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Dog and Bitch Island (Ben Blackshaw #5) by Robert Blake Whitehill-Review and Interview

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DOG AND BITCH ISLAND (Ben Blackshaw #5) by Robert Blake Whitehill-Review and Interview

 

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

ABOUT THE BOOK: Release Date April 1, 2018

Ben Blackshaw’s old friend Travis Cynter is dead. Cynter was Blackshaw’s comrade-in-arms in the U.S. Navy SEALs. He was killed in full tactical gear during a black-ops mission on American soil. FBI Agents Molly Wilde and Pershing Lowry try to draw Blackshaw into helping them solve Cynter’s murder. The agents need Blackshaw because the case landed in their laps from an American intelligence agency with overseas interests. From two previous cases, these Feds have come to appreciate how Blackshaw can work in the shadows, off the books, and be easily disavowed should his investigations implode.

Blackshaw is torn. He has a longstanding mistrust of doing any kind of clandestine work for government intelligence agencies. In fact, when patriotism has led him to do the right thing in the past, usually against his better judgement and instincts, his friends and loved ones have suffered; many have died. Helping Wilde and Lowry always comes at too great a cost. This unhappy history weighs heavily against Blackshaw’s profound desire to solve the mystery of Travis Cynter’s death. Should he serve with patriotic duty to an ideal that might not exist, or act with honor to clear the name of his murdered friend?

Against the wishes of LuAnna, Blackshaw’s expectant wife, and contrary to the grim and hard-won advice of his friend Knocker Ellis Hogan, Blackshaw reluctantly launches the investigation with a close study of the murder scene on Dog Bitch Island near Ocean City, Maryland. The trio finds the exact spot where Travis Cynter died. It is LuAnna who discovers a clue which spins the team into a deadly transatlantic chase; she quickly learns that the Feds have not told them the whole truth about Cynter’s final mission.

Thanks to Ellis’s wisdom and wealth, and LuAnna’s independent deductive logic, Blackshaw operates like a small covert agency unto himself. Along the way, he tangles with an old enemy, discovers an unfinished SEAL mission, and cuts out rot at the highest levels of government, including a scandal that could rally terrorists the world over. And it is all controlled by the iron hand of a shadowy syndicate called Faction.

••••••••••

REVIEW: DOG AND BITCH ISLAND is the fifth installment in Robert Blake Whitehill’s contemporary, adult BEN BLACKSHAW military suspense series focusing on continuing adventures and investigations of retired Navy SEAL Ben Blackshaw. DOG AND BITCH ISLAND can be read as a stand alone without any difficulty. Any important information from the previous story lines is revealed where necessary.

Told from several third person perspectives including Ben Blackshaw and his wife former Natural Resources Police officer LuAnna Blackshaw DOG AND BITCH ISLAND follows Ben, LuAnna, and their friend, former business partner and Vietnam veteran Knocker Ellis Hogan as they hunt for the person who killed one of their own- Lieutenant Travis Cynter had been killed; a classified and covert mission focusing on the retrieval of an unknown package; and Ben Blackshaw was now the target of an FBI investigation that will take our hero from Smith Island to Bermuda as he searches for the truth.

DOG AND BITCH ISLAND is a fast paced, action packed, infinitely detailed story of intrigue, corruption, and the hunt for a killer. The political machine and the power elite are part a multi-faceted tool that controls the who and what of a mix of information that is revealed to the world- a world that is completely unaware of the backroom, and war room decisions that govern our lives and the lives of the people in the news. The allure of power, and the battle for control attract the wannabes and has-beens in a story that could be ripped from the headlines in a world at war. Robert Blake Whitehill’s DOG AND BITCH ISLAND is a thrilling, clever and intelligent tale of one man’s unique vision of right and wrong.

Reading Order and Previous Reviews
Deadrise
Nitro Express
Tap Rack Bang
Geronimo Hotshot
Dog and Bitch Island

Copy supplied for review

Reviewed by Sandy

TRC:  Hi Robert and welcome back to The Reading Café.

Robert: Hi Sandy! It’s a genuine pleasure to visit with you again. Your support putting readers together with authors and their books is so important.

TRC: For anyone who does not know you, please tell us something about yourself?

Robert: For a while, I was bucking the family tradition of writing (my father, Joseph Whitehill, was a novelist, and my mom, Cecily Sharp-Whitehill is a poet and editor) by studying acting. But memorizing roles, and even just working with great monologues, always brought me back to the power of the written word and how I enjoy writing them rather than only interpreting them. I love writing tight, pithy, sayable dialogue. I’ve written for true crime shows on Discovery, like The New Detectives, and screenplays.

Writing a novel was the suggestion of a good friend. It took the poor guy two years of nagging to get me started. I worked for eight years off and on to craft Deadrise, the first title in the Ben Blackshaw series. Of course I was researching the story’s location on the Chesapeake and on the Eastern Shore of Maryland, even though I grew up there. I needed to see it afresh with an author’s eye, even the Chesapeake Bay islands, including Smith Island. During that time, I was looking at the big picture of the series, plotting later books that would follow Deadrise, which include Nitro Express, Tap Rack Bang, Geronimo Hotshot, and now, Dog & Bitch Island.

TRC: How did publishing your first book change your writing process?

Robert: Deadrise came out in 2012, and it was life-altering in so many ways. First of all, with thanks to reviewers like you, Sandy, I started meeting the Blackshaw readers, who up until then had been a dream.   I mentioned I took eight years to shape the Blackshaw series and the first book. Now I really had to step it up, and create one book per year, which is the usual output for an author crafting a popular fiction series.

The prospect of that workload was terrifying, but I had already taken the time to lay important groundwork that would serve the entire series. In order to keep up with the new demands of press interviews, readings, signings, I needed a highly structured work-week to make sure I could have a new book ready for publication a year later. Thank goodness, after all the research and preparation, I was able to bring out Nitro Express on time.

TRC: Would you please tell us something about your new release DOG & BITCH ISLAND?

Robert: In Dog & Bitch Island, the FBI calls upon Ben Blackshaw to assist in solving the murder of Lt. Travis Cynter, Blackshaw’s buddy from the Navy SEALs. Cynter died in full assault gear, but on the eponymous island near Ocean City, Maryland, which is very odd, since SEALs are always deployed overseas. Blackshaw reluctantly agrees to help the FBI, I think because Cynter is a little like Blackshaw himself, an independent operator working outside the system; Cynter went rogue. Blackshaw, himself a maverick, is the best guy to help figure out what happened. What’s fun about this fifth Blackshaw book is that LuAnna, Blackshaw’s wife who’s expecting their first baby, comes along to help with the investigation. Her insights are crucial to completing the mission. Of course, Blackshaw’s old friend Knocker Ellis Hogan is also right there with him start-to-finish.

TRC: What direction do you plan for the Ben Blackshaw Series?

Robert: The direction for the Blackshaw series is both outward and inward. It’s an outward direction, in that Blackshaw, though from a small Chesapeake island community, will continue to fight to right wrongs that affect us all, especially the weak, throughout the world.

The series direction is also inward; I want to deepen the relationships between Blackshaw, his wife LuAnna, and his friend Ellis. I want to learn more about Blackshaw’s relationship as a grown man with his parents, both of whom abandoned caring for him when he was a teenager. They’re still alive, and they drop into the stories from time to time. There is still a lot to explore there. And what is Blackshaw’s relationship with his half-sister Annie Vo, and her wife? Relationships, and the emotional truths that surround, support, and infect them, are so important to the evolving arc of the Blackshaw series.

TRC: What type of research/plotting do you do, and how long do you spend researching /plotting before beginning a book?

Robert: I pull my plot cores from world events, local news, anything where the downtrodden need Blackshaw’s helping or his avenging hand. The Southern Poverty Law Center is a constant source of news about righteous fights on behalf the disadvantaged. And Project Censored always dives deep into news stories that might not be telegenic enough for CNN or Fox News.

Though the series starts in the Chesapeake Bay environs, there are far flung locations that require travel to research. When I can’t do that, I take extra time on the internet to get to know every aspect of a place.

That said, I don’t have a set research phase in the writing of a book. It’s always ongoing, and guided by plot turns and twists. I might study the plot core before starting the book, but I do so much more research between writing one line and the next while the work is in progress.

TRC: How often do real-life events influence your story lines and, ultimately the direction of your books and series?

Robert: Real-life events, both on grand and deeply personal scales, lie at the heart of the Blackshaw series. As an author, I have to be able to empathize, sympathize, or at the very least identify with every aspect of a book, every character, action, every line of narration, and every line of dialogue, or I can’t keep it. If it doesn’t move me, it won’t move a reader. That’s where my absorption with news media feeds the engine. Who needs help? Who needs avenging? Who has been forgotten? When I find the victims and the survivors, I quickly meet their oppressors. And then the oppressors quickly meet Blackshaw. And that’s all it takes to seed a Blackshaw story.

TRC: What has been your hardest scene –ever-to write?

Robert: In the main, I love writing, and letting moments emerge from my subconscious that shock even me. In Deadrise, LuAnna was badly and terribly injured. I asked myself, how could I do such a thing to such a wonderful, sterling character? However disturbing they are, I know I have to keep moments like those.

I suffered awfully once again when writing Tap Rack Bang. There were a number of scenes in which young children were in danger, and suffering in complete and bewildering terror. I remember being so afraid and alone at times as a child, so I had to relive those memories writing those scenes. I suppose having a vivid recollection aids me in writing these scenes as truthfully as possible. Blackshaw readers will be the ultimate judges of this.

TRC: Do you believe the cover image plays a deciding factor for many readers in the process of selecting a book or new series to read?

Robert: I absolutely believe a book cover plays an important role in helping a book or series find its audience. There was a time I worked as a pitch man, and the most important lesson I was taught to make a sale was put the item in the buyer’s hand. As soon prospect took hold of the product I was selling, it wasn’t mine anymore. The prospect immediately began to feel as though the item was theirs. Since I can’t be present whenever and wherever readers are looking for exciting new books, or a great new series, the book covers have to stand in for me. I’m always trying to imagine what kind of cover will make someone want to pick the book up at a store, or buy it on line.

