Amnesia Bites

Shady Arcade #1

by Sharon Stevenson

Once Bitten, Forever Forgotten...

Visions. Emotional imprints. Zack is able to pick them up through mere touch to an object. However, the one who considers himself a freak cannot for the life of him find out about his own past, amnesia having struck him six months earlier when an accident forced him into Witness Protection in the small town of Shady Pines.

In his life, there's Bridget, the cop assigned to protect him, and Chloe, a girl who works in the same arcade, a stranger to him.

But nothing is as it seems, and Zack will discover the truth when the death of a young girl plunges him head-first into a shady world of supernatural forces and dark alliances.

Bridget actually has an agenda, and her bosses want more than to protect Zack. Whereas Chloe is the woman Zack loved...and forgot.

As the danger rises crescendo around Zack, will he be able to figure out who really has his best interests at heart, before it's too late?

Genres: Paranormal, Vampires

ebook

First published March 30, 2017

About the author

I'm the twisted mind behind The Gallows Novels and the After Death Series. If you want to know a bit about me, here it is: I spend too much time indoors and probably watch too many horror films. Some of my favourite things are; Alone time, people who know when to shut up, having a drink, eating pizza (usually after having too much drink the night before), reading books, adult swim cartoons, bad horror and sci-fi movies, proper good TV shows like Dexter & The Walking Dead, and last but not least having a laugh with my hilarious other half - this would usually include some of the above.

Reviews

[Gypsy Madden · Rating 4 out of 5]

Zack is a private detective (who seems to spend next to no time actually working). Because of a vampire attack, he lost his memories and now has a vampire bodyguard posing as his secretary. But now he has to understand and navigate the paranormal world around him with all of its politics and factions compromising the small town.

This is really a paranormal cozy, kind of like the Sookie Stackhouse mysteries. It’s got a quaint, small town and different types of paranormal beings (vampires, necromancers who control the vampires since they’re technically dead, and Zack with his psychic touch power), with a larger population than the basic humans. Zack has no memory, so we really don’t know much about his history. He is a psychic schizophrenic with multiple personalities talking to him. One problem I had with this was that the side characters all have very generic names and personalities, so I kept getting them all confused (specifically I got Kenny and Rick and mixed up frequently and I mixed up Cassandra, Amira, and Mary several times as well). The other problem I had with it was that in tradition of cozies, it doesn’t delve into emotions and keeps everything at a superficial, surface level. Sex is treated as a cheap thing here and characters think nothing about sleeping around. Zack is in his office rather constantly but he does next to no work. How does he pay his bills? During the course of this book, he had one client (a kid who couldn’t pay him) and that subplot got tied up by halfway into the book. One thing I never got was that Zack was a victim of a vampire attack, but for some reason the council assigned him a vampire bodyguard. I did like the character of Larry who was teenage and suddenly found himself in the middle of the paranormal world and had to get used to a whole new set of rules while he had the control and patience of a teenager.

This is written by a British author, who’s definition of arcade is apparently totally different from mine, which I had to remind myself rather constantly. With the series title Shady Arcade, I expected a darkened gaming room with a young adult cast, but it actually refers to a cluster of businesses and shops which is what us Americans would call a plaza or a mall. I was also expecting the mystery of the missing girl to be the central focus, but it was barely a foot note with the focus being on mostly the struggle for power between the vampires and necromancers.

In all, the story doesn’t really encourage me to read more, but I do want to know what happened to Zack’s parents and what will happen to Larry.

[Heidi · Rating 5 out of 5]

Sharon pleasantly surprised me with this book in my email. I hadn't realized she was working on a new series! Amnesia Bites is very appropriately titled with the main character, Zack, having amnesia and there being several vampires involved in the story. I was a bit confused as to what exactly was going on in the beginning, but poor Zack woke up in the hospital knowing absolutely nothing about himself or the people around him so it kind of lets you see where he is at. There is quite a bit of mystery surrounding Zack, his situation, and everyone around him. By the conclusion of the book, we know a lot more about what is going on, but there is a lot more to discover. I will definitely be reading more of this series as it comes out!

[Mitsy · Rating 5 out of 5]

Zack is a psychic with memory loss. He's in Witness Protection where he has a bodyguard and interesting acquaintances. Zack and the people around him are very funny. The mystery surrounding his incident and circumstances grow until the ending shocks. I love it and highly recommend it to everyone.

