Sunday, April 30, 2017

ROMANCE SUNDAY: Super-mom Tallie O'Shea took on eight adopted children and built a legacy of compassionate justice with her policeman husband. CHALLENGING THE LEGACY BY GENIE GABRIEL



Genie Gabriel
genene@genenevalleau.com

Excerpt Heat Level: 1
Book Heat Level: 1


BLURB:
Super-mom Tallie O'Shea took on eight adopted children and built a legacy of compassionate justice with her policeman husband. When he is gunned down, she doesn't think it's an accident. Then a former lover shows up and the lies from her past start unraveling. As dangers explode around her, can Tallie set things right before everything she loves is destroyed?

EXCERPT

The pressure of Pierce's fingers on hers surprised Tallie. She knew speculation about the two of them had been raging through town since Pierce showed up the night Halo exploded. Fitting, it seemed, since his arrival and the news he was Marly's biological father had rocked the foundation of her world.

Events continued to unfold at a rapid pace, including the whirlwind courtship and marriage of her oldest son, Collin, and local café owner, Beth Boulanger. Tallie already loved Beth like a daughter, though she had questioned Collin about the haste of their wedding.

However, Beth glowed with innocent love as she walked down the aisle toward Collin. And Tallie had never seen her oldest son as happy as when he took Beth's hand and tucked it under his arm, then turned to face his brother, Patrick, who was performing the ceremony.

"Dearly beloved..."

What a difference the packed church was to the intimate setting when Tallie had married Bernie. Just the minister, his wife, and Bernie's uncle, along with Collin and Patrick, who were still wary little boys not believing they might actually have a loving home of their own.

Collin is so handsome. Just like Bernie was.

Tallie dabbed at her tears with a tissue. Bernie had worn a navy blue suit and starched white shirt. Tallie wore the new dress he insisted on buying for her and carried a bouquet of flowers--real ones--from the florist fifty miles away. The two boys were self-consciously silent in their borrowed suits and slicked-down hair.

 "This will be a real marriage." Bernie had told her when he proposed a union so the boys would have both an adoptive father and mother. "You decide when you're ready to be physically intimate. But I'll always be faithful to you."

Tallie touched the wedding ring still circling the third finger of her left hand. A ring that had belonged to Bernie's grandmother.

When they married, Bernie spoke his vows clearly and looked directly at her. In all their years of marriage, Tallie knew without a doubt Bernie had indeed been true to her. He never gave her reason to think anything else.

You would be so proud of your children, Bernie.

As she dabbed at her tears again, Pierce took Tallie's hand and smiled at her. What would her life have been if she had married Pierce? She would have missed out on all her children, as well as the courage that came with being part of Bernie's legacy. She might have become as bitter as Portia Stratford.

She had loved Pierce with a deep physical passion--in a different way than she loved Bernie. She and Bernie were partners, with a love that grew from shared respect and purpose. No matter the past and whatever the future might hold, Tallie was grateful she had her marriage with Bernie and the blessings of all her children.

Only time would tell if her relationship with Pierce would become more than being parents to Marly. Today, Tallie simply cherished this beautiful time of her oldest son marrying the woman he now gazed at with total devotion and love.







Saturday, April 29, 2017

SCI/FI FANTASY SATURDAY: Vlad came from a long line of evil men. They loved killing and torturing people, and the dungeons were well used. MYRLYN'S GATE BY DAN EHL



Author: Dan Ehl
Email: news@kalonanews.com
Genre: Fantasy
Excerpt Heat Level: 1
Book Heat Level: 1
$4.99

REVIEW:
Jo Ann Hakola, The Book Faerie

Vlad came from a long line of evil men.  They loved killing and torturing
people, and the dungeons were well used.  Vlad was raised mostly by his
mother and he learned about love and kindness.  When he takes over the realm
all anyone knows is that the Dragol line is evil.  Telling them he's not
like that doesn't do him a bit of good.

The author sent me a copy of this book to read for review (thank you).  You
can buy a copy in ebook or print form.

I have to say that Mr. Ehl could be writing stories just for me.  They are
the type of fantasy that I love to read.  I've read his Jak Barley
adventures and this is a different side of the story.  I had mentioned in my
review in the past that I wanted to know about Lorenzo.  I know a bit more,
but I get the feeling you never really know Lorenzo.  He just is and can do
amazing things and he's handy to have around when you're on a quest.

The story moves along well and has all kinds of unusual characters. While
it sounds like it's incongruous and mixed up, it's really a very good story.
Everything fits together and makes sense when you read about it, no matter
how strange it might sound summed up.