I pitch my initial idea to the cover artist, and then we work through to the most intriguing image possible. I’ve worked with graphic artists like Carol Castelluccio at www.Studio042.com to create several exciting covers. Buffalo Gouge (https://www.facebook.com/buffalo.gouge) did amazing work on Geronimo Hotshot and Dog & Bitch Island. Betty Horne Fowler (https://www.facebook.com/betty.fowler) provided a totally haunting photograph for the cover of Tap Rack Bang. My covers are not standardized. They run the gamut in style, color palette, and original media. They are eclectic because my taste is eclectic; I never can tell which style of cover is going to draw a reader to a Blackshaw book for the first time.

TRC: How do you select the names of your characters?

Robert: No one’s asked me that before, Sandy! I sit through the end credits of movies, and text myself any names that are real grabbers. It might be a first name. It might be a last name. It might be a name that I change, but it’s inspired by a gaffer or a make-up artist, or a stunt double. I hate vanilla names. I really prefer names that are evocative, and that reveal something of the nature of the character. There you have it. Movie credits!

TRC: Do you listen to music while writing? If so, does the style of music influence the storyline direction? Characters?

Robert: I need serious quiet when I’m writing. Music just carries me away. I start listening, and stop writing. My father listened to classical music when he was writing. I can’t handle it. I don’t know how he did it. Music drowns out the voices of the characters rattling around my skull.

TRC: What do you believe is the biggest misconception people have about authors? About yourself?

Robert: Some readers might think writers are bookish loners, and introverts. I like being with other people, but only for short bursts.  Then I need some quiet time to charge the batteries. What folks might not know is that authors have to generate new work all the time, but after that first book comes out, they also must think and act like entrepreneurs, planning and executing marketing strategies, thinking about covers, making appearances at readings and signings. It goes from being a quiet life to an insanely busy life very quickly.

Thank goodness on the screenwriting side of things, I work with Liza Moore, who is an amazing producer in addition to being a manager with a strong guiding vision. On the book side, I am lucking to have amazing interns, like Erin Blake and Haylee Berry, and formerly, Heather Bailey. They free me up so much designing the Blackshaw travel app (available in the App store for Apple and Android as a guide to visit Smith Island where the series is set), and handling social media for me in such imaginative and creative ways. In return, the interns and I collaborate on Blackshaw short stories that are published at the end of the novels. Karl Guthrie is an amazing attorney who sees to it that I don’t make any mistakes with contract negotiations. An active author really needs a supportive team as soon as possible.

TRC: What are your thoughts on e-books vs paper? Traditional vs Independent publishing?

Robert: I sell mostly ebooks, but I make sure an attractive paperback edition is also available for those who prefer print books. The paperbacks are also important if you ever want to do signings in brick-and-mortar bookstores.

When it comes to the question of legacy vs. independent publishing, I guess I’m a hybrid case, Sandy. For English language Blackshaw books, I still believe in independent publishing for both the ebooks and paperbacks as I said. But the German publisher, Luzifer-Verlag bought the German language rights in a legacy, or traditional agreement structured in the usual way, with advances followed by royalties. They purchased the rights to the first four Blackshaw books all in a bundle like that. I’m happy to break the tremendous news here that Luzifer-Verlag have just agreed to purchase Dog & Bitch Island as well, for release in 2019. I am so fortunate to be associated with such a terrific publishing company. Their translations are excellent, the covers are mind-blowing, and their marketing team is quite creatively aggressive. It boils down to which style of publishing offers the greatest creative freedom for the greatest financial opportunity. Every situation is different. One no longer has to handle publishing in just one way.

TRC: What is something that few, if anybody, knows about you?

Robert: Very few folks know that one of my former gigs was as a bridge tender on the Old Severn River Bridge outside Annapolis, Maryland. I had twelve and twenty-four hour shifts, opening the bridge now and then for passing boats. I could get pizza delivered at any time, the view was spectacular both up- and downriver, and it was a tremendous private office for a writer.

TRC: On what are you currently working?

Robert: At the moment, I’m working on the screenplay adaptation of Tap Rack Bang, the third book in the Ben Blackshaw series. After that is complete, I’ll continue with Blackshaw Book 6, entitled simply, Blast.

TRC: Would you like to add anything else?

Robert: As ever, I would like to thank the Ben Blackshaw readers for all their support and encouragement for the series. I must also thank them for their patience awaiting Dog & Bitch Island. Other writing commitments prevented my bringing this new book out as quickly as I would have wished. I truly hope readers will share their enjoyment of Blackshaw with their friends and family.

I welcome emails directly from Blackshaw readers at rbw@robertblakewhitehill.com anytime, and try to reply as promptly as possible. You can sign up for newsletters, or follow Blackshaw and me at:

www.robertblakewhitehill.com

@rbwhitehill

https://www.facebook.com/rbwhitehill/

Free Blackshaw Travel App for Visiting or Learning About Smith Island

Apple
https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/blackshaw/id1159429726?mt=8

Android
https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.app.swjrtgkuqrpveflmnzzipuvdiafxybkndwygscmqlbo&hl=en

TRC: Thank you Robert for taking the time to answer our questions.

Robert: Your questions teach me about Blackshaw and his world, and about myself as an author.

TRC: Congratulations on the release of Dog & Bitch Island.

Robert: And thank you Sandy. You are such a terrific advocate for readers and authors alike.

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Barreled Over by Jenna Sutton – Review, Guest Post & Giveaway

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Barreled Over by Jenna Sutton – Review, Guest Post & Giveaway

 

 

Amazon / B&N / Kobo

 

Description:
Ava Grace Landy’s music career is humming along until a shakeup at her label jeopardizes her recording contract and curses her with the world’s worst boss. Determined to satisfy him, she partners with Trinity Distillery to access a larger male audience. To her surprise, she’s the one who’s satisfied—by none other than Jonah Beck, the gorgeous, yet gruff man behind the bourbon.

No doubt about it, bourbon runs in Beck’s blood. But it’s audacious Ava Grace who makes it run hot. When she signs on as the spokesperson for his craft distillery, he doesn’t plan on hoisting her onto an oak barrel and rocking the rickhouse. Though he’s convinced their lives don’t mix—like a terrible cocktail—he can’t keep his hands off the alluring country star.

Ava Grace and Beck try to keep their intoxicating relationship private, but the glare of her fame is too bright, revealing secrets they both want to remain hidden. With a spotlight shining on his tumultuous past, their future is at risk. Now they must decide if being together is worth sacrificing the career she loves and the company he’s poured his heart and soul into.

 

Review:

Barreled Over by Jenna Sutton is the first book in her new Trinity Distillery series.  Having read & enjoyed Sutton’s previous series (Riley O’Brien & Co.), I looked forward to starting this series, and I am happy to say I loved Barreled Over. 

When we meet, Ava Grace Landy, our heroine and a famous country music star, she is at a meeting with the new boss of her record label company.  Though she is one of the top selling country stars, her boss feels she needs to open her music to attract more male audiences.  Ava Grace will meet with the owners of Trinity Distillery, to become their spokesperson for a big promotional endorsement that will  benefit both of them.  Her best friend, Amelia (heroine from Riley O’Brien), is married to one of the four owners of Trinity,

Jonah Beck, our hero, isn’t crazy about bringing in Ava Grace, but his partners feel this is an opportunity to promote their great bourbon.  Beck finds himself attracted to the beautiful, outgoing & bubbly Ava Grace, but he is determined to not become involved with her, especially due to her very public life. Beck has never forgotten the scandal when he was a teenager, with his deceased father that makes him avoid the media as much as possible.

 Ava Grace previously met Beck at Amelia’s wedding and was attracted to him then.  Now as they begin to work closely together, Beck finds the attraction becoming too strong to resist, especially with Ava Grace doing all she can to seduce him.  Right from the start, we saw the sizzling chemistry between them, and I loved them together.  However, the issues they both had in their lives didn’t make things easy for them.  Ava Grace was famous, with the media always following her; she also had a father suffering from the late & violent stages of Alzheimer’s disease, which she kept secret from the public.  Beck having lived through the harsh publicity from his father, wanted nothing to do with Ava Grace’s lifestyle.  Would they find a way to stay together?

What follows is a wonderful sweet story about two people who despite their hot chemistry do not seem right for each other based on their location and lifestyles.  Beck loves his bourbon business, which his in San Francisco; and Ava Grace lives in Nashville, where her career is centered.   One of the fun parts of this book is that we get to learn a lot of the making of bourbon, and the different recipes to use with it. 

Sutton’s always creates wonderful characters that we come to love, and it is no different in Barreled Over.  Besides having already loved Amelia and Quinn previously, I really liked Beck’s other two partners, Ren and Gabe.  I also liked Kyle, the caregiver for Ava Grace’s father, which did have a number of emotional situations that stressed on this terrible disease.

Barreled Over was a great read, which also had a bit of everything; hot romance, sexy couple, great characters, music and bourbon backgrounds, as well as emotional moments.  I look forward to reading the next book in this series and I strongly suggest you read Barreled Over to start this series.

Reviewed by Barb

Copy supplied for review

10 Questions with Jonah Beck of Barreled Over (Trinity Distillery #1)

Age: 32
Height: 6’4”
Eye color: Brown
Hair color: Brown
Occupation: Founder and CEO of a craft bourbon distillery
Hometown: Grew up in Kentucky and now lives in San Francisco

*****

Thanks for stopping by The Reading Café to chat with us today, Beck.

It’s my pleasure, of course.

What do you do for fun? I work a lot, so I don’t have a lot of free time. I like to run and play basketball with friends. I also like to spend time outdoors, camping and hiking and walking my dog, Chicken.

Do you believe in love at first sight? I’ve never really thought about it. I don’t think so. I think trust is a huge part of loving someone, and that’s nothing something you can see right off the bat.

What’s your greatest fear? My greatest fear was making the same mistakes my dad made, particularly when it comes to love and marriage. Now my greatest fear is doing something stupid and losing Ava Grace.

If you could relive any moment of your life, what would it be? I would relive the first time Ava Grace and I had sex. I picked that moment for two reasons: 1) the sex was incredible and 2) I acted like an ass when it was over, and I need to redeem myself

What’s the most expensive thing you’ve ever bought? Excluding my Jeep, the most expensive thing I’ve ever bought is Ava Grace’s engagement ring. She likes sparkly things, and I bought her one hell of a sparkler.

