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A Bloody Arrogant Power by Malcolm J. Wardlaw-Review & Interview

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A Bloody Arrogant Power /Death by Decent Society by Malcolm J. Wardlaw-Review & Interview

 

IMPORTANT: A BLOODY ARROGANT POWER was re-written and relaunched in July 2020 under a new title and series: DEATH BY DECENT SOCIETY

 

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ABOUT THE BOOK: Release Date August 7, 2019

The Public Era collapsed seven decades ago. Generations have grown up in what came after. They think it’s normal.

Donald Aldingford is lucky. A barrister, he is trusted by the ruling elite of sovereign landowners. He neither knows nor cares what goes on outside the Central Enclave of London.

Then he starts to care. A young woman from the slums enters his life. For the first time, he travels outside the Central Enclave. He sees discharges perish on the public drains. He sees glory trusts bombard the slums. These sights force him to question the rule of the sovereign elite.

But he must keep these doubts to himself. Should his sovereign masters even suspect him of disloyalty, they would despatch him to the Nameless Gone.

And then revolution breaks out. Whose side will he take?

To find out, follow the twists and turns of this intricate dystopian mystery.

••••••••

REVIEW:A BLOODY ARROGANT POWER is the first instalment in Malcolm J. Wardlaw’s SOVEREIGNS OF THE COLLAPSE dark, dystopian series following in the aftermath of the ‘Glorious Resolution’ of 2038-2040.

Told from several third person perspectives including barrister Donald Aldingford A BLOODY ARROGANT POWER is a character driven story line that looks at the fascist-type governmental control between the have and the have nots in the former United Kingdom. The year is 2106, and barrister Donald Aldingford is approached by a woman who claims his younger brother Lawrence has been sentenced to work in the slave labor camps on trumped up charges against the sovereign elites. As Donald begins to investigate the claims, he soon discovers the real world beyond their cloistered existence in the Central Enclave of London. From the genocide-like massacres of the ‘surplus people’ to the absolute rule of the all powerful sovereigns, Donald is caught between two worlds that will ultimately come to battle for power and control.

A BLOODY ARROGAN POWER is a sociological study of the ‘isms’ that looks at the suppression of the masses using any means necessary including murder, starvation, and ethnic cleansing. From the time of the Glorious Resolution, those in control (the powerful elite and self-appointed sovereigns) continue to gain power, while the proletariat, and ultimately the ‘surplus’ people are left struggling to survive with the potential of another revolution on the horizon. No one is safe; everyone is suspect; a well-placed lie could mean termination of one’s liberty and life. A dystopian world where gold and silver are the currency of choice but a life bargained for, is ultimately, a life lost to the powerful few.

A thought-provoking, gritty and dramatic look at the potential and frightening possibility of the economic and political collapse of the world as we know it. Malcolm J Wardlaw uses detailed exposition and complex language to bring A BLOODY ARROGANT POWER to life. A Bloody Arrogant Power ends on a cliff-hanger, you have been warned.

Copy supplied for reivew

Reviewed by Sandy

TRC: Hi Malcolm and welcome to The Reading Café.

Congratulations on the recent release of A BLOODY ARROGANT POWER.
Thank you!

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

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Malcolm: I’m Canadian by birth, but get dual British nationality through my parents. At the moment I’m based in Edinburgh, UK, where I’ve lived since 2002. Before that I moved around quite a bit: Yorkshire, Lincolnshire, London, New York, Switzerland, Germany and back to the UK to live in Glasgow for a while. I’m an engineer by profession, so I tend to roam about according to where there’s work for a guy who designs industrial plants. I’m 56 years old. Besides writing, my other big interest is bicycling. I have published research over the years that corrects various damaging myths about bicycling (not that this stops the perpetuation of those myths). I also read a lot of history books.

TRC: Who or what influenced your career in writing?

Malcolm: The basic influence was being a natural born scribbler. I’ve been a scribbler since I was about 7 when I wrote my first biography (of a cuddly toy cat called Passy, who is still around somewhere looking rather mangy). Up until I was about sixteen I scribbled reams and reams of trashy war stories – never with the least ambition to get published, just for the hell of it. After that, ah, other interests took over until I was in my late twenties, when I wrote a novel about a bored engineer living in a crappy industrial town in Yorkshire who gets on his motorbike to find adventure. It was so bad. I put it at the bottom of a box. I scribbled more novels through my thirties – perhaps ten of them. I did hope to publish something, but I could never figure out how to take a raw draft and re-craft it up to a decent standard. This stumped me for many years until I resolved to slog away to the bitter end, allowing myself no pity. A Bloody Arrogant Power was the eventual result of so many redrafts and edits that I long ago lost count.

TRC: What challenges or difficulties did you encounter writing and publishing this story?

Malcolm: In writing it? The biggest challenge was starting off without any real idea where I was going, and hoping for the best. This made the writing process haphazard in the extreme, but against that, I would not have been able to build an economically and socially coherent world simply by thinking about it. It required dramatic exploration to enable me to see how a new world will likely develop on the far side of the last financial armageddon to come.

As for publishing the story, the biggest challenges arose from there being so many skills and so much know-how required to take even the first step as an Indie writer. To begin with, every accomplishment is a mistake. You have to go back and do it again, and again, and again. Very frustrating! But at length, some competence sticks.

TRC: Would you please tell us something about the premise of A BLOOD ARROGANT POWER?

Malcolm: This answer is rather long, but it’s important to understand A Bloody Arrogant Power has a serious basis.
Our global economy is foredoomed to collapse due to inherent flaws in the nature of legal tender and the social contract of affluence. A Bloody Arrogant Power imagines the world on the far side of this terminal disintegration.

Considering legal tender, in our system money is created when banks issue debt. This means that as the economy grows, debt must also grow. The debt can never be paid back, since to do so would suck money out of circulation and cause a depression. That means our economic system is actually a constant race to stay ahead of our own debt. We can do this provided we can lay our hands on cheap resources, in particular cheap oil. However, as the quality of oil reserves declines, the extraction costs go up. This means the world has to borrow more and more to make up the difference.

