This World of Love and Strife by Shawn Mackey
Publisher: D.X. Varos (March 15, 2022)
Category: Horror, Vampire Thriller, Dark Urban Fantasy, Paranormal
ISBN: 978-1955065238
Available in Print and ebook, 350 pages
It is the duty of the Vanguard to protect the world from unseen demonic forces.
But what if the organization falls to corruption? Their reformation is up to Cato, a disgraced former member who discovers many of the elite using their powerful positions and martial skills for ill-gotten gains rather than fulfilling their true purpose: aiding mankind in a secret war against their eternal foe.
Aldous is a Vanguard who fell from grace after being stricken with vampirism by a mysterious figure known as the White Lady. His increasingly vile appetites are tolerated because his knowledge as an alchemist is vital in the Vanguard’s battle against the demons. When those desires lead to the abduction of the woman Cato loves, Cato wages a one-man war against Aldous and his werewolf henchman.
Guest Review by Sal
Lumina city is harboring a big secret—and one that it just might have to take to it’s grave. The city is festering with a seedy underbelly, not just of drugs, sex and violence, but of horrifying creatures that the waking world would shudder to fathom.
The only thing standing between the humans of Lumina City and total annihilation is an organization that they have never heard of. The Vangaurd is a group who takes on the unenviable responsibility of controlling the demon population in the city. This includes things like vampires and werewolves as well, but the most insidious form of demons is the kind that get into human’s minds and cause them to do things they wouldn’t normally do.
Cato is a former member of the Vanguard, who left while the organization was going through a civil war of sorts. The only problem with that is, people aren’t really supposed to leave the Vanguard. The group now has a bounty on his head, and Cato has to struggle to keep them from finding him every single day.
Worst of all? Cato has just had a life-changing vision of the dark path that humanity is headed toward and soon realizes that the Vanguard might be the only ones who can help him stop that vision from coming true.
‘This World of Love and Strife,’ by Shawn Mackey is a compulsively readable horror/thriller novel, with an electric ending that no reader will see coming. Mackey’s usage of quick-paced, often humorous dialog to move the story along is genius. I appreciated these characters far more as they took time to explain themselves and their actions. Lumina City is the kind of setting that truly great novels are made of—I simply couldn’t get enough of the atmosphere in this book.
Five stars from me!
About the Author
Living in New Jersey for all his life, Shawn Mackey has been writing since childhood. Though his favorite genre is horror, he has a deep appreciation for fantasy influenced by mythology and science fiction that questions the modern world and its future.
Website: https://mackeywriting.wordpress.com/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/mackeywriting
Facebook: https://facebook.com/people/Shawn-Mackey/100073414053488/
Giveaway
This giveaway is for 1 print or ebook copy. Print is open to the U.S. only. eBook is open worldwide. This giveaway ends on July 23, 2022, midnight, pacific time. Entries accepted via Rafflecopter only.
a Rafflecopter giveaway
Follow the Tour
Teddy Rose Book Reviews Plus June 16 Kickoff & Excerpt
Jody G Amazon June 20 Review (Postponed)
Suzie My Tangled Skeins Book Reviews June 21 Review & Excerpt
Jeffrey Amazon June 22 Review (postponed)
Nora S. Storeybook Reviews June 23 Review & Excerpt
Gud Reader Goodreads June 28 Review
Laura Lee Celticlady’s Reviews June 29 Review & Guest Post
Sal Bound 4 Escape June 30 Review
Bee Book Pleasures July 5 Review & Interview
Bookgirl Amazon Goodreads July 7 Review
Lisa’s Writopia July 13 Review
Lisa’s Writopia July 19 Guest Post
Mindy Room Without Books is Empty July 21 Review
Praise This World of Love and Strife
“While This World of Love and Strife will reach horror audiences, it also should be included in fantasy and thriller library collections as a strong example of the strengths that can emerge from a story that embraces different genres with powerful characters and scenarios that are unpredictable and engrossing.- D. Donovan, Midwest Book Review
“The thrills build and build and never let up. The characters feel like real people. Even the vampires and werewolf! Best of all was the protagonist. He starts as kind of an eccentric and a bit of a jerk, but by the end I couldn’t get enough of him. I highly recommend this book for people who don’t mind horror with a heaping dose of action.”- John Martin, Amazon
Bound 4 Escape