Reviewed by Rabia Tanveer for Readers' Favorite

Ben A. Sharpton's 2nd Sight is an amazing paranormal fiction that gives any Hollywood movie a run for its money. The novel is set around Scott Moore. He is a normal man, but one thing that sets him apart from other people is that he has hallucinations. He can use something as simple as touch to experience things that "objects" have experienced. This ability or second sight really disturbs him, so when the good Dr. David Blackwell wants to help him, Scott jumps at the opportunity and tries to salvage whatever is left of his mind and his control over it.

With the help of Dr. Blackwell, he is able to understand his ability and how he uses it. Dr. Blackwell gave Scott enough courage and confidence so that he started to strengthen his powers. But Scott finds out that the good doctor is just using him to achieve personal gain. There is no point too low for him; if he has to kill someone to get what he wants, he will do that in a heartbeat. But Scott did not sign up for this. He wants nothing to do with Dr. Blackwell, but will he be allowed to walk away alive?

Interesting and intriguing, 2nd Sight felt like a billion dollar Hollywood movie. The words and the characters are so crisp that you can almost taste them. Scott is such a good man, and Dr. Blackwell feels very real. Even though the subject matter is purely paranormal or sci-fi, you can relate to the characters. There are real people like Dr. Blackwell around us and such works of fiction make us appreciate the normalcy of our lives even more. Sometimes being special is not a gift but a curse because that makes you vulnerable to the coercion of other people and their bad influence.

Reviewed by Liz Konkel for Readers' Favorite

Blood Shackles by Rosemary A Johns is the second book in the Rebel Vampires series, following Blood Dragons. Light is a Blood Lifer (vampire) in London where First Lifers (humans) have decided they were superior. Now First Lifers have captured and enslaved the Blood Lifers for profit. His past consists of lost love and blood, but he has since changed his ways. When Light is captured, he refuses to lose himself, despite how his captors try to break his spirit and force him into submission. Being sold to Grayse is the ticket he needs out of his cell, even though her father owns the company that enslaves him. She gives him back everything they took from him: his bike, his jacket, his freedom. His growing bond to her gives him the strength to fight for his family, his people, and his rights.

Blood Shackles is brutally honest, tragic, triumphant, addictive, and somehow hopeful. I was so engrossed in Light's story that I didn't notice my Kindle was dying until it died. The whole novel is written as a journal by Light. Nothing is sugarcoated. It's a heavy topic of torture, abuse, rape, and manipulation. The brutal honesty that Rosemary A Johns puts into the story is commendable. Slavery isn't an easy topic to discuss, and taking our perspectives of vampires and turning it into a metaphor. The First Lifers think they're superior and treat the Blood Lifers like they're objects. There's no way to escape the truth of the story. However, Light's story is fulfilling. At the end the right people get what they deserve, and it definitely feels rewarding. This isn't a happy novel at all, but there are uplifting moments. This novel made me so angry, which is the point. Johns succeeded in creating a world, characters, and a story that pulled me in until I had to finish reading it. I had to know what was going to happen to Light, Hartford, Donovan, and Grayse. This is a novel everyone should read, along with Blood Dragons.

Reviewed by Anne-Marie Reynolds for Readers' Favorite

Lightning Strikes (An Andromeda Spencer Novel, book 1) by Theresa Parker is a paranormal mystery story. Andromeda Spencer was struck by lightning when she was 15 and was in a coma for a month. Not long afterwards, she discovered that she had a few special abilities that she didn’t have before, like knowing where to find things and people, and she can see ghosts. Captain Johnson hires her to help the police out on occasion with missing person cases and the latest case involves children. Detective Nick Cavanagh is partnered with her and he doesn’t believe that Rommy, as she is known, has any special abilities. With failure not an option, Nick Cavanagh is nearing the end of his tether as the case seems to be going nowhere and is about to drop Rommy from the case. Will that stop her? Join Andromeda and her narcoleptic cat as she battles bats, skunks, and Nick Cavanagh in a race against time to find the kids before it is too late.

Lightning Strikes (An Andromeda Spencer Novel, book 1) by Theresa Parker was a fantastic read. Right from page one, the action drew me in and it was action all the way. This is a funny story with some great bantering between characters and the plot was nothing short of ingenious. The characters were a real mixed bag; a woman who sees ghosts, her sister who runs a Gothic nightclub, zany parents, and Nana with dementia (you just don’t know what she’s going to do next!). Not to mention the hottest detective ever! This is one of those stories that I just couldn’t put down, didn’t want to put down if truth be told, and the only disappointment was the fact that it ended. Definitely looking forward to book 2 and, for a debut author, this is a fabulous start.

Reviewed by Liz Konkel for Readers' Favorite

Maggie by Mya O'Malley is a thrilling mystery. Naomi is living a writer's dream in a 1700's house on the edge of the cemetery. She can't wait to research and explore the history of the spirits buried there. When her cat leads her to the grave of Maggie, she's compelled to solve the mysterious circumstances of her death. Making her life more complicated, Naomi finds herself torn between Ryan, the seemingly perfect man she met during an awful blind date, and Bryce, a charming single father that just moved in next door. The more she discovers answers, the more she finds herself at the center of history repeating itself. Can she solve the mystery of Maggie's death before she's the next victim?

