The highly anticipated release of Angel of Ashes and Dust, Book III of the Wormwood Trilogy is up for preorder! As you can see, the cover will be revealed soon, but if you want to get a jump on the price, it is up for a special preorder price of .99 for three days only, so get it now, and it will automatically be delivered to your ereader upon release.
The end of her people and the death of a
planet is looming over her. Kali Michaels must choose between the
illusion of safety and the danger of her own power in this anticipated
and heart-stopping finale to The Wormwood Trilogy.
Kali has
come to fear her abilities because she knows they can be used against
her. In an effort to protect those she cares about, she is determined to
let the power of her Shadow lie dormant, despite the dangers rising up
around her.
Now, tormented by an unstoppable enemy, she and
Tiamat Wormwood must try to shield and lead others while doing the
impossible—survive in a dying land.
But how can she partner with Tiamat, when her proximity could kill him?
And how can Tiamat be trusted to save a planet, if he is the one who shattered it in the first place?
Little do they know that sometimes, for new beginnings, that which they love must first be destroyed.
*Please note: The title for this book has changed from “And from the Shadow, Light” to “ANGEL OF ASHES AND DUST”
Warning: There are reports of readers flinging their devices (one reader allegedly threw her Kindle three times) and ignoring their lives while reading Wormwood. The author does not assume responsibility for such awesomely reactive responses.
D.H. Nevins was born in Toronto and currently lives in a quiet area of Ontario, surrounded by forests
and lakes. By day, she is a personable, friendly school teacher. By
night, she silently chuckles as she writes about destroying the world.
When she isn’t writing, she enjoys hiking, camping, flying around on her
motorcycle or dabbling in live theatre.
Local authors: How a nice guy got into writing thrillers (Monterey Herald)
This wasn’t his first attempt at writing. Nor was this his first
book. Jack Erickson has been writing for more than 50 years, having
started as a speechwriter in the U.S. Senate. He also wrote freelance
for the Washington Post, Washington Star, and Washingtonian Magazine,
among others. And he’s now published four books in his Milan Thriller
Series, alone. Number four, however, “The Lonely Assassin,” just might
be his most menacing tale yet.
Who conceives of a story about a deadly assassin captivated by an Italian woman who ransacks his emotional baggage to the point where the reader almost feels sorry for him? Almost.
To see the entire article by Lisa Crawford Watson @ the Monterey Herald, GO HERE.
The Lonely Assassin by Jack Erickson was a frightening look at Putin,
Russia, Assassins, and those who end up being the target. The Prologue
was a recap of past assassinations ordered by Russian leaders. I was
familiar with most of them and believe it is not beyond possibility
today.
Komarov had been away from work at the bank for some time. When he
returned, he found some discrepancies in the work load that his friend,
Dimitri, had been covering while he was out for surgery.
Dimitri had been working at their Bern branch, where he was
laundering money for the Russian oligarchs. What happens when you steal
from them?
So much of The Lonely Assassin rings true, showing Jack Erickson’s
research and drawing from his real life experiences. The details of both
cultures, Russia and Italy, clash. Russia: cold, brutal. Italy: calm,
relaxing.
At times, I felt empathetic with Egorov, but then his true
personality would win out and I wished for his failure. He had been to
Italy before. He had immersed himself into everything Italy to prepare
for the assignment. He would take his time and enjoy not being in some
place like Russia, or Syria, where he had been before. He felt free, at
least for a little while. He would make the most of his time, eating,
drinking, seeing the sights, while hunting Dimitri.
Simona and Dario work for DIGOS and are assigned with keeping Dimitri
and his family safe. It will not do for them to be assassinated in
their country.
I wonder…how will it end? Well, I will tell you this…the ending
certainly wasn’t what I anticipated and I loved it. It’s hard for an
author to surprise me but Jack Erickson did a fantastic job of it. My
emotions covered the gamut. I twisted and turned with the characters.
I cannot think of one thing Jack Erickson missed, when writing The
Lonely Assassin. I found it surprising that I have never read any of his
many novels before this one.
I voluntarily reviewed a free copy of The Lonely Assassin by Jack Erickson.
5 Stars
AMAZON SYNOPSIS
A
Russian banker embezzles millions laundering money in Switzerland for
Russian oligarchs. He flees with his Italian wife to a remote location
on Lake Como near Milan, where their daughter lives.
Putin wants him dead and sends a GRU assassin to Milan to find and poison the banker.
