In Times of Violence

OUTLAW #1

by Karina Kantas

A sheltered teenager becomes a member of a biker's gang called The Tyrants. While in London, she experiences a totally different life, one where she's happy and feels she has a family. For the first time in her life, she receives respect and love. Only after a disturbing awakening, she is forced to defend herself, her name, and her title. Jade has yet to discover the price she has to pay to live...in "Times of Violence".

112 pages, Paperback

First published May 7, 2006

About the author

Karina Kantas originates from the UK but has lived in Greece most of her life.

Karina is a prolific author and publishes in the fiction genres of MC thrillers, fantasy, horror, comedy, romance, erotica, dystopian and thriller, dark romance, and mafia thrillers.

She writes thought-provoking/dark flash fiction when her imagination is working overtime.
Karina is the host of Behind The Pen TV show, which streams on platforms that cover over 100.000.000 homes.
She has her own radio show, Author Assist, on the Artist First Radio Network. She is a bookTuber, podcaster, and award-winning filmmaker.
Karina Kantas also runs Author Assist, which offers coaching, mentoring and exclusive packages to writers and publishers.

**coming soon**
IN TIMES OF VIOLENCE ADULT EDITION

Titles to date:

The OUTLAW series
In Times of Violence Urban thriller YA
Huntress Dark MC romance
Lawless Justice Vigilante MC thriller
Road Rage Dark MC Romance

Collections:
Heads & Tales Flash and short fiction.
Undressed Flash, poetry, prose
A Flash of Horror Flash fiction

Stone Cold YA horror
Toxic Dystopian sci-fi erotica
Broken Chains Dark mafia romance

Illusional Realityduology
Book 1 Illusional Reality YA fantasy/ PNR
Book 2 The Quest supernatural fantasy

Audiobooks
Stone Cold YA Horror
Illusional Reality YA fantasy PNR

Reviews

[Amanda · Rating 1 out of 5]

I was given an arc in exchange for an honest review.

I really really wanted to love this book since I like MC romance novels. Sadly, that wasn't the case.

I just want to start by saying that this book should have a trigger warning statement. Yes, I am well aware that MC romance novels have violence, but there is a suicide attempt and rape scene in the book that could potential trigger somebody. Now that that's out of the way..

This was a quick read, but I couldn't get myself to read it all at once. I had to almost force myself to keep reading. The first two chapters were really long and the rest seemed like fillers almost to explain what happened after Jade initially met the Tyrants. Also, the whole love at first sight wasn't cute or cheesy I'm this book, it kinda annoyed me. It was a "I like the threat of danger and your looks so I'm in love with you"type of situation. And then the love triangle seemed short and messy. The time hops were almost confusing as points.

I don't know.. It seemed as if it was labeled MC romance just because a bunch of guys owned motorcycles and fought sometimes and because the word love was mentioned.

[Judith Rook · Rating 5 out of 5]

Necessary Violence

Karina Kantas’s novel “In Times of Violence” takes the reader into a strange social environment; one that most people have no direct experience of and which most people would draw back from if they met it in their real lives. But this sub-level of modern-day living does exist, and the author shows it to us, with power and authenticity, through the character of a female – a young woman who has become alienated from her dysfunctional family and goes to search for a substitute in London. She finds one, better by far than the one which has rejected her and let her down. But it is a family living on the edge of the legal system, a family which makes its own group laws and follows them honourably.
When Jade joins the Tyrants, a motor-cycle gang, she is accepted and respected, and she blossoms. It is this positive aspect of a fundamentally violent life style that the author draws so clearly and so cleverly for the reader. Kantas does not try to excuse the generally negative behaviour of the gang members. She shows that in order to be true to their group values they must live in a constant state of confrontation with the outside world; but she also reveals the support and affection that they give to each other.
Kantas presents Jade as an unusual young woman, driven by rejection and need, a young woman of determination, a young woman of violence. Perhaps this is the most shocking aspect of this novel. Jade is shown to be a violent woman, one who deals with her opponents violently. She thinks little of it; violence is a natural aspect of her new life.
However, betrayal by the man she has come to trust cannot be dealt with through violence. In a moment of classic tragedy, Jade turns to another man for comfort, and the end is inevitable.
This is a cleverly constructed book and the writing is controlled, stylish and accomplished. Kantas is a fine writer, with a great deal to offer in the way of reflection on modern-day society, and although it is targeted towards young adults, the story is relevant to a much wider readership.