Favorite quality in a woman? The ability to kick a little ass when necessary (figuratively)

If Ava Grace were a cocktail, which one would she be?  I’ve said it before, and I’ll say it again—Ava Grace is just like good bourbon. She makes my throat burn and my chest tight, and then she settles in my belly and burns like an ember.

Do you sing in the shower? I didn’t used to, but I do now, especially if Ava Grace is in the shower with me. I love to hear her sing.

What three words would Ava Grace use to describe you? And what three words would you use to describe her? Damn, this is a hard question. I’m going to start with the words I’d use to describe Ava Grace: loyal, loving, and strong. As for the words she’d use to describe me, how about: solid, sexy, and all mine.


Favorite movie you’d be embarrassed to tell your friends you loved? If I’m embarrassed to tell my friends, why would I tell you?

Okay, then, what’s your #1 celebrity crush? Now this is an easy one—Ava Grace is my #1 celebrity crush. She has been since the moment I met her.

Lightning Round

Boxers or briefs: Neither. Boxer-briefs.

Favorite color: Green

Favorite dessert: Bourbon chocolate pecan pie

Dream vacation: I’ve always wanted to tour the whiskey distilleries in Scotland and visit the Greek island of Santorini

Favorite way to spend a Sunday afternoon: Naked with Ava Grace

 


Jenna Sutton is a former award-winning journalist who traded fact for fiction when she began writing novels. Surprisingly, the research she conducted for her articles provided a lot of inspiration for her books. She’s the author of the Riley O’Brien & Co. romances and the new Trinity Distillery series. Although Jenna calls Texas home, more often than not, she’s somewhere else. Her love’s job takes him all over the country, and she tags along, just like a groupie follows her favorite band.

You can find out more about Jenna and her work on her website http://www.jennasutton.com. Sign up for her newsletter at http://bit.ly/1K8MaCH to access the latest news and monthly contests.

WEB/SOCIAL LINKS

Amazon: http://amzn.to/2khu0v3

Author website: www.jennasutton.com

BookBub: http://bit.ly/2jacup6

Facebook: www.facebook.com/jennasuttonauthor

Goodreads: http://bit.ly/2nkoSaw

Instagram: www.instagram.com/jennasuttonauthor

Newsletter: http://bit.ly/1K8MaCH

Twitter: www.twitter.com/jsuttonauthor

 

 

 

Jenna  is offering an e-copy or paper of BARRELLED OVER to TWO (2) lucky commenterS 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.

2. If you are using a social log-in, please post your email address with your comment.

3. Please LIKE us on FACEBOOK and click GET NOTIFICATIONS

4. Please FOLLOW us on Twitter for an additional entry.

5. Please FOLLOW us on GOODREADS for an additional entry.

6. Follow Jenna Sutton   on Facebook.

7. Giveaway is open US Only

8. Giveaway runs from March 17 – 20, 2018

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Phoenix Burning (A Veranda Cruz Mystery #2) by Isabella Maldonado-Review & Guest Post

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PHOENIX BURNING (A Veranda Cruz Mystery #2) by Isabella Maldonado-a review and guest post

Amazon.com / Amazon.ca / B&N / KOBO / Chapters Indigo / Google Play

ABOUT THE BOOK: Release Date March 8, 2018

The battle between Veranda Cruz and the Villalobos cartel turns Phoenix into a war zone.

Homicide Detective Veranda Cruz will stop at nothing to take down the Villalobos cartel. But when a wave of violence in the city escalates, she fears that the secrets of her past will take her down instead.

Adolfo Villalobos is a crime boss who’s determined to stake his claim. To prove that he’s ready to run his family’s sprawling criminal empire, he devises a plan to silence his siblings and destroy Veranda, leaving a trail of destruction through downtown Phoenix that makes national headlines. Veranda believes the task force she’s been assigned to lead will end the cartel’s reign of terror, until Adolfo’s revenge takes a cruel–and highly personal–twist.

••••••••••

REVIEW:  PHOENIX BURNING is the second instalment in Isabella Maldonado’s contemporary, adult VERANDA CRUZ MYSTERY crime thriller series focusing on Phoenix homicide detective Veranda Cruz. PHOENIX BURNING can be read as a stand alone without any difficulty but I recommend reading the series in order as there is a continuing premise throughout.

Told from several third person points of view including Veranda Cruz, PHOENIX BURNING follows Phoenix homicide detective Veranda Cruz as she and her fellow police detectives continue to struggle in the wake of a notorious Mexican Cartel headed by Hector Villalobos and his adult children (Adolfo, Bartolo, Carlos & Daria) whose illegal activities including arms dealing, drugs and human trafficking are wreaking havoc in the Phoenix area.

In the first instalment BLOOD’S ECHO Veranda’s fifteen year old sister Gabriela was kidnapped by the Villalobos family, and her mother’s restaurant burned to the ground in a violent act of retribution and revenge against our story line heroine. Fast forward six weeks, and Veranda is named to a special task force alongside the Phoenix Police Department Homicide Squad and Gang Unit, the FBI, DEA, US Marshal, Homeland Security and the Mexican Federal Police as they put a plan into motion to take down the Villalobos Cartel. What ensues is a series of set backs, and threats aimed at our story line heroine as Hector Villalobos tries establish his power and authority against everyone involved.

PHOENIX BURNING contains some scenes of violence that focus on the brutality of the Mexican cartels; their cruelty and destructiveness as it pertains to human life, and their single-minded ruthlessness of domination and control. The Phoenix Police are outsmarted; our heroine’s family and the people of Phoenix are blindsided; the Villalobos family structure and dynamic will continue to change.

Author Isabella Maldonado, a retired police captain, and graduate of the FBI National Academy, draws on her experiences and real life in her endeavor to create a fictionalized world of corruption, crime and violence in Phoenix, Arizona. PHOENIX BURNING is an intriguing thrill ride; a gripping and realistic tale of choices and tragic consequences; of retaliation and retribution; entitlement, family, dominion and power.

:Copy supplied by Netgalley for review

Reviewed by Sandy

TOEING THE THIN BLUE LINE by Isabella Maldonado

Police officers are afforded a lot of discretion in how they perform their duties. This is both necessary, and a potential pitfall. After more than twenty years on the force, I’ve made my share of judgment calls during rapidly evolving situations. When I became a police captain later in my career, I had to hold others accountable for their decisions. It’s not something most cops like to discuss, but it’s a very real part of the job. There are times when you’re put in the position of knowing a guilty person has escaped justice based on a technicality. You must let them go. We used to have a saying on the force: “The world is round.” It means that the person who gets away with a crime today will doubtless come full circle and end up getting caught for something else tomorrow. Kind of “bad guy karma.”

In fiction, whether on the screen or in print, heroes are sometimes portrayed as vigilantes who ensure justice is served. This is one of the reasons why fiction can be so much more satisfying than real life, where sometimes evil seems to prevail. This begs the question: Should good guys do bad things in the name of fighting crime? We know what Machiavelli would say, but then again, he didn’t swear an oath to serve and protect. In real life, the answer is not just no, but hell no.

Having sat on both sides of the commander’s desk, I could deeply sympathize with an officer who colored outside the lines in an honest effort to lock up a criminal. But I couldn’t allow it. I disciplined those officers when they violated policy or procedure. During the review process, I always explained to the officer that the police are held to a higher standard. The fact that we are empowered to take away people’s freedom – and yes, sometimes their very lives – means that we cannot ever allow ourselves to cut corners or skip ahead, even if that means getting to the end point more quickly. My officers knew me to be firm, but fair.

In fiction, however, it’s just so much more fun to make sure evil gets its comeuppance. Preferably in a spectacular and wholly satisfying way. If that requires our hero to bend or break a few pesky rules, then so be it. I write a police procedural series featuring the Phoenix Police Department. My protagonist, Detective Veranda Cruz, strays from the line, but she ends up paying the price for doing so. It’s important to me to show the repercussions cops face when they use deadly force, whether subsequently deemed justifiable or not. Aside from those kind of judgment calls, officers routinely make many other decisions when they investigate cases that can have long-reaching ramifications for suspects, victims, and the entire community. Using my background, I try to portray as accurately as I can what happens to police who do the wrong things for the right reasons, but not to the point of bogging down the story with endless Internal Affairs interviews. Fast-paced stories need to keep their momentum, after all. Hopefully, readers enjoy an engaging story that keeps them on the edge of their seat. If my characters sometimes resort to extreme measures to get the job done, there will be a price to pay. But, after all, that’s what makes them the good guys!

Isabella Maldonado is a published author, a retired police captain, and a regular contributor on television News Channel 12 (Phoenix NBC affiliate) as a law enforcement expert. Her last police position was Commander of Special Investigations and Forensics. During her long career, she served as a hostage negotiator, department spokesperson, and precinct commander among many assignments. She was recognized with a Meritorious Service Award and a Lifesaving Award, and was selected to attend executive management training at the FBI National Academy in Quantico. Maldonado is a past president of the Phoenix Metro chapter of Sisters In Crime, and currently sits on the board. She lives in Mesa, Arizona, where she is currently writing the third book in the Veranda Cruz series, which features a Latina Phoenix police detective.

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Every Deep Desire (Deadly Force #1) by Sharon Wray-Review, Interview, Excerpt & Giveaway

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EVERY DEEP DESIRE (Deadly Force #1) by Sharon Wray-Review, Interview, Excerpt & Giveaway

Amazon | Amazon.ca | Books-A-Million | Barnes & Noble | Chapters | Indiebound

 

ABOUT THE BOOK: Release Date March 6, 2018

He’s taking it all back
His honor, his freedom, and the woman he loves

Rafe Montfort was a decorated Green Beret, the best of the best, until a disastrous mission and an unforgivable betrayal destroyed his life. Now, this deadly soldier has returned to the sultry Georgia swamps to reunite with his brothers, and take back all he lost. But Juliet must never know the truth behind what he’s done…or the dangerous secret that threatens to take him from her forever.

