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Smilodon
Years after dire wolves disrupted a busy summer season in Yellowstone National Park and a short-faced bear hunted the residents in Pine Creek, a new, highly adaptable predator emerged from the thick forests on the outskirts of a small Wyoming town.
When Kelly Greybull’s mother seeks cancer treatment away from home, the young woman returns from college to take care of the family house and their pet cat during her winter break. Although Kelly plans to study and enjoy a few weeks of solitude, a ravenous beast upends her life when it happens upon her property. Not only must the young woman fight to survive with no weapons, but she must do so without the wheelchair she depends upon.
Who will face this stealth-like creature when they visit this house of horrors, and who will survive?
ABOUT SMILODON
Smilodon is the third book in The Predation Series.
For updates on current works, please follow L.J. Vitanza's Amazon Author Page and L.J. Vitanza on Facebook.
When Kelly Greybull’s mother seeks cancer treatment away from home, the young woman returns from college to take care of the family house and their pet cat during her winter break. Although Kelly plans to study and enjoy a few weeks of solitude, a ravenous beast upends her life when it happens upon her property. Not only must the young woman fight to survive with no weapons, but she must do so without the wheelchair she depends upon.
Who will face this stealth-like creature when they visit this house of horrors, and who will survive?
ABOUT SMILODON
Smilodon is the third book in The Predation Series.
For updates on current works, please follow L.J. Vitanza's Amazon Author Page and L.J. Vitanza on Facebook.
- GenresHorror
222 pages, Kindle Edition
Published March 7, 2025
103 people are currently reading
49 people want to read
About the author
L.J. Vitanza
8 books53 followersL.J. Vitanza spent her childhood immersed in horror movies like Jaws, Creature From the Black Lagoon, and Alien (yes, she was an odd kid). When L.J. was old enough to read (compelling stories, anyway), authors like Stephen King and Clive Barker filled her head with haunting images, sparking her need to write and create books.
During high school, and unlike her classmates, L.J. turned in pieces about werewolves, the plague, and other terrifying themes. Much to her delight, the creative writing teacher willingly accepted them with a broad smile (she later admitted to loving them).
Adulthood halted any dreams of writing. Work, marriage, family, and friends became a priority. Now older (and wiser, maybe?) with more free time, L.J. has revisited the dream of writing, completing her first novel, Dirus, in only three months. She now publishes her work on Amazon's Kindle Vella platform and Ream, with plans to release many more books worldwide.
L.J. has traveled the world and lived in multiple states, settling in the foothills of a small Wyoming mountain town. This isolated location, surrounded by the eerie and nightly yip of coyotes, inspires and drives her love of writing horror stories. When not writing, reading, or watching horror movies, L.J. enjoys wildlife photography and exploring the isolated trails of the Rockies. She never knows what creatures lurk on the footpaths ahead.
During high school, and unlike her classmates, L.J. turned in pieces about werewolves, the plague, and other terrifying themes. Much to her delight, the creative writing teacher willingly accepted them with a broad smile (she later admitted to loving them).
Adulthood halted any dreams of writing. Work, marriage, family, and friends became a priority. Now older (and wiser, maybe?) with more free time, L.J. has revisited the dream of writing, completing her first novel, Dirus, in only three months. She now publishes her work on Amazon's Kindle Vella platform and Ream, with plans to release many more books worldwide.
L.J. has traveled the world and lived in multiple states, settling in the foothills of a small Wyoming mountain town. This isolated location, surrounded by the eerie and nightly yip of coyotes, inspires and drives her love of writing horror stories. When not writing, reading, or watching horror movies, L.J. enjoys wildlife photography and exploring the isolated trails of the Rockies. She never knows what creatures lurk on the footpaths ahead.
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Displaying 1 - 22 of 22 reviews
March 13, 2025
An exceptional creature feature!
Smilodon, like Dirus and Arctodus before it, is a high octane thrill ride from beginning to end. Kelly, the protagonist, is trapped in a house with an animal previously believed to be extinct. Kelly is an amazing character, paraplegic but no easy meal. Her character is also remarkably well constructed, and we get a big window into her thought processes as she is trapped in a closet, fighting to stay alive and not succumb to her injuries. She is in no way a weak character! Vitanza has created another flawless book! 5/5 stars! Highly recommended to thriller fans, especially those who enjoy creature horror, it doesn't get much better than this!
