Adrift 3: Rising by K R Griffiths

Description from Goodreads:

“Dan Bellamy has lost everything: his wife, his home, his country; perhaps even his sanity. The only thing he has left is vengeance for the creatures who took his world away, and he intends to visit it upon them, no matter the cost.

As the eyes of the world turn to the destruction in England, Dan believes that his presence in the United States will provoke an immediate response from the vampires.

He thinks he knows what that response will be.

He's wrong...

With the fate of the nation - and perhaps the entire world - hanging in the balance, Dan believes he must understand the visions which torture him, and which might be key to humanity's survival, but he'll have to do it fast. Because darkness is coming.

And the vampires are rising... “

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This is the third and final instalment in this series of books and a thoroughly enjoyable series it has been. I was lucky enough to have received the first two books direct from the author but I enjoyed them so much I actually bought this one!

This final book provides a very satisfying conclusion to the story of the fight against the “vampires” and it has moved from a cruise ship in the first book, to London in the second and finally to the USA. Once again, the author creates a vivid story which grips you from start to finish. The characters are excellent, particularly the main protagonist “Dan” who we have seen develop over the course of the 3 books into a strong and engaging personality. There is a certain amount of blood and gore but it’s not gratuitous or overdone.

This series of books is excellently written, flows well and is a unique spin on the usual vampire stories. To get the most out of them, you really do have to read them in order otherwise you will miss out considerably on what is a great read and somebody needs to snap these up and make them into a film or series; with good actors, it could be as good as Alien or Predator!

I highly recommend you read this author’s work - I haven’t been disappointed yet.

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Author website: KRGriffiths where you can subscribe to his newsletter for new releases and bonus content.

Author twitter: KRGriffiths1 

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Other books I have read and reviewed by K R Griffiths:

Read my review here

Read my review here

Read my review here

Read my review here

Man Made Murder: Book One of the Blood Road trilogy by Z Rider

Description from Goodreads:

“When guitarist Dean Thibodeaux tries to score weed the night before his band goes on tour, the deal ends in a brutal attack he wasn’t supposed to survive. Stiff, bloody, sore—but alive—he boards the bus with his band, determined to keep the one thing that’s important in his life on track.

Carl Delacroix failed his sister. And in the dead of night, with a gun in his waistband and nothing left to lose, he fails her again: his hesitation lets her killer get away. Short on sleep, short on cash, and determined not to make a trifecta out of his failure, he takes off after her attacker. And finds himself following a tour bus.

Dean Thibodeaux is sick. He’s changing. And the thing that caused it is coming after him, intent on fixing its mistake.

One man is hunting evil. The other is becoming it. Salvation lies in the crossing of their paths.

Man Made Murder, book 1 of the Blood Road trilogy, comes out October 13, 2015. Read an excerpt at www.manmademurder.com"

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This is the 3rd book I have read by this author; the 1st book I read is Suckers which is not only a pretty good horror novel but an excellently written story about friendship; the 2nd is Insylum which is much more than it first appears. All 3 I have enjoyed as once again, Z Rider writes a great story with interesting characters whose stories weave together with ease.

The 2 main characters, Dean and Carl, are so different they could be on the other side of the world to each other - Dean is a member of a semi-successful rock band and Carl is a young man struggling with mourning the loss of his sister - they both have very different stories which are well explored throughout but there is an inevitability that they will become entwined with each other sooner or later. In the beginning, I didn’t find Dean the most likeable character and Carl was a bit “whiny” but they grew on me as the story developed and I became more involved in the action. Z Rider has a skill in creating great characters that mess with your head!

The story is well written, moves on at a good pace, is told from the perspectives of Dean and Carl and although this is a vampire story and there is blood and gore, it’s not overdone just for the sake of it. The story is dark, gritty, full of suspense, surprises and plot twists and overall, is very entertaining.

I get the feeling that the main purpose of this book is to introduce the characters and their backstories which will be further developed in the subsequent books in this trilogy and I think Z Rider has done this very well with Man Made Murder and I for one can’t wait to see what happens. I will say that although this is the first book in a trilogy, I feel it can be read as a stand alone because it doesn’t end on a cliffhanger which forces you to read the next book, it does however leave you wanting to know what happens next and how the relationship between Dean and Carl progresses.

I am grateful to the publisher, Dark Ride Publishing, for an advance copy in return for an honest review.

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Author website - http://zriderwriter.com/

Twitter - @zriderhorror

Go to the publisher website here to sign up to receive digital review copies of Dark Ride Publishing books ahead of release.

Adrift 2: Sundown by K R Griffiths

Description from Goodreads:

"1 night. 1 city. 8 million people. No warning. No safety...