It took Juliet Capel eight long years to put her life back together after her husband was taken from her. Now Rafe is back, determined to protect her at any cost, and it’s not just her heart that’s in danger. The swamps hold a secret long buried and far deadlier than either of them could have imagined.

••••••••••

REVIEW: EVERY DEEP DESIRE is the first instalment in Sharon Wray’s contemporary, adult DEADLY FORCE romantic suspense series focusing on a group of former Green Beret’s betrayed by someone in charge. This is Rafe Montfort, and Juliet Capel’s second chance story line.

NOTE: EVERY DEEP DESIRE contains scenes of graphic violence that may not be suitable for some readers.

Told from several third person perspectives including Rafe and Juliet VERY DEEP DESIRE is a complex and multi-layered story line that focuses on the rekindling romance between former and dishonourably discharged Green Beret Rafe Montfort, and the woman he loves, landscape architect Juliet Capel. Eight years earlier Rafe Montfort went AWOL leaving the woman he loves struggling to survive. Fast forward to present day wherein a changed Rafe returns seeking revenge against people who destroyed his life-a life he no longer controls as his own. With continuing threats against Juliet, and the return of two of the men he once called friend, Rafe’s mission becomes more complicated as the ‘Brotherhood’, a secret organization known as the Fianna, seeks payment and retribution for sins of the past. What ensues is the second chance romance between Rafe and Juliet, and the potential fall-out as one-time friends become enemies, and enemies become future friends, and the Brotherhood refuses to let go of one of their own.

Sharon Wray has loosely adapted Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliette with the release of EVERY DEEP DESIRE wherein brother is pitted against brother, family against friendship in a war not of their making. From betrayal to secrets, poison to promises, EVERY DEEP DESIRE is a complicated mosaic of double cross and treachery, heartbreak and confession, power and control. The ‘Brotherhood’ speaks in Shakespearean prose referencing life and death with every message and note. There are heroes and anti-heroes, villains and sinners, black sheep and rogues such that the line between good and evil is constantly blurred. With the introduction of Rafe’s former Green Beret Team, I am hoping the author has plans for future story lines.

EVERY DEEP DESIRE is not an easy read due to the numerous intersecting and complex plotlines; the introduction of a diverse cast of secondary and supporting characters; and the mysterious Fianna-a group of ‘mythological’ Irish warriors dating back hundreds of years. The overload of information is, at times, confusing and chaotic, but I recommend reading EVERY DEEP DESIRE until the end. The premise is unique, intriguing and cleverly written; the characters are passionate and tragic; the romance is palpable and intense. EVERY DEEP DESIRE is a thrilling and fascinating take on Romeo and Juliet- the hidden ‘Easter Eggs’ are only the beginning.

Copy supplied by Netgalley through the publisher

Reviewed by Sandy

Juliet’s house had disappeared.
Rafe Montfort scrubbed a hand over his face. A strangling ache invaded his chest, filling the empty space that once held his heart. He shifted the Army duffel he’d shouldered for the past six miles, moving the burn from one arm to the other. Why had he assumed her father’s trailer would still be standing? That she’d be living there? Waiting for him?
Because he wasn’t only a bastard who made assumptions. He was a fool who once believed the Prince’s brutal goals justified Rafe’s ruthless actions.
Or, as Escalus used to say, “a fool whose violent delights have violent ends.”
Summer cicadas hummed in the Isle of Grace’s surrounding woods, their mournful drone filling Rafe’s head with rhythmic disapproval. Sweat soaked his T-shirt, pooling low in his back above his waistband. Where he used to keep his gun.
He wasn’t just a bastard. He wasn’t just a fool. He just wasn’t the man he’d once hoped to become. With a nod to his broken past, he left the overgrown property and headed home.
Keep it moving, Montfort. That’s right. One boot in front of the other.
He kicked an empty beer bottle into a ditch, shattering the brown glass, and marched toward Pops’s trailer tucked between the towering Georgia pines a half mile down the Isle’s dirt road. He’d given up his honor, his wife, his men. Thank God his mother had died before he betrayed everyone he loved. In the years he’d been away, he hadn’t just cut out his heart; he’d sold his soul.
Despite the breeze, questions about Juliet’s departure burned his blood.
Why had she left? He climbed the pine steps to the deck alongside the double-wide.
Where’d she go? He jumped the last two steps to avoid the missing planks.
Did she ever think of him? The Capels had arrived on the Isle long before the American Revolution. It’d never occurred to him that her family would leave. For eight long years, he’d been counting on that.
His duffel landed with a thud next to an outboard motor and buckets of fishing gear. He rubbed the knotted muscles in his shoulder and faced the broken screen door. His vision faded until all he could see was the blurry mesh.
What the hell was he doing? Why had he even come home? Because he’d had no choice. Everything depended on him remembering that. With renewed determination, he raised his fist and hit the metal door.
No answer. He closed his eyes, took another breath, and knocked again.
Juliet’s family was gone. Had his left as well?
He heard a banging around back, pulled out his leather jacket, and covered the tattoos on his arms. He’d rather die of heat stroke than start an argument. Then he jumped over the deck rail. His combat boots made it easier to walk through the tall weeds to the red barn a hundred yards behind the trailer. Three times larger than the home, the barn and surrounding yard held remnants of every American classic car ever made.
Everything stood as if he’d never left, except for the cell boost antenna on the barn’s roof. From the height and distance, it probably provided a cell signal the width and depth of Pops’s property. Pops had joined the twenty-first century? Maybe miracles were possible.
He drew closer and saw his daddy’s gray head bobbing up and down beneath the hood of a black 1958 Chevy Impala. He stopped on the other side of the car and exhaled until his lungs ached. “Pops?”
His dad raised his head, his eyes squinting. “Who’s there?”
“It’s me. Rafe.”
A man, shorter than he remembered, stood. In a stained red T-shirt and overalls with one strap hanging down, his father waited a few moments before nodding. At least he wasn’t holding a beer. Or his shotgun.
Rafe waved at the car. “She’s a real beauty. She yours?”
“No.” Pops wiped his dirty hands on an oily rag, and Rafe focused on the remaining finger on his father’s right hand. He’d given the other four to the Marines. “She belongs to your brother.”
“Good for him.”
Pops tossed the rag onto the engine and gripped the side of the Chevy’s frame. His hard stare took in Rafe’s leather jacket in what had to be triple-digit heat. “What you doin’ here, boy?”
He held out his hand. A hug would only be an invitation to an ass-kicking. “The Army released me from prison.”
“Released?” His father picked up a dirty wrench, his face brown beneath a haircut the Corps would salute. “What the hell for? Good behavior?”
“No, sir.” He dropped his hand. If disapproval were a color, it would be the dark, muddy brown in his father’s grim gaze. “I don’t know why.”
Since he’d spent two years in a Russian jail and then the last nine months locked in isolation in Leavenworth, he wasn’t sure what to think. “I was told to return to Savannah and wait for a call.”
While it went against every one of his hard-earned instincts urging him to run, he’d come home to find out what the hell was going on. Besides, it wasn’t like he had anyplace else to go.
“You still a sergeant?”
A sharp ache hit Rafe’s back molars, and he eased off the teeth grinding. On his left, he noticed a band of magnolia trees surrounding a white glory cross. He shoved his hands into his jacket pockets and forced himself to meet his father’s reproach. “I don’t know what I am.” Sergeant? Prisoner 061486? The Prince’s warrior? Hell if he knew.
“I know what you are,” Pops said. “Damn traitor. Not to mention adulterer, liar, thief.”
Rafe’s exhale sounded more like a hiss. While he wasn’t all of those things, he’d done other things—worse things. “I was also dishonorably discharged.”


 

TRC: Hi Sharon and welcome to The Reading Café. Congratulations on the recent release of your debut book EVERY DEEP DESIRE

Sharon: Thank you so much for having me here today.

TRC: We would like to start with some background information. Would you please tell us something about yourself?

Follow Sharon: Goodreads / Website / Facebook / Twitter / Google Plus

Sharon: I’m a librarian and archivist who worked in the pharmaceutical and news industries, as well as in art and public libraries. I’m also a wife and a mother of twins who also used to design wedding gowns. But many years ago, when I decided to stay home with my twins and give up my design business, I was looking for a new creative venture and my sister-in-law gave me a copy of the Artist’s Way by Julia Cameron. As I worked through the book, I decided to become a romance author.

TRC: Who or what influenced your career in writing?

Sharon: My father was my biggest influence and one of my biggest supporters until his death. His grandparents came from Ireland (my maiden name is Brennan) and he was always telling me stories about Irish kings and warriors and, of course, fairies. When I was trying to decide which creative track I should take, I remembered my father’s stories and that help me decide to become a writer.

TRC: What challenges or difficulties have you encountered writing and publishing your first novel?

Sharon: I don’t want to depress any new writers out there, but it took me fourteen years from the day I decided to become a romance writer to having a book on a bookshelf. 🙂 I joined Romance Writers of America on March 2, 2004 and my debut novel will hit bookstores March 6, 2018.

In those fourteen years, I’ve written eight full manuscripts and two partials. I also have alot of outlines for other books. It took me six years to find an agent and another six to sell my first books. And along the way I’ve received over a hundred rejections. But all of this taught me invaluable lessons about patience, perseverance and gratitude. It’s also taught me how to be a better writer. As long as this journey has been, it’s also been wonderful. And it makes my release of EVERY DEEP DESIRE that much more amazing.

TRC: Would you please tell us something about the premise of EVERY DEEP DESIRE and the DEADLY FORCE series?

Sharon: The DEADLY FORCE series is about a team of ex-Green Berets and their sexy, smart heroines who redeem Shakespeare’s greatest love stories.

When a group of ex-special forces soldiers, under the leadership of Colonel Kells Torridan, are accused of vicious war crimes and dishonorably discharged, they find themselves in the middle of a war between a vicious arms dealer and the secretive Fianna army.

Kells’s men now work in a cheesy, pirate-themed gym in Savannah, GA, desperate to prove their innocence before their enemies comes after them again. But as these men struggle to rebuild their lives and redeem their honor, it’s the women they love who teach these alpha males that Grace always defeats Reckoning.