Smilodon, like Dirus and Arctodus before it, is a high octane thrill ride from beginning to end. Kelly, the protagonist, is trapped in a house with an animal previously believed to be extinct. Kelly is an amazing character, paraplegic but no easy meal. Her character is also remarkably well constructed, and we get a big window into her thought processes as she is trapped in a closet, fighting to stay alive and not succumb to her injuries. She is in no way a weak character! Vitanza has created another flawless book! 5/5 stars! Highly recommended to thriller fans, especially those who enjoy creature horror, it doesn't get much better than this!
April 8, 2025
This is the first time I've ever done an author read-through on Kindle Unlimited, but over the past week or so, I've read three of this author's novels, as well as a novella. Fun stuff! I love a good creature feature, and that's just what these books are. Plus, as my wife and I are currently watching Yellowstone: 1923together, I think I have Wyoming on the brain. I visited Wyoming almost 30 years ago with friends on a cross-country trip, and spent the night in Yellowstone, which was amazing. Not the most stars I've ever seen (that was in the middle of the ocean at night), but a damn close second. Fortunately, we didn't see any dire wolves, prehistoric bears, or saber tooths.
June 2, 2025
The Young Woman vs the Predator
Don't get me wrong, I've enjoyed this and the other two stories in this series, but I wish the author could come up with some other words to describe the characters. Predator was mentioned 82 times at least in this story, and I have no idea how many times 'young woman' was used to describe the protagonist, but probably into three figures.
Despite this, it was a fun story, and and fairly different to the others with the lead character being a wheelchair user and I'll no doubt read the next one in the series, but I do hope some other descriptive words will be used that aren't so repetitive.
Don't get me wrong, I've enjoyed this and the other two stories in this series, but I wish the author could come up with some other words to describe the characters. Predator was mentioned 82 times at least in this story, and I have no idea how many times 'young woman' was used to describe the protagonist, but probably into three figures.
Despite this, it was a fun story, and and fairly different to the others with the lead character being a wheelchair user and I'll no doubt read the next one in the series, but I do hope some other descriptive words will be used that aren't so repetitive.
March 12, 2025
Another Winner!
We all read books like this because of the title. We wander what monster are we going to read about. But we stay and continue reading because of the writing and the characters. LJ. Vitanza make us care about the people in the book. We care about the characters and their situations and not every major character. No superhero or person with super human abilities just your regular person put in a dangerous situation. And the animals….oh the animals. The author has found a writing niche that we are all happy to read.
We all read books like this because of the title. We wander what monster are we going to read about. But we stay and continue reading because of the writing and the characters. LJ. Vitanza make us care about the people in the book. We care about the characters and their situations and not every major character. No superhero or person with super human abilities just your regular person put in a dangerous situation. And the animals….oh the animals. The author has found a writing niche that we are all happy to read.
April 12, 2025
Intense to say the least
Having read the other two books in this series I had an idea of how this story was going to go. To say that the humans were a disadvantage is putting it mildly. As I read this story my one thought was how lethal a predator the Smilodon was. The people weren't just a bunch of dumb people running around in the woods they just had no warning as to what was going on. Did I enjoy this story, yes I did. Would I recommend this story, yes I would.
Having read the other two books in this series I had an idea of how this story was going to go. To say that the humans were a disadvantage is putting it mildly. As I read this story my one thought was how lethal a predator the Smilodon was. The people weren't just a bunch of dumb people running around in the woods they just had no warning as to what was going on. Did I enjoy this story, yes I did. Would I recommend this story, yes I would.
March 25, 2025
5 Stars
This book takes place a couple decades after the events of the first two books about the dire wolves and the short faced bear. The Smilodon discovers it has a taste for human flesh and that's not good for Kelly who the cat has trapped in a closet in her house. Enjoyable read.
This book takes place a couple decades after the events of the first two books about the dire wolves and the short faced bear. The Smilodon discovers it has a taste for human flesh and that's not good for Kelly who the cat has trapped in a closet in her house. Enjoyable read.
March 25, 2025
not as good as the first two books.
I think you get engrossed in books about extinct animals attacking people in the same state that the books tend to run into one another. Perhaps a break and read another book in between might help as I gave the first two books 5 stars but found myself skimming over the dramatic ending of this one.
