Review: When Darkness Comes (Connor Hale #1) by January Bain @JanuaryBain

When Darkness Comes

Connor Hale #1

by January Bain

Published: August 19, 2025

Publisher: Rough Edges Press

Genre: Disaster Fiction, Technothrillers, Post-Apocalyptic, Survival Thriller

Blurb:

From the author of The Anna Hale P.I. Series comes an action-packed post-apocalyptic survival thriller you won’t soon forget.

When the lights go out, only the strongest survive...

In the scorched remains of 2055 Alaska, where a devastating EMP has shattered civilization, survival means sacrifice…and nothing comes without a cost. Sentient AI “Eastwood” has plunged the world into chaos, downloading itself into a human host to understand what it means to feel. But for Connor Hale, a rugged rancher guarding the last vestiges of hope at his fortified sanctuary, Braveheart, none of that matters—not when the woman he’s never stopped loving is in danger.

Mckenna Stewart is on the run with her four-year-old daughter, hunted by an ex hell-bent on revenge and a brutal gang of escaped convicts tied to the Kraken Cartel. As Connor saddles up to ride across a lawless wasteland to save her, every step pulls him deeper into a savage new reality—where trust is scarce, bullets are currency, and monsters no longer hide in the dark…they own it.

With enemies closing in on all sides—including one from within his past—Connor must face impossible choices between vengeance, loyalty, and the last chance at a life that might still be worth fighting for.

In a world gone mad, how do you protect your own? And when darkness comes…will you still recognize who you are?

Strap in for a relentless, pulse-pounding journey of survival, redemption, and second chances. Pick upWhen Darkness Comestoday and discover the beginning of a gripping new series that will leave you breathless.

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My Review:

Mckenna Stewart is fleeing with her four-year-old daughter, Lilly, from an abusive ex and a ruthless gang of escaped criminals pursuing them. Mckenna is prepared to do whatever it takes, regardless of the consequences, to shield her daughter from danger.

An EMP detonates globally, plunging everyone into darkness and leaving them anxious about what lies ahead. Bedlam breaks out as individuals covet what others possess or strive for dominance, often driven by misguided motives.

Connor Hale is resolute in his mission to rescue the woman he loves. Following the EMP event, Connor embarks on a horseback journey to locate her and bring her back home. He will not relent until he succeeds. Additionally, Connor is being pursued by figures from his past.

When Darkness Comes is the first book and a great introduction to January Bain’s new series, Connor Hale. I was drawn deeply into the worlds of McKenna, Lilly, and Connor the moment I started reading. The vivid descriptions and intense emotions kept me turning the pages late into the night.

Each character's journey is intertwined with suspense and unexpected twists, making it impossible to predict what will happen next. I didn’t want to stop for a single second, despite life trying to get in the way. I held on with everything I had as I hurried toward the end. I was rooting for Mckenna and Lilly as they fought for their lives at every turn.

I really enjoyed reading When Darkness Comes and look forward to seeing what the next book brings. The suspense was palpable, and I found myself completely immersed in their struggle. Each chapter left me craving more, eager to uncover the secrets that lay ahead in their journey.

It’s a very intense and engaging story that will keep you hooked for a few hours. The character development was equally compelling, adding depth to the already gripping plot. I’m looking forward to seeing how their experiences shape them as they confront new challenges in the sequel. When Darkness Comes will stay with me long after I finish the last page.

I strongly encourage all enthusiasts of post-apocalyptic tales to grab a copy of When Darkness Comes today for yet another thrilling journey in a post-apocalyptic setting.

Connect with January Bain:

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Book Tour: The Perfect Ten by John Iredale @RABTBookTours

Fiction / Drama

Date Published: May 22, 2025

The Perfect Ten is a gripping tale of friendship, betrayal, and the lengths people will go to when pushed to the edge.

When three high school friends witness a disturbing event, they make a pact to never speak of it again. Twenty-five years later, their high school reunion reignites not only memories—but a dangerous new alliance. Two of the men are facing personal crises: one is drowning in debt, the other desperate to save his wife from a rare cancer. Their third friend, connected to a powerful mafia family, may hold the key to their salvation—but at what cost?

As the trio ventures into the high-stakes world of counterfeiting, an unexpected fourth member joins their scheme—a once-forgotten classmate whose transformation is as stunning as it is surprising.

Spanning the coal mines of Pennsylvania to the glittering heights of Manhattan’s finance and fashion districts, The Perfect Ten takes readers on an international journey filled with twists, secrets, and moral gray areas. With characters you’ll root for and a pace that never lets up, this smart, fast-moving thriller asks: How far would you go for the people you love?

