New Release! DEATHWISH (Broslin Creek #6) by Dana Marton

 (Disclosure:  I work for the author.)

BLURB:
Officer Gabriella Maria Flores desperately needs a big win to save her career. A case that proves that she has her act together, something non-controversial to make people forget the recent scandal she's been involved in. Instead, the murder she catches couldn't be more high-profile, the number one suspect her boss's brother. Means, motive, opportunity--check. And open-and-shut case, if she's ever seen one. But then, instead of arresting the suspect, why is she falling in love with him?


REVIEW:
Dana Marton's Broslin Creek series is a wonderful reading treat, because after reading the FREE first book in the series, DEATHWATCH, you realize there are more books to read so you can stay in the world of Broslin Creek longer.  She writes a distinctive and oh-so-readable blend of well-crafted mystery, believable romance, and characters who feel like friends, all packaged in a fast-paced well-written style with Dana's distinctive splashes of humor.
DEATHWISH is no exception.  It starts with an intense military mission in Afghanistan as Hunter leads a team to rescue a fellow soldier.  Shortly after he returns to the States to resume life as a civilian, planning on proposing to his long-term girlfriend.  But the night of his homecoming party at his brother's (Ethan Bing, Chief of Police) ends with Hunter accused of his girlfriend's murder.  Gabi, the newest officer on the police force gets stuck with the case as the only cop in town with no personal relationship with the accused.  
I connected to Hunter and Gabi right away.  Dana Marton is so good at creating characters who are both believable and worthy of being a story hero/heroine.  They feel so real to me.  Hunter is everything a romance hero should be - handsome, strong, smart, self-deprecating, and kind.  And Gabi is the perfectly balanced heroine - I wanted to be her strong kick-ass, capable self and I also rooted for her as a friend, hoping she'd solve the murder, show everyone what a great cop she is, and get the guy.  Gabi is also a rather unique heroine - she is all about the job, and her focus on being better at the job.  She doesn't wear makeup or girly clothes, can't cook, and doesn't decorate.  She's easy to be around, and Hunter is shocked at his response to her, because he thought he wanted a feminine, soft, homemaker type gal.

Towards the end, as Gabi's life is in danger and she's fighting to escape the killer, my heart rate actually went up I was so into it.   And the Christmas backdrop/timeframe is beautifully incorporated - it felt like pretty holiday background music setting the tone of the book.  When there wasn't murder, assault and mayhem, of course:-)



Purchase Links:


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About the Author

New York Times and USA Today bestselling author Dana Marton has thrilled and entertained millions of readers around the globe with her fast-paced stories about strong women and honorable men who fight side by side for justice and survival.

Kirkus Reviews calls her writing “compelling and honest.” RT Book Review Magazine said, “Marton knows what makes a hero…her characters are sure to become reader favorites.” Her writing has been acclaimed by critics, called, “gripping,” “intense and chilling,” “full of action,” “a thrilling adventure,” and wholeheartedly recommended to readers. Dana is the winner of the Daphne du Maurier Award of Excellence, the Readers’ Choice Award, and Best Intrigue, among other awards. Her book, TALL, DARK, AND LETHAL was nominated for the prestigious Rita Award. DEATHSCAPE reached the #1 spot on Amazon’s Romantic Suspense Bestseller list.

Dana has a Master’s degree in Writing Popular Fiction, and is continuously studying the art and craft of writing, attending several workshops, seminars and conferences each year. Her number one goal is to bring the best books she possibly can to her readers.

Keeping in touch with readers is Dana’s favorite part of being an author. Please connect with her via her web site (www.danamarton.com) or her Facebook page (www.facebook.com/danamarton).

Having lived around the world, Dana currently creates her compelling stories in a small and lovely little town in Pennsylvania. The fictional town of her bestselling Broslin Creek series is based on her real life home where she fights her addictions to reading, garage sales, coffee and chocolate. If you know a good twelve-step program to help her with any of that, she’d be interested in hearing about it!

***Visit Dana’s website to read the first chapters of her books!

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$100 Gift Card Giveaway and 99 cent Book Blowout!

Check out the $100 giveaway author Dana Marton is doing with friends at http://www.prizesforreaders.com/ ! 

10 books on 99c blowout sale, and a chance to win $100 from authors Dana Marton, Sharon Hamilton, Rebecca York, Debra Burroughs, Jill Sanders, Karen Fenech, Nina Bruhns, Toni Anderson, Lori Ryan, and Patricia Rosemoor. 

While you're there, please vote for best blurb and best cover. 

