CJ Lyons

The Color of Lies by CJ Lyons is an intriguing exploration of the world of a family of synesthetes, and one young woman in particular. Ella Cleary, like most of her family on her mother's side, has a form of synesthesia. This is a unique condition where two or more of the senses become cross-wired. It manifests differently for each of them. Ella picks up emotion as colour. When Alec Ravanell approaches Ella for help with a project, she encounters a person not affected by her particular gift. show more Without seeing his colours, she feels like she's trying to parse a foreign language.

Alec does need Ella's help, but not in the way she thinks. He doesn't need a graphic designer, but an interview with Ella herself regarding her parents’ deaths. But what she's been told was an accident, he's calling murder. It throws her world into turmoil. Which story is correct? And why can't she sense Alec? Adding to her inner conflict is worry over being unable to sense him, and wanting to be around him because it's what she imagines being normal is like.

I really enjoyed this read! The mystery part was exciting, but what fascinated me most was the exploration of synesthesia, and how people would function differently given their unique manifestation of it. Like, I don't think I'd mind Ella's, but Gram Helen's? Nope. I could sympathise with her need to shutter herself away with safe sounds. I'm sound sensitive, and have misophonia. For me certain sounds are instantly maddening. At its worst, all sounds trigger stress, so I often need to hide away with safe sounds myself. Can't say I'd want Joe's version either! I feel the author researched this in-depth, or she knows several synesthetes.

The writing drew me in and kept me reading. Chapters sometimes switched perspectives, but each chapter is prefaced with the name of the person it follows, so no confusion there! I loved the two main characters. I so grokked Ella being torn between family expectations for college, and following her dream. I remember going through that… I loved how awkward Ella and Alec are around one another at first. Too adorable. Not only did I enjoy reading about Ella's interactions with her world, but I wanted to know all about the mystery as well. A highly recommended read!

***Many thanks to the author and publisher for providing an egalley in exchange for a fair and honest review. This book was reviewed for the the Fantastic Flying Book Club. show less

I was gifted a copy of “Fight Dirty” by NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. This is no way changes my opinion of this book.

This is my first novel by CJ Lyons, and I was not aware that the main female character, Morgan, is from another novel in her series until the end, but that does not take away from this book. I absolutely loved “Fight Dirty”, and would love to read more books that Morgan appears in.

Morgan is the 15 year old daughter of a famous serial killer (who is show more thankfully in prison). However, his hold over her even from behind bars is rather strong. She is determined to be nothing like him, and to tame her killer instincts. She wants to just be a Norm (a name she gave non-killers), and no longer ‘fish’, what her father referred to his act of finding his next victim.

Morgan regularly sees a therapist, Nick, to help keep herself in check, and for the most part, it keeps the urges at bay. But she will kill if necessary, she has in the past.

Morgan killed a few gang members that had every intent on killing ex-FBI Agent, Jenna. She feels that helps redeems what she may have done when her father was in the free world, and hopes it helps her become closer to being a Norm (though she knows that will never truly happen).

Jenna and her boyfriend, Andre, an ex-Marine, have opened their own PI Business. Morgan puts herself in the middle of the business, much to Jenna’s dismay. But when a big case lands on their desk before they even officially open for business, they realize just how much they may need Morgan’s assistance.

Morgan is sent in under-cover to a program that is supposed to help troubled teens, however the parents of a daughter who committed suicide the night she came home, believes otherwise. Why would she come home from that program, and then hang herself? Is there more going on inside those concrete walls and fence than what meets the eye? And can Morgan control her “fish”-like tendencies while on the inside, and help other children who may suffer a similar fate if the place is not shut down soon.

This is definitely a 5 star read! I look forward to reading more about Morgan, especially after the last conversation she has with her father. show less

Hollow Bones by CJ Lyons is the third book featuring FBI Special Agent Caitlyn Tierney, but it reads fine as a stand-alone. It is an exciting and entertaining read with a fresh plot and well-drawn, engaging characters.

Hollow Bones stretches from the United States to the jungles of Guatemala. It involves luring an American college student into the Guatemalan jungle under the pretext of working on the discovery of a buried Mayan temple. What is really unearthed is a conspiracy built on past show more war crimes that continue into the present in the form of a shadowy American biotechnology business with ties in both countries.

This is not a pulse-pounding thriller with gun fights and chase scenes every few pages, but it is an intense book with plenty of excitement and chilling scenarios. One of the best things going for this story is the strong characters. Maria is an intelligent student and while she might be a little naive, she doesn’t behave stupidly. Likewise, FBI agents Tierney and Carver are not superhuman, but they are clever, resourceful and pursue their leads with hard work and research rather than have fortuitous information just drop into their laps. The villains are multi-faceted and their actions, while evil and immoral, are realistically self-interested.

The plot is well-researched and more than plausible enough. It is all the more frightening because of this plausibility. Hollow Bones is an intelligent mystery/thriller with engaging characters, a fascinating plot and vivid locales. Recommended read.

I was fortunate to receive an advance copy of this book. show less

Review courtesy of Dark Faerie Tales

Quick & Dirty: A raw, gritty, and engrossing story that was almost too dark for me to handle.

Opening Sentence: You don’t know what it feels like to hold a life in your hands, but I do.

The Review:

With today’s technology, there are those who have weaved there way through coding and broke into webcams, capturing moments that can bend people’s lives to their will. These are called cappers, and the things they force people to do for their “clients” show more are disgusting. Jesse is under the thumb of a ruthless capper he calls King, and for years his has unhesitatingly done what King has asked, no matter how horrible, to protect his mother and little sister. But now King wants something different, something worse than he’s ever had to do before. Jesse doesn’t think he can go through with this new demand . . . but he’s threatening to kill his family.

Miranda was under King’s rule years ago, but she broke lose. This was not without its punishments, however. She was cybersmashed, revealing pictures of her posted all over the internet. King posted a picture of her mother and offered a reward to the first person to rape her and get evidence. They were forced to pick up and leave, trying to move away from his influence, but the damage has been done. Miranda has an all-consuming fear of leaving her apartment and plans to kill herself, soon. Her only hope is to bring King down first, and when she is able to connect with Jesse, she thinks they might have a chance at doing it.

This book was dark. Very, very dark. It never went into explicit detail on the sexual tidbits, but you definitely understood what was going on, and the damage to the character’s psyche was just as horrifying. To add to it, Jesse was a pyromaniac and was obsessed with fires – the one aspect of his life that he could light, quench, control. Then there was Miranda with her suicide plans, and her spiraling depression . . . sometimes, it got to be too much. Even now, sitting down and writing this review, I shiver to think of what went on in this novel.

It was an excellently written book, don’t get me wrong, but I was so affected by the darkness sometimes that I had to set it down. I would go for walks around the neighborhood and point out things that were beautiful, or made me happy, so that I didn’t stay in the horrible depression the characters were in. I had to read it in parts. Usually, a book doesn’t affect me so much like this. Lyons knows how to build tension, that’s for sure.

Both characters were suffering from similar horrors, having seen and done things under the influence of King. I couldn’t really relate to their stories, thankfully, but I still became connected to their characters and felt their emotions along with them. The writing was incredible, the plotline was detailed, and the characters were extremely complex. There was a mystery aspect that I enjoyed as well, as the two teens attempted to pinpoint who was behind the computer screen and torturing them. The tension built the whole novel, until it reached a breathtaking, terrifying climax. I think that fans of thrillers who can handle a raw, gritty novel will enjoy this book.

Notable Scene:

The crowd applauds the firefighters as the blaze surrenders.

They don’t understand what’s really going on inside the fire or the kind of men who run toward an inferno instead of away from it.

They don’t know fire like I do.

They don’t want to.

Lighting a blaze, breathing life into the sparks, watching the flames come alive then die, leaving behind ashes of despair… Every fire I start is a new beginning, a second chance—a way to release the pain and find the courage to go on living.

Without my fires, I would have killed myself long ago.

With my fires, I can imagine hope.

FTC Advisory: Sourcebooks Fire provided me with a copy of Watched. No goody bags, sponsorships, “material connections,” or bribes were exchanged for my review. show less