuously finds herself returning, even when previous moves were intended to be permanent. She attributes her love of Utah to the beauty of the Wasatch Mountains and the incredible people who make it feel like home, even when she’s been away for long periods of time. Recently, however, after visiting her sister’s family overseas, she’s been dreaming of a quiet beach house in Taiwan.

Connect with Nicole on her website nicolesouzabooks.com
Facebook@nicolesouzabooks
Instagram@nicolesouzabooks

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The Exit Strategy by Lainey Cameron

FTC: I received a free copy of this book from Audiobookworm in exchange for my honest review. I received no other compensation and the opinions expressed in this review are one hundred percent true and my own.

The Exit Strategy by Lainey Cameron was an okay book.  This book bothered me because I hate men when they act when they are caught.  I felt bad for the characters because of Ryn’s husband and how he acted.  The author did a great job of making the characters come to life to me.  She did such a good job that I spent most of the book frustrated at all of the characters.  I also really enjoyed the narrator of this book.  She did a great job of making the characters come to life and sound different enough that I didn’t get confused about which character was talking.  I became more and more stressed as I was listening because I got so caught up in what the jerk had done.  I would for sure check out other books by this author in the future because she did a great job of making the book come to life to me.  If you are looking for a different type of book to read, I would pick up a copy of this one.

About The Book

Author: Lainey Cameron

Narrator: Susan Marlowe

Length: 11 hours 42 minutes

Publisher: Lainey Cameron⎮2021

Genre: Women’s Fiction

Release date: January 23, 2021

 Winner of 2020 Readers’ Favorite Award for women’s fiction.

“A provocative, edgy page-turner. With whip-sharp prose, the characters are ingeniously crafted.” (Wall Street Journal best-selling author Kerry Lonsdale)

Tech executive Carly can’t wait to marry the man of her dreams. But her world is turned upside down when she discovers her fiancé is already wed to Ryn — her company’s top investor! Can the two women overcome heartbreak together?

Silicon Valley investor Ryn Brennan is on the verge of achieving everything she dreamed. She’s succeeded in the sexist venture capital world, has a supportive husband, and is about to close the deal of her career. Everything is going exactly as planned, until she meets her husband’s mistress, across the negotiating table.

Carly clawed her way back from being a teenage runaway to become an accomplished scientist, caring single mom, and co-founder of her startup. Once she marries her loving fiancé, she’ll secure the complete family she craves. But she’s blindsided to discover her not so perfect fiancé is already married. 

In an industry full of not-so-subtle sexism, can the two women rise above, and work together to overcome heartbreak, and ensure their success?

About The Author

Lainey Cameron is an author of women’s fiction and a recovering tech industry executive. Her award-winning novel, The Exit Strategy, a #1 Amazon Best Seller, was inspired by a decade of being the only woman in the corporate boardroom. It’s been called a “rallying call for women to believe in themselves and join together”.

A digital nomad–meaning she picks locations around the world to live (and write) for months at a time–Lainey is an avid instagrammer, and loves to share her insights. She loves to connect with readers and audio listeners at http://www.laineycameron.com

She’s a proud member and volunteer with Women’s Fiction Writers Association, hosts an Instagram TV show called The Best of Women’s Fiction, and believes community makes the author’s life worthwhile. Originally from Scotland, Lainey has a soft spot for kilts, good malt whisky, and anything equine.

Website⎮Twitter⎮Facebook⎮Instagram

About The Narrator

Susan Marlowe loves a great story and loves acting. She has found her perfect profession through audiobook narration. Susan has narrated numerous titles and has enjoyed producing every single one. When not in her studio, Susan can be found performing in community theater, belting out showtunes while driving in her car, and hanging out with her husband, two sons, and two female cats (the cats are there to balance the testerone heavy home).

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Unnatural by Deven Greene

FTC: I received a free copy of this book from Pump Up Your Book in exchange for my honest review. I received no other compensation and the opinions expressed in this review are one hundred percent true and my own.

Unnatural by Deven Greene was a good book.  I did have a hard time with this book because I couldn’t see anything like this ever happening.  I did love the medical parts of this book because it has always interested me.  I know that this book is fiction, but I still love books that can happen globally, and I just can’t see this book ever happening in the real world.  Other than the fact that this book is unbelievable, I did enjoy the story.  I wonder if things like this happen in the real world, and we just don’t know about it.  Since COVID happened, maybe I am right, and this stuff is happening.    I enjoyed the authors’ writing, and I will check out the other books in this series.  If you love medical thrillers, I would for sure recommend this book to you.

