Tag Archives: Katie Jennings

Up In The Pines by Katie Jennings – a Review

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Up In The Pines by Katie Jennings – a Review

 

Up in the PinesAmazon / B&N

Description:
Deep in the mountains of Montana, Deputy Lark Galloway discovers a body. Despite being nothing more than bones, she connects the remains to a resident who disappeared twenty years earlier. As she unravels the dead man’s history to solve his murder, someone tries desperately to throw her off the scent. Meanwhile, famed Hollywood screenwriter Sawyer Matheson returns to town to escape his cheating fiancé, only to find himself at the heart of Lark’s investigation. Sparks fly as things heat up between Lark and Sawyer, but nothing can prepare her for the earth-shattering truth behind the body in the pines.

 

 

Review:

Up in the Pines by Katie Jennings is a standalone romance suspense thriller.  Up in the Pines takes place in a small town in Montana, where we meet Deputy Lark Galloway, our heroine.  A decaying body is discovered by a tourist, and when Lark surveys the scene, she knows it was murder.  The lab will confirm that the body has been buried approximately 20 years.   Lark will find herself, and the detective team researching missing persons back in that time period.

Sawyer Matheson, our hero, returns home to his deceased father’s house after having left years before.  Sawyer is now a successful and famous screenwriter, who comes home to get away from the media hounding him over his split with a famous actress, whom he found in bed with another man.  Sawyer will meet Lark, who lives in a cabin nearby, and thinks she looks familiar.   Lark, of course, knows who the famous Sawyer is, and remembers having a crush on him in high school.

What follows is a complex murder investigation that will become difficult to solve, especially with the element of time having passed.  Lark will work with the lead detective and learn the identity of the victim, which will bring out a few possible suspects.   When Lark’s partner is attacked and left for dead, she knows the danger is escalating, as the murderer is still alive and trying to stop the investigation.

Sawyer, whose mother ran away years before, will begin to help Lark in the investigation, in the hope he will learn why she left.  In a short time, their romance will begin to heat up, and they made a sweet couple.  Lark felt that there was no future, as he would go back to California; but Sawyer begins to see value in staying in his old home town.   But first they must survive, and a murderer must be caught.

This is a difficult review, because saying too much more would be spoilers.  Up in the Pines was an excellent “whodunit” with many twists and surprises.  Just when you thought you knew who it was, the next breath things turned another way.   Katie Jennings did a wonderful job keeping us glued to our seats, unable to put the book down.  The last third of the book was non-stop action, intense and very exciting.  If you love mysteries, thrillers, and a great couple, then you should read Up in the Pines.

Reviewed by Barb

Copy supplied for review

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For Love & Bourbon by Katie Jennings – a Review

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For Love of Bourbon by Katie Jennings – a Review

 

For Love of BourbonAmazon

Description
Along Kentucky’s Bourbon Trail lies a distillery that’s a cut above the rest. For years, the Brannon family has perfected their signature whiskey. Ava Brannon, the new face of Lucky Fox Whiskey, dedicates her life to preserving that legacy. When Special Agent Cooper Lawson comes to investigate her father for his ties to the Irish Republican Army, she has no choice but to face the deadly secrets of her family’s past. Only nothing is as it seems, and her burning attraction to Cooper could either be a recipe for disaster or her saving grace.

 

Review:

For Love & Bourbon by Katie Jennings is a wonderful standalone romance suspense novel. I have enjoyed every book I have read by Katie Jennings, as she writes wonderful family stories surrounded by romance, family drama and mystery. I wasn’t sure what to expect with this story taking place in Kentucky in the world of whiskey and bourbon. However, I loved this book, and could not put it down until the very end.

For Love & Bourbon is about the Brannon family, who run a distillery that is considered one of the best. Ava Brannon is our heroine, and she is the granddaughter of the founder. Ava is not only beautiful, but she is smart, strong, independent, hard working and savvy. She is the voice of Lucky Fox whiskey, and runs tours every day.

Cooper Lawson, our hero, is an FBI agent sent to Kentucky to find evidence that ties Ty Brannon (Ava’s father) to the Irish Brannon’s. The FBI suspects her father of funding the IRA and their brutal war.

