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The Valentine Wager by Nan Reinhardt – Review & Guest Post

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The Valentine Wager by Nan Reinhardt – Review & Guest Post

 

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Description:
He’s a notorious flirt, so she lays down a challenge she’s sure she’ll win.

When playboy police lieutenant Ryker Lange stops Kitt Boynton for driving on the wrong side of the road, his attraction to the feisty Irish lass is immediate. Yet, despite the sizzling chemistry between them, Kitt quickly turns him down.

Kitt has moved to River’s Edge for a fresh start and is ready to focus on her new marketing job at her cousins’ winery. She’s done with players, and vows she won’t let the local sexy cop distract her, but Kitt, a flirt herself, is definitely tempted. To keep her sanity as she prepares for several Valentine-themed winery events, she and Ryker make a bet: for the next three weeks, neither of them can flirt with the other.

The game starts out lighthearted, but when the town takes sides, Ryker and Kitt must choose between winning a wager or finding lasting love.

 

 

Review:

The Valentine Wager by Nan Reinhardt is the first book in her The Lange Brothers series.  This is a spinoff from The Four Irish Brothers Winery series.  Kitt Boynton, our heroine, has recently moved to River’s Edge from Ireland, to be the marketing manager for her cousins at their winery. Kitt had a bad experience with her ex-boyfriend, who was married, and she has sworn off men.

Ryker Lange, our hero, is a police lieutenant, and when he sees Kitt driving on the wrong side of the road (she still is used to driving on the other side), he pulls her over.  Ryker, who is a playboy, is immediately attracted to the beautiful Kitt, but she brushes him off.  Ryker, despite his family and friends warning him to stay away from Kitt, as he has never allowed himself to get serious, thereby hurting many women along the way; but he is determined to win Kitt over. 

They both feel their sizzling chemistry, but Kitt recognizes that Ryker is a player, and constantly ignores his attempts.  As she helps prepare for the winery Valentine events, Kitt is fun to be with, and most of the townsfolk love her friendliness; though they both like to flirt, they make a bet. For the next three weeks, neither of them can flirt with each other, and just become friends. Who will win that bet?  Now the town has begun to place bets as to who will win. 

Kitt having been badly hurt previously, tries to convince Ryker to be friends, and hang around together with their friends; even though she does feel the attraction to him.  Ryker plays the friendship card, but finds himself falling hard for Kitt; and when his family and friends tell him how he breaks other women’s hearts, he tries to change.

This was my first book by Reinhardt, and I really did enjoy meeting all the wonderful secondary characters that were part of the previous series (Sam, Conor, Sean, Mac, Tierney, Brendan, just to name a few).  What follows is a sweet wonderful romance between a great couple in Kitt and Ryker.  Will they remain friends or open their hearts to love? Who will win the Valentine Wager?  You will have to read this book to find out.

The Valentine Wager was very well written by Nan Reinhardt, and I look forward to reading the next book in this fun series.  If you enjoy pure romances, wonderful couple, and great secondary characters, then you need to read The Valentine Wager.

Reviewed by Barb

Copy supplied for Review

 

Building and Maintaining a Setting Through a Series of Stories

Awkward title, I know, but that really is what I want to talk about—how we keep a setting and secondary characters fresh and fun through more than one series. There are lots of great examples of authors creating a place and using that setting for several series of books. Robyn Carr’s Virgin River series; Tule Publishing’s multi-author Marietta, Montana books; Marie Force’s Gansett Island series; Cheryl Brooks’s Cat Star Chronicles—ten books that all happen on other worlds, but are connected by characters who travel to those worlds; Jan Karon’s Mitford series… and, of course, my own River’s Edge stories, which will be 10 stories strong by the end of 2023.

The Four Irish Brothers Winery series took place in the same type of small town, but in those books, the setting itself has nearly become a secondary character. The little town of River’s Edge, Indiana, is inspired by the Ohio River town of Madison, Indiana, and I’ve had the time of my life populating it with quirky and fun characters.

Most of them are purely from my imagination, but friends/family may see a little of themselves in Mac Mackenzie, the Cordon Bleu-trained chef who owns the local diner and cooks amazing dishes or in Dot Higgins and her sister Mary who own the quilt shop. Guitar-playing Duane is the local sheriff and Paula Meadows owns the Bread & Butter bakery, happily keeping all the townsfolk in bread, doughnuts, and pies. Janet at the yarn shop and her sweet kitty, Fiona, were inspired by a dear friend at my church, as was Noah Barker, who owns the hardware store.

In River’s Edge, the River Walk is the place to meet-and-greet during any season. You might run into any one of the Flaherty brothers and their families on a warm summer evening or see Harley Cole, the nursery school teacher, rowing her kayak down on the river. Chances are good that Mateo Santos and his stepdad Aidan Flaherty are up on the deck of the River Queen showboat, singing lustily as they put on a new coat of white paint, scrub the decks, or wash windows in preparation for the new Showboat Summer season.

You could have a craft beer at Hutchins House, the oldest still-operating tavern on the river and have you stopped by the restaurant at the new Cotton Mill Inn? The hotel just opened in the newly renovated nineteenth-century cotton mill that overlooks the river. They’ve got a fabulous menu.

If you’re looking for a hike or a picnic among the cliffs and waterfalls of southern Indiana, the state park is just up the hill, and on the way up, you’ll pass Four Irish Brothers Winery and Vineyards. Stop in, taste some wine, and enjoy a snack on the deck overlooking the vineyards. There are several department stores and chain restaurants up on the highway, but if you looking for authentic pizza, head to Mario’s—his is the best—and check out all the great shops in town, you’re sure to find the perfect gift for that special someone. 

You get the idea—when you invent a setting in a romance novel, make it a place you’d love to be, a place where you could find your HEA (happily-ever-after). River’s Edge is a town I’d love to live in.

Craft background characters who fit in with the ambiance of your town and who are likeable. Every character is inspired by someone I know or someone I would like to know. It’s okay if they’re quirky, but remember, don’t let them take over the story. Mac Mackenzie appears in each Four Irish Brothers Winery novels and readers love him, even though he is window dressing for the real story. Giving handsome Mac a love interest in Book 2 was fun and worked so well that we’re all following along to see what will eventually happen with him and super-sophisticated Carly Hayes, who starts out as sort of a not-nice person in Book 1, but grows and evolves in Books 2, 3, and 4. The same thing is happening with a little romance that has developed between Noah and Dot. Having their own stories brings background characters to life, and you can do it with just a moment or two of interaction with your main characters.