About The Book

Title: UNNATURAL (Erica Rosen MD Trilogy Book 1)
Author: Deven Greene
Publisher: Black Rose Writing
Pages: 292
Genre: Medical Thriller

Dr. Erica Rosen is perplexed when she sees a young Chinese girl with blue eyes in her San Francisco pediatrics clinic. The girl’s mother, Ting, is secretive, and Erica suspects she has entered the country illegally. Later, Erica encounters Ting’s son and discovers he has an unusual mutation. Erica learns that Ting’s children underwent embryonic stem cell gene editing as part of a secret Chinese government-run program.

The Chinese government wants to murder Ting’s son to prevent others from learning about his unusual mutation and the secret gene-editing program. At Ting’s urging, Erica heads to China to expose the program and rescue the infant Ting was forced to leave behind, all while attempting to evade the watchful eye of the Chinese government.

PRAISE

A compelling and richly woven story, perfect for those looking for their new favorite thriller! 

The UC San Francisco pediatric clinic is a lively and bustling facility where every sort of injury and infirmity has been seen, diagnosed and treated. That is, until the day a Chinese migrant named Ting brings her daughter in for an evaluation. The striking girl is truly an anomaly, bearing genetically impossible bright blue eyes. Dr. Erica Rosen presses Ting for information, but Ting is paranoid, evasive and overly protective of her family’s privacy. Things become more puzzling when Ting ends up in the ER with a wounded young son and insists that someone is trying to kill the boy. Shocking test results, a second attempt on the boy’s life and a missing phlebotomist are just the beginning of a riveting tale of government conspiracy, medical mystery and dangerous close-calls.

Unnatural is a flawlessly written medical thriller that focuses on a Chinese mother who will sacrifice everything to save her children. Erica is a bold protagonist who follows her instincts to some amazing discoveries. The narrative is driven by intelligent dialogue and a clever, yet heinous, plot. The cultural aspects between Ting and Erica feel authentic and the technical medical language is just complicated enough to feel genuine without becoming difficult to read. Deven Greene has created a truly gripping international thriller with just the right amount of humanity and compassion.  Unnatural, the first in the Erica Rosen MD Trilogy, is a compelling and richly woven story, perfect for those looking for a new favorite thriller!

–Indies Today

About The Author

Fiction writer Deven Greene lives in the San Francisco Bay area. Ever since childhood, Deven has been interested in science.  After working as a biochemist, she went back to school and became a pathologist.  When writing fiction, the author usually incorporates elements of medicine or science. Deven has penned several short stories. Unnatural is the first novel the author has published.

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Fractured Love by Callie Bardot

FTC: I received a free copy of this book from Audiobookworm in exchange for my honest review. I received no other compensation and the opinions expressed in this review are one hundred percent true and my own.

Fractured Love by Callie Bardot was an excellent wrap-up for this series.  I wasn’t sure how I was going to feel about this book, but in the end, I loved this book just as much as I did the second book.  If you want to read my reviews of the other four books in this series, you can clickhere, here, here, and here. This is the final book in the Adrenaline series, and I am sad to say goodbye to these characters.  The one thing that I didn’t enjoy about this book was the voice the narrator used for Jamal.  His voice just got my nerves, and it isn’t one that I got used to even after listening to the entire audiobook. By the end of the book, I only listen to it because I had to know how it all ended.  Other than Jamal’s voice, I enjoyed this narrator, and I would listen to other books by him.  I did feel bad for Heat because of his childhood and how his parents made him feel.  I felt terrible that Heat was scared to be who he was supposed to be.  I did love getting to know these characters, but I am sad to say goodbye to them.  I loved that this author included part of the LGBT community because it made the series come to life for me.  If you are looking for a great series of books, I would recommend you pick up this series and give it a listen.

About The Book

Author: Callie Bardot

Narrator: Jonathan Tratar

Length: 7 hours 57 minutes

Publisher: Callie Bardot⎮2020

Genre: Romance

Series: Adrenaline, Book 5

Release date: Dec. 16, 2020 

From the Amazon best-selling Adrenaline series, comes the final book in this rock and roll suspense adventure.

Rock star Trevor “Heat” West has a burning secret. His former best friend – the guy he’s still in love with – thinks he’s gay. Given Heat’s upbringing at a military academy with his dad as the dean, it’s a secret he simply can’t afford to accept. He’d just as soon drink battery acid for breakfast.

But then he meets Jamal, a statuesque guy who plays the piano like nobody else and sings like a hot fantasy.

Heat despises Jamal. Jamal reminds him of everything he’d like to forget and wounds too painful to face. But his attraction to the keyboardist proves too compelling to resist.

