Black Water Tales: The Unwanted - Jean Nicole Rivers

Synopsis:

In the remote, eastern European town of Borslav there is St. Sebastian orphanage, a place where people discard their unwanted children. For the American, Blaire Baker, it’s the perfect place to volunteer her services. Paired with a cheerful volunteer nurse, Blaire is enthusiastic about the possibilities, but is quickly discouraged when she encounters the nefarious nature of the staff and the deplorable conditions of the facility and the children.

Upon arrival, one of the children informs Blaire, “There’s something in the basement.” It isn’t long before strange things begin happening, including Blaire’s flashbacks of the accident that killed her parents. The children soon suffer injuries that Blaire, first, fears may be the deeds of the callous workers but she soon thinks the abuse may originate from a source that is less than human, something unwanted.

The unwanted is coming but in order for Blaire to fight it, she must dig into St. Sebastian and herself in search of truth. Blaire wants nothing more than to help the children, but when discovers the tragedy that happened in the basement and learns that the same evil forces are still at work, it will be Blaire who needs help…There’s something in the basement.

Reviews:

I thought this ok was going to be creepy, in no way what so ever did I realise that it would be THAT creepy.

As soon as I met Blaire I instantly recognised that hints of our personalities matched and that left me with a connection to her. For the friendly nurse that she is paired with, Tavis is a very relaxed character I felt a sort of calmness when I read parts that involved him.

Any integration with the children creeped me out to the max, it is an intense, scary and a real page turner. I hadon't chills running up my spine so many times throughout reading this book. It was truly brilliant.

One of the best things about the story is the setting. What's more creepiest than an old rundown orphanage in a city that is unknown? Nothing. The setting is perfect for the story and Jean gives some amazing details of the place which makes you feel like you're walking down those halls with the characters. I must admit that it is definitely a place I wouldn't visit unless I was really inquisitive.

The ending though, was a complete and utter shock, I had a feeling something major would happen but when it happened I was in complete shock. I didn't want to believe it and I may have also shed a few tears and had to take a large gulp of air to stay composed.

Jean is clearly a very talented writer and I'm definitely going to check out more of her work. I think I'm still recovering from reading this book. Overall a definite 5/5 and it would be higher if it could be. A recommendation to anyone who wants to read a spine chilling story. 

A Beautiful Voice

I open the envelope, gently sliding my forefinger between the seal. I pull out the folded bill and put the envelope behind it as I read.

It had been a list of all I had bought that month using my bank card. I tend to remember using ny card and how much for, but the pricing for one of the items was wrong. I knew because the reciept that lay in my purse told me so, but I had been charged and extra £57.

I look the bill over finding an 11 digit number which was listed as a contact number. I dial it and wait patiently, after a few seconds the line buzzes and then comes to life.

"Hello, my name is Clara, how can I help you?" She asks, her vioce was angelic.

Slightly distracted by her voice I don't answer right away and it causes her to ask again which slaps me to attention.

"Hello Clara my name is Jennifer and I've just looked over the bill I recieved today, I compared one purchase to the reciept and I've been charged and extra £57." I explain and she types away gently.

She asks for my details and types them in and asks for all of the information about the charge. She seems a happy and bubbly person over the phone but I wonder what shes like face to face.

The conversation had begun to come to its conclusion, she had to now contact those who charged me and enforce a refund of £57 which I was happy to hear.

"Well Jennifer, you'll be contacted about your refund and hopefully that will go smoothly."  She chimes, her words bouncing off the walls of my head.

"Thank you Clara." I smile biting onto my finger
"Actually," I cut up quick before she can hang up.

"I wondered if you'd like to go out for a meal sometime?" I ask, the line buzzes but she doesn't reply straight away. The phone comes alive again as she mumbles

"I will call you in 10 minutes, but yes." She replies and I feel the relief wash over me. The call ends then and I wait paitently for her call. I minute over the given time my phone rings with an unsaved number.

"Jen?" She chines
"Clara" I beam.

We spend 15 minutes on the phone talking of when, where and what time. Luckily she lived half an hour from me so picking her up wouldn't be too bad.

When the day came, it all fell into place. I drove to her getting there 5 minutes early and when she opened the door to my nervous but happy face she enveloped me in a hug.

"Jen?" She mumbled through the embrace to confirm my identity. It was safe to say her voice was beautiful and angelic and her looks enforced that idea.

The date was smooth and although I thought we were just friends for the time being, her hand fitted into mine well enough to say we were made for eachother. We ate and I payed, ignoring Clara's call of halves. We then walked down the streets to the beautiful park hand in hand where on an old bench did we confess.

"I know I havent known you for long, but I feel there is something here." She sniles gesturing between us. I gladly feel the same and I tell her so.

