Sara-Beth Cole

Goji - Welcome to Reality by Sara Beth Cole
Goji is the story of a young woman who has been hiding in fear that she is about to be killed. She encounters two unknown and unusual entities late one night. A slight woman and a large and dark man who is a gargoyle or Goji as his personage is known. They take Calista Barron or “Callie” under their wing to protect her. They help her to identify what and just who she is… She finds out more about herself and her past than she could ever have imagined! She embarks on a training regimen for an event that will challenge her mentally and emotionally. And which will change the supernatural world for the better… if she is successful. If she fails the result could be a disastrous undoing of the whole supernatural world as it is today.
Author Cole has written her second book, the first in a series, and here she sets the tone and a rhythm that will keep you up well past your bedtime. There is action and emotion running throughout that will keep you wanting more, chapter after chapter. She has created a real fan in me with her second book. Most highly recommended !… (altro)

ToucheD by a series Sara Beth Cole is the third supernatural book from this talented young author and is in line with her goal of writing of books that she calls the “Reality Series”. ToucheD involves a young woman, Lilah, who thinks that she may be crazy because she often sees monsters. Lilah also believes that someone is trying to kill her. This causes her keep to herself and to avoid socializing. One day she is with a friend at a restaurant and is approached by an unknown stranger which causes concern in Lilah, but who is destined to change her life in ways that she never imagined. The story tells of her struggle to come to terms with her own fears and reality and to begin to recognize her own supernatural strengths that she is unaware of. Author Cole has given us another tale in the world of supernatural beings and reality that we are often ignorant of. The book is an easy read and Cole creates scenes filled with color and texture that cause the reader to keep turning pages well past bed time. The personality of her characters makes them feel like friends as she guides you through the story and she occasionally creates an atmosphere of high emotion that is easy to identify with. Her books seem to have unexpected endings which adds to the excitement. Highly recommended.… (altro)

After years in hiding, Calista Barron is attacked, but not by thugs sent by her brutal adoptive parents as she first suspects. Callie is rescued by a young clairvoyant named Shyla and a gargoyle, or Goji, who becomes her protector. Callie learns that her birth mother was a Moira, one of the three sisters who rule a supernatural underworld of which humans are unaware. Callie is the only hope for the denizens of the underworld, the Hands of Fate, who live in slavery. She needs to destroy her aunts, not only to save her new friends, but to save herself.

This is a new and interesting take on an urban fantasy. Callie's new world is peopled by some new and different supernatural beings. I appreciated that Callie was being introduced to this new world at the same time as the reader. However, I found the early explanations of this new reality to be a bit rushed and sketchy at times. In fact, I was rather impressed at how quickly Callie seemed to be catching on while I felt I had to scramble to keep up. Once the story got going I enjoyed it very much. The relationship between the Goji, Bale and Callie developed very naturally. All the other characters were interesting and the novel was a fun, quick read. This is the first book in a series, but the novel didn't end in a cliff-hanger and works fine as a stand-alone. There is room, though, to further develop this alternative reality. Recommended for readers of urban fantasy. No content that is inappropriate for young adult readers.… (altro)