Review- Fired Up by Jayne Ann Krentz

Summary-

More than three centuries ago, Nicholas Winters irrevocably altered his genetic makeup in an obsession-fueled competition with alchemist and Arcane Society founder Sylvester Jones. Driven to control their psychic abilities, each man's decision has reverberated throughout the family line, rewarding some with powers beyond their wildest dreams, and cursing others to a life filled with madness and hallucinations.

Jack Winters, descendant of Nicholas, has been experiencing nightmares and blackouts - just the beginning, he believes - of the manifestation of the Winters family curse. The legend says that he must find the Burning Lamp or risk turning into a monster. But he can't do it alone; he needs the help of a woman with the gift to read the lamp's dreamlight.

Jack is convinced that private investigator Chloe Harper is that woman. It doesn't take long for Chloe to pick up the trail of the missing lamp. And as they draw closer to the lamp, the raw power that dwells within it threatens to sweep them into a hurricane of psychic force.

Release date: December 29th 2009

Published by: Putnam Adult

Page numbers: 353

Review-

Fired Up by Jayne Ann Krentz is the first book in her Dream light trilogy and the seventh book in her Arcane Society series. I have read a few books in the Arcane society series before but not in order. The whole concept upon which these books are based is quite interesting but sadly, Fired Up failed to meet my expectations. It was an okay read.

Jack Winters is the descendant of Nicholas Winters. The males in the Winters line are cursed that they will turn into a monster if they don't find the Burning Lamp. Plus he needs a woman to find the lamp, specifically one who can read dream light. I liked Jack. He was okay but nothing special. I liked his determination where Chole was concerned though.

Private Investigator Chloe Harper can read dream light. She solves many of he cases using her ability and when Jack asks for her help she agrees. I liked Chloe but again there was nothing super special that I adored about her. She was tenacious and strong.

There was definitely chemistry between Jack and Chloe but I didn't find it as appealing as it was in some of Jayne Ann Krentz's previous books. There is also the whole mystery plot line which forms the base of the story. It was interesting to see the various abilities and the whole Nightshade thing.

I also really liked meeting Fallon Jones again. I am quite intrigued by him and I really hope to read his book some day. All in all Fired Up was a good change of pace for me. I liked the mystery where romance took a back seat. It was not as interesting as some of her other books but still Fired Up was an okay read.

Review- Twin Sacrifice by Jennifer Lane

Twin Sacrifice on Goodreads

 BOOK SUMMARY:

My twin brother is determined to kill himself, but I won’t let him.

I just discovered the sacrifice he made for me when we were young.

Now it’s time I return the favor. This time I’ll be the one with the secret.

Psychologist Matthew Durante’s twin brother, Justin, has struggled with mental illness since their parents died in a house fire. After Justin is accused of setting off a bomb that killed an innocent woman, he lands in a maximum-security psychiatric hospital. 

In the face of Justin’s unrelenting suicide attempts, Matthew grows frantic to keep him alive. And as the pieces of their past fall into place, Matthew decides bold action is his only choice, no matter the cost. 

Set against the backdrop of weapons manufacturing, terrorism, and a dark family secret, Matthew and Justin fight for survival, redemption, and most of all, for each other.

Release date: February 28th 2018

Published by: Psyched Publishing 

Page numbers: 300

REVIEW: 

When I read author Jennifer Lane's Streamline, I really, really liked it so naturally when her sports romance series Blocked was out, I had to read all the books and I fell in love with them. When I heard about Twin Sacrifice, I had to obviously read the book because I've grown to love Jennifer's books. But when I finally read it, I was shocked and surprised because Jennifer just keeps getting better and better. I used to believe that the Blocked series is her best work but I have to take that back because Twin Sacrifice has to be her best so far. And I'm a hundred percent sure that I'll take this back when there's a new book out because that's just Jennifer. She outdoes herself every time. I have so much of admiration for the author.

Coming to the book, Twin Sacrifice is the story of 29 year old twin brothers Matthew and Justin who lost their parents when they were very young and were taken into foster care by their father's boss, Dr. Jefferson King. Along with their foster sister Kate, they have lots of childhood memories that bring both joy and pain. Suffering from mental illness since childhood as he blames himself for his parents' death, Justin is later imprisoned for planting a bomb that killed an innocent woman. His physiologist brother Matthew then decides to do something that would set everything right. Both Justin and Matthew were amazing men who just made me want to hug them and never let go, and such characters are my favourite. Aside from them, however, every other character was just as well done and brought out very strong feelings in me as a reader, so you can imagine how involved I was in the story.

