NEW!!
Beta
(Combat Team Series #2)
Steff was abducted by an evil alien race, the Orbs, at fourteen. Used as a weapon for years, he eventually escapes, but his problems are just beginning. How does a man support himself when his only work experience is a paper round and using an Orb bio-integrated gun?
Warlord is an alien soldier who knows little but war. When the centuries-old conflict which ravaged his planet ends, he seeks out another world where his skills are still relevant. There are always wars on Earth, it seems. However, none of Earth's powerful armies want him.
Natalie has always wanted to visit England and sees a chance to do so while using her martial arts skills, but there are sacrifices she must make in order to fulfil her dream.
Maggie resorted to crime to fund her sister's medical care. She uses her genetic variant abilities to gain access to the rooms of wealthy hotel guests. The Ballards look like rich pickings, but they are not what they seem. When Maggie targets them, little does she know that she is walking into a trap.
Hotel owner Hamilton Lonsdale puts together a combat team to pit against those of other multi-millionaires. He recruits Warlord, Natalie, Maggie and Steff along with a trained gorilla, a probability-altering alien, a stockbroker whose work of art proved to be much more than he'd bargained for, a marketing officer who can create psionic forcefields, a teleporting member of the landed gentry, and a socially awkward fixer. This is Combat Team Beta.
Steff never talks about his time with the Orbs, until he finds a woman who lived through it, too. Steff believes he has finally found happiness, but it is destined to be short-lived. He is left with an unusual legacy which he and Team Beta struggle to comprehend; including why something out there seems determined to destroy it.
Warlord is an alien soldier who knows little but war. When the centuries-old conflict which ravaged his planet ends, he seeks out another world where his skills are still relevant. There are always wars on Earth, it seems. However, none of Earth's powerful armies want him.
Natalie has always wanted to visit England and sees a chance to do so while using her martial arts skills, but there are sacrifices she must make in order to fulfil her dream.
Maggie resorted to crime to fund her sister's medical care. She uses her genetic variant abilities to gain access to the rooms of wealthy hotel guests. The Ballards look like rich pickings, but they are not what they seem. When Maggie targets them, little does she know that she is walking into a trap.
Hotel owner Hamilton Lonsdale puts together a combat team to pit against those of other multi-millionaires. He recruits Warlord, Natalie, Maggie and Steff along with a trained gorilla, a probability-altering alien, a stockbroker whose work of art proved to be much more than he'd bargained for, a marketing officer who can create psionic forcefields, a teleporting member of the landed gentry, and a socially awkward fixer. This is Combat Team Beta.
Steff never talks about his time with the Orbs, until he finds a woman who lived through it, too. Steff believes he has finally found happiness, but it is destined to be short-lived. He is left with an unusual legacy which he and Team Beta struggle to comprehend; including why something out there seems determined to destroy it.
Paperback
Combat Teams
Alpha
(Combat Team Series #1)
The six richest people in Britain decide to hold a contest to settle the question of which of them is most successful. It will be a gladiator style contest with each entrant fielding a team of ten super-powered combatants. Entrepreneur Llew Powell sets out to put together his team, which includes his former lover, an employee of his company with a fascinating hobby, two refugees from another dimension (a lonely giant and a drunken sailor), two sisters bound together by a promise, a diminutive doctor, a former Tibetan monk initiate and two androids with a history. As the team train together, alliances form, friendships and more develop, while others find the past is not easy to leave behind.
Meanwhile, a ruthless race of aliens has its eyes on the Earth. Already abducting and enslaving humans, they work towards the final invasion which would destroy life on Earth as we know it. Powell’s group, Combat Team Alpha, stumble upon one of the wormholes the aliens use to travel to Earth and witness for themselves the horrors in store if the aliens aren’t stopped. Barely escaping with their lives, they realise there are more important things to worry about than a fighting competition.
(Combat Team Series #1)
The six richest people in Britain decide to hold a contest to settle the question of which of them is most successful. It will be a gladiator style contest with each entrant fielding a team of ten super-powered combatants. Entrepreneur Llew Powell sets out to put together his team, which includes his former lover, an employee of his company with a fascinating hobby, two refugees from another dimension (a lonely giant and a drunken sailor), two sisters bound together by a promise, a diminutive doctor, a former Tibetan monk initiate and two androids with a history. As the team train together, alliances form, friendships and more develop, while others find the past is not easy to leave behind.
Meanwhile, a ruthless race of aliens has its eyes on the Earth. Already abducting and enslaving humans, they work towards the final invasion which would destroy life on Earth as we know it. Powell’s group, Combat Team Alpha, stumble upon one of the wormholes the aliens use to travel to Earth and witness for themselves the horrors in store if the aliens aren’t stopped. Barely escaping with their lives, they realise there are more important things to worry about than a fighting competition.
Golden Thread
Fiveswood has a rich and intriguing history. Local legends speak of giants, angels, wolves, a local Robin Hood, but most of all, a knight in golden armour. Fiveswood's history also has a dark side - mysterious deaths blamed on the plague, a ghostly black panther, and a landslide which buried the smugglers' caves.
Terry buys an apartment in The Heights, a house which has been empty for decades, since the previous owner disappeared. Now he has finally been declared dead, developers have moved in and turned it into six flats. Terry has the odd feeling he has lived in this enigmatic house before. But that is not all. Since childhood, Terry has had recurring, disturbing dreams which have been increasing in frequency so that now, he has them almost every night. To his dismay, the people from his nightmares are his new neighbours.