[Lori Hammons · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a different kind of romance story for me, and I loved it. Jade is trying to find where she fits in the world and finds that place in a gang. The writing is superb and I felt what Jade was going through. This is a riveting read!

[Elaine Marie · Rating 5 out of 5]

WOW, I love Jade's character. Very Well written.
The author did an amazing job with this storyline.

[Sharon · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is my first book by Karina Kantas and I found it well-written and true to life. This is a quick read about a young woman who wants to escape her farm life looking for excitement. She ends up joining a motorcycle gang. I think this story is about self-discovery and what makes a family. This is really a very good story that you won't want to put down. It was thought-provoking. I thought it very realistic in story and feeling. There are ups and downs just like life. I will be reading more from this author.

[Kate Clark · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is my first novel by Karina Kantas and I was Transfixed!

Here is a Powerful Passage:

“I suppose it started on my seventeenth birthday. Yes. Let’s start there. It’s as good a place as any. I decided that best way to celebrate was down the local with my boyfriend, David, and his mates. Get pissed, stoned, and chill out. I didn’t have any friends at the college I attended. So, no party not like Mum would have let me have one anyway. Unfortunately, nobody was in a great mood. The atmosphere was strained, and I didn’t force myself to have a good time; it was obvious it wasn’t going to happen. By the time, I got home, I was depressed. There must be more to life than this? What was my purpose? Why was I born? I needed to sit down and think. Something needed to change, and it was up to me to change it. That was the beginning. That was when it all started.”

The novel movement was liquid! Each character was fully-developed, flawed and so authentically human. The violence and suspense was interwoven with a warm familial relationship among the MC members, lots of British slang colored the narrative which added such realism and really took the reader on a thrill-ride through the streets of London.

Lovely Booklover, I Never reveal ANY spoilers in my reviews as I wish for you to discover the joys of each Tantalizing Tale for yourself. I kindly recommend you purchase this book for your home library.

[Sherry Haynes · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book is labeled as MC romance but I feel it is more gang that happened to ride bikes than anything. It is also the gang mentality. Its typical gang behavior With stuff like harassing innocents, fighting, tagging and hanging around as a group. There isn't anything illegal besides taking drugs with the group that would normally be associated with MC books. It had potential to have been good but I found the discrepancies (such as one page she is 17 and next 18 then back to 17), the repeativeness, and the lack of time frame (months and months/years and years later happens often) deters from actually enjoying the plot. I wanted to enjoy it but felt a lack of connection within the characters and depth to the unit of guys.

There are triggers such as rape and cheating that makes this book not for everyone. If you like gang mentality (not MC) books then this is probably a good book for you to delve into. Expect to not know ages once the book is started.

[Nicole · Rating 3 out of 5]

**Trigger Warning** for violence, alcohol abuse, suicide, drugs and rape.

I received a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

This story follows young Jade as she meets and falls for the President of a biker gang. Sounds good right? I love me a good MC Romance... To be honest I was a little disappointed.
I felt the story was too rushed, and kinda all over the place. This one book could have been made in to two or three very detailed books in a series, if each story line was fleshed out a little. I would have loved to learn more about each character. I didn’t find myself to emotionally invested in any of them. Jade, Dylan, Clay and Marcus all have a lot of potential, I just need a little more from the author about them.

[Chrystal · Rating 5 out of 5]

Loved

I love this book. She joined the gang to feel love. They all took her in an treated her like a her. She loved with the 2 brother in love with Marcus or so she thought. But Dylan was the one who really loved her. But she didn't want to hurt Marcus. So they kelp its secret. Then Dylan was killed to protect he brother.

[Kaye Springett · Rating 5 out of 5]

I won the series of these books and so glad I did they were great and just got better and better don’t be put off by it being for a YA they were so good and definitely worth a read I will be keeping and eye on this author from now on

[Linda · Rating 4 out of 5]

Well Done!! This story reads like a diary but certainly does not hold back on the expressions of love hate and lust.

[Geoff (G. Robbins) (merda constat variat altitudo) · Rating 2 out of 5]

I came to this book, not really knowing what to expect from it. A lost girl in search of happiness? Perhaps. An amoral tale of urban violence in gangs? Maybe. How time affects gangs and there members? Certainly.

