Friday 19 December 2014

Blog Tour: Review + Excerpt: The Dusty Chronicles by BJ Sheldon

 
 
 


Haunting
The Dusty Chronicles # 1
By- BJ Sheldon
Genre- YA Paranormal

After a family tragedy, 15-year-old Dusty Vermeer has to start her sophomore year in a new town and a new school. Rural Iowa introduces her to Mark, a charming football player. Dusty can hardly believe her heart. Then, to her surprise Dusty meets another guy.

The chemistry between Dusty and Jack could spark a prairie fire on a rainy day. The only problem? Jack’s dead. The handsome soldier comes to Dusty in her dreams and introduces her to the horrors of a foreign battlefield and the enchantments of first love.

While Dusty tries to balance her feelings for the two new guys in her life, Jack steps out of Dusty’s dreams and into her reality. And he wants something. Jack has no memory of how he died more than half a century ago. Dusty vows to uncover the mystery, but her quest for justice puts her in the path of evil, a force that won’t stop until she’s silenced.

 
 
 
EXCERPT 
 
He continued to stare out the window.
    “I’ve been gone a long time. Funny thing is, it only feels like a few days. It’s like I fell asleep and woke up from a bad dream.” He finally turned to face me, releasing a long sigh. “Are you doing any better? Not so scary, am I?”
    “I wasn’t scared. Well, maybe just a little. It’s not every day a ghost shows up in your bedroom and starts a conversation with you when you’re half asleep.” I sat on the edge of my bed. “Jack? Why are you here? And I don’t just mean like this. Why are you here - with me - in my house?”
    “Not sure. Something about this place seems familiar, I think. You seem familiar to me, too. But that’s not possible, right?”
    “Well, Alice used to live here when you were still alive. That’s probably why the farm’s familiar.”
    I studied Jack’s handsome face. He must have been a popular guy back in the day. I couldn’t get past the despondency in his eyes. I was so busy trying to wrap my own head around everything I’d been going through that I hadn’t stopped to think about how difficult the whole situation must be for him. One moment he’s young, alive, and fighting for his country. The next, he’s waking up to a strange and morbid reality.
    “What do you remember?” I asked.
    “Korea. That’s it. I don’t remember shipping out. Actually, I can’t even remember my life before that.” He closed his eyes. “Don’t remember dying either. Out of everything, you’d think I’d remember my own death, wouldn’t you?”


 
REVIEW

 This book was a breath of fresh air. A love story that was unique and exciting.
 
The start of this book was quite creepy, and had me looking over my shoulder on more than one occasion. But as the story developed and some of the unexplained occurrences were brought to light, this story morphed into a beautiful romantic tale, that quite literally stood the test of time.
 
The characters were interesting and I enjoyed getting to know each of them. There were also a few thrilling surprises that kept me intrigued throughout.
 
This was a great book and I cannot wait to continue Dusty's journey through love and life.
 
 
 
 




Imprint
The Dusty Chronicles # 2
By- BJ Sheldon
Genre- YA Paranormal

Imprint is Book Two of “The Dusty Chronicles,” the sequel to BJ Sheldon’s award-winning debut novel, Haunting. Imprint follows Dusty and Jack through the next stage of their doomed romance.

Sixteen-year-old Dusty Vermeer starts off another school year as Mark Schutt’s girlfriend. At the same time, she continues to hide her feelings for Jack Olson, the ghost who haunts her heart. Other entities make an appearance, and Dusty begins to wonder if seeing ghosts has become a permanent part of her future. Tragic past events resurface and imprint themselves in Dusty's world. When Jack is ripped from her arms and imprisoned in a dark void, his absence is more than she can bear.

An invisible enemy grows increasingly violent, and Dusty’s health begins to deteriorate. When she tries to discover what it is that hides in the shadows, Dusty must turn to her family for help and convince her loved ones that she is not insane. Ultimately, she must battle evil, accept her fate and grieve for a love she was never allowed to keep.

 
 
 
EXCERPT
 
When Jack wasn’t around, all I could think about was having his arms around me. I remembered past encounters when we were together in my dreams and felt his lips on mine. I would have given anything for him to be real—flesh and blood. To know that the only way I could feel his breath on my cheek or his heartbeat through his chest was to be fast asleep weighed on my mind.
Our timing in life—and death—was horrible. I was constantly pushing those feelings aside as I tried not to think about the inevitable end. I seemed to be in denial, but it was so much easier than dealing with the reality of the situation…Jack would never age and would always be intangible, and I would get older. There was no growing old together. There was no ’til death do us part. He was already dead.
Yet there he was in my kitchen. And there was no more avoiding that something—besides being in love with a ghost—was very odd.
“I’ve felt something,” I said. “Whatever it is seems to be hell-bent on keeping me from getting any sleep. Do you have any idea who it is?”
“I’m not positive it is a who.” Jack’s eyes glowed with worry.
“What’s that supposed to mean?”
    “I’m just saying that I’m not exactly sure what we’re dealing with here. There’s definitely something hanging around, but I can’t be sure of anything. I haven’t seen any other entities hanging around. Trust me, I would have if there were. But, I can feel a disruption of some kind. Whatever - whoever - it is doesn’t belong.” Jack started to pace back and forth in the kitchen. “I don’t like it.”
“Well, I’m not exactly thrilled about any of it, either, you know.” My sarcasm hung in the air. “It was strange. The minute I stayed over at Kristi’s the other night, I slept like a baby. For the first time in weeks, I actually felt like myself. It’s almost like whatever it is doesn’t follow me. It stays here.”
“For now.”
I didn’t like the tone in Jack’s voice.


REVIEW

This story had a bit more of the creepy factor that I felt at the beginning of the first book. It felt like there was something sinister constantly lurking, ready to wreak havoc in Dusty's life, and the further she delved into the darkness, the more spine-chilling this story became.

My heart broke for Dusty as she battled with her love for Jack and Mark, and then tragedy struck and it was as if she had lost her heart, and all hope along with it.

This book was another exciting mix of romance, heart ache and horror. I enjoyed the emotional rollercoaster ride I was taken on - it left me breathless. This was a superb read.

 

 
 


About the Author
 
BJ Sheldon lives near Rapid City, South Dakota with her husband, a veteran of the US military. She is the mother to 3 beautiful daughters, 2 of whom are still living at home and making her crazy.

Most days, she can be found in front of her laptop or reading a good book when she isn't trying to keep her dog and 3 cats from taking over the world. Her hobbies include cuticle care, fighting off zombies, and traveling through space and time with a mad man in a blue box.
In 2011, BJ was awarded a silver medal in the Reader's Favorite Award Contest in the Young Adult/Fantasy category for "Haunting". Her first series, The Dusty Chronicles, is a paranormal trilogy that takes a different spin on "paranormal". Future projects include Sci-fi, fantasy, and contemporary romance.


Her favorite authors include Nicholas Sparks, Isaac Marion, Hugh Howey, Suzanne Collins, JK Rowling, and Guy De'Maupassant.

  



 

1 comment:

  1. Thanks for reviewing as part of the GHBT blog tour! Glad you liked both books :)

    ReplyDelete

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