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Category: Thriller

Book review: The Trade-off by Uranio Bonoldi

| Gifted | thriller |

Rating: 4 out of 5.

I was super excited when I saw that this book was written by a Brazilian author! The Trade-off starts off with a very dark and vicious atmosphere, with a future glimpse of Otto dragging corpses into a landfill! I was immediately fascinated and found myself very curious to understand why he found himself in this situation. An impressive beginning to this eerie and fast paced story!

The Trade-off involves a socialite Brazilian family and the last living descendants of a decimated indigenous tribe. We follow the story of young Otto, who was struggling in school and trying hard to succeed but always failing. His family took in a helper, an indigenous woman, Iaúna, that helps Otto to get better at school in a very mysterious way. His success in life comes with a horrible price, that even caused me some discomfort to imagine.

I was so incredibly hooked while reading, that I got to a point where I was both rooting for him at one moment and also completely repulsed by him at another moment. I was torn and conflicted, and I love that the book made me feel that way because it shows that the characters are shades in between a hero and a villain, which is more relatable. The book is very eccentric! One of my favorite elements of the entire story was how it was able to bring together Brazilian indigenous culture with dark and powerful magic.

You can check out more about the book and the author here.

Book review: Unraveled, by C. F. Gonzi

| Gifted | Suspense |

Rating: 4 out of 5.

Unraveled is an action packed read that follows the romance between Jace and Delilah. It is not a conventional love story, considering these two characters are FBI agents, it is a suspenseful and thrilling novel! Jace is a young but expert agent, and a Delilah a clever rookie with a lot of energy. From the first moment they met, they were drawn to one another. As the job brings them closer together, their relationship blossoms. 

The pursuit of a powerful drug lord puts their life at risk, as they play cat and mouse with the villain around the city. When an accident jeopardies everything, their lives, their love and even their career, they must fight against their enemies throughout this dangerous path they chose.

It’s a fast paced and engaging book, as I found myself rooting for these love birds. The book also has some dark psychological twists, related to drug use and its effects, this powerful drug is much more then it seems. The ending was a wild cliffhanger, I was not expecting these plot twists! I am super excited for the sequel and can’t wait to read more of this series! !

You can check out more about the book and the author here.

Book review: Terra Nova, by M. T. G.

| Gifted | NA fantasy |

Rating: 4 out of 5.

If you enjoy dark vampire books that take place in medieval settings with lots of plot twists this book is for you. During the beginning of the novel it was a bit hard to grasp the entire variety of characters and the world building, but after that I couldn’t put the book down and everything became much clearer. The story follows two parallel worlds, one overtaken by vampires, and the other Earth as we know it. I love the entire concept of the portal between these worlds and once Evangeline and Cynthia get across I couldn’t stop reading.

The novel is dark and intense, which I absolutely love! I would recommend it for a New Adult genre.

“I think you are pretty. Mother says not all regular humans are pretty like you. I am happy you came. I hope I don’t eat you.”

The characters were all amazingly done, I loved Evangeline, Raffael, Eros, Ehvan… The fact that the story is told in multiple point of views allowed us to connect to each of them. The plot is masterfully put together, throwing plot twists after plot twist towards us in a way that the novel became very action packed and it reads super fast paced. One of my favorite elements was the angst and hatred between Evangeline and Eros in the beginning and how this transforms throughout the novel. Terra Nova was heartbreaking and emotional, there are many unexpected turn of events. I will definitely keep an eye out for more upcoming novels from this author!

You can check out more about the book and the author here.

Book review: Beyond Dreams, by Carlotta Amerio

| Gifted | psychological thriller |

Rating: 3.5 out of 5.

The story is set in Italy, following a history student named Giulia and her struggles into her twenties. We see her trying to juggle many things at once: school, work as waitress, friends and also suffering from terrible nightmares. The nightmares began with the stress of her exams, and we feel helpless alongside Giulia as she tries to overcome them by taking sleeping pills, however as it progresses the pills become ineffective and her nightmares start to gravely interfere with her life. Giulia becomes restless and nervous, in a way that even her boyfriend Davide can’t help her. What before was a careless and happy life as a young student alongside her friends and loving boyfriend turned into anguish due to the horrifying nightmares

The story is very dark and intense. We witness Giulia throw herself downhill into a life of drugs. She becomes an addict, loses the good things in her life keeping her together and ends up doubting her sanity. The author describes her pain and her chaos so masterfully that I found myself feeling her troubles and doubts. As the title perfectly suggests, the root of her issues is beyond dreams, beyond her nightmares.

Instead of looking for help, Giulia finds herself losing everything in order to hide from the incomprehensible nightmares, later trying to understand and fight as it all appeared so vivid. This young woman fights for her mental health, and it got me thinking about all those people out there that have no support for these type of issues. I felt a certain unease with the ending, however as I re-read it I see the purpose of it. Overall I recommend this novel for those who enjoy a dark psychological thriller with strong elements of mental health.

You can check out more about the book and the author here.

Book review: The Straight Crimes, by M. Juhl

| Gifted | romance suspense |

Rating: 5 out of 5.