As they go on tour together, all of Heat’s inner walls begin to crumble. Then he finds Jamal carries secrets greater than his own. And, as his heart begins to give way to self-acceptance, he learns Jamal’s secrets might cost him his life. 

A M/M romance novel.

About The Author

Give me a gritty story, pushing through obstacles, followed by a chance at true love and I’m a happy woman. I fought for love, long and hard, and found it. Along the way, I had a lot of fun, figuring if something exists to be explored, I may as well explore it. How else can you figure out what you like?

My books have won awards like Romance Reviews Reader’s Choice New Adult Erotic (Blurred Lines) and have landed on the NY Times and USA Today Bestseller’s list, as well as #1 Amazon bestseller categories. If I’m not writing, you can find me under the water, scuba diving, or on land, hiking, saving lives as an EMT, or exploring my breathtaking surroundings in the Pacific Northwest, alongside my sexy, firefighting guy. 

Website⎮Facebook

About The Narrator

Making funny voices has always been something I have done, to an almost compulsive level. I would emulate cartoon characters, parents, teachers, politicians, ect. Then focus shifted to martial arts, rock climbing, just other passions and whatnot. In all honesty I feel as though I was lost for a few years. No direction. I then got into the modeling and acting industry. Almost three years as a model/actor, of middling success, before I decided to have a go at being an agent. This move went very very well. Two years later, unfulfilled, I quit my job, bought a mic, and haven’t looked back since.

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The Key To Love by Callie Bardot

FTC: I received a free copy of this book from Audiobookworm in exchange for my honest review. I received no other compensation and the opinions expressed in this review are one hundred percent true and my own.

The Key To Love by Callie Bardot was a great book.  This is the 4th book in the Adrenaline series, and I like this book more than the third book.  I loved that we got to get to know Keys.  I also loved Mia and felt terrible for everything that she and Keys went through. I almost wish that this book had been the third.  I think that would have made the third book make more sense when I was reading that book.  You don’t have to read them all in order, but I would recommend that because if you don’t read them in order, then you will ruin the other books.  I enjoyed the narrator of this book.  He did a great job of making the characters all sound different, so I didn’t get lost as I was listening.  There were several adult scenes in this book.  They didn’t bother me, but I know some people wouldn’t enjoy them, so I wanted to let you know they are in there.  I enjoyed the author’s writing, and I can’t wait to listen to the final book in this series.  If you love rock star romance books, you will enjoy this book as much as I did.

I have reviewed the other books in this series.  If you are interested in seeing those reviews, you can here(3rd book, here(3rd book, and here(3rd book) to check out those reviews.

About The Book

Author: Callie Bardot

Narrator: Jonathan Tratar

Length: 8 hours

Publisher: Sumner McKenzie, Inc⎮2020

Genre: Romance

Series: Adrenaline, Book 4

Release date: November 2, 2020

 His past haunts him. Her past hunts her.

When Grammy winning Marked Love keyboardist, Keys, finds himself face to face with Mia for a week, he thinks his run of bad luck has finally turned.

Mia thinks she’s in for the week of her worst nightmares.

But as the two collide in an intense affair, two things become obvious—their friends want Mia to stay as far away from Keys as she can. And, neither one of them can forget their pasts and open to love. As a result, they crash together and are wrenched apart like pounding waves. As their week comes to an end, they’re forced to deal with the potent attraction between them and the deadly consequences that follow.

With so much at stake, can they find the key to love?

The Key to Love is the fourth book in the exciting, suspenseful Adrenaline series. While each book is a standalone, the series it more enjoyable if you read them in order.

About The Author

Give me a gritty story, pushing through obstacles, followed by a chance at true love and I’m a happy woman. I fought for love, long and hard, and found it. Along the way, I had a lot of fun, figuring if something exists to be explored, I may as well explore it. How else can you figure out what you like?

My books have won awards like Romance Reviews Reader’s Choice New Adult Erotic (Blurred Lines) and have landed on the NY Times and USA Today Bestseller’s list, as well as #1 Amazon bestseller categories. If I’m not writing, you can find me under the water, scuba diving, or on land, hiking, saving lives as an EMT, or exploring my breathtaking surroundings in the Pacific Northwest, alongside my sexy, firefighting guy. 

Website⎮Facebook

About The Narrator

Making funny voices has always been something I have done, to an almost compulsive level. I would emulate cartoon characters, parents, teachers, politicians, ect. Then focus shifted to martial arts, rock climbing, just other passions and whatnot. In all honesty I feel as though I was lost for a few years. No direction. I then got into the modeling and acting industry. Almost three years as a model/actor, of middling success, before I decided to have a go at being an agent. This move went very very well. Two years later, unfulfilled, I quit my job, bought a mic, and haven’t looked back since.

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