My Books!

Wednesday, November 23, 2016

New Directions Review


New Directions
by Jude Pittman and Jamie Hill

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GENRE:  Romantic Suspense

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BLURB:

Texas PI Kelly McWinter is back in action, mixing business with pleasure on a long delayed honeymoon. Providing security for a nominee at the Country Music Awards sounds like glitz and glamour, but Kelly and Gillian find themselves chasing kidnappers in California and tracking a killer in Las Vegas.

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EXCERPT:

Kelly McWinter parked his pickup, fondly referred to as old Blue, in the garage behind Lake Country Stables. His wife Gillian inherited the property from her father and when she and Kelly married a year ago. He’d agreed to give up his cabin at Indian Creek and move into her sprawling ranch house just outside of Fort Worth. It hadn’t taken much convincing. Kelly loved the ranch, everything from the white rail fence surrounding the immaculate grounds to the well-worn and comfortable swing that welcomed him to the back porch. He and Gillian spent many a hot summer night sipping iced tea or cold beer and rocking contentedly in the sultry Texas evenings.

Gillian came through the screen door with two glasses of tea just as Kelly mounted the steps and headed for the swing. “Hey there! Not that I’m complaining, but what are you doing home in the middle of the afternoon?”

“Wel-l-l-l,” Kelly drawled out the l’s, “I stopped by the Hideaway and Stella made me an offer.”

“Ah ha. She’s at it again is she? I’ll have to have a talk with that woman.” Gillian laughed and handed Kelly his glass.

Stella Davis married Kelly’s best friend three years ago, and after a rocky start, she and Gillian became best friends. Stella had proven a rather persistent thorn in Kelly’s side with her constant queries about when he was going to tie Gillian up before someone else came along and swept her up in his saddle. It had taken another year, but Kelly finally asked Gillian to become his wife and she had happily accepted.

“Actually, I think you might like this brainstorm of hers. You remember her niece, Marcy?”


My Review:

Things I Liked:
1. I enjoyed the fact that the hero had lost the woman he loved and was still able to find love again.
2. I liked the strong bonds among the characters and the way they had each other's backs.

Things I Didn't Like
1. For some people this would be something they enjoyed, but for me not so much. There was a lot of sex scenes in it. They weren't trashy or over the top, but I don't care much for open door sex. LOL. I know a lot of you would love them.
2. I kept waiting for the two storylines to converge, but they didn't.

All in all I'd give this book a solid 3.5 stars. It provided a pleasant evening's read for me.
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AUTHOR Bio and Links:

Jude Pittman and her husband John live in Calgary, Alberta. Retired after several decades of working in law firms, Jude is part-owner and publisher of Books We Love.  Jude is the author of the Kelly McWinter PI mysteries, Deadly Secrets, Deadly Betrayal and Deadly Consequences..   Jude has also published the novella Bad Medicine

Jamie was born and raised in a beautiful, mid-sized town in the Mid-west.  When she's not working at the day job she loves, Jamie enjoys spending time with her family, reading, and watching movies (the scarier the better!) In her ‘spare time’ she can often be found writing, editing, or doing something more mundane like housework.

New Directions will be $0.99 during the tour.
Buy Links:





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GIVEAWAY INFORMATION and RAFFLECOPTER CODE

Jude Pittman and Jamie Hill will be awarding $25 Amazon or Barnes and Noble GC to a randomly drawn winner via rafflecopter during the tour. Use the link below to enter.


a Rafflecopter giveaway

Tuesday, November 22, 2016

Beyond the Book: The Captain and the Cheerleader



Hello, and welcome to Beyond the Book. I've been sharing excerpts from The Captain and the Cheerleader. I'm picking up where I left off last week. Robin Lanford who's a royal pain in the butt just bet Susan English that she couldn't get a date with Kurt Deveraux, the head football coach. Some of the other faculty members also got in on the bet. Kurt showed up and Susan asked about the football game later that night. Kurt went to be with the football players before the game. He told his friend Jason that Susan had given him a compliment, and Jason reminded him that he already had a girl named Aleisha Childs. Kurt isn't sure if it's serious between them. In today's excerpt, Kurt is about to lose his Friday night ball game when a boy interrupted him. The boy had a football play from Susan, and today we see how it all worked out.

