Daily Archive

How far would you go to uncover a secret? What if the secret was so huge, so incredible, that it would destroy your life and the lives of all those around you? What if uncovering this secret would destroy the foundations upon which the world was built? How far would you go?

Wes Holloway is a presidential aide to US President Leland Manning. Having caused a scheduling error, Deputy Chief of Staff Ron Boyle missed his meeting with the President and is pissed at Holloway. Trying to smooth things over, Wes invites Boyle into the Presidents limo as it travels to a NASCAR promotional event. No one can predict how the event will end; but it will end in blood.

When Nico, a man bent on uncovering the secrets of the Masons that have infected the White House, takes a shot at President Manning, he does two things: disfigures Wes Holloway and kills Ron Boyle. At least, that is what everyone thinks. Eight years later, when Holloway, still a presidential aide, sees Boyle back stage at one of Manning’s speeches, his life is turned upside down.

Though no one believes him, Wes knows that Boyle is back. For what purpose, he cant’ know. But when Wes begins to dig, he discovers a secret that will shake the foundation upon which the
United States was built. Wes suspects that Manning invited Boyle behind stage that day to wait for him, that Manning is involved with a group called The Three.

Free Masons are an organization older than time. What started as a group of free masons who built structures became an organized secret society that uses secrets, symbols and mystery to gain power. Only the elite can become a Free Mason, only the most powerful. Has President Manning fallen under their spell like other
US Presidents before him?

Why is Boyle back? Who are The Three? And what mysteries must Wes Holloway solve in order to save his life? He must race against time with the help of a lawyer, a gossip columnist and others if he is to unravel the mysteries surrounding him and save his life; and the world itself.

The Book of Fate is without a doubt the best political thriller I have ever read. It’s far better than anything John Grisham has ever penned and just as fast and furious as something written by James Patterson. The chapters fly by in a flurry of pages and all the while you’re thinking: How is this book going to end?

Having never read anything by Meltzer, I read the first page not expecting much. I thought that The Book of Fate would be a cheap DaVinci Code knock off and that would be that. I am so thrilled that I was wrong! For those of you worried that Meltzer is hopping on the DaVinci Code bandwagon, fear not! The Book of Fate if as far away from The DaVinci Code you can get and so, so much better.

Meltzer has to be commended on imagining such a tale. There are so many different character, so many different locales for the novel, yet he keeps track of them all, pulling the reader deeper and deeper into a mystery that is not what it seems at all. Once you think you’ve figured out where the book is going, it pulls you in another direction entirely until you’re left spellbound.

Suffice it to say that The Book of Fate is absolutely incredible. It’s well plotted, amazingly executed and the plot goes a mile a minute. The plot, though fantastical, remains grounded and believable and you can tell that Meltzer has done his research. He has crafted a thriller so taunt, so wonderful that you’ll find yourself calling in sick to work to finish reading it.

Read it, read it, read it. I can’t recommend this one highly enough.

Reviewed for THE GOTTA WRITE NETWORK. Click right here to visit their homepage.

Mike Miller is content with his life. After his grandfather died and left him the family farm, Mike is content to live by himself and continue the family business: raising dogs. But, sometimes, he gets an itch for something more than country life. He gets an itch for something spicy.

Thus he finds himself one night at the Spanked Kitty, a city bar that caters to anything you could desire. There, Mike meets Steven Pierievoda. Tall, pale and long fingered, Mike finds the man incredibly sexy and feels desire building in him.

From the bar, they go to a hotel where they indulge in a steam night of hot sex. But there’s only one problem: Steven is a vampire. He feeds on Mike during their sexual interlude and finds himself, days later, not hungry. Normally, he feeds at least once a week. But after dining on Mike’s blood, he doesn’t need to.

Deciding he needs to find Mike Morris, he tracks him down at his family’s farm. There, they re-ignite their passion from the previous night. Steven also makes a vow: to find out what it is in Mike that stops his hunger that made his blood so filling. If they had to experience passion, blood and lust in the quest for an answer, what of that?

That just makes the deal all the more sweet. But each of them is hiding a deep, dark secret: Steven is a vampire and Mike…is a werewolf. Stevens duty is to himself and Mike’s is to his pack but the two species have been at war with each other for decades.

Can two star crossed lovers look past their differences and indulge in the forbidden? Or will they ignore the love that begins to bloom between them and remain forever alone? Only their hearts, and their blood, can decide.

Bloodmoon is one hell of a novel. I’ll admit that when I started it, I figured it would be just your average gay vampire romance. The market is flooded with vampire erotica and I worried at reading another book cut from the same cookie cutter. I needn’t have worried. Bloodmoon is fresh and throws quite a few delicious twists into the old vampire genre.

Giving the book a gay Romeo and Juliet feel to it was pure genius. It gave the characters depth and feeling that would otherwise not have been present. Mike is perfect as the small town boy who dreams of better and bigger things and Steven is the perfect exotic lover. The two, both strong individuals, compliment each other beautifully.

Shade writes with a depth that is surprising in Vampire/Werewolf fiction. Normally, the characters are lifeless cardboard cut outs that prance around the page for our amusement. Instead, Shade gives us deep, knowable characters that rip through the pages for our enjoyment. Steven if hilarious and funny and several of his comments made me laugh out loud during the reading of Bloodmoon. Mike is more than he seems, not just the simple country boy, but a leader hiding dark secrets.

I flat out loved Bloodmoon. It’s probably one of the better fantasies that I’ve read. It has depth of story, depth of character, blood, lust and lots of steamy hot sex. What’s not to like? And this isn’t your average fairy tale. It was enjoyable, surprising, funny and, oddly enough, heartwarming.

For a good time had by all, pick up Bloodmoon. You won’t be sorry! This is one novel you won’t want to end. And when it does? You’ll want to read it all over again!

Reviewed for The Gotta Write Network. You can find their site by clicking here.