February/March 2016 by The Book Breeze

Reviews, Interviews, New Releases

PATRICIA BRIGGS

Vol 6 Issue 2

Feb/March 2016

Author of the Mercy Thompson Series

turn the page c

in this issue

Feb/March 2016

On the cover . . . Patricia Briggs Author of the Mercy Thompson series

Review Columns

Mercy Thompson Series Review . . . Page 6

YA Reviews Shannon’s Space . . . Page 8

Mystery Roberta’s Ramblings . . . Page 12

The Binge Report

Nurse Jackie . . . Page 24

New Releases Everywhere

Interviews ... Urban Fantasy Patricia Briggs Page 14 Romance Annette Miller Page 7

Historical Romance Author Rachel Brimble Page 10 Financial Thriller Author George Ugeux Page 20

Book Excerpts

PORCELAIN DOLL by Joe Consentino . . . Page 23 HER ONE TRUE LOVE by Rachel Brimble . . . 11

Mystery ... Love ...

Becca McQuaid came to England to find the perfect horse but instead met a darkly mysterious challenge in Austen Heath, Baron of Hampton. She’s determined to buy Austen’s stallion Gambler’s Choice. He’s determined not to sell, but the rivals are thrown together by an accident that leaves Austen with a broken leg and the threat he’ll never ride again.

Austen Heath has the title, heritage and manor house…but not the fortune. Becca is wealthy. Her charms are irresistible, but he believes she’s shopping for a Ladyship to go with her money. He has another reason to hold the sexy blonde at arms’ length—the unexplained disappearance of an old friend everyone thinks was his lover. When her body is discovered on his property, he becomes a suspect in her murder.

Tell us about your new release. FIRE TOUCHED is the ninth book in the Mercy Thompson series—the ongoing stories of a coyote shapeshifter plunked down among werewolves and vampires and other assorted supernatural creatures. In FIRE TOUCHED, the showdown that has been building up between the fae and the rest of the world takes a left turn that will change Mercy’s world forever.

Did you have an interesting experience in the research of this book? My husband, my assistant and I got a tour from the very nice folks at Lampson International and got to crawl all over one of the largest mobile cranes in the world. It was very cool—and left me pretty impressed by the achievements of engineering and physics. We also spent part of a day crawling all over the cable bridge that spans the Columbia River between Pasco and Kennewick, taking photos and discussing various methods of destruction and mayhem. I’m still waiting for someone to review their security system, notice us, and send the FBI out to investigate us for possible terrorism. Not as much fun as when we discussed how to dispose of bodies at a restaurant—only later to realize that the people in the table behind us were uniformed police officers. But I’ll take my fun where I can find it.

Are any of your characters loosely based on people you know in real life? I’m very wary about basing characters on real people, especially in a long running series because I might have to do something . . . unpleasant to my characters (I wake up every day grateful that I am not the protagonist in an urban fantasy series). That said, there are two characters in this series based on real people. I have a friend who worked at an antiquarian bookstore. One day, when the series was just beginning, he suggested that Mercy should come to his store to look for information on the fae in one of his rare books. We laughed—but the idea took root. So in the middle of the third book, that’s what happened.

The second character was planned right from the start. We had this amazing mechanic shop in Kennewick, owned by an older man who scared me to death. You’d go into Buck’s shop and he’d scowl and snarl impatiently. But their

their work was good—and most importantly for us, cheap. Then one day I went into the shop to ask for a gas cap for our old van. “Why do you want a gas cap,” he said sourly (remember, this guy made his living working with the public!) “It fell off the van,” I told him hesitantly. He frowned and narrowed his eyes. “Gas caps don’t fall off of vans,” he told me sharply. And right then, I’d had enough of being intimidated by him. I frowned back. “My husband told me to come here and buy a new gas cap, because the gas cap had fallen off the van. I’m a good wife, I take my husband at his word. So he didn’t leave it at the gas station—the gas cap just fell of the van.” You know? That scary old man threw his head back and laughed—and that was the last time he scowled at me.

He was crusty, but Buck was one of the kindest, most generous and honest people I’ve known. When we couldn’t pay for a needed repair, he sold us the parts at cost—and had us talk to his mechanic so we could fix it. When one of their repairs didn’t work (not their fault, we drove Very old cars), and left my husband Mike stranded at work— Buck drove (unasked) fifteen miles to make the repair. When a little girl disappeared from our neighborhood, he and his sons stayed out all night with a group of volunteers, knocking on doors. (No, they didn’t find her. Her body was found a year later. It was horrible.) When Buck saw a teenager sitting under a piece of cardboard, he and his wife took her in. Just before I started writing the Mercy series, I knew that his lung cancer had returned and treatment was unlikely to help. I asked him if he minded if I used him as a character in the books and he lit right up—and so Floyd (Buck) Buckner became the core of Mercy’s grumpy gremlin mechanic mentor, Siebold Adelbertsmiter, better known as Zee. Do you people watch for character inspiration? All of my life. As a child, I found that understanding why people do what they do, made my world make more sense. What do you hope readers take away from your work? I hope that people who read my books laugh, cry, sweat, and hope with my characters—and that, when readers are through with the final sentence, they are in a little better place than they were when they started. What do you do when you are not writing?

I am privileged to breed Arabian horses. I’ve been involved with horses since I was eight or nine. After more than forty years of riding, lessons, and more riding even a physically

ungifted person like me achieves a certain skill level. But I never thought that raising the darn things would appeal to me. Then I bought a lovely mare for my husband to ride— and she came with a breeding to a beautiful stallion. So I bred her. The moment I saw that little chestnut boy, I knew I wanted to do more of that. The second thing that occupies time and energy is that my husband and I are building a carousel. I grew up in Butte, Montana, and one of the mainstays of our summers was going to the Columbia Gardens on the weekends. The Columbia Gardens was an amusement park—tiny by the standards of Disneyland or Six Flags, but it was ours. As the name implies, there were beautiful gardens—and three rides—an old wooden rollercoaster, an incredibly dangerous (to my adult eyes) airplane swing we thought rather tame, and a merry-goround. The merry-go-round, with its lead black stallion, was my favorite.

While I was still in elementary school, the mining company who owned the land the Columbia Gardens was on, discovered that there were gold deposits beneath the old-and-no-longer-profitable amusement park. Legal battles ensued about whether or not the company could close the park. Then, in the middle of winter, “kids” broke into the seasonally closed park and burned down the building that kept the carousel horses, the wooden airplanes and rollercoaster cars safe from the weather. That effectively stopped all the legal battles and closed the park—and left me with a love of carousels that is tinged with loss.