Concerning the social contract of affluence, this is based on a simple formula: houses + cars + easy credit + cheap foreign holidays = social calm. Every society that has achieved affluence has used this formula. It is simply the real-world action corresponding to the debt-based legal tender. The purpose of the social contract is to pacify the people whilst the top crust of oligarchs harvest immense wealth off the “farmyard” of industry. Mrs Thatcher openly admitted as much to General Pinochet back in the 1980s. Democracy adds to the illusion of a “fair and representative society”.

Now, you can appreciate that all is hunky-dory provided the economy keeps growing at least as fast as debt. The people are happy with their houses, cars and cheap holidays abroad, and the banking system holds together. But if that balance breaks down, then society muct eventually suffer a crisis.

Unfortunately, our system has been in progressive decline since the early 1970s as debt has grown and grown. Today, the only thing keeping the global system going is its own momentum, a temporary glut of Asian savings and the terrifying consequences should the tower of debt collapse.
It’s a perilous situation that all politicians ignore – they keep it right out of public discourse. But at the back of any thinking person’s mind is the certain knowledge that the situation is only a reprieve. There is no way out. It’s only a matter of time before a last, terrible crisis erupts.

A Bloody Arrogant Power is set seventy years after “The Glorious Resolution” that ended our times (the Public Era). Generations have grown up in the new world, knowing nothing else. The fantastic technical achievements we take for granted today are viewed in complete bafflement by those inhabiting a largely de-populated, simple, peaceful, callous world.

TRC: Do you have plans to write a series based upon your post-apocalyptic world? If so, how many books do you anticipate?

Malcolm: I plan to write a series of four. In addition, I will write two prequels.

TRC: What kind of research/plotting did you do, and how long did you spend researching /plotting before beginning A BLOOD ARROGANT POWER?

Malcolm: As noted above, I did no research or plotting, and paid a high price in spending years fighting my way out of a mess. Despite this, I believe the world of A Bloody Arrogant Power is more richly imagined than if I had tried to work it all out beforehand. It’s not the kind of thing you can just work out on paper. You have to get into the world and think about the detail of specific daily situations. How do they surface roads without abundant oil? (England has very limited onshore oilfields) What happens to the motorways in a society built around secretive private landowners who feed trespassers to the pigs? How are cars made if rolling mills no longer exist to make (cheap) sheet metal? How are carrier pigeons flying across private land shot down? How do people cope in the total absence of mains water, gas or electricity?

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?

Malcolm: It’s fundamental. I had great difficulty choosing a base image for the cover of A Bloody Arrogant Power. My problem was that this world does not feature the usual dystopian/post-apocalyptic tropes. There is no nuclear war or pandemic. There is no oppressive state, because there is no state at all, and there is no police force in the sense we understand it. There are no laws as such, just unspoken rules everyone is indoctrinated to obey if they wish to survive. In many respects it is a medieval world, and yet in other respects it is not: they have contraception, aircaft, motor ships, trucks, armoured cars and radar-guided long-range artillery. It is probably closest to the Nazi economy of late in ww2, when slave labourers built ballastic missiles. But it’s very hard to get across such an esoteric message on a cover (without giving the impression it actually is about some Nazi world). I am not entirely satisfied with either the cover or the title, but will stick with them for the moment.

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

Malcolm: Ummm. What a tough question. Perhaps the best way I can put it is to say I drop the characters in a predicament, and the characters devise their own plans for getting back to safety. It means unexpected things do happen, and I have to revise my general plan of how I wish to push events to a climax.

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?

Malcolm: I think it involves an element of magic, to be honest. I had no idea how my writing would be received by other people until they read it. You need to be in there with the characters. You must be fired up by a genuine fascination with the scene. What are the characters standing on? How warm or cold is it? What do they think is about to happen? What emotion is ruling them in this scene? How do their plans relate to their experiences?

One of the most skilful authors I have ever read in this regard was actually a non-fiction writer describing his career as a submariner in the Second World War. His style is sparing and rarely mentions any emotion, but simply by clear description of the situation and the consequences of dangers he puts the reader down there in a steel tube deep beneath the sea (One of Our Submarines by Edward Young). Akira Yoshimura similarly has a sparing style, with a knack of capturing exactly the vivid detail that nails the experience of a scene.
If writers fail, it is because they do not capture vital details in effective prose, they smear events into lazy abstractions, they fall into the passive voice, their characters are too bland, and life is too easy for them. Effective drama is about the intensification of normal life. It’s hard, but it’s also fascinating. Without that eagerness to enagage with the drama, the story falls flat. Any writer can feel this by instinct, if they have the right instincts.

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

Malcolm: No. I write in silence. Noise distracts me.

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

Malcolm: They don’t understand how hard it is to sustain engaging narrative. It’s taken me a long, long time just to get where I am now. My family are mostly academics. They think I’m just messing about.

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

Malcolm: That would be telling!

TRC: Who is your favorite author (living or dead)?

Malcolm: I can’t give one name. George Orwell, Yvgeny Zamyatin, Boris Pasternak, Akira Yoshimura, Edward Young, Gustave Flaubert and Ernst Junger are all authors I admire enormously. I expect many will find my choice ludicrous, but there it is.

TRC: On what are you currently working?

Malcolm: Book 3 of the Sovereigns of the Collapse series. It is drafted, but needs editing.

TRC: Would you like to add anything else?

Malcolm: If your readers have got this far, I think they’ve done pretty well.

LIGHTNING ROUND

Favorite Food – Christmas dinner!

Favorite Dessert – chocolate ice cream

Favorite TV Show – I rarely watch TV, but David Attenborough’s programmes are outstanding.

Last Movie You Saw – Official Secrets

Dark or Milk Chocolate – please don’t force me to choose!

Secret Celebrity Crush – Nicole Kidman

Last Vacation Destination – Nice, France.

Do you have any pets? – No

Last book you read – The Unofficial History of the Falklands War by Hugh Bicheno

TRC: Thank you Malcolm for taking the time to answer our questions. Congratulations on the release of A BLOODY ARROGANT POWER. We wish you
all the best.

Malcolm: Thanks! I hope I’ve not written too much.

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The Rise of Magicks by Nora Roberts – a Review

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The Rise of Magicks by Nora Roberts – a Review

 

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Description:
After the sickness known as the Doom destroyed civilization, magick has become commonplace, and Fallon Swift has spent her young years learning its ways. Fallon cannot live in peace until she frees those who have been preyed upon by the government or the fanatical Purity Warriors, endlessly hunted or locked up in laboratories, brutalized for years on end. She is determined to save even those who have been complicit with this evil out of fear or weakness—if, indeed, they can be saved.