One of the best things about Jennifer's stories is all of the issues that she takes up which really are very important. From abuse in Streamline to politics in Blocked to terrorism in Twin Sacrifice, it's just so interesting to read about problems that we face everyday and that are relatable. However, there is so much more to Twin Sacrifice than terrorism. Throughout the book, I just sat there wandering how Jen even comes up with such mind blowing plots and how she joins all the dots so meticulously in the end. I love it when I'm reading a book and I know what's going to happen but the author proves me wrong. Trust me, it's one of the pleasures of reading for me; knowing that the plot is unpredictable, it both intrigues and fascinates me.

There's not much else that I'd like to say about the story because this is a book that you just have to discover on your own. I found it very difficult to read at times because of the darkness and depth to it, but if like me, you like to read heavy books that make you think and that you make you pause just because something is too much to take in, then Twin Sacrifice is the book for you. This is a book about family and justice and how, in spite of everything you've been through, you can still be a good person. It's about accepting your past and using it for a better future and that is very beautiful. Books about bonds between siblings tend to make me cry, and this one did. In general, however, not many books make me cry, but when they do, trust me, they're gems. Twin Sacrifice has to be the best book of the year.

*Note: A copy of this book was provided by Jennifer Lane and Book Partners In Crime Promotions in exchange for an honest review. We thank them.

Buy the book: AMAZON

Review- Inferno by Dan Brown

Inferno on Goodreads

 BOOK SUMMARY:

‘Seek and ye shall find.’

With these words echoing in his head, eminent Harvard symbologist Robert Langdon awakes in a hospital bed with no recollection of where he is or how he got there. Nor can he explain the origin of the macabre object that is found hidden in his belongings.

A threat to his life will propel him and a young doctor, Sienna Brooks, into a breakneck chase across the city of Florence. Only Langdon’s knowledge of hidden passageways and ancient secrets that lie behind its historic facade can save them from the clutches of their unknown pursuers.

With only a few lines from Dante’s dark and epic masterpiece, The Inferno, to guide them, they must decipher a sequence of codes buried deep within some of the most celebrated artefacts of the Renaissance – sculptures, paintings, buildings – to find the answers to a puzzle which may, or may not, help them save the world from a terrifying threat…

Set against an extraordinary landscape inspired by one of history’s most ominous literary classics, Inferno is Dan Brown’s most compelling and thought-provoking novel yet, a breathless race-against-time thriller that will grab you from page one and not let you go until you close the book. 

Release date: May 14th 2013

Published by: Bantam Press

Page numbers: 465

REVIEW: 

After The Da Vinci Code and Angels and Demons, Inferno was the third Dan Brown book I read. I had actually watched the movie when it came out, and I could relate to it on a whole new and practical level of reality and acceptance, which had me curious to pick up the book. When I ended up picking the book name from my 2017 TBR jar, I was more than excited to finally get on another Robert Langdon adventure.

Inferno starts very abruptly with Langdon somehow waking up in a hospital in Italy and escaping the dangerous Vayentha with Doctor Sienna Brooks. When a mysterious object with an inscrutable message is found in Langdon's jacket, a search begins for decoding, discovering and destroying Bertrand Zobrist's gift for the world.

I found the story to be very slow and with unnecessary details sometimes because for a 400 plus pages book, the story itself only revolves around a couple of days. But, as always, Langdon's adventures are packed with action and knowledge, a combination I've grown to appreciate and admire. I wish more people would worship this incredible hero who is someone to look up to!

Dan Brown writes the most meticulous and accurate stories that have the reader on the edge of the seat from the starting until the very end, and Inferno wasn't any exception as it proved to be another marvel of Brown. However, I do have a soft spot for this one because I learned so much from this book.

Overall, I would highly recommend Inferno if you care about the world and art and when you know you have time to invest in a book as this is a long, but a bloody brilliant one.

