Synopsis

 

Vesper Wright is in hell. The night she gets fired from her unglamorous restaurant job, she comes home to find an invitation waiting on her doorstep from her estranged family to the wedding of Vesper’s cousin and childhood best friend, Rosemary, the one person she regrets losing touch with. Something inside her is telling her she has to attend the wedding, even if it means suffering through a weekend in the Satanist community she defected from. When Vesper’s homecoming exhumes a horrifying family secret, she’s forced to reckon with her family’s fanatical beliefs and her own unexpected identity.

 

 

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Review

 

I wasn’t sure what category to classify this book. Part of me says horror, and apparently, this is what the author writes, but it wasn’t horror like I usually see. Horror light, maybe? Or perhaps just a dark novel. I will say it wasn’t until I was further into the book that I understood why it was classified in this genre. To give away that would ruin the book for the future reader.

Vesper left her family at 18 and ventured into the real world. Let’s just say she grew up in a religious cult, and when you leave, you are cut off from everyone. However, she receives an invitation to her best friend’s wedding, back in the cult, and she decides to attend. This sets off a chain of events that is just a bit insane. Vesper learns the truth about her family and is put into a position that she really doesn’t wish to be in. I think she regretted going back to the wedding.

The story is quite intriguing, and there are twists that I didn’t expect. At least not until we understood more about her family. It also explains a little bit more about Vesper and some situations that arose during her time away.

While I’m not sure I would read any other horror books, I do like to expand my horizons. This book might leave you in disbelief or perhaps even chuckling at different scenarios. I liked the ending, and it leaves me wondering about Vesper, her father, and the rest of her family.

We give this book 4 paws up.

 

 

 

 

 

About the Author

 

Rachel Harrison is the National Bestselling author of CACKLE, SUCH SHARP TEETH, and THE RETURN, which was nominated for a Bram Stoker Award for Superior Achievement in a First Novel. Her short fiction has appeared in Guernica, Electric Literature’s Recommended Reading, as an Audible Original, and in her debut story collection BAD DOLLS. She lives in Western New York with her husband and their cat/overlord.

 

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About the Series

 

A sexy, dirty talking alpha. The beautiful, sweet, and fiery Bella. Her boss. A contract that forces him to marry. An arrangement that will change them forever. Meet Tyler Hawk…

Tyler Hawk is a man with secrets and a dark past. A man who has known tragedy and betrayal. He wants for little, but what he wants is more power, a legacy that is his own, and not his father’s. There are obstacles in his way, one of which is the scandal his father left behind and a will with certain demands.

Behind the scenes, he is a man on edge, and only one woman sees the truth hidden beneath his strong will and dominant rule. Bella is somehow demanding and submissive, fiery and yet sweet. She can give him everything he wants, she just doesn’t know it, not yet, but she will. If she’ll just say yes and sign on the dotted line.

Bastard Boss (book one)

 

 

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Sweet Sinner (book two)

 

 

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Dirty Little Vow (book three)

 

 

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Excerpt

 

“You’re going to have to share your room with me, sweetheart,” he says, and he doesn’t allow me time to object or even savor that endearment, not that objection is on my mind. I’m thinking of nothing but his mouth and hands on my body and this time, mine on his.

He opens the door and enters the room, maneuvering me along with him. The door slams shut behind us, and he’s already kissing me again. This time when his fingers find my hair, he gives the long strands an erotic tug and drags my gaze to his. “Control in all things, Bella. It’s who I am. It’s what I need, not a want.”

“And as you remember,” I say, my fingers curling on his chest, “I don’t like what I can’t control, which I guess actually means I like control, too.”

“And you have it with me,” he promises. “Always. All you have to say is no, and we find what feels like a yes to you. You asked if I trust you. I’m asking you now, if you trust me.”