Strengthened by the bond she shares with her fellow warrior, Duncan, Fallon has already succeeded in rescuing countless shifters and elves and ordinary humans. Now she must help them heal—and rediscover the light and faith within themselves. For although from the time of her birth, she has been The One, she is still only one. And as she faces down an old nemesis, sets her sights on the enemy’s stronghold, and pursues her destiny—to finally restore the mystical shield that once protected them all—she will need an army behind her…

 

 

Review:

The Rise of Magicks by Nora Roberts is the 3rd and final book in her Chronicles of The One trilogy. I loved the two previous books in this trilogy, and I have to say that Nora Roberts once again gives us a masterpiece in this satisfying thrilling conclusion.

Note:  The Rise of Magicks is not a standalone, do not read this book if you have not read the previous books.

Background of Chronicles of One: a post-apocalyptic dystopian, with a bit of fantasy, that starts with a lethal virus (The Doom) that will destroy most of the world. A new beginning will start with the survivors, which will pit the dark (evil) and the light (good) against each other that will divide and separate all. Magic (witches, fairies, elves, etc) rises, causing division among those with newfound powers that are used for good, and those who are evil and want to hurt others, and the humans with no power at all, bent on destroying all magic.

It has been 20 years since the Doom, and in The Rise of Magicks, our heroine, Fallon Swift, after years of training, has become extremely powerful. She brings everyone together working toward building an army to fight the violence that threatens them, such as Purity warriors to want to kill all magickal people, the corrupt government and the evil darkness that they must defeat to survive.

As the members of her team, from New Hope, and other communities that they have rescued and trained towards winning this war, Fallon’s plan is to head for Arlington, one of the biggest compounds, as well as two other camps in other cities.  Fallon knows she needs add many more people to fight and free those imprisoned, building her army to the thousands they will need to weaken and destroy the enemy.   Many of those they rescue are the tortured innocent humans, as well as the magickal witches, faeries, elves, who will stand with them against the evil.

What I loved about this story was seeing all my favorites from the previous books, who are loyal to Fallon, whom they know as The One, and seeing them all work together for a common goal; bring out the light and destroy the dark.  It was also wonderful to meet so many new characters that would rise up beyond their terrible torture and be willing to fight for The One. Fallon was a wonderful heroine, whom I loved from the time she was born in the second book, and as she gets older, it was nice to see a romance in the background of the story.   The wonderful characters that supported her were equally so great; Lana, Duncan, Mallick, Simon, Tonia, Katie, Rachel, Hannah, Fred, Arlys, Colin, Mick, just to name a few.  Great cast of characters.

I do not want to give spoilers, as that would ruin the story, and you really need to read this trilogy.  What follows is an exciting, fast paced, nonstop action-packed, at times dark and intense adventure, with everyone working together and preparing for the war of good vs evil.  The battles were many, and each one had me on the edge of my seat; and in any war, there are lives that are lost.  The last half of the book was intense and captivating. Fallon and her team, old and young, were amazing.

The Rise of Magicks was a fantastic finale to this wonderful epic trilogy, which is no surprise, as Nora Roberts always gives us a masterpiece. There is so much to love about this dark, tense and magical world, in a dystopian fantasy that was a thriller a minute.  If you enjoy an exciting, mind boggling adventure, in a fabulous dystopian world and fantastic characters, you need to be reading Chronicles of The One trilogy. 

Reviewed by Barb

Copy provided by Publisher

 

 

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Fireborne by Rosaria Munda – a Review

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Fireborne by Rosaria Munda – a Review

 

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Description:
Annie and Lee were just children when a brutal revolution changed their world, giving everyone—even the lowborn—a chance to test into the governing class of dragonriders.

Now they are both rising stars in the new regime, despite backgrounds that couldn’t be more different. Annie’s lowborn family was executed by dragonfire, while Lee’s aristocratic family was murdered by revolutionaries. Growing up in the same orphanage forged their friendship, and seven years of training have made them rivals for the top position in the dragonriding fleet.

But everything changes when survivors from the old regime surface, bent on reclaiming the city.

With war on the horizon and his relationship with Annie changing fast, Lee must choose to kill the only family he has left or to betray everything he’s come to believe in. And Annie must decide whether to protect the boy she loves . . . or step up to be the champion her city needs.

 

 

Review:

Fireborne by Rosaria Munda is the first book in her new The Aurelian Cycle series. When I decided to read this new YA fantasy novel, I wasn’t sure what to expect as it was a new author for me.  I am happy to say I loved Fireborne and cannot wait to read more from Rosaria Munda.

The POV’s are from Lee, our hero, and Annie, our heroine.   We do get flash backs to the earlier days, when both were orphans, with Lee looking out for Annie.  Both lost their family to the revolution that changed the world; each having the perspective from a different side, such as Lee, secretly coming from royalty and Annie being lowborn.  They left the orphanage together to train with the new regime as dragon riders and 8 years later they both become elite riders. Yes there are Dragons, and I loved how Munda made them emotionally bonded to their assigned rider, with some telepathic between them.  Great part of story.

The story begins with a competition to become a Firstrider, the person who will lead the Dragon army reporting to the leader of Callipolis, with both Lee and Annie rivaling each other, as well as other elite dragonriders.  We learn more secrets about Lee, who is the lone survivor of the Stormscourge, all slaughtered in the revolution; only Annie knows the truth about who Lee really is. Annie is also a lone survivor, as her family was executed for not following the Lord’s orders. Their friendship was a major part of this story, with both of them knowing the past that brought them together, but neither acknowledging their past different lives.  In today’s world they are together, but things are changing that could destroy their friendship and their lives.

As the Firstrider competition continues; Lee is contacted by a survivor of the past, who are determined to bring back the old regime with a new revolution.   Lee has to fight his feelings about the truth about the things his father did as the Lord, and decide which side he belongs with.   Annie is loyal to the current regime, and begins to worry that Lee might betray Callipolis.  War is coming.  Will Lee turn on Annie and their friends?  Will Annie, despite her love for Lee, alert the leader of Lee’s possible betrayal?

