With How the Dead Lie as my introduction to Havenwood Falls. Stacey takes you on a journey through a town of all things paranormal, and introduces you to characters, not just from her story but from other stories. I know I want to learn more about the town and how it came to be a haven of sorts for the paranormal.
How the Dead Lie is captivating and thrilling. It's a paranormal mystery. It has Stacey's witty humor and well developed characters. As always there are many twist and turns you don't see coming. I have stopped trying to guess where Stacey will lead you in a book, because nine times out of ten she will head you in a completely different direction which has your jaw hanging open. Octavia our necromancer, has had a rough go at life, always jumping towns when people find out about her abilities and or trying to use her for their gain. On her travels she has wandered into the town of Havenwood Falls, a place where she could settle down at. The city council is alerted when someone new comes into their borders. To become a permanent resident she is put on probation so to speak for 90 days and cannot use any dark magic. They also set her up with a job at a butcher shop. A necromancer working in a butcher shop what could go wrong? Will there be zombie cows? Nope just little undead pig named Bacon. I love Bacon, no seriously the pig named Bacon. She is so close to becoming a permanent resident when the unthinkable happens, she accidently used her powers to bring back a body that was in the freezer of the butcher shop. Thinking someone in the town is trying to chase her out. She along with the help of Willie (undead deadman she brought back to life) are going to find who could possibly want her gone. The adventure these two go on had me laughing out loud, and rooting for her to find happiness and a place to belong. So who is trying to get her out of town? I am not giving spoilers at to who left the body. I may have given one, or two, however its a very quick read, and you will know in no time at all. You have to read it. You will not be dissapointed. I look forward to the next book. I do hope it is longer because I want to know everything there is to know about Octavia, and her pet pig Bacon.
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TS901: Dominion, sequel to TS901: Anomaly is another hit from Stacey Rourke and Tish Thawer. I was very excited to dive back in to the TS901 world.
I think that Stacey and Tish got my hint about wanting to know Gigi's back story, and did they ever deliver. A plot twist I would have never seen coming with her story. You also get a little more of Eugene's story, which pulls at the heartstrings a little. The whole book is filled with twist and turns you will not see coming. You think the story line is heading in one direction and bam, its leaping all the way to left field, and you're like "oh my god" I must read faster to find out what is going to happen next. Dominion takes place shortly after Anomaly. With the maly rebellion taking place , the characters have started to really embrace their anomalies, to fight back against the nary army on the Hill. Their main goal "Save Gigi". Thia, Evan, Jules, and Lance are heading back into the Hill to save Gigi. Leaving Eugene behind to sleep off his drinking, he deserved it from what he had to bare witness to. As the team was getting ready to sneak into the Hill from and underground tunnel, opening a door this is where the plot twist comes into play. I cannot go into detail, for you have to have that element of surprise while you are reading to feel how the characters felt at this given second. Through the story I put myself in Thia's shoes from the standpoint of trust. Trust is everything. You have to have trust in everything, from relationships, romantic or platonic to knowing what you are doing. Dominion questions trust in many aspects. Spoilers.... Characters in this book are not who you think they are, just because they have the outward appearance of those you know and trust, doesn't mean you should. End Spoilers.... I highly recommend TS901: Dominion. You will have to read TS:901 Anomaly before you read this. Both books are fast paced, action packed, and have witty humor thrown in. It really makes this books a great read. I have become a huge fan of the characters and the world Stacey and Tish have created. I cannot wait to see what these two very talented authors can cook up in the next TS:901. Stacey has yet again made me love another one of her books, just by putting words to paper. I am very happy she has ventured into the vampire gener, with her witty humor, and the dark twists that she writes into some of her books, makes this book go straight to the top of my read list.