I consider the complexity of the question. Do I trust him to listen when I say no? Yes. Do I trust him not to break my heart? I’m pretty sure that’s signed, sealed, and delivered, so, no. Do I trust him to make tonight all about pleasure? The kind of pleasure I’ll remember long after he is married off to his future fiancée. Yes. That’s a brutal yes because of where this is headed, which is nowhere but right here, right now, but one I can’t walk away from, either. “Yes,” I say. “I trust you.”

“I don’t think you do, Bella,” he murmurs, and the way he uses my name—it’s as if he wants me to know I’m not just sex to him. Or maybe I just want to believe that—even need to believe that—to be here with him, to be this intimate with him. Because I’m still me. I’m still not the “sex is sex” kind of girl, even if he aspires to change that in me. “But I want you to trust me so damn badly it’s insane,” he adds roughly, an edge of frustration in him, as if this statement somehow contradicts the control he so values.

It shakes me just how much I’m pleased that I’ve tormented him in some way, as if it’s selfish of me. I know this, but Lord also knows I’m tormented over this marriage agreement he’s obviously accepted. And if I think too hard about it, I will run. I will leave.

I don’t want to leave.

I press to my toes, desperate for his mouth and body, for that oblivion he’s shown me once that I crave once again.

His grip tightens gently round my hair, the act both arousing and brutal, as he denies me his mouth. “I’m going to make you trust me, Bella,” he declares, and then, thank you Lord, his mouth slants over my mouth, his tongue caressing my tongue. And it’s a toe-curling, deep, drugging kiss that leaves me breathless when his lips part mine. “Undress, baby,” he orders. “I want to watch.”

 

 

About the Author

 

New York Times and USA Today bestselling author Lisa Renee Jones writes dark, edgy fiction, including the highly acclaimed INSIDE OUT series and the upcoming crime thriller The Poet. Suzanne Todd (producer of Alice in Wonderland and Bad Mom’s) on the INSIDE OUT series: Lisa has created a beautiful, complicated, and sensual world that is filled with intrigue and suspense.

Prior to publishing, Lisa owned a multi-state staffing agency that was recognized many times by The Austin Business Journal and also praised by the Dallas Women’s Magazine. In 1998 Lisa was listed as the #7 growing women-owned business in Entrepreneur Magazine. She lives in Colorado with her husband, a cat that talks too much, and a Golden Retriever who is afraid of trash bags.

 

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Synopsis

 

From the bestselling author of Beyond the Moonlit Sea comes an atmospheric tale of how one woman’s search for the truth uncovers long-hidden secrets and rocks the very foundation of her world.

Scarlett Fontaine is a true Hollywood legend―a singer, actress, and beloved fashion icon. But Scarlett dies tragically at just thirty-six years old, leaving behind no children. Or so the story goes…

Gwen Hollingsworth is the curator at a museum dedicated to Scarlett’s life. She’s also sole heir to Scarlett’s fortune as a descendant of the star. But all is not well in Gwen’s world. She’s dealing with a messy marital separation and is struggling to move forward. So when Peter Miller, a biographer and photojournalist, comes to the museum with shocking claims about Scarlett―a life of exile in Alaska, a baby born in secret―Gwen’s whole world is turned upside down. Again.

Determined to uncover the truth, Gwen and Peter set out for Alaska together but soon find themselves on a path toward something far deeper and more meaningful than either of them ever expected.

A Storm of Infinite Beauty takes readers on a breathtaking journey from a lush vineyard in Nova Scotia to a rustic lodge in Alaska where old family secrets are revealed and the quest for true happiness begins.

 

 

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Review

 

This book has a surprising mystery that intrigued me from start to finish. An iconic star has a missing year, and what everyone was told couldn’t be further from the truth.

This book is told from two points of view – Scarlett, the star, and a distant relative, Gwen. Scarlett’s story is in 1963-64, the missing year. What brings this to light is a random discovery by a writer of Scarlett in Valdez, Alaska, during a memorable earthquake at that time. This discovery surprises her living relatives. Their knowledge was based on what was told to them by Scarlett’s father. What a surprise when the whole story is uncovered!