Setting and background characters are what bring your story to life as it flows along behind the romance between your hero and heroine. It’s where you can break out of the expected storyline or personalities of your main characters and really have some fun. So don’t be afraid to let them evolve and to build on your setting and background characters as you write a series. Readers become invested and will be back for more!

 


Nan Reinhardt is a USA Today bestselling author of romantic fiction for Tule Publishing. Her day job is working as a freelance copyeditor and proofreader, however, writing is Nan’s first and most enduring passion. She can’t remember a time in her life when she wasn’t writing—she wrote her first romance novel at the age of ten and is still writing, but now from the viewpoint of a wiser, slightly rumpled, woman in her prime. Nan lives in the Midwest with her husband of 48 years, where they split their time between a house in the city and a cottage on a lake.

Talk to Nan at: nan@nanreinhardt.com

Website | Facebook | Twitter | Instagram | Tule Publishing

 

 

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Beasts of Sonara by Shawn C. Butler-Review & Guest Post

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Beasts of Sonara by Shawn C. Butler-Review & Guest Post

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ABOUT THE BOOK: Release Date November 12, 2021

They can save millions of lives, if she doesn’t kill them first

Tourist Raymond Molina finds the body of a young biologist in a Costa Rican bay—apparent victim of a shark attack—but no one knows how she got there. As Ray searches for what really happened to her, he stumbles onto the best kept secret in the natural world.

This is a secret hidden for centuries by residents of the coastal town of Sonara, protected by intelligent but violent animals unknown anywhere else on earth, and coveted by a massive biotech company that will do anything to discover the truth—no matter the cost.

And behind it all is a creature with the power to cure disease, all disease…or kill everyone on earth.

••••••

REVIEW:BEASTS OF SONARA by Shawn C Butler is an adult, speculative fiction, thriller focusing on surfing instructor Raymond Melina, and a small Costa Rican town, its’ population, and the sentient beasts with magical properties.

Three years after the death of his beloved, Raymond Melina finds himself living and surfing in the small coastal town of Sonara, Costa Rica, a town whose secrets run dangerous and deep but as the powers and people are called to perform, Raymond is pulled towards the past, a past closely connected to the family he never knew. The death of a young woman leaves too many unexplained questions, questions that can only be answered by the beasts involved, and Raymond is unwilling to sit back without first uncovering the truth. Meanwhile, Nomanity, a biotech firm out of San Jose, wants access to the beasts and their secrets but all is not well in the small coastal town of Sonara, as Raymond will discover, the past holds heartbreak and death, betrayal and guilt, and threats to the world’s population now and in the future, threats that Nomanity may want to control, for themselves.

BEASTS OF SONARA is a complex, detailed, haunting and captivating speculative-fiction story line of animal sentience, genetic manipulation, and immortality: a character driven twisted tale of family, tragedy, power and control. Shawn C Butler pulls the reader into a fascinating and intriguing tale of one small town where nobody grows old, and (almost) everyone lives to see another day.

Copy supplied for review

Reviewed by Sandy

Believability in Science Fiction is a Myth

Much has been written about believability in science fiction. We live in an age where everyone writes and publishes and there is no more gatekeeper to the digital world than a keyboard and momentary inspiration. There was nothing new under the sun long before the internet, and now a million people prove it every day. We live in the golden age of the derivative. So perhaps it’s time to dispel of one great myth about good speculative fiction–that it has to be believable. It does not and, honestly, I can think of nothing less interesting.

Speculative fiction traditionally comprises science fiction, fantasy and horror, and perhaps magical realism. All fiction is, in some sense a lie; you’re telling a story about something that never happened, never will happen, and probably couldn’t happen. With speculative fiction, the lie is bigger; in science fiction, you might have to accept that spaceships might someday span the vast space between stars; in fantasy, that elves exist and are magical; and, in horror, that monsters might be real.

What makes us read these deceptively woven threads of impossibility is not that they’re believable, but that we want to escape to a world that is far from this world–another place that does not exist, where different rules apply, and we can run through fields of man-eating plants as werewolves howl at the twin moons in dismay and confusion and alien satellites burn across the darkling sky. It is not believability we want, but a lie told with elegance and respect for our intelligence so that we feel transported rather than merely deceived.

This is pretty obvious if you think about it. No one watches Star Wars, Star Trek, Alien or even Arrival because they believe they’re based on scientific reality. The Force is just magic by another name, beaming is suicide combined with impossibility introduced for budgetary reasons (and don’t get me started on Tricorders), the face-eating alien might as well be a demon for all the logic of its behavior and indestructibility, and a language for time travel? Wondrous. Glorious. But as far from believability as feldspar is from gold. Also…spoilers?

Even if you read Hail Mary and love the hard-science wrappings, Mark Watney v2.0 is still flying around in a spaceship discovering new civilizations and saving them by being Space MacGyver. It’s cool, compelling, smart and fun reading. But believable? Not so much, and it doesn’t have to be because it’s brilliantly true-to-expectations. Which is more than good enough.

And that is really the truth of good speculative fiction; it delivers on readers’ expectations as framed by the genre and the promise made on the book cover and blurb. In the case of science fiction, this means a well-constructed world or universe based on at least passingly explained technology wherein characters behave in a manner consistent with that world. In other words, it’s not believability we seek, but consistency, credibility and wonder. Nothing is really explained in Annihilation, and who cares? It’s a wild freakin’ ride.

If you read hard science fiction, credibility is based on detailed explanations of technology and how it applies to the world occupied by our main characters (e.g., The Martian or Jurassic Park). In softer science fiction, it’s about the feel of a world defined by new but less laboriously explained technologies (e.g., Star Trek or The Broken Earth).

For sub-genres, credibility depends on more specific expectations. In time travel books, you’d better explain how traveling through time is possible and make at least a passing nod to paradoxes (e.g., Looper). For space opera, there needs to be vast political intrigue constrained by the limitations of future technologies (e.g., Foundation, A Memory Called Empire or The Interdepency). When you hear the term “true to genre,” it’s not about writing a formulaic novel by a set of rigid rules; it’s about delivering the reader what they expected, or close enough to feel you’re respecting their needs as a sentient human being. Or, and this is a rare thing, subverting those expectations with such grace and brilliance the reader is grateful for the ride (e.g., most Cormac McCarthy books, but especially No Country for Old Men or The Road).

