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Sandy's Spotlight - BOOK REVIEW - Brainrush, A Thriller by Richard Bard

8/31/2012

12 Comments

 

Sandy's Spotlight
BOOK REVIEW
Brainrush, A Thriller
By
Richard Bard

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Click on book cover to read excerpt
Book:  Brainrush, A Thriller (Book One)
Author:  Richard Bard
Genre:  Thriller, suspense, a little romance, a little sci-fi, and a touch of paranormal - In other words, something for everyone!
Length:  Approximately 312 pages


The following is my August 31st, 2012, 5 Star Review:

I'm completely exhausted after reading Brainrush.

In BRAINRUSH by RICHARD BARD we meet the terminally ill ex-combat pilot Jake Bronson as he is having an MRI to determine how much time he has left. As the MRI progresses, as often happens in California, an earthquake hits. Both Jake and the MRI machine are tossed around the room. Something happens during this event that will change Jake's life and the lives of his friends forever.

Jake emerges with extraordinary cognitive powers. He soon learns that his mind has become a sponge and photographically imprints everything he sees and hears with the ability to pull that information from his mind as needed. While meeting his friends at the local bar that evening, he puts his newfound abilities to the test by entering that evening's sports quiz. Unfortunately for Jake, there is a news crew filming a story about the bar that evening, and they end up running a special interest story of a man that has an unusual mental talent. This news story is so sensational that it goes viral and is seen by international terrorists that are in the process of secretly developing a weapon to use against the United States. Now that they are aware of Jake's abilities, the terrorists will do whatever they have to do to study Jake's brain and use it for their unthinkable and evil deeds.

I LOVED THIS BOOK! I would like to give any future reader of this book a few tips. My first tip would be to make sure you have nothing planned for the entire day before you start reading it. You will be hooked from the very first chapter and you won't be able to put it down. I sure couldn't. BRAINRUSH starts out exciting and continues to pick up speed as you get further into the book. Every time I thought the book was going to slow down a bit, something else would happen that would have me gasping and fidgeting as I read. Did I mention reading this book is like a full body workout at the gym? I was exhausted.

Tip number two would be to make sure your E-reader is fully charged. I made the mistake of my Kindle only having about a half charge. When I saw that the battery was very low, I panicked. You can read while your E-reader is charging, but I do not have a long cord. I had no choice but to put the book down while my Kindle charged. I paced. I tried to answer some e-mails. Finally after 10 minutes, I ended up sitting on the floor next to the charger to finish the book. It was that good.

Mr. Bard has written some fantastic characters that I really enjoyed getting to know and a very intriguing story.  I have recommended this book to all of my friends and family.  I can't wait to get my hands on the second story of the series, BRAINRUSH II, The Enemy of My Enemy.  I've just got to find out what happens next!

_

Brainrush, A Thriller (Book One) Blurb:
When terminally ill combat pilot Jake Bronson emerges from an MRI with extraordinary cognitive powers, everyone wants a piece of his talent--including Battista, one of the world's most dangerous terrorists. To save his love and her autistic child, Jake is thrust into a deadly chase that leads from the canals of Venice through Monte Carlo and finally to an ancient cavern in the Hindu Kush Mountains of Afghanistan--where Jake discovers that his newfound talents carry a hidden price that threatens the entire human race.

An original weave of current events bound by colorful locations and cutting-edge technology, Bard's novel is a must-read for fans of Michael Crichton, James Rollins, Clive Cussler, and Brad Thor. A dynamic mix of fast-paced action and thought provoking soul, this book challenges the reader to keep pace with every sharp turn and shocking twist. Acclaimed by fans of action, sci-fi, and political thrillers alike, Brainrush is one of the most innovative and entertaining books of the year.


Author Links:
Author Website
Author Blog
Facebook
Twitter
Goodreads

12 Comments

Sandy's Spotlight - Broken Bits, The Dragon, News and a Give@way

8/24/2012

34 Comments

 

Sandy's Spotlight
Blog Update
and
Heirloom Bookmark Giveaway

Broken Bits:

It's good to talk to everyone again. I've been unable to publish any blog posts the entire month of August because of my broken bits. I wanted to update everyone and let you all know that now that I'm on the road to recovery, I should be able to start getting reviews posted again soon. I know how much work an author puts into their books, and I know how important their work is to them. As a reviewer, I respect that and will not read a book to review unless I can devote my full attention to it. I am very behind on reviews but I've got some really good books coming up that I'm extremely excited about reading and reviewing.

As for the broken bits, at the beginning of the month Mike and I were on a short vacation having a blast, scouting for elk, lake hopping, fishing with our daughter and her boyfriend. On the very last day, I took a spill backward over a boulder and landed on my wrist. There we were, out in the middle of nowhere and I decide to have my very first uncontrolled fall and my very first broken bone. I must say, though, if you ever find yourself in northern Arizona with a broken bone, Flagstaff Medical Center is the place to go. They were wonderful.

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The Dragon by Nuance Communications, Inc.

