Sea Sick by Iain Rob Wright

Description from Goodreads:

"IT WAS SUPPOSED TO BE RELAXING…

Police Officer Jack Wardsley’s life ended the moment his partner died, stabbed to death by a deranged druggie. Now, years later, Jack is a changed man, with a head full of secrets driving him insane. His recent record of police brutality and a reputation for not following the rules has prompted his seniors to give him an ultimatum: take a few weeks off, relax, and find some way to let go of all the anger – or else find another job.

That’s why Jack is about to board The Spirit of Kirkpatrick, a cruise liner built for relaxation and fun. Pretty soon, however, Jack realises that a little R&R is the last thing he’s ever going to get aboard the cursed ship. There’s a virus onboard, making people insane and bleeding from the eyes. The whole ship is overrun with blood and death, and there is nowhere to escape. 

Just when Jack thinks his number is up and his life is over, he wakes up. The day is exactly the same. In fact, everything is the same. Jack is forced to witness the viral outbreak again and again as it ravages the ship and its passengers over and over, day after day. Jack finds himself trapped in a repeating hell. 

It won’t be long before Jack realises there are others onboard just like him – and that some of them know more than they’re letting on."

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To be totally honest, I was expecting a cheesy zombie novel especially as it was a free download from Amazon but I was pleasantly surprised; it kept me entertained from start to finish.

I don't need to go into detail about the story itself as it's clearly described in the blurb above but what I will say is that I found it different to the usual zombie books that are around in that it's not just about blood, guts and gore which, I'm not going to lie, there is some graphic scenes of death but this is not the main focus of the book.

The main character, Jack, is an interesting one.  He did take time to grow on me because I felt like he was wasting time rather than trying to figure out what the heck was going on but once he did, his police instinct kicked in and that determination to get to the bottom of the dire situation in which he finds himself in came to the fore.

Written at great pace, this is an easy book to read.  There are a few grammatical errors but it didn't distract me from enjoying it and I will certainly be reading more by this author.

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Author website:  Iain Rob Wright

Author twitter:  @IanRobWright

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Other books I've read and reviewed by this author:

Click here for my review

Zombies from the Deep by Nick Grey

Description from Goodreads:

"Debut author Nick Grey blends the zombie humor of Shaun of the Dead with the satiric irreverence of Fight Club in his tantalizing and terrifying tale, ZOMBIES FROM THE DEEP.

They packed for the beach…

Mike and Sara Jones never missed their annual beach getaway. Every year, they looked forward to driving down to the Gulf and enjoying the white sandy beaches with those amazing sunsets. This year was no different than the rest. Swimsuits, check. Sunblock, check. Then, the zombies came.

They came from the ocean.

Out of the depths of the ocean, the walking dead arrived. There was blood in the water, but this ain’t no shark attack. When zombies paint the beach red, Mike and Sara’s annual getaway is interrupted. They panic. What would you do?

Survive at any cost.

Covered in blood and short on temper, Mike suggests they cut their vacation short. Sara’s not entirely sure Mike knows what he’s doing. But does anyone? Like most couples in a stressful situation, Mike and Sara soon resort to petty bickering.

Will they crack?

As if on cue, Jim and Theresa Banyon appear. They are smart, charismatic, and best of all rich. It’s easy to follow their lead. But Mike and Sara soon find that following Jim and Teresa risks their safety, their marriage, and even their sanity.

Readers be warned: Zombies From The Deep is a sexually explicit and graphically violent pulp fiction novel detailing the end of the world and survival during a zombie apocalypse."

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Where do I start with this book?

To be honest, I nearly didn’t make it to the end. It started off quite well but then quickly descended into something ridiculous which had me laughing at its absurdity - the nymphomaniac? Don’t even go there!! However, I have been “told off” for reviewing a book I have not finished before so I persevered. I must admit to heaving a sigh of relief when I had finished and thought it was a pile of rubbish and I was going to write a review straight away but I didn’t have time, so have left it a couple of days and I am glad I did because I have had time to digest and reflect on what I have read and have changed my mind.

I think this is a cleverly written book which appears one thing at the start but becomes something completely different by the end and all the bits that seemed preposterous suddenly made sense. I can’t say too much as I don’t want to give the game away but I will say that this book is not as it seems so I advise anyone who reads it to keep going to the end and then let it sink in for a while.

Thank you to the publisher, Hocus Pocus Publishing Inc and Netgalley for providing me with a copy in return for an honest and unbiased review.

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.