The Avid Reader

Monday, October 29, 2018

Blog Tour + #Giveaway: DEATH BY THE RIVER by Alexandrea Weis and Lucas Astor @alexandreaweis @JeanBookNerd

Strain of Defiance

Bixby Series #2

by Michelle Bryan

Published: November 18, 2016

Publisher: Amazon Digital Services

Genre: Dystopia, Aliens, Science Fiction

Blurb:

It's been eight years since the invasion. Eight years of fighting alien and human predators alike. Each day a struggle to survive.

Bixby, and her crew of survivors at the Grand Hotel, thought they had lived through the worst of it.

They were wrong.

The invaders have evolved. They've become smarter. Stronger. Deadlier.

There may be a way to eradicate this new threat. But that entails a perilous expedition over three hundred miles of infested territory. Three hundred miles of leeches, ravagers, and hybrids, all on the hunt for blood.

What could possibly go wrong?

Goodreads ~ Amazon

My Review:

It has been a few years since alien’s invaded earth and infected humans with a flesh eating parasite. Bixby was only twelve years old when the aliens attacked. Now after eight years they think they may have a solution to the virus. Bixby, Luke and their team are put in charge of taking two doctors to a research lab other doctors and scientists are working on cure for the virus.

There are miles and miles between the lab and the Grand Hotel where they are living with the rest of their crew. On the road they run into a huge car pileup and not too far away is a horde of leeches. Just as they are trying to make their way past the cars without the leeches seeing them a sign choose that moment to fall attracting the attention of the leeches who are now hot on their trail.

Later on they run into another group of leeches in the city. They walk into an alley and run into leeches. Well they obviously can’t go that way so they turn around to try another street but there are more leeches. Every which way they turn there stands leeches and more leeches waiting to attack. The Leeches are getting smarter and smarter. It seems as if they are planning out their every move and are ambushing Bixby and her crew. The leeches seem to know every move Bixby and the others are going to make before they do themselves.

The leeches have them surrounded with no way out. I imagine that Bixby, Luke and the rest of the team are thinking that this is it we are going to die. Their ammunition is running out. Just as the leeches start to close in they hear an engine roaring its way toward them. Bullets are whizzing by Bixby at first she doesn’t know what is happening. Is someone shooting at them? But then the leeches start to hit the ground one after the other.

Here they meet a new group of people who save their butts. Who are these new people? Can they trust them? Will they become new friends?

On their journey they run into horde after horde of leeches and hybrids. Bixby meets someone from her past, someone that she never thought she would ever see again.

I fell in love with this series when I read the first book Strain of Resistance. I love this world of Bixby’s. There is action from beginning to end. Strain of Defiance will grab your attention from the first word and won’t let go until the last and even then it keeps hanging on leaving you wanting more and more. Strain of Defiance is filled with lots of action, blood, gore, leeches, and hybrids. Strain of Defiance is a mixture between The Walking Dead, Falling Skies and Stephen King’s Dreamcatcher.

If you like shows like these then you are going to love Strain of Defiance. I would recommend Strain of Defiance to all fans of aliens, science fiction, dystopia and post-apocalyptic.

Strain of Vengeance

Bixby Series #3

by Michelle Bryan

Published: October 2, 2018

Publisher: Amazon Digital Services

Genre: Dystopia, Aliens, Science Fiction

Blurb:

We had one assignment—eradicate the new threat posed by the alien parasites. And we thought we had won.

What should’ve been a joyous return home after a grueling mission has now turned into a race against time to save those we love. The Grand, our safe haven, has been invaded. Our people either dead or kidnapped.

Left heartbroken, our nightmare never seems to end. But I’m Bixby, and I refuse to let the invaders win. None of us are willing to give up until we have everyone we've lost back safe. But can our people trust us to come to their rescue when we can't even trust each other?

Luke and Sam. Sam and Luke. So many lies. So many cover ups. So much pain.

One of them will be my salvation. The other my downfall

Goodreads ~ Amazon

My Review:

After returning to the Grand and finding their home had been invaded and their people either kidnapped or dead Bixby is determined to find her friends or die trying.

Bixby thought that her first love Sam was dead so she continued on with her life and loving again. Bixby and Luke are now together but their relationship is compromised when Sam comes back into their lives. But Sam is not the same person who went missing and presumed dead. Can Sam be trusted? Who is this new Sam? What is Sam?

Bixby and Luke get word of where their friends are being held. Can they get to them in time to save them? During the rescue they have to fight leeches.

Bixby, Luke and Sam need to find the location of the hive and destroy the queen bee to save their world. Can they find the hive? Can they destroy the queen bee before it is too late?

The Bixby series is just amazing and out of this world great. I can’t get enough of it. The world and the characters get better and better with each book. After reading Strain of Vengeance I think I would now have to say that Strain of Vengeance is probably my favorite.

Strain of Vengeance is so engrossing and attaches itself to you right from the first page. There is action and suspense on almost every page. There is enough alien blood and gore to keep you enthralled throughout the whole book.

I loved the banter between all the characters especially Luke and Gordo. Stain of Vengeance had me laughing one minute and on the verge of tears the next. One thing about it though it kept the adrenaline pumping. And let me tell you that ending was not one that I was expecting but it was quite amazing. I hope this is not the last that we see of these characters or this world.

I have been looking for a book and movie with this world building for long time and I found it in the Bixby series. The Bixby series reminds me so much of The Walking Dead, Falling Skies and Stephen King’s Dreamcatcher. If you like these shows then you will fall in love with the Bixby series.

Strain of Resistance (Strain of Resistance #1):

Goodreads ~ Amazon

Read my review of Strain of Resistance HERE!

AUTHOR BIO:

Michelle Bryan lives in Nova Scotia, Canada, with her three favorite guys; her husband, her son and her crazy fur baby. Besides her family, her other passions in life consist of chocolate, coffee and writing. When she is not busy being a chocolate store manager or spending the day at her computer, she can be found with her nose stuck in any sort of apocalypse book.

Please visit her on Facebook or Goodreads.

You can also follow her on Twitter @michellebry101 or sign up for her website newsletter at http://www.michellebryanauthor.com/.

She would love to hear from her readers, so feel free to leave comments or ask questions.

Connect with Michelle Byran:

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