I will not tell too much more, as there are many political elements from the past and present, which you need to read from start to finish to follow this story.  I loved Lee and Annie, and the group of friends that we got to know, as well as the emotional bond between them.  Munda did a fantastic job creating these wonderful characters, and giving us an amazing new world.

Fireborne was an exciting, emotional, intense, political, and at times a dark story that held our attention from the start.  The friendship between the dragon rider group was wonderful. I loved the Dragons, and their bond to their riders; it was a sensational element to the story.  The climax was fantastic, with so many twists and turns the kept me on the edge of my seat. I cannot wait for the next book in this series.   Rosaria Munda is now a new author I will need to keep reading.  I suggest you read this start of a fun exciting new series.

Reviewed by Barb

Copy provided by Publisher

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The Unadjusteds by Marisa Noelle – a Review

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The Unadjusteds by Marisa Noelle – a Review

 

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Description:
Sixteen-year-old Silver Melody lives in a world where 80% of the population has modified their DNA. Known as the altereds, those people now possess enhancements like wings, tails, and increased strength or intelligence. Although Silver’s parents created the nanite pill used to deliver these genetic modifications, Silver is proud of her unadjusted state.

However, when the president declares all unadjusteds must take a nanite, Silver has no choice but to flee the city with her father and some friends to prevent the extinction of the unadjusteds.

With Silver’s mother in prison for treason, Silver’s father is the unadjusteds’ only hope at finding a cure. But time is running out as Silver’s father is captured by the president’s almost immortal army. Vicious hellhounds are on Silver’s trail, and her only chance to recover her father involves teaming up with a new group of unlikely friends before all humanity is lost.

 

 

 

Review:

The Unadjusteds by Marisa Noelle is a YA Dystopian story.  Silver Melody, our 16-year-old heroine, lives in a world where most people have been altered, being given pills that enhanced them, such as bulk, strength, wings, telekinetic, etc.  Silver is one of the 20% population that are considered Unadjusteds (did not take the pills).

Silver’s parents helped create the nanite pills that alter people, and they are forced to work for the evil President Bear, who is determined to make everyone altered, even if many die from taking those pills.  Silver lost her best friend after she had taken the pill, and swore that she would never take the pill.  Silver is well known among the people, as her mother was accused of treason, because she did not want to create more pills.  Despite not taking pills, Silver is very strong and fast, as she trains hard and can beat most people.    When President Bear decides to force the remaining 20% to take the pills, Silver runs away with her friend Matt, and along the way they find more unadjusted people, as well as altered, who want to stop the evil president.

What follows is an exciting and intense adventure that pits Silver and her new friends against so many dangerous situations, including massive altered soldiers, or the deadly hellhounds that President Bear had his scientists create.  Silver, Matt, Joe, Paige, Emma and others are willing to do whatever it takes to try to free Silver’s parents, and allow them to create a cure for all.  But to do so they have to find a way to get past the enemies, find her parents, and kill the evil president.

I really liked Silver, as she was a great heroine, and the secondary characters working with her were an awesome team.  The last third of the book escalated the danger and violence, holding our breaths to see who will survive.  To tell too much more would be spoilers, and ruin it for you. 

The Unadjusteds was a well written, intense and emotional story line that kept my attention from start to finish.  I was surprised how much I enjoyed this story. Marisa Noelle did a fabulous job giving us an exciting story, wonderful heroine and great secondary characters. The ending was wild and emotional, and though it is not noted to be continuing, I feel it left things open for another book.   I wholly suggest if you like an action-packed dystopian theme, you should be reading The Unajusteds.

Reviewed by Barb

Copy supplied for review

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A Wilderness Within by Emma Castle – a Review

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A Wilderness Within by Emma Castle – a Review

 

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Description:
The world he knows and loves is gone…

Lincoln Atwood survived the contagion that wiped out the nine tenths of humanity. As the last survivor in a secret government bunker and a Delta Force soldier, he knows that the other survivors are scared, angry and dangerous, just like him. After weeks alone with the mummified bodies of his colleagues, he escapes the bunker. But the world outside has changed. Among the empty cities and crumbling ruins of civilization, he loses himself to the wilderness in his soul. When he sees Caroline, a fellow survivor, she is vision of light in a world gone dark. He wants to help her, but she won’t trust him, when there’s danger around every corner. How can he convince her that fate has brought them together?

She will not go quietly into the night…

Caroline Kelly survived hell when she escaped quarantined Chicago in search of her family after the outbreak. But it’s not as easy to travel from Illinois to Missouri with the world gone dark in the space of three months. The last she thing she needs is to get captured by a muscled, bearded mountain man who looks and acts like a damn super soldier. When it’s clear she can’t escape him, she finds herself becoming fascinated with the brooding, intense man who knows how to survive. He makes her heart race and blood pound. When tragedy strikes, Caroline realizes she might have a plan to save the world, but she’ll need Lincoln’s help. Can she trust Lincoln not only with humanity’s future, but also her heart?

 

Review:

A Wilderness Within by Emma Castle is the 2nd book in her Unlikely Heroes series. This story revolves around a contagion that kills the majority of the world.  Only those immune to the disease have survived, and very few have any hope, as everyone is out for themselves.

We meet Lincoln Atwood, our hero and a Delta Force soldier, who protected the President, as well as other politicians and soldiers, in a bunker; until he was the last one left.  Lincoln travels alone in this dark dystopian world, trusting no one; until he comes across a woman who is also surviving alone. 

Caroline Kelly, our heroine, was the lone survivor at the first airport where the disease was rampant, unable to leave until everyone died, as she escaped.  Caroline is desperate to travel to find her family and pray they survived.  When a bearded hunk of man approaches her, Caroline tries to escape, but gets hurt and the man (Lincoln) carries her to safety.  Caroline trusts no one, and fears for her life.

In a short time, Caroline will first become friends with Lincoln, and eventually an unlikely romance begins, with each now trusting each other and helping to find survivors who want to join and help find a cure. Lincoln recognizes that Caroline makes him believe there is hope out there, and together they will move forward in this bleak dark journey.

What follows is an intriguing and very well written storyline that was not only exciting, but also a story of tragedy and survival.  Lincoln and Caroline were fantastic characters, and despite the circumstances, they managed to find a way to fall in love and give each other the inspiration that there is a future for them together.  In a short time, we became invested in Lincoln and Caroline, their strength and determination and I loved them together.   Along the way they will come across survivors both good and bad, but it will be Caroline’s persistence in using media to convince other survivors to come together and find the cure.