Which overly-dramatic-but-still-true story is the only explanation I can offer for what we are doing now. My husband and I are engaged in what may be the single largest version of a project scope creep ever. We started out to buy a carousel horse for the house—and now we are building a carousel from the remains of a hundred year old frame. People ask us what we are going to do with it when we finish it—but they miss the point, which is a good thing because we aren’t going to be done with it for, probably ten or twenty years. The point is the process of creation with my family. The point is that I’m learning a lot I will use in future stories, not just about carousels, but about immigration in the early 20th century, about art, about mechanical things. There are a thousand stories about theft and corruption and greed that are intertwined with the history of these old things. I’m eating them up to reissue in slightly altered versions.

Have you ever written a scene that ‘creeped’ you out? Hah! Yes. I had to leave my office and write the last quarter of Bone Crossed in my living room where there were lots of lights and people. Usually it works the other way around, though--something creeps me out and I use it in a story. Mostly I use my nightmares. I’m probably one of the very few people in the world who has a nightmare and is happy about it. But sometimes I get to use real life happenings.

I used the following experience to write a scene in Blood Bound. When I was four or five, my bed was right next to a window. One night, while I was going to sleep, some noise outside caught my attention. I woke up and there was a face pressed against the glass of the window (distorted by being smooshed against the glass), not six inched from me. Scared me to death. The nice old lady from down the street who was babysitting me wasn’t particularly fast, and the owner of the face was long gone when she finally made it into the room. She tucked me back in and told me not to look out of the window at night. I know, right? But she was old school—and also the reason why I can’t hang my feet or hands off the bed when I sleep to this day. It was years before I could look out a window at night.

What are you reading now? I just finished Gentleman Jole and the Red Queen by Lois McMaster Bujold. Wow. She is such a terrific storyteller. This one is not a book for anyone who hasn’t read the Vorkosigan saga (If you haven’t, go do so. You’ll thank me for it, I promise.) But for we who love the Vorkosigans, and mourned with them over the events at the end of Cryoburn, this was a welcome gift. Bujold can make you laugh and cry—sometimes on the same page. She rips out your heart and gives it back to you, stronger and better for the experience.

What’s next for you? Currently I’m working on the next Mercy book, as yet unnamed. One word: Vampires. Okay, maybe four: Vampires, golems, and Prague.

Review: Mercy Thompson series by Laurel Newberry

Patricia Briggs is right at the top of my list of favorite authors. She is a brilliant storyteller who weaves vivid threedimensional characters through a tapestry of regional history and believable fantasy. These characters will stay with you long after the cover is closed and keep you checking back to see if there is a release date for the next installment.

March will see the release of Briggs’s ninth Mercy Thompson book, “Fire Touched”, which shares a timeline with her Alpha and Omega series. This makes it the fifteenth in what the author calls the “Mercy-verse”.

Urban Fantasy at its finest, this series invites the reader to explore an entire community of creatures that range from werewolves and fae (like you see on Grimm), to witches and vampires, all living in community with the unsuspecting human population. Based on locations you can actually visit, Briggs creates the supernatural so well we are left to wonder if she knows something we do not.

The series begins with “Moon Called” where Mercy Thompson, a coyote shape-shifter, is making a living as a Volkswagen mechanic in the desert of southeast Washington State. When she offers assistance to a needy teen her singular act of kindness takes her out of the safe(ish) life she has made for herself and straight into the heart of werewolf business. Raised by werewolves in Montana, she has made it a point to maintain her independence from the local pack, especially the very attractive Alpha, but soon she is embroiled in a mystery that puts everything she values in jeopardy. She is a wonderfully strong female protagonist, one who uses her limited supernatural powers to their greatest advantage and who suffers the consequences when things go wrong.

The secondary series, starting with the short story “Alpha and Omega,” follows Anna Latham, a werewolf abused by her own kind, who gets a chance to rescue herself. This first story offers extra details about the events in the first Mercy Thompson book. In addition to this extensive series, Briggs has written nine other full-length books and a number of short stories. You can find details on her books and other adventures at her website: patriciabriggs.com

Okay, I’ll admit it, I am a fan of Patty Briggs. Not just the “I really like her, she writes good books” kind of fan. I am a sit in the front row at the book signing -“Don’t you think you could write faster? - Please keep writing this series! - Can you give me a hint about the next book? – Would you please sign all of the books I brought with me?” honest to goodness fan girl. I LOVE her Mercy Thompson books as well as her Alpha and Omega books.

Why do I love them? For one thing, they are written in a world I know, the southeastern corner of Washington State, right on the banks of the Columbia River gorge. It isn’t the part of the region most people think of with the trees and rain and mountains. This is desert, dry and stark and desolate… and beautiful. It looks and feels simple - until you read this series. Thanks to Briggs, the world I thought I knew has become home to an entire cadre of frightening, mysterious, and sometimes heroic creatures. I have to admit that every time I drive east out of Portland, up the Columbia River, I wonder just what lurks out there. I recently listened to the audio book version of River Marked as I drove along this route. I found myself looking at the landmarks with new appreciation. Briggs’ writing has always been vivid to me, reminding me of hot dry summers and cold windy winters, blue skies and scouring wind. For another thing, there is a vivid cast of characters who live and breathe and struggle to survive. Mercy Thompson is tough and snarky character who knowingly makes some tough choices, ones with dire consequences, for good reasons. I love Mercy’s humor and her sense of optimistic fatalism. Or should that be fatalistic optimism? Who can blame her, what with the potential love interests ranging from an old werewolf with ulterior motives, a vampire who drives a Scooby-Doo mystery-machine VW bus, to the overly protective and imperious Alpha of the Columbia Basin Pack.

This is more than fantasy. Briggs weaves in local history and Native American legends with Old World mythology. You will find the Fae (fairytale folk) of the British Isles brushing up against shape-shifters from Native stories, a seethe of vampires, and a pack of Werewolves. Sometimes there are creatures from other cultures and continents. It is a complex world with political hierarchy and territorial disputes and intrigues. Every group has their villains and heroes just as in real life so that you never know for sure just where the trouble will come from next. If you are looking for something new to read I wholeheartedly recommend anything by Patricia Briggs. You will find her shelved under Urban Fantasy, Science Fiction, and sometimes under Romance.

Interview with romance author Annette Miller

Tell us about your new release. My new release is titled www.Cupid. It’s part of the new Candy Hearts series from The Wild Rose Press. It’s a paranormal, sweet romance, kind of like what you’d see on the Hallmark Channel. It’s about a woman who is an executive for Cupid in his company and an agent who works for her. He was by the book when they dated in college, but now, is a bit loose with the rules. As a result, she’s in trouble with Cupid almost as much as her agent is with her.