Broslin Bride is one of the contestants and Luanne needs your vote!

New Release! GATOR BAIT (Miss Fortune Series #5) by Jana DeLeon

Blurb:
From New York Times and USA Today bestselling author Jana DeLeon, the fifth book in the hilarious Miss Fortune series.

Things are starting to look up for Fortune Redding. Even though her life was at stake, the CIA assassin had balked at taking on a new identity in Sinful, Louisiana. But instead of hating it like she’d thought she would, Fortune now has friends she cares about and just finished up an incredible first date with the sexiest deputy in the state. Sure, there’s been a murder or two that she’s gotten mixed up in since she arrived in town, but she’s hoping all of that is behind her.

But when someone almost kills Deputy Carter LeBlanc, Fortune tosses her dreams of peace and quiet into the muddy bayou and shifts back into being the deadly trained professional that she is. With the help of Ida Belle and Gertie, Fortune launches a manhunt, intending to find a killer before he tries again. 



AMAZON

B & N

Jana DeLeon's Website

Jana's Facebook Page




About Jana:
New York Times and USA Today bestselling author Jana DeLeon was raised in southwest Louisiana among the bayous and gators. Her hometown is Carlyss, but you probably won’t find it on a map. Her family owned a camp located on a bayou just off the Gulf of Mexico that you could only get to by boat. The most important feature was the rope hammock hanging in the shade on a huge deck that stretched out over the water where Jana spent many hours reading books.
Jana and her brother spent thousands of hours combing the bayous in a flat-bottomed aluminum boat, studying the natural habitat of many birds, nutria and alligators. She would like you to know that no animals were injured during these “studies,” but they kept makers of peroxide in business.
Jana has never stumbled across a mystery or a ghost like her heroines, but she’s still hopeful.
She now resides in Dallas, Texas, with the most spoiled Sheltie in the world.

Last Day at 99c BROSLIN BRIDE by Dana Marton

(I work for the author.  But this book was awesome.)  4.7 stars on 85 reviews at Amazon!

From NY Times bestselling author Dana Marton:
I'm having a 99c Sale until Friday as part of my anniversary celebrations! THANK YOU for supporting me through 10 years and 40 books. Please share.
Kindle: http://amzn.to/1vVsFpn
Nook: http://bit.ly/1roDta0
Kobo: http://bit.ly/1z1yl5U
iTunes: http://bit.ly/1o6ARDo

The worst time to be charged with murder is:

A. When you have no alibi for the night in question.
B. When you have no memory of the night in question.
C. When you told people you hated the victim.
D. When the detective is the 1st guy you ever slept with--which didn't end well.

Check all of the above for Luanne Mayfair. If it wasn't for bad luck, she wouldn't have any luck at all. Okay, maybe a little luck. As it turns out, Detective Chase Merritt doesn't hold grudges.

He still looks at Luanne just as he did in high school, except he's grown some serious 'hot cop' muscles--very distracting when Luanne is trying to avoid the very law Chase represents.

Is she the killer? Is she being framed? Is she the next victim? As Chase and Luanne race to find some answers, danger and heat ratchet up in this fast-paced romantic mystery that will stop your heart one second, then steal it in the next.

SLIM to NONE ( A Cedar Tree novel) by Freya Barker

(I received a copy from the author in exchange for consideration of a review.)

Blurb:
Since moving to beautiful Cedar Tree, Colorado, Emma Young, mother of one adult daughter, has worked from home doing some online bookkeeping and baking for her best friend's diner to supplement her disability pension. Life has been pretty good, that is until she received a strange phone call that starts an alarming chain of events.

Investigator Gus Flemming is hot on the trail of a bail skip with organized crime connections that bring him to Cedar Tree. Once there, the focus of his investigation lands squarely on the gently rounded shoulders of a vivacious red haired Emma, whose physical limitations have done nothing to dampen her zest for life.

When it becomes clear that Emma is at risk, Gus does't hesitate to step in and protect her. Call it a job with some very hot benefits......


Review:
Slim to None is the first book by author Freya Barker, and it was a delightful, steamy surprise. It features a smart, feisty, sexy heroine and a gruff, rough, sweetheart of a hero.  
The book starts with one hell of a sexy wrong number, waking up Emma's dormant libido.  Emma has been so busy living her life, she hasn't made room for intimacy in her life.  Shortly after the phone call Emma's life is turned completely upside down as she finds herself mixed up in a criminal investigation as the target of a desperate bad guy.  The suspense starts right away and keeps the story moving and everyone guessing.

