Thursday, October 31, 2013

Book Review: No Shelter From Darkness by Mark D. Evans ( Book Tour & Giveaway)

No Shelter From Darkness
The Cruentus Saga
Book One
Mark D. Evans

Genre: Paranormal, Horror

Publisher: Booktrope

ISBN: 978-1620151396
ASIN: B00D5C9IJ4

Number of pages: 304

Cover Artist: Greg Simanson

Book Description:

Her hands began to shake as she looked down wide-eyed at the blood-soaked cotton that covered her.”

London emerges from the Blitz, and every corner of the city bears the scars. In the East End—a corner fairing worse than most—thirteen year-old Beth Wade endures this new way of life with her adoptive family. She also suffers the prejudice against her appearance, an abiding loneliness and now the trials of adolescence. But with this new burden comes a persisting fatigue and an unquenchable thirst that ultimately steals her into unconsciousness . . .

What happens next is the start of something Beth will fear more than the war itself. She begins to change in ways that can’t be explained by her coming-of-age, none more frightening than her need to consume blood. The family who took her in and the former best friend who’s taken refuge in their house can never know. Aware of the danger she poses to everyone around her, Beth has never felt more alone. But someone else knows Beth’s secret . . . someone who understands just how different she really is. He alone can decrypt her past and explain her future. But he’s been sworn to destroy her kind, and as Beth grows ever more dangerous, he’s forced to take sides.

Can Beth keep all of the secrets? Can she trust a man sworn to kill her? And can she stop the vampire within from taking her humanity?




War is a horrible thing. What if you had something more to fear beyond the War itself? I couldn't even imagine facing what Beth had to face. This book was so much more than I expected, and I know that I keep saying it, but every time I dive into a historical read, I go in thinking I'm not going to like it, and am continually surprised that I do!

No Shelter From Darkness is one of these reads! I loved it! This story is so well written that you have no choice but to be sucked in. The characters are fantastically developed and you feel a connection to Beth immediately. 

Craving blood? Could you even imagine if this happened to you? You've known nothing except disappointment, secrets and now, things begin to happen to you that you can't even begin to fathom. You'll see what I mean in a second.

The details to the story and characters is just mind blowing, and I can't wait for the next book to see where it's going to go.

I was ultimately surprised by this read and the author's writing is fantastic! I'm thrilled to have been introduced to Mark and will definitely be adding him to my "Authors To Watch" list.





Check Out This Short Excerpt:

Beth breathed furiously. She was exhausted, but the air she breathed had a new scent to it. It stopped her short. Her insides jumped in excitement at the rusty metallic scent. Her jaw twitched and her body flinched. She spun her head around, toward the aroma. Oliver had felt his way back to the uneven wall and leant against it cradling his arm. He sobbed and whimpered, while looking aimlessly at it. Beth could see what he couldn’t: a jagged edge of bone poking out from his forearm. He was slightly sheltered under the broken floorboards above him, and the rain wasn’t washing away the blood that now oozed freely. Beth didn’t need to see everything. She could smell it.
Beautiful, delicious, unparalleled and unbeatable human blood.
Her head tipped forward. Her nose flared involuntarily and her lips snarled into a sadistic smile. She felt the four pointed canines being pushed out; unsheathed. The tip of her tongue curled under one of the two fangs that slid down. Her heart deafened the rain and the approaching bombers. Almost subconsciously, she lowered herself into a half-crouch, ready to pounce, and though her nails were trimmed short, her fingers curled into claws. She couldn’t even feel the hole in her palm any more. She felt nothing at all except raging bloodlust. Her brother leant there sobbing, oblivious to the bloodthirsty creature no more than a yard away that wanted nothing more than to cover everything with his precious life force. To swim in his blood.
Beth could almost taste it.






About the Author:


MARK D. EVANS was born near London, England. He graduated university with a degree in something not even remotely connected with writing and went on to become a successful consultant. Then he threw it all away to chase his dream of being an author, via a considerable amount of travelling. Today, his life largely resembles that of a nomad, and he can currently be found typing away in a tiny flat in north London, sustained by coffee.

He is the author of two short stories, one of which made it into a Kindle Top Ten.

His latest work is his debut novel, No Shelter from Darkness, which is the first book in his series, The Cruentus Saga.

Visit Mark online:





Twitter: @TheMarkDEvan








1 comments:

Michelle Cornwell-Jordan said...

What a great review! Wow the synopsis grabbed me, sounds like a read right down my alley!

I wish the author the best on his tour!:O)