Suffocate - A Breathless Novelette

Suffocate - A Breathless novelette

Author - S R Johannes

Reviewed by: Andrea

Suffocate takes us on a trip to a future where the air we so often take for granted is poisonous, and the earth is hot and barren. People have been living in a Biome so long whey have almost forgotten what life was like before. But for Eria, and indeed the entire population of her Biome, today is a momentous occasion. Today Eria's father will take the first steps outside in years, and try to ascertain if they can leave.

But before that happens, there are some secrets that must be uncovered. Secrets that could prove deadly to Eria and her family. Secrets that strike deeper than she had ever imagined.

Suffocate had a relentless pace that kept me on the edge of my seat throughout the whole novelette. There is a well constructed society, and a scary sounding future laid out within minutes, and I enjoyed discovering secrets with Eria about her society and herself. I can't give more plot details without some major spoilers, however I will say that there was enough twists and turns for a full length novel jammed in the thoroughly enjoyable pages!

I sometimes felt (as i do with most novellas/novellettes/short stories) that I would have liked more time to explore aspects of the characters and the story, however what was there had me begging for more. I can't wait to see what will be forthcoming in installment #2

4.5/5


 

Review by Tracey of The Down-under 12 Days of Christmas by Michael Salmon

The Down-under 12 Days of Christmas by Michael Salmon

 

Publisher: Ford Street
Publication Date: 1 September  2012

Pages: 32

 Format: trade hardcover and paperback

Price: AUD $19.95 HC $12.95 PB

Category: Xmas story, poetry

Age Guide: 3+

 

Blurb:

 

Santa Claus has landed outback and is busily checking his list. The kangaroos are in charge of all the presents and his koala helpers are not being much help at all!

And are those crocodiles really “a-snoozing?”

With surfing sharks, skiing snakes, dancing dingoes, leaping lizards and lots more, Michael Salmon’s Aussie characters come to life in pictures and verse.

Welcome to Christmas ‘down-under’!

 

Review:

 

This is one really groovy version of the 12 Days of Christmas.

 

The pictures are amazing and the words are very quirky.

 

I loved reading this and I am sure that my future kids will really enjoy this book.

 

5/5

Review by Tracey of Riggs Crossing by Michelle Heeter

Riggs Crossing by Michelle Heeter

 

Publisher: Ford Street
Publication Date: September  2012

Pages: 360

 Format: paperback

Price: AUD $19.95

Category: YA

 

Blurb:

 

A girl is found in the wreckage of a car crash. Severely injured and psychologically damaged, the girl cannot or will not tell the authorities who she is or where she comes from. Her carers call her ‘Len’, after the name embroidered on the jumper she was wearing when she was found.

Secretive, intelligent and abrasive, Len is moved to a children’s shelter. Slowly, Len’s repressed memories fight their way to the surface of her troubled mind. and an evil figure from her shadowy past comes looking for her.

 

Review:

 

This book is amazing!!

 

 It gets right into the mind of Len. Riggs Crossing digs deep into the world of the criminal underworld. I found it to be a huge eye opener as it really puts things in a whole different perspective. I have done Certificate 3 &4 in Community Services and Heeter’s work really put youth work in a new light for me. She has written something that really pushes the idea that not every young person is brought up with a loving and caring family.

 

Len is a character who doesn’t trust easy and when she starts remembering her past you can really understand why she is the way she is. The way we are raised has an impact on how we live our lives and how we treat people in our society.

 

5/5

 

Blood Storm - Rhinnon Hart

Blood Storm – Rhiannon Hart

Publisher: Random House Australia
Publication Date:  1 August 2012

Pages: 364

Format: paperback and ebook

Price: AUD $18.95

Category: Young Adults

Blurb:

The rain wanted to be ocean; the ice in the mountain caps wanted freedom. The clouds above my head rumbled like a growling wolf, impatient to release their burden. I turned to Renata, heard her gasp and knew my eyes glowed blue.

