This thrilling read is an exciting rollercoaster filled with unexpected twists and lots of intrigue! Although it can be enjoyed on its own as a stand alone story it's worth starting with the first book in the series as that adds even more depth to the characters you’ll meet.

The main stars of the story are twins Maddy and Will Marshall, who find themselves caught up in a high-stakes adventure. Will and Bear—who happens to be Maddy’s love interest—are both VanOps agents, while Maddy, a talented software expert, lends her expertise without being part of their black-ops team. When foreign agents swipe some mysterious information that points to a source of power for a super weapon, Maddy jumps in to help the VanOps crew crack the case of the stolen ancient star chart.

As the plot unfolds, you'll travel alongside them through the Middle East, the Philippines, Turkey, and Mexico, all while soaking in loads of action, suspense, and some nail-biting close calls.

With plenty of twists and turns leading up to an exhilarating climax, you’re in for a real treat! I loved the strong female characters, the mysterious elements surrounding the star chart, and the hint of the paranormal woven into the tale. While the thrilling missions were super engaging, I did find the quick shifts in perspective a little tricky to follow at times. Overall, it’s a captivating thriller.

Solstice Shadows (VanOps Book 2) by Avanti Centrae

402 Pages
Publisher: Thunder Creek Press, Independent Book Publishers Association (IBPA), Members’ Titles
Release Date: August 11, 2020

Fiction, Historical Fiction, Mystery, Thriller, Action, Adventure, Special Ops

Maddy Marshall has been recruited to a special operations unit, but she has resisted. Now her life is in danger, and she must join her boyfriend Bear, and her brother Will. They are in search of a stolen ancient star chart. They travel through the Middle East chasing a Russian thief. Maddy must find the chart but then decipher its meaning.

The story has a fast pace, the characters are developed, and it is written in the third person point of view. Maddy is a strong and courageous woman with a black belt, but she has a soft side too. She is in the process of adopting AJ, a young boy. If you like action stories with intrigue and strong women characters, you will enjoy this book.

The plot sounded really good, but I had a hard time getting into the book. Apparently this is the second book in a series that can be read as a stand alone, which is something I appreciate.

This was a fantastic historical thriller. I loved the settings and there is much action and suspense. I’m glad I went along for the ride!
Many thanks to Thunder Creek Press and to NetGalley for providing me with a galley in exchange for my honest opinion.

I received an ARC in exchange for my review. I enjoyed Solstice Shadows (Van Opps #2) even though I hadn't read the first one. I do want to go back and listen/read the first book. I will continue reading the series too, I loved the action, adventure and the historical references. I love how the author tied in ancient mysteries to the present day. I think the the bad guys are evil and appreciated the fact that the author didn't over do it with gore. I do think that it could be bought at the high school level.

A well paced and exciting story with good characterisation, lots of action and I thoroughly enjoyed it.
This is the second book in the series, can be read as a stand alone but it will make it more enjoyable if you read them in order.

Book Review: Solstice Shadows (VanOps #2) by Avanti Centrae
(Published by Thunder Creek Press, August 11, 2020)

4.25 Stars.

"Use the force, Luke." - whispers the spirit of Obi-Wan Kenobi

And that is exactly what Maddy Marshall does at the team's darkest moment faced with the demon himself, as - to her own peril, she unleashes a horrifying ball of lightning from her bare palms, using her newly developing power from a combination of the energy emitted by that mysterious artifact from space, and her training as a humble sensei in "The Way of Unifying with Life Energy", the Japanese art with ancient origins, also known as 合気道, - aikidō.

"The Raiders of the Lost Ark" meet "Dragon Ball Z", in an action thriller that could fall right into the domain of Toei, the Japanese anime giant.

Author Avanti Centrae pens an eclectic, action-packed, psychic and archaeological thriller that transports the reader to some of the earth's most exotic places.

It's Maddy, twenty-something, a distant member of the Spanish Royal family, cyber coding expert, member of an ancient order, new recruit of strike force, VanOps, and adoptive mother to a refugee child, AJ, and her comrades - against a cabal of Russian and Spanish powermongers who seek to manipulate the energy of the universe inside buried secrets, to seize power and wreak havoc upon the world.