If you look at the best science fiction of the past and today (The Time Machine, Frankenstein, Stranger in a Strange Land, Foundation, Childhood’s End, Dune, Ringworld, Broken Earth, Annihilation, etc.), literally none of it is even close to believable–it would be boring if it was–but it’s compelling, internally consistent and tells a great story. Credibility is a measure of how well you draw the reader in and keep them there, not whether you can explain how genetic engineering works in Blade Runner (hint: it makes no damn sense…and almost no one cares).

So stop trying to make your books believable. Instead, ask yourself what the reader expects, think of them as intelligent beings looking for escape and enlightenment, and then write a book that shows them respect, gives them joy, and every once in a while causes an exclamation of surprise or bark of laughter. Preferably both. If you do this with a compelling world and empathetic characters, you’re already delivering more than most speculative fiction today.

With regard to respecting your audience, nothing, and I mean nothing, will destroy your reader’s confidence in your world and writing more than inconsistency or blatant disrespect. Game of Thrones was never believable even as fantasy, but it was hella compelling as a TV series until the showrunners forgot about the rules of the universe–and the very spirit of George RR Martin’s books–and drove the show off a cliff. In contrast, The Expanse is (so far) consistent, the characters are real-ish people, and I’ve never once felt forced to swallow something absurd or ignore a glaring plot hole. Fingers crossed for the last book and season six (Please don’t screw it up. Please don’t screw it up. Please don’t screw it up). GoT lost its fans by the millions because HBO stopped caring about the story, and started caring more about how to suck money out of its nominally captive audience. So, you know, don’t do that.

Instead, write for the smart and curious child inside every reader that wants to escape to an incredible new world for a few minutes or hours, learn something new, imagine things never before seen, and generally not care whether it’s all believable or not. I don’t believe the sand worms in Dune are even vaguely plausible, but god I love that they exist on the page and in my mind. I’ll be forever grateful for that.

And my only hope is that sometimes I write well enough to make a few readers feel this same joy and gratitude for even a fleeting second of the time they’ve given me. When I wrote Beasts of Sonara, it never once occurred to me to that it should be realistic or believable. These things can’t happen. The world just doesn’t work like that. But wouldn’t it be awesome if it did?

~~Shawn C Butler~~

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Dark and Otherworldly Omnibus by Kristen Brand-Review & Guest Post

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Dark and Otherworldly Omnibus by Kristen Brand-a review & guest post

Amazon.com / Amazon.ca / Amazon.uk / Amazon.au / Nook /

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ABOUT THE BOOK: Release Date September 30, 2021

Leigh Morgan has one mission: to stop the Fae who abducted her sister from ever kidnapping another human again.

Dredarion Rath wants one thing: to disgrace his older brother and prove himself the worthier heir to Otherworld’s throne.

When their paths cross, it changes everything, and neither Otherworld nor the human realm will ever be the same.

Three romantic urban fantasy novels; one darkly enchanting volume. The Dark and Otherworldly Omnibus includes:

•••••••

REVIEW:

Poison and Honey

She hunts the fae. The last man she should fall for is a cunning fae prince.Leigh won’t stop until her sister is home! That was the promise she made to herself. So freeing the humans from the Fae kingdom of Dwencanti is Leigh’s mission in life….

The only little issue I had, was the fact we jumped straight into palace life! I would have liked a little background and possibly a flashback to her sister’s kidnapping (but being a novella we need to keep it going)!

Prince Dredarion Rath has something to prove. And if using a human to achieve it, then so be it!! He doesn’t see anything but his mission to make his mother see that he should be the next ruler and not his brother!

So we have a complex storyline that will definitely take you on an adventure. Leigh is a great character, very strong and independent. And one might say a little cold, possibly heartless (she was going to use whoever and whatever she could to free the human slaves) but I suppose being in her position you can’t really blame her! Dredarion starts off as a cold figure, I wasn’t too keen on him at first.

But as they begin to work together (well more like Leigh is working for Dredarion whilst continuing her mission) it becomes a balancing act for Leigh, she needs to keep Dredarion sweet but, keeping her own secrets from him! You know it’s going to get messy!

Next book please…..

?

Sting of Thorns

She’s been cursed by the queen of Otherworld. Now the only one who can save her is the man she betrayed.

This one starts where the last one ends, so you definitely need to read Poison and Honey first, otherwise your going to be a little lost!! And so this review is going to be a little tricky as I don’t want to spoil anything…..

Leigh was cursed in the last book (oh didn’t I tell you that in my last review?) ? Dredarion and Leigh can’t stand to look at one another let alone help each other! Why? I hear you ask!! Well….. Nope can’t do it, you’ll need to read book one to find that out (but it’s a good one I promise you) And Leigh may or may not have started a rebellion/riot/escape.

And in doing so, she’s trapped herself in the otherworld! That’s where she needs help from Mr Dark and Dangerous! But Dredarion isn’t willing to help Leigh! So what’s a girl to do??

I loved this book, fast paced action that had me flicking the pages over until the end! We also get to take Dredarion to the human world (and there are some pretty funny moments) Can Leigh and Dredarion find their way back to each other? Or will the lies and feelings of betrayal kill their feelings for one another for good?

And there is a death sentence hanging over Leigh?!

Book three please …..

?

The Cruelest Curse

When dark forces threaten Otherworld, she’ll have to join forces with her enemies to save the kingdom… and the prince.The final book in this amazing trilogy had me wanting to inhale the book, but not wanting it to ever end!

As in the last book we start where book two (Sting of Thorns) ends. But without giving anything away, you are in for the ride. So buckle up, grab your sword and let’s go help Leigh and Dredarion win their fight against evil forces that want to take over the otherworld!!

I want to tell you about everything that goes on in this book, I want to share all the ups and downs, the scary moments, the sad moments, and the moments I just had my mouth open! But I won’t, instead I’ll tell you that the action doesn’t stop!

Friends from the human world help otherworlders that would have at one time enslaved them! Magic plays a role too. (Dredarion has magic literally up his sleeves) We also have a fight scene that will have you reading with one eye! (Or maybe that’s just me) ? So can Leigh save both Dredarion and the people she once swore to avenge? There are deals to be made, alliances to form, and lovers to reunite.

?