Buy the book: AMAZON (IN)

Review- The Karachi Deception by Shatrujeet Nath

The Karachi Deception on Goodreads

 BOOK SUMMARY:

“…one of the finest thrillers I’ve come across…” -- Zac O’Yeah

Three commandos of the Indian Army’s elite Unit Kilo—Major Imtiaz Ahmed, Captain Shamsheer Suleiman and Lieutenant Rafiq Mehmood—are chosen for a one-of-a-kind ops mission: to enter Pakistan and eliminate dreaded underworld don, Irshad Dilawar. However, somehow, the Inter-Services Intelligence and Dilawar always seem to be one step ahead of them, foiling every plan they make. It doesn’t take long for Major Imtiaz to realize that something is amiss—the operation has been compromised. Will he be able to successfully complete his mission, or are he and his men, like Abhimanyu, entering a trap they cannot make their way out of? Set in the world of covert operations, where double-crossing and diabolical mind games are the norm, The Karachi Deception will keep you hooked till the very end.

Release date: April 15th 2016

Published by: Rupa Publications

Page numbers: 231

REVIEW: 

When I first came across The Karachi Deception, I thought it sounded so good. Then when I met the author, I was literally begging Shatrujeet for a copy of it because I was so looking forward to reading the book everyone was raving about. When the book was published again at last, trust me, I was the happiest person, and while it took me a lot of time to get to the book and even more time to finish it, I am so glad I read it because it was entertaining and thrilling. 

At first glance, The Karachi Deception is a very well organised book. By that, I mean that the various parts its divided into and the various situations that take place at once were very well done in a way that wasn't even a bit confusing, which is what tends to happen when there are too many things going on at once. While it takes a while to get used to the various divisions in the book, once I started reading, then whether it was after a gap of a few hours or a few days; I was completely into it because it was a very gripping plot. 

While I'm not into thrillers, like I said before, there was just that special something about The Karachi Deception that made me want to read it. I must say that I was pleasantly surprised because I really enjoyed the guessing game that every chapter made me play. Shatrujeet's writing was very on point and that has made me a bigger fan of his. Everything in this book was so well done. I would definitely recommend it to fans of thrillers. 

*Note: A copy of this book was provided by Rupa Publications in exchange for an honest review. We thank them.

Buy the book: AMAZON/ FLIPKART

Review- Know Thy Enemy by Douglas Misquita

Know Thy Enemy on Goodreads

 BOOK SUMMARY:

An artifact from the Baghdad National Museum could justify the coalition invasion of Iraq. But the artifact is among items looted from the Museum just before the invasion.
CIA Analyst, Emma Burrows enlists the help of Captain William Bradford and a small Joint Task Force 2 team to retrieve the artifact.
Unknown to them, a mercenary unit led by Luc Fortesque is also after the stolen artifacts intending to sell them on the black market.

Know Thy Enemy is an action-short that introduces two key characters from the full length thriller novel, The Apocalypse Trigger.

Know Thy Enemy is available FREE from here.

Know Thy Enemy is also available for Kindle and Kindle apps at the lowest price possible.

Release date: October 15th 2014

Published by: Self-published

Page numbers: 40

REVIEW: 

Not a bad read at all, but not very good either. Know Thy Enemy is a prelude to author Douglas Misquita's The Apocalypse Trigger. I am not a fan of thriller novels, but I really don't mind giving all genres a try. I have read Douglas Misquita's Haunted, and that was a thriller/ mystery that I genuinely found interesting and well written. As for Know Thy Enemy, well, I didn't like it very much and I cringe to say this, but honesty is the policy, so here we go. 

The sole reason I picked up Know Thy Enemy is because it is barely 40 pages long. So I thought, why not? It took me less than an hour to finish off this quick read which introduces you to the characters in The Apocalypse Trigger. Well, firstly, save for maybe one or two names, I don't remember all the characters, and I didn't even understand the story. It could be my fault, it could be the book's fault. I don't know. But like I have been saying, I am not the biggest fan of Know Thy Enemy. 

Fans of thriller will devour this story as even I can say without doubt that it is action-packed. There is lots happening and the story moves from here to there like rapid fire, which is good. I always feel that short stories work only when they're done well. Unfortunately- and I hate to say this because I genuinely support Douglas Misquita- this was not for me. I will still for sure give The Apocalypse Trigger a try some time. 