Veiled is a crime drama filled with vampires and politics. This book hits on some major world problems that are in the media right now, like discrimination and racism. The vampires are wanting to be out in the open but the bias of the normal people not looking past what they are. The lead in the book is Vincenza or Vinx. She is a character that I thought was going to be a shy girl, from what she is described as in the beginning. Well girlfriend went through some things that made her a complete badass and I am like "YES!!!" sign me up I need that confidence in my life. Veiled leads you through her story and how she becomes a badass and is used as a weapon by scientist, after she was found when her family was slaughtered by a hive and she was left for dead. Vinx has immersed herself into the vampire world, with the help of her friend Mics. (Mics, I can only hope to get a spin off, or novella to learn some backstory on her past and to learn more about her character. I don't know why out of her or Carter I want to know about her, she seems to have a dark past that I want to know about). She is getting to the bottom of the scandals that are being played out. She is not like most vampires( no she does not sparkle). She was made to be a weapon to use against the vampires. Nothing and no one, are what they seem to be. There are many twist and you cannot predict where this book will take you. Stacey wrote this is a way that it does jump timing in chapters for instance the first chapter, is in the present with the next going back to a time in the past to answer questions of how this came about. I personally love stories and authors who do this because I want the clear picture of what, why and how it happened. I cannot wait to get the next book in this series. I want the many questions that I have answered. I want to know what happens next! I have been bugging her with questions, but I have not convinced her to give me any spoilers, I am just like you waiting to see what will happen to Vinx in the next book. I hope that it is soon, I do not think she is going to like me texting her everyday until the release. Keep checking back and I will post when the next book in the series is coming out!. What can I say, that I have not yet said about Stacey Rourkes writing? She is amazing with words, the way she paints clear pictures of sceneries, bringing the characters to life and getting you submerged in a world that you can get lost in, learning all there is to learn about everything.
Entombed in Glass is the second book in the Unfortunate Souls Chronicles, the first book beings with Rise of the Sea Witch, which if you have not read, stop here, go and read it first. There is background story for the characters in this book , which is essential in understanding what is going on, as this book picks up right where Rise of the Sea witch ends. Alastor is the main character in this story, he was Vanessa love interest. When he wakes on the beach he realizes that he is not dead, and sees Vanessa, paining him to try and cry out to her with no luck. This sparks a fire in him to do everything he can to get back to her. Striking a deal with Hades, whom promises to reunite them after Alastor helps him. As the deal is done Alastor is thrown into a world that he was not familiar with. The journey in which Hades has sent Alastor on is not easy, and it introduces old and new characters. This is where Sterling (oh how I love Sterling) falls into the story, literally falls from a tree. (hmmm wonder what story he is from). Alastor and Sterling travel from place to place throughout this book and have become allies. When they get to Neverland it takes a dark turn that makes you think of Neverland in different way. The story progresses and you are wondering if Alastor will ever catch a break. Spoilers..... Nope!!!! Not even close but that is why Stacey's writing is so well, she keeps you on your toes and you never know what is going to happen to her characters. End Spoilers... I love that this book kinda shys away from the love story, yes he is trying to get back to his love Vanessa, but it's more about the journey and the mission he is on than that of the love story. The ending of this book you never see coming, and that is where Stacey is amazing as an author. You may think you know where the book is going to go but she takes you into a completely different direction. I would recommend this book to anyone and everyone. A fairy-tale retelling not like others. You get to see a different side to, Snow White, Peter Pan, Neverland, and a little glimpse of Wonderland!?! I cannot wait to see what book 3 will have in store... All I have to say is it better get a little MAD HERE! I get so excited every time my aunt (Stacey Rourke) has a new book that comes out. I was excited to see that she teamed up with Tish Thawer. They both are amazing authors who both bring a lot of talent to this book. They work amazing as a team. Their writing styles flow together very well. TS901 is a story about the government tainting the water with the TS901 chemical (fluoride and vitamins) it was supposed to sustain the health of the human race. However when the government released the chemical into the water supply it caused a genetic mutation in some and nothing in others. The main character, Thia Kelly, is now in hiding along with the rest of the inflicted outcasts also known as the maly’s. She is looked up to because she works well with the non inflicted humans and the inflicted, she tries keeping the peace between the two worlds. There has been a lot of high tension between the two worlds. Evan Daniels is the son of one of the leading Generals, he has been inflicted with the TS901. Thia and Evan had a love that was blossoming, but the government had other ideas with Evan and made him Patient #1. Evan turns himself in. He wants to help the Maly’s and thinks that by turning himself over, he