CRIMSON AWAKENING

Crimson Awakening by Edmond Geanta
Book 1 in the Blood Calls for Blood series
Genre: urban fantasy zombie apocalypse / dystopian
Format: kindle ebook

About Crimson Awakening:

When the undead came…
…she didn’t expect them to be so fast.
Could she survive the bite?

Gabi, a descendant of Vlad the Impaler, had a great life. Married to Rey, an Icelandic ex special forces soldier with more than a little viking blood in him, he was a wonderful husband. They had a delightful daughter named Eve. When the zombie apocalypse began, nobody was prepared for what came next.

Then she got infected.

Was a cure possible?

For Rey, giving up wasn’t in his DNA.

At a clinic in California, in the midst of all the chaos, they did the only thing that gave Gabi a chance. A massive transfusion could save her. What they didn’t expect was the reaction to mixing her daughter’s and husband’s blood.

She began to change…

…and a whole new reality opened up before her.

Was it a curse or evolution?

You’ll love this unique take on the zombie apocalypse, because in the dark underworld of vampires and the paranormal, one woman’s struggle may just be mankind’s greatest hope.

Source: Info in the "About Crimson Awakening" was taken from GoodReads at https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/59245532-zombie-evolution on 06/02/2022.

Buy Link(s):

My Thoughts:

The books in this series has obviously gone through a few re-makings with the cover arts and the titles. Not sure about the content. Anyway, this version of this book is good enough that now this series has a new fan in me, and that is saying a lot because I am not a zombie fan. I've watched a few zombie movies, sure! But I do not seek out the genre.

I didn't know that the author wrote this series during the covid lockdown. So when the book mentioned covid, I was shocked! Then I wanted to know when was this book released?! That was a good dose of something familiar! Talk about realism! The greatest contributory factor that is holding this book from a 5 out of 5 is the ending. Of course, it is a cliffhanger... and I do not like cliffhangers!

Of course the ending is a cliffhanger leading to the next book in the series... What I really wanted though are audiobook versions of these books!

Empirical Evaluation:
Story telling quality = 5
Character development = 5
Story itself = 5
Writing Style = 5
Ending = 3
World building = 5
Cover art = 4
Pace = 4
Plot = 4

Overall Rating: 4.5 out of 5 cherries


Books In The Blood Calls for Blood Series:

                   

Meet The Author

About Edmond Geanta:

Born in the land of Vlad the Impaler, Edmond Geanta grew up and studied Cybernetics in Romania.

At twenty-four he emigrated to America and on 4th of July 1990 with only $23 in his pocket, Edmond landed in New York. Later that year, he somehow ended up in Detroit, Michigan. He is still wondering about that…

After years of consulting in project management and strategy, it dawned on him that project management was like constantly dodging zombies. Inspired, but mainly bored to death during the Covid shut down, he put his thoughts on paper and his first book, “Project Z” was launched in June.

In his new series – “Blood Calls for Blood” Edmond takes the reader through a mind-numbing action ride. The series is peppered with love, humor, horror, but mainly the human spirit for hope and survival. But make no mistake, although vampires and zombies are the backdrop of his writing, the human element surfaces in every one of the pages of this thrilling saga.

On a personal level, I enjoy a glass of good scotch and love to travel around the world. My favorite places are San Sebastian in Basque country, and Blue Lagoon in Iceland. Saturday afternoons are usually spent at the local Barnes & Noble immersed in reading history and biographies while sipping a never-ending espresso.”

If you want to know when Edmond’s next book will come out, please visit his website at http://www.egeanta.com, where you can sign up to receive an email when he has his next release.

egeanta.com | twitter | facebook | instagram | pinterest | youtube | amazon | goodreads

FTC Disclosure:
The ebook was bought with private funds.
No money received for this review.

BRAMBLE BURN

Bramble Burn by Autumn Dawn
Book 1 in the Convergence series
Genre: urban fantasy
Format: ebook & paperback

About Bramble Burn:

It's been thirty years since the Convergence, when the dimensions aligned and combined Earth and the world of Gwyllon, known in human mythology as “Underhill”. Elven castles and ancient ruins sprouted on vacant lots and merged with existing buildings, twisting into new structures. Roads and rail systems reformed, and after the rioting, starvation and death, agriculture sorted itself and food began to flow. A new government formed of elves and men arose, a society of human tech and elven magic. Cell phones and frost giants, race cars and elven steeds, dungeons and dragons…

And everywhere, monsters.

Tree mage Juniper was twenty-three, a child of the new generation. When she found a source of magic buried in an abandoned park, she made a deal with the city. If she can stabilize the park’s wild magic, she’ll own it…if she can survive. Now she has to clear out magic spawned monsters, deal with a werewolf suitor and survive her bloodthirsty dragon uncle. She’s going to have to dig deep to subdue Bramble Burn Park.

Source: Info in the "About Bramble Burn" was taken from amazon on 18/05/2025.