Buy the book: AMAZON

Review- The Devil You Know by Trish Doller

Goodreads Summary:

Eighteen-year-old Arcadia wants adventure. Living in a tiny Florida town with her dad and four-year-old brother, Cadie spends most of her time working, going to school, and taking care of her family. So when she meets two handsome cousins at a campfire party, she finally has a chance for fun. They invite her and friend to join them on a road trip, and it's just the risk she's been craving-the opportunity to escape. But what starts out as a fun, sexy journey quickly becomes dangerous when she discovers that one of them is not at all who he claims to be. One of them has deadly intentions.

A road trip fling turns terrifying in this contemporary story that will keep readers on the edge of their seats. 

REVIEW:

The realisation that I have come to after reading The Devil You Know is that I miss the Trish Doller who wrote that insightful and simply dazzling book, Something Like Normal. The author wrote two books after that (one of which was Where the Stars Still Shine); both of which ended up being disappointing, for me at least. Having said that, I didn't hate the author's third novel, The Devil You Know, but I didn't appreciate it immensely either. While the beginning and the ending were both really nice, the rest of the story was just predictable and dull. 

After losing her mother to cancer, Arcadia becomes mother to her little brother while her father still mopes over the loss of his wife. Thoroughly done with being the responsible person in the house, on one of her day off, Arcadia decides to just let it all go, leave it all behind and take a break by going to a party happening somewhere nearby. That's where she meets two cousin brothers who are out on a road trip. She is attracted to them both, but thankfully, she prefers one over the other. Arcadia, whether in rage, rebellion or sheer dumbness (I can't point out which) decides to accompany these guys up to a certain extent because that's her only ticket to escape and finally live the adventures she has only dreamt of until now. She has no idea what adventure really awaits her. 

While the need to turn dreams into reality, being attracted to someone truly hot and nice, taking the risk to do something, whatever that may be, is understandable, there were so many aspects that had me questioning the whole point of the book. When Arcadia was so concerned about her family, I didn't see why she had to take off with someone she barely knew. While she seemed really caring at first, she just turned out to be dumb later. Although I have to give her credit for the act she pulled out at the end of the book. I couldn't stand her most of the time, but she didn't piss me off to no end either. She was just about bearable and her love and respect for her mom was nice to see. Of the two brothers, I really liked Noah. He was genuinely nice and his dog Molly was the centre of attention and highlight of the book for me. 

What was really nice about The Devil You Know was the mystery surrounding the story from the very beginning. It was easy to figure out there was something really freaky going on, and even easier to find out who the culprit was. It was really the dullest point ever. At one point, the story turned very alarming and spine-chilling which was really a work of marvel by Trish Doller. And as mentioned before, the very intriguing beginning and the gutsy and nice ending were a relief. It's just that everything that happened in between was very average and honestly, sometimes even unnecessary. All in all, this was just an okay read that thankfully was quick as well. 

RATING:

Review- Mud Vein by Tarryn Fisher

Goodreads Summary:

When reclusive novelist Senna Richards wakes up on her thirty-third birthday, everything has changed. Caged behind an electrical fence, locked in a house in the middle of the snow, Senna is left to decode the clues to find out why she was taken. If she wants her freedom, she has to take a close look at her past. But, her past has a heartbeat... and her kidnapper is nowhere to be found. With her survival hanging by a thread, Senna soon realizes this is a game. A dangerous one. Only the truth can set her free.

REVIEW:

I was completely blown away by Tarryn Fisher's Love Me with Lies series. While I didn't love it as much as everyone else did, I still liked it enough for it to be on my mind for a long time after I finished reading it. I was quite excited about Mud Vein as the both the cover and the summary intrigued me at first glance. Unfortunately- and I say unfortunately because I don't particularly like this feeling- I have mixed feelings about the book. If this were a book I had to study, I would have opted for a detailed character analysis, but because it isn't, I'll just try to sum up my thoughts on the plot, the psychology, the characters and the writing. And as usual, I will leave it up to readers to know the story. That's not my part to tell, but the reader's to figure out.

The plot: This was one interesting and engaging plot. The book started out very slow and I have no idea what made me continue with it. I was just about to give up when something really astounding came up and I knew I had to know what would come next. The approach was something new and great but the way in which it was executed was not all that fancy. The book is basically divided into three parts, each named as per the stages of grief and that was something truly kick-ass to do. The second part was really well put down. It just flowed and it was the only part where I felt connected to the story. Other than that, I found the plot to be less engaging. I felt like I was waiting for something that never happened. I especially did not like the conclusion of the whole issue that was going on. It was too average for my liking. Although what I did love was the end. For a change, I found a kind of ending that I like to read about and that's real. 