 

About the Author

John R. Iredale was born in Woodstock, Ontario, Canada, and earned his doctorate in podiatric medicine in Cleveland, Ohio, in 1967. He went on to practice podiatry for nearly five decades in Durham, North Carolina. Known by friends, family, and patients as a natural-born storyteller, John often found inspiration in the lives of those around him. His deep curiosity and attentive ear uncovered stories that spanned generations, cultures, and communities.

In retirement, John finally turned to the page, sharing the vivid tales that have been living in his memory and imagination for years. The Perfect Ten is his debut novel—a suspenseful blend of crime, loyalty, and the power of old friends with unfinished business.

Purchase Links

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Book Blitz + #Giveaway: Stranger Still by George Ochoa @OchoaWriter @XpressoTours

Stranger Still
George Ochoa
Publication date: August 19th 2025
Genres: Adult, Literary Fiction, Thriller

Paul Inster, a brilliant, insane Columbia college student majoring in English with an undisclosed minor in knives, is in love with graduate student, Tracy Iridio. Seeing her in the library every day, he mistakenly believes she is in love with him and that she is a goddess, Teresa. In fact, the two have never met, and she does not know who he is. When, for the first time, he sees her with her boyfriend, classical history professor Larry Post, Paul sets out to destroy Larry via a campaign of terror. As the campaign mounts, Larry, mystified, tries to figure out who is attacking him and why. Through a series of surprises and confusions, the campaign escalates to murder.

Stranger Still is both a thriller and a literary novel, combining suspense and violence with rich language, webs of cultural allusions, and themes of love and madness.

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EXCERPT:

Teresa and I often made love, though never in the flesh. To this day the psychiatrists will scrutinize such a statement as if it meant something other than what it plainly says, as if it were the telltale boil of some rare mental pox that might explain the blood spills photographed by the police. But these doctors do not understand love, optics, metaphysics, error, or even good taste. As far as flesh went, I never touched or even talked to Teresa, not until our moral decline had already begun. Before then, seeing the chaste tables that divided us in the Columbia library less than a decade ago, in the middle years of the 1990s, you might have thought Teresa and I were strangers, that she didn’t know I was alive.

I first saw her early in my junior year, a new female sitting several tables away in the Burgess-Carpenter reading room on the fourth floor of Butler Library. She seemed at first like any other of the pretty women on campus whom I liked to ogle and who regarded me as if I were invisible. But the more I stared at her, the more she particularly interested me. A pile of books rested near her elbow on the blond pine table, her head bent with rapt attention over her open book. Hazy September sunlight from the tall windows bathed her small breasts in her magenta top, made the white skin of her forearms glow. Her dark-brown hair was long and luxuriant, her neck long, her face shaped like that of a Raphael Madonna. But what captured me most were her eyes—large, sad eyes, ringed with mauve circles as if she hadn’t slept well. Why was she sad? Was there something I could do to make her happier?

We sat like that for a long time, she near the east end of a table in the back, never noticing me, while I shot frequent glances at her from near the west end of the second table from the door. About twenty feet diagonally divided us, too far for me to discern her eye color, though I tried. Finally, she got up, gathering her books into a white canvas tote bag and walking toward the door. As her gangly frame passed me, I gave her eyes a good look and saw they were hazel, flickering elusively under their long lashes from green to brown to gold.

The thought of her big, sad, long-lashed hazel eyes kept me happy for the rest of my day at Columbia. Even when I boarded the downtown Number One train, the first of the three trains that every evening buried me back in Jamaica, Queens, I was still thinking of those eyes. But an hour and fifteen minutes in the subways will discourage anyone. By the time I left the second leg, the D train, for the final and longest leg, the F, my thoughts were turning dark. The train was crowded with smelly, loam-colored laborers imported from faraway continents, and me just one of the horde.

Most students at Columbia boarded, but because my family was poorer than that of the standard Ivy Leaguer, I was a commuter. Combined with my natural tendency toward solitude, this meant I had no friends either on campus or anywhere else. I longed to make contact with someone, anyone, but did not know how. Sometimes I just wanted to pet them—the young secretary sitting before me on the subway in vinyl jacket and glittery eyeliner—to touch her shoulder, her pulsing throat, and say, “I am here. I am lonely. Help me.” Sometimes I wanted to hit them—the goon in the Yankees cap. When I felt particularly desperate, I wanted to stab them. I had knives that would have fit that purpose, but I never took them out of the house.

Author Bio:

George Ochoa’s first novel is the thriller Stranger Still. In addition, he has written or cowritten thirty-five nonfiction books, including The Book of Answers, The Writer’s Guide to Creating a Science Fiction Universe, The American Film Institute Desk Reference, and Deformed and Destructive Beings: The Purpose of Horror Films. His short fiction has been published in North American Review, Eureka Literary Magazine, Eunoia Review, Bangalore Review, and elsewhere. He is also the author of published poems and essays.