I loved Emma.  She's stubborn, smart, brave, and wants to do the right thing.  And the red-hot romance with Gus, one of the most open-minded, loving and kind heroes I have ever read, was so sweet, steamy, sexy and romantic - the whole package.  I loved that her physical disability was coincidental to the story, and not the focus.  As someone who has similar issues, I found the plot believable and realistic, making the story even better and more intense, keeping me reading way past my bedtime. 

Next, please!






About the author:
Freya has always been creative. Involved in music and dance when she was younger, she followed it up with painting, cake design, quilting, and has most recently added cover design. Now the Dutch-born Canadian mother of two has found her voice - writing.

Freya Barker is the pen name for a well-respected reviewer/blogger, to who - as an avid reader, the next step to pen a book of her own seemed only natural.

Driven to make her stories about 'real' people, Freya's characters are perhaps less than perfect, but just as deserving of romance, hot monkey sex and some thrills and chills in their lives!


Connect with Freya on:


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Raising Chaos (Book Two: Earthbound Angels) Book Blog Tour and *Review*

Blurb:
When good fails, chaos rises to the challenge.
The daily life of a chaos demon is delightfully sinful—overindulging in Sri Lankan delicacies, trespassing on private beaches in Hawaii, and getting soused at the best angel bar on the planet. But when Bedlam learns that the archdemon Azrael has escaped from the Abyss in order to wreak vengeance against the person who sent her there—Bedlam’s best friend, Khet—he can’t sit idly by.
Only one relic possesses the power to kill Khet, who suffers immortality at Lucifer’s request: the mythical Spear of Destiny, which pierced Christ’s side at His crucifixion. Neither angel nor demon has seen the Spear in two thousand years, but Azrael claims to know its location. Bedlam has no choice but to interpret woefully outdated clues and race her to its ancient resting place.
His quest is made nearly impossible by the interference of a persnickety archivist, Keziel—his angelic ex—and a dedicated cult intent on keeping the Spear out of the wrong hands. But to Bedlam, “wrong” is just an arbitrary word, and there’s no way he’s letting Khet die without a fight.

Review:
Lucky me!  I jumped at the chance to review Raising Chaos (Book Two: Earthbound Angels) because I really liked Oracle of Philadelphia (See my review HERE). 
The author has created a fascinating world full of ancient sects, secrets, quests, prophecies, and an angelic and demonic hierarchy complete with all the petty bitchiness of any human version.  One of the best things about these books is the relationship between the angels, fallen angels, and demons.  Corrigan does a dandy job of deftly creating shades of gray when it comes to the motives and ethical decisions of all of them. 
RAISING CHAOS is told through the alternating viewpoints of Bedlam, Siren and Khet, as the angels race to find the Spear, while Khet (Caela) takes a sabbatical of sorts and finds out her new neighbor is a violent sociopath.  
Bedlam is still delightfully irreverent, impulsive and nutty but full of heart and stream-of-consciousness thoughts - he's a great counterpoint to the serious, bureaucratic-type angels who adhere to their roles without thought.  Siren is the exception.  As the Angel of Truth, she knows when she speaks a lie, and as she chases Bedlam and the Spear, she begins to realize that there's more going on in the world and the heavens than anyone realizes, and an apocalypse may be at hand.  Meeting up with Mephistopheles causes her to remember the horrors of the nephilim purge ordered by Michael and Lucifer.  They share memories of the past, and Biblical history is added in to the angel's history, creating the best, most believable, most cohesive kind of world - part fantasy and part reality (or religious history in this case).As Bedlam completes the strange tasks to advance the quest and be considered the angel Jesus foretold ad gain possession of the Spear, Khet struggles to navigate the waters of a resort town and save a girl from a killer.
The book was really hard to put down - and what an ending!  I can't wait for the next book.


RAISING CHAOS Purchase Links:

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a Rafflecopter giveaway Visit the author at http://www.elizabethrcorrigan.com/:

 Elizabeth Corrigan has degrees in English and psychology and has spent several years working as a data analyst in various branches of the healthcare industry. When she’s not hard at work on her next novel, Elizabeth enjoys singing, reading teen vampire novels, and making Sims of her characters. She drinks more Diet Coke than is probably optimal for the human body and is pathologically afraid of bees. She lives in Maryland with two cats and a purple Smart Car.






Purchase Oracle of Philadelphia at Amazon.
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Check out Oracle of Philadelphia on Goodreads.

