The Haunted Mine


Carrie Bates - 2019
    The pay is great, his men are welcoming, but who is that man he keeps seeing in the mines? As time goes on, the man's presence sparks chilling scenes. Lights go off in the mine, terrifying noises are heard, and money and tools go missing. When Adam is attacked, he thinks he's losing his mind as none of his men nearby see anything. Adam has only one choice - leave - before he meets the same fate as the mystery miner. But when the miner asks for help, Adam changes his mind, which may be the biggest mistake of his life.

The Cedar Post


Jack R. Rose - 2000
    It is not about terrorism, the holocaust, or understanding death. They are the framework for this heartwarming story about a never-a-serious-thought high school senior and his best friend, a Deaf-blind, legless old man, who teaches him how to capture and hold, The Pristine American Dream. Pristine, "Characteristics of the earliest period or condition: original: still pure: uncorrupted: unspoiled [Pristine beauty]." Webster's New World Dictionary. Sometime, somehow, somewhere, we, as a people, stopped living and dreaming The Pristine American Dream as our Founding Fathers knew it. Like colors fading from a handkerchief long forgotten on a cedar post, the Dream has faded from our thoughts and aspirations. The change has been imperceptible, yet over time all of the brilliance has faded to the dull, uninspiring and common. The Pristine American Dream has taken on a different hue. To some, the American Dream has become a passionate search for easy wealth by hitting it big in the lottery, sweepstakes, a big lawsuit, or receiving an inheritance. To others it is landing a professional sports contract, or achieving prominence in politics, business or popularity without any thought to inherent rights. As important as these achievements may be to some people, The Pristine American Dream is much better. This story showcases The Pristine American Dream, which is those inalienable or inherent rights guaranteed to each American by virtue of their birth, and the diligence, hard work and determination required to obtain and enjoy the privileges of life. Simply put, inherent rights are the rights to be and to do good. Everything that is good is right, an inherent right. Nobody ever has the right to do bad; they only have the power to choose it. Many people see goodness as the result of religious dedication instead of the catalyst that fires the furnace of happiness. No matter what circumstances' individuals, families, communities or nations find themselves in, they always enjoy more peace of mind and happiness when they maintain their inherent rights. Privileges are the sweet things of life for which one must work to receive. This is a fiction story. The setting is Declo, Idaho during the years of 1966 and 1967. All the characters are fiction, but like many great fiction characters they may resemble living or dead individuals whose lives have impacted that of the author. Most family names are indigenous to the Declo community, yet there should not be any inference made that any of the characters are living or have ever lived. There are, however, certain authenthic individuals who make cameo appearances to add color to its historical setting.

All The Light We Cannot See: A Novel by Anthony Doerr - Reviewed


J.T. Salrich - 2015
    Salrich.Make reading better with… All the Light We Cannot See: A Novel by Anthony Doerr - Reviewed When Anthony Doerr wrote All the Light We Cannot See he created an instant “Classic” that has touched the hearts of millions of readers around the world. When you read this companion guide you will get a deeper understanding of the characters and plot found in All the Light We Cannot See, as well as the themes included in the novel. You also get a detailed chapter by chapter breakdown and analysis of the events as they unfold along with a glossary of the important characters and terms used in the original book. Just in case that’s not enough for you I’ve also included a list of possible study questions (book club discussions topics) and quotes from the book that I found interesting. Wrapping it all up is a discussion of the critical reviews for All the Light We Cannot See as well as my overall opinion of the book. Plus much more! This review/summary fills the gap, making you understand more while enhancing your reading experience of the original book. Whether you’re reading this for a book club, school report, or just want to find out what happens before diving into the full length book, you can use this book review and study guide to get most out of your experience reading All the Light We Cannot See by Anthony Doerr.

The Mage


A. Giannetti - 2011
    When his old enemy Drusus unexpectedly reappears, Elerian attempts to rid the countryside of an ancient danger. The resulting struggle taxes Elerian's strength and magical powers to the utmost. It also inadvertently rekindles his curiosity about his origins, which are shrouded in mystery. With his grandfather's encouragement, Elerian leaves the safe countryside where he grew up, embarking on a series of journeys to the wild lands to the north and east with the hope of finding information that will unlock the secrets of his past. During his travels, he encounters a variety of strange, sometimes magical creatures and finds himself thrust into one dangerous situation after another. Elerian discovers that the Goblins are stirring again in the Middle Realm and accidentally reveals himself to their Dark King, with disastrous consequences for himself and the two old men who raised him.If you enjoy reading The Mage, look for the release of The Warrior in August, 2012. It will be followed by The Dwarf Kingdoms, The Quest, and The War of the Rings.

