Waiting on Wednesday (90)

Waiting On Wednesday was created by Jill over at Breaking The Spine. It's a weekly post for you to share what upcoming books you can't wait for!

I've picked The Temptation by Alisa Valdes the first book in the Kindred series.  This book won't be out until the 24th April 2012 but I definitely can't wait!

Synopsis:
His touch was electric.
His eyes were magnetic.
His lips were a temptation....
But was he real?

After crashing her car on an empty highway, Shane is miraculously saved by Travis, a mysterious cowboy who walks out of nowhere. She is instantly attracted to him, and for the first time, she believes in “soul mates.” But Shane soon discovers that Travis is dead and that strict rules from the Underworld govern kindred spirits of different dimensions. Breaking these rules could destroy both their souls. And while Travis is almost impossible to resist, temptation proves to be the kindest enemy they encounter.

Can true love surpass the power of pure evil? Part love story, part
supernatural thriller, this first book in the Kindred trilogy will leave readers lusting for more!

Pre-order The Temptation at Book Depository now!

The Atheist's Daughter by Renee Harrell

Title:  The Atheist's Daughter 

Author:  Renee Harrell

Genre:  Young Adult/Supernatural Thriller

Publisher:  Hunting Monsters Press  

Publication Date:  14th September 2011 

ISBN:  9780982922149

Stand alone or series:  Series 

Pages:  270 pages

Book Received from:  Author (Renee Harrell)

First Lines:  I don't want you to think you've fooled me.  Dr Ron.  When Lew, your enormous orderly, your troglodyte in training, brought me this notebook and huge, clumsy pen.  I was immediately suspicious.   

Synopsis:
"Why am I such a freak?"
Kristin Faraday feels trapped, worried she'll spend the rest of her life in the small and suffocating town of Winterhaven. She also worries because she's different from her family and friends. She knows other people's secrets because she can tell, with certainty, when they're lying to her.
She doesn't realize she has this ability as a “gift” from Mrs. Norton, the woman who murdered her father. When Mrs. Norton and her family return to Winterhaven, Kristin discovers she's the only one that can see them for what they truly are.


They aren't human. They feed on humans.


Mrs. Norton is aware that Kristin is the one person who can stop her -- if the teenager only knew how. But this is one secret that Kristin Faraday hasn't learned....

My Thoughts:
I have to say that I love the dedication at the beginning.  'This book is dedicated to Danger and Adventure'.  Great touch.  I enjoyed reading The Atheist's Daughter.  It's great to see real scary monsters that are outside the norm.


I must admit I was a little confused at the beginning.  The supernatural beings didn't fit into any of the boxes I was so used to, and it left me itching for any details at all I could absorb in when I had the chance. Once I'd worked it out it definitely gave me the heebee jeebees.


Kristin was a great character for the story to mainly follow.  We do get to see snippets from the other side of the coin as well as a few other characters but the story's focus is on Kristin.  Right from the beginning I found reading from Kristin's POV to be very entertaining.  She's the kind of character I can definitely relate to.  I wasn't too sure on Liz, one of Kristin's friends at first though but she actually started to grow on me.  Hawkins was another character I wanted to hear more of in the story so hopefully in the next book we get to see more from him.


Another element I loved were the moments that Kristin can hear the falseness in other peoples words.  'Schhhct'  has got to be the best sound effect ever for what it represents.  I could just about hear and see it, the times it happens in the story.


The Atheist's Daughter is an entertaining story with origanal monsters and a girl trying to do the best she can with the life she's dealt.

Reunion by Jeff Bennington

Title: Reunion

Author: Jeff Bennington

Genre: Supernatural Thriller

Publisher:  NexGate

Publication Date: 1st May 2011

ISBN: 9780615443683

Stand alone or series: Stand Alone

Pages: 336 pages

Book Received from: Author (Proof Copy)

First Lines: David Ray stood in front of his mirror, dressed to kill.

