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First Strike
-- SNEAK PEEK: Stella STELLA JAYNE WALSH FROZE, the hair on the back of her neck rigid as her body reacted to the sense that someone was behind her. Relax, she thought. You know what to do. A creak in the floor gave the person away and Stella whipped around, snatched the man’s fingers, and bent them back on his hand. He cried out and fell back. She thrust her palm into his chest and, as he coughed, she sent him to the ground by kicking his legs out from under him. He grunted as he hit the floor, cringing from the pain. She pounced on top of him and punched him in the chest again. “Okay! Okay! Stop!” he shouted. “Stella, that’s great, no, I think you, yes—” said another man behind her. Her self-defense coach called to her, and his hands touched her arms. “Wow! Great job, Stella,” Brian said, “but what’s one thing we could have done differently here?” He turned to address the rest of the class as they stood in a circle around Stella and Dan. Brian pulled Dan up from the floor, and Dan shook his head as he massaged his sore fingers. Stella was about to apologize when her phone rang, calling to her from her bag on the bench next to the sparring area. It was the special ringtone for the hospital, Mercy General. “Hello,” Stella said. “Yeah, oh … okay. I’ll be right there.” When she hung up, she felt a touch on her arm. “It’s 2019, Stella. I can’t believe you still have a flip phone,” said her friend Sarah. “I know, but I only need it for actual phone calls, and I hate texting,” Stella said. She zipped up her winter jacket and brushed her hair out of her face. “You okay?” Sarah asked. “Yes, I’ve got to get into surgery, but other than that—” “No, I mean, you kind of pissed off Dan, I think.” They both glanced over their shoulders to see Dan scowling at them from the other side of the room. “He’ll be fine,” Stella said. “Are you sure you’re all right? It’s not been that long since the shooting.” 
Giveaway! --
My thoughts:
Honestly, this book was so much fun! Just plain, good fun! It isn't always easy to strike the right kind of balance between humour and action in a sci-fi book, but First Strike with its upbeat, tongue-in-cheek tone checked all the boxes for me. The main characters were adorably sweet: Stella, dedicated to her chosen medical field of saving lives in ER, Drew, whose optimism and open-mindedness is absolutely contageous, Rider with his tough ethical diemma, Zimmer, who, despite his best efforts, will never go unnoticed due to his sartorial choices and many others equally likeable- I loved them all! Even the main villain (or should I say villainess?) is memorable in her inexplicable love of everything related to one particular colour! There's an underlying message of cooperation, fairness and inclusion, and it is very refreshing to have strong female characters who aren't teenagers or young adults. The story is told in short and snappy chapters that take the reader on a space adventure where the main charcters have to quickly adjust to the new environment and make life-and-death decisions, following their instincts, moral compass and sometimes relying on luck. I wish the trading practices on Kodon were more unequivocally condemned and I wish we learnt more about the achenemy race's actions (not just their looks) to understand the situation, but I guess we will in the following books. If you're a fan of unusual superheroes and/or love Star Trek, don't miss this one!  Orphan Black meets Margaret Atwood in this twisty supernatural thriller about female power and the bonds of sisterhood Josephine Morrow is Girl One, the first of nine “Miracle Babies” conceived without male DNA, raised on an experimental commune known as the Homestead. When a suspicious fire destroys the commune and claims the lives of two of the Homesteaders, the remaining Girls and their Mothers scatter across the United States and lose touch. Years later, Margaret Morrow goes missing, and Josie sets off on a desperate road trip, tracking down her estranged sisters who seem to hold the keys to her mother’s disappearance. Tracing the clues Margaret left behind, Josie joins forces with the other Girls, facing down those who seek to eradicate their very existence while uncovering secrets about their origins and unlocking devastating abilities they never knew they had. (From the publisher's description) Goodreads  My thoughts: Girl One was one of my most anticipated reads for the first half of the year and I'm sure it wil remain in the top five most memorable ones. Any good science fiction novel has to be a blend of several elements: an interesting scientific concept, a 'what if...?' which is plausible and fascinating to discuss, an interesting plot or unusual characters, and a strong message related to our society. Girl One has all three of them and definitely deserves your attention. This is a story of a young woman, Josephine