A Bulwark Anthology - Three Separate Stories and Authors from New Series!

Bulwark: a wall or stockade that protects or sometimes hides the truth from the outside world...

It started with sharing the small town of Bulwark with the world!
The truth had been hidden from the outside world, until
Brit Lunden shared her first story--BULWARK!
Do check out the trailer above and my review by clicking the sidebar
before you continue reading...

It may help...or not...

A Bulwark Anthology

One thing I especially liked about this anthology is that they are separate books, which can be read and reviewed as the reader wishes...
Today, I'm reviewing Books 1, 2, and 8...
Three different stories, all related to that little town Bulwark...

When he spotted her walking through those corridors, all sights and sounds faded, making his feel that they were alone in the world, as if  no one else existed.

Everything muted to a gray blur, and he knew instinctively she'd been waiting for him and had been for a long time.

His well-ordered life had been turned upside down, and nowhere was safe.

He couldn't fight the feeling that he knew her. She felt as familiar as his hand or his face when he looked in the mirror. Common sense told him that was ridiculous, but something his grandmother had told him years ago gave it substance.

Even though he felt the very idea was impossible...

~~~

Ever since I've loved The Ghost and Mrs. Muir in its first version, I've loved time travel or ghost stories that connect two people in some way. In The Knowing. two students from different sides of town are attracted to each other to the extent that they feel like they've known each other for a very long time.

But JB lives on a farm, and probably will continue there after school, while Ellie is from a wealthy family. Neither would have seemed a possible match under normal circumstances... JB's granny had explained the feeling once when they talked about deja vue  or seeming to know somebody as if they had met before. Granny just smiled and explained, "It's the Knowing--that feeling when you know you're going to meet someone special. But JB was realistic enough to not dwell on that, living in Bulwark as he was. Still, Ellie's wealthy family did move to Bulwark which was very strange in itself, since few ever moved into their town.

Still, they decided to try--they would meet secretly so that there would be a chance for them to get to know each other better. But when flashes of both of them being at a civil war battlefield came to them, they realized that maybe there really was something strange happening... The soldiers were located near Bulwark and several were known to be town residents. Ellie was there too...they had both had the same dream...!

Life changed as to be expected...but were they really destined to be together?

This second book by Brit Lunden was quite different from her first book, in a delightful, wonderful way...and is just as enjoyable! Check it out!

Without warning, she yanked his mouth away, panting and she grabbed the spot on her neck where he had bitten her. She turned to look at him, but he was backing away from her now, his eyes wild and crazed, holding his throat.

He stared at her face in disbelief--he was the one who was afraid now. She stood frozen, unsure of how to react to this change in circumstance when he started to run down the walkway. He didn't get far before he stumbled, tripping over his own feet. Savannah stood glued on the walk, unsure of what to do. She knew one thing though, letting him get away scott-free wasn't an option.

~~~

I don't know, if I were a vampire, thinking I was hungry and looking at somebody who looked available, I'd be there, biting into her neck quick as could be... 

So, what happens when that bite seems not to phase the individual, but, in turn, actually leads to my own death...

Savannah had that happen one night as she was headed for a rare party, since he had decided to enjoy a night off from studying...But when she was knocked down by a skateboarder, there was instantly a dark stranger there to help her up... When he bit her, backed away and started to run...and then died, with his clothes left on the sidewalk, well, Savannah was just as surprised as the vampire, you and me! Cool, right?!

Well, after that, Savannah decided to bypass the party and just wait for her boyfriend, Marshall, to head home. Only to learn, that, instead of a spring break alone, Marshall's cousin had called and asked to come over with his girlfriend, while they were in town. Savannah was not happy... But neither she nor Marshall was prepared for the fact that they would need to be "asked in" in order to visit...

With the magic that exists in the surrounding area near Bulwark, vampires had started to congregate there, and feed on the community... And that is where Marshall's cousin and his girlfriend were headed...with Marshall as their captive...

Savannah to the rescue! Yes, she had now learned about why that first vampire had died...but she'd need more to ensure she was able to free Marshall before he was turned, if it wasn't too late.

It's a fun book by R. L. Jackson who normally writes romance/romantic suspense...but, hey, she's created an excellent story that fits right in to the series locale of Bulwark. Enjoy!