Synopsis:
David Ray killed eight students and then turned the gun on himself. He thought the shooting and suicide would fix his world. It didn't. The massacre threw Tanner Khan and the other survivors into chaos.
Twenty years later, Tanner and his fellow classmates reluctantly agree to hold a reunion to lay the past to rest. Although they suffer from Post Traumatic Stress Disorder, they come back to their hometown and reunite in the defunct school building.
Old flames are rekindled, fears are ignited, and their lives are about to explode in a whirlwind of memories, haunted by the spirit of David Ray.
Once they're inside the school, they discover that a dark entity has joined them. It has come to collect a debt, long overdue, and someone has to pay. Will Tanner and his classmates overcome their fears, putting the pieces of their lives back together, or will they be consumed by their worst nightmare?

My Thoughts:

When Jeff approached me to read Reunion, I was excited.  The cover was creepy and after reading the synopsis I was pretty much sold on the story. 

The one thing that surprised me was the beginning.  Why write Reunion?  Once reading that I understood why a book like this needed an explanation.  I'm glad Jeff Bennington took the time to write this story, while there are supernatural elements throughout, it does make you stop and wonder.  What happens to survivors?  How do they pick up their life after something horrific happens.

Bennington has done an amazing job at creating three dimensional characters who are flawed and realistic.  At the beginning we are given an idea of what each character is like at that stage in their life.  The lives they live, the goals they want to achieve, their relationships etc.  Jump forward to twenty years after the shooting, we get to see what each survivor is up to, whether they are doing what they dreamt of, who they're with, how they are coping etc.  Then bang, one former student has the idea for a reunion.

Reunion is a gripping read that will have you turning pages quickly to find out what happens next.  It is an entertaining novel but it also touches upon school shootings and the effects it has on those that survive. You're guaranteed to take more away from this book than just an engaging story!

Speed Dating with the Dead by Scott Nicholson

Title:  Speed Dating with the Dead
Author:  Scott Nicholson
Genre:  Paranormal Thriller
Publisher:  Haunted Computer Books
Publication Date:  9th July 2010
ISBN:  N/A
Stand alone or series:  Stand Alone
Pages: 195 (ebook)
Book Received from:  Author
First Lines:  “And here’s our most haunted room, Mr. Wilson.”

Synopsis:

When Wayne "Digger" Wilson hosts a paranormal conference at the haunted White Horse Inn, he has motives beyond searching for the inn's legendary ghosts.
Years ago, he made a honeymoon promise to his wife Beth that if one of them died, the survivor would return to the White Horse to summon the other's lost spirit. Now she's dead and Digger's back, with the daughter they conceived during that fateful honeymoon sixteen years before. And the ghost hunters are stirring up ancient evils that were better left in peace, because the inn's basement is home to a circle of demons that have been waiting for Wayne to return.
They want his teenage daughter Kendra, and they'll play whatever tricks they need in order to satisfy their dark desires. And at the White Horse Inn, not even angels can be trusted . . .

My Thoughts
I've never read anything from Scott Nicholson, but I'm glad I did.

I've never been to a Ghosthunting conference or anything like that but on occasion I'm known to watch the ghost hunting on tv.  Speed Dating with the Dead was like watching a spooky session of Ghost Hunter.

I really enjoyed the characters in this story.  There is a wide variety too, some that I absolutely loved, a few here and there that I really wanted to give a good shake saying, "Wake up to yourself, there's freakin' scary things in this place and you want to do that?!"  I liked Digger but there was maybe one or two parts where I was a little disappointed in him, but his daughter Kendra was definitely awesome! 

The technology that is used in the story gives it a very real feel and I think that's what made it more believable for me.  That and the fact that there are always skeptics in any group that are willing to explain away the unexplainable as if it's all just a trick to make them look like idiots.

All in all, Speed Dating with the Dead was a spooky suspense-filled read and one that I really enjoyed.

You can check out this and Scott's other books over at Haunted Computer Books.