I spoke a single word. ‘Rain’

Zeraphina and Rodden have defeated the Lharmellin leader, but could the rest of the vicious creatures still be active? The two travel across the sea in search of the elusive ingredients that will help them to destroy the Lharmellins once and for all. Along the way, shadows from Rodden’s dark past come back to haunt him and Zeraphina must grapple with something more terrifying than her hunger for the north: her mother’s determination to see her wayward daughter married to a prince at all costs.

Review:

WOW! Such a mesmerizing read. Rhiannon Hart has written yet another enticing read.

This series just keeps on getting better. Stephanie Meyer had better watch out, this is by far a more enthralling read than Twilight.

There is so much darkness throughout  the book but the romance that is stirring between Princess Zeraphina and Rodden really makes for a juicy read.

Zeraphina becomes more than just a princess, she does things a respectable royal would not, she goes travelling the countryside alone with Rodden, who is seen by most as a commoner. From this I caught that Zeraphina doesn’t want to be seen as just a princess, she actually wants yo help the people of Brivora. The feeling of sitting in a thrown bore no interest to Zeraphina because you can’t see what people need by staying in a castle and not visiting the people under your rule.

I was totally captivated by both Blood Song and Blood Storm I  can’t wait to see what Hart has in store for us in the next book of the Lharmell series.

5/5

The Maximus Black Files – Dyson’s Drop by Paul Collins

 Maximus Black Files – Dyson’s Drop by Paul Collins

Publisher: Ford Street
Publication Date: August 2012

Pages: 335

 Format: paperback

Price: AUD $19.95

Category: Science fiction

Age Guide: 12+

Blurb:

In a galaxy of cutthroat companies, shadowy clans and a million agendas, spy agency RIM barely wields enough control to keep order.

Maximus Black is RIM’s star cadet. But he has a problem. One of RIM’s best agents, Anneke Longshadow, knows there’s a mole in the organisation.

And Maximus has a lot to hide...

Review:

An outstanding galactic read by Paul Collins.  Action and suspense filled Dyson’s Drop.

Dyson’s Drop is the second instalment in the Maximus Black Files.

I haven’t had the chance to read  MOLE HUNT the first instalment of The Maximus Black files, I thought I’d struggle to catch the main thread of the story but I found the opposite. I had no trouble reading Dyson’s Drop. I felt it easy to read and full of great adventure, I soon caught on to what had happened in MOLE HUNT. 

Travelling through n-space is what reminds me of  the way Jack O’Niell and his team travelled through the Stargate on the television series Stargate-SG1 featuring Richard Dean Anderson.

An amazing and intriguing character  was the Envoy. He seems sneaky and yet so wise. He’s a seer and he can obviously see great potential in both Maximus and Anneke. The Envoy appears to be mysterious, he only tells Maximus what he needs to know. There is more to the Envoy than you first see. It’ll be interesting to read what he does in the next instalment of the Maximus Black Files titled IL KEDRA.

Technology is really advanced in The Maximus Black Files. You really get the sense that it could one day be here on our planet.

This has to be the best believable science fiction books I have read (not that I have read heaps of them!)

IL KEDRA is going to be another great book and one I look forward to reading!!

5/5

book Review: Minna & The Valentine – S.G. Rogers Review by Tracey Panton

Minna & The Valentine – S.G. Rogers

 

Publication Date:  1^st February 2012

Format: ebook

Pages:  64

Category: Romance

Blurb:

Minna has a secret. Her father, ex-dragon jockey Wynn Westerfield, will forever hold a grudge against wizards. Because it was a wizard who caused his career-ending accident, Minna struggles to hide her incredible magical powers from him…and from the world.

Evan Valentine has attended a prestigious magical academy on scholarship, although he’s managed to conceal that fact fr...moreMinna has a secret. Her father, ex-dragon jockey Wynn Westerfield, will forever hold a grudge against wizards. Because it was a wizard who caused his career-ending accident, Minna struggles to hide her incredible magical powers from him…and from the world.