We spoke of ourselves and pur lives, our jobs and pass times. By the time we made it back to my car the time was well past 11. I drove carefully and when we reached her home I opened the door for her and escorted her to her door. She unlocked it first before stepping in to address me.

"Its been a wonderful night" she smiles.

"It has indeed." My smile is uncontained and when we make eye contact she lets out a small giggle.

"I hope to see you again." It was not a question from her but a statement. I nod in response and in her doorway she pulls me closer to her before pressing her lips to mine, gentle and slow is how she kisses.

Once parted I bid her goodnight and she did the same, allowing me to kiss her this time which left me only wanting more as I drove home. I could still smell her perfume in my car and it was making me giddy, like a small child and their first crush.

Top Ten Tuesday - Most Anticipated Releases For The Second Half Of The Year

The Smaller Evil by Stephanie Kuehn

This Raging Light by Estelle Laure

Heartless by Marissa Meyer

A World Without You by Beth Revis 

It Ends With Us - by Colleen Hoover

Three Dark Crowns by Kendare Blake

Leave Me by Gayle Forman

Solutions And Other Problems by Allie Brosh                                                                                                       Spare And Found Parts by Sarah Maria Griffin

Look Past by Eric Devine

Top Ten Tuesday is a weekly meme hosted by The Broke And The Bookish



Mistwalker - Saundra Mitchell

Synopsis:

When Willa Dixon’s brother dies on the family lobster boat, her father forbids Willa from stepping foot on the deck again. With her family suffering, she’ll do anything to help out—even visiting the Grey Man.

Everyone in her small Maine town knows of this legendary spirit who haunts the lighthouse, controlling the fog and the fate of any vessel within his reach. But what Willa finds in the lighthouse isn’t a spirit at all, but a young man trapped inside until he collects one thousand souls.

Desperate to escape his cursed existence, Grey tries to seduce Willa to take his place. With her life on land in shambles, will she sacrifice herself?


Review:

I won this copy from a giveaway a long time ago and I've only just gotten around to reading it. I wasn't sure on what to expect, the synopsis gave me a vague image that Grey would get his own way and Willa will take his place but i have to say I'm really happy with how it actually turned out.

Mistwalker is written with two points of view, the pattern shifts between Willa Dixon and Grey. I loved the chapters written from Grey’s POV, he has been trapped by a curse, forced to now live in the lighthouse for the last 100. The chapters written from his POV almost had a poetic quality, i guess i put this quality down to him being distinctively 100 years older than Willa and so he was portrayed that way. It is Willa’s narrative that makes the book though, her story is of sadness, grief and guilt. For the loss of her brother, for the future she thinks she no longer has. Her love for her family shines through as does her love for fishing. I absolutely loved how Willa believed in the traditional ways of their fishing community and wanted to maintain that.

I also loved how other characters her age didn't think the same way as she did, her best friend is off to college whilst handling her relationship with her partner over a long distance as her girlfriend is also attending college. That is not a future that Willa wants for herself and that's…ok. I loved that, it made her more of a unique character, she was set on a goal and would strive to reach it,

One fateful night Willa's actions results in the death of her brother and not only that but the aftermath leaves Willa’s future shattered at her feet. That’s when her mind starts to wonder and she thinks about the Grey Man.
Legends say that there's a spirit who haunts the unreachable lighthouse and controls the fog. The truth is that there is a young man who is made of mist but is still very real, who is cursed to be trapped in the lighthouse until he collects one thousand souls, or until someone takes his place.

When Willa’s thoughts come to him, he sets his sights on her being the next Grey Lady.

One of the most brilliant twists is how at first Grey hopes to seduce Willa so she can sacrifice herself for love and set him free until he realises that this approach won't work on her and so he goes with the truth instead (or at least some of truth).   

A great thing about Mistwalker is the incredible setting. Saundra clearly excels at setting a scene and really pulls you into the scenes. I loved her descriptions of the sea, the town, and the island with the lighthouse. It made me feel like I was there with Willa. When the fog rolled in, I can recall my eyes fogging over in a sense. A truly immersive description throughout really helps you hold onto the story.

I give the book an overall 5/5, the ending was nowhere close to what I was thinking was going to happen. I truly enjoyed the book and would happily re read it over and over.

Guest Post: Jean Nicole Rivers Talks About Getting Your Book Ready For Publishing.

This week instead of my usual writing prompt, I'm here with a quest post with Jean. For those who don't know Jean Nicole Rivers is a published author, her most recent book, Black Water Tales :The Unwanted is a truly gripping and nail biting experience.

Today Jean wants to share 3 of the most important tips when it comes to getting your work published for the 1st or maybe the 7th time.

