Shut Up & Read

Evanthia's Gift  The Gift Saga #1 by Effie Kammenou  In the year 1956, Anastacia Fotopoulos finds herself pregnant and betrayed, fleeing from a bad marriage. With the love and support of her dear friends Stavros and Soula Papadakis, Ana is able to face the challenges of single motherhood. Left with emotional wounds, she resists her growing affection for Alexandros Giannakos, an old acquaintance. But his persistence and unconditional love for Ana and her child is eventually rewarded and his love is returned. In a misguided, but well-intentioned effort to protect the ones they love, both Ana and Alex keep secrets - ones that could threaten the delicate balance of their family.  The story continues in the 1970’s as Dean and Demi Papadakis, and Sophia Giannakos attempt to negotiate between two cultures. Now Greek-American teenagers, Sophia and Dean, who have shared a special connection since childhood, become lovers. Sophia is shattered when Dean rebel...

The Experiment of Professor Polgas by Sarah Brownlee  If you were an animal, what would you be? This is the question Blaise, Ash and Dinah unexpectedly stumble upon during the summer holidays when they enter a strange internet café. A mysterious woman asks them to take an online test to discover what animal most closely matches their own personality. They are happy to oblige. Online tests are always fun and this one comes with its own special perks. But what they don’t realise is that not far away, in the heart of London, a mad professor is watching them. Professor Polgas is preparing something; something that will change them forever; something that will have them on the run for their very lives … This fantasy novel from Sarah Brownlee is a thrill ride of twists and turns, ready to surprise at every corner and sure to delight both children and adults alike.  Paperback, 394 pages Published October 12th 2016  Find it on Goodreads A...

Curva Peligrosa by Lily Iona MacKenzie  When Curva Peligrosa arrives in Weed, Alberta, after a twenty-year trek on the Old North Trail from southern Mexico, she stops its residents in their tracks. With a parrot on each shoulder, a glittering gold tooth, and a wicked trigger finger, she is unlike anything they have ever seen before. Curva is ready to settle down, but are the inhabitants of Weed ready for her? Possessed of an insatiable appetite for life and love, Curva’s infectious energy galvanizes the townspeople, turning their staid world upside down with her exotic elixirs and unbridled ways. Toss in an unscrupulous americano developer and a one-eyed Blackfoot chief, stir them all together in a tornado’s tempestuous tumult, and the town of Weed will never be the same again. A lyrical account of one woman’s journey and the unexpected effects it has on the people around her, Curva Peligrosa pulses with the magic at the heart and soul of life.   e boo...

Taken Outback  The Dusty Rider Series #1 by Stella Knights  An American woman, named Holly, has everything she could possibly want living in the city of Melbourne. Her Australian husband, Tom, works hard chasing his hierarchical corporate dreams, so much so that he forgoes Holly’s happiness. Fighting to make their marriage work, Holly uncovers secrets about Tom, causing her to question all she ever believed in.  Distractions abound as Holly starts a new job, where she meets a charming stranger in the unlikeliest of circumstances. Her imagination is opened to a possible new way of life, lust and love as she is given a chance to see how she can break free from the shackled boundaries set by a stifling city lifestyle. Will she ever be able to go back to living the only way she ever knew or will she embrace the life offered to her? This love story is one of fear versus freedom, power versus submission and scheduled time versus endless time as city and country lif...

Carbon Run  Tales From A Warming Planet #2 by J.G. Follansbee  What if your father had to run for his life? Carbon Run is an exciting thriller set in a dystopian world ravaged by climate change. Fossil fuels are banned, pirates smuggle oil, and governments erase citizens' identities. Anne Penn dreamed of saving an endangered species of birds. When a fire destroys the birds' last home, her beloved father Bill is accused of starting the blaze. Fanatic officer Janine Kilel comes to arrest Anne's father, but Bill escapes, because in the 22nd century, destroying a species means execution. How will Anne find her father in a Russian city where the difference between good and evil is as murky as the choking smog?  338 pages Published October 21st 2017  Find it on Goodreads Amazon * Barnes & Noble Read It & Reap:   February 11, 2018 J.G. Follansbee is the author of science fiction and speculative fiction novels set on an ...

Blackwell  Magnus Blackwell #1 by Alexandrea Weis, Lucas Astor Hell has a new master.  In the late 1800s, handsome, wealthy New Englander, Magnus Blackwell, is the envy of all. When Magnus meets Jacob O’Conner—a Harvard student from the working class—an unlikely friendship is forged. But their close bond is soon challenged by a captivating woman; a woman Magnus wants, but Jacob gets. Devastated, Magnus seeks solace in a trip to New Orleans. After a chance meeting with Oscar Wilde, he becomes immersed in a world of depravity and brutality, inevitably becoming the inspiration for Dorian Gray. Armed with the forbidden magic of voodoo, he sets his sights on winning back the woman Jacob stole from him. Amid the trappings of Victorian society, two men, bent on revenge, will lay the foundation for a curse that will forever alter their destinies.  Hardcover, 295 pages Published January 17th 2017 by Vesuvian Books Find it on Goodr...

Frankenstein A Life Beyond   (Book 1 of 3) The Resurrection Trinity by Pete Planisek  Ten years after the loss of his entire family to madness and death, Ernest Frankenstein finds himself compelled to return to the city of his birth, Geneva, in order to discover if his elder brother, Victor, might still be alive. Only Victor can provide the answers to questions, which have long plagued Ernest. The quest for answers will force Ernest to confront demons, both internal and external, from his past, which refuse to be at peace and which ultimately will endanger both he and his new family. Hunted across Europe their only hope may lie with a French spy, Ernest’s childhood friend, and a mysterious gypsy girl whose people believe that Ernest will lead humanity to its salvation or final destruction.   Frankenstein A Life Beyond (Book 1 of 3) The Resurrection Tirnity by Pete Planisek is a direct sequel to Mary Shelley’s iconic story, Frankenstein, which exam...