Review: Edge of Night by Ann Gimpel

Edge of Night

Ann Gimpel

Paranormal/Horror/Sci-Fi/Romance
December 2016
Dream Shadow Press

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Here’s a roadmap to Edge of Night. Welcome to an eclectic collection of nine short stories.

You’ve done time at the edge of night. Nail-biting, stomach-churning time filled with hissing snarls, menacing growls, the whoosh of unnatural wings, and the flash of hellfire. Time that lasts forever, but is over within seconds because time becomes unpredictable in places like that. You don’t want to stay, but it’s too fascinating—in a grisly, macabre, toe-curling kind of way—to turn your back on.

You recognize it, though. The place just at the threshold of darkness where it’s not quite safe anymore. Evil broke its bounds at the edge of night, or maybe it always ran free and we’ve been deluding ourselves all along.

Join me for nine supernatural tales. Monsters, demons, gods—fallen and otherwise—ghosts, aliens. A touch of science fiction. More than a splash of romance. From magical lands to a chilling glance into the past, Edge of Night has something to tempt everyone. Everyone who craves danger, that is. It takes guts to read the stuff woven into nightmares.

It’s a tough job, but you’re up to it.

Welcome to my world. A world where magic holds court and the dude next door just might be a demon. Or a shifter. Or an alien.

Review: I received this book from the author, which had no impact on my honest review.

I love a good short story collection. Maybe it's my short attention span... If you've already read Ann Gimpel, then I guarantee that you'll love this collection. If not, then this is the perfect introduction to her writing. The prose flows with vivid descriptions that leap off the page, pulling the reader into the story. One might think that short story equals poor character development, but that is not the case here. It amazes me how I was pulled into a character's life within a single page as happened with the very first story in the collection. Edge of Night has something for everyone within its pages--whether you like horror or aliens-- complete with a dash of romance. Highly recommended.

About the Author

Ann Gimpel is a USA Today bestselling author. A lifelong aficionado of the unusual, she began writing speculative fiction a few years ago. Since then her short fiction has appeared in a number of webzines and anthologies. Her longer books run the gamut from urban fantasy to paranormal romance. Once upon a time, she nurtured clients. Now she nurtures dark, gritty fantasy stories that push hard against reality. When she’s not writing, she’s in the backcountry getting down and dirty with her camera. She’s published over 45 books to date, with several more planned for 2017 and beyond. A husband, grown children, grandchildren, and wolf hybrids round out her family.

Find Ann At:

www.anngimpel.com

http://anngimpel.blogspot.com

http://www.amazon.com/author/anngimpel

http://www.facebook.com/anngimpel.author

@AnnGimpel (for Twitter)

Code Red by Janie Chodosh

Code Red (Faith Flores Science Mystery #2)
by Janie Chodosh

Genre: YA Mystery
Release Date: February 7th 2017
Poisoned Pen Press

Summary from Goodreads:

After nailing the murderer of her addict mom and proving that her detractors are full of it, seventeen-year-old Faith Flores is back for another kick-ass science mystery. She's proud to be chosen for a summer internship at a research lab in Santa Fe, New Mexico, but once she arrives, complications abound. For one thing, Santa Fe is the birthplace of the father she's never met, and for another, she clashes with a local environmentalist trying to pull the plug on the genetically modified chiles her new boss is engineering. She and violin prodigy, Clem, learn of a new teen drug called liquid gold while discreetly researching the family angle. The chip on Faith's shoulder is still there, but so is her determination to uncover the truth when a girl she meets at a party dies from an overdose of liquid gold.

  

Buy Links: Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Indiebound  

Excerpt

I should join the bevy of arts and academic interns bonding in clumps of polite, socially correct conversation. At least, if I’m going to be antisocial I should be harnessing the power of positive thought and thinking, Wow! Here I am—St. John’s College in Santa Fe, New Mexico! Or, wow! 
What an honor, out of all the science geeks around the nation, the Salazar Center for Plant Genomics chose me as their summer student scholar!

