Crimson Shadow, Book 5: The Longest Night by Nathan Squiers

What to say, what to say? I love this series. There's always something new around the next turned page. This was in turns insightful (getting more of the Stryker family history), nerve wracking (learning more of Xander's past and how he got the red eye), and heart-warming. I mean really now, who doesn't love a good love story?

Squiers has filled in a lot of holes for me by providing some much wanted history. But this book introduces a new category of Mythos to his series that just opens up his worldscape for so many more stories. For my part... fist pump and a loud YES!! I don't think I will ever get enough of this author. From the book blurb we know that Xander and Estella get married.

I was captivated by the wedding vows each of them spoke, but mostly by Xander's. There's an openness and honesty to his vows that I want to experience in my own life (in spite of having no intention of ever getting married again). There's a vulnerability to Xander we don't often get to see. A precious gift from a strong character ready to take on the world regardless of his physical condition.

We've always known Estella was a gentle soul unwilling to hurt another living being. We see a new side to her in this book. In her turn, she also sees a side of Xander's life he assiduously kept from her. She was the light in his life. Keeping his home life secret from her kept her from being sullied by it, at least in his mind.

The story goes back and forth between time periods to give us more of Xander's childhood, and details of his father we didn't previously know. The jumping around in history culminates in an astonishing conclusion that once again proclaims Squiers status in my mind as a Bard in his chosen genre. I've read books with similar jumps in time that were almost painful to read. Not so in this book. Once again, I can say with confidence that you really WANT this book.

For the quality of writing, his continuing character development, continuity from one book to the next, I have to give him 5 stars. I was gifted a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

This book is available from Amazon (US, CA, UK, AU)

Cover reveal by an amazing author...

Nathan Squiers, aka the Literary Dark Emperor, is about to do it again. I've watched this author grow into Bardic status with each new book in this series. My hands are already going "gimme, gimme" even knowing the book isn't out yet. Time only ever crawls when gifted authors are about to release a new book. Have I mentioned patience is not my strong suit? Yeah. Sigh. Anyway, keep reading to see what he has in store for us.

COVER REVEAL

Title: Crimson Shadow - The Longest Night

Series: A Crimson Shadow Novel

Author: Nathan Squiers

Genre: Urban Fantasy/Paranormal Romance

Release date: 03/15/16

Xander and Estella Stryker are finally married.

And while everything feels like a dream for the two, a strong foe from Xander’s past threatens to tear the two apart. When a plane crash-lands them stranded in what appears to be an abandoned castle in Europe, the two find things are not at all what they seem. When both the past and present clash at the couple, they have to find all their strength to overcome any adversity.

Even if the adversity is the strongest either Xander or Estella have faced…

With stronger enemies and a foe tied for revenge to tearing the two apart and destroying Xander’s legacy, Xander and Estella will both have to let go of any doubt or fears. Lest the two be devoured into the shadows for good.

Will the Stryker couple be able to stay united through these challenges…

…or will their union be destroyed in the flames of revenge?

Nathan Squiers – The Literary Dark Emperor

 Born in Massachusetts in 1986, Nathan Squiers (The Literary Dark Emperor) grew up in Andover, where his affinity for story-telling flourished due to a love of books and movies as well as an overactive imagination. At the age of 13, Nathan and his mother moved to Upstate New York to be closer to their family.

After surviving public school, where he spent most of his days locked away in the AV room watching old 80s movies on Laserdisc and planning out his next video project, Nathan began a shaky college career. A love of weaving tales and telling stories was motivation enough to pursue an education in English, and, as luck would have it, a series of phenomenal professors were available to get him pointed in the right direction. It was in his first years of college that Nathan began to actively pursue a writing career, starting his first literary journey with a piece that would later become "Noir", the first book of the Crimson Shadow series.

Like any good story, a chaotic turn of events brought Nathan from the very brink of insanity and loneliness to the warm, comforting embrace of Megan, his best friend, lover, kindred spirit, and--more often than not--personal handler. It was with Megan at his side that Nathan was able to continue his writing (sometimes solely motivated by the young lady's threats of dismemberment if he tried to stop). With Megan's help, Nathan was able to see Death Metal, his fourth manuscript, through the publication process.

Nearly ten years later, The Literary Dark Emperor (now a multi-award winning author and co-owner/manager of Tiger Dynasty Publishing) continues to invent stories and put them into a literary sequence that he hopes will be somehow decipherable by other readers. As a lover of all things creative, he works in both novels, novellas, short stories, as well as comic book scripts (just don't ask him to draw something if you don't like stick figures and poorly-executed shapes).

If he's not submerged in the realm of fiction or burning out his retinas with horror movie marathons, Nathan is planning/getting a new piercing/tattoo or enjoying life with his lovely wife and fellow author, Megan J. Parker-Squiers.

    

Midnight Moonrising by K. S. Haigwood

A smooth continuation of the prequel, Midnight Moonrising is her best work yet. Mena finds she must negotiate for control of her own body with the wolf that lives within her. She also learns someone within her pack has betrayed her. The question though, is whether at least one of the betrayers has stayed behind to work against her from within.

Her wolf has taken an almost immediate interest in the police detective investigating the death of her husband. Mena doesn't share her interest. In fact, she'd much rather be making the with Phoenix, master of the local vampire clan. Mena wants to change the rules that werewolves and vampires have lived by since they were created. Not everyone is on board with this.