[Lexie · Rating 3 out of 5]

I'm vaguely sure I liked this?

ok wait let me explain - the first...60% I spent very confused and sort of weirded out. The plot jumps around a bit and with Zack frequently having disassociative episodes I got lost quick. Plus I could never really tell who was really acting themselves.

It got annoying and then there's the question of what happened and why it happened and I just got lost a lot.

There's also quite a few instances of improper word use ('metal' instead of 'mettle' for example) and until like halfway thru I had no idea this was set in England so I was REALLY wondering why it was called an arcade (aka a mall) until the vaguest reference ever to England's educational system.

I want to see how the next book turns out but I'd also like a bit more straight forwardness.

[Jennifer · Rating 4 out of 5]

A very interesting read. It's a little slow to start, but stay with it, because it gets very intriguing towards the middle when answers start coming forth about Zack, Chloe, Bridget and the rest of the town. Ms. Stevenson has a way with writing paranormal mystery that sneaks up on you and latches it's pretty little fangs into you. I don't always understand all the slang she uses since she hails from Scotland and writes her characters from there, but I think for me that holds half the intrigue and the more I read the more I am beginning to understand! She is awesome at writing great bad guys and down to earth good guys that you can relate too. I'm excited about this series and where she will go with it.

[Momma Says: To Read or Not to Read · Rating 3 out of 5]

I was on the fence with this one through much of the book. It's a bit different than what I'm used to in a series starter. There's a lot of backstory left to be revealed - actually almost the whole backstory, which is a lot of the mystery left to be solved. The story starts with Zack in his office and it's pretty clear that he has some psychic abilities, but there's more going on in his head besides the amnesia. It seemed that everything that happened created more questions than were answered. It does end in a cliffhanger (something I'm not crazy about), but there is quite a bit of action to hold a reader's interest, so I will check out the second book to see where this series is going.

[Penny · Rating 5 out of 5]

I wanted to read the book because I was intrigued by the premise. I’m not exactly a huge fan of vampires, but not really against them, either, so I was iffy about it on top of being intrigued by the premise. I am glad I was given access to this book by the time I finished the book. Not only was the premise good, but it was well-written, had a unique take on things, and the characters were interesting. I think what really grabbed me by the end of the book was how very different the main character was for these types of books. He was not a strong, alpha-type, but more of a wounded, confused nerdy-type of main character. This did confuse me a little bit at the beginning, but the women around him made up for the lack a strong, main character by being extremely strong characters. And, I have to admit it did take me a little bit to get into the book because information about the past and what had happened took a little bit to be revealed to the reader. However, by the end of the book, I was very eager to read more. Give this a try; I think you’ll love it like I did. Highly recommend! Thanks to the author for the e-copy which I voluntarily reviewed. This same review will be posted on both Goodreads and Amazon.

[Christa · Rating 2 out of 5]

Amnesia Bites initially had all the hallmarks of a book I would enjoy. But early into the story, after discovering striking aspects of main characters Zack, Chloe and Bridget, further information soon petered out and soon my anticipation along with it. For lack of a better analogy, it felt like being told you won a raffle but then not told how, when or where to claim your prize. The intrigue and suspense I expected, especially for the genre, just wasn't there instead, to my frustration, I had a growing list of questions.

The quandary I find myself in now is whether or not to go on into the next book. The mix of paranormal qualities the author has chosen to bestow on her characters still is in my wheelhouse of interest but in this 1st book turned out to be pretty mundane. I love the genre but as I said I found the plot lacking in suspense. I realize this is the 1st book in a series, the author maybe held back, more than is my preference, to garnish interest in the series. As a stand alone book I wouldn't recommend it, you're just left with too many questions and a cliffhanger at the end. Will I get the next book? I honestly don't know. This series just may not be my cup of tea but curiosity to see if it were to continue along the same lines may win out.

[Heather Heffner · Rating 5 out of 5]

In Sharon Stevenson’s twisty and curvy paranormal world of Shady Pines, psychic Zack gets caught in a power struggle between a vampire clan and necromancer Chloe who wants to save him. Zack has been in Witness Protection with a cop named Bridget to protect him, but he soon learns that Bridget has her own agenda—and fangs. Chloe has a history with Zack and tries her best to help him recover his lost memories of their past while also fending off the fiendish vamps. Not to mention Zack has been approached to use his psychic powers to solve the murder of a young girl. This is an intriguing start with no-nonsense characters and the boy who gets caught in the midst of it all. Will be interesting to see where this goes and why Zack was warned never to leave Shady Pines!