My favorite part of the book was the sections that detailed Scarlett’s existence in Alaska during this time. I felt like we were getting a peek into something no one knew about until now. As more clues are uncovered, it is as if they kept it a secret from the world. That wouldn’t have been too hard to do at that time since there were no electronics or social media. I also liked the detailed research into the earthquake and how it impacted this town.

Scarlett’s story has an impact on Gwen. Not just because there could be another family member out there, but personally, as she endured a personal tragedy a few years prior. However, I believe that uncovering this information helped her process her own grief.

While there is a budding romance between Gwen and Peter. However, it felt flat. I also was surprised at how much she discussed her marriage with someone that she barely knew. Perhaps because he was more of a stranger, and it was easier to talk to him? I do think that this journey might have helped Gwen realize that her marriage was over, but it took time to reach that answer.

There are other characters that help round out the story, including Blaine and Maud, who run the Wilderness Lodge in this town. There are also some more nefarious characters that add the sinister moments. Some characters you might dislike at the beginning just might become someone you like at the end.

Overall, we give this book 4 paws up.

 

 

 

 

 

 

About the Author

 

Julianne MacLean is a USA Today bestselling author of more than thirty novels, including the popular Color of Heaven series. Readers have described her books as “breathtaking,” “soulful,” and “uplifting.” MacLean is a four-time Romance Writers of America RITA finalist and has won numerous awards, including the Booksellers’ Best Award and a Reviewers’ Choice Award from the Romantic Times. Her novels have sold millions of copies worldwide and have been translated into more than a dozen languages.

MacLean has a degree in English literature from King’s College in Halifax, Nova Scotia, and a business degree from Acadia University in Wolfville, Nova Scotia. She loves to travel and has lived in New Zealand, Canada, and England. She currently resides on the east coast of Canada in a lakeside home with her husband and daughter.

 

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Synopsis

 

A multi-generational biblical saga of captivity, romance, faith, and redemption, set against the Judean exile in Babylon.

Everything changes for Sarah the day Nebuchadnezzar’s army storms Jerusalem. In an instant, her peaceful life on the farm is ripped away: her city sacked, her temple desecrated, her people enslaved. Marched across unforgiving desert sands to Babylon, Sarah and the remaining Judean people must find a way to keep their faith alive in a new and unforgiving home.

Displaced within an empire of strange gods and unimaginable wealth, Sarah and her descendants bear witness to palace intrigue, betrayal, brutal sacrifice, regicide, and a new war brewing in the east. Through every trial, the Hebrew people attempt to preserve their religion. Uri, Sarah’s son, transcribes incredible stories of prophets and visions, Creation and Exodus—stories that establish the central tenets of the Hebrew faith.

 

 

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Excerpt

 

Part One: The Captives

 

586 BCE–Year 1 of the Exile

 

Sarah Under Siege

 

Sarah stood at the window of the family farm outside of Jerusalem, staring across the hills into the confusion of the city. Flames and smoke rose from Mount Moriah. But it couldn’t be—

“Papa,” Sarah choked out.

“How many times have I said to stay away from that window?” Baruch, her father, pushed her aside to stand in front of the window himself. “God help us,” he gasped.

Flames were shooting up from the Temple Mount. Solomon’s Temple—God’s Temple—was burning. “How could they?” she whispered.

Her father wheeled on her. “They’re idolators; that’s how. Placed on this Earth for no other purpose but evil.”

It was inconceivable. Why hadn’t God stopped them? Sarah could almost smell the rich scent of the cedar and fir walls that lined the Temple as they smoldered in flame. Even at this distance, she saw the Chaldean forces gleefully loading carts with the gold and silver ornaments of the Lord, seizing them as war loot to enrich the coffers of the Babylonians. How could anyone destroy such beauty?

Her father irritably brushed aside her comment, his hand smacking the air.