A Wilderness Within was an emotional and gripping journey in a world destroyed by a horrific pandemic.  It is a story of survival, and the fears of family, loss, destruction and the ability to believe in hope for the future. It is also a story of love that will survive.  I do not want to give spoilers, as you really need to read this fantastic story. Emma Castle has written a wonderful, intense and emotional story that is not only believable, but inspirational, with a nice HEA.

Reviewed by Barb

Copy supplied for Review

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Talen by Shay Savage-a review

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TALEN by Shay Savage-a review

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ABOUT THE BOOK: Release Date February 19, 2019

In a world plagued by constant earthquakes and volcanic debris, people in the valley struggle to survive while those on top of the hill want for nothing.

This is where I come in.

I spend my nights plundering supplies in the walled city of Hilltop, and I trade them to the valley people below. I’m not a thief. I prefer to be known as the head of Lost and Found.

When I discover a beautiful but dangerous competitor in my territory, I also learn she knows more about me than she should. Is she a spy sent by my father, or is she a rebel like me? I don’t trust her, but together we’ll discover secrets that may destroy what’s left of our world.

There have always been those with wealth and those without.

My name is Talen, and I’m here to even the score.

•••••••••••

REVIEW: TALEN by Shay Savage is a post –apocalyptic, dystopian romance story line focusing on twenty-seven year olds Talen and Aerin, survivors in a world gone to h*ll.

Told from first person perspective (Talen) TALEN follows a hundred plus years after the ‘Great Eruption’ in which most of North America fell prey to earthquakes, floods, viruses and death, leaving the survivors divided into two warring camps-the Thaves (the haves), and the Naughts (have nots). Talen lives amongst the Naughts and ‘procures’ the necessities of survival for the people he has learned to call family and friends. Segregated in a valley, in a small encampment known as ‘Plastictown, the Naughts battle the elements, the environment and one another in order to survive. As the resident ‘thief’ and ‘lost and found’ expert, Talen ventures into a world many will never experience, in the hopes of finding the tools and necessary implements in order to survive. Enter Aerin, a young woman whose own adventures find her ‘hunting’ in the land of the Thaves, where upon she will come face to face with her future. What ensues is the building relationship between Talen and Aerin, and the potential fall-out as the Thaves descend upon the remaining survivors in an attempt to take everything and more.

TALEN is a story of betrayal, vengeance, survival and loss; power and contol. Talen and Aerin both have secrets that if revealed would deeply affect their precarious friendships with the remaining Naughts. As the government and Thaves put their plans into action, Talen and Aerin must face a possible future alone or not at all. Working together, Talen and Aerin ensure that the people in power pay for the current situation, and the death of their friends.

There is a large ensemble cast of colorful, energetic and broken characters. We are up close and personal with the people who struggle one day at a time-people who never knew the comforts of living a life without the daily battle to survive. The requisite evil has many faces.

TALEN is a thought-provoking and cautionary tale of what if; what if the world as we know it was destroyed by climate change and the fall-out of man’s destruction of the environment? The premise is imaginative; the characters are eclectic and spirited; the romance is passionate and emotional, without the use of over the top,sexually graphic language and text.

I am not sure if the author has plans for a series but there are a large number of characters and open ended plot points that could use some resolution.

Own a copy

Reviewed by Sandy

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Hardest Fall (Dominion #2) by Juliette Cross-Dual Review & Excerpt

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HARDEST FALL (Dominion #2) by Juliette Cross-Dual Review and Excerpt

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

ABOUT THE BOOK: Release Date February 25, 2019

The tattooed demoness, Bone, doesn’t like anything except the magical weapons she makes. But she has hidden talents few know about. When I was brought to her near death, she used her Seraph song to manipulate flesh and bone to save me. But she wasn’t happy about it.

Now I must return the favor. Even though she refuses to take sides in the apocalypse, there’s one job she’s not willing to do for the demon prince Rook. If she doesn’t, her head will end up on a spike. Of course, there’s a good chance we’re all going to die anyway, but I will do anything to protect this fierce woman—and not just because she saved me.

So now we’re both off to kill a demon—or three—and possibly save the world.

••••••••••

Sandy’s REVIEW: HARDEST FALL is the second instalment in Juliette Cross’ post-apocalyptic, dystopian DOMINION fantasy, romance series focusing on the fight for control and power- the Great War- between Heaven and Hell. This is demoness/former seraph Bone, and demon Xander’s story line. HARDEST FALL can be read as a stand alone without any difficulty. Any important information from the previous story line is revealed where necessary. Bone was first introduced in book one-Darkest Heart.

Told from dual first person perspectives (Xander and Bone) HARDEST FALL follows the building relationship between demoness/former seraph Bone, and demon Xander, and the ongoing war between Heaven and H*ll. Bone, the former angel, has an affinity to metal, and as such, is the creator of some of the most specialized weapons in the war between Heaven and H*ll but as a former Seraph, Bone also has a gift of song that heals, as well as influences those she wants to control. When high demon Dommiel brings a broken and battered demon into her private lair, Bone is asked to help save the life of the man with whom she will fall in love. Enter Xander, aka Alexander Godfrey the once human rake of Victorian England, and a demon who sides with the Angels and the human resistance fighters known as the Twelvers. What ensues is the building romance and relationship between Xander and Bone, and the potential fall-out as Bone is commanded (or forced) to build a secret weapon for demon Prince Rook, a weapon whose power could destroy them all.

The relationship between Xander and Bone finds our hero falling for the demoness that calls to his heart. Bone refuses to take sides in a war between Heaven and H*ll but a war that pushes our heroine to side with the man she loves, and the people he will die to protect. The Sex scenes are intimate and passionate without the use of over the top, sexually graphic language and text.

HARDEST FALL is a story of good vs evil; Heaven vs H*ll; love vs hate. Bone and Xander struggle with sins of the past, sin that resulted in the demonic changes to our leading couple. The premise is inviting, complex and intense; the romance is seductive and spicy; the characters are sassy, spirited, playful and strong. Juliette Cross pulls the reader into a captivating, thought-provoking and thrilling ride between angels and demons, and the people they love.

