Patriarch Run

Billy discovers that his father might be a traitor, that he was deployed to safeguard the United States from a cyberattack on its military networks. After that mission, his father disappeared along with the Chinese technology he was ordered to steal–a weapon powerful enough to sabotage the digital infrastructure of the modern age and force the human population into collapse.

*May Contain Spoilers*

Benjamin Dancer reveals the world's Achilles heel and one man who understands it in his novel, Patriarch Run. Jack, a contractor for the United States Government, has traveled the world and witnessed war, famine, and other unspeakable horrors. In his mind there is only one reason for this: the human population is out of control. 

But after the Washington bombing, an event that was designed to exterminate him, Jack can't remember who he is, what he was doing, why there are men trying to kill him, or where he hid the stolen Chinese device that could fix the root of the problem. His blank mind leads him home to the wife and child he abandoned ten years prior, bringing pain and suffering to their happy lives. 

Jack, Rachel, and Billy share the focus of this novel. Jack is a blank slate of a person. He's methodical and automatic. The flashbacks reveal Jack to be an innately good man who wants to live off the land, creating his own world in the middle of nature. The present version of Jack is not easily liked. He's solely focused on finishing his mission, though he struggles to remember what it is. Understanding that his family might die doesn't unnerve him. Readers will find it difficult to connect with his view and, therefore, his actions. 

Rachel is an impressive character focused on survival and protecting her son. She's kidnapped, beaten, and veers awfully close to death. Yet, she's determined, hopeful, and brave. Readers will enjoy seeing her side of the story, though the situations she faces are gut-wrenching. Billy's character is similar to his mother's. As a teenage boy on the brink of high school graduation, Billy is an innocent victim of his father's decision. He's quite intelligent, can protect himself, and shares the survival focus that his parents also have. Readers will enjoy his respectful attitude and the way in which he handles the terrifying circumstances.

Patriarch Run begins with the attempted assassination of Jack in a car bombing. After this causes his amnesia, Jack finds himself at home, bringing chaos and destruction to a Colorado town he loves. As Jack tries to survive and remember how he came to be in this deadly situation, his family becomes the target to force his hand. Though the story is entertaining, at times terrifying, and fast-paced, the timeline was hard to understand. Some of the chapters are flashbacks but I found myself mixing up the facts as the story became more in-depth. The writing style implies information without adding needed clarification. Patriarch Run is a thrilling novel that takes one family on a frightening journey of survival, intended for mature reading audiences. 

Rating: 3/5 Cups

Shemlan: A Deadly Tragedy

Jason Hartmoor is dying of cancer. But will his past kill him first?

After a lifetime of service around the Middle East, retired diplomat Jason Hartmoor is dying of cancer. He embarks on a last journey back to Lebanon where he studied Arabic as a young man at the Middle East Centre for Arab Studies, the infamous ‘British spy school’ in the village of Shemlan far up in the hills overlooking Beirut.

Jason wants to rediscover the love he lost when the civil war forced him to flee Lebanon. Instead his past catches up with him with such speed and violence, it threatens to kill him before the disease does. The only man who can keep him alive long enough to face that past is Gerald Lynch.

*May Contain Spoilers*

Our favorite group of Beirut agents is back in Shemlan: A Deadly Tragedy by Alexander McNabb. Gerald Lynch, an Irishman who works for British Intelligence, is brought in to find Jason Hartmoor before the competition can get their hands on him.

The story revolves around both Hartmoor and Lynch. Hartmoor is dying from cancer and before he dies he wants to see the woman who stole his heart when he was a young man studying Arabic. When he goes back to Shemlan to find her, Hartmoor inadvertently threatens to unravel a carefully covered up secret. Hartmoor is a simply good man who plays the fool too often. He is naive, gullible, and haunted. He's the man who is always in the wrong place at the wrong time which has ruined his career and love life. Readers will connect with him in his journey to find the woman he was forced to leave behind. They will also empathize with Hartmoor's unlucky streak of being used and abused by his supposed "friends." 

Lynch is a blunt British agent who has a soft spot for those he truly cares about. He is focused, thorough, understanding, and overly intelligent. Lynch has the ability to make connections, ask the right questions, and uncover old secrets. Readers will enjoy his banter and wit while also respecting him as an agent. 

