Wednesday, September 17, 2014

Samantha Clark Mysteries Review and Giveaway


"The Resurrection of Hannah is the story of a woman whose path is forever altered, her first tentative step leading to an astonishing life journey. As the story develops, Samantha is torn between the polarities of everyday existence ―between present and past, love and fear, hope and despair—finding herself unable to exist in two very different worlds, she must go full circle to find her way home. The Resurrection of Hannah was inspired by true events, the first in what I believe is a unique series full of gripping plots, memorable characters and unanticipated bends in the road. The sequel to this book," - Kathryne Arnold, author 

Samantha Clark meets with a monthly group to delve into subjects of interest. They dabble in meditation, dream work, and hypnosis — just friends having fun. But lately Sammi is feeling off-kilter and plagued with poor sleep. Searching for a natural solution, she discovers a bitter herb known to induce slumber, whips up a concoction to sweeten the herb, and imbibes. Unbeknownst to her, these areas of experimentation are whirling together to form the perfect storm, one that will blow open an entrance in Sammi’s mind that leads to another world, a door that can never again be closed.

She becomes enmeshed with two friends in a tug of war between life and death: Melissa is dealing with a complicated pregnancy and Julie is wrestling with cancer. Adding to this turmoil is Sammi’s disconnect with her career as a psychotherapist; her life doesn’t seem to fit any longer. Into the drama walks Todd, a handsome, laid-back guy who lightens up her days. Trouble is, Sammi is having a hard time getting close, and a nagging sense of doubt and fear. Like so many times in the past …

But the topper to all this is the dreams. They begin innocuously…but quickly morph into mind-blowing spiritual adventures. The crazy nocturnal activity appears to be related to a soulful character trying to make himself known. In a quest to uncover the truth, Sammi researches clues discovered during her nighttime romps. What she finds is another facet of herself…all wrapped up in post-colonial 18th-century clothes. Sammi flies off to New England, and with the aid of the Rev. Clark, her skeptical father, she embarks on an adventure, revealing a tragic, centuries-old mystery. One only Sammi can solve.

My thoughts:

I really enjoyed the story of Sammi and all her friends and loved ones. Kathryne meshed their lives together well and made an extremely interesting story out of what could be typical life.  While I knew this book dealt with the supernatural, I was definitely not prepared for how much of the storyline was about past lives and the metaphysical. It was a bit over the top for me, which is my only real complaint about the book.

Overall it was a quick and fun read, and I definitely was interested in continuing their story in the next book.

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"As the book progresses the author does a great job getting you hooked.  A great suspenseful read that I'm sure you will enjoy" - Beck Valley Books

"This book carries the reader along and is difficult to put down. The suspense continues to the very end and this debut novelist has set the tone for a series readers will love." -Janice Phelps Williams, founder of Lucky Press, LLC


"The Fear of Things to Come, is considered a page-turner, a suspense/thriller/mystery that takes the protagonist on another grand adventure. Both novels present Samantha as she is confronted with diverse and surprising life occurrences, each tale presenting a labyrinth she must feel her way through, mirroring the shifting sands on which she stands. Samantha is an engaging lead character, full of human imperfection and spirit and strength, one whose infectious energy binds to the loved ones caught up in a her ever-changing life stories." - Kathryne Arnold, author


The DSM. The Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders. A voluminous, invaluable tool used by psychotherapists the world over to diagnose individuals with mental illness. Referenced by Samantha Clark countless times throughout her career, never suspecting that one day it would save her life.

Samantha receives a seemingly innocent but anonymous letter, and overnight her world changes forever. She becomes a victim in a frightening game of cat-and-mouse, a nightmare that begins when her boyfriend, Todd, fails to return to the wellness retreat they own in the woods of Florida. Working closely with police, Samantha and two trusted friends discover that Todd’s disappearance is linked to a series of murders occurring in a nearby county. They soon find themselves prey to a mentally ill patient from Samantha’s past, bent on revenge. With time bearing down, they must weave together the clues found in a succession of ominous letters and the DSM to save Todd. Their mission to unravel the mystery behind the kidnapping plunges them into a terrifying maze of danger, deception, and madness.

My thoughts:

This book is the continuation of Sammi's story, along with the stories of her loved ones. They're finally at good places in their lives and are moving along smoothly. Suddenly their whole world is turned upside down, in a very graphic and horrible way. Sammi and her friends try to save Todd while searching through their histories to discover the reason behind the attack.

This book is confusing at first, since it's written from several different perspectives and has a lot of background at the beginning. As the book progresses I got extremely involved in the storyline and didn't put the book down until I found out how it ended.

Please beware that this book contains a lot of violence and foul language, so if that's a deal breaker for you stick with the first book. But if you're looking for a suspenseful thriller, this is the book for you!

Buy the book from...

"An excellent psychological thriller written in a simplistic language and a plot that is well thought out and easy to follow." - Beck Valley Books"

"Well-written convoluted plot that stirs the heartbeat and sends chills down the spine." - review from Amazon

About the Author
I was raised in the northeastern United States, in the heart of Pennsylvania Dutch Country, and resided in a half-dozen homes or towns throughout my growing up years. My father was a reverend with a flourishing career, moving the family to various parishes as his calling dictated, which I view in a positive light as I was exposed to different communities and lifestyles. After graduating from high school at the age of seventeen, I moved with my father to Massachusetts.

Thrilled to begin college in New England, I jumped in with both feet and managed to excel in biological and psychological studies upon which I secured my very first "real" job as a Senior Psychiatric Counselor at a group home for adults with mental illness. Wanting to further my learning, I attended Suffolk University in Beacon Hill in Boston, and graduated two years later, obtaining a Masters degree in Counseling and Human Relations.   Over the next twenty years I concentrated further on my work in counseling and social services and became a licensed practitioner.

Several years ago, due to a deep longing to express my feelings in an alternative manner, I literally sat down one day and began writing my first novel. The resultant book, The Resurrection of Hannah, had been born out of a series of powerful dreams, along with compelling and coexisting experiences that inspired me to create a story that would capture the strength of my emotions. I had a yearning to shape a tale based around individuals in my life that I believed would make engaging characters. I had a strong desire to experience a higher level of creativity, to literally produce something out of nothing- a fascinating and challenging endeavor I could not ignore. It was during this time that I became a clinical hypnotherapist and a nationally certified counselor, as well as starting a private practice as a psychotherapist.   I also decided to move back to friends and family in Florida and worked again at the local Hospice, then more recently in community mental health. Once bitten by the writing bug, I could not help but pen my second work of fiction, The Fear of Things to Come. I am now in the process of writing another novel in what I consider a unique collection of adventure stories, the third in the Samantha Clark Mystery Series.

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I received this book to review through Beck Valley Books Book Tours, all the opinions above are 100% my own.
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4 comments:

  1. I've read The Resurrection of Hannah, it drew me totally in but I do like supernatural reads, looking forward to reading Fear xx

    ReplyDelete
  2. I was disappointed in the lack of supernatural in Fear.

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  3. Dear Sonya,
    Thank you for the wonderful reviews you wrote of my two novels! I appreciate you taking the time to read, review and promote by books during my book tour. Glad you enjoyed both of the books, even though they are quite different. That's what made the second one so fun to write. Very nicely done blog by the way. The best to you!

    Sincerely,
    Kathryne Arnold

    ReplyDelete
  4. I would like to read The Fear Of Things To Come.

    ReplyDelete