My Review of The Freak Show Below by Jada Ryker

With a title like that and an exciting cover, who wouldn't want to check out The Freak Show Below?  The author, Jada Ryker, is extremely talented and has been published by Kindle Press. I thought it was amazing that she gave people who had nominated this book on Kindle Scout the opportunity to get the book for free upon release, so I downloaded it as soon as it became available. I'm so glad I did.

Absolutely love this cover for The Freak Show Below

This mystery had me on the edge of my seat from the very beginning. The main characters are sisters, Kirbie and Laken Stone. Kirbie is tight-laced and very professional while Laken is a party girl who is recovering from an addiction to alcohol. I immediately saw myself in Kirbie--wanting to be the best big sister, setting a perfect example, etc. (I will say there is no Laken in my family!) Even though Kirbie is very by-the-book, she is incredibly likable, and the more we find out about the girls' past the more I felt for both sisters.
Laken has been tricked into signing a contract to work in The Freak Show Below at the local casino. Ryker does a great job of keeping us tantalized about what that means without giving it away until over halfway through the book. In the meantime, we meet lots of wonderful, freaky characters who have entered agreements with the scummy casino owner for one reason or another.  Some of these characters will instantly tug at your heart (like Henry!) and some of them will make you want to punch them in the face through your Kindle (like Stella!) As Laken got more and more involved in the Freak Show, I became more and more invested in hoping she got out before anything awful happened to her! I was praying Kirbie would find her quickly!
Of course, Kirbie wasn't looking for Laken all alone. Hunky HR manager, Evan, is there to help. I loved the chemistry between these two. It was cute and sexy without being overbearing.
Another aspect of the book that really drew me in is the story of Kirbie and Laken's sister, Spooky, and the tragic events that happened to her when they were all children. It was both heartbreaking and hopeful at the same time.
I'm not going to tell you whether or not Laken has to perform in the Freak Show, but I will tell you the daring rescue mission is definitely worth the read, as is Laken's heroic attempt to escape. I certainly did not see the ending coming and was surprised by more than one turn of events in this one.
I felt Ryker did an amazing job of setting us up right in the action. Unlike a lot of books, there wasn't a long, drawn out backstory. A lot has happened with these characters before we are dropped into their lives, but she gives it to us a piece at a time. I really feel like a prequel could be in order as interesting as the backstory is. Despite knowing I didn't have all of the information just yet, I didn't feel like I had accidentally picked up book two in a series, though.
If you like quick-paced, clever, creative mysteries that will keep you entertained while you try to figure out lots of different puzzles, then this is a great read for you.  I actually think this is the first true mystery I've reviewed, at least recently, but I am now a huge fan of Jada Ryker's and will be checking out her other books as well.
If you'd like to read The Freak Show Below (A Kirbie Stone Mystery Book 1) you can check it out here. The current price is $2.99.

My Review of Eternal Flame: A Rose of Anzio Story by Alexa Kang

If you like time traveling historical fiction with some sweet young adult romance, then this is the right book for you! Eternal Flame: A Rose of Anzio Story by Alexa Kang has something for everyone. I couldn't put it down! (Luckily, I didn't have to go to work today so it doesn't matter that I stayed up until 1:00 AM finishing it last night!) It truly is one of those books you'll be thinking about while you're not reading it and will stick with you long after you've finished it.
The story is set in Chicago in 1989, and if you're a child of the '80s like I am, the references to pop culture will take you back. I love how Kang was able to wind so many different songs and television shows into each scene. Each one took me back to my younger days.
Our main character is a young lady named Julia who has recently moved into a large, old house. She's having boy troubles, and just when it seems like her world is falling apart around her, she finds the photo of a World War II soldier in a clock in her room, left their by the previous owners.  She winds the clock, and when she does so, she unknowingly opens a portal to 1944.
While Julia can't go back in time through the portal, the soldier in the photo, Ed, can come through. At first, he is shocked to find out he's been transported forty-five years into the future, but it is his home and his furniture in Julia's room. After the initial awkwardness is over, Ed and Julia become great friends. He can go back and forth through the time portal, but there are certain rules that dictate the time and date he can use it.
As Ed continues his visits, Julia begins to realize she has feelings for him beyond their friendship. When she realizes he feels the same way, they begin to focus on finding a way they can be together despite the fact that he is from the past.  Julia would love for him to choose to stay in the future with her, but Ed has a duty to perform, and like any good soldier, he is determined not to turn his back on his brothers in arms. To find out if they are able to make their love last for all time, you're going to have to read the book for yourself.
Since my grandfather served in World War II, I could really relate to this story. When Kang discusses life in the 1940s, she's spot on, as she is with her references to the 1980s. I loved being immersed in both of these two time periods as they are both very relevant to my life. Her characters are likable, and you can't help but want Julia and Ed to find a way to be together.  I also love how she incorporates time travel without it becoming overwhelming or too science-fiction-y.  I didn't feel compelled to find out "why" the portal worked, I just knew that it worked, and that was enough.
This is a really great read that hits a lot of genres in one way or another.  If you like historical fiction, romance, young adult, or time travel you will find something to love in this book. You can find it on Amazon here.  The current price is $0.99 but I think that is a limited time, promotional price that may change. This is definitely one of the best books I've read in a while, so if you're looking for some summer reading, I highly recommend Eternal Flame: A Rose of Anzio Story by Alexa Kang.