Having survived the massacre aboard the doomed cruise ship Oceanus, all Dan Bellamy wants is peace; a chance to go home and attempt to put his life - and his mind - back together.

He's not going to get it.

Dragged back to the UK by the remaining members of the Rennick family, Dan finds himself once more pitched into a nightmare. Vampires are rising, gathering in force for an assault on London which could blow the secret of their existence wide open, and Dan's captors are convinced that he alone holds the key to defeating them.

Dan knows he has some strange connection with the creatures. Trouble is, as chaos erupts on the streets and the bodies begin to pile up around Dan, it looks like the vampires know it, too…"

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I am fast becoming a fan of Mr Griffiths’ work having read 2 of his previous novels - Survivor and the first in this series, Adrift. I highly recommend you read Adrift as it introduces the main players and background to the story; I wouldn’t say it was essential but you would lose out massively on a highly entertaining read.

As with Adrift, this is excellent from start to finish. The pace is flowing and it is very well written and easy to read. The characters are interesting and believable and the “monsters” are so well described, they could be in the room with you! Be warned however, there is a smattering of blood and gore throughout so if you don’t like that sort of thing, that’s a shame because you will be missing out on what is a fabulous book and I for one can’t wait to read the next installment - hint hint Mr Griffiths ;)

This and Adrift - need to be made into a film or series of films as I definitely feel that with good actors on board, they could be as good as the Alien franchise.

Disclaimer: I received a free eBook copy from the author in return for an unbiased review.

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Author website: http://www.krgriffiths.org/

Click here to join Mr Griffiths free mailing list and be the first to discover new releases, launch-day discounts and bonus content

Twitter: KRGriffiths1

Suckers: A Horror Novel by Z. Rider - Thoroughly engrossing

"Mixing recent apocalyptic and zombie stories with classic vampire legends, Rider has come up with a daring and eminently readable new take on both."—Publishers Weekly

When worn-out musicians Dan Ferry and Ray Ford decide to take a shortcut back to the hotel, they pick the wrong dark alley to go down. Attacked by something neither can identify, they think they’re lucky to get out with their lives. But their lives aren’t all they get out with…

As an infection takes hold of Dan, a cramped tour bus becomes a dangerous place to be trapped. And when the infection spreads across the country, nowhere—and no one—is safe from the Suckers.

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This is not only a pretty good horror novel but an excellently written story about friendship.

The main players in this book are extremely well developed and their different characters explored well. The story builds from the start and ends up being a thoroughly engrossing read. The characters are believable and act accordingly - they do things in situations that I would see myself doing which makes the book even more enjoyable. The Suckers are great creatures and the way their “birth” was described was a really well done “wow” moment and left me feeling quite nauseous - I love it when that happens!

The only little gripe I have, in what is a great story, is I would have liked a bit more interaction and perilous scenes with the “infected” - this is the only thing I think the book missed out on and would have taken it from a great read to a fantastic one.

Overall, a very enjoyable read that I would recommend to anyone who enjoys this particular genre and I would like to thank www.netgalley.com and the publisher, Dark Ride Publishing, for providing me with a copy in return for a review.

Adrift - intense, thrilling and full of suspense

Adrift

by K.R. Griffiths

For artist Dan Bellamy and his new bride Elaine, a trip on the world's biggest, newest cruise ship represents more than just the honeymoon of a lifetime: it is also a celebration of the progress Dan has made toward beating the agoraphobia that has plagued him since he suffered a horrific knife attack two years earlier.

The ship is a perfect floating paradise, but when Dan spots what he thinks is a body being thrown overboard, he begins to suspect that not everybody aboard the Oceanus is there for a vacation.

Soon, Dan will discover that there are some things worse than murder, and the body he saw is just the beginning. Because something is coming for the passengers on the Oceanus.

Something that isn't supposed to exist...

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I received a copy of this book direct from the author in return for an honest review and I want to thank him for this.

This is the second book I have read by K R Griffiths author, the first one being “Survivor” (http://haziegaze.blogspot.co.uk/2014/09/my-review-of-survivor-horror-thriller.html), and the second one by him that I have thoroughly enjoyed.

What a story from start to finish … intense, thrilling, full of suspense, great characters, excellent twist on the “monsters” and an imaginative setting. The main character, Dan, was developed in such a way that I was really rooting for him. He had the perfect mix of vulnerability and bravery going from unsuspecting victim to unsuspecting hero. The supporting cast were equally interesting and enhanced the whole thing.

I can see this story being developed into a series and if it is written half as well as this one, it will be just as good.

If you like a good horror/thriller, then give K R Griffiths a try ... you won't be disappointed.