Blurb:
Susan English can’t stand Robin Lanford! She’s so full of herself she irritates everyone on the faculty of Fairfield High. When Robin bets Susan fifty dollars that she can’t get a date with Kurt Deveraux, the head football coach, Susan jumps at the chance to put the little heifer in her place. She had no idea that teaching Robin a lesson would irrevocably change her life, strain treasured friendships, and throw two families into chaos.

Excerpt: He held his breath as the team lined up on the field and snapped the ball. If he hadn’t known better, he would have thought the boys had practiced this play many times because it went as smoothly as clockwork. The Mavericks moved the ball across the goal line almost before the other team could find where it went. The score was tied.

Kurt’s fingernails dug into his palms when the team lined up to kick the extra point. The spectators rose to their feet and fell silent until the announcer screamed, “It’s good! Mavericks on top twenty-one to twenty.” The crowd went wild. With only three seconds remaining on the clock, the band began to play as the cheerleaders led a cheer for their team.

Jason came running from the far end of the field. “What a play! Why’d you keep it a secret?”

“Later,” Kurt shouted as his players threw themselves against him in a concentrated group hug. 


How did Susan know a football play? Will it get her that date with Kurt?

Buy link: http://amzn.to/1NDgnrg

Saturday, November 19, 2016

Snippet Sunday and Weekend Writing Warriors


Welcome to Snippet Sunday and Weekend Writing Warriors, your chance to sample the work of a talented group of authors. When you finish here you can find more snippets at

http://www.wewriwa.com
https://www.facebook.com/groups/SnippetSunday/

Last week we saw that after the wrestling match started, Cade hit Rocky with a chair, and Rocky didn't get up. We also saw that in the ambulance he asked if it was safe to sit up, and at that point Aimee slapped him. The driver just told Aimee there was no call to hit him because it wasn't his fault. Aimee doesn't think Dave (the driver) and Rocky understand the seriousness of their position. (They ticked off drug dealers and have to fake Rocky's death so he can enter the witness protection program.) We pick up where the ambulance makes it to the hospital. Rich is Rocky's manager.

Excerpt:
Her blue spangled heels almost threw her down when the stretcher made a sharp right turn, but she managed to stay on her feet.

The ER was ready for them. Federal marshals dressed as nurses and doctors swarmed around the stretcher and whisked Rocky away while good ole Dave clamped down on her arm and refused to let her follow. All scripted of course.

Dave dragged her into a waiting room and shoved her into a green plastic chair a bit harder than Aimee felt he had to. He smirked at her over his shoulder as he left the room. His part in this charade was over. She sat in that hard chair with her heart in her throat for twenty minutes before Rich got there. To his credit, he did look worried about Rocky. “How is he?” 

Blurb:
Aimee Sherwood never dreamed that following her fiancé into the witness protection pro-gram would land her in a haunted house in a town that’s downright creepy. She’d have laughed if she had been told the guy who lives down the road might be her soul mate, not the man whose ring she’s wearing. Life in West Virginia is nothing like life in Los Angeles, but between bean ball battles with Marilyn Monroe, remodeling a crumbling farmhouse, and starting a new online business, life in the country is anything but boring.

Buy Link:
http://amzn.to/23yoW2d

Friday, November 18, 2016

Saturday Sample



Welcome to Saturday Sample. Today I'll still be posting from Fortuna my romantic comedy. So far we know that Rocky has faked his death to enter the witness protection program. This scene is at Rocky's fake funeral. Cade McCoy whom Aimee is speaking to is the man who pretended to kill Rocky in the wrestling ring.

Blurb:
Aimee Sherwood never dreamed that following her fiancé into the witness protection pro-gram would land her in a haunted house in a town that’s downright creepy. She’d have laughed if she had been told the guy who lives down the road might be her soul mate, not the man whose ring she’s wearing. Life in West Virginia is nothing like life in Los Angeles, but between bean ball battles with Marilyn Monroe, remodeling a crumbling farmhouse, and starting a new online business, life in the country is anything but boring. 

