#BookReview: Unchained (Scion #3) by Michael J. Allen @TheDScribbler

Synopsis: Alaric’s crusade against slavery backfires when the Corollas unknowingly capture and collar him once more. Enslaved as a pit fighter side by side with his old enemy, Manc Shepherd, Alaric must survive to break his chains.

A mysterious huntress pursues Alaric, ultimately ingratiating herself with Tyne in order to get close to Alaric and complete her contract. War hero Commodore Bruce Dolan det Regis does everything he can to find Alaric—including recruit, cajole and extort Alaric’s one time friends.

Missing, beaten and bathed in blood, Alaric finds new and old allies in the pit that help transform him into a killing machine. Coming sword to sword with a refugee Alaric’s schemes sold into slavery, he chooses to defy his owner, the Dominari, in a way that reveals his location.

Enemies and allies race to the Dominari’s doorstep. They demand she turn Alaric over, refusing to divulge his identity. She pledges to kill Alaric and burn Scrics Three to the ground before surrendering her prize. When she learns Alaric’s identity, the Dominari organizes a public spectacle that forces him to kill his friends or die.

Alaric rescues Manc as he affects an escape and returns to the stars. Pelson and the others waylay Alaric en route to rebuild the destroyed Cassiopeia, revealing Alaric’s true identity. Still reeling from these revelations, Alaric witnesses the destructive atrocities of a bold, new Corollas juggernaut. 

Will Alaric choose an easy life with a family he can’t remember or rid the Protectorate of slavery once and for all with the help of a KIOSC-shortcutting hack, a new crew and the new Cassiopeia?

#BookReview: Hijacked (Scion #3) by Michael J. Allen @TheDScribbler

Synopsis: Manc Shepherd is alive, desperate and mad as hedrin. 

Before the hunt for payback even begins, the Corollas's deadliest killers target Manc as prey. Down to his last, most treacherous allies and his father's old fighters, Manc races against death to find the hapless boy who has endangered Manc's schemes by systematically foiling ambush, assassination, and betrayal. 

Two problems stand in the way of Manc piecing back together his doomed, lifelong vendetta. Alaric Ignaree has vanished, and the kid reminds Manc of the father he is desperate to avenge. 

Manc knows Alaric's weakness, but how far will Manc blur the line between hero and villain to achieve justice? Moreover, can he kill the boy that he always wanted to become?

#BookReview: Vengeful are the Drowned (Blood Phoenix Chronicles, #3) by Michael J. Allen @TheDScribbler

Synopsis: Past Mistakes Never Stop Haunting... 

A dark spell enslaves the phoenixes. Dunham unleashes their elemental powers against those who murdered his family while the deposed Wyldfae Queen uses them to lure even bigger prey. 

Vitae's desperate crusade to save Mare takes a darker turn, putting him at odds with Quayla. With Quayla on the run and Vitae setting up his own kingdom, the Sidhe turn Atlanta into a bloody playground. 

An unexpected ally emerges to help Quayla's fight for freedom, and a betrayal brings Vitae face to face with the Sidhe royals. With the phoenixes pitted against one another and True Death a certainty, can Atlanta's dwindling Shield prevent the Sidhe from devouring mankind?

#BookReview: Ruled by Tainted Blood (Blood Phoenix Chronicles, #2) by Michael J. Allen @TheDScribbler

Synopsis: Heartache Can Pave the Darkest Paths... 

Atlanta's Shieldheart discovers an awful truth with the potential to undo the mistake that broke his Shield. While the others struggle to protect mankind from Sidhe onslaught, Vitae delves down a dark road. If he can master faerie magic, he could become Creation’s greatest shield and possibly even reclaim Mare from oblivion. 

Quayla’s self-destructive attempts to rejoin her brothers cost her dearly. Sidhe use her friends as pawns in a power struggle born out of Quayla’s past. A lost Sidhe Court emerges behind new villainy. Leveraging all the shields hold dear, the new foe manipulates Atlanta's phoenixes into becoming the ultimate Sidhe weapon. 