If you like action fantasies with heroes and dragons and magic and even a
troll, you'll enjoy this story.  I know I did and I plan to keep my copy of
this book in my personal library.  I'll read it again.

Happy reading.

Jo Ann Hakola
The Book Faerie
4225 Harrison St
Las Cruces, NM  88005
http://bookfaerie.com
http://bkfaerie.blogspot.com
http://shelvedtreasures.blogspot.com



BLURB:

Vladimir Dragol XIII had an immense task--convincing the world he was
not following in his ancestors' bloody footprints.
When the chance to prove himself came in the form of an attractive princess on a quest to save world, how could he refuse? There was a slight problem--the
princess loathed the Dragol line.
There was also the dilemma that others alluded to in the quest
prophecy--a dragon trainee and wizard's apprentice--wanted nothing to do with the task.
Through Myrlyn's Gate was another foretold member of the quest
who had no idea what was in store for him, including a midnight raid on the
Dickeyville Grotto in the strange land of Wisconsin.

EXCERPT:

Vladimir Dragol XIII had an immense task--convincing the world he was
not following in his ancestors' bloody footprints.

When the chance to prove himself came in the form of an attractive princess on a quest to save world, how could he refuse? There was a slight problem--the
princess loathed the Dragol line.

There was also the dilemma that others alluded to in the quest
prophecy--a dragon trainee and wizard's apprentice--wanted nothing to do with the task.

Through Myrlyn's Gate was another foretold member of the quest
who had no idea what was in store for him, including a midnight raid on the
Dickeyville Grotto in the strange land of Wisconsin.

Together the quest mates would battle rogue dragons, a demented king¹s army and bikers at a bar in Bear River, Iowa.

EXCERPT

Garin hesitated, dazed by the fierce headache. It was time to silence the bell. He didn't feel strong enough for the deed, but there was no other choice. He reached out and picked up the receiver.
"What?"
"Mr. Garin Hemphill?"
"Yeah."
"Good morning. I'm calling about our new triple-paned aluminum storm windows now on sale..."
Garin had predicted the night before that it was going to be an ugly morning, the kind that made dying in one's sleep an attractive option. The suspicion first reared its ugly head at two a.m. when a blurry-eyed Garin first noticed the army of dead beer cans littering the war zone of the kitchen floor. A few of the casualties had even made it to the living room before giving up the spirit.
Luck was certainly not on Garin's side. He had hoped to sleep through the morning and most of his hangover.
"I don't need new windows. The ones I have are perfectly good."
"But sir, you haven't seen our deluxe, triple-paned, easy access windows guaranteed for the life of you or your house, whichever goes first. What's your heating bill?"
"What?"
"Your heating bill. Our windows can slash your heating bills in half."
Garin stretched the phone line and slumped into a kitchen chair. He winced at the bright morning light streaming in through the rippled glass of the old windows.
"My heating bill is fine. I don't need new windows."
"What color is your house?"
"What?"
"What color is your house? We also have a full line of enamel coated window frames that can be matched to any house color."
Garin guessed the telephone call must be some kind of penance. What other reason could there be for this torture?
"And?"
"And what?"
"What color is your house?"
"Chartreuse."
"What?"
"Chartreuse."
'You're putting me on. Your house is yellowish-green?"
Garin rubbed his eyes and wondered if the cord would reach all the way to the medicine cabinet where the aspirins were located.
"Yes, chartreuse. Do you have some kind of problem with that?"
"No, it's just that we don't get many chartreuse houses. Did you pick that color?"
"What?"
"Did you pick that color?"
"As a matter of fact, no. My mother picked it fifteen years ago. Of course it's getting a bit faded, but it is still recognizable as...”
"As...?"
"Shit."
"Shit?"
"Shit. I just saw something fly by my window."
"An aluminum window?"
"No, a tiny dragon."
"What?"
"A dragon."
"Now, is your window an ..."
"I just saw a tiny dragon fly toward the barn."
"Listen, if you don't want to buy new windows, why don't you just say so?"
"I have said so."
"You want to buy new windows?"
"No, I don't want to buy new windows. The ones I have are good enough."
"But sir, you haven't seen our deluxe, triple-paned easy access window guaranteed for the life of you or your house, whichever comes first. What's your heating bill?"
"What?"
"Your heating bill. Our windows can slash your heating bills in half."
Garin staggered across the kitchen and hung up the phone. There was some guilt involved. He'd read a recent Associated Press story about the psychological problems experienced by telemarketers. Continual rejection, much of it very rudely worded, resulted in severe trauma. The suicide rate for telephone salespeople, the story claimed, was almost as high as for people who consistently listened to country music.
He didn't bother putting on a shirt or shoes, wearing only his jeans as he rushed out the door. He was numb to the gravel under his feet as he picked his way across the rocky and weedy farmyard. He climbed the fence of the empty cattle yard, walked past the wooden feed bunks and stopped at the barn door. This was going to be as bad as answering the phone, he worried, and stepped inside.
It was worse than answering the phone. Five people were sleeping in a pile of straw thrown down from the mow. Four looked as if they were dressed for a Robin Hood movie. The fifth was clad in the leathers of a biker, but instead of a big Harley, sprawled across most of the concrete floor was an immense black dragon.
Garin only had so much stamina and it gave out when a small wyvern darted into view and stopped only inches from his nose. They stared at each other eyeball-to-eyeball before Garin's legs buckled and he collapsed to the floor.