EVERY DEEP DESIRE is a contemporary romantic suspense retelling of Romeo and Juliet. When Juliet Capel, a woman determined to protect the life she’s built for herself, becomes the target of an arms dealer who believes she holds the key to a 17th Century secret, her only chance to stay alive rests within the arms of Rafe Montfort, her ex-Green Beret husband who abandoned her eight years earlier.

TRC: From where did the idea come to integrate Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet, and the mythology of the Fianna Irish warriors?

Sharon: Honestly, I’m not sure. I didn’t think about any of this when I started the book. At first, I started writing about a character named Jack Keeley (he’s a colonel from the hero’s Green Beret unit who’s in prison for most of the series) and Jack started telling me about the series premise, about a group of ex-Green Berets caught in the middle of war between a brutal arms dealer and the Fianna army. Then, after the first rough draft, Rafe (the hero) told me he was a Fianna warrior, and Juliet (the heroine) told me she always felt her love story with Rafe was a tragedy. And the two ideas came together. Except then I had to start the book over.

This book would’ve been easier to write if I’d know all of this before I started writing. LOL.

TRC: What kind of research/plotting did you do, and how long did you spend researching /plotting before beginning EVERY DEEP DESIRE?

Sharon: Wow. A lot. It didn’t help that I’ve been a reference librarian all of my adult life. 🙂
I’ve been working on this series for about seven years. First, I re-read the entire Fenian cycle of poetry and all of the stories about the mythic Irish warrior Fionn Mac Cumhaill who formed the Fianna army to fend off the Roman invasion of Ireland. Then I re-read Romeo and Juliet and read as much literary criticism as I could find.

My parents lived in Savannah for a while, and my husband is from Charleston, so I did hundreds of hours of hands-on investigative work in these cities. I went to archives, took history tours, and ate in restaurants. 🙂 My brother-in-law is from one of the oldest families in the south, as well as a lawyer, and he was incredibly helpful with the legal aspects in this story.

My husband went to West Point and was an army officer for many, many years and now works for the DoD. He helped me with all of the military/weapon/action stuff and answered all of my crazy questions with patience and in terms I could understand. And if he didn’t know, he asked people who did know.

But for as much research as I did, I deliberately fictionalized certain things. I took famous stories about pirates and privateers and changed them to fit the story. I even made up my own island and my husband’s rendition of it made it into the book!

TRC: What was the hardest scene to write?

Sharon: It’s a tie between the first meet scene between Rafe (the hero) and Juliet (the heroine) as well as the first meet scene between Rafe and Nate (Rafe’s ex-Green Beret buddy from his former unit). Both of these scenes were difficult to write for the same reason: They were highly emotional.

Rafe abandoned his wife and his men, including Nate, so both Nate and Juliet feel completely betrayed. Even after 8 years, that kind of betrayal is hard to recover from. Although one character is a wife and the other is a friend, the emotions of betrayal, anger, and sadness were similar. Both scenes took me months to write, and many, many rounds of revisions to hit the emotions properly. And now they’re two of my favorite scenes in the book. 🙂

TRC: How will publishing EVERY DEEP DESIRE affect your writing style going forward?

Sharon: The editing process for this book taught me a lot about what scenes are really necessary and which ones aren’t. I am a very long and very slow writer, and my hope is that the process I went through with this book will teach me how writer leaner and faster writer going forward.

TRC: Do you believe the cover image plays a deciding factor for many readers in the process of selecting a book or new series to read?

Sharon: As a librarian, I do believe that covers help readers select a book. I’ve spent too many years in libraries where people would bring in books, point to the cover, and say, “give me something like this”. And I’m incredibly grateful to Sourcebooks for giving EVERY DEEP DESIRE such a fabulous cover. I also think that a strong cover on the first book of a series helps set the tone for the series and hopefully attracts readers who are seeking that kind of story.

TRC: When writing a storyline, do the characters direct the writing or do you direct the characters?

Sharon: I don’t do any directing of the characters in the first few drafts. I write down everything they say and do and want and feel and see. Then, as I begin to revise, I start cutting and moving and redirecting. But If I do too much redirecting. The characters stop talking to me. I can edit them, but I can’t change them. They don’t like that!

TRC: The mark of a good writer is to pull the reader into the storyline so that they experience the emotions along with the characters. What do you believe a writer must do to make this happen? Where do you believe writer’s fail in this endeavor?

Sharon: I always feel like I can improve in this area. First of all, knowing the characters is key. You can’t evoke emotions in readers if you don’t understand the emotions your characters are feeling. I spend a LOT of time with my characters, trying to learn everything I can about them, before I start my drafts.

To evoke emotion—and keep the tension on the page—an author must understand the interplay between dialog and narrative in both scenes and sequels. And then know when to layer in backstory, setting, and descriptions. It’s like trying to balance five bricks on a high wire. It can be done (I saw someone do this once!) but only if everything is in perfect balance.

If I fail in this balance (and I have many, many times), I always make sure I understand the type of scene it is (scene or sequel, action or love scene, etc). Then I look to the narrative to see if it’s overburdened with extra stuff, and then to the dialog to see if it’s rambling. I have some characters who love to talk and even though it may be witty and fun, it often needs to be cut. Balance is the key to everything.

TRC: Do you listen to music while writing? If so, does the style of music influence the storyline direction? Characters?

Sharon: I do listen to music while I’m drafting and will build a playlist as I draft. I collect songs of all genres from classical to heavy metal, depending on the scene I’m writing. Each scene has a feel to it, as do each character, and I use the music to help me pace the scene. Then, when I’m ready to revise, I pick a few songs that I feel embody the tone and “beat” of the book and will play those over and over again until I’m done.

When I’m doing final read-throughs, everything in the house needs to be silent. Even the dog’s snoring annoys me! Lol.

TRC: What do you believe is the biggest misconception people have about authors?

Sharon: That our lives are really glamorous. Mine’s really not. I write seven days a week, and between revising and marketing and writing new books, it’s easily a 60-hours a week job. I rarely leave the house if I’m in draft-mode or revise-mode which is almost all the time! But I wouldn’t change it for anything. I’m so much happier now than I was when I working in an office.

TRC: What is something that few, if anybody, knows about you?

Sharon: I used to work in the American Red Cross office in Uijongbu, South Korea.

TRC: On what are you currently working?

Sharon: I am revising book 2 in the Deadly Force series and writing book 3.

TRC: Would you like to add anything else?

Sharon: It’s still seems so surreal that EVERY DEEP DESIRE is out in the world. My book’s debut proves that if you have a dream you can’t ever, ever, ever give up. Dreams do come true.

LIGHTNING ROUND

Favorite Food
BBQ ribs

Favorite Dessert
Oreos (seriously!)

Favorite TV Show
The Colony (it’s a sc-fi show with Josh Holloway)

Last Movie You Saw
I re-watched Casablanca with my family.

Dark or Milk Chocolate
Both!

Secret Celebrity Crush
Laurence Olivier (when he played Heathcliff in Wuthering Heights)

Last Vacation Destination
Jamaica with my husband

Do you have any pets?
Yes, a one-eyed rescue dog named Donut (He’s an Australian blue-heeler)

Last book you read
Cruel Beauty by Rosamund Hodge. It’s a YA retelling of Beauty and the Beast.

Sharon: Thank you so much for having me here today!

TRC: Thank you Sharon for taking the time to answer our questions. Congratulations on your the release of EVERY DEEP DESIRE. We wish you much success.

Dear Readers,

As an author, I both love and fear release days. I’m thrilled that the book I’ve spent years on is entering the world, ready to find readers. Yet terrified because the fictional world I’ve spent so much time in—dreaming about, thinking of, planning for—is no longer my own.

The story and everything in it, especially the characters, now belong to you. All the feels you experience, whether I intended them or not, will be filtered through your own life’s events. Your memories, your dreams, your joys, and losses will determine what you take away from the story. And that’s the way it should be.

Yet, while reader reactions are completely out of my control, it’s also scary. Especially when one makes changes to the genre. Every Deep Desire, and the other books in the Deadly Force series, are all romantic suspense stories—yet they’re also different. And we all know how the world feels about change.

The Deadly Force series is about a group of ex-Green Berets, under the command of Colonel Kells Torridan, who were charged with a crime they didn’t commit and dishonorably discharged despite their innocence. Some of the men from the unit are in prison, but the men in the series, including Kells, are living in Savannah, GA, managing Iron Rack’s, a run-down, pirate-themed gym in a not-so-nice part of town, and working as bouncers at a goth strip club. They’re hiding in plain sight, teaching Krav Maga classes, tossing drunks, desperate to find any information that can lead them to who destroyed their lives, and why.

But these books aren’t just about the men and their weapons. They are also romances. To be more specific, each love story is a retelling of one of Shakespeare’s greatest love stories. Just add in sexy, down-and-out Green Berets, dangerous arms dealers, and strong heroines who teach these alpha males that Grace always defeats Reckoning.

Every Deep Desire, a contemporary retelling of Romeo and Juliet and first in the Deadly Force series, is about Rafe Montfort and Juliet Capel. Rafe, a man in Kells’s unit, left his men and his wife to join the Prince and his Fianna army only to end up in prison. Now, eight years later, Rafe finds himself released without explanation. His only clue is a note telling him to return to the remote sea island off the coast of Savannah where he and Juliet grew up. It doesn’t take long for him to realize that his wife Juliet, the woman he’s adored his entire life, is in danger.

Juliet, a landscape architect, has struggled for eight years to recover from Rafe’s abandonment and disappearance. Their early marriage had been a disaster both their families had warned them about, but they’d been too young and too in love to understand. Now she’s determined to live her life on her own terms without help from anyone. And the last thing she needs is her ex-husband returning home with vague warnings of danger.

But when vague warnings become real threats, Rafe and Juliet realize that both of their enemies, the Prince and Remiel Marigny, know a 17th century secret about the Isle where they both grew up, a secret both of their families have kept for hundreds of years. Now, in order to figure out why an army of assassins, a brutal gun runner, and a team of ex-Green Berets are interested in Juliet’s ancestor—a Puritan woman accused of witchcraft—Rafe and Juliet must face their past together.

Now they’re running out of time. And not only is Juliet’s heart and Rafe’s freedom in jeopardy, the secret they uncover is far deadlier than anyone could’ve realized.