Boxset/Omnibus, whatever you want to call it, you just need to download and read it. The author (Kristen Brand) is totally new to me, and I’ve learned to jump in with both feet now (if I don’t like it, I won’t finish it!) But it won’t be the last of her books that’ll read. She brought the whole world to life with her descriptions.

And although short stories in themselves (could have happily read them as bigger books) it does cover a lot of ground. There is so much packed into this world. I’m hoping it’s not the last we see of Dwencanti and it’s inhabitants.

If you love paranormal romance with daggers and magic, then this one should definitely go on your TBR list.

? Reviewed by Julie B

Copy supplied for review

Why Enemies-to-Lovers is my Favorite Romance Trope

All stories need conflict, and romance novels are no exception.

Maybe the conflict is forbidden love. The protagonist is from the wrong side of the tracks, or the love interest is their best friend’s brother. Maybe the couple broke up years ago and must address their past hurts before getting a second chance. Or maybe the hero got kidnapped by an evil wizard and the heroine has to go on an epic quest to rescue him.

Conflict. It’s fun.

My least favorite conflict is the contrived misunderstanding where everything would be fine if the couple just talked to each other for five minutes instead of jumping to the wrong conclusion.

My favorite is enemies-to-lovers.

The couple are fighting for different kingdoms during a war. They’re both after the same promotion in the office. One’s a superhero, the other a supervillain. Whatever the circumstances, the couple has every reason to hate each other, and yet… They just can’t deny how amazing and attractive they find one another.

That’s the conflict in my paranormal romance series, Dark and Otherworldly. The twist is that only the heroine knows they’re enemies in the first book. She’s a spy in a fae palace, her undercover mission going smoothly until she accidentally attracts the attention of a prince. Then she finds herself juggling conspiracies and battling her own growing romantic feelings until everything finally explodes.

Both metaphorically and literally. I like writing explosions.

What’s great about enemies-to-lovers is that it gives you so much conflict to work with: characters torn between duty and love, feelings of betrayal and forgiveness, a couple from very different backgrounds finding ways to meet in the middle.

It gives the characters so many obstacles to overcomes. They have to battle their own feelings. Then they have to grapple with the feelings of their friends and family who usually aren’t thrilled about them sleeping with the enemy. And then, depending on the genre, they have to test their newfound relationship by fighting the villain and saving the day.

Enemies-to-lovers is no third act misunderstanding thrown in because things had been too easy. No, it forces the characters to earn their happily ever after.

So I’m an enemies-to-lovers fan all the way. What’s your favorite romance trope? I’d love to hear your thoughts in the comments.

Kristen

If Kristen Brand could have any superpower, she’d want telekinesis so she wouldn’t have to move from her computer to pour a new cup of tea. She lives in Florida with her husband, and her hobbies include reading comic books and desperately trying to keep the plants in her garden alive. An author of fantasy and superhero fiction, she writes stories with fire-forged friends, explosive fight scenes, and kissing

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A Promise of Iron by Brandon McCoy-Review & Guest Post

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A Promise of Iron (Echoes of Illyria 1) by Brandon McCoy-Review & Guest Post

Amazon.com / Amazon.ca / Amazon.uk / Amazon.au /

$2.99 or FREE in Kindle Unlimited

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ABOUT THE BOOK: Release Date December 21, 2021

A Promise of Iron, book one in the Echoes of Illyria saga, tells the story of a young man born from hatred, eager to prove himself in a world tilted against him. In this world where iron is more precious than gold, three friends battle the evils of empire while unraveling the secrets of a forgotten past and a hidden foe.

The epic fantasy series features strong, complex characters with familiar motivations of greed, lust, and revenge, all delivered in a freshly crafted fantasy world. Themes of imperialism, racism, and sexism form the backdrop for a story as much about mystery and intrigue as it is of sword and sorcery. This blend of epic and dark fantasy should delight readers of multiple genres. If you liked The Name of the Wind and The Black Company, this one is for you.

••••••

REVIEW:This is something completely different to what I usually read. It starts with a woman in the future who has a journal of a life in the past…..

The year is 1272. The story focuses on a young man Faerin, his life is hard, he wants to become something better. But in a world that wants payment for everything, how will he ever rise to be something more?

Elizabeth makes an appearance several times in the book to remind us that we are being told a story.I like the fact you can have memories removed and stored (a little like Johnny Mneumonic) but there is something in the future that will have you wondering if it has some significance in the past!!

That was a really well thought out book, Elizabeth in the future, trying to read the journal that holds the story of Faerin and his past. Fight scenes? Yes there is, and they are pretty good. Romance? A little, but it’s not really that important here.

And in the future, Elizabeth is having her own issues. The book holds great interest to those who have been waiting to get their hands on it. So she has to discover the secrets before her biggest rival gets here. Because when he does she may lose the book!!

And when Faerin comes into a possession of an sword, he will do anything and everything in his power to retain and look after the sword. He has a couple of friends who he likes as brothers, but I wasn’t sure! If people will sell their souls for iron, then can he trust his friends? Iron we take it is a valuable commodity, people will kill to have it, in fact it’s more coveted than gold!! Why? There seems to be a story behind the reasons why iron is so wanted…..

Magic and mystery come together in a really great read. There is also a lot of going’s on in the background, there is double dealings, backstabbing and money that exchanges hands for information. Some parts get a little bogged down with too much detail, but there isn’t too much thank goodness. Politics and social views are a big thing as well.

The equality and sexism didn’t really worry me as such, if you put yourself in the time period, then women were a lower class, as were the common man. But I do love the class divides, it’s clear there is a hierarchy, it’s clear there are people who make money of the backs of the unfortunate, and they don’t hide that fact.

OH!!! It ends on a cliffhanger….. Do I want to know what happens next? I certainly do.
Pick it up, you won’t be disappointed.

Reviewed by Julie ?

Copy supplied for review

The first words of “A Promise of Iron” are not the words that made it to print. This journey began a long time ago. It was 2006, and for the sake of this story, one can assume I had just finished an all-weekend marathon of the Lord of the Rings. I may have even been playing World of Warcraft, Elderscrolls, or dabbling in any of a half a dozen D&D iterations of the time. When I look back, I can’t honestly remember the spark, that moment of inspiration that told me to open a word document and begin writing.

“A darkness looms,” it said, that first pass at that first paper. There was prophecy in those words. As it turned out that darkness was not some unseen enemy, no grand villain bent on the destruction of the world… it was the story… and it was utter crap.

