Levels of Deception by Susan Schreyer

Levels of Deception written by Susan Schreyer is book 2 in the Thea Campbell Mystery Series. Once again we get to hang out with some of our favorite characters — Thea Campbell, our favorite accountant super sleuth; Paul Hudson, the resident hunky paleontologist and Thea’s love interest; Juliet, Thea’s prevaricating and spunky younger sister; Aunt Vi, the practical cooking aunt who believes Thea’s horse is psychic, and of course, Blackie, the intuitive Hanoverian gelding.

The story opens with Thea enjoying the blush of a new-ish romance. The object of her affections, Dr. Paul Hudson, is away in Montana on a field procedures class dig site. Thea is still in Washington in Snohomish when she gets an email from him asking for her help. Fossils have been stolen from his dig site and the site has been pretty much destroyed. In order to reformat the start of his class, he needs some pictures of fossils taken and emailed to him pronto. Things should be a piece of cake, but Thea hits a bit of a snag when some of the fossils on her list are mysteriously missing. Determined though she is to complete her task, the fossils are no where to be found, and when she goes back to Seattle and the Burke Museum for another foray, she arrives to discover that a dead body has been found in the archives building — the very place she needed to go. To make matters worse, Paul is under suspicion for the murder.

Yet try as Thea might not to get involved, she gets drawn into the mystery, and it becomes clear to her that if she doesn’t do something, things are going to go very badly for Paul. She devises a plan to help the man she loves, feeling that it is something she just simply must do. Only there is a problem with her plan, and that problem is Paul. He is determined to make sure she doesn’t put herself in danger again by playing detective, much to Thea’s dismay. And other than the dangers to her life, he proves to be the biggest obstacle in her bid to save him.

When circumstances make it necessary for her to leave Washington to join Paul in Montana at the dig site, things aren’t at all peachy. And just when you think Thea should be safe, we realize that danger has dogged her heels.

Amidst the flurry of visiting parents and a marriage to be planned, a mystery is a foot, and you just know that Thea will be unable to resist getting to the bottom of things.  Despite the peril and jeopardy she faces, and the fact that her relationship could be destroyed as well, Thea will still do what she must to protect the man she loves.

This romantic whodunnit is filled with humor, witty dialogue, a dash of the paranormal, surprises, lessons in paleontology and riding, and of course a bit of horse talk and practicality that Susan Schreyer fans have come to love. There’s some shocking drama, family secrets and arguments that will make your head reel as much from astonishment as from hilarity. I laughed out loud more than a few times and found myself in a jaw dropping state a time or two and exclaiming OMG! Yet there are also moments of tenderness and familial loyalty that will make your eyes smart with emotion. The problems that Thea and Paul face will have you wondering if their relationship is strong enough to remain intact. It will also have you wondering about the age old question about trust and relationships.

Levels of Deception is a worthy follow up to Schreyer’s first novel and will leave you feeling eager to discover what is next on the horizon for super sleuth Thea Campbell.

Levels of Deception is available for download at Smashbooks.

Visit Susan Schreyer Mysteries at http://susanschreyer.com, Things I Learned From My Horse – blog http://thingsilearnedfrommyhorse.blogspot.com, and Writing Horses – blog http://writinghorses.blogspot.com. You can also follow her on Twitter @SusanSchreyer.

St. Martin's Moon by Marc Vun Kannon

Werewolves on a lunar colony is a story premise I have never heard before. St. Martin’s Moon by Marc Vun Kannon is published by Echelon Press and grants a new twist to a legendary supernatural creature.

Major Joseph Marquand is Triple-S a.k.a. Special System Services. His specialty? Hunting werewolves. A surprise mission for the “lupe hunter” cuts short his vacation before it even begins. There’s been a werewolf attack on the moon. It’s his mission to get to the bottom of things and do what he does best. Plagued by haunting memories, Marquand arrives at the lunar colony Coventry Base and meets the alluring Candace. She’s the Head of Communications on the base and she makes it hard for Marquand to focus on his duties alone. She’s also a woman who can’t allow herself to get involved because she has secrets. Trying not to mix business with pleasure, Marquand sets himself to the task at hand, only to find that someone or something is watching him. Just who the mysterious observers are, Marquand can’t quite put his finger on. To make matters worse, not everyone is thrilled that he’s there. In fact, someone’s trying to kill him, and just who he can trust is difficult to discover. Marquand is in a fight for his life, haunted by a past that might have the power to destroy him or save him.

St. Martin’s Moon opens with quick action and I was hard pressed to keep pace. I kept wondering who the mysterious observers were, what they were doing, and what they wanted. I also started to wonder if Marquand was haunted or if some sort of strange space madness was afflicting him. I felt an unnerving sense of isolation as I read the story, and began to feel that Coventry Base was a place of exile and that no one was safe in space. That just be being in space one was in mortal danger. Through Vun Kannon’s writing style, I sensed that Coventry was a place unlike any other that harbored a huge and devastating secret. Before I was done reading St. Martin’s Moon, I like Marquand, began to question everything I knew about werewolves.