[Christina Luberts · Rating 2 out of 5]

I really did not get into this book until the last two chapters than it started getting exciting. I feel there should have been a prologue, even though it slowly starts telling you what happen to Zack, but you still don't get the full story. You have necromancers, vampires and of course Zack who is physic. Can his sister and brothers really be talking to him in his head or is he also Multiple personality disorder?

[Scarolet Ellis · Rating 5 out of 5]

Amnesia Bites by Sharon Stevenson is an excellent story that I have gotten so hooked on. This is book number one in this excellent start to a brand new series that I loved reading and got severely hooked on. I highly recommend this story to everyone who loves reading about fantasy and paranormal romance in their stories.

I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.

[Jade Wilson · Rating 3 out of 5]

I'm sure I liked this at some point. by the end I'm confused and traumatised by the treatment of the cats. that's all I can think about now as I try and sleep. I will just remember this as a confusing book with an awful scene of cat torture.

[Michelle VanDaley · Rating 4 out of 5]

Amnesia Bites was slow to start but I am glad I stuck with it. It turned out to be a really interesting read. The characters were relatable and the Author did a good job at laying out the grounwork for the series. I look forward to more in this series and from this Author.

[Greg Dixon · Rating 5 out of 5]

Amnesia bites shady arcade 1

A good read for people who are in to the series recommend highly can't wait for the next one of the series a really enjoyable read but quick shaping up to be a enjoyable series must read the next one of the series

[Tina Kimble · Rating 5 out of 5]

Well written, nicely balanced. I found it to be very interesting and I enjoyed some of the aspects of the vampire life in this story, it was unique. Interested in seeing what's next.

I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.

[Con Fran · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was an intriguing read the head mystery, suspense, and drama. It was a bit humorous at times and the characters are likable and relatable. I had fun reading this and looking forward to the next book.

I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.

[evieo17 · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was a nice start to the series. There were twist and turns but there also seems to be a lot of questions left unanswered too. Hopefully we get more of a picture in the next book.

[Ann Keeran · Rating 5 out of 5]

Totally different and unusual take on the world of vampires and necromancer. Coming out of a coma with no memories, Zack finds that vampires do exist. A fun read that's not too long and an excellent beginning for what looks like an amazing series. I was given a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. Definitely read if you want a new take on an ageless topic.

[Patti · Rating 4 out of 5]

. I am a quarter of the way in and I am still not sue how I feel about this book. It's an interesting story so far. A strange amnesia, psychic powers, a vampire body guard. But sort of a stumbling feeling while the storyline is being built. I read on and a more solid story starts to form and is interesting. It ends but it doesn't so be prepared for another book is needed. It's a good short tale to entertain for the afternoon. This voluntary review is based against an advance copy.

[Monique · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was quite an interesting book, though I think events in the beginning could have happened a little faster (there's a big build up). Overall, it is decent concept and with good characters. There were a few unexpected twists that kept this an exciting read.

[Raina · Rating 4 out of 5]

A totally different type of vampire story. This one includes necromancers who can control the dead (aka vampires). But they aren't the bad guys. Seems like you can't trust vampires and they have a weird issue with having no long term memory. But they like psychics and want to turn them. That leads us to Zack. He's a psychic who has lost all his memory. But that doesn't stop the bad guys from trying to get to him.

The story ends in a cliffhanger. It gets you really into and starts to answer questions and then it stops. Hope it doesn't take too long for book two.

I voluntarily read and reviewed a copy of the book.

[Kristen Lewendon · Rating 5 out of 5]

Not your normal paranormal. I don't think I've ever seen necromancers and vampires handled in quite this way before. Sure there's the whole death and drinking of blood stuff, but there are a bunch of twists in here that are completely one-of-a-kind. This is also the most unique take on psychometry I've ever witnessed. As much as I loved the story, it frustrated the heck out of me as tiny bits of Zack's history are slowly dealt out. I couldn't read it fast enough in order to find out more. I turned into a snarling beast when I reached the ending and discovered we're not done yet. It's not quite a cliff-hanger but it's so darn close. I'm anxiously waiting for the next book to become available.
I received a complimentary advanced copy of this book.

[Lavender · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was a quick read. The concept was interesting and I was just starting to like the characters when the book ended. I will read the next to see if the characters and story continue to capture my attention or not.

I won this book via Goodreads Giveaways.