Before I continue, I think you need to understand something about me first. I am not an author. Not classically trained at any rate. At best, I am a sci-fi & fantasy enthusiast with the temerity to offer something of my own to stoke the fire. I don’t really belong here, not amongst you who are well educated and well informed. Yet I feel as if I do, partly from the welcome and reception received by my betters and partly from the slowly increasing confidence in my own abilities.

I wrote a book that does not suck. No one is more surprised than me. If you were to ask my lovely wife, she would fawn and extol my impressive list of virtues while rolling her eyes in a casual attempt to check my ever-growing ego. In truth, I’m here because of her.

Back to the story…

By the time I cobbled together a few hundred pages of that dreadful first pass, I had come to a simple conclusion— what I had just wasn’t any good. Family and friends may have told me otherwise, but I saw the truth within their ingratiating eyes. So I quit. I stopped writing. I stopped writing for years. I stopped writing, and no one stopped me from stopping. There were casual mentions, reminders that there was a task unfinished, but no spark, no divine influence urging me to continue.

Years passed and I grew up. I had setbacks and new beginnings. I also met my wife. We fell in love, got married, and had a baby. I had known hard work before, but having a newborn was a new kind of work. Working for those you love carries differently. You can push harder, run faster and lift longer than you would when working only for yourself.

But I am rambling…

The spark was there now, fanned to flame by the hands of those who knew me for the true worth of my salt. “Write,” they said, “finish what you started.”

So I did…

I wish I could say the writing road ahead was shorter than the one behind, but when you have to double back because you forgot your map, it’s easier to just pick a new path.

So I threw it all out. I changed the tone, the perspective, the themes. I wrote that new first draft in a fraction of the time it took to torture through the last one. When I was finished, I presented it to her. I was eager for feedback, praise, or a sobering dose of reality. When she told me how she loved it— I saw no lie within her eyes.

Thanks for reading.

Salt & ruin,

-Brandon

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One’s Evil Desire by M. Short-Review & Guest Post

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One’s Evil Desire ( A Saga of Dogs of War-A Story of Mercenaries 4) by M. Short-Review & Guest Post

/ Amazon.com paper / Amazon.ca Paper/

 

ebook ONLY 99¢  Amazon/B&N / KOBO / Chapters Indigo / books2read /

ABOUT THE BOOK: Release Date October 27, 2020

One’s Evil Desire THE FOURTH BOOK IN THE SCI-FI SERIES: A SAGA OF DOGS OF WAR-A STORY OF MERCENARIES.

XTECH and The Corporate Alliance collaborated to create The Earth Space Alliance to start the exploration of space outside of the Earth’s Solar System. But others were not happy with the alliance between XTECH and The Corporate Alliance. With only two of the original Big Six Corporations still unaligned, one’s evil desire conceived a plot to take over the remaining two unaligned corporations. After years of plotting and planning, surgeries and the implantation of a voice synthesizer the doppelganger was ready to infiltrate the SME Corporation with the killing of its CEO.

Stone and Zhivago soon caught wind of the plot. While Stone and Zhivago were trying to reveal the doppelganger plot, The Earth Space Alliance built their first Starship to explore beyond the Earth’s Solar System. As they sped towards the outer limits of the Solar System at the speed of light, they were confronted by Senior Emanuel’s Starship from the Confederation of Planets. Will Stone and Zhivago be successful in their efforts to reveal the doppelganger? Will the Confederation of Planets be a friend or a foe?

••••••••

REVIEW:ONE’S EVIL DESIRE is the fourth instalment in M. Short’s A SAGA OF DOGS OF WAR-A STORY OF MERCENARIES science fiction series set in a futuristic twenty-third century. I recommend reading the series in order for back story, history and cohesion as ONE’S EVIL DESIRE picks up shortly after the events of the previous story line.

SOME BACKGROUND: Approximately one hundred years earlier Earth suffered a cataclysm, and close to half of the Earth’s population escaped to Mars and its’ surrounding moons. Fast forward a century, and the governing Corporations are now resettling Earth with the people on Mars. Four regulating Corporations formed the Corporate Alliance, while the remaining two were driven from Earth because of their tyrannical rule.

Told from third person perspective following several intersecting pathways, ONE’S EVIL DESIRE covers approximately a twenty year span wherein the newly formed Confederation of Planets discovers the existence of a race of people who call themselves the Kapacaras, an early descendant of the people of Earth but all is not well as the Kapacara’s enemies, the Trajan and the Cnut, are readying for war in an effort to claim more of valuable space, and targeting the Confederation of Planets along with the Kapacarians. Forming their own alliance, the Confederation of Planets and the Kapacarians prepare for war, amassing a large fleet of spaceships and technology in defence of their area of space. War ensues several times, with new combatants at each battle but in the end the Confederation of Planets is victorious, once again.

ONE’S EVIL DESIRE reads like a serialized or episodic television program akin to Star Wars ™ and the numerous Star Trek ™ franchises with all of the familiar jargon from Earth’s twentieth and twenty-first century science-fiction/ speculative fiction movies and shows-the characters reference several of these programs and movies, including important battle strategies of WWII. There are a number of time-jumps throughout the story line from days to weeks, months and years, in an effort to explain how the Confederation was able to prepare for a war, years in the making.

I had a few issues that I want to address: From the outset, the reader is thrust into the story line without any preamble or introductory build up. There was more telling rather than showing, and in this the story reads like a script for a television series. The numerous characters and references to previous plotlines was a little confusing therefore I recommend reading the series in order. ONE’S EVIL DESIRE is awash in repetitive and redundant text whereby the characters often recapitulate instructions, directives, stories and scenarios when new visitors arrive without prior information. The individual characters, most of whom were introduced in the previous story lines, are identifiable via too many names, nicknames and aliases for the same character, often leading to confusion wherein I had to go back and forth several times throughout the story to ensure that I didn’t miss the introduction of someone new. There was also no marked delineation between different points of view-often, each successive paragraph would address or concern a different scenario, a different character, and a different timeline, all within a few sentences of one another.

ONE’S EVIL DESIRE is an interesting and entertaining story similar in presence and style to the Star Trek™ franchise. As I read, I imagined watching Star Trek Voyager or Deep Space Nine, in an effort to place myself into the story line action.