I hope you all enjoy this first book in the Deadly Forces series. It’s a world where sexy, smart heroines must teach these ex-Green Berets bent on redemption that physical strength and combat experience isn’t always enough to win. Sometimes a person’s greatest weapon—true courage—comes from seeking forgiveness and accepting love.

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New Jersey Noir by William Baer-Review & Guest Post

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NEW JERSEY NOIR (The Jack Colt Murder Mysteries #1) by William Baer- Review and Guest Post

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

ABOUT THE BOOK: Release Date February 26, 2018

On the bridge over Paterson’s Great Falls, a retired state trooper is murdered by a girl in a grammar school uniform. The victim was the beloved uncle of Jack Colt, a private investigator descended from the inventor of the revolver. While investigating his uncle’s murder, Colt realizes that it is intertwined with two other cases of his. These involve the family secrets of extremely powerful New Jersey figures, including the governor, a judge, and a mob boss.

  In New Jersey Noir, William Baer reinvigorates the detective genre while exploring the Garden State’s rich cultural history, glamor, and gore. Baer’s novel is fast-paced and utterly gripping, brimming with intrigue and suspense.

••••••••••••

REVIEW: NEW JERSEY NOIR is the first instalment in William Baer’s complex and intriguing contemporary, adult THE JACK COLT MURDER MYSTERIES focusing on private investigator and descendant of the inventor of the Colt revolver Jack Colt.

Told from first person point of view (Jack Colt) using present day and memories from the past, NEW JERSEY NOIR follows Jack Colt as he hunts for a killer. When his beloved uncle, a retired state trooper Tom Colt, is murdered along side a man with a criminal past our protagonist Jack Colt begins an investigation of his own wherein murder continues to follow in the wake of his discovery and research.

New Jersey has a densely rich population of crooked individuals: incest to adultery, betrayal and revenge, secrets and lies, and corrupt politicians such that Jack Colt, with his PA Roxanne Faulkner, uncover and decipher the backgrounds and histories that connect victims to survivors with dark and complicated pasts. The reader is inside the head of a man whose own nocturnal dalliances are questionable but there is no denying his ability to expose the truth, and unwrap the tightly wound secrets of everyone involved.

NEW JERSEY NOIR is a decadent look at an elaborate and multi-layered orgy of murders and revenge. The premise is intriguing imaginative and startling: the characters are numerous, dramatic and edgy. Like watching a crime drama unfold but the reader becomes one with the man in charge.

Copy supplied for review

Reviewed by Sandy

Influences, Mysteries, and Noirs by William Baer

Before my family moved to New Jersey when I was twelve, we lived in the Bronx, not far from Poe Cottage, and Poe has remained a primary inspiration in my life. At the time, when I was reading Poe, I was also reading Alfred Hitchcock’s various collections of mystery stories and watching reruns of Alfred Hitchcock Presents and Twilight Zone. Eventually, I started reading Doyle’s Sherlock Holmes stories, along with the other classic mystery writers (Agatha Christie, etc.). I enjoyed them all, especially the noirists, Dashiell Hammett (The Maltese Falcon) and Raymond Chandler (The Long Goodbye), but my absolute favorite was (and is) Ross Macdonald and his Lew Archer novels (The Chill and The Galton Case). Macdonald was a master plotter and a masterful writer, and I still consider him one of the best novelists of the twentieth century, along with Graham Greene, Fitzgerald, and Faulkner (who also wrote mystery stories!).

By the time we moved to New Jersey, I’d also discovered film noir, which I was able to study much more closely years later when I attended U.S.C.’s Graduate School of Cinema. My favorites were John Huston’s The Maltese Falcon and Jacques Tourneur’s Out of the Past. (I also loved Tourneur’s weirdly atmospheric horror classics, I Walked with a Zombie and Cat People.)

Much of my adult life has been spent as a literature and creative writing professor, and my books have been quite varied (short story collections, translations, interviews, plays, and poetry collections). But I’ve always wanted to write mysteries, especially in the noir mode, and when I’d finally created the opportunity, I realized that New Jersey was a natural setting for a noir mystery. Like California (where Hammett, Chandler, and Macdonald set their mysteries), New Jersey has beautiful countryside, lakes, mountains, beaches, etc., but it also has cities that, like Los Angeles and San Francisco, have a noirish underside. I believe that I was even more aware of this than most people since my younger brother Robert is a criminal lawyer and a former New Jersey prosecutor and judge.

For the initial setting of the book, I chose the New Jersey city that I know best, Paterson, which was once an important industrial center and was originally founded by Alexander Hamilton. The novel’s main character, Jack Colt, is a direct descendent of Samuel Colt, whose gun factory was once located in Paterson. As Jack attempts to unravel three concurrent mysteries, he travels to many other parts of the state, but he always returns to Paterson. I must admit that I had a wonderful time writing New Jersey Noir, and I hope readers will enjoy it as well.

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William Baer, a recent Guggenheim fellow, is the award-winning author of twenty-two books, and his various plays have been produced at over thirty American theaters.  He grew up in the Bronx and Wayne, New Jersey, where his family was actively involved in “little theater.”  A graduate of Rutgers (B.A.) and New York University (M.A.), he completed his dissertation in creative writing at the University of South Carolina under the direction of James Dickey.  After attending the Johns Hopkins’ Writing Seminars (M.A.), he served as a Fulbright at the University of Coimbra in Portugal.  He then attended the University of Southern California’s Graduate School of Cinema (M.A.), where he received the Jack Nicholson Screenwriting Award.  The recipient of a Creative Writing Grant from the National Endowment for the Arts, he currently lives in North Jersey.

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Highlander Entangled (Highland Adventure #9) by Vonda Sinclair-Review, Guest Post & Giveaway

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Highlander Entangled (Highland Adventure #9) by Vonda Sinclair- Review, Guest Post & Giveaway

HIGHLANDER ENTANGLED
Highland Adventure #9
by Vonda Sinclair
Release Date: December 8,2017
Genre: adult, historical, Highland, romance

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ABOUT THE BOOK: Release Date December 8,2017

Lady Kristina MacQueen suffered devastating injuries at the hands of a ruthless Highland chief, Blackburn MacCromar. Two years later, he kidnaps her for a journey across the chilly, windblown Scottish Highlands to flush out her sister, Anna—the woman Blackburn forced to wed him. Red Holme, Blackburn’s second-in-command, is equally brutal and determined to possess Kristina.

A Highland warrior and future chief, Colin Cameron has no intention of becoming entangled in the whims of another highborn lady. However, upon witnessing Lady Kristina being held hostage by the enemy, a knife to her throat, he resolves to rescue her and bring her to safety. When R

ed Holme sees Colin Cameron, he recognizes his enemy from a decade earlier and craves revenge even more than he lusts for the lady. But he is determined to have both.

Colin is the most charismatic and heroic man Kristina has ever met, and he awakens her woman’s instincts. He might be her only chance to experience a brief moment of passion. Even so, she holds no illusions about marriage, for no worthy man will find her blindness and scars appealing, or see them as beneficial traits in a wife. But she can’t see how he looks at her. Though Colin has sworn to never fall in love again, he cannot defend his heart against the strong, spirited and lovely lass who is like none other he has ever met.

••••••••••

REVIEW: 5 out of 5 for this reader folks!

FANTASTIC BOOK! I have not read any of the other books in this series, but I am very eager to dive in and perhaps get some back stories on other characters. I did not feel this took away from any enjoyment I had reading this story, it was very easy to follow.

Highlander Entangled by Vonda Sinclair is the ninth book in the “Highland Adventure” series and let me say one thing … ADVENTURE is the perfect word they could of used. A highland historical romance, you will find yourself completely immersed into the past, where men were gruff, unapologetic, prideful, egotistical, full of revenge, passionate and so much more, and the ladies made sure they have met their match. The side of sexy love completely sold me and solidified my “must read more” attitude for this author.

Lady Kristina McQueen is our leading lady and I completely adore her. She is the kind of character you will be all in with, and your heart will break a hundred times, but you deep down will know she will make it through. She is carrying many scars, both emotional and physical and this has left her blind. She is kidnapped by the man who gave her her scars to try and get to her sister. Kristina possess a strength that I am uncertain many woman can achieve in that time and under these circumstances. She is resigned to what she has been dealt with in life, and believes she is fated to live tortured and lonely. Her attitude isn’t woo is me however, she threw no pity party. She has mourned what she has gone through, but it hasn’t completely consumed her and when her leading man comes into the picture, she doesnt recognize him as her partner, but as a strength she can draw from.

Colin Cameron is the future chief of his clan, and a fierce enemy of the men that have kidnapped Kristina. When he sees her kidnapped he does right by her and gets involved. He saves Kristina from more than physical harm, he saves her from a future of loneliness. Colin is the real deal. He is a good man, cares strongly but is no pushover. He is enchanted by this woman that has crossed his path and while there are certain attributes that a chiefs wife must possess, he doesn’t seem to give two cares about it. He is protective and loving of Kristina, and she openly embraces this caring and love and finds herself returning it.

This book is full of adventure and emotion. You will feel like you have been on the most intense roller coaster ride of your life, and I as an emotional read love that! Vonda is an excellent historical romance author and I say this because she writes vivid images and makes me feel like you have been thrown back in time, living this story with the characters.

I am very interested in reading more from Vonda, and certainly am going to go back and snag this series. I am completely impressed and really looking forward to more!

HAPPY READING! 🙂

Copy supplied for review

Reviewed by Rachel T.

Researching on Location in Scotland
By Vonda Sinclair

There’s nothing I like better than exploring castle ruins in the remote areas of Scotland. On one such research trip, I drove 25+ miles beyond Glenfinnan with my friends to visit Castle Tioram. We passed through sparsely populated, wild areas with amazing scenic beauty, and drove along narrow winding roads, most of them single track. There were a few houses, crofts, and tiny villages or communities here and there. The drive took twice as long as it should have because we had to stop several times along the way for photo ops. We passed lochs, mountains, and old bridges. We could’ve seen the Jacobite steam train (aka “Hogwarts Express”) if we’d been willing to linger in a certain spot long enough. We didn’t, but we did see the train the next day as it passed over the Glenfinnan Viaduct.
We wanted to get to Castle Tioram (pronounced Cheeram) as quickly as possible. This is a privately owned castle in a dangerously ruinous state. It was unsafe for us to go inside because of the hazards of possible falling stones from the masonry. But what a spectacular location! The castle sits on a small island called Eilean Tioram (meaning ‘the dry island’ in Gaelic) in Loch Moidart near where the River Shiel empties into it.
I had craved visiting this castle for years, from the first time I saw a photo of it online. It had always captured my imagination. I wanted to use it in a story but was unsure how until I started writing My Captive Highlander.

