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Second Strike (The Secret Life of Anna Goode Book 2) by Nicole Nadeau (Book Review)

A genius sixteen-year-old. A terrorist’s twisted revenge. Can she stop a catastrophic cyberattack from bringing America to its knees?

Anna Goode can’t wait to put her brilliant mind to work. Officially part of the CIA’s undercover unit of talented teenagers, the gifted inventor splits her time between tinkering and espionage instruction. And now she’s been tasked to protect a US congressional delegation from a cunning enemy’s destabilizing hack.

Slipping into London under the guise of innocent spring-breakers to expose the hacker, Anna’s laser-focused hunt gets derailed when she’s ambushed and tased. Suspecting a traitorous mole could destroy their mission, the whip-smart teen rallies her fellow young operatives for a counter-attack… only to discover another danger threatening to be far worse.

Can Anna and her team foil a devastating plot before they’re stopped in their tracks?

Second Strike is the pulse-pounding sequel in the Secret Life of Anna Goode YA spy thriller series. If you like heroines who think outside the box, non-stop action, and tight-knit friendship groups, then you’ll love Nicole Nadeau’s overseas adventure.

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(review request submitted by the author for an honest critique)

 

Many components of Second Strike (Book 2 in The Secret Life of Anna Goode series) are plausible. Cyberattacks are occurring, and the magnitude of their destructive powers will only increase. The Russian cyberattack plot in the story is our country’s worst financial nightmare. Let’s hope it stays in the world of fiction! 

While the CIA may not have high schoolers actively in the field, they still have their eye on potential agents. But for the sake of fiction, let’s say they do. Anna and Jake are again front and center to stop Alexei Komarov and his son Ivan from carrying out their dastardly plan. This time, they are not the only teen on the scene. Who joins them on their mission will only be unveiled as you read the story. However, I can disclose is their hacking skills are much needed to take down Russia’s hired hacker. 

Anna, her teen comrades, and the CIA face many heated battles. Lives are in jeopardy. Lives are lost. I wouldn’t say either side came off as the ultimate winner or loser. 

Gunfire, explosion, kidnapping, hand-to-hand combat, foot chases, and much more make this an action-packed read that will leave you thirsty for more. Good news, with the ending chapters, you can expect the Russians to return with a vengeance. Hopefully, we will find out who the mole is in the next book. I have my suspicions, as will every other reader. 

Another thing I’m looking forward to in book three is seeing what Anna cooks up next. Her mascara/tranq spy gadget was ingenious. 

Second Strike has no explicit language or scenes. It does have male-on-female fight scenes, where both sexes get in some shots. 

This book is a perfect read for teens and adults. 

 

Heart Rating System:
1 (lowest) and 5 (highest) 
Score: 1/2

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Meet the Author 

Nicole Nadeau grew up in Springboro, Ohio, with her older sister, Paige and younger brother Mark. She also has a dog, Lola and a rescue cat named Penny. 

An avid reader since grade school, she read every action and adventure book she could get her hands on. Eventually, her love of reading developed into a love of writing. She started working on her own book while she was in high school. 

Nicole has a neuromuscular disease called Spinal Muscular Atrophy (SMA) which creates challenges in her daily life. She refuses to let SMA stop her from doing what she loves. Like the lead character in her book, she is determined and overcomes any obstacles that stand in her way. 

She is already busy planning the next book in the Secret Life of Anna Goode series and has plans for many more books in the future.

 
 

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Shadows in the Aftermath by Marianne Scott (Book Spotlight)

SHADOWS IN THE AFTERMATH by Marianne Scott

 
Ruby Draker has found new strength and is ready to move on after Felix Szabo devastated the Draker estate in Nice, France. Three Drakers are dead leaving Ruby in grief and with thoughts of revenge. The Drakers are a family built of survivors; each rescued from Felix Szabo, a psychopath, who sought to murder his former agents at the CIA whom he believed betrayed him. The Drakers’ sole mission is to stop Szabo from adding more victims to his list, and although he also perished during the invasion, his legacy continues to haunt them. When the Drakers learn that Robert Draker, presumed dead since the shoot-out at Robert’s farmhouse, may be alive and at a rehab clinic in Portland, Maine, the Drakers know it could be a setup, but they have no choice but to try to nd him and bring Robert home.