The plot follows Hartmoor as he travels back to Beirut and Shemlan, where he studied as a young man, to find Mai, the love of his life. His personal journey to make peace with his past threatens the present and future of unknown men. As the story unravels, McNabb draws readers into the mystery of the dying Jason Hartmoor. Shemlan: A Deadly Tragedy is a novel true to its name. The story of Hartmoor is nothing if not a tragedy in which everyone has a target taped to their back. 

Rating: 3.5/5 Cups

Platform 21 - Blog Tour

Synopsis:
Luke’s life is about to take a dangerous turn.
But first he has to die.

In the year 2052, high school sophomore Luke Gibson considers himself an average teenager in a world on the brink of monumental change. Joining his parents and sister, Laura, at the first World Energy Initiative Conference, he is among thousands gathered in a Denver arena to celebrate free renewable energy when a massive earthquake strikes killing everyone in the stadium. The last thing Luke sees before his death is a girl reaching out to him—a stranger whose face he remembers from his dreams.

The end, however, is not the end. Suddenly, inexplicably, Luke is back home in Ohio and everything is different. His sister is gone, the victim in an unsolved homicide years before. Angela, his mysterious dream girl, is here also, and the only person besides Luke who recalls the previous reality. And now their determination to uncover the truth about Laura’s murder and their transformed world is making them targets—forced to flee for their lives from a nameless shadow organization and a government seeking vengeance for an unthinkable act of terror—as they stand on the threshold of a dark conspiracy that threatens all humankind.

Review:
T.R. Patrick combines global crisis and murder with his novel, Platform 21, the first in his Beyond the Veil series. As the world turns to chaos after a terrorist attack killing thousands, Luke awakens from death to find a new life awaiting him. A life in which his sister was brutally murdered and the criminal never caught. With the need to decipher his sister's death, Luke and Angela join forces when they discover they both survived the terrorist attack. Though, now that they're alive, the government seems to want to place the blame on their teenage shoulders.

Though Luke tells most of the story from his point of view, both he and Angela are the main characters. Readers will enjoy Luke's unwavering fortitude. He's intelligent, loyal, brave, and a little superhuman. He perseveres through every obstacle the government throws at him, uncovering connections to his sister's death that is ultimately the key to the global conspiracy.

Angela is the perfect partner for Luke. She's incredibly strong, both physically and emotionally. Angela is the character readers will cheer for. As she survives death during the terrorist attack, losing her best friend, falling in love, being abused, and being declared treasonous, Angela keeps her strength. Though readers will connect with Luke, Angela is the one readers will form an unbreakable bond with.

The plot of Platform 21 is a creatively chaotic layering of interwoven mysteries. While the terrorist attack is the push-off point of the novel, the murder mystery that comes after is the real focus. The mystery unravels to reveal multiple (seemingly) unrelated deaths which don't add up to equal the global conspiracy. It's an intricate plot that doesn't seem to come together until the very end. Though, the confusion is worth the wait as the novel reaches its climax and the series-plot is actually unveiled.

Rating: 3/5 Cups

Author Bio:
Author Timothy R. Patrick, born in 1985, started writing when he was only nine, delivering his first short story to his Mom for her birthday. Since then, writing has been an incredible passion. Every chance he could write, he took it. He even scratched out a few stories in Naval Boot Camp at Great Lakes, Illinois.

Tim spent four years in the Navy achieving the rank of Petty Officer 2nd class. He served three years aboard USS Chosin and was deployed twice in support of the Global War on Terror, and Iraqi Freedom. However, he would always be remembered as the guy who sat in the corner of the mess decks writing a book he would never release. He said it wasn't good enough.

After his time in the Navy, Tim became a Test Engineer working for companies like Scientific Research Corporation and Hewlett Packard. During this phase of his life he moved to Charleston, South Carolina where he bought a home and tried to settle into the American Dream. But Tim wasn't content with that, he wanted to do something more than work the 9 to 5. So, he tried his hand at politics and ran for Dorchester County Council as an Independent. They said he was too young and verbose. After losing the election, he decided to try his hand at writing instead.