Morrow, looking for her estranged mother Margaret, who disappeared (was kidnapped?) from their home. The search turns into a journey of self-discovery that breaks and re-makes every idea Josie had of her past and present. Josie is number One of the nine babies, miraculously conceived by parthenogenesis (self-conception, 'virgin birth') in the Homestead, a commune of like-minded, progressively thinking women and a scientist who helped the project to take off. The commune was destroyed by a ravaging fire, in which two people died- Fiona, the youngest of the nine girls and Dr Bellanger himself. The remaining mothers and their daughters conceived without male DNA scattered all across the country and went on with their lives. Josie finds her mother's enigmatic notes, hidden in what remains after a similar fire consumed their ordinary flat, and sets outs to find the rest of the girls. This is a well-written thriller with a tight plot and multiple twists and turns as there are a lot of things Josie has to discover about her past, the Homestead Project, and the only family she has ever had. Since there were 9 original girls, it does take some time , and some characters contribute less than the others to the development of the story. Then again, there are also some sinister, horror-like scenes that will keep you on the edge of your seat. The writing is really vivid and you can easily see the book turned into a TV show in future. Josie is a very likeable character. She is strong, she is caring, she is flawed, and this is what makes her so interesting. She discovers and re-discovers the strength and selflessness of her mother-daughter bond and a powerful connection to her 'sisters'. She grows during this trip, takes responsibility for her own actions and her road companions and works through some complex feelings. The events are told from her point of view and I wonder what kind of effect having multiple POVs would have had on the book. The thriller side of the book is quite strong, but this gripping journey also comes with thought-provoking social messages- the way the girls come into their own powers, test and learn their ethical boundaries is a perfect metaphor for the relationship our society has with its scientific discoveries and technological progress. There is also something else - we are all different, but there is no need to be afraid of our diversity. We can be free and independent, and enhance each other. Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher (Farrar, Straus and Giroux) for the review copy provided in exchange for an honest opinion. 
Bachelor Beast
Goodreads / Amazon / Barnes & Noble / iBooks / Kobo / Google Play Only 99¢ for a limited time! -- EXCERPT: I took a step closer, careful of the thick cords across the floor while remaining behind the cameras. Wulf’s hands gripped the arms of his chair as if they were keeping him from flying away. Maybe because I looked at people’s faces all the time, I could often tell what they were feeling, or maybe Wulf was equally bad at hiding his emotions. I’d lusted after him. Drooled over him. Dreamed of him. I hadn’t really thought of the toll this show was taking on him. Had he truly volunteered for this? He looked about as enthused to be sitting here as someone in the waiting room before a colonoscopy. Was what Chet had said true? Would he die if he didn’t pick Genevieve or Willow? Was he really going to be executed? Was his life so bad that he’d choose execution over the women? Not once in the three weeks of taping had Chet asked him what he was looking for in a mate. Everyone assumed, including me, that Wulf was whittling down the ladies to his favorites, to the one he’d give his cuffs. Now I wasn’t so sure. The show dragged on, as they had a one-hour time slot, with plenty of commercial breaks to heighten the anticipation. I was ready to scream by the time Chet stopped his inane questions and finally got down to the business at hand. The choice. Wulf’s choice. “It’s finally time. Genevieve, Willow…” Chet spoke and the ladies took a step closer. The lights dimmed except for a focused beam on the gleaming cuffs in the glass case. I moved around another camera to be as close as I could but remain behind the scenes. We were all in shadows, the large set being lit only by the stage. “Warlord Wulf. It is time.” Wulf slowly rose to his feet. “Who is going to be your bride? Genevieve or Willow?” Mary, a wardrobe tech, moved to stand beside me but bumped my shoulder, pushing me forward. I gasped and stopped my forward momentum out of sheer panic. I didn’t get in the way, but my heart was in my throat. Mary’s hand settled on my shoulder, and she mouthed a sorry along with a small smile. I looked back at the stage, at what I’d been waiting for since the first episode. But Wulf wasn’t looking at the final contestants. He was looking at me. Me. Oh. My. God. Had I gotten in front of the camera? Had I distracted Wulf