My Review of The Unknown Sun by Cheryl S. Mackey

The Unknown Sun is a Fantasy/Sci-Fi/Romance novel, not my typical genre, but it sounded interesting so I decided to give it a try, and I'm glad that I did.
Moira is a young woman with a chilling past. Not once, but twice, she has been the sole survivor when terrible accidents have claimed the lives of her family members. Both of her parents and two of her sisters have died tragically in a car wreck and then a plane crash, leaving Moira basically all alone in a world she doesn't understand where everyone, including herself, wants to know why she didn't die.
When she is attacked at her home by a strange boy she vaguely recognizes from school, she cries out for help, but the twins that show up to save her are not ordinary themselves, and soon she finds herself in another world surrounded by strangers.
Despite knowing no one and nothing of this strange land, she soon discovers there are links between her past and this world. The twins, Airi and Bel, were able to save her through the use of a magic portal. It is up to Moira to work with the twins to save their world and activate similar portals throughout the land while avoiding the evil forces that seek to destroy them and claim the throne from their father.
As Moira works with the twins, she begins to discover she has much to offer. She transforms from the weak child she had been on Earth and finds her own power. She also quickly makes a love connection with Bel and learns to love his sister, Airi, as a best friend. She soon realizes that this new land will be her home and she must do what she can to protect it, no matter the cost.
There were a lot of things that I really liked about The Unknown Sun. First of all, Mackey has a gift when it comes to word choice and prose. Parts of the piece are actually written so beautifully it is as if one is reading a poem.  I really enjoyed savoring the word choice and letting the perfectly chosen words roll off of my tongue.
I also thought Mackey did an excellent job of building the world as we went along.  This is a distinct place, which is difficult to construct, and sometimes authors get so bogged down in building the land they forget to advance the story. That did not happen here. The pace continued as it should while the world was built around it.
I also felt like the story itself was very engaging. There were some creative ideas here that I hadn't considered before, starting with the idea that Moira had been the victim of these two accidents that had shattered her family.  There needed to be a reason, of course, and I feel like we find out enough information about those events later for it to make sense.
There were a few things that I would have like to have had better clarification on. For one thing, the new world involves a new language--although I'm not clear on how they actually also know English so well--and a lot of the words were confusing to me. I don't feel like I learned them well enough to know what they meant when I heard them later in the story. Some of them were very similar to each other.
I can say the same about some of the characters. There ended up being a lot of characters with strange sounding names, particularly towards the end, and some of them started with the same letter, so I couldn't always remember who was who, especially with characters that were mentioned but did not actually appear in the book. Towards the end, I finally decided I had given up on trying to remember who a couple of the characters were and I decided to go ahead and finish the book and if I needed to go back and figure it out later, I would. I didn't have to do that. It might be more important in a sequel, possibly.
On the subject of the sequel, this book was first published in 2014, and while the back matter promises a sequel, to my knowledge, one is not out yet. That seems like a really long time to wait for a sequel to me.
Finally, this story gives new meaning to the phrase "love at first sight." Bel loves Moira immediately and it only takes her half a second to realize she loves him, too. She is young, though, so maybe that is plausible.  I am a bit confused about their relationship, however, especially since we find out later that they may actually be related, and that doesn't seem to make a difference to them at all.
Overall, this was a good read. I definitely recommend it to anyone who likes fantasy novels, particularly those set on other planets. It will also help if you like romance.  I received a copy of this book in exchange for a review, but you can purchase it here, and the current price is $2.99.