Bridges Burning by Marina Landry – Feature with Excerpt

Tags

book feature, excerpt, Marina Landry, romance, scifi

About Bridges Burning

Earther Ana Silvan is looking forward to working at the new prison and leaving the farming life behind.

For generations, natives of Earth have been forced to export large quantities of food to Unity, the spacecolony their ancestors built to guarantee the survival of the human race. Realizing Earth has begun to heal, the UPG military corporation has built a prison on Earth to hold and hide the Freestanders fighting to end its oppressive reign over the citizens of Unity.

Ana soon realizes the rebels are not the real criminals in the prison.

Bearing fresh scars, Hart James leads his fellow Freestanders to escape the UPG prison. When he discovers Ana’s role in his freedom and the extraordinary sacrifices she made, Hart pledges to support her efforts to oust the UPG troops from Earth.

Together, Ana and Hart struggle to overcome personal tragedies, accept the passion igniting between them, and provide justice for the citizens of a new Earth. Through their tests of courage, they forge an unbreakable bond of love.

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Excerpt from Bridges Burning

No, this is too fantastic, too unbelievable. I must be going mad. She noticed the smell of fermentale. Insanity! No one was given the luxury of water in this hell, much less fermentale.

But the odor became more powerful, the more she tried to deny its existence. The sour smell of fermentale, combined with the stench of the Solitaire pit, seemed to swirl around her face.

The nightmare! The smells in her nightmare. The cold, the blackness, the powerlessness and despair. The smell. The dream, it was real. It was happening to her at that moment.

The narrow hatch opened above her head, just as she had dreamt it. She was too terrified to scream.

She stood paralyzed as Hart’s face came into view. A hoarse rattle erupted from her throat, but still she could not scream. Hart’s arms reached down for her, grasping, groping. It’s my nightmare. It’s madness.

The fermentale brought pain; she felt it rack her body. Humiliation swept over her as Hart’s hand grabbed for her. He is only saving me from Resin so he can use me himself.

“Ana! Give me your hand. It is me, Hart.”

Hart. Yes, Hart’s come to pull me out of this hole. Hart. The one who had pushed her against the wall in rage to hurt her — but who had not. The one who had chased her ruthlessly through the forest to prevent her from reporting his escape — but who carried her back to spare her from the pain in her ankle. The one who kept her emotions in turmoil, who made her feel childish and anxious — but who always had confidence in her, always accepted her. The one who pulled her body against his, hard and hot in his lust for her — but who never forced her, never berated her, never hurt her.

Never hurt her. Never.

She raised her trembling hand to his… and touched love. His grasp charged her with strength and courage. His whispered reassurances poured warmth and safety flowing over her. This is Hart; this is real. This is love.

He grabbed her other wrist and lifted her out of the madness.

He sat her on the ground and fell to his knees beside her.

“Ana, my love. Are you alright?” He rubbed his hands over her body as if to be sure she was unharmed.

She clung to him desperately, absorbing the warmth and strength from his body. This is real. “Oh, Hart. I love you. I love you.”

Gently, he grabbed her shoulders and pressed her back so he could look directly into her eyes. With a tender smile, he said, “And I love you. I have loved you very much… for a very long time.”

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About the Author

Marina Landry has loved to write stories that intrigue and entertain readers since elementary school. The written word became her favorite medium for reminding others that love and trust exist, and, despite challenges, there is a place each of us fit perfectly in the universe. Her heartwarming, emotionally intense, character-driven stories of love and courage have gained attention in both the romance and science fiction communities.

Marina has taught language arts and mathematics in south Louisiana for 19 years. She speaks on the craft of writing and teaches all levels of writers online. Though her formal education has not followed a typical path nor timeline, she has Masters Degrees in Education of the Academically Gifted, Secondary Mathematics Education, and Adult Education.

You can contact Marina at MarinaLandry5432@gmail.com to receive her newsletter with information on giveaways, new releases, and more. Feedback from fellow booklovers is always welcome.

Connect with Marian at:
Website: www.MarinaLandry.com
Amazon Author Page: https://www.amazon.com/-/e/B072KXRJZ2
Email: MarinaLandry5432@gmail.com
Twitter: https://twitter.com/marinalandry541
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/marina.landry.754

Blog readers can email me for a free science fiction romance short story at MarinaLandry5432@gmail.com.