The Man From Taured


Bryan W. Alaspa - 2015
    He carries a passport, driver’s license, papers, all of it looking legit. There’s just one thing that causes the customs agent to raise the alarm – the passport and license are from a country that does not, and has never, existed. That's the famous urban legend you may have heard before. It was just the start of the story... Then he vanishes. Noble Randle, working for Homeland Security, is called in to investigate. The solution, he figures, has to be something simple. What he does not know is that his life is about to change, that he has a very unique ability, and that the fate of this universe and thousands of others rests in his hands. The walls between dimensions and parallel universes are breaking down. Behind it is an evil as old as time itself. An evil that wants to devour every other universe and gain total control over everyone and everything. The Man from Taured is a story that ranges from horror, to action, mystery and suspense. An epic tale that wonders: is there more to this world than we know? Are there other universes, other dimensions, right nearby? Perhaps as close as a breath away. From suspense, horror and mystery writer Bryan W. Alaspa comes a tale that crosses generations, and dimensions. A story that will challenge your perception of reality itself, and keep you up late at night, afraid to answer the knock at the door. Who is THE MAN FROM TAURED?

Stranded


Angel Summers - 2018
    I was their best friend's little sis.  Now I'm all grown up - and they've taken notice. After a plane crash, we're left stranded on an island. But danger lurks in the lush green forest... And I'm left wondering if my fantasy will turn into a nightmare.    Despite the fear of never being rescued, I can't help but be excited.  I want them.  All of them.  And from the looks of it, they want me too.  They're more than just my brother's best friends. They're the stars of my teenage dreams.  And now, my four hot bosses. But this tropical oasis is filled with dangerous secrets. And I might not live to play out my greatest fantasy ever. Can we survive paradise and find our way home to true bliss?

Arcane Era: Rise of the Combat Mage: An isekai light novel


Darren Hultberg Jr - 2021
    

The Starks Trilogy Box Set


Nesly Clerge - 2016
     BOOK 1 -- When The Serpent Bites "Downright Amazing." ―Bobbie Grob, Readers' Favorite "A fascinating read." ―John Murray, Pacific book review "A plethora of twisted and suspenseful events." ―San Francisco Book Review "An arresting prison tale about penance.” ―Kirkus Reviews Frederick Starks has it all—a gorgeous wife who was his high school sweetheart, three beautiful children, a mansion and cars others envy, millions in the bank, respected in his community, admired by his employees, loved and respected by loyal friends. He revels in the hard-earned power and control he’s acquired. As the saying goes, “All that glitters is not gold,” which Starks discovers when gut-wrenching betrayal by his wife sends him over the edge and into a maximum security prison. There, Starks is a new “fish,” stripped of nearly everything he’s always relied on. In that place, where inmates and guards have their own rules and codes of conduct, Starks is forced to face the darker side of life, and his own darker side, especially when the betrayals, both inside and outside the prison, don’t stop. He must choose which path to follow when the line between right and wrong becomes blurred: one that leads to getting out of the physical and emotional hellhole he finds himself in or one that keeps him alive. BOOK 2 -- When The Dragon Roars "When the Dragon Roars is an absolutely riveting read, full of surprising twists and turns and brilliant writing. The chapters are short; the dialogue realistic; the characters believable and the plot gripping." —Viga Boland, Readers' Favorite "With tight, crisp prose and realistic dialogue, the author keeps the pace of his tome moving at highway speed. His characters are finely etched both physically and emotionally. Clerge knows the story he wants to tell, and he tells it in a way that is both involving and entertaining." —Joe Kilgore, Pacific Book Review "Brimming with twists, turns, and non-stop drama, When The Dragon Roars by Nesly Clerge is a thriller ideal for any fan of prison-noir." —Veronica Alvarado, Bestseller's World Secrets and lies force their way to the surface in Nesly Clerge’s newest novel of deception, crime, and buried history. Frederick Starks thought he’d already lost as much as one man could: A beautiful family, the luxurious life wealth provides, success, admiration—all stripped from him in one moment of madness that resulted in a fifteen-year sentence in a maximum security prison. Certain that life has gotten as bad as it can get, Starks contrives a way to rise to the top of the inmate hierarchy. But his assumption is wrong. Amid stunning revelations, betrayals, and violence, Starks faces one challenge after another, until a life-altering event forces him into the most brutal confrontation of all: the truth about himself.

