Review of

Awakened Within, A Lost Souls Novel

Author's Words:

"With a jolt, Vienna Rossi sat straight up in bed. She ran her fingers into her thick tangled mass of hair. The room was dark and she could hear a chorus of crickets chirping outside her bedroom window. Taking a deep breath, she held it for a moment then exhaled, trying to calm the rapid beating of her heart. This was the third night in a row this week that she awoke because of a nightmare. And not a series of nightly scares, but the same disturbing dream that had been haunting her for the last few weeks. It was becoming more frequent and it wasn't getting any easier to deal with."

"Vienna searched her purse for something to take for motion sickness. If she didn't take it now, she knew she'd pay for it later. Popping a little yellow pill into her mouth, and slipping on her trusty pressure point wrist bracelet for travelling, she settled in for the flight."

Vienna is a young college student who is having strange nightmares and hears a voice talking to her. She decides to follow her instincts and go to Palm Springs, California where her dad has a vacation home and solve the nagging vision that was haunting her. Seeking clues to a bloody murdered girl in the past leads her into supernatural events. She discovers secrets about her self and meets some very interesting characters along the way, a handsome man who is there one moment and gone the next. He appears out of thin air and poof he is gone again.

While she is in California she finds out her uptight dad is engaged to a woman named Bunny, Bunny a little older then Vienna, and she is not happy about her new future step-mother, and who will tell the ex -wife the bad news.
Meanwhile the nightmares are leading Vienna to dark places and isolated back alleys and possibly meeting the murderer of the haunting vision of the girl that keeps invading her dreams.

She needs help but is too embarrassed to explain about the strange events occurring in her life. She is at a crossroads in her life, she enjoys being an artist and part-time teacher, not ready to dive into an unknown supernatural realm where the unexpected occurs. Her best friend Kim and even the new step-mom surprised Vienna for they believe in ghosts and other unseen phenomenon. She discovers Kim is a paranormal investigator, news to Vienna. She herself is still sceptical but not for long. She keeps getting hit in the head with warnings and signs, and a baritone voice.

Is she about to lose it or give up, and ignore all the signs? Will Jack, her spirit guide, be able to save her in time? She is closed to his presence and he is fading fast. Without her belief in him, something wicked is about to happen and he will not be able to protect her.

He tries to get her attention, with mirror writing, static in the music, and vapours in and out of her eyesight. He is scaring the daylights out of her.
Kim arrives in town with her paranormal equipment. Of course the girls go shopping first, and then chase after the possible friend of the suspect they think may have killed the young girl. Vienna dares herself to go on a date with the murderer's co-worker to find out more information about Nathan who was the alleged suspect, he disappeared from his computer job and not been heard from since.

Meanwhile Kim is contacting the computer company to have a technician come to the house and does her own investigation. The girls are in separate locations and Vienna is in trouble and Jack can't reach her.

The story is action packed, and modern writing with an edge of haunting quality to it. It is a page turner because the characters are unique in their own personalities.

This is the author's word's

"Jack," she said. "Jack, are you here with me? Give me some sort of sign."
The lamp on the nightstand flickered.
"Okay. You're here. I wish I could see you."
Jack summoned up energy from the lamp causing it to flicker again. He conjured up just enough to make himself visible, yet transparent.

"Oh, my God." Kim placed her hand to her racing heart. "I can see you."
The bedside light flashed in response.
"Where's Vienna? What can I do?"
"She's in trouble," Jack answered, his voice barely a whisper. Kim had to concentrate to understand him. "She's with Ryan. She's been drugged. I can't wake her."

Author's words:

"Where the hell was she? She couldn't see out. Should she start screaming for help and bang on the walls? Would someone besides Ryan hear her? Or would he be the only one. That would make him angry. His bright green eyes flashed in her mind. He was going to hurt her.

What was she going to do? An even worse thought occurred to her; what was he going to do?

This was a haunting chilling supernatural tale with all the elements of the unseen from ghosts to spirit guides and everything in between. I highly recommend this book by Michelle Matkins a/k/a Michelle Ann Hollstein. She is becoming one of my favourite authors, and writes in different genres too. Psst, I heard this book will be free this weekend, go see her works and decide if she is an author you like to store in your reading library.

http://www.amazon.com/Awakened-Within-Souls-Novel-ebook/product-reviews/B0051BBHF0

Back of Book:

In order to make the nightmare stop, Vienna Rossi, realizes she must take matters into her own hands. She’s compelled by an unseen force to hop on a last minute flight to track down a murderer.

Awakened within her is a psychic gift she never knew she had, a handsome spirit guide who drives her nuts, and the ability to help lost souls crossover to the other side.

Vienna and her spirit guide, Jack, team up with Vienna’s best friend, Kim, for a dangerous, murder solving, ghost hunting adventure.

Links

Website: www.MichelleAnnHollstein.com

Facebook Page: https://www.facebook.com/pages/A-Lost-Souls-Novel/194590340585735?ref=hl

Book Trailer: http://youtu.be/lKtPxzn4pRY