But
Milan’s antiterrorism police, DIGOS, cannot locate the assassin, Vasily
Egorov, who is traveling with phony documents, carrying a vial of
poison, and speaking Italian. Unexpectedly, Egorov meets an intriguing
Italian woman who probes into his emotional life. On a dangerous
assignment, Egorov realizes he’s an assassin in a deep personal crisis.
ABOUT JACK ERICKSON
My interest in fiction, especially mysteries, started when I was
about ten years old and read my first Hardy Boys books, “Secret of the
Old Clock,” I think the title was. I saved up from mowing lawns and
running errands to buy every title I could. They were only $1.00 each,
but when you’re only making 25 cents an hour, it takes time to save
those nickels and dimes.
And then I discovered shelves of
exciting books at my hometown Andrew Carnegie Memorial library just two
blocks away from our middle class home in the Midwest. By that time I
was reading “The Saturday Evening Post,” “Collier’s,” “Life,” “Look,”
“Time,” “Argosy,” “True,” “Photoplay,” that my parents subscribed to
and others I can’t remember. Needless to say, I skimmed through them
all, and devoured short stories by John O’Hara, John Steinbeck, Ernest
Hemingway, Herman Wouk, and Earl Stanley Gardner.
I believe my
early interest in reading was a major factor in liking school. Writing
term papers was no big deal, and we all know how important that is at
university. I enjoyed the many choices available with a liberal arts
education and sampled liberally from science, history, languages, art
history, literature, and political science.
Those wide ranging
interests are probably a factor in the careers I chose, including
Russian specialist in U.S. government, legislative aide and
speechwriter in U.S. Senate, free-lance writer, former publisher (Red
Brick Press) and author of several craft brewing books in the early
days of the industry. My most recent career was in financial services
from which I recently retired to travel and write.
I’ve been
writing fiction, mostly mysteries and romantic suspense, and have
several projects that will be published in the next few months.
I’m always fascinated how people become readers and writers. I’d love to hear your stories how writing chose you.
Join us for this tour from July 18to August 12, 2022!
Book Details:
Book Title: The Way Out (Book 1: Be Careful What You Wish for Series) by Gordon Jensen with Cara Highsmith and Gordon Thomas Category: Adult Fiction (18+), 240 pages Genre: Sci-Fi Publisher: Highsmith Creative Services Release date:September 2020 Content Rating: PG-13 +M. The language is pretty tame, but there are a few swear words. The bigger issue is some of the topics addressed in it.
Book Description:
When the Alpha Centauri crew returns to earth after a failed mission to explore a distant planet, they quickly learn the world is not how they left it.
Under new global leadership, the planet has managed to
go decades without conflict, except for one major problem. Thanks to a pandemic caused by a mutation in a new strain of GMO corn, the world’s population plummeted to 2.6 billion, wiping out a disproportionate amount of men and leaving the globe run almost entirely by women. The mutation altered the human DNA, making it impossible to produce male babies and increasing Y-chromosome related diseases.
Because of their lack of exposure, the Alpha Centauri crew, especially the men on board, now find themselves in high demand. The Powers that Be think they are the solution, but with that solution comes the inevitable hunger for power and control. As greed, self-interest, and corruption rear their ugly heads, a planet that had found its way to peace is thrust into turmoil once again.
So, the question becomes: Are they really the answer to a seemingly unsolvable problem? The world may soon come to understand that sometimes getting what you wish for isn’t the gift you think it will be.
The Way Out is at once a brilliant and relatable work of post-apocalyptic fiction. Think The Handmaid’s Tale mixed with Netflix’s The Wilds, and a touch of Interstellar, the movie. It’s a uniquely told story that will have you waiting as impatiently as the crew to understand the New World Order of the near future.
Book Title: Two Roads to Paradise (Book 2: Be Careful What You Wish for Series) by Gordon Jensen with Cara Highsmith and Gordon Thomas Category: Adult Fiction (18+), 324 pages Genre: Sci-Fi Publisher: Highsmith Creative Services Release date:May 2022 Content Rating: PG-13 +M. The language is pretty tame, but there are a few swear words. The bigger issue is some of the topics addressed in it.
