Books with author R. Burke

Suspenseful. Action-packed. Romantic.First there were the videos of terrified crowds halfway around the world. Then his little brother tells him there’s a strange man in their backyard. What happens next is so disturbing, sixteen-year-old Matt has trouble believing it actually happened…Knowledge of a silent alien invasion is spreading through the community. The aliens are rumored to look human, so no one knows who to trust. His parents warn him to leave it to the adults, but Matt soon finds himself the leader of a group of teens who are determined to do their part.As the hysteria grows, things spin out of control. Matt watches as fear slowly turns his world into a dystopia. And Savannah – the girl he likes – is bringing up issues that make the two of them start to doubt their convictions.As Matt and Savannah join the battle, questions will arise they could have never foreseen - How do you recognize an enemy?Who can you really trust?And what is it that makes us human?If you like: a fast-paced science fiction page-turner with a side of romance, this series is your next binge-worthy reading addiction.“Amazing Read… Great characters, plenty of action…” – Kindle ReviewerChapter 1Matt was supposed to be sleeping; instead; his eyes were glued to his phone. He scrunched beneath his covers and kept the sound low so it wouldn't wake his parents. He was watching a scene of panic playing out in a news video. The story had been recorded in a country halfway across the world.In the video, thousands of people had assembled in the stands of a soccer stadium, but something had gone terribly wrong. Now they were running - stampeding - away from something.Matt couldn't understand the language of the person reporting the story, and he couldn't read the words that scrolled along the bottom of the screen on his phone. But it didn't require any translation. On each of their faces was raw fear.The news camera zoomed in, zoomed out, and then panned the scene unsteadily. The crowd pushed, shoved, and clawed their way as they tried to escape the stadium. Matt searched the small screen on his phone for the source of their hysteria, but he couldn't find it. It always seemed to be just out of view of the news camera. What were they running from?Matt hit the pause button on the video. Had he heard something?Quietly, carefully, he lowered his blanket and peeked out. His room was dark and his parents' room was dark. A beam of light from a streetlamp across the street had found its way through the slats of his window blinds and cast a dim light into the hallway, but nothing was there.Matt pulled the blanket back up over his head and re-started the news video on his phone. The people in the video began running again. One man shoved another out of his way, and Matt saw him tumble down the bleacher steps. In another part of the huge crowd, a different man shoved a woman who careened over a guard rail - Matt couldn't see how far she fell. The camera zoomed in and Matt suddenly realized that from underneath the feet of the stampeding people were protruding arms and legs.They were running over each other, Matt realized - crushing each other in their panic. Something had scared these people, but what had that fear turned them into? Suddenly revolted, Matt stopped the video. But as he did, he heard the sound again - a sound of rustling, movement, and the creak of a floorboard.Matt eased the blanket down, and this time he waited for his eyes to adjust. Where had the sound come from? Downstairs? The hallway? *** (End of excerpt)

Life is hard in a 1920s mill town with the poverty, long hours - and vampires...I'm Lillian Dane, and I've discovered that there's something my town is keeping in the shadows.The mill is the center of our town. Maybe it's sacrilegious to say this, but the mill's owners are spoken of in terms usually reserved for the church. There are parallels: they live high in a manor on the mountain - unseen and seemingly watching over us. We live below in the town, depending on them for everything that sustains us: our jobs, the food we eat, the rental roofs over our heads.I never thought much about the mill owners - until lately. But I've discovered secretive townspeople visiting the estate after dark. I've seen ancient - and yet oddly familiar - symbols on their gate. And I've stumbled upon strange and terrifying creatures haunting the grounds of the manor.But most fascinating of all, I - Lillian Dane - have laid eyes on one of the reclusive mill owners, and he is beautiful - as beautiful as one of the angels pictured in the big Bible at the front of our church.And now I can't seem to stop myself from sneaking onto the mill owners' estate to catch another glimpse of him, even though everyone warns me of the family's power - and how they will use it to get anything they want.I'm sure they're right. I'm sure I should be afraid of the family. But right now I'm more afraid of the shudder of wings I feel in the darkness right behind me...Chapter OneSaturday, September 14, 1929A night wind picked up, making the trees wave their arms in a crazed dance. Their branches rattled, sounding for all the world like a bag of dry bones knocking together. I looked up.High in the dark trees above me, a shadowed figure was standing on a branch.The figure was too far for me to make it out. Was it a mammal? It didn’t look like any mammal I knew. It looked… human. Which, of course, was impossible.A chill ran through my body, and that’s when it occurred to me, all at once, that I might be in danger.I blamed Sadie.I don’t like to think of myself as the type to spy on a friend, but I hadn’t done it on purpose. I’d simply caught Sadie in a lie, entirely by accident.Sadie and I had been best friends since first grade. At seventeen, she and I were the only two students in town to continue in school. Our families planned for us to be schoolteachers. Lately, however, Sadie had turned secretive.For as long as I could remember, Sadie and I had studied together on Saturday nights. But then tonight – for the second Saturday in a row – Sadie had begged off, saying she was going to stay home because she wasn’t feeling well.So, when I saw her making her way up the dark road exactly at the time we were supposed to be studying, I almost called out to her. Then I thought better of it. After all, Sadie had lied.I figured that was pretty much the same as begging me to follow her.***(End of excerpt)Interview with the author:What vampire books have you read lately?R.L. Burke: Mostly young adult fantasy and paranormal books. I like the tension between the fear and attraction in vampire romance.Why write a young adult paranormal romance?R.L. Burke: I enjoy fantasy and paranormal books, so I write in the different sub-genres. I prefer my vampires in the young adult paranormal romance genre - less gore; more mystery and suspense.What makes your vampire book different?R.L. Burke: I hint at a new origin story for vampires, based on a real myth. I'm surprised I haven't seen it used as a vampire origin story before. This book is actually young adult historical fiction, because it takes place in the early 20th century United States - when there was a big divide between the rich and poor. I play with the stereotypes the poor have of the rich and vice versa, but it's meant ironically.>Young Adult Paranormal & Urban>Young Adult Historical Fiction>Young Adult Fantasy

Book Two in the I Am Human series:Matt and Savannah find themselves in an alien world. Strangely, it is both familiar and unfamiliar. The people of this world are obsessed with rank and power, and who holds it. Matt and Savannah discover it's not difficult to make friends here, but it's even easier to make enemies. As they find their way in this new society, they will try to uncover the answers to their questions:Why are the aliens interested in Earth?What business do the aliens have with humans?And most importantly - How will they escape?Books in the I Am Human Series:I Am HumanNothing Human IsAlien To Me

Volume III in the I Am Human Series:Back on Earth, Matt and Savannah find themselves caught between two worlds - the humans who are hunting aliens, and the aliens who are hunting THEM.They know there has to be a way to defeat the strata, but every expert tells them that humans haven't got a chance.Matt and Savannah aren't going to give up. But finding a way to fight a superior technology is going to require thinking in a new way.And in the end, they will find they have to look to history in order to save the future.

Enchantment awaits you in the cold equatorial waters just west of South America. As the sunrise and gentle winds remove clouds of mist that engulf Galapagos, islands born of volcanic activity lay ready to expose the diversity of life they now harbor. Much of the life born and nurtured here cannot be found elsewhere on Earth. Join Buddy on his Adventure in the Enchanted Islands as he explores lush vegetation, barren moonscapes, and a mesmerizing undersea world. Discover giant tortoises, fascinating birds, and bizarre behaviors. Feel his vibes as events trigger a sixth sense that puts Buddy on a mission to protect his fellow travelers from unbeknownst dangers. This is the second book in a series of Buddy the Globetrotter travel tales.