FIGHTING FOR SURVIVAL: It's survival of the fittest in a Post-Apocalyptic world (Pandemic Virus Series Book 1)


Brian J. Savage - 2020
    

Sol Survivors


Ken Benton - 2019
    That’s all the notice America gets of a fast-approaching solar storm so unprecedented in scale it sets the geomagnetic scientists in a panic. Many citizens don’t have the resources, or even the concern, to take preparatory measures for the overhyped-sounding warnings that life as they know it is about to be over. Joel McConnell, a self-made Washington DC businessman and survival hobbyist, is not one of those. But bugging out with his culture-loving girlfriend before the solar flare hits proves to be a too much of a challenge on such short notice. With the power grid suddenly destroyed, most modern electronics fried, and cities quickly descending into utter turmoil, they find the 500-mile journey to Joel’s well-stocked rural retreat a maze littered with opportunistic criminals and increasing hostility. That isn’t all. It soon becomes evident the sun storm did more than plunge the western world into darkness and civil unrest. It left something equally sinister behind. Something that feeds the human compulsion for disunity to such extremes it makes the recent political divisiveness in America look like harmonic brotherhood by comparison. With the effects worsening daily, Joel learns the highway is but one treacherous adversary he must defeat. Others can sprout where you least expect them.

Reluctant Regency Brides: Collection


Claudia Stone - 2018
     The Duke of Ruin When Lord Greene wagers his daughter's hand in marriage in a card game, no one is less surprised the woman herself. The only thing that shocks Olive is that the man that he has gambled her away to is none other than The Duke of Ruin. Rumours abound that the Sixth Duke of Everleigh callously murdered his late wife and killed her lover in a duel --and now Olive is to become his bride. Ruan Ashford took one look at Olive Greene and knew that he had to have her in his bed. The beautiful, auburn-haired temptress will make a perfect Duchess; there's only one problem - his new wife despises him. When a chance arises for Olive to disappear she readily grabs hold of it, and soon the Duke of Ruin is hunting the Cornish countryside for his runaway bride. When he finds her can he convince her that he's not the dreadful villain the world thinks him to be and that his love for her is real? The Lord of Heartbreak Miss Jane Deveraux is in a bind; her brother, Viscount Jarvis, has married and his new wife does not want her bookish sister-in-law encroaching on their wedded bliss. The Viscountess makes it very clear that Jane must find a husband, but at five and twenty the confirmed spinster doesn’t have many suitors lining up to claim her hand. What Jane needs is a large sum of money, so that she can buy the local boarding house, and live out her days holding intellectual saloons for the egalitarian set. Though where she’ll find this money is anyone’s guess… James Fairweather, Lord Payne is the heir to the Ducal seat of Hawkfield. Tall, handsome and with a roguish charm that has women falling at his feet, he should be living the easy life of an entitled bachelor. The only problem is that his father has tired of his rakish ways and declares that unless Payne cleans up his act he will be disinherited. What Payne needs is a respectable —dare he say boring— woman whom he can parade around for a season to convince his father that he has changed his ways. The only person who fits the bill is his friend’s sister Jane, who reluctantly agrees to go along with the charade —for a price, of course. The Marquess of Temptation Since her father’s death, Miss Hestia B. Stockbow has been living a lie. Working as a companion, under an assumed name, all she wants to do is keep her head down and forget about the scandalous tragedy that haunts her past. There’s only one problem… After two delicious, stolen kisses, the usually icy and aloof Alexander Delaney, Marquess of Falconbridge, finds himself entranced by Belinda Bowstock, a lowly paid companion. When he discovers that she is, in fact, his missing ward, Alex realises there's only one thing he can do: Marry the chit and help her solve the mystery of her father's suspicious death. The Captain of Betrayal At the age of eight and twenty, Polly Jenkins has happily resigned herself to the life of a spinster. Many years ago, a young man broke her heart, and she has guarded it fiercely ever since. Polly's life, on the coast of Cornwall, is one of peaceful happiness--until, that is, Captain James Black arrives at her door. The young man she once knew is gone, replaced by a dashing Captain--one who is determined to marry her, and who won't take no for an answer...