Unable to bear it, she looked in another direction. Beyond the Temple Mount, outside the city, soldiers raced back and forth on the solid earthen banks they’d built up over the past weeks to attack Jerusalem’s sacred stone walls. They made Sarah think of wasps buzzing angrily in date palms, swarming about her head as she collected ripe fruit. She watched, helpless, as the enemy cast heavy stones from giant catapults while shower after shower of arrows fell upon the city. The air was acrid with the smell of dust and smoke and of oil bubbling on Judean fires, sent scalding down the walls to repel the attackers.

“We’ll see an end to this before nightfall,” her father said, his voice heavy with resignation.

They had not seen daylight for many days. The skies were dark and angry, brooding, as if God Himself wished to add to the assault’s fury. The prophets had warned them, Father had growled just last night. Jeremiah had warned them. Still Sarah prayed, trying to ignore the tumult surrounding her. It was no use. God was angry with His people, the prophets proclaimed, and had sent the bold Babylonian conquerors to punish them. Sarah believed them.

After all, Sarah’s God was always angry. Just like her father. She often confused the two.

“What will they do to us?” moaned Aliza, Sarah’s mother.

Mother sat on her stool near the hearth, having gathered her household treasures around her. In her lap was a pile of hand-worked linen, which she stroked compulsively.

“Aliza,” Baruch chided her, turning from the window, his face bleak. “With death lurking in every corner, why do you cling to that old cloth?”

But Sarah knew why. Her mother’s life was confined to the solidly built rooms and terraced fields of the sprawling white stone farmhouse. She needed to clasp something solid, gain comfort from softness she could touch and caress. As her father turned away, Mother snuck the cloth to her cheek, hand shaking. Sarah knelt by her stool, laying her head in her mother’s lap to both give and take comfort. Aliza’s trembling fingers moved from the cloth to Sarah’s hair.

It would not be long now, Sarah thought, her heartbeat rising in panic.

The servants, suspecting the worst, had fled the farm yesterday, leaving their rakes in the field and dinner half cooked. Only old Dina remained, too brittle and cloudy eyed to contemplate escape. The handmaid sat blinking in a corner of the room, her wrinkled face working in silent terror.

Sarah pictured the soldiers marching up the hillside in orderly rows, breastplates glinting in the sun. The family would huddle in a corner while the greedy troops seized her mother’s shining metal mirrors and soft goatskin rugs. They would round up the sheep and goats now bleating piteously in the pen behind the house. But then Sarah willed them to move on. After all, there was no reason for them to lay good farmland to waste.

But even if they burned this season’s crop in the field, Sarah thought, that would surely be the worst of it. Her father’s fears of death and destruction were groundless. They had to be. Sarah could not imagine life beyond the family farm, this safe, familiar place where she had lived every day of her young life.

 

 

About the Author

 

Michelle Cameron’s Beyond the Ghetto Gates (She Writes Press, 2020) was awarded a Silver Medal in Historical Fiction by the Independent Book Publishers, won First Place/Best of Category for the Chanticleer Goethe Awards and was a Foreword Indies finalist. Her previous historical novel, The Fruit of Her Hands (Simon & Schuster’s Pocket Books, 2009), is based on the author’s thirteenth-century rabbi ancestor, Meir ben Baruch of Rothenberg.

Michelle’s novel-in-verse, In the Shadow of the Globe (Lit Pot Press, 2003), was named Shakespeare Theatre of NJ’s 2003-4 Winter Book Selection. In addition, it was performed at a variety of venues, including the Stella Adler Studio’s Shakespeare Benefit.

She lived in Israel for fifteen years (including three weeks in a bomb shelter during the Yom Kippur War) and served as an officer in the Israeli Army teaching air force cadets technical English.

A director of The Writers Circle, Michelle teaches creative writing to children, teens, and adults in NJ and virtually. Residing in Chatham, NJ, with her husband, Michelle has two grown sons of whom she is inordinately proud.

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THE KILLER ENIGMA

 

Magnolia Bluff Crime Chronicles

 

Book 16

 

by BREAKFIELD AND BURKEY

 

NOW AVAILABLE FOR PRE-ORDER!