What led you to write this book? My publisher sent out an open call for submissions for this new series. As I was reading the guidelines, this story just popped in my head. I knew everything instantly; the setting, the characters, the plot, everything. I just had to get it down and I had the first draft done in a week.

Which is more important, character or setting? Both are important but I tend to think character is more important. Setting is great for mood and getting a feel for time and place, but without the characters, nothing much happens. Characters drive the story forward, giving setting meaning and depth.

Do you people watch for character inspiration? I am a great people watcher. There are so many interesting faces and styles of dress. You have a whole catalog of characters to draw from. One of the best things to do is hang out at the mall and just watch the crowds walk by. Guaranteed, you’ll leave with a hero or villain, possibly both.

Excerpt from www.cupid

Allison slammed her hands on her desk. “Your ‘much better idea’ just landed me in hot water with Cupid! I’m sick of being called on the carpet because you can’t follow the rules and do your job within the parameters of the file you’re given.”

“Come on, Allie. The fact he proposed while she was throwing up after getting off the roller coaster and she accepted, ought to count for something. Think of the great stories they’ll have to tell their kids.”

She narrowed her eyes. The fact he still insisted on calling her by her college nickname told her he’d never live up the become the agent she, and Cupid, she quickly added, wanted him to be.

“Their future relationship is not our department. Shape up or I swear I’ll ship you back down to Flowers and Poetry. As much as you complained about being there, do you really want to go back?”

He stared at her. “No, ma’am. But you wouldn’t do that to me, would you?”

“Yes, I would. In a heartbeat.”

Other books by Annette Miller

Do you have a favorite fictional character by another author you’d like to meet? I have a lot but one of my favorites is Richard Sharpe from Bernard Cornwell’s books. He started out in the ranks of Wellington’s army and rose to an officer, excelling despite the obstacles thrown in his way by the men who were able to purchase their commission instead of working for it the way Sharpe had done. I’ve read all the novels and own all the movies. What a great character; the epitome of hero, soldier, honor, and romantic. Richard Sharpe is one of the most wellrounded heroes I’ve ever read.

Shannon’s Space

YA Reviews by Shannon Kennedy SPINNER by Michael J. Bowler Young Dudes Publishing, August 2015 ~ 4½ Stars Blurb: Fifteen-year-old Alex is a “spinner.” His friends are “dummies.”

Two clandestine groups of humans want his power. And an ancient evil is stalking him. If people weren’t being murdered, Alex might laugh at how his life turned into a horror movie overnight. In a wheelchair since birth, his freakish ability has gotten him kicked out of ten foster homes since the age of four. Now saddled with a sadistic housemother who uses his spinning to heal the kids she physically abuses, Alex and his misfit group of learning disabled classmates are the only ones who can solve the mystery of his birth before more people meet a gruesome end.

They need to find out who murdered their beloved teacher, and why the hot young substitute acts like she’s flirting with them. Then there’s the mysterious medallion that seems to have unleashed something malevolent, and an ancient prophecy suggesting Alex has the power to destroy humanity. The boys break into homes, dig up graves, elude kidnappers, fight for their lives against feral cats, and ultimately confront an evil as old as humanity. Friendships are tested, secrets uncovered, love spoken, and destiny revealed.

The kid who’s always been a loner will finally learn the value of friends, family, and loyalty.

If he survives…

Review: From his wheelchair, fifteen-year-old Alex Maracles struggles with the complications of spinal bifida every day. It’s the same wheelchair that gives him the nickname of “spinner.” Somehow, he manages to take care of everything he needs to do, showering, dressing and getting himself off to school each morning. As a foster child, he doesn’t have any support at home. His foster mother incites competition, emotionally and verbally abusing the boys who live with her. She deprives them of what could be considered basic human needs. She even locks up the food and literally chains up the refrigerator. Where is the social worker who should be protecting Alex and the other boys?

In addition to the physical deprivations, Alex must contend with his foster mother attempting to document his paranormal abilities and use them for profit – hers, that is. He can “heal” injuries and unfortunately his youngest foster brother is often the victim who receives most of Alex’s treatments. Not only is Alex a healer, he also has precognitive dreams filled with gloom, despair and even murder. One of the first that he views shows the death of his beloved teacher, someone who has never made him feel

less for being in a Special Education classroom, or for being unable to read very well. His friends in the class can’t help him since they suffer from the same functional illiteracy.

Like the rest of his friends, Alex is a complex, well-drawn character. The reader will easily recognize them as individuals who could be met on the street or in any school because they always remain consistent. While they label themselves as “losers”, in fact they are more truly “winners.” The authenticity of the background embellishes the story and so does the dialogue which may prove too authentic for some readers. Yes, there is swearing but it feels natural for these characters, not extraneous. The treatment of Special Education students in the public education system is all too often sadly similar to that depicted by Mr. Bowler, although not all substitute teachers are evil.

The major drawback in this story is the fact that the women and girls are so clichéd. We rarely see one with empathy and they die horribly. It becomes difficult to believe that females are either angels, or demons, or the “hoes” that the boys call them. Hmm, generally “hoes” are garden implements and prostitutes, or women who act like them are called, “ho’s” in dialect. This story has a well-developed setting, a diverse cast of male characters, good dialogue and pacing but the women characters need as much attention to detail as those that the male ensemble receives.

STEADFAST HEART – Brides of Seattle – Book 1 REFINING FIRE – Brides of Seattle – Book 2 LOVE EVERLASTING – Brides of Seattle – Book 3 by Tracie Peterson Bethany House Publishing, January, July, and October 2015 ~ 4 Stars

Blurb – Steadfast Heart – Brides of Seattle Despite her spoiled upbringing, twentyyear-old Lenore Fulcher isn't pretentious. She simply believes a marriage should be built on true love. Her father, however, thinks she's wasted enough time searching for the perfect husband. He wants to marry her off to one of his business partners--who is seventeen years her senior--an idea that is out of the question for Lenore. Blurb – Refining Fire – Brides of Seattle – Book 2: Twenty-two-year-old Militine Scott is in training at the Madison Bridal School in Seattle, yet she has no intention of pursuing marriage. What respectable man would have her? But she has found the school provides the perfect opportunity to keep her unsavory past hidden. Continued on next page

Shannon’s Space Continued

Thane Patton, though fun-loving and fiercely loyal to his friends, hides a dark secret, as well. He finds himself drawn to Militine, sensing that she harbors a haunting pain similar to his own.