Naomi is charming and driven, embracing her role in solving this death with a genuine need for answers. The past plays an important part of Naomi's journey as it slowly repeats in a supernatural way, but allows for her to learn how to find closure. The dreams are beautiful and tragic, woven into the plot just when a clue is needed most. The other characters are a delightful mix of eerie and heartfelt so it's hard to tell who to believe until the end when the truth is finally discovered. Mya O'Malley keeps you guessing until the very end, successfully leading the mystery astray, only to reveal an impressive twist that pulls everything into place. It's heartbreaking and unexpected, but worked so well that there couldn't have been another solution. Maggie is suspenseful, eerie, and mysterious, with the right amount of ominous foreshadowing and sleuthing.

Reviewed by Jack Magnus for Readers' Favorite

Girl Unseen: Beyond the Grave series #3 is a paranormal thriller novel written by Athena Daniels. Pia Williams knew that someone or something was trying to get through to her, almost from her first tentative steps into the lighthouse keeper's cottage perched on Cape Leeuwin. The family who had bought the house had dismissed the reports of hauntings, but their stay in the 1896 cottage had them rethinking their initial skepticism. Cassandra Reynolds, who was nine years old, had been most affected by the house, and her attachment to Sarah, her new “imaginary friend,” was worrying her parents. Chad and Monique Reynolds had decided to call in Debunking Reality, the paranormal investigations TV show that Pia worked with to see if they could help the family resolve the issue of the hauntings. As the team set up their equipment, they could hear glass being shattered upstairs, but Pia’s attention had been immediately captured by the anguish and misery of a young girl’s spirit. She saw disturbing images: a soiled and filthy mattress, chains and an eerie, life-like doll with long blond hair.

Athena Daniels’ paranormal thriller novel, Girl Unseen, grabs the reader’s attention from the very first paragraph and doesn’t let go until the conclusion of the story. Pia Williams is a marvelous main character whose psychic abilities have left her scarred and unable to even think of having a normal relationship with another. Her empathy for the terrifying and murderous spirit haunting the cottage is remarkable, and her courage in facing what could be a demonic power masquerading as a spirit gives this story all the tension and white-knuckled drama a paranormal fan could ask for. Her burgeoning relationship with Nate Ryder, an ex-Special Forces detective who had helped her in the past, is great fun to watch as the two alpha warriors work to confront their own issues while resolving the haunting of the young girl known as Sarah. I’m a big fan of the paranormal and was impressed by the authenticity and intensity of the plot, which works on a number of levels. Girl Unseen is the third book in Daniels’ Beyond the Grave series; however, she gives the new reader ample background to allow this book to be read on its own. But I’m betting that anyone who does start with this book will find themselves eagerly looking forward to reading the first two books in the series -- Girl Unseen is that good. Girl Unseen: Beyond the Grave series #3 is most highly recommended.

Reviewed by Sefina Hawke for Readers' Favorite

Outsourced by Eric J. Gates is a general fiction thriller novel that all begins with a simple question: What is the most dangerous gift a fan could send to an author if the fan were a professional assassin? Nic Stiles is an author in New York whose life path is forever altered by a single package that arrives for him in the mail. That one package has presented him with the chance to alter life and death and it now sits in his hand. What choices will he make; will he use it or protect it?

Outsourced by Eric J. Gates is a book that took me deep down the rabbit hole and into a world of science with quantum mechanics and the supernatural. At first, I was worried that I would not understand the book because of the quantum mechanics involved; however, Gates does a brilliant job at simplifying such a complex science into easy to understand pieces. I walked away from the book with an understanding of what quantum mechanics actually is. Prior to reading this book, the best explanation I could have given was that it was a part of science that involve math. The book itself had a well evolved plot line, no plot holes, and a developed cast of characters. While there were a lot of interesting characters, I would have to say that the main character, Nic Stiles, was by far my favorite. I found him interesting in that he was an everyday person who was suddenly given a gift of unprecedented power!

Reviewed by Jack Magnus for Readers' Favorite

The Seer's Daughter: Beyond The Grave Series, Book 1 is a romantic paranormal thriller written by Athena Daniels. Sage has returned to her hometown of Cryton, South Australia to attend her grandmother's funeral. Nan was the most special person in her life. She had raised her since Sage was a small child after her mother died. Nan had encouraged her to leave the small town and go to work in Adelaide a few years ago. While she's enjoyed the relatively carefree existence she has in the big city, she couldn't help but wonder if Nan would still be alive if she hadn't left her on her own. Nan's friends were all at the funeral, and their conversation about something she should or shouldn't know was puzzling, to say the least. After the funeral, she attempted to keep herself busy by straightening out Nan's store and starting to pack her grandmother's belongings away, but she soon realized that something was very wrong.