 

Cozy Mystery / Suspense / Cozy Mystery Series

 

Publisher: ICABOD Press

 

Coming August 19, 2023

 

 

 

 

Enough is Enough – JJ rumbled when the paparazzi invaded dinner.

JJ and Jo realize privacy doesn’t exist for them. They return to Magnolia Bluff to check on their friends and recapture the small-town anonymity.  In Magnolia Bluff, no one suspects their fame.
They discount the status of urban legends in favor of acceptance and a quiet, peaceful life. After all, a supermodel needs time and space to recharge between jobs. A geek wants time to adore his wife.

Does Magnolia Bluff hold the answers to their prayers?

Will their desires get clouded by a hidden secret?

Past, present, and future collide in a perfect storm no one expected. JJ and Jo take action to uncover the truth. Chief Tommy Jager likes them but feels they’re a lightning rod for trouble and disruption.

Who will live or die to prevent the truth from being exposed? The answers may be in the graveyard with fresh flowers on the gravestone.

Their friends are targets   –   Their dreams are broken   –   They must fight

 

 

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Charles Breakfield is a 25+ year technology expert in security, networking, voice, and anything digital. He enjoys writing, studying World War II history, travel, and cultural exchanges. He also enjoys wine tastings, wine-making, Harley riding, cooking extravaganzas, and woodworking.

Rox Burkey is a 25+ year applied technology professional who excels at optimizing technology and business investments for customers worldwide with a focus on optimized customer experiences. She writes white papers and documents with a marked preference for fiction.

Together they create award-winning stories that resonate with males and females, young and experienced adults, and bring a fresh new view to technology possibilities today.

 

 

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Synopsis

 

A fun love story following two roommates and a no-strings pact that is put to the test after unforeseen circumstances leave them closer than ever.

The proposition is simple: if ER nurse Claire Harper and her roommate, firefighter Graham Scott, are still single by the time they’re forty, they’ll take the proverbial plunge together…as friends with benefits. Maybe it’s the wine, but in the moment, Claire figures the pact is a safe-enough deal, considering she hasn’t had much luck in love and he’s in no rush to settle down. Like, at all. Besides, there’s no way she could ever really fall for Graham and his thrill-seeking ways. Not after what happened to her father…

Just as things begin to heat up way before the proposed deadline, Graham’s injured in a serious rock-climbing accident—and he needs Claire’s help to heal. She’ll do whatever it takes to nurse him back to health…even if it means moving into Graham’s bed and putting up with his little dog who hates her. But with this no-strings arrangement taking a complicated turn, keeping “for now” from turning into “forever” isn’t as easy as they’d planned.

 

 

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Review

 

This was such an entertaining story to read. While it is a trope we have read about before, there is a twist to this story, which is what makes it all that more fun to read.

Claire and Graham definitely have chemistry. They have just been denying it for years. But once they agree to be friends with benefits, things explode. However, an accident sidelines Graham, but this is where the story really picks up. They are put into a situation where they have to really get to know one another, which is really the foundation for any relationship.

I laughed a lot through this book. There are so many witty and snarky comments. But there is also some truth in the conversations, which is nice to balance out the story.

There is so much to love about this book. The sexy characters, witty dialogue, hard conversations, and Graham’s emails to Claire that she doesn’t know about because it was sent to an email address that she created when she was 12 and, needless to say, doesn’t use anymore. You will laugh at the email name! I really enjoyed watching these characters grow, work through past traumas, and create their own HEA.

We give this book 5 paws up.

