Review for Polar Day

Blurb:

The midnight sun bakes Fairbanks, Alaska as residents gather for the annual summer solstice baseball game. Amidst the revelry and raucous shouts of “Play ball,” a spark alights and a jogger bursts into flames. Detective Danny Fitzpatrick, still reeling from his near death at the hands of vampire Aleksei Nechayev, watches in horror as the man burns alive.

Someone is burning Fairbanks and its residents and leaving nothing but smoldering embers behind. As the city sweats under a record-breaking heatwave and unexplained fires claim more victims, Danny and his colleagues struggle to find an arsonist who can conjure fire out of thin air.

To Danny’s horror, the only one who may be able to help him stop the arsonist is his nemesis Nechayev. Will the vampire help in the hunt for a witch?

My review:

It starts with a jogger bursting into flames. Detective Danny Fitzpatrick can't figure out how it ignited and neither can the police arsonist specialist. The case doesn't make any sense, but Danny has met with a monster before. If there's no logical explanation for the fires, he must search outside the box. And as much as he hates it, the only one that might be able to help him is the vampire Aleksei Nechayev, the monster that still haunts his dreams.

An excellent sequel to Polar Night with plenty of suspenseful and intense moments. I've never been to Alaska, but I felt as if I were transported there with the amazing descriptions. Especially the little details. And instead of freezing, it was an unusually hot summer where the sun sets for only a few hours. The setting really came alive.

I'm still a big fan of Danny, the gruff and flawed detective. His partner Tessa is the perfect balance for him, but she's just as determined as he is, and what's more, she believes in him. When everything seems against them, they make a powerful team. I was really excited to see Aleksei back. Even more so, to get a little peek at what's been going on with him.

This is a must read for all fans of supernatural and horror stories.

Buy the book here:

Amazon Kindle ~ Amazon ~ Barnes & Noble 

Check out Julie Flanders at:

Blog * Website * Facebook * Twitter 

DARKNESS cover reveal

DARKNESS
By Elizabeth Arroyo
YA Supernatural Thriller
Release Date: August 12, 2014

Blurb: Seventeen-year-old Carly Lopez suffers from post-traumatic stress, though the “post” part technically doesn’t apply...not when the killer’s still out there.

As the only survivor of the killing spree that left four dead girls in its wake, Carly fails to unearth her buried memories of that day and is consumed with guilt. After a year of silence, the killer's back, and Carly will stop at nothing to stop him.

With each new death, Carly’s reality shatters, propelling her deeper into the darkness where the dead haunt her and where the truth lies. Her only firm grasp of reality is Hunter Jackson, whose mysterious overprotectiveness of Carly forces her to doubt the reason behind her guilt.

But Hunter has a secret.

And when she discovers a horrible truth, Carly questions her involvement in the murders. Was she directly responsible? Did she help the killer? Carly soon learns that finding answers may mean risking more than just her sanity.

About the author: Elizabeth is the author of THE SECOND SIGN and THE SECOND SHADOW, a dark young adult paranormal romance series. Elizabeth currently teaches writing to teens at a local community center. You can find more information about Elizabeth at:

Website: http://www.elizabetharroyo.com.
Blog: http://chandarawrites.blogspot.com
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/elizabetharroyo.author
Twitter: https://twitter.com/EArroyo5

Polar Night review and In Your Pants blogfest

Blurb:
When Detective Danny Fitzpatrick leaves his hometown of Chicago and moves to Fairbanks, Alaska he wants nothing more than to escape the violence and heartbreak that left his life in pieces. Numbed by alcohol and the frozen temperatures of an Alaskan winter, Danny is content with a dead-end job investigating Fairbanks' cold cases. That all changes when a pretty blond woman goes missing on the winter solstice, and Danny stumbles upon some surprising connections between her disappearance and that of another Fairbanks woman three years earlier. Forced out of his lethargy, Danny sets out to both find the missing woman and solve his own cold case.

The investigation points Danny towards Aleksei Nechayev, the handsome and charming proprietor of an old asylum turned haunted tourist attraction in the Arctic town of Coldfoot. As he tries to find a link between Nechayev and his case, Danny's instinct tells him that Nechayev is much more than what he seems.

Danny has no idea that Nechayev is hiding a secret that is much more horrifying than anything he could ever have imagined. As his obsession with finding the missing women grows, Danny finds his own life in danger. And when the truth is finally revealed, the world as he knows it will never be the same.

My review:
Detective Danny Fitzpatrick only wants to escape the horror of his past. He leaves his Chicago home and takes a job in Fairbanks, Alaska working cold cases. While he's successful at numbing his mind with alcohol, a case comes along that snaps him into sobriety. Danny links a cold case of a missing girl to a new one, and through further research, he finds several more. His investigation takes him north to Coldfoot and to the haunted establishment of Aleksei Nechayev. Danny knows something's going on with Aleksei, but can't manage to convince anyone else of the fact without some hard evidence. When he finally comes across some information, it changes Danny forever and puts him in danger of more than just catching a cold in the freezing Alaskan winter.

This supernatural thriller will chill you to the bone and not just with the wonderful descriptions of Alaska. POLAR NIGHT gives us various points of view that takes the reader on a dark journey filled with nail-biting suspense and intense emotions. Danny has the heart of a hero, but is scarred by his past and it's wearing him down. He's a flawed man and yet still admirable. Aleksei is cold and immensely fascinating. Maria has an amazing spirit even in a terrifying situation.

While there's a thrilling plot and a great cast of characters, it's the setting and atmosphere that really make this book stand out. We don't often find books that take place in the far north, and usually not in the winter. I loved all the little every day tidbits Julie Flanders included about life in Alaska. Plus, I was enthralled by the haunted asylum. The little strange happenings and scary noises added to the tension of the story and brought out an even chillier atmosphere.

POLAR NIGHT is the debut novel from Julie Flanders. I can't wait to read more form her!

You can buy POLAR NIGHT here:

Amazon * Barnes & Noble * Amazon UK  * Smashwords 

Bio: Julie Flanders is a librarian and a freelance writer who has written for both online and print publications. She is an avid animal lover and shares her home in Cincinnati, Ohio with her dog and cat. POLAR NIGHT, a suspense thriller with a supernatural twist, is her first novel. Find Julie online at her blog, on Twitter, and on Facebook.

This fun little blogfest is hosted by the lovely Summer Ross.

It's very easy: take the current book title you're reading and add "in your pants" afterward.

I'm reading L.K. Hamilton's newest book.
AFFLICTION in your pants!
That doesn't sound healthy.