Location: Canada
Member Since:
June 19, 2010
deniz bevan
Biography
Author. Editor. Knitter.
Where to find deniz bevan online
deniz bevan's favorite authors on Smashwords
Smashwords book reviews by deniz bevan
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Hush Money (Talent Chronicles)
on Sep. 18, 2010
If you could have one talent, what would you chose? Super vision, total recall memory, the ability to read as quickly as Star Trek’s Data? Susan Bischoff’s debut novella Hush Money explores a world where talents are inherited, not chosen, and must be hidden at all costs. Unless you want to be sent to a government run State School? As protagonist Joss might ask... The characters’ voices ring through loud and clear and the story’s heroine is strong without making the male protagonist seem wimpy in comparison. There’s definitely something to be said for reading outside your comfort zone; I don’t normally read paranormals but was drawn into Joss and Dylan’s world from the first page. Hush Money is a fast-paced tale with a fantasy element that's both consistent and believable, and a romance that's sweet and realistic, especially when... ah, you'll have to read it yourself! The ending echoes Scott Westerfeld’s Uglies in that it both wraps up the main plot yet leaves the door open for further adventures. Readers will eagerly anticipate Susan Bischoff’s next book in the Talent Chronicles, tentatively entitled Heroes 'Til Curfew.
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Closed Circuit
on Sep. 18, 2010
Small town stories make for in-depth novels and Marte Brengle’s debut Closed Circuit is no exception. Lyric, Iowa and the electronics repair shop on the northwest corner of the town square set the stage for mystery, drama and romance. A sticky hot summer has barely begun when Ruth Peyton discovers that her landlord has sold the building where she lives and works – to Adam Tallbott, someone from her past that she’d rather not speak to ever again. Not only that, but there are rumours flying that he’s bought other buildings around town, and is planning to raze them all. Or build a supermarket. Or dig for minerals. Gossip runs wild and all too soon Ruth finds herself in the thick of it, as Adam tries to win his way back into her life. Can she play him long enough to find out what he’s really up to – without losing her heart to him in the process? Brengle has created an entire cast of characters for Lyric who soon become as familiar to the reader as their own friends, and the story is told in an omniscient voice that allows their individual traits to shine through. There’s Chet, the kind curmudgeon who works with Ruth – determined to solve his own mystery in the town – Jodi, femme fatale, who gets her comeuppance the first time in one hilarious scene involving a too-short skirt – and a few shady characters running – or trying to run – a pot growing operation. Plus Grace, Eleanor, Eddie... The next book in the series is called The Dutchman’s Puzzle and will continue the story of Lyric and its inhabitants – I can’t wait!
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Red
on Oct. 04, 2011
You know what? I think Kait's the first modern (published only in the 21st Century) author, and first indie-published author, whose books I pick up as soon as they're released. As someone who normally reads novels and poems by authors long passed on, it's exciting to be able to say that. There's always some bit of news out there about publishing suffering the last throes, or no one being able to write any more, and so on. Well, Kait's proving them all wrong, and writing some great romantic paranormal stuff while she's at it.