When I was writing a shipwreck (or technically a galley wreck) scene for the story, I thought, okay, where could the hero’s galley crash during the storm and where could he be taken hostage and tossed into the dungeon? It needed to be on the west coast of Scotland somewhere between Inveraray and Isle of Skye. I decided that even though my castle would have a fictitious name, Bearach Castle, I would base it on Castle Tioram, a MacDonald stronghold back through history. And the heroine would be a MacDonald—the chief’s sister. About twenty years earlier in actual history, the hero’s clan, the MacKenzies, had experienced a conflict and a battle with these MacDonalds. Perfect for drama, conflict and action.

I’ve since set two more books there including Highlander Unbroken and, my newest, Highlander Entangled. Highlander Unbroken features the new chief of the MacDonald clan, Neacal, while Highlander Entangled features his friend and foster brother, Colin Cameron, as the hero. All three stories are stand-alone but are linked.
Castle Tioram occupies a place, near the River Shiel, which was strategic for Scotland’s defense centuries ago, because it allowed easy travel by boat toward the Great Glen and the center of Scotland, along Loch Shiel and other inland lochs. Even during the Iron Age, long before the current castle, this site was important. Artifacts from the time have been found. There is also much evidence of Vikings’ presence in the area during medieval times. The beaches around the island would’ve been ideal for sheltering galleys, ships and other boats.

Even though I couldn’t explore the inside of the castle, I walked almost all the way around it. In some areas I was close enough to touch it, but in other areas I had to climb rocks or walk along the sea loch’s shore and view it from a distance. It was a nice, sunny day and I took several hundred photos. Because I was able to explore the rough and rocky terrain around the castle, I could accurately describe it in many of my books’ scenes, including battle scenes. I absolutely love to bring the readers fully into my scenes and make them feel a part of the story.

Vonda Sinclair writes wildly romantic Highland adventures about brave Highland warriors and their unconventional ladies. She takes readers back through the mists of time into a different world—17th century Scotland.

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Vonda Sinclair is the USA Today bestselling author of award-winning Scottish historical romance novels and novellas. Her favorite pastime is exploring Scotland and taking photos along the way. She especially loves ancient castle ruins! She also enjoys writing about hot Highland heroes, unconventional ladies and the healing power of love. Her series are the Highland Adventure Series and the Scottish Treasure Series. Her books have won the National Readers’ Choice Award, the CRW Award of Excellence, the Winter Rose Award of Excellence in Published Romantic Fiction–1st Place Historical, and an EPIC Award. She lives in the mountains of North Carolina where she is crafting another adventurous, wildly romantic Scottish story. Please visit her website at www.vondasinclair.com

Vonda Sinclair is graciously offering a paper copy of MY CAPTIVE HIGHLANDER to ONE lucky commenter at The Reading Cafe.

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Edge of Darkness by Karen Rose – Review, Interview & Giveaway

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Edge of Darkness by Karen Rose – Review, Interview & Giveaway

 

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Description:
Homicide detective Adam Kimble is no stranger to battling demons. But Meredith Fallon is a different kind of weakness: one that could actually be good for him, if only he would let himself depend on her. Meredith has loved Adam for a year, and seeing how hard he’s worked to deal with his PTSD makes her feelings only stronger, but she respects his needs. Her work keeps her busy anyway: she counsels sexually abused women like Mallory Martin to help them reintegrate into the world.

But someone doesn’t want Meredith helping women like Mallory, and Meredith finds herself in the crosshairs of a very determined killer. Adam would risk anything for her, but they’ll soon find out she isn’t the only target…

 

Review:

Edge of Darkness by Karen Rose is the 4th book in her Cincinnati series.  I have read a few books by Rose, but not in this series.  The last book I had read I noted that it was one of the best thrillers of the year, and now in 2018 I can say the same. Wow, what awesome thriller that kept me on the edge of my seat throughout.  Karen Rose has now become a must read for me.  I have not read the previous books in the Cincinnati series, but there were so many marvelous characters that make me want to find time to read the previous 3 books.

We meet our heroine, Meredith Fallon, in the beginning as she is a child psychologist, who helps out at a special home for abused children.  Meredith has many friends that  either work at the children’s home or her police that she is very close to; as they are very protective of her, especially since she is still emotionally upset over not seeing or hearing from her ex-boyfriend, Adam. 

Adam Kimble is a top notch detective, who loves Meredith, but has intentionally stayed away from her for almost a year.  Meredith’s friends are also Adam’s, but most of them have been unhappy that he has ignored Meredith, as well as avoiding some them…but no one knows why.  Adam suffers from PTSD from watching a horrible murder, where he could not save the young girl.  Having a verbally abusive father caused Adam to secretly drink early in his younger days, and after the murder, he got worse to help him get through each day.  Unbeknownst to his friends and coworkers, is that he has been sober for almost a year, and though still emotionally damaged, he plans to try to win her back once he meets his one year goal.

Before that happens, Meredith brings one of the sexually abused young girls to a restaurant to help her become more confident in releasing her fears.  They are accosted by a young man, who threatens them, and when they fall to the floor, the young man blows up. This is just the beginning of an intense & complex murder mystery that will result in more murders, pulling in all the detectives, including Adam to find out why someone is targeting Meredith. Adam forces himself to maintain control of his emotions, as he is assigned to be main detective to investigate this case, which also brings him back into Meredith’s life. 

What follows is an amazing story that held me on the edge of my seat from start to finish.  There were so many twists and turns throughout the book, almost to the very end.  As Adam, and his team try to protect Meredith, and others who are slowly getting killed off, the intensity of the story never lessens, especially when we get closer to discovering some secrets and surprises that will escalate the investigation that puts both Adam, Meredith, a couple of the abused girls, and their detective friends, in constant danger.  Rose has created an evil villain, who is as ruthless as they come, killing anyone who gets in the way, regardless of who they are.  This is a major twist that we never saw coming until we got closer to the end. 

In between the many tense moments, we got to see Adam and Meredith learn more about each other, their past lives; their situations; their dangerous jobs; and their love for each other. What I absolutely loved about this book, was the amazing group of friends, who are mostly cops or therapists that are closely bonded to each other, with some of them having been through tough and violent cases, similar to this one.  They are all strong and smart individuals and loyal friends, who are a close knit family.  Rose has done this so well, and when you like the characters that you become invested in, it makes the story that much better.    As I said before, I now have to go back into the three earlier books to learn about them all.   

I am in awe of Karen Rose, as her books are so well written with fantastic characters, evil villains, a great couple, and a totally intense mystery that keeps you in suspense to the very end.  If you love suspense, with a touch of romance and a thriller all the way, you should be reading anything by Karen Rose. I know I will.

Reviewed by Barb

Copy provided by Publisher

 

Hi Karen. Thank you for taking the time to answer some questions today.We are always looking forward to reading about the author behind the book.

TRC: Would you please tell us something about yourself? 

Karen:  I was born and raised in the Baltimore-Washington area.  I met my husband when we were seniors in high school, over 35 years ago.  We’ve been married more than 30 years and have two adult daughters.  I’m a chemical engineer by education.  I worked for 15 years for a large consumer products company in Cincinnati and I have two patents in bulk fiber laxatives.  (Don’t ask.  Okay, ask if you want to, but don’t be grossed out by what I answer.) I’m a knitter and a reader and a Buffy fan 🙂

TRC:  LOL   I love Buffy, too.

TRC:  When and how did you first become interested in writing? 

Karen:  I began writing when I was an engineer traveling internationally, unable to pack enough books to last the length of my trips.  There were no ebooks back in the day and I couldn’t understand anything on the TV, so I began writing my own stories to keep myself company in all those hotel rooms away from home.  It was a hobby for nearly ten years before I sold my first book, DON’T TELL.  That was in 2001.

TRC:  Within your Romantic Suspense series, you have the Cincinnati series.  Can you give us a brief description of this series? 

Karen:  The Cincinnati series is built around the FBI/Cincinnati PD joint task force, their friends, families, as well as the families they build.  First up is the sometimes bigger-than-life Special Agent Deacon Novak, who’s transferred from Baltimore at the beginning of book one, CLOSER THAN YOU THINK.  Deacon and his heroine, psychologist Faith Corcoran, are drawn into the deadly web of a killer who has been operating out of the house Faith has just inherited for many years. 

Books two and three deal with human trafficking, labor and sex trafficking.  ALONE IN THE DARK and EVERY DARK CORNER feature Deacon’s two task force partners, Detective Scarlett Bishop (book two) and Agent Kate Coppola (book three).

Introduced in book one, Deacon’s cousin Detective Adam Kimble is having a rough time, his personality changing drastically.  No one in his circle knows why, except psychologist Meredith Fallon, in whom Adam has confided—at least part of his story.

TRC:  With Edge of Darkness released yesterday, can you please give us a brief description of this book?

Karen:  EDGE OF DARKNESS is Adam Kimble’s return to his family and to Meredith.  In the months since their first interaction he’s pulled away, avoiding her.  He’s plagued by demons, but knows that he can’t solely rely on her for his sanity or his sobriety.  Adam is an alcoholic, trying to get his life together before he feels he is good enough to invite Meredith to be part of it.  Meredith has been confused and hurt by his avoidance, but he is the first person she calls when a young man is shot and killed right in front of her—after he’d held a gun on her.  The race to catch the killer leads Adam to the dark places he’d hoped he’d escaped forever.

TRC:  You write exciting Romance Suspense Thrillers, which can be intense.  Have you ever found yourself affected by a scene?