Will they allow God to make something new and beautiful from the debris of their past?

Blurb – Love Everlasting – Brides of Seattle – Book 3 Abrianna Cunningham has always viewed her longtime friend, Wade Ackerman, as a protective brother. Lately, however, she's begun to see him differently and finds herself attracted romantically to him. But she's confused and overwhelmed by these unfamiliar feelings.

Wade, on the other hand, has loved Abrianna for some time and has been waiting for her to realize they are more than just friends. When he asks her to marry him, she asks for time to adjust to their changed relationship.

And then there's Priam Welby, who has been relentlessly pursuing Abrianna. Will his underhanded tactics succeed in luring Abrianna into marriage with him?

Review: Based in 1888-1889 Seattle, this inspirational, historical New Adult series revolves around events at the Madison Bridal School. Because of their limited financial resources, three elderly ladies operate the school to teach young women how to become suitable wives. While some activities draw single men to the school for entertainment, most of what occurs are classes in cooking, cleaning, sewing, and household management – not easy tasks in the late 19th century.

The biggest flaw in these books is that the “blurbs” or back cover copy doesn’t conform to the actual stories. The first book should have been about the love story between Lenore Fulcher and visiting attorney, Kolbein Booth who arrives to look for his runaway sister. Instead, most of it was about Lenore’s friend, Abrianna who is the niece of the owners and has a passion for helping the downtrodden. She continually escapes the school to run around the frontier city and visit the docks providing food to the homeless. A spirited heroine with a taste for adventure will definitely appeal to readers, especially when she helps Lenore and Kolbein find each other. Still, there isn’t any romantic conflict between our supposed hero and heroine. They meet, fall immediately in love and that’s it except for a few contrivances by her parents who want stability for her. Meantime, Abrianna is off to solve a few murders and attempt to keep Priam Welby, the “Snidely Whiplash” of villains from destroying the school in his takeover bids. The second book is supposed to be about another would-be bride, Militine Scott. She has issues with God, always a good conflict in an inspirational romance and successfully attempts to fail her classes at the Bridal School. Once again, Abrianna strides onstage and makes off with the story. She

does help Militine find her true love, fireman Thane Patton and once again, there are few conflicts between our lead couple. They talk about what brought them to Seattle and everything is resolved between them. Most of the story describes the efforts that Abrianna makes to build a “food house,” what we would call a “soup kitchen” to feed the homeless. Both Thane and the boy next door, Wade Ackerman who loves Abrianna are enlisted to help with repairs and she starts her mission, growing up a bit in the process. She is still the same sassy, smart-mouthed young woman called upon to help those less fortunate and believes that training to be an appropriate wife and mother must come second. Readers will connect with her struggles especially when Thane’s concerns about fire prevention foreshadow an upcoming tragedy. Priam Welby continues his devious antics which range from opium smuggling to the Chinese slave trade to convincing Abrianna’s aunts to trade their school in downtown Seattle to a more favorable location on Queen Anne hill.

Finally in Book 3, Abrianna has grown up enough to admit that she’s fallen in love with Wade and the two of them plan a future together. They really don’t have a lot of conflicts between them except for those manufactured by outsiders. Her naiveté and innocence begins to wear thin since she’s survived so much in the past year. Every once in a while, some elements of the old Abrianna rise to the surface and she’s the same heroine who engaged readers in her quest to save the world in previous books.

Since these are inspirational stories, a great deal of time is spent understanding religious concepts which often led to additional conflicts among the secondary characters. While the quest to live by Christian ideals concerned most of the ensemble cast, this didn’t overshadow the plots or slow the pacing. As a native Washingtonian, The Brides of Seattle series was especially fun for me to read with its references to old-time Seattle.

However, a short course in state history wouldn’t come amiss with this series which is another downfall. A skilled writer like Ms. Peterson shouldn’t count on her readers knowing that overt discrimination led to vicious race riots toward the Chinese immigrants in the 1880’s. More mention could have been made of the efforts to join the union and Washington’s impending statehood in November 1889. Since the setting was a “bridal school,” why wasn’t there more mention of the fact that women had won the vote in 1883, then lost it in 1888? Wouldn’t these women have at least discussed it? And of course, the emerging town was named after Chief Sealth, a name changed to Seattle by the first settlers, but there isn’t a mention of that either.

Seattle has an extremely colorful, very well-documented past. While Asa Mercer, the man who arranged to bring brides to Seattle earns a mention, what about the others who helped create the city? At the time this series takes place, Seattle was barely thirty-some years old. I would have loved to see some details about the Terrys, the Dennys and of course Doc Maynard, the drinking bigamist who helped lay out the streets.

Rachel BRimBle Romance, Romantic Suspense and historical Romance

Rachel lives with her husband and two teenage daughters in a small town near Bath in the UK. After having several novels published by small US presses, she secured agent representation in 2011. Since 2013, she has had five books published by Harlequin Superromance (Templeton Cove Stories) and recently signed a contract for three more. She also has three Victorian romances with eKensington/Lyrical with a fourth due for release in March 2016. Rachel is a member of the Romantic Novelists Association and Romance Writers of America, and was selected to mentor the Superromance finalist of So You Think You Can Write 2014 contest. When she isn’t writing, you’ll find Rachel with her head in a book or walking the beautiful English countryside with her family. Her dream place to live is Bourton-on-the-Water in South West England. She likes nothing more than connecting and chatting with her readers and fellow romance writers. Rachel would love to hear from you!

Which is more important characters or set- Which book impacted you as a teenager? ting? Everything by Judy Blume – I devoured her Setting is definitely important to enable the reader books and pushed them at my own teenage to feel grounded in the characters’ lives but I think daughters to read. Hugely entertaining while givthe characters themselves are the most impor- ing a young reader information and support tant. Their goals, motivations and conflicts are through tough times. Fantastic writing. what drive the story and, hopefully, keep the reader turning the pages as quickly as possible. What social media do you participate in? Without believeable, three-dimensional characters a plot would be boring. I’m very active on Twitter and Facebook – I like to intersperse promo posts with my personal life. Do you have a favorite fictional character by I think it’s important for authors to allow readers another author you’d like to meet? into their lives as well as their work. Everyone likes to see into people’s homes! Eve Dallas from JD Robb’s In Death series! She is fabulous and so well-developed. On the out- What’s next for you? side she’s tough, kick ass, no-nonsense cop, but scratch beneath the surface and you have an My next release will, hopefully, be coming in the abuse survivor with a big heart and huge vulner- autumn and it will be book 6 in my Harlequin Suability. Perfect heroine! perromance Templeton Cove series – this is the first firefighting story I’ve written and I’m excited What do you do when you are not writing? to share it with my readers. All the books can be read as stand-alone stories. I love to read (of course!) and my tastes range from almost every sub-genre of romance, to historical fiction to crime. I also love to knit and walk the English countryside with my chocolate lab and my family.