The psychology: Like with her Love Me with Lies series, Tarryn Fisher takes up basic human psychology in Mud Vein as well, and that is such a feat. The author puts down human emotions and human nature in their natural, raw and true form. It's messed up but then it gets too messed up. Inertly, we are all very similar but we aren't very open about how we really feel. But the main character in this book is exactly the way she is, inside and out. It's all a game in this novel. Life is a game and everyone plays hard. The psychological aspect was pretty apt and strong. At the same time, it was too heavy and suicidal.   

The characters: The main female character is Senna. The main male character is Isaac. Then we have Senna's love, her shrink and her parents. What I didn't get about Senna is that she calls what her shrink says "existential crap", she hurts herself, she likes pain, she loves death, she is isolated, she doesn't take well to conventions and society and yet, she exists. Some might say she is strong to survive, while others might say she's just too weak to give up. She doesn't accept love, she doesn't express herself, she lives alone, and she walks out of conversations midway. She has an entire room painted white. I get it. I understand her. Even I can be as dangerous as her sometimes. But my point is, why inflict so much torture upon yourself? No matter what she does, she suffers anyway. Isaac and her shrink try hard to get her on track but she won't listen to anyone. Why? Because she's just like that. With Senna, it's either love or hate. There's no in-between. She is a modern, independent, strong yet confused woman whom I didn't really understand and I'm not even trying.

The writing: Wow. Tarryn Fisher's writing is so cool. I absolutely love it. If there's anything I absolutely love about this book, it's the writing. It's so pure and full of passion. I could actually make out how much the author loves writing and how passionate she is about her words. Her words have so much depth to them, it's hard to not praise it and fall in love with it. Even simple stuff was put down so meticulously and some of the lines were just too magical and so real. I loved loved loved the writing.

Mud Vein was a dark, deep, dirty, disgusting and dangerous read that I both liked and disliked. I loved certain significations in it and I loved the whole concept behind the title. It was something very different and that, for me, was refreshing, but at the same time, if I am to read only one book for the rest of my life, this wouldn't be the book I'd pick. Tarryn Fisher has some absolutely smashing ideas and she is a superb writer. She shows human nature in its true and unfiltered form and I love that about her. While Mud Vein had some great stuff in it, I wanted more. It didn't blow me away and I really wish it had. Save aside an incident or two, I didn't feel anything throughout the course of the story and I feel nothing after having finished it. Maybe that's the point of it or maybe it isn't. 

RATING:

Review- We Were Liars by E. Lockhart

Goodreads Summary:

A beautiful and distinguished family.
A private island.
A brilliant, damaged girl; a passionate, political boy.
A group of four friends—the Liars—whose friendship turns destructive.
A revolution. An accident. A secret.
Lies upon lies.
True love.
The truth.

We Were Liars is a modern, sophisticated suspense novel from National Book Award finalist and Printz Award honoree E. Lockhart. 

Read it.
And if anyone asks you how it ends, just LIE.

REVIEW:

When your favourite bloggers read and appreciate a book, you have to read it, no matter what. We Were Liars has already gone down in history as the fastest and most sincere recommendation I've taken from my buddy Tanja. I had been seeing the book around a lot and when I read Tanja's absolutely beautiful review for it, I began reading the book within an hour of reading her review, so you can imagine the impact her review had on me. Our buddy Glass read and loved the book as well so that was definitely a plus. I wasn't expecting much (as I've learned not to do) from the book, but it seemed like it would be a very good story. Unfortunately, my feelings are mixed and even more unfortunate is the fact that I do not like mixed feelings.

Let me start with the positives. This was the first E. Lockhart book that I read and the writing was amazing. It had such a pretty flow to it and it could be read as poetry. It's not always easy to read books written this way and I am well aware that most people do not prefer to read in this manner, but I get hooked on to it from page one. The writing was the second reason why I went fast with the book than my normal reading speed. The first reason, you ask? The mystery. The intrigue. The curiosity. Just like the writing, I was into the plot from the beginning. I was dying to know exactly what would come my way and my curiosity was piqued to the point that I wasn't even making up my own imaginary scenes as I just wanted to know, know and know more.