Embroiled in a three-sided war, the shields uncover the plot behind the chaos, but at a terrible price. Only Quayla and Vitae remain free to protect Atlanta. But locked in bloody conflict with each other, can either save the city, the Shield, or themselves?

#BookReview: Duplicity (Dumpstermancer #2) by Michael J. Allen @TheDScribbler

Synopsis: ​Two weeks of freedom hasn’t been enough for Eli to rebuild his life. While he races to prepare for looming winter, a killer’s crusade to exterminate Seufert Fells’s homeless drives a knife into the city’s criminal elite. 

Forced to hunt a killer disguised by magic, Eli’s world becomes a house of mirrors. Friends become enemies. Deceptions abound, and the magic that saved Eli threatens to consume him. 

​With the serial killer targeting everything ​he ​loves, even new dumpstermancer ​ spells might not be enough. Eli may have to protect his worst enemy to defeat a killing machine with a thousand faces.

#BookReview: Ashes of Raging Water (Blood Phoenix Chronicles #1) by Michael J. Allen @TheDScribbler

Synopsis: Wyldfae incursions plague Atlanta. The Georgia Shield must protect humanity from the Sidhe Courts and their twisted games. Quayla, the city’s newest and only water phoenix, gambles her life to stop the attacks and prove herself to the other phoenixes.

Quayla scours a labyrinth of half-truths and misdirection to unravel the guilty from the merely vile. Her love life is crumbling. Atlanta PD is hunting her. Every move seems wrong, and one more mistake could globally unleash panic and magical pandemonium.

As Quayla’s pursuit closes in, the Sidhe launch an assault on her Shield. Phoenixes are dying. Faeries invade their sanctum. Down to her last dregs of essence, Quayla must choose between abandoning her brothers or risking True Death to safeguard their last line of defense against oblivion.

#BookReview: Scion of Conquered Earth (Scion #1) by Michael J. Allen @TheDScribbler

Synopsis: An alien force has descended upon Earth. Fighters bombard the ruins. Monsters hunt the wastes – some humans serving the Welorin in order to indulge their petty cruelties. The last free survivors struggle against starvation and capture. It’s a world where friendship costs too dearly and heroics verge on suicide.

One young man simply can’t resist either. Welorin torture machines ravage his world, filling it with literal nightmares. Cannibalistic aerobics instructors hunt him and snatcher teams dog his every step. Alaric attempts one rescue after another, hoping someone might possess keys to unlock memories stolen by the initial assault.

An aborted rescue lands him in a three way fight between Welorin forces and interstellar raiders. He takes cover in the pirates’ ship, coercing its AI, Cassii, into helping him. Success comes with unexpected consequence as Cassii abandons her crew, his friends and Earth’s solar system.

Cassii refuses to return to Earth, decrying her former captain’s despoiling of the ship’s weapons and armor. Alaric leverages goods stolen from Earth by Cassii’s former crew into a bid at privateering. Surrounded by tech he barely understands and exotic life forms, he’s easy prey for the Protectorate’s mercenary population.

Escort Captain Manc Shepherd and the sultry pirate Tyne Ren – Manc’s onetime partner – manipulate, exploit and seduce him across the stars. Alaric’s perilous heroics complicate their tug-of-war, endangering both and Alaric’s ship – their intended prize.

Alaric must decide who he is, what he holds dear and how far he’ll go to protect both. He must choose who to trust: his mentor, his temptress or his smitten ship’s AI. The right choice could save worlds. The wrong one could throw him into a desperate battle to save thousands from his betrayer at the cost of his truest friend.

#BookReview: The Demon in Business Class by Anthony Dobranski @Dobranskiauthor

Synopsis: She can speak all languages. He can smell evil intent.
They're enemies. They crave each other.

With international settings, a conspiracy plot, star-crossed lovers, and sharp writing, The Demon in Business Class is a stunning debut novel spanning continents and genres.

