Showing posts with label MIND. Show all posts
Showing posts with label MIND. Show all posts

Monday, March 6, 2017

Monday Book Review: MIND: The Message, by Jenn Nixon


MIND: The Message (Book 4)
By Jenn Nixon
Published March 2017


About the Book:
After years of trying to fit in, Casey Wu made her own path, her own way, working as a private security consultant in New York City. When Casey’s apartment is broken into and she and her mother become targets of powered individuals with ties to her long-missing father, reality is turned upside down as she’s pulled into an exciting and treacherous world she’s more connected to than she realizes.
Former General Theo Struck left the military behind to shore up the strength of the MIND team, worried about the significant emergence of psychic and visitor abilities on Earth. While trying to recover from the trauma he suffered during The Reckoning, and attempting to keep the entire team safe, he learns a mysterious private investigator is tailing him. The moment Theo confronts the powerful descendant sparks fly, but her story, almost too unbelievable to consider, isn’t something he can ignore.
Determined to help Casey learn the truth about her extraordinary powers, Theo agrees to help, and when they uncover connections between her father and a government chip his former unit used on human psychics, their blossoming friendship is tested as the dangerous investigation puts the entire MIND team at risk.
My Take:

Jenn Nixon creates a rich and complex future world with enough foundation in the present to be totally believable and thoroughly engaging. From the very first book in the series, I never doubted that there could indeed be alien visitors living and working among us, some with evil intent and some with the desire to safeguard the planet and the human race.

In this installment of the series, the Cartulian Theo finally meets his soulmate, Casey, a human/Cartulian hybrid, who coincidently helps the MIND team come one step closer to solving the next puzzle on their horizon. While there are still plenty of chapters in the POV's of Dina and Liam, the pair from the very first MIND novel, I most loved the story and heat between Casey and Theo, from both POVs.

Casey's father disappeared years ago, and her mother won't talk about it at all. When her apartment is broken into and her mother put into a coma, Casey must seek help to unravel the mystery that is her past. Along the way, she discovers her mixed race birth and what that means, including the telekinetic powers hiding within her.

Fans of modern sci fi should love this matter-of-fact futuristic story, and Nixon's view of how our world might be in the future, if we know about the aliens among us. While this is a much better story if you know the characters, it also works well as a stand alone novel... Except that it will totally make you want to go back and read the earlier books. And totally leave you wanting to hound Ms. Nixon for the next book in the series!

Grab your copy on Amazon.

Wednesday, November 4, 2015

New (RE)Release: MIND: The Beginning, by Jenn Nixon



About the Book:
After Dina Ranger loses telepathic contact with her twin brother, Duncan, she breaks into his apartment and stumbles onto a special government unit responsible for monitoring the psychic population. She’s offered a job where she can use her psionic gifts to help people.
Stranded on earth over a hundred years ago, Liam of Shria is searching for a metal needed to repair his ship when he finds Dina inside an alien escape pod and narrowly saves her after she trips the alarm.
As the mystery and their relationship deepens, Liam helps Dina learn the truth behind her abilities while uncovering a plot to rebuild an ancient weapon, exposing dangerous secrets about the alien presence on earth that may change the future forever.

About the Author: 
Jenn Nixon’s love of writing started the year she received her first diary and Nancy Drew novel. Throughout her teenage years, she kept a diary of her personal thoughts and feelings but graduated from Nancy Drew to other mystery suspense novels.

Jenn often adds a thriller and suspense element to anything she writes be it Romance, Science Fiction, or Fantasy. When not writing, she spends her time reading, observing pop culture, playing with her two dogs, and working on various charitable projects in her home state of New Jersey.


Excerpt from MIND: The Beginning:
 
“I had a feeling I’d see you again,” the voice called.
Dina looked around the wooded area, feeling confused for a moment. It seemed familiar. Across the marsh, Liam was leaning against a tree, casually dressed, hair slightly less shaggy than it had been last time, hands shoved in his skinny jeans. A light mist lingered over the grass, a taste of salt in the air. How did she get here?
“What?”
“Didn’t think it would be this soon,” he replied with a shrug.
The Gut surrounded her. She didn’t remember coming here, yet she was in the Bay Hook. Solid ground beneath her feet and the stench she breathed in, all real. “Why, uh . . . did you come back?”
“The real question is why did you call me here?”
“What are you talking about? You were already here, and I didn’t call. I don’t even have your number.”
“Want it?” he asked, smirking, then shook his head. “No, wait . . . oh. Uninhibited speech, foggy backdrop, extra flirty. I get it.”
“Get what?”
“We’re dreaming. You’re asleep right?”
“No,” she spat, spreading her arms, twisting in place. She pulled a cattail-punk out of the ground and shook it at him. “We’re in the Hook, hello, don’t you see the trees? Can’t you smell the marsh?”
“You must have been thinking about me, which is normal, frankly, given the circumstances. But how the hell are you keeping me here?”
“I’m not doing anything.”
“Dina, did both your parents have psionic abilities?”
“Only my father, why?”
“Curious,” he said, moving toward her, gray eyes sweeping up and down. “What about his parents, either of them?”
“I don’t know. What does it matter?”
“People don’t normally share dreams. You’re strong—”
“Why does everyone keep saying that?” Dina threw her hands up in the air and walked away. “Who cares if I am or not? There’s some dude out there burning up people, and I don’t have time to tramp around the swamp with E.T.”
“What did you say?”
“Nothing. Doesn’t matter. I’m outta here.”
“Wait, Dina,” he said, catching up and surpassing her. He grabbed both her arms to stop her. “You really are dreaming.”
Everything around her was too real to be a dream. She felt the pressure of his fingers, even the sinking feeling of her feet on the soft ground. “So this isn’t the Gut, it’s a dream? Right, and you’re sharing it with me, sure.”
“You’re amazing!” He laughed boyishly. “Even after all you’ve seen, you’re still questioning everything.”
“Then prove it to me. Call me, here’s my number,” she said, mentally sending the digits to his head.
Liam smiled at her. A sweet, sincere smile that made her smile back before shrugging.
“Dina—”
Her eyes popped open. The ceiling of her bedroom stared back. “Oh, what the hell?”
Dina sat up, brow furrowed. She reached toward the nightstand for her phone. Was it going to ring? It had felt as if she had been there, standing in the grass with Liam. She shut her eyes, trying to bring the images back, but they were already fading.
Had she just shared a dream with Liam?


Wednesday, September 11, 2013

Book Review: MIND: The Beginning, by Jenn Nixon


Book Review: MIND: The Beginning, by Jenn Nixon
Published September 2013 by Crescent Moon Press

About the book:
After Dina Ranger loses telepathic contact with her brother, she breaks into his apartment and stumbles onto a special government unit responsible for monitoring the psychic population. She's offered a job where she can use her psionic gifts to help people.

Stranded on earth over a hundred years ago, Liam of Shria is searching for a metal needed to repair his ship when he finds Dina, a telepathic investigator, and narrowly saves her from an exploding alien pod. Together, they uncover a plot to rebuild an ancient weapon and discover the truth behind Dina's abilities while unlocking dangerous secrets about the alien presence on earth.

Can they stop a powerful weapon meant to enslave the human race? Can their relationship survive the secrets of the past or will it tear them apart?

My Take:

Okay, so sci fi isn’t my usual genre or thing. I mean, I’ve read and enjoyed sci fi in the past, but most of that was YA. This isn’t. But this was pretty cool. And hot. And… well, read on.

The story’s main character, Dina Ranger, has psychic/psionic powers that seem to be off the charts, so she likes to keep below the radar. But when she loses contact with her twin brother, Duncan, she decides she needs to check up on him. And discovers that he’s the head of some new government agency that keeps an eye on people like Dina. Duncan offers her a job and she takes it, thinking maybe she can finally use her strange, supernatural powers for good.

When she first runs into Liam, she thinks he’s a bad guy. A hot baddie, but a bad guy nonetheless. After he saves her life the first time, they discover a mutual attraction, sparks fly, things between them heat up to scorching levels… and then he tells her secrets about her past that blow her mind. She wants to run away – a technique that’s always worked in the past – but she can’t. They need to work together – and with her brother and his fellow agents – in order to stop the real bad guys and save the planet.

At first some of the psi-babble put me off, but I got over it soon after Dina and Liam meet. The heat and tension between these two characters is enough to melt an alien spacecraft down into a puddle of molten metal. Hot with a capital H.

The story is told from several POVs: Dina, Duncan, Liam, and Duncan’s second in command, Bates. Having so many points of view made the juggling a little hard, but Ms. Nixon handled it all pretty deftly. She continued to ratchet up the tension throughout the story until the final showdown, and manages to leave plenty of doors (and windows) open for further stories with these characters.

I’d totally recommend this book to anyone looking for a hot sci fi romance. The science is hot, and the romance between Dina and Liam sizzles right off the page. I look forward to more stories from this author.
About the Author:
Jenn’s love of writing started the year she received her first diary and Nancy Drew novel. Throughout her teenage years, she kept a diary of her personal thoughts and feelings but graduated from Nancy Drew to other mystery suspense novels.

Jenn often adds a thriller and suspense element to anything she writes be it Romance, Science Fiction, or Fantasy. When not writing, she spends her time reading, observing pop culture, playing with her two dogs, and working on various charitable projects in her home state of New Jersey.

Thursday, September 5, 2013

New Release: MIND: The Beginning, by Jenn Nixon


Today I'm excited to be part of a blog tour blitz for my friend and fellow author, Jenn Nixon! She's out and about in the blogosphere celebrating the release of her new novel - MIND: The Beginning. She's even given me a special excerpt to share with you all, but first, here's a little blurb about her story:

After Dina Ranger loses telepathic contact with her brother, she breaks into his apartment and stumbles onto a special government unit responsible for monitoring the psychic population. She’s offered a job where she can use her psionic gifts to help people.