That brings me to the plot itself. While the story was quite strong and highly interesting, I didn't quite like the way in which it was executed. I loved the ending because I love these kind of endings, but somewhere, I felt that something was missing and that is purely my fault since I kept asking and waiting for something more. There were quite a few issues that were going on on the island on which this story takes place among the family there and they were really good and well developed, but issues like this are much more fascinating when there's more depth to them. I felt that they became very petty at some point. Also, the ending didn't have an impact on me. If anything, I was only trying to search for something that wasn't there. The characters were fascinating, I would say, with each person having flaws, making them more real, but I didn't connect to them save for a few truly exceptional times.

I really wish I had liked We Were Liars more like everyone seems to have, but then again, I am someone who goes left when everyone goes right. Anyway, I am so glad I gave the book a try since it is beautiful in its own way and the whole reading process was one amazingly cool experience keeping me at the edge of my seat throughout and when a book does that,  it is a good book. The few aspects that I didn't quite enjoy or "get" end up being the main parts unluckily, but that aside, this was a good book.

RATING:

Review- Love Kills by Ismita Tandon

Summary-

‘The fat constable on duty brought to my attention a sketch. Every tiny detail of the murder scene was on paper: the wilted orchids placed across her midriff, the knife balanced precariously on the low table and her dreamy eyes…’ 
You won’t live a boring life if you’re named after a whisky (more or less).

Meet Johnny Will, named thus by an alcoholic father who died under mysterious circumstances. Johnny is the founder of Thy Will – a de-addiction centre for the rich and the famous that uses very questionable methods – and the fiancé of Mira Kermani, daughter of the richest man in town.

The beautiful young Mira dies of an overdose of morphine. Officer Ray is convinced that Johnny is the killer. Johnny’s assistant Sera, who secretly loves him, and his half-brother Zac are working hard to protect him from the officer. Or are they? Could Aunt Adele’s hunger for what was rightfully her son’s inheritance have driven her to murder? Or is the murderer an unhappy patient? 

From the author of the disturbing and controversial Jacob Hills, an unputdownable story of crime and passion in the hill-station town of Monele.

Review-

Every now and then I am very much in the mood to read a good murder mystery and Love Kills was just that. I have previously read Jacob Hills by Ismita Tandon and know that she is a fantastic author so of course when I got a chance to read Love Kills I went for it. Love Kills was an amazing read which kept me guessing through out. 

Johnny Will is the founder of Thy Will which is a de-addiction centre. I found Johnny's character to be the most intriguing in the bunch. He has had an alcoholic father who was not faithful to his wife. His half brother Zac and aunt whose intentions are unknown for the most part are present in Johnny's life. Johnny's way of treating his patients was definitely not traditional and we can see him sitting on the line between good and bad.

Then we have Mira who is murdered with an overdose of morphine. She was Johnny's fiance. Adding to this is Johnny's secretary Sera who is secretly in love with Johnny. This cast makes for the suspects in Mira's murder. As and how the story progresses we find out that each person has a hidden agenda of his own and things are definitely not as they seem.

I was completely reeled in as soon as I started reading. Love Kills is set in a small town with rich people with an eerie back drop. It goes on from various point of views so we get an all around view of what's happening with Officer Ray who is leading the investigation. I was really trying to guess who the killer may be but when the truth came out I honestly didn't see it coming.

Love Kills is dark and gritty. It touches the dark side of human emotions with twisted minds and greed. If you are looking for a good murder mystery which will probably keep you up all night in the hopes of figuring out what actually happened, look no more. Love Kills is the perfect read for you!

*Note: A copy of this book was provided by the author/publisher in exchange for an honest review. We thank them.

Review- Kingdom Come by Aarti V. Raman

Summary-

How do you kill a man with no Achilles heel? You cut off his foot Tom Jones. 

Set against the serene beauty of Kashmir, Ladakh and Tibet, Kingdom Come is a gripping story of death and loss, vengeance and retribution, love and life. Krivi Iyer is an embittered former spy and bomb defusal expert with only one regret. That he couldn't catch The Woodpecker, a dangerous, mentally unstable bomber who ended his partner's family. He has a second chance to go after his arch enemy with the arrival of Ziya Maarten, the manager of 'Goonj Business Enterprises' in Srinagar, Kashmir, who is alleged to be The Woodpecker's sister. Except, Ziya is a beautiful distraction and not a terrorist's sister. When a tragedy in London tears Ziya's life apart, she can only rely on Krivi to give her the absolution and vengeance she needs to move on. Between training to be an anti-terrorist squad member and finding The Woodpecker, Ziya uncovers the secrets of Krivi's tormented past. But will two tortured souls find the courage to love?

