Book Review
of Mutiny Hosted by Bewitching Book Tours
Book
Synopsis:
Mutiny
M.E.R. series, #1
Book Blurb:
Eric's life aboard a top
secret stealth submarine as a member of the government’s M.E.R. program has
been about discipline, cunning and survival. As both a soldier and a
natural born regenerator, he can heal from any wound, but to stay alive he
must accept a vein-burning serum that prevents his DNA from
over-mutating. In exchange Eric must follow his Chief Commander’s every
order. And never ask questions, no matter the assignment.
When he goes ashore on his first solo mission
he runs into a complication he didn't expect; Mariella, the target’s
daughter. She’s about to change everything.
Author
Information:
Jacqueline Gardner works as a Story Editor for
the production company, Labragirl Pictures. Her love of storytelling
began at an early age when she would make up stories with her grandmother
before bedtime. In early 2010, she completed her first novel and has been
stuck on writing ever since. She resides in Colorado and loves hiking,
writing, fantasy fiction, and all things cupcake.
Website:
www.jacquelinegardner.com
Facebook:
www.facebook.com/authorjacquelinegardner
Twitter:
@Writer_Jacque
Book Excerpt:
(This book
alternates between two points of view - Eric & Mariella)
From Chapter 6 - M.E.R. Men Don't Have Tails
I didn't expect what I got, nor was I prepared for it. There was something different about
Eric. That was obvious when he fell out
my window. I owed him one, which is why
I followed him. I'd never run that fast
before and I don't know how I did it. And
when he plunged into the ocean, my only thought was that he must have lived on
a boat or something. I never imagined
I'd swim right into a mini-submarine.
"Are you finished
yet?" a worried voice yelled from around the corner. I rinsed off as quickly as possible before
turning off the shower faucet. The cold
water washed away the smell of fish and seaweed, but my body was
shivering. I grabbed a towel and some
baggy pajamas belonging to Eric. I dried
myself off and hurriedly got dressed.
"Okay," I whispered. "I'm done. Now what?" Eric peeked around the corner. He had his hands over his eyes. I laughed.
"Seriously, I'm finished."
"That fast? You owe me two rations, Frankie!" I shook my head so my hair would dry faster.
"You guys made a
bet?" I smiled, picking up my wet
clothes.
"We'll have to hang
those in our room somewhere."
Eric's continued concern for my safety was starting to worry me. Was I really in that much danger? Whatever.
I was already in a huge mess back home anyway. A windowless room full of strange boys was
better than my crazy stepmom.
"We're clear,"
Frankie called. Eric touched my arm and
I followed him back to his room. The
hallway was dark and I didn't see why we had to keep stopping and watching for
other people. Clearly, everyone was
asleep.
"So what now?" I
asked. Eric looked oblivious. He'd promised me an explanation and I wasn't
going to let him get out of it.
"You said you would explain all this." I looked around the room. All the boys did nothing but stare. Frankie was tall and fit, just like Eric, but
he had super tan skin and black hair.
The other two boys looked younger than me. The littlest one was skinny and kind of
awkward, but I hadn't caught his name yet.
Everyone just called him Anchovy.
Eric's clothes were still damp and he smelt like seawater. He dug through a bag of clothes and headed
towards the door.
"I'm going to wash
off. Then we'll talk."
"Fine," I
replied. "I'll just hang around
here."
"I'll be
quick." He left the room and I
turned around to see three pairs of eyes fixed on my face.
"Uh, is there anywhere
I can hang these?" The smallest boy
pointed to an empty bunk. The bed was
neatly made and a zipped duffel bag sat at the foot. I walked over and hung my jeans and t-shirt
on a metal bar. "Whose bed is
this?" All three boys were
silent. Maybe that was the wrong
question to ask, but it would be helpful to know if I'd have to eventually
convince another kid not to rat me out.
From Chapter 8 - My City Tour
A sudden scream made my heart jump, and I dropped the rest of my
pastry on the table. The laughing couple
looked startled. The scream came from
outside. My stomach churned and I hoped
that the cause of the scream had nothing to do with Eric.
The piercing sound of gunshots finally made me panic. I dropped to the floor without thinking and
listened as screaming people ran down the street. More gunshots sounded and my heart was
beating so fast that my entire body felt tingly. What was going on? Eric had said everything would be fine.
The laughing couple grabbed each other and fled out of the café
door. The sticky night air felt
refreshing as the door flipped open. I
stayed crouched by my table. It took
everything I had to keep myself calm.
The loud noises outside made everything feel more real. I really was in trouble. My feet were glued to hardwood floor. I couldn't move and I didn't want to.
More screams filled the street but this time they were
closer. I closed my eyes and took long,
deep breaths. I had to be ready for whatever
was about to happen. Another gunshot
sounded so close that I screamed. The
loud noise bounced around in my eardrums and glass shattered all around me. The sight of the broken glass only made my
heart pound more.
The shop window had broken.
Whoever was responsible for the gunshots had to be right outside the
café. A hand grabbed my shoulder and
made me scream. Eric's face was red and
sweaty. He kept looking outside like he
was being followed.
"Time to go," he
muttered. He didn't look the least bit
scared. He acted like this kind of thing
happened every day.
Eric didn't look back. We
tore through the kitchen of the coffee shop, knocking over pots and pans as we
ran. Crashes and blasting noises
lingering behind us made me run faster.
The back kitchen was empty. Eric
and I came to a back door leading outside.
The door was locked. Eric rammed
the nearby window with his fist. Blood
dripped from his knuckles, but he didn't seem to notice.
"He'll be here any
second. I can smell him now."
"Smell who?"
Eric knocked out the remaining glass and grabbed me around the
waist. I didn't resist. I heard the kitchen door smash open and
footsteps stamped across the floor.
"Don't look, just
run!" Eric pushed me through the
side window before I could see the source of the banging noises that followed
us.
My hands hit the dirt, preventing my face from getting
trashed. Eric was stuck inside and I was
ordered to run for my life. I stood up,
wiping my dirty hands on my jeans. My
heart was still pounding and my feet were tingling as I glanced around deciding
what to do.
Before I had a chance to think, Eric leaped through the window
behind me and jumped up to his feet. He
gave me a scolding look and pushed me forward.
"I told you to
run!" Eric yelled. I didn't know
what was scarier – Eric getting angry or the monster of a man knocking the door
down. A fist pounded at the back door
and the wood started to split. Eric took
off running down the street and I followed.
My legs propelled forward on their own. I gulped down air whenever possible and tried
to ignore the fatiguing pain shooting down my body. Eric glanced behind every few seconds to make
sure I was still there. I couldn't wait
until we could stop. I was running out
of fuel, and trying to keep up with a government trained M.E.R. soldier wasn't
easy.
Book Review:
I don’t generally like books that
change from one person’s perspective to another’s because I tend to get
confused as to which person’s mind I’m in at the time. But this book was fascinating. I was drawn in immediately. The overall concept was unique, at least I’ve
never read a book about regenerating super people forced to work for the
government.
And then it had a little romance,
nothing over the top, just a nice sweet boy meets girl, boy saves girl, girl
has a smart mouth, boy saves girl again, girl saves boy big-time making it all
better. Aaaahhh, I love that.
This was such a fun read. I give it 5 out of 5 clouds. A definite good read J
This product or book may have been distributed for review, this in no
way affects my opinions or reviews.
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