Stranded on earth over a hundred years ago, Liam of Shria is searching for a metal needed to repair his ship when he finds Dina, a telepathic investigator, and narrowly saves her from an exploding alien pod. Together, they uncover a plot to rebuild an ancient weapon and discover the truth behind Dina’s abilities while unlocking dangerous secrets about the alien presence on earth.

Can they stop a powerful weapon meant to enslave the human race? Can their relationship survive the secrets of the past or will it tear them apart?
Jenn’s love of writing started the year she received her first diary and Nancy Drew novel. Throughout her teenage years, she kept a diary of her personal thoughts and feelings but graduated from Nancy Drew to other mystery suspense novels.

Jenn often adds a thriller and suspense element to anything she writes, be it Romance, Science Fiction, or Fantasy. When not writing, she spends her time reading, observing pop culture, playing with her two dogs, and working on various charitable projects in her home state of New Jersey.

MIND: The Beginning Purchase Link: http://crescentmoonpress.com/books/Mind.html

...And you can stalk find Jenn online in the following spots:
Past Release: Romantic Suspense, Lucky’s Charm

AND AND AND... she's giving away prizes!!!

One lucky commentor from each blog will win an ebook copy of Jenn’s Romantic Suspense E-Book Lucky’s Charm, one GRAND PRIZE WINNER will also receive an E-Book Copy of Lucky’s Charm and a $15 Gift Card to any online book retailer of their choice!

Virtual Blog Tour Dates & Locations:
September 2: myblog2point0.blogspot.com and cheriereich.blogspot.com
September 3: lesliestalley.blogspot.com
September 4: www.louanncarroll.com/blog.html and www.caridad.com/blog
September 5: katieosullivan.blogspot.com and /jodyakessler.com
September 6: dragontargeseries.blogspot.com
September 7: maerwilson.com
September 9: cindyyoungturner.com/blog
September 10: constancephillips.com/blog & chrisredddingauthor.blogspot.com
September 11: www.shawnaromkey.com
September 12: cmmichaels.blogspot.com
September 13: www.erindanzer.com/blog
September 16: danielledevor.wordpress.com and interviwingauthors.blogspot.com
September 17: territalleyventers.blogspot.com
September 18: nancysbrandt.com
September 19: www.hunterthehorrible.com
September 20: jennafern.blogspot.com


 And if you're still with me at this point... here's that special excerpt I promised you! It'll totally leave you wanting to read more...(see purchase link above, lol) Enjoy!

Excerpt from MIND: The Beginning, by Jenn Nixon

Being near Liam was having an effect on her. Several of them, actually. His odd look appealed to her, especially those gray eyes. When she’d caught him staring at her in the living room, his irises seemed to sparkle, different from what she’d seen under the moonlight, yet equally intriguing.
            Aside from his appearance, Liam pulsed with energy. She’d felt it in the Gut, even the dream. Now, with him so close, she couldn’t deny there was some force between them. If he didn’t understand it and had to run tests, there was no way in hell she’d figure it out.
            Liam tilted his face toward her. “How’s the tea?”
            “Good, thanks.” Shit. Dina huffed, realizing her thoughts were running rampant again. “So, Liam of…”
            “Shria,” he replied. His lips went tight, probably remembering when she’d almost forced it out of him the first night they met. She hadn’t meant to tick him off then or now, so she nodded and went back to drinking her tea. When the tips of his fingers brushed her wrist, she felt a jolt, that intense connection building again. Tiny electrical charges darting under her skin. A sharing of energy. Dina drew her hand back but he captured it again. His eyes shined. “That. I know you can feel it.”
            “I feel it,” she whispered, unable to meet his gaze for more than a second.
            “After I teleported with you the first time, I felt it. Sitting in your car, I recuperated faster than normal when traveling such distances.” He brushed her hand and arm with his fingers. “When we are close…it’s stronger. Incredible.”
            “Why is it happening?”
            “I’m hoping those test will have some answers.”
            She finally looked at him. “And if they don’t?”
            Liam reached up, stroked the side of her face. “They will tell us something, perhaps not everything. There are aspects to my abilities with no explanation and probably some I’ve never unlocked.”
            “Doesn’t that scare you?” She leaned into his hand as if it were the most natural act. He was calming despite being distracting.
            “It did, when I was younger. Same for you.”
            “You’re reading me now.”
            “Impossible to ignore,” he said, taking her face in his hand, gazing into her eyes again. “Especially when I touch you.” He instantly broke contact and blinked. “Sorry.”
            Somewhat disappointed, she kept her mind clear, and finished the last of her tea. “Well, thanks for the tea. Um…which is the spare?”
            “Upstairs, third door down the hall.”
            She hopped off the stool. “Right, okay. Guess I’ll see you in the morning.”
            He nodded. “Sleep well, Dina.”
            “You too.”