The Winter Solstice and its shadow cast upon ancient pyramids on the shortest day and longest night of the year. Zero point energy, high temperature superconductivity, quantum computing and the vulnerabilities of IOT, the Internet of Things.

Creative, well-researched story with far more substance than would be expected in a short read.

Unputdownable!

Review based on an ARC from Thunder Creek Press and NetGalley.

Solstice shadow is a great book, well paced, very interesting and very exciting, is the second book of the VanOps series, I recommend it, this is great, but you got to read the first book to understand this...
thanks Netgalley for this book

Solstice Shadows is the second book in the VanOps series. As per usual, I have not read the first, but from the description, it apparently could be read as a standalone. I really, really wish the publisher had not implied this, because it is not so. It's clear that the story of what came before is important, and treating this like a second book where the first needs to be read, instead of a standalone part of the series, does a disservice to the book and thus to the reader.

The issue is that the author does not weave the backstory into this book well. We get internal monologues out the wazoo, and a bunch of "As you know," with some flat out telling mixed in for good measure. Were the backstory presented as necessary, in short bursts, instead of the author trying to get in a large chunk of it at once, it would have been less annoying.

At its most basic: a star chart that supposedly maps to a source of superconductive material has been stolen from the apartment of Maddy Marshall (if it's so important, why does she not keep it in a safe?) but the thief did not find the sliver of a blade? material? something. She, her twin brother, and her boyfriend Bear have been recruited to the super super super secret VanOps group - interestingly, even with all the telling going on, I've no idea at 35% what the "van" part of that stands for - and Maddy is dithering on accepting because she's part of a super super super secret and special group of international spies. Or something.

I'm sorry, but the narrative in this is driving me crazy as I read it and it's going on the DNF list at 35%. I didn't care about these people, what they'd done, or what they were going to do, and I just don't think the writing itself is very good. This one was not for me, even though it sounded interesting when I came across it.

Thanks to Thunder Creek and NetGalley for the review copy.

Lots of Action

This is the second book of the VanOps series, and I had not read their first before I chose this audiobook and book at one of my favorite book review sites. While the author did explain some of the backstory and relationships, the action was so fast at the beginning—and actually throughout—that it wasn’t easy to get the full scope of what had gone before, who everybody was, and how everything interrelated as the situation melted down in the present. This book is certainly action-packed. This is not the typical genre I read, but I liked the chase and the hunt aspects as well as the globe-trotting. I didn't feel like the characters were as developed as they could be nor were the relationships between the people fully explored. Maddy felt a little wishy-washy at times; I would have preferred a slightly stronger heroine. This book is all about the action, not the characters, which can be fine if that's what you're looking for (or prefer). If you like globe-trotting action stories, you might enjoy this fast-paced story.

This book falls short somewhere in connecting facts, fiction and the characters. As I have not read the first book, I could not understand the characters properly. The plot is good but I could not get into the story. Maybe because I have not read the previous book or I went in with the expectation of Da Vinci Code. I don't know. I would read the previous book and give this one another try.

I have picked this up twice and tried to read it but find it difficult to get going. I believe there is a previous VanOps book and feel that it is necessary to read the first book to begin to make sense of what is happening in this book. Therefore I prefer not to leave a review for this book.

Thank you to Thunder Creek Press and NetGalley for an advance copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

I'm glad that I gave this series another chance.
The first installment of this series, The Lost Power, felt very jarring to me. There wasn't a very smooth transition between some scenes which, for me, made the storyline a little confusing at times. I also found the characters to be a little flat.
This isn't the case for this second installment, Solstice Shadows. The storyline flows very smoothly in this narrative with characters that are more fleshed out and likeable.

I'm a huge fan of secret societies in search of ancient artifacts so this book was right up my alley. You are taken on a whirlwind quest with non-stop action that will have you holding your breath in anticipation. All future books in this series will go straight to my TBR list!

This novel got off to a slow start for me. It is a sequel and you need to read the first one to understand the action in this one. (I did read that first book in the series, VanOps: The Lost Power, and you can read my review here.)

