Spending Those eBook Gift Cards

Christmas has come and gone and, as many of us know, millions of Kindle and Nook units were given as gifts, as well as smarthphones and tablets that will be used as eReaders. Of course, this means that we have to stock those up with books, especially if we received gift cards. Well, WMD author Beth Muscat needs to be on your list of authors to scope out as those gift cards burn a hole in your pocket.

Remember the Eyes is available in eBook format for $1.19.

A paranormal romance that doesn’t involve vampires!? I thought that was a dying theme. Well, if it was, Beth Muscat has resurrected it with “Remember the Eyes”, the first book of a trilogy that does not star a vampire. I’m not putting down vampire romances, it’s just nice to see something different.

We are introduced to Riley. She’s a young woman getting ready to go to college. She doesn’t have a high opinion of her appearance but she has something few other people have: psychic ability. Not just some cheesy, vague future predictions either. She can read minds, astral walk, use telekinesis, and is even learning to astral travel.

We have Michael, a young man who lives in London and is looking to go to college somewhere out west. Actually, he is drawn to it. As you might have guessed, it’s the same school Riley is going to. He’s in a band with a group of his friends who are also going to the school.

So everyone manages to get to school. Michael and Riley literally run into each other. Their interest is sparked immediately. Actually, it’s so intense, at first you may say huh? Keep reading. Keep the title in mind. It makes sense.

Now, you can’t have a paranormal romance with out some pesky malcontent getting in the way of the intense love of the main characters. In this case, enter psycho chick Brenda. She’s about as mentally unbalanced as they get.

What is Brenda’s secret?

What is the mystery behind Michael and Riley’s intense connection?

What is the truth behind Riley’s dreams?

Fans of paranormal romance definitely need to check this one out. I am not a fan of paranormal romance and I still found this book to be cool so that should tell you something. At $1.19 for the eBook, you won’t have to worry about draining your gift card.

Available in eBook format for $3.09.

“Nothing Without You” is the continuation of the “Remember the Eyes” trilogy. Picking up shortly after the first book leaves off, Riley decides to surprise Michael for Christmas with a trip to London to see his family. They have a great time but when they return to school, Riley’s room has been ransacked. Of course, she wants to report it to security, but she never makes it there.

We see the return of Brenda, who is even more psychotic this time around than she was last time and is still obsessed with Michael. In league with Dr. Simpson, a sadistic man, she helps her “boy toy” Doug kidnap Riley for experimentation due to her psychic abilities. Michael vows to do what he must to find her. But how can he do it? By the discovery of something that was secret even from him.

This trilogy focuses on two soulmates who have been together through numerous lifetimes. Their intense love comes surging back from the time of their first meeting in the first book and grows stronger with each passing moment. This particular volume is quite intense. Unlike the first one, there are some disturbing themes and imagery.

Beth Muscat stays true to the characters. You’ll want to take a crowbar to Brenda and Dr. Simpson, who probably don’t even have souls. Your heart will ache for Riley and the trials she endures. You’ll feel for Michael as he is truly lost without her. Fans of paranormal romance will eat this up.

Available in eBook format for $3.09

“Infinite” is the third book in the “Remember the Eyes” trilogy. It is unusual in that it takes place 30 years after book 2. After a long courtship, Michael and Riley become Mr. and Mrs. Stone, this book picks up on their 25th Wedding Anniversary. They are still as into each other as they were in the beginning. Matter of fact, they’re that couple that people make fun of because they are secretly jealous.

The first part of the book has a lot of recounting of the past, as couples do on such a major anniversary. They had built a life together, and their adult daughter, Clara (their only child and she does not have powers) was about to be married. Then tragedy hits when a long time family friend is killed by a drunk driver and another one is critically injured and hospitalized. It casts a shadow on what should have been a celebratory period.

Clara’s wedding to her fiance Justin goes forward and while they are away on their honeymoon, the family friend is able to speak to Riley and Michael from beyond, giving them a cryptic message about Clara. When she returns from her honeymoon, she mysteriously develops psychic ability and has no idea how to control them.

The book puts you on an emotional roller coaster, first celebration, then tragedy and you bounce back and forth between the two. Finally, just as things are looking up, Riley makes a startling discovery that could change everything. What could that be? And what is the surprise that Clara is carrying?

Though an unusual way to complete a trilogy, it stays true to the previous two books. And don’t worry about a gap, the author does a great job with weaving in the back story of the characters’ lives in a natural and fluid way that keeps your questions answered. This trilogy was the first time I not only completed one book of a paranormal romance, but I ended up completing and liking all three.

eBook available for $1.19

Someone finally did it. If you look at my reviews, you’ll notice something different with this book as it relates to me. I haven’t ever reviewed a fantasy romance. That was because, up until this point, I’ve never even come close to finishing one. That’s not to say that there aren’t any good ones, I just typically don’t like the genre. This one is different though, it had a charm to it that I haven’t found.

The book is written in the first person. Here’s the interesting thing. The narrator changes by chapter. Typically, it switches between the two main characters, Alaric and Aislinn but there are others too. I thought it was pretty cool. It may be helpful to you to know this before getting into it.

So we begin in Polasia, a fantasy realm. The warrior Alaric and his guys are kicking the crap out of monsters which is always fun to read. They even have a healer along so I get my full dose of fantasy action (probably why I like the book). The action is detailed but not over the top.

We switch to Aislinn’s point of view. She’s on modern day Earth. She lives with this worthless guy named Eddie. Her life is definitely not where she’d like it to be. Now here’s where it gets interesting. When she sleeps, she “dreams” of a man who cares about her and will listen to her and all of that. As time goes by, she can sense him when she’s awake. At first she thinks he’s a ghost.

Now it turns out that Alaric has a bracelet that lets him travel to Earth but no one can see him. The thing is, Aislinn is different. He falls for her. He hits up his wizard friend Sauron (who made his bracelet) to fashion one for Aislinn so she could not only see him but come home with him. The catch is, once she does it, she can only visit Earth but never stay there.

As the book progresses, we run into some interesting twists. There’s more to Aislinn and Sauron than meets the eye. Also Eddie. He’s not simply the immature drunk we think he is at the beginning.

The book flows nicely and the characters are great. Actually, the author portrays Eddie so well that it makes me want to knock him out, even though he’s not real (although after working in University housing for so many years, I’ve known plenty of guys just like him and he IS a VERY realistic character). You get a good package here and the Kindle version is only a little over a buck so you can’t really go wrong on the price. Enjoy!

eBook version available for $1.19

Admittedly, I haven’t read this one yet. I still don’t have a problem recommending it because my wife read it and gave two thumbs up so that’s good enough for me. Since I read her other four, I have no doubt that this one is worthwhile, especially for $1.19.