Book Description:
Although the reappearance of the Alpha Centauri I crew was miraculous, it was not the celebratory homecoming they expected. Their return to a world reeling from a pandemic that wiped out more than half the population thrust them right into the center of controversy and conflict. Now, three years later, though the tide has turned and the survival of the human race seems to be secure, the survival of human relations is far less certain. The cure should have been the injection of hope the world needed to restore balance and end the chaos of the last four decades. Instead, the complex implications for personal rights and freedom have
fractured the North American territory in such a way that the division may never be repaired. As the crew dispersed to find their place in this new landscape, Hunter Young found himself embedded in the Marshall administration as an agent for the mysterious K Group. What had been a relatively uneventful assignment suddenly becomes a whirlwind of adventure as he is called to a rendezvous that requires a long and circuitous journey.
Gordon Jensen holds an MBA from University of Rochester, New York, Simon School of
Business and a bachelor’s degree from Macalester College in St. Paul, Minnesota. After working in finance In New York for several years, Jensen went back to Minnesota to run the family business. He retired after selling the the business and is now fulfilling a number of life-long dreams, including writing a novel series.
Cara Highsmith has always been drawn to the world of books and has found herself working in this industry in one capacity or another for the majority of her adult life. She holds a Master of Arts in English from Belmont University and did work toward a PhD at Middle Tennessee State University. Cara was on the editorial team at Hachette Book Group USA, working with several New York Times bestselling authors, for nearly four years. After leaving Hachette in 2008, she began freelancing, developing proposals and manuscripts for agents, editing and ghostwriting for authors, and assisting clients in preparing projects for self-publishing. Cara is a master of being a jack of all trades, but currently spends her free time working on several personal writing projects and enjoying life on a beautiful northern California mountain.
Jane Blythe is a must read author for me, as you will see at the end of the post. I am excited to begin a new series, called Prey Security. Protecting Eagle is part of the Operation Alpha Fan Fiction for Susan Stoker’s SEAL of Protection, Delta Force Heroes, and Badge of Honor: Texas Heroes Worlds. They all have at least one of Susan’s characters in them.
I am always excited to be back in one of Jane Blythe’s world.
Oswald didn’t want to do it, but he walked her to the cell and left her there. She had worked for them to get information on the family and passed it on to someone. Prey security is at risk. He’s torn because his gut tells him she’s not a bad person and there is more going on than meets the eye.
Eagle Oswald fights his attraction to Olivia. He has to know who she gave the information to so he can protect his family and his business. They are pretty much one and the same. Was it a favor for a friend? Was someone using her? Why? Why? Why? His gut told him something wasn’t right about the situation.
Kaden Ibrahim is a terrorist leader in Syria. His goals were many: money, power and control. He uses fear to get it. Right now, he wants information.
Jane Blythe’s characters are damaged in some way, whether through past or present trauma and losses.
Olivia’s mantra: Suck it up, Buttercup.
I enjoyed the story, but it didn’t quite work for me, The mystery kept me reading, I had to know the what and why. I would classify this as a romantic cozy mystery. Is there such a thing? If someone is looking for a light mystery to keep them busy, this would work. Definitely won’t stop me from grabbing the next book.
I voluntarily reviewed a free copy of Protecting Eagle by Jane Blythe.
3 Stars
GOODREADS BLURB
First impressions can be hard to overcome.
Olivia Wakefield took the job at the prestigious and world renowned Prey Security under false pretenses. She always knew there was a chance she could be found out. What she didn’t expect was for her sexy boss to put her in prison, or to find herself directly in the crosshairs of a dangerous terrorist. Now she’ll have to rely on said boss to keep her alive, problem is she doesn’t trust him.
Eagle Oswald takes his responsibilities seriously. There isn’t anything he wouldn’t do to protect his family and his company, including locking up the woman he hasn’t been able to get out of his head since she came to work for him six months ago, even though his gut tells him there’s more going on than meets the eye. When Olivia is threatened he will stop at nothing to protect her. Keeping her safe should be easy, earning her trust and winning her heart won’t be.
ABOUT JANE BLYTHE
USA Today bestselling author Jane Blythe writes action-packed
romantic suspense and military romance featuring protective heroes and
heroines who are survivors. One of Jane’s most popular series includes
Saving SEALs, part of Susan Stoker’s OPERATION ALPHA world! Writing in
that world alongside authors such as Janie Crouch and Riley Edwards has
been a blast, and she looks forward to bringing more books to this
genre, both within and outside of Stoker’s world. When Jane isn’t
binge-reading she’s counting down to Christmas and adding to her 200+
teddy bear collection!
