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Shadowmark #1
Shadowmark
Survival. Loyalty. Betrayal. The aliens are here…
MINA
Mina Surrey narrowly escapes the alien invaders. Now, she’s on the run, hiding from humans and aliens alike. Looking for food to stay alive. Drinking water she knows can kill her. Armed only with her wits and strong will, Mina vows to cross enemy territory to find her older brother, Lincoln. But she soon learns that it only takes one mistake—the slip of a foot, the poorly chosen camp—to be killed. Or end up belonging to someone else.
“Don’t trust anyone, not even me,” Doyle says after he meets her. Tired, starving, scared, and broken, Mina accepts help from the complete stranger. To her dismay, she begins to depend on the mysterious man, who reminds her that society as she knew it has ended. In its place is a world of fear, mistrust, and base instincts.
Should Mina stay with Doyle, when it means she must trade her morals for her survival, her compassion for security, what’s right for what’s necessary?
LINCOLN
Under civilian contract with the US Department of Defense, Lincoln Surrey is sent with an Army unit to a mysterious facility in the Appalachian mountains. He and his team are to investigate the strange tunnels beneath an old mine, which the military believes hold some key to the alien appearance.
But Lincoln's help never arrives. As his team reels from the reports of the alien apocalypse, Lincoln hopes to unravel the mystery of the facility and its alien writings. But he discovers more than he bargains for. Duty turns into obsession. Friends into rebels. Hope into despair.
Will the aliens’ marks underground help them fight the invaders? Or are they already too late?
CALLA
After years of planning, the aliens finally invade, with enough force to cripple Earth’s defenses and plunge the world into darkness. Using hybrid slaves that look and act like humans, the invaders hunt down any and all survivors. The plan is perfect, the invasion almost complete.
Then the slaves rebel.
Fearing their own creations, the invaders send loyal-beyond-reproach Calla to hunt down and kill the traitors. Cruel and ambitious, she vows to bring justice to the rogues and peace once again to the hybrid ranks. But the rogues learn how to disappear without a trace. At risk of losing them altogether, she is forced to accept help from Dar
Ceylin, her long-time rival and also her commander.
But Dar Ceylin is every bit as ambitious as Calla. Will she be able to maintain control of her mission and him as well?
With mystery, action, aliens, romance, tension, and fun, Shadowmark delivers a can't-put-down read from the very first chapter.
Alternate Cover Edition
MINA
Mina Surrey narrowly escapes the alien invaders. Now, she’s on the run, hiding from humans and aliens alike. Looking for food to stay alive. Drinking water she knows can kill her. Armed only with her wits and strong will, Mina vows to cross enemy territory to find her older brother, Lincoln. But she soon learns that it only takes one mistake—the slip of a foot, the poorly chosen camp—to be killed. Or end up belonging to someone else.
“Don’t trust anyone, not even me,” Doyle says after he meets her. Tired, starving, scared, and broken, Mina accepts help from the complete stranger. To her dismay, she begins to depend on the mysterious man, who reminds her that society as she knew it has ended. In its place is a world of fear, mistrust, and base instincts.
Should Mina stay with Doyle, when it means she must trade her morals for her survival, her compassion for security, what’s right for what’s necessary?
LINCOLN
Under civilian contract with the US Department of Defense, Lincoln Surrey is sent with an Army unit to a mysterious facility in the Appalachian mountains. He and his team are to investigate the strange tunnels beneath an old mine, which the military believes hold some key to the alien appearance.
But Lincoln's help never arrives. As his team reels from the reports of the alien apocalypse, Lincoln hopes to unravel the mystery of the facility and its alien writings. But he discovers more than he bargains for. Duty turns into obsession. Friends into rebels. Hope into despair.
Will the aliens’ marks underground help them fight the invaders? Or are they already too late?
CALLA
After years of planning, the aliens finally invade, with enough force to cripple Earth’s defenses and plunge the world into darkness. Using hybrid slaves that look and act like humans, the invaders hunt down any and all survivors. The plan is perfect, the invasion almost complete.
Then the slaves rebel.
Fearing their own creations, the invaders send loyal-beyond-reproach Calla to hunt down and kill the traitors. Cruel and ambitious, she vows to bring justice to the rogues and peace once again to the hybrid ranks. But the rogues learn how to disappear without a trace. At risk of losing them altogether, she is forced to accept help from Dar
Ceylin, her long-time rival and also her commander.
But Dar Ceylin is every bit as ambitious as Calla. Will she be able to maintain control of her mission and him as well?
With mystery, action, aliens, romance, tension, and fun, Shadowmark delivers a can't-put-down read from the very first chapter.
Alternate Cover Edition
- GenresScience Fiction
344 pages, Kindle Edition
First published May 26, 2016
13 people are currently reading
451 people want to read
About the author
T.M. Catron
22 books27 followersT.M. Catron is the Star Streaker series and various short stories. Her stories tend to include strong female characters (or those who want to be strong) and fun, twisty plots.
Catron enjoys reading, writing, camping, hiking, and really big cups of coffee. Find her at tmcatron.com where she posts snippets of upcoming books and occasionally emotes about writing. Or connect on Facebook at authortmcatron, and Twitter @tmcatron.
Currently, Catron lives in Tennessee with her husband, son, and three spoiled dogs.
T.M. Catron also writes as Alex Bratton and Wilhelmina Kirk.
Catron enjoys reading, writing, camping, hiking, and really big cups of coffee. Find her at tmcatron.com where she posts snippets of upcoming books and occasionally emotes about writing. Or connect on Facebook at authortmcatron, and Twitter @tmcatron.
Currently, Catron lives in Tennessee with her husband, son, and three spoiled dogs.