Zarabeth travels the world for a shady executive, laying the groundwork for global war.

Gabriel offers a second chance to the criminals that a visionary leader sees in dreams.

One rainy night in Scotland, they meet...

Now, it's complicated.

There's also the investigator, the witch, the playboy, the gangster, the cultist, the pre-school teacher, the two angels…

And, the demon.

The Demon in Business Class is an tense, stylish, international story of fantasy, intrigue, and love, on the uneasy ground where the human meets the divine.

YOUR NEXT READ IS NOW BOARDING

#BookReview: Possessed President by Amo Sulaiman

Synopsis: Full of thought-provoking symbolism leavened with both crazy
antics and danger, Possessed President, Resman—the 
responsibility man—and his bodyguard Osray. 

The pair descend from the celestial city of Atlantis to travel 
across America, teaching its citizens to take responsibility for not
only their own actions, but the effects their actions have on 
everything around them.

Their goal: confront the president of the United States about 
the federalist policies that are driving America and Americans to self-
destruction.

Resman quickly develops a following, and soon “Resmanism” 
is sweeping across America and around the world.

#BookReview: Fey West by Michael J. Allen @TheDScribbler

Synopsis: Fey do not forgive, and they do not forget.
​Neither do gunslingers.

A half-elven druid turned gunslinger born under a death sentence in the New World and saved from execution in the Old, Rafael West returns to his homeland, wary and perilously indebted to the high fairy who negotiated his release.

Rafe is forced to champion a dwarven railroad laying poisonous, cold-iron across the wild lands of the fey continent, but their secrets can't remain hidden much longer. If the elven tribesman that condemned baby Rafe to death for “stealing” their magic uncover the railroad’s lies, the entire continent could be plunged into full scale war.

Between the fey nobility’s intrigues, hiding the railroad's crimes, and surviving elven “justice,” Rafe will require more than luck and six-guns to succeed. If he fails. If the tribes stop Big Iron, the fairy will murder all of Rafe’s friends and then torture Rafe’s lifelong love to death. 

#BookReview: Discarded (Dumpstermancer #1) by Michael J. Allen @TheDScribbler

Synopsis: ​​Magic has been franchised. Magical conveniences are sold everywhere like designer coffee. Everyday life is filled with technical and magical wonders. Only, the magic is murdering people.

Thoth Corp's hot new spell is turning people into ravening monsters. Their only hope to quietly rectify the situation before the epidemic spreads is the spell architect they framed and sent to prison. 

Eli’s response to his former partners wasn't polite.

Homeless, forbidden government-regulated magic and barely surviving out of dumpsters, Eli struggles to rebuild his life. Fairytale rats thought long extinct with the rest of the fey rescue Eli from murderous vigilantes but at a cost. They force him to save fairy matrons stolen away by Thoth's monsters, thrusting Eli between his old company and a shadow war waged against humanity.

To stop the war, cure Thoth's victims and rescue the city, Eli need only find some way to make magic out of trash.

#BookReview: Possessed President by Amo Sulaiman

Synopsis: Full of thought-provoking symbolism leavened with both crazy
antics and danger, Possessed President, Resman—the 
responsibility man—and his bodyguard Osray. 

The pair descend from the celestial city of Atlantis to travel 
across America, teaching its citizens to take responsibility for not
only their own actions, but the effects their actions have on 
everything around them.

Their goal: confront the president of the United States about 
the federalist policies that are driving America and Americans to self-
destruction.

Resman quickly develops a following, and soon “Resmanism” 
is sweeping across America and around the world.

#BookReview: The Demon in Business Class by Anthony Dobranski @Dobranskiauthor

Synopsis: She can speak all languages. He can smell evil intent.
They're enemies. They crave each other.

With international settings, a conspiracy plot, star-crossed lovers, and sharp writing, The Demon in Business Class is a stunning debut novel spanning continents and genres.