Except, that is, for Eleanor Millbrook. She is refreshingly unfamiliar. After Terry saves her from a mysterious attacker, they become close. However, Terry's nightmares encroach more and more on his waking life, until they lead him to a devastating discovery about who he really is.
Available on Amazon:
Available on Amazon:
Goodreads Review for Golden Thread:
This is a standalone book rather than one of the "super" series. Excellent characterization, a "keeps you guessing" plot, and some fairly deep philosophical issues ! Would recommend this to anyone, but especially recommended if you would like to see a completely new "take" on the people with powers / alternate futures / general oddness type story lines. Somebody make the film !
Raiders Trilogy
Secrets and Skies
Jack Ward, President of Innovia, owes his life twice over to the enigmatic superhero, dubbed Power Blaster by the press. No-one knows who Power Blaster is or where he comes from - and he wants it to stay that way.
Scientist Desi Troyes has developed a nuclear bomb to counter the ever present threat of an asteroid hitting the planet. When Ward signs the order giving the go ahead for a nuclear test on the remote Bird Island, he has no inkling of Troyes' real agenda, and that he has signed the death warrants of millions of people.
Although the island should have been evacuated, there are people still there: some from the distant continent of Classica; protesters opposed to the bomb test; and Innovians who will not, or cannot, use their communication devices.
Power Blaster knows he must stop the bomb from hitting the island. He also knows it may be the last thing he ever does.
Meanwhile in Innovia, Ward and his staff gather to watch the broadcast of the test. Nobody, not even Troyes himself, has any idea what is about to happen.
Jack Ward, President of Innovia, owes his life twice over to the enigmatic superhero, dubbed Power Blaster by the press. No-one knows who Power Blaster is or where he comes from - and he wants it to stay that way.
Scientist Desi Troyes has developed a nuclear bomb to counter the ever present threat of an asteroid hitting the planet. When Ward signs the order giving the go ahead for a nuclear test on the remote Bird Island, he has no inkling of Troyes' real agenda, and that he has signed the death warrants of millions of people.
Although the island should have been evacuated, there are people still there: some from the distant continent of Classica; protesters opposed to the bomb test; and Innovians who will not, or cannot, use their communication devices.
Power Blaster knows he must stop the bomb from hitting the island. He also knows it may be the last thing he ever does.
Meanwhile in Innovia, Ward and his staff gather to watch the broadcast of the test. Nobody, not even Troyes himself, has any idea what is about to happen.
Themes
Superheroes; alternative dimensions; politics and activism; secret identities; celebrity culture; hero worship; media; arranged marriages; technology; secret affairs.
Reasons not to read it
-
Yet another new superhero, not anyone we know from Marvel or DC or even Julie Howlin's previous novels.
-
He's not perfect, either. He's a bit of a ladies' man.
-
Doesn't even take place in a world we know, but in an alternative dimension.
-
Which has too many similarities to our own, or how our own could be in the future.
-
It's got a nuclear bomb in it.
-
There are a couple of characters having an illicit affair.
-
There's an attempted rape.
-
It's the first of a trilogy. So we don't find out the superhero's identity. You don't find out if you guessed right.
-
It ends leaving everyone up in the air, literally. You'll have to buy the next book if you want to know what happens to them all.
- Yet another new superhero, not anyone we know from Marvel or DC or even Julie Howlin's previous novels.
- He's not perfect, either. He's a bit of a ladies' man.
- Doesn't even take place in a world we know, but in an alternative dimension.
- Which has too many similarities to our own, or how our own could be in the future.
- It's got a nuclear bomb in it.
- There are a couple of characters having an illicit affair.
- There's an attempted rape.
- It's the first of a trilogy. So we don't find out the superhero's identity. You don't find out if you guessed right.
- It ends leaving everyone up in the air, literally. You'll have to buy the next book if you want to know what happens to them all.
Available from Amazon or Amazon Kindle
Over the Rainbow
'We're not in Trinity anymore,' says Leonard Marx, quoting a line from an old Innovian movie. The moon is different; the planes flying overhead are different. Nobody has any idea where they are or if it's possible to get home.
In this strange new world, people from the highly technical Innovia and the less advanced Classica must co-operate in order to survive. In addition, travel through the inter-dimensional wormhole has given some people unusual and unexpected powers.
Innovia mourns the loss of its superhero, Power Blaster, last seen carrying a nuclear bomb to the upper atmosphere away from the inhabited Bird Island. They don't believe he could possibly have survived. Power Blaster has survived, but is close to death and stranded in the new dimension. He is nursed back to health by a Classican woman, Elena. She has no idea who he is, only that she is falling in love with the handsome stranger.
Shanna sets out to discover what happened to Nathan Tate, who didn't return from his hiking holiday, not knowing her life is about to be turned inside out and upside down.
Meanwhile, Desi Troyes, the man responsible for the catastrophe, is at large on the new world, plotting how he can transfer his plans for world domination to the planet he now finds himself on - Earth.
Themes
Superheroes; being stranded in a strange world and learning to adapt; jealousy; missing people and the search for them; unrequited love; relationships between people from different cultures.
