Tag: Silver Publishing

Review of The Beast’s Promise by Amylea Lyn

Rating: 4.25 stars

When Owen Sanders was forcibly taken from the City, he left behind 6 year old twin brothers in the care of his grandfather.  Living with the Katria, cat shifters, has given him a new perspective on the City and the life under the Dome. All he had heard from the authorities in the City about the Outside was lies and he has found love with Maltok, Co Alpha of the tribe he’s living with.  But his happiness is marred knowing he left his brothers behind and he can’t rest until he knows what has happened to them in his absence.

Maltok knows his mate is unhappy but is stunned to find out about the family Owen has left behind.  When Owen asks for Maltok’s help in returning to the City, Maltok agrees if Owen will fully bond to him upon their return.  Owen agrees and then feels guilty, first from putting his love in danger and then not telling Maltok how much he loves him before asking him for help.

Both set off for the City, and the misunderstandings between them grow with each step they take.  Heartbreaking surprises and danger await them within the Domed City.  Owen and Maltok must come together to save Owen’s family before they can have the future together they both desire.

The Beast’s Promise is the second in the Outside The City series from Amylea Lyn.  Nature of the Beast is the first in the series and the stories should be read in sequence in order to fully understand the back stories and societies mentioned.  The Beast’s Promise picks up before the epilogue in the first book, which is a little confusing in itself.  The author assumes that one has read the first novel, so there are scare descriptions of the dystopian society Owen came from and little of any physical descriptions of the Katria here.

Raine and Ash from Nature of the Beast appear here but are naturally relegated to secondary status. But those tantalizing glimpses of Raine’s gift appear here to my endless frustration.  It’s like dangling a piece of Godiva chocolates in front of a chocoholic.  Tsking away here.  But that said, Amylea Lyn’s characters, action and wonderful plot more than made up for it.  The author did a terrific job of pulling me into her world, enmeshing me into the plight of those who live within a Domed City, separated from nature and the world around them.  This is an old plot device that Amylea Lyn has made fresh again by populating it with beings I cared about,  political  and racial grievances within the tribe that mimic those within our own society, and a good old fashioned mystery that moved the pace quickly forward.

My enjoyment of the story was partially reduced by florid  or repetitive writing in terms of physical descriptions, especially of Maltok.  There is a mention of heaving chests, luxurious mane, and golden orbs, for a while there I thought Fabio was back.  And of course, there were Owen’s “shining blue gray eyes, soulful blue gray eyes”and more. But as the story progressed, the writing evened out so it didn’t really interfere with my enjoyment of the book. While I wish that the author would find new ways to describe a character’s physical appearance other than starting with the eyes, her strength is in creating characters that we care about, and then carefully constructing a world or worlds for them to inhabit.  Just a lovely job.

By the end of the book I was ready for another, hopefully featuring the twins, Lucah and Micah, two very endearing characters.  Once again, Amylea Lyn left me wanting more of each character she introduced while leaving me with the impression that the next book might be even better.

Cover: Cover Artist is Reese Dante. IAnother great cover in this series.  The young blond model in front is certainly in keeping with the descriptions of Owen.  With the lion graphic in the background, it pulls everything together. Love it.

Available from Silver Publishing, Amazon and ARe

Review of The Only Easy Day by R.J.Scott

Rating: 4.75 stars

The Only Easy Day

Navy Seal Joseph Kinnon has just returned from a covert mission to find his commander waiting with tragic news, his stepsister has been murdered.  The facts surrounding the case are slim and the media are painting an inaccurate and damaging portrait of the dead girl.  Grief stricken and determined to redeem his stepsister’s reputation, Kinnon takes leave and heads to Albany, New York for answers and retribution.

Dale MacIntyre, ex-Navy Seal, now works for Sanctuary, a private organization that investigates crimes and protects the victims of those crimes. Where the CIA, FBI, and all the other government “alphabets” have failed, the Sanctuary and its agents step in.  MacIntyre’s current case involves protecting Morgan Drake, witness to the murder of Elisabeth Costain. He is also the lover of Nik, fellow Sanctuary operative.  When word gets to MacIntyre that a Navy Seal hellbent on revenge is headed their way, he is sure that their case has just exploded, their mission in danger of exposure.

The two men clash immediately, each convinced theirs is the only way to bring down the criminals and solve the reason behind the murder. MacIntyre and Kinnon are forced to work closely together as connections to the Mafia, local Police and even Congress are revealed the deeper they investigate. Kinnon, MacIntyre and his Sanctuary team must race to mount a rescue when an inside informant is uncovered and tortured.   Can they put aside their differences and growing attraction long enough to battle the odds against them and reach the truth? Or will the criminals win?