St. Martin’s Moon is a futurustic/paranormal hybrid that’s heavy on the future. Heavier than I’m used to reading, but promises to be satisfying for all the futuristic buffs out there as there is no end to the neat gadgets and the St. Martin’s Moon futuristic environment. Marc Vun Kannon has added an interesting element not only to the story idea of lycanthropes existing on the moon, but also to lycanthrope evolution. This is the future after all, and there is an inherent progression even for “supes” in Marc Vun Kannon’s universe.

St. Martin’s Moon will be available as a 127 page EBook (ISBN 978-159080-685-2) May 2011 and is a futuristic paranormal story with werewolves and a dash of romance.

Author Marc Vun Kannon

Marc Vun Kannon is the author of a myriad of books. Some of his titles include Unbinding the Stone and A Warrior Made, books one and two respectively in the Flame in the Bowl series. All titles are available for purchase now.

The Gotterhrling Goblet by Mark Sheldon Book 2 in The Noricin Chronicles

The Gottlehrling Goblet is the second of 12 installments in The Noricin Chronicles series by author Mark Sheldon. This tale brings you deeper into the mythology of the Norcinites and Dan Regal. Danger and mystery surround him and his friends at Snisnar school, and once again, Dan must defend his very life from the nefarious Scorpion.

School is in session at Snisnar and we are met with familiar faces. Dan has spent his summer alone at the school except for the company of Mr. Loeren who is teaching him to master defensive and offensive skills. When the students arrive back from summer break at Snisnar, Dan, Mike and Shelley are pleased to no longer be freshman. They face the new year with eager excitement until they discover the identity of a new faculty member and their class schedule.

Dan is experiencing the thrills of his first crush, the aggravation of dealing with bullies and enemies, and the threat to his life and those around him that he cares about. As he begins to hone his skills, it seems that the threat of the Scorpion is ever present and casting a foreboding pall over the school. Indeed it seems that the Scorpion is becoming ever more bold and gaining in strength. The attacks on the school and its inhabitants are also happening ever more fast and furious.The Scorpion is once again using his power to possess anyone he sees fit, and strange happenings and danger seem to be lurking around every corner. Though Dan’s life is in ever present jeopardy, he still focuses on his studies, determined to thwart the Scorpion. It is clear that the Scorpion and his evil minions the Dirae will stop at nothing to succeed in their malevolent plans. Before the year is over, Dan will be grateful for those he counts as friends and allies.

As we delve deeper into the Noricin mythos, we encounter poisonous Dragon Tears, Memorfictation, the origins of the Margatheans, and the Norcinite and Commen rift, the NDL and the Nemenites, and of course, the legendary Gotterhrling Goblet. The goblet is a Noricin heirloom, fabled to be possessed of miraculous healing powers and a gift so powerful that all men seek it. It is also rumored to be hidden within the walls of Snisnar. It becomes apparent that if given the chance, the Scorpion will use this heirloom for his own depraved and corrupt intentions. The extent of his evil will shock you as you discover a disturbing link between Norcinites who have embraced evil and history’s most prolific serial killers.

Amongst the challenges of final exams, the distraction of first love, riddles and secrets, mystery and murder, how will Dan and his friends manage to survive? The only thing that is for certain is that the Scorpion is hell bent on destroying Dan and the knowledge that not everyone will make it out alive.

To find out who survives the school year and if Dan will live to fulfill his destiny, you’ll have to read Book 2 of The Noricin Chronicles The Gotterhrling Goblet, but only if you dare. Available March 9, 2011, visit http://noricin.webs.com/ for more information.

Check out author Mark Sheldon’s YouTube channel and follow @Mark_Sheldon122 on Twitter! You can also connect with him on Facebook.

Origins A Demonkin Novel by Sean Hayden

As the title suggests, Origins, the first title in the Demonkin series written by Sean Hayden, lays down the foundation for this intriguing new paranormal mythos filled with supes of all kinds. Vampires are alive and well in Chicago — they are also out in the open and working in law enforcement. In Origins, author Sean Hayden introduces us to a new breed of vampire, making us question everything we think we know about them.

Ashlyn is a 17 year old vampire, or so she thinks, recently orphaned for the second time in her life by tragic events. Alone and naïve to the world, Ashlyn is forced to leave the security of the only home she has ever known and risk the perils of the outside world and the creatures of the night. Unguided and alone, Ashlyn is driven by her hunger for blood without a suitable source to appease it. After an incident only a fledgling could find themselves in, Ashlyn is taken prisoner not once, not twice, but three times. But it seems the third time is the charm as she is first interrogated by, and then offered a place within the FBI fold.

Ashlyn becomes a warrior in training, honing her numerous natural skills and abilities. She enters a sort of supernatural boot camp, learning everything she needs to know to become part of the FBI’s paranormal elite squad, a force intended to police other supes who break the law. Sean Hayden takes us along as Ashlyn is put through her paces; and as she learns about herself, we are treated to a look at what it takes to join the FBI if you are a supe. We’re also given a fascinating look from a technical viewpoint as Origins delves into scientific reasoning and classifications of vampires.

