P.I. Barrington

I received a copy from the author. All opinions are my own.

"Besides, that's what adventure is Zander. It's fear of the unknown, of danger, of success that makes the adventure worth the time and effort. And do not forget that we control our own adventures and destiny and do no not follow or depend upon anyone for any reason"

I found this book to be incredibly more interesting than expected. They say "don't judge a book by its cover", but let's not lie, we all do it. I love finding debut or indie authors because often the case is that the book is good, yet undiscovered. Typically I would not have been intrigued by the cover and the title and I would have passed this one up, and that would have been a shame.

Let me just say, this is not typically my genre. I don't typically read about alien cross breeds and spaceship firefights, but I do love a good sci-fi, so I thought I'd give it a shot. This book was so much more than that. It was about greed, ego, protecting loved ones and fighting natural instincts to preserve ones humanity. I would say this was less of a romance and more of a love story in the end.

I started off this book feeling a little confused, as if I jumped into the middle of Star Wars and didn't know what was going on. I also felt this way when I read Six of Crows, which is one of my all time favorite fantasy novels, so I told myself to keep reading. By about 20 pages in I found myself feeling more at ease with the story, and glad I hadn't set it down.

I absolutely both loved AND hated the main characters, Elektra and Brede. They were both quite far from perfect, but they each had enough redeeming qualities, which made them lovable. At times I found myself angry or disgusted with each character, but they felt real, real people have flaws and make bad decisions. If you know me you know that I hate a hero with no flaws-- can you say BORING? Luckily this pair had plenty, Brede in particular. Being half Amphidian he was prone to more violence and less emotion than humans. This made him quite ruthless and cruel at times. It was interesting to watch as he fought against his Amphidian nature to try and retain his humanity. Sometimes I felt like Elektra was overly slutty for no reason.

"He found it so easy to hurt her. He also found that he liked to do it; so much it grew into amusement to him and it didn't help her that she could not lie to him either. He always called her out on it."

Romance between these two was complex to say the least. It was emotionally abusive and a game of hot and cold. Yet it is done artfully, so that you still seem to understand why they want each other. When Brede starts fighting against his Amphidian nature he becomes more likable, but at that point Elektra is not used to him being emotionally available.

The world building could use a little work, but it was still pretty great. There were a couple times that I noticed paragraphs that went on for a page and a half. The different alien races and different planets sounded pretty cool, but certain things could have used more description because there were spots that I found myself confused, but for the most part I think it was edited well. The plot and pacing were both good, I read this book in a day. It kept me captivated. The climax was built up and executed very well. Which is something I see a lot of debut and indie authors struggle with, but in this book it was crafted beautifully.

The ending left me hungry for more. I have no doubt that these characters could continue having incredibly interesting adventures and I hope to be along for the ride in the next book.… (more)

I’d received a copy of this book through an internet giveaway and the following is my honest opinion.

This book is one which I didn’t really know what to expect when I became to read it. A dystopian story at its core, set in the earth’s future in the year 2017, where the overpopulation has spread throughout the planet. And I found it interesting that Ms. Barrington had chosen to set her story in New Cairo, and that references are made to her home being called the City of the Dead. But then, again, the artifact which plays a significant is called the Vessel of Beket-Re seems to harken back to the ancient Egyptians and the pyramids.

There is a relationship which goes back years between Alekzander Brede, an amphidian from the planet Amphidia and Elecktra, who’s ekes a living on the streets by any means necessary, including stealing from others. However, it’s been she who has been madly in love with him, and he has viewed her as a pesky kid.

Yet one day she conceives his son, without telling him. And years later when he sees that child and recognizes he’s the father, his anger takes over for her not telling him and he kidnaps her child.

This starts a game of cat and mouse game between Earth and his home planet of Amphidia. While he has a warped sense of vengeance towards Elecktra, she will do anything she has to in order to save or son; as well as a search for the highly prized artifact which no one seems to know the power of.

The most distracting part I found in reading the book has been the lack of a justified right margin which, I find, makes a book easier to read, as a reader’s eyes knows when to stop on each line as they read each page.

Aside from this distraction, I’m giving this book 4 STARS for the enjoyable, page-turning experience I had.… (more)

From the first page this story is gripping with a strong heroine, a psycho serial killer and a British accent. The plot was full of twists and turns around every corner keeping the reader enthralled in the mystery and anticipation of catching the killer. For a serial killer mystery this author is able to present a unique and entertaining take.

The characters of Payce and Gavin are flawed giving them a plausible background story making them believable. Their hardheaded dedication is a trait to be admired and it makes them inspired even more to catch the killer.

I was provided a copy of the book by BTS eMag for purpose of honest review. I was not compensated for this review – all conclusions are my own responsibility.… (more)

Final Deceit – Future Imperfect Book Three – Review by Martha A. Cheves, Author of Stir, Laugh, Repeat

“We’re here at the scene of last night’s devastating blast that literally ripped apart the huge auditorium owned by The New Creation religious community, destroying the building while a service was being conducted. We have no idea how many people were in that building, and no information on how many may be injured or even dead. If you’re looking at the second news drone, you can see the amount of destruction behind me – cars flipped over onto their roofs, the gigantic crater left by the explosion and enormous chunks of buildings just tossed around here as if they were nothing when, in reality each one of those must weigh five hundred pounds.” The reporter paused and the anchor woman asked, “Allen, do we know if Amy is among the missing?” “No, Donna. We have not found her yet. The officials here are trying to get together a list of possible missing persons and anyone who might have been in the area.” Donna looked into the camera eye. “Our own Channel Eight reporter, Amy Strand, may be among those missing at the unbelievable explosion that tore apart a major section of The New Creation compound last night. Her vehicle was identified in the terrible wreckage, and as of now she has not responded to attempts to contact her or her camera operator, Nicola Anderson.”

As Las Vegas Police Chief Charlie Bowman will soon learn, he is missing 3 of his detectives who he believes were also attending the service when the explosion took place. Thanks to Renton Wakeley, news director of Las Vegas’ Channel Eight, Charlie is even able to see one of his detectives, Payce, as the station’s drone circled over the crater created by the explosion. But trouble comes in the form of Las Vegas Mayor John Long. His dislike for the Vegas police department, and especially Charlie, is so intense that he will do anything to bring the whole department down, even to the extent of trying to force Charlie to call the rescue mission off and declare it a recovery mission. The search becomes even more difficult after a gas main is hit resulting in yet another explosion. Will Charlie give in to the Mayor? No way! He suits up and goes on his own rescue mission that takes him deep into the maze of halls and floor levels beneath The New Creation.

Police detectives Pace, Gavin and Nick, along with news reporter Amy are all survivors with one goal in mind…finding their way out. But unbeknownst to them all is the fact that there is one other person roaming the halls of the old underground military facility with motives of his own. Medical intern Dr. Logan McKaye once helped Payce escape from a slow death before and his wish now is to find her and save her again. His chance comes after the second explosion takes Gavin out of the picture and he is the only one left for Payce to lean on for help.

In P. I. Barrington’s Future Imperfect Books, I have tried to no avail to come up with the reasons for all of the events that took place in the first 2 books. Who is El Jefe? Who is Logan? Where do the snake carvings fit in? Who is Lars impersonating and why? These were just a few of my questions. In Final Deceit, she brings it all together and gives me the answers. All of which, I was totally unprepared for. This is one series of books that lives up to the final book’s name Final “Deceit.” I simply loved the series but do advise that to get the full effect of the story, read them all, in order.



Review Stir, Laugh, Repeat at Amazon.com Stir, Laugh, Repeat… (more)