99¢- Book 2 -THE GRIM CLAN: Amazon/ /Amazon CA /Nook / Indigo

Book 3-THE VENDETTA AGAINST VENDETTA: Amazon.com / Amazon.ca /

Copy supplied for review

Reviewed by Sandy


Young Women, the next generation’s readers of Science Fiction.

I started writing my science fiction series, A Saga of Dogs of War-A Story of Mercenaries, in the fall of 2019. Everything I read about writing a book always said you should write about what you know best, first. My first book was based on experiences as a combat helicopter pilot in Vietnam at the ripe old age of 19 and my passion for science fiction. I wanted to write my books from a military point of view, but stay away from the horrors of war. I wanted to emphasis the honor of serving your country and the strong relationships developed in combat. That was the predominate theme in my first book Cry Havoc.

One day my daughter pointed out to me that there were no strong female roles in the book. She told me that if I want women to read my books, I needed to incorporate strong women role models. Young women do not want to read the old James T. Kirk style science fiction books. Young women want to read about strong women role models in science fiction now.
So, with my daughter’s advice in mind, my next book in the series The GRiM Clan introduced three strong women Carrie, Marge, and Madeline. These three characters, one a strong influencer in her family, the second a strong woman ascending to Territorial Governor and the third that rose up to lead a large Corporation where the first strong women role models in the series.

In my third book The Vendetta Against Vendetta a fourth strong woman role model, Elizbeth joined Carrie, Marge and Madeline. Elizabeth grew in the book to control another large corporation.

In my fourth book One’s Evil Desire Mia a Kapacarian and Senior Coritha a Corilian joined as the next generation of strong women role models. Mia would be the first woman of the Confederation of Planets to head their new Military Intelligence Department and Senior Coritha one of the first women to achieve Senior (Captain) on a battle class Starship.

In my fifth, not yet released, book Frontier Space Chronicles, the strong women characters increase with the introduction of Senior Cynthia an Earthling commanding one of the biggest Starships ever built, the Explorer Class Starship, Captain Alala of the Amazon Warrior Class and last but not least Queen Adria, Queen of the Helenistic Kingdoms. As the numbers on my book list increase so does the number of strong women role models.

I wanted to convey in my books that while women are different in many ways, they have the same mental ability as men. In some way women are even stronger than men.

This next generation of young women are seeing more and more strong women roles in science fiction movies which has seemed to draw their attention. If we want to bring these young women to join the readership of science fiction books, we need those strong women roles in our books.

My grandson, 13, reads my books and likes strong women roles as well. He says they remind him of his Grandmother and his Mom.

~~Michael Short~~

Social Media: Blog/Website/Goodreads /Twitter / Facebook / Instagram

As a 19 year old CW2 helicopter combat pilot, M. Short served as an aircraft commander being awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross, Bronze Star and eleven Combat Air Medals while serving the U.S. Army in the Vietnam war. His passion for Science Fiction and his experiences in combat as a pilot gave him his inspiration for the series -A Saga of Dogs of War. A Mercenaries Story.

The series started with him first writing forty nine short stories that were later combined into his first book Cry Havoc. From those first short stories he was encouraged to continue his writing, which now consists of three books with many more on the horizon.

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Prove It: Murder in the Mix by Hannah R Kurz-Review & Guest Post

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Prove It: Murder in the Mix (A Likable Daisy Mystery 1) by Hannah R Kurz-Review & Guest Post

Amazon.com / Amazon.ca / Amazon.au / Amazon.uk /

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ABOUT THE BOOK: Release Date September 3O, 2020

When a tragic mixer mishap results in the closing of a beloved bakery, new mom and upstairs neighbor Stephanie Wu is sure of two things: One, she misses their cappuccinos. And two, it was no accident. But time is running out for the sleep-deprived sleuth. Can she solve the murder and figure out pumping before her maternity leave is up? With a baby at her breast and a killer at her back, life and living above The LikEable Daisy will never be the same again.

•••••••

REVIEW: Prove It: Murder in the Mix is what it’s designed to be. A cozy mystery with just a small bit of danger.

Stephanie and Henry Wu are brand new parents living in an apartment above the Likable Daisy. Great pastries are made daily and the smell is wonderful to wake up to, even with a new baby doing the waking.

They love their apartment and love their neighbors and those working in the Likable Daisy. They like the area so much they waited for a two-bedroom apartment to open so they could live and raise their child here.

Sameed Ishaaq Haddad, owns the bakery and his head baker Charlotte are wonderful people, giving and kind. They are all excited to see the new baby, Madeline. Things are going great, when one morning Charlotte came into the bakery to start the day and found Sameed dead. Everyone is devastated and it’s ruled an accident. But Steph just can’t believe it was an accident. Sameed was always careful and prepared. There are lots of details as to why she feels he was murdered, but you need to read them yourself, it’s part of the fun of this story.

Author Hanna R. Kurz has written a lovely story of new motherhood, with all the funny and frustrating things anyone who has had a child can relate to. Not only are the couple adjusting to their new baby, but they also have the in-law issues so many have. In all this, she still finds time to find clues and get involved trying to get justice for Sameed.

Grab a snack and a favorite beverage and cuddle up for a lovely read with a little excitement on the side!

Copy supplied for review

Reviewed by Georgianna

Follow author: Facebook / Website / Twitter / Instagram

What Makes A Cozy

I’m embarrassed to admit that my perception of cozies was, until recently, rather narrow, but my expectations were rooted in deeper values that I believe a cozy must satisfy. Let’s investigate.

Expectation #1: Single, amateur female sleuth and outsider

Why readers love it: A single lead builds the potential for romance, a dynamic sleuthing duo, and an HEA/HFN ending. Plus, an outsider MC’s trust issues automatically create tension.

Ways to break the mold: Pursue romantic storylines with side characters. Develop pre existing couples. Explore other kinds of relationships. Create resolution in the emotional story arc.

If the lead isn’t an outsider, let new facts, or new people, emerge instead to create tension.

Expectation #2: Small town setting

Why readers love it: People love the community feel, falling for a whole cast of characters in a series. Also, a violent death upsets the idyllic quality that small towns claim and later reclaim.

Ways to break the mold: Create a tight knit group with distinct personalities in any setting. Give characters a common cause or struggle and readers the satisfaction of putting things to right.

Expectation #3: Contemporary history

Why readers love it: Readers understand the rules, technology, and forensic science of their own world and, based on that knowledge, feel suitability up to the task of solving a mystery.

