Rise Reviews

Amber Redgrave is a private bodyguard for Ms. Hawkins, an elderly woman who believes her late husband had enemies. Amber doesn’t really believe that Ms. Hawkins is in danger; the woman was described to her as a nutter. But one day while shopping together at the mall, Amber’s cushy guard job is sorely tested.

Angry after the horrific turn of events, she questions her boss and ex-lover, John Richmond about what went wrong. He can’t or won’t give any details, and turns the discussion to a new mission he’s about to embark upon. When he leaves the room for a moment, his phone rings and Amber answers it. One of the men on John’s team was pulled off the mission. Without hesitating, Amber volunteers herself.

Ray Gun Revival (http://www.raygunrevival.com/) is a publication that pays homage to the Golden Age of science fiction and of the Space Opera that was so popular back then. They were stories that had an extraordinary flare for the hardy and romantic life of a shoot first, and ask questions later future. Think Buck Rogers and [...]

In her debut novel, Nearly Departed in Deadwood, Ann Charles weaves a fun romp of romance, mystery and the occult. The pages are brimming with eccentric small town characters that brought the setting to life. Though not quite as paranormal a romance/mystery as I had hoped it would be, I would gladly read more tales in her Deadwood Mystery series.

Violet Parker, the book’s protagonist, is a single mother and struggling real estate agent trying to land her first sale before getting fired. But eccentric customers, haunted houses and workplace harassment all threaten to defeat her at every turn. On top of all this, girls have been disappearing from the town of Deadwood. And the girls all bear a striking resemblance to Violet’s daughter. Afraid that her child could be next, Violet starts to play amateur sleuth to find the abductor.