Reasons Why Not to Date Your Nemesis Melanie Munton (Shell Grove, #2) Publication date: October 4th 2022 Genres: Adult, Comedy, Contemporary, Romance
There’s a new sheriff in town… And he’s her worst nightmare.
Reason #1: Ben Crawford is Olivia Knight’s long-time arch rival. They’ve been sworn enemies ever since she wore overalls to school one day, and he asked her in homeroom where she parked her cow. Now that he’s back, it doesn’t appear much has changed. He’s still arrogant. He’s still trouble. And this time, he’s got a badge and handcuffs. Which will make murdering him and disposing of his body much more challenging for her.
Reason #2: Sheriff Ben has done a lot of growing up during his time away from Shell Grove. He went and got himself some muscles and tattoos, and has the nerve to wear that sheriff’s uniform absurdly well. For some reason, that’s all she can seem to focus on whenever they cross paths. All the nice changes he’s made, instead of how vehemently she’s vowed to hate his guts for all eternity.
Reason #3: The complicated connection that has forever entwined their lives doesn’t have a pleasant backstory. As adults, they should be able to forget what happened when they were teenagers and move on. But in a small town where everyone has long memories, there are reminders everywhere of the nasty events that destroyed both of their families years ago. And she’s not sure their growing feelings for each other are enough to forgive the sins of the past and carve out a future…together.
Ben has a secret. A big one. The longer he’s in Shell Grove and surrounded by people who know his sordid history, the more likely that secret is going to come out. But if it does, Olivia will never speak to him again. Which will not do. Because he’s finally realized that Olivia is the reason why he came back to town in the first place. And if he doesn’t want to lose her forever, he needs to correct the mistakes he made a long time ago and prove he’s not the NEMESIS she’s always thought him to be.
Melanie grew up in the Midwest, but she loves living in the Southeast (where the beaches are!) now with her husband and daughter.
Melanie’s other passion is traveling and seeing the world. With anthropology degrees under their belts, she and her husband have made it their goal in life to see as many archaeological sites around the world as possible.
She has a horrible food addiction to pasta and candy (not together…ew). And she gets sad when her wine rack is empty.
At the end of the day, she is a true romantic at heart. She loves writing the cheesy and corny of romantic comedies, and the sassy and sexy of suspense. She aims to make her readers swoon, laugh out loud, maybe sweat a little, and above all, fall in love.
Go visit Melanie’s website and sign up for her newsletter to stay updated on release dates, teasers, and other details for all of her projects!
I love to give authors a podium and the freedom to share whatever they like. I found Vince’s Guest Post to be interesting and it got me thinking….
Guest Blog Post
Which two authors would I have dinner with?
Ernest Hemingway and Taylor Caldwell have been
known for their inspiring and exceptional writing. So, what would it be like to
have dinner with them?
Let the fantasy begin …
As we waited for our drinks, I leaned over to
Ernest. “Put that cigar away,” I whispered, to avoid embarrassment.
“It’s Papa,” he replied in his usual charismatic
tone. “I told you many times, call me Papa. And this is no ordinary cigar. It’s
a Cuban puro.”
“I know what it is,” I said as my eyes followed
the waft of smoke charging towards me like one of the bulls from his book, The
Sun Also Rises. I moved my head to the side and added, “This is not El
Floridity and it’s not 1952. It’s 2022 in Sotto Sotto, Toronto. You remember
Toronto, don’t you?”
“Of course,
I do,” Ernest said as he extinguished his cigar. “The Toronto Star. I started there
as a freelancer and eventually worked as a foreign correspondent in Europe
writing stories about post-WWI conditions.”
I looked over to Taylor. She wasn’t a bit annoyed.
The curl of her lip suggested she rather enjoyed the exchange and would have
also enjoyed a Cuban cigar.
Our server came with our drinks. “Two daquiris,” he
said. Ernest smiled and tapped his finger on a space on the
table in front of him. “Martini for you, madam. And Negroni for you, sir.” We
toasted to friendship and writing and as the food and drinks came in plenty, so
did the conversation.
“Congratulations,” Taylor said, raising her glass
to me. “I thoroughly enjoyed reading The Final Crossing. Well done.”
“As did I,” Ernest said. I thanked them, smiled,
and took a sip of my Negroni.
Then Taylor turned to Ernest. “Papa, you should
have added more religious themes in your books.”
“You mean like your stories?”
