tragedy

Choices Stories Review 4.45/5 Stars With Every Heartbeat

Julie Gilbert Choices Stories, romance, tragedy , ,

*Warning: this one’s labeled a tragedy

Summary:

It’s like watching a car wreck. You sort of suspect what happen but still watch for the details.

Additional Comments:

  • I actually cried at the end.
  • You 100% know what’s going to happen. It’s a framed story. The MC is sitting there at her graduation watching a video prepped by her boyfriend.
  • It’s still a very sweet story.
  • I liked the tie-ins to Edenbrook hospital. Ethan Ramsey and Harper Emery get cameos.
  • Cancer seems to have cropped up a lot lately in stories, people I know of, etc. Crazy devastating disease. Even the treatment of it is difficult for families to bear.
  • I did most of the diamond choices that involved being nice to people. I think this was one rare book where they didn’t have a pet for you to adopt. Good. I’m such a sucker for the cute fluffies.

Conclusion:

Sad but satisfying story.

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Have You Tried Kindle Vella Yet?

5 Steps to Better Dialogue – (nonfiction, writing skills; Complete) I feel like nonfiction titles should come with spoiler tags. This is a book for writers seeking to learn more about the creation of realistic characters and dialogue.

Christmas Shorts – (Mystery, thriller, Christian, suspense; Ongoing; story 1 is complete) Only one story right now, but will be a collection of short stories with characters from across my series. Typically, FBI agents with personal drama. Might feature an abundance of cute puppies.

Assassin School Season 1 – (thriller, YA; Complete) Teen spies try to survive the rigorous training and other drama as powerful people battle to control the Ghost children.

The Minder Project Season 1 – (scifi, genetic engineering, superpowers; shares characters with Dustin’s Decision, Updated Wednesdays) The government gave her genetic Gifts. Now, it wants what it paid for from the program.

Dustin’s Decision Devya’s Children Book 5 – (YA scifi, shares characters with The Minder Project; Complete) Genetically altered teens struggle to navigate the murky world and control their Gifts.

Aeris Legends – Wrath and War (LitRPG, gaming, fantasy) This takes a box-of-chocolate approach to providing lore entries (creatures, quest descriptions, game mechanics) and short stories for a fantasy world.

Trials, Tribulations, and Trust Issues (Superheros, superpowers) A young woman who can access almost any superpower gets manipulated into testing them for the government.

Beyond Broken Pencils by Julie C. Gilbert

Julie Gilbert Audiobooks, literature, suspense , , ,
pic from audible

Narrated by Curt Bonnem

Run Time: 5 hrs and 56 mins

Summary:

Ian Colt strolls into his high school with a deadly plan to take out as many people as he can. It’s a strangely familiar American tale of a kid unleashing his inner demons on his classmates and teachers. Who are the heroes? Who is the villain? How do people react?

Additional Comments:

  • I’ve worked in suburban high schools for about 15 years now. Thankfully, this story isn’t drawn from personal experience, but hopefully, it has enough truth to help bring up the topic in a safe environment for discussion.
  • By far, this isn’t my cheeriest tale. I usually feel weird saying I hope people enjoy it because “enjoy” isn’t really the right word.
  • The book has a rather large cast because schools have a lot of people. If you have the ebook version, you’ll see the list of friends and fans who had their names added to the roll call as it were.
  • Generally, words come quickly for me, but I remember this story fighting me a bit. Several stories since the pandemic have fought me, but this one was always different and finished well before the pandemic.
  • Although Ian plays video games and even makes a miniature game of shooting certain people for “bonus points” he awards himself, I’m not blaming video games for gun violence. A lot of people—including me—play games without turning into gun-toting psychos who shoot up their schools. Over the years, the games change, but kids are mostly the same. It would be unrealistic to think Ian doesn’t have some interaction with video games.
  • What causes gun violence? Oh, probably many things. Bandying around blame won’t fix society’s failures.
  • What’s the solution? There’s probably not one solution, but it can help to talk to kids and people in general. People have to learn better coping mechanisms than bury your pain until you explode.
  • Curt Bonnem’s performance worked out well for the story.

Conclusion:

I don’t usually write tragic tales, but here, I made an exception. If you want a happy ending, this isn’t the correct title for you right now. If you want as close a peek into this sort of tragedy that I can give you, give it a go.

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Audiobook Promotions …

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Many of my 50 audible titles are listed on Audiobooks Unleashed.
Whether you’re looking for mystery or suspense or fantasy, I’ve got a title for you. Free codes are probably on audiobooks unleashed.
Normal links go to audible. *The Amazon labeled links are affiliate links. That means I get a very small payment from Amazon if you go through with a purchase.*
Note: Filter by US if you’re looking for those codes as many titles are out.
Ones I think may still have US codes: Reshner’s Royal Ranger, Never Again, Innova, The Golden City Captives, The Holy War, Reclaim the Darklands, Eagle Eyes, Treachery Makes it Tense, Ashlynn’s Dreams Shorts, The Dark Side of Science, Ashlynn’s Dreams, Nadia’s Tears, Malia’s Miracles, and Varick’s Quest
There are plenty of UK codes, but not many US ones left.

Redeemer Chronicles (Fantasy)

Awakening – Redeemer Chronicles Book 1, MG fantasy (Amazon) (free codes)
The Holy War – Redeemer Chronicles Book 2, MG fantasy (Amazon) (free codes)
Reclaim the Darklands – Redeemer Chronicles Book 3, MG fantasy (Amazon) (free codes)
River’s Edge Ransom – Prequel to Redeemer Chronicles (Amazon) (email devyaschildren @ gmail.com for free codes)

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Devya’s Children Series Links:

Ashlynn’s Dreams Shorts – short stories featuring Jillian. (Amazon) (free codes)
The Dark Side of Science – official prequel to Devya’s Children; Genetically altered kids fight for the right to live. (Amazon) (Please email devyaschildren @ gmail.com for free codes)
Ashlynn’s Dreams – Genetically altered Dream Shaper learns her gift. (Amazon) (free codes)
Nadia’s Tears – Jillian tries to awaken her sister, Nadia, from a coma. (Amazon) (free codes)
Malia’s Miracles – Jillian and her siblings try to save a friend’s mother. (Amazon) (free codes)
Varick’s Quest – Jillian and Danielle get kidnapped. Nadia’s also in trouble. (Amazon) (free codes)
More Scifi:
Reshner’s Royal Ranger (epic sci-fi) just made it there. (Amazon) (free codes)

Guardian Angel Files:

Spirit’s Bane – Allister and Mina are training to be Guardians. Satan’s out to get them. (Amazon) (free codes)
Kindred Spirits – Mina’s exiled to Earth. Allister’s stuck in the Heavens. (Amazon) (free codes)