“Because of the Secret”

Brimming with expectation and anticipation, ‘Because of the Secret’ will take you on a journey within the lives of six young people who changed the whole course of their lives in one unexpected night.  Without realising the implications an accident will engulf them, plague them and mould them into different people than they ever thought they would be.

You will explore the secret, how it happened, its immediate effect and the ever unfolding results of holding something in which is so life changing.  You will be  drawn in and  become involved and touched by the stories of the characters.

Fear and worry will consume them, death and sadness will destroy them and life and love will envelope them on the path to the final outcome – the playing out of lives derailed ‘because of the secret’.

Seb and Charlotte, Tarni and Kyle, Rebecca and Zoe will let you into their lives and take you through the whole range of possible emotions over the ten years which follow the ‘accident’.  You will feel what they feel, find parts of yourself in their personalities, and ultimately travel with them to grieve, to lose almost all, and then feel a somewhat tarnished joy at the end of the journey. 

‘Because of the Secret’ is filled with passion. It’s a story which will stay with you long after the final page and a give reason to live to the full every day – for life is short and the path unknown.

I received this book as a First Reads winner and I’m so glad that I did. I will try not to give away too many spoilers if you are reading this review. 
I was this close to giving it 5 stars instead of 4 mainly because I had wished for a totally happy ending. I realize for a book to truly touch you, sometimes the ending will surprise you and even pull on your heartstrings; which this one did. It was a fun journey to get to know the characters, and I really liked the way they were presented by chapters designated to each of them. 
To see their struggles with “The Secret” and how over the years it almost destroyed each of them (with some of them it did) really makes one think about Karma and accountability. Would their lives have been destroyed if they had revealed what happened from the very beginning? It was a wonderful read and a book you don’t want to put down. It was very well written and I was able to visualize it as though it was a movie in my head. I really look forward to reading Ashlee North’s other books. She is a wonderful author and I can’t wait to see what other stories she has created. Thank you to Goodreads for allowing me to experience this great book. by Allison Celeste on Goodreads.

“Wake me up so I can Dream” by Ashlee North

Wake me up so I can Dream is a disturbing story of nightmares, visions, dreams and fears, which will leave you questioning everything in the confusing world of the beautiful lead character, Sasha.

She is a young woman with a tortured past, but a gentle soul, who after much hardship falls in love, against the odds, with Michael, who once was just a friend. Michael will love her immensely, but things will change, swiftly and dramatically, in concerning scenarios, leaving you and the characters in wonderment and turmoil.

Without warning Sasha starts to see strange visions and seems to be losing the man she loves to a ghostly figure, who walks in and out of her life at will, determined to take everything she has. Sasha feels she’s losing her grip on reality. Plagued by fear, paranoia and fluctuating emotions, she endeavours to find answers and return to her once happy, successful life.

Feelings of insanity bite at her heels and she seeks help. With this the mystery continues to unfold. Eventually Sasha will find some understanding and a little peace in her nightmarish existence, only to be plunged back into an even greater disturbance.

Wake me up so I can Dream will keep you in suspense until the very last page. You will hold your breath for Sasha, you’ll journey with her in confusion, you’ll feel afraid, you’ll feel the depths of her misery and you may even find some joy in these pages and its ultimately beautiful story!

“Circling Carousels’

In a perfect world, the carousel of life should be a beautiful thing. It should turn with beauty and grace, in peaceful, joyous revolutions. In reality, sometimes, this is just not the case! Regardless of our reaching for happiness the ride can still grind on, spin uncontrollably and leave bruises in its wake. ‘Circling Carousels’ is such a story.

In these pages you will fall in love with Candice and her lovely twin girls; Sienna and Crystal. As the story unfolds you’ll ride their carousel with them in convoluted circles, full of murderous intrigue, life threatening danger, massive deceit, not so innocent love, burning hatred and soul destroying evil!

You will experience their birth and their lives, follow in despair and hope and long for a happy ending for them all. Their story will take you from the lows of complete poverty and underworld activity, to the heights of riches, which for them will come at a terrible price. Men will love them, own them, use them, hate them with passion and sell their very souls! Women will trick them, hurt them, help them, control them and eventually bring them healing!

Sienna and Crystal will be torn from each other, in dreadful circumstances, and you will be enthralled by the twists and turns! This book is hard to put down and it will keep you hoping, dreaming and longing for something good… unable to do anything else but ride the ever turning carousel, until the final engrossing page.

“The Storm that Brews Within”

This is a life shattering and engrossing story of a young woman who is lost – lost within herself and lost in the world she struggles to live in.  She exists in pieces, searching for answers and finding none, giving her all to learn the truth and walking a convoluted path to attempt to find wellness and peace.  The main character, Lacey, is lovely, kind, shy and intelligent, but not all is as it seems in her life and the twists of fate will hold you captive as you read.  Sadness and brokenness will give way to hope and then more questions will envelope Lacey’s fragile mind. She will learn to trust, but it doesn’t come easy, and she will take you with her through the darkened valleys of her soul.  By immersing yourself in this book you will walk the paths with her to find meaning and a reality where Lacey truly belongs. The road to happiness will be confusing and confronting, but the prize will be well worth the fight – the hope for a better tomorrow her only goal – and completeness her only desire.