 

 

 

 

 

 

About the Author

 

Allison Ashley is a science geek who enjoys coffee, craft beer, baking, and love stories. When she’s not working at her day job as a clinical oncology pharmacist, she pens contemporary romances, usually with a medical twist. She lives in Oklahoma with her family and beloved rescue dog

 

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Synopsis

 

Lost is a story of love, betrayal, honour, revenge, and everything in between. It’s also a love story that sets fire to the world they live in leaving them with no choice but to rise from the ashes anew…

Lieutenant Rahul Jaishankar of the Indian Navy is a man of honour, principles and commitment. His love for his family, his ethics, and his integrity is only eclipsed by his love for his country. He has no time or space to love anything or anyone else. Until the day Ayaana Sahni explodes into his life. Suddenly, she’s all he can think of, all he can hope for, all he dreams of, awake or asleep…

But Ayaana isn’t a dream he can afford to have. She’s an illusion. Ayaana Sahni is actually Aarushi Mittal. And Aarushi Mittal wants only one thing…Vengeance. And no man, not even one as deliciously gorgeous as Lieutenant Rahul was going to get in her way.

An award winning, intrepid journalist, Aarushi spends most of her life abroad working on the kind of devastating stories that the world would never hear of if not for people like her. But it has come at the cost of her personal life, at the cost of time with family, and at the heartbreaking cost of her friend’s devastating tragedy.

Aarushi needs to atone for her negligence, she needs to right the wrongs done in her absence, and she needs to make the villain in her friend’s story pay. What she really needs to make that happen is a way into the tightly knit community of the Indian Navy and Lieutenant Rahul Jaishankar is it. And if that means there is some collateral damage along the way, then so be it. Even if the collateral being damaged makes her yearn for dreams that don’t exist. Surely, the Lieutenant would understand, wouldn’t he?

Aarushi isn’t built for love. She’s built to burn down the world for her loved ones instead. So what if this man makes her want things she’s never wanted? So what if this man makes her heart ache for something she’ll never have? So what if, suddenly, this man is all she wants?

 

 

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Excerpt

 

She swung the door open, her eagerness on full display. Rahul leaned against the wall outside her flat, in loose tracks and a t-shirt that had probably been washed ten thousand times. He looked warm and rumpled and enticingly cuddle-able.

“Hi Ayaana.” Rahul smiled, a weary smile.

Ayaana.

Her smile dropped in wattage as she held the door open and made way for him to enter. He didn’t move, instead waiting on the threshold for her to precede him.

Oh right. The whole gallantry thing. She turned around and started hopping back down the little corridor. She heard the door shut behind her and then a warm hand captured her crutch holding hand.

A shiver worked its way through her. He was so close. So big, so warm, so everything. A ridiculous urge to curl into his solid, stable presence and cry overcame her but she shook it off. She shook it all off.

“Problem, Navy?”

His eyes, so close to her own, flashed in amusement at the nickname.

“You’re doing it wrong,” he murmured.

“Doing what wrong?” Why was she breathless?

“The crutch thing.”

She raised one eyebrow and tried to look haughty. “You’re criticizing my ability to limp on a damaged foot?”

But she ruined the effect with the breathless whisper that accompanied the words.

He looked down at her, his gaze dropping to her lips before moving to land on her crutch. “You’re hopping too much. All the weight and pressure is on your shoulders and back. You’re not leveraging the crutch enough.”

He slid one arm around her waist to anchor her, his other hand going to wrap around the knuckles she had tightly clenched around the handle of the crutch. He helped her raise the crutch in the air and place it forward while using his other arm to coax her body into not leaping into a hop to compensate. Only when her weight rested on the crutch did he let her body slide into step with it.

“Better?” he asked, the word a waft of heat against the shell of her ear.

Aarushi shut her eyes, as unreasonable sensations cascaded through her. She nodded her head, just once, in response to his question.

He released her and stepped back, cold air rushing in to take the place of the delicious warmth of his body. She reached instinctively for him but stopped herself before she made contact. Her fingers curled in mid-air before her hand dropped to her side.

 

 

 

 

 

About the Author

 

A published author with Harlequin India – Mills & Boon India Collection and Juggernaut, Shilpa Suraj’s books have hit both the Hot New Releases and Bestseller lists on Amazon. Her next novel, tentatively titled ‘Wrong,’ has been contracted by Rupa Publications and will release later this year. She is also part of the Flipped Anthology by Harper Collins and had an audiobook book Insta Reddy release with Storytel.