Chastity Falls: Box Set


L.A. Cotton - 2017
    But then she meets the mysterious Jackson. She shouldn’t want him. He definitely shouldn’t want her. Before they know it, it’s too late, and their attraction sparks a series of events that neither of them could have predicted. Loyalties will be tested, lies will be told. Welcome to Chastity Falls. ~ Box Set includes: Loyalty and Lies Salvation and Secrets Tribulation and Truths Redemption and Regrets … and the brand new novella: Penance and Promises

Siege at Hawthorn Lake: Murder on the Mountain


Paul G. Buckner - 2015
    He thought the small, peaceful valley miles away from the busy resort town of Hawthorn would be the perfect setting for his work. He invites two of his closest friends to stay a few weeks to do some hunting in the rugged and remote area. After their arrival, Troy gives them a tour around the property and plans are made to get an early start the next day. Morning arrives quickly and the eager hunters head out to their tree stands to settle in for a long hunt. Soon, an unexpected storm front moves in, and they are forced off the mountain. As they begin making their way down, they are suddenly and viciously attacked by a beast they can't believe is real. Separated from the others, badly injured and desperate to escape, Troy attempts to go for help. The winter storm makes the drive down the mountain road extremely treacherous and with his injuries making it more difficult, he loses control and wrecks his Jeep. He is found unconscious by a snow plow driver and wakes up days later in a hospital bed. Troy tells the unbelievable and horrifying story of the cryptid encounter on the mountain and desperately pleads for help for the friends he was forced to leave behind. Believing it to be a sensationalized story geared at publicity, the sheriff all but dismisses Troy's unbelievable claims, but when a search uncovers the body of one of the men and the other one missing, Troy becomes the prime suspect. How can he prove his innocence when the real killer isn't supposed to exist?

Stories I've Heard, Characters I've Met, & Lies We've Told in My 44 Alaskan Years


Tom Brion - 2016
    An Off the Grid lodge owner in Fish Lakes, Alaska, Tom enthralls roomfuls of guests every year from the Lower 48 and around the world with tales of his adventures, foibles, and SNAFUs in 44 years living in the Alaskan wilderness. From his start as a Pennsylvania farmboy who ran off to join the United States Air Force, to his arrival in Alaska with less than a hundred dollars in his wallet and a growing family in his back seat, to his forty years as a Bush pilot and his accidental introduction to the fishing lodge business, to his multiple brushes with death, hardship, and questionable characters, Tom Brion has a story to cover it all. A pioneer in sustainable homesteading and off-the-Grid living, Tom Brion built his first lodge in Alaska on five acres in the Lake Creek area, in 1979, and continues to this day building and working heavy machinery 60 miles from any road. Born in 1941, Tom has collected 74 years of humorous, heart-wrenching, and sometimes mind-blowing stories of traveling, hunting, and exploring the backcountry of Alaska in the pilot’s seat of a Vietnam-era Cessna Birddog. A biography in the form of short life stories, Tom Brion’s memoir takes us to a rural Bush life where people live off the land, drill their own wells, put out their own forest fires, and depend on their neighbors to pick up their mail. Surrounded by nature, Tom continues to fly, plow, run his bulldozer, and wrangle his subsistence fishwheel up the river every year in the Skwentna area of Alaska, where temperatures in winter drop to 45 below zero and summers can see entire months without rain. Follow him in this (mostly) nonfiction anthology of (somewhat) true stories from the Last Frontier as he gives the straight scoop about bears, outhouses, farming, flooding, fishing, moose, guns, and aviation in the 49th State.An avid hunter, outdoorsman, fisherman, and jack of all trades, Tom documents his life with photos and illustrations that detail an epic adventure from start to finish.

The Third Son


S.E. Green - 2021
    . . .Architect Carter Grady is constructing his most prized design—a family. Two years after marrying his deceased best friend’s wife, Tori, he’s ready to officially adopt her two sons, independent Daniel, twelve, and sweet five-year-old Nathan. All he needs to do is sign the legal paperwork. But a phone call changes everything.A one-night stand from over a decade ago died in a freak accident and Carter now learns two things: the random stranger’s name . . . and that they share a ten-year-old son, Frances. With adultlike affectations and a fondness for wearing bow ties, the exceedingly charming and fiercely intelligent boy is unlike other children. And he’s biologically Carter’s—a seemingly impossible dream.Yet behind the ready smile, perfectly parted hair, and need to please, something’s off with Frances. There’s a cunning calculation behind his moves, an effortless talent for lying, and a dark curiosity in others’ pain. But as Carter and Tori learn about the shocking conditions of Frances’ isolated childhood, Carter is even more determined to do right by his son.When “accidents” soon escalate, with Daniel and Nathan caught in the middle, Tori’s budding suspicions and maternal paranoia grow. Could evil reside in the form of a little boy? And who—or what—have they invited into their home, their trust, their sense of safety?