 

Barb’s REVIEW: Hardest Fall by Juliette Cross is the 2nd book in her urban fantasy Dominion series. I am a big fan of Juliette Cross, as I have loved each and every book she writes.  Hardest Fall is no exception, as it was another fantastic book.  Once again, if you have not read Juliette Cross, and you like fantasy, paranormal, or romance, you are missing a gem of an author.

Bone, our heroine, whom we met in the previous book, was busy working on her unique ability to make powerful weapons, when Dommiel  (last book hero) rushes in bringing a severely injured man.  Bone takes one look at the man, and says she cannot help him, but Dommiel knows if anyone can save him, it is her; reluctantly, Bone agrees to try. 

Xander, is a demon hunter, and when he awakes he thinks that Bone used her essence to heal him, and Xander does not want any Demon essence inside him. But what he doesn’t know is that Bone is much more powerful, she is a former seraph (a fallen angel), who walked away and takes no sides between humans and demons.  Bone can forge metal into the deadly powerful  weapons she creates and sells to the highest bidder.  When Xander overhears Bone talking to the Demon prince, Rook and his brother Simian about creating a special unique crown, he decides he needs to find out  more about the weapon and what they want to use it for.  This opens the door for Xander and Bone to work together in trying discovering what the evil Demon prince is planning. 

What follows is a fascinating story, as we follow Bone and Xander, as well as the many members of the rebels determined to fight and defeat the demons.  It was great to spend time with Dommiel, Anya, George, Kat as they teamed up with Bone & Xander.  There are a number of times when they were in all in dangerous situations, which had us on the edge of our seats.   Most of all, I really enjoyed seeing both Xander and Bone begin to fall hard for each other; as their chemistry was off the wall, hotter than hell.  😉  As Xander pulls her into his world, Bone begins to change and learn to feel love with Xander, as well as knowing she needs to step up and take a side…helping the humans against the demons. 

Hardest Fall was a heart stopping, pulse pounding, action packed, intense exciting thriller that I was unable to put the book down, but it was the love between Xander and Bone, as well as the wonderful secondary characters that made this story so good. I do not want to give spoilers, as you really need to read this series and anything by Juliette Cross.   

Hardest Fall was fantastic story set in a post-apocalyptic world of Demons, Humans, and Angels, as well as pulling on our emotions throughout.    As always, thank you Juliette Cross for another sensational story which never fails to wow us.  

 

Click HERE for our review of book one DARKEST HEART

Copy supplied by the publisher through Netgalley

___________

 

 

The beat of the eighties anthem “Back in Black” pounded from within. Apparently, Axel was keeping the electricity up in this part of the city for the benefit of his club. Electricity was in sporadic use, like everything else. It always depended on the demon in charge of the territory.
“Looks like Axel’s band is playing a show tonight,” Xander said.
I exhaled a heavy sigh. “He never changes.”
That was the truth. If Axel had the power, he’d replay the 1980s over and over. He and his tribute band continued, even in the apocalypse, to keep those long-dead, big-haired, hard-rock bands alive.
He glanced down where, apparently, we were still holding hands, then brushed his thumb over my pulse. I pulled my hand roughly from his.
“Your heart rate is up, darling. Do I make you nervous?”
“Please.” I huffed and marched toward the club’s entrance. “You do not make me nervous.”
He followed in his swaggering, unhurried gait, and I could feel his eyes on my ass. “Well, you get mine up.”
I spun, standing in a pool of light that spilled from the one lit streetlamp on the entire darkened road.
“Really? Do I make you nervous?”
A definitive shake of his head. “Just anxious.”
“Anxious about what?”
“The possibilities.”
“What possibilities?”
“Between you and me.”
“There will be no you and me.”
Laughing, he practically crooned. “Ohhh, yes. There will be. There already is.”
Hands on my hips, eyes narrowed. “What makes you think so?”
“The way you look at me.”
“And how is that, exactly?”
“The same way I look at you.” He stepped forward, gaze roaming slowly down then back up. “Covetously.”
“You’re dreaming, hunter.”
“Of you…yes. In my bed.”
“You know?” I began matter-of-factly, tilting my head to the side. “Lust is nothing more than increased blood flow, sweat gland production, and release of the neurochemical dopamine, giving the body a natural high.” I gave him a self-satisfied smile. “Not unlike what drug users experience before their next fix.”
He inched closer. “Are you saying you’re addicted to me?”
“What? No.”
“Don’t worry, love.” He dipped his head lower, bringing our mouths within inches of each other. “I’ll give you a thorough Xander-sex-fest to take care of that itch.”
“You’re incorrigible.”
“As in persistent?”
“As in hopeless.” I spun and stormed toward the club, tossing over my shoulder. “Incurable!”
“Oh, there’s a cure, all right.” He followed, chuckling. “I’ll share it with you before long.”
Even as I pretended I didn’t hear that last bit, I shivered in hopeful anticipation.

 


 

Juliette lives in lush, moss-laden Louisiana where she lives with her husband, four kids, and black lab, Kona.

Multi-published author of paranormal and urban fantasy romance, she loves reading and writing brooding characters, mysterious settings, persevering heroines, and dark, sexy heroes.

From the moment she read JANE EYRE as a teenager, she fell in love with the Gothic romance. Even then, she not only longed to read more novels set in Gothic worlds, she wanted to create her own.

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Jake’s Redemption (Angel Eyes Series Prequel) by Jamie Schulz-Review & Interview

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JAKE’S REDEMPTION (The Angel Eyes Series Prequel) by Jamie Schulz-Review & Interview

Amazon.com / Amazon.ca / Amazon.au / Amazon.uk / B&N /

ABOUT THE BOOK: Release Date February 1,2019

In a broken world, he faced a future full of pain. Will one daring woman be his last chance for love… Before time runs out…

Jake longs for the life men lived before war destroyed everything and women enslaved them. When fate forces a temporary reprieve from torment and imprisonment, escape becomes his primary objective. Until his new captor sparks hope, and something far more passionate, in his lonely heart.

After giving up on romance, Monica dedicated herself to sheltering unfortunate souls from a harsh new society. But then destiny delivered a desperate man to her doorstep. A man she soon discovers she cannot ignore and would do anything to save.

Will Monica be able to free Jake from the vicious woman who wants to break him? Or will Jake be forced to leave Monica behind to save himself?