"You make me feel safe," he said, his voice low.
"WTF?" I wanted to shout. Trust me, some of my mom's southern manners took control and I just sat back with a shocked look on my face. "What?" I said instead.
"This place. I...it's strange. I don't feel safe."
"Bulwark is the safest place in America," I retorted, "I would be scared in your big cities up north."
Christopher shivered as if he were chilled. I leaned forward taking his hand within mine. "Tell me."
He looked around, as if to confirm we were alone. "It's my locker."
OMG, you could have knocked me over with a feather. His locker. His locker! I didn't know how to answer. My mother's voice filled my head with her admonition of being careful what you wish for, but I smothered those thoughts when I looked at his shamed face. Whatever was troubling Christopher, it was as real as the trees around us.

~~~

Britney Leigh pens the last, 8th, book in the Bulwark Anthology. It is also her debut book, and is, perhaps, the only YA novel in the series...at least so far... Leigh shares her story as the writer of a personal diary. 

In her September 15th entry, she talks about living in Bulwark, and proceeds to talk about school and community activities. But, even then, she admits that there is "something more, something darker..." And, further, that she is an individual who is curious...about secrets and anything else. Sophia is the school reporter, so is on top of most things happening...At least she thought she was...

But when a top athlete, Christopher, asked for her help in English in order to get a needed passing grade, and they became closer, he also revealed to her a mystery that, at first, sounded crazy... It was his locker at school--it smelled, and smoke came out of it some time. Sophia shared what he'd said with Chloe, her BFF and the school photographer. Chloe admitted she had the same problem, but had never shared it with anybody...

The four students, adding Christopher's friend, Scott, agreed to work together to research and discover exactly what was happening... They already knew students were disappearing and one of them was also Christopher's friend. The sleuth foursome started their research and, the first discovery was that the school was built on ancient Native American burial grounds!

Kudos to debut author Leigh for a really suspenseful mystery that kept everybody stumped...until... Well, let's just say, it was spooky, scary, and lots of fun--being the reader that is!  I'd guess it's suitable for 6th grade on to adults!



GABixlerReviews...

Bulwark by Brit Lunden A New Adult Fiction Author?

"It's like a primordial soup," Clay Finnes muttered his hands on his hips.

"A primordial what?" Owen Bishop raised his hangdog face to look at the town sheriff.

"Primordial, ancient, prehistoric..." Clay looked at the deputy's blank face and finished with,  "old...really, really old."

"Oh," Owen shook his craggy head. His bulbous eyes looked like two hard boiled eggs; his hair was matted as if if was blued to the top of his round head. Owen never passed any of the tests allowing him to advance on the force. He was a deputy when Clay first got a job in Bulwark right out of the army. As the promotions started coming, Clay eventually became his boss. He wondered if it bothered the oler man taking direction from someone who trained under him.

"You mean like dinosaurs?" Owen scratched his head.

"Dino...no... forget it, Owen. What else did the couple say?" He listened to Owen drone on about the car that was now sitting in the middle of the greenish pond.

"Appears they were coming from the other side." Owen pointed vaguely in the other direction.

"How could they? There's nothing there. That road has been closed off for years."

Something was missing. He wasn't sure what, but a feeling of unease enveloped Clay until his body fairly vibrated with it.

Clay looked up, his deep brown eyes scanning the thicket of trees surrounding the strange body of water that seemed to appear overnight. He crinkled his nose; it smelled pretty bad too. It was a greenish color, like a dirty army fatigue. It seemed shallow. He resisted the urge to stick the toe of his boot in the water. It was still, the surface like polished glass. The Ford Fuston was trapped in the what appeared to be the deepest part of the puddle as if they had tried to speed through it. The brackish water abut two feel deep.

"If they had skirted the edges they would have made it through. He shouldn't used the choke, probably got an entire engine full of water." Once Owen started talking he could go on about something forever.

"Where the hell were they coming from?" Clay muttered to himself. He moved away as if to see through the gloom. "It's a road that leads to nowhere...

"It's not deep enough to sink," Clay observed his deputy scratch his bald head, then turned to look at the enormous puddle. It covered the road from one end to the other. He chewed the inside of his cheek. He had to admit, it appeared larger than when he got here, but it couldn't be that deep, could it? Clay forced his attention back to Owen. It helped him stop thinking of his own life. "Where are they?"

"Over at JB's house. The wife's pretty freaked out..." 

~~~

Bulwark

By Brit Lunden

Take a pinch of Brigadoon... It appears and then disappears...

And think back to the Fairy Tale, Hansel and Gretel...

You see, in the town of Bulwark, there was an old road that had led nowhere... But one day, on the main road, there suddenly appeared a small body of...ooze...mostly greenish water that moved across the main road, little by little...

The local sheriff was called out to see it, when a car had got stuck in the middle of the road... They had gotten out, but nobody, including the Sheriff, wanted to even touch that oozing puddle which was deeper in some parts...

But the strangest part of all was that the couple who had escaped from their car was screaming about what had happened to their children. They wanted the Sheriff to go to Linden Lane where their children were being held by a witch! In the Gingerbread House...

Only problem was that Sheriff Finnes knew every road located in Bulwark and he was positive there was no Linden Lane there...

Until...there was...

The genius of an award-winning long-time children's book author was, in my opinion, easily translated into this adult fantasy mystery story...Way Cool! It's easily readable for YA and up and quite enjoyable! 
Her main characters are uniquely intriguing, although I did think of Sheriff Taylor and Barney Fife... Clay had come in and ultimately was promoted over Owen...but Owen didn't seem to mind.

Clay, of course, adds to the story by having love problems in his life, distracting him to some extent, but he was involved enough and caring enough to go out and walk right up Linden Lane, heard children's laughter, but seeing nothing but a desolate old mill, a dirt road and ultimately stopped at a mailbox: Bavmorda, Gingerbread House, Linden Lane...

And found an old lady living in an old white Victorian house, who told him her family had lived there for generations...

And then there were the wolves heard in an area where no wolves had lived for many years...  A sequel to Hansel and Gretel--NOT! And definitely without one of the endings! You get to choose!

I had a lot of fun reading this debut fiction novel by Brit Lunden and hope you don't mind my sharing memories of past delights.  I've read most of the author's children's books, and the adventures we found in her fantasy and adventure pirate books, for instance, are a great lead in for her move on to fictional novels that both entertain and keep reader interest to the last page. Kudos!


GABixlerReviews