Fall for the Indie Book Challenge discussion

General chat about reviewing books. Talk about your progress, recommend a book (try to promote others before you promote yourself), etc.

No Heaven
Lex Allen

4 out of 5 stars.

I'd have to say that No Heaven is a unique story. I don't think I've ever read anything like it: a nowadays Jesus? Bring it on!

People with strong beliefs might take offense reading this story. I didn't. To be honest, this is something I often pondered about, something the hubby and I often discussed. To fully enjoy the book, you have to get in it with an open mind and remember that it's a fiction and not the author trying to rewrite the bible. Once you do that, you'll be able to appreciate the twists and turns in this wonderful story.

The author succeeded in making the characters believable. The explanations given made sense. I could set aside what I've learned, the religion I grew up with, and enjoy this new angle.

Now, on the minus side. While the book is well written, some of the dialogues (or almost monologues at times) had me go back and check for brackets. I don't mind a long monologue that continues on numerous paragraphs when they are scarce (because they are sometimes hard to follow). These happened very often. More than once, I had to go back and make sure it was the same character speaking.

Also, the parts where the author switched to what was happening in Rome and with the Pope lost me also. Try as I might, I couldn't get into it. While I was devouring the book otherwise, when I encountered these segments, I was loosing interest. I can't even tell if they were important. (They must have been.) I read them, sure, but I don't think my mind registered what the words said, if that makes any sense? Maybe it's because I wanted to stay with the main characters, where the fun actually was.

Over all I really liked the book and I would recommend it to anyone with an open mind to different perspectives.

Red Rock Ranch: Lucy's Chance
Brittney Joy

5 out of 5 stars

I enjoyed this YA story. Sure, the plot is a little predictable but it still gets the job done. If you love horses, it’ll be easy to put yourself in Lucy’s shoes and you’ll want the horse saved. The author captured the emotions that come with it: the horse’s fear of humans and enclosures, the MC’s thrill of slowly overriding them, the doubts of the outcome and the worries for the horse’s future to name just a few. In addition, there’s the young cowboy who wants to help both Lucy and Chance and the ones who may get in their way. A light and quick read that I would recommend for all family members (from middle grade to their grandparents and beyond) who share their love of horses.

Rapture: Thinning the Herds
M.S. Nightingale

5 out of 5 stars

This is the third installment of Conspiracy of angels and, in my opinion, the best one. It starts right up in the middle of the action. A man travels to his fiancée's hometown to get married but instead finds an empty city: no future wife, no future in-laws, no neighbors, no dogs, nothing. From there we follow Bartley and his friend Dexter as they try to understand what happened so the groom can reunite with his beloved Penelope.

As the story goes, I've gone from wondering with them what could have happened to being worried for them, telling them (in my mind) not to go, or do what they planned, or to be careful. I also wanted to slap Bartley at times, not for being stupid or doing things one wouldn't do but for his constant bluntness to other people who were in the same spot as he was. Good thing Dexter was there to hold him back.

Rapture: Thinning the Herds is a story in the likes of Dean Koontz's, a story that will keep you at the edge of your seat and will keep you guessing right until the end. I would recommend it to anyone who likes suspense/thriller mixed with supernatural/science-fiction. Although it's a third in a series and reading the first two might help clarify little things, I'd still recommend the book even if read by itself. It's obviously tied to the other two but (in my humble opinion) could be read as a stand-alone.

I know I said it for the second book but this would make a suspenseful movie. The kind of movie I crave!

Vampires Prefer Blondes
Cassandra Lawson

5 out of 5 stars

Ok… Just when I thought it couldn't get any better, Mrs. Lawson comes up with her third installment of the Psy-Vamp so now, Vampires Prefer Blondes is my new favorite. The interaction between Lydia and Roman was to die-for. They made me chuckle more than once. I love how Lydia tackles her man. The once stiff Roman just comes to life in her hands. If opposites attract, Mrs. Lawson sure found an exquisite way to show it. This 'new' Roman is so likeable. I think I just found my new sweetheart.

The story has a little bit of everything for everyone: steamy sex scenes, witty dialogues, and of course, plenty of sexy men. As if that wasn't enough, old secrets are revealed. (To understand them better, one must read the whole series, but this shouldn't be a problem since all three books are great read.)

I'd recommend this book to anyone who loves paranormal romance with strong characters.

Missing Time
J. David Clarke

5 out of 5 stars

I think there should be a warning: be ready for a wild ride.

What I thought would be another Heroes turned out to be totally insane. And I say that in a good way. From the description and the genre listed, I thought I was in for a superhero story, and I was quite ready for it. What I got instead was…well, I have no word for it.

The story revolves around a school bus accident and how the kids inside ended up with superpowers. You get a little of what happened with each character: enough to understand, yet also plenty to keep you wondering.

Mr. Clarke did a wonderful job piecing the puzzle together. Which seems not to make much sense at first comes together nicely.

I would recommend this book to fans of superheroes, of course, but also to those who like to speculate afterward. The story (and especially the end) kept me pondering long after I finished reading it.

Hey GG - just wanted to let you know that the competition hasn't started yet. We'll have official entries open and contest rules on 1 September.

I thought this thread was for discussing/promoting indie books we've read. Sorry if I misinterpreted it. I'm not much of a competition person. I don't intend to participate in any of it. I'm reading a whole lot lately because I have time and feel like it, but when it comes to reading for contest, I'm out! Lol

Sorry about this. I'll delete the posts then as soon as you give me the ok.

No worries! You can leave them as recs! Just wanted to make sure.

As long as it doesn't mess up your goal. They were recs, but if it was not supposed to be done this way, please, by all mean delete them all. :)

Beneath the Willow
This was a really well-written novella.
Lost in Starlight
A fun, snarky, real character.
Double Life
Amazingly intricate world.

Curse of Prometheus: A Tale of Medea is an excellent urban fantasy/paranormal story with a touch of romance.

Question - what are the regulations on DNF reviews? Do they count for the purposes of this project?

Thanks.

Must finish books

Great :) Thanks for the quick reply!

I just finished the Stacey Marie Brown series and I will post each of my reviews.

Brandy - Are these official entries? If so, please move them to a separate thread