A star chart discovered in the first book is stolen in this one. Some think the chart will identify the location of superconducting materials. The good guys need to find the location before the bad guys do and construct a superconducting computer with which they can control the world.

The novel takes us all over the world, from ruins to cities to deserts. The narrative of the novel jumps around as the two small VanOps teams pursue leads and are hunted by the bad guys. I did find the frequent breaks in tense action a little disconcerting, though each change in location was clearly identified. Some of the characters have special powers, like the ability to throw lightening. There is some advanced technology used too.

This novel is action upon action. There is not a great deal of character development. This is a novel for readers who like nearly continuous escapes from attacks. And you will learn a great deal about ancient archaeological possibilities and secret societies.

I received a complimentary egalley of this book from the publisher. My comments are an independent and honest review.

Life for Maddy has just started to settle down after the events of 16 months ago. AJ is in her life and hopefully will stay that way. Bear may be in training but things are going good and they see each other as often as they can. Unfortunately the peace will last no longer and the world she thought she was done with has thrust itself violently back in. With no other choice she will again join her brother and Bear in a race against time and untold foes to save America from a terrorist attack that could plunge them back into the dark ages. Exciting, action pact with depth and feeling and I could not put it down! I'm so ready for more Maddy and her crazy life!

This review is not going to be long. I am not a huge fan of a review rehashing the entire plot and spoiling it for everyone.

This is the first book by Avanti Centrae that I have read. It was a cute story. I just wish there was more, more back story, character development, just something more. I did enjoy the plot!

I received an ARC of this book to read through NetGalley in exchange for a fair review. I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

Thank you Netgalley for this e-ARC! ⁣
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I can't believe this is the book two! I seriously need to read the book 1.⁣
Solstice Shadows is an intriguing thriller focusing on the main characters - Maddy, Bear and Will's adventure across various countries. This is the first science fiction that I read and enjoyed because i think science fictions are boring.⁣
But this one definitely wasn't. It was fast paced, full of action. There were lots of words that were new, and some chapters i couldn't understand. But towards the middle I understood where the plot was going and even had my own assumptions as to how it would all end.⁣
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If you're in for an adventurous book, then you have to check this out. PRONTO ⁣

From Mexico to Morocco, Turkey, Egypt and Jordan, Solstice Shadows is a non-stop thriller. Avanti Centrae offers a mix of history, science and mystery that come together in an explosive ending.

Maggie Marshall is a black belt in Aikido and recently started a computer company. She and her twin brother Will are descended from Spanish royalty. In possession of an ancient star chart, they were previously involved in a search that revealed artifacts with strange hieroglyphics. When a Russian agent steals the star chart, it sets off a race to decipher the artifacts and discover the location of a meteorite that contains immense power.

Will and Maggie’s boyfriend Bear are members of VanOps, a government agency. While Maggie has been pressured to join the team, she has resisted. Now she must work with the VanOps team to prevent an attack by the Russians. They have developed a program that would use the meteorite to disrupt power and cause chaos, enabling them to invade the United States. Avanti Centrae is an author to watch if you are a true thriller fan. I would like to thank NetGalley and Thunder Creek Press for providing this book for my review.

Enjoyed Solstice Shadows. Did both the audio and reading, as I could listen, and then read a chapter or two at night before bed. Very exciting, fast pace as they hop around the world, searching for an ancient mystery. Will need to track the first book down, and can't wait for the next.

404 pages

5 stars

Maddie has yet to decide whether to join the Van Ops team or not. Meanwhile, another crisis develops and she must go with them to get back something valuable that was stolen from her loft.

The current mission takes the team around the world. To these exotic locales with such a sense of history. I love books like this. Such a sense of history. I like reading about places that I will never visit, except in my mind.

Brilliant writing and Ms. Centrae's creative imagination carry this story to fantastic heights. Her writing is crisp and the pace of the book is good. I like the various characters on the team and Maddie and Bear's romantic entanglement, rife with misunderstandings and troubles. This book was better than the first.

More please, Ms. Centrae.

I want to thank NetGalley and Thunder Creek Press/IBPA for forwarding to me a copy of this absolutely great book for me to read, enjoy and review.