Buy Link(s):

My Thoughts:

The advertisement is true. Reading this book, it made me think of Kate Daniels by Ilona Andrews. It is not the same, though. This is not a Kate Daniels rip-off.

True to most urban fantasies, plot is not this book's strong suit, either.

The ending is not exactly a cliffhanger, but, it also pointed to the fact that there is a book 2 in the series.

I am wondering if Juniper would show her child to Grandpa. If so, how would she accomplish this?...

This is my first Autumn Dawn read and I am glad that I bumped into this author!

My only complaint about this book/series, is that, it does not have an audiobook version.

Of course book 2 is already bought!

Quantitative Evaluation:

Story telling quality = 4.5
Character development = 4.5
Story itself = 4
Writing Style = 5
Ending = 4
World building = 5
Cover art = 4
Pace = 4
Plot = 3.5

Overall Rating: 4.5 out of 5 cherries

Books In The Convergence Series:

 

Meet The Author

About Autumn Dawn:

Autumn Dawn writes futuristic, urban fantasy, and paranormal romance, thrilling fans with her werewolves, dragons, elementals, gargoyles, and trolls with a thing for Poe.

She spent most of her life in Alaska, including winters in a cabin in the woods, where she became intimately acquainted with outhouses, generators, and wood stoves. Her years of snow machines, boating, and mosquitoes convinced her to move her family to Washington, where she basked in the "tropical" winters.

Sneak peeks of works in progress on Facebook

autumndawn.com | facebook | amazon | goodreads

FTC Disclosure:
The ebook and audiobook were purchased with private funds.
No money received for this review.

THE DOG MAGE

The Dog Mage by James Haddock
Genre: fantasy
Format: ebook

About The Dog Mage:

My name, well, they call me Jack. Though I’ve been called and named other things. Kings have named me, though that has sometimes gotten me into trouble. You see, when a king names you, he wants something. Nothing is free. Anyway, I’m an orphan. Fortunately, I’m a mage. That doesn’t make up for not having parents, but it helps . . . except when it doesn’t. The problem with being a . . . child mage is that everyone wants to use you for their own ends. The guilds, for instance. Not just one guild, all of them, everyone is looking for an edge, including me. My strongest talent is music, though no one sees that. What they do see is that my music . . . renews things, makes them new.

One of the first things I renewed was a pair of full-sized wooden dogs. I renewed them so well that they came to life and became my protectors. Circumstances forced me to protect myself from those who would force me to work for them. Unfortunately, bodies were left on the floor, and I was forced to leave one city for another. I became too good at protecting myself, and the bodies kept piling up. That’s when the king and his spymaster took notice of me. They saw me as a means to an end and wanted to use me as a weapon against their enemies.

The problem was, their enemies weren’t necessarily my enemies, and I hate being forced to do things against my will. So, the bodies that piled up were of those who tried to force me into bondage. All I wanted was to be left alone, but no one seemed to understand that.

So, let the bodies fall where they may; you’ve been warned.

Source: Info in the "About The Dog Mage" was taken from amazon on 26/11/2025.

Buy Link(s):

 

My Thoughts:

I'm an old James Haddock fan. I'm quite familiar with this author's style. As anticipated, this book is more or less similar to his other books. Most elements are copied from previous work. Similarly, this book is a "happy read". Meaning no matter that I know that this book would be like that, this being Haddock's work, I still enjoyed it immensely. And that my friends, speaks of the story telling quality of this author!

The world building is the same beautifully woven tapestry as the trademark of Haddock!

The story, seeing that this is just a re-invention of his old works, is still beautiful.

I didn't like Cidra, though. I think Jack could have picked a better wife than a spoiled brat of a noble.

Unlike Haddock's other books, this one is clearly laid out as a stand alone. So readers are not expecting a book two that never comes.

Quantitative Evaluation:

Story telling quality = 5
Character development = 4.5
Story itself = 4
Writing Style = 4.5
Ending = 4
World building = 5
Cover art = 4
Pace = 5
Plot = 3.5

Overall Rating: 4.5 out of 5 cherries

The Author

About James Haddock:

My first career was as a Warrant Officer in the US Army, I am now retired with 22 years of service under my belt. Moving into the next phase of my life, I am a full-time author and RV'er. After seeing everyone else's Country during my first career, we decided to see our own. My wife and I enjoy traveling to see the wonders of America.

I love reading and watching Sci-Fi books, television shows, and movies. To think, "what if" and "why not." I am a pantser writer, I'll get an idea, or see a photo and think, "that would make a great story!". Writing as a pantser, to me, is like reading a new story. I have no idea where the story is going to end up. Writing the way gets me excited to pick up a pen; I look forward to writing each time, and can't wait to write many more.

www.jameshaddock.us | facebook | instagram | audible | amazon | goodreads

FTC Disclosure:
The ebook and audiobook were purchased with private funds.
No money received for this review.