Zarabeth travels the world for a shady executive, laying the groundwork for global war.

Gabriel offers a second chance to the criminals that a visionary leader sees in dreams.

One rainy night in Scotland, they meet...

Now, it's complicated.

There's also the investigator, the witch, the playboy, the gangster, the cultist, the pre-school teacher, the two angels…

And, the demon.

The Demon in Business Class is an tense, stylish, international story of fantasy, intrigue, and love, on the uneasy ground where the human meets the divine.

YOUR NEXT READ IS NOW BOARDING

#BookReview: Rise of the Exiled Lady (Blood Phoenix Chronicles, #4) by Michael J. Allen @TheDScribbler

Synopsis: The Ripples of One Selfish Mistake Could Drown the World...

A phoenix has fallen, forever destroyed by the drowned druid's fury.

Blinded by his obsession, Dunham unleashes his enslaved phoenixes against Quayla. The spectacular assault reveals the faeries to mankind, endangering the Exiled Lady's campaign to reclaim her throne. Desperate, Viviane trades one monster for another, offering Vitae his heart's desire.

Terror and blood run rampant throughout Creation. Giggling faeries sell supernatural powers to murderers and madmen, reveling in the mayhem while mortal authorities struggle to contain the carnage.

Alone and outmatched, Quayla must return to where her mistake launched their pending destruction. But will facing her demons strengthen her enough to save Atlanta or destroy her once and for all.

#BookReview: Unchained (Scion #3) by Michael J. Allen @TheDScribbler

Synopsis: Alaric’s crusade against slavery backfires when the Corollas unknowingly capture and collar him once more. Enslaved as a pit fighter side by side with his old enemy, Manc Shepherd, Alaric must survive to break his chains.

A mysterious huntress pursues Alaric, ultimately ingratiating herself with Tyne in order to get close to Alaric and complete her contract. War hero Commodore Bruce Dolan det Regis does everything he can to find Alaric—including recruit, cajole and extort Alaric’s one time friends.

Missing, beaten and bathed in blood, Alaric finds new and old allies in the pit that help transform him into a killing machine. Coming sword to sword with a refugee Alaric’s schemes sold into slavery, he chooses to defy his owner, the Dominari, in a way that reveals his location.

Enemies and allies race to the Dominari’s doorstep. They demand she turn Alaric over, refusing to divulge his identity. She pledges to kill Alaric and burn Scrics Three to the ground before surrendering her prize. When she learns Alaric’s identity, the Dominari organizes a public spectacle that forces him to kill his friends or die.

Alaric rescues Manc as he affects an escape and returns to the stars. Pelson and the others waylay Alaric en route to rebuild the destroyed Cassiopeia, revealing Alaric’s true identity. Still reeling from these revelations, Alaric witnesses the destructive atrocities of a bold, new Corollas juggernaut. 

Will Alaric choose an easy life with a family he can’t remember or rid the Protectorate of slavery once and for all with the help of a KIOSC-shortcutting hack, a new crew and the new Cassiopeia?

#BookReview: Hijacked (Scion #3) by Michael J. Allen @TheDScribbler

Synopsis: Manc Shepherd is alive, desperate and mad as hedrin. 

Before the hunt for payback even begins, the Corollas's deadliest killers target Manc as prey. Down to his last, most treacherous allies and his father's old fighters, Manc races against death to find the hapless boy who has endangered Manc's schemes by systematically foiling ambush, assassination, and betrayal. 

Two problems stand in the way of Manc piecing back together his doomed, lifelong vendetta. Alaric Ignaree has vanished, and the kid reminds Manc of the father he is desperate to avenge. 

Manc knows Alaric's weakness, but how far will Manc blur the line between hero and villain to achieve justice? Moreover, can he kill the boy that he always wanted to become?

#BookReview: Fey West by Michael J. Allen @TheDScribbler

Synopsis: Fey do not forgive, and they do not forget.
​Neither do gunslingers.

A half-elven druid turned gunslinger born under a death sentence in the New World and saved from execution in the Old, Rafael West returns to his homeland, wary and perilously indebted to the high fairy who negotiated his release.

Rafe is forced to champion a dwarven railroad laying poisonous, cold-iron across the wild lands of the fey continent, but their secrets can't remain hidden much longer. If the elven tribesman that condemned baby Rafe to death for “stealing” their magic uncover the railroad’s lies, the entire continent could be plunged into full scale war.

Between the fey nobility’s intrigues, hiding the railroad's crimes, and surviving elven “justice,” Rafe will require more than luck and six-guns to succeed. If he fails. If the tribes stop Big Iron, the fairy will murder all of Rafe’s friends and then torture Rafe’s lifelong love to death. 

#BookReview: Vengeful are the Drowned (Blood Phoenix Chronicles, #3) by Michael J. Allen @TheDScribbler

Synopsis: Past Mistakes Never Stop Haunting... 

A dark spell enslaves the phoenixes. Dunham unleashes their elemental powers against those who murdered his family while the deposed Wyldfae Queen uses them to lure even bigger prey. 

Vitae's desperate crusade to save Mare takes a darker turn, putting him at odds with Quayla. With Quayla on the run and Vitae setting up his own kingdom, the Sidhe turn Atlanta into a bloody playground. 

An unexpected ally emerges to help Quayla's fight for freedom, and a betrayal brings Vitae face to face with the Sidhe royals. With the phoenixes pitted against one another and True Death a certainty, can Atlanta's dwindling Shield prevent the Sidhe from devouring mankind?

#BookReview: Stolen Lives (Scion #2) by Michael J. Allen @TheDScribbler

Synopsis: Alaric’s made a new life in the Protectorate despite his missing memories. His ship’s AI, Cassii, and a successful trading venture help fill his accounts with enough credits to finish repairing his ship for a rescue mission to Earth. Or would have, had his heroics not smashed Cassiopeia once more.

His interference with the Corollas crime syndicate fills his thruster wash with more than just an angry ex-mentor. Pirates thrive on the star lanes, preying on all those who stray within their sights. Cassii’s been stolen and with her Alaric’s hopes to rescue his friends. Pirates, bounty hunters, and disgruntled plants besiege him along all vectors, preventing his capture of the scum responsible.

Alaric recruits a reluctant doctor, a pacifistic AI, and several escort pilots to help him chase down Cassii. Kindhearted decisions leave Alaric wallowing in misery. Deaths and desperation, financial losses and constant attack force him to make dark choices that threaten all.

Alaric embraces the vast interstellar emptiness, struggling to harden himself enough to thwart the Protectorate’s criminal elite. Every sacrifice he makes to rescue Cassii seems to cost chunks of his soul. Will he free her before he loses himself or will she return to find her beloved captain a worse villain than her kidnapper? 

#BookReview: Ruled by Tainted Blood (Blood Phoenix Chronicles, #2) by Michael J. Allen @TheDScribbler

Synopsis: Heartache Can Pave the Darkest Paths... 

Atlanta's Shieldheart discovers an awful truth with the potential to undo the mistake that broke his Shield. While the others struggle to protect mankind from Sidhe onslaught, Vitae delves down a dark road. If he can master faerie magic, he could become Creation’s greatest shield and possibly even reclaim Mare from oblivion. 

Quayla’s self-destructive attempts to rejoin her brothers cost her dearly. Sidhe use her friends as pawns in a power struggle born out of Quayla’s past. A lost Sidhe Court emerges behind new villainy. Leveraging all the shields hold dear, the new foe manipulates Atlanta's phoenixes into becoming the ultimate Sidhe weapon. 

Embroiled in a three-sided war, the shields uncover the plot behind the chaos, but at a terrible price. Only Quayla and Vitae remain free to protect Atlanta. But locked in bloody conflict with each other, can either save the city, the Shield, or themselves?