Karen:  Many times! Often I’ll put off writing a scene because I feel awful about a character being murdered.  Sometimes I’ll group all my “villain scenes” into one day so that I can get all the intensity out at once.  I can become edgy and irritable while writing the villain scenes, so I like to do these in ways that keep me from snapping at my family :).

TRC:  Can you please tell us what you are working on now, and what you have upcoming in 2018?

Karen:  I’ve just started a new series – set in Sacramento, California!  More on this later, but I will tease a little by revealing that readers will meet mostly new characters with a few very old favorites.  Later in 2018, we’ll release DEATH IS NOT ENOUGH, Baltimore #6.  This is Gwyn and Thorne’s story – they were introduced in YOU BELONG TO ME, Baltimore #1. 
TRC:  What is your writing process?  Do you like to outline your story before you start? Do you have a specific place you like to write?  Is there a special time of day that works best for you?

Karen:  I usually binge write.  Once I get into the groove, I’ll write 18 hours a day until it’s done.  I have a place on the beach where I go to write.  It’s quiet and gorgeous and I love it there.  I’m more productive between 11pm and 6am, which is difficult because I try to sleep during the day when nobody else is sleeping.  Phones ring, dogs bark, trash trucks rumble, waking me up every time.  I wish I were a 9-5 writer!  When you are not writing, what other interests or hobbies do you have?

I read a lot! Not usually suspense, though.  I read a lot of contemporary romance.  I also travel, knit for other people because we don’t get much call for woolens in Florida, and play with my dogs.  Would you like to add anything else? Just a huge thank you for inviting me!

Thank you, Karen for answering our questions. We wish you the best of luck with Edge of Darkness.

 

 

 

Karen Rose’s publisher is graciously offering a paper copy of EDGE OF DARKNESS to ONE (1) lucky commenter at The Reading Cafe

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When the Stars Come Out by Laura Trentham – Review, Interview, Tour & Giveaway

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When the Stars Come Out by Laura Trentham – Review, Interview, Tour & Giveaway

 

 

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Description:
Willa Brown never planned to stay in Cottonbloom. She was on the way to somewhere else when she landed there and found work at the Abbot brothers’ garage. . .and a sense of comfort and safety that she had never known. The same holds true for Jackson Abbott himself. With one glance in her direction, he can make Willa’s heart melt. But what begins as an unrequited crush turns into something far more powerful than Willa could have ever imagined. . .

Jackson’s most meaningful relationship has always been with his car—and he’s not afraid to admit it. Still, he can’t help but become emotionally entangled with his new star mechanic Willa, who is definitely hiding some dark secrets of her own beneath the hood. Jackson desperately wants Willa to trust him, and to seek protection in his arms. But even as the two slowly surrender to their shared attraction, the danger lurking in Willa’s past remains a stubborn obstacle. Can she open up enough to give them both a chance at having real and lasting love?

 

 

Review:

When the Stars Come Out by Laura Trentham is the 5th book in her wonderful Cottonbloom series.  I have enjoyed every book in this series, and this book is no different….I loved When The Stars Come Out.

Willa Brown, our heroine, has worked at the Abbot garage for the two years she has been in Cottonbloom.  Willa loves her job, as she grew up fixing cars, but she keeps secrets about her past life, knowing when anyone gets too close, she will run.   Jackson Abbot and the rest of the Abbot boys think highly of Willa, as one of the best mechanics.  Jackson has always befriended Willa, as his whole life is about cars, but now he begins to see her in another light.  Willa has always been attracted to Jackson, but hides how she feels.  Jackson and the family sense that Willa is hiding something, and Jackson begins to fear she will leave, and gives her a big raise to keep her.  In a short time, both will begin to spend more time out of the garage, as Jackson tries to help her, since her makeshift living quarters are bad.  When a mutt comes to Willa one day, she feeds him and earns his trust, and soon River (the mutt) will follow her to work, and the boys will also accept River. 

Soon Willa and Jackson, will act on their feelings, and a steamy romance will start.  Willa still looks over her shoulder, not trusting how happy she is with Jackson. He is determined to get her to talk and find out what she is running from.  He never thought he would fall in love, but now that he loves Willa, he will do anything to keep her.  I really did enjoy Sutton’s new friendship with Willa, and the fun of watching her help Willa dress up to attend a New Year’s Party.  When she realizes that she loves Jackson, she does reveal some truths to him, and though scared, will go back home to bring some kind of closure.  Jackson will get help from his family to find and help Willa, which was very nicely done. 

There is a side story about  the bad brother, Ford,  who is putting the garage at risk by selling his share to someone else.  This will lead to the next book, with I think Mack as the hero. 

I really loved Jackson and Willa together; as their romance was sweet, sexy and emotional.  Jackson was not only sweet and caring, but he was a hunk.  Willa was a strong, independent & likable heroine;  with some sassy humor.

When The Stars Come Out reads very well as a standalone.  It was a wonderful storyline, and great to see all the other characters that we have come to know from the previous books.   Laura Trentham once again gives us a wonderful story, great characters, fabulous couple, heartwarming small town atmosphere, and a sweet wonderful romance. You should be reading this series, and I can’t wait to return to Cottonbloom.

Reviewed by Barb

Copy supplied for review

 

Hi Laura.  Thank you for taking the time to answer some questions today.We are always looking forward to reading about the author behind the book.   

TRC:  Would you please tell us something about yourself?

Laura:  I am a former chemical engineer and stay-at-home mom who has always been an avid reader. Once my youngest started school, I needed something to occupy me. Going back to engineering wasn’t attractive because I didn’t want to put the kids in daycare if I could help it. In January 2012, I dropped the kids off at school, sat down at my computer, and started what would be An Indecent Invitation, Book 1 of my Regency romance series Spies and Lovers. Six weeks later when I triumphantly typed The End, I didn’t know what a mess it was. But I learned. And learned and learned and rewrote and rewrote that book. That book got me an agent, finaled in the Golden Heart®, and was my first manuscript to sell to a publisher. I was in my early 40s. To me it’s a lesson in reinvention and following your passion no matter how old you are. What’s more important is how hard you’re willing to work and how willing you are to learn.  

TRC: You write such wonderful romances in each book of your Cottonbloom series.  Can you give us a brief description of When the Stars Come Out, and how you continue to come up with ideas for this series. 

Laura: When the Stars Come Out is the 5th book in the Cottonbloom series but can be read as a standalone. It’s set in the Louisiana side of Cottonbloom and features Willa Brown, a female mechanic who works at Abbott Brothers Garage and Restoration. She’s hiding from her past and nurturing a crush on Jackson Abbott. Jackson is a broody loner (and twin brother of Wyatt from Leave the Night On) who finally notices Willa as more than his right-hand woman in the garage. It’s both a dream and nightmare situation for Willa who is terrified her past will put Jackson in danger.

My husband is a classic car lover and restores them in his spare time. I’ve watched many, many hours of car shows. I got the idea for the Abbott Brothers from a show called Fast and Loud which is a reality show set in a car restoration business in Texas. But I get ideas from news stories, music, and even commercials.  

TRC:  What is your writing process?  Do you like to write at specific times, in a special place? 

Laura:  Process? I don’t need no stinkin’ process! (<- Blazing Saddles reference:) I don’t do much (any) preplotting. I get an idea, which invariably includes the opening scene, and I sit down to write it. I let the story naturally unfold. This is where having a science background of logical cause and effect relationships helps. Although the discoveries along the way are exhilarating, it can also be a little scary, because I have a fear that *this time* it’s not going to work. Somehow I seem to find my way to the end of every book. I have school age kids so by necessity I write while they are in school. I’m not a writer who needs a ritual. I have an office in my house, but sometimes I like kicking back on the couch with my laptop. I actually get more words down if I’m forced out of my house (the internet is a productivity killer.) I’ll also use my phone and dictate while I’m in car line if I get behind. Basically, I prescribe to the Tim Gunn Make It Work mantra. 

Thank you, Laura for answering our questions. The Reading Café wishes you the best of luck with When the Stars Come Out. 

 

 

Willa glanced down and back up at Jackson through her lashes. The gentle, flirtatious look hit him like a punch. This time his heart kicked like he might require someone to call 911. “Do I clean up good?”
He knew what she wanted to hear and later, in the dark solitude of his bed, he’d tell her and, even better, show her. But, for now, he tempered his response, hoping to get a rise out of her. “Not bad.”
She stepped forward and punched his arm. It might have stung if she hadn’t tipped to the side as her fist made contact. Her eyes popped wide and a little huff escaped. With reaction times honed on the racetrack, he wrapped his arm around her waist, bringing her flush with his body.
“You sure you know how to operate those shoes?” This time he couldn’t keep the smile off his face.
“They don’t require a license. And I was doing fine until you showed up.”
Her admission made him feel slightly better. He wasn’t the only one who was off balance. Her body notched into his perfectly with the added inches the heels lent her. His focus dropped from her sparking eyes to her mouth. Maybe he’d kiss the gloss off them right now. His lips hovered an inch from hers. So close he could feel the ramp-up of her breathing. Or was that his breathing spinning out of control?

An award-winning author, Laura Trentham was born and raised in a small town in Tennessee. Although, she loved English and reading in high school, she was convinced an English degree equated to starvation. She chose the next most logical major—Chemical Engineering—and worked in a hard hat and steel toed boots for several years.

She writes sexy, small town contemporaries and smoking hot Regency historicals. KISS ME THAT WAY, Cottonbloom Book 1, won the Stiletto Contest for Best Long Contemporary and finaled in the National Readers Choice Award. THEN HE KISSED ME, Cottonbloom Book 2, was named an Amazon Best Romance of 2016 and was a finalist for the National Excellence for Romance Fiction. TILL I KISSED YOU, Cottonbloom Book 3, is a finalist in the Maggie contest. LEAVE THE NIGHT ON, the latest Cottonbloom book, was named an iBooks Best Book of the Month and a Recommended Read from NPR.

When not lost in a cozy Southern town or Regency England, she’s shuttling kids to soccer, helping with homework, and avoiding the Mt. Everest-sized pile of laundry that is almost as big as the to-be-read pile of books on her nightstand.

 

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Kiss Me That Way, Book 1
Then He Kissed Me, Book 2
Till I Kissed You, Book 3
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