REVIEW + TOP TEN + GIVEAWAY (!) : RORY (In The Company of Snipers, #6) by Irish Winters

RORY (In The Company of Snipers, #6) By: Irish Winters Pages: 304 

Published: February 9, 2015 

Publisher: Windy Day Press

Agent Rory Dennison is every woman’s dream. Tall, dark and Hollywood handsome, the ex-Marine scout sniper maintains a private life none of his teammates suspect. The TEAM is just a job. He intends to keep it that way—until assassins murder the father of the tiny Tibetan girl in his charge.

Rory finds himself pulled into a world of mystery and intrigue when he and his companion agent, Ember Davis, are forced to flee with Nima Dawa. Too late he discovers Nima is not only destined to become the next Dalai Lama, but she has an unearthly gift of sight.

She can see right through him. And she does.

His carefully guarded private life is suddenly at risk. He doesn't know what to trust or who to believe. The world is too full of shadows.

He isn't the only one with secrets.... 

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Irish Winters is an award-winning author who dabbles in poetry, grandchildren, and rarely (as in extremely rarely) the kitchen.

More prone to be outdoors than in, she grew up the quintessential tomboy on a farm in rural Wisconsin, spent her teenage years in the Pacific Northwest, but calls the Wasatch Mountains of Northern Utah home. For now. 

The wife of one handsome husband and the mother of three perfect sons, Irish divides her time between writing at home and travelling the country with her man while - writing. (Seriously, what else?)

She believes in making every day count for something and follows the wise admonition of her mother to, "Look out the window and see something!" To learn more about Irish and her books, please visit www.IrishWinters.com.

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1.     Alex Stewart lost the grandmother shortly after his wife and daughter were killed in an automobile crash. He had contemplated suicide during that black moment in his life, but not since he’s met Kelsey.

2.     Mark Houston is a hopeless romantic who fell in love at first sight with Libby Clifton.

3.     Zack Lennox was the quintessential bad boy until he met Mei.

4.     Harley Mortimer misses his mother, but he’s angry with his father for throwing him out of the house after he joined the Army out of high school. It’s part of the reason he gravitates toward dogs. They love him no matter what. It’s also why he loves Judy so passionately. She understands the concept of forgiveness. Now that’s true love….

5.     Connor Maher’s father, Detective Connor James Maher of the Boston Police Department, was killed in the line of duty when Connor was fifteen. He and his partner got into a shoot-out with Paddy O’Donnell, the Irish arms dealer. Connor and his six brothers walked alongside their mother, Bridgette, in the funeral parade the day his father was honored by the city of Boston.

6.     A talent scout from Hollywood approached Rory Dennison in his senior year of high school. She had the nerve to stuff an airplane ticket down the front of his football jersey while he was quarterbacking the homecoming game, said she could make him a millionaire on his looks alone. He let the ticket drop to the dirt and threw the winning touchdown pass. He followed in his father and grandfather’s footsteps and became a Marine instead. It’s a family thing….

7.     Taylor Armstrong was the only child of a USMC General. Taylor grew up not remembering anything about his real mother, a Native American Indian who died when he was four. All he has left of her is the Saint Michael’s medal around his neck and an odd hollow feeling in his heart.

8.     Gabriel Armstrong lost his lower right leg during a failed op in Afghanistan right before he came home. He wears a transtibial prosthetic below his right knee, but is thankful every day. His best friend, Maverick, lost more. He lost his baby brother in the same failed op.

9.     Maverick Carson had never ridden a horse before he met China Wolf, the raven-haired and very beautiful owner of the Wild Wolf horse ranch in Western Wyoming. He wrote a love song to his baby brother, lamenting the loss of innocence among little boys. Darrell Carson was killed in Helmand Province, Afghanistan, 2004.

10.Cassidy Dancer grew up in Ogden, Utah, but moved to Seattle, Washington, to work for The TEAM.

11.Adam Torrey is the flying squirrel on the TEAM. He lives for the adventure and high risk of a HALO drop, a High Altitude Low Opening parachute drop.

12.Lee Hart was captured and tortured by the Taliban in Afghanistan. During his darkest days, the thing that kept him believing he would be saved was the song, Amazing Grace.

13.Hunter Christian is probably the darkest of all of Alex Stewart’s agents. He’s a foul-mouthed, tattooed ex-Marine who’s convinced he lost his soul the day he joined up. Man, is he in for a surprise.

