Books from the Backlog is a fun way to feature some of those
neglected books sitting on your bookshelf unread. If you are anything
like me, you might be surprised by some of the unread books hiding in
your stacks.
To survive the violent streets of Belfast in the 1970s, young Darren McCann learns to fight. The IRA are interested in recruiting him but, though he is a Catholic, he refuses to take sides until a family tragedy allies him with “the cause”.
His specialist training turns him into an efficient sniper and covert operative. One brutal interrogation earns Darren the reputation as “The Butcher of Belfast” and pairs him with his infamous knife, The Killer. After a high profile assassination, he takes refuge in Spain where he works with ETA terrorists and takes part in an audacious bank raid.
He returns to Ireland to continue the fight, but the seeds of doubt are planted in his mind by a British MI6 officer with shocking information and plans to turn him into a double-agent.
“This fast-paced chronicle of death and double-cross kept me glued to my seat from first page till last…” Clifford Thurlow, co-author of Making A Killing.
I added The Killing by Jack Elgos to my TBR on 11.9.12. Even thought it is a series, I usually try to read any book I own anyway. Sometimes it works out and sometimes it doesn’t but I think this will be a good one either way.
Pippin had been snatched by her mentally ill father. It’s a miracle, and thanks to Agent Matt Lalor, that she is alive today. Even Monty, his dog, had known that fate was calling.
My heart jumped out of my chest when Matt bade Monty to FIND Pippen…and he jumped. Great writing. That had me racing through the pages, and, even though I felt I knew where the journey would end, I was looking forward to the ride.
Ten years later…and Pippin returns home. It’s time to visit the past and put it behind her…forever. Yeah. Right. I don’t think that’s going to happen.
Matt Laylor is known as a cold fish, a loner, a recluse, a hard man.
I loved spending time with Vallor on Snow Lake, as he taught Pippin the fine art of ice fishing. I love a book that brings memories roaring back. I remember those huts on the frozen lake, like a small city on the ice, that appears and disappears at nature’s whim.
Lydia is Pippin’s editor for the mystery series she has been writing, and when she comes to town the action knows no limits. I knew she would add some good times…and maybe some bad times…to the equation. She has a very strong personality, but she’s one of those kind of people that make your life a richer place if she is in it.
I laughed out loud when she reached the cabin. I could see it playing out like a scene in a movie.
Levi, may be a bit slow, but he has a big heart. He comes and goes throughout the novel and I am worried what Lawna Mackie has in store for him. He is so sweet. She couldn’t kill him off, could she? At this point, every time I see his name, I feel a sense of impending doom, like he has a part to play and I don’t want anything bad to happen to him.
James? Chance?
I didn’t spot the villain right away. He sure has a lot of patience, waiting in the shadows for THAT moment.
Yes there were a few teary eyed moments. I even felt a Pretty Woman moment adding some good feels, which we always want in a romance…don’t we?
Predictable? Sure. Suspenseful moments? You bet. Laughs and love? For sure.
I voluntarily reviewed a free copy of Forget Me Not by Lawna Mackie.
AMAZON SYNOPSIS
He was dead…or so she thought.
At the age of twelve, Pippin
Bartlett, is abducted by her mentally ill father who goes on a killing
rampage. Fortunately she is rescued outside the small town of Snow Lake,
Manitoba by ex-sniper and CSIS Agent Matt Lalor, who shoots and
reportedly kills the man although the body is never recovered.
Fast-forward
ten years and we find Pippin writing successful novels in New York
under the alias of Avery Woods. Her words help lessen the impact of the
terror she lived through. That is until a series of fan letters arrive.
And not just from any fan, but one who sounds a lot like her father and
is determined to finish the failed job from ten years ago.
Matt
Lalor has secrets of his own. A career that ended badly and one he
wishes to forget. He lives his life in a remote cabin in Snow Lake
where, whenever possible, he avoids people. With two notable exceptions
he mostly succeeds. The first is the day he is required to rescue a
twelve-year old girl. Never missing a shot he believes whole-heartedly
the man is dead. The second is the day twenty-two year old Pippin drives
into a snowbank on his property to turn his world upside down. She’s
being hunted by a killer for a second time, and Matt refuses to let harm
come to her. What he doesn’t expect is for the fearless and sassy
beautiful young woman to capture his heart in the process.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Lawna
Mackie was born in Jasper, Alberta. After finishing high school and
post secondary she moved to Calgary, Alberta, married her husband and
settled in the small town of Didsbury, Alberta.
Lawna would tell you that a lot of her
creativity comes from her mother, who could design and build, just about
anything. Her mother never lacked the talent for hand-making toys. “She
always amazed me. My brother and I were never bored because she made us
flutes, toy cars, and even parallel bars in the trees,” she explains.
Her other creative inspiration comes
from her husband Jeff, and the many adventures they have had. It was on
one particular trip to British Columbia, when she stopped at the
Enchanted Forrest that the fairy tale world called to her to write a
story.
Along with the love she has for her
husband and family, is the deep admiration and compassion she has for
animals. “They bring so much joy and inspiration to my life I don’t know
how I would ever live without them,” she says. Alaskan Malamutes are
near and dear to her heart. With one Malamute, one Bichon Shih Tzu, one
farm cat and a Bengal, her house is never quiet.
Lawna writes contemporary romance and
paranormals. One fan writes, “Lawna’s books are well-written and are
impossibly good! The scenes are unexpected and very creative. I highly
recommend her books!”
Teaser Tuesdays is a weekly bookish meme, hosted by MizB of Should Be Reading.
Anyone can play along! Just do the following: Grab your current read. Open to a random page. Share two (2) “teaser” sentences from somewhere on that page. BE CAREFUL NOT TO INCLUDE SPOILERS! (make sure that what you share doesn’t give too much away! You don’t want to ruin the book for others!) Share the title & author, too, so that other TT participants can add the book to their TBR Lists if they like your teasers!
PERSONAL by Lee Child
A Jack Reacher Novel
MY TEASE
“Which is where, exactly?
In a house with four remaining guards and two world-class killers?”
(74% on Kindle)
SYNOPSIS
Jack Reacher walks alone. Once a go-to hard man in the US military police, now he’s a drifter of no fixed abode. But the army tracks him down. Because someone has taken a long-range shot at the French president.. Only one man could have done it. And Reacher is the one man who can find him. This new heartstopping, nailbiting book in Lee Child’s number-one bestselling series takes Reacher across the Atlantic to Paris – and then to London. The stakes have never been higher – because this time, it’s personal.
I love suspense and intrigue. To follow a character through numerous stories makes me able to relate to him/her as if they are family or friends. Do you feel the same?