Author Feature ~ Fissures by D.L. Hodges

We're back once again with a feature from a bright and shiny new author. It's a privilege to introduce to you author D.L. Hodges and his new book, Fissures.

Genre: Mystery

Publication: April 11, 2013

Purchase a copy on Amazon

Description: 

Andrew (Drew) Parsons, the product of an abusive upbringing by his adoptive father, has spent 7 years in jail for a crime he committed in his teens. While in the penitentiary he befriends an older inmate, John, a seasoned veteran of the prison system, who mentors Drew, teaching him the path he has chosen isn't the one he should continue on.
Returning home, after his prison release, with the desire to change his life, Drew steps back into a world fraught with conflict and misery; but also to a mother who has always been there to protect him. Soon, however, he realizes he must break away from that environment if he is to have any chance of success.

Escaping his parents’ house, Drew sets out on a journey of discovery; to make a new future for himself, but also to learn the mystery of his past, to find his birth parents. As Drew begins to uncover his history he is swept into a world of lies, abandonment and violence, and the truths he finds are far from the ones he sought.

What people are saying: 

"Author D.L. Hodges does a brilliant job of building multi-faceted characters and a story line with depth and substance. ”

 "This is a book that somehow has the power to make you sit up throughout it's reading without for a moment getting bored or tired. ”

 "Fissures is one of those books in which the reader can develop a healthy and well-earned respect for a man whose spirit should be crushed by the abuse and hostility he faces early on, and yet is not crushed."

    "This is a well-written, heart-felt story of human relationships and the full range of complexities they bring - love, abuse, support, treachery, compassion, pain...emotions which, to some extent, we've all experienced at some time or another. Thus, the story is very relatable, heart-wrenching but real, and will easily have you hooked till the very end."

To learn more about D.L., check out his profile on Amazon!

And remember, sharing is caring, so spread the love and help this rising author out!

Teaser Tuesday ~ Buried Secrets by Brandi Salazar

We're giving some love to an oldie but goodie today. Check out this excerpt from my very own Buried Secrets!

“If you’ve seen Olivia Tremain, or know of her whereabouts, police and local official ask that you please contact them immediately.”

            The fork hovered in front of James’s lips as he sat frozen in his chair. He recognized the girl from the photo and as realization set in, he felt sick to his stomach. 

            “Do you believe this crap, Jeanie?” his dad said, rising from his recliner and heading into the kitchen. “Jimmy,” he said curtly, not bothering to spare him a glance.

            “Dad,” he managed, resting his fork on the plate, but James couldn’t bring himself to move or say much more. His thoughts were flying a mile a minute. The girl on the news, Olivia, was at the theater last night. More importantly, she was the one AJ had set his sights on, and the last time he saw her, she was leaving out the back door with AJ at her side.

            He didn’t want to think it, but it was inevitable. Could AJ possibly know about, or be responsible for her disappearance?

Teaser Tuesday!

We're back this week with Teaser Tuesday!

 Brace yourselves, this week's teaser comes from John Matthews Blind School.

 

Ryan Lorimar and Jessica Werner have a special gift: they can see ‘fallen angel’ apparitions within other people. But as the fallen angels in turn know that they’ve been ‘viewed’, it’s a gift that will get him killed. They need protection. They need to enter ‘Blind School’.

Their only hope is Ellis Kendell and his team of agents. Day in, day out, Kendell’s team trawl through street-cam images from across the nation to pick up that tell-tale eye light-refraction of ‘viewers’. Can Kendell’s team get to the viewers before the fallen angels and get them to safety in ‘Blind School’? But there’s also an added agenda: Kendell’s department want the ‘viewers’ help in tracking down more ‘fallen angels’.

Yet is Kendell deluding himself? Setting this small group of teens against a legion fifty-times their number of the most cunning and vicious murderers and criminal masterminds the nation has to offer – is he simply throwing them to the wolves? Fated to watch them one-by-one die. The odds are against them.

 Teaser 1

"It's okay. I know your secret. You don't have to keep it to yourself any more." 
"What?" A sharp jolt ran through her as she pulled back and stared at Ben. 
But her mom was approaching, she couldn't pursue it. Her eyes shifted uncomfortably between Ben and her mom, then a quick forced smile to hopefully cover, she headed out. 
"Bye y'all." 

Teaser 2

Her thoughts pounded in time with her step: surely he couldn't have found out. And if he had, how?  She'd been so careful to keep everything from him. 
She knew that she should wait until after the doctor's appointment to talk to Ben, could do without the agitation beforehand-but in the end it was burning too hot through her mind. At the next cross- street, she memory-dialed her home number. 
After three rings her mother answered: "Hello."
"Mom. Is Ben still there?" 

Blind School has a 4.5/5 star rating and is available for purchase on Amazon. 

Review of Enemies and Playmates by Darcia Helle

Title: Enemies and Playmates
Published: June 8, 2009
ASIN:B002ECEKBW
Genre: Romantic Suspense



Lauren Covington leads the perfect life, with the perfect parents. They live in the perfect house in the perfect neighborhood with great friends. Perfect. Only it's all a perfectly crafted lie to hide what happens behind closed doors.

Alex Convington, Lauren's father, is a brutal man who rules with an iron fist. He has everyone under his control. His family lives in fear of his wrath. Her mother suffers constant physical abuse at his hand, her brother suffers from severe mental abuse that is leading him down a path of self-destruction, and Lauren has lost the ability to trust men.

Then Lauren meets Jesse. He is everything she could ever dream of in the perfect guy: strong, tall, handsome, confident. And it scares the hell out of her. An instant, mutual attraction that quickly turns to love brings them together, but her father threatens to tear them apart.

Jesse, who once worked for Alex Covington, no longer wants to do his bidding. He's called it quits, but Alex doesn't let go of his possessions easily. Alex wants Jesse on his side, and if he can't have him, then Jesse would best serve him buried six feet under. Now, Jesse has to find a way to bring Alex's reign of terror down before he finds himself on the wrong side of a bullet.

This story moved at a steady pace, but felt a bit too long for me. I think it could have been condensed and been all the better for it. The main thing that kept me reading was the desire to see Alex Covington pay for his crimes. He was a deliciously detestable character, and probably the most interesting one, aside from his son.

I found Jesse to be a pretty strong voice, too, but the constant idiocy in which he just seemed to "forget" to watch his back, even though he knew full well Conington's men were out to kill him, had me shaking me head numerous times. Jesse constantly walked into glaringly dangerous situations as if he had no sense of self-preservation, got his butt handed to him and walked into a similar situation before the bruises even had a chance to heal. Similarly, Lauren kept putting herself in her father's path, thinking that, although he had beaten his wife right in from of her, slapped her brother around and berated him into a truly sad outcome, and she knew he had people knocked off before, that she was somehow beyond his wrath. How blind could she possibly be?

I finished this story because it does have that illusive something that keeps you wanting to know what happens next. Granted, it takes awhile to get there, but eventually it does. I found the entire scheme Jesse cooked up to be solid and, sometimes, brilliant, but, as I said, it took far too long to get there. The sheer intricacy of the plot, how many people were involved, the lengths they went to to cover their tracks, was definitely well thought out, which is something I can very much appreciate.

Overall, this was a decent read. I would recommend it for those who like a smidgen of romance heaped with a whole lot of sinister and a sprinkling of melancholy.

 

Playmates and Enemies is currently available for purchase on Amazon for FREE.