The backdrop of the story is about the grandfather, Joe who grew up in Ireland and left them many years ago to start his in own distillery in America. The Irish side of the Brannon’s are tied to the Irish Republican Army, which will bring the FBI in to investigate the Kentucky Brannons, even though the two families have not talked to each other in all these years.

Cooper arrives in town a day early, and decides to take one of the tours of the distillery. He meets Ava, and is immediately smitten. She too finds herself attracted to him, but keeps it all business. The next day Cooper arrives with his team and they take over all the computers at the distillery and in the Brannon mansion. Ava is not too happy to find out that Cooper is an FBI agent, which threatens to destroy her family with this investigation. Eventually, as she begins to drag out information from Cooper and his partner, she begins to work with Cooper to find out the truth.

What follows is an exciting story, which will escalate into danger, as the truth of the past comes back to haunt the Brannon family. In the midst of this turmoil, slowly Ava and Cooper find themselves becoming romantically and sexually involved, which both know has no future. Will Ava and Cooper find a way to stay together?

The last 1/3 of the book was pulse pounding excitement, filled with betrayals, murder, danger, as the two sides come face to face in a wildly exciting race to the finish. Katie Jennings has done it again, with a fabulous exciting story, a sexy couple, great secondary characters, as well as the wonderful family background. I suggest you read For Love & Bourbon, as I really loved this book, and you will too.

Reviewed by Barb

Copy provided by Author

 

 

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Things Lost in the Fire by Katie Jennings – a Review

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Things Lost in the Fire by Katie Jennings – a Review

 

Things Lost in the Fire

Amazon

Description:
Sadie McRae grew up in the Hollywood Hills, the only daughter of two rock ‘n’ roll legends. When a violent assault on her life ends in a torrid scandal, fifteen-year-old Sadie escapes to the quiet forests of Lake Tahoe.

Unable to resist the music in her blood, she returns to Los Angeles years later and sings under an alias. When her secret is unintentionally exposed by an old friend, journalist-turned-paparazzi Brody Odell, he’ll do anything to make it up to her, including uncovering the truth about the attack from eleven years earlier.

Stardom beckons and the chance at love is within her grasp, but the horrors of her past threaten to tear everything apart. As Sadie fights for the life she deserves, a dangerous stalker begins his game, determined to bring it all to an end.

 

 

Review:

Things Lost in Fire by Katie Jennings is a beautiful story of a young lady trying to grow up in the wild life of rock n roll, with both of her parents legends. However, at 15 years old, a terrible tragedy forced young Sadie McRae to leave her only home and spend the rest of her growing up years with her grandparents.

The story begins at the time young Sadie is living with her mother, and during a wild party, the unthinkable happens and someone is murdered. To protect Sadie, she is sent away, and now in the present, 11 years later, she goes home to help her mother, who has been diagnosed with Cancer.

Sadie, when living with her grandparents, began to play music, which was in her blood. She did not want anyone to know who she was, so she used an alias and sang songs on You Tube, becoming very popular. Was this enough to satisfy her?

When she arrives in Los Angeles, her friend convinces her to sing at a local club under disguise using the alias to favorable results. But an old friend from her teenage days recognizes her. We meet Brody O’Dell, who used to be a top photo journalist, until he made a major mistake that cost him his career. Now Brody is a “paparazzi”, which is not really good for Sadie, who doesn’t want to be recognized.   Brody and Sadie rekindle their friendship, even though she is afraid he will reveal her identity to make money.

What follows is multi-faceted story of Sadie trying to remember the truth about the unsolved murder years ago, and with Brody’s help, they investigate the past. Sadie must also deal with a mother, who despite her illness, will use her daughter to get herself back in the limelight. Sadie will also reconcile with her father, and their band, even performing on a one night stand, when everyone discovers who she really is. With all this going on, Sadie finds herself in danger from a stalker. Is this stalker someone from the past? You will have to read this book to find out what happens on all these things.

Katie Jennings has written a wonderful story that flows so nicely. We became invested in Sadie right at the start at the time of the tragedy, and when she came back to renew friendships, rekindle with family, start her career and fight a dangerous enemy. But most of all, we loved the chemistry between Sadie and Brody, which slowly built up, as they helped each other overcome their own fears. Things Lost in Fire is a wonderful story, with great characters.