Today, Timothy Patrick is the author of, Platform 21 - the first installment of the "Beyond the Veil" series. Platform 21 is a novel set in the near future which follows a young man on a journey to solve his sister's murder in the midst of global conspiracy. His current project is, The Vorago Initiative - which picks up right where Platform 21 left off.

Giveaway:

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Mockingjay: The Final Book in The Hunger Games

Spoiler Alert: As this blog is about the final book in The Hunger Games series, it may contain spoiling information. :)

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The final book, Mockingjay, of Suzanne Collin's The Hunger Games series was incredible, almost indescribable. The connection I had with the characters remained strong throughout the last novel. 

I felt every piece of hope, sadness, loss, and anger that Katniss described. The writing style of the entire series had me hooked and wanting more. 

However, I couldn't help feeling a little empty at the end. The conclusion of the trilogy seemed to be lacking something. It was if a void had been created inside of me and (four days after completing it) I still can't pinpoint exactly what gave birth to this disappointment. 

After the roller coaster of going through two hunger games with Katniss, witnessing her fall into love, fight for her life, and struggle to accept herself, when it was all over, I felt as empty as Katniss seemed in the last few pages. 

Perhaps that was what Collins had in mind though. Fighting for survival alongside Katniss brought the reader into her world. At the end, most of everything she loved was gone forever, never to be brought back. Maybe the void I feel is a mirror of what Collins believes Katniss felt. If this is indeed the case, then Collins got the exact reaction she wanted. 

(Not that that stopped me from scribbling down a few pages of text for myself, altering the ending, and bringing a smile to my face.) 

I definitely plan on reading this series again, and if you haven't read it, then do not hesitate to buy it and spend a few days in the world of the Katniss and district 12. 

Mockingjay on Amazon

rating: 4/5 cups

Catching Fire: Book Two of The Hunger Games Series

Spoiler Alert: If you have not read The Hunger Games, think twice before reading this post as it refers to the second novel in the series, Catching Fire.

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Katniss Everdeen : winner of The Hunger Games. 

Only the challenge isn't over yet. 

Now that Katniss is a victor of the hunger games, she believes that everyone she cares for will be safe. But she soon discovers that this is nothing but a false hope. 

President Snow believes that her last effort to survive (and keep her district mate/semi-love interest alive) during the competition was one of rebellion against the capitol. And some inhabitants of the twelve districts believe it too. Worried that the ruled people will once again rise up in revolt, President Snow threatens Katniss and everyone she loves with the promise of death. Unless of course she can stop the spreading belief that she wants the people to revolt. A cliched easier-said-than-done-moment. 

Now it's a race against time as people start to band together. Katniss must do everything in her power to appear as if she never wanted a rebellion. 

But is that the truth...? 

This novel is just as enthralling as the first book in the series. Perhaps even more so. Suzanne Collins picks up right where she left off at the end of The Hunger Games and takes the reader on a thrill ride that they will never see coming. If you've read the first enstallment, pick this one up immediately and keep going. 

You will not regret it. 

Catching Fire on Amazon

rating: 5/5 cups

The Hunger Games

There were 13 districts. Until the thirteenth was obliterated for rebelling.

Now there are only 12. And to ensure that history doesn't repeat itself the Capitol created The Hunger Games. A survival of the fittest match up of twenty four young adults, aged 12 to 18. Half of them female, half of them male. Two from every district.

Out of the thousands of slips of paper decorated with names, Prim Everdeen is drawn. A fragile twelve-year-old girl who hasn't been alive long enough to have even lived. To protect her sister, Katniss volunteers to take her place as the female district 12 contestant. And instantly, the reader is drawn in and a connection is formed.

Whether the reader connects with Katniss because of her strength, her need to protect the ones she loves, or the faith that other characters have in her, it doesn't matter -- Suzanne Collins crafts a story unlike any other, and once the cover is opened, the spine cracked, there's no stopping until it's finished.

Matched up against twenty-three other contestants, some who have been training for The Hunger Games since childhood, and some who are still children, Katniss is repeatedly challenged from the moment she takes her sister's place.

The arena holds the future for Katniss. Surrounded by death for mere entertainment, she must use every strength she has to stay alive.

An astounding novel of intertwining themes and blind side moments, this novel really is a must read.

The Hunger Games on Amazon

rating: 5/5 cups