DANDY DETECTS (A Victorian San Francisco Story) by M. Louisa Locke and narrated by Alexandra Haag **AUDIOBOOK REVIEW**

(I received a free copy from the author for review consideration.)

Blurb:
In this short story it is the fall of 1879 and San Francisco swelters under a heat wave while Barbara Hewitt, a reserved schoolteacher, uncovers a mystery with the help of her son's Boston Terrier, Dandy.
This story is set in the gas-lit world created by Locke in her Victorian San Francisco Mystery series, which includes Maids of Misfortune, Uneasy Spirits, Bloody Lessons, and the short story "The Misses Moffet Mend a Marriage".

Review:
After reviewing Maids of Misfortune and Uneasy Spirits here on my blog, I found Dandy Detects to be a delightful window into Barbara's life and mindset. Previously a minor character living in Annie's boarding house, we learn the reason Barbara is wary and somewhat reserved.  It was also interesting to view Annie and her boardinghouse from a resident's perspective.  
The basis of this short story (just 41 minutes for the audiobook) is the mysterious disappearance of a neighbor woman and her dog.  Barbara has made a real effort to meet the neighbor, feeling a kinship with her circumstances, but when she disappears after one hot night, Dandy's behavior supports Barbara's fears. 
The narrator, Alexandra Haag,  has a nice, rich, soothing voice, although at times I was distracted by what was almost a robotic quality of careful enunciation and steady tone. But overall, I thought she did a great job. 
The audiobook is prices at $3.99 and the ebook is just 99 cents.

GOODREADS
AUDIBLE
AMAZON
B&N
Author's website HERE.

   

VAMPIRE PLAGUES (Book 1) by Sebastian Rook **REVIEW**

(I bought this book.)

Blurb:

A thrilling new suspense trilogy with a twist. For a thousand years, an ancient and all-powerful vampire god has lain dormant in the Mayan jungle. In 1850, he awakes -- and sets out for Europe...

London, 1850. An enormous ship has just reached port. From its hull, a flock of bats ascends and disappears into the streets. Jack Harkett intends to board the ship, in search of food or money. Instead, he encounters a boy his own age -- running for his life! The boy recounts horrific tales about a vampire plague that's killed the entire crew.

With no one to turn to but each other, the two boys vow to stop these horrors from continuing. Their pledge will take them on dangerous adventures from London to Paris and finally to Mexico, to confront the beast who started all this destruction....

Review:
There are 6 books in this series written under the pseudonym Sebastian Rook, although I could only find pictures of the first 3.  Published by Scholastic, I bought this for myself (um, I mean my son) through his school's Scholastic book order form (remember those?  LOVE!).
Anyway, he read this and really enjoyed it and I can see why.  It's a well-written classic adventure, with three 12 year old heroes who are trying to defeat a powerful Mayan vampire god who is running amok in London.  The writing is never simplistic, bad things happen, and the kids have to use every bit of intelligence, cunning, street smarts, and courage to defeat true evil.  Along the way they discover the true value of friendship (it will save you from a vampire minion's clutches), and that doing the right thing is never easy.
The setting is 1850 London, and Vampire Plagues depicts the city in all its dual horrible glory.  Jack is a street child who makes his home near the port, and his life is miserable and dangerous. Ben and Emily are children of the wealthy class, living in a luxurious home with servants who follow their instructions.  Yet the three of them find common ground in their courage, fear, friendship, and willingness to do what must be done.  By then end of the story they have formed a new version of a family, suffering great loss and great triumph.  Very well done!


Goodreads
Amazon
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Tug Of War Review by K. Larsen

(I received a copy for review consideration.)

Blurb:
Impulsive, YES. Irresponsible, SURE. Necessary, PROBABLY. Going to end badly, most likely. Does any of that matter to me, no. I decided that I can't please everyone so this week my only goal is to please me. I'm a selfish cow but I can't seem to help it. I'm Clara Lord. I own Bloodline's Tattoo Parlor, have a filthy mouth, no filter and a really strong objection to bossy idiots, pet names and wealthy men.

You will hate me, love me or love to hate me but either way it doesn't matter. Everything I touch turns to crap and it's all my fault. See, I lived through hell. Then I escaped hell and carefully spent the next eight years crafting a perfect little life until Dominic Napoli screwed it all up. Now nothings right. Everything's wrong and all my secrets are coming out.


Review:
Oh, I had such high hopes for this book - I absolutely loved the intro before Chapter 1:

I'm Clara Lord.  I own Bloodlines Tattoo Parlor, have a filthy mouth, no filter, and a really strong objection to bossy idiots, pet names and wealthy men.  You will hate me, love me or love to hate me but either way it doesn't matter.  Everything I touch turns to crap and it's all my own fault.