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REVIEW: Sweet Muse by Ava Cummings

Determined to overcome her difficult past, Anna Starr lands a coveted job at the nation's biggest celebrity magazine in the center of the New York City power scene. She learns early on to make it on her own, and through sheer force of will she does. But frustration sets in when the dark side of tabloid journalism starts to poke through, and she gets duped while dating slicker-than-thou city boys.

Amidst a sea of cocktail parties, Anna meets rising art star Damien Wolfe. Their connection is dangerous, intense, and passionate beyond her imagination. He sees her in a way that she has never seen herself, setting her on a journey toward self-discovery—understanding what it means to be truly loved for the first time in her life. But she may lose it all when her blind ambition and his dark past lead to a crisis that changes everything.

REVIEW:

Sweet Muse was described to me as "Fifty Shades of Grey meets The Devil Wears Prada" and it did not disappoint!!

Main character, Anna, is likable and real and really strives to make a new life for herself in NYC. She not only takes on the professional climb of attaining a spot at a tabloid, she also takes on the search for intimacy and love.

The way she meets Damien is fabulous, and the way he sees her will have you on the edge with wanting. This  leads to a spiral of events that makes Anna grow as a person, has her questioning her future - and most importantly, where her love lies.

This book is extremely well written and has very sensual scenes for mature adults only. I wouldn't call it heavy erotica, but it comes very close with the chemistry between characters.

If you're looking for an edgy, sexy romance with a bit of flair, this is definitely a book for you!!




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REVIEW: The Five Stages of Andrew Brawley by Shaun Hutchinson

Andrew Brawley was supposed to die that night. His parents did, and so did his sister, but he survived.

Now he lives in the hospital. He serves food in the cafeteria, he hangs out with the nurses, and he sleeps in a forgotten supply closet. Drew blends in to near invisibility, hiding from his past, his guilt, and those who are trying to find him.

Then one night Rusty is wheeled into the ER, burned on half his body by hateful classmates. His agony calls out to Drew like a beacon, pulling them both together through all their pain and grief. In Rusty, Drew sees hope, happiness, and a future for both of them. A future outside the hospital, and away from their pasts.

But Drew knows that life is never that simple. Death roams the hospital, searching for Drew, and now Rusty. Drew lost his family, but he refuses to lose Rusty, too, so he’s determined to make things right. He’s determined to bargain, and to settle his debts once and for all.

But Death is not easily placated, and Drew’s life will have to get worse before there is any chance for things to get better.

A partly graphic novel.

REVIEW:

 Shaun Hutchinson really nailed it with The Five Stages of Andrew Brawley!! It is the perfect mix of tragedy, loss, bullying, humor, friendship and hope. This book is a roller coaster of emotions! However, Hutchinson did a brilliant job of weaving it all together.

The book is partly made up of a graphic novel, which really added a fun element, and a definite brand of uniqueness to the novel.

The characters are real - so real feeling that you feel like you know them and your heart swells with pride and is suffocated by grief for them.

The setting of the novel, being in a hospital, really lent a lot to the plot and made you see the characters, nurses - everyone from a much different perspective.

All over, I must say BRAVO to Shaun Hutchinson for creating a novel that should very well be considered a must-read by both teens and adults!!

REVIEW: 3rd Degree Secrets by Roni O'Connell

3rd Degree Secrets (The Chronicles of D.E.A.D. High, #2) By: Roni O'Connell Published: December 8, 2014 Pages: 310

Like burns, there are degrees of secrets. First-degree secrets are those that girls share with female friends under clouds of giggles and shushed voices, eyes bright, smiles flashing, with furtive glances to ensure that a certain boy doesn't overhear.  First-degree secrets are relatively painless, subject to no worse than blushes or easy tears depending upon if that boy does or does not return feelings of affection.   Second-degree secrets follow a person from her locker down the school halls—rolling eyes and pointed fingers marking her as surely as a painted X on her back. These secrets don’t leave scars, but injure nonetheless, deep inside where insecurities linger and fester, waiting to explode. The most serious secrets are third degree, just as third degree burns are the worst, leaving the scars, bumpy, pitted, and marred; these secrets irrevocably twist, disfigure, and ruin lives.  I’ve had my share of second-degree secrets that I mostly try to ignore, but my third-degree secrets, well, those I hug to me in a fear born of basic survival instincts. My exterior is unblemished, white with blue veins, road maps traveling to foreign places beneath my skin, but inside, the terrain rises into mountains and ridges, scared, puckered, and ugly, un-crossable except by painful passage that I’m unwilling to take.