The central character of the book, Jade, is a bored country girl who wants a life. After running to London she becomes infatuated with the leader of a local motorcycle gang. The novel covers the period and events around her time with the gang.

The storytelling is in the first person from Jade’s perspective. This is combined with a flashback at the start of the book which looks back a year. Unfortunately, this incident is never referred to again in the book as it progresses through the years. This disorientates the reader, who is left trying desperately to understand the timescales.

The problem with this book is that its neither fish nor fowl. The romance is handled in a very unemotional way, as is the action of the gangs. It feels like Jade could be as easily describing a gang of chartered accountants. There just doesn’t seem to be any passion in the piece, with the exception of the final confrontation, which is quite well handled. If the rest of the book had been as good as that, it would have been a good read. Unfortunately, it isn’t. The author really needs to hone her descriptions; clothing and attitude does not describe a scene. Depth is in the soul of the characters.

There are too many spelling and grammatical errors in this book for my liking. The formatting is also poor, with large sections being randomly indented.

[Karina Kantas · Rating 5 out of 5]

In Times of Violence is an urban thriller about a bikers gang based in London, UK.

A mixture of violence, romance, tragedy and comedy, this novel is an exciting read, that you will not want to put down.

Conflict action, it's an emotional roller coaster ride.



"It was much better than I expected [as a 57-year-old grandmother living in rural Kentucky :-) ], the characters are true-to-life and interesting, 'real' people [the have jobs!] that feel out of place in society. The violence is real, and well-written. I read it straight through in one sitting and enjoyed it a lot. I recommend this book for people who like to read about 'rebels' and why they make the life choice they do." - USA

"THIS WAS A VERY EXCITING AND EASY BOOK TO READ.I DIDN'T WANT IT TO END.I THINK WE ALL IMAGINE OURSELVES AS REBELS,AND I COULD RELATE TO THE STORY.THE FRIENDSHIP AND VIOLENCE WAS MIXED TOGHETER WITH SKILL, AND I WILL RECOMMEND THIS BOOK FOR ANYONE, AND ANY AGE." - Romania


Professional review:
http://futurefire.net/2008.11/review/...

[Dawn · Rating 4 out of 5]

"In Times of Violence" isn't my usual choice of reading material, but I really enjoyed it! It's gritty, dark, and (as the title suggests!) very violent in parts - probably not suitable for those who are squeamish or overly sensitive.
Karina Kantas writes with an honesty that I can appreciate and makes the journey through Jade's tale smoother.
However... there are numerous problems with typos and spelling mistakes ("pillar" instead of "pillow", "wide-birth" instead of "wide-berth", etc.), punctuation errors, and missing words. It's a shame, as this book deserves some TLC.

[Amy · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is not typically the type of book I read. However, it kept me wanting to keep reading to see what happened next. Even though the characters where engaged in a lifestyle that was completely foreign to me, I found myself relating to them and the decisions they had to make. I could see myself and people I know in them. I really enjoyed the book.

[Bonnie · Rating 4 out of 5]

loved the characters, remembered them from the Huntress but this was them before. for me it was a quick read..action,love,drama even cried in the end. family doesn't always mean blood relatives. i can relate have quite a few of those. it's a brotherhood. if you didn't enjoy it you didn't pay attention to what it was about!

[Karina Kantas · Rating 5 out of 5]

Nook format of my best seller, urban thriller, In Times of Violence.

[Karen J. Mossman · Rating 4 out of 5]

A enjoyed this, Karina Kantas writes really well and knows how to weave a story with some great characters to keep the reader hooked.

[Julie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Could Be a True Story!!

In Times of Violence, Karina Kantas, has created a great story about the life of a young girl as she grows up into adulthood. It goes through the changes in her life right up to where she has grown children of her own. It is an MC story so there are some people who might be shocked however I found it very true to real life. Karina did an excellent job of creating the story of Jade's life and her friends. It will keep you on the edge of your seat and it will be hard to put down until you finish it. The next book Huntress starts out even better, if that's possible. Kudos to Ms Karina Kantas for creating such a true to life story.

[Leah · Rating 5 out of 5]

Reading this reminds me so much of S.O.A. Well put together and the characters are relatable. I laughed and cried while reading. I look forward to reading the next book!


Well Done, Karina Kantas!