Doesn't she sound fun?  Tough, insightful, and pessimistic, with an independent streak a mile wide.  But that impression was gone in the first few pages, and replaced with a whiny, self-centered hypocrite who uses men for personal gain, creates drama and hurts people just because she has a painful secret.  Add to that the fact that Clara doesn't speak, say, talk, mention, exclaim or explain - she "growls", "snarks", "smirks" and "snits" her sentences, which came off as an affectation rather than a descriptive tool.
Clara is one of the most unlikeable heroines I've ever read (and I've read some great books with not so likeable heroines, like Sarah Gran's Claire DeWitt and the City of the Dead - that was a gritty, tough, well-written book with a heroine with zero Kardashian/stripper-culture tones).  Clara is selfish, childish, emotionally immature, and a slutty-manipulative brat.  The book starts with Clara spending a weekend with her girlfriends in Boston.  They're slamming drinks and declaring sisterhood, while dancing and barhopping.  Clara is apparently so magnetic, sexy and gorgeous that the most eligible billionaire in the country sees her dancing and comes up to her and starts grinding and coming on to her.  Clara HATES rich people and even though her friends ooh and ahh over Dominic, the girls leave the club  to avoid him, and, undeterred by their blatant and insulting rejection, he follows them (creepy stalker vibes starting to manifest here).  Soon after, Clara's friends desert her on the street (drunk and ready to puke and pass out), letting Dominic take Clara home.  Great friends, huh?  And this is just the first few pages.
After this delightful weekend, Clara heads home to Virginia where we learn she has an 8 year old daughter and lives with a great guy named Sawyer who's in love with her (but she doesn't love him - they have a complicated past which basically means she uses Sawyer for rent, parenting and business).  They're raising her daughter together, and own/operate a tattoo parlor together as well.  Clara  stays because it's comfortable and easy and they have great sex 4 times a year.  Sawyer is steady, loving, kind and a good man, so it was kind of hard to believe he loved Clara as much as he does,
Dominic soon shows up in Clara's small town (more creepy stalker vibes), because after she told him off (again) in Boston they still have undeniable, obsessive attraction for each other.  Which just feeds in to Clara's incredible confidence in her attractiveness.  We know this because she doesn't walk, she "struts" and "prowls".  And this is when we learn that suave gazillionaire Dominic loves tattoos!  What a coincidence.  Soon there's a lot of posturing and growling between Dom and Sawyer, and Clara continues to fret about her hatred of rich folks, her freakishly incredible chemistry with Dom, and her relationship with Sawyer.
Pretty soon Clara's hypocritical side comes out again. She keeps saying she hates rich people (she had a wealthy fiance who wanted to mold her into his perfect arm-candy/Stepford wife) and the need to look and behave a certain way in their company, but when Dom buys her clothes and invites her to accompany him to a swanky society function, she happily accepts his lavish gifts and goes (but she wears her cowboy boots with the gown in a pathetic and immature attempt to be a rebel and prove she's not "one of them").  So why did she accept his gifts?  Clara wants it both ways - she keeps the expensive presents but refuses to be gracious or appreciative.  Rather, she acts belligerently to prove he hasn't bought her with his expensive gifts.  She happily takes advantage of Dom's generosity like she takes advantage of Sawyer's emotional support.  She's a user and an embarrassment to women. When did this kind of behavior become an acceptable manifestation of emotional pain, rather than the straight-up greedy, self-centered grasping materialism that it is?
While I appreciated the painful background Clara is running from, and it did explain the origin (but not the extent) of some of her behaviors, her actions didn't make sense.  Especially since she's now 32 years old.  She acts like a spoiled, self-centered jerk with her mindless need to rebel, her lies and secrets, her manipulative behavior and her overt sexuality. Which is bad enough, but apparently she's also so sexy, so magnetic, and so amazing she attracts the devoted love and protection of a good man, and the sexual obsession of a kajillionaire.  Her 8 year old daughter is more mature and stable than Clara.
Soon this powder keg of WTF blows up, and Clara's secrets are exposed.  She's got to do some deep soul-searching, grow up and earn her HEA.  But without possessing any real redemptive qualities, it was hard to believe and I just didn't care.