Ways to break the mold: Want to explore a different world or time period? Build it well, immerse readers, and don’t let them get lost. Sci-fi and fantasy aspects blend fabulously into the genre.

Expectation #4: Two words, clean read.

Why readers love it: Whether they please personal preferences and/or support mental health by avoiding graphic descriptions, cozy standards bring comfort and, I believe, deserve respect.

Ways to break the mold: Tread carefully. Warn your audience. Surprising readers with hardboiled scenes in a book marketed as “cozy” is a surefire way to get lambasted in reviews.

To sum, while the cozy genre comes with expectations, they can be satisfied without falling into stereotypes. Explore space cozies, magic cozies, period cozies, brozies, and more. That said, there’s nothing wrong with a well-written, classic cozy. Enjoy.

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Emergency Powers by James McCrone-Review, Guest Post & Giveaway

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Emergency Powers (Imogen Trager #3) by James McCrone-Review, Guest Post & Giveaway

Amazon.com /Amazon Paper / Amazon.ca / B&N / KOBO / Chapters Indigo /

ABOUT THE BOOK: Release Date October 1, 2020

The accidental president is no accident.
The investigation that was FBI Agent Imogen Trager’s undoing may be the key to stopping a brutal, false flag terrorist attack meant to tighten a puppet president’s grip on power.

Imogen Trager is haunted—and sidelined—by a case she couldn’t solve. When the president dies in office, she knows that the conspiracy she chased down a blind alley still has life in it—and she needs to get back in the hunt.

As bodies pile up and leads go cold, the main target from that old case reaches out to her. He’s still at large, and now he needs protection. Imogen doesn’t trust him, and it’s not only because he’s offering intel that sounds too good to be true. He’s already tried to kill her once.

Emergency Powers feels ripped-from-the-headlines: a fractious FBI, an undermined Attorney General, powerful people exploiting the rule of law for their own gain, and using all manner of treachery to maintain their hold on power. But it’s more than headlines about things people think they know. And darker.

Set variously in DC, Seattle and small-town America, Emergency Powers is a story of corruption and redemption, achieved at enormous personal cost.

••••••••••

REVIEW:EMERGENCY POWERS is the third instalment in James McCrone’s contemporary, adult IMOGEN TRAGER political, suspense thriller series focusing on FBI Agent Imogen ‘Gen’ Trager and the investigation into the electoral process of the United States of America. EMERGENCY POWERS can be read as a stand alone but for back story, history and cohesion I recommend reading the series in order.

SOME BACKGROUND: Following the fictional 2016 US Presidential election wherein Diane Redmond is elected the first female president of the United States with an Electoral College difference of only four votes 271- 267, a series of anomalies including the ‘accidental’ deaths of seven electors sends up red flags that cannot be ignored, catching the attention of some powerful people including FBI Agent Imogen Trager, who begins an investigation of her own into the who, how and why.

Told from numerous third person perspectives EMERGENCY POWERS follows in the aftermath of the suspicious ‘death’ of American President Diane Redmond, and the quick turnaround of the people in charge. Something is wrong in Washington DC, and FBI Agent Imogen Trager, along with her team of agents and investigators, begin to piece together a conspiracy that implicates some of the most powerful men in and out of US politics.

From corruption and betrayal, secrets and lies, murder for hire, bio-terrorism and a puppet government EMERGENCY POWERS is a thought provoking story of what if-what if the all of the political power was controlled by the powerful elite, and with that control came the unquestionable influence over everyone in charge? When the legitimate power is controlled by the coercive power, everything and everyone is forced to follow the lead.

James McCrone pulls the reader into another thrilling and suspense filled roller coaster of political intrigue where the fine line between fiction and reality is blurred by the similarities of today’s current headlines.

Reading Order and Previous Reviews
Faithless Elector
Dark Network

Copy supplied for review

Reviewed by Sandy

Isolation and Conflict – by James McCrone

I’ve been thinking about isolation recently. Can’t imagine why.

And I was struck by a theme in my thrillers, one I hadn’t necessarily intended, but which is there nevertheless. That of isolation.

In my thrillers, the asymmetry of information—and the danger of sharing what you know—is the core of the tension, and suspense. Fear isolates the characters. They think they know why things are happening, but they struggle to find out how, and who is doing it.

The idea leapt out at me while I was writing the screenplays for Faithless Elector and Dark Network. A good friend who has worked as a screenwriter agreed to look at the first part of an early draft (he’d read the books) and give feedback. After noting that my screenplay, ironically, was perhaps being too faithful to a novel called Faithless, he pointed out that there was too much that was interior. Thought processes that work on the page to ratchet up tension and advance the plot don’t work on screen.

He suggested adding in a friend—maybe someone the character confides in? Or someone with whom he has playful banter, or a friendly antagonism? My friend’s broad suggestion was very helpful for the scenes I showed him, for which I’m very grateful. But I found it difficult to apply his advice more broadly. The characters’ isolation was the key, and I needed to portray that isolation while conveying information

I’m still working on the screenplays, not least because as an exercise (which is probably all the scripts will ever be) it forces me to look and think differently about what and how I write. It’s helped me become a better writer. Because as I (re)examined those works it became clear that each of the characters’ isolation, their solitude, was the point. Where do they turn? Whom can they trust?

As I began writing Emergency Powers, the book which debuts today, I wanted to use that sense of isolation—more consciously, and in a slightly different way. Recently, much has been said and written about the “us-versus-them” mindset in policing, itself a form of self-inflicted isolation. I wanted to turn that inside out.

FBI Agent Imogen Trager, and her friend Special Agent Amanda Vega can’t trust their own colleagues. For them, it’s not the Bureau v. the world, but factions within the Bureau that can’t be trusted. And for Imogen and Amanda the stakes are life and death. I wanted to explore, through Imogen, what kind of bravery it takes to stand outside, against the crowd.

The award winning writer Art Taylor, the author, most recently of The Boy Detective & The Summer of ’74 noted that Emergency Powers paints “keen portraits of true patriotism, and the courage that drives it.” My three strong female characters aren’t just standing in opposition to the conspirators, they’re having to do so while watching their backs even within the Bureau. It’s intricate work, like trying to glean clues from a bomb after it’s exploded—and it may be that one of their colleagues set the bomb in the first place. There’s worse to come, too.