Friday, April 28, 2017

FRIDAY'S FEATURED TITLE: Shattered by family tragedy, Lucy Carter, 15, is sent away to a prestigious performing arts boarding school where she meets a mysterious musician. A PART TO PLAY BY JENNIFER L. FRY



A Part to Play
Jennifer Fry

Excerpt Heat Level: 1
Book Heat Level: 1

Buy at Amazon: 
Buy at All Romance ebooks

Shattered by family tragedy, Lucy Carter, 15, is sent away to a prestigious performing arts boarding school where she meets a mysterious musician whose talent and insecurities teach her to rediscover her love of acting and to believe in herself.

EXCERPT

She stood on a sidewalk near a busy intersection in her hometown. Cars zipped by through a layer of heavy fog that made visibility difficult. It was dark outside, but the orange street lights illuminated the cars as they drove by. Lucy saw familiar headlights. Her mother's car approached.

Despite the fog and the darkness, she could just make out her sister, Kate, sitting tensely in the driver's seat. Headlights flashed from the other direction, distracting Lucy from her sister for a moment. An erratic vehicle headed towards her sister. It veered into Kate's path for a moment, and Lucy screamed, but eerie silence hung over the scene. She tried to run out into the street to wave her sister down, but it was as though her feet were stuck in cement.

When Kate saw the driver in her path, she stomped on the brakes and spun the steering wheel sharply to the right shoulder, causing the little sedan to skid, which rotated it around ninety degrees. Now Kate's car blocked the entire street.

The larger vehicle, a Jeep Cherokee, slammed into the driver's side door at full speed, as if the driver hadn't even seen Kate's car. Lucy screamed again, but there was no sound, not even of the cars colliding. She couldn't tear her eyes away as she watched the sedan's side section crumple into itself. Kate's body tossed back from the force of impact. Suddenly, across the street on the opposite sidewalk, Lucy saw both of her parents watching the same scene. Once again, she waved her arms, this time to get their attention. But they acted as though they couldn't see her.

When she blinked, she found herself hanging upside down in a car, strapped in with a seat belt. It took her a moment to realize she was in the backseat of the car Kate was driving. Lucy looked around desperately for her sister and saw Kate climbing out of the passenger side door, unhurt.

Her parents embraced Kate, holding her and crying over the close call. Lucy felt a searing pain in her chest; she looked down to see a piece of metal from the destroyed vehicle piercing her. Blood gushed from the wound. She cried out for her parents, her shrill scream now the only sound in the violent scene. But her parents and Kate, with arms around each other, walked away from the accident, leaving her there. She heard her mom's voice, "This family does not work without you. Thank God you are safe."

"What about me?" Lucy cried. What about me!

Darkness enveloped the quiet dorm room when Lucy's eyes snapped open. She shook so hard from the nightmare that at first she wondered if she was having a seizure. This was by far the worst dream she'd had of Kate's death. It was the first where Kate actually walked away from the accident and she, Lucy, died in her place. Or at least she had been left for dead, with her parents and sister happy together.

The true impact of what it meant to be sent to ESPA hit her with the impact of a freight train. She simply was not good enough for her parents; they had always loved Kate more. And now, she would never have that life again--the one with laughter and games--it was gone. All of it. Kate was dead and her parent's marriage was dead. There was no home for her anymore. The security she drew from her sister's unfailing support, from her parents love and affection--it was all gone. She had nothing; she had less than nothing.

Her breath coming in short gasps, Lucy crawled towards her backpack to dig out her iPod. The room spun around her as she pushed play. She made her way to the small space between the bed and the wall and curled into a ball with her music turned up full volume. Who was she without her sister? Who was she without her family? Nothing, absolutely nothing. She cried harder than she ever had, wishing a giant earthquake would split the ground open and swallow her. And when the tears dried up, everything became numb.