Reviewed by Barb

Copy provided by Author

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Rulers of Deception by Katie Jennings – Review & Giveaway

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Rulers of Deception by Katie Jennings – Review & Giveaway

Rulers of Deception Banner

Rulers of Deception
Vassar Legacy – Book #3
by Katie Jennings
Release Date: May 15, 2014

Rulers of DeceptionAmazon

Description:
It’s taken a year to rebuild their empire, but with a thriving merger and its welcomed success, the Vasser Hotel family has risen beyond scandal. But things at the top will never be easy.

The unstable son of their business partner threatens to dissolve the relationship, claiming the Vassers are dangerous. With a twist of fate, a ghost from Wyatt’s past brings death threats from a Colombian drug lord who he’s been running from for nearly ten years.

Meanwhile, a well-respected journalist offers to do an extensive, positive piece on the family, but she may prove more foe than friend. As rumors circulate about Marshall being a killer, mysterious letters and photographs trickle in targeted at the heart of the Vassers. It will either destroy them or have them rising above all to seek the ultimate revenge.

 

Review:

Rulers of Deception by Katie Jennings is the 3rd book in her Vassar Legacy series. Rulers of Deception continues the Vassar family saga story; with their elite Hotel chain, and the family we have come to care about. I have reviewed the first two books, which if you need to get a refresher, you can find them under the Reviews tab (Barb’s Reviews – Katie Jennings). In the last book I mentioned in my review that Jennings had a few more characters that she could write to keep this series going, and I am happy to say she did do another story.

The Vassar family, after surviving a terrible scandal in the last book, have now successfully come all the way back. They are merging their hotel with another hotel, and plans are underway to complete this new addition to the Vassar Hotel chain. The main couples; Grant & Quinn, Linc & Lynette, & Madison & Wyatt are all either married or close. But when things go good, and you are on top, the danger rises from greed or jealousy that will rear its ugly head to try and destroy them again.

The story actually starts off years before, when Wyatt won a lot of money while playing cards with a Columbian Drug lord. But it was his friend Jimmy, who unbeknownst to Wyatt, secretly steals some cocaine. They were able to escape, but no matter how many years pass, things can come back and haunt you.

The Vassars are approached by a famous news reporter with a proposal to help promote them, and remove any previous lingering stains on their name. But shortly thereafter, things begin to happen, with threats, pictures exposed to the press, and possible murder charges. What follows is an exciting story, with all the family working together to find out who is out to get them.

Katie Jennings has created a number of villians, including the son of the hotel they are merging with; Wyatt’s friend Jimmy; the drug lord, and other surprising enemies. The family teams together to fight back, just as things spiral out of control.

What I loved about this story was how strong Madison remains to hold the family and the hotel together, despite attacks on her also. She is without a doubt the leader of the Vassars, even though Grant, and Linc are strong too. I also enjoyed seeing their better halfs.

I will not be giving spoilers, but only to say that Jennings has created a wonderful suspenseful story that flows so well. There were many twists and turns that had you guessing as to who was the mastermind behind the attacks on the Vassars.   Rulers of Deception has everything you would want in a story; suspense, betrayal, hatred, revenge and romance. Katie Jennings has created wonderful characters in the Vassar family that we would love to continue to revisit. If you have not read this series, you need to do so now.

Reviewed by Barb

Copy provided by Author

 

About The Author
About_Katie_2Nothing can compare to the exhilaration of discovering, at last, a mode of release for the imagination. Mine came, after years of struggling to visualize my creativity, in the form of written word. I found myself with my nose constantly in a book, absorbing the life of the characters and the beauty of the setting. It was intoxicating, to say the least, and the only thing I knew was that I wanted to give writing a shot, and take the thousands of characters and storylines in my head and put them down on paper, and form them into something real and compelling.

In truth, I’m just a girl from a small town north of Los Angeles, with an imagination for days and thank goodness a keyboard at my fingertips. And even though my husband thinks I’m a nerd and my mom is undoubtedly my biggest fan, at the end of the day I’m loving life and enjoying giving breath to the characters living in my heart, and sharing with others all the creativity I can harness.

I believe in true love, and I’ve always believed in happy endings. And that is just the beginning of the story.

giveaway

Katie is offering an e-copy set of the entire Vassar Legacy series (When Empires Fall, Rise of the Notorious, and Rulers of Deception), to one (1) lucky commenter at The Reading Cafe.