Excerpt:

She’d say one thing for him. Like good old Dave the federal marshal, Cade was a natural actor. He looked devastated, even though he knew Rocky was alive. The FBI hadn’t wanted Cade to know about their plan, but Rocky had refused to lay such a guilt trip on a friend.
Amusement filled Aimee and briefly lightened her mood. The public never imagined that even though they snarled and cursed each other during a match the wrestlers were friends outside the ring.

Cade hesitated at the door before approaching her. His head bowed and his shoulders slumped. “Aimee, I . . . I can’t tell you how . . . how sorry I am. If it’s any . . . any comfort to you, my wrestling days are over. I can’t ever go back into the ring after . . . after . . . Rocky.”
Yeah, he was a great actor. Cade had been planning to retire in December anyway. He’d made enough money to buy a farm and raise horses, which was what he really wanted to do with his life. What would she do if the situation were real? How would she react to Cade? Inspiration struck and Aimee touched her tissue to her eyes. “Th . . . thank you for coming.” She let herself burst into tears and ran from the room. Guess she was an okay actress herself. 

Buy link: http://amzn.to/23yoW2d

Fashionista Friday

Cozy Cashmere Sweaters


Dolce Gabbana brown sweater
$5,230 - mytheresa.com


Carven pink coat
shop.harpersbazaar.com


R13 boyfriend jeans
modalist.com


Michael Kors chunky heel booties
$155 - rebelle.com


Ted Baker handle bag
$320 - johnlewis.com


AnnaRecycle
etsy.com

Thursday, November 17, 2016

Soul Post 30 Days of Inspiration

Write Now Literary is pleased to present Soul Post 30 Days of Inspiration with Author Bryetta Calloway on her book release tour November 17, 2016.

Genre:  Inspirational/Self-Help

Publication Date: November 21, 2016

ISBN-10: 0692797661

ISBN-13: 978-0692797662

About The Book 
Soul Posts features the most powerful and popular Soul Stuff posts from Singer, Actress, and Writer Bryetta Calloway, featuring never-before-published posts from her ever-growing blog (Soul-Stuff.com) for women of faith, women who create, and women who lead. From her work as an artist and creative, Bryetta has built an online community that is becoming a must-join relevant space for women who consider themselves artists, believers, and creative entrepreneurs. With her pointed yet poetically gilded prose, growing presence on stages across the country, and original music she has cultivated a unique point-of-view that resonates with every fan following her across multiple digital platforms. Through social media (Instagram, Twitter, Snapchat, and Facebook), Bryetta connects with her fellow creatives on a daily basis, sharing insights of her life with her posts, videos, and images. For the first time in print, this book presents some of Bryetta’s favorite Soul Stuff posts in one volume—from her advice for “Winners Who Quit” to her clarion call to foster “Hope in a Time of Cynicism” and cultivating “Community over Contention: The Fight Against Female Jealousy”—she provides readers with a raw and honest look into the musings of her soul in an effort to empower you to share yours.
About The Author 
A Singer, Actress, and Writer Bryetta Calloway is happily following wherever her inspiration leads. Her love of faith, art and social connection has Bryetta creating and documenting regularly, both in the digital space and in person. Soul Posts is a tribute to every innovatHER, creatHER, and leadHER who has joined her on the Soul Stuff journey.

Excerpt
Hope is My Birthright, Not A Feeling.
Emotions can become so intense and overwhelming that you will feel pulled undertow by the sheer weight of them. Sadness covers you, fear tracks your every step, frustration pushes against you, stress seems to smother you. You feel surrounded, backed into a corner. Your fight or flight response kicks in like wounded prey. No matter that nothing appears to have changed, or maybe BECAUSE NOTHING seems to have changed. Whatever the impetus, you feel the rhythm of your heart uptick as you paddle against the waves of hopelessness. Desperate to seek an intravenous injection of hope. You turn your head away from the world, and you go chasing after that feeling of relief, assuredness, security. Desperate to find respite from the noise of everyday life.
Social Media Links
Website        Facebook
Tour hosted by WNL Virtual Book Tours

Asmodeus: The Legend of Margret and the Dragon


Asmodeus: The Legend of Margrét and the Dragon
by Brooks Hansen

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GENRE: Romantic Historical Fiction

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BLURB:


…Here again, his natural figure crouched beside her in the dank darkness of the cave, watching her in silence as she slept, struggling with cravings which were new to him, both tender and violent, and which he could only really compare to hunger… (from ASMODEUS)

On the cusp of the Great War, an even more pitched battle is waged in the furthest corner of the Nordic highlands, the final chapter of a centuries-old rivalry, pitting a troubled bloodline of thieves, journeyman, and politicians against the last and greatest dragon of the hemisphere, Asmodeus.