[Jennifer G · Rating 4 out of 5]

Amnesia Bites is the first book of Sharon Stevenson that I have read. It's not your normal paranormal vampire thriller. The main lead is not an Alpha, man-whore. Instead he's a wounded, confused, somewhat lost soul. Zack not only has amnesia, but he gets visions and emotional imprints from every object he touches. In the Witness Protection Program, he gets introduced to the supernatural world of vampires and necromancers. There are two women in his life, Bridget his protection officer and Chloe, an arcade worker, but neither are exactly what they seem.

This book was built on a solid storyline. The writing is good, the pacing is good, if a bit frustrating at times. I wanted more details at a faster pace! I'm impatient that way. There was quite a bit of originality to the story. It does end in a cliffhanger, so there is more to learn. Still, entertaining.

[Emily Pennington · Rating 5 out of 5]

Zack, a psychic, had a hole in his glove that he was not happy about, because he certainly did not want to have to buy a new pair – breaking them in was so uncomfortable, but not for the reason you would think! Whenever he put on a new pair of gloves, he experienced the negative life experiences and dark emotions of whoever made the gloves, over and over until it eventually became a background noise in his head. And if he touched his desk without gloves, he heard the negative depressing and lonely life the desk had endured. The only thing that did not enlighten him about its history was himself – a victim of amnesia 6 months ago as he entered the Witness Protection program.

A student came to his office where he used his psychic abilities to make a living. The student gave him $20 and handed a pink purse to him to touch. He immediately felt the violence and had a vision of a dark-haired girl being struck down and killed. He saw a few of the numbers from the license plate of the car and repeated them until he stabilized himself back in the office and wrote them down. He was ready for a mental melt-down and Bridget, his bodyguard and receptionist, was there for him to keep him safe!

Will Zack be able to pull himself together in time to solve the murder? Will he get his memories back to know who Bridget and Chloe really are?

This is an action-packed story that I definitely recommend. Zack is sort of a nerdy guy that the reader will easily care about. The mystery behind everything will keep you turning pages furiously to see what caused all of this chaos and where it will lead. Perfect reason to buy the book and come along on the adventure!

[Jackie · Rating 3 out of 5]

Zack is a psychic with amnesia problems. A pretty good read. Fast paced. My pleasure to review this ARC

[Joy Ki`Ili · Rating 4 out of 5]

Different take on vampires

Zack has amnesia and can't remember his past at all. Bridget is a vampire brought in to protect him or so he thinks. Chloe is his old girlfriend but she's not to tell him anything about his past. It all comes to a head when Zack's life is threatened again.

[Ola Adamska · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is one of these books that you don't know how to feel about when you finish reading. I choose to wait for book 2, full of couriosity, as a lot of stories needs to be told in my opinion.
We get only a glimpse of what's going on in the city. Why Zack needs vampier bodyguard and what can do a necromanter?
I think this will lead to very nice pranormal read, but not that obvious, as Zack is a psychic, not a vampire or werewolf!

For sure i will grab book 2, as i'm curious what will happened to Zack and his strange amnesia!

[Cricket Simpson · Rating 5 out of 5]

I didn't want it to end! The main character Zack is just trying to live his life, it just so happens that he can't remember his life. He is very relatable, who hasn't felt at least a moment of omg I don't recognize my life? Of course, I don't know any vamps or necromancers (I think). Light humor, light romance with potential for growth.

[Energy Rae · Rating 4 out of 5]

In Amnesia Bites, we meet Zack, a quiet, wounded, insecure psychic. He has the ability of visual memory, imprinting on objects and picking up those memories, which are the only ones he gains because he has no memory of his past. Because of this ability, vampires and necromancers want to be able to use him, so he is thrown into the "Witness Protection" of sorts with Bridget, a police officer assigned to protect him.
Bridget and other characters we meet, such as Chloe, his ex-girlfriend he doesn't remember, aren't as trustworthy as they seem, as everyone has their own agenda. With no memory, Zack has to navigate based on instinct. Placed in the middle of the murder, it's up to him to solve it. Zack doesn't make for a strong lead character, but the supporting characters do help in making the story stronger. The fact that the story was a cliffhanger was a huge disappointment to me. A series can work really well together and make each book able to be read as a standalone. If they cannot, they should be labeled as a serial and in the interest of transparency let the readers know it is going to be a cliffhanger.
The writing does get stronger as the book progresses which does have me interested in reading the next book.