Excerpt from Her One True Love:

Matthew turned and faced Jane. “When are you leaving for the city?”

She took another step back, her gaze darting over his face. “The day after tomorrow. Why?”

“Because I will escort you. We can travel together in my carriage.” “No, I do not need your––”

“I will be going anyway. I planned to visit some contacts in the city in the hope of securing guaranteed trade for Biddestone in the coming year. It seems unnecessary for us to make the trip separately when I have a carriage plenty big enough for us both.”

The seconds passed, but Matthew held his tongue. It was imperative she spoke next, that she understood he didn’t mean to bully her but wanted to ensure her safety to a city ravaged by danger, as much as opportunity.

He held her gaze. “Which is?”

Her eyes softened, slowly lighting with mischief. “You smile. Now. You smile at me like you did before she left.”

Heat rose to his face. “You want me to smile?”

She glared. “It’s my intention to start on the path of independence, of finding out what the world has to offer me on my own merit. I will hardly be carving out my own path when at the first step from my home, I lean on you.”

“You are being stubborn.”

The longer he looked at her, the more Matthew saw the quiet beauty he’d desperately tried to ignore. He took a steadying breath. “Please, Jane. Let me escort you to Bath.”

She sighed. “Fine. On one condition.”

“There is absolutely no need. Jeannie will be coming with me.” “My offer still stands.”

She pulled back her shoulders. “And you are not?”

“Yes. Smile for me, Matthew.”

Empathy and passion swirled in eyes, but they also bore a deep, painful awareness that scratched hard over his heart. The longer he stared, the more he wanted to make her happy. He smiled, his gaze on hers…and was surprised to find the trade no effort at all.

Roberta’s Ramblings by Roberta Rogow

I'm rambling through one of my favorite periods: the Noneteenth Century, a time of great innovation and invention... and mystery.

In DEATH COMES TO LONDON, by Catherine Lloyd (Kensington, 2014, $24.99), it's 1817, the Corsican Monster is safely stowed away on is remote Atlantic Island, and Major Robert Kurland is looking forward to a quiet country life on his newlyacquired manor. His neighbor, Miss Lucy Harrington, is heading to London with her sister Anna, to enjoy the London Season and possibly snare a husband. The two of them collide at Almacks, the ultra-exclusive club where young ladies may be presented to possible mates, just as a vicious dowager collapses. Poison, not apoplexy, is the cause, and soon Major Kurland and Miss Harrington are engaged in a search for an elusive poisoner with a taste for medical research and a cabinet of curiosities. Miss Harrington and Major Kurland made a good team, as they uncover not only the present plot, but solve a twenty-year-old mystery as well.

A VIRTUOUS DEATH, by Christine Trent, (Kensington, 2014, $25.00) takes her heroine, undertaker Violet Harper, back to Buckingham Palace, at the bidding of Queen Victoria. Still mourning the death of her husband, Prince Albert, the queen is dependent on her chief servant, the Scotsman John Brown, whose talents apparently include contacting the dead. When one of the Dear Departed sends a warning message, the Queen insists that only Violet can find the answer to the mystery. Violet discovers more secrets in the royal family than she wishes to know: the youngest princesses are chafing at their mother's strictures, while her eldest son, the Prince of Wales, is being called as a witness in a messy divorce case. What has any of this to do with the deaths of young women associated with the struggles for Women's Rights? Is there a threat to the Queen herself? Violet's courage is matched by her discretion, and the Queen is pleased with the results. An Author's Note explains some of the details of the Royal Household,

and adds information about some of the historical characters mentioned in this book.

A real-life sleuth takes the stage in Raymond Buckland's second outing for theater manager Bram Stoker in DEAD FOR A SPELL (Berkley, 2014, $15). London's theatrical world is buzzing with the news that the American actor, Edwin Booth, is planning to join England's major star, Henry Irving, at the Lyceum Theater, sharing the stage and roles in a new production of Othello. As if that's not distraction enough, one of the young ladies of the company turns up dead, murdered in an occult ritual. Has someone resurrected the old Hellfire Club? Or is this connected somehow to the visiting Americans? A pair of criminal brothers, a tarot reader, and a dealer in weird potions all play a part in a scheme whose motive is as twisted as its originator. As before, a look at an aspect of Victorian society rarely seen, through the eyes of one whose interest in the occult and the dramatic would soon produce one of the great works of fiction.

Alyssa Maxwell visits American royalty in MURDER AT MARBLE HOUSE (Kensington, 2014, $15.00), the second of her Gilded Newport mystery series. Emma Cross, a distant relation of the wealthy Vanderbilt clan, is called to the side of her cousin Consuelo, who is being pressured to marry the Duke of Marlborough by her formidable mother, Alva. Alva is behind this marriage, which will crown her place in New York Society, regardless of Consuelo's feeling for the duke. She's even called in a fortune-teller to convince her reluctant daughter that the marriage was Meant To Be! But the woman is found dead, strangled with her own scarf, and Consuelo has vanished! Has the heiress been kidnapped, or has she simply eloped with her true love, playboy Winthrop Rutherfurd? Emma searches Newport's high and low ends of Society, and discovers plenty of material for blackmail, including a family secret that leads to murder, An Afterword explains what happened to Consuelo and her mis-matched Duke.

Roberta Rogow is a retired librarian who enjoys books with characters that grab you, often set in exotic places or in other times. She reads a lot of historical mysteries, but also enjoys Alternate History, and has been known to indulge in an orgy of“cozy crafty” mysteries, set in small-town America or villages in Great Britain. Her latest release, MAYHEM IN MANATAS is the follow-up to MURDERS IN MANATAS.

ÂŠ 2016 The Book Breeze Page 13

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Urban Fantasy

Spicy Sci-Fi Romance

Marooned on an inhospitable planet, Cat Kincaid and Kerry Marchant need to work together to stay alive, fighting not only unknown assailants, but their growing attraction. But how can they learn to trust each other when he has vowed never to get close to a woman again, and she made a solemn pledge to destroy him?

Gin Crawford, the world's latest demon huntress, has no time to mourn her dead lover as she's called in to determine why a demon attack occurred at the local medical school. And not just any demon, but the one demon that gives her demon-killing bracelet the shivers. A dead professor, a lab full of missing anthrax, and a demon who turns good people into minions complicate her life. Can Gin and her mentor Aidan Smythe solve the mystery of the missing anthrax and the identity of the demon before someone else dies?

ÂŠ 2016 The Book Breeze Page 16

A BED OF SCORPIONS By Judith Flanders

BIDDING ON THE BILLIONAIRE By JM Stewart

Erotic Contemporary Romance

Mystery

Released March 1, 2016 by Minotaur Books

Dry humor and zany supporting characters are back when amateur sleuth Samantha Clair finds herself embroiled in an other mystery. Author of Murder of Magpies, Flanders’ continues A WEDDING IN RED CREEK By Randi Alexander

Released March 1, 2016 by Grand Central Publishing/Forever Yours in ebook (Print to follow)

Shy bookshop owner Hannah Miller finds herself having an erotic online fling with a man she’s never met. Her lover’s scintillating words leave her hooked on him and longing for his touch. Corporate Attorney Cade McKenzie is addicted to their hot exchanges. When business brings him to her doorstep, he finally meets her in person. Their agreement is an exclusive, no-strings fling, but when Cade’s sister volunteers him for her charity bachelor auction, Hannah is forced to make a tough decision. Is she willing to make a bid for the billionaire’s heart?

Erotic Romance Released Jan 29, 2016 by author in ebook

GAMBLER’S CHOICE By Linda Nightingale Romantic Suspense

Released Feb 17, 2016 by The Wild Rose Press With their wedding day fast Becca McQuaid came to Engapproaching, Rori Hughes land to find the perfect horse and Jackson Walker have but instead met a darkly mysmuch to do. Their red-hot courtship, swift and deep terious challenge in Austen Heath, Baron of emotional bond, and Christmas engagement Hampton. She’s determined to buy Austen’s stalhave proven the strength of their love for each lion Gambler’s Choice. He’s determined not to other. But with real life commitments just days sell, but the rivals are thrown together by an acaway, they find themselves battered by serious cident that leaves Austen with a broken leg and the threat he’ll never ride again. communication challenges. Austen Heath has the title, heritage and manor While one of them contemplates their unachieved house…but not the fortune. Becca is wealthy. Her goals, the other struggles to ignore the call of ad- charms are irresistible, but he believes she’s venture. The sudden uncertainty of a future spent shopping for a Ladyship to go with her money. He settling into a routine threatens to drive a wedge has another reason to hold the sexy blonde at between the couple. Can Rori and Jackson find arms’ length—the unexplained disappearance of what they’re looking for in Red Creek, or is the an old friend everyone thinks was his lover. When town nowhere near large enough to hold them her body is discovered on his property, he becomes a suspect in her murder. and their dreams? © 2015 The Book Breeze Page 17

Fantasy

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Financial Thriller Author George Ugeux

A Belgian and U.S. national, Georges Ugeux is the Chairman and CEO of Galileo Global Advisors LLC, an investment banking advisory boutique. Ugeux joined the New York Stock Exchange in 1996, as Group Executive Vice President, International. An adjunct professor at Columbia Law School, Ugeux is the author of a numerous nonfiction books about finance. The Flying Dragon is his first work of fiction. For more information about Georges Ugeux, visit: www.georgesugeux.com What led you to write this book? I always wanted to write a novel, and the mystery genre seemed to be the right setting for the financial world that I know and am working in, but also often find dysfunctional. For me, it was another way to help readers understand that the financial industry can be dysfunctional – so much so, that when passion and sex become factors, it becomes a natural environment for fraud and crime. I was also able to draw from my own experiences from that world to fuel the plot. Which is more important characters or setting? By choosing a young Chinese woman as the protagonist, I was inevitably focused on settings in Asia. While the story does include mainland China ramifications, Hong Kong was the perfect setting. However, it was because of the lead character, Victoria Leung that I chose China, not the other way around. I have found that the most fascinating part of fiction writing is the creation of characters.

also teach finance at Columbia Law School. Writing has become a passion of mine and I do it every day for one reason or another. The fact that it is not my only activity helps me to avoid the blockage some authors feel when their Muse is silent. I have the luxury of writing only when I feel inspired. Have you ever written a scene that ‘creeped’ you out? There is violent aggression in the book. For me, it was the most difficult passage to write because I found it difficult to create and describe a scene involving something I deeply hate: hate crimes. I relied on several of my female readers to make sure I was being respectful without betraying the facts.

Do you have a favorite writing place or writing rituals? I travel a lot and often have long flights: This is my favorite time to write.

Are any of your characters loosely based on people you know in real life? Victoria Leung does have characteristics of several Chinese women I know well. While none of these women would entirely recognize themselves in Victoria’s character, beauty, strength in character, assertiveness and vulnerability are all common to each of them. In the end, while Victoria Leung is unique, I could not have created her without the rich interactions I’ve had with these women.

\What do you hope readers take away from your work? I hope the readers will like Victoria Leung as much as I enjoyed creating her. I want readers to understand while I have thoroughly enjoyed my experiences in the financial industry, there is a dark side of finance – one in which honest and dishonest people live in ongoing conflict of values. It is the eternal fight between the good and the bad, (with seduction from both sides). I also hope that readers will recognize the humanity of the characters I have created.

What do you do when you are not writing? I have a day job. I run a boutique investment bank that is very active in many parts of the world, including China. I

What’s next for you? I’m currently in the process of finishing a non-fiction book on central banking. Additionally, I will soon have the French and Chinese editions of The Flying Dragon, followed by Victoria Leung’s next adventures…in London.

Excerpt from THE FLYING DRAGON:

The crowd around the Hong Kong Arts Center seemed happy as they streamed out of the concert by talented Chinese pianist Yuja Wang. They enthusiastically shared their impressions about her beauty, musicality, and talent. Some of the patrons had seen videos of Yuja Wang playing Chopin at the age of six. Victoria Leung was so in sync with the music she had played tonight: Schubert’s impromptus. She also felt so close to the pianist, who commanded the keyboard and seemed on the verge of tears when the third impromptu moved from lightness to depth and passion. At twenty-seven, Yuja Wang was one of the best-known pianists of her generation and now lived in the United States. She had the same drive, intensity, and grace as Victoria herself. The Center’s superb architecture had always given Victoria pleasure. It was modern without ostentation, and its

its acoustics were close to perfect. Over the years, classical music had increasingly been a source of inspiration in the Chinese world, and the public was ecstatic. For a Chinese pianist to reach this level of excellence and artistry was a source of pride.

Since she had left the financial fraud department of the Hong Kong Police Force, Victoria Leung had enjoyed the freedom attached to her new status of senior detective at Pegasus, an international firm headquartered in London. She intended to fully enjoy this period of her life. Having a family was not on her agenda. Like most thirty-six-year-old women, though, she was starting to give it some thought. Her biological clock inexorably ticked. She knew it. But at the same time, she didn’t know what to do about that reality.

Victoria was an assertive and attractive young woman well aware of the impact she had on the male-dominated financial world of Greater China. She had initially faced difficulty demonstrating her leadership and competence, partly because of her good looks, femininity, and youth. She had learned to turn these qualities into assets that she used subtly and wisely. While she remained vulnerable to some aggressive behavior from male colleagues, she knew how to garner respect. Her body was slim and strong; she exercised regularly. She liked having the freedom to wear dresses and skirts rather than a police uniform. But what struck everybody who met her was the power of her demeanor and her smile, which revealed her complexity. ++++

Wearing a short red dress, Victoria drank her green tea as she peered through the glass of her office windows into the Hong Kong morning: Kowloon Bay on one side and the old British Empire buildings and parks at the center of Hong Kong on the other. The traffic was penetrating and created an impression of energy and intensity. Hong Kong was not

a city for the fainthearted. Victoria was an early bird, and relished the atmosphere of the office before anybody else was in. She was in control and serene. Victoria looked down at the document on her desk:

Henry Chang is in danger. I urgently need to meet you. Meet me at 9:00 a.m. at the Mandarin Oriental for coffee. I desperately need your help. —Diana Y.

Victoria was stunned. For Diana Yu to send such a dramatic message was unusual. Henry Chang was Diana’s former lover until he broke it off and publicly humiliated her. Now, Diana was asking Victoria to help the bastard. It didn’t add up. Did Diana still have feelings for him? Victoria hoped not, but it was the only explanation that made sense. She sighed. If it had been Chang asking, Victoria would have said no. But Diana was a dear friend. If she was willing to swallow her pride and ask for help, then the least Victoria could do was find out why.

Diana Yu and Victoria had started together at the Hong Kong Police Force. Soon after, Henry Chang became Diana’s boyfriend. While she had given the relationship all she had, she was never sure whether Henry was playing or being earnest. Unexpectedly, after they had dated for a year, he dropped her for a Hong Kong socialite, Helena Lee. He then became head of the fixed-income department of the Bank of Hong Kong and Shanghai, or BHS. The breakup had been particularly painful for Diana since Henry had been cruel enough to do it publicly at a 2012 New Year’s party. Diana was now reaching out through a confidential police cable; whatever had happened to Henry must have been fairly dramatic. The Wan Chai Police headquarters was close to Hong Kong Central and near the Mandarin Oriental Hotel.

Love, Hawaiian Style by

Jackie Marilla

CAPTURING GABRIEL

Romancing the Guardians, Book 3

By Lyn Horner

Spicy Romantic Suspense/Paranormal Released Dec 29, 2015 by author in print and ebook

Josie Tseda has vowed to find Gabriel Valdez, a Guardian of Danu, and bring him to meet with the other Guardians. Locating him in the mountains of Colombia and convincing him to accompany her to the U.S. proves a challenge. Their mutual attraction only complicates matters.

Seeking revenge for his mother’s death, Gabriel battles drug traffickers in his country. He distrusts the feisty female who delivers an urgent message, supposedly from the High Guardian. It may be a lie to ensnare him. As romance blooms, will her mission and the secret power he wields stand between them?

FAINT By Rolynn Anderson Mild Contemporary Romantic Suspense Released Dec 2015 in print and ebook

Written Word

works with an international group of clients, providing writing and editing services. Specialties: • Editing manuscripts (line, copy, substantive) • Ghostwriting • Developmental coaching for fiction and non-fiction • Business writing and editing, blogging, and web articles • Press releases and marketing tools For more information on specific services, see Written Word pages at www.lyricalpens.com. www.lyricalpens.com www.twitter.com/mahalachurch www.facebook.com/mahalachurch

READ, PONDER, REPEAT

Their dead clients refuse to rest in peace.

How did small-town boutique funeral planning morph into crime-solving? Ask freelance embalmer Trudy Solomon, or Pete McDonald, a blind, forensic investigator. They’re unearthing mysteries of the deceased for their pregnant boss, Jan Keller, while her journalist husband, Roman, is benched by a ten million dollar defamation suit.

A dead client goes missing, and investigating his disappearance forces Trudy and Pete to confront their fiercely independent styles. When danger stalks them, will they blend brains, brawn and belief in one another to solve crimes and save themselves?

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Book Excerpt PORCELAIN DOLL: A Jana Lane Mystery by Joe Cosentino 1982. Jana stood in her entrance hallway welcoming two men into her home. Wearing a lime blouse and teal Capri pants, Jana stood at the doorway with her mouth agape.

This is the most gorgeous man I have ever seen in my life. Jason Apollo, thirty-four, with sculpted features and a perfect muscular body, smiled sweetly. Though one of the biggest box office movie stars, he had a sensitive, boyish quality that turned Jana, and everyone else, into putty. Jana stared at his sparkling blue eyes and thick blond hair. “It’s nice to meet you, Jana. I’m a fan. I’m Jason Apollo. I play the detective in the film.” His huge pectoral muscles peeked out of his open flannel shirt. Tight jeans and hint of a southern accent completed the perfect picture. Jana’s knees dipped. “It’s very nice to meet you, too, Jason. I’m Jana Lane.” Did I purposely forget Otley?

death. Jason delivered his lines with warmth, vulnerability, and obvious affection for Jana. In turn, Jana listened then reacted with deep emotions, conveying shock, loss, fear, and hysteria while being comforted by the man she trusted. Jana clutched onto Jason with such force, her fingernail accidently tore a hole in his jacket. “Cut!” Jack hollered. While the wardrobe woman repaired Jason’s jacket, Jana noticed Reverend Charlton step out of the study again, this time with Ryan O’Halloran. After the two men returned, and the jacket was mended, Jack called for slate and action for take two. Jana and Jason did the scene two more times. Each take was more realistic and heart-wrenching than the next, and each appeared as if it were the first time Jana was given the sad news. After the third take, Jack shouted, “Cut! It’s a wrap. Ryan, let’s move on to the next location.”

Jack Capello, fifty, craggy-faced, and thin with yellow teeth and black fingertips, brought her back to reality. “Can we come in?”