She is, amongst other things, currently working on ‘Frazzled and Fabulous,’ a humorous, true-to-life parenting story that is part memoir and part nonfiction.

An avid reader with a passion for creative writing and storytelling saw her participating in writing competitions at school and dabbling in copywriting for an ad agency as a teenager. Twenty years in the corporate space, including a stint in Corporate Communications for Google, India, and a spell at entrepreneurship, all hold her in good stead for her multiple current roles of author, mother, and Head of Human Resources & Public Relations at an architecture and interior design firm.

 

 

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Synopsis

 

When Zylan and his band of poachers invade the realm and start hunting unicorns, gamekeeper Yonell and his twelve-year-old daughter Ayla are on the alert to protect them. However, in a skirmish with two of Zylan’s men, Yonell is captured along with Snowflake, the youngest unicorn in the family. The prisoners are strapped to horses and taken by Zylan and his band to their stronghold deep in the mountains to meet their fate.

Ayla is bereft, but Hollendur, the matriarchal leader of the unicorns who is also Snowflake’s mother, will have nothing with the young girl feeling sorry for herself. She implores Ayla to join her, her husband Anon, and the rest of the unicorn family in pursuit of the poachers by telling her that it is the only way to save her father. Ayla snaps out of her depression and readily agrees.

Meanwhile, Yonell has befriended Zylan’s son Arronde, a kind-hearted young man who loves animals and is aghast at the evil ways of his bully father. Together they care for the frightened Snowflake, and a bond forms between all three of them.

When Anon sees that the poachers are heading for the mountains, he concocts a plan. But will Ayla and the band of unicorns be in time to save Yonell and Snowflake? They must hurry to Marvel Wood to confront the thieves before it is too late.

 

 

 

Amazon

 

 

About the Author

 

Jim’s stories and poems have appeared in nearly five hundred online and print publications. His collection of short stories, Resilience, is published by Bridge House Publishing. Short Stuff, a collection of flash fiction and drabbles is published by Chapeltown Books. Periodic Stories, Periodic Stories Volume Two, Periodic Stories Volume Three – A Novel, and Periodic Stories Volume Four are published by Impspired. Dreamers, a collection of short stories, is published by Clarendon House Publishing. Something Better, a dystopian adventure novella, and the novel, The Alien of Orchard Lake, are published by Dark Myth Publications. In the fall of 2022, his collection entitled Holiday Stories was published by Impspired as was his collection of poetry, Haiku Seasons. In February 2023, Periodic Stories Volume IV was published, as was his collection of poems, The Alchemy of Then, both by Impspired. In June 2023, a collection of flash fiction, Dancing With Butterflies, was published by Impspired.In July 2023, his YA novella The Battle of Marvel Wood was published by Impspired. His short story “Aliens” was nominated by The Zodiac Press for the 2020 Pushcart Prize. His story “The Maple Leaf” was voted 2021 Story of the Year for Spillwords. He was voted December 2022 Author of the Month for Spillwords. He also reads his stories for Talking Stories Radio and for Jim’s Storytime on his website. He lives in a small town west of Minneapolis, Minnesota.

 

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Synopsis

 

What might happen if a handful of people living in different eras became entangled in time, some intentionally and some accidentally? The nineteenth-century scientist, Dr. Wilhelm Gussen, is passionate about improving the welfare of mankind, and so he begins a journey through time in a quest to learn about future advances in epidemiology. Physicist Emory Lynch, from the twenty-seventh century, studies an old pocket watch, said to be a time travel device, and accidently stumbles into the twenty-first century. In 2019, Jim Zimmerman, the de facto neighborhood go-to guy, finds himself caught in the middle of a clandestine, future conspiracy. True to his character, he becomes inextricably involved in future affairs that involve saving humanity from itself—dragging his wife and a few neighbors along for the ride. Thus, begins a time travel adventure that examines the stubborn predictability of human behavior and how some things, even over time, never seem to change.