About the Author:
K. Larsen is an avid reader, coffee drinker, and chocolate eater who loves writing. She received her B.A.from Simmons College- a while ago. She currently lives and works in Maine. She writes steamy romantic suspense novels when no one's looking.
Available through all major book retailers, all six of her books can be purchased in paperback or for any e-reader. She can be found on Facebook, Goodreads and Twitter should you want to stalk her.
Currently working on her seventh novel, she's published Saving Caroline, 30 Days, Committed, Dating Delaney and Tug of War. Objective will be out Spring 2014.

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BITTEN (Lauren Westlake Mysteries) by Dan O'Brien **REVIEW**

(I downloaded this for free.)

Blurb:
A predator stalks a cold northern Minnesotan town. There is talk of wolves walking on two legs and attacking people in the deep woods. Lauren Westlake, resourceful and determined F.B.I Agent, has found a connection between the strange murders in the north and a case file almost a hundred years old. Traveling to the cold north, she begins an investigation that spirals deep into the darkness of mythology and nightmares. Filled with creatures of the night and an ancient romance, the revelation of who hunts beneath the moon is more grisly than anyone could have imagined.

Review:
This was an interesting and fresh horror/mystery hybrid.  The setting is a small town in Minnestoa during the deep dark cold of mid-winter, and the result is a creepy and almost claustrophobic atmosphere, perfect for reading in a warm bed on a winter's night.  Lauren Westlake arrives in a great, poignant opening scene that establishes her as a tough federal agent.  This persona is soon at odds with her behavior in the local bar, where the alcohol loosens her tongue, her professionalism, and her grip on her dignity.   I think the intent was to show the two sides of Lauren but it's a little heavy-handed here and throughout the book.
But the story itself kept me reading and was really entertaining.  The violent murders that seem to have been committed by a monster, the overwhelmed local police department, a mysterious stranger in town, and Lauren's reason for arriving in Locke are all part of a well-developed, intriguing twist on the werewolf legend.  The thin line between human and monster is explored a bit against the backdrop of murder, mystery and horror.  There's even a visit from Hecate to add a little fun to the mix.
My only real complaint is the very formal language, sometimes awkward phrasing, and the lack of contractions.  As a result the dialogue feels stilted and slow - mentally I kept adding the contractions as I read to keep the pace moving along at a more natural speed.
Overall, a very enjoyable and atmospheric read.


Author Website
Goodreads
Amazon
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BLACKBIRDS by Chuck Wendig **REVIEW**

(I bought this book.)

Blurb:
Miriam Black knows when you will die.

Still in her early twenties, she's foreseen hundreds of car crashes, heart attacks, strokes, suicides, and slow deaths by cancer. But when Miriam hitches a ride with truck driver Louis Darling and shakes his hand, she sees that in thirty days Louis will be gruesomely murdered while he calls her name.

Miriam has given up trying to save people; that only makes their deaths happen. But Louis will die because he met her, and she will be the next victim. No matter what she does she can't save Louis. But if she wants to stay alive, she'll have to try.

Review:
Starkly original and freshly grim, Blackbirds is a unique urban fantasy featuring a terrified young woman trying to outrun herself and her "gift" of seeing people's deaths in crystal-clear detail. Miriam has been living on the run since she was a young teenager, and her life is really rough and scary.  She sees herself as a scavenger to Death, taking only what she needs to keep running.  In the past she's tried to prevent the deaths she sees, but she only ends up being the catalyst to the death, creating a sense of fatalism and inevitability.  She's existing, but not living.  The book doles out snippets of Miriam's past, right before her ability manifested, and it's as mean and sad and grim as her current life.
Miriam is a quirky woman, and when she talks the words flow out of her like lava from a volcano.  The steady, thick river of stream-of consciousness profanity and uncensored thoughts, chock-full of brutal honesty and a fatalistic perspective is almost involuntary, and I thought this was a glimpse of Miriam's true self that she normally kept bottled up.
Blackbirds is really the chronicle of Miriam waking up from her self-centered, self-pitying life of horror and grief, and acknowledging a connection with another human being.  What I loved is that Miriam doesn't turn chipper, kind, or gracious. This is a girl with a brittle, rough center to match her exterior.  But her journey from passive witness to fighting participant, also mirrors her first real attempt to confront herself and what's inside of her.  She's slowly figuring out that she can't control it, but she can control how she reacts to her gift.
As tough and harsh as Blackbirds is, I found it compelling and fascinating.  I had to keep reading to learn about Miriam's past, and to find out how she was involved in her vision of Louis' death.
A unique, powerful and original book - highly recommended.


The author's website is http://terribleminds.com/.
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