REVIEW:

Have you ever stopped to think about secrets? Like, really think about them? Roni O'Connell's new sequel to the fabulous novel, FLOAT, inspires you to do just that. The concept that secrets have degrees of severity...it's pure genius.

And O'Connell's execution of the plot nails it once again. The plot explores the depths of secrecy and the characters are very well fleshed out. They are witty, real, and believable, and I found myself totally lost in the book. This is truly saying a lot considering the reading rut I have been in lately!!

The length of the novel is also perfect. It comes in at just the right length to have adequate attention to detail without being too wordy and it pulls you in and lets you go at just the right spots. Roni O'Connell has become an author to watch for and is one author whose books I eagerly await!!

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About The Book:

3rd Degree Secrets (The Chronicles of D.E.A.D. High, #2) By: Roni O'Connell Published: December 8, 2014 Pages: 310

Like burns, there are degrees of secrets. First-degree secrets are those that girls share with female friends under clouds of giggles and shushed voices, eyes bright, smiles flashing, with furtive glances to ensure that a certain boy doesn't overhear.  First-degree secrets are relatively painless, subject to no worse than blushes or easy tears depending upon if that boy does or does not return feelings of affection.   Second-degree secrets follow a person from her locker down the school halls—rolling eyes and pointed fingers marking her as surely as a painted X on her back. These secrets don’t leave scars, but injure nonetheless, deep inside where insecurities linger and fester, waiting to explode. The most serious secrets are third degree, just as third degree burns are the worst, leaving the scars, bumpy, pitted, and marred; these secrets irrevocably twist, disfigure, and ruin lives.  I’ve had my share of second-degree secrets that I mostly try to ignore, but my third-degree secrets, well, those I hug to me in a fear born of basic survival instincts. My exterior is unblemished, white with blue veins, road maps traveling to foreign places beneath my skin, but inside, the terrain rises into mountains and ridges, scared, puckered, and ugly, un-crossable except by painful passage that I’m unwilling to take.

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About The Author:

Roni O’Connell lives with her husband and two dogs high in the Rocky Mountains of Colorado. She finds inspiration in the forest, wildlife, and lakes around her home.

A former English teacher, Roni enjoys the company of young adults, their spirited opinions, great enthusiasm, and outrageous humor.

When Roni isn’t writing novels, you can find her hiking in the forest or contemplating the wonders of nature.

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AUTHOR INTERVIEW + GIVEAWAY: The Challenge by @CasPeace1

‘Circle of Conspiracy Book One: The Challenge; fourth book in the triple-trilogy Artesans of Albia fantasy series.’

Friend against friend, lover against lover, ally against ally. Conflict is coming …

Nine months have passed since Brynne Sullyan helped forge an alliance between the realms of Albia and Andaryon. A fragile peace reigns as both sides recover from the events of the previous year. Then mysterious raiders strike Andaryon villages. Attempts are made on the life of Albia’s High King. As Sullyan scrambles to find those responsible, unseen enemies threaten to pull apart everything she has worked for, including her marriage.

The alliance begins to crumble, and Sullyan finds herself caught between two monarchs: the king she’s sworn allegiance to, and the man she loves as a father. To betray either one would break her heart, but if conflict is inevitable, she must make a choice …

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Let us Start With the Basics…

First may I say a huge thank you for inviting me to answer these questions. I really enjoyed doing so and I hope your readers enjoy them too. Thank you for helping me get the word out about my fantasy novels, I really appreciate it.

o   Who are you? I’m Cas Peace, a fantasy and non-fiction author and also freelance editor, from Southern England, UK

o   Tell us (briefly) about you... I’m currently 57; I’ve been married for 24 years to my lovely husband, Dave; we have two rescue Lurchers, Milly and Milo; I originally trained as a horse-riding teacher and I both ride and carriage-drive; I sing folk songs and also write songs, and both Dave and I sing in our local church choir; I play the bodhran (Irish drum); I love gardening and I have a large collection of cacti.

o   A bit about what you have written… My fantasy series, Artesans of Albia, consists of nine novels arranged into three trilogies. It’s aimed mainly at adults, but I’ve had kids as young as 12 read and enjoy the books. Artesans are people born with a special ability to influence and control elemental forces, but the Artesan craft is looked on with suspicion by most ‘ordinary’ people. The premise for the series is that a mysterious enemy of Artesans is trying to eradicate the Artesan craft from the world. He will stop at nothing, setting friend against friend, lover against lover, and ally against ally.