at a time like this? Oh shit, I was going to be fired. I took a small step back, but Mary stopped me. Genevieve turned to look my way. Willow narrowed her eyes in my direction as if trying to peer into the shadows. Chet even broke his perfect facade to glance past the cameras. At me. Although I wasn’t sure if they could actually see me, or if they were trying to determine what held Wulf’s attention. A rumbling came from the stage. Chet, Genevieve and Willow whipped their gazes back toward Wulf. Then came a growl that practically made the floor shake. I felt it deep inside me and I gasped. Wulf’s eyes were still on me, and I couldn’t look away. Not when he was growing. Actually growing. The audience gasped, murmured. Backstage whispering kicked in. Chet stepped back. Genevieve took hold of Willow’s hand, and their eyes widened. The tuxedo jacket ripped at the seams on Wulf’s body. He wasn’t seven feet of alien any longer. He had to be eight feet and all beast. Angled features, ragged breathing, taut muscles. A gaze laser sharp. Intense, as if he was ready to pounce. “Mine.” The one word was low and deep, and it silenced the entire set. Find out what happens to Olivia and her beast in 
GIVEAWAY! Hosted by:  Thank you to Rachel from Rachel's Random Resources for inviting me to participate in the blog tour for Clara Molina's new sci-fi novel I lost my Compass at the Bermuda Triangle and Dream Five.
Synopsis: I Lost My Compass At the Bermuda Triangle and Dream Five Sophia Lorenzo awoke with no memory or identity and given a mission to murder a mysterious man named Murich Rhys. What will she do? There’s only one way to find out as she heads to his castle and embarks on a long and arduous journey to complete a task she does not want. Can she battle the scorching heat of the desert? What lies in the wake and maze of the forest? Can she escape from the Snow Dwellers and the inhabitants of the contentious city of Absolute Zero? She heads to the castle to discover who she is and why she was given this task. The truth is just as crazy as her mission. Sophia Lorenzo finds her compass on the Bermuda Triangle and Dream Five. Purchase Links UK / US My Thoughts: If I could describe this book in four words, they would be: Short, Weird, Original, and Fun. It took just a few pages to get hooked on this unusual story and a couple hours to read it in al its entirety. Clara L Molina has a great writing style with an excellent pace and this certainly conttributed tomy enjoyment of the book. Weird? Well, tell me you're not intrigued by the title... rest sssured it will all make sense. To quote the book itself :'I know this sounds very vague, but the picture will become crystal clear soon enough'. The first pages reminded me a bit of Waiting of Godot, then I couldn't shake off the mental image of The Persistence of Memory by Salvador Dali - surreal, but also original and entertaining- then it all crystallised and the overall message of the book became crystal clear. Sophia Lorenzo wakes up in a strange world. She doesn't know who she is (in fact, her memory has been wiped off and we find who did it and to what end later). Soon she gets a message from the sky telling her to kill a man. She quickly finds out the man is a dictator who keeps this world under its control with the help of a chemical substance called Dream Five. Sophia sets off on a dangerous journey. At the same time we meet a very interesting lady who is fast approaching her retirement. Pat Houser is having her own adventure that will ultimately save not one, but two worlds. You might have guessed that the stories are connected, you just need to find out how. The themes this short sci-fi novella touches upon are quite big- looking for one's purpose in life, technology and its potential to alter the course of civilisation, everyone''s ability to bring change however small and insignificant they may consider themselves. All of these are explored in a fun, playful manner with a healthy dose of humour. This was my first book by Clara L Molina and I'd love to read more from this author. My favourite quote: 'What is the truth?...'I don't know, wherever I arrive, I hope I am punctual.' Thank you to Rachel from Rachel's Random Resources and the author for the complimentary review copy. All opinions are my own and were not influenced in any way. Author Bio Clara L Molina writes Science Fiction books most of the time, dabbles in comic drawings occasionally, and writes to laugh at herself all the time. She has a computer science degree, but has been a lifelong writer. She currently lives in San Antonio, Texas, and enjoys fresh air and days where her hair is not frizzy. Social Media Links – https://twitter.com/BoxaEl https://www.elboxa.com/ Thank you for reading the post! If you would like to find out what other bloggers thought of the book, here is the full blog tour schedule:  |
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