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Audiobooks – Three Reviews

Tags

Adventure, audiobook, Book Review, E.J. Stevens, Eve Langlais, fairy tale, humor, Melanie Karsak, paranormal, psychic, retelling, romance, scifi romance, Steampunk

June was audiobook month. It’s a thing. During June, many authors will promote their audiobooks by offering free audiobooks through giveways or in exchange for a review. I was lucky enough to add three audiobooks to my library during June, so I thought I’d do some quick reviews. My reviews are all unbiased.

About Curiouser and Curiouser 

To save the Hatter, Alice must work with the one man she despises so much that she might still love him.

Alice thought she’d turned over a new leaf. No more working for Jabberwocky. No more making deals with the ruthless Queen of Hearts. No more hanging around The Mushroom with tinkers, tarts, scoundrels, and thieves in London’s criminal underbelly. But she’d been bonkers to dream.

Hatter’s reckless behavior leads Alice back to the one person she never wanted to see again, Caterpillar. Pulled into Caterpillar’s mad schemes, Alice must steal a very big diamond from a very royal lady. The heist is no problem for this Bandersnatch. But protecting her heart from the man she once loved? Impossible.

Sometimes love is mad.

See how New York Times bestselling author Melanie Karsak re-imagines Lewis Carroll’s classic fairy tale, Alice in Wonderland, with a steampunk twist! Join us at The Mushroom in gaslamp Victorian London.

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Review of Curiouser and Curiouser

5 stars

I loved this steampunk version of Alice in Wonderland, maybe even better than C.S. Lewis’ original story. I was introduced to Melanie Karsak’s writing with her steampunk novel Chasing the Star Garden, so I was quite certain I would enjoy more steampunk from the author. In fact, there is a very loose connection between the two stories, but if you blink, you might miss it.

The book blurb is a very good review of the plot, so I won’t bore you with any such details. What I will say is that Caterpillar, Hatter, Rabbit, the Knave and especially Alice are all more human than their knicknames would have you believe. Human with all sorts of history and flaws. And Alice is caught up with them all, but most especially with Caterpillar, also known as William. She left him once and now finds she must work with him again. Can she trust him? Should she? Especially since he stirs up all sorts of feelings.

It seems she has no choice so Alice will embrace her situation head on. I do like this character and if she reminds you of a certain other literary character, then I am certain that is purposeful. Even facing the Queen of Hearts.

Now, if you know the original story, you know the Queen of Hearts is heartless and savage. Double that, no triple that in Curiouser and Curiouser. She is definitely one evil @*&%#! Sorry, I don’t usually use language like that but sometimes it is warranted. This evil one has no genius to back her up. Instead, she uses the brains of the Countess, another quite interesting character.

Narrator Lesley Parkin had just the right accent(s). I especially like that she does not try to sound like a man for the male characters, but instead, uses light inflection nuances to differentiate between characters. As an audiobook, Curiouser and Curiouser was well done.

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About Frostbite

This spooky prequel short story is the perfect introduction to the award-winning Ivy Granger Psychic Detective urban fantasy series.

When a client claims that her house is being haunted, Ivy tries to keep her mind open and her weapons handy. If her psychic gifts and recent cases have taught her anything, it’s that you’re better off arming yourself for the unexpected.

Will our favorite psychic detective face down murderous ghosts? Anything is possible in Harborsmouth.

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Review of Frostbite

4 stars

I have read just one other book in the Ivy Granger series, but always wanted to read more. I find Ivy Granger, psychic detective, to be a fascinating character. At once wise about the paranormal, but also learning. I guess that is what a detective does – learns – in order to be smart enough to solve the mystery.

The prequel, is really just a short story and doesn’t really serve as an introduction to the series so much as a taste of it. It is pretty good tasty though. And if you really want an introduction, there is a very short creepy marketing spiel for Harborsmouth. If you like ghosts and things that go freaky in the night, then Frostbite is your thing. Along with the entire series I would think.

Melanie A. Mason does well as a narrator. Her voice is youngish but not so young that she sounds youthful. Thank heavens! Ivy Granger Psychic Dectective does well in the audiobook form and if I read more in the series, I might go that way.

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Links

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About The First Mate’s Accidental Wife

It was supposed to be a simple mission. Locate a kidnapper’s vessel. Rescue the woman. Return her home. Collect a reward.

Instead, the First Mate of the Gypsy Moth finds himself married to a galactic crime lord’s daughter and fighting off those that would make her a widow.

Busy watching his back, while keeping her safe, Damon misses the deadliest attack of all. The one on his heart. She’s taken it, and he’s got to decide whether giving up his freedom is worth the price of love.