Once again, Ashlee North takes us on a journey of surprises in this suspenseful story of twists and turns—and a dead body. Our main character, Lacey, keeps finding herself in situations in which she has no answers as to why she is there. Is she blacking out? Is she losing her mind? With the help of five-year-old Misty, twelve-year-old Jasmine, beautifully kind and loving Sharla Ames, and twenty-year-old Tori, who all hold some answers, and Doctors Janina Rainer and Lyndell Callum, who help Lacey uncover those answers, she begins to gain some understanding to her rather perplexing situation—or does she? Read this exciting novel and come to your own conclusion of who outwitted who. And be sure to share it with your book club so you’ll have friends to discuss The Storm that Brews Within, or you’ll be left to ponder this one by yourself.
 Jo-Anne Vandermeulen

“The Chronicling of Ilithia – Keetsie and the Promise” (soon to be published)

Most afternoons and early evenings Keetsie would spend time rejuvenating – finding peace down at the stream – only a hundred feet from her house. She would sit with her eyes closed, thinking over her day and plan for the future, but mostly she just rested her mind and enjoyed the sights and sounds around her.

Keetsie always believed there were other worlds, other kingdoms, and other people and creatures on the earth. She always believed in the existence of faeries, partly due to her mother’s stories, but also because of the books that she had read as a child, trying to find out about them. It was not surprising, given her belief, that she would one day see them. She was convinced she had come across a colony of forest creatures and it was only a matter of time before they trusted her enough to let her see them. Once they felt used to her presence and realised she was not a threat to them, they stopped hiding and became more curious about her, just as she was about them. Sometimes she would watch them for hours going about their business, caring for each other, and traversing the bed of the stream. They were peaceful and kind to each other and to Keetsie….

But soon, after many twists and turns in the story, she will become a captive in a prison of sorts, in Ilithia, the faerie kingdom close to her family home. She is young, alone and terribly afraid. Her captor is a king, an evil, power-hungry king, who cares not for the lives of his subjects or his children.

Keetsie has been missing now for many Ilithian days and who knows for how long in her own world, where she is simply a teenage girl, not part of their kingdom, and where she is loved by her family, her friends, and her boyfriend. At this very moment, the entire community in her own world is looking for her, desperately hoping they will find her alive.

Become a part of Keetsie’s story – join in her tumultuous journey, take the twists and turns with her – as you discover what has happened to Keetsie and why.  All will become clear, but much needs to be discovered, believed, understood and experienced by Keetsie and her family. The question is: Will you end up believing too?

“Kiss Me, Love Me, Kill Me!” (soon to be published) 

Join the teenage characters, Skye and Marco, as they find themselves in love, long passionately for their first kiss, and uncover a murderous plot in ‘Wunderland’ – an exciting and thrilling theme park – their choice of places for fun!  Meet Shontelle, Skye’s sister, who will love and lose love, hope and have hope dashed and then hope again. Get to know Roger, Clarke and Joshua, the men in her life, and find out just how they all come together in the intriguing solving of a terrible crime.

‘Kiss Me, Love Me, Kill Me’ is the whole package – full of tension, life, love, passion, deceit and ultimately death – it has all the twists and turns of a roller coaster ride.

Ride with the young lovers and feel the vibrations of the carriages as you realise that, in this place of frivolity and enjoyment, all is not as it seems. There is evil lurking everywhere – in the dark and in the light.  Feel the desire, the passion, the dreams, the hopes and needs of true love and solve the mystery of who the killer is, why he dwells in the shadows, and where he has hidden the body of the man he despises. Take nothing for granted, trust no one, for all have their part to play in the final outcome.  Don’t miss out on the ride of your life!

and lastly, a couple of great reviews –

‘Wake me up so I can Dream” – Everything in Sasha’s life is perfect—or so it seems. She is married to Michael, the most wonderful man on the planet; they live in a beautiful home near a beach; she has her dream job—an actress just beginning to live the life of fame and fortune—and yet she is plagued by a sense that something is not right. She sees darting shadows, more often in her home than anywhere else. And she senses that someone is following her. Then the worst thing of all: Michael is seeing someone else. She finds herself no longer working at her dream job, but as a secretary. It’s completely confusing to her, because she’s not sure how it all happened. She takes us with her on a journey through her past, reliving some of her memories, trying to understand how this all happened. In the meantime, she keeps trying to talk to Michael to help her understand why they are no longer together. Unfortunately, Michael cannot help her, but she does come to an understanding, nevertheless. Join Sasha as she travels on this journey to discover what the shadow is, determine what seems to be following her, and, most important, learn the truth about herself. A truth many must face. You’ll certainly want to put Wake Me Up So I Can Dream at the top of your reading list this year!

Gayle Thompson, SBPRA editor

I sincerely hope you love them all… There will be more! I guarantee it!

Love to you all,

Ashlee North