Instead, I sit alone in a window seat overlooking a confusion of mountains and arroyos, no idea what to say to any of the other interns who look so at ease and whose off-resume experiences probably don’t include waiting in the backseat of some beater while their mom scored a fix. Not to mention that if I were to actually open my mouth what would come out would likely have a high lab geek element. And then there’s the nagging distraction of The Jerk, also known as The Sperm Donor, sometimes known as my father, who I happen to know was born here and could still be hanging around.

“Faith, cool name,” someone says.

I spin around, absolutely no idea how long I’ve been staring out the window, to gape at a tall guy standing in front of me who might be Hispanic, might be black, and might be in competition with Jesse, my Philly boyfriend, for the cutest boy I’ve ever seen. To make up for the fact that I seem to have forgotten how to speak, I jam my hands on my hips and

demand an explanation for how he knew my name.

“Um. That would be your nametag?” 

Previous book in the series (click on image for Goodreads link):

About the Author

To write for teens, listen to teens.

I have been listening to teens and young-adults for most of my adult life. As a middle school and high school teacher, I am immersed in the voices of young people. Daily, I listen to their irony and wit, their drama and humor. It is these voices that fuel my desire to write for young adults.

Besides being a writer and a teacher, I am a mom, an avid outdoors person, reader, observer of life, and a scientist wannabe. However, since I realized I only liked to muck around in the field in cool places and would never actually be a scientist, I married one.

When not writing, I like to hang out with my family, rock climb, try to grow a garden in the arid southwest, bird watch, travel, and attempt to play Klezmer music on my violin.

Author Links:

   

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Sequence Aligned by Lorraine M.L.M + Giveaway

SeQuence Aligned (The Heart of the Ocean #2)
by Lorraine M.L.M.

Genre: YA Fantasy/Romance
Release Date: February 1st 2017

Summary from Goodreads:

Alessia and Dante’s love has blossomed. Their Sequence of Hearts is sturdier than ever, but the shield that protects Tuscania is weakening and an invasion is imminent. Everyone knows Alessia's new-found power is the key--especially Alessia. Unfortunately, the energy inside her is unstable and expediting her training could have devastating consequences. But that's exactly what must be done.

Whisked away to a secluded training facility, Alessia is forced to put aside all distractions, including Dante, to fully focus on the Sequence of Peace.

But power always comes at a price. When Dante falls deathly ill, Alessia abandons her training to go to him, but she never makes it. Instead, she's kidnapped and dragged outside the shield where she's more helpless than she was back on Earth. As the captive of a vengeful madman, Alessia has only her wits and her will to save herself and the world she's come to cherish.

  

Book One:

SeQuence (The Heart of the Ocean #1)

by Lorraine M.L.M.

Release Date: November 2nd 2016

Summary from Goodreads:

Alessia Appleton is desperate. She's desperate to silence the voices inside her head, but being committed to an island asylum has only made them worse. Still, at least there's the ocean. Water is the one thing that blocks Alessia from hearing the thoughts of those around her. Complete submersion is her only relief. So, when she gets the chance to escape her wardens and the voices, Alessia takes it. She dives into the sea and a giant wave drags her under.

When she comes to, one thing is clear--either Alessia's completely lost her mind, or she's not on Earth anymore. 

Instead, she finds herself in a world with two moons, a complex undersea society, a long-lost grandmother, and a drool-worthy young man named Dante Erajion. However, it doesn't take long for Alessia to realise that a new world comes with all kinds of new rules and new problems. In Zeneshia sequence takes precedence over chance, and Alessia's arrival has set off the Foretold Sequence of Hearts, shifting the future to a dire series of choices between Life, Love, and Death.

Shortlisted for the 2015 Love Stories New Talent Award

  

BOOK TRAILER:

About the Author

Lorraine M.L.M writes young adult romantic fiction. Her love for reading prompted her passion for writing. She loves all genres of romance but has a special and inherent interest in Fantasy/Romance in particular uplifting and thought provoking fiction. Her YA Fantasy/Romance debut novel, SeQuence was shortlisted for the 2015 Love Stories New Talent Award.

When she’s not writing, she can be found gazing into the distance thinking about writing.

If you would like to keep up-to-date with news of her forthcoming releases, you can sign up here: http://eepurl.com/b-3fXn

Author Links:

 

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