o   What you are working on right now? Although all nine of the books in my series are already written, they are not all publication-ready. I’m still working my way through them to get them polished and ready in time for their publication dates. Once the whole series has been published, I have the idea for a YA prequel in mind. I also have editing clients, so I’m usually pretty busy.

o   What are your earliest book-related memories? My earliest book-related memory is of walking through winter snow to the local library with my Mum, returning with my chosen books, and curling up by the fire in a huge armchair and some chocolate to read them. Even after all these years, this is still my favorite way to relax. In my mind, chocolate is inextricably linked to reading good books!

o   What are your three favorite books? Oh,that’s a hard one. I don’t often think about havinga “favorite” anything, because there are so many things I love. But I have read The Lord of the Rings countless times, and I also adore Anne McCaffrey’s Pern series. In more recent times, Stephen Donaldson’s Chronicles of Thomas Covenant have been unmissable novels.

o   How many books to do you read at any given time? If I’m reading for pleasure, I only read one book at a time. I only get time for pleasure-reading just before going to sleep, so one book is plenty! But I almost always have editing clients, so I’m also “reading” their books during the day.

o   What are you reading now? Right now I’m reading “I, the Sun” by Janet E. Morris. I love Janet’s books, especially her Sacred Band of Stepsons novels, and I was thrilled when she read and loved my series so much, she endorsed them.

o   Finish this sentence; when I curl up with a book, I ___ I guess I’ve already answered this one! When I curl up with a book, I like to have some chocolate handy!

o   To re-read or not to re-read that is the question. I have re-read my favorite books many, many times. I keep print copies of the best ones and revisit them like old friends. You can almost always notice something you missed the first time you read a book.

o   How likely are you to read a book that has been recommended to you? Fairly likely. As long as it’s been recommended by someone who knows my tastes, I will read it.

o   How likely are you to recommend a book (that is not yours)? Very likely. I do it all the time!

o   What do you look for in a good book? Good writing that flows well. Complex characters I can really believe in. Plots that make sense, even when they twist. If the author uses cliffhangers, they must be gasp-worthy, and endings must leave me wanting more.

o   Why do you write? I love it! It makes me feel complete. I love the way I can connect with total strangers on a deep and meaningful level. It makes me feel humble.

o   If you weren’t a writer, what would you be? On leaving school I trained as a teacher of horse-riding and my goal was to become a show-jumper. Unfortunately, my back isn’t very good and my balance suffers because if it, so I wasn’t as good as I’d have liked to be at riding. That’s why I write horses into my novels! If I wasn’t a writer, I’d love to go back to teaching horse-riding.

o   Where do you draw your inspiration? From everywhere. Sometimes ideas just pop into my head. Sometimes they are suggested by listening to and watching other people. Sometimes a TV program will provide a piece of a puzzle or give me the idea for a story. And sometimes I simply want to explore how a character might react to a certain situation. Life lends inspiration all the time.

o   What has writing taught you about yourself? It’s made me delve further into my own emotions and nature than I might otherwise have done. It’s taught me to be humble, and it’s taught me that I enjoy helping other writers. It’s given me a measure of confidence I didn’t have before. It might sound trite, but writing has filled a small hole in my soul I never knew existed.

o   How do the people in your life seem to view your writing career? I’m so lucky to have a very supportive family. My husband, who hadn’t read fantasy before reading my books, is extremely complimentary about my work, and my mother, who had also never read a fantasy book in her life, is a firm fan. My brother helps with the folk-type songs and music I write for the books, and he also loves the novels. And I have many friends among my neighbors who demand each new books as it’s published.

o   Are there any stereotypes about writers that you don't think are true? As stereotypes are generalizations, there will always be people to whom they apply and to whom they don’t. Writers are as diverse a group of people as any other. I know reclusive writers, writers who put off their tasks, writers who forget to eat while they’re writing, and writers who never get “blocked”. And, conversely, I know many writers who are the direct opposite of the types I just mentioned. Writers are people, and people come in every type you can imagine!