Prior to breaking my wrist, I was a pretty good typist. I had been clocked in the past at 90 words a minute. After breaking my wrist. I found that I can type approximately 10 words a minute with my index finger. Being an author myself, I found that 10 words a minute was not only frustrating but completely inadequate. So I broke down and bought myself The Dragon. This blog post is the very first time that I've used The Dragon to post anything public. I'm finding that currently I have a love/hate relationship with The Dragon. While I'm learning how to operate it, it is learning how to understand my voice. I'll keep you posted on the learning curve.

News:

I wanted to let everyone know that the digital copy my books, "Maggie Mae" and "Justice For Emily" are both currently on sale for all e-readers, phones, PC's at all retailers for $1.99. I've provided purchase links for each of the retailers under the book blurbs.

Maggie Mae book blurb:

Maggie Mae is a steamy contemporary romance with a ghostly paranormal twist.  This book contains adult sexual content.

July 4th 2005, Maggie's wedding day was the happiest day of her life, the most painful  day of her life and the day she died three times.

Maggie lives as a recluse in the home that she and her dead husband, Jimmy, built  together. It's all she has left of him. She has her friends, but has turned her back on the world and any possibility of spending her life with another man.


Five years after Jimmy's tragic death, Maggie's world is once again turned upside down when the last hold she has to her husband, their home, is destroyed. Maggie is thrown into the path of a man, the only man, that can bring her back to life. Elk Bend Chief of Police Michael Rogers is there to help her pick up the pieces and move on.


Rafferty, a close friend, has loved Maggie for years.  He has been waiting for her to get over the loss of her husband and knows that in time she will be with him.


Rafferty has inserted himself into Maggie's life so deeply that she doesn't see his obsessive behavior. She doesn't realize that she has been stalked by Rafferty even before the death of her husband or the danger that Rafferty represents to her. Maggie is his and he will do whatever he has to in order to keep her.


Will Maggie be able to start a new life with Michael? Or will she be so consumed with the fear of losing him that she is paralyzed to move forward with her new life?


Will Rafferty have the power over Maggie to extinguish any feelings she has for Michael? Or will he destroy her trying to wrestle her away from her fate with another man?


This book will make the readers weep uncontrollably when they read about the tragic murder of Maggie's husband, Jimmy, and laugh with the interactions of Maggie and her friends. They will take a journey into the life of the characters that will make them escape and feel the wonder of love transcending death.


AMAZON PURCHASE LINK
BARNES AND NOBLE PURCHASE LINK
SMASHWORDS
APPLE ITUNES

Justice For Emily book blurb:

The Paranormal Romance Guild nominated Justice For Emily as one of 2011's best reads.  Justice For Emily is a steamy romance/suspense with a ghostly paranormal twist.  This book contains adult sexual content and violence.

Rachael Merchant is on a cross country trip running from the tragic images of her last case that are embedded deep in her soul. She is a City of Phoenix Homicide Detective that is trying to deal with the freak show her life has become.

Three days ago, she was sitting in a hospital room with a man that had just murdered his three small children because he was angry his wife had left him. After making the arrest, she let the perpetrator know that when he got out of prison she was coming after him. He would not be able to hide from her. She left the hospital, went back to work and quit on the spot.


After a great deal of persuading, her captain convinced her that an indefinite leave of absence was in order instead of quitting. She went home, packed her bags and jumped in the car. With no destination in mind, she just drove.


Rachael found herself on the side of the road, unsure of where she was and on the phone with her partner. All she wanted to do was run as fast and as far as she could from the image of those three small babies with bullets in their bodies.


Officer Patrick Sheehan pulls in front of Rachael while she is bent over the hood of her car looking at a map. He overhears the conversation between Rachael and her partner and thanks fate for dropping a homicide detective right in his lap. His good friend, Emily, was murdered just days ago and Patrick knows who killed her, her husband and his boss, the Chief of Police of Brownwood, Texas.


Boyd Campbell has taken extreme measures to cover up his wife's murder but Patrick is going to do everything in his power to put this monster away. He doesn't care what he has to do or say to get this cop to stay and work this case. He needs her help and she is just going to have to deal with it. She could just blame fate for bringing her here when he needed her expertise. After all, the only important thing at the moment is getting Justice For Emily.


AMAZON PURCHASE LINK
BARNES AND NOBLE PURCHASE LINK

SMASHWORDS

APPLE ITUNES

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Click on the pic to be directed to Pilar's website
GIVEAWAY!

I've got an awesome giveaway today! My youngest daughter, Pilar, makes all kinds of cool handmade gifts. I picked up three heirloom crocheted bookmarks from her and I will be giving away one bookmark to three lucky people that comment. All you have to do to win one of these beautiful heirloom bookmarks is leave a comment on this blog post. You must be a US resident to be eligible for the giveaway. I will be using random.org to choose a winner on August 29th. I will contact the winners via e-mail for their mailing addresses.

If you are looking for some creative, fun gifts, check out Pilar's website, Made To Order Handmade Crafts.  She never ceases to amaze me at how creative she is.


34 Comments


    Books by
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    The Rock Star Series took 1st Place Winner: Best Contemporary Romance Series
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    2014 PRG Reviewer's Choice Awards

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