Lunar by Paul Kane (a review)

Nick Skinner is awoken in the night when his girlfriend attacks him. She is feral and her eyes are somewhat different. She is not the person he was out celebrating with the previous evening.
As he escapes he finds she is not the only feral - the town seems to be full of them.
And also - the clock stopped at one second past midnight, as did all clocks. Most cars will not work but some will. Most guns will not work, but some will.
Nick flees the town in search of fellow survivors and, hopefully, answers.
The answers, when they do come, are very clever indeed, but the clues are drip-fed in such a way that I don't think many people will get there before the big reveal.
So, interesting ideas, plenty of tension and loads of action - another winner from Paul Kane. Surely it is only a matter of time before this man hits the big time.

The Promise by Lauren Hunter (a review)

The Promise is a regency romance tale with more than a hint of the paranormal added to the mix.

The story begins in tragedy as Anthony,the 18 year old son of the Duke of Aldbourne loses Lady Marianne in a freak accident involving a carriage. As lady Marianne dies a daughter, Elizabeth, is born to the Duchess of Wickford.

The story then moves forward 18 years to where Elizabeth meets Anthony at the annual Thornhill Ball. And this is where the fun really begins. There is a lot of to-ing and fro-ing between the pair as they keep crossing paths.
Anthony seems determined to woo Elizabeth but she tries to rebuff his advances, seeing him as a rake. Throughout the story their are minor flashbacks for Elizabeth which she doesn't understand and finds quite disturbing. The tale moves to a thrilling climax that I wasn't expecting but thoroughly enjoyed.

The story is well told and with a sense of the era that leaves me in no doubt that the author both knows her stuff and has done her research well. I will be looking out for more of Lauren Hunter's work.

The Demon's Head by Richard C White (a review)

This short story is a fantasy world set, Indiana Jones style that packs a hell of a lot into its 21 or so pages.
The hero of the story is a thief, down to his last few silvers who hears talk of a temple and treasure in the nearby swamp and decides to have some of the bounty for himself.
The story has huge possibilities for a follow up and I hope to see much more from this author

I got through this story in one sitting but when I got out of bed just now I decided to have another read over coffee and biscuits, and it's even better second time around. There is a hell of a lot of world building for a short story. This author is surely going to be one to watch.

And it only costs 77p (I think that's a dollar and change in the USA but don't quote me on that)

A is for Angelica by Iain Broome (a review)

I met the author at a signing in Waterstones a few weeks ago and decided to give the book a try. And I am really glad I did.

Here's the review;

Gordon, the lead character in this book is a bit of an oddity. He spends all his time either looking after his wife (who has had a stroke) or spying on his neighbours (he keeps notes on all of them in his files).

He comes across at times as a mixture of Adrian Mole and the boy from The Curious Incident of The Dog In The Night-time, but for all his quirks he is not a bad person.

The fact that he keeps his bed-ridden wife upstairs and tells nobody she has had a second stroke could be seen as sinister but he truly believes he can look after her alone.

When Gordon befriends the new neighbour, Angelica, things start to become a bit unravelled, eventually Gordon will have to tell someone.

This debut novel by Iain Broome is by turns, comic, tragic and quite touching. I will be looking out for more by Mr. Broome in the future and would highly recommend this book to all
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The Diamond Seekers by Coles and Everett (a review)

Five years ago, Phillip Madden, MI5 cryptographer, and his wife and son were involved in a car crash which only Phillip survived.

Move to the present and Madden is now retired and living in Yorkshire tending his garden. When he gets a phone call from someone claiming to be a son he never new he had his previous life catches up with him again.

This is a good, fast paced, twisty-turney spy novel that keeps you guessing right up to the end.
What really impressed me with this novel is that no-one is clear-cut good or bad, all just various shades of grey. The good guys are good but not saintly. Il Principe, the villain of the piece, is nasty but the people around him in his little "kingdom" are all treat well.

It is not always clear who is on which side and I often found myself not trusting anyone and expecting twists that sometimes came and sometimes didn't.

This is the first book I have read by Coles and Everett but it will not be the last.

Dream On by Terry Tyler (a review)

Dream On is the fourth novel from Terry Tyler and well up to her usual standard.

The story revolves around Dave Bentley, his partner Janice, son Harley and his Rock Band Thor. Dave has been thrown out by Janice but there are signs they may be getting back together (which they both want)......then Alison (now calling herself Ariel) Swan, Dave's first love turns up back on the scene!

The band, Ariel and her friend all enter a tv contest to find new talent (similar but different from the X-Factor) and there is also an appearance on the Jremy Kyle show which was highly entertaining. Throw in the early days of MySpace and Facebook and you have a winning combination.

Good characterisation, place settings that feel real and the promise of a sequel - all left me very happy indeed

And They All Lived Happily Ever After by Crystal Connor (a review)

This first short story collection from Spectrum Trilogy author Crystal Connor is a winner from the get go.
The book starts off with The Lazarus Antidote, set after the Zombie Apocalypse as scientists are trying to find a cure, but tracking the doctors and scientists down is The Dragon. This is a very atmospheric tale that draws you in and doesn't let go.
Best Friends Forever is sinister and twisty fun.
The Christmas Wish has a different take on Santa and naughty children that I found really enjoyable.
Amber's New Friend is (possibly) the best ghost story I have ever read - a really well told tale
With this collection Crystal Connor takes another step towards getting the recognition she deserves as a teller of wonderous tales. There are more stories than those mentioned above (14 in total), the above are just a taster and the book finishes with "Notes From The Author" where Ms. Connor talks a little about the stories and, for me, this insight just adds to the depth of the stories.