Getting Your Book Ready for Publishing

Getting your book ready for publishing is a broad topic and in this post I am taking a very wide-ranging approach that considers the key elements that you must tackle to make sure that your book will be ready for publishing from day one.

1. The Good Story: Before you even begin writing your book you need to be certain that you have a story that the general population or at least a niche population will find interesting and want to read. All of our stories sound great to us and of course mom, thinks they’re awesome, but unfortunately that is not enough. It is imperative that you put together an extensive outline or synopsis and get the opinions of people who don’t know you and have nothing invested in telling you only what you want to hear. This is where the beta reader comes into play. Beta readers are inexpensive and impartial and can read your story and tell you, immediately, what is good about the story and what is…not so good. Catching these components that are not so good early on is going to save you a ton of disappointment later.

2. Extensive editing: Editing is more than likely going to be your biggest expense (before you get to marketing), but it is undeniably the most imperative. Nothing turns a reader off more than errors. Don’t get me wrong, nothing is perfect. I find mistakes in books published by the mammoth publishing houses all of the time, but your aim during the writing process should be to remove as many errors as possible. If you spend the money anywhere on your book, spend it here! This is where it counts.

3. A dazzling book cover: Last but not least, is your book cover. Make it amazing. One of the age-old book arguments is whether or not to judge a book by its cover and whether or not you should, the fact of the matter is many people do and will. The cover of your book is its calling card. Before a person can read the name of your book or the blurb, the first thing that they see is the graphic image that is on the front, the colors, the font and all of these elements should speak to your potential buyer immediately, else you risk losing the reader.

There are countless vital components and concerns when preparing a book for publishing, but the ones above are crucial and special care should be taken with them in order to ensure the success of the novel you have worked so hard to give to the world.

Follow/ stay up to date and contact Jean using the following links.

Jean Nicole Rivers

www.jeannicolerivers.com

www.facebook.com/JNicoleRivers/

@JeanNicole19 (Instagram and Twitter)

www.goodreads.com/author/show/5832487.Jean_Nicole_Rivers

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCOU4nXpJy5vMTkWOhjuS5yQ

Check out Jean's Black Water Tales so far here:

Black Water Tales: The Unwanted: http://tinyurl.com/zacbfcl

Black Water Tales: The Secret Keepers: http://tinyurl.com/zvoyfgq

Top Ten Tuesday - Ten Reasons To Watch The Walking Dead

 

10 Reasons To Watch The Walking Dead.

1. Daryl Dixon.

2. Awesome Kills

3. Moments Like This.

4. Your heart needs breaking at least once more.

5. Serious Giggles

6.  Reminders

7. Great Fires.

8. Troubled Friendship

9. Family

10. Cliffhangers Galore

Top Ten Tuesday is a weekly meme hosted by The Broke And The Bookish

No Rest For The Wicked - Dane Cobain

Synopsis:

When the Angels attack, there’s NO REST FOR THE WICKED.
Father Montgomery, an elderly priest with a secret past, begins to investigate after his parishioners come under attack, and with the help of Jones, a young businessman with an estranged child, Montgomery begins to track down the origin of the Angels.
The Angels are naked and androgynous. They speak in a dreadful harmony with no clear leader. These aren’t biblical cherubs tasked with the protection of the righteous – these are deadly creatures of light that have the power to completely eradicate.
When Jones himself is attacked, Father Montgomery knows he has to act fast. He speaks to the Angels and organises a final showdown where he’s asked to make the ultimate sacrifice.




Review:

I went into reading this book with no expectations and an open mind.  I was thankful for going in and approaching this book that way because it really made everything so much more unexpected and exciting.

The story kicks off really early on in the book and progressed at a quick and very exciting pace. NRFTW passed between point of views between the main character and those play a short amount of time in the story. I believe the mix of point of view really helps bring the story together as without the changes between POV's would have made the whole story confusing.

You'd believe that the angels come to help you, guard and guide you, but here in the land of Dane Cobain you could not be any further from that. In NRFTW the Angels come for one purpose, to cleanse the earth of those who have sinned. They do not lead you away up the long winding stairs, they reach you burning  each and every piece of you until nothing is left except for a pyramid of ash.

They are made of light, released by a new scientific advancement which I loved, it helped the story feel more realistic as the story wasn't just, the angels came did what they needed and left, no it doesn't go that way which it lovely.

No Rest For The Wicked did exactly what it needed to do, you open the book the story kicks in reaches its end, done. You would think that as a small book you wouldn't be able to do that well but Dane can and does, even if you're a busy person, this book respects that.

I love the work Dane creates and that alone earns this book a 5/5 but here the rating also comes from the book contents itself, its face paced and understandable, a little too graphic for some and even has a twist near the end which wraps the story up really nicely.