Tonia Brown

Tonia Brown's writing never ceases to amaze me! Her latest release, Skin Trade, follows the life of Samantha Martin. After being pushed into an unwanted life, Samantha is determined to free herself from her owner's grasp, even if that means masquerading as a boy in the Badlands - a place that is not for the weak.

The West has been over run with zombies and their skins quickly became a commodity and so the skin trade was born. The art of trapping and skinning zombies is not only a way to show more survive (the skins of zombies fetching a nice profit) but the Badlands provide the perfect sanctuary for Samantha to hide.

Skin Trade pulled me in from the first page and wouldn't let me go. Samantha is a strong character that I found easy to relate too. She has had a difficult past and is willing to do whatever it takes to ensure that nobody can control her again. While she has a tough exterior, she still enjoys the feminine pleasures in life like wearing dresses and being treated like a lady. Ms. Brown does a wonderful job at blending the two sides of Samantha, creating a believable character.

If you haven't had the pleasure of reading Tonia Brown's writing before, I suggest starting with this one! Skin Trade is engaging, adventurous and refreshing! I strongly encourage Ms. Brown to continue the tale! show less

Jonah is one of those “background” kind of guys, smart, kind and just not that lucky with women. His best friend Dale is his exact opposite, not the sharpest knife in the block, has women chasing after him and frankly is a bit of a tw@t. On their way to perform at a gig in Reno, Jonah decides to take a detour to California and reunite Dale with his estranged father, with disastrous results. Compelled to drive across the country in search of Dale’s soul, all the while trying to keep a show more zombie from eating everyone in sight and try not to fall into Satan’s traps it’s going to be a long week.

The writing of BadAss Zombie Road Trip is spot on – action in all the right places, witty dialogue and realistic characters who are either love ‘em or hate ‘em types, and there are more than a few laughs along the way.

“He’s more than just a bit of a douche. I’m surprised he doesn’t smell like vinegar.”

My favourite part of the book was definitely in the final stages, when Jonah has to take some pretty extreme measures to stop the stench of the rotting zombie in the backseat, and my favourite character was Satan, who is surprisingly funny for the Prince of Darkness – although I guess you’ve got to have a sense of humour in his line of work.

The only problem I had was towards the end when there is a change of plans due to the dodgy past of Candy the stripper (oh yes, what a cliché!), it was necessary for the story but it distracted me from the flow of the book.

Overall, if you like zombies, road-trips, Satan and a laugh, this is a book you’d really enjoy. show less

Tonia Brown combines a real medical mystery called Sundowner’s Syndrome with memorable characters and a twist of horror to make this creepy good read!

The characters are well developed and likable. Even the minor characters that only make short appearances leave a lasting impression. The plot moves quickly, without feeling rushed. The horror aspect is disturbing, spine-chilling and, at times, vivid. But the graphic scenes are expertly woven into a fascinating story, rather than relied on show more to carry us along.

I’d definitely recommend this book to anyone who enjoys a little horror with a lot of substance. show less

I received this ARC in exchange for an honest review and I loved the introverted Otto Waldorf! Hauling Ash is a hilarious story that kept me laughing at what trouble this timid mortician and a ghost could get into! One morning after he had buried his uncle Walter, Otto awoke to find his corpse sitting in his kitchen and drinking black coffee that oozed from his cut neck. His uncle had taken him in when no other relative wanted him and he knew the old man had never wanted children especially show more the responsibility of a seven year old boy! Eventually, he grew up to marry a woman that cheated on him and he let her take everything in the divorce as he was too timid to stand up for himself. That morning, uncle told him to go to bus station and get a small brown suitcase from locker 6, only in confusion he was given a key to locker 9 that held a black bag filled with one million dollars of a mob boss's drug money instead of the ten thousand from his uncle. Now the mob, the FBI and one scary tall goon is after Walter, Otto and the dog as they set sail on a singles cruise! show less