Read alone I would give this book a 5 stars.
I think you get engrossed in books about extinct animals attacking people in the same state that the books tend to run into one another. Perhaps a break and read another book in between might help as I gave the first two books 5 stars but found myself skimming over the dramatic ending of this one.
Read alone I would give this book a 5 stars.
April 1, 2025
Very enjoyable read. Well-crafted.
A fine way to close up a thrillogy, though I hope she continues the series. I very much enjoyed all three, especially the scientific aspects, of which this book series was replete, and as a whole, accurate. As for my pet peeve, the dreaded proofreading failures, this book was much cleaner than most by my other favorite authors.
A fine way to close up a thrillogy, though I hope she continues the series. I very much enjoyed all three, especially the scientific aspects, of which this book series was replete, and as a whole, accurate. As for my pet peeve, the dreaded proofreading failures, this book was much cleaner than most by my other favorite authors.
March 10, 2025
I will read every book LJ Vitanza writes!
You do not have to read the previous two books in this series, but there are references to them that I appreciated.
I will never live in a secluded area, go camping or hiking in Wyoming, ever!
You do not have to read the previous two books in this series, but there are references to them that I appreciated.
I will never live in a secluded area, go camping or hiking in Wyoming, ever!
March 15, 2025
Fabulous read!
Ever have an author that you knew that you would be buying their book no matter what? This is how I have come to feel about L. J. Vitanza. As soon as I saw the cover, the book was sold. Looking forward to everything she writes!
Ever have an author that you knew that you would be buying their book no matter what? This is how I have come to feel about L. J. Vitanza. As soon as I saw the cover, the book was sold. Looking forward to everything she writes!
March 23, 2025
I had a difficult time with the predator thinking and acting more like human than an animal and having an endless appetite despite consuming so much meat in a short span of time. Too many eye rolling moments. Definitely not as good as the first book in the series.
April 14, 2025
Goid reading start to finish
The author did a great job of creating a realistic story of a fictional encounter. You can almost see the characters and the animal as TBE action unfolds. The primitive side of your brain begins s to take over making it real.
The author did a great job of creating a realistic story of a fictional encounter. You can almost see the characters and the animal as TBE action unfolds. The primitive side of your brain begins s to take over making it real.
December 3, 2025
Smilodon by L.J. Vitanza
This is number three in the Predation series.
A disabled medical student visiting home for Christmas break is stalked by a saber-toothed tiger with only one fang, but still deadly as its kills increase. How will she survive? Read to see!
This is number three in the Predation series.
A disabled medical student visiting home for Christmas break is stalked by a saber-toothed tiger with only one fang, but still deadly as its kills increase. How will she survive? Read to see!
March 14, 2025
Exciting and interesting
The story moves quickly and stays on point. It’s exciting and interesting as the two previous books. I hope another follows.
The story moves quickly and stays on point. It’s exciting and interesting as the two previous books. I hope another follows.
March 16, 2025
Worth checking out
This is the third book of the predation series. The story is extremely interesting and a good fast worthwhile read .
This is the third book of the predation series. The story is extremely interesting and a good fast worthwhile read .
March 18, 2025
Can't get enough!
I loved this book, if you like creature features then this series is for you. Good charachters and the animals are even better.
I loved this book, if you like creature features then this series is for you. Good charachters and the animals are even better.
May 1, 2025
great read
Loved it. I Love all the books in this series. They all have kept my interest and the suspense is amazing.
Loved it. I Love all the books in this series. They all have kept my interest and the suspense is amazing.
May 9, 2025
Master of "Bump in the Night".
What a novel idea. The idea a main character would be severely handicapped was new. It led to an exiting page turner.
What a novel idea. The idea a main character would be severely handicapped was new. It led to an exiting page turner.
May 31, 2025
Kelly couldn’t catch a break at all but finally got the ending she deserved despite the hardship she went through. If I ever see a Smilodon I will not be hiding in a closet!
August 18, 2025
not as good as previous titles and the story felt rushed
August 31, 2025
Great book
This book was very scary and kept me on the edge of my seat. I could not put it down until the very end. I can't wait for the next book.
This book was very scary and kept me on the edge of my seat. I could not put it down until the very end. I can't wait for the next book.
April 7, 2025
Enjoyable read.
Displaying 1 - 22 of 22 reviews