Review-

I didn't keep many expectations before diving into Kingdom Come so I was pleasantly surprised by how much I actually ended up liking it. By the end of the book I was very much invested in Krivi and Ziya's story and desperately wishing for their happy ever after. I really enjoyed Kingdom Come.

Ziya is the manager of Goonj Business Enterprises in Kashmir. She has come a long way from being an orphan. She has worked hard to get where she is at present. I really liked Ziya. She was stubborn but determined. I loved that she was such a good friend to Noor and Sam. Ziya can't help but be intrigued by Krivi who comes into her life and makes her question her feelings.

Krivi is a former spy and a bomb defusal expert. When he gets intel that Ziya may be the sister of Woodpecker, a wanted terrorist, he will do anything to take him down. Even if it means spying on Ziya. Krivi is shown as a cold hardened soldier. He was all that but as we get to know him there is so much more depth to him. I liked how protective he was of Ziya after the truth comes out. 

Ziya and Krivi may look different on the surface but actually they had a lot of traits in common. The sparks start flying right off the pages. I liked how the romance went. Somehow Ziya and Krivi worked seamlessly when they were together. But the book is not all romance. We also get Woodpecker's point of view. It just brings home the point of how serious their situation is.

Aarti V. Raman has a very engaging writing style. She got me hooked on to the story as soon as I started reading. There were some twists that I did not see coming. One made me angry while the other left me shocked. All in all Kingdom Come was a really good blend of romance and thriller and I would recommend it to everyone who enjoys both the genres.

*Note: A copy of this book was provided by the author/ publisher in exchange for an honest review. We thank them.

Buy Kingdom Come from Flipkart.com

Review- The Other Side by Faraaz Kazi and Vivek Banerjee

Goodreads Summary: 

"A slow rasping sound made me turn. I jumped back, the cell phone leaving my hands and smashing against the concrete floor. Someone was seated on the chair, rocking back and forth. Through the fallen light, I could see those hands placed on the arms of the chair, two gruesome wrinkled limbs with ugly boils plastered over the black skin. The red bangles on its wrists shone in my eyes, momentarily blinding me. That thing and I call it a thing because I could sense it wasn't human as no human could have such a hideous form, as vile an existence as the one seated opposite to my horrified self."

From a honeymoon in the hill that goes horribly wrong to an obsessed lover who wants his first love in life and in death; From a mentally deranged man who collects body parts of various women to stitch together his dream girl to a skeptic who enters a mansion of horrors to win a bet and much more, this book is filled with scenarios that are guaranteed to give you goosebumps and sleepless nights.

'The Other Side' is a collection of thirteen tales of the paranormal; a world that our eyes refuse to see, our ears deny hearing and our senses ignore the feel of. This is a book for someone who is brave enough to take up this invitation to journey through uncharted waters along with the authors, who were inspired by some bizarre experiences to pen down this work where the lines of reality have been blurred by the footsteps of imagination.

Each story takes you on a tour de force of unadulterated horror and draws upon the deepest fear in the human mind- the fear of the UNKNOWN!

REVIEW:

*NOTE: We (The Readdicts) received a copy of The Other Side from author Faraaz Kazi in exchange for an honest review. We thank Faraaz for the book! 

Except for one single ghost story series and a few short stories here and there, I hadn't ever read any horror stories and I was never quite inclined on trying out the genre either. But then I had the awesome opportunity to host a blog tour for Faraaz Kazi and Vivek Banerjee's horror stories collection, The Other Side. 