 

 

Amazon

 

 

Praise

 

“The Five Watches is filled with interesting characters and enchanting tapestries woven into the fabric of time itself. John explores not only the ravages of time but more importantly the impact of individual kindness, caring, and selflessness towards others that is heartwarming. I enjoyed this suspenseful page turner, the connection to everyday people and to imaginable heroes that we can all strive to become. Uplifting!” – Jim Richards, Beta Reader

 

 

Review

 

This time travel novel spans centuries and brings in a sci-fi twist to the story. The story starts in the past when a scientist discovers an element that allows people to time travel. Through some crazy incidents, these end up in watches. Jump forward to the present day. I wasn’t sure where this story was going because it didn’t seem to have a tie to the watches. Don’t rush the story because it does get there, and what evolves might blow your mind.

The author does a wonderful job of blending the future and why these humans came back to our time. It might seem far-fetched, but the author weaves current events into the story, which makes it very plausible.

I enjoyed the historical aspects, the future, and the present day as to how it impacts that future 600 years later. But there is also disharmony within the future ranks. Imagine being told what you can and can’t do, who you will mate with, and basically controls your life. It brings to mind some questions and what I would be willing to fight for should it come to pass.

We give this book 4 paws up.

 

 

 

 

About the Author

 

John R. York has been writing and publishing his stories since 2016, but he’s always been a storyteller, even as a kid in Central Ohio where he grew up. His life experiences provided him with a wealth of tales to share with others and resulted in his debut work, Wolf’s Tale. He has since published five more novels, including the award-winning Journey to Eden. A retired high-tech executive, he currently lives with his wife, Paula, in New Port Richey, Florida.

 

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Synopsis

 

In the tradition of Craig Johnson and C. J. Box, Bruce Borgos’s The Bitter Past begins a compelling series set in the high desert of Nevada featuring Sheriff Porter Beck…

Porter Beck is the sheriff in the high desert of Nevada, north of Las Vegas. Born and raised there, he left to join the Army, where he worked in Intelligence, deep in the shadows in far off places. Now he’s back home, doing the same lawman’s job his father once did, before his father started to develop dementia. All is relatively quiet in this corner of the world, until an old, retired FBI agent is found killed. He was brutally tortured before he was killed and clues at the scene point to a mystery dating back to the early days of the nuclear age. If that wasn’t strange enough, a current FBI agent shows up to help Beck’s investigation.

In a case that unfolds in the past (the 1950s) and the present, it seems that a Russian spy infiltrated the nuclear testing site and now someone is looking for that long-ago, all-but forgotten person, who holds the key to what happened then and to the deadly goings on now.

 

 

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Review

 

This book had me hooked from the start. It blends mystery, humor, suspense, action, a touch of romance, and unique characters that blend the past with the present to portray a complex scenario.

The story is primarily told in the present, but there are jumps to the late 50s that share what it was like when they were testing nuclear bombs, what they thought would happen with the radioactive material, and what actually happened. I really enjoyed the changes in time because it helped us to understand the present by understanding the past.

Sherriff Beck has his own issues to deal with, including degeneration in his eyes, especially at night, that hinders his abilities. FBI Special Agent Sana Locke is sent to Nevada to investigate the death of a former agent. The tension between these two could set off sparks. One underrated character is Beck’s sister, Brinley. She is one hot mess but has skills that most of us might wish we possessed.

I enjoyed the interaction between all of the characters. I especially loved Sana’s dry and sarcastic wit. I had a good chuckle throughout the book.

I don’t know if this is going to be a series, but I think the author should consider it. It does say #1 on Goodreads, so I’m going to go with it probably will be a series.

If you enjoy mysteries, you might want to give this one a whirl. We give it 5 paws up.

 

 

 

 

 

About the Author

 

BRUCE BORGOS lives and writes from the Nevada desert where he works hard every day to prove his high school guidance counselor had good instincts when he said “You’ll never be an astronaut.” He has a degree in political science which mostly served to dissuade him from a career in law while at the same time tormenting his wife with endless questions about how telephones work. When not writing, you can usually find him at the local wine store.

 

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