- People from vastly different cultures have to co-operate and learn to live and work together.
- People from different cultures even start relationships with one another.
- People are gaining superpowers all over the place.
- It's got telepathic wolves in it, a telepathic falcon and a whole bunch of telepathic purple animals from another dimension.
- Even the bad guys have backstories.
- People go travelling from one dimension to another to find people they love.
- It's got parallel dimensions, wormholes and mentions quantum physics.
- It ends on another cliff-hanger and the bad guy isn't in jail yet.
Available from Amazon and Amazon Kindle
Closing the Circle
A stable wormhole has been established between Earth and Infinitus. Power Blaster and his friends can finally go home.
Desi Troyes is still at large on Earth - Power Blaster has vowed to bring him to justice. His wedding to Shanna is under threat as the Desperadoes launch an attempt to rescue their leader. Someone from Power Blaster's past plays an unexpected and significant role in capturing Troyes.
The return home brings its own challenges. Not everyone can return to the life they left behind, and for some, there is unfinished business to be dealt with before they can start anew.
Ben Cole in particular cannot resume his old life as a surgeon because technology no longer works around him. He plans a new life in Classica, away from technology. Shanna hears that there could be a way to reverse his condition and sets out to find it, putting herself in great danger. She doesn't know that she is about to uncover the secret of Power Blaster's mysterious past.
Themes
Superheroes; homecoming; revealing of secrets; Time Travel; Family relationships; weddings and marriage; rescue; friendship
Themes
Superheroes; homecoming; revealing of secrets; Time Travel; Family relationships; weddings and marriage; rescue; friendship
Reasons not to read it
- It has time travel paradoxes that might boggle your mind.
- Just when you thought you'd got your head round all these new superheroes, some more people get superpowers.
- Superheroes are falling in love and getting married rather than just fighting all the time.
- Some people make rash decisions, get themselves into trouble and need rescuing.
Available from:
Amazon (Paperback)
Ultraheroes Novels
From A Jack To A King
A royal palace is burning. The King and Queen are dead. The only hopes for an ancient dynasty flee to England for their lives.
A boy runs from his mother and the people he believes want to mutilate him, and vanishes, seemingly forever.
Gary Winchcombe, the experimental "super-cop" pursues a notorious gang of bank robbers, and starts to discover that his friends and neighbours have secrets he never could have imagined.
Tod Reynard wants to turn his life around. When he meets and falls in love with the beautiful Jade, he knows she might just be the one to help him change his life for the better. He cannot possibly know just how much.
When Jade's twin sister Gloria is kidnapped, old rivalries must be put aside and new associations formed in order to save Gloria's life and restore the rightful order of things.
A royal palace is burning. The King and Queen are dead. The only hopes for an ancient dynasty flee to England for their lives.
A boy runs from his mother and the people he believes want to mutilate him, and vanishes, seemingly forever.
Gary Winchcombe, the experimental "super-cop" pursues a notorious gang of bank robbers, and starts to discover that his friends and neighbours have secrets he never could have imagined.
Tod Reynard wants to turn his life around. When he meets and falls in love with the beautiful Jade, he knows she might just be the one to help him change his life for the better. He cannot possibly know just how much.
When Jade's twin sister Gloria is kidnapped, old rivalries must be put aside and new associations formed in order to save Gloria's life and restore the rightful order of things.
Themes
Superheroes; twins; jealousy; friendship; difference; crime; redemption; royalty; kidnap and rescue; revolution.
Reasons not to read it
-
It's got superheroes in it.
-
It also has a king and a queen and princesses in it, so is it a comic book story or a fairy tale?
-
It's got an imaginary country in it. Therefore it can't be historically accurate.
-
The superheroes aren't from Krypton. They're from England, France, the US and this imaginary place.
-
Superheroes living in normal houses and apartments and not a secret base underground? Really?
-
There's as much romance and character development as there is war.
-
There's a suggestion criminals could actually change and become better people.
It's got superheroes in it.
It also has a king and a queen and princesses in it, so is it a comic book story or a fairy tale?
It's got an imaginary country in it. Therefore it can't be historically accurate.
The superheroes aren't from Krypton. They're from England, France, the US and this imaginary place.
Superheroes living in normal houses and apartments and not a secret base underground? Really?
There's as much romance and character development as there is war.
There's a suggestion criminals could actually change and become better people.
Running in the Family
An alien craft approaches Earth. The alien on board is a fugitive, fleeing from an arranged marriage to freedom on our world. She befriends James, a genetics student, and shares her knowledge about the future of the human race with him.
A science experiment gone wrong gifts James with superhuman abilities; but they come at a price, leading him to mentor others like himself. He founds a group of amateur heroes called the Freedom League.
The Freedom League suffers a string of losses and tragedies; it seems doomed to failure; but one of its members, Peter Mayfield, has vowed to form a group of his own. He is determined to keep his vow, despite having lost Rosemary, the one person he wanted by his side to help him.
Lizzie Hopkins is a talented young athlete and dancer. Peter sees her in action and guesses her exceptional abilities are far more than they seem. He offers to train and mentor Lizzie - but her mother is violently opposed to his suggestion.
As soon as she is old enough, Lizzie takes matters into her own hands; she seeks out Peter and his group for herself. She soon makes a discovery which shakes her world at its very foundations. Her search for the truth will resolve many unanswered questions, but it will also stir up old heartbreaks dating back to the Freedom League's early days.
An alien craft approaches Earth. The alien on board is a fugitive, fleeing from an arranged marriage to freedom on our world. She befriends James, a genetics student, and shares her knowledge about the future of the human race with him.
A science experiment gone wrong gifts James with superhuman abilities; but they come at a price, leading him to mentor others like himself. He founds a group of amateur heroes called the Freedom League.
The Freedom League suffers a string of losses and tragedies; it seems doomed to failure; but one of its members, Peter Mayfield, has vowed to form a group of his own. He is determined to keep his vow, despite having lost Rosemary, the one person he wanted by his side to help him.
Lizzie Hopkins is a talented young athlete and dancer. Peter sees her in action and guesses her exceptional abilities are far more than they seem. He offers to train and mentor Lizzie - but her mother is violently opposed to his suggestion.
As soon as she is old enough, Lizzie takes matters into her own hands; she seeks out Peter and his group for herself. She soon makes a discovery which shakes her world at its very foundations. Her search for the truth will resolve many unanswered questions, but it will also stir up old heartbreaks dating back to the Freedom League's early days.
Themes
Superheroes; freedom; running away; adoption; seeking biological parents; reincarnation; loss; wrongful accusations; body image; bullying.
Reasons not to read it
-
Even more blooming superheroes. At least one of them looks weird.
-
Apart from one alien, they're all British, so how can you tell who the bad guy is?
-
The man with a British accent living in an old Gothic mansion by himself is not the bad guy.
-
The plot spans about three decades. It's almost a saga!
-
One important piece of the story is only revealed towards the end.
-
A superhero dies.
-
There's a character who believes in reincarnation.
-
A character is accused of using drugs to enhance her athletic performance.
Even more blooming superheroes. At least one of them looks weird.
Apart from one alien, they're all British, so how can you tell who the bad guy is?
The man with a British accent living in an old Gothic mansion by himself is not the bad guy.
The plot spans about three decades. It's almost a saga!
One important piece of the story is only revealed towards the end.
A superhero dies.
There's a character who believes in reincarnation.
A character is accused of using drugs to enhance her athletic performance.
Available from:
Available from:
"I really loved this book! A great read!" Anonymous
Eternal Flame
The Freedom League's numbers have dwindled to three - but leader Unicorn knows his team isn't finished yet. The turning point comes with Russell, a boy with bright red hair and a genetic variant ability to start fires. He's the first of an influx of new members who will take the League into the future.
Judith and Wil are child prodigies - Judith in physics and electronics, and Wil in medicine. They have another thing in common - they are both genetic variants. And another thing - they both have fiery red hair. They are drawn to one another as their destinies intertwine, but the course of true love doesn't always run smoothly!
Richard is not a variant. He's an Olympic athlete who has picked up useful knowledge from his unusual friends to add to his own natural abilities. A chance encounter with a dying alien throws him into a Freedom League mission in which his skills are put to the ultimate test, along with theirs.
The Freedom League's arch-enemy, the super-villain Obsidian, wants his family fortune all to himself. One person stands in his way - his niece, Fiona. Fiona, devastated by a family tragedy and her failure to get in to her first choice university, is miserable and has few friends. When she realises her brother's death was no accident, and his killer is also after her, she fears it may be too late to gather allies around her and learn how to use her own genetic variant powers.
Themes
The Freedom League's numbers have dwindled to three - but leader Unicorn knows his team isn't finished yet. The turning point comes with Russell, a boy with bright red hair and a genetic variant ability to start fires. He's the first of an influx of new members who will take the League into the future.
Judith and Wil are child prodigies - Judith in physics and electronics, and Wil in medicine. They have another thing in common - they are both genetic variants. And another thing - they both have fiery red hair. They are drawn to one another as their destinies intertwine, but the course of true love doesn't always run smoothly!
Richard is not a variant. He's an Olympic athlete who has picked up useful knowledge from his unusual friends to add to his own natural abilities. A chance encounter with a dying alien throws him into a Freedom League mission in which his skills are put to the ultimate test, along with theirs.
The Freedom League's arch-enemy, the super-villain Obsidian, wants his family fortune all to himself. One person stands in his way - his niece, Fiona. Fiona, devastated by a family tragedy and her failure to get in to her first choice university, is miserable and has few friends. When she realises her brother's death was no accident, and his killer is also after her, she fears it may be too late to gather allies around her and learn how to use her own genetic variant powers.
Superheroes; romance; accepting or rejecting the call to adventure; Olympic Games/athletics; family feuds; time travel; prodigies/gifted children; secrets; difference/diversity
Reasons not to read it
- Yet more superheroes, and they're all new ones, not the ones we know from Marvel and DC.
- Too many people with red hair.
- Most of them are British (or Irish).
- Again they don't live in a secret base on a space station - they are students living in halls of residence or lecturers living in suburban houses. In Birmingham, for crying out loud!
- It's got time travel in it.
- It's got the Olympic Games in it, so hardly topical three years out of four.
- People go gallivanting off into space, not only to save dying worlds, but sometimes just for fun.
A Very Variant Christmas
Last year, Jade and Gloria were embroiled in a bitter conflict to win back their throne and their ancestral home. This year, Queen Jade and Princess Gloria want to host the biggest and best Christmas party ever in their palace. They invite all their friends to come and bring guests. Not even the birth of Jade's heir just before Christmas will stop them.
The guest list includes most of Britain's complement of super-powered crime-fighters, their families and friends. What could possibly go wrong?
Gatecrashers, unexpected arrivals, exploding Christmas crackers and a kidnapping, for starters.
Far away in space, the Constellations, a cosmic peacekeeping force, have suffered a tragic loss. They need to recruit a new member to replace their dead colleague. The two top candidates are both at Jade and Gloria's party. The arrival of the recruitment delegation on Christmas Eve is a surprise for everyone; but their visit means one guest now faces a life-changing decision.
Meanwhile, an alliance of the enemies of various guests at the party has infiltrated the palace; they hide in the dungeon, plotting how best to get rid of the crime-fighters and the royal family once and for all. Problem is, they all have their own agendas and differences of opinion on how to achieve their aims.
Not to mention that this year, the ghosts who walk the corridors of the palace on Christmas Eve will be as surprised by the living as the living are by them.
Not to mention that this year, the ghosts who walk the corridors of the palace on Christmas Eve will be as surprised by the living as the living are by them.
Themes
Christmas; superheroes; reunions; parties; life choices; shocking surprises; mistaken identity; kidnap and rescue.
Reasons not to read it
-
It's a bit short. You could probably read it in one sitting.
-
Most of the action takes place at a Christmas party. In a palace.
-
It's all about Christmas but there doesn't seem to be a schmaltzy moral message.
-
There are a couple of babies and some small children in it - and one nearly gets eaten.
-
Santa appears in it, but he isn't really Santa.
-
Superheroes. Again.
-
Not to mention a whole bunch of super-villains. Again all new ones and not the ones we know from Marvel or DC.
Available from Amazon and Amazon Kindle
Obsidian's Ark
Teenage years bring no end of problems. Daniel Moran's include getting hold of computer games his parents don't think he should have; a full blown crush on the beautiful Suki from Zorostan; maintaining his status as a prefect and getting his homework done. He must also keep from his parents and sister the fact that he is a superhero with a sword from another world.
Trish wonders how to get science whizz Tom to notice her; how to persuade him that the best way to stand up to the school bully is to fight back. She doesn't want her friends, especially not Tom, to know she is a genetic variant with superpowers. Little does she know that Tom has secrets of his own.
Suki struggles to make friends at school when she cannot understand everyday cultural references, and they all suspect her of being a terrorist. She, too, has a secret, but is it what her classmates assume?
When Daniel stumbles upon a plot by an alliance of supervillains to plunge the world into war, he tries to alert the established superheroes, but none of them believe him. When the Prime Minister's only daughter, Yasmin Miller, is abducted, Daniel knows the villains' plan is underway. It seems humanity's only hope may be Daniel and the ragtag bunch of teenage superheroes he recruits. Can he pull together, not only his own team, but the older heroes as well, in a bid to save the Earth from a devastating war?
Themes:
Superheroes; Coming of age; Leadership; Kidnap and rescue; Aliens; Friendship and rivalry; Terrorism; Secrets.
- It's a bit short. You could probably read it in one sitting.
- Most of the action takes place at a Christmas party. In a palace.
- It's all about Christmas but there doesn't seem to be a schmaltzy moral message.
- There are a couple of babies and some small children in it - and one nearly gets eaten.
- Santa appears in it, but he isn't really Santa.
- Superheroes. Again.
- Not to mention a whole bunch of super-villains. Again all new ones and not the ones we know from Marvel or DC.
Available from Amazon and Amazon Kindle
Trish wonders how to get science whizz Tom to notice her; how to persuade him that the best way to stand up to the school bully is to fight back. She doesn't want her friends, especially not Tom, to know she is a genetic variant with superpowers. Little does she know that Tom has secrets of his own.
Suki struggles to make friends at school when she cannot understand everyday cultural references, and they all suspect her of being a terrorist. She, too, has a secret, but is it what her classmates assume?
When Daniel stumbles upon a plot by an alliance of supervillains to plunge the world into war, he tries to alert the established superheroes, but none of them believe him. When the Prime Minister's only daughter, Yasmin Miller, is abducted, Daniel knows the villains' plan is underway. It seems humanity's only hope may be Daniel and the ragtag bunch of teenage superheroes he recruits. Can he pull together, not only his own team, but the older heroes as well, in a bid to save the Earth from a devastating war?
Themes:
Superheroes; Coming of age; Leadership; Kidnap and rescue; Aliens; Friendship and rivalry; Terrorism; Secrets.
Reasons not to read it
-
Even more superheroes.
-
These new superheores are teenagers. Superhero-sized teenage angst.
-
The villains are joining forces.
-
There's a villain who's even kind to people occasionally.
-
Yet another book set mostly in a school, with teachers, bullies, exams, detentions and so on.
-
Except for the bits set on space craft and disused quarries.
Available from:
- Even more superheroes.
- These new superheores are teenagers. Superhero-sized teenage angst.
- The villains are joining forces.
- There's a villain who's even kind to people occasionally.
- Yet another book set mostly in a school, with teachers, bullies, exams, detentions and so on.
- Except for the bits set on space craft and disused quarries.
Available from:
A Tale of Two Sisters
During a battle with supervillains, a horrific accident leaves the Warner family with no option but to believe their youngest daughter, Jessica, is dead. It doesn't occur to them that the bad guys could, or would, save her.
Jessica wakes up with no memory of who she is or how she came to be on a space station with two bionic legs, a bionic arm and a bionic eye. She is told her family abandoned her and is sent back to Earth with a mission - to kill them. While Jessica wants to kill her family, along with the twin boys who once rejected her, she knows what the Alliance of Supervillains are asking her to do is a suicide mission. She decides to get her revenge in her own way.
As Jessica puts the first part of her revenge plan in motion, she finds herself with an agonising decision to make. Before she can decide, the Alliance come for her, determined to make her do their bidding. This time, it's the Alliance who leave her, crippled and at the mercy of the Warner family, who have no idea who the Alliance's Black Rose really is.
Jessica finds herself having to re-think her decisions in light of what she now learns about her family, the Alliance, the twins, and herself. It would appear the Alliance have left her with an unwanted and permanent reminder of her time with them. Or have they?
Jessica's older sister, Jill, knows her destiny is to be a doctor and specialise in bionics and genetic variant medicine. She is also hopelessly in love with Christopher, Crown Prince of Galorvia. Can their romance survive the lies Christopher told her when they were both at school, an unplanned pregnancy and Sophie, the wannabe princess who comes between them?
A Tale of Two Sisters
During a battle with supervillains, a horrific accident leaves the Warner family with no option but to believe their youngest daughter, Jessica, is dead. It doesn't occur to them that the bad guys could, or would, save her.
Jessica wakes up with no memory of who she is or how she came to be on a space station with two bionic legs, a bionic arm and a bionic eye. She is told her family abandoned her and is sent back to Earth with a mission - to kill them. While Jessica wants to kill her family, along with the twin boys who once rejected her, she knows what the Alliance of Supervillains are asking her to do is a suicide mission. She decides to get her revenge in her own way.
As Jessica puts the first part of her revenge plan in motion, she finds herself with an agonising decision to make. Before she can decide, the Alliance come for her, determined to make her do their bidding. This time, it's the Alliance who leave her, crippled and at the mercy of the Warner family, who have no idea who the Alliance's Black Rose really is.
Jessica finds herself having to re-think her decisions in light of what she now learns about her family, the Alliance, the twins, and herself. It would appear the Alliance have left her with an unwanted and permanent reminder of her time with them. Or have they?
Jessica's older sister, Jill, knows her destiny is to be a doctor and specialise in bionics and genetic variant medicine. She is also hopelessly in love with Christopher, Crown Prince of Galorvia. Can their romance survive the lies Christopher told her when they were both at school, an unplanned pregnancy and Sophie, the wannabe princess who comes between them?
Killing Me Softly
Sebastian Garrett is an assassin. It wasn’t his first choice of vocation, but nonetheless, he’s good at it, and can be relied upon to get the job done. He’s on top of his game.
Until he is contracted to kill Princess Helena of Galorvia. She is not just any princess. Sebastian doesn’t bargain on his intended victim being a super-heroine who gives as good as she gets. Only his own genetic variant power saves him from becoming the victim, instead of Helena.
Fate has another surprise in store. Sebastian was not expecting to fall in love with her.
Until he is contracted to kill Princess Helena of Galorvia. She is not just any princess. Sebastian doesn’t bargain on his intended victim being a super-heroine who gives as good as she gets. Only his own genetic variant power saves him from becoming the victim, instead of Helena.
Fate has another surprise in store. Sebastian was not expecting to fall in love with her.
Available on Amazon:
Paperback
Who's That Girl?
Matt Webster lives in a tower block and attends a failing school. He dreams of being a spy like James Bond. Little does he know that he is being watched by someone who can make him into even more than that – a superhero.
His first solo mission is to attend a ball at the Decembrian Embassy and discover who is planning to steal a priceless diamond. While there, he meets the mysterious Lady Antonia du Cane, and is powerfully drawn to her. It soon becomes clear, however, that Lady du Cane is not what she seems. Matt’s quest to discover who she really is almost costs him his career.
A modern day Guy Fawkes gathers a coterie around him with the aim of blowing up Parliament with a nuclear bomb. To achieve this, they need money. Lots of it. Selling the Heart of Decembria Diamond will provide more than enough. All that stands in their way is the Freedom League – but the League is beset by internal disagreements. Can the heroes put their differences aside in time to save the day?
Prime Minister Richard Miller and his wife Fiona grieve for their daughter, Yasmin, who has been missing for three years, and is presumed to be dead. Viper agent Violet Parker could hold the key to what happened to Yasmin, but Violet is accused of giving away the organisation’s secrets. She is to be executed without trial. Will she take her knowledge of what happened to Yasmin with her to her grave?
The Power of Love
Willow believes in crystal healing, cosmic ordering and the significance of chance encounters. She believes there's a spiritual explanation for everything. Except she struggles to find a reason why she can turn herself into mist and create a wave of energy which can slam a would-be mugger into a wall. Or why the love of her life left her for a mysterious woman in sunglasses, who then disappeared without trace.
A chance encounter with Firebolt, leader of the Freedom League superhero team, in a Glastonbury coffee shop, does turn out to be significant. He offers her a new start and the chance to use her powers for good.
Servant is a Christian who has joined the Freedom League in order to use his teleporting power to serve God. He and Willow clash from the start, yet they are drawn inexorably to one another.
When Willow leaves the team abruptly for reasons unknown, Servant knows he must put her out of his mind and find a nice Christian girl to settle down with. He is about to propose to devout and straight-laced Ruth, when Willow returns and turns his entire world upside down.
Willow believes in crystal healing, cosmic ordering and the significance of chance encounters. She believes there's a spiritual explanation for everything. Except she struggles to find a reason why she can turn herself into mist and create a wave of energy which can slam a would-be mugger into a wall. Or why the love of her life left her for a mysterious woman in sunglasses, who then disappeared without trace.
A chance encounter with Firebolt, leader of the Freedom League superhero team, in a Glastonbury coffee shop, does turn out to be significant. He offers her a new start and the chance to use her powers for good.
Servant is a Christian who has joined the Freedom League in order to use his teleporting power to serve God. He and Willow clash from the start, yet they are drawn inexorably to one another.
When Willow leaves the team abruptly for reasons unknown, Servant knows he must put her out of his mind and find a nice Christian girl to settle down with. He is about to propose to devout and straight-laced Ruth, when Willow returns and turns his entire world upside down.
Themes
Superheroes, romance, religion/spirituality, tolerance, choices, friendship.
Superheroes, romance, religion/spirituality, tolerance, choices, friendship.
Available from Amazon:
Paperback
Fire in her Blood
A Superhero love story.
Sent away to school to get her away from undesirable company, Agnes finds herself homesick and lonely. A brief connection with Jason Warner leads to the teenage crush to end all teenage crushes. Jason is barely aware Agnes exists, but she plans her whole future around him.
It is only when they meet again as adults that the connection becomes mutual; but before it can develop, Jason makes a discovery which rocks his entire world. He needs time alone, away from everyone, including Agnes. When Jason is finally ready to go back to his old life, Agnes has moved on and he cannot find her.
Agnes is now a single parent to the remarkable Seraphina. The Power League want to harness Seraphina's powers for evil before the Freedom League become aware of her. Agnes has no idea her new colleague and friend is a supervillain with his own agenda, and his willingness to babysit is not as innocent as she thinks. As Incendio starts teaching Seraphina to use her powers, the Freedom League intervene. Little do they know that they have found one of their own.
Sent away to school to get her away from undesirable company, Agnes finds herself homesick and lonely. A brief connection with Jason Warner leads to the teenage crush to end all teenage crushes. Jason is barely aware Agnes exists, but she plans her whole future around him.
It is only when they meet again as adults that the connection becomes mutual; but before it can develop, Jason makes a discovery which rocks his entire world. He needs time alone, away from everyone, including Agnes. When Jason is finally ready to go back to his old life, Agnes has moved on and he cannot find her.
Agnes is now a single parent to the remarkable Seraphina. The Power League want to harness Seraphina's powers for evil before the Freedom League become aware of her. Agnes has no idea her new colleague and friend is a supervillain with his own agenda, and his willingness to babysit is not as innocent as she thinks. As Incendio starts teaching Seraphina to use her powers, the Freedom League intervene. Little do they know that they have found one of their own.
Themes
Superheroes and villains, family, romance, DNA, friendship, celebrities, hero worship, jealousy.
Superheroes and villains, family, romance, DNA, friendship, celebrities, hero worship, jealousy.
Available on Amazon:
Tabitha Drake Novels
Tabitha Drake Novels
Death and Faxes
Several women have been found murdered - it looks like the work of a ruthless serial killer. Psychic medium Maggie Flynn is one of the resources DI Jamie Swan has come to value in such cases - but Maggie is dead, leaving him with only the telephone number of the woman she saw as her successor, her granddaughter, Tabitha Drake.
Tabitha, grief-stricken by Maggie's death and suffering a crisis of confidence in her ability, wants nothing to do with solving murder cases. She wants to hold on to her job and find Mr Right (not necessarily in that order); so when DI Swan first contacts her, she refuses to get involved.
The ghosts of the victims have other ideas. They are anxious for the killer to be caught and for names to be cleared - and they won't leave Tabitha alone. It isn't long before Tabitha is drawn in so deeply that her own life is on the line.
Paperback - Amazon
Or get the E-book: Amazon Kindle
There's some more information about the book and about Tabitha in my review on Goodreads:
Themes
Crime; murder; serial killer; life after death; spirit communication; near death experiences; romance; domestic violence; family relationships; being different; trusting intuition.
Reasons not to read it
-
Psychics? Talking to dead people? Helping the police solve crimes? Do me a favour.
-
The main psychic isn't even a circus act or a gypsy. She's a normal woman living in 21st century London, with a normal office job who happens to have this weird talent.
-
Not to mention her oh so normal family who don't understand who or what she is.
-
She's psychic. Surely this means she knows everything and always does the right thing, but she doesn't!
-
She doesn't even make the right decisions about her love life!
-
People die in it. There are horrible murders.
-
The protagonist has decided she doesn't want to have children.
Glastonbury Swan
Every few weeks, there is a mysterious death in Glastonbury. They seem completely unrelated - an apparent suicide, a hit and run, a drug overdose, a magic act which goes horribly wrong - but is that what the killer wants people to think?
The police are certainly convinced - but one of the victims is communicating to medium Tabitha Drake that the deaths are linked.
Who is killing all these people and why?
This is what Tabitha has to figure out - before it is too late to save someone very dear to her.
ThemesSeveral women have been found murdered - it looks like the work of a ruthless serial killer. Psychic medium Maggie Flynn is one of the resources DI Jamie Swan has come to value in such cases - but Maggie is dead, leaving him with only the telephone number of the woman she saw as her successor, her granddaughter, Tabitha Drake.
The ghosts of the victims have other ideas. They are anxious for the killer to be caught and for names to be cleared - and they won't leave Tabitha alone. It isn't long before Tabitha is drawn in so deeply that her own life is on the line.
Paperback - Amazon
Or get the E-book: Amazon Kindle
There's some more information about the book and about Tabitha in my review on Goodreads:
Crime; murder; serial killer; life after death; spirit communication; near death experiences; romance; domestic violence; family relationships; being different; trusting intuition.
Reasons not to read it
- Psychics? Talking to dead people? Helping the police solve crimes? Do me a favour.
- The main psychic isn't even a circus act or a gypsy. She's a normal woman living in 21st century London, with a normal office job who happens to have this weird talent.
- Not to mention her oh so normal family who don't understand who or what she is.
- She's psychic. Surely this means she knows everything and always does the right thing, but she doesn't!
- She doesn't even make the right decisions about her love life!
- People die in it. There are horrible murders.
- The protagonist has decided she doesn't want to have children.
Glastonbury Swan
Every few weeks, there is a mysterious death in Glastonbury. They seem completely unrelated - an apparent suicide, a hit and run, a drug overdose, a magic act which goes horribly wrong - but is that what the killer wants people to think?
The police are certainly convinced - but one of the victims is communicating to medium Tabitha Drake that the deaths are linked.
Who is killing all these people and why?
This is what Tabitha has to figure out - before it is too late to save someone very dear to her.
Crime; murder; serial killer; psychic powers; spiritual development; wheel of the year; Glastonbury Zodiac; jealousy; revenge; unrequited love; spiritual experience or mental illness?
Reasons not to read it
- A big chunk of it is set in Glastonbury - a wacky place to say the least.
- It brings in a lot of wacky stuff about Glastonbury's mysterious, rich-in-legend landscape.
- People die in this one too. More horrible murders, made to look like accidents.
- The dead people sometimes talk to the living people.
- Psychics again. If anything, even more of them.
- And they STILL don't know everything and make the right decision every time.
- It even mentions astrology, Tarot cards and non-establishment spiritual beliefs.
- A lot of the characters aren't normal mainstream people (although they are perfectly normal for Glastonbury).
- The protagonist has not changed her mind about not wanting to have children.
Paperback Amazon
E-book Amazon Kindle
Paperback Amazon
E-book Amazon Kindle
Short Story Collections
The Gingerbread Man
A short story collection including aliens, princes and princesses, dragons, superhero origin stories and of course, a gingerbread man.
Settling the Score
Available on Amazon:
Sweet Karma
More murder and mayhem along with moving statues, Ancient Egyptian magic pebbles, a World War II evacuee's diary and a bathtub full of marshmallows.
Paperback Amazon
E-Book Amazon Kindle
Reasons not to read it
-
They're short stories.
-
Some have superheroes in, but they are new ones which aren't in Marvel or DC. Though some are in Julie Howlin's novels.
-
It
has a story about an obsessive hobby.
-
Someone in one of the stories comes to a
sticky end.
-
There are two stories about the second
world war.
-
One story is set on a space station.
- They're short stories.
- Some have superheroes in, but they are new ones which aren't in Marvel or DC. Though some are in Julie Howlin's novels.
- It has a story about an obsessive hobby.
- Someone in one of the stories comes to a sticky end.
- There are two stories about the second world war.
- One story is set on a space station.
Jigsaw
Jigsaw
Within these covers you will find murder, mayhem, ghosts, romance, dungeons and dragons and alien vampire bunnies.
Paperback Amazon
E-book Amazon Kindle
Reasons not to read it
Within these covers you will find murder, mayhem, ghosts, romance, dungeons and dragons and alien vampire bunnies.
E-book Amazon Kindle
Reasons not to read it
-
They're short stories.
-
Some have superheroes in, but they are new ones which aren't in Marvel or DC. Though some are in Julie Howlin's novels.
-
Some stories have ghosts in.
-
Some stories take place in other worlds.
-
It has a story about Dungeons and Dragons.
-
The Easter Egg story and garden gnome story might give you nightmares.
- They're short stories.
- Some have superheroes in, but they are new ones which aren't in Marvel or DC. Though some are in Julie Howlin's novels.
- Some stories have ghosts in.
- Some stories take place in other worlds.
- It has a story about Dungeons and Dragons.
- The Easter Egg story and garden gnome story might give you nightmares.
I have plenty more stories to tell, but I don't know yet which will win the race to the end of the pipeline. If you'd like to know:
Like my Facebook Page
Follow me on Twitter: @JulieHowlin
I have plenty more stories to tell, but I don't know yet which will win the race to the end of the pipeline. If you'd like to know:
Like my Facebook PageFollow me on Twitter: @JulieHowlin
No comments:
Post a Comment