I do like to believe that where is there is normal, there is paranormal and where there is natural, there exists the supernatural. In spite of my initial apprehensions about feeling scared (which I hate to admit) and not being able to devour the book as much as a horror fan probably would, I am proud to say that I thoroughly enjoyed The Other Side. 
Before I begin writing about the stories in general, I have to say that The Other Side has the most bone chilling and frightening foreword I've ever read. It actually made me look here and there to make sure no unusual activity was going on around me. From then on, I knew it would be best to read the book in broad daylight and that's what I did. 
The stories weren't exactly scary or frightening but they were pretty creepy and they gave me goosebumps. They all had more of a redemptional and karmic than a nightmarish aspect to them. Just when it seemed like the usual haunted house, a woman in white and people of science or non-believers theme started recurring, something different would be thrown in the next story. Some stories were disgusting, some horrifying while some others were just quite normal in the sense that they didn't scare me at all. What I liked most was how spirits were shown as both good and bad and the whole what goes around comes around dictum was subtly portrayed through that. 

Most of the times, I felt like the stories were actually very similar to supernatural incidents I've previously heard from my elders and various members of the family. In the Indian context, these are stories we've all grown up on and The Other Side made me look beyond and dig a bit more in the unknown. When it comes to short story collections, there's no such thing as the best or the worst story, but my most favourite ones were The Lady In The Pub and A Mother's Love. 
Being short stories, the book is very easy to read and the writing is quite undemanding and user friendly which makes it an easy read. The Other Side promised to be a one of it's kind read on the Indian commercial horror scene and because I have nothing to compare it to, for me, the book delivered the promise it made, which is always a good thing. If I were to describe it in one word, it was creeptastic. 

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Review- Made of Stars by Kelley York

Goodreads Summary: 

When eighteen-year-old Hunter Jackson and his half sister, Ashlin, return to their dad’s for the first winter in years, they expect everything to be just like the warmer months they’d spent there as kids. And it is—at first. But Chance, the charismatic and adventurous boy who made their summers epic, is harboring deep secrets. Secrets that are quickly spiraling into something else entirely.

The reason they've never met Chance’s parents or seen his home is becoming clearer. And what the siblings used to think of as Chance's quirks—the outrageous stories, his clinginess, his dangerous impulsiveness—are now warning signs that something is seriously off. 

Then Chance's mom turns up with a bullet to the head, and all eyes shift to Chance and his dad. Hunter and Ashlin know Chance is innocent...they just have to prove it. But how can they protect the boy they both love when they can’t trust a word Chance says?

REVIEW:

*NOTE: We (The Readdicts) received an eARC of Made of Stars by Kelley York from Jaime @ Entangled Teen in exchange for an honest review. We thank Jaime and Kelley for the book! 

Wow. Wow. Wow. Just wow. I mean, wow. Like, wow. Yeah. Wow. 
I have no idea what to say. I have been thinking about how to put down this review 12 hours since I finished reading the book and all I come up with is wow.  
Exactly a year ago in October 2012 I read author Kelley York's Hushed (my review) and loved the book. I knew she was an author on whose books I had to keep an eye on. When I began reading Made of Stars, I thought it was very similar to Hushed, both character and plot wise and it actually was. But it didn't bother me even once since I loved Hushed, and I ended up loving Made of Stars even more.
After reading a series of rather average and okay books in the past few weeks, Made of Stars was just what I needed. It's exactly the kind of book that I love. It's exactly the kind of story that I devour. It's exactly the kind of characters I love to fall in love with. It's exactly the kind of fucked and messed up that I adore. It's exactly the kind of writing that I admire. 

This book was... Amazing. Gorgeous. Beautiful. Dark. Terrific. Mysterious. Special. Bone chilling. The cover and title of the book are perfect and so is everything else about it. 
Unlike like the cover, title and story, Kelley York's characters are never perfect. They're flawed, messed up and a whole new level of different which makes it so easy to love them. Hunter and Ashlin are siblings in a crazy way and they have been friends with Chance since childhood and once together, the three of them are inseparable and invincible. In their own imperfectness, they are perfect and I admired that. Hunter's amazing nature and causal and genuine confusion made me love him. Ashlin's sweetness and accommodating nature made me love her. Chance's horrible and heart breaking life and sparkling personality made me love him.
Made of Stars has been an absolutely mind fucking read. Author Kelley York's writing is so amazing. The flow, the words, the sentences, the descriptions... Amazing amazing amazing! 
As for the ending of the book, we all know reality isn't very beautiful. Even then there are some people who need a bed of roses, sunshine, meadows, daisies and happily ever afters in books. Then there are some others like me, who maybe love to see reality in books and devour real endings. Made of Stars is an unforgettable read with a completely incomplete and gorgeous ending. I loved it. And for the last time now... WOW. 

RATING: