Tag Archives: New Release Reviews

Camp Lake by John A Heldt-Review, Guest Post & Giveaway

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Camp Lake (Carson Chronicles #5) by John A Heldt-Review, Guest Post & Giveaway

 

CAMP LAKE
The Carson Chronicles #5
by John A Heldt
Release Date: September 30, 2019
Genre: time travel, romance

 

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

ABOUT THE BOOK: Release Date: September 30, 2019

Phoenix, Spring 1983. For the Carsons, five siblings from the present day, it has come down to this. Find the parents they have chased through time for more than two years or go home and resume their lives without them.

While Adam and Greg remain in Arizona and Natalie searches the country for leads, Cody and Caitlin travel to a summer camp in Maine, where their mother and father met as counselors. The twins, now 19, hope to intercept the older versions of their parents even as they work beside the younger ones.

All of the Carsons prepare for a reunion that seems inevitable. Then tragedy strikes one family member and seductive strangers pull two others in unhelpful directions as a summer of promise turns into one of uncertainty and sacrifice.

Filled with humor, romance, and heartbreak, CAMP LAKE, the poignant conclusion of the Carson Chronicles series, follows the lives of several spirited adults as they confront choices and change the era of big hair, space shuttles, and video arcades.

••••••••

REVIEW:CAMP LAKE is the fifth and final instalment in John A Heldt’s CARSON CHRONICLES time travel romance series focusing on the Carson family.

SOME BACKGROUND: The Carson Chronicles focuses on the Carson siblings, a family of time travellers, as they search for their missing parents Tim and Caroline Carson. Months earlier, the siblings discovered their parents had disappeared but an itinerary of places and timelines found the family on a journey of their own. Starting in 2017, the siblings travelled back in time to 1889, 1918, the tumultuous era of 1943-44, 1962 where the Cuban Missile Crisis is about to unfold, and presently arriving in 1983.

Told from several third person perspectives CAMP LAKE is the culmination of twenty-eight months ‘on the road’ as the Carson siblings search for their missing parents Tim and Caroline Carson. The year is 1983, and the family have crossed paths on numerous occasions without running into one another. At Camp Lake, a summer camp where Tim and Caroline Carson first met and fell in love, twins Caitlin and Cody Carson, as well as Caitilin’s lover Dennis Sawyer, find themselves working as camp counsellors, where they will meet the younger version of their now missing parents. But things don’t go according to plans when their parents’ romance is threatened by someone else.

At Camp Lake, Cody, the lone single sibling, believes he has met his future, in the past. Karen O’Reilly, the camp botanist, pulls Cody in like a moth to a flame, but not all is well in Karen’s world, and Cody is about to discover that his previously shattered heart is about to be broken, once again.

Meanwhile, Tim and Caroline Carson believe they have located their children but once again, paths will be crossed, as the siblings continue their search one step ahead of, or behind, their missing parents.

CAMP LAKE and the Carson Chronicles is an imaginative and original series; a cleverly written story of family, struggle, memories and love. Unlike the previous instalments, 1983 is but a year wherein the family takes center stage-history is barely afforded a mention. An engaging and enchanting story line, CAMP LAKE and the Carson Chronicles is an energetic, animated and brilliant addition to your reading library.

Reading Order and Previous Reviews
River Rising
The Memory Tree
Indian Paintbrush
Caitlin’s Song

Copy supplied for review

Reviewed by Sandy

As one who has written fifteen novels that blend both fact and fiction, I know firsthand the importance of getting it right. Writing about time travel, after all, requires more than describing the means of travel. It requires accurately depicting the past. It requires meeting the standards of quality historical fiction.

The challenges are often daunting, particularly when writing about the recent past, as I have done on multiple occasions. When writing about places and times that are in the living memory of many readers, you have to make an extra effort to get even the little things right.

When I wrote my first novel, The Mine, a story set mostly in Seattle in 1941, a few older readers gently reminded me that chocolate-chip cookies were more commonly called “Toll House cookies” and that aluminum foil was generally called “tin foil,” even after aluminum replaced tin as its primary component. Since that time, I have done what I could to ensure the historical accuracy of my books, which have spanned eras ranging from the 1880s to the 1980s.

Like many writers of historical fiction, I favor primary sources, such as newspapers, documents, letters, photographs, and oral histories. I generally find eyewitness accounts of events and eras, produced by those who lived through them, to be more compelling than even the best research compiled decades – or even a few years – after the fact.

Even so, I don’t limit myself. When preparing to write about times I did not experience, I will often sample the movies, music, and literature of the day. I find it easier to describe Americans of the 1950s and early 1960s, for example, if I immerse myself in the very things that drove them to theaters, concert halls, and libraries.

On some occasions, I look closer to home. When writing The Journey, set in 1979 and 1980, and Camp Lake, my newest book, set in 1983, I relied mostly on memories of — and mementos from — my senior year of high school and my experience at a summer camp in Maine.

No matter where I turn for answers, however, I follow advice that has been around for decades. When writing historical fiction, even in the context of time travel, pay attention to details. Note the nuances and the particulars. Sweat the small stuff.

~~John A Heldt~~

Follow John: Goodreads / Facebook / Website/Blog/ Twitter / Amazon / Instagram / Tumblr

 I’m a married father of two grown daughters and a son and, as of August 15, the grandfather of a delightful little girl named Stella. Before turning to novel writing in 2011, I worked as a sports writer and editor for several newspapers in Oregon and Washington, where I was born and raised, and several more years as a reference librarian in Montana. I love traveling around the western United States, watching sports, cooking, and experiencing the great outdoors. I currently make my home in the Las Vegas, Nevada, area.

 

 

John A Heldt is graciously offering the complete CARSON CHRONICLES 5 ebook time travel  series (mobi or epub)  to ONE (1) lucky commenter at The Reading Cafe

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THE FALLEN : Genesis by Tillie Cole-Review & Excerpt

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THE FALLEN : Genesis (Deadly Virtues 0.5) by Tillie Cole-Review and Excerpt

Amazon.com / Amazon.ca / B&N / KOBO / ibooks

ABOUT THE BOOK: Release Date May 28, 2019

The Fallen: Genesis is a prequel novella in The Deadly Virtues Series and MUST be read before RAPHAEL (DV: book one).

*****
THE FALLEN: GENESIS
(A Deadly Virtues Prequel)

IN THE BEGINNING…

They told them they were evil.
They told them they were possessed by demons.
They told them that darkness ran in their veins.

Holy Innocents Home for Children is a haven for orphaned boys who have nothing and no one. The priests watch over them, educate them, raise them in the family of the church.

Except for some.

Seven of the orphans are no ordinary boys. They attract the attention of the priests for their acts of violence, of bloodlust. The priests realize these boys are drawn to the darkness.

And the priests are no ordinary priests. They are the Brethren, a secret sect who believe themselves on a divine mission to seek out evil in the boys in their care. Seek it out, and then drive it out.

The seven have fallen from God’s grace. And the Brethren will cleanse their blackened souls…

Dark Contemporary Romance novella. Contains sexual situations, violence, sensitive and taboo subjects, offensive language and topics some may find triggering. Recommended for age 18 years and up.

•••••••••

REVIEW: THE FALLEN : Genesis is the prequel novella in Tillie Cole’s contemporary, adult DEADLY VIRTUES dark, romance series focusing on a group of former orphans raised and tortured by a rogue organization of priests known as The Brethren.

NOTE: Due to the dark subject matter, there may be some triggers for more sensitive reasers.

Told from third person perspective (Joseph aka Gabriel) THE FALLEN: Genesis follows a group of orphaned boys, believed to be possessed by demons, who must endure years of violence and torture in the name of Jesus Christ and God. The seven, who will come to be known as The Fallen, named for the archangels of the Catholic faith, must submit to their controllers in an attempt to rid them of the darkness within. At the age of eighteen, Joseph aka Gabriel, will be offered his freedom, a freedom that comes at a cost. Fast forward ten years, wherein Gabriel is now the leader of The Fallen, and their paths have been chosen based on sins of the past.

THE FALLEN: Genesis introduces the The Fallen: a group of young boys, now men whose baser instincts go against the norm. A dark, gritty and raw look at the evil that lies within men, and the lengths some will go to in order for power and control.

Copy supplied for review.

Review by Sandy

NOTE: Excerpt intended for mature readers 18+ due to graphic content

 

 

Joseph watched helplessly as James moved from his place against the far wall toward a boy on a chair on the opposite side of the room. A boy who had slim knives embedded in his arms and legs—a human pin cushion.
Joseph shivered as he recalled his brother’s expression a moment ago as he’d sat and stared at the knives he had sliced into the boy’s flesh. James, the sadistic voyeur of his own work. Joseph’s nervous eyes landed on his brother’s target. The boy was bound with ropes, and a washcloth was stuffed into his mouth, silencing his cries.
Luke.
Fear flooded Joseph’s body. Luke, the boy who had been intent on bullying James since the age of eight. The boy who would spit at James’s feet when they walked by. The boy who call him weird, a goth, a psychopath who rarely spoke. His taunts were endless. Joseph didn’t think the verbal bullets had ever hit their target . . . until he’d found a pad of paper hidden underneath James’s bed. A pad of paper showing in graphic detail what James wanted to do to Luke.
Tie him up.
Cut his flesh.
Exsanguinate his body.
Then drink the blood down.
“They’re just fantasy, right?” Joseph asked James when he returned from detention. Joseph held up the drawings. Page after page of pain and despair and cruelty.
James walked slowly to Joseph and ran his hand down the open page of the pad, delicately running his fingertip over the pencil image of Luke’s slit throat. “It’s a promise,” James said, with no shame in his voice. “Each page is what will happen to Luke.” James finally met his older brother’s eyes. “I’m just waiting for the perfect time.”
From that day on Joseph made sure Luke never got too close to James, for fear of what his younger brother would do. Because Joseph believed every word his brother had said.
The truth was, Joseph knew that someday, if he wasn’t stopped, James would do something so terrible he wouldn’t be able to come back from it.
And Joseph had no idea how to cure James. He didn’t know how to heal his little brother of the wretchedness that had lodged itself into his soul. He prayed for a miracle he knew would never come.
Joseph’s heart pounded as James held up another knife. His brother’s torso was bare, the scars from his frequent self-mutilation clear to see, white roads of flesh mapping the veins that ran under his skin. Veins that carried the blood James so desperately craved; nightly, once safe in their room, he would slice them open and lick the falling drops as they ran in crimson rivulets down his arms.
Joseph thrashed on the bed, fighting the binds James must have placed him in while he slept. “James, listen to me,” Joseph said as he helplessly watched his brother slowly push his blade into Luke’s shoulder. Luke’s chair almost fell as he screamed into the washcloth, the fabric absorbing his cry. But James didn’t even flinch. Joseph’s stomach clenched when the blood started to pour from Luke’s shoulder as James carefully extracted the blade.
Eleven. That’s all James was. Eleven years old, yet thought only of blood . . . worse, even . . . thought only about the consumption of blood.


 

Tillie Cole hails from a small town in the North-East of England. She grew up on a farm with her English mother, Scottish father and older sister and a multitude of rescue animals. As soon as she could, Tillie left her rural roots for the bright lights of the big city.

After graduating from Newcastle University with a BA Hons in Religious Studies, Tillie followed her Professional Rugby player husband around the world for a decade, becoming a teacher in between and thoroughly enjoyed teaching High School students Social Studies before putting pen to paper, and finishing her first novel.

Tillie has now settled in Austin, Texas, where she is finally able to sit down and write, throwing herself into fantasy worlds and the fabulous minds of her characters.

Tillie is both an independent and traditionally published author, and writes many genres including: Contemporary Romance, Dark Romance, Young Adult and New Adult novels.

When she is not writing, Tillie enjoys nothing more than curling up on her couch watching movies, drinking far too much coffee, while convincing herself that she really doesn’t need that extra square of chocolate.

Author Links

Web  http://tilliecole.com
Facebook  https://www.facebook.com/tilliecoleauthor
Twitter  https://twitter.com/tillie_cole
Instagram  https://instagram.com/authortilliecole
Amazon  https://amzn.to/2ZbIEUP
Goodreads http://bit.ly/2Ui2wlk

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Talen by Shay Savage-a review

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TALEN by Shay Savage-a review

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

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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Siren’s Curse (The Cursed Seas Collection) by Carly Fall-a review

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SIREN’S CURSE (The Cursed Seas Collection ) by Carly Fall-a review

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ABOUT THE BOOK: Release Date December 20, 2018

Her Siren Clan is dying, and she’ll face death to save them.

The only thing that can reverse the curse and save her people from extinction is a long-lost Legacy Stone.

But Rainie won’t be able to find it alone. She must travel to land and locate a mage who knows where the magical stone is hidden. With the assistance of the one man willing to help her, they battle foreign creatures and the most dangerous animals of all – humans – while looking for the stone.

Death hunts them down at every turn. And even if they can find the stone in time to save her people, the cost of her clan’s survival may be paid with her own life.

••••••••••

REVIEW: SIREN’S CURSE by Carly Fall is a stand alone, dystopian, fantasy story line in the multi-authored Cursed Seas Collection.

SIREN’S CURSE follows Rainie, a hunter-siren who volunteers to go in search of the Legacy Stone, a stone purported to reverse the curse inflicted upon her people, years before, by the mage who granted the once-humans the ability to live and breath under water. Knowing her people were on the verge of extinction, not only from a lack of food but the monstrous beasts that inhabited the waters, Rainie will soon find herself ‘the hunted’ as sirens are traded to pirates in exchange for food and clean water. Meeting Jonah, a human male, gives Rainie a hope for the future but a series of trials, misfortunes, betrayal and attacks on their journey into the unknown, finds our couple struggling to survive. What ensues is the building relationship between Rainie and Jonah as they search for the Legacy Stone, and the mage who started it all.

SIREN’S CURSE looks to the future as most of the planet Earth is under water; monsters and beasts hunt humans for food; and those who survive battle thirst and famine. SIREN’S CURSE is a dystopian tale of adventure and survival, endurance and strength. The text is simple and easy to read, feeling more like a young adult story line. An imaginative tale with a determined heroine who struggles against the odds.

Copy supplied for review

Reviewed by Sandy

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Outlaw King (Renegade Scots #1) by Julie Johnstone-Dual Review, Guest Post & Giveaway

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Outlaw King (Renegade Scots #1) by Julie Johnstone-Dual Review, Guest Post & Giveaway

OUTLAW KING
Renegade Scots #1)
by Julie Johnstone
Release Date: August 31, 2018
Genre: adult, historical, medieval, romance

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

ABOUT THE BOOK: Release Date August 31, 2018

She’s the weapon intended to destroy him. He’s the key to her freedom.

Dark days have come to medieval Scotland, and fierce warrior Robert the Bruce would do anything to release his country from English rule—and not just because he’s the rightful heir to the Scottish throne. As the bloody war rages on, enemies on both sides of the fight surround him, and Robert must dance a dangerous line between truth and deception. One misstep could topple his nation and cost him his life, yet one woman tempts him—and threatens his mission—as no other ever has.

Elizabeth de Burgh longs for freedom in a time when women have none. So when she finds herself ordered by her ruthless father and her godfather, the King of England, to seduce the leader of the Scottish rebellion and reveal his secrets, she yearns to fight back against their cruel plot. But they threaten to kill her beloved cousin, leaving her no choice but to comply. As she grows close to Robert and the mask that hides the man who would be king is peeled away, she cannot imagine aiding in the destruction of the noble Scot bent on liberating his people.

Bound by duty and honor but ensnared by passion, Robert and Elizabeth must determine if they are each other’s biggest threat or greatest source of strength. And moreover, they must decide how much they are willing to risk for the one thing neither ever imagined they’d find with the other—extraordinary, boundless love.

••••••••

Georgianna’s REVIEW:Outlaw King is book one of the new Renegade Scots Series by Julie Johnstone. It’s a historical romance that relies on historical research and a bit of literary license by the author to make the story flow and engaging to the reader.
This is the story of Robert the Bruce and Elizabeth de Burgh.

It begins in 1296 AD in Northern Scotland. This is a complicated story of not doing what you want, but what you must do to survive. Robert the Bruce’s father is old and probably soon to die. Bruce, the elder is basically a coward and refuses to fight the English. As his son, Robert is required to serve the man his father is allied with, so he’s in the process of helping the King take strongholds in Scotland. During this battle, Robert decides he is on the wrong side of the fight. It’s during this battle that Elizabeth de Burgh, disguised as a squire, helps to save many Scots from being burned alive by her father’s order. She must then return with her father and face his wrath, but first thanked Robert for aiding her… and that began their story.

How they managed to actually fall in love, despite the circumstances was a remarkable story. The writing is excellent, the history interesting, the romance and love scenes hot, the action not too brutal.

I loved this story and look forward to the next in this series. For me there’s no high as outstanding as a highlander renegade Scot.

Copy supplied for review

Reviewed by Georgianna

––––––––––––––––

Julie’s REVIEW: Books that are based in fact are always tricky. Do you believe everything you read ? Or do you just go in and read it for what it is ?

Robert the Bruce was an actual character in history as was Elizabeth, so with bated breath I opened my kindle …..

Beautifully written and very descriptive, I could imagine roaming the hills.

Elizabeth has a job to do …..seduce “the Bruce” and finds out all she can about his army and intention’s towards England.

But Elizabeth isn’t happy with that deal, she is ordered by both the king of England and her father to do her duty (you have to remember that women had NO SAY in what they did in those days) all she wants is a quiet life, and when they threaten her beloved cousins life, Elizabeth sees no other choice but to do ask they demand.

But the legend is nothing like the man, and Elizabeth must make a choice …. the man or her family ??

Robert wants his Scotland free from the tyranny of England, and soon a bloody war erupts, so he has enough on his plate with war and feuding clans, the last thing he needs is Elizabeth ruining his concentration, but she does that, and soon Robert will need to reveal to Elizabeth his plans …. can he trust her, or will she betray him ? And will he use her to fool the English, ensuring she hates him forever ??

Reviewed by Julie B

 

How much do you really want to know?

As a writer of historical romance when I’m developing my story I often have to ask myself how important is historical accuracy. You may be surprised to learn that is not such an easy question to answer for every aspect of the story. Sometimes, I feel like a circus tight rope walker balancing precariously on a very thin cord. To my left sit readers who think they want complete accuracy in their historical fiction novels, but to my right fall the readers who want a dab of accuracy here and there. I’ve learned this through 22 published historical romance novels.

So just how important is accuracy in historical fiction when you are trying to please two different mindsets of people? For me, accuracy is very important because I want readers to get a true picture of what was really happening in the time my book pertains to. However, I’m very aware that I cannot be totally accurate with every single aspect of history.

Take for example my Medieval books. If I wrote the books in Gaelic, as the Scots spoke in Medieval times, the modern day reader would not even understand the book. The same holds true for my Regency books. If I used all of the words that they did in the Regency period many of them have gone completely out of use. The modern reader would not grasp the meaning of my sentences. I have to pick and choose the words I use in my historical books very carefully. I like to pepper in actual words that were used during the time for authenticity without sacrificing accuracy.

On the flip side of using words no longer in existence, I have to be very careful not to use words that seem too modern and would pull the reader out of the time period of the story. I actually have a word bank that my editor and I have developed which contains thousands of words and expressions that were not in use in the Medieval and Regency period. We spent countless hours finding substitutes for these words so that my stories would be as historically accurate as possible while not causing the reader to stumble over a word.
Sometimes the historical accuracy of what I know about certain words as a researcher can come into direct conflict with the history that I realize many readers think they know of a term. For example, I would never use the word ‘claymore’ to speak of a sword in my Scottish Medieval books because the word was not used in reference to swords until the 18 century, yet many readers believe that all swords should be called claymores. Thanks, Hollywood. ☺

I have to make decisions all the time about whether to go with what I know to be the absolute truth or what I know to be reader expectation. I make these decisions on a case by case basis. Another example is bathing. Most people do not want to hear in stories that your character has not bathed in quite a while, so I chose to bend historical accuracy in this instance and make all of my character hygienic. Now, you will not find a laird in a modern day bubble bath day after day, but he will take a dip in a loch more than once a month. See how niftily accuracy can be bent just a tad while maintaining as much historical integrity as possible and delivering a wonderful reader experience.

Another fun example is clothing. I always put my characters in historically accurate clothing, but when it comes time for the steamy love scenes, those many layers of clothes are going to come off a lot quicker than they would in real life. If stayed completely accurate with how long it really took to disrobe, I fear my readers would get bored. However, a caveat to this statement is that I have often taken off layers of clothing on characters while working in a kiss here, a caress there or even turned the disrobing into a game of seduction where each layer removed increased the tension in the room. But sometimes this is not possible, and the clothes just have to go quickly!
As far as dates and actual events that take place, I like to stick to the facts and not change these things. I will never put a historical battle at a time or place that it wasn’t, but I will certainly make up characters that didn’t exist and put them there. However, the characters I create from my imagination could have existed, and that makes all the difference.
Whenever I use events or places that existed, I put in hours of countless research to make sure I am historically accurate because I feel there should be no bending on this type of thing. But sometimes, I have been known to make up a castle or an event, which is why what I write is called fiction. ☺

In my newest book, OUTLAW KING, RENEGADE SCOTS, Book 1, I like to say it is a marriage of historical accuracy meets author imagination. I hope you will consider reading it! I could go on about historical accuracy forever, but I have to go write my next book! How important is historical accuracy to you as a reader? One commenter will win a digital copy of OUTLAW KING.

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Author Julie Johnstone first fell in love with romance fifteen years ago when she picked up her first romance novel in an airport gift shop on the way to Conroe, Texas for a family reunion and spent her whole weekend reading rather than water skiing, which up until then was one of her favorite things to do.

Julie is staying up way too late and typing furiously on her keyboard to finish her next book or blog with her fellow authors at Ladyscribes. Julie is married to an amazing lawyer and when she is not running her two precocious children to one activity or another she is trying to seek out some time to stay in shape and see her dearest friends.

Julie Johstone is graciously offering an ebook copy of OUTLAW KING to ONE (1) lucky commenter at The Reading Cafe.

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

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Lucky Liar (Lucky Alphas #1) by Mallory Crowe-a review

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LUCKY LIAR (Lucky Alphas #1) by Mallory Crowe-a review

ebook ONLY 99¢ at Amazon and B&N:

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

ABOUT THE BOOK: Release Date August 7,2018

This lie will come back to bite her…

Wade Maxium is a lot of things. Ruthless. Billionaire. Business man extraordinaire. Murderer?

When Zoe Young finds proof of his nefarious past, she attempts to blackmail him in a last ditch effort to pick up the pieces of her broken life. But Wade offers her a lot more money than she could’ve ever imagined in exchange for one simple little favor.

Marry him.

Could his crazy proposal be the stroke of luck she’s been dreaming about? Or is this notorious liar luring her into his trap?

••••••••••

REVIEW: LUCKY LIAR is the first instalment in Mallory Crowe’s contemporary, adult LUCKY ALPHAS erotic, romantic suspense series focusing on a group of former friends from Birdsville, Ohio. This is thirty-one year old, billionaire businessman Wade Maxium, and twenty-six year old, waitress Zoe Young’s story line.

Told from dual third person perspective (Wade and Zoe) LUCKY LIAR follows the marriage of convenience between thirty-one year old, billionaire businessman Wade Maxium, and twenty-six year old, waitress Zoe Young. Zoe Young needed a quick influx of cash, and blackmailing billionaire and former Birdsville, Ohio alumni Wade Maxium was the perfect foil for her misplaced plan, a plan that went south with Wade’s offer of marriage and more. What ensues is the marriage of convenience between Wade and Zoe, and the potential fall-out as demons from the past demand payment for what happened years before.

Zoe Young accidentally discovered a secret about Wade Maxium’s past, a secret that could destroy his life but a secret known only to a few. Zoe, desperate for money to help pay for her mother’s continuing cancer therapy, soon discovers that blackmailing a billionaire isn’t as easy as set out to be. Wade Maxium’s sins have finally caught up with our story line hero, sins that involve several former friends whose actions, years before, have come back to haunt. Exposure would mean ruin, blackmail continues to be an on-going theme for the group known as the Lucky Lions.

The relationship between Zoe and Wade begins as a business arrangement following the wedding that never was. To avoid public humiliation after being left at the altar by an international model and star, Wade offers Zoe a deal she cannot refuse, a deal that would see her mother’s bills covered, and a two year contractual marriage to the man with whom she would fall in love. The $ex scenes are intimate and seductive but I struggled to feel any palpable sexual attraction between our leading couple due in part to Wade’s verbal treatment of our story line heroine.

We are introduced to Wade’s former friends and the group known as the Lucky Lions: headhunter Harper Jones, singer Shane Collar, and businessman Leo West: Wade’s sister Sarah Maxium; and Zoe’s younger brother DJ , and their mother Diane Young. The requisite evil has many faces including Wade’s ex-fiance supermodel Tara.

LUCKY LIAR is a cautionary tale of betrayal and revenge when past sins resurface without warning. The premise is riveting; the romance is passionate; the characters are wounded, sassy and spirited. LUCKY LIAR does not end on a cliff-hanger but keeps open the prospect of continuing threats for the remaining Lucky Lions.

Copy supplied for review

Reviewed by Sandy

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

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

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

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

ABOUT THE BOOK: Release Date December 8,2017

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

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

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

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

••••••••••

REVIEW: 5 out of 5 for this reader folks!

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

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

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

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

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

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

HAPPY READING! 🙂

Copy supplied for review

Reviewed by Rachel T.

Researching on Location in Scotland
By Vonda Sinclair

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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9.. Giveaway runs from February 18-23, 2018

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Cuffed (Everyday Heroes #1) by K. Bromberg-Review and Book Tour

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Cuffed (Everyday Heroes #1) by K. Bromberg-Review and Book Tour

 

CUFFED
Everyday Heroes #1
by K. Bromberg
Release Date: October 23, 2017
Genre: adult, contemporary, erotic, romance

Cuffed

Amazon.com / Amazon.ca / B&N / KOBO / ibooks /

ABOUT THE BOOK: Release Date October 23, 2017

“I hate you. I never want to see you again.”

Grant Malone is not the reason I moved back to Sunnyville—at least that’s what I tell myself. Yet, those parting words I said to him back in third grade, ring in my ears every time a townsperson brings up one of the Malone boys. I thought time had healed my wounds. I was wrong. Nothing could have prepared me for how I felt when I finally saw him again.

Twenty years does a lot to turn a boy into a man. One who hits all my buttons—sexy, funny, attractive, and a police officer. But Grant is off limits because he knows too much about my past.

But I’m drawn to him. That damn uniform of his doesn’t hurt either. It’ll be my downfall. I know it.

What’s one night of sex going to hurt . . . right?

***

I’ve always loved Emmy Reeves.

That’s why I’m shocked to see her all these years later. The shy girl I once knew is all grown up.

Adventurous and full of life, she owns my heart now, just as much as she did back then. Convincing her of that is a whole different story.

I’ll give her the one night she asks for—like that’s a hardship—but when it comes to letting her walk away after, she has another thing coming. There’s no way in hell I’m letting her go this time without a fight.

••••••••••••

REVIEW: CUFFED is the first instalment in K. Bromberg’s contemporary adult EVERYDAY HEROES romance series focusing on the Malone brothers: Grant, Grayson and Grady Malone. This is police officer Grant Malone, and skydiving instructor Emerson ‘Emmy’ Reeves’ story line.

Told from dual first person perspectives (Emerson and Grant) using present day and memories from the past, CUFFED follows the rebuilding relationship between childhood friends Grant Malone, and Emerson Reeves. At the age of eight years old Grant Malone lost his best friend Emerson Reeves when secrets behind closed doors forced our hero to find a way to save the little girl he would always love. Fast forward twenty years wherein Emerson Reeves returns to Sunnyville in an attempt to start her own business-Blue Skies-a business that is currently struggling but available for sale. But for Emerson Reeves a return to Sunnyville also means a return of the long forgotten memories and pain of a time long ago-memories our heroine has buried along with her past. Enter Grant Malone, Sunnyville’s resident ‘sexy cop’, and the man Emerson blames for everything that went wrong. What ensues is the rebuilding but struggling relationship between two people whose lives went in different directions twenty years earlier.

Grant Malone’s reputation as a player precedes his re-introduction to our story line heroine but Emerson Reeves emotions and anger towards our story line hero are predicated on an eight year old child’s inability to deal with events that no eight year old child should ever endure. For close to twenty years Emerson has placed the blame on her nomadic lifestyle on the actions of an eight year old boy- a boy whose love and friendship with Emerson meant protecting the little girl at all costs. The focus of the story looks at one woman’s past, and her need to act out and strike at the young boy, now a man.

The relationship between Emerson and Grant is one of second chances; of a friendship destroyed by mistaken beliefs, time and distance; of one young girl’s horrific past and the buried memories of what happened and why. The $ex scenes are intimate and seductive, without the use of over the top, sexually graphic language and text.

We are introduced to Grant’s siblings: Firefighter Grady, and rescue pilot Grayson Malone; their parents retired police Chief Malone and his wife Betsy; Grant’s partner on the force Officer Nate; Emerson’s best friend Desi Whitman; Blue Skies jump coordinator Leo, and loan officer Chris Severson.

CUFFED is an emotional and heartbreaking story; a second chance for two people whose loved and lost so much more than a schoolyard friend. The premise is sexy, edgy and powerful; the characters are passionate and real; the romance is sensual and energetic. K. Bromberg invites the read into an intimate story of friendship and family; moving forward and letting go.

Copy supplied for review

Reviewed by Sandy

 

About The Author

K. BrombergNew York Times Bestselling author K. Bromberg writes contemporary novels that contain a mixture of sweet, emotional, a whole lot of sexy, and a little bit of real. She likes to write strong heroines, and damaged heroes who we love to hate and hate to love.

A mom of three, she plots her novels in between school runs and soccer practices, more often than not with her laptop in tow.

Since publishing her first book in 2013, K. has sold over one million copies of her books and has landed on the New York Times, USA Today, and Wall Street Journal Bestsellers lists over twenty-five times.

In April, she’ll release The Player, the first in a two-book sports romance series (The Catch, book 2, will be released late June), with many more already outlined and ready to be written.

She loves to hear from her readers so make sure you check her out on social media or sign up for her newsletter to stay up to date on all her latest releases and sales: http://bit.ly/254MWtI

Website | Facebook | Twitter | Instagram | Goodreads | Amazon Author | Driven Group

 

 

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