Until now, the source of this antagonism has been a single gemstone, the fabled shamir, whose history traces to the coffers of King Solomon. The present clash, however, has been sparked by the emergence of an even more desirable, more defiant, and more powerful force than that.

Inspired by the golden legend of St. Margaret, Brooks Hansen’s Asmodeus is a masterfully woven tapestry of history, myth, and fantasy, in the tradition of J.R.R.Tolkien, Bram Stoker, and C.S. Lewis. By turns a romance, an adventure, and the darkest imaginable Gothic, his tale is also, as seen through the eyes of the maiden Margrét, an unflinching exploration of our divided nature — what makes us beasts, what makes us human, and what makes us divine.


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EXCERPT:

His golden eyes flicked open, blinked, and narrowed to a squint as he finally lifted up his great, horned head. He shrugged the veil of wings. He uncoiled from his most precious gem and lumbered upward, following the airborne trail up through the high tunnel to the opening just beside the cataract.

Only his muzzle appeared at first, shining like tar in the slanting sunlight, but even that merest of appearances stirred notice among the hovering hawks and vultures: Look. Be warned and wary. The master had awakened.

His head slid further out, taking in the day. The clouds had lifted. The sky was polished glass, but the familiar whisper was still there, coming from below. Down on the near shore of the inlet was a scuttled boat. Again his eyes narrowed, trying to figure from the tides just how long ago the wreck had occurred, and whether its victims were still on premise. He hoped not. Men had their place, but it wasn’t here.

…He crawled further out onto the ledge and extended his neck toward the curtain of water, which was fuller today than usual, gushing down from the mountains after all that rain. He helped himself to several gulps. He let the bracing cold beat on his head a while, then shook free with a glistening, majestic explosion, lifted his wings and leapt. He glided most of the way down, turning three wide circles in the crux of the fjord, his great spanned shadow dashing along the cliff-side, flicking across the cataract, then across the blue surface below, around and up and around again three times before finally re-meeting him, claw to claw, on the strand beside the boat...



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AUTHOR Bio and Links:

BROOKS HANSEN is an author, screenwriter, essayist, and teacher. His novels – THE MONSTERS OF ST. HELENA, PERLMAN’S ORDEAL, THE CHESS GARDEN, and BOONE (co-authored with Nick Davis) were all New York Times Notable Books. THE CHESS GARDEN was also selected as a PW Best Book of the Year in 1995. He has written one book for Young Readers, CAESAR’S ANTLERS, which he also illustrated. In 2009 he released his first memoir, THE BROTHERHOOD OF JOSEPH, and in 2005 he received a John Simon Guggenheim Fellowship for his most recent book, JOHN THE BAPTIZER, which was published in 2009 by W.W. Norton. More recently, his fiction appeared in CENTRAL PARK: AN ANTHOLOGY (Bloomsbury USA, 2012), and he has an essay slated to appear in another upcoming anthology THE GOOD BOOK (Simon & Schuster, 2015).


Brooks Hansen is the critically acclaimed author of The Chess Garden and 7 other books, most recently Asmodeus: The Legend of Margret and the Dragon. He has recently launched his own imprint, Star Pine Books. He lives in Carpinteria, California with his wife and children.

Amazon Author Page: https://www.amazon.com/Brooks-Hansen/e/B000APA6TA
Website link is brookshansen.com
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Brooks-Hansen-13148273481/?hc_ref=SEARCH&fref=nf

Buy Link: https://www.amazon.com/Asmodeus-Legend-Margret-Brooks-Hansen/dp/099739790X/ref=asap_bc?ie=UTF8

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GIVEAWAY INFORMATION and RAFFLECOPTER CODE

Brooks will be awarding a $20 Amazon or B/N GC to a randomly drawn winner via rafflecopter during the tour. Use the link below to enter.


a Rafflecopter giveaway