 1. Please register 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. LIKE us on  FACEBOOK and then click GET NOTIFICATION under ‘liked’ for an additional entry.

4. LIKE us on Twitter for an additional entry

5. LIKE  Katie Jennings on Facebook.

6. The giveaway is open Internationally

7. The giveaway runs from June 30  to July 4, 2014

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So Fell The Sparrow by Katie Jennings – a Review

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So Fell The Sparrow by Katie Jennings – a Review

So Fell The SparrowLinks to order So Fell The Sparrow:
Amazon / Barnes & Noble /The Book Depository

Description:
A skeptic, a ghost hunter, a tech genius, and a medium. Will the spirits win?

After the tragic death of her parents, Dr. Grace Sullivan inherits more than she bargained for. An empty house she’s never heard of, a nosy neighbor, and the restless spirits of a violent, century old murder.

A hard-nosed skeptic, Grace refuses to believe in ghosts despite hearing sounds and seeing things that can’t be explained.

When she unearths antique furniture from the basement, the spirits become agitated and dangerous. Ian Black and Alex Gallagher, a team of ghost hunters, come in to investigate.

Still denying the paranormal events in her home, Grace can’t bring herself to take the ghost hunters or the psychic medium who teams up with them seriously. As Grace struggles with her grief and the feelings she’s developing for headstrong Ian, the disturbing mystery of the house deepens. Now she’ll have to face the unbelievable before the spirits claim her for their own.

Review:

     As Jackie headed northeast toward the rising sun, a doctor five hundred miles away was receiving a late night phone call that would change her life forever.

     And in Seattle, a ghost hunter awoke from a strange dream, the name of a woman he’d never met on his lips.  Grace.  He fell back asleep and forgot the dream, but fate had done its job.  Soon he and his partner would hit the road on the hunt for the paranormal.

     Four strangers were unknowingly en route to each other, bound for a tiny, seaboard town in Massachusetts.

     To a house that had claimed the life of a sparrow.

This was an unusual beginning, as there are four central characters, but the female leads, Jackie and Grace, take center stage immediately; rich details of their backgrounds setting the mood for empathy.  Their male counterparts, our dynamic ghost hunters, Ian and Alex, are introduced and explored, but our knowledge of them is limited to present-day interactions with the women.  They’re so swoon-worthy, you won’t feel cheated, trust me.  Honestly, I came to expect the unexpected with So Fell the Sparrow and was genuinely happy for having put my faith in author, Katie Jennings.  Be warned:  This is not a campfire tale to elicit quick thrills.  This book’s effects linger…*yikes…I’m scaring myself all over again!*

Jackie is a nomadic medium whose ability of “sight” earned her father’s castigation and reproach for communicating with demons.  Having the wherewithal to run away from a poisonous environment, Jackie embraces her gift, drifting from town to town, availing herself to the afterlife.  A spirit encounter guides her to her next destination. 

Grace, the rigid doctor who recently lost her parents in a car crash only to discover her fiancé in bed with her BFF (following her parents’ services!), has just arrived at the Sparrow House, a property inherited through her father’s will…but kept a secret.  After a week of adjusting to the small town, fervent to keep interaction with the locals to a minimum, Grace experiences her first disturbance:  the cries of a child.  Mourning the loss of her parents, but rationalizing the grief with an excess of bitterness, Grace has now inherited unwanted attention.

“I need to know if there’s something about you that brought these spirits out.  Nellie says she experienced nothing in the house until you arrived.  Ergo, you are in some way, shape, or form, the crucial piece of the puzzle…The cloud that hangs over you may be what’s attracting these spirits.  They’re drawn to you because you’re in a weakened emotional state.”

While honest, probably not the best pick-up line, Ian.  Let me be direct:  Grace was not an easy woman to love.  She was quite nasty in fact.  When she wasn’t lambasting Ian and Alex for their chosen profession (whose services were acquired by a good-intentioned neighbor), Grace was repeatedly insulting and kicking people out of the Sparrow House (don’t you dare call it her home).  At some point during Grace’s introspection (she did consider she might be a wee abrupt), I was feeling a bit underwhelmed by the story and turned off my Kindle.  When a particularly grueling stomach pain woke me up in the middle of the night, and I grew restless, I resumed reading.  Big mistake!  Ms. Jennings hit her stride when addressing the heart of the story:  a ghost haunting.  Praying the sound of “soft crying” so eerily described in the book was just in my head, since the cats were curled up on my bed completely exonerating them, I was thankful to live in a one-story home.  For all intents and purposes, however, I immersed and traversed the creepy hall with Grace, assaulted by all the images it provoked.  Well done!

When further proof of hostility invades the Sparrow House, and convinces Grace she needs Ian, Alex and Jackie’s expertise, a full investigation is set up for Halloween, when the veil between the living and dead is transparent.  The suspense was deftly maintained by Ms. Jennings as we’d gleaned apparitions and witnessed a death scene in the harbor adjacent to the home.  I was plagued by a myriad of hypotheticals; dying to go through the search and discovery!  Kill me with the last line at the conclusion of Chapter 8…CHILLS!!  Chapter 9 holds its own; keeping me riveted and mesmerized in absolute fear.  WOW.  And Ms. Jennings doesn’t let up!  While the mysteries start to unfurl and piece together, the menace escalates, threatens, and manifests during a séance (amongst other “scare the shit out of you” moments).  Wow is a paltry interjection.  This is one scary mofo of a book!

Subtly interwoven are unique love stories (to dilute the terror, lol).  While Grace and Ian are tempestuous personalities who survive off of sarcasm and red wine, their repeated clashes dare the other to take closer notice.  They coalesce into a fiery harmony.  Jackie’s childhood torment tethers her anger, but she resurrects like the Phoenix herself when Alex accepts her unconditionally.  Fates, and a family tree, align this group to uncover evil and restore peace within the home and themselves.  Freaking.loved.this.book!!!      

Reviewed by Carmen

Copy provided by Author

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Rise of the Notorious by Katie Jennings – a Review

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Rise of the Notorious by Katie Jennings – a Review

 

Rise of the Nortorious

Links to order Rise of the Notorious:
Amazon / Barnes & Noble / The Book Depository

Description:
When their empire fell, darkness descended upon the Vasser Hotel family and shrouded them in chaos. It was a darkness layered in violent sins and staggering deception, made only more potent by a haunting truth. Murder, it seemed, was a burden they couldn’t escape.

With a scandal plaguing the family’s reputation, the Vasser heirs must rise to the occasion and utilize a killer’s advice to turn bad publicity into good, and tradition into innovation.

If only it was that easy.

In an elaborate game of hidden motives and sinister agendas, more dirty truths from the past will resurface, truths that could bring about victory or bloodshed. But how will the Vasser siblings react when the real threat to their family not only has power and control on the mind, but assassination as well? What will they do when it becomes clear that someone out there wants them destroyed, no matter the price?

The Vassers may have fallen from grace, but now they will rise as notorious.


Review:

Rise of the Notorious by Katie Jennings is her second and final book in her Vassar Legacy series.  I enjoyed the first book, When Empires Fall, and found this book to be even better.

This book continues the Vassar family saga story; about their elite Hotel chain, and the family we became totally invested in.  When we last left off in When Empires Fall, the Vassar family was heading towards hard times with their hotel, after a major scandal.  Madison was chosen to be the heir apparent to run the hotel, bypassing others in the family, thereby creating much dissention.  Other then the youngest sister, Kennedy, the immediate family, Grant & Linc, and their loves Quinn and Lynette, stood by Madison to continue to work together, no matter what to save the hotel.

Madison was the heroine in this story.  In the first book, she was a pivotal character, but not as likable as she is in this book.  I really liked Madison’s growth, her ability to stand up to fire, as everything around her was falling apart; with scandals, jealousy, betrayals, threats to her and her family. She had many people against her, who were willing to do anything to make sure she would lose the hotel. Katie Jennings did a masterful job showing Madison rise up, as she faces each threat, as well as the false accusations against her. Rise up she did, surprising many, as she became a public figure, with the majority of the people identifying with her, as she became the respected and admired Vassar family leader. 

Her romance with Wyatt, played an important part in this book, as she knew she still loved him, and needed to learn to trust him again.   What I love about family sagas is that we get to spent time with the family through these hard times.  It was great to see them bond together to join forces to find who is behind the plot to destroy Madison, which includes a kidnapping, a murder attempt, as well as the false accusations to ruin Madison and the Vassar family.   

This story flows beautifully throughout, as there are many surprises and twists.  Who is behind the plot to destroy the family?  Who inside the Vassar domain is betraying the family?  Will Kennedy be saved?  Will Wyatt convince Madison that he truly loves her? Will the hotel survive? You will need to read this book to find out.

One thing you can be sure of is that her brothers will stand beside her, even if they originally were not too happy with Madison taking over the reins of the hotel.  I loved seeing Grant with Quinn again, and their love continues to blossom. I liked that Quinn found a way to win over Madison.  Linc and Lynette were also a great couple that would have to withstand her father’s continual attacks against the Vassars, to help his campaign for reelection.

I thought this was a wonderful series by Jennings, and felt she could have written more books concentrating on other family members.  But she does a great job in tying all the loose ends, and bringing together a satisfying climax.  If you enjoy family sagas, which takes you on an emotional ride every step of the way, then this series by Katie Jennings is perfect for you.

Reviewed by Barb

Copy provided by Author

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An Interview With Katie Jennings

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An Interview With Katie Jennings

The Reading Cafe is happy to welcome Katie Jennings as our guest today. Before we meet Katie, let’s find out more about her.

Nothing can compare to the exhilaration of discovering, at last, a mode of release for the imagination. Mine came, after years of struggling to visualize my creativity, in the form of written word. I found myself with my nose constantly in a book, absorbing the life of the characters and the beauty of the setting. It was intoxicating, to say the least, and the only thing I knew was that I wanted to give writing a shot, and take the thousands of characters and storylines in my head and put them down on paper, and form them into something real and compelling.

In truth, I’m just a girl from a small town north of Los Angeles, with an imagination for days and thank goodness a keyboard at my fingertips. And even though my husband thinks I’m a nerd and my mom is undoubtedly my biggest fan, at the end of the day I’m loving life and enjoying giving breath to the characters living in my heart, and sharing with others all the creativity I can harness.

I believe in true love, and I’ve always believed in happy endings. And that is just the beginning of the story

Now let us begin our Interview with Katie

Hi Katie.  Thank you for taking the time to answer some questions today. We are always looking forward to reading about the author behind the book. We will start will some background information.

TRC: Will you please tell us about yourself?

Katie: I am a huge nerd, first off.  I am addicted to reading romance novels and watching Once Upon a Time, and am a true Disney kid at heart.  I grew up in the northern Los Angeles area where I have lived all of my twenty-five years.  Writing is my passion, and is something I have been doing since I was in my early teens when I first got into Nora Roberts and J.K. Rowling, who are my biggest inspirations.

TRC: When and how did you become interested in writing?  Have you always liked to write?

Katie: I’ve been writing since I was in my early teens, when I discovered it was a fantastic outlet for not only my emotions, but my creativity as well. I mostly wrote short stories for fun, many of which I never finished because I’d get too excited to move on to the next idea. But in 2010, I decided it was time to finally try and write a full novel. I was a bit optimistic, as I plotted out for four novels as a series, but I was able to complete them…it is, without a doubt, one of my greatest personal accomplishments!

TRC: Would you tell us your process in writing your books?

Katie: First I take my idea and concept, and I begin creating characters. I heavily reference astrology as I develop characters, and focus on the details and background story of each in order to give them a realistic feel. Then I plot out each and every chapter, starting with main points I want to make and then fill in the rest. I leave very  little of my story up in the air, I like to have it all worked out beforehand before I start writing.

TRC: Was a Breath of Air your first book ever published?  What were the difficulties in getting your work published?

Katie: Yes, Breath of Air is my first completed novel that I published. I self-published it, so the process itself was actually very easy. Amazon has streamlined everything to where there is very little start up cost (if any!) and the time frame to get a new book up is literally just a matter of hours. Of course, I had to create my own book covers, pay to have my books edited, designed, and formatted. But I have learned so much in the months since I’ve published about how to market, promote, and sell my books. It’s been a wild ride, that’s for sure!

TRC: Will you tell us about the premise of your Dryad series?  How did you come up with the idea for this series?

Katie: The Dryad Quartet is a contemporary fantasy series revolving around the fictional land of Euphora, where beings inspired by Greek mythology exist to preserve the balance of nature and human life, and to protect the living from the evil residing in the Underworld. It’s a world where Mother Earth and Father Sky exist, secretly hidden from human awareness, and yet crucial to the creation and stability of their world. They are joined by those who control the elements, the Dryads, as well as the Fates, Muses, and Furies, all of whom play an integral role in preserving Earth and guarding those who inhabit it.