will help the government to find a cure. Little does he know what he really is getting himself into. Thia going about her business after not seeing Evan in a while has learned that they put a bounty out for him. She knows that there is no way that he is as dangerous as what the government says. She doesn't believe the story that is on the news about Evan. Thia knows that she needs to save him. So she gets together a plan and sets off to save her boyfriend. This is where Gigi and other characters are introduced and Gigi is awesome love her character and love her mutation. Maybe a side story can be written about her and how she came to be. Hint hint Stacey and Tish. Spoilers…. Thia looks normal on the outside, and this is why she in fact can get along with all the inflicted and the non inflicted. Every turning of the page you hope that she reveals what her mutation is. When she finally uses her mutation you are stunned and can’t believe that she was ever willing to hide the mutation that she has and how she was able to do so. I will not give away exactly what she is you will have to read the story for yourself. End Spoilers…… I recommend this book to all. Its fast paced action packed and of course witty humor is thrown in, which makes for a great read. With this book I am going to pass along the drink recipe for Mutation that goes great with this book and was created by Stacey. I mean perfect friday night mix, good books and a good drink. ..Before I get started, I must confess something. I love Stacey Rourke with all my heart. She's an aunt, a surrogate mother, and a sister to me all rolled into one, so bear with me as I make my best effort to not scream "fangirl" from every letter of this page. She is an amazing author and an even better friend and I cannot thank her enough for everything she has done, even up to dedicating this book to me. That being said, Stacey is an amazing author that has been able to capture my attention with her writing for as long as I can remember, as you may be able to tell from my "about me" section. But I assure you, I will not be biased in this review (nor any reviews of Stacey's work) because of this. However, I felt it was only fair to acknowledge this from the start... But anyway, on to the book! I am a big fan of Ichabod Crane and the movie “Sleepy Hollow (1999)” (#JohnnyDeppSwoon)... And listing that date makes me feel so very old now. I love how Stacey has woven the past to the present in this story. She has taken the headless horseman legend and put a modern day twist on it. The way she writes helps make you feel as if you are right there in the action. She paints a clear picture of the scenes so you have no trouble understanding what is happening in the story. The main character Ireland doesn't know what she possesses inside of her. She moves to Sleepy Hollow trying to start over after a nasty breakup; and she finds a new start all right! As the reader you get to accompany her on a journey to becoming the Headless Horseman, and you feel for her and understand in the end why she chooses the path that she does. Along the way, you meet a few other interesting characters such as Noah and Rip. Here, Stacey has written Noah as a chivalrous man, which I personally love. Rip is from the past and stuck in the future because of a spell, but he doesn’t understand the present time, slang, nor modern technology. This creates a lot of witty humour and banter between Ireland and Rip. Things that will cause you to laugh til you cry. I know I received a few confused and concerned looks from my husband wondering why I was laughing (not to mention the strange looks from our dog...) and my daughter asking if I was mentally ill. Spoiler alert! Not too much of a spoiler but something that I find extremely funny... I know that I have been through one of those really bad break ups in the past, one where you change everything about yourself from hair length and color to even tattoos at the extreme ( I can admit that I have done all of the above). Ireland has as well, In this part of the story, Ireland is explaining part of the break up. After explaining why she left her boyfriend, she says "I was too busy trying to maneuver the refrigerator into the hallway." ( I can see a woman trying to do this because they are so pissed off!) Ireland also says "He could ruin my life, but he couldn't take my fridge". This is incredibly funny to me because, quite literally, this happened in my life when I was young... Though it wasn't me that had the fridge! This kind of storytelling, one that pulls from real world experiences, does wonders to grasp at a reader's imagination... and mine especially! Okay, end spoilers! This story gives you a female lead that is not afraid to get hurt, that doesn’t need a man to do her bidding. She is strong, independent and has a sense of humor, and I would like to see more stories with females as strong leads that don’t always need saving. It brings me pleasure knowing the ending of the books leaves it open for a second book in the sires. I am very excited to see what is in store for Ireland and what will happen in the next book. While I am thinking about Sleepy Hollow and Ichabod Crane, I think of fall, with all the pumpkins and apples and it makes me want a fall treat. What's a better fall treat than pumpkin pie? I have the best crustless pumpkin pie recipe. As a forewarning, I am one of "those people" that follows a gluten free diet (out of necessity!), but if you can you can as easily take this recipe and make it with a pie crust (my husband likes my pecan-based crust). So while you read "Crane" you can enjoy this yummy pie! “Crane” by Stacey Rourke is the first of the "Legends Saga" and is a Readers' Favorite Silver Medal Winner from 2015 . You can also check out her books on her website at http://www.staceyrourke.com or via Amazon.
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