Athena Daniels' romantic paranormal thriller The Seer's Daughter is fast-paced and exciting. It's also one of the spookiest paranormal stories I've read in some time and that's saying quite a lot considering I grew up reading Poe, Lovecraft and Machen. Daniels also weaves a police procedural, a government cover-up, a town with a deadly history and a sizzling hot romance into her remarkably scary story of ghosts, demons and other things that go bump in the night. I had a grand time reading The Seer's Daughter. Sage is a credible character whose intrepid nature makes her a perfect foil for the alpha male police officer, Detective Sergeant Ethan Blade, whose rugged looks and charm are just impossible for her to resist. The Seer's Daughter: Beyond Grave Series, Book One is highly recommended. I'll be watching for book two.

Reviewed by Michelle Stanley for Readers' Favorite

“When you call the wolf, you call the pack.” In Ravenwood, a historical romance by Margaux Gillis, Elinore’s uncle Hayter summons her to live with him at Ravenwood after her parents’ deaths. While traveling under a full moon the carriage overturns, trapping the driver, and Elinore leaves to get help. She is attacked and bitten by a feral wolf before being rescued by Caleb, her cousin. Life at her new home is strange to Elinore. Her uncle behaves erratically, she hears sounds from afar, and her wound won’t heal. Her attraction to Caleb grows, as does her insatiable appetite. While Caleb and the staff hunt the feral wolf, Elinore oversees the household, but worries about a difficult decision she has to make that will change her life forever.

Ravenwood is a delightful historical romance with a mystical setting. I truly enjoyed reading this and found the content impressive and unforgettable. It was intriguing enough to remind me of Edgar Allan Poe’s dark stories, putting me in a pensive mood as I turned the pages. Margaux Gillis wrote imaginatively, her expressive writing kept my attention to the end. The exchange of dialogue among the notable characters was very interesting, especially when Hayter was present. I was fond of Elinore, who had a stubborn streak and lively attitude, but thought most of the characters remarkable too. There are brief romantic scenes that are mildly graphic and more suitable for mature readers. Ravenwood’s cover illustration matches the setting of the story, which I highly recommend.

Reviewed by Stephen Fisher for Readers' Favorite

Killian: The Avalon Series Book 1 by Elizabeth Kelly is an adult fairy tale romance that begins with Killian working as a night club bartender on a fairy tale theme night. He sees a woman that captures his attention, and instantly falls head over heels in love with her. Killian is actually a fairy prince that had to leave his homeland when his family was murdered. He can only return when he finds his true mate, allowing him to return to Avalon. Killian has been in the human realm for over a hundred years when he finally meets his true mate; a beautiful college student named Reagan whose parents mysteriously disappeared a couple of years earlier. Reagan has been searching for them since. She could not sell her parents' house because they are not officially dead. It takes a while before Reagan begins to trust Killian, especially when her rival, Savannah, keeps him company whenever he fails to keep their dates. Things change for the better when she becomes homeless, and Killian invites her to stay with him at his apartment. When she learns that Killian is a fairy and he declares her as her true mate, she doesn’t know if she is ready for that kind of commitment.

Miss Kelly does a magnificent job of relaying Reagan’s emotions whenever the story develops from her point of view, her relationship with her best friend Alex, as well as her hesitations concerning Killian. When Killian decides to help her find her parents, they uncover a box with the same markings that are on his wooden statue. All of the characters in this book are well developed with believable quirks and temperaments. The story becomes full of surprises after she discovers by accident how to open her parents' wooden box. Set in both the fairy realm and a modern day city, Killian is magical and a true modern day romantic fantasy. This book was hard to put down, from beginning to end. Well done!

Reviewed by Carol Coetzee for Readers' Favorite

In The SHIVA Syndrome by Alan Joshua, we are thrown right into the action with the prologue. A test subject is in a liquid filled cylinder in a basement laboratory in Podol'sk in Russia. During the procedure, he experiences a seizure and chaos ensues in the laboratory. When everything settles down, all that remains in the tank is a formless, featureless black cloud. The cloud totally engulfs everything and disappears, leaving nothing but a massive crater. A team is quickly assembled to investigate the incident and the strange crater. Among these is Beau Walker, psychologist and empath. It is obvious that something very unusual has occurred in Podol'sk. What the team finds and experiences will shock, surprise and amaze you. As events escalate, Walker embarks on a journey dealing with his personal demons and must struggle to save humanity from itself. An engrossing read!

In The SHIVA Syndrome, Alan Joshua cleverly interweaves various genres. We deal with altered states of consciousness, parapsychology, genetics, paleontology, mythology, military intrigue, hard science and religion. This combines to produce a complex and exhilarating tale, twisting, turning and yet racing along at a blistering pace towards an intense climax. This story will certainly challenge everything we know, or think we know, about reality, life and the universe, and lead you to the ultimate conclusion that human consciousness does not end with the flesh, but continues well beyond, and humans have enormous potential for both creation and destruction.

The story is extremely well written, well researched and well-paced, and will keep you turning pages till your eyes close of their own accord. Whilst not a quick read, and containing some new ideas and concepts, for me anyway, there is never a dull moment. Walker is an extremely interesting character, and his empathic skills, as well as his genetic heritage, play an important role in the tale. Each character is interesting, well defined, and has flaws and strengths that are as fascinating as they are realistic. A wonderful read that I would love to see being made into a movie!