Haigwood has brought a new twist to the werewolf genre. A new shifter must name their wolf within of being bitten or their wolf inside would begin to take over. Mena just knows her wolf is hiding something, but what is the one thing she won't share. There's more, but that would just spoil the fun if I gave it away here. Needless to say, from the moment Mena learns this, the tension just ramps up and time is running out.

Haigwood has once again delivered a beautifully executed story. Her characters continue to develop both in the history each has and their dreams going forward. Once again, there's everything you've come to expect in any story with her name on the cover.

I received the book late Monday evening and read it until I left work. Got home, read until I couldn't see straight (about 1:30am). Got up yesterday morning and finished the book. Yeah, it was that good. I had to sit back and absorb what I'd read for a bit before I could comment on it.

So what do I think? Impeccably written. Beautiful editing. Great characters (my favorites are Mena and Phoenix) and a few things I've not seen in shapeshifter stories. There is no "down time" in this book; something is always going on. She grabs you and there is no letting go. If you've read her work before, you are going to just love this series! If Haigwood is a new author for you, get the prequel, Accepting the Moon. Although only 70 pages, it's definitely worth taking the time to read.

There were a couple of places where the wording was a bit awkward, but not enough to create any major hiccup in the reading. I found one error missed by her betas and editor. Not a big deal, but it does mean I can't give her five stars. Ohh, but I really want to. As it is, 4 stars isn't a bad thing. Can't wait to see what happens in the next book.

I was gifted a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

This book is available from Amazon (US, CA, UK, AU) and Barnes & Noble.

Accepting the Moon: Prequel Moonrising (Book 0) by K. S. Haigwood

In this introduction to a new series, Haigwood has introduced an aspect of werewolves that I've not previously seen. That's pretty hard to do since stories set around shapeshifters are pretty much my favorite reads. It's pretty typical that shapeshifters in any story are long-lived. Haigwood has made that optional. Huh? Yeah. The new shifter must accept the "gift of the moon" on their first shift to receive a more impressive gift than long life. Nooo, I'm not telling you, that would be a spoiler. I don't do those.

All the elements that signify a great story from her are present: great characters, conflict, a touch of romance, and a few surprises. Mena, married for twelve years finds out not only that her husband has been cheating on her, but that he was also keeping an even bigger secret from her. You could call it a life changing secret. There's an entire world out there that she never knew existed, and it gets exposed in a pretty spectacular way.

I've been reading Haigwood's books for two years now and for me, this has the promise of being her best series to date. Impeccable story-crafting paired with beautiful editing leave me anxious to get my hands on the next book in this series. I think you should do yourself a favor and grab this one. It's definitely worth it. 5 stars

This book is available from Amazon (US, UK, CA, AU) and Barnes & Noble.

The Academy: Introductions (Book 1, Ghost Bird Series) by C.L. Stone

Every once in a while, I come across a book I truly cannot put down, Introductions was just such a book. There was not one dull moment from the first page to the last. A simple desire to prove her mother's warnings that the world is out to kidnap, rape, and/or murder her drives Sang Sorenson out of her house late one night and into the pouring rain. Her goal, spending the night in an unoccupied house on her street, is derailed when an unknown neighbor's dog runs her down. So begins her introduction to a very special group of boys and her own confused awakening and introduction to the wider world.

Stone is absolutely an excellent storyteller. Rarely have I come across a book that captivated me so quickly and thoroughly. As she says in her "cheat sheets," this is a very slow moving story. The first book takes place during the last week of summer prior to the start of school. If you're wondering whether anyone can find much to write that only covers a week's time, yes. She can and she does. While the timeline of the story may move slow, that by no means indicates the story itself is slow.

As much as I love the story, the same cannot be said of the book. Yes, there is a difference. The story is the creation of the writer's imagination. The book, however, is the finished product, more on that in a moment. Her characters have a depth to them I've seldom seen in Young Adult stories. The trials she places in Sang's path show how fully she understands her audience. She takes a fifteen year-old girl raised in an emotional vacuum and thrusts her into the midst of seven boys with an exceptionally tight friendship. There are secrets that they can't share, but which she brushes aside having secrets of her own.

As for the book itself, the quality of Stone's writing far surpasses the quality of the editing. Several errors made it past all of her beta readers and editor. Interestingly, there are no spelling errors. This leaves me thinking that either the author has excellent typing skills, or someone used spellcheck. Having said that, some of those non-misspelled errors are words that are incorrect, others are wrong word choices for the place in which they are used.

Had this book received the editing that matched the quality of the author's writing, I would have gladly given her five stars. However, because of the errors, I can only give this book three stars.

This book is available at Amazon (US, UK, CA, AU), Barnes & Noble, and Smashwords.

Just a little note...

As you can see, it's been a while since I've posted a review or interview. Things have been a little crazy and hopefully are finally setting back to what ever passes for "normal." You'll probably start seeing me promote books for authors in the near future. What do you think? Would you like to see that here?

I'm slowing becoming known to the Indie authors on Facebook as they find my Facebook page and request reviews from me. I find that both gratifying as well as a bit scary. Gratifying because people are taking note of what I have to say and believe my opinions on books is worth listening to. Scary because, well, for the same reason. But these authors are very much worth my time to help bring their works to your attention. Time to pull some more picks from my library I think you should read.

This time I'm choosing: Becky Corwin-Adams, Bonnie Bernard, C. R. Everett, and K. S. Haigwood. Their books are always well written, well edited and they've never disappointed.