I came up with the idea as a process…it began with me knowing I wanted to write about people who could control the elements. I developed those four characters, the Dryads, and then expanded upon them by referencing Greek mythology and developing this whole new world.

TRC: You have a new series …The Vasser Legacy, which was released in August.  Can you please tell us the premise of the series?  How did you come up with this idea of a modern day Family Saga story? Also how many books are you planning for this series?

Katie: The Vasser Legacy is a series that focuses on the rise, fall and resurrection of the prestigious Vasser Hotel family. It's a story filled with deception, passion, murder, and ambition set in glorious Manhattan in New York City. In book one, When Empires Fall, we see the family deal with the realization that one of their own is a killer, and watch as they struggle with both personal and professional battles.

In the case of When Empires Fall, it was one specific song that I have loved since I was very young that inspired me to write this book.  The song is called “Raoul and the Kings of Spain” by Tears for Fears.  While I didn’t pull my plot line from the song, this basic idea of “the seventh son of the seventh son comes along and breaks the chain…” is what got me, as did this question posed in the song, “can we ever hope to seek asylum from the bounds of faith and family?”  I knew that I wanted to write a novel about a very large, prominent family, an empire of kings in America, well respected and renowned for generations.  Until the seventh son of the seventh son broke the chain, and shattered the family to pieces.  This is a key, underlying component of When Empires Fall, and the cornerstone for the drama and suspense that ties the entire story together.

TRC: When Empires Fall is the first book in The Vasser Legacy series.  Can you please give us a brief description of this story?

Katie: When Empires Fall introduces readers to the prestigious Vasser Hotel family and the newest generation of heirs who run the main hotel in New York City. There’s the strict, cautious older brother, ambitious playboy second brother, and the secretive and powerful younger sister. All three play a crucial role in the book as we see how they deal with the shocking truth that one of their own is a killer, and witness the fallout of their hotel empire. Along the way, they discover love, wage battles with each other, clash with the press, and fight to maintain their reputation.

Links to purchase When Empires Fall:
Amazon / Barnes & Noble / The Book Depository

TRC: You wrote Fantasy with the Dryad series, and now with the Vasser Legacy series you have written a modern day Family Saga drama.  What made you decide to go a different direction, and is there a preference to which genre you prefer? 

Katie: While I enjoyed writing the fantasy series, I truly found my comfort zone with drama and contemporary fiction. I had never intended the Dryad Quartet to be YA, but as people have read it over the last few months it has taken on that characterization given its mild content (no explicit scenes, only some violence and cursing, etc). I much prefer writing a novel geared toward a more adult audience, not necessarily because of explicitness, but because of things like history, business, politics, drugs, murder…things that younger readers may not find as interesting. These are the topics that fascinate me, and therefore it was fun to explore them in the Vasser Legacy novels.

TRC: What are you currently working on?

Katie: After I finish the final Vasser Legacy book, titled Rise of the Notorious which is due out Spring 2013, I want to try my hand at writing a dark paranormal novel, with both horror, mystery and romance themes woven in. It will focus heavily upon ghost hunting and the techniques used (which fascinate me!) and will center on four main characters: a ghost hunter, his tech-savvy sidekick, a skeptical doctor, and a soulful medium. It’s going to be a very fun book to write, and I cannot wait to delve into it sometime next year.

TRC: Who is your muse?

Katie: Florence + the Machine, hands down. Her music is incredible, and she’s a fellow Virgo like me so I feel an even greater connection to her lyrics and way of singing. Her music envelops and intoxicates, hammering emotions into you until it’s hard to breathe. That’s really the best way I can describe it, and many scenes and character ideas for me have spawned while listening to her music.

TRC: Would you like to add anything else?

Katie: I have a newly redesigned website that showcases all of my books and has lots of fun goodies such as wallpapers for the computer and smartphones. I invite everyone to check it out at www.katieajennings.com.

LIGHTNING ROUND

Favorite Food:  Cheeseburgers

Favorite Dessert:  Coldstone Cake Batter ice cream

Favorite Author:  Nora Roberts

Favorite Movie:  When Harry Met Sally

Favorite TV Show:  Once Upon a Time

Milk or Dark Chocolate:  Milk

Who is your favorite fictional character (not your own):  Severus Snape from Harry Potter.