​Shocked that Robert may be alive, the family head from France to America to find him. It’s only when they arrive in the west that they realize finding Robert won’t be as easy as they thought. Szabo has found a way to terrorize the Draker family, even after death. His outstanding debt with a Corsican crime family means the Drakers must now find and deliver a shipment of plutonium, which will likely be used by terrorists to create a nuclear bomb, to get Robert back. As Ruby struggles with the decision to save her brother or North America, she must also evade the CIA, who are trying to stop the Drakers from delivering the plutonium. 

 

BUY THE BOOK:
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Meet the Author:

Author Marianne Scott

Marianne Scott is the Canadian author of four mystery thrillers and is currently finishing an edit on her fourth novel, a murder mystery. She has a BA and a Diploma in Business Administration from Wilfrid Laurier University in Waterloo, Ontario, CA. She studied creative writing through Conestoga College and Humber College. She enjoys writing workshops such as those offered by Brian Henry, publisher of the blog, Quick Brown Fox, and One Lit Place, a writers’ hub by creator/editor Jenna Kalinsky. She has an author’s website and blog is the president of The Cambridge Writers’ Collective and is a member of the Guelph Genre Writers. In September of 2018, she completed a fourth-year course in Writing Fiction at the University of Guelph under the expert teaching of Lawrence Hill. Her novels, Finding Ruby Draker and Shadows in the Aftermath are self-published. She is actively seeking representation to break into the traditional publishing world with her third and fourth novels.  
 
 
connect with the author: 
website twitter twitter facebook ~ instagram 
 
 
 
 
 
 

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Sand and Shadow by Laurisa White Reyes (Book Review)

Winner of the 2015 Houston Writers House Competition!

SandandShadowEbook2

Seven Survivors.

One Monster.

Nowhere to hide.

Mission Specialist Adán Fuentes awakes from cryo-hibernation to discover that most of his fellow crewmates are dead and the shuttle Carpathia is not where it’s supposed to be. Surrounded by a vast barren landscape, he and the other survivors wonder how they can accomplish their mission, to establish a home for future colonists.

When an unseen creature attacks them, the Carpathia’s crew must turn their attention to surviving and solving the true purpose behind their mission.

Inspired by the 50’s sci-fi flick FORBIDDEN PLANET, SAND AND SHADOW plumbs the depths of the human psyche and the power of its influence. As the Carpathia’s crew’s secrets and flaws are revealed, readers may find themselves compelled to examine their own dark places.

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Europa, Jupiter’s moon

Zarmina, Gliese 581g

I received a complimentary copy of this book from R&R Book Tours.
I voluntarily chose to read and post an honest review.

 

What makes Sand and Shadow by Laurisa White Reyes so spectacular is it capitalizes on the possibility and probability certain events in the story can happen. 

Earth is dying. Leading experts are trying to buy us more time, but is it working? And if their efforts aren’t working, would they tell us the truth? Would they disclose how close we are to the end of life on Earth?

See, I do believe it’s probable NASA would be secretive in this knowledge. Humans would go bat-shit crazy if they knew we had so many years…weeks…days…or even hours left. The world would erupt in chaos. 

In the story, life in space wasn’t without major pitfalls. When the astronauts woke up from their cryogenic state, things did not go according to script. When you are exploring or starting over on a new planet, you have to expect the unexpected. The crew members had no way to predict or prepare for what attacked them or what would continually attack them. 

Earth has perished.

Numerous astronauts have died as well. 

But, hope is not lost. 

Recommend: Yes! 

 

Heart Rating System:
1 (lowest) and 5 (highest) 
Score: ❤❤❤❤1/2

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About the Author:

AuthorPic

Laurisa White Reyes is the author of the SCBWI Spark Award winning novel The Storytellers and the Spark Honor recipient Petals. She is also the Senior Editor at Skyrocket Press and an English instructor at College of the Canyons in Southern California.
Laurisa White Reyes | Skyrocket Press | Facebook | BookBub


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