“You know very well I have written on a broad range
of subjects, not just stories related to real historical events or persons. I
do not need to defend my work.”
Ernest smiled and raised his glass in tribute of her
accomplishments. It was probably more in his appreciation of a woman who
exemplified his own persona – strong-minded, adventurous, and passionate about her
craft. The wise fisherman was no match for this marlin, at least not this time.
“And don’t forget,” I said. “While you published The
Old Man and The Sea in 1952, for which you later won the Nobel Prize,
Taylor had written The Devil’s Advocate, set in
a dystopia where North America came under Communist rule.”
Ernest leaned back in his chair and took another sip of
his drink. Then he began to talk about his time in Cuba and in Paris and in
Spain. Taylor raised her hand. Ernest
stopped and remained
quiet. She then leaned forward towards him and said, “Don’t let the past steal
your present.”
The place fell in deafening silence as if everyone
had heard our conversation. I broke the stillness with my own curiosity about
their work.
“Papa, did writing come easy for you?” He shifted
in his seat and cleared his throat as if ready to respond in an interview with
a seasoned journalist.
“Writing is something that you can never do as well
as it can be done,” he said. “It is a perpetual challenge, and it is more
difficult than anything else that I have ever done—so I do it. And it makes me
happy when I do it well.”
Then I turned to Taylor. “You have always been
outspoken which is reflected in your intricately plotted, suspenseful stories
depicting family tensions. Much of this stemmed from your childhood. Would you
agree?”
“To some extent,” she replied. “As you know, I
emigrated to the U.S. with my parents and younger brother in 1907. Shortly
after my father died and the family struggled. I think I tapped into those
experiences and wrote them in my stories.”
“I believe you started to write at the age of eight
and wrote your first novel when you were twelve.”
She smiled. Then, as if the memories surfaced, her
smile faded. “My ill health prevented me from doing many things, except writing
of course. I buried myself in writing and the world knew little about me. Many
presumed I or rather the author, was a man. That was my first editor’s doing,
giving me a pen name. When my identity was eventually made known there was even
some public fuss over it.”
“Did that experience change how you thought about
people?”
“The nature of human beings never changes.
Political fads come and go; theories rise and fall; the scientific truth of
today becomes the discarded error of tomorrow. Man’s ideas change, but not his
inherent nature. That remains.”
My eyes darted towards Ernest who sat with his hand
on his chin, and I could tell he learned something new about Taylor.
“OK, now please humour me,” I said. I reached into
my pocket and pulled out three pens, one for each of us. I then took out a
piece of paper, ripped it in three and distributed them. I had obviously planned
for this moment.
I continued. “If we were stranded on an island and brought
with us only one book, what would it be? Write it down, fold the paper and pass
it to me.”
They were pensive at first. But then, in unison,
they wrote down their answer and handed it to me. I also wrote mine. I unfolded
each one and placed them on the table for us to see which book we would have had
brought with us.
Taylor wrote, The Old Man and The Sea. Ernest
wrote, The Devil’s Advocate. I wrote, The Final Crossing.
We laughed and laughed. We ate and drank. We
savoured the evening until the place had emptied, except for three revelling
authors.
And the fantasy ended.
What a fun post. I know I have read The Old Man and The Sea, but the others….I’ll be checking. I loved the post and you made it so enjoyable, Vince. Thank you very much.
The Final Crossing: A Tale of Self-Discovery and Adventure by Vince Santoro
GENRE: Historical Fiction
BLURB
In this tale of self-discovery and adventure,
we are connected with a history we’ve come to know as the cradle of
civilization.
Nenshi, an Egyptian house servant, raised in
nobility, is well-schooled, a master huntsman and hungers to be free. His
master agrees to grant his freedom but while the petition is set to be heard,
Nenshi’s indiscretion gets in the way. He is caught in a secret love affair
with a woman above his social status.
As punishment, he is exiled to labour in the Nubian
gold mines. His life turns upside down as he is thrust into a world for which
he had been ill prepared. He escapes from the mines and vows to return to
Thebes, but his attempts push him farther and farther away on a journey that
redefines him – a journey mired with cruelty, bloodshed, and the discovery of a
new deity.
In the end Nenshi learns his freedom has been
granted and must decide whether to return to his homeland or start a new life.
“I greatly enjoyed this well written story by
Vince Santoro. He takes us across the Ancient World
through the protagonist, Nenshi, an exiled Egyptian
servant who struggles with class structure, both around and within himself.
Santoro weaves a story of ideas – a sense of belonging, monotheism, and the
human soul – told through Nenshi’s rite of passage through to his final
crossing. The setting is visually evocative of “spirit of place” as
the novelist and travel writer Lawrence Durrell called it. It’s a story worth
reading.” – Terry Stanfill
Award winning historical fiction author of The Gift
from Fortuny, Realms of Gold, The Blood Remembers and other works.
“Vince Santoro is a gifted storyteller. I
found The Final Crossing difficult to put down because it is
well written. As an historian and author of
non-fiction books, I am impressed with the amount of research that Santoro has
done to prepare this story of adventure and romance set in the ancient Middle
East. The customs, the beliefs and even the character names are all authentic
to that region and era. With so many plot twists and turns, Santoro will keep
you guessing about what might happen next to the protagonist until the very
end!” – John Charles Corrigan
Author of The Red Knight and “Love
Always”
EXCERPT
Twilight was fast approaching, and they returned to the trail.
From a distance they saw an abundance of trees and vegetation that sprung from
the hard soil. Moments later, they heard rushing water. A twisting river
murmured. It called out and invited them to consume its wealth. Nenshi and
Aziza went to explore it.
Aziza stopped and kneeled to examine small flowers in bloom.
On the river’s edge Nenshi bent over and splashed water on his face. He cupped
his hands and drank its cool refreshing offering. Rocks jutted out from the
shallow water. He heard footsteps and threw a glance behind him. Aziza, ran
towards him, as free as the wind blew, eager to jump into the river. Nenshi
screamed from the top of his lungs to warn her.
“Aziza … Aziza … be careful, the water is shallow! There
are rocks!”
Her excitement muffled his warning. Nenshi then stood,
flapped his arms to get her attention. She pushed her legs hard against the
water to run faster until it was just deep enough to jump in.
“Aziza …. Aziza … stop …” Nenshi cried. Aziza took another
step but this time slipped and almost fell. She tried to regain balance and
continued moving forward. Nenshi gasped hoping she realized the danger and
would stop. But she didn’t and it was too late. She slipped again, fell and hit
a rock. Nenshi immediately ran to her, stepping and slipping on rocks that
almost caused him to lose balance. Babak who had heard Nenshi’s cries dashed to
the river. Nenshi crouched over the wet and motionless body.
“Help me get her out,” Nenshi cried out as he lifted her,
propped her head and shoulders in his arms. Blood, washed by the water, dripped
from her head.
AUTHOR Bio and Links
Vince is an Italian-born Canadian who grew up in Toronto,
Canada, and now lives in Pickering, a suburb of Toronto.
In his youth, education and sports became a priority. A private
boys’ school, St. Michael’s College in Toronto, provided the opportunity for
both. He graduated from York University, Toronto, with a degree in history and
a minor in behavioural science.
Vince was always up for new challenges. After completing his
studies, he set his eyes on Europe and played professional basketball in Italy.
When he returned home, he shifted gears and worked in the aerospace industry in
several capacities. The most rewarding was managing internal communications for
a large aircraft manufacturer. It was during this time he decided to hone his
writing skills by studying journalism at Ryerson University, Toronto, and he
had several articles published.
His career in communications along with studies in history and
journalism prepared him to take on his next challenge: to write a book. His
debut novel, The Final Crossing, has been a labour of love, one he worked on
for many years. It reflects life experiences, woven into a story that inspires
and entertains, and perhaps even show the world in a different way.
I first saw the Mind Hackers series when a tour popped up for Dark Waves, a novella, by Amanda Uhl for Goddess Fish. I have Mind Waves, Book I, and Cross Waves, Book II, that I hope to get through before the Goddess Fish tour for Dark Waves, which is a companion novella.
Ever since I read about governments having paranormal research programs for real, books like the Mind Hackers series jump out at me.
Prologue: David has worked for CMU, the US government’s Cognitive Mind Unit for seventeen years. The mind hackers work as a team with a trainer. David and Meg infiltrate minds, implant thought and steal secrets. This is to be their last mission, but…
Grace meets David at a job interview. Though she didn’t get the job, David hires her to create one of her glass mosaics for his family’s lake cottage. To make sure she will commit to the project, he tells her House Trends would be showcasing the process.
In a way, it was creepy, the way he manipulated her right from the getgo. I sure wouldn’t like it, but she really does know what’s going on.