o   What do you see as the biggest challenge today for writers starting out? In many ways, I think it’s now much easier for writers who are just starting out. I didn’t have the internet when I started, and it was so difficult finding answers to questions about the industry. Now, that difficulty no longer exists, although you still have to filter out the good answers from the bad! It’s also much easier to get published now, and agents and the traditional publishers are having to change the way they work - no bad thing, in my opinion! But that ease in getting books “out there” can work both ways, for it means that writers have to compete harder against more books to get decent sales. Standing out from the crowd is perhaps harder now than it’s ever been.

o   Have you made any writing mistakes that seem obvious in retrospect but not at the time? My biggest mistake was to pay a “reading fee” to an agent. I’d heard all the advice against it, and I knew I was taking a risk, but I’d spoken to the agent on the phone and they sounded sincere. And I was desperate to get someone to read my novel. So I paid the fee (it was £300, about $480 at today’s rates), only to have the agent disappear with my money. My only consolation was that I wasn’t the only naive writer to get duped by that fraudulent person. A lesson learned!

o   Is there a particular project you would love to be involved with? Like every writer, I’d love a film director to come knocking with a film proposal! I’m always being told how “visual” my books are and how wonderfully they’d work as a film. All I need is for a director to think that way too!

o   How do you deal with your fan base? I do my best to interact as much as possible with fans. I do have to apportion my time carefully, else I’d get no editing or writing done, but if someone likes my work enough to want to talk  or ask about it, I feel honored and don’t want to ignore them. I like talking about my novels too!

o   Finish this sentence; my fans would be surprised to know ___ about me. Well, it’s a bit embarrassing really. I’m not frightened of the usual things - spiders, snakes, or bugs - but rainbows can freak me out. Yes, I know, it’s weird! I’m terrified of thunderstorms, too.

o   Anything else we should know? All the folk-style songs and music associated with my fantasy books can be heard and downloaded for free from my website. I’m also on Reverbnation:

o   and Soundcloud: https://soundcloud.com/cas-peace. Once all the books have been published, I will collate the songs into an accompanying CD that people can buy.

About the Author - Cas Peace:

Cas Peace was born in Hampshire UK, in 1957, and has lived there most of her life. Her first career was as a horse-riding instructor, and horses remain very close to her heart. She then spent 13 years working for the British Civil Service before leaving the UK to live in Italy for three years, 1991-1994. She speaks passable but by no means perfect Italian, and loves to return to Italy whenever she can.

Cas's other great loves are anything to do with animals, especially dogs and horses, (she supports many animal charities) and also singing.

Cas loves folk songs and along with her husband, who plays guitar, has performed in many a Southern England folk club. Sometimes they even asked her back! She writes folk songs to accompany her fantasy novels, and offers them as free downloads from her website.

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ARTESANS Series Book Trailer:

Review Quotes:

“Cas Peace has a most beguiling method of pulling you into this very well thought out world she has created. You simply fall in love with her characters, and then you cannot put the book down.” -P C Dodge, Amazon Reviewer.

“If you enjoy being whisked away to the realm of fantasy, I strongly suggest this unique, special read! Hands down, one of the best fantasy series I have ever read!” -Ashley L. Knight, author of FALWYN

“I have just loved this entire series. Cas Peace is a master storyteller, providing a depth and breadth of information about her worlds and their people that is just staggering. Her characters are complex and multi-dimensional, and I have very much enjoyed reading this series. I am also looking forward with great anticipation to her next novel in this series. I heartily recommend this series to anyone who enjoys epic fantasy, strong world-building and beautiful storytelling. Highly recommended!” -K. Sozaeva, Amazon Vine Voice and Top 1000 Reviewer.

Cas Peace's Artesans of Albia trilogy immediately sweeps you away:  the drama starts with King's Envoy, continues unabated in King's Champion, and climaxes in King's Artesan, yet each volume is complete, satisfying.  The Artesan series propels you into a world so deftly written that you see, feel, touch, and even smell each twist and turn. These nesting novels are evocative, hauntingly real.  Smart.  Powerful.  Compelling.  The trilogy teems with finely drawn characters, heroes and villains and societies worth knowing; with stories so organic and yet iconic you know you've found another home—in Albia.

Now there's a fourth book on Albia's horizon:  The Challenge, also Book One in Peace's forthcoming sub-series, the Circle of Conspiracy trilogy, proof of more Albian tales on the way.  So start reading now.  I, for one, can't wait to find out what will happen next. -Janet Morris: The Sacred Band of Stepsons; the Dream Dancer series; I, the Sun; Outpassage

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