Evan Valentine has attended a prestigious magical academy on scholarship, although he’s managed to conceal that fact from everyone. He’s on the fast track to success with his apprenticeship to wizard Thaddeus Bartholomew, and Evan’s carefully constructed life doesn’t include a certain beautiful girl whose powers rival his own.

Although Minna and Evan don’t realize it yet, their destinies have been intertwined for years. When a threat arises, Minna and Evan must travel to another reality to retrieve a dangerous magical artifact. Can Minna and Evan learn to work together, despite their mutual mistrust? Or will their explosive romantic attraction lead to disaster?

Review

Such a romantic story. Goes to show that two people can really share an electric connection.

Minna and Evan’s relationship sparked with electricity right from their very first meeting.

I loved how Rogers brought Minna and Evan together, it was beautiful. Thaddeus is certainly a wise wizard especially when it comes to love.

However short this was I enjoyed every moment especially when the sparks flew!

I’d love to learn more about both Evan and Minna before they first met. It would be interesting to see them both grow up in their separate ways.

5/5

Where to buy

Astrea Press

Guest Post from Author Joanne Troppello

Joanne Troppello is an author of romantic suspense novels.  She has published three books: Shadowed Remembrances, Mr. Shipley’s Governess and Bella Lucia. Currently, she is working on her new writing project, The Paradise Redeemed Series. Joanne is married and loves spending time with her husband and family. She enjoys interacting with readers at The Mustard Seed Blog.

Author Contact Links

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Why I Love Romance & Writing Happy Endings

The willing suspension of disbelief was first utilized by the English poet, Samuel Taylor Coleridge. Basically, if a writer can impart a human element and an aspect of truth into the story, the reader will be drawn in and willingly suspend their disbelief and fully engage in the far-fetched tale. 

Isn’t that why we read fiction novels and short stories and go to see movies? We want to be entertained and forget about our lives for the moment and transport to another world. In that process of being transported to another world, I tend to enjoy happy endings for the characters involved. My husband, on the other hand, always teases me that sad endings are fine too because that’s real life. Then I usually come back with I have enough issues in real life and that’s why I want to escape into happy endings. Due to my affinity for happy endings and all things romantic, when I decided to write novels, I naturally fell into the romance genre. However, I also enjoy a good mystery, so romantic suspense really feels like home to me.

Writing romance novels gives me a chance to focus in on the hero and heroine and not get bogged down by having to deal with a whole bunch of characters. However, someday I may decide to write that epic dramatic tale with multiple plotlines and several main characters—but not today or at least not in the near future. Right now, I’m in love with love stories.

Who doesn’t enjoy creating dashing heroes and fair maidens in distress? Okay, so maybe that’s too much of a stretch, but I like the dynamic of creating well-developed characters that fall in love. I want to tell their story. I am a true romantic at heart. I guess that’s why I’m a sucker for a great romantic drama or comedy. True, the formula is always the same in those movies as well as novels—but I revel in the fact that as an author, I can use that time honored formula and make it my own. Using creative ways, I can dream up exciting plots with twists and turn, all the while sharing a true love story with readers who feel the same way—they love happy endings.

True, real life isn’t always a bed of roses and I don’t want to create a fantasy world. Weaving real life elements into the story is the cement that holds everything together. I want to show that true love is true when it can weather the storms of life and come out stronger. It grows through trials and tribulations and with a decision to stick together through good times and bad times, love will always win out.

As a reader, I want to read a book which portrays this perspective that there is such a thing as true love. It embraces romance, but like a diamond—has many facets. True love is able to endure the daily pressures just like it welcomes romance and roses into the relationship. True love knows the difference between both sides to the relationship, but can’t co-exist without the other. A fire starts with a spark, then bursts into full flame and if not tended to, will die out. That’s where fanning the flame comes into play—I want to know that the hero and heroine, not necessarily live happily ever after, but live together in true unconditional love in the real world.

Are you a kindred spirit—do you love romance and happy endings?