T.M. Catron also writes as Alex Bratton and Wilhelmina Kirk.
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Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews
October 16, 2017
What a great book. It mixed scifi, alien attacks, and a bit of mystery together for a great addicting series. Once I started reading I had to finish it. I thought it was well written and the characters easy to picture. I really liked the mix of primary and secondary characters that really made the story. I liked that a few answers to some mysteries raised were answered but the huge ones are still up in the air. Why was Earth attacked and why in the way it was? What is up about that mine was still not answered. I will just have to continue reading to get answers about that mine and will Mina find her brother. Cannot wait to see what happens next.
January 27, 2018
Ok, this is just a a “quickie” review as I’m in an endless business trip and don’t have the time to do better even though the book definitely deserves it.
Bottom line: five stars. This was one crazy fun novel and definitely recommended. It had just what I wanted and was well written and with a great plot and great cast of characters.
Bottom line: five stars. This was one crazy fun novel and definitely recommended. It had just what I wanted and was well written and with a great plot and great cast of characters.
September 21, 2017
Incredible story! Aliens and hybrids! Expertly written with emotional highs and lows, action, fascinating characters and a thriller plot. It has a satisfying ending while leaving the reader panting for more!
July 2, 2016
I'm not an avid sci-fi reader but found this storyline interesting so I decided to give it a try. I'm so glad I did!!! Shadowmark makes me want to read more sci-fi! The characters are believable and I found myself rooting for them from the beginning. The story has a great balance of science and emotion. The author explains things without being so technical that I didn't understand. I am a huge fan of mystery and this story also delivers on that level as well. I did get answers to some of my questions by the end, but I definitely can't wait for book two to see how the rest of this story unfolds! I highly recommend Shadowmark to anyone who just loves a good story!
January 16, 2017
The book deacription about Mina is just part of what this book is about. There are three storylines/ points of view and for me for awhile there was almost too much going on to the point of it feeling a bit disjointed, a lot of pieces that didn't feel like they connected. There are still a lot of questions to be answered but the characters are interesting and by the time I finished the book I enjoyed it and I look forward to the next one.
February 7, 2017
I really enjoyed this book and went on to read the sequel. Very entertaining. Very good plot and character development. Clean. Pick up this series and read. You will be absorbed in earth's fight against an alien invasion force.
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August 31, 2018**I received a free copy of this novel in exchange for my honest opinion. What follows is that opinion.**
Mina and Lincoln Surrey are an ordinary brother and sister; she's a grad student at Oxford and he's the head of a small AI/coding/robotics team. Unfortunately, the one thing their ordinary life doesn't prepare them for is how to survive when the world is invaded and civilization as they know it is obliterated.
When towers of a rock-like substance suddenly appear overnight in every major city around the world, Lincoln wants to get his sister back to the States where he hopes she'll be safe. He is able to pull some strings with a DoD contact to get her a ticket in spite of the jammed airports and completely booked flights. Mina makes it across the Atlantic and nearly to her gate in Charlotte, NC before catastrophe strikes. Desperate to be reunited with her brother, Mina strikes out on her own and doesn't fare as well as she'd like. To say that she is ill-prepared is an understatement.
Then she meets Doyle, a mysterious stranger who rescues her from possible rape and impending death. Though she knows nothing about him, she chooses to follow him into the mountains and hopefully to safety. They are pursued by the invading Glyphs, but Doyle somehow always knows when they are near and they are able to escape. The longer they are together, however, the more Mina begins to suspect that her savior and companion is not what he seems. Can she discover the truth and reach her brother before it's too late?
***
"Shadowmark" is how "The Stand" might have played out if aliens existed in King's world. It's an action-packed, thrilling sci-fi adventure that will keep you reading until the last page. Based on the plot and characters, this was a 5-star book!
BUT there were enough typos to be distracting and I can't in good conscience give 5 stars for that. I'm an editor and blogger who has reviewed numerous books by new/Indy authors and this has become a pet peeve of mine. Indy authors, please, please, PLEASE HIRE AN EDITOR!
Mina and Lincoln Surrey are an ordinary brother and sister; she's a grad student at Oxford and he's the head of a small AI/coding/robotics team. Unfortunately, the one thing their ordinary life doesn't prepare them for is how to survive when the world is invaded and civilization as they know it is obliterated.
When towers of a rock-like substance suddenly appear overnight in every major city around the world, Lincoln wants to get his sister back to the States where he hopes she'll be safe. He is able to pull some strings with a DoD contact to get her a ticket in spite of the jammed airports and completely booked flights. Mina makes it across the Atlantic and nearly to her gate in Charlotte, NC before catastrophe strikes. Desperate to be reunited with her brother, Mina strikes out on her own and doesn't fare as well as she'd like. To say that she is ill-prepared is an understatement.
Then she meets Doyle, a mysterious stranger who rescues her from possible rape and impending death. Though she knows nothing about him, she chooses to follow him into the mountains and hopefully to safety. They are pursued by the invading Glyphs, but Doyle somehow always knows when they are near and they are able to escape. The longer they are together, however, the more Mina begins to suspect that her savior and companion is not what he seems. Can she discover the truth and reach her brother before it's too late?
***
"Shadowmark" is how "The Stand" might have played out if aliens existed in King's world. It's an action-packed, thrilling sci-fi adventure that will keep you reading until the last page. Based on the plot and characters, this was a 5-star book!
BUT there were enough typos to be distracting and I can't in good conscience give 5 stars for that. I'm an editor and blogger who has reviewed numerous books by new/Indy authors and this has become a pet peeve of mine. Indy authors, please, please, PLEASE HIRE AN EDITOR!
Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews