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Aftershock
Penance by New York Times bestselling author Sharon Sala
After being shot, Nicole Masters's "penance" for cheating death dictates that she must help others—even if it means putting herself in danger. Now she and Detective Dominic Tucci—a neighbor determined to make Nicole accept her new gift—team up to rescue an innocent child before time runs out.…
After the Lightning by Janis Reams Hudson
Hailey Cameron fears she's fried more than a few brain cells after she's struck by lightning and begins hearing voices. Experience has made former police detective Aaron Trent more accepting of this newfound ability than Hailey is. Especially since her gift might help him stop an underground child-smuggling ring. But has fate brought them together for another reason as well?
Seeing Red by Debra Cowan
A near-death experience has firefighter Cass Holister witnessing fires before they happen. But it's proving harder to deal with Ben Wyrick—a man she once walked away from who is now investigating the blazes—than it is to handle her new talent!
After being shot, Nicole Masters's "penance" for cheating death dictates that she must help others—even if it means putting herself in danger. Now she and Detective Dominic Tucci—a neighbor determined to make Nicole accept her new gift—team up to rescue an innocent child before time runs out.…
After the Lightning by Janis Reams Hudson
Hailey Cameron fears she's fried more than a few brain cells after she's struck by lightning and begins hearing voices. Experience has made former police detective Aaron Trent more accepting of this newfound ability than Hailey is. Especially since her gift might help him stop an underground child-smuggling ring. But has fate brought them together for another reason as well?
Seeing Red by Debra Cowan
A near-death experience has firefighter Cass Holister witnessing fires before they happen. But it's proving harder to deal with Ben Wyrick—a man she once walked away from who is now investigating the blazes—than it is to handle her new talent!
288 pages, Mass Market Paperback
First published October 1, 2008
9 people are currently reading
302 people want to read
About the author
Sharon Sala
279 books2,303 followersBiography
Sharon Sala is a Native Oklahoman and still lives within a two hour drive of where she was born.
First published in 1991, she is a New York Times/USA Today, best-selling author with a 135 plus books published in seven different genres, including Romantic suspense, Mystery, Young Adult, Western, Fiction, Women’s Fiction and Non-Fiction.
Industry Awards include:
Eight-time RITA finalist. (Romance Industry award)
The Janet Dailey Award.
Five-time Career Achievement winner from RT Magazine.
Five time winner of the National Reader’s Choice Award.
Five time winner of the Colorado Romance Writer’s Award of Excellence.
Heart of Excellence Award.,
Booksellers Best Award.
Nora Roberts Lifetime Achievement Award RITA, presented by RWA.
Centennial Award from RWA for recognition of her 100th published novel.
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Displaying 1 - 12 of 12 reviews
September 13, 2016
Penance by Sharon Sala 5 stars
Supporting characters bumped this up a star.
After the Lightning by Janis Reams Hudson 5 stars
Really liked the H/h in this one - could have been a great novella.
Seeing Red by Debra Cowan 3 stars
I hate the "I'm leaving you for your own good" bullshit.
Supporting characters bumped this up a star.
After the Lightning by Janis Reams Hudson 5 stars
Really liked the H/h in this one - could have been a great novella.
Seeing Red by Debra Cowan 3 stars
I hate the "I'm leaving you for your own good" bullshit.
August 6, 2015
Big ol' pile o' meh. Three decent authors, three mediocre stories. Not awful, but the authors are capable of better.
February 2, 2018
I would do more of a 3.5 for this. One of the stories was pretty cheesy to me. The other two weren't too bad. These are not usually the type of stories, but was good for a quick read and wasn't super horrible.
October 2, 2008
Aftershock offers a trio of short novellas with the theme of near deaths being somewhat blessings in disguise. I never read these authors before so it was great to dive in to check out their writing as well as their eye catching storylines.
The first offering is Penance by Sharon Sala. After Nicole Masters survived a gunshot wound to the head during a random pharmacy store robbery, she is struggling to pick up the pieces of her life. Words don't come easily to her, as she sometimes mistakes one word for another that sounds like it but means something else, minor depression, staggering movements and a hint of self consciousness since she lost her hair due to surgery. On top of that she begins to head sounds like a rush of wind, and soon a startling vision accompanies it.
Right on the announcement of movie star Lyla Dane's daughter's kidnapping, Nicole "sees" the violent kidnapping right on her tv screen. Soon she is struggling with this new power and finds out she is the only one who can help stop the kidnappers and save the life of the little girl.
This was a great suspenseful read with characters that felt real. Ms. Sala offers a look into each character's lives so you know what they were going through and what dilemma's they faced around the kidnapping and the realization of Nicole's ability. I really liked Nicole's cop boyfriend Dom as he as sincere and as much in love with her as ever despite her change in appearance. He was always there for her showing how much he loved and cared for her and I really liked the dialogue they had between each other.
Nicole was a great heroine who was really trying to put her life back together and the read gets her struggle with finding a comfort within herself and her home again. I liked that she didn't look like the typical romance heroine and I could really feel her strength as she tried to do all she can to understand her gift as well as use it enough to help the little girl.
There was a scene before the HEA that I really liked as it showed how sensitive and affected Dom was after seeing his love in danger once again. It made the HEA all the more sweeter. An entertaining blend of urban fantasy and suspense with a hearty dash of paranormal romance. 5/5
After the Lightning by Janis Reams Hudson is the second novella which centers around jogger Hailey Cameron. After being struck by lightning after a tornado, Hailey is rushed to the hospital where she becomes the roommate of coma patient LaShonda Martin who's son is missing. LaShonda's spirit soon combines with Hailey's after an incident with an oxygen tank and soon the mystery begins--with the help of Special Investigator for the D.A. Aaron Trent-- to find LaShonda's son before it's too late.
I liked how this story started right off the bat with the strike and soon jets into the hospital where Hailey and LaShonda meet. During the course of the investigation, Hailey gets closer to Aaron including meeting his Aunt who (literally) sees dead people. Ghosts to be exact and with her knowledge, Hailey doesn't feel so alone anymore.
The romance between Hailey and Aaron is slow building so that it's believable before they consummate their love. I would have liked to have seen an HEA between LaShonda and Hailey because they seemed like they were building a nice friendship as Hailey was helping her. The name LaShonda kept calling Hailey got a little old but I did think it was cute how Hailey said it towards the end to remind her that she was there for her.
A sweet paranormal offering with a harrowing action oriented climax. 4/5
The final story is Seeing Red by Debra Cowan which has probably one of the most eye catching openings in a story.
Cass Hollister's problems began the day she died.
Cass is a firefighter carrying on the tradition set by her well respected father. After being struck by a beam, she dies on the hospital bed only to be revived past the thirteen minutes pronounced death. Not long after, Cass starts having visions of fires before they happen. Soon her fire investigator ex-boyfriend Ben Wyrick is on the case trying to figure out the connection between Cass and the fires as they slowly rekindle the relationship they once had.
This was a great story that focused on the too hot to handle relationship between Ben and Cass with the suspense as the backdrop and a rocky sibling relationship that may be the answer to all the arson happening in the story. The relationship didn't seem too rushed and I liked that the characters had a history that was left open until now.
A great romance with some interesting paranormal moments. 4/5
If you're a paranormal fan looking for more than just vampires, weres and other beasties, I'd recommend this a great collection of stories which focus more on the relationships both romantic, familial and friendship wise with paranormal elements.
The first offering is Penance by Sharon Sala. After Nicole Masters survived a gunshot wound to the head during a random pharmacy store robbery, she is struggling to pick up the pieces of her life. Words don't come easily to her, as she sometimes mistakes one word for another that sounds like it but means something else, minor depression, staggering movements and a hint of self consciousness since she lost her hair due to surgery. On top of that she begins to head sounds like a rush of wind, and soon a startling vision accompanies it.
Right on the announcement of movie star Lyla Dane's daughter's kidnapping, Nicole "sees" the violent kidnapping right on her tv screen. Soon she is struggling with this new power and finds out she is the only one who can help stop the kidnappers and save the life of the little girl.
This was a great suspenseful read with characters that felt real. Ms. Sala offers a look into each character's lives so you know what they were going through and what dilemma's they faced around the kidnapping and the realization of Nicole's ability. I really liked Nicole's cop boyfriend Dom as he as sincere and as much in love with her as ever despite her change in appearance. He was always there for her showing how much he loved and cared for her and I really liked the dialogue they had between each other.
Nicole was a great heroine who was really trying to put her life back together and the read gets her struggle with finding a comfort within herself and her home again. I liked that she didn't look like the typical romance heroine and I could really feel her strength as she tried to do all she can to understand her gift as well as use it enough to help the little girl.
There was a scene before the HEA that I really liked as it showed how sensitive and affected Dom was after seeing his love in danger once again. It made the HEA all the more sweeter. An entertaining blend of urban fantasy and suspense with a hearty dash of paranormal romance. 5/5
After the Lightning by Janis Reams Hudson is the second novella which centers around jogger Hailey Cameron. After being struck by lightning after a tornado, Hailey is rushed to the hospital where she becomes the roommate of coma patient LaShonda Martin who's son is missing. LaShonda's spirit soon combines with Hailey's after an incident with an oxygen tank and soon the mystery begins--with the help of Special Investigator for the D.A. Aaron Trent-- to find LaShonda's son before it's too late.