This novel reads like a romance suspense, and it follows the life of Harper and Nik; 2 teenagers that as soon as Harper arrived in town they immediately fall in love, high school sweethearts. Now the twist to this novel is the society, which has as a way of life homosexual relationships. Therefore, the straight romance between Nik and Harper opposes the norm.

“

This was a very enlightening read, where the author brings to the surface this alternate reality in a way that we can place ourselves in someone else’s shoes, to better understand and comprehend their experience. This novel has touched me deeply, it is such an eye-opener. I could feel immensely the love between the two characters and all the difficulties they had to endure, and most importantly I was able to visualize the pressure from society and understand their struggle to fight just to be together.

The plot is amplified with crime and suspense all alongside the romance, where society fights to destroy their love at all costs, thus the amazing title: The Straight Crimes. It is a fast-paced book, where you will find yourself rooting for these two lovers who must go against society to fight for their love. The story has a bitter-sweet realistic touch. I was heartbroken at certain moments, which portray masterfully a devastating emotional effect. I really congratulate the author for this brilliant heartbreaking work. Love is love.

You can check out more about the book and the author here.

Book review: Alex Six, by Vince Taplin

. tata.lifepages | Gifted | Suspense |

Rating: 4 out of 5.

Wow! Alex Six was definitely a shocking and intense roller-coaster ride! The story reads super fast paced, my eyes were glued to the pages! It flows with a very catchy narrative which is focused mainly on the plot and not on descriptive settings, the author writes straight to the point! The story is told in two different point of views, from Alex, a rich psychopath stalker that will do everything and anything to get what she wants, and Victor Miller, a married ordinary guy that is very unfortunate to look identical to Alex’s late husband, who she must have by all means…

and it has a pastel cover! 😀
My sweet, sweet sleepyhead. I sing to him and pet his forehead. "Twinkle twinkle little star, how I wonder what you are." Don't worry, honey. I'll be here when you wake up.

Alex power-handles everything and everyone to control the situation around her and obtain her ultimate goal: Victor Miller. The novel is very intense, filled with murder, stalking, obsession, persuasion, all put together in a expertly elaborated master-plan. The author certainly knows how to grab the reader’s attention and keep us intrigued! I will never look the same at vanilla bottles again! The ending is shocking and unexpected!

“Do you know how hard I’ve worked for this? Do you? Do you, Vick?”

photo by @tata.lifepages
 I recommend this novel for those looking for a suspense read filled with plot twists and secrets.. You can check out more about the book and the author here.

Book review: Hold me still, by Britaini Armitage

. tata.lifepages | Gifted | romantic suspense |

Rating: 3 out of 5.

The story follows the romantic suspense between Ella, a young billionaire business-woman, and Elliot, her security expert (ex-military). Their relationship evolves from a professional interaction to passion right in the first chapters, they are immediately attracted to one another and the chemistry is played out in a slow and pure burn. The plot is intriguing and fast paced, I got hooked on from the moment the suspense surfaced, with numerous life-threatening occurrences, as our sweet and hardworking Ella is pursed by an unknown threat. The tension builds-up chapter by chapter, and continuously this hidden threat pursues and attacks Ella. I find it very romantic how Elliot, her security, attempts to protect her nonstop with every new danger that appears.

You and Me, book n#1

“Everything is going to be ok, Ella.” a smooth male voice crooned her. “Try not to move too much. Can you open your eyes sweetheart?”

The story has a very religious backbone to the plot, which wasn’t something that really appealed to me. Ella is faithful and a God devoted person, very beloved and who deserves to find happiness, as she was brought up by a difficult past, with no family and just a few friends. Both Ella and Elliot are longing for something to fill up the pain from their past and finding each other just might be the way. Ella’s pursuer becomes more aggressive and dramatic events take place, that make us wonder if Elliot is indeed capable of protecting the woman he is falling for, and what will be the ultimate price?

photo by @tata.lifepages
 The story ends in a cliffhanger, which already makes me long for book n#2. I recommend this book for those looking for romance and suspense. You can check out more about the book and the author here, or get the book (which is currently FREE on kindle) over at the amazon page here.

Book review: Kiss & Tell by Luke Murphy

. t a t a . l i f e p a g e s | Gifted | Mystery |

Rating: 4 out of 5.

I was gifted a free copy of this novella in exchange for an honest review. The book was a pleasant surprise ever since the complex plot of crimes presents itself in the first 2 chapters. The story completely enveloped me in 2 intertwined mysteries related to the main detective character.  Several human traits of the MC developed along with the police suspense plot, such as addiction to the emotional loss of someone close, which enhanced my connection to the MC and made it more real, leading me to sympathize and cheer for her.  The author knew how to bring these elements of human reality to the MC very well and that makes us more involved throughout each chapter. 

The way the crimes are presented, always leading to several questions and doubts throughout the investigation, makes the plot more plausible and the idea won me over from the beginning.  The mix of characters made the plot intriguing and I was questioning motives and suspects, which the author knew how to unfold little by little throughout the book, as if he wanted me to become the MC’s assistant detective.  I felt completely part of the investigation and connected to the MC to solve the mystery. The characters were presented along the story in a way that kept me interested in the plot until the very end.  I really enjoyed this suspense and will definitely be reading more from this author in the future.

photo at @tata.lifepages