IMAGINE (Black Raven #4) by Stella Barcelona-Review, Guest post & Giveaway

IMAGINE
Black Raven #4
by Stella Barcelona
Genre: adult, contemporary, romantic, suspense
Release Date: October 30, 2018

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ABOUT THE BOOK: Release Date October 30, 2018

One cruise ship. Multiple kidnappers. In the dark waters of the South China Sea, a handful of Black Raven agents are the only hope anyone has of living to see Christmas.

From the back cover:

Seventy-five of the world’s wealthiest gamblers are ringing in the holidays with a high-stakes, three-day tournament aboard the Imagine. As the ultra-luxury cruise ship departs from Macau, financial risks are enormous and security is tight. Agents Sylvia (Leo) Leon and Adam (Ace) Evans lead Black Raven’s on-board team. Months earlier, they gave into feelings that caught them both by surprise. Now, Leo wants nothing more than to ignore what Ace is dying to confront.

While adversaries execute a seemingly perfect, diabolical plan, Leo and Ace operate in stealth mode to save the Imagine’s passengers. As danger tests the limits of their training and expertise, and their simmering chemistry hits a boiling point, their chances of living to see Christmas narrow. For these two best friends, the Imagine job could change everything…in more ways than one.

•••••••••

REVIEW:Imagine begins with Agents Sylvia (Leo) Leon and Adam (Ace) Evans in New Orleans celebrating Halloween. The two have been best friends since joining Black Raven. Nothing has ever threatened that friendship until that night and that one unforgettable kiss…….. As they come to their senses, Leo wants nothing more than to forget that ever happened. Ace, however, has other ideas……….

Flash forward about six weeks or so, and we see Leo, Ace and a whole lot of other Black Raven agents in a meeting planning their next job. This is the first time the two have seen each other since New Orleans and the job sounds easy enough, until they find out they’re going undercover as an engaged couple. Once they are on board the ship, they play their respective parts to a tee, as do the other agents who have gone in undercover. During a break before the night’s festivities, Leo and Ace head to their room in order to get ready for the night. Ace confronts Leo about what happened between them and the feelings it has stirred within him and wants to know if she feels the same. She tries to shut him down, but gives into their mutual attraction. Ace then awakens a little bit later, or so he thinks. When he sees the time, he knows they’re in trouble. Knowing they’ve been gassed, he drags an unconscious Leo out onto their balcony so that they can get some fresh air and, hopefully, recover quickly from the affects of the gas. It doesn’t take either of them long to determine that the ship has been hijacked and spring into action. It also doesn’t take them long to figure out that they are up against a foe that is willing to do anything to get what he wants……

Imagine is a superbly written tale that draws you in from the very beginning. Leo and Ace have a chemistry that jumps out at you from their first words, but when the feelings heat up, the chemistry reaches out and grabs you and doesn’t let go. Their backstories add to the complexity of their friends to lovers story, but it’s Ace’s who will tug at your heart. The mystery and suspense is very well written and keeps you guessing, and gasping, until the end. If you’re a fan of friends to lovers, with a lot of suspense and action thrown in, along with scorching chemistry, you will never go wrong with any of the Black Raven novels. Well done, Stella Barcelona! Very, very well done!

Reading Order and Previous Reviews
Deceived
Shadows
Jigsaw
Concierge
Imagine

Copy supplied for review

Reviewed by Vickie K

Thank you for inviting me to The Reading Café. Your question – how do I keep focus while writing my stories – is a great question, because the truth is that keeping focused is difficult. Like everyone, I’m busy. Apart from writing, I have a legal career. I also have a family – humans and furry ones. To maintain my health, I have to exercise, stay reasonably fit, and eat the right things. The list goes on and on! I’m not complaining. It’s simply reality, and I’m grateful that my days are so full.

Are you wondering when I’ll focus on your question? Right now, I promise!

Part of my method of keeping focus involves eliminating all the distractions that I just mentioned (and more!) from the precious time that I’ve carved out of the day for writing. I use a mixture of plotting techniques, but the most important tricks I employ for focus are daily writing, eliminating distractions when writing, and writing early in the morning. Here’s a bit more about each one of these “habits:”

First, when working on a first draft, I try to write a bit every single day. No exceptions! If I skip a few days between writing sessions, I lose focus on the story. Plus, when I write every single day, my subconscious mind is better able to keep the story in play throughout the time that I dedicate to tasks other than writing.

In each writing session, I aim for two to three hours of writing time. However, I don’t beat myself up if I don’t have that much time; the important thing is sitting in the chair and thinking hard about the story, even if I only have a half hour.

Second, at home, I have a quiet office with two desks. One desk is dedicated to fiction writing, and nothing else. I don’t even conduct the business of being an author at that desk – it is dedicated solely to creating stories. There is no temptation to look at social media there, or do online shopping, or anything else, because I DON’T allow myself to do it. I think having a desk and chair dedicated to creativity helps me slip into writing mode the minute I sit. I also wear noise reduction headphones when I’m in my writing chair and I turn up music, which helps me focus.

If I’m in first-draft, daily-writing mode when we’re traveling, I find a place to write and, even if the place isn’t that quiet, using the headphones with music playing helps me focus on writing and eliminate distractions.

Third, I’m most creative in the early morning, so that is when I write. Procrastination until the end of the day kills my creativity and destroys my determination to write every day. I don’t always love pulling myself out of bed at 4:30 a.m., but once I’m in my writing chair I’m always glad that I did it!

I can’t say exactly why, but these three habits seem to work for me. Thanks again for inviting me to The Reading Cafe!

~~ Stella ~~

Follow Stella: Website / Goodreads / Twitter / Facebook

Stella Barcelona, author of romantic suspense novels, has always had an active imagination, a tendency to daydream, and a passion for reading romance, mysteries, and thrillers. From her early days of reading, when she first escaped reality through the pages of a well-written novel, she knew that her daydreams needed an outlet, and she knew that her outlet would be writing.

In day to day life, Stella is a lawyer and works for a court in New Orleans, Louisiana. Currently, Stella lives minutes from the French Quarter, with her husband of sixteen years and two adorable papillons who believe that they are princesses. Stella loves to hear from readers on her Facebook page and can also be contacted through her website, www.stellabarcelona.com, where there’s information on appearances, her next release, and exciting contests that you won’t want to miss! While she doesn’t have a lot of free time with her legal and writing careers battling for her every minute, she does enjoy any chance she and her husband get to go out on their boat. In addition, she attends conferences, workshops, and retreats for writers. She is a member of Romance Writers of America and the Southern Louisiana Chapter of the Romance Writers of America.

Stella is graciously offering a $25 Amazon Gift Card, and a signed copy of Stella’s debut release that introduced the Black Raven series DECEIVED  to ONE (1) lucky commenter at The Reading Cafe

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9.. Giveaway runs from December 1-6, 2018