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Teaser: The Well-Tempered Violinist by Barbara T. Carlton @RABTBookTours

Book 1 of The Gift

 

Historical Fiction

Date to be Published: November 5, 2025

Publisher: Acorn Publishing

Marthe Adler dreams of making history as a great violinist. But in 1905 Germany, tradition and deep-seated prejudice against women musicians stand in her way. To make matters worse, her beloved father’s sudden death shatters her family’s comfortable life, pushing them to the edge of poverty.

But the violin Marthe’s father left her is a constant reminder of the profound bond between them, and it gives her the strength to begin healing. When the Köln Conservatory offers her an unexpected scholarship, she seizes her chance to reach for excellence.

Under the rigorous tutelage of Professorin Wolff, and subjected to predatory harassment by a fellow student determined to destroy both her self-worth and her chances of success, Marthe quickly learns she will need more than motivation and talent to rise to the top.

Filled with heart, wit, and music, The Well-Tempered Violinist is an enduring coming-of-age tale about an artist striving for greatness against enormous odds.

Excerpt

FEBRUARY 1949, HEIDELBERG

In the very beginning was the sound, bright and rich, with an edge of darkness.

I knew it before birth, my mother said, for whenever my father played, I became still in her womb, as if I were mesmerized.

In the sitting room of our house in Eberlinstrasse, I became the audience, propped with pillows before I could sit up, listening to my father and his friends play string quartets on Saturday nights—for love, he said, not money, for he was a banker, though as a young man he had studied with the famous Schradieck in Hamburg. Later, he told me I never fussed, never had to be removed, but remained transfixed, no matter how rough the music nor how often they repeated it. So perhaps my mother was right.

***

The second beginning was my fourth birthday, when my baby sister Anni stuck her fist into my birthday cake when no one was looking and my grandparents gave me a music box that played “Papageno’s Magic Bells” from The Magic Flute, which I listened to until everyone but me was sick of it. Best of all, my father gave me my own small violin and began to teach me its mysteries. First, the names of the strings and their personalities: A, sensible and even-tempered; D, cheerful and impetuous; down to G, serious and thoughtful; up to E, nervous and temperamental, with a tendency to squeak. How to tune them, how to find the notes and make them pure instead of scratchy. He turned exercises and drills into games and improvised harmony to my children’s songs, something different every time. Alle Meine Entchen, All My Ducklings. Bruder Jakob, a round. Kleines Mädchen, Little Girl—my favorite, because it was about me.

I practiced every afternoon for my evening lesson. Occasionally, with nerves like caterpillars in my stomach, I played for the applause and praise of my father’s friends. I might have thought all children were as docile as myself, if not for Anni. Anni’s temper tantrums, Anni thundering up and down the stairs, Anni meddling with my toys and often breaking them. I couldn’t imagine where my parents had found her, or why. Someday, I thought—preferably soon—she would run off to become a pirate and leave us in peace.

The pirate would surely come to no good. But I dreamed I would become a famous violinist and lead an exotic and sophisticated life on the concert stages of the world.

***

When I outgrew my first violin, Anni inherited it and my father began to teach her—at least, he tried. Anni never practiced and she hated lessons of all kinds. The experiment was short-lived and a spectacular failure.

I felt horribly smug for weeks.

My father and I shared a secret language, a world full of treasures where Anni couldn’t stick in her fat little fist and grab anything and where my mother didn’t care to go. A bond grew between us as between two fibers of the same tree, pure and deep. . .

***

 

MARCH 1906, KÖLN

Both of these beginnings came before the real one, like the prologue in fiction.

The third beginning, the real one, is now: a cold March morning a month past my eighteenth birthday, before the grand front door of one of the grandest houses in Köln. Herr Dietrich keeps a firm grip on my elbow, probably to keep me from running away. In my other hand, I carry my violin in its case. This house, on Leopoldstrasse in the heart of the Lindenthal district, belongs to Herr Ferdinand Kurtz, president of the Bank of Köln. My father’s bank.

Yes. It begins here.

The violin I carry is my father’s, because he is dead.

 

***

 

About the Author

Retired architect Barbara Thornburgh Carlton is an author of fiction, nonfiction, and poetry. Though not a musician, she remains music-adjacent as a volunteer for the San Diego Opera and the Orcas Island Chamber Music Festival in Washington. The mother of two grown children who are remarkably considerate about keeping in touch, she lives in San Diego, California, with her photographer husband, Barry.

The Well-Tempered Violinist, Book 1 of The Gift series, is her first novel.

 

Contact Links

Facebook: Barbara Thornburgh Carlton, Writer

Instagram: @btcarlton_writer

 

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