••••••••••

REVIEW: JAKES’ REDEMPTION is the first instalment and full-length prequel in Jamie Schulz’ post-apocalyptic, dystopian, erotic romance series focusing on a world controlled and ruled by women. This is former rancher and slave Jake Nichols, and ranch owner Monica Avery’s story line.

WARNING: Due to the nature of the story line there are numerous triggers including rape, torture, abuse, non-consent, slavery and imprisonment that may not be suitable for more sensitive readers.

Told from dual third person points of view (Jake and Monica) JAKE’S REDEMPTION follows Jake Nichols spiral into the darkness, and the building relationship between our broken hero, and rancher Monica Avery. Several years earlier a catastrophic war destroyed cities and towns throughout the world, and ‘changed the social order’ between men and women. In the ensuing aftermath, a second civil war between the sexes resulted in women becoming the dominant and controlling sex, while men were slaves to be used and abused. Jake Nichols, and his best friend Bret Masters hid in the mountains only to find themselves captured by raiding parties and sentenced to servitude and slavery for the rest of their lives.

Jake Nichols is a broken man; shattered by months of sexual abuse at the hands of his Mistress and owner Darla Cain, and her equally cruel and abusive friends and council members. When rancher Monica Avery offers Jake a chance at temporary ‘freedom’ from Darla’s barbarism, Jake is sceptical about Monica’s intent. What ensues is the slow building relationship between Jake and Monica, and the potential fall-out as Jake’s time with Monica comes to an end.

The relationship between Jake and Monica struggles in the face of Jake’s imprisonment and torture by Darla Cain. Fractured, and unable to trust, Jake battles the memories, the fears, the humiliation, and the possibility of returning to Darla’s hold, fear that controls every aspect of his life. Monica’s attraction to Jake is met with uncertainty as Jake’s trust has been destroyed by betrayal, abuse and torture.

There is a large ensemble cast of colorful secondary and supporting characters including Jake’s friend Bret Masters; Monica’s best friend Angel Aldridge and her head guard Michelle, as well as Monica’s ranch hands and guards- Shawn Brohm, Rosa Santos, Kristine, Trevor and Kara, and Section Council member Jewel Stewart; Darla Cain, and Carrie Simpson. Angel and Bret’s story line is next.

The world building looks at the aftermath of another world war, and the consequences of corrupt power. Not all women are cruel or vindictive but those that are have destroyed any sense of peace for the men that survived.

JAKE’S REDEMPTION is a heart breaking, emotional, dark and gritty story of survival wherein recovery is next to impossible; and memories control the present and the future.

Copy supplied for review

Reviewed by Sandy 

TRC: Hi Jamie and welcome to The Reading Café.

Congratulations on the recent release of JAKE’S REDEMPTION.

Jamie: Thanks!

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

Follow: Facebook / Website / Goodreads / Amazon Author Page

Jamie: I have been writing on and off for thirty-odd years. Working on this series much of that time, but other stories as well. Including short stories for friends when I was in school.

TRC: Who or what influenced your career in writing?

Jamie: Hum…Well, there are a few things that influenced me. I always really loved to read. My first favorite author was Tolkien. I loved the scope of his writing, the worlds and cultures he created enthralled me. I wanted to do the same. In high school, I had a notoriously difficult English teacher who was the first to comment on my raw talent and encouraged me to write every day to keep improving…and I did…mostly.

Thirdly, thanks to my cousin, I discovered romance novels in my early teens. I’d always made up stories in my head, used to fall asleep at night dreaming them up. After reading my first romance—Shanna by Kathleen Woodiwiss—I wanted to write my own.
And lastly, I’ve always loved cowboys and been a country girl at heart, if not entirely in life. In the Angel Eyes Series, I wanted to bring that out, mixed in with some other things (genres) to come up with something different and intriguing. I think I did that. Hopefully, readers will too.

TRC: What challenges or difficulties did you encounter writing and publishing your first novel?

Jamie: Oh, my, there were so many and I had so very much to learn to do it all! One was just finding the time to write. Another was finding good editors. Editing was arduous, but ultimately very worthwhile. Then getting reviews…Ah! All the research and details that go into this and all the other aspects of marketing are exhausting. Even more so when you’re doing it on your own. The cover design took me forever too, but everything worked out in the end. Now, I’m getting ready to do it all over again with my next novel.

TRC: Would you please tell us something about the premise of JAKE’S REDEMPTION and the Angel Eyes Series?

Jamie: Well, basically it’s about characters who’ve survived devastating wars, global destruction, and the restart of civilization, only to end up living in an oppressive, reversed society where women rule what is left and men have been subjugated. The main characters must struggle to overcome the harsh rules in order to be together permanently before their enemies can tear them apart.

TRC: There are a number of potential ‘triggers’ for more sensitive readers. What would you like to say to the readers to address their fears?

Jamie: Yes, there are some disturbing scenes—two dream scenes in particular. The society’s harsh rules are what make this a dystopian world. But it is also a romance, and there are some very steamy scenes between the main characters as they learn to trust and fall in love. The strongest themes in the story include love, trust, friendship, and family; about overcoming obstacles and working together to do so. (There is some contemporary cowboy romance in that.)

I asked some early readers to give me three words to describe the story after they finished the book. The three that came up the most were Romantic, Hopeful, and Intriguing. One reviewer also recently said that the story is “uplifting and lets the reader know that if you surround yourself with the right people, you CAN get through” anything. That was what I was hoping to accomplish.

TRC: How many books do you have planned for the series?

Jamie: Currently the plan is for six books (all a continuing story) and this one prequel. There is also a contemporary short story about how the two male characters discussed in Jake’s Redemption first became friends. People who buy the book will get a link to it at the end. I’m considering doing two or three other stories for other characters, but that’s still undecided right now.

TRC: From where did you get the idea for JAKE’S REDEMPTION?

Jamie: History is where I get a lot of ideas in general. The very first idea for this series came to me in high school history class. We were studying the American Civil War. I remember thinking, “What could be worse than living as a slave?” The idea grew and morphed as my friends and I discussed the topic. Especially after I brought up two questions:
1. “What if slavery wasn’t about race, but, instead, about gender?”
2. “What if women were the ones in control and they weren’t all that nice?”
Those ideas sparked a long, interesting conversation, which encouraged me to put pen to paper. Over the years, lots and lots of notebooks, napkins, parchment—you name the paper there’s a good chance I used it—were filled with outlines and notes and chapters for this long tale.

