The Prodigal by Michael Hurley Review and Giveaway

The Prodigal Pride, betrayal, forgiveness . . . and the eternal sea.  The Prodigal tells the mystical tale of four people on Ocracoke Island whose destiny is tied to an abandoned schooner, thought to have been lost at sea more than a century ago, that one day drifts ashore.  Marcus O’Reilly, a renegade Catholic priest, must confront his inner demons.  Ibrahim Joseph, a Bahamian fugitive, must face his past.  Aidan Sharpe, a fallen lawyer, struggles with self-doubt and his growing affection for Molly McGregor, a fearless towboat captain who cannot find the courage to love.  They will all be drawn into a 2,000-year-old mystery that unfolds with the reappearance of the ship in the debut novel by Michael Hurley that Kirkus calls ”stirring, romantic and evocative of the sea’s magic.”

My Review:
This was a book about being lost and getting found. I really liked the Bermuda Triangle like aspect of the book. A ship lost at sea fascinates me. I like to wonder where it went, what it saw, and what other great finds were around. Where was the Schooner for all that time? Each of the people mentioned above are interlaced with the history of this ship, and their futures depend on finding out the truth. I loved the mystery and drama. The characters were great and I wanted to tell Molly not to lose her heart like the ship was lost. I was also drawn to the cover. Who is on the front? I loved that each character had  their own agendas and as the book progressed I started to guess at the mystery and how they were involved. I kept guessing to the end and I hope that there is a sequel. I am giving this book a 5/5. I was given a copy to review via the Book Reviewer Yellow Pages and the author, however all opinions are my own.
The author has also provided a copy in print for me to giveaway. Please enter here:

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Sectors by Harule Stokes Review and Giveaway

A murder has been committed in Westwood. Joseph Marshall, a newly graduated NextGen operative is sent to investigate the only suspect - one of the last remaining Fallen. Will he live long enough to solve the murder or die by the hands of one of the most powerful living weapons ever created?

During the Great War, the Northern Alliance was losing ground to its southern neighbor, Keynosa. The Keynosians were a people whose entire society was built around the manipulation of plant life. Unable to stem the overwhelming power of the Keynosian’s greatest weapon, the empowered soldier, the North made a desperate gamble, to create their own empowered. Thousands of volunteers offered their lives to the experiment in a process called The Sacrifice. From those thousands who gave themselves for their country, only a few hundred emerged, changed. They became the Fingers of God, the world’s most powerful living weapons. With the war over, these heroes, having fought and killed for their country, could not maintain their grip on reality. The process that created them corroded their minds, and they were given the moniker of Fallen. Their legacy continues on in their children, the NextGen.
Now more than 70 years after the war's end, the threat of the Keynosian remains. The progeny of the Fallen are tasked with securing a massive series of concentration camps called the Sectors. Constructed after the Great War, the Sectors hold the surviving Keynosian people and their living weapons, the empowered. With the Fallen lost, what can the Northern Alliance do to contain this threat? Their solution is the Peacemaker collar. A thin ring of metal, it gives a steady dose of a powerful drug that inhibits the potential of the empowered, but also rots the mind of the wearer.

In a world where morality is thrown to the wayside for the sake of security and the only path you can take are the one’s provided to you, is there a place where a young man can rise above it all?

My Review:
This was a read like none other for me. Ir is about so many different things. However at the core is a man's desire to save the world. No matter how messed up it is from future generations. Man will do anything to win a war. That is a well known fact from history. We have had Genocides, stealing of land and resources, terrorists and of course weapons of mass destruction. The author took a few of these things to make a killing machine. This has been done before in Terminator (man and machine), Total Recall, and others. However I can not remember when the empowered were involved with plantlife. I also thought a lot about being a sacrifice. Is that not what we ask of our soldiers? We ask them to sacrifice their families and often their lives. This was a really good book about needing to save everyone, when you have everything to live for. This was a little too long for me, and I would have liked it as maybe a trilogy. However it is the descriptions that made this book worth the read. I am giving this book a 4/5. I was given a copy to review through the Book Reviewer Yellow Pages and the author. However all opinions are my own.
The author has also provided a print copy that I can give away to a lucky reader. Please enter here:
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The Thousand Year Curse by Taylor Lavati Review and Giveaway

The Thousand Year Curse is a fantasy novel, based off Greek Mythology. Here is the back cover blurb...

Being a teenager isn't all fun and games for seventeen year old Ryder. After being thrown down the social heirarchy, Ryder Mason has one goal for her senior year--survive. Within the first month, Ryder goes from bullied teen to a cursed half goddess with two boyfriends. As if that wasn't enough, she travels into the Underworld to confront Hades about the curse and her missing mother. Ryder delves head first into a Godly world as her knights fight to seek her approval, her best friend's loyalities are tested and people's true intentions are shown in the Taylor Lavati's wondrous first Curse Books novel.

My Review:

I was really excited when I got the opportunity to review this book. First of all the writer is 22. She also lives in my state of Connecticut. For some reason I like to have authors in CT because they get my weather, etc. Second, I love mythology. This book had a great love triangle. I thought that it was awesome that the author brought Greek Gods into 2013. It was fun to have them drive and use modern technology. Ryder was a wonderful character. She has no idea who she really is. As memories start to come back the ante gets raised and her boyfriends start to show their true selves. As the book progressed I was not sure who I wanted to end up with Ryder. I do not want to tell you what Greek Gods they are because I guessed wrong, and I want you to have the opportunity to guess right. I did not like the end because it was a big cliffhanger. I would have liked a definite end to an aspect of Ryder's life, rather than starting something new. I hope Junior gets a sexy girlfriend in the next book! He is the very best friend any girl could have. I thought that Ryder's dad was cool. He went with the flow, and loves Ryder. He wants what is best for her. The ending opened up the book for so many possibilities that I can not wait to see what new characters and Gods are introduced. 

I could definitely relate to surviving High School! I am giving this book a 4/5. I was given a copy to review by the author through the reviewer yellow pages, however all opinions are my own. 

Giveaway:
The author is giving away an ebook copy of this book to a lucky reader! Please enter here:

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