Thank you, Katie, for answering our questions. The Reading Café wishes you the best of luck with When Empires Fall.  Keep us informed about your upcoming releases. We look forward to working with you again.

Katie: Thank you for having me!

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When Empires Fall by Katie Jennings

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When Empires Fall by Katie Jennings

Description:
Some rise by sin, and some by virtue fall…

In America, kings are not born, they are made. Men with ambition build their own empires and it is their heirs who carry the torch of tradition, generation by generation.

The Vasser Hotel Empire rose out of the ashes of an Industrial era, cementing itself in the very heart of America’s greatest city, New York. Through the drive and courage of one man, a legacy was born that would last more than a hundred years.

That is, until word got out that one of their own was murdered.

Sixty years of lies will come crashing down in flames of treachery and blood, and the truth will send shockwaves through an entire nation. Now the newest generation of Vasser heirs will have to deal with the consequences, or else allow their legacy to burn to the ground.

But dark secrets are buried deep within the family itself, and everyone has an agenda. Love of family and forbidden passion will set off sparks in a powder keg ready to annihilate the empire, but it may also be the only thing keeping them whole.

When reputation is everything, it will take all they’ve got to save themselves from their own undoing.

Review:

When Empires Fall by Katie Jennings, is her first book in her new Vasser Legacy series.  When Empires Fall is a family saga story, about an elite Hotel chain, and the family that runs it. 

When the story begins, we are in the year 1957, and a terrible murder is about to happen, and the ensuing cover up, which then brings us to the present, approximately 60 years later.  We are then introduced to the main family that runs the hotel in New York, who are the children of their ancestors back in 1957.  As far as the Vasser family is concerned, the man who died that day committed suicide over a young woman.  His son Cyrus took over running the Hotel chain very successfully.  Now that he is old, and in a home, his son Marshall is the one in charge.  It is Marshall, who has no children, so he chooses his brothers’ children to run the hotel.  This story concentrates on the three oldest children, their dedicated to the family, the hotel, and to their love lives.  It is a complex, and detailed story, as we learn about each sibling.

We meet Grant, who is the general manager; Linc, who handles the marketing/advertising; Madison, who runs all the restaurants in the chain; and the youngest sister Kennedy, who is still in school.  They are all rich, powerful and successful, but each of them are not totally happy. 

Unbeknownst to them, live is about to change, that will bring their hotel chain and their lives to their knees.  What happen over 60 years ago is about to be exposed, that will create a scandal of lies, deceit, and murder.  If that isn’t enough, each of the three older siblings become involved in a romance, at least two do, with the other trying to avoid breaking her heart again. 

The police reopen the case of their Uncle’s suicide many years ago, and at first the family does not take this seriously, until their estranged father, who is a drunkard, reveals he saw the murder take place.  Then all hell breaks loose, and the family is torn apart by the betrayals, and lies, which threaten to destroy their legacy, as the true murderer now lies dead.

With all this going on, the romance stories are done very well, which releases the stress that is building up in the story.  Quinn, who becomes Grant’s secretary at the start of the story, was my favorite character.  I loved her sweet, vivacious personality, which was perfect for the moody Grant.  Linc, is the playboy of the Vassers, and he meets his match in Lynette, a dancer, but also the daughter of a powerful senator.  Madison, is smart and hardnosed, the toughest of the family, especially since years before she had her heart broken years ago by Wyatt, who conveniently comes back to town and to see her. 

As the truths are revealed, with some surprises and twists, and the friends they thought they had, begin to back away from them, the Vassers must find a way to rise above the scandal and rebuild.  Will they succeed? Will their new loves help them survive?  Will Madison enact her revenge against Wyatt?  As the title says..When Empires Fall, so we will have to wait for the next book to find out if the Vasser’s will succeed in rebuilding their fragile lives.  Katie Jennings has created a masterful tale, filled with romance, drama, deceit and betrayal, and she has created some wonderful characters. The only thing I would say that could improve was the somewhat slow start, which since we now know the characters well, this will be better in the next book; as well as a bit too much details.  Otherwise a great first book in this new series. 

Reviewed by Barb

Copy provided by author

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