I love that she works with beach glass. I too have walked many beaches, looking for those treasured and rare pieces.
Since Meg’s death, David had been in seclusion, but now he has to confront his enemy. A mind blowing villain who is reckless, ruthless, determined, willing to sacrifice any who get in his way. A power hungry rogue hacker has his sights on him. Why? Is Grace in danger? What makes her special to both of them? Poor Grace…caught in the middle and doesn’t even know it.
A mind blowing villain who is reckless, ruthless, determined, willing to sacrifice any who get in his way.
I am loving Mind Waves. Terrifying. Hopeful. Sweet. I love all intrigue. Complex writing, yet so easy to read, flowing smoothly, yet rapidly drawing me in, wanting…no, needing to know what will happen next. How will it end?
I voluntarily reviewed a free copy of Mind Waves by Amanda Uhl.
4 Stars
GOODREADS BLURB
If he can control her mind… Government operative David Jenkins is skilled at controlling his emotions. Feelings are lethal when your job is to infiltrate minds, erase and implant thoughts, and guard the nation’s intellectual capital. But even he can’t fight his strange attraction to Grace Woznisky. He’ll do whatever it takes to protect her from a madman intent on possessing both their minds. Neither suspect their dangerous enemy has a larger motive, and David may be Grace’s only chance for survival.
Can he control her heart? All freelance artist Grace wants is steady-paying work and to see her flighty sister to the altar. But after David offers her a job, she finds herself in the middle of a mental tug of war—one that has her reeling from nightmares and fighting for her life. She must decide: Are her growing feelings for her new boss authentic, or is she a victim of his mind-altering abilities?
ABOUT AMANDA UHL
Award-winning author Amanda Uhl has always had a fascination with the
mystical. Having drawn her first breath in a century home rumored to be
haunted, you might say she was “born” into it. After a brief stint in
college as a paid psychic, Amanda graduated with a bachelor of fine arts
in theatre and a master’s degree in marketing. Over the past twenty
years, she has worked as an admissions representative and graphic
designer, owned her own freelance writing company, and managed
communications for several Fortune 500 companies, most recently
specializing in cyber security. Amanda is an avid reader and writes
fast-paced, paranormal romantic suspense and humorous contemporary
romance from her home in Cleveland, Ohio. When she’s not reading or
writing, you can find Amanda with her husband and three children,
gathering beach glass on the Lake Erie shoreline or biking in Cuyahoga
Valley National Park. Visit her online at www.amandauhl.com.
CHRIS Nancy Brown (Cross Security, #3) Publication date: September 9th 2022 Genres: Adult, Romance, Suspense
This will be a job from hell…
I knew that from the moment I laid eyes on her.
Ex- MI6 agent Chris Winters lives by the rules. The most important rule of all: no messing around with a client. It works for him. Until it doesn’t. His newest job for Cross Security should be simple. Poppy Jones, the hottest swimwear and lingerie model on the planet, has a stalker… a ghost from her past who is coming to collect what he believes is his. Chris is to protect her and find out who is issuing the threats.
Simple. Cut and Dry.
Until it’s not.
Their chemistry is off the charts. But even as Chris fights his attraction to Poppy and discovers there is more to her than meets the eye, the real threat comes not from her stalker, but from the growing connection between them.
If he puts everything on the line, including his heart, will Chris still be able to keep her safe? Or will the ghost from Poppy’s past succeed in taking what he believes is his?
It’s a dangerous game to play. Who will succeed and who will fail?
Nancy Carolyn Brown is an author of contemporary romance, fond of writing love stories about hunky badass men endowed with massive hearts, and strong heroines with just the right mix of sweet and sass… flaming hot chemistry and thrilling nail biting suspense is always guaranteed!
She loves cosmos and chocolate and a swoony good book with a strong storyline.
She lives in sunny southern Alberta, Canada with her high school sweetheart husband and naughty Bengal cat. When she isn’t writing, she enjoys the simple things in life like spending time with family and friends, reading and running with her favorite playlist blasting in her ears.
Book Title: Superwoman: A Funny and Reflective Look at Single Motherhoodby Mona Andrei Category: Adult Non-Fiction, 174 pages Genre: HUMOR / Topic / Marriage & Family Publisher: Cynren Press Publication Date: March 2021. Tour dates: Aug 8 to Aug 26 Content Rating: PG-13: No violence, but a splattering of profanity (including the F-word) and discussion of bad marriages.
Book Description:
They put the tiny, red-faced bundle into her arms, and time stopped. She gazed at that puckered little face and whispered,Welcome to the world, baby girl.Little did she know that within weeks, she would become a single mother—not exactly what she had imagined for her daughters and herself, but exactly what needed to happen. This is the story of a single mother, but it’s more than that. Sometimes funny, sometimes reflective, it’s also your story—a story of that peculiar, trying, and wonderful state of motherhood.
InSuperwoman: A Funny and Reflective Look at Single Motherhood,popular humor blogger Mona Andrei brings you her sage and snickery insights on being a single mom, with all its gore and glory. Through a series of interviews, you’ll also get a voyeuristic peek into the lives of other single mothers—and don’t we all love that feeling ofThank goodness, I’m not the only one!We’re all superwomen here.
Mona Andrei’s adulting journey took an unexpected turn when she realized that the father of her children was not committed to the family they had started together. At the time, she was twenty-four years old. With a baby in her arms and a toddler in tow, she soon realized that everything had fallen on her shoulders, including any chance for a secure future for her and her girls. With humor and candor as her strongest tools for survival, she went from struggling single mother to accomplished wordsmith to member of an award-winning advertising team to top 100 humor blogger. Today, she continues her journey, writing and speaking about her experiences as a single mother with a focus on changing the way that single mothers are respected and appreciated in the workplace: a
win–win for both.
Aiden
has always felt like an outsider. After the rebel assassin is captured and
imprisoned by the world’s galactic overlords, he awaits execution. Then a mole
working for the occupying regime alerts him to a plot that could destroy the
entire resistance…
Engineering a daring
escape, Aiden’s growing feud with the new rebel leader leaves him out in the
cold and smouldering with resentment. Faced with deceit and betrayals on every
side, he recruits a group of overlooked outcasts and stakes everything on one
last mission.
Can the restless, reckless Aiden take a stand long enough to save humanity from enslavement?
EXCERPT
Nothing. Clean as a whistle. Until my massive hand grasped
hold of something, something which must have blended into its background so
perfectly that I hadn’t even spotted it. Something alive, nestling under the
co-pilot’s seat. I couldn’t believe it. A live gromeline. Trembling, possibly
with fury, and trying in vain to squeeze back. Grabbing my trophy – I could
feel its hot little heart throbbing like an injury against my palm – I hopped
out of the plane so fast that my wound protested.
‘Bully!’
Bully raised one eyebrow. Two would have been overkill.
‘Bully, you are not going to believe this. I found a
gromeline!’ The gromeline – only about fifteen centimetres – bit my finger,
hard, even though I could have easily crushed its entire body with my fist –
and probably would have, had I been a tester, and not merely disguised as one.
Feisty little gromeline. I flicked it lightly with my
sausage-sized finger. When it protested, I growled, ‘Cheese it, munchkin,’
though I could feel it struggling obstreperously against my palm.
Bully was intrigued. ‘Is it genuine?’ ‘Of course it’s
genuine. It just bit me, didn’t it?’
Bully probably considered this no proof. But they’re rarer
than clean air these days and his fascination was obvious. Now gromelines come
from the farthest galaxy so far discovered, can speak any tongue and own
enviable mental powers. They are also brave to the point of stupidity and
ludicrously small. This one was mouse-coloured – they can be spectacular – with
tiny red eyes. Few humans have ever seen one.
AUTHOR Bio and Links
Alice
(Spaulding Taylor) McVeigh has been published by Orion/Hachette in contemporary
fiction, by Unbound Publishing in action/adventure and by Warleigh Hall Press
in Austenesque fiction. Her novels have won Gold Medal/First Place is the
Global, eLit and Pencraft Book Awards, been runner-up in the Independent Press
Awards, finalists in the Eric Hoffer, Rone and Wishing Shelf Book Awards and
selected by Shelf Unbound as one of the “top indies” of 2021. Two of
her novels are currently finalists in the CIBA Book Awards (the Cygnus and
Goethe Awards). Her most recent novel (Harriet: A Jane Austen Variation) was just
selected as Editors’ Pick “outstanding” on Publishers Weekly.
A professional
London cellist, Alice lives in London and Crete with her professor husband:
their only child is completing her Masters in Chinese Literature. They also
share two miniature long-haired dachshunds and an incurable addiction to
tennis.