What a great story! It has everything you could want in a action/adventure novel.  Danger, murder, sexual heat, and intrigue as well as a monumental clash of personalities.  Joseph Kinnon is absolutely realistic as a Navy Seal.  He is patriotic, intense, beyond capable, and lonely.  Dale MacIntyre is another wonderful creation.  Haunted by a tragic event in his past, MacIntyre too is lonely, mistrustful, and envious of his colleagues who have found lasting relationships.  When these two alphas meet, the sexual tension and testosterone leap from the pages.  I found it totally believable that the men couldn’t decide whether to pound or kiss other other as they slammed into the wall the next time they met.  If I hadn’t known better, I would have thought the author had a Navy background so well researched are the descriptions of the Seals and their training without it being an “information dump”.  From start to finish, R. J. Scott does a excellent job of keeping the reader engaged as the two men juggle their professional and emotional needs.  I loved  Kinnon and MacIntyre and clearly a sequel to this book is on its way.  The ending is realistic and, as in true life, not all involved have been brought to justice.

The Only Easy Day is a continuation of the Sanctuary series started with Guarding Morgan.  I have not read that one yet( note: I have since read the first in the series, please see my review), but you don’t need to in order to love this book. It is Joseph Kinnon and Dale MacIntyre that have me hooked.  And it is my hopes for their future  that will keep me coming back for more.  I loved this and hope you will too.

Cover:  My wish here is that the fonts  were easier to read, perhaps a different color, as the author’s name and A Sanctuary Story fade into the picture. Grade B for the cover but I did love those guys.

Review of All The Kings Men by R.J. Scott

Review written for JoyfullyJay blog on 3/24/2012

Rating: 4 stars

Review of All the King’s Men by R. J. Scott

When Nathan Richardson and his boyfriend, Ryan Ortiz, broke up over Ryan’s cheating, Nathan headed for LA to pursue his acting career.  But all those miles between them didn’t stop their love or need for each other.  Months later, Ryan is heading for Los Angeles, determined to reunite with Nathan, beg his forgiveness, and hope that love will bring him home.  But Nature throws the biggest obstacle of all in their path, when the doomsday earthquake hits southern California.  Now LA is destroyed, Nathan is trapped under the rubble and Ryan is his only hope.

I liked the characters of Nathan and Ryan although they did not seem to have the usual amount of layers to them that I have come to expect of R. J. Scott.  Ryan’s insecurity that led to his infidelity never felt particularly real, in fact of the two main characters, he is the least fleshed out.  Nathan on the other hand, with his impetuous flight to California, and then his regret over ending his relationship, seems credibly young in outlook and emotions.  It is RJ Scott’s vivid descriptions of the destruction of Los Angeles, the fires, the carnage that make this book come to life.  The shear desperation that comes from the inability to get to a road, use a cell phone, and even finding a method of transportation when all is collapsing around you rises up from each and every page as Ryan struggles with the new harsh reality of the earthquake and its aftershocks.  The author skillfully pulls you along with Ryan up the hills above LA, now burning with wildfires.  All the angst and heartbreaking moments that occur during that climb will stay with you and remind you of similar scenes on the screen during any natural disaster.  Nathan, trapped under the rubble of his building, alone with his fears and pain, brings the plight of the disaster victim home, the reader empathizing with him in the dark wondering if anyone will come.

In many ways this story is also a cautionary tale of how easily the infrastructure we all depend upon can crumble.  While it is clear that RJ Scott has done her research, it is a credit to her that it never feels that way, from the National Guard to the makeshift mobile medical tents, all beautifully rendered in every detail. The true main character here is not Ryan or Nathan, it is the earthquake and the destructive power of Nature.  It will leave the greatest impact upon the reader.

If you are wondering why this book did not get a higher rating with all I have said about it above, it comes down to two things, one minor and one huge.  The prologue and the epilogue to be exact.  The Prologue is short and gives us information that most of us already know, that California is prone to earthquakes and that the biggest is yet to come.  This is all general knowledge, but ok, just a minor quibble.  But oh, that Epilogue. That’s simply not needed, and to be it bluntly kind of cheesy.  And not in a good way cheesy.  I mean cheesy in the way they tacked on endings to the disaster films of the 70’s and 80’s way.  As the last credits rolled, pictures popped up of the survivors along with a couple of lines of text, telling us what happened to them.  You know what I mean,  something like  ” Little Sally, cute child, lived to become a famous Astronaut/Brain Surgeon,  likable Granny lived to a ripe old age of 100.  Peter Everyman died in a car accident a year after fill in the blank happened.”  I believe the SyFy channel is still carrying on this proud tradition in its over the top “cheesy in a good way” movies.  That I applaud while this appalled.  I would not have minded if it stated that Ryan and Nathan moved where ever but it gave too much information about them and everyone else, more than I needed or wanted to know.  But the worst was to come.  That would be the ridiculous future of Los Angeles laid out here.  It looked at though it was a outline for a book she meant to write but then threw it in a part of the epilogue.  It had nothing to do with Nathan and Ryan, more like History of LA, part Deau.  In fact, that almost brought the rating down to a 3 I disliked it that much.  But if you discard the prologue, ditch the epilogue, then you have a great tale.  So yes, read this, but like an Oreo cookie, start with the Middle, then the prologue if you have too and give the end away.  Really, you don’t need it! Trust me.

Cover:  I liked the cover with the flames and helicopter but wonder at the pictures of the naked guys.  Did they lose their clothes in the fire?  Because as both protagonists were so badly injured for the entire book, sex was the last thing on their minds. *Head desk*.  Half a great cover.