“Of course.” Still unable to take her eyes off Jason Apollo, Jana ushered them into the hunter green and pale peach sitting room. She had seen Jason’s picture on television and in the newspaper, but having not seen any of his movies, Jana was taken aback by his almost supernatural beauty and boyish charisma. She was also surprised at his height, not much taller than hers. As Jana sat waiting for Jack to call for action, she looked up at Jason’s encouraging face. She again was taken aback by his incredible beauty. Reverend Charlton and Gloria reentered the study.

Jack called for quiet and action. Jana and Jason played the scene, where the detective notifies her of her husband’s

Jana wiped the tears from her cheeks.

Jason placed his hand on the side of her face. “You’re amazing.” “You’re not so bad yourself, partner.”

“You make me better,” he said with adoration in his trueblue eyes.

They shared a smile as again people hurried around the room like ants after a picnic.

Suddenly, Jana heard a loud crash followed by a scream. Leaping from her chair, she followed the horrified gazes of the others in the room to Ryan O’Halloran lying motionless on the floor with a Fresnel tungsten shuttered light next to his head, and blood dripping from his scalp onto the hardwood floor. g

Nurse Jackie

“What do you call a nurse with a bad back? Unemployed,” and with a quote from T.S. Eliot and the music from Valley of the Dolls we begin the complex tale of Nurse Jackie, an emergency room nurse at All Saints Hospital, mother, wife and drug addict.

With brilliant storytelling, each half hour episode shows the lives of the men and women who are there for people experiencing “the worse day of their life.” This award winning show was produced by Showtime and is now airing on Netflix where I happily binged all 7 seasons.

**SPOILER ALERT** If you haven’t seen it STOP READING AND START TO BINGE. Let’s start with a look at some of the characters. Humanity is a mess lot and Nurse Jackie gave us multidimensional characters that crashed and soared, sometimes simultaneously.

Nurse Jackie - Masterfully played by the highly nominated, award winning Edie Falco who also played in The Sopranos. Jackie is a sociopath and a drug addict, an unlikely heroine who tackles life on her own terms. Her greatest passion, besides opiates, is her desire to save lives.

Zoey Barkow - Played by Merritt Wever (who is now Dr. Denise on The Walking Dead), Zoey makes an amazing journey from nervous nursing student to a confident woman and accomplished nurse. In one storyline Zoey enters into a relationship with the very handsome Dr. Prentiss played by Morris Chestnut. The nervous nurse in bunny scrubs became a self-assured woman capable of attracting the hottest doctor on staff.

Dr. Fitch Cooper “Coop” - Played by Peter Facinelli is pretty much a buffoon who stumbles into some remarkable moments. Primarily comic relief, Coop suffers from a form of terrets syndrom where under stress he grabs the nearest breast - much to the dismay of the staff.

Gloria Akalitus - Played by Anna Deavere Smith is the ER Administrator who appears stuffy and rigid but under the right circumstances is as much a rule breaker as Jackie.

The Binge Report

One of my favorite episodes is where she assists Lana, a transgender patient, on how to cut corners and get assistance in health care. Thor - Wonderful sarcastic Thor, a male nurse seaching for love and backing up Jackie’s every move. Played by the talented Stephen Wallem who put diabetes on TV.

My most memorable episode involved Wallem’s character. It was entitled Soul (Season 5 Ep 10). It involved Wally, a gay man with advanced liver cancer who had been 22 years sober and refused pain meds. As he dies Thor tells him how honored he is to be with him, because he was not just a survivor of the closet, stonewall, the plague but he survived it so elequontly. By the time Jackie gave him last rights I was sobbing uncontrolably. The episode ends with Thor singing a song for Wally at a local club. The series ends with the hospital closing and everyone scattering. Jackie gets a job at another hospital and Zoey volunteers with Doctors Without Borders. Jackie keeps asking her to come with her but Zoey tells her that it’s time for them to part company. Basically Zoey has had enough of Jackie’s antics. The “I love you but not your behavior” speech.

As everyone is saying goodbye, Jackie goes into the ladies room and overdoses. She stumbles out and falls at the feet of her co-workers and friends. This is where there is some contention. Some people believe that she doesn’t die but is saved, but I believe that Jackie does die.

Remember back in the first episode when Zoey called Jackie a saint? Jackie reflected that if she were a saint that she would be St. Augustine because he knew he had good in him but he also had some bad which he didn’t want to give up - just yet. Jackie says, “Make me good God, but not yet.” It’s poignant because she is thinking that as she talks with her husband, whom she is cheating on with the pharmacist who provides her with drugs. And as she thinks that, she steps back into the shadows.

In the end, in full view of everyone, Jackie is on the floor dying of an overdose. No more shadows, no more secrets. Zoey strokes her head and says, “You’re good.” not, “You’re going to be okay” but “you’re good.” It was Jackie’s time to be good. **Sob** To everyone involved with this project, WELL DONE!

GOLD RUSH WEDDING By Suzanne Lilly

Historical Sweet Romance Released Nov 29, 2013 by Pitner Publishing in ebook

Lucinda Martin York and George Arnold Jr. have been through floods, fires, and freezing cold together in their pursuit of gold in California. Lucinda dreams of becoming one of the first women doctors. George dreams of building a mining empire. They are deeply in love and their friends and family are in Sacramento ready to celebrate their marriage. Only one thing can tear them apart.

A WORTHY HEART

Courage to Dream Book 2

By Susan Anne Mason Maggie Montgomery’s dream of seeing America has finally come true. While visiting Irish Meadows, Maggie meets an intriguing man whom she thinks is a stable hand. Only when her brother, Rylan, demands she stay away from Adam O’Leary does she learn he is Rylan’s brother-in-law, recently released from prison. Nonetheless, Maggie can’t seem to make her stubborn heart conform to her brother’s request.

Adam O’Leary has never felt worthy of his place in the family. Now a free man, Adam’s only desire is to earn back his family’s trust. Falling in love with the newly arrived Maggie, however, was never in his plans. Despite everyone’s effort to keep them This 5 star reviewed short story in the California apart, the two develop a bond it seems nothing can Argonauts series of gold rush novels is available break—but they soon discover the past isn’t easy for free. to overcome.

THE ORION PLAN By Mark Alpert Sci-Fi Adventure Released Feb 16, 2016 by Thomas Dunne Books

Scientists thought that Earth was safe from invasion. The distance between stars is so great that it seemed impossible for even the most advanced civilizations. But now an alien species has found a way. When the government proves slow to react, NASA scientist Dr. Sarah Pooley realizes she must lead the effort to stop them before they become too powerful.

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