Free from her safe yet cloistered life, Ashlyn begins to figure out just who and what she is. And though she finds she is a perfect fit for a life dedicated to fighting bad guys, she is also faced with more questions and surprises about who and what she is and just where exactly she came from. She is a fledging not yet in full command or having full knowledge of all her abilities.

Even so, it isn’t long before Ashlyn is on her first assignment. Dead bodies, human and supe are piling up around Chicago, and it is up to Ashlyn and her partner to find out who is responsible. She finds herself on the hunt for Cicero, Chicago’s Master Vampire, and quite possibly the master mind behind the murders. But coming out of hiding has put Ashlyn in jeopardy. She is unique to her race, the first of her kind to work for the FBI, which makes her and those around her a target. While searching for the killer, it becomes apparent that there is a very real chance she and her partner may not complete this assignment alive.

The beginning of this book opens in a way that made my toes curl with excitement, and will definitely leave you feeling a tad less secure in the seeming safety of our world from the entities that lurk in the ether. In Origins, Sean Hayden adds new lore to the vampire and supe mythos in a new and exciting way. This book is teeming with supernatural beings of all kinds and exposes us to a world where the supernatural is not only possible, but part of everyday, mainstream life.

Written with a refreshing humor, Origins will have you laughing and then have you surprised and horrified in the next breath. Origins will leave you wondering now that the foundations have been laid, where will Ashlyn go from here? Hopefully we won’t have long to wait.

Author Sean Hayden

Sean Hayden works in South Florida as a Fiber-optic Engineer for a cable communications company.

Born in the Suburbs of Chicago he relocated to Florida as a child, where he grew up and attended school at a small Catholic elementary and high school. It was there, in literature class, he fell in love with books. Vampires especially fascinated him as well as the realm of possibilities of the urban fantasy genre. This fascination gave birth to his first novel, Origins. The sequel, Deceptions is under contract and will be out later this year!

He lives at home with his wife, children, and a plethora of pets.

Follow @shaydenFL on Twitter and connect with him on Facebook!

HeartsBlood by Carolyn McCray

Carolyn McCray is your very first author on the Indie book Collective’s Blog Tour de Force.

From the clever pen of Carolyn McCray comes a paranormal adventure with a devastating romance that will leave you stunned. In HeartsBlood, McCray takes us to the beautiful city of San Francisco; from the gorgeous panorama of the Golden Gate Bridge, the lush and dense beauty of Golden Gate Park, to the bleak starkness of Alcatraz, McCray tells a story that will test the very boundaries of both your beliefs and disbeliefs in science, magic, and love.

Salista Calon is an emergency room doctor at the San Francisco General Hospital. Headstrong, dedicated, and practical, Sal believes in science and the logic that it brings. With a promising career ahead of her and engaged to a successful, respected, and handsome clinician, Sal is firmly entrenched in the world of reality. Until one night of horrific tragedy changes her life and her perceptions of the world around her forever.

Tyr Deadblood is a hunter and warrior from another place and another time; he is also a talented wielder of a magic known as Praxis. He is a man who’s purpose in life is to put an end to anything that disrupts the balance of existence. He is also a man who’s lineage is disdained, and his very existence is an abomination to the very people he is honor bound to protect. He is also haunted by a past of his own making that still has the power to torment him.

Tyr comes to Sal’s world to vanquish a terrible enemy, a creature that is killing innocent people. It is a horrendous creature consumed by hatred, searching for the power that it needs to destroy the worlds. Thrown together by danger, Sal and Tyr must work together to destroy a rabid beast that is literally consuming the memories of victims and bleeding them dry. Sal is challenged to believe that magic is the only way to destroy the beast, and that magic lies in the very essence of the blood that courses through the veins of man, woman, and child; if only she can discover how to harness it. Yet can Sal come to terms with the existence of magic in her world of science? And can she do this before the beast that hunts both herself and Tyr for the power of their HeartsBlood succeeds in destroying them?

Devastated by betrayal and death, Sal struggles to believe the reality of having Tyr in her life and the new world he has awoken her to. She bravely throws herself into danger to aid Tyr, but is she brave enough to surrender to love and risk the chance of losing it? Torn between duty and loyalty, Tyr must choose between honor and the woman that he loves. No matter the danger that lies ahead, Sal and Tyr test their bond, hoping that love will prove to be the strongest power of them all.

Right out of the gate, I knew that this book would challenge me to believe in the possibility of magic and the impossible. Is it possible to alter reality simply by using the mantra of mind over matter? My heart raced just knowing there was a paranormal terror on a rampage through San Francisco. Terror, intrigue, and magic became par for the course in this thriller. HeartsBlood is a unique, fast paced paranormal tale with an original storyline and a shocking twist of an ending that will leave you breathless.

HeartsBlood is available for download at Amazon and Smashwords!