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Review of The First Mate’s Accidental Wife

3 stars

I read Eve Langlais for the laughs. Not because I want a complex plot or an intense love story. Just the laughs. In The First Mate’s Accidental Wife, there are plenty of fish/squid/sushi jokes about the Kanishqui, the alien race the heroine Mishi is rescued from. Also, believe it or not, the universe is crazy for chocolate, which I find to be both silly and obvious. But the banter between Mishi and First Mate rescuer Damon, was the best. They start off antagonizing each other and end up merely irritating each other, but will all sorts of love and respect behind the words. And humor.

There is quite a bit of coarse language which I can do without. When reading, it is easy to overlook, and I often do. But is is not so easy when listening to the audiobook.

I did not care for Logan McAllister’s narration. His reading was very slow. I turned the playback speed to 1.25 and that helped, though it results in clipped words. However, it was good enough and the story was entertaining enough for me to finish listening.

The First Mate’s Accidental Wife is a short novel so if you are looking for some pure entertainment, it may be just the book for you.

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Kill the Farm Boy by Kevin Hearne and Delilah S. Dawson – Review

Tags

5 stars, Adventure, Delilah S. Dawson, fairy tale, fantasy, humor, Kevin Hearne, magic, Puns, quest

About Kill the Farm Boy

Once upon a time, in a faraway kingdom, a hero, the Chosen One, was born . . . and so begins every fairy tale ever told.

This is not that fairy tale.

There is a Chosen One, but he is unlike any One who has ever been Chosened.

And there is a faraway kingdom, but you have never been to a magical world quite like the land of Pell.

There, a plucky farm boy will find more than he’s bargained for on his quest to awaken the sleeping princess in her cursed tower. First there’s the Dark Lord, who wishes for the boy’s untimely death . . . and also very fine cheese. Then there’s a bard without a song in her heart but with a very adorable and fuzzy tail, an assassin who fears not the night but is terrified of chickens, and a mighty fighter more frightened of her sword than of her chain-mail bikini. This journey will lead to sinister umlauts, a trash-talking goat, the Dread Necromancer Steve, and a strange and wondrous journey to the most peculiar “happily ever after” that ever once-upon-a-timed.

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Review of Kill the Farm Boy

To say that Kill the Farm Boy is Punful may be the best way to describe the book, in a way that Argabella, my personal favorite character, would appreciate.

There are many wonderful characters, but Argabella, the rabbit girl who wanted to be an accountant but her father made her study to be a bard, is the most adorable heroine. Her barding may need some practice, but she does have a way of cutting to truth seeking in a direct though slightly timid way. And despite the fact that she was not first in her bard school class, her ability to sing magical poems will come in handy during the quest. It was an enchantment that made her a rabbit girl. Throughout the story she wishes she was not a rabbit girl, but, it is in this furry form that the best and scariest things happen to her. Like meeting the Chosen One, the Dark Lord, a rogue assassin and her love, the mighty fighter.

The rogue is clumsy, the mighty fighter doesn’t like to fight, the Dark Lord’s finest ensorcellments come in the form of bread and the Chosen One is, well, not exactly what any fairy tale would pick as a Chosen One.

Despite the fact that these fine fairy tale characters are definitely thinking out of the fairy tale box makes Kill the Farm Boy all that much more interesting and totally unpredictable. The one archetypical fairy tale element that cannot be denied or messed with, though, is the quest. Indeed there will be a quest. A quest that will save king and country, the Chosen One and all his lively band of heroic fellow-questers. That may have been a lie. About everybody being saved. Sorry if you think this is a spoiler, but get real. There are swords and assassins in this tale.

In fact, there are so many more fairy-talisms that get turned on their ears, you will come to realize that this is story is not going to have a fairy tale ending. Any chance at a Happily Ever After is sure to take a wrong turn. The questers are going to make sure that what you think will happen, never will.

When I first saw the title, Kill the Farm Boy, I immediately thought of The Princess Bride. In fact there are quite a few things that make you think of the classic movie and one or more other movies. If you have a well-loved fantasy movie expect to see it crop in a mutated manner.

Would it be terrible thing to say that this book is too hilarious? There are multiple puns and jokes and guffaws on every single page. I am not exaggerating. That fact is, I think there was also an adventure in there somewhere, but I’m not sure for all the terrible puns. For multiple laughs on every page, Kill the Farm Boy is the perfect read.

Through NetGalley, the publisher provided a copy of this book so that I could bring you my honest review.

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