History is where a lot of the societal base and the inequality in the story comes from, both older and more contemporary. Jake’s story came to light about two years ago, when I felt, that because he plays such an important part in the lives of the main characters in the series, that he needed his own story told first. Once that thought struck me, I sat down and started to write.

TRC: What kind of research/plotting did you do, and how long did you spend researching /plotting before beginning JAKE’S REDEMPTION?

Jamie: I’d usually have a specific idea and think about it for a while, often making a quick outline or notes about it before starting a book. Then, once I have a basic idea of what I want, I start writing. I’m a bit of a pantser but I’m also a plotter, so I guess that makes me a “plantser”. I will sometimes stop writing for a day or two to think about the story and/or to read up on whatever scenario that “just came up” or that I feel I’m not knowledgeable enough to get the meaning or image across to the readers accurately. As I said, a lot of the story comes from history, so I did a lot of reading about the past. I researched slavery and the human reaction to trauma among other things. I actually started writing the main part of the series first, so I’ve done a ton of research on all kinds of things, including farming, ranching, construction and more, so it’s hard to put an amount of time on how long I spent.

TRC: There is a fine line between romance, erotic and erotica fiction. What do you believe are the differences? And where should the author draw the line?

Jamie: Hum…well, I haven’t thought a lot about this, but in my humble opinion they are very similar. The major difference that I’ve seen is that erotic romance involves two characters getting together for more than just sex (but with a lot of heat in the sex that is depicted and more of it), whereas erotica can often have many partners and with the main focus of the story being on the sex.

To me, romance is about more than just great sex. Sure, it’s a big part, but I’m more about the emotional connection that, which when there, makes the sex out of this world (and I’m not talking aliens here).

I find the human condition and how we handle/react to things in our environment and lives very interesting, but I think there are some authors that go to extremes in their stories and there are some things that I personally just won’t read. I have read both types of books and there were a few I didn’t finish simply because I didn’t like some aspect of the story or the characters themselves for whatever reason.

That said, I feel authors should write the story inside them, but keep in mind that people shouldn’t have to hurt to be with someone and I’m not talking about consensual BDSM here, if you know what I mean.

TRC: What was the most challenging scene to write?

Jamie: The boring ones. Okay, I’m only partially joking. I like writing almost all scenes. I’ve found that I want to rush through some of the less central parts and get to the good stuff where the characters get together. But I also like building the world and the suspense so that when they get together it’s meaningful.

Later in the series, there is a rather violent scene that was very hard to write and may get whittled down a bit before publication. That one was definitely the hardest one to write that I can recall.

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?

Jamie: Oh, yes, absolutely. I will often skim through covers and check out ones that catch my eye, but titles and subtitles are also important too and I look at those as well. If those two things are interesting enough, I’ll read the synopsis and buy if it sounds good. That said, I encourage everyone to read the synopsis before you buy. I’ve found some wonderful stories with not so wonderful covers simply because I bothered to read the synopsis.

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

Jamie: I’d say a little of both. I usually have an idea of where the story needs to go. I call them milestones. The characters determine how the story travels to get them to each predetermined scene. Sometimes those milestone have to change because the character has changed, grown, and the scene needs to show that in their reactions.

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?

Jamie: Oh, wow, this is a deep question and one I struggled with when I first started. I feel that a writer must show how characters are feeling to draw the reader in. There are lots of ways to do this such as body language and dialogue, as well as descriptions of inner physical and emotional sensations that readers will intuitively understand and pick up on and, thus, be drawn into the character’s world and emotions.

So many of us storytellers make mistakes in this by simply telling the story. I’ve done it, but I’ve also learned a lot since I first started too. Hopefully, my readers will feel the same.

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

Jamie: I used to do this a lot and I do for some stories, but lately I haven’t been. I’ve preferred to have quiet or to sit outside with the sounds of nature. But that may change for the next book, I never know.

Going by my previous experience with music and writing, I can’t say it influences the storyline or characters all that much. However, I have a story where I used quotes from songs to introduce a chapter because it hinted at what was going on and how the characters felt. In that way it may have had some influence, but my swirling brain did most of the work.

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

Jamie: That we make good money. Most authors, especially Indie authors, have full time jobs, many have families, and they all can only write when they are free of those responsibilities. Usually early in the morning or late at night and on weekends if nothing else is going on.

The other is that Indie authors are not really published authors. If people knew how much work goes into publishing a book, not to mention doing it on your own—and I’m not even talking about writing the thing—they’d have a whole new respect for Indie authors.

TRC: How should authors measure a book’s success?

Jamie: This depends on the author and what they want to accomplish. What is their idea of success? For me, it’s a series of steps. Get the book written. Get the book edited. Get the book published. Market the book. Advertise. Get sales. Get more sales. Make it to the Amazon bestsellers list, then USA Today, and then work on the next one, NYT, etc.

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

Jamie: I like sauerkraut.

TRC: Who is your favorite author (living or dead)?

Jamie: I have several, but the top three are: Tolkien, Karen Robards, and Kathleen Woodiwiss

TRC: On what are you currently working?

Jamie: Editing Masters’ Mistress, Book 1 of the Angel Eyes Series and trying to finish Book 5 of the same series, Masters’ Betrayal

TRC: Would you like to add anything else?

Jamie: I am very thankful to everyone who has helped me with this project in some way. From friends and family, to my editors, to my beta readers, and to all those who take a chance to read and spread the news about a new Indie author like me. Thank you!

LIGHTNING ROUND

Favorite Food
French Fries

Favorite Dessert
Almost all of them

Favorite TV Show
Don’t watch a lot of TV, but I do love Supernatural

Last Movie You Saw
In the theater, Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom
At home, Extinction

Dark or Milk Chocolate
Both… Depends on my mood

Secret Celebrity Crush
Jensen Ackles

Last Vacation Destination
Montana

Do you have any pets?
Yes.

Last book you read.
I just finished three…
Jock by Jacob Chance
After We Fall by Melanie Harlow
A Husband’s Regret by Natasha Anders
All were quite good.

TRC: Thank you Jamie for taking the time to answer our questions. Congratulations on the release of JAKE’S REDEMPTION. We wish you all the best.

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