The grey eminence in the story, known only as “the Postman,” does not suffer from the same kind of low information as Imogen and Amanda. But even before they know the name of the head conspirator, they begin to figure out how to isolate him.

Perhaps into a jail cell.

Follow James: Website / Twitter /Facebook / Goodreads

James McCrone is the author of the Imogen Trager series—Faithless Elector (2016), Dark Network (2017), and Emergency Powers (Oct. 1, 2020)—“taut” and “gripping” political thrillers about a stolen presidency. His short story “Numbers Don’t Lie” was also included in the anthology Low Down Dirty Vote, vol. 2, published this summer.

He’s a member of the The Mystery Writers of America, Int’l Assoc. of Crime writers, International Thriller Writers, Independent Book Publishers Assoc., Philadelphia Dramatists Center and Sisters in Crime network. James has an MFA from the University of Washington in Seattle. A Northwest native, James now lives in Philadelphia, with his wife and three children.

You can learn more at http://jamesmccrone.com/

James McCrone is graciously offering a paper copy of  EMERGENCY POWERS  to ONE (1) lucky commenter at The Reading Cafe.

1. If you have not previously registered at The Reading Cafe, please register by using the log-in at the top of the page (side bar) or by using one of the social log-ins.

NOTE: If you are having difficulty commenting after logging onto the site, please refresh the page (at the top of your computer).

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8. Giveaway open to USA and CANADA only

9. Giveaway runs from October 1-6, 2020

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Subversive by Colleen Cowley-Review & Guest Post

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Subversive (Clandestine Magic #1) by Colleen Cowley-Review & Guest post

 

Amazon.com / Amazon.ca / Amazon.uk / Amazon.au /

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ABOUT THE BOOK: Release Date September 27, 2020.

In an America controlled by wizards and 100 years behind on women’s rights, Beatrix Harper counts herself among the resistance—the Women’s League for the Prohibition of Magic. Then Peter Blackwell, the only wizard her town has ever produced, unexpectedly returns home and presses her into service as his assistant.

Beatrix fears he wants to undermine the League. His real purpose is far more dangerous for them both.

Subversive is the first novel in the Clandestine Magic trilogy, set in a warped 21st century that will appeal to fans of gaslamp fantasy.

••••••

REVIEW: SUBVERSIVE is the first instalment in Colleen Cowley’s multi-genre CLANDESTINE MAGIC /paranormal/ UF/ Gaslamp fantasy series focusing on wizard/omnimancer Peter Blackwell, and store clerk/suffragette Beatrix Harper.

Told from dual third person perspectives (wizard/omnimancer Peter Blackwell, and store clerk/suffragette Beatrix Harper) SUBVERSIVE follows in the aftermath of thirty-three year old, Peter Blackwell’s return to his hometown of Ellicott Mills, a return that finds Blackwell hiding in plain sight since Ellicott Mills has not had a wizard in a number of years. Needing an assistant, Blackwell forces Beatrix Harper into a contract, a contract that will bind our couple in everyway possible but Peter Blackwell is on the run, and his return to Ellicott Mills coincides with the suffragette movement of the Women’s League for the Prohibition of Magic, a league that wants to curtail the use of magic, as well as the wizard’s who push back. With Beatrix Harper by his side, Blackwell quickly discovers that all is not well in Ellicott Mills, including the mysterious appearance of another wizard, and the possibility of a mole in the Women’s League organization. What ensues is the acrimonious but forced relationship between Blackwell and Beatrix, and the potential fall-out as magic no longer appears to be the domain of only men.

SUBVERSIVE is classified as ‘Gaslamp Fantasy’ – a sub-genre of both fantasy and historical fiction with elements of steampunk and the paranormal. The story line is set in an alternate 21st century, one in which the rise of feminism and equal rights has only just begun, and women are still considered second class citizens with no power, no magic and no rights. For decades wizards aka men, have controlled the world, using magic and the elements to increase their power and domination but subtle cracks begins to fragment their authority, and a magical weapon commissioned by our story line hero is needed to regulate the users of magic.

Colleen Cowley pulls the reader into an imaginary, enchanting and intriguing story of discrimination, magical power, fate and fear. An enemies to lovers, forced proximity relationship between a wizard whose secrets are dangerous and dark, and a woman who only wants the right to be considered his equal. The premise is fascinating; the characters are colorful and energetic; the romance is complex as the attraction may not be natural or from the heart.

Copy supplied for review

Reviewed by Sandy

Follow author: Website /Twitter /Goodreads/

Helping out your imagination with some hard facts

Colleen Cowley

Even fantastical stories about wizards running America can benefit from some research.

That’s what I figured as I wrote a trilogy about that idea, anyway. The Clandestine Magic series opens in 2020, but it’s such a warped timeline that it feels more akin to the 1910s, complete with suffragist-like women. So there’s plenty of history to tap.

At heart, the novels are about Beatrix Harper, one of those activists, and Peter Blackwell, the wizard who upends her life. I wanted an immersive world for them, though. And that’s where research came in handy.

One gold mine for writers and readers alike: the Library of Congress’ website, where you can spelunk through history from your couch. Their collection of photographs is amazing, and it’s a great way to get a mental picture of places and people at a certain time.

Much of my trilogy is set in a fictionalized version of historic Ellicott City, Maryland. Very conveniently, the Library of Congress has photos of its picturesque Main Street and homes, so I could see what it looked like decades ago. (Many of the photos are copyright free. Very useful for, you know, sharing with people on your author website.)

Also very conveniently, the LOC has photos of all sorts of people, taken in all eras since the camera was invented. I had a lot of fun matching photos to characters, especially since many of the real women fought for equal rights in our timeline.

But there are so many other ways to get inspiration. Listening to Martin Luther King Jr.’s collected speeches, for instance. (The women in the Clandestine Magic world have similar aims, one good reason for me to pay careful attention, but more importantly: Everyone should listen to his speeches, and not just bits and pieces of “I Have a Dream.”)

I read a lot, too, of course, but I didn’t find out the craziest part of the women’s suffrage story until just recently — after I’d already finished writing the series. The 19th Amendment, the one that gave women the vote, was almost undone after the last required state approved it. As this New York Times piece puts it: Opposition forces, seeing a chance for a redo, “tried to persuade legislators with cash bribes, job offers, blackmail and bare-knuckled threats.” It got even wilder and more ominous from there.

Lesson learned: Nothing is more fantastical than real life.

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