I liked how this story started right off the bat with the strike and soon jets into the hospital where Hailey and LaShonda meet. During the course of the investigation, Hailey gets closer to Aaron including meeting his Aunt who (literally) sees dead people. Ghosts to be exact and with her knowledge, Hailey doesn't feel so alone anymore.
The romance between Hailey and Aaron is slow building so that it's believable before they consummate their love. I would have liked to have seen an HEA between LaShonda and Hailey because they seemed like they were building a nice friendship as Hailey was helping her. The name LaShonda kept calling Hailey got a little old but I did think it was cute how Hailey said it towards the end to remind her that she was there for her.
A sweet paranormal offering with a harrowing action oriented climax. 4/5
The final story is Seeing Red by Debra Cowan which has probably one of the most eye catching openings in a story.
Cass Hollister's problems began the day she died.
Cass is a firefighter carrying on the tradition set by her well respected father. After being struck by a beam, she dies on the hospital bed only to be revived past the thirteen minutes pronounced death. Not long after, Cass starts having visions of fires before they happen. Soon her fire investigator ex-boyfriend Ben Wyrick is on the case trying to figure out the connection between Cass and the fires as they slowly rekindle the relationship they once had.
This was a great story that focused on the too hot to handle relationship between Ben and Cass with the suspense as the backdrop and a rocky sibling relationship that may be the answer to all the arson happening in the story. The relationship didn't seem too rushed and I liked that the characters had a history that was left open until now.
A great romance with some interesting paranormal moments. 4/5
If you're a paranormal fan looking for more than just vampires, weres and other beasties, I'd recommend this a great collection of stories which focus more on the relationships both romantic, familial and friendship wise with paranormal elements.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
October 21, 2013
The first story was really good. I liked the characters and the plot. This one definitely had me turning pages. I couldn't wait to see what would happen next. Suspense, emotions, breath holding scenes and a great HEA. Something I wouldn't mind reading again anytime. The second book was pretty good too. I loved the characters and the story line. This was a fun read a great for any time. There was suspense, some action, emotions, craziness, humor, and good personalities. The last book was pretty good too. Although I didn't connect as much as the first two, I liked this one pretty well. It had suspense, emotions, a little action, and a good ending. I definitely liked the first two stories better than the last, but all of them were good. I wouldn't mind reading this book again for pretty much any time. Great for pick-me-ups or relaxing. Each one is pretty much a one-sitter. Enjoy
February 1, 2016
This is a crossover between a romance book and a book about paranormal events. In all three cases women who have been hurt and/or died develop particular paranormal skills. In the first story the woman is able to see things related to a kidnapping. In the second story the woman carries a second woman's thoughts along with her own in an attempt to find a kidnapped child. The third story involves a woman whose brother is out of prison and suspected of not only being an arsonist, but of trying to kill her.
Adapting to the odd paranormal abilities is difficult for the women but they manage to handle things quite well. Mixed with all of this, though, is how the women are involved with buys, one an ex-boyfriend, and how the guys are understanding of what they are going through, are supportive of them, and how well things work out for the couples.
It's a very nice, well-done book.
Adapting to the odd paranormal abilities is difficult for the women but they manage to handle things quite well. Mixed with all of this, though, is how the women are involved with buys, one an ex-boyfriend, and how the guys are understanding of what they are going through, are supportive of them, and how well things work out for the couples.
It's a very nice, well-done book.
August 6, 2012
AFTERSHOCK is a compilation of three short stories by three separate authors. I only gave it three stars-one for each story- as I found the book to be just okay overall. I felt the lead female characters in the first two stories were somewhat annoying and that the stories seemed too rushed. I think that if each one had been its own stand alone novel then the authors would have had time to develop the characters and plots. Maybe then they would have been better. The third story was the only one that I actually enjoyed from beginning to end.
December 20, 2008
The blurb on this book sounded so good, yet the story lines failed to follow through, plots were well written but came short in drawing the reader into the book.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
August 29, 2010
I thought all three stories were great for being so short. I would love to see them expaned into a full book on their own.
June 8, 2011
Sharon Sala all that needs to be said.
December 28, 2015
3 Good short stories.
August 20, 2022
Penance by Sharon Sala -- liked
After the Lightning by Janis Reams Hudson -- liked
Seeing Red by Debra Cowan -- liked
After the Lightning by Janis Reams Hudson -- liked
Seeing Red by Debra Cowan -- liked
Displaying 1 - 12 of 12 reviews